Vice (2018) Film Review

What do you know about Dick Cheney? What does anyone know about Dick Cheney? I knew a bit here and there, certainly had read a bit about his involvement, as Vice President to George W Bush, in the conflict in Iraq and in extraordinary rendition and torture in the years post 911. This film tells his story – well, it tries. It admits, both at the start and at the end, that it is a flawed telling, and anyone who knows my struggle with biopics will know how much I appreciate this. But the story it tells is of a man who initially has little motivation but, with the almost Lady MacBeth urging of his wife, rises through the White House enjoying the ability to manipulate people and situations as he sees fit. He appears to have no real moral compass and his sole drive appears to be power.

This film is told in an unusual manner, with direction narration to the camera by some unknown bloke. There are twists and turns and, honestly, at times I was wondering what was going on. I walked out wondering about it but, after talking about it with a few people I decided that I really liked it. A lot.

Vice won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Christian Bale) and was nominated for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture (Adam McKay), Best Director – Motion Picture (Adam McKay), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Amy Adams), Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Sam Rockwell)

Arrival (2016) Film Review

Twelve alien spaceships appear and are hovering in various locations around the world. Countries are working together on how to communicate with these strange creatures and among them are a high-level linguistics professor, Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). Over a series of long, drawn out sessions, they establish some kind of communication, but does it mean what they think it means?

I kind of get why people might like this, but I was bored. It was sooooooo slow, and while there was some beauty in the filming, I just didn’t get it. Plus, it has a ‘twist’ – at least, I think it was a twist. For me, however, I had no engagement with any of the characters; I didn’t care about the aliens or why they were there. I was somewhat intrigued by the concept of what a world does when aliens are hanging about and what we might actually do to attempt communication – in fact, the more I think about this, the more fascinated I am. I think it’s because so much sci fi have some kind of auto translating thing to avoid the whole concept of cross species communication.

Arrival won the Oscar for Best Achievement in Sound Editing and was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing (Denis Villeneuve), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Film Editing, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing and Best Achievement in Production Design.

Batman vs Superman: the Dawn of Justice (2016) Film Review

The world of Metropolis is reeling from Superman’s battle against the bad guys in the last Superman film. Batman’s not happy with this and wants to stop Superman, and they’re unaware being controlled by the new and evil Lex Luthor. And then there is Wonder Woman?

Ok, I got really lost. I wasn’t sure what world we were in… was it after the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight films? No. But it was after the recent Superman? Yes. So, Superman lives in Metropolis? Yes. And Batman lives in Gotham? Yes. So, they are nearby? Apparently. How does Wonder Woman fit in? I’m still a little confused on that one.

I enjoyed the fighting and stuff. And I quite like Henry Cavill as Superman, and Amy Adams as Lois. Jesse Eisenberg was great as Lex Luthor – I think he was the highlight of the film for me. Ben Affleck as Batman? No, he didn’t work for me. Perhaps I could have enjoyed this more in a cinema, perhaps I would have followed the whole thing a lot better, but as it was I felt like it was a totally confusing mess.

 

The Muppets (2011) Film Review

Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (Peter Linz) are brothers. Well, kind of; Walter is a puppet. Though this is not really directly acknowledged, a strange part of this film that I really kind of loved. Anyhow, they do everything together with a song, but as Gary becomes a man, in love with Mary (Amy Adams), Walter is just a puppet obsessed with The Muppets. So when Gary and Mary and Walter go to Hollywood to The Muppets studio and discover it is about to be sold, they know they need to work together to fix it. Will they get The Muppets back together for one last show? Will Mary and Gary live happily ever after? Will they do a heap of fun times song and dances?

I loved it so much. Yes, I grew up with The Muppets, and have fond memories from the show. But there was always the risk that a reboot would be a disaster – and instead, it was fabulous. All the cheese and schmaltz that it needed to have, but with a truly Muppetty storyline and great humour.

Big Eyes (2014) Film Review

Margaret(Amy Adams) has escaped a bad marriage with her daughter and suddenly falls for charming and charismatic fellow artist Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz). Before she knows it, they are married, and Walter has started taking credit for Margaret’s popular Big Eyes paintings He markets her art like no-one has before, with prints, posters, postcards – anything the masses can provide. And as they become wealthier, she becomes more unsatisfied and he becomes more abusive until finally she breaks, chosing to stand up for herself, her daughter and her art.

It’s a mysterious one – I wanted to like it, as it is a great story, and based on truth as well. But I felt little chemistry between the two initially as they fell in love and I just couldn’t get into the story. I didn’t find any emotion, I couldn’t car what happened, and it mostly even lacked the beauty of artistry that is typical of Tim Burton.

Big Eyes won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Amy Adams) and was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Christoph Waltz) and Best Original Song – Motion Picture (Big Eyes)

Sunshine Cleaning (2008) Film Review

Two sisters, neither particularly good at being employed and keeping financially safe, start a business cleaning up crime scenes.

I really wanted to like this; Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, wow, what a cast. But it just annoyed me, watching people who are hopeless at doing what they are doing. Of course it was going to end in disaster. And because it was so obvious that things would have to go wrong, I could not get myself attached to the characters.

 

Her (2013) Film Review

Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is in an unusual writing job and leads a mostly solitary existence after the break down of his marriage.  He purchases a new operating system is released which contains artificial intelligence, developing to meet the every need of the user, and quickly, he starts to fall for ‘Samantha’ (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). What are the limitations of a personality that is not human and has no real physical presence, and yet has the intelligence and ability to communicate in a real manner?

This film is beautiful. Theodore is a very sensitive character, flawed and hurt. His interactions are real, and his confusion and wonder at  the whole situation is genuine and totally engaging. The film really has me thinking about the moral and ethical limitations of this type of artificial intelligence, in a similar way to the excellent Swedish television series Real Humans.

Her won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay (Spike Jonze)and was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It was also nominated for Oscars for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Acheivement in Music Written for Motion Pictures  – Original Score, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures – Original Song (The Moon Song by Karen O and Spike Jonze), Best Achievement in Production Design and Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Spike Jonze).

American Hustle (2013) Film Review

 

 

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a con artist who falls for Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and they develop a whole set of scams. Then in steps FBI agent Richie Di Maso (Bradley Cooper) and the plays they are running are no longer their own – and become more and more ambitious.

David O. Russell’s last film was Silver Linings Playbook, and while I enjoyed watching it, I felt an emptiness at the end, as though I’d been sucked in to think that was a good film when it just wasn’t. I was a little concerned going in to this film that I would find the same problem, and thank goodness not. This is a truly excellent film. The writing is very strong, with twists that I didn’t pick (and loved that aspect). The characters were wonderful, with some of the most repulsively wonderful clothes and hair, although I was a bit distracted by Amy Adams’ boobs. I am not a fan of Christian Bale, which I think is because many of the parts he has played are extremely creepy and unlikable. Apart from Batman; I think he was perfect in that. His portrayal of Irving Rosenfeld is brilliant. A lesser actor may have relied on the weight gain, mysterious hair and creepy glasses, but Bale showed the deeper emotions of the character,  both in a subtle manner and, when required, with the force of a sledgehammer. Add in the magnificent Jennifer Lawrence, a brief moment of Robert De Niro, Louis C.K.  and Jeremy Renner and you got a cast.

American Hustle won Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (though I think it is a drama, not a comedy or a musical. A drama a laughed in, but certainly a drama), Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Amy Adams), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is a Motion Picture (Jennifer Lawrence) and was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Christian Bale), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Bradley Cooper), Best Director – Motion Picture (David O. Russell, Best Screenplay – Motion Picture (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell). It was nominated for Oscars for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Christian Bale), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Amy Adams), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Bradley Cooper), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Lawrence), Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Directing (David O. Russell), Best Achievement in Film Editing, Best Achievement in Production Design and Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell). It was nominated for BAFTAs for Best Original Screenplay (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell), Best Film, Best Leading Actor (Christian Bale), Best Leading Actress (Amy Adams), Best Supporting Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence, Best Production Design, Best Make Up/Hair and Best Costume Design.

On The Road (2012) Film Review

Based on the book by Jack Kerouac, On the Road follows beat poet Sal Paradise as he travels across the country with his friend Dean Moriaty who leaves a string of women everywhere he goes.

It’s probably a very good film, but it just annoyed me. I’m far too much of a cynical cow to have any respect of faith for the hippies and beat poets of the past. All that ideology and blah blah. I’d love to travel across the US, but not with any of these people. Perhaps I’d have liked it more if I’d read On The Road. But perhaps less.

Man of Steel (2013) Film Review

Clarke Kent(Henry Kavill) has been raised by the people he believes are his parents on a small farm in Kansas. However he is actually from the planet Krypton… ok, hang on. If you don’t know about Superman, who are you and where have you been forever? Certainly, there has not been as much about Superman lately, but there was a radio series in the 40s, a television series in the 50s, an animated series in the 60s, a series of feature films in the 70s and 80s, another television series in the 90s, (The New Adventures of Superman), yet another television series in the 00s (Smallville) and a recent reboot, Superman Returns (2006), which was not a huge success at the box office. Oh, and the comic book which has been published since 1938. So, if you don’t know about Superman, get on board.

I totally and utterly loved Man of Steel. It’s long (143 minutes) but couldn’t have been a moment sooner. One issue is that there is such huge and important back-story that is needed for audiences who have not grown up with all of the versions above. It’s not like The Incredible Hulk where the whole back-story was covered excellently in images during the opening credits; there is far too much information for that. The solution? Flashbacks. Flashbacks for me often mean corniness and slack storytelling. Certainly, there were a few parts which were a bit sentimental, but that’s all part of the story being told.

Luckily, the action started early in the film. There is some cool stuff up on Krypton, but even once they arrive on Earth, it skips straight to the action.  And what action! I just love it. Explosions, fistfights (but between super strong people), planes, helicopters, spaceships, the whole lot. Lots of ground being smashed up and buildings falling down; the whole kit and caboodle. Awesome.

Man of Steel opens in Australia on Thursday June 27. See it at the cinema, and see it in 3D. I reckon.