99 Homes (2014) MIFF Film Review

Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is a hardworking tradie who’s been hit hard by the financial crash. He ends up evicted from his family home along with his mother, Lynn (Laura Dern) and son Connor (Noah Lomax) when the bank forcloses. They move into a hotel, but before too long through a kind of odd series of events, he ends up working for realtor Rick Carver (Michael Shannon), the very man who evicted him. He starts to see how to make things work for himself.

There were a few major flaws that I struggled with – I could believe that Nash would take the job – he is desperate. I couldn’t see why Carver would offer it. There’s that old line – you remind me of me at your age – but it just doesn’t fit. However, it is certainly a good first step at looking at the financial crisis – what is most distressing it to think that the situations in this film are the good end of things; everything became more corrupt, more ugly and so much worse. Terrible.

99 Homes opens November 5 at Cinema Nova

Pearl Harbor (2001) Film Review

Rafe (Ben Affleck) and Danny (Josh Hartnett) were best mates through childhood, and ended up fighter pilots together in the US military. Rafe met a nurse, Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) and fell in love, but then went to Europe to fight for the allies. It seemed he was dead, then Evelyn fell in love with Danny. But, Rafe turns up and things get bit awkward. Luckily, before anyone has to deal with their feelings, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and everyone is a bit busy. At the end of the attack, heaps of people are dead, but not Danny, Rafe or Evelyn. So they still need to deal with their issues. But then there is more.

There are heaps of films I haven’t seen but intend to for a variety of reasons. For me, Pearl Harbor was one, purely because it has a reputation for being a terrible film. And oh, it is so terrible! There is a pretty fabulous cast, Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Ewen Bremner, Jennifer Garner, Jon Voight, Michael Shannon, Dan Ackroyd, Tom Sizemore, Cuba Gooding Jnr… And there are some pretty fabulous special effects. But I guess, with all they spent on all of that, they should have spent a bit more on scripting. It goes from being extremely average to being just plain terrible.

Pearl Harbor won an Oscar for Best Sound Editing

 

Bad Boys 2 (2003) Film Review

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back as Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett – almost a decade after the first film. This time, it’s not heroin, but ecstasy and add in to the mix, Marcus’s hot sister, Syd (Gabrielle Union) who is undercover in the whole operation.

It’s a pretty tedious film, I found. Yes, there were explosions and shoot ‘em up stuff, but the story wasn’t strong enough and the characters had lost their appeal from the first film. The only things that really got me through it were the bad guys – my favourite Peter Stormare and Michael Shannon who, prior to Boardwalk Empire, I did not know. Now, he’s one of my favourites, especially when he is playing a himbo-type character like this one.

 

Mud (2012) Film Review

I’ve started on my awards season film watching again, and this is pretty much the only reason I watched Mud. Turns out, this makes me an idiot. Matthew McConaughey was indeed nominated (and indeed won) a Golden Globe and an Oscar, but not for this film. Phew, I say, because he’s just fine in this, but I wouldn’t have thought it was award-worthy.

Mud is set in the deep south and follows a fourteen-year-old boy and his mate who have discovered a boat in a  tree on an island in the middle of the swamps. When they return to it, they discover Mud, a strange character who is living a strange existence, and before they know it, they are assisting him in his endeavours.

Tye Sheridan was marvellous as the main character; a boy who, despite his rough exterior, believes in love and will do anything for it; for his own love and for that which he sees in others. This belief leads to him getting hurt; both physically and emotionally, and you can see in his face that this hurt is so real.

Overall, I didn’t think it was a totally brilliant film, but it is worth watching just for the performances of the teenagers.

 

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.