Jackie (2016) film review

Year: 2016
Running Time: 99 minutes
Director: Pablo Larrain
Writer: Noah Oppenheim
Cast: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Richard E. Grant, Caspar Phillipson

Jackie is now showing in the United States and is distributed by Fox Searchlight. To be released in Australia on January 12 and distributed by Entertainment One.

Pablo Larrain's Jackie paints a sublime portrait of the extraordinary First Lady in the most complex and darkest of days following her husband's death. While Natalie Portman's wonderful performance of Jacqueline Kennedy is it's focal point, the film is an incredibly beautiful piece of work that is subtly powerful and brilliantly written by Noah Oppenheim.

November 22 1963 was the day that shocked the world. While the nation mourned the death of their leader, President John F. Kennedy, his widow, Jacqueline Kennedy (Natalie Portman) was faced not only with making sense of the sudden death of her husband, but also the closing of the Kennedy's reign of power in the White House. The days that followed that terrible event were filled with confusion and grief for the former First lady, but also a great deal of strength and remarkable power.

While the film is a thing of beauty as a whole, Natalie Portman is the core strength, heart and soul of Jackie. With her first appearance on screen as Jacqueline Kennedy as she greets the journalist at her front door, it is obvious that this is so much more than a straight forward biopic performance. While Portman does completely disappears into her character by perfecting her speech, mannerisms and walk, it is what she brings emotionally and psychologically rather than just physically that makes this her such a revelation. In Jackie, Portman has the uncanny ability to pack so much power into such a restrained performance and she is truly breathtaking.

The former First Lady has been crafted into a character for the screen with complete sincerity and respect. She is presented as a woman who experiences a great deal of sadness and confusion in her grief in the most extraordinary of situations, which the majority of us can only imagine. While Jacqueline Kennedy has always been seen as an enigmatic historical figure, Jackie allows us to see her in the most human of ways despite her social position of power. She is not subject to overt hero-worship, but it is impossible not to respect her and grow even more fond of her, which is a credit to both Portman and the filmmakers.

Jackie is beautifully constructed around it's main character. It is incredibly interesting to look at the way her story is told, as the screenplay is not written in the conventional fashion of the chronological order of events. Rather than this being confusing in any way, it makes the film feel well-rounded and Jackie's story complete. Flashbacks (particularly of the White House Tour) are used both to compare the lady she was to the lady she became and also to build suspense and intrigue in her story. The film plays back history from her point of view, which is a completely different story to the one we all know about what occurred on that fateful day.

And production-wise Jackie is completely and utterly exquisite. From beginning to end, the film feels as though it was truly shot in 1963. It's nostalgia is perfected by the incredible production design by Jean Rabasse, beautiful costume design by Madeline Fontaine and art direction by Halina Gebarowicz. Director of Photography Stephane Fontaine's cinematography is also incredibly special with the way he has the ability to turn so many scenes into a piece of art using the lighting and a range of long, short and travelling shots. Finally the harrowing musical score by Mica Levi does everything a score should do as it heightens suspense and builds on emotion to add even more power to the film.

Jackie is what you want every biopic to be like. Although Natalie Portman's performance is one of the most powerful and memorable of the past twelve months, the film does not rely purely on her to create magic and it is beautiful in every way.

9.5/10

Frances Ha (2012)

Year: 2013
Running Time: 86 minutes
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writers: Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig
Cast: Great Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegan

Frances Ha will be showing at the Melbourne International Film Festival on the 8th and 10th of August 2013. Please see here for times, venues and tickets. Will also be showing at the Possible Worlds Festival of American & Canadian cinema at 6:30pm on the 9th of August 2013 at Dendy Opera Quays. Please see here for further details.

Frances Ha opens in Australian cinemas on the 15th of August 2013 and is distributed by Transmission Films.

Frances Ha is a charming tale of one girl's quarter life crisis in motion.

There is something so magical about Frances Ha. It almost feels like a New York fairy tale, yet there is nothing to suggest that it is so besides the charmed feeling you get after you have seen it. However, it is also harshly real and will strike a chord with many twenty-somethings who are experiencing what Frances is in the film.

Frances (Great Gerwig) and Sophie (Mickey Sumner) and two best friends in their late twenties living in Brooklyn. In Frances' words, they are the same person with different hair, as they both have big dreams but lack the motivation to make those dreams happen when they are just enjoying being alive. When Sophie breaks the news to Frances that she is moving out and starts becoming a real adult, Frances starts to realise that she isn't quite an adult herself at 27 with no real job and is seemingly "undateable".


















Frances Ha is a completely relatable film for the twenty-somethings of today who are trying to find their way in the world. For those who are, it is quite confronting to watch at times as there are many qualities in Frances that people can relate to. At the beginning of the film, Frances seems like the type of person we would all love to be like. She seems so free and in love with love as she enjoys the simple of pleasures of pretend fighting in the park, dancing like no one is watching and laughs with her best friend over the simplest things. However, as the film goes on, you worry and become embarrassed about the decisions she is making and the place where she could end up as a result. It will definitely hit those who are in a similar situation hard, but does provide a generous ending to show that the storm passes. It is a real coming of age film for the older young generation.

The screenplay, written by director Noah Baumbach and star Greta Gerwig, is wonderful. The dialogue is just divine and so real, but the best thing about the film is that so much is told without the use of dialogue. Not once does Frances actually talk about the inner turmoil she is going through, but you can tell exactly the way she is feeling. She learns so much from what is going on around her both in her own situation and other peoples situations, but the beauty of it is that even though her character is so upbeat, you can tell what is going on in her head and how torn she is feeling.

The film has been likened to earlier Woody Allen films as New York itself is a living, breathing character in the film. The choice to film the movie in it's entirety in black and white adds to the charm of the city. It is enough to make or rekindle anyone's love for the city. The soundtrack for the film is also perfectly fitting. David Bowie's "Modern Love" is the perfect theme song for the character of Frances and adds to the brilliance of the continuity in the scene where Frances is running down the streets of New York dancing. The cinematography and editing of the film is also wonderful.

Greta Gerwig is incredible. This movie has absolutely been her moment to shine. Not only has she co-written this film, but she is so charismatic as Frances. She makes the audience become her friend with her likability and takes them on her journey with her. Although the character can almost become irritating with how she doesn't want to seem to help herself at times, you still want her to succeed and be happy. There is so much character development and growth throughout the film and Gerwig completely personifies this. In a film where so much if unspoken, she does incredibly well to allow everyone to see how she is feeling in the most subtle fashion. Mickey Sumner also does well as Sophie, but it is Gerwig who is the star and scene stealer.

Frances Ha is a film which many people can relate to and is confronting in the most subtle way. Sweet, sad and uplifting.

8/10




The Melbourne International Film Festival will run from the 25th July-11th August 2013. Please see the official website for more information.
The Possible Worlds Festival of American & Canadian Cinema will run from the 8th-18th August 2013. Please see the official website for more information.

You may have also seen Greta Gerwig in.......
Arthur as Naomi

Arthur

Year: 2011
Director: Jason Winer
Cast: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig

In My Own Words
It always takes a bad day followed by a visit to the cinema to remind me why I love movies so much. It doesn't matter what it is going on in your life, while you are in a cinema, you forget everything which is going on outside and lose yourself in the film. The world of film provides ua all with an escape and with all the crazy things that are happenning in our lives and in the world at this point in time, an escape is something we all need at times. When you need that escape, I really love the movies which are out in the cinemas at school holiday time. There is always a comedy or an animation or two to watch which will always put you in a better mood once you make the trip to the movies. It doesn't even matter whether the film is half decent or not, just as long as it isn't is light and fluffy and fun.  Last night when I got home I found myself in a bit lower a mood than usual and I put on "The Country Girl" with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. Now forgive me, but this was the first time I had seen "The Country Girl" and it was a lot sadder than what I thought it would be. My mother rang me while I was in the middle of watching it and got mad at me for watching a depressing movie which would only enhance my bad mood! Quite clearly I should have made the trip to the cinemas last night to see "Arthur"! However, even after seeing it today, I feel like a new person! It really is amazing the power a film can hold over you by way of escapism.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
Once again, we approach another remake with caution. "Arthur" was originally made back in 1981 with Dudley Moore as Arthur, Liza Minnelli as his love interest and John Gielgud in his Oscar winning role as Hobson, Arthur's servant. 30 years later, Arthur is now Russell Brand, who resembles Moore only in his haircut for the film and Hobson is now Arthur's nanny and played by Helen Mirren. While the 1981 "Arthur" was worthy of 4 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins, the 2011 version can be described as just good enough. It's fun, but just a bit too silly to be completely hilarious. Sure, there are definitely some laughs but it is a case of seeing the funniest parts in the trailer. Arthur is a child trapped in a 30 year old's body. He loves his toys and spends the money he has inherited from his parents on such extravagences as parties with numerous women and booze. In order to get him to calm down and act like an adult, his distant mother decides to give him an ultimatum, marry Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner) or say goodbye to the millions. This happens at the same time that Arthur meets free-spirited Naomi (Greta Gerwig) who he immediately falls for. Arthur is faced with the biggest decision he has ever had to make, marry a woman he feels nothing for and keep his millions, or keep the girl of his dreams and lose all the money.

"Arthur" is a case of Russell Brand playing Russell Brand. He mixes up the roles which he plays in the movies he partakes in, but they are not a great stretch from each other. In all honestly, Brand will probably never be an accomplished dramatic actor, but he still doesn't do too badly in the dramatic scenes. The chemistry between him and Helen Mirren on screen strengthens throughout the film, as it should be. Unfortunately, the strength of the chemistry between Brand and Great Gerwig on screen is extremely weak and they physically do not look right together. On her own, Gerwig actually does do a very good job as Naomi and she is just delightful with a great amount of character.  In this film, it does feel that Brand has had to tone down his sense of humour to fit in with the film's PG rating. At the beginning of the film, after about 5 minutes it almost feels as though you are going to start to find Brand's Arthur extremely annoying, but by halfway through the film he has actually became quite likable. His character does seem to be extremely overdone in proving that he has a childlike mind. You can see why the director, Jason Winer has made Arthur this way as to make a point, but it is so overdone that Arthur just seems creepy.

However, the script does allow for Arthur to have some very funny dialogue, even though a lot of it is in the trailer so it doesn't seem as funny the second time you have seen it. The script does tend to miss out on some pivotal moments of Arthur's development, particularly towards the end. "Arthur" does tend to get really qute silly at times, but there really is something in this film for everyone.  The best thing is, Winer has made "Arthur" his own and it really is different from the original. Yes, it is not as good as the original, but it is a different film. Gone is the massive Arthur laugh from Dudley Moore and it is replaced by Brand and his own Arthur. The decision to make Hobson into a nanny rather than a servant does work as well as it adds to the immaturity of Arthur's character. The decision also to make Naomi into a tour guide who is running from the police because she doesn't have a license makes her more endearing and perfect for Arthur'sa love interest, rather than Linda (who was played by Liza Minelli) who was running from the police as she was trying to steal a tie for her father.  A remake that isn't trying to be the original is always worthy of praise.

"Arthur" is a good film for the holidays. It is entertaining enough, doesn't require the use of too many brain cells and is a bit of fun. It does border on the funny/silly border, but has something for everyone no matter how frustrating it can be at times.
5.5/10