Hail, Caesar! (2016) film review

Year: 2016
Running Time: 106 minutes
Directors/Writers: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Alden Ehrenreich, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Frances McDormand, Alison Pill

Hail, Caesar! opens in Australian cinemas on February 25 and now showing in the United States. Distributed by Universal Pictures.

Joel and Ethan Coen have penned the ultimate love letter to old Hollywood with Hail, Caesar! The film is a masterpiece in the eyes of those who are fascinated with the golden age of Hollywood, but with it's entertaining screenplay and stunning visual production can be enjoyed on a much larger scale by all audiences.

It would seem that Hollywood studio fixer, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) really has his work cut out for him today. His daily job consists of keeping the contract players of Capitol Pictures in line and making sure that the public continues to see them in the best light possible, especially with tabloid reporters, Thora Thacker and her sister, Thessaly (both portrayed by Tilda Swinton) prowling the studio. When one of their biggest stars, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is abducted during the filming of a production of epic proportions, Mannix must try and conceal the true nature of his disappearance as well as bide by his kidnappers demands. All this while making sure Capitol Pictures is still running smoothly around this scandal and that the stars, including starlet DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson) and cowboy turned drama star, Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) are causing as little trouble as possible.

Hail, Caesar! is absolutely immersed in references to the golden age of Hollywood. To truly understand the extent of how much the film is cleverly inspired by the Southern California film industry of the 1950's, one must already possess a certain amount of knowledge and fascination regarding this era. However, it is not a prerequisite to find incredible enjoyment in the film by any means. Hail, Caesar! is a great deal of fun with it's hilarious screenplay featuring colourful characters in the most entertaining of scenarios. The Coen brothers screenplay is unique to their films because although there is the main storyline of Baird Whitlock's abduction, it is not the strong, solid heart of the film and this is fine because that's not what it's supposed to be. Hail, Caesar! is a portrait of Hollywood history in a time now long gone and doesn't focus on just one aspect, but instead focuses on the industry and it's inner workings as a whole.

The nostalgic film with it's glorious production and costume design (by Jess Gonchor and Mary Zophres) is a mixture of old Hollywood fact and fiction. However, even the fictionalized aspects of Hail, Caesar! are based on and reference true to life elements of 1950's Hollywood. How much of old Hollywood that is acutely incorporated into the film visually and as part of it's screenplay is astounding and this would not have been able to so if Hail, Caesar! was only focused primarily on the Baird Whitlock abduction.

Capitol Pictures is a product of the Coen brothers' imagination, but it is evidently based on the legendary Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) which is considered by many to have been the greatest of the old Hollywood studios. The fictional studio visually resembles MGM, particularly the side gates, but perhaps the biggest resemblance is the fact that MGM did indeed have a fixer by the name of Eddie Mannix who worked for the studio covering up many a celebrity scandal. However, the similarities between the real life Mannix and Josh Brolin's Mannix end there. While the Mannix of Hail, Caesar! is affable, likable and a man looking for a way to spend time with his family, the real life Mannix had to cover up more sinister events and earned an unsavoury reputation. He was personally linked to the death of Superman actor, George Reeves as his wife, Toni was having an affair with Reeves. Brolin's Mannix makes for a more appropriate hero in Hail, Caesar! with his strong conscience, as he wants to do the right thing and worries that his job prevents him from doing what is honest.

The Coen brothers once again give George Clooney the opportunity to show his comedic ability and as Baird Whitlock he provides many a laugh. Clooney's Whitlock has the movie idol appeal while on set, but comes across as a less than intelligent being away from the camera which produces much hilarity. He comes in contact with a group not unlike the Hollywood 10, who were a group of screenwriters and producers in the 1950's that were Communist sympathizers (and who were also featured in the recent film, Trumbo).

Although Clooney is marketed as the member of the cast generating the most laughs, Alden Ehrenreich undoubtedly has the best comedic moments of the film. Ehrenreich plays Hobie Doyle, a young star of westerns who is given the news that the studio has decided to change his image and make him into a dramatic actor. He is also given instructions by Capitol to take actress, Carlotta Valdez (who, although her name is the same as the ill-fated women in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, is a character much like Carmen Miranda) to his movie premiere as his date, although he has never met her before. Hobie is a product of the studio system, where studios determined who they wanted their stars to be, how they were marketed and, in this case, who they dated. This was a system that would not always ensure success for their stars, as is shown in Hail, Caesar! with Hobie and his difficulty to transition into a serious actor with no warning. Ehrenreich is absolutely wonderful as Hobie as he generates a great deal of sympathy as a result of his terror not wanting to disappoint. With his natural comedic ability, he is so likable and relatable and manages to outshine many of his more well known co-stars.

Old Hollywood enthusiasts will jump on the obvious resemblance of Scarlett Johnasson's DeeAnna Moran to musical water baby, Esther Williams. Her mermaid sequence pays tribute to the Busby Berkeley musicals with their aerial shots and is truly exquisite with it's beautiful colours and costumes. Yet, when DeeAnna opens her mouth her resemblance to Williams ends there. DeeAnna is at the centre of a public relations nightmare and her case is the type of predicament which Hollywood fixers were hired to work on. DeeAnna's problem and the solution given by Mannix is actually very similar to what resulted from a flirtation between Loretta Young and a married Clark Gable in 1935 while they were filming The Call of The Wild  together.

Channing Tatum as Burt Gurney channels Gene Kelly during his song and dance routine, which is incredibly funny and entertaining. Tilda Swinton portrays both Thora and Thessaly Thackery, a particularly Coen-esque creation where twin columnist sisters are both competing to get the big scoop. The rivalry of Thora and Thessaly is much like the rivalry between Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons, two old Hollywood gossip columnists who competed with each other over the big scoops from the studios. Swinton's characters display attributes which the two women both had, especially the ability to manipulate and blackmail in order to obtain the information they needed. It was important that the studio executives keep these two on their side and fed them newsworthy information, because being on their bad side could mean disaster for the studio and their stars.

Hail, Caesar! is genius in the way it incorporates so much of old Hollywood. It is an incredibly fun piece of cinema that pays tribute to the past in the most entertaining and enjoyable of ways.

9/10

Everest (2015) film review

Year: 2015
Running Time: 121 minutes
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Writers: Simon Beaufoy and William Nicholson
Cast: Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, John Hawkes, Michael Kelly, Robin Wright, Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Debicki, Martin Henderson

Everest opens in Australian cinemas on September 17 and is distributed by Universal Pictures. Opens in the United States on September 24 and the United Kingdom September 18.

Everest is an incredibly tense and brutally honest film based on horrifying true events that took place at one of the world's most dangerous and beautiful locations, which does not disappoint on any level. The world's highest peak, Mount Everest has always been the source of fascination and wonder for mankind and to many it has also symbolised achievement. The chance for adventure seekers all around the world to summit Everest has grown to be a highly marketable business and in May 1996, the mountain's base camp was at capacity with five teams set to summit on the 10th. The mountain proved too much for many of the climbers to make it to the top, but just after many of the participants did summit a dangerous blizzard hit the area. What resulted was the darkest day in Everest's history to date.

Based on the memoirs and accounts of the survivors of the tragedy, Everest has a magnificent way of telling a story whilst building and maintaining tension. Films based on true events tend to have a challenge developing a level of suspense when their audience is aware of the incident and it's outcome. Everest avoids this stigma as the events which took place in May 1996 occurred in one of the world's most dangerous places and allow the dramatic story to have an action/adventure edge to it which heightens the opportunity for suspense. Much of the tension also comes from the fact that this film is based on true events so taps into people's worst fears.

Everest does not attempt to sugar coat the experience of climbing the world's highest mountain. The attempt to summit does not only involve a physical strain on the body due to the climbing itself, but also the hazards involved with the body at high altitudes. There are some rather confronting scenes which involve how the body was not meant to withstand the altitude at which Mount Everest stands. The screenplay gives one the understanding of why people choose to climb the mountain, but also why others would never attempt it. The majority of the screenplay is aligned with fact and stays true to the accounts of those involved who survived. However, there are several scenes involving those who didn't survive which are obviously fictionalized and imagined for dramatic effect as there is no way one could know exactly how these certain instances took place.

While Everest is considered one of the most dangerous places on Earth, it is also one of the most stunning which is a major reason why it is a another major draw for adventure seekers. The mountain and it's section of the Himalayas in Nepal is captured to perfection on camera in Everest. The aesthetics of the film allow one to feel as though they are on the mountain themselves feeling the extreme cold, but also marvelling at it's beauty. The cinematography by Salvatore Totino is exquisite and the editing by Mick Audsley fantastic.

The multi-protagonist nature of the film allows for well-rounded characters to be developed and wonderful performances to be created. It is with the attention paid to each of the characters and their motives that allow one the understand the fascination of Mount Everest before judging people for putting their lives in danger. Jason Clarke give a solid and convincing performance as Rob Hall, the leader of the Adventure Consultants expedition team. While Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays the quirky guide for the Mountain Madness crew Scott Fischer, is fine, but it feels as though his character wasn't given a great deal to work with. Josh Brolin gives perhaps the strongest performance of the climbers on the mountain as Beck Weathers. His character develops throughout the film from a cocky adrenalin seeker to being vulnerable under the power of the mountain. As Rob Hall's wife, Jan, Keira Knightley is also very good and makes the most of her limited screen time as her character waits at home for her beloved husband to return.

Everest is a particularly strong hybrid of drama and adventure that avoids the general pitfalls of films based on real life events. It's suspenseful and terrifying nature is met with breathtakingly beautiful images and allows for an experience that is devastating, but intriguing.

8/10

Inherent Vice (2014) film review

Year: 2014
Running Time: 148 minutes
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writers: Thomas Pynchon (novel), Paul Thomas Anderson (screenplay)
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherne Waterston, Jena Malone, Reese Witherspoon, Joanna Newsom, Eric Roberts, Bencio Del Toro, Maya Rudolph
Inherent Vice is now showing in cinemas everywhere and is distributed in Australia by Roadshow Films.

Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice is a wonderfully unique and nostalgic journey back to the very early days of the 1970's when Los Angeles was experiencing a change in identity. Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is a detective living the hippy lifestyle who the officials, including Lt. Det. Christian "Bigfoot" Bjornsen (Josh Brolin) ridicule and his friends rely on. When he is visited by ex-girlfriend, Shasta (Katherine Waterston), he becomes caught up in a web of illegal activities and cover ups in a world where everyone he meets is somehow connected. However, when Shasta goes missing, it all turns personal for Doc.

Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's novel is a fine one. Anyone who has read the book will find that the film mirrors the book in the best of ways and Anderson has overcome the features of the book that may have been problematic in the process of adaption with style. However, the novel "Inherent Vice" is one that has divided opinions which inevitably leads to the film being quite the same way. Many people enjoyed the novel for it's nostalgic and vivid imagery, but Pynchon's writing style and method of storytelling can be troublesome for others. Those who are troubled by the latter will find that the screenplay is much like the book and therefore will not understand the attraction that others feel to it as they will feel that there is too much going on with too many characters. The psychedelic drug fuelled and sexual nature of the film will also take away from the enjoyment of other viewers. Yet with an open mind, Inherent Vice is a lot of fun and rather hilarious. The script is incredibly witty with colourful dialogue and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments.

However, Inherent Vice lacks the thing that one has come to expect from an Anderson film as such and that is the presence of impressive cinematography with amazing visuals. The film is nostalgic and very atmospheric of the times, but the one thing that is missed in the film as opposed to the book is the love felt for the Los Angeles landscape. It feels as though an opportunity is missed in this respect, as Pynchon's book lovingly created these vivid pictures of Doc's home beside the sea. These lingering shots of the featured locations are missed, but the nostalgia is created by the costumes and production design which add to the overall atmosphere of the film. The soundtrack is also completely fitting for the year of 1970 and is unique in the way that it isn't a compilation of over played songs from that era.

While Inherent Vice provides a visually nostalgic imprint of Los Angeles in the year of 1970, it is also a snapshot of the times with a focus on a type of prejudice that was brand new. Throughout the film, the character of Doc is continuously ridiculed and insulted for being a hippy and living the lifestyle associated with being a hippy. The two girls of his life, Penny and Shasta were both once part of the hippy lifestyle, but they have both cleaned themselves up to seem more respectable in society and Penny in particular makes it no secret that she has conformed. This hippy hate in Los Angeles was the doing of Charles Manson and his band of followers known as The Manson Family. When the murders that shook Los Angeles were committed by this group of free spirits under Manson's spell, hippies were no longer seen as the innocent members of society they once were, but as sinister and a mark on society. Of course we see in Inherent Vice that this was not true of all hippies as there is nothing sinister about Doc and the movie does a fine job at demonstrating society's view on this sub-culture at this point in time.

The colourful characters and their wonderful dialogue are brought to life by way of perfect casting and fine performances. Joaquin Phoenix is truly brilliant as Doc Sportello. Phoenix brings a very natural comedic style to the role which is neither forced nor dull and it is a style which is perfect for the character. His character of Doc is incredibly likable and despite how much verbal abuse he receives throughout the film from almost everyone, remains so laid back (whether that be with some support) and harmless. It is a role which one can imagine Phoenix would have had a great deal of fun with as he is a real treat to watch.

Josh Brolin is also tremendously entertaining as tough talking cop, Bigfoot Bjornsen. Brolin's memorable character arguably gets some of the best lines in the film and is truly hilarious. Joanna Newsom, who's character Sortilege acts as narrator, does a wonderful job of holding her own in the film and is the personification of the typical carefree Californian girl of 1970. Benicio Del Toro and Owen Wilson are also very funny and entertaining.

Inherent Vice is not your average comedy and is completely unique. This uniqueness will be too quirky for some, but an open mind will lead to a rather fun experience at the hands of Paul Thomas Anderson.

7/10

True Grit

True Grit
Year: 2010
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld

In My Own Words
Welcome to Movie Critical's first 2011 post Oscar nominations post! January and February are always the most exciting months for film because it is awards season! "True Grit" is one of the films in this award season that I have been waiting for in anticipation to be released. Reason being, it has cause for on big question in my mind. How could a film which has just recieved 10 Academy Award nominations have recieved no nominations at all at the Golden Globes? Absolutely none at all! "True Grit" is one of those films that had awards buzz about it from way before it was released. When the Golden Globe nominations got released and there was no sign of "True Grit", I decided in my own mind that it may not really be that good a film. Really naive and close-minded way of thinking I'll be the first to admit. I was still looking forward to seeing it regardless because the trailer made me very excited about it's release. So come 25th of January 5:30am, come the onslaught of "The Kings Speech"...and "True Grit".

So why did "True Grit" recieve no Golden Globe nominations? There isn't one reason, more a number of speculations. There is one speculation that "True Grit" wasn't screened for the Hollywood Foreign Press (HFP). Another speculation, is that the HFP isn't a fan of Joel and Ethan Coen. Personally, I don't know if this is the case. The Coen brothers have been around for awhile and this is their first film in quite awhile that hasn't been nominated for a Golden Globe. Yet, it is true that the Coen brothers are more popular at the Oscars than at the Golden Globes, but this is the first time the film has been snubbed completely. Or then there is the most obvious reason, maybe the HFP really just didn't enjoy "True Grit" It's unbelievable, but it could well be true. As they say, when there is a mystery, the most simple answer is normally the answer. The biggest mystery to me with all this, is how could they ignore Hailee Steinfeld's debut performance? And another question, could Steinfeld really be a contender for the Oscar even though she wasn't nominated at the Golden Globes? Of course she can, the Oscar's are a completely different ball game.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
In 1969, John Wayne won his first and only Academy Award for a film called "True Grit". 41 years later, it is Joel and Ethan Coen, the movie making brothers known for ignoring the norm and doing it well, who take on the remake of this western. While in 1969 it was Wayne who was the star of the film, in 2011 it is Hailee Steinfeld. Steinfeld, the 14 year old who in her first feature length film appearence has earned herself an Oscar nomination, is undoubtingly the scene stealer in this film. It is almost a mystery that she has been nominated for Best Supporting rather than Best Lead as she is in every scene and the story is being told through her eyes. Mattie Ross, played by Steinfeld, is out to avenge the death of her father by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) by bringing him to justice. She employs Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to accompany her into Indian territory to track down Chaney. They are also accompanied by another bounty hunter in pursuit of Chaney, LeBoeuf (Matt Damon).

One of the best things about "True Grit" is that it is unlike other traditional westerns. It is an adventure and a drama, yet it is also a coming of age story. It is a disruption of innocence and naivety. Mattie is a smart talking 14 year old who believes she is powerful and strong enough to endure everything which is thrown at her. She believes she is the rock of her family now that her father has passed and holds back all her emotion when dealing with bounty hunters, sheriff's and even when faced with her father's corpse. She shows her naivety by believing that she is going on a "great adventure" when she will track down Chaney and he will come quietly. Steinfeld's Mattie is the star of the film and the film would not be as intriguing without her. She is perfectly cast in the role and it is a brilliant performance by one so young and inexperienced in the motion picture field.

Not to say that Steinfeld is the only good thing in the film, because that is far from the truth. The Coen brothers have once again put together a tight, intriguing film. "True Grit" is the best western to come out in years. The ending is one which won't be to everyone's liking. Many may feel as if it should end one scene earlier to make the ending a bit more interesting. The script is very well written with the appropriate wording for every scene, especially those for Mattie. The character development for Mattie is fantastic as you know exactly who she is, where she has come from and her personality as if you knew her personally, yet the character development for the three other main characters is minimal. You know something about each character, but not enough to know them in the same way you know Mattie. Jeff Bridges' Rooster is the other character besides her which has a significant amount of character to him. Although you do't know his character's background, he is still an extremely significant personality of the film. Bridges does a great job at carrying through the character with consistency from beginning to end. Not in the same class as his "Crazy Heart" performance, but still a notable one.

The cinematography in the film is also quite beautiful. There are some really amazing images of the snow falling in the woods and the filming of the plains, woods and old town are really quite exquisite. The capturing of the 1800's old western period is amazing and is perfection with every aspect from the sounds and feelings which the visuals create, to the fine period clothing. The musical score is also wonderful. A musical score which send shivers up your spine is definately a commendable one.

"True Grit" is a wonderfully made western. What makes it so wonderful is that you don't have to be a western fan in order to enjoy it. The Coen brothers have once again made a successful film which steps outside the norm. While 1969's "True Grit" provided John Wayne with his first Academy Award, will 2010's "True Grit" provide Hailee Steinfeld with her first Academy Award
8.5/10