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

The Imitation Game (2014) film review

Year: 2014
Running Time: 114 minutes
Director: Morten Tyldum
Writers: Andrew Hodges (book), Graham Moore (screenplay)
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Alex Lawther

The Imitation Game is now showing in Australian cinemas and is distributed by Roadshow Films. Now showing in the United States and United Kingdom.

With an incredibly strong cast and screenplay, The Imitation Game is an extremely solid and highly enjoyable film. Looking at the relatively recent discovery of how Alan Turing and his associates came to play a major part in ending World War II, it is Benedict Cumberbatch who is at the centre of the film and truly makes it a memorable experience with his incredible performance.

In 1939 Great Britain, war has just been declared and one of the country's greatest mathematical minds, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) has just been employed by the government to help crack the code of the German's encryption device, Enigma. As Enigma's code resets each day, it is an extremely difficult talk and a race against time, but to break it would bring about the end of the war. A team of great minds are assembled alongside Alan to try to solve Enigma, including champion chess player, Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode) and Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley). In order to do this, Alan builds his own machine to work against the Germans, a decision that is not made without criticism from those around him. However, if Alan can get the machine (which he has affectionately called Christopher) to crack Enigma's code, it would be the greatest weapon against the enemy and would once again bring peace to the world.

The story of Alan Turing is not only intriguing, but one which everyone should hear in order to understand that it wasn't the weapons on the battlefield that ultimately made a difference. Some of the greatest minds worked in top secret conditions to bring peace to the world. As this part of history was kept a government secret for over 50 years, this story has not been told on the screen before and brings a new understanding to the quest for peace in the war years. The Imitation Game is a truly unique experience for this reason and it's screenplay does the story of Alan Turing's life and most important achievement complete justice. As well as chronicling the war days, flashbacks to Alan's childhood are used to connect the viewer to and understand the character of Alan further. The screenplay is exceptionally well written and the dialogue very witty and surprisingly hilarious at times. As Alan Turing wasn't particularly sociable, he suffered from a lack of personal skills and his honesty and reactions to certain aspects of human behaviour and speech are highly amusing.

The film isn't continuously suspenseful, but rather has bursts of tension. These moments are actually quite eerie, as one can feel the tension of the characters on screen trying to work against time to solve the code and prevent the war continuing with thousands of lives being lost. They are connected to the war and although they are working far away from it, in the moments of silence at the end of the day you can somehow hear the sounds on the battlefield far away. The film is quite moving at times, but it is the story which is most powerful.

With the majority of The Imitation Game being set in 1939-1942, the film is incredibly nostalgic. The costumes and production design are perfect for the time period, but the attitudes captured are also time relevant. Being female, Joan is always the outsider of the group and although she is in fact a woman quite ahead of her time, the way everyone around her see's her is perfectly suited to the time period.

While the screenplay is brilliant, it is Benedict Cumberbatch that The Imitation Game will most be remembered for. Cumberbatch is absolutely brilliant as the quirky genius. He channels Turing wonderfully and gives an incredibly controlled performance. He delivers his comedic lines perfectly and is able to become likable to the viewer while behaving hostile, but he also plays the damaged Alan so well. It is a role which shows Cumberbatch's versatility as an actor as he shows the many sides of Alan with such conviction.

Although none of the other characters in the film are really given a great deal of background or development, the rest of the cast all have strong screen presences and work perfectly alongside Cumberbatch. Keira Knightley is wonderful as Joan Clarke in a performance which is also controlled and strong without being forced. Charles Dance, Mark Strong and Matthew Goode all have tremendous screen presence and also do very well.

The Imitation Game is a unique story which is not widely known, but one that should be. Benedict Cumberbatch proves his incredible versatility as an actor and ultimately carries the film to the success that it is.

8/10

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Year: 2014
Running Time: 105 minutes
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writers: Tom Clancy (based on characters created by), Adam Cozad and David Koepp (screenplay)
Cast: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, Lenn Kudrjawizki, Alec Utgoff

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is now showing in Australian cinemas and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. Now showing in the USA and opening in the UK on the 24th January 2014.

The latest edition to the group of films based on Tom Clancy's novels, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit doesn't quite pack the punch which it should and also thinks that it does. While it has an interesting enough story, it tries to pack too much into it's hour and 45 minute timeframe and as a result comes up with a fairly mediocre action thriller which does nothing to jolt the viewer until the very end.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit takes us back to when Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) was an American student studying in the United Kingdom, which was when September 11 rocked his world and made him change his course in life. Years later, Ryan is now working for the CIA while putting on a convincing front of being just a financial analyst, and is living with his girlfriend, Cathy (Keira Knightley), who has no idea what he really does. When he uncovers a Russian plot to bring down the American economy, he travels to Moscow and places himself and Cathy in grave danger.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is unlike any other of the films featuring Jack Ryan, who has previously been played by Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Alec Baldwin. The main difference is that unlike The Hunt For Red October (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Clear and Present Danger (1994) and The Sum of All Fears (2002), this film is not actually based on a Tom Clancy book. It takes the characters which Clancy created and attempts to provide some answers to the question of where Ryan actually comes from and how did he get to become the incredible agent that he is. So does this work if we accept that this is the object of this film? Not entirely, as his early life is only discussed for a matter of minutes before delving into the world of conspiracies and evil doings. There is enough included to grasp who Ryan is and where he has come from, as well as how he and his future wife, Cathy meet, but Adam Cozad and David Koepp's screenplay just has a little too much packed into it to have any real depth or emotional implications.

Yet, you know you don't go and see a Jack Ryan movie in order to see a heartfelt piece of cinema. You see it for a clever political thriller with some really cool action scenes. As far as Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit goes as a political thriller, it just scrapes into the territory of success. Perhaps not the most suspenseful or fast paced thriller you will see, but it is still quite clever and interesting. However, the majority of the film is not particularly action-packed and it is the last 20 minutes that is the best of the film in this respect. The first half of the film is really quite slow and although the story is interesting, it loses it's thrill in it's pace.

 Kenneth Branagh obviously tries to do as much as he can to make the film feel important and to make it seem a lot more interesting. The musical score implies that the scene we are watching is of huge importance and that we should be in awe of it, but the script really does nothing to support this. If you are a huge Jack Ryan fan, you may think differently, but for people who haven't seen many of the other films and are unfamiliar with Clancy's novels won't see the big deal. Some of the camera work is impressive (particularly in the last few scenes), while some of it is not all that impressive. However, the location shots of the city of Moscow are pretty impressive.

 

Chris Pine was an obvious choice for the young Jack Ryan. He has no problems with the action roles and from his experience with this genre does well enough the title character of the film. It is by no means a challenging role, but he is convincing and brings his own to the character. Keira Knightley also does well as the future Cathy Ryan. The English actress has a most impressive and convincing American accent and she is a very likable character. Kevin Costner's role may be a disappointment to his fans. As Ryan's confidant, Thomas Harper, he really doesn't have a great deal to do in the film and as a result his time on screen is just a little boring. Kenneth Branagh is quite good as Ryan's enemy, Viktor Cherevin. He plays the Russian bad guy well and has the talent of directing himself very well.

Even if you are craving a bit of action in your film diet, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit doesn't give you the big action you would be looking for. It's unfortunate that it takes so long to really get into the film and once it does get to that point, it is minutes off it's end.

5/10

Top Dresses On Film

As my post about the Top 10 Movies To Influence Fashion was such a success, I thought I would present a list of another fashionable topic. 

There are some beautiful, memorable images of actresses in film in some amazing dresses.  The film may not even be as memorable as the dress, but as a girl, it is only natural to see an actress wearing a beautiful dress and want to look like that yourself…if you have somewhere to wear it!

I figure that we all have different tastes and not all of the dresses that I think should be in a certain place in a list of a certain number will be what everyone agrees on.  So the following is a list in no particular order of dresses in film which I think are the most memorable.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffanys

Now I know I just said that this list is in no particular order, but when I think about dresses in film, the little black dress in Breakfast At Tiffanys is the first one that springs to mind.

Audrey Hepburn’s image will always represent class and fashion. There is no image more fashionable than that of her at the beginning of Breakfast At Tiffanys in the long black dress, pearls and big sunglasses, getting out of a cab at New York’s Tiffanys store.

What makes this image of her so appealing to women and has done now for over 50 years, is that she looks a million dollars, but it is also a style that every girl can replicate. Throughout the film, Audrey don’s a variety of black dresses as her character, Holly Golightly, each gorgeous and classy. The little black dress has become a staple of a girl’s wardrobe and is something you can dress up or down for day or night.

This dress was designed by Hubert de Givenchy, who designed many of Audrey’s beautiful dresses over her career.

Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

Audrey makes her second appearance on this list with the beautiful gown she wore in Sabrina as the titles character to meet her long time crush, David at his party.

This dress is a dressmaker’s dream. It could be a party dress, prom dress or a wedding dress. It is a stunningly exquisite dress, but at the same time is not overdone. The way Audrey glides into the party just adds emphasis to the beauty of the dress. Her image is just dazzling and her beauty captures the heart of the man she has always had a crush on and even his brother.

Isn’t that the way every girl wants to feel when they enter a party? That the world just stops because of her and her beauty?

The concept for this dress was first thought of by legendary studio costume designer, Edith Head.

Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch

Could any image possibly be more iconic than the image of Marilyn Monroe with her white halter-neck dress flying up above the New York subway in The Seven Year Itch?

While you may not want your dress to fly up, Marilyn Monroe is a cultural symbol of beauty and female sexuality. This image sent men mad in the 1950’s when the movie was released and enraged Marilyn’s then husband, Joe DiMaggio. Yet, even though Marilyn did many other movies and appeared in many other dresses during her film career, when you see a Marilyn impersonator, it is this white dress that you will more than likely see them in.

Again, this is a completely timeless dress and although it does have a touch of nostalgia about it, the halter-neck style never goes out of fashion.

This dress was designed by William Travilla.

Keira Knightley in Atonement

Jumping forward now nearly 60 years, one of the most memorable dresses from a movie in recent times is the emerald green, floor length dress worn by Keira Knightley in Joe Wright’s Atonement.

Atonement may be set in the 1930’s, but this dress belongs in another time, yet seems extremely appropriate for the night in which the dress worn is set in.  It is extremely sexy and sensual and a perfect fit for the minutes of passion between Cecilia and Robbie. Yet, it is very glamorous. The most striking feature of the dress is its deep green colour. It is quite unusual as it is not normally a colour dress that you would see in a movie, but it works and creates a lasting impression in your mind.

This dress was designed by Jacqueline Durran, who was also nominated for an Academy Award for her costume design in Atonement.

Kate Hudson in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

This decision of mine will certainly seem left field to many people, but it is one of the gorgeous dresses that springs to mind when I think about dresses in film.

What makes this floor length, glossy yellow dress that Kate Hudson wears in the comedy, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days so memorable, is that it is not only sleek and beautiful, but it proves that yellow is not a colour to be afraid of! Yellow doesn’t normally spring to mind when you think about the colour of dress you may want to wear, but this yellow is light and edging on towards gold. Kate Hudson pulls the look off perfectly and her character, Andie leaves Ben (Matthew McConaughey) gasping for air.

This dress was designed by Karen Patch. 

Credits

Boohoo.com

Clothes On Film

CNN

The Independent

The Los Angeles Times

Telegraph

Photo Credits

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InStyle

The Los Angeles Times Magazine

News.com.au

Style Guru

Love, Actually (2003)

Year: 2003

Director: Richard Curtis

Cast: Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Martin Freeman

Now this is the movie I have had the most requests for the review this Christmas season, so I should be hearing a lot of cheering from outside my window when this review goes live!

Love, Actually is one of the most popular and successful Christmas films of the past decade. There are so many reasons why it is so successful. It is a romantic, feel-good movie that appeals to both males and females and is genuinely funny.  All this in a Christmas movie would normally be ultra-corny, but in Love, Actually it is just beautiful.

So where do you start?

Love, Actually is a multi-protagonist film, which means that there are several main characters and each of these characters have their own story. As is a fairly common in this type of film, all the characters are somehow linked. There is Daniel (Liam Neeson) who has just lost his wife, David (Hugh Grant) who is the new Prime Minister, Sarah (Laura Linney) who is in love with her work colleague, Jamie (Colin Firth) who has just found out his girlfriend is sleeping with his brother, Karen (Emma Thompson) who suspects that her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman) is having an affair and Mark (Andrew Lincoln) who is in love with his best friend’s wife, Juliet (Keira Knightley).

But…….the question on everyone’s lips is….will aging rocker, Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) has the number one song at Christmas with the catchy and ridiculous, “Christmas Is All Around”?

If you haven’t seen Love, Actually, from my above plot summary you are probably thinking that the movie just sounds a bit messy. It is anything but. Director, Richard Curtis gives each character the same amount of screen time and the best thing is, you feel an emotional connection to each of the characters. That is something that is hard to grasp in your straight forward film, even harder in a film with as many characters as this. However, there are tears of triumph, happiness and sadness for all in the film.

During the film, there are so many unforgettable moments. You will never hear “Jump For My Love” again without thinking about a dancing Hugh Grant. “Love Is All Around” will always ring of “Christmas Is All Around”, the song that opens the film with obscenities from getting the two songs mixed up. 

It does set high romantic standards for everyone who watches it, which could be dangerous. Who doesn’t want the perfect moment at Christmas though? Love, Actually just brings them to the screen!

There is no one star or standout performance in Love, Actually, but many. Bill Nighy as Billy Mack is absolutely hilarious and so different from any of his other roles. Hugh Grant is an absolutely charming Prime Minister who you wish you could vote in to parliament. Colin Firth is just wonderful and his restaurant scene is what every woman dreams of. Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman work so well together, even when they are having marital problems on screen.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays young Sam who has just lost his mother, but is also the victim of his first love. He is an absolute scene stealer, even with Liam Neeson by his side, who is also wonderful.

Love, Actually is a one of a kind film and the fact that it is a Christmas film makes it even more likable. There is so much beauty as well as humour in the film. It is the best Christmas film to have been released in the last ten years…actually.

9.5/10

Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go
Year: 2010
Director: Mark Romanek
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Sally Hawkins

In My Own Words
"Never Let Me Go" was one film I was really looking forward to seeing. It is one of those films which I first hear about while it is in production and know nothing about it, yet I know who is in it and just that makes me want to see it. "Never Let Me Go" is the second pairing up in a feature film of Keira Knightley and Carey Muligan. I believe that these two are two of the finest British young actors going around at the moment. Firstly you have Knightley, who has proved that she can do it all. She can do the young roles, the damsel in distress, the tough girl, the object of affection and the historic roles. All of these she can do well, and has earned herself an Oscar nomination for "Pride & Prejudice" in doing so. At the present time she is also appearing in "The Children's Hour" in London's West End. There is nothing she can't do. Then you have Carey Mulligan. Mulligan has completed the majority of her work in British television, but 2009 and 2010 were big years for her in regards to film. Her break through role was as Jenny in "An Education" in which she recieved wide acclaim and her first Oscar nomination. As much as I admire and love Mulligan's performances, I would love to see her in a role which would require her to smile a bit more! Maybe a romantic comedy should be on the cards for her to break up her intense dramatic roles and show that beautiful smile of hers. Don't get me wrong, I don't want her to turn into an actor who only does the cutesy rom-com roles, but she has such a beautiful smile, it would be great for her to show it off on screen once or twice and lower the intensity. However, she does intense extremely well.With these two involved, "Never Let Me Go" looked like a winner to me, even when I didn't know what it was about. We are all guilty of this, but what is a better marketing tool than your favourite actor or actors?

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
"Never Let Me Go" is the new film from Mark Romanek based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. It is an interesting and unsettling film, but also very tender and emotional. It has been described as a film about love and betrayal, which it indeed true, but it is also about growing up and the emotions which make us human. "Never Let Me Go" centres around three school friends, Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley). The film opens in Hailsham, a strict, but pleasant boarding school when the friends are young. Their friendship and dynamics with one another change as they get older and they come to experience emotions and feelings between one another that one would not suspect at such a young age. All this because Hailsham was not as it seemed and they were not normal children.

"Never Let Me Go" is not what it is made out to be. Perhaps this is a good thing as it makes the film more intriguing and interesting, but it is not a good thing if you are expecting a movie truly about love. There is a great deal of emotion in this film, the large majority of it being hard emotion. You feel so much sorrow for these three characters and what they have to go through day by day. It actually puts your life into greater perspective by making you realise the freedom you have to do what you want to do and be who you want to be. "Never Let Me Go" is largely a character based drama, focusing primarily on who these three main characters are and how they feel as a result of the walls which are put up around them. Although the audience does not see anything which would make them cringe in pain, they do feel pain just from the thought of what these three friends have to go through. It is a credit to the film makers that they can create stir up so many feelings and make so much of an impact by something which they cannot see. The film is beautifully directed and the cinematography is quite superb. Romanek captures the tranquility and serenity of the English boarding house extremely well. The scene at the beach is also a standout in his direction.

"Never Let Me Go" has a great story and is brilliantly written and cast. Carey Mulligan gives another superb performance as Kathy H. She is able to tell the audience so much just from the look in her eyes. Her performance reaches its peak towards the end of the film. Honourable mention should also be given to Isobel Meikle-Small, who plays the younger Kathy H and looks uncannily like a younger version of Mulligan. Throughout the film, it can seem as though Andrew Garfield has drawn the shortest straw, as he has perhaps the easiest role throughout, but then in one particular scene towards the end of the film he completely blows everyone else in the film out of the water. His performance brings tears to your eyes in this particular scene, and it shouldn't be a question of which scene this is after you see it. It is so good to see Garfield complete a role which is completely different from his role in "The Social Network" as it proves that he has a long and bright future ahead of him, and not just as the next Spiderman. However, on screen Mulligan and Garfield do not have a great amount of chemistry. They do not seem quite as in love as the story makes them out to be. Keira Knightley also gives a great performance in which she goes through all the emtions one would in such a situation with complete believability. The interaction between Knightley and Mulligan on screen works superbly as they both know who their characters are and the tension is felt between these two, but also the love is felt between them too.

"Never Let Me Go" is an emotional film. There is nothing presented on screen which would make this visually a hard film to watch, but the thought processes it sets you on and the way it makes you feel are not easy things to face. This does make for a splendid work of art as it makes you feel and think things that you wouldn't have unless you had seen this film.
7.5/10