Her (2013)

Year: 2013
Running Time: 126 minutes
Director: Spike Jonze
Writer: Spike Jonze
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde, Portia Doubleday,
Scarlett Johansson (voice)

Her will be released in Australian cinemas on the 16th January 2014 and is distributed by Sony Pictures. Now showing in the USA and opening in the UK on the 14th February.

Spike Jonze's Her is like no other. Cynical and thought provoking, yet incredibly sweet and romantic.

Her is a scary reminder of how dependant we are becoming on technology and the future we are heading towards as a result of this dependence, yet it is also a reminder of how beautiful life is. A sweet but unconventional love story which see's Joaquin Phoenix give yet another incredible performance is a pleasure to behold on screen and is an absolute must see.

Set in Los Angeles in many years to come, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is still recovering from his marriage breakdown when he decides to obtain a new Operating System (OS) which is a voice like our Siri, but actually interacts with you on a conversational level. Theodore's new OS, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johnasson) becomes more than just a great help with his technology, but soon helps cure his loneliness and gives him the companionship he has been craving. Like any relationship, these two experience ups and downs, but further complications were always going to arise when one of the two doesn't exist in physical form.

In the place in time which we are now, the idea of someone falling in love with a Siri type entity seems ludicrous. However, in Her, director and writer Spike Jonze establishes right from the beginning of the film how technology has evolved to become something which members of society are even more reliant upon. With this basis set for the film, the idea of a human falling in love with an OS does not seem as ludicrous. Everything seems to be made easier by technology that some people don't even need to take the online dating path and just need to purchase an OS and they have a new friend. As entertaining as it is on screen, it is startling to glimpse into the future and see the direction in which we are heading. Are we losing touch with reality? And then we can also ask ourselves, what is reality? Do we determine what is our reality and what isn't?

Yet before you start thinking that Her is a little heavy as it makes you question and fear the future, you realise what makes the screenplay truly brilliant. At the core it may be cynical and a little philosophical in regards to it's stance on technological dependence, but it is combined with a very sweet love story. The screenplay is incredibly well written to incorporate both of these and is often very funny. Listening to the way Theodore and Samantha talk to one another and hearing the way Theodore describes what he sees and Samantha describes how she feels and the way she sees the world when she cannot see it is intoxicating. It is easy to find yourself appreciating the beauty if words and how the way things are said can alter your perception of how you see things.

Her is also visually beautiful. The use of colour is amazing throughout the film and gives the film a completely unique atmosphere, as though we are not just watching a unique feel, but feeling something truly different as well. The creation of a dystopian Los Angeles is almost addictive, as you feel like you want to explore more of this new world. The city has grown in such an interesting way with an updated (and seemingly much more popular) rail system and an extravagant upside down airplane outside the Pacific Design Centre. Yet you have the contrast of beautiful nature such as the beach and a cabin in the woods in the snow. Music is also of great importance in the film and the musical score is very fitting for the film.

Joaquin Phoenix is so incredibly lovable in this film. Phoenix has often played complicated individuals in his past film and while Her see's him playing an unconventional character once again, this is perhaps the greatest connection he has established with an audience. He is so likable and you immediately feel sympathy for his character to the point where you feel you should reach into the world of Her and give him a big hug. In a film where reality is questioned, the way which he exhibits his emotions is extremely real. His character just adds to the beauty of the film and Phoenix's final scenes are perfection.

While Scarlett Johansson doesn't appear in the film in a physical sense, she gives a fantastic vocal performance. You may only be able to hear her, but you often forget that you are not seeing Samantha as her emotions are all so visible in her voice. It seems crazy how much you actually feel for her character as well, only to remember that this character is an OS and not a real person. Amy Adams plays a fragile character in Theodore's good friend, Amy. She does well, and like Theodore, is a very real character in a strange situation. Olivia Wilde has a small role as Theodore's blind date, but also does well and Kristen Wiig lends her voice to Theodore's adult chat partner, SexyKitten and is hilarious. The scene with Phoenix and Rooney Mara, who plays his ex wife Catherine, is so real that it is haunting. A meeting between once husband and wife on the verge of divorce where they start off on good terms, but end up fighting about the way things were, which also results in Phoenix's Theodore second guessing himself in a way that only an ex can make you do.

Her is pure brilliance in the way that it thoroughly entertains and shows you the beauty in the world, but is also cynical about the world. While the technology aspect of the film may make you question how real our reality is, the beauty of the film is absolutely real.

9.5/10

Rush (2013)

Year: 2013

Running Time: 122 minutes

Director: Ron Howard

Writer: Peter Morgan

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara

Rush opens in Australian cinemas on 3rd October and is distributed by Hopscotch Films. Now showing in the UK and opening in the USA on 27th September 2013.

Rush is absolutely the ultimate film for Formula One fans. It is completely impossible to be a fan of F1 and not have an incredible two hours with this film.

This isn't to say that if you are not a fan of this mode of car racing that you will not also enjoy Rush. Ron Howard's latest film is incredibly suspenseful and immaculately made It is also a very good character study of two of the most intriguing figures in motor sport history and an extremely comprehensive retelling of the story of their rivalry.

In the early 1970's, two aspiring drivers meet for the first time in Formula Three racing and quickly become rivals, never letting the other out of their sight. Austrian, Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) is extremely serious about his racing and life in general and always plays by the rules. Englishman, James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) is the complete opposite, as he enjoys the wild lifestyle of drinking and women and the only thing he takes seriously is winning. The 1976 Formula One season was legendary for these two for the fierce battle for the world championship and also for how close one of them came to death during the war.

Rush is not purely about the sport of Formula One racing and more about the lives and personalities of Niki Lauda and James Hunt, so it is not to say that if you are not a racing fan you won't enjoy it. Although it does help to have a love of the sport in order to get the most out of this film. The racing jargon and personalities are what F1 fans will be used to hearing and watching and are presented with great care. Rush is absolutely the best car racing movie which has been released in years.

The story of these two is an extraordinary one and it is astonishing the lengths they both went to in order to be victorious over the other. The screenplay by Peter Morgan, who has previously teamed up with Ron Howard when he wrote the screenplay for Frost/ Nixon , delves into the characters of Lauda and Hunt so we get to know the two of them in great detail before the film is finished. The only thing one might feel is perhaps even though so much is covered, some important aspects of the character's lives are just skimmed across and not given as much as we would like to see. As the film is for entertainment, there are certain aspects of the rivalry and the character's personalities that are enhanced, but for the large part Rush does remain true to life.

Howard's direction is wonderful. The film is very atmospheric as a result of the sounds, visuals and cinematography. The time period of the 1970's is very well recreated and you actually feel like you are right beside the track smelling the burnt rubber of the tyres and in the crowd of people enjoying life in that particular decade. The sound editing is particularly outstanding and the recreation of the racing scenes are superb. There is some really beautiful cinematography involved in these scenes. The slow motion shots of the cars in the rain and the photography around the track is wonderful. The soundtrack for the film is also perfect for the ambitious and competitive atmosphere of the film.

Both Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl do very well in their roles. Bruhl's Lauda is perhaps more interesting to watch as Hunt comes across as rather one dimensional in comparison, and thus Bruhl comes up with a slight edge and gives a better performance than Hemsworth. However, in saying this, Rush is quite possibly Hemsworth's best performance to date. Neither character is particularly likable for the large part of the film, but this is where the F1 personalities play a great part. In order to be as successful as these two men were at their chosen sport, there was a degree of selfishness and arrogance they both needed to have to succeed. In this way, Howard has got out of these two actors what is expected of them playing F1 drivers.

Rush is a wonderful character study of both Niki Lauda and James Hunt. F1 fans will be absolutely thrilled with what they see here and it is a must see for any sport movie fan.

8/10


You may have also seen Chris Hemsworth in.....
The Avengers and Thor as Thor
Snow White and The Huntsman as The Huntsman

Possible Worlds Festival: Drinking Buddies (2013)

Year: 2013
Running Time: 90 minutes
Director: Joe Swanberg
Writer: Joe Swanberg
Cast: Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson, Ron Livingston

Drinking Buddies screened as the closing film for the 2013 Possible Worlds Festival of American & Canadian Film. Also screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival on the 27th of July and 7th of August 2013.

 Drawing completely on improvisation, Drinking Buddies truly is art reflecting life.

There is something so incredibly charming about this film in the way that it is connects with you on a personal level by how real the characters and their situations are. The technique of having no script and instead complete improvisation allows for the actors to completely immerse themselves in the situation and makes the film so realistic. The result of this technique may make Drinking Buddies slow and uneventful for some, but for others, they will understand how the result is more like watching life than watching a film and be charmed.

Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson) are co-workers at a beer brewing company who are as close as close can be and on the borderline of becoming more than friends. That would be the case if Kate didn't have Chris (Ron Livingston) and Luke didn't have Jill (Anna Kendrick). When the two couples take a weekend away together, Chris and Jill share a stolen kiss and suddenly everything changes.

Everything changes when Chris and Jill kiss, but not in the dramatic fashion in which such a kiss would change everything in a typical film. In Drinking Buddies, we see life in motion on screen. All the signs that point to the way each of the characters feel about each other are there, but they are all so subtle. The camera catches all these little hints of attraction between the characters and the signs of secrets being kept, but without the help of the camera you may not have been able to pick them up in all their subtlety. This is what makes the film so beautiful as it shows how all this would happen in life, without the over-exaggeration normally administered in your typical romantic comedy film.

It is interesting as well how with the film being told in conversation style, the humour also changes. It feels like it is easy to laugh at the things the characters say as if you were there with them and sharing a personal joke with them. There are some very funny one-liners in the film, which don't seem particularly funny when put on paper and taken out of context, but are so funnily appropriate in the film.

Drinking Buddies also does give you some things to think about as far as relationships are concerned, particularly about the moments that define your perfect soul mate. The film doesn't click into cliché mode and as a result there is a sense of suspense as to what is really going to happen between these four people.

While some people will be in awe of the result of this film in the knowledge that it is improvised, it still may not be everyone's cup of tea. Some people will find it quite uneventful and tedious in parts as a result of how subtle it is. Drinking Buddies is not a typical rom-com where the romance and comedy are overemphasised and it is just like watching regular people in regular situations on screen. So for some it may not be as entertaining as they may like it to be.

The four lead actors seem to strive in their roles under Joe Swanberg's direction. Olivia Wilde is absolutely wonderful as Kate and this is her best performance to date. She is so natural and her character is so real and full of personality. Wilde is also very convincing and wonderfully funny. Anna Kendrick is also wonderful and while her Jill doesn't seem as though she is a very complex character, she is a joy to watch. Jake Johnson is so incredibly likable as Luke. Although it is Wilde who is the star, Johnson is such a joy on screen and his Luke is perhaps a tad more likable than Kate.

Drinking Buddies is a great example of art reflecting life. The fact that it is purely improvised makes the film all the more likable. As has been said by many who have seen the film, best to be viewed and enjoyed with a beer in your hand.

7.5/10


 

You may have also seen Olivia Wilde in......
TRON Legacy as Quorra

You may have also seen Anna Kendrick in.....
Up In The Air as Natalie

Cowboys And Aliens- The hybrid you never though you would see, but doesn't matter if you don't

Cowboys And Aliens

Year: 2011

Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano

In My Own Words

                Genre hybridity. It makes all things possible.

I first learnt about genre hybridity, which in colloquial terms means when a film belongs in two sections at the DVD store, in the basics of film studies at university a couple of years ago. A classic could be a comedy or a drama, a drama could also be a thriller and a western could also be an action.

But a western being a hybrid with a sci-fi? That example was never in Film Studies 101!

The interesting thing about Cowboys and Aliens is that I truly believe it couldn’t have been made any time before the 21^st century. The special effects that were available before this period in time would not have been adequate to make this film anything but a B grade film. Could you just imagine John Wayne on his horse with a UFO on a string behind him?

The CGI available now to film makers who have the major bucks to use the top equipment makes this hybrid actually work. Sure it is not the most realistic concept, but when was a sci-fi ever realistic? You have to admit, the concept is kind of cool. This is probably the only time you will ever see western and sci-fi fanatics unite in the same theatre for something which a film which is right up both their alleys.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review

                Cowboys And Aliens? Many would have thought that Jon Favreau was headed for disaster just with a film concept like that, but hey, there’s no reason that aliens exist they didn’t do so in 1873 in a small town in Arizona!

Yet, pulling off a somewhat complicated genre collision doesn’t mean a great movie is created. Favreau obviously needs to be complimented for taking on such an adventurous project and pulling it off, but…..you can’t have any sort of a good action film with no suspense.

A cowboy (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of the desert with no recollection of who he is or where he has been, but with a strange metal bracelet around his wrist. He stumbles into the small town of Absolution, which has trouble written over it. However, the trouble soon doesn’t just involve cowboys and outlaws and barmen. Absolution is being targeted from the night’s sky as well.

Cowboys And Aliens is a passable film. The pros and cons are equal with each other. The major pro is that the film is that visually the film is pretty amazing. The special effects are very well done and the western landscape and the town of Absolution are exquisite.

Another great thing about Cowboys And Aliens is that it stays true to both of its genres. There are the right signs there for a western such as the old western bar, shoot outs and the music that would accompany a western. And then there is obviously the signs of the sci-fi, which are aliens and advanced technology far beyond the comprehension of those who come to encounter it. It is a very successful meshing of genres.

However, the big downfalls of Cowboys And Aliens are that it is not suspenseful at all and the middle of the film is really quite tedious. It is very hard to remember what happened in the film between the initial attacks of the aliens and the finale. And if it is hard to remember, one can only conclude that it was boring and nothing really happened. As a result of this black hole, the film is just very slow and there is no urgency or suspense as to what will happen.That’s never a good thing to hear about a film.

Favreau cast his characters well. Each of the major actors is perfectly at home in a western. Daniel Craig pulls off the mysterious unidentified cowboy well. There isn’t too much emotion there in the moments it is warranted, but the majority of the time emotion is not really needed with his hard-front character. Harrison Ford is just a veteran of adventure films, so here he is in his element. Another hard fronted character which Ford really has no problem doing.

Cowboys And Aliens show that these days any genre hybrids are possible, but they don’t ensure a complete success as a film.

5/10

TRON Legacy

TRON Legacy
Year: 2010
Director: Joseph Kosinki
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen

In My Own Words
How excited are sci-fi fans about this film? After 28 years since the original "TRON", fans finally get to see the revamped version of the old Disney classic. I never watched the original "TRON". One of the reasons being that I was born in 1982 so it wasn't a new release I got to see at the cinema. My only memory of it is of it being one of the trailers on my other Disney movie videos (yes, videos....let me know if anyone needs reminding of what a video is). At that point in time I was more interested in Disney films with talking animals rather than science fiction films. Since then, it is not a movie I have seen on DVD. I believe it is on DVD, but it is very hard to come by. I would watch it if I could find it! I am sure a few of the questions which I have about "TRON Legacy" would be answered if I had seen "TRON". Maybe I would have appreciated it more, but I'm not quite sure. Maybe I would have been comparing it too much and would have hated it! Who knows! Personally I thought the best things about the film were the music and the visuals. Without the impact of those two features, the movie would have just been a confusing and boring 2 hours. I never thought I would credit Daft Punk with making a movie worthwhile. Of course, if you are a sci fi fan, you are obviously going to disagree with me. This film could well be your bread and butter.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
28 years after Disney released "TRON" in cinemas, it's sequel "TRON Legacy" finally comes to our screens. The original "TRON" was seen as a break through in cinema as it was released at a time when computers hadn't been around for very long and a movie about someone being sucked into a computer system created a great deal of interest. However, 28 years later in 2010, it doesn't create quite the same interest in our worlds where the internet is a necessity to many. The story is out dated and dull, only to be saved by the impressive visuals and soundtrack. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) is the son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), the video game creator who has been missing for years. When Sam investigates in his father's abandoned video game arcade, he finds himself sucked into the digital world which his father created. However, the world is now ruled by Flynn's creation gone bad, Clu ( also played by Jeff Bridges). Sam soon finds that he is the enemy of Clu and that his father is alive and living in exile inside the Grid.

It just seems as though Disney left it way too long to release "TRON Legacy" in order for it to be a success. Disney only confirmed 2 years ago in 2008 that their were serious aboit releasing a "TRON" sequel. Leaving it this long meant that times have changed as have what people find intriguing. We have seen many movies which are set around or in computer generated worlds that in the age of computers where anything is possible, it is hard to impress. Also, there will be many people who haven't seen the original "TRON" as it was released nearly 30 years ago.The film will pose many questions for those who haven't seen the original "TRON". For a film that is hard to come by these days on DVD, this was always going to be a problem. One can guess themselves what happenned in the first film, but there is still a great deal of film concepts that would become so much clearer for the audience if they had seen the first. Unlike many other sequels, this film is easier to be judged as a stand alone film rather than a sequel. This may not do the film any justice, which is a rarity for sequels.

On the other hand, visually "TRON Legacy" has perfect timing. The film was not made for 3D, but post-production made it possible. The computer generated images during the film, such as the games of survival are truly amazing and exciting to watch. The techniques used to make Jeff Bridges 30 years younger are absolutely intriguing. It is amazing what can be done during post production of films these days. The costumes and make up are also very impressive. The soundtrack to the film, as done by Daft Punk, is one of the key elements of the film. Even for people who are not fans of the electronic scene, there is no denying that the music adds to the effectiveness of the film. Each piece of music enhances the scene which it is in and brings it to life. The direction and post-production of this film is really quite commendable.

The acting in this film is quite simple. The only two actors who show any type of emotion are Jeff Bridges and Garret Hedlund in the reunion scene and goodbye scene. Otherwise their acting is quite bland. Olivia Wilde as Kevin Flynn's sidekick, Quorra doesn't do anything spectacular in this film and it is not a very hard role for her to play. As Zeus, Michael Sheen seems to be channelling his inner David Bowie, and does so successfully. He is un-nerving and bizarre, but strangely interesting. The film is actually quite well choreographed during scenes such as with the sirens supplying Sam with his disk.

"TRON Legacy" is a hard one. The story and script is outdated and the acting is not spectacular, as one would'nt expect from a film such as this. However, it takes full advantage of the CGI which is available today and the film strives on this throughout the film. Without the CGI, there wouldn't be much of a film. Sci-fi fans will love this film, while others will either take it or leave it. The CGI can only take you part of the way to a good film, a good story and script will take you the rest of the way. Which makes "TRON Legacy" only partly a good film.
5.5/10