Frozen (2013)

 

Year: 2013
Running Time: 108 minutes
Director: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Writers: Jennifer Lee (screenplay and story), Chris Buck and Shane Morris (story), Hans Christian Andersen (inspired by The Snow Queen)
Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Graff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk

Frozen will be opening in Australian cinemas on Boxing Day and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios. Now showing in the USA and UK.

Disney have done it again. If there is one thing they know how to do, it is make a good Disney princess movie. And the best thing about their princess movies? They aren't just for girls, boys and men aren't afraid to say that they like them. There is absolutely some talent in being able to do that.

Frozen is sure to become one of the Disney classics. It contains the same spirit of the classic Disney films, but surprises you with modern ideas and relatable underlying themes. The screenplay, based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, The Snow Queen, is very clever and the characters are all colourful, memorable and a lot of fun. On a whole, Frozen is unforgettable and it's catchy tunes will be having you humming them for days after.

Sister princesses, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) used to be so close as children, but when Elsa's strange gift that makes her turn everything to ice hurts her little sister, the two are kept apart for fear of Elsa hurting Anna again. When Elsa ascends to the throne when she is of age, she tries her hardest to keep her gift hidden from everyone. However, when she finds out that Anna had just got engaged to Hans (Santino Fontana), she is unable to control her powers and runs to the mountains to live by herself in her ice palace. Anna fearlessly takes off after her sister and along the way meets Kristoff (Jonathan Graff), his loyal pet reindeer, Sven and Olaf (Josh Gad), a hilarious snowman who Elsa built that has come to life. While everybody in Erindale is pointing their fingers at Elsa, nobody guesses that they have more to worry about closer to home.

Frozen is for Disney lovers young and old. It has the true feeling of a Disney princess film with pretty visuals of young princesses, ridiculously catchy songs and the similar plot points which are recurring in such a film but surprisingly, this one does feel a little more modern in a subtle way. With being a princess in a Disney film, there is always the presence of some sort of tragedy which bestows the princess (or princesses in this case) and there is always the presence of the young man who wishes to rescue her and true love concurs all. When Anna and Hans start singing "Love Is An Open Door", you almost feel like groaning as you think "Oh here we go again, another story about love at first sight".

Then something crazy happens. The characters start ridiculing Anna about falling in love and wanting to marry someone she just met. In past Disney films, the idea of falling in love with "The One" as soon as you meet them and often singing a song about it is common practise. Yet Frozen is far more modern in it's delivery. It ridicules the idea of love at first sight and carries the message that you really must know someone before you decide to spend the rest of your life with them. It's not the fantasy princess ideal that we have seen in the past, but it is refreshing to see a realistic take on love in a Disney animation. While there is never any lack of romantic love talk, there is also a great deal to be spoken of sisterly love. The idea that no matter how your siblings act towards you, they would always have your best interest at heart and will put themselves between you and danger.

The animation is really beautiful in Frozen, particularly in the scenes where there is snow and Elsa's ice palace. The colours employed are really exquisite and seeing this film in 3D really enhances your cinematic experience. As Frozen is a Disney musical, it is no surprise that it excels also in the musical department. The lead song from the film, "Let It Go" which is sung by Idina Menzel in the film and also by Demi Lovato in the closing credits is an instant classic. It contains a wonderful message and is one of those songs that can be used in a different context which many people can relate to when not accompanying the film. With awards season starting to kick in, this song will for sure be featuring in the Best Original Song nominees.

And of course, the characters and the actors who supply their voices really make Frozen come to life. Anna is a wonderful heroine. The greatest thing about her is that she is a very strong young woman and not the damsel in distress, but she is a goofball. She has some hilarious dialogue and is a really fun character. Kristen Bell had a big role in the creation of her Anna and it once again demonstrates Bell's great comedic timing. Bell also shocks everyone in the best way possible with her incredible singing voice. One person who there was never any doubt whether she would be able to hit the big notes for Elsa's songs was Idina Menzel. Her rendition of "Let It Go" in the film is so powerful and makes it into a huge musical number.

Jonathan Graff gives voice to Kristoff, who is a character which really grows on you. The presence of his "family" of trolls feels a bit out of place and although they are there for a purpose, they don't grab your memory as much as other characters. One incredibly memorable character is that of the snowman, Olaf. He is an absolute ball of laughs. He can come across as a bit of a children's character at times and some people may find him a bit annoying, but it is his simplicity that makes him endearing and his simple humour that makes him memorable. Josh Gad does a great job of giving him a voice.

Frozen is the perfect holiday film for all the family and is released at the perfect time of the year to coincide with winter in the Northern Hemisphere and give the Southern Hemisphere a taste of winter over the holiday break. A true Disney classic.

8.5/10

American Hustle (2013)

 

Year: 2013
Running Time: 138 minutes
Director: David O. Russell
Writers: Eric Singer and David O. Russell Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Pena

American Hustle is now showing in Australian cinemas and is distributed by Roadshow Films. Opening in the USA and UK on the 20th January 2013.

Could a film like American Hustle possibly avoid the hype? Not likely. Director David O. Russell’s film making has gone from strength to strength, especially with his last two films, The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. Then there is the impressive cast which Russell is able to assemble for his latest film, all of which are past Academy Award nominees (Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence having won one award each and both under Russell’s direction) and all, except Jeremy Renner, who have worked with him before. So we have one of the most talented film makers in the business today and five of the biggest movie stars in the world working together on one film. American Hustle is a hit even before the first tickets are sold.

It’s a good thing that American Hustle does live up to its hype. Russell once again brings out the very best in his actors with some incredible and captivating performances taking place, especially that of Jennifer Lawrence. The performances do tend to hide the fact that even though the screenplay contains the usual brilliant dialogue Russell’s movies possess, it does try to do a little too much and ends up achieving the opposite of what it is meaning to in parts. It gives too much at times, and too little in others. Yet, the players in American Hustle still manage to overshadow these inconsistencies and make the film the hit it was always believed it would be.

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a charismatic career con man who is in business with the seductive and deceptive Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), who cons everyone besides Irving into believing that she is the British Lady Edith with numerous valuable connections. At the height of their business, they are caught out by FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). Agent DiMaso convinces the two to work with him in order to con those the FBI has had their eyes on. Together the three of them head into the world of New Jersey powerbrokers and mafia with their sights set on Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) who is looking to rework Atlantic City. The only thing that stands in their way is Irving’s unpredictable and unstable wife, Roslyn (Jennifer Lawrence) who has the power to overthrow everything if she says the wrong thing to the wrong people.

Firstly, the thing that has American Hustle missing the link between a very good film and a brilliant film is it’s screenplay by Russell and Eric Singer. The film isn’t consistently enthralling and at times tends to lull. At 138 minutes running time the film isn’t overly long, but it does try to pack too much into that time. This leads to the film spending a little time on everything and therefore not spending enough time on things which are important to the story, and too much time on little things which don’t have to be in the film. Yet the screenplay is not by a long stretch a failing one due to the brilliant and colourful dialogue given to its characters, which has become a trademark of Russell’s films and is always a favourite amongst audiences.

The late 1970’s is brought back in spectacular style. The fashion and hair is spot on for the time and add to the overall atmosphere of the film. The décor of locations such as Irving’s office and house is extremely reminiscent and spot on of life in the 1970’s, particularly of his house where domestic and psychedelic collide. The time period inspired soundtrack is also great fun. There are some wonderful cinematography moments, in particular during the opening credits with the three lead characters, Irving, Sydney and Richie walking up a corridor in unison, which straight away tells you how important these three will be. There are some strange and unexplained cinematography moments, like the close up of Sydney’s stiletto in the car. Yet this seems to be a recurring visual from Russell’s films as the is a similar vision in The Fighter of Melissa Leo’s high heels.

Russell has once again brought out the best in his lead actors. All of the top five billing actors give performances that will always be remembered as one of their best. Christian Bale is brilliant as Irving. One would normally think of a somewhat sleazy looking and overweight con man and think about how unlikable such a figure would be, but Bale makes him absolutely intriguing and astonishingly makes him likable. He is just so charismatic and full of character and towards the end of the film, you are really rooting for him. Amy Adams has once again morphed herself into another intriguing character. You never really find out exactly who she really is underneath her disguise, but through Adams’ acting we can see the hurt and insecure girl she really is underneath all her sexy glamour.

Bradley Cooper gives another stellar performance under Russell’s guidance. In the opening scenes, the first verbal confrontation between Bale and Cooper is just superb as watching these two amazing actors go at each other is a real treat. Cooper’s scenes where he loses control and goes slightly mad are so interesting to watch. Jeremy Renner is also superb. He is so likable as Carmine and as you watch him being deceived, you feel so embarrassed and bad for him. The only complaint about the films players is that there is not enough of the uncredited Robert De Niro.

It is Jennifer Lawrence who you remember the most when you leave American Hustle. . She is an absolute scene stealer whenever she is on screen and as she doesn’t have as much on screen time as her cast members, you really wish you could see more of her. Her dialogue is great and everything she does is so entertaining. Lawrence has the uncanny ability of being able to play someone who is supposed to be older and more life experienced than she is, and she is never questioned by anyone as she is so believable and brilliant.

American Hustle is a cinematic delight. The story may not be continuously riveting in its execution, but it has many redeemable qualities. A must see for fans of David O. Russell or any of the five main players. And what you have probably heard is also true, there is an astonishing amount off sideboob.

7.5/10


You may have also seen Christian Bale in....
The Fighter as Dickie
The Dark Knight Rises as Bruce Wayne/ Batman

You may have also seen Amy Adams in....
The Fighter as Charlene
Man of Steel as Lois Lane

You may have also seen Bradley Cooper in....
Silver Linings Playbook as Pat Solitano

You may have also seen Jennifer Lawrence in.....
Silver Linings Playbook as Tiffany Maxwell
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as Katniss Everdeen

You may have also seen Jeremy Renner in....
The Hurt Locker as Will James
The Town as Jem

Carrie (2013)

Year: 2013
Running Time: 100 minutes
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Writers: Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sarcasa (screenplay), Stephen King (novel)
Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell

Carrie is now showing in cinemas everywhere and is distributed by Sony Pictures. Please see your local cinema guides for times.

Here is the question that the 2013 remake of Carrie encourages you to ask yourself, is there really such thing as a good horror film remake? And here we are not talking horror movie good where the film scares you and therefore it is a success, we are talking about whether it is actually a well made film. Or does that really matter when it comes to horror movies, as it only matters whether it scares you. The latter question's answer tends to vary depending on the person who is answering, but the first question leans more towards the negative.

Carrie, which has been reimagined for the 21st century, reminds us why some films should be left untouched and remain in the time they were made. Although the Kimberly Peirce's film has done a fine job at recapturing the suspense of the first film, this horror classic doesn't gain anything from being remade. Instead what we have is a rather unremarkable teen horror flick which leaves you completely unsure about what you should be taking away from it.

Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz) is a young girl who has lived an incredibly sheltered life at the hands of her overly religious mother, Margaret (Julianne Moore). Carrie was home schooled for the majority of her life until forced to attend a normal high school and since then she has been an outsider and chronically awkward and shy. When she receives her first period in the girls change room after swimming at school, she is terrified as she was unaware what her menstrual cycle is. The girls in the change room, headed by Sue (Gabriella Wilde) and Chris (Portia Doubleday) ridicule Carrie by chanting and throwing tampons at her. Ms Desjardin (Judy Greer) breaks it up and punishes the girls involved, which is when Chris gets banned from attending their senior prom. She blames Carrie for her misfortune and plots a cruel plan to humiliate Carrie in front of the whole school. What nobody suspects is that when Carrie is pushed too far, her kinetic powers cause all hell is about to break loose.

Even though you want to view Carrie as a stand alone film, for those who have seen the original it is very hard not to compare the two. Rather than being the un-nerving and disturbing horror film which the 1976 film was, the 2013 Carrie seems just like an atypical teen horror film that is not at all original in it's delivery. In particular, in the scenes with Carrie's teenage classmates, we could be watching any film in the teenage subgenre which have been released in the past few years. The montage scenes of the girls and boys getting ready for the prom contain the same images and music as we have seen in so many films before it and Carrie's tormentors are like the girls we have seen in films such as Mean Girls with some Stephen King injected into them. It is obvious that what director Kimberly Peirce is trying to do is appeal to this target audience and update Carrie in order to fit into the young adult world of today. By doing this, all Peirce does is add to the pool of films which are soon to be forgotten after their release because there is nothing remarkably or positively original to remember them by.

As is the case with many remakes, the horror elements of the first are taken and inflated to make ideally more scary. What would be a horror remake without more blood and gore? Or a crazy religious mother who is even more crazy and religious than before? How about we also make Carrie in her rage like a real supernatural being with bizarre body movements like we have seen in other horror films? However, the saving grace for Carrie and the thing we can rejoice about when comparing it to the original is that there is still a great deal of suspense leading up to the infamous prom scene. There is a constant feel of dread and tension as you know what is coming up and there is also a feeling of excitement to see how Carrie does lash out with her powers. The last five minutes of the film doesn't hold the same power in this way and is a completely lack lustre finale. The dialogue of this ending doesn't give you any sense of closure and although many horror films do not like to give their audience's closure as a scare tactic, this ending just leaves you more confused about what you are meant to take away from the film.

The CGI used in the film is very touch and go. There are some fantastic moments, in particular the blowing up of a service station and shattering of the car, yet there are also some moments where it lacks, such as in the house towards the end. The use of slow motion and repetition towards the end of the film does create more emphasis in the scenes which they are employed in.

Chloe Grace Moretz does well as the title character in Carrie. However, there are certain characteristics  you wish she could have portrayed. In particular, Moretz does awkward and lonely well, but there isn't really a great deal of character development over the course of the film. There is of course the craziness she takes on in the prom scene, but her rage is completely unexpected when you think about how Carrie never seemed to be getting close to her breaking point. She is simply awkward, then almost happy, and then murderous. There is no smooth progression to any of these emotional states. Moretz's Carrie is sweet and vulnerable, but Carrie is far from being to role of her career.

Julianne Moore is very good as Margaret White. She is very creepy and you find yourself at times being far more scared of Margaret than of Carrie. Moretz and Moore do have great on screen chemistry together. Gabriella Wilde is likable, but her role as Sue Snell doesn't allow for her to really do that much. Portia Doubleday gives an interesting performance as Chris. In all honesty it feels as if Doubleday has just been directed badly. She gives off an air of great potential, but her timing and deliverance of her dialogue is off the mark.

Carrie was again reinforces the fact that the real horror classics shouldn't be tampered with. There is no such thing (as of yet) as a wonderful horror film remake, and a remake being made so that teenagers of today can relate to it more isn't an idea that always works, as Carrie has shown us.

5.5/10



You may have also seen Chloe Grace Moretz in......
Kick Ass / Kick Ass 2 as Mindy Macready/ Hit Girl
Hugo as Isabelle