Woman in Gold (2015) film review

Year: 2015
Running Time: 109 minutes
Director: Simon Curtis
Writers: E. Randol Schoenberg and Maria Altmann (life stories), Alexi Kaye Campbell (screenplay)
Cast: Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Bruhl, Tatiana Maslany, Katie Holmes, Max Irons, Charles Dance

Woman in Gold is a biographical film that does a fine job of telling the story of Maria Altmann and her family, but it's dramatization struggles to remain immune from the curse of cliché. Based on the ground-breaking case of the Republic of Austria v. Altmann, Woman in Gold is the tale of Austrian born Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren) who's family were the owners of the incredible painting by Gustav Klimt of her aunt, Adele (Antje Traue) entitled "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" until their home was invaded by Nazis who took possession of the everything including the painting. Now living in Los Angeles in the 1990's, Maria seeks the assistance of young lawyer, Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) to help her seek justice for having her family's property stolen. Her journey takes her back to the country she vowed never to return to and to face the past she wanted to forget.

Maria Altmann's life story is told wonderfully on screen. From her life of hardships in war torn Vienna to her later years fighting for justice in the United States, her fight for her life and then for justice is well documented and very thorough. Altmann's earlier years in Vienna (as portrayed by Tatiana Maslany) are particularly well done, as great suspense is generated with her and her husband's (Max Irons) quest to leave the Nazi dominated city and her inevitable separation from her family is extremely emotional. However, the scenes set in the 1990's struggle for the same type of suspense. While the real life proceedings in the case were undoubtedly eventful and extremely important, it's dramatization in the film is somewhat cliché and feels almost overdone. There are several features of the film which were changed from the reality for dramatic effect (such as Randol working without pay for years), but these changes come across as extremely cliché due to the heroism that is attempted to be attached to the characters and their situations.

However, what is done well in the scenes set in Maria's later life are the internal struggles that she experiences in deciding whether to go ahead with her case. The portrait in question which is now on display in New York City's Neue Galerie, was much loved by the Austrian people when it was hung in their country. This is one of the ethical dilemmas that Maria is faced with in the film as she does not want to take something away that is so important to her homeland, yet she believes that justice must be served. The other dilemma she is faced with is whether she should just let the past be the past or if she should seek to reclaim something that belonged to her family half a century earlier. It is indeed a painful thing for her to revisit the past and to once again see the place she left because of the horrors that were occurring there. Maria's journey is an emotional one for her as it means going back to a place she vowed never to return to. She is also faced with the pressure of outsiders making their opinion that she should just let it all go very vocal. Yet her belief in doing what is right by her family who are now gone, but always a part of her is very admirable.

Woman in Gold is beautifully shot with some incredibly lovely images. The beauty of the city of Vienna is well captured on camera with glorious shots of it's sights including the Hofburg Palace. The Vienna occupied by Nazis and the Vienna Maria returns to have two completely different atmospheres. Of course this is created by the oppression felt by the Nazis which is not there upon returning, but the cinematography allows for the feeling of a dark cloud constantly following the characters during the war. The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Martin Phipps is absolutely exquisite.

Helen Mirren does a very good job in the lead as Maria Altmann. She gives a solid performance as a woman who is exhausted from her years of guilt over leaving her family and bitterness towards her home country. The one problematic thing about Mirren's Maria is that her past between when she first arrives in America and when she looks for a lawyer is a mystery. There is no word of when her husband died or whether they had any children (which she did indeed as she had three sons and one daughter). Ryan Reynolds also gives a very good performance and shows a great deal of emotion especially when he acknowledges his own Austrian heritage. Tatiana Maslany doe exceptionally well as the younger Maria and the pairing of her and Max Irons works extremely well.

Extremely well made and a fine tribute to both Maria Altmann and other families who suffered the hardships her and her family once did, Woman in Gold is entertaining but would be taken more seriously if it did not try to overdramatize itself. The story itself is incredible enough without inserting Hollywood clichés into it.

7/10

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) film review

 

Year: 2015
Running Time: 110 minutes
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Writer: Kay Cannon
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam DeVine, Skylar Astin, Katey Segal, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Ben Platt

Pitch Perfect 2 is arguably the biggest female empowerment film of the year. With Elizabeth Banks making her debut in the director's seat, the film speaks (or sings) loudly of the strength of women and minorities in society and does so with incredible wit and humour. All girl acapella group, the Barden Bellas have been reigning as champions for the past three years, but it seems that their winning streak has come to a grinding halt when Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) accidently exposes herself in front of an audience that includes the President of the United States. As a result, the girls are competition wise, but through a loophole they still able to enter the international acapella championships which no American team has ever won. The girls find that they feel extremely out of their comfort zone when they size up the competition and find that they may have to search for their sound once again.

This foot-tapping sequel to the original 2012 film is incredibly witty and funny, but at the same time is far more layered than a musical comedy set on an American college campus has any right to be. The script by Kay Cannon is exceptionally well written and with Elizabeth Bank's tight direction gives a combination that works exceptionally well and takes full advantage of the colourful characters already established in the first film. Pitch Perfect 2 is indeed predictable as is expected and desired by it's target audience. A trap that many film makers fall into when making sequels is to take what made the first film work and give the audience more...which can more often than not lead to over-exaggeration and annoyance. Pitch Perfect 2 does do this, but it does it in an unique way that makes it work by explaining to the audience why it is doing this. For example, the second film contains a great deal more of Fat Amy and her antics, who was a crowd favourite in the first film. However, the script actually explains why her antics are exaggerated and this is because Fat Amy never does anything by halves. It's in her character to do everything on a massive scale. By doing this, the film actually explains why certain aspects of it are exaggerated and this works in the film's favour.

The film's sense of humour is particularly unique. It avoids being chastised for any prejudice by purely making fun of absolutely everybody. Nobody is safe....no nationality, no body size, no sexual orientation and even no hair colour. This type of sarcastic humour would have the prospect of being construed as completely offensive if it weren't so incredibly over the top that it can hardly be taken seriously. However, what can be taken seriously about Pitch Perfect 2 is it's strong message of female empowerment. With a string of strong female characters who are superior to the male characters in every way, their rendition of Beyoncé's "Run The World (Girls)" is the perfect anthem. On the other hand, the original song "Flashlight" (sung by Hailee Steinfeld) is the anthem for sisterhood and the important message of women working together.

It does not come as a surprise that Pitch Perfect 2's soundtrack is one of the greatest positves of the film as it is a modern musical film relevant to today's sound and it's predecessor's soundtrack was an enormous success. Fans of the 2012 film will be pleased with the return of "Cups" by Anna Kendrick which was made popular in the first film, but will also be happy to see that Mark Mothersbaugh has kept up with the top chart music of 2015 so far and placed songs in the film where they bring out the most in the scene.

The majority of the cast from the original Pitch Perfect film return for the second and reprise their roles with the same strength of character that they did in the first. Anna Kendrick returns as Beca Mitchell, the leader the of The Bellas and is once again the heroine which every girl can relate to. She is incredibly real and although Beca is one to put up a tough front, has her beautiful moments of frailty. Rebel Wilson is once again very funny as Fat Amy, but for some there may be just a little too much Fat Amy screen time wise if you are not a fan of her sense of humour.

Hailee Steinfeld is a newcomer to the Pitch Perfect universe as Bella legacy, Emily. From the very first moment she is incredibly likeable with her naivety but quirky streak that gives her a wonderful sense of humour. Director Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins return as acapella commentators and experts Gail and John are truly hilarious with some of the most memorable quotes of the film.

Pitch Perfect 2 will undeniably thrill anyone who was a fan of the first film. Although those who haven't seen the first can also enjoy, it is recommended that the first is seen so the characters are greater understood. The film is a huge amount of fun that has the talent to create many smiles, laughs and impromptu dance moves.

8/10

Infini (2015) film review

Year: 2015
Running Time: 110 minutes
Director: Shane Abbess
Writers: Shane Abbess and Brian Cachia
Cast: Daniel MacPherson, Grace Huang, Luke Hemsworth, Bren Foster, Luke Ford, Dwaine Stevenson, Louisa Mignone, Tess Haubrich

Infini is now available on demand in Australia and is distributed by Entertainment One. Now showing in cinemas in the United States.

Although Australian film has had much success on a national and international scale with such horror pieces of cinema as Wolf Creek and The Babadook, it is not known for yet conquering the sci-fi genre. Infini is a triumph for Australian cinema that will destroy this perception with it's shocking and intense combination of futuristic thriller and horror. Towards the end of the 23rd century, off-Earth travel has been achieved through the process of slipstreaming, which is a most controversial subject due to the danger involved and it's high fatality rate. Whit Carmichael (Daniel MacPherson) is stranded on a distant mining station after a freak accident involving the rest of his team and an elite rescue team sets out to rescue him. What awaits the team on this remote station is a lethal contagion where death is only the beginning of the horror.

Opening with complete chaos, Infini is intense and action-packed from it's very first moment. The combination of the sci-fi and horror film may not be a brand new one, but Shane Abbess' film puts a new spin on what the future beholds and what new nightmares may come our way. While paying homage to Alien in it's production and ever so slightly to 1998's Phantoms with it's horror element, Infini very much knows what it is and is a survival film rather than a narrative. Incredibly intense and not for the faint-hearted or queasy, the film is unpredictable and surprising. It can be rather shocking in it's screenplay and visually, but this is an enjoyable form of confrontation for anyone who enjoys either or both sci-fi and horror.

The method of rapid and non-continuous editing that the film employs can originally feel messy and often confusing, but as the film goes on one comes to understand why this decision was made as it adds to the final revelations. The production design of the world in the 23rd century and of the mining station are very well done. Sci-fi territory tends to come with the expectation of extravagant and impressive special effects. However, while Infini has minimal special effects compared to the big budget Hollywood genre films, it does not for one moment feel as though it is lacking. All CGI and special effects are used when they need to be and used well. The absence of more isn't felt throughout the film as one is so engrossed in the story that the suspense doesn't allow you time to think otherwise and when there is the time it is something to embrace.

Daniel MacPherson gives an exceptional performance as Whit Carmichael. He is the perfect leading man for the film with his strong presence and sense of confidence that he projects on screen. Yet, his character is still very much relatable and very human as he swings between the emotions one would when they are made fully aware that survival is not guaranteed. Grace Huang is also a stand out and Luke Hemsworth, Dwaine Stevenson and Harry Pavlidis can all be rather terrifying.

Infini is a fine achievement in Australian cinema, but it is a fine film in it's own right with it's intensity and clever production.

7.5/10