Film Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Director: Sean Durkin

I actually thought about a year ago that a film about escaping a cult would be an interesting idea, if I was any good at writing screenplays then I might have gone with it but thanks to Martha Marcy May Marlene I don't. The film stars Elizabeth Olsen (the youngest of the Olsen sisters but don't judge her based on that) and is directed as well as written by Sean Durkin. This was the first film he has directed and won the award for best dramatic director at the Sundance Film Festival.

Cult leader Patrick (John Hawkes) and Martha (Elizabeth Olsen)

(May be a few spoilers) The film opens with Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) escaping from a cult in the Catskill Mountains in the north-west corner of New York state. She calls her older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) to come and rescue her so that the people from the cult; led by Patrick (played with creepiness and warmth by John Parkes). As the film progresses, Martha descends into paranoia that the cult is trying to find her and take her back whilst we have flashbacks to what happened at the cult as it became more violent and unpleasant (watch out for the cleansing ritual for new members).

The ending is actually quite clever so I will try my best not to spoil it for you. Whilst being a tense film that delves into the fear of not knowing what is happening rather than letting you see everything that is happening, it is an interesting insight into how people re-adjust coming back into the normal world after being somewhere with quite different rules. Martha constantly breaks social convention by feeling its ok to lie on the bed next to Lucy and her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy) whilst they are having sex and asking for permission to do anything that she wants to do.

Martha and Lucy (Sarah Paulson)

Elizabeth Olsen puts in a very good performance as the paranoid and socially maladjusted Martha but John Parkes portrays every side of a manipulative cult leader to perfection which even leads to comparisons to Charles Manson by some critics. At times he is hypnotic in his control over the people in the cult, especially the women.

My big question that was left un-answered was why did Patrick start the cult and what is he aiming to do? Many will argue that this being open to interpretation is a good thing but knowing his motives would help to understand the whole film better and why they engage in certain activities. You are sometimes left wondering why Lucy and Ted don't seek professional psychological help early on in the film as Martha's behaviour is bizarre throughout but I guess they didn't want to give up on her.

3/4 tense and un-nerving but left us in the dark just too much as the film progressed.

Film Review: A Dangerous Method

Director: David Cronenberg

For a long time, David Cronenberg was known for doing films that set out to shock people like Videodrome and Crash. He steps in to new territory with his historical look at the birth of psychoanalysis in the early 20th century. The film was adapted from a play called The Talking Cure which was also based on a non-fiction book by John Kerr.

Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen)

The film opens with Sabina Spielrein (over-acted to an uncomfortable level by Keira Knightley) suffering from a deeply distressing mental condition who is referred to Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender). Early on they deal with Sabina's mental condition in therapy sessions but Jung finds she is incredibly intelligent and has a natural gift for psychology. Carl Jung's work makes him more successful and he is pushed to contact Sigmund Freud (Calmly played by Viggo Mortensen) about his work so that the field of psychology can be pushed forward but disagree on the fundamentals.

Vincent Cassel is the real star turn within this film as he plays Otto Gross who is a psychiatrist who is suffering from schizophrenia and is the polar opposite of the reserved and middle class personas of Jung & Freud. He is under-used within the film and is a man who believes that no feeling or desire should ever be repressed if you are to stay healthy mentally, a practice he maintains himself. Knightley is guilty of trying to over-act too much in the early part of the film and her Russian accent only seems to be present when she is speaking slowly and calmly, as soon as her speech is quickened or she is shouting it disappears.

Sabina Spielrein and Carl Jung disagree

Many interesting aspects of the plot seem to be missed out and glossed over; Sabina seems to be suffering hugely from her mental condition but seems to recover incredibly quickly. It seemed unrealistic for this to happen. The biggest fault for me was the lack of depth and tension between Jung and Freud into their disagreements about their beliefs, they seem to just accept their differences and continue to work separately which for me just meant there wasn't much interest in the entire plot.

The film Carnage by Roman Polanski proved that long sections of dialogue with little actually happening on screen can still be fascinating but it's a trick that this film fails to pull off, there are long sequences of dialogue surrounding their work in psychoanalysis that just don't engross the watcher. Fassbender and Mortensen do nothing wrong within this film but the script just doesn't deliver on what it should. Some of the scenes shot in Vienna and Zurich by the lakes and rivers are absolutely beautiful but the rest of the film falls flat.

1/4 dawdling pace and uninteresting plot at times make this a miss.

A look back at my Oscar predictions

My predictions are in Italics and the actual winners are in bold.

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Picture: The Artist

Best Actor: George Clooney - The Descendants
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Best Actress: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Best Actress: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Best Supporting Actor: Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer - The Help
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer - The Help

Three out of five predictions were right, The Artist was the favourite for Best Picture but it was never a certainty and my guess of Jonah Hill for Best Supporting Actor always was a bit of a punt.

Maybe I should take up gambling?

Oscar Winners

Last night saw the Academy Awards or Oscars take place in LA and all the predictions of who would win which awards were finally answered. The Artist swept up 5 awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Dujardin) and Best Directing with Hugo also coming in with 5. 

A list of the winners is below:

Best Picture
WINNER: The Artist — Thomas Langmann
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Directing
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
WINNER: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
WINNER: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
WINNER: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
WINNER: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
WINNER: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: The Descendants — Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Original Screenplay
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
WINNER: Midnight in Paris — Woody Allen
A Separation

Best Animated Feature
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
WINNER: Rango — Gore Verbinski

Best Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
WINNER: Undefeated — Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin, and Rich Middlemas

Best Foreign Language Film
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
WINNER: A Separation (Iran) — Asghar Farhadi

Best Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
WINNER: Hugo — Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Film Editing
The Artist
The Descendants
WINNER: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo — Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
Hugo
Moneyball

Best Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
WINNER: Hugo — Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Best Costume Design
Anonymous
WINNER: The Artist — Mark Bridges
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Best Makeup
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
WINNER: The Iron Lady — Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Best Original Score
The Adventures of Tintin
WINNER: The Artist — Ludovic Bource
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Best Original Song
WINNER: “Man or Muppet,” The Muppets — Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio,” Rio

Best Sound Mixing
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
WINNER: Hugo — Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
WINNER: Hugo — Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
WINNER: Hugo — Robert Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
WINNER: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore — William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
WINNER: Saving Face — Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Best Live-Action Short Film
Pentecost
Raju
WINNER: The Shore — Terry George and Oorlagh George
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

The Rolling Picture Awards nominations

I decided since it is award season to create my own awards and then decide on the winners to show which films and actors/actresses are most deserving in my opinion. I hope to reward some different films based on actual merit rather than because of the names attached or the director. So here goes:

Best Picture:

The Artist
Senna
The Descendants
Drive
Margin Call
Carnage

Best Actor:

Zachary Quinto - Margin Call
Ryan Gosling - Drive
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball

Best Actress:

Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Viola Davis - The Help
Rooney Mara - Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk about Kevin
Jodie Foster - Carnage
Olivia Colman - Tyrannosaur

Best Supporting Actor:

Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Paul Bettany - Margin Call
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Ides of March
Christoph Waltz - Carnage

Best Supporting Actress:

Octavia Spencer - The Help
Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Anna Kendrick - 50/50
Evan Rachel Wood - Ides of March

Best Director:

J.C. Chandor - Margin Call
Steve McQueen - Shame
Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
Asif Kapadia - Senna
Alexander Payne - The Descendants

The Chris Rock in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back Award (Best Small Role):

Christina Hendricks - Drive
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Moneyball
Jeremy Irons - Margin Call
Uggie the Dog - The Artist
Noah Taylor - Submarine

Best Music/Soundtrack:

Submarine
Drive
The Artist
Shame
Midnight in Paris
The Descendants

Worst Film:

Johnny English Reborn
Jack & Jill
Abduction
Bad Teacher
Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

Naturally I could have named about a dozen films in Worst Film but I narrowed it down to the truly worst 5. This gives you a quite obvious idea of my favourite movies and acting performances of the last year.

Film Review: We need to talk about Kevin

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Adapted from Lionel Shriver's novel, the film started development back in 2005 and after many difficulties was finally released in late 2011. It deals mainly with the mother of the family in the aftermath of a massacre at a school which her son caused. It is a topic that has been thrust into the limelight after the infamous Columbine shootings in 1999 and is also dealt with in the film 'Beautiful Boy' which is on my to watch list.

Tilda Swinton as Eva in a sea of Red

The film centres around Eva (Tilda Swinton) as she deals with the aftermath of a high school massacre that her son caused. Her car and house are constantly vandalized by the locals who also intimidate her and assault her because of the horrible crime her son committed. The film then begins to look back at the events from the conception of Kevin to his childhood and how even well intentioned parents aren't necessarily prepared to deal with a problem child.

The colour Red is a theme used a lot early in the film, red paint to vandalize the house and a panic attack Eva has in the supermarket is in front of a pile of tomato soup cans, it shows the blood she feels she has on her hands despite the fact it is a crime she is not directly responsible for. Although the film sometimes feels like its drowning in it's own symbolism. The big question which is asked is whether you think she is indirectly responsible for the crime having raised Kevin? Was this nature or nurture? This is certainly something to think about as she gradually loses grip with her constant struggle.

I felt John C. Reilly playing Franklin the Dad was under-used in the film and his input to what was going on was very limited. But then the movie was mostly supposed to be about Eva and her dealing with it all in the aftermath, Tilda Swinton plays the role well but I don't agree with all the praise that has been lavished upon her for this film and actually felt Ezra Miller was over-looked for his portrayal of the older Kevin who commits the massacre.

The early part of the film is very hard to follow as the plot jumps over different timelines from before and after the massacre leaving you a bit confused as to what exactly is going on, it settles down in later in the film but don't understand what was trying to be achieved by doing this. I liked the ending that I won't reveal but did feel that the film glorified the murderer at one part of the film when showing him walking out of the school.

2/4 A good thought provoking film but let down by heavy handed symbolism and unaddressed issues

Film Review: Brazil

Director: Terry Gilliam

I decided to re-watch Brazil after a special request from a follower after my review of Twelve Monkeys (which showed I disagreed with pretty much everybody). It is a film that many consider Gilliam's finest work and is often cited as a film you must see. Having already seen the film I didn't have to worry about sky high expectations but looked for familiar themes and ideas within Gilliam's work, I also have to admit to British actor spotting within the film as the likes of Michael Palin, Bob Hoskins and Jim Broadbent all appear in the film. The title comes from a 1930's song called ''Aquarela do Brasil'' which is played in the background a lot during the film and is a song that talks about dreams and escapism.

Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a government employee at the Ministry of Information but dreams of being a hero who saves a maiden from peril. He is tasked with rectifying an error after a fly gets jammed in a printer meaning that Archibald Buttle is arrested instead of suspected terrorist Archibald ''Harry'' Tuttle (Robert De Niro). Sam ends up in contact with Tuttle due to a problem with his air conditioning in his apartment which sets off the chain of events as he tries to find the mysterious woman he sees in his dreams.

*possible spoilers as I discuss themes within the movie* The themes of endless bureaucracy and computers being in charge of so much information but very little maintenance cause them to be near useless. It felt as if Gilliam was trying to fire a warning shot about the dangers of bureaucracy making a system so slow that it isn't fit for purpose (in this case a mistake with the printer costs a man his life). The idea of everyone having their own desk inside their own office and being cut off from everyone is also a scary proposition and adds to the feel of everyone in the film being de-humanized. This is what sparks Lowry's dreams of being a hero and somebody important who gets the girl away from the concrete existence he has for himself currently.

A big theme that is often missed from the movie is shown in the opening scene as the Deputy Prime Minister talks about dealing with terrorism and Information Retrieval charging (this being a euphemism for torture). It is shown later in the film that if you plead guilty to any offences against you then you will be ''charged'' less for the torture you will receive.

Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry

The first hour of the film gives you an impression of what the world is like at this time in an unknown country sometime in the twentieth century. It shows a mass of pipes around people's apartments which constantly go wrong, food that all looks the same but is supposed to be different and a faceless ministry ruling over everyone with an iron fist. Gilliam is using this as a mirror to real life where the working classes feel they have no control over so many things that happen in their life. I felt it was a full hour where the film kept stalling whilst we found out very little about the characters within it but still has some key scenes that are crucial to understanding Gilliam's thoughts. Although some moments were just downright bizzare and seemed to be weird for the sake of it. The second half bounds into life after around an hour which keeps the story moving to a fantastic climax, this was the sort of twist I was expecting in Twelve Monkeys that never came.

3/4 Strange and slightly pointless moments to first half but really comes together to a superb ending

This week's releases

Safe House:  Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is the rogue former intelligence officer who is imprisoned in a safe house in South Africa by the CIA where Ryan Reynolds looks after him. But ruthless mercenaries are after the CIA secrets that Frost holds so they must work together to survive.

Safe House Full Preview

Rampart: Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) is a tough dirty cop working in LA during the Rampart scandal which cracks down on police corruption. After he is caught on tape beating up a suspect his life begins to unravel but can he save his job?

Rampart Full Preview

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: A British comedy (you would never have guessed from the cast) of a group of retirees who relocate to an Indian hotel to save money but find it isn't quite the exotic haven they had anticipated. Will they be forced to move back home or can they salvage the hotel?

Certainly a film that will appeal to the older generation who like smug comedy.

One for the Money: Based on the best-selling book by Janet Evanovich, Stephanie (Katherine Heigl) decides on a career change so becomes a debt recovery agent for a sleazy company. Her first assignment is to recover money from an old flame who she must get the debt from but without letting her feeling get in the way (I nearly fell asleep just writing it nevermind watching it)

Film Preview: Wanderlust

A film starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, surely we all know what to expect from a film like this before we've even seen the trailer? Aniston has already said that acting nude in some of the scenes was ''liberating'' and I'm sure that will mean that millions of red-blooded males will be flocking to the cinemas once its released. Naturally with a film like this Judd Apatow is involved (as producer this time).

The couple of Rudd and Aniston fall on hard times due to unemployment, left with no other options they decide to move in with George's brother in Georgia. On the way from New York they stay at a Hippie commune which is presumably where the nudity and laughs will come from.

The trailer is below and Wanderlust is released in the UK on 2nd March 2012.

Film Review: The Help

Director: Tate Taylor

This is a drama based on the popular book of the same name by Kathryn Stockett and has already seen many award nominations for Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. It was this critical acclaim for the cast that pushed me to watch this film before the Oscar's to see whether the praise was justified. The performances from the three actresses above did raise my expectations somewhat and also left me puzzled as to why Emma Stone was not nominated.

Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark

The film charts the efforts of Eugenia Phelan known as Skeeter (Emma Stone who is largely forgettable) to chronicle the lives of The Help in Jackson, Mississippi. A town still fiercely steeped in racism whilst the rest of America is slowly turning towards equal rights as Martin Luther King Jr amongst others are campaigning in Washington DC. Skeeter first starts getting stories from maid Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis in stoic fashion) but Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer who is excellent although slightly clichéd) finds out and is initially unhappy before deciding to help with the book. The real surprise in the film though is the brittle performance by Jessica Chastain as Celia Foote who plays the understanding trophy wife who is disliked by the wives of the neighbourhood.
It's a very airbrushed view of the deep South in the early 1960's which makes the film seem slightly more light-hearted in tone at times despite dealing with some very difficult issues. A big opportunity was missed to look into why so many people are deeply racist in the town of Jackson, is it nature or nurture? But the worst crime within the film is that the lives of black-woman at the time is distorted and often ignored. Sexual harassment was a huge problem at the time for the hired help but this is completely untouched within the movie. It seemed determined to press home the fact that the main problem they had at the time was raising white children whilst somebody else cared for their own children at home.

Jessica Chastain as Celia Foote is the surprise performance of the movie

With a duration time of 140mins, not enough seems to develop throughout the course of the film. The pace is almost pedestrian at times as we witness woman similar to the Stepford wives discuss very little but the home lives of the maids is only seen in passing. Minny Jackson does manage to produce a rather crude but very hilarious moment at the expense of ones of her employees and I challenge anyone to not feel upset as Aibilene describes what happens to her son. At times it will certainly make you laugh, maybe even make you cry and certainly make you hate what some people stand for.

The article below shows movie titles if they told the truth and the one for The Help couldn't be more accurate when looking at parts of this movie.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/gallery/2012/feb/03/oscars-2012-mock-film-posters?INTCMP=SRCH#/?picture=385346510&index=1

2/4 some stand out acting performances and touching moments but slow script and two dimensional characters let it down.

Academy Award (Oscar) Predictions

I thought it might be fun to give my predictions of who I think will win some of the key awards at the Oscar's on Sunday 26th February. The best part is that we can look back after the winners are announced and realise just how wrong I was!

Best Picture: The Artist

It is a hard one to call against a film like The Descendants especially since the Golden Globes had them in seperate categories but I think for pure ingenuity they will go with Michel Hazanavicius' silent movie. It was a novel idea that nobody thought would be Oscar nominated when production started and has made a world renowned star out of Jean Dujardin.

Best Actor: George Clooney - The Descendants

This was easily Clooney's best performance for many years, his role as the Dad suddenly forced to look after two daughters he feels he doesn't know anymore and the situation with his wife was going to be tough to pull off but he certainly does it. It's a tough call between Clooney & Dujardin though.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

I decided this would be my predictions of who will win and not who I want to win (Rooney Mara). Streep is superb as Margaret Thatcher in the present where she is suffering from Alzheimer's and carries off her mannerisms and accents very well. The lack of recognition for the film elsewhere shows it wasn't a great film but that doesn't stop Streep's performance from being memorable.

Best Supporting Actor: Jonah Hill - Moneyball

This is my surprise pick as I think, considering Hill's previous roles, this was a step into the unknown and he pulls off the shy role of Peter Brand in Moneyball brilliantly. There are obviously some other great performances in this category, notably Christopher Plummer who is probably the favourite, but I think Hill will finally receive recognition here.

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer - The Help

Her character in the film is slightly cliché but that doesn't stop her from being a superb part of this movie. It's another tough category but I think the acting performances in The Help will be rewarded in some way.
Directing: Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Payne managed to capture the beauty and realism within The Descendants which can be a very hard thing to do on such a beautiful set of islands. Some of the shots were truly breath-taking and I believe this will be recognised by the panel.

As I mentioned in my review of the BAFTA's, Jeff Cronenweth should definitely be rewarded for his cinematography work on Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Film Review: Bull Durham

Director: Ron Shelton

Having been introduced to Baseball by my flatmate last year before the season started in April; I started a crash course in the rules and strategy of the game which included reading some books (including Moneyball twice). After a season it meant it was time to see some of the more renowned Baseball movies that are out there, so having already seen Field of Dreams many times I stayed with Kevin Costner and went for Bull Durham. The film is based around the experiences in the minor leagues of writer/director Ron Shelton which means the film is very realistic from a baseball sense.

Kevin Costner as ''Crash'' Davis who plays Catcher

Early in the film it is established that Ebby Calvin LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), who is called ''Nuke" after deciding he needs a nickname, who is the wayward star pitcher at the minor league Durham Bulls. He is known for drinking and sleeping around before games so the team decide to bring in experienced minor league player ''Crash'' Davis (Kevin Costner) to educate him on how to be a major league talent. Crash immediately improves Nuke's game but insists on calling him Meat which is a derogatory term in Baseball (meaning novice or rookie). Each year, Annie (Susan Sarandon) decides to tutor and sleep with one player as part of her spiritual guidance in the ''church of baseball''. She chooses Nuke which complicates thing further between him and Crash.

The three main characters within the film are great in their roles, Roger Ebert once said that only Susan Sarandon could have played this kooky role and I'm inclined to agree with him. Costner is at his best as the experienced and slightly cynical Crash Davis but Tim Robbins as the arrogant yet slightly weird Nuke, some of the funniest moments come when Nuke is trying to stop himself thinking too much between pitches so talks to himself in his head. The relationship between Crash and Nuke adds some very funny moments to the film.

''Nuke'' LaLoosh played by Tim Robbins argues with Crash Davis

Crash speaks of the 21 greatest days in his life when he gets to play in 'The Show' (Major League) and all the players in the team instantly listen to what he says. It is the dream of every player in the minor league to play in 'The Show' in front of thousands of people at big stadiums like Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. This was part of the realism of playing in the minor leagues as well as the vernacular the players and coaches use that made the whole thing feel real and authentic. Crash teaches Nuke that every batter can hit fastballs in the big league so he needs to learn other pitches as well as teaching him what to say in interviews to give people what they want to hear. Its lessons that are still true to this day within Baseball and other sports.

3/4 a good movie and a very good baseball movie.

Film Preview: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is based on the books by Suzanne Collins which were originally aimed at teenagers but have become increasingly popular with all age groups. The premise is similar to the Japanese film Battle Royale which sees children take part in a battle until a remote area until only one winner remains at the end. The explodable collars appear to be missing from The Hunger Games which is a shame but they obviously can't be too similar.

The Hunger Games movie poster

Having not read the books it will be interesting to see what angle the story will take but from the trailer it seems to be more about one character and her family than all the children as a whole. The different weapons supplied to the children will result in what should be some excellent fight sequences as the Hunger games begin but lets hope things don't get too cheesy/Spielberg.

If I watch more films about how dysfunctional society will be in the future (Twelve Monkeys, Brazil etc) then I might start to expect it sometime soon.

The film is released in the UK on Friday 23rd March 2012 and the trailer is below:

Film Review: Drive

Director: Nicholas Winding Refn

I have to admit that I am late to the party with regards to Drive, many people including my girlfriend have sung its praises non-stop so I decide it would jump the list of films to watch. Ryan Gosling, who plays the driver in the film whose name is never known, plays a very different role to the other films that I have seen him in whilst Carey Mulligan is subtly beautiful as the Irene the single Mum. Many people were massively disappointed when it was snubbed as the Oscar nominations were announced and now I can see why they were so unhappy.

Ryan Gosling as the unnamed driver

This neo-noir film has a hugely 80's feel about it and the opening scenes actually reminded me of an old Grand Theft Auto videogame with the driving round the city with the music on. The opening scene has no dialogue between the characters in front of the camera and just the police radio that can be heard (as they are trying to get away after a robbery). It defines the style of the film early on as the film has little dialogue especially from the unnamed driver (Ryan Gosling).

(Spoiler alert) The way the film is shot as well as the soundtrack is what really wins your heart, there are numerous scenes I could continually praise for paragraphs so will try to cut it down for you. The sexual tension between Gosling and Mulligan throughout the film is incredibly intense, in some parts you feel slightly awkward as if you are the third person on a date. The scene where they kiss is superbly filmed in slow motion as the lights in the lift slowly dim and flicker, I actually felt like applauding this scene alone. The driving scenes had many shots with the camera mounted on the head rest behind Gosling's right shoulder so you could see the road and the side of his head. Over the years there have been many films that have used different angles to film driving scenes but this gave you a great view of the action in front of the Driver.

The Kiss

(More spoilers)The second half sees a complete clash of moods as the slick beautiful first half of the film makes way for a violent trail of destruction in the second. The Driver even says 'I don't carry a gun' so expect some different methods of killing and intimidating people as he tries to find a way to out of the mess he has become involved in. But still at no point does this suave stylishness disappear from the picture.

The music within the film adds to the feel of the 1980's in LA feel, the song over the opening scene (Nightcall by Kavinsky) and a recurring song "A Real Hero" by College feat Electric Youth are songs that I instantly listened to again once the film was over. The title sequence is hot pink, much like in Risky Business, which was another popular theme of the 1980's. This is a film that I rank right up there with Mulholland Drive (one of my favourite films of all time) for the way it is filmed. How Drive wasn't nominated for best cinematography and best directing I will never know.

Ryan Gosling oozes charisma and his lack of speech within the film only makes him seem more dark and mysterious. His jacket with a gold scorpion on the back and leather driving gloves are nearly ever present as part of his character, this is an era where people loves their anti-heroes as much as their original heroes. The first comparison that came to my mind after watching the film was with Steve McQueen in Bullitt. Christina Hendricks has a great cameo within the film but Ron Pearlman & Albert Brooks are both superb as the mobsters who want their money back. There isn't a single person within this film that is miscast and sometimes that can make all the difference.

3.5/4 Great acting performances, amazing soundtrack, superb filming and cinematography but slightly simplistic plot stops it scoring a perfect 4.

PS I believe Refn and Gosling are re-uniting for a remake of Sci-Fi flick Logan's Run, my expectations are already sky high!

Film Preview: Headhunters

Following on from the success of Swedish author Steig Larsson and the Millenium trilogy, Jo Nesbo is the next big Scandinavian author whose books have become popular and unsurprisingly have had a lot of interest from writers and directors wanting to adapt them into movies. This also coincides with the success of many TV thrillers that have made their way over from Denmark to the UK and US which include the sublime The Killing and Borgen which have been shown on BBC4.

Jo Nesbo

I recently finished reading 'The Snowman' by Jo Nesbo which features recurring detective Harry Hole and is a great thriller for anybody looking for a new book to read. Martin Scorcese has already shown some considerable interest in directing and producing this movie which is hugely exciting. It is a book with a great plot and complex characters that make it perfect for adapting to the big screen. Nesbo stated he is a lot more apprehensive about selling the Harry Hole stories especially whilst they are being written,

Jo Nesbo has said that all royalties coming from the books now will be donated to his foundation to fight illiteracy in the third world so believes a huge movie deal will help in a big way in terms of money and awareness. My only aim now is to read the book by the time the movie is released.

The film 'Headhunters' is released on Friday 6th April in the UK and the trailer is below:

Film Preview: Rampart

Directed by Oren Moverman and starring Woody Harrelson as dirty cop Dave Brown who is forced to look at his career of breaking police rules after the Rampart scandal in the mid-90's. The Rampart scandal happened within the LA Police Department where over 70 officers were caught planting false evidence, framing suspects and dealing narcotics amongst other offences. Ice Cube plays the lawyer who is intent on stopping Brown and make him pay for his mistakes.

Woody Harrelson as Dave Brown

Dave Brown's moral compass isn't just broken at work as he has two ex-wifes and children in his personal life who he cheated on. With his world slowly feeling like it is crashing down will he change? Harrelson leaves all human decency aside in this film and the trailer certainly shows the film as hard hitting. There is also a sense of realism as the scenes outdoors seem to be shot in the street using just natural daylight rather than a perfectly constructed set.

The film is released in the UK on 24th February and the trailer is below:

Film Review: Twelve Monkeys

Director: Terry Gilliam

This film was recommended to me a while ago by a couple of people and then hit my usual film to see list that at times is quite lengthy. With it being directed by Terry Gilliam I had a good idea what to expect after seeing Brazil and knowing he likes to film highly imaginative fantasies. There is always method to the madness but you don't usually see it until the end of the movie.

Movie poster for the release of Twelve Monkeys

Bruce Willis plays James Cole who is a convict from 2035 who is part of the 1% of the population who survived a deadly virus which was unleashed by the Army of the Twelve Monkeys in late 1995. The remaining humans now live underground and Cole reluctantly volunteers to go on a mission to the past to find information or even a sample of the virus to take back so scientists can work on a cure. Throughout the film Cole is haunted by dreams that slowly begin to take meaning as the film progresses. The first hour is slow progress as the film sets the scene and makes you take notice of every detail as he travels back to the present from 1990 and then back to 1996. There is a sense that one small detail from 1990 could hold the key to it all.

As the film progressed, I was expecting some hugely unexpected twist that I hadn't seen coming to take effect but never felt this happened. I slowly started to predict what was going to happen as the film progressed and was pretty much right with my predictions which is never a good thing when watching a movie. I think it would be unfair to completely dislike this movie for that as I think other films since have copied some plot elements and made it seem very familiar and over-done. The apocalyptic view of the future is becoming a bit of a cliché which means my view of the film now might be quite different had I seen it when it was released in 1995.

Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines in the mental institution

Brad Pitt's performance of Jeffrey Goines who is a patient in a mental institute is superb and fully deserved his Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in this film. It was an incredibly frenzied yet disturbing performance by Pitt. He seemed to catch all the nuances to make his character believable as a person and as somebody with mental health issues. I also liked Madeline Stowe whose portrayal of conflicted psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Reilly as she tries to piece together what is happening.

There references within the film to Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' where a bit stretched as Bruce Willis is certainly no James Stewart, the comparison when Stowe and Willis were in disguise seemed a bit laughable to be honest. The study of obsession within both of the films was a clever idea but presented in a poor manner.

1.5/4 Sorry to the fans of this film but I wasn't engrossed and could predict what was going to happen.

This week's releases

A look at this week's film releases:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A feel good movie of a young boy (Thomas Horn) who struggles to come to terms with the death of his father (Tom Hanks) in 9/11 but finds a strange key that he is convinced opens something that his father wants him to see. This takes him all round New York where he meets various people from all walks of life. Unsurprisingly since her role in The Blindside, Sandra Bullock plays the loving mother.

Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance: Nicholas Cage returns in an effort to make a film even worse than the original Ghost Rider and make us all pray that this doesn't turn into a fully blown franchise. But I'm sure nothing I say here will stop it from making millions of dollars like the original. In this film, Cage becomes his alter ego Jonny Blaze in an effort to save a young boy from the devil.

The Woman in the Fifth: Ethan Hawke is a disgraced college lecturer who flees the controversy in Paris but ends up embarking on a relationship with a widow (Kristin Scott Thomas) who places strict rules on the terms of their liasions. But over time he ends up in even more trouble that involves murder and his only family which he starts to believe is caused by his lover. Expect a big performance from Kristin Scott Thomas.