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Cinema Voyage - Akito Hirata, Filmhunter

 

Cinema Voyage - March 2009

Review - Things We Lost In The Fire

March 31st 2009 02:31
Released in 2007, Things We Lost In The Fire stars two Academy Award winners - namely Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. Written by Allan Loeb, the raw drama deals head on with grief after death and drug addiction.

Halle Berry is Audrey Burke, mother to Harper and Dory and grieving widow to her husband, Brian (David Duchovny), who recently died in a tragic shooting. Prior to the funeral, Audrey realises she has forgotten to notify her husband's closest childhood friend, Jerry Sunborne about Brian's death. Jerry is a heroin addict living in a halfway house and while not liked by Audrey, was always supported by Brian. Out of a sense of loyalty to Brian that she can't even fathom, she offers to let Jerry stay in the family's garage.


Audrey's hatred for Jerry is deep rooted and at one point she even says to Jerry "Why wasn't it you, Jerry? Why wasn't it you?" Harper and Dory warm to Jerry immediately and their relationship is a constant reminder of Brian's death. Much to Audrey's annoyance, Jerry even succeeds in getting Dory to put his underwater in the swimming pool, which was something even Brian could not succeed in doing. "It was something that Brian tried and tried to get Dory to do, but he couldn't. And that victory today of getting Dory's head to go under was not supposed to be YOURS. It wasn't meant for you to have that moment.

Their relationship ebbs and flows throughout the film. He supports her as best he can to help her come to terms with the death of her husband and she offers her support for his drug addiction. At no point throughout the film does Jerry presume that he could ever step in and fill his friend's shoes which keeps it cemented in realism.


The performances offered by the entire cast are superb, particularly that of Benicio Del Toro. His portrayal as Jerry both as an addict and recovering addict comes across as very honest. John Carroll Lynch, who also worked with Halle Berry in 2003's Gothika, is Howard, Audrey's neighbour and friend. He is a good all rounder offering constant support to both Audrey and Jerry. Unfortunately for him he lives with his overbearing wife who he hates with a passion. His role however does bring a small comedic touch to the film. Alison Lohman also has a supporting role as Kelly, recovering drug addict, and friend to Jerry.

Danish director Susanne Bier previously gained international acclaim for her Oscar nominated film After The Wedding in 2006. She shows off her skill in managing to capture a very up close and personal film, particularly in light of her signature handheld camera work.

This is a slow moving film but despite the depressing subject matter, seems to err on the positive side ultimately being about recovery and healing.

Voyage Review: 4/5

Check out the preview below:

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Three Stooges AKA Sean, Jim and Benicio

March 30th 2009 09:13
The Three Stooges is currently in preproduction with the final release date scheduled for 2010.

With the Farrelly Brothers at the helm, the infamous trio are set to be played by Sean Penn (Larry), Jim Carrey (Curly) and Benicio Del Toro (Moe). This will be the brothers' third pairing with Jim Carrey as he worked with them previously on Me, Myself and Irene (2000) and Dumb and Dumber (1994).

The full length slapstick comedy film will be based on the short films the trio made in the 1930s and 1940s.

As reported by Variety, "It’s not a biopic. It takes place in present day, and they look, dress and sound exactly like the Stooges. When the economy started turning, we felt like the world could use a Stooges slapfest. Bobby and I haven’t done a real physical comedy in a while, and it’s the most exciting thing we could think of now, to have people go to the movie, see some great slapstick fun family humor."
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Away We Go

March 28th 2009 08:42
Scheduled for limited release in July is Sam Mendes' drama/comedy Away We Go. Written by Vendela Vida and Dave Eggers, Away We Go stars John Krasinki (The Office - US Version) and Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) as expectant parents. Unsure where to settle down and raise their family, they set about travelling around the US in order to find the perfect place.

Also starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Alison Janney, Melanie Lynskey, Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels, this quirky looking film is a return to comedy for Mendes since 1999's American Beauty which put him on the map.

Check out the trailer below:

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Review - New In Town

March 24th 2009 08:35
New In Town stars Renee Zellweger as Lucy Hill, a single career woman looking to become a Vice President at her Miami based firm. Before that will occur she must fly to the small town of New Ulm in Minnesota in order to restructure and downsize the local plant. Like a fish out of water, she arrives unprepared for the cold winter and unbeknownst to her, the locals are already prepared for her to fail before she has set foot in the town.

Siobhan Fallon Hogan, last seen in Baby Mama as a birthing teacher, is amusing as tapioca pudding and scrapbooker queen Blanche Gunderson - possibly a distant relation to Marge Gunderson from Fargo, Minnesota?! As Lucy's secretary, she tries to do right by organising for her to meet the local Union Representative over a casual dinner of meat loaf prior to Lucy's first day at the office. The local representative, Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick Jnr), turns out to be a bearded, beer guzzling, pick-up truck driver who clashes with Lucy on all levels. Of course as all good romantic comedies go, we know that they will ultimately end up together and we just have to sit back and wait for it to occur.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy
   


Review - Incendiary

March 24th 2009 01:54
Director Sharon Maguire is best known for bringing Helen Fieldings' creation - Bridget Jones - to the big screen. The romantic comedy had a firm grip on its audience and the genre in which it was suited. Unfortunately her latest movie, Incendiary, starring Michelle Williams, does not. Part political thriller, part romance - the movie struggles to find its footing despite a strong and committed performance by Wiliams as the young mother.

Incendiary was based on a book written by Chris Cleave which was published shortly before the tragic bombings in London in 2005. Controversy abound, it was pulled from the shelves and PR halted, while the city was reeling from shock and trying to recover from the horror of the situation.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Review - The Square

March 20th 2009 10:28
If you're having a bad day then I suggest you watch Nash Edgerton's The Square. Written by his brother and actor Joel Edgerton and Matthew Dabner, The Square is a tale about everyday people pushed to extreme situations.

Set in the outer suburbs of Sydney, the film revolves around Ray (David Roberts). He manages a construction site for a honeymoon resort under the watchful eye of (Bill Hunter) and ironically is also stuck in a failed marriage with Martha (Lucy Bell).
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller
   


Review - Surveillance

March 17th 2009 02:58
Surveillance opens with a bang and is Jennifer Lynch's first film since her hiatus from Boxing Helena 15 years ago starring Sherilyn Fenn. It is night and disjointed images and sounds are thrust upon us including images of a masked person. The audience are then forced to bear witness to what can only be described as a number of horrific killings complete with shot gun fire and a cat and mouse car chase. Cut to the next morning, we are introduced to two FBI agents, Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman), who are investigating the serial kills occurring across the country. It is clear that they have more than just a professional relationship early on in the piece. Arriving at their small town destination, they are greeted with indignation by local police led by Captain Billings (Michael Ironside) who are annoyed the FBI is swooping in to pick up their investigation.

Their agents' charge is to investigate three survivors involved in an incident which resulted in a number of fatalities including the death of a fellow police officer, Jim Conrad, played by 3rd Rock's French Stewart. The survivors are interrogated separately under the suspicious watch of Sam from the main control room and each interrogation results in a flashback of their story, giving us a very clever and effective plot line development. Jack Bennett (Kent Harper) was Jim's partner and was injured on the scene. Bobbi Prescott (Pell James) was witness to the death of her boyfriend. Stephanie (with a strong performance by Ryan Simpkins) witnessed the death of her whole family.
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Review - Rachel Getting Married

March 16th 2009 10:42
Weddings are a very personal event and having attended quite a few in my time, it often makes me wonder why people invite so many guests - is it for the gifts? Intensely personal and private, weddings bring up all kinds of emotions and in my opinion, wedding speeches should only be for the ears of a select few. They are intensely private, not to mention dull, and they can be uncomfortable for those who have to listen to stories and inside jokes that they are otherwise not privvy too. And this is how Rachel Getting Married made me feel. I was the gatecrasher at a stranger's wedding and yes, without the wine to go with the toasts, a little bored at times.

The movie is entitled Rachel's Wedding although Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) is, much to her dismay, not the focus of the situation. Rachel's little sister Kym (Anne Hathaway) is a recovering drug addict. She is the prodigal daughter returning home for Rachel's wedding to Record Producer Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe). Although whilst she is in rehab, she is far from well. Her emotional role was nominated for an Oscar and her self loathness takes over her actions and thoughts in a pitiful and, sometimes painful to watch, cry for help.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Review - Thick As Thieves (The Code)

March 13th 2009 10:27
Directed by Mimi Leder (Pay it Forward), this heist film reunites Leder with actor Morgan Freeman who also worked with her on Deep Impact in 1998. Along with Freeman, the film features Antonio Banderas, Australia's Radha Mitchell and Robert Forster (from TV's Heroes). Despite the well known cast however, they all come across as peculiarly average.

The plot in itself is interesting enough but somehow the combination of the actors and the script fails to deliver. Keith Ripley, a veteran thief (Morgan Freeman) recruits Gabriel Martin (Antonio Banderas) a lesser known criminal, to help him steal a collection of Faberge eggs from an impenetrable vault. Keith must undertake this job in order to repay his debt to the Russian mob. Alexandra Korolenko (Radha Mitchell) is Keith's goddaughter and the love interest for Antonio Banderas. The criminals are being hunted by Lt Weber as he suspiciously (and rightly so) knows they are up to no good


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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Review - Flash of Genius

March 13th 2009 04:34
Greg Kinnear was involved in three films which were released in 2008 and in my opinion Flash of Genius was the best of the three. In Ghost Town and Baby Mama - Greg is a supporting actor and whilst his acting is good, the movies are themselves mediocre comedies. In this real life drama, he plays the lead role - Bob Kearns - an inventor attempting to take on the Ford Motor Company and other car companies for stealing his idea of - wait for it - the intermittent windshield wiper and he shines in the role. This is not the most exciting invention to lay claim to but then again Bob Kearns is not particularly an exciting character. He is an inventor. A creative genius where social skills and personality are not as important as his ideas and subsequently, his ideals.

Going up against the big guys is a tale we all love to hear particularly when it involves a successful outcome. But what of the actual sacrifice that comes with this challenging task? When Bob discovers that Ford has stolen his invention and ignoring all patent laws, he is blinkered on getting the recognition he craves and so rightly deserves, but to what detriment? He alienates his friends, destroys his marriage, pushes his children away and ultimately succumbs to a nervous breakdown.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Hilary Swank As Amelia Earhart

March 11th 2009 15:34
Set for an October release, Amelia stars Hilary Swank, Ewan McGregor, Richard Gere and Virginia Madsen. Directed by Moonsoon Wedding's Mira Noir and written by Ronald Bass (Entrapment, Snow Falling On Cedars), this movie will focus on the earlier stages of her career rather than her mysterious disappearance.

Hilary Swank plays the renowned pilot Amelia Earhart who, attempting to fly solo around the world, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937


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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Movie Chatter
   


Review - Changeling

March 11th 2009 12:41
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Changeling was one of the best films released in the cinema during 2008. Having been quiet on the directing front since his two 2006 releases of Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers, he has had much box office success with Changeling and his recent release Gran Torino, in which he also stars. Written by J Michael Straczynski, who is best known for TV's Jeremiah and Babylon 5, the script draws in the audience evoking strong reactions from the viewers.

Set in 1928, Changeling is shockingly based on a true story and stars Angelina Jolie. Nominated for both a BAFTA and an Oscar, Angelina relishes in the role of Christine Collins, a single mother whose son goes missing from their home. Reporting the absence to the police, they put out a country wide search for Christine's son Walter.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Review - Valkyrie

March 8th 2009 10:38
Bryan Singer in my opinion was very brave taking on Valkyrie as he did. Hitting his high in 1995 with The Usual Suspects and with the box office success of X-Men and X-Men 2 continuing his legacy, his career is well and truly guaranteed.

Billed with Tom Cruise as lead actor is problematic in itself. Maintaining controversy wherever he goes, his spotted career is not necessarily enough to guarantee bums on seats. The secondary cast however reads as a whos who of interesting character actors including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp and Eddie Izzard.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller
   


Review - Baby Mama

March 8th 2009 09:51
Baby Mama operates on a simple premise. Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) is single, successful and 37. Her body clock is desperately ticking and she wants a child now. Told by the doctors that she is unable to conceive naturally, she looks to surrogacy as an option to have a child. The surrogate mother Angie (Amy Poehler) is having issues of her own and complications arise in her own life making the path of surrogacy not run as smooth as it ought.

Anyone who has ever had children, been around children, been pregnant, tried to get pregnant or spent five minutes with anyone who is pregnant, knows that comical moments abound. Unfortunately for this comedy pitted around the situation of these two women, it is rarely funny and falls flat more often than not.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy
   


Review - Dark Matter

March 6th 2009 10:45
Dark Matter is based loosely on a tragic killing event in Iowa in 1991 and incorporates a mixed cast including that of Meryl Streep, Aiden Quinn and Ye Liu, interestingly enough, in his first English speaking role. The film won the Alfred P Sloan Feature Film Award in 2007 for best film dealing with science or technology but despite this will have limited release in most countries.

Ye Liu is Liu Xing, an undergraduate student of cosmology from Beijing University, who has the opportunity to study in the States under the direction of Jacob Reiser (Aiden Quinn), in the hope of earning his PhD. Ever so keen to impress, he works hard and tries to impress his mentor with original thoughts and concepts which doesn't sit particularly well with Reiser.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Review - The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

March 4th 2009 15:21
Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows - so says the poet John Betjeman.

The innocence of children remains - even during World War II in Germany. Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is an 8 year old boy enjoying his carefree life and his wealthy lifestyle in 1942. His father (Harry Potter's David Thewliss) just so happens to be an Army Commandant and due to his position and the recipient of a promotion, Bruno finds himself relocating to the countryside along with his parents and his sister Gretel (Amber Beattie). Unfortunately for him and his family, the countryside in question happens to be just outside the borders of Auschwitz


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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Review - The Lucky Ones

March 2nd 2009 10:04
First let me preface by saying that in my opinion this film is neither an anti-war film or a pro-war film but a road trip movie concerning three American soldiers who happen to have just returned home from Iraq. Directed and written by Neil Burger, this comedy/drama puts him in good stead following his earlier film The Illusionist which he also wrote and directed, starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel.

Tim Robbins plays Fred Cheaver, a soldier returning from his final tour of duty looking to return home and settle back into his comfortable life with his wife and son. Rachel McAdams is Colee Dunn, a woman who recently sustained a leg injury, looking to return a friend's guitar to his family because he saved her life. The third soldier is TK Poole, played by Michael Pena, who was wounded in the groin and is looking to visit Las Vegas in the hope that a high class hooker can help his cause before returning home to his fiance. Both Colee and TK are on leave for a period of 30 days and due to return to Iraq once their leave is up.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama
   


Review - In The Electric Mist

March 1st 2009 05:43
Fresh from the Berlin International Film Festival, In The Electric Mist looks set to bypass the cinema and go straight to dvd. This will no doubt be disappointing for the French director, Bertrand Tavernier and the eclectic cast which includes Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly McDonald and Mary Steenburgen.

Based on the Dave Robicheaux detective novels by James Lee Burke, this film is largely based on his novel entitled In The Electric Mist With The Confederate Dead. The premise is good - noirish overtones, dead bodies, local mobsters, a fearless detective, a confederate ghost, atmospheric bayou - but the end result fails to impress.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller
   


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