June 2009 - Cinema Voyage

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Patricia Highsmith's novel, Cry Of The Owl has spawned a German telemovie, a French movie and now a US film starring Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine.

Paddy Considine is Robert Forrester, a troubled man who escapes the city and his ex-wife in lieu of a more quiet lifestyle in a smaller town. He suffers from depression, is slightly withdrawn from friends and family and finds solace by looking in the window of others. The window in this case happens to be owned by Jenny Thierolf (Julia Stiles) although Robert has never met her before. He finds happiness and peace by looking at her but it is not a perverse pleasure he seeks.

One evening as he is spying on her, she ventures outside and catches him in the act. She is surprised to see him there but is more interested in the reasons behind why he has sought her out and they strike up an odd friendship. The tables turn however when Robert decides that the relationship will not work particularly in view of the violent behaviour directed towards him by Jenny's ex-boyfriend Greg Wyncoop (James Gilbert). As Robert shies away from Jenny, Jenny becomes more convinced that the pair of them are meant to be.

Greg attacks Robert one evening and his body vanishes. Robert is blamed for Greg's disappearance although the motives behind Jenny's actions are not entirely clear and we begin to suspect her as well. As the police continue to investigate Robert and his medical history, his life begins to spiral downwards and he loses a possible promotion at work and his landlord wants him out of the house. His friends also start to move away from him and he finds himself alone trying to understand the mess that has become his life.

The acting from all leads involved is good particularly Paddy Considine. Reports show that Sarah Polley was originally cast as Jenny and Scott Speedman was also attached but in my opinion. this is still a film to catch.

Voyage Review: 3.5/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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My Sister's Keeper

June 29th 2009 11:11

My Sister's Keeper, based on the popular novel by Jodi Picoult, will no doubt be a success at the box office despite the opinion of the reviewers. Starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric, the movie touches on a sensitive subject about a young girl who sues her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used particularly in light of a planned kidney transplant to save her older sister's life. The sisters are played by Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva.

Director Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook), when asked about the alternative ending that featured in the movie replied "I think the book is awesome and I think the movie is awesome and I think that because they’re different, it actually adds to the value of both. I didn’t change the book’s ending. We changed the movie’s ending and the reason why we did it is I think it’s a superior ending for the movie". Movie-goers who are sticklers for the storyline to remain the same may not be as keen and many reviews are calling the movie manipulative and contrived.

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Movie Chatter

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Review - Knowing

June 23rd 2009 15:00

Living in a foreign country abroad, we miss the trailers for all up and coming flicks. So it was with hesitation when I decided to sit down and watch Nicolas Cage's latest release - Knowing - as I had no idea what it was about. Very ironic but true!

Nicolas Cage is John Koestler, a widower, an astrophysicist and MIT professor whose son, Caleb (Chandler Canterbury), attends the local elementary school. John is not a believer in god or any form of christianity despite the fact that his estranged father is a pastor and that his son has a name overflowing with Christian undertones. (Caleb, biblically speaking, was an important figure in the Hebrew Bible, noted for his faith in God and was only one of two adult Israelites allowed to enter Canaan as a reward for their faith.) Early on in the piece we learn that the only philosophy he comes to rely on is the fact that "s**t happens".

Caleb's school is celebrating their 50 year anniversary and at the ceremony they open a time capsule which was buried 50 years prior by the students attending the school. The capsule itself contains drawings of students predicting the future, although Caleb's drawing is a bunch of numbers which he feels might be more significant than they originally appear. Unbeknown to the school, he takes home his own piece of history at which point John discovers it, scolds Caleb and tells him to return it to the school the next day. However, the paper gets the better of him and as he examines it further he notes a date - September 11, 2001. Upon closer inspection he soon comes to realise that the numbers are in themselves predictions of future tragedies. These are prophecies penned by a young girl Lucinda Embry (Lara Robinson) 50 years prior notifying dates of death and destruction - many of which have already occurred except for three dates which are soon to pass.

Unable to gain help or acknowledgement from his MIT colleague Phil Beckman (Ben Mendelsohn), he attempts to track down Lucinda - only to find that she passed away many years ago. Her surviving daughter Diane (Rose Byrne) he decides may be the key so he schemes to meet up with her to find out more about the mysterious Lucinda and her predictions. Both Mendelsohn's and Byrne's characters appear only briefly and neither are given any great dialogue or scenes that would add much significance to the movie.

I found the child actors to be refreshing and both Chandler Canterbury (Powder Blue, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Lara Robinson - who also played the dual role as Lucinda's granddaughter - are ones to take note of in the future.

Directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot and The Crow), this sci-fi movie had all the right elements although the ending fell a little flat for my liking. Like Powder Blue in which a version of heaven was depicted and all appeared wearing white, this one showed a similar scene which seemed to shout - we have run out of interesting ideas!

Cage's inner dialogue that runs alongside his acting is always a little too intense and over the top for my taste and yes in this movie, it does rear it's ugly head. But for most part, he manages to contain himself quite well and I found myself enjoying this movie - which is more than I can say for many of the other so called blockbusters he seems to churn out year after year.

Voyage Review: 3/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Sci-Fi

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Review - What Goes Up

June 23rd 2009 04:06

What Goes Up is a strange little movie set in the 80s starring Brit comedian Steve Coogan and Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon. The two comedians struggle to actually find which way is up in this drama and it was a shame to see their comedic talents go to waste.

Coogan is Campbell Babbit, a New York reporter who seems to have lost the edge in reporting. His editor, in a bid to exercise him from the office, sends him to New Hampshire to write an article featuring Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher due to be lauched in space during the Challenger mission (of course you can see where this is heading). Unfamiliar with the area, he contacts an old friend from college, Sam Calalluci, who coincidentally works at the same school as Christa. Coincidentally again, at the time of his call, his friend Sam is seen falling from the rooftop of a nearby window. Accidental death or suicide - we are not quite sure - but Campbell is keen to get to the bottom of it ignoring the very story he was sent to New Hampshire to follow

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review - Happy-Go-Lucky

June 19th 2009 08:44

Mike Leigh has been nominated six times for an Oscar for a number of his movies in either the writing or directing stakes but is yet to take an award home. His latest movie Happy-Go-Lucky was nominated for a writing award at last year's Oscars although the lead actress Sally Hawkins (Cassandra's Dream, Vera Drake) failed to receive a nod even though she won a Golden Globe for her role as the ever-sunny Poppy Cross.

When we meet Poppy she is 30, single and very cheeky. She is a primary school teacher who clearly enjoys her job and loves to live life to the full. Her personality is very over the top and she is always cracking jokes - evidently not always suitable - visions of Ricky Gervais' David Brent sprang to mind at varying intervals. She lives with her longtime flatmate and friend, fellow primary school teacher Zoe (Alexis Zegerman

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy

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Collette's Cheri Hits The Big Screen

June 16th 2009 02:40

Cheri marks the return of Michelle Pfeiffer to the big screen since 2007's release of Stardust and Hairspray - this time in a period piece adapted from French novelist Colette's novel of the same name.

No stranger to costume dramas, in Cheri, Michelle plays a retired courtesan by the name of Lea de Lonval who breaks the cardinal rule - allowing herself to fall in love with a young man nicknamed Cheri (Rupert Friend

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Movie Chatter

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Time Traveler's Wife

June 12th 2009 07:53

I enjoyed reading Time Traveler's wife by Audrey Niffenegger and was immediately pleased to hear that it would be made into a movie starring Eric Bana (Star Trek, The Other Boleyn Girl) and Rachel McAdams (State Of Play, Married Life).

Directed by Robert Schwentke (Flightplan - 2005) and adapted by Bruce Joel Rubin (Deep Impact, Ghost) it will be interesting to see how this movie plays out. Essentially a romantic drama with a sci-fi twist, Henry DeTamble (Bana) has a gene which causes involuntary time travel

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Movie Chatter

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Review - State Of Play

June 10th 2009 11:02

State of Play is a cleverly scripted thriller directed by The Last King of Scotland's Kevin Macdonald which was based on an award winning BBC thriller of the same name. Starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe, casting wise it may be hard to believe that Affleck and Crowe were college buddies due to not only their character's personality differences but also their 8 year age gap! Despite this, Crowe suits the role of Cal McAffrey and the grunginess and attitude that his role is accompanied by.

As Cal is covering a drug related shooting, news breaks that a female colleague of his old college buddy Congressman Stephen Collins has met a cruel fate at a train station and reporters capture Stephen reacting emotionally at a press conference. Speculation soon gives way to the fact that Stephen and his head researcher Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) were having an affair and before long, the media is surrounding the Collins' residence in order to get the official scoop

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - Powder Blue

June 7th 2009 11:50

Over a short period of time, I seem to have watched a number of multistrand dramas - three of which have starred Forest Whitaker (also The Air I Breathe and Winged Creatures). Powder Blue did not hold the tension as well as the other two movies although Forest's role was still very interesting to watch. He is Charlie, a devout catholic wanting to commit suicide after the death of his wife on their wedding day. However of course suicide is a mortal sin to a catholic so he wanders around the streets of Los Angeles on Christmas Eve willing to pay $50,000 to anyone who will take his life for him.

Starring alongside Forest is Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, Lisa Kudrow, Patrick Swayze, Eddie Redmayne and Kris Kristofferson. Jessica will be getting quite a bit of attention for her role as stripper Rose Johnny who is trying to earn a buck to pay medical bills for her son who is in hospital. Her dog goes missing which causes her additional problems although on the upside, a man by the name of Jack Donehy (Ray Liotta) suddenly appears in her life offering her the trip of a lifetime to Paris with no strings attached

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review - Push

June 5th 2009 03:37

Movers, Pushers, Watchers, Bleeders, Sniffs, Shifters, Wipers, Shadows and Stitchers. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Just to give you the lowdown and to avoid any possible confusion of which there may be much: Movers can manipulate objects; Pushers put thoughts, feelings and memories into the heads of others; Watchers can foresee the future; Bleeders emit high frequency sonic vibrations that can rupture blood vessels; Sniffs are like bloodhounds using their nose to locate people or objects; Shifters can temporarily shift patterns of light on any object to create illusions; Wipers erase your memory either on a permanent or temporary basis; Shadows can block visions of others; and Stitchers can heal or unheal by reconstructing cells on touch

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Sci-Fi

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Review - Gran Torino

June 3rd 2009 11:31

Gran Torino may have been the return of Clint Eastwood to acting since Million Dollar Baby (2004), but he has been far from Idle. Choosing instead to remain behind the camera as director he has managed to create some very interesting and complex films including the release of 2008's Changeling.

Clint Eastwood is Walt Kowalski, Korean war veteran, widower to his dear departed wife and father to his two somewhat estranged sons. He is a loner - bitter, cantankerous, racist and stubborn to a fault. Preferring to sit on his front porch with his labrador Daisy rather than attempt any form of social contact with his family and Asian neighbours, his one true love other than his wife, is that of his treasured Gran Torino

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review - What Just Happened

June 2nd 2009 07:09

What Just Happened is a light hearted romp for those who have an interest in film, movie creation and the whole wacky world of Hollywood. If you do not have a vague interest in the creative or not so creative process of film making, then this film as a whole may not appeal to you.

Ben (Robert De Niro) is a Hollywood producer involved in projects which star such actors as Sean Penn and Bruce Willis (both played mockingly by themselves). Ben and his second ex-wife Kelly (Robin Wright-Penn) are in therapy to try to live happily apart although Ben would sooner jump at a chance for a reunion between the two despite her being involved in a relationship with someone else

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy

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Review - Crossing Over

June 2nd 2009 01:13

Overly contrived like the freeway shots featured throughout, Crossing Over still makes for interesting viewing. Set in LA, the movie focusses on a various assortment of characters seeking to immigrate to America.

Harrison Ford is Max Brogan, a sympathetic Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer concerned with the treatment of immigrants regardless of their status. His partner is Iranian born Hamid Baraheri, whose family are due to become American citizens. His family are embarrassed by the non-traditional behaviour of his wayward sister Zahra (Melody Khazae). She is American born and bred and reserves her right to act accordingly even if it involves affairs with married men and skimpy outfits

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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