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Cinema Voyage - Michael Pearson

This blog is PRIMARILY about movies. Some dvd and some that are still in the theater. Also, links are provided on some movies if you decide you want to purchase it. Also, I write and read quite a bit. So, you may, from time to time see a book review here from an up-and-coming author or an interview with one. If you have a book that you have written, please don't hesitate to contact me if you want an unbiased opinion. I would be happy to read and review what you've written. We should value our creative people more.

Thriller - Cinema Voyage

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Review - The International

May 1st 2009 04:08

I penned my interest to see this film back in January and I must admit I came away feeling a bit empty after the experience.

Starring Clive Owen as Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Naomi Watts as US Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, both are working hand in hand to investigate the goings on behind international banking. Taking international law into their own hands at times, they uncover arms trading plots, murder and involvement in terrorism - not the usual goings on behind your local Commonwealth Bank admittedly!

With an almost 2 hour running time, the movie starts in the middle of an ongoing investigation. Louis, ex Scotland Yard, had similar involvement with bank investigations in his previous working career and we hear snippets regarding his background along the way. His character is presented as a loner and it does not allow us to learn anything more about him other than what we are presented with on screen.

Eleanor is married with children, although we only see this part of her life briefly and are meant to somehow conjure up a three dimensional character from it all. There is oddly no real relationship between that of Louis and Eleanor - despite an odd face touching scene where he announces that she must burn her bridges with him in order for them to succeed. Her character has no real purpose in the movie and it would play out the same regardless of her involvement. She appears and disappears leaving Louis to bring down the shady bankers by himself.

Directed by Tom Tykwer, it is a long way removed from the arthouse fare he is usually connected with. I am a fan of his body of work which include Heaven, Run Lola Run and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and this film certainly did not reach the directorial heights shown in these movies.

Good thrillers are rare to find and whilst this would not appear on my top list of thrillers recently viewed, it was cemented in enough realism to believe that these types of goings on could occur. For fans of action movies, the film does provide the audience with a creative shootout in the Guggenheim Museum but this scene stands somewhat apart from the rest of the movie. Admittedly the final scenes failed to live up to my expectations but I did enjoy the scenic shots from some stunning locations - Turkey, Germany, Italy and France to name a few.

Banking, it seems is not all about dollars and cents. If you are looking to enter the world of finance here is a tip - if you control the debt - you control everything!

Voyage Review: 3/5

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Review - Killshot

April 6th 2009 11:21

Killshot seemed to fly under the radar with minimal release in the US and elsewhere. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Mrs Brown), Killshot stars comeback king Mickey Rourke and was filmed prior to his award nominated role in The Wrestler. Well deserving of the king title, Mickey it seems, now has 9 films either just announced, in filming, in pre-production or post-production.

Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, Killshot stars Diane Lane (Nights in Rodanthe), Thomas Jane (The Punisher), Rosario Dawson (Death Proof) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From The Sun). Numerous reports surround this film but they all confirm that production was seriously delayed and the overall film was heavily edited including the removal of an entire supporting role by Johnny Knoxville.

Armand 'The Blackbird' Degas, hitman for the Toronto Mafia, is a paranoid killer who refuses to leave potential witnesses behind. His failure to do so hinges on the flimsy premise which this movie is based. A chance encounter with Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the Blackbird gets caught up in a poorly executed extortion scheme on a real estate tycoon. Richie is too gung-ho for Armand's calm and collected style, although he chooses to help him out because he reminds him of his dead younger brother.

Carmen (Diane Lane) and Wayne Colson (Thomas Jane), a couple currently on the verge of divorce, unfortunately witness Armand and Richie attempting to carry out their plan and find themselves on the run from the two criminals. They are well matched as a couple but certain events or lack of, led to the demise of their marriage.

Flitting between the two couples, the film is a little scattered, but the quality of the leads manage to stop this from being a complete disaster.

Voyage Review: 3/5

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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).

Ray is having an affair with local hairdresser Carla (Claire Van der Boom) although she herself is in a relationship with Greg "Smithy" Smith. The path of lust, infidility and betrayal never runs smooth particularly when a large sum of cash is involved. Smithy is a criminal and lucky (or unlucky) for Carla she discovers his stash of cash. She convinces Ray that it is a good idea for them to steal the cash so that they can run away together and escape their dreary lives. To cover up the crime, they enlist the services of arsonist Billy (Joel Edgerton), to hide the evidence.

This solid thriller focuses more on plot than character development which ultimately failed to emotionally connect me with the characters and their circumstances. Ray manages to come across as the most sympathetic character and his subtle performance is underlined with a quiet desperation.

Line up the dominoes and give them a push. Once they are set in motion there is nothing that can be done to stop them. One bad decision follows another bad decision until the final domino falls.

This is a competent and enjoyable thriller whether or not you take into account to acknowledge it as an Australian film. It may not be as slick as Lantana or Noise, which are bound to draw comparisons, but it holds it own with some great performances.

The title "The Square" refers to the plot of land at Ray's construction site and is an apt title to connect the four characters involved in this morality tale. And it certainly made me appreciate the simplicity of my life.

Voyage Review: 3/5

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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 - 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

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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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Review - Transsiberian

February 5th 2009 07:42

Transsiberian initially appealed to me because I had once considered catching the infamous train from Beijing through to Moscow. A nightmarish 30 hour train journey in China put me off wanting to catch trains for quite a long time - but that is another story altogether.

Transsiberian stars a mismatched Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer as an American couple, Roy and Jessie, who are looking to travel to Moscow from China after participating in mission work in Beijing. Roy, a self confessed train spotter is keen to take the train and manages to convince his amateur photographer wife that the journey would be good thing for them to do as a couple. Jessie, a reformed party girl and alcoholic married kind hearted Roy despite their differences. At one point she says "Kill off all my demons, Roy, and my angels might die, too." highlighting the strain that is apparent in their marriage.
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