FF:QLD At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings

Lars and the Real Girl

Never wanted to see this, got talked into it, it was fantastic. Some skin curdling cringe bits, but couldn't help but adore Lars.

Do yourself a favour. See it.

 

Slumdog Millionaire:

It was a little more intense than my sooky eyes and heart could cope with on occasion. The graphic images of poverty in india, and the mistreatment of children, two of the main themes, were hard to watch on occasion.

A very good film though, and I fell in love with the smaller characters and their journey. Also fun to see such a western show like Who wants to be a Millionaire translate into another language and culture.

A love story at it's heart, although the rest is so overwhlemingly good, it's almost okay if you aren't right into that part of it.

Maybe it's been a little overhyped, because at it's core it's still a little film about life in india and the hardships and reality of growing up alone and poor there. There's even a brief glimpse of Bollywood type dancing during the credits for thos inclined although it made me go..HUH???

Best film seen this year.... which guess doesn't mean much yet. Only seen Bolt otherwise!

8.5/10



Bolt:

Didn't love it, but it was good kid fun. Animation was purdy although wished I'd seen it in 3d at Chermside. Kid enjoyed it.
7/10

 

Slumdog's on my to-see list, though perhaps not at the cinema. These days my cinema-going seems mainly for spectacles, while quieter films I like more on DVD or some such equivalent technology. It's left me with a bit of a list of things I feel I need to catch up on from last year.

Speaking of Bolt, though, I really enjoyed it. John Lasseter's influence can definitely be felt, and you can tell it was a pretty run-of-the-mill story with a decent concept that was given a dash of the Pixar magic and brought to life. There was a lot to like about it, but the thing that got me the most was the characterisation of all the animals. Each character behaved like the creature they were (with the possible exception of Rhino the hamster...), set off through clever voicework and beatuifully expressive animation. Bolt moves and acts like a dog, and the whole centre of his world is that blind devotion to his "person". Mittens is a cat through and through, and it's clear she thinks like one; sly, selfish and aloof, but with the capacity to be very endearing. And the pidgeons... Oh lord, the pidgeons.

It's no Wall-E. It's no Rattatouille. But if this is what a Pixar-run Disney is likely to be turning out, then it's a sign of great things to come. Pixar themselves seem to be focussing very clearly on high-concept arty films like Wall-E and Up, while letting Disney's own animators take the more typical family stuff. Right now, it seems a completely solid plan to me.


EDIT: Oh, and by the way, if you've got the option to see it in 3D, definitely do so. Unlike Beowulf, there's nothing gimmicky about the added dimension. There's no spears pointing at the camera, no death-defying leaps down chasms, it's used purely to add... well, depth. It makes the characters stand out from the background, gives a dynamic sense of motion, and just generally looks really damn good. I was very impressed with the artistic way it was implemented. Hopefully another sign of things to come.

 

You've got a 3D cinema in Brisbane already?

How is it I live in the apparent land of technology and I'm hard-pressed to find a cinema with DTS... let alone anything as cool as 3D!

Gob: "I've made a huge mistake..."

 

A handful of Birch Carrol and Coyale cinemas like the one at Chermside have digital projectors that can do 3D, as does the Cineplex theater at Victoria point. If only they would upgrade Southbank. 3D or not, a digital projector would be awesome in cinema 5 (what used to be the Imax screen).

 

Valkyrie

In 1943, with the tide of the War turning, Allied Forces marching across Europe and knowledge of the Nazi Regime's policies towards Jews and others leaking into the military, a group of German Officers and Politicans devised a plan to assassinate Hitler, take over the seat of Government in Berlin and capture the majority of the Nazi Leadership in an attempt to end the madness and close the War on terms that would benefit Germany.

The crux of the plan was "Operation: Valkyrie", a contingency plan authorised by Hitler to maintain the seat of power if ever a coup or other incident threatened the stability of the Government. This was the last attempt by the group dubbed "The German Resistance" to assassinate Hitler; nearly all members were executed following it's failure.

This film got a lot of attention early on for the dream cast of distinguished actors playing the roles of the conspirators, but also that Tom Cruise was playing the main protaganist, Colonel Stauffenberg. Early reviews from American critics were excellent, so the film was pushed forward to capitalise on the buzz.

I'd argue the film isn't as brilliant a those early reviews suggest, but it is very good, telling a story not often heard from the Second World War. Stauffenberg is an interesting character; not just a career soldier, he was actually a member of the German Catholic Nobility (abolished when Hitler rose to power) giving him an ingrained respect and dedication to Germany rather than the Nazi Regime, making him an appropriate champion and guardian of "Sacred Germany". Understanding that makes Cruise's affectations on the character make more sense.

Worthy of your time.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Gran Torino

See this movie.

9.5/10

 

Curse of the Golden Flower

YEs this came out FOREVER ago, and somehow in my head I thought I'd seen it, but I'd seen Crouching Tiger, and House of Flying daggers and got them all mixed up. Caught this on FOxtel last week.

I liked this better than both the previously mentioned film. Visually I could watch it over and over, it's breathtaking.

The storyline is small really, as these films often are, about a family, or lovers in a complicated situation. This one just happens to be about the Imperial Family which makes it more complicated and intense.

The main fight scenes outdo Two Towers for sheer brutality and beauty. And thinking it was a whole lot of CG I watched a making of, to discover over a thousand extras choreographed into the mix. And amazingly choreographed at that.

If you haven't seen it, you really should. ON a big screen, with good sound.

9/10

 

OT, but I like these stories that show the "other side of the story", there's several Jack Higgins books that explore this vein.

 

Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood's languid lamentation against the PC brigade has a lot going for it. Essentially about a man that finds that ember of hope, in the most unlikely of places. Set in a suburban dystopia inhabited by gangs & generational prejudices, Gran Torino is a story of a soul near the end of his light, disenchanted by a world that's moved on. Despite this world in decay, he is reminded of the reasons why, it can all be worth it. It's a slow burner for sure, but one that will in the end, drive away with your heart...

And here I thought it was going to be a mindless sequel to the inane Starsky & Hutch!(Heh)

7.5/10

 

The Reader

Based on the Bernhard Schlink novel of the same name, Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes and David Kross give performances that truly do justice to the source. I had been eagerly looking forward to it since I heard it was in production, having read the book in a uni modern literature class and being impressed by it - a rare occasion for any medium to high brow literature of any era. We're not bombarded with images of war-torn Germany, rather scenes from bedrooms and courtrooms and lecture theatres. The closest we come to seeing the Holocaust in person is Michael's trek to a concentration camp to see the ghosts of the past during the trial at the centre of the story. Despite the moral wrongness of the relationship between Michael and Hanna, I couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards her (and this was from reading The Reader - Kate Winslet's performance had little impact there).

Guilt and shame - which is worse? That's what central to the story. See it. You should enjoy The Reader. I'm heading off to read it again, something I haven't done in years, which is different for me.

 

Dean Spanley
Sam Neil plays a priest who, when served a particular, hard-to-find drink, regresses back to memories of his past life as a dog.

We saw this as a free charity screening, and walked in knowing nothing about the film except that it was a UK / New Zealand production starring Sam Neil and Peter O'Toole. This was the best possible way of seeing it, because even the basic premise came as a major plot twist.

For the first half hour or so, the movie is a sharply-written, well-performed period drama. The sort of story where not much needs to happen so long as you have witty, poetic dialogue to enjoy. The central plot takes its time to emerge, and when it does, it comes completely out of left-field. It's a short and simple story, but it's told so well and with performances so strong that it's hard not to like.

Think of it as a sharply-written feelgood period drama with a hint of Milo & Otis. Give it a chance. It really works.

 

The Unborn

The Unborn is a lacklustre Hollywood offering that moulds itself on recent Korean & Japanese horrors such as "The Ring","The Grudge", etc. Unfortunately for the poor schlubs enticed into a session by the slick trailer(ie.ME!), this film reeks of a cynical money-making exercise cobbled together from 'An Idiots Guide' book. Utterly devoid of imagination & any semblance of suspense, it borrows liberally from columns A-Z of every major horror title in recent years. To say The Unborn fails to deliver would be a gross understatement, despite the delicious pun. Instead, I'll close by saying that this is one horror flick, that could have used a trip to the abortion clinic.

2/10.
(The 2 is solely for the fact that Megan Fox clone Odette Yustman, walks around in her tightey-whities for half the movie)

 

Repo! The Genetic Opera

This is a Gothic Rock Opera set in a not too distant future after an epidemic of organ failures has wiped out most of the population. One of our protaganists is a man who repossesses genetically engineered organs on behalf of the company who makes them when the recipients can't make their payments. The comic relief are a homicidal maniac and a rapist who cuts the faces off his victims and wears them as a mask to cover his own disgigured features.

That horrible background aside, this is actually a very good movie and musical. The music's great, the lyrics not so much, but a strong cast of performers give it their all, including Sarah Brightman and Anthony Stewart Head. The stand out for me was a guy named Terrance Zdunich who plays the Grave Robber, the Narrator of the film and co-writer/composer. He's got a Hell of a voice, and everyone loves an amoral rogue

What the creators of this were trying to do was create New Opera, and revolutionise rock opera while they were at it. I'd argue they didn't reach those lofty heights. What we've got here is The Rocky Horror Picture Show for a new generation; people are going to be dressing up as the characters from this film and putting on shows for years to come. And imagining to install something new like that into the public consciousness is laudable.

Track down a copy if you can. Duchess procurred one (which is what we watched, thanks again) and I'll be picking this up via import.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Watchmen

Yeah, you all knew this was coming?

The movie?s great, but I still need to think about it some more and admittedly see it again. But these are my initial thoughts.

Zack Snyder did it, he filmed the unfilmable comic. I kinda want someone to send something petty to Alan Moore as a kind of, ?up yours, wizard!?, but he?d probably disagree with the sentiment.

Is it a great adaptation of the comic? Absolutely. Does it stand alone from it? I?ve got no idea as yet. I need to find someone who hasn?t read it to see what they think. I know I could see things missing; scenes that were certainly shot and cut out so they could be reinserted in whatever named grande edition is ever released for this thing on DVD.

There?s a lot of short hand in this film which isn?t necessarily a bad thing; some things work in comics that won?t work in films, so the changes aren?t bad (how Rorschach gets his costume back, for instance), but again, would a non-reader notice these things?

I was surprised at how much of the dialogue was changed; I expected a lot more of the script to follow the comic. It wasn?t a bad thing either, though. There?s a line which comic book NiteOwl II would *never* have said, yet in the film it works, and was what anchored me to this version of the story.

The first act feels very episodic; I half expected an ?End of Act I? title card to come up when Rorschach finished his joke. The flow isn?t bad, but the momentum seems to really kick in from that point onwards.

All the actors are great, even Malin Ackerman, which most reviewers are calling the weak link, did a great job with the character and dialogue she was given.
Patrick Wilson really brought NiteOwl II to life, his performance invigorated a character I?ve never really felt worked on the page. Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan played it with just the right amount of detachment. Speaking of, the big surprise was Matthew Goode as Ozymandias. He was the one actor I had no idea about, and he nailed it. He played the character with a kind of rock star ennui, annoyed that he had to interact with lesser people. Comparisons have been made to Bowie; they?re spot on.

The main accolades go to Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian and Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach. Morgan manages to make the Comedian both loathsome and likeable all at once, and doesn?t pull any punches. Haley I thought after the second trailer was going to be the weak link; I was wrong. He was compelling both with and without the mask, and his final scene is heart-wrenching. He absolutely perfect for the character and one final point on here is that I liked the Rorschach/NiteOwl II interplay in the film. You really felt that these guys were friends and comrade-in-arms, something that kinda felt tacked on in the comic.

What?s surprising is how brutal the violence in this film is. I felt Snyder was going for a Cronenberg here; de-romanticising violence. He does that, and then takes it one step too far. Did I need to see bones poking out, people losing limbs (admittedly, that scene never worked in the comic, but still?) and viscera sprayed onto the ceiling? Here?s the inevitable comparison, and I apologise and assure you that I did try to avoid it, but The Dark Knight was brutal without being gory, I would have hoped the same restraint would have been shown here, as many times it was unnecessary.

The one time it did work was in the opening scene before the credits. The violence here is meant to be a deconstructing of the victim as the villain breaks down his defences and ultimately punishes him for past slights. It?s brutal, petty, yet it works.

I have one nitpick; during the confrontation with the villain (who is meant to be the best fighter there is) the choreography doesn?t work. I can see what they were trying to do, and it failed, especially in light of previous fight scenes. However, if you?re complaining about the fight scenes in a Watchmen movie, you?ve kinda missed the point

Finally, the soundtrack was great. Complimented the film perfectly.

That?s all I

 

The Watchmen

The Watchmen isn't a perfect film... and therein lies the perfection in it's crafting. It's probably a little long, in so much as the way most people see movie time... Then again, it serves as time well spent as that's the price you pay for layers of such pain-staking quality. The main protagonists are played by relative unknowns... So the success or failure of this work should be free of the taint, that any 'superstar' might bring to the table.

Despite having plenty of shiny, bone-cracking, bowel-splaying fodder for the brainless. I'm uncertain in the end, if the masses of average cinema-goers would give this one a chance. As it may prove too uncompromising a piece, to satiate the frivolous consumption of the vox populi. Though one screening can hardly reveal such things, & perhaps I ultimately was distracted. Repeatedly distracted, by Dr Manhattan's 'unrestrained glory', or more specifically, the infantile termites giggling & carrying-on behind me.. highlighting every-time the Doc got into the 'swing' of his scenes. Yes it's a COCK! Get over it you tools!

But where was I? Oh yes, the success of this movie... I guess only time will tell. Perhaps it's ironic though, if this film doesn't catch on, that it is bound together from the perspective of it's most uncomprimising character, Rorschach. For The Watchmen is a tale of an imperfect, parallel world of fantasy. But a world that manages to mirror & amplify all the pressing issues facing ours... And through the gritty, blood-soaked mushroom cloud, it asks the relevant question.. Does the end, justify the means?

9.9/10
(I told you it wasn't perfect!)

 

Good to know we weren't the only session full of giggling morons who didn't understand what they were seeing and clearly felt scared and threatened by the sight of a penis.

Also, it sounds like you saw it cold, without having read the book, Casual. Care to comment on how well you were able to follow it?

I'll post some thoughts of my own later today, but suffice to say they mirror Magnus's. I liked it, a like which increaces the more I think about it, but I need to see it at least one more time to decide whether it works as anything other than a visual accompaniment to a story I already know.

Regardless of the answer to that, it's an amazing thing to behold. If you're not scared of being challenged by a film, see it. You might not like it, but I don't think you'll regret going.

 

Possibly my turn, although have juut woken and will not be any where as near as eloquent as you guys.

I'd only read about a quater of the novel, so most of this movie was new and fresh for me. I didn't know how it was to end, or what happened to who, so I guess I was possibly one of those who went in half fresh to what was to come. Not as fresh as the guys in front of us who walked in blind and giggled most of the way through, but certainly not coming from the same angle as the majority of my friends.

I'll start with a general statement of "I didn't really like it".

I've been trying to work out why in oder to justify myself to you guys. But maybe it's as simple as I'm not really a comic girl and it was too violent for me.

IN reality I wasn't as visually stunned as I was hoping it to be, or as overwhelmed by huge themes as I expected a novel given this much attention should make me. I understood it fine, it wasn't hard to follow, but I could see where most of it was going other than Oz's betrayal for the greater good.

I did hope that I would walk out considering the human condition, or questioning one persons place in the world, or things like that, but I walked out accepting of where the story had went, understanding why and not really minding what happened to the characters after that. Maybe the gore and having to close my eyes for whole scenes detached me at points, and that's possibly a fair call.

I thought any of the romantic scenes with Dan and Lori were just badly done. Hadn't read those bits of the novel, so no idea what they wee like in the book, but in terms of just the movie, they came both too quickly and obviously for me and just seemed to stop the story, and it turned it into a comedy more than I thought it needed.

I liked Nightowls character but at one point I actually just had to go, yeah it's a comic movie and he's basically Clark Kent. But I didn't have the same acceptance of the comic book things as I did in Dark Knight, maybe because I was just hoping for more from this one.

I liked half the sound track, but was distracted to the point of trying to remember lyrics during some parts. I'd rather not remember a soundtrack but know it was there and creating atmosphere. Felt it clashed with teh story on occasion.

So yeah, being overly critical, and have some reasons for that, but mostly I don't ahve vast reasons for my not loving this film. I don't think it was obviously aimed at my market, but I thought I'd get a bit more out of it.

Cetainly still a better movie than many I see, and interesting enough to watch again. Possible had too many expectations and might have enjoyed it more had I read the novel all the way through, and had been more of a comic person, or more tolerant of gore and violence.

 

It's okay K, you're definitely allowed to not like it.

I really enjoyed it, but when I'm talking to other people (eg. my brother)I just don't feel like saying, "OMG IT WAS SO AWESOME GO SEE IT" because I'm not actually sure it was actually a good movie. It doesn't actually feel like something I can recommend to regular people unless I know that they specifically will enjoy it.

My recommendation to my brother was something like, "Go see it and tell me what it's like, because I don't actually know if it was good or not." He's not my most trusted reviewer, but my more trusted reviewers have all actually read the comic and are probably just as unsure as myself.

One thing I noted was that like Moriarty, I really didn't care for all the bits with Nixon - but unlike him I did think that the film made a little more sense to the uninitiated with those pieces.

I don't really know where to begin with my thoughts on the movie to be honest - It didn't really feel like it had a smoothly flowing, coherent narrative. Like said, the beginning of it felt sort of 'episodic' - kind of broken up. I liked all the stuff in there, but the flow was jerky at best. The second act as it were flowed better as it was getting down to the current affairs and the overarching plot.

I loved that the kitty (Bubastis) was there, because it was nice just to see her animated and more real - but she didn't really have any reason to be there as they changed the ending disaster.

I guess I'll try recap better after a second viewing.

 

It is true that I'd not heard of The Watchmen until HappyBob mentioned this film a few months back... but I managed to follow it plenty fine. That said though, I do have an advantage when it comes to these things, over my retarded giggling comrades.. it's called an attention span. For what it's worth, I thought the film stood up well on it's own, & I do hope it garners the box office success it deserves.

Unfortunately, I have had several acquaintances tell me how they've absolutely hated this film. For no other reason than that it is not served up in bite-sized, spoon-fed pieces. There is nothing clean-cut, or wholesome about this movie. Nothing so pretty as a hero beyond reproach.. Nothing so simple as a battle between good & evil. Instead it's layer upon layer of varying shades of grey.. and that's why I think it's the most relevant comic book movie there's been.

Because that's how people are.

 

Bravo sir! You are truly a Prince amongst Knaves

I'm glad that is was followable by a non-reader of the original work. Now if you ever want to check that out, let me know and I'll toss the comic your way.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

No need to fear reprisal, Kahlan. No matter what your opinion on Watchmen, we're clinging to every word. The concept of this as a standalone movie is just that maddeningly difficult for us to grasp.

I'm not sure we'll ever get a Casual Moviegoer Consensus on this, frankly. The movie is far too strange and polarising for that. But the fact that it warrants this much discussion and debate at all is probably the single biggest clue that this is a "good" movie... just not necessarily an enjoyable one for all viewers.

 

Love The Beast.
[image=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/02/eirc-bana-love-the-beast.jpg]
"... They've got V8 Racing, 24-hours, a DAY..."


Eric Bana's love letter to his V8 XB-Coupe, is a must for those who've been touched by that wondrous beauty that is internal combustion. And for the hardy souls who've actually had their hearts ported & polished, & their veins fuel-injected with 98-Octane.. Love The Beast is then the documentary equivalent of nirvana. Certainly put a giant smile on this petrol-head.

Toyota Prius owners need not apply.

9/10
(Would've been a 10 if it was a Holden!)

 

Fast & Furious.
[image=http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2823/222/32055110845_large.jpg]

If you just look at this film purely in terms of what the title advertises, then Fast & Furious certainly delivers on both fronts. It succeeds in it's primary function as an unflinching action vehicle for Vin Diesel's tough guy persona. However, what it does better, is to take it's place as the first worthy sequel to the popular original movie. It's like they chose to forget that the lacklustre middle-films in the franchise were ever released, & carried on the story arc after the memorable final race in FF1. If anything, Fast & Furious, sans the THEs.. is even more action packed that the Nitro-Burning original.

8/10.

 

X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
[image=http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~karina_r11/wolverine14.JPG]

In so many ways, X-Men Origins:Wolverine does tick the relevant boxes in order to deliver Marvel it's next Blockbuster. And, as is the case with such things, it'll probably make squillions. Everybody that knows me will attest for my utter man-crush(non-gay) on Hughie-Baby. But at the end of the day, the truth boils down to the fact that two-thirds into the movie.. I personally, was bored.

Though it certainly was not for a lack of explosions, & war scenes, & confrontations, & Hugh flexin' stuff & generally looking manly. What was missing however, was that 'POP'. The elemental, enigmatic, & ethereal condiment that seasons the total of a film's parts, transforming it into a cogent whole that makes you exclaim.. Yhup, that rocks me frikkin' socks off!

So there I was, watching as the film built to it's crescendo, pre-empting the hollow feeling one inevitably gets when the sum of expectation overshoots realisation.. When it happened. That missing link the film was craving finally arrived, the 'X' factor if you will. And it would come in a number... 11. Wolfie's final battle with Weapon-XI was the WOW factor that made this film worth it. It was dynamic, tele-fantastic, brutal, & most importantly.. COOL as all hell.

8/10.