Skyfall (Bond 23) - El

Skyfall is both a departure from recent themes and a return to the grandeur which line my memories of the Sean Connery Bond era.

Like many others, I was initially resistant to Daniel Craig's gritty and raw Bond. However, in Skyfall I believe he truly embodies the grace and brutality which is 007 of the 21st Century.

And like most Bond movies, Skyfall opens on a bloody scene of recent violence. However, for the first time we see reticence in James' face as he tends to his fallen comrade instead of racing off to apprehend the bad guy. Inevitably, he does give chase and a marvellous pursuit ensues, with some spectacular action and truly memorable moments! (I will never look at an excavator or VW Beetle in the same way again!).

The 23rd Bond movie opens up scars and shows us heart and hurt which cut beyond the physical. All of the critical characters are wounded, hunted or haunted in some way - and this makes compelling viewing as the story unfolds. Yes, the plot is thin and convoluted, but all Bond plots are. However, the emotional depth and witty dialogue keeps the audience engaged, even in the quieter times.

Skyfall weaves several themes together, but the most obvious and enjoyable theme is that of old verses the new. We see the venerable M, acerbic and tenacious as ever and meet the new Q and the brave new world he seeks to control at a digital distance. And then we meet Silva. His brilliance, his madness! What a nemesis! Javier Bardem is superb as Bond's foil: genius sociopath who is bored with his power and seeks a more personal reward. I really enjoyed the not so subtle homage to Hannibal Lecter as well. Both the Bond girls are gorgeous. Naomie Harris' Eve is sexy and spunky with the energy of youth and ambition. However, Sévérine is simply beyond beautiful. I submit that she is the most stunning Bond girl yet… Bérénice Marlohe's performance is wonderful, simultaneously imbuing her character with a haughty confidence and fragility. Unfortunately we do not see enough of the tragic siren Sévérine. 

The writing is sharp and really funny, the direction is magnificent and the CG is seamless. The quiet scene when Bond and M reach Scotland left me breathless at the beauty of the landscape and carefully constructed palette. It is a beautiful film. 

Yes, it is violent as per a standard Bond movie, however it has far less gratuitous violence than its predecessors. This is a movie which can be enjoyed by a younger audience, as long as they are accustomed to 'action violence'. Even the sex scenes…aren't. They are only suggestive, and not explored on screen. A little disappointing, however compensated for by the number of times we see Daniel Craig's fine torso. And his return to form heralds the arrival of new characters who will carry us into the next 50 years.

While the action is classic big-scale Bond, there is an obvious lack of gadgetry and complex systems for 007 to rely on. This underscores the battle between traditional spy-craft and the detached digital age. As a result there is a realism which this century needs. The ageing characters are tired, their knees hurt, they don't get up again so easily. I enjoyed the grit. It feels authentic on both a physical and emotional level. Which is why, for me, Skyfall is the Best Bond Ever.

4.5 stars.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - El

This is a witty, incisive and dark coming-of-age story about the gifted but painfully awkward high-school freshman Charlie. My heart ached in his desperate loneliness and celebrated as he found friendship and unexpected joy for the first time in many years. Excellent, measured performances by all - especially the three leads. Emotionally tortured scenes are kept moving by clever direction and sharp dialogue, which in clumsier hands may have been melodramatic. 'The Perks of being a Wallflower' is set in the 80s, and features 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' and the compilation cassette tapes (remember them?), which become emotional conduits between disparate characters. Books and music are given as gifts of love and understanding, which is a lovely artsy touch. But if you overlook the eclectic 80s songs, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' could be set in anywhere in the last four decades. It is a timeless story.

My only real criticism is that the trailer showed a much lighter, funnier movie than the feature really was. There was no hint of the early childhood trauma or the battle with mental illness that rages within Charlie's damaged mind. The preview showed nothing of the terrible darkness within. If it had I certainly would not have taken my 12 yr old daughter to see it in the cinema. She was too young to really appreciate the scope of the abuse, but too aware for it to go over her head. 

This is a compelling journey of self discovery, friendship, loyalty and both platonic & romantic love. However it also explores the fragility of youth and how physical, emotional and sexual abuse will damage a child's identity and affect their future. Definitely a movie for mature viewers.

However, in a sea of cheesy teen-movies it was wonderful to watch a well told story about teenagers without gratuitous sex, sentimentality or glorified stupid behaviour. I am keen to read the acclaimed novel on which it was based.

4/5 stars.

Breaking Dawn - Part II

Breaking Dawn Part II

So peoples - it has been a while since I have a) had the headspace to be able to formulate any kind of opinion and b) actually had the time to go and see a movie...so thank you Bill Condon and Stephanie Myer for getting me logged on and engaged again.

For those of you who know me, you will be very aware of my tragic taste in movies and books, of which the Twilight Saga is a part.  I am a traditionalist at heart and one of the things I have loved to date about the Twilight Saga has been the tendency to keep fairly close to the written word.  I mean, I don't even HAVE a teenager yet and I would not take the chance of world-wide rebellion of Tweenies by bastardising the Twilight Story....Let's not even think about the ramification of a Twihard Mums rebellion.....*shudder*.....

Did I love it?  Why, thank you for asking...as a matter of fact...yes I did.  I loved it so much , I dragged my dearest Manila family to see it on Thursday night (Bec - you were there in spirit) and then my poor devoted (snoring) husband (partner in crime) to see it on Friday night (Pip - if you read this - we are still on for our date next week!).

As always, let's get over my grievances quickly so we can get back to happy land. 

1) Melissa - you skipped over Bella's first days as a vampire.  Not cool, dude.  Not cool.  The detail of her amazing defensive ability needed more than a couple of scenes. 
2) Bill - I needed more on the visualisation of Bella's Shield - where was my rubber band???
3) Bella should have kicked a lot more of Jacob's arse than that.  I mean seriously - if someone imprinted on my new born child they would not be walking for...well...pretty much for the rest of their short and meaningless existence. (Future boyfriends of Monique, please take this as YOUR spoiler alert).
4) Kristen Stewart - you punch and kick like a girl.  Body double required.
5) Melissa - back to you - where is my detail around the other Vampire talents.  Bill - CGI - LOOK IT UP.
6. CGI babies freak me out

So why did I love?  Well, I am always a sucker for the ugly ducking turning into the beautiful swan(pardon the pun).I understand should Kristen Stewart ever be classified as an ugly ducking we are all screwed.  Forever.  I have been fairly brutal about Kristen in the past - and I must say in this movie she was less insipid than usual and almost enjoyable to watch.  Yah!  Back to happy land.  The movie in 1 hour and 55 minutes pretty much condensed what it needed to condense to provide a somewhat continuous finale.  The brilliance of the entire movie, however, hinges on the last 30-45 minutes....everything til then is set up and kind of feels that way.


SPOILER ALERT



The fight scene on the field of ice.  Superb.  This was pretty much the only part of the movie my husband watched.  The seamless inclusion of the vision sequence into the story line had me second guessing whether it had actually even happened in the book.  So much so, I had to go and check when I got home.  The fight scene was well crafted, bloodless (thank god after the Renesmee's birth scene...) and well choreographed.  It pretty much sang.  

The characters were strong, Aro's madness was a high point for me, Jasper's woodenness a low point, Emmett was visually awesome and always one of my favourites.  Garrett was a pleasant surprise and I liked the grittiness of Alistair.  But the surprise of the film was young Mackenzie Foy as Renesmee - I loved her seer-like gaze and her serenity. 

If I was not already sold at this point, the last scene would have maxed out my credit card.  In fact, I could may have watched the crappiest film of all time and if it had ended with this scene, I would have loved the whole damn movie (I'm kind of hoping this didn't happen).  The field scene has always been one of my favourites.  But the scene where Bella let's Edward see her mind for the first time just got me.  It was soft and romantic and exposing and honest and giving (it also gave me a really good summary of all my favourite scenes!).

I know it's not War & Peace and it's certainly not Gone With The Wind - but it works for me.

4/5 stars. 

Breaking Dawn Pt 2 - by El

Let me first declare to those who don't already know this: I am not a fan.

I went to see Breaking Dawn pt 2 on both friends' request and out of curiosity.

I wanted to see how it ended and if indeed Bella finally grew some grit. I personally prefer my heroines to take matters into their own hands. Happily however, Bella did become a warrior - with the help of Edward's fangs - and impressed me with her new speed, strength and protective shield gift. 

I enjoyed the gathering of new faces, finally seeing Jacob genuinely happy, the show-down twist and the surprise guest from the Amazon….mmmmm ;) 

I think Twilight fans will find the conclusion to the saga very satisfying and will sail on the highs for some time to come, with many 5-movie marathons in the future!

Here endeth the praise. Twilight die-hards may wish to look away now…(spoiler alerts too). 

Now for the vivisection.

Bella gets some hutzpah - hooray! She is no longer a hapless passenger who puts everyone who loves her in danger with her mere existence. However Bella's new identity as a fierce hunter and protector with handy shield are not as powerful or convincing as they should have been. Whether it is the fault of the writing or direction (I haven't read the novels, so I can't be sure) or K-Stew's complete lack of emotional range I don't know - but frankly, The Incredibles did 'maternal love and protective shield' so much better!

As far as screenplay, not a lot actually happens in the 1hr 55minutes. Which in itself doesn't have to be a problem - but that's where good writers and directors will use character development, dialogue and social nuance to add depth and richness to the story. Breaking Dawn Part 2 is littered with potentially interesting characters! 'Family' members from all over the globe are gathered, who have wonderful and unique gifts and powers. But so little is done with them. What a waste! I understand that vampires are inherently cool, stiff and still, but come on - there are so many scenes with dozens of unblinking, beautiful people all standing or sitting around like statues, with little more than redundant dialogue coming out of their perfectly shaped lips. Even the creepy pair from northern Europe couldn't raise the dramatic level. I found them comical.

Maybe the books are better at exploring character, but it sure didn't make it to the screen.

For a fantasy romance genre movie, the Twilight series sadly lack real emotion. The core of the story is the 'undying' love between Bella and Edward. Yet what is portrayed is a sulky obsession which is more the stuff of teenage infatuation. Ok, I'm not a romantic, but if I had to look at one more scene of the Cullen Clan all hugging and kissing in pairs I would have puked.

The theme of this film appears to be 'Restraint' . From Bella's gift of self control to the regularly tested truces between enemies both within the bloodsucker population (Volturi) and with their natural foes the pumped up pooches (Quileutes). Unfortunately, restraint appears to have been taken right through to the acting and direction as well. I understand that most of the characters' hearts don't beat, but that doesn't excuse dead performances all 'round. The only palpable emotion I saw was between Jacob and Renesmee - and they didn't even speak to each other! Speaking of the baby - I should probably cut Bella some slack about her lack of maternal love as I don't think anyone could love that freaky CGI infant! Eeek! Talk about a trip down Uncanny Valley (industry term for computer generated 'real people' who are close but NQR and give everyone the creeps). Surely they could have found an infant who approximated the divine MacKenzie Foy closely enough for the viewer to believe. 

The director had his priorities mixed up - don't trust the audience to believe that a host of child actors can play one the character without CGI trickery, but assume we'll accept feeble dialogue and poor cinematography! Sorry, Bill Condon. You've failed.

For me Breaking Dawn Pt 2 is the conclusion of a teenage girl's fantasy about relationships, marriage and parenthood. A place where she can break her father's heart, hand her newborn baby over to adoring extended family while she shags her hunky husband in a gorgeous and fully furnished cottage in the woods, and after stringing along her broken hearted no. 2 for years, have him happily become her baby's guardian. Sheesh!

Thank god they brought in that gorgeous beefcake from the Amazon at the end. It was my reward for having sat through it all! 2/5 stars from me.