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.

Should I dread DREDD?

When I saw the preview of the upcoming "Dredd" I thought it lacked any discernible plot - but it stars two of my favourites: Lena Heady (Sarah Connor Chronicles & Game of Thrones) & Karl Urban (LOTR, JJA's Star Trek, Bourne Supremacy & RED).
However, I just read an article about it, and unlike its silly predecessor, it's not trying to appeal to a wider audience. It is brutally violent (rated R), but I think I actually want to see it now. I'm interested in the detail, especially with the 'Slo-Mo' effects. 
It's also a British Indie film, not the Hollywood remake I suspected... and as it's referencing the comics it suddenly has more cred for me. So I think I'll add it to my must-see list. If for nothing else but to see how Urban shows expression with only his mouth, and to enjoy Lena being the perfect bad-ass mudda!

Must-see: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This movie has caught my attention. Starring Emma Watson, it looks to be a witty and incisive look at the plight of the teen who does not fit into the popular mainstream and simply blends into the background... Due for release on November 29th. My 12yr old and I will be there :)

Looper

In 2044 time travel has not yet been invented. However, organised crime doesn't respect chronological boundaries.

Looper takes us to a grimy world full of damaged people who will do whatever it takes to hang onto what little they have. We are shown the desperate underbelly of society where new technology is only available to the few who have the power to profit. It seems a doomed scenario, as all the future delivers is its trash to be disposed of. Yet there is no such thing as certainty.

This is a powerful and cleverly told story which tests your mind without twisting it into knots. It is also a very beautiful film, with delicate visual cues which balance the confronting brutality we witness. However, what appears to be gratuitous violence serves to explain important concepts, because when you are playing with the fabric of time it helps to understand what the consequences might be. Like all good science fiction, Looper establishes the rules and adheres to them.

And there are many loops. From the recycled fashions to the gerry-rigged fuel systems of old cars, endless cycles subtly underscore the theme. The cast is perfect, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis are brilliant playing opposite ends of one violent life. However, child actor Pierce Gagnon steals the show with a preternatural performance. The special effects are superb, with one exception - but I am happy to forgive them one scene, as it is so well considered overall.

For the cerebral sci-fi fan, Looper is a real treat. It is thought provoking and visceral, and it heads towards the conceptual brilliance of Gattaca and Blade Runner but is just shy of their overall perfection. However, fans of the Xmen movies will be very happy, as will the devotees of Terminator and Sarah Connor Chronicles.

And while Looper delves into the complexities of time travel and its paradoxical consequences, the overarching theme is a timeless one. At its heart, Looper is really about the power of maternal love to heal and the fundamental damage that is done when it is missing or withdrawn; the result of which will always affect the future.

In the words of Sarah Connor, "There is no fate but that we make for ourselves".

Looper is now amongst my favourite movies. I give it 4.5 stars.

Hugo - El

A superb and sincere story of courage, friendship & dreams told in sepia, steel grey and steam. One of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen and a must see for devotees of Film. A clockwork masterpiece!

5 stars.

NB: I will expand on this review after re-watching it on Bluray soon.

Hugo - DVD Review - Tash

I was looking forward to this movie and now that I have seen it, I'm not sure how I feel about it. The storyline was quite simple for 126 min (for future reference Mr Scorsese - the younger members of your target audience do not have a 2 hour concentration span).

The scenery was incredible, I loved the opening frames, the use of CGI to create the train station was breathtaking and more often than not, I was distracted from the story line (lucky it moved extremely slowly so even my addled brain had an opportunity to catch-up).  The simple use of young Hugo living within the walls of the train station and looking out at the world, disconnected, as it moves through it's paces and Hugo, poor Hugo, stuck within time as it moves all around him.  And that's pretty much where my love affair with this movie begins and ends.

The story was at times disjointed and somewhat....convenient.  The common thread of the automan, the connecting link between Hugo's past (Jude Law) and future father, George Melies (Ben Kingsley - the original creator of the automan) was sporadic.  I could not correlate the shift in focus from the train station to the despondent George Melies, a pioneer movie maker, who had lost everything through his own folly (I don't buy that Melies career was destroyed by the war, but rather the fact he could not adapt to the changing desires of his audience).

It was a struggle for me to follow this change, my desire was to return to the train station - this is where the real story was for me.   In my opinion there was enough depth in the story of a boy caught behind (within) time to satisfy the necessities of a good film. Both stories separately would have been enjoyable, together, I felt as though Scorsese had a bright idea half way through filming and randomly decided to connect the two.  The two (supposedly) interconnected stories do not have the rhythm of similar juxtaposed story telling films in the realm of Pulp Fiction or The Godfather. 

Too often my mind wandered and I found Asa Butterfield (Hugo) frighteningly similar in looks to Elijah Wood (Frodo, do you need a cousin??).

I do wonder thought, whether my satisfaction with the film would have changed if I had seen it in 3D?

Regrettably, a 1/5 star review from me. 

The Sapphires

From life to novel, to stage and now to the big screen, The Sapphires a story of four remarkable Aboriginal women who made it big.

Defying the blatant racism of Australia in the sixties, their racial stereotypes (and their mother), they doggedly pursued their dream to perform. They compete in a talent quest at a local pub, much to the disgust of the white patrons. And while they inevitably lose the competition, they win an admirer in Chris O'Dowd's Dave Lovelace. He becomes their manager and with his help they find their 'Soul', their groove, their estranged cousin and their destiny by singing to the soldiers in Vietnam.

This is a wonderful film that has broad appeal. It is funny, emotional, thought provoking and inspiring. Based on a true story it opens with the rich colours of the NSW outback and immediately warms your heart with humour and authentic love/hate relationship of sisters jostling for their own place in their family and their world. The cast is spearheaded by the magnificent Deborah Mailman who is superb throughout. Supported by newcomers Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell as her sister and cousin - they croon together like molten sugar. But the true songbird is Jessica Mauboy whose vocals are the highlight of the show. O'Dowd's loveable and self deprecating humour creates balance with the girls' sharp tongued spunk. The chemistry and dialogue work a treat. The production values are high, and the soundtrack had me jiving in my seat (needless to say I have bought the soundtrack!).

The only major fault is that the journey is a bit bumpy in places, making me think it would have been better as a mini-series, but the story arc plays well overall. The horrors of the Vietnam conflict are kept to a minimum, but just enough was shown to underscore the senselessness of that war. However, injustice of Australia's Stolen Generation and the powerful theme of black rights comes across loud and clear.

The Sapphires is a tale of strength & weakness, of love & loyalty and of talent & ambition…and family. Told against the backdrop of the Australian bush and the Vietnamese jungle, it is a story everyone should know. Which makes me wonder why it has taken this latest incarnation for me to learn about these remarkable Australian women, who are leaders still today.

4 Stars.