Film No. 14 (2015) Infinitely Polar Bear March 6th.

Film No. 14 (2015) March 6th.  11.00 AM LUNA Leederville. 

   

"Maggie, we haven't slept together since before my breakdown, I'm dying" (Cam has a light moment with his wife Maggie as he feels he's returning to normality)

 

Infinitely Polar Bear

 

There are resilient people who really do have tough lives for all sorts of different reasons. They make decisions to try and improve their lot and when the going gets tough they make the best of what they have, using their lemons to make lemonade, they have fun along the way. Infinitely Polar Bear gives us the chance to spend 90 minutes with such people,the manic-depressive Cameron (Mark Ruffalo) and his family.

 

Ruffalo often plays a sane compassionate character. This time he's annoying but lovable. We are willing him to recover from his bipolar condition so that his family will no longer have to suffer during his frequent episodes.  But at the same time we luxuriate in the fun a dad like him brings to a family when he is uninhibitedly innovative in showing his kids a good time.

 

The real stars of this independent film are Zoe Saldana (Maggie), his wife and his two daughters Amelia (Imogene Wolodarsky) and Faith (Ashley Aufderheide)because they love their husband /dad and want a normal life. They are honest and will sacrifice anything to keep the family strong. Maggie is smart, but needs to study away from home so that she has the means to get a good job and support the family. This means one thing, Cam must care for their girls. The girls are so smart and resilient one wonders who is running the house from day to day but this doesn't save them from a very bumpy ride.

 

Infinitely Polar Bear is a film with a heart. It's a film which brings to the surface a condition so many families have had to adjust to. It offers us the opportunity to experience the difficulties faced by a family where problems are dealt with and no one gives up. Maya Forbes wrote and directed Infinitely. It's written from the heart because her father was Cam Stuart.  9GUMS        

Film No. 13 (2015) Kingsman: The Secret Service March 2nd.

Film No. 13 (2015) March 2nd. 6:00 PM ORANA Cinema 3 Albany.

"Manners maketh man. Do you know what that means? Then let me teach you a lesson". (Harry Hart in a pub just before teaching a handful of hoods a lesson).

Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The action that unfolds in Kingsman is breathtaking. When the titles roll the list of stunt people is exhaustively long, but it is not surprising. This spoof on all things James Bond ranks with the best of any J.B. film ever made because it is action packed with just the right amount of tension, brilliantly scripted and continually laughs at itself. It is no mean feat to cover all of those bases successfully.

From the opening titles which tumble into position from the blasted stones of an ancient building under fire to the biggest single fight scene in a church ever staged, Kingsman locks us in purely to entertain. Colin Firth plays Harry Hart or Galahad, the supreme knight of Kingsman:The Secret Service and it is Hart who take most responsibility for finding a replacement agent for Lancelot (Jack Davenport) after his death in the most unique style.

In a small world scenario Hart takes responsibility for Eggsy (Taron Egerton)and nominates his young protege to fill the latest Secret Service position. And so the parallel story lines begin. Valentine (Samuel Jackson) begins his quest to rule the world with Harry Hart hot on his heels while Eggsy takes on a training regime pitting his wits against 5 other aspirants. And of course the twain shall meet. The story was created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons in 2012 as part of the Secret Service comic series.

Kingsman is clever. The writing is slick with comic deadpan delivery and a villain (Jackson) with a speech impediment so brilliantly sustained perhaps Valentine will attract cult status. Either way Kingsman works on all levels and needs to be seen in a cinema ASAP by anyone who wants to be entertained. Tally Ho you men in double breasted suits.   10GUMS    

Film No. 12 (2015) Lucky Them February 25th.

Film No. 12 (2015) February 25th. 6:30 PM PARADISO Northbridge.

"Look at it this way, at least you didn't give a dead animal to somebody on their wedding day". (Charlie, consoling Ellie after the disastrous unveiling of his gift to his bride on the day of their wedding). 

Lucky Them

Sometimes a movie is made and it's okay - but the story behind how it came into being may have made a better film. Such a film is Lucky Them. Co-Writer/Producer Emily Wachtel had allegedly been working on her semi autobiographical script from 2004 under the watchful eye of Paul Newman. Newman passed away in 2008 and his wife Joanne Woodward signed up as executive producer.

With funding secure, the film was a "lock". The lenghty time-span which incorporated writing, shooting and then editing gives Lucky Them more of a T.V. pilot feel than that of a feature film. Toni Collette plays Ellie King, a music journalist who displays flashes of genius but only when the motivation for the story is strong enough. Her assignment on this occasion is to track down an old flame who happens to be a rock legend who disappeared in mysterious circumstances.

Collette is the glue which holds Lucky Them together, with a typically likable performance, but it is the contribution of Thomas Hayden Church as Charlie which brings the film a unique laugh out loud quality. In the same way Woodward provided finance for Wachtel's project, Charlie bankrolls Ellie's quest to find her "white whale".

Eventually our oddly matched duo solve the mystery but there is a slightly surprising twist. After 100 minutes of meandering with Ellie and Charlie through bars, in Charlie's opulent abode and across country in an RV  the titles roll and a sweet but forgettable film ends. Remind me to look this film up again in 12 months, I won't remember it otherwise.  6GUMS

Film No. 11 (2015) '71 February 23rd.

Film No. 11 (2015) February 23rd.  8.00 PM SOMERVILLE U.W.A. Nedlands.

   

"Hey, listen, I don't want you worried about me, okay? I'll be fine, promise you." (Gary reassures his little brother all will be well on his first deployment).

 

'71

It's 2015 and stories from the 60's and 70's about the raging conflicts in Northern Ireland are rarely told. They are yesterday's narratives. Well,that has changed because this gem of a film reaches out from the screen and reminds us of a time when the rage was so profound in the hearts of the Ulster Unionists, the nationalists (mainly Catholics) and the Royal Ulster Constabulary that when the British army stepped into their world, not even the soldiers knew exactly who they were protecting or more importantly who the enemy was.

Meet Private Gary Hook, a British subject who has been institutionalized with his much younger brother for a good part of their lives. His love for his brother is profound if only shown on screen in short segments. Hook is a simple man who probably joined up as a natural progression after being ruled by authority most of his life. His platoon is called to Belfast to keep the peace. Within 10 minutes of the film's opening we are on the streets dodging human waste being hurled by women and children.

It is during this routine mission that Gary is separated from his regiment and set upon by locals. He survives but has to run to save his skin, this leaves him on the streets and behind the lines. Jack O'Connell is excellent as the quietly petrified Hook as he tries to fathom who to trust and who ultimately he can rely on if he is to return to base. It is here we get a sense of the complicated politics of a time when corruption on all sides as opposed to passion was in-play. All the while Hook is a pawn.

A key to Hook's survival comes from the most unlikely folk. His meeting with a boy (Aaron Lynch) on the streets during a riot gives us the first taste of the humanity shown by a disheveled but street-wise urchin. Hook is constantly having his future decided by others while he is second guessing all that is whizzing around him. '71 pulls no punches and reminds us that innocence comes in many forms but is soon lost in both complicated and extraordinary circumstances. There is a hug exchanged in the final stanza that says it all.   10GUMS. 

  

  

Film No. 10 (2015) A Most Violent Year February 14th.

Film No. 10 (2015) February 10th.  10.25 AM LUNA Leederville. 

   

"My husband's an honorable man, we are not who you think we are."

 

A Most Violent Year

This film is not as violent as the colourful title would suggest. 
However, it is because of violence that the tense ending plays out the way it does, which goes a long way to explaining why the 30 days we have spent with Abel (Oscar Isaac) and Anna Morales(Jessica Chastain)  during 1981, a most violent year historically for New York, are so enthralling.

Abel is a highly moral man who conducts his fuel transport business in a highly competitive environment. He wants to expand and has plans to do so, this is when we meet him. He is buying property from an orthodox jewish family who set down their terms after receiving the agreed 40% deposit. In thirty days Morales needs to produce the balance and there will be no return of deposit if he fails to do so. The setbacks which confront Morales and his family as the pressure builds in those days are plentiful. Isaac is brilliant in the lead role as he  depicts a man under immense stress but with a dedication to doing what he knows is right.

The reality is, Abel may be too moral to legitimately survive in such an environment. We hope that the legitimacy with which he conducts his business wins through but the slow unveiling of  Anna's personality and background undermines this and gives Year the dimension it deserves. Anna and Abel's love for one another is unique and re-enforced  not just by the trust they share domestically but also by the bond they share in business. The slow burn atmosphere leading to some surprising twists makes for a thoughtful cinema experience.

Twelve months ago I reveiwed my favorite film of 2014, Inside Llewyn Davis. Isaac gave the character of Davis legitimacy because he could sing as well as act. A Most Violent Year marks his foray into being a leading man. The talented Chastain takes her brilliance in Zero Dark Thirty another step and to many, steals the show in Year. Either way they make great chemistry here, a chemistry which could well see other films being written to accommodate starring roles for both.  10GUMS.    

Film No. 9 (2015) Still Alice February 15th.

Film No. 9 (2015) February 10th. 3:20 PM THE WINDSOR Nedlands.

Quote: "I'd rather have cancer"

Still Alice


I'd be tempted to bet my house on the fact Julianne Moore will win the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Female Role in a couple of weeks. Her performance in Still Alice is worth the price of a ticket. The film has holes and spends much time tugging at ones heart strings, with Alice's family  the means by which we are moved with great regularity. But Moore is excellent and a good cry at the movies can be a cleansing thing.

Still Alice is a work of fiction even though the experience of Dr Alice Howland (Moore) plays as a biographical tale familiar to Alzheimer sufferers and their loved ones the world over. The touching film is a reminder that life deals us random cards, and some people can be dealt the cruelest of hands. The material is strong but it is Moore's performance that deserves the accolades.

There is a scene early in the film where the camera, in head shot, stays on Alice as she answers questions put to her by her physician. Alice is concerned about some recent mental lapses and responds anxiously to specific questions about her patterns of behaviour. The shot captures an actor in charge of her craft and we become riveted to her interpretation of trying to appear relaxed while anxious.

Because Moore towers so tall over the performances of her co stars, one wonders whether the writing is at fault or the likes of Alec Baldwin (Tom Howland) and Kate Bosworth (Anna Howland) couldn't match Moore's standards - it's likely to be something of both. The best scenes however are those shared between Alice and daughter Lydia (Kristen Stewart). There is a wonderful trust which develops between them as Alice gradually diminishes, leading to a very touching final scene. I say it again; Moore deserves and will win an Oscar in 2015. 9GUMS.   





    



  

Film No. 8 (2015) Rosewater February 7th.

Film No. 8 (2015) February 7th.  11.00 AM LUNA Leederville. 

   

"Yeh, but if they are not worried, why are you?"

 

Rosewater

Rosewater is yet another feature film based on a true and unnerving event. The events depicted in this well made film by first time film maker Jon Stewart are uncomfortably absorbing.  This is the same Jon Stewart who hosts the satirical Daily Show on US television and the same Jon Stewart who conducted a "light" segment on his show with the subject of this film Maziar Bahari in the guest seat.

The story goes that Iranian born, Canadian journalist Bahari (Gael Garcia) travelled to Iran for their 2009 elections. While there Bahari shot footage on his handheld camera of the street protests. This footage captured amongst other things,the death of a protestor and it gained world wide attention, showing the people of Iran protesting their anger at a lack of proper democratic procedure in their country.

We learn that Bahari's family has a past with the regime. His father and sister were dissidents and paid a high price for this. We assume this is the reason Bahari holds a Canadian passport. Perhaps that is part of the reason he is unjustly arrested and interrogated. Or maybe it was his appearance on Stewart's TV slot. None of this is explained because it is the interrogation during his 118 day imprisonment which holds our focus for 85% of the film's duration.

This is not a film to recommend easily. The subject matter is important because of the outrageousness of the injustice we experience but it's because we are doing the time with him, literally looking over his shoulder, that this cinema visit is grueling as opposed to entertaining. Based on the memoir by Bahari, Then They Came For Me, this film is made by a journalist about a journalist in the hope that more journalists might be safe. 8GUMS.