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IMDb member since May 2004
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    IMDb Member
    19 years

Reviews

Liberal Arts
(2012)

A film about maturity and growing up and the beauty of words and music.
A very watchable independent rom-com that delves deeper than the usual Hollywood studio version. A film about maturity and growing up and the beauty of words and music.

I particularly liked the intelligence and wit of the script, the use of Classical music and what it can do to you and the highlighting of the difference in location from bustling grey New York to the beautiful quiet greenery of Ohio.

I did find that the main character, written, directed and portrayed by Josh Radnor was too perfect. He was intelligent, sensitive, funny, moralistic and empathetic all rolled up in this cute little package. However, if he had not written it for himself it may not have annoyed me as much. I also found Olsen as the wise beyond her years 19 year old to be rather annoying at certain points, but take out those slightly annoying characteristics, some predictable elements and a pretty awful sub-plot involving Zac Efron and the screenplays words and meaning are too enjoyable to let those things spoil it for you.

Oh and Allison Janney and Richard Jenkins steal every scene they are in.

"nobody thinks they're adult, it's the worlds darkest secret" or words to that affect...

Skyfall
(2012)

The opening sequence is worth the price of admission alone.
The opening sequence before the traditional Bond credits and title song is worth the price of admission alone. This a high quality made action film. It's beautifully shot in some amazing locations, not often seen on film and features some excellent performances from Craig, Bardem (he does creepy so well, it's well creepy...), Dench and one of the Bond girls in newcomer to English language films and stunner in general, Bérénice Marlohe.

I thought it dragged a bit in the middle where there was too much Bond flirting with the ladies and not enough action or suspense and the other Bond girl played by Naomie Harris irritated me. Although I found moments in the film rather amusing, in particular some gold from Judi Dench, the script was a little too cheesy, even for a Bond film, but it was a very enjoyable and fun film and the action sequences were excellent.

Dredd
(2012)

A good action film. See it in 3D if you can.
This is the first 3D film I have seen where I actually couldn't imagine it any other way. The imagery and the film itself were so enhanced by being in 3D. A film not for the faint hearted, as it is bloody and very violent.

A simple tale, that doesn't delve into any real back story or character development, but the three leads do really well with the material. Karl Urban is almost robotic, yet completely believable as the title character, Olivia Thirlby is fantastic as the rookie psychic and Lena Headey is incredibly deranged and menacing and unfortunately not attractive (so not the norm!) as the big bad.

The set design and special effects are great and there was a very clever ploy by the script writer to include a street drug that's affect is to make one feel as if they are in slow motion, which allowed the director to go for broke with the use of super slow mo to fantastic effect, especially in 3D.

The film was also surprisingly dead pan and funny.

A good action film. See it in 3D if you can.

Looper
(2012)

A frustratingly good ride
A frustratingly good ride, it could've been an exceptionally good film. So much of this sci-fi, time travel film is excellent. The performances, the styling, the concept are all really very good. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is really showing his diversity of late and does an excellent Brice Willis impersonation.

Emily Blunt is as always, a fantastic screen presence and the film really lifts to new heights once her character enters the story. The fact that it takes so long to get to that part of the story is one of it's main faults. The film's set up is intriguing and stylish and interesting, it just drops the pace and interest a little too much in the 2nd third and throughout the film there is a completely unnecessary sub-plot involving an inept baddie that just highlights what a fantastic film it could've been, had his character and story been reduced or removed all together.

Still a great ride and good film though, it just could've been a classic.

Your Sister's Sister
(2011)

A journey I very much enjoyed, with excellent performances
A dialogue heavy film, which I am often very fond of and this is no exception. Basically a three- hander with a trio of sublime and believable performances from Mark Duplass, the always excellent Emily Blunt and the seriously under rated and forever sister (United States of Tara, Rachel's Getting Married) Rosemarie DeWitt. They simply inhabit these characters.

A film told with great honesty and natural flair, with a lot of the dialogue being apparently improvised, I was entertained and intrigued from beginning to end. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions at the spoken wit and the extreme awkwardness of some of the scenes. These are all flawed people, but they are all relatable and likable.

It does fall into a little bit of predictability and cliché as it moves on through the story and I surprisingly had no issue with one aspect that angers many a gay woman, as to me it made sense for the character.

It was a journey I very much enjoyed and it felt quite different from your average rom-com.

The Sapphires
(2012)

Absolute cheese fest
For the life of me I can't understand why this film is getting such rave reviews. It is one of the cheesiest films I have ever seen. From some incredibly awkward scenes with a tacky script and attempts at lame humour to the absolutely awful shot of the Southern Cross as Sapphires in the sky, it was just a giant cheese fest.

I'll give it half a star for some of the music, half a star for Chris O'Dowd (although, can he be anything else?) and a star for Jessica Mauboy. That girl has a seriously good singing voice and her acting was certainly a step above some of the other more stiff and unnatural performances.

If you like your films very very light and sort of directionless and predictable, and you are a fan of soul music, give it a shot. The rest of the world can't all be wrong, but it certainly wasn't my cup of tea.

Dead Europe
(2012)

Stumbles into an incoherent confusing mess
One of two Australian made films I saw at the Sydney Film Festival, both of which were set in Europe.

Ewan Leslie was very good in the lead role as was Marton Csokas in a minor role late in the film, but the same can not be said for the actress who played the main characters mother. She seemed very poorly cast (age wise) and did not give a very consistent performance, as scenes with her felt very uneven.

The film was shot well and in places not often seen in predominately English language films and the first half really set up the mystery and thriller like aspect, but it was let down badly by a very poor last third as it fell into an incoherent confusing mess, but maybe that was intentional as the character fell into that cycle himself.

It was just very meh.

Marley
(2012)

Interesting music doco
I work with a GenYer who once asked me who I was listening to on my iPod, when I said "Bob Marley" and she said "Who?" my brain exploded. Marley is a legend. This film proves that, so perhaps I should make her watch it.

Using archival footage, plenty of his infectious music and interviews with family and friends, we learn about Marley and the incredible life he led that was unfortunately cut so short.

His music transcends time and borders and I was fascinated to learn of his impact on peace processes in his native Jamaica and parts of Africa. Just like his music, he was about peace and love.

Unfortunately the screening I was at was missing some subs in a couple of German and French language scenes, which was annoying. Some of the Rastafarian could have used some subs as well!

I enjoyed the ride and learning more about someone I knew little about, other than that I play his music on repeat on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Recommended if you are fan of music doco's, Marley himself or you just like to learn about people of influence.

Polisse
(2011)

Riveting and face paced
Polisse was my favourite film at the recent Sydney Film Festival. A french film from writer, director, star Maiween, it tells the story of the Child Protection Unit in Paris. It was absolutely riveting from start to finish.

An ensemble piece that moves at a cracking pace, it could be forgiven for not establishing character, but it actually manages to do that and do it very well. We are introduced to this group of close knit colleagues as they go about their day trying to balance the horrors they have to deal with (rapists, kidnappers, abusers, paedophiles) with their personal lives.

Maiween spent quite some time with a real CPU and told us in the Q&A that all the cases she featured are just like ones she witnessed and with that experience she brought an almost documentary feel at the same time as adding creative drama and plot to moments of the story as they rush through case after case. The performances are all excellent and the editing is sublime (it won a French Oscar for this).

It's shocking, emotional, intense and surprisingly very funny.

Highly recommended if you like hard-hitting films that deal with serious subjects in a very human and darkly humorous way.

The Loneliest Planet
(2011)

so many people walked out....
Never in my history of going to the cinema have I witnessed more people leave a screening while the film continues to meander along. And meander it did.

Basically a three hander with very little dialogue, some of which was in different languages and without sub-title, a ploy I assume to put us in the protagonists shoes of not knowing what is happening and what people are saying, but it was just another issue with a film that was already alienating its audience by being so boring.

Shot in the rugged and sometimes beautiful mountains of the Eastern European country of Georgia. We witness a young couple and their local guide walk and occasionally talk, play, drink and sing. They are happy and at peace until an incident rocks their tranquil trek and there is a distance, tension and edge put through the group as they now walk across the terrain in silence and alone even though they are still together.

I can appreciate the cinematography, the journey, the performances and ultimately what it is saying as a story, but when a film appears to basically not hire an editor and you sit through what is possibly your eighth wide shot of 3 people taking what seems to be 5 minutes to walk across the screen with some searing, but ultimately irritating music playing……enough is enough.

Inspired by a short story, it should have been made into a short film and not one that runs 113 minutes.

At one point the female character sings a horrendously uninteresting song around a campfire, laughs and says "It goes on and on". Yes. It does.

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