Well, this is the best Star Wars movie I've seen in ages! We've got a ragtag crew on a mission to save the universe, a cool dude and his mostly silent but loyal sidekick, one tough but nice chick, some father/son issues and a lot of spaceships flying around shooting at each other: pew, pew pew! The challenge has been thrown down to JJ Abrams & co! Oh wait, it's a Marvel movie, not a Star Wars movie? Could have fooled me!
This movie is the first in what is sure to be another hugely successful franchise for Marvel Studios who are not content with their Avengers stable of stars (Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Cap'n America) and want to gobble up several billion more dollars of your hard-earned cash. So it's strange that they picked this relatively unknown property from their comic book back catalogue. However, it could be the best idea they've had, as there are a lot fewer expectations riding on it and they could take it to a slightly crazier place and let it build a fanbase up. And although this first instalment is pretty heavy on explaining the backstory of the characters and universe, it still has fun and sets up nicely for the next one to get straight into the action.
We follow our hero, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who likes to go by the moniker Starlord. He's a treasure hunter who stumbles on our all-important MacGuffin, the Orb, which he wants to sell for a lot of 'units' ($) but a lot of others want to get their hands on it too. Bounty hunters Rocket (a raccoon like character voiced by Bradley Cooper) and his offsider Groot (a walking tree who speaks about 3 words during the movie - I am Groot - and is voiced by Vin Diesel) want Quill and the Orb, as does Gamora (a green skinned Zoe Saldana this time, she must have enjoyed being blue in Avatar a lot) who is an assassin working for Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) who wants the Orb to destroy his many enemies. We also get Drax the Destroyer (ex wrestler Dave Bautista) joining the crew not because of the Orb but because he wants revenge against Ronan.
Guardians of the Galaxy is super dumb fun. Getting the gang together involves a number of fun action heavy setpieces spiked with some pretty zany dialogue and jokes. The gang trying to keep the Orb out of Ronan and his henchmen and henchwomen's hands ups the action even further but still takes time out regularly for a silly joke. Drax in particular has some really funny lines, usually stemming from his race's inability to understand metaphors, so listen closely whenever he is speaking. The soundtrack, which should be filled with 80s classics given Starlord's 80s origins on Earth, instead leans towards the late 70s as Peter clings to a cassette tape of his Earthling mother's favourite songs. It is unexpected but a real hit.
The 3D throws everything but the kitchen sink at you, which is kinda unnecessary, but I couldn't fault the action scenes or visual effects at all. Everything gels, and the only thing holding me back from giving this 5 stars is that there is just too much explanation required and yet sometimes not enough given, so it just doesn't quite fly in parts. The humour is quite bizarre, which I liked, so I am looking forward to the next one which should expand the universe and get us into some fun places!
Sunday 7 September 2014
Movie #26 - Boyhood
Mason (Ellar Coltrane) is a 6 year old boy living in the 'burbs with his Mum Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). Life is a bit of a struggle for single mum Olivia, with Dad Mason Senior (Ethan Hawke) out of the picture most of the time after the two split up fairly acrimoniously (we guess). Occasionally Mason Senior comes to town, takes the kids out for a fun day and presents, then drops them back to Mum for the serious parenting. The kids hope that Mum and Dad will get back together, but that doesn't look like happening based on the argument being held in the front yard. After breaking up with her latest boyfriend, Olivia decides to move the kids to Texas to be near her mother. This is the first in a series of moves that the movie follows, mostly from Mason Junior's point of view, over a 12 year period as Mason grows into a young man and Olivia tries to do what she thinks is best for the family.
While the film is ostensibly about Mason and how he navigates growing up, it is also much more than that. It is also about family and looks at issues of both the parents. The most touching part of the story is probably Olivia's arc as the Mum who goes out with the wrong guys, moves the family from place to place and struggles to make ends meet. But all the decisions she makes are clearly motivated by love for her children and wanting to better herself and their lives. Mason Senior is a complex character too, as he moves from slacker to responsibility while still trying to be the cool guy. He gets many of the best scenes, whether it's having 'the talk' with Samantha, to helping Mason get over his first real romance.
What really makes this a most unique filmgoing experience is the fact that it was filmed over a period of 12 years to allow the actors to actually grow and age naturally. Yeah I know what you're thinking, 7 Up has already been there, done that. However, 7 Up was a documentary. Boyhood is a fictional movie written and directed by Richard Linklater (known for Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight, Dazed and Confused and several others) and filmed over several weeks each year, for 12 years, with the same actors playing their characters over that whole time. This has never been done before, and probably will not be done again. Certainly it won't be done to the same level of quality in my opinion, as you have to realise how hard it would be to get working actors to commit to filming a movie over that long a period, and also to build continuity and stay in character. It's an amazing achievement by all.
The concept makes this an absolute winner in my opinion. It's the closest thing to real life you will ever see at the movies without being a documentary. The director doesn't give us any obvious cuts to show when we have jumped forward a year in the life of the family; the only way to tell that time has passed is different haircuts/faces and different houses/partners/cars. The dialogue is really relatable and doesn't sound like movie talk, which makes me think it was at least partly improvised by the core group of actors who would have gotten to know each other pretty well over 12 years. Nothing overly dramatic or unrealistic happens - there is no cliché like the most awesome party ever, no massive fight between parent and child, no showing of the loss of virginity etc. This is not a criticism by any means. As I said earlier, it's just like peeking in at key moments of real people's lives. Made all the more real by the fact that as time passes, these actors look older, get different haircuts and different body shapes without any use of prosthetics or visual effects.
The overall effect is a warm and fuzzy feeling. While Mason's mumbling gets a little annoying towards the end, when we leave him at the age of 18 you get the impression that this nice, intelligent and talented kid is going to figure out what he wants to do with his life and get on and do it. You realise that nobody has all the answers or can make good choices all the time, but if there is love there, you can forgive and forget. Just a warning though, it is very long - 2 hours and 45 minutes - so allow plenty of time for this gentle, joyous, unique experience. Five stars!
While the film is ostensibly about Mason and how he navigates growing up, it is also much more than that. It is also about family and looks at issues of both the parents. The most touching part of the story is probably Olivia's arc as the Mum who goes out with the wrong guys, moves the family from place to place and struggles to make ends meet. But all the decisions she makes are clearly motivated by love for her children and wanting to better herself and their lives. Mason Senior is a complex character too, as he moves from slacker to responsibility while still trying to be the cool guy. He gets many of the best scenes, whether it's having 'the talk' with Samantha, to helping Mason get over his first real romance.
What really makes this a most unique filmgoing experience is the fact that it was filmed over a period of 12 years to allow the actors to actually grow and age naturally. Yeah I know what you're thinking, 7 Up has already been there, done that. However, 7 Up was a documentary. Boyhood is a fictional movie written and directed by Richard Linklater (known for Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight, Dazed and Confused and several others) and filmed over several weeks each year, for 12 years, with the same actors playing their characters over that whole time. This has never been done before, and probably will not be done again. Certainly it won't be done to the same level of quality in my opinion, as you have to realise how hard it would be to get working actors to commit to filming a movie over that long a period, and also to build continuity and stay in character. It's an amazing achievement by all.
The concept makes this an absolute winner in my opinion. It's the closest thing to real life you will ever see at the movies without being a documentary. The director doesn't give us any obvious cuts to show when we have jumped forward a year in the life of the family; the only way to tell that time has passed is different haircuts/faces and different houses/partners/cars. The dialogue is really relatable and doesn't sound like movie talk, which makes me think it was at least partly improvised by the core group of actors who would have gotten to know each other pretty well over 12 years. Nothing overly dramatic or unrealistic happens - there is no cliché like the most awesome party ever, no massive fight between parent and child, no showing of the loss of virginity etc. This is not a criticism by any means. As I said earlier, it's just like peeking in at key moments of real people's lives. Made all the more real by the fact that as time passes, these actors look older, get different haircuts and different body shapes without any use of prosthetics or visual effects.
The overall effect is a warm and fuzzy feeling. While Mason's mumbling gets a little annoying towards the end, when we leave him at the age of 18 you get the impression that this nice, intelligent and talented kid is going to figure out what he wants to do with his life and get on and do it. You realise that nobody has all the answers or can make good choices all the time, but if there is love there, you can forgive and forget. Just a warning though, it is very long - 2 hours and 45 minutes - so allow plenty of time for this gentle, joyous, unique experience. Five stars!
Friday 5 September 2014
Movie #27 - Predestination
It's been a big week for me, as I think I've seen the two best films this year in the space of 3 days!
Please don't go into this movie thinking it's a time-travel, action thriller, because that's not what it is and I hope the marketing doesn't muck it up because you could be disappointed if that is your expectation. And it doesn't deserve disappointment, because it is a remarkable film. What it actually is, is a noir film wrapped around a character-driven mystery with some sci-fi touches.
The plot (what I can reveal anyway) centres around a man who is trying to prevent a large scale bombing in New York in 1975. The man is unsuccessful and suffers horrible burns from which he is saved and eventually recovers. The man (Ethan Hawke) is a decorated field agent who we discover can travel through time (called a temporal agent in this movie) and has been doing so for a while to try to find and stop "The Fizzle Bomber". Once recovered, The Organisation send him on a mission back to 1975 to try one last time to apprehend the Fizzle Bomber. One night, a man enters the bar and after a few drinks, bets The Bartender that he has the most unbelievable story the Bartender has ever heard. Thus proceeds an incredible tale of what has happened in the life of this man who was once born a woman. However, that story is really just a framing device for our movie, as at the end of the tale, the Bartender asks the man if he wants to find the man who ruined his life and kill him. This sets in train a series of events using time travel to put all the pieces into place for our final destination.
So you can see how detailed the movie's plot is if the above long paragraph is only the small part I can reveal without spoiling the mystery. It requires concentration and focus to keep up with what's happening. The first part with the conversation serves to provide both clues to and distractions from the mystery which gradually gets solved over the second part which has the faster scenes as we move towards the capture of the bomber and understanding of how The Bartender and Unmarried Mother (the pen name of the man) are connected. It's not an earth shattering twist in the end, but it has been so elegantly built with red herrings and clues that the more you think about it, the more wormholes you can go down.
The direction by Brisbane's own Spierig twins, Michael and Peter, is superb and I congratulate them on making an Australian movie with Australian talent in front of and behind the cameras, but having no 'Australian-ness' about it, which should give it a broad appeal. Some may criticise this but I don't see any need for this particularly story to have an Australian setting and I really liked the noirish production design. The Spierigs also wrote the film so all credit to them for making the year's best brain-bender to date.
But the story, direction and design would not have been enough to make a great movie had the wrong actors been chosen as it's essentially a three-hander. Ethan Hawke is solid as The Bartender/temporal agent who kind of has to blend into the background and obviously works well with these directors (he also led the Spierig's second film Daybreakers, a great little vampire film). Good ol' Noah Taylor does well to make you wonder if he is a goodie or baddie as Agent Robertson from The Organisation. Sarah Snook, however, is amazing as Unmarried Mother/the man. You have probably been reading/hearing this a lot in the last week or two, but it is definitely true that this is an absolute standout performance. I first saw her in an ABC telemovie about wartime nurses where she really stood out, then she was in a couple of films: Not Suitable for Children and These Final Hours. She was good in those, but this is her breakout role for sure. Acting as both a woman and a man should be challenge enough, but the script adds so much heartbreak and weirdness in this character. She is utterly convincing as both genders and in both happiness and pain. She is a star now.
It has been just over 24 hours since I walked out of the movie and I am still obsessed with thinking about it. I really want to get out a whiteboard and markers and try to get a really good handle on what happened. But I don't think I'll really understand everything. Think I might try reading the 1958 short story "All you Zombies" on which it was based! But even that may not help since the Fizzle Bomber aspect has been added for the movie and that is where more of my questions lie.
I'm giving this my first 5 star rating for the year. Mind = blown. A must-see movie. Unless your favourite genre is rom-coms.
Please don't go into this movie thinking it's a time-travel, action thriller, because that's not what it is and I hope the marketing doesn't muck it up because you could be disappointed if that is your expectation. And it doesn't deserve disappointment, because it is a remarkable film. What it actually is, is a noir film wrapped around a character-driven mystery with some sci-fi touches.
The plot (what I can reveal anyway) centres around a man who is trying to prevent a large scale bombing in New York in 1975. The man is unsuccessful and suffers horrible burns from which he is saved and eventually recovers. The man (Ethan Hawke) is a decorated field agent who we discover can travel through time (called a temporal agent in this movie) and has been doing so for a while to try to find and stop "The Fizzle Bomber". Once recovered, The Organisation send him on a mission back to 1975 to try one last time to apprehend the Fizzle Bomber. One night, a man enters the bar and after a few drinks, bets The Bartender that he has the most unbelievable story the Bartender has ever heard. Thus proceeds an incredible tale of what has happened in the life of this man who was once born a woman. However, that story is really just a framing device for our movie, as at the end of the tale, the Bartender asks the man if he wants to find the man who ruined his life and kill him. This sets in train a series of events using time travel to put all the pieces into place for our final destination.
So you can see how detailed the movie's plot is if the above long paragraph is only the small part I can reveal without spoiling the mystery. It requires concentration and focus to keep up with what's happening. The first part with the conversation serves to provide both clues to and distractions from the mystery which gradually gets solved over the second part which has the faster scenes as we move towards the capture of the bomber and understanding of how The Bartender and Unmarried Mother (the pen name of the man) are connected. It's not an earth shattering twist in the end, but it has been so elegantly built with red herrings and clues that the more you think about it, the more wormholes you can go down.
The direction by Brisbane's own Spierig twins, Michael and Peter, is superb and I congratulate them on making an Australian movie with Australian talent in front of and behind the cameras, but having no 'Australian-ness' about it, which should give it a broad appeal. Some may criticise this but I don't see any need for this particularly story to have an Australian setting and I really liked the noirish production design. The Spierigs also wrote the film so all credit to them for making the year's best brain-bender to date.
But the story, direction and design would not have been enough to make a great movie had the wrong actors been chosen as it's essentially a three-hander. Ethan Hawke is solid as The Bartender/temporal agent who kind of has to blend into the background and obviously works well with these directors (he also led the Spierig's second film Daybreakers, a great little vampire film). Good ol' Noah Taylor does well to make you wonder if he is a goodie or baddie as Agent Robertson from The Organisation. Sarah Snook, however, is amazing as Unmarried Mother/the man. You have probably been reading/hearing this a lot in the last week or two, but it is definitely true that this is an absolute standout performance. I first saw her in an ABC telemovie about wartime nurses where she really stood out, then she was in a couple of films: Not Suitable for Children and These Final Hours. She was good in those, but this is her breakout role for sure. Acting as both a woman and a man should be challenge enough, but the script adds so much heartbreak and weirdness in this character. She is utterly convincing as both genders and in both happiness and pain. She is a star now.
It has been just over 24 hours since I walked out of the movie and I am still obsessed with thinking about it. I really want to get out a whiteboard and markers and try to get a really good handle on what happened. But I don't think I'll really understand everything. Think I might try reading the 1958 short story "All you Zombies" on which it was based! But even that may not help since the Fizzle Bomber aspect has been added for the movie and that is where more of my questions lie.
I'm giving this my first 5 star rating for the year. Mind = blown. A must-see movie. Unless your favourite genre is rom-coms.
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