Bad Santa 2

The original Bad Santa was a refreshing take on the Christmas movie genre. The joy of the time was replaced by a hard cynicism and the usual happy ending was replaced by the (non-fatal shooting) of the main character. It seems like a pretty easy movie to replicate for a sequel, but unfortunately it misses the mark that the original. That said, it still has a lot of charm to distract you from that fact.

Former thief Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) has hit rock bottom, living in his tiny apartment and spending most of his days getting drunk. Just as he is attempting suicide, his de facto son Thurman (Brett Kelly) comes in and with the news that his former partner Marcus (Tony Cox) has gotten in touch and wants him to come to Chicago to pull a job. It turns out that Marcus has a new associate in Willie's mother Sunny (Kathy Bates), whom he despises. Willie is only convinced to help out as a safecracker when Marcus promises to scam Sunny out of any money they get. The target they are hitting is a charity run by the wealthy Diane (Christina Hendricks), who attempts to turn Willie's life around.

While most of the hallmarks of what made the original good are still there, Bad Santa 2 some how ends up becoming a part of the genre it was originally trying to mock. Yes it is foul mouthed and scandalous, but it almost seems conventional. Gone is the hot un-Christmas-like location of Arizona and in it's place we have Chicago, which is the only other snowy city you want to be for Christmas after New York (for that conclusion see the much better sequel movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York). Unlike the original, Willie's ending is a tad more upbeat and hopeful. He learns a lesson about family, a message that all Christmas movies have. This movie also seems to have a lot of interchangeable parts. Take out Lauren Graham and replace her with Christina Hendricks, replace Bernie Mac (RIP) with some less funny white guy. Thank god they didn't try and replace Cloris Leachman.

Luckily, there are some pretty good jokes. While they seem to be rehashes of jokes from the original; Thurman's possible mental disability, Octavia Spencer's turn as a prostitute, Willie's general demeanour, they are pretty funny. Thornton's reactions to other people's comments are almost as good as his sharp tongue. Lines about General MacArthur's Philippines Campaign go hand in hand with calling other Santas pedophiles. Kathy Bates is a huge boost to the film because just the idea of her being a surly old bitch is enticing enough, but she really carries it off.

To Bad Santa 2's benefit, the amount of time passed between it and the original is just between remembering that the first one was funny and complete loss of memory that it exists. If anything though, that is more a testament to the staying power of the first one than the merits of this movie.

The Founder

It’s that time of the year again when Michael Keaton attempts to get his foot in the proverbial Oscar nominations door, and this time he’s taking on Ray Kroc - who was hugely influential in the rise of McDonalds - in The Founder.

Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) is an unsuccessful travelling salesman who is desperately trying to sell milkshake makers. His wife Ethel (Laura Dern) tries her best to support him, but even she’s at the end of her tether. His unbridled ambition keeps him going, but Ray finds little interest out there. All of that changes however when a surprise order of six milkshake makers comes in from a small but popular diner in San Bernadino called McDonalds.

Intrigued by the size of their operation, Ray travels interstate to visit the restaurant and is instantly blown away. The visionary concept of fast and consistent service is the brain child of Dick McDonald (Nick Offerman) who helped develop the business with his supportive brother Mac (John Carroll Lynch). When Ray meets with them and hears their story, he instantly wants to get involved by helping them franchise, however it soon becomes clear to the brothers that Ray doesn’t just want to be a consultant on the sidelines.

The Founder has had several changes to its release date throughout the year, pushing closer and closer towards Oscars season. Hence if you’ve seen a film in the past six months there’s a good chance you’ve seen its trailer, and if you’ve seen the trailer then you know the story. So the only thing unclear when going into The Founder was what sort of approach director John Lee Hancock would take with it, and in particular what sort of corporate influence McDonald’s may have had in the creative process, if any at all. It’s difficult to tell about the latter since it seems to balance bias fairly well, however Hancock can be particularly heavy-handed at times and there’s a feeling throughout that the film may be just a bit too big for its boots.

Supposedly The Founder takes inspiration from There Will Be Blood and The Social Network, however in reality it cannot hope to hold up to the sophisticated stylistic concerns of either of these films, and its watery character development certainly can’t compete with those of the former. In many ways The Founder falls into the category of bland, formula-driven biopics that focus all their attention on getting noticed during awards season, which is a shame because for the first third of the movie, it’s quite capable of drawing you into the fast-paced, competitive world of food service.

During this opening act, the rhythm and timing of the film feels spot-on. Hancock makes efficient use of montages, particularly when the McDonald brothers are telling Ray their story. However at some point during the exponential, brutal rise of McDonalds at the hands of the gung-ho Kroc, the rhythm that drives the first third starts to back off and The Founder falls apart. One slightly-too-loud senior in my screening noted to his wife how tedious the film had become, and I can’t say that I completely disagreed. From around the time that Ray meets Joan, writer Robert Siegel opens up additional sub-plots that don’t have the time or space to play out and hence feel tacked-on for the sole purpose of covering all the bases.

Quite apart from timing issues, the film relies on some seriously weak characters. Ray starts out as a down-on-his-luck opportunist who sees everything as potential business and actually has a few conflicting perspectives that could be interesting to see played out. However, soon after the start of his involvement with McDonalds, Ray shifts closer to the cliched, selfish and mad-with-power business ideologue that we’ve seen done too many times to still be interesting, no matter what repertoire Keaton can bring to the role.

Laura Dern’s Ethel gets very little screen-time and spends all of it lying in bed looking concerned and/or mad with Ray. Patrick Wilson makes a brief but insignificant appearance, and B.J Novak brings his experience from The Office t the conniving Harry Sonneborn that does very little to spice up the story. By far the most interesting characters are the McDonald brothers who have an attractive attention-to-detail and brilliance about them that balances well with the light-comedy that Lynch and Offerman bring to the roles. However even they are limited by bad pacing and poor characterisation at the script level.

The Founder has a strong opening act that sets you up for a film of empty promises, and whilst the story is certainly interesting enough to keep you watching, its rhythm, pacing and characters can't follow suit.

Trailers Week 125: 27/11/16

Cars 3

Prepare yourself as Pixar does a gritty reboot.

The Book of Love

I don't know what's worse; Maisie Williams' atrocious southern accent or the fact that we know Jessica Biel is going to die at some point in the movie. Probably the accent.

Silence

Get ready for an updated version of the classic flick The Mission, only with a lot less good actors. Except Adam Driver. He's pretty good.

Passengers

So instead of giving us more info about what's happening in the movie, this trailer just wants to show us all the explosions.

The Comedian

The idea of Robert De Niro doing stand up is actually quite terrifying.

Goon: The Last of the Enforcers

Get ready for some more hockey hijinks.

Fences

Get ready for some good acting from Denzel. But like actual good acting, none of this Flight business.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I'm really looking forward to that tropical planet.

War On Everyone

John Michael McDonagh's latest film could not be further from his last, Calvary, which came out in 2014. Gone is the introspective brooding of that film, instead replaced by stylised gun violence and the lack for societal norms that you wished you had. That's what it seems like on the surface anyway. Deep down, War on Everyone presents a level of nihilism we haven't seen on screen since The Big Lebowski. While philosophy isn't the focus of the film, it plays a big part of who the characters are and justifies their actions.

Bob (Michael Peña) and Terry (Alexander Skårsgard) are two renegade police detectives who have just returned from a suspension they received for corruption, bribery and assault of a fellow police officer. Their newest pet project is blackmailing the shifty "Lord" James Mangan (Theo James) who is plotting a dark business venture with the shady Birdwell (Caleb Landry Jones). They recruit informant Reggie (Malcolm Barrett) to get as much information has he can, while they spend their time drinking, doing drugs and the minimal amount of police work possible. Terry starts a makeshift family with former stripper Jackie (Tessa Thompson) and runaway Danny (Zion Rain Leyba) in an attempt to emulate Bob's family life. 

If there's one thing you're going to do when watching this movie, it's laugh. McDonagh's razor sharp writing is fantastic and portrayed amazingly by both Peña and Skårsgard. Whether it's talking about the ease of finding a black man in Iceland or questioning whether a mime makes a sound if you hit him with your car, the movie is hilarious. McDonagh is also able to handle the issue of race in the United States, and particularly police shootings, with humour as well. The police captain, played by comedy veteran Paul Reiser, is relieved to find that the men shot by a SWAT team were all white, a very interesting, but also sad indictment on the nature of things at the moment. McDonagh also does something very cool with his use of other police officers in the movie, namely that there aren't any. The only connection we ever see Bob and Terry having to anything remotely police is their boss. It furthers their rogue status and makes them that bit more appealing.

This movie also shifts to some very dark elements. When we are first introduced to James Mangan, we see him shooting heroin in the back of a stable. This isn't glossed over in any way and we are shown it in an almost Trainspotting level of detail. Like his last film, McDonagh, handles the subject of child abuse again, although in a much, much darker way. And that's saying something considering Calvary was about the abuse of children by priests. Although it gets extremely dark, it doesn't take anything away from the comedy, in fact it makes you glad there is so much comedy in the film. The shifts that it makes toward the darker parts of the narrative aren't jarring or out of place, they flow in and out quite nicely. The characters, especially Terry, are driven by their central philosophy that nothing in the world has any meaning. He drinks, takes copious amounts of drugs, all because he believes that the world will go on regardless of how he acts. This is refreshing to see in the protagonist of a big budget movie. Alexander Skårsgard's hulking physique also aids this and his posture is an obvious remnant of his recent role as Tarzan.

War on Everyone isn't a movie Hollywood would make. It's dark, depressing and there are moments where you feel terrible for the characters. But there is never a moment where you don't want to be a part of the world in which the characters live. It's beautifully shot and funny as hell. Another must watch for everyone.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

It feels as though the Potterheads have been waiting years for this movie (myself included) so its safe to say the anticipation for us has been incredibly high. That being said, lets not delay this review any longer.

In 1926, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a young Magizoologist, arrives in New York City for the first time, carrying with him a briefcase containing a menagerie of magical creatures that he cares for. Unfortunately, Mr Scamander could not have chosen a worse time to arrive in New York: the city is being plagued by an undetermined creature whose powers are beyond any the magical community have seen. Fearing a widespread panic leading to war between Wizards and No-Mages (the American term for ‘Muggles’), the MACUSA (The Magical Congress of the United States of America) begin a hunt for the creature, lead by Percival Graves (Colin Farrell). When some of Scamander’s creatures accidentally escape during an altercation with ‘No-Maj’ Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Porpentina ‘Tina’ Goldstein (an ex-auror played by Catherine Waterston) believes that Scamander might be behind it all, and becomes determined to bring him in and prove her worth to her superiors. Joined by her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) the group must band together and take back the city before its too late. 

The positives: The acting in this film has to be one of the main standouts. Eddie Redmaynes’ Scamander manages to be both awkward and sufficiently charming enough to immediately begin liking him, and its clear that Redmayne had fun playing this character because it translates to the screen. But the best moments have to be those between Scamander and Jacob. Their chemistry and personalities balance each other out well, and becomes the tale of unlikely friendship by happenstance. This is especially entertaining as it’s the first time we’ve seen proper wizard/muggle interaction that wasn’t negative (after all that time we spent with the Dursleys), but rather get a glimpse at how muggle/wizard communities interact, which for diehard fans will be something to look forward to. Also, Farrell’s Percival Graves was another standout whose character really shone in the (relatively few) scenes he was in. The visuals in this film were also stunning, bringing to life creatures that could only exist in imagination in all shapes and sizes. In short, its one of those epic films that continuously catches your eye and also makes you hope that the merch for this film includes plushies because damn, some of those creatures are really cute!

The negatives: As much as I enjoyed this film, it’s a classic case of a film that cannot make up its mind. As always tends to be the case in Hollywood, the pacing in this film tends to be a let down, as well as the ways that different sections of the story connect to each other. In some points the film seems to be leading one way, only to suddenly take a turn into something completely different. While there are moments where you are able to catch up, I felt that the film seemed somewhat haphazardly pieced together, meaning that too much time was spent in some parts and not enough in others and that ultimately it threw off the flow of the film. Because of this, some of the characters were not given enough time to be properly introduced, the most noteworthy being Tina. Her motivations seem sketchy and don’t really become clear until much later, which leaves the audience questioning her actions rather than jumping on board with her character which is a bit of a let down. In most films these would be only minor flaws, but because this film is such a money-maker, its disappointing to see that more care and effort wasn’t taken in teasing out these aspects. It’s understandable that this is just a setup film for what looks to be a very long running franchise, but that doesn’t excuse the need for coherence just because there is an assumption of a guaranteed audience. 

All in all, this film is definitely going to be a good time for families and fans of the Harry Potter universe. Its got great characters, entertaining creatures and above all, a new setting and new rules for the audience to discover. Although it was enjoyable, it was definitely in need of readjustments, either in the scriptwriting or editing stage, which would’ve dealt with many of the issues described above. On the whole the film was entertaining and certainly going to get audiences excited for the rest of the franchise, which will hopefully only keep getting better from here!

Trailers Week 124: 20/10/16

Ghost in the Shell

I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but of all the cool animes to make a Hollywood remake of, they went with this one? What about Akira or Neon Genesis Evangelion? Oh, wait, they did that last one pretty poorly with Pacific Rim. Good luck Scarlett.

Beauty and the Beast

While everyone's getting excited at their first look at Emma Watson in this live action Disney remake, I think I'm the only one obsessing over Luke Evans as Gaston. It's a pretty inspired choice if you ask me.

Kong: Skull Island

Meanwhile elsewhere in Remake Land, the modern take on King Kong is shaping up to be pretty exciting.

100 Streets

Idris Elba's new movie isn't the big action movie we'd all expect, but rather a drama about a former rugby champion on the ropes.

Jackie

Natalie Portman's long-awaited Jackie Onassis biopic about her life post-JFK looks like a doozy.

Patriots Day

Meanwhile, another Son of Boston fights to bring down the terrorists and save the day.

Detour
I really hope that this movie splits off into two timelines somewhere during the action.

Monster Trucks
Scott Summers' older brother Lucas Till has decided to go for a more kid friendly movie.

Hidden Figures

I think racist Americans would look at black people a lot differently if they knew there wouldn't be a space program without them.

Why Him? (NSFW)

I just wanna know if those pictures of young Bryan Cranston are real or photoshopped.

Before I Fall
Zoey Deutch again in this darker Groundhog Day for teens.

A Kind of Murder
I think this is going to achieve what The Girl on the Train failed to.

The Zookeeper's Wife
Jessica Chastain decides to become the Oskar Schindler of zoos.

Classic Movie Review: Strangers on a Train (1951)

Alfred Hitchcock is remembered more for his movies that had outlandish plots that stick in people's memory. Movies like The Birds, Vertigo and the proto-slasher Psycho are better remembered because they have been referenced in other forms of popular culture for years. Strangers on a Train may not be one of his movies that younger audiences would recognise, but that doesn't mean that it isn't an incredibly suspenseful and enjoyable thriller.

Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is an amateur tennis star on the way to his next tournament. Whilst on the train he meets Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), who starts to quiz Guy on all the personal details of his life that can be found in the gossip section of the paper. He is most intrigued by the divorce Guy is trying to get so that he can marry his new girlfriend Anne Morton (Ruth Roman). Bruno soon offers what he thinks is an ingenious scheme, he'll murder Guy's soon to be ex-wife Miriam (Laura Elliott) in return for murdering Bruno's father. Guy wants nothing to do with it, but the situation is taken out of his hands when Bruno murders Miriam anyway and Guy is the prime suspect.

It takes a while for Strangers on a Train to get to any of the suspenseful stuff, but that's not at all to its detriment. With this time, Hitchcock is better able to construct his characters and get to know every part of his character's personalities. We learn of the strange Oedipal Complex that Bruno has toward his mother. While it isn't entirely sexual, he views his father as competition of his mother's affections and that is why he must be eliminated. Guy's relationship with his wife and Anne are fleshed out in great detail too. We learn that he has aspirations for politics and it helps that Anne's father just so happens to be a senator. We also find out that Miriam looks exactly like Anne's younger sister Barbara, a fact that will haunt Bruno later in the movie.

The movie is also the ultimate for suspense. Rather than giving us suspense for things we don't know are going to happen, Hitchcock tells us in advance exactly what is going to occur and then lets us writhe in agony as we watch them play out. Take for example, the murder of Miriam. We can see this coming a mile off, but Hitchcock chooses to torture us in such a prolonged manner. Bruno stalks Miriam and her two male companions through a carnival so slowly and painfully, that we are unsure if he is even going to do it. At the end, Hitchcock also manages to make a match of tennis terrifying to watch because we know Guy needs to win it in order to stop Bruno from framing him.

Strangers on a Train is a great movie to revisit, especially because you don't know what to expect. The twists and turns of Hitchcock's other movies have all been parodied to death in sitcoms, in particular The Simpsons, who have referenced every Hitchcock movie, even this one (but that was in a later season that no one saw).

Arrival

Science-fiction movies have become a lot different to what the genre is supposed to be about. Instead of asking philosophical questions about the nature of man, like we see in Forbidden Planet and 2001: A Space Odyssey, the genre has become another extension of the action genre with movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Independence Day. Denis Villeneuve's latest movie, however, puts the sci-fi elements firmly in the backseat and focuses instead on the human involvement in an alien arrival on Earth.

The world plunges into chaos as twelve mysterious alien vessels land at various spots around the globe. While the public starts to question why they came and why the aliens haven't reached out, the militaries of the country that each vessel is in becomes proactive about looking for answers. Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is contacted by Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) to lead the team that will attempt to speak to the aliens. With her to try and interpret the answers is theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). Lurking in the background is CIA Agent Halpern (Michael Stuhlbarg), who seems to make his decisions based on what the Russian and Chinese forces are doing in regard to their alien vessels.

It is incredibly hard to talk about this film in broad brush strokes so as to not ruin the film, because so much of makes Arrival great is in its detail. The whole theme of language that runs throughout the film is pretty fantastic because it makes the point of how vital language is to our culture. This is something that we take for granted everyday and never stop to think how everything would fall apart without it. Even the way the film breaks down simple sentence structure really makes you think. And if what I just said makes you roll your eyes, then you probably weren't thinking that this movie was going to be a two hour linguistics class, which it kind of is. Because of this, the movie works at its own pace and isn't hurried along in the way that other movies feel the need to. There was one explosion, but I feel like this was included just because the studio said there should be one.

The other fantastic thing about this movie is that it has a female lead who isn't overshadowed by her male co-stars that seems to happen when a blockbuster has a female lead. The whole way through, Amy Adams commands the screen and she doesn't get shafted by the male characters thinking they know better. Another good turn that this movie does with her is around her recruitment to the mission. Sci-fi movies have the trope of the team of experts being chosen just because they happen to be lying around, but here Louise has to prove that she is the top person for the job. Adams performance is also one of the best I've seen her give. This isn't a spoiler, but the film begins with a whole montage of her raising her daughter and ultimately has to give her up because she dies from a rare disease. This montage lasts a total of two minutes and really lets you get a feel for who the character is through an amazing performance.

The writing did have a few dodgy areas that felt a bit jarring. Once the film gets going and the team starts to be able to communicate with the aliens, there is a montage showing them learning the language with a voice over about their language. Instead of having linguist Laura giving this monologue, it is Ian, the theoretical physicist doing it. It just felt like a weird logical point not to have the linguist character not talking about language. The was line where the on site doctor bluntly asked Louise if she was pregnant. This does have a point in the movie but it was delivered in a bit of a harsh way and takes you out of the film for just a second.

I'm going to give Arrival the top score for its originality and ability to distinguish itself for other films being released in the genre. Villeneuve is able to focus on the human element of the film which is something that so many alien movies are unable to do. The threat in the movie doesn't come from the other, but rather those we are familiar. Also it had a twist that ended up making me second guess myself.

The Accountant

What do you get when you bring Batfleck more into the realm of The Big Short? Well, The Accountant, apparently. This movie is all over the place in terms of thematic stability, with way too much attempted dynamism plaguing every character. Is it really necessary for the autistic mathematical super-genius to also be trained in martial arts and heavy weaponry? Probably not. It's a mess, but at least it's a hot mess.

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is an on-the-spectrum savant working as an accountant for some of the baddest bads in the crime world. As a treasury agent (J.K. Simmons) starts searching out his identity, Christian takes on a legitimate client in a robotics  company with conveniently way too much to hide. Obviously, this creates room for an emotional connection with the company's lowly assistant Dana (Anna Kendrick), because what would an action-thriller be without a love interest? Oh, and there's a hitman (Jon Bernthal) chasing him, but don't worry too much about that.

The Accountant plays with a lot, and sadly, it does not do so delicately. From the opening scenes, we are heavily handed a bunch of disjointed plot stories that we spend the majority of the film trying to reconnect. Jarring flashbacks and out of place monologues are apparently the way to go to create 'character depth' these days. Every character has some motivations or back story that are supposed to make us think "Hey, maybe he's not a bad guy, maybe he's just misunderstood". Sadly, this moral ambiguity seems to lose its punch when applied to every single character in the movie.

While his introduction and validation are a bit abrupt, Christian Wolff springs to life through Affleck, who comfortably portrays the mannerisms of autism in a subtle yet effective way. Affleck seems to do all he can with a clunky and overloaded character. It's probably best to blame the writers for this one if you dislike his performance. The real standout as far as acting is concerned is Jon Bernthal's Brax, who is sadly underutilisied and seemingly forgotten as the plot unfolds. And Anna Kendrick just plays Anna Kendrick. 

While the movie is fun, it is definitely hindered by its drive to tick all the boxes. It is hard to strive to be a message movie for people with autism when you also make the lead character a kickass sharpshooter and martial arts expert. The Accountant could have bypassed the guns and fight scenes completely and just had a detailed, dialogue-driven, A Beautiful Mind-esque drama. But instead, we are left with this identity crisis of an action flick. While it surely is cool to see an autistic character explored on-screen as a bit of a badass, is this really the best way to go about representing people with disabilities? This may not be the movie people with autism deserve, but until that one arrives, at least it's a bit of fun. 

Trailers Week 123: 13/11/16

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Luc Besson's new movie looks to be even weirder than ones he's made in the past. At least this one doesn't have Chris Tucker from The Fifth Element.

Underworld: Blood Wars

After all these movies, does Kate Beckinsale really need to be protected?

Live By Night

Ben Affleck shows that Boston isn't always better by relocating to Miami.

Solace

So this killer has set it up so that the cops know exactly who is? Why not avoid even being found out by dumping your dead bodies off the edge of a highway like a regular serial killer.

Collateral Beauty
Would I be reading into this too much if I wanted this movie to be a spiritual sequel to The Pursuit of Happyness. That pun about spirits was intended.

The Light Between Oceans

Australian movies made for an international market never seem to hit the mark for the intended audience. Recent efforts like The Water Diviner and The Dressmaker were flops despite having big names like Russell Crowe and Kate Winslet. However, when you bring an outsider in to show their perspective on Australian life, it always seems a lot more effective. Add a couple of high profile international stars and you may have a winner.

Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) has returned home to Western Australia after World War I. In order to find some solitude after the horrors of war, he gets a job as a lighthouse keeper on an island of the coast. On one of his trips back to the mainland, he meets Isabel (Alicia Vikander) and slowly he falls in love with her, despite being separated by the sea. Eventually they wed and she moves to the island with him. Even though it is a harsh environment, they build a life together and are happy until Isabel miscarries not one but two pregnancies. All hope seems lost for them when a boat drifts ashore with a dead man and a baby girl. Isabel convinces Tom that they keep they child rather than telling anyone what happened and they soon return to life like nothing has happened. When they return to the mainland to show off their new child, Tom meets Hannah (Rachel Weisz), whom he learns lost her baby daughter and husband at sea a few years earlier. Soon Tom is wracked with grief and indecision about what to do.

Derek Cianfrance has always been an actor's director. His last two movies have been performance driven and The Light Between Oceans is no different. Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are two actors at the top of their game. They, along with Rachel Weisz, all fall into stride with fantastic Aussie accents, one that isn't the easiest to do. Granted, that isn't what makes their performances good, it's just an added bonus. What makes their performances so great is their pure commitment to the emotions that are necessary. Tom is supposed to be a character haunted by his experiences in the war and Fassbender masterfully pulls that off. His guilt is entirely believable and at times you felt the pain he had in keeping his secret. Vikander and Weisz are also great at tearing the emotions out from the audience. Both women have their legitimate claim to raising their daughter but the pain in having to potentially give her up is too much. There are three great performances from Aussie veterans Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson and Gary MacDonald that really form a good backbone to the cast.

There are a few missteps in terms of telling the story however. Cianfrance is definitely a fan of an easily identifiable three act structure movie. First, Isabel and Tom get to know each other, then they get married and find the baby, finally the guilt and decision to tell the truth. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the movie a tad slower and seems sloppy. There is a lot of clunky dialogue, like when Jack Thompson's character explains in a rather heavy handed way what happened to Hannah's husband, something the film has subtly hinted at using the unique cinema technique of editing. There is an early montage of letter writing between Tom and Isabel as well that is rather dull and expository.

I guess the reason I really like this movie because of the way it's an Australian film without being one. Australian movies tend to shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to international audiences because you can never beat Crocodile Dundee and that's what they want. It takes an outsider to show the rest of the world what an Aussie movie can be and it takes an actor like Fassbender to show that people really can do our accent. Other than that, it's an emotionally raw epic that tugs at the heartstrings. Especially that epilogue scene.

Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge has a lot riding on it. It marks the return of controversial filmmaker Mel Gibson to directing, it’s a story that many have tried to put on the big screen for decades, it’s been receiving rave early reviews, and its strategically poised at the start of Oscars season.

Desmond Ross (Andrew Garfield) is a devout Seventh-day Adventist, which prevents him from harming another being and renders him a conscientious objector. He and his brother Hal (Nathaniel Buzolic) live with their mother Bertha (Rachel Griffiths) and their father Tom (Hugo Weaving), who is an alcoholic clearly suffering from his time in the First World War. After helping a man who’d be pinned under a car get medical treatment, Desmond meets Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer), a nurse that he’s instantly smitten with. After Hal enlists in the army against the wishes of their father, Desmond decides that he also should enlist, intending to serve as a field medic that would never have to touch a gun. However, things don’t work that smoothly in the army, and Desmond encounters opposition to his beliefs at all levels of the military, fighting his own battle before he’s even given permission to serve his part in the war.

For all the hype and opinion around Hacksaw Ridge, perhaps it's best to first address its issues. For a start, there’s an abundance of slow-motion work all throughout, which can come off as pretty heavy-handed stylism. There’s also several moments of surprisingly poor CGI, particularly the explosions and even with things as simple as background compositing. It’s worth noting that the film had significant production challenges, being independently produced by several companies, but in this day and age that’s no excuse for sub-par technical qualms. Though by far the biggest weakness of Hacksaw Ridge is its first act, where it takes us to his childhood, then explains his family situation, explores his enlistment challenges and religious views, all whilst mixing in this extremely ‘classical Hollywood’ love story. It becomes overwhelming and feels like we’re about to watch another ‘this-is-your-life’ rushed Oscars-season biopic. But then everything changes when we’re dumped into the main act; arriving at Hacksaw Ridge, and the contrast between this hour-long cliched opener and the horror that’s about to unfold couldn’t be greater.

The first battle sequence hits you like a brick wall, just as the Saving Private Ryan opener did eighteen years ago - only this time there’s no refuge from nearly an hour of horrific, unbelievably gory action. There’s been a lot of talk about this film glorifying violence, and whilst Gibson might be overly ambitious with his slow-motion coverage and CGI fireballs, anybody that could consider what unfolds as ‘glorious’ needs to have their head checked. This main body of the film is incredibly visceral, it’s where Hacksaw Ridge finally comes together and decimates you with some of the most intense war-scenes ever put to the screen. Subtlety is not a word that should ever be associated with this film but the battle sequences are damn effective.

However, Hacksaw Ridge doesn’t exactly break new ground for the war film genre, in fact it fits in closer with the massive Hollywood war-romance classics of yesteryear than it does to almost any equivalent modern war film. In that regard, Teresa Palmer’s performance feels a bit like a really toned-down Scarlett O’Hara and Rachel Griffiths epitomises the grieving mother who’s family has been torn apart by war. Andrew Garfield is superb in the leading role, and brings gently-voiced compassion to Desmond.

Luke Bracey plays the typical douche-bag semi-antagonist that typically roams the barracks of these sorts of films, but at least it’s a whole lot better than his role in the Point Break remake. Sam Worthington is pretty dry as Captain Glover but he doesn’t receive much screen time, whereas Vince Vaughn makes the most of his role as the stern Sergeant Howell, weaving in just the right amount of humour to what is his most serious performance to date. Hugo Weaving was by far the standout of the film, and whilst he’s only really on-screen in the opening act, his performance as the clearly conflicted, demoralised alcoholic father is up there with some of his extremely difficult to beat previous roles. It was also hilarious to have good ol’ Richard Roxburgh appear briefly as a psychiatrist, trying to hide all the charisma and charm that he has behind a questionable moustache. I see you there Roxburgh...

Hacksaw Ridge might not be fully deserving of the incredible praise it’s receiving - particularly due to a handful of technical issues/stylistic choices and a dreary opening act - but the performances, incredible battle sequences and the heroics of Desmond T. Doss all make this well worth a viewing.

Trailers Week 122: 06/11/16

T2: Trainspotting 2 (NSFW)

From what we can see in this trailer, T2 is going to be based on Irvine Welsh's sequel to his classic book aptly titled Porno. I doubt that anyone would actually go see a movie called Porno though.

Wilson (NSFW)

I haven't laughed this hard in a while. Woody Harrelson is in a movie actually befitting the talents that he has.

Office Christmas Party

If you can use that big end of year office party to woo a potential new client, you totally take that opportunity to write off those expenses as deductibles. I think these Christmas comedies are my new favourite genre.

Renegades
What's better than a bit of harmless treasure hunting in a war zone? George Clooney did it 17 years ago and he came out unscathed.

Wonder Woman
From one historical war zone to a much earlier one. I gotta say this DC movie doesn't look too bad. I know that we've been tempted with three good trailers for three bad movies from DC, but you know what they say, fourth times a charm.

Life
Now to space with a classic alien on a space station movie. But this one has Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds and, you know, realistic space physics. I know that last one is a lot more popular than the first two.

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
I'm truly speechless. I really am. Skis on gravel and dirt bikes on water. Vin Diesel must love opposite day.

Pet
Dominic Monaghan looks just so scary in this. I don't have any touchstone to compare him to.

20th Century Women
Just a movie about the right way to raise a kid.

Gifted
And this one is about how to raise a smart kid. It's surely going to make Chris Evans a lot more endearing than he already is.

La La Land
Big ticket musicals aren't really a thing any more and this looks like it might bring them back.

Doctor Strange

I know that this review is a little late, but get excited kids, its finally here. The film that caused so much controversy in its decision to cast Bananapops Cucumberpatch (we all know who I’m talking about) as the title character that many fans revolted against it before even seeing a trailer. Before we pull at that thread and this review unravels completely into a lesson about whitewashing, let’s talk about the film as a whole. To be honest, I was actually really excited for this film after seeing the trailer. The special effects, the magic, the…oh who am I kidding, I’m really only seeing this because I’ve been harbouring an all consuming love for Mads Mikkelson ever since that first season of Hannibal. Anyway, let’s move on.

Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a young neurosurgeon with a penchant for pushing the boundaries within his work, has been living a life of constant success: he’s recognised as one of the best in his field, is well respected, and although he has a reputation for being a bit of an ass, he is skilled enough to save lives at the drop of a hat. He has just one small problem: his people skills. Steven Strange’s world revolves around himself and his work, and nothing more. However, his entire life is shattered (literally) when he is gravely injured during a car accident, leaving his hands with severe nerve damage and being faced with the possibility that he may never practice medicine again. Unable to cope with merely accepting his fate, Steven searches the world for a cure. But what he discovers in a remote corner of Kathmandu is the world of the Ancient One and her teachings, a practice that reaches far beyond his imagination could ever fathom. Facing a challenge that threatens the earth and beyond, he will have to overcome more than his cocky personality to reach his true potential and prove his worth.

The positives: I know that I’ve said this about a few films this year, but Doctor Strange is a really good time. Tilda Swinton’s wise and surprisingly funny Ancient One balances Strange’s harsher personality well, with the supporting cast of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelson, Benedict Wong and Rachel McAdams providing the perfect foils for Strange’s in a variety of ways. These actors are talented and clearly had a great rapport off screen that was evident in the film. The comedy was timed well and the jokes landed (easily noted by the audience in the screening I went to) but above all the visuals were stunning. Think Inception meets Iron Man meets Harry Potter, the different universes and settings this film gives its audience is an eyeful that really helps to immerse us into the realm of the Masters. I felt that my money was well spent on that alone. This film shows how you can balance darker themes of loss and loneliness with humour and dignity (take note DC), and reminds us that even at our lowest there is always something that makes life worthwhile.

The negatives: I’ll be honest here, if you’re not a fan of Tony Stark or his character arc or progression, you’re not going to like Stephen Strange as this story is surprisingly similar. I also felt that Mads Mikkelson’s character, the villain Kaecilius (Kai-sill-ee-us), wasn’t used enough and could’ve had more screentime (I’m not being biased I swear) in order to help explain his backstory which is mostly done through other characters. Also, I felt that the pacing was a little off in this film: not nearly as bad as the pacing in Suicide Squad, but this film tended to have the same vibe in that it was trying to pack a lot of information into one relatively short film, meaning that we were shunted through a vast amount of story and locations very quickly without enough time to properly understand what we were seeing. But now for the cherry:

Remember how I mentioned we were setting aside the whole whitewashing thing at the beginning of this review? Well its time to bring that chestnut back. Yes, the film as a whole was good and enjoyable. Yes, the acting was also great and the characters were entertaining and fit the film well. But fans of the character had a right to be angry, and just because the film was good, that doesn’t negate the importance of ‘why’ they were and still are angry. To be completely honest, as a South American person, I can’t blame them. Whitewashing is still a problem today and is seen time and time again in Hollywood, from The Last Airbender (2010) to the shock that was the live action Mulan’s first leaked scriptnotes just a few weeks ago. To act like its not insulting to the characters and their creators would be doing those characters a disservice. I’m not saying we all have to openly hate this film. I understand that for some people, seeing their favourite character/s of Stephen Strange and The Ancient One brought to life on the big screen is a huge deal. But what I am saying is that it would be wrong to just ignore the facts. In today’s society where voices speaking out against oppression and racial prejudice are louder than ever? Come on Marvel. If you can make the entire cast of the upcoming Black Panther movie completely African American as per the comics, you could’ve taken the time to put the same thought and planning into Doctor Strange and maybe saved a lot of fans’ disappointment.

In the end, Doctor Strange is a fun and entertaining movie that people of all ages are gonna love. Its got comedy, action and great characters to boot, and it’ll be fun to watch this character saddle up alongside our other favourite superheroes in the upcoming Infinity War with Thanos (which gets closer by the movie). Also, the end credits scene will be a hit with Loki fans everywhere (is that too much of a spoiler? Oops). All in all, whether you’re seeing it in the movies or illegally downloading a copy, you’re in for a good time.