The Magnificent Seven

Seven Samurai is a classic film that has been reimagined in many different ways, as a western (The Magnificent Seven) and a space opera (Battle Beyond the Stars). Many movies, specifically westerns take elements from this movie, but never has it been so blatantly remade. Rather than follow the path of it's namesake, this new Magnificent Seven is a straight remake of Seven Samurai, even going so far to use a watered down version of the classic's screenplay.

The town of Rose Creek is being harassed by Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), a businessman who intends on buying the whole town in order to mine it of all the gold it has. Desperate to save her town, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) leaves to look for protection. She comes across bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) who agrees to help but admits that they need more people. They gather a team that includes Faraday (Chris Pratt), a drunken Irishman hustler without the accent, Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), a former Confederate sharpshooter, his companion Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), a Chinese immigrant who is a knife expert, Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio), a mountain man, Vasquez (Manuel García-Rulfo), a Mexican outlaw, and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), a young Comanche warrior who has been exiled from his tribe. Together this band returns to the town to square off against the forces assembled by Bogue.

Because this movie leans so heavily on Seven Samurai it's really hard to reconcile that this movie is trying to be it's own thing. I know it sounds wanky to say that, but if you've seen that movie, you'll understand the parallels. Things like the introduction of characters (especially Billy Rocks' introduction which is lifted straight from Seven Samurai) or the training of the villagers are just so close to the original film. This seemed bizarre to me because the only connection it has to the original Magnificent Seven is the name and setting. Even though it's trying to be Seven Samurai, it manages to miss the mark by trying to be different. Straight away the movie starts with villainy to make sure that they know Bogue is the bad guy, but there's no gentle build up to it. And instead of having a town meeting to decide go for help, the character of Emma Cullen takes it upon herself to go look for help. Peter Sarsgaard's Bogue is one moustache twirl away from being the kind to tie a woman to the railroad and really does look like a discount Paul Giamatti. When it comes to the big battle at the end of the film, the stakes are dramatically lowered because the whole town takes part in it. This takes away from the whole underdog story. The movie also has a few historical problems. First off, the old west was nowhere near as clean as this. I don't mean that everything is super shiny and new, but it is far from the grittiness that we've come to expect from modern westerns like Deadwood, True Grit and Django Unchained. These days you have no excuse to muddy up you actors. Another minor failing I thought the film had was the lack of discussion around Chisolm obviously being a former slave. This movie takes place in the South in 1879. The Civil War would have been too recent an event to ignore and the film even says that Chisolm had been lynched at some point.

The Magnificent Seven isn't just a steaming mess though. It does have some good elements. The action is exactly the kind of thing you want to go see with this kind of movie, lots of old timey bullets, explosions and tomahawks. The chemistry between Chris Pratt and Manuel García-Rulfo is off the charts and just a joy to watch. Fun fact: when you can't put swear words in a movie, have the Mexican guy call everyone cabron (fucker in Spanish). Vincent D'Onofrio's choice of a squeaky whisper is hilarious and almost made me laugh every time he said something. Although I found it hard to believe that Ethan Hawke's former Confederate soldier would be friendly with Chisolm, the addition of his PTSD from the Civil War was a nice touch. The ending was a nice touch because it was more in keeping with it's source material than a conventional Hollywood ending.

This movie has quite a few ups and downs so it's quite hard to say whether or not I liked it. Within the first five minutes I thought I had written it off as a horrible movie, but it wasn't horrible. Instead it just hung in a strange limbo between good and bad. While the bad parts don't detract from the movie itself, they do serve as a distraction.

Robin Williams Tribute Month: Dead Poets Society (1989)

As John Keating says whilst perched upon his desk, "We must constantly look at things in a different way", quite a suitable turn of phrase from a film that could transform even the most sceptical person into a lover of literature and poetry. But that is not the only accomplishment of Peter Weir's Dead Poets Society, for it remains one of the most touching films I have ever seen.

The film follows a group of seniors at an elite preparatory school, Welton Academy. Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) who struggles to overcome his Father's controlling attitudes, Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), a new student whose introversion becomes his constant stumbling block, and Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles) who falls in love with the daughter of his parents' friends, are just three of the rich ensemble that graces this film. However it is Robin Williams who takes centre-stage here as the boys' new English teacher, John Keating, whose eccentric teaching methods have a profound effect on the lives of his students.

From ripping out useless textbook pages, to marching, to kicking soccer balls whilst reciting poetry, Keating's style doesn't simply keep the boys interested, it enriches them with the beauty of phrase, teaching them to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. But it's his past life as a Welton Boy that inspires the troupe to reinstate Keating's old secret body, the Dead Poets Society. Meeting every few evenings in a damp cave off school grounds, the boys explore poetry in the hope that they will gain further understanding about the joys of life.

Revisiting this film for the first time in years, it's astonishing to see how talented these young actors were. Robert Sean Leonard is fantastic as Neil, perfectly enthusiastic whilst unable to justify his desires to an authoritative father, yet it is Ethan Hawke that really shines here for me. Even at nineteen, the talented actor who seems to be in every new release at the moment, brings to life the toils of a reclusive young male amongst a group of such lively, free-spirited boys, almost the polar opposite of his character in Boyhood.

Once again, Robin Williams proves his proficiency as a dramatic actor here. John Keating is one of the most memorable characters ever preserved on celluloid, partly because Tom Schulman is a fantastic scriptwriter, but largely because Williams is able to deliver such energy and humanity in his performance. Keating could have so easily become yet another character lost to the depths of pretension, yet the sincerity of Williams presence on screen makes him come across as a man driven by a passion to teach and an authentic love of poetry.

Dead Poets Society is an all time classic. It's one of Robin Williams' best films, and he's supported by an array of  talented young actors. If there was one underlying message to the film, it would be that we must strive to find our own voices in this world, and if you can't take that away from your viewing, then at least you'll gain plenty of fantastic quotes. 

Boyhood

Never before has a narrative film felt as real as Richard Linklater's latest experimental masterpiece Boyhood.

Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) is a six year-old boy who lives with his older sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and his single mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette). Olivia isn't earning enough to keep the family afloat, so she wants the family to move so that she can study at the University of Houston and earn a higher living. Mason is concerned that their dad, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) won't be able to find them in their new location. What follows is an epic 12 year tale that documents the difficulty and the beauty of growing up.

Linklater took a creative risk with this film, shooting the cast over a 12 year period, but boy, did it ever pay off. The progression between the years is marked by subtle physical changes in the characters, the evolving landscape of their lives and recognisable elements of each year implanted into the story. The plot feels very free-form, which is what makes it so authentic. It's as if Linklater just set the characters free to live their lives whilst he sat watching with a pen and paper...only not in a creepy way. One of the things that makes it such a relatable film for me, is that I was actually 6 in 2002. I recognised points throughout that felt very familiar, that really put me in the shoes of Mason, and that was a truely amazing experience. Watching this film was like a trip down sentimental lane for me. 

Every member of the cast is fantastic. Ellar Coltrane as Mason really grows on you. You don't feel as if he's an actor on the screen but rather a kid who's just trying to figure things out, following his heart and trying to craft his own life philosophies. I feel like there's probably a bit of Linklater in him. Lorelei Linklater is also great as Samantha, and Patricia Arquette is painfully moving as Olivia, as she struggles to keep up whilst her life keeps taking nose-dives. Though Ethan Hawke as Mason Sr. was in many ways the heart of the film for me, managing to be hugely charismatic and compassionate despite his failings. 

Boyhood has been beautifully shot in 35mm by Lee Daniel and Shane F. Kelly, bringing both the unique visual look of film back to the cinema and allowing all the years worth of footage to line up in perfect continuity. In many ways, it's like a moving family picture album, providing a window into the lives of these people.

This film isn't just an experiment. It isn't just a milestone in cinema history. It's one of the most beautiful, touching stories that you will ever experience hands-down, keeping you engaged from beginning to end. You simply have to see this film. If this doesn't get nominated for Best Picture, I will riot. Can an individual technically riot?

 

Predestination

Don't let this movie deceive you into thinking that it is American, because it's not. Written and directed by the Spierig brothers (Daybreakers), shot in Melbourne and funded by Australian film corporations, the only American things about it are the setting and the fact that Ethan Hawke stars.

To tell the plot of this movie would be to ruin it for anyone who wishes to see it, but the film focuses on time travel and the paradoxical nature of the concept. That's all I can say without going into too much depth although I did find after thinking about this paradox for a long time it can seem to fall apart.

The performances in this movie are phenomenal. Ethan Hawke (who worked with the Spierigs on their last film) is very adept and natural in the film. Newcomer Sarah Snook is possibly better than him in this film. I wouldn't say that she carries the film where it's lacking, but her performance elevates the film to another level of amazing. Fellow Aussie Noah Taylor floats through the background with slight menace, but we are never quite sure of his intentions.

The Spierig brothers are fantastic at constructing sci-fi worlds where you forget about the science element and focus on what's going on with the characters or the deeper meaning behind the film. They also have a superb ability to make a beautiful film.

Verdict: This movie blew me away and I thought it was fantastic. Great performances from a well written script.