Hail, Caesar!

The Coen brothers have been making movies for over thirty years, making classics like Fargo, The Big Lebowski and No Country For Old Men. These movies leave you with one feeling above all; satisfied. Their latest movie, Hail, Caesar!, feels more like the fast food version of one their films, it feels good while you're watching it, but later you wonder if you really needed it after all.

Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is the head of production for Capitol Pictures. He is also a 'fixer' and helps get movie stars out of sticky situations. One of these situations arises when the studio's biggest stars Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) goes missing when he is shooting a biblical epic about Jesus. Meanwhile he has to deal with an array of problems on the studio lot, including Western star Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) moving to a more dramatic role where he clashes with director Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes) over directing choices and the pregnant actress DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson) has to search for a father for her unborn child. Floating in the background are the Thacker sisters (both played by Tilda Swinton), rival gossip columnists who are on the prowl for the latest Hollywood scoop.

Hail, Caesar! is a glowing tribute to the Golden Era of Hollywood. The Coen's parody an array of movies and stars from this period, including Kirk Douglas and Charlton Heston, costume dramas, westerns and musicals. In fact there is a fantastic extended song and dance number by Channing Tatum which is a joy to watch. The subject of communism in Hollywood is broached upon, but it is in a rather lighthearted way. The blacklisted writers are shown as diehard followers of the cause and will even help people defect to Russia. This movie is also a defence for anyone who loves cinema. The Throughout the the film, Mannix is repeatedly targeted by the jet company Lockheed, whose representative implores him to leave the movie industry behind, calling it silly and frivolous. Ultimately Mannix sticks with the industry because he loves.

Josh Brolin's Eddie Mannix is a strong central character. He embodies the no-nonsense studio exec who relies on things to run on clockwork perfectly. Brolin has enough range to do serious and character roles like this one. He isn't taking himself too seriously, which suits the role amazingly. All the characters apart from Mannix don't get too much screen time, but the actors who play them leave a mark. George Clooney who I think of as quite a strong figure in Hollywood, plays the stereotypically cowardly and bumbling movie star. Alden Ehrenreich gives a funny performance as Hobie Doyle, as he struggles to give the articulation needed for more dramatic roles. Ralph Fiennes also gives a hilarious performance as his over-the-top English director. Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson both have extended musical numbers in which they are great.

I did leave Hail, Caesar! feeling slightly empty, like I hadn't really taken anything away from it. But as I look back on the film, it is filled with enjoyable tidbits and cameos that will keep you enjoying it for days after.

Sicario

Denis Villeneuve has made some great thrillers over the years, most notably Enemy and Prisoners in recent times, and before he gets started on Blade Runner II, he's going down that same road again with the crime-thriller Sicario, starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro.

The widespread influence of the drug trade is seeping over the Mexican border into the United States. FBI Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is part of a raid that makes a gruesome discovery in a house linked to the Cartel. Shortly afterwards, she's invited to join an inter-agency task-force to track down a drug lord linked to the various incidents. The force is led by Matt (Josh Brolin) and assisted by mysterious operative Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro). Although soon it becomes clear to Kate that the task force is entering murky ethical and legal waters as it strays across the border into Mexico, and she is left with a moral dilemma. 

Sicario opens with a brutal discovery which sets the tone for a dark gritty film. This is a story that can be at times confusing to follow, but which you're happy enough for Villeneuve to take you along with. It pulls no punches when it comes to confronting images of violent areas on the Mexican border (although this is more a result of our desensitized viewing habits) and actually manages to avoid the Hoo-rah 'Merica tone you might expect from the film. Sicario occasionally offers some sort of visual representation of good and evil, but what we really get is a dirty concoction of different shades of gray. Some of the characters arrogantly excuse their actions as a form of justice, but it's just an illusion. It's a film that lathers itself in moral and emotional ambivalence, which makes for some great plot development and suspense but at time it feels like it lacks direction.

This is another in a line of films similar to Zero Dark Thirty which puts a female lead into a war-like situation. The common link between these films is that the women are portrayed as having a hard outer shell which covers an emotionally-vulnerable interior. It's important to note that many other good war-films do the same for their male leads, however in films like Sicario and Zero Dark Thirty, the male counter-parts don't show any signs of fragility. Read into this what you will, the effect on the audience is the same; we see her as somebody who shouldn't be in that situation. It would be nice to see a more balanced approach to character development in these situations, simply because it can appear misogynistic, whether that was the intention or not.

Unsurprisingly with Roger Deakins at the helm, Sicario's imagery is absolutely stunning. The sweeping landscape shots give the impression of a living breathing landscape, despite being set on the dusty border of Mexico. The last act involves thermal cameras and night vision, which are handled surprisingly well, although the sequence itself does play out like a scene  out of Call of Duty. The sound design is also extremely well-developed. Low booming tones frequently vibrate through the soundscape, an audio-motif that builds upon the film's bleak identity. The overall presentation of Sicario is relentless, repulsive and somehow beautiful.

It's interesting how a couple of years ago, before Edge of Tomorrow or even possibly Looper, you couldn't have imagined Emily Blunt in this sort of role, and whilst I still hold some reservations about her character, it's difficult to find any flaws in her performance. Josh Brolin is more difficult to judge. I reviewed him last week in Everest and in both instances his character was "that guy played by Josh Brolin". He's an exceptionally good actor but for me it's difficult to tell many of his roles apart. Del Toro's Alejandro on the other hand, is almost as enigmatic as the film itself. Whilst you can piece together his story by the end, he's still a character clouded in mystery. I'd like to think that this was an artistic decision, but sadly I know it's because Lionsgate already have plans for a sequel.

The ambivalent emotional direction of Sicario leaves you both strangely satisfied, and at the same time unsure about how to feel towards the events, the characters or the movie itself. It's a gritty, gripping, beautifully presented but confusing story that is perhaps not as radical or unique as it could have been.

Everest

I love a good disaster movie, and I absolutely loath a bad one so Baltasar Kormákur's Everest had a lot riding on it for me. Based on the events surrounding the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, the film's stellar cast, chilling story and international production promises a unique and visceral experience. As with all biographical films, if you don't know the story, don't read up on it before going in. Needless to say though, people are gonna die.

Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) is a professional mountaineer whose business, Adventure Consultants aims to get people to the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, and back down again as safely as possible. It's the start of the 1996 season and Hall is leading an expedition of eight clients, including Texan doctor Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), journalist Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly) who's documenting the trip, and Doug Hansen (John Hawkes) a mailman who is on his second attempt to climb the mountain. Hall says goodbye to his pregnant wife Jan (Keira Knightley) and the expedition gets underway.

At base camp they meet up with Helen Wilton (Emily Watson) who is managing the Adventure Consultants' tent, and Caroline Mackenzie (Alicia Vikander), the expeditions doctor. Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) is running another expedition and is technically a business rival of Hall's. However, since they both aim to summit on May 10, the two decide to team up the expeditions and work together to reach the summit. However, a string of delays and encroaching bad weather ensure that the expedition ends in disaster.

Everest's rocky beginning hints at a relationship-focused but cliche-driven plot. Conversely, its subtle ending is the perfect close to a relentless, spine-chilling, brilliant film. Full disclosure: I saw this one in 3D, which I'm normally not a big proponent for. Its often either too distracting or not effective. However, here it captures the immense scale of the deadly mountain, the depth of the black crevasses, the ant-sized humans tackling an impossible task. The mountain is the star of this movie, it "has the final word", it's the ultimate antagonist. Full credit to DoP Salvatore Totino (Frost/Nixon) and the effects teams on this film for capturing the sheer beauty of such a deadly place. Each sequence is gripping and utterly realistic. At no point could I not suspend my disbelief. The true success of this film is its focus on spectacle, its ability to create an atmosphere and put the audience right in the action. 

Everest divides its time between the seemingly successful training/ascent and the tragic descent. All the while developing its ensemble of characters as we watch on hopelessly. The minutiae of the ascent, little things that ultimately see the characters set up to fail, are presented in an almost documentary-like style. No blame is laid, no message pressed about the fragility of human ambition. Kormákur simply presents the events as they unfolded and we're taken along for one hell of a ride. It's amazing how littered with A-list actors this film is, many of whom get very little screen time. Strong character development is sadly limited to a couple of the key roles, and at times - especially when they're into the 'death zone' and totally rugged up - it's difficult to work out who's who and what their individual slice of the story arc is. 

Jake Gyllenhaal gives a small but lively performance, and Brolin is well-rounded as Beck. Hawkes's Doug Hansen is one of the more interesting and fleshed-out characters, an amateur climber with a quiet persona and a lot of heart. The absolute standout though has to be Jason Clarke in the lead. Clarke has always had a lot of misses for me, especially in his Hollywood roles, but returning to his native tongue (well, New Zealand is close enough to Australia) has certainly paid off, because this is his best performance to date. He portrays Hall as a gentle, kind-hearted man who puts the safety and concern of his clients above all else. He's so good that all you really want towards the end is for him to survive. 

The women however, are left with generally unfulfilling roles. Emily Watson is fantastic as usual, and you really feel for her as she tries to manage the disaster from the base camp, however most of her screen-time she's left trying to communicate to people through a radio. Alicia Vikander does what she can as the expedition's doctor but she too is unable to do much from the base camp. Robin Wright has an unbelievably small role as Beck's wife, similar to Keira Knightley, who can't pull off the greatest of New Zealand accents but is responsible for one half of the film's most heartbreaking conversation toward the end, so she should still get some credit. 

Whilst there are some great portrayals from a stellar cast in Everest, and I think a lot of reviewers are downplaying the character development, this is still a film that's driven by spectacle. Its slightly emotionally-detracted style avoids cliche whilst still doing justice to a thrilling story that captures the essence of the human condition and transports you to the frosty Himalayas. Everest leaves you with both the desire to endeavor to climb it and at the same time, the tragic gut-necessity to stay as far away as possible.

Inherent Vice

Reading Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel before seeing this film really gave me a better understanding of the forces that are in play in the story. That doesn't mean that Paul Thomas Anderson's latest undertaking is at all confusing, rather it is a much more streamlined comprehensible adaptation of the novel that cuts through a lot of confusing tangents that are cut straight from a drugged up hippie's head.

Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is a private investigator operating out of Gordita Beach in LA. One night, his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) appears out of nowhere to tell him of a plot to kidnap her current boyfriend, millionaire real estate developer Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts). Doc is soon drawn into a complex web of conspiracies that involve a supposedly dead saxophone player Coy Harlingen (Owen Wilson), a rough police lieutenant Bigfoot Bjornsen (Josh Brolin) and the mysterious Golden Fang.

Paul Thomas Anderson is really a master with his camera work and all his usuals come into play. He is not one to shy away from long shots, but the one in this one is different. Normally his long takes rely on big choreographed movements as the camera flows from room to room and follows various characters. In Inherent Vice, he instead has a quite static long take that includes an eight minute monologue from Katherine Waterston that ends a little abruptly. There is one scene that stood out for me in particular that was a dialogue between Doc and a client that is done entirely in low angle close-ups with no establishing shot.

This film is littered with some great comedic moments, whether this be Doc's propensity to throw himself around like a rag doll or the fact that Denis (pronounced Dee-nis) can't drive. Being set in the early 70s, there are a lot of jokes about hippie culture and paranoia. Martin Short's dentist character Dr Rudy Blatnoyd is great fun for this, as he openly condemns hippies whilst partaking in illicit substances at the same time and getting everybody paranoid in the process.

Joaquin Phoenix is super fun as Doc. He seems to be channeling the character from the book with a dash of The Dude thrown for good measure. His love for Shasta knows no bounds, despite it being a very destructive relationship. Johanna Newsom plays his spirit guide Sortilège, although it's not quite clear if she exists in the physical world. Josh Brolin gives incredible depth to Bigfoot, a scary pancake loving giant. Owen Wilson acts as the whole lynchpin to the story and has an immense presence, despite appearing in a handful of scenes. Katherine Waterston is just amazing as Shasta and you will grow to love her as Doc does. I think everyone will agree that the movie does need more Benecio Del Toro, playing Doc's attorney Sauncho Smilax, Esq., and a crazy Eric Roberts whose couple of mumbled lines are just hilarious.

This hippy comedy/mystery is masterfully shot and acted. Anderson has been faithful to the source material and made what I like to call a pure adaptation; capturing the essence of the source without using everything that is there. Some great acting all round, particularly from Phoenix and Brolin. Beware the Golden Fang.

Gangster Squad

Gangster movies have long been a staple of my movie diet. Since a young age I have enjoyed movies such as Goodfellas, Scarface, Reservoir Dogs and countless other crime flicks. I have always been drawn in by the glamour of the lives that these men lead, but I have also taken away the message of these movies, that although you may have a great life it never ends well. And boy, doesn't it end badly for Mickey Cohen, the main bad guy in Gangster Squad. It seems to me that whenever a something is set in 1940s LA, the go to bad guy is Mickey Cohen. He has been featured in everything from film, books and even video games.

Gangster Squad is the story behind the crusade to bring down real life LA kingpin Cohen, played perfectly and ruthlessly by a stellar Sean Penn. Josh Brolin's John O'Mara is charged to put together an outfit to bring down Cohen, who's been running LA for years. The team is quickly assembled and they have to work outside the law to bring down Cohen, because he has most of LA's cops in his pocket. They destroy racket after racket to flush out Cohen, which eventuates in a classic hotel shootout, but it is one we have seen a million times.

Josh Brolin is excellent as the crusading cop and this is the first movie that I've seen with him since the Coen Brother's True Grit, but the stars that everyone has come to see in this are Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. It's no secret that I am in love with Emma Stone, every guy who has seen her feels the same way, but her casting in this feels like nothing more than a marketing ploy. Everyone loved her and  Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love, but she didn't get enough screen time for me to make a meaningful connection to the character and although she's no ditzy blonde, she seemed like she was only there as motivation for Gosling's character. Although I am a huge fan of Ryan Gosling (he should have won some award for Drive and I am immensely looking forward to The Place Beyond The Pines), he seems like he should stick to being the indie hero that he is. When he stars in these big budget movies I feel as though he doesn't get to be the actor that he can be when you see him in indie films.

Sean Penn's Cohen reminded me a lot of the character he played in Colors and although he played a rookie cop in gangland LA in that one, I couldn't help getting the feeling that he was channeling the motivations he had as that character all those years ago. Of course the real life Cohen didn't share the same fate as Sean Penn did in this movie. Like many of those gangsters all that time ago, he was put away for tax evasion.

For me the real star of this movie was the city of LA. Ruben Fleischer (the director) put together a stunning recreation of the city in the 40s. Now I have to say I am a huge fan of this time period. It was the golden age of Hollywood, jazz music was on the rise, art deco was what everyone wanted. This movie really does do that justice.

Ruben Fleischer, however, maybe wasn't the best choice of director. His previous two films were Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less, two comedies that both featured Jessie Eisenberg. They are both hilarious movies and this film is by no means a comedy. There was a few jokes early on that were played highly upon, but I felt that they weren't all that necessary.

The action in this movie is stylised and you could read how most of the gunfights were going to play out on their predetermined course. The car chase in the old Cadillacs was a highlight though.

Verdict: This movie is full of the same old cliches and archetypes of the 40s LA gangster film. There were some good performances and the city looked amazing, but in the end it was a film that I won't stick with me too long.