The Internship

It has been eight years since Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn last starred together in 2005's Wedding Crashers. At the time, I didn't find that film too funny as it did not appeal to me for I was too young and/or naive to get the jokes. The Internship on the other hand appealed to me a lot more. As a member of the Internet Generation, I got all the jokes presented in this smart and funny fish out of water comedy.

Vaughn and Wilson are playing Billy and Nick, two grown man-children, who find themselves out of a job when they discover that their boss (John Goodman) has folded the company they work for as sales reps, without telling them. Down on their luck, Billy manages to finagle an internship at Google over the summer. They are teamed up with a group of young university students and through a set of gruelling challenges, have the opportunity to win full time positions at the company.

This movie is fantastically funny. To see these middle aged men try to navigate around computer based problems from a generation that they are not native to. But to be fair, I am also from the aforementioned generation and I would have difficulty with some of their challenges. It is filled with humourous references that transcend the generation gap for audiences. Everything from music and allusions to things from the 80s, right down the guys participating in a game of Quidditch are involved.

Vaughn and Wilson also have a chemistry that makes them a believable partnership within the world of the film. Vaughn's tough no-nonsense Billy is right out of Old School and Wilson really does have a great chemistry with his fellow actors, particularly Rose Byrne (Two Hands).

A great part of this comedy comes however, from the young actors playing the university students and how each of them play well known (to me, anyway) archetypes of young people in today's world. There is the hardworking, over-achieving Asian, Yo-Yo (Tobit Raphael), the detached, self-involved hipster, Stuart (Dylan O'Brien), the excitable, enthusiastic girl, Neha (Tiya Sircar) and the awkward white guy Lyle (Josh Brener)(definitely me). There is also the cool yet douchey guy, Graham (Max Minghella) and the boss/hard-ass head teacher, Mr Chetty (Assif Mandvi).

For a younger audience, all these characters are relatable. As for an older audience, they fill the shoes of Nick and Billy, and provide an insight into the younger generation.

Verdict: A hilarious comedy that will please both younger and older audiences and will be super relatable in this modern technological world.

Classic Movie Review: The United States of Leland (2003)

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Ryan Gosling, although considering that everyone else on the planet likes him, it isn't that strange. Now it occurs to me that he goes after either rom-com roles (Crazy, Stupid, Love or The Notebook) or darkly disturbed characters in independent films (Lars and the Real Girl or Blue Valentine). In this film however, he plays a character that's different to the rest (and I don't mean because he has brown hair).

The film chronicles the events leading up to and after the murder of a mentally disabled boy by Leland P. Fitzgerald (Gosling) and the effects that it has on the people who were close to either Leland or the boy, like Leland's ex-girlfriend and the boy's sister, Becky (Jena Malone), or Leland's teacher in prison, Pearl (Don Cheadle).

The family of the boy all try to escape their grief. Julie (Michelle Williams) and her boyfriend Alan (Chris Klein), try to focus on their future at university, but this puts a strain on their relationship. Becky turns to heroin, to which she gets addicted. Leland's own father, Arthur (Kevin Spacey), is an author who tries to come to terms with the fact that his absence from his son's life could have been a motivating factor for Leland. Meanwhile, Pearl, who is an aspiring writer, tries to write a novel about Leland, but is hampered at every turn by his work.

This role is very different to anything that Gosling has played before. He is detached from the world and although his character in Drive (2011) was similarly detached, here there is a certain naivety and innocence in the character.

Don Cheadle is excellent as Pearl, who tries to coax the truth out of Leland, so that he can understand the teenager's motivations. And also, as always, Kevin Spacey plays a role that is cold and calculating, not to unlike John Doe in Se7en or Roger Kint in The Usual Suspects.

Verdict: A real landmark film that I think everyone should see before they die. It is an interesting look at perceptions of life and right and wrong.

The Hangover: Part III

Most of comedy is about the set-up and repetition and then the punchline goes against the grain. In that case, the Hangover: Part III is the biggest punchline in cinematic history. This movie doesn't follow the formula set up in the previous two movies.

Instead the movie begins with Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) escaping from a Thai prison in a very Shawshank Redemption kind of way. Meanwhile in the States, Alan (Zach Galifinakis) has gone of the rails and the Wolfpack comes together to take him to a rehabilitation clinic in Arizona. This is where things go crazy. On the way there, the gang gets attacked by Marshall (John Goodman), an international criminal, who had been robbed by Chow and Marshall wants him. So the Wolfpack are given three days to track down Chow. This leads them on a chase throw the country and finally culminates in a showdown in Vegas.

This movie is more about Alan coming grips with adulthood and finally leaving his abusive relationship with Chow. The other three guys take a back seat to his character development. That's not to say that there aren't some funny situations that happen to the other two.

Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms are pretty funny and most of their jokes come from the reactions to Alan and Chow. Most of the comedy comes from Chow, who we find out is much more ruthless than had been previously depicted. But he still gets a few laughs from his antics.

Verdict: Todd Phillips crafts a funny end to his trademark franchise that could've been better, but still made me laugh.

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby showcases the glamour of the Roaring Twenties in New York, but also explores the dark seedy underbelly of the people who lived during that time.

The story follows young writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) moves to New York and gets caught up in the extravagant world of his neighbour, the enigmatic Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), a mysterious businessman with an undying love for Nick's cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan). Daisy lives with her husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) on the other side of the bay to Nick and Gatsby. Carraway endeavours to find out more about Gatsby, his background and his fierce love for Daisy.

The relationship between Gatsby and Carraway is an interesting one. Nick is enamoured with Gatsby and not just his lavish lifestyle as many people who attend his parties are. It is interesting to note that early on, Buchanan makes reference to Carraway's voyeuristic tendencies.

The performances by DiCaprio and Maguire are quite amazing. DiCaprio plays this long sense of loneliness perfectly and Maguire's Carraway evolves from a naive, wide-eyed believer in life into a cynical person of the world around him.

Although Daisy's character is central to the plot and Mulligan's performance was superb, I felt as though her character was just a facilitator for confrontations between the male characters. I also felt as though there was no character development on her part. Relative newcomer Elizabeth Debicki shines as Jordan Baker, a professional golfer and friend of Daisy. She is one to look out for in the future.

Normally I am not a fan of Baz Luhrman's overindulgence (the only other film of his I enjoyed was Romeo + Juliet), but here it works. The film is visually stunning and does have a great ethereal feeling to it. However, when shots would pull back from the foreground and reveal a CGI horizon in the background, I did feel a bit removed from the world. Likewise, there are a few scenes in which the film looked like it was running at a faster frame rate, that while extremely subtle, through me off.

One aspect of the film that I thoroughly enjoyed was the soundtrack. I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Luhrmann was going to use hip-hop because 'it currently shares the same status that jazz held in the 20s', but he integrated it seamlessly into the film so that it was unnoticeable next to the jazz tracks.

Verdict: Despite some visual issues and character flaws, I felt as though this was an enjoyable look at drama in the Twenties. And it had one hell of a soundtrack.

Star Trek Into Darkness

One of my best friends brought up a good point during the last Star Trek movie, why are they always setting their phasers to stun. He argued that they must be set to kill just in case and only set them to stun when the threat level isn't that big. Well in Star Trek Into Darkness, the crew of the Enterprise rarely set them to stun.

When we pick up the story, James Kirk (Chris Pine) has been Captain of the Enterprise for some time. After a botched expedition, Kirk is demoted to Commander and Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) is reassigned.

Meanwhile, there has been a terrorist attack on a London Starfleet post, masterminded by the mysterious John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). The leaders of Starfleet decide to declare a manhunt to track him down. After an attack on Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, Kirk and the Enterprise are charged with taking him down.

I found that although this movie was action packed, I found it to predictable at parts and too much of a carbon copy of the last movie. There are also elements from The Wrath of Khan, but only Trek fans will pick up on them. There are action cues, emotional cues and comedic cues which are hit at the right times. It's almost as if J. J. Abrams was making this movie with a formula that he has perfected.

The only really good acting of note came from two of the British cast members. Benedict Cumberbatch is cold and calculating as Harrison and I really felt like he was capable of killing without remorse. Simon Pegg is hilarious as Scotty, but that is a given as he is one of the comedic relief characters and considering his relationship with Star Trek (he did a whole comedy series called Spaced), he definitely has the chops to pull it off. I felt as though the third British cast member didn't really have anything to offer. Alice Eve plays Dr. Carol Marcus, a Starfleet doctor who sneaks aboard the Enterprise. I felt as though she was just a damsel for Kirk to save.

The other comedic element comes in the form of Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), or more properly, Kirk's interaction with him. McCoy is always there giving Kirk advice in the form of elaborate metaphors or pointing that he is a doctor, not a bricklayer, rocket scientist, gym teacher, etc. There are also some humourous lines when Kirk makes reference to the fact that Spock is, in fact, a Vulcan.

Verdict: It was chock full of action sequences and lens flare, but ultimately this is just another voyage of the starship Enterprise.

Spring Breakers

Movies set during spring break tend to portray it as one massive party, where people make mistakes that ultimately get resolved. But Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers shows that when things go wrong, they stay wrong.

The story follows four college girls who dream of going on a spring break trip to Florida, but can't raise the funds. Three of the girls, Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Brit (Ashley Benson) and Cotty (Rachel Korine), decide to rob a fast food joint to get the money. They come back to Faith (Selena Gomez) and take off to Florida.

Once there, the girls start partying like crazy. But after one party, they end up getting arrested on drug charges. They soon get bailed out by local gangster and celebrity, Alien (James Franco). He takes them in and offers to help them out if they need money. Faith feels threatened by him and decides to go back home.

The others stay and start doing robberies with Alien and it's only when Cotty gets shot do things start to get shaky. Cotty decides to go home as well. Candy, Brit and Alien start to develop a relationship and Alien confesses that he is feeling threatened by his former best friend and he decides to take him out, despite the fact that he is scared. Brit and Candy promise to help, no matter what. This leads to the final confrontation.

Harmony Korine has really created a movie that captures the recklessness and impulsivity of youth. These girls get caught up in a lifestyle that, while highly dangerous, is highly addictive. It's only when getting shot or landing in prison, do these girls see the reality behind the glamour.

It is also edited in a really interesting way. There is never a scene that is presented in a standard way. The characters start talking, but are intercut with flashbacks or scenes yet to come. There all also shots throughout the movie of a beach party that none of the main characters ever attend and it has no bearing on the plot.

All the actors in this film are superb. James Franco is totally unrecognisable as Alien and I couldn't help feeling like there was a homage to the film Alien, with his metallic teeth. I didn't feel like I could make a connection to any of the girls, because there was nothing in the way of character development on their part.

I also felt like there were a lot of subtle references to Scarface, mainly in the behaviour of Alien, who acts like he's a big shot before his fall.

Verdict: An enjoyable movie to watch, but it left me feeling hollow inside after watching it. The style of editing may catch some people off guard.

The Place Beyond The Pines

One of the first descriptions I read of this movie said that it was a multi-generational saga. And boy, you better believe it's a saga. But at no stage during the 158 minute running time did I want it to stop. Also, Ryan Gosling.

The Place Beyond The Pines has three consecutive stories that all affect each other and, more importantly, the characters within them. The first story follows Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling), a stunt rider in a traveling carnival (so basically he's a carnie), who finds out that he has a son from a fling that he had with Romina (Eva Mendes). Because he doesn't want his son to turn out like he did (with an absent father), he promises to provide for him. But Romina has moved on, with a new man in her life, Kofi (Mahershala Ali). Luke still wants to provide for his son, so he starts to rob banks with the help of his friend, Robin (Ben Mendelsohn). This life soon takes a heavy toll on him.

The second story follows Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a young hero cop who becomes involved in police corruption. He turns to his father, a former judge, for advice. His father tells him that the best course of action would be to take down the corrupt officers, which include Pete DeLuca (Ray Liotta). He turns them into the district attorney, Bill Killcullen (Bruce Greenwood). He also has an infant son with his wife (Rose Byrne).

The third story picks up fifteen years later. Both Luke's son, Jason (Dane DeHaan), and Avery's son, AJ (Emory Cohen), become friends in high school. It is only after Jason becomes aware of Avery's involvement in his father's death that things start to go off the rails.

This movie is fantastic. This is Derek Cianfrance's second film after Blue Valentine (which also starred Gosling). He has crafted an immense flowing storyline, that whilst doesn't explore every single possibility, is still coherent and easy to watch.

The film also looks amazing. It is set in upstate New York and some of the scenery is amazing. So too is the set design in the small town in which it is set.

In my review for Gangster Squad earlier this year, I said that Ryan Gosling works best when he's outside the Hollywood system. Whilst he's not in this movie for too long, his character resonates and you can see a little bit of him in his son. Because he has worked with Cianfrance previously, you can see that relationship come through. At first I thought his character was going to be similar to the Driver, but not at all. You can see that all Luke wants is what's best for his son.

The character who we see the most in this movie is Avery Cross, so that meant just a little bit too much Bradley Cooper for me to handle. When he's in a movie like the Hangover where he has other actors as a buffer, I find him more tolerable.

The women in this movie are also very strong. Mendes' Romina still shows feelings toward Luke, but ultimately knows what's best for her son. We don't see a lot of Rose Byrne, but when we do, you know that she is a stronger person than her husband.

I always feel good when I see Australians in American film, so to see Ben Mendelsohn in this movie made me feel good. Here, he plays an extremely toned down version of the character he played in Animal Kingdom, a man who has lived the life but is happy to settle down. Ray Liotta on the other hand, plays the greediest person alive. His character knows that because this is a small town, he can get away with his corruption.

Finally, Dane DeHaan is someone to watch out for. I recognised him from Chronicle and I hear he will be playing Harry Osborn in the new Spiderman movie. In this role, he has to carry a lot of emotional weight on his shoulders and he pulls it off perfectly.

Verdict: I'm not afraid to say that this film might have to compete with Django for my favourite movie of the year, because it really deserves it. And, of course, Ryan Gosling.