Steve Jobs

Apple founder Steve Jobs has become a rather scrutinised figure in both documentary and film after his death in 2011. This latest biopic however, comes at the hands of both director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, both of whom are known for their rather honest depictions of the world as it is and portrayals of famous people in not so flattering terms. This already fixating combination of talents is made complete with a subtle but powerful performance by leading man Michael Fassbender.

Steve Jobs is split into three acts, each covering a specific period in the life of the man, taking place prior to a product launch that was important in his life. The first takes place in 1984 at the launch of Jobs' (Michael Fassbender) latest dream product, the Macintosh. He is supported by his marketing manager and confidant Johanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) as he contends with the mother of his daughter Chrisann (Katherine Waterston) and technical problems with the launch that he blames on Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg). In 1988, Jobs has left Apple and is working on a new project NeXT, which he thinks will be an important educational tool despite its high price. He also clashes with Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) about leaving Apple and Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) over comments made during an interview. Finally in 1998, Jobs is back at Apple and is about to launch the iMac G3, the product that revitalised the company.

Where this film succeds that past films have failed (particulary 2013's Jobs) is that is not an ambitious film in its scope. Instead of covering every aspect of Jobs' life, the film covers three important moments in his career. That's not to say that the film is lacking for details about Jobs' personality or where he came from. We learn a lot from brief flashbacks where characters discuss his background. Despite Sorkin's snappy writing, the film does have a certain level of predictability when it comes to each of the segments. It seems that Sorkin just had a formula for each one and just changed certain details. Somehow this dragged out the movie for me and made the film less riveting than it should have been.

Which was a lot, considering Fassbender's remarkable performance is completely riveting. He plays Jobs as a sociopathic egomaniac who just wants to make the world of his genius. And you do believe that he believes he is the smartest human ever because Fassbender plays him with the right amount of charm, Kate Winslet's role I found difficult to categorise. I was trying to figure out whether she was a lead character orm a supporting one, but I suppose they all are next to who the movie is about. She really was the emotional core of the movie. Seth Rogen's boyish lovability comes in handy as Steve Wozniak and Jeff Daniels plays a more depressing version of the CEO he played in The Martian. Newcomer Perla Haney-Jardine is a strong presence as Jobs' daughter Lisa in the older sequences.

Boyle's biopic is convincing at times and peters out at others and this has to do with a shaky script from the usually strong Sorkin. Fassbender's performance I think will be strong enough for him to take home the big prize at the Oscars.

Trailers Week 84: 14/02/2016

High-Rise:
We saw the teaser a few weeks back, now we get a better look at Ben Wheatley's upcoming thriller. This film looks like they took Snowpiercer, 70's styling and hints of The Matrix and mixed them all together. Certainly makes for an interesting trailer.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates:
I think the title speaks for itself.

The Purge: Election Year

The third film in James DeMonaco social horror films where all crime is legal for an evening every year. This time one of the Presidential frontrunners vows to eliminate the purge. Yeah, good luck with that.

A Bigger Splash:

The star-studded story of famous people seeing old friends again and getting jealous. Well as far as I can tell anyway. 

The Program:

Once again we see Lance Armstrong's controversial story on the big screen. Only this time it's a biopic not a documentary. Ben Foster and Chris O'Dowd both look great in this so could be worth a see. 

The Darkness:
There's nothing scarier than handprints, black paint and dogs in tree houses.

Cabin Fever:

There's nothing scarier than a remake of an already shit horror film.

Hardcore Henry:

Shot entirely in first person, the film follows Henry, a cyborg who's trying to save his wife. It looks interesting but there's a huge chance the first-person technique will turn into a distracting gimmick pretty quickly. However you've got to praise innovation I guess. 

Equals:

Another Dystopian film, this time in a world where human emotions no longer exist.

Criminal:
There's some sort of diabolical plot going down, and the CIA recover the memories of a dead operative, implanted into a convicts mind in the hope that he can help stop the plot.

Mr. Right
A romance between a surprisingly ethical hitman and a girl.

The Boss (NSFW):

Melissa McCarthy returns. This time she's disguised herself as an intelligent Sharon Osbourne or something. I swear she's like the Gary Oldman of bad comedy movies.

Mother's Day:
From the creator of Happy Days and director of Valentine's Day Garry Marshall, comes Mother's Day. Up next St. Patricks day. Yeah, I didn't really watch this trailer.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The final trailer for the upcoming superhero dual that everybody's talking about. Features superhero stuff.

Zoolander 2

Like Anchorman 2, Dumb & Dumber To, and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles; Zoolander is getting the sequel that fans of the comedy have long-awaited. Directed once again by Ben Stiller, Zoolander 2 promises outdated supermodels grasping the complexities of modern fashion, full-lipped divas, hipster designers and evil super-villain schemes, but much like that CSI thing, most of us are only here to see Justin Bieber getting shot. 

15 years after the events of the first movie, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) is in hiding after his ‘Centre for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too’ collapses, crushing his wife (Christine Taylor) to death and scarring his friend Hansel’s (Owen Wilson) face. Derek and Hansel are convinced by Billy Zane to return to the fashion industry after “the world’s most beautiful people” are being assassinated, all with Derek’s trademark looks on their faces. Interpol - Fashion Division agent and ex-swimsuit model Melanie Valentina (Penélope Cruz) is investigating the mysterious deaths, with some uncertain link to Rome. Unfortunately, the only man who can help is no longer so hot right now. 

Stiller deals with the Canadian elephant in the room swiftly, killing off Bieber in the opening scene in a gratuitously long, extremely pleasing death that also serves to set up the mysterious plot that drags Zoolander out of hiding, encouraged to leave his snow covered retreat in the Alpine region of New Jersey by his good friend Billy Zane, one of many, many, many, many cameos in the second Zoolander. Much like the original, this film is stupid. It knows it’s stupid and the fans know it’s stupid. However it’s certainly not the first stupid American comedy to come out, so instead it tries to set itself apart from the others. Sadly though it seems to be living in the shadow of the first film - however small that shadow may be, and indeed one of the issues with 2oolander - as it's also know - is its constant references to the original film. Now I actually like Zoolander (the first one - I know this is confusing), however these references don’t serve to explain the first film to those who haven’t seen it. Instead they seem to be there purely as fan-service. Strike one. 

One of the other major issues with the film is Penelope Cruz. Her character is bland, annoying, appallingly acted and seems to only be there as a sexual object for teenage boys to ogle over. Yes, this is a film that mocks superficiality and there’s a reason her character is in this but she could at least get some decent jokes like her vain male counterparts Derek and Hansel. Otherwise the acting overall is fine. This is a close-knit circle of comedic actors that are always able to deliver, but none of them really stand out. Will Ferrell reprises his role as Jacobim Mugatu, who is decidedly Will-Ferrellish and Kristen Wiig is unrecognisable as the floating pile of cologne Alexanya Atoz, one of the more memorable performances. 

That isn’t to say that Zoolander No. 2 doesn’t have its good points. There are certainly plenty of chuckle-worthy moments throughout. It pays homage to a tonne of different movie tropes and farcically exaggerates them with several Bond-esque moments that could easily have been lifted straight from Austin Powers. The story in the original was certainly stronger, and you really can’t beat the petrol fight, but for a light comedy there’s certainly plenty of entertainment. However you can’t escape the somewhat formulaic similarities and rehashed jokes that make you question the creative incentive for a sequel here. 

Zoolander 2 is a decently funny sequel to what could probably be considered a cult movie by now, and there’s reason enough for die-hard fans to fork out for this one. However the endless parade of cameos, idiotic jokes and reused story beats indicate that in time it will probably join the likes of Airplane II, Hangover Part II and Blues Brothers 2000 in the forgotten sequels club, destined to forever live in it’s older brother’s shadow.

Trailers Week 83: 07/02/2016

Miles Ahead:

Don Cheadle directs himself as the legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. Music biopics seem to have got the rough end of the stick in recent years, but with Straight Outta Compton, this and Scorsese's biopic about Frank Sinatra, perhaps that's about to change.

The Confirmation

Another story about rekindling father-son relationships, although this honestly doesn't look too bad. Starring Maria Bello, Clive Owen and Spencer Drever.

Me Before You:

Based on the novel of the same name by JoJo Moyes this romance looks like a blend between The Intouchables and a Nicholas Sparks novel. Starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin.

Get a Job:

Something about employment challenges in your 20's. All I care about is Bryan Cranston has a small role! Hopefully not like his 'small role' in Godzilla. Actually starring Anna Kendrick, Miles Teller & Alison Brie.

Kubo and the Two Strings

A unique looking animation with an all-star cast, including everybody's favourite southern actor, George Takei! Also starring Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes and Rooney Mara.

Demolition:

Second trailer for this black comedy about loss and...uh...taking apart a marriage? Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts and Heather Lind.

Stealing Cars:

The repercussions of playing too much Grand Theft Auto, this looks like a terrible version of One Flew over the Cookoo's Nest and is undoubtedly a waste of William H. Macy's talents. Also starring Emory Cohen and John Leguizamo.

Gods of Egypt - Super Bowl Spot:

Another look at Alex Proyas' upcoming Gods of Egypt. I'm still taking in Geoffrey Rush's bald-cap/eyebrow combo. Also starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler and Brenton Thwaites. 

Anomalisa

Charlie Kaufman’s films are definitely an acquired taste. Kaufman’s scripts for Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind certainly have both rabid fans as well as critics, despite a couple of them approaching cult-film status. His directorial debut Synecdoche, New York is also an immensely polarising film. In comparison, Kaufman’s latest film Anomalisa is less ambiguous and is his first foray into animation. 

A black screen, hundreds of voices (Tom Noonan) growing in volume. An Englishman, Michael Stone (David Thewlis) sits in a plane full of the same people, and no, they’re not all John Malkovich. He lands in Cincinnati, the Taxi driver recommends the Zoo. He arrives at the hotel, the bellboy takes his luggage. He calls home. He pours a drink. He rings an old flame. He smokes a cigarette. Life offers nothing new for Michael, that is at least, until he meets Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh). 

Anomalisa’s funding began on Kickstarter, promising a unique short-film that couldn’t be made as-is under the studio system. After raising nearly half a million on the platform, the film secured additional funding to be stretched out to near feature length. I should start by saying this film features some of the most extraordinary animation yet seen, incredibly lifelike and backed up with astounding cinematography. There are long-continuous shots where the camera follows the characters through doorways and around corridors, all of which would have required months of preparation and complex animation. The result is a surreal world that could only really exist in a Kaufman film. 

As I mentioned earlier, it’s probably the least unusual of his films. Having said that, Kaufman and co-director Duke Johnson use the animation as part of the psychological disconnect that Michael has with his world, and thematically, Anomalisa touches on the correlations between the mundanity of life and the male ego. In essence, it’s about a man going through a mid-life crisis, who turns to adultery. Not an easy premise to sell to an audience, but Kaufman & Johnson are able to find empathy in Michael’s situation, where all the other inhabitants of his world look and sound the same, even his wife and child. Lisa, is the only other person like Michael and becomes his only hope of salvation.

These themes and their embodiments are executed as a darkly comedic look at older life in a bland face-value world, and there were many laugh out loud moments amongst the consistently giggle-worthy script. This is essentially Charlie Kaufman’s version of Lost in Translation. About half way through there is a rather intimate, realistic sex scene which I suppose verges on the side of soft-core porn - I mean, they’re only made of plastic at the end of the day - and that saw about ten people walk out of my screening. However I’d put that down to the cinema I saw it at, which in my experience attracts a pretentious type of audience that only seek out the oxymoronic concept of “safe” art-house films. It’s a rare occasion where I’m the most mature person in a room of pensioners. Also, if you’re going to walk-out of a film, don’t sit there chatting for about ten minutes before leaving, just go. Apologies if this has turned into a rant on cinema etiquette.

I have to give credit to Tom Noonan for playing handfuls and handfuls of different characters; somehow making them distinct, whilst still the same (that’s the best way that I can describe it). Jennifer Jason Leigh’s shy, soft-spoken Lisa is a far cry from her wicked Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight, and the immensely talented David Thewlis gives a dejected lead performance as Michael. The three actors carry the film immensely well, with some challenging scenes that just about always manage to strike the perfect balance between dark comedy and self-reflection. 

Anomalisa is a tragically-funny film that wants us to talk about the secret fear we all have of losing hope, losing interest, slipping into a mundane life where everybody melds into one. A significant portion of the film is devoted to developing this concept, and it ends abruptly just as you’re hankering for more. I’m not even sure if that’s a complaint, but as with any great Kaufman film, it’s likely you’ll leave in an introspective mood. This definitely deserves multiple viewings. 

Lazer Team

                           "Is that it?" "No! It's another crashed alien ship, dumbass!"

Internet juggernauts Rooster Teeth have progressed from strength-to-strength in their 13-plus years of providing online content. From their breakthrough, wildly successful and award-winning Halo Machinima Red Vs. Blue, their YouTube empire spread throughout various channels covering everything from comedy shorts to Let's Plays to pop culture news, to their various podcasts which generate millions of views and downloads each week, it's quite a journey from some blokes in their spare time recording voice overs for video games. More recently the company has turned to their massive fan-base to crowd-fund a dream to make their own film and through Indie-go-go and thanks to generous fans around the world they were able to gather $6 million to make Lazer Team. In the tradition of 80's B-Sci-Fi films, Lazer Team follows four foul-ups from Texas who intercept a package sent by friendly aliens containing weapons and armour to defend against an impending evil-alien warrior-challenge. The four man-children include has-been deputy Hagan (Burnie Burns), former high-school gridiron star and abrasive drunk Herman (Colton Dunn), current high-school star quarterback and arsehole ego-maniac Zach (Michael Jones) and dopey redneck Woody (Gavin Free) who become the protege's of the angry, would-be Earth Champion Adam (Alan Ritchson).

Lazer Team has a simple premise that draws clear influence from the science-fiction of the 80's but with many modern twists. The power of social media, wearable technologies and nostalgia play key roles in the plot and character development and it's these moments that contain Lazer Team's strengths. The group skyrockets into the cultural consciousness because of a Tweet posted almost instantly by the youngest team member upon discovery the alien cache (due to his ego) and this in turn constantly pressures both the characters and the military in the film. The constant search for, interaction with and depiction of ubiquitous modern technologies and social media are believable and identifiable, as one would hope from an internet company. And unlike other attempts at converting internet/YouTube fame into cinematic success (such as the Smosh Movie and the Fred movies), Rooster Teeth's attempt has kept the cinematic aspects at the fore and allowed their more signature elements as a secondary element of the film. Cameo's and in-jokes are there, but more subtle than one may expect and keep in-toe with star Burns' assertion on their podcast that this is "the Rooster Teeth movie not Rooster Teeth: The Movie". It ensures that Lazer Team is a perfectly average film rather than a painfully bad one.

The most prominent problem in Lazer Team is the characters, which is disappointing in regards to Rooster Teeth's usual efforts. There's little to no growth, relations aren't made clear until late in the film and more than enough principal characters are insufferably abrasive. In particular the characters of Zach and Herman come off as one-note arseholes, which severely affects the comedy of the film as it can only come from one place, this person is a jerk or this person is a lazy drunk. And while the film is funny, it just doesn't take the comedy or the concept far enough to become a hit. The budget of the film is visible in every shot, for better or worse, with unmotivated lights peppered around the frame J.J. Abrams style, specifically back-lighting. The film contains a lot of special visual effects that just simply aren't good enough and the theme song of the film that plays during the credits is...just not pleasant. But when the film works it is the fun time you'd expect with, the ute-chase and high-school action scenes are fun, and the film is thankfully led by Burns' easy, loser-appeal (trust me it's a compliment).

Lazer Team is a perfectly okay movie, underwhelming as a fan of Rooster Teeth's other efforts but surely evident that they still have a lot of potential to do cinematic good.

Spotlight

There have been several features - mainly documentaries - focused on child abuse in the Catholic church, Deliver Us From Evil & Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God being two notable ones. Spotlight is the first excellent docudrama to take on the subject matter. With a strong ensemble and in the hands of Director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor) there’s no wonder it’s been a talking point in the film community. 

The year is 2001 and the effects of digital media are starting to hit The Boston Globe. They hire a new editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) who wants to distinguish the newspaper from others by providing stories that the readers need to hear. He turns his attention to the “Spotlight” team, a group of reporters headed by Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) that complete rigorous investigations, taking up to a year to get published. Baron reads a short report on John Geoghan, a paedophile priest who claims the Archbishop Cardinal Law (Len Cariou) knew about the abuse and covered it up. Baron asks the Spotlight team to consider the story, but as they begin investigations, it becomes clear that they’re not just dealing with one priest. 

It’s the time of the year where we get all the Oscar-tailored films come out, and boy is Spotlight a breath of fresh air. It’s an ensemble piece with big-name actors, yet none of them are trying to out-do each other, none of them feel like celebrities with a thin-veneer of humanity for a disguise, and apart from perhaps one scene - which certainly serves a purpose - McCarthy doesn’t sugar-coat the film with dramatic Oscar-winning moments. Spotlight is about a team of exceptional yet humble reporters attempting to uncover shocking revelations, and the investigation takes centre stage. 

McCarthy has acted in Law & Order and The Wire where he must have picked up some tips because Spotlight is one of the most rigorous investigative dramas we’ve seen in recent years. Details are crucial and much like the Spotlight team themselves, we’re thrown into the dark as information comes at us from all angles. People talk fast in this film and often mumble (I’m looking at you Ruffalo) but after the first twenty-or-so minutes you get used to it. This is such a wide and complex investigation to fit into two-hours that it almost thrives on exposition, but because of the nature of the content and the astoundingly well-written dialogue, it just works. 

I’ve seen people compare this to the documentary form and in a surreal way this kind of does feel like the real events unfolding before your eyes. The understated acting, straightforward cinematography and brutally honest depictions remove the fourth wall and place you in the film as if you’re another member of the team. At parts, the investigation slows to a grind and it makes you frustrated. The 9/11 attacks occur during the period and all the reporters have to switch their focus, further delaying the release of the report. For a film that’s structured for detail and information, there’s a remarkable amount of suspense throughout. 

There's really not a lot more to say about Spotlight. It isn’t the sort of film you go to for entertainment, but it definitely holds your attention. It’s not designed to win acting awards, but it has fantastic performances. It’s procedural drama at its best and absolutely required viewing.