January at the Movies

• This article was first published on 01/01/12 in VIDA magazine.
• Release dates are subject to change. All films released locally by KRS Film Distributors Ltd.

film of the month:

War Horse

Steven Spielberg made a much-welcomed return to the director’s chair last month, with a first for him - an animated film - but his usual style of adventure and awe. Now he’s back again, and this time with another two of his areas of expertise - war, and heart-wrenching emotion. War Horse is a beautiful tale of a boy who grows to love the horse he cares for, only to see him whisked off to serve in World War I. Although too young to enlist as a soldier himself, the boy eventually sets off on an impossible mission to find his horse and bring him safely home.

The original children’s book was brought to life in spectacular fashion as a piece of stunning theatre (if you’re in London, I strongly recommend it), which uses uncannily realistic puppetry to bring the equine stars to life. Now it’s getting the big screen treatment, and you can bet that Spielberg’s version will be just as moving. Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Emily Watson (Punch-Drunk Love), Tom Hiddleston (Thor) and David Thewlis (Harry Potter) star, although they will probably be outdone by the stars on four legs and the British countryside.

Richard Curtis, who does comedy and romance so well (Four Weddings, Love Actually, Blackadder) has adapted the screenplay, and Spielberg-regular John Williams will be providing the score. Not that the story needs much more emotion, but Williams usually manages to add a layer, or five. Whether you like Spielberg’s adult fare or his childlike awe, this should do the trick.

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also released this month:

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I was recently in a London hospital waiting room, hoping that a tutorial hadn’t been cancelled, when my ears pricked up and I eavesdropped slightly. Two very prim and proper British ladies next to me were having a matter-of-fact debate about whether Daniel Craig would make a good Mikael Blomkvist in the new adaptation of the book. They proceeded to analyse most of the main characters, and an uninformed listener might have thought they were discussing a 70s soap opera on the BBC, not a twisted and often shocking crime thriller from Sweden. But such is the reach of the late Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy, that mums everywhere can hold very strong opinions about the infamous Lisbeth Salander and her tortured past. The Swedes rightly got to the books first, and made three very good films out of them. Now it’s the Americans’ turn. I groaned at first, but with David Fincher at the helm, and what is so far unanimous acclaim for Rooney Mara’s performance as the petite but ruthless heroine, this is looking better by the minute. Rounding off the cast is Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger, Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger and Robin Wright as Erika Berger. David Fincher does dark and twisted wonderfully (Se7en, Zodiac) and he even managed to make the birth of facebook a riveting thriller. This should be brilliant.

Immortals

If you’ve ever seen a film or music video by Tarsem Singh, you probably remember it. His visual style is quite unique, and he is more than willing to sacrifice story and flow just to make every shot worthy of a fancy frame. The Cell looked so great that J.Lo wasn’t the best-looking prop in it, and The Fall started off with a masterpiece prologue before diving into colour and looking gorgeous throughout. So he seems like a good fit for more tales of Greek gods and muscly heroes, since 300 was similarly spectacular and artsy. This film looks like an obvious offshoot of that Spartan tale, and we can expect a lot more shiny abdominals and slow-motion spear-throwing. Let’s hope there a plot in there somewhere.

My Week With Marilyn

Like many stars who died young, Marilyn Monroe has been immortalised at her peak, which is why decades later she casts a spell over people who were born decades after her demise. But, unlike many of the pin-up blondes of today, she was famous for more than just her looks (and her line of perfume, etc.) - she was an acclaimed actress who starred with the best. This nostalgia trip looks back at her encounter with the acting institution that is Sir Laurence Olivier (played by Kenneth Branagh), whilst filming in the UK. A young assistant gets to show Marilyn around the British isles, and quickly discovers the extent of her allure. Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) is receiving heaps of praise for her portrayal of the blonde bombshell, and the film looks to be the best one about her yet.

The Iron Lady

If you’re not convinced by Michelle Williams’ portrayal of Marilyn Monroe, you can pop into the adjacent screen and watch the master at work. Soon after disappearing inside the character of Julia Child, Meryl Streep has now transformed herself once again and is Margaret Thatcher. Her acting, her voice and the hair and makeup make it quite uncanny to even see the film posters, and that’s usually enough of a guarantee that you will immerse into the film plot and forget you’re watching a performance. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia!) the film focuses on the run-up to the Falklands war in the early 80s, and is the first big-screen portrayal of the larger-than-life prime minister who still polarizes the public today.

J. Edgar

And rounding off this month’s trio of impersonations, Leonardo DiCaprio takes on a less well-known figure, J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover set up and built the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) across the Atlantic, and is the man credited with making it the crime-fighting powerhouse that it is today. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film also starts Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Josh Lucas (A Beautiful Mind), Judi Dench (Iris) and Naomi Watts (King Kong). The script is by Dustin Lance Black, who shot to fame after penning the Oscar-winning Milk a couple of years ago.

The Darkest Hour

Timur Bekmambetov may not ring as many bells as, say, Steven Spielberg, but he’s only just making the transition from Russia to Hollywood, and the syllable count isn’t in his favour. After a couple of acclaimed films in his homeland, he brought his stylish action to the film Wanted, which had numerous sequences that you couldn’t dream up if you were the least sober person at Woodstock. He now turns his mix of action and spectacle to the subject of hostile aliens, and this film centres around five young heroes tries to survive an invasion of Moscow. To make things interesting, you can’t see the aliens.

Screen Themes - More Music for Lounging

Part 2 of the stress-reducing selection of jazzy score tracks, from film noir scores and a variety of other genres.

More Music For Lounging // 14th March 2011 // #16 by Screenthemes // Markcamilleri on Mixcloud

Gran Torino

• Released Internationally on 12/12/08
• Released in Malta by KRS on 20/02/09

 

In a nutshell

Recently widowed Walt Kowalski is retired after a lifetime of service in the car-making industry, and as a soldier in the Korean War. He has strongly-held beliefs about manhood, the American way, religion and the influx of immigrants into his neighbourhood, but they’re all about to be tested by his relationship with his troubled neighbours.

Welcome to the neighbourhood

Despite being of Polish descent himself, Walt considers himself a true American, and openly dislikes all the immigrants moving into his locality, just as he picks on his Italian barber and disapproves of his son’s Asian car. He knows what he likes, right down to his favourite brand of beer and his prized possession – a 1972 Ford Gran Torino, and he’s determined not to make anyone change his mind. His neighbourhood is attracting a large number of immigrants however, especially Hmong families, who are an ethnic group from Southeast Asia. He makes no attempt to befriend his Hmong next-door neighbours, and all he asks is that they stay off his lawn.

So many issues, so little time

One of the great feats of this deceptively-simple film is the large number of issues it manages to tackle so convincingly in under two hours, which is what makes it so enjoyable to watch and so effortlessly flowing. The character of Walt manages to combine the increasingly important topics of racism, growing old, religion and violence, and the film manages to be a remarkable study of all of them. Walt’s relationship with the village pastor, whom his wife was very close with but who he calls an ‘over-educated, 27-year-old virgin’, is particularly amusing to watch.

The man who makes the movie

The film starts, ends and is all about Clint Eastwood. He directs, acts, produces, and even lends his gravelly voice to the end credits song. The role is perfect for him because with such a rich on-screen history, it’s easy to see him as the hardened, experienced old man who’s still as tough as nails and not to be messed with. His weathered face, his deliberately slow pace, and his attention-demanding voice are enough to put genuine fear into the most loud-mouthed of youths.

Changing priorities

As the local gangs start to pick on the fatherless girl and boy next door, Walt comes to the rescue – at first just to stop the inconvenience to his property, but later out of genuine concern and righteousness. Hailed as a hero by his Hmong neighbours, he finds himself slowly drawn into their world, and takes on the missing paternal role in the life of the unconfident and bullied son. As his feud with the gangs begins to escalate, Walt is forced to decide just how much he is willing to sacrifice so that his immigrant neighbours can finally find some peace in their new neighbourhood.

In the end

The film delivers on every level. Clint Eastwood is fascinating to watch, and the different aspects of his changing character are easy to sympathise with. Despite his hardened exterior at the start of the film, every change we see in him comes about convincingly, and he never loses face or seems defeated – on the contrary, he rises above everyone else and becomes a man we should all aspire to be like. All the action happens within the same few blocks of Michigan neighbourhood, and there aren’t any fancy special effects, but this is one of the best-written and important films to come out of 2008.

 

 

Trailer:

Changeling

 

• Released Internationally on 31/10/08
• Released in Malta by KRS on 03/12/08

Preview (18/11/08)

In a nutshell

Based on a true case that occurred in the US in the 1928, this emotional drama is about a mother’s struggle to find justice when she realises that the son who is returned to her after a kidnapping isn’t in fact her own.

Who’s in it?

Angelina Jolie dominates the poster, promotional material and screen-time as Christine Collins, the mother on a mission, and her performance has received heaps of praise since the film screened at the Cannes film festival. The ever-entertaining John Malkovich portrays a local minister who embraces Collins’ cause and helps her fight her way to the truth. Amy Ryans, who was very impressive as another distraught mother in Gone Baby Gone plays a convicted prostitute who befriends Collins and helps her through the darkest part of her ordeal.

Why we’re hyped

Ron Howard was originally approached to direct, but he eventually declined, and Clint Eastwood took over. The man-with-no-name himself has peaked in his old age, and has directed some of the best films of the past decade, including the wonderful Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Letters from Iwo Jima. These character dramas seem to be his forte, and they suit his subtle and unhurried style. He also wrote the soft but effective musical score, as he has done on many of his recent films. With him behind the camera, and Angelina Jolie in front, this Oscar-bait of a movie has class written all over it.

Review (16/12/08)

Mum on a mission

The film opens with a few scenes showing the relationship between Collins and her only son, before quickly arriving at the day in question when he disappeared. A brief mention of the father establishes that she is an only mum, and as the drama unfolds it becomes more and more evident how this son was her reason for living. Like every mum should, she tries everything to get him back as soon as possible, but unfortunately for her she is living in Los Angeles in the 20s, when apparently the police force was as clean as a Zimbabwe election.

The city’s finest

Eastwood’s film is as much about the distraught mum as it is about the corrupt LAPD. The focus on the laughable police department is essential as it proves to be the reason for most of Collins’ trouble, and the delay and eventual error in returning her son. Determined to improve their tarnished public image, the boys in blue will stop at nothing to get some good press, even if it means shushing up a single woman with a serious complaint, and forcing her to smile for the cameras as if the police have reunited her with her son. The embodiment of the conscienceless police force is wonderfully done by Jeffrey Donovan as the police captain, and it’s him and his army of goons that the audience should find it easy to hate.

Tales of mystery and terror

The hatred soon shifts target though, as Collins is placed in a rather unorthodox psychiatric hospital, where the staff leave much to be desired. Although psychiatric hospitals are easy targets for filmmakers who want to stage a few terrifying scenes, the archaic practices displayed here are possibly excused by the period setting, and in fact the film clearly explains that the procedure of mental health referral was changed by cases such as these. Later, the truth starts emerging about the boy’s whereabouts, and we suddenly realise that there are much worse things than being a corrupt cop or a psycho psychiatrist.

Tres Jolie

The plot takes a number of turns, and keeps us interested by providing a mini-climax every half-hour or so, rather than slowly building to one huge one. And tying everything together is the magnificent performance by Angelina Jolie, who holds steadfast throughout and never looks like giving up. She looks great in this period setting, and it’s gripping to watch her battle on and finally earn a few moments of joy in her life. It seems her real-life experience raising around 76 children with Brad Pitt has paid off, because she clearly shows us how Collins was a mum we would all be proud of.

 

Trailer: