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Boyhood (2014)
Nice idea that outstays it's welcome
I'm writing this at the two thirds mark of a very long film, mainly out of sheer boredom.
The film starts well enough but the acting of the lead boy deteriorates as he ages and the character becomes more and more dull. Watching hours of some mumbling kid does not make for good entertainment.
Patricia Arquette is good in the earlier scenes when she has some drama to get her teeth into but basically does nothing much for most of the remainder of the film. Ethan Hawke puts in a good turn as the caring but mainly absent father.
Overall a bit of a disappointment after all of the acclaim.
West of Memphis (2012)
When should a documentary film maker campaign for justice, rather than simply documenting it? And where does it leave our verdict as a viewer?
In 1993 three young boys are found in a ditch, bound and mutilated. The local police, desperate for a conviction, make a connection between the marks on the dead children's bodies and Satanic rituals. Before long suspicion falls on three local teenagers, and in particular, Damien Echols, who with his died black hair, stands out from the rest of the community. At the 1993 trial, evidence of Echols interest with Satanic symbols surfaces, which, along with a confession from Jessie Misskelley, is enough to convict all three, and in Damien's case, bring a death sentence.
Over the following 15 years, doubt over the convictions grows, and fanned by several celebrities taking up the cause (Eddie Vedder, Jonny Depp among them), eventually force the Arkansas state to re-look at the case.
This documentary, produced by Peter Jackson, and directed by Amy Berg, is more than just a skillful re-telling of the story, from the original trial through to the eventual final judgement. Far from just reporting the defence campaign, the film-makers get involved in the campaign, helping organise DNA analysis, and setting-up a strong case against another member of the family for the killings.
The film gradually dismantles the original prosecution case, pointing out the lack of the teenagers DNA evidence at the crime scene, explaining that far from sexual mutilation, the dead children's injuries were actually post mortem, from snapper turtles, living in the creek. In the final third of the film, having done a convincing job of un-picking the evidence, the film makers pull out a final card. Using new DNA techniques, they test the single strand of hair found in the shoelaces used to tie up one of the victims. It's found to belong to one of the dead children's step father's, Terry Hobbs. The film then focuses on Hobbs, using interviews with his estranged wife and family to accuse him of being a child sex abuser, one with a violent temper, and jealous of the attention his step-son was receiving from his partner.
Eventually, in 2012, the District Attorney strikes a deal, that grants the convicted teenagers freedom, in return for their guilty plea, thereby avoiding a costly re-trial and compensation. It's an un-satisfactory legal outcome, but one that Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin understandably elect to take-up, and finally secure their freedom after 15 years of incarceration.
This is undoubtedly a very skillful documentary, which after a slow start, grows into a riveting story, with twists in the evidence and the legal process with up to the end. But it's a one sided affair, and the film-makers direct involvement with the campaign, muddies the waters, and asks the viewer to take their side.
While probable that there was mis-carriage of justice, or at the very least, that the convictions were "unsafe and unsatisfactory", the film and the case leave significant ambiguity behind. Some of the parents of the dead children still firmly believe that the real killers were indeed the ones that were found guilty back in 1993, and Terry Hobb's is left with the finger of suspicion hanging over him, never to be proved or dis-proved for the rest of his life.
Behind the Candelabra (2013)
A great Michael Douglas performance elevates this HBO flick well above a standard bio-pic
Behind the Candelabra, directed by Steven Soderbergh, was aired in the US some time back, but European interest in it has been piqued by it's positive recent screening at Cannes (though it failed to pick up any major prize in the end), and praise for Michael Douglas's performance as Liberace, the rhinestone encrusted camp performer.
It's Douglas's performance that pulls the film above it's otherwise light weight TV bio pic feel. He puts in a bravado performance as late era Liberace, desperate to hang onto his rapidly ageing looks and young lovers. While perhaps not quite an Oscar worthy performance (and in any case it's 'made for TV' credentials and the release timing would seem to rule it out for any Academy Awards) it is nonetheless a brave performance. Douglas manages to evoke sympathy, bemusement and occasionally queasiness. The morning after first bedding the youthful Scott, played by a very buff Matt Damon, the ageing Lothario leans forward, his wizened face pulled into focus, and murmurs salaciously "Look who's up" before disappearing under the bed clothes.
Matt Damon as Scott, Liberace's companion, employee and lover for five years, puts in a nicely under stated performance, with Rob Lowe providing a comedic turn as the plastic surgeon, and a rare outing for Dan Akroyd, as Liberace's agent, desperately trying to keep his employer's sexuality a secret.
Incredibly, despite his fondness for buff men, small dogs, and outsize appetite for outrageous kitch, Liberace continued to deny his homosexuality right up to the end. But as the 1980′s entered, and the rumours & press intrusion became greater, along with a lawsuit from Scott, it proved harder and harder to keep it a secret.
Ultimately it was death that finally revealed the man behind the candelabra, the California coroner's office refusing to accept the cause of death as heart complications, and instead ordering a new autopsy, and revealing that the entertainer had died of complications from Aids. Michael Douglas, himself suffering from serious health issues recently, pulls no punches in playing out the closing scenes, bald, gaunt, with a near death grey pallor, with all of the flamboyant vivaciousness of the great performer mercilessly stripped away by disease.
Despite the end, the film is an enjoyable romp, and worth seeking out, if only to see Michael Douglas as you've never seen him before
Jagten (2012)
Exceptional film from Denmark
The Hunt is a harrowing, tough but compelling watch. The story of a forty year old teacher, Lucas is re-building his life after an acrimonious divorce. Popular at school, seemingly a natural with his young charges, and in the first flush of a romance with a pretty fellow worker, his world is turned upside down by an almost casual accusation by Klara, a young girl at the school, and the daughter of his best friend.
The film documents Lucas's gradual descent into a living hell, dis-owned by everyone in a small close knit rural community, and a child trapped by her own lies, and her by her family's un- shaking willingness to believe her.
Gripping, and well acted, particularly by Mads Mikkelson, who is exceptional as the wrongly accused Lucas, betrayed, angry, but sill fighting to preserve his dignity. This is a taut, well paced drama, a nightmare set amongst the beauty of the Danish countryside.
Stoker (2013)
Good, but not great, dark psychological thriller
This dark psychological thriller scores highly on IMDb (7.9 at the time of writing), but I found it a perplexing and frustrating watch.
Directed by Korean director Chan-wook Park (previously best known in the West for the well-received Oldboy) the story, such as it is, revolves largely around India, a young girl, recently bereaved by the loss of her father. When her long lost Uncle returns, events in the family household take a sinister and mysterious turn (with more than a nod to Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt).
There are themes of obsession, jealousy, sexual longing and hints of dark family secrets but the motivations for them are never explained or developed. All of the characters are cold, and emotionally closed, making caring for what happens to any of them difficult.
Jackie Weaver, one of my favourite supporting actresses, is wasted as Auntie Gwen, who has little more to do than turn up unannounced to a less than warm welcome, say a couple of lines of dialogue, before leaving for a shorter than expected stay in a local hotel.
Nicole Kidman, does pretty much what Nicole Kidman does best, mainly just hanging around looking beautiful, brittle but not really emoting much more than a cold, static detachment. To be fair, on this occasion she doesn't really have much to work with, and her performance is in tune with the sombre, repressed tone of the film.
There are some things to enjoy, the cinematography is stunning, with some great outdoor location work in the woods and highways that surround the family house. There are several set pieces that are well conveyed, particularly when the Uncle and India play an emotionally charged piano duet.
Mia Wasikowska puts in the best performance here as India, conveying both inner emotional turmoil and later in the film, an emerging sexual awareness and yearning. She also is a dab hand with a pencil.
While interesting, ultimately, the lack of a coherent plot, or any desire to explain lose ends (the shoes, the key to the drawer), means it falls short of greatness.
Killing Them Softly (2012)
Predictable gangster film with Pitt on auto pilot
Brad Pitt stars in this run of the mill gangster revenge flick, distinguished only by a couple of imaginative cinematic flourishes, and an interesting sound track.
Pitt plays an enforcer, hired by the Mob to restore order after three amateurs hit a Mob organised card game. That's pretty much it plot wise.
Killing Them Softly does have it's moments, the slow motion sequence when the Ray Liotta gets whacked is effective, and the film has an interesting look, with a washed out colour palette accompanied by an off-beat sound track. It also attempts some character development, with long dialogue sequences, but these lack the sparkle and wit to hold the viewers attention.
The film is set in 2008, (though it's more like a 70′s movie in feel) against the back drop of the Obama first inauguration and it seems to want to draw a comparison between the new Presidents "Audacity of Hope" and "One Nation" message, with the crime ridden reality of many of America's large cities, but this is never really explored or developed in any depth.
Performance wise, Brad Pitt puts in yet another completely forgettable appearance, mumbling through his lines, and seemingly content to just look cool in his aviators and leather jacket. James Gandolfini plays, what else, a hood who can't hold it together to complete the revenge hits. The more interesting performances come from the two amateur robbers, played by Scoot McNairy and Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn
Killing Them Softly does have one redeeming feature – it't doesn't feature that god awful song from Roberta Flack
Flight (2012)
Highly entertaining, if implausible story of a brilliant pilot battling with alcoholism.
*spoilers*
Denzel Washington puts in a solid performance as Whip, a brilliant but flawed airline pilot, in this tale of a man trying to make peace with himself.
Within five minutes of the film starting, we've pretty much got the low-down on the darker side of his character – Whip is an air hostess banging, coke snorting, alcoholic with a failed marriage. His has a couple of redeeming features, mainly an easy charm, and his ability to land an aircraft upside down, after it suffers a catastrophic mechanical failure.
The early scenes of Flight, leading up to the air craft crash landing in a field, are white knuckle stuff. This is one film you definitely do not want to catch on an in-flight entertainment system. After he saves the lives of most of the passengers, in a seemingly implausible air born manoeuvre, Whip wakes in a hospital to find the authorities have already carried a blood test, and are likely to find him guilty of flying while under the influence, and of the manslaughter of the five or so passenger and crew that didn't survive the crash. The remainder of the film centres around him trying to straighten out, and face up to his responsibilities.
Denzel Washington puts in an accomplished performance, and while gaining an Oscar nomination, it's not likely to rob Daniel Day-Lewis from taking home the silver ware come late February. He's ably supported by Don Cheedle and Bruce Greenwood, as the lawyer and union rep trying to keep him out of jail.
John Goodman makes a barn storming appearance as Whip's drug buddy, and seems to have wandered in from an entirely different film. While I love John Goodman, it was at this point that I started to dis-engage from the film emotionally – one minute you're being asked to sympathise with Whip's plight, the next you're plunged into an Argo meets Big Lebowski mash-up.
Overall, it's an entertaining ride, ably helmed for the most part by Robert Zemeckis, but veers into a unlikely romantic sub story involving Whip and a Heroin addict in the middle, and is, like many Hollywood films, way too long and a suffers from a very American ending. For all that, it's a great watch
Mattwhittingham.com/category/film