Silver Linings Playbook - Review

Adapted from a novel of the same name by Matthew Quick, David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook is a lesson in how to make a romantic-comedy, and hide it from the audience. Following on from 2010's The Fighter, Russell is quickly building a reputation as an actor-friendly director to watch. His screenplay is first class, mastering the quirky laughs and serious moments together in harmony. The acting is superb, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence put in career-best performances, and the support cast handles itself perfectly.

When Pat (Cooper) is picked up by his mother, Delores (Jacki Weaver) from a mental institution, he returns home determined to regain the trust of his ex-wife Nikki (Brea Bee). Pat's determination to return to marriage and his irrational behaviour begins to irritate his father, Pat Sr. (Robert de Niro), and begins to cause troubles at home, where Pat Sr. is running an illegal bookmaking operation. While catching up with his friend Ronnie (John Ortiz) for dinner, Pat Jr. meets the troubled, sexy and recently widowed Tiffany (Lawrence). The pair begin a wild friendship, and when Tiffany offers help in commencing communication with Nikki in return for partnership in a dance competition, Pat Jr. jumps at the opportunity. The couple practice daily, while Pat's brother (Shea Whigham) and a friend from the institution (Chris Tucker) return to his life.

Put simply, Silver Linings Playbook is a heartwarming and deceptively funny film. Cooper handles the lead role well, in probably his best performance yet. His ability to switch from drama to comedy is a rare skill. Lawrence puts together a fabulous performance as Tiffany. Her vulnerability and sexiness go hand in hand through the film, and she is deservedly right in line for an Oscar. Reportedly Anne Hathaway had the role but had to drop out due to The Dark Knight Rises, and at least for me, that worked well for the film. de Niro puts in one of his better performances in a lean patch of recent films, and his monologues in particular are a stand out. Weaver and Tucker play well, and Tucker's surprising addition to the cast is excellent.
Ultimately the praise has to go to Russell, who wrote the screenplay and directed without many faults. It unfortunately does take a reasonable time to introduce Tiffany, and a couple of sub-plots drag on, however Silver Linings Playbook puts on a clinic in the dying art of the romantic-comedy, and is easily the best one of the last twelve months.

8.3 out of 10 - Great.

David O. Russell puts out another beauty, lead by stellar performances from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

Django Unchained - Review

For many Quentin Tarantino can do no wrong. That belief is confirmed with Django Unchained, a typical Tarantino mix of blood, characterization and pure entertainment. Django Unchained is a spaghetti western, reminiscent of the blaxploitation era, it features terrific performances by Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie is run by Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio though, who dominate the screen in stellar performances.

In 1858, enslaved Django (Jamie Foxx) meets a traveling dentist, Dr. King Schultz (Waltz). Schultz enlists Django to help him find a trio of wanted brothers, as Schultz reveals he is actually a bounty hunter. Through success the two become good friends, and when Django confirms that his estranged wife, Broomhilda (Washington) is in 'Candieland', a plantation owned by sinister Calvin Candie (DiCaprio). Django and Schultz set out to rescue her and reunite the couple, running into trouble with the head slave, Stephen (Jackson).

This movie just bursts of Tarantino. From the exhuberant and wildly successful direction and fun character names and quirks, to the gory shoot-outs and fun soundtrack. Much like many other movies recently however, Django Unchained runs for an incredibly long 165 minutes. There are sections and scenes that are unnecessary and elongate the film.
The cast makes the length of the film worth it though. Foxx puts in an understated performance in the key titular role, and pulls off Django. Waltz and DiCaprio are what you will be talking about after seeing Django Unchained though. Waltz proves that he is made for Tarantino films with a wonderful, humorous and heartfelt turn as King Schultz. DiCaprio is the opposite though. He puts in a deadly and genuinely scary performance as the evil Calvin Candie. His balance between evil and even handed hospitality is brilliant, making DiCaprio my pick for Best Supporting Actor honours at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
Django Unchained features frequent use of the 'N word', and some confronting scenes involving deadly one on one fights. Some may take offence to these two aspects of the movie, but it has been proven to be historically accurate and moves the plot forward. Another scene projecting an early incarnation of the KKK is also prevalent, but it is wonderfully written by Tarantino, and one of the better moments of the film.

8.9 out of 10 - Fantastic.

Tarantino puts in another winner, combining great writing, directing and acting is a sure fire way to make a terrific film.

Zero Dark Thirty - Review

For director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal, following up their collaboration on The Hurt Locker was always going to be a tough task. Yet Zero Dark Thirty not only matches Hurt Locker,  it surpasses it. The tense and gripping film builds from a graphic and confronting opening, to a thrilling and unmissable ending. Along the way Jessica Chastain owns the character of Maya, and the supporting cast, led by Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle and Mark Strong impress with good performances.

Zero Dark Thirty picks up in the aftermath of 9/11, with a fresh CIA operative, Maya (Chastain) joining Dan (Clarke) in Pakistan to aid in interrogation (torture) of contacts to disarm al-Qeada and Osama bin Laden. Working with a team led by Dan and including Jack (Harold Perrineau) and Jessica (Ehle), answering to Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), Maya begins to make progress towards locating bin Laden. When a terrorist attack sees the death of a close friend, Maya's task turns to obsession. She eventually works with George (Strong) and tries to convince the Director of the CIA (James Gandolfini) to act on a hunch she develops, which involves a Navy SEAL team led by Patrick (Edgerton).

Chastain owns the screen as Maya, who may be based on a real person, much like Jeremy Renner in Hurt Locker, and deserves accolades for her ability to balance Maya's desperate obsession with bin Laden and her human frailties. Clarke as Dan is a real presence over the screen, and he almost steals his scenes. Ehle also puts in a fantastic performance as Jessica.
Zero Dark Thirty is like Homeland on steroids. It features similar build ups in tension, and spectacular releases. The final sequence is pulsating and breathtaking, even though we all know what the end result will be. Bigelow balances the action with human emotions, and the alternations between the dark and night vision is brilliant. At 156 minutes, Zero Dark Thirty is a little long, which can become evident in the middle period of the film, but all is forgiven in the last half an hour. Bigelow proves that she is a frontline director with a documentary style and fly-on-the-wall characteristics. This results in a strong hold over the audience and personifies Maya's plight. The early torture scenes are confronting and may cause distress to some viewers, however it adds to the desperation inside the characters to perform 'For God and Country'.
Without a doubt, Zero Dark Thirty is one of the best films of our summer, and one of the best in recent years.

9.1 out of 10 - Amazing.

Zero Dark Thirty is a must see. Spot on performances, perfect direction and unstoppable suspense flow through the entire film. 

Lincoln - Review

When Steven Spielberg combines with Daniel Day-Lewis on a dramatic biopic about Abraham Lincoln, you expect greatness. While Lincoln isn't perfect, it oozes with greatness. Spielberg performs at his best and Day-Lewis, as usual is near faultless in his recreation of history. The support cast is terrific, particularly Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. Lincoln is perfect for awards, yet it stumbles in its ending and runs a little long.

Having recently been elected, Abraham Lincoln (Day-Lewis) is faced with the task of trying to end the Civil War and his personal ambition to abolish slavery. Working with Secretary of State William Seward (David Strathairn), Lincoln attempts to win over members of House of Representatives to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, a change that will abolish slavery and essentially end the war. He is met with support from Republicans, including the brash Thaddeus Stevens (Lee Jones) and opposition from Democrats. Meanwhile, Lincoln's son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) returns home from schooling and flags a desire to join the war, met with disapproval from the erratic First Lady Mary-Todd Lincoln (Sally Field). Lincoln is forced to juggle personal and political challenges, while everyone around him questions how much power Lincoln has and needs.

The look and sound (a brilliant score by John Williams) of Lincoln feels of greatness. The script by Tony Kushner has sharp dialogue and fits in powerful scenes and moments rapidly enough during the approximate 150 minute running time to keep interest high. It isn't perfect though, the ending, without trying to give too much away, is unnecessary and rushed. Gordon-Levitt's role of Robert Lincoln is a key one on paper, but becomes lost in the film, along with a role by James Spader. The long list of important characters is hard to fit in, and Gordon-Levitt in particular seems useless to the narrative. Lincoln is great though, and Spielberg is fantastic. The opening sequence in particular, slowly revealing Lincoln is breathtaking. Expect Day-Lewis to pocket another Oscar for his role, and Spielberg wont be far off Best Director honours. Field is also a worthy candidate in a movie that promises greatness and delivers.

8.2 out of 10 - Great.

It was important to the history of the United States that Lincoln was inspiring and well made. Lincoln pulls it all off.

Review - Flight

Robert Zemeckis was amongst the peak of modern directors at the turn of the century, and then he changed. Following acclaimed movies Cast Away and What Lies Beneath, Zemeckis didn't direct a live action movie until Flight. Flight is a vehicle for Denzel Washington to return to drama after a string of generally good action films, and a chance for Zemeckis to reestablish himself as one of the better directors in film. Flight comes off as a good film, but fails to reach great heights.

Captain William 'Whip' Whitaker (Washington) wakes up hungover one morning after drinking heavily with fellow flight crew member Katerina Marquez (Nadine Velazquez). Whitaker has a flight to pilot that morning, and despite suspicious looks from co-pilot, Ken Evans (Brian Ger aghty) gets the plane in the air and through some early turbulence. Everything goes down from there, literally, as a fault in the plane makes flying impossible and Whitaker performs a miraculous maneuver to land the plane with only 6 casualties. Whitaker becomes an instant celebrity for his heroic actions, until he comes under scrutiny from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following a toxicology report. Whitaker meets a recovering drug addict, Nicole (Kelly Reilly) in hospital and begins a relationship with her however, Whitaker's addiction to alcohol continues to torment him as a hearing at the NTSB approaches, and his separation from his wife and son begin to take a toll on Whitaker, all while union rep Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood) and lawyer Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) try to nurse him to the trial.

Flight is seemingly all dependent on Washington and he doesn't let the film down. The intriguing plot however tends to drag on, and Washington's anti-hero begins to grate on the audience as his bad decisions continue to pile up. Washington dominates the screen in this film, and carries it well. He appears to be in a fight with Daniel Day-Lewis and possibly Hugh Jackman for the best actor Oscar, ad would be a worthy recipient. Cheadle, as seemingly always, is terrific in his performance, and John Goodman has a very good role as well. Reilly seems a little off in her performance, and the character of Nicole gets lost behind Whitaker. Zemeckis direction is stable, yet not spectacular, reflecting the movie as a whole. The nearly 140 minute running time for Flight is probably 20-30 minutes too long, and this results in Whitaker becoming annoying and frustrating. Flight is an interesting and entertaining film however, and well worth seeing.

7.0 out of 10 - Good.

Washington's performance and the interesting story line hold Flight together just long enough, before the anti-hero really begins to annoy.