The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Director Steven Spielberg and Producer Peter Jackson bring to the big screen the beloved comic book character Tintin in glorious 3D motion capture. Jamie Bell is the young journalist/detective Tintin, who is thrust into a century old mystery when he buys a model ship known as the Unicorn, which sunk in the 17th century. Ivan Sakharine (Daniel Craig) desperately tires to buy the model Unicorn ship off Tintin for mysterious motives, Tintin however refuses to sell and instead begins to investigate the secrets surrounding the Unicorn. Along the way he befriends Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) ancestor to the Captain of the Unicorn.
This is one film that definitely has to be seen in 3D. The animation is beautiful and the action scenes are inventive, flawless and thrilling. There are plenty of hilarious slapstick in the film that is bound to get anyone laughing. The scene transitions are especially cool and while many audience members will not take note of them, film buffs with a keen eye are sure to find enjoyment from them. The voice acting is top notch, even Daniel Craig is impressive, something I had reservations about due to his crap-tastic accent in Defiance. My favorite part of the film was however Tintin's dog Snowy, an incredibly smart and loyal sidekick.  The main let down in this film is the lack of emotion in Act Three/the climax. Two particular characters should be very personally connected through a century old family feud, but there is no successful emotional payoff in the resolution of this fight. As the film title suggests, Tintin is the main character but the story turns out to be more about Captain Haddock. Tintin, especially in the crisis point dwindles in the background, which has a negative flow on the film.
This Tintin film is the first in a planned trilogy with Peter Jackson to direct the sequel. We all know that Peter Jackson is very capable of topping the first film in a franchise (ie. LOTR  sequels) so here's hoping that the Tintin sequel is even better.

The Ides of March

Press secretary Stephen Meyers, RYAN GOSLING, with campaign manager Paul Zara, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, are working together on a political campaign for who they hope will be the next president of the United States. Their boss, democratic Governor Mike Morris, GEORGE CLOONEY, has to first win the primary vote in the state of Ohio against fellow democratic Senator Pullman, MICHAEL MANTELL, so the presidential candidates can be decided. 
Stephen Meyers thinks he has the best job in the world and believes he is working for a great man, but this campaign trail will have him questioning the people he works with, his love for politics and what lengths he will take to keep at the top.
This is an intense political thriller directed by George Clooney himself. The story doesn't ride far from reality and one can easily imagine these secret meetings, dirty compromises and immoral actions happening within any political nation. The script is clever and at times even witty, making something so intricate as politics, fun and engaging for audiences.
Every actor brings their best to the film, Evan Rachel Wood as a campaign intern is especially good. But it is Ryan Gosling that steals the show, confirming he is the top actor of 2011.
If you want confirmation that the world is a happy place where people skip around rainbows and eat cupcakes, maybe don't watch this film. Everyone can be victim to lies, betrayal and greed, this film doesn't side step anything not even to reconfirm the possible existence of the great American dream.

War Horse

This is obviously not Steven Spielberg's first war movie, it is however the first war movie he tells through the eyes of a horse. The story follows the friendship between farm boy, Albert and an unlikely work horse, Joey. This friendship is put to the test when Joey is sold to the British Calvary with the onset of World War One. The story follows Joey and his new owners throughout the course of the war.
This is an epic and emotional journey in vain of old classic Hollywood films. The horses of course steal the limelight and the human stories come second to the struggles that these great animals have to face. There is something so powerful watching these horses onscreen performing with such emotion and personality; the audience knows exactly what these horses are thinking. 
The film is slightly lengthy and the middle story may be too long but this length is important to validate the conclusion of the story. The cinematography is beautiful evoking images of Hollywood classics, for instance the colours of the end of the film are reminiscent to a scene in Gone With The Wind.
This may not be the greatest war movie that Spielberg has directed but it does have just as much heart and emotion. Like every character in the film touched by Joey's personality, you too will find it hard to not fall in love with this amazing beast. 

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

The Twilight Saga is back with its fourth installment of the final novel in the series, Breaking Dawn. The film has split the action up into two and the first part has just hit cinemas while audiences will have to wait twelve months to see the last. 
The story jumps straight into the wedding preparation leading quickly onto the the wedding itself where we finally see Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) tie the knot. Werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) turns up and seems to have finally come to turns with Bella's fate: of becoming a vampire. Then Bella and Edward shoot off to their honeymoon to finally consummate their marriage in a very PG/M rated, yet satisfying sex scene.
Of course when dealing with vampire and human sex, who worries about protection? Well our two leads don't and soon Bella is vomiting from morning sickness. The cross vamp/human baby inside of Bella appears to grow at an alarmingly fast rate and drains the life out of the mother. But Bella wants to keep the baby, even if it kills her.
Jacob learns of the child and the werewolf pack in fear of the unknown decide to kill the unborn child and in turn kill Bella. However Jacob pulls apart from the pact and joins forces with the Cullen Vamps to protect Bella at any cost.
This film is exactly what we have come to expect from the series, a shamelessly romantic/borderline melodramatic cinema experience. There are some beautiful moments in the film and because it has been split into two it doesn't have to rush through the developments and explain everything with dialogue, but instead it contains some more action driven scenes. The wedding reception speeches are genuinely funny and had the entire audience laughing, while the film also wasn't afraid to poke fun at itself when talking about possible baby names.  There are some intense moments as well and are handled well from the director (Bill Condon) and cast. Kristen Stewart looks amazingly disgusting during the pregnancy and is skinner than any bulimic runway model. The eventual child birth itself is also one of the emotional highlights of the film. But for me, I absolutely loved how they brought to life a certain transformation scene. (There was of course the amazing forest wedding-but with a very awkward cameo).
The screenplay closely follows the original source, which unfortunately is its downfall. The novels rely so much on sense of smell and reading people's minds, among other powers, however this is something that the film series has never been good at conveying (though in this film they attempt to). So unfortunately the film still has a lot of exposition and cheesy dialogue to make sense of what is happening. The final climax builds up wonderfully (though the lighting is terrible) but is destroyed by exposition.
Thankfully the film does have Kristen Stewart to help ground the dialogue meanwhile the on/off screen romance with RPatz results in an electrifying chemistry between the pair. It is however Tay Tay that can't seem to pull off the melodrama, that and he pulled the short straw for fluffy dialogue. 
The film is actually better than I thought it would be and at the end of the day (night) I thoroughly enjoyed myself, which is something I can't say for most of the other garbage Hollywood has released this year.

PS. Stay for the credits.

Contagion

Contagion is the latest film to explore the world spread epidemic of a deadly contagious disease. This film unlike many before it, handles the themes incredibly realistic and successfully uses correct scientific terms without having to dumb things down for the audience.
The film begins on 'Day 2' of the epidemic with Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow) arriving home to Minneapolis after a business trip to Hong Kong. She arrives home with a fever and a bad cough. She soon seizures and dies. Beth's husband Mitch (Matt Damon) is completely shocked but unwilling to allow any futher damage happen to his family.
Meanwhile The Untied States Centre for Disease Control led by Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne), with the aid of Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) and research scientist Dr Ally Hoxtall (Jennifer Ehle), work together to identify the disease in hope of controlling it.
World Health Organisation Officer Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) travels to Hong Kong to uncover the truth behind Beth's initial contact with the disease.
There is also blogger and wannabee journalist Alan, (Jude Law) who is determined to undermine the US governments handling of the epidemic.
Contagion is a multi-protagonist 'mosaic' film and handles the characterisation of its several protagonists beautifully. The film seamlessly crosses between intelligent science and the related human emotions of such an international epidemic.
The performance of the ensemble cast is perfect and further lifts the films verisimilitude. The film presents the topic in a chilling truth while never delving into melodramatics. Director Steven Soderbergh, is successful in creating an ultra realistic intelligent medical thriller. This is easily one of the best Hollywood films of the year.

The Three Musketeers

New re-imagining of a very classic tale, The Three Musketeers once again lights up our screens.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

The most recent rom-com to hit cinemas is Crazy, Stupid, Love - a film that is actually better than most recent films found in the genre. The film starts with married couple Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) on a date, where Emily abruptly announces that she wants a divorce. Taken completely by shock Cal goes into depression seeking refuge at a local trendy bar where he drowns his sorrows with alcohol.
The mysterious, smokin' hot, charismatic, womaniser Jacob (Ryan Gosling) often visits the same bar to pick up women. One particular visit he invites Cal to talk to him. Jacob feels sorry for this sad excuse of a man and decides to teach Cal how to be more like him. Cal transforms into a well groomed, charming and slightly more confident man willing to now take control of his life.
Meanwhile Jacob continues to sleep with women after women, but takes a special interest in Hannah (Emma Stone) as she is unwilling to fall for Jacob's fake charms.
The real heart of this story however is Cal and Emily's son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo) who has fallen in love with his babysitter, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton). Robbie is only thirteen years old, yet has more idea about true love and the concept of soul mates then any other character in the film.
The film has some genuinely funny moments and although it is filled with many coincidences, they are not too forced and the talented cast pull these moments off perfectly. Steve Carrell is an amazing actor bringing his great sense of comic timing to the role, as well as delivering a touching and three dimensional performance. Ryan Gosling has never been more charismatic or toned for that matter, bringing an insightful depth to a character that could seem underdeveloped. Julianne Moore is as radiant as ever and Emma Stone while at first may seem underused, plays a surprising role in the film. Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei bring their talents as the supporting cast. But it is Jonah Bobo who plays the son that is the true highlight of the film with his touching story of a boy in love.
The major problem for this film is the lengthy duration. The film runs just over two hours which is long for any rom-com and the film could have definitely been shorter.
It hits some major highs but runs too long for a film that doesn't contain enough emotive drama.  It's crazy at times, it can seem plain stupid but it is definitely love.

Abduction

Nathan (Twilight's Taylor Lautner) is in his last year of high school. He is a kid dealing with ongoing rage issues while also being in love with fellow student Karen (Lily Collins) who is literally the girl that lives next door. This particular plot development is only the beginning of many more cliches. Taylor, I'm sorry, NATHAN - is paired up with Karen for a school project studying missing persons. When researching the assignment together, Karen discovers a missing person website with a photo of three year old Nathan, said to be missing since 1995. Not being able to forget about this revelation, Nathan tries to find answers. However when Nathan confronts the people who have been pretending to be his parents for all this time, the house is ambushed and destroyed. Nathan flees the crime scene with Karen now being hunted down by the badies in the form of Russian Terrorists as well as being chased by the CIA who apparently want to protect Nathan. And so the journey beings to uncover the truth of who Nathan really is.
The premise definitely does seem intriguing and it had potential to be an entertaining popcorn flick. There are however numerous problems with the film, but it all comes down to the fact that the film must have gone into production on the first draft. That or screenwriter Shawn Christensen has never taken a screenwriting course. I understand that this is his first feature but seriously, there is some fucking atrocious dialogue, not to mention the fact that most plot developments are never set up: for example a ticking bomb suddenly appearing in the oven? From the trailer my guess of genre is understandably action, after watching the film I can't help to think that it's more of a romantic comedy. This is particularly obvious at the end of the film, which was one of the highlights, not because of the actual film but because the entire audience laughed AT the film. Never a good sign.
The cheesy dialogue and the shit plot development can at least be hilarious to watch - "HOW NOT TO WRITE A FILM." But the thing that actually annoyed me the most was the terrible cinematography. Cameras should not have a zoom function, this film clearly demonstrates why. Abduction looked like a family video with its constant zooming and god awful framing. Sitting in the cinema, I had my hands up towards the screen wishing I could move the frame, a little more to the left or the right and sometimes even down, ANY which way and it would have been an improvement.  
It was embarressing to watch some amazing actors up on the screen in this film. I walked into the cinema excited to see Sigourney Weaver and I left wondering what dirt the producers had on her to blackmail Weaver into appearing on screen. Other actors who also must have been blackmailed include Jason Isaacs, Michael Nyqvist, Maria Bello and Alfred Molina. If not even Sigourney Fucking Weaver can save the terrible script, then pretty much no one can. Taylor Lautner struggled as the lead man, but it's hard to say whether this is because of his acting abilities or because of the terrible script and direction. My finger is on the latter, meaning he still has hope. Then again...
I looked into the producers of this film, and who do I find: Mr Dan Lautner, Taylor's father. I'm left wondering how much blame do we leave on the Lautner family for the exsitanece of this film. My guess: A LOT.
0.5/5

The Help

It is the early 1960's Mississippi. African Americans still do not have equal rights. They may not be slaves but they might as well be in small town Jackson. This story follows African American maid Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) as she cooks, cleans, shops and even raises the children of her white employees.
On the other side of the racial barrier is young aspiring writer Skeeter, (Emma Stone) who decides to write a book detailing the lives of a dozen African American maids.
These two characters begin a secret partnership writing Aibileen's story. Soon more maids join up, including the memorable Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer).
Skeeter may be the only white female in Jackson that isn't racist, having fond memories of her own maid who she idolises. Skeeter's best friend however, Hilly Holbrock (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the complete opposite. Hilly is oblivious to her blatant discrimination, even treating her own mother like trash.
This is another film documenting the very racially unbalanced and scary era of the 60's, but it explores the topic in a new way. What can be very male dominated and violent films,  The Help differs as it is a female ensemble cast.  This results in the exploration of not only the violence apparent in this era, but also the extreme hurt of gossip, along with the power of the written word.
The female ensemble is amazing. Emma Stone has already proved her worth in Easy A and she shines once again in this film. But it is Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer that contribute the more powerful and emotional performances on screen. Bryce Dallas Howard is fucking scary as Hilly Holbrock, capturing the essence of pure evil in her performance, making it impossible to feel anything but hate for this woman. Sissy Spacek gives a hilarious performance as Hilly's mother, proving that not everyone in the Holbrock family are the spawn of Satan. Allison Janney plays Skeeter's mother and she does her normal wonders in a role that has surprising heart. Finally Jessica Chastain gives a sweet performance as a ditzy wife shunned from the other women in town.
This is an emotional film; one minute you may be crying with a character,  the next laughing with another and then tearing up all over again.  You would have to be a member of the KKK not to be emotional moved by this film. Maybe the film's poster doesn't evoke much official prestige but if Touchstone/Disney plug the movie at Oscar nomination time, there will definitely be acting nominations from this amazing ensemble.

Cowboys and Aliens

Jake (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of the desert thirsty, disorientated and with a strange metal band locked to his wrist. He has no memory of who he is and when he strolls across a nearby town he soon learns that he is a wanted man. Local cattle owner Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) is one man affected by Jake's criminal activities after robbing Dolarhyde a fair amount of gold. Naturally Dolarhyde wants to seek revenge. But before any of these issues can be resolved, flying Alien spaceships come and destroy half the town, stealing most of the townsfolk. The aliens leave as quickly as they appeared but not before Jake subconsciously uses the metal wrist band to shoot and destroy one of the spaceships. Unfortunately Dolarhyde loses his bratty son to the aliens and so sets out on a mission to rescue the stolen people. Jake tags along in hope for answers about who he is. There is also a beautiful woman Ella (Olivia Wilde) thrown in the film, who really wants to help Jake remember, for mysterious reasons of her own.
The plot may seem like a lot to take in - Cowboys, Aliens; in one film? The west meets space? But hey, it's fun! Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man 1 and 2) knows how to make an action film, and Craig, Ford and Wilde look like they are having heaps of fun on screen. But the film can not just survive on the element of fun alone. There are many structural problems with the story. Firstly there are way too many characters, meaning there is not enough time to develop any of them substantially. Even the main characters seem rather hollow to the point that you aren't even emotional involved with their story.  Because of the amount of characters, Jake's back story is rushed and when we finally learn the truth it is rather anticlimactic. Then there is Dolarhyde gallivanting about like a hero rescuing his douche of a son. I was left wondering why Dolarhyde was even bothering, the annoying son is perhaps better left dead. Really all we needed Dolarhyde to say was that his son is the only family he has left or something cliche like that.  Then there is Olivia Wilde, yes she looks amazing, the girl can even act but everyone could see her character twist miles away. Actually the whole film was predictable and ran like most other action films. And don't even get me started on Daniel Craig's over sized hat!! I just wished I could walk up there and lift the damn thing so we could actually see his eyes.
There were elements of the film to be enjoyed. The western setting was beautiful. They included the gore and grittiness so common in the western genre. The aliens reminiscent of the creatures seen in the Alien films were also fun. The CGI was top notch and the comedy helped to lift up the drab characters.
It was fun to see the two genres of Western and Alien films mashed together, but is the world a better place because of this film? Definitely not.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios last venture together comes in the form the Captain America: The First Avenger, Disney has since bought Marvel along with the rights to the other Avenger films. The film is set during World War Two after the USA has joined forces with the allies to fight against the Nazis. Chris Evans plays the title hero but when we are first introduced to him, he is simply known as Steve Rogers. He is a skinny, short but very persistent, brave man; who longs to fight for his country. This sparks the attention of Scientist, Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who enlists Steve in a secret squad of the US Army to become apart of his experiment to create the ultimate soldier. One thrilling transformation scene later, Steve is turned from super dork to super hero.
The action takes an unexpected, yet welcome side step, as Captain America becomes the face of the war and is used as propaganda for the US Army to gain more war bonds.
But soon Captain America is forced to use his abilities against one particular Nazi leader, Johan Schmidt also known as Red Skull (played amazingly by Hugo Weaving) who is trying to succeed Hitler by destroying the world with science and his belief of Teutonic legends.
Love interest is in the form of British Agent Peggy, played by the beautiful and charming Hayley Atwel, who gives a solid performance for what is an undeveloped character. The main issue is the fact that her role as joint collaborator with the US Army is never explained, making her an awkward tag along. Tommy Lee Jones shows up as Colonel Chester Phillip, giving the audience the best timed performance and the most witty lines out of the entire cast. Iron Man's grandfather takes a supporting role as Scientist Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) to further tie the Avenger franchise together.
One of the highlights of the film is the 1940's set design and costumes which are brought perfectly to life.
This film actually succeeds, where so many fail,  in using the 3D element and I would recommend paying the extra to view the third dimension. 
Where the film fails is the fact that it downplays and glazes over the emotional parts. It doesn't properly set-up or reward the audience with any sort of credible emotion but instead rushes through it. I think it is more a timing issue opposed to anything else, as there is some nicely revisited dialogue at the end climax but there is no time to feel the emotional impact of these words along with the action.
One major annoyance I had with the film is the very opening scene that places us in a time and location that plainly gives away the conclusion of the film.  Without the inclusion of this first scene the ending might have been a welcome twist opposed to something that was setup far to obvious. One thing the film lacks, is the wit of Iron Man. Chris Evans is no Robert Downey Jr. And while Chris does play the hero adequately, he is rather bland, even more so when the supporting actors out shine his performance.
The film could be a lot worse. It could be Thor. But fortunately it is a very fun, action packed film which explores an era that is rarely looked upon in the super hero world.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The film's tagline so prominently states, 'It all ends,' bringing the past decade of Harry Potter films to an epic close. This final installment in one of the biggest film franchises in history goes out with one magical bang! The action starts off literally where Part One ends and continues fast paced down the highway to a satisfying conclusion. Harry and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, are still on the mission to kill three more horcruxes that each form a part of Voldemort's soul and the reason behind his almost immortal existence. The race is on to find and destroy these remaining horcruxes before Voldemort finds and kills Harry.
This race soon finds everyone back to where it all started, to the magnificent location of Hogwarts. This leads into an intense battle against the good and bad guys with an unforgiving amount of causalities. Professor Mcgonagall (played wonderfully by Maggie Smith) is one of the highlights to the beginning battle scene.
I think most fans of the book will be extremely happy with this film, it follows closely to the original source and does wonders with parts of the story that I thought might fit clumsily in the film. One of the best achievements is the flashback sequence concerning an important character, this sequence is handled beautifully and retains more information than I could have hope.
It was fun, although at times sad, to see all of our loved characters back, fighting in a war torn Hogwarts setting. The acting overall was better than expected, but by the eighth film you would fucking hope so. Daniel Radcliffe surprisingly did not annoy me once and gives a solid performance as the story's hero. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint do wonders as Harry's sidekicks and are there for constant support.  
This is an epic film and although there are large amounts of action and fighting, the film still has time to stop and breathe for some truly touching scenes. That being said, the fighting is really exciting and the final face off between Harry and Voldemort (apart from that odd hug) is intense and satisfying.
Some audiences will hate the epilogue of the film and for those that haven't read the book I will leave it a surprise, but I believe it fitted well and was a suitable ending to a story arc that concentrated so much on family, friends and subsequently the importance of love.
This eighth film brings an end to a saga that has defined the decade, defined multiple generations, defined both the literature and film world, and has personally help to define the small wizard inside of me. And with the closing credits we forbid a happy, fulfilled, yet noticeably sad goodbye.

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

Transformers Dark of the Moon is the third film of the franchise and supposedly the last, and boy did it go out with a bang. It was a massive improvement on the second and while it didn't have the same freshness as the first film, Micheal Bay did achieve in making one entertaining popcorn 'turn-your-brain-off' spectacle.
The story is exactly what we expect of a Transformers film; withdrawn epic battle scenes, some quite well crafted comedic moments and at times some impressive showcasing of acting abilities. Transformers 3 is an 'End of the World' film which is pretty much played in fast forward and as an audience member we are more than happy to go along for the ride.
Sam (Shia LaBeouf) is again the main character but is now dating a British babe Carly (Model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) after being dumped by Megan Fox's character. (The removal of Megan Fox is maybe the best part of the film). Sam soon learns of a secret that has been kept since the 1960's concerning the dark side of the moon and a possible Autobot weapon that may hold the key in defeating the Decepticons. And so the race begins to uncover the true purpose of the weapon and the surrounding secret alliances between robots and humans. Nothing in the story is too complicated or for that matter much of a surprise. Transformers 3 does however succeed in concluding the requirements that the story sets up in the first act of the film. 
One of the highlights is the list of stars that lend their talent to the film. Frances McDormand is a clear winner as the US Secretary of Defense but Patrick Dempsey, Alan Tudyk, John Malkovich and yes even that Asian guy from The Hangover, Ken Jeong, give memorable performances. Shia LaBeouf again delivers wonders as the true hero of the film and first time actor Rosie Huntington-Whiteley does a great job as the female lead, so great in fact that we can almost forget about that other chick from those previous films - almost.
There are some great comedic moments in the beginning half of the film which is imperative because the final hour is filled with fight after fight in an epic conclusion to the trilogy.
The CGI effects are naturally top notch and the 3D adds a much needed layer to the viewing experience and enjoyment of the film, bringing depth to these fantastic robots.
One of my favorite moments in the film is the opening sequence where real footage from the 1960's is intertwined with the films own recreations of key world events that aids in visually explaining a main part of the films back story.
While the film is not without fault, mainly all within the lack of script development, it does deliver an epic Hollywood blockbuster that is sure to make millions around the globe. And yes, this will not be every one's cup of tea, but it is a film that you need to watch if you have bothered to see the first two installments. With this third film we say good bye to the Transformers franchise although a part of me wants to say 'until next time,' after all we are talking about the sequel dependent Hollywood.

Water for Elephants

Set against the depression in the early 1930's, a young and intelligent Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) has a life full of hope and dreams. But while he sits his last exam to graduate veterinarian science, his Polish immigrant parents die in a car crash. With no family, no home and no money; Jacob is reduced to leaving his life behind and heading to the big city. One night while walking along the railway tracks, he jumps onto a passing train which so happens to be home to a travelling circus. And so Jacob is thrust into the world of circus folk and is instantly mesmerised by the beautiful star performer Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) and her dazzling act with animals. Due to Jacob's vet background, Circus owner and husband to Marlena, August (Christoph Waltz) snatches Jacob up as the new elephant keeper. This introduces the greatest character of the film, Rosie the Elephant and also begins the catalyst for Jacob and Marlena's relationship to grow. The power hungry and unstable August soon becomes suspicious.
Water for Elephants magically captures the magnificent life of the circus while never shying away from the cruel realities. The acting is amazing; RPatz handles lead role well and is a perfect match for the always beautiful Reece Witherspoon. Christoph Waltz brings another chilling performance to the screen, as the antagonist of the story - seriously this guy gives you the chills! But the most beautiful performance is by Rosie the Elephant, who steals the film.
The film runs at a pleasant two hours and the story follows nicely through. Yes it may seem like we have seen this story plenty of times before; "poor lost boy" falls in love with the "rich unattainable girl" but the magic of the circus easily allows you to escape within this world and you are more than happy to go along for the ride. The cinematography captures the exuberance and colour of the circus while the music accompanies the passionate lifestyle.
Flock to the cinemas and run away with Water for Elephants!

Source Code

Source Code is a different take on the “save the world against terrorists” genre film and at its heart it raises a solid moral question regarding the value of life. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as US Captain Colter Stevens, as he races against time on a mission to save Chicago from an imminent terrorist attack. The film begins as Stevens wakes up on a train in somebody elses body and minutes later the train blows up. He then wakes up a second time to learn that he is working on a mission for the US Army using a new weapon known as source code. The weapon allows him to infiltrate the last eight minute memory of the victim who died on the bombed train earlier that day. Stevens works with fellow soldier Colleen Goodwin played wonderfully by Vera Farmiga to unravel the mystery of the person behind the attack. Love interest Christina portrayed by the beautiful Michelle Monaghan, as one of the victims that Stevens has to save, brings some smiles to the film.
The story as it is written in this blog might seem confusing but it makes a lot of sense on screen. The story unfolds well and perhaps goes in a direction that you would not originally anticipate. The cinematography is beautiful and the effects while maybe not top notch, do the intended job.
The highlight is Jake Gyllenhaal, proving once again that he can play a diverse array of characters in a range of different genre films. An intriguing thriller with credible in depth drama, with a very unique and cool concept – go live and relive Source Code!

Scream 4

The Scream franchise, my guilty pleasure, joins a long list of Hollywood films that are getting remade, reborn and 'sequelised' for a new generation. Unlike most of these other films, Scream does all the right things.
Scream Four still stars our old friends, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette) but it introduces a new high school generation of Ghostface victims.
The reappearance of the infamous Ghostface is triggered by Sidney's return to hometown Woodsboro, where it all began. Sidney is back in town 10 years after her last dealings with Ghostface, promoting her bestselling book. She meets up with all her old friends, married couple Gale and Dewey, as well as her cousin, high school sweetheart Jill (Emma Roberts). Jill heads the new generation which serves the same function as the original cast, even with similar characters archetypes, including hot girl and big boobed Kirby, played cheekily by Hayden Panettiere. Like all previous Scream films, this addition centres around the mystery of who is donning the Ghostface mask - the result may surprise you.
What makes this film so good is the way in which it doesn't take itself too seriously, and that it even parodies the previous Scream films. This addition has also been updated to match the conventions of a new generation of horror slasher films - the purpose of the Scream franchise in the first place. One thing that worked better than the original film was the fact that the teenagers actually look like teenagers, not actors who are in their mid to late twenties pretending to be teens.
There were many highlights in the film but my favourite moment (without giving anything away) had to be the opening sequence, all three of them to be exact. A great introduction to a new generation of Scream seekers.
3.5/5

Limitless

Struggling writer Eddie (Bradley Cooper) faces the cliché story of writers block and after being dumped by his hot girlfriend (Australia’s Abbie Cornish) his life can’t get much worse. That is until he bumps into his ex-brother-in-law who offers him a new kind of drug, yet to appear on the market. This drug enables you to access the full potential of your brain. Eddie tries to refuse but easily gives into temptation, swallowing the pill – the catalyst event that changes his life. Writing becomes less important to Eddie and with his full brain capacity he turns to the stock market, with the ability to understand and predict the markets outcome. This however does not go unnoticed, especially by businessman Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) and also a few bad men who are after Eddie’s head.
The film contains a compelling mystery, some surprising twists and a talented cast. One of the main highlights in the film is the way in which they visually achieved in demonstrating the characters perceptions of being on this drug; warmer colours, clearer sounds, rotoscoping and the sick-inducing continual zoom.
A film about drugs – the most powerful drug in the world – one would expect a powerful fall. This is evident in the crisis when one of Eddie’s actions on the floor of his apartment should be a wakeup call to any drug addict! But the ending does not refer to any wakeup call and instead ends on a high.
Moral of the story – Drugs are bad but Eddie doesn't learn a thing.
3.5/5

Red Riding Hood

Catherine Hardwhicke’s first movie since Twilight is a twist on the children’s story Little Red Riding Hood. The film is set in a medieval mountain village, where the townsfolk have lived in fear for many years because of the presence of a deadly werewolf. A not so little red riding hood, known in this story as Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is mixed up in all the werewolf drama when her younger sister is killed by the wolf. Now Valerie not only has to deal with the choice between being with arranged fiancé Henry (Max Irons) or childhood lover Peter (Shiloh Fernandez); she also has to fight against the wolf and its desires for her. The mystery of the film lies with the identity of the werewolf, which could be anyone in the village.
The first issue with this film is that it will immediately be compared to Twilight because of the notable Catherine Hardwhicke style, but at the end of the day these are two completely different films. The story itself is a bit shaky, mainly due to the heavy Bold and the Beautiful dialogue. The introduction of Gary Oldman’s character breathes life into the film, and you almost forget how obscene the dialogue is when Oldman performs it. The film does have a good enough twist and attempts an emotional ending, but it’s all a bit underdeveloped. The art direction and cinematography is the highlight. The red cloak against the snow is beautiful, but this alone cannot save the film.
Pure escapism and a bit of fun.
2.5/5

I Am Number Four

Nine powerful alien children escape from their war torn home planet Lorien, and seek refuge on planet Earth. The nine separate across the continents protected by their guardians. But they are not alone, the Mogadorians, an enemy alien race who destroyed Lorien are on Earth hunting down the nine, threatened by their potential powers. The catch, a curse permits that the nine can only be killed off in a certain order. In the beginning of the film we see the death of Number Three, the focus then turns to the next in line, the protagonist of the film, Number Four (Alex Pettfyer).
We watch as Number Four moves to a new town; Paradise, Ohio; and we learn that he is constantly on the move with his Guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant). Number Four with his new alias, John Smith, enrolls in the local school, resulting in John not only having to deal with the awful prospect of being hunted down, but also having to deal with everyday high school perils. John is tired of always being on the run and yearns for stability in his life and with moving to Paradise he makes a friend in Alien-obsessed geek Sam (Melbourne-born Callan McAuliffe) and meets a love interest in Sarah (Glee's Dianna Agron). As John makes a home for himself in Paradise it results in him letting his guard down and perhaps allowing the evil Mogadorians; scary eight footed, bald, black eye, sharp teeth creatures, to locate him.
It may seem confusing but the film is easy to follow. It is based on the novel of the same name which was only released in August 2010, interesting enough the film studio jumped on the project early, buying the creative rights to the manuscript in 2009 before publication. The story obviously has changed from the novel, with information subtracted when it was adapted to film, but the film does setup the mystery arc of the whole series, something that was mentioned once in the novel.
The acting is adequate, the chemistry between John and Sarah is memorable, perhaps emphasised due to both parties being incredibly hot. The film does lose some emotional depth, they changed the order of events in the end of the film which I feel creates less emotional impact in the final crisis.
The action is incredibly cool, character Number Six, played wonderfully by hot Aussie Teresa Palmer, stole the action scenes with her leather jacket, motor bike and kick-ass tactics.
The film is in a potential series of six, the authors plan to spread the story over six novels, but only time will tell, based upon box office success, whether a sequel will ever hit out screens.
3/5

True Grit

The Cohen Brothers bring us another great film with True Grit, based upon the novel and a remake of a 1969 film with John Wayne. It is a true western film and follows the story of a 14 year old girl Mattie (Hailee Stienfeld) on a quest to bring justice to her father's killer. The courageous and quick witted young girl hires the help of a 'true grit' man, the abrupt Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to hunt down the murderer. Texan ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) joins the pair who so happens to be hunting the same man for a different crime.

Tension builds leading to a satisfying climax. It is a true western; dirty, gritty, bloody whilst all travelling on horse back.

The characters are memorable; Cogburn as the drunk, egotistical Marshall who shows some of his heart brings the film many laughs, but it is Mattie, the young girl filled with determination and strong will that gives emotional heart to the film. Stienfeld gives an amazing performance stealing the scenes from the more experienced actors.

The film gives hope that the western genre lives on, especially in the hands of the such gifted storytellers as the Cohen Brothers.
4.5/5

127 Hours

It is May 2003. Adventurer Aron Ralson goes on a weekend trip down to Bluejohn Canyon, Utah. He has done this a thousand times before, he knows the land. But one mistake; a misplaced foot, a small fall, a loose rock and Aron's life instantly changes. Aron's right arm gets lodged between the loose rock and the wall of the canyon. He is stuck. With no hope of rescue, a lack of food and water, and hours and hours in the desert Aron has to make an extremely courageous decision to survive.

Based on the incredible true story, 127 Hours stars James Franco as Aron. Franco gives a captivating performance, which is a strong credit as the film basically only features Franco and without this Oscar nominated performance, the film would have failed. Bold British director Danny Boyle, handles the film with an electrifying intensity. Boyle's passion for storytelling is evident by the sheer fact of deciding to direct such a challenging film. Imagine a film crew, director, cameramen, gaffers etc, etc, filming between two rocks and a bit of earth.

The script is emotionally engaging, it does not rely on heavily detailed flashbacks to keep the film interesting but instead incorporates dreamy, quick-edited memory and dream sequences sparked by Aron's self consciousness as a result of his desperate circumstance. These sequences are a reflection of his life. Guilt. Regrets. Dreams. And hopes.

The music by Academy Award winning composer A R Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) is sublime. The soundtrack is the key factor in creating the films emotional impact. The overall sound of the film is amazing, the piercing ringing used in the crisis point creates a long lasting affect. The cinematography is beautiful, the talented work of the cameramen are daring, having to work in a confined space as well as being in close proximity to the actor. Editing of the film is top notch, creating pace, tension and an interesting look with the device of splitting the screen in thirds throughout some of the film.

Danny Boyle brings us another noteworthy film for our generation, and is perhaps a tough contender for Best Picture at this years Academy Awards.

4.5/5

The Fighter

The Fighter is based on the true story of American boxer Micky "Irish" Ward as he struggles with the dream of winning a boxing title, as well as coping with his demanding, crazy, overbearing family. Micky is overshadowed by the dominated personalities around him, much like Mark Wahlberg's performance of the character. Micky is a passive main character, something that is rarely seen in films, but of course rules are meant to be broken, and the film works because the supporting characters are incredibly active, resulting in the actors performances to overshadow Wahlberg's. Micky's coke-head, crazy brother Dicky (played brilliantly by an unrecognisable Christian Bale) along with Mother-from-Hell Alice (Melissa Leo), who both are Mickey's boxing trainer and manager respectfully. But when the new outspoken, cool, smart, loving girlfriend of Micky hits the scene (played wonderfully by Amy Adams) the family dynamic begins to crumble. Add 7 bogan sisters to the plot and you are sure to have a fun time watching one hell crazy family.

The film's main dramatic question is whether Micky will obtain his boxing title dream, but at its heart, it is about the bounds of family. This film would be just another boxing film if it didn't have such a rich collection of interesting characters to be enjoyed. The acting is top notch, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo will definitely take out the supporting actor and actress awards respectfully at the Oscars. Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg are also at the top of their game but are overshadowed, particularly Wahlberg by the more colourful personalities that surround him.

It is nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards which suggests how good the film is, and although it won't be winning the big gong, it is still a worthy film.

4/5

Black Swan

Two of of my favourite things; Ballet and Thrillers are beautifully captured in Black Swan, one of the best films in the past year. Director Darren Aronofsky choreographs a brilliant piece of cinema through his exploration of the professional world of Ballet. Natalie Portman stars in a career defining role as Nina, a dancer for the New York Ballet Company, who obtains the lead role of Swan Queen in the production of Swan Lake. Nina is subsequently tormented left, right and centre; firstly from her overbearing Mother (Barbara Hershey), also from the sleazy director of the Company (Vincent Cassel) and from her rivaling understudy, Lily (Mila Kunis). The film explores the stress that accompanies a career in ballet, and Nina's strive to find perfection in her performance. Suspense builds as Nina feels that everyone, including herself, is out to get her. The layering of the Swan Lake story into Nina's reality helps to strengthen the film, giving it depth and clever double meanings. The wonderful use of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake music throughout the film easily sets the mood and sits well against the more thrilling scenes. The sound throughout the entire film is amazing, including the subtle sounds of flapping wings, crunching bones etc. which help to layer the film into the Swan Lake theme. Aronofsky was clever in directing the ballet sequences, to give the audience no doubts that Natalie Portman is not actually a world class ballerina. Portman gives it her all and creates an interesting character in Nina. Natalie Portman IS Nina, and we are engulfed in her journey. Winning Best Actress at the Oscar's is well and truly under her wing.
Not only is it the best ballet film I have seen, true in its depiction of pain, greed, jealousy and stress, it is also one of the most thrilling films made in recent years. Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together for Black Swan...
5/5

Golden Globe Predictions

Without having seen all the films and performances (because Australia sucks and some films haven't been released here yet) it's hard to have a well informed guess, but I'll try nonetheless.

Best Picture (Drama)
'Black Swan' (Not released till 20/1/11)
'The Fighter' (Not released till 20/1/11)
'Inception'
'The King's Speech'
'The Social Network'

-I would love to see The King's Speech win, as it's my favourite of the three I have seen... But my guess is going to The Social Network.

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
'Alice in Wonderland'
'Burlesque'
'The Kids Are All Right'
'Red'
'The Tourist'

-I don't even need to see all the films to know that The Kids Are All Right will win.

Best Director
-David Fincher for The Social Network hands down.

Best Screenplay
-There is no denying that Aaron Sorkin will win for The Social Network.

Best Actor (Drama)
-Colin Firth better fucking win for The King's Speech.

Best Actress (Drama)
-Haven't seen the film yet but my heart tells me Natalie Portman will be winning it for Black Swan.

Best Actor (Comedy)
None of these are amazing performances, my bet is Johnny Depp for Alice in Wonderland or more probable Jake Gyllenhaal for Love and Other Drugs

Best Actress (Comedy)
Two words: Annette Bening. For The Kids Are All Right. When it comes to the Oscars it'll be a race between Benning and Portman.

Best Supporting Actor
-Geoffery Rush for The King's Speech, or I'm told Christian Bale is just as likely to win for his role in the The Fighter.

Best Supporting Actress
-I would love to see Australian Jacki Weaver win for Animal Kingdom, but Amy Adams seems to be the favourite for her role in The Fighter. (If the trailer is anything to go by, I'll have to agree).

Best Animated Feature
Look. Toy Story 3. (Dreamworks should learn that with Pixar involved, it's hardly a competition).

Burlesque

Burlesque will not be winning any awards for the most original concept; small town girl escapes her boring life to follow her dream and make it big. Think Hairspray but without the fat and message of equality and then think of Chicago but without the great acting, great story and definitely without the Oscar winning content; then you have a fair idea of what Burlesque might be like. Small town girl Ally (played by Christina Aguilera in her debut feature) leaves her boring life to live the big dream in Hollywood. This dream leads her to a fabulous Burlesque club owned by Tess (Cher) which instantly ignites Ally's desire to be apart of the club's show. She befriends bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet) and costume designer (Stanley Tucci) who help her pave the way to her dream. Meanwhile Tess is dealing with a growing debt and the ever looming possibility of losing her club.
The film has some really nice moments, all of these though would in fact be the musical numbers which have seductive costumes, appealing production design, catchy tunes and entertaining choreography. Christina Aguilera is one amazing singer and her talent is put to great use when performing the musical numbers. Her debut as an actor, while a bit shaky should still be applauded. It is Cher though that I had a stronger connection with. I don't know if it was because her greater acting skills made you care more about her story or whether she just had the more interesting character, but her struggle was what kept the film interesting. And let me just say that, even with all of Cher's plastic work and with her inability to move most of her face, she can still bloody well act. Stanley Tucci is amazing as usual. While Cam Gigandet, who was casted well as the love interest due to his appearance, becomes annoying easily.
I had a massive issue with the camera work, sure handheld can work well and look amazing but this camera work was all over the place. Even some of the tracking shots jolted quite a bit. The jolting camera distracted and completely ruined any chance to connect with Cher's heartfelt song in particular.
Burlesque's main problem is the fact that the story and characters are too underdeveloped. When the film begins we seem to be following Ally's dream of making something of her life but when she achieves this early on in the film the focus then switches to Tess. We then begin to follow a love triangle with Ally. Back to Tess. Back to Ally. The film just doesn't know what it wants to be. It is obvious that a lot of time and energy was put into the musical numbers instead of the underdeveloped story. The musical scenes do pay-off but when it is one of the only redeeming factors for the film...is it really worth it?
2.5/5

Tangled

Disney returns in good ol' classic standards with their twist on the Rapunzel tale titled Tangled; the best animated musical film since The Lion King. Like most Disney films that are based on famous fairy tales the film creators add more fun, magic and a bit of cheesiness to accomplish the Disney quality; and Tangled is no exception. The story naturally follows Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) who is kidnapped when only just a baby by the marvelously evil and bitchy Gothel (Donna Murphy), because of the magic powers that Rapunzel's hair possess. 18 years later, Rapunzel is living in a tower never having set foot on the ground because Gothel, who is now pretending to be Rapunzel's mother, wants to keep her safe from the outside world/keep her all to herself. Naturally Rapunzel dreams of leaving the tower and yearns for adventure. Now enters love interest in the form of thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) who seeks refuge in Rapunzel's tower. This sets off a series of events that lead Rapunzel and Flynn on a life changing adventure.
The songs, composed by Disney God Alan Menken, the man behind the music for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, creates a wonderfully new soundtrack for Tangled. The songs sung by Gothel are some of the most memorable, but it is the love song 'I See The Light,' which is well on its way to become an instant classic. This scene in particular has some of the most beautiful images seen in an animated film for a long time- which is definitely worthwhile to see in 3D.
The film doesn't come without faults, the beginning narration is a bit clunky and Rapunzel's final realisation leading into the climax is somewhat contrived.
The film caters for all sorts of ages, it has some amazingly hilarious moments (Maximus being a favourite with the crowd), as well as some damn cool action, a developed story, engaging music and a whole lot of Disney Magic!
4/5

Morning Glory

The screenwriter of Devil Wears Prada brings us another similar structured comedy in the form of Morning Glory, but instead with a delightful insight into the world of breakfast TV. Rachel McAdams stars as Becky a young and ambitious TV executive producer who is hired to revitalise the failing Breakfast TV Show known as ‘Day Break.’ This introduces a whole array of quirky TV personalities from the ignorant, to the rude, to the misfits. The most memorable character is TV Veteran Mike Pomeroy, (played devilishly well by Harrison Ford) an incredibly grumpy man in denial that he doesn’t have a television career anymore, and is forced by Becky to co-anchor Day Break with the less than glamorous Colleen Peck (Dianne Keaton).
From the trailers the film could seem like a romantic comedy, and yes there is a love interest in the film played by Patrick Wilson. But the most important relationship in the film is McAdams and Ford as they rival against each other - She trying to save the show and He not putting in any effort.
McAdams creates a likeable lead as we follow her journey through the film. She brings a very natural performance to the screen with a great mix of comedy and drama. The films ends on a touching climax, maybe slightly predictable, but nonetheless it is setup in the beginning well to create a satisfying end. It has some of the funniest moments in a film that I have seen in the past 12 months, as well as heart, and with a hilarious look into TV…it would be hard to leave the cinema without a smile.
3.5/5