Salt

Who is Salt?
A hero or a villain?
Russian or American?
All these questions are raised from the early catalyst in Australian director, Phillip Noyce's new action film Salt. Angelina Jolie plays CIA agent Evelyn Salt, who is accused by a ‘walk in’ Russian renegade, Orlov, of being one among many sleeper Russian agents within the USA. And so the chase begins, as Agent Salt escapes being taken into custody by the CIA, on a mission to prove her innocence or perhaps to complete her Russian mission? She is chased by CIA partner Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) and ONCIX agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and escapes under extreme, inventive action scenes.
The plot is fast paced, they don’t waste a second on unnecessary bullshit, and it builds to an exciting climax. The twists are fulfilling as everything slowly falls into place by the climax of the film. Thankfully it has been written in a way where the audience does not get annoyed about not knowing for practically the whole film, whose side Salt is really fighting for, but whether this is the direction or purely because no one will fault watching Angelina Jolie trail buildings, jump onto moving trucks and even dress as a man, who knows? The film ends appropriately, without having a terribly contrived happy ‘fairy tale’ ending, leaving enough room for a possible sequel...
The action scenes are handled with care and precision, it is easy to see exactly what is happening, and the audience is not lost compared to the modern action technique of shaky handheld camera work.
It’s definitely not the greatest action film, but it might possibly be Angelina Jolie’s best. So if you want to sit down and be entrained on a heart pounding adventure ride, which contains the right level of intelligence; then go see Salt.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Swedish film Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is based on the best selling novel by Stieg Larsson. It follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) as he is hired by an aging industrialist tycoon to uncover a 40 year old mystery of a missing girl, with the help of ultra cool computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace).
I was actually quite surprised at how much details were still evident from the novel. Naturally all subplots were taken out, and the focus was purely on finding out what happened to the missing girl. The storytelling was beautiful in the fact that they made sure that they visually showed the information through old film footage, photos and the odd flashback. This meant that the film wasn’t bulked down in dialogue, simply telling the audience what had happened instead of showing.
The changes that they did make with the original plot points from the novel, while only minor, I felt actually worked a lot better than the book, as it helped build a stronger, three dimensional character for Salander while giving the audience a sneak pick at the mystery that will be explored in the following film.
The film is just as violent as the book creating a very disturbing atmosphere, befitting to the themes explored, while creating a real sense of how fucked up people can be.
I really love the shared themes that are created between Salander’s horrific events in the beginning of the film and the details of the eventual uncovered mystery. This unity of themes helps to create a more impactful and meaningful film.
I love watching foreign films, especially when you get completely enthralled din the storytelling and forget that you have been reading subtitles for the past two hours. I recommend this film to anyone that loved the novel and to people that may have considered reading it but never got around to it. The whole trilogy has been made into three Swedish films, with a Hollywood remake due to come out next year, directed by David Fincher starring Daniel Craig. Hears hoping that they don't fuck it up.

Tomorrow, When the War Began

Australian action film, Tomorrow, When the War Began; based on John Marsden’s novel of the same name premiered on August the 8th and I was lucky enough to get some tickets.
The story follows Ellie (Caitlin Stasey) and her friends; Corrie (Rachel Hurd-Wood), Fi (Phoebe Tonkin), Robyn (Ashleigh Cummings), Homer (Denzi Akdeniz), Lee (Chris Pang) and Kevin (Lincoln Lewis) as they venture into the Australian wilderness for a summer holiday camping trip, where they find a secluded location in the base of steep cliffs and rocks, known to the local Wirrawee country town folk as ‘Hell.’ After a couple of nights bonding and having fun, the group make their way back home to discover that what they had once thought was a safe, free Australia, was now occupied by an invading country – which is never named. The audience is propelled into an intense, nail biting crisis as the gang try to discover what happened to their imprisoned families, leading to an epic climax that is sure to get the heart pumping.
Writer and director Stuart Beattie made the wise decision to higher the stakes in the film, so even the fans of the novel are able to be surprised during the action scenes. The story isn’t like many other Hollywood action films, as it questions the morals of war, and the strength of friendship versus an enemy threat, who are literally trying to kill them. This is credited to the original story by author John Marsden who since 1993 has written a whole Tomorrow Series focusing on the perils of Ellie and her friends. Although the film explores some heavy material and is incredibly intense, the Australian humour is still strongly evident in the dialogue, showcasing the fact that our culture can still joke and try to make each other laugh even under extreme circumstances. There was a surprising amount of imagery used in the film, creating layers of subtext not found in many Hollywood actions. An important factor to the film was that each character had a clear physical and emotional journey evident in the story, which was not as obvious in the novel as it was all in Ellie’s point of view. Another change that I loved was the fact that they gave a reason for Ellie’s voiceover instead of merely writing in the script her spoken internal thoughts.
The casting could be questioned due to the fact that a lot of the actors have simply appeared in Australian soaps, but I can say you will be pleasantly surprised. Caitlin is very impressive as Ellie, she becomes the character and can definitely hold her abilities against other more experienced and renowned actors. The other actors are relaxed in their roles; there are a few forced scenes, Lincoln Lewis being one that was still stuck in his ‘soap acting’ habits. However, overall the casting matched perfectly with the films representation of each character.
For a budget of only 20 million the CGI was rather impressive, although the blue screen work was a little dodgy, more so towards the end. However where it mattered the CGI was effective and helped create a satisfying climax. The aerial shots of the Australian bush; the cliff into Hell, was especially beautiful, showcasing our unique landscape. The cinematography and editing was easy to follow in the action scenes, overall the construction of the mise-en-scene worked well, although in one particular shot, I wanted to die, everything about it was wrong – the framing of the actor, the bare walls, the lighting; crap.
For anyone that has read the books, you will not be disappointed. To everyone else you shall be extremely satisfied. Everyone can relate to the theme of friendship making it easily accessible, while it plays off everyone’s fear of losing their freedom. And only in an Australian film can the dialogue mock novel to film adaptations, that scene alone is worth the ticket price. Fuck Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, this is a film that should bring the nation together.
It is being nationally released on the 2nd of SEPTEMBER. SEE IT!

Inception

One of this year’s most anticipated film releases is Christopher Nolan’s Inception, director of Memento, and the new the Batman Series, i.e. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
Inception like most of Nolan’s work, promised to be epic, with inventive action scenes, an engaging storyline, moving performances and twists galore; and on most part Nolan delivered this and more.
In the world of Inception, there is this device that enables people to share dreams with each other, this device is used by protagonist Dom Cobb played by Leonardo DiCaprio, as a way to infiltrate a target’s subconscious, stealing information from them, for paid clients. In all tense and purposes he is a thief, extracting information out of people’s dreams. The catalyst occurs when Cobb accepts the challenge of implementing the near impossible task of inception; the concept of planting an idea into someone’s subconscious as if it were their own. The target of the planned inception is Robert Fischer, (Cillian Murphy) heir to a massive empire. The plan is to plant the idea of destroying his father’s empire deep into his subconscious. And so like any other heist film, the leader, Cobb, assembles his team, including; Cobb’s trusty sidekick Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), dream architect Ariadne (Ellen Page), forger/ shape shifter Eames (Tom Hardy), chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao), client Saito (Ken Watanabe) and tagalong Mal, (Marion Cotillard) Cobb’s wife. And so begins an intense adventure travelling far away from reality; deep, deep into the limbo of ‘subconscious-ness.’
All the performances are incredibly solid, and each actor has a great understanding of what they are doing/talking about, this confidence allows the trusting audience to suspend belief and be entrapped in this exciting new world.
The story is incredibly inventive and intellectual but at the same time it is really easy to understand and follow. Yes, the story is really intricate, there is layer upon layer of details and we could sit here all day debating about what happens in the film, but even though it is so in depth, the screenplay has been structured so well that the film is easy to follow. But because of this solid structure, and the pattern that the film builds throughout the crisis points, the story becomes slightly predictable. After the first viewing the story did not leave me with a satisfying feeling of surprise, none of the twists were really hidden, and compared to The Dark Knight, there wasn’t as much shock value evident. However on the second viewing I instantly fall in love. There is this moment after the beginning action, where Cobb say’s that he “hates trains,” and instantly I knew I was going to love picking up on all the subtext and knowledge hidden deep in the screenplay.
Naturally the action scenes are amazingly inventive; one particular scene of a gravity-free fight is incredibly impressive, and along with the amazing use of CGI and the beautiful cinematography, results in the film becoming a visual masterpiece.
This is a film that will always bring new levels of understanding to each viewing, and I definitely recommend seeing this film more than once. It really makes you question what we perceive as reality or instead what we perhaps may/should perceive as reality, and I will agree without a doubt that Inception is one hell of a dream ride.
Ps. To the 16 year old fools standing outside of the cinema that said Inception was boring, and that the only good scene was the gravity-free fight; EITHER grow a brain to be able to comprehend the sheer intricate awesomeness of the story OR die.

The Runaways

A Cherry Bomb explosion of 70’s rock 'n roll, indulged with neon lights, retro fashion, drugs, alcohol, sex and even masturbation; forms the extreme elements of The Runaways. Based upon the 70’s all girl rock band of the same name, the film explores the beginning dynamics between the band, focusing on favourites Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, played by Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning respectively. It features the very intense working relationship with their producer Kim Fowley played creepily well by Michael Shannon. We learn how they got signed to a record label, the intense fame that soon occurred afterwards and the eventual downfall and departure of lead singer Cherie Currie.
One of the films highlights was naturally the 70’s music featuring artists like Suzi Quatro, David Bowie, Sex Pistols and of course The Runaways.
The cinematography was effective in the way that it captured the 70's era and the look of the music video clips of the time. However once or twice some of the shots were annoyingly grainy due to the lack of lighting, and the focus on occasion seemed to be focused on the wrong actor.
Performances by Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning were naturally superb, more impressive was the fact that they actually sang really, really well. I felt Dakota Fanning however almost went borderline melodramatic in her performance on rare occasions, mainly during her fucked up drug moments, but we can perhaps account that to the fact that she would not have had such previous life experiences to work from. I will agree that both actresses embodied the portrayed characters, and their odd love relationship was very authentic on screen. Kirsten Stewart delved far away from the world of Twilight showcasing that she is still an amazingly capable indie actress.
Shannon's portrayal of music producer, Kim Fowley was another highlight of the film. His dialogue was memorable with his blunt, cruel, sexist way of bullying the band to perform better.

“..fuck you, fuck authority - I want an orgasm! Now, growl! Moan! This ain't women's lib, kiddies - the is women's libido! I wanna see the scratch marks down their fucking backs! Now, do it again. Again. Like your boyfriend just fucked your sister in your parent's bed. LIKE YOU WANT A FUCKING ORGASM!”

And like Fowley’s metaphor of how to make good rock 'n roll music; this film is one fucking orgasm!

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

It seems you either hate the Twilight Saga or you love it. I come under the latter category, however I will admit that the films are far from any sort of masterpiece including Eclipse. Yes, maybe the plot development can seem tedious to some but the source material doesn’t really contain much action. The Eclipse novel however, written by Stephenie Meyer, contains the most plot points and action, enabling the movie to run at a steadier pace. New director to the Twilight Saga, David Slade starts to build the tension right from the opening scene and with Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, they have contained a strong amount of threat throughout the film. This vampire film may not be as intense as David Slade’s previous work directing 30 Days of Night, but what Eclipse lacks in blood and gore, it makes up in characterisation and a stronger sense of story.
The film pretty much picks up where we left off at New Moon; Bella played by Kristen Stewart is still human trying to convince her lover, Edward (Robert Pattinson) to change her into a vampire, while Edward is still adamant on marriage. Then there is third wheel Jacob (Taylor Lautner) who is still upset at Bella for choosing a vampire over his werewolf self. The crisis is evident from early on in the film when it comes to knowledge that there are uncontrollable newborn vampires killing freely in Seattle, threatening the safety of the Cullen’s hidden identities. The presence of old foe Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) is still at large, later she is unsurprisingly revealed as the leader of the Seattle newborns. Victoria is still strong on the revenge game, and the safety of Bella is the main task of the film yet again, this time she receives protection from both the Cullen Vampires and the Quileute Tribe Werewolves. However the main question the audience will be asking has nothing to do with Bella’s safety and everything to do with her decision: Love a Vampire or a Werewolf?
There are three flashbacks in this film, giving the audience an insight into the pasts of both the Cullen family and the Quileute Tribe. We learn about the origins of the Quileute tribe as well as the back-story of Jasper and Rosalie Cullen’s human life and how they became vampires. Two of these flashbacks are important to the outer (action) journey of plot and are literally mirrored in the story, while the third flashback and its reasoning is important to the inner journey for protagonist Bella, and gives us a hint of the crisis explored in Breaking Dawn.
The acting throughout the film was generally very good. The three leads were solid as usual and embodied each character perfectly. My favourite performance would perhaps have to be Bella’s Mother, Renee, played by Sarah Clarke, who has such a natural presence on film. There were some genuinely funny moments too, the sex talk being one of the more memorable. The film boasts more action scenes, as well as the most raunchiest scene of the saga yet.
Technically the film was good, the cinematography was great, as David Slade has a nice eye for what composes a shot well. There were however some focus pulls that I feel didn’t really work. The CGI was adequate while the colour of the film really helped to highlight the mood of particular scenes.
Anyone who is a fan of the novels, who also has a realistic view on how the source material changes when adapted to the screen, will definitely have fun with Eclipse. The film embodies the novel, sure the less important parts were left out, but they didn’t change anything, (ie. they didn’t do anything like the burning of The Burrow in Harry Potter 6.) If anything the film helped add to the essence of the story, as it was able to explore the Seattle newborn vampires and the Volturi story lines.
As a film it deserves 3 out of 5, but the fan inside of me has to give it an extra half because it truly embodied the novel.

Toy Story 3

My initial thoughts when I first heard that Pixar would be making Toy Story 3 was of excitement, but reality eventually sunk in... Could Pixar possibly get lucky a third time and create a film that surpasses its predecessors like Toy Story 2 surpassed the original? After watching this film, I decided I shall never again doubt the wonders of ‘Animation Studio Heroes’ Pixar. It’s not luck that their films are constantly challenging the art of animation while being original, creative, fun and emotional – it’s pure gold talent.
It’s been just over a decade since we last saw our favourite toys, a lot has changed in our world as well as theirs. Toy owner; Andy, is now about to begin college, having to pack up his life and move away from his family and his almost forgotten toys. So the question arises; what will the future entail for lovable Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the other selected few toys that made it through Andy’s teenager years. Through a couple of mistaken events, the toys end up being donated to the local day care centre, a place where the gang believe they can be loved by children once more. Of course the day care centre isn’t as ‘groovy’ as the gang would like, and the true intentions of the ‘day care toy leader’ is revealed. (Moral: Do not trust strawberry scented teddy bears.) Naturally an escape is planned in true Toy Story style, leading to an epic crisis that looks similar to the fiery depths of Mordor, played against a track that reminds us of the finale to Terminator 2.
The film is one epic crisis after the other, and the audience can easily sit there thinking that nothing is working for the gang and maybe toys are truly nothing but disposable rubbish. At one certain point the audience, along with the toys, all believe that there can be no happy ending. But Pixar knows that the story has to be truly epic for it to compete against the genius of the first two films, and so Toy Story 3 has to take it to the next level and has to create higher risks that the toys have never seen before... This leads to a very rewarding film with an extremely beautiful ending that is sure to get the tear ducts working.
We could sit here debating which of the three films is the best, but instead I think we should be grateful for the humour and moral lessons that we gather from each separate film and value them as a great trilogy masterpiece.
And so we say goodbye to Andy’s toys, a trilogy that has been celebrated by generations alike. And now we sit and wait, quietly hoping that they make a new trilogy based on Bonnie’s Toys. We shall have to wait and see...