Screenwize - Writing About Film
Incoherent and inconsistent, this martial arts action-adventure spectacular from master Hong Kong director Hark Tsui is yet another disappointing outing for actor Jet Li, with 3D unable to add anything extra special to the wuxia genre. The action is dominated by wire work – with characters spinning and jumping impossibly as they fight it out with swords, daggers and throwing knives, but the story starts spinning out of control as well, as too many plotlines compete for attention. (more…)
Both the title and the top billing of Robert de Niro and Monica Belluci are somewhat misleading in this three-part portmanteau film, comprising separate comic tales of love and lovers – all with a distinctly Italian flavour. (more…)
If recently you’ve had that unnerving sensation that the world is more than a little unsettled, that there is some end-of-the-world force looming, then you will understand the sentiment of this tale of a man battling the demons of his mind. Michael Shannon turns in a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination in this independent American film that very carefully pulls together elements from science fantasy, psychological thriller and intimate drama – building to a conclusion that has audiences on the edge of their seats. The film won the top prize from film critics at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is beginning to develop a strong following as we head to awards season in Hollywood. (more…)
Joe Cornish reckons - at 42 - he’s old. “I’ve left making my first feature film so long – until I’m in my dotage really. Let’s face it, I’m going to be dead pretty soon.” It’s the kind of self-deprecating humour that the well-mannered, well-spoken English comedian, writer, television-presenter (and now ageing film director) is best known for. But if he left his run at the film industry until he’s a bit long in the tooth, then he’s certainly making up for it this year. Not only is his first feature film, Attack The Block opening in Australia next week, but he was one of the screenwriters of Tintin – the Spielberg-Jackson extravaganza that is almost certain to be the biggest summer blockbuster of the year. (more…)
Somewhere in between tiresome and loathsome, the Brit teen comedy The Inbetweeners might raise a few sniggers with fans and its target audience of 17-year-old boys, but it’s too gross, too blunt, too puerile to provide much entertainment for anyone else. Yes, it does manage to capture some of the dreadful awkwardness of being a not-quite-man, but, let’s face it, the world of hormone and alcohol fuelled boys behaving badly is not a pretty sight. (more…)
Based on the true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan freedom fighter who went back to primary school in order to learn to read, this is an uplifting, romanticised and gently-paced film infused with the dry beauty of the Kenyan landscape and powered by the moist-eyed performance of Oliver Litondo in the title role. (more…)
In the cynical, economically driven world we find ourselves in, there’s always a special place for the uncomplicated optimist, and Paul Rudd beams warmly through this mildly amusing comedy as just that – an innocent abroad, causing havoc as he speaks his childlike mind and misreads others’ behaviour. A sit-com with good intentions, the excellent cast makes the characters glow, but the screenplay runs out of ideas early – relying on an endless variation of gags on the same theme. (more…)
Just when you thought it might be safe to get back into the waters of Aussie male culture, along comes a doco reaffirming the hard-drinking, hard-partying, hard-fighting values of good ol’ fashioned mateship. Fighting Fear is all that and some truly incredible surfing, as Bra Boys director Macario De Souza follows the friendship of Mark Mathews and Richie Vaculik, once fearless grommets and now at the top their sport, be it Big Wave Surfing or Mixed-Martial Arts. (more…)
One of the most magical and moving personal portraits you’ll ever see, this charming documentary film follows the legendary 80 year-old fashion photographer Bill Cunningham – a man who is still spotting trends on the streets of the New York, getting around in his trademark blue jacket on a bicycle. Despite Cunningham being intensely reclusive and understated, director Richard Press delicately reveals the man’s career and daily approach to work, along with his almost unbelievably ascetic lifestyle. Eight years in the making (it took seven years to convince Bill to do it) the film has been a darling at film festivals around the world for the past eighteen months, and won last year’s audience award for best documentary at the Canberra International Film Festival. (more…)
Gritty, laboured and totally devoid of suspense or surprise, writer/director Gavin O’Connor applies a narrative headlock to this tale of two brothers competing in a mixed martial arts contest, effectively knocking out of the ring two great performances from Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. (more…)
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