EPISODE 10, SEASON 13-THE BATMAN & BLACK FRIDAY!

PODCAST-EPISODE 27, SEASON 5

PODCAST-EPISODE 46 SEASON 3

Join Luke McWilliams as he reviews new to cinema releases;

  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2; and 
  • Seven Psycopaths

In the wait for next week's Skyfall, Luke shares his favourite James Bond movie, Casino Royale!

'like' The Movie Club on facebook!

PODCAST-EPISODE 32, SEASON 3

Join Luke McWilliams and Katy Haynes as they review new to cinema releases;

Luke shares a cult-favourite, The Commitments.

PODCAST-EPISODE 21, SEASON 3

Join Luke McWilliams and Katy Haynes as they review new to cinema releases:

  • Bel Ami; and 
  • Men in Black III

Marisa Martin of Enemies of Reality Media also joins us to give us the low-down of what is happening in Canberra film-wise for this month of June!

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Twilight Saga Review-Breaking Dawn Pt 1

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Breaking Dawn, Part 1 is the 4th film in the tween romantic fantasy Twilight saga directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel by executive producer Stephenie Meyer.

Plot

 We meet Jacob (played by Taylor Lautner) when he receives and invitation to Belle Swan and Edward Cullen’s wedding (played by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson respectively). Following an angst inspired topless werewolf transformation, we are a part of said celebrations. We then travel to a private island off the coast of Brazil for the happy couple's honeymoon, where the two differing species cautiously attempt to consummate their marriage. Soon however, Belle is convinced she is pregnant, something that Vampire husband Edward didn’t even believe was possible, where wackiness ensues…….

Review

The Twilight Saga has always gained the ire of generations X’s, probably to the confusion of current Tweens. Vampires and such fantasy creatures were always served up in straight horror films, with villains showing uncontrollable sexual urges, preying on virginial characters, usually to be slain by the straight-shooting leading man. The Lost Boys is a fantastic movie which first successfully combined the vampire with teenagers: sleeping all day, partying all night, dressing in black leather and sunglasses, and being cool and young forever. We then had Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, which explained to a generation the reality of being an immortal; forced to live forever, outliving loved ones, forever feeding on blood and never being able to see the sun. That doesn’t stop Christian Slater’s journalist’s pursuit of Rock-God Lestat, who advises Christian’s character of making this choice, complete with sunglasses while taking control of a convertible and playing the Rolling Stone’s Sympathy for the Devil (on a cassette!).

Such was this advancement in vampire lore, that it is not surprising that Gen-X was given Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a play on the last girl staple, Buffy was a sexually confident alpha female, taking the fight to the vampires backyards (albeit grave-yards). Buffy’s escapades and romances were quite comedic, but also surprisingly violent and horrific: characters were killed off, vampires where described as demons and got up to horrible acts, and sometimes even Buffy made serious mistakes, lakes in judgement or complete character changes. After Buffy and fantastic spin-off Angel  (a vampire searching for his soul) ended, a slew of popular teenage novels filled the void, and it was only a matter of time for the vampire to rise again.

It may have been a shock and\or a disappointment for lovers of Gen X vampires then, that the re-imagining of the Vampire Lore would be so steeped in Romeo and Juliet romance; where vampires ‘sparkle’ in the overcast day, and werewolves transform from large, hairy wolves to hairless, muscle-bound tweens. Here we have emasculated, non-threatening males turning into creatures of the night, doing battle for the affections of an 18 year old girl, and Buffy she ain’t.

Belle is lead into the warring world of lycans and vampires not due to any sort of oath or life mission to rid the world of evil. Belle is simply following her heart, come-what-may, with extremely traditional and some-may-say sexist ideals. Is Belle a weak-willed woman, simply a pawn in a man’s world as she risks life and limb to be with the man that she loves, or is she a female powerhouse for doing the exact same thing: being strong enough to endure the possibility of death to achieve what her heart desires?

Written from a mormon’s point of view, the Twilight movies explore interspecies chaste love, betrayal, heartbreak and, in Breaking Dawn, Part 1, the pro-choice debate. Yes, the key-target audience is for 18 year olds, but these themes are Shakespearian in their appeal, and the dedication that has been put into telling these stories in a straight, honest delivery to be enjoyed by an audience of any age is to be admired.

Rating

With the Twilight Saga film series improving in each installment in regards to direction and production values (including the increasing complexity and brilliance of its CGI SPFX), I give this first part of the Twilight Saga's finale a reserved 3 pangs out of 5.

Check out the movie and its trailer at the International Movie Data Base (IMDb)

 

Luke McWilliams, December 2011

PODCAST EPISODE 43, SEASON 2

Join Luke McWilliams and Katy Haynes as they review new to cinema releases;

The Debt; and

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt 1

The Duo also have a retrospective look at the Twilight series to date!

Water for Elephants Review

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Water for Elephants is a romantic drama film directed by Francis Lawrence. It is based on Sara Gruen.novel which is based on the Ringling Brothers  and Barnum & Bailey Circus disaster and parallels the biblical story of Jacob in the Book of Genesis.

 

Plot

 

We meet an elderly man named Jacob Jankowski (played by Hal Holbrook and later to be played by Robert Pattinson) on a rainy night as he stands in the parking lot of a closed circus. Two circus workers are quick to assist him and bring him inside. After attempting to find the nursing home responsible for Jacob, the worker is soon mesmerized by the story Jacob begins to unfold involving his time with the travelling Benzini Brothers circus which has the dubious honour of hosting the greatest circus disaster of all time. Soon we are transported to 1931, where whackiness ensues………………….

 

Review

 

Water for Elephants is basically Titanic at the circus, but not as emotionally crippling thank god. Titanic lite. We flash backward to the 1930’s and meet a young man as he falls in love with the star attraction of a circus, Marlena (played by Reese Witherspoon). However, the star is already married to the ring-master, August (played brilliantly by Inglourious Basterds Christoph Waltz) leading to a love triangle facing a larger disaster.

 

Unsurprisingly Water for Elephants does not have the same production value of James Cameron’s blockbuster however it still looks lovely: the production design of the train, especially rooms decked out with cigars, cards, booze and opulent bedrooms makes you want to host a cocktail party. The layout of the train itself mirrors Titanic’s class system: the bottom of the circus rung is in the last carriage, increasing in circus status up to the top of the carriage which holds the ring-leader and his wife. The movie even has a “I’m the king of the world” moment on top of the carriages as it flies through depression era America (albeit not as cheesy).

 

Christoph Waltz gives another great performance. Christoph’s August can be absolutely charming but then can change flawlessly into a frightening brute. More than just the film’s villain, Christoph shares the pain and frustration of being a leader of a business facing harsh times, and brings an agonising empathy to his creation. Robert Pattinson proves again that he is an actor with chops, capable when given the chance. He also makes a dashing lead. Reese Witherspoon however, is no Kate Winslet. Her ‘look’ did not captivate me. Instead of the captivating angel that Jacob narrates to us, we see a thin, gaunt and mean looking Reese. This appearance was probably spot on for depression era America, especially for a character given such a troubling back-story. However I was not empathetic with Jacob in his feelings for her, and therefore did not believe the love between the two leads. Unfortunately this is the common consensus among film reviewers.

 

In relation to production value, after a great 2 acts, the third is a surprising let down. The circus disaster is in no way as bit a spectacle that you would have been led to believe.  This may have been due to the production budget, however this is quite different from a production’s value: - value can be added in choice framing and lighting techniques. The first  Matrix had surprisingly few ‘special effects’ when compared to its bloated sequels and the first Bad Boys was so budget conscious that every single explosion shot had to count or be discarded if it did not work. Jerry Bruckheimer’s The Rock’s production value was shown in its comic-book lighting and framing.

 

For some reason, some scenes in Elephants were also shot extremely basically, failing to capture the true grandness of some scenes. For example, the circus performances are played during the day, under a low ceiling-tent in front of a sparse audience even though we see a swarm of people entering the circus beforehand. When the circus and its various behind-the-curtains working-class shenanigans is shown at night, it looks absolutely beautiful, evoking my  memories of the Adelaide Fringe festival: bold reds, flame and wine. Reese on top of her beautiful elephant, Rose (heh? Heh?) looks flat instead of awe-inspiring, and there are moments when lead characters heads are also chopped out of the frame.

 

Conversely, there are some fantastic shots, hence the confusion. Characters on top of the train looking at the inherent beauty of the country they are flying through and also who’s events they are trying to escape from, cabaret like set ups at night providing a fly-on-the-wall showing the inner social life of a circus, and a wonderful film-noir shot of Reese escaping a romantic interlude in n 1930’s American back-alley. Such beautiful scenes beg the question why other sections fall so flat.

 

Rating

 

I really wanted to like this movie. Its inexplicable faults are only obvious once compared to its strengths. Elephants  is pushed above a solid drama due to its classic production design and the great interplay between the 3 leads: - Christoph Waltz trumps Billy Zane  3.5 out of 5 elephants.

 

Check out the film at IMDB, and check out the trailer.

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Luke McWilliams June 2011

 

 

PODCAST - EPISODE 18, SEASON 2

Join Luke McWilliams, Steven Robert and Marisa Martin as they review;

·        New to Cinema Releases:

o       Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; and

o       Water for Elephants

·        Favorite Film;

o       Bob Dylan: No Direction Home