The Heat - by Paul Feig

Sandra Bullock has been one of my favourite performers for many years. I first saw her in Speed, alongside a buff Keanu, driving that bus like a BOSS. There was instant admiration. Over the years her roles have been extremely varied. She's taken on award winning performances and trash chick-flick/comedy roles in equal measure. I had thought that I was about to see another Miss Congeniality (don't get me wrong, I really like that film, but like I said... I've seen it...) but I was pleasantly surprised to see Bullock add something fresh to the role of Ashburn; arrogant, FBI lonesome with a strange penchant for her neighbour's cat and a slightly unhealthy confidence in her own intelligence (it is somewhat justified... she should just stay away from scalpels...).

I had a hard time with Melissa McCarthy in this film though. I have to admit, I've only seen her in a few things and most of those were supporting roles, but she's never impressed me with much genuine ability as an actor. She has good comedic timing but I think that most of the film was carried by Bullock. McCarthy seems to have a limited range of expressions and tone in her dialogue. She came across as far more naive than her character (Mullins) should have perhaps been, given her tough beat-cop dialogue. The interactions between the two characters were sometimes wonderful, and I think that the producers have created a great team in McCarthy and Bullock (sequel?), but I wouldn't have enjoyed this film quite as much if the focus had been predominantly on Mullins.

There were a spattering of mentions about the misogyny that exists in the police force, and they were called out which was nice, but I was particularly glad to see that the romantic element of the film didn't impinge or influence the actions of the leads characters. It was great to see two women sorting some shit out without dwelling on a love drama. The sisterhood gave me goosebumps!

A few of my favourite bits: (spoiler warning)
The cat kidnapping.
The dancing in the pub.
The "innocent" misogynist.
The reference to Training Day.
The tracheostomy.
The grenade.

3.5 stars from me!

With Love

Surgeon Bug

Pacific Rim - by Guillermo del Toro

Before seeing Pacific Rim, I read a review by a buddy of mine (here: http://theboonreview.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/pacific-rimfor-real-this-time.html). His scathing assessment had me dreading the film... but, I had already bought my tickets... so off I went.

I have said before that a bad review can sometimes improve my opinion of that film upon viewing because of low expectations. This is one of those times that IT TOTALLY DID! Well, perhaps... I don't know for certain if his review helped, but I laughed my ass off the whole way through this movie. Throughout, I was reminded of the things he'd pointed out, but I found humour in them, rather than ire.

If you've never seen Starship Troopers and you liked Pacific Rim, please take a look at it. If del Toro has not been influenced in some way by this film I would be very surprised.

Pacific Rim is not as well constructed or as well developed satirically as Starship Troopers. It's messages of "two heads are better than one" and "know your enemy" aren't nearly as intelligent or insightful. But, I still found the ridiculousness of the characters extremely entertaining, given the circumstance they were placed in. Serious characters in these kinds of situations often come off as slightly pathetic and highly unrealistic and too often take action which makes no sense. I think that caricature can sometimes make it easier to forgive the ridiculous and enjoy the journey.

I am also a huge fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion. My sister and I smuggled a small television into our room at boarding school specifically so that we could watch episodes on SBS at 11pm after everyone had gone to bed, such was our devotion when the series was first released in Australia. It's hard to miss the big man made robots fighting big alien beings connection, and the name "Jaeger" (the robots) sounded an awful lot like "Eva" (if you say it with an American accent). It made me hope as I'd never hoped before that a live action recreation of the series has the potential to look awesome.

Here are a few of my favourite bits from Pacific Rim: (SPOILER WARNING)
The ridiculously bad Aussie accents.
Ron Perlman and his shoe.
The destruction of the sports stadium.
The commander and his one liners... and his yelling... and his multicultural family.
The creature and robot effects.
Akihito baby choked by it's own umbilical cord!
Beautiful Aussie father and son scene.
The pick up line.
Scientist vomiting in the blown up toilet on the street.
And, MAKO MORI! Rinko Kikuchi is awesome! I want to watch more of her.

Pretty sure this film fails the Bechdel test miserably, and it probably would have been far more interesting from the point of view of Mako, but I enjoyed myself.

3.5 out of 5 stars

With Love

Surgeon Bug

Labyrinth - Directed by Jim Henson

I'm not very good with the question, "What is your favourite film?" I don't dislike the question, rather, every time someone asks me my thoughts go into overdrive. In my excitement my brain immediately starts scanning scenes and characters and stories and feelings and events; the culmination of almost 30 years of so much tremendously memorable film and television viewing. I always enthusiastically hope that I can present some kind of magnificent answer. I don't think this is possible. However, among the myriad memories, Labyrinth (1986) by Jim Henson often dances its way to the forefront.

I was four years old when this film was released, but I didn't watch it until I was about nine. Either my mum and dad had decided I was too young to see it or neither they, nor I, had heard of it before then (I'm inclined to think it was the latter... nine is probably a good age to watch Labyrinth, but I doubt my mum and dad could have kept it from me. When my dad saw Pulp Fiction (1994) in about 1996, he told me I should watch it - I was 13…  But, he probably realised that I'd see it someway, somehow... given it's popularity and my own thirst for film... I'd already snuck in a few R-rated films, Trainspotting  (1996), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Candyman (1992) and so on - and he wanted to watch it with me to discuss afterwards. Home-schooling win?).

I'm fairly certain that I can recite Labyrinth word for word while I'm watching it. I know all the songs. The first few years of high-school (before I "got cool"… yeah, that didn't happen) I would wear loose-fitting long-sleeved button-up shirts with a vest and blue jeans, because that's what Sarah wore and I wanted to be her. I also developed a massive crush on David Bowie. Men in tights. Mmmmm Hmmmmm.

Jim Henson is a genius; his puppetry, for every extraordinary reason, is iconic. I can almost imagine that Brian Froud has actually met and conversed with the characters he designed for this film; they are so varied and rich and beautiful. Jennifer Connelly was so exceptional and played such a beautifully imperfect and inspiring character that I wanted to BE her; what greater compliment is there? I will re-watch this film many more times before I die and I will show it to my kids and to their kids. It makes me laugh and dance and flutter and sing.

5 stars.

With Love

Surgeon Bug

(This was my Final "Favourite" Review for 783 Alice Springs. I did my final review for ABC Local radio from Deloraine in Tasmania. The guys told me I could pick my favourite film. This is what I came up with!  Check out the audio and blog here: http://blogs.abc.net.au/nt/2012/10/movies-labyrinth.html?site=alicesprings&program=alice_springs_drive)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Directed by John Madden

I love the colour and taste and customs of much of the Indian culture.  I have done for a very long time. 

My Dad visited India in his 20's, before he met my Mum.  He drove a tour of "The Magic Bus" (I've been told it was a kind of hippy drug addled tour) from England through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to India.  From a very young age he has told my sisters and me stories about the wild and excellent adventure he went on; the food he ate (which he recreated for us on a weekly basis, I have a hardened stomach now and I can handle the hottest curries), the exotic animals he saw, and the beautiful and strange people he met.

A few years ago, as so often happens when one gets older, I lost my romantic imagining of the India my Dad had described.  Indian cinema is as diverse as it is flamboyant.  I am not the biggest fan of Bollywood musicals, I imagine they would make excellent stage productions but on screen they lack empathy for me.  Over the last 5 years in particular I've been more inclined to watch dramas and documentaries from the region.  For a while now my desire to visit India has been dampened by the stories I've seen.  Bandit Queen (1994), directed by Shekhar Kapur, has stuck with me for a while.  It is the true story of Phoolan Devi, an Indian woman who was sent to prison for over 10 years and suffered terrible human rights violations but who then became a hardened political activist and politician after her release.  Maya (2001), directed by Digvijay Singh, is the story of a young girl who is given over by her family to a group of priests who rape her in a horrific "coming of age" ritual.  The story was based on apparently true events which the director wanted to highlight as atrocities within the Hindu religion practiced in the rural areas of India.  Slumdog Millionaire (2008), directed by Danny Boyle, is another magnificent film set in India, but it did nothing to wash the cold feeling from my heart.

I know that every country on this earth has it's horrors as well as it's beauties, so when I saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, despite it's sometimes exaggerated portrayal of senior citizens and Indian hotel managers, I was a bit relieved to see something more of the soft beauty of India which my Dad had helped me imagine in my youth.  Each story told by the magnificent cast lightened my heart and reinvigorated my love of the colour and life of India.

4 out of 5 Stars

With Love

Surgeon Bug

The Hunger Games - Directed by Gary Ross

I'd only heard about The Hunger Games (THG) a week before I saw it and the things I heard were pretty discouraging. I saw it compared many times to Twilight, which I loathe with a passion, so my general opinion going into this film was quite low. Isn't it lovely how a low opinion of something can sometimes make it just that bit more enjoyable!

I hadn't seen any of the trailers and I'd only heard smatterings about the plot from articles which discussed the adaptation of the story from some well known (apparently more well known in America at least) teen novels. I was getting prepared for another "lead" female character who's low expectation of her own life thrusts her into the arms of stronger and obviously acceptably vicious men (Bella), when I met Katniss Everdeen! I was then instead, from beginning to end, comparing this film to some of my most memorable and favourite filmic and literary experiences from my own teenage years. Perhaps it's not very encouraging that the film had my thoughts wandering away many times to reminisce about my past, a good film really should keep you more engrossed, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it in my own way.  

When I was a teenager I loved Stephen King novels. I think I was the only Goth (for about 4 months in the winter of my 14th year) at my high school. King wrote a couple of novellas under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Long Walk and The Running Man. They both dealt with a futurist America where young men are forced to play a kind of reality TV death game. I remember being very moved by what these characters went through and only wished there were more girls in the story (so, thank you Katniss). 

THG brought to mind other films and books; 1984, Battle Royal (the Japanese series), The Obernewtyn Chronicles (by Australian author Isobelle Carmody),  Dune and Blade Runner (because of the awesome 80's futurist style costumes in THG), The Lord of the Flies, Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy (of which the first book was also turned into a film The Golden Compass). I was entertained for hours after the film, reminiscing on these stories.

When, among my thoughts, I did get back to watching THG I enjoyed the acting and the costumes and the effects and the landscape, however much the story was lacking because of the admittedly dodgy adaptation. Jennifer Lawrence is very beautiful and strong and did an excellent job.  

I did sit a bit too close to the screen and the shaky cam hurt my brain a little (so, make sure to sit far enough back in the theatre) and I was discouraged to see a girl who looked about 7 wandering through the isle (this story is social commentary, which requires a bit of critical thinking, so I would advise a more mature audience - I'd say about 13 years for this one, it does include scenes where children kill other children) but aside from those rather minor issues I really enjoyed myself.

4 out of 5 stars.

With Love

Surgeon Bug

Immortals - Directed by Tarsem Singh

An epic action from the producers of 300...?

A few years ago I was watching a movie at the cinema and a woman a couple of rows ahead of me gasped at her friend, "Oh! I really love movies about ancient Egypt!" She didn't realise that she was just watching a Dolby Digital surround sound ad. When it dawned on her she sounded terribly disappointed, "Oh... It's just an ad..." I felt for her. I too am a great fan of the "ancient historical fantasy" film genre. 300 is one of my favourite movies. It is an awesome and epic retelling of the ancient story of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan soldiers. Immortals though, was to me as disappointing as that Dolby ad.

It might be slightly unfair of me to compare the films, but as it's been so blatantly advertised "by the producers of 300" I optimistically assumed that it could have potential. Too bad they didn't get Zack Snyder back to direct or Frank Miller to tighten up the script, or a myriad other elements that would have seen it earn somewhat of it's inflated promotional budget.

I do love Mickey Rourke these days as the bad guy. His face is grotesquely interesting and he has a voice that could squash puppies, but even this did not make up for the many other weak characters. If somebody is going to beat the hell out of scores of scantily clad Greek men, they should do it with a kind of mad human desire for vengeance. Something the audience can relate to! Henry Cavill is cast as Theseus, the mortal chosen by Zeus to lead an army against the ruthless King Hyperion (Rourke). Cavill struggles sorely with the sort of balance a character like Theseus requires to elicit empathy while still seeming vicious enough to carry out mass slayings. It is almost comical to watch this soft faced boy go into a rage and start hacking into the men around him.

I will say that many of the fighting sequences were entertaining and the costumes and sets were quite beautiful, but Immortals was completely devoid of that feeling of intimacy which was established in 300 through the cinematography. Many of the camera angles were jarring and there were barely any close interactions with the characters which would have helped them seem tangible and empathetic. In 300 I knew how much each character was worth and I was moved when they failed or died or won. Immortals made me feel nothing.

With 300 being made for at least 10 million dollars less than Immortals, the producers might want to think next time about spending the extra cash on getting the scripting, direction, actors and cinematography right.

Immortals gets 2 out of 5 stars from me.

With Love

Surgeon Bug