Film Review: I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four. Rated M (science fiction themes and violence). 109 minutes. Directed by D. J. Caruso. Screenplay by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Marti Noxon. Based on the novel by Pittacus Lore (Jobie Hughes and James Frey).

After a hostile takeover of their planet by the violent Mogadorians, super-alien refugee from the planet Lorien ‘John’ (Alex Pettyfer) and his guardian ‘Henri’ (Die Hard 4’s Timothy Olyphant) are hiding on Earth. John is the fourth in a line of seven super-aliens who, it is hoped, will one day be powerful enough to reclaim Lorien from the Mogadorian invaders. But when Mogadorian warriors arrive on earth, John learns that something has gone terribly wrong – and he is next in line to be exterminated.

It can be quite a bewildering experience watching a movie only just manage to hold itself together – especially one like this, which has expert pedigree and an extremely promising set-up. That the end result is a mish-mash of the vastly superior Predator and Terminator franchises (mixed with a generous amount of Twilight-inspired lovelorn angst) can only be described as disappointing.

While Caruso (Disturbia) and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) certainly bring their anticipated panache to several sequences (the opening and the haunted hay-ride are two stand-outs), the end result is a derivative, dim, dark and loosely-structured effort that sci-fi devotees will more than likely find themselves laughing off the screen. Why, for example, do the fearless Mogadorian warriors who have conquered distant planets have to travel by car? Why do they have noses and gills? And what’s with the I Dream of Jeannie-inspired puffs of smoke when someone is exterminated?

Model-turned-actor Pettyfer tries incredibly hard in the leading role, but lacks the necessary emotional range to make the character (or his journey) even remotely interesting. On the other hand, Australian-born Callan McAuliffe shows real promise as ‘Sam’ – the boy who finds his missing father’s alien theories validated by John and Henri’s arrival in his hometown. Dianna Agron as John’s love-interest ‘Sarah’ easily accounts for the little she actually gets to do (consisting mostly of endlessly wondering what on earth is going on), while Australian-born Teresa Palmer absolutely steals the show with an entertainingly rough-shod turn as ‘Number 6’.

Whether the impending “I am number …” franchise gets off the ground will depend entirely on the extent to which its target audience embrace its clumsy and unoriginal pretence. Based on this Terminator-lite effort, it’s unlikely.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.

Film Review: Hereafter

Hereafter. Rated M (mature themes and infrequent coarse language). 129 minutes. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Screenplay by Peter Morgan.

Death, and what, if anything, comes after it, has been an endless source of material for some unforgettable films – Passengers (2008), The Others (2001), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Ghost (1990), to name just four.

In Eastwood’s (Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Changeling, Grand Torino) contemplative drama from Morgan’s (Frost/Nixon, The Queen, The Last King of Scotland) intricate screenplay, we have a beautifully-crafted, lilting ode to lost souls – each of whom have their lives changed forever by their proximity to death.

When French television journalist ‘Marie’ (Cécile de France) survives a tsunami, her near-death experience challenges everything she ever imagined her life would be. In San Francisco, ‘George Lonegan’ (Matt Damon) is a recently-retired psychic, desperate to create a life for himself other than the one he has guiding others through their relationships with the dead. In London, young twins ‘Marcus’ and ‘Jason’ (Frankie and George McLaren) are caring for their heroin-addicted mother until Fate intervenes, with tragic results.

Resisting the reality-warping tendencies of some films in the ‘afterlife’ genre, Hereafter is a consummate piece of cinematic story-telling for people who like their movies slow, richly-layered and, ultimately, incredibly moving. 80-year-old Eastwood is at the peak of his considerable powers as a director – and like Peter Jackson did in similar territory with the extraordinary The Lovely Bones (2009) – brings a skilfully-assured, craftsman’s hands to the proceedings.

Damon is excellent as the frustrated ‘George’, while the McLaren boys are wonderful as the young twins – bringing rare and unpretentious emotional clout to their scenes. The scene where Marcus waits patiently for hours outside George’s London hotel proceeded to undo me completely.

Even though the Tsunami sequence is magnificently rendered and entirely worthy of its Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects, Hereafter quickly moves on to become an utterly compelling and richly rewarding film about our notions of immortality – and is guaranteed to have you thinking about life, death and everything in-between for hours afterwards.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.

Film Review: The Next Three Days

The Next Three Days. Rated M (violence and coarse language). 133 minutes. Written and directed by Paul Haggis. Based on the French film Pour Elle (Anything for Her).

Depending entirely on the extent of your patience for Haggis’ slow-burning build-up, The Next Three Days will either have you shouting “Get on with it!” at the screen, or sitting back and becoming totally immersed – chiefly as a result of Russell Crowe’s beautifully-controlled performance as John, a man determined to free his wife Lara (Elizabeth Banks in top form) from prison.

Haggis, who wrote the screenplays Casino Royale (2004), Million Dollar Baby (2004), and Crash (2004) – which he also directed – is equally determined to take his time. As John finds himself more and more frighteningly out of his comfort zone, Crowe absolutely rises to the occasion – and even though the heard-hearts will shake their heads at the implausibility of it all, those of us who have chosen to go along for the ride, will find immense satisfaction in the carefully considered and structured storytelling.

Danny Elfman’s (Alice in Wonderland, Milk, Wanted) score expertly guides the film’s gradually-increasing tension, while Stéphane Fontaine’s moody and intense cinematography is superb – ranging from the bleak clinical prison and hospital environments to the dangerous, dim, dark alleyways and back streets of suburban Pittsburgh, where John takes his life in his hands to secure key ingredients to his master plan.

Ty Simpkins is great as John and Lara’s surprisingly well-adjusted young son Luke, while Brian Dennehy and Helen Carey provide excellent support as John’s parents. As two Detectives charged with investigating Lara’s innocence, Jason Beghe and Aisha Hinds (True Blood) lend fine, stand-out comedic support, while Liam Neeson sets the tone of the whole affair perfectly in his blink-and-you’ll-miss-him cameo.

Ultimately, The Next Three Days might be considered as a bit of a guilty escapist (pardon the pun) pleasure – but an absolute pleasure nonetheless. The escape sequence, with split-second timing magnificently edited by Jo Francis, is real edge-of-your-seat stuff – with Haggis bringing home the classic “will-they-won’t-they?” thrills in fine style.

Pictured: Elizabeth Banks and Russell Crowe in The Next Three Days.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.

The Top 10 Films to watch on Valentine's Day

Since the dawn of cinema, Love – in all its wonderful, complicated guises – has been a driving force in storytelling for the silver screen. Depending entirely on how you feel about the role capital-L Love plays in your life, here is a list of ten movies you might want to share with loved one(s) this Valentine’s Day.

Gone With The Wind
David O Selznick’s 1939 epic American Civil War drama remains an exhausting and unforgettable experience. Starring Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, Gone With The Wind is not only one of the most monumental love stories ever filmed, but also one of the greatest movies ever made.

Titanic
The big, thumping heart at the core of James Cameron’s 1997 ‘King of The World’ blockbuster is the romance between Kate Winslet’s feisty Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio’s ragamuffin Jack. While, today, the bloated set-up feels like treading water, once Titanic ploughs into the iceberg the film remains an immensely watchable experience.

She’s Out Of My League
Helped enormously by the effervescent performances of its leads (Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve), and an engaging supporting cast of rogues, misfits, friends and family, 2010’s She’s Out Of My League is an uplifting and often hilarious take on the ‘nerdy boy’ meets ‘glamorous girl’ formula.

An Affair to Remember
Hollywood teamed up two of its top-notch stars – Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr – perfectly for this 1957 romance about two people who meet aboard a transatlantic ocean liner enroute to New York from Europe. Even though they are both engaged to marry someone else, they gradually fall in love before fate intervenes – resulting in final scenes that are right up there with the most famous tear-jerkers of all time.

Now, Voyager
In this 1942 classic, unattractive and repressed spinster Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) is unhappily trapped at home with her fearsome and controlling mother. When a caring doctor insists that Charlotte go on a cruise, she meets the enigmatic Jerry who is also escaping from his own miserable life. Unconventional in its time, Now, Voyager is a classic and unforgettable romance.

Moonstruck
Cher was at the peak of her powers when she brought the sensational Loretta Castorini to life in this under-rated 1987 romantic comedy with a script by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt). Nicholas Cage is the perfect foil for his co-star’s delightful histrionics, while Olympia Dukakis is magnificent as Loretta’s indefatigable Mom. And Cher, Shanley and Dukakis took home an Oscar each to prove it.

King Kong
When Kong finally loses his grip of the roof of New York’s Empire State Building and plummets some 102 floors to the pavement below, it’s almost impossible to ignore that big lump in your throat. In Peter Jackson’s 2005 version, the extreme efforts that Kong goes to protecting his friend Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) from the perils of his island home are extraordinary. The perfect film to give your partner the hint that they’re just doing enough to make you feel all that special.

Cleopatra
Joseph L Mankiewicz’s lavish telling of the love affair between the young Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) and Marc Antony (Richard Burton) is a magnificent cinematic experience. Famous for practically bankrupting 20th Century Fox due to its massive budget (including the record-setting US$47 million – in today’s currency – that Ms Taylor was paid), this film also marks the occasion when Taylor met Burton for the first time. And what those two didn’t know about love and romance probably doesn’t exist.

As Good As It Gets
Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear worked magic with their superb performances as the unlikely trio who end up bound together (through thick and thin) as a result of some utterly compelling circumstances. Nicholson and Hunt won Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars for their performances, and As Good As It Gets rewards every viewing, every time.

Misery
When famous novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued from his crashed car by his “Number One Fan” Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), it would appear that Miss Wilkes’ motivation is to nurse her favourite writer back to health. Somewhat regrettably, however, Annie discovers that the plotline of Sheldon’s latest Misery novel is not to her liking, and the one-sided love affair goes right off the rails.

This list was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.

Film Review: The Fighter

The Fighter. Rated MA 15+ (strong coarse language, violence and drug use). 116 minutes. Directed by David O. Russell. Screenplay by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson.

While it never quite reaches the dizzying heights of siblings Rocky (1976) and Raging Bull (1980), The Fighter is escorted most of the way there by an ensemble of outstanding performances, Tamasy, Johnson and Silver’s (8 Mile) ‘based-on-a-true-story’, multi-faceted script that is determined to keep it real, and Russell’s (Three Kings) rock-solid and unpretentious direction.

Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is a young boxer who lives in the shadow of his crack cocaine addicted older brother Dicky (Christian Bale) – whose own boxing career claim to fame was that he once knocked down Light Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard. As Dicky prepares for his comeback fight, Mickey gradually realises that the only way he can find peace and independence in his life, is to step out of the shadows and match up with the world’s best on his own terms.

While Wahlberg’s (The Lovely Bones, The Perfect Storm, Three Kings) under-stated performance serves chiefly as a dramatic anchor, it is the brilliant Bale (Batman Begins, The Machinist) and Melissa Leo (Frozen River, 21 Grams) as the boys’ mother ‘Alice’, who storm off with the acting honours.

Amy Adams (Doubt) as Mickey’s girlfriend ‘Charlene’ and Jack McGee as the long-suffering, side-lined husband and father ‘George’, both deliver fine performances – balancing out the cast of fascinating (and somewhat unexpectedly hilarious) characters who ensure that The Fighter is an engrossing, rites of passage experience.

Beautifully shot by Let the Right One In cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and brilliantly edited by Pamela Martin (Little Miss Sunshine), this is one occasion where it is not difficult to understand how a film came to be nominated for seven of this year’s Academy Awards (including nods for Bale, Leo, Adams and Best Picture). If only there was an Oscar for Best Hairdressing.

Pictured, left to right: Mark Wahlberg, Jack McGee, Melissa Leo and Christian Bale in The Fighter.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.