It is rare for a film to settle itself so comfortably in the world of middle-aged women, and in this regard it seems fresh and appealing. That it intends to be a thriller and doesn’t quite hit its mark is unfortunate, but as a drama it works, while clever interaction between component pieces at script level means each weaves into an overall narrative that may surprise.
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Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Four of a Kind
Adams handles every moment with skill and aplomb – no more so than in the scene at the baby shower, in which she is required to portray social uncertainty and lack of confidence developing into belief in her worth and (for the first time in years) hope for her future.
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Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Sunshine Cleaning
The screenplay is effective in helping us understand how a bunch of students can go from small time – arson – to the extreme – coordinated killing sprees. To its credit, the film manages to find the right balance between sympathising with the antagonists and letting us see the horrendous results of their actions, and the performances are all pretty much perfect.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading The Baader Meinhof Complex
It’s just so damn depressing, and more than once feels rather exploitative, plumbing the depths of misery in an attempt to create drama. The strongest aspect of the film would be that it successfully puts us in their shoes, instead of being the passer-by that tries not to stare at the teenaged addict shuffling through the streets.
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Continue reading Samson and Delilah
The sand and water bring forth personal memories in the viewer of happier times (conflicting with the turmoil seen by this particular beach in this particular story), while the Adelaide suburbs are strikingly familiar to an Australian audience, all of which will allow local filmgoers to appreciate this depiction right down into the subconcious.
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Continue reading Closed for Winter
Inge is determined and yet fragile, placid and yet spinning a million miles an hour beneath the surface, and her journey – both around Germany and her past – could only be carried off by a performance of immense skill. A worthy nominee for an acting award indeed.
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Continue reading November Child
Technically, the film is a wonder to behold. It’s beautifully shot – all blues and whites – exactly what it’s like when you move from complete blackness to bright light. It sounds strange but it works perfectly to get across the communication difficulties faced by the characters.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Blindness
Deneuve is inaccessible and often seems to be turning in (yet another) performance while on auto-pilot. Amalric, on the other hand, creates the most interesting of the main characters, and allows a little charm and wit into his performance of the black sheep.
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Continue reading A Christmas Tale
The internal conflict evident behind his eyes is a hard acting task to successfully pull off, and yet Dupontel succeeds. Perhaps it is recollections of past performances that subconsciously encourage a degree of sympathy with his character, because, as written in the screenplay, he is intolerable.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Love Me No More
Eastwood seems to have spent many years making up for the right wing agenda set by films such as Dirty Harry, and Changeling is definitely a film that examines some of the more overt sexism prevalent back then.
Rating: Hoopla Factor: Continue reading Changeling