SAVING MR BANKS – REVIEW

SAVING MR BANKS – REVIEW

Over many decades the world has come to love and adore Walt Disney films, but it’s a rarity to see a film about Walt Disney himself, and it must be said it’s hard not to be taken in by the charm of it.

Well the story isn’t quite about Walt Disney, it’s about P.L. Travers, the writer and author of the beloved Mary Poppins novels. The film revolves around Travers and Disney has they set out to make the Mary Poppins film.

In the film we learn that the only reason Travers even entertains the idea of turning her beloved narrative into a film was because she was cash strapped at that moment in her life.

Walt Disney on the other hand, for the last 20 years had his entreaties rejected by Travers to make the film. As it turns out, he really wanted to make the film for his daughters who loved the book dearly.

The real interesting thing about this film is that its two different tales condensed into one. On the one hand we have a story about the difficulties Disney had to endure thanks to Travers when trying to adapt Mary Poppins into a film, and on the other hand, we have a story set in Australia with a young P.L. Travers as we learn more about her upbringing and why she was so protective of her books.

As it turns out, Mary Poppins wasn’t a complete fictional creation but the books were really autobiographical in nature as they were recreations of painful memories reimagined as stories of magic and joy.

As such these two different narratives serve the film with two completely contrasting tones. Her young childhood is filled with drama, despair and tragedy of a sad life. The story pertaining to Mary Poppins and Disney has a lot more comedy, cheerfulness and levity.

These mixtures of these two narratives are interspersed throughout the film, creating a rich feeling of emotion, endearment and sentiment.

Playing the incorrigible fabulist P.L. Travers, Emma Thompson, brings such a natural high-minded, obstructionist, charismatic performance as was needed to portray this character. Thompson performance is certainly memorable and acclaiming.

Tom Hanks brings the Walt Disney to life with his natural charm and swagger, giving us a version of the man that would meet and exceed any all ideas of him that you would have.

Saving Mr Banks is an all round fastidious biographical film about two big moments in P.L. Travers life. It’s a film with an endearing melancholic charm and beautifully sentimental, audiences will be in for a old fashioned story telling film that was wonderful crafted.

My Rating

8/10

ROBOCOP (2014) – REVIEW

ROBOCOP – REVIEW

First and foremost, I didn’t think that this film would be worth the price of the admission. I’m happy to say I couldn’t be more wrong. The film is not only worth the ticket price its one entertaining ride that’s much more then just action and CGI magic.

In 2028, multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years – and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father, and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured by a car bomb in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

The original 1987 film is certainly a classic, given that it’s themes were and possibly still are relevant to society today. This new incarnation of the Robocop however, deals with certain social issues that work well given society’s present disposition and is completely relevant to this generation.

Its not a film trying to re-create the original, its not even a film that was haphazardly put together just so the studio could drain every little penny out of this franchise. Although money is always a huge motivator for studios, you can sense a lot of time, care and effort was placed in this film to make it a good film, in order for it to have its own voice and be relevant.

While many voiced their disapproval of the black suit in the film, myself included, every decision taken in the film for any change is discussed at length. In fact this film deals quite a bit with the moral and ethical nature of developing this new cyborg, as such this film adds gravitas to the situation and the story.

Director Jose Padilha had an interesting way to address these changes by having characters discuss them and debate about everything throughout the film.

Padilha has characters voicing concerns that fans may have about Robocop in the film and supplies answers that justify every little deviation from what fans come to expect.

While Murphy didn’t exactly meet a gruesome fate as he did in the original, there’s a lot more time allotted to Murphy’s transition into Robocop. We get to witness Murphy’s psyche once awaken and the utter disbelief and rejection of what he has become. Padilha has done such a terrific job of humanizing the character to the point whereby audiences' will empathize with him immediately.

We also get to see corporate greed at its finest, as OmniCorp goes well above their ethical boundaries to create a product that Americans will love.  

Michael Keaton plays Raymond Sellars, the CEO of OmniCorp, who only has one thing on his mind, making money.

The interesting thing about this is the film doesn’t go through great lengths to establish any character as the primary villain. Instead it shows these characters as corrupt, avaricious, mischievous, cunning, malicious and prideful. In other words, we see the sins of men, rather then some super-villain who wishes to conquer the world.

There is no real antithesis to Robocop, instead Murphy is faced with a series of internal battles - and the odd gun blazing battles in-between – to come to terms of what and who is now and how he has to move forward.

Joel Kinnaman plays Robocop in the film with great poise and stature. Seeing as how this Robocop maintains much more of his human nature, Kinnaman had much more breathing room in terms of his performance and in doing so, really made it his own.

This film really brought together a magnificent cast, which included Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish and Michael K. Williams, all whom were magnificent in the film. 

This new incarnation of Robocop is one which looks to create a character that will remain relevant to modern audiences and not a film which will necessarily play on the nostalgia fans have of the original, which is certainly not a bad thing at all.

This film goes through great lengths to isolate itself from the original by dealing with a variety of themes and issues that are important to us today. It’s a film that is not only entertaining, action packed and just an awesome ride, but it’s a film, which gazes into the future of our world.

It’s a Robocop for the new generation and it certainly is not a bad one.

My Rating

7.5/10

THE BOOK THIEF - REVIEW

THE BOOK THIEF - REVIEW

The Book Thief is a compelling riveting tale of a young girl’s courage and tenacity in the face of a life that has been filled with pain, anguish, loss and suffering.

Based on the beloved bestselling book, THE BOOK THIEF tells the story of a spirited and courageous young girl who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany.

At the beginning of the story we find Liesel, played by the young Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse, on her way to a new foster family. Her younger brother dies on the journey while her mother was taken away from her by the Nazi’s for being a communist. At this tender young age of her life, Liesel has already experienced a fair share of tragedy to last a lifetime.

This harrowing sentimental tale that captures each defining moment of Liesel’s young life, is a just pure perfection story telling at its finest. The film moves forward at a steady pace allowing us to be submerged in the drama, overcome with happiness with her joy and filled with sadness for her pain.

Its a film that draws on the viewers empathy for young Liesel, as she finds a family after she loses her own. Its touching tale of friends and family and the love and connections people can make in their lives albeit with strangers.

The aesthetics and atmosphere surrounding the film go hand in hand with Liesel’s emotions and feelings, with beautiful cinematography that enhances every high and low of her life.

With wonderful performances from Sophie Nélisse and Geoffrey Rush playing Hans (Liesel’s foster Father), The Book Thief is made that much more enjoyable and sincere.

 The Book Thief is a film filled with sentiment, tragedy, loss and love, with beautiful cinematography and wonderful performances we see a film that is touching, sincere and simply wonderful.

My Rating

8/10

HER - REVIEW

HER – REVIEW

Smart, endearing, heartfelt, humorous and delightful, Her is a light Sci-fi, romantic, drama, comedy that imbues elegance, soul and wisdom as it hones in on the problems with modern day social behaviour.

The story is about a lonely writer who develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

This story is equal parts endearing, profound, absurd and completely entertaining. With a beautiful visual aesthetic that permeates the screen with soft pastel dream like colours and mesmerizing performances by Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Theodore (the lonely writer), and Scarlet Johansson who voices Samantha (the OS), Her plays a sweet melancholic tune to the satisfaction of your carnal senses. 

It’s a multi-faceted story that deals with love, lost and the inability one has to move on. In the film we find that Theodore is going through a divorce, although it’s clear that he still loves his ex wife (played by Rooney Mara), his completely befuddled and somewhat lacking in human social contact.

Even though Theodore has friends, the futuristic gleaming LA city is filled with colour and wonder yet, people are more alienated from each other then ever as everyone is always connected to their devices. The film paints an interesting picture on the present state of human social behaviours by creating a portrait of where it might be headed.

Its engrossing, transfixing, completely inspired as we witness a pivotal moment in Theodore’s life, discovering Samantha. Theodore is desperately lonely and wounded from a failed marriage; he is a man who wants to love and wants someone who loves him.

Samantha on the other hand, is an Operating System that is highly inquisitive and witty, she is the perfect antidote for Theodore as she reinvigorates and falls in love with him.

Samantha is interested and intrigued by everything and Theodore can’t help but to teach her all he can. There’s a sweet romance to their relationship as it blossoms through out the film. Even so, the film is a subtle analysis on modern relationships as we see Theodore’s incapability of fostering any real relationships with people. 

Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Theodore is simply marvellous, with the majority of the film focussing on Theodore and his isolation from people, the entire film hinged on his performance. Phoenix is fantastic in the role, as he plays Theodore with complete conviction in his subtle state of depression. 

Albeit Scarlett Johansson’s contribution to the film is in voice only, what she manages to do with just her voice is remarkable. Johansson brings Samantha to life in a way you couldn’t imagine unless you seen the film. As Samantha you feel her sense of wonder, love, desire, hurt, pain, joy as she learns and experience more of the world. Johansson’s voice completely radiates and permeates.

From the soundtrack to the cinematography, the writing, directing, editing, acting etc. Her is triumphant, an instant classic, a film long to be remembered for its absurd charm, and ludicrous sophistication, it’s a warm thought provoking entertaining fascination wrapped up in a film.

My Rating

10/10