SOUNDTRACK FEATURE LOST STARS Artist : Adam Levine From The Film : Begin Again [2013] Written by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois for John Carney's musical-romance drama Begin Again, Lost Stars is performed in separate versions by both leading cast Adam Levine and Keira Knightley. "It happened to me for a song in a movie that I was in, which it makes it that much more special. That's rarely the case. Usually there's some sort of separation. It feels more legitimate and pure and involved in being there," Levine shared on his excitement being involved in both the movie and music, and its nomination for Best Original Song at the Oscars earlier this year.
fiLmReviEw IN THE HEART OF THE SEA [2015, USA - English]
In 1995, Ron Howard successfully depicted the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission, dramatizing the journey of astronauts in the perilous abyss of space. Twenty years later the Oscar-winning director attempts to bring Nathaniel Philbrick’s non-fiction bestseller to the big screens, chronicling the desperate journey of a crippled whaling ship at sea, grueling with a giant sperm whale, in his latest adventure thriller-drama In The Heart Of The Sea.
The story begins with Herman Melville (Ben Wishaw) visiting ageing sailor Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) as part of the research for his novel, to recount the harrowing and monumental event in Nickerson’s past, as the last survivor of the large ship Essex that sank 30 years ago, rumored to have been brought to wreck by a vengeful whale. So through Nickerson’s reluctant flashbacks, we are brought back to 1820 Nantucket, where Captain George Holland (Benjamin Walker) headbutts with his First Mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) as they sail their way into the Atlantic in hope to return as rich whale oil. Nickerson is just a fourteen year old cabin boy then (portrayed by Tom Holland). Chase is an able and experienced whaler while Holland has much to prove as he inherited his authority through his patrician family connections. As we will learn, the relationship between the two clashing leaders becomes the singular moment that delves a bit more into the characters, where both interestingly will be made neither obvious hero nor villain despite evident initial impressions. Once the sail detours deeper into the Pacific instead in search of a mythical pod of whales, the film starts to sink into a rather long journey without really achieving the required buffet it ambitiously sets out to. Whilst cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire 2008) paints us an epic of lush visuals, In The Heart somehow fails in several pivotal points of the film especially when we are brought onto the chaotic deck amidst the choppy waterlogged action sequences during the whale attacks. We can hardly see who’s doing what!
As the film progresses further where the men are shipwrecked, left stranded floating through the Pacific on life boats, whilst continuously hounded by the vengeful sperm whale, Howard does not offer much further development of the characters, making it hard for us to really care for their survival. Many critics were also pinning the film down for the lack of impact comparing it to Jaws, and to me it has a lot to do with the fact that we were never really treated with a holistic view of the gargantuan sea monster. We get glimpses of parts of the creature, its colossal tail whipping the ship into pieces, its daggering eye when it comes face to face with Chase, but it is never revealed entirely, resulting in a “Moby Dick” that suffers a physicality moment that jolts and mesmerizes audience altogether.
The latter part of the plot unfortunately focuses a hefty lot on the men’s survival being shipwrecked with very limited supplies. I quote "unfortunate" as it is neither the colourful and multi-layered journey in Life of Pi (Ang Li, 2012), nor the inspiring steel-perseverance of Unbroken (Angelina Jolie, 2014). Coupled with Hemsworth's confusing interchanging accents and rather lazy screenwriting by Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond 2006), the film fails to deliver enough for audience to care much about the characters' development, relationships or survival. The irony of Leavitt's writing process (which actually took place ten years ago) was that whilst attempting to stay as accurate as possible, one of the main focal points he wanted to stress in the story was the hardships of these whalers back then, which he did manage, including depicting the laborious moments endured on deck and not shying away from the cold brutality of the whaling process. Beyond that, he has somehow failed in many levels to make us connect with any of the characters, even Hemsworth. All in all a visual treat, a piece of entertainment, but hardly an epic you would talk about in years to come, given its gigantic cost to make and relevance in revisiting the roots of a tale that became one of the defining texts of American literature, Moby-Dick.
RUSSELL CROWE TEAMS UP WITH RYAN GOSLING IN THE NICE GUYS
Shane Black's KISS KISS BANG BANG did not exactly make any imprint in the filming scene, but it has somehow become of an all-time classic for his fans, apart from helping Robert Downey Jr's great comeback in 2005. While Iron Man 3 is a Marvel success and became Black's biggest achievement, fans will be glad to see him returning to do what he does best, in the comedy-neonoir THE NICE GUYS, teaming up Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.
I'm a huge fan of Gosling. He's been pretty busy lately, with his comedy-drama THE BIG SHORT by Adam McKay opening soon this month, and also filming LA LA LAND, an upcoming musical comedy which also stars Emma Stone, J. K. Simmons, Finn Wittrock and John Legend.
Black calls the film a “spiritual sequel” to KISS KISS BANG BANG, describing it as “a little fast, a little funny and a little rough in places, kind of coarse. These guys are working-class dudes, they’re not really sophisticated private detectives, so it’s a chance to do the kind of thriller I don’t see too much of anymore.”
The film is set back in 1977, with Crowe as Jackson Healy, who is hired to find the daughter of a Chief Justice, played by Kim Basinger. Healy finds himself teaming up with motor-mouthed PI Holland March (Gosling), and whilst the duo get off to an awkward start, their story will be one pretty in-your-face bloody adventure.
fiLmReviEw •• Foreign Film Edition •• A NAGY FÜZET (THE NOTEBOOK) [2013, HUNGARY - Hungarian]
Budapest-born director János Szász won Special Mention at both the Chicago and Haifa International Film Festivals in 2013 for his WWII-drama THE NOTEBOOK, which was also selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. Adapted from the celebrated 1986 novel Le Grand Cahier by Ágota Kristóf, the first in a trilogy which won her the European prize for French literature, The Notebook tells a haunting tale of the perils of wartime and the disintegration of innocence into ruthless impassivity and human induration.
Lászlo and András Gyémánt play a pair of thirteen year-old twins, jolted from the cradling of their parents' storge into a mélange of brutality, when their mother (Gyöngyvér Bognár) one day decides to take them to the dirt-poor countryside to be taken care by their grandmother (Piroska Molnar), as the Nazi occupation has made the city too perilous to live in. Instantaneously the twins know hell has just begun for them as their grandmother, known to locals as "the Witch", makes no bones about her abusive and alcoholic behavior, calling them “bastards” and locking them out until they complete their laborious chores.
Left without any news about their parents from then on, they only have a few parting words from their mother, telling them to continue learning and studying no matter what, and a notebook from their father (Ulrich Matthes), asking them to record every single thing that happens to them. And so their harrowing tale is told through their entries in their notebook, taking form in scrapbook scribblings, photos and pasted objects. Szász intends to deposit audience into the crumbling world of the twins, as we follow their journey facing the brutality of mankind during wartime.
It begins with the boys merely trying to live each day by holding on to their parents’ words close at heart, to continuously learn, study and capture everything in their notebook. Equipped with only the bible to study, they end up mastering the Ten Commandments and the rest of their lessons would have to come from real life experiences. Two coddled and empty vessels stranded amidst wartime’s desperation, their logics are constantly challenged and they start to steel themselves to the brutal new world through a series of disturbing methods. They still want to learn, but their lessons rapidly morph into survival skills mastered through an array of calculated afflictions which some will prove more disturbing than shocking.
A rather competent performance by both the Gyémánt brothers, they manage to tiptoe gracefully along the borders between bravery and savage, between callous and ruthless. Hedging their survival on the “new skills” they acquire, their journey intertwines with a string of strangers all proving to be more for the purpose of provoking rather than anything purposeful. That is my slight issue with the film. You’d be surprised with the number of lecherous souls they would encounter, from a harelip neighbor (Orsolya Toth), a pedophiliac Nazi officer (Ulrich Thomsen), to a corrupted priest (Péter Andorai) and finally a pro-Nazi maid who engages the boys in a bizarre masturbation scene.
There seems to be a central key note which remains rather overlooked based on the reviews that I’ve encountered of this film. In fact, it is to me evinced at the very beginning (a calming scene of the twins sleeping head to head like a conjoined twins), throughout as an undertone (they do everything together and even finish each other’s sentences), and finally the ending. I would interpret the almost deadly connection between the brothers as the pivotal message in what Szász is trying to deliver in this 1 hour 52 minutes drama. Culminating in a seemingly abrupt ending (argued by some as incomplete and unexplained), it makes perfect sense to me as it is actually the final lesson the twins are forcing themselves to learn, in their unrelenting quest for survival.
MIGHTY THOR HAS NEVER LOOKED SO FAMISHED "Just tried a new diet/training program called “Lost At Sea”. Wouldn’t recommend it,” Chris Hemsworth wrote as he posted the photo of his radically transformed self on Twitter. The photo of the unrecognizable star of Thor was taken during filming of the epic adventure thriller drama IN THE HEART OF THE SEA, a film based on the non-fiction book of the same name which tells the story of the sinking of an American whaling ship Essex in 1820 that inspired the tale of Moby-Dick. Directed by Ron Howard, the film co-stars Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Wishaw and Brendan Gleeson. Scheduled to be released very soon on December 11, In The Heart is previously featured as MOOVIE GAB's fiLmsToLoOkOutFoR.
CATE BLANCHETT’S CAROL LEADS INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS Earlier on Tuesday the nominations for the 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced, with Todd Haynes’ lesbian love story CAROL scoring a leading six nominations. Both lead stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara will be facing off in the Best Female Lead category. Other nominees in this category include Brie Larson for ROOM, Bel Powley for THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez for TANGERINE.
Tailing behind Carol are BEASTS OF NO NATION with five nominations and SPOTLIGHT with four. All the three films will compete in the categories of Best Feature and Best Director. In the running for these two major categories as well is Charlie Kaufman’s adult animated comedy-drama ANOMALISA. THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, IT FOLLOWS, JAMES WHITE, MEDITERRANEA, ROOM and SONGS MY BROTHER TAUGHT ME each landed three nominations. BONE TOMAHAWK, THE END OF THE TOUR, HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT, and MANOS SUCIAS each scored two nominations. Jessica Chastain was earlier named the honorary chair at this year's awards, joining past honorary chair holders like Kerry Washington, Tom Cruise, Benecio Del Toro and Angela Bassett.
Having written critically acclaimed films like BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999), ADAPTATION (2002), and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004), Charlie Kaufman has been lauded by critics for his originality in depicting humanity. His perspectives are honestly creative, and often angsty, and he’s back with another non-conforming treat in the form of stop-motion adult animated comedy-drama. Titled simply ANOMALISA, Kaufman wrote and co-directed the film (with Duke Johnson) which stars voices of David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan.
Anomalisa follows David Stone (Thewlis), author of best-selling books on customer service, who amidst his business trip to Cincinnati, loneliness and on the verge of an existential free-fall, meets and finds companionship in Lisa (Leigh), a frumpy and low-esteemed fan. Equally unhappy and lost about life, both finds a beautiful connection. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival in September, the film has already won the Grand Jury Prize at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and even creating some Oscar-buzz. Scheduled for theatrical release by year end, this adult-animation is contending in four categories in the recently announced Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Female (Leigh).
With CREED opening in theatres this week, Sylvester Stallone is basically passing his Rocky-franchise torch to Michael B. Jordan (great choice by the way). Although Stallone reprises his role as Rocky Balboa in this Ryan Coogler directed boxing drama, it will be a supporting role where he trains and mentors Adonis Johnson (Jordan), the ambitious son of his late friendand rival Apollo Creed. So far it’s all good news for Creed as it’s receiving promising reviews, with a rating of 92% (based on 127 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10) on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's consensus reads, “Creed brings the Rocky franchise off the mat for a surprisingly effective seventh round that extends the boxer's saga in interesting new directions while staying true to its classic predecessors' roots.”
Apart from Rocky, Stallone was also recently asked whether who would be his choices to take over his most iconic roles, and here are his picks. Rambo – Ryan Gosling, Cobra – Jake Gyllenhaal, Demolition Man – Channing Tatum, Cliffhanger – Tom Cruise, Over The Top – Dwayne Johnson. With his first two picks, he might just finally make me a fan of full-on action flicks!
Another part of Stallone’s legacy of Rocky is passed on as a musical (yes, it’s unbelievable but it happened!), but the show received mixed reviews and underwhelming office, ultimately forcing ROCKY THE MUSICAL to be closed down after a mere five-month run.
- Jennifer Garner, on her upcoming film Miracles From Heaven which is adapted from the memoir of the same name by Christy Beam. When all things fail for Beam and her husband in their attempt to find cure for their 12 year-old daughter Annabel's digestive disorder, they keep their faith going by praying night after night. One day Annabel survived a 30-feet fall from a tree and tells her parents that she has visited heaven – and is inexplicably cured from her terminal disorder. Directed by Patricia Riggen and co-stars Martin Henderson, Kylie Rogers, John Carroll Lynch and Queen Latifah, the film is scheduled for release in March 2016.
- Guy Pearce, on how he feels about the plans by AMBI Pictures to produce the new take on his non-linear psychological thriller Memento. The 2000 film, though only director Christopher Nolan's second feature film, basically has turned heads and made him someone to look out for in the filming industry. Starring Pearce as a tattooed detective with memory loss trying to discover his wife's killer, the film is told in two different sequences interspersed back and forth during the film, a series in color shown in reverse order and another series in black-and-white that is shown chronologically. Still stands as one of my most favourite films of all time, it drags audience into the mental state of Pearce's unique memory loss, whilst brilliantly bringing both the sequences into one cohesive narrative and riveting end. The remake plans have sparked extreme reactions from critics and movie goers, with some agreeing with Pearce on the basis of questioning what's the point since the entire magic of the film's suspense (thus spoiler) is already known by audience, plus it's just too soon for a remake. Some on their other hand are giving support with arguments that not all great remakes need a great deal of lapse, quoting the example that it only took Nolan himself eight years to revisit the Batman franchise after Joel Schumacher left it in 1997. In a statement, AMBI Pictures shared "Memento is a masterpiece that leaves audiences guessing not just throughout the film, but long after as well, which is a testament to its daring approach. We intend to stay true to Christopher Nolan’s vision and deliver a memorable movie that is every bit as edgy, iconic and award-worthy as the original. It’s a big responsibility to deliver something that lives up to the mastery of the original, but we are extremely excited and motivated to bring this puzzle back to life and back into the minds of moviegoers.”
“After all these years and all the fan demand, I do believe I can stand and firmly say an unequivocal no” - Bette Midler, finally sealing the speculation on Disney’s sequel to its Halloween-set comedy Hocus Pocus with a big, sad no. Midler plays witch Winnie Sanderson alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the 1993 Kevin Ortega directed comedy which despite the negative reviews generated some sort of a cult following.
CHARLIZE THERON RETURNS AS EVIL QUEEN RAVENNA, AND SHE HAS A SISTER
Forget about Kristen Stewart, the spinoff of Snow White and the Huntsman is getting a glossy star-studded cast. Titled as The Huntsman : Winter's War, it reunites Charlize Theron as Ravenna and Chris Hemsworth as huntsman Eric, with the addition of Emily Blunt as ice queen Freya and Emily Blunt as Hemsworth's love interest and warrior, Sara. The story starts way before Ravenna and Eric met Snow White, where Ravenna's sister left their kingdom after a betrayal and shut herself in a remote wintry palace, raising a legion of huntsmen. When two of Freya's prized huntsmen Eric and Sara defy her commands and fall in love, she casts them into the wilderness. Years later Freya returns to the kingdom to claim her magic mirror after learning that her sister Ravenna has been vanquished by Snow White. Given a chance to resurrect Ravenna, the reunion of the two evil sisters soon brings upon a sinister plan that threatens the enchanted land, and it will be up to the banished huntsmen to put a stop to it. Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, who was visual effects supervisor on the original film, The Huntsman: Winter's War will be released April 22 next year
As painfully misogynistic as it sounds, "Bride Kidnapping" actually exists, in several parts of the world including several countries within Central Asia, Causasus and Africa. It basically means abduction of a woman by a man (usually with the help of relatives) for the purpose of marriage. This absurdity is embraced by some communities in the southern region of Ethiopia, known as "telefa", and one particular girl's harrowing real life experience not only inspired the 2014 film Difret, but became a landmark case that changed an age-old law in the country.
Aberash Berkele was only fourteen when she was abducted by a group of men on horses while she was returning home from school. Captured and beaten, she was brought to a hut to be raped by one of them, and told that he would be her husband. Berkele managed to steal their gun as she attempted to run away. Whilst her abductor and his men gave chase, she pulled the trigger and was put on trial for the murder of her abductor. This plundering of innocence and humanity has been translated into the silver screens by producer Mehret Mandefro and writer-director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, with Angelina Jolie signing on as the executive producer with the hope to raise awareness on telefa.
In Difret, we see Hirut Assefa (Tizita Hagere) as the bright fourteen year-old daughter of poor farmers in rural Ethiopia, who has ambitions in her pursuit of an education, which is uncommon for girls in those parts. The trajectory of Difret and Hirut's fate pretty much follow closely of the real story, and soon the family of the demised abductor Tadele (Girma Teshome) is racking up support from the villagers to have her executed for murder, and buried with him. Succumbing to her wretched fate, hope finds its way when Hirut is rescued by Meaza Ashenafi (Meron Getnet), a lawyer helming Andinet Women Lawyers Association, advocating for women’s rights. This is a case where the gravity of injustice outweighs the film's narrative. Mehari chooses to "tell" in great lengths as compared to "show", giving the film a semi docudrama appeal instead of allowing more expressive interpretations of the plot. I would have preferred the latter. No doubt at several junctures the narrative does come off slightly punctuated, but all in all an adequate film. Audience will still be able to appreciate Difret's message, and I particularly liked the development of Meaza and Hirut's bond.
Today, Berkele is a mother of a ten year-old son, and works for Harmee, an NGO that aims to eliminate violence against women in Arsii. Her high profiled case managed to make an immediate impact, reducing the abduction cases in Arsii to none for five good years. Sadly, the cases are crawling back to a reported seven to eight cases annually in the past recent years. Meaza on the other hand continues with her devotion in protecting the rights of Ethiopian women and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Difret has won in Sundance, Montreal, Amsterdam and Berlin film festivals.
