Black Sheep interviews Antonio Banderas

n 1986, a relatively unknown Spanish director by the name of Pedro Almodóvar, cast a little known young actor named Antonio Banderas, to whom he’d previously given a small part in a previous work, in MATADOR, a controversial indie film about a former bullfighter and a lawyer who got turned on by the act of killing. The successful pairing would repeat itself three more times in three more years but then Banderas would move to Hollywood. It’s been 20 years since this famous twosome last worked together.

Banderas and Almodovar at Cannes 2011

“I was in New York doing a workshop for a musical there and Pedro called me when I was in the car and said, ‘It’s about time.’” Banderas has a smirk on his face as he recalls the story of when he and his old friend decided to make another movie again. “He didn’t even introduce himself. He just called me and the first thing that I heard was ‘It’s about time.’”

Banderas in The Skin I Live In (2011)

This was still a ways back even. Banderas, now 51 years old, was working on a 2003 production of "Nine" on Broadway when he first read, THE SKIN I LIVE IN (LA PIEL QUE HABITO), and even though he knew it would be some time before the two would be able to coordinate their schedules, he was still very careful to give this script its due. “I know that the first time I read a script is the only time that I’m going to be a spectator of my own work,” Banderas says, demonstrating an appreciation for his craft I’m not sure why I wasn’t expecting. “From that moment on, I’m contaminated.”

Banderas in Matador (1986)

Banderas’s choice of words are particularly poignant in this case considering how easily THE SKIN I LIVE IN In gets under your skin. Loosely based on a novel called, "Tarantula", by Thierry Jonquet, Almodovar’s film is as stylish as one would expect but also deeply disturbing, with Banderas anchoring most of that madness as a scientist consumed by a mounting obsession. It plays with time and convention; it has scenes of costumed rape and bloody mutilation; in essence, the film is executed with an eerie and concise control that Banderas finds quite admirable. “In the formal aspects, Pedro has become more minimalist, more austere. He is now more serious, more complex, more profound.”

Banderas watching The Skin I Live In co-star, Elena Ayaya

It isn’t the mainstream he has grown accustomed to in Hollywood but Banderas believes there is a place for all forms of cinema in the world today. “I cannot ask a guy who has been working on the roads under the sun the entire week to go see 8 1/2 by Federico Fellini on the weekend,” he jokes. “What he needs is to take his girlfriend and a big bucket of popcorn to see PUSS IN BOOTS.” As both the aforementioned SHREK spinoff, in which Banderas voices the titular Puss, and the Almodovar picture are playing well to their respective audiences, he has a point.

On the set of The Skin I Live In with Almodovar

“Pedro is a genre unto himself,” Banderas states, after citing Lars Von Trier and Terrence Malick as Almodovar’s most comparable contemporaries. “In one scene, you feel like you are in the altitudes of Shakespeare and three minutes after you are in a soap opera from Mexico and everything in between.” As much of a mind melt that can be at times, especially on set, Banderas would not have it any other way. “Pedro loves to go to different places and explore the more intricate complexities of the human experience. He keeps turning the wheels.”

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Banderas returns to Hollywood next in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming thriller, HAYWIRE, and comedy in Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’s follow-up to LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, entitled HE LOVES ME. His break from the masses to return home to the familiar was a welcome one though. “Going back to Pedro at this particular time in my life is like a Coca-Cola in the desert. It feels good, it feels very good.”

readmore »»  

Hole in One (2010)

Genre: Comedy/Sport/Drama/Romance

Starring: Steve Talley, David Ellison, Dean Cameron, Christopher Showerman, Sandy Modic

Sex sells? At least that is what the makers of this movie believe in. Here is our recipe; get a young famous actor, get some gorgeous skimpy clothed woman, add some considerable nudity, sprinkle some slap-stick humour and if you really wish, add a plot to it. Eric (Talley) is an amateur golfer who hustles people and makes a living. His best friend Tyler (Ellison) runs a store that sells clothes golf apparel and the two are enjoying their life the way it is. On one eventful day, Eric makes a bet with two plastic surgeons at golf and loses, or rather gained, something he wish he never had. Steve Talley has emerged as the new god of sex-comedy movies after his success with American Pie and Van Wilder. The movie is a mindless comic with no laughable humour or entertaining plot outline. If loads of topless woman is what defines your style of entertainment then this movie is definitely up to the mark else it is a pure waste of precious time. Watch at your own risk.

Thumbs up: Does the moon have water?

Thumbs down: Bad plot, worse humour

Rating: 4.8/10

readmore »»  

ANONYMOUS

Written by John Orloff

Directed by Roland Emmerich 

Starring Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis and Vanessa Redgrave

Roland Emmerich is famous for directing disaster movies, like 2012 and INDEPENDENCE DAY. His latest, ANONYMOUS, is supposed to be a grand departure but it still felt an awful lot like a disaster to me. And what better way to distance yourself from a genre that practically ignores story completely, than to take on a story that attacks the character of one of the most famed storytellers of all time, William Shakespeare. Rhys Ifans stars as Edward De Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford and, according to Emmerich, the actual writer of Shakespeare’s plays. It’s an interesting theory but one that Emmerich executes with about as much finesse and subtlety as one would expect from the man who rewrote history in 10,000 B.C. If I were Emmerich, I would have left my name off of this one.

readmore »»  

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010)

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama

Starring: Christopher Gorham, Alyssa Milano, Michael Landes, Tom Lenk

An aspiring writer, Ethan (Gorham) is tired of facing rejection and his editor saying that his stories lack inspiration. Just when he is about to give up, he meets a waitress Jessie (Milano) and the two immediately become really great friends. Ethan starts to fall in love with her but little does he know that Jessie is also dating an advertising executive, Troy (Landes). Jessie seems to love both, Troy and Ethan and neither of the men know about each other. Jessie soon realises that her life cannot go on like this and one fine day she would have to bring out the truth and select one over the other. The movie starts out being very interesting and progress is smooth and catchy. The only downfall of the movie is its climax which is not understandable, downright weird and not what one would expect from this movie. It somehow changes the entire plot with what you have been watching all this while to something completely different and what some might call it, lame. It seemed like a hurried option just to end the movie and brings down an otherwise decent watch.

Thumbs up: A good romance to watch with your lover

Thumbs down: Horrible climax

Rating: 5.7/10

readmore »»  

PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES

Written by Kate Nocack and Andrew Rossi

Directed by Andrew Rossi

As you’re reading this review online, you are already hip to the changes in the air. In case you haven't fully noticed, it would appear as though journalism as we’ve known it for all our lives is changing and changing fast. The print newspaper is desperate for advertising to avoid its demise and the definition of journalist itself has been drastically altered in the digital age. Andrew Rossi’s third feature, PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES is a fascinating and engaging look at these issues as dealt with by the world leader in print journalism. Despite its behemoth status, even the NYT is not immune to this decline and Rossi will have you wondering where we all be when, not if, it falls too.

readmore »»  

The Lost City (2005)

Genre: History/Action/Romance/Drama

Starring: Andy Garcia, Enrique Murciano, Nestor Carbonell, Tomas Millian, Jsu Garcia, Ines Sastre, Richard Bradford, Bill Murray

Batista, the dictator of Cuba was hated by his people for the lack of freedom and his never-ending oppression. Federico (Milian) is a highly respected university professor who has brought up his three sons with strict virtues and good ideologies. He wants to use constitutional means to remove Batista from power and make Cuba a democracy. His son Ricardo (Murciano) does not agree with his democratic future and becomes a Communist by joining hands with Che Guevara (Jsu Garcia). His second son Luis (Carbonell) joins the democratic revolution who attempts to storm into the Presidential Palace and kill Batista but gets killed in the shootout. His third son Fico (Andy Garcia) owns a nightclub who loves dance and music and simply wants to make a peaceful living. Fico promised Luis that he would look after his wife Aurora (Sastre) should anything happen to him and upon insisting from his mother, he starts spending time with her only to fall in love. The movie reflects the love between Fico and Aurora against the hard times of Cuban dictatorship and eventual Communism by Fidel Castro. It picks up on a good note but the consequent developments are slow and at times become a bore. Romance and drama movies tend to be slow and the long pointless conversations only add to the dragged outline of the plot. Certain performances are commendable especially the unnecessary character of The Writer (Murray) who has no name who simply appears where Fico is and adds the tinge of humour to the movie. Nothing special, just a history lesson with a romance.

Thumbs up: Bill Murray and other performances

Thumbs down: Slow and dragged

Rating: 6.4/10

readmore »»  

Thor (2011)

Genre: Action/Science-fiction/Fantasy/Adventure

Starring: Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Colm Feore

According to ancient Nordic mythology, the god of gods, Odin (Hopkins) had two sons Loki (Hiddleston) and Thor (Hemsworth). Thor was the heir-apparent to the throne of Odin's kingdom much to the despise of Loki. Loki, God of Mischief, was known for his trickery and Lies and Thor, God of Thunder, for his rage and arrogance. The movie blends the old mythical story with new-age science to narrate the story of King Odin, ruler of the planet Asgard who once waged war against the Frost Giants and their leader King Laufey (Feore) and seized their prized Casket of Ancient Winter, their only source of power. Thor eventually accesses the throne and in order to celebrate his new accession, wages war once again with the Frost Giants in order to prove his might. Angered, his father banishes him to Earth and casts a spell on his Hammer which would only answer to a person worthy of wielding it. Jane Foster (Portman) an astrophysicist rescues Thor upon his arrival and aides him in whatever way she could. Thor wants to retrieve his hammer and return to Asgard but mischievous Loki has other secret plans for him. The movie is a good blend of mythology and science and seamless and convincing blend does not seem awkward or out of place. For anyone familiar with Nordic mythology or for someone who played the very famous PC game Age of Mythology would be familiar with gods featured in the movie and their powers and characters. A good adventure and fantasy watch that ticks the right boxes.

Thumbs up: Good graphics, great seamless blending of stories

Thumbs down: Nothing really, ticks the right boxes to be a decent entertainer

Rating: 7.5/10

readmore »»  

Black Sheep interviews Elizabeth Olsen

What’s in a name? In the festival circuit breakout, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, the heroine has four of them. Meanwhile, the actress who plays her has a name you’ve likely never heard before. With five films being released over the next year and mounting awards season buzz for her first though, you will know the name, Elizabeth Olsen, soon enough and you’ll be hearing it for a long time to follow as well.

“I try not to think about things like momentum and trying to act fast while things are hot,” Olsen tells me, over the phone, after I suggest that things are indeed hot for her right now. “I’m just going to try to continue making choices based on script, character, project, who’s involved, rather than try to jump on some sort of momentum.”

Olsen as Martha, Marcy May or Marlene

Her choices thus far have been pretty sound or at least have the potential to be. Her upcoming projects include working with filmmakers like Bruce Beresford (DRIVING MISS DAISY), Rodrigo Cortes (BURIED) and Josh Radnor (Ted from How I Met your Mother). It is her breakout in MMMM (cool acronym, huh?), with first time feature filmmaker and now good friend, Sean Durkin though, that will serve as her ultimate unveiling.

“Sean wanted to cast an unknown actress for Martha,” Olsen reveals. “He thought it was really important for the audience to see it without any baggage from someone’s prior work because it is such a specific story.” The story in question centers around Martha’s escape from a cult and her difficult integration back into the family she ran from. Her memories and her nightmares become intertwined, making for a unique and haunting film experience. (Read the 5-star Black Sheep review here.)

Olsen with Oscar nominee, John Hawkes

While It is true that people may not know her name, it is a stretch to suggest Olsen comes without baggage. Olsen is the younger sibling of infamous twin sisters, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. And while she may bear a distinct resemblance to them physically, it only takes about five minutes of watching her on screen to realize she is where she is right now based on the sheer magnitude of her talent and not her connections.

This talent is the reason I chose not to discuss her sisters with her during our interview. It is also the reason that the possibility of an Oscar nod is being tossed around for her turn in MMMM. “First off, that’s just like so, it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around it because this is my first movie being released,” Olsen declares, clearly humbled and reluctantly excited by the possibility. “It’s so difficult for me to see that as part of my reality. For me, what I hope comes out of that mere buzz is more people will end up seeing the movie because of that.”

Olsen with co-star, Sarah Paulson

A significant audience would certainly vindicate the five week shoot, in which Olsen only had one day off and two weeks to prepare for, not to mention the dark places she had to visit in her mind to make Martha believable. “I have a pretty active imagination,” Olsen explains when I ask how she was so convincingly able to look like a shell of a human being on screen at times. “I just would put myself in situations, not like Martha’s situation, but more like something I could relate to, that would be more like a parallel. It makes the movie harder to watch because you remember the things that you were trying to figure out for yourself when you played those scenes.”

It may be dark but MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE is nothing but a bright beginning for an exciting new actress with great promise. “At the end of the movie, I did feel sad to leave her behind but I also felt relieved,” Olsen confides, showing genuine conflict. Now many months later, there is no question of the pride she derived from the experience. “I truly believe it’s an original and different cinematic experience for modern day film. I don’t think a lot of films are made like this anymore and I hope people just come game to have a whole different type of experience watching a movie.”

readmore »»  

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Written and Directed by Sean Durkin

Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy and John Hawkes

Martha: Do you ever have that feeling where you can’t tell if something’s a memory or if it’s something you dreamed?

Instantly uncomfortable, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, is unlike any experience I’ve had at the movies. It is at times both eerily quiet and dishearteningly noisy; it is painfully present but yet also lost in a haze of what is real and what is imagined. It inspires great sympathy and even greater anxiety. Its tension is palpable and its style is distinct and effective. MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE is a truly accomplished piece of filmmaking from writer-director, Sean Durkin, a first time feature filmmaker. With that in mind, it is just plain shocking across the board.

As skillful as Durkin proves to be, he has help, led by a star-making turn from lead actress, Elizabeth Olsen. Olsen, who incidentally is the younger sibling of Mary-Kate and Ashley (and I’m sure never tires of seeing that repeated in print), is incredible as Martha. We meet her when she is Marcy May, her name changed when she entered a seemingly loving commune. Her new family turns out to be an abusive cult, led by recent Oscar nominee, John Hawkes (WINTER’S BONE), but the warmth they show her is still enough for her to leave behind the family she had always known. Olsen carries so much depth in her composure, her face and general demeanor are cold and lifeless. Still, there is fight inside her that breaks through the surface from time to time, hoping to make its presence more permanent. Olsen makes Martha’s struggle so grave, you feel as though she could slip away from everything at any moment, never to return. She is simply captivating and I could barely breathe as I watched her push back from hell.

Durkin takes this towering performance and drops it in the middle of a world of bewilderment, bouncing back and forth in time and place between Marcy May’s time with her adopted “family” and Martha’s attempt to reintegrate into society with her sister (Sarah Paulson) and her husband (Hugh Dancy). At times, many of them in fact, she cannot distinguish between the two experiences and subsequently, neither can we. Her transition is never simple and both situations place rules on her that she struggles against, leaving it open for debate as to which scenario provides her with real love, if any. MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE is as disturbing as you would expect from what I’ve described but it is also just as revelatory.

readmore »»  

Dude, Where's My Car (2000)

Genre: Comedy/Adventure/Science-fiction/Mystery

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Marla Sokoloff, Hal Sparks

Two pot-heads have a crazy night and the next day, they don't remember a thing. Jesse (Kutcher) and Chester (Scott) cannot remember where they went and what they did but all they know is that they might have had a really good time. The two forgot their anniversary with the twins, Wanda (Garner) and Wilma (Sokoloff), forgot where they kept their gifts, forgot why a transsexual is demanding $200,000 from them, forgot why two Nordic dudes, a group of girls calling themselves 'hot chicks' and a team of very geeky cult members are after them for the 'Continuum Transfunctioner' a device that can destroy the entire universe and forgot where they parked Jesse's car. They realised that if they find the car most of their questions about last night would be solved, but that is if they can find out where the car is. Since this movie preceded The Hangover one can say that it might have been the source of inspiration for the epic laugh riot. This movie, however, was not all that funny but just plain stupid. Its the very typical slap-stick humour that you sit and enjoy with friends and simply erase it from your memory later. Stupid and funny but don't expect too much out of it.

Thumbs up: Stupid humour, a sex-comedy with a plot

Thumbs down: Not funny enough

Rating: 6.2/10

readmore »»  

Black Sheep interviews MICHAEL SHANNON

When I sat down to speak with Michael Shannon about his mesmerizing performance in Jeff Nichols’ equally transfixing film, TAKE SHELTER, Hurricane Irene had just paid a visit to his hometown, Manhattan. The media had made out the event to be potentially catastrophic but the weather came and went without much damage to mention. The media may have had egg on their faces but what if they were right? One day, they very well might be.

In TAKE SHELTER, Shannon plays Curtis, a husband, a father, a construction foreman and a good man. Curtis has a secret though; Curtis is having visions that a storm that could end all storms is coming and he isn’t quite sure how to deal with that. “I don’t think he’s a prophet,” Shannon begins to explain of Curtis. “I don’t think Curtis has necessarily even thought it out to the extent that he thinks the end of the world is coming. I think it’s much more poetic than that.”

That it certainly is. When Curtis dreams, he sees rain of a different colour than we are accustomed to, falling from the sky. Whatever it is that is falling from the sky, it is potent and powerful and it will be the game changer humanity has managed to avoid for centuries now. Rather than presume too specifically what that would will be like though, Nichols chooses to keep things ambiguous, which is what Shannon loves about the film. “The sky is such a beautiful poetic image. People ask why can’t he just run but you can’t run from the sky.”

The supernatural elements of TAKE SHELTER are counterbalanced with Curtis’ family life, which is tested greatly by his mounting paranoia. In yet another stellar supporting turn, Jessica Chastain plays opposite Shannon as his wife. Their marriage is already braving its own storm of sorts, with their daughter facing the possibility of permanent and total hearing loss. It was the scenes with Curtis’ daughter (played by Tova Stewart) that Shannon found most disturbing and difficult. “I have a 3-year old daughter. The thought of some disaster happening to her, it’s not something I can digest. I think that’s what is so terrifying about what’s happening to Curtis is that he’s lost the ability to block it out.”

That’s an understatement. Faced with a potentially apocalyptic storm, Curtis begins expanding an underground shelter in his backyard. Naturally, this tips off his friends and family to his increasingly bizarre behaviour. Complicating matters further, Curtis’ mother (Kathy Baker) was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was roughly Curtis’ current age. This begs the question, is this madness or is this divine intervention?

“I think what Curtis is experiencing beyond schizophrenia is just feeling unsafe because he doesn’t know who’s running the show,” Shannon clarifies. Curiously enough, Curtis is not a churchgoer, unlike the rest of his family, and yet God has chosen him to warn of what’s coming. Or, he’s totally losing it. It could go either way. “For me, one of the reasons I was interested in doing the film, is that more metaphysical, spiritual component,” says Shannon, a non-churchgoer himself.

It is these kinds of delicate layers that inform both Shannon’s performance, one that will certainly come up come awards season, and the effectiveness of TAKE SHELTER itself. “To me, the inherent question is, if you don’t believe in God or if you’re not religious, then isn’t the world a terrifying place?” Shannon asks, of both his audience and himself. “Because everything is arbitrary and nature is very arbitrary. Nature is not malicious; it’s not like it wants to destroy your house but its there and its undeniable. It’s been that way for centuries. Just ask the dinosaurs.”

Would that I could but we all know how that turned out. If only the dinosaur having premonitions had spoken up.

readmore »»  

Hors la Loi (2010)

Genre: Crime/History/Action/Drama

Starring: Jamel Debouzze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Sabrina Seyvecou

English title: Outside the Law. Like most modern countries in Africa and Asia, Algeria too was a colony of a European Empire and in this case, it was France. The Algerians were made to fight in World War II against Germany and soon after the war ended, a revolution for independence ensued. Three Algerian brothers were forced to leave their motherland and start a new life, each in their own direction. Said (Debouzze) the youngest, was an entrepreneur and wanted to become a boxing manager and did not believe in the revolution. Making money was his only ambition, be it by hook or by crook. Abdelkader (Bouajila) was the second eldest and the revolutionist who started his own political party that would fight against the French and gain freedom. Messaoud (Zem) the eldest, served the French Army, got tired of war and left it to join Abdelkader and his fight for freedom. The characters portrayed by the brothers are not true and only the backdrop of the Algerian struggle is historically accurate. The performances executed are exceptional and exactly what one would expect from such a movie. The only flaw in an otherwise decent movie is its over-stretched and slow developing plot which perhaps if faster, would have made the movie far more entertaining.

Thumbs up: Exceptional performances, great adaptation

Thumbs down: Stretched and slow-developing plot

Rating: 7.0/10

readmore »»  

Jo Dooba So Paar: It's Love in Bihaar (2011)

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama/Adventure

Starring: Vinay Pathak, Anand Tiwari, Rajat Kapoor, Pitobash Tripathy, Dadhi Raj, Sita Ragoine Spada

When a white woman walks into India with extremely ambitious plans to tour the country and further her knowledge, everyone knows the hurdles she will have to cross and Sapna's (Spada) story is no different. Sapna comes to India to pursue her M. Phil research in paintings of India and wants to travel all over Bihar. Kishu (Tiwari) is a local youth who dropped out of school and now spends his days in his fathers truck transporting goods from one city to another. He glances upon Sapna in the streets one morning and instantly falls in love. Day in and day out he tirelessly tries win her heart only to find that it belonged to someone else. The movie is set against Bihar's rural life and most of the humour comes from their style of talking and the sarcasm that comes along with it. To someone who is familiar with the dialect, the humour would be more appreciated compared to anyone else who might just laugh without getting its true meaning. The performances and good and its worth that one watch to enjoy and go home.

Thumbs up: Sarcastic humour, performances

Thumbs down: Not LOL funny

Rating: 6.6/10

readmore »»  

ReReview: THE TREE OF LIFE

Written and Directed by Terrence Malick

Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn

Mrs. O'Brien: You'll be grown before that tree is tall. 

Terrence Malick’s THE TREE OF LIFE is the most polarizing film I’ve seen in ages. It was widely reported that plenty of patrons walked out and angrily demanded their money back while just as many fans vehemently defended it, proclaiming the film a modern masterpiece. In fact, this pattern began at the Cannes film festival, where the film made its debut, when half the audience took its feet in ovation while the rest booed and hissed loudly. To be fair, Cannes audiences do tend to err on the dramatic side of things but this divide was very real. No word of a lie, I hold THE TREE OF LIFE personally responsible, at least in some small part, for actually ruining a very close friendship of mine. It doesn’t matter which side of the line you fall on though; what matters is that for those who see it, the reaction it inspires is a strong one.

All I knew after seeing THE TREE OF LIFE in theatres was that I would need to see it again to truly form a full opinion of it. I knew that seeing it again would either leave me feeling more detached from it or more involved in it. When I saw the film with an audience, I was surprised and moved by how quiet and attentive everyone was. The film demands your attention and it certainly had it in that room. A few people left, including the couple sitting in front of me. (I knew when they sat down that it was only a matter of when.) At the time, my original review praised the film’s aesthetics, calling them nothing short of genius, but I also felt the film came across as somewhat self-important, as if Malick portended to know something we didn’t.

After seeing the film again, in stunning high definition in my living room, I feel as though I have seen THE TREE OF LIFE in a whole other light. The film is an odyssey of sorts, one that the viewer must choose to embark upon freely in order to enjoy. At two hours and eighteen minutes, the film is not particularly long but it can feel that way at times because it requires such delicate contemplation on the viewer’s part, as well as some very focused observation. It’s almost meditative. If you can find that state of balance and calm that Malick mysteriously manifests on film though, the experience itself can be transcendent. Every frame of this film is magnificent, bursting off the screen with beauty like you’ve never seen, rendering the action taking place superfluous most of the time.

There is no succinct plot in THE TREE OF LIFE. Having one would almost defeat the point, or at least the new point I’ve taken away from the film anyway. I feel more now as though Malick is not telling us what he thinks he knows about life but rather asking us to see life as the splendid miracle it is, to appreciate it fully and to understand that not only could it disappear in an instant but that one day it will. And so instead of story, Malick gives us random moments, some mundane, some meaningful. Moments are what make up our lives and from these moments, spring the stories we create in our minds. We invite shame and suffering into our homes and into our bodies when we don’t need to. Our lives are but blinks of an eye and all that we should see in that instant is love.

readmore »»  

TRESPASS

Written by Karl Gajdusak

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Starring Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage

It is mind boggling to me that A) films as thin and contrived as TRESPASS still get made and B) that any actors still working today would sign on to work with director, Joel Schumacher. Both TRESPASS stars, Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage, should have known better considering each of them has worked with Schumacher before in what are considered some of the worst titles on their resumes (BATMAN FOREVER for Kidman and 8MM for Cage). By starring in this home hostage thriller, Cage is reduced to sniveling cowardly on the floor and Kidman simply screams girlishly from a corner throughout. TRESPASS is an embarrassment for all involved, including those who see it. Heed my warning: Keep out of TRESPASS.

readmore »»  

THE LION KING

I must have seen Disney’s THE LION KING a great number of times as a kid because when I finally sat down to watch the film again as an adult, I could practically recite it word for word as it played in front of me. The film’s recent theatrical rerelease success proves that THE LION KING is unquestionably one of the most well loved animated films of all time. And its debut appearance on Blu-Ray is a clear reminder why.

The 1994 Oscar winner is back and as majestic as it’s ever been. From the moment the procession of elephants, giraffes and zebras makes its way to Pride Rock for the unveiling of Simba, the newborn lion cub who will one day be king, THE LION KING roars loud enough to earn its moniker. The African savannah is breathtaking in its yellow and orange hues and the Elton John/Tim Rice song, “Circle of Life”, is a true triumph (one of many on the jubilant soundtrack). This ceremony is a celebration and the film itself is just as much of one. Its message of overcoming your fears and past to become the king you are inside, holds true to this day without falling prey to cliché.

The new Blu-Ray edition contains many of the same features that previous DVD editions did but it does also contain some never before seen deleted scenes, as well as a newly “discovered blooper reel featuring most of the original voice cast, from Matthew Broderick as the adult Simba to Jeremy Irons as the villainous Scar. Regardless of how many new features there are, the high definition transfer itself is well worth the upgrade. THE LION KING is simply a must-own for any family film collection.

readmore »»  

Despicable Me (2010)

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Drama/Science-fiction/Action

Starring (voice): Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher

How I love a good, humourous and fun to watch animation! It is indeed pleasing when every now and then there comes a comedy that you can watch over and over again and enjoy it just as you did when you saw it the very first time. Gru (Carell) a master conman has a falling reputation that he needs to improve. Vector (Segal) a new thief in the business has managed to steal the Pyramid of Giza putting Gru's thefts, the Times Square Jumbotron, The Statue of Liberty (from Vegas) and the Eiffel Tower (also from Vegas) to shame. Gru comes up with one large theft that will change the way the world looks at him, but for that he needs the Shrink Ray, which is currently in Vector's possession. Three orphan girls, Margo (Cosgrove), Edith (Gaier) and Agnes (Fisher) have easy access to Vector's facility because he loves the cookies they sell to him. Gru plans to adopt them to gain entry to Vector's facility, not knowing that his evil, cunning, stone-cold and selfish heart will change forever. The best thing about the movie is its subtle humour that would make people of all ages roll over with laughter and guarantee a great time. Agnes' character is extremely cute and is made to appeal to young kids and Gru's minion's take the cake when it comes to idiotic and enjoyable humour. The movie can promptly shift from being a comedy to an action sequence and can suddenly bring out all the emotions from within you in a flash. A definite watch and a sure shot entertainer. I'm lovin' it!

Thumbs up: Great humour, brilliant entertainer, fabulous character creation

Thumbs done: None at all

Rating: 8.5/10

readmore »»  

Black Sheep interviews Max Minghella

The cast of George Clooney’s THE IDES OF MARCH is practically mammoth. Aside from Clooney himself, you have Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright and Evan Rachel Wood. If you go one more name down the list though, you’ll come by one Max Minghella, and once you see the film, you’ll know why his name deserves to be included amongst all these others.

Minghella with Hoffman, Tomei and Gosling

“It’s an amazing privilege to work with people like that,” the 26-year-old, London native tells me in his charming accent. “It was such a useful experience in terms of education.” Personal benefits aside though, Minghella, who was part of another impressive cast last year in THE SOCIAL NETWORK, hopes the film’s pedigree does not hurt its chances of being seen. “There are so many prestigious actors, I hope it doesn’t turn people or get them to not root for the movie because I think it has a really strong heart.” So why the elaborate casting then? “I don’t think its cast for the sake of casting. It happens to have an extraordinary cast but they’re all the right people for the parts.”

In The Social Network

Minghella, the son of the late filmmaker, Anthony Minghella, was “obsessed” with Beau Willimon’s “Farrugut North”, the play this film is based on (“I saw it a lot”). He is happy that Clooney has done such a fine job directing. “All of the things I loved in the play are retained but George has managed to stretch it out on a much bigger canvas,” he states with some relief. And what of Clooney as a director? “He’s very clear. He’s a very pragmatic filmmaker, which makes you feel very safe as an actor. You feel like you have a real boss who knows where he needs to be and knows where he needs to take us.” Incidentally, Minghella and Clooney have worked together before; he played Clooney’s son in Syriana.

Minghella and Gosling

“I never thought I was going to be an actor but I always knew I would be in film,” Minghella tells me when I ask if this is always where he saw his life headed. You might suspect that Minghella’s interest in filmmaking came from his Oscar-winning father, but in fact it was his mother who peaked his interest at a very young age. Carolyn Choa is a choreographer now but when Minghella was still a baby, she worked for the British Board of Film Classification, the British equivalent of the MPAA. “When I was a baby, she’d have to watch like five or six movies a day, and she’d tell me the plot summaries for each of these movies as my bedtime stories. So my imagination as a person is totally intwined with film as a medium. I wouldn’t know how to do anything else.”

So while Minghella’s name may not be above the title, he is honoured to have been a part of THE IDES OF MARCH. “I’ve never had this kind of fairy tale experience before of really wanting something, feeling like you’re the right person for it, and then it working out so simply. That’s never been my story before.”

And with that, a new story begins.

readmore »»  

MARGARET

Written and Directed by Kenneth Lonergan

Starring Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and Alison Janney

Lisa Cohen: I just need to talk to somebody who doesn’t completely misunderstand who I am or what’s going on inside me.

It isn’t easy growing up, no matter who you are and no matter what you have to live through while you’re doing it. Take Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) for instance. She is a 17-year-old girl living on the Upper West Side in New York City. She goes to a private school and comes from a broken home. Her pre-occupations are not unlike any other girl’s her age - she bickers with her family, she wants to lose her virginity, she has opinions about worldly subjects she is only beginning to understand. And she is only just realizing that it is up to her to make sense of her own world when she inadvertently causes a fatal traffic accident. Suddenly, the world makes even less sense than it did just moments earlier.

MARGARET is writer/director, Kenneth Lonergan’s highly anticipated follow-up to his Oscar nominated 2001 feature, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME. The film went into production in 2005, when the now 29-year-old star, Paquin, who certainly gives a vibrant and youthful performance, was but 23. It then spent years in turnaround as Lonergan tinkered with the lengthy 3-hour+ runtime, trying to get distributer, Fox Searchlight, to sign off on it. It was scheduled to be released in 2007 but the cut was deemed unreleasable. In the midst of legal battles, Martin Scorsese and his faithful editor, Thelma Schoonmaker came on board to see what they could make of it. Their edit is the official theatrical release and both company and director are apparently happy with the end results.

Indeed all parties should be pleased as MARGARET is an engaging coming of age story. Lisa does not know how to process what she has witnessed and has no idea how to make right what she caused. She looks down every road for solace but constantly runs into walls and subsequently, she begins to act out as a means to make her life about something other than that accident. Perhaps in her own self-destruction, she can eradicate her guilt. If only life were that simple though. If it were, not only would Lisa find a simple path to peace but Lonergan would have found a simpler path to finishing this film. Life allows for things to pass in their own time though and with that, MARGARET needed to take this long to be released. Like Lisa, it too had some growing pains to go through first.

readmore »»