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Praise (1998) – 8/10
Praise is the story of Gordon (Peter Fenton), an unemployed chain-smoking asthmatic and his relationship with eczema sufferer Cynthia (Sacha Horler). Based on the novel by Andrew McGahan, Praise follows the depressed and sexually charged antics of Gordon and Cynthia as they argue, have sex, don’t have sex and occasionally play scrabble. It was highly acclaimed by the Australian Film Institute for Best Actress and Best Screenplay, and for all the right reasons.
Praise is strangely devoid of plot. At the start of the film Gordon quits his job, after that he gets a phone call from a former colleague, Cynthia, to go hang out. The two begin their relationship early on in the film, and when Cynthia moves in with Gordon problems start to surface. Cynthia’s sex addiction becomes too much for Gordon and as he struggles to cope with her ferocious appetite, things get worse and worse for them. It is fair to say that Praise is not a typical romantic comedy.
Fenton does a very good job with the paranoid, chain-smoking Gordon. There is a slightly pathetic and self-deprecating air about him that makes him both a likeable character and the basis for a lot of the humour of the film. A particular standout moment is Gordon’s visit to the doctor and the doctor is more concerned with his potential alcohol addiction than his problems in bed. Even his attempts to get diagnosed and saved and undercut by how tragic a character he is.
Horler compliments Fenton’s self deprecating Gordon by giving him every reason to be paranoid. Sexual politics have never been any less subtle. Cynthia dominates Gordon immediately, and all of his muttered apologies get sadder as the film goes on. Horler performs crazy very well as she screams, kicks, cries, and hits her way through the latter half of the film.
The language of Praise prevents it from ever becoming too romantic. The first 5 minutes of the film has more swear words than most hour and a half feature lengths. The vast amount of swearing is incredibly noticeable from the start, but it gradually becomes normal as time goes on, and after a while you don’t even notice how often the characters swear.
The use of sex is the same as the language in Praise. It happens so often, and so casually, you begin to think of nothing of it when Gordon and Cynthia are having sex on the floor and discussing the intimacies of their personal life quite explicitly. It is difficult to desensitize sex and swearing, but Praise achieves it and uses both as vehicles for humour and drama.
Gordon’s housemates, a gang of crazy old men, are worth mentioning. It is bizarre, but the same with the swearing and the sex, it is introduced so early on you learn to accept it.
Where Praise succeeds is that it doesn’t try to do too much at once. It moves well through a series of awkward moments in Gordon and Cynthia’s car-crash of a relationship and the solid performances by the lead roles and supporting actors, particularly Joel Edgerton playing Gordon’s best friend Leo, keep the film going. The cinematography of Praise suits the film as well, it is really simple and dark and fits with the overall style.
The only drawback to Praise is that there is a slight lull in the middle of the film where it seems to lose all momentum. For a film just over an hour and a half that shouldn’t really be the case. It stands out unfortunately, because of the pace that it maintains in the first and last parts of the film.
Whether it set out to be as funny as it comes across is hard to tell, but either way Praise is an entertaining film with an ending that is just as strange as the rest of the film. The bizarre elements to Praise make it all the more enjoyable to watch, and you find yourself having to keep accepting different things – sex, swearing, scrabble, old men – to keep up with the film.
Originally published at Static Mass Emporium
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) 9/10
Steven Russell (Jim Carrey), a cop turned con-man, lies, cheats and steals his way into and out of prison all for the love of Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). With one ridiculous moment after another, a great combination of quips and absurd situations the real question throughout the film is how many ways is it possible to break out of prison?
Based on the life of Steven Jay Russell, the story begins with Steven, a middle-aged and relatively contented man that lives with his wife and son in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The family have BBQs, laugh and seem pretty happy. Well, the illusion of a nuclear family is shattered pretty early on when we see Steven having sex with a man. From the moment of his car crash he finally outs himself and that’s when the film really begins.
Using the same talents that he’s demonstrated throughout his career (Ace Ventura (1994), Man on the Moon (1999) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), just to name a few) Carrey covers the whole emotional spectrum without fault. From happy-go-lucky to completely distraught without the blink of an eye, Carrey does it all.
McGregor, in turn, provides Carrey with a flawless counter-part. The softly spoken and gentle character of Phillip Morris is the figure of Steven’s affections and he plays it as coyly and affectionately as he could have done. Again another seasoned actor with big films such as Trainspotting (1996), Star Wars: Episode 1 (1999) and The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009). Putting these two together was inevitably going to create something pretty special.
The comedy in the film comes from Steven’s repeated lying and deceit, as well as a few slap stick jokes but there are also some very touching moments in the film. One in particular is a late night dance between Steven and Phillip which is set against the gentle melodies of Johnny Mathis’ ‘Chances Are’ and the screams of an inmate being beaten by guards.
A lot of the power of the film is in the editing. The narrative cross cuts between different periods of Steven’s life, and is all tied together with Carrey’s voice over. This is where a lot of the trickery comes from – all we have is Steven to guide us through the story and he is a notorious liar.
The ending of I Love You Phillip Morris befits the rest of the film, and it is not worth mentioning without ruining the viewing experience. Needless to say, it is a brilliant ending.
Harsh Times (2005) – 8/10
With more violence, corruption and drink-driving than you can shake a stick at, Christian Bale and Freddy Rodríguez cruise around L.A. in search of good women, good drugs and general good times.
Christian Bale plays Jim Luther Davis, a traumatised ex-Army ranger trying to get a job in law enforcement while getting wasted and preventing his best friend Mike Alonzo, played by Freddy Rodríguez, from getting a job. Yes the irony is lost on him. And no you really wouldn’t want Jim in any position of authority.
Harsh Times has got a really stylish feel to it; the camerawork is easy to follow and it moves comfortably from gritty scenes of L.A. gang violence to rural Mexico. There are some really good shifts in cinematography with distorted colours and lenses in Harsh Times that really build on Bale’s portrayal of a madman. These techniques are used sparingly in the film, which really works to its advantage.
Although there are points where Bale doesn’t deliver on the emotional front, the scenes of random violence, anger and passion are where he really thrives. From throwing glass bottles at strangers to pointing guns at his loved ones, Bale’s conviction is astounding. The scenes alone with Mike are heavily laced with an irony and wit which give a genuinely funny undertone to Harsh Times; the ridiculous level of lawlessness is a real source of the dark humour.
A lot of that chemistry can be credited to the performance of Freddy Rodríguez as Mike Alonzo. Mike spends the entire film constantly battling between being a “man” and being a “good person”. Being a “man” involves getting drunk and lying to his wife, and being a “good person” is simply the opposite, and Rodriguez really capitalises on that angst in the troubled relationship he has with his wife Sylvia, played by Eva Longoria.
The film has quite a fitting ending, but maybe it was a bit obvious and puts an unnecessary morality spin on the whole story. It is, however, a film that successfully brings together drama, wit, and destruction, with very good acting and interesting cinematography.
Legion (2010) – 7/10
Legion (2010) is an end-of-days film. Not much more to it than that. Doesn’t sound like much but what it does, it does pretty well.
Paul Bettany plays Michael, an angel that has rebelled against God and comes down to earth to protect humanity against an Old Testament style party of pain. In an attempt to protect Charlie, played by Adrianne Palicki, Michael and a slightly wayward team of believers and non-believers fight away seas of possessed individuals.
The whole film is in one location, and it is quite a feat to do that without it getting stale. It could easily have turned into an on-the-road movie about running away from rude angels, but it wasn’t. The performances are what keeps it fresh throughout – the unshakeable confidence of Bettany’s Michael provides a good contrast for the uncertainty and coming-of-age problems of Lucas Black’s Jeep and Adrianne Palicki’s Charlie. The supporting cast are also very strong include Dennis Quaid and Charles S. Dutton, among others.
The timing of Legion is definitely one of its strengths; the plot unfolds nicely and as it builds up to an inevitable huge fight scene at the end, it feels like the right time. The plot isn’t laid out on a plate like some people may want, but it’s easy enough to understand early on – and you can easily just get caught up in the ridiculous violence.
But it has to be said that some of the special effects really don’t do Legion any favours. The spider-like transformation that these possessed people undergo just look a bit silly. The murderous gran looks good, but the ice-cream-man-of-apocalypse (the fifth, less mentioned horseman) is hard to take seriously. Legion could have done with a bit more subtlety in that way.
There are also a lot of convenient little phrases and props throughout the film that it could have done without. Things like ‘I’d love it if someone wiped out this city’ followed by a film which is devoted to angels wiping out that city, and setting it in a place called ‘Paradise Falls’ is just too easy. There isn’t that much of a need for it, just let the film do what it needs to do.
Overall, there are some solid performances throughout, and it is quite an entertaining film. The penultimate fight scene is very well choreographed, but the unnecessary special effects do undermine Legion to some extent. Having grown up in a post-Terminator world it is hard to not make the comparison, and The Terminator does do it better without the religious context.
The Diplomat (2009) – 2/10
The Diplomat was originally released in Australia as False Witness, a TV Film. The story focuses on Ian Porter (Dougray Scott), a British diplomat working as a double agent to take down the Russian mafia.
There isn’t a dull moment throughout the film, and any of the slower scenes are inevitably followed up with violence or another plot twist.
But there are some real problems with it that can’t be avoided. The action scenes are cluttered and rushed, and the fast pace of the film prevent any kind of depth to the characters. Even the gratuitous flashbacks don’t bring about much sympathy for Porter or his wife Pippa (Claire Forlani). Flashbacks are one of a few overused editing techniques, among others that include slow motion and unnecessary, repeated clips of London.
The Diplomat is peppered with the occasional genuine moment of sadness, particularly in the second half where Porter’s motives become clearer, and he is more vulnerable.
But for the body of the film, the quick cross cutting between locations and characters don’t give the actors much chance to breathe in their own scenes or explore what they were up against.
Following on from this, the fundamental problem with The Diplomat is that it tries to do too many things at once. Despite having three hours devoted to the story, the amount of ground it tries to cover is astonishing.
The basic plot has a lot of promise, but there are so many unnecessarily little tangents which detract from the story. It moves so fast and there are so many small back-stories to remember that it is easy to lose interest in the main characters.
The DVD extras included a series of interviews with actors and cast members which offer a behind the scenes peak into the production of the film. As always it is surprising to hear actors with their actual accents and how they understand their own roles, but there isn’t anything groundbreaking in terms of content.
There are some solid performances in The Diplomat – particularly Claire Forlani as Pippa Porter and Richard Roxburgh as Charles Van Koors – which bring up the quality of the film but on the whole it is just too fast.
It struggles to get to the heart of what it is trying to achieve because it moves from scene to scene in its attempt to get in as many characters and cover as many themes as is humanly possible.
Review originally published at Static Mass Emporium
Cyrus (2010) – 8/10
Cyrus’ first couple of minutes look like it’s a quirky rom-com, held together by physical comedy and childish jokes. Not to knock the genre, but there’s a time and a place for that type of film, which Cyrus is not. Once you’ve gotten into the film, it shows its true colours: a subtle, funny and charming movie with a genuine indie feel – encouraged by the shy and simple camerawork.
The story is about 7-year divorced John (John C. Reilly) who finds happiness with Molly (Marisa Tomei). Happiness which is threatened by her overbearing son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill). A formula as old as time itself, alarm bells should be ringing that you have seen this before.
But no, this is where the film really comes into its own. Right from the start – after the initial minute and a half – Reilly is, without a doubt, superb as John. His loneliness when coupled with alcohol is very endearing, and doesn’t fall into the realm of boringly pathetic. You can pity him, but you wouldn’t want to avoid him at a party. His performance only improves at the film goes on.
The same can be said for Hill and Tomei. The tenderness of their relationship in the earlier parts of the film firmly lays down the foundation for the later tensions between John and Cyrus. Albeit slightly creepy at points, it does all appear quite sweet and innocent; except for that nagging feeling John has that he’s competing for Molly’s affections. The clues are subtle yet clear, and the succession of hilariously awkward scenes promise for the plot to unfold like this.
It does, admittedly, slow down towards the middle – and falls prey to being predictable. The battle that John and Cyrus undergo during this stage of film is a necessary plot device, but does detract slightly from its overall appeal. Alongside the odd line of dialogue that doesn’t quite suit the characters, it could easily have been a standard film. There are places when it’s stepping into familiar territory, particularly with John’s private conversations with Cyrus.
The film does, however regain the energy it built up in the first half before it ends as subtly as it started. The wedding scene sets itself up as either a disaster for the characters or a boring turn for the audience, but it delivers that disaster just at the right moment in perfect doses for maximum impact.
The ending fits in perfectly with the start of the film, and is exactly how you want it to end without being too over-sentimental. With a terrific cast and a very funny, well written script, Cyrus truly is a touching and entertaining film.
Review originally published at Static Mass Emporium
jackfmurphy 