The Artist
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell
Roadshow Films

American physicist and sometime philosopher Austin O’Malley famously declared: “The worst misfortune that can happen to an ordinary man is to have an extraordinary father.”  Michel Hazanavicius’ film The Artist asks if it is not equally unfortunate for a man to lose an extraordinary career and, without a map, struggle to redefine himself.

The Artist is a love story, an introduction to the often harsh reality of life’s second act, and a look at the destructive perception of self value — what happens to a man when the things he uses to define himself disappear. It is also, for the most part, a silent movie.

It’s 1927, two years before the Great Depression, and the film industry is beginning to move from silent movies to “talkies”.  Screen idol George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is the toast of Hollywood, the man with the Midas touch, his movies fill the cinemas and his debonair charm makes the ladies swoon.

While walking the red carpet for his latest film, George literally bumps into ingenue Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). On impulse, she kisses George on the cheek, he flashes his million-dollar smile and the photographers go wild —“Who’s That Girl?” demand the next day’s press headlines.

The pair meet again months later when they appear together in a scene of George’s next movie. George moves across the room, dancing, momentarily, with Peppy. The four takes the director calls to film the scene are incredibly revealing — the chemistry between George and Peppy is undeniable, their faces and bodies revealing more about the developing awareness and attraction between them than words ever could.

The movie wraps and the studio declares an end to silent movies, beginning auditions for the talkies. George scoffs at what he considers to be nothing more than a trend, refusing to join the studio’s move into modern film. His stoicism inadvertently declares his intent to stick with the past rather than move with the future.

Meanwhile Peppy’s star is on the rise, she becomes the new “It” girl; Clara Bow to George’s Rudolph Valentino. When the Depression hits in 1929, George’s wife, Doris (Penelope Ann Miller), leaves him after declaring: “I’m unhappy”, to which the tired George replies: “So are millions of us.” Without any acting roles to pay the bills and with his personal possessions auctioned off, George is lost. “Congratulations, ” the auctioneer declares, “It’s all sold. You’ve got nothing left.”

While dining out with his loyal chauffer Clifton (James Cromwell in a moving and wonderful turn), he overhears a radio interview with Peppy where she declares her popularity to be tied to her new and modern appeal: “It’s out with old and in with the new,” she beams. George rises from his chair, becoming visible to a now distraught Peppy: “I’ve left room for you.” he says, sadly, before walking out. The apology Peppy offers to George, the next night, while at his doorstep, is filled with a delicate promise that is destroyed quickly by the appearance of Peppy’s young date, who declares himself pleased to meet Mr Valentin, as his “father is a big fan”.

George’s riches to rags tale mirrors Peppy’s rise to fame; they are two sides of the same industry. They share a genuine attraction that is all the more real due to it’s flaws and self destruction. Jean Dujardin is incandescent, entirely believable as a 1920s era movie idol, with all the charm and self effacement of Gable and Valentino; deserving of his Palme D’Or award. His effortless ability to move from charming rogue and likeable everyman to charismatic gentleman and slapstick comedian is a pleasure to watch. Berenice Bejo is instantly appealing as the sassy and beautiful new girl.

However, director Michel Hazanavicius is the real star; creating a memorable, heartfelt, funny and original movie that carries both the heart and the head on a rapturous ride that will leave you fulfilled and grateful that movies such as this can still be made.

The Artist is in cinemas now

Director: Daniel Nettheim
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O’Connor, Morgana Davies, Finn Woodlock
Madman

THERE has been a shift in cinema of late, with the usual one-way street of Aussie thespians flowing to Hollywood being turned on its head. International actors are now taking leading roles in Aussie films. Last year, English actor Matthew Goode starred in Burning Man and American actor Josh Lucas took on the lead role in Red Dog. For The Hunter, Willem Dafoe and Frances O’Connor travelled Down Under to star in a film with a fascinating premise.

Martin David (Dafoe) is an obsessively neat hunter used to life’s luxuries. When he is hired by a mysterious biotech company to hunt down the last Tasmanian Tiger, though, he’s met with a stark culture shock in rural Tasmania. Under the guise of a university researcher, Martin is billeted with a small family in a house that has no power, no privacy and an absence of other superficial niceties.

When Martin first arrives, local man-in-the-know Jack Mindy (Neill) insists on acting as a guide for Martin’s initial fake research trip; but it doesn’t take long for Martin’s presence to upset the locals who believe he’s an environmentalist hell bent on disrupting their jobs as loggers. To further complicate matters, as Martin tries to complete his hunting task in secret, it becomes increasingly harder to know who he can trust.

The most enticing facet of The Hunter is the way that it handles the simple yet compelling premise. Instead of having a film that’s essentially a man-versus-beast tale set in the wilderness, most of Martin’s necessary soul searching happens as a result of Dafoe’s interaction with the small family. The two children (Davies and Woodlock) are the most interesting of the family, especially next to their near-comatose mother (O’Connor) who doesn’t have a whole lot to work with at the beginning of the film.

While some of the subplots of the film aren’t as interesting as others, the conclusion of Martin’s core plight—whether a man is willing to kill the last of a species—is incredibly well handled in a satisfying and haunting way. It’s just a shame that the respective conclusions of other character’s narratives aren’t as gratifying as the hunter’s.

The beautiful Tasmanian landscape makes for an enchanting backdrop in a slow-burn drama that’s well worth the watch. Between The Hunter, Red Dog and Burning Man, 2011 was a great year for theatrical releases that show that Australian films are well and truly capable of contending with big budget Hollywood productions.

The Hunter is available for purchase on Blu-ray and DVD from 8 February, 2012.

Review: Nathan Lawrence

Work Of Art

Tattooed stunner Sienna dances at Melbourne’s Spearmint Rhino and often fantasises about girls. What’s not to like?

Photography: Dylan Keyes
Continue reading “Gallery: Sienna” »

Ace Ventura

American adult actress Juelz Ventura likes scruffy men, pleasing her sexual partners and being naked. Call off the search, we’ve found the perfect woman…

Photography: Penthouse Studios
Continue reading “Gallery: Juelz Ventura” »

Caught in the Act

Photography: Josh Ryan
Continue reading “Gallery: Monique and Roxy” »

Baby Got Black

Photography:Louis Moiré
Continue reading “Gallery: Baby Nicol” »

FUN TAGS

Photography: Albert Comper
Continue reading “Gallery: Krystal” »

THAI PRINCESS

Photography: Adam Yuman
Continue reading “Gallery: Bella” »

Director: David Fincher
Stars: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright
Sony

ADAPTING the first part of the brilliant Millennium book trilogy by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson comes David Fincher’s take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It tells the story of disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) whom a large corporation he accused of criminal dealings has just sued for libel. Awaiting his three-month jail sentence he is hired to try to solve a near 40-year-old unsolved mystery.

The wealthy and powerful Vanger family, led by Henrik Vanger (Plummer) has more than its fair share of secrets and skeletons and Henrik entreats Mikael to uncover the whereabouts of his missing niece Harriet. Filled with twists and turns, this mystery takes on a life of its own and Mikael finds himself horribly out of his depth. Contacted by unconventional hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Mara), who previously ran a background check on him at Vanger’s request, the two collaborate and begin to unravel the chequered Vanger family history as they draw closer and closer to the truth.

Given that the Swedish language film version by Niels Arden Oplev was released a mere two years ago (and in my opinion is a far superior offering) it begs the question, did this film need to be re-imagined at all? Fincher’s version adds layers to the plotline with no real added effect, introduces new characters and elements and completely glosses over others to the film’s detriment.

These choices weaken the nature of the relationship between Lisbeth and Blomkvist, ignore the previous tenuous connections between the Blomkvist and Vanger family that gives Mikael a personal stake in the investigation and fails to acknowledge Lisbeth’s troubled past in detail making her a less sympathetic character. The film telegraphs everything, connecting the dots far too neatly, almost overbearingly at times rather than letting you draw your own conclusions and paint your own picture of events as they unfold.

The cast does an admirable job with Plummer and Skarsgard playing Henrik and Martin Vanger respectively and Robin Wright as Erika Berger in particular bringing beautiful sensitivity to their side roles. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara are solid as Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, though the balancing between the two leads is just a little off. Craig is a little too strong, lacking the softness that makes Mikael so wonderfully vulnerable and Mara’s Lisbeth is not quite strong enough.

Comparisons between the two film versions are unavoidable with the 2009 Swedish film resembling a piece of Swedish furniture; good looking without unnecessary flash, sturdy, functional and clean. This Americanised offering by Fincher is louder, brasher, lacks subtlety and somehow manages to be too clever for its own good and dumbed down at the same time.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is in cinemas 12 January, 2012.

Review: Dave Kozicki

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup, Peter Mullan
Disney

THE best news about War Horse is that it’s not the only film directed by Steven Spielberg that’s hitting Aussie cinemas on Boxing Day. The bad news, in case you couldn’t tell from that opening sentence, is that War Horse is, for the most part, a galloping mess from start to finish.

War Horse tells the tale of simple teenage boy Albert (Irvine) and the bond he forms with the spirited stallion, Joey. Against dissenting human odds, Joey proves himself to be a versatile steed in the first act of the film, much to the delight of Albert, his family and the sleepy townsfolk.

But when World War I kicks off, Albert’s dad Ted (Mullan) sells the horse to Captain Nicholls (Hiddleston) to save the family farm, and Joey is sent off to war. Albert promises that he will find Joey in the muddy fields of European war and bring him home safely.

At this point, the narrative takes a daring leap that would have been impressive had Spielberg managed to pull it off. Albert disappears from the story for a significant period of time as Joey becomes the simultaneous main character and plot device that moves the storyline between different characters.

But Joey should have never become the main character, for the simple reason that it’s difficult to get a horse to emote beyond happy tail flicking and stubborn snorts. Leaving Albert behind also means that the audience forgets about him and attempts to form connections with the range of new characters that start to grace the screen as faithful steed Joey carries the narrative torch forward.

With so little time spent with these new characters, though, it’s difficult to form any sort of meaningful attachment to them before the story trots along. While the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Niels Arestrup work hard to leave their stamp with limited screen time, their solid performances pale in comparison to the thematic mishmash that happens throughout.

One moment you’re supposed to be enjoying the quaint charm of an English village, the next caught up in the horrors of war, followed by awkward attempts at levity and even some genuinely disturbing imagery.

This wouldn’t normally necessarily be a problem for a maestro such as Spielberg, but the combination of too many elements—characters, minor plots and themes—result in a disjointed structure that struggles to hit a decent stride. It may be beautifully shot, but this is shallow compensation for what could have been a sprawling war story.

War Horse certainly isn’t the worst film of 2011, but it is one of the most disappointing, considering the assembled talent. Even being thoroughly unimpressed by the trailer and going into the film with low expectations did little to lift this horse’s tale. If you’re looking to invest your family friendly funds on a film this Boxing Day, aim for Spielberg’s other film, the Raiders of the Lost Ark-style romp, The Adventures of Tintin.

War Horse is in cinemas 26 December, 2011.

Review: Nathan Lawrence