Revisiting the 2011 Blockbuster Season

Well 2011 has been the first year I have been actively following the blockbuster season. Sure, having worked at a huge multiplex for the last couple of years (not this year) meant that I had access to every big-budget release of the season. I saw most of them but I never had the time to review them or track what I was seeing. This year has been different, and while there were some duds and some that were very underwhelming, there were plenty that I enjoyed too.

I’m going to count the Blockbuster season as starting on April 21^st with the very early release of Thor. I don’t think it was released in the States until a few weeks later. Anyway, amidst glowing reviews from Aussie critics, I saw it in the first week and wasn’t so keen on the film. It was enjoyable enough, with the story split between the stunning world of Asgard and the fairly-boring-in-comparison Earth. I really hated the 3D and found it difficult to stomach the quite overwhelming visuals (those intense light flares). I also thought there were too many characters, most of which served no purpose. But this film existed (as does Captain America later in the season) solely as a prequel to The Avengers, scheduled for release in 2012. In this sense it adequately served its purpose.

On May 5th, Source Code was released, which is months later than the States. This is Duncan Jones’ follow up to Moon. While I initially thought it was a smart, compelling and entertaining sci-fi thriller, it has not remained as memorable a cinematic experience as I expected. The risky premise was a good one, and Jones assuredly handles it for the most part. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance was top-notch too. But I think there are some complexities that emerge in the second half that make it more confusing than it needed to be. Still, at this point, Source Code was one of the year’s best releases.

Classic Throwback: Cronos (Guillermo Del Toro, 1993)

Cronos, the feature debut of Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro, opens with a prologue set in the year 1535, explaining that there was a Spanish alchemist who developed a mechanism that could give eternal life. Centuries later, an old building collapsed, and a body was discovered - an old man with grey skin and a stake through his heart. It was the alchemist. It was never revealed what else was discovered in the building, but we witness a hanging body and several buckets of blood, and no mention of 'Cronos', the mechanism. 

Jumping to the present era, the store of an elderly antique dealer named Jesus Gris (Federic Luppi) is visited by a customer who suspiciously expresses interest in an ancient statue of an archangel. Intrigued, Jesus and his sweet granddaughter, Aurora (Tamara Shanath), remove the base of the statue and discover an ornate, golden, scarab-shaped device, which can be wound mechanically. Holding the device in his hand, it sprouts razor-sharp spider-like legs and grips his hand tightly, inserts a needle into his skin and injects a serum into him. While initially shocked at the experience and feeling ill, he knows he has discovers something incredible and soon discovers that his youth and vigor are returning. He loses his wrinkles, his hair thickens and he suddenly becomes sensitive to light.

New Release Review: l'illusionniste [The Illusionist] (Sylvain Chomet, 2010)

L’illusionniste [The Illusionist] is a delightful little gem of an animated film. Receiving a deserved nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 2010 Academy Awards, French director Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville), has beautifully brought a 1956 original screenplay from legendary mime, director and actor, the late Jacques Tati, to life. This magical story is centered on a struggling illusionist (resembling Tati’s famous character M. Hulot) who meets a curious young girl while performing at an isolated Scottish community, who later joins him in his travels, looks up to him as the father-figure she has never known and believes his magical powers to be real. 

Not only is it endowed with impeccable animation and charming, pleasant sensibilities, but also addresses themes of modernity in the late 1950’s, the rise of consumerism and the unfortunate death of classically skilled artisans like the protagonist. These are themes that were also present in some of Tati’s most acclaimed works, notably the fantastic Mon Oncle and the only film of his I am yet to see, his final work, Playtime. The film’s laborious pace will cause young ones to fidget, while the tributary appreciation for Tati’s work that shines through in every sequence will also be lost. Essentially, this is an animation for adults, and a pretty good one I think.

Releases (18/08)

I think there is far too many films opening in Australian cinemas on Thursday, with a total of six scheduled to start screening. They include the long delayed collaboration between John Favreau, Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg, Cowboys and Aliens, the rom-com of the week, Friends with Benefits, the re-boot of Conan the Barbarian, the delightful comedy/drama, Win Win, Wim Wenders' 3D musical, Pina and the absorbing documentary, Page One: Inside the New York Times. 


Win Win - Paul Giamatti headlines writer/director Tom McCarthy's comedy/drama centering on a beleaguered attorney and part-time wrestling coach who schemes to keep his practice from going under by acting as a legal caretaker of an elderly client. Mike Flaherty's (Paul Giamatti) brilliant plan hits an unexpected hitch when his client's troubled grandson shows up looking for a place to stay. With his home life in turmoil and both of his careers in jeopardy, Mike quickly realises that he'll have to get creative in order to find a way out of his predicament. It's an often-hilarious, heartfelt delight with strong performances from the entire cast. It's an assured winner that's nearly impossible not to like.

New Release Review: Horrible Bosses (Seth Gordon, 2011)

Bosses regularly get a bad rep. It takes a certain type of person to be a good boss, and anyone who has worked under a boss before knows that they come in varying degrees of temperament and attitude. Some are respectable and easy-going; some are strict but fair, while others can be crude, inappropriate and torturous. Horrible Bosses stars three friends, Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Jason Sudeikis (Hall Pass) and Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) who have experienced about as much of the latter as they can cope with, plotting to off their bosses and return some happiness to their daily lives.

This raunchy, foul-mouthed black comedy is directed by Seth Gordon (who peculiarly has directed both The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and Four Christmases) and written by a team made up of Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Though infrequently hilarious and endowed with hyperactive energy, it’s a bit of a mess. 

Classic Throwback: Camera Buff (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1979)

A woman has died but she lives on through this (film).


Camera Buff, or Amator (meaning ‘amateur) as the Polish title reads, is an early film from celebrated filmmaker, Krzystztof Kieslowski, who writes and directs. It was released in 1979 and was Kieslowski’s first international and commercial success. I’m not sure if it is perhaps loosely autobiographical, though it documents the artistic and political awakening of lead character, Filip Mosz (Jerzy Stuhr), which would not have been unlike Kieslowsi’s himself. 

Camera Buff follows the humble factory worker whose newfound hobby, amateur film, swiftly becomes an obsession and wildly transforms his formerly contented life. Having purchased the 8mm camera to film home movies of his first child immediately following birth, the evidently nervous new father soon becomes drawn into the fascination and power of the camera and the possibilities of the medium. He turns all of his attention to filmmaking and ignores his familial responsibilities. Essentially, he finds the passion he has been seeking all of his life and had all but given up finding, on the night his daughter is born.

Monday Links (15/08)

I have been a little bit quiet this week following a busy weekend at work with the releases of Senna and Jane Eyre. Both are pulling strong box office numbers, which is great to see. During the week I did catch up on my MIFF reviews, posting my thoughts on Melancholia, Tiny Furniture, Another Earth and Drive. I also updated my Top 20 Films of 2011 and watched The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a film that surprised me a lot. I know I said that Robert Altman was going to be my DOTM, but I am yet to watch a single film by the man. I have just had no time. In fact, I am still working through Kieslowski. I watched Camera Buff last night, his first international success. I will try and get something posted about it later. This week I also hope to see POM Wonderful: The Greatest Story Ever Sold and that elusive film, L'illusionniste, one I have been trying to see for two weeks now.

I have been thinking about updating the Blogroll and making it a single page. I come across fantastic new blogs every day, with the consistent flow of new LAMB members and especially after discovering the quality work of Australian critics at the SFF and MIFF. So, in the next week or so, I will be making some changes.

Without further ado, here are some links to great articles from this week:

Short Review: Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)

This is my contribution to this week's 'The Best Is Yet To Come' on Duke and the Movies.


Notorious is a near-perfect espionage thriller from the ‘Master of Suspense', Alfred Hitchcock. Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, is recruited by a government agent, Devlin (Cary Grant), to infiltrate an organization of Nazis who have relocated to Rio de Janiero after World War II. 

The organization is led by Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains), a former colleague of Alicia’s father who is in love with her. The lives of the three become entangled as Alicia’s mission becomes more dangerous. She not only marries Sebastian, but also finds it increasingly difficult to report to Devlin under his jealous and ever-present attention. Complicating things, Alicia and Devlin have fallen in love too. 

Just about every feature of this film is perfectly assembled. The photography is stunning, the score is impeccable and the performances exceptional, especially from the luminous Ingrid Bergman. It is famous for breaking the boundaries of the Hays Code through an extended kissing sequence between Grant and Bergman, and the extended party sequence where the pair break into Sebastian’s wine cellar is as suspenseful as anything Hitchcock has ever created. This is top tier Hitchcock and highly recommended.