New Release Review: Seven Psychopaths (Martin McDonagh, 2012)

Seven Psychopaths is set to hit Australian cinemas November 8.

If you liked writer/director Martin McDonagh’s last film, In Bruges (2008) then it is pretty hard not to go into Seven Psychopaths with some level of anticipation. While it’s not a major drop of the ball from McDonagh, it is a haywire mess of a film, preoccupied with its self-aware meta tendencies and forgetting to tell a coherent story. It is a film that thinks it is cleverer than it is and I walked away disappointed.

Marty (Collin Farrell) is a struggling writer who is way past deadline on his most recent screenplay, “Seven Psychopaths.” Billy (Sam Rockwell), (Marty’s best friend) is making a living as a part time dog thief with Hans (Christopher Walken). When Charlie (Woody Harrelson), a psychopathic gangster whose beloved dog has just been stolen by Billy and Hans, sets out on a violent revenge mission to find her, Marty is caught up in the middle.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation.

Jewish Film Festival Review: Yossi (2012)

Yossi (screening as part of the 2012 Jewish Film Festival) is an Israeli drama directed by Eytan Fox. It serves as a sequel to Fox’s 2002 film Yossi and Jaggar, which introduced audiences to Ohad Knoller’s titular character. He reprises his role here.

 

It is a sad, but hopeful and life-affirming story about 34-year-old Yossi, a former soldier (his service and his doomed relationship with a fellow soldier is covered in Yossi and Jaggar) and now a cardiologist living in Tel Aviv. He is still a closeted homosexual and a sad and lonely workaholic.

He lives a rather pathetic existence; immersed in a morose, boring daily routine. He eats bad food – he is pudgy, unshaven and tired-looking – watches bad gay porn and draws daily sympathy from his co-workers; one a nurse who expresses an non-reciprocated romantic interest in him, and the other a newly-divorced doctor who tries to takes him out partying in an attempt to help him get his mojo back. He tries online dating, but when he arranges a meeting using an old and misrepresentative photo, he is embarrassingly called out on it.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation. 

Monthly Round-up: October Viewing

I watched a total of 31 films in October, including THE MASTER twice. In fact, I watched ARGO last month but due to an embargo I could not review/discuss the film until mid October. It wasn't a particularly strong month, overall (but there were very few 'bad' films) but the two aforementioned films jumped into my 2012 Top 10.

Most of my reviews this month can be found at Graffiti With Punctuation, and though I have tried to regularly update The Film Emporium, most of my time has been devoted to working my day job and keeping on track with new releases/festivals and contributing to Graffiti. The site is booming day to day and I am very excited to be on board and privileged to the opportunities presented me.

----------- Essential Viewing ----------

 The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) 2 Views

Argo (Ben Affleck, 2012)

The Intouchables (Oliver Nakache, Eric Toledano, 2011)

Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 2012) - Frankenweenie is sweet, macabre and tear-jerking. In stunning B+W stop motion, Burton's wild imagination culminates in a giddily crazy final act. Admirably honoring the horror/creature flick, Burton also strings a poignant message through this weird and wonderful tale. The middle was a tad slow/stretched, but overall a lot of fun. And sad.

Terraferma (Emanuele Crialese, 2011)

I Wish (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2011)

Hail (Amiel Courtin-Wilson, 2012)

----------- Essential Viewing ---------

New Release Review: Bachelorette (Leslye Headland, 2012)

Bachelorette is stacked with outrageous situations and facing the necessary repair and clean of a ripped and stained wedding dress; the women take to the streets in a desperate early hour’s mission to save their friend’s big day. It feels like an escalator ride into new realms of zaniness and though many scenes will leave viewers cringing in disapproval (there’s cocaine snorting, binge drinking and candid sex chatter aplenty) there should be plenty of big laughs too.

With their friend Becky (Rebel Wilson) set to marry her sweetheart, Dale (Hayes MacArthur), the remaining members of her old high school clique – Regan (Kirsten Dunst), Gena (Lizzy Caplan) and Katie (Isla Fisher) – reunite in New York City for the wedding and what turns into a wild eve bachelorette party.

In short, Bachelorette is a film about unpleasant people doing unflattering things. If that doesn’t sound like your thing then you probably won’t enjoy it. The women are genuinely loathsome, though certainly sympathetic on occasions, and their pratfalls draw mixed emotions of bewilderment, disapproval, contempt and amusement.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation. 

New Releases (01/11/12)

I am a little confused as to what comes out this week, actually. I am 100% certain that End of Watch, Bachelorette and Housos vs. Authority are released in cinemas this week, but I have also read on different occasions that The Giants, You Will Be My Son, The Expatriate and Sinister are released too.

End of Watch - From the writer of Training Day, End of Watch is a riveting action thriller that puts audiences at the center of the chase like never before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as young LA police officers who discover a secret that makes them the target of the country's most dangerous drug cartel.

Bachelorette - On the night before an old friend's wedding, three frisky bridesmaids go searching for a little fun but find much more than they bargained for. With lovely Becky (Rebel Wilson) set to marry her handsome sweetheart, Dale (Hayes MacArthur), the remaining members of her high school clique reunite for one last bachelorette bacchanal in the Big Apple. Regan (Kirsten Dunst) is an overachieving, ueber-Maid of Honor who's secretly smarting over the fact that she's not the first to marry, while Gena (Lizzy Caplan) is a whip-smart sarcastic who's actually a closet romantic, and Katie (Isla Fisher) is a ditzy beauty who loves the good life. But when Becky insists on keeping the bachelorette party tame, the women proceed with an after-hours celebration of their own.

My friend Chris has reviewed Housos vs. Authority at An Online Universe, and I checked out You Will Be My Son earlier in the year at the French Film Festival. Until I watched Cafe De Flore it was the best of the fest. The Giants has a small release at the Chauvel and I'm pretty certain the other two listed above have been shifted to another week.

Weekly Recommendation: I laughed a lot in Bachelorette, and End of Watch (which I will endeavour to see next weekend) has been well received in the States. Depends on what genre you feel like - found footage cop drama or gross out comedy. On November 8 two of the big Oscar favourites, The Master and The Sessions, hit cinemas so they're worth waiting for.

New Release Review: Hail (Amiel Courtin-Wilson, 2012)

Hail is the tale of a broken man without self-control, and stuck within the confines of a violent criminal past, his present social position and the company he keeps, there is little hope for him evolving. When tragedy hits close to home, he feels like he has nothing to live for and descends into a spiral of merciless self-destruction and madness. Hail, a docu-drama of astounding authenticity, tells a nightmarish and uncompromising revenge tale brimming with harsh verbal and physical brutality and a sensory bashing that will be tough to shake.

Based on the life and stories of former prisoner Daniel P Jones, who stars in the film as himself, Hail is a rough-looking film tracking the raw realities of the return of an ex-con to society following his release from a Melbourne prison. With his bold first feature Melbourne filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Bastardy) blurs the line between fact and fiction and creates an observant, brutal and unsettling docu-drama sure to be admired by tough-skinned viewers.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation. 

Interview - Paul Thomas Anderson (Director: The Master, There Will Be Blood)

On Wednesday 24^th October I was lucky enough to represent Graffiti With Punctuation in a round table interview session with the director of Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood and The Master, Mr. Paul Thomas Anderson. He is one of the most talented and most respected filmmakers of his generation and admirers of his films (myself included) claim them to be amongst the greatest American films ever made.

Paul was in town to promote The Master, his most recent ‘masterpiece’. Later that evening he would be introducing the film at the opening of the 1^st Cockatoo Island Film Festival and the following night he would be conducting a Q&A session at the Astor Theatre in Melbourne, where the film would be screened in the desired 70mm format. Shane A. Bassett [SB] (a reviewer for the Central Coast Express Advocate), and Jamie Watt [JW] (writer for AskMen) joined me for the roundtable.

Check out the interview at Graffiti With Punctuation. The Master is in cinemas November 8.

Monday Links (29/10/12)

It has been a couple of weeks since I posted an edition of Monday Links, but I have honestly not had time. I have been keeping up with the new releases - last week I watched Bachelorette (in cinemas Nov. 1), tonight I am watching Seven Psychopaths (Nov. 8) and tomorrow I plan to catch up on Frankenweenie. I have been indulging in a few re-watches (Margaret, Carnage and Attack the Block) and posting regularly at Graffiti With Punctuation.

There you can find my thoughts on The Master and my involvement in an interview with Director Paul Thomas Anderson, which was conducted last Wednesday.

Also there you can find my review of Hail, sure to be one of the most talked-about films of the year. If you're interested in winning some quality DVDs we have a Australian Film Buff gift pack giveaway running, courtesy of Madman Entertainment. Let us know your favourite Australian film to enter.

But, enough about what I'm up to, here is some fine work for your reading pleasure.

At An Online Universe Sam reviews Bachelorette and Chris reviews Robot and Frank. If you know Chris Elena then you also know his review of The Master is essential reading.

I also enjoyed Mike's analysis of The Master at Cue Dot Confessions.

Jessica recently caught up with The Omen and loved the ending. I should watch that film again. I remember really enjoying it.

Cloud Atlas certainly has me intrigued. Ryan (The Matinee) and Tom (MovieDex) certainly loved it.

Steven at Surrender to the Void took a look at the films of Sergio Leone for his most recent 'Auteurs Series'.

Kudos to Glenn Dunks at Stale Popcorn. His mission was to watch 31 horror films over the course of October - a challenge I might have to partake in next year. Here's his review of Amer.

I really must watch Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. Simon analyses the classic.

Cam was tremendously moved by Searching For Sugar Man, and understandably so.

Tom Clift interviews Wake in Fright director Ted Kotcheff and reviews Robert Zemeckis' Flight.

Corey discusses the joys of re-watching movies. I am often rattling on about the importance of a re-watch in concreting your thoughts on a film. Great films take more than a watch to understand and appreciate, I think.

Oslo, August 31st is one of the best films I have seen this year. John reviews it. 

At Graffiti, Blake reviews Celeste and Jesse Forever, which is in cinemas next month.

Sam asks us to list our Top 10 Films of 40's at Duke and the Movies.

Bonjour Tristesse gave Holy Motors a big score. This makes me happy.

And finally, Alex is embarking on a Halloween Marathon. He breaks down the Friday 13th, Hannibal Lecter and Psycho franchises.