Silver Linings Playbook

Directed by: David O. Russell

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver

Released: 2012

Runtime: 122 minutes

Rating: 4/5

Former school teacher Pat Solitano is discharged from a mental institution following a mental breakdown. He moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife while also trying to maintain a positive outlook on life, finding that silver lining. But challenges soon arise for Pat after meeting a mysterious girl named Tiffany through a mutual friend who has her own share of problems.

I never intended on seeing this film, I had seen the trailer once and I wasn’t that taken by the leading actors but then all the praise for the film started pouring in and the big kicker for me was Robert De Niro getting the Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Finally it sounded like he was back in a good film for a change. So I passed on seeing The Impossible for Silver Linings Playbook.

What I appreciate and really respect about this film is it’s portrayal of mental illness. It’s non cynical and doesn’t shy away from showing the damaging effects and the enormous emotional strain it has on people and their loved ones. Yet there is also a very evident and constant comical tone to the film but never for a moment is it inappropriate. Director and screenwriter David O. Russell knows exactly when the film needed to be funny.

This is definitely a character driven film. There is great development between the two leads Pat and Tiffany, they have strong chemistry and as I’m sure you have no doubt guess at some point, the bond they form allows them to start healing.  It’s all very sweet and touching but not with all that generic and sappy romantic comedy bullshit. Even the supporting characters are well developed and definitely have their pivotal moments, especially Pat’s slightly obsessive compulsive father played by Robert De Niro. Come to think of it just about every character in this film is a little bit nuts in some way.

The acting is powerhouse! The film is up for eight Oscars, four of which are for acting; Cooper and Lawrence for leading and De Niro and Weaver for supporting. The biggest surprise would be Bradley Cooper who I’ve never really had any kind of opinion on, but he’s now in a film that shows him as a good actor instead of just a pretty boy actor. His performance was emotional to say the least; it must have been so exhausting constantly going from one end to the spectrum to the other, but he sure nails it. I loved Jennifer Lawrence’s performance, especially here dry and witty sense of humour. Now the Oscars are on Sunday, or Monday if you live in the future like we Australians and I really hope De Niro gets it but I suspect it will go to Tommy Lee Jones who was fantastic in Lincoln, but come on we’re talking about the guy who played Travis Bickle. Jacki Weaver is also very strong as Pat’s mother who tries to play the mediator between Pat and her husband. And I must mention Chris Tucker who is actually really good, not his usual over the top and loud performance but more reserved and he brings a nice light comedic touch to his scenes.

Silver Linings Playbook is a must see in my book. As someone who has experienced and dealt with mental illness first hand I found the film to be pretty inspiring and I could relate quite well to a lot of the characters. Overall it’s just a really nice film.

Zero Dark Thirty

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Jessica Chastian, Jason Clarke,

Jennifer Ehle & Kyle Chandler

Released: 2012

Runtime: 157 minutes

Rating: 4/5

After the unexpected success and overwhelming critical acclaim of The Hurt Locker which earned Kathryn Bigelow the Oscar for Best Director. She returns to a very similar world as depicted in The Hurt Locker for her latest film; which is a dramatization of the decade long manhunt for terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden; from the devastating September 11 attacks all the way to his death in May 2011 at the hands of United States Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6.

The film centres on a young female CIA officer named Maya played by Jessica Chastain. She’s a character who we never really get to know her at all apart from the few basic facts; such as that she’s CIA, tough as nails and absolutely determined to find Bin Laden. She kind of reminded me of Carrie Matheson from TV’s Homeland, except without all the crying and going completely haywire every five minutes.

This was a long movie but never for a moment boring. It’s slow paced but I think knowing where the plot was leading to and the lead-up itself kept me enthralled. I admit that there were moments when I did not understand what was going on as I’m not exactly well versed on the subject but that didn’t hinder my overall enjoyment of the film. This may be a bit of a stretch but as I write this review I’m slightly reminiscent of the John Ford classic The Searchers. Another film about a decade long search or hunt depending on the point of view of the two lead characters, but instead of Cowboys and Indians we have CIA and terrorist.

Jessica Chastain who I am madly in love with by the way just nails in her performance as Maya. Again we don’t get to know her that well but thinking about it now that was actually a smart move. You try to figure out her character yourself instead of the film just showing you, so this gives each audience member their own interpretation of who this woman is. I really hope she wins the Oscar later this month which I think she will. I’ve been a fan of her since first seeing Take Shelter. Constantly throughout Zero Dark Thirty I found just sitting in complete awe as to how attractive she is. Okay that’s enough gushing. The supporting cast are all great, Jason Clarke in particular who plays a real hard ass but still has a very human side to him. There’s also Kyle Chandler, Mark Strong as CIA hierarchy and Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) himself as Director, who knew?

The film’s climax is a massively satisfying payoff and one of the most skilfully directed sequences I’ve seen in a long time; Kathryn Bigelow should have been nominated for that alone. Obviously you know what’s about to go down yet it’s still insanely nerve racking. It felt like I was actually there, almost an indescribably sensation.

The controversy surrounding the torture is well over blown in my opinion, yes it’s shocking and disturbing but that’s usually the case with torture and I’m sure it’s a lot worse from what we do actually see in the film. But overall Zero Dark Thirty is not a film for everyone, it requires a bit of patience but the payoff is well worth it and I think anyone with an interest in history will enjoy it.

Flight

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Denzel Washington, Nadine Valazquez, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle & John Goodman

Released: 2012

Runtime: 138 minutes

Rating: 4/5

It’s been twelve years since veteran director Robert Zemeckis made his last live action film; that film being the multi award winning Cast Away. In those twelve years he directed three computer animated films that utilized that latest in motion capture technology at the time. I haven’t bothered seeing these films; they just never captured my interest to be honest.

So now Zemeckis is back to making films with real people in them instead of just their voices. And what he has given us after over a decade of waiting is Flight; which opened in the United States back in October and finally opened here in the merry old land of Oz only yesterday January 31^st; better late than never as they say. It actually makes its way to DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on February 5^th in the U.S so that something I don’t have to wait for.

Flight is the story of commercial airline pilot Capt. Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) who saves a flight from a catastrophic crash by performing miraculous emergency landing saving the lives of his crew and passengers. But toxicology reports as a result of blood being drawn from Capt. Whitaker after the crash revealed that he had alcohol in his system. Now with the official hearing into the cause of the accident looming he faces possible criminal charges which may very well result in a lengthy prison term.     

I’ve been aching to see this film for months and I couldn’t get to the cinema fast enough yesterday and I can gladly say I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite a few little issues I had with it.

It’s definitely a character piece; the actual ‘flight’ part of the film happens at the beginning; which is just absolutely terrifying to say the least. Zemeckis must not like flying very much as per the almost equally terrifying plane crash in Cast Away. But talking about getting the heart racing; it’s such a well-directed sequence which I knew was coming yet it still caught me off guard.

The rest of the film focuses on Washington’s character dealing with the aftermath which he spends doing so intoxicated most of the time, while his lawyer played by Don Cheadle tries to avoid him facing any prosecution. I don’t think it’s a spoiler saying that he has a drinking problem as I think the film’s trailers hints at that quite strongly. The film however seems to reinforce that fact a little too much, to the point where you just want to say “Okay I get it, he’s an alcoholic!” That part is drawn out too long which does slow the film down quite a bit in places.

Soundtracks are important to a film as they help convey the mood and tone effectively. But some of the many classic songs that feature in this film’s soundtrack don’t particularly fit all that well, in one scene especially where it throws off the tone and takes you out of what is supposed to be a serious scene. But apart from that it’s a pretty solid soundtrack.

Denzel Washington delivers his finest performance in years. He portrays very much a tragic figure; a man who is clearly an extremely skilled pilot but also clearly has some very serious personal issues which has caused him a great deal of headache over the course of his life. He’s devastating to watch on screen; Washington really does capture that raw emotion. You want this guy to get his life in together but like with most people struggling with addiction it’s very much an uphill battle. The supporting cast are all very good; Don Cheadle as I mentioned above, Bruce Greenwood of whom I’m a fan of plays a close friend to Washington’s character and type of union rep for pilots and such. And relative new comer Nadine Valazquez who plays a love interest who is over coming her own problems in relation to addiction. John Goodman has a minor role which you could say is also a throw away role, I didn’t like his character and going back to what I said about the soundtrack he kind of throws off the tone with his antics.

Flight is up for you two Academy Awards; Best Writing, Screenplay from John Gatins and Best Actor from Denzel Washington. It’s unlikely they’ll win given the strong competition this year but still much deserved nominations.

Flight isn’t about anything really original or a 
theme that hasn’t been done a lot before. I mean the whole addiction drama has almost become a kind of cliché genre. But this Robert Zemeckis has delivered a well-paced film that is carried by Washington’s character that is complex and captivating. It’s a very emotional journey and the lead up to the film’s conclusion is a tad predictable but I still found it to be very satisfying and inspiring. 

My first thoughts of Flight straight after I came out of the cinema 

and my very first in-car video review.