The Way Back

Official Australian release date: 5/3/20. Viewed: 7/3/20.

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Actors: Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Janina Gavankar, Brandon Wilson

Genre: Drama / Sport 

Rating: M

  

  

‘The Way Back’ (not to be confused with Peter Weir’s film of the same name from 2010) is a return to form for Ben Affleck, a former high school basketball prodigy who has fallen on hard times. Jack (Affleck) is a mostly-functioning alcoholic – which really hits home how it’s depicted – who is separated from wife Angela (Gavankar) and claiming all’s fine in his life.

Rather than show Jack as a young basketball star, the film starts with him at his lowest and slowly reveals what’s happened in his life over the past 5 years to change him. It gets quite touching. Jack finds a lifeline in coaching his old high school’s basketball team, with assistant coach Dan (Madrigal). They’re not quite a ragtag bunch of no-hopers, but they’re not far off – except for Brendon (Wilson). He has a nice little story arc.

After exploring why he didn’t go to college basketball/NBA, and not just focusing on the predictable winning montage, the film explores the effects of Jack’s actions on his wife, his coaching career and his friends. It’s certainly not a typical ‘Replacements’/‘Mighty Ducks’-style “sporting miracle” story, and it doesn’t necessarily have a happy or sad ending. Does well to contrast the Californian sun with the reality of some people’s lives. Worth it for Affleck’s well-balanced & semi-tortured acting.

Overall: Not overly original, but good emotional journey.  

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars. 

The Invisible Man

Official Australian release date: 27/2/20. Viewed: 3/3/20.

Director: Leigh Whannell

Actors: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer

Genre: Drama  

Rating: MA

  

  

‘The Invisible Man’ is probably about the 10^th remake of one of the original sci-fi/monster concepts, coming 87 years after the original film. Thankfully, it’s a very modern take, with no supernatural elements – just a well put together thriller. Cecilia (Moss) basically carries the film, and it starts with her escaping her controlling husband, Adrian (Jackson-Cohen), with the help of her sister, Emily (Dyer). She stays with their friend James (Hodge) and his daughter, Sydney (Reid), when she finds out that Adrian is dead.

With all apparently fine, things start to unravel, as Cecilia starts to believe Adrian is somehow stalking her from beyond the grave. Adrian’s brother, Tom (Dorman) assures Cecilia that Adrian’s dead. We’re left guessing, as we don’t get much insight into Adrian & Cecilia’s relationship or his motives, other than the fact he’s a Tony Stark-type rich inventor. This is where the idea of the invisibility coming from a high-tech suit is more plausible than supernatural powers.

After the great, almost-silent and very dark, start, the film establishes a good rhythm, until it kicks into overdrive for the final 30min or so. The tension, suspense and guessing “where is he?” throughout is handled really well, with it never getting too boring or predictable. There’s certainly a few really good jump scares! Better than ‘Hollow Man’, which I also liked, at least when it came out.

Overall: Enjoyable, suspenseful thriller re-imagining.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars. 

Bombshell

Official Australian release date: 16/1/20. Viewed: 5/2/20.

Director: Jay Roach

Actors: Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow

Genre: Drama  

Rating: M

  

  

‘Bombshell’ is a ‘based on a (recent) true story’ film, along the lines of ‘The Big Short’ (not too surprising, since it has the same writer) or ‘Spotlight’. But oddly, it’s from the director of ‘Austin Powers’, ‘Meet The Parents’ and ‘The Campaign’! Given the subject matter, it’s not really funny, but is still a gripping story. Megyn Kelly (Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Kidman) and Kayla Pospisil (Robbie) all work for Fox News in 2016, a workplace ripe with sexism, discrimination and harassment.

As the saying goes, “the fish rots from the head down” – in this case, Roger Ailes (Lithgow) is the head of Fox News and is initially accused by Gretchen for sexual harassment, setting in motion a chain of events which could go either way, as no other women initially come forward with similar stories. The scene with Ailes and Kayla is truly disturbing and hard to watch. Credit to Lithgow for making Ailes an almost-sympathetic character at times and not just an evil caricature. Robbie’s great as the naïve Kayla, Kidman’s good in her limited scenes, McKinnon is funny and nuanced as Kayla’s friend and Theron carries the film, especially as she grapples with what to do with her career on the line.  

An exceptional group of supporting actors make it interesting and fast-paced – Delany as Megyn’s producer, Britton as Ailes’ wife, Janney as the lawyer, Duplass as Megyn’s husband, Kind as Giuliani, Root as the other lawyer, McDowell as Rupert Murdoch, and Josh/Ben Lawson as James/Lachlan Murdoch. Certainly not a ‘fun’ film, but it’s well acted, filmed and put together. Ending could’ve used a little work, but is arguably still a work in progress even today.

Overall: Solid biopic with great cast.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Parasite

Official Australian release date: 27/6/19. Viewed: 1/2/20.

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Actors: Song Kang Ho, Cho Yeo Jeong, Lee Sun Kyun, Choi Woo Shik

Genre: Drama  

Rating: MA

  

  

‘Parasite’ is a South Korean family drama/black comedy, with some great acting and a unique premise. It doesn’t take long to establish the characters, but does well to give us time to get to know them. It’s essentially the tale of two families: the Kim’s – Dad Ki-taek (Kang Ho), Mum Chung-sook (Hyae Jin), Son Ki-woo (Woo Shik) & Daughter Ki-jung (So Dam), and the Park’s – Dad Dong-ik (Sun Kyun), Mum Yeon-kyo (Yeo Jeong), Son Da-song (Jung) & Daughter Da-hye (Ziso).

The Kim’s are poor, living in the ‘slums’, when Ki-woo gets a job tutoring Da-hye at the Park’s nice house on the other side of Seoul. Even though there’s symmetry in the parents/son/daughter, this isn’t an ‘Us’ scenario, but rather an exploration of class, social status and unconscious biases. There’s no “good guys” or “bad guys” – just a semi-realistic depiction of one family seeing the greener grass on the other side and taking an unconventional approach to get there.

All of the actors are great, with a nice mix of fun and humour, with seriousness and desperation. The twist at the end of the second act is both unexpected and still poses a lot of questions – there’s a few different ways it could’ve played out. Not quite a one-location film, but the house does serve as an extra character. Good score and cinematography. The ending is a fitting mix of bittersweet, devastating and hopeful.

Overall: See the potential Oscar-winner before it’s spoiled for you!

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

Bad Boys For Life

Official Australian release date: 16/1/20. Viewed: 16/1/20.

Directors: Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah

Actors: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Paola Nunez, Jacob Scipio

Genre: Action

Rating: MA

  

  

‘Bad Boys For Life’ is the third film in the franchise – and while perhaps unnecessary, three films in 25 years is not really saturation, so it can get away with it. It’s set up as a finale, but isn’t really – Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Lawrence) are back as the smart-ass Miami detectives who drive around dangerously in their Porsche – or minivan. Some things have changed since the first two films, but not much – Howard (Pantoliano) is still the Captain, they still don’t play by the rules, and they still call themselves “bad boys” often. This time, a Mexican gangster’s wife, Isabel (del Castillo) and her son Armando (Scipio) are after revenge on Mike for killing Isabel’s husband.

There’s a couple of ‘twists’ – none of which are as big or impactful as they’re supposed to be. Smith and Lawrence are still good together, always wisecracking and joking with each other, but there’s not really many overtly funny moments or laughs. They team up with the AMMO team, a new police squad led by Lieutenant Rita (Nunez) and her three Millennials (Hudgens, Ludwig and Melton), who are presumably there for the sequel(s), if/when Mike & Marcus retire. AMMO are OK, but don’t provide too much.

There’s still a few car chases, lots of explosions and unlikely stunts, and plenty of gun battles. If you’ve seen the first two, you know what to expect. It’s not a bad action/buddy-cop film, but – can’t believe I’m saying this – it might actually miss Michael Bay directing. At times, it takes itself far too seriously and is more earnest than it probably should be. Could’ve done with a bit more humour and fun.

Overall: Decent enough cop-action film with Smith almost returning to form.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

1917

Official Australian release date: 9/1/20. Viewed: 11/1/20.

Director: Sam Mendes

Actors: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Claire Duburcq

Genre: War / Drama

Rating: MA

  

  

‘1917’ is both a WWI film and a masterclass in cinematography. It’s not based on one specific true story or battle, but rather the plot is inspired by stories the director’s (Mendes) grandfather told him. From the opening scene, it’s clear the “real-time” no-cuts concept is going to make the film different, as we meet Corporal Blake (Chapman) and Corporal Schofield (MacKay) and then the camera doesn’t leave them for the next 2 hours. They’re assigned an urgent mission by a General (Firth), to alert another battalion not to enter what is a German ambush.

While set in France, it’s filmed in England. The number of extras used is astounding, as is the accuracy of the trenches, barbed wire, ruins and uniforms. The trenches in particular are impressive to see as they walk through them, as they’re not just CGI from a distance. From the moment Blake & Schofield step out into no-man’s-land, the tension (and score) are ratcheted right up and there’s only a few moments of respite.

They meet a few helpful soldiers and some Germans on their journey – Captain Smith (Strong) and his troop, Colonel Mackenzie (Cumberbatch) and Blake’s brother (Madden). Other than that, only Lauri (Duburcq), a frightened French lady, have any screen time. Thankfully, both the leads are great and easy to cheer for. It’s an enthralling ride, with lots of subtle – and not-so-subtle – reminders of the horrors of war. It almost leaves you exhausted, as you feel like you’ve been on the mission with them.

Overall: Excellently executed war journey.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

Spies In Disguise

Official Australian release date: 1/1/20. Viewed: 4/1/20.

Directors: Nick Bruno & Troy Quane

Actors: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Ben Mendelsohn, Rashida Jones

Genre: Action / Comedy

Rating: PG

  

‘Spies in Disguise’ is essentially a family-friendly James Bond, with the minor twist that the spy gets turned into a pigeon! It’s got plenty of action and adventure for an animated film, with Lance (Smith) the super-spy fighting the Yakuza in one of the opening scenes. He’s assisted by the weird gadget guy, Walter (Holland) as they’re framed by the villain, Killian (Mendelsohn – great to hear his Aussie accent), who has a robotic hand, and are chased down by Marcy (Jones) from a FBI-like agency.

It’s a bit like ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’, in that Walter is an awkward inventor of weird and wonderful gadgets, but wants to make the world a better place and make them non-lethal, rather than just guns and bombs. This obviously clashes with Lance’s views, especially when he’s transformed into a pigeon via gene-editing (100% impossible). Hence, Will Smith spends most of the film voicing a pigeon, which is also where much of the humour comes from.

There are quite a few funny moments, especially as pigeon-Lance inadvertently befriends other pigeons. It’s mostly fun and fast-paced. The main thing I didn’t like is that Spider-Man spent most of ‘Far From Home’ fighting drones in Venice, which is essentially what Tom Holland ends up doing here. I guess they’re easy to have as disposable bad guys. Cool to hear some of the voices, but the film’s heart comes from the friendship and teamwork formed by Lance and Walter, as well as the positive message that we’re all weird in our own way – and that’s a good thing.

Overall: Fun family pleaser.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.