Zero Dark Thirty: Depiction as Endorsement (?), or: When Movies Get Partisan
Kathryn Bigelow has been widely criticised for the depiction of torture in her latest war film, Zero Dark Thirty — in interviews she has insisted that “depiction is not endorsement”, but many critics, if not audiences, aren’t so sure. Waleed Aly, a fine and intelligent journalist who until now I did not know had [...]
Continue readingBottom 5 of 2012
Tim Hoar and I sat down the other week and recorded two podcasts (first ones in three months!). The first was an outline of our least favourite movies of 2012, and the second was a discussion of our favourite movies of the last year. You can access the podcast on iTunes here. Or alternatively [...]
Continue readingREVIEW — Les Misérables
The Verdict
2 out of 5– With all the subtlety of a hammer, Les Misérables does little to bring us into its world of post-revolutionary France. The songs are overly sombre and self-serious, the lyrics simplistic and often plain nonsensical, and the actors chosen, for the most part, cannot sing. At 140 minutes in length, Les Misérables is flabby and self-indulgent. Continue reading
REVIEW — Into the Abyss
Guest review by Tim Hoar
The Verdict
4.5 out of 5:
Into the Abyss is an exceptionally good portrait of one crime, as well as the societal background to that crime and the broader concept of the death penalty as being something ‘good’. It is incredible that a documentary about the darkest corners of humanity, as well as the even darker lengths that are gone to to punish this, is such a beautiful film. Execution is murder. Continue reading
REVIEW — The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Verdict 3 out of 5 – An Unexpected Journey is a bit of a nostalgic trip back to the time when The Lord of the Rings was cool. As a film on its own merits, it’s a partial success, with sections of inspired and inventive fantasy interrupted by overly long exposition that could easily [...]
Continue readingREVIEW – The Chaser
Guest review by Tim Hoar, creator of Now Now, I’m Drinking a Beer and Watching a Movie.
The Verdict
4 out of 5 – An excellent, creepy and chilling serial killer flick that slowly evolves from thriller to detective story. Not for the faint of heart, The Chaser is extremely clever, managing to be both action packed and cerebral with two awesome performances taking you on the ride. A ride that ends in a conclusion that will absolutely shred your nerves. Continue reading
Tuesday Trailer: IRON MAN 3
As if the insipid Iron Man 2, in addition to Tony Stark getting all the juicy lines in The Avengers weren’t enough, here comes Iron Man 3. The latest trailer is just a teaser that gives away little of the film’s plot, but it certainly hints at the movie’s feel — the star of this one looks [...]
Continue readingTuesday Trailer: CARRIE
Chloë Grace Moretz (KickAss, Hugo, Let Me In, Dark Shadows) stars in this adaptation of the Stephen King novel Carrie, which was also filmed in 1976 by Brian de Palma. The story is about a young girl with a telekinesis who unleashes her considerable powers on those around her after being bullied in high school. This new trailer is a tease, not offering much by way of suggestion of the movie’s tone, style, or treatment of the material. Being big King fans here at The Film Brief, we had to give this one a look this week.
This new version of Carrie is directed by Kimberley Peirce, the interesting director who made the Academy Award-winning Boys Don’t Cry (Best Actress, Hilary Swank) as well as the insightful Iraq war film Stop-Loss, which featured yet another fine performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Wednesday Movie Review — MARGIN CALL
By Guest Contributor Tim Hoar
The Verdict
out of
The intelligent Margin Call belongs at the pointy end of 2012 releases. Despite the fact that this is barely more than a series of business meetings, the film is never anything less ultra engaging. This can be attributed to a wonderful script that carries the ebb and flow of these befuddling financial discussions really well. The performances from everyone are fine, especially from Zachary Quinto (and his eyebrows) and Simon Baker. This film is highly recommended to all, a wonderful examination of the disconnect of modern corporate finance, and its impact on the rest of us. Continue reading
Tuesday Trailer — ARGO
The trailer for this week is the upcoming Ben Affleck-directed Argo, a thriller about the bizarre lengths that the CIA went to in order to rescue six Americans who escaped from the Iranian hostage crisis at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
This film proclaims to be based on real events, but only loosely. Ben Affleck, who was already an accomplished mainstream actor who could guarantee a $100 million opening with his name alone, has demonstrated himself to be a literate director able to coax fine performances out of his players — his brother Casey Affleck in Gone Baby Gone, and a range of cast members (including himself) in The Town.
Argo, from the trailer (not always the best indicator of a film’s tone), looks to be a peculiar mix of oddball and thriller — a distinct change of pace and material from Affleck’s last two efforts. We watch with interest to see if Affleck’s stab at versatility pays off…