Movies 2015
Last of the posting jag for end-of-year round ups and back to your regular silence. :)
Best movie experiences in 2015
The Daughter
This is a translation of a Sydney theatre adaptation of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck into a handsome, heartwrenching film set in regional Australia. The cast is generally amazing - solid performances - from Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Otto - but the standouts are clearly Ewen Leslie and Odessa Young, as Oliver and his daughter Hedvig respectively. Leslie completely sells Oliver as a good bloke who, despite just losing his job at the local sawmill, is content with the love of his wife and proud of his clever daughter Hedvig - until past secrets threaten to destroy it all. And Young is luminous as Hedvig, getting that balance of teenaged confusion, intelligence, emotional rashness, and kindness just right - you can see why the other characters love her so much, and it makes the end hit so much harder. Be prepared though: I basically came out of the movie feeling like, “Don’t love anything - it will only end in (scenically beautiful) tragedy.” [It didn't help that I saw this as a double bill with Slow West in the same night...]
Ex Machina
Creepy and interesting and beautiful and beautifully acted. Alicia Vickander, holy moly (though the whole cast were good - and ahhhh, Oscar Isaac!). I liked this when I left the theatre, and every time I've discussed it with someone (including multiple defences of it to my ex who did not like the fact that Ava triumphs) I've found something more to mull over and love about it.
Inside Out
LOVED this. Ended up seeing this twice: the first with a friend who cried pretty much from beginning to end (in a very cathartic way); the second time with my mum, who was pretty teary by the end, and asked me very delicately if I was okay (despite my best efforts, I'm pretty sure by that point my parents had picked up that 2015 was not a stellar year for me mentally). Anyway. Gorgeously animated in technicolour, funny and sweet on a narrative level, absolutely gut-punching on an emotional one.
Movie experiences I also enjoyed in 2015
Fast and Furious 7
Continues to be super enjoyable as a franchise, even after it deals with the aftermath of previous movies that leave us down two beloved characters. There's everything you would expect at this point - multiple gravity and logic defying car chases! exotic locales! mass destruction! really really good-looking people! - plus the bonus of a genuinely emotional farewell.
Breaking a Monster
Fascinating! Three African-American teens living in Brooklyn, good friends, start a band after liking metal music heard in the background on WWE matches and the anime Naruto. Mercurial, afro-haired Malcolm is their frontman, guitar player and songwriter; Jarad their responsible and driven drummer anxious to appear more grown up than his 13 years at all times; and Alec the GTA-loving joker and bassist who doesn't take the band "as seriously" at first. When a video of them playing in Times Square, uploaded by Walter's dad, goes viral, they attract the attention of old school producer Alex Sacks, who shepherded Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato to their initial fame.
The doco follows the boys over a a heady 6 months or so in 2014, where they go from internet sensations to playing SXSW, Coachella, and the Warped Tour, and signing an insane Sony deal that puts them into a frustrating holding pattern. All while dealing with the strictures of the pop machinery, of becoming a product rather than a musician, while trying to push boundaries on all fronts - musical, emotional, and in life - as adolescents are wont to do. This is slickly put together - so much so that I wonder how much of it has been directed rather than au naturel - but it's also hugely enjoyable. The boys are delights - bratty, full of personality, and definitely talented and charming, the outlines of future stars in potentia. Malcolm's parents, who are the most involved, are also pragmatic and funny in their own way. There's some super interesting images that touch on the intersection between race, musical genres, and the media entertainment, presented without overt commentary, but it's hard not to discern the problematic issues of how the boys are positioned and their narratives shaped by executives, marketers, media, based on their appearance alone. I would love to see how this plays out as the movie ends on an open note given the recency of events. Will the band ever break out as they hope? Only time will tell...
(P.S. The music is catchy, but there are vocal and technical issues, and the film doesn't entirely shy away from highlighting them.)
On the Rim of the Sky
This was a last minute film festival pick that I don't regret at all, even with the fire alarm drama (entire cineplex evacuated mid film, oh joy). "Tomorrow will be better" is the literal translation of the Chinese title, and that's probably a more telling, stinging summary. This slow but rewarding doco on the tension between old traditions and the ideals of a younger generation, fuelled by pride and bureaucracy, in the microcosm of a tiny school in an isolated town atop a mountain in Szechuan, is a representation of the bigger culture war happening in China.
Holding the Man
Moving, lovely, and faithful adaptation of Tim Conigrave's memoir about his love and life story with partner John Caleo. No tears at the screening (the world premiere) only because I shed them re-reading the book the week before. Apart from the awkwardness (and terrible wigs!) of the high school years played by actors who are clearly in their 30s, and the fact that some things are terribly rushed to fit the running time, this is lovingly told and worth watching.
Jurassic World
Liked this more than I was expecting to the first time I saw it, and then I had the chance to see it again fairly soon after and realised it played well, if not better, on repeat viewing. It's ridiculous, sure, the whole thing is - but its internal logic holds up okay. It helps that Claire is such an interesting character, - she's not the typical action hero and she's not warmly likeable but she's still capable and intelligent and a survivor; also she's not the natural protagonist for this movie and I like that she is the central focus. Apart from the dinosaurs of course, as it should be - they were suitably scary and the chases were thrilling. I do think they wasted Chris Pratt in this role - don't hire someone with that mischievous charisma then bury it completely - why not take on his levity along with those new-found muscles. :(
The Martian
It was the space movie of recent times that made me the least mad when I walked out of the cinema (cf Interstellar, Gravity). I know that sounds disparaging, but please remember I have a great deal of space feelings and this one really did make me feel a lot of them, which is a good thing. Great cast of characters, and while there's very little fleshing out of everyone apart from the internal voice of Mark Watney (a very likeable Matt Damon), it was just refreshing to see so many women and people of colour on my screen in non-villain roles being competent and working as a team. It looked beautiful too, and REAL - it almost had me thinking that we'd been to Mars already plus it knew how to ratchet up tension while poking fun of itself with some awareness at the right points. And as a geek it was just interesting - while not all the science was plausible, at least it stuck to the realm of science and the triumph of the human spirit using that ingenuity of problem solving.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
What everyone has already said better. An enjoyable romp, so reminiscent of A New Hope but for a new generation. I love Rey - Daisy Ridley does such a great job - and like everyone else, I wanted to squish Poe and Finn and their inexplicable but absolutely delightful immediate friendship in big big hugs. I'm glad I managed to see this relatively unspoiled, and I'm just delighted after the prequel years that I could come out of a Star Wars movie and think "I can't wait for the next one!"
Movie experiences I was disappointed about in 2015
The Imitation Game
Wow, what a bog standard biopic this was; all the emotional beats were so predictable and unsubtle in telling the typical tortured, lonely genius tale that Hollywood loves. But if you go away and read about Turing's life you'll realise they just made all this up, completely ignoring the actualfax interesting story in the work and life of Turing instead. The narrative isn't helped by the godawaful 'present day' scenes that are ugly and bland and awkward; at least the 'past' set during the war times has the excitement of spies and code-breaking.
The actors do their best with very thinly characterised roles - Matthew Goode is caddishly handsome and vaguely-but-not-really objectionable; Keira Knightley is lovely as the forthright Joan Clarke who has a brilliant brain but is hemmed in by society (and her parents) but one woman does not a movie save; Allen Leech is fine as the seemingly harmless and kind fellow codebreaker; Charles Dance is...every role Charles Dance has played in the past few years, though he's very good at it. Mark Strong is typecast too, but at least he brings an unsettling sexiness to his role as an MI6 agent. And Cumberbatch? He's very...Cumberbatch I suppose. Being the smartest person in the room, cold but deeply sensitive, all that; he does it well, but it irks me because it makes the character less of a person (let alone a REAL person) than a collection of tics on the autism spectrum with a tragic story, which does Turing no justice, especially not with that toothless end to the film.
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl
I am so mad at this film on a number of levels (I'm also mad that I've lost my long, angry, post-movie rant about all the things I hated). In short: it's a self-conscious film that flirts with gorgeous artistry in parts a la Gondry but illuminates nothing but a hollow narrative with broad brush caricatures for Earl and the dying girl of the title, all in service of manpain and the emotional gratification of a self-absorbed, self-loathing white male teen protagonist. GROSS. As one of my favourite culture critics @tvoti tweeted, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: Twist ending! The "me" in the title is narcissism!"
Macbeth
Ouch. It hurts to give such a low score to a film with such great actors (Fassbender, Cotillard, Considine, Thewlis, Debicki) but I was BORED. I almost fell asleep in the middle, thought I did perk up a little more after Macbeth becomes king. But it also just didn't know what to do with itself - while it looked great, it just DRAGGED and was so static on screen - there were no rise and falls in tone - just grim sadness and madness (Lady and Macbeth respectively, which isn't quite right). Actors did the best they could, but the inertia on the screen was just too much.
Best movie experiences in 2015
The Daughter
This is a translation of a Sydney theatre adaptation of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck into a handsome, heartwrenching film set in regional Australia. The cast is generally amazing - solid performances - from Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Otto - but the standouts are clearly Ewen Leslie and Odessa Young, as Oliver and his daughter Hedvig respectively. Leslie completely sells Oliver as a good bloke who, despite just losing his job at the local sawmill, is content with the love of his wife and proud of his clever daughter Hedvig - until past secrets threaten to destroy it all. And Young is luminous as Hedvig, getting that balance of teenaged confusion, intelligence, emotional rashness, and kindness just right - you can see why the other characters love her so much, and it makes the end hit so much harder. Be prepared though: I basically came out of the movie feeling like, “Don’t love anything - it will only end in (scenically beautiful) tragedy.” [It didn't help that I saw this as a double bill with Slow West in the same night...]
Ex Machina
Creepy and interesting and beautiful and beautifully acted. Alicia Vickander, holy moly (though the whole cast were good - and ahhhh, Oscar Isaac!). I liked this when I left the theatre, and every time I've discussed it with someone (including multiple defences of it to my ex who did not like the fact that Ava triumphs) I've found something more to mull over and love about it.
Inside Out
LOVED this. Ended up seeing this twice: the first with a friend who cried pretty much from beginning to end (in a very cathartic way); the second time with my mum, who was pretty teary by the end, and asked me very delicately if I was okay (despite my best efforts, I'm pretty sure by that point my parents had picked up that 2015 was not a stellar year for me mentally). Anyway. Gorgeously animated in technicolour, funny and sweet on a narrative level, absolutely gut-punching on an emotional one.
Movie experiences I also enjoyed in 2015
Fast and Furious 7
Continues to be super enjoyable as a franchise, even after it deals with the aftermath of previous movies that leave us down two beloved characters. There's everything you would expect at this point - multiple gravity and logic defying car chases! exotic locales! mass destruction! really really good-looking people! - plus the bonus of a genuinely emotional farewell.
Breaking a Monster
Fascinating! Three African-American teens living in Brooklyn, good friends, start a band after liking metal music heard in the background on WWE matches and the anime Naruto. Mercurial, afro-haired Malcolm is their frontman, guitar player and songwriter; Jarad their responsible and driven drummer anxious to appear more grown up than his 13 years at all times; and Alec the GTA-loving joker and bassist who doesn't take the band "as seriously" at first. When a video of them playing in Times Square, uploaded by Walter's dad, goes viral, they attract the attention of old school producer Alex Sacks, who shepherded Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato to their initial fame.
The doco follows the boys over a a heady 6 months or so in 2014, where they go from internet sensations to playing SXSW, Coachella, and the Warped Tour, and signing an insane Sony deal that puts them into a frustrating holding pattern. All while dealing with the strictures of the pop machinery, of becoming a product rather than a musician, while trying to push boundaries on all fronts - musical, emotional, and in life - as adolescents are wont to do. This is slickly put together - so much so that I wonder how much of it has been directed rather than au naturel - but it's also hugely enjoyable. The boys are delights - bratty, full of personality, and definitely talented and charming, the outlines of future stars in potentia. Malcolm's parents, who are the most involved, are also pragmatic and funny in their own way. There's some super interesting images that touch on the intersection between race, musical genres, and the media entertainment, presented without overt commentary, but it's hard not to discern the problematic issues of how the boys are positioned and their narratives shaped by executives, marketers, media, based on their appearance alone. I would love to see how this plays out as the movie ends on an open note given the recency of events. Will the band ever break out as they hope? Only time will tell...
(P.S. The music is catchy, but there are vocal and technical issues, and the film doesn't entirely shy away from highlighting them.)
On the Rim of the Sky
This was a last minute film festival pick that I don't regret at all, even with the fire alarm drama (entire cineplex evacuated mid film, oh joy). "Tomorrow will be better" is the literal translation of the Chinese title, and that's probably a more telling, stinging summary. This slow but rewarding doco on the tension between old traditions and the ideals of a younger generation, fuelled by pride and bureaucracy, in the microcosm of a tiny school in an isolated town atop a mountain in Szechuan, is a representation of the bigger culture war happening in China.
Holding the Man
Moving, lovely, and faithful adaptation of Tim Conigrave's memoir about his love and life story with partner John Caleo. No tears at the screening (the world premiere) only because I shed them re-reading the book the week before. Apart from the awkwardness (and terrible wigs!) of the high school years played by actors who are clearly in their 30s, and the fact that some things are terribly rushed to fit the running time, this is lovingly told and worth watching.
Jurassic World
Liked this more than I was expecting to the first time I saw it, and then I had the chance to see it again fairly soon after and realised it played well, if not better, on repeat viewing. It's ridiculous, sure, the whole thing is - but its internal logic holds up okay. It helps that Claire is such an interesting character, - she's not the typical action hero and she's not warmly likeable but she's still capable and intelligent and a survivor; also she's not the natural protagonist for this movie and I like that she is the central focus. Apart from the dinosaurs of course, as it should be - they were suitably scary and the chases were thrilling. I do think they wasted Chris Pratt in this role - don't hire someone with that mischievous charisma then bury it completely - why not take on his levity along with those new-found muscles. :(
The Martian
It was the space movie of recent times that made me the least mad when I walked out of the cinema (cf Interstellar, Gravity). I know that sounds disparaging, but please remember I have a great deal of space feelings and this one really did make me feel a lot of them, which is a good thing. Great cast of characters, and while there's very little fleshing out of everyone apart from the internal voice of Mark Watney (a very likeable Matt Damon), it was just refreshing to see so many women and people of colour on my screen in non-villain roles being competent and working as a team. It looked beautiful too, and REAL - it almost had me thinking that we'd been to Mars already plus it knew how to ratchet up tension while poking fun of itself with some awareness at the right points. And as a geek it was just interesting - while not all the science was plausible, at least it stuck to the realm of science and the triumph of the human spirit using that ingenuity of problem solving.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
What everyone has already said better. An enjoyable romp, so reminiscent of A New Hope but for a new generation. I love Rey - Daisy Ridley does such a great job - and like everyone else, I wanted to squish Poe and Finn and their inexplicable but absolutely delightful immediate friendship in big big hugs. I'm glad I managed to see this relatively unspoiled, and I'm just delighted after the prequel years that I could come out of a Star Wars movie and think "I can't wait for the next one!"
Movie experiences I was disappointed about in 2015
The Imitation Game
Wow, what a bog standard biopic this was; all the emotional beats were so predictable and unsubtle in telling the typical tortured, lonely genius tale that Hollywood loves. But if you go away and read about Turing's life you'll realise they just made all this up, completely ignoring the actualfax interesting story in the work and life of Turing instead. The narrative isn't helped by the godawaful 'present day' scenes that are ugly and bland and awkward; at least the 'past' set during the war times has the excitement of spies and code-breaking.
The actors do their best with very thinly characterised roles - Matthew Goode is caddishly handsome and vaguely-but-not-really objectionable; Keira Knightley is lovely as the forthright Joan Clarke who has a brilliant brain but is hemmed in by society (and her parents) but one woman does not a movie save; Allen Leech is fine as the seemingly harmless and kind fellow codebreaker; Charles Dance is...every role Charles Dance has played in the past few years, though he's very good at it. Mark Strong is typecast too, but at least he brings an unsettling sexiness to his role as an MI6 agent. And Cumberbatch? He's very...Cumberbatch I suppose. Being the smartest person in the room, cold but deeply sensitive, all that; he does it well, but it irks me because it makes the character less of a person (let alone a REAL person) than a collection of tics on the autism spectrum with a tragic story, which does Turing no justice, especially not with that toothless end to the film.
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl
I am so mad at this film on a number of levels (I'm also mad that I've lost my long, angry, post-movie rant about all the things I hated). In short: it's a self-conscious film that flirts with gorgeous artistry in parts a la Gondry but illuminates nothing but a hollow narrative with broad brush caricatures for Earl and the dying girl of the title, all in service of manpain and the emotional gratification of a self-absorbed, self-loathing white male teen protagonist. GROSS. As one of my favourite culture critics @tvoti tweeted, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: Twist ending! The "me" in the title is narcissism!"
Macbeth
Ouch. It hurts to give such a low score to a film with such great actors (Fassbender, Cotillard, Considine, Thewlis, Debicki) but I was BORED. I almost fell asleep in the middle, thought I did perk up a little more after Macbeth becomes king. But it also just didn't know what to do with itself - while it looked great, it just DRAGGED and was so static on screen - there were no rise and falls in tone - just grim sadness and madness (Lady and Macbeth respectively, which isn't quite right). Actors did the best they could, but the inertia on the screen was just too much.