Hard Candy

No I am not actually going to write about lollies (sweets/candy). I mean lollies are awesome, don't get me wrong I love lollies but why would you talk about hard ones when gummy lollies are a million times better. I'm just saying.

Hard Candy is unlike anything you have ever seen. Unless you have seen it...cause then it would be exactly like the first time you saw it...

This film begins with a 14 year old girl, Hayley talking to a man on the internet, Jeff, who is 18 years her senior and a photographer. They meet up at a cafe where Hayley suggests that they should go back to Jeff's house. It's scary. You worry for this poor young girl and you hate her stupidity. Everyone has heard the stories and I bet you think you could guess where the story goes from here. But that would be falling into the trap that this movie wants you to fall in. Do not jump to conclusions.

Once at the house, Hayley spikes Jeff's drink. From there you no longer worry for her as she can take care of herself. Just watch her go.

It inverts everything. Well maybe not everything but messes with you. The movie is one step ahead of you the whole time and it really takes pleasure in that fact. It just laughs at you the entire time and doesn't let you in on the joke which is pretty brilliant. This is one clever film.

I was glued to the screen, at the edge of my seat. Well actually I wasn't. I was sitting on the couch with my knees pulled into my chest because it was all too much for me to handle. I had to revert to the fetal position. I couldn't cope. But then I would find something really exciting and spring up only to slowly pull my legs in again. 

This is also an Ellen Paige that you probably have never seen before. Forget Juno. You have been warned.

The set is so small and closed in and almost claustrophobic and it's perfect for the cat and mouse game that is played out. Really the whole movie gives you this claustrophobic feel. It's really off putting but at the same time works so well. There are only two real characters (Sandra Oh makes a 5 second appearance but that doesn't really count) and there are only about three locations where the film is shot but two of the locations are only used for a few minutes each. And the main location is in a house. Confined to rooms. And it's hectic. It's disconcerting. It's not gruesome, it doesn't need to be. It's all in the complexity. It leaves you with questions and if you are like me, then you will need a little time to digest.

If you haven't seen this and you are into films that can completely mess with your mind then watch this. I guarantee that this one will blow you away. If it doesn't then I don't know what to do. My guarantee is worth nothing. But my word. I like to think that my word has value. (Please be blown away by it)

It's a Wonderful Life

If you haven't seen this movie, then I suggest you get off your ass and do it. Now. Don't even read this blog (yes I will forgive you), get the DVD, get comfortable and don't move until it's over. It's worth it. You will thank me afterwards.
 

 
I should warn you that the first few minutes is a little weird and you will probably think I am crazy for telling you to go and watch this movie but stick with it. The way it starts, it can only get better and wow! does it get better.

I don't know if this movie could get any cuter. It's just so filled with happiness that it would probably explode if they tried to add anything else to it. Whilst filming it, the cameras would have given up working, just to soak up the happiness that this movie emits. The crew would have been unable to work again because they would be drunk on the cuteness. If they were able to release the film, the audience would never be able to leave the cinema. If they were ever able to release a DVD then the DVD players would never play another disc.

 

So luckily for you, this movie is ridiculously cute but not so cute that everyone and everything is immobilised, so it's a good thing. You wouldn't be able to appreciate it if you became a zombie on the cuteness so it's better this way.

According to my brother and backed up by Wikipedia (which I know isn't the most trustworthy site but in this case I believe it), when the film first came out, it was a flop. People were very underwhelmed and with it's high production costs, it lost over $500 000 at the box office. Ouch. So how does this film go from flop to classic? Well, someone forgot to renew the copyright, TV channels still had to pay royalties but that cheaper than having to pay copyright in full every time you want to play it. And so this film was played a lot. And then when everyone realised how great it was, it got played even more. And then when they noticed that it had Christmas attached to it, they played it every Christmas holidays and then twice on the Christmas holidays with one screening even on Christmas Eve.

Frank Capra, the director, said; "It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen, the film has a life of its own now, and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it. I'm like a parent whose kid grows up to be president. I'm proud... but it's the kid who did the work."

Monsieur Lazhar

A truly touching film dealing with grief, loss and reconciliation, French-Canadian film, Monsieur Lazhar, is one that hits the heart strings with all the right notes.


Set in Montreal, the teacher of a class of young students has committed suicide. After hearing about the tragedy that has befallen the class, Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant, decides to help the school by offering to be the class’s substitute teacher and the offer is readily accepted. As the class struggles to heal their emotional wounds, Lazhar’s own painful past becomes apparent and the students end up inadvertently helping Lazhar through his pain as much as he helps them through theirs. Adapted from the award winning play by Evelyne de la Cheneliere, it’s a touching story that is handled with great skill by director Philippe Falardeau who sews together moments of insight, empathy and emotion with great sensitivity.


The cinematography by Ronald Plante is simple but beautiful. The shots are unobtrusive and compliment the highly emotional content and without trying anything flashy that would detract from the narrative. There is one particular scene at the start where the classroom at the school is being painted. It’s such a simple scene but it holds a lot of beauty just through the cinematography balanced with the soft music of the underscore.

Lazhar’s relationship with these kids is truly heart-warming. The teachers, especially Lazhar, are forced to tiptoe around the grief that has struck the students as the school decides that it is best not to directly approach the subject of suicide but skirt around it and due to the stern rules about contact with students. Lazhar manages to really help the kids through this hard time in their lives and Fellag plays the role of the teacher with the perfect mixture of meekness and power. 

The bereaved students manage to retain their childish innocence as well offering great emotional depth to their characters. Sophie Nélisse as Alice and Émilien Néron as Simon, create some really beautiful and honest scenes and moments of raw emotion that are very moving, so much so that they steal the show from the adults. All the children show great maturity in the approach to their roles that I found similar to the performances of the children in Céline Sciamma’s Tomboy (2010) another French film that relies heavily on the young actors. 

One thing that does let the film down is the soundtrack. It seemed to scream, “I am a French film and I am quirky and cute!” More often than not it worked against the film because the choice of underscore didn’t always fit the film, making it distracting at times. Also there were a few loose ends and unanswered questions mainly to do with Lazhar and his background but overall Monsieur Lazhar is a beautiful film.

 

If you are a fan of French cinema then this is one not to miss.
 

HISHE for she and he.

Have you ever wanted a movie to end differently to the way that it did? Ever wanted to have Superman and Batman chilling in a coffee house chatting about life and being bosses? Well if this is true of you then you need to watch the videos made by HISHE.

They are cartoon realisations of how the creators of this video series thought certain movies should have played out. It's worth checking out and they have something for everybody. (It's true, they don't really cover romantic comedies but then why would you, they all end the same anyway so there isn't any point.)

Ever thought that there were a few problems in the new Batman film that didn't quite sit right with you? Thought that some things in the film were not quite believable and that the ending should have played out a little differently?

Not only are the alternative endings funny and entertaining, but they also look good with the cartoon style that they have gone with and, for people really interested in the creation side of things, there are little videos showing the creation of the cartoon characters like that of  Catwoman. These people are brilliant.

And even if you don't care how these movies ended or if you thought that the movie was very well done, it's still worth checking them out. Even just the superhero ones to see Batman and Superman chatting. It's well worth it just for the scenes with these two in it.

Check them out.

Griff the Invisible

Griff the Invisible is an unusual but uplifting Australian film about the validation of difference that has a big heart and a big imagination. 

This is the story of Griff (Ryan Kwanten), a shy, introverted guy who is bullied in his workplace. By night, however, he becomes a superhero protecting the streets of his neighbourhood. When Griff decides to enact his revenge on his work tormenter through the use of invisibility suits, his world is turned upside down when he is introduced to Melody (Maeve Dermody), an experimentalist (she tests things, theories and stuff) who shares Griff’s passion for the impossible. Essentially the film is a romance between the two in a world that doesn't quite accept them but then doesn't completely reject them either.

Writer and director Leon Ford presents his plot in a subtle, quirky way that at times parallels that of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, 2001). Sometimes Australian cinema can fall into the trap of trying too hard to be American and we haven’t been able to pull it off. Leon steers clear of the Hollywood Blockbuster genre other superhero movies embrace and turns it on its head, giving this genre an unconventional angle and it’s really refreshing to see. This is not Kick-Ass (Matthew Vaughn 2010) or Spider-Man (Sam Raimi 2002) and it doesn’t try to be. It works so well because it doesn't try to be anything it’s not.

The actors give authentic performances and really bring these awkward but loveable characters to life. The two leads have a genuine honesty in their roles and you get completely pulled into their strange world to the point where you don't know what's real and what's not. Also, they are really well supported, particularly by Patrick Brammall who plays Griff’s brother, Tim. He has a goofy confidence that is a perfect contrast to the sociophobic Griff.

The editing in this film works really well and accentuates the awkward but also the fantasy elements of the film that Kwanten and Dermody choose to immerse themselves in. The film also uses colour to great effect. The three primary colours, blue, yellow and red, are prominent throughout and help to emphasise the binary opposition that the film presents between fantasy and reality. One drawback to this film is that at times you feel alienated from the fantasy elements of the film. You are invited to watch but not invited to join. It also follows a predictable and familiar plotline but it is the concept that makes this film so unique and the original way it is presented.

This is one Australian film that should not go unnoticed. It is such a rare film and a surprisingly beautiful one.

Drink.ing.

Why do people drink alcohol?

Yes, it can be awesome fun. You talk, dance, sing, make friends and don't even care what other people think. You get to be the most extroverted extrovert with out even trying. When you are drunk, no matter what you do, it's awesome. You have never danced so well. Your should have a record deal because, who else can sing as well as you? You are the next Beyonce or Beiber or whoever makes the most money. There are no strangers when you are drunk, everyone is your best friend. Everyone loves you and you love everyone no matter who they are. Let's face it, life is pretty awesome for those few hours that you are drunk. And the drunker you get, the more alcohol you want. No amount of alcohol is too much. You can never have too many shots and there is no one that can beat you in a drinking contest and if they do, you just demand a rematch until you win.

But then you get tired. Then you think, "Oh, I have work tomorrow." The high that the alcohol had you on starts to wear off. Instead of showing everyone your interpretive dance moves to Someone Like You, you decicde to sit down. Before you realise it, you are lying down. Then you realise how thirsty you are and how much you want water and now that you think about it, you haven't had any water the entire night but you are too tired and you just got comfortable on the hard tiled floor. So you let yourself slump down and then the  world starts spinning. You brain seems to have got up and left you. I'ts so annoyed at you that it has abandoned you to let you face the alcohol on your own.

Then your stomach starts to churn and you have another realisation that you haven't had much to eat during the night. All that is in your stomach is liquid. Then you realise that you don't feel so good and another thing hits you, that the world should not be spinning (it takes you longer than normal because your brain left you, remember). Then another realisation, your body wants all the alcohol to come out of your stomach. And fastest way is the way it came in. You attempt to get up. You half manage but it's an awkward sight to look at. You make a bet with yourself over whether you can make it to the toilet. When you don't make it to the toilet you are overjoyed that you won the bet. It's a short lived victory because along comes another realisation, when you make a bet with yourself and you bet against yourself, you still lose.

So having not made it to the toilet, you look for anything else you can find that isn't the floor, you manage to find a pot plant, or something that you think is a pot plant. Then it's over and you feel sort of okay and you attempt to look for somewhere to rest your head a bit while you wait for yourself to feel a little better, but at this point, the floor is looking so attractive that you just have to lie on it. It would be a crime not to lie on that ridiculously good looking floor. You decide that the floor is your best friend and you whisper sweet nothings to it as you slowly fall into what you think will be the best sleep you have ever had. Before too long, the dream you are having starts to swim and then your stomach feels funny again and you are running faster than you think Usain Bolt has ever run in his life to get to the toilet. You don't make it. Now that you think about it, you didn't actually make it to your feet. You got as far as your knees, shuffled forward a bit and then fell sprawling on that ridiculously good looking floor... But at least there was something that resembled an old pizza box. When you are able to sit up again, you have a good think and realise that this isn't you house, you don't really know where you are and you actually have no idea where the toilet in this place is. You crawl a few more metres and pass out from this overly strenuous exercise.

Your world is still spinning a lot. Your dreams are quite disturbed. Your mouth is really dry and your brain wants to come back but it is torn between its loyalty to you and its desire not to be around while you are suffering from alcohol absorption. Your stomach also considering leaving you but it was too ill to move. 

You wake up. It's light outside. You look around the bedroom you expected that you were in and realise that it is just a hallway, You wonder who spilt all that liquid on the ground behind you. You breathe through your nose. It's definitely not just any liquid. You feel your head and your stomach and a little bit of the night before comes back to you, the part where you couldn't find a toilet fast enough to have something to empty your stomach into. Crap. You try to get up but your head is killing you and the slightest movement makes it feel like your head is going to fall off and that your already empty stomach wants to be emptied further. Too late, you smell the other residents of the house cooking toast.

You wonder what in the hell happened last night. Whose party was it? Whose house are you in? Do you even know the people? Did you come with anyone or did you go on your own? What were you even drinking? Were you really that awesome at dancing or was that in your dream? You don't remember it, but your brain left you so none of these questions get answered. Then your muscles give up on you. You can't move any further, for the whole day. You decide that this is the most comfortable floor you have ever encountered and you don't need to move. For anyone or for anything. Why would you move? This floor is so ridiculously good looking. And your head slumps slowly downward.

Then someone shakes you. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

I don't quite understand how people enjoy the feeling after a big night. I would prefer never to drink again rather than have to feel that hungover that I couldn't do anything. I don't know if the fun of the night would ever outweigh having to feel that awful in the morning. I just do not think it is justified. I do not understand. My above situation may be over the top but then again it may not be. All I have to say is WHY? Why do it to yourselves people?

Step Up 4: Revolution of Crap

This is all I have to say about the new Step Up film, Step Up Revolution; 

It is a bad movie.

Movies don't get much worse than this one.

The only thing that this movie has going for it, is the dancing. The dancing is very cool and if it was real, then it would be even cooler. If you took away all the acting and all the story line that this film attempts to put into it and just had the dancing, then it wouldn't be too bad. It wouldn't be as painful as it was to sit through it. I would probably have lost less brain cells.

That is all.