Monthly Archives: June 2014

June 19, 2014

Anybody Want A Peanut?

By Carrie

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The Princess Bride, 1987

Did I watch the State of Origin (massive aussie sporting event) on telly last night? Nope I chose to relive my youth, and watch one of my all time favorite movies…

Count Rugen: And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. How do you feel?
Westley: Mmm hmm hmm hmmmm
Count Rugen: Interesting.

The Princess Bride is one of the ultimate childhood favorites for many of us who grew up in the 80s, and has become a family favorite for the generations since.  So what is it about this film that makes it so appealing?  Is it purely nostalgia on the part of those who saw it as children or is there more to it?  I thought I might re-watch it trying to take it in with fresh eyes – a difficult task for me, given I hold anyone who can quote it in high regard! So here we go…

Despite being a film about love, family and fighting for what you believe in, this film never takes itself too seriously. It is deliberately camp and cliché – even the sets look like they’re straight out of a fairytale picture book.  In this story within a story based on the book by William Goldman, we are told exactly what to expect through The Grandfather‘s introduction – ‘fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles!’ – and it doesn’t disappoint.  It has all that plus an amazing cast – Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Mandy Patinkin and André the Giant just to name a few.

The Princess Bride boasts a script that is arguably one of the most quotable scripts of all time.  It somehow manages to be witty and deliberately trite at the same time – complete with cliché romance and villainy, the delightfully over complicated but witty speeches by Vizzini, the wit/charm/arrogance of Westley and the ever memorable rhyming battles between Inigo and Fezzik – full of puns and tongue-in-cheek humour.  Certain characters have repeated words or phrases making them more quotable and endearing, or irritating as the case may be.  ‘As you wish’, ‘Inconceivable!’ (‘You keep using this word. I do not think it means what you think it means’), ‘to the pain’, and the most famous – ‘Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die’.

This film also illustrates the importance of passing stories along to children, even though they may resist – ‘Is this a kissing book?’.  As the grandson is drawn in to the story so is the audience. We learn life lessons together, “Who says life is fair? Where is that written? Life isn’t always fair.” This fairytale isn’t as straight forward as most, which makes it even more special and likable.

The Princess Bride also makes use of musical themes – common to films of the 80s and something that too many films lack today. The music combined with the performances of the likes of Mandy Patinkin make for some magical moments (Inigo and Fezzik’s search for the man in black).  It also has beautifully choreographed fight scenes, especially Inigo’s last fight (one of the most memorable scenes in the film) which is not only well choreographed and performed but also builds perfectly with the music.

While none of the special effects or sets are particularly spectacular, they generally stand the test of time.  The main exception being the Rodents Of Unusual Size (ROUS’s) which look like people on all fours in rat suits – interesting fact: they actually were people on all fours in rat suits.

Somehow, despite the gumbyness/campness, the romance is believable, the villains are dastardly, and this somewhat backwards fairytale has you barracking for the heros, just as the grandson does.

There are some fabulous minor roles, such as Billy Crystal as the hilarious Miracle Max, Fred Savage as the Grandson, Peter Falk as the Grandfather, and Christopher Guest as the evil villain Count Rugen.

The nostalgia connected with this film is inescapable – I’ve seen the movie so many times that I can remember where the adds came on our betamax copy that we taped from TV – although I was always somewhat perturbed by the somewhat negative reference to Australia. I see references everywhere – while watching Game of Thrones and the battle between Oberyn Martell and The Mountain – Oberyn was definitely channelling Inigo – and in the season finale there was a moment when The Hound really could have shouted ‘as you wish’. It’s been referred to in films (I Love You, Man), Adam Hills dedicated an entire episode of Adam Hills Tonight to it, and when he performs his live concerts, Mandy Patinkin will still occasionally finish the show with his most famous line.

Whilst there is no denying the nostalgia attached to The Princess Bride, there is also no denying the brilliance of the script or the wonderful performances of the fabulous actors (and non-actors) involved. I still think it delivers on all of those promises The Grandfather makes in the opening scene. For me, this movie is ‘twoo wuv’.

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June 8, 2014

There and Back Again, Again…

By Carrie

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2013

Having been a big fan of the LotR series of films, and enjoying Peter Jackson‘s vision of Middle Earth (despite some somewhat irritating departures from the books). I had been quite keen to see the first installment of The Hobbit.  However, having been thoroughly underwhelmed by the first installment of this trilogy – An Unexpected Journey was unexpectedly clunky with average 3D and an overly convoluted storyline (I know, not my usual positive fare, but I’ve come to expect more from Peter Jackson) – I really wanted to enjoy this film.  The word from those around me was that it was marginally better than the first installment, but still not fantastic.  I lowered my expectations.  So last night, sick in bed with a sniffle, with a glass of red next to me, I settled in to watch The Desolation of Smaug.

Just to make it clear, I was watching it in 2D, not the intended 3D – the reason being firstly my experience of the first film, and secondly that my hubby is not a LotR fan, so I didn’t end up seeing it at the cinema.  I am generally not overly impressed by 3D anyway. I truly believe that a film should be able to stand on its own in 2D as well, and not totally rely on 3D to impress viewers – if for no other reason than some people can’t watch 3D as it makes them ill. I digress…

The first thing that struck me whilst watching this film is that Peter Jackson couldn’t resist a cameo in opening sequence.  The cameo has become a tradition for Jackson, although it’s usually later in the film. The second thing that struck me was the somewhat childlike/storybook/computer game CGI/animation. I wasn’t sure if this was because it was intended to be viewed in 3D or if it was a conscious decision given the book is often regarded as a children’s book. I don’t remember noticing this in the LotR films.

Once again, the true stars of this film are the sheer immensity of Tolkien’s imagination and the stunning New Zealand landscape.  I don’t think I’ll ever get over just how thoroughly and well conceived the world of Middle Earth actually is – complete with several languages and a long and complex history.

Although this is not what I would consider a brilliant film, it has some very beautiful, magical and even trippy moments.  I have to mention the horses at Beorn’s house.  They are only on screen for about a minute, but these are the most beautiful horses I have ever seen.  I also couldn’t help but think of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy when the white mice made an appearance.

Special note for arachnophobes – when the dwarves enter Mirkwood you might want to fast forward for a bit.  The first scene in Mirkwood is delightfully trippy, until the giant spiders turn up. 

The connection between Tauriel (the beautiful Evangeline Lilly) and Kili (Aidan Turner), and their first conversation is one of those magical moments. However, Tolkien purists may object to the introduction of a new female character who doesn’t exist in the book at all – I think she’s a welcome addition in a very male dominated film franchise.  The barrel’o’dwarves escape from Mirkwood is another great sequence, and the first appearance of Laketown (Esgaroth) is surprisingly magical.

There are some stand out and somewhat surprising performances in this film.  I feel that without Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Fargo, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) this movie would really be missing something – and I think Freeman’s talents are underused.  I don’t know what it is about Lee Pace (The Fall, Pushing Daisies, A Single Man), but he always draws me in. Richard Armitage (Robin Hood, Captain America: The First Avenger) plays a fabulous Thorin, the hero-with-a-slightly-dark-side, and shares some great angry/smoldering looks with Bard – played by the very intense Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, The Raven). Stephen Fry was also a pleasant surprise as the Master of Laketown.  And then there’s Benedict Cumberbatch…

If there’s one part of this film that had to succeed it was Smaug.  A massive, fire breathing, talking dragon made immortal, not just by being a dragon, but by a famous work of literary fiction – this has to be bloody fantastic right? Thankfully Smaug doesn’t disappoint. As far as the voice of the dragon is concerned Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, War Horse) was such an inspired choice – it’s amazing how he oozes charisma just through his voice.  The last third of the film is by far the best thanks to the dragon sequences – The CGI/animation (Weta Workshop) is fantastic even without being in 3D (apparently if a single computer processor had been used, each scale would have taken a whole week to render).
The film ends at just the right point. Although I wasn’t overwhelmed by The Desolation of Smaug, I found myself keen to see how it concludes (even though I sort of know already), and how Peter Jackson interprets the final chapters of The Hobbit in The Battle of the Five Armies (set for release in December).

As a big kid watching a fun adventure film set in a fantasy world I’m very fond of, I enjoyed this film. If you’re not a fan of Middle Earth who can suspend their disbelief/maintain their childlike wonder for almost 3 hours (the credits alone feel like they go for half an hour!), this is probably not a movie for you.

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June 6, 2014

Do you know what a Fugazi is?

By Carrie

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The Wolf of Wall Street, 2013

Mark Hanna: “Nobody knows if a stock is going to go up, down, sideways or in circles. You know what a Fugazi is?”
Jordan Belfort: “Fugazi, it’s a fake.”
Mark Hanna: “Fugazi, Fugazi. It’s a wazy. It’s a woozie. It’s fairy dust.”

I had heard so many conflicting reviews of this movie that by the time I actually watched it last night, I had no expectations of what this film was going to be, which is really how I like to go into films.  The Wolf of Wall Street is like Wall Street, Mad Men and The Hangover combined and then on steroids (or crack to be more appropriate). It is a how-to manual on getting caught up in all the excesses of stock broking in the 80s and 90s – the money, the women, and the drugs.

It clearly shows that power and money are true corruptors – Belfort started out starry eyed and wanting to make money for both broker and client. How rapidly things changed when he saw an opportunity to make some big bucks.

If it wasn’t so obscene and disrespectful towards the clients, women and human beings in general, I’d recommend parts of WOWS for sales training in all kinds of industries, not just the financial sector – which is what Belfort ended up doing for a living after his ’empire’ collapsed. Belfort is clearly a born salesperson – he understands the basic principle of getting the customer to see value in what you’re trying to sell, and he does it whilst oozing charisma.

Some people have said that WOWS glorifies the behavior of brokers during these decades, but I don’t agree.  This movie clearly illustrates to me the debauched behavior, the consequences that some (not all – we have to have realism folks) faced, and why the GFC happened.  Martin Scorsese achieves this with a sense of humor – without the comic aspect you’d just want to cry at what awful human beings these characters are. I’m still not sure how they all functioned given just how many drugs were in their systems – but I guess if you’re taking uppers and downers it levels you out in a way – surely their cognitive function was compromised.

There are definitely some stand out performances in WOWS – Leonardo Dicaprio hits the mark yet again as Jordan Belfort.  He is charismatic, engaging and headstrong, making it easier to understand how he had so many people eating out of his hands. Jonah Hill is also surprising in this largely non-comic role as Belfort’s second in command, Donnie Azoff.  Margot Robbie is brilliant – her command of the Brooklyn accent is an achievement in itself.  She is a stunning, just plain hot young woman, but she is much more than a pretty face, playing Naomi Lapaglia with strength and confidence, absolutely shining in a role that can’t have been easy surrounded by such powerhouse actors.

Even the smaller, almost cameo roles are played brilliantly. Matthew McConaughey plays the off the wall inspiration for Belfort’s career, Mark Hanna. McConaughey is getting better and better, he is so much more than the pretty romantic lead that he was in his early career. Joanna Lumley plays Naomi’s Aunt Emma and one of Belfort’s partners in money-laundering crime. And star of The Artist, Jean Dujardin plays Belfort’s Swiss Banker with his unique brand of charm and charisma.

Overall, if you enjoy films/shows like Wall Street, Mad Men and The Hangover that fully display the obscene, debauched dark side of humanity but treat it with a bit of humor, you should enjoy this film. If you like your movies to leave you feeling good and seeing the bright side to humanity – I don’t think this film is for you.

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