Rewind--Boy A

or: Another Andrew Garfield movie.

One word to sum it up: Intense.

Until Andrew Garfield got his huge Hollywood break in that really small film that know one has heard about, The Social Network, people weren't really aware of how much of a great actor this young chap is. Unless, of course, you live in Britain. While most people are caught up in 'the star of the moment' side of Andrew, few realize that Andy was 'the star of the moment' back in 2007 when he starred in Boy A, his first feature film/starring role, which saw him receive a BAFTA for Best Leading Actor in a TV-movie. So his performance in The Social Network can suck it, because his performance in this movie was, quite frankly, the bomb.

The film opens with a scene between Terry (Peter Mullan), a case worker who works on ex-prisoners and helps them gain a better life on the outside, and his latest project, Jack (Andrew Garfield). From this first scene, which shows just how clueless but haplessly innocent he is when he beams over a pair of new shoes. Jack has been in prison since he was young for a horrible crime he committed when he was just a child, and has been released under the new name 'Jack' and is sent to live in Manchester, where no one is aware of his identity or what he has done in his past. Here's where a romance comes into the equation: Jack meets a beautiful coworker, Michelle (Katie Lyons), and though their encounters are initially awkward, the two are soon in a serious relationship. This isn't the only good thing which comes Jack's way. Jack becomes a hero by saving a young girl who was in a car accident, and everyone is singing his praises.

Not a film to be a happy story about a bad guy turned eternally good, Boy A spends it's time unfolding the story behind the story, which eventually turns out to be pretty darn horrible and causes the viewer to draw their own conclusions as to what they feel for the protagonist. Boy A also serves as a gritty allegory for the past catching up with someone in the worst possible way. Cleverly edited sequences of flashbacks, present time and even fantasy make up this movie to be a high brow TV movie that is significantly slow in pace, but also a gripping morality drama. The ideas which it explores and it's refreshing take on an oft-trodden topic are nothing short of impressive, plus the fact that it has a few tricks up its sleeve and a killer ending which make this a very watchable film.

The arc of this film, really, is Andrew Garfield. As the film unfurls, so does his character, but you can't help but only see the good side of him thanks to his enlightening performance. Like most of his other work, his subtlety is really overpowering, and he uses his weakness as a weapon to get us to all fall in love with him. And it's impossible not to. This film saw the birth of a star. Unfortunately it took until now for the rest of the world to come to the party (me included, but hey, it only came out on DVD here a year or so ago). His performance is the highlight of the film, and sometimes carries it through the few lulls in the script and whatnot. It's not a one man show though. The supporting cast do an excellent job, especially the kids who play out Jack's past. Boy A serves as further proof that the Brits are never people to do things half way, and deliver an engrossing, slightly sad drama about someone just trying to make up for all his mistakes.

THE VERDICT: Andrew Garfield's brilliant central performance gives Boy A the lift it needed, but the film is a surprisingly brash and gripping watch.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

(see what that means)

Rewind--Lions for Lambs

or: Just like going to college...

One word to sum it up: Tiring.

You know how when you are kinda obsessed with a certain actor and you feel obliged to watch a lot of their films? Well, yeah, my current obsession is Andrew Garfield, and there aren’t too many films out there with him in them...yet. But given the fact that Lions for Lambs was right there at my disposal, which happens to feature Andrew Garfield in one of his early American roles, of course I had to add it to my list of Andrew movies. Even though I had to be lectured for 87 minutes in order to do that.

Lions for Lambs begins after two determined students at a West Coast University, Arian (Derek Luke) and Ernest (Michael Pena), follow the inspiration of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley (Robert Redford), and attempt to do something important with their lives. But when the two make the bold decision to join the battle in Afghanistan, Malley is both moved and distraught. Now, as Arian and Ernest fight for survival in the field, they become the string that binds together two disparate stories on opposite sides of America. In California, an anguished Dr. Malley attempts to reach a privileged but disaffected student (Andrew Garfield) who is the very opposite of Arian and Ernest. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. the charismatic Presidential hopeful, Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise), is about to give a bombshell story to a probing TV journalist (Meryl Streep) that may affect Arian and Ernest's fates.

I knew Lions for Lambs wasn’t going to be interesting from the very start, since it deals with the Iraq war...something which is overused in the film industry to an often dry and thoughtless extent. Lions for Lambs is no exception to that rule. It's an overly contrived set of stories which seem barely even connected right, and overall can't elevate from being like every other war movie: boring. It's the same every time when Hollywood tries to attack the government over something they aren't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, such elements can't be made into a piece of pop culture. Lions for Lambs tries to paint a bad picture of everyone involved, which contributes to some off-the-mark characterization through it's series of lectures. It too rarely feels like a film, and I kinda felt like I was being lectured by Robert Redford just the way that Todd did. Maybe this is a good film to show at college when talking about the subject this movie tries to tackle?

You usually can't go wrong with Meryl Streep, but her performance is a little bit bland, until the end when it turns a little desperate. Tom Cruise is, you know, Tom Cruise, except this time he is being all powerful and executive. Robert Redford takes on both the lead role and the direction duties, and does those both adequately well. Andrew Garfield, in his film debut (he also made his BAFTA winning TV-film Boy A in the same year), shows us some early signs of what he is truly made of. He's such an honest actor who deserves any accolades coming for him. I wouldn't exactly call him scene stealing in this movie, but I would say that he is possibly one of the better parts of it.


THE VERDICT: A dull stab at the US Government that feels like a series of lectures...and no film should be a series of lectures.

4/10

Rewind--The Black Balloon

or: The Australian version of What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

One word to sum it up: Heart-breaking.

Usually, I tend not to watch Australian films. Maybe it's because of this love/hate relationship we have with the country here in New Zealand, or maybe it's because their films have always been meddling in the over-dramatic stuff. The Black Balloon, on a whole, didn't surprise me, as it was very Australian. That aside, this is a film which anyone could have made, but the Australian's seemed to have done it right.

Thomas (Rhys Wakefield) is a normal kid. His mother (Toni Collette) is pregnant, and his family has just moved to a new town. His brother, Charlie (Luke Ford), is severely autistic. When Thomas is put in charge of Charlie, he has to live with the embarrassments Charlie makes of him in public, and also the fact that Charlie makes trouble when Thomas is out with the girl he is in love with, Jackie (Gemma Ward). Thomas just wants to be normal, but is that possible with Charlie around?

While watching The Black Balloon, I found so many similarities to What's Eating Gilbert Grape that I was beginning to wonder if it was just an Australian rehash of that film. It's not, really, because The Black Balloon seems to be more of a family drama. One thing the Australian's are good at it making believable family portraits which we can all relate to, instead of succumbing to the wildly outrageous American stereotypes. Beneath the family drama, this film is a naive romance and conjures up the theme of friendship, too. It never becomes schmaltzy and never asks the viewer to feel for the characters, because you just do. Never once would you feel like the script is trying too hard to get emotional, or trying too hard to get you to cry. It's natural fragility and thought-provoking material makes this a film which is hard to slam down.

Luke Ford impresses the most, using the Method to perfectly create Charlie in a performance as worthy as Leonardo DiCaprio's in WEGG. Rhys Wakefield and Gemma Ward both ooze out the innocence of youth and do some pretty sweet performing. Toni Collette, as always, shines. The Black Balloon will dive you into sadness and loneliness, but ultimately you will come out of the film smiling. It doesn't ask for much, just an open-minded watch. Do that and this little indie should take you places the average American family drama can't.


THE VERDICT: A geniunely sweet yet harrowing coming-of-age story, which is tender but never too schmaltzy. Excels as a family based drama.

8/10

Rewind--The Lookout

or: Memento with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

One word to sum it up: Twisty

Here I am, writing this review more than a week after I saw it, and catching up with a queue of blogging now I have faster internet that actually works properly. If this review is a little scratchy, it's because The Lookout isn't that fresh in my mind. But maybe this will give me a chance to randomly ramble about the amazingness of Joseph Gordon-Levitt??

An admired high school hockey player with a bright future, Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a part of a car crash, which leaves him with a brain injury that prevents him from remembering many things for extended periods of time. To compensate, he keeps notes in a small notebook to aid him in remembering what he is to do. He also lives with a blind friend, Lewis (Jeff Daniels). Obviously, with the mental incapacitation, he is unable to have meaningful work, so he cleans a bank. It is there he comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. The leader, Gary (Matthew Goode) befriends him and gets him involved with a young woman, Luvlee (Isla Fisher) who further reels him in. After they get close and after reeling him in with his own failures, the bank plan unfolds. Confused but wanting to escape his current existence, he initially goes along with the scheme. After realizing he is being used, he attempts to stop the robbery, which of course immediately goes wrong.

The Lookout sets out to be a clever heist movie, mixed with a psychological mind flip thriller, but ultimately comes across as an intricate modern day film noir. It draws plenty of valid comparisons to an earlier noir called Brick, which also starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This is because, like Brick, The Lookout has some amazing, yet very realistic characters. The Pin always haunts the back of my mind, as does Gary Spargo from this movie. The script never lets down on these characters, and seems to make sure that we know how well developed they are and that some of these people could be in our lives. At some points, these characters become a little too well-focussed on and we kind of lose the story, but Scott Frank's assured direction makes sure we never lose sight of the film.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt again proves that he has everything a leading man needs, even though this is a small independent thriller of sorts. Oozing with talent and a real emotional connection, he kinda reminded me of a Leonardo DiCaprio-in-training...I mean, you saw Inception, right? JGL totally owned in that movie, just as Leo does in most of his movies. If more movies could be clever modern film noir like this one, and all starring JGL, then we would have a very happy film industry, wouldn't we? Also, I can't go on without mentioning a fantastic Isla Fisher, who, in my mind, is a bubbly natural comedienne, but did extremely well in a dramatic role. More of these and Isla might be able to rustle up some awards for her efforts.


THE VERDICT: A fantastic independent film noir, which is made great thanks to it's realistic and colourful ensemble of characters. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stands out in a film similar to his previous work Brick.

7/10