The Plot Thickens

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Warm Bodies

2013-05-10T19:03:00.000+10:00

I'll admit I'm not a zombie movie aficionado - I'm far too squeamish for that! But I did have a lot of fun chatting to Marc and Giles about Warm Bodies: its twist on Shakespeare's R&J; when its director hit a little too close to the bone...

...oh and any opportunity to go Grr Argh.

Please subscribe to us on iTunes, or stream via Soundcloud below:

Drift Q&A

2013-05-03T11:49:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a wonderful time hosting a Q&A with the cast of Drift.

The (ahem) good looking, and thoroughly entertaining film is now out in Australian cinemas, and distributers Hopscotch have also released clips from our fun chat at Event Cinemas Bondi.

You can hear me chuckling along with stars Myles Pollard, Sam Worthington and Xavier Samuel - as well as the lovely Aaron Glenane, who plays Gus in the film, and bought his own ticket to the event (!), so we dragged him down to join the chat.

Australian release date: 2 May 2013
US release date: 2 August 2013

Ira Glass on Poker

2013-04-30T08:23:00.001+10:00

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I recently had the pleasure of interviewing This American Life host Ira Glass for SBS Film. We were discussing his involvement as co-writer and producer of Mike Birbiglia's charming portrait of a desperate comedian in Sleepwalk with Me (I later had a marvellous time hosting the Sydney Q&A with Birbiglia).

As our chat wrapped up, I asked Ira about poker. He is featured in the documentary All In: The Poker Movie and I was curious what the draw of poker is for him.

Ira's answer is just wonderful - and had us both laughing - so I thought I'd share it here:

The draw of poker for me is that it’s nice to lose myself completely in something that’s sort of difficult but isn’t my job. And I like that it takes a lot of concentration; I like that you’re reading people. I enjoy card games.

I like that there’s a little bit of math involved – I mean it’s super basic, but you like run the odds in your head when certain things come out – and I like that you’re psyching other people out.

It’s an incredibly psychological game; I’m not very good at it at all. And honestly my instincts as a reporter are exactly the worst instincts to have as a poker player, because there are situations I get into where I pretty much know what’s happened, I know that I’ve lost, but I’m just so curious to see what happens, and I end up spending a lot of money just to see the other person’s cards.

I’m good enough to know how bad I am.

I love that Ira's curiosity costs him! A small price to pay (hopefully!) for such an engaging mind.

Listeners to The American Life will know Ira has reached out again for the programmes annual pledge drive. If you're a fan and yet to kick a few bucks their way for all the brilliance they bring us, then click HERE to donate.

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Oblivion

2013-04-26T15:45:00.000+10:00

It's time for some more Tom Cruise cinema this week on The Spoiler Guys, as we voyage into Oblivion.

Heck, I even have a Tom Cruise Checklist™, while Marc claims the name-dropping points, and Giles has us all in stitches with his narration of Top Gun.

Head over to iTunes to download the show (and please leave a review or comment if you fancy it), or stream via Soundcloud below.

Spoiler Guys Podcast: The Croods

2013-04-22T10:23:00.000+10:00

If you haven't yet introduced yourself to The Croods, then RUN, don't walk into the cinema to do so!

But if you're already all buddy buddy with these stone age dudes, then head over to check out The Spoiler Guys podcast on iTunes or stream via Soundcloud below:

CLOSED Giveaway: Drift Special Screening

2013-04-15T10:14:00.000+10:00

I'm excited to be hosting this Q&A session with the Drift guys tonight at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction.

This will be very different from the last character Sam Worthington and I chatted about - though I'll guarantee we'll still discuss hair! And surely I'm not alone with my McLeod's Daughters crush on Myles Pollard? Xavier Samuel on the other hand - he and I will need to have words about just how freaked out I was watching The Loved Ones.

Mostly though, we'll be talking about surfing, fraternity, and the thrills and spills of filmmaking. Would you like to come along? Thanks to the groovy people Hopscotch Films I have two double passes to give away!

There is also another Q&A screening in Melbourne on Wednesday 17th April at Village Cinemas Southland. Click HERE for more details.
**UPDATE** I now have ONE double pass to give away for the Melbourne screening! Email me for your chance to win.

Synopsis

Based on true events, Drift is a story set on Australia's spectacular and rugged coastline in the early 1970s.
It begins in a remote coastal town with the two Kelly brothers, who spend their youth searching for the perfect wave. Out of necessity the family launch a backyard surf business; re‐thinking board design, crafting homemade wetsuits and selling their new surf gear out of their van.
Battling killer waves, small town conservatism and hard-core criminals, the brothers persevere, daring to dream of a world where they can surf to live and live to surf.
A story of passion and corruption, deadly addictions and fractured relationships, Drift tells a tale of courage and the will to survive at all odds.

To go in the running to win one of two double passes to attend the Q&A screening TONIGHT at Event Cinemas Bondi, email me [subject: Drift] with your name for the doorlist. Winners will be notified by reply.

Australian release date: 2 May 2013

Giveaway: Kiwi Phone Home

2013-04-11T22:17:00.000+10:00

Calling all Perth-based Kiwis! Feeling a little Beached Az?

Air New Zealand is concerned that you might be battling homesickness. So much so that they’re going to ~~rub it in~~ serve up a little slice of home with two movie nights. They’ve teamed up with Rooftop Movies to bring Perth some homegrown favourites: NZ Kai, beer and sav blac – oh yes and some cinema too.

Taika Waititi's cheeky Boy will be screened. Now I adore this film - I still have a soft spot for it since my first viewing back at the 2010 Sydney Film Festival (you can read my review HERE). So colour me delighted that Air NZ is flying me over to join the fun!

No, really. I'm off to Perth tomorrow morning, so you might want to follow my shenanigans on Twitter.

Which brings be back to the giveaway. The movie nights are sold out, but two lucky Perth readers* have the chance to win a double pass to the shindig this Saturday night (13^th April).

To go in the running to win one of two double passes to attend the Air NZ Rooftop Movie Night on Saturday 13th April, email me [subject: Kiwi Phone Home] with your name and answer the question "What makes you homesick?".

Winners will be notified by reply

*You don't have to be a Kiwi, but that would be cool, bro!

The Vine: The Croods

2013-04-10T08:18:00.000+10:00

Who else grew up on The Flintstones?

That Hanna-Barbera classic will forever form the Bedrock of prehistoric, animated shenanigans. It might seem like a tall order for DreamWorks and Fox to consider introducing a new family to the neighbourhood, but wait til you meet The Croods: the (new) modern stone-age family.

There’s the over-protective patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage), who teaches his family to ‘fear everything.’ His wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), son Thunk (Clark Duke), mother-in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman) and hilariously feral baby all thoughtlessly comply, but not his fearless daughter Eep (the perfectly named Emma Stone). She is suffering from one hell of a case of cabin/cave fever, and wants nothing more than to live in the light.

It turns out teen girls and their fathers really have been knocking heads since time-immemorial, as Eep and Grug harrumph around at an impasse, until they go through tectonic shift…literally. Forced to flee their cave and traverse across the big, bright world, The Croods start to take on the retro comedic stylings of another famous family: the Griswolds. The dynamic changes yet further when the fire-wielding Guy (Ryan Reynolds) bursts onto the scene like some prehistoric hippy – complete with a precocious pet ‘belt’ (‘voiced’ by co-writer/director Chris Sanders).

Homo sapien to Grug’s homo neanderthalensis, Guy quickly becomes the brains of the outfit, threatening Grug’s bear hug hold on his clan. And herein lies my one quibble with this fabulous film: wasn’t this supposed to be Eep’s story?

She opens the movie with endearing narration and dominates much of the first act, setting the audience up for what looked to be the next in line of female-driven family films. (We’ve recently seen a spunky Rapunzel in Tangled, a fearless lassie in Brave, and one could also argue Vanellope gives Wreck it Ralph a run for the titular character's money). But once Guy grooves onto the scene, the focus largely shifts onto his brains vs. brawn rivalry with Grug, leaving Eep to swoon from the sidelines and coo over shoes. Sure, Emma Stone makes that lots of fun to watch – there’s even a great line in there countering our body conscious society, where Guy tells the wonderfully muscular, thick-thighed Eep “You’re really heavy!” And she replies with absolute delight “Ohh thank you!” – but Easy A fans also know Stone can easily carry a film, so why not let her?

Eep does manage to muscle her way back into the third act to a certain extent, where daughter and dad will pull at your heartstrings, while the animation will simply blow you away. Dreamworks have unquestionably outdone themselves with the craftsmanship and creativity on display in The Croods. The kinetics of the opening hunt is absolutely superb, and as the world breaks apart dusty rock to reveal a riot of colour, it’s as if the animators have made it their mission to conquer Avatar. The 3D follows suit with beautiful depth, seamless movement, as well as a few cheeky camera bombs to keep the kiddies jumping in their seats.

Indeed co-writers/directors Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch) and Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps) have certainly found that sweet spot for entertaining kids and adults alike. Much of that can be put down to great casting, as Nic Cage mixes some Homer Simpson into his Kick Ass concerned parent shtick to hilarious effect. And Grug’s running gag about wishing his mother in law has carked-it always manages to get a laugh thanks to Cloris Leachman’s infectious cackle. Reynolds and especially Keener are given a little less to do, but their comedic timing is still put to good use.

It’s no real spoiler to say The Croods leave themselves set up for a sequel. And rightfully so, as Dreamworks have done far more than simply dust off The Flintstones 2.0; The Croods may not yet be a household name, but with their personal brand of buffoonery and heart, you’ll be wanting an introduction.

Published on TheVine

Australian release date: 28 March 2012

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Trance

2013-04-08T13:55:00.000+10:00

There are spoilers a plenty this week on the podcast as Marc, Giles and I succumb to Danny Boyle's Trance.

So if you have also allowed Boyle to mess with your mind, then head over to iTunes and download our latest episode. Or you can stream on Soundcloud below:

CLOSED Giveaway: Sleepwalk with Me

2013-04-02T18:25:00.000+11:00

Want to sleepwalk with me?

No. Really. I'll be hosting a Sleepwalk with Me Q&A with its writer/director/star/sleepwalker Mike Birbiglia, and, thanks to Sharmill Films, I have 3 double passes to join the fun.

If you're a fan of This American Life, then you'll already know all about the film. In fact, I also had the great pleasure of interviewing Mike's producer and co-writer, the singular Mr. Ira Glass (really) - so I'll be sure to post a link to that as soon as it's online at SBSFilm.

**Update: my interview with Ira Glass is now online at SBSFilm.

The Q&A screening is this Friday 5th April, 8:45pm at Dendy Newtown.

US stand-up comic-turned-playwright Mike Birbiglia tries his hand at filmmaking and succeeds with the multi-award-winning and US box office hit comedy SLEEPWALK WITH ME.

Direct from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, writer, director and star MIKE BIRBIGLIA will answer your questions in person about sleepwalking and working with This American Life’s Ira Glass in a special Q&A event at Dendy Newtown.

‘I’m going to tell you a story, and it’s true… I always have to tell people that.’

So asserts comedian-turned-playwright-turned-filmmaker Mike Birbiglia directly to the viewer at the outset of his autobiographically inspired, fictional feature debut. Birbiglia wears his incisive wit on his sleeve while portraying a cinematic surrogate. We are thrust into the tale of a burgeoning stand-up comedian struggling with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship threatening to race out of his control, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore.

Winner of the NEXT Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and based on the successful one-man show, Sleepwalk With Me engages in a kind of passionate and personal storytelling that transfigures intimate anguish into comic art. Produced and co-written by Ira Glass (PRI’s ‘This American Life’), Sleepwalk With Me features a stellar supporting cast that includes Lauren Ambrose, (‘Six Feet Under’), Carol Kane (‘Taxi’), James Rebhorn (‘Meet the Parents’), Cristin Milioti (‘30 Rock’), and a sampling from the who’s who of today’s stand up scene including Kristin Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, Marc Maron, Jessi Klein, Henry Phillips, David Wain and Alex Karpovsky.

Bursting with sincerity, Mike Birbiglia’s foray into the medium marks the invigorating emergence of a strong and poignant American voice, at once hilarious and heartbreaking.

To go in the running to win one of three double passes to attend the Q&A screening at Dendy Newtown, email me [subject: Sleepwalk with Me] with your name for the doorlist. Winners will be notified by reply.

Australian release date: 4 April 2013

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Rust and Bone

2013-04-01T12:37:00.000+11:00

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Rendezvous with the Spoiler Guys this week to listen to our review of Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone.

There are some big spoilers to discuss in this film - in fact, I've been surprised how much critics have revealed in their reviews. When I chatted about the film on Richard Glover's Drive, I wouldn't spoil what happens to Marion Cotillard's character, but here we can - ahem - sink our teeth into the story.

Please head over to iTunes to download the episode, or you can stream below:

TheVine: Sydney Film Festival launches A Living Archive

2013-03-27T22:00:00.000+11:00

BYO: Tablet devices.

You’ve got to admit, that’s a pretty curious invitation to receive (not to mention potentially exclusive!). But ok, consider my interest piqued - and my Nexus 10 packed - Sydney Film Festival.

Launching this morning at Custom’s House, Sydney Film Festival 1954 to Now: a Living Archive is a world first online publication to celebrate the festival’s 60^thbirthday.

But ‘online publication’ really doesn’t do this treasure trove justice. Crafted by “digital pioneers” realview, it is an EPIC e-book; a staggering, film history geek mecca that chronicles 60 years and the 8580 films that have graced Sydney Film Festival screens. There are essays, short films, program guides, photos, and memories from festivalgoers young and old.

Festival director Nashen Moodley appropriately let the digital version of himself handle the introduction, before bringing up film doyen and erstwhile festival director David Stratton, who joked that in 1966 “online” “would have had something to do with a hills hoist.”

Mr. Stratton then went on to recount the year “a flock of sheep attended the opening night of the Sydney Film Festival.” Wonderfully told off the cuff as an example of how anything can happen at the festival, one can only hope he will add that story to the archive!

An Internet hole of cinematic proportions (and I mean that in a good way!), this living archive has been built to expand in future years. And while will take days to uncover all its current delights, here are a few fun places to start:

- Trundle through the folio of festival posters.

- Click “All Pages” and delight in the beautiful design and array of film stills for each festival year.

- “Films with Writing on the Bottom” – Former Travelling Film Festival Manager Susan Wilson’s delightful memories on “not your regular movies” that draw surprising crowds around Australia.

- Have a story to share? Join the discussion.

Published on TheVine

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Top Gun 3D

2013-03-25T20:46:00.000+11:00

Talk to me Top Gun fans....

Oh yes, Tony Scott's classic has been remastered and re-released on Blu Ray in 3D. And it is EPIC!

Marc, Giles and I practically went supersonic in our enthusiasm for seeing Maverick and Goose soar across the big screen. We even sought to start a movement to bring Top Gun to cinemas, but, happily (given Marc's questionable hashtag choice) IMAX is already on the job, so you'll be able to go ballistic come March 28th.

But first, you'll want to download the latest Spoiler Guys podcast over on iTunes, or stream below:

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Oz the Great and Powerful

2013-03-18T18:51:00.002+11:00

This week on The Spoiler Guys we take a trip back to Oz...and we're not too happy about it!

Alas, Oz the Great and Powerful is found wanting, and you can hear why (we're looking at you, James Franco!) over on iTunes, or via Soundcloud below:

TheVine: Side Effects

2013-03-13T09:55:00.000+11:00

You’re unlikely to feel woozy after taking in Side Effects, but you may well walk away feeling pretty icky.

And my bet is that is exactly what Steven Soderbergh hopes to prescribe: a reality check couched in a thriller.

For the director has reteamed with his Contagion and The Informant! screenwriter Scott Z. Burns to deliver a neat little noir, that comes with an added dose of social smack down as they take a swing at Big Pharma and the casual medicalisation of Western culture.

Within the film we’re shown warm and fuzzy posters for anti-depressants, and the dreamy, aspirational TV ads that go along with them. We listen in on blasé conversations between colleagues where different drugs are compared and recommended. We bear witness to a psychiatrist dosing his wife up on beta blockers before her big job interview; a drug that “makes it easier to be who you are.”

And that’s before we even get to the fancy long lunches and sycophantic wheeler dealing that goes on between the drug reps and the doctors. Soderbergh and Burns show it all, and yes sometimes they show too much. But if Contagion faltered as it succumbed to melodrama and hysteria, Side Effects manages to be much more cannily insidious.

All of this social critique forms the caustic backdrop for a psychological thriller surrounding a depressed young woman, Emily (Rooney Mara) who slips into a depressive abyss after her husband (Channing Tatum) returns home from a stint in jail for insider trading. When Emily winds up in hospital, she comes under the care of a well-meaning psychiatrist, Dr. Banks (Jude Law), who tries to find the right cocktail of drugs to help Emily find her feet again. Dr. Banks also seeks counsel from Emily’s previous therapist, Dr. Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), but to say any more would be to spoil the many twists and turns Soderbergh has in store for you.

Suffice it to say, that there’s plenty more on offer than a few teary trips to the therapist.

Mara is perfectly cast as the conflicted wife and troubled soul. After impressing us in both The Social Network and, more dramatically, in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mara proves her range yet again, as Emily appears the epitome of quaking vulnerability. Soderbergh also proves the camera worships her face, as he uses shallow depth of field to bask upon her haunted, and increasingly deadened eyes.

Jude Law similarly impresses as a doctor pushed to the limits. After his bizarre, histrionic turn in Contagion, it’s nice to be reminded that he can build a performance in with astute nuance. Where Side Effects dabbles in film noir, Dr. Banks becomes a detective of sorts, and Law displays a deft hand with the genre’s obsessive and anti-heroic demands.

Fans of Soderbergh’s Magic Mike will be sad to see so little – ahem – of Channing Tatum this time around. But abs aside, there is no question that Soderbergh brings the best out of Tatum, who shows increasing command with each dramatic performance.

The same can’t be said for Catherine Zeta-Jones, who feels like she’s in a different movie – possibly a cartoon. Her ultra-slick, cat-who-got-the-cream routine feels out of sync with the rest of the understated performances. And again, without giving anything away, her storyline is easily the weakest and one of the film’s major disappointments.

The greatest disappointment, however, will be if Side Effects is really Soderbergh’s swan song. Not to imply that he’s gone out with a whimper, not a bang, but rather to impress that he’s too sodding talented a filmmaker to give it up! Yes we still have his HBO Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra to look forward to, but then will he actually call it quits?

That will be the real bitter pill to swallow.

But all the more reason to forget what it ways on the warning label, and take Side Effects in with a big glass of wine.

Cheers, Soderbergh.

Image via the New Yorker

Published by TheVine

Australian release date: 7 February 2013
Seen the film? Listen to the Spoiler Guys episode.

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Side Effects

2013-03-12T11:04:00.000+11:00

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This week on The Spoiler Guys we eek out the final milligrams of Steven Soderbergh cinema magic with his psychopharmaceutical thriller Side Effects. It's the perfect film for a spoiler podcast, so please don't listen until after you've seen the film!

But will this really be Soderbergh's swan song? Join in the debate over on Twitter.

You can download via iTunes (where we'd love you to leave us a rating and/or comment) or stream via Soundcloud below:

Australian release date: 28th February 2013

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Argo

2013-03-03T13:07:00.001+11:00

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Are we sick of the Oscars yet? Nah.

That said, I was completely gutted to miss out on another Eat Tori Oscars Feast (seriously, I need some of that Django Unchained white cake in my life, stat!), but I did try to make do with coffee and brownies for our Spoiler Guys recording sesh on the Best Picture winning Argo.

Tune in to hear us chat about the Blu Ray extras, the extended cut, and of course, that catchphrase. Giles and I also disagree over Ben Affleck's performance - what do you think? Should Ben cast himself in his movies?

Huge high fives to everyone who has helped the Spoiler Guys reach #1 on the iTunes top 10 TV & Film Podcasts. Please keep spreading the love by leaving us a rating or a review on iTunes, or simply by subscribing to the podcast.

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

2013-02-27T08:00:00.000+11:00

This week on the Spoiler Guys podcast we thought we'd offer you some Oscars counter-programming...then we saw Seth's performance. Ahem.

In any case, listen to our review on Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters please swing by iTunes (if you fancied leaving a rating or a few words, even better!) or stream below:

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Lincoln

2013-02-20T08:00:00.000+11:00

This week the Spoiler Guys request an audience with Honest Abe and his cinematic champion Steven Spielberg, to give them both a piece of our minds. For Marc Fennell, that means a reedit! But you'll have to tune in to hear why.

I'm also absolutely thrilled to share that the podcast hit #1 on the iTunes Australia Top 10 Tv & Film Podcasts! Knock me over with a feather! I'm so very chuffed - so thank you all for your support.

If you feel like sharing the love yet further, please head over to iTunes and leave a rating or a comment. And of course you can stream the podcast via Soundcloud below:

Slate Spoiler Special: A Good Day to Die Hard

2013-02-18T07:55:00.000+11:00

Those of you who follow my shenanigans on Twitter will know that I've stolen back over to the USA (Hello from snowy Maine!). And on my trip to NYC, I had the great pleasure of catching up again with the singular Dana Stevens - Slate's brilliant movie critic.

We hung out at a recording of our friend Jesse Baker's brilliant new programme for NPR: Ask Me Another (the trivia night you could only dream of hosting yourself), then we set about recording ourselves. Returning to the studio at Slate, Dana and Chris Wade generously allowed me to gatecrash their Spoiler Special on A Good Day to Die Hard.

Yes, ok, I cheated on my Spoiler Guys, but just allow me to plead the postcode rule, alright? Plus, as I mention in the podcast, the Spoiler Guys are a shameless rip off of Dana's show!

Now the Australian release date isn't until, 21 March 2013, but don't let that stop you subscribing to Dana's podcast in iTunes, where you can catch up on old episodes, including the ones she and I have recorded together.

Many thanks again to Dana and Chris for having me, it was fabulous fun!

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Zero Dark Thirty

2013-02-13T01:01:00.001+11:00

So I may have stolen away to the USA this month to visit family and friends. I'm currently in NYC, which makes this week's Spoiler Guys podcast on Zero Dark Thirty all the more pertinent.

Marc, Giles and I wade into the controversial waters surrounding the film's depiction of torture, as well as pondering why so many Aussies can be spied amongst Seal Team Six. I also manage to butcher poor Jessica Chastain's name (sorry again, Jessica!), as well as suggesting a rather off pieste correlation between Zero Dark Thirty and Joss Whedon's Serenity (really!).

Please subscribe via iTunes, where we have climbed the ranks to #5 in iTunes Top 10 TV & Film podcasts (huzzah!), or you can stream via Soundcloud below.

Closed Giveaway: LORE Blu Ray

2013-02-06T17:41:00.000+11:00

Wunderbar! To celebrate today's DVD, Blu Ray and digital download release of Cate Shortland's luminous Lore, I'm delighted to announce a give away!

Thanks to the Fabelhaft team at Transmission, I have five Blu-Rays (RRP $44.95) to send to five lucky film lovers.

Now I am unapologetically in love with Lore. You can read my Limelight Magazine review HERE, where I called the film "an unforgettable journey into the heart of Germany's dark past."

I also had the great pleasure of interviewing Cate Shortland and her lovely star Saskia Rosendahl for a Sydney Film Festival Apple Store Talk. You can take a listen HERE.

Or you can just take a read of the official synopsis:

Stranded with her younger siblings after their Nazi parents are imprisoned, Lore leads the remains of her family across war-torn Germany in 1945. To survive, the children must reach their Grandmother’s house in the North. Amidst the chaos of a defeated nation, Lore encounters the mysterious and intriguing Thomas, a young Jewish refugee. Unwanted, unwelcome, Thomas follows them and Lore finds her fragile reality shattered by feelings of both hatred and desire.

To live, she must learn to trust a person she has been taught to hate. And as the consequences of her parents’ actions and beliefs become apparent, Lore must also start to face the darkness within herself.

To win one of five Blu Rays simply email me (subject: Lore Blu Ray) with your name and address (Australian residents only - sorry!). Winners will be notified by reply.

Spoiler Guys Podcast: Silver Linings Playbook

2013-02-06T08:00:00.000+11:00

In the latest Spoiler Guys episode, I admit to watching too much In Treatment, I cop to a slight obsession with Lululemon, but mostly, I just have a lot of fun reviewing Silver Linings Playbook with Marc and Giles.

I'm also thrilled to announce that the Spoiler Guys have made the iTunes Top 10 TV & Film podcasts! Such amazing news! So thank you to all our subscribers.

Please keep up the good work over on iTunes, or tune into the latest podcast below:

TheVine: Silver Linings Playbook

2013-02-05T08:00:00.000+11:00

Silver Linings Playbook puts the “fun” in “dysfunction.”

And sure, that sounds glib, but actually, it’s a rather extraordinary achievement. Especially when you’re skirting on the edges of sanity.

By detaching the family drama from the kitchen-sink, writer-director David O. Russell instead serves up a freewheeling and spikily energetic portrait of manic depression - and a few other pathologies besides. More incongruous still, the whole story is packaged as a romantic comedy. Call him crazy, but it works!

Bradley Cooper knocks it out of the park as the bi-polar former teacher in high pursuit of his new lease on life. After 8-months in a mental institution, Pat is champing at the bit to get back out into the world, win back his wife and thus achieve ‘Excelsior’. There’s just a small matter of a restraining order…but let’s not spoil why.

Pat’s parents Dolores (Jacki Weaver) and Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) welcome him back to the family home with a wary optimism. They put up with his late night rants and daytime – garbage bag wearing - jogs around the neighbourhood, so long as he attends his sessions with Dr. Cliff (Anupam Kher). Though it soon becomes apparent that Pat isn’t alone in his ‘craziness,’ as De Niro delivers his best performance in an age as a painfully superstitious and obsessive-compulsive sports-fan.

Then, literally running into Pat’s life, comes Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young widow and fellow troubled soul, who is searching for her own silver lining by way of a dance competition. After comparing pathologies, and pharmaceuticals, the pair strikes up a bargain, and thence the makings of this plucky romantic comedy.

Balancing tone with all the skill of a tightrope walker, O. Russell’s superb direction brings remarkable warmth and shades of humour to life’s inherent messiness. And the secret seems to be his uncanny ability to place his audience right into the laps of his onscreen family, without the faintest whiff of judgment or derision. It is the same coup he pulled off with The Fighter – where the action is so richly rooted within a working-class family – though, tonally, this story feels more akin to O. Russell’s 2004 existential romp I Heart Huckabees.

The real surprise, however, comes from leading man Bradley Cooper. For this reviewer, Cooper’s cat-that-got-the-cream routine has always proven more than a little off-putting. But in O. Russell’s hands, Cooper wields Pat’s manic enthusiasm with impressive skill. It’s certainly a career defining performance, and one that is matched step-for-step by the impossibly talented Jennifer Lawrence. Proving she can turn her hand to anything – from eating squirrels in Winter’s Bone to strident slutishness here – Lawrence even manages to effortlessly best De Niro in one of the film’s many fabulously dysfunctional scenes.

With such a strong cast, however, it’s a wonder O. Russell felt the need to close out the film with some comparatively trite and entirely superfluous narration. Presumably, it’s a holdover from Matthew Quick’s novel, yet the effect feels like fortune-cookie wisdom, which is a disappointing note to end on after the film’s fabulously dry humour, and absolutely brilliant dance climax. But this is a minor quibble in what is a sure-fire charmer.

Indeed Silver Linings Playbook is a film destined for compulsive viewing.

Published on TheVine
Australian release date: 31 January 2013
Listen to The Spoiler Guys review HERE.

TheVine: The Guilt Trip

2013-02-04T22:34:00.000+11:00

Here’s what you need to know about The Guilt Trip: this is not a Seth Rogen stoner comedy. This film is all about Barbra Streisand.

I.e. This is a movie for your Mum.

Consider yourselves warned. For anyone going in expecting Pineapple Express or Knocked Up will be in for a rude shock, as Babs takes center stage in what is actually a largely delightful, if run-of-the-mill, comedy. And with expectations managed, it might just prove fun for the whole family.

The story is paper-thin: after tanking his pitch at Kmart, hapless scientist Andy Brewster (Rogen) is going on a cross-country road trip to spruik his organic cleaning detergent. Calling in on his long-widowed, entirely overbearing New Jersey mother, Joyce (Streisand), Andy makes the rash decision to bring her along for the ride. He regrets the invitation as soon as he extends it, but goes ahead with his mollycoddling sidekick, though he’s now driving 3000 miles in a shitty compact rather than the SUV he’d booked, and suffering through Jeffrey Eugenides Middlesex on tape (nb. actually a fantastic novel if you haven’t read it).

Cue various, conveniently-timed hijinks - as required by the road movie – as well as similarly telegraphed emotional turmoil, as Andy’s pitches continue to fail and Joyce’s meddling pushes him to breaking point.

The question is: how’s the comedy?

Well, this is where expectations come back into play. Caustic, rude and crude The Guilt Trip most certainly is not. Hell, don’t even expect much wit. Rogen spends far too much time being the exasperated straight man to bring any real banter to the table, though when he does, you’ll certainly giggle. And while Streisand proves she can nag like an absolute champion, art threatens to imitate life where you start to tune her out. Fortunately, she’s just so darned watchable, so even if the yammering starts to wear thin, you never stop rooting for her.

Case in point: Joyce is given a preposterous set piece in a steak house, where she accepts a challenge to down a ginormous hunk of meat in under an hour. The scene is written and directed with all the alacrity of an infomercial, and yet somehow Streisand – through shear force of comedic will – salvages the scene. Some actors you’d pay to watch read the phonebook; turns out it’s worth paying to see Streisand eat a steak.

Yes, director Anne Fletcher has one again saved the day with her casting. Her previous film, The Proposal (no, I’m not even going to mention the insufferable 27 Dresses), is far better than it deserves to be thanks to the crackling chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. And although this is a step down from screenwriter Dan Fogelman’s recent success with Crazy, Stupid, Love, he too is held aloft by Streisand and Rogen’s naturally endearing qualities.

The biggest shame about this film is that they haven’t timed the release with Mother’s Day, because The Guilt Trip would make an amusing trip to the cinema with your Mum – where you could share a tub of popcorn…and a side of knowing eye-rolling.

Published on TheVine

Australian release date: 24 January 2013

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