Movie Review: The Gift

Mystery/Thriller

Rated – M

Duration – 108mins

Release – August 2015

Director – Joel Edgerton

Writer – Joel Edgerton

Cast – Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall

Mr Knight

Our very own Joel Edgerton brings his first film in the director’s chair with The Gift. Starring director Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, Edgerton delivers an edge of your seat suspense thriller with the simple theme of how your past can come knocking... and leave you a creepy gift.

Simon (Bateman) moves back to his home state California, with his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall). After a new job opportunity for Simon, the couple shift into a beautiful home and appear to have it all. By chance whilst homeware shopping Simon is approached by a socially awkward high school acquaintance, Gordo, who at first isn’t recognized by Simon.

Following the polite encounter Robyn and Simon experience a string of uninvited visits by Gordo at their home, as well as a series of seemingly thoughtful gifts at their doorstep. After a time the visits once harmless, start to become unnerving, and for Robyn the paranoia begins to creep in.

As Robyn tries to understand Gordo, secrets from his and Simons past begin to surface and the question of who to believe and who to trust begins to haunt Robyn and bring questions which she fears the answers.

Jason Bateman delivers in a more serious style of film to what Bateman fans may be used to. However, when I thought more on it, Jason Bateman suited this role perfectly and I thought back to all his roles and he seems to play the same character despite what it is. Think to the Horrible Bosses franchise, The Change Up, Identity Thief and Arrested Development, Bateman always plays a sensible, highly strung, questioner of stupidity, relatively successful business man with a nice family, surrounded by idiots. His character in this is no different and his dabble in the serious compared to comedy fit him like a glove.

Rebecca Hall was also well cast playing a role she seemed made for. Hall, who has starred in features including Iron Man 3, Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona and Transcendence, seems the right fit for an attractive, intelligent woman, with a touch of trust issues and paranoia to play the stay at home, scared of the empty house noises, wife. Joel Edgerton who has been smashing Hollywood in the last five years also delivers as the highly awkward, creep from the past, to the point where half the cinema screamed aloud when a quick close up of his face featured at one stage during the film!

All in all, considering it was a directional debut, with a small budget, relatively unchanging setting and small cast, the storyline had enough intrigue and questions to keep me engaged. I felt some of Hall and Batemans past could have been explored more to build the suspense, but besides that I found it thoroughly enjoyable. A thriller at its simplest.

Mrs Knight

The Gift gets a 10 out of 10 for suspense. We were amongst some very animated cinema patrons who screamed and jumped out of their seats a couple of times. While I was fighting to ‘stay cool’ during the suspense filled scenes.

The story is full of twists and turns to keep you guessing and leaves you not knowing who to trust. I’ll keep the storyline vague, as I don’t want to spoil anything. It’s about a young married couple, played by Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. Someone from Simon’s (Bateman) past comes into their lives with a mysterious nature and secrets begin to unfold.

The film is well written and directed by Australia’s own Joel Edgerton, who was also one of the leading actors, playing the creepy acquaintance from Simon’s past, Gordo. I wonder why he casted himself in that role.

From the very first scene I was on the edge of my seat, trying to anticipate the storyline. I sound like Mr Knight with this next comment, but I didn’t find any of the characters likeable, not even Jason Bateman, which was disappointing. I usually love him, but he was an untrustworthy, nasty character. Rebecca Hall played her character Robyn well and was believable but just did nothing for me in terms of feeling for her.

For this reason, the film left me feeling slightly flat and disappointed. None the less, it was a gripping tale, with great direction from Edgerton for his directorial debut.

Movie Review: Southpaw

Action/Drama/Sport

Rated – MA15+

Duration – 124mins

Release – August 2015

Director – Antoine Fuqua

Writer – Kurt Sutter

Cast – Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker, Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, Oona Lawrence
Mr Knight

I wasn’t in the mood for Southpaw when Mrs Knight and I walked into the cinema to find our seats. The movie brought in a highly testosterone filled patronage, who at many stages of this movie thought they were in their lounge rooms, and like James Gandolfini in 'Enough Said', were unable to master the skill of whispering, as if to provoke someone to tell them to “shut it!” so they could prove their own Southpaw talents and take it outside.

But despite the crowd I gave it a good chance. Southpaw is the story of a completely shredded Jake Gyllenhaal playing undefeated boxing champion Billy Hope, who is coming to the end of his stellar career and finding his wins more from being a human punching bag, then showing any finesse.

Hope, brought up in the foster care system for most of his childhood, with lifelong partner and wife Maureen Hope (Rachel McAdams) shows that a man from the wrong side of the tracks, without education or money, can make it big. Hope, surrounded by his orphanage entourage, his young daughter Leila (Oona Lawrence) and his manager Jordan Mains (Curtis ‘50cent’ Jackson) comes to a point where he needs to assess his future. Jordan Mains looks at Hope and sees dollar signs, and his wife Mo believes it’s time to hang up the gloves.

Not long after Hopes last fight a personal tragedy strikes, leading Hope down a rabbit hole of hell, showing people around him that despite all his success Hope has zero support. Banned from boxing, bankrupt and losing custody of his daughter, Hope hits rock bottom and as he needs someone to pick him up, others in his life simply jump over him.

I found all characters in this movie unlikable for the first hour which made it hard to feel for Hope, or even understand him with any empathy. However, all his failures force him back to his roots and Hope finds himself sitting in a small time local boxing gym run by a previous opponents boxing coach, Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker).

From this point onward the movie started to drag me in and make me want Hope to succeed and grow emotionally. Forest Whitaker added a touch of class to the movie and his coaching methods and ability to change Billy Hope, for any sports fan, was enjoyable to watch.

Oona Lawrence playing Billy Hope’s young daughter Leila, was brilliant. Lawrence, who has also featured in the popular television series Penny Dreadful, showed a great range of emotion and really made me feel, where her trashy mothers character Mo, played by Rachel McAdams could not. I believe Oona Lawrence has a bright and successful future ahead. ‘50 cent’ needs to stick to what he knows. I love his music. I don’t love his acting. I wanted to rip that stupid hat he wears all movie straight off his head!

The movie started out to me as the tale of a man who didn’t think for himself, appreciate what he had, and consider his family and his future, which resulted in me completely disliking him. Whether that was by design or not, it was effective in me coming over to his corner after Gyllenhaal’s Billy Hope hits his lowest point and drives himself to be better.

In the end Gyllenhaal’s Hope along with Forest Whitaker’s coach Wills, Oona Lawrence’s Leila and even a small role of child protection officer played by Naomie Harris, famous for Skyfall and Pirates of the Caribbean, swayed me to be a big fan of Southpaw in the end.



 
Mrs Knight

Walking into the cinema, all I knew about Southpaw was that it’s a boxing film with a good soundtrack, notably Eminem. This was all I needed to know to make me want to see it. From the first scene I was hooked. I quickly realised it was going to be so much more than originally anticipated.

The film follows boxer Billy ‘the great’ Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), and his journey as he struggles to deal with a tragic accident. He has to fight (literally) to gain custody of his daughter and gain his life back after hitting absolute rock bottom. Without giving too much away, I struggled to watch some scenes it was so heartbreaking. I was completely enthralled in the story and all of the acting was incredibly believable. I even shed a tear... or two...

I loved the rough, arrogant nature of Gyllenhaal’s character. I was glued from the very start when he was yelling into the camera during the fight. He played the character brilliantly and sure has come a long way from his Donnie Darko days. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Donnie Darko, but I have also enjoyed watching him develop as an actor. He wasn’t the only star in this film. Rachel McAdams plays his long time love and wife Maureen. Who knew she could play a rough around the edges, rich wife so well. She nailed it. Oona Laurence who plays their daughter Leila, also did a brilliant job and I would expect to see her again soon. Her range of emotion was believable and I felt my heart breaking with her.

Forest Whitaker is the savour trainer, Tick Wills, who teaches Billy Hope how to defend and brought him back to a good place both physically and mentally. Whitaker was a great character and a softer side that the film needed. Kudos to the makeup artist and costume designer as well. In my opinion everything was spot on believable and overall a well-made film. I do realise not many reviewers agree with my opinion, but I don’t care!

Eminem’s song was played at the perfect time during the classic training montage seen in all sports movies. Although the storyline might be all too familiar for a boxing film, I enjoyed every minute. Gyllenhaal’s performance (and body) truly was ‘Phenomenal’.

 

Movie Review: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Action/Adventure/Spy

Rated – M – violence/sexual references

Duration – 116mins

Release – August 2015

Director – Guy Ritchie

Cast – Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander

Mr Knight

Whenever The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was mentioned to me people kept saying “Isn’t it just like Kingsman?” The answer is, No! In saying that, that isn’t a bad thing at all. Despite Kingsman being a great spy movie, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a beast of its own.

Set in 1963 beginning in East Berlin the story gives a mini World War Two history explaining the tense relationship between the US and Russia to set the mood. This brief history is followed by a fun face off with the two male leads of this spy epic, Henry Cavill’s CIA agent Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer’s KGB agent Illya Kuryakin. Stuck in the middle of these two secret agent’s is Ex-Machina’s Alicia Vikander as Gaby Teller, a German, super attractive motor mechanic with links to a Nazi scientist father.

Once the ball begins rolling and the action is truly kicking in, Solo and Kuryakin are informed by their respective bosses that to save the world from a Nazi nuclear disaster the two top agents must work together along with Gaby Teller to stop disaster from happening. Take two countries agents with a true passionate hate for each other, add egos that make their heads a size difficult to walk through doorways and mix in a beautiful woman, makes a fun movie.

Cavill’s Solo is witty, charming, and a talented agent without his character overdoing it and making him dislikeable. Hammer’s stern, angry, monstrously sized Kuryakin is a fun part of the film and Hammer plays the character to a tee, making him very believable as mother Russia’s best of the best. One aspect I liked most was that the sexual tension in this one was not put between the stereotypical charming American in Cavill but instead, Guy Richie used Hammer’s angry Russian to hit it off with Vikander’s Gaby.

Richie made the movie fun with a good mix of action and humour, Italy’s beautiful scenery, sixties fashion and high end cars. But it was Richie’s style in direction that made it so visually appealing. Every so often Richie spliced different scenes together showing a mix up of different simultaneous things happening at once which added to the positives of this film.

The only negative I found was Alicia Vikander’s mixture of accents slipping out, sometimes going from German, to British to her native tongue being Swedish. Otherwise she has shown since her breakout flick Ex-Machina and now this big feature, she has a strong future ahead in Hollywood.

I recommend you go out and catch this one. Good action. Good laughs. Good movie.

Mrs Knight

I’m new to Guy Ritchie films, so I went in with no expectations besides really liking the preview. I felt it was beautifully put together. I loved the stylised action and editing which reminded me of a comic-book film, almost Sin City-esque. It kept me engaged, even during the car chase, which is unheard of for me! I hate car chases!

The film is set in the 1960s during the Cold war and shows the unlikely partnership of American CIA agent Solo played by the gorgeous Henry Cavill, team up with Russian KBG agent Illya Kurakin (Armie Hammer). Their mission is to protect German mechanic Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander) and stop a criminal organisation from using Gaby’s father’s scientific expertise to construct their own nuclear bomb and sell it to the Nazi’s.

I cringed at first seeing Hammer with a Russian accent but thankfully he pulled it off beautifully and I warmed to him quite quickly. I enjoyed the relationship between the two mega egos of Solo and Illya, they were funny, likeable and ok, yes, very handsome. The fashion and make up was absolutely beautiful and I was very envious of the leady ladies beauty.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E was cleverly put together and had plenty of wit. A spy film I think most people will enjoy, with a decent amount of both male and female eye candy to suit all tastes. Two thumbs up from me. I might even give some of Guy Ritchie’s other films a go. Calm down Mr Knight, I said MIGHT.

Mr Knight's Pick of the Month: Jurassic World

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

Rated – M

Duration – 124mins

Release – July2015

Director – Colin Trevorrow

Cast – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, BD Wong, Judy Greer


Jurassic World has proven what many believe to be true. To get the recipe right, it can take patience, time and the promise to stay true to its origins. After twenty two years it appears the Jurassic World team have got it right.

Jurassic World takes place in today’s time with the ambitious and high spirited John Hammond’s dream of a dinosaur theme park come to reality. The failed Jurassic Park set in the tropical island Isla Nublar in 1993, reborn as Jurassic World, and in its early years, experiencing great success.

The park boasting twenty thousand visitors a day bringing in what appears to be one of the many reasons for the parks previous failures. Money. With cooperate pressures and investors wanting a bigger return, the Jurassic World’s park operator, Bryce Dallas Howard’s (Ron Howards daughter) Clare, presents the investors with a bigger and better dinosaur, ready to be introduced to the park.

This dinosaur however is something never seen before, created in the lab by the only character featured in Jurassic World and in the original Jurassic Park, BD Wong’s Doctor Henry Wu. Wu using the characteristics of current animals DNA creates a highly versatile and intelligent new dinosaur, bigger than the T-Rex, set to bring more dollars in.

  Bryce Dallas Howard’s Clare looking at the parks newest creation.

As the park plans to reveal its new money maker, on the other side of the island resides an ex-navy park ranger there to work with one the Jurassic franchises favourites, the Velociraptor. Enter Chris Pratt, Hollywood’s latest new up and comer after great success with his leading role in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt’s character Owen, has the perfect mix of Dr Alan Grant’s adventure and Dr Ian Malcolm’s wit.

When Owen is called in to review this new dinosaur and its secure pen, in a horrific series of errors and outwitting behaviour by this dinosaur, it breaks loose and creates havoc. As the park operators scramble to keep the safety of twenty thousand visitors, and Clare’s two nephews who manage to separate themselves from their group and into the dangers of the park, Owen and Clare are forced to go out on a rescue mission to find the boys and stop this new killing machine.

Jurassic World manages to satisfy old fans whilst inviting in and thrilling a new generation. It fills the movie with homage to the 1993 classic without over doing it. Giving just enough to put a smile on the 90’s generations face. An old Jurassic Park t-shirt here, a book with an image of Dr Ian Malcolm on the cover there, and a quick venture into the original parks dining room with a dusty and dirty image of a Velociraptor painted on the wall. All these little bits and more to help bring back memories of its predecessor.

Jurassic World features the excitement of the park, the awe of the dinosaurs, the thrill of the chase and just enough gore to make parents with youngsters maybe think twice before taking them in. It doesn’t make the mistake of many other movies, such as Dracula Untold, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lone Ranger, and others like it, where the body count stacks in the hundreds, yet not a single drop of blood is found.

In my opinion studios make those titles that way to keep the rating low and bring more customers through the cinema doors. As a result making films lose some of the reality in these already fantasy based themes. Jurassic World however does not hesitate to take that challenge and rip it to pieces with the body count soaring of both people and dinosaurs with the blood to match, as the movie progresses.

Director Colin Trevorrow, stays true to the original keeping special effects to its minimum with many of the dinosaurs actually robotically made to keep them feeling more genuine. With this being Trevorrow’s first big budget movie with him in the director’s chair, his attention to detail in comparison to Jurassic Park in 1993 is to be admired. By keeping as much of the film away from special effects, Trevorrow avoided the trap of the Hobbit films, I am Legend and the recent additions to the Star Wars saga by not over doing the green screen and using real life creations instead of CGI where possible. As a result making the dinosaurs feel real in comparison to watching a video game.

Chris Pratt’s Owen riding on the hunt with his Velociraptors.

Chris Pratt steals the show in this new epic bringing the films requirement for a hero to the forefront in style.Pratt’s character Owen displays intelligence, humour, ability to survive and the respect for the dinosaurs, which all combined make him a joy to watch. As young talent Nick Robinson playing Clare’s nephew Zach states, “You’re boyfriend is a badass!” as Owen speeds through dense jungle with four allied raptors in tow.

For the old faithful, Jurassic World will not disappoint. As for the new generation, it’s time to get to a cinema and enjoy the ride. A must see on the big screen.