Buried - Ryan Reynolds - 2011

Buried

Solo character films have been done before and for some they can be a boring attempt at being “artistic” or “art house”. The problem can be that having one character occupy the entire screen for 90+ minutes can ultimately be a boring exercise in doing everything possible to make the film interesting. And while the director is pulling every trick out of his hat to do that, you wind up not caring about the character.

The film is only as good as the nuances of character the actor can bring to the role.  Cast Away was a genuine attempt to make a successful film out of nothing remotly interesting, but Tom Hanks brought something more to the film. Moon, starring Sam Rockwell is probably the most valiant success, but the film rides on Sam’s impeccable abilities as an actor (see Lawn Dogs, The Green Mile).

Ryan Reynolds has not done much that would allow you to automatically assume he could carry a film all on his own. He’s a great actor and has done a great many things. He’s funny and good-looking which makes him perfect rom-com talent, but really, there is only a few films that he can hold up as being dramatically challenging (see Fireflies in the Garden, The Nines).

Buried is a corker of a premise and relies on the innate human fear of being buried alive. Ryan is Paul, a contractor working as a truck driver in Iraq who is kidnapped and buried in a coffin. He has a mobile phone and 3 hours to get ransom money to be freed.

Yeah, that’s right, the whole film is Ryan Reynolds (that funny guy) stuck in a wooden box!

The technical difficulties alone would have been a challenge. Yet the script, story and performance are remarkable. Think the suspense of a Hitchcock film jammed into the confines of a 6x4 coffin and you will have a good idea of the angst you will be feeling as you wait and hope for sunlight. Yet, when you burrow deeper down, the film is probably the most honest film I have seen about Iraq, although I hope much of its political comment is far from the truth.

You see (spoiler alert), Paul is betrayed by everyone he comes to hope will rescue him. From his employer who terminates his employment from just before the incident, therefore relinquishing their responsibilities of protection and insurance, to the hostage team who are supposed to find him but end up lying to him, it’s a rollercoaster of emotions that are compounded by the claustrophobic confines of a wooden box. Paul can only communicate by using a mobile which has been left on his person and as much as it is his link to possible safety it’s also the link to the terrorists who have taken him hostage. It’s through the phone that we learn the best and worst about Paul himself but also the situation he finds himself in.

What works well are the technical aspects of the film which really help create a suffocating environment. The only light is artificial and either bathes Paul in yellow or blue and every time the light goes out, we are presented with a black screen which in itself is not a common production element to use, but here is works. To be presented with darkness, even ten seconds of it, feels like eternity and you are holding your breath with each passing moment. Every close up of Ryan’s face reveals the terror and emotion of the moment and as much as the close up is used, it’s hard to tire of it when what your being given is a powerful and heart wrenching performance. Director Rodrigo Cortes stretches out the elastic band as far as it will go, then, it simply snaps. He’s certainly proved he is a great director.

 Buried is a mesmerising, breathtaking psychological drama with an A-grade performance from Ryan Reynolds.

Don’t hold your breath... for anything good to come of this.

My Opinion:

5 Popcorns out of 5

Not suitable for children of any age. Deals with very adult themes and has a high level of adult language.

Whats your greatest film?

I plan on doing at least 2 reviews a month. Considering I cant get to the movies that often, I will also consider reviewing films of old. So tell me, what is your favourite film? Or,what film should I look at reviewing.

You can leave your ideas here, on FB or email me at jrwilson7@bigpond.com



Cheers

Jason

Little Fockers

Little Fockers

Honestly, there really is something hilarious about seeing tough man, Robert De Niro (now in his 60’s) standing in pyjamas sporting a raging boner as he does in the latest instalment of the Meet The Parents franchise The Little Fockers.

Ben Stiller and Co return to take the Fockers/Fuckers pun out for one last spin in what essentially winds up to be a tired version of the original gem.

However, the film does have some redeeming qualities and perhaps is not as bad as some say. If you have the right expectation, it is an enjoyable film with some funny moments and soft one liners, but the gags are what we have seen before and nothing new is added to the dynamic ensemble cast – which is the real shame. The story itself is ok and watchable, but you really wish for something more, something that they could have sunk their teeth into.

Gloriously returning to her role as Mother Focker, Roz, is Barbara Streisand who fills the role with a sassy, sexy, voluptuous confidence that belies her age. Dustin Hoffman, although in limited supply, returns as Bernie the wacked out Father Focker who in my opinion stole the show in Meet the Fockers but has little to do here. Jessica Alba makes an appearance (after her stunning , dramatic performance in The Killer Inside Me) as strikingly attractive (and annoying) drug rep Andi Garcia (yes, plenty of puns there) who becomes the films central catalyst.  Owen Wilson reprises his role as Pams ex, Kevin from the first film, but seems to mistake him as Zoolander character Hansel for most of the film.

As the film gets going, Greg is tempted to take on a job as the spokesman for an erectile dysfunction drug by Andi. Greg has been tempted by Jack to become the God-Focker of the family, which of course has responsibilities, like providing for the family, having a good home and giving the kids a good education.

Considering the film is based on the kids, they have very little to do with the film apart from their birthday party. So much humor could have been successfully centred around these characters (and their respective A-grade performers) that the point of a film about the Little Fockers would have actually been about the Little Fockers.

It’s a funny film in part and enjoyable if you are really in the mood for an easy film to digest.

For me:

2.5 Popcorns out of 5

Suitable for kids over

Moderate adult themes and language

No violence (unless you consider sticking a needle of adrenaline into a pecker as violent – which for some, it would be!)

Tron: Legacy - 2010

Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy, the sequel to the original Tron movie released in 1982  lives up to its predecessor in all its glaring neon glory. With stunning visuals (especially in3D) which pay respectful homage to the original and a rocking, rave-like soundtrack (courtesy of 90’s house band Daft Punk) the film transports you back to the “grid”, a computer platform of stark, geometrical simplicity where users and programs pit themselves against each other in a series of “games” designed to wipe each other out.

The original Tron was groundbreaking in almost every aspect of its production and while there may not be much groundbreaking occurring in Tron: Legacy, you will be dazzled by its sheer brilliance of bright neon lights and almost impenetrable scale. The film really is Disney’s flagship for its future in 3D.

The story itself is fairly basic. Sam enters the Grid which has been taken over by CLU who has imprisoned his father Kevin and is building an army to rule the world. Sam must convince his father to return home and save both worlds. There’s some nice exposition that helps to build the events of the missing years that fits in well to the overall story, but the premise is a tried and true formula that we have seen plenty of times before. Yet you don’t seem to notice how simple it is behind all the eye popping visuals and mind altering sound track! It would have been nice to see the writers scratch the surface a little more with the characters and their motivation, but in all honesty, if you are a fan of the original, you are going to be happy with a basic storyline.

And the point is that it’s the visuals that you’re going for, not the story. Like Avatar, Legacy is all about enjoying the feast for your eyes rather than the food for your brain, and where Tron gave us light-cycles that left a blaze of light in their wake like a highlighter was spewing ink behind them, Legacy offers you the same thing – only better! Instead of “straight” lines, the light cycles give off a beam of colour that has a fluidity and life to it that you can only imagine the original creators would have wished for.

Every colour represented is a bright neon or stark white and stands out against the black, lifeless backdrop of the city which has grown into a sprawling metropolis. The assumption the viewer needs to make is that as with any computer platform that evolves to become bigger and better than the one before, so too has the Grid and where once a landscape of squares and geometrical shapes existed, now a sunning vista exists.

What is impressive is the addition of new vehicles and new concepts on how they work. The Light Cycles that were a staple of the original return with renewed conceptual design which sees the bike and user become one with each other. Not to give much away, but the idea behind how the user “enters” the vehicles is quite a unique idea.

Daft Punk electrify our ears with a retro/futuristic beat of synthesiser music as a soundtrack. It is said that the duo share a similar obsession about the original Tron movie and that the soundtrack to the film has inspired them. Who else better  then, to make a pure electro soundtrack the heartbeat of this film? It’s even fitting that they have a decent cameo appearance.

Performances in the film are ok, nothing Award-worthy, but Brit actor Michael Sheen is the stand out as Zuse, a futuristic version of David Bowie (on crack). Worthy of applause though is director Joseph Kosinski who helmed a massive film of enormous proportions – and has never directed a film feature film. Disney trusted him with $200 million of their money to build and create the new world of Tron and help launch them into the 3D stratosphere.

As said earlier, Tron” Legacy is a feast for your eyes, not for your mind. Don’t go in expecting much, but you might leave looking forward to the future.

3 Popcorns out of 5
Good for kids over 7
No swearing
No extreme Violence (no blood but plenty of programs being "derezzed")