Hurt Locker (Drama)

For the first time since I've been writing this blog, I struggled to meet my self imposed weekly deadline. Not because this film didn't move me, but because it moved me in ways that I found difficult to articulate. 'The Hurt Locker' is a confronting movie about the Iraq War directed by Katheryn Bigelow (the ex wife of Avatar's director James Cameron). The opening quote from Chris Hedges (who was a war correspondent for the New York Times during the Iraq War) sets the scene perfectly - "The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug". And "War is stoopid" should've been the concluding quote I say.

'The Hurt Locker' follows an elite army bomb squad in Iraq during the chaos of war. And if watching several bomb detonation scenes in slow drawn out detail isn't enough to build suspense, the film is also shot in documentary style which contributes to the tension even more. I read somewhere that the way the camera continually zooms in and focuses on close ups of the bomb detonation is designed to have the audience focus on the detail and prevent a focus on the bigger questions such as "why war?". Interestingly, it had the opposite effect for me -watching someone obsess over the detail of a single bomb when people were dying all around him seemed to amplify the feeling that war is pointless, futile, and almost ridiculous.

The film focuses on three soldiers each with very different personality styles and comfort levels with the war. The main character is Sargaent Will James (Jeremy Renner), the leader of the squad who is called in to replace his predecessor (played by Guy Pearce who made an all too brief appearance). Will is a solo operator who is fearless, arrogant, and seems to only care about himself but he has a unique talent for defusing bombs. In fact he's a bloody genius. Then there's Sargeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), the second in charge - a brave, reliable, and honorable soldier, who at times is quite torn about the war in Iraq but even so, his loyalty to the cause is boundless. The third key member of the bomb squad is Special Agent Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) who is young, inexperienced and always scared but still performs his duties to the best of his abilities. For this reason he may be the bravest of all three. And whilst the bomb scenes are certainly gripping to watch, it is the interactions between these three very different characters that made the film so compelling to watch.

In particular, Will's character had me intrigued. Upon first impression he comes across as a reckless cowboy but as the film progresses you find yourself more and more confused about his character and what makes him tick (pardon the pun!). Is he just a reckless adrenlin junkie or is he sacrificing his own fears to save the world? Is he doing this job because he is good and selfless or is he a selfish jerk? Did it make him brave that he consistently threw himself in the face of death, or was he just too scared to face himself in normal life? And then it got me thinking about why I needed him to be one way or the other. In fact I needed him to be one way or the other so badly that I couldn't even write about it!

And then I concluded that it was because I needed him to make sense.

It made me realise how much we do a similar thing in real life. That we need to categorise people as good or bad, jobs as interesting or boring, relationships as right or wrong - because we need life to make more sense. But ironically maybe life would make more sense if we accepted that the same person can be callous in one situation and tender in another. That the same job can make you feel both energised, and exhausted. And that losing something can be make you weaker and stronger all at the same time. As the 'Hurt Locker' develops, all three characters show parts of themselves that make it more and more difficult to make sense of them and actually that's what made them so interesting.

Another interesting theme was related to fear and in particular, conquering fear. It's impossible not to admire the bravery of all three characters in 'The Hurt Locker" but while fear seemed to be paralysing for Special Agent Eldridge, it was like a lifeblood for Sargeant Will. There's a great scene towards the end of the film when Will finally makes it home and he's hanging out in a very domestic scene in the kitchen with his wife and son.

And for the first time since the film had started I felt relaxed.

He was finally safe and home! But the stability and the security of being home seemed to suck the life out of him. For his own sanity, I felt like he needed to be sent back to a place where his life was at risk. And I was almost expecting that I might be able to make sense of him once I saw him at home but even Sanborn doesn't get any closer to understanding him when at one point on their way back from battle, he turns to Will and says: "Will, how do you do it? You know, take the risk? ...and Will says "I don't know, I guess I just don't think about it".

I highly recommend 'The Hurt Locker'. Action filled war movies don't usually leave me feeling anything much after the credits roll but the Hurt Locker stayed with me for days. It makes you think about the kind of person you are - Am I a Will? Or a Sanborn? Or an Eldridge? Truth is I think I'd like to think I'm the kind of person who is energised by the excitement, the fear, and the riskiness of the choices one faces when detonating a bomb, but I think that maybe I'm the kind of person who prefers to be faced with the choices in the cereal aisle.....And for a few days that felt like an uncomfortable conclusion to write but maybe the point is to just accept the one that you most resemble, or at least get comfortable with the fact that you might be bits of both.

• The film was shot in Jordan, the coutry right next door to Iraq
• It was initially released straight to DVD in Brazil but after it attracted attention and several awards, it went to theatrical distribution in February 2010
• Most of the actors were relatively unknown, the biggest names were each in the film for less than 10 minutes Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, and David Morse

Invictus (Drama/True Story)

Invictus (meaning 'invincible' in Latin) is the name of a poem written by William Ernest Henley - an inspirational poem! 'One Team, One Country' was the Springboks motto during the 1995 World Cup - an inspirational slogan! 'Invictus' is a film about Nelson Mandela in his first term as President and tells the story of Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joining forces with the captain of South Africa's Rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to mend his fractured nation during the 1995 Rugby World Cup - a not so inspirational movie!

Now it's fair to say that movies about sport generally don't hold my attention. I even had to ask my man just prior to walking into the cinema whether they played rugby union or rugby league in the Rugby World Cup. Needless to say he was visibly distressed that I had asked such a question. I told him that the most I knew about Rugby was what my mother had taught me when we were growing up : "Honey all you need to know is that it's a game played by gentleman with odd-shaped balls". So unfortunately for this film, we were starting off on the backfoot but I was hoping the fact that Clint Eastwood (who directed and produced this film) was going to be it's salvation. Whilst Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman did put in pretty stellar performances, I found 'Invictus' even harder to get in to than I was anticipating and not just because of the rugby focus but also because I kept thinking that I had missed several poignant lines due to the faux South African accents of both Mandela and Francois. And because there was very little struggle on the road to victory, everything seemed to come too easily for both men. And finally, because I was completely distracted by Matt Damon's hair and his terrible patchy highlights.

I thought it was a shame that the overriding reaction I had to this film was disappointment, particularly given that 'Invictus' is a film based on a great story. It is Nelson Mandela's first term as the democratically elected President following his release after 27 years in captivity. The 1995 tournament was the first Rugby World Cup that South Africa was allowed to play in following the end of their international sport boycott due to the apartheid regime. The torn apart country of South Africa was screaming out to be unified again. But regardless of all this premise, the film did not live up to the greatness of the story.

And along the way there were hints of themes that peaked my interest but mostly they went nowhere. For example, there was a scene during which Mandela first invited Francois for tea and he asks him whether his previously injured ankle was holding him back. Francois says no because "We generally only play at about 85%" and Mandela says something like - "ahh in sport as in life my friend". I thought this would've been a great theme to explore further particularly given Mandela's character, as it made me think about how we often play at 85% in life to avoid getting hurt, being dissapointed, failing etc. And if this was the case then how do we inspire people (team members, work colleagues, friends etc.) to "play" at 100%? And if we make the choice ourselves to play "life" at 100%, how do we keep the damage to a minimum?

Another engaging theme that I thought the movie teased us with was in relation to 'intentions'. The characters in this movie made me think alot about their intentions and whether it was always their intention to be 'great' (most likely in Mandela's case) or whether it was a collection of circumstances that accidentally made them great. For me, Francois seemed to be one of those people who found themselves surrounded by circumstances that made him great, but he did little in the film to inspire greatness from his team. This theme reminded me of a conversation I was having with a girlfriend the other night over a glass of vino and we were discussing 'the purpose of life' i.e. what should your intentions be regarding your own lifetime achievements? (Yep, leave it to us to tackle the big questions!) Specifically we were discussing whether it was an acceptable intention in life just to want to be a good person, a good friend, a good mother, a good daughter. Or should you aim to leave a lasting impression on the world and do good in a way that buys you a place in the history books? Whilst my girlfriend was leaning towards believing the latter (and she's probably closer to it than I!), it left me feeling that if that were the case, given we can't all go down in history, then are 98% of us destined to fail?

And so, even though this film was effective at portraying Mandela as one of those rare individuals who might have achieved both intentions - he was a good man, and a man who's name went down in the history books - 'Invictus' definitely lacked something for me. I really wanted to see more of Mandela's leadership style, to obtain some insight about the tactics and strategies he used to unify people, or the struggles he went through in taking over the Presidency. But all I got was Rugby - in fact the whole second half of the movie felt like a long drawn out Rugby match. So if you are a Mandela fan - or if you're not a Rugby fan - I'd give this film a miss. In fact I think I would've preferred to have gone to a real Rugby game. And that is saying something!

• Apparently Nelson Mandela himself said that only Morgan Freeman could portray him in a film
• As Francois Pienaar was known for his imposing physique, when Matt Damon turned up at his door for their first dinner (as Francois had agreed to assist Matt in preparing for the role) he has said that he broke the ice by joking "I look much bigger on camera"
• When filming the rugby games, there were only 2000 extras in the staduims, so the sell out crowd of 62,000 were mostly computer generated!

Up in the Air (Drama/Comedy)

Just in case you needed another reason to love George Clooney his latest movie – ‘Up in the Air’ - is just that! George plays Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert who essentially gets paid by clients to help them “retrench” unwanted employees. In doing so, he is constantly on the road – or ‘up in the air’ – and living out of suitcase. And as he blatantly says, “everything the average person hates about travelling are warm reminders that I am home”.

I was really looking forward to seeing ‘Up in the Air’, partly for the George factor, but also because movies that are set in familiar American cities always make me feel a tad nostalgic or even ‘homesick’ for the country I lived in for four years. But as I watched Bingham move through airport security, sit in hotel bars alone at night, and sleep in empty hotel rooms, I felt immediately depressed as it reminded about the reality of my own working life in the United States! I remember often feeling completely disconnected from friends, from family, from the city I was supposed to be living in. I would gaze around at the many middle aged men sitting alone with me in the airport lounge late at night, or sitting alone in the hotel bar, and wonder if they were happy with that bland existence. So right from the start of this film I was hooked – I had so often wondered in my work travels whether characters like Ryan Bingham actually existed. The movie almost makes you feel like Ryan could be one of those unique individuals that are truly made happy by life on the road. He even has an apartment that looks like a hotel room complete with Hilton slippers and American Airlines peanuts!

But unfortunately for Ryan, a new up and comer named Natalie (played by Anna Kendrick) has finally discovered a way to utilise technology and cut costs by firing over the internet which causes Ryan to reevaluate his life philosophy as he becomes “grounded” indefinitely. He starts to realise that he might need to establish some more meaningful connections in his life than the one he has with lady at the American Airlines check-in desk that is paid to remember his name. And so one night in a hotel bar when he meets Alex (played by the gorgeous Vera Farmiga ) who describes herself as a female version of Ryan, he thinks he might be ready to make a connection.

I found this storyline about Alex and Ryan's relationship engaging on so many levels: whether as a female we can have a truly non emotional commitment, whether or not someone who is so non-committal is just waiting for the right time or the right person, whether two people who are so similar can ever really work together. In discussing this film with my mum I thought it was so interesting that what she took from this storyline was how often two people make massive assumptions about each other and then act upon them without ever really asking what the other wants. Whereas I took from it a slightly different perspective as I thought the rules of the game were made very clear by both Ryan and Alex and it made me think about how much two people often forge ahead in relationships based on what they want to believe even when someone is blatantly demonstrating or telling them they feel differently. I wondered if our different perspective were in large part due to our very different experiences as women from her generation to mine.

This film also really made me think about the emptiness of goal achievement. Bingham was obsessed with earning miles. There’s a haunting scene towards the end of the movie when Binhgam finally hits his goal of 10,000,000 miles and gets a visit by the pilot as recognition that he has reached the ‘American Airlines 10 million miles status’. He stares almost expressionless at the pilot and says something like 'I’ve been imagining how this conversation would go for as long as I can remember and now it’s here I’m lost for words'. I think we are all so often guilty of being so focused on striving towards something to the detriment of living our lives along the way that I really felt for Bingham during this scene.

I found this film engaging from start to finish with so much to relate to that I highly recommend it, particularly to people who inhabit corporate world. I even found myself in one of those rare moods after sitting in an uncomfy for two and a half hours where I was wishing the film had lasted just a little bit longer. And so I even stayed for the credits and was lucky enough to hear the final song …

• With the exception of the famous actors, every person you see fired in the film is not an actor but a real person who has been laid off in real life
• Apparently Director Jason Reitman began writing the screenplay in 2002 when the US economy was booming but it was delayed while he worked on Juno (2007) and Thank You for Smoking (2005) - ironically America then plunged into depression and the movie turned out to be much more topical

Precious (Drama)

This movie ended with a dedication "For Precious girls everywhere" - I must be a little too precious as I found this film very difficult to watch. 'Precious' is a hard hitting film based on the book 'Push' by Sapphire about a young African-American teenage girl (Precious) living in Harlem, NY who is illiterate, overweight, and pregnant with her second child.

The film stars Gabourey Sidibe as Clareece "Precious" Jones who is so completely believable at times it felt more like a documentary than a movie. Also starring in Precious were a motley crew of rockstars and actors including Mo'nique (who did an unbelievable job of playing Clareece's mum), Paula Patton as Clareece' "special" teacher (who almost inspired me to go back to school), Mariah Carey (so real in her role as Mrs Weiss the social worker and so very un-Mariah thank god), and Lenny Kravitz (in his role as a gentle male nurse who befriends Clareece just when she needs it most).

Whilst I was expecting this film to be challenging - as the two chatterboxes behind reminded me just as the film was starting ("yeah I know it's going to be challenging but I've seen challenging films before, like.... Blood Diamond !?), I didn't expect it would leave me feeling quite so drab. The film essentially chronicles an accumulation of social misfortunes that Precious has to deal with, almost too many to bear in my opinion. As I said earlier, maybe I'm a little too "precious" but I thought the movie would've been equally powerful without the final additional misfortune she was dealt (which I won't reveal for the sake of not spoiling the movie).

Despite the generally dire situation that Precious found herself in, and the heartbreak that surrounded many of the characters, there were a few laughs throughout the movie which helped to offer brief moments of respite. The bright and breezy fantasy scenes that Precious frequently disappeared into when things got almost too unbearable were also much appreciated and helped you forget how bad things were just for a little while. There were also some memorable uplifting scenes and characters. I particularly loved her classmate Joann. At one stage when the girls are introducing themselves to their other class mates, Joann innocently describes her favourite colour as "flourescent beige" - I love this line as an analogy for the whole movie - anyone who can see a nice side of beige can see the good in any horrible situation.

Oprah, who is a big fan of the movie, apparently said that people might not "enjoy" but would "appreciate this experience" which sums up my own viewing experience perfectly. In my opinion, what really makes this film so deserved of all the hype and Oscar nomination talk are the actors and their respective performances - every single person was absolutely amazing, completely on the mark, and individually they all evoked the full range of emotions intended. Of particular note is Clareece' mother who I'm sure you'll will equally detest and feel sorry for by the end of the film.

I found this film so dark - which I should note was a reaction that seems to be in contrast to a number of other reviews I've read that describe the film as "uplifting", "exhilarating", "cathartic"- that it was difficult to draw too many parallels to my own life. I guess what I can draw from this film is a simple reminder that bad things can get better, that life is about the people you find along the way, that we're stronger than we think, that education should never be taken for granted, and that eating a bucket of fried chicken all in one go never did anyone any favours.

• The film was shot in five weeks!
• 400 girls tried out for the part of Precious that went to Gabourey Sidibe just 6 weeks before shooting commenced
• Helen Mirren was originally cast for the part played by Mariah Carey but then dropped out

The September Issue (Doco)

"Fashion makes people nervous" is one of Anna Wintour's opening quotes. I think she means that "she" makes people nervous. Anna Wintour is referred to as one of the most influential women in America (which I think says more about America than it does about Anna!). Nevertheless, this documentary feature film about the British Editor-in-Chief at American Vogue makes for a gripping insight into an incredibly interesting woman, and an even more interesting world - the world of fashion. Some of you may recognise Anna who is said to have been the inspiration for Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada". Specifically, this documentary chronicles the preparations for the 2007 fall issue of US Vogue.

As a female professional, I am always on the look out for successful chicks to aspire to. Whilst I often admire super successful women for their ambition, their talent, and their success, I frequently find their emotional character less than inspirational. Again with Anna Wintour, whilst her ambition and success is highly admirable, and left me in awe wondering what it is about her that has allowed her to remain at the top of her game for so long in this increasingly competitive world, I am left disappointed by the fact that she seems to be yet another example of a successful female who is cold, tough, and in many ways, eerily "man-like".

The portrayal of Anna Wintour was gripping. They way this feature film is shot made me feel like a voyeur and any of my close friends will be quick to tell you how much I love being a voyeur. I can't have a cup of coffee with a friend, without becoming more obsessed with the conversation on the next table than the one I'm supposed to be involved in! Whilst the film no doubt set out to humanise Anna - given her reputation as cold, rude and emotionally distant - the film seemed to heighten her mysteriousness and inaccessibility for me which I loved. I was left wanting to continue to peer through a window into her life for days to come. The discomfort she obviously felt in front of the camera when she was being directly interviewed (which occurred surprisingly infrequently throughout the film) was haunting, her anxiousness and her inability to reveal anything intimate about her real self when faced with a single set of eyes was all too familiar.

The characters surrounding Anna are equally compelling to watch - her faithful Creative Director, Grace Coddington, who has been with her for two decades almost steals the show. And if it weren't for Grace, I think I would be left with the feeling that I disliked Anna. It is an absolute pleasure to watch Grace in action and the resulting photos of the many gorgeous photo shoots the film covers. She is at least as talented if not more, but is much more accessible in the way that she frequently shows real female emotions (which seems to be a big no-no in most workplaces!) including passion, frustration, pride, and loyalty. The fact that she swans around the office in comfortable shoes and baggy black outfits in stark contrast to her glammed up colleagues and the sexy models she works with makes her even more endearing.

Even if you have no interest in fashion, I thought the film was worth seeing for the many fascinating characters; for the chance to sneak a peak into a world full of colour, emotion, and art that is so far away from the structure, blandness, and rationality of my corporate world; and purely because it is full of some of the most simple but beautiful shots of New York I have ever seen.

The film leaves you wondering how Anna's reign at Vogue will ever end. Will she choose to leave? Will the Board decide it's time for a change? Will some new and ambitious young thing topple her long standing reign? It also got me thinking - what does make people move on from a job they seem to be successful at? Success is sometimes a trap that locks you into something you've lost the passion for. I love when Anna ponders this question herself and recalls having a related conversation with her father. He says something like "I knew it was time to move on when I got too angry about stuff". What a simple but invaluable test! If that's the case, it's been time for me to move on for quite some time.....

• The September 2007 Issue of US Vogue weighed nearly 5 pounds (or 2.3 kgs) and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published at that time
  
• Of the 840 pages, 727 of them were ads!
  
• Movie making spanned over 2 and a half years with a years worth of shooting and a years worth of editing
  

It's Complicated (Comedy)

It's Complicated is an understatement! And sadly seems to be the theme of most relationships these days. Mine not withstanding! Whilst this is a romantic comedy which definitely gave me a few laugh out loud moments, it also provoked a few serious thoughts regarding relationships and their pros and cons in today's world.

The film is written and directed by Nancy Meyers and whilst I didn't find the script and dialogue as clever as some of her previous films (such as "Something's Gotta Give" and "What Women Want") it was an enjoyable two and half hours. I always find her sets beautiful and this one does not disappoint as it is largely set in and around the main character's gorgeously decorated Santa Barbara home and the beautiful bakery she owns and runs. No doubt Nancy got much inspiration for this film from her own life as there are several similarities - Nancy herself is divorced with children, and at one stage early on in her career she even started a small cheesecake business.

Meryl Streep is amazing as always, and I loved the way they didn't glam her up too much, with many scenes in which she seems to appear wearing minimal make up and looking exactly her age. Alec Baldwin is also well cast - ever since 30 Rock he seems to be getting better and better and again, I loved the brutally honest presentation of him and his physical flaws (even though I found several scenes of him in his boxer shorts difficult to stomach so to speak!). And I love love love John Krasinki (who stars in the US version of The Office) who is understated as usual and bloody funny. Whilst the film has been criticised by some critics as being only entertaining for middle aged movie goers, I found many of the storylines applicable to relationships at any age.

The story centres around Jane (Streep) and her ex husband of ten years Jake (Baldwin), who is married to a younger woman, and their hook up during their son's college graduation. Steve Martin plays a new love interest for Jane - which makes things complicated - and it's good to see him back on the big screen. I felt a lot of empathy for Streep's character as a self reliant divorcee as she wrestles with trying to work out the upside of letting a man back into her life, given that she has successfully built a very full, and fulfilling, single life for herself. As is often the case for singletons, Jane's life doesn't seem to be lacking in anything until she gets an unfortunate taste of cosy coupledom. Then all of a sudden, life seems lonely without a man. No matter how much progress we chicks make - our self worth still seems to be rocked by a bloke's rejection.

The film also made me think about unfinished business and how often we revisit past relationships. I for one am notorious for revisiting past loves! Regardless of how infrequently this strategy seems to result in a healthy relationship with an optimistic future, it always seems like a highly rational and plausible path to happiness at the time. Although as this film demonstrates nicely, maybe it's not such a bad decision to revisit past relationships if you still have something to teach each other.

The movie also focuses on Jane & Jake's three grown children who are still getting over their parent's divorce and how they deal with the rekindled romance. As a child of divorced parents, I identified with this part of the story, it never ceases to amaze me how much of an impact divorce has on all of the family relationships and for how long the disturbances endure! Sadly, not only does it significantly impact each child's relationship with each parent which is frequently written and talked about, but it also significantly impacts relationships between siblings which is not so commonly discussed. From personal experience, as siblings we seem to punish each other for having different reactions or different loyalties to our parents following divorce. On the one hand, it seems to me to be the most simple and understandable occurrence - two adults lose the desire to spend the rest of their life together - what could be more honest and reasonable than arriving at that conclusion? But at the same time, I understand that it is the fact that it's so extremely rare for two people to arrive at that conclusion at the same time and with equal conviction that is the real explanation for most of the anger and bitterness that results.

The movie is easy to watch with some very funny scenes (the scene in which Meryl Streep and Steve Martin share a naughty cigarette is hilarious!). I did feel that in some ways this film tries to tackle too many things, for example, the storyline about Jane's youngest child leaving home is left a bit up in the air. It might have been more powerful to limit the threads of the story and more fully explore all of these. It's definitely worth a peak if you're after some light-hearted fun and a bit of escapism but this is definitely a Hollywood film with a big budget and a happy ending so if you're after something a little more challenging or intellectually stimulating you may want to reconsider your film choice.

Nevertheless, given my penchant for dark and stormy storylines, it was enjoyable to see a film that ended on an optimistic note for a change. Makes you feel like no matter what age you are, there might just be a funny guy like Steve Martin waiting around the corner to share a joint with.....

• Alec Baldwin told US TV Host David Letterman that a body double was used for his nude scenes
• Nancy Meyers earliest success was as a joint screenwriter and executive producer of Private Benjamin (1980) which initially was thought to be box office poison with a female lead and no male star went on to became one of the biggest box office hits of the year grossing nearly $US70m
• Nancy Meyers second solo venture - "What Women Want" - was at one stage the most successful film ever directed by a women taking in $183m in the US