Saw III

Rating: R18 - Contains Sadistic Violence.
Duration: 109 mins.
Genre: Psychological, Thriller.
Actors: Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer, Angus MacFadyen, Shawnee Smith, Barry Flatman, Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Lyriq Bent, Bahar Soomekh, Alan Van Sprang, Franky G.
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
After eluding the cops at the end of the second installment, Jigsaw sets up in an abandoned warehouse and with the help of his protégée Amanda kidnaps a doctor who's forced to keep him alive. Barely clinging to life, Jigsaw starts another chapter in his experiments on those he sees as already being dead…

The Reality
The Saw movies have always fascinated me. Here is a story about a serial killer, who has never killed anyone. Sure plenty of people have died in the devices he has set up, but they all had a chance at freedom.

More so, Jigsaw’s intention has always been to force them to actually live the life they have been given rather than squander it away. Of course not many of his – lets call them contestants – have managed to grasp the freedom that has been offered – or is that forced – upon them.

All three Saw movies are bloody and graphic, and definitely not for the squeamish. But one thing they don’t seem to be is gratuitous. Of course people will disagree with me on that point, but I’ve seen the other so called masterpiece of this genre, Hostel, and that is an exercise in the gratuitous.

Saw uses graphic scenes to make you uncomfortable, to force you to think hard about what is going on, to try and make it real. In a way the viewer is being forced to play one of Jigsaw’s mind games.

The real clincher for most fans I would have to say is the fact that the Saw movies are never dull, there are no fillers to make the movie longer and there is never any predictability in the plot. I don’t think anyone could come away from any of these movies and say; ‘I saw that coming a mile off.’

So what does the third instalment offer? It carries along a similar vein to the previous movies, but – and this is the part where I warn you there may be plot spoilers from now on – this is the one where a lot of questions are answered.

The movie starts off with the usual warm up victims, but this time something seems off, there doesn’t seem to be any real chance of escape for these victims, and this isn’t how the game is supposed to be played.

And then there’s the body count – it’s looking like its going to end up being a lot lower.

With less players you might start wondering if the pace is going to be slower than expected, but no, this is an edge of your seats ride as we follow Jeff, a man dying on the inside from the loss of his son, with the agony of un-forgiveness consuming him.

It’s this raging internal struggle that Jigsaw tries to set right by putting the lives of everyone involved in his sons death into Jeff’s hands. If he can help save their lives and at the same time let go of his dead son, Jeff will find the freedom that only forgiveness brings.

If he doesn’t, he’ll find himself permanently stuck in the hell of un-forgiveness for the rest of his life.

But it’s not all about the victims this time, as the creators seem to want to bring this franchise to a close, we find out a lot more about the back story of the entire series. We are given hints as to what may have influenced Jigsaw’s lust to be a brutal judge and jury. We discover how Amanda became his protégée, and ultimately despite looking like the final instalment of a trilogy, the creators of Saw seem to have set up for an entirely different incarnation of the franchise.

Saw 3 is probably the most brutal, twisted masterpiece to date.

Food for thought
If you’re not willing to let go of the pain, then you will never find freedom from the things that have hurt you.

Special Features (not reviewed):
• Never-before-seen deleted scenes
• 'The Traps of Saw III' - a behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the movie
• 2 additional behind-the-scenes featurettes.

2:37

Rating: R18 - Contains Violence, Suicide & Disturbing Content.
Duration: 97 mins.
Genre: Festival.
Actors: Gary Sweet, Joel Mackenzie, Frank Sweet, Clementine Mellor, Sam Harris, Marni Spillane, Sarah Hudson, Chris Olver, Xavier Samuel, Teresa Palmer.
Director: Murali K. Thalluri.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Just your average Aussie high school day, with your average Aussie students, going about their lives, unique struggles and fears. Unlike every other normal day however, on this day, one student will take his or her own life.

The Reality
2:37 plays out like Gus Van Sant’s brilliant Elephant, though instead of the mundane countdown to a school shooting, 2:37 has us embroiled in a kind of macabre who dunnit.

As with Elephant we know what’s going to happen, the movie will finish with the suicide of one student, but instead of taking us through the school day watching to see what the killers are going to do, we get force fed one red herring after another, as director Murali K. Thalluri pushes the boundaries and breaks a few taboos.

2:37 has it all, the homophobic, but gay jock, his bulimic girlfriend, the rich kid nerd and the disabled freak, clichés are thrown left right and centre, all in a effort to make you believe one of them will top themselves before the day is out.

It’s not an easy movie to watch, in fact some of it turns out to be very uncomfortable viewing, but the biggest annoyance is the reliance of some kind of video diary confessional that punctuates the story at frustratingly all to frequent moments.

The movie’s most powerful moment is the actual suicide, and the person who believes that life is no longer worth living. The internal struggle that goes on during this scene almost redeems the movie as a whole, and the reasoning behind the desperation hits the teenage nail on the head.

If Murali had only taken a more subtle, well rounded course to this moment, 2:37 would have been an un-missable classic, but his heavy handedness and determination push the envelope of acceptability is his – and the movie’s – own undoing.

The Look
The actual look of the movie verges on the home handycam, not just in the follow behind the person perspective, but also in the subtle lack of quality of the film. Weather this was the director’s intention or just budgetary constraints I don’t know, but it was a little off putting at first.

Being set almost entirely in a high school we do get the perception of claustrophobia, as after a while everything starts to look the same, but it’s this sameness and forced conformity that is probably the root cuase of half the problems that the students believe they have.

Food for thought
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you have to make it through the day to be able to see it!

Nacho Libre

Rating: PG - Contains Medium Level Violence.
Duration: 92 mins.
Genre: Drama, Biography.
Actors: Peter Stormare, Jack Black, Hector Jiminez, Ana DeLa Reguera, Richard Montoya, Carla Jimenez.
Director: Jared Hess.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
After being cared for as an orphan in a Mexiacan monastry, Ignacio decides to stay on as their cook. But he has a dark secret that he keeps hidden; he secretly wants to become a professional wrestler…

The Reality
If you come to Nacho Libre wanting a laugh out loud comedy like Jack Black’s School of Rock, you’ll end up disappointed. Nacho is a more sedate outing that has more of a feel good storyline than the outrageous comedy that Black is known for.

Not that that’s a bad thing, and there are some wonderful moments of hilarity, it’s just that these moments seem too far apart, and the story as a whole seems patched together.

Essentially Nacho turned out to be light and fluffy, something more suited for your kids’ entertainment.

So I decided to put it on for the kids to watch the following night, and what a difference. The kids were laughing their faces off! Black has obviously found a calling as a children’s comedian, and possibly should focus more on these light and fluffy tales, but get Paramount to market them as kids movies…

The Look
The whole look and style of the movie suits the slapstick, children’s movie scenario very well. It’s not too flash, but a long way from cheesy. Ok, so Nacho’s many outfits are right on the money for cheesy, but that’s what’s expected.

Food for thought
In the immortal words of Sister Encarnación (Nacho’s infatuation) “If you fight for something noble, something right, only then will God bless you”.?

Jindabyne

Rating: M - Contains Violence & Offensive Language.
Duration: 123 mins.
Genre: Festival & Foreign.
Actors: Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Chris Haywood, John Howard, Leah Purcell, Deborra Lee-Furness, Eva Lazzaro, Stelios Yiakmis, Simon Stone.
Director: Ray Lawrence.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Four men from a rural Australian town go on their annual fishing trip, at a remote location in the hills. It’s a fair hike to the campsite, so when they discover the dead body of an aboriginal girl in the river, they’re not sure what to do. In the end they decide there is nothing to be done an continue with there planned fishing.

The Reality
Jindabyne doesn’t start off as I was expecting it to. For some reason I was expecting an adult version of Mean Creek; but Jindabyne goes much deeper than that.

It starts off feeling more than Wolf Creek, but instead of gratuitous violence, we are treated to an electrifying performance of a small community coming to terms with the grave misjudgements of four of it’s men, along with the terrifying reality that they must all now face the hidden demons that have been lurking below the surface.

To say that Jindabyne is all about death would be a misrepresentation, but death permeates the entire movie, from the obvious to the subtler, there are signs of death everywhere.

Death however des not have the final say, as Jindabyne is a story of dealing with our own fears and losses, be they physical loss or emotional loss, the loss of dreams, the loss of love, the loss of community.

And it’s through dealing with our loss that we can find healing, not only for ourselves, but for the community as a whole.

The Look
As this was a screener, the quality is not intended to represent the final product. Such is life. But the great thing is that the quality wasn’t as issue for Jindabyne, as the story itself was plenty to keep you glued to the edge of your seat, and with some great acting and stunning natural backdrops, the whole feel of the movie was amazing.

Form time to time however, the thematic music seemed a little odd and out of place, but most of these was contained in the first part of the movie and was soon forgotten as the story get down to business.

Food for thought
If we don’t treat the dead with respect, what hope do we have of living?

The Queen

Rating: M - Contains Low Level Offensive Language.
Duration: 97 mins.
Genre: Drama, Biography.
Actors: Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Michael Sheen, Sylvia Syms, Helen McCrory, Alex Jennings, Roger Allam.
Director: Stephen Frears.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
The Queen attempts to go behind the scenes and portray the struggle that the British Monarchy had in the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana and the influence that the new Prime Minister, Tony Blair had during the brief time.

The Reality
The Queen is an interesting look at an emotional period of time in recent British history. In it’s portrayals of the behind doors life of both the Royal Family and that of the new British Prime Minister, it is quite fascinating.

It tries to show just what an influence this young Prime Minister had in ‘saving’ the Royal reputation, but without allowing Mr Blair to have his ego inflated too much.

The Royals for the most part are shown as pompous, spoilt little brats, which for the most part misses the point. The triumph of the movie is in it’s portrayal of the Queen, who is shown as down to earthy as possible, considering her upbringing, and paints her in quite a likeable light.

The biggest problem with the movie however is in its portrayal of Diana.

In an effort no doubt to please the prospective audience, Diana plays little part in the movie, other than that of the greatest loss England has ever had to endure.

There is a moment in the movie where mention is made of how difficult Diana was to deal with – outside of the limelight – but this is used to put shame on the Royal family, rather than to shed light on the reality of Diana.

It would have made a much more balanced and compelling movie I believe if this statement had been looked into a little more deeply, and possibly showing the viewer the reality of who Diana was when the press weren’t around would have given the move more of a credible foundation.

Other than that, The Queen turned out to be an enjoyable, moderately paced drama, and not the total bore I was expecting.

The Look
The affluence of the Royal Family is shown with great splendour, and makes a great backdrop to the Royal bashing that takes up a great part of the movie. The relative ease and comfort is easy to see, but fortunately there are a few scenes in the movie that do make the Royals out to be human.

The biggest issue I have with the whole affair is the over use of news footage from the time. This is fine for when the scene is of people watching the news, but when we are watching for the most part, re-enactments, the occasional news footage, with it’s grainy lack of quality distracts, especially the all too frequent clips of Diana doing stuff that has no bearing on the story.

Food for thought
If you’ve turned your back on your chosen family, should you expect them to be there to comfort you?

Ushpizin

Rating: PG - Contains Coarse Language.
Duration: 90 mins.
Genre: Festival & Foreign.
Actors: Shuli Rand, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand, Shaul Mizrahi, Ilan Ganani, Avraham Abutboul, Yonathan Danino.
Director: Giddi Dar.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Moshe and Mali are Orthodox Jews, and on the eve of Succoth they find themselves penniless and unable to fulfil their religious requirements. Desperate to please the Lord, so that His favour might bring them a child, they go there separate ways, praying fervently.

It seems like God is looking down on Moshe and Mali whose prayers are answered with two miracles, but here’s the rub, God also sends them a couple of guests, seemingly to test their already strained faith.

The Reality
The first thing that hit me when watching Ushpizin was Moshe and Mali’s total immersion in prayer and thanksgiving. Even in the midst of an argument they find time to praise God for the good, and petition him for their needs. It brought new light to the verse in Thessalonians; Never stop praying.

Not that their prayers have necessarily been answered before, it seems from a casual glance that they’ve been reading Pete Greig’s new book, God On Mute, as they keep a steadfast faith no matter how distant God seems.

They live you see in a religious neighbourhood, a simple life that borders dangerously on extreme poverty, but their most potent unanswered prayer is that of a child.

Now on the eve of Succoth they don’t even have the money to provide them with the elements required to observe this important festival.

But then two miracles happen, and God seems to bless them with over abundance.

Then comes the test. Two figures from Mali’s dubious past drop by unannounced, and because of the tradition of Succoth, Moshe and Mali cannot refuse them. OF course these men do not fear God, and cause all manner of troubles for the couple, causing Moshe to leave Mali.

Mali in his anguish literally runs through town to the wilderness and screams at God, with some unexpected results.

The Look
Ushpizin isn’t a movie about money or glamour, and as such doesn’t have an over exuberant budget. But it does show a neighbourhood where people exist, living a humble yet semi-content life.

Our more modern western outlook might call the entire ‘set’ rundown, but the characters would call it lived in, homely even. It’s real life and this is where Ushpizin gets a lot of its warmth and character.

There’s an honesty to the look of the movie, nothing has been overtly touched up, no one is trying to sell you anything. It’s a story about two people struggling with their faith and their day-to-day lives.

Food for thought
It’s only through being brutally honest with himself – and God – that Mali rediscovers his faith.

Spiderman 3

Rating: M - Strong Fantasy Violence.
Duration: 139 mins.
Genre: Action, Adventure.
Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Dylan Baker, Topher Grace.
Director: Sam Raimi.
Release Date: 3 May 2007.

Spiderman 2 was one of the best sequels ever to grace the big screen. In fact the odds are that sequels are destined to be a let down. So when Spiderman 3 brought a new level of personal struggle to the character of Peter Parker, it brought a great sigh of relief.

So sitting in the theatre getting ready to experience the latest in the Spiderman Franchise I was genuinely on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would unfold.
Now the overall package of Spiderman 3 resulting in two and half hours of high impact action, spectacular effects and a collection of characters that balanced the story well. The thought of three villains in one movie kind of overpowers the imagination, but as the story unfolds we see the context for all three. Each has a story of what made them turn to the darkside... [more]