‘Flight’ Review

Flight (2012)

After years of cartoon production, in 2012 Robert Zemeckis returned with an action film called ‘Flight’, depicting an alcoholic pilot of a passenger plane which crash sets a chain of events forcing a pilot to confront his alcohol addiction. After the crash, Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) befriends another drug-addict, Nicole (Kelly Reilly), and with her and his loyal colleague Charlie (Bruce Greenwood)’s emotional support plunges into a post-crash legal battle of guilt-and-responsibility-shifting, while alternating between increased drinking and complete abstinence.

‘Populaire’ Trailer

10 ‘Classics’ I would Love to See Made into Major Films

1.  Notre-Dame de Paris (Victor Hugo)

This Victor Hugo novel has been made and re-made numerous times for animated film, comedic adaptations and TV series, but what about a major picture, similar to ‘Les Misérables’ (2012)?  We have French film of 1956 and American versions of 1923 and 1939, but, surely, film ‘technology’ is now advanced enough to enable the portrayal of Quasimodo to be as realistic as possible. Sinister Notre-Dame of 1830s can be brought to life, and because of its linear, well defined plot, the novel would make a great film full of romance, action and mystery. Archdeacon Claude Frollo is a truly fascinating character and would make great character study in the film, being quite kind, benevolent and extremely intelligent in his youth, and rising up to become a man torn by carnal desires.

2. The Beautiful and Damned (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

This novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald can be perfect for the screen, and it is a wonder why it has only been adapted twice so far – in 1922 (upon the release of the novel itself) – and only recently by Australia, a film which proved to be a financial and cinematographic disaster. The Beautiful and the Damned tells of Anthony and Gloria Patch, a beautiful and rich couple who represent the ‘elite’ of 1920s in New York City. Careless and immature about their wealth, they host parties every night, quite unaware that their fortune is about to run out, and the war is on their doorstep. Like ‘The Great Gatsby’ this film could contain some stunning visuals of the rich enjoying their money and freedom, while at the same time reminiscing Mendes’ adaptation of  Richard Yates’ novel ‘The Revolutionary Road’ (2008); about a young couple realising only too late the fragility of their dreams.

‘Side Effects’ Review

Side Effects (2013)

<<<Warning! This review will contain serious spoilers>>>

Said to be the final film of Steven Soderbergh, ‘Side Effects’, on the first glance, has everything going for it – great director, providing smooth and stylish directing, an impressive cast and great acting. So far so good…However, the film also boasts to be an exciting thriller, containing intelligent plot, thought-provoking twists and unexpected, near-original ending, but….is it really?

In ‘Side Effects’, a young woman, Emily (Rooney Mara), finally welcomes her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum) home after the latter had spend some time in prison. Finding herself unable to cope with the shift in her routine and her husband’s long-awaited return, Emily, who had a history of depression, becomes depressed once again, and is shortly prescribed a new drug, Ablixa, to fight her depression. Her new psychiatrist, Dr Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) takes responsibility from her old psychiatrist, Dr Victoria Siebert, (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and is promising to keep a close eye on her progress. When a gruesome murder of her newly-freed husband takes place in her home, a new drug becomes a prime suspect.

‘Insidious’ Review

Insidious (2010)

Insidious, directed by James Wan, who was also the director of Saw (2004) and Dead Silence (2007), is one of those few psychological horror films, which one can say to be genuinely scary without the sliding into the complete ridiculousness or downright dullness, and which also provide very good entertainment in terms of fascinating subject matter, gripping plot, good acting and great sound effects.

In Insidious the plot centres on the Lambert family, who recently moved into their new house. After Dalton Lambert (Ty Simpkins), a small boy, has a falling accident in the attic, and mysteriously slips into a coma, strange things start to happen in the Lambert family’s new house. When Dalton’s mother, Renai and father, Josh (Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) start to investigate the causes and nature of strange apparitions and noises, they soon discover that their child’s endless sleep has more to do with the house’s haunting state than they have ever dared to guess.

‘Laurence Anyways’ Trailer

‘Oscar and Lucinda’ Review

Oscar and Lucinda (1996)

   Oscar and Lucinda is based on the novel by Peter Carey and tells the story of a young Australian heiress, Lucinda Leplastrier (Cate Blanchette) with the passion for glass and gambling who meets an Anglican priest, Oscar Hopkins (Ralph Fiennes), who has the same obsession with cards and gambling. Sharing the same trait of being quite unfit to live in the society as they know it due to their numerous oddities, and their compulsion to gamble, the two soon strike a friendship, which puts to the test the limits to their obsession.

  It can be said quite confidently that this film directed by Gillian Armstrong (Little Women (1994)) is almost as odd and unique as its main characters. Going from comic to romantic, and ending up being quite tragic and full of action, the film covers almost every genre without losing its concept of ‘eccentricity.  However, this ‘strangeness’ of the film is partly the result of the unusual style and content of the book that the script by Laura Jones (The Portrait of a Lady (1996)) is based on. The book’s narrative is more factual than descriptive, and contains ambiguous paragraphs and references, which although makes for an interesting read, is nevertheless too lost in its own identity (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd person narrative?), for a reader to be able to comprehend and enjoy it fully.