Author: Natalie Teasdale

I want to share with other movie fans those amazing films that get under your skin and stay with you for days: the scary ones, the funny ones; the ones that get you thinking. With a background in creative writing, photography, psychology and neuroscience, I’ll be focusing on dialogue, what makes a great story, if the film has beautiful creative cinematography, the soundtrack and any movie that successfully scratches the surface of our existence. My aim is to always be searching for that ultimate movie, to share what I’ve found to be interesting (whether it be a great soundtrack, a great director or links to other information of interest) and to give an honest review without too much fluff. BAppSci in Psychology/Psychophysiology; Grad Dip Creative Arts and Post Grad Dip in Creative Writing. Founder of GoMovieReviews.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot

Directed by: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Screenplay: Robert Carlock

Based on: ‘The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ by Kim Barker

Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, Billy Bob Thorton, Steve Peacocke; Christopher Abbott.

Comedy/War/Drama?

Kim is a 40 year old copy writer who spends her time on an exercise bike going no-where. No matter how hard she peddles, Kim just isn’t getting anywhere. Her life is going backwards.

Presented with an opportunity to get out from behind a desk and report in front of a camera in Afghanistan, Kim leaves her boyfriend and comfortable life for the chaos of the Kabul Bubble where shit literally flies through the air.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot (I’m thinking military speak for WTF) is a juxtaposition of genres: war, comedy and drama.

It’s hard to categorise Whisky Tango Foxtrot. There’s some dark humour here: Kabul International Airport A.K.A Killed In Action. But I would say this movie is a drama with the main character, Kim Barker (Tina Fey), having a midlife crisis.

At the beginning, I was concerned the film was falling firmly on the ‘My life journey’ style of film, but thankfully, with the introduction of characters in Afghanistan, the film took off on its own journey with the focus on the characters and the reality of life in the ‘ka-bubble’.

I wouldn’t call the film a comedy, even though Tina Fey (known for her parts as a comedian) is the protagonist, but there are funny moments with the misunderstandings between different cultures, and the inherent humour of Iain, the Scottish photographer. Yes, this is mostly a drama with the elements of war: gun fire, bombs blasting and drones flying, played over with a sometimes cheesy soundtrack. It was a strange juxtaposition between this romantic drama and comedy set on a backdrop of the war in Afghanistan. This wasn’t a MASH situation. There were some serious thought-provoking moments. And it worked.

I enjoyed watching this film because I liked the characters. The translator, Fahim Ahmadzai (Christopher Abbott) was a standout with warm eyes and a genuine soul; then there’s the security guy Nic (Steve Peacocke), fellow journalist, Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) – yes the film was heavy on the Aussie actors not that it’s a bad thing! Then there’s the photographer Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman), the politician Ali Massoud Sadiq (Alfred Molina), the general Hallanek (Billy Bob Thorton) and then the people of Afghanistan.

This was a well-rounded story, and yes, it was heart-warming.

It was just some of the moments were strange. For example, Kate reporting in front of the camera only to realise she’s standing near a dead body hidden under rubble but for an arm. Not funny, just a bit strange.

The mission undertaken by marines with the green of night vision but with a romantic soundtrack playing, also strange.

But the strength of the storyline with the careful handling of the characters by directors, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011); Focus (2015)), Whisky Tango Foxtrot was an enjoyable film to watch.

Captain America: Civil War

Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Screenplay by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Based on: Captain America by Joe Simon, Jack Kirby

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Chadwick Boseman, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt; Daniel Brühl.

With no expectation going in, I was pleasantly surprised by gutsy action and a well-thought out storyline. And yes, I’m just going to say it, Captain America: Civil War was heart-warming.

To be honest, the Captain America character has never appealed to me. As Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) says, ‘Sometimes, I just want to punch you in your perfect teeth’.

However, the film celebrates difference of opinion and differing values and cultures and that’s a definite positive of this film.

Civil War is about friendship and the difficulty in accepting differences between friends. Who’s to say they’re right and who is wrong? People have their reasons whether it be loyalty, the idea of doing the right thing, of looking after the little guy; and then there’s the bad manipulating the good.

The huge number of strong characters could have led to confusion, but the well-paced storyline gave every character their point and time in the spotlight.

I liked the addition of the cat-man, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). And the threat of cheesiness was nicely averted with humour; the characters able to make fun of themselves and each other, particularly Iron Man and Ant-Man (Scott Lang) – just hilarious!

I admit I was a little confused at times regarding the history of the characters and how they came to fight together, which means I need to go back and re-watch some of the previous films. And that’s a lot of watching. Civil War is the third in the series of Captain America. And then you have Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Plus there’s all the Iron Man series and of course the films casting all the other characters… So there wasn’t really anything new here, either.

But when I find I’m entertained at the beginning, the middle and the end, I say that’s a good movie.

Pawno

Director: Paul Ireland

Screenplay: Damien Hill

Cast: Damien Hill, John Brumpton, Maeve Dermody, Mark Coles Smith, Kerry Armstrong, Malcolm Kennard, Brad McMurray, John Orcsik, Mark Silveira.

A day in the suburb of Footscray.

Pawno is a well-paced, character driven film with a great soundtrack. A snapshot of Footscray culture showing insight into the need to belong with a bit of humour thrown in the mix.

I remember when I first moved to Melbourne in the ’90s, walking to the Footscray train station after staying at a friends the night before. Suddenly, there was this young Vietnamese guy asking me, ‘Are you chasing? Are you chasing?’

A catch phrase if I was looking for a hit.

Did I look like I was chasing? I probably did that morning, hungover, a skinny 18-year-old heading for the train station on a Sunday morning.

Footscray is known for its drug culture. But there’s so much more to this suburb, shown so well in this film.

The characters are the story.

The director, Paul Ireland, shared the difficulty in finding two actors who could play the part of Pauly (Mark Coles Smith) and Carlo (Malcolm Kennard), the two junkies drinking their dose of methadone, passing the day; great mates that’ll break your heart.

Friendship and humour can get a person through the day, through the quiet desperation of needing that hit. The mateship of these two junkies is a delight even though the tragedy is obvious. It’s such a pleasure to see the good boys underneath the bad. To see the life behind the begging. There’s a dark humour here, shown with a depth of understanding.

Then there’s Les Underwood (John Brumpton), owner of a Pawn shop: what a great place to show each character, to show the underbelly when in need of a loan.

Les is a wise and warm character on the one hand and a no-nonsense man, on the other. An iconic Aussie male who’s seen it all and can tell the bullshit from the genuine.

But love his dog Ruby, you love the man.

It’s a fine line between making a profit and giving someone a loan out of mateship. Sometimes, it’s brutal.

John tells a mother (Kerry Armstrong) looking for her junkie son, ‘The young keep their own time.’

What more can he do?

‘I’ll let you know when he pops up again.’

Then there’s the shy Danny Williams (Damien Hill) working alongside John as his assistant. A gentle character who in finding his mental stability begins his search for love. The community embraces Danny, accepting those who are really trying versus the real desperates, the junkies who are still chasing, baby bottle in hand.

Damien Hill was also the screenwriter of Pawno, and I’m not surprised he has a background in the theatre as it’s the dialogue that makes this film such a success.

The addition of the young blind girl playing the ukulele adds an emotional note, knowing she’s not quite right, but her heart is there, in her playing. In the Q&A session, the director, Paul Ireland said it took just one take at each location for her to get it right. And it’s beautiful, her voice and her playing.

All of the characters are flawed. Each with their own battle of mental illness, heartbreak, addiction; loneliness.

It would have been easy to get bogged down in the melancholy, but there’s humour here, the focus is on the good: the poem written to the beautiful girl in the bookshop, the drummers tapping out a heartbeat and the dance of a local in appreciation, the expression of graffiti and the love of a dog. Pawno shows life in all its complications with the simplicity of a leaky kettle or a favourite mug.

I was surprised there wasn’t a greater focus on the Vietnamese culture. Walking the main street, you will see nothing but Vietnamese restaurants with aquariums full of what’s to eat. And this could have been better represented in the film by showing more of the signage, hearing the language.

Scratching the surface of the Vietnamese culture would have added a greater weight to the film but I appreciated the thought put into each character who was shown.

You don’t need to throw a lot of money at a film when you’ve got characters with depth.

A bit of compassion goes a long way. Sometimes, it’s enough. Sometimes it’s a pinch on the inner arm, just to know you’re alive. That inner voice saying, ‘I am here. I am here.’

The Witch: A New-England Folktale

Director and Writer: Robert Eggers

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson; Bathsheba Garrett.

A serious film that picks at the heart of our psyche – being part of the social group versus apart and left in isolation, waiting for the devil in the woods.

In the 17^th century, being cast out meant the threat of starvation, lack of others outside the family for partners and left at the mercy of the elements. A time for belief in God. But not in the winter time. The creaking of the pine trees speak of winter. The witches are the only ones who can survive in the forest.

The Witch is an authentic film pulling the audience back to times where evil is present because life is just as cruel.

I can understand the worship of nature where the power is unknown. God is the only amulet against the power of the forest. But when God was most exalted and prayed upon, He was most absent.

To control the nature of man equals control of the elements. It’s a cruel concept. And depicted so well in this film.

A failed crop would equate the man failing to provide through lack of work or lack of faith. The enslavement of women to the care of children, to clean and cook. If the woman rebelled it was because she was faithless. And you can imagine the temptation to run off naked into the forest to become a witch. But this film depicted the true horror of witchcraft. The taking and killing of babies to make lotions, to make them young; to be able to fly.

It was subtle, how direct and writer Robert Eggers showed the disintegration of this family. The Sanpaku eyes, where the white part of the eye is visible under the iris representing approaching danger; the attraction of accidents and violence – The ignorance of the skill of dogs sensing danger. And the soundtrack was used well to keep the film moving forward.

However, I admit, I was bored at times.

I can understand why Robert Eggers won the Sundance directing award for this movie. And I want to give full credit, but I can’t, because it was just such a dry film. Deep but dry.

Worth a watch with the concept handled well.

Eye in the Sky

Director: Gavin Hood

Screenplay: Guy Hibbert

Starring: Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi, Lain Glen, Phoebe Fox, Jeremy Northam.

Drama/Thriller

I was completely absorbed by this film, from beginning to end.

I’m not a fan of war movies. I find the violence a little too real and disturbing because it is all too true. But Eye in the Sky isn’t one of those blood and guts type of films, it analyses the hierarchy, the politics of war. It makes murderers of all involved.

What a fascinating take on such a complicated issue. We are at war, but from the comforts of our homes; directions are made behind closed doors and bombs dropped from drones. War, in these days, is an ethical conundrum.

There was no loss of momentum in this film, even though the focus was a quiet examination made through dialogue between the characters; the suspense in waiting for difficult decisions that must be made. Not an easy task and very well handled by director, Gavin Hood (Tsotsi (2005), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Ender’s Game (2013)). He lets the characters tell the story in the simplicity of one day, one long moment shown in all its depth and complexity. And using this linear time-line and keeping it simple, the film felt authentic.

Helen Mirren was perfectly cast as Colonel Katherine Powell. A tough as nails, uncompromising military soldier who never waivers from her duty. And mixed emotions seeing Alan Rickman in his final performance as Lieutenant General Frank Benson: a sympathetic character showing his humanity under the cast iron soul of a soldier. Hard to believe this brilliant actor will no longer grace our screens.

It was interesting to have the curtains drawn back to show what happens behind the closed doors of war. I can only sympathise with the people who have to make decisions to try and save as many lives as possible. Deciding what are the legal, ethical and moral ramifications behind the killing of people in a different country – and whose life is worth more.

Eye in the Sky was thought-provoking, suspenseful and moving without theatrics. A film to get people talking about issues that need to be spoken about.

A Bigger Splash

Rated: MA 15+

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Screenplay: Dave Kajganich

Story: Alain Page

Starring: Tida Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, Corrado Guzzanti, Lily McMenamy, Aurore Clément; Elena Bucci.

An English language Italian-French erotic thriller.

After having throat surgery, Marianne Lane (Tida Swinton) goes on a retreat from her rock star career with her lover, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts).

The film opens to an idyllic life of sun, mud, the blue of the ocean and the relaxation of naked lovers lounging by the pool. Until Harry (Ralph Fiennes) arrives. Bringing his long lost daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson) with him.

I’d never thought of Tida Swinton as sexy until seeing her playing Marianne. Think, We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011), Constantine (2005) and I’ll never forget her in Orlando (1992). But there’s a genuine love and warmth in this silent yet expressive character. And the chemistry between Marianne and Paul is totally believable. As is the subtleties of the narcissism of youth in Penelope and the unbalanced, lost, selfish but, gotta love him for his dancing moves, Harry. The guy dances like a demented chicken.

And I admit I became a bit jealous of the love between Marianne and Paul, so intimately portrayed to the audience.

What a great mix of characters. All so well cast and well played. At one point Harry states, ‘Honesty is the greatest fidelity.’ Where Paul responds, ‘The world isn’t ready for your honesty.’

Set on an island somewhere between Sicily and Tunisia, the elements are used to build the tension: the desert winds, the porcelain faces of pots; ruined boats flaking red and blue and the lost immigrants appearing from behind crumbling buildings set on baron clifftops. And the ever present snakes.

Director, Luca Guadagnino shows the story using the landscape and montages, almost glitches in the flow to set a slight unease in the audience. There’s a tension that brews in this film and I loved the classic soundtrack used to set the flavour of the film giving a clarity to the mystery, almost like cleansing the palate.

There’s a fair bit of nudity here, but the film has such a mature feel, it’s just another part of the character’s personality. How comfortable they are naked in front of others.

The only negative is there was a loss of momentum where the peak of the film was reached too early. But the story continued giving a greater depth of character. That looking back with regret, or the feeling you never have to do that stupid thing again. Or, hell, maybe I will. But now things are different. Life is different. And the consequences of previous choices are now being felt. And either forgotten, held for ransom, cut away, forgiven or gotten away with. Life; people. You just don’t always know what you’re going to get.

I enjoyed watching this film, the subtleties of each character and the beautiful scenery.

Nice to watch one made for the adults.

London Has Fallen

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Babak Najafi

Screenplay by: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Chad St. John, Christian Gudegast

Story by: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Alan Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Melissa Leo and Radha Mitchell.

A sequel to the 2013 film, Olympus Has Fallen, London Has fallen is an action thriller that was better and bloodier than expected.

Obligated to attend the state funeral of the British Prime Minister, the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart), along with the majority of the world’s leaders, come under attack by the Pakistani terrorist and arms dealer, Aamir Barkawi (Alan Moni Aboutboul).

Gerard Butler playing the secret service agent, Mike Banning, isn’t my favourite action man. And the chemistry between Mike and his wife Leah (Aussie actress, Radha Mitchell) was strained if not painful to watch. But there were glimmers of a personality under all that strutting – ‘I don’t know about you but I’m thirsty as fuck,’ being one of the very few human moments. He’s a man made of, ‘Bourbon and bad decisions’. But yeah, some of the dialogue was pretty bad.

This is a big budget film with buildings blown up, the Chelsea Bridge disintegrating and the top of Westminster Abby toppling to the streets of London. If it wasn’t for the seeming required cheese that these ‘American President versus Terrorist’ movies always seem to require, this would have been a very good film.

I like my thrillers and there was plenty of action here – car chases and machine guns popping like fireworks. There were moments reminiscent of an Army Action kill ‘em all PlayStation game. Good stuff!

Having the Brits on board only helped balance the typical cheese of the American style, one-sided ideal of the live and die mantra for the American Dream. Even with Morgan Freeman’s baritone, some of the dialogue was hard to swallow.

The screening of the movie is timely with the recent terrorist attacks on Brussels. A very sad day. And some politics are discussed here. The required need to continue the fight against terror rather than do nothing. To engage the world. The fact America has been under attack for centuries and that they will remain. It is frightening, this terror business, this blowing up of innocent people. And I don’t want to get into politics here. But there are attacks happening and I guess the movie shows a perspective. Anyway.

A lot of cheese, but some good action here with a big budget to make the film look impressive on the screen.

The Brothers Grimsby

Director: Louis Leterrier

Screenplay by: Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston

Story by: Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynhan, Phil Johnston

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Penélope Cruz, Isla Fisher and Babourey Sidibe.

A spy action comedy.

I’m not saying it’s one of Sacha’s best (I mean, Borat was a revelation), but Grimsby is definitely worth a giggle, a cringe and an outright laugh. Yes, his humour is crude and extremely un-PC. But it can also be very dry and very un-PC! And that’s why I found myself sniggering through-out the film.

Even though he’s got his football, hotlips girlfriend and 11 kids, Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen) still misses his long lost brother, Sebastion (Mark Strong). Finally tracking him down, Nobby finds out his brother is a spy on a mission and Sebastion finds Nobby to be his idiot but ever-loving brother. Together, nothing can stand in their way, except perhaps for Nobby… and the people of Grimsby giving away their location… and a few randy elephants.

Nobby is the definite focus of the narrative and humour. Dawn, Nobby’s girlfriend (played by Rebel Wilson) gets a few farts in. It’s interesting how Rebel is inherently funny in this film, similar to Sacha. Just the expressions on the face are funny. I mean, Nobby showing his – I love you brother, face is hilarious.

But why-oh-why did I find Daniel Radcliff (the character, not the actual actor) contracting AIDS the funniest part of the film?!

There is a particular style to the Cohen franchise. And even through it wasn’t his best, Cohen has created a spy action film, thrown a load of cash at it and mixed it with his humour. And yes, I was left with a grin on my face.

Not gold but bloody entertaining.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm8EtusOye0&nohtml5=False

Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice

Director: Zack Snyder

Screenplay: Chris Terrio, David S. Goyer

Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Godot, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams.

Two superheros; one city. No wonder the people of Metropolis are worried. A vigilante batman and an alien who could destroy them all. If he wanted. And there lies the foundation of the film – the fear that one Being can have too much power. And if the movie stuck with this idea, Batman Vs Superman would have been a fantastic film. But the story continues so it’s like three movies squeezed into one. All without the required depth of conflict to make the story truly engaging.

This movie had everything going for it – the special effects; the characters were all well-cast. But without enough conflict between Superman and Batman, the whole premise of the story fell over. There wasn’t enough meaning.

What a pity. There were flickers of greatness, such as the humanising of characters. Batman asks Superman, ‘Do you bleed? I’m going to make you bleed.’ And a great one, ‘Only men have courage.’ So it was this fear of Superman being an alien that brought the people of Metropolis against him. And I thought, wow, this version will go where all the others haven’t: a moody, mystery thriller! But the story just wasn’t strong enough. And then it went on and on. Why did Batman hate Superman so much? It just wasn’t enough for me and the whole movie depended on this set-up of hatred.

I’m not saying I didn’t like the characters. Ben Affleck as Batman was believable. And I love Henry Cavill as Superman. Even if Superman is the goody, I just can’t help but love the guy/alien. And in this characterisation, the film is a success. Amy Adams as Louis Lane is a flat character; helpless by tradition. But I liked her ginger-self anyway. She still had guts. Even Wonder Woman, played by Gal Godot was likeable. But that’s my case in point, it felt like she was just tacked on the end.

Knee-jerk reaction: what a waste. It was all there. But trying to fit so much in the 2.5 hours made it feel like 5. Surface action is just explosions on the screen. But hey, I love a pretty explosion, and I guess that’s why Batman Vs Superman is watchable just not memorable.

The Daughter

Directed by: Simon Stone

Produced by: Jan Chapman, Nicole O’Donohue

Screenplay by: Simon Stone

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie, Paul Schneider, Mirada Otto, Anna Torv, Odessa Young, Sam Neill.

An Australian film based on a play by Henrik Ibsen, ‘The Wild Duck’.

After Henry (Jeoffrey Rush) closes down the timber mill, the town starts dying – boarded-up shop fronts reflect the people left: hidden secrets kept behind the surface of happy families. But slowly, the surface is scratched away as Chris (Paul Schneider), Henry’s son, reunites with his family and old Uni mate, Oliver (Ewen Leslie), to attend his father’s wedding to his second wife, Anna (Anna Torv).

I love films based on plays – you always know the characters are well-developed and the dialogue a highlight and authentic. But I hadn’t prepared myself for the emotional kick in the stomach this film became.

This is a story about being lucky in life even if it’s not perfect. A roof over the head of a loving family, that’s being lucky. Yet, the others who don’t have it, want to destroy it. Even if they think it’s the right thing to do. And there’s many a sad story behind every seemingly happy family. And this is a very sad story. Yes, a few deep breaths are required.

I was particularly affected by the stand-out performances of Miranda Otto playing Hedvig and Ewen Leslie as Oliver, playing father and daughter and the beautiful relationship between them. Sam Neill as the grandfather is also worth mentioning – ‘Stories like these are as old as the hills’, he says.

The setting of the film is chosen carefully: country scenery of fog drifting through the trees of a pine forest and sunlight reflected off the water running through grassy banked rivers. Yes, there’s some real beauty here.

And Hedvig is such a lovely, smart girl, her love of the people in her life a fragile treasure that all who know her try to protect. But mostly there’s a sadness, like a duck shot out of the sky and left with a broken wing. You can only hope she’ll fly again. Lucky duck if she’s saved. But is she lucky if she can’t fly?

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