Marion Cotillard – NZ Film Freak

Contagion

contagion film review.jpg

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Released: September 2011
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Ehle, Elliot Gould and Kate Winslet
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I’m 100% sure I have reviewed Contagion before… But I can’t find it anywhere so I must have only thought about writing about it. Anyway.

Contagion is almost like an apocalyptic film that explores what may happen in the event of a major epidemic that threatens to wipe out much of the population, similar to that of the Spanish flu that killed about 1% of the word’s population at the time (50-100 million people during 1918).

It plays on our fears of being vulnerable and desperate to protect ourselves and our family.

It follows the lives of multiple people such as an ordinary citizen (Matt Damon) whose [cheating] wife (Gweneth Paltrow) is affected by the epidemic (funny how the first person to die is someone who is guilty of having an affair), a doctor (Marion Cotillard) who attempts to trace the origin of the flu, and another doctor (Kate Winslet) who investigates the nature/behaviour of the virus. In the background is Jennifer Ehle’s character who is working hard to find the vaccine to this unknown flu strain.

Meanwhile, we see the ‘faces’ of the epidemic: Laurence Fishburne’s character’s professional opinion is sought after by the Centre of Disease Control, and he is asked to do interviews on the news.

“No one can know until everyone knows”

In the other corner is Jude Law’s character who is a popular conspiracy theorist who attempts to prove that the disease is a bio terrorism weapon used by the government to financially profit from the vaccines. He believes he has found a homeopathic cure for the fatal disease.

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It’s so interesting – every opinion is represented by a character, including the medical industry, government and citizens. The conspiracy theorist – although shown in a negative light with little integrity or authenticity (even given a gammy tooth for good measure) – raises a lot of good questions that should be asked. Challenging authority in such situations isn’t necessarily dangerous, but spreading propaganda may well be.

A thrilling ride with lots of interesting ‘what if’ scenarios.

My only criticism is the music. It’s such bizarre music. It’s sort of indie-sci-fi and reminds me of the Blade Runner soundtrack. The noises certainly put you on edge, but I’m not sure it always works with the more emotional scenes.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

The Oscars 2015

I’m basically doing my homework the night before it’s due…

I am very behind with all of this nonsense as the nominees were released on January 15th… and The Oscars are tomorrow. But just in case, like me, these things slip under your radar, I thought I should update you on who is in the running.

Before we begin: Just in case you’re as inept with modern culture as I, here is a quick differentiation between the entertainment award ceremonies:

Academy Award (rebranded as The Oscars in 2013) – Award in the Film Industry
Golden Globe Award – Award in Motion Picture and Televison
Emmy Award – Award in Televison
Grammy Award – Award in Music
Tony Award – Award in Theatre

Right! So now we are clued up on the ceremonies, here are the nominees:
*Update: the winners are in bold

Best Picture (Drama)
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Birdman
Into the Woods
Pride
St. Vincent

Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
The Boxtrolls
Big Hero 6
Song of the Sea

Best Actress (Drama)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Jennifer Aniston (Cake)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Amy Adams (Big Eyes)
Emily Blunt (Into the Woods)
Helen Mirren (The Hundred-Foot Journey)
Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie)

Best Supporting Actress (Drama)
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)
Laura Dern (Wild)
Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Best Actor (Drama)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
Steve Carell – (Foxcatcher)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
David Oyelowo (Selma)

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Bill Murray (St. Vincent)
Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)
Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes)

Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
Robert Duvall (The Judge)
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Best Director
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)
Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

There’s quite a few more sub-categories including Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup… The list goes on!

PUMPED! Let’s watch some rich people get awards!

Jodie.

Midnight In Paris

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Released: June 2011
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody
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When I first watched this film I was disappointed because I had hyped up the plot of Gil (Owen Wilson) travelling through different time eras of Paris. The artistic, fashionable, sophisticated and elaborate times of the 1920s, as well as the ceremonious, coming of age times of the 1890s. But after letting my great expectations subside, I really enjoyed the watch.

The plot is about the Golden Age. That is, longing to live in a time before your own. For example, mine is the early 1960s. Rock and roll music and amazing fashion, with the huge liberal movement against war and for free will.

Paul: Nostalgia is denial – denial of the painful present… the name for this denial is golden age thinking – the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one one’s living in – it’s a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.

However, Midnight In Paris attempts to shroud my Golden Age in contempt, trying to convince me that few are content with the current times and to get over it. It dampened my comfort of believing I would be happier in a different time, because the reality is – as Gil discovers – that you would simply find another time that you would believe to be better.

There is a lot of magic in this film, which I love. Gil goes through a wormhole of sorts, where at the strike of midnight every night a 1920s car picks him up and takes him to parties with his literary heroes. It’s a beautiful “what if” storyline that lives out everybody’s dream to travel through time to experience a life not meant for them.

I think that the decision for Gil to be transported to different era via transport appropriate for that time was perfect. It seems like a small, obvious detail, but I’m just glad that there was no CGI, special effects or sound effects to make the transition obvious.

midnight-in-paris-carload-of-literary-types

This magic does not last throughout the film, however. “The grass is always greener on the other side” is a phrase that has been converted into the moral of this story – the cold, harsh light of day is not welcoming.

Gil sees that the beauty of every era can still be inspiring without having the ability to experience it first hand. Which is disappointing since it seems that he is throwing away his idyllic time era of 1920s Paris for an average life in 2010 Paris. He could have continued to live his dream, but chose not to for no convincing reason.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS marion

On the other hand, I loved how his heroes gave him advice and support, which ultimately builds his confidence to improve his life in the present.

Gil: Would you read it?
Ernest Hemingway: Your novel?
Gil: Yeah, it’s about 400 pages long, and I’m just looking for an opinion.
Ernest Hemingway: My opinion is I hate it.
Gil: Well you haven’t even read it yet.
Ernest Hemingway: If it’s bad, I’ll hate it because I hate bad writing, and if it’s good, I’ll be envious and hate all the more. You don’t want the opinion of another writer.

Instead of taking the easy option of staying in his dream, he takes the tough road of building his life into what he really wants. I guess he shook of the security blanket of living in the past – an easier place to live because you know what’s coming for you.

Gil: Adriana, if you stay here though, and this becomes your present then pretty soon you’ll start imagining another time was really your… You know, was really the golden time. Yeah, that’s what the present is. It’s a little unsatisfying because life’s a little unsatisfying.

Gertrude Stein: We all fear death and question our place in the universe. The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair, but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.

The beautiful French music was glorious! Seriously considering buying the soundtrack.

The acting was very well done. I really hated Rachel McAdam’s character. Like, it got to the point where I was starting to think that she must be a total bi-atch in real life because she played evil Inez so convincingly. So, kudos to her acting ability.

Owen Wilson was pretty much the same character he is in everything. I’m not totally sure why he was cast. Perhaps to keep the film upbeat.

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It is an uplifting tale of something that many of us dream of doing. The ending was rather disappointing, at first. But I have come to terms with it, and I think it works well for Gil.

Worth a watch, but don’t expect it to be a deep and meaningful movie – you will be disappointed! Look at it as a quirky drama/rom-com. Although, I do think that it would have been a very moving film if it was heavier with more drama and emotion.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Director: Chrisopher Nolan
Written: Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Characters created by Bob Kane
Released: July 2012
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman
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Perhaps my expectations were simply too high. I loved the 2008 The Dark Knight so much that I expected this film to be equally as captivating and shocking… Just in a different way due to the obvious absence of Heath Ledger… *sigh*.

Bane Joker — The Joker was way more scary, more funny and much more shocking than ‘Bane’.

Of course it was epically shot with fantastic sets, lighting, special effects, stunts and characters – kudos to Mr. Nolan who is a fantastic film maker with Inception and The Prestige being my two of my favourite movies of his…
It’s just the storyline of The Dark Knight Rises sucked a bit…

Now, I know many people who have seen the film will be up in arms about what me thinking badly of this Batman film, and the people who haven’t seen it will be gob-smacked and shaking their heads. But seriously, if you just ignore all the “10 out of 10” and “better than the previous film” comments and take away your high expectations that will probably blind you into thinking that it is epically incredible… You will see that it wasn’t – at least not in every way. This is why:

I go to see superhero films because I like to see super people acting heroically. However, I found that for the majority of the film, Batman was in a spot of bother with no foreseeable way of escape. It just got depressing watching Batman being defeated right until the end pretty much… I mean, it’s called a three-act structure because there are ups and downs that keep the audiences’ attention. It just seems that the hero’s journey was going increasingly downhill from the beginning.

Also, Batman’s enemy, Bane, is a masked man who sounds like he has an amplifier attached to his belt which, although it was creepy, his voice kept distorting and I missed quite a few lines.
Plus, the fact that his name was “Bane” began to sound like “Wayne” (as in Bruce Wayne) and they were talking about being in ‘pain’ a lot too, so the rhyming didn’t help the understanding of the characters. Christian Bale’s Batman voice gets on my nerves too… Sometimes I just couldn’t take him seriously.

I have to say I was extremely concerned about Anne Hathaway being Catwoman! However, she certainly stole the show – the Cat Burglar was incredible. Good on Anne Hathaway for her performance.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were obviously flawless, that barely needs to be mentioned; they’re both very well established and respected actors for good reason.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was terrific too – I’m sure we will see more of him in the following Batman films.

I only know people who thought this film was fantastic. Having said that, every one of them could think of at least one major thing that they would change in film.
I’m afraid I will have to break the mould and not give full marks to this very well made film.

It’s worth seeing, but don’t get your hopes up.
Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Public Enemies

Director: Michael Mann
Writer: Michael Mann, Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman
Released: 2009
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Lang
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After reading the blurb on the back of the $9.99 DVD I was preparing myself for a mind-numbing 143 minutes of car chases and gunfire. With such an instant dislike you may wonder why I bothered rescuing this film from the bargain bin. Well, I put my faith in Johnny Depp’s reputation of being in the best of films.

Three words; Way. Friggin’. Cool. The car chases were not boring (possibly for the simple reason that the 1930s cars are wicked!) and the gun fire had consequences. i.e. it wasn’t random gunfire for the most part – some bullets did actually collide with people or surroundings, which is always a bonus.

John Dillinger mug shot — The real John Dillinger

Public Enemies is a true account of John Dillinger’s (Depp) bank robberies, successes and being on the constant run from the cops during the depression of 1933-34. Despite it being rather difficult to distinguish many of the male characters during the dimmer scenes due to their very similar wardrobe, the characters were pretty well rounded and before you knew it, you were rooting for the ‘baddies’. You know the writers and film makers have done their job when you end up supporting the murdering protagonists. It’s like Dillinger is perceived as a superhero villain/rock star… He’s the dark superstar of the 1930s.

This action thriller is fantastic because it did happen which makes all of the gasping and gob-smacking moments even more appropriate. However, after doing about ten-minutes worth of research after watching the film, I realised that they embellished the love-interest and missed out the hugest mystery of all; the question mark over Dillinger’s death!

Apparently there was a look alike named Jimmy Lawrence who was a petty thief who became Dillinger’s alias in Chicago, and because John Dillinger burned his fingers with acid to remove his fingerprints, the post-mortem was inconclusive despite the FBI closing the case – possibly to save any more embarrassment in relation to the long chase. I think they should have included that, and laid off on the love interest of Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) a tad.

The filming and lighting was FANTASTIC! It was mostly hand-held with slow motion shots that made chills go down your spine and incredible shadows which created the entire mood.

“What keeps you up at night?”
“Coffee”

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Released: 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine
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Wow! If you liked the Matrix you’ll like this!

A mind-twisting film which demands the full attention of viewers as it’s not an ‘easy watch’. By that, I mean that a passive audience is not going to be handed the complex idea of dream inception and deep characters on a platter.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the primary dreamer or extractor hired by a corporation-owner, Mr Saito (Ken Watanabe) to plant a lucrative idea into Robert Michael Fischer’s (Cillian Murphey) mind via a dream. This is to encourage him to decide to break up the energy conglomerate which he recently inherited to make way for Saito’s company.

inception_luciddreaming

Despite this not being an easy task. But to add to the challenge, Cobb’s late wife invades the dreams, potentially sabotaging the entire job and putting the dreamers (including Joseph Gordan-Levitt and Ellen Page) in fatal danger. This is because dying in a “dream within a dream” will not wake them up, but send them into limbo which is basically no-man’s land for what seems like an eternity.

That was a mouthful!

This epic film is a James Bond action meets Matrix science fiction meets a totally unique twist of a psychological thriller, which incorporates the modern fear of privacy invasion and increasing reality that companies have the most power.

With so much going on and so much to think about during the movie, the two and a half hours whizz by.

My favourite scene would have to be the parallel storyline of the van that is driving the unconscious dreamers, with the storyline of the conscious dreamers within somebody else’s dream. (Yes, it’s difficult to explain).

It’s the fast-paced dream versus the slow motion van that explains the time difference between dreaming and real life.

The count-down begins as the slow motion van is driven off of the bridge and the dreamers need to accomplish the mission and wake up before their physical selves drown in the van. It’s so intense!

The cliff-hanger ending leaves much debate between viewers – so after much philosophical thinking, logical analysis and heated debates with friends, you would be back in the cinema for a second viewing or buying the special edition DVD from the nearest store.

The devoted and flabbergasted viewers will find themselves questioning how they come to certain decisions (are we in a dream?) in the same way the Matrix promoted questions of fiction and reality (is this world physically real?). In the same way as Sims players question if somebody is playing our lives out.

Of course, different people take away very different things from this movie. The most popular comment being “I don’t get it.”

INCEPTION. With a stream of shallow chick flicks and rom-coms, Inception was a breath of fresh air for those who enjoy a bit of an “epic”.

Of course, the film and talented cast is not all that creates such a movie – Hans Zimmer’s haunting scores were essentially what gives you chills!

Not forgetting the song that was the cue for the dreamers to wake up in the film (and is everybody’s alarm clock sound now) – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rein sung by Edith Piaf. It stirs emotions of apprehension and nostalgia in the audience which is parallel with the characters’.

I’m sure you can tell that I am an Inception fan, but I have to say that such a long and complicated film has less entertainment value by the third or fourth viewing.

However, it’s a “must have” for all dedicated DVD collectors or movie-making enthusiasts.

Even if it is a DVD that is not watched frequently, it’s a film that will always spark conversation and is kept handy for casual social viewing for a wide audience.

Jodie’s rating: 8.5/10