Today we have a guest post from our regular movie reviewer, Yalin, on the highly anticipated movie, The Road. Thanks Yalin!

If you’d like to become a guest-blogger too, just .

What distinguishes The Road (based on Cormac McCarthy‘s novel) from other post-apocalyptic films is John Hillcoat’s focus on the realistic issues that humanity would face in such a situation, raising questions on the ideals of humanity and human nature. What part of humanity do we expect to last in a situation where the world is ending and everyone’s out for their own survival? Would we join the cannibalistic herds or retain our sense of humanity no matter what price we pay?

Hillcoat dissects these questions in several layers and reveals that we are as human as the choices we make. His revelation is even more noteworthy considering the film mostly relies on focused acting and beautiful yet solemn cinematography.

The characters in the film do not have names. They’re simply cast as Man, Boy, and Woman, as names don’t really matter in post-apocalyptic tales. Everyone is the same, just flesh and blood. In this particular tale, the Man and Boy try to fend for themselves in the resulting cold and ash. Their main purpose is to make it south to a warmer climate, but they have no idea what awaits them there or what they would do next once and if they arrive. With this purpose in mind, the Man and Boy scavenge for food and avoid the cannibals on their way south.

Yes, that’s right. In The Road the majority of the human population turns cannibalistic in the absence of food. These herds hunt together like animals but still seem to have a certain air of modernity and civilisation about them. They live in houses and still eat from plates. Moreover, they have access to whatever technology that’s left behind. The Man and Boy, on the other hand, are dirty and live in the wild with nothing but a pistol with two bullets and a rusty shopping cart. They eat insects and whatever else they can find. They’re physically portrayed as animals, but it’s this conflicting depiction that grabs the viewer’s attention. The co-existence of civilisation and cannibalism really challenges our current understanding of what it means to be civilised and raises the question: do we have to be civilised to be human?

To answer that, we need to examine how we define ourselves. Humans have traditionally defined themselves and civilisation for that matter in relation to their superiority over animals, which includes technology, and their success at resisting animal instincts. It’s this relative definition that gives us a proud sense of who we are, but the danger lies herein. Relative definitions are not stable especially when the surrounding environment changes, and technology may be used for good or evil. What becomes acceptable may change if the relative point changes. It’s really in these moments when people find who they really are. They may break under the pressure or they may still be proud and do whatever’s humane and dignified. This central choice frames The Road, which deserves to be seen.

Despite being a little slow at times, The Road is blessed with great acting from Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The father-and-son pair garner instant sympathy and we take on their journey seriously. Thanks to Hillcoat’s realistic approach and the non-existence of unnecessary visuals, their plight is made real, landing sci-fi material safely in the drama space.

You can also check out Yalin’s other posts on It’s Complicated and The Men Who Stare At Goats.

Today, another guest post from our film reviewer Yalin. Thanks!

If you’d like to become a guest-blogger too, just .

I am a little confused with It’s Complicated, Nancy Meyers’ latest film. It’s blessed with great acting from Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, but the overall feeling is fake and almost irritating.

Meyers has been very successful writing about the suburban American family, specifically focusing on the middle-aged participants, each film presenting a different dimension of their lives from marrying off kids to dealing with divorce. Since Father of the Bride (1991), she has perfected her scripts, finally culminating with the wonderful Something’s Gotta Give (2003), which is her best film if you ask me. Following that trend and hinging on her own experiences, It’s Complicated deals with falling in love once again after divorce, maybe even with the ex-husband. Even though the theme is worthwhile to explore, the execution feels unreal with characters that seem to have popped out of a toothpaste commercial – disingenuous and constantly smiling.

After a nostalgic night on the eve of their son’s graduation, the divorced-for-a-decade Jane (Streep) and Jake (Baldwin) end up in the same bed. Jane is unsettled to be the “other woman” while Jake seems all too happy to be “back home.” Their affair uncovers unsettled questions in their relationship, which is complicated by another suitor for Jane, who is played by Steve Martin. The trio do their best with the material given, which results in a few good laughs, but unfortunately their acting can’t change the fate of the film.

For one, the children in the film are extremely annoying. They neither understand their mother’s sexual revival nor act like how children act in real life. They are the picture-perfect children with no issues of their own and a constant smile; they’re practically angels! Secondly, everything in the film is so pristine, from the houses to the interior decor, that something quite doesn’t feel right. Everything feels too Hollywood, which means the film can only happen in Meyers’ happy place. These shortcomings might seem minor, but considering that they make up the framework in which the three leads are placed, they detract from the film much more than you would think.

Overall, the acting from Streep and Baldwin is enjoyable and funny at times, but you can’t get watch It’s Complicated and not feel some contempt too. I may not have explained it too well, but it is hard to explain. I guess it is complicated.

Here’s Yalin’s previous review of The Men Who Stare At Goats (which is coming to Australia in March).

Say hi to my new guest blogger Yalin! Born and bred in Istanbul, matured (mostly) in the US and now London-based, Yalin is going to giving us the northern hemisphere scoop on upcoming movies before they’re released in Australia. Yalin’s a movie buff who used to write long term papers during university on the characters or themes found in French New Wave cinema of the 60s.  He now review films regularly when he’s not reading about screen writing, directing, cinematography or the use of cinema as a subversive art form.  Thanks Yalin!

If you’d like to become a guest-blogger too, just .

If someone told you that the US military had approved a special unit to train psychic soldiers in the 80s and tested their effectiveness on goats, would you believe them? Grant Heslov’s feature, The Men Who Stare at Goats, cautions the viewer at first sight by warning that more of the film than what we think is real.

This quirky comedy revolves around Bob Wilton, an emasculated reporter from small-town America, who is thrown into Iraq with an American army jedi (that’s what the film calls them) looking for a target whose destination isn’t known. The storyline is an obvious symbolism for the reporter’s life. Not only does he feel like he is going nowhere in life, but to add insult to injury, his wife leaves him for his manager, an older man with a prosthetic arm. In order to regain control of his life, his unknown destiny and of course his masculinity, he goes after the only goal he can come up with; to impress his wife and get her back. Hence he makes his way to Kuwait to become a war reporter as that’s what he thinks will prove he’s not frail or weak. His plan fails miserably as it has no effect on the wife, but the force calls for him, pun intended. A chance encounter with a jedi takes him into Iraq where he learns to respect the ways of the jedi in the American army, which results in his personal salvation.

The film follows a linear pattern of Wilton’s adventures in Iraq with flashbacks to reveal the history of the jedi and the New Earth Army. The unconventional army is built upon hippie agenda where love and tolerance is expected to win over war and violence. As such, the training involves unorthodox measures and exercises. It’s these scenes that really make the viewer think over and over again: how much of this is real? The army’s history not only provides a backdrop for the characters that we are following, but also ties in nicely to the overall story at the end. It also acts as a springboard for the viewer’s suspension of disbelief, which is hard to achieve for a film that deals with staring contests against goats.

Goats aside, the acting is superb and the writing polished. George Clooney does an incredible job as Lyn Cassady, the most talented jedi ever to train in the New Earth Army. His performance sits on the boundary of real and joking, where the character can really only exist. Impeccable writing complements the acting with some very witty voice-overs from Ewan McGregor. Kevin Spacey’s antagonist is a worthy adversary in our capitalist world.

For a film that’s so quirky, The Men Who Stare at Goats achieves a level of realism that most dramas can’t, and as such, deserves to be seen.

Today’s guest post is another review from our resident film guru, Yalin. Thanks Yalin!

Jackson’s latest outing  The Lovely Bones is definitely not an epic film, which has been his forte. By contrast, it is a decidedly small drama with an ensemble cast that’s as good as it gets. On top of that, Jackson’s signature is obvious in the editing, the attention to detail and the special effects. However, the film doesn’t necessarily bring anything fresh.

I’m not sure what attracted Jackson to this material. If he got attached to the project so he could project his version of purgatory and heaven, I must say I wasn’t impressed. I have seen many fields of corn and Sound-of-Music-esque mountain ranges depicted as heaven before many times. His rendition also sometimes takes away from the drama that’s unfolding. The story is quite powerful and emotional, but the special effects take over, which distances the viewer slightly.

Getting past its shortcomings though, The Lovely Bones features a superb ensemble cast. Stanley Tucci deserves his Oscar nomination as one of the most realistic and dreadful villains I have seen. Susan Sarandon is a breath of comedy in this dark tale and much appreciated indeed. Rachel Weisz also performs admirably as the mother who needs to cope with her loss while trying to keep her marriage together.

Finally, I must give credit to Jackson as a master at building tension. He has several scenes in the film that are so well directed, shot and edited, that I was at the edge of my seat. I must reveal that none of these scenes included any heaven shots though.