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Greetings fellow film fans!

Hasn’t the time flown? Here we are already reviewing film no 5 as part of the Sydney Film Festival…it’s been a fun filled week with some highs and lows and the screening of “The September Issue” is no exception!

I should have known the moment I read that “The September Issue” had sold out and that extra tickets had to be released that it was going to be an “interesting” evening…

My girlfriend and I arrived at the State Theatre at 9pm ready to walk in and take our seat for the 9:15pm start time (I love allocated seating!), but as we drew a little closer to the theatre I thought I was bearing witness to some sort of protest because of the mass of people milling around the entrance…perhaps there was a backlash against the screening…for what reason I could not fathom…but upon closer inspection it appeared that the mass of people were waiting to get in FOR the screening!!

I am not the type of person to push in, “oh I was just here, they were saving my spot for me” so we decided to find the end of the line and take our place, so off we walked and walked and walked until we were about 500 meters away standing on George Street braving the cold…not exactly the start of the night that we had envisaged.

For the most part it wasn’t too bad, aside from side stepping the passers who continually asked what we were waiting for…side stepped so my girlfriend could answer…I just couldn’t bring myself to say that the reason I was waiting in the longest line I have ever waited in was for a Vogue film….

So by the time we took our seats and the film began it was 10pm, a full 45 minutes after it was due to start….and the experience wasn’t really made any better by the 3 people sitting behind us eating something from a plastic bag that made the most annoying noise ever and then they chewed loud! How is it possible to chew loudly enough so that we can hear them over a film???

Ahem…I digress…on to my review….

“The September Issue” is another fly-on-the-wall documentary (in the same vein as “Valentino”) set in the world of the US Vogue Magazine in the months leading up to the release of their much anticipated September issue.

The focus of this film revolves around Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour as she puts together her definitive issue, deciding on what is fashionable, what is “in” and what is “out”, and deals with a whole assortment of people, personalities, and egos.

To an outsider, such as myself who’s knowledge of fashion extends to knowing that ugh boots should not be worn outside the house, this was an intriguing look into what it takes to put together a fashion magazine but also an interesting insight into the life of the woman who is called the “Ice Queen”.

The portrayal of Anna Wintour is one that attempts to reveal the motivation, the dedication, and professionalism of the most scrutinised woman in the world of high level fashion.

We bear witness Wintour in the office, meeting with designers, “consulting” with her fashion editor, at home with her daughter, giving a frank discussion of her relationship with her father and siblings, and the end result is seeing the woman behind the dark glasses.

It is a portrait of a consummate professional who will never settle for mediocrity, who knows what she wants to see, and will ensure that she delivers the next big thing for the 13 million readers who wait with baited breath for a glimpse into her world.

With that said, it is however a very cleverly edited film which takes every step to ensure that the magazine and Wintour come off in the best possible light. For a woman who is nicknamed the “Ice Queen” it was a very warm portrayal…there were times where the audience laughed when Wintour addressed someone in a certain way, or rolled her eyes, or gave an instruction but I feel that was more of a forced laugh because I saw these actions as someone who will not settle for something less than perfect rather an the character as portrayed in “The Devil Wears Prada”.

Everyone in this film seems very aware of the camera and what it could record, so the words and arguments seem a little sedated and perhaps even a little rehearsed. Unlike “Valentino” this film does not have a free flowing exchange of thoughts and ideas of the protagonist, however as it was said to me, Valentino was retiring….

I felt that the film lost a little bit of its pace and focus by concentrating a rather large portion of it by following Grace, Vogue’s fashion editor. Grace has been working alongside Anna for the past 20 years and also comes across as the consummate professional. However her years of working in the industry has also made her appear jaded and it gets a little tiresome listening to her opinions of celebrity and that her photos are great because of these reasons…and the list begins…

I can see why time was devoted to Grace as it provides a counter balance to the portrayal of Anna Wintour and that these women don’t set out to come across of “mean” or as “ice queens” but rather to enforce the fact that they are striving for perfection and the pressure that goes along with it.

So overall I thought that this was an interesting look into the world of Vogue and the empire run by Anna Wintour, but I think that only fans of the magazine will truly enjoy it on all levels while the rest of us will enjoy only glimpses.

Bingster Rating: 2.5 out of 5

So next stop, film no 6 as part of the Sydney Film Festival…which one you ask? Stay tuned loyal reader and all shall be revealed soon….

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Terminator Salvation Review

June 11th 2009 22:05

Greetings fellow film fans!

Well I took a break last night from the Sydney Film Festival and decided to go and treat myself to a film that I have been looking forward to since I heard that it was going to be made, a film that I suppose that you wouldn’t find on the event list of the festival, a film that is not everyone’s cup of tea….but none the less one that I was very excited about seeing… “Terminator Salvation”

Dum Dum Da Da Da-Dum Dum Dum Da Da Da-Dum Dum Dum Da Da Da-Dum

For those Terminator fans out there you know where I am going with this…

Dum Dum Da Da Da-Dum Dum Dum Da Da Da-Dum Dum Dum Da Da Da-Dum

There I was sitting in the darkened cinema with that familiar theme blaring out of the surround sound speakers and sub-woofer (see I get to experience both speakers because I ensure that I choose my seat in the sweet spot…the perfect balance between front and back, left and right….yeah it’s a full on procedure…but sooo worth it) causing me to break into the same grin that spread across my face 17 years ago when I watched what could arguably be the best action movie ever made – Terminator 2: Judgement Day!

“Terminator Salvation” is a big movie. Big battle scenes. Big machines. Big special effects. And unfortunately, a big amount of cheese.

Much has been said about the directing duties being handled by McG, even before the film was released, everyone was critical of the man and what he could bring to the franchise. Or according to some people, destroy it.

Now before anyone leaps to the conclusion that I am jumping to the defence of the man who directed “Charlie’s Angels” 1 and 2…some things are inexcusable! I always thought it wasn’t fair to judge someone without seeing the final product….unfortunately though…the criticism turned out to be correct.

McG always had some big shoes to step into, anyone attempting to carry on a film franchise that is one of the biggest in the world would obviously feel the pressure….just as I am sure that Jonathon Mostow felt it when making “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”.

McG obviously revered the series and wanted to pay tribute to James Cameron so he did his best to insert the little nods to the previous terminator films but I found that after awhile it just became distracting and I found myself thinking "oh that's from number 1" "oh that was number 2" and it just became a little irritating...instead of taking the story to new heights I found that the audience kept being thrust back to the earlier films. It was almost like McG was a little afraid to let the film stand by itself so he continued to throw in as many references to the earlier films as possible.

The mythology of the terminator series is well known to almost everyone, even if you’re not a fan, but I felt that they tried a little too hard to make you like the characters...for instance it was like McG was saying "hey you know in Terminator 1 there was the guy Kyle Reese? You know the guy who went back to save Sarah Connor? Yeah well here he is in my movie. Yup that's him. So if you liked the character in number 1 then you have to like him here...you know because it’s the same character"...sorry McG but I just didn't feel it.

I remember reading several interviews with McG stating that he did not want to do this film unless James Cameron had given his blessing, but then I read an interview with James Cameron (I believe it was in Empire a month or 2 ago) who stated that no blessing had been given. I would be very interesting in finding out what James Cameron thinks of the finished product…I can only assume his only thought would be “mine were better”.

We’ve all had bad days. You know the days where you just want to rip into someone just so you’ll get it out of your system and feel better? Well Christian Bale has, and unfortunately for him (and secret joy for the rest of us) it ended up on the Internet. I don’t think there is anyone in the world who hasn’t heard, watched, read the transcript of Christian Bale’s expletive laden tirade against a crew member who unfortunately walked into his line of sight during filming on “Salvation”. I get the impression that Bale is a focused, detailed, and methodical actor. I think we’ve seen that in multiple performances and credit must be given to him.

However when I first heard the tirade I assumed that it must have been a very difficult scene/s that he needed great concentration for…however after watching the film I couldn’t find such a scene. Don’t get me wrong, Bale is good in his role as John Connor. I just think he did more serious acting in “The Dark Knight”. So perhaps the tirade might have just been due to having a bad day….rather than losing concentrating in a difficult scene.

It’s not just being an Aussie that makes me want to say this, but Sam Worthington makes a welcome addition to the screen. I think the man has screen presence and can definitely hold his own against Bale, which is no easy feat. He spends most of the first half of the film without Bale and this ably demonstrates that he has the ability to command the audience’s attention, even if the Aussie accent sneaks into the dialogue occasionally.

The one thing that annoyed me about the Worthington’s performance as Marcus Wright, and its not his fault, is that the dialogue that comes out of his mouth is laughable. Yeah I know that half the stuff that Sarah Connor said in T2 was laughable but I never noticed it and believed it all, but here it just stood out….perhaps I was analysing it a bit too much…but the script writers definitely dropped the ball with this character, sadly.

I know that this was the terminator film that they said was going to be the best to make because it was about the war. It was about the machines hunting the humans, it was about Skynet seizing control, it was about the survival of the human race….oh wait….you know what….this sounds very strangely similar to the “Matrix: Reloaded” (well without Skynet). Aahh yes that must be why when watching the devastated landscape, the captured humans, massive machines, the explosions that I had a niggling feeling of déjà vu…and to make matters worse….there was even a highway chase sequence….nuff said.

Now I suppose that this final point comes from a part of me that was just absolutely blown away when I watched T2 oh so many years ago, but I miss watching Arnold Schwarzenegger on screen. He IS the terminator. I miss the witty one liners (T2 not T3) and the relationship that existed between him and John Connor. I know that this could obviously not exist in “Salvation” but I think that is why T2 stands on its own and this latest installment is like the poor cousin.

Overall “Terminator Salvation” is a good film, but by no means great. A decent terminator installment but by no means the definitive one.

Bingster Rating: 2.5 out of 5

So where to from here? Well I am heading back to the Sydney Film Festival tonight so there will be another installment of my festival adventures soon….stay tuned!!

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A Fortunate Soldier Review

June 10th 2009 21:18

Greetings fellow film fans!

Today you find me mildly disappointed following on from my experience at my 4th film as part of the Sydney Film Festival. Perhaps it was my own fault, perhaps I went in expecting too much, perhaps I should have known better than to walk in expecting something great...or maybe just maybe the film wasn't any good.

I think the tone of today's article may be a little bit different from what you have come to expect from me because I find it a little difficult to be sarcastic and (well I try to be...) humourous because I don't want to undermine what is a difficult topic and should be taken serious. I just wish that I had great things to say about this film because it could have been something special...could have been.

When I saw the synopsis of Nicky Crowther's directorial debut "A Fortunate Soldier" I was immediately intrigued. The chance to watch a documentary about a former Special Forces soldier who attempts to adjust to life as a civilian in post Apartheid South Africa seemed like an important story and one I wanted to hear.

The history of Apartheid in South Africa is truly a shocking period in history and I find it very difficult to believe that this racist political system only came to an end in 1994. I will never truly understand or be able to fully appreciate what it must have been like to live in a country during and after this time, which is why I was really interested in seeing this film and hearing from people who lived through it.

Unfortunately any importance of this story was lost in the terrible filmmaking and cinematography and the inability to provide any in-depth emotion to Koos Verwey's story.

This should have been an in-depth look at what it takes for a man who was brought up believing, seriously believing (as explained in the opening credits) that he was superior to the Black population and how throughout the years has undergone a change of heart, personality, perspective, and self awareness so much so that he has set up a camp to assist the Himba tribe and even has an adopted Black African daughter that he cares for greatly.

Koos Verwey was a Special Forces Soldier who was involved in the "Border Wars" between Namibia and South Africa which ended with Namibia's independence in 1989. Throughout the documentary Koos is upfront and details his involvement and duties whilst in the service and his relationship with his fellow soldiers.

Former soldiers, his friends, and his father all provide an insight into Koos character and personality and draw a picture of a hard man who demanded the very best from those around him, however it is never really detailed just how much contempt he would have had for those he was fighting against during the war.

To say that Koos is a changed man now is an understatement. Koos dedicates his life to trying to help the Himba tribe survive and adapt to an ever changing world by running a tourist sight seeing business, providing medical aid, setting up a school, and only helping when is necessary.

The Namibian landscape is beautiful in a very arid kind of way, it reminds me of what I have seen in Western Australia. However it becomes painfully obvious that the camera operator is inexperienced as the audience begins to develop motion sickness as it moves from side to side with increasing frequency. I can understand that they were sitting alongside Koos in his jeep but there were times I had to stop looking at the screen to avoid getting a headache.

The use of subtitles in an English speaking film is always a good choice when the audience may have difficulty listening to the words however the haphazard use of subtitles in this film is just plain frustrating. One moment everything has a subtitle and then the next (when the same person is speaking) they have disappeared.

This is not to say that there are not interesting moments in the film, one of them which stood out for me was the arrival of (I am not entirely sure which charity is was, along the lines as World Vision/Ox Fam etc) a helicopter landing in the middle of the camp carrying a group of charity workers wanting to immunise the babies against Polio. Obviously the immunisation against Polio is extremely important but it is the way in which they come in, do their job, and then fly off to another village leaves the audience with an empty feeling. I mean here is Koos on the ground, in the camp with the Himba tribe working day and night, and then these workers come in for 5 minutes and then speed off...a very hollow feeling which only makes you appreciate what Koos is doing even more.

Overall a very good story which needed to be told however it is poorly directed, filmed, and executed which only takes away from the message of the film.

Bingster Rating: 2 out of 5

Ok film fans I promise that the next review will be a little more upbeat and entertaining. I can promise this because the next film I am going to go see as part of the SFF is another one chosen by my girlfriend, so I hope it’s as entertaining as the last one...

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