Film reviews
Men In Black 3
It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.
Bel Ami
The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.
The Dictator
A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.
The Woman In Black
Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.
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Life During Wartime (Film)
Rating: MA
Running Time: 94
Country: USA
Director: Todd Solondz
Cast: Shirley Henderson, Ciaran Hinds, Allison Janney, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy
Distributor: Transmission
Release Date: December 26, 2010 (Sydney, Melbourne)
Film Worth: $0.00
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worthIf you can handle the dark and challenging themes, this unique and blackly comic film is absolutely worth watching.
Most artists strive for originality, but the true mavericks have something else as well. They have a singular way of seeing the world which informs what they are able to notice and what they bring to our attention. David Lynch is probably the most celebrated, but Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Palindromes) is just as weird and just as challenging.
His new work, Life During Wartime, is a reworking of his 1998 film Happiness. That may be enough in itself for some people to stop reading now, as Happiness - probably Solondz' best film - deals almost sympathetically with male paedophilia. In the previous film, the character of Bill was brilliantly played by Dylan Baker. This time round, Bill is played by brooding Irish actor Ciaran Hinds (Eclipse). It's typically odd casting, but Solondz never wants us to be deceived by appearances.
Solondz is also interesting because of the way he depicts the women in his dramas, who try desperately to hold it together in the face of "mild evil."
Scottish actress Shirley Henderson plays Joy, an ironically named waif who seems too trusting. The brilliant Allison Janney anchors her scenes with a brittle vulnerability, while other fine contributions are made by Charlotte Rampling, Ally Sheedy and Michael K. Williams. Lastly, there is a role for Paul Reubens, whose Pee Wee Herman past brings in a further real life element of the bland-sweet perversion that Solondz seems especially attuned to.
Life During Wartime is not about plot so much as situations. All the characters in the film struggle in some way with issues around forgiveness and emotion, or a state of being. It sounds odd to say, but you have to work at liking Solondz' films but - if you submit - you definitely go on a unique journey with them.
