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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The Beaver (Film)
Rating: M
Running Time: 102
Country: USA
Director: Jodie Foster
Cast: Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, Jennifer Lawrence, Anton Yelchin
Distributor: Icon
Release Date: August 04, 2011
Film Worth: $17.00
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth“…a profoundly moving and unsettling experience.”
Right from its provocative, ambiguously cheeky title, through to its difficult subject matter and utterly uncompromising climax, The Beaver comes on strong, and states its claim with an admirable sense of focus and purpose. It's another fine directorial effort from acting genius Jodie Foster - finally following up her wonderfully sensitive debut, Little Man Tate, and the quirky Home For The Holidays - and a stunning performance showcase from Mel Gibson, perhaps the last man that many people wanted to see back at the top of his game. Much has been made of the film's poor showing at the US office, but The Beaver is a film about depression and delusion, hardly the kind of subjects to threaten the likes of Green Lantern or The Hangover Part II. Forget the box office takings though: The Beaver is moving and meaningful, two words far more important when describing a film than "big" and "hit."
The scion of a once successful toy company, Walter Black (Mel Gibson) is now a man on a horrendous downward spiral. Chronically, hopelessly and inexplicably depressed, Walter watches with a requisite lack of energy or seeming interest as his company starts to go down the chute, and his family falls apart. But just when he's about to end it all for good, Walter stumbles upon a beaver hand puppet, and everything changes. Speaking through the mangy brown toy on his arm, Walter starts to live again...until the beaver begins to assert itself a little too much.
While its slightly absurdist premise might point to The Beaver being a black comedy, this is no laugh-fest. Yes, there are moments of dark humour, but director Foster and impressive debut screenwriter Kyle Killen treat their film's heady themes of mental illness and personal redemption with the utmost sensitivity. Coupled with Gibson's wrenching, to-the-edge performance, they make The Beaver a profoundly moving and unsettling experience.
