Posts Tagged ‘Danny Boyle’

RICHARD’S “CANADA AM” REVIEWS FOR OCTOBER 16 WITH BEVERLY THOMPSON.

Screen Shot 2015-10-16 at 11.07.18 AMRichard’s reviews Michael Fassbender as iCon Steve Jobs in the movie of the same name, Ellen Page and Julianne Moore as LGBT trailblazers in “Freeheld,” Deepa Mehta’s “Beeba Boys” and the Alison Brie rom com “Sleeping with Other People.”

Watch the whole thing HERE!

STEVE JOBS: 4 STARS. “a bold film that thinks differently about its subject.”

Screen Shot 2015-10-15 at 10.05.59 PM“Steve Jobs” is a portrait of a person who sought perfection in his work but admits that personally he is “poorly made.”

The film, directed by Danny Boyle, isn’t a biopic but rather an impressionistic look at a man told through three vignettes pulled from crucial moments in his career. The vast bulk of the movie takes place backstage at the launches of the Macintosh in 1984, the Nextcube in 1988 and the iMac in 1998. It’s a three act play populated with characters from Jobs’s life, like his daughter Lisa, her mother (Katherine Waterston), the visionaries’ “work wife,” marketing chief Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), Apple CEO John Scully (Jeff Daniels) and computer geeks Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogan) and Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg).

What follows is a flurry of words and ideas from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin that don’t act as a traditional biography but as a tool to peel away the layers of the man’s personality to provide a an intimate glimpse into his psyche. Jobs’s life has been the subject of features, documentaries, books and much speculation but the new film is the first attempt to truly turn the camera on the man and really see what was going on behind his steely gaze.

Michael Fassbender is on screen virtually every second of the film, anchoring the action by allowing Sorkin’s crackerjack script to take center stage. This is a movie whose special effects are the performances and the actor’s facility with the dialogue. Fassbender spits out vast blocks of words, nailing the cadence of Sorkin’s voice, milking every line for maximum effect. As nimble as that performance is Jeff Daniels appears to have been born to speak Sorkin’s rat-a-tat dialogue.

Sorkin, who after pending “The Social Network” has cornered the market on writing vivid portraits of troubled computer nerds, is the real star here. His script is kinetic, complicated, unrelenting and yet accessible. Whether it’s historically accurate may be up for debate, but this isn’t a documentary, it’s a sketch of a man that’s not concerned with the details–iPods and iPhones don’t even rate a mention–and certainly doesn’t play as an ad for Apple. Instead it Steve Jobs as an almost Shakespearean character, a man with a vision but who remained a “closed system” even for those who knew him best.

Steve Jobs changed the world. His unrelenting perfectionism changed the way we communicate with one another but Sorkin and Boyle were astute enough not to try and reinvent the biopic. This is a bold film that thinks differently about its subject, but at it’s heart it is about a typical movie subject. Think Charles Foster Kane, a person who wasn’t a nice man, but was a great man.

28 DAYS LATER

28dayslaterposter28 Days Later begins with a great horror movie premise. A group of British activists free infected animals from their cages, unleashing a deadly “rage” virus on the human population. Twenty-eight days after the virus took hold of the city, a bicycle courier named Jim awakens from a coma, unaware of the devastation. In one of the year’s best cinematic sequences, horror or otherwise, Jim leaves the hospital to find a deserted London. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave) infuses the shots of the empty streets with a sense of dread. As Jim wanders through the vacant Piccadilly Circus the feeling of foreboding grows as he realizes that something catastrophic has happened here. And that’s just the first ten minutes. (The scenes of London’s deserted streets were shot just after dawn on weekdays. Because of the traffic, they could only shoot for a couple of minutes each day. Crewmembers frequently had to stop and ask clubbers not to walk into shots.)

Boyle deftly juggles two distinct ideas in 28 Days Later.  It is a full blown Halloween flick, complete with drooling angry zombies, (although hard-core gore fans will be disappointed, most of the horror here is psychological) but at its core it is also a compelling study of human nature and the will to survive. Each character is fully rounded, and none are superfluous in this tough drama.

Selena (Naomie Harris), for example, isn’t a damsel in distress, nor is she simply a hard-nosed zombie killer. She is a layered character, a normal person who is placed in an unimaginable circumstance and is dealing with it on an instinctual level. She isn’t a killer, but she’ll kill to survive. “Staying alive is as good as it gets,” she says grimly.

Boyle (and screenwriter Alex Garland) give a wide berth to the stereotypical character traits found in horror movies – the screaming girlfriend, the witless teen, the gung-ho monster slayer – and instead concentrate on developing believable characters and situations in an unbelievable scenario.

In addition to believable characters 28 Days Later also re-invents the cinematic zombie. Gone are the lumbering, “We’re coming to get you,” living dead from years past. Boyle’s ghouls move with frightening speed, hissing at the scent of human flesh, and attacking at random. These are the zombies that nightmares are made of.

Shooting on digital video this time out, Boyle has left behind the visual showiness of Trainspotting and the austere picture-postcard look of The Beach, trading those in for a grainy, almost documentary feel. The jagged feel of the video gives the movie a sense of urgency and energy which seems appropriate for the subject matter. Unlike Soderbergh’s Full Frontal this material actually benefits from the use of video.

28 Days Later runs out of steam as the third act winds down, but up until its closing minutes it is as good as speculative fiction gets.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: 4 STARS

Slumdog-Millionaire-0026At a time when many directors are leaving Bollywood for less exotic locations, Irish director Danny Boyle, following in the footsteps of Wes “Darjeeling Limited” Anderson, set his latest film in the New York of India, Mumbai, the most populous city in the world. Taking the lead from its setting Slumdog Millionaire is a chaotic movie; part nightmare, part fairy tale.

When we first meet Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), he’s an eighteen-year old orphan at a crossroad. As a contestant on India’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? he is just one question away from winning it all—20 million rupees, but as the show breaks for the night he is arrested for cheating. After a brutal night of questioning he begins to tell his story in an attempt prove his innocence.  Told primarily in flashbacks Jamal recounts a troubled life in the slums of Mumbai with a violent brother and a mother killed when he was just a child. The only ray of hope in his life was Latika (Freida Pinto), an orphan girl who enters and exits his life. Each story reveals the life experience that taught him the answers to the game show’s questions; all set against the vibrant backdrop that is India.

Slumdog Millionaire is a wild ride from Boyle’s hyper visual style, to the pulsating musical score, to the elements of the story that binds together Romeo and Juliet, Bollywood gangster pictures, the Usual Suspects and an occasionally tender coming-of-age story. Boyle pulls out all the stops, leaving the quiet, austere feeling of his last film, Sunshine behind for a frenetic pace that assaults the senses—in a good way. Like the slum lifestyle he portrays the film is relentless, a barrage of images, music and sound. His characters are constantly on the run, and the movie is just as restless as they are but luckily for us Boyle keeps the story on track pushing it forward with every frame.

Boyle is a chameleon of a filmmaker, switching styles with every film, but he is a master of telling realistic stories with complicated parallel character threads. From the edgy Trainspotting to the heartwarming Millions to the intense 28 Days Later his films are immersive experiences that use images and music to maximum effect. Slumdog Millionaire is his most complex movie yet encompassing everything from romance to action, comedy to anguish, treachery, greed and yes, even a musical number (stay through the credits!). Exhilarating filmmaking and one of the year’s best.  

TRANCE: 3 STARS

trance111215According to Hollywood a bonk on the head can empty a mind of all its memories. Experts say amnesia doesn’t work that way, but nonetheless it’s an age-old movie device. But then Hollywood would also have you believe that robots from outer space will one day take over the world and Russell Crowe can sing French show tunes.

That sense of disbelief will be crucial to your enjoyment of the new Danny Boyle film “Trance.” A big buy-in is required to accept the far-fetched plot devices to this intriguing, but intrigue-heavy movie.

After an elaborate art heist goes awry a valuable Goya painting ends up missing. Not in the hands of the thieves, or the police. The only person who knows where it is Simon (James McAvoy) but a head injury wiped his memory. To recover his memories—and the painting—criminal mastermind Franck (Vincent Cassel) hires Dr. Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to hypnotize Simon and unlock his memories. Lines between reality and memory becomes blurred, however, as Dr. Lamb probes deeper into Simon’s unconscious mind.

“Trainspotting” director Boyle presents the hypno sessions in an interesting way—as though the viewer is in the nether world between reality and the recreation of Simon’s memories. It’s disorienting filmmaking that disguises what’s real and what isn’t, which is important for a thriller with this may twists and turns. Occasionally, however, it feels as though there are too many bends in the story.

I won’t elaborate—no spoilers here—but the old saying, “Buy the ticket, take the ride,” applies here. This is Boyle pushing the boundaries of the genre and audience acceptance to the edge.

For instance if you can buy in that Cassel and his gang are the most patient violent thugs ever or that femme fatale Dawson is Reveen the Impossibilist on steroids, then “Trance” will provide some thrills. If not, why not pull out that VHS of “Trainspotting”?

Some of TIFF’s biggest off-screen highlights In Focus by Richard Crouse METRO CANADA Published: September 20, 2010

daydream_nation_2Throw together 258 feature films, hundreds of famous folks and a celebrity pet lounge and you have the good, the cool and the silly from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

The ten-day event is a memory now—it ended last night with some free screenings at the festival’s new home, The TIFF Bell Lightbox, for some very tired festival veterans—but in addition to great movies like 127 Hours, The King’s Speech, Good Neighbours and Biutiful, among others, here are some random festival tidbits that set tongues wagging.

Best Movie Quote
“There’s more incest in this town than in an Atom Egoyan movie.”
Daydream Nation

Most Fun Celebrity Sightings
The town was busy with celebs — everyone from legends like Robert Redford to newbies like Carey Mulligan — but the coolest celeb sightings had to be Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa Simpson) at the Swarovski Party, Bruce Springsteen walking down College Street and Small Town Murder Songs star Jill Hennessy busking with her sister Jacqueline on King Street.

Best Acceptance Speech
“This is a huge honour,” said The High Cost of Living director Deborah Chow, winner of the $15,000 SKYY Vodka Award For Best Canadian First Feature Film. “I need to thank SKYY Vodka, not just for this award but for saving me from having to work at Starbucks next weekend.”

Most Surprising Dinner Order
Slender star Milla Jovovich enjoyed the Truffle Lobster Pasta at the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel so much she ate it every day she was in Toronto.

Best Alleged Bad Behaviour
A very famous movie producer was purportedly seen pushing a baby carriage out of the way while running to catch an elevator at the Four Seasons.

Most Dangerous Screening
Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, the true story of climber Aron Ralston who cut off his own right arm after getting pinned by a boulder. The amputation sequence is so intense several members of the audience required medical attention. Runner-up: The Whistleblower, which caused at least one fainting spell.

Best Excuse for Cancelling an Interview
John Carpenter, director of the chiller The Ward, who blew off TIFF and dozens of confirmed interviews because he was called to jury duty in Los Angeles.

28 DAYS LATER

28-days-later28 Days Later begins with a great horror movie premise. A group of British activists free infected animals from their cages, unleashing a deadly “rage” virus on the human population. Twenty-eight days after the virus took hold of the city, a bicycle courier named Jim awakens from a coma, unaware of the devastation. In one of the year’s best cinematic sequences, horror or otherwise, Jim leaves the hospital to find a deserted London. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave) infuses the shots of the empty streets with a sense of dread. As Jim wanders through the vacant Piccadilly Circus the feeling of foreboding grows as he realizes that something catastrophic has happened here. And that’s just the first ten minutes. (The scenes of London’s deserted streets were shot just after dawn on weekdays. Because of the traffic, they could only shoot for a couple of minutes each day. Crewmembers frequently had to stop and ask clubbers not to walk into shots.)

Boyle deftly juggles two distinct ideas in 28 Days Later.  It is a full blown Halloween flick, complete with drooling angry zombies, (although hard-core gore fans will be disappointed, most of the horror here is psychological) but at its core it is also a compelling study of human nature and the will to survive. Each character is fully rounded, and none are superfluous in this tough drama.

Selena (Naomie Harris), for example, isn’t a damsel in distress, nor is she simply a hard-nosed zombie killer. She is a layered character, a normal person who is placed in an unimaginable circumstance and is dealing with it on an instinctual level. She isn’t a killer, but she’ll kill to survive. “Staying alive is as good as it gets,” she says grimly.

Boyle (and screenwriter Alex Garland) give a wide berth to the stereotypical character traits found in horror movies – the screaming girlfriend, the witless teen, the gung-ho monster slayer – and instead concentrate on developing believable characters and situations in an unbelievable scenario.

In addition to believable characters 28 Days Later also re-invents the cinematic zombie. Gone are the lumbering, “We’re coming to get you,” living dead from years past. Boyle’s ghouls move with frightening speed, hissing at the scent of human flesh, and attacking at random. These are the zombies that nightmares are made of.

Shooting on digital video this time out, Boyle has left behind the visual showiness of Trainspotting and the austere picture-postcard look of The Beach, trading those in for a grainy, almost documentary feel. The jagged feel of the video gives the movie a sense of urgency and energy which seems appropriate for the subject matter. Unlike Soderbergh’s Full Frontal this material actually benefits from the use of video.

28 Days Later runs out of steam as the third act winds down, but up until its closing minutes it is as good as speculative fiction gets.

127 HOURS: 4 STARS

127HOURS_UNION_VFX_01Wikipedia defines survival as “the struggle to remain alive and living.” Next to that definition should be a picture of Aron Ralston, the poster boy for survival at any cost. His name may not ring a bell but his remarkable story of how he literally found himself between a rock and a hard place will make you wonder how far you would go to stay alive. You see, Ralston is the American mountain climber who was trapped by a boulder for five days in May 2003 and was only able to free himself by amputating his own arm. His story is told in unflinching detail in 127 Hours, starring James Franco, a film is so intense some audience members have suffered panic attacks and lightheadedness.

That reaction is the result of careful direction by Danny Boyle. Because we essentially know how the story is going to end Boyle keeps us along for the ride by building up tension slowly as he moves toward the movie’s Big Scene ®. It’s not always a pleasant experience, but it is rather masterful filmmaking. When he does get to the amputation scene (admit it, you’re curious) he creates a movie topping sequence (it starts to get grim at about the hour-and-fifteen minute mark) with visuals that leave something to your imagination and a jarring electronic soundtrack that is less grueling but more effective than any cutting scene from the “Saw” series. It may not show everything, but trust me, it’ll be a long time before you order a rare steak or beef tartar in a restaurant again.

Boyle fleshes out the bare bones of the story, adding in heartbreaking hallucinations of survival and a montage of soda commercials that illustrates what happens when thirst goes beyond the physical to become a mental thing.

It’s all tied together by Boyle’s visual sense. He uses a variety of shooting styles to really give us the idea of why Aron loves this terrain and how dangerous and extreme it can be. It gives us a feeling for both the isolated vastness and beauty of Aron’s surroundings.

At the heart of it all is James Franco as Aron. Like Ryan Reynolds in “Buried” this is a performance that isn’t limited by its physical circumstances. Reynolds spent ninety minutes in a box and gave the performance of his career while Franco, trapped by a boulder, alone in a tight uncomfortable space does some seriously good work. His choices of roles have been esoteric of late—playing Allen Ginsberg in “Howl” for instance—but in “127 Hours” he has found the part that should earn him some well deserved recognition from the Academy.

“127 Hours” isn’t an easy movie. When Aron tells himself “don’t pass out” during the amputation scene he could well be talking to the audience as well. Imagine the most uncomfortable you’ve ever been. Now multiply that by a thousand. No wait, a million. That’s the experience Boyle and Franco are offering up, a grueling but worthwhile story of survival against all odds.