peterdavis Reviews

Triangle (2009)

So much better than it had any right to be!

[8/10 · 3 November 2015]

Not to sound down on Melissa George or anyone else involved, but I recorded "Triangle" when it premiered (in Australia - straight to TV, it seems) just after midnight back in April and finally got around to what I thought would be a 10-minute view (ie: from opening scene till my first sigh and/or eye-rolling, before quickly deleting it from the PVR in "what-was-I-thinking" disgust).

Yes, I knew it was a long-shot gamble when I took the immense trouble to hover over the listing, read the synopsis, and press a button to record it. But I try to live on the edge. It looked like a version of "Dead Calm" crossed with a teen slasher movie. A short ways into it I thought it might turn out even worse, that most terrible of things: a haunted boat mystery.

Turns out it was kinda both, but in a fresh way that quickly reveals how clever it has been conceived while it lulled you in with its competently filmed but unremarkable set-up. This may be where it lost many, more-impatient viewers. And it's not that it's groundbreaking in using its particular plot device (say no more) but it ramps everything up thereafter with increasing tension and revelations. It shook me from my jaded, generation-x-pectations and filled me with suspense and delight. In the end you have to admire, as much as enjoy, this spooky little puzzle.

Try not to be distracted by Queensland locations standing in for Triangle's Florida setting, or by some varying accents. Melissa George manages to suspend disbelief in a difficult role and a difficult emotional-range to sustain for a whole movie, especially while wearing short-shorts, big heals and a wet shirt. Will have to check out more films by writer/director, Christopher Smith.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Pretty pictures

[6/10 · 23 May 2015]

Great visuals, great production values & lovely detailing that fleshes out (literally) life in the future-desert-world-thing. It's very ludicrous but fun. The action-staging is as good as ever but there are only echoes of the earlier heights of suspense because we don't care too much about the characters, particularly Max - once a clever and resourceful character, now just... sullen. Despite frequent flash- back cuts to show him as haunted, he's more one-dimensional than ever as portrayed by the sparse and strangely accented mumblings of the usually reliable Tom Hardy. Charlize Theron gets only a little more to work with and it's Nicholas Hoult who gets the stand-out character which could be parodying our current preoccupation with religiously radicalised youth. The plot is very simple and calculated only to provide maximum chase scenes. Visually inventive, accomplished and well integrated with effects ...but the film is missing it's usual humour, any basis in drama and perhaps therefore our engagement with the non-stop action.

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Secret agents in the snow is always a good idea.

[9/10 · 8 June 2013]

If there are going to be secret agents there should always be snow. It should be law. The best moments of James Bond (or even True Lies) for me are always on skis or otherwise messing about in the snow. Perhaps it's the extra danger of being so exposed to the elements, that if they stub a toe or hit their knuckles on a tree it will reeeeaaaaly hurt in the cold. Even George Clooney's "The American" starts out with an effective murderous opening around a wilderness cabin (...actually I'm now not sure it was snowing in that one or if I've subconsciously inserted the snow into my memory of the scene to accord it with my sensibility). Anyway, The Bourne Legacy has got the snow in so we're immediately off to a good start.

I saw this film on a plane and managed to really enjoyed it, so it must be EVEN BETTER than for just the presence of secret agents and snow. The last Bourne movie (#3) was really starting to wind down with too much repetition so I was not looking forward to this one and skipped it at the cinema. Then Matt Damon not being involved also seemed like confirmation that this movie would be a poor effort by a movie studio desperately wringing the last few bucks out of a dying franchise.

Turns out, however, that abandoning the original character was a great way to widen the universe of story/premise and really get creative. I most enjoyed the scene with the post-trauma counsellors. Great stuff from writer/director Tony Gilroy and some really "proper" actors (even a surprise cameo from Kenny the Aussie toilet cleaner guy) in this fresh "reboot" of a movie (though technically not a reboot). So there.

Taken (I) (2008)

Liam Neeson as a Bourne-again Schwarzenegger?! ...Well okay then

[8/10 · 4 August 2008]

Just a little bit more over-the-top than Damon's Jason Bourne, Neeson here has gone the full-Schwarzenegger from Commando (1985).

Once you're over that shock (couldn't Neeson have shot more people in Love Actually? - that movie could really have been something!) this is a surprisingly good vigilante genre flick in the best cruel and blood-thirsty sense.

Can't say I'm normally a fan of former cinematographers-turned-directors (look at your Jan De Bonts, Dean Semlers, even Barry Sonnenfeld is pretty hit & miss) but thanks go to Pierre Morel, who has been patient enough to nurture the character moments between all the wham-bam that makes you want to buy into the whole hackneyed kidnap/track-down and one-man-revenge-juggernaut premise all over again. The actors carry it off too - this is Neeson's movie of course, but even the teenage daughter is played quite genuinely (ie: genuinely irritating... these kids today, I don't know...) and you can feel Luc Besson's touch in the jarring mix of the sweetly sad/sensitive/sentimental protagonist with an explosively violent side to his personality. What's up with Luc Besson - did he only direct as a stepping-stone to screen writing? He can really smash a film like this home... but I digress.

I enjoyed this film lots, it was a free preview screening but looking back it would be well worth paying for.

Caution: If you're French, Albanian or Arabian... prepare to be offended!

The Happening (2008)

Creepy fun for all the family! ...so long as you're childless

[7/10 · 12 June 2008]

I didn't realise director's could get type-cast too... or Shyamalan just enjoys the spooky, supernatural, Twilight Zone stuff to the exclusion of all else.

Well anyway his enjoyment is infectious and I love the ride. There hasn't been another such distinctive and commercial director like him since Spielberg. A Shyamalan film is almost its own genre now - we know what sort of story to expect and we also know that we'll get a certain quality of direction and production that's beautifully shot, effectively scored and really immersive.

What critics often forget is that even a mediocre Shyamalan film is still better than 73.5% of other Hollywood output. They can't see the forest for the trees! The Happening is rooted in familiar Shyamalan territory, but the bark is worse than the bite - this is spooky more than horror (no bad thing) - but you'll still leaf the cinema feeling relieved and uneasy (but maybe because of Wahlberg's wooden performance - he certainly can't branch too far out of his comfort zone - pretty unconvincing here as a science teacher. Sap!).

So... not without it's faults but still lots of fun, and not nearly as silly as the last Indiana Jones movie. Spielberg is dead, long live Shyamalan! (Okay, that is too harsh)

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

You have to hit rock-bottom before you can recover

[8/10 · 3 June 2008]

Ben Affleck, here directing (!), has bottomed out for a five year stretch on the other side of the camera since starring in 2003's notorious Gigli. There followed a half dozen films you'll not care to remember, wiping out all that good will he generated with Good Will Hunting. It's been easy to forget that Affleck has talent (even an Oscar) ... he just cannot choose projects.

Now, as director, he's making back some ground. He's returned to surer background too – his hometown of Boston and a fractious suburban milieu. This is the setting for a morality plagued mystery-thriller, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (of Mystic River), but Affleck shows surprising control of sentimentality and builds suspense well. Perhaps not so surprisingly, he works well with his cast - of mostly excellent character actors - to illicit drama that is convincing and persuasive.

That said, if Affleck sits with you on the couch at home, best not let him choose a DVD ... or even hold the TV remote.

Perfect Strangers (2003)

"You're not the girl you think you are"

[9/10 · 11 August 2007]

...sings Neil Finn in a catchy Crowded House song that plays at several points in the film. Could have been written especially for the film, and maybe it was, it's so apt.

What a wonderful and surprising ride this movie was. Starts with a plot that's like standard Hollywood thriller fair, but then... wow.

Rachel Blake is amazing to watch in a brave performance of an unusual character-journey, to say the least. It's also a tribute to the mercurial power of Sam Neil that I wasn't once distracted enough to expect a dinosaur to spring from the bushes or a mute Holly Hunter to start playing a piano, despite the familiar image of Sam Niel against lush island locations.

Great photography of such great NZ locations. Great humour, dialogue and direction from Gaylene Preston.

I'd like to see another Gaylene Preston film soon and I'm sorry to see nothing new is listed currently here for her. Buy the DVD - it's a crime it was so cheap!!!

Wedding Crashers (2005)

The golden rule of bad Hollywood comedy...

[3/10 · 15 November 2006]

...is that life-lessons must be learnt, and previous bad behaviour must be balanced by soggy sentimental clichés, to make everything okay for "family" audiences everywhere.

Isn't it okay that we laugh at these characters, without them having some kind of redemption to win the audience over? A redemption during which all the jokes come to a screeching halt and the story loses any originality and idiosyncrasy that drew us to it in the first place?

I held out some hope that the director of "Clay Pigeons" might lend some sort of integrity to the project, but it's another Hollywood sell-out. Must go watch "Bad Santa" again to recover... oooh yeah - that's the stuff!

The Omen (2006)

Quality spooky story, better production values - a worthy remake

[8/10 · 6 June 2006]

Sure, we often find it sad that Hollywood can't find something original to produce... but what-the-hey, how many new productions of Shakespeare's works come out every year? ...Maybe David Seltzer is not quite the same as Shakespeare (History will decide!!!) but you get my drift. It's nice that the kiddies can be brought a classic spooky-tale that they are otherwise unlikely to dig up on video, much less see on a big screen.

The special effects are more convincing, the sets are less set-like, and the acting is more natural and less mannered (though I detect a bit of a Greg Peck voice/intonation imitation from Shreiber) and it's these sort of weaknesses that can distance today's audiences.

This is really the best sort of remake - keeping all the best elements from the original without over-reaching to take the material in some other direction for the sake of being different, or without over-flexing today's FX muscles. There's a slight updating of the premise amid current world events but it's brief, welcome and not over-labored.

The cast is first-rate. How great to see the best of British (David Thewlis, Michael Gambon, Pete Postlethwaite) and American (Julia Stiles is always good, though sometimes chooses poor material) young hot things and older, stately actors having a ball (Mia Farrow is very effective - playing very much against type).

The creepy kid does good creepy too.

I liked it. It's not horror so much as spooky, and that's no bad thing.

Ravenous (1999)

That rarest of Hollywood productions...

[8/10 · 6 November 2004]

A genuinely unique little gem that seems quite un-Hollywoody.

A macabrely humorous horror-thriller with an odd mix of English/American/Australian character actors (all talented) who clearly relish their performances in this twisted little tale which is told on an epic canvas.

The film's score is a bizarre but perfect fit - adding another unusual character to the mix. A stroke of bold genius by Michael Nyman (the brilliant composer of "The Piano"). The score has been nominated for several awards.

Hard to imagine 20th Century Fox's reaction when they saw the final film and needed to market it... But there's plenty to enjoy here. 8 out of 10!

Very Bad Things (1998)

Very Black Comedy - wonderful

[9/10 · 30 October 2004]

One thing that's great about actors turned directors, like Peter Berg, is that they can be great at eliciting performances from the cast.

Acting is everything in this movie - as the plot spirals out of control, the acting has to maintain the necessary suspension of disbelief. Here it does.

Daniel Stern gives an eyeball-popping tour de force among a cast with some excellent character actors.

A gory and grotesque comedy nightmare masterpiece!

The Adventures of Lano & Woodley (1997–1999)

Funniest sitcom Australia has ever produced.

[5 July 2004]

A brilliant duo that brought a freshness to television that makes you think a sitcom has never been done before!

Such inventive plots, characters so well-observed. These two 'adultescent' characters remind me of the worst aspects of my own personality. The dialogue is hilarious but is matched by the most astounding physical comedy I've ever seen (either of these guys are more than a match for Jim Carrey).

I just found a tape of the show I hadn't seen in years - still as funny as hell! Should be recognised as a classic series in the "Fawlty Towers" league. Can't recommend it enough.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Cheesy and very silly... but you expected that.

[7/10 · 30 June 2004]

Too much melodrama, not quite enough suspense or action eye-candy. So there. Not as good as the first film but certainly better than many recent comic-book movies.

The writers could have done more to maintain a suspension of disbelief, as some plot points are simply way too absurd. The commitment of the actors bravely attempts to overcome, but doesn't.

Raimi is an inventive director, but he seems to have trouble telling a cohesive story. Much of his work fails yet shows flashes of brilliance. Very frustrating.

Many people won't mind, I guess.

7/10

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Cinematic Eye-candy... SUPERSIZE ME!

[8/10 · 27 May 2004]

"Special effects alone, do not a film maketh"

Bah! Sure they do. Certainly for jaded younger audiences who appreciate good eye-candy and know that water and other elemental effects are often the downfall of any special effects movie.

They do amazing things with water, wind, ice and clouds here.

It would be impossible to keep the disaster-movie genre alive for this long without the advancements in CG effects. God knows you don't go to these films for plot, script or performances (there's JUST enough of those to get by. JUST). If they can build enough suspense/tension between the "money shots" then it works.

So if you go to it for what it is, and expect nothing more, then you'll be well satisfied. I was, anyway.

Troy (2004)

Well it was better than Tron!

[8/10 · 15 May 2004]

There's lots of well choreographed action balanced with just the right amount of talk between grizzled old schemers and the acting is just about passable.

By all accounts it's relatively close to the classic Homer tale, but there's none of the Gods present (which ups the realism, at least). They don't show the homosexual incest that was known between Achillies and his cousin, but how many female fans could stand to see Brad Pitt in a gay scene?

It's hard to take the old Trojan horse story seriously (particularly after having seen the Trojan rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail).

All in all, quite good fun and pretty to look at. Photoshop user criticism: those wide shots of a thousand ships sailing are too evenly spaced so as to appear clone-tooled into place.

Ripley's Game (2002)

More like Hannibal Pt2 than The Talented Mr Ripley Pt2

[8/10 · 19 March 2004]

Seriously, Malkovich plays a character so much like Anthony Hopkins' infamous character, this plot would need only minor re-writing to be that sequel (and it would have gone on to earn a few hundred million extra at the box office). Sure, Patricia Highsmith (novelist) wouldn't be happy, but...

That said, this is quite a fine, tense thriller with excellent performances (Malkovich is always good) and a compelling plot with only one implausability...

<A spoiler follows> ...Is there really a need to contract the Dougray Scott character as assassin? Why not some unknown criminal from a seedy part of another town. Very unlikely and a bit silly.

I'd score it 8/10

You Can't Stop the Murders (2003)

Beautifully stupid. Cleverly dumb. Brave new comedy!

[9/10 · 28 March 2003]

When I first read the name of this film and saw the poster I fully expected this to be utter crap.

What a revelation.

I don't rate the premise of this film at all highly. It's just a simple device to stage the most well realised, inspired and observed human comedy seen on film in a good while.

It also captures small town Australia beautifully. So much comedy in the mundanities of life. Director, Mir, an accomplished stand-up comedian exhibits just the right comedy timing on film too.

The Village People are so bad they're..... bad. 15 years ago the slight premise of this film might have seemed funny. I doubt people will rush to see that now... BUT RUSH THEY SHOULD!

I urge you to see this film and I'm bewildered by some of the other responses on this site. I'm reminded of how poorly received the first Austen Powers movie was (slowly building an audience on video, after a pretty dismal cinema run, that ensured the success of the sequels).

With new styles of film comedy, the bandwagon comes later. Check it out now - I want to see more films from these guys!

Mystery Men (1999)

Widely under-rated

[30 March 2002]

Some critics have damned the style-over-substance in this first time movie from commercial/video-clip shooter, Kinka Usha. This is exactly the same thing they praised Batman for. Given the batman series (and others) is the basis for this type of parody, then surely this technique is wholly appropriate? Mr Usher has found a lot of time for characterisation, and a patience to let the subtle humour shine through in the dialogue (check those Seinfeld-like scenes in a cafe). Super heroes with petty human foibles are a joy to watch, and if you're on the same wave-length there's loads to enjoy here. The cast are certainly giving it everything.

"...We've got a date with destiny... and it looks like she's ordered the lobster" - I'm going to use that line every chance I get!

8.5/10 fun, fun, fun

Happiness (1998)

Simply the best movie made in the last years of the 1900's

[27 September 2000]

This is a very important and, yes, provocative film. It's not exploitative of it's controversial sub-plot, but dares to show that there is a very human face behind even the darkest of deeds. Stunning that a film like this could have been made so well, so early, in these times of media hysteria and victimisation. Stunning that a film like this could still make you laugh. And very stunning that a film like this could have been made in America.

U-571 (2000)

Great cast but very standard plot

[21 April 2000]

All the submarine movie cliches are here. You've got the sonar noises, the creaking-leaking-squirting pipes, all the guys frantically swinging through bulk-heads, dastardly Germans.

But still, it's a well mounted cliche. The dialogue is okay and the director has talent (Breakdown with Kurt Russell is well worth seeing!) and does a decent job with the suspense... but you just don't really care -you'll leave thinking: why did they bother? Why did this talented cast sign on for this stock-standard outing (it can't have been a pleasant shoot).

So, not bad of it's type, but nothing to separate it from it's type. Das Boot, Crimson Tide, and The Hunt for Red October were as good or better and they came sooner. This film adds nothing to the genre (apart from one very dodgy computer FX explosion).