It's Complicated is a short film directed by Grant De Sousa, starring Paul Snodgrass, Johann Vermaak and Lise Slabber. We follow two buddies as we discover that the someone (or something) that "swiped right" for Andy is now on their doorstep. Lovestruck, it seems that Nigel's desperate attempts to warn his friend of his girlfriend's obvious flaws are ignored. Poking fun at the Tinder and Facebook generation of scary hookups and relationship statuses, De Sousa explores these themes with tongue-through-cheek horror comedy romance. Employing a similar balance of horror comedy that you'd expect from Sam Raimi, he posits us in a similar conceptual and genre space to Warm Bodies.
Borrowing the comedy set up from The Odd Couple and infusing it with a similar tone to Men Behaving Badly helps us establish the character dynamic as Andy's nerdy, straitlaced vibe counterbalances Nigel's more relaxed, easy-going attitude. Paul Snodgrass shines as the "you can't be serious" Nigel, undertaking the perspective of the audience with an animated and entertaining performance. Johann Vermaak plays perfectly into his wardrobe selection as the blinded and inept "glass half full" lovefool. Together they have a good mix of equal-opposite chemistry, which is jeopardised by the arrival of the demure yet sinister Lise Slabber.
"She's more like a ghoulfriend... friend."
Injecting the Samara meets Regan "girlfriend" into their apartment creates a number of scary funny moments. The apartment takes on a whole new light moving from two guys sharing an old place to a creepy old woman's home, making Andy and Nigel seem like the visitors. The sets have great detail, using retro props to bring out the ick factor. The visual effects are used sparingly and are so beautifully laced into the film that you hardly notice them, while simple camera tricks keep it modest yet effective.
It's no secret that It's Complicated has been influenced by horrors like The Ring and The Exorcist in determining the nature of their female lead. The make-up department took their time in getting her look and the "hicky" just right, playing up some horror clichés to great comic effect in the process. The short film has a polished feel about it, delivering entertaining horror comedy and drawing us in with the doomed romance. It's a fine ensemble, further bolstered by the talents of Sean Cameron Michael in a fun cameo.
De Sousa has a good grip on this Halloween story, which was undoubtedly a passion project. While it works as a wraparound short film, you could easily see this horror romance comedy concept being extrapolated into a broader feature film length production or a sitcom even.
The NeverEnding Story may be slightly dated in terms of visual effects and make up, but still holds up today with Wolfgang Petersen's eternal promise of imagination and faraway kingdoms. The magical tale holds its own charm with visual effects that carry real presence as the power of reading is laced into a vivid story that continues to enthrall viewers decades later...
The iconic and memorable The NeverEnding Story leaves a slew of memories... from a fascinating rock-eating rock giant, a sorrowful marsh, a delightful luck dragon, an epic desert crossing and the dreaded nothingness. It's wonderful to be immersed in this world of make-believe, so much so that you'll be forgiven for bopping to Limahl's The NeverEnding Story theme song as the credits roll.
Spling reviews Gold, The Last Face and Manhattan Nocturne as broadcast on Talking Movies, Fine Music Radio. Catch Talking Movies on Fridays at 8:20am and Saturdays at 8:15am every week on Fine Music Radio.
Gold is based on a true story. While it may be set in the '80s, instead of the '90s, change a few names and conjoin a few characters... the essence of the story lives on in this film about hitting the big time. Gold is something of a character portrait, blending adventure, entrepreneurship and biographical drama to tell the rags-to-riches story of down-on-his-luck prospector, Kenny Wells. Acting on a vision, he finds himself partnering with a geologist on a promising mining expedition in the jungles of Indonesia.
Matthew McConaughey outplayed Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, a Scorsese film that made McConaughey seem better suited to the titular role in a scene that was just too brilliant to leave out. While he ultimately won an Oscar for a transformative and career-best performance in Dallas Buyers Club, this chapter of his acting career wasn't over. In fact, it seems as though McConaughey's character in Gold is modeled or loosely inspired by these two performances. Carrying the audacious spirit and energy of his performance in The Wolf of Wall Street and mixing it with the drastic body transformation he underwent for Dallas Buyers Club, it boils down to Kenny Wells, an ambitious, balding and overweight self-starter.
No dream is too big for Wells, whose exuberance, lack of finesse and physique make him an underdog, despite his Homer Simpson complex. He may be a clown to his contemporaries, but his fighting spirit and surprising charm earns him respect in the big pond. It's a joy to see McConaughey relish the performance, deftly lacing together the romance of jungle adventure and minefield of big business. He's not alone, accompanied by the enigmatic Edgar Ramirez and heart-on-her-sleeve Bryce Dallas Howard, who act as wings for his likable yet bolshie performance.
"We're going to be billionty rich!"
While the timeless themes, true story anchor and lead performance make Gold attractive and captivating, the screenplay and direction need polish. You get the impression the filmmakers were trying to make it look like it was filmed in the '80s for an added layer of authenticity. However, this just gives it a trashy overlay, which is accentuated by the shallow script. Perhaps they were going for something similar to The Infiltrator, which also leveraged a strong lead performance, a period setting, a true story and a gritty borderline trashy treatment. Unfortunately, while it aspires, it doesn't add up to the same level of entertainment value and seems like a missed opportunity.
Gold is tarnished by a lazy script, familiar notes and fairly uninspired direction. Yet, it's difficult to overlook Matthew McConaughey's transformation, his captivating full tilt performance, the incredulity of the true story and the entertaining yarn in all its flaws. Who doesn't want to watch a pulpy film about striking gold in a mysterious jungle and potentially realising your wildest dreams? Unfortunately, Gold makes this outlandish tale ordinary and mediocre.
