Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009); drama film review

Poster artwork for the drama film Precious.

Value All That Is Precious by Linh

Precious is the film adaptation of the book 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire and it has gathered awards and recognition for the cast and crew following its debut at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Mo'Nique, who plays the abusive mother, won almost every film award for Best Supporting Actress including a Golden Globe, BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards) and Academy Award for that category. The film also won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for writer Geoffrey Fletcher.

DISCRIMINATION: Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) faces isolation due to her skin colour, her class, her gender and her illiteracy in the film Precious. Image: Lionsgate, Icon Film.

An excellent cast that features recognisable faces ranging from various fields of entertainment including music (Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz), comedy (Mo'Nique) and television talk shows (Sherri Shepherd), as well as Ophrah Winfrey as the film’s executive producer, has helped bring Precious to critical acclaim and audience attention. The performances are outstanding and director Lee Daniels receives kudos for playing a part in bringing together an eclectic mix of talent.

SUPPORT: Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) receives advice and assistance from her teacher Ms Rain (Paula Patton) in the film Precious. Image: Lionsgate, Icon Film.

Precious is set in Harlem in 1987, and tells the tragic but hopeful story of a sixteen year old African-American girl named Claireece 'Precious' Jones who is obese, illiterate and pregnant with her second child. She suffers physical and emotional abuse from her mother, is teased by other students and seldom sees her daughter who has Down Syndrome. To escape her cruel reality, Precious concocts a world of fantasy where she is a respectable and much-loved film star, a gorgeous fashion model or a blonde and attractive Caucasian girl. Her mathematic skills are exemplary and her school principal uses this point as a way of sending her to an alternative school called 'Each One Teach One', after discovering Precious is pregnant again. Precious is at first apprehensive, but soon discovers literacy can help her find the light at the end of her long, dark and painful tunnel. With the help of her 'Each One Teach One' teacher Ms Blu Rain and social welfare officer Ms Weiss, Precious finds the courage to leave home and start life anew.

Newcomer Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe makes a stunning film debut in the lead role as Precious. She not only fits the role like a glove, she also conveys all the pain and joy her character experiences in way that touches your heart and brings tears to your eyes. Gabourey Sidibe also manages to avoid making Precious a sympathetic victim who is pitiful or pitied, but she portrays Precious as a survivor who remains on track no matter what curveballs life throws at her. She was a nominee for Best Leading Actress at the 2010 Oscars, but sadly, the Academy rarely rewards newcomers, which is a shame on their part.

DISCONNECTION: Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) and her mother Mary (Mo'Nique) prepare Precious' daughter Mongo (Quishay Powell) for a visit from the social worker in the film Precious. Image: Lionsgate, Icon Film.

Comedian and actress Mo'Nique gives a brilliant performance as Precious's abusive and hateful mother, Mary. Every scene she shares with her daughter is painful to watch, as any minute an object is likely to be hurled across the room at Precious' head. When Mary is not throwing things at Precious, she works her daughter like a slave as she sits at home everyday watching television and eating pigs’ hooves. Mo'Nique has won practically every award for Best Supporting Actress at every awards ceremony, and an Oscar win is well-deserved.

After her humiliating but hilarious drunken acceptance speech for Breakthrough Performance at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival, Mariah Carey's film career has been given a boost. Is all forgiven for the disastrous Glitter for which she won a Razzie Award? She plays the social welfare worker Ms Weiss in the film, with a moustache and bad hair, who attempts to reconcile Precious with her mother Mary. In the process, she unearths deeper pains than those already displayed in earlier scenes. It's a pivotal scene in which Mariah Carey rises above the challenge and to her credit, succeeds on all levels.

DISCUSSION: Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) is not yet ready to open up to her social welfare officer Ms Weiss (Mariah Carey) in the film Precious. Image: Lionsgate, Icon Film.

Pretty and petite actress Paula Patton stars as Ms Blu Rain, the teacher at the 'Each One Teach One' alternative school, who takes on the roles of mother and mentor to Precious at the most distressing and traumatic times. It seems the classroom is where Precious can freely express herself and Ms Rain encourages her to write everything down in her journal as a form of catharsis. Paula Patton excels in conveying warmth, compassion and patience in her character and unfortunately, she was overlooked for awards by voters at film festivals.

There is much to applaud and appreciate after watching Precious, but there is no escaping the obvious fact that this film is aimed towards the sensitivities of a female audience.

However, Precious is not a chick flick. Although it does contain elements of a chick flick including a female dominated (lead and supporting) cast, strong-willed female characters, issues facing women of all ages and backgrounds (illiteracy, sexual/physical/emotional abuse, poverty, lesbianism and teen pregnancy), and too few male characters in minor roles who either are abusive or effeminate. It has relevance that transcends gender/race/sexuality and its saving grace from being anti-male is the sensible treatment of abuse and its far-reaching impact on everyone. The spotlight is placed on women in this film due to the narrative, but audiences are reminded throughout Precious that everyone is affected and there are ways to halt the abuse and liberate oneself to rise above the pain.

FRIENDSHIP: Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) finds a friend in John (Lenny Kravitz) in the film Precious. Image: Lionsgate, Icon Film.

The film has two male characters who play a role in Precious' life. Rodney 'Bear' Jackson plays Carl, the estranged father of Precious who rapes and impregnates her. Carl is seen in flashback scenes and mentioned numerous times but always as a dividing issue between Precious and her mother, Mary. The blame seems to fall heavily on Mary for being a "bad and irresponsible mother" rather than towards Carl for his actions.

Male characters are depicted from one extreme to the other with Carl as the negative aspects of maleness, while Lenny Kravitz portrays a male nurse named John, who not only is caring, kind and considerate, but also is very health conscious. Lenny Kravitz is fabulous as Nurse John, and when he's not making girls swoon, John acts as a father figure and friend to Precious.

The soundtrack to Precious features a terrific blend of pop, rap and hip hop including Humpin' Around' by Bobby Brown, Queen Latifah's 'Come Into My House', and  'I Can See In Colour' by Mary J. Blige.

Precious is a difficult film to watch as the abuse and physical violence is performed to look very realistic, with superb post-production editing to add realism to the scenes. The pain experienced by Precious during all the violence is juxtaposed and contrasted with some comedy and fantasy sequences from Precious's active imagination. It seems to act as a way to ease the painful experience for the audience as well as for Precious. It's a harrowing film but contains equally as much optimism and hope.

Director: Lee Daniels

Writer: Geoffrey Fletcher (screenplay), Sapphire (author of novel ‘Push’)

Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, Stephanie Andujar, Angelic Zambrana, Amina Robinson, Xosha Roquemore, Chyna Layne, Bill Sage, Sapphire

Producers: Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Lee Daniels, Tom Heller, Lisa Cortes, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness, Asger Hussain, Valerie Hoffman, Mark G. Mathis, Simone Sheffield, Bergen Swanson

Cinematographer: Andrew Dunn (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Mario Grigorov

Film Editor: Joe Klotz

Production: Roshelle Berliner (Production Designer), Matteo De Cosmo (Art Director), Kelley Burney, Paul Weathered (Set Decorators)

Costume Designer: Marina Draghici

Languages: English, Italian with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes

Bran Nue Dae/Brand New Day (2009); musical comedy romance film review

Poster artwork for the musical comedy romance film Bran Nue Dae.

Broome-bound by Linh

Bran Nue Dae is the brainchild of Asian-Aborigine writer/composer/director Jimmy Chi, who included some of  his own life experiences of relationships, indigenous land rights, self-discovery and religion into what began as a stage musical production in Western Australia in 1990, and then became a documentary which explored the issues behind the stage musical in greater depth. Jimmy Chi and Broome band Kuckles collaborated with other friends to bring his idea to life, with a blend of spiritual/rock/reggae/blues music accompanying the story of a teenage Aborigine's journey 'home'. It is a metaphor where 'home' is symbolic of his consciousness and relates to his understanding of his place in the world and among his people.

REBEL REVOLTS: Willie (Rocky McKenzie) refuses to join the priesthood in the film musical Bran Nue Dae. Image: Roadshow Films.

Director Rachel Perkins (Radiance) has made Bran Nue Dae into a feel-good, humourous and inspirational film featuring an excellent cast, brilliant songs and music. Bran Nue Dae's vibrancy, energy and comedy is a refreshing change in Australian cinema where most of the locally-produced films in the past year had very grim and depressing themes or storylines.

The story is set in the summer of 1969 and follows a teenage boy named Willie who lives in Broome with his religious mother Theresa, and his attempt to win the heart of local songstress Rosie. Willie's mum sends him off to a Catholic boarding school in Perth and under the watchful eye of Father Benedictus, he is groomed to become a priest. Unfortunately, Willie succumbs to peer pressure and disobeys one of the Ten Commandments - "thou shalt not steal". He refuses a beating as punishment from Father Benedictus and runs away from the boarding school to find his way home to Broome. Along the way Willie meets some colourful, confused and comic characters who are also part of his path to self-discovery.

ROCKIN' ROSIE: Lester (Dan Sultan) has his eyes on the lovely singer Rosie (Jessica Mauboy) in the film musical Bran Nue Dae. Image: Roadshow Films.

The ensemble cast is a joy to watch with some familiar faces already cemented in our hearts and minds from television, music, stage and film backgrounds. The  most recognisable face among the talented cast is Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush who brings an air of religious righteousness mixed with dry wit and humour to his character the German priest, Father Benedictus; Rocky McKenzie is convincing as the rebellious teenager, Willie, and his singing voice is marvellous; singer and song writer Missy Higgins is wonderful in her feature film debut as a daffy and affable hippie named Annie who possesses a strong sense of spirituality; Jessica Mauboy (The Sapphires) also makes her film debut, and steals almost every scene as Rosie, when she sings, dances and acts with confidence and panache; one of the original cast members of Bran Nue Dae the stage musical is Ernie Dingo who reprises his role as Uncle Tadpole in the film. Dingo provides a spirited and amusing presence as the homeless drunk who becomes a friend and father figure to Willie.

PRIESTLY PURSUIT: Father Benedictus (Geoffrey Rush) is hot on the trail of runaway teenager Willie in the film musical Bran Nue Dae. Image: Roadshow Films.

The supporting cast is terrific with Tom Budge as Annie's sceptical German boyfriend Slippery; Deborah Mailman, whom Rachel Perkins directed in Radiance, shines in her brief appearances as the "good-time" girl Roxanne who tries to deflower Willie under the condom tree; and comedienne Magda Szubanski is a hoot and relishes her cameo role as a mad but flirty Roadhouse Betty.

MUSICAL MUSINGS: Uncle Tadpole (Ernie Dingo) and Annie (Missy Higgins) share a love for music in the film musical Bran Nue Dae. Image: Roadshow Films.

Bran Nue Dae boasts equally fine talent behind the camera, with New South Welshman and Oscar winner Andrew Lesnie as cinematographer. Lesnie, who worked with Peter Jackson on The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, King Kong and The Lovely Bones, brings the rural beauty of Western Australia to the forefront and the spectacular wide open spaces are used to great effect.

WATER WONDERS: Annie (Missy Higgins) and her boyfriend Slippery (Tom Budge) bathe in the waterhole in the film musical Bran Nue Dae. Image: Roadshow Films.

Some of the songs from the original stage musical were dropped and new ones added, such as the rock/blues rendition of 'Stand ByYour Man' which is beautifully sung by Jessica Mauboy in the film. Musical producer David Bridie, a Melbourne musician and band member of My Friend The Chocolate Cake, brings his skills to the film where he shows flair for composing scores which evoke emotion and stimulates the senses. Songs from the stage musical which feature in the film include the joyful song title 'Bran Nue Dae', the catchy 'There’s Nothing I Would Rather Be (Than To Be An Aborigine)', and the gentle and calming ballad 'Afterglow' sung with heartfelt sincerity by Missy Higgins.

FINDING FAMILY: Father Bendictus (Geoffrey Rush) and Theresa (Ningali Lawford) reveal family connections to Slippery (Tom Budge) in the film musical Bran Nue Dae. Image: Roadshow Films.

Bran Nue Dae only touches lightly on many political/social issues affecting Aborigines such as alcoholism, land rights/native title, and racism. The film doesn't make the indigenous people appear as political targets, instead it gives a voice to Aborigines to express the messages from an Aboriginal perspective of everyday social issues. The film's characters strongly communicate the message that everyone shares common human values and relationships regardless of race or religion. Bran Nue Dae is an entertaining and joyful musical comedy and road movie that will lift your spirits and inspire you to look forward to your own brand new day.

HAPPY HOME: Willie (Rocky McKenzie) prefers Broome as his home instead of Perth in the film musical Bran Nue Dae. Image: Roadshow Films.

Director: Rachel Perkins

Writers: Jimmy Chi, Rachel Perkins, Reg Cribb Stephen Pigram, Patrick Duttoo Bin Amat, Michael Manolis Mavromatis, Kuckles

Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Rocky McKenzie, Jessica Mauboy, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Tom Budge, Deborah Mailman, Magda Szubanski, Ningali Lawford, Dan Sultan

Producers: David Whealy, Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street, Robyn Kershaw, Graeme Isaac, Glennie Allan, Andrea Distefano, Catherine Bishop

Original Music Composer: Cezary Skubiszewski

Music Producer: David Bridie

Cinematographer: Andrew Lesnie (Director of Photography)

Film Editor: Rochelle Oshlack

Choreographer: Stephen Page

Production: Felicity Abbott (Production Designer), Sophie Nash (Art Director), Tania Einberg (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Margot Wilson

Running Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Paranormal Activity (2007) – supernatural suspense thriller horror film review

Poster artwork for the supernatural suspense thriller horror film Paranormal Activity.

Dreadful Demon by Linh 

Paranormal Activity is not the ordinary horror film you would expect and although it contains elements of horror, it is an extraordinary film combining features of suspense and a supernatural thriller. Director Oren Peli makes a stunning debut as writer, producer, director and editor of Paranormal Activity, based on his personal experiences of moving into a new house and hearing strange noises at night. He seeks to give the audience an experience that would help define a new evolution of the horror genre, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho which made people scared to take showers.  

Paranormal Activity parallels Hitchcock’s strong use of  generating and maintaining suspense through lighting, editing techniques, sound and visual effects, and solid performances. The film tells of a young couple who have been together for a few years and move into a new house.  Katie is a university student who has a secret she is yet to tell her partner Micah. Micah is obsessed with technology and carries his hand held video camera everywhere with him. One day when Katie tells him about the strange noises she hears around the house at night, Micah decides to film themselves as they slept, to see if anything unusual can be captured on video.

The entire film is seen through the lens of Micah’s video camera, and sometimes seen from Micah’s perspective or from Katie’s  - depending on who’s holding the camera. The video camera becomes a de-facto character in the film which observes, records the sounds and visions which Micah and Katie sometimes do not see or hear, but the audience is witnessing everything.

The camera work is steady and occasionally jerky when the characters are distracted by acousmatic sounds (sounds that are off screen and the characters can sometimes hear but cannot see the originator or cause of the sound, yet the sounds are part of the narrative).  These invisible sound sources form much of the thrills and suspense for the audience and intensifies the fear portrayed by the characters.

CURIOUS CAMERA: Micah captures strange movements on his video camera in the film Paranormal Activity. Image: Icon Films, Blumhouse Productions.

The suspense in Paranormal Activity grows steadily and as more information about Katie’s past is revealed, the situation becomes more sinister as Micah discovers via the internet that a girl who died years ago after being possessed, also shared the same experiences as Katie.

Unlike the poor acting in The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity works due to the solid acting skills and excellent chemistry between the two lead actors. The characters’ names actually belong to the actors who portray them. This may give the notion of a home-video feel for the film and that the couple are not making a documentary or feature film of their experience, so it adds a touch of realism.

BEASTLY BITE: Katie reveals a suspicious bite in the film Paranormal Activity. Image: Icon Films, Blumhouse Productions.

Katie Featherston makes her feature debut as Katie in Paranormal Activity, giving a very natural and innocent portrayal of the affable female lead.

Micah Sloat also makes his feature film debut as the techno-geek Micah with a laid-back sense of humour, whose determination to capture footage of the demon leads to a violent confrontation.

The supporting cast is fantastic and their small appearances give the sense of normalcy outside of the house, but inside with Katie and Micah it becomes creepy, dangerous, and deadly.

Mark Fredrichs is suitably composed as the psychic who advises Katie and Micah not to communicate with the demon; Amber Armstrong who plays Katie’s friend Amber, is sweet and has a calming effect over Katie after one of her supernatural experiences, and Diane, the girl on the internet is Ashley Palmer who is wonderful as the demonic possessed victim and looks like a zombie on the internet video.

Paranormal Activity is a rarity in film making where everything from the mise-en-scene to the camera work and editing, is seamlessly combined to create humour, horror, suspense and thrills. A sequel has been made as the final few seconds of the film allows for this. Frankly, it was during those final few seconds that really made me pull back into my seat in the cinema.

DEMONIC DREAD: Katie flees from the creepy noises  in the film Paranormal Activity. Image: Icon Films, Blumhouse Productions.

Director: Oren Peli            

Writer: Oren Peli (screenplay)      

Cast: Katie Featherston,  Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Ashley Palmer, Amber Armstrong.

Producers: Jeanette Brill, Rick Osako, Toni Taylor

Cinematographer: Oren Peli

Film Editor: Oren Peli

Running Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Partly Cloudy (2009); animated short film family comedy

Poster artwork for the family animated short film Partly Cloudy.

Baby Buddies by Linh

Perhaps Pixar Animation Studios is starting a trend where an animated feature is preceded by a cleverly humourous and at times emotive short film.

The phenomenal Wall-E followed the animated short film Presto, which is about a neglectful magician and his mischievous and vengeful rabbit. Presto was well received and it seems we may be seeing more animated shorts from Pixar in the future.

PECK PICKS UP: Gus has another bundle of joy for Peck in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

This time, Disney and Pixar’s latest animated film Up follows the quirky Partly Cloudy. It is a six-minute short that puts a playful spin on the childhood myth of storks delivering babies, and in particular, where the storks get the babies. The storks travel all around the world to drop off a baby wrapped in a white cloth after picking them up from clouds that create the babies out of thin air.

It’s not only human babies produced in this way but also baby animals.

PLUCKY: Peck reassures Gus that he's ready for anything in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

Partly Cloudy tells of a friendship between a grey cloud named Gus and his stork friend called Peck. While other white clouds create cute human babies, kittens and puppies, Gus floats at the bottom of the hierarchy and is responsible for creating more dangerous animals.

After fashioning babies such as a snap-happy crocodile, a rambunctious ram then a passive porcupine, Gus presents Peck with a cloud shaped like a baby shark. Frightened and exhausted, Peck flies over to the white clouds.

The short film shows the fragility of friendship; despite the prickly situations and other differences, two best friends can stick by each other.

Partly Cloudy is almost a perfect prelude to the animated feature Up which carries similar themes.

LONESOME CLOUD: Gus feels abandoned and sad in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

Director: Peter Sohn

Voice Cast: Tony Fucile, Lori Richardson

Producer: Kevin Reher

Original Music:  Michael Giacchino

Film Editor: Jason Hudak

Running Time:  6 minutes

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Baby animals are delivered the same way as human babies in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

Smother (2007); drama comedy film review

Poster artwork for the comedy film Smother.

Motherly Smotherly by Linh

For first time director Vince Di Meglio, the film Smother is not a bad effort. Di Megilo and co-writer and producer Tim Rasmussen weave a fine blend of chuckles and chaos into the storyline. Smother features Diane Keaton, Liv Tyler and Dax Shepard, and is similar to Monster-Inlaw (which starred Jane Fonda as the matriarch) and Keaton's previous comedy Because I Said So.

MOTHER AND SON: Marilyn Cooper (Diane Keaton) always looks after her son Noah Cooper (Dax Shepard) in the film Smother. Image: Hoyts Distribution, Double Edge Entertainment.

Released three days prior to Mothers' Day, Smother tells of a physiotherapist named Noah Cooper who faces an exhausting and trying time. He is sacked; is under pressure from his wife to start a family; his wife's cousin moves in unexpectedly and to top it off, his mother (and her five little dogs) leaves his father and stays over.

Dax Shepard plays Noah Cooper with a down-to-earth nature and charm but he is easily overshadowed in scenes with Diane Keaton's ditzy dame character. Noah loses his job and has to beg his former boss at Carpet Bazaar, to take him back. Unfortunately, he discovers his Mother also gets a job at the carpet warehouse. Shepard makes Noah an affable character and sincere even when he gives excuses like not noticing his underwear is four sizes too small.

Best known for her role in Annie Hall, Diane Keaton continues to deliver wonderful performances despite lousy scripts and poor productions of previous films such as Because I Said So and Town and Country. In Smother, Keaton portrays Noah's mother, Marilyn Cooper, who has left her husband, Gene,  (Ken Howard) after more than thirty years together. She wants to start over and become an independent woman again, yet can't seem to do it without interfering in her son's life. Keaton gives a bravura performance as an irritating and klutzy Marilyn, who stumbles her way through life. Marilyn may think she hasn't achieved much in her life, but she declares her son as her greatest success. Also being a Mum to five cute little dogs, all named Sammy Higgins,  is no mean feat.

MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Diane Keaton and Liv Tyler in a scene from Smother.  Image: Hoyts Distribution, Double Edge Entertainment.

Liv Tyler stars as the sweet and sexy wife, Clare Cooper, who seems to be interested in only one thing - procreation. Her baby mission is under threat when her husband Noah secretly sabotages the chances of her getting pregnant. He's not prepared to be 'intimate' while his life is in utter chaos.

Tyler's character seems to be invisible for the most part, yet ironically it's her character's attempts to leave that brings her to the dramatic forefront.

Mike White is Clare's nerdy cousin Myron Stubbs, a screenwriter who arrives at Noah and Clare's house unannounced and seems to never be leaving.

Myron has a laptop installed with a digital voiced prompter and he soon makes himself at home on the Cooper's couch.

Mike White gives Myron the usual geekiness with flashes of creative spark. White plays Myron as a writer with otherworldly ideas and big dreams; an excellent person to have at a brainstorming session.

Smother is predictable and fun yet needs some more comedic sparkle from the entire cast. The standout scene follows the funeral of Grandma Helen (Selma Stern), where her death brings out the true feelings behind Noah's and Marilyn's actions and words. A very cathartic experience and the funniest moment in the film.

LONELY AND DRUNK: Marilyn Cooper (Diane Keaton) hits the microphone after hitting the bottle in the film Smother.  Image: Hoyts Distribution, Double Edge Entertainment.

Director: Vince Di Meglio 

Writers: Tim Rasmussen (screenplay), Vince Di Meglio (screenplay) 

Cast: Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard, Liv Tyler, Mike White, Ken Howard, Selma Stern, Jerry Lambert, Don Lake, Sarah Lancaster 

Producers: Matt Berenson, Johnson Chan, Tim Rasmussen, Jim Seibel, Bobby Sheng, Jennifer Perini, Jay Roach, Stanley Monahan, Julie Hartley, Bill Johnson, Carsten H.W. Lorenz 

Film Editor: Kelly Matsumoto

Cinematographer: Julio Macat 

Original Music Composers: Manish Raval, Tom Wolfe 

Production: Mark Hutman (Production Designer), Gerald Lehtola (Art Director), Cynthia McCormac (Set Decorator) 

Running Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes