Film Diagnostic

Synopsis:

MAUDIE, based on a true story, is an unlikely romance in which the
reclusive Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke) hires a fragile yet determined woman named Maudie (Sally Hawkins) to be his housekeeper. Maudie, bright-eyed but hunched with crippled hands, yearns to be independent, to live away from her protective family and she also yearns, passionately, to create art. Unexpectedly, Everett finds himself falling in love. MAUDIE charts Everett’s efforts to protect himself from being hurt, Maudie’s deep and abiding love for this difficult man and her surprising rise to fame as a folk painter.

Film Review:

A story that genuinely inspires. When physical limitation makes you your best self, it makes you boundless to anything even time. Maudie is a film full of wonder and colour. It is a movie made to see through the eyes of a folk painter who didn’t even realise she is an artist. Sally Hawkins beautifully plays as Maud, and she did it with immense justice and respect. You can tell the amount of preparation Sally has done to play as the simple yet exuberant and highly passionate local artist. Who despite her misshapen hands continuous to paint life with bright and cheerful artworks filled with landscapes and animals most touchingly.

The film accomplishes much in storytelling, acting and most especially directing. Aisling Walsh did so well with her cinematic scenes, and I give her high regard for her vision and directing style.

Maudie is a very delightful film to watch, like seeing a movie as if it was a painting, with its soft lighting, bright colours and somewhat magical approach. It may not be the perfectly detailed biography of Maud’s life, but it truly gave us a glimpse of how she overcame her struggles and turned her life into a work of art.

Out in NZ: October 19, 2017

Rating:  PG Mild themes and sexual references 

Synopsis:

A woman discovers that severe catastrophic events are somehow connected to the mental breakdown from which she’s suffering.
Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend, is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realisation that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.

-Transmission

Film Review:

Gloria (Anne Hathaway) just came from a break up with her boyfriend Tim ( Dan Stevens), forcing her to go back to her hometown. Struggling with her alcoholism, Gloria aimed to go through detox but ironically gets employed to work in a bar owned by her old classmate, Oskar (Jason Sudeikis). Not too sure if they were old pals though, but Oskar seems like a nice guy until they get to know each other a little more.

Colossal, what appears to be a comic sci-fi thriller did not really translate well into the movie. A plot that had great potential as being original in its own present day cringe comedy science fiction story has only become confusing and weak. The film reminded me of the movie 10 Cloverfield Lane with both films going for a dark psychological thriller and having a sci-fi side in the end. However, the difference with both the films is that one tried to incorporate comedy which was also a nice touch, but it just did not work. Maybe there were too many ideas already making the story hard to follow. The comic scenes were a fail, and none of it was funny at all.

One particular scene that I thought would have been really hilarious was the firecracker scene. But the timing and editing made it appear flat and dull instead. The hard to follow story even became more confusing when the back story was finally revealed. It was probably one of the most important scenes in the film but was surprisingly insufficient in many levels. It made the whole movie pointless.

The casting seemed a little off as well. The acting was technically good, but the on-screen chemistry and portrayals were not convincing enough. This added more to the downside of the story. There were even parts of the film that felt slow and dragging. Such as the scenes where Gloria was trying to fit in with his new friends and blend in, trying to hide her personal problems from them.

In general, the movie did not turn out to be as successful as it could have been for many reasons. There was nothing to hold on to after watching the film but a question of “is that it?”  

Out in NZ cinemas April 27, 2017

NZ Rating: M Violence & offensive language.