The Help Review

Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel ‘The Help’ is a big puddle of emotion elegantly crafted into a very watchable film. I have to admit it wasn’t a film that necessarily appealed to me at first, however it’s a very accessible and no frills experience. 

The story comes from Stockett’s 2009 novel about a budding reporter, Skeeter who finds her first story in the lives of the hired ‘help’. The story is set in the early 1960’s where all the hired help were black woman who were oppressed and treated no more than slaves. Skeeter follows the lives of two woman she knows; Aibileen and Minny who struggle daily against segregation and the wrath of their white female masters. 

The film goes for the heartstrings and it makes no bones about it. Director Tate Taylor builds us up with loveable characters and takes his time to gently knock us down with their tragedy. 

Emma Stone plays a convincing Skeeter whose character makes an interesting journey from naive graduate to an employable writer. Her affection and hope for Aibileen and Minny is subtle and touching. There’s plenty of comedy provided from Octavia Spencer’s sassy Minny, who only just avoids falling into caricature and cliche. 

However it’s Jessica Chastain’s unstable Celia Foote that captured my heart. Foote is a troubled woman who finds herself alienated from her new found social class but finds friendship in her hired help Minny. Chastain’s portrayal is authentic and heart-warmingly funny. 

This film is a great story that gives a warm fuzzy feeling inside...

However for me it raises questions about the nature of emotion in film and why as an audience member we become so involved. Is it the story or the film that creates the emotion? I would argue that in this case it’s the story that creates the emotion and the film is a medium and support for it. Does this mean it’s a good film then? I would argue that it’s doing it’s job well as being a medium for storytelling but in terms of looking at film making as a craft and art form it comes across as being very middle of the road. 

Chronicle Review

Science Fiction has long been obsessed with normal people becoming overnight superheroes after gaining superpowers through a freak accident. Radioactive spiders, fallen space ships and genetic experiments gone wrong have been the catalyst for many a graphic novel turned blockbuster. So what can Josh Trank’s new film Chronicle bring to this big and well used table?

Well for a start a beguiling film that features hand-held cameras, no scientific spiel and a serendipitous absensce of a soundtrack. 

Chronicle is shot on hand-held cameras, which gives the film a gritty naturalism usually absent in Sci-Fi thrillers. Think Cloverfield bumping into X-Men in a cinema playing a US Teen comedy. The main protagonist Andrew films much of the action on his new camera, capturing his mother’s terminal illness, father’s abuse and high school drama. However the footage gets interesting when he stumbles across a mysterious object in the ground while at a party with his older and cooler cousin Matt and high school jock Steve. The find has a profound effect on the three characters when they discover they have developed incredible powers including flight, telekinesis and supernatural speed. 

The POV style plus superb acting from Dane Dehaan and co make this discovery believable and watchable for the audience. You get a sense of this being a natural response from teenagers suddenly finding out they have new superpowers. The plot darkens as they learn to control and strengthen their powers. Andrew’s dysfunctional home life begins to affect the way he uses and manipulates his new found kudos. 

This film is clever and unpredictable right up until the last twenty minutes when unfortunately it loses some of it’s maturity. The intelligent progression of character and plot suddenly end in a drawn out hollywood style smash em up up fight and things get a bit boring. 

Obstensibly if you’re a Sci-Fi fan this film will probably impress you, however if you’re yet to be convinced, you might want to wait for the next Trank film. 

The Descendants

We’re used to seeing George Clooney as an affable rogue in films like Ocean’s Eleven. The Descendants sees him toning down his charisma in order to play Matt King, a Honolua lawyer and land land owner whose world is turned upside down after the revelation of his wife’s infidelities. As if that wasn’t hard enough the news emerges while she’s in a coma after a boating accident. 

This is one of those films where many people will come away going ‘but nothing happens...’ These are the kind of films I love because they’re atmospheric and the story is subtle. Throughout the duration of this film the complexities of family relationships are woven alongside cultural and historical responsibilities within a community. 

Heavy stuff...

Well yes... but the script is full of humour, and life affirming character interaction. It’s beautifully shot and there’s a great soundtrack as well. 

This is one of those films that really is a must see. 

However it’s not really doing anything new or exciting, so part of me asks the question would I see it again? Well er maybe...I don’t know, it reminds me of Revolutionary Road in that respect. It was a great film but I’m not convinced it’s a classic.