THE DRESSMAKER - review

THE DRESSMAKER
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Cast: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, Sarah Snook, Rebecca Gibney, Shane Jacobson


Synopsis: Based on the best-selling novel by Rosalie Ham, THE DRESSMAKER is a bittersweet, comedy-drama set in early 1950's Australia. Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet), a beautifil and talented misfit, after many years working as a derssmaker in exclusive Parisian fashion houses, returns home to the tiny middle-of-nowhere town of Dungatar to right the wrongs of the past. Not only does she reconcile with her ailing, eccentric mother Molly (Judy Davis) andunexpectedly falls in love with the pure-hearted Teddy (Liam Hemsworth), but armed with her swweing machine and incredible sense of style, she transforms the women of the town and in doing so gets sweet revenge on those who did her wrong.

It's been a few weeks since my last review, indeed it's been a few weeks since I've seen a film because, well, because life. Tell you what though, I got back to my true love with a bang! Friday morning I took myself off with Sissie to see THE DRESSMAKER, and it was as glorious as I had hoped it would be. As an added bonus, this lovely film had a scene shot in my local cinema (The Sun Theatre) indeed, it closed the place down for a day which I was most put out by at the time, although I did get the chance to see some movie making in action, so there was a plus even if I didn't get to see a film that day. The film starts off as a magical comedy-drama about the return of the prodigal daughter to her home town after many years of being away working as a dressmaker at some of the most prestigious Parisian fashion houses. She returns to find out the truth about her past and right some wrongs.

Known to the townsfolk as a murderer, her return is not welcomed by most, least of all her mother, who claims not to remember who she is. Together with the local police officer (Hugo Weaving), her eccentric mother and a local boy who loves her for who she is not who the people say she is, she sets about putting the pieces of past together and righting the wrongs done to her. At about two thirds of the way through when I thought all was coming to a neat little conclusion, the film takes an unexpected turn and then spirals into a world of "wtf is actually happening right now". The third act doesn't quite fit with the tone of the rest of the film, but gee willickers it was good even if it didn't quite make sense.

welcome home Tilly Dunnage

image via Universal Pictures

THE DRESSMAKER has some "holy shit" moments, and plenty of laugh out loud hilarity in the small town of Dungatar, and it will keep you entertained the entire way through. There is truth in the grudges held by the small-minded people of this small town, and the gossiping, rumour mills that exisit within the community. I mostly enjoyed the "screw you" attitude of some of the key characters, not least of all Tilly Dunnage, her mother Molly and her true love Teddy.

Kate Winslet shines in this film, she is powerful and commanding and captivates the audience with her powerful presence on screen. She is given every opportunity in this script to shine as the leading lady of this film, and even though I was a little put off by the enormous age gap between her and her leading man Liam Hemsworth, their chemistry is undeniable. He is unflappable in his convictions and his pure heart shines throughout the whole film.

Tilly and Teddy - true love against the odds

image via Universal Pictures

The supporting cast of a great number of talent Aussies also shines, and this is a prime example of quality Australian cinema that should not be missed. Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, Sarah Snook, Rebecca Gibney, Shane Jacobson, Gyton Grantlet, Barry Otto and many others truly bring this film to life and give it all the magical qualities that make it so thoroughly enjoyable.

Hugo Weaving

Judy Davis, Sarah, Snook, Kate Winslet

Mark Leonard Winter, Sarah Snook, Rebecca Gibney, Shane Jacobson

images via Universal Pictures

Overall, even aside from the surprise plot twist and wtf ending, THE DRESSMAKER is a lovely piece of cinema and I definitely recommend spending the 20-something dollars on taking yourself to the cinema and indulging yourself.

4 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

A LITTLE CHAOS - review

A LITTLE CHAOS

Director - Alan Rickman
Cast - Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci

Well wasn't that an unexpected surprise. A date night with myself after a tiresome day at work, to catch a film I didn't really know anything about other than Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci and Kate Winslet were in it. I'm here to tell you that if you don't know anything about this film watch the trailer right now - here let me assist you with that;

and now that you've seen the trailer, tell me that you don't want to see it. Go on, I dare you! Alright, I appreciate that there are probably some of you who have no interest in seeing this film, but for those of you whose fancies were tickled by the trailer, you should definitely go. A superb cast, outstanding cinematography, a fantastic script, a score to be reckoned with and a set that takes the wind right out of you.

Madame Sabine De Barra, a female landscape gardener gets a highly coveted position of designing and building part of the gardens of the yet to be completed palace of Versailles. Her mind is chaotic - you can tell by looking at her - and her gardening style is equally chaotic, yet incredibly captivating. The chappie that hires her is very clinical in his gardening style and everything is ordered and very classical. Polar opposites in landscape gardening, and in life, and yet it seems they are each exactly what the other needs.

As she builds on her creation, she is drawn to her employer Andre Le Notre and he is equally drawn to her. Part of her magic is that she is unassuming and does not suffer the need to pander to the wants and needs of those around her. She is honest, hardworking and passionate and that shines through in Winslets performance of De Barra. What also shines through is her internal torment and it is captivating.

Winslet as Sabine De Barra in a garden shrine - sublime

There is sufficient scandal and intrigue in the story to keep the mind ticking and as readable as De Barra is, Le Notre is mysterious and tormented in his own way. I wanted to know more of his suffering outside of his marital issues - what caused his marriage to collapse aside from his philandering wife, what torment did he suffer to drive his wife to become so unfaithful? Why was she so heartless and cruel in a time that he needed her most? So many unanswered questions in the story of his life. He puts in beautifully when telling Sabine of his crumbled marriage in that they must have taught each other to behave the way that they did and that the blame was as much his as it was hers. I found that to be a very real description of relationships - we teach each other how to behave and how to treat one another. It resonated strongly with me.

The intricacies of the characters in this story were lovely and well played out, not only in the script, but also in what was told through the looks given and the gesticulation. I was captivated not only by the main characters - King Louis XIV, De Barra and Le Notre - but also the supporting characters, Madame De Montespan, Madame Le Notre, Duras and the others.

Sabine and Andre at the unveiling of the garden 

Let me rave a little more about Winslet, she is exquisite in her fear and her honesty and her openness. This is a film in which she shone and made me remember what I love about her as an actress. *gush gush gush*.

Rickman was not only outstanding as King Louis XIV is this film, but his direction was marvellous. I have not seen the other film that he has directed (THE WINTER GUEST 1997), but I do so want to see it now, because the direction of A LITTLE CHAOS was measured and appropriate and brought an beautiful story to life on the screen. Thumbs up for him on both counts in this film.

Rickman as King Louis XIV and his court

The script is wonderful, the acting exceptional and the direction and cinematography is captivating. I felt all of the emotions in this film that were being felt by the characters and I felt drawn to their stories. The film runs just shy of two hours and I did not feel bored, or conscious of the time once. In fact, I could have continued to watch as the story played out.

One of the most magical moments in this film is where we see Sabine breakdown and we discover the true reason for her torment and the way that Andre helps her deal with it. It shows the magnitude of their love and of the beauty of their personalities. It was incredible to watch it unfold even for the brief moment it was on the screen. Each a little broken in their own way, but coupled their broken pieces seem to fit together.

The unveiling of the garden

The film ended beautifully in the completed garden (which was magnificent), which was of course the best place for it to end, but I could have watched for another two hours before we reached that point just discovering the stories of the characters in this film.



I would highly recommend that you spend the 20-something dollars to see this film if you like the trailer.

4.5 out of 5 for this gorgeous piece of cinema.

xox
The Blonde Bombshell

INSURGENT - review

INSURGENT

Director: Robert Schwentke

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller and Octavia Spencer

I shall preface this review by saying that I haven't read any of the books, so I can't comment on how well or not well it has been adapted. I can only comment on what I remember from the first film DIVERGENT, and what I saw on screen during INSURGENT. If, like me you haven't read the books, please be wary that there might be some spoilers, particularly if you haven't seen the first film. Now, all that being said, lets get on with the show (and by show I mean review).

Before I went in to see INSURGENT, I did go back and look at a few reviews of DIVERGENT so that I could remember what had happened because it's been 12 months since I'd seen it. I sometimes wish though that instalment films had a "previously..." at the beginning like some TV shows do, just to give the audience a little refresher!

INSURGENT is the second instalment of the DIVERGENT series directed by Robert Schwentke. If you don't know who he is then think back to R.I.P.D, and if you didn't see that (which you most likely didn't because it wasn't that great) think back to RED, and THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (which were much better films that R.I.P.D). Unfortunately for him, INSURGENT tips more towards the R.I.P.D side of his talent spectrum than the RED side. It wasn't terribly done, but it certainly wasn't as well directed as Neil Burgers' DIVERGENT. There are a few reviews out there claiming that it's a complete train wreck and that it's a great cast wasted on a terrible movie. True, the cast is a little bit wasted on this film, but I wouldn't go quite so far as to call it a complete train wreck. Maybe a mild traffic accident, or a glass of wine spilled over the kitchen floor (actually wasted wine is quite horrific, so maybe that's too harsh?)

It has come a long way from DIVERGENT in the effects that are used throughout the film, and it does bring the story along quite nicely even though there are a few character arcs that aren't quite as complete and satisfying as they should be. I assume that if I read the books, I would get more of an understanding of these underlying arcs, but can I be bothered doing that? Most likely not. Should I feel like something is missing even though I haven't read the books? Probably not. That's a pretty big shortfall in my opinion - it doesn't quite have the stand alone power of some other book adaptations.

The main plot however, builds quite well on the storyline established in DIVERGENT, diving a little bit deeper into the factions, whilst still fleshing out some (but not enough) of the background details of the characters (Four in particular).

Here's a recap of the factions, just in case you can't remember them

INSURGENT finds our main characters Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), Peter (Miles Teller) and Caleb (Ansel Elgort) living in exile with the Amity faction. I don't remember them seeking refuge with the Amity faction at the end of DIVERGENT, but as I mentioned, there's a lot I don't remember from that film, so I'm somehow not surprised about that. There was also a brief moment when I thought "why is the guy from THE FAULT IN OUR STARS in this film?!" til I clicked on who he was and what his relevance to the story line was (Tris' brother Caleb).

At the end of DIVERGENT the head of the Erudite faction Jeanine (Kate Winslet) staged an attack on the Abnegation faction looking for something. We see that something (a magical box that is somehow linked to the Founders from 200 years ago) being found by her Dauntless army in the house of Tris' parents - note to self, this is clearly going to be of significance later in the film.

Jeanine works out that only a Divergent can open the box by completing the simulations, or sims set out for each faction. This in turn leads to a man hunt through all the factions for Divergents. Uh oh, Tris is a Divergent, that can only mean bad news for her.

here she is with the mysterious box (thanks Summit Entertainment)

Tris is already struggling with her guilt at getting her parents killed and for killing her friend Will and lying to her boyfriend (Four) about how fine she is. In this case fine really does stand for 'freaked out insecure, neurotic and emotional'. Now, people are getting attacked and killed for helping her (although they are helping all Divergents and not just her) and that's sending her on a massive downward spiral. These other Divergents and Divergent sympathisers really help move the story along, let us get a bit of back story on some of the other characters (namely Four's family background), and help draw out the background of the Founders and the five factions.

Sadly though Shailene Woodley's talents are a little bit wasted - I get the impression that the character arc of Tris in the book would be well detailed and easy to follow along, but there is so much happening in the Divergent world in 119 minutes that there really isn't time for her to play this out well. I don't think that's her fault, I just think it's a case of too much happening in too little time and it gets left by the wayside as something slightly less important. There is very little nuanced drama relating to Tris' pain and subsequent emotional healing - Schwentke really doesn't make use of the incredibly talented lead that he has been given.

The supporting cast who had quite important parts to play in the first film have been cast aside and have little more than cameo appearances, which doesn't give you any indication of how other people are coping with the collapse of the faction system.

Keiynan Lonsdale as Uriah who has a brief moment with Tris that I wanted to see more of

As an adaptation of a YA novel, Schwentke has ticked all of the boxes I guess - great special effects, super talented cast, and a cliffhanger at the end, but somehow it doesn't quite measure up as a stand alone film. As someone who hasn't read the books I was easily able to anticipate the storyline and pick the plot twists (with the exception of one), but what INSURGENT lacks in hidden twists and turns it makes up for in SFX, something that fell a little short in DIVERGENT.

***************SPOILER ALERT**************

Unsurprisingly Tris can't stand the thought of people dying or suffering to protect her, so she hands herself in, completes all the sims (solving all her emotional issues in about 3 minutes) and opens the box which contains a message from the Founders, telling everyone that Divergents are the answer to all their problems, that they are not the sole survivors of humanity, and that now they can join them outside the wall. We end with everyone rushing towards the wall.

So, here's a few things I was left wondering at the end of INSURGENT:

* Why is everyone rushing towards the wall now they know they can go out there? It's been 200 years since the Founders left that message. They don't know what's out there?

* What's outside the wall? I mean seriously, it's been 200 years, anything could be happening out there people, don't all just stampede from the safety of your homes - send out a damn search party!

* Who are the Founders and what were they trying to achieve by dividing up the "remaining" people into factions?

* What happened to Four's dad? Another underdeveloped character arc, he gets smashed in the face with a gun at the beginning of the film and is never heard from again.

* Can we trust Four's mother Evelyn? She had a bad ass one liner at the end of the film and I don't think she's in it for the greater good.

* What will happen when they all get outside the wall? Is there anyone that is going to stay inside the wall? Who's going to be in charge anyway once they get out there?

* Being Divergent doesn't really seem that important now that the box has been opened? Or is it? Are the Divergents going to rise up and be the leaders of this new world?

* Will Tris ever forgive Caleb who basically sat back to watch her die after she saved his ass? I mean in light of how things turned out, he must feel like such a dick.

* Am I going to have to read the books now? It's another 12 months until Allegiance Pt 1 comes out (March 2016) and I don't know if I can wait that long!!

****************END SPOILER***************

Tris, Four and Peter

So, in summary INSURGENT isn't a train wreck, but it isn't a great film either. It felt underdeveloped and rushed and I wanted more of the underlying stories and characters arcs. The SFX are good, the dialogue is a little soap opera-y at times, and the talent of the cast is a little wasted.

I won't say that I didn't enjoy it though, because I did. For a YA adaptation it wasn't the worst (I think TWILIGHT holds that title), so if you can take it for what it is, you might like me enjoy it. I would be interested to hear what you think of it if you have read the books. Did the adapt it well? Were there crucial plot points missing or have they kept it basically on point? And more importantly, should I read them? Will the unsatisfactory character developments that have left me hanging all be explained?

Unless you're a die hard fan, I wouldn't recommend paying 20-something dollars for this at the cinema. You can probably wait until you can get it on iTunes, or from your local DVD store (because I honestly believe that you all do the right thing and obtain copies of your films legally and help support the industry that I love so dearly).

INSURGENT - 2.5 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell