THE HOST - MENTAL - TEMPTATION
With Spring Break either winding up or winding down, the convergent celebrations of Easter and Passover, not to mention the hopeful blooms of springtime, it’s the perfect time to hit your local movie theatres. Although opening last week, if you haven’t yet seen OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, run don’t walk to one of the most exhilarating action rides of the year. And for a fun-filled adventure of mammoth proportion for the whole family, you can’t beat the pre-modern stone age family, THE CROODS. This week, a diverse group of new films opens, providing something for everyone...and I love all three of these.
THE HOST
Can lightning strike twice for Stephanie Meyer? The guru behind the “Twilight” saga, Meyer’s latest novel, THE HOST, comes to the big screen courtesy of writer/director Andrew Niccol. A perfect blend of science fiction, romance, friendship and the best part of humanity, parasitic aliens called “Souls” now reside on earth. Looking like ethereal paramecium, the Souls inhabit human bodies, forcing the human spirit to “die” and turning earth into a peaceful, bland and plain wrap planet. However, inhabiting all of the humans proves somewhat troublesome thanks to pockets of resistance fighters who have gone into hiding. One of the resistance is Melanie Stryder who has been on the run protecting her younger brother and trying to get to her uncle who is hidden deep in the desert of the American Southwest.
Unfortunately, Melanie is captured by the “Seeker” whose mission is to round-up the remaining humans for transference and inhabitation by the Souls. But Melanie isn’t like other humans as her human spirit refuses to fade away when implanted with “Wanderer”. It doesn’t take long for Melanie and Wanderer to fully cohabitate within Melanie’s body with Wanderer experiencing the emotions of humanity and love and wanting that “thing” called humanity for herself. On the run to save Melanie’s loved ones from the Seeker, can two sentient beings live within one body and embrace humanity?
Having read the novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect in the film adaptation as while Meyer is good at conceptualization, her writing skills are lacking and go to the superfluous. Thankfully Andrew Niccol stepped in to write the screenplay and direct, eliminating the baggage of the book and courtesy of stunning visual tonal bandwidth, elevates THE HOST into a fascinating and beyond enjoyable movie-going experience.
When it comes to performances, off the bat, a standout is Jake Abel. As Ian (who falls in love with Wanderer), he brings a sincerity and honesty to the film that transcends physical chemistry with Saoirse Ronan’s Melanie/Wanderer. He fills THE HOST with a purity of emotion that takes the breath away, never moreso than in a scene where he is holding a Soul in his hand. The look on his face speaks volumes and captures the essence of humanity and being perfectly human. He and Ronan have a wonderful flow between them.
Saoirse Ronan is the embodiment of Melanie and Wanderer, playing the duality with resonating emotion and conviction. In a word, wonderful. Curious as to how Ronan would perfect the characters, watching her is a joy as she gives each persona responsive and reactive distinctively different visual and vocal intonations. The inner strength and fortitude she delivers is refreshing, welcome and buttresses the character and the story.
As Uncle Jeb, William Hurt soars. With quiet, intelligent, philosophical divinity, Hurt IS Jeb. Disappointing is Max Irons’ Jared, Melanie’s love interest. He never really sells the emotional connection and definitely lacks romantic chemistry with Ronan. The real stunner is Diane Kruger. As Seeker, Kruger maintains a deliberate calm and control that in and of itself is frightening, but then starts to imbue Seeker with fear and mortality as Seeker denigrates into the worst parts of humanity. Stunning!
But when it comes to stunning, let's talk production values. Meticulous, exacting, beautiful perfection. Robert Schaefer's cinematography is exquisite. Creating two distinct visual tones but then melding them through light the result is visually and emotionally stirring. And let’s start the Oscar campaign now for production designer Andy Nicholson. From designing an intricate cave design to using 40,000 gallons of water to create an underground waterfall, river and rapids to the beauty of New Zealand glow worms, his work is breathtaking! THE HOST is a pantheon of visual and visceral delights, including mirror-finish Lotus Esprits driven by Seekers.
The story itself is captivating and thought provoking. The script is clean and streamlined with, characters well defined, but it’s the essence and conceptualization and social commentary on humanity that elicits thought provoking ideology long after the curtain falls.
Can we say sequel???
MENTAL
PJ Hogan never disappoints me with his comedy. Be it “My Best Friend’s Wedding” or “Confessions of a Shopaholic” or even the poignancy of “Peter Pan”, I know I'm in for a good time with Hogan at the helm, and with MENTAL he had me at the opening strains of "The Sound of Music". Yes, the hills of Australia are alive with “The Sound of Music.”
As he did with “Muriel’s Wedding”, Hogan draws on his own family and real life experiences to bring us one of his patented quirky Australian spins, this time on the issue of mental illness and the fracturing of a family. Believing laughter to be the best medicine, Hogan delivers plenty of that thanks to well-written characters and dialogue, heavy infusion of pop culture and, of course, music, not to mention the chameleonic and charismatic Toni Collette.
The Moochmores are not your typical family. Dad, Barry, is mayor of Dolphins Head and spends little, if any, time at home with wife Shirley and their five daughters. In fact, Barry spends so little time at home, he doesn’t even know his daughters’ names. As for Shirley, she has withdrawn into the world of “The Sound of Music”, wanting nothing more than the Moochmores to be the Von Trapps. And in true Oscar & Hammerstein fashion, breaks into “The Sound of Music” soundtrack at the drop of a laundry basket. When Shirley completely snaps a la a shopping spree that boasts delivery of merchandise from every curtain, door and window on “The Price Is Right” or “Let’s Make A Deal”, and with his re-election looming, Barry sends her away “on holiday” aka tosses her in the looney bin. Unable to deal with his daughters on any level, Barry picks up a hitchhiker named Shaz, ensconcing her as the family nanny. But Shaz isn’t like anyone you’re ever met. A foul-mouthed Mad Hatter-meets-Mary Pippins with a very uniquely eccentric view of life, Shaz is beyond mental! But it’s that kind of “mental” that puts the world and life into perspective for the Mooch more girls and Shirley.
Written and directed by PJ Hogan, just when you think you can't take any more laughter, Hogan backs off, let’s you catch your breath and reveals the heart of the story, the true dysfunction of the family and the world. Showing us the world through the eyes of Shaz, our eyes are opened along with those of the wannabe Von Trapps.
As Shaz, Toni Collette relishes the role and makes it her own, delivering deliciousness every step of the way. But as fabulous as Toni Collette is, not to be overlooked by any means is Rebecca Gibney. Her Shirley is the embarrassing mother we all think we have, some may have, and others thank God they don't have. But Gibney adds a standout texture to the character - she's not just a mom or a neglected wife, she's a woman with feelings who just wants to be loved and appreciated. Similarly, some of the greatest comedic fodder comes compliments of prim, prissy, proper and completely insane neighbors and relatives, Kerry Fox's Nancy and Caroline Goodall's Doris. (One, a germaphobe scrubbing the driveway with a toothbrush. Another, obsessed with creating perfect porcelain dolls and treating them like perfect children.)
The Mooch more girls are all divine, starting with Lily Sullivan's Coral. A dead ringer for a young Geena Davis, Sullivan shines and captures every nuance of teenaged angst and frustration - with herself, her siblings, her parents, her peers. Perfection!
And when did Liev Schreiber get so good with accents! Talk about Aussie purity! If I didn't know it was Schreiber, I would have guessed this was a native Australian in the role of shark-hunter Trevor. Gotta love the he-man, masculinity and mystery that he brings to the character. Particularly engaging are scenes between Schreiber and Sullivan. You feel a great connection and almost paternal bond between them that adds a level of sweetness to the dynamic and character structure.
Anthony LaPaglia is a scream with deadpan befuddlement as Barry Mooch more. So entertaining, one would like to see more of him, however, Hogan judiciously tempered the role as to have more Mayor Mooch more one screen would have adversely impacted the story since one of the major tines in the family dynamic is dad's absence.
Key to the script is that although we're laughing, we're not laughing AT the Moochmores. We're laughing with them. Their "fish out of water" dynamic is one that resonates with everyone, whether we admit it about ourselves or not. Who hasn't felt at sometime in their life like one of the Moochmores or Shaz or even Trevor? Hogan runs the gamut of family driven emotion and taps into something for everyone. That above all else, makes this such a standout story.
The strength and empowerment that Hogan imbues within his characters, carries over to the audience. You feel like you've climbed that mountain with Shaz and the girls, that you have solved problems bigger than Maria von Trapp, and like the Von Trapps and the Moochmores, you can have a happy ending - once you've climbed that mountain and discovered your inner strength. Survival, joy, happiness mixed with some sorrow, growing pains, laughter and love. The fact that this script comes from Hogan’s own life is why the characters are so real, the predicaments so fun and funny, the stakes so high.
And there are no words for Donald McAlpine's cinematography but for beautiful, bright, colorful, upbeat and even a bit mystical and awakening.
It's great to be "mental" if it means loving MENTAL!
TEMPTATION: CONFESSIONS OF A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR
Leave it to Tyler Perry to hit us hard with contemplation, emotion and faith during the Easter/Passover season. TEMPTATION is a wonderful tool that speaks to, and inspires, an examination and reaffirmation of faith. Adapted from his play by the same name, Perry navigates some very difficult waters, bringing us thoughtful, intelligent, layered characters that speak to passion for the Lord versus passion for the flesh.
Judith is a marriage counselor/therapist. Married now for six years to her childhood sweetheart, Brice, she is bored and frustrated with her life, her marriage, herself. Having envisioned “more” at this stage of the game beyond a carefully planned out cautious life by pharmacist Brice and her church-going, god-fearing mother Sarah, Judith is one day faced with all the temptations that life has to offer, and their consequences. Working for a glorified dating service called Wise Counsel as opposed to having her own therapy practice, Judith meets Harley. A social media mogul who wants to invest in Wise Counsel, Harley takes a shine to Judith and entices her with shiny things - fancy dinners, fancy life, fancy plane, fancy clothes. How can she say no? That’s the problem, Judith can’t, and turns her back on Brice, Sarah and God, embarking on an obsessive and torrid affair with Harley. As Judith descends deeper into hell, one has to wonder, can she be saved? Can she save herself? And what repercussions will come of her succumbing to TEMPTATION?
Navigating some very difficult waters, Perry brings us thoughtful, intelligent, layered characters set in a world of very real obstacles and challenges. As comes as no surprise, his casting is strong, starting with Jurnee Smollett-Bell who shines as Judith. Lance Gross brings a quiet strength to Brice while Robbie Jones comes into his own as an actor, delivering a powerful performance as Harley. But no one tops Ella Joyce when it comes to hitting a home run with conviction and belief in her faith and God in her performance as Sarah. Joyce will make a believer out of you. A real treat is Renee Taylor as Brice’s boss and pharmacy owner Mrs. Waco Chapman. Providing not only levity but an observational keen eye, Taylor actually sets the tone as a sage observer, spotting those in trouble and "helping" those in need. Delicious is Vanessa Williams who, as Wise Counsel owner Janice, is visually metaphoric for the apple in the Garden of Eden. And yes, Kim Kardashian is in the film; and surprisingly, not bad.
From a production standpoint, the visual contrast and tone within the production design partnered with Alexander Gruszynski’s cinematography is defining and beautiful. Icing on the cake is Aaron Sigman’s scoring which adds its own layer to the story.
Tyler Perry definitely tempts you with TEMPTATION.
For my complete reviews and exclusive interviews on each of these films, go to www.moviesharkdeblore.com.
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