Search
The Sun Mobile: Breaking news, showbiz and sport
News
App
The Sun Mobile app brings breaking news, sports, showbiz and celeb gossip from around the world to...
The Huntress
9.0
Rate It
Book
From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel, THE ALICE NETWORK, comes...
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Whiteout (2009) in Movies
Aug 9, 2019
For US Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale), a remote posting in Antarctica was exactly what she needed to regroup after a harrowing assignment took an unexpected and devastating turn.
Unfortunately for Kate, she and the assorted scientists and support personal at the remote research base are about to become pawns in a deadly scenario in the new film “Whiteout”.
In the coldest place on earth, Carrie and many of her fellow expatriates look to evacuate the base for warmer climates before a big winter storm arrives which will signal the start of the severe winter and restrict any travel to and from the base.
Having grown tired of two years of little more than dealing with misdemeanors, Carrie has turned in her resignation and looks forward to what the future holds as does her friend Dr. Fury (Tom Skerritt), who has decided to head back home on the last flight out in 72 hours.
As the camp plans the seasonal evacuation, Carrie is dispatched with Dr. Fury and their pilot Delfy (Columbus Short), to investigate what appears to be a body in the middle of a desolate area. Their fears are soon realized when a badly disfigured body is found which is at first classified as an accident, but to many things about the condition and location of the body do not add up.
Although highly skeptical as there has never been a murder in Antarctica, and knowing the reporting it as such would cancel her trip home so the Feds can do an investigation, Carrie sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery.
As she begins to follow the trail of clues, a mysterious figure kills a suspected witness and makes an attempt on Carrie’s life. The arrival shortly thereafter by an ex military specialist working for the U.N. named Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht), raises suspicions as he was dispatched very quickly to the locale after the murder was reported and with a severe storm hours away, the arrival of Price is seem as a bad omen.
As the film goes on, Carrie realizes that she has become involved in an old mystery where people are only too willing to commit murder to posses the secrets and that there severe weather coming in is the least dangerous thing in her life.
Not knowing where to turn and who she can trust, Carrie must overcome all manner of challenges to solve the mystery and bring those responsible to justice.
At first the film is rife with potential as the great setting and premise for the film is very interesting. My mind wandered to John Carpenter’s classic version of “The Thing”, which also used the remote locale of Antarctica to set its tale. The unique and deadly beauty of the place undermines the isolation of the characters as they are truly alone with danger amongst them.
Sadly the film has several plot holes and surprisingly lacks any real or sustained tension. There were key sequences in the film which were life and death struggles amongst a ranging storm, yet unfolded in a very ho hum manner.
I learned that the film sat for nearly two years waiting to be released which is never a good sign. That being said, despite the issues, “Whiteout” does have some entertainment value which is in large part thanks to the cast who make the best they can with the material and make the film a watchable if flawed effort.
Unfortunately for Kate, she and the assorted scientists and support personal at the remote research base are about to become pawns in a deadly scenario in the new film “Whiteout”.
In the coldest place on earth, Carrie and many of her fellow expatriates look to evacuate the base for warmer climates before a big winter storm arrives which will signal the start of the severe winter and restrict any travel to and from the base.
Having grown tired of two years of little more than dealing with misdemeanors, Carrie has turned in her resignation and looks forward to what the future holds as does her friend Dr. Fury (Tom Skerritt), who has decided to head back home on the last flight out in 72 hours.
As the camp plans the seasonal evacuation, Carrie is dispatched with Dr. Fury and their pilot Delfy (Columbus Short), to investigate what appears to be a body in the middle of a desolate area. Their fears are soon realized when a badly disfigured body is found which is at first classified as an accident, but to many things about the condition and location of the body do not add up.
Although highly skeptical as there has never been a murder in Antarctica, and knowing the reporting it as such would cancel her trip home so the Feds can do an investigation, Carrie sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery.
As she begins to follow the trail of clues, a mysterious figure kills a suspected witness and makes an attempt on Carrie’s life. The arrival shortly thereafter by an ex military specialist working for the U.N. named Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht), raises suspicions as he was dispatched very quickly to the locale after the murder was reported and with a severe storm hours away, the arrival of Price is seem as a bad omen.
As the film goes on, Carrie realizes that she has become involved in an old mystery where people are only too willing to commit murder to posses the secrets and that there severe weather coming in is the least dangerous thing in her life.
Not knowing where to turn and who she can trust, Carrie must overcome all manner of challenges to solve the mystery and bring those responsible to justice.
At first the film is rife with potential as the great setting and premise for the film is very interesting. My mind wandered to John Carpenter’s classic version of “The Thing”, which also used the remote locale of Antarctica to set its tale. The unique and deadly beauty of the place undermines the isolation of the characters as they are truly alone with danger amongst them.
Sadly the film has several plot holes and surprisingly lacks any real or sustained tension. There were key sequences in the film which were life and death struggles amongst a ranging storm, yet unfolded in a very ho hum manner.
I learned that the film sat for nearly two years waiting to be released which is never a good sign. That being said, despite the issues, “Whiteout” does have some entertainment value which is in large part thanks to the cast who make the best they can with the material and make the film a watchable if flawed effort.
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Steve Jobs (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Steve Jobs is written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Danny Boyle, stars Micheal Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Now that those formalities are out of the way I will just come out and say it. Steve Jobs is the best dramatic bio-pic I have seen. In fact, it is the best movie I have seen this year. Acted fantastically to the point of realism, the film takes the typical three act story arc and shows us the life of Steve Jobs at three periods of his life right before a product launch where we see Jobs as both innovator and villain alike. Each period consist of the 30-45 minutes of visually stimulating and aggressive cinematography leading up to each product launch and how the major people in Job’s life come in and out of those moments. These moments reveal that seemingly simple interactions with Jobs lead to a constant chess match of words and minds to maintain the reality distortion field of a seemingly great man but seemingly not a very good person. Clearly the film takes some Hollywood liberties, but with the screenplay based off the authorized biography of the same name by Walter Isaacson, the film Steve Jobs is probably the most realistic portrayal we may see of the man himself.
That portrayal is delivered splendidly by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender’s performance though each phase of the film is scary. That is to say he plays the egotistical narcissist to perfection. We get real moments of a cold and calculating manipulative intelligent person with quiet moments of compassion here or there. During arguments, Fassbender knows how to delivers bombs out of moments where you would not expect them and at points those arguments feel like high speed action scenes in an otherwise action less film. It is quite remarkable to witness.
Seth Rogen (uncredited) delivers the best dramatic performance of his career as Steve Wozniak. Michael Stuhlbarg likewise delivers a solid performance that stands in this film. While Jeff Daniels, coming off a great performance in the recently successful film The Martian, delivers an outstanding nuanced performance here across from Fassbender. When the two of them are on screen together it is as if they are speaking high prose to each other, albeit at times screaming. I would not be surprised if Daniels is nomination on his work for this film.
Finally we come to Kate Winslet who plays marketing executive Joanna Hoffman. To me she delivered the most fantastic performance in this film. Perhaps because she was the likable better half to Fassbender but more importantly we see this woman who is the only one to stand up to and in a sense understand Steve Jobs’s reality distortion field and work in and out of it as she desperately tries to hold everything together. We she her grow as someone who clearly loves and admires this man however recognizes his faults and is willing to call him out on them. Winslet reminds us yet again why she is one of the best actress in Hollywood and I predict she will be taking home a little gold statue to go with her performance in this film.
If you are still on the fence about watching this film, let me push you off it. Watch it. That may not mean in theaters, which is perhaps my only small complaint about this film. This is the type of film that would be great if it was released same day on digital distribution so you could watch it a few times from home over a few days while you think about it. But at some point you owe it to yourself to be amazed by the fantastic performances and cinematography of this film. While it may not be something you have to see on the big screen, it is absolutely worth the full price of admission. Do not miss it.
Now that those formalities are out of the way I will just come out and say it. Steve Jobs is the best dramatic bio-pic I have seen. In fact, it is the best movie I have seen this year. Acted fantastically to the point of realism, the film takes the typical three act story arc and shows us the life of Steve Jobs at three periods of his life right before a product launch where we see Jobs as both innovator and villain alike. Each period consist of the 30-45 minutes of visually stimulating and aggressive cinematography leading up to each product launch and how the major people in Job’s life come in and out of those moments. These moments reveal that seemingly simple interactions with Jobs lead to a constant chess match of words and minds to maintain the reality distortion field of a seemingly great man but seemingly not a very good person. Clearly the film takes some Hollywood liberties, but with the screenplay based off the authorized biography of the same name by Walter Isaacson, the film Steve Jobs is probably the most realistic portrayal we may see of the man himself.
That portrayal is delivered splendidly by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender’s performance though each phase of the film is scary. That is to say he plays the egotistical narcissist to perfection. We get real moments of a cold and calculating manipulative intelligent person with quiet moments of compassion here or there. During arguments, Fassbender knows how to delivers bombs out of moments where you would not expect them and at points those arguments feel like high speed action scenes in an otherwise action less film. It is quite remarkable to witness.
Seth Rogen (uncredited) delivers the best dramatic performance of his career as Steve Wozniak. Michael Stuhlbarg likewise delivers a solid performance that stands in this film. While Jeff Daniels, coming off a great performance in the recently successful film The Martian, delivers an outstanding nuanced performance here across from Fassbender. When the two of them are on screen together it is as if they are speaking high prose to each other, albeit at times screaming. I would not be surprised if Daniels is nomination on his work for this film.
Finally we come to Kate Winslet who plays marketing executive Joanna Hoffman. To me she delivered the most fantastic performance in this film. Perhaps because she was the likable better half to Fassbender but more importantly we see this woman who is the only one to stand up to and in a sense understand Steve Jobs’s reality distortion field and work in and out of it as she desperately tries to hold everything together. We she her grow as someone who clearly loves and admires this man however recognizes his faults and is willing to call him out on them. Winslet reminds us yet again why she is one of the best actress in Hollywood and I predict she will be taking home a little gold statue to go with her performance in this film.
If you are still on the fence about watching this film, let me push you off it. Watch it. That may not mean in theaters, which is perhaps my only small complaint about this film. This is the type of film that would be great if it was released same day on digital distribution so you could watch it a few times from home over a few days while you think about it. But at some point you owe it to yourself to be amazed by the fantastic performances and cinematography of this film. While it may not be something you have to see on the big screen, it is absolutely worth the full price of admission. Do not miss it.
Grand Designs NZ
Lifestyle and Magazines & Newspapers
App
Grand Designs New Zealand is an information-packed magazine reaching consumers who are looking for a...
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Honest Thief (2020) in Movies
Oct 13, 2020
Tom (Liam Neeson) is a long-time bank robber eager to put his past behind him in the new film “Honest Thief”. A circumstance forced Tom to decide to strike back at the establishment following a career in ordinance in the military and has found he has a real talent for blowing safes and making away with millions of dollars over several years.
The Feds have been unable to stop him and regularly field numerous calls from people claiming to be responsible in order to gain attention. So when Tom calls Agent Sam Baker (Robert Patrick) and his partner Agent Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan); his claims are met with skepticism.
Tom has fallen in love with an aspiring Psychologist he met while renting a storage facility and he is eager to start a new and honest life with Annie (Kate Walsh). Tom offers to return all nine million dollars that he has stolen in term for a light sentence at a minimum security locale near Boston so Annie can visit him frequently.
Unwilling to accept that Tom is who he says he is, the agents dispatch Agents Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Agent Hall (Anthony Ramos); to interview Tom and check out his story. Tom offers to tell them where the money is in order to prove his claims. When several boxes of cash are discovered in storage; Nivens decides to take the money and pressures Hall into going along with it despite his reservations.
Nivens them attempts to eliminate Tom but in doing so kills Agent Baker who has shown up unexpectedly. Tom is now framed for a murder he did not commit and forced to flee in order to try to clear his name and make good on his initial offer to turn himself in.
Nivens is not willing to stop there and escalates his level of corruption and danger including threats on Hall and his family to ensure his compliance and silence.
As anyone who has ever seen a Liam Neeson film in the last ten years or so can deduce his character is motivated by events that follows and with his expert knowledge of explosives looks to strike back at Nivens and ensure justice is served.
While the film may be a bit slower paced in some areas than fans of Neeson may expect; he turns in a satisfying performance as a sort of modern day Robin Hood.
Tom is a man who does not make excuses for his actions and is willing to pay the price for them but believes he was justified in what he did and the reasons behind them.
The supporting cast is solid and while the film does have some real gaps in logic which must be suspended to make the story work; it does entertain.
In the end “Honest Thief” provides enough enjoyment to make it worth your time and shows that Neeson still can deliver what fans have come to expect from him.
3.5 stars out of 5
The Feds have been unable to stop him and regularly field numerous calls from people claiming to be responsible in order to gain attention. So when Tom calls Agent Sam Baker (Robert Patrick) and his partner Agent Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan); his claims are met with skepticism.
Tom has fallen in love with an aspiring Psychologist he met while renting a storage facility and he is eager to start a new and honest life with Annie (Kate Walsh). Tom offers to return all nine million dollars that he has stolen in term for a light sentence at a minimum security locale near Boston so Annie can visit him frequently.
Unwilling to accept that Tom is who he says he is, the agents dispatch Agents Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Agent Hall (Anthony Ramos); to interview Tom and check out his story. Tom offers to tell them where the money is in order to prove his claims. When several boxes of cash are discovered in storage; Nivens decides to take the money and pressures Hall into going along with it despite his reservations.
Nivens them attempts to eliminate Tom but in doing so kills Agent Baker who has shown up unexpectedly. Tom is now framed for a murder he did not commit and forced to flee in order to try to clear his name and make good on his initial offer to turn himself in.
Nivens is not willing to stop there and escalates his level of corruption and danger including threats on Hall and his family to ensure his compliance and silence.
As anyone who has ever seen a Liam Neeson film in the last ten years or so can deduce his character is motivated by events that follows and with his expert knowledge of explosives looks to strike back at Nivens and ensure justice is served.
While the film may be a bit slower paced in some areas than fans of Neeson may expect; he turns in a satisfying performance as a sort of modern day Robin Hood.
Tom is a man who does not make excuses for his actions and is willing to pay the price for them but believes he was justified in what he did and the reasons behind them.
The supporting cast is solid and while the film does have some real gaps in logic which must be suspended to make the story work; it does entertain.
In the end “Honest Thief” provides enough enjoyment to make it worth your time and shows that Neeson still can deliver what fans have come to expect from him.
3.5 stars out of 5
Dote Shopping
Shopping and Lifestyle
App
Dote has all of your favorite stores for clothes and make-up. Get all the best deals—Dote lets you...
Grand Designs Australia Magazine – Inspiring you to create your dream home
Lifestyle and Magazines & Newspapers
App
Grand Designs Australia DIGITAL Magazine. “Inspiring you to create your dream home” At Grand...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Honest Thief (2020) in Movies
Dec 3, 2020
Chemistry between Neeson and Walsh (1 more)
Great cinematography around a scenic Boston
As discussed in my One Mann's Movies review of "Cold Pursuit", Liam Neeson has had a rather rocky PR road of late. But - unlike Kevin Spacey - he is clearly not being put on the naughty step by Hollywood, since he is filming/announced for five other features at the time of writing. His latest release - "Honest Thief" - has Mark Williams directing and co-writing (with Steve Allrich), and sees Neeson back on VERY familiar territory in an exciting and sometimes violent thriller.
The nice concept behind the story sees Tom (Liam Neeson) as a hugely successful bank robber meeting the love of his life in Annie (Kate Walsh) and committing to jack it all in for love. Furthermore, not wishing to have to live with the deception and guilt of his hidden life, he determines to hand himself over to the FBI, along with the $9 million stolen cash, in return for a lenient sentence.
There's a problem though: he's about the fifteenth person calling the FBI claiming to be the "In and Out burgler", so no-one wants to take him seriously. Boston area chief Sam Baker (Robert Patrick - the "Terminator" cop!) and his deputy Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) casually put it on the "to-do" pile of agents Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Hall (Anthony Ramos).
The best laid plans run off the rails in a big way though when Nivens and Hall investigate and find that Tom is the real deal.
The concept here works nicely for a thriller, but the rest of the script is so formulaic that it's fairly and squarely a 'park your brain in the foyer' movie. For several of the actions and motives going on here, suspension of disbelief was required . Even given the limited competition in 2020, the script is in no way going to trouble the Academy.
All that being said, Mark Williams has put together a tight and well-executed movie, not outstaying its welcome at only 99 minutes long. Even with the 15 year age difference, Neeson and Walsh make a believable couple (given that Neeson looks pretty good for his 68 years) and the chemistry between them is great. And for a pretty 'small' movie, the supporting cast is pretty impressive.
Another standout for me was the cinematography by Shelly Johnson (whose had a busy year with the latest "Bill and Ted" and "Greyhound" under his belt). Boston - always a great movie location - looks spectacular, and the framing of the car chase action impressed me.
For me, there was only one really dodgy element of the movie: the special effects used in a house explosion/fire. The budget clearly didn't stretch to using practical effects! More work on Adobe "After Effects" (or similar) was required here!
Is Honest Thief worth seeing? - My expectations for this movie were pretty low. But I'm pleased to say that they were exceeded. Is it a masterpiece? No. Will I readily remember much about it in six month's time? No. But in rather a desert of new releases, this one was at least entertaining and I think it's worth the ticket price for a long overdue night out at the flicks. I'm willing to guess that my feelings were partially influenced by the sheer joy of being back in a cinema again... so I will temper my rating perhaps by a star here.
(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies here - https://rb.gy/9kcnr5. Thanks.)
The nice concept behind the story sees Tom (Liam Neeson) as a hugely successful bank robber meeting the love of his life in Annie (Kate Walsh) and committing to jack it all in for love. Furthermore, not wishing to have to live with the deception and guilt of his hidden life, he determines to hand himself over to the FBI, along with the $9 million stolen cash, in return for a lenient sentence.
There's a problem though: he's about the fifteenth person calling the FBI claiming to be the "In and Out burgler", so no-one wants to take him seriously. Boston area chief Sam Baker (Robert Patrick - the "Terminator" cop!) and his deputy Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) casually put it on the "to-do" pile of agents Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Hall (Anthony Ramos).
The best laid plans run off the rails in a big way though when Nivens and Hall investigate and find that Tom is the real deal.
The concept here works nicely for a thriller, but the rest of the script is so formulaic that it's fairly and squarely a 'park your brain in the foyer' movie. For several of the actions and motives going on here, suspension of disbelief was required . Even given the limited competition in 2020, the script is in no way going to trouble the Academy.
All that being said, Mark Williams has put together a tight and well-executed movie, not outstaying its welcome at only 99 minutes long. Even with the 15 year age difference, Neeson and Walsh make a believable couple (given that Neeson looks pretty good for his 68 years) and the chemistry between them is great. And for a pretty 'small' movie, the supporting cast is pretty impressive.
Another standout for me was the cinematography by Shelly Johnson (whose had a busy year with the latest "Bill and Ted" and "Greyhound" under his belt). Boston - always a great movie location - looks spectacular, and the framing of the car chase action impressed me.
For me, there was only one really dodgy element of the movie: the special effects used in a house explosion/fire. The budget clearly didn't stretch to using practical effects! More work on Adobe "After Effects" (or similar) was required here!
Is Honest Thief worth seeing? - My expectations for this movie were pretty low. But I'm pleased to say that they were exceeded. Is it a masterpiece? No. Will I readily remember much about it in six month's time? No. But in rather a desert of new releases, this one was at least entertaining and I think it's worth the ticket price for a long overdue night out at the flicks. I'm willing to guess that my feelings were partially influenced by the sheer joy of being back in a cinema again... so I will temper my rating perhaps by a star here.
(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies here - https://rb.gy/9kcnr5. Thanks.)
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Yesterday (2019) in Movies
Jun 28, 2019
A Fun Musical About What Matters Most In Life
When the lights go out all over the world struggling singer-songwriter, Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), is blindsided by a double decker bus. The bus knocks him off his bike and sends him flying across the pavement where he lands unconscious. When he wakes up he is missing his beard and a couple of front teeth. He thinks it just been the worst end of the worst day of his life. But he couldn’t be more wrong. Earlier he had decided to give up his quest for fame and go back to being a teacher. Despite his best friend, manager, fan since grade school Ellie (Lily James) trying hard to convince him to not give up on his dreams. But days after the crash Jack is still ready to hang it up. Elle as a present for Jack leaving the hospital gives him a brand new guitar. Jack decides to play a song but a great guitar needs a great song so he plays Yesterday by The Beattles. When he is finished Elle is almost in tears, his friends Nick and Carol (Harry Michell and Sophia Di Marino) are in sock.
They want to know where he came up with this amazing song. Jack tells them the greatest pop band in history…The Beattles. But they have no idea who that is and neither does the rest of the world. Now Jack is the only person in the world who knows the songs of one of the top selling iconic bands in history. It’s not long before the world comes to know of Jack Malik the single greatest song writer of all time. But will he be found out as a fraud, will fame and money change him and most importantly will he leave behind the people he cares for most.
This Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) director comedy is original and well written, by Jack Barth (story) and RAbbey Mordue
ichard Curtis (screenplay). The story is part romantic comedy and part fantasy film. It’s original and fun but there are times that the story is clunky and oddly put together. There are times that feel like major events are skipped over. The soundtrack is definitely filled with The Beattles with some modern music sprinkled in, including Ed Sheerran who plays himself in the film. If you are a fan of The Beattles you will definitely enjoy the film and how they wind the music into the story. The cast is fun and fit well together. Patel is both awkward and troubled and he does a well in the lead. He also does a great job singing. Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters, Saturday Night Live) is great as a money hungry music executive.
I admittedly am a huge fan of The Beattles and was very excited but premise of this film. At the very least I would be able to listen to good music for two hours. But I really enjoyed the originality and visuals that were put together. The story while clunky at times was overall fun to watch. When you thought it was predictable and knew where the film was taking you the story would divert slightly and surprise you. It is a fun date movie that worth the price of a movie ticket.
4 out of 5
http://sknr.net/2019/06/27/yesterday/
They want to know where he came up with this amazing song. Jack tells them the greatest pop band in history…The Beattles. But they have no idea who that is and neither does the rest of the world. Now Jack is the only person in the world who knows the songs of one of the top selling iconic bands in history. It’s not long before the world comes to know of Jack Malik the single greatest song writer of all time. But will he be found out as a fraud, will fame and money change him and most importantly will he leave behind the people he cares for most.
This Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) director comedy is original and well written, by Jack Barth (story) and RAbbey Mordue
ichard Curtis (screenplay). The story is part romantic comedy and part fantasy film. It’s original and fun but there are times that the story is clunky and oddly put together. There are times that feel like major events are skipped over. The soundtrack is definitely filled with The Beattles with some modern music sprinkled in, including Ed Sheerran who plays himself in the film. If you are a fan of The Beattles you will definitely enjoy the film and how they wind the music into the story. The cast is fun and fit well together. Patel is both awkward and troubled and he does a well in the lead. He also does a great job singing. Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters, Saturday Night Live) is great as a money hungry music executive.
I admittedly am a huge fan of The Beattles and was very excited but premise of this film. At the very least I would be able to listen to good music for two hours. But I really enjoyed the originality and visuals that were put together. The story while clunky at times was overall fun to watch. When you thought it was predictable and knew where the film was taking you the story would divert slightly and surprise you. It is a fun date movie that worth the price of a movie ticket.
4 out of 5
http://sknr.net/2019/06/27/yesterday/