IMPERIUM

REVIEWS NO-ONE ASKED FOR
by Ashton Brown

IMPERIUM
dir Daniel Ragussis

RADCLIFFE'S MAGIC NOT ENOUGH

Some people find it difficult not to see Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, regardless of the role he is playing. But what I find even more difficult is that he always seems to be a child trying to act like a grown up wearing his dads clothes that are slightly too big for him. I started to realise he was more than Potter with his enjoyable performance in the fantastic horror-comedy Horns. Thankfully in Imperium, Radcliffe continues to find his voice as an actor. His performance is strong, honest, his accent seamless and his character mature. Although Imperium isn't a bad film, Radcliffe's performance is definitely one of the only major highlights. It was a real shame to see the usually exceptional Toni Collette going through the motions (and overdoing the chewing gum cop stereotype to the point where you kinda hope she chokes on it.).

If you have seen a film about white supremacists, you have seen Imperium. If you have seen an excellent film about white supremacists (American History X) then you have seen a better film than Imperium. It has it's moments, but it never truly thrills and it has a third act that fizzles into disappointment instead of blowing you out of the predictable ocean that we have come to expect from these types of films.

First time writer/director Daniel Ragussis is certainly capable of impressing in the future. Although it's not the strongest debut to date he still manages to produce a whole lot of very interesting ideas and components but the overall execution of the film leaves you feeling unsatisfied with the payoff (or lack there of).

As far as the story goes - when a film tries so hard to misdirect you with it's villain it goes full circle and forces us to suspect the one person the film is begging us not to suspect. Imperium also creates character development arks that disappear into thin air and leaves us wondering why we were encouraged to be interested in certain characters only to have them taken away to the detriment of the film. I also absolutely loath the type of exposition that shows us seeing visions of "stock footage" to develop ideals - we know the Nazi regime is awful, we understand that white supremacy is a disgusting movement - we don't need to be blasted with brainwashing YouTube footage to fill out the film. By focusing more on the rising tension between characters and a stronger third act - Ragussis could have created something much better than he did. Tackling both writing and directing can often limit the creative outcome of a film - I feel this is one of the contributing factors that leaves Imperium as something less that it should of and have been. Imperium has a lot of the right elements but with the wrong execution.


2.5 out of 5  

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SUICIDE SQUAD

REVIEWS NO-ONE ASKED FOR
by Ashton Brown

SUICIDE SQUAD
dir David Ayer

GORGEOUS MESS

I have been excited about Suicide Squad since the moment it was announced. The villains of the DC Universe have always been the most eclectic and interesting and I was very eager to see them come together. The trailers increased this eager excitement - a solid mix of humour, action, interesting character portrayals and badass music. Hopefully the film would live up to the hype created by these trailers.

I arrived at the cinema on a Friday night - the film was released in NZ cinemas two nights prior at midnight and already I had read and heard a large amount of reviews - all of which did not speak overly favourably about the film. Despite these reviews I remained cautiously optimistic. After all, the enjoyment of a film is so totally subjective that we needn't be swayed by what others think (aware of the irony as I type this into my film blog).

Yes. Suicide Squad is a mess. The story line is confusing. In fact - I still don't really get parts of it. Yes. The pacing is a little meh at times. Yes. It's not a perfect movie. But goddamn it is an extremely enjoyable and beautiful mess. The things that make Suicide Squad a success far outweigh the things that prevent it from being exceptional.

Firstly - the actors are fantastic. Extremely well cast - from Will Smith as Deadshot - easily the most developed of the characters, Smith brings an honesty and an integrity to the character which helps the audience to connect with this gang of so called "bad guys". The rest of the gang whilst not as well developed (thank God - I didn't want to sit through a 5 hour movie) all add their own unique skill, humour and personality into the film making it an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable character driven story. Even Boomerang, the type of Australian stereotype that would usually make me cringe is presented with such a grasp of comic relief by Jai Courtney that he never overstays his comedic welcome. All of these characters are just enough of everything to be both entertaining and human enough for us to connect with. Viola Davis - who could well be the true villain in the piece - performs the role of Amanda Waller with the pinpoint precision we have come to expect from the talented lady.

Jared Leto proves a very capable Joker. Although I want to see more of him developed in the future, his input in Suicide Squad was enough to let me know that his portrayal of the very difficult character was not attempting to follow in the footsteps of those Jokers who have gone before him but more approach it in a style that was unique to Leto's interpretation. I can't wait to see more.

I have intentionally left the excellent Margot Robbie to last. Much controversy has been swarming around in regards to the films apparent "overly sexualised portrayal" of Harley Quinn. I am confused at how people have reached this conclusion. Sure she's wearing short shorts. But the way people were talking about her in Suicide Squad I was expecting this slap in the face stripper type feel with camera shots focused entirely on her body rather than her character. Not once did I feel this was so. The few times the camera did focus on her in a sexualised way I felt it served the purpose of showing us how Quinn uses her physical form to her advantage - not for the sake of eye candy for prepubescent boys. In a world where we constantly over sexualise the female form in film I was suprised to hear such an uproar about Quinns representation. Robbie is perfect. She nails the role - fully forming the complexity of Quinn - not just the nutcase, but the academic, the lover and the fighter that she is. Pitch perfect performance.

Despite a messy storyline, an underwhelming villain and some pacing issues, I think you have to be trying pretty hard to not allow yourself to enjoy Suicide Squad for what it is. It's a gorgeous mess - a highly entertaining ride and whilst it's a film best enjoyed with popcorn and not with writing a thesis on film in mind - it is entertaining none the less. And this is, after all, the purpose of cinema. Is it not?

I was conflicted as to what to rate this film but what I have ended up with was due to my level of enjoyment not just throughout but also after.

4 out of 5  (just). 

Don't forget to subscribe if you like what you read here. Or publicly argue with me if you don't. Seriously tell me what you think. I'm so lonely.