10s Movie Review - The Way Back

Director: Peter Weir
Genre: Drama/ Adventure
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Mark Strong
Description: Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLGEN
WEEK 40: A WAR MOVIE
 
Review: Australian director Peter Weir doesn’t make that many films anymore. The man behind such modern classics as “Dead Poets Society” and “The Truman Show” delivers “The Way Back”. At the point of release, it’s only the second film in 12 years. And while this film about an epic, inhuman hike once demonstrates Weir’s craftmanship, “The Way Back” lacks just that little bit extra to turn a good film into an unforgettable one.

“The Way Back” is based on a true story recorded by Polish lieutenant Slavomir Rawicz in “The Long Walk”. In this book, Rawicz describes how, as a prisoner, he escaped from a Siberian gulag and embarked on a harsh journey, from Siberia through Mongolia and finally ending up in India after crossing the Himalayas. A journey of more than six thousand kilometers.

Ever since the publication of this book, in 1956, there have been doubts about the veracity of Rawicz’s story. Indeed, no evidence of it has been found, and it remains to be seen whether he could ever have managed to escape from the gulag where he was imprisoned. In the end, Peter Weir decided to dedicate the film to three unknown survivors who would have made such a journey, and to build the rest of the film around the book and present it as a fictional story in order to avoid controversy.

It was expected beforehand that “The Way Back” would become a major Oscar favotie because of the epic nature of the film and because six-time Oscar nominee Weir has never won the award before. It soon becomes clear, however, that the film cannot quite live up to those expectations. This has nothing to do with the good direction or excellent actors, but more to do with the screenplay that pays too little attention to the mutual group dynamics of the prisoners who undertake the journey together.

It's hard to keep a film without some form of conflict interesting, and while “The Way Back” does a nice job, it’s a shame that 133 minutes of little happens other than a long hike. Even when, in time, a young girl (well played by Saoirse Ronan), joins the group and forms a bond with the oldest member of the group (Ed Harris).

This all makes for a pretty straightforward film. A group of people with just one goal and the entire film is devoted to that goal. Good, but not great.

Rating: 3, 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Other Boleyn Girl

Director: Justin Chadwick
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portmann, Eric bana, Jim Sturgess, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Rylance, Alfie Allen, Kristin Scott Thomas

Description: Two sisters (Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson) contend for the affection of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana).

Review: ”The Other Boleyn Girl” is based on the bestselling novel by Philippa Gregory and follows the sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn. Both women were love interest for Henry VIII at the beginning of the 16th century. Their love triangle cause for a lot of pain and sorrow.
The art of being a woman is to let men believe that they are in control. It’s a lesson that Anne takes on from her mother. Anne Boleyn is the woman that shook England. Henry VIII committed adultery with her. The story is well known, but in “The Other Boleyn Girl” they focus on sister Mary.
The two Boleyn sisters are complete opposites, but love each other unconditionally. It’s Natalie Portman who steals the show in this film. She is a believable ‘evil’ sister. The acting of the other cast members is okay, but not very special. The script is what makes this film so good. It’s a very well written screenplay.
The book is of course much better, but I always enjoyed watching “The Other Boleyn Girl”.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 41: Cloud Atlas

Director: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Genre: Drama/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 164 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, James D’Arcy, Ben Wishaw, Susan Sarandon, Doona Bae, Keith David

Description: An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

Review: I finished the book by David Mitchell in 2011 and I remember thinking this would be impossible to make into a film. The book has six separate stories, all in different eras and told in its own unique way. Directors Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachoswki decided to give it a go.
The stories in “Clous Atlas” shift in time, where some elements from one story return in the other. The makers took a huge risk to change one important element . The book has five unfinished stories and the sixth is told completely. Then the other five stories are completed. De movie shifts between those stories in pretty much every scene. It’s a miracle that this doesn’t bother you, because you’re literally going from one point to another very abruptly.
Another risk is the cast. The most important actors play five or six different roles. Ýou can easily trust actors like Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent and Hugo Weaving with that task, because they did a great job. The décor and make-up is just sublime.
“Cloud Atlas” could have been a masterpiece, but I stand with my first thought: It’s really hard to turn this magnificent book into a film. It didn’t capture the power of the novel. But that doesn’t take away that you can’t miss “Cloud Atlas”.

Rating: 4/ 5