The First Grader

This is an important film, one of many incredible stories that have emerged from a continent with many dark secrets. Colonialism divided Africa as each country became a satellite empire and each conquest has left a chequered history with no winners. Kimani Maruge saw it all and had the courage to put his hand up when Kenya gave its people the right to a free education.

The First Grader may sound tame with an innocent movie title, but it’s not for sensitive viewers. We’re exposed to Maruge’s stream of consciousness as a flood of painful memories of being a freedom fighter continue to haunt him. Many are unaware of the atrocity that gripped the nation and will be shocked to see these disturbing flashbacks contrasting the man’s fight for education with the struggle for freedom.

Oliver Litondo plays Maruge and delivers a subtle, stoic and spirited performance as the title character. While he’s had a few small parts, Litondo embodies Kimani’s determination going to great lengths to add to the authenticity of the role, even wearing shoes too small for his feet (Maruge’s toes were cut off). He’s supported by Naomie Harris as Jane Obichu, a British actress whose credits include: 28 Days Later…, Miami Vice and Pirates of the Caribbean. She appears to have lost so much weight for the role that she looks like a child and delivers a stalwart performance as the young school teacher. The cast is boosted by accomplished South African character actors Tony Kgoroge and Vusi Kunene, who both add their weight behind the production.

Justin Chadwick, best known for The Other Boleyn Girl, directs this poignant drama with South Africa’s very own Ann Peacockattached as screenwriter. Chadwick balances the experienced cast with an inexperienced real class of extras with a few standout performances, who add to the film’s authenticity and provide a wonderful contrast for Oliver Litondo’s role as a sweet old man dressed in his school uniform. Peacock’s delivers a winning heartfelt script with equal dabs of light and dark to keep the drama taut and flesh out Maruge’s back story only to make his achievement even more remarkable.

The cinematography is effortless, taking Kenya’s natural beauty and keeping the dull central location of the primary school fresh with young faces. The First Grader starts off strong with some parallels to I Am Slave, another powerful drama about the slave trade in Sudan, contrasting the painful past with the hopeful present. Yet, once the characters have been established and the gist of the story has been rooted - The First Grader struggles to maintain its intensity and hits a lull of inevitability as Maruge’sopposition fall away.

The First Grader remains engaging, inspiring and a must-see for its cathartic message of hope, healing and restoration. The solid performances, the deft direction, the heartfelt script and the authenticity of the Kenyan setting overpower its minor flaws and subdued second half, leaving a thought-provoking film that has scooped a heap of film festival audience awards. The sort of film that inspired Sarafina!’s Whoopi Goldberg to say “Run, do not walk, and go see this.”

The bottom line: Powerful

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Trust

Every father wants to protect his little girl and Trust offers something of a social commentary on how media has brought with it a wave of new privacy and safety issues. We’re unaware of what kids get up to at the best of times and Trust gives the roving eye a chance to present both sides of the parent-child relationship as 14-year-old Annie becomes the target of a pedophile in her own home.

David Schwimmer, best known as Ross in Friends, has directed several films to date including oddball comedy Run, Fat Boy Runwith Simon Pegg. Trust is a much more daring project, delivering a difficult social message that no one really wants to hear or acknowledge in the hopes of preserving their bubble of peace.Hard Candy treated the same scenario as a thriller with some clever twists in a Red Riding Hood vs. The Wolf style theme, butTrust broadcasts a slice-of-life and all the ugliness that follows such an invasive assault.

The drama stars Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and introduces young Liana Liberato who plays Annie. Owen deals with a sympathetic and obsessive father figure, who takes all the blame – unable to shrug off the guilt and move forward to the point of alienating his daughter. It’s a powerful performance that will resonate will most fathers who remain helpless and pinned by the gravity of these unthinkable acts. He’s supported by Catherine Keener, who plays a secondary lead – concerned, ever supportive and more balanced in absorbing the it-could-never-happen-to-us backfire.

Liana Liberato shares the co-lead with Owen as each of their experiences intertwine in trying to come to terms with what happened in their own way. Liberato is a real find, helped by her anonymity, yet lead by a real sense of presence and emotional vulnerability. The script leaves her in a state of denial and it’s just heartbreaking to see her grapple with the aftershock of innocence lost – making for compelling drama as she bounces between her psychologist, friends and family for understanding.

David Schwimmer has delivered a well-balanced and intelligent independent film. The violence and sexuality is a necessary evil, harsh enough to hit home without taming the ugliness. These moments are fleeting and allow Schwimmer to focus on the collateral damage this incident has on an isolated family with far-reaching consequences. It has the power of a documentary encapsulated in a heartrending drama thriller and should at least be obligatory awareness material in school systems.

Schwimmer could have tightened the screws when it comes toTrust’s thriller label, but they would’ve taken away from the overall integrity and honesty of this reality snapshot. He generates strong performances from his cast and the indie drama feel grounds the film. Including the “innocent” back-and-forth online chat banter as “subtitles” allows him to ease into storytelling as the silent all-seeing narrator showing the audience just how friendly and innocent these introductory conversations can be.

Tough, unflinching and emotional, this gripping film is supported by first-rate performances – making it an eye-opening and important indie social drama. There are one or two discordant moments that create unintentional humour and minor distraction, but these flaws are overcome by noble intentions and emotional intelligence.

The bottom line: Heartbreaking

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Avatar

The same thing happened with Garfield and it’s funny how each of these live-action/animated cross-over movies have followed the same formula involving a significant, clumsy yet lovable guardian figure who takes the little critters in as their misadventure lands them in an ever increasing state of mild peril. Garfield, Alvin & The Chipmunks, The Smurfs… all lovable ’80s cartoons – all ravaged in their transition to the big screen by a cookie-cutter that insists on giving them the same sprinkle.

Well, The Smurfs has more characters than Garfield or Alvin & The Chipmunks, but that doesn’t mean anything when a handful of them find themselves trapped in New York City. The film-makers have lifted the themes from several more successful live-action/animation adaptations and given the production a new skin, blue. Remember Back to Gaya, well it’s a carbon copy concept taking a bunch of fantasy beings and introducing them to a fish-out-of-water situation. Look no further than Disney’s Enchanted for some of the main characters.

It’s like director Raja Gosnell has taken all of the live-action/animated cross-overs and blended them to make baby puree for the masses. Gosnell comes off a long line of no-brainer movies including: Scooby-Doo, Beverly Hills Chihuahuaand now The Smurfs. Poor adaptations, lame comedy scripts and an attempt at a heartwarming Disney moment are what characterise his films, yet somehow he forges on – trashing beloved cartoons and turning in a profit with production houses. How else would Gosnell still be directing?

The live cast features Hank Azaria as Gargamel, Neil Patrick Harris as Patrick, Jayma Mays as Grace and Sofia Vergara as Odile, Patrick’s boss. Azaria is fully committed to the role, giving the evil Gargamel a clumsy wizardly sneer that makes him pretty harmless to The Smurfs – think Wil-E-Coyote. There’s a conceptual problem with having only one of the originalSmurfs realm characters human, although, you can’t help but wonder how Rowan Atkinson would’ve handled the part. Neil Patrick Harris plays “the nice guy” well enough with a chipperJayma Mays to complement him, with Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara to spice things up.

The voice cast includes: Katy Perry as Smurfette withJonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, Alan Cumming as Gutsy,George Lopez as Grouchy and Anton Yelchin as Clumsy. They all fulfill their generic voice roles, but there’s only so much you can do with a script that falls flat… re-using the same dumb “Smurf” in place of rude word jokes again and again. They could’ve have just as easily been voicing the characters of The Gummi Bears or Snow White and the Seven Dwarvesand there aren’t any real stand-outs apart from Winters, whose wise Papa Smurf tones do most of the work.

The animation is okay. It’s pretty standard for a production of this scale and the 3D effects add a layer to the visuals, but the 3D is not much more than a sales gimmick and a bit of fun for the kids. The main problem with The Smurfs is that it’s a sequel. The first movie is meant to introduce characters, explain their precarious situation, explore their curious lifestyle and feature one or two skirmishes with the enemy – only to reach some sort of resolve. The Smurfs film-makers have fast-forwarded this to get us into the confines of the city and away from the smurfy way of life.

Usually this is a Part 2 gimmick to refresh a franchise, but they’ve decided that it’s just too difficult to capture the essence of Peyo’s world. Rather they’ve opted for the easy way out, trying to shape the characters against a alien landscape with a wealth of out-of-place comedy to draw on in-between repetitive Smurf-word, blue colour and cheap film reference humour. This forces human characters into a series, in which they never really belonged and makes The Smurfs something it isn’t.

The formula has been so well-worn that it’s a matter of going through the motions. Predictable, plagued by lame one-liners, weak jokes and a host of two-dimensional magical characters in a familiar world, this is not The Smurfs… no matter how many times they say the word. The live-action/animation mash-up has rarely worked since Who Framed Roger Rabbit and there’s very little original thought or imagination that’s gone into the making of this “adaptation”. It’s indistinct and inoffensive enough to sit through, but without an engaging story or any winning characters… there’s very little to Smurf home about, leaving the audience a little blue.

The bottom line: Plastic

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Friends with Benefits

The two are hot property, so it’s quite amusing to find The Social Network/Black Swan pairing co-starring in Friends with Benefits. Yet, there’s more… with this comedy romp following on from No Strings Attached, another recent movie dealing with sex-based relationships in today’s jilted generation. Not only are the two films fighting for movie titles, they feature an ensemble of “incestuous” movie stars. Kunis played opposite Kutcher as a primary love interest in That 70’s Show and alongside Natalie Portman in Black Swan. So there’s more than sheer coincidence at play as these “socially-aware” comedy romance dramas resonate.

However, with these strange connections the two movies share a fundamental problem. Both No Strings Attached andFriends with Benefits suffer from distancing. Their moral compasses treat sex as recreation, as special as eating out, something that most audience members may accept on a superficial level, but fail to green light on an emotional level. This inner conflict alienates an audience, who isn’t blinded by lust and able to see into the crystal ball from the outside, preventing any real identification with the co-leads.

While the quickfire wit is quick and witty, it only manages to entertain as an echo. The script is smart, but the lines are delivered so rapidly that there’s an equal-opposite effect to David Lynch’s slowing down of dialogue. This glazes the emotional core of the primary relationship between Dylan (Timberlake) and Jamie (Kunis) and loses some of the hold. While Timberlake and Kunis look good together and deliver charming performances, it’s perceived to be going through the motions rather than investing in the somewhat predictable plot.

Will Gluck (Easy A) gets his stars to speed up delivery much like his previous film Fired Up, which adds to the density and intensity (the opening scene in The Social Network) – but takes away from the reality. To bring it back to reality the script employs some over-share moments, deploying awkward sex comments to provide an opportunity to laugh at inappropriate references shared between two people really trying to treat sex as a simple add-on to their friendship.

The witty back-and-forth slices the audience in half, emulating sitcoms like Arrested Development and Seinfeld. Then it dissects the audience once again with its blunt sexual interplay, making it very niche material for movie goers that enjoyed No Strings Attached and Love and Other Drugs. By now you’ve probably realised that Friends with Benefits is not for everyone.

Timberlake and Kunis are sweet together, there’s a fun cheeky chemistry to the romp, reminiscent of Fired Up and the script is sharp like Easy A. Unfortunately, the electric banter almost warrants English subtitles, the sexual humour is heavy-handed and instead of sincerity, there’s a slow-roasted sense of alienation on offer. It’s a plot line that can only really go one way as a commercial entity, so there are no real surprises other than a few voyeuristic shock moments – slotting Friends with Benefits as a preferred choice alongside its 50/50 counterparts, No Strings Attached and Love and Other Drugs.

The bottom line: Brazen

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Master Harold… and the Boys

Fugard’s play contrasts Hally’s complicated relationship with his father with that of Sam, his caretaker. Ironically, it’s all black and white as Hally shows a superficial respect for his alcoholic, crippled old man – paying him his dues when he doesn’t actually think that he deserves them. Sam receives more sincerity and honesty, but their father-son bond is stunted by Hally’s disrespect, a product of his jilted generation and Sam’s lack of citizenship. Master Harold… and the Boys is about “collisions” as races, roles and relationships are tested to breaking point.

The stage play based in the confines of a tea room uses flashbacks to relay shared memories between Hally and his two fathers. This opens the environment up, allowing TV director Lonny Price, a chance to compose the South African climate with public segregation signs showing a clear divide. The play also highlights a series of conflicts, starting with inequalities in South Africa and drawing them out in the drama played out between co-leads Freddie Highmore and Ving Rhames, with South African actor Patrick Mofokeng as a supporting actor.

The decision to incorporate two international film stars has bolstered the credibility of the production, after Matthew Broderick starred opposite John Kani in the TV adaptation of the play in 1985. Freddie Highmore is a talented young actor, whose performances show consistency and an endearing quality that makes him likable. He would have been the obvious choice for Spud, yet his character seems bipolar in Master Harold… and the Boys snapping at any hint of embarrassment. It’s a pivotal role, one that he handles well, delivering most of his lines with a good take on the difficult accent.

Ving Rhames, known for roles in Pulp Fiction and the Mission: Impossible series, steps into a more dramatic role in this important little film. It’s good to see Rhames taking a co-lead role in a movie that delves into character over action. His role as Sam grows on you. At first, his South African accent is distracting – making him sound more a plantation slave in the Americas. What’s more, his thick set build and mannerisms just seem foreign next to a South African actor like Patrick Mofokeng. Yet, once the dust settles, Rhames wins our hearts over.

You can’t help but feel that two South African actors would have made the film feel more authentic. The name actors help give the film a commercial edge and deliver on the heart of the performances, but something’s lost in the translation to film. Another distraction is the inconsistent TV movie feel, relying on close-ups and pinning flashbacks and dream sequences on to give more space to the drama. This alleviates the tedious tea room backdrop and unfortunately, the pressure of the taut scenario.

The TV feel is emphasised by hints of melodrama with regular close-ups and the drama hasn’t translated well to film with a contrived feel and too much dialogue. The conflicts, contrasts and characters create enough palpable tension to keep Master Harold… and the Boys taut, otherwise there’s not too much to write home about…

Add a fairly short run time at 82 minutes and you’ve got a film that starts slowly and then powers home in the last quarter. The foreign actors, inconsistent TV quality, dabs of melodrama and sluggish pacing stifle the production. This is despite genuine heartfelt performances and authentic mis-en-scene, underwritten by a powerful tale of racial and familial strife. Master Harold… and the Boys is a story about collisions, yet the irony is that there seem to be too many conflicting factors at play – that function as both strengths and weaknesses – dampening the overall impact.

The bottom line: Disappointing

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Cameron Diaz

Just like Jennifer Aniston’s role as a dentist, sexual deviant and evil temptress in Horrible Bosses, Cameron Diaz has transformed herself into a cold gold digger and trophy wife wannabe in the title role of Bad Teacher, a film by Jake Kasdan, director Orange County and Walk Hard. Take the fun substitute teacher story of School of Rock and throw in some dark school politics from World’s Greatest Dad and you’ve got a match… just not as good.

After a nasty break up with her fiance or in this case, financier, Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) is forced to return to her ordinary day job as a teacher at a local school, while she licks her wounds and begins the prowl for a new sugar daddy. Her apathetic outlook and hedonistic ways soon catch up with her and it’s not long before she’s pitted against a “good” teacher.

This is an uncharacteristic role for Cameron Diaz, who usually goes for sillier, sweeter co-lead or supporting characters. She’s supported by Lucy Punch, her goodie-two-shoes and nemesis with Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Justin Timberlake (Friends with Benefits), two prospective victims for the man-eater, with chewier character actor comics, John Michael Higgins and Thomas Lennon on the side.

Just like Role Models, it’s one of those coarse, difficult-to-place niche comedies that is too offensive for general audiences, yet not prickly or deep enough for art house. Bad Teacher holds a good comedy cast with decent comic performances, but the overall tone is a little nasty and the script relies on the main character’s clash of personality and ill will for laughs.

These nasty smirks begin to fade with the character’s transition, something that was inevitable and necessary for the drama to sustain its credibility. Cameron Diaz is naturally charming and manages to coax us into believing in her character, yet there’s no sliver of likability or depth of character – making it difficult to truly engage from the get-go.

The second half of the film commits to the cat-and-mouse game between Halsey (Diaz) and Ms. Squirrel (Punch), the would-be challenger in a fight for popularity with the spoils being the nerdy and eligible young bachelor, Scott Delacorte (Timberlake). It’s a Roadrunner type battle of “one-up-man-ship” as each teacher stoops lower to outdo the other.

The old school soundtrack gives the film spunk. The first-rate cast ratchet up the ensemble’s collective comedy weight and the premise is fun with a sexually-charged air of danger and expectancy. The movie is entertaining enough as it stands, but it’s missing an extra level… that little something that simultaneously distinguishes it, adds depth and a sparkle in the eye.

There’s something missing in Bad Teacher. It’s as if the actors haven’t fully committed to the idea or the production. Bad Teacher wants to be bad, sweet and funny all at the same time and this dilutes the overall effect. Cedar Rapids set the right sort of tone for this style of comedy and Bad Teacher just lacks a bit of chemistry – the sort of good vibes you just can’t fake. Unfortunately, it’s one of those hit-and-miss movies that has a few laughs and great ingredients, but just doesn’t quite add up.

The bottom line: Shallow.

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Look at just about any movie and at some level, superficial or soulful… you’ll find the theme of love. No wonder Richard Curtis is infatuated with romance… Four Weddings & a Funeral, Notting Hill and Love, Actually all deliver the universal emotion in spades, or in this case hearts.

So it was only a matter of time before Hollywood tried to emulate the heartwarming emotion of a Richard Curtis film. They tried in Valentine’s Day, unsuccessfully… unintentionally representing the day for what it really is, complete with heart-shaped chocolate box and a dozen red roses.

That was until Crazy, Stupid, Love. – an American film directed by I Love You Phillip Morris writer-director duo, Glen Ficarra and John Requa, written by Disney regular Dan Fogelman. Smart writing, convincing performances, backed by a genre and character metamorphosis is what sells Crazy, Stupid, Love. to the audience. While a little slow-to-start, this crowd-pleaser grows on you as the characters develop and life’s unpredictable rhythm catches us off guard with some hilarious and tender moments.

Steve Carell is a real find, debuting as an unofficial “understudy” to Jim Carey. Now known for his role in the U.S. version of The Office, the actor has proved himself worthy time and time again. Dinner for Schmucks and Evan Almighty aside, Carell has shown he can do romance drama well in Dan in Real Life and once again in Crazy, Stupid, Love. as Cal, a divorcee trying to reassemble his relationships and rearrange his priorities. He’s supported by a blistering ensemble including: Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone.

Ryan Gosling dives headfirst into every performance, inhabiting Jacob a schmaltzy playboy and role model in this film. Carell and Gosling share an unusual chemistry as the would-be apprentice educates the disappointed high school sweetheart in the ways of the wild, mentoring him on the art of seducing women at a local bar… don’t worry it gets better.

Julianne Moore plays his wayward ex-wife, Emily, whose opinion of the man has gradually deteriorated over the years. The two seem like a genuine relationship on the rocks and there are several touching and funny moments shared between Carell and his leading lady.

Emma Stone is the free agent also known as Hannah, who intermittently weaves her way into the story as a young girl in search of the missing puzzle piece. A superficial encounter with Jacob leaves her character in limbo when it comes to love. After a reality check she begins to open her heart to finding love where she least expects it.

Carell is the glue that holds Crazy, Stupid, Love. together. It’s a funny, unpredictable, sometimes touching, character-driven comedy romance. The performances hold strong, portraying believable characters caught in their own love fix. What starts as a rather sad Night at the Roxbury comedy transforms into another Dan in Real Life or straight The Kids Are All Right as if the leads are channeling their roles from these movies. Entertaining, despite a two hour run time, Crazy, Stupid, Love. will hit you in that order.

The bottom line: Surprising

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

The Bang Bang Club

As South African photo journalists, they were on the forefront of a civil war, one being fought in areas known as “dead zones” between two warring political parties. Fearless sometimes foolish, they captured a portrait of life and death in motion and relayed it to white South Africans and the rest of the world, who were largely unaware of the bloodshed.

The Bang Bang Club were the equivalent of rock stars and documentary director Steven Silver has developed a film that captures the Zeitgeist, touching on the ethical dilemma and moral point-of-view that confronted these adrenalin junkie photographers. It follows a similar trajectory to most “rockumentaries” as a band of talented artists club together, go on the road, live hard, play harder and win fame, only to suffer the consequences.

The film is a journey from Greg Marinovich’s perspective, based on his and João Silva’s experiences of the events as depicted in their book, The Bang Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War. The movie has a similar edge to many Vietnam war films, setting music from the same era against disturbing images of war with questions arising about the media’s role and responsibility in times of war.

The Bang Bang Club recreates the stories in a biographical manner, giving each major event in their timeline a context and dramatising them to give more depth and raw emotional power. It’s like fleshing out the pictures, giving their side of the story and making sense of a time when you had to conserve photographs, carry camera bags and load spools quickly in a hot situation. These photographers were in the line of fire, risking their lives to bring news to life and earn an income.

Greg Marinovich is played by Ryan Phillipe, who recently co-starred in The Lincoln Lawyer. This Hollywood actor has been steadily carving a name for himself with a string of solid supporting performances and continues the trajectory into The Bang Bang Club. Phillipe captures Marinovich, who is depicted as the new kid in town – earning respect from his peers while repressing a spate of violent memories, starting with a man being killed in the street by a gang of ruthless opposition party supporters.

Malin Akerman, The Bang Bang Club’s leading lady is something of an Amy Allen to the photo journalist equivalent of The A-Team. While her role as Robin Comley is not in the firing line, she represents the group’s “agent” – providing a classic lead to offset the testosterone and help convey more of Marinovich’s psychological frame of mind. Case in point, her inclusion in the iconic Bang Bang Club members photo turn movie poster.

Taylor Kitsch stars as Kevin Carter, delivering a free-spirited Jim Morrison take on Carter – giving creedence to the soundtrack and Rock ‘n Roll atmosphere as the group hit bars, girls and Bang Bang gigs. The up-and-coming actor delivers one of the better performances of the ensemble in a fairly sympathetic portrayal of a man obsessed with death and haunted by his encounters with violence and suffering.

Of the supporting South African actors, Frank Rautenbach plays Ken Oosterbroek. The much-admired photographer was thought to be invincible and Rautenbach gives the tragic figure a superhero quality – establishing a strong South African flavour. Neels van Jaarsveld’s subtle portrayal of João Silva, gives the character a low profile just out of the spotlight’s reach. Vusi Kunene delivers a powerful, heartrending single scene performance as a distraught father, while Russel Savadier is the “David Brent” figurehead for the toothless newspaper tiger.

The Bang Bang Club’s production values are phenomenal, recreating documented scenes with a strong sense of accuracy from protest mobs and police trucks to special forces uniforms and violent personal attacks. The extras deserve a special mention, capturing an anger and restless spirit that adds documentary realism to the events.

All in all, Silver has composed a compelling day-in-the-life style docudrama with a solid ensemble and a great sense of realism. While key ethical dilemmas and struggles are merely presented, it’s more about relaying stories than pointing fingers and entering debate. The film captures the Zeitgeist of pre-election South Africa and delivers harrowing photographic evidence of a violent, complicated time in its history from the perspective of four gung-ho photographers, whose Pulitzer prize-winning photographs and notoriety has etched an indelible mark on photographic journalism. Be sure to catch the Special Assignment feature on The Bang Bang Club for more context.

The bottom line: Powerful.

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Zookeeper is like a mash-up of Night at the Museum and Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Zookeeper’s antics and visual effects may not be as epic as Night at the Museum, but the premise of a somewhat magical romantic comedy adventure in a public attraction is consistent. Paul Blart: Mall Cop is the other active ingredient… taking a seemingly ordinary security management job and turning it on its head for a bit of fun with Paul Blart’s title actor, guess who… Kevin James.

The big difference is that the animals can talk… after they break their silence to help a guy out. Now before you write it off as another one of those talking animal movies aimed at kids… know that this one’s different. The zoo’s animals can talk, well at least that’s how it sounds with an animal voice cast including: Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Jon Favreau, Judd Apatow, Maya Rudolph and even Bas Rutten. The live-action talking animal idea is tired, but don’t give up on Zookeeper before you hear them out.

These voice actors are respected and don’t just sign onto anything… especially when it comes to talking animals. Add the likes of Rosario Dawson as the leading lady, with Leslie Bibb, Donnie Wahlberg, Joe Rogan and Ken Jeong into the mix and you’ve got a pretty potent comedy ensemble. Round the production off with Frank Coraci, longtime Sandler collaborator and director of The Wedding Singer, Click and The Waterboy and that paper will self-combust!

Oodles of credibility is one thing, but execution is another. Zookeeper isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Just like Night at the Museum was part fantasy, so is Zookeeper. Visit your local zoo at night, talk to the animals, run experiments… talking animals don’t exist. Just like we believed that a boney Tyrannosaurus Rex could be a dog, you’ve got to take Zookeeper with a big pinch of salt and let go of it for maximum enjoyment.

This is a light-hearted, fun, rollicking comedy adventure where anything goes. That’s the magic, it’s totally unpredictable and gives you license to laugh, be silly and feel like a kid for a while. Awaken the child within… give it an earful of that nostalgic Adam Sandler-type soundtrack. The talking animals, the slapstick stunt work from Kevin James and the zoo wooing all point towards one thing… a little something called fun.

It does take a little while to get into the groove, but once you’ve accepted the basic premise… the floodgates open and thankfully not in an Evan Almighty kind of way. The romantic interplay is hilarious as our head honcho learns a thing or two about love from his animal counterparts. James is perfectly likable and automatically makes you want to enjoy the film even if it’s just for his sake – whether he’s jamming guitar with a gorilla or flying around a dance floor like a swan.

The secret to enjoying Zookeeper is that you’ve got to let it wash over you. Don’t fight the suspense of reality, don’t question the talking animals and don’t try to make sense of the plot. Just like Joe Dirt, it’s the sort of light-hearted, immature whirlwind adventure feel good fun that asks for a little slack. Enjoy the set pieces like an amusement park, let Kevin James get a bit ridiculous in a Steve Irwin sort of way and let those laughs out! Zookeeper isn’t a laugh-a-minute misadventure, it’s there to tickle, amuse and playfully win your heart over. Roll with it.

The bottom line: Breezy.

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi

Lions for Lambs was politically-charged, armed with a soapbox tag line “If you don’t STAND for something, you might FALL for anything.” It was clear that Redford was delivering a scathing attack on the U.S. Government at the time, using Hollywood heavyweights like Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep to champion the cause. The result was entertaining and thought-provoking, but came across like mild propaganda in an effort to persuade his audience that something was wrong.

Michael Moore’s documentaries have been criticised for being too biased with his anti-Bush agenda, but it’s more difficult to spot in a feature film drama. Instead of trying to generate a “debate” like he did with Lions for Lambs, Redford has simply juxtaposed two periods of U.S. history in The Conspirator. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was a massive turning point as John Wilkes Booth pulled a trigger and changed the course of American and world history.

However, Redford has focused on the post-assassination trial drawing on the fact that it was a group of conspirators that carried out plans to avenge the South. The story opens on Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), a young counselor who must bag his own political beliefs to come to the aid of his defendant, Mary Surratt (Wright). As a legal drama and thriller, The Conspirator sets out to portray the events that followed Lincoln’s assassination as a nation bent on revenge carried out a swift brand of justice.

Redford’s interest in the unpopular story of Aiken and Surratt is the key in positioning it against the current political climate. To aid him in his poignant retelling of American history, he’s employed the talents of an underrated, yet sturdy ensemble including: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, Evan Rachel Wood and Colm Meaney.

McAvoy keeps getting better with age, leaving a trail of quality films in his wake. His likability and youth are both strengths and weaknesses, giving him the qualities of a hero out-of-his-depth. Robin Wright is famous for her title role in The Princess Bride, but has been staging a comeback since that solid turn in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. She’s back on the map with a stern no-make up performance you’d expect from an in-form Laura Linney. The two stars deliver solid performances, which carry Redford’s vision, cushioned by the collective experience of their co-stars with the unfortunate miscasting of Justin Long, who just isn’t at home in the genre .

The performances are the main reason to see The Conspirator. Robert Redford can direct and delivers this story with a firm hand. His point-of-view feigns objectivity, but is simply an interpretation of documented events. The attempt to rely almost entirely on natural lighting gives the film a distinctive visual character, which is fitting – yet difficult to pull off with one shaft of light streaming in through the window becoming more of a cliche than a symbol.

At just over 2 hours, The Conspirator is a bit of a stretch… especially if American history is of little interest or consequence to you. The story’s juxtaposition with the here-and-now is thought-provoking, the performances hold strong and the film’s visual style is fascinating enough to draw comparisons with The Assassination of Jesse James. Unfortunately, the “subtle” propaganda slant taints the production a little and it has an unavoidable TV element with the legal court room drama taking precedence. The Conspirator remains powerful, despite its minor flaws.

The bottom line: Powerful.

Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
www.spling.mobi