Contagion

‘Contagion’ is a genuine mix between being a thriller and a docu-disaster movie that is gorgeously shot and skillfully directed by Steven Soderbergh. It enjoys an all-star cast but the main star is the virus that hits our globalised world with a vengeance and makes short work of millions in no time at all. Yes, ‘Contagion’ speaks to one of humanity’s greatest fears - an out of control viral infection - and just like ‘Jaws’ left thousands fearing to go into the water again, ‘Contagion’ will leave you viewing those who cough and splutter at the airport with more than the usual suspicion.

High-flying businesswomen (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns from Hong Kong via an illicit liaison in Chicago. She quickly succumbs to a killer bug she picked up in the East leaving a trail of infectious devastation behind her. Husband (Matt Damon) is left grieving while a team of high-IQ scientists (Laurence Fishburne, Elliott Gould, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard) desperately try to find a cure in time to save the world. There is also a conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure with blogger Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) gaining an audience of millions with his belief that the government’s ties with drug companies is preventing a safe, cheap and natural cure being used.

‘Contagion’ is by no means the first big-budget film about a rampant infectious outbreak, but it is definitely one of the most realistic. Yes, it follows the traditional protocols of techno-thrillers, with subtitles keeping count: Day 2, Hong Kong etc, but seems more compelling because it is such a controlled look at an out-of-control event. Since the virus is the main actor in a cast of stars, this means the characters seem a little undeveloped. which could be the reason some have found ‘Contagion’ a little flat.

Three and a half stars out of five. It is fascinating to see how in our deeply interconnected and globalised world, just how quickly it would be possible for a freak virus to cause global havoc.

Rated PG-13 (for disturbing content and some language).

Movie Review: The Help

Roger Ebert described "The Help" perfectly when he called it “a safe film about a volatile subject,” before adding that it was a “story that deals with pain but doesn't care to be that painful.” Set in the American South during the 60s, the film (based on the best-selling book), tells the story of African-American maids and their complex relationships with their white employers. It is a movie that points to the pain of racism, poverty and inequality and how that effects people’s lives, but does so in a feel-good sort of way. That is not to say it makes light of these serious subjects, but rather that it not only confronts white guilt, but also looks to mitigate it.

Still, the ‘The Help’ remains an engrossing movie of substance, even though it suffers from glaring imperfections. Most of the characters are caricatures, even some of the main ones. The two domestic helpers at the centre of the story are Aibileen (Viola Davis), who is big, warm and grandmotherly and Minny (Octavia Spencer), who is sassy with a tongue so sharp she could cut through steel. Tell me you haven’t seen them somewhere before. The other main character is Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), a recent college graduate who returns home and finds she doesn’t fit in anymore. Skeeter convinces the two maids to help her tell their story through a book, which will expose the subtle (and not so subtle) racism that exists behind the walls of the neat, suburban homes. While not a caricature, Skeeter’s character in reality has very little to do. She actually feels little more than a device used to move the story along in a certain direction.

The main characters are not the worst caricatures, with some of the story’s ‘villains’ looking nothing more than cardboard cutouts of people we all knew back in the 60s (or if you live in South Africa, back in the 80s). However, Davis and Spencer are simply superb in their roles, rescuing the movie from silliness while delivering the undoubted emotional affect their story deserves. One of the employers is Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain), who is also excellent in her role as a dizzy, unaffected housewife harbouring profound inner turmoil.

It sounds like I did not enjoy ‘The Help’, but I really did. I just could not help but feel that in the hands of a different director, this movie could have been so much more. A more courageous screenplay and directing would have made a world of difference. The point of the book (and by virtue the movie) was to give a voice to those thousands upon thousands of women who worked hard cooking, cleaning, and raising the children of their white employers but were never recognised and appreciated. The same could be said of South Africa, multiplied by a million or so.

Truthfully, we are drawn into the lives of Aibileen and Minny - their pain and hurt becomes ours - and it is in this respect ‘The Help’ is successful. The sombre subplot involving the mysterious disappearance of Skeeter's beloved nanny, who worked for the family for 29 years, is used as a redemptive device that affirms it is never too late to open our hearts and lives to those we once mistakenly considered inferior.

Three and a half stars out of five. ‘The Help’ could have been so much more, but nonetheless, is an infinitely better evening out at the movies than standard Hollywood fare.

The Tree of Life

‘The Tree of Life’ stands as director Terrence Malick’s attempt to make sense of faith, life, the universe, and well, everything in between. There are differences but not necessarily distinctions drawn between the spiritual and material, science and faith, beauty and ugliness, and most especially between tragedy and joy. We are told that there are only two ways to live - ‘the way of grace or the way of nature,’ but more often than not grace is portrayed through vivid, climatic nature scenes, while ultimately every character in the story struggles through the pitfalls of their nature only to find grace and redemption.

The story is set mainly in 1950s small-town America and focusses on a young boy named Jack (played by Hunter McCracken as a child and Sean Penn as an adult) and his complex relationship with his grace-filled, gentle Catholic mother, Mrs O’ Brien (Jessica Chastain) and his loving, yet repressed and angry Catholic father, Mr. O’Brien (Brad Pitt). In between we are treated to vividly imagined scenes of creation and evolution, which are used to speak directly into both the daily joys and suffering of this particular family. We also see Jack as an adult, still struggling to come to terms with a childhood tragedy as he lives within the imbalance between what his mother created and his father destroyed. Yet, we actually learn through Jack’s experiences that the difference between creation and destruction is not as sharp as first imagined. Suffering, Malick points out, is an indispensable part of life that draws people into a deeper understanding of God. In other words, even destruction can lead to creative moments of redemption.

While The Tree of Life won the grand prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, it garnered both cheers and jeers at the completion of its showing. This is because it is more abstract poetry and art than traditional narrative storytelling, which sharply divides opinion. For some, it will deeply move and inspire as the various highly spiritualised and metaphorical scenes play out to classical scores, while others will simply be bored to tears and find the whole experience as exciting as watching a tree grow.

I found the movie both touching and inspiring, and so have awarded it four stars out of five. Malick’s movie has plenty of depth and stands as a powerful reminder of the beauty and tragedy of faith and love and how they are inextricably intertwined. Yet at the same time it is a tad too long and somewhat abstract. If poetry gives you a headache and if classical music bores you, then perhaps this is not for you.

Movie Review: The First Grader

The First Grader is an average movie based upon an inspiring story rather than being an inspiring move, if that makes any sense. Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge (Oliver Litondo), is an 84-year-old Kenyan tribesman who takes advantage of the Kenyan government’s 2002 decree of free public education for all. This former Mau Mau freedom fighter who was tortured during the Kenyan war for independence, now wants to become literate but finds he has to face another battle of an entirely different kind to do so. At first head teacher, Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris), is one of those resisting him but she gives in to the endearingly persistent old man and becomes his biggest supporter. Maruge then has to battle his way past other opposition including parents and school officials protesting the diversion of precious educational resources, not to mention the propriety of an octogenarian studying with little children.

In real life Maruge has become an international celebrity, and a poster boy for the power of education. In 2005, Maruge was asked to address the United Nations on the importance of free public education. Director Justin Chadwick filmed in Kenya, and did a great job in getting the best out of his actors, particularly Litondo who had virtually no experience before this. The children as Maruge’s fellow classmates are a real bright spot. Their facial expressions and natural behaviour in front of the camera is enthralling. Chadwick used flashbacks to details Maruge’s experiences as a resistance fighter and these scenes are heart-rending, especially his imprisonment and torture at the hands of the British. Maruge’s fight for his country’s independence is used to underline his fight for the right to be educated.

Sadly, this movie, while competent enough to be interesting and affecting, does not quite do justice to Maruge’s story. Poor character development and a stilted script restrict the entire enterprise. It just misses something, the x-factor needed to rise above being a better than average Hallmark type production. It is the opposite of meeting your favourite public personality and being disappointed to find out they seem so much smaller in real life. Maruge is bigger than he is shown here.

Three stars out of five. The First Grader has scenes containing obscenity, brief nudity and images of violence.

Movie Review: The First Grader

The First Grader is an average movie based upon an inspiring story rather than being an inspiring move, if that makes any sense. Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge (Oliver Litondo), is an 84-year-old Kenyan tribesman who takes advantage of the Kenyan government’s 2002 decree of free public education for all. This former Mau Mau freedom fighter who was tortured during the Kenyan war for independence, now wants to become literate but finds he has to face another battle of an entirely different kind to do so. At first head teacher, Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris), is one of those resisting him but she gives in to the endearingly persistent old man and becomes his biggest supporter. Maruge then has to battle his way past other opposition including parents and school officials protesting the diversion of precious educational resources, not to mention the propriety of an octogenarian studying with little children.

In real life Maruge has become an international celebrity, and a poster boy for the power of education. In 2005, Maruge was asked to address the United Nations on the importance of free public education. Director Justin Chadwick filmed in Kenya, and did a great job in getting the best out of his actors, particularly Litondo who had virtually no experience before this. The children as Maruge’s fellow classmates are a real bright spot. Their facial expressions and natural behaviour in front of the camera is enthralling. Chadwick used flashbacks to details Maruge’s experiences as a resistance fighter and these scenes are heart-rending, especially his imprisonment and torture at the hands of the British. Maruge’s fight for his country’s independence is used to underline his fight for the right to be educated.

Sadly, this movie, while competent enough to be interesting and affecting, does not quite do justice to Maruge’s story. Poor character development and a stilted script restrict the entire enterprise. It just misses something, the x-factor needed to rise above being a better than average Hallmark type production. It is the opposite of meeting your favourite public personality and being disappointed to find out they seem so much smaller in real life. Maruge is bigger than he is shown here.

Three stars out of five. The First Grader has scenes containing obscenity, brief nudity and images of violence.