Movie Review: Factory Girl (2006)

Genre: Biographical Drama  

Director: George Hickenlooper  

Starring: Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen  

Running Time: 99 minutes  

Synopsis: Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller) comes from a wealthy but troubled family, and in the mid-1960s she relocates from the Boston area to New York. Edie befriends underground artist Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce), who finds her alluring and features her in several of his short independent movies. She achieves celebrity status as a fashion icon despite living beyond her means and developing a drug addiction. An affair with a folk singer (based on Bob Dylan, played by Hayden Christensen) threatens her bond with Warhol.

What Works Well: Edie Sedgwick's fleeting flirtation with stardom as a generational "it" girl is captured in a fever dream of gonzo art, parties, fashion, drugs, and flashing lightbulbs. Captain Mauzner's brisk script recreates 1960s New York as fertile cultural territory for a new wave of icons, but still finds space to contextualize Edie's background and the demons driving her into a destructive lifestyle. In a masterful performance, Sienna Miller finds a seam of vulnerability folding into fame and bedazzlement, and is well supported by Guy Pearce and Hayden Christensen as two legends parlaying notoriety into power.

What Does Not Work As Well: With Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan supplying the jet fuel for Edie's flight to the sun, her story can only exist in their shadow.

 

Conclusion: Dream factories are also full of danger.

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Movie Review: Shattered Glass (2003)

A biographical drama, Shattered Glass explores the high-stress world of deadline-driven journalism and the perils of hyper-charisma.

It's 1998 in Washington DC, and Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) is a cocky young reporter at the prestigious New Republic magazine. He is an invited celebrity guest at a college journalism class, advising starry-eyed students on career success. Affable and good natured, Stephen is popular among his work colleagues, including fact checkers Caitlin (Chloë Sevigny) and Amy (Melanie Lynskey), and well-liked by respected editor Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria).

But Glass has a tense relationship with Charles Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), who takes over as editor when Kelly is fired. Glass then writes an entertaining piece about the antics of a young hacker at a recent convention. Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn), a reporter at fledgling online publication Forbes Digital, wonders how he missed the event and starts fact checking, finding many holes in Glass' story. The errors are brought to Lane's attention, who initiates his own probing and starts to doubt Stephen's credibility.

The unveiling of Stephen Glass as a fraudster with a flair for writing fiction and passing it off as journalism shook the haughty world of the esteemed but small-circulation New Republic (established: 1914), a photo-free publication targeting world leaders and fully invested in the power of truthful words. His downfall was also an early reputational boost for start-up online publications, and exposed the hazards of relying on easily fabricated "reporter's notes" for fact checking. 

With misinformation at the core of the Glass controversy, director and writer Billy Ray meticulously researched the facts and assembled Shattered Glass as a close-to-the-truth drama, with fairness to actual people a prime objective. Ray resists the temptation to delve into Glass' childhood and upbringing in search of character-shaping clues. While the context is notably absent, the young man is presented as others saw him, a charming, full of life, natural storyteller and entertainer garnering immediate likeability. He is also an expert at self-deprecation and cleverly positions himself as a victim when needed to elicit sympathy and support.

The film gains strength from the contrast with Charles Lane. Dour, humourless and saddled with taking over as editor from the popular Michael Kelly, the relatively inexperienced Lane finds a potentially explosive controversy ticking in his lap when the Forbes Digital journalists start asking questions Glass cannot answer. Gradually Lane takes over the heart of the film and Ray deftly steers the narrative towards a reluctant and unpopular leader grappling with a toxic crisis.

Hayden Christensen is adequate in the showy lead role but stays close to the few notes between seeking the centre of attention and whining when challenged. Peter Sarsgaard is more stoic, his performance appropriately subdued but with gathering strength behind watchful eyes.

Within the remarkably efficient 94 minutes Ray creates an energetic milieu, the timeline-driven vigorous magazine culture providing a crackling, always-on-the-move dynamism. Despite the high pressure job Glass also insists on pursuing a law degree, the burn-both-ends-of-the-candle mentality either an excuse for sloppiness or a corroboration of recklessness. Unchecked and misdirected, the zest of youth can upend legacies.

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Movie Review: Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

By far the darkest and strongest film in the prequel trilogy of the Star Wars saga, Revenge of the Sith plunges Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) into an impossible conflict: as the war rages between the Separatists and the Republic, the evil Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious) recruits Anakin to be a spy on the Jedi Council. The Council are equally suspicious of the Chancellor and want Anakin to report on him.

Meanwhile, Anakin is plagued by nightmares of Padme (Natalie Portman) dying during childbirth. The Chancellor exploits Anakin's fear of losing Padme (as he lost his mother in Episode II) by promising that the Dark Side of the force can defy death.

Darth Sidious, exposed and about to be killed by Master Jedi Mace Windu (Samuel Jackson), finally turns Anakin to his side, disposes of Windu and activates his plot to destroy all the Jedi and take full control of the galaxy.

A final epic confrontation between Anakin and his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), set against an impressive backdrop of an entire planet being destroyed by a volcanic eruption, ends with Anakin functionally destroyed but alive enough for Darth Sidious to reconstitute him as Darth Vader.

Padme anyway dies giving birth to twins, Luke and Leia, who are spirited away to different destinations. Obi-Wan and Yoda, the two surviving Jedi, go into hiding, and the stage is set for Episode IV - a New Hope, to pick up the story once Luke becomes an 18 year old.

The transformation of the prequel trilogy from the child-friendly Phantom Menace to Revenge of the Sith, where children are massacred and limbs are severed with wild abandon, is both remarkable and welcome. Revenge of the Sith is an admirable achievement, weaving together all the threads of a story told over six films and almost two decades from 1977 to 2005.

Episode III benefits from a marginally improved performance by Hayden Christensen, who, while still one dimensional in his acting, at least finds his feet and some flow as a conflicted Anakin. Natalie Portman is unfortunately boring as the pregnant Padme, all the spunk from Episode II knocked out of her. Ewan McGregor shines as Obi-Wan, now able to supply some weight to the role as an experienced Jedi.

George Lucas' writing still cannot get past obvious and stiff dialogue, with very little wit or sparkle. But the film looks gorgeous, and moves quickly through its 140 minute length without getting bogged down in any over-elaborate set-pieces. Episode III also introduces the colourful and fearsome cyborg General Grievous, who takes over as the leader of the Separatists after Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) is disposed of early; just watch the menacing Grievous go with four light sabres!

It remains to be seen whether or not any more Star Wars films will ever be made. Either way, Revenge of the Sith is a satisfying farewell to the most influential of space sagas.






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Movie Review: Star Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

George Lucas is well known for his vision in creating the Star Wars saga, and his willingness to push the boundaries of cinematic special effects.

His skills in portraying human emotions are a lot less developed.

The middle part of any trilogy is always the trickiest, needing to bridge the introduction with the climax. To further complicate matters for Lucas, Attack of the Clones is very much an emotional bridge: the maturing of Anakin Skywalker and his training as a Jedi coincide with the battle for his soul between good and evil. His inability to control anger, and his willingness to fall in love in violation of the Jedi code, are key triggers to his downfall.

It's all heady human development stuff that would be a challenge to writers and directors who are experienced in story-telling at the human scale. In the hands of Lucas the writer and director, most of the emotional drama falls flat.

The scenes of the developing romantic relationship between Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Padme (Natalie Portman) are by far the most painful to endure in the entire six-part series. The dialogue is hollow and laughable, the performances stiff, the chemistry toxic. The romantic scenes that Lucas conjures up reek with cliches (they actually roll on top of each other in a green field at one stage) and betray an utter lack of imagination, which is a dismal failure for Lucas.

He is not helped by Christensen, as the teenaged Anakin, delivering what must be one of the worst acting performances of the decade. He appears to be reading his lines in a boring monotone off the nearest wall, and is unable to project any genuine emotion or internal conflict.

The plot revolves around the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Republic, as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who is actually the evil Darth Sidious, continues to secretly fan the flames of war to justify the suspension of democracy. Helping him is Count Dooku (Christopher Lee, delivering a suitably understated and elegant performance), a former Jedi, who has aligned with the Trade Federation and is leading a separatist movement against the Republic.

An assassination attempt against Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo (Portman) results in Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (a much improved Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice Anakin (Christensen) splitting up: Obi-Wan pursues Padme's attacker and uncovers a massive army of clones being readied for a massive escalation of the war.

Anakin is tasked with protecting Padme, but they instead fall in love and take a side trip to Tatooine, where Anakin must confront the destiny of his mother and face the ultimate anger management test -- which he fails miserably.

The action reaches a crescendo with Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, and a number of Jedi including Mace Windu and Yoda confronting Count Dooku and the large separatist army on the planet Geonosis. The Jedi are in trouble until the massive Clone army, now commanded by the Chancellor, intervenes and turns the tide of the battle in favour of the Republic, but Dooku survives to fight another day. Anakin and Padme decide to carry on with their illicit relationship, and Anakin begins to realize that he certainly does have a dark side.

The climactic battle on Geonosis is one of the highlights of the Star Wars opera. It is an all-out epic war sequence, and combines massed troops with impressive light sabre duels. Yoda's confrontation with Dooku is also well done. In all, the final third of the film goes some way towards making up for the clumsy middle.

Other than Christensen's hopeless performance, the cast are actually quite good. McGregor is much more confident as Obi-Wan, and Portman shines as the blossoming, athletic and resourceful Padme. Attack of the Clones is Portman's best moment in the Star Wars trilogy, slotting in between her child Queen role in Episode I and her pregnant-wife-in-panic mode of Episode III. Jackson and Lee add a good dose of gravitas to the proceedings.

A more adult-oriented, darker and more serious film compared to The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones did not mark a return to the greatness of hyperspace, but did place the series back on the right spaceship.

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