PollyPick Reviews

Heaven Knows What (2014)

A raw, disturbing look at the dregs of society

[8/10 · 1 September 2015]

I began this movie in a state of repulsion: the characters live a stunted, grotesque life on the streets of New York. We are forced to bear witness to their pathetic lives, squabbles and desperate lust for drugs.

However, I was struck by how strongly I felt about it. I realised the performances were raw, and without artifice, and brilliant. And I was being forced to consider a group of people I would usually shy away from, and reject without a moment's thought in real life.

Characters come and go in a dreamy timeless stream of events. They are like wayward children: showing concern for each other's wellbeing one moment and scream obscenities at each other the next. They loudly proclaim tales of valour and adventure, eager for attention. Mike, ironically, lists the lethal dangers of driving on the back of a motorcycle as Harley rides around with a stranger. Ilya wanders up to Harley while she's listlessly having sex with someone in the gutter. Harley is vaguely entertained by a man doing tricks on a motorcycle. Ilya harasses Harley days after encouraging her to slash her wrists.

They are dirty, mean, angry, violent, overly dramatic, desperate and lost.

Arielle Holmes bring a fresh earnestness to the role of Harley. She is full of contradictions: vulnerable and hard, caring and disloyal, hopeless and hopeful. You can't help but look for signs of life, and potential in her eyes.

Harley hints that Ilya was the reason she became a junkie. Her world revolves around her infatuation with Ilya, and her mind-numbing obsession with heroin. "Don't you want to be your own person?" Mike asks her. No. She is a shell of a person. There appears to be no hope of redemption for Harley.

If you're a fan of great true-to-life story-telling and like a good art house flick, this is an excellent choice. The simplicity of these people belies a powerful story.

Adult Beginners (2014)

Surprised about the 5 star rating - Thoroughly enjoyable film

[8/10 · 28 April 2015]

Maybe it's because I have a younger brother, or that I'm an 80's kid. Whatever it was, I loved this movie. The soundtrack, the nuanced family relationships, nursery fables on cassette, Toad the Wet Sprocket are all highlights.

Rose Byrne is radiant as the dependable mother/sister who is stretched slightly too thin for comfort. Nick Kroll is just the right amount of cynical and self-centred to be amusing. Seeing their slow journey towards growing as a family is heart-warming (and not in a Hallmark, "here is a treacle explosion to satiate your need for plastic family fantasies" kind of way).

This is a performance-driven piece, and worth a watch.

Muffin Top: A Love Story (2014)

Predictable, whiny and hollow

[1/10 · 17 January 2015]

I felt an unbiased review was needed here, given most of the other reviewers appear to be somehow affiliated with the film (this is nowhere close to a 10/10). And this is most certainly NOT a "great insight into what all women think". (Heaven forbid).

The premise behind Muffin Top was promising: a feminist take on a romantic comedy. Unfortunately the story was predictable, the characters hollow and the protagonist unsympathetic.

And let's not forget the same frothy pop song that played throughout virtually every scene in the movie. It's clear that once they had paid for that dreary ditty they were determined to wring every last cent's worth out of their questionable investment.

Unfortunately the protagonist, played by Cathryn Michon, wasn't particularly likable. She whines constantly, is overly dramatic about the injustice of how her ex, her dates and the world treats her, and is completely self-centred. I felt that Michon was cast well and could have been more relatable and interesting as a character if she had been given a more solid script with which to work.

And good grief, whose choice was it to cast David Arquette as an Englishman? That accent was atrocious.

Positive points? The weight loss coach played by Gary Anthony Williams was funny, the lighting looked professional, and if you need a movie playing in the background while you do something else more interesting, this does the trick.

House of Cards (2013)

Don't waste your time on this one

[1/10 · 29 August 2013]

Everything about this movie screams "film student project". The script is terribly weak: dialogue is unconvincing, and the story meanders so much so that by the end of it I had no idea what was happening.

There is no consistency with back stories, and no convincing motivations for people's actions. Why are super secret assassins posing for selfies on the riverside with ninja swords in their hands and sending them to one another? The reason one assassin gives her assassin ex-boyfriend's number to a reporter (John) who is following up on rivalry killings? "I thought you could use someone outside of the gang to talk to."

Yes. The best candidate she could think of was a reporter. For him to talk to about their (illegal) assassin problems. Brilliant.

But wait, it doesn't end there. When assassin dude doesn't seem overly interested (not that he seems super interested about anything at all in this movie), she really makes her case with:

ASSASSIN CHICK: He (John) was suspended from the paper because he almost put someone in a coma.

ASSASSIN DUDE: The plot thickens.

Quality writing.

The fighting scenes are achingly staged, the story makes no sense, and no-one appears to be able to act. Although to be fair, acting convincingly must have been a challenge given the crap material they were given.

Looking forward to a review of this one from YourMovieSucksDOTorg.

The East (2013)

Powerful performances and enthralling story

[9/10 · 16 August 2013]

Despite not knowing a thing about the movie, I was expecting an enjoyable night given the talent in this film (Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page and Patricia Clarkson in particular.) My expectations were exceeded.

This film is paced well and picks up speed early on when Jane/Sarah, an undercover agent for a private investigative firm, begins to infiltrate the anarchist group 'The East'. Marling was mesmerising in Sound Of My Voice and she continues to deliver here, with a powerful performance as a conservative, smart and ambitious agent who begins to question who she is and what she really stands for.

Skarsgård, as the anarchist cell leader, uses the intense, sexy appeal he seems to bring to all his other roles to his advantage (cue the many shirtless scenes, which, to be honest, my friend and I were loving). Page plays more of a supporting role, as the hard ass Izzy. She is great here, but it was disappointing that her character, as the foil to Jane/Sarah, wasn't given much room to develop.

Tony Kebbel, who plays Doc, another member of the cell, deserves an honorable mention. I last saw him in RocknRolla, and he delivers a number of warm and poignant moments in this film which serve to give the most human face and most sympathetic story to the anarchist/terrorist group.

I was kept guessing til the end, and loved every second of this movie. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys actors who deliver layered performances with a thrilling kind of gravitas, and an intelligent story line.

The Hangover Part III (2013)

A Lame Attempt

[2/10 · 13 June 2013]

I was expecting so much more from this movie. I'm not especially picky when it comes to the movies I watch and I'll give anything a chance: from art house to blockbuster, Bollywood to Nollywood, shorts, whatever. I welcome movies that are entertaining, thought-provoking, beautiful or just plan kooky.

This none is none of those things.

The setup is one we expect: The gang is back. Cue the road trip, the disappearance of that one wolfpack member who always disappears, and the hijinx that ensue from the boys trying to save their friend. But the pacing grinds to a halt in places, the dialogue feels like it was written on the fly, and the characters remain undeveloped.

This movie seemed to drag on forever, in no small part due to the lacklustre writing. At least 15 minutes was spent with one or two characters narrating a laborious back story. The main characters seemed to be in a perpetual state of shock, which was repeatedly expressed by the lines "F&*k me!" or "WTF?" There was nothing witty or amusing about the script. The actors seemed like they were just going through the motions and their performances were as stilted as the pace of this movie.

For all these reasons, I just could not connect with any of the characters. I didn't care what happened to them one way or another.

The only thing I enjoyed while watching this was hanging out with my husband and eating popcorn for an hour.

While I relished the first movie, the only reason I imagine why this one was created was as a thinly veiled attempt to siphon as much money out of the movie-going masses as possible.