The Water Diviner (2014)

Directed by Russell Crowe
Written by Andrew Knight and Andrew Anastasios
Starring Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Yilmaz Erdogan and Jai Courtney

An Australian man travels to Turkey after World War I to search for his  three sons who went missing during the Battle of Gallipoli.

In his feature length, narrative film directorial debut, Russell Crowe goes all in with this ambitious, large scale story. The passion behind this project is easily seen through every scene and is actually rather informative on the topic of World War I and the battles between Australian and Turkish (or Ottoman) soldiers.

Though the main storyline of a father searching for his sons is captivating enough, the writers decided to propel the story forward with the inclusion of a romantic interest. Despite their best efforts, the attempt to raise the stakes with the addition of a woman fell short and only proved to be a slow moving distraction and a campy side story.

The film was like a roller coaster of quality. It started off extremely strong, then fell to into dullness. The pattern repeated throughout, unfortunately ending with a boring, eye-roller of a scene. It was as though Russell Crowe and the writer's wanted to add too much story that was unnecessary and negated the emotional impact of prior sequences.

For his first film as a director, Russell Crowe could have done much worse. And his ambition will prove to be an important asset with his later films. As much as I like him as an actor, I feel he should stay out of his own movies or at the very least take a smaller role. I would imagine wearing two hats only hinders his potential.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Son of a Gun (2014)

Directed by Julius Avery
Written by Julius Avery and John Collee
Starring Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites, Alicia Vikander and Jacek Koman

JR busts out of prison with Brendan Lynch, Australia's most notorious criminal, and joins Lynch's gang for a gold heist that soon pits the two men against one another.

Never have I ever watched a movie with so many peaks and valleys when it comes to it's quality. With a strong beginning, it finds itself becoming less inspired. Then, it picks up again. This happens several times throughout the story. The characters, while interesting often seem melodramatic and will change emotions to another extreme at the slightest bit of provocation.

In a role unlike any other I have seen him in, Ewan McGregor commands the screen as the intimidating career criminal with everything to lose. The delicate situation he finds himself causes him to act like a wild animal backed into a corner.  He is equally charming and intimidating, which is far off from his usual "romantic interest" or "Jedi" roles.

The movie, overall was decent. But there were many writing and general flow problems that made certain scenes seem forced or half thought-out. The story felt as though it jumped around quite a bit and many things were rarely explained to the point where you knew exactly what was going on. It wasn't a confusing movie. The information just wasn't given to you in a clear and concise manner. However, there were scenes that were fantastically shot and kept drawing me back in. I just wish the scenes that followed and led up to them were as good.

My Rating: 6/10

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Directed by George Miller
Written by Terry Hayes, George Miller and Brian Hannant
Starring Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Vernon Wells and Kjell Nilsson

In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich community escape a band of bandits.

An apocalyptic dystopia, this movie (and to a lesser extent, the first one) created a genre. Whether you consider it an achievement or not, without this film there would be no "Waterworld" or "Doomsday", among many other films inspired by the wasteland that George Miller created.

This action-packed thriller has a simple formula. Blood, car crashes and explosions. And quite frankly, that's all this movie needs. With a climax that rivals even the most advanced car chase movies of the modern day, the scale of this picture is not only impressive for it's time, but today as well.

And an S&M-esque beefcake of a villain… There's a lot of ass-less chaps in this movie.

Though many of the character designs have not withstood the test of time, it is still quite an impressive achievement. This film will get your blood pumping and even make you laugh at how very 80s some scenes are. Overall, this is just a fun, action-packed adventure. And it got me even more excited for the new one coming out in May.

My Rating: 7/10

The Hunter (2011)

Directed by Daniel Nettheim
Written by Alice Addison, Wain Fimeri and Daniel Nettheim, based on the novel by Julia Liegh
Starring Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O'Connor and Morgana Davies

Martin, a mercenary, is sent from Europe by a mysterious bio tech company to the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for the last Tasmanian tiger. A creature thought to have been extinct for nearly 80 years.

On it's surface, this film seems like your typical hunt or be hunted, mercenary thriller. A guy is hired for a job and finds out he is being followed. But at it's core, this is so much more than that. It is also about man and their unjustified desire to control nature and the world, even at the risk of killing off an entire species.

Willem Dafoe is captivating in his performance as a hunter hired to kill the last Tasmanian tiger in existence, if legends are truthful. The entire movie keeps you on the edge of your seat as question after question enters your mind. Will he find the tiger? If so, will he kill it? If not, what will happen to him?

Will Willem Dafoe kick some ass and take some names?

Through archive black and white footage and photographs, the story of the Tasmanian tiger is revealed. Through hunting, the species came to an end. This movie provides you with an intense sadness that these magnificent creatures were killed off for pointless reasons. This was a great movie that surprised me with having more meaning behind it than previously thought. And the cinematography for it was gorgeous. 

My Rating: 7/10