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Everest Review

Good

With visually stunning imagery and a solid A-list cast, this film just about transcends its oddly uninvolving story. Based on true events, the scenes are harrowing and emotive, but spreading the story among an ensemble obscured by mountaineering gear and snowstorms makes it difficult to engage with anyone. And the plot-strands that do find emotional resonance feel like they've been manipulated.

In the early 1990s, companies began selling Everest expeditions to wealthy clients, and by the spring of 1996 there were 20 teams of climbers jostling for position on the slopes of the world's highest peak. Kiwi guide Rob (Jason Clarke) opts for a cautious approach with his team, which includes impatient Texan Beck (Josh Brolin), journalist Jon (Michael Kelly) and the nervous Doug (John Hawkes), who only just failed to reach the summit on his previous attempt. Rob's base camp manager Helen (Emily Watson) keeps everything running smoothly and, since the mountain is so overcrowded, Rob coordinates the climb with a rival guide (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his team. On the day of the final ascent, the skies are clear, but delays along the way and an approaching storm threaten the climbers.

Since the is a true story, it's clear from the start that some of these people won't make it home. And Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur lays on the emotion thickly, with an overly pushy-majestic score by Dario Marianelli and several sentimental phone calls home. Rob's wife is played by Keira Knightley, and you can almost hear the ominous chord when she reveals that she's pregnant. A bit subtler is Beck's interaction with his wife, played with insinuating bitterness by the always terrific Robin Wright. Meanwhile, Clarke's sensitive leader and Brolin's bullheaded alpha male contrast nicely with Gyllenhaal's cool dude, while Sam Worthington is almost lost in the shuffle as a friend who's climbing a neighbouring peak.

Continue reading: Everest Review

Everest Trailer


When two different climbing parties set out on the expedition of their lives, they knew there would be dangers; however, no-one could prepare them for the tragedy that was in store. Reaching the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal is every passionate climbers dream, but this isn't a trip to take lightly. Such altitudes and temperatures are not meant to be experienced by human beings as frostbite and altitude sickness are almost inevitable perils, not to mention falling, strong winds and, of course, avalanches. As fate would have it, these climbers are about to run into one of the worst snowstorms ever documented as an earthquake hits the nation and mother nature has no mercy. Victory turns to catastrophe in an event that will change the lives of the survivors.

Continue: Everest Trailer

Everest - Teaser Trailer


Some people get a once in a lifetime chance to make history. Some people, unfortunately end fining themselves part of events that live in infamy. Such is the story of the people who attempted to climb the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, in 1996. Their story would later be referred to as the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, as two competing expeditions were caught on the mountain by a horrific storm, leading to the most terrifying events on the mountain until that point. This is the story of those climbers.

Continue: Everest - Teaser Trailer

Life Of Crime Review


Very Good

Although the plot itself is nothing special, this kidnapping comedy keeps the audience entertained by filling every scene with outrageous characters and twisty interaction. Based on an Elmore Leonard book, this free-wheeling movie is such a tangle of colourful people and riotous 1980s hairstyles that it can't help but be enjoyable. Especially once we realise that the story isn't the most important thing.

It's set in 1984 Detroit, where trophy wife Mickey (Jennifer Aniston) has finally had it with her chilly husband Frank (Tim Robbins). As she's thinking about taking their son (Charlie Tahan) and leaving, he's holed up in the Bahamas with his mistress Melanie (Isla Fisher) while preparing to serve Mickey with divorce papers. Just then, low-life criminals Louis and Ordell (John Hawkes and Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def), kidnap Mickey and demand a $1 million ransom. Of course, Frank thinks his problem is solved until he realises that they also know about his dodgy business dealings. And things are further complicated by Louis and Ordell's Nazi-loving sidekick (Mark Boone Junior) and an amorous dork (Will Forte) who's in love with Mickey.

As the chaos escalates, writer-director Daniel Schechter keeps the focus tightly on the offbeat characters rather than the gyrations of the narrative. This makes it easy to identify with everyone on-screen, particularly Aniston and Hawkes, who have the most complex roles. They're the only people who have either emotional shadings or a story arc to travel, so watching them become increasingly aware of the opportunities around them is a lot of fun. Everyone else is here to get laughs, and it's amusing to see each of them reveal things about themselves that add to the mayhem, from Fisher's surprisingly savvy bombshell to Bey's womanising prowess. And of course each character approaches the various moral dilemmas from a distinct angle.

Continue reading: Life Of Crime Review

Life Of Crime Trailer


Frank Dawson is a filthy rich, arrogant real estate developer who regularly takes 'business trips' in order to continue an affair with his young lover Melanie Ralston. During one of his trips away, his wife Mickey is held for ransom in her own home by a gang of masked men who call Frank to demand he deposit $1 million into an offshore bank account if he ever wants to see his wife again. But there's just one tiny problem: he doesn't want to see her again. He's been racking his brains to find a way he might possibly be able to leave her without the costly disadvantages of alimony, divorce costs and child support and now it seems the solution has finally dropped into his lap. Mickey doesn't believe Frank would pay that much to save her but now it's down to his own morals.

'Life Of Crime' is a crime comedy full of unexpected twists and turns. Based on the novel 'The Switch' by Elmore Leonard, the movie adaptation has been directed and written by Daniel Schechter ('Supporting Characters', 'Goodbye Baby', 'The Big Bad Swim') and it is due to be released in UK theatres on September 5th 2014.

Click here to read Life Of Crime Movie review

Toronto Film Festival To Open With WikiLeaks Movie 'The Fifth Estate' [Trailer]


Benedict Cumberbatch John Hawkes Mos Def Jennifer Aniston Steve McQueen Chiwetel Ejiofor Michael Fassbender

The Fifth Estate, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring biopic of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, will be the opening film at at this years annual Toronto International Film Festival. The film festival will also feature advanced screenings of fellow Oscar teasers 12 Years A Slave and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, with Daniel Schecter's Life of Crime - which stars John Hawkes, Mos Def and Jennifer Aniston - closing the first night. The festival starts on September 5.

Watch the trailer for The Fifth Estate

The Fifth Estate follows the end of the turbulent relationship between Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg at the height of WikiLeaks' infamy and mass exposure. Based on the books Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website by Domscheit-Berg himself and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by Luke Harding and David Leigh, the movie adaptation has been without Assange's consent. The film was directed by the Oscar winning Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Dreamgirls) and adapted for the screen by Josh Singer (The West Wing, Fringe). The film is due to arrive in time for Oscar season in January 2014.

Continue reading: Toronto Film Festival To Open With WikiLeaks Movie 'The Fifth Estate' [Trailer]

Lincoln Review


Excellent

A historic epic from Steven Spielberg carries a lot of baggage, but he surprises us with a remarkably contained approach to an iconic figure. What's most unexpected is that this is a political drama, not a biopic. It's a long, talky movie about back-room deal-making on a very big issue: ending slavery in America. It also has one of the most intelligent, artful scripts of the past year, plus a remarkably wry central performance.

Daniel Day-Lewis constantly grounds Abraham Lincoln in his earthy humanity, good humour and tenacious desire to do the right thing, no matter what it takes. The film essentially covers just one month in which Lincoln works to outlaw slavery before ending four years of civil war. Secretary of State Seward (Strathairn) reluctantly supports this plan, enlisting three shady negotiators (Spader, Nelson and Hawkes) to convince wavering members of Congress to vote in favour of a constitutional amendment. Meanwhile at home, Lincoln is under pressure from his wife Mary (Field) to keep their oldest son Robert (Gordon-Levitt) off the battlefield.

All of this political wrangling makes the film feel like a 19th century version of The West Wing, and Kushner's script crackles with wit, nuance and passion, clearly echoing today's political debates about issues like gun control and human rights. We find ourselves wishing that our own politicians were this creative about getting the votes they need on important issues. This meaty approach gives the cast terrific dialog to bite into, although Spielberg never lets anyone run riot with scenery-chomping antics. The closest is probably Jones, as the fiery anti-slavery supporter Thaddeus Stevens. He's terrific in this role. And Field shines too in as the spiky Mary. Even if she's about a decade too old for the character, she brings intelligence and emotion to every scene.

Continue reading: Lincoln Review

The Sessions Review


Excellent

By taking a sensitive, honest approach to this true story, breakthrough filmmaker Lewin both avoids sentimentality and keeps the focus on the inner lives of the central characters. He also somehow manages to make a movie about a sexual surrogate strongly involving: we are never even remotely tempted to giggle.

This is the story of Mark O'Brien (Hawkes), a journalist from Berkeley, California, who lives in an iron lung that he can only leave for a few hours a week. Paralysed from the neck down by polio as a young boy, Mark decides at age 38 that he wants to lose his virginity. Consumed by Catholic guilt about this desire, he consults his local priest (Macy), who says he deserves a pass on this one. So his no-nonsense assistant Vera (Bloodgood) finds him a surrogate in Cheryl (Hunt), who starts eight sessions that are designed to lead to sex. And as she gets to know Mark, Cheryl begins to let her guard down.

Lewin refuses to shy away from any aspect of this story, confronting everything in honest, sometimes uncomfortable ways that are never remotely sentimentalised. It would be easy to drift into syruppy schmaltz with this kind of material, but the script maintains a bracingly sharp wit, and the actors cleverly underplay every scene. This adds to the realism and helps us understand all of the people on-screen. Hawkes and Hunt are both transparent and revelatory, each in a difficult role that could have been much showier, but is stronger due to their restraint. Macy and Bloodgood are terrific as the sardonic supporting characters. And Marks (as another assistant) and Arkin (as Cheryl's understanding husband) add terrific layers to their much smaller roles.

Continue reading: The Sessions Review

Denzel Washington Set For Oscar Success With ‘Flight’?


Denzel Washington Robert Zemeckis John Gatins Bruce Greenwood Daniel Day Lewis Joaquin Phoenix Bradley Cooper John Hawkes Ben Affleck Jamie Foxx Quentin Tarantino

Denzel Washington’s latest film, Flight, has garnered much praise already – and for all the right reasons too – with Washington already tipped for Oscar glory for his staring role.

The film itself, directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by John Gatins, tells the story of an airline pilot who saves a flight from crashing, however the post-flight investigation into the plane’s malfunctions reveals some worrying revelations. Washington stars as said pilot, Whip Whitaker, who on top of being a veteran of his trade is also a serious alcoholic. The film also stars Bruce Greenwood as the character Charlie Anderson.

Whilst still a newcomer to the box office, critics look as though they can’t get enough of Washington and his performance, and betting sites have already placed the double-Oscar winner among the top contenders to achieve Oscar glory at next years ceremony. 

Continue reading: Denzel Washington Set For Oscar Success With ‘Flight’?

Hot Tickets! This Weekend's Movie Releases: The Sessions, Paranormal Activity 4, Alex Cross


Helen Hunt John Hawkes William H Macy Tyler Perry Matthew Fox Carmen Ejogo

We’re entering something of a pre-Christmas lull in the land of the blockbuster movie but there is still plenty of activity in the land of cinema this weekend… and not all of it is paranormal.

The film that everyone is talking about this week is The Sessions. The movie – starring Helen Hunt, John Hawkes and William H Macy - debuted at the Sundance Festival earlier this year and wowed the critics with its “profoundly sex-positive” story. The Sessions tells the tale of a man, paralysed by polio, who seeks the help of a priest and eventually a sex therapist, to help him lose his virginity. The performances are touching, the script (based on the writings of California-based journalist Mark O’Brien) is tender and funny. If critical opinion is anything to go by, The Sessions should be heading towards the top of the box office chart.

Continue reading: Hot Tickets! This Weekend's Movie Releases: The Sessions, Paranormal Activity 4, Alex Cross

John Hawkes Tuesday 11th October 2011 The 49th Annual New York Film Festival premiere of Martha Marcy May Marlene - Red Carpet Arrivals. New York City, USA

John Hawkes

John Hawkes and Vanity Fair - John Hawkes and guest Los Angeles, California - 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood Sunday 27th February 2011

John Hawkes and Vanity Fair
John Hawkes

John Hawkes Quick Links

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John Hawkes Movies

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri Trailer

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri Trailer

Somebody messed with the wrong mother when they murdered her daughter Angela Hayes (Kathryn Newton)....

Everest Movie Review

Everest Movie Review

With visually stunning imagery and a solid A-list cast, this film just about transcends its...

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Everest Trailer

Everest Trailer

When two different climbing parties set out on the expedition of their lives, they knew...

Everest - Teaser Trailer

Everest - Teaser Trailer

Some people get a once in a lifetime chance to make history. Some people, unfortunately...

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Life of Crime Movie Review

Life of Crime Movie Review

Although the plot itself is nothing special, this kidnapping comedy keeps the audience entertained by...

Life Of Crime Trailer

Life Of Crime Trailer

Frank Dawson is a filthy rich, arrogant real estate developer who regularly takes 'business trips'...

Lincoln Movie Review

Lincoln Movie Review

A historic epic from Steven Spielberg carries a lot of baggage, but he surprises us...

The Sessions Movie Review

The Sessions Movie Review

By taking a sensitive, honest approach to this true story, breakthrough filmmaker Lewin both avoids...

The Sessions - Trailer Trailer

The Sessions - Trailer Trailer

Mark O'Brien suffers from a particularly virile form of polio; a debilitating disease that has...

Lincoln - Trailer Trailer

Lincoln - Trailer Trailer

'Lincoln' will show the last four months of President Abraham Lincoln's life as he campaigned...

Martha Marcy May Marlene Movie Review

Martha Marcy May Marlene Movie Review

With a disturbing tone and skilful filmmaking, this insinuating drama completely unsettles us as it...

Contagion Movie Review

Contagion Movie Review

Soderbergh applies his brainier brand of filmmaking to the global outbreak thriller genre, and the...

Contagion Trailer

Contagion Trailer

When Beth Emhoff returns home after visiting an opening ceremony for a new factory, she...

Winter's Bone Movie Review

Winter's Bone Movie Review

Based on the Daniel Woodrell novel, this film is a riveting exploration of old-society notions...

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