Don't hate the player, hate the game

Since I did a rhyming post on both of these movies last week, I figure it’s only right I share my verdict. I’ll try to keep this brief. Firstly . . .
State of PlayOne word to sum up my description of State of Play is wow. Considering I’ve worked at a newspaper since I was 17, it’s rare I see a movie which actually has a realistic depiction of journalists. Usually Hollywood tends to adhere to the cliché of either an obnoxious, overly ambitious reporter who will tread on anyone and anything to get the story or the heroic, righteous reporter with the publics best interests at heart. Both are extreme generalisations and seldom found in a real newsroom. There are only a handful of films I think faithfully portray journalists and the nature of the profession (sections of All The Presidents Men, Hotel Rwanda, Shattered Glass and Good Night and Good Luck are a few that spring to mind). State of Play can now be added to that list. From Helen Mirrren’s turn as the newspapers strained editor to Rachel McAdams’ role as the papers young and exuberant blogger, everything about the characters in State of Play reeks of authenticity. None more so then Russel Crowe’s superbly believable performance as seasoned crime reporter Cal McAffrey. From his diet of Cheetos and tinned soup, to his unkempt appearance and questionable reporting methods, he feels like someone plucked straight out of any western newsroom. Thankfully these characters aren’t put up on the high-horse journalists often are in Hollywood movies, it’s their flaws and at times lack of ethics that give them substance. I haven’t seen the six-part BBC miniseries on which this film is based so I’m not sure how much credit they deserve for character development etc. However, the three dimensional personalities in the film are one of its key strengths. Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman also deliver strong performances in supporting roles. The other pros include a brilliantly paced movie which knows exactly what it is; a meaty thriller rife with corruption, assassins, murder, political conspiracies and great reporting. On top of this it touches on the current dying state of newspapers and the increasingly rare species of hardened reporters such as Cal. The plot twists and action are as frequents as Crowe’s consumption of junk food and overall State of Play makes for an excellent thriller which will be treasured by movie goers, particularly those with an insight in to the newspaper industry. In a nutshell I would describe it as a tense action-thriller which provides a refreshing look at the nature of modern journalism.
Adventureland

Sometimes I truly hate living in this cosmetically enhanced hell-hole known as the Gold Coast. One of the keys reasons behind this train of thought is the limited selection of movies released here. Sure, it could be worse. I could live in Boonah where I hear you’re more likely to see a two-headed man named Frank than see a movie within a year of its release date. Moving on, after great difficulty I was finally able to see the teen comedy Adventureland which was playing in limited release (sigh). Set in 1987 it evolves around recent college graduate James (Jesse Eisenberg) who has to take a dead end job at a local amusement park. I’m not a huge fan of teen comedies but the positive feedback from critics and the presence of Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds sparked my interest. Directed and written by Greg Mottola, the guy behind Superbad, the film is a semi-autobiographical account of his stint working at an amusement park in the 80s. Not as crude as Superbad it still manages to tick all the right comedic boxes while accurately portraying the often awkward, painful time for teens about to hit their early twenties. It's a refreshing change to see a teenage movie with intelligent characters, after all they're not all dumb-fucks who get their hands glued to their penis (I'm talking to you American Pie franchise). Mottola doesn't throw his characters into the dorky or popular cliches, instead they have substance. They discuss Moby Dick, Russian philosophy, tertiary education, Lou Reed and Charles Dickens. At the same time they like to go out, have sex, get drunk and smoke pot. The characters feel real and the performances are perfect. A notable mention has to go to Bill Hader who is terrific in yet another supporting role and his Saturday Night Live sidekick Kristen Wigg. Martin Starr as Joel and Matt Bush as Frigo are also great. If you get a chance to see this movie before it stops screening I highly recommend it. Adventureland competently treads the ground between Napoleon Dynamite and Superbad, teenagers and adults alike will embrace it. For those still questioning whether to see the film or not, pillars of Australian movie criticism Margaret and David both loved Adventureland and Margy gave it four stars (which is pretty darn impressive).

Remember how I said I would keep this brief? I lied.