Movie Review: Hancock

Tuesday night, my husband and I had the pleasure of watching Hancock at the Birch, Carol & Coyle Theaters at Indooroopilly's Megaplex in Brisbane. It is the story of John Hancock (Will Smith), a one of a kind hero living in Los Angeles. He is a drunk, is rude and hates himself so much that he vents his frustration by destroying stuff. Although he always catches the bad guys, his manners leave a lot to be desired. As a result of both his bedside manner and the massive collateral damage left in his wake. he is hated by almost everyone in the city.
Then he rescues Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a Public Relations marketer who wants to change the world for the better. Upon seeing how the people treat the man who rescued him, the grateful PR man offers to play adviser to our hero. Reluctantly Hancock takes him up on his offer and as such our hero will be brought into direct contact with a forgotten past. A special friendship will develop between the two men but will become complicated when Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron) turns out to be John's long-lost ex-wife. In the end, our hero will find that he is not alone in the world, will become more polite, less destructive, and inevitably take his place in the world as a hero worth looking up to.
Based on the numerous trailers for the film, I was expecting a single-focus comedy, but as it turned out, it was more than just a simple laugh-in. I found this movie to be more drama than comedy, although there were some big laughs therein. Hancock offers laughs in between dramatic and epic-level action sequences; good writing from Vincent Ngo and Vince Gillian; great acting from a host of talented actors; and excellent direction from Peter Berg. There is some coarse language, but it really is a must-see film.

Movie Review: The Incredible Shrinking Man

Of a late night on weekdays, the Australian ABC often plays old black and white films in the NBC Feature Film Package range. You get to see some classic films that wouldn't play in the daytime, stuff that holds a certain charm for movie lovers and retro buffs. Tonight it is The Incredible Shrinking Man, a fine little Science Fiction film made in 1957 and told in first person by the main character.
The story begins with Scott Carey (played by hunky Grant Williams) and his wife, Louise (played by Randy Stuart), on the front of their yacht on holiday. After much convincing, Louise goes below deck to fetch Scott a drink and suddenly a strange mist rolls in and covers the ship. Scott gets the full glitter covering of the strange dust. Over the following weeks our hero shrinks from 6'1" to 5'11". This trend continues. In spite of medical treatments and scientific experiments, we quickly see Scott descend into depression as the shrinking accelerates. The pair are forced to accept payment for the story by the APS, but in doing so they begin to loose their privacy.
After another trial of experiments the doctor informs Scott that in spite of what seems to be a remedy to the man's shrinking, he may never grow back to his former height. In Scott's feeling of isolation and hopelessness he runs out into the night, and meets a midget named Clarice. The pair develop a repore, but just as they are becoming close friends, Scott realizes that he is shrinking again. Scott's condition worsens and he is forced to live in the household doll-house for protection.
However, after a life and death encounter with the household cat, Scott lands in a box in their basement, and because nobody can find him, our hero is thought to be dead. Thus begins a big adventure within the basement. Scott finds a dripping tap for water, a matchbox for shelter, and after failing to gather cheese from a mousetrap he is forced to make tools to fight a tarantula. After finally defeating the spider, Scott comes to the realization that he is more than just a shrinking man and loses all fear of his condition.
An interesting monologue sees out the end, but not one that might expect. There is no miraculous solution, just a man learning to master himself. It was a refreshing film - one that, according to IMDB, will soon be remade with Eddie Murphy playing Scott. I can't see it being anyway near as serious a film as the original but we'll have to wait and see how it pans out, and if it actually gets released.
Richard Matheson, the guy that wrote the screenplay for the original film, also wrote the novel. He did such a good job of showing the perils of miniaturization, and the monologue was believable. The casting was excellent as well and the special effects were exceptionally good for even late 60's. The Incredible Shrinking Man was a rare gem in the science fiction genre of that time and I highly recommend it.