Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

People in power live in a world of their own one, where they often become a law unto themselves. They move in special circles, fraternising with the upper echelons of society and pretty soon, they think of themselves as being so very special, too. So special in fact, that the rules that ordinarily apply to you and me, don’t apply to them and if it does, it shouldn’t. But this is where they are especially wrong. 

George Clooney - Governor Mike Morris

Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) is half-way through his presidential campaign and is about to become the next President of the United States of America, if he is that special. Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) believes that he is, but then again, so is Stephen. He is the media manager of the Governor’s campaign and he is brilliant. Unfortunately for Stephen, it’s not just the people in his camp that think this highly of him - the opposing party does too.

When he gets a call to meet the Republican’s campaign manager, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), he lets his ego get in the way of his future as a possible White House staff member. He forgets that in politics, especially in politics, the only currency you can count on is loyalty. Without it you are nothing and you have no one. It’s a cutthroat game where trust is valued far more than skill. 

Marisa Tomei as reporter 'Ida Horowisz'.

As a result, he not only gets fired for his unfaithfulness, but also has to face the fact that his meeting with Duffy has been leaked to an eager newspaper reporter, thanks to his former Campaign Manager, Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Ida certainly doesn't mind, she's been waiting for that next sensational scoop and this is it.  

Evan Rachel Wood - 'Molly'.

Luckily, Stephen’s not the only one who’s been unfaithful. The governor, the man who has been preaching to the people that, ‘Dignity matters, loyalty matters’, has been unfaithful too, and got an intern, 'Molly', pregnant. Now if you want to be president, ‘you can lie, you can cheat, you can start a war, you can bankrupt the country, but you cannot f*** the interns, they get you for that.’ 

Ryan Gosling as 'Stephen Meyers'.

Stephen took a lesson or two from the very best while working his way up the ranks, and nothing or no one is going to stand in his way from making it to the top, even if it means he has to bend the rules a bit himself. When he confronts Governor Morris about his illicit affair, the tables are turned for good in his favour, so good that one has to wonder which one of these two men should actually be the next president? 

  

‘The Ides of March’ is a must-see movie. Gosling has come a long way since ‘The Notebook’ days and Clooney impresses with his shot selection and overall guidance as director. The movie has a steady pace and as audience we are shown some true insights into the less glamorous side of politics.

Now You See Me...

There’s something special about magic that spontaneously brings the best out of you – expectation, hope, desire, sometimes even faith or belief. Those are some powerful emotions. In fact, so powerful that when it comes to magic, they seem to play right into a magician's hands and before you know it, while both your eyes are wide open, you’ve set yourself up for deception. Yes sir, magic is the art of creating visual paradox and the closer you look, the less you will see.

In ‘Now You See Me’, Jesse Eisenberg is ‘The Showman’, Woody Harrelson is ‘The Mentalist’, Isla Fisher plays ‘The Escape Artist’ and Dave Franco is ‘The Sleight’, four randomly selected magicians who corroborate their skills and expertise to form one definitive magic act known as ‘The Four Horsemen’. Apart from them being four, no one knows why this particular name, but to some of the victims of their magical acts they are indeed nothing short of an apocalyptic nightmare.  

When they are recruited to become the next hottest act to hit Las Vegas, our masters of illusion are given the blueprint to a magical act so immense they will do absolutely anything to see it through, even rob a bank if they have to. But with so many tricks up everyone’s sleeve, who is to know if a bank actually does get robbed? More importantly, who is to say it was them, even the FBI is uncertain and without having any actual proof, our Horsemen soon have their audience cheering and rooting again for some more mind-blowing acts of craftiness.  

Success unfortunately often attracts more enemies than friends and it’s usually someone from within your own ranks.  Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) is a former illusionest himself, but nowadays he exposes his former kind, exactly what the Horsemen don’t need, not with the law breathing down their necks and all. 

 

Apparently, hell hath no fury like an illusionist scorned and in conjunction with the group’s former benefactor, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), they soon find themselves in all sorts of trouble.

The opening scenes of ‘Now You See Me’ are well shot and as viewer, you are instantly drawn into the story of the four different characters and their various illusionist crafts. The pace at which it unravels is fast and manages to keep one’s attention on what is happening next, aided of course by some impressive magical acts. The energy that is injected into each of the actors’ performances is sound and believable, adding to a story that comes together really well.

Perhaps not the best movie ever with a plot that feels slightly watered down occasionally, but it’s loaded with truly entertaining moments making it fun to watch nonetheless. 

I'm only getting started boytjie!

Sharlto Copley is definitely the new villain on the block. After he mesmerised us with his performance as Wikus Van Der Merwe in Neill Blomkamp’s District 9, our local boytjie yet again gives the ‘ous’ stick in Hollywood, this time as ‘Agent Kruger’, a sleeper agent back on Earth operating on behalf of the government of the newly formed terra-planet: Elysium.

The intensity with which he portrays his character is nothing short of brilliant and never before have the words ‘kak’ and ‘lekker’ sounded this good in a movie. As for the accent for his character, he chose one originating from the south of Jo’burg. 

Usually what we hear in cinemas when it comes to South Africa is English spoken with an Afrikaans accent. This time it’s the other way around. Not only is his character one of the meanest and fearsome mercenary-like agents ever, he also commands heaps of presence, at times unintentionally upstaging his fellow cast members, especially Jodie Foster during one of their scenes together.

The story of Elysium centers around an interesting concept. More than ever before our world is being divided between the classes and lifestyles of rich and poor. Let’s say for a minute this societal sickness persist into the future, the year 2159 to be exact, what kind of a world will be left?

In this movie, the super rich have all the means and privileges to save only themselves, like they usually do, using their financial power to set up a new world called, Elysium. If you are born on Earth, you are predisposed to poverty, and that instantly disqualifies you from ever reaching their world. How ironic. And although this engineered world of theirs possesses all the necessary means to bring about great change for their fellow man, they refuse to share it.  

When Max (Matt Damon), a former convict, accidentally receives a lethal dose of radiation at the robot-manufacturing plantation he works at, getting to Elysium and the medical technology they possess literally becomes a matter of life and death. It also means he has to go back and join forces with the people he at one time decided to abandon and asking them for their help in getting there.

The local Warlord agrees to take him to Elysium if Max can steal financial information from the CEO of the company he used to work at. What he ends up stealing is far more than just financial intel, but in fact a program that can override Elysium’s central computer system, granting the owner of such information the power to decide who rules the new colony and who lives there or not.

There are lots of action in this sci-fi/action-thriller of Blomkamp's and he once again shows us he has the ability to envision stories that resonate with profound societal core issues, but does so in a fresh and original way. 

If anything, Elysium leaves you realising that there is no cure for hypocrisy and if we ever thought that running away from the issues we face here by going to a new world will be one, then we have it wrong. It's hypocrisy that drove you there in the first place. 

A new world won’t change anything for us if we don’t change ourselves and the way we live on the one we currently possess.

 

 

Elysium is currently showing on local cinemas.