Wheatley loves using an improvisational approach with his actors in film, an approach he also utilized in his 2009 crime film, Down Terrace. “You do a take on the script and then you do a take off the script, and the off-script takes are kind of paraphrased instead of wild improvisations. And you basically get them to put the script back into their own words, you get  the tight meaning of the script but you also get a stuttery, slightly wild feeling of real improvisation, it’s really helpful. We use that a lot in Down Terrace…so that’s why Kill List is additional dialogue…‘by cast’ because they are throwing stuff in that’s really good.”

Wheatley wrote Kill List for the actors he had already chosen, a method that allowed him to capitalize on the abilities of people he had worked with before. “I really like that way of working, because you play to their strengths, and their own characters, you amplify it….the improvisation gave us sweeter, funnier moments then are written in the script.”

One of the most unsettling aspects of the film is how certain major questions are never fully answered, such as Jay’s botched job in Kiev, a major detail in the film that is never fully revealed. Says Wheatley, “It could be anything from a mission that’s gone horribly wrong to a drunken dancing incident or badly handled karaoke. That’s the whole point of why it’s not said, because what you imagine in your head is probably worse.  It’s your Room 101, that scary thing that they did…and it goes through the whole movie as well…you run the risk always of showing what ultimate evil looks like is not my ultimate evil, or it’s too much for me and I don’t want to see it…but your idea of it in your own head is much more personal…you look into the film but the film looks into you as well, your own prejudices and kind of assumptions come out in reviews. So be careful…Its from the perspective of the guys and they don’t know anymore than we know as the audience, and they wouldn’t know, so why would the audience get to know?”

Wheatley drew inspiration from several other films when creating Kill List. “The one I actually consciously reference is Race With the Devil…. I remember it vividly of them being chased by these cultist people off the side of the road, and thinking they will go away, and then the fire encircling their camper-van thing, and that terrified me. It stuck with me since I was little. We kind of have a version of that in the film. Obviously there’s elements of Wicker Man in it, but in terms of Wicker Man it’s more the idea that the film is a trap for one character, and it springs shut in the end…. Other movies like that are more referenced are like Parallax View or Manchurian Candidate, which is more about assassins who are involved in a big conspiracy and then are caught in a trap.”

Kill List moves along at a rapid pace, which Wheatley says was highly intentional, in his own joking way. “I want a 90-minute film. I don’t want a two-hour film. I don’t want a long film. And maybe it’s because my ass is so fat now that I can’t bear to sit in the seat for more than 90 minutes.”

Audiences will find Wheatley’s method to writing and directing film authentically character based, a method that allows the audience to connect to the characters from the very beginning. “I wanted to approach the horror film in the same way that I approached crime films, so you know, Kill List is to horror as Down Terrace is to crime, so it’s using those strategies of kind of taking that socio-reality stuff and spending a lot of time with the character to enforce the mood of the rest of the piece and kind of leaven it…the seedier aspects of genre against the more believable aspects of docu-drama and see how that makes it work…it is kind of this genre-bending thing…you frontload it with a lot of characterization so the stuff later on actually works. But then these scenes of violence are amplified, because you think you’re in another film, because you’ve come out of this thing of knowing who these people are, and it’s…hopefully, chiming with what your relationship is with your partner and what your relationship is with your parents, your memories of your parents arguing, your memories of partnerships, and then it gets into the more crazy horror, so these things have already primed you for that. Whereas if you do it the other way around then you’re already at this really crazy heightened unreal position, and it can never recover from that. Then it’s a horror film, which is fine, but it’s a different beast. “

Ben Wheatley’s genre-defying film Kill List opened February 3^rd, and is now playing in theatres.

The tale begins with a domestic argument over money. Jay (the ever-intense Neil Maskell) hasn’t worked in months, and his wife Shel (a breathtaking MyAnna Buring) has turned the issue into a screaming battle. In the background, their seven-year-old son, Sam (Harry Simpson) frets – unsettled by the furor of the argument. The couple must regroup – for they are having Jay’s best friend, Gal (Michael Smiley), and his date over for dinner. When Jay loses his temper and destroys the dinner table – Gal follows him into the garage to offer him a devil’s deal. Turns out Gal is Jay’s old business partner, and, unzipping a bag full of guns, offers him one last lucrative hit job that could solve all of his troubles.

From here the film switches genres from domestic drama to dark thriller. And audiences might think they will know what kind of film to expect from here on out. They are wrong. From the moment they meet their menacing client (Struan Rodger), tantalizing hints are dropped about Jay’s past, including mention of a previous job in Kiev that Jay somehow botched. The client lays out three targets for the job – and Jay and Gal are off to do their fiendish business. By the way the first target is handled, it seems that Jay and Gal are more than up to the task. But as the killing starts, Jay becomes more and more deranged. The tantrums Jay displayed earlier morph into sadistic and violent tendencies, unsettling even his battle-hardened partner.

Indeed, the film’s tone reflects the unpredictability of Jay’s bipolar psyche. Masterfully played by Neil Maskell, the mood swings wildly between the violent menace of the job and hilarious banter with his partner. One moment he is doting on his son and lovingly holding his wife, the next he demonstrates new and horrifying uses for the common hammer. As soon as the story finds its center, it then throws it into violent orbit. The result is disorienting and scary, even for a thriller.

Before they know it, audiences find themselves switching genres yet again, to full-blown horror. How did the story end up here? What is going on? The questions swirl faster than the tics of Jay’s unstable brain. What happened in Kiev? Who is the client? Who are the targets, and why are they marked for death? What’s the deal with Gal’s mysterious girlfriend? And how much of it all is just in Jay’s head?

As the questions increase, so does the darkness. The unknown factors swirl and combine to form the worst kind of nightmare, where nothing makes sense and everything is threatening. Certain details seem significant, but it is uncertain what they mean. A cut on the hand. An unlucky rabbit. A mysterious tape. Gal’s creepy girlfriend. And the weird knife-scratched symbol.

The shocking conclusion leads one to rethink everything that has happened since the beginning. This is the kind of film that people will be talking about for years – because the mysteries are open to interpretation. It is not for the squeamish, and likely to give even serious horror fans surprises they haven’t experienced before.

Kill List never settles into the mere pedestrian, and for that it should be commended. At one point, Jay says to Gal, “We should do this more often.”

“What, kill rich people?”

“Yeah,” Jay replies, as they both laugh. Somehow, it feels like their targets did something heinous to deserve their fate. But the same must be true of the hitmen. Empathizing with evil is risky business, and may cause audiences a few of their own nightmares. If you can handle the thrill, it’s definitely worth it.

“She has a number of duets with Eckhart in the film.  The combination of Aaron and Vera will be pure magic,” says Miller.  Eckhart is deep into training for the role, learning to play drums and piano as well as training vocally to sing onscreen in the picture. “Aaron is totally committed to getting the music right for the film.  He is putting in hours and hours a week in preparation for the roll of Dennis Wilson,” adds Savin.

Filming will being on June 15, 2012 and will coincide with The Beach Boys 50th anniversary. Filming will take place in Southern California as well as Savannah, Georgia.

Ottway (Liam Neeson) is a guard for a drilling team in Alaska. Rather than intercepting humans, it’s wild animals that Ottway keeps an eye out for, killing them with precision when necessary. After the crew finishes its latest job, they pile into an airliner and presumably prepare for warmer climates. Unfortunately, a malfunction and terrible turbulence sends the plane crashing down somewhere in the middle of uninhabitable Alaskan territory, leaving only a handful of survivors, including Ottway. To make matters worse, the men discover themselves within the territory of a pack of wolves that will do whatever it takes to protect their den. With no hope of rescue, the men have little choice but to brave the near-arctic wastes and escape before they die from hunger, exposure or wolf attacks.

Watching The Grey, one is reminded of the fictive techniques employed in literature. Inner monologue, close-ups on mundane objects, pieces of conversation and other facets present a clear picture of Ottway’s world much in the same way a book might. Moreover, the attention to detail and the deliberate direction shows just how much director Joe Carnahan is crafting a story just as a book author shapes scenes by describing only the essential and omitting the rest.

It’s the details that really make this film as good as it is. One of the most startling visuals in the film is when the men are huddled around a fire, surrounded by darkness. A wolf howls and as the men peer into the gloom all they can see is the wolf’s breath, catching a bit of light as it rises from its snout. When the rest of the pack howls in response, seeing the lone column of breath multiply into several is awe-inspiring as it is disheartening.

As a survival horror movie, character development is somewhat limited, but the film does an adequate job of giving the actors enough substance to carve memorable performances from, but the personalities don’t deviate much from the standard archetypes for these films. Ottway is the level-headed hero. Diaz (Frank Grillo) is the loose cannon with nothing positive to contribute. Flannery (Joe Anderson) is the loudmouth no one cares for. Talget (Durmot Mulroney) just wants to see his daughter again. Hendrick (Dallas Roberts) represents the innocence of the group who makes it a point to say a prayer for the dead passengers. While there aren’t many surprises when it comes to character arcs, it’s a credit to the filmmakers that audiences will feel a sense of loss when survivors necessarily begin to die.

The pacing is only slightly uneven, but that’s mainly due to expectations, considering the type of film. The first act feels a bit slow as audiences learn who Ottway is and are fed cryptic bits of information regarding a woman from his past and his suicidal thoughts. Once the plot kicks into high-gear, however, the movie becomes a survivalist’s dream as the characters fight the elements and the wild. Things slow down again when survivors start to die as each character is given a special death segment – which sometimes feels contrived. Nevertheless, The Grey is all about creating memorable scenes rather than a neatly wrapped up story, and by that standard the film is a great success.

For all the fear, death and suspense in this film, The Grey is also surprisingly tender. Early on one of the surviving passengers dies as others hold him while Ottway helps the man pass. Later, the wallets of the dead men are collected to be given to their families. Examining the contents of each billfold reveals family pictures and IDs, hinting at complete lives that every viewer immediately understands and connects with. Contrasted with the animal savagery of the wolf pack, The Grey ironically becomes a celebration of humanity. It’s this message that will linger with audiences long after the last jaws snap shut.

The story opens with a nervous and gregarious hotelier Mrs. Baker (Pauline Collins) fretting over well-to-do guests in the dining room. The servants dote on the wealthy guests with stressed precision. Helen (Mia Wasikowska), a beautiful young servant at the hotel, does her best to hide her disdain for the position. Calmly and perfectly poised stands Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close), masterfully executing the role of butler, but secretly pining to escape and open his own tobacco shop. Later, when Albert is forced to share his room with the housepainter Hubert (Janet McTeer), Albert’s ruse is discovered. At first horrified, Albert is re-assured when Hubert reveals he is a woman pretending to be a man, too. And not only is Hubert pulling it off, he is also happily married. Albert’s horror at being discovered quickly transforms into insatiable curiosity: how on earth has Hubert found a home, a wife, and a future despite the subterfuge?

Thus begins Albert’s journey of self-discovery and also his quest to find a wife to share his life and dreams. Would it be impossible to find a wife, open a little tobacco shop and throw off the chains of working for the hotel? It is a daunting task. For Albert, who has lived as a man for his whole life, living as a woman is out of the question. So he must find a woman, and the only woman that will do is the young and beautiful Helen. To complicate matters – Helen has already started to see Joe (Aaron Johnson), the impetuous young handyman at the hotel that lied his way into the job. Albert Nobb’s quest to win Helen’s hand is not easy – how can he court a woman when he has avoided conspicuous displays of sexuality for his whole life? How can he express his sexuality without revealing his disguise? Does he reveal he is a woman before or after he is married?

Glenn Close’s commitment to the role is astonishing. She is not only entirely believable as a neurotic, introverted man – but also as a man in a state of arrested development – desperately trying to court a woman for the first time in his life.  Her performance is the best thing about the film, and it is no surprise she was just nominated for an Oscar for the role. It may be the most impressive role she has ever performed, because she completely disappears into Albert. He is a man so quietly repressed that audiences cannot help but feel for him. Janet McTeer also pulls off being a man as Hubert, though an entirely different kind. Where Albert is kindly restrained and pinched, Hubert is strapping – displaying a working class macho and seeming disregard for a world that has long since stopped questioning who he is.

It is the story itself that audiences might find challenging. The world of Albert Nobbs is brutal and unforgiving, with many kindnesses repaid in cruelty, and dreams always frustratingly out of reach. For Albert, the few simple pleasures in life such as eating chocolate in a restaurant with Helen, or spending time with Hubert and his wife seem to be his peak. To watch Albert go through a late adolescence with such brutal consequences is excruciating. It is tough to face what life has to offer for him.

In the end, it is the human failures of those around Albert that determine the tragic course of events. Despite his “better” station in life, was Albert’s long-term charade even worth it? In the end, audiences may share Albert’s disappointment, an unfair result which definitely was not his fault.

The moment the two comedians settled into their high-rise seats and test their mics, Shandling let Oswalt (and everyone) know exactly what he thought. “You my friend, as the kids say, killed it. I think you’re fucking fantastic.” He didn’t sugar coat, and by the reaction it gathers from the audience, everyone agreed. Oswalt was flattered, but Shandling didn’t let up, “I think your comedy is fantastic, and then to see you do a performance like this delights me to no end. I think it’s perfect.”

Fortunately for those in attendance, it was not all just singing praises. Both Oswalt and Shandling shed some light on the craft, and Oswalt spoke openly about his preparation for the role. “You walk this tight rope between genuine humor and real rage and pathos, and if you go too far either way it becomes pathetic or it becomes too sitcom-y, so I hired an acting coach and worked with her for two months.” Elaborating on the character he plays, Oswalt went into fascinating detail on some of the character-work he did outside of the film. For those not in the know, Oswalt’s character Mike Frehauf suffers into his adulthood the permanent handicaps caused by a high school beating. “I wrote letters that he would have written to his parents in the hospital, trying to put on a brave face when he was in.” Oswalt also detailed the difficulty ahead of him in shooting the film with an actress as experienced as Charlize Theron. “The minute we started reading she (Theron) would snap into the character, and I realized it was because of the years of experience she had…and I realized I had better catch up to that.” The amount of preparation that Oswalt put into the role is blatantly evident throughout the film. Despite Theron’s completely engrossing performance, it is Oswalt’s scenes with her that are the most interesting in the story.

One of the most touching points in Young Adult is when Oswalt’s character shares a moment of genuine emotion with Theron’s character, and the two end up sleeping together. Shandling singled that out as one of the most affecting parts of the film, “It’s moving…it’s when you’re lying with her and staring at her afterwards, and you have the gravitas to bring the wisdom at the end when you talk to her…you can not be anything but be solid with what you’re doing, because she’s giving it back to you so intensely.”

For those who haven’t seen the film it might be hard to imagine such a heavy scene between the two actors; but Oswalt elaborates beautifully “She was such a dream to work with. She gives it back to you, and she gives back exactly what you need in the scene.” When pressed further about filming the intimate scene Oswalt recalls, “I thought I’d be nervous because I’d be naked with her, but I ended up being way more nervous because it’s the first time we don’t even talk to each other. The whole relationship is based on being snarky and mean, but now…I’m in this terrifying vacuum.” Despite the trepidation though, Oswalt was able to find his success by just jumping into the scene. Approaching the scene bold and fearlessly certainly pays off, as the love scene between the two is easily the most resonant part of the film.

It’s always an enjoyable experience to learn more about what precisely goes into the films that we enjoy so much while understanding so little of the process. In the case of Patton Oswalt in Young Adult the pleasure in learning more becomes twofold. Coming to understand the process of how an artist so based in comedy can extend his talent to embody a role that demands so much dramatic range is a unique opportunity. If you’re a fan of Patton Oswalt, either from his comedy or ever-increasing resume of feature films, you’ll owe it to yourself to see his turn in Young Adult. Chances are you’ll echo the sentiments of Mr. Shandling and see how Patton Oswalt really does “kill it.”

Mavis Gary seems like she has a lot going for her. She’s a successful author living on her own in the bustling city of Minneapolis. Or so she’d like everyone to think. The reality is she’s only a ghostwriter on the tail end of what was a successful book series for teenagers, and her SWF city life reeks of depression and alcoholism. Soon, an e-mail from old high school sweetheart Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) celebrating the birth of his daughter sends her packing back home to the little town of Mercury. Her goal is to rescue her ex-boyfriend from the horrors of his domesticated family life and reclaim the happiness she always believed was hers. When she lands back home, a late night at a local dive has her connecting with former classmate Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt) who was permanently injured in a misguided act of random violence. A drunken Mavis reveals her plan to Matt, who immediately points out the pure insanity of the idea. Undeterred, Mavis treks onward, despite the pleas of friends, family, and common sense.

Young Adult has a lot of great things going for it. A universally talented cast and both a widely acclaimed writer and director should make Young Adult a success right out of the gate. However, Young Adult is so sour on its own premise that it’s difficult to embrace on a normal level. That’s not to say that the film is poorly made in any way. Charlize Theron gives a very serious, committed performance. She’s simultaneously detestable and piteous – a character you hate as much as you feel sorry for. Charlize embodies Mavis to a whole, and audiences can’t help but be drawn in by her no-holds-barred and nothing-to-lose approach to life. Patton Oswalt also holds his own, delivering a stellar supporting performance. Young Adult’s funniest moments are between Mavis and Matt, either arguing about their situations in life or just getting colossally drunk. They also share a few moments of genuine emotion too, and it’s really only through Matt that the audience will ever see a glimmer of hope for Mavis.

The production of the film itself is also one of the more enjoyable aspects of Young Adult. Shot on multiple locations, the film really does capture the feel of a small town left behind. For any audience member who has ever grown up and moved to the greener pastures of the big city, this will be an immediately recognizable feeling. It’s a little bit of nostalgia and a little bit of poking fun, but it makes for one of the most resonant aspects of the film.

Despite the shining performances from the main characters and solid direction of Jason Reitman Young Adult just doesn’t come off as enjoyable. It’s a combination of things working against the film rather than for it. Charlize puts so much into a character that’s unlikable to begin with that all of her effort is buried under Mavis’ genuine disgust for everything around her. Even with Diablo Cody’s trademark snappy writing in full force, the core message of the film is just too mean spirited. There’s hardly any redemption to be found in Mavis’ journey as a character, and what little reward she might have earned is squandered at the end by some of the most defeatist sentiments audiences will have heard in recent years.

Young Adult is a difficult movie to take in, and will probably speak to individual people in different ways. Those expecting a movie similar to Juno or Reitman’s previous Up In the Air may be the ones to leave most disappointed. Whereas those films balanced out heavier emotions and themes with more good-natured humor, Young Adult is fairly dour from beginning to end. While the film certainly has strengths that keep it far from being a bad movie, the relentless negativity of the overall experience makes it difficult to recommend. There may be people who can relate to Mavis’ refusal to grow up, but for most others, you’ll dislike her even more at the end than you did at the beginning.

For those of you unfortunate enough to have never seen Beauty and the Beast before, the story revolves around a spoiled prince, cursed by an enchantress to look like a beast while his servants are magically transformed into everyday objects. As a way to break the spell, the prince was given a rose that would slowly shed petals. If the beast could fall in love and have that person love him in return before the last petal fell, then everything would be restored. The prince lost hope over the years, until circumstances brought Belle – the most beautiful girl in the nearby village – to his castle. With a little compromise and luck, perhaps this beauty could learn to love a beast.

Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful classic that new generations can embrace and enjoy the way their parents did: in the theater. The visuals really should be presented as larger than life and the music is too good not to be heard over a surround sound system. Beauty and the Beast feels different than modern Walt Disney Pictures animated films in that it’s dark and moody and violent. Furthermore, it has a lot of songs – some that are still iconic to this day. What parent hasn’t hummed “Be Our Guest” at least once while making dinner?

The addition of 3-D helps heighten the experience…and sometimes detracts. The prologue always had a kind of 3-D quality to it originally, with the foreground, middle space and background having very definite depths. Adding 3-D to segments like this seemed like a natural evolution. Another standout example is towards the end, during a storm. Rain pours heavily – almost tangibly – in the foreground and the effect is engrossing as viewers are literally enveloped by the scene. On the other hand, there are moments that seem to suffer from the transition to 3-D. Belle’s opening stroll stutters strangely as she approaches. In other scenes, objects that should lie on top of other objects, like a character’s hand on a table for instance, seem to float in front instead. These moments are only mildly distracting and most audiences won’t even notice them.

As the cherry on top of an already outstanding film, the short Tangled Ever After runs before the main presentation and is also presented in 3-D. Flower lizard and ring bearer Pascal (the chameleon) and Maximus (the horse) accidentally lose the rings when Maximus sneezes them away after inhaling one of Pascal’s flowers. Fearing the collapse of the kingdom, the two sneak off to chase the rings, wreaking havoc on the town as the gold bands evade their grasps time and time again. Can they retrieve the rings and prevent catastrophe? It’s great fun to watch them try, and Tangled Ever After is an excellent addition to the Tangled story.

So with Beauty and the Beast 3-D audiences get one and a quarter awesome films to enjoy. There’s really no excuse not to go see these movies. Relive the joy of your youth by seeing Beauty and the Beast again or watch the faces of young ones brighten as they watch the movie for the first time. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Asghar Farhadi has crafted a phenomenally executed masterpiece from beginning to end. Set in Iran, his core idea is whether a child is better affected raised in the land of origin or by immigration. By his own admission, the director has devised a detective story where the real detectives are the audience.

Leila Hatami as Simin is a mother caught between the life she knows with her husband and the possibility of greater opportunities away from him, for both her and her child. Her husband, Peyman Maadi as Nader, is a dutiful son, inconvenienced by his wife’s absence.

The struggle between these two dissimilar and, yet, cohesive ideas is how each individual responds to the separation from the other. Nader attempts to carry on with his life as though little to nothing has changed. Dinner is still on the table on time and he oversees the completion of his daughter’s homework. He doesn’t miss a day of work.

Simin, set on going forth with her life abroad takes one last opportunity to assist the family she is leaving, hence, the child who chose to live without her. Simin encourages a woman in desperate need of employ to interview for the position of housekeeper to her now broken home. This seems a coup, as both women are trusting in the greatest good either can hope to accomplish for herself and her family amid such dire straits.

As convenience lends way to necessity, Nader must acknowledge the precariousness of his current situation and thusly, the severity of the effect his ailing father is having on his life which is compounded by his wife’s absence. Sharing a home with his infirm parent, he welcomes Razieh, (Sareh Bayat) a friend of Simin’s by association to come and attend to the needs of his father.

The simplicity of this arrangement becomes a tour de force to the sensibilities of the modest and devout Razieh. She is compelled to make decisions that bear incalculable outcomes. Soon, the family is confronted with overwhelming lies and suppositions that threaten to ruin the livelihoods of all involved parties for many generations to come. Audiences will feel the crescendo and lose themselves in the intrigue that is a gross transition for the decent and hardworking families of this particular story.

Two women on opposite sides of the same inconvenience face more uncertain futures than either could have anticipated. Each has a child she is willing to purge herself to protect. Each has a husband blinded by visions of personal justice and retribution. Each is humbled by her faith in herself to save her family.

Set against the backdrop of civil war and offering a contrast to common preconceptions of Iranian women, A Separation is a story of empowerment. It reveals the weight of each decision a person can make. On the forefront are two very different families facing very different struggles. Yet, each is most affected by the matriarch and her dedication and loyalty to her faith.

Shot on location in Iran, the authenticity of daily life is given a maligned beauty. American audiences will relate to the dichotomy of the social classes right down to the paved sidewalks of the more affluent neighborhoods versus the dusty roads of lower income areas. Children wear uniforms to school. Subtle societal differences are consistent reminders of the ongoing plight of individuality and acceptance. Men have their own space and women have another – right down to traveling by bus

By definition, the word separation implies the ability to draw a finite line between or to cause to move apart. The power supporting such a notion, in this instance, is built on displaced allegiance. A Separation, ambles along as each character settles into his/her respective place in the story; each a piece to a puzzle that claims no heroes or victors in the balance and equilibrium of existence.

A wife is separated from her husband. A child is separated from a parent; and everyone becomes separated from the truth. The agony and melancholy of the subject matter fail to tarnish the endearing and spiritual journey that is A Separation; a film that reminds all that unconditional love was never intended to be easy.