Big Eyes (2014)

The true story of artist Margaret Keane, who for most of her career, got no credit for any of her work.

Margaret (Amy Adams) leaves her first husband and moves to California with her young daughter Jane (Delaney Raye). She is an artist, who paints all her subjects - almost exclusively young girls - with oversized eyes, as she says the eyes are the windows to the soul, and she can put much more expression in the eyes when they are much bigger.

She meets Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) at a street market one day, and the two of them hit it off. He is known for painting French street scenes, and he sees real talent in her work.

Before long, the two have become very close, and when Margaret’s ex-husband threatens to fight for sole custody of Jane - calling Margaret an unfit mother - Walter proposes to her in order to give her a stable home and family environment.

The two marry in Hawaii, and it isn’t long before Margaret’s paintings start to attract attention. Desperate to be respected for his art, Walter claims it was him who is the artist behind the ‘big eyes’.

Margaret goes along with this lie for most of their married life, as she feels threatened by Walter.

Fast forward a few years: Jane (Madeleine Arthur) is older now, and Margaret continues to paint her big-eyed children, with Walter continuing to take the credit for every portrait.

Things start to slowly unravel, though, with Margaret’s longtime friend Dee-Ann (Krysten Ritter) convinced that Margaret is the true artist, and art critic John Canaday (Terence Stamp) not so sure about Walter’s credentials either.

Eventually, Margaret has had enough, and takes Walter to court, suing him in order to be recognised as the true artist.

The screenplay - by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski - is very good, with well developed characters, and plenty of tension throughout. There are occasional humorous moments, but this film is not strictly a comedy.

Danny Elfman has composed a brilliant score for the film, a largely traditional orchestral score, mind you. It is never overpowering or poorly placed, but is always perfectly suited to the action and/or emotion on screen at the time.

The cast performances are where this film really shines, though, in particular Waltz and Adams as the married couple. The two young actors who play Jane at the different ages are also superb, but I don’t think I’ve seen either of them in anything else before or since.

Danny Huston as a journalist who follows the Keane’s career very closely is another standout performance.

Director Tim Burton brings his unique perspective and keen eye (no pun intended) to this story, and delivers a film that will delight audiences for many years to come. Check it out if you haven’t already; I might even watch it again soon myself.

8 out of 10.

Downsizing (2017)

When genetic researcher Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen (Rolf Lassgård) discovers a method for significantly reducing cellular mass in a laboratory in Norway, the implications have huge potential for the wider world.

He shares his findings at a conference on climate change, believing that by shrinking down human beings to a fraction of their normal size, the human race can reduce their carbon footprint, and make the world a more sustainable place to live.

Fast forward ten years, and the world is indeed a vastly different place. Many communities have sprung up around the globe, inhabited by people who have chosen to ‘downsize’. Everything in these communities is smaller, meaning that an entire city full of people can be housed in an area of only a few hundred square kilometres.

Two people who decide to undergo this dramatic change are Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig). Initially, they come to their decision because they are finding it difficult to purchase their own home in the current property market, and because of the difference in size of absolutely everything in these small-people communities, they can purchase the house of their dreams which is little bigger than a shoebox to a full-sized person, and they can still have plenty of money left over, and can essentially live as ‘millionaires’ for only an investment of a few hundred thousand.

But when it comes time to undergo the procedure, Audrey chickens out and leaves the facility, while Paul is shrunk down to a height of only a few inches. He now finds himself ‘alone’ in this new world, and having to get used to life on his own again.

Making friends with a neighbour Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz) and cleaning woman Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chau) - who is actually a political refugee originally from Vietnam - he begins to adjust to his new predicament, and maybe even learn to love again.

This is an incredibly innovative film from director Alexander Payne, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jim Taylor. They really have thought of everything to make this world seem so incredibly real. Every tiny little detail (no pun intended) has been addressed, and there are a lot of really sweet moments.

At the same time, there are a lot of really difficult moments, things that maybe characters hadn’t considered in undergoing this procedure of ‘downsizing’. The film is an interesting critique of modern society, and the lengths to which some people may go to make life more liveable and sustainable.

The cast are well-suited to their roles. The chemistry between Damon and Wiig (at least at the beginning of the film) is just beautiful; they really work well together playing husband and wife, and the relationship seems genuine in a very understated way.

Hong Chau is just perfect in her portrayal of Ngoc Lan Tran, and is a very talented performer. There are some really touching moments in several of her scenes. She plays the comedy very well, and the drama exceptionally well, especially in the second half of the film. One cannot fail to be deeply moved by her performance.

There are also a couple of fun cameos from Neil Patrick Harris and Laura Dern, who play a married couple involved in recruiting people to join their small community.

Even as much as I laughed heartily at many moments in this film - the comedic timing of all cast and creative team is superb - I have to say there were just as many moments where I found myself in tears, having been profoundly affected by the repercussions of various plot points. Of course, I don’t want to spoil anything, but this film is just beautiful in every sense.

Every single person involved in the production of this film has done an incredible job, and I just know this is going to be a film I am going to watch many more times.

9 out of 10.