Films for the Boss

The Cracksman

2012-01-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

So I'm a sucker for a heist movie, but since the hero was Charlie Drake I kinda knew what I was letting myself in for. Charlie Drake is one of the legendary comics of the 60's, and this film met every expectation as such, heavy handed farce with an everyday working man becoming first an unwitting master thief and a then an unwitting hero, and he got the girl.

Being a Saint fan I wanted to see what an aging George Sanders was up to, and having enjoyed The Protectors, I wanted to see what a young Nyree Dawn Porter was like, and as I said, a heist.

You have to be ready for this vintage of comedy, loud and brash, like a Norman Wisdom or George Formby film. The writing was pretty good, able to reach all ages, from kids with slapstick, and some delicate double entendres for us old uns. Throw in some dancing girls, fisticuffs and social commentary and you have a well rounded, if old fashioned film.

Oh, and look out for a young Ronnie Barker too.

Animal Kingdom.

2012-01-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

I really liked this. It's one of those working class gangster movies. The villains are not your Hans Gruber super villains, not your DeNiro/Mann studious master thief. These guys are like you'd see in The Bill, The Sweeney, Hill Street Blues. They are led be a brutal matriarch who Neighbours fans will probably recognize.

I am learning a new respect for Australian films, I've always known they are out there, but for some reason it's easier to find foreign language films than down under movies. Sure with films like Heavenly Creatures, Muriels Wedding and Prescilla Queen of the Desert we know they are capable of top quality output, but a lot of it is forgotten or hidden.

So I won't go into plot details, just let you know that this is more than about a boy becoming a man, it's a good solid study of malevolent behaviour in an action (but not explosions every two minutes) flick.

True Grit (John Wayne)

2012-01-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

I guess it was his turn to get an oscar, and he didn't have many chances after this. I was very dissapointed, probably because I was fresh from the Coen Bros version. The DVD kept skipping, but is didn't seem like we were missing much. This late Western seemed to be packed with every cliche, except the strong sassy girl was younger than before.

Sure the visuals are all you could want from a good Western, Wayne did an adequate job, but compared with other roles? The gal was a let down, she lacked the strength and the hidden frailty we saw in the Coen version.

Fans will hate me for saying the above, but not a wonderful film.

Requiem For a Dream

2012-01-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

I was attracted to this film by the soundtrack, and a strong recommendation from a friend I trust. I was not dissappointed on either count.

This film is bleak, from the get go to the conclusion, don't look for a happy ending, unless you count a merciful release as happy. Having said that, getting through the darkness is a fantastic journey, and one you can appreciate for it dark humour, and wonderful visuals, especially the mothers bad trip. This is a junkie/druggie movie, but I don't feel compelled to pitch it against Trainspotting or scenes from Pulp Fiction, Refer Madness or lawks too many I can't remember.

I saw this after Black Swan, and think that it is as compelling a film, Aronofsky has a grim eye that stays on the sane side of Gilliamesque, making very full, rich films.

Not for the feint of heart,
K rated.

Panic

2012-01-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

This is a fun little black comedy. The usual overbearing grandfather wants his grandson to carry on the family business, but the father wants his son to have a better career than hired killer.

A few brutal scenes, but overall a decent, not too sappy comedy. I enjoyed it and would recommend it with an M rating.

Chocolat

2012-01-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

Well, this is not the Chocolat I was thinking of watching, with Juliet Binoche et al, this one was, found here on IMDb was an earlier war time drama set in French controlled Africa. It's a typical coming of age movie with looks across cultures and social norms. It has much the same flavour as "Walkabout", but a very different story line.

It's been a few months since I saw it, and remember little of the film apart from broad desolate landscapes, people getting caught on differing sides of social gaps, with several relationships falling afoul of this situation.

Worth seeing, but a bit ponderous and lethargic at times. Photography was okay.

The Bed Sitting Room

2012-01-17T18:39:00.000-08:00

"The Bed Sitting Room" has to be one of the most bizarre post apocalyptic films of the 60's, but that is not surprising since it was written by Spike Milligan. The cast is just an amazing list of big names from British film, radio and TV. Spike is not the only Goon present, Harry Seacombe also makes an appearance, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore appear together, the most surprising to me is Ralph Richardson taking the title role.

The film is set in the shambles that was once London. The few head of state has been identified, Mrs. Ethyl Shroake, as she is closest living relation to the pre-war monarchy. All we encounter either totally lost their marbles in the war (which only lasted 2 minute 28 seconds) or are acting very British about everything. The atmosphere is one of optimism, that Bulldog Spirit will see us through.

I think Goons fans will get more out of this than the rest of us. Check in your sense of reality before you tune in to this surreal, but ultimately human film.

Apologies for my absence

2011-10-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

New work, new worries, and joining the project when it's late just takes from my time. I've still been watching, but not blogging of late. I really need to remember what I saw, luckily Netflix does that for me.

Chocolat
Panic
Requiem For a Dream
True Grit (both versions)
Animal Kingdom
The Assasination of Jesse James
Dead Man
The Petrified Forest
Inspector Bellamy
Luck
Dial M for Murder
Mrs Brown
The Bed Sitting Room
Happenstance
The Big Lebowski
The Asphalt Jungle

I'll get the reviews here some day, I promise.

A Woman, A Gun And A Noodle Shop

2011-07-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, the Coen Bros. are making remakes of classics, so why not someone remake their movies.

Taking the same story line and transposing it to China of old, this tale of betrayal, use and abuse is faithfully retold. The whole film is packed with fascinating visuals, with interesting set dressing, locations, great colours and wonderful compositions. The very look of the actors is excellent too. I am now interested in seeing other films by Zhang Yimou, who also directed "House of the Flying Daggers" and "The Road Home".

I know, a short review, but all I can say is watch this great film, relax and enjoy.

I guess I should mention the original was "Blood Simple", the very first Coen Bros. movie.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2011-07-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Somehow I managed to skip part two and ended up seeing this one first, c'est la vie.

I guess I don't remember the book well enough to know if the opening sequence was faithful or not, but with any film version of a book one is looking to see it is faithful to the feel of the book, and this one is.

This is definitely a sword and sorcery film, with all the swashbuckling and epic battle scenes you would expect. The FX are typical contemporary, state of the art, the CG characters seamlessly blended.

As with all these long saga's about a group of teenagers who defeat evil the cast age faster than the series can be filmed. In this case however it should work out for the good as the Pevensies should have aged in Narnia for their later appearances in the books, though I seem to remember most of their battles happening in their youth.

Keep cranking them out, I'd like to see the full series now, even the bits where Liam Neeson shows up to be preachy at the end.

Housewife, 49

2011-06-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

At first the idea of seeing Victoria Wood in a drama seems wrong, but looking at her biography, she was a playwright before she started writing comedy shows and performing stand up.
The drama follows the life of an ordinary housewife in a shipbuilding town during WWII, and how she is coping with a depression ("nerves"). We encounter much that we expect with a wartime drama, a look at the mechanics of the home front blackouts, blitzes, Andersons versus Morrisons, potential gas attacks and sons going to war.
The drama also shows how a woman comes to terms with her oppression under her husband and her emancipation through volunteer work, and the incumbent committee politics and class strata therein.
David Threlfall should be admired for his soft voiced father figure. I'm more used to seeing his comic roles, but he does drama well (and action in "The Marksman").

Diary of a Lost Girl

2011-06-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

I must admit I have developed a bit of a soft spot for Louise Brooks, a very talented American performer, who walked out on the Hollywood system and went to make films in Europe. Her dancers physique and youthful face are very pleasing, but add on to that her ability to sell her character to you credibly without the overstatement we usually see in silent movies.

This time around she is another fallen woman. The film addresses how badly rape victims are treated, as if they are culpable, and it follows a now stereotypical decent into "wantonness" and "depravity", after all an impoverished beauty with a tarnished reputation can only take on one career.

The story finds salvation for her and a moralistic and modern conclusion is arrived at.

Some rather hammy comic relief characters, but overall a great film.

C'est arrivé près de chez vous (Man Bites Dog)

2011-06-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Award winning, highly acclaimed, much talked about, and I can see why.

If you feel like seeing a movie with some interesting poems, discussions on architecture, cinema and relocation of communities for low income housing projects then this film is for you, a biting politico-socio satire. HOWEVER, there is another side to this fly on the wall mockumentary, the person we are observing happens to be a serial killer.

This film is about 20 years old, but shot in B&W entirely hand held camera work. The photography is very good, as is the editing, and acting. Technically this is a fantastic film. The obsidian black humor is at times painful to endure, everytime we have respite and humor it is tightly coupled with brutality.

How did I stay the distance? Since I've been contemplating whether I should watch this film since it was new, I decided I had to tough it out. Definitely K rated, not for the feint of heart.

Un Flic (Dirty Money)

2011-06-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well, not a fantastic film, but reasonable enjoyable. This film has two heists, one is a standard bank job to payroll the second which is a which is a train job utilizing a helicopter. The target, illicitly smuggled drugs, which they are going to sell back to the drug dealers, figuring the cops wouldn't get involved. Unfortunately a grass had told vice that the drugs were being moved.

The train job is daring, one of the first I've seen, and reminiscent of the Firefly episode "Train Job". Thing is, it was all done with scale model and sound set, still it's good modelling, and reasonable lighting so you can just relax and take it for what it is, and that is a moderate French crime drama.

The Town

2011-06-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

This must be a relatively forgettable film as I was only just reminded of it, and it was one I saw in-flight between here and Taiwan.

A team of bank robbers are not sure if they were ID'd by a witness, in trying to figure this out, one of them falls in love with her. I forget if you starts to get out of the crime world, or tries to live the double life, but the story was adequate, as was the action scenes and overall I've forgotten it.

Le Cercle Rouge

2011-06-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

A heist movie. I love heist movies. This one is about a jewel heist, with all the attendant attention to detail of how to overcome state of the art security systems. Catherine Zeta Jones does not dance through lasers in this one, but they do have to defeat a grid of electronic eyes, and other super high tech computer controlled gadgets.

The first half of the movie is a mix of a getaway/escape/manhunt movie, and a released convicts hunt taking his dues from his crime boss. The two criminal leads come together in a contrived accident to work through a plan that they'd been provided. All the time dogged by the Gendarme engaged in a nationwide manhunt.

The heist sequence was well executed, the manhunt was adequate, the ending was swift and almost fatalistic.

If you like noir, and you like French, this 1970 offering is an interesting watch. For the most part it's shot straight, with an alcoholic experiencing the DTs as the exception. Moody and brooding are probably adjectives that would be used to describe the pacing of the film, the sort of things you don't typically see in contemporary Hollywood, except in maybe Michael Manns films.

7/10 but you need to be in the mood.

The Babysitters

2011-05-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

So where does this film sit. A film about a straight A student who follows the path to becoming a madam. I would like to say that its hanging there somewhere between say "Wish You Were Here", "Wilby Wonderful", "Passionflower Hotel", "Risky Business" and a few others of that ilk, but not quite on par with them. It has an indy feel, but quite polished overall. It does the dance between lightweight and oppressive drama, you start in, like the girls, thinking it will be a little light entertainment, but then the darker realities come to the fore.

Adequate film filled a 90 minute slot in my evening. Probably more deserves the 3.6 stars at Amazon then the 5.9/10 from IMDb, which matches the 3 star rating at Netflix.

On a plus side, Katherine Waterston did a good job in the lead role, I could probably stand to watch her in other films.

The Bourne Trilogy

2011-05-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I can't imagine why I didn't blog this as I went along, but I finally got to see the whole trilogy. The final one I just saw last weekend.

So what can I say, yes the car chase in episode one is a good one, though a bit "Ronin". Still not the best chase with a classic Mini, but close. The best chase with a contemporary MINI is still "Noble Son".

I never really figured I'd be interested in anything written by Ludlum, my spy thrills are better fulfilled with Deighton's writing. And if something is Hollywood and that big a hit, then I generally find it's just empty thrills and an incoherent storyline. I was very mistaken with this one. It's a good fun story, which holds together. Yes, real thrill a minute, more relentless than the "Three Days of the Condor", more credible than Bond. Sure the story is a bit of a cliche, spy drops out and wants to be a pacifist, doesn't even know who he is. Still for such a story to cross into mainstream pop culture is a bit of a step.

Can't fault the lead trouser - Matt Damon, he delivers everything we used to get from Clint Eastwood, Michael Caine, Steve McQueen, but he does it a little different somehow, a little more modern.

The choice of leading ladies was good too. I don't just mean the cute girls Franka Potente, or Julia Stiles but also Joan Allen as the CIA spy boss who finds out something wrong was being done, and fight her way through three movies to sort out the mess.

Worth watching all three.

Four Lions

2011-04-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'd been curious about this British black comedy since I saw the trailers at the Cinema last October, and now it's on Netflix streaming I was able to watch it over the weekend.

This film lived up to all the expectations of a UK indie with backing from Film 4. The subject matter may be distasteful to some, a comedy about a group of young Muslims who try to do something big for the cause. I part wish that it was an unspecified cause the were fighting for, as I believe the film explores any extremist and how the think. The characters are human enough, and some of the likable enough, just "misguided".

One thing I liked was the deadpan delivery of everything. At times the hand held camera look gave it the feel of a fly on the wall documentary. The humour was mostly verbal, but sometimes physical, which is my preference anyway.

Not a must watch, but if you were on the fence, then go ahead and give it a try.

The 39 Steps (Kenneth Moore)

2011-03-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

I would have to say that there are two distinct advantages to this version over the earlier Hitchcock version, and that is the sound quality and the print quality. They are the only two advantages.

The story was modernized in so far as updating from a new aeroplane engine to a rocket navigation system, and the introduction of a scooter half way through. Otherwise, seems being on the run in the 1950's was much like being on the run in the 30's, oh and Vaudeville was the same in both too.

So where did this miss? I think the delivery of Donat v's Moore and and Carroll v's Elg. Sure Tania Elg has a bonnie face, but I didn't see her fall in love with Moore's Hannay. Hitch played the comedy a little heavier, but that was fine, the film benefited from it.

The scene in the hotel room played almost blow for blow with the original, but there is that touching scene where Madeline gave him the blanket, and then stole it back that was missing.

This was actually the first incarnation of this story that I encountered, and I very much enjoyed it back in the 80's. I later came to know and love the older version, and have enjoyed the much straighter, and truer to the book, 1970's version with Robert Powell as the lead.

I am looking forward to seeing the 2008 and 2011 versions.

Green For Danger

2011-03-27T23:10:00.000-07:00

Trevor Howard and Alistair Sim, when you put those two names together you just have to watch.

And guess what, both delivered on the promise. Howard being terribly British in times of crisis, and a pillar of society, whilst Sim delivered his usual whimsical charm and charisma. Trouble is, this is not quite what you want from a seemingly straight murder mystery. The mystery was good, playing on war time sentiment and twisting all the way to the end. The comic relief didn't sit well though. It was too "Ealing" for the rest of the film.

Go ahead and watch it, it's not terrible, but not the best it could have been.

True Grit

2011-03-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

Let me qualify this post by stating that if I did see the original, then I saw it as a kid 30 years ago, and do not remember it at all.

The first thing that surprised me about this film was that it was by Joel and Ethan. Everyone had been harping on so much about how classics don't need to be remade, no one bothered to mention who was to blame this time. As much as I love Fargo, O Brother, Hudsucker et al, I must admit that "The Ladykillers" was both a Coen bros and a bad remake.

This was a good film. I'd land it alongside Unforgiven which I see as an excellent modern cow boy film. This version of True Grit, is more lively paced than "The Assasination of Jesse James...", but shares many of the great qualities of that film.

Maybe I'm thick, but Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon were unrecognizable in this film, it almost was like having a cast of unknows, so I wasn't comparing performances to their earlier roles.

I'm sure fans of traditional westerns would not care for this, all the characters have very human failings, but there is a happy ending in this one.

rated D/A/M/N

The Kings Speech

2011-03-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

What a delightful film. I've been seeing quite a few biopics of royalty of late, and this one is the most charming of them I've seen, the other notable one being "Young Victoria".

It is always a treat to Helena Boneham Carter, and in this she brought a wonderful lightness to Queen Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother that is). This film spans the same period as the miniseries "Edward and Mrs Simpson" which took up the story of Edward and his relationship with the America Divorce. Worth checking out, a young Edward Fox, amongst others.

The whole affair, though a lot of serious tragedy is involved, is a typically light British film. The characters, not lovable, are at least easy to identify with. You feel pity for 'Bertie, you start wishing Elizabeth were an aunt or some such in your family.

I wasn't sure what to think of Timothy Spall as Churchill. Spall is, in my opinion, a much underused actor on the silver screen, though he is very active on British TV. Still, he filled the role well; though it was only a minor character in the film, it is one that everyone knows, and will heavily criticize if done wrong.

Overall a fun film, though I'm not sure how well it will be received amongst royalists as it shows a perceived weakness in someone traditionally regarded as a great leader in war time. Personally I believe it shows him as stronger, overcoming the issues.

Rated D/A/N

The Black Swan

2011-03-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

I know, you've all seen this now, and you all believe it deserved the Oscar(s). I just saw the modified for airline version of this, lesser sex scene I believe, not sure about violence though, that all seemed to be there.

This is a dark tale of someone taking pride in the craft to excess. It's a tale of a young womans decline into insanity as the pressures of her lead role in the ballet, and her mothers vicarious need to succeed.

Without spoilers I'd have to say
1) beautiful cinematography
2) too many bleeding finger scenes for me
3) felt like an early 70's psycho thriller

I'm not sure it covered new ground, but it's fun seeing Portman act again, after Lucas disgusting waste of her talents.

rated M/K/N

Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec

2011-03-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

"The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele BlancpSec" is the latest Luc Besson film. Besson has lately turned to writing, handing off direction to others, for example the successful "Transplorter" and "Banlieu-13" franchises. However, here he has returned to the role of writer/director which he has not done since "Angel-A".

When we look at his great films of the past, "Leon - the Professional", "Angel-A" and to some degree "The Fifth Element" we start to expect an action comedy romance. Of course others of his followers would say "La Femme Nikita", "Danny the Dog", "Le Dernier Combat" do not fall into that line at all.

Adele Blanc-Sec is a sad and layered story of an Edwardian almost Lara Croft.character, a female Indian Jones if you will permit, in a story of magic and mummies which, though following a very different story, has all the charm and elegance of "The Professors Daughter".

Though a pterosaur in Paris seems quite out of place, and the CG of the mummies is a little stiff ( but then, are they not stiff?) this is a fun and enjoyable little adventure. Don't go looking for any earth shattering revelations about humanity.

Rated D/A

Cyrano Agency

2011-03-12T21:41:00.000-08:00

This was an unexpected treat on our last outbound trip to Asia. I passed on it, who wants to see another "rom-com"? Mike suggested it half way through the flight, so I decided to have a look see.

So imagine "Roxanne" meets "Mission Impossible" (the old TV series) in a Korean rom-com. That puts you pretty close, you end up with a film on a par with say Il Postino.

Plot summary, out of work acting troupe use their skills to help lovelorn singles woo and win the one they want with carefully scripted dialogues, poses, and costume. Of course there is always a conflict of interest, in this case the director of the troupe has to help someone woo his ex.

rated D/A/M

Micmacs

2011-03-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

"Micmacs à tire-larigot" is a film of revenge. That said, this is a light an fluffy film of revenge. Bazil, our hero, has a grudge against two arms manufacturers in Paris, one made the land mine that killed his father, the other made the bullet, that by a freak accident got lodged in Bazils brain.

Bazil falls in with a group of outsiders, living on the fringe of Parisian society. With their street performer and scrap salvaging skills they manage to topple two powerful empires.

This film is more on a par with Amelie, rather than City Of Lost Children or Delicatessen, which I believe makes it open to a larger audience, though the entire length of the film is toonish and circus like, so I believe it's not for everyone.

rated D/M/A

Lyckantropen

2010-11-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

Only 30 minutes long, this Swedish short has some nice images, but seeing as I could only find a non-subtitled version on You Tube I couldn't understand the dialog.

As with Dorian Gray, Jekyll and Hyde, and all the classical tales of the beast within, this film visits the topic of the id with allusions to werewolves.

Good soundtrack by Ulver. Short and artsy.

rated M/K

The Day The Earth Stood Still

2010-11-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

Classic SF. Do I have to say anything? Klaatu Barada Nicto.

Considering this is a based on a short story, it stretches well to a 90 minute movie. Enough techno wow in Gort "The" robot of the 50's. The lighting in the spaceship is both SF and classic noir with a hint of expressionism in it too.

Of course it is preachy and moralistic, but you can also see it as a little too much pro American and UN. After all Klaatu represents a union of planets that is slapping Earths wrist for getting weapons ahead of their maturity level. This is typically seen as a warning against maintaining nuclear arsenals, but in our contemporary world it's analagous to the UN, NATO and the USA keeping the "lesser" and "more volatile" nations in a low tech non-nuclear state.

Patricia Neal is no Jennifer Connolly, but she is a credible heroine.

I never noticed before, but the Klaatu resurrection sequence is almost an homage to the Hel/Maria animation sequence in Metropolis.

rated A/D

The Big Sleep

2010-11-28T22:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, now this was worthwhile noir. Humpey as Philip Marlowe. Kinda wish Martha Vickers was the lead gal instead of Lauren Bacall.

After a good solid hour of sleuthing, the case is wrapped up, but that nagging hint of a side story now comes to the fore. There are several more twists to bring us to a grand conclusion. This is thrill a minute stuff, a deserved classic.

Oh, and one thing I noticed in the first hour was how all extras and bit part actresses in the 1940's were very pretty, like the librarian, the girl in the book shop, heck even the taxi driver. I guess they knew what sells movies.

post script. I suspect Netflix provide the '44 version for streaming, not the '46 remix. I'll have to get the DVD to see both versions and decide. I could stand to watch it again, just not tonight.

Laura

2010-11-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

Well, if it wasn't for the Noel Coward wannabe this might have been an enjoyable noir outing. However, despite the nice twists and pretty lead Gene Tierney, and a youthful caddish Vincent Price, this film still failed to satisfy completely

The Man From Earth

2010-11-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

A wonderful one room play. A university professor is moving on, and his colleagues are intrigued as to to why. He presents them with a fascinating tale, how he has to move on every ten years or so because he is immortal. Since his colleagues include a historian, an archaeologist and an anthropologist the are convinced he knows his subjects, but everything is verifiable by text book.

Of course, as with all low tech SF films, it eventually gets around to morality questions and theology. Still, all done in a very good way.

M.Hulots Holiday

2010-11-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

My curiosity in this film was roused when I saw it referenced in a documentary about Rowan Atkinson. Jaques Tati's was referenced as one of the other few comics who can perform such universal physical comedy.

Though this film is not a laugh a minute, it is pretty well paced. The goofy clowning is not all centered around M. Hulot, there are several other clumsy characters, and mischievous children who each either cause or catalyze some humorous event. I think this takes the clumsiness out of the whole.

Another reason to see this is to see a snapshot postcard of how holidays were done. I believe that this is an accurate representation of how French Holidays were, the main hotel seems to dominate the quiet bay, everyone has taken room and board, and the beach empties when the meal bell rings.

I can see why this classic is still available, but it is from a more genteel time, so the pacing I found a little slow.

Lady Jane

2010-11-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

This is a very early Helena Bonham Carter film, she looks younger than she did in "A Room With A View", which purports to have been released the year before this.

After seeing Young Victoria the night before I saw this film the two really seem to be a pair needing to be seen in close proximity. Both deal with a teenage monarch, their ascent to the throne, and those that would manipulate them. In this case, far more tragic then the story of Victoria and Albert.

Always good to see Patrick Stewart treading the boards with Shakespearean verve, though if you turn your back you could almost imagine Brian Blessed bombasting his way through the dialogue.

The fight choreography with Carey Elwes was a little less convincing than John Steeds fighting in a regular episode of The Avengers. However, the rest of the film was well lit, dressed, decorated and shot.

Definitely worth a look see.

Being There

2010-11-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

I must admit I have a prejudice against Peter Sellers. There are very few films where he manages to reign in his maniacal behavior and give a clever and charming performance. Strangelove is about as manic as I can take him, The Mouse that Roared is perfect, and so often ((Alice in Wonderland, Pink Panther etc) he goes beyond.

But here, he shows his perfect comic ability as a quiet, understated, genteel gardener who gets misinterpreted by people who look too deep into everything. The overall effect of this political satire is a comfortable comic drama.

This film carries elements that were later reflected in "Forrest Gump", "When Harry Met Sally" and "Dave". The idea that a common man with simple notions can give inspiration and show the way to someone with a more cluttered mind, and then Shirley Maclaines self love sequence is reminiscent of Meg Ryans lunch noises.

The whole film leaves you with a sense of Chance (Sellers) being differently enabled, or at least uneducated. He has never matured. The final sequence, plays on the notion that maybe he was sent from above, and could lend significance to Shirely MacLaines characters name "Eve", but that's probably reading too much into it.

Mary and Max

2010-11-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful full length animation. Set in Australia and New York, its a simple romance story of a young girl and her pen pal. Her pen pal is older, and sees the world from a very different perspective. It's later revealed that he is an Aspie.

The coloration of the film is wonderful. Mary is lacking in confidence, has a pill popping mother who is fighting or rather falling victim to depression. Marys world is the scorched sepia tones one could almost associate with dry grass of eternal summers. Max's world is black and white and scarlet. The only color being in the lipstick of the woman who has a crush on him, and a pompom Mary makes for him.

The coloring is well in keeping with the locations and the characters moods. No this is not a depressing movie.

The two lead characters develop a natural relationship, managing to irk each other periodically, but having the strength of friendship to see it through.

Though Max is almost stereotypical for an Aspie, we have to forgive the creators this, as he is a plainly stated, clear to understand representation, he is a starting point, much as in Rain Man where the world was introduced to "classical" autism.

The mix of gross out humour and a loving coming of age story blend together into a well constructed film. Go ahead and see this one soon.

Rembrandt's J'accuse

2010-11-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

The question is, if you make a 2 1/2 hour movie about a painting, do you also need to make a 100 minute documentary about it also?

The answer is yes. Peter Greenaway, one time painter, some time movie director, all round pretentious scholarly type does exactly that with "The Nightwatch", a painting by Rembrandt of a town militia, who may well have been involved in a conspiracy of murder.

The film which "J'accuse" is a companion to is Nightwatching, staring Martin Freeman as Rembrandt, and a talented supporting cast as the rest of his household and townsfolk.

J'accuse is not about the film, but about the painting. Using sequences from the film to illustrate the documentary, and Greenaway being granted interviews with the characters from the film to clarify some points of view.

J'accuse, like all analytical works, seem to harp on about apparent trivialities and make them significant points. This essay finds 34 features of the painting to critique, and casts them as "evidence" in a murder trial. It seems that everything is subject to analysis, but sometimes "a cigar is just a cigar". Despite that gripe I did enjoy the tenacious investigation and expose. Like all works of art, in the end it's just an interpretation, this one people seem to believe they know what they are looking for, and so they see it.

Like in "The Pillow Book" Greenaway does not constrain his documentary to one aspect ratio, he chooses the frame that suits his need, and in a way that the audience can just flow with it.

Nightwatching is a dramatic presentation of the painting of the picture. Rembrandt meets all the characters, with his prejudice biased by gossip and investigation into the murder of the former captain of the militia. It also shows how the accused and compromised usurp political pressure which crushes the great artists career. This documentary clarifies the innuendo in the drama. The two films are essential companions. It is the play and the Cliff Notes.

Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010-11-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we all go into this expecting a reasonably well illustrated companion to the novel, trimming details that would turn the 5 hour epic into a 20 hour miniseries. And since this is only half the concluding novel we know they have to choose a breaking point which is a cliff hanger.

So how did it measure up? Sure a lot of details are trimmed, but we are left with the essentials of the story. The pacing is cinematic and also faithful to the spirit of the text. This film is also truly not a little kids film, following the maturity curve of the novels.

I will limit myself to a few high-points and a few low.

{Spoiler alert}

As Hermione reads the tale of the three brothers, from Beadle the Bard, we are treated to a wonderful animated illustration of the text. It is reminiscent of "The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello". The director for this sequence was Ben Hibon, I shall be looking for more of his work.

The tension between the famous trio during their travels in exile is well acted, and Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe do show good acting ability. Their despair and misery is not quite as absolute as in the book. Also we miss the scene where the other group of renegades camp alongside our heros and let slip that Bellatrix does not have the real sword.

The breaking point is well chosen. Anyone who decides to see Deathly Hallows as their first Harry Potter film and don't notice the "Part One" will be surely miffed at the conclusion, Dobby's death and Voldemort seizing the elder wand from the dead Dumbledore.

On the whole there was little to complain about, but the loss of Hedwig and Mad Eye get shrugged off a bit quick. These were serious losses in the book. Still as I said this one alone is 2hrs 17 minutes, the second half should be as long.

Also in Godrics Hollow, Harry starts talking to Nagini (disguised as Mathilda Bagshot) in parceltongue, I thought it was done naturally and well, Harry does that without noticing, but a fellow audience member (who also didn't know Dumbledore was dead, and surprised when the film stopped) didn't quite get that, and asked "what did she say".

If you haven't read the book, and you don't want a cliff hanger looming over you for 9 months, go and see the double bill next summer (you know there will be all day marathons for the series somewhere). This penultimate Potter was very well executed.

Sunshine Cleaning

2010-11-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

I know, it's not fair to post a review of a film I only half watched, but this one I think I had its measure before too long.

The story should be funny enough, single mom changes maid service business into crime scene/biohazard cleanup service for a lot higher rate of pay.

Amy Adams (Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day) is a vivacious actress, reminiscent of a young Nicole Kidman and a capable actress. Emily Blunt plays her dysfunctional sister. It's a comedy, you need dysfunctional siblings for that.

Despite getting to see Amy in her underwear often, the jokes are handled poorly. Another part of the story is how Amys son is getting in trouble at school, and she is told that he needs to be medicated to stay in mainstream schooling. Here we have enough poorly researched writing, based on 80's tabloid tittle tattle rather than fact, that I just gave up.

Who knows it may have picked up later, but.

Young Victoria

2010-11-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

It's always good seeing Jim Broadbent, even if his character is short lived. Broadbent has previously played Albert in "Blackadders Christmas Carol".

Emily Blunt I'd previously seen in "Sunshine Cleaners", a heavy handed black comedy, and so I wasn't expecting too much from her, however I was pleasantly surprised. It seems she did well in both films, and Sunshine Cleaners did not suffer from either Amy Adams or Emily Blunt, but ham fisted script writing.

So "Young Victoria" is an interesting tale, a bit of a political drama, and a romance. It has its moments, being quite pretty to watch, but it seems to assume you know the dramatis personae before you start watching. If you take it as a look at a young monarch you will not be disappointed, if you are looking for the foundation of an empire, then you will be let down.

Outsourced

2010-11-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

Pretty predictable rom-com about a telesales department being outsourced to India from Seattle. The thing that made it unpredictable was the handling of yonis and lingums (see Richard Burtons translation for details) and a crass rubber joke.

Some funny bits, not too sappy.

Let The Right One In

2010-11-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

This is a charming Swedish romance. Set in a high school in the early 80's, Oscar is a loner, and picked on by the class bully. When a new girl moves into his apartment block he finally finds a friend.

Of course this friend looks like a 12 year old girl, but is a couple of hundred years old, and of course a vampire. At this point I expect you to roll your eyes and move on, but please don't. This film manages to be a coming of age movie that's not too sappy, a low budget vampire film that's not too cheesy and has some almost intelligent things to say about love, friendship, and codependency.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

2010-11-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

I've long since stopped watching "Westerns", but my good friend Orlando (on-line friend of impeccable taste in literature and movies) pointed me in the direction of this one (or was it my cousin Bin Lids?).

This is a good well constructed drama, maybe even factually accurate. It paints a different picture of Jesse James to the one I've seen before, and is dressed in a way which looks more in keeping of photographs of the period than the "John Wayne" image/stereotype we have of such characters.

DW enjoyed this film too, after being understandably guarded when I proposed a "cowboy movie".

Brad Pitt again proves himself an actor, and not just a pretty boy, I know, if you see someone in grocery store magazine racks too often you figure they are a celebrity and not a talented actor.

Story, acting, composition, photography, music all made this a treat to watch. you should definitely see it.

post script

Pandora just served up some of the theme music to me, it's by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and is beautiful.

The Tracey Fragments

2010-11-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

Well, after seeing Hard Candy I was eager to see what else Ellen Page had done (first saw as an inflight movie in '07). The Tracey Fragments was one of the first of her other films that I saw. I was suitably impressed, and wanted to rewatch it after a decent interval.

A couple of years later and I've just done that. It's still a good film, its on screen presentation is of multiple images alongside each other, ofter offset in time (unlike Wicked Wicked's "duo vision" with its permanent split screen and coincident timing).

The Tracey Fragments are just that, a look through the mind of a tortured young woman who suffers daily bullying, dysfunctional mother, and finally has to face responsibility for a tragic accident .

The lighting and camera work is fantastic, and the editing avoids annoying with a technique that might have been turned into a failed cheap trick in the hands of a less skillful director/editor team.

Good film, I will see this again.

Gloomy Sunday

2010-11-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

Pretty Girl and romantic scenery, what more could you want from a film?

Well, this film has got plenty more going for it. It's hard to place this romance/drama. It's almost a hint of a ghost story, but not in the traditional sense, it's not a film about the holocaust, though Nazi occupation of Hungary is a key theme, and it's not a smutty film about a ménage.

Despite some depressing elements, this is a very optimistic film throughout, with people generally finding the good things in life, even though most the principles get defeated ultimately.

As I say, just nice to watch, and a story that takes a winding, but not twisting path to its conclusion.

A Life Less Ordinary

2010-11-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

After having seen Shallow Grave and Trainspotting big screen, and enjoying McGregors performance in most things I'd seen him in (even Brassed Off) I must admit it is surprising I'd never bothered with this Danny Boyle film. I do remember hearing negative things about the film at the time, so evaded it.

It's kinda funny to see it now as I have recently seen a bunch of Angel films, including Dogma, Wings or Desire and Angel-A. I didn't know anything about this film other then the epithet "rom com" had been attached to it.

Turns out this is a rom com in the same way Angel-A is, though not delivered quite as well. I wish I'd seen "The Chase" with Charlie Sheen so I can compare this kidnap film to the that one.

Holly Hunter played an excellent psychotic, desperately trying to escape the threat of mortality. I don't think I've ever seen her in a kick butt role before, but she does it well. I did keep thinking of the character "Yolanda/Honey Bunny" from Pulp Fiction, played excellently by Amanda Plummer.

Sure there are cliches and obvious jokes in this, but come on, do we ever watch a Danny Boyle film for anything else (okay, some people liked the zombie aspect of 28 Days Later).

Worth a look see, not the best Danny Boyle, but we all have our off days.

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/A-Life-Less-Ordinary/1179373?trkid=438403#height1525

wings of desire

2010-11-14T23:47:00.000-08:00

I've been avoiding Wim Wenders for quite some time, I had a disappointing experience when I was about 20, say no more.

Wonderful, crisp photography, very active camera motions, beautifully shot. This film is every bit as introspective as expected from one of this director's films.

We get to see the world through the eyes of some Angels, as the catalog and document what we are doing and thinking presumably saving this information for Judgment Day. And, typical of Angel films, one of these angels besides the defendant with immortality and standoffishness of his position in life. He wants to become mortal, and live life to its fullest, enjoying every nuance of daily life. Et aussie cherchez la femme.

The only uncomfortable thing about the film was some of the vocalizations or choral passages, which I suspect were by Laurie Anderson.

I believe this is one of the trilogy of films, and I look forward to the sequels.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

2010-11-14T23:38:00.000-08:00

The film starts out much like a romantic comedy; pretty young girl in love with older doctor, him with a wife in tow as well, what could be worse, we know that they all get together and be happy in the end. Twenty minutes into the film, just when you think you've taken all the smiley happy faces you can from the pretty girl, knowing the train wreck of a situation she is in, the film rewinds to the start, and we pick up the story from the doctor's point of view. At this point we're confronted with a thriller, with a young woman who is psychotically in love with the doctor, and viciously hunting down his wife to get her out the way.

I didn't get to see the whole film, but think I will go back and revisit it at some point.

Update: I did get to see the rest, nice bait and switch. Good use of color throughout.

Harvey

2010-11-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

What can I say, a classic 1950s farce. Jimmy Stewart for the lovable drunk, possibly crazy. Pompous judges, excitable sisters, management Nice, a host of extras, and the 6'3" rabbit, white.

It was the first time in that film in about 15 years maybe 20. Still quite amusing, although the sense of humor at times was old-fashioned and annoying.

Delicatessen

2010-11-14T23:31:00.000-08:00

Jean-Paul Jeaunet, in his almost Gilliamesque, much like "city of lost children", style.

It seems Amalie with an exception to the rule not the norm. Wide-angle lenses, both of the faces, interesting looking people, and the grim tale, but optimistic outcome.

If cannibalism and dark humor are not your thing then this film will not be. Still overall it was quite amusing, a few clichés, but some fun surprises along the way.

The Seventh Seal

2010-11-14T23:25:00.000-08:00

What a delightful film this was. I was worried this would be just too thinky too talkie, too introspective. It wasn't, it was, but it wasn't.

This is that old Swedish classic were night plays chess with with Death. Eventually returning from the Crusades, and on his journey home. He collects an interesting entourage of miscellaneous people. These include a troupe of actors, a blacksmith and his errant wife, and the peasant girl. On the journey being count the plague victims, and guards on a witch hunt. There is also true prove develop will punishing themselves before God punishes them with the plague. All these subplot, and the vaguely reminiscent of Monty Python and the holy Grail. One suspects the seventh seal was a great inspiration to the famous six.

I was surprised how much the film reminded me of any film by Kurosawa. This was not only the pacing, the honor and nobility of the lead characters, the rascalliness of the lower classes, but also in the lighting and framing.

Again one to watch, but one to watch when you have a few hours spare and you feel like something slow-paced.

The Third Man

2010-11-14T23:14:00.000-08:00

This truly is classic noir. Set in postwar Austria, all about black-market economy, and the general lawlessness of things. Friend is set against friend as ugly truths are revealed.

Of course there is the girl, the damsel in distress. This one keeps the hero around when he should have long since stopped.

McNealy likened, good direction, good acting, incessant music which I didn't think fitted.

Like Casablanca, another film I hadn't seen in the this year, it was a pleasant surprise this classic lives up to its reputation. Definitely one to watch..

Never Let Me Go

2010-10-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

This was a sad film, set in the very Britain which I grew up in. It focuses on the then emerging technology of human organ transplant. To fulfill the requirements of the system, organs must be grown. The film follows the process.

Their is a special class of person raised in boarding schools, their life expectancy is to be terminated on that third or fourth donation. These children are raised in the belief that that is the right and proper thing to do; that is what they expect, and the consequence is that they do nothing to resolve their situation.

Though the story is bleak, and it's disturbing how the characters accept that role in life, the film is still very interesting to watch. The pastoral scenes of Britain are this wonderful, cinematography is very good, very careful.

I still believe that Kiera Knightley is not the best actress, though Carey Mulligan is pretty damn good.

Not a feel good date movie.

the girl who played with fire

2010-10-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

This is the second film in the Millennium Trilogy.following the adventures of This is the second film in the millennium trilogy, following the adventures of Lizbeth Salander, as she wends her way through the Swedish underworld.

Bloomquvist is also very present in the story. He looks older, driving a Toyota Prius, wearing reading glasses, biker jacket, and still getting involved. This role is still crucial, heading up the magazine in a grueling investigation of the Scandinavian white slave trade.

Lizbeth has just returned from a year in exile, and uses her newfound wealth to fix some wrongs in the past. These include continued misdoings of her parole officer, a reunion with her father, and meeting with her brother.

Once again Sweden provides a beautiful backdrop, and enviable place to live with amazing Mercedes ambulances. At that with the crime world is like that, then I don't want to live that.

The film was only really marred by one seeing, where Lizbeth has a brush with death, and an escape that not even the Terminator would've survived.

Overall an entertaining, if violent film. I am looking forward to part three., as she went away to the Swedish underworld.

The Cat Returns

2010-10-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Another good film from Studio Ghibli, however I was feeling lazy and watched the US dub. There were some stilted characters.

This one doesn't have the depth of look that a lot of their films have, but still was amusing and magical. It is the story that is referred to in "Whisper of the Heart", and like that is about a young girl getting to validate her character and know who she is.

Not as good a film as I was hoping for, but we're spoiled by seeing so many Miyazaki films.

Arthur and the Invisibles

2010-10-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

I hate to do this, but, I found a Luc Besson film I didn't care for.

The film is beautifully shot, don't get me wrong, even if the scenes in the town look a little mixed in their vintage, this is a fantasy after all. The animated sequences are polished, the character designs are good, but oh what a terrible dub for the English version. I hear the English version also had some details cut from it too.

Maybe I should try it again with the French soundtrack, but I don't have high hopes.

C'est la vie.

Contact

2010-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

What can I say, Carl Sagan finally put pen to paper for a science fiction novel, which was wonderful, reminiscent of Nigel Kneals writings.

That this got filmed is great also, a wonderful story of hope and faith in a world rife with technology. It's also a fun look at SETI projects, and politics between science and the government, the government and the world. For good measure a love story, some time travel, good science and then technobabble.

Jodie Foster, as always good, makes a strong lead.

The best use of FX in this film for me was the sequence when Ellies father died.

Good film, full of hope and optimism; a film that somehow never became really big, but definitely deserves more attention than it got.

Foyle's War - Enemy Fire

2010-10-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

I really want to add this to the list for two reasons, one is because it excuses the lack of film reviews this week, and secondly an episode of Foyles War has all the merits of a movie anyway, each being treated by the crew and cast a s TV movie.

This episode is very representative of the level of writing and acting, and is one of the larger budget episodes too, with more FX and done on a grander scale.

Foyle's War is an excellent view of war time Britain, by being on the South coast (Hastings) we are placed away from London and typical war time drama, but also on the coast most vulnerable to invasion where tensions must have been the highest for rural Britain. The attention to detail, and depth of research done by the writer leaves you with very richly painted vignettes of society and politics at the time, without all the bull and bravado of a war film.

Cast Away

2010-10-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

I was very pleasantly surprised by this one, Tom Hanks not being his usual role. Mind you I think the problem is I saw too many of his old movies. I did enjoy "Apollo 13", and to some extent "Forrest Gump", FG suffered from being so talked about, and oft lampooned on TV and in all the talk shows etc that I just got burnt out on it. As a consequence a modern day retelling of Robinson Crusoe held no appeal for me, especially with Hanks in the lead. I guess I can't blame him for "The Ladykillers", what a terrible re-make.

The opening of the film has a chain of Fed Ex packages making their way to Russia where we meet the most obnoxious of people, the sort of jerk you wish would drop dead, they also introduce you to a philandering husband, who seems to then fall out of the plot.

The island setting is fantastic, you wonder how they could film on such a small beach and never see the camera, especially when they are at the very end of the island, or on top of the island and do 360 pans. Well, apparently almost every scene was packed with CGI, and it was so seemlessly there and so natural looking you just don't notice. Like all the CG in Forrest Gump, except when the president it there.

Sad, moving and fortunately side steps the cliched ending, and with no tribesmen to get in the way.

The Rocketeer

2010-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Since I have a nine year old at home I rented this action adventure.

Typical adventure flick, fast planes, car chases, explosions, villains, heroes and a rocket pack.

Vaguely reminiscent of "King of the Rocketmen", this film is actually based on a graphic novel. It mixes in historical figures such as Howard Hughes and is set in 1938, with a vague backdrop of Nazi world domination.

Beyond thrill a minute, Jennifer Connelly as the heroine, Timothy Dalton as the big bad villain what else is there to say.

Ikiru

2010-10-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

Akira Kurosawa, famed for Samurai movies, produced this tale of a man who doesn't escape the minutia of the bureaucratic machine until he is diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer. At this point, with help from an artist and young co-worker, he learns how to escape, but also learns that he can do something worthwhile.

Half the film is set after his demise, going back and looking at his last months in retrospect.

A wonderful film about town councils and jobsworthyness, and not wanting to break the status quo. Though a little long in places this film is mostly well paced, giving time to absorb what is happening.

A Very Long Engagement

2010-10-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Like "Amelie" and "City of Lost Children", this film has a quirky story and beautiful photography. A lovely palette is used to paint this picture.

So this story is set in the early 20's, a young lady is trying to find the truth about her fiancee, who is believed to have died in the trenches. Like Amelie, we are exposed to a huge array of interesting characters and magical moments.

The scenes in the trenches are gruesome, not as brutal as they could be and still somewhat sugar coated. This film is not about war heroes, but about those who found the war too much to handle and looked for a way out, and the legacy they left behind.

One of my favourite characters was the Corsican pimps girlfriend, who goes on a manhunt for the men who led to his death. She has a certain style to her revenge.

The lead character though, Mathilde, is a sweet and determined young lady who is out for the truth. Her investigation leads her around France, stitching together messages left behind and eye witness accounts. As usual there are a dozen twists and turns, and a typical European style optimistic ending.

Rabbit-Proof Fence

2010-09-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of those great stories of someone overcoming great personal hardship and triumphing. It is also one of those terrible films that reminds us of how bad people can be. It is about the "Stolen Generation" where Australia of the 1930's was running a policy of integration to absorb half-caste aboriginals back into white society by breeding them out.

The cast are extremely young and none of them from an acting background, however the director did his work and found three very talented girls. I see that only one of them has acted since, but still it's early days.

Like in Walkabout the story is tragic and simple. We are allowed to enjoy the expansive vistas of the outback, and brood over the facts we've been presented without distraction of a thrill a minute plot. I would not say the pace was leisurely or idle, just not all wham-bam.

Like in THX-1138, the chase of the escapees is limited by budgetary concerns. There is a national policy to enforce, but only so many dollars to enforce it with. I guess this illustrates how people get stuck in the bureaucratic machinery without thinking about the what or why they are doing.

Overall I liked the film. The making of documentary is worth taking a look see at also.

And Brannagh is not insufferably egotistical in this.

Inception

2010-09-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

I don’t want to say I’ve seen it before, but…

After the first nested dream I was reminded of two films I’d seen, “The Lathe of Heaven” made by PBS (WNET) based on the Ursula K Le Guin novel, and “Lathe of Heaven” made by A&E (yes I did used to have Cable).

The other film that I went in with a prejudiced expectation of seeing was “Paprika” by Satoshi Kon, but that was not too heavily referenced, the dreams in Inception sticking closer to reality, like in “Abre los Ojos”, a flaw in Vanilla sky was allowing less subtle surrealism into the dreams at times, giving hints which deny the Spanish originals sharp twist at the end.

The recurring dead wife motif was definitely reminiscent of “Solyaris” (Tarkovsky, ’71), but Mal and Ariadne were both facets of “Annie Cartwright” from the UK version of “Life On Mars”.

So Jim Phelps takes the IMF on a dream diving escapade. Technobable, a couple of neat ideas and what have we got, licence to have an action flick where we can get away with zero G in a hotel and trains ploughing through a monsoon soaked LA. Oh American spell checkers always hate the UK spelling of plowing.

I did not think “12 Monkeys” at all, but now, rethinking through the airport scene I am wondering if that was a tribute to that film, or more especially “La Jetée” which 12 monkeys is derived from.

So were you please or disappointed that it had the exact same ending as Solyaris? I almost expected it to start raining in the house. There was another film where the hero escaped into a coma state, no not “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest”, but I can’t place it for now.

Hans Zimmer soundtrack was pretty good. FX excellent. “photography” was lush, the Paris sequences especially.

Pete Postlethwait and Leo in a film together again. Ellen Page all (more) grown up.

The White Bus

2010-09-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

aka Red, White and Zero

Sixties surrealist portrait of industrial Britain, and its context in a post-Empire, dying Commonwealth world. The principle story being told by a bus tour of an industrial Northern town, which is shown in contrast to violent center of commerce, London.

A couple of things that struck me with this film were the balance of composition in the shots and the Mayors monologues. Compositions such as the tour party going up an elevator chute into a factory, or some lovely color shots in a steel mill. The mix of black and white and color scenes is reminiscent of "if...", but here it looks more deliberate.

The director, Lindsay Anderson, also directed one of my favourite movies, "if...", studying Britain in microcosm through examining a public school.

This film has a playful sense of humor, which makes its pretentiousness tolerable. It's more watchable than the likes of Jonathan Millers "Alice in Wonderland".

It's a curiosity, and I think I'll rewatch it to see what else I can get out of it. Not one I'd recommend, except to film students and the curious.

Five directors to look out for.

2010-09-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Micheal Mann
Alfred Hitchcock
Danny Boyle
Fritz Lang
Luc Besson

These are names you will often see listed here. Make a careful note of them, they are good.

Micheal Mann is a contemporary American director. His hallmarks are wide screens, attention to detail, contemplative pacing. The films he's made that you will have heard of are "Heat", "Last of the Mohicans" and "Miami Vice". Though most of his work is epic crime fiction, he also does biopics like "Ali" and "The Insider.

Alfred Hitchcock is one of Britain's most famous movie directors. He is credited with a lot of revolutionary filming techniques. Despite his strength of character, he has still bowed to the wishes of Hollywood, even before moving to the US for the middle period of his career. Films such as "The Lodger" had the ending re-filmed for the American audience as it would just not do for the hero to get lynched unjustly. Likewise there are two versions of "Strangers on a Train" as it would never do to insult a priest in an American movie.

Danny Boyle shot to stardom with "Shallow Grave" then a year or two later to super-stardom with "Trainspotting". He also brought Robert Carlyle to the small screen in "Hamish Macbeth", started the "28 Days" franchise, and then in atonement for his whole success deal made the excellent TV movie "Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise", staring Timothy Spall as an obnoxious vacuum cleaner sales man.

Fritz Lang had three interesting phases to his career, the first in a Germany struggling to reinvent itself between the wars, Hollywood in the 40's and 50's and then a return to Germany in the 60's. His outstanding innovative work comes out of his early German career where he worked with Thea Von Harbou, she provided the stories for many of his early films. Though "Metropolis" is a undoubted classic, the strongest of his films is "M".

Luc Besson first came to my attention in the early 80's with his film "Le Dernier Combat". His films are full of anti heros, the most famous two being "La Femme Nikita" and "Leon, The Professional". His other outstanding films include "Angel-A", again a romance set in the crime world of Paris. In more recent years Besson is spending more time writing than directing. Some of his works have benefited from this arrangement, for example the "Transporter" franchise has his hallmark writing, but the fight choreography and action direction benefit from Corey Yuens experience in Hong Kong action flick.

Amelie

2010-09-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

This was a rewatch for me. A very cute French comedy romance.

Amelie is a loner, and a dreamer. Then she comes across a hidden treasure, and decides to reunite it with its original owner. When this is a success she decides to fix a few other peoples problems, but tends not to fix her own.

A good chunk of the film is in Amelie's imagination, so there is some pleasing subtle CGI to add reality to the dreams. The colours are beautiful, even if a little over saturated at times. Every frame is beautifully composed, well balanced and filled. A visual treat, but it's not all glossy eye candy, the story holds together, a magical love story that you forget is all too good to be true.

The only other Jean-Pierre Jeunet film I've seen is the equally fantastical, but much darker, "City of Lost Children". The films have some comparable stylistic elements, such as a great reluctance to move away from wide angle lenses. Both depart from reality, but seem to keep you grounded at the same time. City of Lost Children is dark and ugly whereas Amelie is light and loving.

If you have to have a surreal romance, then Montmatre is the place.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

2010-09-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

This rather dark Swedish thriller is very engaging and, despite a few brutal scenes, a rewarding watch.

The film starts out looking like a regular Grisham courtroom drama, and they we get introduced to a Goth hacker private investigator. Don't worry, they don't throw caution to the wind at this point, what we see is the coming together of a dysfunctional duet who made it successfully through three novels and now three films (the second and third have not made DVD in the US yet).

The location is beautiful, rural Sweden. I wonder if there is any other type. Still, beautifully snow dusted landscape, nice architecture, and overall a placid backdrop of a film which turns into a psycho thriller of the level of say Manhunter. I must admit there are some scenes that seem to be there only to put our heroine through hell, but they are probably valid as they show who she is before we see this quiet girl suddenly kicking butt.

I am quite looking forward to the other two films, which, though filmed for TV, due to the success of this first were also released big screen in Sweden.

All through the film Micheal Nyquist, the actor who took the lead role, was reminiscent of a cross between John Nettleton and Daniel Craig. I was not too surprised that the role has gone to Daniel Craig for the US remake.

Dark but entertaining manhunt with a reasonable twist at the end.

Welcome Back Mr McDonald

2010-09-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

What can I say about this amusing little farce? Well, it's funnier first time around when you don't know what to expect, so I'll just give a brief summary.

A housewife has won a contest to write a radio script. The show is produced, and everything is fine through rehearsals. This is where we join the action. From here on in it's a comedy of errors, the producer yielding at every turn to the divas of the cast, causing numerous re-write and almost costing the original writer her marriage.

Worth a looksee, but not top of the list material.

6/10

Heat

2010-09-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, this is that film that made history for being the first time De Niro and Pacino appeared together.

First thing to remember when going into this film is that it's Michael Mann in the directors chair, though to the initiated that will become obvious in the first few scenes. Mann, long time writer of crime stories, with scripts for Vega$, Starsky and Hutch and Miami Vice to his credit, seems to be very learned in the ways of the villain. The level of technical detail, like in Thief (aka Violent Streets) is impressive to watch, none of it seems like techno-babble. The film starts with tooling up with a job.

Mann loves a wide film format. He will often place characters at opposite sides of the screen with a neutral background between them. I even wonder at times if he feels confident shooting in daylight as so many of his best scenes are beautifully shot night sequences.

So Mann, a great director, and now in a position where he gets the best talent to put on screen too.

Heat is one of those films where the director gets a do-over; like Lucas getting studio budget to remake his student film "THX-1138 4EB", or Hitchcock remaking "The Man Who Knew Too Much". This time the original was only a few years earlier in the form of a made for TV "LA Takedown". Both versions have their merits. The pacing is more lively in the 90 minute TV movie, as opposed to the more leisurely 2hr50 min of the cinema version, but Heat has more spit and polish which is undeniable.

Basic story? Indefatigable cop, Pacino, is hunting down a very proficient thief, De Niro. The two heroes are out and out terse phrased Italian American tough guys. Every line of dialogue they deliver seems aggressive, irks me somewhat. Still the characters grow more from the body language and plot. De Niro's team are padded out with a psycho loser who messes up the first heist we see, and later, the same guy rats them out to a crime boss they've stolen from. It's only when De Niro lets something get personal that we see his world become unraveled. This compliments Mann's earlier "Thief" where James Caan's safe cracker loses it all when he inadvertently signs up with a crime boss, and again lets a personal life come in his way.

Heat is possibly one of the best Mann films, alongside "Last of the Mohicans". Collateral may have more of an edge with Hitchcock like twists, and "Ali" is probably my favorite of his films.

8/10

My previous comments at MovieNerds. And comparing to Rififi.

M

2010-09-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

"M" is possibly one of the finest Fritz Lang movies ever made. Lang, like Hitchcock, had a very strong vision of how he wanted his film to be, and how to get it. The attention to detail pays off in an incredible finished product. It's a shame that after his escape to America he ran into trouble for making pro-British films. His entire Hollywood era films seem to lack the essential feel of his earlier European films. Anyway "M" was one of his, and Peter Lorres, last German films.

The film is set against the backdrop of Germany in a depression era, a credible snapshot of the time. The foreground story is twofold, it's a man hunt film with a murderer on the loose, the police's ineptness bringing the thieves guild into the chase, the second layer is an exposition of morality and amorality, a look at a psychologically disturbed killer with a compulsion to kill.

This film has all the classic elements of noir in its presentation, moody atmospheric lighting, crime bosses, chases, brawls, raids. This film also is early sound, and Lang plays with what sounds he chooses to include to build the scenes.

I believe this film is the first of several where Otto Wernicke appears as Inspctor Lohmann, the Lohmann character being in three Mabuse films.

Whisper Of The Heart

2010-09-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Studio Ghibli, with Miyazaki listed in the writing credits, you know this is going to be a quality film.

This is not an out and out Miyazaki film. It has all the hallmarks of Ghibli, a coming of age story, a hint of magic, Disney sponsored dubbing, painstaking attention to detail in the set dressing. Lets start with that last point, like a Raymond Briggs picture book, the attention to detail, filling each room with a great reality. You could almost take any indoor shot and see exactly what it's like in a house in Japan. A great document of the way life is lived. The film is full of rich visuals end to end.

Now onto the story. Sure, there's no dragons or trolls in this one, it's story may be reminiscent of an "after school special", but this has credible people, not a polished Nickleodeon Beverly Hills kid falling for someone from the wrong side of the tracks and saying no to tobacco. The heroine is a high school bookworm, starting to become a writer. While reading she finds all the books she is reading have been read by a boy at the school, and she starts feeling a connection with him and builds up a romantic ideal, which is soon shattered. I won't say more, but it's an optimistic journey, and a hopeful ending.

As always we watched the Japanese audio with translation sub titles, as opposed to using the closed caption/hearing impaired subtitles which follow the audio of the dub. Disney are doing great dubs on Miyazaki films, but they do alter phrases both to suit US modes of speech and to get better lip syncing.

Breakfast Of Champions

2010-09-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Since I think Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a great writer, Cats Cradle, Galapagos, A Man With No Country, etc. I decided that I really ought to watch some film adaptations of his books.

One of his meandering examinations of humans was "Breakfast of Champions", about a business man who was at the end of his rope, and a failed SF author who the business man mistakes for his creator.

The film manages to catch much the spirit of the book, even though it is a little heavy handed at times. Bruce Willis gets to be the protagonist, this time the world is against him, and he has to go head to head with it, but this time he's not a tough NY cop with a big gun, rippling biceps and a vest, he's just the sort of guy you'd expect to be buying favors from the mayor, and looks like he may be wearing a toupee.

Overall a fun, if garish, look at consumerism, celebrity worship, legitimized drug abuse/depression and middle American ideals,

Not for the feint of heart, not everyone can take Nick Nolte in drag.

Yet another movie blog?

2010-09-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, another movie blog. See my boss was lampooning me at work the other day, claiming I had a questionable taste in films, because I'd just been watching "Whisper of the Heart", which in a disposable description could be termed an anime chick flick. Then I mentioned seeing the bonus disk for "M" by Fritz Lang, which he labeled as morbid, then on learning of the kinder-murder aspect of that film others added in "morbid, need psychological evaluation" etc.

So here I am, defending my taste in movies with the intent of blogging every film I watch....