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.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Un Flic (Dirty Money)
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 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.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Town
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.
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
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 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.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Babysitters
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.
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
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.
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.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Four Lions
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.
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.
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