tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15072421651206409322024-02-22T02:18:48.769+00:00From Oedipus to Samuel L. Jackson's Wallet20th July, 2007 - 29th January, 2012<br>
*****<br>
This blog is no longer updated.TheTelfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726790253029374308noreply@blogger.comBlogger571125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-77954710258461238662012-01-29T23:29:00.001+00:002012-01-29T23:30:49.000+00:00"I think we oughta leave now." "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."<div style="text-align: left;">This will be the last new entry on this blog from me, and, unless any of the other contributors decide to write a final entry, most likely the last entry of all. After 684 posts, four-and-a-half years, seven sporadic contributors, countless links, opinions, reviews and displays of geekery, the decision has been made to finally call it a day here. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are several reasons behind this decision. Firstly, I am currently the only active contributor, and have been for at least a year. The other contributors' input has dwindled for various reasons - concentrating on other individual blogs, waning interest in blogging, or simply lack of the time they used to have to contribute - and their names now stand more as a recognition of their past work than an expectation of them to start writing here again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Secondly, this blog was set up as a place where the contributors would write about anything. Of course, with the same contributors, similar topics and themes occurred more and more as the post count grew. But as the contributions became less frequent, the topics narrowed. Essentially, this blog now serves as a film review site (my recent attempt to widen my focus having been largely unsuccessful), which isn't what it was created to be.</div><div><br /></div><div>The final reason is almost the flipside to the second reason. My interest in blogging is now almost entirely focused on film. Whilst I've managed to become more regular once again in my blog activity over the past few months, I've held back on trying out a few different types of post I'd like to attempt because I've carried on writing here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Essentially, whilst I've loved contributing to this place for the past four-and-a-half years, writing here now comes with a fair amount of "baggage", for want of a better phrase. My blogging interests have changed, and this blog no longer fits those interests closely enough. </div><div><br /></div><div>It also feels like the right time to close up shop here as this blog will never again see the amount of activity it once had. Gone are the glory days of the early years - this blog has gone from tallying almost an entry per day on average in 2008 to barely one or two entries per month in 2010, and whilst things have picked up in the past year, the collective feeling is one of wanting to preserve what once was rather than attempting in vain to get it back.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, this is pretty much it for <i>From Oedipus To Samuel L. Jackson's Wallet</i>. It's been a great four-and-a-half years, and the most successful blog I've been involved in. The blog will remain here to be browsed should anyone wish. I know I will be revisiting entries fairly regularly, as I have done the whole time I've been writing here.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what's next? Well, TheTelf and I are in the process of getting a new, film-centric blog started up, hilariously titled:</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span ><a href="http://somelikeithotfuzz.blogspot.com/">Some Like It Hot Fuzz</a></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Most of my reviews from the past year have been imported there to provide some material to get things going. All my new reviews will feature there, as well as some of those other film-related post ideas I mentioned before once things are up and running. I know there are several people who visit here fairly regularly and read my reviews at the moment, so please follow me and TheTelf to our new blog home and keep reading, I really appreciate just knowing people are reading what I've written.</div><div><br /></div><div>In closing, I would like to offer my personal thanks and appreciation to everyone who has contributed here, no matter how big or small a capacity that has been in. Thanks too to everyone who has read what has been written here, as it makes blogging feel that much more worthwhile. I've loved every moment of being part of this blog, and will look back fondly at the entries that have been written here.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Nio-IvNL6o/TyXVy6WzVLI/AAAAAAAAAhI/RqDDcN_p0EU/s1600/bad%2Bmother%2Bfucker%2Bwallet.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Nio-IvNL6o/TyXVy6WzVLI/AAAAAAAAAhI/RqDDcN_p0EU/s320/bad%2Bmother%2Bfucker%2Bwallet.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703199573769671858" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 136px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><i><b>From Oedipus To Samuel L. Jackson's Wallet</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span >pulpfact.blogspot.com</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span ><br /></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><i>20th July, 2007 - 29th January, 2012</i></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-55312271042797637742012-01-27T00:10:00.001+00:002012-01-28T14:30:16.870+00:00Film Review | Another Year (2010)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKtQdJgBnbc/TyHrUb78AiI/AAAAAAAAAg4/c6e-BvIOI_U/s1600/another%2Byear%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKtQdJgBnbc/TyHrUb78AiI/AAAAAAAAAg4/c6e-BvIOI_U/s200/another%2Byear%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702097339556823586" /></a>My experience of Mike Leigh prior to <i>Another Year</i> is decidedly (and, perhaps, shamefully) scarce - I've seen <i>Abigail's Party</i>, albeit about ten years ago, and that's about it. Leigh is, seemingly in equal measure, considered a pillar of British cinema and a heinous purveyor of anti-feminist trash depending on who you're speaking to. Either way, he has established himself as a immovable fixture of modern film-making.<div><br /></div><div>Leigh's latest follows Tom Hepple (Jim Broadbent) and his wife Gerri (Ruth Sheen) throughout a year of their life, and their encounters with various friends and family members, most prominently Mary (Lesley Manville) who works with Gerri, as well as their son Joe (Oliver Maltman). </div><div><br /></div><div>To relate the plot of <i>Another Year</i> is a tricky task, because in many ways nothing unusual really happens. Tom and Gerri's lives are pretty ordinary - he a geologist, she a counsellor, both nearing retirement - and the things that happen to them are just as ordinary. But it's the people who surround them and move in and out of their lives that makes <i>Another Year</i> such compelling viewing. Leigh's handling of what in the hands of many could seem positively humdrum is so skilled and authentic that you can't help but get drawn into the Hepples' world. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks in no small part to Broadbent and Sheen's sublime performances opposite each other, by the end of the film Tom and Gerri feel like old friends. The couple are happy, as in genuinely happy. They love and trust each other, they support each other, and they can communicate to each other with a glance or a word (more than once Gerri reins in Tom's slightly more outspoken side with a carefully intoned utterance of his first name). Together, Broadbent and Sheen create one of the most authentic married couples seen on screen in recent memory.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tom and Gerri are in many ways the calm eye of a constantly simmering storm around them, as the friends and family orbiting the couple generate much of the drama seen throughout the film. Many of the characters are seen for only one segment of the whole film, such as Tom's old university friend Ken (Peter Wight), a pitiable man refusing to retire and seemingly eating and drinking himself to death, and Ronnie, Tom's brother, played by David Bradley in a understated turn a world away from his role as Filch in the <i>Harry Potter</i> films. In fact, it is often the characters who are only seen briefly who create the greatest impact; Imelda Staunton as a patient of Gerri in the opening scenes encapsulates many of the film's recurring themes - growing old, loneliness and the concept of happiness - in a startlingly blunt performance. Martin Savage, too, as Ronnie's wayward son Carl, immediately generates tenseness, unease and even threat, telling a story that began years before the timeframe of the film in only a handful of scenes.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is Manville, as the alternately pathetic and sympathetic Mary, whose performance is likely to stick in your mind long after the gentle acoustic guitar music plays over the film's closing credits. Beginning the film as almost a caricature of middle-aged spinsterhood - drinking too much and retelling the same tired jokes her friends obligingly smile through - Mary becomes Tom and Gerri's most constant opposite. As her actions become increasingly ill-advised and symptomatic of somebody not wholly in balance, Manville's performance firmly steers Mary away from what many may have seen as a one-dimensional misogynistic diatribe of a character from Leigh, creating a complex and human creature both seriously flawed and impossible to hate.</div><div><br /></div><div>In fact, this may be Leigh's greatest achievement in <i>Another Year</i>. Tom and Gerri at the centre may be the only stable characters here; but despite this, Leigh allows us to like everyone we meet throughout. Nobody is inherently bad, just suffering from a lack of happiness in some way (even Carl, whose actions are almost entirely reprehensible, comes across as troubled rather than evil). Whilst we might not agree with everything the characters do, they are always relatable and, Leigh suggests, both capable and worthy of redemption.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are occasions when <i>Another Year</i> slows down a little too much for its own good, and there are segments which possibly go on a little longer than they should. But the film is largely a great success for Leigh and his immensely strong cast. The imbibing of wine is a common activity throughout the film, and it may be that <i>Another Year</i> is a film that, like a fine wine, will get even better with age. Or maybe it is I, a mere twentysomething, that needs to continue aging before all aspects of the film truly hit home to me. Either way, Leigh has created a compelling character-driven drama of both quality and heart.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>8/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-7424221603992627682012-01-21T19:11:00.003+00:002012-01-22T23:33:12.890+00:00Film Review | Attack The Block (2011)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GpNNfAfoC3Y/TxsMM1xm1rI/AAAAAAAAAgk/LXybgLP42KE/s1600/attack%2Bthe%2Bblock%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GpNNfAfoC3Y/TxsMM1xm1rI/AAAAAAAAAgk/LXybgLP42KE/s200/attack%2Bthe%2Bblock%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700163168100603570" /></a>The comparisons between director Joe Cornish's <i>Attack The Block</i> and Wright and Pegg's modern classic <i>Shaun Of The Dead</i> are possibly an overly simplistic way of evaluating the more recent film. Both are the major feature directorial debut of a name primarily made in TV comedy, both blend action, sci fi, horror and comedy genres, and both transport these genres to unlikely locations from domestic Britain. Edgar Wright (<i>SOTD </i>co-writer and director) serves as executive producer of <i>ATB</i>. Oh, and both have Nick Frost in them. But, despite the two fims' similarities, it's not fair to simply rate Cornish's film on the "<i>Shaun-</i>ometer".<div><br /></div><div><i>Attack The Block</i> follows the exploits of a gang of teenagers living in a run-down council estate in London. After mugging nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker), the group encounter an alien entity which gang leader Moses (John Boyega) quickly decides to kill after it wounds his face. However, life on the estate quickly becomes more and more dangerous as larger and fiercer aliens soon arrive.</div><div><br /></div><div>In many ways, Cornish doesn't make life easy for himself in making <i>ATB</i> a success. Within the first five minutes of the film, the group that we follow are set up as violent criminals; they rob a young woman at knifepoint, and their first instinct upon discovering what they quickly realise is an alien lifeform is to kill it, seemingly to teach it a lesson and just because it will entertain them for a while. The gang also associate with local drug dealer Ron (Frost) and his gangster boss Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter). This does make the group difficult to root for once under siege from the alien threat, but also provides intrigue as to how, if at all, the gang members can redeem themselves before the credits roll.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's to Cornish's credit that most (but not all) of the gang do manage that redemption. He shows us snapshots of their everyday lives - single parent families, living with grandparents, brief shouted conversations between rooms - as well as doing his utmost to make them more than just mindless hoodies hanging around on street corners. One of the most poignant moments of the script is delivered by Moses in a moment of respite against the alien threat, where he considers whether the government is sending in "monsters" to kill them. "We ain't killing each other fast enough" he ponders, "so they decided to speed up the process". </div><div><br /></div><div>As the film progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that Cornish is just as concerned with tackling why life on "the block" is the way it is as he is with extra-terrestrial action. That's not to say that the action takes second place to the social commentary. Cornish proves himself to be a dab hand at creating both fast paced fight sequences and tense set pieces that provide genuine scares. The alien creatures too, whilst clearly in part a product of a relatively small budget, provide ample threat and mystery throughout.</div><div><br /></div><div>Moses slowly but surely takes his place as the film's primary protagonist, with Boyega's performance proving the most satisfying of the whole film. Having made Moses such an unlikable character at the start of the film, it is to his credit that Boyega bestows the role with depth and authenticity, so that when the story truly calls for it, we are fully behind him. Moses' home life is also one of the most hard-hitting, reminding us just why some teenagers fall into lives of delinquency. By the halfway point, Boyega owns each scene he's in, making his turn one to remember - his is a name that deserves to stick around for a good while in British cinema. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whittaker's turn as recently qualified nurse Sam is also commendable, although the way her relationship with the gang who attacked her at the start of the night unfolds sometimes feels a bit too unlikely. I was also impressed with Hunter, who brought genuine menace and arrogance to local gangster Hi-Hatz. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately (perhaps inevitably) not all the characters come off so well. Nick Frost as Ron the drug dealer and his upper-middle-class-trying-desperately-to-fit-in-with-gang-culture client Brewis (Luke Treadaway) provide some laughs, but never become more than one-dimensional caricatures. Within the teenage gang itself, not all members become sympathetic enough; Pest (Alex Esmail), for example, never shows much regret for his criminal indiscretions or understanding for his victims' feelings, essentially coming across as selfish and making it very hard to feel any connection to him at any point.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Attack The Block</i> is ultimately a successful and enjoyable film that should please fans of horror and sci-fi, as well as anyone looking for decent homegrown British cinema. It's not without its faults, and doesn't succeed in everything it attempts, but Cornish's ambition and genuine talent as a writer and director deserves high praise - it's easy to forget when watching that this is his feature debut. Is it the next <i>Shaun Of The Dead</i>? No. But it doesn't need to be, nor does it try to be. What it definitely is, however, is a very promising start for a host of fresh British cinematic talent.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-83225660767394047062012-01-16T19:14:00.001+00:002012-01-16T19:15:48.665+00:00Film Review | Man On Wire (2008)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BCPYzCMZmTE/TxNpZiaFg5I/AAAAAAAAAgI/Ms4zcyuuHuk/s1600/man%2Bon%2Bwire%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 141px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BCPYzCMZmTE/TxNpZiaFg5I/AAAAAAAAAgI/Ms4zcyuuHuk/s200/man%2Bon%2Bwire%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698013841007674258" /></a>Without wishing to oversimplify the documentary genre, a good documentary essentially needs two things to make it a success: an intriguing subject, and flair of execution. If one of these two is severely lacking, then the film falters. <i>American: The Bill Hicks Story</i> is a recent example of a documentary that had the potential to be excellent but wasn't because one element of the two didn't cut it - Hicks and his career are potentially fascinating, but the way the documentary was put together felt awkward and inaccessible. <i>American</i> is also a prime example that succeeding in one of these two factors cannot make up for lacking in the other. The vast majority of viewers would surely agree that <i>Man On Wire</i> has one of these aspects in the bag before you've even begun to watch. The question therefore that must be answered during the film's ninety minutes is this: does director James Marsh have the flair to bring into being a potentially truly brilliant documentary?<div><br /></div><div>In case you're not aware, <i>Man On Wire</i> has what must be one of the most intriguing subjects of any documentary, that being high-wire artist Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the North and South towers of the World Trade Center on 7th August 1974. The film chronicles the walk itself and the complex methods utilised by Petit and his team to set up the walk, as well as Petit's life and career from the moment he first conceived the idea of walking between the Twin Towers in 1968, before construction of the towers had even been completed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film's subject matter, and the man at the centre of it all, Petit, do not disappoint. Petit's life is undoubtedly captivating and extraordinary, and the feats he achieves both at the Twin Towers and on other daredevil tightrope walks leading up to the WTC walk are wondrous to behold. Petit too is a filmmaker's dream - a vibrant and eccentric personality, likable, mischievous yet a little bit scary, almost like an imp en Français. He commands the camera and yet feels incredibly natural; the Petit we see never feels like an act, making his feats all the more magical and the man genuinely enigmatic.</div><div><br /></div><div>Marsh's style is on the whole successful, but never matches its subject matter in terms of charm. He opts for a mix of stock footage taken at the time of the events themselves, talking heads of Petit and those involved in his stunts, and reenactments of events with actors playing the parts of Petit and his collaborators. Marsh attempts to present the whole film like a heist movie, which works at some points and feels forced (even a little amateurish, especially during the reenacted scenes) at others. Marsh also has the problem of his other contributors not being nearly as captivating as Petit himself. It occasionally feels as though the film becomes oversaturated with speakers to the point where I started forgetting exactly what role each of them played in the events.</div><div><br /></div><div>Marsh chooses to focus entirely on the events of Petit's life from 1968 to 1974, and whilst this means we learn a great deal about this genuinely amazing period, it also means that the subjects of the film are never fleshed out fully. We learn next to nothing about Petit's childhood or life leading up to his decision to walk between the Twin Towers. Nor do we find out much at all about the direction Petit's life leads following the stunt. Any reference to the eventual fate of the Twin Towers on 11th September 2001 is also entirely absent, as is any reference to the WTC's lack of popularity as a landmark before Petit's stunt, and the increase in this following it. Marsh's decision to focus entirely on Petit and his crew's lives during this strict six year window ultimately becomes a double-edged sword - we are spoilt by the amount of detail devoted to Marsh's chosen time period, but ultimately left hungry for a little more breadth.</div><div><br /></div><div>When taking into account all aspects of <i>Man On Wire</i>, the film can be considered far more hit than miss, but definitely not a film without fault. Marsh's choice of the Twin Towers stunt and Petit as his focus reaps huge rewards - the event and the man are genuinely captivating. It is Marsh's execution that holds the film's flaws. These are not glaring, unforgivable errors, but feel more like Marsh has relied a little too heavily on his subject matter to make the film a success. This works to a point; but it also means that, every so often, you wish that the documentary chronicling such astounding events was slightly more astounding in its execution.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-74888348915950863652012-01-08T15:33:00.000+00:002012-01-08T15:33:52.601+00:00Film Review | The Beaver (2011)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WUs0cQ7qr8A/Twm1OAYOp5I/AAAAAAAAAf8/PimA_akTopE/s1600/beaver%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WUs0cQ7qr8A/Twm1OAYOp5I/AAAAAAAAAf8/PimA_akTopE/s200/beaver%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695282456011122578" /></a>Every now and again a film comes along that grabs my attention as soon as I first hear about it, to the point where I know I simply have to see it no matter what opinions might be levelled at it. <i>The Beaver</i> is one of those films. The film's highest of high concepts is a serious gamble on the part of director (and supporting actress) Jodie Foster, and casting Mel Gibson in the starring role hardly makes the film's success any more of a safe bet following his relatively recent fall from grace in the public eye. <div><br /></div><div>Gibson plays Walter Black, the CEO of a formerly successful toy company who is suffering from serious depression. Following a failed suicide attempt after his wife (Foster) kicks him out, Walter develops an alternate personality which manifests itself through a beaver hand puppet. Despite seeming to many to be a sign that he has finally tipped over the edge into insanity, initially the beaver (as it is simply known) helps Walter to fix many of the fractured areas of his life, including his relationship with his wife and younger son Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart), although not his older son Porter (Anton Yelchin) who is exhibiting some troubling behaviour of his own. As the beaver takes more and more control over Walter, however, it becomes apparent that his influence over Walter's life is not as positive as it first appears.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Beaver</i> is undoubtedly one of those films that will divide opinion, and whether you enjoy it or not depends a great deal on whether you buy into its premise. The way I see it, if you assume that <i>The Beaver</i> takes place entirely in the real world that you and I inhabit, you almost certainly won't be able to get a lot out of it. Walter's character arc at the very least must be seen as almost entirely allegorical, and to view it any differently is almost obstinate on the part of the audience. The puppet on Walter's hand is a lot more than a quirky device through which to demonstrate his mental instability - it represents Walter's suppression of one part of his personality and allowance of another to take control, and the ramifications, both reparative ad destructive, of doing so. Once you accept this, <i>The Beaver </i>comes across as one of the most intelligent films of last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gibson's performance as Walter Black is, in short, excellent. His fall into depression is entirely believable whilst being neither melodramatic nor ridiculous, with a subtlety a million miles from the in-your-face instability of Martin Riggs in <i>Lethal Weapon</i>. From the moment Walter allows the beaver to take over, Gibson sells it brilliantly to the audience, playing things entirely straight and almost taking on two separate parts, endowing the puppet with a hybrid cockney-Australian accent which is questioned by other characters but (pleasingly) is never explained. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, there are a few laughs to be had - let's face it, Gibson with a manky rodent on the end of his arm was always going to be at least a little funny, and a sex scene between Gibson, Foster and the beaver is awkwardly hilarious and sold perfectly by both actors. But this is a dramatic story and Gibson's excellent turn makes sure we know this all the way through. A scene in which Walter and his wife go for an anniversary meal, with Walter back in control for the first time since the beaver entered his life, ends awkwardly and is one of the most emotionally raw scenes in the entire film.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yelchin too shows himself again to be a talent worth keeping an eye on after proving his action chops in <i>Star Trek</i> and <i>Terminator: Salvation</i>. His performance here is strong and sells effectively the subplot of Porter's initially unlikely relationship with fellow high school student Norah (Jennifer Lawrence), as well as his intense desire to be as removed from his father as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Beaver</i>'s key fault comes from its relatively contracted running time of just under ninety minutes. Foster's direction feels controlled and assured, but certain aspects of the story occasionally come across as a bit hurried or underdeveloped. Walter's life prior to the film is narrated within the first few minutes of the film as a montage, leading us almost immediately to his being under the beaver's control. This makes it initially a little tricky to connect with Walter as a character, as the audience has had very little time to get to know him prior to this key event in his life. Porter and Norah's relationship also feels lacking in depth at times, suggesting it may have benefited from further screen time to add a little more authenticity.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I said, if you buy into the premise of <i>The Beaver</i>, there's an awful lot of good to get out of it. If you can't accept the concept behind the story then it's unlikely you'll be able to appreciate many of its impressive attributes. Don't expect a lighthearted look at depression and mental instability either - a wacky, wisecracking sidekick this beaver certainly is not. But allow the film the chance to take you through its allegorical tale and what you'll find is a highly original, well made and poignant piece of cinema.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>8/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-15981119370197218362012-01-08T11:07:00.000+00:002012-01-08T11:07:54.171+00:00Film Review | Moon (2009)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j5LGF5jJLNA/TwkSkyKrIfI/AAAAAAAAAfw/GYC3eNSkRWk/s1600/moon%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j5LGF5jJLNA/TwkSkyKrIfI/AAAAAAAAAfw/GYC3eNSkRWk/s200/moon%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695103626937836018" /></a>Having seen Duncan Jones' second feature, <i>Source Code</i>, at the cinema last year (of which you can read my opinion <a href="http://pulpfact.blogspot.com/2011/04/review-source-code-2011.html">right here</a>), and having heard great things about his debut feature <i>Moon</i>, I have been eager to experience<i> </i>it for quite some time. Like several aspects of <i>Source Code</i>, <i>Moon</i> places itself on the dark side (excuse the pun) of science fiction with a strong psychological thread running throughout. It also wears its "old school" sci-fi influences firmly on its sleeve (<i>Alien</i> and <i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i> come to mind immediately, but there are a host of others), which just created even more reasons for me to want to see it, and make it even more shameful that it's taken me this long to get round to it.<div><br /></div><div>The story takes place on the eponymous natural satellite, which is being harvested by Lunar Industries for helium-3 to be used as fuel back on Earth. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is the sole crew member of the Sarang moon base nearing the end of a three-year contract, with only the base's computer GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) and occasional recorded messages from his wife (Dominique McElligott) for company. As his mind begins to play tricks on him, Sam becomes more and more eager to reach the end of his contract and return to Earth. However, an accident out on the moon's surface sets in motion a series of events which change Sam's entire perspective of his time there.</div><div><br /></div><div>As debut features go, <i>Moon</i> is pretty darn successful in a great many ways. Jones' direction is confident and produces a satisfyingly palpable setting for Sam's experiences. Many of the choices Jones makes regarding the film's production were undoubtedly governed by the film's relatively small budget, but the majority of them serve to help pleasingly create the film's idiosyncratic retro-yet-futuristic feel. Finer details are well considered in terms of their overall effect on the feel of the film - Sam's alarm clock which plays Chesney Hawkes to wake him up, GERTY's "emotions" displayed through emoticons on a video screen, and the video-communication device that's far more brick than iPad, all feed into the authenticity of Jones' lunar bunker.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whilst Jones without question deserves a great deal of credit, the part that Rockwell plays in the film's success simply cannot be underestimated. Apart from Spacey's GERTY (undoubtedly taking influence from <i>2001</i>'s HAL in his delivery) Rockwell is pretty much on his own throughout. It's hard to describe his performance without giving away some major plot points, but Rockwell boldly demonstrates a huge range and throughout the film commands every scene brilliantly. Rockwell makes Sam's isolation, and the effects of it upon both his mental and physical state, incredibly believable. Whilst I felt in one or two scenes that his performance required a little more raw emotion, it's hard to imagine many actors being able to take on the role and make it quite so credible, which Rockwell does with great skill.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, there is a noticeable enervation during the middle of the story. I stand by Rockwell's performance as being impressive throughout; it is Jones' focus upon where things are actually going that becomes somewhat fuzzy. In fact, it's not until the final moments of the whole film that Jones makes the focus of the story completely clear. Again, it's difficult to explain without giving away some huge spoilers, but Sam's motivation in his actions was never made quite clear enough to give me a genuine reason to get behind them (other than the fact I like the character) until the very last frame, by which point it felt a little late. Once they had been made more obvious I was able to look back on everything I'd just watched with a clearer view, but it did feel as though, if Jones had structured things slightly differently, I might have viewed the film's finale from an altered, slightly more satisfying angle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, however, <i>Moon</i> is a great success. Rockwell's fantastic performance coupled with Jones' strong direction and creation of setting make the film one of the strongest and most human in the sci-fi genre I can recall from the last few years. There is a great deal of originality and imagination within Jones' film, which is laced with an obvious passion for the genre's heritage forming a satisfying, enjoyable and well made end product, and one that leaves me keeping a close and positive eye on Jones' future work.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>8/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-48148964855777216572012-01-02T14:34:00.001+00:002012-01-02T14:35:37.443+00:00Film Review | Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4waMjYESlvI/TwHAbVEkYcI/AAAAAAAAAfk/eqAnDi85LUo/s1600/rare%2Bexports%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4waMjYESlvI/TwHAbVEkYcI/AAAAAAAAAfk/eqAnDi85LUo/s200/rare%2Bexports%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693042979718324674" /></a><div>Based upon two short films which garnered a huge amount of interest and critical praise on YouTube (and rightly so - they're very much worth watching and can be seen <a href="http://youtu.be/Ei69bYwwCvc">here</a> and <a href="http://youtu.be/xkyqODDF-LU">here</a>), <i>Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale</i> essentially attempts to take the style of the shorts more than the premise and create a feature length story from it. Successful transition from short film to feature can be tricky, but with source material as original and well made as the two shorts, director Jalmari Helander had already done a great deal right before he even started.</div><div><br /></div><div>The feature film focuses on a small Finnish community around Christmas time. A science team has been despatched to excavate a particular area in the local mountains, believed to be a huge burial mound. Meanwhile, Pietari (Onni Tommila) has become more and more fascinated with ancient myths surrounding the origins of Santa Claus, in which the figure is more concerned with punishing the naughty children than rewarding the nice. As the excavation progresses, strange occurrences begin to happen in the community with increasing frequency, arousing Pietari's suspicions as to who or what is buried beneath the mountains.</div><div><br /></div><div>Helander's film deserves a huge amount of praise for its originality and execution. The story, whilst feeling a little uneven in places, is captivating throughout. The twists placed upon traditional Santa Claus iconography are inspired, putting a fresh and alternative perspective on Christmas traditions. Helander's direction fits the horror style of the story well, showing his appreciation for the genre, its conventions and legacy. The fact that the actors play everything entirely straight also helps to sell the sometimes ludicrous concepts presented in the film as authentic threats - the characters show genuine fear and uncertainty throughout, making the horror seem that much more real. The use of the bleak yet picturesque scenery of Finland as well is not just an interesting backdrop to the story, but provides a constant reminder of the unsettling spin placed upon the well-known childhood fable.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film's main failings come from its running time, as at just under an hour and a quarter some of the character development feels rushed or unfinished. Pietari's relationship with his father Rauno (Jorma Tommila) is shown to be strained after the loss of Pietari's mother, and what we are shown of Pietari and Rauno's relationship is engaging and shows genuine talent on the part of both actors (the fact that Jorma and Onni Tommila are also father and son in real life no doubt helped with this). But the relationship is ultimately left underdeveloped, affecting the impact of how this relationship changes during the film's final act. A slightly longer running time to accommodate a few more scenes dedicated to Pietari and Rauno's strained emotional connection would have improved the film overall.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film's climax is pleasing, although some of the shifts in character (Pietari's in particular) feel a little unlikely. The epilogue also feels somewhat disconnected with what has come before - it almost feels as though Helander wanted to finish with a strong connection to his original short films even if he had to crowbar it in slightly. In the end, however, <i>Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale</i>'s successes outweigh its failures. Crammed with imagination and originality, it's a film likely to please both horror fans and those looking for an alternative to the festive schmaltz usually reserved for Christmas movies. </div><div><br /></div><b>7/10</b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-58671303011964899542012-01-01T19:02:00.000+00:002012-01-01T19:03:00.747+00:00Film Review | TRON: Legacy (2010)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtZA0Uys_rw/TwCrsxmvmyI/AAAAAAAAAfY/he21X8TvS4M/s1600/tron%2Blegacy%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtZA0Uys_rw/TwCrsxmvmyI/AAAAAAAAAfY/he21X8TvS4M/s200/tron%2Blegacy%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692738714714741538" /></a>Direct sequels created a significant amount of time after the original film's release are always a tricky beast to handle, and generally garner a wide range of critical response - John McClane and Indiana Jones' respective jaunts into the 21st Century are proof enough of that. Creating a sequel for a film with such strong cult appeal as 1982's <i>TRON</i> just adds to the challenge of the task. In creating <i>TRON: Legacy</i>, Disney not only took on the job of at least matching the technical prowess and improving on the oft-criticised plot of the original film, but also of pleasing firm fans of the original whilst making the world of <i>TRON </i>appeal more to a mainstream audience. <div><br /></div><div>The film picks up soon after where the events of the first film finished. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has disappeared. Despite being the largest shareholder in Kevin's computer company ENCOM, his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) has no interest in controlling the company whilst harbouring clear abandonment issues towards his father. However, when Kevin's friend and business partner Alan (Bruce Boxleitner) tells Sam he's received a mysterious message from Kevin's old office, Sam's subsequent investigation leads him into The Grid - the virtual reality world Kevin entered decades previously - and on a journey of investigation into what happened to his father.</div><div><br /></div><div>In many ways, <i>TRON: Legacy</i> exhibits many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the original film. The technological wizardry is clearly apparent from the moment Sam steps into The Grid, and gets more and more impressive as the film progresses. The world introduced in 1982 has been appropriately "upgraded". The updated version of the iconic light cycle battle is particularly breathtaking, as is the fast-paced fighter jet chase towards the film's climax.<i> </i>The Grid as a universe is captivating in itself even when things slow down, providing beautiful scenery within which the story can unfold.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bridges is reliably solid returning to the role of Kevin Flynn and bringing an intriguing mix of spirituality and world-weariness (or should that be "Grid-weariness"?) to the aged version of the character. Impressive too is Bridges' performance as CLU, the corrupt program created by the senior Flynn who acts as the film's antagonist. CLU appears as the younger version of Kevin Flynn, achieved through motion capture and computer animation, and it is to Bridges' credit that his performance comes through the technology and post-production so strongly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hedlund's performance as Sam Flynn is good, believable as Kevin's son, although his supposed animosity towards his father never truly comes through. The rest of the cast are fine but never much more. </div><div><br /></div><div>The film's weaknesses come through pacing and plot, as the story occasionally becomes a little overly complex, tying itself into knots that it can't quite straighten out. Some scenes also become a little slow and self-indulgent from time to time. The End Of Line Club sequence, for example, feels almost entirely unnecessary - although it does provide a key opportunity to showcase Daft Punk's magnificent score for the film - and the plot elements involving Michael Sheen's character could easily have been eliminated to help reduce the film's slightly flabby two hour running time. Sheen's over-the-top performance feels somewhat at odds with the rest of the film too. </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite its faults however, <i>TRON: Legacy</i> is much more success than failure. You can't help but be entertained and impressed by the action sequences and use of CGI throughout, and the main story of a son's quest to find his father and ultimately take control of his destiny is compelling and well told. Whilst things do slow down a bit too much between the action, the film never gets boring, and the universe created is a thing of wonder from start to finish.<i> </i>In the end, <i>TRON: Legacy</i> successfully establishes itself as a worthwhile and enjoyable continuation of an intelligent and imaginative action sci-fi franchise created almost three decades ago.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-46352887714902676462011-12-30T17:44:00.002+00:002012-01-01T19:04:05.696+00:00Film Review | Megamind (2010)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o0GwVoL0RR0/Tv32GY-sbRI/AAAAAAAAAfM/XLAid9iGDaw/s1600/megamind%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o0GwVoL0RR0/Tv32GY-sbRI/AAAAAAAAAfM/XLAid9iGDaw/s200/megamind%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691976093711232274" /></a><div><i>Megamind </i>is one of those films that makes writing reviews a chore, in that there isn't really a great deal to say about it. It's not an awful film by any stretch of the imagination, but there also isn't that much that is genuinely good there either.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film tells the story of Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell), an alien supervillain whose various attempts to defeat his nemesis, superhero Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt), and take over Metro City have so far always failed. However, when Megamind finally succeeds in killing Metro Man, he suddenly finds his life to have no purpose and begins questioning the nature of being a villain at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Essentially, <i>Megamind </i>attempts to both parody and pay homage to superhero movies in the same way that previous Dreamworks offering <i>Monsters Vs. Aliens</i> did with B-movie disaster flicks. The problem is, no part of <i>Megamind </i>feels as though it has any authentic heart or spark of originality behind it. Ferrell is fine as the eponymous alien but never more than that, and regularly his performance sounds merely like a cross between previous Ferrell characters Ron Burgundy from <i>Anchorman</i> and Mugatu from <i>Zoolander</i>. Brad Pitt's efforts as Metro Man are alarmingly more disappointing, making the character nothing more than a flat and uninteresting superhero stereotype. Tina Fey as TV reporter and generic love interest Roxanne Ritchie is again satisfactory but nothing more, and Jonah Hill as her assistant just serves to prove he's just as irritating even when you can't see him.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lacklustre feel filters through the film's execution, with many parts feeling predictable and the plot losing steam long before the final act. Elements clearly included to appeal to the older generation, such as modelling Megamind's sense of showmanship after bands such as Kiss and Alice Cooper, just don't fit comfortably with any other part of the film and essentially come across as a little desperate to gain parental approval on the part of the writers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, <i>Megamind </i>is not a bad film. But it is an average film in pretty much every way, which is key to its failure. With the computer-animated film market more and more saturated, and rival studio Pixar leading the way in producing ever more impressive films in terms of technical skill and cinematic excellence, there are simply too many films that it's worth seeing before <i>Megamind</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>5/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-35218675612281255272011-11-20T14:31:00.002+00:002011-11-20T14:35:20.774+00:00Film Review | Black Swan (2010)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ8oqwcRK7A/TskPyrHcdxI/AAAAAAAAAeg/HPgAujKxol0/s1600/black%2Bswan%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ8oqwcRK7A/TskPyrHcdxI/AAAAAAAAAeg/HPgAujKxol0/s200/black%2Bswan%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677086168519046930" /></a><i>Black Swan</i> achieves a rare feat in cinema, in that by the film's climax I was genuinely unsure as to how much of what I was watching was real and how much was in the head of a character. By the time the credits rolled director Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman in the lead role had led me so expertly to this point, exactly where they wanted me to be, that I could do nothing but allow the emotional, psychological, beautifully dramatic spectacle I had just witnessed to continue washing over me. <div><br /></div><div>The film tells the story of Nina (Portman), a professional ballerina who lands her first lead role in her company's latest production, Swan Lake. As Nina struggles to meet the demands of her dual character as both the Swan Queen and the Black Swan, her relationship with her mother (Barbara Hershey), her director (Vincent Cassel) and fellow dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) all become increasingly complex whilst her mental state becomes less and less stable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whilst praise has already been heaped upon Portman and Aronofsky, it's important not to overlook the importance of the supporting cast in making the film the success that it is. Cassel brings both intensity and intrigue to his role; Hershey too is strong as the strict yet devoted mother to Nina, and deserves high praise in particular for her scenes with Portman when Nina falls further into mental instability. The character of Lily is potentially the most demanding after Nina herself, but Kunis handles the role incredibly well, striking a balance between the different elements to her character, at times cerebral, at others much more physical.</div><div><br /></div><div>The triumph here, however, must be a shared achievement of Portman and Aronofsky. Portman's performance is blissfully enigmatic, allowing the audience to develop an uneasy relationship of sympathy and distance with Nina in a very short space of time which lasts until the very last shot. It's a turn more than worthy of her Best Actress Oscar. </div><div><br /></div><div>Portman's performance fits seamlessly with Aronofsky's direction, a heady fusion of extreme realism and the disturbingly surreal blurring the lines between the real world and Nina's warped perspective. This intentional ambiguity creates superb psychological melodrama with occasional hints of horror, and makes <i>Black Swan</i> Aronofsky's most finely crafted film to date. In fact, if there is one criticism of the film it's that it is at a few points almost too uncomfortable to watch. <i>Black Swan</i>, fundamentally, is a film I find it very difficult to fault. Whilst it may at times be a difficult viewing experience, this is undoubtedly an incredible piece of cinema.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>9/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-45718185557038022402011-11-19T01:11:00.002+00:002011-11-19T01:16:45.120+00:00TV Review | Life's Too Short (Series 1, Episodes 1 and 2)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e3QYD3qaNwk/TscCWccbKcI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/5gJ3iPK6Jgw/s1600/lifes%2Btoo%2Bshort%2Bneeson%2Bdavis.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e3QYD3qaNwk/TscCWccbKcI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/5gJ3iPK6Jgw/s200/lifes%2Btoo%2Bshort%2Bneeson%2Bdavis.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676508439939590594" /></a><i>Life's Too Short</i> is the latest television comedy offering from contemporary giants of the genre, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Described by Gervais as the third in their TV sitcom trilogy (<i>The Office</i> and <i>Extras</i> being the first and second parts respectively), <i>Life's Too Short</i> shows promise in the first two episodes, but there is also the feeling that maybe we've seen this all before.<div><br /></div><div>The series is a mockumentary following dwarf actor Warwick Davis (probably best known most recently for playing Professor Flitwick in the <i>Harry Potter</i> films) as he goes about his "showbiz" life as a dwarf actor as well as running his own dwarf talent agency. Davis plays a twisted version of himself, coming across as arrogant and deluded as to how famous and successful he is. The style of comedy is typical Gervais and Merchant, playing up the uncomfortable scenarios to the point where you can barely continue watching. Davis is clearly up for pretty much anything, with highlights of the first two episodes including an excruciating failed interview with a local news anchor who at one point gets Davis to stand on a chair to emphasise his dwarfism, and Davis donning something truly humiliating (I won't say what to avoid spoilers) as a makeshift Ewok costume when attending a Star Wars themed wedding. Davis' likability and talent as an actor will no doubt be key to the series' inevitable success.</div><div><br /></div><div>Much like he did in <i>Extras</i>, Gervais also uses his Hollywood connections to bring in some serious star power, which essentially provide the best scenes of each of the first two episodes. Liam Neeson cameos in the first episode to great effect, approaching Gervais and Merchant (playing themselves) about a change of direction in his career; it is Johnny Depp's performance in episode 2 that is currently the one to beat, initially meeting with Davis to gain advice on how to play a leprechaun, which ends up in a confrontation with Gervais over his comments at the Golden Globes.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, <i>Life's Too Short</i>, whilst undoubtedly funny, is almost unashamedly unoriginal. Davis' lines could often be lifted directly from David Brent ten years ago, and even his delivery sometimes feels as though he's basically doing an impersonation of Gervais. And whilst the celebrity cameos so far have worked, you can't help but feel the idea has been almost directly lifted from <i>Extras</i>. The format is essentially a cross between <i>The Office</i>, <i>Extras</i> and <i>Curb Your Enthusiasm</i> (a show of which Gervais is openly a huge fan) and also borrows quite heavily from <i>I'm Alan Partridge</i>. Whilst it's true that Gervais and Merchant obviously know what they're doing with this style, it's also a shame that <i>Life's Too Short</i> doesn't yet feel like its own entity, more the bastard lovechild of several successful previous sitcoms. </div><div><br /></div><div>The hardest part to swallow so far, however, is Gervais and Merchant's portrayal of themselves. Whilst we've seen both play warped versions of themselves previously, here it almost feels like they're no longer acting. The duo sit in a large and finely decorated office adorned with memorabilia from both their successes together and Gervais' solo efforts. I genuinely found some of the scenes involving Gervais and Merchant quite cringeworthy in an unpleasant way - it feels as though the two of them (Gervais in particular) have gone too far up one particular part of their anatomy. Five years ago it was amusing; now it just feels genuinely narcissistic.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll continue to watch <i>Life's Too Short</i>, as despite its shortcomings (no pun intended) it undoubtedly has promise as the first two episodes had several genuinely funny moments. At the moment I can't see it being as revered as Gervais and Merchant's first two comedy series, but that's not to say it isn't a worthwhile watch. In fact, creating a series that is merely very good rather than universally acclaimed might just be what's needed to knock the writers back down to earth, or at least a little closer to it.</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-1987520196110132862011-11-19T00:26:00.000+00:002011-11-19T00:26:29.531+00:00Film Review | Surrogates (2009)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QMo6w7ZVaMo/Tsb3FeOfAMI/AAAAAAAAAeE/BDxEdDsPRwk/s1600/surrogates%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QMo6w7ZVaMo/Tsb3FeOfAMI/AAAAAAAAAeE/BDxEdDsPRwk/s200/surrogates%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676496053732311234" /></a><i>Surrogates</i> is clearly influenced in its style by a great many other sci-fi films, from big names such as <i>The Matrix</i> and the <i>Terminator</i> franchise to cult titles such as <i>Gattaca</i>. The problem is, it's never quite as good as any of the films it has been inspired by. <div><br /></div><div>Set in a near future where the world's population lives through hi-tech robotic counterparts - the 'surrogates' of the title, and as they are referred to throughout the film - we follow the story of FBI Agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) who, with his partner Agent Peters (Radha Mitchell), investigates a series of unprecedented murders committed through destroying a person's surrogate. Willis is reliably watchable, but never feels as though he is stretching himself too far from either his troubled loner or irrational action-man archetypal fallback roles. Other than Ving Rhames as The Prophet, the shadowy leader of a resistance movement against the surrogates, and James Cromwell as the inventor of 'surrogacy' (both of whom receive far too little screen time), the cast is largely pedestrian and forgettable.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story is entertaining enough, providing enough satisfying sci-fi quirks and action sequences to keep things interesting. Things get a little muddled towards the end, and the final act doesn't provide the satisfying payoff that you would hope for. A subplot involving the death of Greer's son and the effect of this on his relationship with his wife (Rosamund Pike) never really manages to go anywhere meaningful. However, the film's swift running time of under ninety minutes does mean it never has the chance to become tedious.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, <i>Surrogates</i> feels like a wasted opportunity. There's a huge amount that could have been explored in terms of human morality (there doesn't seem to be any repercussions for destroying a surrogate, despite more than one indication that they aren't exactly cheap pieces of kit), and the current popularity of online chat and smartphones could have been very easily commented upon, but instead is only slightly hinted at. Like I said before, <i>Surrogates</i> draws on a great many entries into the sci-fi canon but unfortunately this usually only serves to remind you of how many better films there are of a similar style that you could be watching. It is enjoyable and worth a look, but in many ways had the potential to be so much more than it is.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>6/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-56167508661777278332011-11-14T20:41:00.000+00:002011-11-14T20:41:36.802+00:00A Statement Of IntentSo, as you may have picked up on, activity here over the past couple of months has been somewhat scarce (let's face it, there's been more activity in a nun's knickers) and for this I apologise. To be honest, I'm not even sure who visits this blog any more in terms of reading what's written here, so I might be apologising to myself and nobody else, but hopefully there's a few more people than that. <div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to start reeling off reasons why things have become quieter - I know what they are, and they aren't really anything special, other than having a couple of busy months where all the little jobs and bigger jobs and everything in between has had to come first to the point where writing here just hasn't happened.</div><div><br /></div><div>My main intention is to try (again) to get into a more regular posting pattern here, potentially going for more succinct entries to try and increase the amount that are written. That's not to say there won't be longer entries here still, but as time to write entries is one of the contributing factors to this blog becoming somewhat neglected, shorter entries seems a logical step forward.</div><div><br /></div><div>My secondary intention is to attempt to broaden the focus of this blog once again so that it doesn't concentrate solely on films and film reviews. Whilst film is an important interest, hobby and passion of mine, concentrating almost entirely on films has revealed itself as a double edged sword: it has allowed me to focus both the blog and my own writing on something I truly care about rather, but it has also meant that when I don't have as much time as I'd like to sit down and watch a film properly the blog suffers the consequences - not watching films regularly means writing entries even less regularly.</div><div><br /></div><div>My aim for the blog over the next few weeks and months is therefore to increase activity by writing snappy entries on a range of subjects - "like the good old days", to use a clichéd but apt phrase. I can't speak for the other contributors to this blog, but I will also say that I hope my renewed intention here might help to inspire them into a similar blogging renaissance.</div><div><br /></div><div>My intention is genuine, and I will do all that I can to make it into a reality. And if nothing else, this entry has broken my two month silence here, which is a simple but significant step towards reinvigorating this blog.</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-65872751154495681312011-09-14T23:29:00.001+01:002011-09-14T23:32:33.226+01:00Review Round-Up | August 2011<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lUghSQdQOaE/TnErXD6yZqI/AAAAAAAAAbU/y5pDDah8RrU/s1600/scream%2B2%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S8eiizN0C-k/TnEqsH8iXSI/AAAAAAAAAbM/mdIxYj83tec/s1600/rotpota%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S8eiizN0C-k/TnEqsH8iXSI/AAAAAAAAAbM/mdIxYj83tec/s200/rotpota%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345944862252322" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aha0RmeszaA/TnEqbgYpWsI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Ig5I2mrexi0/s1600/monsters%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes</b><i><b> </b>(2011)</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; ">A highly crafted summer blockbuster with enough brain and enough heart to push it from being a very good film to a great one. The narrative is compelling, successfully combining the pacy style of an action film and the epic feel of a story laced with gravitas. One or two elements feel somewhat lacking in development, such as the relationship between Franco and Pinto's characters, but these are easily to forgive as minor issues in a largely enjoyable and skilfully related story. The computer-generated effects are incredibly impressive, seamlessly interwoven with the live action elements to the point where I regularly forgot where the CGI elements ended and the "real" features began. Franco continues to impress as a likable and talented leading man, and the supporting cast also do well. It is Serkis, however, who deserves by far the highest praise for creating in Caesar the ape a believable and authentic animal performance as well as a strong protagonist with depth and sympathy. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>8/10</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><br /></b></span></div></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6KNOzO0anAI/TnEkNMlv-_I/AAAAAAAAAZM/RF4kr60XWsc/s1600/toys%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6KNOzO0anAI/TnEkNMlv-_I/AAAAAAAAAZM/RF4kr60XWsc/s200/toys%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652338816463141874" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>Toys</b><i> (1992)<br /></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><i><br /></i><span class="Apple-style-span">Too long, as</span> the plot is stretched out to fit the running time of a minute over two hours; there are several moments in the film which feel like filler, and occasionally the film strays over to the undesirable side of self-indulgence. The narrative also becomes patchy and confused at times. The film's moral message (to put it crudely: fun is good, war is bad) feels laid on at times and things get somewhat schmaltzy at several points. That said, there are great performances from all involved, and the vast majority of the jokes and comedy set pieces throughout are successful and clever without feeling self-aggrandising. The film is a visual treat as well, with scene after scene providing an imaginative treat for the eyes. Ultimately, <i>Toys </i>is flawed but enjoyable.</span><br /><div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; ">6/10</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><br /><br /><br /></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YvyEROwMdLc/TnEkNQ_amqI/AAAAAAAAAZc/DxnB6wUtgbk/s200/face%2Boff%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652338817644534434" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>Face/Off</b><i> (1997)</i></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><br />A</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; ">n incredible action film packed with stylish, adrenaline-fuelled fight sequences and set pieces throughout. Woo uses many of the hallmarks seen in his previous action movies, but makes them seem fresher and more electric than ever. The main contrivance of face-swapping is a risky plot device, but in the skilled hands of Woo it comes off brilliantly. The greatest credit, however, must go to Cage and Travolta for two outstanding performances throughout the film. The way in which both men inhabit both characters that they play is superb and a delight to watch. Both men manage to mimic each other's tics and traits whilst keeping the film firmly away from farce and parody. The skill of the two leads raises this from being a great film to an outstanding one. One of the defining, must-see action films of the 1990s.</span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; ">9/10</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><br /><br /><br /></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S8vUQzbrljU/TnEkNdPUoSI/AAAAAAAAAZk/CInWpeJvlWo/s200/leaving%2Blas%2Bvegas%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652338820932477218" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>Leaving Las Vegas</b> <i>(1997)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><i><br /></i>Strong performances from both Cage and Shue, and the genuine chemistry between them, provide the backbone for the film's success. Cage in particular balances extroversion and high emotion well, bringing to his character a pleasing balance of humour and sadness. The narrative is simple, and becomes somewhat hazy in the second half, which results in the film feeling unfocused at times. The film's slow pace throughout is also a double-edged sword: whilst it allows for the central relationship between Cage and Shue's characters to properly develop, it also made the film drag occasionally. Figgis' cinematography presents a paradoxically gritty yet artificial Las Vegas, giving the film's setting an unnervingly unpredictable quality rarely achieved in cinema. Ultimately a very good film, although be prepared for some emotionally punishing and unashamedly graphic scenes throughout.</span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; ">7/10</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><br /><br /><br /></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kzn1-P6ItYo/TnEkNI2YBSI/AAAAAAAAAZU/4mAQ4PPTggA/s200/kings%2Bspeech%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652338815459132706" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 200px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>The King's Speech </b><i>(2010)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; "><i><br /></i></span>A highly polished film that exudes quality in every way. Hooper's direction and use of cinematography is refined with welcome splashes of originality, and the script is tight and charming. The film has a wonderful sense of authenticity, recreating the period in which it is set with panache, whilst at the same time delivering a sharp and fresh contemporary cinematic experience. At the core of the film are some outstanding performances from both Firth and Rush, bringing to life the relationship between the two men with authenticity, emotion and genuine humour. The supporting cast are also incredibly strong; Bonham Carter especially deserves high praise for a charming and heartfelt performance. A truly excellent piece of cinema that deserves the high accolades it has received.</div><div><b>9/10</b><b><br /><br /><br /></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c2FnALf6CL4/TnEpHb2CYTI/AAAAAAAAAZs/mcEmKYL5PRA/s200/notld%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652344215036911922" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 200px; " /></span><b>Night Of The Living Dead </b><i>(1968)<br /><br /></i>Like all the zombie movies it has spawned in the four decades since its release, the film is at its best when dealing not with the dead brought back to life, but with the very human stories that are created through those who are living through the horrific situation. The actions and reactions of the band of survivors thrown together through circumstance are compelling viewing and a masterful comment on human behaviour. Romero's direction is fantastic, with cinematography clearly inspired by Welles and Hitchcock and even matching their standard when at its very best. The film suffers from a middle act slower and less focused than its opening and closing sections, almost as if Romero felt the need to pad things out a little, and as such the television report sequences become a little tedious. The final act, however, gives the film a harrowing, punch-packing finale. Ultimately, an entertaining and effective horror film which has stood, and no doubt will continue to stand, the test of time incredibly well.<br /><b>8/10</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cenNHNBTycY/TnEpHbA9PqI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/jF5t29kfDTw/s200/addams%2Bfamily%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652344214814277282" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px; " /></span><b>The Addams Family </b><i>(1991)<br /></i><br />Not only a film that brings back great memories of childhood enjoyment, but also one that, two decades on, has stood the test of time incredibly well. The script and style of the film timelessly and effortlessly parodies gothic horror as well as lampooning society and culture without locking the film into an early '90s time capsule. The main cast are incredibly strong and never miss a beat, with Anjelica Huston and the late Raul Julia deserving particular mention for a pair of flawless performances. The plot is somewhat simplistic and the narrative a little thin here and there, but this is pettifogging as what the film does right vastly outweighs anything it gets wrong. Clever, entertaining and very very funny.<br /><b>8/10</b><br /><b><br /></b><b></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xlrjiDVzrSc/TnEpINImFJI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/CrVAOV22aNs/s200/afv%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652344228268086418" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></span><b>Addams Family Values </b><i>(1993)</i><br /><br />Considered by many to be superior to the first film, for me when <i>Values </i>is at its best it outshines its predecessor, but it also manages to miss a few more beats than the original film. Its strengths are similar strengths to the first film - Julia and Huston are again perfect as Morticia and Gomez; Lloyd is given more time to truly shine as Fester than in the previous outing; Ricci as Wednesday is superb; and Cusack is a welcome addition bringing her reliable wackiness to the antagonist role. The script at its sharpest is even better than the first, but there are elements which begin to tire - whilst the summer camp subplot begins ingeniously it eventually becomes a little tedious, and the segment where baby Pubert (best baby name in film history?) suddenly becomes cute always feels somewhat tacked on with no real purpose other than to unnecessarily pad things out. That said, just like in the first film, there is a huge amount more here to like than dislike. Overall, this sits well with the original to form a pair of excellent comedies.<br /><b>8/10</b><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XQLY44ncSyo/TnEpIQ7bkEI/AAAAAAAAAaE/weCn-LnyG5I/s1600/westworld%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XQLY44ncSyo/TnEpIQ7bkEI/AAAAAAAAAaE/weCn-LnyG5I/s200/westworld%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652344229286613058" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 200px; " /></a><b>Westworld </b><i>(1973)</i><br /><br />Sluggish pacing and decidedly unimpressive direction from Crichton hamper the telling of what is a genuinely excellent story. The first hour gets gradually more tedious as no character receives enough development, and whilst Benjamin and Brolin's performances are fine, they never make either of their characters sufficiently memorable. It is Brynner who shines here with a chilling performance throughout that, upon expansion during the film's second half, elevates the final act far above what has preceded it. It is clear to see that <i>Westworld </i>is an important entry into the action sci-fi canon, with obvious influence on future films including <i>Terminator </i>and <i>Jurassic Park</i>; as a film in its own right, whilst this is undoubtedly enjoyable it is also unforgivably flawed.<br /><b>6/10</b><br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X1_ju1r1nH4/TnEpIsDlqxI/AAAAAAAAAaM/43gQyEd7nXM/s200/smb%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652344236568587026" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 200px; " /></span><b>The Super Mario Bros.</b> <i>(1993)</i><br /><br />For a video game fan, there is fun to be had in spotting the homages to the original video games; it is pitiful, however, that you can count them on one hand. Simply put, the film is dull and unimaginative, wasting one opportunity after another. Hoskins and Hopper phone in their performances, clearly under no illusions that what they are creating is worthwhile, and it's a wonder that Leguizamo managed to forge a respectable career after debuting in this turkey. The film presents a mix of action and fantasy which never sit comfortably together throughout. The film has retained a modicum of kitsch and cult value which save it from being entirely unwatchable, but with far better options in the video game adaption and action fantasy camps, there's very little point in doing so.<br /><b>3/10<br /><br /><br /></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JIxT6Fs8PM/TnEp5qhYjUI/AAAAAAAAAaU/pnUJhQInOIw/s200/bourne%2Bidentity%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345077970275650" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px; " /></span><b>The Bourne Identity</b><i> (2002)</i><br /><br />Successfully gels the action, mystery and thriller genres with style and seamless excellence. Damon brings the right balance of gritty authenticity and action-hero audicity, making Bourne a believable yet fittingly enigmatic protagonist. The story is solid, and the action set pieces are consistently adrenaline-charged and entertaining with some fresh ideas presented throughout. The supporting cast are solid, with particularly strong performances from Cooper and Potente, as well as Stiles, Owen and Cox bringing pleasing quality to relatively minor roles and adding strength to the film as a whole. Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and well made action movie that rightfully left its mark on the action and spy genres giving a somewhat stale subcategory within film a welcome reboot.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1NtR1LrZX9k/TnEp58ir4QI/AAAAAAAAAac/ZunR9MuQkBY/s200/charlottes%2Bweb%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345082807574786" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Charlotte's Web </b><i>(2006)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Eleven years after <i>Babe</i>, the premise of a live-action pig and other animals talking with human voices is decidedly unspectacular. The voice cast is impressive on paper, and it's fun to spot who each animal is voiced for about ten minutes after the animals start talking, but it's clear that those involved are here for the pay packet and not to bring the characters to life. The film does not do justice to the children's novel from which it is adapted, losing it's charm and feeling decidedly sanitised. Fanning as the young farmer's daughter is fine, but the rest of the cast are forgettable. Ultimately a distinctly middle-of-the-road children's film.</div><div><b>4/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lUghSQdQOaE/TnErXD6yZqI/AAAAAAAAAbU/y5pDDah8RrU/s1600/scream%2B2%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lUghSQdQOaE/TnErXD6yZqI/AAAAAAAAAbU/y5pDDah8RrU/s200/scream%2B2%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652346682515547810" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S8eiizN0C-k/TnEqsH8iXSI/AAAAAAAAAbM/mdIxYj83tec/s1600/rotpota%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><b>Scream 2 </b><i>(1997)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Slightly better than the original, with the returning characters benefiting from the depth already established in the first film, and the cast as a whole giving a stronger performance. The self-referential postmodern style is crafted even better than in the first film, with the discussion of the nature of film sequels being a particular highlight. Whilst the film famously suffered from internet script leaks resulting in last-minute rewrites, the moments of tension and fear are just as finely crafted as in the original, and the story has enough surprises and twists to keep you on your toes and guessing right until the end. Overall very enjoyable and well made.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fo3BN8-0beo/TnEp53g6_uI/AAAAAAAAAak/3nrTDMp9UZ0/s200/unbreakable%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345081457999586" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Unbreakable</b> <i>(2000)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Forever destined to be compared to <i>The Sixth Sense</i>, overall this is not as good as Shyamalan's breakout masterpiece but is still an excellent piece of cinema. The story is compelling, if a little slow at points, and the performances from Willis and Jackson are fantastic throughout. Shyamalan demonstrates sharp direction with clever use of and reference to comic book style and mythology. Whilst the ending is perhaps somewhat anticlimactic, it also grounds the film - and the audience - into the leaden reality crafted by the director throughout the majority of the film. Ultimately compelling and well made.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ehLusj8yuGI/TnEp6EwPy4I/AAAAAAAAAas/YoaPg1EQRfQ/s200/scream%2B3%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345085011938178" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Scream 3</b> <i>(2000)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A considerable step down from the first two films in pretty much every way. The franchise now feels tired, with the scares pedestrian and the action at times cartoonish. The story, whilst keeping you guessing, is ho-hum overall. The postmodern film references are at times still clever, but just as often feel laid on too thick and very contrived with characters and situations seemingly dropped in and out of the film without any thought or build-up. Ultimately, whilst this remains in the same tradition as the first films, it never hits the relative highs previously seen in the franchise and at times even becomes somewhat clichéd - a cardinal sin for a series with its tongue supposedly firmly in its cheek.</div><div><b>5/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ykl-FW8x7f4/TnEp6eIoOFI/AAAAAAAAAa0/PMSx5zFp7GE/s200/bourne%2Bsupremacy%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345091825088594" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>The Bourne Supremacy</b> <i>(2004)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Greengrass is the perfect choice to continue the Bourne franchise, picking up the baton from Liman and taking the story further and darker with a satisfyingly more complex feel. Damon fits back into the character of Bourne with ease, taking the character to new heights stretching both his human and fantastical sides pleasingly. The action becomes even more impressive; Greengrass' incredibly authentic feel brings an energy to the set pieces, and the ideas for the action sequences are ever more impressive as the narrative fizzes along. Whilst his camerawork is at times bewildering in its speed, barely keeping up with what's going on at times, this only serves to enhance the way in which the story is related. Essentially, this film takes everything that was great about <i>The Bourne Identity </i>and does it just as well or, in several cases, even better. </div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c90SZj4XyaI/TnEqbsN8GOI/AAAAAAAAAa8/eWJN8G4pl9Q/s1600/queen%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c90SZj4XyaI/TnEqbsN8GOI/AAAAAAAAAa8/eWJN8G4pl9Q/s200/queen%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345662541142242" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></a><div><b>The Queen </b><i>(2006)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The performances from the cast as a whole are the key to a large part of the film's success. Mirren as Elizabeth II creates a multi-dimensional and sympathetic character, exuding both the grandeur of a reigning monarch and the genuine humanity of a family matriarch in a time of sadness and crisis. Sheen also deserves praise for a balanced and compelling portrayal of Tony Blair that rarely forces you into viewing him in one narrow light. Cromwell also deserves high praise for his role as Prince Philip, again bringing humanity to his portrayal of an often lampooned and caricatured figure. The film at times lacks flair, and is often cinematographically unspectacular. The use throughout of genuine news footage woven into the dramatised narrative works well, however. Ultimately an enjoyable and worthwhile film.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aha0RmeszaA/TnEqbgYpWsI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Ig5I2mrexi0/s200/monsters%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652345659364825794" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Monsters</b> <i>(2010)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A solid, well made and engaging film that is all the more impressive when the relatively tiny budget and professional cast of only two actors is taken into account. The effects are original and the tension and scares throughout are palpable and skilfully crafted. McNairy's Andrew comes across as a genuinely unlikely hero, and it is impressive that, for a character who at times is clearly not a particularly nice person, he gives a sympathetic and compelling portrayal throughout the film. Able also does well as Samantha, pleasingly adding layers to her character as the film. The narrative offers both a compelling science-fiction story and a pleasingly subtle comment upon contemporary social and political issues. Whilst the film slows down a little too much at the very end, overall this presents a modern, clever and restrained take on the extra-terrestrial invasion story which kept me hooked from start to finish.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-48618912119428128732011-08-27T15:21:00.003+01:002011-08-27T15:30:14.574+01:00Reviews | Catfish (2010); Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010); I'm Still Here (2010)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TK5qwrMcAdo/Tlj97QK_4SI/AAAAAAAAAYA/vL0HsdSE8LQ/s1600/catfish%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TK5qwrMcAdo/Tlj97QK_4SI/AAAAAAAAAYA/vL0HsdSE8LQ/s200/catfish%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645541327304122658" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9kyt97czHkk/Tlj97qv39hI/AAAAAAAAAYI/zkOsBrWLRw0/s1600/ettgs%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9kyt97czHkk/Tlj97qv39hI/AAAAAAAAAYI/zkOsBrWLRw0/s200/ettgs%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645541334438114834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-giC9TU1HJXE/Tlj972UlCuI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/l8Y5KAQCWTw/s1600/i%2527m%2Bstill%2Bhere%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-giC9TU1HJXE/Tlj972UlCuI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/l8Y5KAQCWTw/s200/i%2527m%2Bstill%2Bhere%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645541337544854242" style="cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N12W2I16Xc4/Tlj6nZAbrPI/AAAAAAAAAX4/gAOYeH8EoBM/s1600/ettgs%2Bbanksy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Catfish</i>, <i>Exit Through The Gift Shop</i> and <i>I'm Still Here</i> all have quite a lot in common. Not only are they documentary films, but they are also all documentaries that have had similar criticisms levelled at them at various points through their creation and release. The criticism focuses upon whether or not each film was genuine in what it purported to document. Whilst each hasproponents for both sides of the argument, two conclusions that seem to be arrived at by critics fairly regularly are:</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">i) that a documentary film not being "true" links in some way to the quality and aesthetic worth of what has been made;</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">ii) that the makers of a documentary not being entirely transparent about the levels of factual and fictional content in their film again impact on its quality and aesthetic worth.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Looking first at <i>Catfish</i>,<i> r</i>eviewing the film's content is tricky as a fair amount of the impact that the film will have on its audience rests on finding things out as the film progresses. The film focuses on photographer Yaniv "Nev" Schulman who strikes up a friendship on Facebook with a young girl called Abby after she sends him paintings of some of his photographs. This online friendship soon spreads to Abby's extended family, including her mother Angela and her half-sister Megan, and the film continues documenting the unexpected directions these relationships take.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since its release, the truth behind the events of the film has been questioned from a number of directions, including opinions from others in the film industry ranging from the relevant (Morgan Spurlock, most famous for making <i>Super Size Me</i>) to the not-so-relevant (Zach Galifianakis, most famous for playing an idiot in <i>The Hangover</i>). Some seem merely unable to believe that the events of the film could be anything other than fictional; others have analysed the way in which the film's events are related and the timescale over which they are purported to have happened, and concluded that the film can't be relating real life events. Nev and the makers of the film, his brother Ariel and their friend Henry Joost, have continually insisted that the film's story is completely true, although they have admitted to recreating a handful of elements after the event for the benefit of the film's narrative. For many, this is enough to call shenanigans on the whole film.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, opinion on whether the film's events are "real" often takes over the entire view of the film. From armchair critics to professional journalists, the focus regularly returns to how truthful the filmmakers are being about how much (if any) of their film is fiction. This is undoubtedly a great shame, as <i>Catfish</i> has a huge amount going for it in terms of style and craftsmanship. The way in which modern technology is seamlessly integrated into the way the story is told is fantastic; using Google Earth to illustrate long distance travel and Google Streetview to produce establishing shots, for example, are simple yet inspired touches. The style of cinematography is matched perfectly to the tonal shift of the film as it progresses, beginning with a personal handheld style, moving to a more sinister quasi-horror style as events take a more unsettling tone, and then a cleaner, relatively more polished feel for the film's closing act. Schulman and Joost know their stuff when it comes to documentary style, that much is certain. The narrative is engaging and kept me hooked until the very end. Nev is presented as such an amiable character that you feel an immediate attachment to him and his life. And none of this hangs on whether or not what we are watching is true. Moreover, does it actually matter when the film is as enjoyable and masterful as it is?</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NHN9ogL_qO8/TlKm0KQpicI/AAAAAAAAAXc/5DLU1Bnoq1s/s1600/catfish%2Bnev.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NHN9ogL_qO8/TlKm0KQpicI/AAAAAAAAAXc/5DLU1Bnoq1s/s320/catfish%2Bnev.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643756698086246850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 188px; " /></a>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>I'm Still Here</i> is, in almost every way, the counterpoint to all the things that make <i>Catfish</i> a great documentary. The film chronicles a year in the life of Joaquin Phoenix as he unceremoniously retires from acting in order to pursue a career as a rapper. And that's pretty much it. Phoenix's reasons for leaving acting are never entirely clear, other than boredom on the actor's part, with him essentially coming across as a conceited Hollywood brat. His rapping is awful, although his intention to become a serious rapper seems entirely genuine most of the time. Phoenix's meetings with P Diddy to get advice and try to jumpstart his new career move provide some of the film's most compelling scenes. The uncomfortable edge they have is comparable to that seen in Larry David's <i>Curb Your Enthusiasm</i> or Ricky Gervais' <i>Extras</i>, although never to such an entertaining degree.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Other than that, the film is filled with Phoenix and his entourage ordering hookers, getting drunk, taking copious amounts of drugs and generally behaving appallingly towards each other. Many of these scenes quickly become tedious and regularly unpleasantly uncomfortable. Phoenix himself comes across as highly unlikable and obnoxious to be around for most of the film. The way he treats those around him is abhorrent. By the end of the film, not only is it hard to care about Phoenix's struggle to break into the music business, but also that he left a promising career in film to do so. I just wanted him to go away.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Having insisted all along that Phoenix's tumultuous attempt at a career change was entirely genuine, soon after the film's release (and in what many have seen as an attempt to boost unimpressive box office returns after mixed reviews) director Casey Affleck admitted that everything seen in the film is entirely set up. Phoenix was playing a fictional version of himself the whole time, remaining "in character" during public and promotional appearances whilst the film was being made. Phoenix and Affleck have explained their desire to comment on people's willingness to believe everything they see as true when it is labelled as "reality". But this desire never comes across through the film, nor does coming clean about the manufactured nature of the film's events make it any more obvious. There is never a clear message behind the film, despite bookending the events seen with references to Phoenix's childhood and relationship with his father (also set up: the home video footage is fabricated and the man seen in the film is actually Affleck's father, not Phoenix's) possibly to imply Phoenix straying from his roots. This lack of clarity is not due to subtlety, but simply poor filmmaking. </div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whilst there are moments that are made slightly more impressive by knowing they were set up (the scenes with P Diddy, for example, and an uncomfortable altercation between Phoenix and Ben Stiller), for the most part the revelation just serves to make Phoenix come across as even more self-indulgent. He has moved from a self-important actor failing to make it as a musician, to a self-important actor who apparently thinks watching him fail to make it as a musician will be entertaining for others. A film of this type needs to be shot through with either genuine humour or satire, and it is sorely devoid of both. Affleck too does not come off well. The revelation of the documentary's fictitious nature doesn't matter; either way, his directorial style throughout the film is uninspired, lacking in panache or storytelling know-how. Compared to the effortlessly stylish <i>Catfish</i>, in terms of craft this is pedestrian at best, downright amateurish at its worst. Affleck may be a highly promising acting talent, but based upon <i>I'm Not There</i>, I'm not looking forward to his next outing as a director.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p5DHpsIQoAw/TlKzakAK9iI/AAAAAAAAAXk/BlxekWK9G0M/s1600/i%2527m%2Bstill%2Bhere%2Bdiddy%2Bphoenix.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p5DHpsIQoAw/TlKzakAK9iI/AAAAAAAAAXk/BlxekWK9G0M/s320/i%2527m%2Bstill%2Bhere%2Bdiddy%2Bphoenix.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643770551971018274" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px; " /></a>
<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NHN9ogL_qO8/TlKm0KQpicI/AAAAAAAAAXc/5DLU1Bnoq1s/s1600/catfish%2Bnev.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Banksy's <i>Exit Through The Gift Shop</i> treads the ground somewhere between <i>Catfish</i> and <i>I'm Still Here. </i>The film begins by introducing Thierry Guetta, the man behind the camera and an obsessive camcorder user who stumbles into the world of street art almost entirely by accident, becoming the unofficial biographer of the underground movement. Guetta becomes obsessed with tracking down Banksy, apparently considered the most elusive of all street artists, and eventually their paths cross. However, events take a twist for the bizarre once Banksy sees Guetta's documentary and decides to take control of the film himself.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The main problem with <i>ETTGS</i> is that, very simply, a lot of what it shows you isn't actually that interesting to watch. After Guetta himself is introduced, a lot of the first act of the film is comprised of footage of street artists doing their thing. It's just that, whilst street art as a cultural phenomenon is interesting, watching people creating the street art just isn't as compelling as looking at the finished product. For around ten minutes or so, I found myself genuinely interested in watching Guetta's footage of the intricate painting and stencil work that goes into creating street art; but there are only so many times you can see shady figures spraying walls or putting up giant images of André The Giant or being questioned by the police before it all begins to merge together. </div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Things perk up a bit once Guetta has teamed up with Banksy. The sequence chronicling Banksy leaving a "murdered" red telephone box on the streets of central London is a particular highlight, as is footage of Banksy's infamous Disneyland Guantanamo Bay prisoner stunt, which becomes as tense as a scene in any thriller worth its salt. There is quite a bit of street art creation footage in between these however, which still failed to truly ignite my interest in the film. In many ways the film's running time of under ninety minutes is a blessing: had it been much longer, the less enthralling segments may have ended up as my lasting impression of the film.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thankfully, the film's final third vastly improves upon what has preceded it, with the camera turned on cameraman (and by far the most fascinating personality on show here) Thierry Guetta and his own attempt to break into the street art scene. The result is a truly excruciating finale - a car crash of epic proportions waiting to happen that you can't bear to watch but at the same time can't possibly look away from, with a conclusion truly unforgettable. </div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is largely the film's final act which drew skepticism from many, which is essentially the same criticism that <i>Catfish</i> received. Many refused to believe that the events of the film could be anything but fictitious, the greatest elaborate prank from the street artist who is almost as famous for his elaborate pranks as he is for his pop-culture-bending stencils. The makers of the film - or at least those involved who are happy to reveal their identities - have always stated that the story the film tells, and all the people depicted, are genuine. Out of all three films here, <i>ETTGS</i> probably has the most evidence outside the film to prove that at the very least a significant portion of the film's events actually happened. At the same time, however, it probably has the biggest reason for people to be wary of its claimed credentials. After all, you can't ignore that above the title on the film's poster appears the phrase "A Banksy film".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N12W2I16Xc4/Tlj6nZAbrPI/AAAAAAAAAX4/gAOYeH8EoBM/s1600/ettgs%2Bbanksy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N12W2I16Xc4/Tlj6nZAbrPI/AAAAAAAAAX4/gAOYeH8EoBM/s320/ettgs%2Bbanksy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645537687543459058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px; " /></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Essentially, these three documentaries together show that it doesn't really matter how candid the makers of the film are about the truth (or lack thereof) in the film when it comes to the quality of the film as a whole. <i>I'm Still Here</i> is the only film discussed here where those involved have unequivocally stated that the film's content is staged, and it is by far the poorest of the three. In fact, these three films are more revealing about the people passing judgement on them. <i>Catfish</i> and <i>Exit Through The Gift Shop</i> in many ways prove the well-known adage that "truth is stranger than fiction", but also that many people today would rather dismiss something remarkable as fabricated than stretch their belief to accept an unlikely truth.</div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whilst I'm not saying that everything should be accepted at face value, there's being inquisitive and then there's trying to reveal the man behind the curtain for no reason other than spite. When <i>I'm Not There</i> was first revealed as a "mockumentary" rather than a depiction of real life, there were even those who poured scorn upon that admission, seeing it as an attempt by Casey Affleck to save face for Joaquin Phoenix. Essentially, the skepticism was reversed: critics claimed that Phoenix's actions were all completely real, and the claim of it all being a set-up was the hoax. To be that cynical must make life a constant struggle against disappointment. In the end, it is of course an entirely subjective decision as to how much of what you see in these films you actually believe. Just make sure this decision has no bearing on your aesthetic enjoyment of the film.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * * * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><u>
<br /></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Catfish</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>8/10</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>
<br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm Still Here</i> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>4/10</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>
<br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Exit Through The Gift Shop</i> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>7/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-29101183179712632992011-08-24T01:17:00.004+01:002011-08-24T01:25:11.632+01:00Review | Super 8 (2011)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxh5flbDW4A/TlRCFrrGdOI/AAAAAAAAAXs/VftJrKIkTUA/s1600/super%2B8%2Bcourtney%2Bfanning.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awc_A3eOY3Q/TksFetEIYPI/AAAAAAAAAWM/Cf_0y_0cmEw/s1600/super%2B8%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awc_A3eOY3Q/TksFetEIYPI/AAAAAAAAAWM/Cf_0y_0cmEw/s320/super%2B8%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641608983262814450" /></a><i>Super 8</i> is resplendent in its Spielberg credentials. Honestly, why shouldn't it be? When you've got one of the most successful men in the film industry executive producing your film, you'd be a fool not to make the most of it. Except <i>Super 8</i> doesn't just make the most of it, instead going beyond paying homage to Spielberg's earlier work (think pre-<i>Schindler's List</i> and you're about there) to jam-packing the film so full of stylistic and thematic references to other films that writer and director J.J. Abrams too often seems to forget to put in any of his own film. <div>
<br /></div><div>The story is straightforward enough. A group of school friends growing up in small-town USA in 1979 set about making their own movie. Sneaking out to film at a ramshackle train platform one night, the group witness a catastrophic train derailment bizarrely involving one of their schoolteachers driving onto the tracks. It soon becomes apparent that that's not the only unusual thing about the crash as the U.S. Air Force soon make their presence felt as well, as strange occurrences become more and more frequent in the town.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The film does have a lot going for it, not least the performances of the young actors. Child actors can often make or break a film for me, either proving such a fresh and pleasing talent that they alone become reason enough to see it, or grating so badly they detract from the film's overall success. Thankfully the group of young'uns heading up <i>Super 8</i> firmly avoid falling into the latter bracket. In fact, their collective performance is what makes the first half of the film so enjoyable. Standing out slightly more than any others are Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning (younger sister of Dakota) who play Joe Lamb and Alice Dainard respectively. The companionship that grows between these two throughout the film is wonderful to watch, and whilst Courtney's portrayal of a pre-teen boy who has recently lost his mother is at times a little too understated to feel genuine, the chemistry between him and Fanning in bringing Joe and Alice's relationship to life is palpable and impressive in such young performers. Fanning throughout shows immense potential to become a future star.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Despite his intent to make a film paying tribute to Spielberg, it is often when Abrams is being most true to his own style that the film shines. The derailment of the train and subsequent crash sequence is spectacular, done without the grandiose nature of Emmerich or the mindless busy mess of which Michael Bay can't get enough. Abrams makes it authentic yet fantastical and always captivating, reminiscent of the brilliant plane crash scenes seen in another of his creations - the television series <i>Lost</i>. His handling too of the scenes in which the extra-terrestrial attacks is also very tight, providing genuine jumps; Abrams expertly controls the precise moments at which the alien lets rip, as well as how much of the attack we actually see.<span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></div><div>
<br /></div><div><i>Super 8 </i>is also beset with flaws, however. After crafting a heartfelt opening act and, for the most part, a well-crafted sci-fi mystery with touches of horror for the second, the film unfortunately wanders into less inspired territory for its final act. Things seem to shift almost entirely from inhabiting an ordinary world where extraordinary things are happening to a highly cinematic world of sudden character shifts and drop-of-a-hat action sequences. Perhaps Abrams was hoping to kick things up another gear or two for a stunning climax, but it just makes the final thirty minutes or so of the film sit uncomfortably at odds with what's come before it, denying the audience the type of payoff they were undoubtedly hoping for.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>As stated previously, however, the greatest problem with <i>Super 8</i> is also the element that at times provides some of its greatest strengths, namely its referential nature to not only Spielberg's work and style, but also other movies outside his canon of work. You will notch up nods to <i>The Goonies, </i><i>E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial</i> and <i>Close Encounters Of The Third Kind</i>, as well as <i>Stand By Me</i>, <i>Alien</i> and even <i>Cloverfield</i>, a film to which Abrams himself is linked through production duties. Whilst Abrams at times invokes these spirits of the past with panache, giving his film an air of quality and heritage, more often they return to haunt his picture highlighting just how it often has very little of its own to say. The alien presence is a prime example. Those who've seen <i>Cloverfield</i> may find themselves experiencing more than a little déjà vu, to the point of anticlimax. Abrams also invites us to empathise with the creature in the way Spielberg did nearly thirty years ago with E.T., but this is easier to do before actually meeting <i>Super 8</i>'s extra-terrestrial. Somehow I just didn't feel too inclined to emotionally attach myself with an alien after seeing it feed on human beings, apparently without discretion.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Ultimately, <i>Super 8</i> does a lot of things right, but these in the end are regularly competing with errors too large to ignore. Whilst there is a great rite of passage story for at least one of the young protagonists in there, it becomes clouded by an unnecessary shift to a clichéd action style and Abrams obsession with alluding to other cinematic works. Ironically, if he hadn't tried so hard to emulate his executive producer, Abrams may have got closer to what Spielberg at his best does to perfection: great storytelling his own way, where the action is never placed above the heart within the story.</div><div>
<br /></div><div><b>6/10</b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxh5flbDW4A/TlRCFrrGdOI/AAAAAAAAAXs/VftJrKIkTUA/s1600/super%2B8%2Bcourtney%2Bfanning.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxh5flbDW4A/TlRCFrrGdOI/AAAAAAAAAXs/VftJrKIkTUA/s320/super%2B8%2Bcourtney%2Bfanning.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644208898392356066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 154px; " /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awc_A3eOY3Q/TksFetEIYPI/AAAAAAAAAWM/Cf_0y_0cmEw/s1600/super%2B8%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awc_A3eOY3Q/TksFetEIYPI/AAAAAAAAAWM/Cf_0y_0cmEw/s1600/super%2B8%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-77095358624287465982011-08-20T01:03:00.000+01:002011-08-20T01:03:17.958+01:00Review | Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)<div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LWOBr6pODsM/TkkffTGj_YI/AAAAAAAAAWE/dl8f0BD4A6A/s1600/captain%2Bamerica%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LWOBr6pODsM/TkkffTGj_YI/AAAAAAAAAWE/dl8f0BD4A6A/s320/captain%2Bamerica%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641074630822460802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Your enjoyment of <i>Captain America: The First Avenger</i> will most likely depend on what you are expecting before you go in and how you view it as both an individual film and part of the creation of a larger Marvel Comics universe. Because whilst <i>CA:TFA</i> is clearly cast firmly from the superhero movie mould in terms of it's foundations, in spirit it doesn't quite follow the patterns you'd expect. Unfortunate considering I'd sold seeing the film to my fiancée with a sentence something along the lines of "you enjoyed <i>Iron Man</i>, so you're bound to enjoy this", only for her to claim ownership of the next viewing choice at the cinema in recompense for her lack of enjoyment as we walked out of the screen.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>In many ways we have your standard superhero origins story: frustrated by his continual rejections from the U.S. Army due to medical health problems and general scrawny stature, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is selected for a top secret "super soldier" programme due to his personality and willingness to fight. After undergoing the experimental procedure, Rogers is transformed into a "perfect" man, with abilities at the peak of human potential, and of course transformed from his puny frame into a towering musclebound adonis.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The development of Rogers' character in the opening act of the film is pleasing and handled well; it reminded me of the way in which Peter Parker is introduced in the first <i>Spider-Man</i> film. Whilst it means that the start of the film doesn't move particularly quickly, I was happy to accept it as a necessary element of the origins tale. However, it's in the film's second act where things begin to stray from what you might have prepared yourself for. Where Peter Parker began climbing walls and swinging through New York City, and where Tony Stark began honing his metallic suit and breaking the sound barrier, Rogers does very little in the way of superheroic activity. We get one action sequence following Rogers' transformation, and then that's it for a while. And whilst this turn of events is explained within the film's plot, it does take some of the momentum away from the film before things have even properly got started.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>When the action does finally get going, again it's not quite what many will undoubtedly expect from a superhero film. The action is much more closely related to <i>CA:TFA</i>'s war film roots than its comic book roots. The film is less a superhero film set during World War II, more a World War II film that happens to focus on a superhero. It actually feels quite different to most superhero films of recent years, and whilst this is not necessarily a bad thing, it does leave the film at times feeling a little awkwardly placed between two genres that don't often marry.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>For all its "not quites", <i>CA:TFA </i>nevertheless has an awful lot going for it. Evans is great as the hero, giving a performance that fits with both who the character is and the time period in which the film takes place. The supporting cast are also consistently solid: Tommy Lee Jones is reliably excellent in his role as Colonel Phillips, required to run the gamut of feelings towards Rogers and his eventual alter-ego; Hugo Weaving somehow manages to toe the line between authentic and comic book maniacal villain with a strong performance; and Dominic Cooper impressed me as Howard Stark, bringing both arrogance and likability to the character. Only Hayley Atwell provides something of a weak link: whilst her performance is fine in many parts, I never found there to be nearly enough chemistry between her and Evans to make their romantic relationship anything more than hinted towards.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Ultimately, <i>Captain America: The First Avenger</i> works as both a standalone film and as a quasi-prequel to The Avengers film which is set to arrive next year (without giving too much away, the closing scene here could almost be the opening to that very film). It's a film that is likely to split opinion, as what some may see as bold, if not entirely successful, attempts to do something fresh and different with the superhero and war genres, others may see as unnecessary meddling to a tried, tested and desired formula. Taking a step back from (over) analysing the film, this is essentially a summer blockbuster made to entertain. And whilst it certainly could have entertained me more, it managed to do so sufficiently far more often than not.</div><div>
<br /></div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wrAmyuAcltM/Tk75DYtngJI/AAAAAAAAAWU/Ych-s-ILots/s1600/captain%2Bamerica%2Bevans.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wrAmyuAcltM/Tk75DYtngJI/AAAAAAAAAWU/Ych-s-ILots/s320/captain%2Bamerica%2Bevans.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642721219710517394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></span></b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-2509492361968513882011-08-13T18:14:00.004+01:002011-08-13T22:14:01.601+01:00Review | Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ezJ8u0vrao/TjfP1zYRP1I/AAAAAAAAAV0/BvkizWOAy_M/s1600/hp7-2%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ezJ8u0vrao/TjfP1zYRP1I/AAAAAAAAAV0/BvkizWOAy_M/s320/hp7-2%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636201981909483346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The <i>Potter</i> film franchise is one that has divided many throughout it's decade-long tenure as one of the most successful film franchises in the history of popular cinema. Those who have wanted faithful interpretations of the books have essentially never had this, with characters and subplots deemed non-essential to the overarching story of Harry versus Voldemort unceremoniously chopped as if they had never existed. My own feelings towards the series have fluctuated throughout, with my main gripe being those films within the franchise that fundamentally become incoherent having had so much excised from the original source material.<span class="Apple-style-span"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Alfonso Cuarón's</span> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Priz</span>oner Of Azkaban,</i> for example, has so much left out that some parts that are included are simply left hanging as nonsensical half-finished strands.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>This was therefore my main concern heading into the final <i>Potter</i> film: would David Yates mangle things by leaving important parts of the final book out? His previous track record made me somewhat optimistic: <i>Order Of The Phoenix</i>, whilst having some elements removed, managed to tell the story of the fifth book faithfully by and large; <i>Half-Blood Prince</i> was less successful in this regard, however, and left me feeling unsatisfied; <i>Deathly Hallows Part 1</i> posed a new problem - whilst splitting the final novel in two meant that much less is skimmed over or chopped, the film very much felt like half a story, again leaving an unsatisfying feeling. <i>Deathly Hallows Part 2</i> therefore had a lot to prove - as a continuation and conclusion of the <i>Potter </i>franchise, as an adaptation of the final novel continuing from where <i>Part 1</i> left off, and as a worthwhile film in its own right. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Thankfully, the film is much more success than failure. Yates wastes no time in getting straight back into the story - there's no preamble, no recap of the events of <i>Part 1</i>, and no information dump of exposition (something which I had prepared myself for, and was glad not to have to endure). This is a relatively bold move, considering the notoriously gentle and comedic openings of many of the previous films. But it works a treat, and we are soon back into what the <i>Potter</i> films generally do best: fantasy action sequences. Within the first half an hour we've had magical larceny, wand-based battles and a dragon. It's almost as if Yates is making up for the sluggish pace and decidedly unspectacular feel of <i>Part 1</i>. But it works, and gives the film a welcome adrenaline-charged start.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The battle sequences in particular are a strength of the film all the way to the end. The scenes are lucid and, for the most part, have a genuine sense of menace to them. One-on-one tests of wandsmanship are at times given short shrift (no doubt many fans will be left wishing Mrs. Weasley's showdown with Bellatrix Lestrange had been given slightly more screen time), but seeing as these are snapshots from within a greater, more epic war, Yates on the whole makes the right decisions. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>The whole film, in fact, has a pleasingly epic feel to it that Yates has never managed to nail in his previous efforts. Images such as the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch razed to the ground, along with a stylish touch of a damaged goal hoop later being used as a giant's weapon, and Professor McGonagall summoning the statues that adorn the castle to protect the school will no doubt endure in the minds of the audience long after the credits have rolled.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The script is pretty standard <i>Potter</i> film stuff: key quotes and passages from Rowling's text make it through, but there's nothing too impressive with things regularly becoming fairly functional. It is the performances of the cast as a whole that equates to a large part of the film's success. Daniel Radcliffe as the eponymous boy wizard again failed to truly impress me - there's nothing particularly wrong with his performance here, but then there's nothing particularly right about it either. The main thing Radcliffe has going for him at this stage is that there's nobody else who could possibly play Harry Potter for the millions who have spent a decade growing up with his performances. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Rupert Grint and Emma Watson provide no further surprises; the former puts in the strongest performance of the three indicating the most post-<i>Potter</i> promise, whilst the latter's is charming but patchy, although stronger than she has been in previous films in the franchise. In fact, when surveying the performances of the young stars in this film, it is two others who genuinely catch the eye as talents of the future - namely, Matthew Lewis and Tom Felton, who play Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy respectively. Both young men put in strong, mature performances of emotion and depth. Felton has been a dark horse of the series for several films, but Lewis truly raises his game for this final film making Neville an authentic and sympathetic character.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>It is the supporting cast who really make the difference, as the talent and star power on offer is simply overwhelming providing a "who's who" of the previous seven films. Big names such as Jim Broadbent and Robbie Coltrane give it their all in roles that have literally minutes of screen time, and it is the willingness of these former key players in the franchise to lend their weight to the film that really gives Yates' film a credence and sense of high quality. Ralph Fiennes' turn as big baddie Voldemort feels as though he has been holding back since his first turn in the role four films previous, and has now let loose in a genuinely maniacal, menacing and downright creepy performance. Praise must also be given to Alan Rickman as Snape, one of the most reliable talents throughout the whole film series, who gives this pivotal and complex character the swansong he deserves with one of the strongest and most moving performances seen in any of the films.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Essentially, In <i>Part 2</i>, Yates finally strikes the right balance of action, drama, emotion, menace and humour on his fourth and final opportunity, creating the strongest of all the Potter films at precisely the right time. The film is a great improvement on the sluggish and unsatisfying <i>Part 1</i>, feeling like its own entity rather than just the second half of a story. In my opinion it shouldn't go down as a truly great film, just a very good one, as the film is by no means perfect. But the spectacular battles and action sequences coupled with the brilliant star power on show makes this a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying conclusion to a film franchise that has gripped popular cinema for a decade. </div><div>
<br /></div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3InncNhb20g/TkaxyBlcoVI/AAAAAAAAAV8/PUv8XQXClZA/s1600/hp7-2%2Bharry%2Bvoldemort.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3InncNhb20g/TkaxyBlcoVI/AAAAAAAAAV8/PUv8XQXClZA/s320/hp7-2%2Bharry%2Bvoldemort.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640391056305201490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px; " /></a></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-55855725258948908862011-08-01T18:29:00.002+01:002011-08-24T13:24:43.193+01:00Review Round-Up | June & July 2011<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cg6q182J7q4/TjbiVKomigI/AAAAAAAAAVs/oZ99meImXQU/s1600/due%2Bdate%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><i>Firstly, apologies for June and July not having their own entries - no specific excuse other than life being very hectic over the last couple of months. However, seeing as the next month or so should allow me more time to write here, I'll make up for my neglect with a few individual reviews in the near future. Anyway, to get things back up to date, here's June and July's reviews.</i><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>* * * * *</i></div><div>
<br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbIvpMwJg5M/TjbYkFPcyhI/AAAAAAAAAUc/9uyTOXexp2I/s200/a%2Bfew%2Bgood%2Bmen%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635930098094623250" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>A Few Good Men</b> <i>(1992)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>In a film overflowing with brilliant performances, it might seem unfair to single out any individual, but Cruise gives one of the most impressive performances of his career here. It is Nicholson who steals the movie in every scene he is in however, proving yet again what an enigmatic and powerful actor he is. The story and script from Sorkin are both intelligent and compelling, and the direction from Reiner is tight and polished. The penultimate act may miss a minor beat in not getting to the film's climax quickly enough, but ultimately this is a film I find it very difficult to fault.</div><div><b>9/10</b></div><div>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nrQwm48DvH8/TjbZVni1nnI/AAAAAAAAAUk/Dcs_jDy4Rug/s200/wild%2Bat%2Bheart%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635930949116337778" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Wild At Heart</b> <i>(1990)</i></div><div><b><i>
<br /></i></b></div><div>A film that demands your attention from the opening scene and leaves you gripped until the credits rolls. A brilliant mix of mystery, comedy, action and crime tied together as a wonderfully surreal road movie. Lynch's inimitable style is present throughout with some fantastically dark and mindbending scenes, masterful cinematography and captivating dialogue. The narrative structure is not as bewildering as in some of Lynch's other works, which affords you more opportunity to appreciate the top-notch acting and direction on show here. The cast as a whole is excellent throughout. Things slow down noticeably during the second hour as compared to the first, but the story remains compelling and Lynch remains entirely in control. Bold, enthralling and thoroughly entertaining cinema.</div><div><b>9/10</b></div><div><b>
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<br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-usSSHZsJqsk/TjbaQWv1kFI/AAAAAAAAAUs/ECmAgDK9h4A/s200/other%2Bguys%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635931958219739218" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>The Other Guys</b> <i>(2010)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Distinctly average, with a plot that neither excites nor interests. The jokes miss at least as often as they hit, and Ferrell and Wahlberg never produce the chemistry needed to keep this properly afloat. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson's cameos are the highlight of the film, and are also over far too quickly. Keaton is amusing as the police captain, but again is underutilised. Ultimately, whilst raising some laughs as it trundles along, this is nowhere near as successful as McKay and Ferrell's previous work together and overall fails to impress throughout.</div><div><b>5/10</b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yzoA7sWraM8/Tjba_OEgmZI/AAAAAAAAAU0/gJNwokZolNQ/s200/scream%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635932763344378258" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Scream</b><i> (1996)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Lauded as the saviour of horror/slasher films on its release, Craven's <i>Scream </i>has aged much better than many other films of the '90s but certainly isn't timeless. Campbell does well in the lead, and the supporting cast range from satisfactory to strong. The mix of horror, black comedy, postmodernism and genre satire is overall an entertaining success.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wRCjbKcNpII/Tjbe7G21WPI/AAAAAAAAAU8/ASaVaELeOlA/s200/day%2Bthe%2Bearth%2Bstood%2Bstill%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635937090735003890" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>The Day The Earth Stood Still</b> <i>(2008)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Entertaining sci-fi/disaster romp. Reeves is fine in the lead (due in part to the fact that he needs to come across as mechanical and emotionless) and the supporting cast are fair aside from the constant irritation from Jaden Smith. The disaster set pieces are fairly impressive and enjoyable, and there are enough questions left unanswered to keep things intriguing with a sinister edge. If you're looking for a groundbreaking reinvention of either genre, look elsewhere; for an enjoyable Hollywood popcorn movie, you could do much worse than this.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JF9j_0NtB5I/TjbfOS3yCaI/AAAAAAAAAVE/JBrpVktRdvY/s200/shes%2Bthe%2Bman%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635937420377721250" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>She's The Man</b> <i>(2006)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Corny teen Shakesploitation that's so bad it's good. Awful on so many levels, but never takes itself seriously for a second. Cheesy enough that you can't help but enjoy it, with enough clever Shakespeare nods throughout to keep even the most ardent Bard fan grinning. Casting Vinnie Jones as a football coach who deplores violence on the pitch is a knowingly satirical touch too. It's no <i>10 Things I Hate About You</i>, but it's certainly good fun.</div><div><b>5/10</b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ba_WQcer2ak/TjbfqBCdkwI/AAAAAAAAAVM/kxfyHbOmPKk/s200/edtv%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635937896627016450" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>EdTV</b> <i>(1999)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Often retreads very similar ground to that covered so well in <i>The Truman Show</i>, but with much less to say. The narrative is a little uneven; after a somewhat rushed opening, the first half maintains a good momentum, but is followed by a second hour that feels too long and unfocused, and in which characters are introduced or forgotten with little to no explanation. The cast is fairly solid, and this is one of McConaughy's better performances. Ultimately, the film doesn't take the opportunity to say nearly as much as it could have, but as lighthearted entertainment this is a success.</div><div><b>6/10</b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K8ricsMYHs0/TjbgGiqa6KI/AAAAAAAAAVU/eEwHOblsxNY/s200/gnomeo%2Band%2Bjuliet%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635938386689321122" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Gnomeo & Juliet </b><i>(2011)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Enormous fun from start to finish. The animation is charming, whilst never of Pixar standard (but who except Pixar is?). The voice cast works well throughout, although there are probably too many characters as some do feel a little underdeveloped. That said, this is a knowing comic tribute to one of Shakespeare's best loved plays, with plenty of pleasing Bard references scattered throughout. Funny, well-paced and never given the chance to drag - as lighthearted animated comedy goes, this is quite simply great<i>.</i></div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eGzlZlVMLnk/TjbgttFL4II/AAAAAAAAAVc/tCGDu74dcJg/s200/how%2Bto%2Btrain%2Byour%2Bdragon%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635939059500834946" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>How To Train Your Dragon </b><i>(2010)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Everything in this film smacks of being above average, with a few glimmers of excellence, but there is nothing - from the voice cast to the animation to the pverall concept - that stood out as particularly noteworthy to me. Compared to Dreamworks previous efforts this felt good but uninspired, and at no point comes anywhere close to the brilliance of which rival studio Pixar is capable. Undoubtedly entertaining and well made, but nowhere near a classic. </div><div><b>6/10</b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fj1boam9Kq4/TjbhEE2yEjI/AAAAAAAAAVk/DGa0x_8iun0/s200/pretty%2Bwoman%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635939443839996466" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Pretty Woman</b><i> (1990)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Gere is fine, as is Roberts who only occasionally grates, but this stays safe and predictable despite its potentially interesting subject matter. A film that ultimately has very little to say.</div><div><b>5/10</b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div><b>
<br /></b></div><div><b>
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<br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cg6q182J7q4/TjbiVKomigI/AAAAAAAAAVs/oZ99meImXQU/s200/due%2Bdate%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635940836960537090" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 192px; " /></span><div><b>Due Date </b><i>(2010)</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>Doesn't bring much to the table in terms of originality, and the gags don't come as thick and fast as they should for this type of movie; that said, this is still enjoyable, mainly due to Downey Jr. and Galifianakis' performances. Obvious comparisons to <i>Trains, Planes & Automobiles</i> don't really help either, seeing as no part of the film ever comes close to the comic brilliance of the older movie. Worth watching, but all involved have done films far better than this.</div><div><b>6/10</b></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-72022605177745955322011-06-12T14:55:00.004+01:002011-06-13T18:48:05.763+01:00Review Round-Up | May 2011: Haiku Special Edition<div><i>Simply because none of last month's films neither require nor deserve more than fourteen syllables to be reviewed. Next month: sonnets.*</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s200/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617309981713197570" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><div><b>Godzilla</b> <i>(1998)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Mutant iguana</div><div>foiled by Leon and Bueller.</div><div>Mindless disaster.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxHdj1PMBs8/TfSxrA_vJiI/AAAAAAAAATU/A6NeuTc55RI/s1600/head%2Bof%2Bstate%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxHdj1PMBs8/TfSxrA_vJiI/AAAAAAAAATU/A6NeuTc55RI/s200/head%2Bof%2Bstate%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617309987797673506" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a><b>Head Of State</b> <i>(2003)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Rock's one-note satire:</div><div>One joke told ad nauseum.</div><div>Last nail? Obama.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3/10</b><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KgLEQvVyRdo/TfSxqqVFagI/AAAAAAAAATM/RUOJORuMwKQ/s1600/godzilla%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vj7YbElEFQw/TfSxrrgoNjI/AAAAAAAAATc/8Ssk7FNXidE/s200/pacifier%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617309999209920050" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /><b>The Pacifier </b><i>(2005)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; ">Vapid Disney dross.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; ">Diesel's Schwarzenegger-style</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; ">half-arsed comedy.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AI1RTrB5zFE/TfSxsfKdhAI/AAAAAAAAATk/232ODIeVBBg/s200/htlfaap%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617310013075588098" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span></div><div><b>How To Lose Friends & Alienate People</b> <i>(2008)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Neither good nor bad:</div><div>considering the talent,</div><div>this should have been great.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>5/10</b></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I82Sx6ZmvfE/TfSxsiZ_KUI/AAAAAAAAATs/SeLfazDIB5U/s1600/big%2Bmommas%2Bhouse%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AI1RTrB5zFE/TfSxsfKdhAI/AAAAAAAAATk/232ODIeVBBg/s1600/htlfaap%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vj7YbElEFQw/TfSxrrgoNjI/AAAAAAAAATc/8Ssk7FNXidE/s1600/pacifier%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HYCGhOnyi0Y/TfS2c4c5MBI/AAAAAAAAAT0/Dv0BVrIaXGA/s200/big%2Bmommas%2Bhouse%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617315242544017426" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Big Momma's House</b> <i>(2000)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></div><div>Neither brain nor heart</div><div>are found in this "comedy";</div><div>Watching's just a drag.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i>*I reserve the right not to write next month's reviews in sonnet form.</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-69012507794270589022011-05-15T14:39:00.000+01:002011-05-15T14:39:46.146+01:00Review Round-Up | April 2011<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HOUP2T-QiIc/Tb3tqTRgpuI/AAAAAAAAASI/7Fz2fPWGmhE/s1600/wanted%2Bfilm%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HOUP2T-QiIc/Tb3tqTRgpuI/AAAAAAAAASI/7Fz2fPWGmhE/s200/wanted%2Bfilm%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894822502770402" /></a><b>Wanted </b><i>(2008)</i><div><br /></div><div>A film that puts style firmly over substance all the way through. Bekmambetov's envisioning style of action that worked so brilliantly in both <i>Night Watch</i> and <i>Day Watch</i> again works well here, although at times it feels as though he's been pushed to emulate the style of others (particularly the Wachowskis) rather than truly put his own stamp upon this. That said, the style is more or less all there is to enjoy here. McAvoy fails to cut it as either whining office worker or superhuman assassin with a patchy performance throughout; Jolie is on action autopilot; and Freeman is clearly fully aware that the script he's spouting is lifeless drivel with a phoned in and forgettable turn. A couple of action disaster sequences of which Roland Emmerich would be proud are somewhat impressive, but the plot and concept riddled with inconsistencies coupled with a flat script leave this as a wholly unsatisfying film.</div><div><b>4/10</b><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nAldJcR4NtM/Tb3tNOwKhNI/AAAAAAAAARY/Bp70bK3JhbQ/s1600/elephant%2Bman%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nAldJcR4NtM/Tb3tNOwKhNI/AAAAAAAAARY/Bp70bK3JhbQ/s200/elephant%2Bman%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894323072959698" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 200px; " /></a></div></div><div><b>The Elephant Man</b> <i>(1980)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>In this, his second feature film, Lynch as director again brings his unique cinematic style seen in <i>Eraserhead </i>to this film, and with much more success. The director's invasive use of sound is captivating, and the urban gothic version of Victorian London he creates is the perfect setting for the story Lynch is telling. Hurt gives an unforgettable performance as John Merrick, bringing both class and sensitivity to his portrayal of the infamous disfigured man. Taking into consideration how little of Hurt's actual face is available to him throughout the film under the heavy make up and prosthetics, the range and emotion that he is able to put across is quite astounding. The technical side of transforming Hurt into Merrick is also captivatingly real, leaving it no surprise that the film led to the creation and inaugural presentation of the Oscar for best Hopkins opposite him is just as superb as Frederick Treves, giving an understated and quietly emotional turn; the scenes between Merrick and Treves are touching and genuine, whilst at the same time managing to stay away from becoming overly sentimental. Occasionally a little slow, but overall an excellent piece of cinema.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8LX7FycV6UE/Tb3tp2OZdgI/AAAAAAAAASA/kVl-nRP9-ks/s200/us%2Bmarshals%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894814705088002" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 200px; " /></span></div><div><b>U.S. Marshals</b> <i>(1997)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Inferior to its precursor <i>The Fugitive</i>, but still enjoyable nonetheless. Jones never misses a beat, stepping back into the character of Marshal Sam Gerard as easily as you would a comfortable pair of shoes, playing him superbly with the same cocky gruffness as in the first film. Snipes, however, never comes close to Harrison Ford's wrongly accused runaway; he struggles with scenes in which his character has to show any emotion other than anger, although he comes across a lot better during the film's action sequences. Downey Jr. does well playing against Jones, and provides enough ambiguity in his allegiances to keep his character interesting; he does lose some momentum in the final act however. The story has several ideas rehashed from the first film, but there's enough new material here to make it a worthwhile exercise. That said, the film is about twenty minutes too long, with some sections dragging and an ending that feels somewhat rushed. Overall, a fairly decent actioner which gains an extra half star because Tommy Lee Jones is in it.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uQ5bSPsU03U/Tc6e1TAv13I/AAAAAAAAASY/YzCsHYQ8g_I/s200/american%2Bbill%2Bhicks%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606593224596510578" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 200px; " /></span></span></div></div><div><b>American: The Bill Hicks Story </b><i>(2011)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Hicks is one of the finest comedy minds of all time. As a performer he was never anything less than consummate, and this is clear through the presentation of the recordings of his stand up throughout. Unfortunately, the film as a documentary is much less successful than its subject. The photographic animation used for the vast majority of the film is effective in places, but becomes pedestrian, repetitive and even somewhat patronising in parts (do we really need to see a photo-animated Hicks sitting in the back of a black cab to illustrate him travelling to London?). The film moves very quickly between speakers over the animation without showing the speakers' faces or a caption introducing them, and this becomes increasingly confusing especially as many of the people Hicks grew up with all have a very similar Houston accent. Whilst I am a huge fan of Hicks, I found the film to be too biased towards worshipping the man rather than taking a critical eye at certain points (Hicks' alcoholism is given a balanced view, but his drug-taking seems almost entirely to be presented as a positive thing). Ultimately, Harlock as director never makes his aim clear, his film coming across as technically pedestrian and unremarkable. Hicks' performances deserve top marks; Harlock's documentary as a film deserves less than half, so things ultimately even out somewhere in the middle. Ultimately, <i>American </i>is worth watching as an introduction to Hicks' work and to see footage of his performances from the very start of his career to the very end, but if it's Hicks as a comedian you're after, you'd be better off buying a full recording of one of his live shows.</div><div><b>6/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fpshoQL61w0/Tb3tpu6Q6AI/AAAAAAAAAR4/UgU1jr3bfNU/s200/scott%2Bpilgrim%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894812741593090" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span></div></div><div><b>Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World</b> <i>(2010)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>One of the most stylish and finely crafted films of recent years. The plot is incredibly simple, which works perfectly as the film moves from one beautifully extravagant fight sequence to the next, but can make things seem to lack focus during the more story-driven sections of the film. Wright's direction is some of the most confident I can remember seeing, bringing many of his brilliant touches seen in <i>Shaun Of The Dead</i> and <i>Hot Fuzz</i> to this film. He grabs hold of the fantasy video game style with both hands and commits to it fully, which leads to an incredibly pleasing feel to the film overall as well as some gloriously detailed touches that hit their mark every time. The performances from all involved are very strong, with several of the evil exes in particular feeling satisfyingly fleshed out after only a short amount of screen time. Ultimately a very enjoyable and well made film that will almost certainly only get better with age.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y1aykIQa8g4/Tb3tMXj6VFI/AAAAAAAAARI/5Xtt7JzYDmI/s200/brassed%2Boff%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894308257616978" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>Brassed Off</b> <i>(1996)</i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">A modern classic of British cinema, this is packed with strong performances from all involved - Pete Postlethwaite is predictably flawless, Stephen Tompkinson gives the performance of his career, and Ewan McGregor shows how much substance he could bring to roles before transferring to Hollywood. The script is charming and tight, giving the film a gritty yet comfortable authenticity throughout. The story is poignant, compelling and funny in the right measure. And whether you're a fan of brass bands or not, the way in which the music is showcased throughout the film is fantastic. Ultimately a thoroughly enjoyable and well-made piece of cinema.</span></span></div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RvFULx5jSaM/Tb3tNX6-7CI/AAAAAAAAARg/k9D9a6T4JmM/s1600/game%2Bfilm%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RvFULx5jSaM/Tb3tNX6-7CI/AAAAAAAAARg/k9D9a6T4JmM/s200/game%2Bfilm%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894325534256162" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 200px; " /></a><b>The Game</b> <i>(1997)</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span">A moody thriller which at times becomes pleasingly dark. Douglas does well in the lead role, and the supporting cast is generally strong. Fincher's direction is tight with a polished and atmospheric feel throughout. The story is ambitious, and at times is pleasingly cerebral; Fincher clearly enjoys leading the audience down one path, only to then reveal things to be in a differently place altogether. Ultimately, however, the film strains under its own complexities, and occasionally feels sluggish in its execution; the opening act particularly </span></span></span>feels unfortunately clunky at times. This is undoubtedly an enjoyable film overall with some pleasingly tense scenes throughout but, when all is said and done, this never shows Fincher at his best.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z65YqXhQucg/Tb3tMt8ts0I/AAAAAAAAARQ/lsYyXoMwCnQ/s1600/dawn%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bdead%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z65YqXhQucg/Tb3tMt8ts0I/AAAAAAAAARQ/lsYyXoMwCnQ/s200/dawn%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bdead%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894314267226946" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px; " /></a><b>Dawn Of The Dead</b> <i>(2004)</i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div>Simply put, this is enjoyable zombie fare all the way through. The performances are as good as they need to be, and the simplistic plot, whilst feeling somewhat thin in several places, allows for a satisfying amount of horror scenes. The action gets going pretty much straight away, showing an understanding of what the audience want and getting straight to it. Scenes dotted here and there have tongue pleasingly at least partway in cheek, ensuring the film doesn't merely stay on the same well-worn note. If you're looking for innovative cinema that challenges both its audience and the boundaries of its genre, look elsewhere; if you want a pleasing and entertaining addition to the zombie genre, this is for you.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4pIHShyO6A/Tb3v4SIMEUI/AAAAAAAAASQ/zu6yoGRFiig/s200/mary%2Bpoppins%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601897261736661314" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 200px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></span></div><div><b>Mary Poppins</b> <i>(1964)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A true family classic that has aged very well. Julie Andrews is superb as the eponymous magical nanny, and Dick Van Dyke is endlessly enjoyable even with his infamous questionable cockney accent. However, it is David Tomlinson, often overlooked, who provides the perfect counterbalance to Andrews; he never misses a beat as the self-important George Banks, providing a wonderful blend of caricature and authenticity to create a character of both simplicity and depth. The music throughout is superb, with many tunes and lyrics that have since embedded themselves in Western social consciousness. The film itself showcases a huge variety of cinematography from glorious multicoloured scenes mixing live action and top notch Disney animation, to darker, more menacing scenes of early 20th Century London. It could be argued that the film is a little too long, but engross yourself in the wonderful world created and it's unlikely you'll even notice the time passing. A cinematic triumph, and a film that will no doubt remain a cinematic treasure for decades to come.</div><div><b>9/10</b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wADQkmQHf2M/Tb3tpXWWehI/AAAAAAAAARw/CIwnEcnAjwQ/s1600/mulholland%2Bdrive%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 148px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wADQkmQHf2M/Tb3tpXWWehI/AAAAAAAAARw/CIwnEcnAjwQ/s200/mulholland%2Bdrive%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601894806416947730" /></a><b>Mulholland Drive</b> <i>(2001)</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div>This is one of the trickiest reviews I've ever had to write: how do you rate a film that, whilst watching, you enjoyed in part but in all honesty had difficulty understanding large portions of? A film which you then did some post-viewing research on, understood a lot more (but certainly not entirely), and retrospectively enjoyed it more as a result? Well, I'm going to try. Lynch's cinematography is as top notch as ever, with his trademark uncomfortable and dreamlike quality present throughout, although here I felt it was more subtle and refined than in his earlier work to the film's benefit. The whole cast are solid, with Naomi Watts in particular giving a fantastic performance ranging from darkly comic to devastatingly emotional. Lynch's unconventional narrative structure, surrealist outlook and refusal to hold the audience's hand through the story at any point is undoubtedly brave, bold and striking film-making. It does however lead to several points within the film where I had almost entirely no idea what I was watching or how it related to the story, so much so that I became frustrated with the film at two or three points throughout. As stated previously, after reading around the film after I had watched it, I have a clearer idea of how many previously confusing elements fit into the film's overall story and themes, and I'm fairly certain I will appreciate the film as a whole much more on a second viewing. I have a strong feeling that when I watch <i>Mulholland Drive</i> for a second time I will want to review it again giving it a higher score. For now, I feel that the score I have awarded it reflects my view of the film after seeing it just once.</div></div><div><b>7/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-3115902845165228922011-04-14T13:37:00.001+01:002011-04-14T13:49:35.274+01:00Review | Source Code (2011)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EtPRTFXYwBc/Tabp_9LKa-I/AAAAAAAAAQY/mZu3v-qBheY/s1600/source%2Bcode%2Bgyllenhaal%2Bmonaghan.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zIhq-lREW0/TaYW4A9S3QI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/JBvUi1g_g9s/s1600/source%2Bcode%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zIhq-lREW0/TaYW4A9S3QI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/JBvUi1g_g9s/s320/source%2Bcode%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595184738639994114" /></a><br /><div>Watching <i>Source Code</i> is a bit like tucking into a juicy sirloin steak with a tough, fibrous line of fat running through it. There's a lot to like there, with a great many mouthfuls to enjoy without issue. But there's also niggling in the back of your mind that unappetising gristly bit that you try as hard as you can to avoid, even ignore. You have one spoiled bite. Then another. You try and eat round it. But when the meal's over, despite all those unsullied morsels you enjoyed throughout, you keep coming back to that unfortunate thread of adipose material that left you feeling not entirely satisfied with what had the potential to be a really great dish.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let us first, then, look at the meat. <i>Source Code</i>'s story, and the concept behind it, is generally pretty good. Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) awakens on a train unaware of how he got there sitting opposite a woman who knows him as Sean Fentress. Colter soon discovers that his reflection is that of someone else, but before he is able to find out anything further, the train explodes. Colter then wakes up strapped into a dark capsule, where he discovers from Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) that the crash he just experienced happened earlier that day, and that he is part of an experimental military operation known as "Source Code". Colter's consciousness was transported into that of a passenger's - Sean's - for the final eight minutes of his life, with the aim of Colter discovering who is responsible for blowing up the train in order to avert further attacks in the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>So far, so complex. But Duncan Jones' direction from the outset keeps things moving at a pleasing and steady pace whilst at the same time making the whole thing believable. You feel that Jones really hits his stride when depicting Colter's experiences outside of his transportation to the same eight minutes on the train. The design and nature of the bleak capsule Colter inhabits, with its harsh structural features and intrusive video and computer screens, has strong echoes of Gilliam's post-apocalyptic world Bruce Willis experiences in 1995's <i>Twelve Monkeys</i>. In fact, Jones' influence from a wide range of science fiction and beyond - from <i>Inception</i> to <i>Groundhog Day</i> - is apparent throughout <i>Source Code</i>, and the film is all the stronger for it. The director takes inspiration from respected sources, whilst at the same time crafting a fantastical concept that is original and fresh. Jones' first feature,<i> </i>the highly acclaimed <i>Moon</i>, is one that has so far (shamefully) passed me by, but on the strength of his handling of many elements on show here I feel all the more compelled to seek it out sooner rather than later.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gyllenhaal too must not be undersold. His performance as the former army helicopter pilot thrown into a disorienting and perplexing scenario of which he has no recollection of choosing to be a part, shows diversity that perhaps has only been hinted at before. His previous roles, from romantic drama in <i>Brokeback Mountain</i> to action hero in <i>Prince Of Persia</i>, come together in his portrayal of Colter to provide a satisfying and genuine mix of humour, tension and pugnacity.</div><div><br /></div><div>The supporting cast also do well, with both Farmiga as Captain Goodwin and Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Rutledge, the creator of the Source Code program, giving strong and memorable turns. Farmiga and Wright are key to the success of the darker and more mysterious aspects of the film; Wright's continuous use of a single crutch providing a unnerving quirk to his character. It is Goodwin's appearances on Colter's video screens that provide some of the film's most enduring sequences, however; the extreme close ups on Farmiga's face make her presence intrusive on both Colter and the audience, and the methods she uses to help bring the disoriented soldier back from his trips to the exploding train - asking him to recall series of cards from a story, playing bird calls into his capsule - have an unsettlingly sinister psychological edge to them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, whilst there's a lot to like about <i>Source Code</i>, this is largely where the good stuff comes to an end. Michelle Monaghan is fine enough, if somewhat forgettable, in her role as Christina, Colter's perpetual travelling partner on the train. But the fact that her character, other than sharing some wonderfully shot slow-mo explosion scenes with Gyllenhaal, never feels anything much more than peripheral in the film as a whole means that the romantic thread between Christina and Colter largely falls flat.</div><div><br /></div><div>The biggest failing, however, is the film's handling of the human side of its story. Whilst it's hard to address this without giving away large chunks of the story it's fair to say that, whilst Gyllenhaal makes his character sympathetic, many of the more emotional elements of his story regularly slip too far into melodrama and become swamped in pathos. As more and more about Colter's circumstances in reality (as opposed to on the train) is revealed, this becomes more and more of a problem. The second half of the film also has an ill-fitting anti-war undertone with more than a hint of schmaltzy Americana, which simply feels stale and tacked onto the science-fiction premise at the core of the film.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, as stated previously, there really is a lot to enjoy within <i>Source Code</i>. Its sci-fi credentials are solid, and whilst it never reaches the heights of Nolan's <i>Inception</i>, it sits pleasingly a few steps below in the ranks of the cerebral blockbuster. In the end, however, <i>Source Code</i> leaves you feeling as though it never quite fully realises the potential that its concept holds. A little less preoccupation with pushing a message onto the audience, and a little more focus on both the darker mystery-thriller aspects that work so well throughout the film and the ingenious science-fiction concept at its nucleus, and this could have been an excellent film. As it is, the flaws are there, and noticeable enough to make it just very good.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EtPRTFXYwBc/Tabp_9LKa-I/AAAAAAAAAQY/mZu3v-qBheY/s1600/source%2Bcode%2Bgyllenhaal%2Bmonaghan.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EtPRTFXYwBc/Tabp_9LKa-I/AAAAAAAAAQY/mZu3v-qBheY/s320/source%2Bcode%2Bgyllenhaal%2Bmonaghan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595416872016833506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px; " /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zIhq-lREW0/TaYW4A9S3QI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/JBvUi1g_g9s/s1600/source%2Bcode%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zIhq-lREW0/TaYW4A9S3QI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/JBvUi1g_g9s/s1600/source%2Bcode%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-21129422065926463432011-04-04T22:12:00.004+01:002011-04-04T22:17:33.392+01:00Review Round-Up | March 2011<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N0qt_RElfQ4/TZopuBcTWwI/AAAAAAAAAQI/5JbkF-YVeho/s1600/eraserhead%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aIwIO3eojfk/TZYbYsBoBhI/AAAAAAAAAQA/bF8FFp3wszk/s1600/amadeus%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aIwIO3eojfk/TZYbYsBoBhI/AAAAAAAAAQA/bF8FFp3wszk/s200/amadeus%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590686098375837202" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQTrHEPyEGA/TZYbLgpqyzI/AAAAAAAAAP4/WXDY-nIIrWU/s1600/seven%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span>Amadeus</b> <i>(1984)</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>F. Murray Abraham is never less than excellent in his performance as (prior to this film) all-but-forgotten composer Antonio Salieri, consumed by a paradoxical cocktail of hatred and guilt over his role in the tragic fate of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His aging Salieri bookends the film with panache, whilst his performance as the composer in his prime is a compelling and enigmatic tapestry woven simultaneously of idolatry and envy, awe and hate. Tom Hulce as Mozart begins the film as an unsavoury caricature, gaining layer upon layer as the film progresses as Hulce constructs a sympathetic and enthralling presentation of the tragic genius. Mozart's music is wonderfully showcased throughout, especially his operas, with fantastic staging and highly polished performance at every opportunity. The Director's Cut version of the film, to me, felt somewhat slow during the middle acts, with little driving the story forwards here and there; this is a minor niggle in what is a captivating, entertaining and very well made piece of cinema from start to finish.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N0qt_RElfQ4/TZopuBcTWwI/AAAAAAAAAQI/5JbkF-YVeho/s200/eraserhead%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591827757971757826" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Eraserhead</b> <i>(1977)</i></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95l3W-9F3Z0/TZYaz9eVfGI/AAAAAAAAAPo/vuoFQwVCx0s/s1600/eraserhead%2Bposter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Often described as a nightmare on film, or the ultimate manifestation of male paranoia, <i>Eraserhead</i> is far from a comfortable watch. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, as director David Lynch clearly never intended to make an easy film to sit and relax to. That said, I at times found parts of the film had been made weird simply for weirdness' sake, rather than to enhance either the telling of the story or the quality of the film. The pacing of the film is perpetually slow, which allows Lynch's brooding imagery and style to fully hit home only slightly more often than it makes the film drag. Ultimately a film that I definitely appreciated more than I enjoyed, being as it is a unique and fascinating piece of art within the historical context of cinema. As my first experience of Lynch as a director, however, this was in hindsight almost certainly throwing myself in at the deep end; I would very much like to revisit this film once I've experienced more of his work.</div><div><b>6/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQTrHEPyEGA/TZYbLgpqyzI/AAAAAAAAAP4/WXDY-nIIrWU/s200/seven%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590685871984266034" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Seven </b><i>(1995)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The film which allowed director David Fincher to spread his wings, take off and begin to soar after having them cruelly clipped during his tenure at the helm of the famously problematic <i>Alien 3</i>. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are both superb - over fifteen years later and both men's performances are regularly cited as amongst the best of their career. The detective pairing created by Pitt and Morgan - the former as pigheaded Mills, the latter as stoic Somerset - is a relationship that is unwaveringly compelling and believable. Solid support comes from Gwyneth Paltrow and R. Lee Ermey, and whilst Kevin Spacey's final act turn as John Doe takes nothing away from the film, I don't think I'll ever become a fan of his. It is the film's final act that somewhat lets things down all round, relatively speaking, as its more conventional feel doesn't match up to the moody, grimy, noir-esque cinema preceding it that Fincher allows us to gorge upon. Overall, however, this is finely crafted and thoroughly enjoyable.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WBBu5sZqqDA/TZYbBevIw9I/AAAAAAAAAPw/aPMMaQT64dk/s200/prince%2Bof%2Bpersia%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590685699671638994" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time</b> <i>(2010)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>If it's a standard action adventure blockbuster you're after, it really doesn't get much more standard than this. All involved have fun with the sword-and-sorcery style swashbuckler, and the story, whilst tangling itself in a couple of knots here and there, isn't totally mindless and firmly takes a backseat to the action and set pieces. Jake Gyllenhaal earns his action chops with a generally satisfying performance as hero Dastan. Gemma Arterton is satisfactory in support as damsel-in-distress-cum-strong-and-independent-female Tamina, and Ben Kingsley is enjoyable hamming it up immensely as Nizam. Ultimately this never excels, but never really does anything wrong either, from the enjoyable yet somewhat reserved action and fight sequences to Alfred Molina's amusing yet largely forgettable ostrich race organiser (yes, really). This feels like a live action version of Disney's <i>Aladdin </i>on several occasions (which, again, is not necessarily a bad thing) and if you enter into the spirit of it wanting unchallenging and enjoyable 12A-certificate action that's light on depth then you'll most probably enjoy this.</div><div><b>6/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-17045793393454923842011-03-06T23:26:00.000+00:002011-03-06T23:26:53.789+00:00Review Round-Up | February 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJlLxqn2buw/TXQYF4F3eDI/AAAAAAAAANo/RhMqe8Nd0p0/s1600/hard%2Bcandy%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJlLxqn2buw/TXQYF4F3eDI/AAAAAAAAANo/RhMqe8Nd0p0/s200/hard%2Bcandy%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581112327454292018" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LQftAdCASY/TXQX7RI5F4I/AAAAAAAAANg/sUnVgJm-cU8/s1600/following%2Bposter.jpg"></a><b>Hard Candy</b><i> (2006)</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A simple story told chillingly and stylishly through two great performances. Patrick Wilson is excellent throughout; it is a pre-<i>Juno </i>Ellen Page who steals the film with a calculated, mature and genuinely frightening performance that sends shivers down your spine. The direction from David Slade is high quality throughout, bringing a claustrophobic edge to the film which intensifies both the horror and psychological thriller elements. The film's refusal to paint the characters and events it shows you as definitely good or bad but frequently an uneasy mixture somewhere in the middle is key to its success, drawing you into a violent, extreme and uncompromising world. Brave and powerful cinema.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q68684pUsK4/TU8bdfo3y9I/AAAAAAAAAMA/zEO-g8LZ_mM/s1600/brokeback%2Bmountain%2Bposter.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q68684pUsK4/TU8bdfo3y9I/AAAAAAAAAMA/zEO-g8LZ_mM/s200/brokeback%2Bmountain%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570701457603677138" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px; " /></a><div><b>Brokeback Mountain</b><i><b> </b>(2005)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger are outstanding throughout, with Gyllenhaal's raw emotion providing many of the film's most powerful scenes. The understated turn by Ledger, smouldering with intensity and suppressed passion, is the film's highlight and now tragically an indicator of a brilliant acting career cut short before it could truly take off. Support from Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams is solid, although the film is at its best when Gyllenhaal and Ledger share the screen. At times the story feels a little too slow and loses momentum, and parts which don't focus on the relationship between Ledger and Gyllenhaal's characters feel a little underdeveloped at times. Ultimately a powerful film which, without agenda or prejudice tells, a fascinating story of two ordinary people.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q68684pUsK4/TU8lg0OWyLI/AAAAAAAAAMI/grpT86QJ3us/s200/prestige%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570712509785491634" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>The Prestige </b><i>(2006)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Christopher Nolan's unmistakeable moody, unsettling and highly polished feel gives the film a luscious authenticity whilst at the same time remaining undeniably modern. Christian Bale puts in a strong and convincing performance throughout; it is Hugh Jackman however who makes the part of Robert Angiers his own, delivering a magnificent mix of obsession, passion and showmanship to make the magician a truly engrossing character. Michael Caine is reliably excellent in support, counterbalancing the increasingly extravagant and emotionally charged of Bale and, in particular, Jackman with a grounded and humble turn. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Scarlett Johannson who appears out of her depth in a role that never really comes into its own. The story is regularly and pleasingly dark told through a grippingly mysterious plot which unfolds with energy, never losing momentum and keeping you guessing right until the final moments. </div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q68684pUsK4/TU8oo37mGEI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/eemtV7eXMSM/s1600/intolerable%2Bcruelty%2Bposter.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q68684pUsK4/TU8oo37mGEI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/eemtV7eXMSM/s200/intolerable%2Bcruelty%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570715946754381890" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></a><div><b>Intolerable Cruelty</b><i><b> </b>(2003)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>An underrated Coen Brothers gem. Whilst this might not be the brothers' best, their unique take on the romantic comedy that also pays tribute to the screwball comedies of Hollywood's Golden Age is finely crafted and immensely enjoyable. Clooney never misses a beat as Miles Massey, and whilst I usually find Zeta-Jones decidedly average, here her performance is a great counterbalance to Clooney. The supporting cast are also top notch, with Adelstein as a perfect comic foil to Clooney and Thornton giving a wonderfully caricatured performance as oil tycoon Howard D. Doyle. Whilst the Coens' unmistakable style is not quite as apparent as in previous films, it is most certainly present throughout the film with some gloriously dark moments (a magazine called "Living Without Intestines" has to be one of the brothers' finest creations). The film also presents some wonderfully intelligent cinematography with an ingenious choice of colour used throughout. Often too easily dismissed as the Coens' "sell-out" or "mainstream" picture, upon closer inspection this is a comic masterpiece that stands proudly next to the brothers' other work.</div><div><b>9/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q68684pUsK4/TVHHcTEhboI/AAAAAAAAAMg/Iw-Yrw0OtnM/s200/bubba%2Bho-tep%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571453503003520642" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Bubba Ho-Tep</b><i> (2002)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Surely one of the quirkiest and most ludicrous ideas for a film ever conceived. A B-movie-style delight full of charm and held together by a unforgettable performance from Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley. Ossie Davis also does well in support. The first half is slow, albeit entertaining, but this is remedied nicely with a final act that pulls out all the stops. The script is strong with some pleasingly philosophical sections that never feel out of place, as well as some fantastic comic lines scattered generously throughout. Go into this with the right frame of mind and expectations and you can't help but have fun and enjoy it.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GJoJ208geHE/TWkvodChyFI/AAAAAAAAAM4/PEsz4uk1bXA/s200/the%2Bfountain%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578041985511573586" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>The Fountain</b><i> (2006)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Jackman shows depth and diversity in a challenging and demanding role - his excellent turn in three separate yet intertwined roles is a key part to what makes the film great. Beautiful cinematography and effects bring to life the three stories (although some are closer to motifs or visual concepts than definite narratives) with artistry and lustre; Aronofsky's deliberate ambiguity as to how, if at all, the three are connected adds to the enigma making the film constantly captivating. This is brave film making which demands your attention to grasp its themes, ideas and structure. An excellent piece of cinema provided you are prepared to give it the commitment necessary.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tOYEAGox0Ho/TWkvwSQpWQI/AAAAAAAAANA/nJ9JG4JGAeo/s200/memento%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578042120056953090" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Memento</b> <i>(2000)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Now over a decade old, Nolan's first big budget outing is still striking and bold, delivering stylish and intelligent cinema that never dips in quality. Pearce is strong throughout, bringing an authentic yet outlandish quality to Leonard, and making the anterograde amnesia from which he suffers both believable and not gimmicky. Pearce is supported ably by Moss and Pantoliano who ably ensure you are kept guessing about their characters roles and motivations in Leonard's story until the end. Occasionally the film gets too wound up in its own premise, although Nolan makes sure things never become self-indulgent; this is a minor niggle in what is a brilliantly original and constantly gripping film that may still be Nolan's best execution of a non-linear narrative structure.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xI7JcYBxpgY/TWkv9SmZPgI/AAAAAAAAANI/DR90P_fAkTI/s200/fugitive%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578042343486471682" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>The Fugitive</b><i> (1993)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The first hour outshines the second, where the pace slows a little too much, but this is a gripping thriller from start to finish with a handful of great action spots scattered throughout for good measure. It is Jones and Ford who elevate this from very good to excellent however, with fantastic performances from two Hollywood stalwarts both arguably at the top of their game. Ford's emotional and adrenaline-fuelled turn is complemented perfectly by Jones' US marshal entirely lacking in sympathy and hell bent on recapturing his man. Thoroughly enjoyable if somewhat imbalanced.</div><div><b>8/10</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LQftAdCASY/TXQX7RI5F4I/AAAAAAAAANg/sUnVgJm-cU8/s200/following%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581112145199306626" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><b>Following</b><i> (1998)</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Genuinely intriguing not just as a film, but as an early document of Nolan as a writer and filmmaker. It is clear from start to finish that this was made on a minuscule budget with an unavoidable "film student" feel throughout. Whilst in itself not a bad thing, this does however hand the film some shortcomings. The acting from the non-professional cast, whilst never terrible, often comes across as flat and amateurish, which in turn affects the flow and clarity of the film at times. However, Nolan's skills as a storyteller are as apparent here as in his later work, and whilst his skills in direction and cinematography are limited financially and by the cast at his disposal, this is still a stylish and very intelligent film which concisely tells a fascinating story.</div><div><b>7/10</b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1507242165120640932.post-27812952538261944252011-02-22T14:22:00.001+00:002011-02-22T14:22:45.981+00:00Review | True Grit (2011)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nXgWvF0ZUvk/TVkO0e6RmyI/AAAAAAAAAMo/7wJ_uk-zuUE/s1600/true%2Bgrit%2Bposter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nXgWvF0ZUvk/TVkO0e6RmyI/AAAAAAAAAMo/7wJ_uk-zuUE/s320/true%2Bgrit%2Bposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573502308661173026" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>The news that the Coen brothers were remaking <i>True Grit</i>, the film that won John Wayne his one and only Oscar, received a lukewarm reception from many moviegoers most of whom are probably a bit older than myself. Why remake a classic that features one of the most revered performances of a Hollywood legend like Wayne? Undoubtedly still resonating for some fans of the brothers' work is their decidedly hit-and-miss 2004 remake of <i>The Ladykillers</i>, to date both their their worst film and only other remake. Still, the Coens' resoundingly successful venture into the Western genre with 2007's <i>No Country For Old Men</i> gave more than a glimmer of hope. This coupled with the fact that they would again be teaming up with Jeff Bridges twelve years after his now iconic performance as The Dude in <i>The Big Lebowski</i>, one of their most beloved films, made calling the success or failure of <i>True Grit</i> a tricky task indeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film tells the story of fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) who sets out to capture criminal Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) who murdered her father and has since taken in with a band of outlaws led by "Lucky" Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper). She hires the services of US Marshal Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Bridges), who has encountered Pepper before, in order to do this. Also on Chaney's trail is LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a Texas Ranger after the bounty on Chaney's head for the murder of a senator. LaBoeuf teams up with Cogburn, and despite both men's protestations, Mattie insists on joining them on the hunt as they head into the Colorado wilderness.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Any fears of the film being either an unnecessary or unsatisfactory remake are soon quashed. I almost put the word "luckily" at the start of the previous sentence, which would have been untrue - luck has nothing to do with it. This is purely great filmmaking from every angle. To call this a reboot is also untrue, as the Coens have apparently gone back to the original novel by Charles Portis in telling the story. Having never seen the 1969 version I can't draw comparison between that version and this; nor have I read the novel upon which both films are based, so faithfulness to the source material is also not something I can analyse. But the film should be judged on its own merits, and to do that is to find a genuinely excellent film.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>The film doesn't contain a bad performance; a wealth of fantastic turns are on offer here. From her first moment on screen, Steinfeld has a presence, maturity and gravity that makes it quite mindboggling that this is her first big screen outing. She makes the character of Mattie her own immediately, providing a unique yet believable balance between the innocence and youth of her fourteen years and the quick wit and indomitable spirit of an adolescent who has already experienced the harshness that the world can present.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Damon, too, continues to show why he is one of the most reliably talented actors of today, bringing a stripped down authenticity to LaBoeuf that it's hard to imagine many other actors of Damon's generation being capable of. LaBoeuf's arrogance and enigma make him simultaneously repellant and intriguing and Damon's performance expertly provides the balance between these two facets of the character. Damon clearly relishes the classic Western heritage his character is swathed in, whilst never falling into parody or cliché. It's also worth noting that Damon handles to perfection the change that occurs in the way Laboeuf speaks midway through the film. It would be easy to turn the character into a mockery of his established self, but Damon incorporates this change seamlessly into what he's already created without missing a beat.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Deserving of mention too are Brolin as Tom Chaney and Pepper as Lucky Ned. Whilst both characters receive relatively small amounts of screen time, what they do with the scenes they have adds to the all-round excellence of the film. The calculated control of Lucky Ned contrasts wonderfully with the recalcitrance of Chaney.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, it is undoubtedly Bridges as Rooster Cogburn who provides the film's most memorable character. The veteran actor never misses a beat, taking the character of Cogburn away from the one-dimensional grizzled lawman and imbuing him with a complex and enigmatic blend of mystery and candour. We get the impression that Cogburn is a man who has seen and done a great deal throughout his life, and what we see is just a snapshot of an immense character. It is the fantastic performance of Bridges that puts across a character of such enormity, whilst at the same time keeping him firmly rooted as an ordinary man. Cogburn is by turns intimidating, admirable, pathetic and amusing - it's therefore no surprise that elements of Bridges' previous Coen incarnation as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski welcomely seep through here and there. It's hard to keep a grin from your face as you watch Cogburn barely stay in the saddle as he rides through the Colorado woodland drunk and not to let yourself see The Dude, just stranded in a different century.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>True Grit</i> doesn't simply get by on the performances of its cast, however. The story is genuinely gripping and, after a slow burning first act to establish Mattie and Cogburn, the tense and gritty scenes just keep coming until the inevitable showdown that both stays in keeping with the film's authentic approach and doesn't disappoint. This is also arguably the Coens most beautiful film with marvelous cinematography taking advantage of the landscape the story is set against and camerawork wonderfully reminiscent of the Western genre heritage. The quirky Coens-style moments are not as prevalent as in most of their previous films, but that's not to say it's not there. Early scenes between Mattie and a horse trader are vintage Coens; another where Cogburn and Mattie encounter a man wearing an entire bear skin (complete with head) will surely raise a smile for its sheer absurdity. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>True Grit</i> is one of those films that is simply a joy to experience. There is no part of it that is not of very high quality; nothing lets it down. The story may burn ever so slightly too slowly at the start, but this is soon forgiven for its deep, rich characters portrayed with universal excellence and the masterful control and artistry of the sibling directors at its helm. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>9/10</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T_1r-7HhPnY/TWPGZcgnl8I/AAAAAAAAAMw/mUYXpS2NzvE/s1600/true%2Bgrit%2Bsteinfeld%2Bdamon%2Bbridges.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T_1r-7HhPnY/TWPGZcgnl8I/AAAAAAAAAMw/mUYXpS2NzvE/s320/true%2Bgrit%2Bsteinfeld%2Bdamon%2Bbridges.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576518904066840514" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></span></b></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0