Film

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2008-08-12T03:44:00.000-07:00

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The Orphanage (El Orfanato, Spain, 2007)

2008-08-11T00:54:00.001-07:00

Boy or ghost?

WARNING: THIS IS FULL OF SPOILERS. This movie pinned me back in my seat in the cinema but, as it's an example of the 'fantastic' - where everything might simply be a figment of the protagonist's imagination - I wondered whether it would work on a second viewing: it does. The opening half hour, certainly, is less successful if you know the ending, but after that the sheer craft of the film is more than engaging.

The film uses many of the tropes of the ghost story (though, as my son noted, 'thank god someone in a horror movie has turned the light on') and so, although there's nothing supernatural about the 'ghosts', it is a truly horrific story as we find that the mother, who loves her son deeply, has inadvertently killed him. The moment of realisation is one the most chilling moments in cinema.

Couscous (La graine et le mulet, France, 2007)

2008-08-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

Father-daughter love

This is a terrific film. I don't think I've seen scenes of such emotional rawness since Frederick Wiseman's Titicut Follies (1967). The improvisation gives certain scenes a documentary intensity.

The use of narrative is also striking: the two set piece 'meal' scenes go on for an extremely long time compared with the succinctness of much of the other action (eg Slimane losing his job). This also contrasts with the 'thriller' set up: there's clearly doom lurking in the couscous' journey to the restaurant and Slimane's chase after his moped takes an age: on the one hand suspense is set up, on the other it's unbearably stretched.

However, there are problems: the sexual objectification of Rym for example. Or maybe this is working in a Godardian way (such as in British Sounds, 1970) where the (temporally) long shots of a woman's body leads the audience to question what they are looking at.

Blimey! A riveting family melodrama that links Wiseman to Godard.

West Side Story (US, 1961)

2008-08-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Ultra-stylised violence

Prompted by going to see this in the London revival later this week, I watched the Bernstein-Robbins-Sondheim classic again. It was even better than I remembered. Terrific music, choreography and book with stylish, often Expressionist, direction. Whilst there is a tension between the oxymoronic dancing-hoodlums, the emotion on show heightens the hackneyed narrative. Great acrobatics from Russ Tamblin and Rita Moreno's Anita is magnificent.

It's half a century old but knife crime's high in the news agenda as is the position of immigrants in society. It's a indication of failure that this musical remains timely. Let's get all the thugs into to see the show and they'd see the futility of violence! 'Ha bloody ha'.

Killer of Sheep (US, 1977)

2008-07-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

Staying close in adversity

16mm black and white does look good particularly in this film where Burnett uses long lens and unusual angles to great effect. The elliptical storytelling works well too, almost a collage of events with kids doing what kids do punctuated by Stan (Henry G Sanders) trying to make ends meet.

The 'killer of sheep' metaphor works well as we're left to observe his work in the slaughter house and so it never becomes heavy handed. Great to see this film revived; that's what the Bfi should be for.

From the Life of the Marionettes (Aus dem Leben der Marionetten, W.Germany, 1980)

2008-07-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Consoling passion?

It was interesting watching this 'German' Bergman in the midst of the New German films I've been looking at. Whilst I think of Bergman as a 'philosophical' filmmaker often dealing with characters' metaphysical angst, watching these characters try to deal with their anomie, after yesterday's Fassbinder, suggests that - in this film at least - Bergman is critiquing the bourgeoisie.

This probably out-grims the Fassbinder. Partly this is to do with the bleak monochrome cinematography (Nykvist: brilliant of course); partly the devastating, opening murder - shot in lurid red - that sets the rest of the film up as an investigation into the protagonists' motivation.

The Merchant of Four Seasons (Händler der vier Jahreszeiten, W.Germany, 1972)

2008-07-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

Hans holds court

It's striking that this bleak, overtly stylised film should have been a commercial hit. Whilst Fassbinder draws upon Sirkian melodrama, no one would mistake this for a Hollywood film. Fassbinder had the talent to create an almost surrealist mise en scene from a banal setting. For example, Irmgard is framed against a shop window featuring a wedding dress when she's mistaken for a prostitute in the street; the image above shows Hans pontificating about how hard done by he is to an almost mute coterie of men.

The stylisation is probably most notable in the performances; the robotic-like postures and glances of dehumanised bourgeoisie. Except Hanna Schygulla's Anna, the commentator on the corruption of her family; even Renate, Hans' and Irmgard's daughter, looks like (a Hitler youth) automaton though she may just be traumatised by her parents.

If Herzog and Wenders, in the films blogged recently, were searching for identity then Fassbinder explains why they are looking.

Alice in the Cities (Alice in den Städten, West Germany, 1973)

2008-07-25T01:29:00.000-07:00

Peter and Alice try to understand where they are going

This film is a terrific, improvised road movie. Wenders, apparently, based the idea of the film on the rapport between his actors (pictured above) in The Scarlet Letter (Der Scharlachrote Buchstabe 1973). This fits well with Stroszek (blogged three days ago) as here the movement is opposite: from America to West Germany. Phil (Rüdiger Vogler) is trying to write an article about America but his experience of its commercial soulessness has emptied him of identity. He watches Young Mr Lincoln (1939) on television but finds it infuriating that it's interrupted by advertising - he destroys the TV. Later, he reads John Ford's (Lincoln's director) obituary - his disillusionment with America is complete as what he loved about it has died.

It's striking how debates about the malign, commercial influence of America have subsided considerably since the 1970s. The post-World War II anxiety about Americanisation still exists, but the commercial aspects of American culture are generally accepted in Britain now; and, probably, Europe.

The search for identity was an important theme of New German Cinema: trying to rebuild self-respect after the Nazi-inspired atrocities tempered with disillusionment with the authoritarian nature of the West German state in the 1970s.

Although the film sags a bit in the middle, the visualisation of 'souless' America is brilliant. The final, unresolved, journey is to Munich - is that meant to be into the heartland of the Fatherland?

Sophie Scholl (Germany, 2005)

2008-07-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

Sophie tells the Nazis what she thinks

This is an intensely moving film. It dramatises the strength of will required to stick to your principles whatever the circumstances. However, the individual needs to 'collective mass' to resist the tyrants and it was the failure of the German people to stand up to the Nazis that precipitated the War. The characterisation of Sophie's interrogator, however, gives an understated insight into why many ordinary people collaborated. It is the 'strength' of fascism that it guides people who don't want to think for themselves (a bit like religion).

The judge, the representative of Nazi bile, was the double of Norman Tebbit - a terrific piece of casting.

Stroszek (West Germany, 1977)

2008-07-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

Stroszek tries to earn a living

Bruno S plays Stroszek and there are clearly autobiographical elements in the character; whilst he's patently a non-actor this works well in the role but might be off-putting at first. He and two other misfits go to live the American Dream where everyone who works hard can get rich. Does anyone outside of America still believe this; or are many people in such desperate straits that even badly paid dead-end jobs in America can count as riches?

The getting into debt is perfunctorily done but that works as part of the episodic narrative. The climax is truly bonkers with Stroszek clinging on to two American icons: a thanksgiving turkey and a gun. The final 10 minutes are hallucinatory.

Stroszek is from Berlin, then a centre of Cold War politics. Now East and West are reunited (see Yella) the political dynamics have changed. America, 'the leader of the free world' could then more readily justify its hegemonic position. After the invasion of Iraq and its concomitant abuses, such as Guantanamo, the lack of morality in America's leadership of fawning nations - such as UK - is evident to all except cynics. Would Stroszek even be allowed into American now?

Herzog is great at framing scenes and offers a compelling view of the middle of nowhere.

Into the Wild (US, 2007)

2008-07-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Lost in the wilderness

Add a 'coming of age' (or not, in this case) movie to a western and road movie with an arthouse aesthetic where the beauty of the image has portentous echoes, then you might get Into the Wild. It's true story of Chris McCandless who rejects his family, and their bourgeois aspirations, to do the American thing: find yourself in the wilderness. There's terrific direction from Penn where the portentous imagery (extreme slow motion in a rigged up outside shower) allows audience to see beauty in the everyday - something that cinema is very good at - and so reflects McCandless' attempts to find a role in his life.

Even if McCandless was rejecting bourgeois values, the family is rooted at the heart of the film. Not just McCandless' family, but the ruptured families he encounters, most movingly in Hal Holbrooke's 'lonely old man'.

I reckon Penn is a 'must-see' whether he's in front or behind the camera; I rate this film as good as The Assassination of Billy the Kid..., hitherto my favourite film of 2007.

Adulthood (UK, 2008)

2008-07-19T03:58:00.001-07:00

Noel Clarke: Bitten off more than he could chew?

Kidulthood (see June 24) was terrific; Adulthood? It's an adage that sequels are never (rarely) better than the sequel; is it because all the good ideas have been used or because filmmakers feel they have to out-do the original so strain too hard? Whilst Clarke wrote and acted in the original, here he also directs. He is talented but maybe he's overstretched himself. Adulthood seems to be straining to hard to be significant whilst the first film loaded 21st century London into a kitchen sink and planted it on celluloid.

That said, I found the reflective aspects of the film successful: both Lexi and Sam's attempt to break away from their past. The 'genre' elements, especially the risible 'Mexican' standoff with a gun and baseball bat, didn't mesh very well with the 'philosophical' aspects; though the climactic fight is well staged the idea that Sam's brother could possibly kill Sam without knowing it was not convincing.

Maybe Clarke shouldn't try and do 'everything'; I thought Menhaj Huda did a better job on the first film. That said, Clarke's definitely a talent.

Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne, France, 2006)

2008-07-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

'The death of love'

Marvellously labyrinthine thriller (still haven't worked out the significance of the bouquet) that manages to inject excitement into the 'coming back from the dead' trope; based on convincing performances, a terrific chase sequence, and humanising humour (the good cop).

At the heart of the narrative labyrinth is fatherly and sexual love. The stakes are so high that the violence becomes understandable rather than simply a function of plot. This is why the film is so engaging; as the maze is untangled the punchline convincingly delivers on its promise.

Wanted (US, 2008)

2008-07-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

'Who's watching the watchers?'

Up until the last 20 mins I quite enjoyed this routine (ie heavily generic) action feature with some eye-popping stunts. Then its subtleties kicked in and it revealed itself as a very clever play on the action genre (with its boring rites of violence passage). The visuals are impressive throughout, presumably from the source graphic novel; particularly the weaving room - especially when it was destroyed into a web of chaos (shades of Wagner's norns?).

Jolie sleepwalks through (as does Freeman until the end - though he's nicely cast against type); but McAvoy inhabits his role well. Can't understand why it was an 18 in the UK.

'Who watches the watchers?" is an old question given vitality by this movie.

Kidulthood (UK, 2006) and Beat Girl (UK, 1959)

2008-06-24T02:01:00.000-07:00

Kids today eh!

Kids then eh!

Kidulthood is shocking, only if you believe it's typical of kids in London. Well, I wouldn't know, but the idea that youngsters are out of control is not exactly new. However, this is a terrific film that does the 'day in the life' of the youth of today with pace and style - I particularly like the split screen music montages. Noel Clarke - actor and scriptwriter (who's also directed the just-out sequel) is certainly an interesting talent.

Of course the rebellion of the Beat Girl is far tamer than that of Kidulthood kids; but it is relative. Beat Girl was cut to get an X (18) certificate and, as far as I can tell, it was the cut version that got a 12 in 1998. The most obviously 'cuttable' sequence is an extraordinarily libidinous stripper's dance - it would be interesting to know what got cut for that to stay in. It's likely that teen pics date more quickly than other genres, but at least here the teens to get a voice; there are poignant monologues about being brought up during World War II. However, as is standard, the rebellion of the beat girl is recouped at the end.

In Kidulthood, the rebellion is a lifestyle; except it's not rebelling against anything. A girl swaps sex for money to buy fashionable clothes. The ending doesn't offer a comfortable resolution but
Alisa does decide to have her baby. That's what's called 'growing up' and teen pics are always about growing up to become adults.

The Happening (US-India, 2008)

2008-06-24T01:50:00.000-07:00

The end of the world as we know it?

Like Cloverfield (two posts ago) The Happening is an obvious disquisition on the west's 'war on terror' intermingled with the ongoing climatic disaster. The opening half is terrific, a mixture of stunning imagery (the builders falling off buildings) and portentous threat. However, it's difficult to deliver on such a set up as this - maybe aliens would have worked (but they didn't in Signs).

The film's also further evidence that the emerging economy of India is going to compete with Hollywood on its own ground. However, this looks like - is - a Hollywood movie, so whether we'll see any difference from the patriarchal-liberal consensus that 'infects' most US movies is debatable.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile, Romania, 2007)

2008-06-21T02:20:00.000-07:00

Otilia interrogates our gaze at the end of the film

This film succeeds on many levels: as a portrayal of Romania in 1987; as a shocking, and gripping, narrative; as an exercise in directorial style (the camera is often static and not necessarily positioned in the 'best' place). The focuses on how Otilia deals with her frustrating friend and her loving boyfriend; they, however, fail to take full responsibility for their actions and she has to carry them.

The directorial style reminded me of Miklos Jansco (The Red and White) where the camera's unwavering gaze 'misses' some of the action as it goes off screen. This technique draws attention to our voyeurism; as does the film's final shot - see image above. It's interesting that such an uncompromising film should attract such accolades from imdb audiences; a sign of arthouse cinema's health.

Cloverfield (US, 2008)

2008-06-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

American liberty has lost its head.

It's taken 10 years for Blair Witch (1999) to get a proper sequel. Whilst Cloverfield is not as effective as its predecessor, it is a fascinating take on a (western) world at war on terror. It's not just the camcorder aesthetic that is so effective, much of what is happening is left 'unsaid'. Or, rather, requires us to draw on other films to fill in the gaps. This isn't simply postmodern referentiality; we don't know, for instance, what happens to Marlena but the Alien splatter reference suggests it ain't good. This also links to a piece of 'thrown away' dialogue: 'they are trying to drag me away'. Putting the Alien ref together with the dialogue suggests that humans are being used to gestate there creatures; and you can only work this out through the references. The film will make sense without knowledge of these films, but it is interesting to see a movie built explicity on its generic inheritance.

The Korean film The Host (Gwoemul, 2006) is also an important antecedant, as is 28 Days Later (UK, 2002).

The film portrays American post-9/11 vulnerability: there's terrible things out there with no explanation for what's happening. In doing so it offers a picture of a paranoid mindset that's turning inward rather trying to understand what's going on (I saw a trailer for the forthcoming The Mist yesterday - looks very similar).

Yella (Germany, 2007)

2008-06-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Yella being stalked by her husband as she leaves for the west.

I watched this based on a recommendation by Roy Stafford and knew nothing about it. I enjoy watching films without preconceptions (as far as that is possible) but that method of viewing can result in missing large parts of the subtext (er, if it was a SUBtext).

I enjoyed the film, found the ending slightly non-sensical as I thought it simply bracketed the narrative without adding anything. The representation of the corruption, and vacuity, and capitalism in its most 'evolved' form - ie venture capitalism - is acute. The performances are excellent; particularly Nina Hoss is the title role.

Then, reading Sight and Sound, I find that Wittenburg is in the east of Germany and the river's the Elbe. My ignorance of German geography, accentuated by not knowing anything of the film, led me to miss the overtly political orientation of the film.

As a parable/ghost story etc of modern Germany it reminds me of New German cinema of the 1970s; such as The Lost Honour of Katerina Blum. The director of Yella is described as part of new German cinema; should we call this new New? Or neu New? Whatever, it's great to see films engaging politically with the world.

Beowulf (US, 2007)

2008-05-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hypermasculinity?

Hyperfeminity?

It takes time to get used to the plasticky CGI, but after a while it seems right for the other-worldliness of the time. The latest incarnation of Beowulf turns out to be a fascinating discourse on the representation of gender. If the original poem is about what happens when a society fails to support its leader, then this is about the inevitable failure of phallic masculinity.

In Beowulf's battle with Grendel he is naked. However, his cock and balls are always strategically hidden behind something; was this to avoid on R/15 certificate or to prevent 'manhood' appearing ridiculous? That is, when I man is flying around gymnastically there's bound to be some undignified flapping going on. Also, as Richard Dyer suggested, men can never really live up to the idea of the phallus as it is forever hard. Of course, Beowulf's sword stands in for the phallus but one touch from the voluptuous Grendel's mum (can a mother have ever been represented so sexily) - Jolie - and it dissolves. Contrary to the original, Beowulf lies when he says he dispatched this particular monster; he is unmanned by her femininity (yes, defined in the fashion of patriarchy, by her curves and breasts).

Beowulf's lack of masculinity is also underlined by his lack of heir when he dies; sacrificing himself for his wife and young lover. As befits a 21st century text, women have a higher profile in this version; in the 1100ADish one they are pretty much reduced to serving alcohol and being regal. However, the male carousing here is shown to be an empty experience. Beowulf, despite his breast-beating, or because of, is a melancholy character finding all the heroism an, essentially, empty experience but apparently unable to consummate his love/lust for his queen. This dark heart of masculinity is also evident in Hrothgar's suicide (not in the original).

The trend to using CGI in a non-realist fashion seems to be continuing; Sin City, 300... In drawing attention to itself maybe it is trying to regain the 'wow' factor it had in its early days as audiences have become blase about the 'miracles' it performs. Whilst not as visually impressive as 300, Beowulf is far more interesting a film than the eariler film's hysterical performance of manliness.

Blade Runner - The Final Cut (US 2007)

2008-04-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Blade Runner - The Final Cut looks and sounds better than ever

Even if the difference between 'the final cut' and the 'director's cut' is minimal it was still worth releasing because, in the DVD version at least, it both looks and sounds better than ever. I've probably seen the film 15 times in its different versions and can still enjoy the narrative.

Scott's new version is more gory than the others; the explicitness of the violence was an issue in 1982 but is fairly standard now. What makes Scott's vision stand out is the amazing detail in the mise en scene; the scenes are cluttered with detritus making real Philip K Dick's kipple.

The other thing I noticed even more, in this version, was Rachel's doll-likeness. The blacks seem blacker so when she's standing behind Tyrell all you can see is her head. She is literally disembodied.

One of the masterpieces of modern cinema just got slightly better.

In the Valley of Elah (US, 2007)

2008-01-27T10:46:00.001-08:00

The number of 'Iraq' films coming out of Hollywood is quite astonishing, especially as only the gung-ho Green Berets was produced during the Vietnam war. Unsurprisingly these are not doing well at the box office; even the action based The Kingdom. There are not many nations that would queue up to see themselves criticised. However, it is crucially important that a mirror is held up to America as they tromp thoughtlessly about the world. And the fact that these are American films does show that many in America are not insensitive to the destruction wreaked by their military.

Whilst Charley Wilson's War was confused, Elah knows exactly what's it's saying and I can think of few films that have such a devastating final shot. The rest of it is great too; brilliantly performances and generally well paced. My only criticism is that Vietnam is, via Lee Jones' vet, held up as something honourable; or maybe that's just in contrast with Iraq.

I thought Crash, Haggis' previous film as director, was great; this may be even better.

Charley Wilson's War (US, 2007)

2008-01-19T06:03:00.001-08:00

To say this mess is confusing is an understatement. It ranges from a condemnation of America's lack of reconstruction of Iraq to a celebration of childlike Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Presumably the latter is such a retro-representation of 3rd world peasants that it's meant to be satire; read it as you will.

Even if we take the film as a critique of US intervention it still fails to cohere. The script seems to pretend its one-liners are satiric and all the performances are off-key as if they didn't know what tone to strike.

The Roaring Twenties (US, 1939)

2008-01-16T12:33:00.001-08:00

Fascinating gangster movie that is linked with newsreel like montages. Sympathetic portrayal of the gangster (though his psychosis is also evident), brilliantly played by Cagney. Great support from Bogart. Has a modern sensibility. The Wall Street crash montage is a technical tour de force.

Shortbus (US, 2006)

2008-01-13T00:57:00.001-08:00

Has a reputation for a film that uses hardcore sex in a non-sensationalist fashion; a bit of a contradiction in terms, maybe, but it certainly wears its 'sex' lightly. Unfortunately for me I didn't find the narrative particularly engaging.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (US, 2004)

2008-01-12T02:16:00.001-08:00

This has fantastic production design and the sexist banter between Law and Paltrow serve to humanise the CGI. Not sure why this did so badly at the box office as there's enough thrills to keep the narrative going. Maybe the cod-RAF, stiff Brit routines didn't play well.

The Passenger (It-Ger-Spain, Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975)

2008-01-11T09:31:00.001-08:00

I'm a fan of arthouse but is it that Antonioni's portentous (slow) and (would be/maybe is) style simply feels outdated or are my brain cells not what they used to be. The Passenger's interesting, and Nicholson's always watchable, but does it really take 2 hours to tell this tale. As I say, maybe I'm getting impatient in my middle age (do I really have time to watch this when I've already seen it?) or maybe the 21st century isn't friendly to this sort of arthouse. Is it me or is it the film?

The Day the Earth Stood Still (US, 1951)

2008-01-08T13:35:00.001-08:00

Heart in the right place - the stupidity of the military and the threat of nuclear annihilation. However, comes across as a rather pedantic piece.

Sense and Sensibility (UK-US, 1995)

2008-01-06T07:52:00.001-08:00

I should know better than to watch period drama. Who cares about the bourgeoisie other than the bourgeoisie? Did this version have the purists shaking their sticks? Very soap opera.

I Am Legend (US 2007)

2008-01-06T02:23:00.001-08:00

Will Smith is terrific and this is a very effective thriller. But what's with the deus ex machina? Did the writers have so little respect for their resolution that they didn't even bother to explain how Anna saves the Smith character? Or are we actually meant to believe in the 'act of god'?

However, enjoy the movie the post-disaster New York and Smith's performance.

Silent Running (US, 1972)

2008-01-02T02:05:00.001-08:00

Didn't like this when I saw it 25+ years ago and didn't like it today. I'd assumed the ecological theme would be to do with the inadvertent destruction of nature; however, it was a warning against the utopian idea of technology giving us everything. Believeable in the '70s; not now. Great special effects, it's directed by Douglas Trumbell, but Dern's one-note (concerned agony) performance cannot carry the film.

Father and Son (Otets i syn, Russia, 2003)

2008-01-02T01:57:00.001-08:00

While is was good to watch a film with intellectual pretension after a high fat diet during Christmas, this one almost disappears up its own ass. There are some great compositions, usually a telephoto lens to a disorienting effect but... As Tony Rayns said in Sight and Sound, the attempt to diffuse the homoeroticism with the 'sissy' character is risible.

Where've I been?

2007-12-28T09:57:00.001-08:00

Nowhere but life's been a bit complicated so somethings hatta give. Planning to start blogging again in the new year; anyone miss me?

Antitrust (US, 2001)

2007-04-30T11:20:00.001-07:00

Great premise: Bill Gates is force for evil and open source should rule OK. And wrap up the message in a thriller format then you've a winner except this isn't very thrilling. Phillipe's lightweight (better in Crash) and the direction's lacklustre. Robbins is suitably charming-evil but he does get his comeuppance to tad easily (handcuffs!?). (DVD)

Dumplings (Hong Kong, 2004)

2007-04-30T11:16:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure why I didn't like this more. Great premise delivered in a suitably understated way (well, mostly). Somehow didn't convince me.  (DVD)

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House of Sand and Fog (US, 2003)

2007-04-30T11:10:00.001-07:00

Interesting premise but loses itself in a overblown (I know it is a melodrama but...). Good performances; maybe it'd've been more convincing if we had more of Connelly's back story. (OAR)

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3 Iron (Korea, 2004)

2007-04-28T08:44:00.001-07:00

This director (Ki-duk Kim) is brilliantly because he does strange things (the protagonists don't speak in this film!) and makes it work brilliantly. (DVD)

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Memories of Murder (Korea, 2003)

2007-04-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

Brilliant deconstruction of the cop genre (two contrasting cops (town & country) investigating a serial killing) that mixes black comedy, slapstick humour and beautiful compositions. (DVD)

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Cradle Will Rock (US, 1999)

2007-04-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

American politics can be despairing (unless you're a right wing ideologue) but films like this show there is hope. The right wing idea of the Land of the Free is a joke (it's a myth for capitalists to exploit) and Robbins' film brilliantly evokes the tensions engendered during the Great Depression by yoking an all-star cast to an all-big name historical characters narrative.

Socialist, also, in its ensemble way of telling the story. Genius. (DVD, 2)

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Very Bad Things (US, 1998)

2007-04-21T11:18:00.001-07:00

Brilliant and subversive movie. Christian Slater reprising a Heathers-type role; he slowly unhinges brilliantly. And the way the narrative incorporates the Cameron Diaz character into the madness is brilliant. An attack on America(n mores). DVD, 2

Sky Blue (Korea, 2003)

2007-04-21T11:16:00.001-07:00

Nicely set up with the 'haves' and 'have nots' but developed it too little. Visuals were good but we're used to that with anime; something more needed. (DVD)

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Election (Hong Kong, 2005)

2007-04-20T09:32:00.001-07:00

Marketed as Hong Kong's Godfather. Well it does focus on the politics... A cracking film which casts the police in an interesting role (they can't get to the yakuza really but they can influence what's happening). Great use of locations and a stunning end. (DVD)

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Shoeshine (Italy, 1946)

2007-04-17T11:31:00.001-07:00

Preceded Bicycle Thieves and follows the same tragic pattern - well it had to didn't it in post-war Italy given the fact this is a neo realist film. Brilliantly done, particularly in the performances and cinematography (much of it shot in a prison). Maybe a tad too melodramatic (well there's a contradiction in terms) at the end but still wonderful. (DVD)

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Total Recall (US, 1990)

2007-04-16T11:04:00.001-07:00

I'm reading Brian J Robb's book on films of PK Dick's work so I'm treating myself to a Dick season (except Blade Runner which I've seen many times). I can't actually believe I've watched Total Recall 5 times because it's prime example of what you get when you put Arnie in a Dick movie: crap! Arnie's not necessarily crap (see Terminator) but the commercial prerogative he introduces can only dilute Dick's art. (DVD, 5)

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My Little Eye (UK, 2002)

2007-04-15T07:14:00.001-07:00

Pretty good but I don't think it delivered what it might've. The 'slasher' ending didn't convince but there are some effective scenes and nice questioning as to why people are interesting in reality TV (the sex?). (DVD, 2)

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Little Miss Sunshine (US, 2006)

2007-04-15T07:11:00.001-07:00

Brilliant indie movie with a great cast. Arkin's cantankerous old man just shades it on one of the weirdest of road trips. Great. (DVD)

Technorati Tags: film

Sunshine (UK, 2007)

2007-04-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

Great set up but Act 3! Shame cos it's got a great cast and visuals and could've been really interesting. Compromised by the commercial necessity of a happy ending? (Odeon, Thornbuy)

Technorati Tags: film

The Return (Russia, 2003)

2007-04-13T08:05:00.001-07:00

I though Andrei Tarkovsky was dead! However, this isn't simply a rehash of that great filmmaker: this is a great film. Stunning compositions; engaging characters; engima. Only occasionally does the gratuitous crane or tracking shot show that it's a debut feature. Must be seen. The cinematography (and still photos at the end) is stunning. (DVD)

Princess Mononoke (Japan, 1997)

2007-04-13T08:01:00.001-07:00

This was the first Miyazaki I saw and it didn't grab me - in fact I didn't finish it. Now a Miyazaki fan I watched it again and... it didn't grab me. Interesting. (DVD)

Bebop Cowboy: the Movie (Japan, 2001)

2007-04-13T07:59:00.001-07:00

Great fun; great characters. Don't know the TV series but do recommend the movie. (DVD)

Technorati Tags: film

The Black Dahlia (US, 2006)

2007-04-13T07:55:00.001-07:00

Now I know film noir is meant to have a convoluted narrative but can someone tell me what was going on? Looked good. (DVD)

Technorati Tags: film

The Silence of the Lambs (US, 1991)

2007-04-13T07:40:00.001-07:00

An effective thriller but 27th best movie ever (imdb)?! Never. Interesting at the time for Hollywood's embrace of the commercial possibilities of 'bad taste' welded to Oscar-winning performance. Now seems a bit plodding. (DVD, 3

Waiting for Happiness (Mauritania-France, 2002)

2007-04-13T07:38:00.001-07:00

Wonderfully slow-paced movie that shows the effect of globalisation on the 'middle-of-nowhere'. Well; sort of. The outside world is only there via the radio that's lost; the stories of the characters; and the waiting to leave. Looks beautiful too. (DVD)

Appleseed (2004, Japan)

2007-04-13T07:35:00.001-07:00

Some stunning animation and a fantastic scene where the protagonist witnesses the holographic death of her mother. Many imdb comments bemoan its lack of narrative originality; missing the point I think. Tells its story well. (DVD)

I Am Curious Blue (Sweden, 1968)

2007-04-13T07:32:00.001-07:00

The companion movie to 'Yellow'. Less on the politics; more on the personal but no less effective. Fascinating movie. (DVD)

I Am Curious Yellow (Sweden, 1968)

2007-04-11T04:16:00.001-07:00

You probably won't believe me but the only reason I was watching this was for historical reasons: its sex scenes made it a cause celebre. Actually the film is a brilliant political movie about youthful idealism and how the personal mixes with the political. As self-reflexive as Godard but with even more fun. And the sex scenes are realistic; maybe that's why they were so disturbing (though anything will disturb the moral guardians of America it seems - see previous post). Sure the movie's dated a bit but it's very much of its time; it needs resurrecting from its porn tag. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061834/

This Film is Not Yet Rated (US, 2006)

2007-04-11T04:13:00.001-07:00

Superb expose of the MPAA's hypocrisy - the land of the free?! Jack Valenti must have been one of the greatest slimeballs ever (he'd take that as a compliment). (OAR) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493459/

Dave Chapelle's Block Party (US, 2005)

2007-04-11T04:10:00.001-07:00

Great party; would've been great to have been invited - not wholly impossible given the surreal way Chapelle invited some guests (perfect for Gondry then). (OAR) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425598/

Avalon (Japan-Poland, 2001)

2007-04-11T04:07:00.001-07:00

Interesting to see a live-action movie by Oshii, which in many ways could've been anime. The central character's a spit for Kusanaga except she doesn't have the unrealistic body shape. Some stunning visuals but the whole didn't add up to the parts for me. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267287/

Seed of Chucky (US, 2004)

2007-04-10T02:30:00.000-07:00

Great first 20 mins but the joke does wear thin. (OAR) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387575/

Castle of Cagliostro, The (Japan, 1979)

2007-04-10T02:28:00.000-07:00

Early Miyazaki and less interesting than later. Still, some great characters (the laconic hero and the female spy). Seems to be set in Monaco. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079833/

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (US, 2004)

2007-04-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Men are such juvenile idiots. That's the message of this film and it's interesting that so many men find this so funny (of course, I'm not an idiot but, then again, maybe I am...). Being an idiot abnegates responsibility - hey what a good idea! The best of this film is when Ferrel & crew push the absurdity just nearly too far. (DVD, 2). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357413/

American Pie 2 (US, 2001)

2007-04-10T02:22:00.000-07:00

Brilliant sequel (though not as good as the first one). This might seem an OTT statement re a teen comedy; but that's the point - as a teen comedy it's brilliant. (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252866/

The Night Porter (Italy, 1974)

2007-04-10T02:17:00.000-07:00

I guess it was quite daring for the time: a concentration camp victim has an 'affair' with her guard 30-odd years after the war. It still is quite daring but I found the 1970s' multi-national arthouse style (ie use of dubbing and telephoto lens) irritating. I saw it first as part of my Film/Lit degree at Warwick Uni in the early '80s. No surprise I didn't really understand it then; but I don't really understand it now. (DVD, 3) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071910/

Lucky Number Slevin

2007-03-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

A clever-clever narrative (kicked off by The Usual Suspects?) that's OK for a Friday night. Doesn't outstay it's welcome but a step down from Paul McGuigan's Gangster No.1. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425210/

Legend of the Overfiend (Japan, 1989)

2007-03-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

If anyone doubted my last post re the essential difference between Japanese and western culture then this film nails my argument. Tentacle sex; demonic or Peeping Tom men... and what is going on? Doesn't have the visual grandeur the best of anime (but it was straight to video) and is interesting as an insight (?) into the psycho-sexual nature of (this part of) Japanese culture. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108461/

Princess Raccoon (Japan, 2005)

2007-03-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Truly bonkers kitsch. I don't normally like kitsch but could just about manage this. Brings home the realisation that Japanese culture is actually very different to the west. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441674/

Sin City (US, 2005)

2007-03-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Visually stunning rendition of Miller's graphic novel. As sexist as the source material, true, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. It depends how your read it; and the blokes are not exactly paragons of masculinity. (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/

The Station Agent (US, 2003)

2007-03-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Excellent sample of indie cinema; Bobby Canavale is superb as the friendly guy who won't be put off. A celebration of difference. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340377/

King Kong (US, 2005)

2007-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

While this doesn't improve on the original to get close is an excellent achievement (great dinosaur fight). (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360717/

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

2007-03-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

Gobsmacking. Less action and more philosophy than the first Ghost film. The carnival parade is simply stunning. I missed Major Kusanagi but the ideas (what is going on takes a lot of thought) and visuals more than make up. The dog's amazing (like the film). (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347246/

American Pie (US, 1999)

2007-03-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

One of the funniest American comedies that grossed many critics out. Well it was supposed to. Superbly realisation of the pain and confusion of adolescence. Simply brilliant. (DVD, 3) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163651/

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989, Japan)

2007-03-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

More charm from Miyazaki with a confident shojo (young girl protagonist). Didn't grip me as much as some of his other films but it's great to see the girl saving the boy. (OAR) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097814/

Battle in Heaven (Mexico, 2005)

2007-03-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

A scandal at Cannes; was it because of the hardcore sex (getting passe in arthouse cinema?) or the fact that 2/3rds of the participants are grossly overweight and old. Well whatever it was didn't work for me and the knowledge that the cast were amateurs cast a moral question over the film. Exploited? Maybe. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387055/

Aparajito (India, 1956)

2007-03-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Second of the Ray's Apu trilogy. Fascinating look into a 'coming of age' life in '50s India. Un/surprisingly not so different in the conflicts as a western life now. Superbly done. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048956/

Chinatown (US, 1974)

2007-03-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

One of the great films from the New Hollywood of the early 1970s. Nicholson's superb as the not-quite-with-it Private Dick (don't find Dunaway convincing though) and the tale of corruption at the heart of America resonates. (DVD, 5) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/

A Little Princess (US, 1995)

2007-03-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

A kids' film but... directed by Cuaron. This guy is great. The set design (Cheryl Carasik) is stunning and the direction brilliant. Enjoyed the narrative too. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113670/

Me, You and Everyone We Know (US, 2005)

2007-02-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Bonkers movie that remains engaging because of a marvellous performance by John Hawkes and the satisfyingly loopy plot/character of Miranda July (who also directs). Some of the scenes are edgy and the teenage girls are out of Ghost World; a typical indie movie so see it. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0415978/

Maria Full of Grace (US-Columbia, 2004)

2007-02-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

This received a lot of critical attention when it was released; possibly for the documentary style of the mechanics of being a drug mule. The film's more of a melodrama and an effective one. It may be a little too subtle in not spelling out the exploitation involved in working in the third world (by the first) - the flowers do signify this. Good performances though the direction is routine. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390221/

Crash (US, 2004)

2007-02-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

This was one of those movies that I expected not to be as good 2nd time: the rescue from the burning motor and the 'shooting' of the little girl are not as tense when the outcome is known. Despite this I enjoyed it even more. The startling array of narratives, combined with a refusal to ignore the fact LA (US) is a racist place, makes this a thought-inspiring movie. Superbly shot and acted; must be one of the best films of the decade. (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/

Separate Lies (UK 2005)

2007-02-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

A movie about the marital problems of upper class English people... However this is brilliant. I loved the moral ambiguity; there ain't much 'right and wrong'. The complexity on offer is like life; plus good performances (particularly Wilkinson). An excellent British film! Blimey! (OAR) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369053/

The New World (US, 2005)

2007-02-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

Malick's one of the 'poets' of cinema but I did find some of the camera work irritating in this and the voice over definitely so (couldn't always comprehend it due to sound and meaning). However, you can't ignore Malick (The Thin Red Line is one of my favourite films) and this is worth looking at if only for the extraordinary Q'Orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas. Farrell exudes too much modernity for period drama (though that worked in Alexander). Wonderful opening. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402399/

The Brothers Grimm (UK / Czech Republic / USA, 2005)

2007-02-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Never really hung together. Couldn't seem to decide whether to go for comedy or horror. Should've gone for the former but I guess Python-comedy is dated (it's directed by Gilliam). Some nice sets. (OAR). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355295/

It's All About Love (UK-Denmark et al)

2007-02-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

I got excited about an SF movie from the director of Festen. However... I'm not sure what was going on here; bonkers final image of Ugandans floating up but tied to the earth. Help!? Some nice doppelgangers. (OAR) f

The Devil Wears Prada (US, 2006)

2007-02-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

Serves me right this; bought as a Valentines for the missus. Enjoyed Streep's performance and there's an excellent review in Cineaste. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458352/

Elizabethtown (US, 2005)

2007-02-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

Not much to say about this but it proves Bloom isn't a lead and even the usually excellent Cameron Crowe is fallible. (Cable TV) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368709/

Babel (US-Mexico, 2006)

2007-02-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

Stunning in parts but not sure the parts add up to a whole. However, it's a week since I've seen it and I'm starting to think they do. The Guardian's critic didn't like it so that's a sign that this is an interesting film and there's no doubting the ambition and has to be seen simply for that. A movie that strives to look at the effect of globalisation and its effect on apparently separate peoples. A fascinating, and occasionally disturbing movie. The director and writer are real talents. (Pictureville) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449467/

Akira (Japan, 1988)

2007-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

The film that woke the west to anime. Still stunning visually with the 'usual' mix of philosophical ideas thrown into an action soup. I'm sure, as a westerner, I'm not really getting it. But what I get I like. Goes on a bit though. (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/

Sin City (US, 2005)

2007-02-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

An extraordinary rendition of the graphic novel. Great - too - if you're a fan of noir. Is it sexist? Depends on how you read it. Lots of sexily dressed-good looking women; but they are not victims. They do need a bloke to 'save' them though. Though the blokes are saps. Depends how you read it. (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/

Beau travail (France, 1999)

2007-02-13T03:53:00.000-08:00

I wished I'd scene this in the cinema as the it clearly has a mesmeric quality best absorbed (or being absorbed) in the theatre. Fantastic use of sound. Haunting. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209933/

Laputa - Castle in the Sky (Japan, 1986)

2007-02-13T03:47:00.000-08:00

I find some of Miyazaki's movies a tad long but the longeurs don't last long and so the visual treats and characterisation win the say. This has some fabulous chase scenes (a bit like Steamboy's) in an alternative world 19th century Northern England. Pirates are wonderfully portrayed. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092067/

Joan of Arc (France, 1999)

2007-02-13T03:44:00.000-08:00

This one slipped under my radar and it's not surprising audiences didn't like it - the last 1/2 consists of the heroine being tortured and then burned (I'm not giving anything away am I? You've heard the story?). Actions sequences rarely thrill and while the presentation of Joan as a schizo-type borders on bonkers, Jovovich just pulls it off. Some great visuals and I love Hoffman's turn as the Conscience - spot on on religion. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151137/

Broken Flowers (US, 2005)

2007-02-13T03:41:00.000-08:00

I'll happily admit I don't get Jim Jarmusch (not there's anything difficult going on). Great cast; interesting premise - so why was I bored? Dunno. (OAR) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412019/

Wild Strawberries (Sweden, 1957 )

2007-02-13T03:38:00.001-08:00

This could be Bergman's masterwork. An old miserable geezer gets a road trip down memory lane and finds how he's wasted his life. Miserable? Not really; life affirming 'yes' so watch it. Some creepy dream sequences - nicely surreal. (DVD, 3) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050986/

Jarhead (US, 2005)

2007-02-04T04:27:00.000-08:00

Subject of a typically confused Sight and Sound review: it's different and too conventional. As a genre movie it's bound to use conventions and it's the differences that are interesting (like no one gets to shoot anybody - it's Gulf War 1). Some extremely effective set pieces: the hell of the road out of Basra and the burning oil wells. Great cast and well directed. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418763/

Hostel (US, 2005)

2007-02-04T04:23:00.000-08:00

Heralded as an evolution in horror: gorenography. However, it simply looks like a high production value exploitation movie. Nothing new there then: the drill we've seen before in Driller Killer. Has a few moments; interesting location (allegedly Solvakia). The key point being that it's east (at variation on the American South as the location of the Other). Couldn't make my mind up whether the it was Europe or the Americans who were being critiqued; maybe both or neither. (DVD)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450278/

Ghost World (US, 2001)

2007-02-04T04:18:00.000-08:00

Thora Hird rightly received the plaudits for this; Scarlett Johansson is now the star. Excellent adaptation of the comic satire; sensibly extending its episodic nature with the Steve Buscemi character. Interesting that the US has a thriving counter culture (or is that phrase too '60s?); a reaction against the suffocating mainstream? (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162346/

The Omega Man (US, 1971)

2007-02-02T09:56:00.001-08:00

This has dated badly and Charlton Heston, despite being in a role he probably would've loved as he gets to shoot vermin, can't carry it. The ideas good (the score's execrable) but the film's of interest as it is of its time. Black, afro-ed Rosalind Cash is introduced as being totally unreasonably aggressive; was that how 'black chicks with Afros' were represented in the early '70s? This might make the film seem reactionary but she and Heston do kiss and have sex; if this wasn't the first Hollywood movie to break the miscegenation taboo (enshrined in the Production Code) then it must've been among the first. Also, the love of the zoom lens is apparent; when did directors wean themselves off this? (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/

Belle de Jour (France, 1967)

2007-02-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Bunuel was a great director and this is regarded as a classic but it doesn't do it for me. Denueve's beautiful but only her fantasies, shot as surreal episodes, lighten this rather boring movie about a bored housewife. Too pedestrian for me but Empire gave it 5 stars! (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061395/

Grave of the Fireflies (Japan, 1988)

2007-02-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Blimey! A Studio Ghibli release that should convince anyone that animation ain't necessarily for children; indeed, this isn't for children. Bleak and slowly terrifying. Post-war Japan as it probably was. Fabulous. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/