July is here and with it the biggest films of the Summer. I like Summer blockbusters and this year is much less congested with them, the result being that I actually got to see most of them.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I was a big fan of the first film, I did not watch the cartoon when younger so was new to the whole thing and still very much enjoyed it so went into this film with high expectations (i.e. excitement, explosions, big robot fights and most importantly fun). My expectations were met. The plot is that the Decepticons (bad guys) have a boss called The Fallen who doesn't like humans and wants to destroy the Sun using a lost machine that requires a lost key and the only way he can find these 2 is by using the information that has been implanted into Shia Leboef's head. It's Transformers of course it doesn't make any sense. This films replicates the action and adventure of the first film while having a lot more humour and thus was very entertaining and, despite being almost 2 1/2 hours I enjoyed every minute of it, 9/10.
Year One. Harold Ramis wrote Ghostbusters and directed Groundhog Day, one of the best comedies ever made. How the mighty have fallen. Year One involves Jack Black overacting for all he is worth, Michael Cera doing the best with the material he has been given and a lot of toilet humour. In short not funny or worth seeing, 3/10.
Public Enemies. I am a Michael Mann fan and have been eagerly awaiting this film. While I don't think that Heat is a particularly standout film I was a big fan of Collateral. I also have high expectations when I hear names like Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in the same film. The film deals with the life of the criminal John Dillinger. My first issue with the film is that I have no real knowledge of American 1930s criminals or indeed US domestic politics at the time. The film assumes that you have at least a cursory knowledge of icons such as J. Edgar Hoover. The fact that I didn't meant that it was difficult to put the film in any context. So when America's first war on crime is launched I am not sure why. The other issue with the film is that there is very little to remark upon in the way that there is in Ridley Scott's American Gangster for instance. Dillinger is represented as someone who is good at his job rather than someone who has some outstanding skill or ingenuity in the way Denzel Washington does. Mann also clearly idolises Dillinger despite the fact that he is a criminal. All this comes together to mean that the film is no more than ok, 6/10.
The Taking of Pelham 123. I am generally a fan of this type of thriller but this one take itself a bit too seriously. I did not know the original but this one is clearly trying to create a relationship between the hostage taker and the metro employee similar to the relationship created in Phone Booth or Inside Man. This doesn't quite work though, the film isn't quite enjoyable enough or clever enough, it has one twist which it hints at so many times you have worked it out an hour before it is revealed. The film showed a lot of potential and is not entirely without merit but a much better script was required here, 6/10.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I am a big fan of the Harry Potter films which have been getting better and better. This book was always going to be a hard one to do as it is much more open ended that the rest. It is also a much darker story that the previous ones. In the fourth and fifth films the filmmakers worked to make them a bit darker and more grown up. In this one they actually work to make the film more enjoyable the darkness comes by itself. The acting from the senior members, including a good performance from Jim Broadbent the newest cast member, down to the junior cast is very good. As with the others the film is long and moves at quite a pace to fit everything in. The mystifying moment in the film is when, despite all the scenes that they have had to cut from the book, there is a short and pointless action scene that would have made J.K. Rowling turn in her grave (wait a minute). The purpose of the scene presumably is to keep the audience from getting bored although the film is exciting enough, even without action until the end, that it doesn't need it. Nonetheless the film is funny and exciting and it is difficult to see how the source material could have been produced better, 8/10.
Monday, 31 August 2009
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Films of 2009 so far
It's been a long time since I last did this so I have a lot of catching up to do.
January.
Frost/Nixon. The story of a failing chat show host with little political knowledge attempts to resurrect his career by exacting one of the biggest political confessions of the century out of one of its most controversial political leaders. It is based on a stage play which is a good sign as it generally means that the film will be well written. The downside of this as in Doubt (see later) is that it tends to be a bit dialogue heavy. Frost/Nixon however keeps moving quickly enough that this is not noticeable and the result is a collection of little known but very good actors coming together weaving a web of intrigue and manipulation using each other for entirely self seeking ends. This is apart from Frost's political researchers who want to give Nixon the "trial he never had" on behalf of the American people. The film is mainly about Frost who is brilliantly portrayed by Michael Sheen who likes flamboyant parties and is very light hearted and gradually learns just how much is at stake and how much he is overmatched. 10/10
Australia. Baz Luhrmann's attempt to produce a wartime epic was treated unfairly but the critics. The film is split in two with no real link between the halves which is its real weakness. Also the way he attempts to reproduce a genre of film that is now antiquated and clashes with all the action and special effects used in the film was a waste of time. Having said that Baz Luhrmann is about about light-heartedness, romance fun. We get all this Baz Luhrmann (excepting Romeo and Juliet) makes films that are very enjoyable, Moulin Rouge's problem was the tragedy as it clashed with the enjoyment in the rest of the film. There are no such problems here. Not the greatest film but very enjoyable, 7/10.
Defiance. Ed Zwick takes on World War II. One of my favourite directors returns with a little known true story of 3 Belarusian Jewish brothers who protect hundreds of Jews during the war. Defiance is an interesting film telling a very compelling story. The three lead characters, particularly Daniel Craig, give strong performances but support is also very good. The weakness of this film is that it is very episodic and there is little overarching narrative making explaining the story very difficult. There is also little in terms of context ever explained so we never know at what stage of the war everything is taking place in. Still very good, 8/10
Slumdog Millionaire. Danny Boyle is very much attempting to be a modern day Kubrick making films in every genre. This, his take on Bollywood, comes across very well. The narrative structure of him explaining his life story to the police when he is being accused of cheating is very interesting. The story is very moving and the characters are well acted. Danny Boyle has always performed his best when dealing with darker topics and making the more harrowing, horrific, depressing films and his missteps have come when he has tried to make comedy. As a result this film goes very dark when narrating the plight of Indian orphans which, for me, was just too depressing for a film that was essentially a modern day fairy tail. Having said that that is the one problem in an otherwise excellent film, 9/10.
Milk. This film was all about Sean Penn, who produces a fantastic performance, and James Franco who is also very good. This film also suffers from a lack of real storyline and focuses on the personal life of Harvey Milk rather than his political struggle to the extent that when he is killed at the end you don't quite know why. The film leaves you with the impression that gay people are gay but you don't quite know how he fought or who he was fighting against half of the time. Time also passes at an inconsistent rate without you really knowing quite what happens in the meantime, 5/10.
Valkyrie. Alfred Hitchcock said that the secret to making a good film is a good script, a good script and a good script. This is what Valkyrie lacks. Bryan Singer's career has stalled recently due to the fact that he keeps making films with a poor script. This film brings together one of the best casts you are likely to see on screen but the main character is so badly written that Tom Cruise can't do much with it. Kenneth Branagh does a great job early on but disappears after the first 20 minutes which is a real loss. The film does hold tension quite well however and the ending is sad but there is no way of avoiding that and I actually wanted them to succeed which is something, 6/10.
February
The Spirit. Frank Miller makes the move from writing to directing and you can tell tha he is no film maker. The film is obviously in a set, the lighting and the contrast looks quite good but is clearly appealing to the comic book fans who are a small minority. The saving grace of the film is Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson who play off each other very well. The film is very tongue ion cheek and the banter between the two villains is very enjoyable, 6/10.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. The first Underworld film was very good but the terrible second film meant that a prequel was the only way to keep the franchise going. Visually the film is fantastic but the storyline we have heard before in the first one and the writers clearly have not heard of the concept of characters, 3/10.
Bolt. The lesson that no one seems to have yet learned from Pixar and Shrek is that there is a positive correlation between jokes and success of animated films. Bolt sacrifices all its good characters and concepts after the first half hour for a friendship between a cat and a dog which gets boring after the first 5 seconds. The concept is not original and the first half hour results in making you wonder what the film would have been like if we had just watched the tv show he was a star of instead as it looked better, 6/10.
Doubt. Another film of a stage play designed entirely to win Oscars. Meryl Streep is brilliant but doing what she did in Devil Wears Prada and other films. There is nothing new in that performance. Philip Seymour Hoffmann is very good as is Amy Adams who plays innocence so well. Viola Davis is good but her 5 minutes on screen in my opinion do not merit the nominations she received for it. Still a good film, 7/10.
The Secret of Moonacre. Once again that thing about a good script. The story wasn't great, there was no excitement and there's only so much a good cast can do, 4/10.
Franklyn. These types of films with interlinking storylines can work very well if the storylines interlink correctly (e.g. Vantage Point). The problems with Franklyn are that the Eva Green storyline doesn't link with the rest her sole connection to the story is that she owns a flat, everything else that happens to her is coincidental and a distraction from the rest of the film. The other problem with Franklyn is that the superhero part of the film is too good. The imagery and characters are perfect and I would rather it had been real and I was watching this film rather than what had been actually made, 7/10.
The International. Conspiracy thrillers need 3 things, a conspiracy, thrills and a good idea, something original, a twist, something to make the film interesting. The international has enough of the first 2 to be watchable but nothing original or surprising to be actually interesting, 6/10
March
Watchmen. The most anticipated film of the year so far and one that I had been looking forward to. This is a film based on what is considered the best graphic novel of all time, however graphic novels still don't have that many fans in relation to the entire population. This means that when you make a film don't get a director who reveres the material too much to make necessary changes. Having read the graphic novel I can say that the sex scenes are not necessary and could benefit from the odd joke to break up its intensity. The film is directed by Zach Snyder who gained attention with his remake of Dawn of the Dead which, while packed with tension and frights, ultimately was one of the most depressing films ever made (according to Empire magazine) and he followed this up with 300 which looked fantastic but took itself too seriously and did not have quite the sense of fun that would have made it into a great film. As a consequence, while being well acted and visually fantastic, Watchmen is too violent, too serious and not as much fun as what may be one of the best trailers of all time made it look. 6/10.
The Damned United. Football films, and most sports films in general, have a tradition of not being very good and all having the same plot. This film, however is not really about football but about the characters of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, both expertly acted by Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. The film is about ambition and rivalry almost destroying Clough's career and friendship with Peter Taylor. The film is very good, Brian Clough the flawed hero who we warm to but is clearly very flawed and makes mistakes. The film is moving yet very funny in places and is very well acted all round, retaining a quintessentially British flavour, 8/10.
Duplicity. This film from Tony Gilroy, who gained critical acclaim for he incredibly overrated Michael Clayton, was clearly intended to be his Ocean's 11. The film is a tongue in cheek espionage crime thriller which is very entertaining to watch and has an interesting twist at the end. With some very over the top characters, [particularly Paul Giamatti|) the film is very entertaining. The two problems with the film is that it is not quite as slick cool or appealing as Ocean's 11 and also that Clive Owen can't do comedy he always comes across as too serious, can't handle the comedy lines and it is clear that the part was written for George Clooney. The film is still quite entertaining, 7/10.
April
The Boat That Rocked. Richard Curtis moving away from his traditional romantic comedy to explore his love of music written before I was born. This film is about a pirate radio station on a boat in the North sea and the no consequences lifestyle they live. The film has some very entertaining moments and is by and large well acted. However it represents the problem of post-modern filmmaking in that there are moments where amorality is clearly wrong but there are no consequences for it. Also despite Richard Curtis making a film about a vaguely at one time real issue he still feels free to make the government look evil and out of touch which just doesn't work, 5/10.
Monsters vs. Aliens. This film learns the lesson that Bolt didn't that comedy can cover a multitude of errors. This film makes reference to almost ever sci-fi film ever made, and goes at a very high jokes per minute ratio with the high points, particularly the dancing president, the result being that the kids have as much fun as the adults. The one problem with the film is that the romance that is there ends up not working. Monsters Inc., the Incredibles, Shreck, Wall-E and all the successful CGI films have their romantic moments this film doesn't and it is its one failing, 9/10.
In the Loop. To make a successful comedy you need more that one idea. In the Loop has one idea which is Peter Capaldi's foul mouthed spin doctor. The result is too much swearing, not enough wit, the film is either too scared or not allowed to make references to real politicians or mention Iraq (I couldn't work out which)and is now 6 years out of date on what it is talking about, 5/10.
State of Play. Good British Tv ideas tend to get messed up by lax morals and characters sleeping together distracting from the story. State of Play works because they cut all that out to focus on the actual story that works well. Good acting from both Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck and an intriguing twisting story make for a good film. The best part about the series was Bill Nighy's editor who is replaced by Helen Mirren who simply can't do it as well, bringing Nighy back would have made such a difference, 8/10.
Dragonball: Evolution. I went in with low expectations and they weren't met, 3/10.
May
Coraline. The Nightmare Before Christmas was credited to Tim Burton although Henry Selick actually directed it and I suspect that the film's success was as much to do with the talent of Selick as the talent of Burton (also explaining why the Corpse Bride wasn't as good). Coraline has the right ingredients of story, humour and characters. It does the right things, you like the right people and are scared of the right people. The problem with Coraline is the mixture, the funny characters aren't funny enough, they don't lighten the mood enough (and it definitely needs lightening) and the scary parts are too scary. Coraline suffers the same failing as the Nightmare Before Christmas in that it works better for adults than for children. Coraline is a children’s film but it too scary and there is too much tension, the failings are on the right side but a children's film that is not suitable for under 8s (at least) is a problem, 7/10.
Star Trek. Re-inventing the cultiest of cult programs for the 21st Century and the mainstream was a massive risk and not one that most people could have got away with. JJ Abrams, however, is an exception. The man who created Lost and made the monster movie into a sensation with Cloverfield understands the public psyche and what people want. Consequently Star Trek works. It manages to make Star Trek accessible to uninitiated while having references for fans, it balances adventure with comedy, actions with character development and most importantly is first and foremost entertainment. Consequently you leave the cinema having had a great time, 9/10.
X-Men Origins - Wolverine. The X-Men films never quite reached their potential, they wasted the characters rather than developing them. As a consequence this way of resurrecting the franchise might have worked. However, Wolverine not only fails to answer most of the questions (like why does he stop ageing when he becomes Hugh Jackman) and only uses the old film clichés (his brother is good, no bad , no good but the military are bad bad bad...sorry rant over). The film is quite well made but the script isn't up to scratch. The director was someone who I considered had the potential to make good films, Gavin Hood having already made Tsoti and Rendition. But he showed in this that he only knows how to make serious films and has no idea how to make a film enjoyable. As a consequence Wolverine is serious overbearing and not very good, 5/10.
Angels and Demons. The Da Vinci Code was so bad that normally I would consider there to be no point in making a sequel. However, Ron Howard is a great director and Tom Hanks can act when he puts his mind to it. So giving them a second chance to get it right I can understand. The film is a vast improvement. It helps that people have now realised that the material of Dan Brown contains no factual value. The Da Vinci Code tried to be serious claiming that its material was true and that detracted from the adventure of the film. This film knows that the idea is a load of tripe and has lots of Tom Hanks running about with a brief pause to blurt out meaningless drivel. However, this time they know that it is meaningless drivel and the actors are enjoying themselves. The film moves at a faster pace and as a result the film is very enjoyable. It falls foul of the Hollywood cliché that the actor you recognise is the bad guy but for all that the film is more interested in giving you an hour and a half of fun than convincing you that there really is a conspiracy to destroy the Vatican which is a breath of fresh air after the first one and makes for a much better film, 7/10.
June
Red Cliff. Chinese films, at least the ones that make it over here, have a habit of looking fantastic, being incredibly serious (or the jokes don't translate), being very long and having very poor storylines. Enter John Woo returning to directing a Chinese film. Consequently what we have is a film with no characters, only the vaguest pretence at a storyline and lots of fighting, in other words what John Woo normally does. The issue with Red Cliff is that it tries to have a story and characters, neither of which work, there is too much fighting and the film is so long that it drags, at an hour and a half I think I would have enjoyed it at two and a half I got bored, 6/10.
Night at the Museum 2. Why anyone ever thought this concept would work as a film I will never know. The first film was bad, this film improves but not enough. Ben Stiller seems to have made a career out of making vaguely funny films with celebrity pals stealing the show. This worked with Tropic Thunder but this time the celebrity pals aren't funny enough, the story doesn't have much to it and yes the films has its moments but by and large is very mediocre, 5/10.
Terminator: Salvation. What do you expect? This isn't going to be a serious, let’s explore characters film, all it was ever going to be was machine fights, special effects and visuals. The film has just enough of a plot to keep going although it is never very coherent. The action is good and there is a lot of it. The finale is exactly what a Terminator film should have (a human vs. robot fight in a factory) and the film has some laughs. The filmmakers try to have fun, the action sequences are a selection of shots from "my favourite war films shots" and there is some enjoyable dialogue including the line "I'll be back", great fun, 7/10.
January.
Frost/Nixon. The story of a failing chat show host with little political knowledge attempts to resurrect his career by exacting one of the biggest political confessions of the century out of one of its most controversial political leaders. It is based on a stage play which is a good sign as it generally means that the film will be well written. The downside of this as in Doubt (see later) is that it tends to be a bit dialogue heavy. Frost/Nixon however keeps moving quickly enough that this is not noticeable and the result is a collection of little known but very good actors coming together weaving a web of intrigue and manipulation using each other for entirely self seeking ends. This is apart from Frost's political researchers who want to give Nixon the "trial he never had" on behalf of the American people. The film is mainly about Frost who is brilliantly portrayed by Michael Sheen who likes flamboyant parties and is very light hearted and gradually learns just how much is at stake and how much he is overmatched. 10/10
Australia. Baz Luhrmann's attempt to produce a wartime epic was treated unfairly but the critics. The film is split in two with no real link between the halves which is its real weakness. Also the way he attempts to reproduce a genre of film that is now antiquated and clashes with all the action and special effects used in the film was a waste of time. Having said that Baz Luhrmann is about about light-heartedness, romance fun. We get all this Baz Luhrmann (excepting Romeo and Juliet) makes films that are very enjoyable, Moulin Rouge's problem was the tragedy as it clashed with the enjoyment in the rest of the film. There are no such problems here. Not the greatest film but very enjoyable, 7/10.
Defiance. Ed Zwick takes on World War II. One of my favourite directors returns with a little known true story of 3 Belarusian Jewish brothers who protect hundreds of Jews during the war. Defiance is an interesting film telling a very compelling story. The three lead characters, particularly Daniel Craig, give strong performances but support is also very good. The weakness of this film is that it is very episodic and there is little overarching narrative making explaining the story very difficult. There is also little in terms of context ever explained so we never know at what stage of the war everything is taking place in. Still very good, 8/10
Slumdog Millionaire. Danny Boyle is very much attempting to be a modern day Kubrick making films in every genre. This, his take on Bollywood, comes across very well. The narrative structure of him explaining his life story to the police when he is being accused of cheating is very interesting. The story is very moving and the characters are well acted. Danny Boyle has always performed his best when dealing with darker topics and making the more harrowing, horrific, depressing films and his missteps have come when he has tried to make comedy. As a result this film goes very dark when narrating the plight of Indian orphans which, for me, was just too depressing for a film that was essentially a modern day fairy tail. Having said that that is the one problem in an otherwise excellent film, 9/10.
Milk. This film was all about Sean Penn, who produces a fantastic performance, and James Franco who is also very good. This film also suffers from a lack of real storyline and focuses on the personal life of Harvey Milk rather than his political struggle to the extent that when he is killed at the end you don't quite know why. The film leaves you with the impression that gay people are gay but you don't quite know how he fought or who he was fighting against half of the time. Time also passes at an inconsistent rate without you really knowing quite what happens in the meantime, 5/10.
Valkyrie. Alfred Hitchcock said that the secret to making a good film is a good script, a good script and a good script. This is what Valkyrie lacks. Bryan Singer's career has stalled recently due to the fact that he keeps making films with a poor script. This film brings together one of the best casts you are likely to see on screen but the main character is so badly written that Tom Cruise can't do much with it. Kenneth Branagh does a great job early on but disappears after the first 20 minutes which is a real loss. The film does hold tension quite well however and the ending is sad but there is no way of avoiding that and I actually wanted them to succeed which is something, 6/10.
February
The Spirit. Frank Miller makes the move from writing to directing and you can tell tha he is no film maker. The film is obviously in a set, the lighting and the contrast looks quite good but is clearly appealing to the comic book fans who are a small minority. The saving grace of the film is Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson who play off each other very well. The film is very tongue ion cheek and the banter between the two villains is very enjoyable, 6/10.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. The first Underworld film was very good but the terrible second film meant that a prequel was the only way to keep the franchise going. Visually the film is fantastic but the storyline we have heard before in the first one and the writers clearly have not heard of the concept of characters, 3/10.
Bolt. The lesson that no one seems to have yet learned from Pixar and Shrek is that there is a positive correlation between jokes and success of animated films. Bolt sacrifices all its good characters and concepts after the first half hour for a friendship between a cat and a dog which gets boring after the first 5 seconds. The concept is not original and the first half hour results in making you wonder what the film would have been like if we had just watched the tv show he was a star of instead as it looked better, 6/10.
Doubt. Another film of a stage play designed entirely to win Oscars. Meryl Streep is brilliant but doing what she did in Devil Wears Prada and other films. There is nothing new in that performance. Philip Seymour Hoffmann is very good as is Amy Adams who plays innocence so well. Viola Davis is good but her 5 minutes on screen in my opinion do not merit the nominations she received for it. Still a good film, 7/10.
The Secret of Moonacre. Once again that thing about a good script. The story wasn't great, there was no excitement and there's only so much a good cast can do, 4/10.
Franklyn. These types of films with interlinking storylines can work very well if the storylines interlink correctly (e.g. Vantage Point). The problems with Franklyn are that the Eva Green storyline doesn't link with the rest her sole connection to the story is that she owns a flat, everything else that happens to her is coincidental and a distraction from the rest of the film. The other problem with Franklyn is that the superhero part of the film is too good. The imagery and characters are perfect and I would rather it had been real and I was watching this film rather than what had been actually made, 7/10.
The International. Conspiracy thrillers need 3 things, a conspiracy, thrills and a good idea, something original, a twist, something to make the film interesting. The international has enough of the first 2 to be watchable but nothing original or surprising to be actually interesting, 6/10
March
Watchmen. The most anticipated film of the year so far and one that I had been looking forward to. This is a film based on what is considered the best graphic novel of all time, however graphic novels still don't have that many fans in relation to the entire population. This means that when you make a film don't get a director who reveres the material too much to make necessary changes. Having read the graphic novel I can say that the sex scenes are not necessary and could benefit from the odd joke to break up its intensity. The film is directed by Zach Snyder who gained attention with his remake of Dawn of the Dead which, while packed with tension and frights, ultimately was one of the most depressing films ever made (according to Empire magazine) and he followed this up with 300 which looked fantastic but took itself too seriously and did not have quite the sense of fun that would have made it into a great film. As a consequence, while being well acted and visually fantastic, Watchmen is too violent, too serious and not as much fun as what may be one of the best trailers of all time made it look. 6/10.
The Damned United. Football films, and most sports films in general, have a tradition of not being very good and all having the same plot. This film, however is not really about football but about the characters of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, both expertly acted by Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. The film is about ambition and rivalry almost destroying Clough's career and friendship with Peter Taylor. The film is very good, Brian Clough the flawed hero who we warm to but is clearly very flawed and makes mistakes. The film is moving yet very funny in places and is very well acted all round, retaining a quintessentially British flavour, 8/10.
Duplicity. This film from Tony Gilroy, who gained critical acclaim for he incredibly overrated Michael Clayton, was clearly intended to be his Ocean's 11. The film is a tongue in cheek espionage crime thriller which is very entertaining to watch and has an interesting twist at the end. With some very over the top characters, [particularly Paul Giamatti|) the film is very entertaining. The two problems with the film is that it is not quite as slick cool or appealing as Ocean's 11 and also that Clive Owen can't do comedy he always comes across as too serious, can't handle the comedy lines and it is clear that the part was written for George Clooney. The film is still quite entertaining, 7/10.
April
The Boat That Rocked. Richard Curtis moving away from his traditional romantic comedy to explore his love of music written before I was born. This film is about a pirate radio station on a boat in the North sea and the no consequences lifestyle they live. The film has some very entertaining moments and is by and large well acted. However it represents the problem of post-modern filmmaking in that there are moments where amorality is clearly wrong but there are no consequences for it. Also despite Richard Curtis making a film about a vaguely at one time real issue he still feels free to make the government look evil and out of touch which just doesn't work, 5/10.
Monsters vs. Aliens. This film learns the lesson that Bolt didn't that comedy can cover a multitude of errors. This film makes reference to almost ever sci-fi film ever made, and goes at a very high jokes per minute ratio with the high points, particularly the dancing president, the result being that the kids have as much fun as the adults. The one problem with the film is that the romance that is there ends up not working. Monsters Inc., the Incredibles, Shreck, Wall-E and all the successful CGI films have their romantic moments this film doesn't and it is its one failing, 9/10.
In the Loop. To make a successful comedy you need more that one idea. In the Loop has one idea which is Peter Capaldi's foul mouthed spin doctor. The result is too much swearing, not enough wit, the film is either too scared or not allowed to make references to real politicians or mention Iraq (I couldn't work out which)and is now 6 years out of date on what it is talking about, 5/10.
State of Play. Good British Tv ideas tend to get messed up by lax morals and characters sleeping together distracting from the story. State of Play works because they cut all that out to focus on the actual story that works well. Good acting from both Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck and an intriguing twisting story make for a good film. The best part about the series was Bill Nighy's editor who is replaced by Helen Mirren who simply can't do it as well, bringing Nighy back would have made such a difference, 8/10.
Dragonball: Evolution. I went in with low expectations and they weren't met, 3/10.
May
Coraline. The Nightmare Before Christmas was credited to Tim Burton although Henry Selick actually directed it and I suspect that the film's success was as much to do with the talent of Selick as the talent of Burton (also explaining why the Corpse Bride wasn't as good). Coraline has the right ingredients of story, humour and characters. It does the right things, you like the right people and are scared of the right people. The problem with Coraline is the mixture, the funny characters aren't funny enough, they don't lighten the mood enough (and it definitely needs lightening) and the scary parts are too scary. Coraline suffers the same failing as the Nightmare Before Christmas in that it works better for adults than for children. Coraline is a children’s film but it too scary and there is too much tension, the failings are on the right side but a children's film that is not suitable for under 8s (at least) is a problem, 7/10.
Star Trek. Re-inventing the cultiest of cult programs for the 21st Century and the mainstream was a massive risk and not one that most people could have got away with. JJ Abrams, however, is an exception. The man who created Lost and made the monster movie into a sensation with Cloverfield understands the public psyche and what people want. Consequently Star Trek works. It manages to make Star Trek accessible to uninitiated while having references for fans, it balances adventure with comedy, actions with character development and most importantly is first and foremost entertainment. Consequently you leave the cinema having had a great time, 9/10.
X-Men Origins - Wolverine. The X-Men films never quite reached their potential, they wasted the characters rather than developing them. As a consequence this way of resurrecting the franchise might have worked. However, Wolverine not only fails to answer most of the questions (like why does he stop ageing when he becomes Hugh Jackman) and only uses the old film clichés (his brother is good, no bad , no good but the military are bad bad bad...sorry rant over). The film is quite well made but the script isn't up to scratch. The director was someone who I considered had the potential to make good films, Gavin Hood having already made Tsoti and Rendition. But he showed in this that he only knows how to make serious films and has no idea how to make a film enjoyable. As a consequence Wolverine is serious overbearing and not very good, 5/10.
Angels and Demons. The Da Vinci Code was so bad that normally I would consider there to be no point in making a sequel. However, Ron Howard is a great director and Tom Hanks can act when he puts his mind to it. So giving them a second chance to get it right I can understand. The film is a vast improvement. It helps that people have now realised that the material of Dan Brown contains no factual value. The Da Vinci Code tried to be serious claiming that its material was true and that detracted from the adventure of the film. This film knows that the idea is a load of tripe and has lots of Tom Hanks running about with a brief pause to blurt out meaningless drivel. However, this time they know that it is meaningless drivel and the actors are enjoying themselves. The film moves at a faster pace and as a result the film is very enjoyable. It falls foul of the Hollywood cliché that the actor you recognise is the bad guy but for all that the film is more interested in giving you an hour and a half of fun than convincing you that there really is a conspiracy to destroy the Vatican which is a breath of fresh air after the first one and makes for a much better film, 7/10.
June
Red Cliff. Chinese films, at least the ones that make it over here, have a habit of looking fantastic, being incredibly serious (or the jokes don't translate), being very long and having very poor storylines. Enter John Woo returning to directing a Chinese film. Consequently what we have is a film with no characters, only the vaguest pretence at a storyline and lots of fighting, in other words what John Woo normally does. The issue with Red Cliff is that it tries to have a story and characters, neither of which work, there is too much fighting and the film is so long that it drags, at an hour and a half I think I would have enjoyed it at two and a half I got bored, 6/10.
Night at the Museum 2. Why anyone ever thought this concept would work as a film I will never know. The first film was bad, this film improves but not enough. Ben Stiller seems to have made a career out of making vaguely funny films with celebrity pals stealing the show. This worked with Tropic Thunder but this time the celebrity pals aren't funny enough, the story doesn't have much to it and yes the films has its moments but by and large is very mediocre, 5/10.
Terminator: Salvation. What do you expect? This isn't going to be a serious, let’s explore characters film, all it was ever going to be was machine fights, special effects and visuals. The film has just enough of a plot to keep going although it is never very coherent. The action is good and there is a lot of it. The finale is exactly what a Terminator film should have (a human vs. robot fight in a factory) and the film has some laughs. The filmmakers try to have fun, the action sequences are a selection of shots from "my favourite war films shots" and there is some enjoyable dialogue including the line "I'll be back", great fun, 7/10.
Pete Awards
The winners are:
Best Music:The Dark Knight
This was a close one as none of the scores this year were outstanding but this score did the job to crteate a superb atmosphere for the film.
Best Screenplay: Frost/Nixon
This was a hard one as a number of films were well written, the twist at the end of Eagle Eye amonst won me over but the superb Frost/Nixon gets it.
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Another very competitive field but I cannot avoid jumping on the bandwagon as Heath Ledger was simply astounding in the role.
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams - Doubt
Not a great crop of performances this year but Amy Adams portrays innocence better than anyone in Hollywood and deserves recognition for hoding her own alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Best Actor: Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon
This one was so close I could have given it to any one on the list but Michael Sheen gave a brilliant portrayal of David Frost who as someone who is English and in their 20s I am more familiar with than Richard Nixon.
Best Actress: Christina Ricci - Speed Racer
Probably the best comedy actress in the world but gets little recognition. With little to do in the film she managed to give a great performance.
Best Director: Andrew Stanton - Wall-E
The director doesn't get enough recognition in animated films and Wall-E was successful in a large part due to superb directing.
Best Film: Frost/Nixon
A brilliant film. Just pipped Changeling, my film of 2008, at the post for best film. Slumdog millionaire, while good just had a few too many moments like the rape scene that it didn't need that just detracted from my enjoyment of it very slightly.
Best Music:The Dark Knight
This was a close one as none of the scores this year were outstanding but this score did the job to crteate a superb atmosphere for the film.
Best Screenplay: Frost/Nixon
This was a hard one as a number of films were well written, the twist at the end of Eagle Eye amonst won me over but the superb Frost/Nixon gets it.
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Another very competitive field but I cannot avoid jumping on the bandwagon as Heath Ledger was simply astounding in the role.
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams - Doubt
Not a great crop of performances this year but Amy Adams portrays innocence better than anyone in Hollywood and deserves recognition for hoding her own alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Best Actor: Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon
This one was so close I could have given it to any one on the list but Michael Sheen gave a brilliant portrayal of David Frost who as someone who is English and in their 20s I am more familiar with than Richard Nixon.
Best Actress: Christina Ricci - Speed Racer
Probably the best comedy actress in the world but gets little recognition. With little to do in the film she managed to give a great performance.
Best Director: Andrew Stanton - Wall-E
The director doesn't get enough recognition in animated films and Wall-E was successful in a large part due to superb directing.
Best Film: Frost/Nixon
A brilliant film. Just pipped Changeling, my film of 2008, at the post for best film. Slumdog millionaire, while good just had a few too many moments like the rape scene that it didn't need that just detracted from my enjoyment of it very slightly.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Awards
It's approaching the end of the 2009 awards season so I thought I would give my own awards creatively entitled the Petes. There are 8 categories in the Petes, the nominations are as folows:
Best Film:
Changeling
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Speed Racer
Best Director:
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
The Wachowski Brothers - Speed Racer
Sir Ridley Scott - Body of Lies
Andrew Stanton - Wall-E
Baz Luhrmann - Australia
Best Actress:
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Nicole Kidman - Australia
Christina Ricci - Speed Racer
Rebecca Hall - Frost/Nixon
Best Actor:
Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon
Frank Langella - Frost Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams - Doubt
Georgie Henley - Prince Caspian
Gwyneth Paltrow - Iron Man
Alexa Davalos - Defiance
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Kenneth Branagh - Valkyrie
Matthew Macfayden - Frost/Nixon
Madhur Mittal - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Screenplay:
Speed Racer
Wall-E
Frost/Nixon
Eagle Eye
Changeling
Best Music:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Changeling
The Dark Knight
Wall-E
Defiance
To sum up the nominations count is: Frost/Nixon 7, Changeling 4, Wall-E 4, Speed Racer 4, Slumdog Millionaire 3, Australia 2, Doubt 2, Tropic Thunder 2, The Dark Knight 2, Defiance 2, Eagle Eye 1, Body of Lies 1, Prince Caspian 1, Iron Man 1, Milk 1, The Reader 1, Valkyrie 1 and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 1.
The Awards Announcement will be made just before the Oscars.
Best Film:
Changeling
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Speed Racer
Best Director:
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
The Wachowski Brothers - Speed Racer
Sir Ridley Scott - Body of Lies
Andrew Stanton - Wall-E
Baz Luhrmann - Australia
Best Actress:
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Nicole Kidman - Australia
Christina Ricci - Speed Racer
Rebecca Hall - Frost/Nixon
Best Actor:
Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon
Frank Langella - Frost Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams - Doubt
Georgie Henley - Prince Caspian
Gwyneth Paltrow - Iron Man
Alexa Davalos - Defiance
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Kenneth Branagh - Valkyrie
Matthew Macfayden - Frost/Nixon
Madhur Mittal - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Screenplay:
Speed Racer
Wall-E
Frost/Nixon
Eagle Eye
Changeling
Best Music:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Changeling
The Dark Knight
Wall-E
Defiance
To sum up the nominations count is: Frost/Nixon 7, Changeling 4, Wall-E 4, Speed Racer 4, Slumdog Millionaire 3, Australia 2, Doubt 2, Tropic Thunder 2, The Dark Knight 2, Defiance 2, Eagle Eye 1, Body of Lies 1, Prince Caspian 1, Iron Man 1, Milk 1, The Reader 1, Valkyrie 1 and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 1.
The Awards Announcement will be made just before the Oscars.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
December Films
Changeling. I was rather apprehensive about this film. I have not been a particular fan of Clint Eastwood as a director, not that his films are bad necessarily, but I have not thought that they are as good as they have been made out. Changeling, however, is different. The story is that a single mother (Angelina Jolie) comes home from work to discover that her son is missing. She informs the police who undertake a high profile search for her son and return to her a boy who is not her son. She complains at this and is not believed by the police to the extent that she is committed at one point to an asylum. The only person that believes her is the pastor of a Presbyterian church, played by John Malkovich, who has made it his mission in life to seek out injustice and defend those who cannot defend themselves. It is refreshing, especially as it is based on a true story, to see a film where the church is a good guy. The film paints a good representation of how the church should be acting in society. It is at times harrowing, heart warming and inspiring, with great performances from both Jolie and Malkovich who doesn't get nearly enough work. One of the best films of the year, 9/10.
Inkheart. I like fantasy films but most recent attempts have been very hit and miss. Aside from the Narnia and Harry Potter franchises (and obviously Lord of the Rings) the rest of the fantasy films have been uninspiring. Inkheart has the advantage, however, of an interesting cast with Brendan Fraser who is always entertaining, Paul Bettany a great actor with an impressive range and Jim Broadbent to name a few. The story is that there are people who read books and the characters in the book come out of the book into the real world and people in the real world have to go back into the book to replace them. Brendan Fraser is one of these people who reads the villain out of a fantasy book called Inkheart and his wife is taken into the book to replace him. The film tells the story of him trying to defeat the villain and get his wife back. There are 3 rules for this type of film, make it entertaining, make it entertaining and make it entertaining. This film does it well. There is humour, brilliant visuals and interesting characters. As entertaining family friendly films go you could do a lot worse, 7/10.
The Transporter 3. The first 2 Transporter films were stylish adrenaline fuelled thrillers with action sequences that defy the laws of physics and Jason Statham. The weaknesses of those 2 films were that they lacked plot and didn't always provide enough humour to grease the wheels. Having lost the director of the first 2, he went to direct the Incredible Hulk, the new director is not a step down. The story is that Jason Statham is kidnapped and forced to take a package across Europe with a girl to guide him. It turns out the girl has been kidnapped and she is the package. The plot then is once again weak but it allows for enough changing scenery and different characters to keep the film interesting. The film takes a more light hearted tone that the previous 2 allowing for maximum enjoyment and the result is a forgettable film that makes for a very enjoyable 90 minutes, 6/10.
The Day the Earth Stood Still. A remake/update of the 1950s film that I don't expect anyone has seen. The idea is that a representative of a group of alien planets comes to Earth to tell humans that their actions are destroying the planet and unless they change they will be annihilated. One of the most visually stunning films of the year with a strong cast and a simple message. The script struggles from not adequately investing in the main characters to make you care about them. Also to give the film more family appeal the main character has a child to take care of. The child succeeds only in being annoying and detracts from the story rather than adding to it. The film is also more concerned with the message than the story consequently nothing much actually happens. Nonetheless an enjoyable film, 6/10.
Tales of Despereaux. I was attracted to this film by a line in the trailer "there are lots of things in the world to be afraid of if you learn how scary they are." The story is a fairy tale about a land that lives and breathes for soup until one day the queen dies as a result of discovering a rat in her soup. Soup is henceforth banned and the land lives under a perpetual cloud and everyone is very depressed and a small mouse called Despereaux has to save the day. The film starts off with some humour and some absurd ideas that I could accept in the name of comedy, however, the film soon forgets about the comedy wanting to tell its complex but heart warming story. The result being that the film quite quickly gets boring. The story requires an element of comedy in the film to make it acceptable yet the script clearly wants to be serious and consequently the film fails to work as a whole, 4/10.
Madagascar 2. I disliked the first film on the basis that it forgot to make you laugh after the first half hour (excluding the penguins) and instead focused on its story which really wasn't very good. The second film once again starts well. The story is that the animals want to go back to their zoo in New York and the penguins fix a crashed plane to get them home. The plane runs out of petrol and crash lands in mainland Africa by some incredible quirk of fate right by where the lion was taken from as a cub. The film keeps up the laughs by introducing a number of new characters. Anyone who is above the age of 8 will have realised that Sacha Baron Cohen's lemur isn't funny but as the rest are it is ok. The film goes all out for laughs which is exactly spot on as the story which turns out to be the Lion King in a different wrapper is once again weak but is only used as an interlude between the laughs. The other weakness of the film is the voice talent. Ben Stiller and Chris Rock are innocuous at best in their roles. DreamWorks need to take a leaf from the Pixar book that well known actors don't always make a good voice cast. The Incredibles had an almost entirely unknown cast and it worked because the voices worked. These problems are only small but they are the difference between a good film and a great film. They are why Madagascar 2 is an enjoyable watch but is not competing with Pixar, 7/10.
Inkheart. I like fantasy films but most recent attempts have been very hit and miss. Aside from the Narnia and Harry Potter franchises (and obviously Lord of the Rings) the rest of the fantasy films have been uninspiring. Inkheart has the advantage, however, of an interesting cast with Brendan Fraser who is always entertaining, Paul Bettany a great actor with an impressive range and Jim Broadbent to name a few. The story is that there are people who read books and the characters in the book come out of the book into the real world and people in the real world have to go back into the book to replace them. Brendan Fraser is one of these people who reads the villain out of a fantasy book called Inkheart and his wife is taken into the book to replace him. The film tells the story of him trying to defeat the villain and get his wife back. There are 3 rules for this type of film, make it entertaining, make it entertaining and make it entertaining. This film does it well. There is humour, brilliant visuals and interesting characters. As entertaining family friendly films go you could do a lot worse, 7/10.
The Transporter 3. The first 2 Transporter films were stylish adrenaline fuelled thrillers with action sequences that defy the laws of physics and Jason Statham. The weaknesses of those 2 films were that they lacked plot and didn't always provide enough humour to grease the wheels. Having lost the director of the first 2, he went to direct the Incredible Hulk, the new director is not a step down. The story is that Jason Statham is kidnapped and forced to take a package across Europe with a girl to guide him. It turns out the girl has been kidnapped and she is the package. The plot then is once again weak but it allows for enough changing scenery and different characters to keep the film interesting. The film takes a more light hearted tone that the previous 2 allowing for maximum enjoyment and the result is a forgettable film that makes for a very enjoyable 90 minutes, 6/10.
The Day the Earth Stood Still. A remake/update of the 1950s film that I don't expect anyone has seen. The idea is that a representative of a group of alien planets comes to Earth to tell humans that their actions are destroying the planet and unless they change they will be annihilated. One of the most visually stunning films of the year with a strong cast and a simple message. The script struggles from not adequately investing in the main characters to make you care about them. Also to give the film more family appeal the main character has a child to take care of. The child succeeds only in being annoying and detracts from the story rather than adding to it. The film is also more concerned with the message than the story consequently nothing much actually happens. Nonetheless an enjoyable film, 6/10.
Tales of Despereaux. I was attracted to this film by a line in the trailer "there are lots of things in the world to be afraid of if you learn how scary they are." The story is a fairy tale about a land that lives and breathes for soup until one day the queen dies as a result of discovering a rat in her soup. Soup is henceforth banned and the land lives under a perpetual cloud and everyone is very depressed and a small mouse called Despereaux has to save the day. The film starts off with some humour and some absurd ideas that I could accept in the name of comedy, however, the film soon forgets about the comedy wanting to tell its complex but heart warming story. The result being that the film quite quickly gets boring. The story requires an element of comedy in the film to make it acceptable yet the script clearly wants to be serious and consequently the film fails to work as a whole, 4/10.
Madagascar 2. I disliked the first film on the basis that it forgot to make you laugh after the first half hour (excluding the penguins) and instead focused on its story which really wasn't very good. The second film once again starts well. The story is that the animals want to go back to their zoo in New York and the penguins fix a crashed plane to get them home. The plane runs out of petrol and crash lands in mainland Africa by some incredible quirk of fate right by where the lion was taken from as a cub. The film keeps up the laughs by introducing a number of new characters. Anyone who is above the age of 8 will have realised that Sacha Baron Cohen's lemur isn't funny but as the rest are it is ok. The film goes all out for laughs which is exactly spot on as the story which turns out to be the Lion King in a different wrapper is once again weak but is only used as an interlude between the laughs. The other weakness of the film is the voice talent. Ben Stiller and Chris Rock are innocuous at best in their roles. DreamWorks need to take a leaf from the Pixar book that well known actors don't always make a good voice cast. The Incredibles had an almost entirely unknown cast and it worked because the voices worked. These problems are only small but they are the difference between a good film and a great film. They are why Madagascar 2 is an enjoyable watch but is not competing with Pixar, 7/10.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Films: Review of the year, 2008
As with every year the first two months of the cinematic calendar were taken up with the Oscar contending films. I was not a particular fan of any of them, No Country For Old Men was depressing and without incident, In the Valley of Elah was dull and not very interesting and There Will Be Blood had little actual story and I just didn't get it. If it was about something I couldn't tell what. Sweeney Todd was a bit too gothic and gory for its own good. The film didn't show enough interest in the romance of the 2 nice characters as it was too interested in its own tragedy and the Danny Elfman soundtrack didn't fit with the brilliant Sondheim songs. Still a better film than the others, however. After these Oscar films came the barren time of cinema where the studios have exhausted there supply of what they consider good films and there is a period where very little of interest comes out. The 2 highlights of this period were Vantage Point, a film that came out of the blue and did a good story with a Rashomon style narrative telling the story from a number of different perspectives that made for a very good film and Horton Hears a Who which, while child pleasing and with bright colours, was simple enjoyable and funny. These were balanced by the terrible 10 000 BC, I have always been a Roland Emmerich fan but in this film he basically remakes Stargate but rubbish. Then in May the summer blockbuster season started. This summer was the most congested yet in terms of numbers of big films. Film distributors have yet to work out that unlike the USA the schools in this country have exams in June that interfere with cinema watching but are still on holiday in August when their US counterparts have gone back to school and that they would probably be best served by holding back some films until the middle of August (where there is always a barren patch where no good films come out) to maximise returns rather than moving the blockbuster season earlier and earlier. As a result the very enjoyable Iron Man did well but the also very good, if too intelligent for mass media, The Incredible Hulk was buried under a pile of better advertised films. The same is true of my pick of the summer’s films, Speed Racer. I am a Wachowski brothers fan and this film has their strong script with a lot of story a lot of action a lot of humour and fitted together into a brilliant film. Both these films lost out to Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull which, while having some enjoyable scenes, had a diabolical story, an awful script and Steven Spielberg should be ashamed of himself. All of these were very much all age films but aimed at the teenage market. The summer had the strongest crop of family films I have seen for a number of years. Prince Caspian, while neglecting much of its source material, was a very exciting and enjoyable film with points that can still be drawn from it, Kung Fu Panda was funny and exciting and there was the charming spectacle that was Wall-E. Despite a few missteps (e.g. Cars) Pixar are adept at maintaining their own high standards and an amazingly likeable central character combined with a chillingly possible human future make it one of the highlights of the year. The summer was dominated, however, by The Dark Knight. This highly anticipated film surpasses its very good predecessor thanks to an amazing performance from the late Heath Ledger, a good story and some amazing visual effects. There were problems with the two face character and I never like it when the film's romantic interest is killed (apologies if you haven't seen it) but the film remains as a cinematic masterpiece. Of the films that came in the Dark Knight's shadow there are three worth mentioning. Get Smart was the first comic parody for a long time that was actually funny and made for a very enjoyable 1 1/2 hours, Star Wars: the Clone Wars, much maligned in the media for being unnecessary, was justified by the fact that it was better than the three recent prequels and Hellboy 2 was visually stunning and very enjoyable even if the almost complete lack of story let it down a bit. September and October (before half term) have never been big film watching months and this year that was reflected in the lack of anything interesting entering our cinemas (by our cinemas I of course mean the multinational corporations cinemas). The one highlight of this period was the enjoyable Tropic Thunder. Half Term brought two very good films in Eagle Eye and City of Ember which were enjoyable family friendly and gave me a better feeling upon leaving the cinema than anything this year that was put up for an Oscar. November was all about one film. Quantum of Solace was a good film, it doesn't make the step to a great film but was very far from disappointing. Soon after it came Body of Lies, an interesting thriller by the master of the genre Sir Ridley Scott which is the best so far of the post 9/11 Middle East thrillers. November finished with the release of the first of the contenders for the 2009 Oscars, Clint Eastwood's Changeling. It was an inspiring story, not the least because the church is represented as a good guy, good acting by both Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich which made for a very moving film. December saw a number of Christmas entertainment films including the entertaining Inkheart and also Madagascar 2 which was, refreshingly, a vast improvement on the first even if the lack of a convincing story became more obvious as a consequence. The best film of December was the visually stunning Day the Earth Stood Still with some good performances and a brilliantly sustained sense of threat throughout the film.
So, in review, my picks for outstanding films of 2008 are: Vantage Point, Speed Racer, Wall-e, Eagle Eye, City of Ember and Body of Lies but my award for the best film of 2008 is Changeling.
So, in review, my picks for outstanding films of 2008 are: Vantage Point, Speed Racer, Wall-e, Eagle Eye, City of Ember and Body of Lies but my award for the best film of 2008 is Changeling.
Monday, 1 December 2008
November Films
Quantum of Solace. When the James Bond series started they followed on from each other rather than standing alone (for example Blofeld kills Bond's wife at the end of OHMSS and Diamonds are Forever with Bond hunting down Blofeld to take revenge for killing his wife) and this film does the same starting minutes after Casino Royale finished. The story of the film is that through Mr. White who is interrogated at the begining of the film an unknown criminal organisation is uncoverred and the clues leading to a man, Dominic Green, who is part of this crminal organisation who is hatching a sinister plot to seize resources in Bolivia. One of the problems with the film is that this is the entire plot. The film has slick exciting action sequences and Bond's character is well developed but simply not enough happens. Also the filmakers are still nervous to include the trappings of the old Bond such as the walk across the screen at the beginning, now at the end, and the theme tune is conspicuous by its absense. The film is very well acted, however, and a strongert plot could have seen it be on a level with the likes of Goldfinger, Goldeneye and now Casino Royale in the franchise, however in its current state it just doesn't quite get there, 7/10.
The Mutant Chronicles. I have a soft spot for they're so bad they're good films, however this isn't quite one of those. Rule number one of cinema (probably no. 27 due to the amount of rules no. 1 of cinema)if you call your film the mutant chronicles you cannot then take it seriously. This film does take itself seriously, however, which is a pity because visually the film is stunning. The film is set hundreds of years in the future, the Earth is ruled by 4 corporations that fight wars with each other for the world's remaining resources. The film opens with a WW1 style trench warfare battle in which an alien machine that has been on the planet for thousands of years in uncovered that starts turning mankind's dead and dying into mutants. The only people who know how to stop mankind fromm being wiped out is a group of monks who have been preparing for this for hundreds of years, cue gratuitous violence. Consequently the film is very depressing, it doesn't matter how much style you have in type of film if there isn't some tongue in cheek humour to grease the wheels and there isn't any, 4/10.
The Baader Meinhof Complex. This film telling the story of the notorious West German terrorist group in the late 1960s and early 1970s is an interesting story of how easy it is once you have started down a road of violence for it to overwhelm your principles. I cover this in another post but for all that the film is very well made and very well acted. At 2 1/2 hours it is overly long and half an hour could have been easily shaved off the start and is very far from an enjoyable film but a good film, 7/10.
Max Payne. Like with the Mutant Chronicles I have a soft spot for films of games if they are prepared to not take themselves too seriously, Doom was enjoyable for that one reason. Max Payne, however, seems so interested in following as rigidly to the game plot (I assume it's the game plot as there is no other reason for having it) as possible that it forgets to make the viewer want to watch it. The only parts of the film that are particularly entertaining are when he haluncinates Valkyrie which are Norse mythical creatures that are basically monsters with wings and I couldn't help wishing that he were fighting these instead of old white men, 3/10.
Body of Lies. Over the past 30 years Sir Ridley Scott has been consistently one of the best directors in Hollywood and is one of he most accomplished directors in history never to have won an Oscar. Body of Lies is his attempt at a film about Iraq. The film i about a CIA agent on the ground in the Middle East (Leonardo Di Caprio) trying to locate the leader of an offshoot of Al Qaeda and his boss (Russell Crowe) who is directing operations from the USA. There have been a number of films about Iraq and the Middle East of the past few years, the best of which was Lions for Lanmbs which appealed much more to the academic than the actions seeking. Body of lies attempts to do both, there is quite a lot of action but the film is about the story and the interaction between Di Caprio, Crowe and the head of Jordanian intelligence. The issue for this film was alkways going to be that because of the films about this sort of thing before, can this film do anything new and can it make its point and be a good film? In the most part the film is across between 2 of last year's films: Rendition (dir. Gavin Hood, 2007) and The Kingdom (dir. Peter Berg) both of which were mediocre films that sacrificed plot for controversy and made very modest box office takings as a result and have already been virtually forgotten. However, Sir Ridley Scott is one of the fathers of the modern blockbuster, he knows how to make a film watchable. The film has received a number of lukewarm reviews, for the most part because there is a lot of talking and also there are a number of characters in the film who exist solely for cinematic purposes like the nurse Di Caprio falls for. But these characters are what make the film enjoyable and the film makes its point well with a good plot twist at the very end which gave the film the ending it needed. The cast is strong, the visuals are good and the script works, 8/10.
The Mutant Chronicles. I have a soft spot for they're so bad they're good films, however this isn't quite one of those. Rule number one of cinema (probably no. 27 due to the amount of rules no. 1 of cinema)if you call your film the mutant chronicles you cannot then take it seriously. This film does take itself seriously, however, which is a pity because visually the film is stunning. The film is set hundreds of years in the future, the Earth is ruled by 4 corporations that fight wars with each other for the world's remaining resources. The film opens with a WW1 style trench warfare battle in which an alien machine that has been on the planet for thousands of years in uncovered that starts turning mankind's dead and dying into mutants. The only people who know how to stop mankind fromm being wiped out is a group of monks who have been preparing for this for hundreds of years, cue gratuitous violence. Consequently the film is very depressing, it doesn't matter how much style you have in type of film if there isn't some tongue in cheek humour to grease the wheels and there isn't any, 4/10.
The Baader Meinhof Complex. This film telling the story of the notorious West German terrorist group in the late 1960s and early 1970s is an interesting story of how easy it is once you have started down a road of violence for it to overwhelm your principles. I cover this in another post but for all that the film is very well made and very well acted. At 2 1/2 hours it is overly long and half an hour could have been easily shaved off the start and is very far from an enjoyable film but a good film, 7/10.
Max Payne. Like with the Mutant Chronicles I have a soft spot for films of games if they are prepared to not take themselves too seriously, Doom was enjoyable for that one reason. Max Payne, however, seems so interested in following as rigidly to the game plot (I assume it's the game plot as there is no other reason for having it) as possible that it forgets to make the viewer want to watch it. The only parts of the film that are particularly entertaining are when he haluncinates Valkyrie which are Norse mythical creatures that are basically monsters with wings and I couldn't help wishing that he were fighting these instead of old white men, 3/10.
Body of Lies. Over the past 30 years Sir Ridley Scott has been consistently one of the best directors in Hollywood and is one of he most accomplished directors in history never to have won an Oscar. Body of Lies is his attempt at a film about Iraq. The film i about a CIA agent on the ground in the Middle East (Leonardo Di Caprio) trying to locate the leader of an offshoot of Al Qaeda and his boss (Russell Crowe) who is directing operations from the USA. There have been a number of films about Iraq and the Middle East of the past few years, the best of which was Lions for Lanmbs which appealed much more to the academic than the actions seeking. Body of lies attempts to do both, there is quite a lot of action but the film is about the story and the interaction between Di Caprio, Crowe and the head of Jordanian intelligence. The issue for this film was alkways going to be that because of the films about this sort of thing before, can this film do anything new and can it make its point and be a good film? In the most part the film is across between 2 of last year's films: Rendition (dir. Gavin Hood, 2007) and The Kingdom (dir. Peter Berg) both of which were mediocre films that sacrificed plot for controversy and made very modest box office takings as a result and have already been virtually forgotten. However, Sir Ridley Scott is one of the fathers of the modern blockbuster, he knows how to make a film watchable. The film has received a number of lukewarm reviews, for the most part because there is a lot of talking and also there are a number of characters in the film who exist solely for cinematic purposes like the nurse Di Caprio falls for. But these characters are what make the film enjoyable and the film makes its point well with a good plot twist at the very end which gave the film the ending it needed. The cast is strong, the visuals are good and the script works, 8/10.
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