Edu-16's Reviews

Gravity (2013)

7/10

Visually stunning - but little else to talk about

27 October 2013

Enjoyed the movie - great to look at, but there is so little to talk about afterwards. You can only say 'wow, that looked incredible' so many times. There is no character driven plot or development - other than two rather obvious clichés. Cynical astronaut who has been there, done that. Timid space newbie who has to wise up pronto to survive. There is also plenty of cheese here. In fact our journey home had us picking over the physics and continuity errors - of which there are a few. Never a good sign I think.

Acting wise - Clooney has been a lot better than this - and has been given the job of perking the thing up. Bullock is OK - but nothing out of the ordinary. The picture will win possibly 4 Oscars - but none of the big prizes. Over -rated at 8 something.....will find its place among the late 6s in time....

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From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

9/10

Utterly delightful

27 July 2013

From a middle aged cynic A charming and intimate story, both beautifully told and drawn - this had my family of teenage daughters enthralled and delighted. It's a teenage love story similar to whisper of the heart in tone and quality, but the absence of fantasy means this plays perhaps to a slightly older age group.

We loved the small domestic details - and how the main characters have the time to simply stand and breath in and out. The themes of re-birth, continuity with the past and the interesting backdrop of a country attempting to find a new identify following WW2 are subtly woven around the main story. And of course the gorgeous animation - particularly fine in the club house scenes - will have you gasping.

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Inception (2010)

6/10

Over blown and over rated

4 February 2011

Don't believe the hype on this one. Its not a bad movie and has some interesting ideas. But its not the birth of a new religion - as some would have it. How this is mentioned in the same sentence as the 'Kings Speech' is beyond me.

In general Im delighted to see any attempt to muck around with the usual narrative sequence or which mixes dream with reality. Mememto was a staggering film and I loved the Matrix 1.

But after some early promise of mind altering visuals - the majority of the film was played out in what were disappointingly normal landscapes. They reminded me of conventional bond movie sets than anything else. Where was the Escher stair case? Where was the warping of physics? I felt a little let down to be honest. It was only when we reached level four that I became a little more engaged and impressed.

The story line itself I felt badly cluttered with too many explanations of the mechanics of invading dreams. It was nearly always noisy and the dialogue often muffled. This made it hard to follow - (and yes, my hearing is fine and I have a state of the art Theatre system) But the really disappointing thing was that with a concept as subtle as invading peoples dreams and planting new ideas - we had to have gun fights all over the place. Frankly the crassness of the shoot outs clashed rather awkwardly with some intelligent ideas about the nature of reality. And why did all the baddies have 'A-team' shooting accuracy? Last point - wouldn't it have been rather easier to persuade the target to do what they needed him to - through non-dream means?

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Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

10/10

Stunning, epic and sensual - 7.1 is plumb wrong.

27 January 2011

Warning: Spoilers

Moved to put something down after watching this glorious movie for the fifth time. A delightful epic tale of a young girl whose love for the 'Chairman' provides the drive to overcome much hardship and cruelty. It sounds gorgeous, it looks gorgeous, it positively oozes class and authenticity.

I personally had no issue with the choice of actors (all superb btw) speaking English as a foreign language. Language is not what drives this beautiful movie but even so at no point did I think the heavy accents odd or inappropriate. But then again, if I was Japanese, or an ex-geisha I might think otherwise.

No. What I do think odd is the relatively low score on IMDb. Its an approachable 'moving work of art' is this. One to see, and then see again.

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The King's Speech (2010)

10/10

Words fail me

23 January 2011

Best film we've seen since English Patient.

What a treat to be reminded once again that films are in fact about people and their relationships. The more believable these are the more we are drawn in to the magic and can share the emotion. In 'The Kings Speech' we have a film that draws you in utterly to the intense and crucifying pain of a stutterer, one who just happens to be heir to the throne of England and at a time when one particular live speech might influence the course of history.

Despite the possibilities of pomp and circumstance, the style is austere, claustrophobic even. The last shot aside, its foggy out, rooms are sparsely furnished (even the palace!) and the camera is forever on the faces of the 'beyond words good' cast. This invites the closest scrutiny of the unfolding relationship of Logue and Bertie, and in every possible degree this is found 'pitch perfect'.

From the opening scene, where Bertie walks up the steps to give his address at Wembley, you know you are watching something rather special. The miked stutter echo-ing over the silent and increasingly embarrassed crowd will long live in my memory I think. So will the scenes in Logue's consultation room, where the film had some outrageously funny moments, but at no cost to the building tension.

I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone, of any nationality, creed or age. That it is about the English royal family is purely incidental in my view. This is an acting tour-de-force and an inspiration to one and all.

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Poirot: Five Little Pigs (2003)

Season 9, Episode 1

10/10

Sty-lish

19 February 2010

Quite the best Christie adaptation I or my wife have seen to date. We were particularly surprised by how emotionally engaged we were. Where as with most detective stories you remain dispassionate, quietly observing from the outside, FLP draws you in to care about the characters and come the final denouement we are both intellectually and emotional rewarded by the resolution.

The direction and story telling are perfect - cutting neatly between the present and five flashback accounts of the same 14 yrs old incident. We are led gently up all manner of garden paths, and even allowed to think we've 'nailed it' only to have our smugness shot down in the final reel. The acting is far above the norm, and the casting, especially of the flashback 'younger versions', particularly effective.

FLP is lovely to look at - with a nice contrast for the flashbacks to a heightened, over exposed look, and lovely to listen to - the score is a magnificently clever variation of the basic Poirot theme.

Yes - an all round joy that we even wanted to watch again the next day. A 'whodunit first' for us!

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Elizabethtown (2005)

8/10

Don't miss 60B

22 January 2010

To those of a cynical disposition - steer clear!! I suspect Elizabethtown will get on your nerves - and may even cause nausea in some.

Luckily for me, I am more inclined to the romantic, sentimental films out there, of which ETown is a particularly engaging example.

To the Kirsten Dunst detractors out there (and I've been one myself on occasion. Spiderman? I mean, phewwwww!!) Don't let this prevent you from seeing it. This is her best film to date. She portrays a very likable character with believable feelings for the male lead....(My teenage daughter tells me there was a romance off screen. It shows.) To those who bemoan ETown's structural clichés - well, if you want to go looking for these I'm sure they are there. I didn't see these myself - and I normally do.

This is a story about one man's emotional journey - from failure (he failed!), rejection, despair to acceptance to love and happiness. OK - so this is blatantly paralleled in a physical journey back to his father's home town, and then through a cathartic road-trip at the end. Pretty tried and tested Odyssean mechanism seen a thousand times. Or maybe I liked the characters sufficient to not notice the cliché?

At the core of ETown is a touching romance and this has been effectively surrounded by a plethora of interestingly flawed and amusing lesser characters. The script is intelligent and witty - the acting by everyone, excellent.

Please accept my directions. Make sure you don't miss 60B (aka ETown)!

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Avatar (2009)

5/10

It's a terrible film - but go SEE it.

22 January 2010

Some have said here that Avatar has re-defined what movies are - that it even defines a whole new genre. Personally I enjoyed the experience very much and would recommend everyone go see it. But it certainly wasn't flawless, and it's flaws (for me) actually helped reaffirm what good films are all about.

Films tell stories. Good films do so efficiently, rationally, while engaging us on an emotional level. They use visual and sound stimulus to do this - but these are means to an end, not the end itself.

Avatar scores very moderately as a film. The proportion of production individuals tasked with the 'ends' (i.e. story/ script) versus the 'means' (i.e CGI) are telling. The plot logic crumbles with the lightest of analytical touches, and the overall eco-message is so crassly delivered that you even wonder whether this is a tremendously subtle counter-strike paid for by a mining cartel. With the exception of the Australians, no one has ever been this in-sensitive to indigenous rights.

However, what the box office records for Avatar show is that humans remain interested in a 'damn good spectacle' - and the visual achievement of Avatar is unparalleled.

It's a terrible film - but go SEE it.

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Masterpiece: The Ruby in the Smoke (2006)

Season 37, Episode 4

4/10

Disappointing and too politically correct

30 October 2009

I wanted to like this - but couldn't. There were just too many plot holes and leaps of faith plus a massive dollop of political correctness that stuck in the throat rather. I wasn't surprised to learn this is the same author as the golden compass - that movie shares some of the same weaknesses.

There were some plusses. Julie Walters was excellent - and I see a fabulous 'Crippen' like role for her in the future. She made that little dark dress and hat look most sinister.

The weaknesses. Why take such pains to look historically accurate - costume, location etc - but then so blatantly manipulate the ethnic population of Victorian London to fit with modern sensibilities? Even accepting that there were concentrations of Slave descendants and Asians in and around the main Victorian ports - you might expect to see a dark skin one in every 1000 people. I just couldn't ignore it - and suspend my disbelief I'm afraid.

Indeed if I were black - I might take huge offense for such an inaccurate and patronizing portrayal. I suspect life was a terrible struggle for most ethnic londoners at this time - with massive poverty and overt, violent racism faced on the streets. Are we benefited by 'glossing' over such things? And conversely do you think we will ever see a remake of 'Zulu!' with a sprinkling of whites in the African tribes? I think not.

Of course a female as the main lead is just a different brand of the same politically correct nonsense. A female financial adviser who walks around with a pistol stuffed up her bustle?! Oh, come on people.

I look fwd to the day when we can see an honest, no holds barred, depiction of Victorian England, which was a fairly hideous mix of almost unimaginable poverty and outrageous hypo-critcal affluence and greed. Thank goodness for Dickens I say.

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A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

10/10

G for Great, not George.

23 October 2009

There are films shown time and again on cable - that are rubbish. Then there are films like this one that haven't been on once. It is indeed a crime that this wonderful, imaginative masterpiece should be so little known and appreciated.

I rented one of the first DVD copies to land in NZ - and was delighted to find that the impact was no less than when I first saw it perhaps 25 years ago. The film starts with my second favourite opening of any film (Broadway Danny Rose being just that little bit more perfect for me). A WW2 pilot returning from a bombing raid in a burning Lancaster plane, his instruments out, his shute shot to pieces - makes contact with an American radio operator over the airwaves. His choice - to burn in the crash - or jump through the fog somewhere over the North Sea. The latter is his doom of choice - but although death is certain he has come to terms with his fate and proceeds to flirt and fall in love in these last few intense moments with the girl on the radio - and she with him.

I can not tell you how wonderful and grabby this scene is. The stiff upper lip brit vs the emotional Boston girl trying to remain in control of her tears - and failing. One of the great moments of film literature - and hardly known by a generation. But we can fix this - cant we!? The film then explodes in to a rainbow of ideas - about life, death, culture clash and (radically for the time) how little liked the British are. The execution stands up brilliantly for the time - with seamless cutting between fantasy and real world England, colour and monochrome heaven. Rounded out by top notch acting, stunning art design and a mesmeric score.

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Little Dorrit (2008)

10/10

Wonderful

7 February 2009

From the first moments of this wonderful production we (mum, dad and two girls 10 and 12) were entranced. Unlike those in the UK who would see this a slice a week, we saw the whole lot over a single long weekend. As I write - we've just two episodes to go...

We have all the BBC Dickens productions for comparison - including the recent Bleak House and our favourites Great Expectations and (my personal top) Our Mutual Friend. LD comes v.close to the top of this pile - The last two episodes may tip the balance....

From the first, this production grabs with its beautiful and (perhaps unusually) 'sunny' scenery. None of the austerity of the recent Great Expectations production, nor the gloominess of Bleak House. Actually this made for a nice change.... The acting is perfect - with key emotional scenes being utterly believable. The actor playing Young Chivery (heading for great things I suspect) induced a flood burst of tears from my 10 year old in the marriage proposal scene. As others have mentioned, even the smaller parts are excellently cast and played. But there's something else at play here to make this possible.

In many Dickens productions Directors seem loath to leave peripheral characters out. Bleak House in particular suffered for this I think. In LD everyone seems to have space and time in which to be presented and to evolve. It never feels chaotic or suffocating - time is taken, and this makes the whole that more soluble.

The leads are all superb - Little Dorit is perfectly perfect without being goody goody....(another issue with Bleak House), and Andrew McFad is particularly good, managing to look younger than he did in the wonderful Pride and Prejudice... And did he chub up for the role? Things have been left out - and perhaps the damning indictment of society and government are not so forcibly presented as they might have been. But what remains is a delightful mystery, beautifully told and acted and which we will want to watch all over again as soon as we've come to the end.

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Roadside Romeo (2008)

1/10

Do not see this pile of rubbish

29 October 2008

My ten year old, admittedly now weaned on Dickens and Austen, asked to walk out after ten minutes. Without doubt the worst film I've ever seen. Suddenly the 'Golden Compass' seems coherent, the animated 'Anastasia' tasteful and 'Armageddon' a serious addition to the sci-fi genre.

The poster was extremely misleading. It did not make it clear this film was in Hindi with English subtitles. That it was a animated musical. It said it was a co-Disney production (which made a difference to me). Nor did it make it clear that the people involved were clearly not professional film makers, and deserved to be tied to the roof of the Sydney Opera house and gently pelted with seagull droppings.

The only reason we went was to be out of the house and avoid my wife's piano quartet rehearsal. Nothing - I reasoned - could be worse than that. Damn but I was wrong.

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The Golden Compass (2007)

3/10

Golden compass - no direction

2 January 2008

Poor story telling, weak acting and PC game direction not saved by above average CGI. Irritatingly bad.

A corrupt and controlling government of a planet in a parallel universe similar to our own attempt to thwart a prophesy that a young girl, using a magic compass that tells the truth (thats the compass not the girl), will throw them over.....Well, that's roughly the plot. I haven't read the book(s) - and maybe there is a good story in there somewhere - but I am not encouraged to do so by this movie.

I took the family (11 and 9 yr olds) on boxing day to see this one - and we all came away very disappointed. There had been no hint in the marketing that this was the first of many films - like LOTR. And at the end we get a laughably poor attempt to encourage interest in the sequel(s). At the end we are reminded that the girl's friends now number a Witch, some Gypsies, a cowboy and a Polar bear. But few of these characters have had more than a few seconds screen time, and so there's little or no emotional attachment at this stage.

There are some hideous plot holes - the two I felt the most heinous being: 1)(SPOILER) such as why anyone would let a 12 yr old girl go off with a total stranger to the north pole in the first place - especially after you've just entrusted her with the single most magical thing on the planet.... (btw The acting by the children is unusually bad - and the accent of the lead was all over the place.)

2) (SPOILER) Nicole Kidman's character wants the Golden Compass. She knows the little girl has it - so why when the girl is unconscious and at her mercy does she not just search her pockets for it? In fact - why did she save the girl? If she was her mother - (and it wasn't very clear whether she really was) - why not tell her earlier before she showed her true colours....?

Some of the plot read like a 3rd rate PC game. "To get Polar bear first find his armour...", and the whole 'splitting children from their Daemons' idea - and setting up an evil lair in the Arctic to do it - was completely lost on me. Not really sure if the book is at fault, or whether rational explanations do exist but have been lost in the movie making process....

Where as humour might have come to the rescue (as it does in Stardust for instance) - Golden Compass takes itself far too seriously. All the adult roles are played in a severe, humourless way - in fact I can hardly remember anyone smiling. Im not surprised really. If I was an actor working on this - I'd have found smiling tricky myself....

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Step Up (2006)

2/10

Step down

26 February 2007

Rubbish. A plot that was as predictable as it was banal. A script that was both embarrassing and clichéd. Acting that almost defied belief in it's badness.

Yes - it's a dance movie. But no - that isn't a licence to forgive it's drawbacks. Was there anyone who watched this who after 10 mins wasn't certain of the plot and final outcome? Boy from wrong side of the sticks meets middle-class girl. One is an untrained but talented street dancer, the other a formally trained ballerina. They get together - and end up assisting each other to make the 'step up'. And it all culminates in a big show that blends together the two styles and catapults both up the greasy dance pole (so to speak). Now how long did that story take to work out? I was made to see this on a very uncomfortable flight from Frankfurt to Osaka. At the time - I didn't imagine the flight could get any worse - I was so very very wrong.....It made me want to step 'out' - not up.

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Happy Feet (2006)

9/10

Extremely good - and not too preachy at all.

27 December 2006

I've read a number of negative comments out there about HF being too preachy. For those yet to see the film - don't let this put you off. HF is fast, funny, clever, witty (musically) and visually stunning.

Yes - there are a few messages about over-fishing, and how this is a bad thing - and that (,this just in...,) it's humans who are the perpetrators ! Im not sure that this is a theme you could possibly over-fish myself - and it was as palatably presented here as anywhere else I've seen. My 8 and 10 year old girls were not patronised, and as adults, my wife and I did not feel we were back in church.

Anyway back to the real themes of the movie. The power of both music and dance to cross cultural and language divides - and the importance of being different. When so much of world culture is being watered down to a brown mush - and the pressure to conform is so strong in some countries that children commit suicide rather than suffer being different - HF raises some excellent points. The main character's 'difference' is what saves the entire colony. HF says diversity is important - and having the courage to be different in the face of massive peer pressure is the real message of this movie.

A few points about the music. From the opening strains (taken from Abbey road) - to the last, HF has a thumping good score with plenty of cleverness. The scenes of penguins musically trying to find a partner with an empathetic theme are extremely well done. A lot of melodies were placed in counterpoint (inter-twined with another), with sometimes four or five ideas going on at the same time. Ill be getting the DVD for this alone I think. This scene happens twice - but the second time we have the melody being counterpoint to the tap dance rhythm from Mumble. Superb.

The last idea I took from HF was the power of both dance and music to communicate across the divides. Rather than the inexplicably negative conclusion that some have come to in reviews here - I took great optimism from the fact that humans were in the end able to relate to the penguins, and decide to stop their bad old ways.

A fine movie - one that both adults and children will enjoy.

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EuroTrip (2004)

7/10

Funny - very very funny

25 July 2006

OK - so this film knows no shame, and is crass and puerile, but by god it's funny. Any film that can get away with a Hitler impersonation by a five yr old German boy earns my respect. Which gives you some sense of what you are dealing with here so don't say we didn't warn you! But it's sharp, well performed and the gags are many and effective. My particular favourite was the robot mime fight, but special mention must also go to the Italian train perve and the 'tunnel incidents'. See, I'm smiling just recollecting the moments...

I guess the expectations might be set fairly low to start with - four American teens on holiday in Europe is not a promising premise - but I guarantee you will be delightfully surprised by this one. (Suspect Wives/ girlfriends will not find this funny - but hell. They made you sit through Pride and Prejudice didn't they!?)

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

5/10

Entertained at times - but overall, disappointed.

9 July 2006

I took our two girls (aged 9 and 8 and suitably decked out as pirates) to see what was for us an eagerly awaited sequel. Over-all I was disappointed, but I wouldn't go as far as to say 'don't bother'.

There are some great set pieces - that are amusing and well done. But the problem for me and my wife was that the film seemed to solely exist as a vehicle for these set pieces - with little or no attention to a narrative that reasonably took you from one to the next. This is something that the first film had going for it. The three-way sword fight was a great example of this - the motivations for why all three would now all want to kill one another - especially after the feeling of camaraderie at the end of the first film - was insufficient and unconvincing....

Second point was that although it was over 2.5 hrs long it seemed 'rushed'... For us the film never really 'breathed'..and lines were 'spilt' out, rather than enjoyed...

Third point I'd like to make is about Jack sparrow. In the first movie - despite appearing intoxicated most of the time - he was still clearly rather smart and had a sense of honour. In Dead man's chest he basically sells out William Turner - with no plan to return and rescue, and little sign of remorse... This is not the same man at all, and even a return to fight the Kraken at the end fails to make up for this for me... Plus - second time around the drunken word play, logic bits were verging on embarrassing I felt. I'm afraid the actor just didn't nail it for me this time around......or else maybe this character was only good for the one movie....

Hell - there are some laughs, and as I say the set pieces are brilliantly done. The kids loved it of course, and although I wasn't as disappointed (make that angry) as I was after Matrix 2, I don't think this a worthy successor to what was a marvellously entertaining original.

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Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Poetic, beautiful - a total delight

20 May 2006

Thanks in part to the equally wonderful 'Triplets of Bellevue' - the family have recently discovered that there is a whole world out there of imaginative and beatuiful animated film making. We've seen quite a number lately from Hayao Miyazaki and others - but to my mind this is our favourite so far.

The story is of a plain girl who is turned into an old maid by a witch who is in turn in love with a wizard called Howl. The girl goes to work for Howl in his 'moving castle' as a cleaning lady and meets and befriends various characters during her adventures. Her relationship develops with Howl against a backdrop of a futile war and her struggle to find her youth once more.

There is so much visual imagination in this film that you find yourself hitting 'pause' a lot to take the scenery in. It deserves the time. Some vistas are barely on screen for more than a second - but will take your breath away.

The voice overs are well done - but I particularly liked Lauren Bacall as the witch of the waste. The music is equally stunning - with a main theme you never tire of. All in all - superb.

PS. If you liked this - then you should also check out 'Whisper of the Heart', and 'Laputa'.

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Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Mission should you accept it - to write something original for a change

20 May 2006

Ludicrous escapism - nothing new, nothing very clever. Loud and hackneyed.

Cruise in cruise control - he's done this a million times before. The other actors are not asked to do much more than stand around admiringly and look loyal.

Was there anyone in the cinema who thought for one moment Cruise was going to die at any stage? Of course not. So the dramatic tension generated by all this daring-do? Zilch.

Oh for something with as much wit and style as the last movie that starred both Cruise and Hoffman - Magnolia.

Go see Match point instead.

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Nanny McPhee (2005)

5/10

Nanny McAverage

5 February 2006

I'm normally a great fan of Emma Thompsons - and a sucker for sentimental, magic based films like this one. However, this is not a very good movie for lots of reasons. I can only think the current rating says more for the competition at the moment, and possibly the US's penchant for British movies in general.

I didn't feel that the cast really believed in it. Colin Firth and Emma T I thought were miss-cast. Emma T seemed terribly static. Her teeth encouraged her to hold the same pose/ expression all the time - something that I found un-nerving after a while from such a usually fantastic actress. (Suspect job of directing caused her to skimp on her own character). Colin Firth seemed totally lost as an undertaker?!!- and I couldn't help thinking Hugh Laurie might have been a better choice.

Overall I thought the film was uneven. The look was inconsistent, and seemed to fall somewhere between Victorian period drama and Charlie and the chocolate factory. The acting was also lumpy - with some being terribly OTT such as Landsbury and Celia Imrie - and others more natural - such as Firth and the servant girl. For a film that much more successfully melds visual and acting styles see 'Lemony Snickerts Unfortunate Events'.

The story itself seemed to be terribly predictable - with no surprises. And the last unforgivable crime for a film with so much UK talent - it's not very funny.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

7/10

Should have done Magicians Nephew first

11 December 2005

Warning: Spoilers

This review courtesy of someone who grew up in a house called 'Narnia' (replete with lamp-post in garden)- and as an adult who now owns a boat called 'Dawn Treader'. I guess I'm a bit of a Narnia nut in the same way that King Kong is a bit of a monkey. I read the Chronicles many many times as a child and I've recently had the pleasure of reading them all over again - to my own children.

All of which means (a) I'm not very objective about the film - and (b) I had some major 'views' about how things ought to be done prior to the screening.

For those out there with similar Narnia heritage I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I personally enjoyed the effort a lot - and on only a very few occasions did I sniff disapprovingly into my popcorn. The kids (9 & 7 respectively and with a mere single reading under the belts!) loved every minute of it.

The good things. Lucy ( in looks a sort of mini Ann Widdecombe for all you UK politicos out there) was very good. Think the director must take a lot of credit for her performance. If Lucy had been bad, then this venture would have failed. Thankfully she shines. The others children I thought were a little ho-hum with Peter being the weakest.

Tumnus was excellent - although our more cynical time applies some rather uncomfortable sinister overtones to the scenes with Lucy.

Yes the Beavers were fun - as was the fox. Could have done with more explanation about the whole 'animals' talking thing though. It's remarked on rather too briefly I thought. (One of many problems with doing this book first instead of The Magicians Nephew - which explains the genesis of Narnia, how the animals start speaking and where the white witch comes from etc.) The White witch? - pretty good I thought, although maybe a little one dimensional. However I didn't like her 'home' which I felt as others have noted derivative and out of place in look and architecture to the rest of Narnia.

Aslan - bang on. There is nothing CGI cant do now. (My brother and nephew wanted Aslan to be larger relative to other animals. My recollection of the book suggested he changed size to fit the occasion - so I had no problems myself) The stone table scene. Excellent and very true to the book.

Now for those elements that were for me less good.

The wood. Maybe I have the drawings from the books too much in mind - but for me the wood should have been darker, more canopied and claustrophobic. More like being in a wardrobe in fact. And I never felt a sense of size about the wood, or indeed the rest of Narnia. I felt the camera stayed too close the action - and we needed some longer shots. Especially felt in the first meeting with Tumnus - which in other regards was very nearly magical.

The battle at the end. Okay so the charge of the Riders of Rohan is perhaps the most impressive film image of our generation - but it's not really what Narnia is about. I craved for something a little smaller in scale - a little more personal and intimate.

The waterfall/ ice flow scene. Utter nonsense and superfluous to a story that hardly lacks for dramatic drive. Why he didn't just follow the story as written Ill never understand. The wolves weren't sinister enough in looks either - although I have to admit the 'Jaws' moment with Edmund was suitably scary.

The game of cricket and broken window episode. Again - the story as written with the escape from the visitors party and Mrs McCready was subtler and more interesting.

Okay - enough gripes. By and large I did enjoy the film and I look forward to the next. I have concerns that as a book Prince Caspian (which I always felt was the weakest) may not support a very interesting movie. I hope that there is commitment to do all of the rest - or at least as far as Dawn Treader - which I think will make a fantastic vehicle for a film....

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The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

10/10

Eees eet over now? I hope not.

25 July 2005

Warning: Spoilers

Well - it's been a long time since I last saw something this good. Fabulous and original animation from some seriously strange European minds. Hauntingly beautiful and very funny - Triplets is like nothing you will have seen before. The story is told almost exclusively with facial expressions, sound and location. Underpinning the whole is a wonderful score from the Elfman - with a bizarre rhythmic complexity that fits the stylized animation perfectly.

There's a lot of imagery and movement that gets under your skin - and stays there. The horse noises that the cyclists make I found particularly arresting.....and the way Grandma pushes here specs back on all the time...or the whistle, or the Triplets long gangly arms.....

Magic!

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The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

5/10

Special effects 50 million, script 50 cents

27 February 2005

Warning: Spoilers

50 cents being the going rate for 11 year old script writers in Hollywood.

I'll have to come clean and say that I was gripped. Mainly because a climate change such as this doesn't seem impossible somehow. However, the total is ruined (yet again) by a terrible plot that makes no sense. Now sometimes you can over look certain incongruities. But when the entire film structure depends on them - you can't see around them I afraid.

SPOILERS Yet again we have the rather hackneyed contrasting parallel story lines - the one following the son 'staying put', and the other 'the father on rescue mission'. But putting the banality of this structure aside for one moment - we are led to believe that the father is rather bright. He's the only one to spot what's going on. He knows the storm will last 6 or 7 days - and he knows that to be caught outside is certain death. He tells his son to stay put and inside. Then what does he do? He sets off against the traffic while the storm rages. Duh?! He ends up killing his longtime partner, injuring another - and arrives a little before the helicopters - which if he'd waited back down south - he could have caught a ride with in the first place.

What did he hope to accomplish by making this futile journey? What help would he be when he got there? Either the son was OK - or he wasn't - the eye of the storm didn't last that long remember. It's dumb dumb, dumb. Yes - okay it's a plot mechanism. But these still need to be rational. They need to make sense in the context of the characters as they are told to us.

All that money on effects - and none on substance. Just once - you'd like them to invest in both.

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Clean Slate (1994)

8/10

Hugely under-rated

15 October 2004

Interesting premise with many surprisingly funny moments. It's not Oscar Wild - but not low-brow either. The humour is unusually under-played at times - which makes a refreshing change. There are jokes here that you don't necessarily get the first time around - particularly liked the later explanation for the mural painters many attempts at Mona Lisa - + a nice tie in to the film title.

It could have been a little 'sick' - but the medical condition is used to tasteful effect (I thought) - without milking it dry. So clearly the inspiration for Mememto that I'm surprised there wasn't more comment at the time. The 'system' for remembering things, and the abuse made of the illness by those in the know.....all directly lifted by the later Mememto - albeit in a more serious genre.

Not sure how I missed this at the time - and much better than the current score of 5.5 suggests.

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12 Angry Men (1957)

10/10

Superb

14 October 2004

Seen this one 12 times now - and never tire. Perfect acting - perfect script - superb economical ballet of juror prejudices and revelations. No2 to Shawshank in my book.....

Claims that this is too liberal in outlook bear witness to the polarisation in US politics today. 12AM stands up against bigots, racists and ignorance. If this is liberal - then shouldn't we all be liberals? Fondas character represents everything that could be great about the united states. Sad to say the America of today is more represented by the other members of the jury.

Today there is no room for ambiguity. Those courageous enough to be publicly un-certain - are mocked. This is a recipe for extremism. This is how innocent people die.

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