Reviews

Apart from being the only famous person I've ever seen in Kebab Delite in Wood Green, Mike Leigh is probably the most consistently brilliant film director of the modern era. "Career Girls" has attracted less critical praise than some of his other films, possibly because audiences found the way the characters accidentally ran across each other a bit contrived. Well, forget all that. The strength of this extraordinarily moving film is that, though the characters are deliberately slightly exaggerated, they are essentially incredibly true to life, in a way that Hollywood couldn't even begin to understand. Having been at college myself during (roughly) the period shown in the film I can testify that it is packed with eerily accurate details (e.g. wearing swimming goggles when cooking, Robert de Niro poster on wall etc.).

A high-ranker in a canon composed more or less entirely of classics.

Beautifully detailed black and white study of a man looking for a reason to go on living and not really finding it. Updates the excellent 1920s novel on which it is based to the 1960s without sacrificing anything of the former's timeless relevance. To give a (very) rough point of reference, it is something of a subdued Left Bank version of "La Dolce Vita", although Malle's film has none of the frantic burlesque episodes of LDV. Rather, the feel of the film is consistently weary and melancholic. Poetic and moving, it's an existentialist classic.

Faithful adaptation of witty and interesting French novel about a cynical and depressed middle-aged software engineer (or something), relying heavily on first-person narration but none the worse for that. Downbeat (in a petit-bourgeois sort of way), philosophical and blackly humorous, the best way I could describe both the film and the novel is that it is something like a more intellectual Charles Bukowski (no disrespect to CB intended). Mordantly funny, but also a bleak analysis of social and sexual relations, the film's great achievement is that it reflects real life in such a recognisable way as to make you ask: why aren't other films like this? One of the rare examples of a good book making an equally good film.

I gave this film 9 out of 10 but on reflection it really should have been 10 as I can't imagine how anything could ever be better. "Mixed Blood" has a magical quality all of its own. The key ingredients are: hilarious dialogue, cool New York City vistas, fine soundtrack and, most notably, mesmerizing performances. This is not some crappy so-bad-it's-good exploitation film - it is the work of an artist with a unique and sophisticated sensibility and a great sense of humour.

This film was shown last night on UK TV. Unfortunately I missed the first 20 minutes or so but the rest was so good I feel it is still worth commenting on. The film centres around the different reactions of two sisters to their mother's death - don't however get the impression that this is a film to be endured rather than enjoyed. Although the subject matter is serious and the film very emotionally moving, there are flashes of humour throughout and it is not boringly earnest for one moment. I read somewhere that the director is an admirer of Mike Leigh's "Naked". While it is no poor relation, if you appreciate the work of Mike Leigh you would probably also enjoy "Under the Skin".