Right so I'm back from my adventures. And I can assure you basking in the sun in Spain, France and Italy was tough. But now I'm returned I am back in the cinema's casting a watchful eye over the latest crop of summer blockbusters. I chose Christopher Nolan's mind boggling dream epic, Inception. And I certainly think I made the right choice.
This is now where I would usually go through a plot synopsis of the film to give people the general idea of what's going on. But I think for this film I have to make an EXception (excuse the pun) because it would take me so long to go through the details and subtleties of this plot that it would be pointless. Basically Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Cobb' can go into your dreams and find your secrets. With the help of his team ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy) he is hired to plant an idea into the mind of business tycoon Mr Fischer (Cillian Murphy) a process known as 'Inception', however he is haunted by the death of his wife played by Marion Cotillard who is a constant vision within his subconscious. So that's the basics. But what Nolan gives to the audience is so much more than that.
What Nolan has managed to do is present what is in essence an art house film exploring the complexities of the mind's subconscious and the science of dreams but packages it in the exterior of a James Bond action flick. You will see an ice fortress guarded by storm troopers with the characters charging around on snowjet's in order to break in. So, OK, that sounds perfectly normal for a blockbuster. However the characters are charging around Fischer's dream, while he is on a flight to LA, in order to reveal his past. Perhaps not quite so expected. Then we see Gordon-Levitt's character, Arthur, defy gravity on the walls of an upmarket hotel, a sequence done without the aid of CGI may I add, because he is inside another dream, in a different dream in which the characters are are strapped into a car falling into a river, while everyone is still asleep on the plane...I think. Well I can see why people can get confused.
There has been much discussion about the ending of the film, which I will not reveal don't worry, and what the true meaning really is and therefore what the true meaning of the film is. And people are free to do so. But all that I care about is how this film made me feel, and that's something which not a lot of films can inspire. And that is awe. Not just for the effects and the acting and the editing. But it makes you question your own reality. Marvel at the power of your own brain, and maybe all those dreams where your teeth fall out aren't just because your worried about that presentation but a team of underground agents infiltrating your mind...well maybe that's a bit far but you see where I'm going.
What I'm really trying to do is congratulate Christopher Nolan. He has managed to create a film which appeals to everyone and leaves everyone with something to think about. Not common with the current crop of summer hits (transformers 2??) it's not since the matrix where a film has left so much discussion behind it. He did the same thing with The Dark Knight, making a superhero film have brains, and many people will say that film is more entertaining, which I have to agree with on a superficial level. But Inception is anything but superficial.
Therefore it's a well deserves 9/10 from me. Keep up the good work Nolan. I hope to return to computer screens next week with another offering. Perhaps French this time?
Monday, 9 August 2010
Monday, 21 June 2010
please give...me some of your time
I have been very bad recently! This is my first post in far too long and I heartily apologise. To try and explain I have been pretty busy, still doing two jobs and the world cup has started (essential viewing for all!) and I've had some recent money issues, so it was this week I decided to get back on track and chose a lazy, sunny Monday afternoon to go and see Please Give, new indie comedy from writer/director Nicole Holofcener. Interesting to note at this point I was the only person in the cinema, so anyone who doesn't love noisy popcorn crunching audiences I recommend this time slot to be ideal!
Now on to the film. It follows two families. The first consisting of Kate and Alex and their 15 year old daughter Abby. They have the very morally noble livelihood of buying furniture from the children of the deceased cheap and selling for a huge price in their hip little vintage furniture shop. Nice. The second group is headed by shy but worthy Rebecca, who administers mammograms to frail old ladies. She also visits her dying grandmother, who lives next door to our first family (who have purchased the decrepit woman's apartment and are waiting for her death...even nicer) Rebecca has a sister, Mary, who while being addicted to tanning is one of the best played bitches I have seen on screen for a long time (credit to Amanda Peet) The lives of these two clusters becomes linked as the film progresses as they all try and battle with their own moral dilemmas. Kate is guilty about her career and feels compelled to hand out cash to every homeless person she sees, even if it turns out they're not homeless but waiting to be seated in a busy restaurant (a particular highlight) she is also dealing with a teenage daughter, skin and weight tantrums to follow . Her husband Alex also begins an affair with the charming Mary on the chair of her facial administration room, well it's clean at least? And poor Rebecca is struggling to cope with her ageing, and very blunt, grandmother's demanding ways.
The razor sharp script is certainly the most prominent feature of this film, and some moments feel like early an Woody Allen. Initially I thought this was just going to be a typical cynical black comedy. And the first third of the film does feel a bit like this, the relationships seem too clichéd, especially between mother and daughter. But just give these character time to grow and they suddenly become three dimensional. This is when the real humour of the piece comes out, and I can assure you laughing in an empty cinema is quite a surreal experience! But as I said this certainly is a dark comedy which really gets at the crux of some issues which face society, that of charity. How much should people give? Should we all feel guilty about how much we consume when others have so little? These are some of the questions which Kate battles with. Excellent acting is also seem by almost every member of the cast from Rebecca Hall playing her namesake with another flawless American accent to Catherine Keener as guilt ridden Kate. Also to be given special mention is Ann Guilbert as the elderly grandma, who's blunt tongue provide some of the funniest moments in the film. All these are signs of some first class Directing from Ms Holofcener, who I will certainly be looking out for in the future.
I would recommend this film to anyone who is looking for some laughs with a brain behind them and is prepared to actually think during a film and perhaps question some of our own actions as a result. So I will reward this with a fully deserved 8/10. And I will be sure not to leave things so long next week!!
Now on to the film. It follows two families. The first consisting of Kate and Alex and their 15 year old daughter Abby. They have the very morally noble livelihood of buying furniture from the children of the deceased cheap and selling for a huge price in their hip little vintage furniture shop. Nice. The second group is headed by shy but worthy Rebecca, who administers mammograms to frail old ladies. She also visits her dying grandmother, who lives next door to our first family (who have purchased the decrepit woman's apartment and are waiting for her death...even nicer) Rebecca has a sister, Mary, who while being addicted to tanning is one of the best played bitches I have seen on screen for a long time (credit to Amanda Peet) The lives of these two clusters becomes linked as the film progresses as they all try and battle with their own moral dilemmas. Kate is guilty about her career and feels compelled to hand out cash to every homeless person she sees, even if it turns out they're not homeless but waiting to be seated in a busy restaurant (a particular highlight) she is also dealing with a teenage daughter, skin and weight tantrums to follow . Her husband Alex also begins an affair with the charming Mary on the chair of her facial administration room, well it's clean at least? And poor Rebecca is struggling to cope with her ageing, and very blunt, grandmother's demanding ways.
The razor sharp script is certainly the most prominent feature of this film, and some moments feel like early an Woody Allen. Initially I thought this was just going to be a typical cynical black comedy. And the first third of the film does feel a bit like this, the relationships seem too clichéd, especially between mother and daughter. But just give these character time to grow and they suddenly become three dimensional. This is when the real humour of the piece comes out, and I can assure you laughing in an empty cinema is quite a surreal experience! But as I said this certainly is a dark comedy which really gets at the crux of some issues which face society, that of charity. How much should people give? Should we all feel guilty about how much we consume when others have so little? These are some of the questions which Kate battles with. Excellent acting is also seem by almost every member of the cast from Rebecca Hall playing her namesake with another flawless American accent to Catherine Keener as guilt ridden Kate. Also to be given special mention is Ann Guilbert as the elderly grandma, who's blunt tongue provide some of the funniest moments in the film. All these are signs of some first class Directing from Ms Holofcener, who I will certainly be looking out for in the future.
I would recommend this film to anyone who is looking for some laughs with a brain behind them and is prepared to actually think during a film and perhaps question some of our own actions as a result. So I will reward this with a fully deserved 8/10. And I will be sure not to leave things so long next week!!
Friday, 4 June 2010
Sex and the Sit down your in for a long ride....
Well I promised that I would see a variety of cinema both art house and Hollywood money makers. Therefore this week I have most certainly gone for the latter. It was the turn of those four women from New York in Sex and the City 2, set to be one of the biggest grossing film of the season. This was quite dramatically demonstrated to me when I went to see it in the Richmond Odeon screen 1, which was completely sold out consisting solely of women...I was already getting worried at this point.
Now here is where I would normally give a synopsis of the film, explain the initial equilibrium the characters find themselves in and then the various twists and turns the plot takes and the moral and physical journeys the characters are facing. However in this case I feel this to be almost completely unnecessary as the plot in this film seemed almost non-existent. OK, maybe this is being too cruel the film is almost 2 and a 1/2 hours after all so something must happen in it...some characters must change in some way and learn some life lessons...surely? Well, lets take a closer look. So two years have passed since the last look at these women when Carrie finally took the plunge and married 'Big'. So today in 2010 they find themselves all in fairly similar situations. It begins at a big gay wedding, something which I would never normally be averse to, but when you are quite boldly confronted with a gyrating Liza Minnelli singing Beyonce's 'All the Single Ladies' it's quite a different matter...I assure you. So that was all quite good fun for all but Carrie's getting worried her marriage is stale, and Charlotte isn't coping well with two children (and a Nannie...poor thing) Miranda isn't happy at her high powered law firm and Samantha is about to face the menopause. Well it certainly looks like these women are close to breaking point, I don't know how they're surviving...hmmm. Well Samantha comes to the rescue and whisks them all away to Abu Dahbi on and all expenses paid trip. Now the flurry of money that is hurled at this sequence is quite astonishing, private jets, private butlers, private cars, hotel rooms, swimming pools, wardrobe's...you get the picture. And they're all having a wonderful time in the sun and sand. But it couldn't really justify itself as a film if things didn't go wrong so some things do...Charlotte fears her husband is cheating, Samantha is facing hot flushes AND indecency charges when she has a little fling with a man in the hotel, Carrie meets an ex boyfriend and kisses him! (OMG) and Miranda is fine...so how will they ever get home after Carrie leaves her passport at a spice market? oh wait it's still there when they go back, thank God for that there could have been an interesting plot development there for a second. Then in my opinion the real low point in the film comes. When trying to escape the market they are taken into a little side room by a group of women, covered up in the traditional burka's, which of course the New Yorker's find shocking. But then these women reveal they in fact love fashion and toss their burka's to the side to flaunt their fabulous hair and make-up and everyone is happy. Now the thought that these women would only be interested in the materialistic culture of those women rather then embrace any of their natural heritage seems slightly odd to me. But may I'm just being too sensitive? So they all return safely to their natural habitat and everyone is forgiven and everyone is happy. I felt here that my usual discretion when revealing film ending's to be somewhat unnecessary. Another key point to bring up is that these women are just slightly too old now to be these glamorous sex kittens, I just don't think Sarah Jessica Parker's face can handle a close up. Or I can't!
Now it's not all bad to be fair, it's true that this film doesn't take itself too seriously and provides some light relief for thousands of women, and being honest I had a fun time in the cinema with my girlfriends. But that's all it is...a fun time. And I think such popular films owe it to their audience to give something more, if escapism is all it is then why do these women lead lifestyles most people could never achieve, driven almost entirely by money. And people shouldn't aspire to lead such vacuous lives, they deserve more. While these women are unquestionably strong and independent, all they want is money, sex and fashion. Is there really nothing more to a happy life? If that is the case that is a depressing thought to be faced with. I will leave you with the image that in the cinema as soon as an attractive man threw is shirt off to reveal his sweaty abs the audience spontaneously burst into applause and whooping...enough said really.
Therefore I believe this film really only deserves 4/10, for irresponsible film making...shame on you Michael Patrick King. Keep reading for next week for something completely different!
Now here is where I would normally give a synopsis of the film, explain the initial equilibrium the characters find themselves in and then the various twists and turns the plot takes and the moral and physical journeys the characters are facing. However in this case I feel this to be almost completely unnecessary as the plot in this film seemed almost non-existent. OK, maybe this is being too cruel the film is almost 2 and a 1/2 hours after all so something must happen in it...some characters must change in some way and learn some life lessons...surely? Well, lets take a closer look. So two years have passed since the last look at these women when Carrie finally took the plunge and married 'Big'. So today in 2010 they find themselves all in fairly similar situations. It begins at a big gay wedding, something which I would never normally be averse to, but when you are quite boldly confronted with a gyrating Liza Minnelli singing Beyonce's 'All the Single Ladies' it's quite a different matter...I assure you. So that was all quite good fun for all but Carrie's getting worried her marriage is stale, and Charlotte isn't coping well with two children (and a Nannie...poor thing) Miranda isn't happy at her high powered law firm and Samantha is about to face the menopause. Well it certainly looks like these women are close to breaking point, I don't know how they're surviving...hmmm. Well Samantha comes to the rescue and whisks them all away to Abu Dahbi on and all expenses paid trip. Now the flurry of money that is hurled at this sequence is quite astonishing, private jets, private butlers, private cars, hotel rooms, swimming pools, wardrobe's...you get the picture. And they're all having a wonderful time in the sun and sand. But it couldn't really justify itself as a film if things didn't go wrong so some things do...Charlotte fears her husband is cheating, Samantha is facing hot flushes AND indecency charges when she has a little fling with a man in the hotel, Carrie meets an ex boyfriend and kisses him! (OMG) and Miranda is fine...so how will they ever get home after Carrie leaves her passport at a spice market? oh wait it's still there when they go back, thank God for that there could have been an interesting plot development there for a second. Then in my opinion the real low point in the film comes. When trying to escape the market they are taken into a little side room by a group of women, covered up in the traditional burka's, which of course the New Yorker's find shocking. But then these women reveal they in fact love fashion and toss their burka's to the side to flaunt their fabulous hair and make-up and everyone is happy. Now the thought that these women would only be interested in the materialistic culture of those women rather then embrace any of their natural heritage seems slightly odd to me. But may I'm just being too sensitive? So they all return safely to their natural habitat and everyone is forgiven and everyone is happy. I felt here that my usual discretion when revealing film ending's to be somewhat unnecessary. Another key point to bring up is that these women are just slightly too old now to be these glamorous sex kittens, I just don't think Sarah Jessica Parker's face can handle a close up. Or I can't!
Now it's not all bad to be fair, it's true that this film doesn't take itself too seriously and provides some light relief for thousands of women, and being honest I had a fun time in the cinema with my girlfriends. But that's all it is...a fun time. And I think such popular films owe it to their audience to give something more, if escapism is all it is then why do these women lead lifestyles most people could never achieve, driven almost entirely by money. And people shouldn't aspire to lead such vacuous lives, they deserve more. While these women are unquestionably strong and independent, all they want is money, sex and fashion. Is there really nothing more to a happy life? If that is the case that is a depressing thought to be faced with. I will leave you with the image that in the cinema as soon as an attractive man threw is shirt off to reveal his sweaty abs the audience spontaneously burst into applause and whooping...enough said really.
Therefore I believe this film really only deserves 4/10, for irresponsible film making...shame on you Michael Patrick King. Keep reading for next week for something completely different!
Thursday, 27 May 2010
The Watcher...(thats me!)
I am sorry to inform everyone that alas I was unable to get to the cinema this week due to illness (vomiting in an office is never a good option to be honest) so for this weeks instalment I decided to take a pick from my lovefilm selection instead. So for your consideration this week is Stephen Daldry's The Reader. So it's still quite recent so I feel I can get away with it...and there's nothing you can do about it.
So what do we have here. holocaust drama. Kate Winslet (getting an Oscar AND bafta...fancy). reading? that's about as much as I knew before seeing this. Well in essence that's what I got. There is young Michael, good German boy in the late 1950's, something which I always like to see...the 1950's not the German boy...anyway...at the same time we are shown older Michael (Ralf Fiennes) in 1995. But let's forget old Mike for the time being more exciting things are happening in the 50's. Michael is ill, and someone who has just vomited myself I sympathised, and there to help the stumbling lad off home is stern Hanna, the rather blunt tram conductor. And naturally he had to thank her when he was better, I mean that's only polite. Well, while giving the unsuspecting lad a bath...he was sooty, fair enough...everything turns rather amorous. Now I know what your thinking, 15 year old boy, woman in her 30's...errrr no? but hang on a second give them a chance. The scenes to follow are very tastefully and sensitively handled. There was a genuine passion and care between the two and the relationship doesn't seem sleazy but heartfelt. They developed a routine to there affair...Michael would cycle after school to Hanna's, read to her whether it be The Odyssey or Chekhov's Lady with a Small Dog. I have to point out here how excellent David Kross was in the Young Michael role, he bought a real sense of maturity here to scene's which could quite easily become crude and tasteless.
However things cannot continue surely? and surely Michael is tempted to stay and have fun with his fiends and peers rather then read to Hanna. Another factor is that Hanna is approached by her boss and told she has a promotion, moved to do office work...this seems like a good thing right? then why does Hanna look so concerned? and when Michael comes to see her she has disappeared. hmmm the plot thickens...
Now I know what your thinking this can't be it for Han and Mike? no no. Michael is introduced again now he's at university in the swinging 60's, studying law. He seems quite cool and sophisticated and intellectual and stuff. Now, part of their course is to study the war trials from WW2 and the question of German guilt. And presented at the trial is his old love Hanna. Well Michael's appalled shock seems quite justified. An ex lover on trail for the murder of hundred's of Jewish women when she was working at Auschwitz... can't really get much worse? As things progress the case really hangs on one report on women being locked in a burning building and no guards released them. But wait a minute Hanna writing a report? Didn't she love people to read TO her...and Micheal and the audience deduce here she is illiterate (remember that whole promotion thing!) but rather then lose her pride she admits to the writing and it's a life sentence for Hanna. The question of morals and ethics is something that is a natural part of any holocaust film and this is no exception. How guilty is Hanna, she was only following orders after all? Well these are of course Micheal's thoughts. More time travel and there is Ralf's Michael, 1976, who takes a further interest in aging locked away Hanna. and as my motto is never to spoil plots I will leave things there...safe to say a surprisingly uplifting ending.
So what about this film. Like any holocaust film the problem I have is that the events are so terrible it's hard to believe and hard to relate to them. And I fell this happened here. I totally related to the first half. The tender relationship between two, in their own way, innocents. but when the film entered it's second half I felt my interest waining. It felt like we've seen it all before in various guises. And the message will always remain the same. Another problem I have (and this is very personal) whenever the actors in films set in Germany speak English but have German accents, it never quite seems right and can at times be comedic. Having said this many things are to be commended, the acting all round was superb. Kate certainly deserved all the acclaim she got. And David Klass is certainly one to watch in my opinion, and when is Ralf Fiennes bad? The holocaust topic was sensitively handled by Daldry without imposing opinions on the audience.
So a film that is certainly worth a look in my opinion. If you don't mind being slightly depressed...
So it gets a deserving 7/10.
Next week I promise to be on my feet and attend the cinema to review a new release!
So what do we have here. holocaust drama. Kate Winslet (getting an Oscar AND bafta...fancy). reading? that's about as much as I knew before seeing this. Well in essence that's what I got. There is young Michael, good German boy in the late 1950's, something which I always like to see...the 1950's not the German boy...anyway...at the same time we are shown older Michael (Ralf Fiennes) in 1995. But let's forget old Mike for the time being more exciting things are happening in the 50's. Michael is ill, and someone who has just vomited myself I sympathised, and there to help the stumbling lad off home is stern Hanna, the rather blunt tram conductor. And naturally he had to thank her when he was better, I mean that's only polite. Well, while giving the unsuspecting lad a bath...he was sooty, fair enough...everything turns rather amorous. Now I know what your thinking, 15 year old boy, woman in her 30's...errrr no? but hang on a second give them a chance. The scenes to follow are very tastefully and sensitively handled. There was a genuine passion and care between the two and the relationship doesn't seem sleazy but heartfelt. They developed a routine to there affair...Michael would cycle after school to Hanna's, read to her whether it be The Odyssey or Chekhov's Lady with a Small Dog. I have to point out here how excellent David Kross was in the Young Michael role, he bought a real sense of maturity here to scene's which could quite easily become crude and tasteless.
However things cannot continue surely? and surely Michael is tempted to stay and have fun with his fiends and peers rather then read to Hanna. Another factor is that Hanna is approached by her boss and told she has a promotion, moved to do office work...this seems like a good thing right? then why does Hanna look so concerned? and when Michael comes to see her she has disappeared. hmmm the plot thickens...
Now I know what your thinking this can't be it for Han and Mike? no no. Michael is introduced again now he's at university in the swinging 60's, studying law. He seems quite cool and sophisticated and intellectual and stuff. Now, part of their course is to study the war trials from WW2 and the question of German guilt. And presented at the trial is his old love Hanna. Well Michael's appalled shock seems quite justified. An ex lover on trail for the murder of hundred's of Jewish women when she was working at Auschwitz... can't really get much worse? As things progress the case really hangs on one report on women being locked in a burning building and no guards released them. But wait a minute Hanna writing a report? Didn't she love people to read TO her...and Micheal and the audience deduce here she is illiterate (remember that whole promotion thing!) but rather then lose her pride she admits to the writing and it's a life sentence for Hanna. The question of morals and ethics is something that is a natural part of any holocaust film and this is no exception. How guilty is Hanna, she was only following orders after all? Well these are of course Micheal's thoughts. More time travel and there is Ralf's Michael, 1976, who takes a further interest in aging locked away Hanna. and as my motto is never to spoil plots I will leave things there...safe to say a surprisingly uplifting ending.
So what about this film. Like any holocaust film the problem I have is that the events are so terrible it's hard to believe and hard to relate to them. And I fell this happened here. I totally related to the first half. The tender relationship between two, in their own way, innocents. but when the film entered it's second half I felt my interest waining. It felt like we've seen it all before in various guises. And the message will always remain the same. Another problem I have (and this is very personal) whenever the actors in films set in Germany speak English but have German accents, it never quite seems right and can at times be comedic. Having said this many things are to be commended, the acting all round was superb. Kate certainly deserved all the acclaim she got. And David Klass is certainly one to watch in my opinion, and when is Ralf Fiennes bad? The holocaust topic was sensitively handled by Daldry without imposing opinions on the audience.
So a film that is certainly worth a look in my opinion. If you don't mind being slightly depressed...
So it gets a deserving 7/10.
Next week I promise to be on my feet and attend the cinema to review a new release!
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Revache, a dish best served...austrian?
well I'm sorry to say that it's another art house foreign film this week. this is in the most part due to the fact that looking through the cinema listings in main stream cinemas (not naming any names...ODEON!!) I felt incredibly disheartened. Is Furry Vengeance really the best Hollywood can offer me at the moment? so I decided to return to the comforting bosom of the Curzon (Renoir this time...get me!) and my choice was the Oscar nominated Revanche by Austrian director Gotz Spielman.
Just think of it as a modern day (Austrian) Romeo and Juliet...if Romeo was an ex con working part time in a brothel and Juliet a Ukrainian prostitute trying to evade the advances of her charming pimp...on second thoughts forget the Shakespeare thing.
So we have our tragic hero Alex, and his girlfriend, Tamara. Some fairly graphic scenes take place in the first part of the film and gives as an insight into the underworld of Vienna. The cinematography here is vital also to creating this gritty atmosphere, the audience being confronted with a sea of greys, the only splash of colour coming from the red lights of the brothel...nice, Gotz, nice. As you may expect trouble crops up along the way...Tamara wants to escape, and who can really blame her, poor misguided prostitute/stripper!
and of course Alex will come to the rescue with his beyond brilliant plan...rob a bank! why didn't I think of that? and as is the nature with these kind of things things don't go quite to his fantastic scheme. A friendly police man stumbles upon the scene and whoops Tamara is dead.
so now what is poor Alex to do? of course, go stay will his aged grandfather on a farm in the countryside.
The film takes a strange turn here, as it enters is second half. the lighting lifts, colours are back it's all very rural and lovely. quite a change. and our friend Alex appears to have gotten away with it...and then uh oh his grandads only real friend out here is a charming young woman and her husband...who is a police man....yes that police man!!!
well, well the story is coming together. he must get his Revenche! not so fast. no one can just shoot a police man...can they?? or perhaps his wife? who takes a special interest in Alex, it's all that wood chopping he does you see. and they are having trouble conceiving.
Well in the interest of not giving too much away I'll leave the synopsis there...safe to say the ending is very unsatisfactory.
Well it cannot be argued that this is an intelligently crafted beautiful film with strong acting performances all round. Credit to Alex, his grandfather and the police man's wife. And a strong storyline of Greek Tragedy proportions. However I feel it gets sucked into the trap so many modern European films do of just being too slow. Each shot lingers that little bit too long and with absolutely NO MUSIC it also felt slightly arduous. Another point to consider is how contrasting the two halves of the film are. when Alex flees to the countryside the city is never seen or mentioned again. All the characters are forgotten about including the pimp who is looking for her? very odd.
so in conclusion a very intelligent but flawed film which I did genuinely enjoy sitting through. And in my humble decision 6 1/2 out of 10 will suffice. keep reading as next week I think i will be taking a closer look at Bad Lieutenant. let's hope it's not a Bad Film.
Just think of it as a modern day (Austrian) Romeo and Juliet...if Romeo was an ex con working part time in a brothel and Juliet a Ukrainian prostitute trying to evade the advances of her charming pimp...on second thoughts forget the Shakespeare thing.
So we have our tragic hero Alex, and his girlfriend, Tamara. Some fairly graphic scenes take place in the first part of the film and gives as an insight into the underworld of Vienna. The cinematography here is vital also to creating this gritty atmosphere, the audience being confronted with a sea of greys, the only splash of colour coming from the red lights of the brothel...nice, Gotz, nice. As you may expect trouble crops up along the way...Tamara wants to escape, and who can really blame her, poor misguided prostitute/stripper!
and of course Alex will come to the rescue with his beyond brilliant plan...rob a bank! why didn't I think of that? and as is the nature with these kind of things things don't go quite to his fantastic scheme. A friendly police man stumbles upon the scene and whoops Tamara is dead.
so now what is poor Alex to do? of course, go stay will his aged grandfather on a farm in the countryside.
The film takes a strange turn here, as it enters is second half. the lighting lifts, colours are back it's all very rural and lovely. quite a change. and our friend Alex appears to have gotten away with it...and then uh oh his grandads only real friend out here is a charming young woman and her husband...who is a police man....yes that police man!!!
well, well the story is coming together. he must get his Revenche! not so fast. no one can just shoot a police man...can they?? or perhaps his wife? who takes a special interest in Alex, it's all that wood chopping he does you see. and they are having trouble conceiving.
Well in the interest of not giving too much away I'll leave the synopsis there...safe to say the ending is very unsatisfactory.
Well it cannot be argued that this is an intelligently crafted beautiful film with strong acting performances all round. Credit to Alex, his grandfather and the police man's wife. And a strong storyline of Greek Tragedy proportions. However I feel it gets sucked into the trap so many modern European films do of just being too slow. Each shot lingers that little bit too long and with absolutely NO MUSIC it also felt slightly arduous. Another point to consider is how contrasting the two halves of the film are. when Alex flees to the countryside the city is never seen or mentioned again. All the characters are forgotten about including the pimp who is looking for her? very odd.
so in conclusion a very intelligent but flawed film which I did genuinely enjoy sitting through. And in my humble decision 6 1/2 out of 10 will suffice. keep reading as next week I think i will be taking a closer look at Bad Lieutenant. let's hope it's not a Bad Film.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
numero uno
well i haven't given up so far. film number one seen. done. finished. well maybe not quite now i have to write about the darn thing.
first things first. the film. it was the Italian family drama 'i am love' starring the ice queen, beach lover herself Tilda Swinton as family matriarch, Russian born, Emma. (i hope you noticed the name of this blog...it's in Italian...like the film...geddit???)
in the first few moments of the film we are hurled into the politics of this upper class family. the family home is intimidating in it's grandeur and at the same time seems synthetic and artificial, nicely linking to the artificial nature of the families interactions with each other. we meet the charming son, Edo, the strong willed daughter, Betta, and the steadfast maid to all, Ida. as well as many others in the family i can no longer really remember. the exquisite cinematography leads us through their everyday lives, the equilibrium of the house hold, extravagant parties, designer clothes etc.
as the story progresses we see that perhaps all is not as good as it seems, as anyone who knows a story is aware the structure of this family will surely be thrown off balance in some way. and lo and behold the daughter's a lesbian! (who, may i say cuts her hair very short, as one who has done this personally i do not appreciate this stereotype...) but perhaps more interesting then this little development is Emma's increasing fascination with Edo's new best bud, Antonio, the rather dashing yet sensitive chef. we see Emms become quite overwhelmed with his prawns in ratatouille...if you know what i mean? Emma then goes all rural on us as the new lovers spend some time in his countryside kitchen retreat. we see her casually discard the designer labels in favour of this more rewarding way of life. i should point out at this point there is perhaps too much Tilda Swinton boob on show in this scene. not to give too much away, as perhaps expected crisis ensues as the family try to regain normality and the event which follows is genuinely shocking, there were audible gasps in the soho curzon! the final scene is fairly bizarre with very loud Italian opera blasted over a sequence of people looking at each other suspiciously but there is a positive message to be had...i think?
Tilda here is to be commended highly. she commands the screen and the two languages (Russian and Italian) will ease and elegance. and I'm someone who has always been unsure of here. fair to say her dresses are slightly more becoming then the dress she wore when she collected her Oscar for Michael Clayton (the words potato and sack come to mind) but in all fairness a job well done!
the direction i feel needs to be commended also, Luca Guadagnino does a excellent job. at first i felt the film lacked any heart or passion but as things progressed i realised this was a very conscious decision. it created a sense of no feeling within the family itself and as the film grew in heart so did the characters.the film was accompanied with a very intelligently selected musical score which also added to the constricting atmosphere. i do feel however that perhaps the style was a little too self indulgent with lingering shots of a marble pillar which don't really progress the story in anyway.
all in all and intelligent and interesting film and one i would recommend to anyone with an appreciation for the finer things in life.
my opinion is a solid 7/10
keep reading for my take of another film coming to a computer screen near you shortly!
lily x
first things first. the film. it was the Italian family drama 'i am love' starring the ice queen, beach lover herself Tilda Swinton as family matriarch, Russian born, Emma. (i hope you noticed the name of this blog...it's in Italian...like the film...geddit???)
in the first few moments of the film we are hurled into the politics of this upper class family. the family home is intimidating in it's grandeur and at the same time seems synthetic and artificial, nicely linking to the artificial nature of the families interactions with each other. we meet the charming son, Edo, the strong willed daughter, Betta, and the steadfast maid to all, Ida. as well as many others in the family i can no longer really remember. the exquisite cinematography leads us through their everyday lives, the equilibrium of the house hold, extravagant parties, designer clothes etc.
as the story progresses we see that perhaps all is not as good as it seems, as anyone who knows a story is aware the structure of this family will surely be thrown off balance in some way. and lo and behold the daughter's a lesbian! (who, may i say cuts her hair very short, as one who has done this personally i do not appreciate this stereotype...) but perhaps more interesting then this little development is Emma's increasing fascination with Edo's new best bud, Antonio, the rather dashing yet sensitive chef. we see Emms become quite overwhelmed with his prawns in ratatouille...if you know what i mean? Emma then goes all rural on us as the new lovers spend some time in his countryside kitchen retreat. we see her casually discard the designer labels in favour of this more rewarding way of life. i should point out at this point there is perhaps too much Tilda Swinton boob on show in this scene. not to give too much away, as perhaps expected crisis ensues as the family try to regain normality and the event which follows is genuinely shocking, there were audible gasps in the soho curzon! the final scene is fairly bizarre with very loud Italian opera blasted over a sequence of people looking at each other suspiciously but there is a positive message to be had...i think?
Tilda here is to be commended highly. she commands the screen and the two languages (Russian and Italian) will ease and elegance. and I'm someone who has always been unsure of here. fair to say her dresses are slightly more becoming then the dress she wore when she collected her Oscar for Michael Clayton (the words potato and sack come to mind) but in all fairness a job well done!
the direction i feel needs to be commended also, Luca Guadagnino does a excellent job. at first i felt the film lacked any heart or passion but as things progressed i realised this was a very conscious decision. it created a sense of no feeling within the family itself and as the film grew in heart so did the characters.the film was accompanied with a very intelligently selected musical score which also added to the constricting atmosphere. i do feel however that perhaps the style was a little too self indulgent with lingering shots of a marble pillar which don't really progress the story in anyway.
all in all and intelligent and interesting film and one i would recommend to anyone with an appreciation for the finer things in life.
my opinion is a solid 7/10
keep reading for my take of another film coming to a computer screen near you shortly!
lily x
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
my manifesto
my name is Lily Beck. I am the tender age of 19. I would legally label myself as a student when in reality I am an ex drama school student working 3 menial jobs (3!!) awaiting university life in September when normal student duties will begin. In the mean time I have set myself the task of keeping this blog which will focus on film. As this is the only area I feel I have a vague authority. Not to say I am an expert by any means but that this is the area of my passion and interest.
now onto the challenge: to watch and review at least one film every week. With preference to cinema releases but as I may not always have the time for this (remember the fore mentioned triple job situation) then these will be films recently rented from my lovefilm collection. this is an attempt to keep me busy and also strengthen both my knowledge on film and my ability to comment and criticise while keeping personal preference aside (in my humble opinion and film starring Johnny Depp is automatically Oscar worthy...but as i said that's just me)
i will also try to see a wide variety of things, ranging from the emotional depths of the Hollywood 'bromance' to any number of independent cinema about war or death or something equally uplifting.
so there we have it. the question remains will i ever stick to this...i have tendencies for laziness. i blame society...
so watch this space for the latest review coming shortly!
lily x
god i hope its the new nightmare on elm street...
now onto the challenge: to watch and review at least one film every week. With preference to cinema releases but as I may not always have the time for this (remember the fore mentioned triple job situation) then these will be films recently rented from my lovefilm collection. this is an attempt to keep me busy and also strengthen both my knowledge on film and my ability to comment and criticise while keeping personal preference aside (in my humble opinion and film starring Johnny Depp is automatically Oscar worthy...but as i said that's just me)
i will also try to see a wide variety of things, ranging from the emotional depths of the Hollywood 'bromance' to any number of independent cinema about war or death or something equally uplifting.
so there we have it. the question remains will i ever stick to this...i have tendencies for laziness. i blame society...
so watch this space for the latest review coming shortly!
lily x
god i hope its the new nightmare on elm street...
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