Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Les Noces Rouges - 1973 ****


Yet again Chabrol delivers us this sumptuous movie filled with suspense and mystery. Stephane Audran is also in this film ( she must have been his favourite actress) as the wife of an impotent and thoroughly egotistical man. Bored, she embarks on an affair with her husband's business colleague, the mayor and dreams of them running away together and starting a new life. It is only when her husband finds out about the situation that things start to change drastically. Audran is suitably glacial in her role, and as always gives a top performance. The format for Chabrol's best movies is usually the same - an affair, then acknowledgement by the cuckold, with maybe a murder thrown in for good measure, but the films are always eerily disturbing and very often move along at a relaxed pace until a big climax 2/3s in.

A great movie that had me gripped from the title credits. Good old Chabrol.

Under the Sand - 2000 ****


Charlotte Rampling gives a heart-wrenching portrayal of a woman named Marie who's husband disappears, presumed drowned whilst on their holiday to the seaside.

The story follows her as she becomes more and more convinced that he is in fact still alive and will therefore not move on with her life despite the gentle suggestions of her friends that it is time to let go. Marie refuses, speaking of her husband still as though in the present and going home in the evening and calling his name, not seeming to remember thathe is no longer there.

The beauty of this film is how haunting it is *SPOILERS* as Marie never let's herself fully let go and believe that he is one. Even after an affair with a nice man she meets later on after the disappearance she still doesn't let her husband or his memory go.

This movie is elegently directed and very poignant about learning to move on with your life after you lose a loved one, and Charlotte Rampling is as always, superb.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - 1969 ****


In memory of the beautiful Liz Taylor who died only recently I decided to watch this, now probably one of her most famous movies.

All I can say is that this is not a movie for a depressed person, spending time with these characters will make you want to top yourself, but if you are in the mood for something edgy and exceptionally acted then this maybe the film for you.

Richard Burton is actually brilliant in his dry wit and snappy comebacks and Liz Taylor plays the part of a depressed, distraught alcoholic who cannot see anything good in her life, or in her relationship with her college professor husband.

How the couple come to be with each other throughout the movie and stand by each other is almost absurd, because they clearly despise each other immensely and enjoy hurling insults at each other. Clearly an emotionally disfunctional relationship which we understand about deeper into the film. There is a lot of hidden tension here that we don't get to see under the manicaly screaming and swearing, and there are many hidden layers that have to be carefully unravelled to really enjoy the film to it's fullest. It is tempting to just see the movie as a couple who shout at each other and have drinking problems when actually there is so much more of it.

Burton and Taylor together are outstanding.

Une Partie de Campagne - 1936 ****



What a dreadful shame it was that Jean Renoir never finished the end of this movie simply because of the weather conditions at that time. Based on a story by (one of my favourites) Maupassant, this is a gentle tale about a family who go off for a day by the river, and a romance forms between the daughter and a stranger who falls in love with her. What I loved about this movie was that it was filmed in exactly the same style that I imagine when I read his books, almost as though Renoir filmed an image in his head. It is very sad that we shall never know exactly how Renoir wanted to finish this piece, and as it is the people who tried to put the film together could only end it in a strange and questioning way which leaves you feeling unsettled. I am however very happy to have been able to see this treasure that people keep talking about in 'Best Of' lists, and would love to see more of Renoir's work.

Transylmania - 2009 1/2


Well look at that, there IS another film out there that's as bad as Shark in Venice. This was a poor excuse of a movie. And insulted every genre that it was trying to outsmart. It is also something like the 2nd worst Box Office release ever. Ha. It has all the ingredients of the typical 'lad' movie. The women who are stupid and don't have much on, the men who are stupid and can't think to save their lives and some random other characters that don't mean much either and keep appearing throughout the film for no reason.

Take any teen film like American Pie and dumb it down by 100 and you have a brilliant version of this. Believe me I have seen my fair share of ghastly teen flicks before, trust me on this, this is the worst.

Summer Hours - 2008 ***


I was first attracted to this film by the cover picture, and am captivated by French films set in the countryside or in the Summer months ( France does Summer so much better than Britain does!) and so didn't really know much about the story. The film is basically centred around a family who have to put their past behind them when it comes to sorting out the estate and possessions of their recently deceased mother and it takes place during those gorgeous summer months where it is light until 10 at night. The film moves at a gentle pace, and there is no violence which I praised ( although the odd reference to drugs). Binoche looks about 10 years younger which is disturbing as this was only made 3 years ago but she still puts in a fine performance. I didn't dislike this film, because to be honest there wasn't anything to dislike about it, but it wasn't one that leapt out at me like a Bergman might either.

Vagabond - 1985 *


Yet another hideously dreadful movie, this time about a woman who gives up her comfortable and stable life and decides to roam around like a tramp and live 'off the land' because she doesn't feel emotionally connected to her old life. The people that try to help her are treated awfully as she appears to have no respect for herself or anyone else and is one of the most unpleasant characters I have ever had the misfortune to see. Giving up a good life to wander off and sleep in fields and beg for money doesn't sound like the ideas of a sane woman, and it was with relief that she succumbs to the elements at the end of the film. Or rather we are shown this all at the beginning and then led to the end again in a flashback... you know, one of THOSE films that mixes everything up? Maybe it was to confuse us so that we wouldn't realise what we were actually watching. Didn't work for me though. Probably means the actress playing the vagabond was damn good though to make me hate her so...

Shark in Venice - 2008 1/2


This is the first film I think I have ever awarded a half star. It was truly one of the most ridiculous and awfully acted pieces of nonsense I have ever seen. Stephen Baldwin is a hideous actor, and everytime he spoke I kept thinking about Big Brother where he spent all his time bible-bashing anyone who didn't believe in god and realised that he's obviously nutty as a fruit-cake.

The story is a mess of 2 plots, and the shark is on screen for probably about 3 minutes all together. It wasn't even suspenseful until then, just a dreadful yawn-fest. I kept hoping Stephen Baldwin was going to be eaten but sadly that doesn't happen, instead he just flounces around talking like a woman and reciting his lines like he's reading them off a cue card. A waste of time and a waste of... well a perfectly good shark!!

A New Idea for my Reviews?

Whether I have time for this or not I don't know being that most of my free time is spent watching films and then rambling in a very casual and probably not very exciting way to my blog about them. I have the idea though that seeing as I watch an average of 5-9 movies a month (surely it's more than that????) I should do a separate review of my favourites of that month or maybe even every six months if the time frame proves too tight for me. That way every year I may have either 12 or 2 mini blogs I can go to and quickly check which were the outstanding movies that I may have forgotten. Obviously the films that are rated five stars are going to be in my favourite section so maybe it would be easier to simply list the 5 star films I have seen every month in a review... Then again it's not for definite that I would actually see a five star film every month so what do I do then? This is another ramble out loud. Sorry 'bout that..

Monday, March 28, 2011

Office Space - 1999 ****


One of the reasons why I think so many people like this movie is because they can totally relate to it.

The stereotypical existance of an office worker who goes to work everyday to the same cubicle and stares at the same four walls, barely getting much done. Usually people in that situation despise their work, and that is certainly the case for Peter, who is going mad with the boredom of his office, fed up with the people and insulted by the continual using by his boss (a very funny scene involving his boss asking him to work at the weekend, or rather telling him). After a hypnotherapy session with his girlfriend however, he forgets his worries and stress and decides to start turning up to work if and when he feels like it, as well as changing parts of the office that he doesn't like and wearing his own choice of clothing, leading to some very funny scenes.

Acting is great all round from this cast including John C. McGinley (Dr Cox from Scrubs) and especially Stephen Root who plays the part of Milton, a slow and descerningly simple fellow who mumbles to himself throughout the day and gets pleasure from touching staplers. A funny film to watch that makes anyone feel better about the world of work, no matter what field they may be in.

Hannah and Her Sisters - 1986 ***


Not a bad film, and Mia Farrow is great in it as Hannah, who has to deal with various problems of her own as well as those of her sisters throughout the year. The sisters end up being involved in a very disfunctional (and not entirely realistic) love triangle where one is in love with another's husband and that then brings on more problems. It's hard not to watch these films with an observant eye on Farrow and Allen's relationship being that Allen always seems to portray the ex partner of Farrow as he does in this. SPOILERS (he then falls for another of the sisters). The whole thing doesn't strike me as very funny and really the situation is so ridiculous that it put me off despite the good cast. Highlight is as ever, Woody Allen.

Everyone Says I love you - 1996 ***


Will I ever be able to gush over another Woody film like I have done with MNSC or Manhatten Murder Mystery? It doesn't seem likely at the moment given that nearly everyone I have watched after those two has been not to my taste. A great cast in this however, especially Goldie Hawn and a very memorable performance from Tim Roth. Hooray that Allen is actually in this albeit for hardly any time at all in my opinion but he certainly brightens up the screen when he is on. Featuring the by now famous scene where Allen and Hawn are dancing, Hawn singing 'Through with Love' in a sexy and unrivalled way and Allen swinging her round romantically and gently lifting her up so she flies slowly through the air in time.

This is probably the best part of the film for me, and although not a bad movie it's not one I would be desperate to see again. I'm glad I can tick it off my never-ending list however.

The Dark Corner - 1946 ***


Watching this almost immediately after 'Out of the Past' was probably not a great idea, given that I assumed this to be as brilliant and as captivating as the last. While not in the same league as 'Past' this movie did have it's merits and was still a pretty entertaining story. I love discovering slightly lesser-known noirs. Added to which Lucille Ball is actually very good in this type of film, ( I usually associate her with brash comedy or drama) and Willian Bendix was the nice guy that everyone wants to be protected by. The highlight for me though was the great performance from Clifton Webb who in my mind is just the epitome of Noir. His sly and sarcastic manner, his dangerous mind and his total coolness make him one of my favourites. ( Check him out in Laura)

Out of the Past - 1947 *****


An outstanding film noir that is heavily praised in any top 100 list I have seen. It really is as good as they say and has some of the best quotes ever uttered in film noir ("Well Build My Gallows High, Baby"). Film noir has to have key ingredients and this movie ticked them all off. A rough but strangely appealing good guy who is caught up in some murder or illegal plot usually unintentionally, a lot of trapsing the streets after hours with amazing shadows lighting up the person's face, lots of smoking, a narrative (usually done by the main male star in the film) and of course a sultry and sexy femme fatale, someone who cannot be trusted, at any cost.

Robert Mitchum is amazingly good in this ( until now I had always imagined Bogart or Ladd were the best good guy leads) and Jane Greer is scorchingly beautiful as the dangerous woman who gets in his way. A superb example of what made Noir the popular genre it always has been.

Kramer VS Kramer - 1979 ****


Kramer VS Kramer is one of those heart-wrenching movies that anyone who has had their parents divorce when they are young will relate to. Added to which it is brilliantly acted by Streep and Hoffman as the battling parents who are fighting over custody of their son.

Streep's character is a sorry excuse for a mother, and I had a hard time trying hard not to be personally angry at Meryl Streep herself for the character she had created. I then realised of course that Streep is just a wonderful actress who wants you to feel that way.

Both parents are in some way to blame for the downfall of the relationship, the mother for being too selfish and the father for being too wrapped up in his work, but I always sided with the father, who makes a lovely home for his son after being abandoned by his wife and forms a tight bond with him.

Children at that age nearly always imagine that they are to blame for their parent's separation but we are shown throughout this movie that it never is the case, and to most people who have always had doubts it is a very reassuring thing to hear.

Excellent film which despite the claims, has not dated at all.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Swimmer - 1968 ****


Excellent. Another movie that I hadn't been looking forward to seeing and ended up being totally gripped by it. One of the strangest films I have seen for a long time, this will leave you questioning your life, and the people and situations that you come across. Burt Lancaster is mesmerising as Neddy, a man who has been away from his home for a long time. He appears at his neighbour's pool clad only in his swimming trunks with the idea of swimming home across each person's pool until he reaches his house. Along the way he makes some shocking discoveries and nothing is quite what it seems. You need to see this film more than once because there are far too many subtle little pieces of information to catch that you may end up missing something vital. Amazing film for it's time. I'm still thinking about it now.

Sherlock Jr - 1924 ***


Buster Keaton is a brilliant silent star. He has one of the most expressive faces I have ever seen and this latest offering (which is also in my great films to see book) didn't disappoint. Keaton plays a projectionist who dreams of becoming the next great detective and spends his time reading up on the subject as the films roll. Keaton does amazing stunts and you feel totally drawn in to his escapades.
Excellent for it's time. Will want to watch 'The General' next all the way through.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - 1982 ***


Amusing enough, although this movie didn't exactly bowl me over. It follows students through their social calender at Ridgemont High and we find out how they feel about each other and what happens when sex and horny men collide.
It's a typical 'school' movie that has probably been done to death now, although this was no doubt the first time anything like this was filmed. Watch it for the typical 80s clothes and music but the story isn't really up to much, although Sean Penn was unrecognizable to me until I saw his name in the end credits.

Due Date - 2010 **** 1/2


This movie was about 100 times funnier than 'The Hangover' despite the fact that 'The Hangover' is being seen as this amazingly funny movie that everyone adores.
I found this sharper, drier and generally more moving than the other added to which Robert D-J is one of the best sarcastic actors of his time. He really made me chuckle and surprisingly Zach Galifianakis did as well although his character is ridiculously annoying.
It's a movie I would recommend to anyone who wants a laugh and I would be happy to watch it again. And again.

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Wave - 2008 *** 1/2


A fascinating German film ( echoing the disturbing 'The Experiment' that I also saw recently) about a teacher who decides to teach his class under a dictatorship to see whether it is possible in modern Germany. His pupils at first disagree and then become fascinated with the idea, even donning a uniform and inventing their own special greeting salute. The teacher separates the class, putting good with bad and popular with non, totally breaking the boundaries of social cliches which proves very successful, however the students then begin to take the idea too far...

A really interesting and terrifying idea which is supposedly based on a true account. A worthwhile watch.

Through a Glass Darkly - 1961 **** 1/2





Am excited to be entering a stage of watching more Ingmar Bergman films. There are a great number out there and almost all are ones that have a storyline I would like to investigate.
This film is part of a trilogy and without realising this fact I have already seen the 2nd and 3rd in the list (Winter Light which wasn't too bad, and The Silence which was excellent) and so I have now completed the trilogy. I have always been curious about what the title of this movie means, but now understand that it centres around the main female character who has mental problems and thus looks at the world in a bizarre way, hence looking through a Dark Glass. The centre of the story is based around a son and daughter who appear to have a very strange relationship, almost bordering on incestuous and the daughter's husband and her father. These four characters go to a remote island for a short vacation and throughout the time, many things come to light and many relationships are tested. Bergman is superb at giving us a story usually only with a handful of characters which we are then forced to evaluate instead of overloading us with information and millions of faces we instead become close to the characters that he has presented.
A very moving and interesting portrait into human conditions done in a way which only Bergman knows how.

Immortal Beloved - 1994 **


I feel a bit mean in reviewing this movie with a low rating to be honest because I'm pretty sure I wasn't in the right mood for it when I saw it, but it is my policy to review as soon as I've seen so I guess it's valid enough. Just not a very interesting idea about Beethoven, and didn't really show the true genius beneath. Fascinating to know that he was deaf and yet still composed such amazing pieces of music though. It really is a lesson for everyone. I really want to watch 'Amadeus' next about Mozart to compare the two. I think this review shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone, just see it as my record that I have seen the film instead of slating the movie. I'm sure in the right mood it's excellent.Added to which there are probably lots of riveting documentaries regarding the mystery of his 'Immortal Beloved' that I would be interested in watching.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Dark Water - 2002 ***


About 100 times better than the American version which I stupidly saw first, this offering of Japanese horror had me on edge throughout the movie. A mother and her small daughter move into a flat after a messy divorce, only realising when they have been there for a short time that there is something weird about the block of flats. For a start there is a huge water stain gradually growing bigger on their ceiling despite the fact that there is no one occupying the flat upstairs, and there is also a mysterious red school satchel that keeps turning up throughout the complex, although no child has claimed it. This is one of those Japanese films that you really need to watch more than once because to be honest it was only after I had seen it that I began to see the relevance of certain things and will have to repeat my viewing to really appreciate it.

A Single Man - 2009 *****


I would rate this as one of the very best films I have seen this year. Colin Firth has come out of his shell and has embraced his part in this with vigour. Firth is the distraught and depressed English Professor who lost his long-time partner in a car accident some 8 months ago. Finding it difficult to even function anymore through his days because of his agonising grief he decides to resort to a drastic measure, but not before taking time see the people who have touched him the most. This is not a gay film. Many people ( or rather many straight men) have been put off watching it because they believe it will be full of homosexual scenes, but there are only one or two at most and in my personal opinion I don't think the film would be the same without them. This is a film where every scene counts and there is nothing 'sordid' going on. The film is about the never-ending love of one person for another, and has nothing to do with the gender.It shouldn't even matter. I was heart-broken by Firth's performance, look out for one particular scene near the beginning where he gets bad news on the phone, as it is some of the best acting I have ever seen.
One I would recommend you buy, because there will always be a day when you will want to re-visit it.

The 400 Blows - 1959 *****


An exceedingly brilliant and amazingly simple movie by legendary Francois Truffaut which well deserves the praise it has received over the years. The story simply follows a young boy who doesn't get anything out of school and is not understood by his parents or peers. He is remarkably undemanding despite the fact that his parents spend huge amounts of time away from him but sadly their lack of attention leads him to skip school and create a petty crime. The film is beautifully shot, almost entirely without music and the acting of the small boy is superb for someone of his age. The film like the boy doesn't demand much from the audience, only to be accepted, and it's almost impossible not to come away from it feeling refreshed and moved. *SPOILERS* Watch out for the most famous scene of the film involving the class of children who go on an outing ino the town with their teacher - perfect cinema.

Manson Girl - 2011 *


God this was dreadful. I'm not having much luck with good films at the moment! I was hoping for a decent and faithfully depicted story about the Manson Family but it was a dire shambles. The acting was even worse than in the last film I saw and I am amazed that people lap up this rubbish. So far out of the three movies I have seen based on the Family 'The Manson Family' is by far the best. The acting in this and 'Helter Skelter' was atrocious.
Not worth a view. Added to which 'Charlie's Girls' were depicted as good people who got a bit mixed up and went along with Manson when in reality they were vicious and sadistic women who enjoyed the thrill of killing defenceless victims.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Consequences of Love - 2004 *


What a god-awful film, AND it was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival! I'm obviously getting dumber the more movies I watch. I found it dreadfully tedious, all about a man being sexually frustrated over a beautiful woman ( what an original idea...) mixed in with some hard-core drugs. I am so very disappointed over this film, mostly because I have waited about 5 years to watch it, believing it was going to be a tremendous production. It just seemed awfully stale to me and the characters moved around as though half asleep all the time ( either that or they are all just dreadful actors?). Just not a very exciting movie.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - 1977 ***


I can seriously see where Steven S got his ideas for ET from because the shapes of the aliens are identical, as well as the idea of a little child being scared to go outside because there is something out there ( done in a way which only SS can) but I have to say that not counting the fact that this is about 1 hour too short for a properly good sci-fi movie it's also very dated. Now I am the last person in the world to claim something is dated because it's not new, but there is a difference between a film being 'old' and 'dated' and this is definitely the second.
I really love the idea and wish there were more movies based around UFO encounters but that doesn't excuse how much nothing happens here. You get a really good beginning, a load of nothing that seems to go on for hours and then suddenly everything happens at the end in a flourish. I'm not saying the idea isn't good, I'm just saying that Spielberg doesn't seem to have a clue how to process his material in a coherent order, resulting in a mish-mash of ideas and people all at bizarre times. I really wanted to come away from this captivated by it's excellence but instead I just let out a huge sigh of relief and vowed to give my copy to charity. Give me the cute little alien ET anyday.

Two of a Kind - 1983 ****


Why are people slating this film? I thought it was great! And seeing Olivia and John on the screen together again was excellent! The story isn't rocket science but it's pretty amusing and I was sorry to see it end. Travolta is broke, and if he doesn't pay off some thugs by the end of the day he's going to have his ears cut off. So he hatches a plan of robbing a bank, unaware however that Newton-John is a cashier there who, impressed by his 'dangerous side' tries to chat him up while he points his gun at her. After being arrested he finds out that she actually took the bag of cash for herself and left him with lots of torn up paper and so he sets out to find her etc... I must add that there are also four angels watching everything in heaven, trying to persuade god that if the two characters can reform and stop being selfish then it will prove that all mankind is capable of a good deed.
This movie flopped when it was realised and some have said it was even worse than Xanadu, but I can hardly believe that. I found it funny and light-hearted.

The Devil's Advocate - 1997 **


This was an atrocious movie with some very questionable acting form Mr Keanu Reeves. I'll be honest, I didn't really understand most of the film, but I felt the same about his earlier movie 'Constantine.' I just feel as though Reeves is constantly playing the same wooden and dull character and it's getting quite monotonous. Something about the devil, Al Pacino and lots of lawsuits make this a jumble of a film. I can't really say that I paid much attention to the plot anyway and therefore saying that I don't like it is void, but then again if it had been interesting enough maybe I would have paid more attention? Whoever said Al Pacino could act must have been high as a kite.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Pandora's Box - 1929 ****





Louise Brooks has to be one of the most modern silent stars I have ever seen. From the very first scene of this now famous film I was hooked on her. Her attitude, her looks and her personality which is ever so slightly mocking and yet eternally innocent at the same time. How amazing to watch a film with her as the star from 1929. I can understand now why so many millions of fans were fascinated by her. She plays Lulu ( now such a popular character title that it is almost a household name, added to which her style of haircut is known as a Lulu bob), who is the mistress of a well known and respected publisher. Lulu's powerful and captivating presence stops him from marrying the true object of his affections and he ends up resigned to marry her instead. Things happen and Lulu flees the country, ending up in London with her husband's son (ironically her best friend) where she *SPOILERS* unwittingly bumps into Jack the Ripper who happens to be stalking the streets. Her fate is sealed. Excellent idea for such an old film, although it's so refeshingly 'modern' in it's context that it's still a relevent type of movie today. Could be why it's constantly added to top 100 film lists. It's timeless really, and being able to see Louise Brooks in her upmost prime is a treat and privilege. The coolest flapper I've ever seen in early films yet. She has this magnetic image that means you can't take your eyes off her which you just do not see these days. Will be going in search of more of her work ( hopefully some is still available).

The Reaping - 2007 ***


This is a very bizarre movie. I wasn't expecting the ending at all, but not really in a good way. Hilary Swank is a missionary who goes off to a town that appears to be suffering from the 10 Plagues. A lot of wandering around takes place and Hilary Swank doesn't seem to be getting much closer to the truth, especially when she finds out that the red river in the town is filled with human blood. Lovely. She also has a lot of visions including ones of her daughter who died a number of years ago ( but we never really find out how or why). There are too many plot-holes in this film, although I originally purchased it because I find the 10 plagues fascinating and hoped we would be shown them in a modern setting ( the most famous film of them is of course The 10 Commandments) but we aren't really. However Swank gives a memorable speech to her collegue Ben about how all the plagues relate to each other and how there is nothing mythical or magical about them. It's actually a fascinating speech and I rewound it a few times to hear it again. *SPOILER* As you can probably imagine with a modern film like this, the one person that everyone believes to be evil is actually good, and the whole village of 'good' people are part of a cult. Sort of predictable but I had hoped for something more.
'The Ten Commandments' is a FAR superior film to this.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Shanghai Express - 1932 ***


For all the amazing and praising reviews that this film has received over the years I was really looking forward to seeing it and seeing how wonderful Marlene really was as Shanghai Lily. Average in my opinion, and the film didn't really pick up until the second part by which time everything was happening at once and then it was the end. If the film had been padded out a bit more throughout then it may have held my interest more but I did feel like the characters didn't really have time to progress before it was all over. I'm not going to deny that the photography was superb and that the director could not have shot Dietrich in a more luminous and perfect way but I do think that as regards to her acting it didn't stand out particularly as a tremendous actress. I'll get critised hugely for this but I found her performance to be quite wooden. I also thought Anna May Wong ( who I first caught in the early silent film 'Piccadilly') was totally overlooked and her part was miniscule. For the times I did see her she was excellent though. Maybe if the two actresses had changed roles I might have enjoyed it more. I feel dreadful for slagging off Dietrich as I fear it puts me across as very fickle but I could not fall in love with her acting.

Kalifornia - 1993 **1/2


This was a bit of a weird film. Brad Pitt was entirely underrated as usual but I found Juliette Lewis to be playing the same type of character that she has done in other road trip films. She had this strange sort of hillbilly persona which I really didn't like ( it was a bit like her role in Natural Born Killers although of course she kills in that) and I can never honestly warm up to her as an actress. The other two were just annoying ( David D, go back to The X Files) and didn't take anything very seriously. This film just annoyed me. I'm glad I've seen it though.

Long Time Dead - 2002 * *


Oh dear god. Next time I decide to 'save' a horror dvd' I'll think again and just watch it instantly. This was an awful film. Acting was dreadful especially from that bloke who used to be in Eastenders and all the other members of the cast where behaving as though they were slightly stoned for the entire film. Something about a Ouija board and getting drunk and dying. That was about it. And it kept going for far longer than I could stand. I think there should be a rule that anyone who acts in a film can well... actually act.

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

The Snake Pit - 1948 ***


After watching the brilliant 'The Heiress' with Olivia de Havilland I was hoping that I would enjoy this bizarre and emotional trip into a woman's mind inflicted with a mental health problem who is put in an asylum. de Havilland acted her socks off and was amazingly realistic in her role (she reportedly spent three months observing real mental patients in their surroundings to completely immerse herself in her character) but I wasn't as interested in this film as I was in 'The Heiress.' It just seemed to drag on a bit in my opinion, but maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind to watch it. It's one of the top films to watch though but I would recommend the first film instead of this.

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

The Heiress - 1949 ****


This is one of the must see films in my 1001 movies to see before you die book and so I was saving it up for a time when I would be totally bowled over. And I was. Olivia De Havilland plays the lead character, a rather plain and uninteresting woman who is set to inherit all her father's money when he dies. Despite her father's cold and unfatherly misdemeanor towards her, she is delighted when she meets a seemingly genuine suitor ( in the form of lovely Monty Clift) who seems to have fallen head over heels in love with her. Her father, however is not convinced, believing him to be after her rather large fortune and will not give his blessing to them getting married causing heartache all round.
A superb film, one that had be on the edge of my seat as Miss De Havilland acted her socks off, and one that I was thinking about for ages afterwards because of the motto of the movie. Added to which, the movie is based on a true event that happened to a friend of Henry James's and so he felt compelled to write a novel about it (Washington Square) which gives it much more of an edge and a peep into how people really think about each other when it comes to money.

Melinda and Melinda - 2004 ** 1/2


I think I should realise that if Woody Allen isn't in a movie he directs then it's not really going to be a very good film ( not counting Match Point of course!) because he wasn't in this and I didn't find it remotely funny at all. Basically he has tried to do something which normally may be very funny, use roughly the same story told in 2 different ways, one funny and one tragic and we, the audience have to decide which we prefer because they both have different outcomes. Well to be honest, call me stupid but I couldn't keep up with all the things going on with the same characters as we kept switching backwards and forwards without much warning. I didn't really enjoy it and cannot warm up to Will Ferrell, especially Will Ferrell trying to be Woody Allen = wrong.

Incendiary - 2008 **


What a ghastly film! We are introduced to a woman who has no respect for herself or her husband and cannot be faithful to him because of the fact he is working long hours as a bomb disposal expert. One Saturday her husband and sone go to a football match and she takes the opportunity to have sex with a random bloke she recently met in a pub in her family flat. However things all go wrong when she sees on the news that the statium has been at the centre of a terrorist explosion and both her husband and son are dead.
Michelle Williams is a weird actress, she's quite wooden and looks like a beanpole and so it's quite difficult to keep her seriously. Ewan McGreggor is also not at his best here, comparing him to his astounding performance in 'The Ghost' he falls totally flat. I wasn't even gripped by this movie sadly because I know it was a big deal when it came out.

I love you Alice B.Toklas - 1968 ***


The amount of people that rave about this movie I was expecting something really amazing about it, but actually it wasn't that funny at all and I think Peter Sellars really improved later on in his career. The story mixes some sort of weird, hippy brownie induced dance with a totally boring story about a boring man who isn't satisfied in his relationship (his fiance is threatening to drag him down the aisle) and so takes up with a slightly aloof hippy who bakes hash brownies and paints flowers on people's thighs. However after a while he realises that living with a hippie really isn't as great as he thought it would be. This story is awful really, as Peter Sellar's character is never satisfied with any woman in his life and always thinks he can do better, and he didn't exactly have me rolling around with laughter. Not one I'd recommend.