Sunday, November 27, 2011

So Long at the Fair - 1950 ****



My best friend hunted down a copy of this for me and I am so grateful (thank you pasta!) because it was a brilliantly constructed and shockingly overlooked mystery gem supposedly based on a true story.

The story is of a sister and brother who go to Paris in 1889 to see the world fair. The night before they are due to depart to the fair they check into a hotel with separate rooms. The next morning the sister eagerly rushes to her brother's room to wake him, and finds with horror that both he and his room have disappeared. And even more shocking is that the owners and staff og the hotel claim that she arrived alone and that they never saw her brother. Enter Dirk Bogarde, the one man who spoke to her brother the night before the disappearance, and the one person who can help her unravel what happened.

A tight plot, with a shocking ending, Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde are totally in sync with each other.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Vanity Fair - 2004 *** 1/2



I do wonder whether William Mackpeace Thackery's novel went on for quite as long as this film seemed to. I'd wanted to see this for a while, and thought it would be interesting to see Resse Witherspoon in a period drama. But she was actually very good, and very natural (you wouldn't imagine through watching her that she was the same actress as in 'Legally Blonde') and gave her character Becky Sharp a real edge.

The story is typical of the period, or regency era, a young girl from a not too privileged background seeks greater things by climbing her way up the social ladder by any means necessary.

Interesting and at times quite gripping, 'Vanity Fair' is a story of a gutsy woman who grabs opportunites with both hands regardless of the consequences, something maybe more of us should take on board.

Anne of a Thousand Days - 1969 ****



A sumptious dramatization of the short life of Anne Boleyn with Richrd Burton on top form as the sometimes jolly and sometimes murderous Henry VIII. Genevieve Bojold shines as Boleyn, who catches the eye of Henry VIII at one of his many feasts. Because she is unattainable and seemingly not interested in him, Henry goes to extensive measures to woe her, despite being still married to Katherine of Aragon who has not been able to give him a male heir.

Henry VIII appears to be one of those men who only chases a woman until he has 'defeated' her, and then she is apparently useless to him. Once he finds out that Anne has also not borne him any male heirs, he decides that she is also worthless and is on look out for his next conquest.

Brilliantly acted and interesting, this is one of the great historical films you must see.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Lady Jane - 1986 ****



Another film I've wanted to see for ages which I can tick off my list. And captivating it was too.

One of the things that is so upsetting about films like this is how utterly despicable the monarchy was in the 16th century. Putting innocent people to death to make a transaction easier for a new Royal, bullying people into taking the crown and then throwing it back in their face when they can's rule the country like their advisors want etc.

Jane Grey was a poor unfortunate girl, and she really was only a girl of 16 when she was ordered to take the crown despite being against the idea, and become married despite feeling that she was too young (there is a scene that shows her being whipped until nearly unconscious by her mother when she disagrees with the idea) and then was ultimately beheaded for treason on account of her being Queen (along with her husband Guildford) when she had never really wanted to be in the first place, hence her being known as the Nine Day Queen, and as her mother chillingly put it towards the end of the film 'If she is the Nine Day Queen then what happens to her on the Tenth?'. In these times it seems like people in the moarchy really couldn't trust anyone, even their family, and it was incredibly sad to watch Jane's world collapse as her parents ordered her to do more and more without a thought for her own feelings. Only being a child she didn't have a clue what ruling her country meant (her first wish when she became Queen was to have a batch of real shillings made for her!) and was forced into marrying someone that she didn't know (although in the film she eventually falls in love with him) yet again by her parents, whose plans of grandeur overtook the feelings of their own daughter.

A stunningly acted piece, both from Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes who play the doomed lovers, with extra support from Patrick Stewart (again!) and Michael Horden. A masterpiece of a tragic event that could have been avoided, like so many other monarchy fatalities.

The Canterville Ghost - 1997 ****1/2


I remember having a tape of this story which I listened to avidly when I was 10 or 11. It never scared me despite the subject matter sounding quite eerie, but actually used to help me get off to sleep. And I remember it still to this day (I'm 25 now).
Patrick Stewart plays the ghost of Sir Simon De Canterville who finds it impossible to get any peace once a loud and brash American family move into his house. Added to which, he is destined to walk through the house groaning and clanking his chains for eternity until a curse put upon him by his late wife's family is lifted. which doesn't go down very well for anyone. The only people who believe in him are the three children, (the two young boys and the teenage girl played very well by Neve Campbell) leading them to set up an elaborate production of Hamlet (with him playing the ghost of Hamlet) to show the parents that he does in fact exist.
Campbell soon becomes close to the ghost who recounts to her the nature of his and his wife's death and she realises that only she can lay him to rest forever after finding the riddle of Canterville hall in an old book in the library.
I just loved this film, and I loved Patrick Stewart, he was just the epitome of who I imagined Sir Canterville to be when I listened to my audio tape all those years ago. It also made me cry bucket loads. Lovely film. And no blood or half naked people in it. The film simply had a great storyline instead...

(HORROR) Sick Nurses - 2007 **



This film was neither 'sexy, sick or full of shocks' as the poster knowingly depicts. Its about a bunch of nurses who go around without very much on and then get bumped off during the course of the film by the 'ghost' of a patient they killed with copious amounts of blood involved.

I thought it would be funny, but it's not even that. The only thing I can say is that its the most predictable thing I've seen in ages horror-wise. It's strange how these bad horror films have to rely of buckets of blood and half naked women to make up for the lack of a storyline, and as I keep asking myself, why do I keep watching them??

Friday, November 11, 2011

(HORROR) The Torment - 2010 *



Absolutely diabolical. Why do I bother watching these supposed 'horror' films and then end up being continually disappointed???

Still, as usual I thought this would be different. And it wasn't.

A man breaks up with his girlfriend and goes to stay with his friend and his partner. Whilst there, he experiences some horrifying things.

Really bad. I don't think any movie to do with possession has really scared me in the last few years, except maybe 'An American Haunting.'

Wild Strawberries - 1957 **** 1/2



On contrast to the last Bergman on my list (Cries and Whispers) this was absolutely superb. The acting was stunning, the cinematography was divine. For this film, Bergman was the master.

The film follows an old academic who goes on a journey to collect his doctrote accompanied by his daughter in law and an assortment of characters. Along the way he revisits his past and experiences scenes from his life in amazing detail.

To me, this movie had a hint of 'A Christmas Carol' about it. It was a story of regret, of past moments, and of excepting your choices in life. The main character spends several scenes watching his past life without anyone being able to see him (as in ' A Christmas Carol' ) and also watches himself woo his first love (again, as in CC). What I loved about this film was how some of the actors play more than one part, many in the present scenes also play characters from the academic's past and the fun part is being able to spot them.

I really enjoyed this film, and there were several scenes (including his dream at the beginning) which have not left my mind since I saw it. Amazing.

Cries and Whispers - 1972 **




What a disappointment. And very strange because this is the second colour Bergman film I've seen and the first was equally dark and unexciting.


On a contrast, all the black and white ones were amazing that I have seen so far. This film was based around illness, and infidelity, and negativity and so it's hardly something you might want to watch if you were hoping for something happy.


It has the same sad and melancholy tones as 'Autumn Sonata' (which was the other colour one I saw). Maybe his films are meant only for b&w.


I couldn't enjoy it, maybe for it's dreadfully depressing storyline.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

The Red Shoes - 2005 ****



This was a very confusing Tartan Asia film. (I'm back on my TAE buzz). It was good, and my god it was creepy, terrifying in fact, but there was a lot of it that I didn't understand which therefore would probably render a re-watch sometime.

The red shoes are in fact pink, although there is a specific reason why the title says 'Red' but I haven't been able to find it out.

The shoes are cursed (as usual there is a long story that goes into why), and claim anyone who dares to pick them up and try them on. This usually means a painful death or in other cases, the person having their legs cut off. The 'victims' also become sort of manic and psychotic around others when faced with losing the shoes and usually there is also a girl with long black hair down her face near the scene of the crime. I think it's quite a good storyline, and the Asians are so talented at weaving bizarre plots around bizarre objects that they do it like no other, (added to which, the black haired girl is now their sort of 'gimmick' which is darn effective no matter how many times it's seen). However there was a lot that I missed in this film despite paying attention, and I can only guess that that is because I will need to see it again (which is not a bad thing!).

Sunday, November 06, 2011

(HORROR) The Devonshire Terror - 1983 ***






This was a rather low budget film. And as with many films that I have watched recently, it started off well and with good prospects and ended rather poorly. I'm all for low budget movies, but when the acting is wooden and the plot partly implausible it makes it hard to take them seriously.

The story is of three young women who are burned at the stake on witchcraft charges in 17th century Devonshire.

300 years later three women arrive at the town almost to the day of the burnings to take up various positions in the community and are subsequently accused of witchcraft by the younger generation of the accusers hundreds of years ago.

A bit predictable, but not too bad. Apparently the director went on to make the notoriously bad 'Green River Killer' afterwards which I have to see just to see how dire it really is.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Prime - 2005 ****



This film was good actually, mainly because it didn't follow the typical 'chick flick' formula that so many romcoms these days do.

It was more of a film about growing and maturing as an individual and in a relationship and had a good motto as well, added to which, it's ending was a bit like 'The Break -Up' in that it wasn't a particularly happy ending, or an ending that the audience may want to see, but it certainly taught you a lot.

A divorced 37 year old business woman (Thurman) becomes entangled with a 23 year old painter (Greenberg)who just happens to be the son of her psychoanalyst (Streep). Pretty soon she is telling her analyst all her feelings and worries regarding the relationship and the analyst is instructing her to do certain things that she would never dream of suggesting if she knew that her son was involved. However that is all to change for the better and the worse.

A nice film, and a real film about real life and real relationships which is somewhat refreshing in today's predictable American market where you always expect a happy ending.

Who Slept with her? - 2006 ****



This Japanese film was actually very quirky and very funny, and I stumbled upon it by mistake.

A new member of staff at a strict boys school causes a stir as each boy fantasises over her and three particular students are convinced that they can 'have her' without their manical headteacher finding out. Things as expected, don't go to plan. It does sound rude and maybe if it was an American film it would be a bitn crude but actually as it's Asian it's not to be taken too seriously and I raised a smile quite a few times.

The three male students are hilarious, the headteacher is completely loopy, and the female member of staff is a complete tease.

Watch with some wine and chocolate and have a laugh at a pointlessly funny film.

(HORROR) And Soon the Darkness - 1970 ***



The poster was actually the thing that drew me to this film. As well as the fact that I'm really into 60s and 70s horror.

The story is of 2 British girls who go on a cycling holiday to France. Whilst they are there, the girls have an argument and fall out. This ends up in them going off their separate ways.

One of the girls feels guilty and decides to cycle to a cafe along the road and wait for her friend to appear. But she never does. And sooner or later she realises that her friend has vanished. She then meets an assortment of weird characters, each of whom it's hard to know whether to trust them or not and tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, with some terrifying results.

The film has a very eerie feel about it, but some of it was a bit annoying and the remaining girl is the most irritating character ever. Flouncing around in her stupid pink hotpants and ridiculous haircut got a bit tiring after a while.

Friday, November 04, 2011

Tesis - 1996 **** 1/2



I think that the first part of this film was superb, I was totally gripped to it and couldn't tear my eyes from the screen.

However the last 20 minutes or so lagged just a bit which was a shame because I was enthralled into finding out what the outcome would be.

A young student working on her thesis about AudioVisual Violence on the screen (it took me over 5 hours to realise that the title was actually thesis in Spanish....) unwittingly uncovers a snuff film involving a girl who used to be at her university but mysteriously disappeared several years beforehand. With the help of her slightly sadistic friend who has his own collection of violent and pornographic films, she tries to figure out the connection between the film and the camera that is used.

It's a really excellently made film. A good storyline and very watchable, although Ana Torrent gets a bit annoying after a while.

Dogtooth - 2009 ***




A very weird movie. One that leaves you with an empty and slightly unhinged feeling in your stomach, but one that I have been itching to see for sometime. There definitely is a hint of Michael Haneke in it as well which adds to the strangeness.


Also it is the only Greek film that has ever won at the Cannes film festival so Yorgos Lanthimos must be very pleased with himself.


A husband and wife go to bizarre and sometimes frightening extremes to 'protect' their three children from the outside world. The children cannot go out the house, are barely able to interact with anyone who comes to visit, and are taught words that have different meanings everyday by listening to tapes their mother makes (i.e. a zombie is a yellow flower, a sea is something you sit in with leather armrests).


It is not clear why the parents are being this way, (one bizarre scene has the father lining them up and telling them that cats are their enemy and that as long as they don't venture out into the garden for too long then they will not be eaten by one) and one suspects that they are either the most paranoid human beings in the world or just utterly mad.


The children survive by making up games with each other that appear to be mostly sexual, and spend a lot of time being incestuous with each other.


It is a complete head ****, which I'm sure is what the director intended, but like 'Funny Games' it makes you feel very uneasy afterwards, although the thing about films like this is that they don't have a point. It is pointless to expect there to be a reason to this film, so just watch it and suspend your disbelief.

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

The Soft Skin - 1964 *****



Francois Truffaut yet again serves up a sumptuous visual delight for us with this story of a famous writer who starts an affair with a woman he meets on his plane to a conference and continues the affair once back in Paris, despite being married with a small child.

You feel everything with this film. The uncertainty, the worry, the awkward moments (i.e where he has to pretend not to acknowledge her when she runs up to greet him in front of his work collegue) and they all appear true to life, as it appears this story was based upon Truffaut's own accounts of leaving his own wife for the actress Fanny Ardant.

Jean Desailly is not an attractive man, in fact his character is very unsympathetic and very shallow which makes it even more pathetic to see him throw away a good marriage with a wife who clearly loves him for someone he meets on a whim.

I have so far seen four Truffaut films that I know of: This one, The Girl Next Door, The 400 Blows, and Jules and Jim. Each one has been superb and I enjoy Truffaut's 'New Wave' approach to his film directing each time I see more.