Alfie, Take The Lead, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

Second post in a day! There must be something in the water.

#1 - ALFIE
[Hmm, yes, well, blogger won't accept my image. Ah well, we'll put it down to fate - no Jude Law for you.]

Stars - Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Susan Sarandon

Director - Charles Shyer

Memorable Quote - 'Anyone in the mood for a little Alfie, straight-up?'

Review - Oh dear, poor Alfie - no one to love, no best friend, and no contact with his own child. Sob, sob. Yes, I know, the moral point of the film is that he lived his life wrong - still, I can't bring myself to feel sorry for him, considering he's just had the time of his life, while his loyal friend who never once cheated - or indeed had much fun - ended up getting cheated on anyway. Besides which, I don't think I like Jude Law. I used to, but after Doctor Parnassus and now this, I begin to see what everyone else's problem with him is. He actually can act, as shown in films like Sleuth and Closer, but sometimes, for some reason, he just doesn't. A very hit and miss actor, and this one's a miss, especially considering how actresses like Sarandon and Miller were simply shoved aside as mere bit-parts to his lead. Disappointing, not because I expected much from the film, but because I know it could have been better. 2/5

#2 - TAKE THE LEAD

Stars - Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown, Dante Basco, Yaya DaCosta, other people with ridiculous names

Director - Liz Friedlander

Memorable Quote - 'Ramos: What? ¿Tu no sabes? I can shake it.
Pierre Dulaine: Then I suggest you shake it with the partner that I assigned you.'

Review - A dance flick! Everyone loves a dance flick, right? Well, alright, maybe not everyone, but I do, and this one instantly made me want to take up tango. Antonio Banderas dancing the dance of passion? What's not to like? Anyway, it's based on a true story, which pretty much no one cares about, but here is represented well as a big old slice of fun. Not just fun all the way, though - this isn't a comedy, but includes a look at the harsh lives of inner-city kids a la 'Freedom Writers' and the rest of that genre. The dancing is fantastic, of course, and the portrayal of the rich kids as snobs is kind of admirable, considering that the normal way to go would be to show that everyone is equal when you take away the money, instead of portraying the poor kids as inherently nicer. Oh, and - trivia fact: Dante Basco, who plays Ramos, was not only in his thirties when this was filmed, but is also the voice of Zuko from Avatar. Who'd have thought it. 3.5/5

#3 - 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS (4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile)

Stars - Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, Alexandru Protocean

Director - Cristian Mungiu

Memorable Quote - 'We will never speak of this again, okay?'

Review - A Romanian movie, but not what one might call a Romanian delight. Make no mistake - this film is dark, very dark, with nothing of humour or happiness to relieve it. Following the story of a woman who wishes to have an illegal abortion, for which the price is high, the title may not make sense until actually watching it - it refers to how long she has been pregnant for. At first lying that it has only been two months, the strength of her lie is perhaps revealed most tellingly by the shot of the dead foetus towards the end of the movie. It is harrowing. Followed by a seemingly endless shot of the woman's friend trying to find a place to bury it, it is one of the most shocking film scenes that I for one have ever experienced, but one has to wonder at what expense. The whole film is beautifully treated with a sort of washed-out colour, and simple sound - when surrounded by the hubbub of her boyfriend's family around halfway through, the lead character is almost swallowed whole by the noise, and only comes into her own again when back in the silence of his room. Apart from this, though, the film is unrelentingly ugly, and the long, long scenes almost seem to stagnate at points. Also, despite being undeniably strong, the lead becomes almost a mouse when dealing with people of authority, and I almost begin to dislike her for this. A strong film but not an enjoyable experience, and certainly not one that I actually want to watch again. 2.5/5

The Motorcycle Diaries, Deficit, Waterlilies

It was the Gael Garcia Bernal special on Film4 a few weeks ago, as part of World Cinema season, which explains all three of these movies. And yes, I have once again allowed myself to fall miserably far behind with blogging. Sigh.

#1 - THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

Stars - Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna

Director - Walter Salles

Memorable Quote - 'You gotta fight for every breath and tell death to go to hell.'

Review - This film is actually really great in the way it treats its subject matter. As a dramatisation of real events, part biopic and part autobiography (taken from Che's own diaries), you might expect it to be very bold about the fact that we are dealing with Che Guevara's life. But instead it is wonderfully subtle: only when a girl nicknames him 'Che' for the first time, and when he makes an empassioned speech at the hospital, do we really see any sign of the man history knows. Because, in fact, this is not a film about Che Guevara: it is a film about Ernesto Guevara. It is touching to see the young man at the leper colony, the same young man who gives money away to the poor when he himself is in dire need of it. This is a story of compassion, not of revolution, and it is charmingly done. One cannot help but fall in love with Bernal, and feel for him as his own illness all but incapacitates him, even as he continues to care for others. Well acted and well directed, a great idea that has been pulled off even better. 4.5/5

#2 - DEFICIT

Stars - Gael Garcia Bernal
Director - Gael Garcia Bernal
Memorable Quote - ???
Review - No memorable quote simply because I can neither actually remember anything nor find anything online. Anyway, this film kind of has two sides to it - the side that we see, as in the actual physical storyline, and the meaning behind it. Nothing of any real note happens during the movie: it essentially centres around a party at rich boy Cristobal's house, where his sister is pressured into an overdose by her older boyfriend and the servants are generally looked down upon as the bottom of the food chain. No one here is perfect or even a good person, except for perhaps Dolores, a newcomer to the group from Argentina who Cristobal promptly decides he must sleep with by the end of the night. When it all falls apart and everyone leaves, Cristobal feels sorry only for himself as he stares out of the window, alone. If this was the only side to the film I would not rate it very highly at all; however, the meaning behind it is very clear - those who act like Cristobal will end up alone, and should. Why should any nice person (Dolores) want anything to do with a selfish, racist, snobbish brat like him? This film entreats you to look to your own life, and alter it accordingly. 3/5

#3 - WATERLILIES (Naissance des Pieuvres)

Stars - Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachere, Adele Haenel

Director - Celine Sciamma

Memorable Quote - also ???, besides I think in this movie it's really about the silences and what is not said

Review - A French film now, and nothing to do with Bernal at all, you'll be pleased to know. This coming-of-age story is often hard to watch, given that these are young children discovering their sexual identities for the first time. Marie is the character we emphathise with most: young and confused, she has no way of knowing whether what she feels is romantic love or simply the adoration of an idol figure. Throughout it is her pain that we follow most, feeling her every disappointment and confusion as if it was our own. Floriane, on the other hand, it is hard to feel sorry for, even though she claims she hates the way everyone thinks of her. It is a mess that she has got herself into, and indeed must have thought it was a good idea at some point. She is cruel to Marie, obviously understanding how much she idolises her and taking advantage throughout, particularly in the two scenes where their relationship crosses the boundary. Anne is also quite painful to watch - whether we were that girl or simply watched one, we all knew one as we were growing up: overweight, unnattractive, and completely obssessed with a boy who will never stoop to their level - except for the fact that, in this case, Francois does. Although she is perhaps used by Francois since he is not truly attracted to her, by the end of the film it seems that Anne has taken control of herself and her own identity, and is growing into a strong and confident young woman. It is this confidence that is the only hope for Marie if she is to survive her friendship with Floriane, and as they float together in the end we as an audience can perhaps grasp that as the light at the end of the tunnel for her. The poignancy of it comes from the authentic performances by these three young actresses, for even when they are simply staring into the distance there is a wealth of emotion to be read. 4/5

The Badlanders, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Law and Jake Wade

A Western special! This makes me very happy.

#1 - THE BADLANDERS











Stars - Alan Ladd, Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado
Director - Delmer Daves
Memorable Quote - 'It seems like everybody around here is stealing from everybody else.'
Review - So, the story is that two inmates of Yuma prison get out at the same time, and one of them is owed money for a job he did finding out gold mines. The Dutchman (Ladd) is obviously supposed to be the hero, but to be honest I actually found Mac (Borgnine) to be the stronger character. He has a private life, in the form of Anita, and through her gains another dimension. When he gets shot it seems like the worst possible thing that could happen in the movie, and when he rides away at the end you don't care so much about whether the Dutchman really will join them or not. The posh woman, I forget her name, was largely pointless. Anyway, it was an alright movie, just kind of wonky. 3/5

#2 - GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL

Stars - Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Rhonda Fleming
Director - John Sturges
Memorable Quote - 'I never lose. You see, poker's played by desperate men who cherish money. I don't lose because I have nothing to lose, including my life.'
Review - You've got to love a movie that comes with its own chorus. Altogether now, 'Boot Hill, Boot Hill...' Seriously, though, this is up there among the really good Westerns. It takes you on a real journey, instead of just one ride - you get to know Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp both, and at the end I think you're supposed to like them equally. I do, anyway. Kate is a much more interesting character than Laura, giving more to the plot and turning out to be a central catalyst to the final scenes. In fact, one scene in particular, where she finally comes to Holliday's side, is in my opinion one of the highlights, along with the four men walking through the town to the OK Corral. 4.2/5

#3 - THE LAW AND JAKE WADE

Stars - Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, Patricia Evans
Director - John Sturges
Memorable Quote - 'Clint wants him alive. Now don't either of you forget that.'
Review - John Sturges film no 2 of this week, and although the first one was better this is still good. Jake Wade is a calm, collected character who seems to exude charm throughout the film. He only seems truly worried when they begin to be attacked in the abandoned town, and Clint Hollister similarly keeps his calm as the bad guy. The final confrontation scene is clearly a classic of its type. It's a nice change from the old marshall-escorting-the-prisoners theme, too. 4/5

The Merchant of Venice, The Taking of Pelham 123, Y Tu Mama Tambien

I find myself chained to the television. Why are there so many good movies on at the moment? Don't they realise what they are doing to me?

#1 - THE MERCHANT OF VENICE


















Stars - Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Mackenzie Crook
Director - Michael Radford
Memorable Quote - 'If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?'
Review - Having, of course, studied this for A-level Literature, I feel quite sentimental about this here film. Not only does it contain a fine crop of actors (Pacino at his best, Fiennes looking cute enough that his performance hardly matters, and Irons playing the lovelorn man resigned to death very well), it also brings a great reading of the play itself. The are they/aren't they hints between Bassanio and Antonio are amplified here until you can be almost certain that Antonio is in love with his 'friend', and the last scene compells you to feel for both him and Shylock: both of them are saved from death, but end up alone, in a way that makes you question whether they really benefited by Portia's intervention at all. Oh, and Nick from My Family/the BT ads is in it, so you've got to love that. I'm not sure exactly how he manages to make Gratiano exactly like his Nick character with a dash more intelligence, since that shouldn't really work in Shakespearean Venice, but he does. 3.5/5

#2 - THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123

Stars - Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini
Director - Tony Scott
Memorable Quote - 'You know we all owe God a debt... and I'm a man who pays his debts. Are you a man who pays his debts?'
Review - Quite a dramatic movie, and very fast-paced. In fact the start was almost disorientating, not my favourite start to a film ever, but it did improve once it reached the actual storyline. Washington is looking old but acting well, as he always does. Travolta for me was the weak point. I couldn't believe his character, and I couldn't take him seriously - the over-the-top swearing, the grimacing, the earring - all of it was wrong. For me that was the one big flaw, without which the movie would have scored a lot higher. There are a ton of actors with smaller names that would nonetheless be better suited to the part, and I think they were overlooked in favour of being able to name-drop two big actors as the leads instead of just one. The storyline was great, and believable - usually where things like this slip up is by letting everything go to plan with one big stuff-up at the end, but here there were problems from the get-go. In summary, great idea, well executed, badly cast. Keep Washington, Gandolfini et al, exchange Travolta. 3/5

#3 - Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN





















Stars - Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Ana Lopez Mercado
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Memorable Quote - '... Y tu mama tambien!'
Review - Not for the faint-hearted, this one! I know they did warn about the nudity, but really I didn't take them seriously. By the end of the movie, though, you appreciate why it's all so full-on. Really, the whole movie - the sex, the arguments, the small moments of tragedy by the sides of the road - is setting you up for that final scene. It comes across as a tragedy, but then you remember all those other little anecdotes and you can understand that this isn't a tragedy, but simply the way of the world. The narration style is fresh and interesting, cutting over the sound as it does, and the two boys present perfectly drunk, stoned, naive teenagers. Most of it you can see coming, with trepidation as much as anticipation - once the dialogue gets into 'Yo tambien - yo y Cecilia', you feel yourself tensely waiting for who's going to come out with that line, 'y tu mama tambien'. The final scene is, it has to be said, a masterpiece, but some of the parts before may feel a little contrived or over-shocking (just how many sex scenes do we need before the point is well and truly made?) 4/5

Nightscream, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Lost Boys

Getting another post underway whilst actually watching a film really seems to be my style at the moment. Consequently I am still a post behind! No matter, it shall all be dealt with in due course.

#1 - NIGHTSCREAM

Stars - Candace Cameron Bure, Casper Van Dien
Director - Noel Nosseck
Memorable Quote - none, really
Review - Er, yeah. This is really not as exciting as either the title or the synopsis make it seem to be. Basically, a spirit has 'possessed' someone, but then it turns out they were making it up because they were being paid by the 'boyfriend' because he was a murder suspect. Then it turns out the 'boyfriend' was actually the rapist who killed her. The end. Now you don't need to put yourself through it. 1/5

#2 - THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

Stars - Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield
Director - Terry Gilliam
Memorable Quote - 'Nothing is permanent, not even death.'
Review - Let's deal with this by actor, first. Let's not dwell on the fact that he died during filming - Heath Ledger is wonderful as always, though this performance does not come close to his Joker. That said, he's easily the best Tony, though well matched by Johnny Depp's version (no surprise there - what character CAN'T Depp play, even if it is a fellow actor?). Jude Law is mediocre, quite painfully so compared to the others, and Colin Farrel is an average kind of good. Lily Cole is surprisingly good, and Andrew Garfield is also a good watch. Lastly, the film itself - it is interesting, certainly, and quite nice in that it presents you an imaginary world without having to stretch your own imagination too much. Good effects, good sound, and a pleasant setting in the modern world. All in all, quite a good little film really. 4/5


#3 - LOST BOYS

Stars - Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Keifer Sutherland
Director - Joel Schumacher
Memorable Quote - 'One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires.'
Review - Heh, you've gotta love a good teen vamp flick. (I'm not talking about Twilight, of course). Some of it is laughably bad, some of it is geniunely funny. Mostly it's just hilarious that people ever dressed like that or had those hairstyles. Or that Keifer Sutherland used to take roles like this. Anyway, a good casual movie night watch, but not something you're going to find yourself intellectually stretched by. 3.5/5

Heart of a Stranger, Little Miss Sunshine, Secret Window

Post the second... I'm doing well tonight!

#1 - HEART OF A STRANGER

Stars - Jane Seymour, Maggie Lawson
Director - Dick Lowry
Memorable Quote - yeahhh, none
Review - Yeahhh, the above image was all I could find to illustrate this, and I'm not surprised. WHAT A PILE OF CRAP seriously, wasted my life on this movie. Don't even bother with it. It's far fetched and badly acted and allover ridiculous. 1/5



#2 - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Stars - Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carrel, Abigail Breslin
Director - Johnathon Dayton and Valerie Faris
Memorable Quote - 'Everyone, just... pretend to be normal.'
Review - Hah, I love this movie, hence my buying it on DVD for this rewatch. Paul Dano is just great, isn't he? And even though we only see two days of this family's life we become greatly attached to them - I have to say that anyone who doesn't laugh at the final dance scene is totally without a sense of humour. It gives you a great feeling after you've watched it and is a barrel of wry little laughs all the way through. 4/5

#3 - SECRET WINDOW

Stars - Johnny Depp, John Turturro
Director - David Koepp
Memorable Quote - 'Shoot. Her.'
Review - You've got to love Depp, right? This is a well-executed movie, containing quite possibly the cutest dog I have ever seen, and the concept is of course wonderful. Mort Rainey is a great character, acually, that you can both empathise with and hold in disregard as a madman. The ending is quite simply exquisite, also. 4/5

Caché, The Man in the Iron Mask, Hollywoodland

This week, I have mostly been watching MOVIES. Many of them. This is the first of three blogs I have queued up, and it's the first time I've had a chance to write it in between watching them. In fact, I'm watching The Merchant of Venice right now.

#1 - Caché (Hidden)

Stars - Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Bénichou
Director - Michael Haneke
Memorable Quote - Not a quote, but actually the more memorable part for me was the unintelligible dialogue at the end.
Review - MICHAEL HANEKE, YOU GUYS. I think I finally have a favourite director. This man is quite clearly a genius, and one of the DVD gems of this is the interview he did about the film, which reveals a lot. Anyway, the film - normally I would find an ending like this so frustrating, but I like it because of that "thing" in the final scene (which, according to Haneke, only about 50% of viewers actually notice). It gives you the chance to have your own ideas about what happened - and I love the ambiguity of the whole storyline, actually. Always having to guess what is real and what is a tape, whether Auteuil's character is telling the truth, and who is the culprit behind the videos - I love it! I don't want to give anything about this film away so I'll say no more, except that I recommend this heartily. 6/5

#2 - The Man in the Iron Mask

Stars - Leonardo diCaprio x2, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu
Director - Randall Wallace
Memorable Quote - 'I'm a genius, not an engineer.'
Review - So, shortly after watching The Three Musketeers, I returned to D'Artagnan and co with this rewatch, courtesy of channel 5. And this is another of the same line of thought as the previous, though the comedy comes from the wrong places - Malkovich's acting, for instance. He's just far too camp to play a hero! Also, diCaprio's strangely effeminate screams and fits of anger inspire laughter rather than fear. Still, who wouldn't want a chance to look at that pretty little face for an hour or so? And at least by watching a film version you don't have to read your way through all that flowery prose that Dumas would have presented to you. 3/5

#3 - Hollywoodland

Stars - Adrien Brody
Director - Allen Coulter, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins
Memorable Quote -
Review - I've always been a fan of Adrien Brody, and his performance here is no less brilliant than you might expect from him. I enjoy the way the film is set out - with the three different possibilities all played out and you as the viewer left to choose (though it seems the Brody character believes it was suicide). Certain parts of the movie feel a little awkward, however, and Affleck's part seems almost uncomfortably true to life. Not a bad movie, not an amazing spectacle either, but somewhere inbetween. 3.5/5