Pale Rider, Wyatt Earp, Apache

Western special! Great showing on TCM recently.

#1 - PALE RIDER

Stars - Clint Eastwood, Sydney Penny

Director - Clint Eastwood

Memorable Quote - 'And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.'

Review - So here we have a Western following a classic Eastwood formula - stranger arrives, finds wrongs in the town, sets those wrongs right, and disappears into the sunset. Much like High Plains Drifter, the identity of this stranger is called into question, as at least one person recognises him as someone they believe to be dead. He also seems to disappear and reappear with the ability of a ninja - but on the other hand, a viewer could just as easily accept that the stranger in this case is real, corporeal, and that the rest is just superstition. Presenting a dual view like this is a very good trick, opening the movie up to more audiences. As a Western this is also fantastic, right up there with the best - even if Eastwood does seem overly fond of rape scenes and questionable relationships. Still, great work - perhaps not as dramatic as Unforgiven, but with a shootout as good as the OK Corral. 4.5/5

#2 - WYATT EARP

Stars - Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Joanna Going, Catherine O'Hara

Director - Lawrence Kasdan

Memorable Quote - 'You'd be doing me a favour if you called me either Wyatt, or Earp. Not both.'

Review - This really is not as good as the movie above. Costner is... ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Apart from the fact that he is the same age throughout the movie in a way that is very clear, when he should in fact be quite young by the start. This is quite simply an ego-play, like Braveheart but less successful, an older Hollywood actor thinking he can still take on the role of a classic character. Historically the film is surprisingly accurate for a Hollywood production, but in terms of being a good movie it can't come within fifteen miles of Gunfight at the OK Corral. It actually took me three days to watch this, in sections, since I ended up getting too bored after around half an hour. The only plus point for the movie was Quaid's deadpan performance as Doc Holliday, which fitted very well with my own mental idea of how Holliday would have been. Really not worth watching again. 1/5

#3 - APACHE

Stars - Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters, Charles Bronson

Director - Robert Aldrich

Memorable Quote - 'Even a hawk is an eagle among crows.'

Review - First of all, who thought it was a good idea to spray-tan Burt Lancaster and pretend he was an Apache? Because, seriously, their judgement was off! By the end of the movie you kind of get used to it a bit and you accept the character, but for a long time it is completely distracting, not to mention the fact that the female lead has the same issue. There is something almost comical in the way they talk and their suprise at Western things, although of course it is done in an attempt to be realistic. I'm not entirely sure how far they succeeded in that. It was alright as far as an easy watch goes, but I think it has lost a lot through the process of time - most of it just looks ridiculous now, and Lancaster's acting style is also a relic of a bygone era. 3/5

The Crazies, Zombieland, Nine

Kind of a theme going on with the first two movies in this post. Then a completely unrelated third one, hurray!

#1 - THE CRAZIES

Stars - Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker

Director - Breck Eisner

Memorable Quote - 'Fuck you for what you did.'

Review - You know what really annoys me about the horror genre? Look at this. This is a well-filmed piece, using brilliant techniques and beautiful framing. It has great actors and a premise that stands out from the crowd. It takes a well-known and popular formula and makes it better. But the characters in the movie are still so damn stupid that you end up not feeling sorry for them at all! For example, what kind of pregnant lady who keeps being threatened by people with guns would leave a bulletproof vest lying by the side of the road? Why, knowing that the government want you dead, would you decide to head for the nearest town where you often work and where people know who you are? Why, if you are on the run, would you walk straight down the centre of every road instead of trying to find a little cover? Add the fact that everyone seems to forget she's pregnant after a while, and she goes through several crashes, attacks, terrifying situations etc which would be enough to bring on a miscarriage, while experiencing no discomfort or indeed concern for the baby's welfare. However. Everything I said at first still stands, and this is a good movie. Olyphant never fails to do well, though he is becoming slightly typecast, and the government twist was very nice. I just wish people would put a bit more effort in. 4/5

#2 - ZOMBIELAND

Stars - Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

Director - Ruben Fleischer

Memorable Quote - Tallahassee: 'I'm not great at farewells, so uh... that'll do, pig.'
Columbus: 'That's the worst goodbye I've ever heard. And you stole it from a movie.'

Review - First point to note - this film was very clearly written for Michael Cera, and Eisenberg is a very clear imitation. It is actually quite spooky how similar their voices and acting styles are. Aside from that, Woody Harrelson is fantastic as ever and it's nice to see Breslin sticking to the 'alternative' roles. Stone is alright as well, though not as memorable. The celebrity cameo of Bill Murray is actually amazing, particularly in the fact that he agreed to do it, and the script and the direction are both stand-out fantastic. The choreography of some of the fight scenes was also brilliant, particularly in the supermarket scene. I really enjoy this new style of film-making that involves placing text and graphics over the scene in a very clever way, and this is a very good example of that technique in action. There was a little something missing that I can't quite put my finger on, but in general this was a very good little movie with all the right notes - highs, lows, uplifting human drama and lots of good, old-fashioned gore. 4/5

#3 - NINE

Stars - Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, etc etc, I could go on for hours

Director - Rob Marshall

Memorable Quote - 'What would you like to see that I haven't already shown you?'

Review - One thing you can always say about Daniel Day-Lewis is that he is a brilliant character actor. Who can forget the powerful, callous Daniel Plainview, or the gang leader Bill Cutting, once seen? He is also very selective in the roles he takes... which is why this movie is so odd. It's terrible. Day-Lewis is brilliant, yes, of course, but the rest of the film? Dench is far too English to play a French woman, Fergie does not even look like Fergie, all of the songs go on for far too long, all of the dance sequences are boring, and the storyline is barely present throughout the film at all! Day-Lewis being great is literally the only plus point! I saw a lot of good press for 'Nine' when it first came out, and I was expecting this year's 'Chicago'... but what I got with this film was just another 'Dreamgirls'. 1/5

Unforgiven

Another as-I-watch review this time.

UNFORGIVEN

Stars - Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris

Director - Clint Eastwood

Memorable Quote - 'Maybe we ain't nothing but whores, but by God, we ain't horses.' and, 'You ain't ugly like me. It's just that we both got scars.' and, 'It's a hell of a thing, killing a man.'

Review - Even from the very first scene, there is something quite pretty about this movie, along with something a little sinister. The long shots, a Western tradition, are here combined with beautiful skylines. The first action sequence is worthy of any horror flick worth its salts, and is summed up quite neatly by Will's one-word reaction: 'Jesus!'. The two kids are the cutest little things, and a real humour comes in while Will tries to catch the pigs and get on his horse. However, there is still a sense of wrong in the way that he rides out, leaving his kids alone while moralising to them even as he leaves. Kind of like one rule for him, one rule for them, and plus he's leaving them defenceless... but anyway. Eastwood movies aren't particularly known for their moral uprightness, I suppose.

Morgan Freeman is always a welcome sight in any movie, and he's also known for his subtle humour, which he again displays well alongside Eastwood's small touches. We then get some lovely travel montage scenes, all in the orange of sunset (how long did this sunset last for, exactly?). The fireside scene gives us the biggest character development we've had so far, giving both characters a little depth.

The next sequence is suitably comic, as English Bob carries out his continued routine of Queen versus President. However, this is again juxtaposed with the very serious Western business of Little Bill's attack, leading the film through a string of highs and lows in a way that actually comes across as quite sophisticated in this genre.

One thing that strikes me very much about this movie is the realism. When Will falls off his horse, instead of leaping back up he bloodies his nose. The Schofield Kid is short-sighted, and the hardened killers complain about sleeping on the ground in bad weather. Then of course there's the repeated theme of Will not being able to get on his horse. The feud between Bill and Bob is done well, with the tension as Bill offers him the gun in his jail cell again juxtaposed by the sudden downpour back with the three bounty hunters. I also adore the way that Bob suddenly becomes a Londoner after he has been beaten up, losing his posh English accent.

Round about this point we get into real Western territory. Bill is not all for show, like Bob - he's a real Western gunslinging killer, and we begin to worry a little - all the more so when we learn that Will has a fever. The next scene is tense, but the humour returns as Freeman falls through the window half-dressed - hardly the arrival of the cavalry! There's that realism again.

After Will's fever breaks, the scene out in the snow with the cut-up woman is about as touching as any you'll get in a Western, and almost heart-rendingly painful at points, as she misinterprets his chastity for disgust at her appearance, then uplifting. The next scene again goes back to the humour, as The Kid has to ask what's happening thanks to his eyesight (I know how he feels). I guess the place where this movie really shines out against its genre is the moral undertone - represented most strongly as Freeman's character walks away from the operation. And of course, there's the fact that they are on a mission of justice rather than of retribution for a slight to their pride.

The way the camera follows the gunfight out at the cabin is exceptional, followed by that dramatic wide shot. The dialogue throughout is pretty special. I love The Kid's admittance that he took his first kill at the cabin, the mix of pride and shame and sorrow. The ending, too, is perfect.

Also, the final bar shoot-out scene is absolutely EPIC.

'We all have it coming, Kid.' 5/5

King of the Hill, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Kiki's Delivery Service

#1 - KING OF THE HILL (El rey de la montaña)

Stars - Leonardo Sbaraglia, María Valverde, Thomas Riordan, Andrés Juste

Director - Gonzalo López-Gallego

Memorable Quote - n/a, all in Spanish

Review - Hm, this is an interesting one. Of course it's a generic format - man gets lost in unfamiliar territory, teams up with girl, tries not to get killed - but this gives the whole thing a fresh look. Instead of forming a bond, the two main characters exchange sex for silence and consistently lie to each other, with Bea also stealing from Quim every time his back is turned. The antagonists are not mutants or rednecks or mental patients, but simply children who clearly do not understand how far their game is going. And when the crucial moment comes, Quim abandons Bea to the mercy of her captors, and - though he changes his mind - does not save her life. The tension is palpable, the sex is tasteful and brief, the gore is perfectly balanced between interesting and unrealistic - this is quite stylishly done. The ending is a little haunting, of course, and it's not entirely a masterpiece, but very enjoyable all the same. 4/5

#2 - SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD

Stars - Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Keiran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman, Brandon Routh

Director - Edgar Wright

Memorable Quote - 'Talk to the cleaning lady on Monday. Because you'll be dust by Monday. Because you'll be pulverized in two seconds. The cleaning lady? She cleans up... dust. She dusts.'

Review - Now, book adaptations have always been a problem for me, as have movie versions of comics or cartoons. Particularly live-action versions. So, simply, I should hate this. But you know what? I can't! It's actually very good. Cera always puts in a decent performance and this one is no exception, pulling off his usual dorky humour with a little extra dork at times. Winstead and Wong were both perfect female stereotypes, and both very likeable - you have to feel sorry for Knives. Culkin was the hidden star (by which I mean that although he was not a main character, he was very good), and the supporting cast were all-round very good. Top-notch and very modern effects almost made you feel you were watching a video game instead of a movie, and it was all very cleverly done. Best moment has to be Scott jumping out of a window ninja-style, and best subtle humour was the 'song about Ramona'. Excellent lyrics. Anyway, most definitely worth a watch and probably worth another watch as well. 5/5

#3 - KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE

Stars - Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman

Director - Hayao Miyazaki

Memorable Quote - 'If I lose my magic, that means I've lost absolutely everything.'

Review - Where's Wally? That's right, he's in this film, playing Kiki's rather juvenile love interest! And why do 13-year-olds get love interests anyway? Those silly Japanese. Well, I didn't enjoy this one as much as Spirited Away, though it was slightly less morally questionable. Except for the fact that Kiki goes around flashing her underwear all the time, which is a little odd. Anyway, this is good for kids I suppose, but I didn't feel that it transferred well to a mature audience. Being an older Gibli as well, the animation was very simple and not very eye-catching. The cat was funny-ish, but that was really all. Try again, Miyazaki. 2/5