Notorious, In The Mood for Love, The Walking Dead S1

A little bit of a change going on from this post - I'm going to start reviewing television dramas, but by season rather than by episode as that would become rather boring. This is largely due to my habit of becoming addicted to shows and watching entire seasons in the space of a day, as happened recently. I would also like to point out that if you like what I'm saying in these posts, there are many ways you can show your appreciation - either by giving the link to someone else, commenting on or subscribing to the blog, or clicking on one of the ads on the site which will lead to me not being quite so poor and therefore able to buy more DVDs. Well, I say that, but to date I've earned 45p, so it may take some time. Still! 45p was enough for four rainbow sherbet sticks with change back in the day, so it's not to be sniffed at.

#1 - NOTORIOUS

Stars - Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Leopoldine Konstantin

Director - Alfred Hitchcock

Memorable Quote - 'Dry your eyes, baby; it's out of character.'

Review - Ah, it's nice to travel back in time sometimes, isn't it? The tones of this film are wonderful, all soft greys and whites, really quite romantic in the use of light and shadows. The costuming is wonderful also - Grant looks particularly dashing during their horseride, with his casual suit. There were many little goofs in the film, such as the audio not synching with the actor's lips (in one scene, Bergman's lips are not moving at all while she speaks), but these are all things which we may expect more with older films. The dialogue was of course very entertaining, all the back and forth between Bergman and Grant's characters keeping the pace up, and the idea of 'If you had only once said that you loved me' is one that moves the plot forward decisively - and we can't help but groan a little at the stubbornness of both characters that keeps them from admitting it until it is almost too late. The final staircase scene was very much in keeping with Hitchcockian tradition, as was his camero at around an hour in! The famed kissing scene, also, was probably a lot more effective at the time, but I loved the interplay between them and how they egged each other on - whilst one was speaking I was always watching the others' facial expressions ('People will laugh at you, the invincible Devlin, in love with someone who isn't worth even wasting the words on' being the best example of this). All in all, not exactly 'The Birds' but not quite a flop either. 3/5

#2 - IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Fa yeung nin wa)

Stars - Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung

Director - Kar Wai Wong

Memorable Quote - 'I can't waste time wondering if I made mistakes. Life's too short for that.'

Review - This is clearly a film with all the credentials of a hit - it won 31 awards, including two at Cannes and a César. They were not undeserved, by any stretch of the imagination: this film is beautifully made, with a distinct touch of that Asian flair that Western filmmakers struggle to emulate. Each shot shows us only what is necessary: for us as an audience, nothing exists of their lives outside of their meetings with one another and their phone calls to their respective partners. Each moment is chosen carefully, and used to the most effect. We see how their lives intersect even before the affairs begin - they pass on the stairs to get lunch, their belongings are mixed up on the day they moved in, they are having the same conversations with their partners. It becomes all the more endearing when they begin to carry out their formulated conversations, going through rehearsals of what will happen if this, what will happen if that, how will they say goodbye. It then becomes sadder when they both go back to the apartments later in life, looking for each other unsuccessfully. It is as if, although they did stay with their partners, they later wish that they had not, which gives the whole thing a more tragic air. The music is wonderfully used to dramatic effect, especially with the repeated themes - this, by the way, being the second very good film that I have seen with 'Perhaps' on the soundtrack, though in this case of course it is 'Quizas'. I definitely recommend it, for the overall feel more than anything else - it is steeped in nostalgia and romanticism, and leaves you wanting to know more. The most fascinating thing for me is that we never see what their absent partners look like, even though we are fully introduced to the lives of less important characters, giving an air of mystery to it all. Worth a watch. 4.5/5

#3 - THE WALKING DEAD SEASON ONE

Stars - Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, and a whole lot more

Creator - Frank Darabont

Memorable Quote - 'Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher.'
'Well, your head ain't!'

Review - This series begins in a way that some people may find familiar. If you've ever seen '28 Days Later', you're probably scratching your head and wondering how they could get away with producing exactly the same opening idea as the film. Well, I just don't know how they did, but the show is based on a comic book series (which I have not read) and there may be some kind of connection there, though as far as I know '28 Days Later' was not based on a comic. All of that aside, the main character Rick Grimes is a genuine hero, someone that you can easily support as he has just the right mix of righteousness towards saving others, and human desperation towards saving himself and his family. The zombies are also just the right mix of humour and terror - there's no point making a television show too scary and draining it of humour, something the creators seem to understand well. As to the other characters, Glenn is probably the most likeable, Jim the most sympathetic, and Daryl the most intriguing. It was not until the final episode that I realised how cleverly he was introduced - at first it seemed like Merle Dixon was going to be the one to watch out for, but Daryl has easily taken his place as the loose cannon. It just remains to be seen whether Merle will come back, which is probable considering how easily Daryl gave up searching for him: I see vengeance in the future. The big mystery that will tide us over until next series, of course, is what Dr Jenner whispered in Rick's ear, and what impact it will have on their next move. I'm also waiting with bated breath to see the eventual confrontation that must happen between Rick and Shane when he finds out that Shane was making merry with Lori while he was 'dead', because that is going to be one explosive episode for sure. A lot of storyline was crammed in to a very short season, so a lot of loose threads have been left unattended to (where is Merle, how are Morgan and Duane getting on, just why is Dale so attached to Andrea and Amy anyway), but I imagine those things will be dealt with in due course. I know that twelve more episodes have been confirmed, so with a little more time we will hopefully get some real answers. All in all, this was well-produced, fast-paced, and well-scripted/acted, with huge props to the make-up/fx departments because those zombies are killer convincing. Also, riding a horse into a mob of zombies is probably the most badass scene I've witnessed on television in quite some time. 4/5