Cinema's all crap at the moment, so it's DVD B-Movie Time.
Most arch and self-referential of all possible movies, Bruce Campbell directs
himself as himself.
It seems that there's this ancient burial ground where all these Chinese miners
were buried in the 1800s, and a Chinese warrior demon spirit type thing was set
to protect the graves. Idiot kids defile the graves, and this blade wielding
demon spirit thing appears and sets about killing everyone in the town. The kid
who did it is a huge Bruce Campbell fan, and thus believes that he is the man
for the job. And so kidnaps him. Campbell thinks he's being wound up by his
agent and goes along with the whole thing. Until people start getting their
heads lopped off anyway.
Bruce Campbell is playing himself as a collossally egotistical, womanising,
alcoholic, cowardly loser asshole, which is where pretty much all the gold in
this movie lies. Everything else is a pretty pale retread of Three Amigos.
When you heard about this movie, *if* you heard about this movie, you either
thought "Cool! Bruce Campbell is awesome!" or you didn't. If you did, then
you'll probably not regret renting or downloading this. If you didn't, then
there's probably nothing in this for you.
6/10 - other than the fact it's BRUCE CAMPBELL, this is a barely competent
movie :)
Views, Reviews, and Inflammatory Comments on the subject of Cinema.
Sunday 26 July 2009
Wednesday 15 July 2009
Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince.
Meh.
No surprises here. It's a Harry Potter Film. It's like other Harry Potter Films
you may have seen. Only there's less in it. It's not that it's bad, it's just
got the slenderest of plots. New teacher has a secret that we need to know, and
the Bad Guys have a plot to get into Hogwarts. That's basically it. Everything
else is snogging and shagging in the lower sixth.
Jim Broadbent turns up, being the latest member of the British acting
establishment to be caught in the inevitable gravitational pull of the HP
machine, and he does a great job, being the slightly creepy and slimy, but
ultimately quite likeable Professor Slughorn.
Everyone other than him, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore is seriously
downgraded to bit part status, and much is left unexplained. Particularly what
"Half-Blood Prince" is supposed to mean. I faintly remember we were told in the
book, but the film doesn't bother. It seemed a weak enough thing to hang the
title of the book on, and even weaker with the film.
Recommendation: Well, if you watched the first five, and intend to see the
seventh, then you may as well. Far from essential to see it in the cinema
though.
No surprises here. It's a Harry Potter Film. It's like other Harry Potter Films
you may have seen. Only there's less in it. It's not that it's bad, it's just
got the slenderest of plots. New teacher has a secret that we need to know, and
the Bad Guys have a plot to get into Hogwarts. That's basically it. Everything
else is snogging and shagging in the lower sixth.
Jim Broadbent turns up, being the latest member of the British acting
establishment to be caught in the inevitable gravitational pull of the HP
machine, and he does a great job, being the slightly creepy and slimy, but
ultimately quite likeable Professor Slughorn.
Everyone other than him, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore is seriously
downgraded to bit part status, and much is left unexplained. Particularly what
"Half-Blood Prince" is supposed to mean. I faintly remember we were told in the
book, but the film doesn't bother. It seemed a weak enough thing to hang the
title of the book on, and even weaker with the film.
Recommendation: Well, if you watched the first five, and intend to see the
seventh, then you may as well. Far from essential to see it in the cinema
though.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Public Enemies
The film chronicles (inaccurately) the life and crimes of John Dillinger, big
time 30's bank robber, and the attempts of the embryonic FBI to arrest him.
Now, on paper, this ought to be a cracker. You've got a notoriously cheeky and
raffish bank robber played by Johnny Depp, a stoic and by the book FBI guy
played by Christian Bale, and the whole thing directed by Michael Mann, who
directed Heat, arguably the best bank heist movie ever made. How could this
fail to be the best movie of the year? Beats me, but it did.
I *think* it's the script. That's my best guess. I realised about 40 minutes in
that I no longer gave a fuck what happened. I didn't like the robbers at all,
so I didn't much want them to get away with anything. But on the other hand,
the FBI were a bunch of stuffed shirts and I didn't really care if they caught
anyone. It was as if every effort had been made to present shades of grey, and
not glamourise bank robbery or law enforcement, with the ultimate result that
the entire exercise was grey and lacking in glamour.
Visually, it's pretty good; a bit sepia and low lit, but pretty stylish, and
when the bank heists are on, you really feel Michael Mann getting into his
stride. But as far as the story goes, I was left thinking "So?"
time 30's bank robber, and the attempts of the embryonic FBI to arrest him.
Now, on paper, this ought to be a cracker. You've got a notoriously cheeky and
raffish bank robber played by Johnny Depp, a stoic and by the book FBI guy
played by Christian Bale, and the whole thing directed by Michael Mann, who
directed Heat, arguably the best bank heist movie ever made. How could this
fail to be the best movie of the year? Beats me, but it did.
I *think* it's the script. That's my best guess. I realised about 40 minutes in
that I no longer gave a fuck what happened. I didn't like the robbers at all,
so I didn't much want them to get away with anything. But on the other hand,
the FBI were a bunch of stuffed shirts and I didn't really care if they caught
anyone. It was as if every effort had been made to present shades of grey, and
not glamourise bank robbery or law enforcement, with the ultimate result that
the entire exercise was grey and lacking in glamour.
Visually, it's pretty good; a bit sepia and low lit, but pretty stylish, and
when the bank heists are on, you really feel Michael Mann getting into his
stride. But as far as the story goes, I was left thinking "So?"
Sunshine Cleaning
Time for a standard Hollywood plot. You've got a dysfunctional family with a
big immediate problem, and a lot of underlying problems. In order to solve the
big immediate problem, they get together and do an unusual activity, and in
coming together, solve a lot of the underlying problems too.
In this case, the immediate problem is getting enough money together to send
the kid to a decent school, the underlying problem is a pair of sisters who've
yet to come to terms with their mother's suicide, and the unusual activity is
forming a business which cleans crime scenes and apartments after murders,
suicides and people who've died alone and gradually decomposed into their
mattresses.
And there is your first clue that this isn't your usual Hollywood tat. Any
comedy attached to that is likely to be somewhat restrained and rather dark,
and this is certainly true of this film. And that level of elegant restraint is
evident throughout the film. It feels real, it has a realistic perspective. The
characters are charming, the problems believable, and the resolutions within
the scope of what's possible and believable.
big immediate problem, and a lot of underlying problems. In order to solve the
big immediate problem, they get together and do an unusual activity, and in
coming together, solve a lot of the underlying problems too.
In this case, the immediate problem is getting enough money together to send
the kid to a decent school, the underlying problem is a pair of sisters who've
yet to come to terms with their mother's suicide, and the unusual activity is
forming a business which cleans crime scenes and apartments after murders,
suicides and people who've died alone and gradually decomposed into their
mattresses.
And there is your first clue that this isn't your usual Hollywood tat. Any
comedy attached to that is likely to be somewhat restrained and rather dark,
and this is certainly true of this film. And that level of elegant restraint is
evident throughout the film. It feels real, it has a realistic perspective. The
characters are charming, the problems believable, and the resolutions within
the scope of what's possible and believable.
Wednesday 1 July 2009
Looking For Eric
Finally.
Lovely little piece, this. Eric Bishop is a downtrodden man. A 50 year old
postman, who lives with two stepsons who don't respect him, and is borderline
suicidal. Seeing him in an appalling state, his mates at work rally round, and
get him to try some self-help book by Paul McKenna. As part of this, he's
encouraged to visualise someone he admires, and try to emulate their
confidence. Obviously, he chooses Eric Cantona. Soon enough, he begins to see
Eric Cantona whenever he's alone, and begins to take advice from him.
As a result, he begins to try make changes to his life, and those of his
family.
It's witty and amusing, and has that Ken Loach Ring Of Authenticity(tm), which
really makes the film. You could probably point to a hundred Hollywood comedies
with the same sort of "Loser turns his life around" plot, but this film has the
kind of writing and performance which lifts it way above that. If anything, the
film is let down by the Imaginary Cantona schtick; Cantona is, after all, just
his inner voice, this film is more about a man taking control of his own life,
than being encouraged by some magical, mystical life coach.
It all comes to a slightly over the top conclusion, which doesn't quite chime
with the gritty goings on of the rest of the film, but when the dust settles,
the message is not so much that you can solve all your problems by being like
Cantona, so much as that it's possible to get yourself out of a rut and
pointing in the right direction, with a little confidence.
Lovely little piece, this. Eric Bishop is a downtrodden man. A 50 year old
postman, who lives with two stepsons who don't respect him, and is borderline
suicidal. Seeing him in an appalling state, his mates at work rally round, and
get him to try some self-help book by Paul McKenna. As part of this, he's
encouraged to visualise someone he admires, and try to emulate their
confidence. Obviously, he chooses Eric Cantona. Soon enough, he begins to see
Eric Cantona whenever he's alone, and begins to take advice from him.
As a result, he begins to try make changes to his life, and those of his
family.
It's witty and amusing, and has that Ken Loach Ring Of Authenticity(tm), which
really makes the film. You could probably point to a hundred Hollywood comedies
with the same sort of "Loser turns his life around" plot, but this film has the
kind of writing and performance which lifts it way above that. If anything, the
film is let down by the Imaginary Cantona schtick; Cantona is, after all, just
his inner voice, this film is more about a man taking control of his own life,
than being encouraged by some magical, mystical life coach.
It all comes to a slightly over the top conclusion, which doesn't quite chime
with the gritty goings on of the rest of the film, but when the dust settles,
the message is not so much that you can solve all your problems by being like
Cantona, so much as that it's possible to get yourself out of a rut and
pointing in the right direction, with a little confidence.
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