Chimpomatic

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

(dir. Steven Spielberg)

Paramount

Following a Russian incursion into Area 51, Indiana Jones is back in action - on the trail of a crystal skull that needs to be returned to its rightful place in a hidden Amazonian temple. He's got a new sidekick - in the form of rocking biker Shia LaBeouf - and to make matters worst the damn Ruskies - led by a sabre-rattling Cate Blanchett - have kidnapped his old flame Marion Ravenwood.

So, let's cut to the chase - was it as bad as the recent Star Wars prequels? No. Not by a long shot, although without the monumental lowering of expectations provided by Star Wars Episodes I II and III, I can't say I was expecting too much magic - although at least it was Spielberg calling the shots, rather than Lucas. There's a few funny gags but a lot more mindless nodding to the previous films and while the plot might try and hark back to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the buddy movie pace of Last Crusade provides the nearest comparison. Without the supporting charm of Sean Connery, or the deft touch of a writer like Lawrance Kasdan, we're left with David Koepp's continually clumsy, lumbering script that relies on Jim Robinson to explain what's going on.

Of course, it's not all bad. After a very shakey start, I was pleasantly entertained for a good chunk of the film and although he's so wooden on a couple of occasions he seems like he hasn't even said the lines in his head, Harrison Ford is occasionally near to his old form. It's the bad judgment of Lucas (and seemingly Spielberg too) that lets this film down. They seem to have been locked down in a hidden ante-chamber and had their film-making brains sucked out through their ears. Indy's refrigerated hide-out or Shia LaBeouf's Tarzanian antics have no place in any film... let alone a successor to one of the greatest action films trilogies ever made. I would have expected Spielberg to at least handle the action well, but in places even that drags to a crawl.

As usual though, the box office has spoken... and $311 million in five days is a hard figure to argue with.

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29th May 2008 - 6 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

The National

A Skin, A Night / The Virginia EP

Beggars

A Skin, A Night - A Film By Vincent Moon

Personally I can take or leave films about bands and the trying times they experience while putting together a record, but Vincent Moon's portrayal of The National and the long and laborious creation of their biggest selling album Boxer is compelling viewing for the most part. It has the regular lingering shots of a troubled front man in the creative process while the rest of the band sit around in the recording studio waiting for his opinion but the stuff in between is beautiful. I have always seen The National's music as cinematic and Boxer solidified this with its darkly meandering melodies and cryptic verse, so for Moon to marry this up with long shots of a city asleep or lonely subway trains creeping through hauntingly desolate stations really brings to life the missing visual half to this bands music. Each shot is filtered through a heavy grainy film and is shrouded in stark contrasting black and white.

The dialogue is interesting as we discover this band's long recording history and the insecurities that come with it. 2005's Alligator was the first real break through for this band but it merely served to identify them with their fan base and it wasn't until last years stunning Boxer that things really started to change and they became aware of their growing presence in the music scene. The mood of the lighting is mirrored by much of the dialogue provided mainly by Berninger who comes across as the shy and introverted personality we see biting his fingernails on stage. He talks of his need to drink red wine before going on stage in order to shut out the fact that he's standing in front of a throbbing crowd. The success of Boxer doesn't seem to be making things any easier for this reserved leader. The demo versions of some of the songs are interesting especially when seen from the drummers point of view. Bryan Devendorf is one of the rising stars of Boxer as his rhythm dexterity provides much of the power and pace of the record.

The film as a whole doesn't provide us with much we didn't already imagine about The National but Moon's moody cinematic portrayal of the music is stunning and gives these songs the quiet weight they deserve.

3/5

The Virginia EP

Where the film may have lacked any new insights into The National's music, this 12 track EP makes up for it. It's basically a demo/live record which ordinarily wouldn't light me up as they tend to be lesser versions of your favorite tracks cynically pumped out to die-hard fans for a quick buck. But this EP is actually quite generous. Although some of the best tracks here were featured on the Extras tour EP the whole package serves as a worthy accompaniment to the Mothership of Boxer.

There aren't many bands these days that offer B-Sides worth bothering with but the first 3 songs here are equal to many of the lucky ones that made the Boxer final cut. All originating from Alligator's various releases, You've Done It Again Virginia is from Lit Up and Santa Clara and Blank Slate are both B-Sides to the Mistaken For Strangers single and it's Blank Slate that really shines. It's a reworking of an earlier B-Side Keep It Upstairs from the Abel single but this time it's been lifted out of it's original hollow surroundings and is given a glorious rock makeover and the result is one of the best National songs to date. Boxer has really elevated their sound with added strings and drumming of epic proportion so it's so special to hear some of these demo versions that show the band in their stripped down clarity. Forever After Days simply has Berninger's lonely vocals matched with a gentle guitar and lo-fi organ while Rest Of Years is a hollow slow burner that rises to a dirty finale of electric guitar and calamitous drums. But it's the Slow Show demo that gets the prize here as it did on the Extras EP. It's one of the finest songs on Boxer and here in it's bare bones it really shines. Berninger's vocals are mumbled to the point of near indecipherability and so are rendered down to just another instrument in this rich musical tapestry.

One of the best things about this EP is hearing a retrospective of this band's back catalogue all mixed up in various formats. This is seen most notably in how Slow Show is followed by the Daytrotter Session version of Lucky You, a gem off the 2003 album Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers. This is a heart wrenching, marvelously underplayed song that stands it's ground when put up against the latest work. This is then followed by a fantastic live rendition of Springsteen's Mansion On The Hill. The Boss' melancholic tone suits Berninger's style perfectly here and it's a triumph.

The album is brought to a close by two live versions of Fake Empire and About Today and unfortunately this is where the band slip up. These are two of the strongest songs on Boxer, but my criticism of their recorded versions still stands alongside the faults of their recent live show in London. With Berninger's delicate delivery and the ever richer musical waters he swims in The National's strength has alway seeped out of their restraint. On these recent live tracks the band take the songs off into all too grand territory with bloated guitar solo finale's that undermine the subtle depths previously plumbed and force the band into a genre they don't seem to belong in. It didn't work live and it doesn't work here. Still, it isn't enough to bring this generous EP down and it gives a glimpse of the talent that lies semi dormant in this group of musicians. Their albums are growing into something quite unique and their B-Sides show a cupboard full of unused masterpieces that few bands could afford to leave out.

4/5

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21st May 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

Iron Man

(Dir Jon Favreau, 2008)

Very fun blockbuster antics, that matches cool tech FX w Robert Downey Jr's patented smartass delivery. Without either them working it would be a pretty generic exercise in the routine "superhero powers up; finds baddy; has a big fight" plot. It never quite hits those "America! Fuck Yeah!" moments you want from a film like this, but it comes pretty close, and the RDJ charm is in full effect throughout.

The various Iron Man prototypes are all accompanied with some highly satisfying sound effects as boozy billionaire genius playboy Tony Stark works his way up from the 1.0 version of the suit he builds to escape from some al-Qaida style bad dudes who kidnap him in the desert somewhere.

The supporting cast isn't bad either: chimp hero Jeff Bridges rocks a mean bald/beard combo and does a good growl throughout. Gwyneth Paltrow is a bit blank, and keeps changing her hairstyle a lot, but isn't too bad as Stark's long-suffering PA Pepper Pots (howcome all superheroes get potential girlfriends with alliterative names?). If you're a Marvel fan, you'll enjoy the "next time" nod from Terence Howard's military man when he gets to check out the suits.

On the down side, there are some awful product placement moments from various cars and burger chains who've forked over big $$$ to get in there - hasn't anyone in Hollywood seen Austin Powers?!

Not sure the politics are really that thought through either: he's an arms manufacturer who gets upset when he sees his weapons blowing things up for the wrong people, so he decides to blow them up, but still let his company sell weapons to the good guys (America)? eh? Er, here the RDJ charm offensive comes into full swing: never mind that, here's another smart line from Downey...

Bound to be a franchise. Could have done with the full Black Sabbath tune somewhere in there too. Just about fun enough.

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1st May 2008 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Shine A Light

(dir. Martin Scorsese)

If you're into the Stones, Martin Scorsese's new concert film is a treat. Stacks of cameras roam around the small concert hall, getting in so close you can see Mick Jagger's fillings and the deep lines carved on their faces. It's like watching the Mount Rushmore heads rock out.

After the brief intro section that has Scorsese stressing about the setlist, and the Clintons showing up to shake hands backstage and welcome them onto stage, it's pretty much two hours of solid hits from the Bigger Bang tour, spanning their loooooong back catalogue. Start Me Up, Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction, Sympathy For The Devil etc are all there, but what's cool is that they also head into some of the slightly more obscure numbers - She Was Hot, Shattered, Faraway Eyes, and a great acoustic version of As Tears Go By.

Jack White sits in on Loving Cup, Christina Aguilera shows up for a little pantomime bump 'n grind with Mick on Live With Me, and Buddy Guy storms through Champagne And Reefer, earning himself a guitar from Keith Richards in the process. These breaks are also complemented by the traditional give-Mick-a-breather bit where Keith and Ronnie Wood take over - and also by some nicely placed retro footage from their whole career, reminding you just how they got here. No real shots of Brian Jones, Bill Wyman or Mick Taylor, which is a little odd maybe, but this is really about the Stones now. Over and over as the decades pass in the interview clips they're asked how long they think they can still keep going. The answer seems to be: as long as they're still here. There's a great shot of Charlie Watts early on, smiling into the camera - exhausted, but loving it. Can't ask for much more.

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12th Apr 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Orphanage

(dir. Juan Antonio Bayona)

This is the directorial debut of Juan Antonio Bayona and together with screenwriter Sergio Sanchez they have produced a modern ghost story that uses time honored traditions of horror and suspense to create a truly chilling piece of work. It centres around a small family unit, Laura (Belen Rueda) her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and their adopted nine-year-old son Simon (Roger Princep), who return to the barren, coastal orphanage where Laura spent some of her childhood in order to re-establish it as a home for handicapped children. Pretty soon she becomes aware of a new set of 'imaginary' friends that seem to join in with Simon's carefree games. Innocent treasure hunts soon lose their charm when the treasure becomes something you really care about.

The less you know about the plot of this film the more you'll enjoy and succumb to its intrigue. The Orphanage has been brought to the screen by executive producer Guillermo del Toro - who clearly shines as a major influence here. Like the dazzling Pan's Labyrinth it delves deep into the imaginary worlds of a child's imagination and the fear that can arise from an adults inability to follow. Like del Toro's own film The Devil's Backbone, The Orphanage recognises and exploits the basic fear we all have through the vulnerability of children.

In a genre populated by countless teen-slasher films this film's superior grasp of the things that make us all scared is stunning. Both aesthetically and stylistically this is a traditional horror film in the sense that it all takes place in an old house full of dark rooms and even darker secrets. The fear is delivered with restraint and tension recognising that there is nothing more scary than what we create in our own minds. But their is an inevitable contemporary unease that presides over this story. The constant stream of child abductions that populate our news broadcasts and the recent horrors that have been uncovered in the Haut de la Garenne children's home in Jersey all serve to enhance our dread at the events that unfold.

This film may be subtle in it's fear delivery approach but there were several moments where everyone in the cinema screamed uncontrollably. The film opens with the young Laura facing a tree saying "one, two , three: knock on the door," then turning around to see how close her friends have approached, so when, as an adult, she is forced to repeat the same game in a darkened room in order to tempt the child- ghosts out of their hiding places the fear was tangible and audible throughout the cinema. There is also a 'jaw-dropping' car accident and a sack-masked child to scare the living daylights out of you as well.

Ever since The Shining I have been intrigued by a film that claims to be truly frightening but have been disappointed on many occasions. It doesn't seem hard to push our fear buttons but so many film makers repeatedly get it wrong opting for gore and violence over suggestion and subtlety. Together with Alejandro Amenabar (The Others) this crop of directors have an intelligence and sensitivity which, when put withquality acting performances, create some truly terrifying cinema experiences.

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4th Apr 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

Michael Clayton

(dir. Tony Gilroy)

Another great George Clooney performance that proves he's become that rare creature: the star who can really act. Here he's the titular lawyer, a shadowy fixer who's been sorting things behind the scenes for boss Sydney Pollack for years.

Solid cast filled out with Tom Wilkinson as an old colleague going off the rails (and his meds) after staring into the abyss for too long; and Tilda Swinton as another corporate lawyer happier to suit up and do what it takes to make problems go away.

Plays out like a 70s thriller, with a slow-build, enough time to get to know the characters, real moral dilemmas and convincing performances from all involved. 

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25th Mar 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

School For Scoundrels

(dir. Todd Phillips)

The Weinstein Company

I wrote an extensive review for this on the back of an envelope while I was watching it a few months back.... but that was misplaced and is probably on it's way somewhere exotic by now.

In this Ealing comedy remake, loser Jon Heder signs up for confidence training at the mysterious School For Scoundrels. Teacher Billy Bob Thornton trains the boys in the ways of being cool, confident and generally picking up chicks - before setting his own sights on the object of Heder's affections.

Long story short: disappointing next to some of Billy Bob's better work, but not bad. The dude from Napolean Dynamite is pretty annoying in most contexts, and he's the main lead here - with Billy Bob more or less in a supporting role. As a bonus, Luis Guzman puts in his usual top-notch supporting role.

Once the actual competition between the two leads hots up things get a bit funnier, but it's a movie that's not quite sure where it's going.

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7th Mar 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

Hard Eight

(dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

MGM

Aging gambler Sydney takes struggling John under his wing  - helping him raise money for his mother's funeral, then taking him onboard as his protégé. Just when things start to go well John's love for an occasional hooker gets him into trouble and Sydney's past catches up with him.

The Reno setting provides a nice downbeat counterpoint to the usual Vegas gambling movie but Anderson's art direction and cinematography style of expensive-looking-normality aren't quite honed yet, and the photography is often a little off the mark with focus and compositions. The movies strives for the unpredictability of something like David Mamet's House of Games, but the script is a little laborious, trying to be twisty-turny like Elmore Leonard but a lot of the characters just don't have the depth.

Gwyneth Paltrow is miscast as the hooker, but Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John C Reilly put in calling card performances that would lead them onto bigger things - even if it was Anderson himself who answered the phone. It's Phillip Baker Hall's movie though, and he exudes presence in every scene like a timeless star of the seventies from an alternate universe.

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6th Mar 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

Vantage Point

(dir Pete Travis)

Presidential assassin thriller that rewinds the Spanish action several times until you get to see what’s really going on/get bored/realise it’s all totally ridiculous.

That said, it’s quite enjoyable. One of those dumb rides that thinks it’s a lot smarter than it it, but then finally gives in and rounds everything off with a big chase and one of the funniest mano y mano declarations of love you’ll see in a long time. And it’s only 90 minutes, which is a real plus in the chimp book of not wasting your life watching duff films.

Dennis Quaid is the Secret Service guy who took a bullet for President William Hurt a few years ago, and still Hasn’t Quite Got Over It.

Matthew Fox has got some time off the Lost island to play the Agent Who Vouches For Agent Quaid cos he’s an old buddy and still trusts him even though he’s a bit twitchy.

Forest Whitaker is a tourist filming stuff with his SONY handycam (coincidentally, it’s a Sony movie too, what are the odds?)

Sigourney Weaver plays a hard-nosed rolling news producer making some Tough Calls. But then they forget she’s in the film and she disappears.

Said Taghmaoui was much better in La Haine etc.

“8 Strangers. 8 Points of View. 1 Truth (the end sucks)”
 

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26th Feb 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

No Country For Old Men

(dir. Ethan & Joel Coen)

Paramount Vantage

From their debut with Blood Simple in 1984 through to bowling classic The Big Lebowski in 1998, the Coen brothers went on a pretty much unrivalled 7 film run of non-duds. Sadly they followed this with a sequence of four films that fell far below The Dude inspired peak - from Lebowski follow up O’Brother Where Art Thou? in 2000 to the universally panned Ladykillers in 2004. After that they went on a bit of a hiatus, resurfacing briefly to contribute to Paris J’Taime - a collection of short films about a French city.

Now they are back and in some style with No Country for Old Men. Taken from the novel by Cormac McCarthy, ...Old Men opens with generally decent man of few words Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) hunting deer on the plains. Through the telescopic sight of his rifle he spies a bunch of pickup trucks and corpses, which, on closer inspection proves to be the endgame of a drug deal gone badly wrong. With a big briefcase full of money laying there without any obvious (living) owner, Moss the opportunist grabs the loot, believing he and his sweetheart back at the trailer park (Kelly Macdonald) have just stumbled upon a life changing slice of fortune.

Which is true, but not as he thinks. You see that money belongs to somebody and soon Llewelyn realises he’s got a serious problem, in the form of weird assasin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), on his tail. As the tagline says “There are no clean getaways”. Throw reluctant Sherrif Tommy Lee Jones and a bunch of angry Mexicans into the mix and a bloody game of cat and mouse across the southern states and into Mexico ensues.

Whilst there are a few obvious ‘Coen Brother’ touches where they find humour in some of the darkest places (Chigurh’s haircut for example), they generally play it straight - allowing the story, scenery and performances to drive the film leisurely but efficiently over its two hour duration. In this respect it resembles the excellent The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, the Tommy Lee Jones directed revenge film from a couple of years back. Like that film, the Texan born Lee Jones once again proves himself to be a master of the actions-speak-louder-than-words old school character of the South. But it’s Spanish actor Bardem (along with his hair and possibly the biggest gun-silencer in movie history) that really steals the film, as he menacingly takes no prisoners on his pursuit of Moss and the cash.

Rightly cleaning up plaudits all over the place, No Country for Old Men is a mighty return to form for the Coen brothers. Amen to that.

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15th Feb 2008 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

There Will Be Blood

Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

Paramount Vantage

Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film leaves behind his usual setting of a sprawling Los Angeles, starting off in the unfamiliar territory of 1890's oil county prospector Daniel Plainview silently, tirelessly digs for oil. An accident leaves Plainview with an adopted son and as 'partners' they build a small empire striking big in a remote Californian town, thanks to a tip-off from a local. The town prospers, but so does the church - and preacher Eli Sunday relentlessly pursues Plainview's apparent lack of faith.

The scenery is spectacular and Daniel Day Lewis is an undeniable tour de force, chewing his ways through the scenery and dominating most everyone in his path. Little Miss Sunshine's Paul Dano isn't bad as impassioned preacher Eli, youngster Dillon Freasier is impressive as Plainview Jnr and Ciaran Hinds puts in a good show in a seemingly cut-back role as right-hand man Fletcher Hamilton - and here lies the problem. For a film that's nearly three hours long it's surprising to feel like there's several reels missing.

After finding it's stride and building up a great confrontation between business and religion, the film seemed like it was shaping up as a thrilling analogy of the west's ever-present quest for oil at all costs - including religion. Three quarters of the way through however, things take an inexplicable turn for the worst. The story heads off-course, then jumps forward 20-odd years with no real justification - leaving us with the conclusion to a film we only feel we saw half of.

The score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood deserves special mention - evocative and haunting, perhaps misleadingly building a brooding sense of menace that the film did not live up to. While Greenwood's score never stopped, the plot was deralied long before the finish line. Key moments were confusingly handled - and not in a deliberately oblique way, just in a badly edited way. The best acting in the world can't save a shoddy story and script - and while individual scenes had great merit, as a complete work it was sadly crippled.

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6th Feb 2008 - 8 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Son Of Rambow

(dir Garth Jennings 2008)

Paramount Vantage

Journey back to the 80s in this good-natured film, a world filled with bleached highlights, dodgy pirate videos and French exchange students with asymmetrical T-shirts.

Sheltered Will (Bill Milner) isn’t allowed to watch TV at school because of his family’s strict religious views. Bad boy Lee Carter (Will Poulter) is constantly being kicked out of class. They meet in the hall outside their classrooms, where Lee bullies Will into helping him make a film to enter in Screentest (an 80s BBC film competition for kids). When it transpires that Will’s TV-less imagination has been on full throttle while he’s supposed to have been studying the bible, Lee knows he’s onto a winner, and their reworking of Rambo, Son Of Rambow, is born. The English countryside is soon filled with pint-sized Nam vets exploding things and generally battling the forces of evil.

There’s lots to enjoy here: the 80s details all feel pretty accurate, it’s affectionate, and does a good job of bringing the two outsiders together. But it never quite kicks into full throttle – there are lots of scenes, like the 6th form common room, or the Adam Buxton cameo (he shot the recent Radiohead online stuff with them, fact fans), which feel like the Hammer & Tongs team  just wanted to include them, without really thinking about their place in the film’s narrative; it’s a lot looser than it might have been.

That said, it’s always good to see a British film that avoids the costume drama/romcom track, and it’s certainly not a waste of time – more that ultimately it doesn't fully deliver on the concept's promise.

Like Be Kind Rewind, this is a film dedicated to the spirit of the VHS age, when you could stick a tape into a giant portable camera and lug it around while you filmed your adventures. But that’s almost the problem – it’s a film that talks about that moment when you first discover the power of cinema, rather than giving a new generation that moment for itself; nostalgia rather than first-hand excitement. Funny it’s coming out just before the new Rambo too.

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5th Feb 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

Cloverfield

(dir. Matt Reeves)

Bad Robot

boom... BOOM... BOOM...

MULTIPLE SIGHTINGS OF CASE DESIGNATE "CLOVERFIELD"

CAMERA RETRIEVED AT INCIDENT SITE U.S. 447

AREA FORMERLY KNOWN AS "CENTRAL PARK"

From the moment this film kicks in, with a pounding THX rumble and a Classified Department of Defence logo stamped over a black screen, you know you're in for a ride. It's the 9/11 Godzilla, a Blair Witch Ghidorah, a Handicam Ebirah loaded with post-millenium lo-fi paranoia, confusion and panic, that lives up to all the Slusho/1-18-08 viral hype.

The conceit is that we're watching found footage from the night of a mysterious attack on NYC. We start at a going away party. A bunch of hip New Yorkers are hanging out while one of them is walking around trying to get the others to say nice things for their buddy before he heads off to Japan. It's a nice touch - there's a reason for the camera to be there, it makes total sense that you'd keep filming if something like this really did happen - there's a few scenes with other people simultaneously freaking out and getting their phone-cams out. It also gets us used to the jump-cut edits before everything goes nuts.

And when it does? It's a rush - you're thrown in with the WTF reactions of the partygoers, rushing up the stairs in their heels to the roof to see what's blown the city's power and is making such a noise outside. Instead of the omniscient perspective we're used to in monster movies — skipping around from the military, to the government, to the ordinary guy who knows the secret to defeating the thing if only he could just get to whoever's in charge, and back to the monster — here we're stuck on the ground with the crowds screaming through the streets, rushing into electronic stores and catching snatches of news on TVs before zipping back outside where tanks are suddenly crashing through the traffic and there's the briefest of glimpses of something smashing skyscrapers or chucking the Statue Of Liberty's head around...

It's a great concept, simply realised. The terror's effective, the shooting style produces some brilliantly frustrating moments when the camera's dropped on the ground so you can't really see what's happening - the old less-is-more trick, but thrown into the mix here, one that captures that sense of a bunch of cynical urban citizens who can't quite believe that they're really under siege by some unknown thing.

In a way, that seems to be the point here - it's an obvious allegory for terrorist attack; the sudden unknown presence of "hostile aliens" smashing into the everyday reality of people living their lives without any real grasp of a world outside their own. Smoke billows through the streets, phone signals are lost, no-one knows which way to go until the army show up barking orders through loud-hailers. As a cinematic experience it's pretty visceral - 84 minutes (yes! a short flim at last!) of shakycam is enough to make anyone dizzy - don't sit too near the front for this one.

A creature feature with something to say, Cloverfield delivers on the hype.

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20th Jan 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet

Be Kind Rewind

Dir Michel Gondry

Partizan

Highly enjoyable homage to the joys of hanging out in a video store from general genius Michel Gondry. Mos Def plays the Be Kind Rewind employee left in charge when store owner Danny Glover heads off on a mission to work out why no-one's coming to their shop anymore (clue: errr, they don't stock DVDs). Jack Black is his goof-off friend working in a junk yard in the neighbourhood and generally causing trouble. Without giving too much away, all the tapes in the shop get wiped, so they start shooting their own versions  of films like Driving Miss Daisy, Ghostbusters and Robocop to rent out to customers like Mia Farrow instead. These "Sweded" re-workings take off and it plays out from there...

It's a great excuse for Gondry to make the most of his imaginative lo-fi powers - the films are pretty sloppy, but totally charming - reminds you of the days when you'd get a video camera and just start shooting any old stuff, in order, without editing. Def and Black make a cool double act, it's fun seeing Mia Farrow in something daft again, and there's even room for a Kid Creole cameo. Once they get going, there's a brilliant montage zipping through their new films in classic Gondry style, flowing from one to the next - would love to know if it was all done in one take or not - kind of think it's the sort of thing he'd at least attempt just to see if it could be done.

Marking this one on a Gondry scale:  The Science Of Sleep was an easy **** and Eternal Sunshine stands up as a full ***** experience.  Be Kind Rewind is a smaller film in some ways, even though it's got a bigger cast. It's still totally enjoyable, but more like one of Graham Green's "entertainments" - a fun work that's still got a lot of heart and is saying something (communities falling apart/ big business taking over everything/ change/ friendship/ how good Robocop is) - but is basically more about the fun of making and watching it. For me, Science and Sunshine packed in a real emotional depth with the inventive camerawork and goofy plots - to say this isn't quite up there isn't to diss it, just to acknowledge how outstanding those two are. Can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Almost made me miss all the hundreds of VHS tapes I've chucked out freecycled over the years.

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19th Jan 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

(dir. Andrew Dominik)

Warner Bros

With much of the gang captured and brother Frank heading into retirement, the outlaw Jesse James leads a rag-tag bunch of thieves through Missouri. Robert Ford has big hopes for his position in the gang, but the lack of respect he is paid leads him to turn on the leader in a search for his own fame.

The traditional aspects of the Western take a back seat in this movie, which instead deals with the end of the gunslinging era and the beginning of the media age. Celebrity and fame come into consideration, as Robert Ford clamours for a taste of Jesse James' celebrity - before his own fame leads to his downfall. That's not to say there aren't any shoot-outs however, or an atmospheric train-robbery which makes the most of Roger Deakins' photography.

Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell put in excellent performances as the two Ford brothers and Brad Pitt is chilling as the quiet, bullying, megalomaniac gang leader who steps into his brother's shoes and spreads utter paranoia through the entire gang. This paranoia makes for the films strength - building massive tension in the lead up to the final act.

Chopper Director Andrew Dominick took some five years getting this film together and it is clearly a project that a lot attention has been paid to. While the mood and tone is suitably slow however, something is missing from this film which holds it back from hitting either the elegiac magnificence of Terrence Malick or the high-tension drama of Sergio Leone that it so clearly aspires too.

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3rd Dec 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Futurama - Bender's Big Score

(dir. Dwayne Carey-Hill)

Comedy Central

In the words of Hubert Farnsworth, Planet Express Delivery's resident  mad scientist, "Good news everyone..." Futurama is back. The much overlooked second project from The Simpson's Matt Groening and David X Cohen has been reactivated after those dummies at the fox network cancelled it in 2003 after just four seasons. Comedy Central (with Fox's blessing) is backing 4 feature length DVD release films which it intends to air broken into episodes with added material. For those of you with a region 1 DVD player, the first feature is available to buy now - together with bonus featurette "Everyone loves Hypnotoad". And the news is, indeed, good. Original voice cast, same look to the animation, same writers - and just like Planet Express, it really delivers.

Without giving too much away, the first feature serves up a generous helping of what the fanboys want. All the familiar faces are present - in addition to Fry and Leela, Prof Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Hermes, Amy, and the ubiquitous Bender "bending unit" Rodriguez, the much loved supporting cast are all present and correct, from Nibbler through to Morbo (and even pre-Simpsons Groening creation, Binky the one-eared Rabbit).

The gags come thick and fast - and the plot, well, that gets a little confusing. The 80 minute story arc may be hard to swallow for the uninitiated since it concerns time paradoxes and multiple copies of central characters. It might actually work better in the episodic format that Comedy Central intend to show it. Fans, however, will lap up the whole thing in one juicy helping.

So, perhaps this is where Matt Groening's creative talent has been concentrated. It's so much more snappy and adult than the Simpsons which (let's face it) is limping in the manner of an exhausted battle hero. Maybe time to give the yellow guys a few seasons off, eh? It hasn't hurt Futurama.

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#HarrisPilton

1st Dec 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

The Sentinal

(dir. Clark Johnson)

You know how sometimes you ask someone what a film was like, and they're all "yeah, it was ok, bit forgettable really…" and you think, hmm, bet that would pass the time if I was in the mood for some undemanding action, and hey, it's got Kiefer in it, and it's going to take them ages to sort out the writers' strike before we get the next 24, so why not give it a go, and oh look, it's just starting right now.

And so you settle down, and think, hey Michael Douglas, Kim Basinger, Eva Longoria from Desperate Housewives (she's on strike too!) and that guy who was the evil DEA guy in Weeds - this might be alright, in a kind of not-as-good-as-In The Line Of Fire way, but hey, that's not on (and you've seen that enough anyhow).

And then you start thinking, hmm, they must really have given a lot away in the trailers for this, because I totally knew Kiefer was going to give Eva a hard time for being too sassy when she arrives for her first day in the tough Feds office, and yes, I knew they were going to get Michael Douglas walking through the White House like that… and I bet he's got a thing going with… 

…and then you realise that this film is LITERALLY so forgettable, you've forgotten you have actually seen it. Probably would have scraped 2 ** on first viewing, but with added amnesiavision, it's getting downgraded.

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12th Nov 2007 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Die Hard 4.0

(dir. Len Wiseman)

The original Die Hard movie is up there with the best action movies. Die Hard 4.0 is down there with the worst.

Bruce Willis claimed that he would only make this film when the story was right. They clearly offered him so much money he couldn't say no. From the off it just didn't feel like a Die Hard movie. There was no intriguing build-up as we have previously had with the villains enacting their plan, no reluctance from Willis to save the day (again), and no wit or real humour. Within minutes of the start, John McClane is battling it out against numerous submachine guns. From then on in it was just a string of stunts culminating in a ridiculous finale in which he takes on a US fighter jet (including jumping on and off it whilst it hovers in mid air).

Die Hard 4.0 was more like Under Siege 3.0. but Seagal must have turned it down.

This reviewer is giving it 1.0

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#CJ

5th Nov 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Failure To Launch

(dir. Tom Dey)

A confusing blend of your typical Matthew McRomcomaughey movie mixed in with a bit of Dr Dolittle and even the Truman Show. Not as bad as Death Proof of course - but obviously a long way from Wooderson, man.

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29th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Death Proof

(dir. Quentin Tarantino)

Tarantino's 5th movie has many similarities to his first, the classic Reservoir Dogs. It is truly one of a kind, you will grimace and wince all the way through, you will have never seen anything like it and as it finishes you will be left with the same jaw-dropping disbelief. But... there is one slight difference. Death Proof is one of a kind because you will be hard pushed to summon to the front of your mind a movie this bad, you will grimace out of boredom or acute irritation and the disbelief you are left with is how you could willingly let a jumped up prick like Tarantino into your home to rob you of two hours of your life. They are precious two hours, you could pick your toe nails right down till they bleed, you could spend it watching Blair Witch 2 or reruns of Joey, anything would be more productive than this.

From start to finish this film is a fake, and I know that Tarantino has based his career on rip offs but that used to be a strength, clever and intelligent emulation of subversive genres was what he did best but he's really over stayed his welcome with Death Proof, like a friend who you let stay on your couch for one, maybe two great nights out but now you find has been there for years, eaten all your food, slept with your wife and is still telling the same boring jokes. The writing was on the wall after Kill Bill, another tired piece of self indulgence, but at least that seemed tongue-in-cheek enough to get away with it. Death Proof is like watching an A-level film class where the student sites Tarantino as his all-time favorite film maker ever in the whole world ever. It's like watching a bunch of semi-hot-but-not-really chics talking like a Tarantino character because he is, like, the best director in the whole history of directors in the whole world ever. It's like someone released the out-takes of Death Proof by mistake, the hours and hours of snappy, clever-as-my-fucking-arse-hair dialogue that was never used as it had nothing to do with anything. This is why the world invented editors.

I'm trying to describe in detail the shortcomings of this film to justify my hatred because after all, it's not enough to say you hate a piece of art without providing back up for your views but like a police officer or counselor trying to get details out of a trauma victim my mind is blank. I have no details in my head, just emotion, all consuming irritation. If I was to be mugged on my way home tonight, slugged in the gut and all my worldly possessions stolen I would still hobble away more satisfied than I felt after Death Proof. If I was to be in a car accident and all my memory erased except for the Police Academy movies I would consider myself blessed that the mighty Lord above didn't leave me with any recollection of Death Proof.

If anyone disagrees with my views on this film then I'm sorry but you're a brain dead moron who thinks Tarantino is, like, the best film maker in the whole history of film making in the whole world ever. We have a comments facility on this site so if you want a fight then step up bitch.

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25th Oct 2007 - 9 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Cinderella Man

(dir. Ron Howard)

Washed up fighter James W. Braddock is struggling to keep his family together during the Great Depression, but gets an unlikely shot at the World Title.

Seemingly unsure of whether it wants to be Raging Bull or Rocky, the film's aesthetic lifts heavily, but lacks the punch of the former - while the predictable underdog tale lacks the heart of the latter. Russell Crowe's performance as a hard working honest guy might technically be on the money, but the character is lacking in motivation or passion, making for a pretty flat film.

It seems like everybody involved felt like they were in sure-fire Oscar country here, and Paul Giacametti's performance in particular feels like it was sent in by telegram. He's badly cast as a young-looking training 'veteran' and there's no depth to his character - especially for a role that's usually set to 'powerhouse' (Clint and Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby, Burgess Meredith in Rocky, Joe Pesci in Raging Bull). The script holds few surprises too - the bell rings in the nick of time a couple of times, the dishonest opponent gets the odd punch in after the bell, but unlike the aforementioned Million Dollar Baby, there's little doubt how it's going to end.

The production values and art direction are big and expensive, but when the dust settles all we are left with is a long solid, hard working dust bowl of a movie, not dissimilar to that other dull, depression sports drama - Sea Biscuit.

The old Halliwell's Guide would probably say *.

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17th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Kingdom

(dir. Peter Berg)

Serviceable action thriller with FBI agents Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper finding an excuse to head over to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist attack on a US expat compound.

Starts out with a fairly useful graphic zip through the last 100-odd years of Saudi history: desert, colonial rule, independance, oil, Bin Laden etc. Then we're hit with some cheating terrorists mowing down US citizens playing baseball in their suburban enclave inside "the Kingdom". Our agents know some of the US agents on the ground who get hit - this time it's personal and they're so not going to take "no, that would spark an international incident if we let more official US personnel investigate a crime on Arab soil" for an answer.

From then on, it's pretty much CSI: Arabia, as the quartet use their novel American concepts like "evidence" and "clues" to crack the case, helping out a friendly Saudi investigator along the way. He likes the Hulk and the Six Million $ Man too, so he's OK.

Been catching up on some Arrested Development reruns recently, so it was hard not to find everything Jason Bateman says hilarious, but other than that, the four leads were convincing enough - bantering away, dealing w US and Saudi red tape with good old fashioned straight talking and not being afraid to bend the rules a little when necessary. Good support from Danny Huston and the mighty Jeremy "Ari" Piven too, and there's a little cameo from director Peter Berg at the FBI briefing early on.

All feels a bit superficial ultimately, as if the mere fact of launching some Feds into a topical powderkeg is enough to make some kind of important message about the state of international politics/terrorism/the global interdependency on oil etc etc.

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7th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Lookout

(dir. Scott Frank)

"Whoever has the money has the power..."

Low-key bank job with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Jeff Daniels and Isla Fisher. JGL follows up his star turn in Brick, as a once-promising high school jock who is now dealing with the aftermath of an accident, working as a bank janitor by night, re-learning basic life-skills by day. His short-term memory and sequencing skills are shot, which means he gets though life by writing everything down. Jeff Daniels is his blind room-mate, Isla Fisher an ex-classmate who comes into his life at the encouragement of Matthew Goode, a dodgy barfly with big plans.

It's less stylised than Brick, but similar in the way it reworks the conventions of noir thrillers to produce a satisfying, modern spin on the genre. It's a small farm town, with nothing going on, lots of dirty snow on the ground, everyone knows everyone etc. Writer/director Scott Frank (Get Shorty/ Out Of Sight/ Minority Report etc) builds the tension of out JGL's growing sense of frustration with his new lot in life - the high school star now washing floors, naively accepting a way out by Goode and his crew.

The notebook that he writes everything down in gives the film a touch of Memento's sensibility, as he moves from trying to piece together his life to piecing together the bank job that he's pushed into - but it's used in a less tricksy way here.

Believable performances all round, decent direction and convincing stakes: highly watchable.

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11th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Consequences Of Love

(dir. Paolo Sorrentino)

Stylish, witty and engrossing thriller set in a slow-moving Swiss hotel.

Star Toni Servillo is almost a parody of the existential Euro art-house character - all sharp Italian suits, polo necks and chain-smoking, refusing to talk to the staff, barely making conversation to the other guests, just about mustering the energy to solve a daily chess puzzle in the paper. We watch him floating through his slow-motion existence, hovering on the edges of life, observing the people around him with a detatched sneer; taking everything in, letting nothing out.

What makes this film so great is the way that you're drawn into the central question - who is he, and what's he doing? - with a confident, seductive pull. The classy use of camera tricks, flashes of "did I just see that?" moments that'll have you reaching for the rewind and impressive sound design make this a quality outing. As the joy is in the reveal, there's no need to say anything else here...

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11th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Superbad

(dir. Greg Motolla)

Another effortlessly funny comedy from the Jew-Tang Clan. Knocked-Up star Seth Rogan started writing this w partner Evan Goldberg when they were 14 apparently - and it feels like they managed to nail that weird teen moment when boys are only really emotionally involved with other boys, but putting all their efforts into scoring chicks.

Taking the one-night template laid down by Dazed And Confused etc, we follow Michael Cera (George Michael Jr in Arrested Development) and Jonah Hill as they try and buy some booze so they can impress some girls and get into a party. Along the way their even geekier buddy Christopher Mintz-Plasse reinvents himself as 25 year old Hawaiian organ donor, "McLovin" with the help of a fake ID and two doofus cops (Seth Rogan and Bill Hader) who let him roll with them after he's involved in a liquor store hold-up.

Pretty much wins you over from the opening credits. The 70s flavoured funk-rock soundtrack lifts it from the now into a generic US high school experience - only the phones and lack of net jokes really anchor it to 2007. What makes this and Knocked-Up work is that it's taking the gross-out template, but keeping it all in the realms of possibility (just), letting the humour come from the awkward tensions of growing up rather than constructing some outlandish string of coincidences and wacky scenes to ramp up the laughs.

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31st Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Bourne Ultimatum

(dir. Paul Greengrass)

FIELD OPS REPORT 22/08/07

SUBJECT: BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THE

INTEL: BOURNE, JASON (AKA DAMON, MATT) RETURNS. CRUNCHES HIS WAY THROUGH PARIS, LONDON, TANGIERS, NYC. SUBJECT STILL SUFFERING MEMORY LOSS, BUT REGAINING SOME SENSE OF FORMER IDENTITY.
AGENT PARSONS, NICKY (AKA STILES, JULIA) IS DESIGNATED DRIVER;
ROSS, SIMON (AKA CONSIDINE, PADDY) A GUARDIAN JOURNALIST W VALUABLE CONTACTS - TENSE UNDERCOVER OPS AT WATERLOO STATION, LONDON;
CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR VOSEN, NOAH (AKA STRATHAIRN, DAVID) HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES.

ANALYSIS: ASSIGNMENT DELIVERS. FIGHTING TECHNIQUES SEEM TO HAVE IMPROVED; MO-PED SKILLS UP TO SPEED; DIRECTION FRENETIC BUT FLUID.

YOUR MISSION (AND WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE NOT TO ACCEPT IT?): MAKE CONTACT ASAP.

OVERANDOUT

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22nd Aug 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

2 Days In Paris

(dir. Julie Delpy)

More Parisian walking and talking from Julie Delpy in a lowkey romcom that mines similar territory to Richard Linklater's Before Sunset/Sunrise diptych.

Adam Goldberg (who's got a great cameo in Entourage season 3.2) takes over from Ethan Hawke on American dude in Europe duties. He's much more angsty, apparently allergic to Paris; and as they're two years into their relationship, rather than two hours, there's more focus here on the compromises couples play out rather than the initial flush of an all-night chat.

The set-up is that they've been on holiday in Venice, and are stopping off in Paris to meet her parents - played by Delpy's real-life parents, French actors Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet. They bump into her old friends - and lovers - in a series of scenes that escalate in a believable, subtle fashion. The language barrier is used well, with at least a third of the script in French, preempting a shift in their power balance that serves as a catalyst for them to take stock of where they're at.

It's dry, funny and occasionally farcical, but played out as a realistic take on mid-30s dating. Confident direction, a real feel for Paris, and great performances from all bring the sharp script together, occasionally touching a Woody Allen 70s/80s vibe.

Not to be confused with 1 Night In Paris.

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13th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Munich

(dir. Steven Spielberg)

Following the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Israeli government assemble a covert unit to track down and assassinate those they deem responsible. Totally disconnected from their country and their families the mission leads the group into dark territory, leading many of them to question what they are doing.

The era of the film is superbly recreated, through the photographic style - which is highly reminiscent of genre films like The Conversation or The French Connection. Spielberg uses retro zooms and deftly choreographed cameras and action to set the set the scene, provide tension and re-create the shooting style of the era. When did zooms become a no-no exactly? A hugely detailed scene outside a busy airport is made to seem as though the camera crew just turned up in '71 on a regular day and started rolling. It's subtle and easily overlooked, but superbly done.

Unfortunately the slow-pacing, unclear plot and lack of narrative that was often a hallmark of the 70's has also been lovingly created.  While of course I have no problem with films taking their time, I like to see that time put to good us. While there's nothing that could have obviously been dropped, things seem to happen with little build up and the time between doesn't always fill out the details. Then again, back in the 70's we didn't need any explanation for why the Ruskies were the bad guys - they just were.

Ciaran Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Geoffrey Rush and Daniel Craig all put in solid performances, but it's Eric Bana's film and he convincingly portrays the patriot torn between right and wrong.

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12th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

16 Blocks

(dir. Richard Donner)

A cop with a shady past does everything it takes to get a witness in a police corruption case through 16 blocks to the courthouse, as a police force littered with corrupt officers try to stop them both.

Not bad by-the-numbers Bruce WIllis actioner, somewhat revolutionary for it's re-vitalisation of the freeze-frame ending.

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8th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Disturbia

(dir. DJ Caruso)

iTunes generation remix of Rear Window, w Transformers star Shia Le Beouf here a moody teen who's spending the summer holidays stuck in his bedroom after getting one of those Asbo electronic tags on his leg.

It's a great set-up that lets the surveillance thrills play out when mom Carrie-Anne Moss pulls the plug on his wired-world - no XBox Live!? - what's left, but for him to stare out of the window? At first it's a toss-up between checking out hot new neighbour Sarah Roemer or keeping tabs on creepy David Morse, but once he's convinced her to come up and play w his binoculars, it's all systems go for them to spend the rest of the movie trying to work out if there's a serial killer living next door or not.

Although there's something of a generic big chase finale, for the most part it's a solid mainstream thriller, less indie than the trailer makes out, but v enjoyable nonetheless.

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1st Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Knocked Up

(dir. Judd Apatow)

Another solid comedy from Judd Apatow and his crew (are they really called the Jew-Tang Clan?). The set-up's pretty straightforward: stoner Seth Rogan accidentally gets out-of-his-league hottie Katherine Heigl (Dr Izzie from Grey's Anatomy) pregnant during a boozy one night stand; she decides to keep the baby, he decides to try and make it work. Meanwhile, she's living w her sister Leslie Mann and brother in law Paul Rudd (the cooler shop nerd in 40 Year Old Virgin), whose constant bitching at each other makes her wonder if there's any hope for relationships ever working out. Seth's bong-loading roommates don't help much either. What makes this work above and beyond the confines of its slacker romcom premise, is that it's played in what passses for a pretty realistic style in Hollywood these days. Guys talk in guy talk (endlessly riffing on pop culture); the girls do girls' world properly. The communication breakdown is played for laughs, but also feels accurate. Populated w cast members from his excellent Freaks And Geeks, as well as past hits like 40 Year Old Virgin, Apatow goes a long way to making mainstream comedy relevant again. Still a bit too long, but it doesn't seem like anyone's heading back to the 90 minute-mark in a hurry.

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31st Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

(dir.David Yates)

Another thoroughly enjoyable school year from the muggles, mudbloods and wizards of Hogwarts. Doesn't top the Prisoner Of Azkaban for style, but if you've enjoyed the first four, this doesn't disappoint.

This time round, Harry's dealing with being attacked in the media, who along with Robert Hardy's uptight Ministry of Magic, refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned. At school, he's getting bullied by both pupils and the new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, Imelda Staunton. She's perfectly cast as the weak-tea sipping Dolores Umbridge, as evil as Voldemort in her own prim and proper way, edging her way to the top of the Hogwarts ladder with an endless stream of nit-picking rules.

If you've read the book, there's a lot to get through, and that's perhaps the only problem here - at times you can feel that it's a very abriged version; that said, it still works, really only cutting a lot of the repetition that JK Rowling uses to draw you into the school year. There's no quidditch match, which is fine, some fun scenes with Dumbledore's Army trying to summon up their Patronuses, and sweeping scenes of the English countryside matched by a few London flyovers which give it a real sense of place. Could have done with a touch more of the scene where Harry sees into Snape's mind and watches his memories of school, but other than that, most of the key moments are included.

The three main kids, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, are all improving as they get older (just hope they manage to film the last 2 before they get too old for the teen roles). And again, it's an exercise in watching the cream of British actors - Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman, Richard Griffiths, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, David Thewlis, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane etc... you'd feel pretty annoyed if you didn't get the call, really.

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4th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Hollywood Homicide

Ron Shelton

Two cops, more interested in pursuing other careers, search for the killer after a nightclub murder. Harrison Ford makes one movie per year these days making this choice inexplicable. It really is that bad..

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1st Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Transformers

(dir.Michael Bay)

Dreamworks

After their planet is ravaged by civil war, two warring factions of shape-shifting robots arrive on earth in search of a digital rubik's-cube gizmo with the power to turn ordinary electrical appliances into all consuming monster robots. The Decepticons are led by the evil Megatron, who was discovered frozen in the ice by troubled geeky teen Shia La Beouf's grandfather. Luckily he's just bought a new car that turns out to be one of the friendly Autobots who are here to save us - led by the articulated lorry-esque Optimus Prime.

As a kid you would probably shit bricks at how cool the robots are in this movie, but as an adult it's like watching a 120 minute trailer that shows all the best bits. An experience not too dissimilar to lying down on a motorway being run over constantly. The premise is thinner than Highlander II, with very little explanation for why the robots can assume some shapes they like, but don't bother at other times - when being a steam roller might be more useful than being a cool little dune-buggy.

Hollywood heavyweight/lifecoach Michael Bay adds his usual flair, taking his cue from the George Lucas school of film making - where you can't see the CGI because it's all CGI, and it works pretty seamlessly. There are some great sequences and effects - notably the helicopter-bot assassin that attacks the US Army a couple of times in an attempt to steal their bandwidth or something.

It's a fun ride, so don't take my cynical opinion on it all. I was always more of a Lego fan.

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25th Jun 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Shrek The Third

(dir. Chris Miller, Raman Hui)

Dreamworks

Lame threequel to this previously excellent series; really the only point seems to be to remind you how watchable (and re-watchable) the first two are. Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas are all back as Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey and Puss in Boots.

A duff plot involving the succession to the Far, Far Away throne is thrown in as little more than an excuse for a trip to add Jason Timberlake as a goofy, but still v handsome Prince to the gang. Shrek doesn't want to be king (or a dad), meanwhile Rupert Everett's Prince Charming is back. He does want to take over — ooh, who will get the crown in the end?

Couple of OK jokes, Eric Idle's Merlin is not bad; but considering the non-stop, smart and unexpected gags that filled up the first two, you don't come away from this feeling very happy ever after at all.

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18th Jun 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Night Of The Sunflowers

(dir. Jorge Sanchez-Cabezudo)

Spanish rape and revenge thriller that twists with each of its six chapters to reveal different, subtle shades of a complex, involving story.

A pair of bickering, aging neighbours in a small deserted village, a pot-holing expert and his wife, a married cop who works with his father-in-law, and a disillusioned travelling salesman are among the characters we meet in a dusty backwater where nothing ever seems to happen.

Another grown-up European drama, packed with tiny details that hint at rich back-stories for all the characters, without dwelling on anything for too long. Moves from being a visceral stalker chiller to almost Hitchcock-levels of multiple motivations and human interaction in extreme situations. Highly recommended if you're looking for something that doesn't have the number 3 in the title this summer.

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31st May 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Zodiac

(dir. David Fincher)

In the late 60's and early 70's, the Zodiac killer claimed responsibility for a series of murders in and around San Francisco, taunting the police and the papers with cryptic letters. After detective David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) fails to conclusively crack the mystery the case becomes dormant, until a young cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal) from the paper takes up the challenge.

It's been five years since David Fincher's last effort (the overblown and disappointing Panic Room), and with the opening 20 minutes of Zodiac it's clear he has a far more inspiring story to work with here. The film quickly demonstrates it's support for the Scorcese style of film-making, with the period setting of the story evocatively re-created, some great montages and a high volume soundtrack that works exceptionally well - using Santana, Donovan and other 60s icons, to (relatively subtly) create a believable world for the story to exist in.

Fincher seems to have found his feet a bit more that usual here, steering away from his move overt technique tricks and producing an elegant film, with some excellent directorial flourishes. The opening shot sets the scene superbly in July 4th California, there's a magnificent tracking shot of a taxi from above, and a similar shot following of the first letter to arrive at The Chronicle newspaper.

The acting throughout is superb, but some of the performances are restricted by the slightly clunky format of at least the middle of the film. As the timeline shifts forward at a variety of rates ('2 months later', '20 minutes later', '4 years later') it becomes hard to sustain the supposed 'reign of terror' that the killer had over the state, but once things settle down it finds it's feet nicely. That unfortunately leaves Robert Downey Jnr's character a bit redundant, and focus shifts over to cartoonist Robert Graysmith's developing interest in solving the case. Strangely, that provides a lot more suspense and twists in the plot, with the unsolved nature of the case leading to a bit of speculation, but also some surprises.

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15th May 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Spider-Man 3

(dir. Sam Raimi)

in which spidey channels his inner goth, goes a bit emo, battles sandman, venom and the green goblin and the film turns into chicago for a while before sinking into another dreary big battle.

where the first spider-man did an ok job of showing how a nerd like peter parker would learn to love his powers, this one sinks under the 2 villains/girlfriend angst/oh the trouble w being a freelance photographer formula that the second established. lots more cgi fights filled w maximum confusion and zero sense of peril - like all the new gen star wars battles, you just can't work out what's going on/where they are/what way up anyone is etc half the time.

it's also part of the annoying recent trend for making loooooong films where not much happens - and what does, is full of holes. they put on a parade for spidey to give him the keys to the city - but how have they got in touch with him? there's no spidey phone or spidey signal! they clearly aren't just hoping he'll swing by because they've worked out a coordinated little routine for him - but when was that supposed to have been organised?

then there's some daft bit where harry "son of green goblin" osborn gets mj to dump PP so he can get him where it hurts (ooh, in his sensitive heart) - but you've got no idea why she's going along w it - is he threatening her? is she into gg instead? it's all just left hanging, like they didn't have time to explain it - except, they do - they've got 156 min!!!

thomas "sideways" haydn church is sandman, another loser crim who's got the misfortune of stumbling across a random weird science experiment in the middle of some marshes somewhere and inadvertently gaining some powers. but we don't even get to find out who these scientists are or what they think they're doing. it's just, er, yeah, he's got blasted with some stuff, and, er, now he's sandman.

on the plus side, sam raimi main man bruce "evil dead" campbell's cameo is pretty funny, and the bits with daily bugle boss J Jonah Jameson all work. the bit where peter goes all emo side by brushing his hair to the side in the style of my chemical romance is fairly amusing too.

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19th Apr 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Letters From Iwo Jima

(dir.Clint Eastwood)

Does anyone else have what I have with Clint Eastwood's films? I never rush to see them and then I watch with moderate expectations but invariably come out loving them. I really should learn by now. 'Letters From Iwo Jima' is up there with his very best, and is a great, great film. I thought the Best Picture category was fairly weak this year but it is a travisty that this didn't win. I guess they owed Scorsese one.

Seeing the battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective is a clever idea and Eastwood explores this deftly. When the 'isn't war pointless' buttons are pushed it is done so in a refreshingly level headed and clear eyed view. The storytelling is always objective and the situations and characters rounded and three-dimensional.

The film is littered with great performances; Ken Watanabe's sympathetic General Kuribayashi, who retains his dignity despite the heavily stacked odds and the hopeless situation. To counterpoint the his perspective, we also follow the story of Saigo (played by Kazunari Ninomiya), a reluctant conscript who is no ones idea of the a war hero, least of all his own.

I used to think of Eastwood as an actor who directed pretty good films but make no mistake, he is a great director that can sit easily alongside the very best.

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13th Mar 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Departed

(dir. Martin Scorsese)

Jack Nicholson's Boston mob have a long term mole in the State Police department, who is keeping them one step ahead of the law. As a response, the undercover department - led by Martin Sheen and sidekick Mark Wahlberg - put their own man deep undercover with the mob. So deep that no-one knows who is to be trusted.

While the original Hong Kong version Infernal Affairs is a great story that is slickly made, the ante is up with this Hollywood re-make and Scorsese is all-in. The story is slowed down and stretched out, giving it room to breathe, grow and live - and the all-star cast make almost every role memorable. 

There's a few timeless director tricks from the master Scorsese - such as some sneaky iris pulls - plus great music, pyrotechnic editing, stellar performances and of course brutal violence.

A couple of bluescreen shots show up some storyboarding boo-boos that undermine things a bit - not to mention the shockingly bad Photoshop work on the family photos. While the script is great with fantastic dialogue, the thing that most lets the film down is the original story. While the use of text messaging and mobile phones is a realistic update to the undercover story some key moments are clumsily handled. While Hong Kong movies have a habit of going with style over substance, that just won't wash with a movie of this calibre. A little bit of mystery about who was actually the rat would have helped, and the double-dating shrink just seemed to make the whole world of the movie a bit too small.

However, after dropping the ball with Gangs of New York and batting a slow and steady  average with The Aviator, Scorsese is firing on almost all cylinders here - chasing after the glory days of Taxi Driver, Goodfellas or Casino. The acting is assured and superb almost throughout - particularly from DiCaprio, thoroughly impressing me for almost the first time. It's a totally entertaining masterpiece that can be watched over and over - and it has all the trademarks you'd expect from this hall-of-fame director working with the cream of the Hollywood crop.

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26th Feb 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

The Dukes Of Hazzard

(dir. Jay Chandrasekhar)

Warner Bros

Notably mainly for it's ZZ Top sound-tracked car chase and Luke Duke's Zeppelin T-shirt, this mindless entertainment is watchable enough ...especially if you happen to be flying long haul. "Appalachian Americans if you please".

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23rd Feb 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

The Illusionist

(dir.Neil Burger)

Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel and Rufus Sewell in this turn-of-the-century tricksy magician drama.

Norton's got the skills to pay the Viennese bills here, wowing Crown Prince Sewell and his fiancee Biel with his onstage wizardry, while court cop Giamatti tries to figure out how he's doing everything. Biel turns out to be Norton's long-lost childhood squeeze; hey-presto, the magic's still there.

Looks a lot like The Prestige, but it's less of a cheat than that turned out to be, although the whole "nothing is what it seems" line doesn't really hold up, as it's all ultimately predictable and the "woah, is that what's just happened?!!" ending they're going for is so obvious that you're left wondering why Officer Giamatti's such a doofus and the only person in the room who hasn't seen it all coming.

That said, their combined charisma just about carries it along; more a dvd than a cinema outing probably.

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21st Feb 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

300

(dir. Zach Snyder)

Enjoyable macho action that's basically one very long, very crunchy fight scene. Not sure how historically accurate any of this is, but it's the story of 300 buff sixpack Spartans fending off some extras from the dark hordes of Lord Of The Rings (aka Persia).

Based on the Frank Miller graphic novel, it's shot in a similar style to Sin City, and employs the same washed-out digital grainy aesthetic. It's also got the same slim connection to reality - this is heightened everything, everywhere. They shout SPAAAAAAAAAAARTAAAA as often as possible, and make a proto-fascist case for sticking together with your friends and family (as long as they're not born deformed, in which case it's prudent to chuck them out of town asap).

Gerard Butler is the superbuff Spartan leader. He's been the Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera, Dracula in Dracula 2000 and Attila the Hun in Attila so he's obviously into his historical roles. Lena Headey is the rather unelegantly named Queen Gorgo keeping the Spartan home fires spartan. Weirdest casting for Chimpomatic readers will be The Wire's Dominic West - yes, if you've ever wondered what good po-lice McNulty would look like with long hair and his shirt off, here's your chance.

It's all pretty silly - and vaguely offensive in its depection of the Persians as a horde of unreconstructed "Others" - but carried off with a kind of unpretentious conviction: it sets out to make a crunchy bloodthirsty action blowout, and it succeeds. It's also told from a "here's a story about a legend" perspective, and doesn't really pretend to be anything like a historically accurate account. Apparently they borrowed some swords and stuff from Troy, but it's nowhere near as boring.

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20th Feb 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Starter for Ten

(dir: Tom Vaughan)

Great little 80s set film around the Bristol University team for University Challenge. Sprinkled with quirky perfromance including a scene stealing Mark Gatiss as Bamber Gascoigne.

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31st Jan 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Inland Empire

(dir. David Lynch)

Another Mobius (s)trip from the dream world of David Lynch, Inland Empire pulls out from Mulholland Drive and dives off the DL DV deep-end. There's just no-one else making films like this.

Laura Dern holds it all together, in a pretty nuts performance that ranges from high-camp melodrama to neo-realism (sometimes in the same scene). It's up there with Naomi Watts's Mulholland Drive - at times you're checking it's still her because she seems so different throughout her multliple scenes. When you talk about a performance having great range, it's rarely meant in such literal terms.

In one strand, she's Nikki, an actress playing opposite Justin Theroux's Devon in On High In Blue Tomorrows, a film directed by Jeremy Irons (helped by Harry Dean Stanton), that turns out to be a remake of an ill-fated, incomplete movie called 4/7. In another, she's Sue, her character in Blue Tomorrows, who's having an affair w Theroux's character.

Early on, in a tabloid TV interview with Dern's real-life mother (and Wild At Heart co-star) Diane Ladd, she's warned to avoid womaniser Devon's on-set reputation. This is where it all starts to melt into itself, as if both Sue and Nikki are dreaming each other.

Throw in a Polish version of their reality (the original version of the film?), a group of prostitutes hanging out and occasionally bursting into choreographed dance numbers, a bunch of hardware-obsessed circus folk, cameos from Grace "Sarah Palmer" Zabriskie, Julia Ormond, William H Macy, Mary Steenburgen and Lynch himself (Bucky the lighting guy!) and a sitcom starring three rabbits (voiced by Laura Harring, Naomi Watts, and Scott Coffey and based on Rabbits, a 2002 Lynch short), and you've got a classic, unhinged, pure Lynch experience. Baffling, engrossing, funny, dark and moving all at once. It's made all the more exciting by being shot on DV - you get the feeling it's given him a fresh perspective on Lynchland, and suggests that it's a medium that's finally getting an aesthetic of its own.

Inland Empire probably won't win over any new fans, but if you've ever wanted your very own red room, it's a winner.

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23rd Jan 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Hot Fuzz

(dir. Edgar Wright)

Big Cops. Small Town. Moderate Violence.

Decent enough attempt to replicate the success of Shaun Of The Dead from the Spaced crew, turning their attention to the cop buddy genre. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost wisely stick to their established roles (uptight straightman who needs to chill out a bit/ slightly dimmer slacker), the script's pretty tight, and it plays out the uzis in Middle England joke to a fairly satisfying conclusion.

Maybe it's the weight of expectation, or the fact that it's pretty similar to shows like Suburban Shootout, but somehow it's a slightly disappointing experience. Despite being consistently funny, tightly shot and not too long, it's somehow more lightweight than SOTD. Even though the rom part of the romzomcom equation was buried in the background, it did give the whole story a little more momentum, and the stuff w Pegg and stepdad Bill Nighy was nicely judged. Here, they touch on another failed romance for Pegg's over-achieving "Policeman Officer", and then don't go back to it. Instead the emotional frame is him learning to get on w Frost's chilled out plod, via a large collection of Point Break/ Bad Boys II DVDs.

Another solid cast of Britcom actors includes Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Adam Buxton, Paddy Considine, Edward Woodward, Kevin Eldon, Olivia Colman, Alice Lowe etc as well as lots of "hey it's that guy" cameos - Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Steve Coogan etc.

More a DVD/Pizza flick than a bigscreen outing, really. Not bad, and it's good to see a modern British film that just sets out to entertain without being in period costume etc - just all a bit predictable somehow.

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18th Jan 2007 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet