Ghost’s Movie Round-up January 14, 2010
Posted by ghostof82 in : Film General , trackback13th Jan- WALL*E (Bluray) *****
Pixar’s finest? No, but the first section is one of the most interesting and arresting examples of cgi animation that they have yet produced and hints at true greatness. The production design for the whole thing is just beautiful and shames most live-action sci-fi ‘epics’. Ah, if only Pixar could make a Star Wars movie….
12th Jan- THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (Bluray rental) *
Typically daft gory nonsense from that poor-man’s Stephen King, Clive Barker. Not terribly well-made either. There is one sequence in particular, late at night when the hero’s girlfriend is tidying up at the delicatessen where she works- through the large windows from the street outside great beams of orange light stream in, no doubt supposed to look atmospheric but instead it looks like the mothership from Close Encounters is parked up in the street. Remember the orange lights that shine through the doorway before Barry is kidnapped by the aliens? Anyway, she finds a jewelry box on the counter, turns out its a romantic gesture by our hero, who magically appears evidently able to get in the place without her noticing, (which would probably freak a woman out on her own late at night like that). A sexual encounter ensues on said counter, in full view of anyone walking by the store (well maybe the aliens are voyeurs). It looks so daft it might even be a dream sequence, as the jewelry doesn’t seem to appear again and the film is so ill-edited its hard to be sure. And the ‘horror’ aspects are even dafter, with such extreme gore that rather than being scary, actually makes it look like a cartoon. In the making-of featurette Barker goes on as if the original story was a major gift to modern horror literature, and that the film is the new Exorcist. Hype rules.
11th Jan- AVATAR (Cinema) ***
See review elsewhere on this blog for comments on this baby.
10th Jan- The Wrestler (DVD rental) ***
Fine dramatic piece that borders on the edge of tv-movie melodrama, with Mickey Rourke in a career-defining role that raises the picture above it’s slightly pedestrian script. Great use of real locations enhances its realistic, semi-documentary feel.
10th Jan- THE INNOCENTS (film4) ****
One of those old-school horror films, a moody b&w masterpiece from 1962. It rewards repeat viewings and can have multiple readings. Are there really ghosts threatening to possess the two children, to continue their sordid affair using the children’s bodies in frankly incestuous horror? Or is the new Governess a batty spinster, sexually repressed and as nutty as a fruitcake? Whats not to love? A Bluray edition comes out in March.
9th Jan- Slumdog Millionaire (Bluray rental) ****
Danny Boyle makes great movies with children; Millions was another witty movie with children in great roles. Boyle just has a gift for coaxing amazing, honest and affecting performances from kids. Slumdog is a strange feel-good movie though, as it is, when you think back on it, so unrelentingly dark throughout. Fortunately it is laced with fine humour that contrasts with the brutal events, and empathy with the fine cast is rwarded at the end. Boyle is making himself a memorable body of work (his previous film Sunshine is one of my favourite movies).
4th Jan- Valkyrie (Bluray rental) ***
American tries to save the world from the Hitler menace. Whoops sorry this isn’t Inglorious Basterds but rather weird casting in a movie about Germans with a conscience. A competent thriller, inevitably handicapped by the fact that we know how things are going to turn out, which defeats much of the tension. Not a bad film, and competently directed, but the casting makes it such a strange experience- I mean, Cruise doesn’t even pretend to try any kind of accent. How many millions did they pay him to not even bother with a dialogue coach? Even an English accent would have helped, considering the number of English actors in it. And Cruise is just plain weird in a Nazi unifom with American accent, its almost surreal. Should have heeded the lesson of Downfall, and made this with a German cast and crew.
2nd Jan- PUBLIC ENEMIES (Bluray) ***
Michael Mann seems to get unfairly maligned these days with undue expectations. Heatwas a modern classic but you can’t expect his every successive film to be of the same standard- as it is he makes tight, commendable films… they may not be modern classics but neither are they bad films. People seemed to expect this film to be the Ultimate Gangser Epic, which is unfair considering the pedigree of some of the gangster films of the past (for me, Once Upon A Time In America holds that title anyway, and I doubt anyone is equal to that film the way films are made nowadays). Public Enemies had mixed reviews on its theatrical release so it made for a perfect Christmas present for me, and you know, I think it was a really good film. Some great acting turns, tense setpieces and a tight script. A Timeline PIP feature on the Bluray and other extras cement the deal, showing how Mann used actual historical locations for the filming of many of the film’s setpieces (such as the prison Dillinger escaped from and the street where he met his fate) and footage of real-life events to compare to recreations in the film, and biographies of the main characters featured. A fine score by Elliot Goldenthal polishes a typically fine picture by Mann and a very good Bluray package.
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