October Film Highlights

The obligatory link to the blog.

The Illusionist (2010) Dir: Sylvian Chomet.

A musical hall magician struggling to find work in the 60s meets a girl in Scotland who believes in magic. A film so beautiful (the Edinbugh scenes are stunning), yet so heart-wrenchingly tragic - it deals with the casualties of the changing times. It’ll put a tear in your eye.

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Cat People (1982) Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O'Toole. Dir: Paul Schrader

An orphan finds her brother, who believes they are were-cats that can only mate with each other. The subtly of the original is lost on this tawdry and lurid remake. The story, now more erotic than horrific, has potential, but it’s undermined by melodramatic direction and some laughably gratuitous nudity.

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Scott Pilgrim Vs the World (2010) Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman. Dir: Edgar Wright.

A slacker kid falls in love with a mysterious girl, but must battle her seven evil exes before he can win her heart. Hilarious teen romance transformed into an action comic book and pop-culture piss-take. A little long perhaps, but consistently funny and imaginatively brought to life on screen.

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It Happened One Night (1934) Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns Dir: Frank Capra

An heiress on the run from her father gets help from a willing journalist as she tries to reach her new husband. One of the first and best road-trip comedies. Gable and Colbert are the perfect double act, the screenplay is virtually laugh-a-minute, and Capra never lets the pace drop.

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She (1965) Ursula Andress, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, John Richardson, Bernard Cribbins. Dir: Robert Day

A former soldier is lead to a lost city by ‘she who must be obeyed’ as she believes him to be her reincarnated lover. Much more lavish than the average hammer horror, but pretty dull otherwise. The pace is languid and the leads have no chemistry. Lee is completely wasted.

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The Seventh Victim (1943) Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter. Dir: Mark Robson.

A girl comes to the city in search of her missing sister and uncovers a sinister conspiracy. With excellent cinematography and a great build-up, it’s a real shame that this one doesn’t quite deliver, due to a vague expurgated script and cinema’s dullest cult of Satanists.

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W (2008) Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss. Dir: Oliver Stone.

A look at George Dubya’s rise and time in power. Starts off with a balanced portrayal but slips eventually into parody. The needlessly non-linear storyline only emphasises the lack of focus, taking chunks of Ws life without really providing an overarching thesis. The supporting cast are all one dimensional.

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A Bucket of Blood (1959) Dick Miller, Ed Nelson, Bert Convy, Antony Carbone. Dir: Roger Corman

A young artist becomes a success after creating a series of very life-like sculptures... Amusing Corman cheapie which has some good pops at pretentious artists and their world. Naturally the sets are few, and it’s not exactly thrilling (there’s no bucket or blood), but it’s a pleasant 60 minute distraction.

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September Film Highlights

Check out the 50 Word Film Review Blog for more. Some people actually commented on it last week, it's really going places...

Inception (2010) Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Coutillard, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page. Dir: Christopher Nolan.

DiCaprio extracts secrets through people’s dreams, but can he plant an idea in the same way? A dense mind-bending blend of concepts that can dazzle, baffle, inspire and confuse all at once. Easy to pick holes, but sweeps you up with such creativity, mystery and spectacle, that it barely matters.

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The Secret in Their Eyes (2010) Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Guillermo Francella, Pablo Rago. Dir: Juan José Campanella

A retired detective revisits an old case he wishes to turn into a novel, reawakening old emotions and an unrequited love. Touches on many themes, love, loss, justice, regret, letting go; the actors and direction are immaculate and constantly manages to surprise. Best film of the year?

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Cloverfield (2008) Michael Stahl-David, T. J. Miller, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan. Dir: Matt Reeves.

A monster attacks New York while beautiful teens have a party; they capture the action on camera as they flee. An interesting conceit, but not one that ever really convinces thanks to the clichéd characters, consistent camera work and movie plotting. Nevetheless, it does provide plenty of excitement.

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Hunger (2008) Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Liam McMahon, Raymond Lohan. Dir: Steve McQueen.

When the no-wash protest fails to restore their rights as political prisoners, Irish Republican Bobby Sands goes on hunger strike. A brutal and troubling film about people so determined to win at all costs that they lose sight of what they’re trying to achieve. Fassbender and Cunningham are electric.

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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Sam Rockwell. Dir: Andrew Dominik.

Robert Ford idolises outlaw Jesse James and the two of them develop a strained relationship. A slow burner which pays off in the final hour, though it always proceeds at a stately pace. Stunningly shot, the title is misleading, but then again, legends aren't built on truth.

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The Good German (2006) George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire. Dir: Steven Soderburgh

A military journalist encounters his old flame in post WW2 Berlin and gets sucked into a murder investigation. Cleverly wraps a noir storyline around a convincing historical scenario, and the cinematography is striking, but Clooney’s character is thin and the twists become irritating rather than intriguing. A missed opportunity.

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Cat People (1942) Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph. Dir: Jacques Tourneur.

Irena is afraid of showing affection for her husband for fear of transforming into a vicious cat. The first of Val Lewton’s horrors virtually invented the technique of never showing your monster. Psychologically complex and featuring Tourneurs characteristics shadows, it has style and depth that few other horrors can match.

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