Below you will find a roundup of the past few films I’ve seen. Due to a busy a schedule and general laziness I’ve fallen behind slightly on my journal the past two weeks. To quantify it I still have fifteen films to review, and it’s gotten to a point where I feel I can’t watch anymore without fear of falling further behind, which kind of defeats the objective I had for this project to begin with. So to my loyal readers, I apologise to you both for the rather abridged nature of the following reviews.
Film #27 Das Experiment
Based on a real case study, this film follows one man within a group of twenty volunteers who are split in to two factions, guards and prisoners, and are made to live within a mock prison for two weeks. The idea being to study how people act in their respective groups and how much they live up to the roles they are assigned. Things go awry more and more though as the guards get more assertive and cruel and the prisoners become either more passive or rebellious. The claustrophobic setting and mounting tension between the two sides is impossible to turn away from. This is one of the most gripping thrillers I’ve seen in ages.
5/5
Film #28 Winter's Bone
This is my favourite film from 2010. Before this I can’t remember the last time a film took me over as much as this one. Director Debra Granik throws the audience head first into a world of southern criminality, a way of life that has clearly taken a toll on the films characters. The seething performances, particularly from Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes suggest so much more to the audience than just what is conveyed on screen. What results is absolutely fascinating; the story of a seventeen year old girl Ree (Lawrence) who has grown up long before her time trying to get to the bottom of her father’s disappearance, strictly for the benefit of her ill mother and young siblings is so powerful. Everyone should see this film.
5/5
Film #29 Sling Blade
Ever wondered what Forrest Gump would be like if he had been brought up a little differently? Billy Bob Thornton writes, directs and stars in Sling Blade as Karl Childers; a man who has been living in a mental hospital since the age of twelve after he murdered his mother and her lover. The story follows Karl after he is deemed well and released back into society. He befriends and moves in with a young boy and his mother, who has a problem with an abusive boyfriend. Thornton’s performance is an astounding transformation; the film is worth seeing for that alone. The story itself is a touching account of a man being forced from isolation and trying to make sense of a world he knows nothing about.
4/5
Film #30 The Boxer
Daniel Day-Lewis masters yet another skill to play Danny Flynn, a man returning to his home in Belfast after a stint in prison for his involvement in the IRA. His plan is to return home, live in peace and win back the heart of his old flame Maggie (Emily Watson). His old comrades though have other things in mind and consider his new attitude (particularly towards religious segregation) to be a threat. Day-Lewis is as competent as ever as the Irish fighter but unfortunately the characters and story itself lack the memorable quality to make it stand out against other “going straight” stories.
3/5
Film #31 Hereafter
Clint Eastwood tackles the afterlife in Hereafter. A film that follows three characters, George Lonegan (Matt Damon) who has the ability to channel and speak to the dead but doesn’t want to, Marie Lelay (Cecile de France), a woman who has visions of the afterlife after a near death experience, and Marcus (Frankie McLaren), a twelve year old boy from London who loses his twin brother and can’t handle the grief. The three narrative strands exist separately from each other until the final act. Which is unfortunate because the only story that really grips is Damon’s, George’s struggle to maintain a normal life while denying his abilities makes for an interesting character arc, whereas the other two characters don’t carry their weight as much and give the film a lot of unnecessary flab. Eastwood as always knows how to draw a great performance from his actors, however this entry into the big man’s cannon will not be held up there with his greats. More occasionally charming than particularly vital.
3/5
Film #32 The Child
Bruno (Jeremie Renier) and Sonia (Deborah Francois) are a young couple living on an income of welfare and petty crime until Sonia gives birth to their first baby. After hearing of how much money can be earned, Bruno decides to sell it behind Sonia’s back, assuming the pay-out will be enough to make her come around. Of course when the young mother reacts badly, Bruno must do what he can to get their baby back. This is a short, simple and quite tragic tale about what happens when fierce juvenility is faced with the ultimate responsibility. The chemistry between the two leads is what makes the film something special, but its Bruno’s forced journey into adulthood that really carries it home.
4/5
Film #33 In Cold Blood
Made in 1967, this is the film adaptation of the book Truman Capote was writing in Capote. The story of Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), the night they invaded the home of the Clutter family, and the subsequent days they spent on the run. The film has aged wonderfully and feels as contemporary as if it was made today. Shot beautifully in black and white, it achieves a haunting and ominous tone that is impossible not to get swept away by. This is a perfect companion film for any fans of Capote, as is gives us more insight in to the psyches of the two killers. Particularly the more troubled Perry Smith
4/5
Film #34 Freaks
Banned in the UK for thirty years after its original release in 1932; Freaks was somewhat of a controversial piece when it was first shown, mostly because of its use of real life sideshow oddities. Freaks tells the story of a “normal” trapeze artist, Cleopatra, who marries a circus midget in order to get access to his vast inheritance. The code of the freaks though is to look after each other so when the other performers find out of Cleopatra’s plan, they seek revenge.
This is a simple tale of morality that basically goes to say that the kind hearted freaks themselves are not the real monsters, but the so called “normal” people who have no moral compass. A rather dated message these days but the film is quirky and short enough to make for an interesting historical document.
3/5
Film #35 The Fighter
Loaded with top notch, award bothering performances, The Fighter tells the true story of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). Micky is an aging welterweight who finds it hard to gain any success with the matches he is being booked in by his mother. After meeting Charlene (Amy Adams), they start a relationship and she gives him the confidence he needs to put his career into his own hands. This is a standard feel good sports drama that’s not going to win any points for originality, though when the characters are this charming and the story this well executed. Who gives?
4/5
Film #36 Kramer Vs Kramer
Released in 1979 to a slew of Academy Awards, it’s hard to think why this rather simple but wonderfully effective premise hasn’t been plagiarised time and time again. Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) walks out on her inattentive husband (Dustin Hoffman) and leaves him to care for their son. After a considerable time away she returns lawyered up expecting full custody of the child. A few elements of the film may feel a bit cliché by modern standards, but this does nothing to hinder the real emotion involved in so many knock out scenes. The performances from both leads are as immense as you’d expect from two old pros in their prime, and the drama gently simmers to the almighty courtroom case at the end. A greatly satisfying watch.
4/5
Film #37 The Jungle Book
It being about sixteen years since I last saw this film, there’s a few things that I didn’t remember so well. For one just how frequent the musical numbers were, I mean everyone knows the classics and I wasn’t expecting many heavy dialogue sequences; however I also naively didn’t expect the songs to come as thick and fast as they did. That aside though this isn’t the film I knew and liked when I was young. The story doesn’t go very far and the end seems abrupt and a little heartless. Saying that the animation is still impressive forty-three years on and it’s clear that I am no longer the target audience.
3/5
Film #38 Half Nelson
Why Ryan Gosling isn’t a mega star now is beyond me. His performance in this film alone should have been enough to send his career souring. Though it’s been steady and impressive, he doesn’t seem to crop up nearly as often as he should. With that rant over here he is in Half Nelson, in which he plays Dan Dunne, a history teacher in Brooklyn. During lessons he has total control of his classroom. His personal life though is a mess, mostly down to his addiction to snorting and freebasing cocaine. He soon makes friends with student named Drey (Shareeka Epps) after she catches him getting high in a locker room after school, the two soon form a bond based on loneliness and reliability. This is an extremely raw tale that captures a man in the midst of a drug addiction with no end in sight. The ambiguous nature of some of the character’s background and actions may be frustrating to some, like coming into a story at mid-point and leaving before the end. But within this lies the realism, which makes the experience all the more rewarding.
4/5
Film #39 Zoo
This documentary follows the events surrounding the death of Kenneth Pinyan, a seemingly normal family man who died of internal bleeding after engaging in anal sex with a horse. Containing anonymous narration from other zoophiles who knew Kenneth, this film goes a long way in humanising people who have what can only be described as a bizarre sexual predilection. For a documentary its quite arty. With the key players talking over reconstructions, director Robinson Devor is able to create sequences that suggest that these people exist in their own world. The result is quite ominous and haunting. In spite the fact we get to hear first-hand accounts from zoophiles explaining their reasons for their preferences, the film ends with a feeling that it doesn’t quite go far enough to explain it.
3/5
Film #40 A Fistful Of Dollars
A quick disclaimer to anyone who plans to buy this film on blu ray; avoid. Forgetting the sub-standard picture quality which can be forgiven considering the age of the film, the audio is completely out of sync with the actions on screen. It took me about fifteen minutes to realise the film wasn’t dubbed but in fact just bad quality. Very disappointing.
The film itself though is a treat; one of the many quintessential films that contain Clint Eastwood being a badass. In this, the first of Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western trilogy, he plays The Man With No Name, a stranger who wonders into a small town to find two crime families feuding over power of the area. Using this to his advantage, he is able to make money from both sides by manipulating them both into thinking he works for them. All the while raising the level of antagonism to further his financial gain. His plans become less selfish and more complicated though when he meets Marisol (Marianne Koch) and decides to free her from the captivity of one of the families.
There are times when only a violent Clint Eastwood vehicle will do, and for those times this is a fine choice.
4/5
Film #41 Nine Queens
From Argentina, Nine Queens tells the story of two con merchants who meet by chance in a petrol station after one gets caught trying to scam a cashier. After this they embark on a mentor/protégé relationship and work together to swindle a famous stamp collector out of $450,000.
The film follows the archetypal crime caper story. Taking place within just over twenty four hours gives the pace a great boost, this combined with the usual idea that with any on screen cons, not all is what it seems, make for an enjoyable watch. It’s just not anything you haven’t seen before.
3/5
So this concludes my first round up for catch up purposes. Normal business should resume from now on with any luck. Thanks for reading.
