The We and the I

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Michel Gondry made a new film? How did I not know this? Well it's a very low budget film, almost fly on the wall documentary style, using all non-actors and a little experimental. It pretty much all takes place on a bus ride home from a Brooklyn school and we see various characters and interactions. Some of the sequences are amusing, many or them fall short due to varying degrees of acting skill. I found the whole thing mildly interesting.

The Iceman

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Some more Michael Shannon, always a good thing. But somehow they've managed to make the true story of a notorious hitman very uninteresting. The whole films felt like just a bunch of scenes of things that happened. Everything was very surface.

Despite the impressive cast assembled, they don't leave much of an impact.

I guess I just couldn't get into this one. There's nothing particularly wrong with it technically. I did love the period recreation. But, if you'll pardon the pun, it left me a little cold.

Executive Decision

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No

Another title I knew by name only. But I do love that there are 90's action films I can still see for the first time. And a Joel Silver produced action film at that.

So this probably read very differently in a Post 9/11 world. I'm not sure you'd make this movie today, or if you did it would not be so flippant with its fun adventurish tone. I mean it's not an adventure film but it has that 90's action surrealism.

There's just a lot here that feels implausable. But you have to ignore that and treat it as the standard entertainment it is. I love the 90's effects, the way you shoot 90's action, the 90's supporting actors you recognise from other films of the era.

I didn't think the film was that great. Perhaps I'd be more enamoured if I had seen it on its release. The style is still nostalgic though even if the treatment of terrorism seems a little naive today.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No

An old Frank Oz farce that I've never seen before and knew only by name. Actually there are very few  Steve Martin films I've seen now I come to think of it. Maybe I should look into that.

Michael Caine is the classy one, Steve Martin is his crass foil and Glenne Headly is the sweet innocent dame. Good casting and a fun watch. Seem a little old fashioned now, almost quaint, but there's a certain charm that comes with that too.

Cloverfield

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Therese

I love Cloverfield. I rated it my number 2 film of 2008. I ticked a number of boxes for me and the fact that it opened on my birthday was awesome too. I followed all the viral marketing for it obsessively, back when viral marketing was relatively new. It was a fascinating campaign to be party to. I got the slusho T-shirt and everything. The way they made the film in secret, and how that teaser trailer just came out of nowhere was great. We even made our own version.

But in the end only the film matters. And I found it very effective as well as being entertaining. America's own Godzilla. Before Godzilla became fun children's adventure movies he was a symbol of Japan's reaction to the bomb. He is the embodiment of the idea that tampering with mother nature will lead to destruction, the consequences are unforeseen and we have no way of really controlling that power. Likewise, Cloverfield is the embodiment of America's reactions to modern terrorism, specifically the day of 9/11 and the chaos and questioning that took place immediately after. The whole film builds up to a final quiet moment where a surviver simply asks "Why is the happening?" a mantra that can be seen in footage all over youtube from the day. And that is what the film ultimately leaves you to ponder. We get no answers or explanations, there is no bigger picture here. Something just hits without warning and the character do their best to survive, document and get to their loved ones.

That is coupled with the striking imagery of destruction from candid amateur photography. At the time the film came out the found footage gimmick was around but not as over-saturated as it is now. And it had certainly never been done on a scale such as this. When I was much younger, I had an idea for a large scale alien invasion film, filmed by a boy who just received a video camera for his birthday. I had always wanted to try and make it and when this project was announced I was pissed of because I figured J.J. Abrams had stolen my thunder, but it was only a matter of time before someone did it and I'm glad it turned out as well as this. Lots of people complain about the shaky-cam filming style, probably not a problem at home, but I saw the film 4 times at the cinema and the only time I felt sick was a 3am screening as part of an Easter movie marathon where I was super tired, had eaten nothing but chocolate all day and was sitting 2 rows from the front of the screen, so not ideal.

In amongst the verite action, Drew Goddard's script has slipped in a pretty solid survival horror film structure and characters. No wonder he went on to make his directorial debut with Cabin in the Woods. It also has some of his typical humor slipped in. The cast of (at the time) largely unknowns have a tricky job to do here and I think they succeed admirably. There are great sequences of suspense and action, a few quiet emotional moments and some good left turns. Director Matt Reeves manages to pack the film with everything you'd expect from a full scale disaster film but always keeps the fantastic just on the edge of frame, saved for a few key moments. There's a real feeling of danger and dread that just increases as the footage rolls on.

And then there's the effects. And for a relatively low budget film, there's a lot more effects than you might think. Ever since I had the idea to make my own found footage film I've been teaching myself the techniques of 3d tracking and compositing to figure out how to get effects elements to sit comfortably inside erratic shaky footage. Believe me when I said it is an art form and involves a huge amount of work. The shots that I see in this film, I just don't know how they managed to get them to work so well.  Even shots without explosions creatures have set extensions and background replacements. Very impressive work. 

Also, while there's no score in the film, the end credits has a beautiful theme track composed by Michael Giacchino that harkens back to Akira Ifukube iconic Godzilla music.

Watching it now, without the hype, on a small TV and with someone watching for the first time that has no expectations, the film is still very effective. It's been so long since I last saw the film that I've actually been to New York since then. Perhaps my memories of that trip helped make it a little more visceral or perhaps I had just forgotten how effective it was but it was great to watch again and be reminded of tis little gem.

Frances Ha

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Cicely

Ooo so hipster. Black and white and everything. Noah Baumbach's latest, in conjunction with Greta Gerwig, is a sweet little character drama/comedy. Comparisons to HBO's Girls will be inevitable.

It's funny, but also frustrating. Baumbach loves making characters that you just wanna slap sometimes. More often we're seeing coming-of-age stories told about people we generally consider adults. My generation is in a perpetual state of childishness. Sheesh.

Anyway the film conveys this loud and clear. It's rather fun.

Stoker

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Cicely

Finally! I held off downloading this or ordering the bluray so I could see it for the first time at the cinema. Definitely worth it. In the same year that Chan-wook Park's fantastic film Oldboy is being remade in English, he goes ahead and shows he's just as good making films in the language himself.

And boy, he filmed it like he's got something to prove. He wrings every little drop of suspicion, mystery, suspense and out each line, each glance, every shot. To the point where it almost becomes comical. It was awesome. It feels a little looser than his recent Korean films, only in terms of his frame compositions. Still, it has a unique style.

This film is all about the Mia Wasikowska. She looks like she's having fun sinking her teeth into the character. Actually all the actors do. It's no wonder, the film was written by a fellow actor Wentworth Miller and all the characters get something to play with.

This is a gloriously dark gothic thriller. It's surprisingly simple but the script and direction and actors just take it to another plane. Great fun.

The First Time

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A first love teen drama. The way it started out I though it could have been a before sunrise type of thing, with a very long opening scene outside a party. I would have been happy if the whole film stayed there but alas it moved on an became quite typical.

I had a problem with the very movie dialogue. Perhaps I'm wrong, I'm not a teenager in high school in America, but I don't think kids actually talk like that in real life. Normally not an issue, but with everything else striving to feel authentic, it stood out.

Nice to see James Frecheville from Animal Kingdom getting some work. This is the last place I expected to see him show up but there he was.

We're the Millers

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This was pretty typical. There were a handful of good laughs but it was all pretty pedestrian. Apart from the abundance of swearing this was a very PG comedy. They unfortunately can't side-swipe the sentimentality and more than once the integrity of characters are compromised in order to keep the story on track and reach a happy resolution. But it passed the time and wasn't horrible.

Kick-Ass 2

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Sam

I do love the first Kick-Ass. Between that films release and the sequel we thought we weren't going to get, I read all the comics, so this time I had a much better idea of what was in store. The two comics that make up the sequel are much darker than the first film. There's stuff in there would easily land it an NC-17 rating, or worse. No surprise that the film sidesteps a few of these sections and comes up with some inventive sequences of its own, that get the same points across but in a much more fun way.

Make no mistake though, there's still a lot of very crass humour and graphic violence in this film. Jeff Wadlow takes over the writing and directing from Matthew Vaughn and while I don't think he's as strong staging the action it all works well.

What the sequel does well though is create all new character arcs for the three leads. The characters and indeed the world has changed a great deal from where things were left at the end of part 1. Escalation can be a bitch.

The film makes light of what came across as a far more serious on the page (a brutal rape scene becomes an easy dick joke here) but it actually makes for a much easier film to digest. It's still very very funny, if a little juvenile at times. It's great to spend more time with these characters, and while I think this film has a few more problems than its originator it's still a worthy sequel.

Hell Baby

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A very very silly little movie. But it has its moments. You should be able to tell from the trailer if the humour is going to work for you or not. If you like Reno 911, Children's Hospital or NTSF:SD:SUV you'll have a ball.

Only God Forgives

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I really liked the lighting and composition. I loved the score. I liked Kristin Scott Thomas' character too. The rest of it was... kinda slow. Bouts of graphic violence doesn't hold my interest if I don't care about the characters. Or can't stay awake.

Cockneys vs Zombies

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Pretty standard zombie comedy. Is it odd that there's a standard now for a zombie comedy? Inept bank robbers and the residence of an old folks home take back the streets from the hordes. This one can be more than a little silly but there are a few good comedic gags and quite a few good gore gags too. Don't expect more than that though.

Elysium

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Steve, Cicely, Belinda, Claire

I really love District 9 and Neill Blomkamp's follow up is even more impressive with its visuals and even more of a sledgehammer with its themes. Seems to be the general trade off when you get a higher budget. The character work isn't as strong this time around so when we segue into the action set pieces it's all pretty typical. Although Sharlto Copley is having a lot of fun playing a real creepy guy, which is hilarious and horrifying at the same time.

It's certainly a fun ride and there are some really great sequences. The realistic shooting style and location work really sell this world and effects are integrated seamlessly. There's also a surprising amount of people graphically exploding. I didn't check the rating going in, I just presumed that being a big budget film it would be PG. It's certainly not PG. Heh...

I must admit I was hoping for a little more from Blomkamp but as a Hollywood sci-fi actioneer it certainly delivers.

The World's End

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Belinda, Claire, Shane

Write Up.

God bless you Edgar and your penchant for 2nd time viewing gags. So much to pick up watching the film again, so many great details and references that are impossible to get the first time through. I don't know how I missed the whole Arthurian legend set up the first time but it sure made me appreciate the end a bit more. Definitely liked it more the 2nd time.