Me and Orson Welles is full of surprises: I have never seen a Zac Efron film and only know him by reputation, on the evidence of this film he is a good young actor. Christian McKay IS Orson Welles, he manages to combine a perfect impersonation with a strong acting performance. Director Richard Linklater takes a rare trip out of Texas to make a film unlike anything else he has done before. The last of these points shouldn’t really be a surprise, although common threads run through his films, the films thenselves are still vastly different and always a rewarding experience for the viewer.
Taking place over the week leading up to the opening of Orson Welles’ (Christian McKay) production of Julius Caesar at New York’s Mercury Theatre told from the point of view of Richard (Zac Efron) the theatres newest recruit. Concentrating on Richards experiences as he interacts with Welles and the other actors. There is great support from Ben Chaplin and James Tupper as George Couloris and Joseph Cotton respectively (in real life both characters went on to work with Welles in future including on Citizen Kane). The film also follows Richards relationship with Sonja Jones (Claire Danes) that becomes integral to the plot. As all this is going on we get to see the development of the production, this is one of the films greatest achievements. I walked out of the cinema and said “I would have loved to see that production”.
There is a standout scene where Welles is recording a radio show, he ignores the script and adlibs to the chagrin of the other performers, the astonishment of Richard and the amusement of the films audience. We also see Welles’ famous womanising and glimpses of his love of magic tricks. Brilliantly executed the film works as both as a look backstage and a coming of age drama, but more than that fans of cinema get to see the geniuses, the ego and even the cruelty of one of cinemas most enigmatic auteurs. It is also often very funny.
Ice-Cold in Alex is a World War II movie set in Africa. Shell-shocked fatigued and bordering on alcoholism Captain Anson (John Mills) guides the crew of an ambulance across the desert motivated by the thought of the ice cold larger that awaits him in Alexandria, Egypt. Based on a novel of the same name by Christopher Landon, the bear in the book was Rhinegold, despite its German sounding name is actually an American beer. In the movie it was replaced by the Danish larger Carlsberg.
Whist filming the famous scene when they finally get their beer, real Carlsberg was used for authenticity, after several takes actor John Mills was reported to be quite drunk.
Set in a small exclusive girls boarding school in the 1930s, the diving team are the elite of the school, a sort of pre war Heathers. A more tight knit group than in many other films they don’t seem to have much to do with the rest of the school. Led by Di Radfield (Juno Temple), the best diver and most popular girl. As a group they all idolise their teacher Miss G (Eva Green), especially Di. Younger than the other teachers, Miss G seems daring and fearless, stylishly dressed and well travelled. The arrival of a new girl Fiamma (Maria Valverde) shakes the relationships and resolve of the group to the core and the cracks of the title start to appear. Fiamma inspires instant admiration in Miss G and Jealousy in former favourite Di, this begins a chain of events that are played out in beautifully made melodrama.
The setting is key to the success of the film. In an early scene when Fiamma is arriving we see the school from a distance, a large grey stone Georgian building, it looks magnificent glinting in the sunlight, the closer we get the more it starts to look like a prison. This feeling isn’t changed when we get inside, as we march thought the dimly lit narrow corridors with the new arrival it is like a new inmate arriving in a prison film. That is in essence what the characters here are, virtually abandoned by their parents, these kids are shut away on an island school. For Fiamma, it goes a stage further, sent from her own country because of a romantic indiscretion with a young man of less than suitable status, and a Marxist (the film is set within a year of the start of the Spanish Civil war). To the films credit the nature of the relationship is never fully explored leaving sufficient mystery. The same goes for the rest of the story, most notably Miss G, there are suggestions but just enough mystery. In many ways despite the dark tone the film as a very traditional old fashioned feel to it.
A lot has been made of first time director Jordan Scott, daughter of Ridley Scott. On the whole, she has crafted a really well made film, the mood, tone and pace is perfect the photography is sumptuous and beautiful (aided by cinematographer John Mathieson who has also collaborated with Ridley Scott). She also gets fantastic performances from actresses of hugely varying experience ranging from real school girls in their first film up to the hugely experienced Sinéad Cusack. Juno Temple who has been in films as varied as Atonement and Year One. In many ways she is the star of the film with the greatest amount of screen time however the real star is Eva Green. Appearing in just one film a year since her debut The Dreamers (2003) (including Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven), Green has actually made eight very different films. At her best when playing unhinged characters like Isabelle in The Dreamers and Emilia in Franklyn, Cracks is possibly her best ever performance.
The film is truly engaging but lacks sufficient originality to be a great film, I does however do what it does well enough to be a really good one.
Last night saw the twelfth annual British Independent Film Awards. For those readers living outside the UK you have probably never heard of the awards. The criteria for eligibility is basically that the film must have a budget that does not exceed £10million with at least 51% of its budget from a British source or sources. The film also had to be screened in Brittan to a paying audience (on general release or at a British festival) between 1 December 2008 and 30 November 2009. See the full criteria here if you are interested.
The top award, Best British Independent Film went to the excellent Sci-fi movie Moondirected by Duncan Jones who also picked up The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director. Best Director went to Andrea Arnold for her gritty drama Fish Tank,Katie Jarvis was named Most Promising Newcomer for her excellent portrayal of a troubled teen in Fish Tank. The Best Actress was won by Carey Mulligan for her breakout performance in An Education, hopefully a much deserved BAFTA and Oscar nomination will follow. Tom Hardy was named Best Actor for his colourful portrayal of the infamous prisoner in Bronson. The Best Foreign Film went to the Swedish vampire movieLet the Right One In. There were also two special awards The Variety Award for promoting British films abroad went to Sir Michael Caine and The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Film went to Daniel Day-Lewis.
For more information including all the nominations and winners check out the British Independent Film Awards website.
I went into The Descent: Part Two with a certain amount of trepidation. Firstly as previously mentioned colons in titles tend to be bad, secondly and more importantly the first film not only didn’t need a sequel but actually ended in a way that would make a direct sequel difficult. Then I discovered that The Descent colon part 2 isn’t based on The Descent, it is based on the American cut of The Descent that was reedited to give a different ending.
For those who don’t remember this is the original ending:
I don’t know exactly how the American version ends but my understanding it is basically the same but ends soon after Sarah escapes making her escape real.
So the new film begins with a search and rescue team looking for the missing women. When Sarah is discovered running out of the woods covered in blood. Suffering from amnesia she is unable to help the rescuers, however the location she is found in proves they are looking in the wrong cave system (explained in the first film, Juno filed a false plan). Despite the fact that she can’t remember anything the Sheriff (Gavan O’Herlihy) takes Sarah back into the caving system as a guide. As mentioned in a previous blog I seem to be using the word contrived a lot but again this plot point is very contrived. The amnesia allows Sara to enter the cave system without warning anyone about the creatures that killed her friends and nearly killed her as she doesn’t remember anything, the flip side is that she is useless as a guide, so why take her. Once in the caves the film follows the same basic story as the first film as the group are picked off, one by one, by the crawlers.Overall there is actually nothing that wrong with the film, it is well made and does basically the same as the first film. However that is also the problem with the film, it brings nothing new to the genre or franchise and does absolutely nothing as well as it was done in the first film, thus making it somewhat pointless. Not a bad film but actually not a good one either! I somehow think this isn’t the end, just enough possibilities are left open to make The Descent: Part 3 possible.
Well one of them, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), German actress and double agent, drinks Perrier-Jouët Cuvée Belle Epoque champagne, easily distinguished from other brands by the anemone flower painted on the bottle.
Although Adolf Hitler didn’t actually like wine his army saw things slightly differently looting vast quantities of French wine during their occupation, much of it was sent home to the Third Reich. Champagne as a symbol of French national pride was highly prized and even traded as a commodity. Many French people consumed, hid or even destroyed bottles of champagne to keep it out of German hands. Still there must have still been plenty of it about; at least in Tarantino’s incarnation of WWII, as well as the scene in the basement tavern, La Louisiane, Perrier-Jouët Cuvée Belle Epoque can be seen in at least three other scenes. And for those who are interested it isn’t cheep, around £100 a bottle at current prices!
The most frightening thing about Children of Men is its production design and familiarity it brings. Moving away from traditional Sci-fi conventions, this is a dystopian future that looks like the present day. So much so that it is easy to forget that it is a Sci-Fi movie you are watching and hard to ignore as the problems we are making for ourselves in the modern world. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón and shot by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (a very talented cinematographer who has worked with some great directors on hugely varied films including: The New World, Ali, Y tu mamá también, Sleepy Hollow and Reality Bites. He has been nominated for four Oscars). The film is shot very much like a documentary, the handheld camera giving the actors lots of space and not zooming in close, as is the current trend. There are also so great scenes with long takes used to great effect, the film is spectacular in that it is hauntingly familiar and like nothing you have seen before at the same time.
Considering the world is clearly overpopulated at the moment and we are destroying it with excess the one thing that we are not worried about is fertility. If however we lost the ability to reproduce, the children of today would be the last generation of the human race. A prospect more devastating than the rubbish Roland Emmerich dreams up. But that is exactly the story Children of Men is telling. After nearly two decades of infertility the youngest person on the planet is eighteen years old. This understandably has lead to a sense of despair throughout the world. In the UK things are supposedly better despite a loss of civil liberties and increasing terrorist attacks. Refugees are rounded up and put into cages reminiscent of TV images of the Guantanamo Bay before being sent to ghetto like refugee camps. The country is full of checkpoints and immigration officers. To its credit the film doesn’t dream up a reason for the infertility and explore it, instead it takes a more human point of view dealing with everyday people.
Into this steps an unlikely hero Theo Faron (Clive Owen) (aren’t all the best heroes unlikely!), hard drinking cynical and lost he had given up. He is contacted by political activist and former girlfriend Julian (Julianne Moore) who pays him to help transport a young woman, Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to a possibly mythical sanctuary. As their lives are threatened Kee revels her secret, she is pregnant. Theo almost instantly regains a sense of purpose combined with a certain amount of chivalry and determination. Is he looking for redemption (for himself and symbolically for society) or has he just found a purpose in life? For all its dystopian Science fiction and action it is essentially a road move and as such has existential themes. Positively dripping with symbolism and meaning it is easy to forget the film is often humorous and less bleak than it sounds. As well as the fantastic direction and photography it also has stunning and effective sound design. The cast and the performances they give are perfect with Owen is on top form and great support from Michael Caine and Peter Mullan but the standout performance comes from the virtually unknown Clare-Hope Ashitey.
Ultimately whether you take it as a film about humanity, human nature, destruction of the environment, the dangers of technological and scientific advances or even religion it is a film of hope. The birth of Kee’s baby is a rebirth for mankind and society, it is a second chance. It gives hope, if only a glimmer of hope from the pits of despair. But then without despair there is no need for hope.
Where do you start to review a program like Generation Kill? I wasn’t sure where to start so thought I would see what other people thought about it. I looked at the user comments on IMDB, one stood out, someone calling himself johnha-1 said:
“As a former Marine who was deployed to the same place at the same time, I think this show did an excellent job of capturing the ‘essence’ of what the invasion of Iraq was like to the men who were there. This show comes closer to accurately portraying wartime Marines than any other show I’ve ever seen. I think this is as close as Hollywood can get short of being there and filming it live. Sometimes the special effects are a little over the top, but the dress, demeanor and dialog of the characters are very accurate.”
I don’t see what else to say about the show other than giving a little background information: Rolling Stone magazine journalist Evan Wright accompanied The United States Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the first phase of the Iraq War in 2003. The TV mini series is based on his book of the same name. The show was written by Wright along with David Simon and Ed Burns best know for The Wire. Simon and Burns also executive produced the show. To add to the authenticity the cast includes former Sgt. Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Reyes playing himself. The show is perfectly cast and the performances excellent with a standout from James Ransone. The one thing you don’t expect from a war based show is humour but Generation Kill is full of it. Having seen in the “Conversation with the 1st Recon Marines” from the DVD it appears the comedy (especially in inappropriate situations) is completely authentic.
Authentic, original, funny, cutting and telling but most importantly believable to put it simply this is a TV show that is better than most war movies.
Paranormal Activity is the story of a young San Diego couple who are haunted by things that go bump in the night. Armed with a video camera the set out to record the paranormal activity in the hope of stopping it. Shot in a Blair Witch/[•Rec]/Cloverfield style using only the video camera images the film is intended to look like real footage. For the most part it actually succeeds in doing this.
The great thing about the film is the simplicity of it. Set within the confines of a suburban house, it can at times be claustrophobic. Aside from the paranormal the young couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat) are realistic and believable helping the paranormal element work perfectly. It is actually a benefit that unknown actors where used in these roles. The film develops slowly showing the video footage over several nights as well as the couple’s reaction during the day. This gradual build actually lends a sense of believability to a supernatural story. The way the film demonstrates the effect on the couple’s relationship also is also effective.
Where the film does fall a little short, although genuinely creepy it isn’t actually scary. Even a few cheep make you jump moments would have helped. Watching the audience reaction in the trailer suggests some people did react that way. Some of the most effective scenes are actually when we see nothing; on a couple of occasions the characters “forget” to take the camera with them and leave it fixed and we only have the extremely effective sound to tell us what is happening.
Although not the best film ever made it is a fantastic demonstration of what can be done on a miniscule budget (around $15,000), and is enjoyable and interesting to watch. warning slight plot spoiler ahead: to its credit the film doesn’t give much in way of explanation to what is happening. The final shot explains a lot but also asks many unanswered questions. End of spoiler. Hopefully the film will remain as a stand alone piece, I somehow think like The Blair Witch Project the money men won’t be able to resist cashing in though. On final thought, it really should carry an 18 certificate; nothing in the film warrants an 18 but it would have kept the kids out who sat at the back of the cinema talking throughout the film. If I had wanted a commentary with my movie I would have waited for the DVD.
At the start of the year I began keeping a note of all the new films I saw at the cinema. Initially it was just to see how much value for money I was getting out of my “Unlimited” card, out of idle curiosity. An average of £1.75 per film if anyone is interested, not bad considering my local cinema normally charges £6. When I started blogging it got me thinking and I decided instead of the top ten movies of the year list, I will rank all the new films I have seen in 2009.
So how many films is that? Well so far I have seen 83 new films at the cinema. I will add to that the 10 new films I have seen on DVD that didn’t make it to my local cinema so that gives me a month to see 7 films to make it 100 for the year. How likely is that? With four films I want to see opening on Friday, in a word, VERY! The films are:
The Descent: Part 2. I know it will be terrible but I loved the first film, I can’t resist seeing what its like.
Cracks: Interested in seeing how Jordan (daughter of Ridley) Scott will do on her feature directing début. As well as a rare chance to see Eva Green who doesn’t make many films.
Me And Orson Welles: A Richard Linklater film is always worth seeing.
The Box: It’s had hugely varied reviews but I am willing to give Richard (Donnie Darko) Kelly another chance.
Look out somewhere around New Year to see if I reach the 100!
