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seen any good flicks lately?
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I saw 'Snowtown' last week
It's a film thats based on the true story of 90s serial killer John Bunting, its an absolute masterclass in how to make a good film on a restricted budget
The film is about a guy called Jamie, who is a teenager from a run down area of South Australia called Snowtown. Jamie who is brought up by a single mother along with his brothers. Then one day a smoothie called John enters their lives and he becomes Jamie's mum's lover and an erstwhile father figure to the brothers, especially young Jamie who gets caught up in a web of deceit involving the dodgy doings of South Australian low life - however, this well of nastiness truly runs deep... deeper than it aught to go in some respects.
Snowtown is a hard film to watch at times and best seen through squinted eyes hidden behind fingers - it's rough, it's nasty, it's brutal and it's dirty - but, to me at least, it was compelling
8/10 - don't have nightmares - I did.
Blimey it was dull. I've seen a couple of versions of the book and this film seems to follow the conventional method of depicting the savage untamed nature of the Yorkshire Moors as a reflection of the tempestuous unstable character of Heathcliff and the love he has for Cathy - but it didn't really work for me. I felt the director was trying too hard to implant this theme in almost every scene and as a result it became an exercise in tedium. Also, the sound was flippin awful and even though I'm used to the Yorkshire accent I found it difficult to follow what the characters were saying. The camera work was also disappointingly showy and detracted from the film.
The good points - I thought the actor playing Heathcliff did quite well even though he was restrained by the paint by numbers direction (which is strange as really like this director - Red Road was superb) and I quite liked the nature shots - but if I'd seen one more waterfall I'd have flipped.
So, not the best night out - but not the worst
4/10
My most recent DVD was 'Up In The Air' (yes, I know I see films later than most). A fairly bleak story of a travelling restructurer (George Clooney), i.e. he flies around the US firing people on behalf of comapnies that are too spineless to do it themselves. It's a fairly bleak story on the whole, with big themes of pointless endeavour, realising the futility of life, and carrying on regardless. Clooney does a good job of bringing some humanity to a character whose nature is essentially robotic. There's some welcome comic relief from Anna Kendrick as the young hotshot whose new business model threatens his nomadic existence, and romantic interest/reality check from Vera Farmiga.
Overall it's an interesting mix of fairly depressing story executed in an entertaining way.
And mentioning Anna Kendrick reminded me that I've actually been to the cinema recently, taking Mrs SVT to see Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1.
Okay, confession time: I've seen previous three Twilight films. And I've read all the books. I enjoyed the books for what they are - quite good at building characters and setting up some strange dilemmas and conflicts, but lacking in the sort of big action that would transfer well to the scene - anything that could end up as a big scrap tends to get diluted down at the last minute.
As a result of this, the films have been watchable, with an interesting premise, but lacking in both emotional depth (somewhat present in the books) and interesting action (generally lacking in the books). This film followed the pattern of the previous three, showing that without the character insight from the narrative, there's not a lot left to portray. One of the scenes towards the end is quite gruesome given the generally sanitised world we're shown but it's all ultimately a bit clinical.
But Mrs SVT liked it (albeit less than the book), so that's the main thing.
oh oh oh hello old friends! The film thread returns!
Two from me:
Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 1.
I am clearly an aging 'emo' teenager as I have read all the books (at least twice) and seen all the films so far. Breaking Dawn represents the final book in the four part vampire love story with a werewolf twist. A bit like the Harry Potter series the last of these books was huge compared the previous three. Exactly like Harry Potter they have split the last book into two films. Sadly, I wasn't a huge fan of Breaking Dawn, the book. It was too long. It was also (and I'm not sure how I say this given the general topic) a bit... ahem.... far fetched! In fact, I think it rather lets the series down. Therefore, I wasn't sure how excited I was about going to see the film.
However, they did quite well with it. They've taken from the book the key stuff and left some bits out and split the films very well. I was left excited to see the last one. The format of the film is tiring slightly. I'm starting to get bored with the teenage emo lead characters which the film plays up much more than in the book. In the book Edward is much more charismatic as a vampire from the turn of the last century. In the film both he and Bella are moody teenagers and that moodiness is overdone. I suppose that's to try and cultivate the teengirl market!
Overall, it's still got a very silly and unncessary plotline but they managed to draw away from some of that stupidness to offer more of the interplay between the Edward, Jacob, Bella love triangle - which, of course, pleases all the female fans. It passes an evening, I wouldn't go and see it if I wasn't a fan though.
I am rather glad that the next one is the last one, as I'll be going to watch it out of duty.
And on DVD
Your Highness
This is the story of the younger brother of the heir to the throne in a fantasy land and he is forced to go on a quest with his older brother by the king. It's an olde worlde idea but with a modern format (ie language) and rather a parody of what a film like this should be. It boasts Charles Dance and Natalie Portman. It can also boast being one of the worst films I have ever seen. The only thing that made me laugh was the outrageously inappropriate use of language. I think I laughed AT the film, rather than with it. I cannot understand for the life of me why Dance and Portman agreed to be in it. It's truly sh*t.
Enjoyed 'Up in the Air' and you've nailed Clooney's character - the theme is depressing but it is also in a strange way enlightening. The futility becomes liberating in many ways.
ohhh lots of x posts there - I think SVT and I were typing at the same time!
Corinth - the books are good, as much as reading teen romantic fiction is. I have a penchant for vampires too, so I'm sold.
The films, however, as SVT and I agree, lose something in playing up to hormonal teenagers! Edward has so much more charisma in the book. In the film, Jacob is now starting to become laughable, they obviously couldn't afford to by him a t-shirt but had a big budget for steroids.
Great to see you both in here. I must make an effort to review my DVDs more.
Corinth - re Twilight, I've read worse and seen worse, and quite enjoyed the books as a guilty pleasure. If in doubt, read the first book. Maybe the second as well. If you get on with them then the films will be watchable if not of any great enduring value.
The liberation of futility - I guess it strikes a chord because we all chase things that are meaningless, realise they're meaningless, and carry on chasing. It describes most hobbies or pastimes. What does a sub-4 marathon really mean in the grand scheme of things? Does anyone really care? Do I even care anymore? And yet there I am, at 6am every morning, plodding the paths. That's why this film resonates.
The film reviewer Mark Kermode is a big fan of Twilight. I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to him in quite the same way ever again ...
Haven't seen any of the Twilight films, but I used to be a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!
Am planning to see "We need to Talkbout Kevin" tonight. I've read the book, so I'll be interested to see what has been done with it.
Moriarty makes a much higher profile appearance. Holmes appearing to have a vendetta against him for no reason. Are we supposed to know what it is before we get there? I stopped caring way before the script writers though to include a post script. As Holmes disappeared over side of a cliff to his apparent death I cheered in the hope the same would happen to the franchise. No such luck. He lives to fight another day.
Terrible 2/10
interesting Happychap, also went to see this last week and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I thought Holmes was pursuing Moriarty after he'd stolen part of the detonation device from the first film.
I've tried to read some of the sherlock holmes books and never got into them so obviously I have no concerns about whether the films are true to the books or whatever. Granted they aren't psychological thrillers and its not going to tax the audiences brains but the interplay between Holmes and Watson is fun, My son always picks the slow-mo stuff as some of his favourite bits and the whole cinema laughed out loud at the end scene. I'd say its a watchable holiday film.
get your popcorn 7/10
Ha ha Miffi, I have a friend who deliberately goes to see every film I hate. We seem to be direct opposites when it comes to the films we like.
The end scene (I'll give you
since it's Christmas) is quite funny.
If you're not watching it already, you might like True Blood - vamps and lycanthropes abound as well as lots of other interesting beasties inc humans.
I'm off to the library to search out the Twilight books now - thanks Mouse and SVT.
On film, the very lovely BDB kindly lent me Bad Santa recently. I thought it was sh!t.
I can't afford to go to the cinema at the moment as I'm really skint - I'm missing the arthouse film experience but watching lots of borrowed DVDs. A friend has lent me all of Twin Peaks which I haven't seen since it was on tele. I realise I've forgotten most of it and only remember Agent Dale Cooper, cherry pie and the dream sequences. I think it's stupendously brilliant and holds up today even though it's probably at least 20 years old. I'm only on episode 14 but already feeling sad that it's going to come to an end.
I'll have to hunt out Fire Walk With Me too.
Also watched and liked Exit Through the Gift Shop.
RS - I watched Bad Santa the day it arrived back and still enjoyed despite your concise review. No accounting for taste eh?
I'm looking forward to seeing Sherlock Holmes as I enjoyed the first one. The slow-mo/fast-mo thing is a Guy Ritchie trademark so it's no surprise it's in there. I may even throw in MI4 on the same day for a brain-dead, pop corn fest.
I've not seen anything new for a little while but did pick up the Lord of the Rings trilogy the other day for a fiver so have ploughed though them. They do go on a bit don't they? I had forgotten just how bad some of the acting is and how silly the whole thing gets. It still looks great though and the battles are exciting. The over use of toddlers in wide and rear shots looks rubbish though, and every time Hugo Weaving utters a line, I found myself adding "Mr Anderson" at the end - made the time pass.
Ooooh hello fellow threaders.
I've not yet finished going through the Xmas Radio Times yet, but it does look like there are some interesting films on over the festive period. I've just finished watching Firefly (sci-fi meets western) and the follow up film Serenity is on screen sometime this week. There will also be outings for Rosemarys baby and Carrie so something(s) to hide behind the sofa for. Does anyone have any favourites they have highlighted as must watch?
Parky - I've got the first three books, if you've not found them and you want to borrow them, you're most welcome?
HC - love your review of Sherlock Holmes, though I suspect I shall enjoy it well enough when it comes out on DVD.
FeFe - I haven't even looked yet, I probably should.
Yet again I have loused up my Lovefilm DVDs and suspect that they are going to be stuck in the mail system for me when I would want to be watching them.
Last night I watched Four Lions which is a comedy about Muslim terrorists. Now, when I tried to explain a comedy about a group of potential bombers to my housemate he did look rather perplexed. When we sat down to watch the film I was dreading it a bit because the trailers were all dreadful (a bad omen for the main deal) but,I have to say it was funny. In fact, it was really very funny. How they managed to make a funny film out of such a difficult topic is beyond me, but they did. Now, this lead me to thinking, who made the film? Who is the intended audience? Who should find it funny? Answers on a postcard please...
Anyone else seen it?
X-Men First Class
Another film from the X-Men franchise which has, frankly, already been done to death. I can't believe there are only four of them. That said, it shut me up for a couple of hours on a cold night and they are not dreadful films. Entertaining enough when there is naff all else on the box.
The Tourist
Frankly, anything with Johnny Depp in it gets 5 stars from me and this one gets 6 because it's got Angelina Jolie thrown in for good measure. I couldn't tell you if it had a good story or not, for all the dribbling that was going on. So, it's about a woman who is involved with a bad man and is being tracked by MI5. She is sent on a journey by her bad man and told to pick out a randomer and make MI5 think he is the bad man. Well you can imagine the adventure and romancing that follows. Massively predictable ending (so much so even I saw it coming.)
Oh yey Fefe I love both Rosemary's Baby and Carrie
(am I allowed to say the books are better ?)
I love Rosemary's Baby and Carrie too. I don't like watching horror films on my own tho' and none of my friends will watch them with me except for S who lives on t'other side of town.
I really expected to like Four Lions but when I got round to seeing it, I hated it.
I haven't checked what's on, on Christmas Day. I don't have a tele so it's a novelty to watch it at my folks. Last year I saw Narnia and Nanny McFee and was pleasantly surprised - they were definitely watchable; Narnia enhanced at least 50% for me by the presence of James McAvoy.
I've seen all of the beebs offerings already. So far the only thing I know I shall be watching is Downton Abbey.