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Make sure you check these pages everyday! They are updated regularly! Here you can find the latest film and DVD reviews. All reviews by Nick Peters, unless specified.
Guest contribution from Ben Tooke
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bill Pullman
Riding the current western hard-on for Japanese horror director Takashi ‘The Ring’ Shimizu has roped in Sarah Michelle Gellar for a remake of his original horror film Ju-On.
Set in a contemporary Japan, Gellar plays Karen ,an American student care worker who goes on a home visit to a disturbed female patient. Little known to Karen the patient’s house is hiding a terrible curse and poor Karen’s work experience soon turns into a nightmare as she discovers her patient is disturbed with good reason. Karen becomes increasingly entangled in uncovering the source of the house’s evil as people around her begin to meet gruesome ends.
Despite getting off to a promising start The Grudge fails to achieve the chilling affect of The Ring. Shimizu has opted to use the more obvious tools to scare the audience: dramatic music, things going bump and ill-advised trips into the attic. There is even the old ‘Argh! It’s a homicidal ghost! No it’s only a cat’ scene. Psychological fear and tension could have been used to far better effect.
The film also relies too heavily on the demonic looking women and children with white faces for the fright factor. Although well done, they are used far too frequently and as such many scenes just aren’t scary. One scene in particular sees the supernatural evil take the form of what looks like a giant floating ink stain and fails to be convincing or scary. Much of the material would have benefited from an 18 certificate enabling more horror.
Running alongside the central story are a handful of subplots that add necessary mystery and intrigue. However these fail to work as well as they could have; not least due to Shimizu’s decision to use a seemingly indiscriminate non-linear narrative. This not only gives events a disjointed feel, but also takes the edge off the final climax.
Despite the shortcomings The Grudge isn’t a bad film. There’re some genuinely intense and scary moments like when the curse terrorizes its victim working late at the office before following her home. There’s also as a bit of blood, guts and a girl with a missing jaw for gore fans, and Gellar actually does alright in her carrying role, especially in the final scenes. Overall The Grudge is good for some scary thrills on a Saturday night, but it could have been a much slicker, much darker experience. (6/10)
With so many talented but penniless bands floundering around, desperately trying to get their music and voices heard in an industry so focused on corporate sounds and pretty images, something clearly needs to be done to help them out, because let’s face it, MTV sure isn’t going to do it. So this DVD is a great idea. Essentially showcasing an array of some of the UK’s finest, most muscular underground rock talent, this DVD has 25 clips and a lot of angry noise!
The most heavyweight act on here, and perhaps the best known, is the now sadly defunct Earthtone 9 who contributes the stunning ‘Tat Twam Asi’. Also putting in strong appearances are London’s Fony, a band on the verge of receiving mainstream support, and Vacant Stare who have been tearing up dancefloors with their vitriolic hardcore for some years now. Though perhaps most interesting is the exciting bursts of energy that come courtesy of Panic Cell, who have two tracks here, and Area 54, a band who have been struggling to get their arses off the ground for a while.
All the promotional clips are on an extremely small budget of course, and there are no dazzling MTV special effects to keep the attention wandering from time to time. Still, what can be better than watching passionate and committed rockers doing their stuff without fake-glamour and hype? Listen to the tunes, watch the artists doing their thing in the most primal form, and enjoy. Then go buy their records. (6/10)
Reviewed by Ben Tooke
Director - Michael Moore
Some one had to make a documentary about 9/11, and that person could only really be Michael Moore. Having been elevated to a household name by his books and documentaries, Moore has become well known as the left wing avenging angel of the moment. Moore’s books Stupid White Men and Why Does Everyone Hate America are falling off the shelves at Waterstones, WH. Smiths and newsagents, while Bowling For Columbine was seen by all but the very least politically minded. Moore’s appeal comes from his ability to take the most serious and controversial of social and political issues, but address them through the persona of the ‘average bloke’. With a baseball cap and big belly, he looks more like an extra from Roseanne than the David Dimbleby type.
Fahrenheit 9/11 got off to an ideal start. First by winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, then having trouble finding a distributor due to the controversial content. The documentary received a commercial blessing from both sides.
Moore’s main prerogatives in 9/11 seem to be bringing to light links between the Bush and Bin Laden families, while making Bush Junior look at stupid as possible. A large section of the film is given to highlighting the financial relations between both Bush senior and junior and the Bin Ladens. Moore goes in to great depth to expose the various business deals and companies involved. He brings together an intricate web of financial injections, alternative agendas and suspicious characters, mostly centring around the oil industry. Despite looking all very dodgy, many of the specifics were somewhat lost. With all the various companies, names and deals mentioned, the arguments become rather ambiguous and are subsequently rather unengaging.
The few humorous moments stem from the uncompromising character assassination of Bush. Bush is portrayed as a president who not only has no right to the position, but also is also completely useless at it. Moore shows a Bush who’s foremost presidential concerns are to get as much holiday and golf in as possible. Whose speeches are written for him on account of him having little to no idea of what is going on in America or the rest of the world.
9/11 obviously deals with the war in Iraq and questions its validity. Officials from government, ex soldiers and mourning families are all placed before the camera to condemn the descion to go to war, and the effect is both affecting and convincing. Much attention is given in particular to a distraught mother who lost her son in Iraq. She reads is last letter out loud to the camera. The content describes a soldier who died for a cause he thought was wrong and a leader he thought was fool. A poignant example of the injustices of the war.
For a lot of us this is all well trodden ground, and you may well already be aware of much of the information presented. It’s generally agreed within most facets of society that the war went ahead under a false premise. For anyone still wondering however the Bush administrations conflicting claims on the weapon of mass destruction in the film help to clarify. Although for a large part Moore is preaching to the converted, it is still worth hearing the information, some of which is old, put into structured arguments. The abundance of information we have received since 9/11 is broken down and made sense of, rather than received through the incoherency of the press. Particularly as the issues dealt with are far from resolute.
It is worth keeping in mind however that just as governments and the national press have agendas, as do independent film makers. Not to suggest that the films content is false, but it is easy to forget in the context of a film such as this that we are watching a purposeful selection of information, events and people. With a character as popular as Moore especially,there is a risk of confusing opinion with fact. If there is one thing that Moore and 9/11 make clear it is to question all the information we receive, whatever the source.
Reviewed by Ben Tooke
Director - Andrew Adamson
Starring the voices of - Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Saunders, Rupert Everett, John Cleese
One of the biggest hits of 2002, Shrek, managed successfully to turn the conventional kids movie on its head. The princess turned into an ogre, and the ginger bread man had his legs chopped off, and every Disney movie you can think of was shamelessly ripped the piss out of. The result was a hilarious, larger than life romp for both children and adults.
So the eagerly awaited Shrek 2 has to be something pretty ingenius right? Well no, not really. Not when more of the same will do nicely.
Here’s the story. Shrek (Myers) and Princess Fiona (Diaz) are living in wedded bliss in their marital swamp when an invitation comes from Fiona’s parents for Shrek to come and become acquainted with his royal in laws. Needless to say chaos soon ensues as it goes horribly wrong for the big green heroes as they journey to the kingdom of Far Far Away. Accompanied of course by loyal Donkey (Murphy), who’s as loud and ridiculous as ever. The King (Cleese) and Queen don’t relish their only child having morphed into an ogre, and this leaves both Fiona and Shrek wondering if their marriage was a mistake.
A lot of Shrek’s misfortune, as well as some of the funniest moments come from the new crop of weird and wonderful characters. Keeping with the postmodern theme we are introduced to a revised version of traditional characters. The fairy godmother (Saunders) is a calculating mega bitch from hell, determined to hook Fiona up with her beautiful but vile son, Prince Charming (Everett), while Puss in Boots (Banderas) takes the role of an infamously deadly feline assassin.
Shrek 2 is a very funny, watchable film, there’s no doubt about it. But is very much a sequel, and as such a slightly sub standard imitation of the first, lacking the punch of originality that was so much a part of the appeal of Shrek. The story line is a little weak, and the romantic issues between Fiona and Shrek get a bit tiresome. But it’s really a children’s movie; and they won’t care if it’s anything new or not. The animation is as good as it gets, and all the characters are superbly voiced. It has all the quirky fun and tongue in cheek humour of the first, and unlike something like Brother Bear for example you’ll actually enjoy taking your kid to see it.
Hang around till the end of the credits for a special cameo by Dragon. (7/10)
Director - Eric Bress, J Mackye Gruber
Starring - Amy Smart, Ashton Kutcher, Callum Keith Rennie, Eric Stoltz, Melora Walters
The main thing that might deter you from going to see The Butterfly Effect is that Aston Kutcher has the lead role. Can the cheeky skater-boy really play the serious lead in a chiller-thriller when his career has so far involved playing practical jokes on Justin Timberlake and acting like an idiot in 'Dude, Where's My Car?'
Well the answer is triumphantly in the affirmative. Aston plays a University Psychology student who suffered a disturbing childhood and has a history of depression. His father was committed to a mental hospital shortly after he was born and he was abused as a child by a friends father. On top of that, he suffers from peculiar black-outs, during which he engages in frightening and unpredictable activities. Eventually he comes to realise that through concentration and a series of detailed journals he kept throughout his youth, he has the ability to travel through time and change events that he never wanted to take place. The problem is that everytime he does change them, something even more mortifying takes it's course.
This is an implausible plot that flirts with the Chaos Theory, but despite it's absurdity, is highly entertaining. That Kutcher is thoroughly convincing and able to tap into the highly complex emotions of his character gives the plot more weight than it probably has on paper. His reaction to his girlfriends psycho brother and the thugs that greet him during a brief stint in prison, are carefully studied but not at all wooden, and that he is infinitely likable as a person helps a great deal.
With some genuinely scary moments and some sensitive insight into difficult subjects, The Butterfly Effect has quite some impact. If only you could come away from it feeling that what you had seen was in the slightest bit possible, it could have been even better. (8/10)
Gothika reviewed by Ben Tooke
Director - Mathieu Kassovitz
Starring - Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr, Penelope Cruz
As the title suggests this supernatural thriller goes all out on the dark and creepy factor. Working deep in the bowels of a prison psychiatric wing is Dr Miranda Grey (Berry), a brilliant criminal psychologist who in full agent Scully fashion, believes in nothing but the scientific facts. So when her patient Chloe (Cruz) describes in no undramatic terms how the devil rapes her in her cell every night she doesn’t believe a word of it.
However things take a different turn that night when in the midst of a terrible storm (cue lots of lightening, power cuts and dark corridors), Dr Grey crashes her car to avoid a girl in the road. The next thing she knows she’s waking up from catatonia and is told by her friend and colleague Pete she has brutally murdered her husband. What follows is a scream a minute scare-fest as Miranda has to take on the prison, her friends who think she’s crazy and paranormal hauntings to unravel the truth.
Now I’m not one of these types who can work out the entire plot of a film within the first 5 minutes. Seriously, I was the only person in the cinema surprised at the end of The 6th sense. But even I clocked the twist ridiculously early on. A lot of the film’s substance and ideas have been done with more style and too recently in films like What Lies Beneath. And some of the fiery special effects were truly uncalled for.
There is a saving grace however in the form of Halle Berry who gives another top performance, indeed without her the film would have been a lot less watchable. Even through the cheesy screams and wails Berry injects some genuine fear into her character as she falls further into her real life nightmare. What’s more, unlike with most fright films we actually feel for Miranda.We are shown her desperation and terror as she tries to come to terms with her reality while keeping hold of her sanity.
The support cast give a solid enough performance. Downey is adequate in the role of Pete, the concerned good guy on the periphery of all the action. Cruz is convincingly unhinged, and for once doesn’t use her cutesy Spanish accent to be fluffy and annoying. Here it is put to more sinister use, and to chilling effect.
Despite it's predictability Gothika has enough action and scary bits to make this an entertaining watch. It’s hardly a masterpiece, and the film ends with a appalling Haley Joel Osment moment and Limp Bizkit track, but director Mathieu Kassovitz has produced a fair Hollywood screamer. The insights into the perspective of psychiatric patients add an interesting layer, and some of the scenes in the hospital are particularly good. Gothika is likely to keep you jumping, if not guessing. (6/10)
Director – Gus Van Sant
Starring – Alex Frost, John Robinson, Eric Duelen, Eric McConnell
Sometimes the best films about problematic issues in society do not offer any answers. When two relatively average school-kids decide to walk into their high school and shoot every single student, teacher and staff-member in the building, how can that be explained? Who knows what went through the heads of two alternative rock kids when they committed the act that would become known as the Columbine High School Massacre?
Elephant begins with a lingering shot of the sky on a beautiful spring day and is the first in a number of beautiful images. The way the camera explores the surroundings of the school without a single break towards the beginning of the film is extraordinary and creates a brilliant sense of relaxed atmosphere. Everything seems at ease; the jocks are flexing their muscles in the school grounds whilst a group of girls check out a guy and gossip amongst themselves. A gorgeous couple strut their way down the school halls. A guy who is carrying out a photography project snaps some pictures of some passing punk-rock kids. It is just another average day for a bunch of young kids.
There are a few interruptions into the apparently blissful depiction of life at Columbine, however. A frumpy girl doesn’t like revealing her legs during her physical education lessons. A handsome blonde-haired kid is late for classes because he had to attend to his drunken father. A group of girls squabble about how much time one of them is spending with her boyfriend aside from the group. All this is standard life experience that we have all come across time and time again in our lives.
Even the small insight into the lives of the killer teenagers is measured and calm. One plays piano beautifully whilst his friend reads about guns on the Internet. They share a shower together and kiss passionately. Their background appears to be middle-class and the mother bends over backwards to ensure they have a good breakfast before they set off to school. One of the guys seems to get a little bullied when a jock throws some paper at him in class but there is no evidence of any mad desire they might have to go on a killing spree.
The actual killings are as laid-back as the rest of the film. The kids seem eerily at ease when they hear the gunshots. The shots are quiet and not at all sensational. Reactions to and from the killers are not hysterical or cold, just confused and anxious. The amateur actors portray all these incidents brilliantly and all the kids pretty much play themselves.
Simply, Gus Van Sant has created a film that does not make the tragic event into a morbid movie spectacle. There are no answers offered as to why the teenagers wanted to kill as they did. There might be many reasons and there might be none. What is certain is that Elephant is a fascinating, thought-provoking, dreamy look at the shocking events at Columbine. (8/10)
Director – Jonas Akerland
Starring – Brittany Murphy, Jason Schwartzman, Mickey Rouke, John Leguizamo
Drug movies can be pretty exciting and often harrowing viewing. Think of the psychological madness that is ‘Drugstore Cowboy’ or the nightmare downward spiral of living that is depicted in the excellent ‘Requiem For A Dream’. Often watching a bunch of people take drugs can make you want to go on a hedonistic pill-popping bender. It can make you feel utter sadness that hardcore junkies can clearly not get high from life itself and need to numb their pain at whatever cost necessary. Sometimes you feel scorn for the vile, selfish losers who can destroy themselves and everything and everyone around them. The best films make you feel all these things at once.
Spun makes you feel none of the above. It is a poor effort that fails to raise any questions or any answers about the existence or activities of the characters. What happens is that you see lots of junkies snorting and injecting drugs in what is pretty much a crack den. Aside from that there is a misogynistic redneck with a WWF obsession who constantly argues with his girlfriend (Murphy) whose only concern is her green dog who is sick from passive smoking. There is lots of pointless pole-dancing from random big-breasted women, one of whom hooks up with a guy with an emo haircut and gets herself tied to his bed and finds herself left there for hours on end.
If Akerland was trying to convey hedonism, it dramatically fails. The content comes across like it is trying to be hip and outrageous, often as vile as possible (was a girl taking a dump – and you actually see the contents of the dump – really integral to the film for any other reason than shock/ gross-out value?), but ultimately just seems desperate. If it was trying to show how terrible the lives of junkies are, then you share no pain with them. What we have is just an endless stream of repetitive images that treads over ground that has been done better so many times before. There is even attempts at trying to rip-off Requiem For A Dream with the rapid-fire images that convey the rush to the head after the snorting of substances.
Spun offers very little to get excited or even dismayed about. It just seems to be without a purpose behind it. If that was the point, then it’s simply just a bad idea that is not worth investigating.
(3/10)
Director – Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Starring – MCaulay Culkin, Seth Green, Marilyn Manson
Who would have thought that cute little Culkin would go from playing the tearaway scamp in Home Alone to portraying a gay, drug-addled ego maniac? The transformation is striking and also highly entertaining. Party Monster seems like the platform he has been waiting for, from which he is able to act out his own inner decadence. Though as we know, after every party there is a massive hangover to follow.
This is based on a real-life character called Michael, who was the pioneer of a crazy, hedonistic club scene in New York during Eighties. Michael was new to town and set-out to befriend everybody that was anyone in the world of cool. He was successful and quickly found himself having blagged his own club. What followed was an underground phenomenon that expanded and then exploded. Inspiring people to dress up in outfits that would make some of Londons most hardcore club-kids to do a double-take, the combination of house music, drugs and freedom was a recipie for both thrills and disaster.
The movie charts the rise of Michael’s ego as he goes from having the pick of any man he wants to appearing on US talk shows to getting addicted to hard-drugs to becoming a pitiful confused murderer who no-one wants anything from. His rise and fall is fast and dramatic, exciting and tragic, honest and painful.
Culkin is wonderful as Michael, showing him to be a frustrating and complex character with as much fragility as he has confidence. His faux-camp accent is highly annoying at times, but this only adds to the ego that he is building up for the knock down. Even in defeat, Michael is defiant and refuses to admit that he is ruined and in trouble. Culkin shows this arrogance and desperation with a rare understanding and with much humour.
Funny, proud and tragic, Party Monster depicts a scene that you wish was raging right now. (7/10)
Director – Hayao Miyazaki
Voices – Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pieshette
Spirited Away won the best-animated feature Oscar this year ensuring that this English-language film would get a release in the West. We should be thankful that it did, as this is a wonderful tale based in Japanese mythology. It will surely fuel kids imaginations for weeks afterwards, and provide charming escapism for the more mature.
A fantasy adventure, this is a curious tale of an obnoxious 10 –year-old girl called Chihiro who is reluctant to move to their new family home. Whilst on route to their new situation, Chihiro and her parents find themselves confronted with an eerie cul-de-sac. Furious that her parents want to explore a foreboding tunnel, Chihiro’s concerns are further heightened when they find themselves in a mysterious ghost town. Upon her parents being transformed into pigs when they greedily tuck into some unguarded plates of food, Chihiro realises that she is their only hope. Determining that they have wandered into a Land of the Spirits, and seeking advice from a sympathetic sorceress called Yubaba, the little girl has to summon the strength to change her attitude and find a way to restore her parents back to their human form.
This is a gloriously animated, colourful and magical world that is the product of a fascinating imagination. The concept has endless potential and Miyazaki brings the inhabitants of the spirit world to life with humour and warmth. The ability to encourage an audience to emphasis with fictional characters is a tall feat, but it is achieved here in abundance. We revile as the Stink God splurges his way into the tower, we feel for Chihiro as she is forced to scrub and scrape around her living space for pure survival, and we are terrified by an enormous baby.
With a passion and a zest that Western animations often lack, Spirited Away is fantasy to lose you in. (8/10)
RESPIRO
Director – Emanuele Crialese
Starring – Valeria Golino, Vincenzo Amato, Francesco Casisa, Veronica D’Agostino
Respiro is a subtle look at the life of a family who live in an isolated fishing community on the island of Lampedusa. Concentrating on Grazia, the mother of the family, we are tentatively invited into the mind of a confused and troubled individual, who seems restless and unsure of herself. Grazia seems to yearn freedom, to escape the confines of her slow, repetitive and repressed existence.
The beautiful backdrop of sun-drenched cliff-tops and sparkling waters provides a clichéd but effective metaphor for Grazia’s hidden feelings. When she swims in the water she forgets what restraints are imposed upon her nature, and reacts irritably when her children insist she dresses herself when she frolics naked in the water. A lot of the time her children grate on the nerves with their endless chattering and bizarre ideas of fun, but the point that this is a family far removed from mainstream society should not be forgotten.
In terms of getting his point across, Crialese succeeds, but at times Respiro is lethargic and consequently, dreary to watch. It is a distinctive work, but reminds me why I would never wish to live anywhere so isolated. The job is done, then. (6/10)
Director - Mike Leigh
Starring - Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Alison Garland, James Corden
Mike Leigh might have a reputation for being one of Britain's finest filmakers, but he has never come up with anything quite as downbeat as this.
Set on a South-East London council estate, All Or Nothing provides a depressing insight into the lives of several families struggling to make ends meet. The main focus is upon a mini-cab driver called Phil whose family is suffering a tense breakdown in communication. His wife Penny doesn't love him anymore, his overweight son is aggressive and disinterested in employment, and daughter Rachel barely functions as a zombie as she mops floors in an old people's home. Dismayed by their mundane, repetitive lifestyle, the family are functioning on autopilot. It takes a tragic twist of events to give them a strange sense of hope. Their neighbours suffer just as much. Penny's friend at work has a dughter with no self-esteem, who clings to her violent and spineless boyfriend as if it is the best she deserves. Next door to them is Phil's work colleague, who hates his job, has an alcoholic wife and a daughter whose only comfort is sex. It is a fight to keep going emotionally and economically and you can only watch with a feeling of despair.
All Or Nothing is a telling portrayal of contemporary British life, exploring aspirations, relationships and survival, as well as the class divide. The acting is flawless and the script razor-sharp, but the constant misery ensures that there is little to enjoy, as Leigh successfully lures your emotions deep into the core of the character's bleak situations. The manipulative and mournful music is irritating but only marginally detracts from a superb film. Happy viewing people! (8/10)
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Starring - Diego Luna, Gael Bernal, Maribel Verdu
It is often said that every young person should go travelling before they hit twenty-one. Looks like my luck has been out so far then. Though if the example set by these two stoned and horny Mexican boys is anything to go, such an experience can be pretty mixed. Here the sex-crazed and energetic Tenoch (Luna) and Julio (Bernal)decide to head for a fictional beach called Heaven's Mouth when their girlfriend's leave their sorry asses for a trip to Italy. Accompanied by Luisa (Verdu), an older woman who has just left her husband, they anticipate a road-trip of promiscuity and excess.
What follows is a colourful gang-bang road movie. Things become complicated when the boy's start to compete for Luisa's affections, finding that their friendship is not as solid as they thought once jealousy, sex and infidelity come to light. Lust and confusion interrupts their journey to their destination with Luisa savouring every moment - but her reason for this is more complex than intially expected. It is eventually proved that sometimes a personal search for a certain kind of paradise becomes essential.
The trip is used by Cuaron to provide a convincing exploration of the complex and often fickle nature of youth, in particular raising issues of trust and sexuality. There is also an abundance of political comment, ranging from a fisherman whose livelihood is destroyed by a larger corporation to the scenes where the police randomly stop passers-by and search at will. The film is often hilarious and playful, although occasional lapses in humour allow emotive blows to be struck. The peformances from Luna and Bernal are superb and you can imagine why this flick has been hailed as a national cinema renaissance in Mexico.
Passionate and charged, Y Tu Mama Tambien achieved the biggest ever opening for a Mexican film. Make sure you check it out on these shores. (8/10)
Director - Nanni Moretti
Starring - Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Jasmine Trinca, Guiseppe Sanfelice
Anyone who saw 'In The Bedroom' will have been stunned at the sensitive depiction of grief suffered by a close, loving family. The subject matter of 'The Son's Room' is the same but more subtle. The backdrops are plain and bland, the complexities of the bereavement process delivered with an eerie sense of detachment and alienation.
Nanni Moretti, who wrote and directed the film, also plays the lead of Giovanni. A gentle and calm family-man, he spends as much time as he can with his wife Paula (Morante) and two teenage children, Andrea (Sandelice) and Irene (Trinca). Although juggling work and a family is not easy, Giovanni manages to have a career as a psychoanalyst, listening patiently to the concerns and worries of his patients that wary in condition from the obsessive-compulsive to the suicidal. Despite his best efforts to keep the two seperated, one afternoon Giovanni decides to cancel an exercise session with his son to tend to a desperate patient. Andrea makes alternative arrangements with his friends and the consequences are tragic.
The rest of the film is an emotive portrayal of loss that is heartbreaking and honest. Giovanni leaves his job, Paul becomes withdrawn and Irene finds herself feeling lonely and hostile. The pain only begins to ease when the family discover that Andrea had a secret girlfriend and find solace is being able to help her out on her travels. The abilities of the cast are excellent and all manage an understated delivery of the emotions, meaning the sadness never becomes manipulative. The self-examination, anger, depression and anguish that inevitably follow from the death of a loved one are all explored respectfully.
The Son's Room is a deeply affecting and occasionally humourous drama that will have you shedding several tears. (8/10)
Director - Sandra Goldbacher
Starring - Anna Friel, Michelle Williams, Oliver Milburn, Kyle MacLachlan
Close friendships can be intense. Having one person you can tell absolutely anything to, someone who will always be there for you, somebody that doesn't miss a thing, can be amazing. But sometimes it can be stifling. And what about when the bond begins to falter and you find yourself drifting away to a place without your special friend? Judging from 'Me Without You' is can be liberating and utterly terrifying.
The plot of the film unravels through a structure that moves from the early seventies to the present day. Inseperable from a tender age, Marina (Friel) and Holly (Williams) pass through their teenage years into early adulthood by way of sex, drugs and Adam & The Ants. Lovers of alternative subculture, and terminal wallowers in angst, the pair have intertwined issues from early on. Marina in the assertive and confident one who unintentionally, sometimes intentionally, belittles the more academic Holly. Marina loses her virginity and tries heroin first. The real test comes when both girls fall for a Brighton University lecturer (MacLachlan). The relationship begins to waver and all hell breaks loose when Holly forms an attachment with Marina's brother.
Friel and William's turn in witty performances, exposing each other's strengths and weaknesses flawlessly, the dynamic between them perfectly gauged. The humourous digs at music subcultures are fantastic and loving. Light-hearted, emotional and imaginative within the frame of convention, 'Me Without You' is a slight twist for the female-friendship sub-genre. (8/10)
Guest Contributor - Ben Tooke
Director - Richard Eyre
Starring - Judi Dench, John Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Hugh Bonneville
If you're expecting a quaint little arty flick, telling a charming tale about a quirky writer, then you're in for a rude awakening. 'Iris' doesn't exactly send people singing and dancing out of the cinema.
'Iris' is an adaptation of the book 'An Elegy For Iris' by her partner of 40 years, John Bayley. It depicts sections of Murdock and Bayley's life together focusing on their wild years as students and Murdock's last years suffering from altziemers. Most significantly, it tells of the relationship between Murdock and Bayley and their life together.
The film flits from the 1990s back to the 1940s throughout, with Kate 'I can't keep my clothes on' Winslet, playing the student Murdock, and Judi Dench the older. These nostalgic parts of the film show the desperately inadequate oddball Bayley (Bonnesville) trying to court a sexually liberal Murdock coming into her prime; much skinny dipping whilst debating the metaphysical.
The main focus is upon Murdock's suffering with Altzeimers, however. Eyre's choice of format draws poignant, if not a little contrived, contrasts. Having been given a glimpse of Murdock's brilliant mind and her passionate drive for life, the viewer is then shown her demise as her mental faculties begin to fade, pushing her relationship with Bayley to the edge. Dench and Broadbench both give award-winning performances and create a screen chemistry which is so convincing that is certain scenes you feel you are intruding upon their intimacy.
It is a touching and moving story; it gives an uncompromising and disturbing portrayal of the effects of Altzeimers for both the sufferer and the people around them. The scenes with Dench and Broadbent are often scary to watch as the disease takes its toll on the both of them. It is uneasy viewing, making you feel sad, scared and hopeless, whilst also showing the beauty of life and love. Most importantly it emphasises some relevant points about altzeimers and it's complexities.
Unfortunately, 'Iris' is let down by the lack of attention given to the other aspects of Murdock's life. She was an acclaimed philosopher and author of 26 novels. The woman was significant for a reason and aside from a few profound statements and quotes, little information is given as to why. So much is neglected that not only does it not do her justice as a person, but it is also slightly one-dimensional to watch. Eyre's mania with skinny-dipping scenes doesn't really help.
With an excellent cast all perfect for their roles, this film could have been extrordinary. As it is, 'Iris' is an interesting and enjoyable film, but with a lot of unused potential. (6/10)
Guest contributor - Ben Tooke
Director - Cameron Crowe
Starring - Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee
In the midst of the media frenzy surrounding his divorce, Cruise could be seen on any given talk show using the media onslaught to promote Vanilla Sky. With the most powerful man in Hollywood claiming it to be his best screen performance of his career, Vanilla Sky has a lot of hype to live up to.
Set in the fast-paced atmosphere of New York, this film sees Cruise as David Aames. Rich, young and handsome, David is quite the womaniser and it is this trait that leads him to his eventual downfall via the beautiful but unstable Julie Giani (played to chilling effect by Diaz). David's faced is left permanently disfigured after a heart-broken Julie drives them both off a bridge. All this couldn't have come at a worse time as David has just found the love of his life in the wholesome Sofia, played by Cruz (in her somewhat tired romantic role opposite the leading man).
David's life continues to spin dramatically out of control as he struggles to come to terms with his disfigurement and, aided by his therapist (Russell), he tries to regain his grip on reality.
Unfortunately Crowe's disappointing attempt at a rollercoaster adaption of the Spanish thriller of murder and intrigue, 'Aber Los Ojes', is little short of a mess.
Visually, it is very impressive. David's chaotic mind is conveyed well in the surreal special effects as the film slams in and out of reality, with dramatic backdrops and rushes of speed and colour. The plot however, which initially is desperately predictable, could have been borrowed from a Star Trek episode (confused? I know I was). This was all made all the more unconvincing by not only the truly horrendous script, but David's lowest moment being serenaded by R.E.M - not really credible in 2002.
The suggestions regarding the ethics in Diaz's character, or the questions on life and philosophy that the story was based around were barely touched upon. Had it have been developed the film could have been watchable. Maybe. As it was Vanilla Sky succeeded only in fulfilling the current Hollywood criteria of an overload of special effects and big names in place of a decent storyline.
By the end of the film I didn't care how ridiculous the ending was. I was just glad it was over.
Guest contributor - Ben Tooke
Director - Joel Coen
Starring - Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini
It seems the Coen brothers can do no wrong at the moment. Joel and Ethan have won both mainstream and alternative audiences with a succession of original and innovative films, earning themselves an avalanche of critical acclaim and an impressive collection of awards.
The darlings of the film industry seem to have done it again in their ninth and perhaps strangest presentation. The film takes place is a small town in California during 1949. Ed Crane (Thornton) is a barber with little enthusiasm and is terminally fatalist. Day after day he chain-smokes his way through a dull job and empty marriage. So when an unexpected business opportunity presents itself, something tells him to take it. The only problem being he needs $10,000. Now Ed is sure that his wife is having an affair with her boss Big Dave (Gandolfini). Little does he know that when he blackmails Dave for the money he will set off a complicated chain of events involving sex, murder and even aliens.
Shot entirely in black and white, every scene looks stylish and sharp. Cinematographer Roger Deakins expert use of light and shadow have captured beautifully the aesthetic of film noir and created an atmosphere worthy of many 1940s classics. The acting is also superb. Thornton effortlessly brings together the many complexities of his character, carrying off both Ed's sincerity and cynicism. Co stars McDormand and Gandolfini also deliver outstanding performances, particularly McDormand, perfect for this role using her extensive arsenal of bemused expressions to full effect. Add to this quirky and depressing subplots an array of wierd and woeful characters and a large does of irony, and you have the ingredients for true film noir.
Although tainted by a few too many tangents in the latter half, the Coens have none-the-less succeeded in resurrecting a genre presumed dead with style, precision and class.
Director - Henry Bean
Starring - Ryan Gosling, Billy Zane, Theresa Russell, Summer Phoenix
The Believer has not been seen in America despite having won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and being highly-praised by critics. It seems it is a little too real for that. This is a true story about a violent and confused 22-year-old Jewish Nazi and the problem seems to be that it is not American History X. The Believer has no compromising ending, has no major stars and has zero lingering shots on men with massive muscles. The powerful Simon Wiesenthal Centre condemned the movie and all distributors withdrew from it as a result, meaning no exposure on its home soil. It should be noted, The Centre approved of American History X.
Director Henry Bean seems to have been unfairly maligned for his superb efforts. Despite being very committed to his own Jewish faith, he has not sugar-coated any of the racist views of Danny Belint (Gosling, appearing unafraid to present his protagonist's articulate and passionate bigotry, regardless of whether it makes shocking viewing. Danny has an ambivalent relationship with his Jewish roots, being a hateful Neo-Nazi by day and a reader of the Torah by night. He is tormented - how can someone respect what they are yet hate it so furiously at the same time? - and it is the conflicting feelings inside Belint that provide the basis for one of the most confrontational, passionate and brilliant films in a long time.
"The modern world is a Jewish disease...lets kill Jews. It'll be like Germany all over again - only this time done right", Belint spits with considerable venom. Gosling is truly sensational in this film and I have not seen a better performance since Bjork in Dancer In The Dark, in fact I'd say he is as good as James Dean in 'Rebel Without A Cause'. He makes you truly believe in the character, utterly convinces you he means his often vile rantings and plays the vicious thug with uncomfortable ease. The moment the film begins his genius shines. Danny begins to bully a Jew on the tube with some gentle nudging and stepping on his foot. He then follows him into the subway with such hatred in his eyes it makes you feel sick. The music accompanying the scene throbs as he catches up to his prey, making your stomach churn with dread, and then as predicted he kicks the shit out of the defenceless man. "Get the fuck up!" he screams at his victim and here is the first clue that Danny has a love for what he hates.
It is shown that he can be tamed - notably with the help of a masochistic girlfriend - but he is never free from his own idiosyncratic truth. It leads him to a certain destruction. There is love in his hate and a strength in his weakness, but that is not enough to save Danny. That's the way life often is. What a shame so few people will see this because of a group that thinks the truth is too controversial. (9/10)
Director - Peter Jackson
Starring - Elijah Wood, Ian Mckellen, Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Lee
What we want from films full of mythology and magic is something that can cloud our reality, make us suspend belief, invite us into an all-consuming vision of another time or place. We want the unrealistic to seem realistic, to be absorbed by what we thought impossible, the unfamiliar to become alive. If not, then what is the point of fantasy? We are merely presented a spectacle to mock or marvel at from our self-aware position in the cushy confines of the cinema. Surely magical fantasy should be brought to life?
'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' fulfilled the ultamite requirements from a fantasy movie, it was beautiful and wonderous. 'Lord Of The Rings' gives it a run for its magic in some respects but fails to even bother in others. For those not yet familiar with Tolkien's mammoth story, the first part of this trilogy acquaints us with a hobbit called Frodo Baggins. Hobbits are small, hairy, peaceful people who like to smoke lots, and this one in particular must throw a ring of incredible power into the fires of a volcano. This is no easy task as he must make his journey across Middle Earth with about a zillion evil creatures in blood-thirsty pursuit.
Baggins is not alone however. He is aided by some more useful faces of good, including a wise wizard (McKellen), a bushy-faced nobleman (Mortensen) and a girlie-haired man with an endless supply of arrows for his bow. Together the nine-strong fellowship do battles with goblins, trolls, orcs, ballrogs and try to avoid the ring falling into the hands of the traitor-to-good that is Saruman (Lee). The dark forces are eager to make the world unsafe again - and little wide-eyed Baggins must be found.
At times it is tense and thrilling whilst at others a little too laboured. The monsters are sometimes genuinely gruesome, but for every realistic looking one there is something that looks like it has emerged from a Rice Krispies packet. The personalities in the fellowship interlock well but just as you are believing in the bond, the Hollywood cliches get to work with the inevitable business of spitting you out from your fascinated place in the heart of the story back to your arse-numbing seat in the cinema. The embarrassing one-liners begin ('Lets hunt some orc!'), the sentimental weepy bits cut up the flow of the action, and the moral of good versus evil and the dangers of temptation are spoken of so many times you want to jump up and yell "you patronising bastards!". There are only two women in the film: one snogs a hero and the other is a spooky hippie. Then of course the obligitory wafting background music strikes up every few minutes, doubtless penned by Enya and warbled by Celine Dion.
Apart from that it is fantastic. McKellen puts in a superb performance whilst Wood takes affectionately to the role of the reluctant hero. The breathtaking views of New Zealand help convince us of the terrifying nature of the fellowships path and the effects are stunning. Even the sudden ending doesn't detract from things too much.
Yet at the end of it, did you find you were watching this as part of your normal life? Did Lord Of The Rings take you into its treacherous mountain passes? Was it true fantasy for you? Sad to say, on occassions I was more concerned about the whereabouts of the pop-corn than Frodo Baggins. (7/10)
Director - Chris Columbus
Starring - Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Richard Harris
Well, it was going to happen wasn't it? JK Rowling's collection of books have captured bookshelves and hearts the world over. Rowling has that special sort of imagination, the one that can appeal to both children and adults, and make the world they are peaking into seem alive. Harry Potter is a credible read, yet one for all the family, and helpfully all PG-rated entertainment. The author's tales of magic, castles, witches and villains might be as old as Professor Dumbledore looks, but she adds a new excitement to the tired fictional genre of magic. But most of all she writes convincing and irresistible stories.
Just as well that all the things that make the book so charming are translated pretty well into film. The Quidditch matches are just as exciting as when you read about them, Hogwarts looks like the awe-inspiring legendary home to magic that you imagined, and Hagrid is just as clumsy and large. The respect for the book is enormous with every detail attended to by Columbus. Rowling's involvement in the film is speculative, but apparently Columbus was on strict orders not to tamper too much with the original story. A wise decision.
The story is exactly the same, therefore. Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts after leaving his vile muggle (non-magic folk) family behind and has a great time playing with broomsticks, magic wands and interacting with ghosts. However, his adventures take a somewhat threatening turn when he comes face-to-face with the terrifying Lord Voldemort, the master of dark magic, and an old enemy of the Potter family. Most impressive is the casting that enables the familiar story to translate so well to on-screen. Alan Rickman is fantastic as the narrow-eyed and slightly sinister Professor Snape. Robbie Coltrane takes perfectly to the vague but lovable Hagrid. Even the child actors are spot-on, most notably Rupert Grint who is genius as the excitable ginger-haired Ron Weasley. The only let-down of the lot is...well, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Radcliffe assumes one expression for the entire film, that being the one where he appears to have had quite a fright, and turns in a wooden, uninspired performance. He has the right spindly demeanour and shines when confronted with the real danger of the story, but particularly throughout the first half of the film he appears to be limited in his acting skills, unable to interact with the other characters successfully. It is frustrating and a huge flaw in the film. Basically, Radcliffe is no Jamie Bell.
Other than that, albeit large drawback, the films tickles, scare and charms in all the right places. The effects are naturally impressive, the flow is smooth and the length is pleasing for all the family. Just a real touch of on-screen was needed to make it something really special. (7/10)
Director - Baz Luhrmann
Starring - Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh
To begin with it is less a film and more an explosion from a bomb that was crammed with glorious colour, camp-craziness and 'The Sound Of Music' rewritten by a loon on acid with a love of shameless excess. Luhrmann has stoked-up and accelerated the musical genre to the point where it is almost beyond belief. Bewildering and relentless over the first twenty minutes, you wonder whether he can sustain this speed throughout. Wisely, things settle when the main dialogue comes into the fray.
Set in Victorian Paris, where Bohemian values were coming through, a poor English artist called Christian (Ewan McGregor) becomes the writer of a play in which the star is Satine (Kidman). The two predictably fall for each other, Satine swayed by his poetry and philosophies, but she feels under obligation to sell herself to the mean-spirited Duke (Richard Roxburgh) because he is ploughing funds into the Moulin Rouge. The plot is simplistic and at times sketchy, but by keeping it this way, Luhrmann has been able to dazzle us with his evidently astounding imagination in other areas. Hey, even Kylie Minogue pops up as the magic fairy.
Although the plot is thin, it is not a case of Luhrmann attempting to make up for this by overloading the senses in other areas. The interaction between McGregor and Kidman is fantastic. Although McGregor doesn't feel quite ideal for the part, he turns in a solid display, but Kidman is the real star, virtually faultless. She camps it up to extraordinary heights. The bedroom scene where she tries to hide Christian from the Duke is just brilliance.
The music is another major triumph. Glamourous and overblown, the anarchonisms are ridiculous and plentiful, everything from Marilyn Monroe's 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend' to Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' to the can-can is given a full orchestral make-over. Only the 'Like A Virgin' scene falls flat. You can almost imagine a manic Elton John conducting it all, out of his mind with glittery pomp and cirumstance. The joke does become slightly taxing after two hours and you wish a couple of unnecessary scenes had been snipped, but the score is really quite an accomplishment overall.
Yes, it is cliched and full of bluster. Yes it is Velvet Goldmine meets The Rocky Horror Show. But it is supposed to be. Go get stuffed on indulgence. (8/10)
Director - Saul Metzstein
Starring - Luke De Woolfson, James Lance, Kate Ashfield, Enzo Cilenti, Heike Makatsch
There must have been countless times when, after a long and mundane slog at your nine-to-five job or the dreaded night-shift, you have slumped into your armchair and questionned the point of the tedious routine. Depressing enough for the older generation, but even more demoralising for Generation X who just want to be drinking, clubbing and shagging rather than enduring the fruitless grind of soul-sucking employment. A pitance in the bank cum Friday monthly? Thanks a lot.
Sean, Vincent, Jody and Lenny know the feeling. Hip and cool twenty-somethings that wear permanent confused frowns, the group meet in the same cafe every evening before the night-shift begins. A hospital janitor, a shelf-filler, an electronics firm worker and a telephone sales assistant respectively, the four are hopelessly locked in dull work complimented tragically by dysfunctional or non-existant relationships. Sean has no sign of his girlfriend since a row three weeks ago and fears she has vacated their flat permanantly. He eventually embarks on a journey to find some answers after learning that a unjustifiably over-confident Vincent slept with her. Jody and Jenny look on hopelessly, worrying about attractiveness and desirability.
So it is nothing ground-breaking or new then. A group of indie-kid mopers resentfully helping turn the cogs of the system. Yet it is Metzstein's superb script, wit and refusal to attempt a conclusion or solution to the friend's situations that makes 'Late Night Shopping' so captivating and relatable. The characters are superb and the cast act with enthusiastic resentment, showing their insecurities and paranoia comically and colourfully. Whether gazing into space, getting sacked for "bringing the other workers down" or checking bars of soap tp determine whether they have been used recently, their ways of adapting to their own misfortunes and delusion are accurate and humourous.
Not a lot happens but that is precisely the point, and there certainly is no answers to the predicaments from Metzstein. As Vincent says, he does his job so he "doesn't have to think". (7/10)
Director - Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jensen
Starring the voices of - Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
It say something about mainstream Hollywood cinema when the movies that are worth watching of late are animated fairytales that are primarily aimed at children. Yet when the adult flicks contain too much patronisation and so little wit, is it any wonder that films like 'Shrek', a computer animated feature of excellence, is stealing our attention? Much like 'Antz' and 'Toy Story', here we have an example of creative anarchy and intelligence in cinema making. We need more of it.
Whilst the plot might sound a little bit dubious initially, its superb originality soon shines through brightly. Set in a magical, fairytale land of beauty, a large green orge called Shrek (Myers) risks his life to save a gorgeous princess (Diaz) from a tower guarded by a temperamental dragon in order to retain his swamp that has been taken over by the vertically challenged Lord Of The Land(Lithgow). The Princess has a secret which provides a sweet twist to the tale.
What is truly great about this story, aside from the humour that runs throughout and operates on so many levels to appeal to all ages, is the way in which Adamson amd Jenson show not just the kids, but the adults too, how traditional and beaten storys can be turned on their heads, totally fucked up and made into witty, intelligent new offerings. Absolutely every fairytale character from Snow White to The Gingerbread Man is present, being ridiculous and running riot. All the usual predictable occurences in age-old stories, like how nightmarish dragons are for example, get mocked and toyed with. It takes the piss and produces something bold, funny and new. Kids need to be shown that originality and pastiche is the way forward - forget the standard, safe way of doing things.
Hollywood keeps churning out tedious bombast like 'Titanic' and 'Pearl Harbour' and so it seems all the more important this innovation should flourish. With only a few flat jokes and a lacklustre vocal performance from Murphy to detract from 'Shrek', it reminds that amination and art-house movies are still where the true greats are in cinema. (8/10)
Director - Virginie Despentes, Coralie Trinh Thi
Starring - Raffalea Anderson, Karen Bach, Marc Rioufol, Ouassini Embarek
The female friendship movie was particularly thrust into the light when Thelma And Louise stomped all over our screens with guns, attitude and intelligence. Baise-Moi could fit into the genre perhaps, although for the censors, this one is a little more controversial. Due to its ultra-violent and strong sexual content, the French have slapped it with an X-rating certificate, confining it to porno shops. It has opened the oldest of all cinema debates - whether controversial films like this are art or blatant pornography. After all, the title was bizzarely changed for British distribution. And it will no doubt be limited distribution over here despite recieving an 18 certificate.
Based on the Virginie Despentes best-selling 1995 novel, the main two actresses are from the porn trade, and do a superb job here as two women who take to the roads. One is jaded with her vagabond existence whilst the other is unnervingly numb to her surroundings. Aggressive and anarchic, the two embark on a journey that sees them revelling in their ability to rob and kill the innocent and those who they feel need to removed for a reason. The real storm in the film is the amount of graphic sex that they have, however.
What is so interesting here is that the sex and violence is not intended to excite or shock. The girls have sex and revel in their murderous ways. They shoot some guy up the arse and unnecessarily kill and woman for some cash. The women are brutally honest, unashamed of their violent capabilities, amoral and cruel though they might be. Perhaps it is this representation of dangerous and powerful women that really shook up the censors.
So is it a pornographic Thelma And Louise, a celebration of the violence in women, or a film that sticks up its middle finger and invites you to watch some women revolt? Or all three? The debate will rage on, but whatever, this is a pretty slick piece of anarchy. (7/10)
Director - Sharon Maguire
Starring - Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth
A chick-flick starring Hugh Grant and loads of other toffs with posh voices and countryside mansions - enough to make you avoid this adaptation of Helen Fielding's novel like a Ronan Keating gig. And that isn't even mentionning the hype surrounding this years first huge release. OK, so the book might have Bridget and cohorts as upper-class irritants but do we really need to endure another American interpretation of us Brits being posh?
Not particularly, but against all odds, Maguire has made a charming and humourous romantic comedy. Bridget is an aching lonely-heart obsessed with calories and keeping her diary, but keep the Kleenex in the box, because she really knows how to take the piss out of her predictament as well. Cavorting around lush greenlands in a bunny costume, creating evil looking blue soup and playing riotous air guitar, Jones might be starved of love but she ain't no depressive. She falls for her smarmy but cheeky boss Daniel (Grant) but finds herself drifting in favour of a jealous barrister called Mark (Frith).
Surprisingly, it matters little that all the usual suspects for the posh English role have been employed here, notably Grant (Four Weddings And A Funeral) and Frith (Pride And Prejudice) as they turn in sharp and provocative performances. Zwellweger executes Bridgets part neurotic, part adorable character perfectly also. They might all be characters, and people, you are are desperate to dislike but after the numerous one-liners and misfortunes that bestow Bridget, you well, at least warm to the characters. Except the git Daniel.
No great risks are taken, especially the sickening bullshit Hollywood ending that will have the more cynical raising their eyebrows skyward - surely the point of the character Bridget Jones was to show that some people just never get it right. Yet as annoying as it is, this is pretty impressive. Dammit. (7/10)
Director - Lasse Hallstrom
Starring - Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judy Dench
Chocolat might be more Diary Milk than Bounty, but it is a tale of temptation, fear and religion that unfolds gracefully and completely absorbs you.
Set in late Fifties France, a narrow-minded God-fearing community with secret desires is rocked to the foundations when a libertine woman (Binoche) opens up a chocolate shop during Lent. Arousing suspicion and hatred from the locals, particularly a deeply conservative and passionate Mayor, the woman eventually forces the villages to question their morals, beliefs and prejudices, unlocking their harboured ambitions. The real test of the townsfolk's desires comes when some water-travellers arrive bringing partying to the sleepy backwater town. A handsome man (Depp) embodies everything the town fears, but most interestingly, he reveals another side to the chocolate shop owner.
The characters might be cliched, from snotty bible-bashers to frightened revolutionaries in-waiting, but the acting is superb, particularly Dame Judy Dench as a decadent hag with diabetes. Depp also impresses not only with his heartbreaking cheekbones but with his character's ice-coolness that brings a community to its feet. It might be slow, but not a scene goes to waste.
Just like when you were little, snuggled up in bed, enjoying the bedtime story your Mum was telling you, Chocolat is a tale that unsettles but leaves you warm inside. (8/10)
Starring - Julia Stiles
It is a story that has been told to death, but one worth repeating on this evidence. Sara is a teenage girl whose ballet dreams ended due to a tragic accident involving her Mother. After her Father decides to move to the ghetto areas of Chicago, she is enrolled into a predominantly black school and is given an invitation into hip-hop culture by Derek, a guy who is part Romeo and part thug. What follows is probably the best fusion of ballet and hip-hop you will ever see.
It flows smoothly and is very watchable but the cliche's have to be weathered. As relevant or irrelevant as interracial relationships, the white influence that is growing in hip-hop (Eminem, anyone?) and the struggles for survival that sucks teenages into gangsta lifestyles may be, no new insights are shown here. The plot is predictable and the issues beaten, but unlike the recent 'Black And White', there is no patronising but plenty of fun.
Like a modern day 'Dirty Dancing', the grooving is funky and very entertaining. Like all great films that involve loads of clubbing sequences, everyone is impeccably cool, with moves to kill and sharp attitudes. Dumb though it may be, Julia Stiles learning the steps almost 'Popstars' style is enthralling. Sara's wit and committment to remaining true to herself is portrayed brilliantly by Stiles throughout.
OK, so we have seen it a thousand times over, but hey, for those willing to be easily pleased, this is uncomplicated and satisfying. (7/10)
Director - Darren Aronofsky
Starring - Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly
Aronofsky's adaptation of the 1978 novel by Hubert Selby Jr should be screened in all high-schools if the authorities really want kids off needles and smack. Not that this was made for educational purposes, but more to show how addiction to pleasurable areas of life can be the entrance to a downward spiral.
Sara (Burstyn) is a lonely widow obsessed with gameshow television. She has become detached from her only son Harry (Leto). Her dream of being part of the glitz and glamour leads to a devastating habit, but Harry has problems of a similar nature. He and girlfriend Marion are desperate and humiliated as they strive to satisfy their own cravings, encountering murder, prostitution and immense loneliness on route.
It's bleak and desolate, but ultamitely gripping. Aronofsky uses amusing and appropiate combinations of close-ups, loops and dream sequences to convey the intense and repetitive routines, fixations and habits of the characters. Leto is especially brilliant as the puppy-eyed, smack addict.
Gross, depressing and occassionally intentionally hilarious, this is a dream necessary to share.
Director - Mark Dindal
Starring the voices of: John Goodman, David Spade, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton
Just manage to sit through the horrific musical sequence that opens this animation from Disney and you will be rewarded. 'The Emperors New Groove' might not be as visually and technically astounding as 'Fantasia' or as spell-binding as 'Pocohontas', but it's charming wit, hilarious plot and attention to character detail makes it cool enough for the kids and smart enough for the rest of us.
Emperor Kuzco is a selfish and sarcastic ruler who comes unstuck when he is tricked into becoming a llama by the scheming and foul Yzma (Kitt). Relying on a warm-hearted oaf (Goodman) to help restore him back to his orignal form, a quest encountering jungle, waterfalls and crocodiles ensues. Every moment contains a healthy balance between slapstick humour and profound moral messages and, crucially, unlike many other Disney features, there is no patronisation.
Containing plenty of subtle adult references, 'The Emperor's New Groove' speaks to many audiences and never forgets that Disney was always about humour. Ladies and Gentleman, its one for all the family! Now there's a rare thing! (7/10)
Director -
Starring - Robert Downey Jr, Claudia Schiffer, Mike Tyson, Jared Leto
Now that Eminem has made it cool for white men to rap again, post-Vanilla Ice, this film should make perfect sense. Exploring the white middle class obsession with emulating a largely black culture, 'Black and White' is humourous, harsh and shit in equal proportions.
A couple of documentary makers follow a group of teenage white kids who are matey with some hardcore black rappers of the variety that don't mind a bit of violence when the tough gets going. Vaguely linked to this story is a guy who is persuaded to fix a basketball match to tragic consequences. Sex, murder and music are all thrown in randomly, sometimes confusing a not entirely coherent plot further and occassionally adding interest.
The plot might be muddled, then arty filming techniques might be completely pointless at times, but at least some of the quality cast shine. Schiffer is magnificent as the seductive and cruel money-grabber and Downey camps it up before finding affection with a handsome stranger.
The main reason for seeing 'Black and White' however, must be when Downey Jr hits on Mike Tyson and recieves an almighty slapping for his efforts. Ouch. (5/10)
Director - Bill Eagles
Starring - Rachel Weisz, Susan Lynch, Alex Norton, Iain Glen
Domestic violence, murder, animal torture, rape, drug abuse, porn and body dismemberment. Hilarious topics for a film, don't you think? Well actually...
Bill Eagles has chosen to use the most grimest of subjects for his attempt at a Britflick to rival the recent wonders of American movies such as 'Boys Don't Cry' and 'Requiem For A Dream'. Coming at a time when Eminem is selling squillions with his 'true or false?' rappings of ultra-violence, this blackest of black comedies should have little trouble finding its audience. It's bloody, disgusting, far-fetched, fast and heavily influenced by 'Thelma And Louise' by the looks of things.
A rather intelligent woman called Dorothy (Lynch) is on the run from her junkie, psycho boyfriend who is battering a brainless Petula (Weisz). The pair find themselves under investigation by some cops with dubious morals and also have scary gangster types demanding to know what has happened to their boss. A chase develops, with schemes being plotted, drastic actions undertaken and much blood shed along the way. The girls are certainly ruthless with a pistol.
It's completely bonkers, but all the better for being so sick and having no regard for seriousness. It appears British film directors are in touch with their Slim Shady side! (8/10)
Director - Ang Lee
Starring - Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyl, Chang Chen, Cheng-pei pei
Glorified smack 'em up or blatant blood-bath? Violent movies can often be sorted into these uninspiring categories. Yet what if the copious scenes of fighting were beautiful instead of unnecessary?
Here we have Ang Lee's effort at using martial arts, with emphasis on the arts, in his second Chinese language film. The combat sequences are nothing short of incredible, making a mockery of the hi-tech innovations of 'The Matrix'. Leaping and soaring across rooftops, using awesome moves on tree branches and kicking arse mid-air, the characters scraps are a sight to behold. And it all looks so natural, and bizzarely, gracious.
But before th kung-fu, the plot begins to flow smoothly and intelligently. Set in the nineteenth century, Lu Mu Bai (Chow) decides to give up the Green Destiny, a sword of great sentimentality and legend, and entrusts it into the care of Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh). After it is stolen, the pair are forced to confront the bitter witch Jade Fox (Cheng) and her mysterious and skilled accomplis (Zhang). Then the battles really commence.
There are many layers to this metaphysical and compelling film, beyond the chops and blocks of the fight scene, however. There are the victories for feminism, the touching silent love which gradually unfolds between Yu Shu Lien and Lu Mai Bai, and the age-old themes of trust, honour and betrayal. But the real explanation of the title comes when true identities are revealed. Finding courage and determination inside isn't always easy, but sometimes there just comes a time when is has to be found.
It is all very clever, classy and astonishing cinema. Ang Lee could have easily made this too pretentious, but thankfully, has made one of the best films of its kind ever. (8/10)
Director - Christopher Nolan
Starring - Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Ever walked upstairs, got to your destination and then wondered what the fuck it was that you planned to do there? Isn't it frustrating? Doesn't it panic you? Make your nervous for minutes afterwards?
Well imagine you are Leonard Shelby (Pearce) for a moment. Following the rape and murder of his wife, Shelby has been left with the memory of a goldfish, unable to recall anything that happened more than ten minutes previous. This makes his plan to avenge his wife's death rather complex. With the police refusing to devote anymore attention to the investigation, Shelby must rely on tattooing himself, along with collecting key photographs, maps and papers in order to piece the puzzle together. He needs as many things to remind himself constantly of his purpose in life as possible. He finds one policeman (Pantoliano), and a friend called Natalie (Moss) with hidden motives, to aid him. Remembering their words, actions and manipulations of his condition is an immense undertaking.
Pearce, the ex-Neighbours star, is superb in acting out the confusion and quiet pain that Selby suffers. His sad situation is best shown through the technique employed by Nolan, however. Memento begins with a killing and then proceeds to mix up the other events of the film in a muddled and intellegent manner that conveys the tortured and taxed mind of Shelby perfectly. It is clever editing that is irritating, unnerving and completely enthralling. It is a film that, simply, must be seen. (8/10)
Director -
Starring - Bjork,
'Dark' is an understatement. This film is horrifying, shocking, depressing and a magnificent musical - all at the same time. This is the long-awaited release of a picture that was so intense to act, make and produce, that Bjork was eating her own costume during the filming, such was the drain and strain of playing Selma. The eccentric Icelandic songstress has also vowed never to speak to --- again. Dancing has never been so torturous.
Such oddities are barely surprising given the content of this sombre and harsh picture. Bjork plays a caring mother called Selma, a fragile and admirably upbeat woman who is gradually breaking due to living through a continual fucking nightmare. Selma is going blind and her young son will suffer the same horror unless the cash is raised to pay for his operation. Selflessly, Selma works her arse off in a factory, endangering herself because she can barely see the lethal tools in front of her, in order to gather the necessary funds for the operation. Paid a scandelous amount, each day she finds her route home by using the railtrack as a guide, and then stores the money away in her rented dingy caravan.
The owners of her limited space live opposite them in a fantastic, large house, but they are going bust, unbeknown to the man's wife. He fears she will leave him once she discovers his fortune has dwindled. One day, in an act of extreme and calulated horror he pretends to leave Selma's caravan after she has devulged her hidden secret and then steals her money. This leads to a devastating confrontation that tears at the heart-strings, and as a result of it Selma is sentenced to death.
You will probably weep for Selma. Bjork doesn't turn in a performance, she feels every single minute of this disturbing and awful affair. The tears, the wailing and the singing are raw feeling, gut sensations, stemming from a troubled mind. Her angelic tones during the unpredictable and surreal musical pieces, that explode into life and die without warning, are imaginative and passionate. Bjork is simple absolutely amazing.
'Dancer In The Dark' rocks you with emotion, confronts you with your worst fears that could quite possibly happen to you and entertains throughout. Watching this film is draining and exhausting, but bloody hell does it make a mockery of virtually every stupid Hollywood film and actor about at the moment. (9/10)
Director - Guy Ritchie
Starring - Brad Pitt, Vinnie Jones, Mike Reid, Jason Statman
All the trouble seems to be over a pretty diamond. Some pretend Jews nick the jewel and later some humourously incompetent blokes rob an underground betting shop and steal the thing for themselves. This displeases some other nasty gangster types, including Vinnie Jones, and they go looking for the buffoons to put bullets into their heads.
Meanwhile, there is an illegal boxing match taking place between a big, hefty dude and a hard-as-nails traveller (Pitt) which some fantastically nasty git is trying to fix. He burns down the boxer's caravan in the process. It has his mother in it. He also threatens to feed the people who try to steal the diamond to his pigs. He is mental.
Did you follow that No, nor me, really, because this film is incredibly complicated and if you so much as blink you completely lose the plot. Yet it is such as immensely entertaining and enjoyable gangster flick that it doesn't matter. There is tonnes of action, plenty of top jokes, heaps of swearing and lots of hard blokes with stupid names like Frankie Four-Fingers and Bullet Tooth Tony. Also, the acting is virtually faultless. Brad Pitt turns in one of his best performances as the rough'n'ready, sexy and collected boxer whilst Mike Reid brings his excellent gravel tones to the big screen with great charm. Vinnie Jones was born for these roles and after this film, you just want to be him, frankly.
So this is the murky underworld of London, eh? Blood, bullets, beatings and vicious gangsters. Remember not to trust a bloke with pet pigs, people. (8/10)
Director - Wolfgang Petersen
Starring - George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane
The sea is beautiful. It is also a place for the very brave. Fishermen are attracted to the waters for precisely these reasons, always in awe of the wonder of the waves and seeing its unpredictable rage as an intriguing challenge. Yet some people just ask for trouble and 'The Perfect Storm' is a true account of some fishermen who scoff at the elements and embark on a fatal journey into rough weather.
Their poor judgement is a result of their dubious ethics. Times are hard and the fishermen become driven by greed and barbarism whilst searching for their fortune. Sailing to relatively uncharted waters, the gang cackle as they spear unsuspecting fish, choosing to ignore the obvious signs of freakish weather in facour of rushing back to shore to claim their rewards. It is this stupidity and brutality that makes it very difficult for Petersen to succeed in making us feel sorrow for them. Did they not bring it upon themselves? Who in their right mind takes on the wrath of such terrifying waves for the sake of your wallet?
Not only has Petersen taken the wrong stance in attempting to make us feel sympathy for the sailors, he has made them into immensely embarrassing people. Clooney plays a selfish goon who utters cringeworthy lines like "I find fish, so don't fuck with me", whilst his mates are pathetically led, rarely voicing their own concerns. He throws in numerous cliches to boot, the women crying on the shores and the explosive macho attitudes of the fishermen contributing to tedious viewing.
The biggest mistake of all is that Petersen makes the sea, something so fearsome and amazing seem incredibly dull. The special effects may be gob-smacking and innovative, but it fails to make you sit bolt-upright in admiration or fear. The storm was perfect. the film was not. (4/10)
Director - Alison Maclean
Starring - Billy Crudrup, Samantha Morton, Denis Leary, Holly Hunter
Inspired by Denis Johnson's novel, 'Jesus' Son' is a witty and assured piece of seventies drama. the narrator is a perplexed character called Fuckhead, whose existence is littered with dodgy drugs, heartbreaking suicides and topsy-turvy relationships. Set in Iowa, the setting is gritty and bleak, acting as a superb backdrop to the character's seemingly inescapable lifestyle.
Fuckhead (Crudrup) has a particularly rough time of it. Whilst driven by an obsessive complusion to do good around the town, he is involved in a bloody car-crash, works in a hospital for the insane and is embroiled in a tough struggle in trying to dump heroin is favour of his girlfriend Michelle (Morton). Morton is effortlessly smart and engaging during the film, protraying her own character's addictive tendencies with both humour and spiralling frustration and it has tragic consequences.
This indie-grunge flick is especially superb for two reasons. It has a black streak of humour streaming throuhgout the script which renders the viewer in a strangely powerless position in which you just must laugh at the awful of scenarios (the man who has a knife stuck in his head and the disabled man trapped inbetween two tables for starters). Even better is the lack of sickening lingering on the misery of the characters which would have been easy to overplay. This lack of moral and message makes for intellegent and unpatronising viewing.
So what we have here is an amusing yet sad account of some twenty somethings caught in a dark hole within the scuzzy drug culture of the seventies. Every character in this film is a Fuckhead, but none are as tragically charming as the man himself. (8/10)
Director - Bryan Singer
Starring Patrick Stewart, Ian Mckellan, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquim, James Marsden
Everyone one of us has been subjected to ridicule for some facet of our look, personality or lifestyle before. Therefore we can all identify with the X-men who are reviled and treated as social outcasts for being different. They are a band of mutants who began to appear with special abilities and incredible powers after the lengthy process of evolution experienced some hiccups. These developments have left the original dwellers of Earth fearful and hateful.
The mutants have reacted to this prejudiced in two different ways. Professor Xavier (Stewart) has set up a school for those wanting to use their extraordinary gifts to protect the humans whilst Magento (McKellen) and minions are desperate to wreek revenge upon the politicians who perpetuate the spite directed at them. Magento wages was upon the less aggressive mutants and particularly targets Wolverine (whose ascent to becoming a proper X-man is followed throughout) and the mysterious abilities of Rogue. However, despite the plot being wide-open for Singer to include numerous and exciting battle sequences, he oddly chooses to spend too much time focusing on the story-telling as opposed to showing off the capabilities of the likes of Sabretooth (Mane) and Cyclops (Marsden). As a result our urges for dramatic battles go largely unsatisified and the film suffers for it.
This major weakness does not detract from the individual performances that are surprising mature. Whilst conflict levels are low, tha characters are still intriguing and exciting. The cast have been given a script that really pushes forward the themes of Civil Rights and prejudice which gives the film a directional purpose rather than being a lightweight typical fantasy flop. Xavier is a kind of Martin Luther King to the mutants and the film also opens with a scene form the Second World War which reminds us of the persecution of the Jews.
This film clocks in at an hour and a half and doesn't really do justice to all of the characters and their complex histories that are covered in the comics, but Singer has never pretended that he was intending to undertake a totally accurate version of them. His aim was to take the essential spark and fantasy from the comic and combine it with his own broad imagination. He succeeded. (7/10)
Director - Don Bluth/ Gary Goldman
Starring the voices of: Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pulman
'Titan AE' has been on the cards for a while. With sci-fi movies such as 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace' and animation in the form of 'Chicken Run' and 'Toy Story' doing the business on the big screen recently, a sci-fi cartoon was obviously the next bankable option. It seems chickens and cowboy toys are more stimulating than the acting efforts of Mel Gibson and George Clooney currently, which isn't really surprising.
After a slow beginning to proceedings, it emerges that Earth has been destroyed by the evil alien Drejes in the year 3028. A handful of humans have managed to seek refuge aboard the Titan ship and Cale (Damon) finds himself having to assume the role of the hero, battling to find away to create another Earth. Naturally, this is all rather difficult, with traitors, vicious aliens and hi-tech computers serving to complicate matters.
The animation is superb with the flying scenes shown at breakneck speed making for many thrilling and spectacular moments, but ultimately, the film suffers from a few niggling issues. For a start I personally felt the characters voices didn't suit the figures that wer put on the screen. More irritating was the fact that Cale's co-pilot Akima (Barrymore) was protrayed as a rather inept female who was always the one getting injured, slowing the hero down and fighting very inadequately. But perhaps the ruin of this film will prove to be that the balance of complexity is all wrong. It is too taxing for the young, too basic for the mature teenager.
'Chicken Run' and 'Star Wars' it most certainly is not. (5/10)