Films I have seen this year so far..
I am suffering major academic brain fail, and am writing this in the slim hope that it will somehow kickstart my ability to think / write / type.
Boyy and I were struggling to remember what films we have rented on DVD this year. Now this is not a reflection on the quality of the titles rented, more our alarmingly increasingly terrible memories.
So here, in no particular order, and with mini accompanying reviews synopsis are the title we have viewed this year :
My Name is Bruce, Code 46, Chris Rock: Kill The Messenger, Gamer, 21, Franklyn, Let the Right One In (Original Swedish version not US remake), Otis Lee Crenshaw: Live, I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay, Exam.
I'm going to start with the most recent first.
Exam - Synopsis
"Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, where an armed guard keeps watch, they are given 80 minutes to answer one simple question.
The invigilator outlines three very specific rules that they must obey - and if they don't, they will be disqualified:
1. They must not speak to the invigilator or the guard.
2. They must not spoil their papers.
3. They must not leave the room
The invigilator starts the clock and leaves. The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find that they are completely blank"
This is an independent small budget UK film and based on a teaser trailer I had seen months ago I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately it felt flat and as if most of the storytelling potential was wasted. The eight candidates served as great expositional mouthpieces and because of the time restraint (the story occurs more or less in real time over 80 minutes), you never really became engaged with them or cared about them. They weren't quite placeholder characters, but none of them garnered any sense of empathy either.
The whole narrative hinged on the (briefly outlined) backstory about what was going on in the 'outside world'. As a viewer, I should really have cared about: What made these characters want this job so desperately? How did such a disparate mixture of skill sets come to all be competing for the same job? Finally what was the Exam Question? Over the 80 minute time span, I began to care less and less what the actual question was (indeed what the purpose of the Exam even was), and believed in the characters less and less. I don't know if this is the fault of the actors not 'selling' the part or the writing being bland, but *something* was off and I still find it difficult to put my finger on precisely what that was.
I wouldn't recommend it although I am glad I have seen it. I thought it would be similar in pace and style to the Cube by Vincenzo Natali, but it wasn't nearly as engaging.
There were many 'fridge moments' which occurred as we watched the movie and that is never a good sign, but for me the biggest celluloid crime was inconsistency. Dear writers / directors, please stop having a character state specialist skills in one scene, and then immediately be faced with a set of circumstances linked directly to their speciality in which they utterly fail - unless you are deliberately framing the character as a liar. For example, do not have someone state they are / were a special forces soldier and then have that person scuffle with someone smaller than them with a civilian background whilst waving a gun around. And I do mean waving, not aiming, not pointing with resolve, just aimlessly waiving. Presuming that no one wants the civilian to have the gun it stretches the boundaries of credibility to have the special forces person then fight the civilian like an untrained wuss.
So yes, 'Exam'. My quick review is neat idea, but very poor execution.
Otis Lee Crenshaw: Live - Synopsis
The comedian Rich Hall portrays a character called Otis Lee Crenshaw for this musical show. Think A stereotypical Southern Good-Ole-Boy version of Mitch Benn and you are almost there.
I really enjoyed it. The pre-written songs were amusing, and clever, the improvised songs were very very amusing, and overall the entire run time of 71 minutes felt much shorter than it was. Filmed in front of a live audience, sometimes the audience reaction was a little stiff, but I was heartily laughing. I highly recommend it, and will probably but the audio album at some point. Songs about Crenshaw's X wives, his prison experiences, when dating should be classified as stalking and precisely what makes a folk hero were all top notch.
Let The Right One In - Synopsis
"Oskar is a bullied 12 year-old boy, longing to extract revenge on his tormentors but unable to build the courage to do it himself. But then he meets a girl called Eli, who gives him the strength he's been looking for. But Eli is not all she seems to be..."
I have always been interested in vampires, in all forms - myths. folklore, literature and on film. I prefer the slightly subverted takes on the old tropes, and cannot abide the Twilightification of all things vampire. I had heard good things about this film from everyone who had seen it and the film delivered on all of their promises. Engaging, believable, very sad, shocking, and most of all *moving*, the Boyf and I really really enjoyed this one. The US remake has been shelved (due to distribution company financial issues), which is a shame because a US take on the story (originally adapted from a novel), would have been interesting if not necessarily, a necessity.
I highly recommend it, but do warn that there are a few grisly on-camera moments. I wasn't expecting them and am a relative wimp, so your milage may vary.
Chris Rock: Kill the messenger - synopsis
"Recorded in 2008, the 79-minute show is actually a compilation of three different gigs (in London, New York, and Johannesburg, South Africa) deftly edited into a single performance, presumably drawing on the best takes from each. It’s an effective technique, as it sustains visual interest (i.e., Rock’s wardrobe changes) and reveals the comedian’s gift for making his act seem spontaneous when in fact it’s basically the same every night during a given tour."
This was a letdown. When Chris rock is not being overtly racist (he likes them Cracker jokes so he does) I find him amusing, often satirically spot on and very very clever. This DVD was not his best material and it's his (I think) third HBO special and some of the repeat material is staring to wear pretty thin. Some material has just aged badly - the 08 presidential election material for instance - and some of it jumps the sexism border and has a good role around in misogyny - so all in all a large chunk of the performance had me more engrossed in looking at the different nationality crowd reactions to the jokes, than finding the jokes themselves amusing. Unless you are a hard-core Chris rock fan I would say you can safely skip this one. Until he refreshes his stand up material substantially, he is just playing a poor parody of his former years.
My Name Is Bruce: Synopsis
"Something evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by one man--Bruce Campbell (the guy who starred in all three Evil Dead movies and Bubba Ho-tep), B-move star and deadbeat ex-husband extraordinaire, who's recruited to be their unwitting savior. Thinking the whole scenario's a publicity prank, Bruce is distracted from his mission by a hot mom and fan boys aplenty--but when our hero has to face off against a dark force more fearsome than a Hollywood agent, the laughs and screams start flying!"
I freely admit to being a rare breed of Bruce campbell fan. I am a mainstream fan and was one BEFORE the most excellent TV show Burn Notice. As a mainstream fan, I'm not well versed on Campbell's full B_movie back catalogue, but I like his work enough to have read his autobiography, and to rent 'My Name Is Bruce'. Was it entertaining? Yes. Was it too long ? Yes. Was seeing an actor i like parody himself and his persona amusing yet uncomfortable. Yes, Yes, yes. Thing is Bruce Campbell has an industry reputation for being a 'genuinely nice guy', and common sense tells me he must be otherwise he wouldn't still be working in the industry. As an aside i think the biggest asshole who still gets regular work award probably goes to James Woods - so even thought I know he's playing a parody, I still don't' feel comfortable seeing an actor treat fans like benign chumps or worse yet active nuisances. After all without the fan devotion and interest actors cannot make a living. It was very silly, had definite high points and if you are a fan of Bruce Campbell's particular brand of silliness then it won't disappoint. Just don't expect it to be consistently laugh out loud funny. Its more of a low simmering giggle throughout.
Plus if you are a big fan of Campbell then you will probably be able to spot the plethora of in-jokes that fly fast and thick.
Erm, that became longer than I originally envisioned. I think I can actually type and think now so I shall leave the reviews for Code 46, Gamer, 21, Franklyn, and I'm a Cyborg But That's OK, for another post.
Boyy and I were struggling to remember what films we have rented on DVD this year. Now this is not a reflection on the quality of the titles rented, more our alarmingly increasingly terrible memories.
So here, in no particular order, and with mini accompanying reviews synopsis are the title we have viewed this year :
My Name is Bruce, Code 46, Chris Rock: Kill The Messenger, Gamer, 21, Franklyn, Let the Right One In (Original Swedish version not US remake), Otis Lee Crenshaw: Live, I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay, Exam.
I'm going to start with the most recent first.
Exam - Synopsis
"Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, where an armed guard keeps watch, they are given 80 minutes to answer one simple question.
The invigilator outlines three very specific rules that they must obey - and if they don't, they will be disqualified:
1. They must not speak to the invigilator or the guard.
2. They must not spoil their papers.
3. They must not leave the room
The invigilator starts the clock and leaves. The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find that they are completely blank"
This is an independent small budget UK film and based on a teaser trailer I had seen months ago I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately it felt flat and as if most of the storytelling potential was wasted. The eight candidates served as great expositional mouthpieces and because of the time restraint (the story occurs more or less in real time over 80 minutes), you never really became engaged with them or cared about them. They weren't quite placeholder characters, but none of them garnered any sense of empathy either.
The whole narrative hinged on the (briefly outlined) backstory about what was going on in the 'outside world'. As a viewer, I should really have cared about: What made these characters want this job so desperately? How did such a disparate mixture of skill sets come to all be competing for the same job? Finally what was the Exam Question? Over the 80 minute time span, I began to care less and less what the actual question was (indeed what the purpose of the Exam even was), and believed in the characters less and less. I don't know if this is the fault of the actors not 'selling' the part or the writing being bland, but *something* was off and I still find it difficult to put my finger on precisely what that was.
I wouldn't recommend it although I am glad I have seen it. I thought it would be similar in pace and style to the Cube by Vincenzo Natali, but it wasn't nearly as engaging.
There were many 'fridge moments' which occurred as we watched the movie and that is never a good sign, but for me the biggest celluloid crime was inconsistency. Dear writers / directors, please stop having a character state specialist skills in one scene, and then immediately be faced with a set of circumstances linked directly to their speciality in which they utterly fail - unless you are deliberately framing the character as a liar. For example, do not have someone state they are / were a special forces soldier and then have that person scuffle with someone smaller than them with a civilian background whilst waving a gun around. And I do mean waving, not aiming, not pointing with resolve, just aimlessly waiving. Presuming that no one wants the civilian to have the gun it stretches the boundaries of credibility to have the special forces person then fight the civilian like an untrained wuss.
So yes, 'Exam'. My quick review is neat idea, but very poor execution.
Otis Lee Crenshaw: Live - Synopsis
The comedian Rich Hall portrays a character called Otis Lee Crenshaw for this musical show. Think A stereotypical Southern Good-Ole-Boy version of Mitch Benn and you are almost there.
I really enjoyed it. The pre-written songs were amusing, and clever, the improvised songs were very very amusing, and overall the entire run time of 71 minutes felt much shorter than it was. Filmed in front of a live audience, sometimes the audience reaction was a little stiff, but I was heartily laughing. I highly recommend it, and will probably but the audio album at some point. Songs about Crenshaw's X wives, his prison experiences, when dating should be classified as stalking and precisely what makes a folk hero were all top notch.
Let The Right One In - Synopsis
"Oskar is a bullied 12 year-old boy, longing to extract revenge on his tormentors but unable to build the courage to do it himself. But then he meets a girl called Eli, who gives him the strength he's been looking for. But Eli is not all she seems to be..."
I have always been interested in vampires, in all forms - myths. folklore, literature and on film. I prefer the slightly subverted takes on the old tropes, and cannot abide the Twilightification of all things vampire. I had heard good things about this film from everyone who had seen it and the film delivered on all of their promises. Engaging, believable, very sad, shocking, and most of all *moving*, the Boyf and I really really enjoyed this one. The US remake has been shelved (due to distribution company financial issues), which is a shame because a US take on the story (originally adapted from a novel), would have been interesting if not necessarily, a necessity.
I highly recommend it, but do warn that there are a few grisly on-camera moments. I wasn't expecting them and am a relative wimp, so your milage may vary.
Chris Rock: Kill the messenger - synopsis
"Recorded in 2008, the 79-minute show is actually a compilation of three different gigs (in London, New York, and Johannesburg, South Africa) deftly edited into a single performance, presumably drawing on the best takes from each. It’s an effective technique, as it sustains visual interest (i.e., Rock’s wardrobe changes) and reveals the comedian’s gift for making his act seem spontaneous when in fact it’s basically the same every night during a given tour."
This was a letdown. When Chris rock is not being overtly racist (he likes them Cracker jokes so he does) I find him amusing, often satirically spot on and very very clever. This DVD was not his best material and it's his (I think) third HBO special and some of the repeat material is staring to wear pretty thin. Some material has just aged badly - the 08 presidential election material for instance - and some of it jumps the sexism border and has a good role around in misogyny - so all in all a large chunk of the performance had me more engrossed in looking at the different nationality crowd reactions to the jokes, than finding the jokes themselves amusing. Unless you are a hard-core Chris rock fan I would say you can safely skip this one. Until he refreshes his stand up material substantially, he is just playing a poor parody of his former years.
My Name Is Bruce: Synopsis
"Something evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by one man--Bruce Campbell (the guy who starred in all three Evil Dead movies and Bubba Ho-tep), B-move star and deadbeat ex-husband extraordinaire, who's recruited to be their unwitting savior. Thinking the whole scenario's a publicity prank, Bruce is distracted from his mission by a hot mom and fan boys aplenty--but when our hero has to face off against a dark force more fearsome than a Hollywood agent, the laughs and screams start flying!"
I freely admit to being a rare breed of Bruce campbell fan. I am a mainstream fan and was one BEFORE the most excellent TV show Burn Notice. As a mainstream fan, I'm not well versed on Campbell's full B_movie back catalogue, but I like his work enough to have read his autobiography, and to rent 'My Name Is Bruce'. Was it entertaining? Yes. Was it too long ? Yes. Was seeing an actor i like parody himself and his persona amusing yet uncomfortable. Yes, Yes, yes. Thing is Bruce Campbell has an industry reputation for being a 'genuinely nice guy', and common sense tells me he must be otherwise he wouldn't still be working in the industry. As an aside i think the biggest asshole who still gets regular work award probably goes to James Woods - so even thought I know he's playing a parody, I still don't' feel comfortable seeing an actor treat fans like benign chumps or worse yet active nuisances. After all without the fan devotion and interest actors cannot make a living. It was very silly, had definite high points and if you are a fan of Bruce Campbell's particular brand of silliness then it won't disappoint. Just don't expect it to be consistently laugh out loud funny. Its more of a low simmering giggle throughout.
Plus if you are a big fan of Campbell then you will probably be able to spot the plethora of in-jokes that fly fast and thick.
Erm, that became longer than I originally envisioned. I think I can actually type and think now so I shall leave the reviews for Code 46, Gamer, 21, Franklyn, and I'm a Cyborg But That's OK, for another post.