Quick Film Reviews #26
Damn, it's been a long time since I wrote one of these. Not so quick after all.
I decided to run all these films through the Bechdel test, because I thought it would be fun (and maybe informative). The Bechdel is a very simple test of the presence of women in films. A film passes if features a conversation between two women, who have names, about something other than a man (or, to be absolutely clear, a boy).
In a Lonely Place
Sometimes you approach a 'classic' film with a little trepidation. Is it going to be too subtle, too stiff, something that connected with audiences at the time, or connects only with those who really appreciate the arts of cinema. Fortunately, In a Lonely Place isn't like that. It reminded me a bit of The Stranger, in that the main character often doesn't react the way society expects, either socially or emotionally. Unlike Camus' character, Bogart's is not lacking in feeling or compassion, and certainly not lacking in charm, and is undone by a violent temper the roots of which the film refuses to explain.
Test: Fail
Four Lions
If you want to keep in mind that not all terrorists are scheming masterminds, and in fact a lot are bumbling outcasts like the rest of us, Chris Morris can help. This film was actually a lot funnier than I expected, eg. the inspired use of Toploader's Dancing in the Moonlight, or the police snipers' argument about whether a wookie is a bear or not. The film's difficult climax is well-handled, with a mix of humour, pathos, and maybe a bit of insight (the farcical discussion of listening to your heart vs your head combines the three).
Test: Fail
Attack the Block
The great thing about this sort of monster film is that you can keep the same formula, change the terms and still come up with something good. I suppose that's the appeal of a 'genre film'. I particularly liked the attempt to warn people that falters when mobile phone credit runs out.
Test: Fail
A Prophet
What is it with the French and slashing throats? A Prophet is an entertaining gangster film, but one that loses its grit. The initial murder is brutal and exacts a psychological toll. By the end of the film, without a persuasive transition, the main character is shooting people in broad daylight without displaying any second thoughts.
Test: Fail
Loot
Based on a Joe Orton play, Loot mixes screwball comedy with satirising institutions and social attitudes. Some of it - mostly Richard Attenborough's police officer - is funny, but the satire seems to have lost its edge.
Test: Fail
Barry Lyndon
A Kubrick adaptation of a Thackeray novel. The story isn't perfect, but the cinematography is amazing. A lot of shots are basically stills, with the camera tracking slowly out from the characters to reveal their surroundings. I suspect Kubrick may have been thorough enough to base his compositions on paintings of the 18th century. The film has quite a lot of narration - often a sign of a clumsy adaptation - but in this case the film could almost work without the dialogue, or even without the narration.
Test: Fail
Your Friends and Neighbours
I had two big problems with this film. First, it's very hard to care about the characters and how their love lives work out. Second, the main secondary character is so blatantly diabolic, you wonder what he's doing in the film, if maybe he snuck in from American Psycho.
Test: Pass (barely)
Eraserhead
I suppose that if there's a "language of cinema"then some films are like cryptic crosswords, or nonsense poems. You have to trust that there's something worth the effort of deciphering, though, or enjoy the process.
Test: Fail
Gregory's Girl
Ahh, I remember my schooldays in Scotland in the 1980s. Gregory's Girl is a very likeable film. It's low key, well-observed, charming and funny, like a light-comedy film should be. Supposedly the budget was £500.
I like making Amy watch films with different British accents in, or I do until she demands we rewind because she missed some dialogue.
Test: Fail
A Touch of Zen
According to the director, this film is meant to demonstrate a part of the Zen philosophy, something that cannot be explained, only shown by analogy, or experienced. I don't think I got it. The first part is great, though, and the low-light cinematography is technically very impressive. The second part (which I think it where the Zen really comes in) loses the narrative thread somewhat, but since it involves martial-artist monks, you can't complain too much.
Test: Fail
Submarine
There's no shortage of 'awkward teenage boy meets girl' films (see above), but I think Submarine is more subtle than most. It also doesn't have the same nostalgia that many of these films inspire. The story is kicked off by an act of bullying that is never 'paid for', as you might expect. The protagonist's depressive father is a character who brings a weight to the scenes he is involved in. My favourite bit is the 'list of reasons to have sex with me'.
Test: Fail
I decided to run all these films through the Bechdel test, because I thought it would be fun (and maybe informative). The Bechdel is a very simple test of the presence of women in films. A film passes if features a conversation between two women, who have names, about something other than a man (or, to be absolutely clear, a boy).
In a Lonely Place
Sometimes you approach a 'classic' film with a little trepidation. Is it going to be too subtle, too stiff, something that connected with audiences at the time, or connects only with those who really appreciate the arts of cinema. Fortunately, In a Lonely Place isn't like that. It reminded me a bit of The Stranger, in that the main character often doesn't react the way society expects, either socially or emotionally. Unlike Camus' character, Bogart's is not lacking in feeling or compassion, and certainly not lacking in charm, and is undone by a violent temper the roots of which the film refuses to explain.
Test: Fail
Four Lions
If you want to keep in mind that not all terrorists are scheming masterminds, and in fact a lot are bumbling outcasts like the rest of us, Chris Morris can help. This film was actually a lot funnier than I expected, eg. the inspired use of Toploader's Dancing in the Moonlight, or the police snipers' argument about whether a wookie is a bear or not. The film's difficult climax is well-handled, with a mix of humour, pathos, and maybe a bit of insight (the farcical discussion of listening to your heart vs your head combines the three).
Test: Fail
Attack the Block
The great thing about this sort of monster film is that you can keep the same formula, change the terms and still come up with something good. I suppose that's the appeal of a 'genre film'. I particularly liked the attempt to warn people that falters when mobile phone credit runs out.
Test: Fail
A Prophet
What is it with the French and slashing throats? A Prophet is an entertaining gangster film, but one that loses its grit. The initial murder is brutal and exacts a psychological toll. By the end of the film, without a persuasive transition, the main character is shooting people in broad daylight without displaying any second thoughts.
Test: Fail
Loot
Based on a Joe Orton play, Loot mixes screwball comedy with satirising institutions and social attitudes. Some of it - mostly Richard Attenborough's police officer - is funny, but the satire seems to have lost its edge.
Test: Fail
Barry Lyndon
A Kubrick adaptation of a Thackeray novel. The story isn't perfect, but the cinematography is amazing. A lot of shots are basically stills, with the camera tracking slowly out from the characters to reveal their surroundings. I suspect Kubrick may have been thorough enough to base his compositions on paintings of the 18th century. The film has quite a lot of narration - often a sign of a clumsy adaptation - but in this case the film could almost work without the dialogue, or even without the narration.
Test: Fail
Your Friends and Neighbours
I had two big problems with this film. First, it's very hard to care about the characters and how their love lives work out. Second, the main secondary character is so blatantly diabolic, you wonder what he's doing in the film, if maybe he snuck in from American Psycho.
Test: Pass (barely)
Eraserhead
I suppose that if there's a "language of cinema"then some films are like cryptic crosswords, or nonsense poems. You have to trust that there's something worth the effort of deciphering, though, or enjoy the process.
Test: Fail
Gregory's Girl
Ahh, I remember my schooldays in Scotland in the 1980s. Gregory's Girl is a very likeable film. It's low key, well-observed, charming and funny, like a light-comedy film should be. Supposedly the budget was £500.
I like making Amy watch films with different British accents in, or I do until she demands we rewind because she missed some dialogue.
Test: Fail
A Touch of Zen
According to the director, this film is meant to demonstrate a part of the Zen philosophy, something that cannot be explained, only shown by analogy, or experienced. I don't think I got it. The first part is great, though, and the low-light cinematography is technically very impressive. The second part (which I think it where the Zen really comes in) loses the narrative thread somewhat, but since it involves martial-artist monks, you can't complain too much.
Test: Fail
Submarine
There's no shortage of 'awkward teenage boy meets girl' films (see above), but I think Submarine is more subtle than most. It also doesn't have the same nostalgia that many of these films inspire. The story is kicked off by an act of bullying that is never 'paid for', as you might expect. The protagonist's depressive father is a character who brings a weight to the scenes he is involved in. My favourite bit is the 'list of reasons to have sex with me'.
Test: Fail