Flicks I've Seen In September
The Prestige (2006)
2nd viewing
So, it's the late 1800s. And we've got these magicians. Played by Christian Bale (Batman) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine). Chortle now, because once their flame-hot acting kicks in, you'll be too busy being enthralled to think about superheroes, baby.
So, Bale is all set to be executed for the seemingly open-shut murder of Jackman. But this being a film about magicians and trickery, you'll be excused for looking under the surface some. The narrative strands we follow are, chronologically, all over the freaking place - Bale reading Jackman's diary from his cell (for Jackman's murder, naturally) one minute, Jackman reading Bale's the next. Bale reading about Jackman reading his, and various other delightful little details!
And that's about all I think I'm going to say. Hahah. One of last year's very finest films, by God and - with its multitute of twists, the magnitude of the performances (see also: one Michael Caine in fine form!) - dare I say director Christopher Nolan might just have crafted an even better flick than 2000's similarly astounding Memento. Thoroughly recommended, like.
It's A Boy Girl Thing (2006)
Prissy, nerdy, Shakespeare-spouting virgin girl and loutish, rap-loving football-playing bimbo-shagger wake up, one sunny morning, not only in one anothers' beds, but one anothers' bodies! Wow!
Initial attempts at ruining one anothers' reputations with their respective crowds are respectably sniggersome, but we're down to straight up off-the-peg romantic-comedy bullshit by (ready for this?) the big freaking dance at the end.
A bit ruder, funnier and smarter than your average high-school romp, but falls well short of the greats. Pretty much the runt of the body-swap litter, then.
The Departed (2006)
2nd viewing
Not just one of last year's best films, but a full on out-and-out Scorcese classic. A feast of amazing and diverse performances, unparalleled use of a soundtrack, gorgeously directed acts of fuck-off violence, and a freaking gripping old yarn, to the end.
The Rock (1996)
xth viewing
Simply one of my all-time favourite action films. Cage and Connery are both spot-on, as the action sequences - particularly that big old Cage-Connery mass-mayhem car-chase. Aaaah.
Family Man (2000)
Less action, but no less Nicolas Cage: this time as a big-shot New York stocks guy who wakes up one Christmas day to find himself living a parallel life - married to the college sweetheart he left for work, and with two kids to call his own. He now sells tyres for a living. Can he have his cake and eat it as well?
Typically great performances from Cage and Tea Leoni (as his parallel wife) make the whole thing work, and a sub-plot with Cage's older daughter clocking her 'dad' as some kind of alien imposter amps up the cute nicely. It all gets a little touch-and-go come the ending (considering the premise: what pay-off could possibly please everyone?) but I plant a flag and stand by the conclusion drawn. Also: merry Christmas, everyone!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)
xth viewing
Which I didn't like nearly as much as I remembered. Pretty funny, self-conciously hokum slice of vampire pie, but the tone is wholly uneven (complete horror parody one scene, then we're expected to care someone's having a bad dream the next?), and the laughs just aren't plentiful enough ("Pike's not a name, it's a fish"... what were you thinking exactly, Mr. Wheedon??). Worth a gander for a pre-fame Hilary Swank, kicking about the background.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
2nd viewing
Proper five-star dreams-within-dreams "kill yourself, David" "I am the famous balloon thief" stuff. Name me a horror film with the heart of a young man facing certain death phoning his family to say he loves them, with the balls to deal with schizophrenia and suicidal anxieties, with the back-breaking bark of that transformation scene and so on and so forth? Yeah, you've just named Werewolf in London, ain'tcha? Also I gotta say - I love how British it is. As accurate a depiction of the British police force apprehending a werewolf as you're likely to see outside of the tabloids.
Withnail & I (1987)
2nd viewing
I can't describe the Withnail plot without making it sound like a Carry On film - and being as its so much more than that, I'm not going to do that. I am a sucker for a permantly intoxicated character, I confess. I suppose that's fairly universal - hence the popularity of, say, Captain Jack Sparrow. For me - easy-peasy - the three finest, most splendid, most five star 'permantly intoxicated' performances are Johnny Depp in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas and Richard E Grant in Withnail & I. Managing to make the list without even going to Vegas.
Um. Anyway, it's a hilarious and ever-so-somewhat poignant death-of-the-'60s flick, with an unmissable central turn.
Sleeping Dogs (2006)
An 87-minute indie-comedy that - thanks to poor pacing and an inconsistent script - feels double that. The plot and conventions are borrowed in huge chunks - part Meet The Parents minus the calibre cast, part Chasing Amy with added beastiality - and that's about that.
Not without some laughs and squirms, it's still easily my dud of the month.
The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006)
Not half as clever, sharp or inventive as the original film - and with a tendency to feel a little like porn - TBE2 is a surprisingly effective time-shuffler which keeps one's what's-going-to-happen?-ometer bubbling away fairly well, before finally pissing its chips away at the ending. Still; remarkably better sequel than one could reasonably expect.
Transformers (2007)
A few fuckin' sweet big old robot-on-robot fights are well worth a peek - but are hardly the 21st century Jurassic Park we were promised. Likewise we get some decent chuckles for our bucks, but little of the heart we might expect from Spielberg's involvement, as most of the characters are happy to be little more than caricatures. Still - it's an '80s cartoon made metal and flesh, and none of these quibbles detract from a pretty good feel-good hit of the summer.
Not a highlight of the year, like the newest Spider-Man or Harry Potter - but not a flabby old mess like the latest Pirates arse-number, either.
Imagine: John Lennon (1988)
Amazing, beautiful and highly entertaining piece that tracks Lennon through the Beatles, into his solo career, through his 'lost weekend' and finally back into Yoko's arms and to his grisly demise. Anyone with even a fleeting interest in Lennon should really very much be watching this film.
1408 (2007)
John Cusack goes in a big old haunted room, as research for one of his many books (yes, this is a Stephen King adaptation, so Cusack plays another of King's hack authors) about big old haunted rooms. And then the heat gets stuck on high. And the doorknob snaps off. And pretty soon all Hell is kicking off.
For a film that's largely just Cusack-in-a-room, its inventive, well-paced and a solid freakin' ride. It doesn't reach the bust-a-gut genius of similar Campbell-in-a-room outing Evil Dead 2, but it's a sly, solid horror film with a great actor taking the punishment - and Lord knows them's rare.
Superbad (2007)
I an McLovin'! Superbad is, quite probably, the single funniest teen-comedy ever conceived. Makes the likes of Porky's and American Pie look like shit. A high quality rapid-fire gag-machine with sharply drawn characters and a bit of an ol' heart in there too. Stick with the credits for all the dick pictures. Trrrrrust me. Gem of the month.
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
3rd viewing
Supercute amazingly imaginative very funny very slick big ball of fur. One of Pixar's finest gems.
Death Proof (2007)
Quentin Tarantino's sloppy-looking slasher-throwback is pretty cool, fun good times - though the structure and pacing shoots itself in the foot somewhat (the film could have been fairly billed as a Death Proof I & II double-bill, giving audiences a chance to get on board with its anti-climatic stop-start nature). Still, another unusual and enjoyable slice of QT pie that I'm confident will only gain flavour over multiple servings.
Missing (1982)
Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek trawl through south America looking for their titular 'missing' son/husband, uncovering all sorts of horrible political secrets along the way, sort of thing. Pretty good, but heavy going. Was nominated for best picture; lost to Ghandi.
True Romance (1993)
xth viewing
Still an absolute all-time fave, there.
Bobby (2006)
Magnolia-style all-star ensemble-piece that follows the disparate lives of a hotel's employees and clientele on the day that the US of A officially fell into despair (the assassination of one Robert Kennedy). Kennedy himself appears through old news footage - rattling on about the sort of things Michael Moore makes documentaries about nowadays. A tragic, moving and breath-taking piece, with any number of notable performances. Chess fan Anthony Hopkins takes top honours.
Touch Of Evil (1958)
Sweet-ass noir with flabby-assed Orson Welles and Mexican-assed Charlton Heston at loggerheads over evidence-planting and racism and whatnot. Gripping.
Jackie Brown (1997)
xth viewing
Like Scorcese's Casino, Tarantino's Jackie Brown is under-rated by comparison. Subconciously written off by the wider world as Pulp Fiction II: Not Quite As Good. OK, so it's not exactly the film Tarantino's going to be remembered for - but it's a damn, damn, damn fine gangster flick with a sweet twisty-turny plot, top-notch dialogue, great characters and acting (DeNiro and L. Jackson seizing top honours), and whatthefuckmorecouldyouwantalready??
A History Of Violence (2005)
2nd viewing
Smart, thrilling, sexy, plenty to tuck into vis-a-vis morality, identity and violence - and ridiculously thrilling bouts of the bloody stuff. Long live Cronenberg.
Natural Born Killers (1994)
xth viewing
"It's just murder, man. All God's creatures do it", Woody Harrelson there - in the film's most chilling and - to have a conservative moment here - dangerous scene, being interviewed by a bizzare Australian Robert Downey Jr. "A deer doesn't know why it's a deer, a lion doesn't know why it's a lion", and so on and so forth.
More of an assault on the senses than a "real film", Natural Born Killers takes on the media for sensationalising the unspeakable act of murder, while simultaneously providing some of the most glamorous and gorgeous cold-blooded killings you'll see this side of snuff.
I like it.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Great stuff! A whole load-a great scenes and great cartoon cameos and plenty of imagination. Bob Hoskins is mint.
Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
xth viewing
Great and very amusing entry, as Jason RETURNS FROM THE GRAVE AS A FREAKING ZOMBIE. Overall tone, acting and dialogue feels straight from a '50s B-movie - say some terribly entertaining flick like The Blob - but with all the nasty, jumpy kills that we can only rely on the '80s for. My only objection is that the drawn out final suspenseful stalk-off tradition of earlier entries is replaced with more of an action movie showdown sort of finale - but its a minor complaint on a barrel of bloody laughs, kills and fun.
Two kids cower under a bed as Jason does the rounds. One turns to the other and says: "So what were you going to be when you grew up?"; classic.
2nd viewing
So, it's the late 1800s. And we've got these magicians. Played by Christian Bale (Batman) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine). Chortle now, because once their flame-hot acting kicks in, you'll be too busy being enthralled to think about superheroes, baby.
So, Bale is all set to be executed for the seemingly open-shut murder of Jackman. But this being a film about magicians and trickery, you'll be excused for looking under the surface some. The narrative strands we follow are, chronologically, all over the freaking place - Bale reading Jackman's diary from his cell (for Jackman's murder, naturally) one minute, Jackman reading Bale's the next. Bale reading about Jackman reading his, and various other delightful little details!
And that's about all I think I'm going to say. Hahah. One of last year's very finest films, by God and - with its multitute of twists, the magnitude of the performances (see also: one Michael Caine in fine form!) - dare I say director Christopher Nolan might just have crafted an even better flick than 2000's similarly astounding Memento. Thoroughly recommended, like.
It's A Boy Girl Thing (2006)
Prissy, nerdy, Shakespeare-spouting virgin girl and loutish, rap-loving football-playing bimbo-shagger wake up, one sunny morning, not only in one anothers' beds, but one anothers' bodies! Wow!
Initial attempts at ruining one anothers' reputations with their respective crowds are respectably sniggersome, but we're down to straight up off-the-peg romantic-comedy bullshit by (ready for this?) the big freaking dance at the end.
A bit ruder, funnier and smarter than your average high-school romp, but falls well short of the greats. Pretty much the runt of the body-swap litter, then.
The Departed (2006)
2nd viewing
Not just one of last year's best films, but a full on out-and-out Scorcese classic. A feast of amazing and diverse performances, unparalleled use of a soundtrack, gorgeously directed acts of fuck-off violence, and a freaking gripping old yarn, to the end.
The Rock (1996)
xth viewing
Simply one of my all-time favourite action films. Cage and Connery are both spot-on, as the action sequences - particularly that big old Cage-Connery mass-mayhem car-chase. Aaaah.
Family Man (2000)
Less action, but no less Nicolas Cage: this time as a big-shot New York stocks guy who wakes up one Christmas day to find himself living a parallel life - married to the college sweetheart he left for work, and with two kids to call his own. He now sells tyres for a living. Can he have his cake and eat it as well?
Typically great performances from Cage and Tea Leoni (as his parallel wife) make the whole thing work, and a sub-plot with Cage's older daughter clocking her 'dad' as some kind of alien imposter amps up the cute nicely. It all gets a little touch-and-go come the ending (considering the premise: what pay-off could possibly please everyone?) but I plant a flag and stand by the conclusion drawn. Also: merry Christmas, everyone!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)
xth viewing
Which I didn't like nearly as much as I remembered. Pretty funny, self-conciously hokum slice of vampire pie, but the tone is wholly uneven (complete horror parody one scene, then we're expected to care someone's having a bad dream the next?), and the laughs just aren't plentiful enough ("Pike's not a name, it's a fish"... what were you thinking exactly, Mr. Wheedon??). Worth a gander for a pre-fame Hilary Swank, kicking about the background.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
2nd viewing
Proper five-star dreams-within-dreams "kill yourself, David" "I am the famous balloon thief" stuff. Name me a horror film with the heart of a young man facing certain death phoning his family to say he loves them, with the balls to deal with schizophrenia and suicidal anxieties, with the back-breaking bark of that transformation scene and so on and so forth? Yeah, you've just named Werewolf in London, ain'tcha? Also I gotta say - I love how British it is. As accurate a depiction of the British police force apprehending a werewolf as you're likely to see outside of the tabloids.
Withnail & I (1987)
2nd viewing
I can't describe the Withnail plot without making it sound like a Carry On film - and being as its so much more than that, I'm not going to do that. I am a sucker for a permantly intoxicated character, I confess. I suppose that's fairly universal - hence the popularity of, say, Captain Jack Sparrow. For me - easy-peasy - the three finest, most splendid, most five star 'permantly intoxicated' performances are Johnny Depp in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas and Richard E Grant in Withnail & I. Managing to make the list without even going to Vegas.
Um. Anyway, it's a hilarious and ever-so-somewhat poignant death-of-the-'60s flick, with an unmissable central turn.
Sleeping Dogs (2006)
An 87-minute indie-comedy that - thanks to poor pacing and an inconsistent script - feels double that. The plot and conventions are borrowed in huge chunks - part Meet The Parents minus the calibre cast, part Chasing Amy with added beastiality - and that's about that.
Not without some laughs and squirms, it's still easily my dud of the month.
The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006)
Not half as clever, sharp or inventive as the original film - and with a tendency to feel a little like porn - TBE2 is a surprisingly effective time-shuffler which keeps one's what's-going-to-happen?-ometer bubbling away fairly well, before finally pissing its chips away at the ending. Still; remarkably better sequel than one could reasonably expect.
Transformers (2007)
A few fuckin' sweet big old robot-on-robot fights are well worth a peek - but are hardly the 21st century Jurassic Park we were promised. Likewise we get some decent chuckles for our bucks, but little of the heart we might expect from Spielberg's involvement, as most of the characters are happy to be little more than caricatures. Still - it's an '80s cartoon made metal and flesh, and none of these quibbles detract from a pretty good feel-good hit of the summer.
Not a highlight of the year, like the newest Spider-Man or Harry Potter - but not a flabby old mess like the latest Pirates arse-number, either.
Imagine: John Lennon (1988)
Amazing, beautiful and highly entertaining piece that tracks Lennon through the Beatles, into his solo career, through his 'lost weekend' and finally back into Yoko's arms and to his grisly demise. Anyone with even a fleeting interest in Lennon should really very much be watching this film.
1408 (2007)
John Cusack goes in a big old haunted room, as research for one of his many books (yes, this is a Stephen King adaptation, so Cusack plays another of King's hack authors) about big old haunted rooms. And then the heat gets stuck on high. And the doorknob snaps off. And pretty soon all Hell is kicking off.
For a film that's largely just Cusack-in-a-room, its inventive, well-paced and a solid freakin' ride. It doesn't reach the bust-a-gut genius of similar Campbell-in-a-room outing Evil Dead 2, but it's a sly, solid horror film with a great actor taking the punishment - and Lord knows them's rare.
Superbad (2007)
I an McLovin'! Superbad is, quite probably, the single funniest teen-comedy ever conceived. Makes the likes of Porky's and American Pie look like shit. A high quality rapid-fire gag-machine with sharply drawn characters and a bit of an ol' heart in there too. Stick with the credits for all the dick pictures. Trrrrrust me. Gem of the month.
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
3rd viewing
Supercute amazingly imaginative very funny very slick big ball of fur. One of Pixar's finest gems.
Death Proof (2007)
Quentin Tarantino's sloppy-looking slasher-throwback is pretty cool, fun good times - though the structure and pacing shoots itself in the foot somewhat (the film could have been fairly billed as a Death Proof I & II double-bill, giving audiences a chance to get on board with its anti-climatic stop-start nature). Still, another unusual and enjoyable slice of QT pie that I'm confident will only gain flavour over multiple servings.
Missing (1982)
Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek trawl through south America looking for their titular 'missing' son/husband, uncovering all sorts of horrible political secrets along the way, sort of thing. Pretty good, but heavy going. Was nominated for best picture; lost to Ghandi.
True Romance (1993)
xth viewing
Still an absolute all-time fave, there.
Bobby (2006)
Magnolia-style all-star ensemble-piece that follows the disparate lives of a hotel's employees and clientele on the day that the US of A officially fell into despair (the assassination of one Robert Kennedy). Kennedy himself appears through old news footage - rattling on about the sort of things Michael Moore makes documentaries about nowadays. A tragic, moving and breath-taking piece, with any number of notable performances. Chess fan Anthony Hopkins takes top honours.
Touch Of Evil (1958)
Sweet-ass noir with flabby-assed Orson Welles and Mexican-assed Charlton Heston at loggerheads over evidence-planting and racism and whatnot. Gripping.
Jackie Brown (1997)
xth viewing
Like Scorcese's Casino, Tarantino's Jackie Brown is under-rated by comparison. Subconciously written off by the wider world as Pulp Fiction II: Not Quite As Good. OK, so it's not exactly the film Tarantino's going to be remembered for - but it's a damn, damn, damn fine gangster flick with a sweet twisty-turny plot, top-notch dialogue, great characters and acting (DeNiro and L. Jackson seizing top honours), and whatthefuckmorecouldyouwantalready??
A History Of Violence (2005)
2nd viewing
Smart, thrilling, sexy, plenty to tuck into vis-a-vis morality, identity and violence - and ridiculously thrilling bouts of the bloody stuff. Long live Cronenberg.
Natural Born Killers (1994)
xth viewing
"It's just murder, man. All God's creatures do it", Woody Harrelson there - in the film's most chilling and - to have a conservative moment here - dangerous scene, being interviewed by a bizzare Australian Robert Downey Jr. "A deer doesn't know why it's a deer, a lion doesn't know why it's a lion", and so on and so forth.
More of an assault on the senses than a "real film", Natural Born Killers takes on the media for sensationalising the unspeakable act of murder, while simultaneously providing some of the most glamorous and gorgeous cold-blooded killings you'll see this side of snuff.
I like it.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Great stuff! A whole load-a great scenes and great cartoon cameos and plenty of imagination. Bob Hoskins is mint.
Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
xth viewing
Great and very amusing entry, as Jason RETURNS FROM THE GRAVE AS A FREAKING ZOMBIE. Overall tone, acting and dialogue feels straight from a '50s B-movie - say some terribly entertaining flick like The Blob - but with all the nasty, jumpy kills that we can only rely on the '80s for. My only objection is that the drawn out final suspenseful stalk-off tradition of earlier entries is replaced with more of an action movie showdown sort of finale - but its a minor complaint on a barrel of bloody laughs, kills and fun.
Two kids cower under a bed as Jason does the rounds. One turns to the other and says: "So what were you going to be when you grew up?"; classic.