Where double agents, Russian spies, media megalomaniacs, skinheads and North Korean assassins failed, it was the corporation who finally succeeded. I was rather disappointed with the manner in which they sacked Pierce Brosnan; an actor who"s stellar work as 007 resurrected a missing-presumed-dead franchise, and bought Bond back with a (Walther PPK) bang into the 21st century.
That said, 'Casino Royale' is an entertaining film, and though I'm not an obsessive fan of the series, I can tell its not so much a Bond movie as it is a blatant, wholly unnecessary, attempt to recapture ground Broccoli & 'Eon' feel they've lost to the 'Bourne' franchise. A lot of the tongue-in-cheek traits we've come to know and love have been axed: even the ridiculously named Bond girls, remembered long after the actresses who played them faded into obscurity, are reduced to a mere in-joke, perhaps Quentin Tarantino (who first proposed the idea for an origin story at Cannes) should have been consulted by the filmmakers after all.
Eva Green, Ivana Milicevic and Caterina Murino make for suitably enigmatic & dangerous Bond girls, Judi Dench gets some good lines as M, but Daniel Craig, though one of our finest stage/character actors, just doesn't work at all, and in many ways, he's just riffing off his Alex West role from 'Tomb Raider', occasionally throwing in a bit of 'Road To Perdition's' Conner Rooney-esque menace; and in spite of a few excellent one-liners, fails to evoke the classic Bond demeanour of suave & deadly. Its not his fault, but Craig just has the look of a goon about him, he'll always be the brooding henchman; which is why he was perfect as both an anonymous hit man in 'Layer Cake' and an Israeli neo-Nazi in 'Munich'. Its almost as if Daniel Craig is Bond's limo driver, assuming his boss's identity for a wild weekend away, would Clive Owen have been any better? Who knows, I think Hugh Jackman, Ralph Fiennes or even John Travolta (provided he thinned down and could do an English accent) would've worked well.
Directed in a workmanlike manner by Bond veteran Martin Campbell, who helmed the as yet unequalled 'Goldeneye' back in 1995. 'Casino Royale' is good for what it is, though I don't see why they couldn't have made this picture with Brosnan, after all, even Sean Connery had a few not-so-great outings as Bond. But to fire Pierce based solely upon the narrative absurdity of 'Die Another Day', just smacks of a knee-jerk response by an unseen corporate bureaucracy, bean counters who had the best Bond since Connery, and cut him loose because of one lazy script and bad CGI work. An enjoyable, but undeserved, success for the Bond plutocracy: I look forward to the next one.
If you enjoy the work of Matthew Bourne, best known for his male version of Swan Lake, you will love this loose version of Carmen. Set in 50's America it is everything Bourne has become known for - a clever modern interpretation, excellent dance and highly evokative. The male lead is excpetional. When he walks on stage he looks nothing like a dancer but that only adds to the power of his performance. If you like watching stage performances on stage you will love this as the sets are intersting and versatile.
Those crazy Dutch: if they're not invading South Africa or cooking in the nude, they're making movies about crotch flashing serial killers, pouting strippers, invisible men, future fascists and bare breasted freedom fighters...or at least one of them is. 'Robocop' director Paul Veerhoven, much like the title of his countryman Hieronymus Bosch's famous painting, returns to his Eurotrash roots with 'Zwartboek' ('Black Book'). An occasionally tense, structurally silly, but nonetheless engrossing WWII spy movie that's 'Charlotte Gray' on speed, holding a revolver and smoking a cigarette with no top on. Chock full of old school, wartime clichés, visual gimmicks and 1940s comic-book action, 'Black Book' tells the story of Jewish resistance fighter Rachel Stein (a daring performance by Clarice Van Houten) who successfully infiltrates Nazi occupation forces in Holland, and multitasks a one-woman espionage op whilst trying to settle a personal vendetta.
There seems to be some kind of critical consensus, which claims that Paul Verhoven's career stalled with 'Hollow Man' (2000), not in my book; 'Hollow Man' was a good popcorn movie as was 'Starship Troopers'. People tend to forget that whilst Veerhoven may be known for his sleazier efforts like 'Basic Instinct', 'The Sensualist' and 'Diary Of A Hooker', the Dutch director was, after Jim Cameron, one of the most accomplished sci-fi filmmakers and SFX pioneers working in Hollywood, for if you watch 'Hollow Man', the effects and, of course, Kevin Bacon's wonderfully smug performance, still stand up today. Paul Veerhoven's directorial career in genre pictures is alive & well, it's just his career in contemporary or serious drama that took an irreparable hit with 'Showgirls', whilst simultaneously damaging his seedier niche in erotica.
By opting for Kibbutz scenes to bookend his picture, Veerhoven was setting himself up for an epilogue he was never prepared, nor have time to explore; the fact that he tries to make two complex political points in the space of five minutes is absurd, for a movie that spent the same amount of time showing us Rachel dying her hair blonde. And if Paul had followed through with his second point, 'Black Book' would've been a better film for it. This subject matter ought to be easier for Veerhoven to convey than most, after all, he lived through both the German and U.S. occupations of his homeland, so its surprising then, that both 'Black Book' and 'Soldier Of Orange' (1977) employ clichés and exploitation devices; 'Black Book' in particular, is often unsure about whether it wants to be 'L'Armée Des Ombres' or 'Salon Kitty'.
On a more positive note, Veerhoven sets a good pace and the action sequences are well shot, Clarice Van Houten braves some pretty horrendous scenes whilst newcomer Halina Rejin could well be the next Lena Olin. A consistently entertaining, and often harrowing, movie made with technical proficiency by the veteran director: Good stab at the WWII resistance picture, but it's no 'Army Of Shadows'.
Obviously a must for any 24 fan!
A lot changes this series, without spoiling it for anyone (Is there anything worse when you overhear what happens next week??) Some of the main characters do not make it to the end of the day. This is one of the things which makes 24 so enjoyable- they have no fear about knocking off some of the biggest stars at a moment's notice, the show moving on without even so much as a minute to mourn the loss. Within 5 minutes of the start of each episode you are sucked right into the action and the pace is relentless start to finish. Although this is most likely the weakest series so far, when you have the first 4 to compare it to there is a tough challenge! Still a must-see, especially since it sets up the action for day 6 which has just broadcast and is due on DVD at the end of the year.
I think this is the best film Ingmar Bergman ever made, and I am not alone. No less than Andrei Tarkovsky and Bergman himself have expressed similar sentiments.
In Winter Light Bergman's trademark emotional intensity reaches its pinacle, in for example, a six minute take of a woman crying and reading a letter.
The film tells the story of a parish priest whose church is becoming more and more empty. When, after one miserable sermon, one of his procession comes to him for advice and he is unable to help, the man proceeds to kill himself.
The priest then, driven by the kind of lucid self loathing that only exists in Bergman films, visciously insults and drives away the one person who loves him - the woman who reads the letter. Losing all faith and belief in God, the priest continues giving his sermons to the empty church.
Winter Light is depressing, almost nihilistic, but watching it is like seeing the pure expression of these things. Furthermore, at 80 minutes it as succinct and direct a movie as I have ever seen. Such an viewing experience is rare. For a film fan or maker this film is a must see, probably must own. This DVD presentation is sharpe and includes a set of notes about the film and its production.
A friend once said to me that after seeing Breaking the Waves "I realised for the first time that films could be more than entertainment". This film is not entertaining in so much as it is deeply painful. It is about a woman with learning difficulties living in a remote Scottish Presbyterian community. She marries a Scandinavian man who works on the oil rigs in the North Sea. They are in love and she seems to be happy. He has to go back to the rig and is paralyzed by an accident. Bedridden he tells her that she can help him recover by taking lovers and telling him about it.
The central performance, of Emily Watson, is powerful. Her suffering heartbreaking. And the film overall disturbing. It is, however, genuinely capable of evoking very real and very intense emotions in the viewer asking them unsettling questions. As corny as it might sound, this is a film you experience rather than watch.
I think everyone should watch this film and get in touch with their humanity. If you want to hear what the director has to say about the film and why he made it this DVD also features a commentary track with him.
This is a bold and beautiful film. Made by a gay communist, it is widely recognised, by believers, as the most accurate portrayal of Christ's life ever filmed.
I am not a Christian, but I found this film moving. It is photographed with incredible aesthetic beauty and honesty.
Its focuses on the message or various messages of Jesus. Most Europeans are familiar with the narrative of man's life and don't need to hear it again. Also the facts of that life are contentious even among the different gospels. The message, and its various interpretations, however, is very real, its influence felt everyday in many countries. Interestingly the film makes very little effort to interpret or reinterpret the gospel for the viewer, allowing us instead to decide what Jesus says and why.
In the film Jesus often recites his message directly to the camera, over his shoulder and through his disciples for instance. He is almost always moving, on towards what we know is betrayal and painful death.
This is one of the best film I have seen in a long time. The DVDs image and audio are clean and clear, its price modest. I cannot but recommend.
I had been meaning to watch this film for a while, but when I saw The Last King of Scotland I finally decided to get the DVD.
In respect to the other film, General Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait is very interesting. Forest Whitaker obviously copied Amin's walk for instance, and perfectly. Though I thought he overworked the accent a bit.
But this film is also very worthy in its own right. It really is an "autoportrait" as the director allowed Amin to dictate what was and wasn't filmed. He chose, incidently, to film a mock invasion of the Golan Heights, wild life and a little swimming contest that he won. Amin also had certain critical comments removed in three edits before it could be shown - 150 French inhabitants of Uganda were rounded up as hostages.
So what we see in this film is the megalomaniac fantasies, and by their omision, insecurities, of a infamous dictator. He is funny and terrifying, tragic and charming.
This DVD also includes a booklet with three articles on the film and Amin: an interview with the director, an explanation of what Amin had removed from the film, and a psychologist's analysis of one particularly tense segment of the film. It is a good package and one that I would recommend to anyone interested in Uganda, African or World politics, documuntary film, or who "enjoyed" The Last King of Scotland.
This is the thinking man`s sci-fi of all time! What a trip!
It probes our minds to think further than our own small personal worlds in which we live everyday, to question is there life outside our own? It looks at the mind of the politic world and at times its quirky, odd cults to the deeper inner craving of man to contact and meet God and find a peace and a purpose for being here. This film certainly leaves you thinking and pondering far beyond the finale of the film...... to I hope personally finding the One and only Great Creator, God himself. Enjoy
You've treasured Spaced, you've loved Shaun of the Dead and now the next essential purchase Hot Fuzz!
Pegg and Frost are still at their best. They take all the cliches of cop movies and put them in a quaint village in the English countryside. Think Bad Boys meets Midsomer Murders. Need I say no more? Oh, and Bill Bailey's in it...
From the opening melodic notes of Philip Glass's score to the end credits, this is what the cliched would term 'a perfect gem' of a film.
Low key and subtle in its storytelling, playing out like a carefully nuanced crime tale with a twist; a red herring here, a fleeting clue there. I'm not usually the one to work out twists before they actually happen, but the 'twist' in question was fairly obvious, even to me. This, however, did not detract at all from the rest of the film; rather allowed me to enjoy what was unfolding, looking for other background wisps and details rather than concentrating on trying to work out the central trick. Not as if they were trying to hide it, anyway; the clue is in the title, after all.
One of those unhappy few who haven't been bewitched by the supposed magic of Edward Norton before, in this i found him entirely engaging; carefully mysterious, but not so much that he wasn't real to the audience. Jessica Biel, about whom i knew almost nothing, was a pleasure; demure, poised and yet passionate underneath (the perfect Victorian gentlewoman, in other words). And Paul Giamatti, whom i regard as some sort of character actor god, was of course nothing less than excellent. A policeman stuck between a rock and a hard place; not entirely moral, not entirely a hideous flatfoot. Rufus Sewell was wonderful as always. A much underrated actor, he gets called on by Hollywood to play the bad guy more often than not; but this bad guy had a humanity to him that actually touched me toward the end.
Any resemblance to a certain other similarly themed film that came out not long before is mostly fictional; the only thing they share is the period setting.
Of the two, this was much more melodic, much quieter, more satisfying. It pretended to be nothing other than it was; a good story, well told, beautifully played.
And buy the score; Philip Glass is genius.
The life and adventure of three teenage aliens, Max, Michael and Isabel, whose spaceship crashed on planet Earth in 1947. Although they are aliens, they look like humans and are able to hide they secret from humans..until Liz Parker gets shot. From this point, there secret is no longer a secret. Love, lust and passion interfers with danger, death and the alien's destiny. Over three years, we see how they overcome these obstacles, as more humans find out and put these people in danger...but how will it all end when we find out that Max is the King of another Planet and is a father to a son of another alien?
I have had this on vhs for a long time and it is one of the few series we will watch from start to finish over 3 nights running. It is still a captivating story but only slightly dated.Recommend it for any age.
Anyone lured by the thought that this will be an elegant tale imbued with the spirit of Noel Coward will be severely disappointed. Refinement and smart wit are certainly not what "Mad Dogs" is about.
London, a year from now. Following the outbreak of a canine disease dogs are outlawed. Robert 'Rabbie' Burns (Iain Fraser) is a schizophrenic who is contacted by aliens and given a 36-hour ultimatum to prevent scientists unleashing a new weapon capable of destroying galaxies. Together with his girlfriend and a resourceful busker he runs the gauntlet of a bewildering succession of dangerous agencies, human and alien, as they travel underground and via Underground...
Our hero may be mad but, unsurprisingly, he is the sanest person around. After all, alien mistrust of our technological intentions is well documented - from the days of at least the earliest creature-feature. Indeed, the talk of a weapon more powerful than the atom bomb stirs unsettling memories of the most infamous of all grade Z flicks, "Plan 9 from Outer Space", whilst there is more than one reference to "This Island Earth".
More tellingly it is "Time Bandits", "12 Monkeys", "Pulp Fiction", and "The Hitch-Hiker"s Guide to the Galaxy" which are among the pop cultural artefacts thrown into a blender in an effort to create an instant cult hit - though with the result most likely to appeal to the 12-year-olds who will be excluded by the certificate. The dog disease is perhaps an attack on Britons" celebrated love for pets, but like much of the film feels arbitrary, yielding only some feeble gags. The hero is an unappealing live wire and the film succumbs too often to a garrulous script, at times coming to a grinding halt so that characters can bring forth quasi-poetical and pseudo-philosophical ramblings (Benjamin Zephaniah even has a somewhat redundant cameo). Unfortunately the characters vary little in their sarcastic lip and ready recourse to a fusillade of four-letter oaths, promoting a sense of fatigue in the viewer.
However, not all is lost. The direction shows real vigour and the photography moments of strange beauty. Some of the humour comes off: with Rabbie"s house invaded by the recently resurrected he frets, "I'm not sure the chicken will stretch." But the real strengths are in the casting. Paul Barber is indomitable as the philosophizing saxophonist deadbeat Jimmy 'James' Joyce, even if he seems a late substitute for Craig Charles. The disarmingly lovely Indira Varma, as the hero"s 'Asian babe' girlfriend, moves through the action with luminous grace, providing both a calming presence and as good a reason as any for the human race not to be eradicated. (Who could argue with the film"s contention that the best way to spend one"s last night on earth is in her company?) Meanwhile, Jonathan Pryce is as credible a personification of the Supreme Being as one could imagine; he brings great weight and authority - even a certain measure of "humanity" - to his brief scenes. Clive Russell, Bhaskar Patel, and Saeed Jaffrey also make the most of their moments.
The DVD"s extras are fairly meagre: a trailer; three short deleted scenes; and a rather vapid 'chat with the Supreme Being (Jonathan Pryce)'. The sleeve claims that there is a commentary by the director, but it appears neither on the menu or as an audio option so unless it is "hidden" for some obscure reason, it ain"t there.
This show goes from strength to strength, the grittiest and most intelligent show currently on television leads the viewer on a rollercoaster of emotions, this series is the best so far and the characters are truly believable, this show unlike most others doesn't show things from just one side but tells you the story from both sides.
The only downside to this season especially is if you haven't seen this show before it would be better to start at the beginning.
You can't blame Ridley Scott for wanting a rest after directing 'Kingdom Of Heaven' but his take on friend Peter Mayle's bestseller 'A Year In Province' plays out like the wistful musings /fantasies of an upper class twit swigging flutes of Rothschild 1850 at the country club. In many ways, 'A Good Year' is Russell Crowe's 'Nick Of Time'; for just as Johnny Depp discovered he couldn't quite pull off the straight-laced, Hitchcockian wrong-man role, so too, should Crowe realise he's not the right actor for light bourgeois comedy & slapstick. Crowe, doing a passable English accent, plays an arrogant London stockbroker who inherits his late uncle's chateau/vineyard in France. Initially looking for a quick sell, he soon falls in love with it, and with local belle Marion Cotillard (who's put through her paces in an unintentionally hilarious bicycle crash sequence in the deleted scenes). 'A Good Year' paints the picture of a nice, almost idyllic, life, an enviable life for many I'm sure, the kind of life Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley would love to destabilise. But nice doesn't quite cut the mustard on screen, and frankly, I'd rather see Russell Crowe going mad with mathematics in 'A Beautiful Mind', hewing the limbs off his adversaries in 'Gladiator' or doing some method acting for films like 'The Insider'. Unintentional hilarity seems to be a frequent theme here, and I'd almost be willing to recommend this DVD if only to see a stunningly surreal extra featuring Russell Crowe and his band 'The Ordinary Fear Of God' (didn't they used to be called 'Ten Foot Of Grunts'?) doing an MTV unplugged style gig. Their videos are priceless, and even funnier than Seu Jorge's faux Bowie tribute on 'The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou' Criterion release. Crowe's crooning is pretty dire, just don't tell him that in person or he'll probably rip your arm off. It's the usual Scott criticism: Stylish but vacuous.
Just when you thought Sacha Baron Cohen had exhausted his comic creations (all three of them), the man behind Ali G and Bruno brings back bumbling Kazakh reporter Borat, in the snappily titled 'Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan'.
Being a fan of Cohen's humour on 'The 11 O'clock Show', I wasn't too keen on seeing this film after the hit & miss (mostly miss) affair that was 'Ali G In Da House', but what begins as an uncomfortable national assassination of Kazakhstan, soon matures into a clever, well paced exposé on cultural mores, and the general ignorance of that most uncivilised of creatures: The American Zionazi. Borat's visit to a Texas Rodeo is the film's only real moment of grim satire, notable for how Cohen exposes the crowd's primitive mindset via an ode to "America's war of terror" drawing chilling cheers as he declares: "May George Bush drink the blood of every man, women and children in Iraq". Some of the broader, visual humour mocks European anti-Semitism, with the gob smacking 'running of the Jew' contest and a laugh out loud segment in a Jewish run motel. Elsewhere, Pamela Anderson manages to bag herself a cameo in the maguffin subplot; the "Mr Jesus", driving lesson and garage sale skits are a riot, Borat's frat-bus interlude is stupidly surreal and though I've been scarred for life by the overlong naked wrestling scene, Cohen seems to have realised that his characters always work better when they're unleashed on an unsuspecting public, rather than the confines of a scripted story: There's a lot to like in this hyper-real blend of staged scenarios seamlessly woven into Borat's familiar faux interviews with real people. But as some of its funniest scenes are actually old sketches lifted from 'Da Ali G Show', I doubt if Cohen"s film will attain the Christopher Guest-esque cult status it so clearly craves, nonetheless, this is a witty, well-preformed satire which comes in at a lean 80 minutes and is definitely worth a look. Niiice.
Takashi Miike is a favourite director of mine, and as such, for me this is essential. The Dead or Alive series goes from the sublime to the ridiculous at amazing speed. The first film relies on adrenaline to tell a classic cops and robbers tale. Dead or Alive is quite a film, and audacious in its action and violence, but it isn't until part 2 that Miike finds the story's heart. Dead or Alive 2 is one of this prolific filmmaker's finest and most poignant works. The story centers around two hitmen who grew up together and are reunited late in life and find something worth living for themselves. YOu find yourself actually cheering these murderers on as the kill for the betterment of children around the world. The polit is a bit fantastic, however the execution, no pun intended, is heart-warming. Dead of Alive: Final, the, um, final part of the series goes to the complete end of sanity to deliver a sci-fi yakuza/triad story set in a bizarre future in which China has conquered Japan and the citizens of this Asian meganation speak a combination of Cantonese, Japanese, and English, and they all understand one another. It is kind of like Miike's tribute to Bladerunner, only with a sense of humor about it. Truly something the must be seen to be conprehended. All three films star Miike regluars and V-cinema heroes RIki Takeuchi and Sho Aikawa. They are given latitude to take their characters to places most directors would be scared to visit, and they do so beautifully. Anyone with any interest in modern Japanese cinema would do well to visit the worlds created in these films and stay a while, you'll be glad you did.
It's no secret that this story is a modern day version of pride and prejudice, in fact the very character of Mark Darcy is, as suggested, based on Mr. Darcy and was written with Colin Firth in mind. Given that Pride and Prejudice is an amazing book and was made into an excellent series it is quite a hard act to follow. However this story adds comedy to the romance and produces an easy to watch and enjoyable film. Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger)is unhappy with her life in general, and particularly with the fact that she doesn't have a man to call her own. Cue her enigmatic boss who she fantisies about and then ends up with. It brings to light a lot of issues women struggle with - alcohol/cigarette intake, weight, and our obsession with finding that perfect partner and the belief that it is to do with how we look. It is all hilariously funny but there is an undercurrent that shows us women how ridiculous it is. Thankfully this film has a happy ending when she realises that he is not right for her, and after a lot of mis-understanding and hilarious scenes she finally realises that the man for her is Mark after all, at which point we all join with her in the feelings of relief and sheer exultation she has in being with him. If this film doesn't leave you with a smile on your face, whether you have someone to share your life with or not, then you haven't been watching the same film as me!
Kinji Fukasaku had a long and storied career as one of Japan's modern master filmmakers. His final completed feature, Battle Royale, is testament to his talent in laying bare society's ills and weaknesses. The story takes place in the not so distant future, at a time when the youth of Japan is running wild, committing crimes rampantly and being generally very naughty. The establishment's solution is the Battle Royale Act. The act declares a 3 day last-man-standing killing spree for one randomly selected class of 9th graders. The class is transfered to a deserted island, specially equipped for the tournament, each student is given a weapon and told to kill his classmates. Not unlike the Highlander, there can be only one survivor of Battle Royale. The kids in this year's class are joined by a couple of outsiders who promise to make the tournament a bit more challenging. Fukasaku's film proceeds to show us how, even in times of extreme duress, cliques and social order still prevail. Dozens of lives at stake doesn't change who your real friends are, it will, however, take those on the fringe and turn them into enemies very quickly. Several romantic subplots weave their way somewhat weakly through the film and, save for one, really make no impact. However, the violence and socail commentary more than make up for it. This is one of the finest, and blackest, films to come out of Japan in the last decade and certainly one worth viewing. This DVD is the original theatrical version and offers very little in the way of extras of any substance. Battle Royale speaks for itself, however, and for this reason I can still highly recommend it.
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