As with Phillip Noyce's adaptation of The Quiet American, The Constant Gardener starts with an awful murder. In the aftermath, Justin (Ralph Fiennes) has to unpick his past with the victim, his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz). He must come to terms with several revelations, and his own decisions, to understand how he should deal with the future. She was always the passionate driven one, determined to uncover the truth behind a drug company conspiracy (African's being used as unwitting test subjects), while he is a quiet diplomat, avoiding involvement, especially as the paper trail leads right to his department. It's a clever and playful narrative that uses flashbacks to tease out the characters in such a way you might not be sure how to feel about them and so it's one of those unusual films that rewards a second viewing.
Thrillers such as this more often than not concentrate on the conspiracy, reducing the characters to fit and drive the main plot to a grand finale 'Where All Shall Be Revealed'. There is nothing wrong with this, especially in a Bond movie where it's merely an excuse to link up various set-pieces, but when the conspiracy is based on a grain of truth, you have to subscribe to and accept the writer's viewpoint to fully appreciate what's unfolding. A little bit of doubt goes a long and wrong way.
The Constant Gardener is developed by Jeffrey Caine from John Le Carre's novel. It's a fine adaptation that Le Carre has praised as "bearing little resemblance", in a good way! It is fairly complicated, well researched, engrossing and, as with any other such plot, demanding. But it is neatly delivered alongside the story of Justin and Tessa's marriage and our belief in the politics and intrigue become irrevocably linked to our belief in them. The decision to actually film in Africa makes for a vibrant and real film (a trust was setup to support the area after filming), especially with a passionate cast of extras, though it never falls into the trap of becoming a faux documentary, Fernando Meirellies' direction is too organic for that.
His photography throughout is stunning and proves Meirellies to be the unique talent City Of God promised, but your opinion of that film is no indicator of your reaction to this one. He has a way of matching the cameras movements to the nature of the plot, so whereas City Of God was brutal and powerful, The Constant Gardener has a more haunting nature, but no less intoxicating. His use of focus is frequently breathtaking, right from the abstract opening scene of Tessa's vehicle coming to rest after the crash. We see only the tyre, only the conclusion of the action. Where City Of God was angry, this is poignant, full of longing.
Don't let the brash Mummy movies distract you from Rachel Weisz! She is gorgeous and captivating in a deservedly Oscar winning role that has to capture our imagination and indignation at once. Her flirty outgoing nature supports the evidence she was having an affair; her soulful gazes at Justin diffuses it. Ralph Fiennes has an even harder job, with a character that by nature is quiet and unassuming, preferring his plants to engaging with us, the viewer! Don't be fooled though. His subtle characterization is possibly his best work in film and he will get to you. He is heartbreakingly real as he tugs the threads of his life back together and anyone who understands how tough grief is cannot fail to be overwhelmed. The two leads work together so well and the flashback to their first meeting an utter joy, followed by a sex scene that actually builds the characters and cannot be dismissed as you would the Bond equivalent.
It isn't perfect. A couple of the supporting characters are a bit obvious, such as Justin and Tessa's lawyer (Richard McCabe) and especially his annoying computer-whizz son, Guido. Villainous Bill Nighy and Gerard McSorley are fantastic fun, with fruity dialogue, but a touch over the top. Danny Houston and Herbert Kounde do well with rather perfunctory characters, but perception of them is essential to the plot, which explains their simple development. They are thriller characters, after all and concessions to the genre are needed somewhere!
There may be other gripes tucked away here and there, but it takes nothing away from a grown-up, ambitious film that is memorable and sublime, thanks to a passionate director and central performances that cut to the bone. Simply wonderful. Watch it, then watch it again. I certainly will.
By rights, this movie shouldn't work. It sounds awful when you describe it to someone; the self-indulgence of the whole "wandering minstrel" sections; the seemingly self-consciously multi-ethnic make-up of the family's friends & family; the general air of middle-class comfort. But somehow it does; somehow the film manages to occupy the same air of everyday American mystery as, say, Dylan's "Clothes Line Saga". And context is surely everything: the film appears to be a subtle riposte to the general cultural air of nasty division so prevalent in Bush's America. And perhaps, by extension, the country itself; the film is one possible answer to the question of "America" and what the nation could be. But always with the unsettling, dark, "original sin" at the heart of that answer - whether that sin be slavery, Watergate, Vietnam, 9-11, Iraq or the tragic death of a family member.
Amanda Seyfried's performance in this film is the equivalent of Dylan & The Band's "Basement Tapes"; full of a kind of American folk mystery. Her character transcends what is - on paper - a fairly good teen horror-comedy until she floats free of the screen and becomes a latter-day figure of the kind that populated Henry Smith's "Anthology of American Folk Music". And so the movie becomes a minor classic, a subterranean dissection of community fear. Which is to say - one possible answer to the same questions asked by Americans from "Moby Dick", to "Hellhound on my Trail", to "The Plot Against America".
As with my review of "A Good Year", I won't lie and say I was always intending to watch this movie. But then I saw "Inception" and I suddenly realised I wanted to see "La Vie En Rose". And "Nine: The Musical". And "Taxi" again. And "Innocence". And "Public Enemies" again. And "Love Me If You Dare", etc etc. But, on watching "La Vie En Rose" I understood why all the attention given to this movie on first release. It is a marvellous piece of filmmaking. I am sometimes hesitant to rate these kinds of films - they seem to be too obviously "quality" movies, designed to get the attention of award bodies. "Solid" films, rather than cinema to be returned to. But this was a tour-de-force. Some of the scenes and images will remain with me for some time - Piaf knitting on the beach, Piaf being dragged from her new "mother" by her returning father, Piaf's reaction to the news of her lover's plane journey.
It seems - if further proof were in fact needed - that a certain French actress is far, far, far more than just a pretty face.
Quite possibly not as good as you would hope. All the pre-publicity claims that the movie would come good on the promise/premise that the Cylons "have a plan" are, ultimately, naught. I got the feeling the majority of the - albeit slender - new material in this was possibly not that new, and that the producers had intended this storyline to come at the end of Series 2, where it would have made most sense. But then they would have had to give away the identities of some of the "skinjobs". So it got shelved - and then resurrected come the show finale. It doesn't add a massive amount to our understanding of the series events - but, then again, if you like the BG reboot it's definitely worth seeing.
Look, I can't pretend I was ever going to watch this movie until I saw "Inception" the other week. And then...well, it doesn't take a genius to work out the connection between those two films - and the reason why I was suddenly digging through my girlfriend's DVD collection to watch this. But I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, ultimately it's a British wish-fulfilment; France, that house, the wine, the lifestyle. But you could also - possibly generously - read a kind of familiar Scott/Crowe belief in the virtues that, they believe, define a 'real' man - honesty foremost among them. The film is, therefore, the journey of the main character to understanding those values and enabling him to live in the world according to a code that is defined against the brittle, harsh values of Anglo-Saxon capitalism. Which is certainly an interesting argument to have been made on the cusp of a crumbling belief in the strength of the intellectual system, that has defined our place in the world for the last two hundred years. So, I certainly took more from the 2 hours or so I spent watching this movie than I ever thought would be possible.
Then again, Marion Cotillard is in it. And that's pretty much all you need to know.
Rebecca De Mornay is truly chilling as the nanny from hell in this tight thriller. She believes Annabella Sciorra is responsible for her husband's suicide and attempts to take revenge by taking her husband, her children, and finally her life. Acute use of musical underscoring (particularly the Gilbert and Sullivan aria 'Poor Wand'ring One'), and tried and tested methods of making the audience jump make this the perfect 'evening in' film.
Tim Burton's visual style mixed with Lewis Carol's magical storytelling should have resulted in a very different film than what we have here. This is not the Alice in Wonderland we have grown to love, nor is it anywhere near as good as Disney's previous trip down the rabbit hole in 1951. This is a muddled, mangled and rather un-magical reworking of the original tale, but instead of offering us an extension on the classic premise, it merely sets out to make a quasi-sequel where Alice, now a young woman, falls down the hole in the ground just after being proposed to by her unattractive suitor.
When she arrives in Wonderland she gets chased by giant monsters (involving scenes that owe more to Jurassic Park than Lewis Carol), hunted by the guards of the Red Queen, who now rules Wonderland (a terrific Helena Bonham Carter), and talks to a Stephen Fry-voiced Cheshire Cat. They all talk to her as if her arrival has been prophesised. By examining an old map they repeatedly thrust at her, she finds that a girl called Alice did once arrive in Wonderland. She denies it was her, but memories from the past start to resurface as her adventure continues; cerebral stirrings she has assumed were dreams.
The opening is promising, with the initial establishing of Wonderland rushed but suitably atmospheric, and a lot of fun can be had by guessing which famous British actor is voicing the animated creatures (a highlight is Alan Rickman as the caterpillar). The film starts to fall apart when, I'm sorry to say, Johnny Depp gets involved. It was inevitable that the talented actor from Kentucky would be given a role in the film - he has been involved in seven of Burton's past efforts, both good and bad - but his presence as the Mad Hatter adds an uneasy touch to an already challenged picture. His accent is peculiar, particularly when he slips into a rough Scottish growl for no apparent reason. Reminiscent of the dash of dementia he added to Willie Wonka five years ago, he succeeds in making his character Mad with a capital M, but it feels like a soulless reimagining of the character Lewis created. The supporting characters (mostly GCI) also go on and on about the Mad Hatter's "Futterwaken". Leaving aside the fact that this sounds faintly obscene when said with the Cheshire Cat's purr, we are left to wander quite what the "Futterwaken" is for some time until we a treated to its full embarrassing spectacle. As he has promised throughout the movie, the Hatter "Futterwaken's vigorously" - it's a dance (he tells us this much) that he performs near the end of the film. It's an ill-judged attempt to make Danny Elman's otherwise glorious score stray into more techno and hip musical areas, but the result is painful and Depp's dancing is strangely creepy rather than joyfully amusing.
There is also sibling jealousy going on between the Red Queen and her younger sister, the White Queen (a wasted Anne Hathaway). This is an underdeveloped subplot which fails to lessen the sagging feel of the story, and leads to a final showdown which lacks both impact and excitement. Burton may have creative flare, but he was fighting a losing battle (in terms of narrative quality) when he signed on to direct Linda Woolverton's dismal screenplay. Australian actress Mia Wasikowska is equally incompetent in the title role, and makes the character of Alice sound stupid, boring and bankrupt of personality. This doesn't bode well for her leading lady-turn as Jane Eyre in Cary Fukunaga's upcoming adaptation.
Even though it's tragically flawed, Alice in Wonderland currently holds the place of highest grossing film of 2010. It's a shame that a Disney-vehicle as weak as this has yielded such rich financial returns, but hopefully it shall serve as a springboard for a whole new generation to discover the proper story of what happens to Alice when she falls down the rabbit hole.
This is an unbelievable box set. For any film enthusiast that does not have this in their collection, all I can say is that your collection is incomplete.
All four films come with the option of watching either the extended or original version of the film, so you can now enjoy much more Science Fiction action than ever before. Not forgetting that each of the films have been remastered and remixed, all adding to the enjoyment factor of watching these films.
I cannot say enough about how great this box set is, just take the plunge and buy it, you will not regret your decision.
This is one of the funniest of the animated shorts, if you like Wallace and Gromit and Creature Comforts and the Aardman short films you will love this one. The series is all about a stone age family and short films about their life and what they get up to and it is hilarious from start to finish. I would recommend this to anyone with a sense of humour, you'll love it
brilliant laugh from start to finish
Entertaining, albeit OTT, action movie from director James McTeigue ('V For Vendetta') 'Ninja Assassin' is essentially a slick, heavily stylised tribute to those straight-to-video neo-Ninja movies from the 1980s (e.g. 'Revenge Of The Ninja', 'Secret Ninja', 'Golden Ninja Warrior' etc). Asian teen idol Rain ('Speed Racer') is Ninja-on-the-run Raizo, who escapes the infamous cult of masked killers and now, unsurprisingly, finds himself top of their hit list; pursued with a vengeance by sadistic sensei Ozunu (played to the hilt by the legendary Shô Kosugi).
Rain is like a Korean Keanu Reeves and acts in a blank, wooden, one note style, which, for this role at least, actually works quite well. Naomi Harris ('Miami Vice') and Ben Miles ('Coupling') play 'Interpol' agents trying to make sense of it all. And they're not the only ones, for despite the violent opening sequence 'Ninja Assassin' takes a while to get going and the first half is a bit of a muddle. But when our hero escapes 'Interpol' and takes on the Ninja clan dispatched to bump him off, you're in for good fifty minutes of well choreographed martial arts action, courtesy of Peng Zhang (Donnie Yen's 'Blade of the Rose'), Jon Valera ('Mortal Kombat: Conquest') Chad Stahelski ('The Matrix' sequels) and Jonathan Eusebio ('The Bourne Identity').
McTeigue comes up with some good shots but tends to overdo it with the blood effects; for copious amounts of claret are spilt throughout the course of the movie, which, though a nod to the works of Godfrey Ho and the Shaw Brothers, occasionally look rather silly and comedic.
Not a patch on the modern classic that was 'V For Vendetta' but not nearly as bad as some reviews would have you believe: Absurd but amusing B-style Ninja hi-jinks, make for a watchable pot-boiler with some flashes of creativity and a couple of good fight scenes to boot. 'Ninja Assassin' does exactly what you'd expect it to; nothing more, nothing less.
'Catch Me If You Can' has a certain charm that, despite attempts, few films actually attain. The on-screen relationship between the protagonist (di Caprio) and his adversary (Hanks) is at times a shade away from cringe worthy but it hovers on that brink very well, creating a good atmosphere when they interact.
The intricacies of forgery add interest to an already entertaining film, allowing you to see just how much effort and skill Frank Abagnale Jr. put into his "work".
On top of the forefront activity of Abagnale, the film also documents well the background of his life, including the before and after portions of his story.
It is all very interesting stuff and Spielberg has once again created entertainment from relative atrocity.
Highly recommended.
This is a fantastic series. If you like C.S.I and have an interest in crime, this is definitely one to watch!
Finally an animated movie that is not made by Pixar, and had the ability to make me laugh and almost cry, with a mixture of both sad and happy and action packed parts to this film. I feel that this is a film that either the whole family can watch or something that an adult can put on or in a DVD player to keep children, watching it, even a babysitter could put this film in and be happy that the children would be entertained.
I know myself that when I have babysat a few of my family's children I have put this film in and the children have mostly enjoyed it.
From the initially absurd, but thematically relevant, opening shot of apples rotting under the Frankish sun to a pointless, barbaric siege of an undefended fort and the worthless spoils it yields. Richard Lester's 'Robin And Marian' (1976) appears to bypass all notions of romantic escapism, instead, opting to tell the story of a mature, disillusioned Robin Hood (Sean Connery on fine form as usual) and a distant, conflicted Lady Marian (Audrey Hepburn in her first role after a nine year hiatus).
A stellar supporting cast includes the always entertaining Nicol Williamson as gentle giant Little John, a sympathetic, complex turn from Robert Shaw as The Sheriff of Nottingham, Denholm Elliot as a Lute playing Will Scarlet and comic relief in the rotund form of Ronnie Barker as Friar Tuck. Ian Holm also makes an amusing, one scene appearance as the pompous, megalomaniac King John, against whom Robin, his merry men and the peasants of Nottingham aim to make their stand.
The first fifteen minutes are a showcase for an excellent, bonkers cameo by Richard Harris as King Richard I, Harris's performance as 'The Lion Heart' serves to illuminate the meandering, self destructive folly of imperial misadventure: "Led 300,000 men to the Holy Land, and came back on a boat with 50" recalls Richard. For 'Robin and Marian' isn't prepared to play ball with nationalist mythos thus Richard is openly denounced as "...a bloody bastard" whilst Robin's painful recollection of the siege at Acre, Palestine; ignites and burns the lies of Crusade to a smouldering cinder.
Now Robin Hood is to Sherwood Forrest what Mullah Umar is to Helmand Province, so we get a real sense of the depth and space of both the weald and the guarded coppice, with an excellent long shot of Robin and John riding in from the Nottingham plains into Sherwood. The scenery, filmed with a keen eye for detail, is almost a character unto itself and really gives the movie its sense of place / period as well as signifying the physical divide between rich and poor, royal servitude and individual freedom.
Connery and Hepburn share a good onscreen rapport and we're never at a loss to understand or appreciate their love for one another, or relate to their memories of what was and poignant observations on what could've been had not two decades been lost in England's wars. Hepburn is at her elegant, brittle best whilst Connery puts in one of his most charismatic and subtle performances as an amiable but understandably embittered veteran. His Robin Hood echoes an old soldier's sentiments and carries the plight of ages, unable to sheathe the broadsword but loathe to see it shed more blood: "I've hardly lost a battle and I don't know what I've won", he muses, 'The day is yours', Richard used to say...and then there was tomorrow: But where did the day go?".
Now 'Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves' (1991) was a fun, albeit clichéd, rip roaring action-adventure played out to the husky tones of Bryan Adams's ridiculously popular 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You'. I even liked Ridley Scott's revisionist epic with Russell Crowe, the sombre and somewhat unimaginatively titled; 'Robin Hood' (2010). But in terms of character development, narrative structure and sheer believability, Connery's incarnation of the magnanimous outlaw is the most genuine by far; the story establishes his famous code of conduct in a clear and decisive manner: "You're the enemy" says Robin to one of the knights sent to raid Sherwood and even makes veiled reference to William Langland's poem 'Vision of Piers Plowman', one of the first known literary appearances of the Robin Hood character.
Ideal for a Sunday matinee, 'Robin And Marian' is a film where dramatic events seem to occur without the slightest sense of urgency, where legend seldom survives first contact with reality and folklore passes history on the road to redemption. This is a film about the unspoken, mutually agreed upon terms of the last hurrah, between friends and lovers, allies and enemies alike. A forgotten masterpiece.
I'd not heard much about this movie but saw a trailer prior to release. Liked the trailer and decided to buy on Blu-ray and was not disappointed. Not sure if British or US made movie but thoroughly enjoyable, was great to watch with little expectation and for the film to turn out to be very good. Great lead character, well acted by all cast and settings very good. For a fantasy film it is actually believable and the fight scenes are very good. Now sitting proudly amongst my film collection and I would recommend this movie.
This series from the team behind smash hit Walking With Dinosaurs goes from strength to strength. The third series combines action, suspense, humour and adventure with human stories. This series sees the first case of a human coming through an anomaly - a terrific performance by Tony Curran. Jason Flemyng swaps supporting roles in movies for a leading role. Another new addition is Laila Rouass - most recently seen in Strictly Come Dancing. There are references to events in the previous 2 series but these are dealt with in a way that accommodates new viewers. It's a shame that there are only commentaries on 3 episodes - having said that the commentaries are on the most pivotal episodes. The extras are good if brief; unlike Doctor Who Primeval doesn't have a weekly behind the scenes show.
The series was cancelled as part of broadcaster ITV's cutbacks but has been saved by a co-production deal with BBC America amongst others - a good thing considering how this series ends! Series 4 is due next year
Holes in time known as anomalies allow creatures from the past and the future to emerge in the present day. The intrepid team at the Anomaly Research Centre must deal with them as well as threats much closer to home.
Daybreakers delivers action, horror and thrilling excitement keeping you riveted throughout. Strong performances from a great cast playing great characters that add to the excellence of this gripping movie.
The greatest television writer of our time Aaron Sorkin returns with another classic in my opinion, with some of his old and trusted friends from the West Wing, not least the fantastic Bradley Whitford who teams up with Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet.
This series is simply fantastic and gives a real look into the work, politics and complex relationships that go behind producing a popular television show. It'll keep you gripped and may you laugh and cry at the same time with Sorkin's unique ability to finely balance griping drama and light humour.
A tragedy that the US could not be more patient with this show and as always, they were far too quick to give it the bullet after only a few weeks of poor viewing figures.
Great Cast, Great Writing, Great Show.......... You will not be disappointed.
Star Trek Voyager is about a crew of Starfleet personnel, mysteriously flung to the far side of the Universe, their attempts to travel all the way back are fraught with danger.
The apparent naivety of the crew borders on stupidity at times but this adds to the unintentional humour.
The stories all have a farfetched theme and almost all have a happy ending which is morally correct.
This story is a continuation of the Star Trek saga taken through a different premise.
It is entertaining in its own way and the stories as the series goes on are more and more gripping.
Often the series detracts from the storyline and offers a subjective character study, in fairness the series is watchable and often imaginative.
Space journey, sequential, action, ethos.
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