December 2009
9 posts
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Half the difference of 8 1/2 ...
At six, I saw Nine. Daniel Day-Lewis entranced, by immersing himself into the Fellini-esque main role; and it all proved a vast improvement on the stage musical, thanks also to the stellar cast of actors & use of locations. The narrative has been simplified and cheered up, though; but I’m keen on happy endings at the moment.
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Sherlock's bare bones ...
Dolefully dragged myself from a full screening of the empty Sherlock Holmes movie; which was intellectually devoid & stylistically bereft; with one of the poorest characterisations of the detective to date - as an effette comic buffoon lacking any apparent deductive reasoning. There’s no trace of sharpness of mind either in the plot, nor in Guy Ritchie’s direction [not...
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"You make my heart sing ... "
I knew Where The Wild Things Are [were] this Christmas Eve; and it was a pleasure to spend time in the company of Spike Jonze’s imagination. The film was delightfully soundtracked, and the animatronic facial expressiveness of the Things that comprised a disturbed boy’s psyche were flawless. It was a joy to listen to James Gandolfini voice the primary manifestion...
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... discussing Avatar [with @tezzer57]
Still considering my opinion on Avatar, but initially leaning toward extraordinary visual creativity squandered on a hackneyed Cowboys & Indians narrative. However in noting echoes of Cortez’s pursuit of gold [which, incidentally, probably wouldn’t be as prized if it were named “unobtainium”], you’ve clearly perceived a level of complexity I failed...
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A long-delayed release of Jism ....
I may have mentioned that I came across a garden sack full of unwatched video cassettes in my rafters; and am working through a backcatalogue of recordings covering the last decade. Overnight, I found myself recovering from a 2hr release of Jism. Schoolboy niggering aside [clearly a retitle was required for the international English-speaking audience] it turned out to be a Bollywood...
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Eva Green's Crack[s] ...
Oh dear, the film was going swimmingly well - very Jean Brodie - then [spoiler] child rape/gang violence/premeditated murder/cover-up. In other words, a usual term at a girls’ boarding school!
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You certainly require a uterus to have any chance of surviving The Descent; and, for when you’re really deep in the doo-doo, a hairgrip. Plus - and if I’ve said this once, I’ve said it 100 times - as any horror film viewer knows: always run from cannibal mutants, and never turn your back on a hillbilly!
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A theatre-depleted evening, bereft of crowd, during which I decided that the universal panning of Carriers is misplaced; as it fairly efficiently draws one along an inhumane journey of disease. On the subject of which, if you wanted Chris Pine dead in Star Trek, you’ll definitely wish for his demise in this movie. This actor’s screen persona is ridden with unpleasantness ...
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Away in a comedy manger ...
Cradled like the likkle Baby Jaysus during the improvised movie Nativity earlier. Whilst in no way inspiring devotion, the movie was funnier than professional reports suggested; and the songs were pretty catchy.