Happy-Go-Lucky

Happy-Go-Lucky

As with all of Mike Leigh’s films this is one that just has to be watched. The characterisations he displays in his writing and directing are tremendous and the casting as always is superb. While not all of his films are exactly pleasurable to watch- in fact they can sometimes be hard work with the emotional load that they carry, they are an excellent study of relationship dynamics that is really needed in cinema today.

Happy Go Lucky is a change of direction in that this is really a genuine happy character and is just so engaging that it is difficult not to be swept up in her deliriously happy life. Sometimes annoyingly happy and with her trying to make sure that everybody around her is looked after, she does lead herself into a few situations that are certainly dodgy so that you can see underneath it all she is a little troubled herself.

Of course this being Mike Leigh there does have to be some moments of tension and serious issues which are just brilliantly carried out by the cast. Obviously Poppy the main character but as well the driving instructor with his darkly comical theories and negative views, the sensible-ish friend Zoe, the fanatical Flamenco teacher, and the counsellor Tim (yes finally a Tim that isn’t characterised as gormless!)

While there are some truly intense scenes- the last car scene with the driving instructor being the best, there are some that are extraneous. The first scene with the bookshop/bike and later with the homeless man may be insights into the character but I think that the film could have stood in a better light without them.

For once after leaving the cinema from a Mike Leigh film I had a smile on my face. I wish that there were more people like her in this world- not afraid to approach life with a smile and share the joy around. Unfortunately with the social constructs of today’s world it is getting harder to converse with strangers and while I know it can be hard work sometimes having happy go lucky friends- they are worth their weight in gold.

Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden

Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden

An interesting film and concept- not quite sure about the whole premise of checking out the world to make sure that it’s safe for his newborn son but at least the approach to the attitudes of different people around the globe come across a tad more than his personal life in the end. At times though, it is rather mawkish with the calls to his wife and showing the progress of the pregnancy.

There are some rather serious moments in the film but they are unfortunately counterbalanced by some rather playful scenes that could have been left out. While the video games scenes add some humour, I think that showing him get a buzz from firing weapons is rather spurious to the message of the film. However showing the street scene in Israel and the situation with the US forces are dealt with very well and show what obstacles are out there for any sort of resolution.

What really makes this film though are his conversations with ordinary people in different countries. Some are just the expected stonewalling that you would expect from anybody connected with Osama but the interviews with the two boys in Saudi Arabia and the religious leader really show how things work on that side of the world.

So a mixed film really- Spurious Spurlock on one side and Serious Spurlock on the other. Ultimately his message does come through, but the people that need to hear it aren’t the ones that will watch this film.

G.I. Joe…The Film

Was just having a quick flick through Imdb for some of the upcoming films when I noticed that there is going to be a film version of G.I. Joe that will be coming out in August…2009…and probably a few months later for here.  You never know which way these films are going to go but it is by the same guy who directed the Mummy so it might turn out viewable at least.  Decent enough cast as well- has been a while since I have seen Christopher Ecclestone in a film. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols are in it…and nearly everybody in tight black leather and body armour. Official stills here.

Lars And The Real Girl

Lars And The Real Girl

An indie film with all the elements- great story, cast, and acting that really makes this superior to most films released this year.

While the story might look ludicrous on paper it is so deftly handeled that it never dips into the tawdry and is rather heartwarming- so while a sex doll is a main character it is the community and human emotion that shine through.

I really cannot give enough praise for the cast and the acting- Ryan Gosling as the main character really embodies his role and is so believable that his pain is nearly palpable. Patricia Clarkson is quite good as well and Emily Mortimer is very good as the sister in law who is trying her best to get Goslings character to interact with the world again- she does a good job at the American accent although I wish she had the English one for the film since I love her voice so much.

There is a lot of humour in this film as you may imagine and sometimes it is difficult not to actually laugh out loud. There are some serious issues here but they are dealt with in a unique and imaginative way. Gosling really does an outstanding job at showing the inner struggle and it is great the way the story plays out with the family history. The way the community takes him in and trys to support him while at the same time trying to ween him off it by dealing with the doll as a real person is really the main key to the story- nowaday’s it is great to see the community taking an active roll instead of sweeping the problem aside and treating it with medication.

Parts of the story are predictable and you can see how it is going to end but it’s the journey that counts here- and a great journey it is. The smiles at the end of the film say it all and will leave a smile on your face as well.

Flashbacks Of A Fool

Flashback Of A Fool

A good film from the first time film director Baillie Walsh who also penned the script as well.

The story is quite well done and starts off great showing the innocence of childhood then immediately showing how the main character Joe, played by Daniel Craig , has turned out with the excess of women and drugs. Great acting by Craig in these early scenes and I do have to mention his body- even as a straight man it is eye catching!

The continuous flashback then to his childhood has some excellent acting by Harry Eden as young Joe, Jodhi May as Evelyn, and Felicity Jones as young Ruth who are the main characters at this stage. The rawness of Evelyn’s attraction to Joe is quite well played and of course is the downfall of Joe’s character. There are a couple titillating scenes during the flashback between Joe and Evelyn but the funniest scene has got to be Joe and his friend Boots wanking in the in the haunted house ride at the carnival.

I did think that the film would have more of a musical bent to it but alas there was only one real scene where David Bowie’s songs played a part- that was extremely well done though and is the most memorable part of the film for me. The rest of the story for this period was fairly well done and even though I knew what was going to happen to Evelyn’s daughter from the trailer it was heavily foreshadowed.

The film really falls down though when Joe leaves town and we are brought back to the present with Craig returning to England. While you know that Joe had left you don’t know what happened at all during this time and quite a bit of this part of the film is filling in the blanks for you which doesn’t really work well. Although I am not going to complain about seeing Keeley Hawes (as Joe’s younger sister) and Claire Forlani as the present day Ruth- the scene with Keeley and the slow walk up to Claire was another standout moment.

The last scene of the film with Joe returning to LA seemed a bit odd- it didn’t particularly show that Joe had changed at all…not that all questions have to be answered but I think it would have had a better ending leaving it out.

Overall it was a good film and there were some memorable scenes- as I said I thought that music was going to play more of a role and I wish it had since there were lots of moments that had just a forgettable backing soundtrack- even silence would have been better than that.

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

Yet another one where the post was lost and has been a while…

The Orphanage

A Spanish mystery/horror film that is fairly well done and very atmospheric.

It centres around Belén Rueda’s character who is absolutely superb in the role. Without her the film would be fairly lifeless and she brings a great mania that keeps you entertained.

The film starts off well- with an old scene of children playing a game outside and was actually a little more unnerving than a later scene of the same type. The timing of the film is also well done for the duration- sets the stage nice and slow with the interaction of the mother and father and son while only slowly introducing other characters and the bits of vital information.

The story itself is a good idea and there are some good themes that run throughout- some are fairly easy to guess at but the way that they are woven together keeps the story moving at a good pace.

When the son has imaginary friends you just know what is coming but you only find out what happened to the other children in the orphanage after he goes missing. The game that he is playing with the mother of course is the key to the film and the film does slow down a tad bit too much between the drama of him disappearing and when she starts to play the game. The physic is one of the more memorable scenes at this stage- it is something that has been done numerous times but it manages to build the tension quite a bit. When it finally looks like she has cracked is when the tension really mounts and leads to a great conclusion of what had happened to the children. While the scene itself wasn’t that scary it probably wasn’t the best time for the mobile to start vibrating in the pocket!

The conclusion to the film is quite good as well and a bit moving- you can guess what will happen by the events of the beginning of the film but it was a touching scene.

Overall it was a very good film- atmospheric and keeps you entertained.

In Bruges

In Bruges

One of the posts that didn’t save and has been a few weeks since I have seen it so not quite as detailed.

Directed by Martin McDonagh who did the excellent short Six Shooter and has a fair stab at his first full length feature.

Starts with the two main characters Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell and is dialogue driven which is done well with Gleeson more in the role than Farrell.  Sometimes Farrell’s acting varies between a man who is a bundle of nerves to a jaded yuppy type figure.  The dialogue can be very snappy but sometimes it is just too forced and it doesn’t always hit the mark.

The story is well done and there are some good moments: the touring around Bruges, the moments between Farrell and new girlfriend, and the midget/dwarf and the hookers to name a few.

It is Ralph Fiennes character though who really makes this film- even the scenes where he is only talking are the more memorable.   The phone call with Gleeson and Fiennes is excellent and of course when they are finally face to face on screen in the square and tower near the end.

The main supporting cast is good but some of the others are only memorable for the fact that they actually distract from the film to a certain extent.

There is some great cinematography but most is fairly average…one of the best scenes was when Fiennes character is going onto the movie set at the end of the film- great angles and lighting.

Overal it was a good film but only that- it was fairly uneven and although there were  moments where everything gelled into quite a nice whole, they were only moments.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)

I was finally able to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly after missing it in the IFI since it was thankfully released at Cineworld- a brilliant film and it was certainly worth waiting for.

The cinematography is really what makes this film stand out- the first part of the film is literally seen through the main characters eye and you only see what he sees. It is only in the second part of the film that you actually see people and events from the third person. Given that this is a film about a person who is locked in their body there is no better way to show this than by limiting what the viewers can experience around them- between that and the voice-over of the main character you certainly feel that you are locked in there with him.

Since it is based on a true story you can check the facts here- the way that the story is translated to screen is a one of the masterstrokes of this film. Between the first-person, third-person and flashbacks you eventually build up the whole story and it is done in a way that keeps your attention through out.

The cast is absolutely superb - Mathiew Amalric is excellent as Jean-Do and Max Von Syndow as the father is simply brilliant. There is such empathy and emotion between these two that the couple of scenes that they are together are the most memorable for me. The lovely Marie-Josée Croze does a great job as his nurse who devises his method of communication and just as an aside if I had only one eye onto the world I would love if she was constantly in view. Anne Consigny, Marina Hands and Emmanuelle Seigner all have memorable roles as well and really support the conflict around Jean-Do. It did fell like a reunion of sorts with the cast since there were quite a few actors that were in Munich, Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne) and The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares).

This is a must see on so many levels that I can see what all the buzz was about- and you really should see this as any descprition is really just going to fall short of good this film is. The only comment I can think on the negative side is that you are nearly reciting the letters of the revised alphabet that he used since it features so much in the film…that is not a bad thing though since that is the whole reason on how the book and this film came about in the first place.

Just had to upload a pic of Marie for this one…

Funny Games U.S.

I approached Funny Games U.S. with a bit of trepidation…not because of the content of the film but because of the only other Haneke film that I had scene up to this point was Caché which I nearly fell asleep in and thought was very art-house…a fact held up for me since the majority of people that raved about this film seem to be quite pretentious. However, Funny Games is a different film altogether and it is certainly one that will keep your attention.

I haven’t seen the original release of Funny Games with the European cast and since I don’t read reviews I didn’t know until afterwards that this was an exact copy of this film with a Hollywood cast. There are some interviews here and here about the two films which explain the story and ideas around them and why he felt he had to remake it.

The acting is quite simply astounding- there are times where you simply cannot take your eyes off the screen. Naomi Watts is unforgettable here and has restored my faith in her acting ability after seeing her in Eastern Promises. Tim Roth is excellent as well as the weak husband/father and Michael Pitt shows what he is capable of with a good director. A surprise was the outstanding acting by Devon Gearhart as the son- there have been some excellent children actors lately which is great to see.

The cinematography is very good as well- quite often the camera is just left in one position while the action takes place around it which can be very effective in letting you take in all the details without seeing absolutely everything and letting your imagination work. There are moments as well where the fourth-wall is broken and Pitts character will ask the audience questions.

While not easy viewing this is really a film that has be viewed- descriptions don’t do this film justice.

There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood

Of course it was hard not to hear any hype about this film with it being nominated and winning some Oscars- it did live up to it but only just and when I think back to No Country For Old Men which had the same Oscar buzz I think that was a much better film and one I would watch again over this.

The film does start off stupendously with Daniel Day Lewis as Plainview and his actions at the well and no dialogue or music really adds to the intensity.  There is some great camera work in these scenes as well- focusing on different characters and moving the focus back to the main ones.

The story itself is quite good if on the sprawling side- to be expected over such a long length of time but there are certain elements that could have been edited to improve the focus of the story.  It is violent to a certain extent but some of the violence is what would have been expected back then…life in the west was a bit precarious so even the murders aren’t too surprising.

Lewis always inhabits his characters and he is excellent here from beginning to end.  The supporting acting from Dillon Freasier as his son HG is just superb and Paul Dano as Eli Sunday is quite good as well.  I do feel that parts of Lewis and Dano’s characters are over-acted but I put this down to the script and directing and not to their ability.

Overall I did like this film but I think it may have been a bit lengthy…there are some scenes that seem dragged out and yet near the end there is a jump of however many years which leaves quite a few unanswered questions.  The final thought I had after seeing this is that there is just something missing that leaves the film slightly in-cohesive.