Do you have the chops to survive the zombie apocalypse? If you've thought about this question (and I know a few who have) then this film is for you.
Little time is given over to the philosophical musings of a Romero zombie flick. This is more a cross of the splatter of video games like House Of The Dead and the geek tries to get laid tale of Superbad et al.
Our geek introduces us to his rules for survival with a reel of examples and then heads off on a road trip to find someone. Anyone.
There's little originality here but it's easy to warm to the characters and gay abandon with which zombies were dispatched kept me chuckling throughout. Zombie fans should enjoy.
Monday, 12 October 2009
The Eagle Has Landed
Michael Caine is a German officer leading a group of paratroopers on an audacious mission to snatch Winston Churchill from a country retreat.
Key to the plot is that Michael Caine speaks English without a German accent. Why all the other German officers do this is never explained.
A sympathetic light is cast on the Germans, shown to be honourable men but this grates with their intentions.
The tension necessary for these band of brother style films builds slowly but is released far too early on in exchange for an extended action sequence and is never quite recovered.
An interesting attempt at mixing some originality into the formulaic but not the classic I expected.
Key to the plot is that Michael Caine speaks English without a German accent. Why all the other German officers do this is never explained.
A sympathetic light is cast on the Germans, shown to be honourable men but this grates with their intentions.
The tension necessary for these band of brother style films builds slowly but is released far too early on in exchange for an extended action sequence and is never quite recovered.
An interesting attempt at mixing some originality into the formulaic but not the classic I expected.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Creation
A biopic following Darwins struggles to put his thoughts and observations on evolution into the form of his revolutionary book, "On The Origin Of Species". It would be better titled Faith. There is little here about his early voyages on the Beagle, the genesis of his theory, nor much on the many years experimentation that followed gathering evidence to support it. Instead it shows the struggle of a man confronting his faith and all to aware that in writing his book he will confront the nations. Not only this but he is severely ill and heartbroken by the death of his eldest daughter Annie.
There is anunusual tone to the film. Where you might normally expect the completion of the book to be a triumph, here it is only a release from the bind that it has been, cathartic in completion but not celebrated. The tragedies in Darwin's life cast a a pall over the film that rarely lift and the majority of lighter moments come from the flashbacks to when Annie was alive.
Paul Bettany, as ever is excellent in a role where his character must change dramatically and frequently. So too is Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Emma who must be more reserved ad she tries to hold together a family while trying to support a husband directly confronting her own faith.
A good and interesting movie but not for those in low spirit.
There is anunusual tone to the film. Where you might normally expect the completion of the book to be a triumph, here it is only a release from the bind that it has been, cathartic in completion but not celebrated. The tragedies in Darwin's life cast a a pall over the film that rarely lift and the majority of lighter moments come from the flashbacks to when Annie was alive.
Paul Bettany, as ever is excellent in a role where his character must change dramatically and frequently. So too is Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Emma who must be more reserved ad she tries to hold together a family while trying to support a husband directly confronting her own faith.
A good and interesting movie but not for those in low spirit.
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
9 Songs
A couple meet at a gig and go to 8 more, hence the title. It's real footage of real gigs although one is a Michael Nyman concert and I'm not sure he sings at all so it ought to have been called 8 Songs and a Tune.
The question the film poses is "When is a porno not a porno"? The answer of course is when it is an arty film. This is the most explicit film the BBFC have passed for general certification and explicit it certainly is. However, through the multitude of bedroom antics so clearly illustrated, a sense of the imbalance of the pair's relationship develops as man falls in love and woman uses him for sex. This use of sex scenes to progress the narrative and express the nature of a relationship is presumably what the BBFC are looking for when doling out the 18s and Xs. Ang Lee used similarly explicit scenes in Lust, Caution with great effect but also much protest. It also better illustrated the second quality presumably requsted for standard certification. The sex scenes aren't obviously titillating. In fact those in 9 Songs feel more like excerpts from a How To Make Love DVD.
So then, with a collection of gigs and shags developing characters and telling a story we must question whether I cared. Ultimately the answer is not really. A tale of making and breaking of a relationship told with tenderness was unexpected but lacked any real interest by focussing so much on how much sex could be got away with.
The question the film poses is "When is a porno not a porno"? The answer of course is when it is an arty film. This is the most explicit film the BBFC have passed for general certification and explicit it certainly is. However, through the multitude of bedroom antics so clearly illustrated, a sense of the imbalance of the pair's relationship develops as man falls in love and woman uses him for sex. This use of sex scenes to progress the narrative and express the nature of a relationship is presumably what the BBFC are looking for when doling out the 18s and Xs. Ang Lee used similarly explicit scenes in Lust, Caution with great effect but also much protest. It also better illustrated the second quality presumably requsted for standard certification. The sex scenes aren't obviously titillating. In fact those in 9 Songs feel more like excerpts from a How To Make Love DVD.
So then, with a collection of gigs and shags developing characters and telling a story we must question whether I cared. Ultimately the answer is not really. A tale of making and breaking of a relationship told with tenderness was unexpected but lacked any real interest by focussing so much on how much sex could be got away with.
Monday, 5 October 2009
District 9
Aliens stranded on earth are placed under their own apartheid in Johannesburg while a shifty corporation try to unwrap their technology. Trouble kicks off when an employee gets an alien infection and begins metamorphosis.
As an allegory on the injustice of apartheid, which this film obviously is at one level, District 9 is not very effective. The point is made so bluntly it can be registered and disregarded again long before any actual thought is required. It is much better as piece of sci-fi since key questions about the aliens, why are they here, why can't they leave etc are never answered.
It is at it's most effective when presented as an historical documentary using CCTV and archive news footage to build the story. Unfortunately it keeps dropping out of this whenever it needs to show things that would otherwise remain unseen.
In classic blockbuster style the last half hour is largely blowing things up with alien tech but this is fun to watch after an hour and a half being shown all this technology innert. The end, as with the film asks more questions than it answers and leaves the door open for a district 10 sequel. I for one would be happy to see it.
As an allegory on the injustice of apartheid, which this film obviously is at one level, District 9 is not very effective. The point is made so bluntly it can be registered and disregarded again long before any actual thought is required. It is much better as piece of sci-fi since key questions about the aliens, why are they here, why can't they leave etc are never answered.
It is at it's most effective when presented as an historical documentary using CCTV and archive news footage to build the story. Unfortunately it keeps dropping out of this whenever it needs to show things that would otherwise remain unseen.
In classic blockbuster style the last half hour is largely blowing things up with alien tech but this is fun to watch after an hour and a half being shown all this technology innert. The end, as with the film asks more questions than it answers and leaves the door open for a district 10 sequel. I for one would be happy to see it.
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Buffalo Soldiers
American soldiers stationed in West Germany run racquets and go wild to relieve their boredom.
There's a certain surreal quality to this film, especially the action sequences which suggest the film needn't be taken altogether seriously. This is important with a lot of the film seeming at least like an exaggerated reality which would be hard to buy served straight. It also means the film is more entertaining than introspective on the issue of bored soldiers. Jarhead annoyed me by seeming to have something to say on the subject but never actually saying it, at the end here, there is at least a pat message to round things off.
Although I enjoyed the film it didn't engage me very strongly. The highlight of the film for me was when I decided Mr Phoenix should marry his onscreen squeeze and take her name to become Joaquin Paquin.
There's a certain surreal quality to this film, especially the action sequences which suggest the film needn't be taken altogether seriously. This is important with a lot of the film seeming at least like an exaggerated reality which would be hard to buy served straight. It also means the film is more entertaining than introspective on the issue of bored soldiers. Jarhead annoyed me by seeming to have something to say on the subject but never actually saying it, at the end here, there is at least a pat message to round things off.
Although I enjoyed the film it didn't engage me very strongly. The highlight of the film for me was when I decided Mr Phoenix should marry his onscreen squeeze and take her name to become Joaquin Paquin.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Spongebob Squarepants:The Movie
A sponge named Bob lives in Bikini Bottom frying food at the local burger joint dreaming of becoming manager. When he fails to secure the spot at the new franchise because of being a child he heads off on a hero's quest to prove it ain't so.
BBCs Blue Planet caught a mind boggling array of sea life in fabulous detail but David Atteborough kept from us important aspects of sea life behaviour. Most particularly that plankton are in fact megalomaniacal fiends. That's why so many things eat them. They have to be kept in check.
The good thing about a lot of the cartoons from Nickleodeon is their being squarely aimed at children, revelling in silliness. A silliness that those adults who still retain healthy levels of childishness can also revel in. Are you one of those? If you think Spongebob sounds cooler in French, in which he's called Bob Le Ponge Pantalon Carre then you probably are.
BBCs Blue Planet caught a mind boggling array of sea life in fabulous detail but David Atteborough kept from us important aspects of sea life behaviour. Most particularly that plankton are in fact megalomaniacal fiends. That's why so many things eat them. They have to be kept in check.
The good thing about a lot of the cartoons from Nickleodeon is their being squarely aimed at children, revelling in silliness. A silliness that those adults who still retain healthy levels of childishness can also revel in. Are you one of those? If you think Spongebob sounds cooler in French, in which he's called Bob Le Ponge Pantalon Carre then you probably are.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)