I like a baffling film, if there is some sort of pay-off at the end.
Sometimes there is a very fine line between enough resolution and disappointment. And I think Dark Portal is the closest film to that line that I can remember. So close in fact, that I am really not sure if I liked it or not.
The girl Alice is quite intriguing. She dresses a bit oddly, and she has a recent disability that is unexplained. Not just not explained, but actively avoided.
There are very few other characters. So the whole film rests on whether you are interested in what is happening to Alice. For the most part I was. But there were times when I started to lose interest.
For example (avoiding spoilers as much as possible) there is a scene in the kitchen where she seems to have made a tough choice and acted on it... but then she completely fails to see it through. I didn't think that was really believable... but then I am not a 10 year old girl, so how would I know. I suppose that the aftermath of her initial action might have completely shocked her into a state of inaction. It sort of made sense.
Unlike the beginning. Which didn't make sense even after it was "explained" later. And even though the broad thrust of everything was resolved, sort of, at the end... it didn't feel very satisfying. Apart from the fact that only Alice could really make it happen... or could she? We are left to wonder (which is an aspect of the film that I liked).
So I guess I liked the ambiguity but not the details that they chose to clarify. The atmosphere and the staging were excellent and did keep me engaged... you can only guess where the story is even supposed to be happening, for example.
Hmmm. I am totally flip-flopping still between liked and didn't like. If you really pushed me, I think I would say... decide for yourself :)
Monday 28 May 2018
Saturday 26 May 2018
The Rain
I watched about half of the first episode of The Rain and turned off in disgust. Because it was so dumb. The car crash, then the door... these kids are the stupidest on Earth... why would I care if they survive or not.
Introductions are important. This fails on so many levels.
Introductions are important. This fails on so many levels.
scorpion
The first episode of </scorpion> was a bit silly, but there seemed to be some promise to the characters. I kind of enjoyed it... but needed it to go somewhere if I was going to watch much more.
Th second episode was disappointing. A step backwards. I decided to give it one last chance...
But the third episode was more disappointing. The End.
(sometimes people say to me "You should watch <X> ... it's quite good by the third season." and I think "You sat through 2 seasons of something you didn't think was very good... and you want me to do the same?")
Th second episode was disappointing. A step backwards. I decided to give it one last chance...
But the third episode was more disappointing. The End.
(sometimes people say to me "You should watch <X> ... it's quite good by the third season." and I think "You sat through 2 seasons of something you didn't think was very good... and you want me to do the same?")
Thursday 24 May 2018
New World
Not what I expected. Which is what I love about Korean films.
A gangster movie. There is action and violence. There might have been some sex... I can't remember... because there is a lot of intrigue that keeps you thinking about what the hell is going on.
So it is more of a thriller. But not a basic whodunnit ... more of a what-is-he-going-to-do?
I wont put in any spoilers; just say that there are many characters here in difficult situations. Few people understand who all the players are aligned with... if any. And we gradually learn who is who in a series of clever twists.
Gangster organisations must always be built on fragile alliances. And the police have a tough job dealing with the balance between banging some people up and causing chaos on the street.
New World examines those issues impressively.
A gangster movie. There is action and violence. There might have been some sex... I can't remember... because there is a lot of intrigue that keeps you thinking about what the hell is going on.
So it is more of a thriller. But not a basic whodunnit ... more of a what-is-he-going-to-do?
I wont put in any spoilers; just say that there are many characters here in difficult situations. Few people understand who all the players are aligned with... if any. And we gradually learn who is who in a series of clever twists.
Gangster organisations must always be built on fragile alliances. And the police have a tough job dealing with the balance between banging some people up and causing chaos on the street.
New World examines those issues impressively.
Thursday 17 May 2018
The Hitman's Bodyguard
This is a dire film. It came highly recommended by a friend who I know (a) has recommended great films and TV shows in the past; and (b) has recommended terrible films and TV shows in the past. There is no middle ground - great or terrible. The Hitman's Bodyguard is one of the terrible ones.
Everything is a cliche. There is nothing new to see here.
The action isn't even very good. Every move is telegraphed at least a minute ahead so that you don't miss anything... or get surprised.
The main characters are rubbish. The only one vaguely interesting is Salma Hayek's. And she isn't in it very much.
Luckily for Gary Oldman, his character isn't in it much either... although every minute is a minute too much. Even a great actor like Oldman can't give life to a character this badly written.
Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson play their roles as cheap mash-ups of previous performances. The similarities between Bryce and Deadpool could only be more obvious if he actually wore a red suit. Kincaid is just a mess of all the bad guys that Jackson has done in the last 5 years... with some Mace Windu zen wisdom on the side.
It's. Just. All. Bad.
Everything is a cliche. There is nothing new to see here.
The action isn't even very good. Every move is telegraphed at least a minute ahead so that you don't miss anything... or get surprised.
The main characters are rubbish. The only one vaguely interesting is Salma Hayek's. And she isn't in it very much.
Luckily for Gary Oldman, his character isn't in it much either... although every minute is a minute too much. Even a great actor like Oldman can't give life to a character this badly written.
Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson play their roles as cheap mash-ups of previous performances. The similarities between Bryce and Deadpool could only be more obvious if he actually wore a red suit. Kincaid is just a mess of all the bad guys that Jackson has done in the last 5 years... with some Mace Windu zen wisdom on the side.
It's. Just. All. Bad.
Wednesday 16 May 2018
Raw
I enjoyed some parts of Raw, but overall found it uncomfortable to watch.
Not always because it was horrific.
For instance, I hated the way that the senior students behaved toward the juniors; and that all the juniors went along with it, perpetuating the abuse for generation after generation. I was bullied at school... it is not OK, however you dress it up as "traditional" or just "a bit of fun".
Is that a French thing, or a medical student thing, or both? I wondered if medical students have to behave in such a way to cope with cutting up dead creatures and cutting into live ones. It's not something I could do.
Some parts of the story are confusing.
Are we supposed to believe that one small exposure to raw animal protein is enough to physically transform her overnight into a creature that not only likes human flesh but actively craves it... on pain of massive withdrawal?
How does her sister manage to bounce off speeding cars and recover in minutes? Repeatedly? Is that part of the transformation? Some sort of rapid recovery. I was looking to see if her finger grew back but didn't notice either way at the end.
Why did her sister make her eat the animal when she knew what would happen? Presumably she thought the flesh eating was good... but it didn't seem like she actually enjoyed it... so in a "sober" moment why didn't she spare her sister the torment?
There were good scenes where the pain and confusion were well done. And I felt sorry for the room-mate in a way. But the ending was entirely predictable apart from its utter bleakness.
All in all it failed the fast-forward test. There were plenty of times when I was bored and just wanted to FF to the end to see what happened. I didn't FF. But on reaching the end, wished I had.
Not always because it was horrific.
For instance, I hated the way that the senior students behaved toward the juniors; and that all the juniors went along with it, perpetuating the abuse for generation after generation. I was bullied at school... it is not OK, however you dress it up as "traditional" or just "a bit of fun".
Is that a French thing, or a medical student thing, or both? I wondered if medical students have to behave in such a way to cope with cutting up dead creatures and cutting into live ones. It's not something I could do.
Some parts of the story are confusing.
Are we supposed to believe that one small exposure to raw animal protein is enough to physically transform her overnight into a creature that not only likes human flesh but actively craves it... on pain of massive withdrawal?
How does her sister manage to bounce off speeding cars and recover in minutes? Repeatedly? Is that part of the transformation? Some sort of rapid recovery. I was looking to see if her finger grew back but didn't notice either way at the end.
Why did her sister make her eat the animal when she knew what would happen? Presumably she thought the flesh eating was good... but it didn't seem like she actually enjoyed it... so in a "sober" moment why didn't she spare her sister the torment?
There were good scenes where the pain and confusion were well done. And I felt sorry for the room-mate in a way. But the ending was entirely predictable apart from its utter bleakness.
All in all it failed the fast-forward test. There were plenty of times when I was bored and just wanted to FF to the end to see what happened. I didn't FF. But on reaching the end, wished I had.
Thursday 10 May 2018
Dunkirk
What do you call it when a movie has lots of good individual performances, but it doesn't hang together as a whole? Less than the sum of its parts? Disappointing?
That was Dunkirk for me. Despite a lot of dramatic performances, there was no real drama.
I could tell that the young soldier at the beginning was going to make it. I knew that the pilot who ditched was not going to drown. I knew that Tom Hardy was going to shoot down all those planes then run out of fuel ... but not crash.
Lots of people died at Dunkirk. We see some people die, but no-one we have got to know, so we don't feel it much. The worst moment is when that poor lad gets pushed down the stairs on the little boat and cracks his head open.
I didn't even get much of a sense of impending doom, followed by a glorious rescue. Everything just seemed a bit flat and, sadly, boring.
Films have dialogue for a reason. Nolan tries to create drama without much dialogue... and fails.
That was Dunkirk for me. Despite a lot of dramatic performances, there was no real drama.
I could tell that the young soldier at the beginning was going to make it. I knew that the pilot who ditched was not going to drown. I knew that Tom Hardy was going to shoot down all those planes then run out of fuel ... but not crash.
Lots of people died at Dunkirk. We see some people die, but no-one we have got to know, so we don't feel it much. The worst moment is when that poor lad gets pushed down the stairs on the little boat and cracks his head open.
I didn't even get much of a sense of impending doom, followed by a glorious rescue. Everything just seemed a bit flat and, sadly, boring.
Films have dialogue for a reason. Nolan tries to create drama without much dialogue... and fails.
Friday 4 May 2018
La Mante
Another great foreign-language thriller on Netflix.
La Mante is a French take on the "serial-killer helps cops to catch another serial-killer... or does she?" style. And there are plenty of twists.
At first it looks like we might get a different suspect nailed on in each episode, but that mercifully doesn't happen as the predictable path is avoided.
The main character La Mante (The Preying Mantis) is wonderfully done and you just can't tell what she is up to. Is she helping or is she behind everything? We are just kept guessing... as are most of the characters, who struggle to know who they can trust.
Watching with subtitles again makes this a very immersive experience. I watched the 6 one hour episodes in pairs over 3 consecutive nights. Compared to a 2 hour movie there is just so much more here to get into... a much more detailed story and better developed and rounded characters.
I am definitely ready for The Bridge 4 which is coming to BBC4 very soon now.
La Mante is a French take on the "serial-killer helps cops to catch another serial-killer... or does she?" style. And there are plenty of twists.
At first it looks like we might get a different suspect nailed on in each episode, but that mercifully doesn't happen as the predictable path is avoided.
The main character La Mante (The Preying Mantis) is wonderfully done and you just can't tell what she is up to. Is she helping or is she behind everything? We are just kept guessing... as are most of the characters, who struggle to know who they can trust.
Watching with subtitles again makes this a very immersive experience. I watched the 6 one hour episodes in pairs over 3 consecutive nights. Compared to a 2 hour movie there is just so much more here to get into... a much more detailed story and better developed and rounded characters.
I am definitely ready for The Bridge 4 which is coming to BBC4 very soon now.
Tuesday 1 May 2018
The Dark Tower
There are some films that you just have to see. It doesn't matter how many bad reviews there are, how many people you know tell you not to bother, or how much you just know it probably wont be any good. You just have to see for yourself.
The Dark Tower was one of those movies for me.
I picked up the first book The Gunslinger in an airport when it first came out. Probably because I had heard of Stephen King and thought it was about cowboys. I loved it. But is was ages until the next one came out... about 5 years I think. I loved that too. Then another 5 years. Loved book 3. Then another 5 years...
Book 4 was massive, about 800 pages, and what with all the stuff going on in my life at that time, I never finished it. End of story.
But I was intrigued by the prospect of a movie. Then horrified when it seemed that everyone hated it. Just like another of my favourite book series (His Dark Materials) it looks like we just get the one movie... then nothing. The fickle public vote with their feet after the "introduction".
For what it is worth I quite enjoyed the movie. It was very short (94 mins) both in time and on explanation. I can understand why people who had not read any of the books might feel a bit lost. I couldn't actually remember any of the plot but some of the performances resonated with the impressions I retained of the main characters.
Maybe it would have been better if Netflix had commissioned a TV series instead. A run of 13 episodes would have the time to build the story that is needed here. In a short movie most people are just going to be left asking why the cowboy was weird and why the bad magician couldn't just kill him like he did everyone else.
The Dark Tower was one of those movies for me.
I picked up the first book The Gunslinger in an airport when it first came out. Probably because I had heard of Stephen King and thought it was about cowboys. I loved it. But is was ages until the next one came out... about 5 years I think. I loved that too. Then another 5 years. Loved book 3. Then another 5 years...
Book 4 was massive, about 800 pages, and what with all the stuff going on in my life at that time, I never finished it. End of story.
But I was intrigued by the prospect of a movie. Then horrified when it seemed that everyone hated it. Just like another of my favourite book series (His Dark Materials) it looks like we just get the one movie... then nothing. The fickle public vote with their feet after the "introduction".
For what it is worth I quite enjoyed the movie. It was very short (94 mins) both in time and on explanation. I can understand why people who had not read any of the books might feel a bit lost. I couldn't actually remember any of the plot but some of the performances resonated with the impressions I retained of the main characters.
Maybe it would have been better if Netflix had commissioned a TV series instead. A run of 13 episodes would have the time to build the story that is needed here. In a short movie most people are just going to be left asking why the cowboy was weird and why the bad magician couldn't just kill him like he did everyone else.
Baby Driver
Liked this a lot. There have been a few films with excellent soundtracks, but Baby Driver makes the soundtrack integral to the plot in a way that others have not... except Guardians of the Galaxy did, a bit.
Given that I hate (most) musicals... this could be the start of a whole new genre?
There wasn't anything too surprising in the plot, but the atmosphere of the film and the development of the (small number of) characters was just great.
A very cool movie.
Given that I hate (most) musicals... this could be the start of a whole new genre?
There wasn't anything too surprising in the plot, but the atmosphere of the film and the development of the (small number of) characters was just great.
A very cool movie.
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