This is a first rate film, directed with assurance and maturity by Fernando Meirelles. Reynolds has mentioned before how I felt great ambivalence about City of God. It was a dazzling piece of filmmaking but it seemed to me that Meirelles foregrounded his skills as a director over the provocative material; the results being a film that makes a commodity spectacle out of poverty and crime. There is some of that in The Constant Gardener, but I still feel as if the filmmakers work very diligently to not get in the way of the story (even if the generic designs of Le Carre’s conspiracy thriller drag things down in its final act). I look forward to our discussion. This is a film worth talking and arguing about.
Month: September 2005
Kontroll
I can’t recommend this film more highly; even though my expectations had been pumped up by extravagant praise in various reviews, I still found it surprising, visually quite stunning, and a hell of a lot of fun. (And Kris sat down to watch five minutes, figuring it was among the cheesy foreign thrillers I clutter our queue with, but got sucked right in.) It’s not great, but as a first film, working on a minimal budget, it’s among the most stylish and entertaining films I’ve seen all summer.
At Last the 1948 Show
Just a quick take (aren’t all takes quick nowadays?). At Last the 1948 Show is great fun. But don’t buy it. Sadly I must report that the 2-disc set is a total rip off. Why spread 5 episodes over 2 discs? All you need is cash. Netflix it ASAP, for Marty Feldman is sublime. Myself? I’ve rediscovered my fondness for Tim Brooke-Taylor. When will The Goodies make it to DVD?
Four Yorkshiremen, and all that…
More Quick Takes
I watched Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior the other night and enjoyed it. Tony Jaa seems to defy gravity and the big set pieces were well constructed and entertaining, and, I think, there was little use of wires to manufacture the illusion (though I may be proved wrong). One chase scene through the Bangkok streets was excellently orchestrated and a Tuk-Tuk chase scene was a lot of fun. Pure genre flick–nothing necessarily original–and though it lacks the audacious high style of Kung Fu Hustle, I would argue this modest tale of rural values overcoming urban corruption has a lot more heart. Continue reading More Quick Takes
More quick takes
Cypher–industrial spy-slash-scifi-slash-PhilipKDickian thriller with Jeremy Northam, who’s amazingly good, by the guy who directed Cube, Vincenzo Natali. Like that film, Cypher is a lot of fun and stylishly shot on shoestring budget for about half an hour, then once your confusion about the story kind of dissipates (and I got the ‘twist’ about halfway in), it remains stylish but isn’t that terribly engaging. But, still, Northam has some fun.
Continue reading More quick takes