Recently viewed films

[Jack of All Parades]

Win Win with Paul Giamatti and a strong supporting cast. A little comedy/drama that takes a concerted look at professional ethics and how a person might be stretched to cross the line. Giamatti as a financially strapped lawyer is his usual superb self. That is two strong performances I have watched from him this year, the other being Barney's Version. I do not think I ever see the man acting. He always just seems to inhabit the character he plays. Amy Ryan and Bobby Carnavale also do exceptional work. The movie has some earned laughs and does come to a predictable ending but one that is satisfying just the same. I liked the usage of The National over the closing credits. Set a suitable sombre tone to the end.

[Boy With A Problem]

Win Win with Paul Giamatti and a strong supporting cast. A little comedy/drama that takes a concerted look at professional ethics and how a person might be stretched to cross the line. Giamatti as a financially strapped lawyer is his usual superb self. That is two strong performances I have watched from him this year, the other being Barney's Version. I do not think I ever see the man acting. He always just seems to inhabit the character he plays. Amy Ryan and Bobby Carnavale also do exceptional work. The movie has some earned laughs and does come to a predictable ending but one that is satisfying just the same. I liked the usage of The National over the closing credits. Set a suitable sombre tone to the end.

I've watched both of these films on flights this year. Win Win was an enjoyable, if a little lightweight. I especially enjoyed Jeffrey Tambor's character - the unqualified but well meaning assistant wrestling coach. I wanted to like Barney's Version more than I did. I was frustrated by some of the more unbelievable elements (the subplot with the aging actress) - and I especially didn't like the Italian flashback scenes. I did like the ending though - hardest thing in a film to pull off.

[Jack of All Parades]

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"- my late summer indulgence and because it has to be seen on a substantial screen with good sound. It really does 'kick in the pants' that old tired franchise. Quoting verbally and with images that reference the old film, this one credibly and humorously reconfigures the initial story and pretty much holds your attention throughout its two plus hours. The story of science being corrupted can be dodgy but it is told with visual brio and with a tremendous performance by Andy Serkis as the young ape, Caesar. He catches with great skill a thinking being behind the computer animated face of an ape. As his mental abilities grow in the film, they are manifested with a deftness by his facial movements. If there is justice, he will receive an Academy Award nod for Best Supporting Actor later this year. The animation can be dodgy at times as the apes scamper about with an abandon that seems to deny real physical laws of movement but that is a minor quibble. This is pure summer escape fun and should not be missed. Others are right, there comes a time in the film when you swear the newly energized apes are massed together and are voicing the refrain 'Attica, Attica'- I love that about this movie.

[bambooneedle]

Went and saw Senna. It was very interesting because F1 history is very interesting and because there's just something about the colour of the old footage and the accompanying voices that is so seductive and it was great on a big screen. Senna's car-cam footage of the claustraphobic Monaco circuit looked spooky and awesome.

It was around the time of Alain Prost vs Senna in the Tag Porsches that I first got into F1 and I admired Prost for his control and professionalism more so than Senna. Got mixed feelings about whether it is right to praise Senna any more than several other contenders.

The film does cover Ayrton's documented god-complex, "god gave me that race" (@ Brazil), and several important personalities remark on how keenly intelligent he was about F1 racing and technical matters but it doesn't really delve into either of these aspects of his personality very far.

That, and that it revealed the dangerous recklessness of many of his victories made me walk away not thinking that he was the exceptional genius he is often touted to be, but just that he took a lot of dangerous chances. I admire that he was a talented natural etc but he was also pretty naive and he endangered many other lives.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Wish I'd seen it. Several people (OK, women) said 'I've got no interest in F1, but it was fabulous!'

Welcome back, by the way!

[bambooneedle]

I'd forgotten that you (on your side of the pond) had seen it several months ago. Thanks.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Haven't seen it! just wish I had. Seems so easy not to get to the cinema. Missed so many I wanted to see...

Have to get to Almodóvar's new one The Skin I Live In.

[bambooneedle]

By 'you' I meant youse, but I was being correct...

[Otis Westinghouse]

Oh I see. So it's only just been released on the far southern side of the pond? It's taken a while to arrive there.

[Jack of All Parades]

"Meek's Cutoff"- one of two superb westerns seen in the past year, the other being "True Grit". This film by the truly original Kelly Reichardt is not to be missed. Like her previous films about the west and Oregon, "Old Joy" and "Wendy and Lucy", this one explores the meaning of heading 'west' from a most arresting eye view. As the movie unfolds you feel as if you are experiencing the movement of the wagons first hand. There is no sound but the natural noises around the actors- running water, wind and birds. It is eerie and most effective. You are literally on the Oregon Trail in 1845 and you are lost. The cinematography by Christopher Blauvelt is not to be missed. This is not the West that we have come to know with towns and cowboys and Indians. It is virginal, unknown, mysterious and dangerous and seemingly a place that one is going to die in rather than prosper within. The subliminal fears that this landscape creates for these pioneers is harrowing. Hunger, thirst, lack of faith and confidence and the gut instinct to survive are palpable feelings on the screen. The notion that the wagon beds they are transporting across the high scrub plains are too similar to coffins is haunting. I cannot get that image out of my head.

[Jack of All Parades]

"The Trip" Michael Winterbottom last night with my wife. The premise of a road trip with two buddies may be a cliche but these two pull it off[ Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon]. Their competitive friendship percolates as they dine their way through Northern England and trade dueling impressions and not so subtle digs at one another. Their dueling Michael Caines is quite telling. The food looks good[ but does every high end restaurant in the North feature scallops as their signature dish?]; never heard of Pidgeon as a main dish until this film. The countryside is beautiful- the Lake District never looks ugly. Nice references to Manchester and its cultural and industrial history. Many scenes look like they could be a Turner landscape as is mentioned in the film. Echoes of Coleridge and Wordsworth abound. A most enjoyable film that left me liking the Brydon character.

[Otis Westinghouse]

It started out as a TV series, and sadly I missed it al, but it looked like fun.

I absolutely loved Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris'. His best film in ages, and huge fun. Silly, corny, romantic, and loveable. The roll call of 20s Paris greats who appear is endless.

[Jack of All Parades]

Yes! My favorite had to be the characterization of Hemingway.

[Otis Westinghouse]

'Anyone want a fight?'

Here's a handy article on the 20s scene depicted in the film (though note that the Shakespeare and Co. briefly shown towards the end of the film is not the original Sylvia Beach shop referred to here, and where of course Ulysses was published from, but a location it moved to later on, 50s or something:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/movie ... -view.html

I went with my 15 year old son, who really enjoyed it, and this gives me an excuse to go a second time next week with my wife. Can't wait!

[Jack of All Parades]

Indeed! Otis, how many Allen films of the last twenty years can you say you would be eager to rush out and view a second or more times in the theater? I count two- this one and "Match Point". I hope you and your wife have a great time. This is a fun, confection of a film- real laughter.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in IMAX 3D. I was an avid reader of Tintin as a lad and was never happy with the American-accented Tintin of the cartoons at the time when the original was so ultra-European. I hugely enjoyed this, and so did my 11 year old. Rather thrown by a very sniffy Peter Bradshaw Guardian review which reckons the mo-cap approach loses the charm of the original animation and doesn't have any of the thrill that real people would bring it. I beg to differ. Probably the immersive feel of IMAX was a real help, but I found it hugely involving, and the format of something in a strange hinterland between cartoon and reality really worked well to convey 'cartoon character' brought to life for the cinema. I wasn't quite sure why Haddock was Scottish, but the voices were good, the key settings (Brussels, or Francophone equivalent, Karaboudjan ship, lifeboat, plane, desert, Bagghar, back home) were all atmospheric and memorable and it was technically stunning. For me it stuck closely to the original and was faithful to it, with a nice homage to Hergé in the very opening scene of the film (wherein Tintin is drawn by a street painter at the market who, we realise from the style of it, turns out to be Hergé). I for one look forward to the next adventure.

[Poor Deportee]

Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in IMAX 3D. I was an avid reader of Tintin as a lad and was never happy with the American-accented Tintin of the cartoons at the time when the original was so ultra-European. I hugely enjoyed this, and so did my 11 year old. Rather thrown by a very sniffy Peter Bradshaw Guardian review which reckons the mo-cap approach loses the charm of the original animation and doesn't have any of the thrill that real people would bring it. I beg to differ. Probably the immersive feel of IMAX was a real help, but I found it hugely involving, and the format of something in a strange hinterland between cartoon and reality really worked well to convey 'cartoon character' brought to life for the cinema. I wasn't quite sure why Haddock was Scottish, but the voices were good, the key settings (Brussels, or Francophone equivalent, Karaboudjan ship, lifeboat, plane, desert, Bagghar, back home) were all atmospheric and memorable and it was technically stunning. For me it stuck closely to the original and was faithful to it, with a nice homage to Hergé in the very opening scene of the film (wherein Tintin is drawn by a street painter at the market who, we realise from the style of it, turns out to be Hergé). I for one look forward to the next adventure.

Wow, thanks for this. Having grown up with Hergé's creation, I've looked to the film with equal parts trepidation and anticipation. Your review gives me reason for cautious optimism that they have not inflicted upon Tintin the horrors wreaked upon the Lord of the Rings.

[Otis Westinghouse]

BBC2 Review show slated it completely with the very annoying Natalie Haynes banging her head to show her contempt 'because they stuck too closely to the cartoon'. So, clearly not to everyone's taste, but I enjoyed it, even if I had to pay £25 for me and my boy to see it in IMAX in London! In summary for me it captured some of the magic and mystery and weirdness of the original (in terms of Tintin's persona) and did something very modern with the look of it, with liberal doses of Indiana Jones to the chase stuff. Fun.

[migdd]

Tree of Life. Exquisite. Heart wrenching and visually stunning. Can't recommend it enough.

[redsfan720]

Tree of Life. Exquisite. Heart wrenching and visually stunning. Can't recommend it enough.

I've been meaning to see that one. I missed it in theaters.

Favorite film I've seen recently has been "Drive." Tremendous script with very, very compelling characters. I'd be disappointed if Ryan Gosling doesn't pick up an Oscar nom.

[History History]

Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in IMAX 3D. I was an avid reader of Tintin as a lad and was never happy with the American-accented Tintin of the cartoons at the time when the original was so ultra-European. I hugely enjoyed this, and so did my 11 year old. Rather thrown by a very sniffy Peter Bradshaw Guardian review which reckons the mo-cap approach loses the charm of the original animation and doesn't have any of the thrill that real people would bring it. I beg to differ. Probably the immersive feel of IMAX was a real help, but I found it hugely involving, and the format of something in a strange hinterland between cartoon and reality really worked well to convey 'cartoon character' brought to life for the cinema. I wasn't quite sure why Haddock was Scottish, but the voices were good, the key settings (Brussels, or Francophone equivalent, Karaboudjan ship, lifeboat, plane, desert, Bagghar, back home) were all atmospheric and memorable and it was technically stunning. For me it stuck closely to the original and was faithful to it, with a nice homage to Hergé in the very opening scene of the film (wherein Tintin is drawn by a street painter at the market who, we realise from the style of it, turns out to be Hergé). I for one look forward to the next adventure.

Otis, I agree the film was technically excellent but I suggest you go back to the books to remind yourself of the story. It is so far removed from the original narrative that I thought it a disgrace. Most of the second half of the film is non-existent anywhere in the books - it's complete rubbish. There is also some sickly sentimental trash about coming up against a brick wall and breaking through it etc... (Herge would turn in his grave) and loads of rubbishy 'action' involving a fight with a couple of cranes that goes on forever. Characters are completely changed and some are completely absent - Professer Calculus for instance. As a film 'based' on Herges books it's ok but has very little to do with the story of Unicorn/Red Rackham. Blistering Barnacles!!

[Otis Westinghouse]

Yeah, first half sticks closer to the book. There was another article by a true purist who has written a book on Tintin for Granta publishers who shredded it. Made some valid points like all the action in the original was plausible and realistic, but obviously not so in the film. Can see the point, but it's all a bit purist. A straight animation trying to look like the original would have been like the TV series, real actors could have been brilliant, but I though there was something different and special about this approach.

I have the making of The Secret Unicorn/Red Rackham's Treasure, which has a rather wonderful section showing the details of Hergé's meticulous research. I haven't re-read this, but did go back to old favourite The Seven Crystal Balls and then Prisoners of the Sun. Wonderful stuff. Was pleased that my son, on reading the books after the film announced 'the film was good but the books are better' and is now taking them into school for his book of choice (one of those modern smaller format three in one volumes that are far more economical but a bit hard on the eyes and lose too much detail).

It will be interesting to see what difference the switch on film two from Spielberg to Jackson as director will bring. And also I was hearing from the scriptwriter how he'd done a whole script ready to film but the producers wanted to change it to another story, so that one's in production and his other script is on ice.

[Jack of All Parades]

Another little off the radar film for me last night. "Everything Must Go" featuring Will Ferrell. Based upon the Raymond Carver story-"Why Don't You Dance". I have never totally warmed to many of his comic turns over the last decade in the movies but this one held my attention because he anchors his performance in a dead pan delivery that allows for a real empathy with this wounded character and his damaged life. Yet another example for me of a sound comedian pulling off a 'serious' role. The gracefull epiphany at the end is totally earned. Loved that notion of living off of one's front yard.

[redsfan720]

I too really enjoyed "Everything Must Go." Ferrell seems to have some actual acting chops, which viewers would have first perceived in "Stranger Than Fiction," which I also thought was a good film. I hope Ferrell takes on more roles along those lines because he's very good. I don't know if he's quite (right now) as good as, say, Jim Carrey—an easy if not lazy comparison because he started out similarly as a comic actor and used that to transition into all kinds of other roles—but if he tried to be, I don't think anyone would complain.

Something that was pointed out to me in "Everything Must Go": The boy who played Kenny is an actor named CJ Wallace, and he's the son of Chris Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G. Biggie was shot and killed when the boy was less than a year old. Crazy to think the boy is now 15 or 16 and is in movies. He's good, too. I thought his character was played well. Understated. Maybe nuanced is a better word.

[Jack of All Parades]

Yes- just a solid 'little' movie anchored by Ferrell. The young man did play nicely off of Ferrell's character. Do not know exactly what it is about Carver's stories but they have made for some good movies- "Short Cuts", that Australian movie based upon "So Much Water, So Close to Home" and this one.