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Keyser-Stanton
Reviews
Wonderland (1999)
Walking in Winterbottom's Wonderland
This movie has only just come out on DVD in Britain, that is a shamefully long time for a film to reach the country it was made in. But now it is here, and possibly finding a new audience, I thought I'd write a quick review. If you have read some of the other reviews, you will no doubt be aware of the 'kitchen sink' factor in this film. Well, I'm not going to deny that, the subject matter would not look out of place in a soap opera. . . .however it is the performances, the script and the fantastic style of this movie which pulls it out of the mundane and into the cinematic. Michael Winterbottom is clearly a director who like several of his British contemporaries such as Mike Leigh and Shane Meadows, believes that the drama around us in everyday life is worthy of the big screen. The film has a fine ensemble of characters, three very different sisters, their estranged brother and squabbling parents. The performances are brave and heartfelt in all cases, and even though the drama takes place over one weekend, the characters really do evolve. The most enticing thing about the film is the way it is shot and scored. Sean Bobbitt's time lapse photography and dogma style 16mm cinematography combined with Michael Nyman's emotive music is a really fantastic combination. This film shows London how the people who live there see it, namely from the ground. Nearly every film set in London now seems to have to include the Gherkin, the Tate modern and the Millennium wheel, what Winterbottom presents us with is something simultaneously far less and far more remarkable.
Spun (2002)
You might as well watch an hour of MTV!
Jonas Åkerlund, one of the latest and most popular music video directors to
attempt to branch out into feature film, has overlooked the most vital element of any film. . .the story, 'Spun' has no story! You can assemble a cast of fine young actors (and Mickey Rourke), you can
shoot and edit the film with an amazing amount of skill, but if you have no story, what is the point? There are no characters that you could possibly identify with, or even like.
Jason Schwartzman plays the lead, a confused, self centered crack addict. We
follow him as he tries to obtain drugs, as he indulges his habit, as he ties a stripper to a bed, duct tapes her mouth and eyes and leaves her for days on
end. . .and through all of this we are accompanied by the gentle tones of Billy Corgan's sentimental score. It is a sad state of affairs if the filmmakers thinks we can forgive Schwartzman's character for his actions. 'Spun' is a text book example of style over substance, and not only that but a lot of the style is stolen from Darran Aronofsky's 'Requiem for a Dream'.
I sincerely hope Åkerlund pays more attention to narrative in his next feature film.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
A Great Genre Movie!
As a huge fan of Comic-Book films, I must admit that I get irritated when people berate a film like Spider-man for being unrealistic or unbelievable. If you want something real from a cinematic experience, then maybe you should go and
watch a Lars Von Trier film (that is not meant negatively, I think he's done some great work.) But Spider-man 2, more so than the first film, is of the Comic-Book genre. I believe Spider-man 2 is more like the film Sam Raimi would have made the
first time around, had he been braver, or received less badgering from the
studio (or whatever it was). A Comic-Book film has to be big and bold, and it has to have little regard for realism. . .because, such as in this case, the story is about a guy who acquires superhuman powers from a genetically modified spider. . . if that is the premise, and you know that before you enter the movie theatre, why on earth are you
complaining about a lack of realism. I loved this film, in all its outrageous, cheesy, fantastical, big budgeted glory. If you know how to watch a film of this genre, its a joy. We all know about sequels never living up to the expectations of the original film, but Spider-man 2 exceeds them. The story is well structured and carefully conceived, continuing many of the
themes from the first film. The wealth of screen writers that seem to accompany projects such as this have made a well rounded story and script. . .a rare
occasion when too many cooks haven't spoiled the broth.
Peter Parker's struggle with his identity is both comical and heart-felt, and Tobey Maguire does a fantastic job. Alfred Molina makes a superb villain, a hard act for James Franco to follow as the next nemesis to Spider-man.
The film is consistently stunning from start to finish, thanks to the amazing visual effects, and ace cinematographer Bill Pope (of Matrix fame). And once again, a Comic-Book film isn't a Comic-Book film without the huge
orchestral sound of Danny Elfman. After working on 'Batman', 'Darkman', 'Men in Black' and 'The Hulk'. . . its not surprising that he was picked for this gig too. . .and he does a fine job. Spider-man 2 is a fine effort and in my opinion, it is one of the best genre
sequels we've seen, along side the fantastic X-men 2.
Cypher (2002)
Let's twist again (possible spoilers)
Although 'Cypher' is flawed in several ways, it was still a very enjoyable movie. It features some excellent cinematography, and a pretty good musical score by Micheal Andrews (who also wrote the music for Donnie Darko). Jeremy Northam delivers an excellent performance and manages to do
wonders with lines which must have looked pretty awful on paper. In fact I would go so far as to say Jeremy Northam saved this movie, it was clearly a brave
decision by Vincenzo Natali to cast a British actor who is known mostly for his work on costume dramas. Brian Kings script, while it was very well structured in terms of adding layers of mystery and unraveling facts, wasn't too great in terms of dialogue. I really cannot stand cliche lines, and although Jeremy Northam makes a good job of
being believable whilst delivering them, Lucy Liu certainly does not. I would strongly disagree with the reviews which say this is the only intelligent film of 2002, ('Adaptation' and 'The Hours' clearly had more deep thinking
behind them, even though I hated 'The Hours', I can recognize it's intelligence) as Sci Fi's go, it doesn't really compare to the concepts of 'The Matrix' or touch on the level of moral dilemma found in 'Minority Report'. There have been so many films in recent history which try to wow you with a
final mind bending twist (Fight Club, Sixth Sense etc. . . ) that this film's 'big' twist seems pretty cheap. Having said all this, the film was still very enjoyable and I will definitely watch it again. Vincenzo Natali's visual style is reminiscent to that of David Fincher, and his direction is fantastic. I will be anxiously looking out for his next film.
7/10
Below (2002)
What a Let-Down!
I came to this film after being really inspired by Darren Aronofsky's first two movies: 'Pi' and 'Requiem for a Dream'. I had also seen David N. Twohy's 'Pitch Black', which I found mildly entertaining. I was slightly worried when I saw that Twohy and Aronofsky shared the writing credits, and all my worst fears were confirmed as I sat there for the next hour and forty minutes, watching the plot unfold. I really did expect more, I have no doubt that the film would have been a great deal better had Aronofsky been directing, but even so, the basic story is pretty cheap. 'Below' lacks all the originality and intelligence that 'Pi' had, and has none of the visual flare Twohy showed in 'Pitch Black'. Twohy has let his tendency to make things look cheap really get the better of him this time (eg, using naff looking C.G for virtually everything outside the submarine). I can appreciate that both writer and director were trying to make a straight forward genre film, but lets face it, the dramatic tension in films such as 'The Poseidon Adventure' and 'The Abyss' are not going to be topped, especially with such a missmatched cast and on such a low budget. Having said all this, I must say in the film's defense that even though 'Below' has a painfully formulaic plot, there were still some decent moments of suspense
and action and there wasn't too much 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' style
camera work. I believe Twohy and Aronofsky are capable of great work in very different fields and maybe its best if they didn't work together again.
I would also like to say that people should really stop hiring Graeme Revell as a composer for action films, he keeps coming out with cheap music that sounds
like it should accompany a Baywatch rescue scene. 4/10
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Rom-Zom-Com!
After watching 'Shaun of the Dead', I instantly decided that it has to be my favorite British Romantic Comedy Zombie movie ever. True, there are not many other movies that fit into that particular sub-genre, but I enjoyed the film immensely all the same. I disagree that this movie is just an extension of 'Spaced', although I am a big fan of the show. What became apparent to me whilst watching 'Shaun. . .' is that writer and Actor Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright not only understand the timing of comedy, but they understand cinema. They have made an exceptionally funny film, which is not so much a parody of the Zombie movie, but a loving homage to the Zombie movie, particularly the films of George A. Romero.
'Shaun. . .' contains all the conventions of the Zombie movie, along with some side-splitting, very British humour. So, die-hard defenders of the Zombie movie need not be offended, 'Shaun of the Dead' has high production values for a British film, great action sequences, and dark humour which is not a million miles away from the likes of Kill Bill.
Lets hope the guys from Spaced will be back on the big screen soon. 8/10
Narc (2002)
Glad When It Was Over!!
I know that many people loved this movie, but I really couldn't see why. Although the film was very well shot, and there are some fine performances, there was nothing about any of the characters that I could relate to. Jason Patric's performance, as intense as it was, ultimately made for a very inaccessible character.
I'm really not against movies which are gritty and jarring, but movies such as Se7en have done it all before much better, and with more to offer in the realm of content.
'Narc' feels like a lot of style over substance, and an awful lot of grit purely for shock value. If a film is going to make me squirm, it should have better reason.
When I got to the end, I honestly didn't care enough about any of the characters to retain any sense of catharsis at the supposedly clever twist ending (which seemed to be a little too much like the twist in 'The Limey' in my opinion).
So, in conclusion, if you enjoy being shouted at for an hour an a half while being bombarded by disgusting images, you'll definitely like this film. However, if you think you could put up with all that so long as there was some satisfaction in the story, you'll be as disappointed as I was. But like I said, a lot of people loved this movie, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
Cradle Will Rock (1999)
A Great 'Historical'Film. Outstanding Cast!!
I was dissapointed when after watching this film I read very mixed reviews. Intelligent scripting and structuring coupled with visual style is seldom seen these days in 'historical' films.
Tim Robbins was clearly influenced by working with Robert Altman on several films in the early to mid-nineties. This is most noticable in the extremely long tracking shot at the beginning of the film, and also in Robbins managing of an outstanding ensemble cast. Admittedly, there is a lot happening all the time, and you will have to concentrate quite hard (sorry folks), this is why much can be gained from repeated viewings.
I believe Robbins was very brave to choose such a politically potent topic for his film, and he does not in anyway flinch from the shocking facts which reveal themselves throughout the film (namely, the funding of the Musilini's war effort by American businesses). Robbins does assume that his audience has a firm grasp of historical figures and events, this can be a problem at times but it serves as an encouragement to the viewer to maybe pick up a history book or two and there's nothing wrong with that.
Viewers shouldn't expect a long and boring history lesson in this movie, it is still fantastically entertaining. . .and why can't films be political?? We need political films more than ever now.
8/10