higby Reviews

The Transporter (2002)

Truly awful

[3 October 2004]

Verdict? Truly awful. The choreography for the fight scenes are laughable.

When a film contains a 'superman' who can take on a dozen men all at the same time, clearly we're entering into the world of fantasy and for the film to work it has to be played for laughs. The main problem with the film is that it took itself too seriously. Or rather Jason Statham played it too seriously. Statham has to be the worst actor in living memory, and seemed to be incapable of showing any expression or emotion in his cold, lifeless eyes. He just about gets away with it in, 'Oceans eleven' probably because he occupies so little screen time. To give you an example of Statham's acting in the film, in one scene his house is blown up. How are you going to feel if your house is blown up? Angry? Mildly irritated perhaps? -Not if you're Jason Statham. Having just seen his house destroyed and turned into complete rubble, his face doesn't register even the slightest muscle movement. He just can't act. Maybe, he should have watched Gene Hackman's turn in, 'Enemy of the State' when his house his destroyed for a few pointers. Even at the end of the film where he's reunited with his love interest, you'd think if there was ever an opportunity to smile and show a bit of life, this was it. What does he do? Same static, lifeless expression. Painful.

Given that the whole premise of the film is that Statham is the best 'transporter' there is, transporting packages from one location to the next, no questions asked, you'd think there'd be a few good car chases to demonstrate why he is supposedly the best. And is there? Not, in this film.

Badly acted. Badly written. Badly choreographed. Truly awful.

3/10

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Worthy sequel with more humanity.

[24 September 2004]

Verdict? How does it compare to the Bourne Identity? BS is a darker film, but certainly has more humanity. One of the most pivotal moments in the film involves a touching scene in which Jason faces up to the ghosts in his past by confronting the daughter of one of his previous 'kills.' He recognises the need to know and understand-that the truth however unpleasant is the only thing that can truly define who we are. The assassinated man's daughter needs to know the truth and Jason needs to tell her. As Jason's fragments of memories continue to filter down through flashback and revealed information, you can see the healing process at work even clearer as he staggers through the necessary sequence of denial, acceptance, and finally responsibility, from which he can only emerge a stronger person.

Immediate impressions as I left the cinema? Plenty of car crashes. Julia Stiles looks beautiful. Russian police cars frankly are RUBBISH! And does Mr Jason Bourne ever get any sleep??

I enjoyed it. 8/10

The Village (2004)

Another intelligent, powerful Shyamalan movie.

[24 September 2004]

Leaving aside the pro-atheist side issues the film raises such as the nature of religion, and the control of the masses through fear, I found it to be another quality piece of story telling from Shyamalan.

Bryce Dallas Howard's powerhouse performance really stood out, which was just as well, since the film hangs upon her performance.

There's a few loose ends in the film, which struck me as a bit strange given what a craftsmanlike writer Shyamalan is. As a writer you always tie up your loose ends. Nothing should ever be placed in the narrative unless it serves a purpose. It's the golden rule. For instance Sigourney Weaver's character who keeps getting rejected in the film whenever she looks with puppy dog eyes to the object of her affection. Where's the pay off? How does the tension resolve? It doesn't. So, why put it in, in the 1st place? Was it just to flesh out her character? Maybe this is all part of the enigma that is Shyamalan.

I especially liked the porch scene. The dialogue is very powerful. The only time in the film where Pheonix out talks Howard. Up to that point she gets all the best lines.

Possible Spoilers

There are flaws certainly in the film. Noah's final act. (I deliberately remain ambiguous for those who haven't seen it) Could Noah really have pulled off such an accomplished Houdini act, and then dressed himself given his level of inadequacy? Or kept silent throughout the duration of the pursuit, given that he spends all of the 1st part of the film laughing manically to himself every few seconds? One laugh and the game would have been over. It's just a small observation. I don't mean to detract from the film because I really enjoyed it, but still something I found difficult to overlook.

8/10

One Fine Day (1996)

A harmless an inoffensive film generally, but with a poor script fails to convince.

[19 August 2003]

***Possible plot spoiler***

Watching a film, any film, is all about the suspension of disbelief. Even in a comedy, where we probably allow a greater proportion of liberties to be taken, that basic conjuring trick still needs to be performed. For us to be emotionally involved and to care about the characters we're watching, we need to BELIEVE that what we see on screen could actually happen, and in a romantic comedy that could not be more important. For me, that's where this film failed.

The plot-driven script raced along at such a frenetic, breathless pace, it seemed as if half the dialogue took place on each other's mobile phone. The writers determination to get to the objective regarding Clooney and Pfeiffer's relationship as quickly as possible, which they had to ( because as it says on the tin, it all took place on, 'One Fine Day') meant there wasn't a great deal of credibility regarding their respective character development. The script didn't allow for the characters to enjoy the scenery. Did they really do enough to make one another to fall in love so completely, in just a few hours, with so few real encounters between them? Was it really possible for Pfeiffer especially to turn around so quickly, from her entrenched position, when she had been so adamant she definitely did not require anyone else in her life?

We have to remember that on this particular 'Fine Day' it also happened to be an extremely stressful day, full of distractions that were so engaging, both could of easily lost their jobs. Clooney's character was threatening to bring down the mayor, and his newspaper was under extreme pressure to find new witnesses to support their claims of corruption because the original witness' testimony had been withdrawn, and Pfeiffer's character had to submit an important design for one of her company's most important clients. Yet, amidst all this commotion and anxiety, they still fall in love - in one day. Hmmm...

The thing that particularly cracked me up, was Pffeifer's mother. Here was a woman who clearly cared about her daughter and her daughter's welfare. Always on the look out for a suitable partner for her daughter-so much so, that as soon as she spots George Clooney in her salon she raves about his qualities and marks him out as the ideal candidate. Why? Because that's what mothers do when they care about their children. Yet, despite her very evident concern, she would not assist her daughter from losing her job by baby-sitting her son, because her beauty treatment in the salon was more important! A slight contradiction, me thinks.

That said, it was a harmless, inoffensive film, that contained some nice touches. The film started in the rain and ended in the rain. At the beginning the cameras panned across a block of flats highlighting different ones caught in the glare of the cameras spotlight. It did the same at the end. I do like my films to resolve! All the acting was good. George Clooney's laid back cool was endearing. Pfeiffer's acting was mostly about falling over, and looking harrassed, but in the last scene there's one moment (blink and you'll miss it)where she displays a degree of vulnerable insecurity, something I'm sure we've all experienced in similar situations, before thoughts and feelings are made known. For that moment alone I upgraded it from a 5 to a 6.

Overall Rating: 6 out of ten.

The Dead (1987)

A faithful screen adaption by a director at the peak of his powers

[15 August 2003]

Superlatives really are a dangerous thing. No sooner do we rashly assert something as being unsurpassable, the object of our veneration immediately becomes just that. James Joyce's concluding story in his book 'Dubliners,' entitled, 'The Dead,' was always going to be the exception to that rule. It's been described by a number of critics over the years as the greatest short story in the English language. After seeking the story out many years ago when I was a teenager, I can do nothing but agree whole heartedly with the critics.

The story captured a time, a place, and a romanticism that I've dreamt about all my life. The setting is a house at the turn of the century, filled with guests from all over Ireland, who gather for an evening of dancing, poetry and piano recitals.

Joyce's consummate story telling, is not found in the almost mechanical way most authors put their stories together, but it's revealed in the sheer power and strength of feeling projected by the characters involved; Gabriel's concern about his after dinner speech and the ongoing changes in Ireland, Gretta's secret passion for someone she'd once loved and lost, and now even the mere acknowledgment of such a love threatens to destabilize her relationship with Gabriel, Freddie's inability to rise beyond his drug dependency, the arrogant tenor Mr D'Arcy at the table loudly trying to upgrade his status through his supposed musical superiority, Lilly the housemaid all nervousness and efficiency, the list goes on: each playing their part with absolutely convincing character motivation.

How could John Huston's film ever really of taken on such a literary masterpiece and still proved faithful? Well, to his credit, he comes pretty close.

Of course when we're reading a story, an author often leaves a degree of ambiguity, specific areas in which we're allowed to interpret our own mental pictures from the words cited. Joyce was no different. Here lies the problem: transfering a work of fiction to celluloid is like trying to join up the dots. Not everyone is going to recognize the picture and be happy with the adaptation.

Personally, I loved the film. However, there were a couple of scenes that I knew were going to prove a problem, and they did prove problematic. Firstly, when Gretta defers her descent down the stairs after dinner, because she's filled with thought's of Michael Furey and the love that she'd lost. The memories come flooding back. She can hear his voice superimposed over D'arcy's and it unsettles her. It's such a deep enduring moment. In the film, Huston just looks away dreamily. There's very little to express the full range of thoughts rushing through her head. It's not Angelica Huston's fault. It simply highlights how difficult it is to accommodate the limitless expression of literature to the silver screen, which is why like an earlier commentator on this film asserted, I too strongly recommend that Joyce's story is read first. It really does add a great deal.

The second scene that troubled me was the ending. It doesn't even begin to pack the tremendous power of Joyce's written word. How could it? This is a stream of subconscious thought extracted from the greatest short story in the English language reduced to a simple voice-over.

Ah, well! Still a good film. Overall Rating: 8 out of ten.

Untamed Heart (1993)

A thoughtfully, well-acted romantic weepy.

[11 August 2003]

As an audience we all grow more cynical and demanding, the more films that we see. Our expectations are constantly being upgraded and shifted to new levels of anticipation. I really did not expect 'Untamed Heart' to have quite the same impact today, as it did when I first saw it. I was wrong. I still cried. It's still the most heart warming, feel good, romantic comedy I've ever seen.

For those who are not familiar with the story, Christian Slater plays the part of the mysterious Adam who works as a busboy in a diner. All his life he's never physically come into contact with people, and he never speaks. You could say he lives in his own magic kingdom, hermetically sealed from the outside world-so much so that at the age of 26, he still believes in a fairy tale the nuns told him when he was growing up in an orphanage, involving magic rubies trickling down from a magic mountain, and being given a 'baboon heart.' Later, he even admits to possessing 'magic' records that he plays 'whenever the world doesn't agree with him.'

In real life it would be hard not to raise a smile at such an account, or at the very least be convinced the person was in need of some serious medication, but it's a testament to the power of the story that like Caroline(portrayed by the Marisa Tomei) rather then dismiss him, we start accepting his childlike understanding of the world. We overlook it when at the start of the film, Caroline asks him questions and he doesn't even respond. Anybody else would consider that plain rude. We forgive him when he creeps into Caroline's bedroom to watch her sleeping. We understand when he follows her home repeatedly, keeping at a safe distance to remain undetected. The reason we're able to make such adjustments, is that normal rules here do not apply, because in the world that he lives in, it's not inhabited by mere humans. He still occupies that fantastic world that we so readily discarded as children, because we had to embrace the darker reality of adulthood in order to cope with our new responsibilities. So Adam's character, while undoubtedly naive, offers no real threat. As an audience, we know where he's coming from. He's simply trying to make sense of the world around him, and does not understand how to behave any different.

Gradually, over the course of the film Caroline brings out more and more from Adam, and because of his unique perspective and vantage point, some of the things he says and does to convince Caroline of his love for her remain long after the credits roll.

If we've ever had our heart broken and as a result we try to 'tame' our heart so we don't get hurt again, this is the film we should watch, because it reminds us what love is, and what love can be. Any hurt that we may have felt is nothing compared to the joy we feel when we do get it right.

The Beach (I) (2000)

Slickly pretentious film with poor narrative. But has it's moments.

[10 August 2003]

The beach is a story about the search for paradise and perfection, and what it takes to sustain it. I've never read the book, so I watched the film with no preconceptions.

A completely mad 'daffy' excellently portrayed by Carlyle tells fellow tourist 'Richard' played by DiCaprio of a fabled island, where the sky is always blue, pure white untouched sand lies on the beach, and where there's as much marijuana as you could ever smoke. Seduced by Daffy's to-good-to-be-true description, Richard nevertheless takes along two fellow tourists, Francoise and Etienne to help him find the island.

Once the film has slickly arrived at it's basic premise; all the protagonists have been fully developed, and they're safely ensconced upon the island and settled within the community, the shadow from the opium farmers who share the island has been cast, and Richard's infatuation for Francois has been established, then the end game starts, and the film actually shifts down a gear. A film of two halfs; the second half seems to just run out of ideas and out of steam, introducing tacky elements like Richard becoming part of the computer game that he's always playing. The music while being good seemed to be compensating for the poor narrative. For all it's large budget ($50m) towards the end of the film, to me it came across as a particularly well-rehearsed end of term school play. Everything seemed that obvious.

That's not to say I didn't like the film. It had much merit. I couldn't fault the acting, especially DiCaprio. I liked the camera work(Darius Khondji). Some of the film of Thailand was so enticing - it almost made me want to find such an island.

The one scene that seemed to sum the whole film up for me though, was when Richard and Francoise are looking up at the stars through a telescope. Richard starts talking about the infinity of space and the possibility of parallel universes. He describes how the chances must be quite high that someone out there could be looking back down at us in the same way as we're looking up at them. And she floors his chat-up and romantic idealism with the words, 'Richard, this is just the kind of pretentious bull**** that Americans always say to French girls so they can sleep with them.'

Ouch!

Ultimately, 'The Beach' is film that pretentiously tries so hard to be a great film, yet that romantic idealism comes crashing down because it doesn't truly recognise what's necessary to make it work.