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Reviews
Ratatouille (2007)
Talks the talk but...
Ratatouille is a good film in that it is very well executed in terms of animation (Pixar remain peerless) and in terms of sound design...basically the film looks and sounds sumptuous. But. This is nowhere near as entertaining as I wanted it to be and nowhere near as good as The Incredibles. Pixar have choked twice now with this and with Cars. I wanted to love this...what's not to love? The trailer highlighted a story with heart, with a lovable character in the form of Remy who wants to break away from the rat race and become more than he is. He believes that barriers can be broken down and humans and rats can work and exist together. It's a metaphor of course and not an unworthy one but the story execution lets this film down alarmingly. My main criticisms are: The characters are unlovable; Skinner the head Chef is loud, brash and down right cruel, Linguini the put upon plongeur who Remy helps learn how to cook is stupid and has an incredibly grating voice and Remy's family are add-ons who fill no real purpose except to provide the ying to Remy's raging yang. Also, the idea that pulling Linguini's hair makes his arms and hands move involuntarily pushes the suspension of disbelief too far in a film where we are already happy to accept that a Rat is a culinary genius. You can ask too much of an audience. The tone is all over the place and any message the film is trying to get across is totally lost in the dense plotting and endless dialogue between some rather unpleasant or boring characters. The kids in the cinema I was in became bored very quickly indeed. Only Peter O'Toole's performance and the animation/character of Remy himself are the saving graces here. Perhaps Remy should have tried escaping from this movie instead of the sewer. My advice to Brad Bird would probably be to make The Incredibles 2 as soon as possible.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Nope...
This just didn't work and how much did we want it to? Not sounding like a great idea from the off unless they could pull off a Southpark: Bigger, Longer and Uncut which, let's face it, in the field of big screen adaptations is pretty much peerless.
No - this was a dark, silly, staid rehash of previous episodes using everyone's least favourite characters like Lisa... Burns, Barney, Moe, Wiggum all sidelined and given cameos in favour of new and frankly desperately unfunny characters like President Schwarzenegger and Russ Cargill.
Sad, we'll always wonder whilst watching our favourite episodes "what could have been"... The Simpsons Movie is a good episode dragged and hauled out to 90 minutes. Shame.
MJ
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Perhaps, in time...
Saw this yesterday and it's big big big! For my money though, not as engaging story-wise as the Fellowship but more spectacular than both the previous films put together. It is possible that it is simply too long for one sitting. There is so much going on that another viewing is essential, possibly another few viewings.
One can't help but feel that perhaps, in time, and after the extended cut is released on DVD, that the trilogy will be seen more as a cohesive whole rather than 3 films. It is hard to judge this film (essentially incomplete in theaters) on its own. It is however, head and shoulders above anything else released this year and is truly a magical movie experience. Not many of those experiences left these days.
Unforgiven (1992)
Maybe I just don't get Westerns...
Ok, here goes. I didn't particularly enjoy Unforgiven. I'm not bothered or disappointed with myself though, because there are many movies which have across-the-board acclaim which leave me cold; A Beautiful Mind, Goodfellas, Moulin Rouge, The Matrix etc. I just didn't think this would be one of them. But then, maybe I just don't get Westerns...
Beautifully shot: yes. Excellent star cast: yes. Impressive sound: Yes. Oscar worthy editing: yup.
It's just...flat. The dialogue probably disappointed me the most, we're told from the DVD commentary, that the dialogue was researched thoroughly and is as authentic as possible. Fine. But does that make it any more inspiring? No. I found the dialogue clunky at best;
"you ain't like that anymore Will", "always remember, your dear departed mother is watchin' over you", "You think I'm kicking you. Well I'm just talking to you" , "Well you sure killed the hell outta that guy."
The whole film has an uneasy air of not knowing what type of Western it wants to be. Is it a tribute to the old tradition, is it a new updated Western for the nineties, is it a dramatic exercise in accurate historical depiction? Also the few moments of comedy really are flattened by the overly earnest dialogue surrounding them, rendering them pointless and awkward. Only Richard Harris seems to treat his dialogue with the derision it often deserves, but in his case it actually adds to his performance since the character is ridiculously flamboyant in the first place.
It's hard for me to assess the acting because if I don't like the words the actors are saying then we're off to a bad start straight off.
I know for many this will be a ridiculous comparison to make, but for a moment consider Gene Hackman's performance in Unforgiven alongside his (in my opinion) incredibly similar one in The Quick and The Dead. The Quick and the Dead is often written off as a silly popcorn Sharon Stone vehicle, but I got so much more enjoyment from that film.
Compare similar scenes; addressing the town's people after violence in the main street in both films. Hackman's sadistic maniac of Unforgiven yells "What ya'll lookin at? Gawn, scoot!" while his sadistic maniac of Quick and the Dead shouts "This is my town! If you live to see the dawn, it is because I allow it." It is highly likely that Unforgiven was a major source of inspiration for the later film, but Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead has better dialogue, better performances, and is for my money generally a better film.
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Heartbreaking
I saw this film last night at a post Oscar showing. I found it absolutely heart breaking. With its undisputable facts laying bare a startling (but to be honest, thus far suspected by many non-Americans) cross section of the American psyche, I was left numb and saddened.
No one can deny America's achievements, and its theory of freedom and justice for its citizens is indeed a worthy, if never fully realised one. But freedom at what cost? Is freedom the right to own a gun? Yes, probably. But freedom is also the vastly more important right to live without fear of violence as a result of poor gun control. These are some of the issues that lie at the heart of Bowling for Columbine.
What this film responsibly shows to the rest of the world watching is the most powerful nation on the planet as a country still very much in it's infancy. America is full of great ideas and promise, not least the movie industry which people from all over the world write about on these pages. But can America rise up above its relative immaturity as a nation and bravely take its fire arms out of its children's hands?
This film makes its audience look closely at America, and more importantly, at Americans. Ultimately however, my hope would be that it could help make Americans look at each other and find a solution to a problem that they all have the power to solve.
I haven't spoken in much detail about the film itself (e.g Michael Moore, presentation, editing, cameos), but rather I have tried to focus on it's message. I think the film delivers it's shocking message far better than any posting on Imdb ever could, so I urge anyone taking the time to read this to see this film and get the full story.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
F*ck it Dude, let's go bowling.
What to say about this film that hasn't already been guessed at?? The story comes in and out of a period in Jeffrey Lebowski's (The Dude) life and shows the ease with which he gets himself into ridiculous situations.
I gave this film 10 out of 10 (one of only 3 films to score this out of about 600 I've rated - take note all you people out there giving Daredevil etc 10 points!)
The editing is superb, the lighting and use of colours is unlike anything I've ever seen. Examples include the darkness which falls at the scene of a disasterous event outside the bowling alley in the second half. Another is the jump cut to an exploding firework used when The Dude is punched whilst lying on his new rug. The trails of light from the firework then morph seamlessly into an aeriel view of the lights on the streets of LA at night. Amazing stuff.
Visuals are great, but when not backed up with equally good dialogue you can end up with a George Lucas movie. The dialogue in this film is at times nothing short of astonishing. John Goodman's character, Walter, is a Vietnam veteran with excellent vocabulary, historical awareness, philosophical ability; all shot through with tirades of foul language. He is both hilarious and thought provoking, much like the film as a whole.
With a supporting cast of John Turturro, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Peter Stormare and Tara Reid; the movie shimmers with comic timing and great acting.
It's one of the best. Easily said I know, but in this case it's true.
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Gut wrenchingly funny, heart warmingly beautiful.
As soon as I saw the teaser trailers featuring the main character gate-crashing some of the more staid and sickly Disney movies (hello Beauty and the Beast/Aladdin), I had a feeling that I was in for something at least a little different to the standard Disney formula. What I ended up with when I saw it was a splitting headache and sore stomach muscles. It is without doubt the most original and hilarious animated feature I have ever seen. Funnier and more emotionally engaging than Shrek and the Toy Story's put together, there are no obvious jokes in Lilo and Stitch and no forced comedy from so called 'a-list' stars. What there is however, is excellent dialogue, beautifully strange painting/drawing, a simple genuine message and ridiculously funny slapstick as a result of the diminutive Stitch's special alien powers. While never really feeling like a 'Disney' movie, it reminded me more of the humour I love from TV programmes like The Simpsons. Show it to your kids if you have them, show it to your friends if you don't. Family extends beyond immediate relations, see this film.