Movie Reviews - Inglourious Basterds and Mesrine

I went to see Inglourious Basterds the other week. I really really liked it. I'd heard mixed reviews beforehand but went with an open mind. I thought it was an excellent piece of film-making with Tarantino's direction assured and masterful. The cast was excellent with Michael Fassbender as a particular standout with his British army captain looking and sounding uncannily like a young Laurence Olivier, top notch. Also Brad Pitt was on excellent form with his brilliantly witty and OTT American soldier. It had brilliant moments of dark comedy and was super stylish with deft little touches from QT such as the little chapter headings and the good old fashioned noir voiceover. It was a film about film with QT fashioning a love letter to the power of cinema and making a genre movie with a twist.
I've also seen Mesrine parts 1 and 2 which is a french gangster movie about the life of Jacques Mesrine, a french gangster. It was a fantastic movie, a really slick old fashioned gangster film. Vincent Cassel gives a supreme performance as Mesrine, bringing electrifying charisma and convincing brutality to a complex role. Also excellent was Mathieu Amalric all wired intensity and excellet facial expression acting as an accomplice of Mesrine. Gerard Depardieu was also great as a smooth talking big time crime man. The soundtrack to the film was brilliant and it looked both accurate and vibrant. All in all two great films.
Ruth

Film review - District 9

Better late than never, here's my review of District 9 (which I saw about a week and a half ago.) District 9 is a film by Neil Blomkamp adapted from his short film 'Alive in Johannesburg' it deals with what would happen if aliens landed in South Africa but not in a way that you would think. Its a sci-fi film but a sci-fi film with a beating heart of human drama. The documentary structure within the film is very cleverly implemented, giving the film a more intimate and realistic feel. A particular triumph is Wikus van der Merwe, the film's protagonist. He starts out as an ordinary, nerdy guy in an office; the type of guy we've all come across a million times. But he evolves into the extraordinary without being a cliched hero. You really feel for him as events around him get more and more bizarre, he's just a bewildered person who doesn't know what to do or why his life makes no sense anymore. You can really believe in the way he begins to fight back to regain control and the relationship he forms with one of the aliens is supremely touching. Sharlto Copley who plays him, is in his first major role and he's an absolute revelation. He gives a sensitive, nuanced performance that would put any experienced actor to shame. Blomkamp's direction is absolutely sublime, not only does the film look fantastic, it pulls you right in and along with Wikus on his strange odyssey. The real magic is in the small details Blomkamp uses, such as a heart-rending exchange in which the alien Christopher Johnson shows his son their new home in a refugee camp; its only a short scene but its so simple and beautiful and typifieas why everyone should see this movie. It handles the delicate issues of race and immigration in a sensitive and thought provoking way and is both illuminating and exciting. I thouroughly reccommed this movie to everybody, its one of the best I've seen this year.
Ruth.

Film Review - Rudo Y Cursi

Slightly delayed but last week I saw 'Rudo Y Cursi' its a film about two brothers in poor, rural Mexico who get scouted for football teams and get caught up in the crazy world of fame. Its a fast paced, foul mouthed comedy but with a real heart (think Y Tu Mama Tambien.) The chemistry between the two leads- the divine Gael Garcia Bernal and wonderful Diego Luna is both wickedly funny and sweet and touching, they complement each other perfectly and both of them are just super talented, wonderfully gifted actors. And I for one would like to start a campaign for them to be in movies together more often. Although its about football its not just for sports fans its very accessible and focuses more on the pitfalls of the fame that comes with sporting success than on the actual football matches. In particular Gael Garcia Bernal's song is a stroke of genius, with accordions and cowboy hats! Its warm, witty and a real gem of a film.
Ruth

Film Review - Harry Potter 6

Finally getting round to reviewing this movie. First things first: this is a hard book to film due to all the flashbacks. Having said that David Yates and co manage it admirably. Not just admirably; epically. Yup this is totally epic. Its much darker than previous outings in terms of plot (lots of heavy death eater related stuff,) tone (plenty of angst) and look with much lurking in shadows, foggy exteriors, imposing and frankly almost gothic buildings inside and out and stark noirish visuals with Draco especially seemingly constantly shot in monochrome. Its not all doom and gloom though there are successful forays into comedy with teenage hormones (and wackiness) in overdrive. Rupert Grint (Ron) particularly handles this well displaying a marked improvement in his performance from previous movies. Emma Watson is as irritating as ever and Daniel Radcliffe has the weirdest intonation and diction I've ever heard in an actor but the rest of the cast is absolutely fantastic. Jim Broadbent is wonderful as new edition Professor Slughorn, he is pitch perfect and nails both comic jollity and internal conflict. Alan Rickman is once again truly, deliciously wonderful as Snape. And Tom Felton as Draco, well well well. I thought he was an absolute revelation. He is pensive and brooding and handles the tension and angst admirably. I loved his poise and presence and he delivers his lines with such confidence. He absolutley nails the mixture of swagger and bitterness necessary too, top marks.
Ruth.

Film Review - Let the Right One In.

I went to see 'Let the Right One in' last week as a belated treat for my birthday. Its a Swedish film about two children and the friendship that grows between them, the twist being that one of them is a vampire. It was a wonderful film, lovingly made and utterly charming. The two leads were totally fantastic and the snowy, dark setting of rural Sweden totally fitted the atmospheric, measured pacing. In contrast to normal vampire movies, the story unfurled slowly and much of the vampire related things were suggested rather than shown and when they were it was messy and realistic rather than slick and hollywoodized. It was a thoroughly engaging film and once again I urge everybody to check it out before Hollywood remakes it and ruins it. It was a beautiful piece of film making and a breath of fresh air with its old fashioned feel and attention to storytelling.

Ruth

Films review cluster

Well I've seen a few movies lately. I saw Star Trek which I really didn't expect to like then ended up really enjoying, I particularly enjoyed John Cho as Mr Sulu and Chekhov's accent. Plus they said "set phasers to STUN" which was amazing. It was a very well done film with a solid cast.
I saw a movie called Il Divo which is Italian and about politics which was quite simply one of the most amazing movies I've ever seen. The plot was a little confusing but thoroughly absorbing and it had THE most arresting visuals ever. Every shot was perfectly staged and looked like a work of art, it was absolutely beautiful. Also it had the most fabulous soundtrack with such a wonderful mix of eclectic, fantastic music.
I saw Angels and Demons which I enjoyed. I thought it was more exciting than Da Vinci Code and was very fast paced and involving. I didn't see it coming at all and I absolutely LOVED Ewan McGregor and Pierfrancesco Favino in it.
I saw Coraline in 3D which was wonderful. I love 3D its so impressive and the film had some real set pieces like the tunnel between the two worlds, the garden scenes, a scene with a spider web and the circus mice which were really breathtaking in 3D. The animation was really well done and the story was very very interesting.
Also on a 'classics day' at my local cinema I saw Bicycle Thieves (Ladri de Bicyclettes) and loved it. It was so charming and you could feel the love that had gone in to making it, they had taken such care with everything. It was a great story even with the sad ending and the child actor in it was an absolute genius. I truly love black and white films and urge and implore everyone out there to take time out to watch old films and appreciate the artistry and craft that they represent.
Spazibo and good night. Ruth

Movie Review- Milk

Milk is the story of gay rights activist Harvey Milk the first openly gay person to be elected to office in the USA. It was a truly wonderful and inspiring film and I don't think I've ever seen a film that ever made me so emotional. The acting in it was fantastic with every cast member putting in an absolutely perfect performance. I loved how the film cleverly flicked between their film and real film footage from the time and Gus van Sant's direction was of the highest quality. It was an absolutely beautiful piece of work that drew you in from start to finish and made you fully appreciate the importance of both the cause and of the amazing courage of people like Milk. Sean Penn's acting oscar was thoroughly deserved as his performance was an absolute revelation but having said that the rest of the cast were equally deserving of plaudits with Diego Luna, Josh Brolin, James Franco and Emile Hirsch amongst others putting in sterling performances. In conclusion an utterly stunning and breathtaking movie and ten out of ten doesn't quite cover how fantastic it really is.
Ruth

Movie Review- The Young Victoria

The Young Victoria focuses on the very early years of Queen Victoria's reign and specifically on her relationship with Albert. The film was perfectly cast with every single actor turning in fantastic performances especially Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Jim Broadbent. Our favourite part of the movie was most definitely the gorgeous costumes with every single dress taking our breath away. The whole film looked fanatstic with all the sets managing to be both accurate and beautiful. There may have been slight historical innaccuracies as is usually the case with films like this but the romantic storyline was utterly absorbing and made us swoon and cry with joy.

we both award this movie a thoroughly deserved 9 out of 10

Watchmen Review

Last night I went to see 'Watchmen.' Now I should mention that I read the graphic novel and absolutely loved it, I am a total Watchmen geek and I've been waiting months and months for this movie.

I wasn't disappointed, it was a fantastic film. Zack Snyder has really outdone himself, his direction is top notch. The visuals are completely perfect, it looks exactly like the novel which is a truly remarkable achievement, it blew me away how good it looked . The casting was perfect, Dr Manhattan had the right level of detached melancholy, The Comedian was intense and unstable and even had the scar and after initial doubts about Nite Owl I was surprised to see him looking almost exactly like Dan in the novel. Jackie Earle Haley as Rorscach was an absolute revelation he looked as if he had stepped straight out of the pages of the novel and he inhabited the character so thoroughly he actually took my breath away. The soundtrack was amazing (apart from Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' placed in a very inappropriate scene.) Snyder was very loyal to the novel with only a few minor details changed until the ending which differed substantially from the novel; I won't spoil it but I completely understand the change as the original ending would require more build up which would mean a longer movie and also more confusion for those unfamiliar with the novel. Which brings me to the only issue with the film, if you are not familiar with the novel, it is more than likely you will get confused as Snyder does cater for the hardcore fans.

SO my verdict is a wholhearted 10/10 !!

Ruth. (Poster courtesy of www.imdb.com)