Man Without a Star (1955)
Kirk Douglas stars in this western that was one of the first films made by his own distribution company. An experienced drifter takes a young kid under his wing and gets caught in up a range war.
The major problem I have with this film is that it is based around the central topic of open range or wired off private land but really fails to pick a side. While the central character may eventually end up on the wire side it is completely against his personal belief that open range is better which he never changes. Some of the script and plot also clearly reflect a less mature period of story telling as well with an over simplistic nature that hits you in the face.
2/5
Friday, 14 October 2011
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Swenglish scares
Let Me In (2010)
Matt Reeves directs this remake of the Swedish film Let the Right One In (2008) which stars Chloe Grace Moretz. I have previously reviewed the original here: http://qedmoviereview.blogspot.com/2011/08/swedish-scares.html
There is not a lot of departure from the original in this remake which is both a strength and a weakness. While the film is really well made and retains the feel and tone of the original you do have to wonder why you would watch this version rather than the original, presumably the only reason is if you are too lazy to read subtitles. It is hard to find any real fault with this film and as such you could probably watch either version and not miss anything from the other.
4/5 same again
Matt Reeves directs this remake of the Swedish film Let the Right One In (2008) which stars Chloe Grace Moretz. I have previously reviewed the original here: http://qedmoviereview.blogspot.com/2011/08/swedish-scares.html
There is not a lot of departure from the original in this remake which is both a strength and a weakness. While the film is really well made and retains the feel and tone of the original you do have to wonder why you would watch this version rather than the original, presumably the only reason is if you are too lazy to read subtitles. It is hard to find any real fault with this film and as such you could probably watch either version and not miss anything from the other.
4/5 same again
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Getting noticed
Young Winston (1972)
This film is based on the early life of Winston Churchill and is directed by Richard Attenborough with Simon Ward in the lead role. As a young man Churchill seeks to make a name for himself after his father's fall from politics and his mother's loss of the family money.
While at the time Simon Ward was an unknown actor the cast for this film also includes Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft, Ian Holm, John Mills and Anthony Hopkins. The film certainly provides plenty of action and adventure as well as covering the main events of Churchill's early life but it does seem to be more about covering these events rather than showing how they shaped the man. Some important events such as Lady Churchill losing the family fortune and Winston meeting his future wife are barely mentioned at all, let alone how they affected Churchill.
3/5 average biopic
This film is based on the early life of Winston Churchill and is directed by Richard Attenborough with Simon Ward in the lead role. As a young man Churchill seeks to make a name for himself after his father's fall from politics and his mother's loss of the family money.
While at the time Simon Ward was an unknown actor the cast for this film also includes Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft, Ian Holm, John Mills and Anthony Hopkins. The film certainly provides plenty of action and adventure as well as covering the main events of Churchill's early life but it does seem to be more about covering these events rather than showing how they shaped the man. Some important events such as Lady Churchill losing the family fortune and Winston meeting his future wife are barely mentioned at all, let alone how they affected Churchill.
3/5 average biopic
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Check out
Across the Hall (2009)
Director Alex Merkin expands his own earlier short film to feature length with this thriller starring Mike Vogel, Brittany Murphy and Danny Pino. A man who thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him calls his best friend to come to a hotel and help him confront the girl and her lover.
I was really impressed by this film, the non linear story telling may feel like a bit of a gimmick to start with but it really helps frame what could have been a fairly unoriginal plot. The way the plot is executed helps the many twists you would expect from a film of this type work. There is plenty of tension and atmosphere in the claustrophobic environment of the hotel. About the only let down is that the performances of the actors are fairly unremarkable.
4/5
Director Alex Merkin expands his own earlier short film to feature length with this thriller starring Mike Vogel, Brittany Murphy and Danny Pino. A man who thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him calls his best friend to come to a hotel and help him confront the girl and her lover.
I was really impressed by this film, the non linear story telling may feel like a bit of a gimmick to start with but it really helps frame what could have been a fairly unoriginal plot. The way the plot is executed helps the many twists you would expect from a film of this type work. There is plenty of tension and atmosphere in the claustrophobic environment of the hotel. About the only let down is that the performances of the actors are fairly unremarkable.
4/5
Monday, 10 October 2011
The King
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Based on the Kipling short story of the same name this film is directed by John Huston and stars Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Two former British soldiers in India during the Victorian era plan to travel North and carve out their own kingdom.
Like much of Kipling's writing this piece is about Imperialism and the British Empire, particularly in India. The adventures of the two main characters act as a metaphor for differing British attitudes to Imperialism showing both the negative as well as the positive intentions of those involved. Both Caine and Connery give good performances full of personality and the film is very entertaining.
4/5 classic escapism.
Based on the Kipling short story of the same name this film is directed by John Huston and stars Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Two former British soldiers in India during the Victorian era plan to travel North and carve out their own kingdom.
Like much of Kipling's writing this piece is about Imperialism and the British Empire, particularly in India. The adventures of the two main characters act as a metaphor for differing British attitudes to Imperialism showing both the negative as well as the positive intentions of those involved. Both Caine and Connery give good performances full of personality and the film is very entertaining.
4/5 classic escapism.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Room Service
Somewhere (2010)
This is the fourth film from Sofia Coppola and stars Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning. A film star lives in a hotel, sleeps with various attractive women and spends time with his daughter.
There are inevitable comparisons to be drawn with Lost in Translation (2003) as this film has a number of similar themes, loneliness and isolation. What is good about the film is the performance of Elle Fanning and the father/daughter relationship but otherwise the film does feel rather empty. While the film does draw a good character portrait it is pretty slim on development and resolution. In the end this is a watchable film but does feel very slow and repeats a lot of themes that Coppola did better in Lost in Translation.
3/5
This is the fourth film from Sofia Coppola and stars Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning. A film star lives in a hotel, sleeps with various attractive women and spends time with his daughter.
There are inevitable comparisons to be drawn with Lost in Translation (2003) as this film has a number of similar themes, loneliness and isolation. What is good about the film is the performance of Elle Fanning and the father/daughter relationship but otherwise the film does feel rather empty. While the film does draw a good character portrait it is pretty slim on development and resolution. In the end this is a watchable film but does feel very slow and repeats a lot of themes that Coppola did better in Lost in Translation.
3/5
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Bright lights?
Skyline (2010)
Special effects specialists the brothers Strause direct this alien invasion film which stars Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Brittany Daniel and Donald Faison. Some people are trapped in an apartment complex when aliens want to kill everyone.
The problem with this film is that it is pretty much just an advert for the directors special effects company. There is a distinct lack of plot and character on show here and while the visuals effects are nice they are unable to cover over the fairly obvious budget limitations the film is working under. What could have been a claustrophobic and intense film is ultimately nothing of the sort.
2/5
Special effects specialists the brothers Strause direct this alien invasion film which stars Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Brittany Daniel and Donald Faison. Some people are trapped in an apartment complex when aliens want to kill everyone.
The problem with this film is that it is pretty much just an advert for the directors special effects company. There is a distinct lack of plot and character on show here and while the visuals effects are nice they are unable to cover over the fairly obvious budget limitations the film is working under. What could have been a claustrophobic and intense film is ultimately nothing of the sort.
2/5
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