A slice of Argento

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

Directed by Dario Argento this film based on the novel “The Screaming Mimi” stars Tony Mustante and Suzy Kendall. A down on his luck American writer in Rome gets embroiled in the the hunt for a serial killer.

When it comes to the plot this is a fairly average story that does not have a huge amount of thematic depth really. Where this film really shines is in the direction that is both tense and captures violence in a way not really seen before in cinema. It is a bit of a shame that the script is not a little stronger but this is well worth a watch and you can see why it inspired so many imitations.

4/5

Not your usual road trip

Bad Grandpa (2013)

Directed by Jeff Tremaine this film stars Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Greg Harris and Georgina Cates. Following the death of his wife and his daughter going to prison an old man has to take his grandson cross country to be with his father.

Unlike previous Jackass films this film mixes a fictional plot with stunts involving the unaware public. No doubt this film would not be as funny without the non-actor reactions but it sort of loses any emotional depth to the story by constantly reminding you of it's fakery. Some moments in the film are really hilarious (although the finale is disappointingly straight out of Little Miss Sunshine (2006)) and this is an interesting attempt at something different.

4/5

yyaaaarrrr off Africa

Captain Philips (2013)

Directed by Paul Greengrass this film based on real events stars Tom Hanks and Barkhad Adbi. A container ship travelling past Somalia is attacked by pirates.

It seems this film does a fairly good job of presenting events truthfully and realistic manner. The story does have some vague allusions to the wider situation but never really becomes more than a recreation of events. Numerous award nominations were showered on this film and while it is really well made inevitably some of the tension falls flat because you know the outcome of the film going in.

3/5

Indie dreams

Stranger than Paradise (1984)

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch this film stars John Lurie, Eszter Balint and Richard Edson. A young woman arrives in the US from Hungary, stays with her cousin for a week, moves to Cleveland with her aunt then visits Florida.

Severing as a predecessor to the 90s indie film movement there is a lot to like about this film and what sets is apart from the big Hollywood cheese-fest that was the 1980s. The story is very much a tale of slackers and shows the slightly more empty, mundane side of the American dream. While the plot does not exactly go anywhere the film is still well shot and contains enough to keep you interested.

4/5

Alcoholics in waiting

Drinking Buddies (2013)

Written and directed by Joe Swanberg this film stars Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston. Two co-workers at a small brewery drink and hang out with their respective relationships go through rocky ground.

Thanks in part to the improvised nature of the dialogue this is not your standard romantic comedy but by the same token it does seem to drift along a little at times. To me the ending seemed like a non-ending where the central characters had not really managed to re-define their relationship and would still have the same problems going forward. I enjoyed the cast but I would have liked to see a little more of Ron Livingston and Anna Kendrick.

3/5

Naming a name

Fair Game (2010)

Directed by Doug Liman this film based on real events stars Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Noah Emmerich and Ty Burrell. A covert CIA agent has her identity exposed by the US government after her husband suggests they mislead the public on the case for the invasion of Iraq.

When dealing with this sort of material there is always going to be a question of accuracy and it does seem like this film does have a bias in mind. It is a shame that the plot takes what is an important issue and only shows one point of view rather than exploring the issue properly. As a spy film this is well made and well grounded but unfortunately is a bit more of a propaganda piece than it needed to be.

2/5

Sheltered relationships

Being Flynn (2012)

Written and directed by Paul Weitz this film based on “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City” stars Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby and Julianne Moore. A man in his twenties works at a homeless shelter where he runs into his estranged father who is now homeless.

There is a lot to enjoy about this film that looks at both homelessness as the protagonist seeks to over come a number of issues relating to his parents. I liked the idea of the father and son fighting over narrative control of the story and the way it reflects how things often are in real life. Robert De Niro gives a really good performance as does Paul Dano but it would have been nice to see a little more of Julianne Moore.

4/5