This British political satire made by Armando Ianucci documents political relationships between Britain and America as the politicians and PR representatives struggle to outmanoeuvre each other so that they hold the power in declaring war on a Middle Eastern country.
Although, for my taste, it suffers because of the phenomenal amount of swearing (which made me laugh, but unfortunately stopped it being quotable), In The Loop is a very funny and intuitive observation of what happens out of sight of the general public. In a time when people are suspicious about why politicians got into politics in the first place, this is a timely warning that politicians are not above the law and that it’s not simply the temporary lightweight enemy of the tabloid press but the heavy-weight influence of film that will hold politicians accountable for what they are doing.
Satire is so much fun! The one-upmanship exhibited by each of the characters – to varying degrees of success –drives the plot of the film. There is pretty much no “good guy”, as everyone shows their flaws and selfish motives.
There are two horrible Scotsmen, which, having not seen the TV series, I particularly enjoyed. One trashes a fax machine, as a visual aid. The other, Malcolm Tucker, (Peter Capaldi) is the most manipulative horrible man in the film – only interested in who he can ‘own.’ He is involved in the power play throughout and is clearly far more adept at handling the pressure than Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), who is horrible too, but somehow so pathetically manipulated from start to finish, it becomes possible to feel sorry for him.
Things come to a head in the power play in the “Meditation Room” a typically multi-faith semi-religious-feeling space where people go to plot and scheme with each other, or simply eat mints and stress out. It is here that Malcolm Tucker, for the first time in the film is undone and looks completely beaten. But in a moment of ingenious comic thinking, he turns the entire situation to his advantage (at the expense of pretty much everyone else). I love how typically British it is to have the most horrible character win!
In the final analysis, if you're not shy of a swear word or two hundred, then definitely give this film a watch.
Wednesday 1 July 2009
Rain Man
When I watched Mary Poppins at Christmas, I realised that the story wasn’t about Mary Poppins or the kids, but about their father, Mr Banks. He is the only character who changes throughout the film. In the same way, it is tempting to view Rain Man as being about Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). But in the final analysis, it’s actually the younger brother, Charlie (Tom Cruise), an arrogant, money hungry, self-centred car salesman, who changes. This film is more about him than the Rain Man.
Cruise pulls it off brilliantly in my opinion. I’m not a massive fan of him, but having watched this film, I was very impressed with his ability to capture the character. Raymond is also stunningly acted by Hoffman, who I don’t think has ever played a better role - not even as Mr. Magorian in Mr. Magorian's Wonder Emporium!
Rain Man is a touching view of brotherhood based on a true story and Cruise’s change of heart is summed up with the line towards the end, “It’s not about the money any more. It’s just...why didn’t anyone tell me I had a brother? Because it would have been nice to know him.” Placed alongside the themes of brotherhood in The Straight Story, I’ve been moved to consider how much of a gift brothers are. Thinking from the point of view of a writer, Rain Man was great for exploring the power of family ties and for showing how change in characters is a great catalyst for a good story.
Cruise pulls it off brilliantly in my opinion. I’m not a massive fan of him, but having watched this film, I was very impressed with his ability to capture the character. Raymond is also stunningly acted by Hoffman, who I don’t think has ever played a better role - not even as Mr. Magorian in Mr. Magorian's Wonder Emporium!
Rain Man is a touching view of brotherhood based on a true story and Cruise’s change of heart is summed up with the line towards the end, “It’s not about the money any more. It’s just...why didn’t anyone tell me I had a brother? Because it would have been nice to know him.” Placed alongside the themes of brotherhood in The Straight Story, I’ve been moved to consider how much of a gift brothers are. Thinking from the point of view of a writer, Rain Man was great for exploring the power of family ties and for showing how change in characters is a great catalyst for a good story.
The Negotiator
Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey deliver exceptional performances in a superb thriller. Danny Roman (Jackson), a top negotiator, has been framed for embezzling funds from the Chicago Police Department. He does the only natural thing in the situation and takes hostages to try to clear his name. I watched this film on the recommendation of friends as a ‘classic’ and it did not disappoint.
Despite a slightly predictable and mainly unbelievable plot, which I was happy to let go on account of the first scene, The Negotiator’s main attributes are the strengths of repartee between the characters (again at times unbelievable) and the acting of the two stars. I am a big fan of Kevin Spacey, who has the ability to change a character’s strength in a second into weakness and then revert to holding the initial power. Samuel L. is on top angry story-telling form, from first to last. The film is funny where it intends to be and keeps you hooked and interested right to the end.
One of my favourite scenes is when Spacey hangs the phone up on Samuel L.. If you haven't seen the film, this comes just after Samuel L. has shot at a police officer. It’s a fantastic way to shift the balance of power between the two and opens up the chance to talk properly, rather than Samuel L. getting to do all the talking. It’s classic Spacey, turning in a second from mild-mannered peacekeeper to the one who holds all the aces. The surprise and the humour add to the quality of the scene.
Perhaps the weakest part of the film is the power-hungry, disorganised and generally unintelligent police unit that are supposed to provide tension, but fail to do so in a credible way. As an audience member, you are left thinking how woefully stubborn the police are to see that they might be wrong.
Watching this after watching “The Straight Story” was the kind of change you would go through if you were sitting on a park bench watching the world go by when suddenly the ground opens up and you find yourself plummeting towards the earth’s core at light speed – except with less threat to your life. The change of pace did a couple of things for me. Firstly, it made me appreciate Lynch’s film a little more for the depth of character that he was able to develop and therefore my emotional involvement in the film. Secondly, it accelerated and added tension to all the action in The Negotiator making it feel like a relatively short film, even though it was over two hours long. This simply underlined to me that it’s great to watch a mix of films!
So how would I sum up The Negotiator? Overall, a gripping well-written watch with, as I said before, top class acting Samuel L. and Spacey.
Despite a slightly predictable and mainly unbelievable plot, which I was happy to let go on account of the first scene, The Negotiator’s main attributes are the strengths of repartee between the characters (again at times unbelievable) and the acting of the two stars. I am a big fan of Kevin Spacey, who has the ability to change a character’s strength in a second into weakness and then revert to holding the initial power. Samuel L. is on top angry story-telling form, from first to last. The film is funny where it intends to be and keeps you hooked and interested right to the end.
One of my favourite scenes is when Spacey hangs the phone up on Samuel L.. If you haven't seen the film, this comes just after Samuel L. has shot at a police officer. It’s a fantastic way to shift the balance of power between the two and opens up the chance to talk properly, rather than Samuel L. getting to do all the talking. It’s classic Spacey, turning in a second from mild-mannered peacekeeper to the one who holds all the aces. The surprise and the humour add to the quality of the scene.
Perhaps the weakest part of the film is the power-hungry, disorganised and generally unintelligent police unit that are supposed to provide tension, but fail to do so in a credible way. As an audience member, you are left thinking how woefully stubborn the police are to see that they might be wrong.
Watching this after watching “The Straight Story” was the kind of change you would go through if you were sitting on a park bench watching the world go by when suddenly the ground opens up and you find yourself plummeting towards the earth’s core at light speed – except with less threat to your life. The change of pace did a couple of things for me. Firstly, it made me appreciate Lynch’s film a little more for the depth of character that he was able to develop and therefore my emotional involvement in the film. Secondly, it accelerated and added tension to all the action in The Negotiator making it feel like a relatively short film, even though it was over two hours long. This simply underlined to me that it’s great to watch a mix of films!
So how would I sum up The Negotiator? Overall, a gripping well-written watch with, as I said before, top class acting Samuel L. and Spacey.
The Straight Story
When you watch a film by David Lynch and you’re told it’s really good and what you see is a deliberately slow film, you feel like you are uncultured if you don’t like it. Normally, watching an old man on a lawn-mower wouldn’t be my idea of an evening’s entertainment. But it is this that Lynch decides to spend his film following.
The plot is as simple as Alvin Straight deciding to go and see his estranged brother who lives in the next state after he has a stroke. The problem: he can’t see well enough to drive, he has bad hips and emphysema and won’t accept medical help. Cue a beaten up lawn mower with a max speed about 10 miles an hour (when going down hill).
There is a nice scene where Straight heads off for the first time on his lawn mower and trailer, it almost seems easy, but then a lorry overtakes him and his hat blows off. Straight struggles to get to his feet to retrieve his hat and at that point comes the realisation, “this isn’t going to be easy at all.”
Themes of family and old age appear throughout the film. The people Straight meets along the way gradually become people who are more alike to him, in age and experience. He advises the first few young people he meets and as the film progresses, in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes, he confesses to a man his age his worst war crime.
Family is seen positively throughout the film, with Straight desperately trying to make amends with his younger brother. The final climactic scene where the brothers are reunited is as brilliantly understated as the whole film. As an audience, we are left with no knowledge of what the feud was – because in a sense it doesn’t matter. One look at the lawn mower shows Alvin’s brother the lengths that he has gone to in order to see him.
It is interesting that being understated and slow seems to enhance the film in contrast to the usual ways films are done. Being given space to think about the film as the film is progressing makes lines like “it’s amazing what you can see when you just sit” far more pertinent. All in all a very good film, if you don’t mind working your concentration span.
The plot is as simple as Alvin Straight deciding to go and see his estranged brother who lives in the next state after he has a stroke. The problem: he can’t see well enough to drive, he has bad hips and emphysema and won’t accept medical help. Cue a beaten up lawn mower with a max speed about 10 miles an hour (when going down hill).
There is a nice scene where Straight heads off for the first time on his lawn mower and trailer, it almost seems easy, but then a lorry overtakes him and his hat blows off. Straight struggles to get to his feet to retrieve his hat and at that point comes the realisation, “this isn’t going to be easy at all.”
Themes of family and old age appear throughout the film. The people Straight meets along the way gradually become people who are more alike to him, in age and experience. He advises the first few young people he meets and as the film progresses, in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes, he confesses to a man his age his worst war crime.
Family is seen positively throughout the film, with Straight desperately trying to make amends with his younger brother. The final climactic scene where the brothers are reunited is as brilliantly understated as the whole film. As an audience, we are left with no knowledge of what the feud was – because in a sense it doesn’t matter. One look at the lawn mower shows Alvin’s brother the lengths that he has gone to in order to see him.
It is interesting that being understated and slow seems to enhance the film in contrast to the usual ways films are done. Being given space to think about the film as the film is progressing makes lines like “it’s amazing what you can see when you just sit” far more pertinent. All in all a very good film, if you don’t mind working your concentration span.
Monsters Vs. Aliens
I went to see Monsters versus Aliens with my family. Now the excuse is out of the way, I can get on with my thoughts on it!
Monsters versus Aliens is about being inclusive with those who are different from you (ie. Monsters) in standing up against those who are different from you (ie. aliens). I enjoyed the 3D effects and the characters, particularly Bob, who is some sort of indestructible blue blob made from a genetically modified tomato. The best bit about Bob was how funny my step-brother thought he was. (Although he’s thirteen, so it’s not cute any more.)
A couple of disappointments. Firstly, the villain was the biggest pansy ever! Having successfully cloned an entire army of himself, he was then shown to be stupid and weak in large quantities. Although some of the scenes with him were funny and had great effects, others looked a little rushed. I felt throughout the film like there were two groups of people making the film. The good scenes did not quite manage to make up for the bad ones.
Monsters versus Aliens is about being inclusive with those who are different from you (ie. Monsters) in standing up against those who are different from you (ie. aliens). I enjoyed the 3D effects and the characters, particularly Bob, who is some sort of indestructible blue blob made from a genetically modified tomato. The best bit about Bob was how funny my step-brother thought he was. (Although he’s thirteen, so it’s not cute any more.)
A couple of disappointments. Firstly, the villain was the biggest pansy ever! Having successfully cloned an entire army of himself, he was then shown to be stupid and weak in large quantities. Although some of the scenes with him were funny and had great effects, others looked a little rushed. I felt throughout the film like there were two groups of people making the film. The good scenes did not quite manage to make up for the bad ones.
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