Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), a grumpy dentist, dies for about seven minutes while having an embarrassing operation. When he comes back to life, he can see the dead. This discovery is more annoying than terrifying to Pincus, who is not what you would call a ‘people person’. The first ghost he meets is the recently deceased Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear, Little Miss Sunshine), who asks for a favour. Would it be possible for Pincus to use his ‘charm’ and dental knowledge to break up his beautiful widow’s imminent marriage to a human rights lawyer?
Ricky Gervais takes his first role as a leading man on the big screen and he takes to it as if there is no difference between Slough and Manhattan, producing a sensitive, emotional, but hilarious performance, which, for a character who is so obviously a people-hating jerk, is a major achievement. Gervais trying to make himself look attractive is always an entertaining sight and the awkward dialogue between Pincus and Gwen (Leoni) is reminiscent of those cringe-worthy moments in The Office. Look out for him in The Invention of Lying, which comes out on October 2 later this year, which Gervais writes, directs and stars in alongside Jennifer Garner.
Although Ghost Town’s director is better known for his action films, such as Jurassic Park, Spiderman, Mission Impossible and Indiana Jones 4, David Koepp’s sense of humour allows him to adapt to the comedy genre, while keeping the tongue in cheek elements present in his action films. In an interview, Koepp stated that it was a deliberate choice not to go for an ‘effects’ movie, but to make the action driven by the characters rather than by CGI. The result is that some of the effects look a little weak, but the comedy created by the relationship between the living and the dead is heightened.
The key theme of the film is letting go of people who have died. As Herlihy puts it, “The dead have a lot of unfinished business, that’s why they’re still here.” As the film progresses it becomes clear that the ‘unfinished business’ is on the side of the living rather than on the side of the dead. The living must appreciate the people around them, letting the dead go, not dwelling on the past. Because, “everybody dies”. (Some before the end of their lives.)
Ghost Town nicely blends farce and self-awareness with witty and observational humour. Although it hints at becoming sentimental and sappy, it always does so knowingly and with originality and so comes off just the right side of cheesy.
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
In The Loop
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.
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.
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.
Friday, 6 March 2009
Once
Two musicians, an Irish folk singer and a Czech pianist, bond over a hoover, which sees the beginning of a quirky, adorable relationship. The two then set about recording an album over the weekend before going their separate ways. Beautiful melodies and a great cast make this film a great choice for a quiet Saturday evening.
This is a very well-made and compelling film. From the opening scene, where the busking protagonist gets his money stolen by a drug addict, the film is a classy and realistic view of love, life and Ireland. I think this is the first UK film I have seen with European immigrants in and it is also one of the only films to have the two protagonists not getting together in the end. On top of this, it has the added delight that you only realise when the credits begin – the main characters have no names, but are simply referred to as “guy” and “girl.”
What I love most about Once is the way it runs alongside the conventions of musicals and of romantic comedies, using these conventions to create tension and highlighting the realities of limitations caused by past relationships, which are often overlooked in your average Rom Com. I love how expectations are left unsatisfied and that is where the power of the film lies.
It’s hard to pick a favourite song, but I think the song that sums the film up most is the opening song, which begins as a - dare I say - bland, folk song, with some dodgy lyrics, before bursting into an electrifying, haunting, passionate chorus. In the same way, it is easy to lose the film’s thread in the first twenty minutes, because of the long shots it uses and the relatively slow plot build up, but suddenly it kicks in with the song, “Falling slowly” and after that, it doesn’t look back.
It may be worth concluding by saying that the sense of humour in Once is excellent and so subtly blended in that it is easy not to realise how often you have laughed out loud.
This is a very well-made and compelling film. From the opening scene, where the busking protagonist gets his money stolen by a drug addict, the film is a classy and realistic view of love, life and Ireland. I think this is the first UK film I have seen with European immigrants in and it is also one of the only films to have the two protagonists not getting together in the end. On top of this, it has the added delight that you only realise when the credits begin – the main characters have no names, but are simply referred to as “guy” and “girl.”
What I love most about Once is the way it runs alongside the conventions of musicals and of romantic comedies, using these conventions to create tension and highlighting the realities of limitations caused by past relationships, which are often overlooked in your average Rom Com. I love how expectations are left unsatisfied and that is where the power of the film lies.
It’s hard to pick a favourite song, but I think the song that sums the film up most is the opening song, which begins as a - dare I say - bland, folk song, with some dodgy lyrics, before bursting into an electrifying, haunting, passionate chorus. In the same way, it is easy to lose the film’s thread in the first twenty minutes, because of the long shots it uses and the relatively slow plot build up, but suddenly it kicks in with the song, “Falling slowly” and after that, it doesn’t look back.
It may be worth concluding by saying that the sense of humour in Once is excellent and so subtly blended in that it is easy not to realise how often you have laughed out loud.
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