Birdman, Whiplash and Foxcatcher - Oscar Nominees Feature!

 

       So it’s Oscar season…

       Not that I really care about the Oscars and all of that – but it just so happens that the last three films that I watched at the cinema have been recently announced on the Oscars noms list.

Fury, The Babadook, Interstellar and Nightcrawler - Four Film Feature!

  So I’ve been very busy of late and as a result my regular film reviews has fallen by the wayside a little bit. But of course, there’s always time for watching movies, and the past few weeks have been no exception. So here’s a quick review roundup of a few films that I’ve seen at the pictures recently.

Scottish Films Triple Bill

 

            So, I watched three Scottish films the other day.

            Despite being there on my ‘to watch’ list, I hadn’t really planned doing this ahead of time, so it turned out to be an interesting afternoon.

Great Documentaries Triple Bill

        We all love a good documentary don't we? Here are three I watched earlier this year that I haven’t really got around to writing about. Check them out!

Amanda Seyfried Triple Bill: A day in the life of BigEyes McBigLips

 

       A day in the life of Amanda Seyfried AKA BigEyes McBigLips.

Shakespeare Double Bill

     No, this isn’t a joke – I really did watch two Shakespeare films in a row recently. Lovefilm why you so crazy like that?

Aussie Nastiness Double Bill

The legends that are LoveFilm have once again randomly sent me two films similar enough to compare and contrast. Whereas before we had the bizarre niches of Asian Revenge and Deep South double bills – this time we have two films that I can only describe as ‘Aussie Nastiness’.

If this kind of thing turns your stomach you should probably stop reading now – just a warning.

Southern Films Double Bill

Once again my film rental service has surprised me by sending out a serendipitous match-up of similarly themed - yet tonally contrasting films - in the form of two movies set in Middle America.

Again I watched them back-to-back – here’s what I thought.

First up was Winter’s Bone, written and directed by Debra Granik – which follows the story of an Ozark Mountain girl searching for her father in order to prevent her family’s eviction.

Amidst scenes of struggling with poverty, caring for her ill mother and two younger siblings – we also see her do a bit of amateur sleuthing and poking around in parts of the tight-knit community she shouldn't - which be inevitably leads to trouble.

A breakout role for Jennifer Lawrence – who has since gone on to roles in The Beaver and X-Men: First Class, and its not hard to see why, as here she is utterly convincing in the role and great to watch. John Hawkes is also a standout, as her unpredictable uncle ‘Teardrop’.

Whilst the film boasts good production design and beautiful photography – especially of landscapes and the harsh surrounding wilderness - the story unfortunately doesn't fully deliver. Despite being touted as a ‘redneck-noir’, the suspense built up doesn't seem to have a satisfactory payoff, and some viewers will be disappointed by the ambiguous and low-key ending.


Directly contrasting to this sombre and realistic flick we have Kevin Smith’s latest film, Red State. Also a genre mashup, this film veers from horror movie beginnings to siege movie, with a few dialogue-heavy trademark Smith scenes thrown in for good measure.

The story involves the kidnap of three teens by an evangelical cult and after a suspenseful and slow first half, the action of the siege in the second half is a direct contrast. Whilst some will not enjoy the messy plot and inconsistent pacing, there aren’t really many films like this out there; Kevin Smith fans especially will be surprised at how different this is from his previous works.

Red State is likely to divide audiences down the middle with this raw and uncompromising picture which contains some genuine surprises in the story that upsets many genre conventions.

A special mention - Michael Parks provides an electrifying performance in this film as the main antagonist Pastor Abin Cooper. One scene in particular (love it or hate it) where he delivers a ten minute sermon - is both terrifying and yet utterly compelling to watch. Rather than him ranting abnoxiously like you would expect, it's the understated normalcy of it all that is truly scary.

Of course, many will bring up the religious and political commentaries that the film offers – but really these are largely inconsequential to its enjoyment.


So if you are hankering for some films chock full of southern accents, check out these two. For a slower paced atmospheric mood piece go for Winter’s Bone – for a more shocking b-movie type feel go for Red State.


30 Jan 2012

Asian Cinema - Revengeance Double Bill

Today I watched two rented blu-rays films – somewhat coincidentally they were both of Asian cinema and shared a similar theme - that of Revengeance!*

However both were almost opposite in tone and handled their subject matter very differently.


First up is the Japanese film Confessions directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, a story that starts with the stark revelation by a teacher to her class that not only was the recent death of her young daughter not an accident, but the killers are amongst the students present. The film continues to reveal further shocking truths as the various narrations of events or ‘confessions’ by different characters further expands upon the tale – mostly centred around a complicated revenge plot orchestrated by the teacher as the guilty youths could not be punished justly by the law.

Although the occasional evil genius child machinations akin to Death Note might feel a bit contrived to some – the twists keep things interesting right up until the end.

It should be mentioned that this film is beautifully shot, one of the most visually arresting Japanese films in recent memory - and the haunting score also helps to create an almost dreamlike feel to the entire piece. People can also enjoy it as an expertly written commentary on juvenile crime, the absence of parents and of course revenge (as much of it in a psychological form as well as physically).


On the other end of the spectrum we have I Saw the Devil by Jee-woon Kim - which sees the clash of two Korean acting heavyweights: Min-sik Choi (who starred in Oldboy and Lady Vengeance) and Byung-hun Lee (A Bittersweet Life). After the former murders the latter’s fiancée, a brutal game of cat and mouse ensues, with plenty of blood, violence, torture and casualties along the way.

Both leads are excellent in their respective roles and perfect foils for one another, likened by the director as fire versus ice in their performance styles. This story is centred around revenge as well – whereas Confessions is largely about mood and often very talky, I Saw the Devil serves up plenty of violent action and brutality in its tale of retribution.
Recommended if you are a fan of Chan Wook Park’s films, but others may be turned off by its unflinching nastiness that is pretty relentless throughout. Decapitations, cannibals, being smashed in the nuts with a wrench – its all there.


Polar opposites in tone but both equally chock full of revengeance! Take your pick – personally, I preferred Confessions - its gorgeous cinematography clinched it for me – one of the best films I’ve seen this year.


*Revengeance is defined by the urbandictionary.com as ‘The act of revenge at a rate of at least 2.54 times greater to that of standard revenge and 1.61 times that of standard vengeance’.


19 Jan 2012