What I've Been Watching 07-02-2012
It's been a couple of months since I've written one of these and my list of movies to review is becoming unwieldy. Have some reviews in your eye-holes. (pupils)
The Fall
Tarsem Singh's fantasy epic. An absolutely gorgeous film (one of the best looking of all time) shot in some of the most visually stunning locations around the world. Unfortunately the story doesn't stack up too well for me, I often have trouble connecting with movies that have a 'real' story and a 'fantasy' story. Why not make the fantasy real and then we can legitimately root for the characters and look at pretty pictures at the same time!
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Directed by Brad Bird (of Pixar fame), this is an almost flawlessly executed action film. Fast, funny, thrilling and eye-popping.
Sherlock Holmes 2: A book of shadows(?)
Is that the title? Directed by Guy Ritchie, this is less a Sherlock Holmes movie, more of a Victorian James Bond. A perfectly fine distraction, if you liked the first one, this is more of the same.
Harold and Kumar's 3D Christmas
I love these films. The third installment in the series is as funny and surreal as the first two with the added bonus of 3D smoke effects.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
I am a huge fan of David Fincher but this film fell very flat for me. It couldn't get out of the shadow of the original for me, feeling like an exact re-tread. The title sequence was great though. Fincher is one of the few Hollywood directors with the clout to get original properties to the big screen so I find it sad that he feels the need to do remakes.
World's Greatest Dad
Black comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait. I remember thinking this film was fine at the time but almost no details have stuck with me. Probably not missing much if you didn't catch it.
I Saw The Devil
This Korean revenge thriller turned up on a lot of best-of 2011 lists, and it certainly is a competent entry into that sub-genre. Unfortunately it didn't cover any new ground and I felt the ("He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.") themes were better explored in Park Chan Wook's revenge trilogy.
Bolt
Perfectly ok 3D animated feature.
Being Elmo
Surprisingly touching documentary about the man who plays Elmo on Sesame Street. It's fascinating to see how the show works behind the scenes and how much thought and skill goes into the puppetry, as well as how much the Elmo character means to people the world over.
Kung Fu Panda 1+2
These movies are great fun. I love the references to old kung-fu movies and they make me want to break out my old Jackie Chan video tapes. Jack Black's voice can grate however.
The Sitter
Even the presence of Sam Rockwell can't save this mediocre comedy.
Bellflower
A cross between a Wes Anderson romance and a post-apocalypic horror film, this film lifts your spirits, then brings you crashing back to earth with a bump, then kicks you in the guts for good measure. Filmed with a micro-budget, on a camera built from bits of other cameras, this film is unique and really shows what can be achieved independently with enough passion and hard work.
Immortals
Tarsem Singh returns with a cross between 300 and his previous film The Fall. I have to say I enjoyed the battle scenes, and the film looks great, but there's not much more I can recommend about this one.
Haywire
I really enjoyed this. Best hand-to-hand action scenes since the fist fights in The Bourne Ultimatum. The only weak spots are the convoluted plot, that's really not as clever as it thinks it is, and Gina Carano's wooden acting.
Shame
Michael Fassbender gives a great tortured performance in this one and I dig Steve McQueen's directing style with lots of long takes to really let the actors play off each other. I had a few issues with the ending that I won't spoil but I felt it was a bit of a cop-out.
Revenge of the Electric Car
Interesting follow-up to the 2006(?) documentary Who Killed the Electric Car detailing how the technology has progressed in the interim years and how the idea of an electric car is gaining traction in the big car companies. A good time for tech or environment nerds such as myself but probably not much to grab you otherwise.
The Unbookables
A camera crew follows a group of 'unbookable' comedians on tour whose material is as offensive as they are morally bankrupt. Funny and tragic in parts.
The Grey
Highly enjoyable existential action thriller. Reminded me of films such as The Thing and The Descent (two of my favourites), just don't go in expecting it to be the action romp advertised in the trailer, this film is emotionally draining. Again I had problems with a cop-out ending.
Carnage
This film was funny but the dramatic aspects fell a little flat, I thought Christoph Waltz' character was underused and the deeper themes of the movie (the 'god of carnage') were only hinted at rather than explored thoroughly.
The Fall
Tarsem Singh's fantasy epic. An absolutely gorgeous film (one of the best looking of all time) shot in some of the most visually stunning locations around the world. Unfortunately the story doesn't stack up too well for me, I often have trouble connecting with movies that have a 'real' story and a 'fantasy' story. Why not make the fantasy real and then we can legitimately root for the characters and look at pretty pictures at the same time!
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Directed by Brad Bird (of Pixar fame), this is an almost flawlessly executed action film. Fast, funny, thrilling and eye-popping.
Sherlock Holmes 2: A book of shadows(?)
Is that the title? Directed by Guy Ritchie, this is less a Sherlock Holmes movie, more of a Victorian James Bond. A perfectly fine distraction, if you liked the first one, this is more of the same.
Harold and Kumar's 3D Christmas
I love these films. The third installment in the series is as funny and surreal as the first two with the added bonus of 3D smoke effects.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
I am a huge fan of David Fincher but this film fell very flat for me. It couldn't get out of the shadow of the original for me, feeling like an exact re-tread. The title sequence was great though. Fincher is one of the few Hollywood directors with the clout to get original properties to the big screen so I find it sad that he feels the need to do remakes.
World's Greatest Dad
Black comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait. I remember thinking this film was fine at the time but almost no details have stuck with me. Probably not missing much if you didn't catch it.
I Saw The Devil
This Korean revenge thriller turned up on a lot of best-of 2011 lists, and it certainly is a competent entry into that sub-genre. Unfortunately it didn't cover any new ground and I felt the ("He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.") themes were better explored in Park Chan Wook's revenge trilogy.
Bolt
Perfectly ok 3D animated feature.
Being Elmo
Surprisingly touching documentary about the man who plays Elmo on Sesame Street. It's fascinating to see how the show works behind the scenes and how much thought and skill goes into the puppetry, as well as how much the Elmo character means to people the world over.
Kung Fu Panda 1+2
These movies are great fun. I love the references to old kung-fu movies and they make me want to break out my old Jackie Chan video tapes. Jack Black's voice can grate however.
The Sitter
Even the presence of Sam Rockwell can't save this mediocre comedy.
Bellflower
A cross between a Wes Anderson romance and a post-apocalypic horror film, this film lifts your spirits, then brings you crashing back to earth with a bump, then kicks you in the guts for good measure. Filmed with a micro-budget, on a camera built from bits of other cameras, this film is unique and really shows what can be achieved independently with enough passion and hard work.
Immortals
Tarsem Singh returns with a cross between 300 and his previous film The Fall. I have to say I enjoyed the battle scenes, and the film looks great, but there's not much more I can recommend about this one.
Haywire
I really enjoyed this. Best hand-to-hand action scenes since the fist fights in The Bourne Ultimatum. The only weak spots are the convoluted plot, that's really not as clever as it thinks it is, and Gina Carano's wooden acting.
Shame
Michael Fassbender gives a great tortured performance in this one and I dig Steve McQueen's directing style with lots of long takes to really let the actors play off each other. I had a few issues with the ending that I won't spoil but I felt it was a bit of a cop-out.
Revenge of the Electric Car
Interesting follow-up to the 2006(?) documentary Who Killed the Electric Car detailing how the technology has progressed in the interim years and how the idea of an electric car is gaining traction in the big car companies. A good time for tech or environment nerds such as myself but probably not much to grab you otherwise.
The Unbookables
A camera crew follows a group of 'unbookable' comedians on tour whose material is as offensive as they are morally bankrupt. Funny and tragic in parts.
The Grey
Highly enjoyable existential action thriller. Reminded me of films such as The Thing and The Descent (two of my favourites), just don't go in expecting it to be the action romp advertised in the trailer, this film is emotionally draining. Again I had problems with a cop-out ending.
Carnage
This film was funny but the dramatic aspects fell a little flat, I thought Christoph Waltz' character was underused and the deeper themes of the movie (the 'god of carnage') were only hinted at rather than explored thoroughly.
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