2007 | MARKED MOVIES

Archive for 2007

Eastern Promises

Posted in Crime with tags 2007 on March 31, 2017 by Mark Walker

Director: David Cronenberg.
Screenplay: Steven Knight.
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sinéad Cusack, Jerzy Skolimowski, Donald Sumpter, Tamer Hassan, Josef Altin.

“Anger is dangerous. It makes people do stupid things.”

With A History of Violence in 2005, David Cronenberg seemed to take his career in a more mainstream direction. It wasn’t the horror or dark science fiction that many had come to know him by, but an arresting thriller that was actually based on a graphic novel. It was a big success and, two years later, led to Cronenberg sticking with his leading man Viggo Mortensen and attempting something similar with Eastern Promises. You could say that their second collaboration delivers something even more satisfying. Continue reading →

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Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead * * * * 1/2

Posted in Crime, Drama, thriller with tags 2007 on October 12, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Sidney Lumet.
Screenplay: Kelly Masterson.
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Rosemary Harris, Bryan F. O’Byrne, Amy Ryan, Michael Shannon, Aleksa Palladino, Leonardo Cimino.

Sidney Lumet is a director that’s no stranger to crafting intense pieces of work. In fact, he’s a master at it. Just look at a few from his highly impressive filmography like “12 Angry Men“, “Fail-Safe“, “Network” or “Serpico“. He’s also no stranger to a heist movie, having made one of the sub-genre’s best in “Dog Day Afternoon“. In “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” – his last film before his death – Lumet returns to that sub-genre and, once again, delivers with aplomb.

Hank (Ethan Hawke) and Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are two brothers whose financial woes are having a direct effect on their lives. In order to solve their problems, Andy hatches a plan to rob a jewellery store. He calls it a “mom and pop” operation and it’s quite literally that: the store is owned by the brothers’ parents. If all goes down as it’s supposed to, then nobody will get hurt. Like so many crimes of this nature though, things can and do go wrong, dragging everyone down with a devastating turn of events.

Lumet builds his film slowly and assuredly, revealing the characters’ motivations bit by bit before peeling away the layers of their downfall. To do this, he cleverly plays with timeframes; changing back, forward and during the robbery itself. The focus is on the two brothers, as well as their emotionally stilted father (Albert Finney). Of course, this type of narrative device is nothing new. We have seen it used many times before but Lumet’s skill is in keeping it fresh and gripping. In support of his deft handling of the material, the actors deliver outstanding performances across the board; Tomei nails the ditzy wife routine; Hawke is marvellously high strung and weasel-like; Finney lends his usual reliability and there’s a small but welcome role for a threatening Michael Shannon. Unsurprisingly though, it’s Hoffman’s movie. He has a real presence here shifting from secretive to calculated then deadly with absolute ease. It may be unfair to single out one particular actor but this is another example of Hoffman’s incredible ability to completely inhabit a character. His downfall in particular, is of powerful and tragic Shakespearean proportions and he completely captures the intensity of a deeply immoral man.

Sidney Lumet was in his 80’s when he directed this, yet it shows a vibrancy that could easily be associated with a much younger director. With a canon of top-quality films behind him, this is as good and as riveting as anything he has done. Sadly it was his last but what a film to go out on.

Mark Walker

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The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford * * * * 1/2

Posted in Biography, Drama, History, Western with tags 2007 on August 30, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Andrew Dominik.
Screenplay: Andrew Dominik.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, Paul Schneider, Sam Shepard, Garret Dillahunt, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Parks, Ted Levine, Alison Elliott, James Carville, Tom Aldredge, Pat Healy, Nick Cave.
Narrator: Hugh Ross.

In 2000, director Andrew Dominik exploded onto the scene with low-budget but powerful biographical film “Chopper” about Australian criminal Mark Brandon Read. It not only heralded the arrival of actor Eric Bana but also a new an uncompromising director. For his second feature he tackled another biographical feature about one of the wild west’s most notorious gunslingers and this time, Dominik took his uncompromising nature even further.

Retelling of the last months in the life of the legendary outlaw Jesse James and how his reputation was faltering. His gang had disbanded – either dead or in prison and Jesse was beginning to suffer increasing paranoia. After carrying out a train robbery he heads for Kentucky, only to reappear in Missouri for a bank robbery. Two brothers; Charley (Sam Rockwell) and Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) are part of his new gang but Robert has a dangerous and obsessive idolisation of Jesse and one that would finally be the outlaws undoing.

Few film’s ever get away with having a title as long as this one and even fewer get away with the manner in which this film is made. That’s testament to the skill of Andrew Dominik and the backing of Brad Pitt who refused to yield to Hollywood studios when they wanted to tinker with Dominik’s vision. Right from the opening, brutal, train robbery, this film’s style is apparent. It’s sense of realism is what commands your attention; it goes on to depict stark expansive landscapes, explosive bullet wounds and guns that don’t shoot straight but the actual gunslinging is kept to a minimum, while it focuses on the characters themselves. The pace of the film is deliberate, adding to the ethereal feel throughout and one that reminded me of the approach that director Terrence Malick would use. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is also a thing of absolute beauty. The entirety of every single frame of this picture is stunningly captured with meticulous attention to detail and Dominik’s direction is near flawless. He lingers long on shots and subtle facial expressions and captures the uneasiness in the characters and their situations. By using this methodical style, he manages to get under the skin of his two leading characters and allows both Pitt and especially Affleck the room to deliver sensational performances. Pitt is entirely commanding and charismatic, adding just enough of a glimmer of danger without losing the audience’s sympathy and Affleck is on top, creepy and unsettling, form. The chemistry between the two hints at all sorts of possibilities – including homoerotic tension. These two share an uneasy relationship and between them, there are contemporary issues at play; the nature of celebrity and hero worship and the difference between ‘the man and the myth‘. Even over 100 years ago they had this but although Dominik delivers this insight, he never fully explores it, leaving it all just a bit too ambiguous. I’m not looking for a film to spell everything out for me. On the contrary but for a film that languishes on detail and mood, it could have taken a little time to further explore these themes and the characters’ motivations. There’s a sense of bewilderment as to why James would even tolerate having Ford around when he, seemingly, knew that something wasn’t quite right about him. He was aware that sooner or later he would meet his impending fate but it’s unclear why he’d open himself up to it. Another area that lacks any attention, is the females in these men’s lives. They are fleetingly visited but are ultimately insignificant and the likes of Mary-Louise Parker and Zooey Deschannel are reduced to mere cameos. I can only assume that these issues could maybe make more sense in Dominik’s original 4 hour cut – that played at the Venice film festival before a widespread release reduced the film to it’s 2hour 40mins duration. That being said, this is still an aesthetically successful endeavour that, although not fully deserving of the masterpiece status that many consider it to be, it’s not far off it.

A contemplative and demanding film that requires the utmost patience. It’s highly ambitious, artistic and regularly poetic. Quite simply, it’s beautifully done and I found lots to admire but it meanders and like the title itself, it’s just a tad too long winded.

Mark Walker

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Shotgun Stories * * * *

Posted in Drama with tags 2007 on August 20, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Jeff Nichols.
Screenplay: Jeff Nichols.
Starring: Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, G. Alan Wilkins, Travis Smith, Michael Abbot Jr, Glenda Pannell, Natalie Canerday, Lynnsee Provence, David Rhodes.

In 2011, relatively unknown writer/director Jeff Nichols took a lot of people by surprise when he delivered one of the best films of the year in “Take Shelter“. However, four years prior to that he had already made his debut with Shotgun Stories which is a film that shares a similar downbeat tone. Despite being seen by very few, this impressive debut shows a strong ability from this new director.

In the back roads of South East Arkansas, three close brothers, Son (Michael Shannon), Boy (Douglas Ligon) and Kid (Barlow Jacobs) hear the news of their estranged fathers death. They attend the funeral if only to relate their vehement hatred of the man as he abandoned them in their youth and started a new family. As result of this, their fathers other sons (and half brothers to them) get involved in a feud that reaches dangerous and deadly proportions.

I always find it quite interesting watching the debut of a director you admire, especially when you’ve been introduced to them at a later date and find yourself looking back at their earlier material just to see where they honed their skills. In this case, it’s easy to where Jeff Nichols is coming from. Like “Take Shelter“, this film starts off at a deliberate pace. It’s in no hurry to tell it’s story and favours a slow approach to build up it’s characters and the mundane lifestyles they lead. It may be a little slow for some but the story here is all very deliberate and naturally handled. Nichols certainly has an eye for small town America and with help from cinematographer Adam Stone, he effectively captures the vast emptiness of the town which also reflects in the emptiness of the characters’ lives. Everything about this film is subtle and understated but all the more brooding and effective for it. Performance wise, there are some faults with the lesser known actors but as always, Shannon delivers a solid show and with scars on his back that resemble shotgun shells, it only serves to fuel the films enigmatic nature and understated detail. When the feud between the half brothers takes hold, the muted first half of the film turns to one of tension as it reaches tragic Shakespearean heights that’s handled very impressively and never succumbs to formula. By this, there lies the question on whether the denouement is as satisfactory as it could be but Nichols’ handling is undeniably good and it makes for an impressive debut from him. It’s not quite as good as “Take Shelter” but this is a director that has started strongly, backed it up with one of the best film’s of 2011 and I believe will continue to go from strength to strength – time will tell with his forthcoming film “Mud” released later in 2012.

In “Take Shelter“, Nichols dealt with events that had almost biblical proportions and when looking at this you can see that he shares a similar theme. This is a highly accomplished debut from one the most exciting new directors to reach our screens.

Mark Walker

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No Country For Old Men * * * * *

Posted in Crime, thriller, Western with tags 2007 on May 17, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen.
Screenplay: Ethan & Joel Coen.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root, Rodger Boyce, Ana Reeder, Beth Grant, Gene Jones.

Ever since their dark debut “Blood Simple” in 1984, Joel & Ethan Coen have commanded an audience’s attention. They followed that up with the wacky and kinetic comedy “Raising Arizona” in 1987, proving early on, that they were comfortable in any genre. That hasn’t changed over the years but what it does do, is leave you with feelings of anticipation whenever they deliver another film. You just never know what light or dark delights they are going to deliver. This film is the darkest delight they have delivered so far.

While hunting in the Texas desert, a young mid-west cowboy (Josh Brolin) comes across a botched drug deal and decides to snatch a satchel of cash. Unknowingly, there are bigger things at work here and his foolish decision attracts the attention of a relentless hitman (Javier Bardem) who has been sent to recover the money. As bodies begin to pile in their wake, a local Sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) has the duty of hunting them down.

To foreshorten the opening lines of this film and give an insight from the disillusioned protagonist Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, we are told “… the crime you see now, it’s hard to even take its measure. It’s not that I’m afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don’t want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don’t understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He’d have to say, “O.K., I’ll be part of this world.”” Sheriff Bell is at a loss to explain human behaviour and the evil actions of people that he has pursued throughout his career in law enforcement. He is the weary heart and soul of this movie and a character that Tommy Lee Jones can do in his sleep. He serves as one part of three characters whose lives explosively intersect. The others include; Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) a foolish young man who doesn’t quite grasp the enormity of his actions, which in turn, attract the attention of very disturbed and dangerous killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) – who makes decisions on the flip of a coin and wields a hydrolic cattle gun as a weapon. Cleverly, the Coens have them sharing very little (if any) screen time and Jones’ Sherrif always two steps behind the aftermath of destructive events.
As always, the Coens are at the top of their game and have a good grasp on this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel. They capture his recurrent themes; isolation, the passing of time and changing epoch’s. In “The Road” McCarthy explored a post-apocalyptic change. In this, it’s the end of the western way of life and despite life-experienced characters, a lack of understanding in the reasons for it’s happening. Throughout their films they have delivered consistent moments of suspense. Here though, the Coens outdo themselves with regular scenes of unbearable tension (done without the use of music). The actors are all up to the task and despite Lee Jones and the Oscar winning Bardem receiving most of the plaudits, Brolin also delivers an absolutely solid, low-key performance. No Coen brothers review would be complete without mentioning the sublime talents of their regular cinematographer Roger Deakins. Yet again, his stark and beautiful camerawork compliments the barren landscapes that these characters roam. As always, his and the Coens’ vision complete one another. One of the brothers’ finest films and thoroughly deserving of its best picture and director(s) Oscar awards.

If you’re aware of the Coen brothers’ canon (and most filmgoers are) then combine “Fargo” and “Blood Simple” and this is what you get… only better. A very gripping and powerful neo-western.

Mark Walker

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Catfish * * * 1/2

Posted in Documentary with tags 2007 on April 17, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Rel Schulman, Henry Joost.
Featuring: Nev Schulman, Angela Wesselman, Melody C. Roscher, Rel Schulman.

The social networking zeitgeist is certainly upon us. It has shaped a generation in their reliance on smartphones and the internet and contributed to a new global means of communication. It has brought us closer but sometimes a bit too close. It has opened up new dangers and has shaped us into voyeurs. This documentary is proof enough in showing this. It also shows how easily people can be manipulated.

Filmmakers Rel Schulman and Henry Joost find themselves in the midst of a film project, tracing an online romance between Rel’s brother Nev and a female artist on Facebook. Everything doesn’t add up though as the women’s real identity becomes in question and her stories don’t seem to make sense. Is she really who she says she is?…

After a slow beginning, we are soon informed of where this documented drama is heading and the path it takes becomes dark and intriguing. Prime candidate for mockery, Nev Schulman, is a good sport. He very rarely shy’s away from what is ultimately a major piss take of his trust in people. But what it also does, is remind ourselves (or those who use social networking sites) that everything is not as it seems when interacting with faceless names. For those who haven’t seen it, I won’t give too much away, but it shows the frailties in Internet use, as well as, the frailties in ourselves. The revelation of the strange events is quite awakening but is everything we told even true in itself? Some people took this documentary quite literally. I, however, had to wonder whether it was a double cross. I believed it to a point but there were so many chance happenings that were caught conveniently on camera that it couldn’t all have been purely documented.

Questions remain as too how authentic the film actually is but as a social commentary it’s message still stands. Despite some inconstancies it remains cleverly constructed.

Mark Walker

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Lars And The Real Girl * * * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2007 on February 2, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Craig Gillespie.
Screenplay: Nancy Oliver.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Kelli Garner, Paul Schneider, Nancy Beatty, Doug Lennox.

When you see the poster for this film, with a moustachioed Ryan Gosling sitting on his sofa, grinning from ear to ear and accompanied by a sex doll, you be forgiven for entering into this and expecting some form of farcical sex-comedy. The poster however, is somewhat misleading. This is more of a drama (with a hint of quirkiness) and it’s a sensitive and heartfelt one at that.

Pathologically shy guy Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) introduces his new ‘girlfriend’ Bianca, a lifelike plastic doll, to his sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer) and brother Gus (Paul Schneider). Somewhat concerned, they decide to call in sympathetic psychologist Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) who advises that everyone play along with treating Bianca as a real person to try and get to the bottom of Lars’ obvious mental condition.

Lars is a tragic character that Gosling imbues with a real fragile innocence. It’s another marvellous and enigmatic performance from him. He keeps the audience at just the right distance. Never letting you in, but still maintaining a likeability. Lars is a character that could so easily be laughed at and ridiculed but it’s testament to writer Nancy Oliver, director Craig Gillespie, the supporting cast of Mortimer, Schnieder and Clarkson, and particularly Gosling’s lead in bringing the character – and his social trauma – so vividly to life. Instead of being a farcical film of cheap jokes, it becomes a touching exploration of mental health that’s quite unlike anything you’ll have seen before.

It’s deliberately paced and some may even find it lethargic but I found it to be a highly original and deeply sensitive drama anchored by a marvellous central performance.

Mark Walker

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Nine * *

Posted in Drama, Music, Romance with tags 2007 on February 2, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Rob Marshall.
Screenplay: Anthony Minghella, Michael Tolkin.
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Ricky Tognazzi.

Sometimes you need to weigh up your options. Either you go by the director (who happens to have made one of the worst and most overrated films ever with “Chicago”) or you go by the actor (who has delivered consistantly memorable performances in his career with “My Left Foot”, “Gangs of New York” and “There Will Be Blood”). In this case I went with the actor but that still didn’t save a poor director, poorly plying his trade.

1960s Italy. Once-celebrated film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles with his unwritten script for his comeback film. Looking for inspiration, he turns to his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his wife (Marion Cotillard), his muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidante (Judi Dench) and his childhood memories to solve his crisis, with unsuccessful yet well-sung results.

I really wanted to like this film as I’m a big fan of Daniel Day-Lewis and the impressive cast of females has rarely, if ever, been bettered. However, I’m not big on musicals or director Rob Marshall for that matter. Thankfully, this is not quite as bad as Marshall’s overrated stinker “Chicago”, but it isn’t much better either. Day-Lewis was my main reason for attempting this and considering he’s quite fastidious in his choices, I thought I’d follow his lead on this one. I was wrong and so was he in choosing this meandering borefest. The look of the film is gorgeous, as expected, with fabulous production design and cinematography and the ladies (oh the ladies) look amazing and deliver their song and dance numbers competently. Having Judi Dench in a corset was just a tad too much for my liking though. It was around this point in the movie that I realised this thinly veiled attempt at recreating a muscial of Frederico Fellini’s “8 1/2” was a great waste of talent.

A lush and extravagant musical that has style in abundance. Substance is what it lacks though, leaving a great cast struggling to save it from tedium. Suited to fans of the genre only.

Mark Walker

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Sunshine * * * *

Posted in Science Fiction, thriller with tags 2007 on February 1, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Danny Boyle.
Screenplay: Alex Garland.
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cliff Curtis, Troy Garity, Benedict Wong, Mark Strong.

Ingredients for a top of the range sci-fi =

1 dollop of “Solaris”.
Half oz of “Event Horizon”.
1lb of “Mission to Mars”.
A generous helping of “Alien”.
And a sprinkle of “The Shining”.

Give them to visionary director Danny Boyle to shake them up and… Voila.

In the not-too-distant future, the sun is about to die. A crew is sent to re-ignite it with a nuclear bomb; when they fail, a new team sets out to finish the job. But they find that flying to the least hospitable place in the solar system and staying sane and alive is no simple matter.

Boyle is Britain’s very own Ang Lee in his ability to continually switch between genres. This is his attempt at Science Fiction and it’s a damn good one at that. His use of atmosphere is the most striking thing about this, with eerie and highly effective sound effects and an excellent music score by Underworld adding to the overall sense of foreboding and creepiness. Using a multi-cultural cast also works in it’s favour in the way that you don’t know who will perish at any given moment, very much like Ridley Scott’s “Alien”. As mentioned above – and by most other viewers – it has a lot in common with several films of this genre and the denoument unfortunately turns more toward the “Event Horizon” side of horror. It doesn’t entirely work and feels a little tacked on, as if Boyle and writer Alex Garland ran out of ideas. However, this is still an impressively handled and often powerful outing for Boyle.

A very underrated addition to the science fiction genre and one of Danny Boyle’s finest films. His collaborations with writer Alex Garland has produced consistantly good results.

Mark Walker

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Film Noir * * *

Posted in Animation, Film-Noir with tags 2007 on January 29, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: D. Jud Jones, Risto Topaloski.
Screenplay: D. Jud Jones.
Voices: Mark Keller, Bettina Devin, Roger Jackson, Jeff Atik.

Being an avid fan of the film noir genre, I couldn’t resist one that used the genre’s description as it’s title and also carried an 18 certificate, making this an enticing prospect for any hardboiled fan, not to mention that it’s an animated take on it.

Waking up in the Hollywood hills without a clue as to his identity, our protaganist finds himself with a dead police officer lying next to him and the murder weapon fitting his holster perfectly. He determines that it must be himself that’s the murderer. But he has no idea of who he is or why he’s killed. He sets out to unravel the mystery of his identity while crooks and dames try to thwart his investigation at every turn.

For me, one of the major attractions to this film was the animation but unfortunately, that was also the biggest disappointment. It’s nothing special by today’s standards, and bordered on amature at times. The splashes of colour throughout were a nice touch though, in a mainly monochromatic style. What really raises this above the standard is it’s perfect attention to the atmosphere of a noir, with excellent use of downbeat voiceover and sleazy saxaphone and trumpet jazz soundtrack. It doesn’t quite manage to hold your attention throughout though, partly down to the substandard artwork and the fact that it goes way over a reasonable running time – meandering towards it’s conclusion. Comparisons with Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s “Sin City” will no doubt be made, as this is the best example of what to expect from this unexpected genre addition. The opening is so strong that the rest of the film suffers because of it.

If you’re a fan of the film noir genre you’ll find plenty to enjoy, but it somehow left me feeling that this was a missed opportunity for something unique and special.

Mark Walker

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King Of California * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2007 on January 28, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Mike Cahill.
Screenplay: Mike Cahill.
Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Kathleen Whilhoite, Willis Burks II, Laura Kachergus, Paul Lieber.

Nepotism is rife throughout Hollywood and as much as I despise it, I think I may have to finally admit that after all these years, Michael Douglas does have some talent of his own and isn’t just a by-product of his father Kirk.

Charlie (Michael Douglas) is a free-spirited eccentric who’s just been released from a mental institution and is obsessed with locating an ancient Spanish treasure that he believes is buried right under peoples noses in California. To aide him in his crazy quest – and against her better judgement – he enlists his sixteen-year-old daughter Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood).

Douglas is a treat to watch here. I always took him to be one of the self-important Hollywood types, but here he doesn’t take himself too seriously at all and reminded me that he, has in fact, produced some wonderful comedic performances throughout his career; “War of the Roses”; “Wonderboys”; and “One Night at McCools”, to name a few. His character of Charlie can be included amongst these oddities. He’s highly intelligent but also quite dysfunctional on a basic level and Douglas perfectly captures this creative, intelligent madness. This is also helped by Evan Rachel Wood’s sensitive performance as Miranda and her almost escapist, dreamlike perspective which adds to the surreal and farout nature of her father and her feelings of a stolen childhood, due his quirky demeanor. They are both delightful performances in an unexpectedly delightful film.

It’s not groundbreaking material by any means but it is an original little caper with a real sense for the offbeat.

Mark Walker

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The Walker * *

Posted in Drama, Mystery with tags 2007 on January 28, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Paul Schrader.
Screenplay: Paul Schrader.
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Lauren Bacall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Willem Dafoe, Mary Beth Hurt, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bliebtreu, William Hope, Steven Hartley.

The last time writer/director Paul Schrader delved into the seedy world of male escorts was in 1980 with “American Gigolo”. That film gained notoriety, not for it’s quality or exemplary filmmaking but for being the first time on screen that there was full frontal male nudity in a mainstream film. Thankfully we are spared such indescretion this time, but it still doesn’t save the film.

Carter Page III (Woody Harrelson) is an escort for some of Washington, D.C.’s finest society women. He accompanies them to several high-class events whenever they are in need of male company. When the husband of one of his lady friends appears murdered, Carter gets caught up in a scandal-tinged murder mystery.

Paul Schrader is normally quite reliable but I wish I had remembered that the aforementioned “American Gigolo” was a stinker before I’d sat down to this equally poor retread and saved myself the time. And quite a bit of time that would have been. It would have amounted to 1hour 47mins, which going by the pace of this film, would have seemed as if I’d saved more. By god this film takes a long time going nowhere. Harrelson puts in a decent attempt as the gay socialite with southern drawl but ultimately he’s miscast. He maintains your interest for a short time and from the beginning the film looks very promising. However, it soon becomes very dull, very quickly, and there’s nothing Harrelson or the impressive supporting cast of fabulous actresses can do about it.

Murder mysteries normally have anticipation, suspense, and intrigue. This has neither, and going by the mis-judged tempo of the film, “The Crawler” would have been a better choice of title.

Mark Walker

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Funny Games * * * * 1/2

Posted in Crime, Drama, thriller with tags 2007 on January 28, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Michael Haneke.
Screenplay: Michael Haneke.
Starring: Naomi Watts, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Tim Roth, Devon Gearhart.

Admittedly, I haven’t seen Michael Haneke’s 1998 original Austrian version, but then nor did many people, hence the reason he has made an almost scene-for-scene remake. This time hoping to reach it’s target audience.

While spending time at their holiday home, middle-class couple Ann and George Farber (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth) and their son Georgie (Devon Gearhart) are visited by a young stranger (Brady Corbet), who seemingly only wants to borrow some eggs. He is then joined by a friend (Michael Pitt) and together they physically and psychologically terrorise the family, giving them until the next day to somehow survive the torment.

Aimed at America and it’s ‘torture porn’ obsession with violence. It also exposes the gaping holes in society and the classes. Despite it containing very little on-screen physical violence, the psychological side to this film is exhaustive and leaves you feeling drained and disturbed. I’m curious as to how the original plays out but can it really be any better than this? This is frayed fingernail stuff with an outstanding performance from Naomi Watts. That gal can emote and expose her frailty better than any actress around at present. To capture a person writhing in pain, look no further than Tim Roth (see also Reservoir Dogs). However, I’ve never entirely been convinced by him in the past, and I’m still not. He seems to try very hard but doesn’t quite cut it for me and is completely outshone by everyone around him here, with Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet putting in astonishingly good shows as the evil young sociopaths. Director Michael Haneke shows the mark of a very fine film-maker at top of his game and confident in his abilities to remake his own film. It may not suit everyone and some people may even find it distasteful but thats the whole point and I for one, absolutely loved it. Sometimes, a film can sneak up on you without you having any preconceived ideas or expectations from it and really make an impact. Of recent times, this along with “Children of Men” is one of those films. I went into it expecting nothing and came out of it with everything.

It’s a deeply disturbing and haunting experience but a riveting and unconventional one, that stays with you long after it’s over.

Mark Walker

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w Delta z (The Killing Gene) * *

Posted in Drama, Horror, Mystery, thriller with tags 2007 on January 28, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Tom Shankland.
Screenplay: Clive Bradley.
Starring: Stellan Skarsgard, Melissa George, Selma Blair, Tom Hardy, Sally Hawkins, Paul Kaye, Lauren Hood, Barbara Adair, Ashley Walters.

This film has, deceivingly, been pitched as “Saw” by way of “Se7en”. Firstly, it doesn’t have the originality of the first “Saw” installment and secondly, it is by no means, anywhere near as good as “Se7en”.

New York cops Eddie Argo (Stellan Skarsgard) and Helen Westcott (Melissa George) investigate a series of bizarre murders in which innocents are tortured in front of guilty loved ones who could (but don’t) volunteer to die in their place.

The fact that it’s a serial killer yarn is frankly, the only comparison that can be made with the films mentioned above. It has the atmosphere in abundance, looking very gritty and dangerous but all it achieves in doing, is reminding you that graphic violence in films is completely unnecessary, if the script is in place beforehand. Which this just doesn’t have. It strings us along with the old who-done-it? storyline but after half an hour of it’s nasty attitude and having a lack of identity with the characters, I couldn’t care less who done what, or why, when, or how. All I was aware of was that I couldn’t give a shit if any of them sneezed and their heads fell off. A shame really, as it uses a philsophical question as a good narrative tool. Asking “does altruism exist in nature?” In dealing with altruism it should have shown some of it’s own and saved us from this abusive assault. However, a short appearance from the very talented Tom Hardy and Stellan Skarsgard getting the lead role for a change, are plus points.

A film that really looks the part but leaves a rotten aftertaste and ultimately falls into torture-porn category.

Mark Walker

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Superbad * * *

Posted in Comedy with tags 2007 on January 27, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Greg Mottola,
Screenplay: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg.
Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Emma Stone, Kevin Corrigan, Martha MacIsaac.

Producer Judd Apatow previously brought us “Knocked Up” about a one-night-stand pregnancy and “The 40 Year Old Virgin” about… well, a 40 year old Virgin. Now with this, he addresses the highschool teenager’s desire for sex.

When highschool finishes, Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are preparing to go their seperate ways for college. Before then though, they are set on losing their virginity. In order for that to happen, they have to attempt to buy booze for a popular kids’ party and then they should be set. However, throughout the eventful evening, things prove a little more difficult than that.

If your a fan of profane little geeky teenagers spouting nothing but bad language and dick jokes then this will definitely appeal. Otherwise, I’d stay clear. Even if your not a fan of crude and offensive humour though, there’s no denying the charm the little fuckers have. They are well written characters and apparently autobiographical, from star and screenwriter Seth Rogen and co-writer Evan Goldberg and are extremely well played by Hill and Cera. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is also a standout, providing most of the laughs as the over-confident “McLovin”. It’s not as good as many people have made it out to be and it’s certainly no classic but as highschool comedies go, it’s okay and provides regular laughs.

Much better than “American Pie” but for the best of it’s kind, and far more appealing, check out Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused”.

Mark Walker

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The Fox And The Child * * *

Posted in Drama, Family with tags 2007 on January 27, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Luc Jacquet.
Screenplay: Luc Jacquet, Eric Rognard.
Narrated by: Kate Winslet.
Starring: Bertille Noel-Bruneau, Isabelle Carre, Thomas Laliberte, Camille Lambert.

His previous film “March of The Penguins” was an impressive nature programme, on a par with David Attenborough. This time director Luc Jacquet attempts more of the same but combines the nature side with a fictional fairy-tale narrative.

It tells the very basic story of a little girl living ruraly who befriends a fox. At first, the relationship between them is obviously strained but they grow to trust one another and strike up a real heartfelt affinity.

Jacquet’s follow-up to his very successful first outing definitely has similair visual splendor and some very impressive interactive footage of the little girl and the fox. However, the story is whimsical and the little girl becomes quite frustrating in her stupidity in attempting to domesticate the wild animal. Kate Winslet’s VoiceOver is a tad on the twee side also and becomes too sugary sweet. The visuals are excellent though, with some stunning cinematography and beautiful landscapes and even if its not an entirely successful amalgamation, it’s still a fine attempt at one.

Childish but charming.

Mark Walker

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28 Weeks Later * * *

Posted in Horror, thriller with tags 2007 on January 25, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Screenplay: Rowan Joffe, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Enrique Lopez Lavigne, Jesus Olmo.
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau Jr, Rose Byrne, Catherine McCormack, Idris Elba, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton, Amanda Walker.

Sequels to successful films are very rarely ever as good as the original but with Danny Boyle involved as a producer, this manages to retain the success and similiar style he had with his first installment “28 Days Later”.

Six months have passed since the outbreak of the rage virus and Britain has now been emptied. There’s nobody there. It’s completely dead. Now the American army occupy the cities and have plans to start bringing the country back from it’s infestation. But, of course, something goes wrong…

As story arcs go, this film is pretty unconventional, where instead of our protaganist Don (Robert Carlyle), being heroic and macho, he is actually quite sensitive and cowardly, and that’s only the opening scene. Things get much worse. Right from the beginning, we are thrust into some unbearable kinetic excitement and Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnidillo does a fantastic job with his handheld camerawork. A highly effective technique in placing us closer to the action. Carlyle delivers a good performance in what is a very underwritten role, but then zombie flicks dont normally spend a lot of time on characterisation. I just wish someone would give Carlyle a role that best fits this great actor’s talents. Despite the underwritten roles though, the cast still make you care enough for them which is at least something considering there are gaping plot holes which are laughable at times. However, there’s no denying some first-class action and suspense set pieces, namely the opening chase scene and the darkened train tunnel with only a night vision scope as our means of seeing anything.

Visceral and exciting, the way a zombie film should be, and a fine second installment in what is being touted as a possible trilogy.

Mark Walker

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Margot At The Wedding * * * * 1/2

Posted in Drama with tags 2007 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Noah Baumbach.
Screenplay: Noah Baumbach.
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, John Turturro, Zane Pais, Ciaran Hinds, Flora Cross.

Nicole Kidman has fleshed out some excellent roles throughout her career in some great films, namely; “To Die For” “Dogville” and most recently “Rabbit Hole” but this is also one for her vintage collection of characters.

She plays moderately successful novelist Margot Zeller who has taken her son Claude (Zane Pais) to sister Pauline’s (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who’s about to marry drifting artist Malcolm (Jack Black). While relations appear cordial, it becomes clear, as the wedding looms, that Margot’s prime talent is for upsetting people.

This quirky heartfelt drama will certainly not appeal to everyone but if you appreciate sharp writing and realistic well drawn characters, then look no further. This is a film that has quality from all angles just coursing through it. Writer/Director Noah Baumbach’s attention to detail and ear for dialogue is just so sharp and natural and it’s perfectly delivered by an exceptionally good cast. I normally avoid the highly irritating Jack Black but have to admit he was excellently used. His comic ability has never been used as effectively as it is here but it’s the serious side to his character that is most appealing, of which he also delivers. Zane Pais is brilliant for such a young actor and I’m very surprised we haven’t seen more from him recently, but the acting plaudits must go to Kidman for her fabulous depiction of a bitter and thoughtless neurotic who causes harm to everyone around her. It stands as probably my favourite performance from her so far. She is simply superb as the beating heart behind a very disfunctional family.

Baumbach reminds me of a more serious Wes Anderson in his subtle yet very detailed writing and after seeing this and the class of “The Squid and The Whale”, I think I’ve found another director to keep a very close eye on. A real treat.

Mark Walker

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Into The Wild * * * *

Posted in Biography, Drama with tags 2007 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Sean Penn.
Screenplay: Sean Penn.
Starring: Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener, Jena Malone, Kristen Stewart, Zack Galifianakis, Brian Deirker, R.D. Call.

Sean Penn has not always delivered the most cheerful of films when behind the camera. There always seems to be a tortured soul as his protaganist (Viggo Mortensen in “The Indian Runner” and Jack Nicholson in both “The Crossing Guard” and “The Pledge”), so it’s a surprise that with “Into the Wild” he mostly keeps things upbeat and positive.

Based on the real life story of straight-A college graduate Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), who in 1992 destroyed his ID, changed his name to ‘Alexander Supertramp’, donated his savings to charity, spurned his parents – and America’s capitalist society- and, with no warning to anyone, dropped off the radar in search of a quieter, more personal fulfillment in the Alaskan wilderness. Along the road he met a variety of people who became something like extended family to him.

Sean Penn employs a completely different approach with this sweepingly beautiful road-movie/new-age affirmation. There are long methodical shots of gorgeous landscapes and a meditative pace throughout, showing that he’s in no hurry to tell this man’s story. You can see his admiration for McCandless as he paints a very nuanced and positive portrait of him and puts his faith in Emile Hirsch in carrying it off. Hirsch in return, delivers a wonderful, heartfelt piece of acting and it’s apparent that he has also invested himself in this film. Added to which are some great cameo appearances peppered throughout, with Vince Vaughn as a particular highlight, stepping out of his comedy comfort-zone. It’s a film that’s hard not to like, with it’s anti-capitalist, free-spirited message and a reminder to maintain a conciousness in our modern times of corporate greed and disillusionment.

For some, it may just come across as another Hippie-on-a-trippy but McCandless was a human-being that had an awareness and a bravery to live by his beliefs and Penn ambitiously depicts that, with poetic care and respect.

Mark Walker

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The Darjeeling Limited * * * * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2007 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Wes Anderson.
Screenplay: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman.
Starring: Adrian Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwarztman, Anjelica Huston, Wally Wolodarsky, Waris Ahluwalia, Amara Karan, Barbet Schroeder, Camilla Rutherford, Natalie Portman, Bill Murray.

Director Wes Anderson’s films are always an off-beat delight (“The Royal Tenenbaums”, “Rushmore”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”) and this is no exception. In fact, it’s his best yet.

Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrian Brody) & Jack (Jason Schwartzman) are three brothers who reunite a year after their father’s death and go on a spiritual journey through India on the infamous train “The Darjeeling Limited”. The rivalry between the siblings is ever present and it also doesn’t help that they are all reliant on prescription drugs, changing their intended spiritual journey to one of chaos and resentment. The trio find themselves facing life changing moments along their path and fulfilling their spiritual awakening in unintentional ways.

On the surface, the brothers are very different characters but the subtlety of Anderson’s writing and directing show them to be very similar, in a lot of ways, as they begin to realise the strong bond between them.
The three leads are excellent and each play their roles with the perfect sensitivity and humour. The cinematography by Robert Yeoman is wonderful, as is Anderson’s great use, yet again, of classic 60’s/70’s songs throughout the film.

Admittedly Wes Anderson may not be to everyones tastes but I find his films an absolute joy and always wonderfully well written and directed. None more so than this beautifully rich treat.

Mark Walker