Anyway, shows/films I've watched recently:
FILMS
The Road - A great apocalyptic movie (post-apocalypse, apparently, shouldn't exist since there can be nothing after the end of the world) which has a very simple premise, a man and boy have to survive with very little resources. The relationship was something I felt a great connection to, since I know that neither of my parents are going to be around forever and at some point, I'll have to move on and start a family of my own. As much as I loved it, one element stood out, product placement. The can of Coke sequence and Vitamin water usage, made me cringe. I know that it sort of made sense but at the same time it was a bit too much. Many have called the film depressing but really, I find the idea of a bad film depressing much more so than a film that is merely downbeat.
The Book of Eli - It's a shame that this came out when it did, since the film seems to have been met with very little fanfare. First, "A Hughes Brother's Film" meant nothing to me. It turns out they made Menace To Society and an apparently underrated movie called Dead Presidents. So any name recognition was lost on me. Secondly, this film is sort of like a funny friend with really smelly feet or body odour. They're entertaining at times, sometimes funny, sometimes absurd but at the end of the day, they still stink. The film builds and builds but pulls the rug from underneath the audience in it's closing minutes making the entire film seem pointless and as useful as the Saw
flashback montages. It does have it's moments but between this and The Road, I'd take one for The Road.Sherlock Holmes - RDJ does his equivalent of Johnny Depp's eternally drunk Englishman in a film that is good, but not particularly great. There seems to be little to no mystery and the standout moments are those where Downey is given reams of dialogue and action scenes. Could be the start of a good franchise though...
This Is England - An excellent example of English social realism and much better than Shane Meadows fabulous Dead Man's Shoes. Thomas Turgoose is great as are the supporting cast and I loved every mention and reference to everything 80's, especially the opening montage.
The Lives Of Others - Good, very good in fact but I didn't have a clue what was going on for the first 20 minutes or so since it seemed to move far too fast and I had no idea about German politics. This was the only flaw and I managed to assemble the rest of the story in my head. Excellent performances and superb cinematography.
Gomorrah - Since I watched this just over a year ago, I thought that I would simply regurgitate and slim down my thoughts. After this second viewing, none of my feelings have changed.
I found the film very hard to follow, I don't know whether it was my poor fragile brain that just couldn't get it, or whether the film actually IS hard to follow. It plays out like a realistic Pulp Fiction, intermingling stories all over the shop, though, since there was so much crossing over of characters I found it hard to tell exactly what was going on. There are two stories that would have made good films in themselves, the kids who want to be like Scarface and the kid who wants to join the life of crime, besides those, I found the rest of the film forgettable.
I'm thinking that maybe it was just a sensory overload and that's why I don't understand the
film, too much happening at the same time. I did like how gritty and realistic the film felt, when people were killed it almost felt like they were ACTUALLY being killed and not like a Hollywood film where you barely care for those being killed. I'm quite shocked at the '15' rating though, considering the amount of drugs shown on screen as well as guns fired. It's maybe another example of how the BBFC goes easy on foreign films, though I doubt any 15 year olds would be going to see Gomorrah, kids hate subtitles.To sum up then: I didn't hate the film, it's more that I just didn't understand it. The film feels very gritty and realistic though I think there are far too many stories to make it remotely accessible.
Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief - Or to give it it's full title: Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightening Thief. A pretty decent family film that I can sum up in one short sentence for those confused about it at the box office: Harry Potter, with Greek Gods.
TV
Glee - A show which is probably destined to be remembered as a guilty pleasure in a few years to come. I can't help but love it since it's been a while since something so refreshing has aired on TV. I'd love to see it run for a while but I just wonder what they do when the group have their eventual success. Looking forward to watching it again, as much as I look forward to every new episode.
Lost - There's no point me raving on about it but I'll say two things which will allow you to make your own choices on the new season. (SPOILERS): Flash-sideways (there are now two time periods, the continuing island one and one where the plane doesn't crash on the island, though many things have changed...) and The Man in Black, who is inhabiting (one of) the bodies of John Locke, is the smoke-monster. Yes, even just that sentence make it sound insane but in the world of the show, that sounds normal. Looking forward to the other 16 episodes of the final season. What will hold my sci-fi attention next year?
"I read the book, I read the script, I saw the movie,
and I still don't understand it."
Sean Connery, on the reason he turned down the role of Gandalf.
1 comment:
After reading the book, I was surprised to see that infact, the coke placement came from the book. Word for word!
Since reading it in the book it did somehow make it seem more realistic, as I could see that sort of thing happening at the end of the world. A father gifting his child a drink that was prominent in his world but not his sons.
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