In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Wednesday 31 August 2011

The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk (1993)

aka: The Legend / Fong Sai-yuk

Jet Li took what he learned as Wong Fei Hung and applied it to another Chinese folk hero, the titular Fong Sai-yuk. He plays it strictly naive. His mom kicks ass. His dad is the odd one out.
The comedy is an unusual kind of Chinese slapstick that may not hit the mark with a large portion of a Western audience.
There's a kung fu contest that has to be seen to be believed; it's both a choreographer's nightmare and an unforgettable triumph. You’ll be screening that scene to friends for months.

4 unconventional uses for chairs out of 5

Tuesday 30 August 2011

THE BOX (2009)

Cult-film director, Richard Kelly once again sets up a bizarre Twilight Zone-esque story set in a different era, that left audiences and critics generally baffled.
Kelly sets up a fine little tale, based upon an old short story which was coincidentally adapted into an '80's episode of The Twilight Zone. The muted tones and colors look exactly like David Fincher's work, which comes as no surprise as Kelly said he had no interest in making The Box, until he saw Fincher's Zodiac. Diaz and Mardsen both give subtle, believable performances which I was surprised to enjoy as I don't particularly like either of the stars' work.
While not perfect, The Box held my interest and intrigued me with it's bizarre setup and storytelling.

3 Whacked-out babysitters out of 5

Monday 29 August 2011

THOR [2011]

Kenneth Branagh's Thor is is a colossal disappointment.
The conflict it about as exciting as wiping bird shit off my windows. To top it off, it seems several of the actors, apart from Chris Hemsworth's title character, are severely miscast and wander around like they have no idea who they're playing.
Some spectacular set pieces by Tim Burton regular Bo Welch, a few great FX shots and some funny moments don't save Thor from belonging in the shitpile with the rest of Marvel's crap films before this one.

1 bad Stan Lee cameo out of 5

Three Kings (1999)

This is going to make me unpopular, but that’s nothing new.
Clooney is the sole reason I attempted to watch Three Kings.
High contrast. Bad humour.
I wasted an hour of my shitty life before turning it off.

1 to stop the bleeding hearts from killing me out of 5

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

I'm limited in what I can say because it'll be mostly spoiler, so I'll stick to basics: Section 9 members Batou and Togusa are assigned to investigate a series of  murders perpetrated by gynoids. The investigation opens doors to a great deal of spiralling philosophy and ruminations on the nature of humanity.
Animation and character movement are superb, with backgrounds even more detailed than before. The plot is at times mind-bending and at other times simple and understatedly heartfelt. It's not passive viewing, so you'll need to engage and question what you're given if you want to get the most from it.

4 cyborg sluts out of 5

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)

2.0 is NOT Ghost in the Shell part two, for that see here. It's the first film given some digital jiggery-pokery. The original score was re-recorded. The English language dub updated. Colours were changed to more closely match the sequel and in so doing eliminated some subtle animation and changed the symbolism near the end. Finally, as if they hadn't abused it enough, they added some really shitty CGI. Really shitty!
The blu-ray of 2.0 contains both versions, but the original film is bad quality; for a better encode of it stick with the old DVD edition, not this.

3 'fixes' that don't out of 5

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

William Gibson popularised cyberspace and over a decade later the combined efforts of Masamune Shirow and Mamoru Oshii made it kick mainstream ass.
The pacing is a little clunky at times, but you may be too busy trying to wrap your head around the concepts on your first viewing to really care.
It’s intelligent, sexy, slick and influential; a good place to start if you’re new to anime. The dub occasionally contradicts the subs, so a viewing of both is recommended until you settle on a personal preference.

5 ghost hacks before breakfast out of 5

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

I went in expecting "Dinner For Schmucks" and ended up with a piece of goddamn shit dribbling out of a half-open asshole. I wanted to slash my fucking wrists, this movie was so inane. It's all about a guy who is good natured and tries hard to do the right thing, but always ends up a fuck-up. Sounds fucking familiar to me. Paul Rudd is charming as his hippie character, the movie just isn't very good.

1.5 turds out of 5

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (2010)

There's nothing more disappointing than a movie you've been waiting 1+ years to see that doesn't live up to the hype or your expectations. This one was merely okay, not really scary, and after the critters show up (as seen in the trailer) there are no real surprises to be found. Mostly unsatisfying, with a few traces of suspense and creepy old house atmosphere.

2.5 heavy sighs out of 5

Sunday 28 August 2011

BITTER FEAST [2010]

TV's Mercy's James LeGros and The Blair Witch Project's Josh Leonard play the leads in acclaimed indie-director Joe Maggio's deliciously wicked thriller about a disgruntled chef taking his woes out on a nasty food critic.

Going into the film I was expecting a disgusting comedy of sorts but came out with something much different. It does have it's fair share of nasty humorous bits but for the most part it is deadly serious. If you're a chef, like myself, or any other sort of artist for that matter and had your work publicly insulted, then this one will hit home and leave a smile on your face.

It's not a perfect film but it's a viciously fun one that proves you can still make a good flick on a VERY limited budget.

4 Celebrity Chef Cameos out of 5

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

The original simian saga ended with a sequel to the Theatrical Cut of the previous film. It's a story of Caesar told in flashback. Twelve years after the end of the human/ape war the two races live side by side but aren't equal. The apes rule. The humans work the fields and clean the apes' houses. There's peace, yes, but it's an uneasy one held in place by fear and one-sided politics.
I suppose it's possible that the entire ape population could've learned to speak by this stage, but it does seem highly improbable.
The script tries hard to inject moments of real feeling by comparing and contrasting the family unit with the civil one, but even when tragedy strikes it doesn't hit as hard as it should have. And while the Kane and Abel element does its job well enough, the whole film feels unnecessary.

1½ paths rebuilt out of 5

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Part four continues the circular narrative, showing the reasons for the bloody revolution that established the ape society as it existed in Parts I and II.
It's interesting that even years later some apes wore the colours of the suits given to them by man. With the emphasis on slavery being what it is, I like to think the filmmakers were aware of what that implies and didn't use it simply as a cheap and easy way to differentiate the ape types.
Conquest probably won't win any new fans on its own merits, but it ought to keep existing ones content. So unless you're already fully invested in the symbolism of the world, then you may want to give it a miss.

3 true colours out of 5

EDIT: the blu-ray has two versions of the film, a Theatrical Cut and a slightly longer Unrated Cut. The two versions differ in how the final act plays out. The Unrated cut is the one that's arguably the more memorable of the two.

BURIED [2010]

In this Spanish thriller directed by Rodrigo Cortés, Canadian smart-ass Ryan Reynolds is given the chance to shine as the only actor to be seen on screen throughout the entire film.
Reynolds plays an American truck driver working in Iraq who's taken hostage and buried alive with nothing but a lighter and a cellphone. The film plays in real time and is an emotional roller coaster, forcing the viewer to hold their breath as their own claustrophobia and tension sets in. While the film doesn't quite live up to it's extreme potential it does a mighty fine job at holding your attention for what little it has to work with.
It's depressing, hopeless, tense and quite frankly one of my worst nightmares.

3 tear-jerking long distance phone calls out of 5

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2010)

Turns the genre on its head...in a good way. All the kids in this movie think they're in a slasher flick...the poor redneck hillbillies are just unlucky and misunderstood. It's a silly one-joke premise stretched out way too thin, but I give it credit for originality and black humor. Seems destined to become a cult favorite.

Let me also say that niceness is the most attractive quality in a woman.

3.5 spoilerific trailer moments out of 5

Otesánek [Little Otik] - 2000

Czech director/writer Jan Svankmajer brings the creepy on once again with Otesánek [Little Otik], a strange and disturbing tale based upon a old folktale by K.J. Erben.

It tells the story a couple who begin to feel the pains of not being able to conceive. The husband, in an attempt to make his wife feel better, shapes up a wooden stump into something resembling a child. The wife nourishes it to life and that's when things begin to get really weird.

While the film is about 30 minutes too long, it does manage to throw in some brilliant moments that are both gut-wretchingly funny and disturbingly nightmarish. It's the type of film you just have to see for yourself to believe what you are actually watching.

3 ½ pedophile penis hands out of 5

Saturday 27 August 2011

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (2007)

Lost Tales was sold to us as a TV Movie, but it's really two short tales stitched together, both directed by series creator J. Michael Straczynski.
The first is a station story with Lochley. It examines the role of religion in space through an unusual conduit. Joe took the enclosed nature of the tin can environment and used it to his advantage. It’s tight without being claustrophobic. It's a decent story, but not B5 specific and could easily be worked into any science fiction show from the past forty years.
The second half could only be B5. It’s a Sheridan story that sees him returning to the station after a ten year absence. Nostalgia has a role to play, but there’s also the future to think of and it’s that part that gives him the most trouble. Sheridan hasn't lost any of his edge. Boxleitner, what a guy!

3½ infinite horizons out of 5

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

The ape japes continue, this time from the viewpoint of the simians themselves. It may be delivered from a different perspective but the analogy works much the same. I'm not going to pretend that the story doesn't require a huge leap of faith from the viewer, but sci-fi has been asking that of fans for a very long time, and once we're able to accept the event in question then the film justifies its existence many times over by exploring a number of deep concerns and raising questions about causality.
Kim Hunter absolutely owns it with her work as Zira, the hot-headed advocate of the truth who satisfies her morals to the detriment of herself.
They could've ended the story here quite effectively. They didn't. Hollywood loves a cash-cow; they'll even milk ape tits.

3½ primitive inquiries out of 5

Everything Must Go (2011)

Fired from his job, alcoholic Will Ferrell comes home to find his wife has moved out, left his shit on the lawn, changed the locks and cancelled the credit cards. With nowhere else to go and nothing left to lose, he decides to camp out on his lawn and drink. Tackles serious subject matter much in the same way The Beaver (2011) did, without any real form of resolution or clear-cut answers... just like life (whaddaya know!).

3 S&M neighbors out of 5

Burke & Hare (2010)

Equal parts ridiculous and dumb, this black comedy by John Landis follows struggling peddlers Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis (the first time I've actually seen his face in a movie) as they turn to a life of crime, murdering and subsequently selling the bodies for medical dissection. Based on a true story, the source material is all there, it just isn't very funny or all that entertaining to watch.

2 fleshy arse wounds out of 5

No Strings Attached (2011)

Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman get together in the end. Oh, you say? Did I just give away the whole movie? The beautiful male and female leads get together in the end? What a novel fucking concept. Despite its attempts to be "charming" and "hip" and "raunchy," I just found the whole thing annoying and repugnant. Kevin Kline's performance is probably the stand-out of it all, and that's not saying much. The only thing that makes it watchable at all is Natalie Portman's ass, but I hate her for even being in this type of movie.

1 FML out of 5

Friday 26 August 2011

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS [2011]

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gylle--no.....Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Po--....ahh! Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake pull off some entertaining performances in this tightly wound little rom-com.
It does everything you expect it to but like Scream and Kick-Ass, the characters seem to know they're in a genre film and make a point of the following "rules". The two leads are fun to watch and likable enough but it's the supporting characters played by Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson and Richard Jenkins that are an absolute delight. It's filled with a load of cameos, including a hilarious spot by a well-known Olympic Gold medalist, that keeps the film from getting too ho-hum.

2 ½ Pantless Fathers out of 5

INSIDIOUS [2011]

Saw creators James Wan & Leigh Whannell craft a delightfully frightening haunted house story that does it best to avoid the usual cliches in this tired formula.
Rose Byrne continues to impress with her role as the frightened mother while Patrick Wilson is off and on as the distant father. The dialogue is pretty bad and horribly delivered in several spots but doesn't subtract from the insanely intense first half of the film, complimented by a Penderecki-esque score by Joseph Bishara. The second half starts to fall apart due to it's premise getting too silly and a 'villain' that may be the lovechild of Darth Maul and Freddy Krueger.
In the end, Insidious delivers on the scares and that's all I expect from such a film.

3 creeped out baby monitors out of 5

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

The principal cast members return to their roles but don't get the same amount of screen time as before. It's not a problem, though, because James Franciscus is an excellent replacement for Heston as the leading man. He plays Brent, an astronaut who's sent into space to determine the whereabouts of Taylor, but, as improbable as it sounds, ends up in the very same place and time.
Overall, it starts good, the first half is excellent, but as the story moves to the 'Beneath' part of the title the film begins to follow suit. It adds a lot of new elements but somehow they lessen rather than enhance the narrative, and it culminates in a half-assed climax with some silly contradiction.

3½ silent affirmations out of 5

Final Destination 5 (2011)

Follows the formula to a T. If you're watching this movie, you know exactly what you're going to get. Disturbing and ultra violent deaths with plenty of drawn-out suspense thrown in. Fun to watch in 3D with tons of shit flying at you. The final scene made me smile. What a dirty, dirty trick. :)

I'm pretty sure this is the last one.

3 red herrings to the final kill out of 5

Thursday 25 August 2011

30 Days of Night: Blood Trails (2007)

Originally seven short horror prequels designed as promotional material for the disappointing film. They were available on FEARnet and have since been collected together into one thirty-minute mini-feature on DVD.
Do they not teach anything useful in film school any more? Compensates for a lack of vision with handheld shaky nonsense, and yet every now and again it threatens potential.

1 torn intestine on the floor out of 5

Trollhunter (2010)

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for these "found footage" movies. No matter how bad they are, they always seem to leave some impact on me, and I find them a lot more engrossing than many so-called "scary" movies. Of course, they're becoming so commonplace now that it's beginning to get grating. This one scrapes the bottom of the barrel...I like the idea of introducing a fairy tale creature, but somehow it doesn't all "click." The acting is merely okay, the effects are kind of cheesy and it doesn't leave as lasting an impression as you would think.

2.5 buckets of Christian blood out of 5

Midnight in Paris (2011)

A simply delightful fantasy. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. The less you know going into it, the better. I didn't think Owen Wilson could pull off the Woody Allen role, but he manages to slip into it rather effortlessly. Reminded me a lot of the fancifulness of Stardust Memories and Purple Rose of Cairo. About as good a recommendation as you're going to get from me.

4.5 whimsical strolls along the Seine out of 5

Horrible Bosses (2011)

Hilarious. The bosses (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell) are standouts here. Essentially a movie about three disgruntled employees planning their murderous revenge (a la Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train), it is satisfying, perverse and very funny. I've never found Jennifer Aniston sexier than this slutty dentist role.

3.5 Motherfucker Jones's out of 5

Hall Pass (2011)

A return to form (and comedy) from the Farrelly Brothers after the atrocious effort known as "Fever Pitch." While not an instant classic like some of their earlier efforts, there are still several laugh-out-loud moments, including a scene in a locker room which I'm still not sure how got past the MPAA. As expected with movies of this sort, it is ultimately more sweet than raunchy.

3 car faps out of 5

Cedar Rapids (2010)

A weekend of debauchery in the life of straitlaced insurance salesman Tim Lippe (Ed Helms). Hilarious hijinks ensue. John C. Reilly is especially great in his role as a jerky competitor seller (what else?). I dug the Vince Guaraldi-style score by Christophe Beck. An indie comedy with some good laughs for a nice, pleasant evening in.

3 super-awesome stars out of 5

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Deadly Friend (1986)

If someone buys you this piece of ass-paper, or if you rent it by mistake, skip to 01:05:03 for the only watchable five seconds. The remainder of DF had me almost gouging out my own fucking eyes. It was that bad.

0 dead girls wear eye shadow out of 5

Akira (1988)

A cyberpunk milestone of Japanese animation that was instrumental in bringing the genre wider recognition in the West. Adapted from a whopping 2182 page manga it's no surprise the story is hard to grasp at first, but repeated viewings reveal subtle plot points that help fill in the blanks.
It’s set in Neo-Tokyo, 2019, a city populated with biker gangs, terrorists and religious rapture freaks. Within that framework a small group of friends get embroiled in military matters that should've stayed buried.

4 mutated fap hands out of 5

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)

From Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?) comes this documentary exploring the relationship between creativity and product placement in the media. While it doesn't necessarily shed any new light on the matter, I applaud the efforts and ideas behind getting this movie made. He doesn't criticize the process, but rather embraces it and plays the system, while you're in on the joke the entire time (there are actually real commercials that play during this movie, which is funny because of how shameless the whole process is). And it's all rather brilliant in a way.

(The link to the trailer is hidden behind the poster image; yet another blatant form of advertisement)

3.5 Shetland Ponies out of 5

Tuesday 23 August 2011

The Red Shoes (1948)

I've heard this movie compared a lot to Black Swan (my favorite film of 2010), so I put it on my "to watch" list. It's your typical story of a girl who's torn between love and her passion for dancing. There's a nice lengthy scene where she performs the ballet of the Red Shoes (based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a pair of dancing shoes that kills its owner) and you experience it from her point of view, which was kind of surreal and cool. While it doesn't quite traverse the dark places that Black Swan went, it goes the distance, so it doesn't disappoint either.

Not to be confused with the K-Horror movie "The Red Shoes" (2005) or the trashy softporn series "The Red Shoe Diaries."

3.5 graceful pirouettes out of 5

Deadtime Stories (2009)

This truly horrible anthology film is "presented" by George A. Romero (doing his best Cryptkeeper impersonation)... Unfortunately, I don't think he knew what the hell he was presenting. The three shorts are terrible, awful, crude, shot on video, poorly acted, poorly written and poorly executed. I honestly cannot find one redeeming thing to say about this shit, except for the end credits...because it was finally over.

0 "read the script next time, Mr. Romero" out of 5

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

It’s the future. Knowledge is dangerous. Books are forbidden and burned en masse. The firemen are always watching.
It's stylised with minimalist set dressings, long, rolling takes and there's one surprise revelation that everyone I've ever lent the film to didn't notice.
François Truffaut, Ray Bradbury, Julie Christie, Oskar Werner, Cyril Cusack, Bernard Herrmann and Nicolas Roeg; a gathering like that doesn't happen very often. It was Truffaut’s only English language film.
Purists will grumble as it deviates from the book significantly at least twice, but it retains the essence and the feelings.

4½ shamelessly subjective scores out of 5

The Illustrated Man (1969)

A tattooed drifter seeks the woman that inked him, giving rise to an anthology of three framed narratives adapted from the Ray Bradbury book (1951) of the same name. The author wasn't actually involved in the production.
The stories are badly made; they're pretty crap, actually. Rod Steiger almost saves the day with his terrifying angry drifter guy.  He gave me the wiggins.
It would've worked better as a TV series, à la The Twilight Zone.

2 painted arse-cheeks out of 5

CALVAIRE [THE ORDEAL] - 2004

A smug 'c-lister' singer's van breaks down in the middle of nowhere and things just get worse from there.

This extremely creepy Belgian film tells the story of a weird village where everyone's a warped, insane pervert and takes it for a slow and ominous spin unlike the usual American take on this type of film.

The pacing is deliciously slow for maximum dread effect and the setting is cold and distant. You're left with several questions after the film is done but that's okay because it just allows the film to linger and haunt you.

4 Fecking CREEPY dance parties out of 5

Watchers (1988)

Fuck the 50-word limit. This movie sucked ass.

1 cheesy gore shot out of 5

Monday 22 August 2011

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Ray Bradbury is a fine author; his words own the page but they rarely translate well to the screen. (Book Review.)
I first saw SWTWC when I was ten. It made me fear Carnivals and spiders. Looking at it today, it hasn't aged well, although it's still an enjoyable film with an obvious message for young and old. Plus, the diabolic Mr. Dark is forever burned into my memory.
For fans of the author, kids who like to be scared and nostalgic old farts. I am now, or have been, all of those.

3 autumnal nightmares out of 5

Planet of the Apes (1968)

The original ape movie that started the hairy ball rolling.
Charlton Heston is our guide. He's the everyman; albeit an everyman with a cynical disposition, a will of iron and some well-groomed chest-hair.
The story isn't just just sharp social commentary (including powerful observations on such topics as the crippling consequences of having a government that places science and religion in the same bed, and the murky moral waters that too much pride can place a people in), it's also cold, hard science fiction that holds a mirror up to modern life.
The retail DVD box has perhaps the most spoilerific cover ever created; someone needs shot for that. Just because it's old doesn't mean that everyone's saw it - someone, somewhere has yet to experience it.

4½ tennis ball lips out of 5

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

This movie made me feel like I was on drugs. At once incomprehensible and wildly over-the-top, Johnny Depp (channelling the manic energy of Jim Carrey) and Benicio Del Toro relish in their roles with glee. It seems impossible to follow while sober, which unfortunately I was, but there are some cool trippy effects if you can stay awake for all of it. Otherwise, I'm guessing you're better off just taking the drugs.

1.5 psychedelic lizard people out of 5

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

After losing his job and the break-up of his family, Nicolas Cage decides to go to Vegas to drink himself to death. While there, he meets high class prostitute Elisabeth Shue, who of course falls in love with him. A dark, unrelenting drama which is part of the reason I moved to this part of town. Unfortunately, no prostitute has fallen in love with me yet.

4 fifths of Jack out of 5

TAXIDERMIA [2006]

...And so I said to myself, "Self, it's been awhile since you really made yourself sick to your stomach. Why not revisit that feeling for shits n' giggles?"

So I popped in the Hungarian comedy 'Taxidermia'.

Beautifully shot and highly original, 'Hukkle' director, György Pálfi delivers the queasiness in the truckloads. Following the story of three generations of men, it's broken up into half-hour segments. The first and last segments are the best, while the second tends to lag quite a bit but it has it's purpose.

If it's highly disturbing, really fucking weird, insanely funny and completely original that you're looking than I'd recommend this.

...just be prepared to feel sick.

3½ cock's biting cocks out of 5

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES [2011]

James Franco, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Freida Pinto and Andy Serkis make up the cast to this stunning prequel to the original "Apes" stories from the '60's & '70's.

While it does fall into summer blockbuster action sequences on the occasion (which are still entertaining to watch unfold here), Apes gets itself back on track with interesting situations and relationships that are usually so poorly written in most popcorn flicks.

The film challenges your morales, diminishes your feel good mood that most summer films seem to like to throw at you and gets in quite a few good scares which was a pleasant surprise. While not as good as the original, it is the best thing since.

3 ½ Hidden Charlton Heston's out of 5

Profondo Rosso (1975)

AKA: Deep Red
Admittedly, this is the only Argento movie I've seen besides Suspiria. I remember not liking it too much at the time, but it left an indelible impression nonetheless (especially that Goblin score). He's all about the style, and this one does not disappoint on that front. There were some creepy moments, but I felt they were too few and far in-between to feel consistent with the whole. That, and the editing/pacing felt off, which I think has to do with the 104-minute version I saw (the original cut is 126 minutes, apparently).

 3 out of 5.

Sunday 21 August 2011

Planet of the Apes (2001)

I've read Pierre Boulle's original novel, watched all of the original films multiple times, and even the short-lived television series, so it's fair to say that I'm an Apes fan. I'm also a fan of some of Tim Burton's work prior to this, which makes reviewing his unnecessary remake all the more troublesome.
Pros: a great ensemble cast, Mr Elfman on score duties, Rick Baker's flawless make-up and the amazing costumes.
Cons: Everything else.
To date, it's Burton's worst film by far and a well-deserved winner of a Golden Razzie for worst remake. It's a travesty.

1½ spring-powered ape legs out of 5

Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

A huge lump of a turd masked by your typical '80s playlist. Managed to be unfunny, clichéd and unoriginal, with no redeeming feature whatsoever, which is a feat in itself. It did, however, succeed in boring me and inspiring me to kill myself. Why do I torture myself like this?

-1 snort of cocaine out of 5

The Sunset Limited (2011)

Two men in one room, engaged in debate.
Sam Jackson does Sam Jackson, but Tommy Lee Jones steals the show in an understated performance; his final monologue is perfectly placed to help banish the rather flat and empty build-up. There are some fancy theological arguments, but nothing I haven’t seen or been a part of before.
Based on a Cormac McCarthy play, it never manages to escape its origins, but maybe it never intended to? If the arguments within are new to you then add an extra point on my score.

2 black and white clichés out of 5

Saturday 20 August 2011

The Devils (1971)

Violent, offensive, sexual and blasphemous - all the good things all in one place. Plus, Ollie Reed! Yes, he was maybe a useless drunk in real life, but he could play a bastard onscreen better than anyone of his era. He delivers his lines with a Shakespearean feather in his cap.
Many films mistake shock value for quality; The Devils has both.
Perfect Sunday viewing. Deserves its place in my top 100.

4½ finger frenzied nuns out of 5