The Road

"A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones, and, when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing: just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless cannibalistic bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a rusting shopping cart of scavenged food--and each other"

Based on a multi-award winning novel of the same name, The Road is a bleak and depressing film. The post apocalyptic world is captured brilliantly and subtly with incredible cinematography. Mortensen provides his usual brilliant performance as the father trying to survive, as does Kodi Mcphee as his son.

There are 2 main issues I have with this. The first is the fact that whilst it might make a great book I’m not sure it can be brilliantly translated into the film medium. It simply doesn’t have the essential elements needed Secondly, The ending. It’s appalling. It’s a serious cop-out and there was no need to be anything other than ambiguous (which will have fitted perfectly).

It certainly isn’t a film you’d want to see again!

7/10

City of Men

"In the slum in Morro da Sinuca, a couple of days before turning eighteen year-old, Laranjinha tells his best friend and also orphan Acerola that he misses his unknown father. Acerola decides to help his needy friend to find his father and they discover that he is in prison convicted for killing a man during a robbery and near to be released on parole. Meanwhile, Acerola's wife and babysitter Cris is invited to work in São Paulo and she sees the chance to raise money to buy a house of her own; she tells Acerola that he must take care of their son Clayton alone for one year. When the owner of the hill and Laranjinha's cousin Madrugadão is betrayed by his right-hand Nefasto, he is expelled from the slum and Laranjinha and Acerola have also to leave the hill. While Madrugadão plots a plan to invade and recover the hill with the support of the gang of the drug lord from Morro do Careca, Acerola and Laranjinha unravel the past of their fathers."

City of Men is a loose follow up to City of God. It doesn’t have the same characters, but takes a look at what happens to boys in gangs in the ghetto once they reach manhood. The story centres around Ace and Lara and 2 rival gangs and shows how family ties work in the ghetto. It’s a depressing tale of poverty and the lack of family. It shows the contrasting demands of gang life and parenthood and the issues of absent parents.

I loved City of God, it’s an amazing film, and this is ok but it’s not even in the same league. The acting is strong but the story seems weak.

6.5/10

Eden Lake

"Nursery teacher Jenny and her boyfriend Steve, escape for a romantic weekend away. Steve, planning to propose, has found an idyllic setting: a remote lake enclosed by woodlands and seemingly deserted. The couple's peace is shattered when a gang of obnoxious kids encircles their campsite. Reveling in provoking the adults, the gang steals the couple's belongings and vandalizes their car leaving them completely stranded. When Steve confronts them, tempers flare and he suffers a shocking and violent attack. Fleeing for help, Jenny is subject to a brutal and relentless game of cat-and-mouse as she desperately tries to evade her young pursuers and find her way out of the woods."

I heard good things about this but I’m always extremely dubious about British film. I despair at the horribleness of either playing to stereotypes or polished up tv soaps/dramas.

The premise was hardly radical. Young couple go to deserted area and OH MY GOD get stalked. In this case it’s by chavs. It’s highly unoriginal and like a bad tv drama. It doesn't help that the main characters are so eminently punchable. AVOID.

4/10

Vampyr

"Young traveller Allan Grey arrives in a remote castle and starts seeing weird, inexplicable sights (a man whose shadow has a life of its own, a mysterious scythe-bearing figure tolling a bell, a terrifying dream of his own burial). Things come to a head when one of the daughters of the lord of the castle succumbs to anaemia - or is it something more sinister?"

Vampyr was Dreyer's (la passion de Joan D'Arc) first talkie but for this showing it was presented as a silent film with a live band providing accompaniment. Its the first silent film I've seen in years and I've never seen a film with live music before.

The film itself is cleverly shot. Very dreamlike and eerie. A thin gauze was put in front of the lens as a filter to add to the flavour of the supernatural. Dreyer alternates between short cuts and lingering close ups to create a rather weird sense of menace. There is great use of light and shadow. I can imagine how terrifying and disturbing this would be for those seeing it on initial release back in the 30s.

As for the live band. I was slightly concerned at first as I'm not a great fan of constant music throughout films but it worked really well. I think it enhanced my experience and made the film more accessible.

Up in the Air

"Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams."

The new film from Jason Reitman(Juno, Thank You for not Smoking) sees Clooney superbly cast as a man with no ties and no connections who lives his life on the road. His life begins to change when 2 women enter his live. Alex (Vera Formega), the woman who shares his passions and Natalie (Kendrick), the new young gun at work who threatens his way of life. This film looks into aspects of corporate America (in the same vein as Thank You..), connections, relationships and family.

As the 2 women begin to change how Ryan sees his life and priorities. His sisters funeral makes him realise what he's been missing. But the grass isn't greener.

Huge credit has to be given to the studio for the trailer which doesn't spoil any of the film. I find this a rare comodity of late. Clooney's business is one of corporate downsizing but this really isn;t the story.

The plot and dialogue are exceptional with some very clever snappy exchanges and use of language. This is snappily directed and the 3 main protagonists are all excellent (I'd be surprised if Clooney doesn't get an Oscar nomination for this). Its a very brave film. It doesn't give answers or confirm to norms. It doesn't leave you feeling happy or uplifted (I quite frankly left feeling depressed and deflated). There are no judgements and there is no closure.

Unfortunately, the factors that make it a brave film also make it unsatisfying. We're nurtured in a certain way and you just can;t fly against convention easily. The ambiguity will not please a lot of people and the ending leave you up in the air..

7/10

Voy A Explotar (I'm Gonna Explode)

This Mexican film centres around Roman and Maru. Roman is the son of a rich politician who is in a state of constant rebellion. Maru is a misfit from a single parent family who doesn't feel that anyone sees life as she does. The pair collide at school and decide to run away. In an elaborate ruse the pair pretend to abscond whilst living on in a tent on Roman's roof. Its a coming of age story about 2 teens rebelling against society in different ways and for differing reasons. When Roman's fatalism pushes them apart, Maru comes to realise that this isn't what she wants and everything begins to unwind with disastrous consequences.

This is well acted and well scripted. It's limited in scope and ambition but is a very enjoyable film.

7/10

Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi )

"Chihiro and her family are on their way to their new house in the suburbs when her father decides to take a shortcut along a lonely-looking dirt road. After getting out of the car and walking along a path for a while, they discover an open-air restaurant filled with food but with no workers or customers present. Mom and Dad don't hesitate to sit down and dig in, but Chihiro senses danger and refuses. As night falls, she is terrified to see the area fill with faceless spirits, but when she runs to find her parents, she discovers that they have been turned into pigs. She is found by a mysterious boy named Haku, who promises to help her. He gets her a job working in a nearby building, which turns out to be a bathhouse for the thousands of Japan's gods and spirits. Though the work is hard and the people strange, she does as well as she can. Her parents, however, are still waiting in the hotel's stockyard, and Chihiro must find a way to break the spell on them before they end up as the main course of some guest's dinner"

This is the one that broke Miyazaki into the mainstream consciousness of the West and it's one of his best (alongside Grave of Fireflies and Totoro). The visuals are stunning. The sheer depth of detail and loving effort put into each board is wonderful. The story is an old one but with stunning visuals, cute and magical characters and a solid voice cast it becomes a work of beauty and joy. A film guaranteed to lift your heart.

9/10

Avatar 3D

"In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture"

So, the big blockbuster of the year from the man who brought use Aliens and Titanic. The movie that many people have been looking forward to for years. Does it live up to it's billing? Yes, and some.

I really cannot judge this in terms of a film. It's not one in the conventional sense. Its a new form of entertainment. It didn't feel like being in a film but being at an entertainment event. The plot is basic to say the least. The acting is passable. The 3D was used brilliantly and was more perspective than intrusion. It looks incredible. It defied my brain at times to actually comprehend everything that was happening on screen.

Worthington has impressed me since seeing the latest Terminator film (where he blew Bale off the screen) and he's solid in this. The craft behind this is unfathomable. Cameron has obviously been looking East and the influence of Hayao Miyazaki is strong here with the idea of living forests and saving the environment. Outstanding.

8/10

10,000 BC

"A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter named D'Leh's journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe. When a band of mysterious horse-riding warlords raid the Yaghal camp and kidnaps his heart's desire - the beautiful Evolet along with many others, D'Leh is forced to lead a small group of hunters south to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her. Driven by destiny, the unlikely band of warriors must battle saber-toothed cats and terror birds in the Levant."



Ok, let's be honest, I had absolutely no expectations about this. I thought it would be dreadful and for a lot of the film it actually was better than I expected. Yeah, the acting, diologue and "plot??" was bad but not the worst I've seen. The effects were well done (The Mammoth things, The Bird etc). Then the sabre toothed Tiger the size of a school bus appeared. Water went everywhere and I almost fell off my bed laughing. Seriously, A FUCKING BUS. After that there seemed no more point to the film.

4/10

Daybreakers

"In the year 2019, a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save humankind"



The supply of human blood has almost run out and Ethan Hawke plays Dr Edward Dalton who works for a company who are looking to produced a synthesised substitute. The kicker is that this company is also the main farmer of humans. Edwards brother, played by Michael Dorman, is a member of the army charged with rounding up humans for harvesting.

Whilst Edward feels sorry for the humans his boss, Charles Bromley, is only concerned about profit margins. Thus enfolds a moralistic divide amongst the 3 main characaters.

Enter our humans, Audrey and Lionel (Karven and Dafoe), to tug at Edward's conscience. Discovering that there is a cure he leaves with them in order to try and replicate it.

I liked this. It's smart and clever, incorporating some good jumpy and comedic moments. The main players all do a passable job but there's just something lacking. It doesn't quite knit together and you never find yourself escaping into the film.

7/10

The Baader Meinhof Complex

"Germany in the 1970s: Murderous bomb attacks, the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy inside are rocking the very foundations of the yet fragile German democracy. The radicalised children of the Nazi generation lead by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as the new face of fascism: American imperialism supported by the German establishment, many of whom have a Nazi past. Their aim is to create a more human society but by employing inhuman means they not only spread terror and bloodshed, they also lose their own humanity. The man who understands them is also their hunter: the head of the German police force Horst Herold. And while he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he's only dealing with the tip of the iceberg"

Based on true events this is a very strong film. Martina Gedeck (The Lives of Others) plays Ulrike Meinhoff, a well intentioned journalist who finds herself being drawn in to the RAF (Red Army Faction). Martin Bleibtreu (Das Experiment, Munich) plays the unhinged leader of The RAF, Andreas Baader. A lot of the later part of the film centres around the ideological disputes between the 2 main characters. Bruno Ganz (Downfall) plays thre inspector charged with hunting them down.



Whilst it is a very well made movie it is just too long. The middle section noticeably drags. I don't think the splicing insertion of real footage always works either. Having said that this is a good film and well worth the watch.

7/10

The Wave (Die Welle)

Hello and welcome to my film blog. I saw in the New Year with this little gem from Germany

"When Rainer Wegner, a popular high school teacher, finds himself relegated to teaching autocracy as part of the schools project week, hes less than enthusiastic. So are his students, who greet the prospect of studying fascism yet again with apathetic grumbling: The Nazis sucked. We get it. Struck by the teenagers complacency and unwitting arrogance, Rainer devises an unorthodox experiment. But his hastily conceived lesson in social orders and the power of unity soon grows a life of its own."



Based on true events in California in the 60s this is a very brave film and really had to be done in Germany. Its very clever and very stylish, and whilst it may not stand too great an intellectual probing it certainly is thought provoking and accessible. The acting is seamless and the script strong. Difficult material, well handled.

8/10