The Embassy is the premier cinema for the Wellington Film Festival. It contains 3 types of seats. There is a block of leather seats which I believe are usually priced higher than others but during the festival are just first come, first served. Around these and back as far as row P are fixed seats that are better class than traditional "flip-up" style seats. From row R back to row V are narrower, traditional "flip-up" style seats. Unfortunately row R has very poor leg room (even Anne felt cramped) due to the change in seat type and in the center block most of the 24-6 seats have broken backs. It is possible that people have broken the backs of the seats because they have been so cramped.
My advice if you are forced book into rows behind row P at the Embassy refuse a seat in row R and choose a row further back. Even row V is better than row R!
Ian's rating: 1/5
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
A Few Days in September
Early in September 2001 Elliot (Nick Nolte) an American spy, who hasn't been seen for awhile, wants to meet with Orlando, his French daughter, and David, his American step son. He somehow convinces Irene (Juliette Binoche) a French spy and ex-colleague to get the kids (in their early 20s) to the meet in a seedy Paris Hotel. Orlando who was abandoned by her dad when she was ten comes armed with a gun and a scowl. David who is ignorant of his step father's earlier life arrives like an innocent, happy tourist on holiday. William, a neurotic and psychopathic assassin out to kill Elliot turns up and scares Elliot off.
After the failure of the first meet, a second meet is set up in Venice by some banker types (with Arab connections) who have been employing Elliot on the side for his inside info. While kicking their heels in Venice Irene, Orlando and David discuss the differences between the US and the rest of the world (i.e. France) and generally get to know each other.
The ever postponed meeting with Elliot, Elliot's info and the rapidly approaching 11th are the MacGuffins that this film hangs on. The innocent All-American David in close confines with two sexy French women, his sulky younger step sister and the sophisticated, older but still sexy, Irene and on the run from a ruthless, mad assassin provides plenty scope for sexual tension. The phone calls from the poetry reading assassin to his shrink gives some comic relief. The camera work is stylish in two of the most photogenic cities in the world. But I left the film feeling that it had so much potential ... wasted. Plenty of style, but no substance. Such a pity, it could have been a great film.
Anne scanned the credits to see if Irene's glasses and her turtle would get their own listings.
Ian's rating: 2/5
Anne's rating: 3/5
After the failure of the first meet, a second meet is set up in Venice by some banker types (with Arab connections) who have been employing Elliot on the side for his inside info. While kicking their heels in Venice Irene, Orlando and David discuss the differences between the US and the rest of the world (i.e. France) and generally get to know each other.
The ever postponed meeting with Elliot, Elliot's info and the rapidly approaching 11th are the MacGuffins that this film hangs on. The innocent All-American David in close confines with two sexy French women, his sulky younger step sister and the sophisticated, older but still sexy, Irene and on the run from a ruthless, mad assassin provides plenty scope for sexual tension. The phone calls from the poetry reading assassin to his shrink gives some comic relief. The camera work is stylish in two of the most photogenic cities in the world. But I left the film feeling that it had so much potential ... wasted. Plenty of style, but no substance. Such a pity, it could have been a great film.
Anne scanned the credits to see if Irene's glasses and her turtle would get their own listings.
Ian's rating: 2/5
Anne's rating: 3/5
Monday, July 30, 2007
Kissy Kissy
I feel sorry for the actors in this New Zealand film, they spend a lot of time in front of the camera, saying very little and doing even less. I am not sure what message the film makers were trying to get across but the message I took home was that some people are very boring. There were a few lines of interesting dialog and the occasional flashes of interesting interaction between the characters, but mostly it was dull to watch. Anne will be glad she didn't go.
Ian's rating: 0/5
Ian's rating: 0/5
Priceless
This is the French farce.
Irene is a gold digger (in an earlier century she would have been a courtesan). Jean is a hotel worker, who Irene mistakes for a rich guest. Their one night fling leads to both of them losing their sources of income -- in his case his job and in her case her newly acquired aging fiance. The practical Irene sets off to catch her next sugar daddy and love-sick Jean sets off after Irene and gets in the way. She teaches him an expensive lesson, but he is rescued by rich, middle aged Madelene. He is a novice to this lifestyle and Irene relents and offers some coaching. The pair form a loose coalition to assist each other through the tricky bits of being kept young things.
Jean is played by Gad Elmaleh (The Valet) and Irene by Audrey Tautou (who looks a lot sexier than she did as Amélie in Amélie).
Ian's rating: 4/5 Anne's rating 4/5
Irene is a gold digger (in an earlier century she would have been a courtesan). Jean is a hotel worker, who Irene mistakes for a rich guest. Their one night fling leads to both of them losing their sources of income -- in his case his job and in her case her newly acquired aging fiance. The practical Irene sets off to catch her next sugar daddy and love-sick Jean sets off after Irene and gets in the way. She teaches him an expensive lesson, but he is rescued by rich, middle aged Madelene. He is a novice to this lifestyle and Irene relents and offers some coaching. The pair form a loose coalition to assist each other through the tricky bits of being kept young things.
Jean is played by Gad Elmaleh (The Valet) and Irene by Audrey Tautou (who looks a lot sexier than she did as Amélie in Amélie).
Ian's rating: 4/5 Anne's rating 4/5
Severance
This is the third horror movie I've seen at the festival this year, apparently it is already available on DVD, but probably better seen at a cinema. It follows the pattern of a group of people (who don't get on that well -- in this case workmates) who are stuck in the middle of nowhere and are being hunted down and killed gruesomely by homicidal crazies for no obvious reason except to entertain us. It is our job to workout what order people will be bumped off, jump out of our skin and laugh at the right moments.
A sales team for multi-national Palisade Defense is sent on a team building exercise in a Hungarian forest. The coach driver takes fright at a fallen tree, unloads their luggage, turns around and drives off without them. They eventually discover the lodge, which is dilapidated and empty. Poking around they find some old Palisade Defense files written in Russian and start telling each other horror stories about Palisade's murky past. The next morning one member of the team gets his leg caught in a bear trap, and things start to go bad. From here on the film follows formula and we go along for the ride.
Ian's rating: 3/5
A sales team for multi-national Palisade Defense is sent on a team building exercise in a Hungarian forest. The coach driver takes fright at a fallen tree, unloads their luggage, turns around and drives off without them. They eventually discover the lodge, which is dilapidated and empty. Poking around they find some old Palisade Defense files written in Russian and start telling each other horror stories about Palisade's murky past. The next morning one member of the team gets his leg caught in a bear trap, and things start to go bad. From here on the film follows formula and we go along for the ride.
Ian's rating: 3/5
Vanaja
In a flip way this could be summed up as "Cute, smart-ass, teenage girl versus the caste system -- and the audience is the winner". This film was the thesis for Rajnesh Domalpalli's master's degree at Columbia University! Let me tell you that my master's thesis isn't a minuscule faction as good as this one! I hope he got a good grade!
The film is about Vanaja who is forced from school to work due to lack of money. From the start she is up front with what she wants (to be a dancer) and she takes advantage of every opportunity to steer her life in that direction. She is pretty, sharp tounged, and, luckily for her, manages to look cute even when sulking. The story concentrates on her so much that she is in every scene. Even though she has a harrowing time (rape, birth, death in the family) the film is (like Vanaja) essentially happy, and she gets to do lots of dancing.
Ian's rating: 5/5
Anne's rating: 2/5
The film is about Vanaja who is forced from school to work due to lack of money. From the start she is up front with what she wants (to be a dancer) and she takes advantage of every opportunity to steer her life in that direction. She is pretty, sharp tounged, and, luckily for her, manages to look cute even when sulking. The story concentrates on her so much that she is in every scene. Even though she has a harrowing time (rape, birth, death in the family) the film is (like Vanaja) essentially happy, and she gets to do lots of dancing.
Ian's rating: 5/5
Anne's rating: 2/5
Sunday, July 29, 2007
The Night of the Sunflowers
With a bit of trepidation I set off to the Penthouse again (where I earlier watched Wolfsbergen). It was a much fuller house this time and a much better film. The story is of an attempted rape followed by a vigilante attack resulting in the death of the wrong man and subsequent cover up. It is told in six parts each from the point of view of a different person (the would be rapist, the victim's boyfriend, the wrong man, a policeman etc) each brings different motives to their actions, which can look odd or suspicious to the others.
It is a good tense film with each segment posing a different question to keep you hooked (will she be raped? will the cover up succeed? etc).
Ian's rating: 3.5/5
It is a good tense film with each segment posing a different question to keep you hooked (will she be raped? will the cover up succeed? etc).
Ian's rating: 3.5/5
My Best Friend
Every film festival has a French Farce, and this is not it. My Best Friend is a humourous look at the subject of friendship. What is a friend? Who are your friends? How do you make and keep friends? It stars Daniel Auteuil as Francois, a successful Parisian art dealer, the sort of character we are getting used to see him play. He is perhaps more self-absorbed than is usual but is shocked when he is told at a dinner party that no-one will come to his funeral because no-one likes him and that he has no friends because he doesn't care about anyone else. He sets out to prove them wrong, going through several stages: denial, searching, desperation, learning, failure, deception - all providing fruitful opportunities for comedy. His co-star in this journey is a sociable, chatty taxi driver named Bruno (Dany Boon) who takes Francois under his wing to teach him how to be friendly. Sadly, Bruno who gets on well with everyone and is liked by everyone he meets, is equally friendless, which opens up the next can of worms in the journey to become friends with someone. Can you depend on your friends and can they depend on you becomes the acid test in this philosophical comedy.
Ian's rating: 4/5 Anne's rating 4/5
Ian's rating: 4/5 Anne's rating 4/5
The Devil Came on Horseback
I get the feeling when I hear, see or read about African conflicts that I am hearing about Africans killing Africans for reasons no-one can understand or stop. It is too easy for this view to morph into the idea that Africans are naturally violent and can't get along with each other (may be Americans had the same view of Europeans in 1914-8 and 1939-41 etc). But these pernicious ideas really part of the group of ideas that serve to make us feel superior, blameless and without need to act. The ignorance we have about African conflicts (ditto conflicts in the former USSR) is, in part, due to our general ignorance of those areas of the globe -- how many of us given a map of Africa (or the former USSR) with borders but without names could put the right names to the countries? (Yet we get upset when people don't know about NZ). Additionally the reporting in our media tends to make us more confused. Months can go by between reports. A report on an African conflict is likely to be brief, with little or no background information to give context, some photos or video of victims or men on a ute waving guns, it will be couched in politically correct terms and accompanied by contradictory statements by various parties.
The media isn't entirely to blame. The government of Sudan is keen to keep its war in Darfur (half of the left hand side of Sudan) out of the news. It knows that other governments have little interest in this dry patch of dirt, twice the size and twice the population of New Zealand. Chad and the Central African Republic neighbour Darfur but are far too weak to act and other governments will only act if prodded to by their publics. Hence the strategy to keep out the media, deny genocide, ethnic cleansing and deny funding and fighting alongside their coalition partner the Janjaweed. An ignorant world public (or media) can't prod their respective governments.
So much for the political/sociological rant and onto the film. This documentary is the story of retired US Marine Captain Brian Steidle who applied for a job as team leader in the African Union peace monitoring force in Southern Sudan just east of Darfur. In response to reports of violence the team moves west into Darfur, taking photos, interviewing and writing reports (most of which go no further than A.U. mission H.Q.). They watch Sudanese helicopter gunships leave their bases fully armed and return empty. They catalog weapons (including artillery) "going missing" from Sudanese military base. They photograph helicopter gunships attacking villages, Sudanese soldiers and Janjaweed attacking together. They talk to Janjaweed leaders who candidly describe their relationship with the Sudanese military. The team gets to know the conflict so well that they can predict where attacks will take place -- they are not listened to. Brian is sure that once the U.S. public knows the U.S. military will be on their way. After 6 months in Darfur he is so frustrated he doesn't renew his contract, going home with his copies of his photos and reports.
Back home he realises that reports written by the A.U. monitoring teams have not become public knowledge and he goes to the N.Y. Times. Briefly he becomes a media celebrity and the U.S. Congress recognised that genocide is happening in Darfur. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice politely listens to him and hands him back his photos. Brian learns his lesson in realpolitik, and becomes an activist. He is a committed, driven, brave and frustrated man and the villagers of Darfur need as many of his sort as possible.
Interestingly he went to Rwanda to learn about their genocide, how it was stopped and how the country recovered. But I suspect what he learned won't help, because the Rwandan genocide was stopped by the Tutsi themselves, not by UN, US or AU.
Ian's rating: 5/5
Anne's rating: 4/5
The media isn't entirely to blame. The government of Sudan is keen to keep its war in Darfur (half of the left hand side of Sudan) out of the news. It knows that other governments have little interest in this dry patch of dirt, twice the size and twice the population of New Zealand. Chad and the Central African Republic neighbour Darfur but are far too weak to act and other governments will only act if prodded to by their publics. Hence the strategy to keep out the media, deny genocide, ethnic cleansing and deny funding and fighting alongside their coalition partner the Janjaweed. An ignorant world public (or media) can't prod their respective governments.
So much for the political/sociological rant and onto the film. This documentary is the story of retired US Marine Captain Brian Steidle who applied for a job as team leader in the African Union peace monitoring force in Southern Sudan just east of Darfur. In response to reports of violence the team moves west into Darfur, taking photos, interviewing and writing reports (most of which go no further than A.U. mission H.Q.). They watch Sudanese helicopter gunships leave their bases fully armed and return empty. They catalog weapons (including artillery) "going missing" from Sudanese military base. They photograph helicopter gunships attacking villages, Sudanese soldiers and Janjaweed attacking together. They talk to Janjaweed leaders who candidly describe their relationship with the Sudanese military. The team gets to know the conflict so well that they can predict where attacks will take place -- they are not listened to. Brian is sure that once the U.S. public knows the U.S. military will be on their way. After 6 months in Darfur he is so frustrated he doesn't renew his contract, going home with his copies of his photos and reports.
Back home he realises that reports written by the A.U. monitoring teams have not become public knowledge and he goes to the N.Y. Times. Briefly he becomes a media celebrity and the U.S. Congress recognised that genocide is happening in Darfur. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice politely listens to him and hands him back his photos. Brian learns his lesson in realpolitik, and becomes an activist. He is a committed, driven, brave and frustrated man and the villagers of Darfur need as many of his sort as possible.
Interestingly he went to Rwanda to learn about their genocide, how it was stopped and how the country recovered. But I suspect what he learned won't help, because the Rwandan genocide was stopped by the Tutsi themselves, not by UN, US or AU.
Ian's rating: 5/5
Anne's rating: 4/5
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Black Book
Black Book was Friday night's entertainment. We were in the middle of the back row of The Embassy (row V) which has the best leg room of the 6 rows of "bad" seats and the view from there was great. I had a slight feeling of disquiet about the fact that should there be a fire we were bound to burn since it takes forever to get out from that far back, but since the film was good I didn't dwell on this for long.
Black Book is a WWII movie. You might feel that this subject has been done to death (so to speak) but Black Book is a refreshing look at the occupied Netherlands. It's characters include Jews in hiding, the Dutch Resistance, the occupying soldiers and Dutch residents. The principal character is a Jewess (Rachel) who comes out of hiding and works for the resistance. One of her assignments is to seduce the head of the local Gestapo - which she manages to do, but she falls in love with him as well, which makes things complicated. I won't give the rest of the plot away but one of the great things about this film is that the good guys and the bad guys aren't clearly defined. There's double crossing and deceit galore and lots and lots of hidden agendas. Everyone is out for his or herself, obviously, but is also in support of others that you wouldn't necessarily expect. It's a war story and a thriller and a love story and it delivers on all those levels. It will keep you engrossed for all 147 minutes which is a big achievement.
Anne's rating 4/5
I agree with Anne's description. It is a visually gratifying film, the scenes are either filmed in orange tones or grey tones which seems appropriate. Its escapist entertainment rather than realism; with a glamourous portrayal of a grim time (1944/5 Netherlands) where smartly dressed Nazi officers have a posh HQ, a girl on the run is able to come up with several sexy party frocks and the Dutch public looking remarkably well fed considering the famine they were suffering! Perhaps that is why Rachel looks back on her exploits from the distance of 1956 Israel somewhat wistfully.
Ian's rating 5/5
Black Book is a WWII movie. You might feel that this subject has been done to death (so to speak) but Black Book is a refreshing look at the occupied Netherlands. It's characters include Jews in hiding, the Dutch Resistance, the occupying soldiers and Dutch residents. The principal character is a Jewess (Rachel) who comes out of hiding and works for the resistance. One of her assignments is to seduce the head of the local Gestapo - which she manages to do, but she falls in love with him as well, which makes things complicated. I won't give the rest of the plot away but one of the great things about this film is that the good guys and the bad guys aren't clearly defined. There's double crossing and deceit galore and lots and lots of hidden agendas. Everyone is out for his or herself, obviously, but is also in support of others that you wouldn't necessarily expect. It's a war story and a thriller and a love story and it delivers on all those levels. It will keep you engrossed for all 147 minutes which is a big achievement.
Anne's rating 4/5
I agree with Anne's description. It is a visually gratifying film, the scenes are either filmed in orange tones or grey tones which seems appropriate. Its escapist entertainment rather than realism; with a glamourous portrayal of a grim time (1944/5 Netherlands) where smartly dressed Nazi officers have a posh HQ, a girl on the run is able to come up with several sexy party frocks and the Dutch public looking remarkably well fed considering the famine they were suffering! Perhaps that is why Rachel looks back on her exploits from the distance of 1956 Israel somewhat wistfully.
Ian's rating 5/5
I served the King of England
We went to this Czech film on Wednesday morning, the two evening showings being sold out. The Embassy looked pretty full on Wednesday too - obviously lots of other people were seduced by the extremely positive billing it got in the festival programme. It said "pleasing crowds wherever it goes" and "hugely entertaining" so I had high expectations. And I have to say I was disappointed, not because it was a bad film but because it didn't push any buttons for me, and because I felt I was missing the joke.
The hero is a moderately likeable little chap, always falling on his feet until his imprisonment for collaboration with the Nazis. The film begins with his release from prison and is essentially a retrospective of his life up to that point. He begins his working life as a railway station sausage-stall holder and ends it as a millionaire hotel owner, having learned along the way that rich men can access all the life's pleasures and are always surrounded by pretty girls, which is why he so badly wants to be one. We're left wondering why he chooses an unglamorous German girl to fall for (she won't even consider marrying him until she convinces herself he has some German ancestry and whether there was some particular point to this film - it wasn't funny enough to be escapist entertainment,and didn't really stimulate serious thought either.
Anne's rating 2.5/5
Ian's rating 2/5
The hero is a moderately likeable little chap, always falling on his feet until his imprisonment for collaboration with the Nazis. The film begins with his release from prison and is essentially a retrospective of his life up to that point. He begins his working life as a railway station sausage-stall holder and ends it as a millionaire hotel owner, having learned along the way that rich men can access all the life's pleasures and are always surrounded by pretty girls, which is why he so badly wants to be one. We're left wondering why he chooses an unglamorous German girl to fall for (she won't even consider marrying him until she convinces herself he has some German ancestry and whether there was some particular point to this film - it wasn't funny enough to be escapist entertainment,and didn't really stimulate serious thought either.
Anne's rating 2.5/5
Ian's rating 2/5
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Long Goodbye
Elliott Gould plays a chain-smoking Philip Marlowe living in an L.A. penthouse apartment with his demanding ginger cat and next door to four girls who are topless 24/7 in this 1973 private eye film. The film starts with Marlowe being woken by his cat at 3am wanting to be fed. Marlowe discovers he has no cat food, an improvisation of margarine and egg doesn't work and he sets off to the local 24 hour store (getting an order for 2 boxes of brownie mix from his topless partying neighbours). The store is out of the necessary brand, confronting a store worker he is told that all cat food is the same. Marlow responds asking if the worker has a cat; "No, I've got a girl" is the reply. Back home Marlow, locks the cat out of the kitchen while he transfers the food to an old can. Lets the cat in and makes a show of opening the can, but of course the cat is not fooled and disappears. This scene is just a prelude to the action (and sets up a number of cat jokes later on).
The plot itself starts with an old friend, with a history of gambling and wife beating, shows up at Marlow's place sporting a big bruise on his face and an urgent desire for Marlow to drive him to the Mexican border, because his wife is dead and the police will think he did it. Unable to find Marlow's friend the police and later the extremely vicious hoods he owes money to turn their attention to Marlow; and it is clear that private detectives occupy a very low niche in 1970s society. Between rough ups, Marlow investigates a new case of a missing husband for a woman who's dog also takes a dislike to the private eye. The husband is easily found in the clutches of a strange little doctor. But unsurprisingly the case leads back to his friend and dead wife. The final scene contains a noir twist as Marlow takes out his frustration at the way he is used and treated by everyone he meets.
Elliott Gould and looks disturbingly like Guy Secretan from Green Wing! One of the characters nicknames him Marlboro (he finds a new way to strike a match in every scene). If you are nostalgic for California in the 70s (the cars, the decor, the novelty of yoga and yogurt, the tennis frocks that are so short they make modern tennis outfits look like bridal dresses) and you like a film with humour, violence and plenty of plot twists then go to your video store and try and hunt down "The Long Goodbye".
Ian's rating: 4/5
The plot itself starts with an old friend, with a history of gambling and wife beating, shows up at Marlow's place sporting a big bruise on his face and an urgent desire for Marlow to drive him to the Mexican border, because his wife is dead and the police will think he did it. Unable to find Marlow's friend the police and later the extremely vicious hoods he owes money to turn their attention to Marlow; and it is clear that private detectives occupy a very low niche in 1970s society. Between rough ups, Marlow investigates a new case of a missing husband for a woman who's dog also takes a dislike to the private eye. The husband is easily found in the clutches of a strange little doctor. But unsurprisingly the case leads back to his friend and dead wife. The final scene contains a noir twist as Marlow takes out his frustration at the way he is used and treated by everyone he meets.
Elliott Gould and looks disturbingly like Guy Secretan from Green Wing! One of the characters nicknames him Marlboro (he finds a new way to strike a match in every scene). If you are nostalgic for California in the 70s (the cars, the decor, the novelty of yoga and yogurt, the tennis frocks that are so short they make modern tennis outfits look like bridal dresses) and you like a film with humour, violence and plenty of plot twists then go to your video store and try and hunt down "The Long Goodbye".
Ian's rating: 4/5
Sherrybaby
Maggie Gyllenhaal is very sexy as Sherry Swanson, a parolee whose contempt for rules and shortsighted pursuit of her own wants, without regard for consequences lands her in a continuous stream of trouble. She uses her body and her status as a mother, sister and daughter to try and extricate herself or postpone the trouble, as she tries to stay clean and regain her little daughter. The film ends on an upbeat moment of realisation of the needs of those around her but I left wondering if it is a turn around point or just a hump on the rollercoaster of her life?
Co-staring are Sherry's almost entirely bra-free wardrobe and her Red Indian boyfriend who is unfortunately handicapped by a script writer who couldn't move beyond the obvious stereotype.
Ian's rating 3/5
Co-staring are Sherry's almost entirely bra-free wardrobe and her Red Indian boyfriend who is unfortunately handicapped by a script writer who couldn't move beyond the obvious stereotype.
Ian's rating 3/5
Death of a President
In October 2007 George W. Bush is assassinated.
This British film follows the events leading up to the assassination and the police investigation afterwards. I didn't know what to expect having only read the Film Festival blurb. May be it would be about America's reaction to another presidential assassination, probably media led popular and political hysteria to overshadow the 11 Sept 2001 reaction. Or perhaps a thriller about how such an assassination would be carried out. In fact half the film is a build up to the assassination, with the tension being provided by a 'big' anti-war/ anti-Bush protest (10-12,000 people seems medium to me) in Chicago where G. W. Bush is scheduled to speak and by our knowledge that the assassination will happen at some point that day. The second half concentrates on the FBI investigation, rounding up the usual suspects (Arabs, protesters, young black men), political interference from newly sworn in President Cheney etc. I can't tell you much more without spoiling the plot twists but ultimately this film is a thriller in an up to date political setting. There are some political messages but if you find them new or challenging, you must have had your head in the sand these last 6 years.
Of all the films I've seen that use 'live' footage mixed with 'staged' footage, this film does it best. If the film could have kept its tension going throughout the whole 93 minutes it may have got a 5/5.
Ian's rating: 4/5
Anne's rating: 3.5/5
This British film follows the events leading up to the assassination and the police investigation afterwards. I didn't know what to expect having only read the Film Festival blurb. May be it would be about America's reaction to another presidential assassination, probably media led popular and political hysteria to overshadow the 11 Sept 2001 reaction. Or perhaps a thriller about how such an assassination would be carried out. In fact half the film is a build up to the assassination, with the tension being provided by a 'big' anti-war/ anti-Bush protest (10-12,000 people seems medium to me) in Chicago where G. W. Bush is scheduled to speak and by our knowledge that the assassination will happen at some point that day. The second half concentrates on the FBI investigation, rounding up the usual suspects (Arabs, protesters, young black men), political interference from newly sworn in President Cheney etc. I can't tell you much more without spoiling the plot twists but ultimately this film is a thriller in an up to date political setting. There are some political messages but if you find them new or challenging, you must have had your head in the sand these last 6 years.
Of all the films I've seen that use 'live' footage mixed with 'staged' footage, this film does it best. If the film could have kept its tension going throughout the whole 93 minutes it may have got a 5/5.
Ian's rating: 4/5
Anne's rating: 3.5/5
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Signal
Another horror film, this time an American splatter movie about a day when TVs, radios, phones etc give out a hypnotic static sound (and pictures on TV), which drives people to kill each other. Often for reasons that seemed rational to the killers at the time. Being a splatter movie they do it messily, often by surprise and occasionally humourously. Everyone thinks that everyone else is crazy and that they are the only sane person left in the city. This paranoia adds to the body count. There are about 8 main characters that are gradually introduced through the film, but with the attrition rate it is unclear who will survive and given that everyone is into killing it is tricky to workout who is 'good'.
If you are into zombie style horror films then this is probably up your alley.
Ian's rating: 2/5
If you are into zombie style horror films then this is probably up your alley.
Ian's rating: 2/5
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