Monthly Archives: October 2007

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)

Posted on by
Reply
2007 #102
Tetsuya Nomura | 101 mins | DVD | PG / PG-13

Final Fantasy VII: Advent ChildrenFor those who don’t know, this isn’t the seventh Final Fantasy film — it’s the second; though it’s not a sequel to the first; though it is a sequel, to the game Final Fantasy VII… which isn’t related to the preceding six. Just to be confusing, eh?

Advent Children is far from standalone then, but with the help of a DVD featurette and some concentration it’s possible to have an idea what’s going on. It almost doesn’t matter anyway: the main point is clearly the action, which is pretty spectacular. If you can bear the dense, plot-heavy first half (which does also contain several good sequences), the second is non-stop action, only occasionally marred by overactive camerawork. From a technical standpoint the CG is endlessly impressive (don’t expect it to be lifelike, just extremely good) and the freedom afforded by the format is well used.

I don’t know how satisfying fans would find this (I’m sure they’ve all seen it by now anyway), but for us lay-people, if you can ignore the plot (or put in some effort to follow it) and enjoy impressively executed fights and chases, there’s definite enjoyment to be had.

3 out of 5

300 (2006)

Posted on by
Reply
2007 #101
Zack Snyder | 112 mins | DVD | 15 / R

300Highly stylised (and praised) adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel about the battle of Thermopylae.

It’s very much a Man’s Film: long graphic battles, esteemed warrior values, mostly-naked women, heavy soundtrack… This doesn’t mean it’s without virtue: it looks stunning, and while the slow motion may be overused it creates some beautiful tableaus. There’s even room for characterisation among the soldiers; these arcs may be familiar, but for once the filmmakers seem aware of that and keep such scenes to an appropriate, deftly handled minimum.

The slight plot may be stretched a bit thin and the closing speech is sadly over-written, but 300 is nonetheless an enjoyable, and surprisingly pretty, minor epic.

4 out of 5

300 placed 9th on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2007, which can be read in full here.

2007 | Weeks 37-40

Posted on by
Reply

This entry we move right from the start of September on into October — under three months of the year left!

As I mentioned last time, my eight-day trip to New York has brought about the first multi-week entry in almost two months; couple that with moving in to a new place and all the associated sorting, plus having almost two weeks’ worth of TV to catch up on (and that taking up most of my viewing time), plus starting my final year at University, and this is a four-weeker. Actually, it’s pretty much a one-weekender — I didn’t watch a new film until Thursday 4th.

And so, following that ‘accidental’ almost-four-week break, I’m finally getting on with moving past the aim of 100 and into the grounds of “let’s see how far I can get”. This entry I make it to… well, read on and see for yourself.

It’s an all-action extravaganza this entry, with no less than four films with a distinctly violent centre. But don’t think it’s all the same, oh no no — between them they cover several continents, even more countries, and spread out from the ancient past to the distant (or, at least, alternate) future, via the present day of course. There are spears, swords, guns and fists causing pain left, right and centre… and a few more unusual objects too. If you thought “action movie” meant endless bullets and slow motion… well, it does tend to involve at least one of those… but still, have a look and see that there is room for some variety.

We begin with what will likely be the first in an on/off series I like to call “Films From This Year That I Missed At The Cinema And Am Finally Seeing When They Hit DVD”… though this one’s technically from 2006. But it didn’t arrive over here until March 2007, so, y’know, it still counts.

#101 300

#102 Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

#103 Transporter 2

#104 Miracles