Category Archives: Genre

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Posted on by
Reply
2007 #47
Arthur Penn | 107 mins | download | 18* / R

Bonnie and Clyde“You’ve heard the story of Jesse James, of how he lived and died; If you’re still in need of something to read, here’s the story of Bonnie and Clyde.”

Bonnie and Clyde is a significant film for several reasons, but I’m not going to give another film history lesson! It brings together several well-executed elements to create a compelling whole — good performances, showcased in at least one key scene for every actor; merging Hollywood feature and New Wave influences; themes of media influence, Robin Hood-esque antiheroism, what family is, and no doubt several more; plus a few exciting action sequences just to round things out.

4 out of 5

Bonnie and Clyde is on Sky Atlantic tonight, Sunday 19th October 2014, at 10:15pm.

* Commuted to a 15 in 2008. ^

Breathless (1960)

Posted on by
3
aka À bout de souffle

2007 #46
Jean-Luc Godard | 90 mins | download | PG

BreathlessGodard’s first and most famous film; part of the beginning of the nouvelle vague, a French movement defining a particular youth culture at the time. OK, loose history lesson over.

This is definitely what most people would call an ‘arthouse’ film, though is decidedly less so than the one other Godard film I’ve seen (1962’s Vivre Sa Vie, which goes by various translated titles); this might be down to it drawing inspiration from American movies, most obviously those starring Humphrey Bogart.

Undoubtedly not for everyone, but an obvious must for anyone with an interest in art / international cinema.

4 out of 5

Garden State (2004)

Posted on by
Reply
Garden State2007 #45
Zach Braff | 98 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Zach Braff of Scrubs fame writes, directs and stars in this coming-of-age-style comedy-drama, his first feature as writer and director. While it’s not devoid of predictable elements, there are some good scenes and performances along the way, as well as a few laughs (only a handful of them in any way marred by the trailer). It’s probably the directing that really stands out, so it’ll be interesting to see what his next film (2008’s Open Hearts) is like.

4 out of 5

nb: I don’t know what happened to Open Hearts, but Braff’s second feature wound up being 2014’s Kickstarter-funded Wish I Was Where.

Casanova (2005)

Posted on by
Reply
2007 #44
Lasse Hallström | 107 mins | DVD | 12 / R

CasanovaAs expected, this film pales in comparison to the Russell T Davies-scripted, David Tennant-starring BBC production from the same year. Where that version is witty, clever, entertaining and actually does something with the characters, this film is silly, predictable and only occasionally graced with an amusing moment. Heath Ledger isn’t in the same league as Tennant as Casanova-in-his-prime, and obviously few could compare to Peter O’Toole as old Casanova (in the BBC one, that is).

Basically: avoid this, but be sure to see the BBC one.

(Additionally, it says a lot about America that the vague innuendo and sexual themes of this gained it an R rating over there, while in the UK it only managed a (much more appropriate) 12.)

2 out of 5

Hidden (2005)

Posted on by
Reply
aka Caché

2007 #43
Michael Haneke | 113 mins | DVD | 15 / R

HiddenEmpire’s 15th best film of 2006 is very European. “How so”, you may ask? Well, firstly, it is French; but it certainly feels it: it takes a very good concept/plot for a thriller and then stretches it out a little thin, with a notably slow pace, and a concentration on the dramatic impact on characters rather than plot movements. Not necessarily bad things, and it walks a fine line somewhere between them working and them failing (that is to say, it’s not wholly successful). There’s an irritating apparent lack of resolution, though reading one theory in an online review has suggested maybe I missed (or misinterpreted) it.

The performances also deserve mention — as with everything else they teeter between excellent (mostly) and a bit unbelievable (see: the rather muted ‘arguments’, or the unusual order of reactions to the son going missing). Some also might argue the direction is flat, with many long shots and relatively few cuts. You could argue this reflects the theme/plot, but on the other hand it is somewhat symptomatic of some areas of European cinema.

4 out of 5

Three Colours: Red (1994)

Posted on by
Reply
aka Trois couleurs: Rouge

2007 #42
Krzysztof Kieslowski | 95 mins | DVD | 15 / R

The final film in the trilogy takes on the theme of fraternité/brotherhood, in a relatively obvious way: Irene Jacob befriends a lonesome old man who spies on his neighbour’s telephone calls. There’s much more to it than that, all on broadly the same theme, but I’m sure to say too much would be to ruin what is an excellent film.

Best of all, in my mind, is the intriguing and oddly satisfying conclusion to the trilogy as a whole. I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but I still recommend it.

5 out of 5

Three Colours Red placed 8th on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2007, which can be read in full here.

Three Colours: White (1994)

Posted on by
Reply
aka Trzy kolory: Bialy / Trois couleurs: Blanc

2007 #41
Krzysztof Kieslowski | 87 mins | DVD | 15 / R

The second in the trilogy (see #39) features the idea of égalité/equality.

The lead character is a Polish immigrant who, at the start, is divorced by his French wife and, in a roundabout way, forced to return to Poland. The narrative follows an odd path toward an odd resolution; it’s also odd that a film about a basic French value is set mostly in Poland.

While it has its moments and is certainly intriguing, White comes out as inferior to Blue. I’m looking forward to what Red has in store.

4 out of 5

Three Colours: Blue (1993)

Posted on by
Reply
aka Trois couleurs: Bleu

2007 #39
Krzysztof Kieslowski | 96 mins | DVD | 15 / R

The first in Kieslowski’s thematic trilogy based around the French flag and the values it represents.

Here it’s liberté/freedom, in this case brought about by the death of Julie’s husband and daughter in a car accident. In the lead role Juliette Binoche is the film and she carries it admirably, taking her character through a range of phases and emotions.

It takes a little time to get going but is worth it in the end (speaking of the end, it appears to have been an inspiration to films such as Donnie Darko and Magnolia).

4 out of 5

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Posted on by
Reply
2007 #38
David Frankel | 105 mins | DVD | PG / PG-13

The Devil Wears PradaEmily Blunt steals every scene, which is impressive alongside an Oscar-nominated Meryl Streep (that being the now-customary acting-nominee-from-a-blockbuster, est. 2004 by Mr Depp). Anne Hathaway provides the plot/emotional through-line against these performances, which is somewhat impressive when playing a lead character who morally sells out (albeit into a lifestyle that is undoubtedly desirable to the film’s intended audience).

The plot and character arcs may be pretty predictable, but it’s an above-average example of a film of this type.

4 out of 5

The New World (2005)

Posted on by
Reply
2007 #37
Terrence Malick | 130 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13

The New WorldSlowly paced and beautifully photographed, this is about as far from Disney’s telling of the story (in Pocahontas, of course) as you could get. This is not a bad thing, as the pace and photography combine to make for a serene unravelling of story and mood.

It only begins to wear a little thin around the time Christian Bale’s character turns up — sticking to the facts of a story, and in the process damaging the film, is sadly a regular flaw in real-life tales such as this.

I also loved the sound design, imbued as it was with the small sounds of nature, all creaking timber and rustling grass.

4 out of 5