Bungsy's screening log: 4 October 2010 to 10 October 2010
4.3.2.1 (Noel Clarke and Mark Davis, 2010)
4.3.2.1 tells the story of four female friends in inner-city London who inadvertently get embroiled in a high-stakes diamond heist. The film kicks off with the group meeting up in a café, before they part ways for their own interlocking adventures. Unbeknownst to them, over the next 48 hours, their paths will cross in more unorthodox ways.
The film follows directly after they have parted ways, channelling the misadventures of each girl over the subsequent days. So far, so Tarantino. Except that, whilst I find QT's relentless self-promotion and ego a little irksome, he at least possesses the filmmaking pedigree to justify the smugness. Noel Clarke and Mark Davis, not so much.
There’s split screen and samurai swords, not to mention a gratuitous sex scene clearly designed as cheap audience bait, but this film is a heavy case of style over substance. There are plotholes amongst plot holes in the film, and by fragmenting the foursome into separate storylines, it is difficult to find a single one who I cared about.
The characters feel more like flat archetypes than real people: Ophelia Lovibond is the self-harmer still reeling from a past traumatic event, Shanika Warren-Markland is the assertive lesbian whose identity is clumsily tokenised by the writing; Tamsin Egerton a spoilt piano prodigy swanning around New York on her parents' dime; and Emma Roberts a long-suffering checkout worker who pines for better days.
The performances are all uniformly below-par, bar EastEnders’ Michelle Ryan, whose turn as an unhinged psycho is very entertaining. The dialogue is superficial and at times, downright cringe-inducing, with its shallow treatment of serious issues leaving a lot to be desired. Despite a promising premise, a soundtrack that hits more than it misses, and ultra-cool settings in London and New York—my two absolute favourite cities in the world—this remains a thoroughly embarrassing attempt to sound relevant.
As a result, there is no story, no characters, and no quality. When you're an even worse British film of 2010 than Shank, you know you've got problems, blud.
2/10
Made in Dagenham (Nigel Cole, 2010)
As with 4.3.2.1, it’s anything but subtle - several characters deliver loaded monologues and soliloquies addressing the struggles of being a working-class woman in a patriarchal society - but such is the precision of Billy Ivory’s screenplay, that the film never feels manipulative or forced.
And, unlike 4.3.2.1, the acting is stellar across the board. Sally Hawkins is wonderfully natural and enduringly sweet. Bob Hoskins provides a brilliant comic anchor, Geraldine James delivers a profoundly moving performance, and Rosamund Pike, though underused, illustrates the film’s key thesis that one should never judge a book by its cover and dismiss a woman as merely a pretty face.
The costumes captured the earthy authentic 60's 'Essex chic' beautifully. Ultimately, it is a joyous piece of cinema that left me walking out of the theatre with a massive smile on my face.
8/10
The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006)
Now, as you know, I wasn't the biggest fan of Inception. OK, that’s an understatement; I detested it and wanted my money back. However, I know that Chris Nolan is a mighty talented film director, and I wanted to reinforce this point by revisiting one of his more underrated films: The Prestige.
Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play magicians whose close friendship turns incredibly sour when a magic trick gone wrong results in the tragic death of Jackman's wife. From then on, former allies become bitter enemies as the two continually look for increasingly dangerous ways to jeopardise each other's illusions.
A wonderful study of obsession, The Prestige also boasts a fascinating look into the world of stage magic, as well as some 'real' magic, which still makes my head spin.
Unusually for me, I enjoyed Scarlett Johansson's performance, and dual casting of her alongside Rebecca Hall had me cracking a smile at the Vicky Cristina Barcelona connection. Michael Caine is as Michael Caine always is, awesome, and the cinematography, score and editing are all highly accomplished.
Much, much more magical than Inception can ever hope to be.
8/10
The River (Jean Renoir, 1951)
The film follows three girls – Harriet, Melanie and Valerie, and charts how their lives are upended by the arrival of a dishy but troubled soldier, Captain John (Thomas E. Breen).
As an impressionable youth who often falls in and out of love, I connected with each of the three girls and their shared plight. I found the film's portrayal of youthful crushes and intense infatuations to be incredibly accurate and true to life. While the acting from the amateur cast wasn't the strongest, that is of secondary importance when the movie serves as such a gorgeous love letter to India, filmed in completely breathtaking Technicolor.
The lingering close-ups on the girls’ faces when they watch their beloved John are beautifully claustrophobic, but fully capture what it’s like to be young and in love. The languid, philosophical pace of the film may jar for some, but it deeply resonated with me.
The ideal kind of film to watch in your PJs. Lush.
8.5/10
Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004)
Paul Giamatti stars as Miles Raymond is a a depressed divorcee, jaded middle school teacher, aspiring novelist, and passionate wine connoisseur. He embarks on a week-long road trip with his best friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), a wash-up, bit-part actor, the week before Jack’s wedding. While Miles simply wants to play golf, taste fine wine, and unwind, Jack is desperate to chase women and misbehave one last time before getting wed. Such is the set-up for Alexander Payne’s bittersweet and highly intelligent film, the ultimate “anti-road-trip movie”.
Though I’m perhaps a bit young to appreciate the full genius of this film - certain scenes dragged on for me and it veered dangerously close to pretentiousness - one thing I cannot fault about it is Paul Giamatti’s performance. He is the absolute epitome of mensch. He turns Sideways from a mediocre comedy into a powerful comedy-drama perfectly balancing flawless comedic timing with a profound emotional depth in the film's more quiet, controlled scenes
Furthermore, his slow-burn romance with Virginia Madsen’s smart and alluring waitress Maya is awkward, initially hesitant, and somewhat embarrassing, as a believable romance should be.
I don’t often find myself invested in whether or not down-on-their-luck 40-somethings get the women of their dreams. But such is the power of Giamatti’s performance, that, for him, I absolutely did.
7/10
Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)
This iconic film noir stars Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas and Jane Greer, the latter of whom irked me in her irritating performance as the femme fatale who does nothing but cause destruction for the men around her. Fortunately, Jacques Tourneur gets the best out of the rest of his cast. Thanks to their performances, his measured direction and Nicholas Musuraca's clever, shadow-drenched camerawork, this can easily be ranked as one of the finest film noirs of the 1940s.
Indeed, the film's impending sense of doom had me in a fatalistic dread throughout, even though I knew it was just a movie.
8.5/10
5 comments:
Yay for The Prestige, one of my favourite movies :)!
Oh aye, it's brill!
The River is a nice movie! I almost forget it until I found this post! Thanks..
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