Screen - film & television blog
Sunday 06 July 2008
TV: Criminal Justice
This has kept me hooked all week! Criminal Justice has been a surprisingly intelligent and engaging mini-series for the BBC. Its depiction of the criminal justice system seemed real and the characters were well drawn. It was easy to connect to the accused and feel compassion for his predicament (despite Ben Whishaw’s slight over-acting — was I alone in noticing that?), although the little twist towards the end made me start to doubt everything I’d understood up to then. Unfortunately the final episode seemed to go a little out of control and felt out of place with the preceding episodes, but I can forgive them for that. It’s good to see some quality drama being broadcast on BBC One for a change.
— Andy
Tags: bbc, crime, drama, television, thriller, uk
Thursday 03 July 2008
Time to Leave
Time to Leave (Le Temps qui reste) is a film about dying, a subject that is tackled beautifully. Melvil Poupaud and Jeanne Moreau’s performances are excellent. This is possibly one of the best François Ozon films I’ve seen. The final scene is very visually striking.
— Andy
Tags: 2005, drama, france, francois ozon
Sunday 22 June 2008
Le Goût des Autres
This is a cool film! A light comedy looking at human interaction, perspectives, and discovering the meaning of life. I love the way the film darts between the many characters fleshing out the movie whilst essentially being guided by the protagonist’s re-awakening as he discovers a new world to that in which he has been living. A feel-good movie of sorts, Le Goût des Autres is really worth a look.
— Andy
Tags: 2000, comedy, drama, france
Saturday 21 June 2008
Finding Nemo
Beautiful colours, great characters (particularly the minor characters), but perhaps a little let down by the plot which seems to try too hard. Finding Nemo is a good Pixar animation, but having returned to it after watching Ratatouille and The Incredibles it doesn’t stand up quite so well as I remembered.
— Andy
Tags: 2003, animation, hollywood, pixar, usa
Tuesday 17 June 2008
Les Chansons d'Amour
Okay, so I’m not a fan of musicals, but this French film intrigued me having heard a few of the songs from it. Les Chansons d’Amour is a decent film, though I felt the musical numbers rather detracted from the plot. The complex relationships of the characters made for an interesting plot, although sometimes the love expressed by the characters seemed a tad shallow. Perhaps if the film had been a drama rather than a musical the plot could have been thickened a little. Having said that I actually liked the songs, although Ludivine Sagnier’s singing voice is a little annoying. Not amazing, but an enjoyable film to watch.
— Andy
Monday 02 June 2008
Heartbeat Detector
Heartbeat Detector (La Question humaine) is a French corporate thriller currently in cinemas. It’s a very slow paced film that seems to be going no where for a long time, but then small events in the film ripple out to reveal a deep plot underlying the whole movie. Heartbeat Detector tackles some very heavy themes, of which I will not spoil here. At first this movie looks like a dull uneventful art house movie, but by the end I was stunned by the revelations and the questions they raise about the corporate world. This is not a film for everyone, but if you’re patient with it you’ll see an intelligence in the plot and twists not seen very often in the cinema.
— Andy
Tags: 2007, drama, france, in cinemas, thriller
Sunday 01 June 2008
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a very funny film that takes the superhero concept to a whole new level, looking at what becomes of those with super-powers when they settle down to normal family life. Not only is it unique in terms of the superhero genre, it also feels very different from the majority of the CGI-animations out there; perhaps an indication of the industry’s new found confidence with the medium. There are some superb characters in this movie, but for me I really like Frozone and Edna ‘E’ Mode. Just as entertaining the second time round.
— Andy
Tags: animation, comedy, hollywood, pixar, sci-fi, superheroes
Tuesday 27 May 2008
TV: Mad Men
Mad Men is a stylish incredibly well written drama from the States. The plot is subtle and well paced; it is a real slow-burner, but staying with it has been very rewarding. The first series has just finished on BBC Four in the UK and the cliff-hangers of the final episode have left me feeling a little impatient to see the second series. Yes, it does seem uneventful and slow at times, but it is worth sticking with as over time you’ll realise that it is one of the most intelligent and enjoyable shows about at the moment.
— Andy
Tags: drama, television, usa
Thursday 22 May 2008
Ratatouille
A superb film from Pixar about a rat who loves to cook in Paris. I’m not a big fan of CGI-animation, but Ratatouille is beautiful looking, Paris is really brought to life. The story feels original and is very funny without having to rely on loads of cultural references for laughs. Possibly one of the best from the studio that really got the ball rolling with Toy Story.
— Andy
Tags: animation, comedy, hollywood, pixar
Saturday 17 May 2008
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a pulp adventure film set in an alternate 1930s setting and given a retro style. An interesting idea, but perhaps a little too nostalgic. I got the feeling style came before substance with this film. It seemed devoid of emotion or any real action (strange for what seems to be an adventure sci-fi film). It basically left me cold.
— Andy
Live Flesh
Live Flesh (Carne trémula) is a bit different for an Almodóvar film, in part because the lead characters are male and the story is based on a Ruth Rendall novel. It’s not his best work, but still good, particularly towards the second half when the plot starts to thicken. Penélope Cruz makes a brief appearance at the start as the mother of the protagonist Victor.
— Andy
Tags: almodóvar, drama, spain, thriller
Monday 12 May 2008
Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis
A funny comedy from France about a Southerner being relocated to la nord where the sun never shines and the locals speak in a barely understandable dialect of French. The English subtitles do their best to translate the idea of the unintelligible words and accent of the ch’tis (the locals), and do help make the film enjoyable although I suspect it is a lot funnier if you are fluent in French (plus the muddled subtitles did begin to feel like hard work towards the end). I loved the scenes involving the mail round and the wife’s visit to Bergues. Overall a decent comedy providing an interesting insight into the French’s North-South divide (much like England in many ways).
— Andy
Tags: comedy, farce, france, in cinemas
Saturday 10 May 2008
TV: Best of Youth
I have just completed watching the Italian mini-series Best of Youth that has been shown on BBC Four recently and wow what a remarkably beautiful and moving story it was. The character of Matteo alone made it a compelling watch. His character was incredibly mysterious and sad, yet very deep even if we were given little insight into what was making him tick. Best of Youth managed to completely draw me in and the characters were so well drawn and acted that I really began to care about them and share in their moments of sadness and happiness. It is 400 minutes of TV well spent.
— Andy
Tags: drama, italy, television
Sunday 04 May 2008
Persepolis
A funny, and at times sad, true story of an Iranian girl growing up through the Revolution and wars in Tehran, and attending French school in Vienna. The animation, mostly in black-and-white, is beautiful and a refreshing change from the usual Disney/Pixar look of animated films these days. Persepolis challenges ones perceptions of life in Iran and highlights some of the unpleasant attitudes of religion, particularly towards women. It is well worth a trip to the cinema to see it (if it sounds too serious don’t fear as it really does have many laugh-out-loud moments).
— Andy
Tags: animation, france, in cinemas, iran, recommended
Monday 28 April 2008
Happy-Go-Lucky
Mike Leigh’s latest film is a feel good movie that takes the daring move to put a somewhat dislikeable character at first as the lead. There are plenty of laugh-loud-moments, particularly the first driving lesson and the Flamenco dance class. Happy-Go-Lucky lacks a clear plot, but makes up for it in the comic moments and well drawn characters.
— Andy
Tags: comedy, drama, in cinemas, recommended, uk
Saturday 26 April 2008
Mio fratello è figlio unico
Mio fratello è figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child) is one of the best Italian films that I’ve seen in a while; beautifully acted and a compelling story of two brothers divided by politics but united by blood in the 60s/70s. Interestingly it is the Fascist brother that is easiest to warm to, highlighting the intelligence of the script of this film.
— Andy
Tags: drama, in cinemas, italy, recommended