Screen
Tuesday 09 December 2008
Black Book
Is it right to be entertained by a World War II themed film? Most I’ve seen of recent have reflected on the horrors of the war, like the excellent Downfall or Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. However, Black Book felt more like a fun movie, despite being set in Nazi occupied Netherlands. Perhaps this was a result of what I found to be the escaping realism of the film due to the actions of the protagonist; she was far too trusting considering the world in which she existed. Her lack of discretion would have been extremely dangerous at the time. I enjoyed this, but it struck me as a different type of war film to which I am used to.
— Andy
Tags: 2006, drama, the netherlands, world war 2
Thursday 20 November 2008
Renaissance
Artistically Renaissance looks stunning; almost the entire film is animated in solid black and white images, apart from the very occasional use of colour. However, the plot, whilst interesting, is perhaps a little average for the genre. It did manage to keep my attention but required a significant amount of attention to follow the story. I felt that the voices—in English—which included Daniel Craig were a little lifeless which didn’t help. This is more a film about style than substance, but if you like animation then the visual aspect of Renaissance is beautiful and the futuristic look of Paris is very cool.
— Andy
Tags: 2006, animation, b&w, daniel craig, france, paris, sci-fi
Sunday 16 November 2008
Children of Men
This film is amazing! It’s depiction of a grim and horrific future look and feel terrifyingly realistic. Throughout the film I found myself thinking that this could happen to society. The appearance of the film and the superb cinematography ensure that it looks real. I really appreciated the way that the future didn’t look ‘fantastic’, but rather like it had advanced by a few years but then begun to fall apart; it made it easy to connect to and as a result empathise with the characters. The single-take shots also made a powerful impression of realism.
The themes of Children of Men are incredibly depressing, but the film’s overall message is surely of one of hope. Much like Alfonso Cuarón’s previous movie Y tu mamá también, Children of Men is about the journey rather than the outcome.
— Andy
Tags: 2006, alfonso cuarón, clive owen, recommended, sci-fi, uk
Saturday 15 November 2008
Mischief Night
Mischief Night is a decent and enjoyable film set in Leeds following the events of an ensemble of characters in the lead up to Mischief night. The film is produced by the people behind the television series Shameless and it shows. The different plot lines of the characters twist and turn in unexpected directions leading up to the big night which changes the lives of each of them. Mischief Night tackles some grim subjects such as racial divisions, Jihad, criminal gangs, and child abductions, yet it comes out with an upbeat mood and a charm that makes you warm to the characters. One thing that did puzzle me throughout though was that the days seemed very long and bright for the time of year it is supposedly set in. It must have been filmed earlier in the year.
— Andy
Thursday 30 October 2008
A Scanner Darkly
This is a weird film that to be honest did very little for me. My main draw to watching A Scanner Darkly was its rotoscope animation, but even that didn’t really do much for me.
— Andy