Screen
Monday 01 June 2009
Star Trek
J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie gets a big thumbs up from me; much to my surprise I actually enjoyed a Star Trek film! Chris Pine (who I’d never heard of before) was an excellent Captain Kirk.
— Andy
Tags: chris_pine, hollywood, in cinemas, recommended, sci-fi, star_trek, usa
Comment [1]
Saturday 20 December 2008
Monster's Ball
Monster’s Ball is the film that saw a spike in Halle Berry’s career; her performance is really good, particularly in the hospital and the scenes thereafter providing a very convincing portrayal of someone in grieving. Well worth watching.
— Andy
Tags: drama, halle berry, recommended, usa
Tuesday 09 December 2008
Good Will Hunting
I’ve finally got round to watching Good Will Hunting. Not as amazing as I had expected it to be, but very good all the same. It is easy to see how this catapulted Matt Damon’s career and got Ben Affleck noticed. Robin Williams is surprisingly good in such a serious non-comedic role.
— Andy
Tags: ben affleck, drama, matt damon, robin williams, usa
Comment [2]
Thursday 04 December 2008
Changeling
Changeling is a film based on a disturbingly true story, directed by Clint Eastwood and bizarrely written by the creator of Babylon 5. The truth of this story means that it is somewhat difficult to classify in a specific genre as the film flows from one to another as the story unfolds, taking some surprising directions. It is a powerful story that not knowing of the event beforehand made the twists and turns of the plot rather shocking. Occasionally the emotional responses seemed to miss the beat; for example the somewhat lack of horror at the mother’s discovery of her missing child early on in the film. However, the story was intriguing and easily kept my attention till the end.
— Andy
Thursday 20 November 2008
Far From Heaven
Far from Heaven is a 1950s style melodrama touching themes that at the time were social taboos that would not have been dealt with in such a film, particularly the subjects of race, sexuality and class. It is an interesting idea for a film that to start with suffers slightly for the stifling 50s style, but as the plot thickens Far from Heaven‘s genius becomes apparent. This film really made me appreciate the times we live in for societies’ more accepting nature towards people in general, well at least in the UK.
— Andy
Tags: 2002, indie, melodrama, usa
Comment [1]
Sunday 09 November 2008
Zodiac
This is a really good movie; it approaches the real life story of the San Francisco bay serial killer ‘Zodiac’ in a very mature and intriguing way, delivering a real sense of frustration that the case cannot be brought to a close. It is interesting to see how limited the investigative process is due to a lack of the information technology that we take for granted in the 21st century. Zodiac is a long film, but it is worth sticking with. I particularly liked the character of Robert Graysmith, played by Jake Gyllenhaal; his enthusiasm and determination was very admirable even if some of its consequences were not so great.
— Andy
Tags: 2007, crime, drama, jake gyllenhaal, usa
Junebug
A quirky and funny film about family. The characters of Madeleine (a slightly stuck-up Brit who owns an outsider art gallery) and Ashley (very talkative and heavily pregnant country girl from North Carolina) really steal the show. The two women are from completely different worlds, but share one thing in common, both have married into a family that lacks the ability to communicate with one another. I found it a little bit of a slower starter, but once the main characters have all been introduced it really got going and was very funny.
— Andy
Thursday 30 October 2008
I Heart Huckabees
I Heart Huckabees is bizarre, random, and hilarious! Its quirky look on existentialism made it feel very original. Okay, the plot might be a little unfocused, but who cares as the characters are a joy to watch and keep the whole thing moving forward. This is just my sort of comedy!
‘There is no remainder in the mathematics of Infinity.’
— Andy
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
Saturday 25 October 2008
TV: Battlestar Galactica 4.1
Possibly the fastest-paced season of Battlestar Galactica so far, and full of twists and revelations. It really made up for the rather poor second half of the previous season which I hadn’t really enjoyed all that much. I’m not going to say much else about it as it would be too easy to give plot details away that would spoil it for anyone reading this who is yet to watch the episodes. The last thing I’ll say is that I am a little disappointed that my theory on President Roslin was wrong. If you haven’t watch this season yet, go watch it, and if you haven’t even seen Battlestar Galactica you are really missing a great show!
— Andy
Tags: 2008, drama, recommended, sci-fi, television, usa
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
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