The Lives Of Others

A solitary Stasi officer monitors, through wire taps and hidden microphones a potentially subversive playwright at the behest of his superior who is having an affair with the playwrights girlfriend.

The only character who knows everything that goes on is the observing officer, who comes to sympathise with his subjects, and he has very little direct communication with the other characters lending most of the film a detached air which makes the final act all the more dramatic.

A compelling story and technically adept film making, but I don't think it deserved to win the best foreign film Oscar at the expense of Pan's Labyrinth.

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Dirty Ho

Produced towards the end of the golden age of 70's kung-fu films Dirty Ho, along with 5 Deadly Venoms and Last Hurah For Chivalry, represents the apogee of the Shaw Brothers tradition. Whilst it can't match Last Hurrah's visual style (surely an inspiration for Yimou Zhangs recent epics) or the taught plotting of 5 Deadly Venom, it does offer some of the tightest and most imaginatively choreographed fight scenes this side of Jackie Chan's hey day, all of which take place on sumptuously dressed sets (seeing it on the big screen was great). One thing that really impressed me that's often overlooked is the sound design for the film, the impact noises and incidental synth drones are brilliant giving the final fight in particular a really musical feel, a great sense of rhythm and crescendo.

The plot is nonsense and finishes abruptly after the last fight scene (though it's not as apparently arbitrary as some Shaw Brothers films), not helped by the fact that the print I saw had subtitles which could most charitably be described as functional, but really that's not what these films are for.

[the two guys with moustaches, are having a fight but trying not to let the guy in white know what's going on]

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Toy Story 2

The original is one of my favorite films and I think this might be even better but I'm not sure. The action sequences are more accomplished and the story is probably stronger but I think by including humans (i.e. the collector) in a more central role it loses something.

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George Of The Jungle

Entertaining for children and people who have stinking hangovers, perfectly undemanding viewing.

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The Edukators

An interesting film about a group of friends who protest about the evils of society by breaking into peoples houses and rearranging the furniture. As is often the case with these things though things quickly get out of control and relationships and idealism are tested.

Excellent performances (esp. Julia Jensch who played Eva Braun in Downfall and replaces Franke Potente as Smash Hit's most fanciable German) and a strong script are only vaguely undermined by a bit of a messy finish.

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Crank

Like Speed but with Jason Statham as Keanu Reeves and the bus all rolled into one. Whilst the premise promises to at least be action packed for the majority of the running time the film spectacularly fails to deliver. It starts out monolithically stupid, gets boring about 20 minutes in an never recovers. Very poor.

Interestingly whenever satellite or aerial photography are used we see copyright notices at the bottom of the screen which kind of typifies the general shoddiness of the whole production.

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300

Within the first ten minutes it's established that the Spartans are child abusing thugs but are really tough so that's cool. Soon it turns out that the Persians (in spite of the slavery and stuff) have a much more inclusive attitude towards sexuality (Spartans, pot, kettles, black) and disability. But hey it's based on Frank Miller, you're gonna get some amount of right wing bull shit.

My main problem with the film is that it wasn't crazed enough, Apocalypto had a vaguely right wing subtext but the film is such an extreme trip that it was really worthwhile seeing it in the cinema, a film with a singular (insane) vision. 300 is just an empty headed blockbuster, the blood and gore seem to be reigned in to get a 15 certificate, the sex scene is pure perfunctory channel 5, to invest any greater meaning in the whole thing is to give it too much credit, it's just kind of vacant. How much you like the film is largely down to how much you like oiled up muscle men fighting each other and saying portentous lines, it's alright.

[Seeing it at the I-Max: We had front left seats and everyone on screen was kind of distorted and the film was really obviously projected onto a plane, not sure if it was this or if it was the way the film was shot but the whole thing seemed to have no depth, everything was happening in a kind of 2d vacuum or something]


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Shampoo

Interesting mainly as a kind of historical document, a survey of late 60s values (within very particular sections of society) seen from the mid 70s. It's interesting how little music was used on the sound track, if this were made today Warren Beatty wouldn't be able to move without some pounding 60's rock'n'roll anthem offering some kind of commentary on the action (and beefing up the sales of the accompanying sound track CD). Also, did everybody really just leave their houses unlocked the whole time in 60's Los Angeles?

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Tape

Based on a play and it shows. Thankfully it's an interesting play, exploring subtleties of memory and friendships. The directors (occasionally over active) editing and natural performances from the three cast members elevate the whole thing significantly above the level of one of those televised BBC2 plays they used to show in the 80s. I was quite pleased it never really got as dark as it could have done.

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Bridget Jones's Diary

Easily the best Richard Curtis romantic comedy. Jane Austen's plot does the heavy lifting and watching the film reminded me that Curtis did Black Adder which is really easy to forget during the thoroughly mirthless Notting Hill.

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