I have never been the biggest fan of anime, Studio Ghibli, or Hayao Miyazaki’s films. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed the likes of Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro, it’s just that I haven’t loved them in a way so many people do. But with Ponyo it’s just possible that I’ve seen the light. A stupidly cute but wonderful, relatively simple story about a boy who falls in love with a fish (OK, so that’s really simplifying it) unveiling crazy events and wildly imaginative, compelling, lovable characters make me want to revisit Miyazaki’s catalogue to find similar gems and watch them with newly appreciative eyes.
When Pixar is so highly praised for specifically adding appeal for adults to their films, the likes of Ponyo have to be commended for not actually bothering. The concept and execution can be universally appreciated by young and old and that is a seriously admirable achievement.
]]>A weak story, or rather lack of one, loosely strings together a series of events which although reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s originals, doesn’t translate well. Being a sequel, of sorts, rather than a direct retelling, might be a major contributor to the problem and you have to wonder if being more faithful to the much loved, familiar source material would have been a braver but better choice.
Storytelling shortcomings are a shame because the characters are strong and the some superb acting performances bring the fantastical crowd and creatures to life. Mia Wasikowska is given a tough task as a teenage Alice and starts off shakily but her charm gradually grows. Swinging between slightly nuts and utterly bonkers, Johnny Depp’s psychotic Mad Hatter is great, as is Helena Bonham Carter’s balloon-headed Red Queen, Matt Lucas’s Tweedledee and Tweedledum and Stephen Fry’s Cheshire Cat.
]]>As prominent as the acting performances, the visual style stands out, which isn’t much of a surprise with an ex creative director of Gucci at the helm. Striking costumes and sets are met with often experimental cinematography. The first half in particular is stylistically impressive with effective frequent use of slow motion and colours and contrast shifting with emotions. Although largely successful, application of stylistic elements are pushed a little too far, become almost tedious, and some experiments (such as an odd single black-and-white scene) are distracting and don’t work as a result.
Given some strong credentials it’s a shame that the film is so boring. There’s little originality in the story of lost love and events are so subtle, dry and, well, uneventful, that there is little, aside from the visuals and the acting performances, to latch on to and show interest in.
]]>The broken sets, bleak scenery, atmospheric cinematography and desaturated post-production combine for a perfect, spooky look and a very believable dead world while Viggo Mortensen plays a complex range of emotions convincingly, evoking necessary sympathy with his character. The kid playing his “papa” this, “papa” that offspring is less convincing or likeable, giving some reason to cheer on the cannibals. Or willing Viggo, who must have been on a strict rice cake and low calorie cardboard diet in the months before shooting, to opt for a tasty, meaty treat. Luckily, with an open ending, you can believe that the boy ended up in a pie, at least.
There is no progressive plot beyond world goes bad, couple has child, mother flips out, and, predominantly, father and kid Keep On Truckin’. The interest lies in a series of encounters (cannibalistic and otherwise) and mini-stories (like the ingenious family who keep bipedal food in their cellar) and they are, largely, interesting and thought-provoking.
]]>After the initial, very intriguing, ten minutes, the first half of the film is plodding as it attempts to build up tension, the characters monotonously obsessing over how to reveal hidden ink on their exam papers, doing little to drive the story forward. An added annoyance is that they don’t come across as bordering on vaguely special let alone very special — it’s doubtful any of them could win a packet of crisps in a pub quiz let alone the universe’s most desirable job in a super hardcore test.
Cleverly, in terms of practical filmmaking, confined to a single room, it is heavily reliant on dialogue, which is by no means Tarantino-grade but is passable. Interest increases in the second half of the film as more incidents take place, more candidates are “disqualified” and although the predictable decline into primal savagery isn’t overly convincing, the ending is satisfactory and the simple twist is as clever as it is eye-roll inducing.
]]>Lock, Stock and One Snatching Guy Ritchie directs a much bigger, grander, more commercial project than he’s used to and, y’know, even with the forced ingredient of mad violence to action it up a bit, it’s OK.
Robert Downey Jnr. is OK, Jude Law’s OK, the other OK actors are, well, OK. The special effects? They’re OK. Even the contrived story is OK. Ish. The backdrop of late nineteenth century London is OK. Perhaps even a little bit more than OK. But it’s certainly at least OK.
It’s a little bit silly but the light-hearted film knows it and gives the viewer a ride with no pretensions. It’s as forgettable as an especially average, inconspicuous pigeon walking around a tropical bird exhibition in Trafalgar Square but there’s a lot of daft fun involved and it’s rather enjoyable as a result.
]]>First up, Doghouse, a gamble. That didn’t pay off. But at least it didn’t pretend to be anything other than an incredibly dumb film.
New Town Killers, on the other hand, took itself way too seriously. Apparently it gained a release in 2009, although it went largely unnoticed, thankfully. Poor in almost every conceivable way, the flimsy existential thriller failed abysmally to live up to its intellectual aspirations.
Winning the pyrite medal, though, is the worst, most shameful, painful film of the year. Ladies and gentlemen, Richard “I used to write good” Curtis gives you… The Boat That Rocked. The steaming mound of disjointed rubbish left me feeling dirty, questioning the state of the film industry in the UK and fundamentally ashamed to be British. World, please forgive us.
]]>This was also the year of the actress. Last year was the actors’ turn with Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood, Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and Michael Fassbender in Hunger delivering very special performances. But this year it is was Kate Winslet in both Revolutionary Road and The Reader, Carey Mulligan in An Education, Melissa Leo in Frozen River and Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married who stood out, were all absolutely superb and, with the possible exception of Winslet, an absolute surprise.
]]>Where The Wild Things Are, The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Rachel Getting Married, The Reader, and Frozen River narrowly miss the list. More, everso-slightly, less vague “winners” and “losers” of the year thoughts to come.
]]>The world of Avatar is both impressive and ridiculous. Whereas there are plenty of credible, even complex sci-fi elements (like the abundant bioluminescence and detailed common physical traits of animals) there is also a large dose of utter fantasy (floating mountains, cross-species USB ports). However frustratingly inconsistent this is, everything, from characters to story to effects, is clearly very carefully calculated and, although it’s instinctive to abominate such lack of soul, the formula for mindless entertainment undoubtedly works.
Switching off is the key to enjoyment and interest intensifies when the pace picks up and the action really kicks off in the second half of the overly-long film. It’s another example of a director with too much power but this is James Cameron’s big spectacle and it certainly is spectacular — the visuals are the undisputed highlight and are reason enough to see the film.
]]>Not being overly-familiar with Japanese film, it at least appears that Western audiences are responding well to tales of difficulties with some Japanese cultural traditions, with Tokyo Sonata being another well made film reaching this side of the world and gaining some attention this year. The insight Departures gives in to attitudes to death and dealing with death are fascinating but it is the deeper, more general tale of the human condition that makes the film such a success.
The themes of life and death are deep but unpretentious and the characters are well defined and even quirky. Although the subject of the film can be quite dark there is plenty of humour and the story, containing strong, interesting subplots, is captivating and very moving.
]]>A slow start and few action scenes make Where The Wild Things Are an atypical kid’s movie with subtle themes providing more appeal to adults. The story is a little bit messy but the exploration of childhood emotions and resulting confusion is a brave, difficult undertaking well executed. The pure escapism is a joy with an uncomplicated almost monochromatic landscape and The Wild Things themselves are convincingly brought to life with CGI merely aiding refreshingly real, tangible Jim Hensonry.
But the film’s most enlightening accomplishment is the demonstration of Spike Jonze’s real talent. Stepping out Charlie Kaufman’s shadow, Jonze demonstrates that he is a feature-length film force to be reckoned with in his own right with a confident, distinctive voice.
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