PROMETHEUS

I had been looking forward to this film for a seriously long time. Even when the only thing I knew was that it was (nearly) a prequel to Alien and called Prometheus. It was inevitable then that I would be disappointed in some way or deflated when it came around to the cinema. Add to this a Blitzkrieg style of advertising and this was made even worse. I should have avoided all this and gone into the film cold, as much wiser people I know did, but I didn’t. I can safely say though that I enjoyed it even if it took me a while to realise.

The first thing that should be mentioned is the plot, expanding the Alien mythology into the existential and profane, verging onto 2001 territory. The script bites off far more than it can chew. Ideas are bandied about unnecessarily and bluntly, lacking some of the subtlety that I was hoping for. Still though it is intelligent, it conveys the surreal horror of just how vast space and existence can be. Certain touches to the script are fantastic though, mostly relating to Michael Fassbender’s David and without spoiling anything a scene involving Noomi Rapace (you’ll know the one when/if you see it) had me cowering in my seat. Overall though it lacks the streamlined brilliance of Alien and the gritty edge. In Alien the crew of the ship talk as people do and even though the crew of Prometheus were on a scientific expedition they lacked something that made them seem as real. Once you go down the road of comparing films to Alien though, the outcome is usually pretty one way.

It has been said by everyone but I will say it again, Michael Fassbender was great. In fact everyone was brilliant in it and it was particularly nice to see Idris Elba utilising his immense talent more than in his monosyllabic turn in Thor. I even liked the 3D in this, it is the best I have seen, due I imagine to the 48 frames per second. I’ll leave the technicalities to those who understand it. My only other problem is that the soundtrack to me, felt more like it belonged in a Spielberg film, for me it didn’t gel properly. The soundtrack suggested something much nobler than it was and obscured one of the more interesting aspects of the expedition, its flawed nature.

Go and watch the film, let me know what you think but what I will say is that it is best sci-fi to come out in a long time. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/ 

Jurassic Park

I thought that for my first review for this blog, I had better choose something appropriately magnificent. And when it comes to films, especially films from the '90s, and especially films from the '90s about dinosaurs featuring The Fly and Kris Kringle, none is more magnificent than Jurassic Park. Directed by Steven Spielberg, like many of his efforts it has become pop culture fodder,  inspiring parodies, references in TV shows, and weird art. It is easy to see how it has become so well-known, with dialogue that is eminently quotable, one of the greatest scores of all time, and stellar performances from its cast. One of the best films of all time? Maybe. One of the best films of the '90s? Definitely.

The plot is simple. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) discovers a way to create living dinosaurs from prehistoric blood, and then puts these Frankenstein-osaurs in a theme park. To test out his park, he invites Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) for a tour, along with some annoying kids and various other expendable characters. Meanwhile, the double-crossing Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) screws the pooch by turning off the electric fences that enclose the dinosaurs, in an attempt to steal some embryos. Dinosaurs run amok, escapades ensue. Or to simplify it, Sam Neill + Jeff Goldblum + Dinosaurs = Awesome. Whilst it may not seem like the deepest film ever, it does touch upon themes of the dangers of science, corporate greed, and environmentalism. However, these themes are for the most part subdued by the healthy amounts of quips, PG violence, and great special effects. The CGI and animatronics are really what make this film, and they even hold up almost 20 years later.

It would be remiss of me, as a self-confessed dino-geek, if I did not mention the inaccuracy in some of the portrayals of the dinosaurs (Wikipedia even has a page for this, so it's not just me!). More recent discoveries indicate that most dinosaurs had feathers, and were a lot more bird-like than previously imagined. By the standards of science in the '90s though (before the internet for god's sake!), the depictions in Jurassic Park must have been pretty darn cool.
Another slight issue with the film, though this may be an unhealthy dose of cynicism on my part, is how the film seems very well suited for spin-off merchandise, almost as if it was written by a marketing team. There is even a shot in the film of Jurassic Park toys in a gift shop. Who knew that corporate avarice could be so meta? Of course I may be reading too much into it, and in any case, it's quite hypocritical of me to complain, as I have cupboards full of JP stuff at home that I still haven't the heart to throw away.

In a nutshell though, most things about the film are greater than great. Especially this -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/

Scenes From a Marriage

I now want a divorce. I’m not even married, nor do I now plan to be. As Johan put it, marriage should only be a five year contract.

Through Igmar Begman, you watch a clear play of sex and power between Johan and Marianne. They’ve been married for ten years and seem like a happily functioning couple on the surface but it quickly becomes clear that they aren’t content when one decides to come clean.

The balance of power shifts dramatically and while one thinks they have the upper hand, it twists, violently at times, into the other’s palm as they try to cling onto what they have left.  The monologues that followed question what it means to be with someone and sometimes tried to define love, ticked over in my head long after the film had finished.

There’s no soundtrack and only two characters throughout which added to the confining element of this film. Even though a few other couples made a brief appearance, I get the impression they were just reflections of Johan and Marianne as they strive to make sense of their own marriages.

Ullmann really shined in her role as Marianne which shows just how sharp an actor she is. Keeping her emotions on the very surface, unlike in Persona, it was compelling to watch her every change in expression and the effect it had on the situation.

What upset me the most was the clear passion and love they at times had for each other that only the viewer can see. Simple gestures such as watching the other read or the ever so slight disappointment in a reaction, tell the other half of this film.

Maybe I need to have been married for a good ten years before I fully understand every detail but not once could I spot a weakness in the legitimacy of Johan and Marianne in what was the most convincing portrayal of a relationship I’ve seen.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070644/

Talk to Her

Pina opens the film with her famous Café Muller piece; showcasing a society stuck in a loop, forever playing their part in a kind of hopeless repetition. The bold strokes from the dancers are amplified when they wade through awkwardly placed chairs which grunt along the floor in a way they don’t want to be shifted.

Almodóvar contrasts this expertly in a very still hospital where a nurse, Benino, is doting over the every need of a dancer in a coma. With a surgeon’s control, he paints her nails describing the scene you’ve just watched as if she were awake.  The delicate way in which the camera moves makes you almost cringe as he cleans her naked bosom in such an invasive and routinely manner allowing you to quickly connect intimately with their relationship.

As ever, Almodóvar creates powerful female characters. Lydia Gonzalez, a female bull fighter, is introduced through a talk show. The presenter seems less interested in her killing credentials and would rather ask her about her personal life which results in Lydia walking off. Through a mutual loneliness, she befriends a journalist named Marco who genuinely seems interested in her career.

After an accident involving Lydia, Marco and Benino strike up an odd friendship. The way in which they each deal with the two women is interesting to watch and verges on the comedic when they start to make up what one would be saying to the other. It can at times become creepy and this is accentuated brilliantly through long time collaborator Alberto Iglesias’ music which plucks its way through your spine.

One of my favourite moments in the film is when you see Alicia’s body covered in a cloth very much akin to the Cristo Veleto at Cappella Sansevero, it was then that I realised that perhaps Benino wasn’t doting but rather polishing her.

This film is to be watched many times. After a second viewing, I realised just how many clues and metaphors Almodóvar had woven throughout.  What I love about this film is how personal it can be and how people come up with different interpretations. For me, I wonder if Pina had told the story in a much simpler way in the magnetic attraction between partners and in the cyclic nature of life. The powerful ending itself provokes many questions and you’ll be left knowing that Almodóvar is smiling somewhere at your yearning for more. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287467/

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Werner Herzog became one of my favourite people very quickly. For me, this puts him up there with Tom Waits. This is not just because he saved Joaquin Pheonix or one of many other amazing feats, it would have happened just for his films. This 2007 documentary sees Herzog travel to the ‘end of the world’, to Antarctica. He makes his vision clear early on, this is not a film about ‘fluffy penguins’ but rather about the people he will meet, the world he sees and life at its most surreal and extraordinary.

The poetic Bavarian narration of Herzog takes us through the world as experienced by the population of the Antarctic, we meet a bus driver who had a near death experience with a tribe, a woman who seems to have travelled through Africa in the most bizarre ways imaginable and a scientist with a love for doomsday sci-fi. What is striking is the people we meet along the way, they are all lost souls and dreamers who find meaning and direction in this otherworldly existence.

I am not going to try to describe what Herzog found in the Antarctic, only he could do it justice. What I will do is tell you that this film is incredible; hauntingly beautiful, funny and profound, it is curiously life affirming. To describe this as a documentary is perhaps misleading as it suggests objectivity, this is not that. Encounters... is a subjective, almost gonzo like journey of discovery by a man of unique vision. It is many things, but above all, it is heart-rendingly human.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093824/

Aguirre, Wrath of God

In his spare time, away from being shot , eating shoes, facing plane crashes head on and hunting tigers, Herzog actually directs films. Shot with a camera stolen from his film school and set entirely in a Peruvian rainforest in the 1700s; Gonzalo Pizarro sets out with his merry men to find El Dorado with the promise of gold, power and some native biff.

After a scene where a real horse is sent on an actual wooden raft, things quickly get awkward when the protagonist Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) gets all worked up as the men give his daughter the look. The film then mainly focuses on atmosphere and relies heavily on Kinski’s performance as you see his mental demies unravel in the form of failed calculations and frustration.

Behind the scenes, so mad does Kinski become that he threatens to quit the film in only a way a German would: shooting a rifle blindly into a tent and de-digitising a crew member. Hence forth, after a brief struggle with the gun, Kinski and Herzog became the very best of friends.

Forgetting for a moment that they’re meant to be speaking Spanish, it is thankfully the German cut that made it to our screens. This allows the actors to be more natural and concentrate on their performance which unfortunately was the main weakness in Fitzcarraldo. Most scenes were in fact unrehearsed and some reactions genuine to the evolution of the plot.

Measured camera shots reminiscent in places of an earlier film Fata Morgana, cleverly draws you in with the sense of utter isolation.Close ups of character’s faces are utilised throughout to express the damned destiny of the explorers and tense madness seeps from almost every scene which has you on the edge throughout. This is without a doubt one of the greatest films in history and Herzog’s true masterpiece.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068182/

NIGHT ON EARTH

I watched this film for one reason; Tom Waits did the soundtrack. It turns out this was far from being the highlight of the film, not to say that there is anything wrong with the soundtrack (although being  an obsessive fan I probably wouldn’t notice), it’s just that the film itself surpassed expectations. Tom Waits’ music is not a natural fit for a background soundtrack. What he produced was not like his normal output, rather it was Franks Wild Years style riffing that (for me) perfectly gelled with the plot, bookended with more typical creations of his.

Setting my (possibly unhealthy) obsessions aside, this 1991 film is the most accessible of all the Jim Jarmusch films I have seen. The narrative follows five shorts in five different cities following taxi drivers, their passengers and their journeys both physical and otherwise. Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome and Helsinki provide the settings, supposedly chosen because of Jarmusch’s desire to work with certain actors.

Without wanting to give anything away the five shorts oscillate in style, the opening starring Winona Ryder lays the seeds of humour, drama, existential musing and brilliant characters that are teased out over the following vignettes. The whole film is shot with a simplistic beauty, a minimalism that manages to express far more than blatant overwrought shots. This is not to say that it is pretentious arthouse fare but rather it is unfalteringly entertaining (the section in Rome left e close to incontinence with laughter) in a different way and doesn’t try for a blunderbuss message that patronises the audience. Night on Earth is funny, thought-provoking, seriously cool, beautiful to look at and above all, heartfelt. Put simply, this is a great film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102536/