ENEMY OF THE STATE ****

USA: Tony Scott, 1998

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(*) ALONG CAME A SPIDER **

USA/Germany/Canada: Lee Tamahori, 2001

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(*) FRENZY ****

UK: Alfred Hitchcock, 1972

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(*) ANTZ ****

USA: Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, 1998

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V FOR VENDETTA ***

USA/UK/Germany: John McTeigue, 2005

In what is fast becoming our weekly ritual, the girlfriend (or The Countessa as she shall now forthwith be respectfully referred to) and I snuggled up this Sunday evening to watch V For Vendetta. I had succeeded in side stepping the buzz surrounding the film during the course of its theatrical release. However, I was intrigued by its rumoured play upon the Guy Fawkes legend and had been meaning to give the disc a spin at some point.

Now I know very little about the film's tortuous transition from highly respected graphic novel to big budget misfire at the UK box office. I therefore had very few preconceived expectations, aside from a feint hope the Wachowski's brothers involvement in the script but noticeable absence from direction, would serve up a better film than the last two instalments of The Matrix Trilogy. Upon reflection I would have to say that I did enjoy the film by some measure above those ill fated cash-ins. V For Vendetta is not without its flaws but within its comic book sensibilities and anti-hero tale of revolution it succeeds in raising some pertinent questions.

The film's milieu maybe that of a non too distant London in the grip of a fascist dictatorship, but the allusions to present America are unmistakable. Specifically, John Hurt's (in an ironic nod to his casting as the victim in the film adaptation of George Orwell's 1984) Chancellor Adam Sutler, the zealot who reigns supreme over this dystopian totalitarian state, can be read as a thinly veiled allegory for the current tyrannical U.S. administration of George W. Bush. For more on this theme I point you toward a full review by Michael Mackenzie. I take my hat off to Michael as his appraisal is fair and balanced rather than the "for or against" hyperbole which has been a feature of many other opinions on the film. It appears this division is in large part due to the filmmakers omitting or being fanciful with the hallowed original material. In any case I found Michael's review very informative and it offered me a greater understanding of the film.

V For Vendetta does approach the issues surrounding the West's response to the threat of terrorism. It also challenges us to consider the reality of genuine representation and recognition of the will of a country's populous in the political systems of power which operate in a democratic society. However, it must be said the film does all this in a rather silly and idealistically muddled manner. But nevertheless it still succeeds at being entertaining.

The Countessa was far less forgiving and felt this film was... "crap" to put it succinctly. I wouldn't quite go that far. It is true though, if you are not able to come to the film with an adequate suspension of disbelief, intriguing social commentary or otherwise, the film simply isn't going to hold an interest for you.

Memorable line:
"... artists use lies to tell the truth while politicians use them to cover the truth up"

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RUNAWAY JURY **½

USA: Gary Fleder, 2003

Tonight the girlfriend and I had a night in with a takeaway and a movie. Like many I suspect, we are trying to make a concerted effort to save some money this month after an extravagant Christmas. Anyway, it was the ladies choice on this occasion (there are limits to how many gialli and the like I can talk her into watching lol!). Flicking through the channels a few nights previously it came to my attention Runaway Jury was scheduled to be shown on BBC One. I recalled the girlfriend citing this as a film she particularly enjoyed, being into the courtroom drama/John Grisham adapted Hollywood thriller type of genre. So pushing the record button on the always reliable Sky Plus Box we arrived at Friday night with our film all ready to watch.

I mention the build up and the setting (quiet night in, Sky TV and takeaway) as it wasn't dissimilar to the film. Runaway Jury is not a particularly original film nor is its execution in anyway innovative or new. It is, however, competently made with its requisite cast of attractive lead boy/girl couple (John Cusack and Rachel Weisz) and established supporting heavyweights (Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman). Much like the Domino's pizza we soon devoured, Runaway Jury is a fast, convenient fix which leaves one full but not entirely satisfied.

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PEEP SHOW - SERIES 2

UK: Tristram Shapeero, 2004 (Created by Andrew O'Connor, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain)

Very entertaining second season of this intelligent and silly UK sitcom.

Score: 8/10

DIAL M FOR MURDER ****½

USA: Alfred Hitchcock, 1954

This Sunday the girlfriend and I sat down and watched Dial M For Murder. I had bought the disc some time last year and promptly added it to the growing "to watch" pile in my room. To be honest based upon what I had read from the odd review and occasional Hitch biography, I assumed the M stood for mediocre rather than masterpiece. However, far from only being notable for Hitchcock's interest in 3D at the time, Dial M For Murder is a bona-fide classic.

The film is something of a departure from Hitchcock's "man on the run" suspense pictures and is faithfully adapted from a successful stage play. To say adapted for the screen is in some ways an overstatement. To paraphrase Peter Bogdanovich, interviewed as an extra on the disc, Hitch's motto when it came to putting plays on the cinema screen was simply to shoot the page as written. This is not to say the film doesn't have some memorable shots. However, Dial M for Murder sees Hitchcock rein in his technical flair to employ his uncanny sense of economically putting the camera in just the right place to aid the development of the plot. This pushes the story to the foreground ably assisted by a quite wonderful script and superb acting.

Ray Millard is a delight as the would be mastermind behind the 'perfect crime' to off his rich wife (Grace Kelly) and his performance goes a long way to making this film the success it is. Anthony Dawson is the hapless crook coerced into Millard's plan, however, typically things do not unfold as foreseen. Any mystery surrounding the crimes is dispensed with almost immediately, but the audience is skillfully gripped from start to finish. The fact we are made aware of every machination of the lead protagonist only heightens our fascination with his eventual downfall. Highly recommended.

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(*) STRANGERS ON A TRAIN *****

USA: Alfred Hitchcock, 1951

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PEEP SHOW - SERIES 1

UK: Jeremy Wooding, 2003 (Created by Andrew O'Connor, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain)

Quite simply one of the funniest UK sitcoms I've seen for years. Go watch it!

Score: 10/10

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SEPTEMBER ***½

USA: Woody Allen, 1987

Having worked my way through about two thirds of Woody Allen's prodigious body of work I finally sat down this evening to watch September. Renown for his penchant for re-shoots and his dissatisfaction with the finished product of his own films (Allen still maintains Manhattan should never have seen the light of day?!), Allen actually made September twice. Unhappy with the pacing of his original cut Allen recalled the cast and crew only to find several key actors tied to other projects. One man's pretension is another's genius. In any case, the end result is one of the most tightly structured and superbly performed chamber pieces this viewer has seen in a long time.

Very much a theatrical play put on celluloid September charts the yearnings, reflections and conflicts of a small group of family and friends as they see out the summer at a cottage in Vermont. Initially, offering refuge the cottage provides the intimate space needed for the diverse troupe to recuperate from the stresses and traumas of their individual lives. As is often the case in stories such as this the action is set over a period of a couple of days as the summer draws to an end and revelations inevitably bubble to the surface.

If you only enjoy Woody Allen the comedian then September isn't going to be for you. Allen's often-bold use of cinematic structure and his masterful repertoire of humorous quips are dispensed in favour of a much smaller canvas upon which a static but far deeper glare into the realism of our frailty is positioned.

Basically, if like me you found Allen's often criticised "serious" dramas such as Interiors and Another Woman intelligent and compelling you will find much to savour in this rich and brooding exploration of human emotions. Give it a try.

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LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN **½

USA: Paul McGuigan, 2006

I must confess to being less than inspired at the time Lucky Number Slevin was released theatrically here in the UK. The media buzz I heard from radio spots and television commercials centred on the film being an unassailably cool and hip gangster thriller, with rising heartthrob Josh Hartnett at the heart of its box office appeal. Needless to say, I felt this was a movie I could pass up on seeing in the theatre.

Anyway, my sister recently rented the DVD and couldn’t praise the film enough. It should be noted my elder sibling and I have massively different cinematic tastes but her enthusiasm was sufficient to make me sit down and give the disc a spin.

The first half hour or so left me cold. I found the deliberately quirky dialogue laboured to say the least and director Paul McGuigan’s dependence on flashy camera tricky – such as frenetic editing and CGI assisted elaborate crash zooms - is an aesthetic so overused in mainstream cinema nowadays as to render it bankrupt of both meaning and effect. However, once the intentionally Byzantine plot was established and the film settled into its dramatic arc, I found myself warming to the whole thing.

It is understandable as such heavy weight actors as Morgan Freedman (a personal favourite) and Sir Ben Kingsley, can light up even the most bog-standard and derivative material. Here they play opposing crime lords – Freedman is THE BOSS and Kingsley THE RABBI - entrenched in their very own ‘ivory towers’ and headlong into an all out war revolving around betrayal, murder and revenge.

Don’t worry the film realises its strength lies within its ingenious plot and not social commentary. Thus we are thankfully saved from clumsy political posturing in favour of a succession of red herrings and plot feints, as Josh Hartnett – the titular SLEVIN – moves from unsuspecting victim to major puppet master: cue fast action flashback montage. To say anymore at this point would spoil the fun of the film.

So whilst I can’t be as whole heartily over zealous as my sister, I would say Lucky Number Slevin does merit attention, in that, by its close it executes a twist laden plot with aplomb and confidence. It falls short of excellence because it takes to long to settle in to its story and unsuccessfully endeavours to be cooler and cleverer than it is necessary.

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NEW SECTION: SCREENING LOG

My Movie Checklist

Taking inspiration from my good pal Capt. Whiggles I have decided to set-up another new section called the “Screening Log”. See Michael's screening log at(http://whiggles.landofwhimsy.com/movies/)

Essentially, these entries will act as an archive for every film I have watched since Tuesday 26/09/2006. So it is hoped in time a record will be built up, acting as a quick reference guide to the films I have seen and my thoughts on them.

I shall give each film a rating out of five and include basic reference details - such as the film’s director, the country of its origin and its date of release – to assist those interested in seeking out the film. Time constraints permitting I will also include a few lines on each film by way offering a very quick evaluation of the film in question. If an entry is for a film I have watched before the title will be preceded with (*).

Where applicable I shall include links to reviews, features, essays etc that I have written on particular films and this aspect of the Screening Log will be continually updated.
Please note: I intend to maintain this section as much as time and inclination allow. Therefore, for the purpose of clarity it is worth acknowledging that the date upon which I screened any given film may sometimes differ from the corresponding post’s publish date.

If you would like any further information on any of these films please leave a comment detailing your query. Likewise please feel free to share your own thoughts and ideas on this section or the entries therein.

Regards

The Count

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Another year on, I am a wizened 27 year-old.

WOMAN IN BLACK - THEATRE

For a birthday treat my girlfriend took me to see the utterly chilling play based on Susan Hill's novel WOMAN IN BLACK. Recommended.

Score: 10/10

BONNIE SCOTLAND!

Heading of with the family to Scotland on our hols, girlfriend flying out to meet us up there. Good times.

CARS ***½

USA: John Lasseter and Joe Ranft, 2006

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SPURS VS. INTER MILAN

To usher in the new 2006/2007 football season a group of us left the ladies to prepare Sunday dinner and checked out Tottenham's pre-season form against Internazionale. White Hart Lane served up an entertaining 2-2 all draw if memory serves me correct (old age).

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST ***

aka: Pirates of the Caribbean - Part 2
USA: Gore Verbinski, 2006

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BLOOD AND BLACK LACE ****½

Original Title: Sei donne per l'assassino
aka: Six Women for the Murderer
Italy/France/Monaco: Mario Bava, 1964

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