bwanabrad-1 Reviews

La pelle dell'orso (2016)

A father and son get to know each other better, as they face a dangerous foe.

[8/10 · 20 January 2022]

La Pelle Dell'Orso. (The Secret of The Bear). 2016 92 mins 8/10 I think something got lost in the translation from Italian, as there didn't appear to any secret attached to the bear. The bear in question is a loner that has returned after many years to terrorize the village of Coste, high in the mountains of Venetto. After its reappearance the local villagers are at a loss as to what to do next. In steps Pietro Sieff (Marco Paolini who also co-wrote the screenplay). Sieff, like the bear, is also a loner, a surly widower with a 14 year old son Domenico (Leonardo Mason). Or more correctly he can be seen as an outcast, part-time drunk and the villager loser. He takes on a bet to rid the village of the bear. He sets out alone, but his son soon decides to join him in the hunt. On the way to catch up to his father young Domenico meets Sara (Lucia Mascino) a friend of his dead mother. Their meeting has him wondering about his mother and how she died.

Pietro keeps mostly to himself, but as the pair climb higher into the mountains, they begin the process of getting to know each other better. The dialogue is sparse, as is the action. This is a movie about the development of a relationship that had looked strained when in the village. While life at the village level is harsh, the villages in the region are postcard pretty, and the towering mountain landscapes that dominate the area are stunning and memorable. Paolini is outstanding as Sieff, in a largely unsympathetic role, while Mason grows into his role more as the movie progresses. The direction is lyrical, unhurried and unobtrusive, allowing the small cast time and space in which to develop their roles. Overall, a commendable and different style of film.

The Harder They Fall (2021)

A new and refreshing perspective on an old genre.

[9/10 · 8 November 2021]

Don't be confused, this is nothing like the old Jimmy Cliff movie of the same name. So what have we got here? I found this to be a rollicking and highly entertaining ride, from go to whoa. If you are looking for a dose of reality, look elsewhere, escapism doesn't get much purer than this. Grab some popcorn, start munching and settle down to a rollicking good ride. The opening sets not only the scene but also the prevailing mood, with deaths and violence that are swift and sudden. It is a clear signpost of what is to come. At the times the violence is way over the top, to the extent where it sometimes appears cartoonish, and when viewed from that angle it isn't too over the top at all.

The film has a nod towards Sergio Leone who rewrote the book on westerns, most notably l detected elements of Once Upon a Time in America, and the Trinity/My Name is Nobody series. There is also a nod or few to Tarantino, but this movie excels over his recent releases in the western genre, Django Unchained and the Hateful 8. This film is also an attempt to change the landscape of the western and it succeeds admirably, by acknowledging the presence of African Americans. Until now Hollywood has largely ignored their presence in Westerns, with the notable exception of the civil war epic, Glory. There are plenty of gritty characters, and what a memorable lot they are. Attention must be paid at the beginning to note who is who, bravado is in no short supply and trash talk abounds in the whip cracking smart script. At times some of the dialogue was a little hard to hear or decipher, but l am sure meaning would be rewarded with repeat viewings.

Then there are the characters, and what a memorable lot they are. Attention must be paid at the beginning to note who is who, there is plenty of bravado and trash talk abounds. Of the main characters the one who stands out above and beyond all others is Idris Elba as Rufus Buck. A large part of the action centres around him and he is more than capable of shouldering the attention. The other stand out performance is by the redoubtable Delroy Lindo as marshall Bass Reeves. It isn't only the men who turn in memorable performances, Zazie Beetz as Stagecoach Mary is resilient in a no nonsense kind of way, but she is overshadowed on screen by the menacing presence of Regina King as the lethal Trudy Smith. These are two women among others who are every bit as powerful and dangerous as any of the male characters they share the screen with. The only actor l found who lacked the necessary gravitas was Jonathon Majors as Nat Love, who didn't generate the sort of screen presence his character needed.

One other small example of this shift in the approach to the genre is through the creative use of song and music, from the opening music hall number, through to the final, lilting folk song and many stops in between. But there is also humour, as in the use of colour, and the inevitable climactic shoot out which is the main example of the cartoon style violence. Here one large gang of killers prove themselves to be totally incompetent at hitting targets, while the other side can hardly miss a kill shot. If you are looking for realism, look elsewhere, just enjoy this movie for what it is, a rip roaring 'shoot 'em up', and you won't be disappointed.

The Red Lotus (2009 TV Movie)

A Girl With a Tattoo, but not in the same class as Lisbeth Salander.

[6/10 · 2 October 2021]

A made for TV drama. Two railway workers find the dead body of a prominent citizen in his car by the tracks. The local police officer is called I to investigate. Riding along with him is his friend, a star police investigator from Moscow, who coincidentily was invited to visit the family for the weekend. The search for the killer shifts into gear, as the identity is made known, a disturbed young woman, who had recently broken out of a mental institute, where she had been housed for three years.

A high degree of inevitability about the plot, sprinkled with a few too many coincidences and a couple of glaring plot holes spoil what might have been a better than average story. This is a pity as the as the basic concept is intriguing and the killer is the most interesting character in the film. The star investigator takes over more and more even though it is not his case and he appears to be three steps ahead of everyone else in solving the crime. The signposts are a little too obvious, and of course there is a degree of corruption and coercion involved, all too common in contemporary Russian films. The film would have benefited greatly from more development of the script, and it needed to be at least ten minutes longer as the ending is compacted and all too contrived.

Forgotten by God (2017)

A Very Different Kind of War Movie

[9/10 · 1 October 2021]

The plot is divided into five vignettes, about four different generations of one family involved in four distinct conflicts over nearly a century. Central to each story is the arrival of a new born boy, whose beginning to life is precarious for varying reasons. The baby boys are in turn, shunned, ignored, loved and abandoned. As with any Russian drama, violent and tragic death is never far away. Various cast members are involved throughout the stories, and good use is made of some recurring motifs, such as goats. The unfolding of the story telling itself is creative and original, even though the subject matter itself grows progressively grimmer with each story.

There are a few heroic figures here, mostly there are just ordinary people swept up in events they have no control over and that twist and contort them. Most characters manage to hang on to, or rediscover some semblance of their humanity, which is one of the main messages of the film, most but not all. The film also wrestles with the darker side of human nature and does not shy away from showing the depths to which warfare has sunk. Some of the stories are concluded, some are cut off, leaving the viewer to wonder what will happen next. This is not a film for the faint hearted, but it is a film to ponder on, long after it is over. I am unfamiliar with the work of writer/director Aleksey Muradov, but after this film, l am interested in seeing more of his work.

Aty-baty, shli soldaty... (1977)

A minor and little known classic.

[9/10 · 10 September 2021]

A group of adults gather in a small village to pay homage to their 18 fathers, an anti - tank platoon which was wiped out halting the advance of German tanks into the village. The story then flashbacks to let the doomed men of the platoon tell their stories. Much of the interplay is built around the naïve and inexperienced young Lieutenant Suslin (Vladimir Konkin) and the lovable, yet droll, unofficial leader of the platoon Corporal Svyarkin (Leonid Bykov, who also directed). They disagree about orders and the men of the platoon stand behind their insubordinate yet heroic corporal. What would usually lead to conflict and a clash of wills for supremacy is handled very differently here. In a series of incidents with different soldiers in the platoon, the young lieutenant comes to know more about the men under his command, what they are willing to sacrifice, and the human cost of the war. In a sense the movie is about Suslin's transformation as he grows and goes from official outsider to respected leader. Instead of trying to impose discipline, a task he is ill equipped for and the platoon would reject, he comes to earn the respect of his men by gradually changing his ways, empathizing with them and becoming more like one of them.

Meanwhile the now grown children of the deceased soldiers get to know each other over a meal, where a little more of their father's stories are revealed. The film has many memorable characters and scenes, and the direction by Leonid Bykov is assured, it never lags, and the transition between the two contexts is smoothly handled. Knowing the fate of the platoon in advance allows us avoid the "I wonder who will survive" gymnastics of typical war movies. We are also spared the cliché power struggle of officer V. Enlisted men, in an attempt to instill discipline. Instead the film develops other themes, and approaches that are more humanistic. Bravery for its own sake is not extolled, yet every member of the platoon knows what his duty is and never shirks it. A wonderful movie, that l would have enjoyed more, had it gone even longer, so fascinating were the characters portrayed.

Zavtra byla voyna (1987)

Outstanding Portrayal of Russian Youth in Conflict.

[10/10 · 30 August 2021]

Zavtra Byla Voyna (Tomorrow was the War). Directed by Yuriy Kara. 1987 89 minutes. 10/10 Set in Stalinist Russia in 1940 and based on a novel by Brois Vailiev. The story centers around a grade 9 class of students, but these students are older than our year 9 students, they look like year 12 students. The three main characters are girls in the class, the flirtatious Zina (Natalya Negoda), the serious Iskra (Irina Cherichenko) and the tragic Vika (Yuliya Tarkhova).

The story delves into the struggles of Iskra and Vika to reconcile their personal quest for freedom of expression and truth against the harsh backdrop of conformity to Stalin and the state as best exemplified by their teacher and Iskra's mother. Vika invites friends to her house and reads a poem from a decadent poet. An ideological conflict arises when Vika's father (Lyuberetsky) extols the virtues of freedom of expression to the girls and a few other members of the class. News of this soon reaches their teacher and Iskra's mother and he is soon denounced as an enemy of the state. The secret police come calling at midnight and he is taken away. It is never revealed who it was that denounced the father, and it doesn't even matter, as there are weighty themes the movie explores.

Worse is to come. At school the teacher denounces Vika, and demands she be expelled. She also demands that Iskra show her loyalty to the motherland, by being the one to denounce her friend. This is something Iskra refuses to do, despite mounting pressure on her in school, and from her own mother. The film is to be commended for showing the nuances involved, and the performance of Cherichenko in the key role of Iskra is nothing short of riveting, as we are left wondering from moment to moment whether she follow the examples of her mother and teacher and denounce her friends, or stand for what she believes in and follow the example of her principal, who is dismissed from his post for not toeing the party line.

There are no heavy interrogation scenes with faceless people representing the state. Images of Stalin are fleeting, his presence is felt more through association via Iskra's totalitarian mother and the demagoguery represented by her teacher, but it is always there lurking in the background. The dilemma faced by Iskra and the other students is weighty, and developed subtly, as we witness the struggle involved in the emergence of character, but it is character that emerges at a great cost and not without considerable pain along the way. A thoughtful and evocative movie with assured direction throughout and a wonderful soundtrack, it is a movie that will continue to reward with multiple viewings.

Tanková brigáda (1955)

Obvious propaganda piece.

[4/10 · 28 July 2021]

Messy War, messier film.

This movie presents as little more than an extended piece of patriotic propaganda. It is very definitely a product of its times, and it has not aged all that well. The film is not helped by a cliché ridden script, some cardboard cut-out characters such as the German general, a couple of wooden performances, most notably Jana Ditetova (Nurse Olinka), and one totally over the top performance by Julius Pantik (Juraj Klimko). Jurja and Olinka are involved in an on again, off again relationship, a sub plot that does little to move the story forward, apart from laying on more of the self sacrifice for the motherland theme. The most interesting part of the movie is how uncle Joe and the Russians are perceived. Generally they are seen as liberators, and friends, who supplied the brigade with brand new tanks. Much is made of the Czechs not becoming communists, but that part of the plot is difficult to follow. I wonder how the director felt about the Russians when they invaded Hungary the year after the film was made, or how he felt about Russian tanks rumbling down the streets of Prague in 1968. Probably not the same way as they are depicted here. The director has an unenviable task juggling three or four story lines throughout, as a result some of the stories lack development and resolutions feel rushed. All in all it is a bit a mess, and l won't be viewing it again.

Mental (2012)

Luaghter doesn't hide the message within.

[8/10 · 17 March 2013]

A dysfunctional family on the Gold Coast is set to implode, due to the father's constant philandering and the mother's inability to control her five daughters. The long suffering mother played with great sympathy by Rebecca Gibney, takes to singing songs from The Sound Of Music in her backyard which horrifies her straight laced neighbors. She is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, her husband doesn't even know who his daughters are, while they in turn imagine all sorts of symptoms of their own, to hide the one essential fact that they are unpopular because the community sees their mother as a bona fide nut case. He has his wife committed to an institution, but in a move that is typical of how this illness is regarded, her condition is covered up, by saying she has gone on holiday. This explanation was a common lie, and has been used for decades, it was the same lie told about my own mother many times over, who suffered a series of severe 'mental breakdowns' throughout her entire adult life.

Into this domestic maelstrom strides an eccentric non–conformist (Colette) who we instantly know will set about restoring this family unit, by using unorthodox methods. Instead of getting them to conform in a military style take over, she takes the girls on a journey of self discovery, to embrace their eccentricities and discover their inner strengths. She speaks from her heart based on her own experiences which hint at dark secrets from her past. There are people who will criticize this film as dismissing a serious topic to get a few cheap laughs, and at times the film even resorts to crude slapstick. Nothing could be further from the truth. What this film stresses time and time again is the need for sympathy, empathy and a measure of acceptance when things are beyond our immediate understanding. Collette is outstanding as Shaz, who is part life coach, part manipulator, part politician and wholly anarchic. She is given solid support by newcomer Lily Sullivan who plays the oldest of the daughters, Coral. In many ways this film is a female rites of passage film about Coral, but it is much, much more than that. A little film that proves the old adage, that sometimes laughter is the best medicine, while at the same time providing plenty of food for thought on a serious issue.

Stand Off (2011)

A pleasant surprise and an engaging diversion.

[8/10 · 17 March 2013]

About ten minutes into this film l, like others before me l am sure found myself making an association with Guy Ritchie's seminal Brit crim films. That is no bad thing. However instead of looking for more parallels, l was instead transported into other areas by the film, which for all its comic elements, manages to hit a number of other bases as well. Director Terry George, while giving a nod to Lock, Stock etc, in passing decided to move into other, unexplored territory. So while there is some comedy, there is also drama and even suspense in places. The plot in places may seem too far fetched for some, but it is all tied together fairly neatly. There are also some references to 'the troubles' and even a family that is divided between Protestant and Catholic. Some critics will point out that the film is making light of a serious subject but anyone who has seen Four Lions will know that a little laughter in such situations can go a long way to relieving the tension. Brendon Fraser gives a solid performance as an American hiding out from a domestic disaster that has mob implications. The characters he finds himself among are a diverse group, which shows how cosmopolitan many European cities have become over the last twenty years. Lurking in the background is of course a menacing gangster with sinister intentions, a hapless victim or two and a crusty copper played with great aplomb by Colm Meaney, who steals most scenes. There are a couple of cases of mistaken identity that help add a layer or two of confusion, some cardboard cutout characters, plenty of incompetence and lots of differing family values. After about ten minutes l stopped trying to make associations with other films and simply settled back to enjoy this engaging little caper.

Chéri (2009)

Do not cherish Cheri

[5/10 · 31 December 2012]

A film that fails to ignite much interest. Not for the first time in recent memory Pfeiffer plays the older woman in love with a younger man, in this case one much younger. Scorsese and Pfeiffer covered some of this same territory in The Age of Innocence, and to much better effect. She is a courtesan, he the son of another famous courtesan. He has led an indolent life, spoiled throughout his entire existence. As a result he has grown to manhood completely divorced from any feelings for anyone. Instead he allows himself to be forced into a hastily arranged marriage by his ambitious mother, to a young woman he neither loves nor cares for. He is indifferent to his wife and drifts back and forth between the two women.

The script is pretty nondescript in places. Pfeiffer has a few decent lines and still radiates enough screen presence to carry some scenes, and Bates matches her well. Most of the problems with this film are based on the male character Cheri (Friend). He is left with too little too late for us to care about his fate. lnstead he allows himself to have his opinions formed for him by his mother and and Lea who also does much of what passes for thinking on his behalf as well. He is married off to a woman he doesn't love, and then proceeds to drift between her and his lover without ever showing any real sense of commitment to either.

Due to the limitations of the script and his character, he comes across as only half formed, and too many scenes end with him staring blankly into the camera, looking quite vacuous, and a penny for his thoughts would be an understatement of inflation. lt is not easy to know which audience this movie is aimed at. It is not quite glamorous enough to be mainstream nor is it memorable enough to be art-house. As a result it meanders along without ever really being anything more than an exercise in self indulgence. That is a pity as l was expecting a fair bit more from those involved.

Dreamscape (1984)

Not your worst nightmare.

[6/10 · 20 November 2010]

Dreamscape.

A generation before Inception there was Dreamscape. Quaid and other psychics are investigated by a secretive laboratory run by Novotny. The young Quaid has been involved with Novotny before and is wary of becoming a lab rat again, but because of his nefarious activities he is all too easily cajoled into joining the program. Through a computer link up in a controlled environment he is able with his special powers to get inside the mind of another person and influence their dreams. The program is not without risks however, and previous failures have had disastrous consequences, he is however able to save one particularly troubled boy from a terrible, recurring nightmare.

Also involved in the program is the menacing Glatman, another psychic and from his demeanor, it is obvious that they will square off before the story is finished. Lurking in the shadows is a smarmy Bob Blair, played by the impeccably dressed Christopher Plummer, who runs the secretive yet powerful government agency that finances the program. This agency is so covert that even the CIA gives it a wide berth. His motives are sinister ones, he wants to develop the psychics into the ultimate weapon for the military, one that can assassinate enemies in their sleep, and leave no trace. He gets his chance to put his theory into practice when the president, racked by feelings of guilt over the atomic weapons threat, seeks help to overcome his nightmares.

The basic premise of the story is a good one, but the script needed more much development, and some of the special dream effects look pretty cheap, quite amateurish even for when they were made, even without the use of CGI. Quaid plays Quaid, as cheeky and irreverent as ever. To keep under the radar of Novotny he has been misusing his psychic powers, becoming a hustler and gambler who has really only ever used his gift to stay one step ahead of the people he owes money to. He is not helped by having him parade around in some terrible 1980s fashions complete with Shaun Cassidy hair style. Max Von Sydow, is the serious scientist and humanitarian who runs the program investigating the mind powers, who wants all of those who are troubled in their sleep to benefit. While a young Kate Kapshaw ( looking very much like Julie Christie ), is largely wasted as the token female research assistant and all too obvious romantic interest. Plummer takes the acting honors here, as the immaculately groomed Blair, a shadowy and ruthless figure with his own agenda, who will let nothing stand in his way. Less impressive is David Kelly as the psychotic psychic Glatman, a character it is difficult to take seriously at any stage.

Also obvious is the timing of this release on DVD. l admit l had never heard of this movie before, but you don't need to be a psychic to understand why it is being released now, to cash in on the interest generated by Inception. Unfortunately, even for the time it was made, it looks cheap and dated, even though it was a highly probable idea. It has also not aged very well, this is no classic, it looks very much a product of its time, although the president's nightmare scene, where Eddie Albert and Quaid ride a trolley car through the ruins of Hiroshima under a red filter is well done. This is the sort of film that makes you wonder what Hitchcock or the Wachowski brothers could have done with it even though this film is from the wrong era for either director.

Verso (2009)

Slick Swiss SWAT drama with few surprises.

[6/10 · 5 August 2010]

A fairly stock standard contemporary police drama, set in Geneva. It starts out looking very cliché, just like a lot of others in the genre. The main character Decker is part of a Swiss SWAT team, he is something of a maverick figure, with an unhealthy respect for doing things according to the book, but he gets away with his transgressions because he is able to get results for things done, dangerous things. He is married to his job, in a sort of obsessive – compulsive way, to the extent that he has no home life. His first wife has left him, taking his angst ridden teenage daughter with her. The daughter dabbles in drugs and he has been absent from her for long periods of her development and important events. He even reacts to an emergency call from HQ like one of Pavlov's famous canines, right in the middle of her birthday. They call he responds. Sound familiar ? The only thing really missing here is a drinking problem.

He also fights constantly with the ex wife, he neglects his girlfriend, but he lives for his team. Then on routine escort duty he picks up a prisoner. The prisoner turns out to be his former partner Preiswerk, and it is obvious right from the outset there is plenty of history, bad feelings and some unfinished business between them. At this stage you might think of turning it off saying to yourself, been there, seen that, but then the move begins to refocus and reshape itself. A series of sepia stills is inter-cut into the action, with no explanation. Little pieces of the plot begin to shift away from the cliché ridden as the history of the main characters slowly takes shape and with some surprises. The new pieces begin to fall into place, and each new piece of the mystery revealed only makes for another layer of complexity. Many common plot devices are used, but they are then given a tweak and twist here as the film moves ever further away from being just a string of clichés, as it develops. When push comes to shove, Decker shows scant regard for authority, taking matters into his own hands, with results that aren't unexpected. We have seen it all before, probably a hundred times over, as the past is revealed, everything is explained and all the loose ends are tied up. It would be easy to dismiss the film at this stage, but it would be wrong to do so, for it isn't just the main characters who drive the action forward, minor character are also able to shift it too, from one side or the other. What we are left with at the end is nothing really new, but a slick product nonetheless. The film does have some nice touches though, not the least being a couple of haunting tracks, sung in English by the little known Better in Springtime.

Chop Shop (2007)

A pre - teen Latino boy struggles to make a life for him and his sister on the back streets of New York.

[8/10 · 5 October 2008]

Chop Shop. Written and directed by Ramin Bahrani ( Man Push Cart). Bahrani specializes in character driven studies in naturalist style films about the sort of little people that get passed by every day, without anyone ever really noticing they are there, in New York.

These are people who have been pushed to the very fringe of society. They exist in a sort of grey world, many of them migrants whose legal status in America is appears somewhat doubtful. Where do they come from ? How did they get there ? How do they cope ? Where will they end up ? These are not feel good stories as such, but stories about survival at its most basic, day to day level.

Ale is one such street kid. He has no education and hustles anyway he can, to save money, he is also not beyond turning to petty theft. Mostly he is anxious to be reunited with his older sister. We see him in the early scenes ringing a safe house looking for her, but not having any real success. A young friend, Carlos gets him a job in a chop shop, in the shadows of Shea baseball stadium. Eventually his older sister comes to live on site with him, but he is jealous of the motives of her friends and suspicious of how she makes extra money. He dreams of buying a food van and setting up a vending business with his older sister.

Bahrani shoots all his films on location. There is nothing glossy or glossed over about them. This is life as these people have to live it, in the raw. lt is not pretty although it is never ominous, and the slightly despairing air that hangs over much of the film, is the same one that hangs over these peoples' everyday lives.

The script is also very natural and the characters are given plenty of scope and room to work in. Polanco is outstanding in the lead role, and Gonzalez gives solid support as the older sister.

Satantango (1994)

Way Tooooo Long

[2/10 · 18 September 2008]

Written and directed by Bela Tarr. Adapted from a novel, the movie if it can be called such ( it is so slow in places, it can hardly be called moving ) is more like a series of portraits. l came to this movie without knowing a single thing about it, l had no prior knowledge of it, l left it wanting those stolen seven and hours of my life back. This film will appeal to those interested in the technical side of film making, but the technical tricks do nothing to hide the lack of substance. l know in advance my views on this film will not be popular here, well popularity is not something l am seeking. Set sometime in the 1980's the movie has more the look and feel of the 1950's when Hungary was under Soviet control. Since there is little context given, l have to think this is a deliberate construct of the director, to remove the characters from any set time or place. The end result is that much of the film takes place in a featureless landscape, where the gray tones are unrelenting, just like much of the film, which l found tedious to the extreme. There are a few characters, but most of them are made out to be grotesque figures in hand me down clothes, whose only real past time is drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and falling over often. No one really works, there is no work to be done. It is as if they are all waiting for the Hungarian equivalent of Godot, but Beckett does not translate well it appears. The dialogue as such is sparse and contains few gems. One of the style devices used in the screenplay, is the repeating of certain lines, over and over. This is particularly annoying in one scene when that is all an old drunk does for about 10 minutes, over and over, while other characters are trying to speak. No one tells him to shut up, the characters keep on talking, even though he is just relentless. Many things about this film are also relentless. The rain being the most obvious. More than half the running time of the film is during the rain. Another relentless device, is the over use of tracking shots. Characters are shown walking great distances in the rain or the wind ( more on that later ) with the camera showing them walking the whole distance to where they are going. The most noticeable of these is perhaps the first shot of the movie, when cows are shown walking through a farmyard. The cows are quite loud and yet no people come to attend to them. After a while the cows get the idea that no one is coming, so they just wander off to wherever it is they were going in the first place and are never seen again. People are also shown in the same manner, walking everywhere, as there is not only a lack of people in the derelict towns depicted, but only a couple of motorized vehicles in the entire film. This lack of technology is one of the things that removes the film from any narrow context. The only thing that really can be used to date the film in any way is an electric type writer and that is not shown until almost at the end. A wind machine is also used, or in this case over used in a couple of scenes, to blow an absolute storm through the town as the camera follows certain characters down the deserted streets. A few times music is used on the soundtrack, but like much of the dialogue it is sparse, and the badly played tunes are repeated often, most notably on a Hohner piano accordion. At other times, some bells are used and they have an eerie, almost menacing effect. l say almost menacing as you would have to care about the effect of the bells first, but by the end of this film, l really could not have cared less. Yes the film has some neat stylistic devices, none better than when two clerks get together to rewrite an official report on the main characters, ( with some hilarious results ) where the camera circles twice around the desks of the two men, first in a clockwise motion, then it stops and does the same thing in reverse. Neat, but it does nothing to enhance our understanding or appreciation of the film itself, like so many of the other tricks used in the film, it becomes a self conscious aspect of the film that we notice more, because there is a lack of other things that would be of more benefit to the film itself, such as plot development, narrative, more decent characterization, or even a decent script. Perhaps this film was made to inspire us to seek out the original text. lf so it is an abject failure. There are no memorable characters, there is no one really deserving of any type of sympathy here or who commands audience interest. The whole film is a massive exercise in self indulgence. The end credits indicate that it took 3 years to make, that is about 2 years and nine months too long. So, what is so important or riveting that it takes over 7 and a half hours to depict ? The answer is nothing. Masterpiece ? Spare me.

They Fought for Their Country (1975)

Not your standard heroes, not your usual war movie

[9/10 · 10 September 2008]

Russian production. Genre ; WW 2 drama.1975. Based on the novel by Mikhail Sholokhov.

Screenplay and direction by Sergei Bondarchuk with Vasili Shukshin ( as Poitr Lopakhin ), Vyaheslav Tikhonov ( as Nikolay Strltsov ), Sergei Bondarchuk ( as Ivan Zvyagintsev ), Georgi Burkov ( as Alexandr Kopytovskij ), Nikolai Gubenko ( as the Lieutenant ), Yuri Nikulin ( as Nekrasov ), Ivan Lapikov ( as Poprischenko ) & Nonna Mordyukova ( as Natalya Stepanova ).

The film is based on the book by Nobel Prize winning author Mikhail Sholokhov. The action is set in Russia in July of 1942. The exhausted Soviet army was in full retreat against the might of the invading German Panzer divisions. A decision is to hold a ridge with what is left of an infantry regiment near a small village on the banks of the River Don, to allow the exhausted remnants of the army enough time to withdraw across the river and help fortify Stalingrad for the decisive battle that must come.

The loss of Russian life during the campaign was horrific and while there are some impressive set battle pieces, the film concentrates on the exploits of half a dozen or so soldiers from the shattered regiment, who must not retreat even in the face of the Panzers' greater fire power. The film depicts the thoughts and fears of the individual soldiers in the face of the impending battle, and their thoughts of their Mother Russia as well.

While the battles rage, the viewer is not only shown the inhumanity of the conflict, but also the strong personal bonds that develop between comrades in arms in a deadly conflict. There is also plenty of humor in the script, even if it is often grim and tinged with violent overtones. Vasili Shukshin ( as Poitr Lopakhin ) takes the acting honors, with a character that is as much larrikin as it is proletariat.

Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)

Lone boy grows to become knight, saves Jerusalem and still gets the girl

[7/10 · 2 September 2008]

According to this recent, big budget production, Orlando Bloom did not save Jerusalem from the Saracens of Saladin, but the Knights Templar did, according to this Swedish alternative to the recent Ridley Scott epic, on the same topic. Maybe this film suffered in comparison with the more commercial Kingdom of Heaven, as this one came out just a couple of years after Scott's. Arn ( Nattervquist ) , is only a child when a local Swedish prince arrives to kill off a rival, ascend to the throne and send the rival's son ( Arn's friend the young prince Knut running to Norway to escape ). Young Arn then suffers a fall, and is given no chance of survival, so his mother in fear of his life, prays for him and offers his life in service to god. Miraculously he recovers, and so he is taken to the local monastery to become a monk. Here he is looked after by the two priests, ( Callow & Boulton ) they also provide him with an education. Boulton does more than that for the boy however, he is a former Knight Templar and sees the boy has skills with a bow and arrow, he also teaches the young boy how to use a sword. As the boy matures into a youth he also gives him a fine Arabian stallion. Young Arn then returns to his home village, where in quick succession he falls in love, deflowers a virgin, wins a duel against one of his family's enemies, helps his friend Knut kill and depose the king who had killed Knut's father, and finally is falsely accused of deflowering the sister of the woman he loves. For penance he is banned for 20 years and packed off to the crusades in the holy lands. The innocent girl is packed off to a convent. As it turns out, the convent is aligned to the side of the throne that is opposed to Arn's family, so the girl is treated harshly. Meanwhile Arn has a chance run in with Saladin, whom he rescues from bandits. Both men admire the other, for either their bravery, honour or both. Saladin is intent on conquering Jerusalem but Arn is sworn to defend it. My limited knowledge of the Templar Knights is that this portrayal of them is closer to what they would have been like, rather than the murderous Brendon Gleason version. The pious warrior Templar Knights are treated with much more sympathy in this film than the bloody thirsty bunch of cut throats in Kingdom of Heaven. One of their leaders however, Armand De Gascogne ( Wyndham ) is once again shown as a pompous oaf. After the siege is broken, Arn is given leave to return home. This is a lavish production in many ways, and those values shine through in many of the scenes. The acting is also of a high standard, with young Nattervquist and Helin given very good support from a strong supporting cast. The story takes time to develop and the multiple, complex tribal, political and religious alliances are examined in quite some detail. A very different style of film to Scott's as this one concentrates more on the individual drama of one man caught up in events, rather than concentrating on the rich visuals of Kingdom of Heaven.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

The return of the smart Brit crim flick.

[10/10 · 15 December 2007]

Kudos to Guy Ritchie for almost single handedly resurrecting the Brit crime flick. Without him there would be no Sexy Beast and no Layer Cake, there would most likely be no Vinnie Jones or Jason Statham either. The intertwining of multiple plot lines has been been before, and most likely he has used Pulp Fiction here as a model. Only his plot is much more involved, his dialogue more believable and his characters more real than any one figure in Tarantino's vehicle. The result is a smart, sassy and savvy film, that takes us into a seedy underworld, where the characters convey more menace with a single look, word or gesture than Pulp Fiction can sustain throughout. As a result l found myself far more engaged and wondering how the story was going to be resolved than in any other crime film l can recall in of the last couple of decades.

Bloody excellent stuff.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)

Cultures clash head on in a POW camp

[10/10 · 6 September 2007]

l am no expert on Japanese culture, but the thing that has always struck me about this film is the symmetry between the four main characters. Bowie plays opposite Sakamoto, and is in many ways considered by the Japanese officer to be his personal demon at a philosophical level. Bowie, plays the gentleman officer, trying to atone for his own perceived shortcomings. Jack Thompson on the other hand, is a blustering blow hard, who has no idea of the subtle and complex workings of the oriental mind. He staggers around in the equivalent of hob nailed boots, with a total lack of understanding.

Watching all of this and establishing their own cross cultural rapport are Tom Conti ( Mr. Lawrence ) and his Japanese counterpart, the master sergeant. They act as a sort of Greek chorus to the main action, observers caught up in action way beyond their control, commenting on it, without being party to it. so from the group dynamic point of view, this movie is a fascinating blend and that helps sets is apart from many other films in the genre, as it delves in the psychological make up of the two opposing forces.

The other thing about this film that has always stood out is the soundtrack, mostly by Sakamoto. Lat is simply breath taking in many places and at times, leaps out from the film to take on a life and vitality all on it's own. Stunning stuff. The film does take a little long, and l think it could afford to shed about 10 minutes or so, as some scenes which are painstakingly set up could be edited a bit tighter, to increase the sense of urgency or impending doom. Overall however, l count this as one of my top three favorite films in this genre. Cheers all.