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rob_lavender
I like movies. Which is kinda obvious I guess, I mean I'm on IMDB after all.
And I'm a big fan of common sense.
Pretty much, that's me in a nutshell.
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Reviews
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
High Fidelity Meets Garden State in a Fun and Breezy Alt-Romcom
A couple meets under unusual circumstances on a night in New York, and embark upon a journey which changes the both of them for ever. It's a sweet enough story, but what lifts it from good to great is the cast.
Stunning and sassy Kat Dennings and the instantly likable Michael Cera are down-to-earth enough to feel like regular, real people - an important trait in lead roles, given how invested in them we need to become - while the supporting cast is rife with delightfully over-the-top characters who offer some wonderful comedic moments.
The plot centres on the duo's twin missions: to track down an elusive indie band's secret gig, and to relocate a drunk, missing friend. But the real journey is one of discovery - for Cera's character, to see how wrong his on-again off-again girlfriend is for him, and Dennings', to learn how to overcome her own feelings of inadequacy.
These realisations come subtly in an understated manner which is nicely at odds to some of the overtly comical people they meet along the way (Andy Samberg in a very minor role instantly springs to mind - along with all manner of drag queens, bitter exes, profane musicians and a "Drunkzilla"). Against this backdrop, our heroes seem all the more relatable.
There are moments of hilarity, and of real pathos; things we all recognise from our own youthful misadventures, and ones we know from our relationships. It's all played out by a well-capable cast, and boasts a top-notch soundtrack.
This is indie at its finest.
The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995)
Tense psychodrama boasts star quality in spades
The stars of Philip Ridley's masterful, dark drama are all known for bigger things, but to this reviewer's mind at least, they're never better than they are here. Made in 1995, the film boasts impressive turns from Brendan Fraser, Ashley Judd, Viggo Mortensen and Grace Zabriskie, and yet it remains almost unheard-of to this date. This is a genuine shame.
Writer-director Ridley has crafted a pitch-perfect character study portraying the conflict between the immovable object of religion and the unstoppable force of sexuality. Darkly Noon (Fraser) is a young, naive man who escaped a massacre at the strict religious commune in which he grew up. Lost deep within the forest in Southern America, he's taken in by the beautiful Callie (Judd) and her mute lover Clay (Mortensen). Experiencing lust and envy for possibly the first time, he finds disturbed widow Roxy (Zabriskie), who helps him lay the blame for these alien emotions with his unwitting seductress.
With some stunning cinematography and innovative editing techniques, Ridley increasingly introduces elements of fantasy as Darkly gradually slips into insanity, helping us follow his journey.
A tense piece of work, the days are counted until we're told "Final Day" - the sequence of events comes as no surprise, but that doesn't lessen the impact whatsoever; rather it provides a ticking clock that adds to the unease.
Bad Biology (2008)
It takes more that bizarre shocks to stand out
This 2008 sex horror from Frank Hennenlotter is billed as "A God-awful love story" and, to be fair, this is one of few things the filmmaker has got right. It resembles not so much a movie as it does a joke in which the punchline is too long coming. Way to long: 85 minutes in fact. The joke's preamble involves a woman born with too many clitorises (clitorii?) who, oversexed to the point of homicide, seeks satisfaction with a man possessing a giant, drug-addicted and self-aware penis.
At this point it would be understandable for a potential viewer to resolve to see this oddity of a film. After all, it can't possibly live up to this described level of weirdness, can it? And if so, surely it's worth a look? Well, yes and no – yes it is that weird, yet somehow it manages to eschew originality in any way, shape or form: dialogue is hackneyed, despite the subject matter; characters offer nothing new, other than their biological oddities; camera-work and direction remain bog-standard and bare-minimum.
This is a film completely unlike any other, but which fails to stand out whatsoever
The Order (2003)
Too many plots spoil the potboiler
These days, it's easy to see Heath Ledger's name on a film and assume it's going to be something special. Indeed, as a rule of thumb this formula is proved right more often than not. Sadly, though, The Sin Eater falls into the latter category – although it would be unfair to lay the blame at Ledger's feet. In fact, his turn is one of the few highlights of this movie. Another is the primary plot: a young, unconventional priest is sent by his Cardinal to the Vatican, where he is asked to look into the unexplained death of his friend and mentor. Along the way he uncovers evidence of the involvement of a "Sin Eater" – a figure from history who is said to offer an alternative route to redemption and therefore a path to Heaven which circumvents Catholic lore. It's a nice idea and it's given enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. There's a secondary story though, one of demons and exorcisms, and a tertiary one involving an unstable girl from the priest's past who forms the film's romantic interest. These appear extraneous and confusing, and require more explanation than the movie allows in its limited runtime. It's not a short film, but still it overreaches. The cast sees Ledger team up with Mark Addy and Shannyn Sossamon, and director Brian Helgeland, for the second time following their historical comedy A Knight's Tale. This plays less well than the 2001 offering. The usually capable Addy chews through some dubious dialogue with an even more dubious accent, yet still somehow salvages credibility. Sossamon's turn is somewhat superfluous, and the piece may have been better for her character's omission. Peter Weller makes a convincingly tough Cardinal, and Benno Furmann is suitably other- worldly as the supernatural antagonist. But the problems, for the most part, lay not with the cast: rather too much ground is made too soon, putting the viewer on the back foot from the off. The result is something that plays out like a sequel: it's taken for granted that we know the protagonists, when in fact we don't – and they remain strangers throughout. 2/5
A History of Violence (2005)
Thoughtful thriller packs a punch
David Cronenberg's crime thriller is a neat piece of work, tied up in a tidy 96-minute package without ever feeling hurried. The acting's generally of a high standard all round, with Viggo Mortensen standing out in the lead, and Ed Harris and William Hurt particularly impressing in supporting roles.
The story centres on a family man's heroic deed in foiling an armed robbery, and its aftermath, which sees news coverage bringing unwanted attention his way. The distinctions between peaceful small-town Americana and big-city organised crime are writ bold when the two worlds collide, and the ripple effects of violent acts are shown to their fullest extent.
What Cronenberg gives us is a regular family in a regular town, one to which we can all relate. So when he sets thrilling action scenes atop this melodrama backdrop, it feels all the more immersive; we watch movies so a part of ourselves can imagine our own lives taking such a dramatic turn, and by contrasting movie-script events with the mundanity of everyday life, this is made all the easier.
A History Of Violence is an artfully restrained piece. Although aspects are undoubtedly gruesome, they're never dwelled upon, and it's a better film for it. It's unflinching, yes – but it's never gleeful. We see characters suffering the consequences of their actions, in some cases physically and others mentally. It doesn't preach, but there's a touching tale redemption to be found if you care to look. 4/5
Gran Torino (2008)
Flawless, slow-burning masterpiece
Clint Eastwood growls and scowls his way though an impressive, slow-burning drama. It marks another milestone in Eastwood's career as both actor and director, from his early, merciless- killer roles (Dirty Harry) through his apparent realisation of the burdens associated with these acts (Unforgiven).
A very poignant tale of redemption, it follows Korean War vet Walt Kowalski's (Eastwood) journey towards acceptance of his Hmong neighbours,after young Thao (Vang) gets caught up with a gang and tries to steal his car.
This is another masterpiece from a director/actor at the top of his game. Fine support comes from Carley and a cast of Hmong amateurs, only one of whom had ever appeared in a film before.
The soundtrack boasts an unlikely duet between toughguy Clint and Brit ivory-tinkler Jamie Cullum. It's a fitting end to a film about friendships that cross age and cultural boundaries. 5/5
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Offbeat musical hits the right notes
Alan Parker's quirky musical takes typical Prohibition-era gangster-flick tropes and remixes them into a children's comedy adventure with some seriously catchy songs. The outcome is certainly daft and often disjointed, but never dull. Scott "Chachi" Baio got his big break as the titular hero, a streetwise but stone-broke boxing promoter. He finds love interest in Blousey Brown (Florrie Dugger), while frequenting a speakeasy run by wiseguy Fat Sam (John Cassisi). The show is thoroughly stolen by Jodie Foster, as Sam's girlfriend Tallulah, who at age 13 is already showing more acting nous than many can muster by 30. Sadly, the same can't be said for the rest of the cast (all kids, a noteworthy feat) and some of the interplay is clumsy and forced. The film's real strength is in its musical numbers. You'll be humming them for days, whether you want to or not. The adult singers' voices don't always marry well with the babyfaced performers on screen, but judged by their own merits they're genuinely good and make the film well worth a look. You'll need to suspend your disbelief for an hour and a half – the film won't do that for you – but if you do, you're rewarded by an enjoyable romp that affectionately takes on a genre reluctant to laugh at itself, and opens it up to a wider audience: if you like gangster-noir, you'll appreciate the parody; if you hate gangster-noir, you'll love the deprecation. 3/5
Orphan (2009)
Creepy thriller that misses almost as frequently as it hits
Orphan takes a well-worn horror premise – wealthy young family's new child turns out evil – and attempts to breathe new life into it by taking it in a novel direction. It works, for the most part, and the result is quite creepy and effective. It's full of hits and misses, but thankfully there's a few more of the hits, and it moves along at a good pace. The child actors for the most part are superb, and Vera Farmiga gives an assured performance as the paranoid mum who's alone in knowing something's not right (think Rosemary with a Macbook). Peter Saarsgard is less memorable as her naive – no, stupid – hubby, an unsympathetic hypocrite who goes out of his way to see the good in everyone except his wife. Oddly, the film attempts to present him as someone to root for, which is one area in which it fails. Another bizarre aspect is the way the director tries to build tension. Lots of genre-standard close-ups here, and claustrophobic over-the-shoulder shots. Yet even when nothing is happening, there's constant attempts to make us jump. Designed perhaps to create a constant feeling of unease, but the effect is closer to the boy who cried wolf; after enough false alarms, we simply stop caring. That said, there's enough nifty camera-work in the genuinely tense moments to pull it back. One memorable scene takes a frantic stalk-and-slash approach inside a kids' play area to great effect. There's also a very good backstory involving the characters which is skilfully uncovered as the plot progresses, with no need for overt explanations or obvious devices. Such a film lives or dies on its ending, though, and this one's sure to divide viewers – but it deserves credit for trying something new in a genre that's in danger of becoming stale. 3/5
Mirrors (2008)
Clunky horror remake can't be saved by a decent ending
Recovering alcoholic and former cop Kiefer Sutherland is in full Jack Bauer mode as he investigates spooky goings-on at his new workplace. He's got the nightwatchman gig at a burned-out department store. "The mirrors. They're so clean" exclaims Kiefer, who clearly has an eye for good decor
This ill-judged remake of 2003 Korean chiller Into The Mirror takes an interesting premise and renders it almost unwatchable with clunky dialogue, sub-par acting and dubious characters. The pace of the piece is off, too. The spooks pop up too soon, but then the climax is far, far too long coming. With no calm before the storm, there's no chance to get to know the characters and so no reason to care about them.
At 110 minutes, more could have been done here, but instead three quarters of the film are spent showing us people screaming a lot but achieving very little. It's not all bad, though: the ending's actually rather good, and some of the scenes are pretty imaginative. However there's really not enough to recommend this. 1.5/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)
Dark magical fantasy sets the scene for an epic finale
The penultimate film in the magical fantasy franchise is best viewed with the previous instalments fresh in the mind: there's no chance of a recap here as director David Yates throws us straight into the action.
Things are looking dire as the Ministry of Magic has fallen to Voldemort's Death Eaters. But the Dark Lord's secret to immortality is out, you'll remember – and Harry and gang set out to destroy the charms that hold his power.
Considering its youthful target audience, the film does well to eschew the all-too-common spelling-out of important plot points and instead credits the viewer with the intelligence to keep up. The story itself is dark enough – that's thanks to JK Rowling's book – and Yates pays ample tribute, painting with a bleak and twisted palette of greys, blues and blacks. Mostly blacks
The action is dizzying and frequently scary, but for all the admittedly impressive FX it's the characters that make the piece – and the villains are terrifying, while the heroes are allowed to be flawed. 4/5
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Decently diverting sci-fi horror
Stephen King's sci-fi horror follows four friends (they may as well be the Stand By Me gang, All Growed Up) on a hunting trip in Maine. They've been sharing a secret since they were kids, and it comes to the fore when their log-cabin hideaway turns out to be hiding a secret of its own
There's monsters of course – in both alien and human form – but it's the interplay between the best-buddies that most captures the imagination here. A good deal of the dialogue is lifted verbatim from the novel, and the end result is a convincingly natural script that even a stickler like King should be happy with. Thomas Jane and Damien Lewis stand out as the leads, and Morgan Freeman's worth noticing in an against-type bad-guy role. Timothy Olyphant, Jason Lee and Tom Sizemore are fine in their supporting roles, and Donnie Wahlberg impresses in the final scenes. As for the aliens themselves, they're not bad but nothing new. Don't watch this film if you want to be scared stiff, but if you just want to be entertained, well, you could do a lot worse. 3/5
The Happening (2008)
Dodgy B-pic continues the exponential decline of a once-great director
What if trees and bushes got together to plot the downfall of humankind? This is the premise of M Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Now, that is what some people might rightly call a "spoiler", and as such is not the sort of thing with which one should begin a review. But on the other hand, it could be argued that Shyamalan did a good enough job of spoiling his own film – and the small matter of giving the game away here can't make it any worse. In fact, it may even make it better. At least a forewarned audience won't go into this film expecting another masterpiece along the lines of Sixth Sense, or even a decent-quality offering such as Unbreakable or Signs. No, the director has set the bar extremely high with his excellent earlier movies, and sadly he's routinely failed in his attempts to replicate his success: since Signs, his quality has dropped exponentially. In 2004's The Village, the cracks started to show. By 2006's Lady In The Water, it was clear he had begun to believe his previous hype. Critics universally panned the film, citing a lack of substance and an overall air of self-indulgence on the part of Shyamalan. Now we have The Happening. It's a B-movie with an A-list cast who're somehow acting at a Z-list level. Even the usually reliable Mark Wahlberg looks wholly uncomfortable here, but given the material he has to work with, that's hardly surprising. The final scenes are in no way, shape or form reminiscent of any of the director's previous trademark rug-pulling climaxes, and they seem to leave the way open for a sequel in a laughably obvious fashion. The Happening 2: The Reoccurence, anyone? 1/5
Tamara Drewe (2010)
Fine acting brings a comic-strip to life
Director Stephen Frears brings Posy Simmonds' Guardian cartoon-strip to life in an assured comedy. Gemma Arterton is the titular London journo, returning to a Dorset village to arrange the sale of her family pile. An old flame, a writers' retreat, a petulant drummer and two meddlesome teens all ensure events do not run smoothly – but in the end it's Drewe herself who's the architect of her own downfall. Arterton is on fine form as she veers between heroine and antihero, but the best moments come courtesy of the supporting cast, which includes Tamsin Greig, Luke Evans and Bill Camp. The latter particularly impresses in an understated role as a morose American intellectual suffering from writer's block. Frears' (High Fidelity; The Queen) expertise lies in creating humour and drama from people rather than absurd situations, and this is a good example: the potential for convoluted set-ups exists, but is rarely resorted to; the characters themselves (the two teens aside) are grown-ups, with grown-up problems, emotions and flaws. It's an adult comedy that's never too risqué. The fictional village of Ewedown is wonderfully realised – little wonder it went down well with American critics; it portrays the kind of English idyll they imagine we all inhabit. 3/5