Each one of these short masterpieces is thought-provoking. By turns hilarious, tense, poignant and transcendent, each episode is perfectly realised and just as long as it needs to be. And yet most contain the potential for an hour-long or even feature-length treatment. The result is that we get intense espresso shots of invention. Some of these will haunt you.
Reviews
5 Reviews
The Devil Wears Prada
(2006)
"Working Girl" for the 00's
1 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
In the 80's "Working Girl", the heroine worked beyond the call of duty and triumphed despite her dragon boss. Her reward was her own office amongst thousands of identical offices but other than that last pull-away shot the lifestyle she had bought into (struggled into) went unquestioned. Here, faced with the same success, our 00's girl says "No, that's not me" and rejects the non-life of the super-successful. Is this perhaps a healthier message?
Otherwise, an enjoyable movie thanks mainly to Streep and Tucci - without whom it would have been another in the Princess Diaries franchise. A bit of a step-back for Hathaway after breaking away in "Brokeback Mountain", I'd have thought, though it was fun to see the film-makers style her as an Audrey Hepburn in the Paris scenes. There is a lot about the movie that doesn't make sense, but then we came for the bitchy dialogue, didn't we?
Otherwise, an enjoyable movie thanks mainly to Streep and Tucci - without whom it would have been another in the Princess Diaries franchise. A bit of a step-back for Hathaway after breaking away in "Brokeback Mountain", I'd have thought, though it was fun to see the film-makers style her as an Audrey Hepburn in the Paris scenes. There is a lot about the movie that doesn't make sense, but then we came for the bitchy dialogue, didn't we?
Children of Men
(2006)
Utterly transfixed
22 September 2006
I went to see this movie without catching any reviews, expecting something rather depressing and underfunded.
Let me stop there and start again.
This movie is a revelation from start to finish. A convincing future world, deftly conveyed with so many subtle signals that I'm sure it will benefit from further viewings. A completely "other" England which I was amazed to see realised in such detail. Clive Owen FINALLY has the heroic role we have been waiting for and is brilliant in it. Julianne Moore simply glows and I've never enjoyed Sir Michael Caine so much before. The soundtrack is beautifully eclectic. Aside from some excellent classical choices, there's an evocative and alternative Spanish take on "Ruby Tuesday" which is a signature on the film. Wait during the end titles to enjoy an excremental song from Jarvis Cocker.
The movie grabbed my attention right from the start, and never let go. Initially, it's the differences of this future world that intrigue. Then, when the action starts, what I found really surprising was the freshness of direction that made me react to bullets and violence as if I'd never seen them in a movie before. If the script wasn't so wonderfully leavened with wit, it would be a grim and scary movie at times.
Finally, the whole thing is lit brilliantly, from the authentic dim English days to the atmospheric ending.
One to watch alongside "The Handmaid's Tale" some time....
Let me stop there and start again.
This movie is a revelation from start to finish. A convincing future world, deftly conveyed with so many subtle signals that I'm sure it will benefit from further viewings. A completely "other" England which I was amazed to see realised in such detail. Clive Owen FINALLY has the heroic role we have been waiting for and is brilliant in it. Julianne Moore simply glows and I've never enjoyed Sir Michael Caine so much before. The soundtrack is beautifully eclectic. Aside from some excellent classical choices, there's an evocative and alternative Spanish take on "Ruby Tuesday" which is a signature on the film. Wait during the end titles to enjoy an excremental song from Jarvis Cocker.
The movie grabbed my attention right from the start, and never let go. Initially, it's the differences of this future world that intrigue. Then, when the action starts, what I found really surprising was the freshness of direction that made me react to bullets and violence as if I'd never seen them in a movie before. If the script wasn't so wonderfully leavened with wit, it would be a grim and scary movie at times.
Finally, the whole thing is lit brilliantly, from the authentic dim English days to the atmospheric ending.
One to watch alongside "The Handmaid's Tale" some time....
The Station Agent
(2003)
Chicken Soup for the Soul
20 April 2004
I didn't realise how much I needed this movie. It was like a good home-cooked meal after months of takeout food. It reminded me a bit of "Breaking Away" from way back in 1979. It really is that long since I saw a film that drifts along at the pace of smalltown obsessions and gives characters the breathing room to grow on screen.
The questions that this film asks are ones I am facing at the moment - whether I can live alone or should I let people into my life, and I found it refreshing not to be sledgehammered by Hollywood logic which is so unconvincing and unsustaining.
It's great to see an Indie film reach a wider audience. The strength of the material is highlighted by the number of familiar faces from quality shows that this director has managed to attract (attention fans of "Six Feet Under", "Sex and the City", "Spin City", "Dawson's Creek").
The end IS abrupt, and I was disappointed for a moment, but then the journey had been accomplished and the characters had moved on some, but I would be delighted to go and see "Station Agent 2" and catch up on these characters again. Hell, I'd move in next to Patricia Clarkson on the lakeside any day!
The questions that this film asks are ones I am facing at the moment - whether I can live alone or should I let people into my life, and I found it refreshing not to be sledgehammered by Hollywood logic which is so unconvincing and unsustaining.
It's great to see an Indie film reach a wider audience. The strength of the material is highlighted by the number of familiar faces from quality shows that this director has managed to attract (attention fans of "Six Feet Under", "Sex and the City", "Spin City", "Dawson's Creek").
The end IS abrupt, and I was disappointed for a moment, but then the journey had been accomplished and the characters had moved on some, but I would be delighted to go and see "Station Agent 2" and catch up on these characters again. Hell, I'd move in next to Patricia Clarkson on the lakeside any day!
Always Remember I Love You
(1990 TV Movie)
An adoptee's perspective
22 December 2003
It may be that to most observers it has an unrealistic or contrived storyline, but for me as an adopted person, this film is very cathartic and it always grips me and makes me cry a great deal of good tears. I hope my eventual meeting with my natural Mother goes as well and that my natural family is like Patty Dukes! The storyline allows participants on both sides of the adoption to express their perspectives and there is a great deal of suspense over when and how "Greg" will reveal himself as the lost brother. Even Stephen Spielberg couldn't wring so much emotion from a movie.
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