wombat tries to watch movies again

[theinevitable]

I like brick. a lot of my friends hate it, but I like it. the end.

[greenkoolayd]

I also saw Primer and it was awesome. It is a movie about a couple of geeks who manage to invent a time travel device in their garage. The script is very dense, and with many different timelines that are constantly changing it can be almost impossible to follow, but it is not dumbed down at all which I appreciated. The look the director was able to achieve in post was amazing given it was shot on 16mm for $7k. It did not feel cheap at all.

amen, brother.

[Choop]

i liked brick - joseph gordon levitt does a lot of good work, i'd recommend the lookout - but didn't care for primer. i feel like primer is the kind of movie that takes like eight watchings to figure out completely, and i'm just not ready to invest that much time into it.

the missus just got 'this is it' on dvd, so i guess that's next on the docket.

[Mr Trout]

Rather than watch it eight times I just read the Wiki entry afterwards.

[dejavroom]

Barton Fink

If this movie was a shin, I'd hump it.

[AugustWest]

Barton Fink

If this movie was a shin, I'd hump it.

Yeah.  I'm on board with that. 

Isn't John Goodman terrific in that movie?

[dejavroom]

Oh yeah, absolutely. And the guy playing the movie tycoon - amazing, amazing.

[Drygioni]

The Road.

Mega good.

[pmcd9]

I watched Constantine last night.  One of the worst movies I've seen in quite a while.

[Drygioni]

I watched Constantine last night.  One of the worst movies I've seen in quite a while.

Double plus that. Made me want to cry.

[greenkoolayd]

The Road.

Mega good.

thats the one with viggo mortensen(sp?), right?  its in my netflix qway.  your good review makes me a little more jazzed to see it.

[Drygioni]

thats the one with viggo mortensen(sp?), right?  its in my netflix qway.  your good review makes me a little more jazzed to see it.

In that case I will expand.

The Road is a story that is by equal measures haunting and horrifying, yet Hillcoat's superb direction provides a film that is also gripping, enjoyable and curiously uplifting. Throughout the film I was consistently amazed by the stark beauty the film-makers had provided for the post-apocalyptic landscape; everything was perfectly executed, from sweeping vistas of ash-covered plains to the claustrophobic confines of petrified forests.

The acting is uniformly impressive, Mortensen his phlegmatic best as 'The Man'. Kodi Smit-McPhee puts in a convincing turn as his son and companion, with the chemistry between the two continually heart-warming despite their desperate surroundings. Every character in this film is given great character, oozing humanity whether it be of the most civilised or brutal kinds.

Perhaps the greatest triumph of the film for me was the way it has seemingly stayed faithful to the source material and avoided the pitfalls of some recent dystopian works, namely too much of a focus on WHY the characters find themselves in this situation, much to the detriment of the story. Children of Men, another film I loved, features worldwide sterility, yet rarely concerns itself with WHY this has happened much to the advancement of the story; instead, all that matters is the central characters and their situation, with the world merely a backdrop and indeed obstacle to their efforts. The Road goes one step further, removing all explanation as to why the world is the way it is. All that matters is the coming-of-age story, with the 'Road' the father is leading his son on more than just a practical journey. The unrelenting brutality of their world is tempered with the beauty of their relationship and I'm shocked it wasn't nominated for an Oscar.

Basically I liked it LOADS and you should watch it and say what you thought.

[greenkoolayd]

that is a beautiful piece of writing.  you have my respect.  and a can.

[Drygioni]

Looking For Eric is a curious specimen. Like many young men, I was initially drawn to the film by the presence of legendary French footballer Eric Cantona in the cast; the quintessential flawed sporting genius, a confident, powerful presence on the pitch and great player who nonetheless was a self-styled philosopher tormented with his own demons. Indeed, for all the beauty of his play on the field, termed by the man himself 'gifts' to the Manchester United fans who adore him still, it is instead his 9 month ban for kicking a goading spectator that sticks in the mind of many to this day.

It is perhaps fitting of Cantona, then, that this film is initially enigmatic. Namesake postman and Manchester United fan Eric Bishop is introduced to us driving the wrong side of the road, in the midst of a mental breakdown, and we are unaware as to where his life is going, as is he. In his desperation, it's up to his friends and estranged family to aid him, helped of course by the hallucinatory presence and Francophone philosophisations of his idol Eric Cantona to aid him.

This film was fuck*ng great. Director Ken Loach and actor Steve Evet give Eric Bishop incredible intensity, and every scene hammers home the impression of a defeated man superbly; his subsequent attempt to mend the errors of his past to correct his future fits the character seamlessly and believably. Cantona gives an incredible turn as his mentor and confidant, and displays his usual imperious self; nevertheless, he brings a real compassion and quiet wisdom to the role that is present in all the great cinema mentors. His turn in the film, whilst relatively low-key, is very well implemented and he perfectly provides a human representation of the postman Eric's inner consciousness. Looking for Eric, indeed.

The humour of the film throughout is well done, rarely out-of-place but very British; think Billy Elliot, which seamlessly blended humour with very real and serious issues in a gritty Northern fashion and you're not far off. The slightly farcical (in the best sense of the word) ending has divided some critics but I enjoyed it, feeling that it fitted the tone of the film and the progression of the character. Perhaps not the most subtle of film-making but nonetheless satisfying for it.

At heart, the film is a tribute to the power of solidarity and realising the basic ethical goodness of those around you, conducted in a manner which is beguiling and by turns dark, uplifting and humorous. Much like Cantona himself then, Looking For Eric is a philosophical treatise trapped in a delightfully uncomplicated, skilful and confident body that you probably couldn't fail to love.

[littlefallsmets]

the presence of legendary French footballer soccer player Eric Cantona

Fix'd.