The Dossing Times » Movie Reviews

Movie Review: District 9

ck — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:34:14 +0000

The unique selling point for ‘District 9′ is worth discussing and having seen the movie is due praise. It won’t ruin the film for you to say to say that District 9 is a movie which indirectly comments on racial and ethnic differences, looking to responses from within communities and from governments. In the opening scenes of the film, news footage catalogues events which have befallen Johannesburg in South Africa

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds

ck — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:55:48 +0000

There is no doubting that a Quentin Tarantino movie can be a love or loathe experience – people label him as over indulgent, dialogue heavy, stylised and serving his own geeky interests. But while Tarantino can deliver a reviled movie like ‘Death Proof’ (undeservedly so in this writers opinion) remember that Francis Ford Coppola has brought us The Godfather and also the tale of a 40 year old primary school kid in the form of Robin Williams in ‘Jack’, and that Steven Soderbergh can deliver an audience repelling movie like ‘Bubble’ in between the Oceans’ movies. Any director, his style, the story he chooses to relay and how he brings the movie together can work a treat or leave you disappointed. This was most recently affirmed, not that recently, when we watched the Kill Bill movies at home and I found my mother engrossed by the movies – totally engrossed in The Brides struggles, and paying such attention to the whittering prose so that the detail of the final fatal five point punch had stayed with her, and she counted the five steps out aloud as Bill walked to his death. I’m glad to say that having brought this same criteria to my viewing of ‘Inglourious Basterds’ last night I can’t but think my mother would have loved it, as did I.

A thriller, a warped comedy, a farce, an excellent ensemble of acting talent that chimes wonderfully – for once the snippets chosen to praise the movie on its poster are justified and not cynically chosen. The story will keep you guessing, slight overlap in time lines, multiple arcs of revenge and plotting and an escalating sense of tension is a surprising result. The movie appears in fact to be a succession of tense encounters with some form of beverage poured, followed by a steely stare off, silences, cover stories and a mix of outcomes – stays of execution and brief reprieves, or brutal bloody deaths. All this is delivered in a glorious (pun intended) looking movie, with shots and a style familiar of Tarantino and an old school style which is of itself probably a conscious decision of he director as part of an ode to a class of movies.

The Basterds of the mispelt title do not own the movie by any stretch, they share screen time with an vengeful blonde, movie critics, a heavily disguised Mike Myers for a brief cameo and the most recent addition to the great characters of Tarantinos characters, a Jew Hunter. There isn’t a sour note among the performances, and the cast are genuinely engaging and add to the enjoyment of the movie, whether you are laughing at Brad Pitts caricature, the delivery of the constant supply of one-liners or caught up in the tension of the opening interrogation. At one point we know Diane Krugers character ruse had been unfurled. The evidence is subtly but confidently stacked against her, and even though we the contents of the coat she reaches into the pocket of, Kruger, who has excelled without the burden of her accent seeming out of place face is wordlessly shell shocked at her inescapable situation. This moment is one of a number of turns in the story, moments which are seamlessly constructed, acres away from any plot convention you could forecast. To conclude I can’t think of more praise to heap on ‘Basterds’, than the quality of the pub post-dissection and the unanimous praise my company and I praised on it. Favourite parts, glowing reviews of Christopher Waltz’s performance and highlight jokes will be chosen from a rich crop and a movie that isn’t an acquired taste, or one for Tarantino fans, or an oddity – it is happily a good movie.

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

ck — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:01:39 +0000

As with the book, ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ opens and concludes with ominous events which are pivotal to propelling events forward as to the dark story arc involving Voldemort and the boy who lived, one Harry Potter. A 6 year veil of ambiguity is seemingly lifted from the motivations of Severus Snape in a scene which ties in to the concluding moments of the film, which sees a significant character die and the fight for good derailed. So too the opening scenes see an attack on real-world London bringing to the screen an event only spoken off in the novel. In this attack however, lies the chief problem the movie is confronted with; the novel is long, but not particularly laden with incident and in constructing a movie for us to enjoy the focus is firmly on the teenagers and their burgeoning romantic leanings.

Importantly, while some reviews have described this as sexual tension, this being literature aimed at 7 year olds as opposed to the 90210 set, plots to kill and maim good people with incantations is the only nasty stuff going on in the boarding school dorms at night. Hermione and Ron are locked into a ‘will-they, won’t they’ melodrama drawing in leering jocks and histronic girlfriends, while the man of the hour may be ‘the chosen one’ but is driven by fear and loyalty to have an unrequited romance with Ginny. Even when beckoned to Dumbledores office, the curious headmaster opens with questions as to Potters love life before moving on to secondary matters such as Voldemorts past life and the evil Death Eaters looking to attack a school of teenagers. This lends itself overall to a comedic tone built on teen awkwwardness. Voldemort is entirely absent from the film, while his minion Death Eaters appear briefly, only for scenes necessary to ensure the movie isn’t categorised as a romantic comedy.

The brooding works surprisingly well and earns some good laughs. With all the starry cast of elders reduced to mere cameos, the film is carried almost entirely by the young cast, who have truly grown into their roles. Rupert Grint, who has portrayed Ron as a comic foil throughout the series is well suited to the lighter tone. Radcliffe and Watson are much more comfortable in their roles; Radcliffe in particular is markedly improved. The character of Harry is the most engaging he has been since the series began, for once a man of action, as opposed to the sulky pawn he has been previously. So too when called to play comedy, particularly in a sequence where he is under the influence of a potion, Radcliffe is, in fact, very good. He also sparks of Bonnie Wright, who has bided her time in the background as Ginny Weasley and comes to the fore now, marking a comfortable juncture in the romantic developments, when everyone else is set on being as clumsy as possible.

On reviewing the text before striking out onto their script writing exercise, perhaps the writers had the realisation that there is otherwise effectively 20 minutes of story to be told – in effect Harry needs to do some digging around in the past of his nemesis to find a weakness while evil doers try to infiltrate the school. These few incidents, whether they be drama or action, feel tacked on. Draco Malfoys conflict is underdeveloped, Harry shares perhaps 2 scenes and barely a line of dialogue with Snape and the finale is rushed where of all the finales this is not the one to rush. Harrys adult allies, including the Weasley family, references to his departed godfather and most crucially the big bad are all put on the back burner so the young cast can brood. On leaving you may even ponder what the significance of the Half-Blood Prince of the title actually is, again this being another underserved topic.

Movie Review: ‘Public Enemies’

ck — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:38:29 +0000

Set a light by a starry cast and looking to an infamous character for inspiration,

Movie Review: ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’

ck — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:05:06 +0000

Plot Heavy

Top 6 Friday: Wisdom

ck — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:50 +0000

Rather than look to the words of poets, writers, religious leaders or political revolutionaries, this collection of wisdom, mantras, advice or instructions tailored to navigate whatever should cross your path, comes from where else but movies and TV. Pay heed. All the choices are effective, the sentiment of No.2 may not initially sit well with the tone of the other entries, but if you’ve seen the movie you’ll know it works.

6. On Ambition

Knowing where to set the parameters on how much you aim for in life is fundamental to feeling satisfied. We’re spoilt for choice when it comes to words of wisdom with this man.

“You tried your best and you failed miserably, the lesson is, never try”

Homer J. Simpson (The Simpsons, ‘Burns’ Heir’)

5. Laying Blame

To know how to deflect blame is key for never taking account. The quote below comes from a group of parents, wishing to blame a 3rd party rather than look to their parenting decisions when their children misbehave.

“Blame Canada”

Parents of South Park (South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut)

4. Forgiveness

Who better to look to for advice on forgiveness than an embittered ex.

“Some people say forgive and forget. Nah, I don’t know. I say forget about forgiving and just accept – and get the hell out of town”

Debi Newberry (Grosse Pointe Blank)

3. Disposing of a corpse

Professionals in discussion

Brick Top: “You’re always gonna have problems lifting a body in one piece. Apparently the best thing to do is cut up a corpse into six pieces and pile it all together”.
Sol: “Would someone mind telling me, who are ya?”
Brick Top: “And when you got your six pieces, you gotta get rid of them, because it’s no good leaving it in the deep freeze for your mum to discover, now is it? Then I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs. You got to starve the pigs for a few days, then the sight of a chopped-up body will look like curry to a pisshead. You gotta shave the heads of your victims, and pull the teeth out for the sake of the piggies’ digestion. You could do this afterwards, of course, but you don’t want to go sievin’ through pig shit, now do you? They will go through bone like butter. You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute. Hence the expression, “as greedy as a pig”.”

Brick Top in conversation with Sol (‘Snatch‘)

2. On what other people think

This moment of honesty between two brothers, caught up in a drama surrounding orchid poaching and writers block is movie dialogue magic.

Charlie Kaufman: “There was this time in high school. I was watching you out the library window. You were talking to Sarah Marsh.”
Donald Kaufman: “Oh, God. I was so in love with her.”
Charlie Kaufman: “I know. And you were flirting with her. And she was being really sweet to you.”
Donald Kaufman: “I remember that.”
Charlie Kaufman: “Then, when you walked away, she started making fun of you with Kim Canetti. And it was like they were laughing at *me*. You didn’t know at all. You seemed so happy.”
Donald Kaufman: “I knew. I heard them.”
Charlie Kaufman: “How come you looked so happy?”
Donald Kaufman: “I loved Sarah, Charles. It was mine, that love. I owned it. Even Sarah didn’t have the right to take it away. I can love whoever I want.”
Charlie Kaufman: “But she thought you were pathetic.”
Donald Kaufman: “That was her business, not mine. You are what you love, not what loves you. That’s what I decided a long time ago.”
Donald Kaufman: “Whats up?”
Charlie Kaufman: “Thank you.”
Donald Kaufman: “For what?”

Charlie Kaufman in conversation with Donald Kaufman (‘Adaptation‘)

1. On making a comeback

The clip below offers a catch-all, every situation retort, that should be a standard in your repetoire of come backs.

“So’s your face”

(Dr. John Dorian, ‘Scrubs‘)

Movie Review: The Hangover

ck — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:43:25 +0000

MILD SPOILERS

Despite the crimes they commit, the damage they inflict, the women they objectify and the baby they show such scant disregard for, the key winning feature of ‘The Hangover’ is the men of the centre of the story and the fact they seem like decent, fun guys you couldn

Movie Review: Terminator Salvation

ck — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:22:15 +0000

The Terminator franchise has spanned two decades now, and in that time has mapped a tale beginning in a contemporary setting foretelling of a bleak future and with this 4th installment realises this post-apocalyptic nadir. The machines have risen and are adapting and evolving at an unforseen pace. Disparate groups of survivors have squabbled to form a resistance and among the rank and file is one John Connor, now played with a surily temperment by Christian Bale. Connor, is in conflict with military leaders, sceptical of the mythical role he will come to play, and as ever must contend with Skynet who are intent on killing him.

These movies first and foremost tell a story of time travelling killer robots that looked like people. As well as leaps forward in effects, the movies did give a respectable amount of time to the bog standard humans involved. Terminator Salvation fails to construct a lasting bond like that between Ed Furlongs teenage Connor and Schwarzenegger’s T-80o in T2 or a worthwhile love story and avoids all attempts at humour; so too it is set in a hyper realised world where the plight of innocents in peril will never seem as threatening as one where the setting is like one we live in.

Movie Stuff

ck — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:52:05 +0000

I’m on my way back people from a hangover related meltdown, my physical and mental faculty has been at disastrously low levels. So bear with me. Meanwhile, 3 bits of movie related stuff that might interest you.

Eric Snider on the 10 year anniversary of ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’. He is defensive of the movie, both of his praise for the movie back then and how it has weathered the storm.

The trailer for ‘The Brothers Bloom’. I want to like this because of the cast and air of quirkiness, but I’m worried this could also be a steaming pile.

Finally, Im linking to RTE’s new player service and an episode of ‘The View’, RTEs attempt at a ‘Newsnight Review’ type show that I have a determination to appear on. John Kelly was at the first ever review I attended (PS I Love You – oh, cruel faith!) and I hate yet to come across him again to begin my endeavour to sit around and be pretentious about cereal boxes used as works of art. In this episode the panelists, including Sinead Gleason, review ‘Synedoche, New York’, the new Charlie Kauffman, also his directing debut. The film is a maze, and I’m almost certain I suffered an anxiety attack while watching it last February as part of the film festival. I found it unfathomable and completely over done in its attempts to be reflective and contemplative. I couldnt begin to get a grasp of it and dont want to see it again to do so. The episode has reviewers loving and loathing the movie. My only comment is that people can still be seen to be cool and not like everything a respected writer delivers.

Movie Review: ‘Wolverine’

ck — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:48:41 +0000

At this point in my 26th year I have figured out what will be a key part of my repertoire of parenting skills, should the opportunity ever present itself to raise a family. Have low expectations. My kids will have incredible confidence and I will be continually impressed. This wisdom comes from watching ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ last night. I went to this movie expecting a hot potch of CGI, unimaginative story structure and overall a token treatment of a character with a dense comic book legacy. To some extent, this is what you get, however its not an outright failure. Its May Day release date in the States clearly signals the audience and calibre of film making targeted here. It is a wonderful thing when a blockbuster aspires to have depth and importantly, achieves this. ‘Wolverine’ has not done this, but still is a more than passable effort.

The title reveals a lot. This is ‘X-Men: Origins’, not ‘Wolverine: Origins’, so you know the studio has provided for this being the first in a series of spin offs. Each of the standard requirements of an origin story are in place: formative experience as a child, development of relationships, procurement of recognisable accessories, prophetic references and character appearances and