Beowulf
This film impressed me more than I expected. It looked fantastic - I think they were some of the best human characters I've ever seen in a CG film. I wasn't expecting their acting performances to be so good though. The nuances captured, especially in the faces, were superb - so much so that after about 15 minutes of watching the film I forgot that I was wasn't watching real actors. Truly impressive. And to cap it all, the story was more interesting and more mature than I thought it would be as well, with far fewer cliches than I had feared. I still think Ray Winstone was a strange choice to voice the lead character, and sometimes he would lapse into a rough "Landan" accent when over-excited. In summary though, this movie was a pleasant surprise and well worth a watch.
In The Valley Of Elah
This film reminded me of Redacted in its choice of subject matter, but don't worry - it's much better! It's a simple movie that tells a straightforward story, but the script and the acting performances in particular raised it to a very high level. It's an emotional film, and there's no feel-good ending so pick a good time to watch it :) Tommy Lee Jones gives another superb, understated performance in this film. Like a fine wine, this guy just seems to get better with age and now I really look forward to movies he is in. The rest of the cast give good performances too, and that combined with the powerful issues that the story raises should mean that this film is likely to stick in your memory. Recommended.
American Gangster
It was mainly the draw of Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe that made me watch this movie - I knew pretty much nothing about it. Well, I guess I'm not giving anything away by saying it's all about organized crime :) Denzel was decent, although I find he tends to play Denzel Washington in every movie, plus or minus a bit of "crazy". In this movie, Denzel played Denzel Washington with a fair bit of crazy. Man On Fire was Denzel playing Denzel with a smaller amount of crazy. You get the idea. Russell Crowe I thought outshone Denzel somewhat, although his "rough diamond" was probably not much of a stretch for him either. His character had an extremely strong sense of right and wrong though which was pretty interesting. The movie was good but somewhat by the numbers. It's nothing you haven't seen before and the leads certainly stay way within their acting comfort zone. Very competent, and reasonably enjoyable.
There Will Be Blood
Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for this movie and I can see why - his performance is totally intense and gripping to watch. His character dominates this movie so totally that there isn't a lot of room for anyone else (though the preacher is also excellent). At times, things get rather melodramatic and there was more than a slice or two of ham. It felt like someone needed to reign in Day-Lewis's performance one or two notches and then it would have been perfect. I loved the musical score which dominated some of the best scenes and was powerful and brooding, kind of like the main character, and the dark ending was not your typical Hollywood happy-ever-after. I would have preferred just a touch more restraint to the acting, but there is no denying that this is a great film with a great central character, and very much worth a watch.
Hard Candy
We had a little film night round our place one Saturday evening with a few friends. The idea was for it to be a scary movie, but we picked up four very different films for people to choose from - this one and the following three reviewed here. This was the only film that none of us had seen, so it was the one we watched.
So, I'll get it out of the way right now - this is a film about paedophilia. Or rather, the effects of paedophilia on an adult and a child. This film must have started as a stage play as there are only two characters and pretty much only one location. It's an interesting film with an excellent performance by Ellen Page as a 13-year old with revenge on her mind. It does seem a little contrived, and I felt that the dialogue sometimes fell flat and wasn't all it could have been. There are a few genuine chills (and some uncomfortable moments), but neither main character is particularly sympathetic and the end result was rather a mess. Memorable, but not fantastic.
Michael Clayton
George Clooney just keeps making good movies these days, and this one is excellent. He plays a "fixer" who get rich people out of their legal troubles on the hush-hush, until he gets involved in a class-action lawsuit against a huge agrochemical company (which is fictional of course, but basically Monsanto). What follows is a taut thriller with strong, measured performances by a brilliant ensemble cast. Clooney gets a lot of screen time, but by no means dominates, and compared to the histrionics seen in There Will Be Blood this is a lesson in less-is-more. I didn't expect to enjoy this film as much as I did - it's a top-class piece of serious drama and comes highly recommended whether you are a fan of Clooney or not.
Zodiac
This film was long! Good, but long. Good, but not great either. I liked the premise of a serial killer who is never caught, and there are some really good performances in the movie, but for some reason it never quite blew me away, and ended up being somewhat forgettable. The actual murders are pretty brutal too, if you're a little squeamish. Watch it if you like a more cerebral kind of thriller, and you have plenty of patience :)
Land Of The Dead
The make-up and effects rocked. Steph didn't like all the gore, but it is so over-the-top it just made me laugh. Compared to your Saws and Hostels, this movie is like a very black comedy. Also a comedy was the plot, the script, and most of the acting. John Leguizamo hams it up throughout with a permanent leer on his face, and manages to save the film from mediocrity. The male lead however is instantly forgettable, Dennis Hopper seems to be unsure of where he actually is, and Asia Argento is little more than eye-candy for the gentlemen. Not George Romero's finest hour, but entertaining enough with some friends, some drink, and a strong stomach for fake guts.
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