DVD Review: A Scanner Darkly

Go on then....

DVD Review: A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006, USA).

Phillip K Dick. His work has either inspired or was directly filmed in films such as Blade Runner, Minority Report and fucking Paycheck; some fucking incredible, some bloody shit. But now his work has spawned one of the most creative films of 2006, that film being A Scanner Darkly.
"Fred" (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover narcotics agent working to try and weed out the dealers behind a dangerous addictive substance known as Substance D. To try and do this, he takes on the guise, unbeknown to anyone else, of "Bob Arctor", a former family man who now lives his life being swept up in the drug-induced happenings of his housemates Barris (Robert Downey Jr) and Luckman (Woody Harrelson). During this time, "Fred" is assigned by his superior "Hank" to spy on "Bob Arctor" as he is suspected of being a major part of the Substance D circulation gang. At this time "Fred/Bob" is also becoming more and more reliant on Substance D and is trying to cling on to the one thing he believes he has, girlfriend/dealer Donna (Winona Ryder). Paranoia, depression and wackiness ensues....
The immeadiately striking thing about this is obviously the animation. Filmed as a live-action film and then animated over after, this follows Linklater's turgid first experiment "Waking Life" in creating an animated live-action world. While this felt pretentous in "Waking Life", it feels essential to this film. Not only are some things made possible which would be hard to otherwise, the key example being the "Scramble Suit" "Fred" wears to make himself unseen to people when not undercover, but it also adds immensly to the entire mood of the piece, the film does not feel as if it could really exist without this technique. For this to be not off-putting, but crucial to the film is an acheivement indeed.
The animation does not take away from the writing either. Having not read any of Dick's work, i can not judge the film badsed on its translation. What I can say is that the shifts in tone are awfully off-putting but the film still fully retains the atmosphere created. Some parts are awfully funny, the "Albino skinned lizard-bitches" scene is worth the price of the DVD alone. Rory Cochrane's Freck is also a very funny character full of nervous energy and his suicide attempt is one of the most strangely funny and yet uncomfortable scenes I have ever seen. When the film kicks into its absolute seriousness about an hour in, it really doesn't stop. the plot suddenly kicks in and is truly interesting as "Fred/Bob's" life comes crashing down around him and he literally loses his mind. The film ends on a cracking little couple of twists also and yet retains the sense of a happy ending. Strange considering a Thom Yorke song plays out over the credits....
All the actors do well, even though admittedly its not much of a stretch. Keanu Reeves plays confused. Robert Downey Jr plays a drugged up know it all. Woody Harrelson is permenantly spaced. Winona Ryder is a drugged up hotty. All do well without truly being great. Film doesn't need it.
Wicked film. Confusing both visually and in plot and just ridiuclously watchable. One for the DVD collection methinks. Love the cover art too.

Video: I'm assuming its digital-to-digital, certainly looks it. Great picture, maybe a tad sharp at times but very good. Would love to see the HD-DVD version!

Audio: Decent Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack. Kicks in pretty much at the start but calms down. Very odd, good directional effects spotted throughout but its like they rushed the mix after the first 15 minutes. Perfectly good, but really could have been better.

Extras: Haven't viewed the commentary yet, will post comments when I get round to it. 2 decent documentaries the standard making-of was a bit standard but the animation documentary is very interesting. Doesn't outstay it's welcome and truly shows you how much heartfelt effort was put into getting the film made.

Cracking film, slightly meh DVD especially considering its potential but if you can find it for around the 11 pound mark as I did, well worth a buy. No HD-DVD version yet announced but if you are patient, I reckon it will come eventually.

Wee little update...

Wrote 95 per cent of my Little Miss Sunshine review last night, took me an hour and I deleted the fucker so... Might do that again later. Just wanted to say that I was going to review The Wicker Man (2006) today but there is no point. I feel sorry for Nicholas Cage but he should have seen that this film was going gownhill at the script stage.I know it has been a passion project of his but apart from being very very funny at points, its fucking pointless. A real waste of time and effort and really not worth your time (Well the last 20 minutes is good for a laugh) Seriosuly go rent/buy the original, much creepier, plot holds up better and it has Christopher Lee in. Enough said.
Buy the new albums by Jamie T and Klaxons, 2007 is upon us and its started very well.
And now your opinions.... I have a bonus hopefully coming my way at the end of March. i was going to put it towards an HD-DVD Player. However, the PS3 with Blu-Ray included has been announced as launching on the 23rd March. This is a time where I could also have a weeks holiday. What do I do? HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? Something else? I want your opinions, message me on my MySpace, found uner Leakage, My Balls!, email me at ian-loring@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment. Would be very intrigued to see what you guys think I should do...
Back either tomorrow with a review of something, probably either my second attempt at Little Miss Sunshine, or maybe A Scanner Darkly. Otherwise back on Saturday or Sunday (Maybe Sunday cos I'm working this Saturday for once) with my review of the hotly Oscar-tipped Babel. Seriosuly opinions please, would be very nice. Take it easy.

Oscar Nominations Part One

Best Director - Paul Greengrass nominated for United 93 - He won't win, no way but good on him, terrific film, great visual style and the tone is like nothing I have ever seen. Straight fight between Scorsese and Eastwood, Scorsese will get it.

Best Picture - Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed are the only 2 I have seen. Both great, Little Miss Sunshine, no fucking way. The Departed? Bit of a genre flick but you never know. I'm thinking Babel, seeing it in the wekk but the "important film" feeling puts me off. No Dreamgirls. So it could be a "serious" Oscars then?

Best Actress - Devil Wears Prada? That film gets an Oscar nomination? Dear me! Helen Mirren all the way.

Best Actor - Forrest Whittaker all the way. Doubt anyone comes close. Heard Ryan Gosling was really good in Half Nelson. It still ain't out here though so I don't know. Peter O'Toole! Saw him on The Daily Show last week, fucking legend but not a chance. Leo? Very interested in this film now... Will Smith eh? If he wins, I think Forest Whittaker would have to go all lazy eye on his ass!

Best Foreign Language Film - Pan's Labyrinth!!!!!!!

Best Original Screenplay - Pan's Labyrinth!!!!!!!!

Best Adapted Screenplay - Borat has a screenplay???? Very sad that this is the only big category Children of Men gets a nod in. Think something heavy will get this so straight fight between Notes On A Scandal, The Departed and Little Children here.

Best Editing - Only really technical one I'll talk about, just because the editing in this film is fucking incredible, cuts are seamless, you really get a feel for the atmosphere of the world being created.

Best Animated Film - MONSTER HOUSE! Won't win but great that it was nominated.

Best Supporting Actress - Jenifer Hudson is apparently a cert for Dreamgirls. Very intrigued to see Bable considering that the main acting categories were shut outs. Good for the girl from Little Miss Sunshine I say!

Best Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin. Best thing about Little Miss Sunshine. Jackie Earl Haley apparently the best thing about Little Children. Djimon Honsou, apparently very powerful in Blood Diamond. Mark Whalberg fucking fantastic in The Departed, and.... Eddie Murphy. Toush one this I must say.

Some interesting stuff. Don't think anything is going to walk away with a shit load. So glad Pan's Labyrinth is getting some love even if its in mainly technical departments. For the first time in a few years, my interest is pricked by all this. What do you folks think?

DVD Review: Thank You For Smoking

Going to get podcast up by end of the week, should be moving to the new site too. Got a couple of days off work in the week and not much to do so I'll sort it out. Was going to review Rocky Balboa on Friday but the projector broke down at the cinema I went to and I wanted some more money to go out with on Friday night (Thanks to all those I saw, fucking funny night). So in Rocky's place....

DVD Review: Thank You For Smoking (Jason Reitman, 2006, USA).

First time feature director Jason (Son of Ivan) Reitman bites off what many would consider more than he could chew for his first film, a sort of bizarro-world version of a morality tale, hoping to teach us something, while wearing its own twisted value system on it's sleave. For many directors, this could have easily been either a jumbled mess or an in-the-end sacchrine tale. However, not all first-time directors have grown up in the house of the man who directed Ghostbusters....
Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is paid to talk, and talk well. He works as the Vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies, an industry-funded authority who are trying to prove that the bad effects of smoking cannot be conclusivley proven. Naylor then has to convince the world of its findings. Naylor's world is soon turned upside down by two people, his son Joey (Cameron Bright) and investigative reporter Heather (Katie Holmes).
If the premise of the film is not caustic enough, it is added too further by the opening scene in which Naylor is able to convince a day-time talk show audience that the industry is being given a unjustly tough time by the press and even shakes the hand of a child known only as "Cancer Boy"- PC this ain't. However, as original the premise is, and indeed the things which happen in the film hold true to this spirit, less can be said about the screenplay. This film seems to hit every single beat of the "inspirtaional" drama. Father conncecting with his son? Check. Man experiences a fall from grace but through an inspiritional chat is able to get back on top? Yep. Potential love interest? Aye. Man realising who his true friends are? Sure, why not? The whole twisted morale of the piece is able to very well disguise the fact that at heart it is quite the unoriginal piece.
Saying this Reitman does a bang up job of filling this film with enough bells and whistles to still make this a very enjoyable film. If he was not brought up in the film industry, I very much doubt he would score the cast he does. Aaron Eckhart is able to pull off the sleazeball role while retining a large amount of charm, his job may make him a dickhead by default but he does seem to be a nice enough bloke. The fellow "Merchants of Death", Maria Bello and a typecast-but-who-cares David Koechner, pull off their roles with aplomb, Maria Bello is understated and actually fairly affecting and David Koechner the polar opposite but really fucking funny with it, his reaction to Joey's "cool gun" line had me in stiches. JK Simmons as Naylor's boss BR plays his role as a slightly less intimidating version of his editor of the Daily Bugle from the Spider-Man movies and makes it nearly as funny, one-dimesional but like Koechner all the better for it. Cameron Bright pulls off the role of the sun, slightly too old to be cute, but still at a stage where you believe he could be influenced by his dad that much, good work from him overall. Robert Duvall also deserves a mention in a brief but key role as The Captain, solid work as always from him. Rob Lowe is also fucking brilliant as Super Agent Jeff. He has only tow scenes but completely owns them both and his conversation with Naylor in the middle of the night is probably my favourite and also most surreal scene in the film. One weak link as she always is: Katie Holmes. Cannot play either a slut or a reporter well and as such is absolutly bloody useless in this film. Seems like casting with an eye to hitting certain demographics much like her frankly bizarre role as a LAWYER in Batman Begins (Incidentally, no prizes for guessing who is just about the only non-returning player for the sequel, The Dark Knight?). This woman looks too young to pull off the role, hs very little chemistry with Eckhart and while key to a certian aspect of the plot, has very little to do and is dropped from the film completely fairly early in the running. Reitman gets the best perfomances he can from the actors that he can and I would be suprised if he is seen as an "actor's director" as all the actors seem to be enjoying themselves an awful lot. Credit must also go to his directing chops, the man knows hoe to shoot a film. He uses the narration style of story-telling in constantly interesting ways and the film sparkles with energy. All credit to him for managing to pull off this film without once showing a character smoking.
Very enjoyable film, great perofmances and a first-rate directing job. It's just too bad that the film falls on its fundamental unoriginality. I will tell you something, this fault really shows itself up when you watch Monty Python's Life of Brian, pretty much straight after. Forgot how truly silly that film is.

Video: Pretty great transfer , maybe a little soft but given that this film was fairly low-budget it looks good nonetheless.

Audio: Better than expected Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Nice use of surround and in perfectly appropriate places. Not too much bass but this isn't an action film so none really expected. Dialogue is perfectly clear.

Extras not viewed, not very bothered about them either to be honest.

Very much recommended rent.

Back with M Night Shayamalan's Lady In The Water, probably Tuesday and hopefully with news of the new site and podcast.

NEWS!!!

I may well be shifting off this space in the very near future, Blogger really is terrific but for the kind of stuff I want to do, it isn't quite the right fit. No review today though I will say this: If you get a chance to see Bernando Bertolucci's The Dreamers, see the damn thing. Not only do you get some rather bloody good stuff involving a naked Eva Green, it is also a fascinating little film, ery interesting, and is a VERY cinephile friendly film. Back on Friday/Saturday with my review of Rocky Balboa and maybe a DVD review of Children of Men. Also, assuming I get the web space, I will hopefully have the podcast up and running next week. Its going to be a weekly affair where hopefully I can rope in other folks as well. If anyone is interested in contributing to the website or to the podcast, please email me at ian-loring@hotmail.co.uk and I will be very happy to discuss further. Thanks to everyone who have been reading, more than I thought I must say, and I'll be back on Friday. Let's get Thursday out of the way quick, yeah?

Review: The Last King Of Scotland

Review: The Last King Of Scotland (Kevin MacDonald, 2006, UK/USA)

One of the more hyped films in both the upmarket papers, The Guardian, The Independent etc, and the most upmarket film magazine in Britian, Sight & Sound, for a good few months now, The Last King Of Scotland arrives on the scene with an awful lot of pre-release hype. Forest Whitaker has already won many awards and is hotly tipped to win an Oscar and the director Kevin MacDonald is a critical darling working on his first ficitonal narrative film. Does the film live up to all the pre-release buzz? In a word, yes.

Johnathan Kerrigan (James McAvoy) is a recently qualified doctor looking for some excitement before embarking on a career as a family doctor. He decides upon working in the villages of Uganda. After a chance incident involving a cow, Idi Amin (Forest Whittaker) and a sprained hand, he is asked to become Idi Amin's physcian. What he does not expect is that as he becomes one of Amin's closest advisors, he will be drawn into a world he can't escape.

The Last King Of Scotland is an odd beast of a film. In the beginning we cannot help but be sucked into the world of Kerrigan. He is obviously a but of a bastard, trying to get into women's pants at every opportunity (Within the first 5 minutes he manages to sleep with a random woman on a bus), but it seems we can relate to him as a young man trying to have a good time before settling into the monotony of working adult life. The world of Uganda is also initially displayed as a world of hope; all the people Kerrigan experiences seem to be happy especially with the coup which has just taken place, putting Amin in power. The first meeting of Kerrigan and Amin also walks a fine line between funny and unsettling and really pulls it off. Amin is charismatic, playful and maybe just a little bit... childish?

This playful tone is very carefully interjected with sinister events as the film unfolds and as it goes on the balance starts to shift. MacDonald working from a script from Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock plays this beautifully and the film turns into a rather tense little thriller detaling Kerrigan's attempts to escape with his life. The film manages to be the weridest of hybrids, a coming of age comedy, a serious study of a terrible and yet seductive man and a conventional thriller. The only thing which felt forced to me was the aspect involving Amin's wife. In terms of conventioanl story telling I understand why it was introuduced, however the film up to this point does not seem to follow any real stereotypes and yet this is one of the oldest in the book. The fate of Amin's wife is anything but conventioanl and provides the climax to what is certainly the most disturbing scene of the film.

James McAvoy does very well with what could be a one-note role, the obnoxious, arrogant young man. His arrogance is broken down throughout the film and McAvoy makes this apparent in even his body language. By the end of the film, the man deserves to die and yet you do not want to see him get fully consumed by the world of Amin. Only a truly great actor could pull that off. Forest Whittaker pretty much runs away with the film. He completely gets taken over by the role, he does not play the calm, patient man seen in films such as Ghost Dog or Panic Room, and he does not appear to be himself. His charming facade is wonderfully played but what is better is his portrayal of the childish brute which he becomes whenever things start to slip from his grasp. Enough praise has been lavished on him from all circles so I'll just say this: I agree with all of it.

One of the best thrillers of recent years, and a fascinating look into the mind of a madman, The Last King Of Scotland deserves to be one of the biggest British films of the year and incidentally, is a stunning return to form for the newly relaunched production arm of Film4.

In the second week of January, we have already seen what will be one of the best films of the year.

Coming Soon....

(Hopefully) ......


THE PODCAST!!!

Beware....

Review: Apocalypto

Hello gang. First apologies for the rather poor review of Night At The Museum, really shows I should wait and think about the review insted of reeling out a stream of conciousness.

Review: Apocalypto (Mel Gibson, 2005, USA)

Mel Gibson. Interesting bloke isn't he? Oscar darling with Braveheart, Christian saviour (as such) with Passion of the Christ, whose success, I would say in large part, led to the idea that Apocalypto could become a breakthrough hit. But the contreversy surrounding the "sugartits" incident has quetioned whether Mel Gibson has actually gone too far, whether this film may be one step too far in a somewhat fortuitous career thus far.

Apocalypto is an astoundingly well-made film. From the very first moment, the film shows itself to be a visual feast. Gibson along with the Director of Photography Dean Semler, has managed to create a film which shows off sumptous locales, the village and temple are breathtaking in particular while not forgetting that this film is about a civilisation brought up on living in a tight community and harsh violence. Gibson uses every visual trick he seems to be have in the book (Including the christened by housemate Helly "Boar-Cam") which give the impression of a constantly moving environment. Moving for survival, moving for hunting, moving to a imminent death, Gibson captures it all with an intensity which I cannot say I have seen in even the most hardcore action film in a fair while (Well, except for Crank...) The violence? Probably the most contreversial aspect of the film, while it is pretty extreme, and many pople in my screening seemed to think so, I myself did not think it was too bad, though I think it says something more about me than them...

Judging from this review so far, you think I would love this film. And yet, the narrative holes! Unlike many people, I had few problems with the script (Though "He's fucked" and "I am walking here" are ridiculous), but the sheer logic holes astounded me. I really don't want to give spoilers so I won't but they annoyed me for the entire length of the film, I was annoyed and it only got worse as the film went on. It took me out of the film completely, and I feel that I may have missed something from the sheer brilliance of what was on the screen itself because of it. I don't feel I would bother seeing it again sheerly because of how much this aspect of the film annoyed me. The perfomances were uniformly beliveable and it is quite amazing to think that most of the cast were unknowns. The editing is Oscar worthy, the music was fitting and not too overblown, but... I just can't bring myself to really like it that much.

First real shame of 2007.

Review: Night At The Museum

Review: Night At The Museum (Shawn Levy, 2006, USA)

So, three choices for films to see on my day off. Flags Of Our Fathers... can't be bothered to be honest, reviews I've read suggest I'll wait for the DVD. Perfume... Go see it next week with Neil, Helly and hopefully Donna during my semi-regular "cinema day" in a double bill with Jew-hater Gibson's Apocalypto (Expect reviews of both next week). Third... Night At The Museum, very middling reviews, but trailers seemed fun enough and a lot of great comic talent was featured, seemed like a good choice. Was it?

Larry (Ben Stiller) is a guy who can't commit to a job but in a last ditch attempt to stay in contact with his son (Jake Cherry) takes a job as a night watchman at the Museum of Natural History in New York. When he fins out that the job involves a lot more than playing with the tannoy and sleeping, he has to choose what kind of a man he really is...

The big christmas film from Fox this year is an odd film. It feels like Jumanji (complete with Robin Williams) filled with more comic talent than can possibly share one film. Many of the stars of this film, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan and arguably, Ricky Gervais, could all headline their own film and pull it off with aplomb. This film combines all of them and somehow makes it work. All the comic stars seem to have their moments (perhaps with the exception of Dick Van Dyke, who seemed slightly bored by it all. Mickey Rooney in particular made me giggle like a child. The script itself is pretty unoriginal and bland but the perfomances elevate it far above its station. The action is fairly unmemorable also but I think children would liek it. This film appeals to all ages but in different ways. Kids would come for the action, the "insiprational" plot, and the silly monkey slapstick (although the slap-fight was priceless). Adults will enjoy the perfomances of the talent on display, all getting their moments to shine. In all, a likeably daft hybrid of family blockbuster and more adult comedy, which I look forward to seeing again. Must see the Brockback Mountain gag again to, I missed it first time (Thanks to Neil and Chris for pointing it out). Back hopefully tomorrow, but defo before the weekend...