February 09
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As a movie Titanic combined
cheesiness with some spectacular action sequences, but it was all the
better for having Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio in the prow of the
ship. In Revolutionary Road - adapted from the Richard Yates novel
and directed by Sam Mendes - they are playing a couple again, and this
time the story goes beyond the first flush of love into the realms of
failed dreams, bitterness and recrimination, with some excellent acting
on offer from the leads and supports alike. |
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Mickey Rourke's turbulent life and acting
career, which looked to be completely on the ropes a few years back,
could make a film in itself, ending with his inspirational
comeback. That would be his performance in The
Wrestler, where he
portrays a loser and has-been with a rare accuracy and poignancy.
So far the film has been a surprise success on the festival circuit and
Rourke is now better positioned than ever, with both Oscar and BAFTA
leading actor nominations. |
January 09
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At the beginning of another
year, we customarily look back at what has gone before, and DVD Times
reviewers list their Top
Ten Films of 2008. It was indeed a very good year with many
stand-out films, such as The Dark Knight,
There
Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, Wall-E and Mamma
Mia.
I must have seen around twenty-five new films in the year, either at
the cinema or on DVD, and I've done a personal Film
Review of 2008 for Video Vista, detailing the middling, mediocre and
bad as well as the good. As regards my own Top Ten, the year
produced two outstanding brilliantly films, both of which qualify as
cutting edge in artistic innovation. In addition, there were four
very solid dramas in English, two in foreign languages, one excellent
comic book movie (no prizes for guessing that) and one great comedy that
had me laughing out loud for most of its two hours.
Lets hope 2009 can offer as much, and there are several promising
films on the immediate horizon - The Wrestler, Revolutionary
Road and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to name three. |
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November 08
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I love a good war film and I'm intrigued by
foreign examples that reflect another country's unique point of view,
such as the brilliant German-made Downfall.
Female
Agents, now out on DVD and BD, comes highly recommended. It's
both a fast-paced action-driven thriller and a subtle and sensitive
piece of French drama, with outstanding performances from Sophie Marceau
and Julie Depardieu. |
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As a lifelong Woody Allen fan - I like
the early comedies best - I've sometimes though that he should slow down
and make fewer but better quality films. Cassandra's
Dream, now out on DVD, a crime genre re-tread
of Match Point, bears out this sentiment only too painfully, with
an first-rate cast struggling with a weak script and very lackadaisical
direction. It's painful to me to give an Allen film such a bad review,
but I'm hoping for better things from Vicky Cristina Barcelona. |
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As a child of the 60s, I remember the
screen presence of Yul Brynner all too well, so I took this opportunity
to review two classic 60s epics released on DVD by Optimum - Taras
Bulba and Kings
of the Sun. Playing, respectively, a Cossack warlord, battling with Turks and Poles and an Indian chief who gets
tangled up with human-sacrificing Mayans, he's on great form -
physically striking and larger than life as ever. |
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