This round up includes 5 films as one I saw at the cinema which has been only released straight to dvd. But I saw it in the cinema…so in it goes. Here you will find the right brain review (is that the right side?)..total subjective emotionally manipulated honesty..my stars are out of 5. I’ll start with Four Lions, which belongs in the great tradition of contemporary British comedy alongside Shaun/ Hot Fuzz/ Bruno e.t.c. i.e. face-slayingly black humour so deep and dark an appropriate response seems to be an induced hypnotic delirium. I spent most of the film shaking my head, howling with laughter and crying with joy. When we get comedy right..we fuckin’ rule. So I gave this (****) stars. Robin Hood wasn’t bad, but it didn’t soar. The 1st hour is terrific, full of forest skirmishes pitched battles and intrigue but once the resolution came more obvious.. i.e. a big battle on the beach to determine Britains’ future, it became more generic. I really liked all the cast and it was fun to watch, Mark Strong once again proving himself as a charismatic villain. There was an unexpected lightness of touch to it and there was even a little bit of silliness. An enjoyable (***). The next film I saw was Survival Of The Dead, there’s alot of descent about George Romero, some shocking attacks on Slash Film for e.g. and one humorous but misguided attempt to compare him to George Lucas (ruining his own legacy blah blah..) Well to them I say a big FUCK YOU. George has helmed yet another out and out Zombie classic where this time the human conflict has been bought right to the centre and the Zombies are literally background fodder to help explore familial tensions, tribal break down, using the island as a kind of micro-cosm of a failed society where the lines of good and bad are constantly questioned and blurred from both sides. This is classic Romero territory and there are some memorable scenes, the heads on stakes, the chained wife and the zombie daughter on horseback that stand up and live in the memory with insistence and power; (*****) to George! Next I saw Tetro, which thanks to Vincent Gallo and the excellent cast offered insight to into a complex brother-brother relationship within a vividly filmed South American city. The tone, texture and sound of the film all marked it out as a soulful, personal, enigmatic drama. This film stayed with me and drew me in slowly while it marked me with it’s magic. Exquisite, (*****). And finally onto Whatever Works where Woody yet again flexed his muscles in Manhattan with Larry David giving hilarious and acerbic insight into dreams, relationships, sex, you name it. It was a very satisfying and pleasurable romp that proves Woody Allen is a) still funny b) capable of making a great comedy and c) possibly at his best in the environs of downtown New York (****).
Posted on Wednesday, 7 July 2010
