Blue Eyelids (Párpados azules, Mexico, 2007)

It’s good to see films about the marginalised in cinema. In this case the characters are, I suspect, hardly at the margins in society though they are in cinema: the lonely. If lonely people are to be portrayed then we should be able to sympathise with them, however the protagonists of this film are so [...]

Gone Baby Gone (US, 2007)

When will Casey Affleck stop mumbling? He mumbled his way through Jesse James and he mumbles his way through this convoluted thriller. The plot’s noirish enough without having to hang on his every mangled word. This delivery worked in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) because it suited the character; [...]

Little Children (US, 2006)

I really enjoyed this edgy melodrama, paedophile lurking in the shadows of his mother’s house, though it is a bit too knowing about it’s own cleverness. Flaubert’s Madame Bovary is heavily cited in this tale of middle class adultery and though Kate Winslet is excellent as the frumpy housewife, her casting does undermine the narrative. [...]

Star Trek (US, 2009)

The new Star Trek has been, like Casino Royale, described as a reboot. Both were long running series that had grounded; the makeover for Bond was based on ‘going gritty and serious’ to distinguish it from Brosnan’s parody (though Connery had parodied too). Star Trek, however, had always taken itself seriously so that option wasn’t [...]

Mad Detective (Sun taam, Hong Kong, 2007)

This has an interesting premise: it reverses the idea that cops who get too close to the psyche of criminals become disturbed by having the protagonist being mad in the first place. He can solve cases of ‘a body in a suitcase’ by being put in such a case and thrown down the stairs. So [...]

Honeydripper (US, 2007)

John Sayles is a terrific independent filmmaker; by that I mean he’s a terrific filmmaker who works independently of the major studios, so his films are always worth watching, as is Honeydripper, though I wish it hadn’t been so predictable. Of course most movies are predictable but this too readily signposts where it’s going. It [...]

Ghost Town (US, 2008)

I’m not sure when the current cycle of romantic comedies, a staple of Hollywood, began (late ’80s with When Harry Met Sally, 1989?) but I wish it would end. However, if it has to continue let it be in the vein of Ghost Town. Ricky Gervais’ comic genius gives the usual slush an edge; he [...]

Paprika (Japan, 2006)

Shamefully this didn’t get cinematic distribution in the UK but the buzz about it, and Satoshi Kon’s other films, such as Millennium Actress, made sure it was on my DVD rental list. However I was a bit disappointed; visually it is as stunning as the other films I’ve seen by him, but I found the [...]

Coraline (US, 2009)

The film reminded me of Paul Berry’s brilliant short The Sandman (UK, 1991), particularly in the focus on eyes, and Coraline‘s Grimm inheritance makes sure that this fairy tale is properly scary. The stop motion animation is fantastic, it has the flexibility of CGI, particularly with the elaborate camera movements, without the technique’s ugly ‘plasticness’. [...]

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in, Sweden, 2008)

It’s a while since an ‘arthouse’ film has received such universal praise (covers on Electric Sheep and Little White Lies) and it’s a relief that it lives up to its reputation. The imdb rating also indicates high audience satisfaction so it is a film that, simply, must be seen. It is a vampire movie, without [...]