Films I Saw In July

Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie, 2009)

Surprisingly OK action thriller with Downey and Law sharing great chemistry in this fast paced, if over-directed film. Ritchie was not allowed to write the screenplay for this, which oddly enough is the weakest element in the film. The plot about a Freemason like group plods along and doesn't really have much in it to keep you interested. Also, Ritchie's style tends to pulverise the senses a little and employs way too much visual trickery. Nevertheless, Downey and Law are really good as Holmes and Watson and given the right treatment, a sequel could actually be really good. This however, is just average.




Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
Miyazaki's latest film about a girl-goldfish who's attempts to become human after she falls in love with a local boy causes environmental chaos is a delightful piece of work providing much fun for, as the phrase does 'kids of all ages'. The English translation boasts a fine cast (Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon) who do the film justice, while the animation is simply gorgeous and lovingly crafted from the get go. Touching, funny, moving and awe inspiring, this is an excellent film and the best Ghibli film I have yet seen (others being Totoro and Spirited Away).




Predators (Nimrod Antal, 2010)
I entered this film with fairly reasonable expectations, seeing as there was no way this could be worse than Predator 2 or the AvP films and indeed it isn't. Basically it's a re-hash of the original film, only seeing as that came out 20 plus years ago it would now probably be deemed a homage. It deliberately avoids to have much of a plot and basically it's nothing more than a series of selected warriors from around the world put together to fight the titular race. Adrian Brody is fine in the lead role and there are some decent action sequences in, but overall it's far too self referential and it takes itself very, very seriously something action films should never do. Not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but not a patch on the original either.




Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984)
Lower tier De Palma, in what is probably his worst Hitchcock-aping film. An out of luck actor finds himself drawn towards a beautiful woman while house-sitting for a mysterious stranger in L.A. Unlike other De Palma films (Dressed To Kill, Blow Out) this lacks any innovation on his part and is hampered by what is ultimately a ludicrous storyline. May be of interest to 80's nostalgists, but I'm way past that stage myself. Although a club sequence involving Frankie Goes To Hollywood is probably the best bit in what is otherwise a pretty poor film.




Men Who Stare At Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
Zany adaptation of John Ronson's book about CIA mind control units. This film is episodic in nature, and therefore un-even, but has some great performances, especially from the ever dependable Clooney and Jeff Bridges who basically re-hashes The Dude only with a military career. The main story arc involving Ewan McGregor (in one of his dodgy American accent roles) is a little clunky and is probably best used as a loose anchor for a series of sketches. This film got mixed to negative reviews when it first came out, but to me, it is slight, enjoyable, and overall really fun. Worth a look.




Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)
An excellent, supposedly final chapter to one of the most beloved series of the last fifteen years. Toy Story 3 finds Woody, Buzz et al dealing with Andy's impending college trip and accidental drop of at a daycare centre. Toy Story 3 refines what was so special about the first two films and allows the characters to develop naturally without being too showy. Not that the Pixar team are resting on their laurels mind, the script is just as sharp as ever and filled with some terrific new characters (Barbie's Ken and a lederhosen wearing hedgehog, Mr. Pricklepants voiced by Timothy Dalton are favourites). While it does not have the knockout punch of the first two, or quite the level of emotion that Up and Wall-E do, it's really comforting to watch and basically spend time in the company of characters we have come to know and love. Basically, it's another triumph from Pixar, watch today!


Incidentally, the film is in 3-D and I really don't think it needs to be. Here is Mark Kermode's two cents on the subject and I think he pretty much hits the nail on the head: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2010/06/_in_order_to_see_1.html




The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
Soderbergh returns to his Erin Brockovich style, corporate villain mode for this strange tale of a real life whistleblower who seemed to be just as much of a crook as those he was informing on. The film is played as something of an offbeat comedy despite showing fraud and embezzlement on a massive scale. This is probably because Matt Damon's title character, an eccentric compulsive liar is such an oddball, that a straight telling just wouldn't work. Still, the tone of the film doesn't feel quite right and we never get close as to Damon's motives throughout. Not his fault though, as this is one of his best roles in a while, but the script and tone of the film just...seems...wrong. It's hard to explain why, but I just didn't really get this film! Maybe you will.




The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus (Terry Gillian, 2009)
Heath Ledger's final film, which Gilliam managed to save by casting Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law as various 'personas' of Ledger's wanderer who falls in with a troupe of magicians and travels to fantasy lands through the title character's mirror, or imaginarium if you prefer. I was expecting this to make the film patchy, but it holds together well and the concept makes sense in it's own way. The main problem is one that hampers the occasional Gilliam film, particularly his last two films, Tideland and Brothers Grimm: the script and story tends to take a back seat to his admittedly brilliant visuals. Occasionally the plot falls off the rails, particularly in the fantasy sequences and we don't really care about that characters as much as we should. Still, this is much better than either of those films and it does represent a 'return to form' of sorts for the erstwhile Python. Ledger puts in a fine performance, but Tom Waits steals the film from everyone, hamming it up nicely as The Devil. Worthwhile.




Jurassic Park 3 (Joe Johnson, 2001)
I was watching the first two films recently and then realised I had never bothered with the third. Not that I was missing much to begin with, as this is a virtual re-tread of the first film without any sense of wonderment. It barely even attempts a plot, as Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) gets stranded on Site B along with a divorced couple (including William H Macy) and some mercenaries. Some of the CGI effects in this film have suffered quite badly over the years, remember this is pre-LOTR and King Kong, and as a result JP3 looks more dated than the first film in parts! While it doesn't have anything as ridiculous as the Kong style rampage at the end of The Lost World, the film is pretty much a long chase and doesn't really raise the bar a great deal. Actually, Grant conversing with the Raptors using one of their skulls is pretty ludicrous. Still, at 90 minutes it doesn't outstay it's welcome and in the words of Samuel L Jackson in the first film "it could be worse...a lot worse".




The Descent: Part 2 (Jon Harris, 2009)
Utterly pointless sequel to the brilliant 2005 original finds survivor Sarah returning to the caves with a new team only to be set upon by more of those nasty cave dwelling creatures. Next to the original, this is nothing, the monsters are shown way too much and the film goes for cheap gore effects as opposed to the genuine atmosphere and scares of the first. That, and some really stupid plot elements make this a vastly inferior sequel. Still, I found it watchable enough in parts.




Green Zone (Paul Greengrass, 2010)
Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon's Iraq War-set post-Bourne collaboration is a huge disappointment. Sure, the trademark Greengrass action, editing and pacing are all present and correct but the plot involving Damon's Lieutenant in search of nuclear weapons and the US Government's cover up over intelligence is very preachy to the point of being really annoying and filled with stock characters who are on the whole one-dimensional and un-engaging.. The action is good, but doesn't re-invent the wheel enough to make one care particularly. Worst of all, I found it actually really boring. Not awful, but probably not worth your time either.


Film Of The Month: Toy Story 3