The Dark Knight 8/10

The Dark Knight, first off it's way too long* (but then again what's new these days? everything is too long), in some ways it's a strangely cold and detatched film... but...still worth watching. Heath Ledger is very good, creepy, deranged and violent, but Christian Bale looks almost out of place, oddly he's side-lined in a Batman film. However there's some great set pieces, especially a chase sequence with the Joker in a large lorry (all bike riders will want the Bat-bike pronto).

One side note, this is a 12A film, so it's not a kids film, so you'd have to be a complete moron to want to bring your very young kids along to it (as some did today, it makes you wonder what a 4 year old would have thought of it). Let's put it another way, it's called the 'the Dark' Knight...you know...Dark, in tone, as in Violent with a vein of sadistic humour. Oh and one last thing, the film is very loud...that's VERY LOUD! so mind those ear drums down at the front :)

Worth watching though and still recommended, even though I'm no comic-book film fan

*Take my word for it your bladder will soon tell you this (actually make that it'll be 'screaming it'...you have been warned). At the Screening I went to the toilet looked like Glastonbury's finest after the film ended...splosh!

Cineworld Glasgow

Alice in den Städten/Alice in the City. 7.5/10

One of Wim Wenders earlier films. In some ways it's a minor masterpiece, even if Wim hates it being referred to as having the three AAA: Angst, America and Alienation, once again it's a road movie with a twist. It's also notable for having a soundtrack by the Krautrock group Can. Recommended.

Version watched (Region 4 DVD)

The Mist 7/10

Just saw 'the Mist', some poor CGI in places, a few genre cliches, and some solid acting, but the ending saved this film and raised above the norm. Probably one of the best downbeat endings I've seen for some time...and one of the greatest betrayals of a Lovecraftian horror ever.

Update (24 hours later): There's 'something' about the ending that's so out of character with the rest of the film (basically a daft creature-feature based on a novella by Steven King) that will stay with you for a long time. A perfect example of Lovecraft's 'Cosmic horror' (shock and awe in the ultimate sense), where the mind cannot/will not comprehend what is happening, and yet (all along) it's not 'without' where the real horror lies, it's always 'within'. Given certain conditions what would we do? Would we make the right decissions at the right time?

I watched the American (region 1) special Edition version. If you get this you'll also find the whole movie again on the second disc, but this time in glorious B&W....unusual for a horror film these days.

Das Experiment 7.5/10

The movie is based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in 1971. A makeshift prison is set up in a research lab, complete with cells, bars and surveillance cameras. For two weeks 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards. The 'prisoners' are locked up and have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the 'guards' are told simply to retain order without using physical violence. Everybody is free to quit at any time, thereby forfeiting payment. In the beginning the mood between both groups is insecure and rather emphatic. But soon quarrels arise and the wardens employ ever more drastic sanctions to confirm their authority.

Yeah, not bad at all, it's got a bit of a TV-feel to it, but it's nicely shot and fairly well acted throughout. Worth a look. As the trailer says 'What would you do'?

More on the real Stanford Prison Experiment:

The Visitor 5/10

I saw this last night at the cinema, very dull and twice as predictable. The acting was ok, but the film telegraphed every part of the plot. Within 20 minutes you could have guessed the whole film.

GFT: Glasgow Film Theatre

The Singing Detective 10/10

Today I've been watching Dennis Potter's TV series 'The Singing Detective' on DVD. IMHO it is one of the 3 most important programmes to be broadcast during the eighties, perhaps 'ever' (the other two are of course: The Edge of Darkness and Boys from the Blackstuff).

The Singing Detective is a masterpiece, note perfect from beginning to end, enjoyable on loads of different levels, in fact it's was TV should be like (all the time) in an ideal world. Sadly we don't live in that idea world, and I've almost given up on TV altogether. Sad really, but Dennis reminds what real TV is all about.

The Third Part of the Night 6/10

Trzecia czesc nocy an interesting little film from 1971, with some great cinematography. Checkout this chase sequence for example:











The music used in the film is also quite odd, think Morricone meets TD circa Electronic Meditation (Nasty Twangy electric guitars) meets lounge jazz (Vibraphone) with some Florian Fricke/Popol Vuh (strange stuff) with strings. It certainly creates a weird dream-like atmosphere.

The film rather tails off at the end, but overall it's just about worth the effort

The 'problem' with Morgan Freeman

Rewind back many years ago and I had just seen Se7en at a cinema in Derby. We left suitably impressed with the film and the actors...only that we differed in who we thought was the better actor. On one hand my mates thought that Brad Pitt was the best, and on the other I thought it was Morgan Freeman who gave the best performance (I seem to remember I used the phrase he had 'acted Pitt off the screen'). Fast forward to the present...and I've got to admit 'they' were right afterall. In the last year Pitt has appeared in the brilliant 'the Assassination of Jessie James by the coward Robert Ford' a very subtle and errie performance, whilst Morgan Freeman...just does...'the Morgan Freeman thing', as I like to call it. Basically he's just playing a version of himself, charismatic maybe, but still playing himself nevertheless. As bad as I feel about it I'm beginning to get annoyed by his acting...he's become the Sean Connery of America. This opinion hasn't changed after I saw Gone Baby Gone, where yet again Morgan plays a cop...zzzzzzzzzz...come on man, you can do better...do something different!

Currently watching: the Third Part of the Night

Films I should be watching at the cinema

So weird it must be good



Giant insects and Lovecraftian horrors...who could resist?



the Visitor

Gone Baby Gone 6.5/10

I saw Gone baby gone at the cinema last night, not bad, not perfect, but all in all very watchable. Definitely at least one reel too long and to be honest I'm growing bored with the whole plot twist/ explanation thing, it's old hat and script writers need to move on. Casey Affleck puts in a solid performance as a private investigator in search of a missing child, pitted against not only the police but also a family that's not all that it seems.

Bargain time at Fopp

I'm hot-foot from Fopp (can you have three words in row starting with one letter? they never told me at Oxford ;))..anyway it's always good to see what bargains can be had in their Glasgow branches. Today I found 4 which might be watchable:

A History of Violence (£3). For the record I should point out I hated Eastern Promises (total one dimensional pish and that fight scene was over hyped to hell....I've seen better fights in the town on saturday night!), but for this price it's well worth the risk

The Girl on the Bridge (La Fille Sur Le Pont) (£6)

Das Experiment (by Oliver Hirschbiegel the director of Downfall) (£7)

The Third Part of the Night (Poland 1971) (£8)

Annie Hall (1977) 7.5/10

I got to watch Annie Hall last night after a gap of 15-20 years. Ok, well perhaps not as good as I remembered it, but still very watchable indeed. It was funny to see how many of the one-liners from Allen, I could (almost) repeat word for word; surprisingly almost all of them, which is amazing considering I've ever seen the film once before. It's still a classic, and maybe as Woody has said on many occassions 'probably' not his best film

Recommendations

Two Korean film recommendations for you, firstly Oldboy...it shouldn't really need an introduction, as it was probably the most outstanding film to come out of the country in years. Go rent or buy it now! I can't recommend it enough, and I'm not going to say a word about it as it's a film that needs its surprises...and believe me you 'will' be surprised. If you have seen it go hunt down the other two parts of the Vengence series.

Secondly, and perhaps slightly less well known is A Bittersweet life...a more straight forward film but with style by the bucket load. Tarantino wishes he could be this inventive.

Click on the youtube clip to see the entire start of the film. NOT FOR KIDS THOUGH!

BBC Imagine Documentary: Werner Herzog, Beyond Reason

Werner Herzog was featured on BBC1 last night, in an hour long documentary by Alan Yentob. Neither the programme or the presenter were the most exciting thing I've seen in years, nor did it add much to what I already know about the director, however it's always good to see a few clips from Herzog's films and documentaries (I need to hunt down the one he did on the oil refinery fires after the first Gulf War, it has some amazing footage).

A few screen grabs from Beyond Reason