What We Watched: 10th - 15th March

Finally I think we are back on form, between us as glorious sixteen films have been seen and about fourteen of them were actually good. I have to admit I was getting a tad nervous that this lovely little dog was leading to my film-based demise. Thankfully I don't have to throw him in a bin just yet. Moving swiftly on let us begin with Sam's filmic endeavors. 

Sam's Week

The Artist (2011)

Just as joyously wonderful as it was the first time round, a film that is a true pleasure to watch. A sublime, celebratory love letter to an oft missed and unfairly forgotten golden age of cinema. All together now: “Wizz Pleeyyzzure.” 4.5 Stars.

The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953)

I won’t tell you exactly what happens but there is a moment in the Titfield Thunderbolt that gloriously exemplifies all that there is to love about Ealing comedies, a moment of such divinely refined Englishness that typifies what makes the Ealing flicks so great. I find most Ealing comedies an absolute pleasure and whilst I think naught will surpass the wonderful Kind Hearts and Coronets, Titfield sure comes close. 4 Stars.

The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)

From one stalwart British film making company to another, Revenge has all the hallmarks of a hammer classic, Peter Cushing, a classic movie monster reimagined, science and a hunchback. However it never really gets off the ground getting a bit too bogged down in the back story and moralistic complications of Frankenstein. 3 Stars.

Kick-Ass (2010)

My favourite film of 2010 still packs punch two years on, the tale of a geeky American kid who decides to live out his dreams of being a superhero and becomes the eponymous Kick-Ass and then proceeds to thoroughly get his ass kicked. It’s gleeful, anarchic comic book fun that I for one cannot get enough of and with eminently quotable lines coming out of every scene methinks it will be a film I will enjoy for quite some time. 4.5 Stars.

Mission Impossible III (2006)

This is the first M:I film I’ve ever watched. I wasn’t going to, as I have a bit of a weird thing about sequels and that, but the chair I was sitting in was super comfortable and I was still basking in the radiant glow of Kick-Ass. Oddly I remember very little of M:I III. I remember enjoying the mission bits, I remember laughing at what Ving Rhames did and said with his face, I remember being really really impressed by the sheer terrifying apathy of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and I remember having an “oh that’s cool” moment when it turned out that Tom Cruise’s brother in law was played by Jesse from the excellent Breaking Bad but all in all the rest is a blur… that can’t be a good sign… 3 Stars.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

 I was impressed by how quick this film is, of course it’s only 90 minutes long not a patch on a Gone with the Wind, but still, I felt like I’d only sat down long enough to take in an episode of a TV show. It’s so thrilling and fast paced meerily skipping along at a fair lick, which is pretty good for a film about a heist that never shows the heist. It’s funny, exciting, thrilling and a decade on still pretty fresh. QT still can’t act for toffee though. 4 Stars.

An Affair to Remember (1957)

This may well be a very odd and pretentious thing to think about An Affair to Remember but I thought it so you can hear it. One strength that I feel this film holds is just how exciting and sexy it is without showing anything thought of necessarily as exciting and sexy. Modern film makers could learn a lot from the sparkling back and forth dialogue shared by Kerr and Grant on the boat. But that is just of many reasons why this sublime romantic Hollywood classic is worth checking out. Divine. 4 Stars.

Brighton Rock (1947)

Whilst watching Richard Attenborough act it up as the menacing Pinkie I couldn’t help but occasionally find it quite funny that as he acted you saw sparks of the owner of Jurassic Park that was to come. Just sayin’. Brighton Rock, dinosaur park owners’ facial similarities aside, is a really good Brit Film Noir, oozing with atmosphere, menace and more than a few moments of almost German expressionist film making. Excellent film, I love the past. 4 Stars. 

Joe's Week

Rushmore (1998)

Wes Anderson is one of the few directors around today with a strong and distinct style. It's the reason why he is either completely adored or strongly disliked. Rushmore was his second film but the first to really wear this bizarre 60s European alternative scene on it's sleeve and dude, I freaking love it. The main reason I really adore this movie though beyond the charming story, the dark humor and Bill 'Fuckin' Murray, is a staged production of Serpico with school kids.......coolest thing in any film ever? It's up there. 4 Stars

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

Having given Wes all that praise for his unique sense of style, sadly Steve Zissou lets it down ever so slightly. It's the only one of his films that at times feels like a bit too much style over substance which is a shame because of the set this has to be the most compelling idea (a Jacques Cousteau-esque character coming to the end of his incredibly successful career and wondering what people ever saw in him). When this overload of style is most apparent is when it just doesn't make any sense like Alistar Hennessey's ridiculous beyond the point of funny boat and crew. Having said that it's still brilliant and the ending is so incredibly sad. At times it feels like Bill Murray is asking all the questions of his character about himself and that blubber at the end was enough to leave me a bit ripped up at the end. Sign of an awesome directing talent? Their worst movie is a four out of five (or is that just the sign of a delusional fan?). 4 Stars.

The Cannonball Run (1981)

After telling Sam that he should watch this I realized that I needed to watch it again because this film is just brilliant. Why? Jackie Chan......there are other reasons but if you need more than just Jackie Chan this movie isn't for you! The only problem with this movie is the last thirty minutes. It's a lot of fun but towards the end it just retreads the same ground endlessly and what a dull ending. 3 Stars

Whiskey Galore! (1949)

The problem with Whiskey Galore! is that it can't help be compared to the other far superior and far funnier Ealing comedies primarily Kind Hearts and Cornets that came out the same year. The idea is brilliant but it I felt like it never actually got going. Unlike many other Ealings it feels dated and it just doesn't work as well as I wish it would. It's still littered with some decent performances and the ending line is hilarious. 3 Stars

Pretty Woman (1990)

Let's be honest who really needs to hear what I think of this rom-com. It's of an era and it does everything you'd expect. It's incredibly predictable but hey, it's cute and Julia Roberts has the most glorious head of hair I think I have ever seen on film. It's fine and harmless and you probably know if this is something you should see. 2 Stars.

A Prophet (2009)

A Prophet is just a hell of a great story with a stunning lead and beautiful cinematography. It's a great movie that I can't give it a higher accolade than just to say it's like The Shawshank Redemption without the redemptive qualities in fact everyone that goes into this jail seems to come out worse. Gangsters in jail is still entertaining. A big 4 Stars.

One Day (2011)

I really wanted to enjoy this film. I really enjoyed Starter For Ten in book and film form and An Education has to be in my top five romantic dramas of all time, I freaking love it. So we have this awesome director pedigree and a guy who knows how to right some good romance and yet I really really didn't enjoy this film. It's paced horrifically and I didn't particularly like anyone in it at any point. I saw the 'shock' ending coming from the very beginning and all in all it just annoyed me that I wasn't watching some French new wave film. Redeeming qualities? Edinburgh is awesome as is the many different haircuts of Anne Hathaway. 2 Stars.

Super (2010)

Throughout this film I couldn't make up my mind how I felt about it. It's almost impossible not to compare it to Kick-Ass (at one point Ellen Page says "I wonder all the time why no one's ever just stood up and become a real superhero?" clearly one of the poor souls without Big Daddy in their lives). It wasn't until the final moments that I realized that this was something entirely different. Kick-Ass was at times trying to display a real life kid and his failed attempt and superherodom, but at it's heart was just a giddy gleeful mess of fun, gore and freakin jet-packs. Super is at times almost completely honest with itself, portraying Rainn Wilson as a delusional religious mad man and Ellen Page's character as an unhinged and worryingly destructive youth. However I feel like the director didn't realize this until the end because Super can never figure out the tone it's actually trying to hit. In the end it's entirely down to the viewer to decide if this is a disturbing mess or a touching story of a psychopath. I believe I am the latter. Just under 4 Stars.