Film Weekly... with Dan (1/4/10 - 8/4/10)

The purchase of a smart new monitor (20", while you ask) without a huge thumb shaped hole in the centre (knocked it over and dove to caught it, accidentally piercing the screen, while you ask) has snapped me into watching, roughly, a film a night. So why not offer my thoughts in the form of the classic paragraph/pitchfork-style-decimal-score review? OK then. But be aware, what I watch could be anything. I'm no Jonathan Ross, I don't do new releases. Here goes. This week, I watched....

True Romance (dir. Scott, 1993)

A film I had some knowledge of but had never seen (some knowledge, i.e. Tarantino wrote it and Christian Slater was in it). The support cast is truly astonishing, a veritable who's who of American cinema (Walken, Gandolfini, Pitt, Kilmer, Hopper, Oldman). A classic love story at its core, taking place in the context of Clarence (Slater) and Alabama (Arquette) inheriting $500,000 worth of cocaine, and escaping to Los Angeles to sell it and make their fortune. Gory deaths along the way, several hilarious moments, and, of course, the two lovers as the last pair standing, as the LAPD and the mob chasing up their cocaine annihilate each other. It's fantastic.

Tarantino's screenplay shines through; Tony Scott remained faithful to it as it has a feel similar to Pulp Fiction, it feels like Tarantino did direct it. It's hilarious also, Pitt especially as the stoner layabout.

8.5 / 10

Thirst (dir. Chan-wook, 2009)

One goes into a Park Chan-wook film with very high expectations. His vengeance trilogy, Oldboy especially, were perhaps as good a trilogy cinema has ever seen, each providing engrossing tales of despair with more twists and turns that Utd v Bayern. Thirst, however, was something different. The protagonist, Sang-hyun, is turned into a vampire by a botched blood transfusion. Tae-ju, meanwhile, is a pretty, quiet girl, fed up of home life with her mother and bastard of a husband. She is drawn to Sang-hyun, a former vicar, and a passionate affair ensues. Sang-hyun and Tae-ju murder her husband, but are haunted by visions and hallucinations of him. Tae-ju pleads of Sang-hyun to kill her to end the guilt, and a breathtaking scene occurs in which Sang-hyun duly obliges, only to be overcome by his own guilt, thus reinvigorating her with his vampire blood and in turn creating a new vampire. Tae-ju's thirst for blood is insatiable, so much so that the film ends with the pair of them, plus Tae-ju's mother, for whom Sang-hyun wants to see their death, driving out to the Pacific and awaiting the sunrise, where both are fried to death.

The vampire seems to be en vogue at the moment, with several excellent representations (True Blood, Let The Right One In [see below]), and Thirst is amongst the best. It is typical of Chan-wook's best: an intriguing, left-field plot, which twists and turns regularly; whilst aesthetically, the film is absolutely stunning, the comatosed mother providing a harrowing, haunting image throughout the climax of the film. I enjoyed Thirst exceptionally, the far east again proving that they are the current masters of the horror genre.

8.1 / 10

(500) Days of Summer (dir. Webb, 2009)

Don't be put off by the rom-com tag, for (500) Days of Summer is a film more in common with, say, High Fidelity than Hugh Grant stuff. It's a refreshing take on the genre. Although the plot is simply a love story, there's no cliched happy ending, and the non-linear format provides interesting foresights. Backed up by an excellent soundtrack also; the pair meet over a mutual love of the Smiths, whilst scenes in the karaoke bar, a key site in their relationship develop, have the protagonists singing along with the Pixies, the Clash, and, maybe best of all, a really sultry and sexy version of Nancy Sinatra's Sugar Town by the leading lady, the delectable and incredibly magnetic Zooey Deschanel.

(500) Days of Summer is hardly groundbreaking, but it's certainly a refreshing take on the romantic comedy, with moments of genuine humour as opposed to the same old cliches, and an equal focus to the breakdown of the relationship as to the blossoming of it. And for once, at the end, they remain just friends and move on. How about that?

7.2 / 10

Rushmore (dir. Anderson, 1998)

Rushmore surprised me, much like (500) Days... in that I expected conformity to genre, but was left pleasantly surprised. Rushmore is hilarious. Max (Scwartzmann) is a student partaking in every extra-curricular activity at his school. He is something of an outcast, and falls for a teacher (Miss Cross). Meanwhile, he befriends a wealthy industrialist, played brilliantly by Bill Murray, and the two find themselves competing for the affections of Miss Cross. Murray wins the race, which results in Max being expelled from Rushmore and joining a rough-inner city state school with hilarious consequences. A talented playwright, Max applies himself upon their breakup, and, being friends of both, reconciles them at the premiere of one of his pompous, overblown, yet hilarious plays.

The whole film is absolutely bizarre. There are fantastic gags combined with, at times, ridiculous visuals. Murray is at his surreal best, and it ranks alongside Lost in Translation (see below!) as his best performance. It's a great, offbeat comedy. G Harrington, you will love it.

7.8 / 10

Good Bye Lenin! (dir. Becker, 2003)

Ah, East Berlin. Alex's mother, a leading socialist, is in a coma when communism and the wall fall. Alex is warned by her doctor that any major shock could kill her when she comes round, so Alex, his girlfriend Lara and sister Ariane desperately try to maintain the socialist idealist lifestyle to their mother by creating their own news (often hilariously poorly, occasionally brilliant), and briefing visitors as a means of maintaining the illusion. However, his mother one days wanders outside to see East Berlin littered with Coca-cola and Burger King logo. However, Alex strives to keep up the illusion until her death.

East Berlin is believable, and the westernisation of it is somewhat tragic, in spite of the end of a repressive regime. The humour at times, although subtle, is excellent, although the tragedy of the situation looms large. All in all, the film is simply a child's love for his mother. The east Berlin context, however, is fantastic. See it.

9.0 / 10

Låt den rätte komma in [Let The Right One In] (dir. Alfredson, 2008)

The second vampire film in the list, LTROI is intriguing to say the least. From the perspective of a bullied 12 year old, Eli is a mysterious girl next door, who transpires to be a vampire. I've not a great deal to say about this. I enjoyed it, at times its a simplistic love story between the two youngsters, but there's some real, dark moments and scenes of pure gore. The children's perspective on this is a refreshing change from the norm.

More than the storyline, I enjoyed the visuals of the film. Set in a Stockholm suburb through the winter, the snow is often used to provide a real contrast to the blood very effectively, and the low light which is persistent, even indoors in many scenes, creates unease very well. The gory scenes also are impressive without being overly vulgar, as can often be the case. Overall, it's a reasonable film. The reviews were excellent, so I might be missing something. But it's enjoyable enough and worth a watch.

6.8 / 10

Lost In Translation (dir. Sofia Coppola, 2003)

Preconceptions: A Kevin Shields score, a great soundtrack also, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. I should enjoy it. I did!

Until their meetings, two constrasting storylines run side by side. Murray is a depressed actor in Tokyo attempting to film an advert, Johansson is frustrated in her marriage to a photographer. They meet, and have fun, each apart from their respective partner. Anticipation is the name of the game in this film, but the viewer is left unfulfilled in this respect: it never really happens. The ending is dynamite, there's a real will-they-won't-they nature to it, ending with Murray chasing Johansson down a busy Tokyo street and whispering something in her ear. They hug, smile, and each walk away, continuing with their lives. What did he say? It doesn't matter.

Again, subtle humour and Murray's depressed schtick are fantastic throughout, whilst the main characters are deep and interesting, finding each other through their own disillusionment, insomnia and ennui. Plus, the karaoke scene is great. Murray does a great More Than This by Roxy Music, while Johansson belts out Brass in Pocket. It's a really nice film, easy on the eye (It's got Johansson in it, of course), and generally enjoyable.

7.5 / 10

More films next week! Stay tuned.