chrismorrell Blog

Gerdankerman

chrismorrell — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:54:19 GMT

I haven't posted a review for a while,but this was so lame,it reminded me.

What they give us here is,basically a half-arsed apocryphally accepted notion that everything and everyone was so sexist in the seventies,and that's about it. That idea is barely developed ,and it sounds like they made it up as the went along. Proof that Will Ferrell is only really as good as his material.

Ditched it after twenty minutes and put some Seinfeld on to have a proper laugh.

America bashing? ok timeout!

chrismorrell — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:49:07 GMT

I usually agree with "cinema rian" but not this time...i really did think it was "enough already" with the "only Americans count in the world" message.. (tell me something i dont know) and as soon as i saw the picture of the Japanese,or was it Chinese? guy with the Moroccan man i worked out the "link" in the story....As only Cate and Brad's thread is in English i didnt even bother with the sub-titles..when i did dip into them,the lines were all "dont shoot"...and "stop him" and basically "aaahhgh"...Every single character other than Brad and Cate is undeveloped,stereotypical,cast as outlaws,unable to explain or stick up for themselves..dont Brad and Cate KNOW they are employing an illegal immigrant?..i really couldnt be bothered with this..The phrase "snivveling load of shit" seemed apposite as the credits rolled,and i was sooo glad i didnt bother with the subtitles...i dunno,maybe i was in a bad mood,but ,for me they even blew the "touching ,comforting" scene between Pitt and Blanchette,when she's just "peed her pants" ..they cant help but let their little comfort kiss turn into a proto-hollywood snog... hey deja vu did this get Oscar nominations?

"The Devil's Whore"..what McNulty did next...

chrismorrell — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:45:59 GMT

After enjoying "John Adams" ,and ,of course the gracious bowing out of "the Wire" i just had to tell you about a new four part T.V series from channel four "the Devil's Whore"..
Having been infuriated by the actions of "Jimmy McNulty",creating the "homeless man killer",( I even heard a Wire fan call it a "jump the shark" moment ),thinking that he may go "all the way" and actually commit a murder.
Accepting the,quite conventional way that David Simon ended things .. One thought left hanging was,what did Mcnulty (West) do next?..
Answer: Dominic West is, no less than, Oliver Cromwell!, in "The Devil's Whore" a contentious iconic figure that he fills out superbly..honestly,i hardly thought of McNulty at all ..
Co-written by Martine Brant and Peter Flannery,(who is famous for a great bit of T.V from the nineties ."Our Friends In the North" which is full of top Brit stars that are even bigger names now..Daniel Craig ,Mark Strong,Gina McKee and Chris Ecclestone..) ..this is an Historically accurate drama,with a fictional thread which attempts to embody the mood of the times.. England was tearing itself apart,overthrew the Monarch ,became a Republic,only for that to resemble much the same tyrrany it purported to replace,ultimately ushering the Monarchy back...
Demonstration of the forging of power structures through force of individual will, the "cult" of personality,and the role that religious fundamentalism can play,make this another hugely entertaining ,precient and,indeed ,educational work...
Starring as the one fictional character Angelica Fanshawe "the Whore",the percieved embodiment of the "licentiousness of women" is the wey-faced Andrea Riseborough ,(nothing less than a junior Angelina Jolie...) her,almost "proto-feminist" character is a common factor in the lives of the key players...
"Leveller" , Rival to Cromwell ,Thomas Rainsborough is played by "Hunger" man Michael Fassbender..and the mercurial,"gun for hire" Edward Sexby is played by all time "man crush" John Simm..(Life On Mars ) it doesnt get much better than this. . Hopefully those outside the U.K. can access the web-site ..and get to see it via "I-tunes" or DVD...
So, as Elvis Costello said :"Olivers Army is here to stay" .. and as Cromwell "Lord High Protector" reflected, on the fate of "Leveller" "Honest" John Lilburne .."He was...a free-born man...." ..now where did i hear that line sung recently?

Preview ..re "the Nazis are coming ..."

chrismorrell — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:11:36 GMT

Talking of Nazis..how about the new Bryan Singer film Valkirie" with Tom Cruise as Von Stauffenberg,the guy who tried to blow up Hitler ..seems like lots of doodah is hitting the fan already about this,not least in Germany.Including from the Von Stauffenberg family...they dont like the fact that Hollywood has appropriated a story that German Cinema may well think itself better qualified,and by now ,justified, in telling ,although i see it's not the first time by a long way..and "Valkyrie" it seems,could well be seen as a re-make of "Stauffenberg" a critically acclaimed German made 2004 T.V movie....They also dont like Tom Cruise personally,notably because of his "religious" beliefs...(cue "Religulous" review) BBC Radio did a show about it a few weeks ago,with (audio only, obviously) clips .and .I must say,i couldnt help laughing at and bemoaning the fact that not a trace of a German accent is evident,least of all from Tom Cruise..I know it's not necessarily a pre-requisite,but couldnt he at least have given it a go?Arent "actors" meant to be able to do that sort of thing? Didnt they have German accents in Schindlers List"? Other cast members include Stephen Fry and Eddie Izzard..wait a minute, sounds like it's a COMEDY anyway!

Now you know i'm not anti-American, (anti-Bush yes..) but i cant help imagining a whole tranch of the audience for this thinking "hey, an American guy infiltrated, and tried to stop him... dude" ..

In "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" David Thewlis plays the Commandant of a concentration camp,and is chillingly believable ,it's not like we should demand Cruise speak German..but why not cast someone who could pull off the same job that Thewlis did.? I suppose it's about box office and Cruise's career?...

On the up side.Of course it's good that a story that hasnt been told in a "big" movie before will get put "out there" ,and more people will be educated to the fact that there WAS opposition to Hitler ,within Germany..

Le Scaphandre et le Papilon

chrismorrell — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:58:32 GMT

I put the title in the French ,well because ...we all know what a Papillon is ,and it's not so difficult to remember Scaphandre... this just blew me away..I heard that it was wonderful and it is .This film exceeded my expectations...i cried all the way through. I second every favourable review here.. As a piece of film-making it' s a triumph. A fitting testament to Bauby's strength of will,and wonderfully uplifting...

Touch of Evil

chrismorrell — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:59:51 GMT

My favourite Orson Welles movie.. check out Cinema Rian for a detailed review...I always remember this as one of the first films to scare me as a kid..the feeling of forboding is papable from the amazing opening sequence onward..Scary high-point for me, the terrorizing of Janet Leigh ,culminating in an horrific image ...The camerwork is totally groundbreaking..moving car stuff,with on-car cameras ..what must have been incredibly awkward dolly-work..and dynamic low-angles accentuating the domineering ugliness of Quinlan.. soundtrack is stupendous ,a scary soundscape to match the action,and the tragic Marlene Dietrich gets a "pianola" theme tune that will stay with you forever..

Funny what? spoilers but who cares this is utter rubbish

chrismorrell — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:13:53 GMT

What is this guy (Haneke) playing at ?..i could give it a three word review Pa-the-tic!... "Henry" the serial killer meets "Click" !

Yeah we get it..we are the voyeurs, this is so clever...why are we watching?..and all that...

The breaking the "fourth wall" bits arent even obvious enough to start with .

.If anything the depiction of the torture scenario is too intense,too realsitic for what this ultimately purports to be,That is, a treatise on our voyeuristic violence obsessed viewing habits..but , when he winds the tape back, for cryin out loud what a joke! the anger sets in... Why have i wasted my time watching this?..Dont make the same mistake... Obviously i couldnt help giving a thought or two to the Hollywood remake..I suppose Naomi Watts is pretty good at crying and going red in the face...

Doncha just love those Hockey jocks?

chrismorrell — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:26:47 GMT

I got this as a "JGL " fan,thinking it would be another "Indie" goodie,like "Brick" ,but no, it turned out to be pretty mainstream fare..Hockey "jock" ..rich parents..loses memory in a car crash ,career ruined .works in bank as security guard..stalked by crims..fill in the blanks..It's not that bad..Jeff Daniels is his blind "rehab buddie" and the main "baddie" is a very charismatic Matthew Goode, who is a Brit.(?) He was in "Matchpoint" ,that's why i thought ,"Wimbledon" connection!...Looks like it's shot in "Fargo" territory,the police have flaps over their ears,and everyone ice-skates.

Twin Town

chrismorrell — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:06:57 GMT

"Twin Town" is gruesomely entertaining..."from the makers of "Trainspotting" is the big clue..It's very violent,very cruel and the language is very strong.. It's fantastic! director Kevin (brother of Kieth ) Allen ,eschewing the usual "sheep-shagging" jokes ,although ,they are probably in there anyway,probably play a major part (cant remember) ..revels in "doing a Tarentino" set in Wales... "T T" takes ,lets say one of the lower postions, in a gallery of British dark comedies,along with "51st state" ,"intermission" and "In Bruges"...

review/ preview/john adams/spoiler alert..he becomes President.

chrismorrell — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:06:24 GMT

"John Adams" just saw the first one,and it's undeniably great. Not sure if i'm "hooked" or not ,yet..Paul Giamatti is sooo watchable ,but my overall impression was of a really well made "schools programme" ,a high production value version of what (still running) Brit kids "magazine show "Blue Peter" used to do.( Probably still does.Only now,instead of inviting letters and drawings they get steered towards the web-site and encouraged to e-mail.)

First episode starts in 1770 Boston,(so,you think "six" years to go...),when the English started to really piss off the "settlers". Adams.ends up reluctantly signing up for the Independence cause ,after "home-rule" is imposed...it's so historically and "present-day" instructional,it HURTS!!!

In London ,this week .plans begin, to move the American Embassy from Grosvenor Square to a site south of the river in Wandsworth..(I used to live in Wandsworth)..Adams used to live on the Grosvenor Square site in 1780,apparently,prior to becoming the second President of the USA ...

Yeah,it's sounding more and more like a schools project required viewing for all those of voting age and all that.. dont get me started on the Hollywood re-writes..

more power to HBO's elbow.