a nightmare on elm street - part 2 : freddy's revenge (1985)

part two of the franchise see's freddy krueger inhabiting the body of the teenage son belonging to the new family occupying 1428 elm street. with the exception of a genuinely disturbing opening nightmare, involving a schoolbus seeing the ground beneath it literally disappear, the film is fairly run of the mill in terms of the slasher genre. the brief running time meant that the film wasnt as arduous as its predecessor, but to be honest thats pretty much the only saving grace.

i really cannot wait to be through with the bloody (pun intended) slasher genre.

the silence of the lambs (1991)

for whatever reason i hadnt previously seen jonathan demme's seminal nineties horror classic, personally i blame the fact that the film has been spoofed to death in the years since its release.

upon release "the silence of the lambs" was considered to be a step away from the usual detective based crime drama, and its easy to see why it was given such a status. for a start it featured a woman in the usual male driven lead role. there are scenes wherein the viewer is led to believe, be it through their own expectations or those subtly suggested to them through various filmmaking techniques, that clarice, the stereotypical female of the piece will react to a specific event with a stereotypically "female" reaction, when in fact she will act in the opposite manner, pulling the proverbial rug from beneath our feet. its interesting to compare this to the previous alfred hitchcock films that i have looked at this week, in fact a very interesting comparison between the portrayal of women in "the silence of the lambs" and hitchcock's "shadow of a doubt" definately exists. obviously strong female characters existed way before clarice starling (the femme fetale of the 1940's en route to ellen ripley brought with it many an equal oppurtunity), but the emotional standpoint is definately a borderline unique one. whilst watching the film i noted that the way in which our emotions as a viewer are manipulated are very similiar to the way in which the character of hannibal lector manipulates clarice.

it goes without saying that anthony hopkins mesmerises as hannibal lector, and its a testiment to his creation that he is not only the one remembered for the film, but also that he won the best actor oscar for the role, strange considering that hopkins' role (timewise) amounts to little more than a cameo.

the technique on display in the film is much stronger than i expected, with the film displaying some genuinely innovative camerawork, well innovative in terms of commercial cinema, and while the film is fairly basic in terms of narrative structure demme wastes no opportunity for artistic flair when it comes to the aforementioned emotional connotation-interpretation provided through subjective editing.

the ending proves that the pastiche level sequels are pretty much the most pointless ever commited to celluloid, doing nothing but further the spoof-like portrayal of hannibal lector, once a truly terrifying character here in the silence of the lambs. as a sidenote, i found the film useful when applying the concepts set out in the work of alfred hitchcock to a modern day film. "the silence of the lambs" feels like a genuine (and very rare) extention to the work of alfred hitchcock, in that it is an intelligent horror film (not a thriller!!) that utilises pacing above cheap shocks.

rear window (1954)

as a childhood fan of james stewart's "harvey''-era work i often found it difficult to enjoy his more mature roles. having never seen "rear window" prior to this viewing, i am definately realising the error of my ways. sure, these later roles may be very different to the earlier one's, but thats not a comment on the quality of them.

"rear window" opens with one of the most beautifully crafted scenario's i have ever seen. the incredibly limited location is displayed fully with the inventive camerawork on display. specifically placed items tell the whole backstory, as a shot of the broken leg is followed by a shot of a broken camera before the camera moves onto a photograph of a car crashing into view. in this one instance we are shown the problem, the reason and the cause (two very different things). its masterfully paced storytelling, and uses very well paced, traditional techniques.

the opening scene is followed by small vignettes, each told from the point of view of the protagonist, l.b jeffries (stewart), that serve to introduce each of the supporting players key characteristics. this is again, a very traditional technique, used greatly in which to introduce the characters.

although the plot of the film largely revolves around the point of view of our protagonist, we are privy to one piece of information that he isnt, although in turn this is used against us, as if to confuse and throw us off of the mark. the piece of information that i am referring to is the moment quite early on where thorwald, the ''evil'' neighbour leaves his appartment with a woman whilst jeffries sleeps. it is with this action that we are led to believe that thorwald is innocent and jeffries is wrong. alas, as it is later proven, we were too a victim of thorwald's deception.

one thing that i didnt realise until recently is that ''rear window'' was made only 4 years after "harvey" which in turn was made between hitchcock projects. this adds testiment to the versatility of stewart, and only serves to prove just how wrong to seperate the two styles of work.

a nightmare on elm street (1984)

as a child i was always fascinated with the concept of fred krueger, the paedophile janitor and former resident of elm street. im not sure why exactly, but in retrospect thats a tad concerning. my upcoming masters in film theory dictates that i need to know the slasher genre thoroughly, and as i have very little knowledge of the genre, aside from a slight childhood obsession amounting to no more than a film poster on my bedroom wall and the overactive imagination of a ten year old, i decided to check out a few of the key titles. with that in mind i picked up the entire 7 film elm street series, with a view to check out the friday the 13th series and the scream series when finished.

having never sat through an entire "a nightmare on elm street" film in its entirety i entered the first film with the following preconception; the first film is genuinely good, while the rest are pretty awful. post-screening, and taking that in mind i am absolutely dreading the remainder of the series. while wes craven's film wasnt particularly bad it was just deathly dull. there was a point around half way through where i suddenly regretted the task of watching all seven films that i had undertaken. alas for the sake of my studies i will endeaver onwards.

despite climaxing with the most ridiculous ending to a film iv seen in a long time, taking the minute budget at hand into account the film really isnt that bad, especially when compared to the rest of the post-"halloween" slasher counterfitting that was going on at the time.

shadow of a doubt (1942)

alfred hitchcock's "shadow of a doubt" one of his earliest american films, and his favourite of his own films, is the key text in one of my MA modules, and the reason for the current season of hitchcock films being undertaken by myself. the title of the film is represented physically throughout, not only through the use of literal shadows, but also through the use of smoke, black typography (diagetic text ie, on the doors of the library) and even in the form of shrubbery to compliment the use of the "shadow" of the title. the most impressive and perhaps obvious use of shadows comes early on, in the shape of the train arrival in the station, wherein the newton family are encased in shadow by the imposing figure of the train. this simple scene suggests quite literally, the state of things to come.

another fairly basic, yet incredibly effective technique is the contrast between new jersey (being the site of uncle charlie's introduction) and santa rosa (being the site of the newton family, specifically little charlie's introduction and dwelling). the two locations are poles apart, adding another layer to the level of characterisation for all parties. the off-kilter angles in which the locations are initially shot tells the viewer to be wary of what they are about to see, giving off an uneasy and unusual tone.

the character of little charlie ages severely throughout the film, as well as developing emotionally. at the start of the film she is but a little girl, angry at the restrictive nature of the world around her, yet by the films closing moments she is the fully fledged protagonist of her own life, having made the decisions that have moved the narrative. shes no longer a bored little girl, but is instead a strong female character, which was actually quite a bold statement for the 1940's.

with each viewing of a hitchcock film, one of the more apparent archetypes of his work is that of the comedic character. "shadow of a doubt" is no exception, with the paranoid character of herb adding to the comic relief. not only does he add to the lighter tone, but his tales of murder provoke a side of little charlie's character unseen to the point in question. the full importance of the "comedic" role is completely exposed here, as what is presumed to be little more than light relief is shown to be an incredibly important narrative ingredient.

the birds (1963)

what sounds like a ridiculous idea on paper actually works rather well in practice, in the shape of alfred hitchcock's ''the birds''. when the small town of bodega bay is flooded by a mass of birds, seemingly out for the kill mitch brenner and melanie daniels (rod taylor and "tipi" hedren respectively) must survive the onslaught.

with particular emphasis on the eyes, the most vulnerable spot for a bird attack, hitchcock creates an otherworldly atmosphere, and a contradictory tone that promises light (most of the film takes place outside, during the day) but delivers chills. the innovative electronic score only adds to this.

"the birds" is the first hitchcock film i have watched in a while. having never been a huge fan, i decided the time was right to get a grounding in his work. and while "the birds" impressed, from what i have been told its hardly one of his masterpieces, so i look forward to delving in properly.

mallrats (1995)

a childhood favourite that surprisingly holds up still. sure jeremy london is awful an actor (the rumours that he was accidently cast in place of his twin brother jason london are probably true), but jason lee is endearing as ever and the film flows pretty well. in all its a pretty entertaining late night flick, with many a memory for this viewer, and while its hardly a masterpiece, its still a classic of sorts.

the hopeandbullshitlist (at 3/01/2009)

in what may go down as the biggest single shake up in the top ten ever, this week sees 5 brand new films land straight into the top ten, with lars von trier's "the element of crime" lasting only a week at the top. "pierrot le fou" taking the top spot was inevitable really, considering the respect i have for it, and i cant see it moving from there anytime soon, if ever.

1. pierrot le fou (jean-luc godard)
2. the passenger (michelangelo antonioni)
3. au hasard balthazar (robert bresson)
4. the element of crime (lars von trier)
5. sunrise (f.w murnau)
6. traffic (steven soderbergh)
7. che - part one (steven soderbergh)
8. bottle rocket (wes anderson)
9. the outlaw josey wales (clint eastwood)
10. red desert (michelangelo antonioni)
11. mon oncle antoine (claude jutra)
12. che - part two (steven soderbergh)
13. unforgiven (clint eastwood)
14. f for fake (orson welles)
15. the brothers bloom (rian johnson)
16. changeling (clint eastwood)
17. the dark knight (christopher nolan)
18. wall-e (andrew stanton)
19. the limey (steven soderbergh)
20. blow up (michelangelo antonioni)
21. europa (lars von trier)
22. the shop on main street (ján kadár and elmar klos)
23. hellboy - the golden army (guillermo del toro)
24. out of sight (steven soderbergh)
25. days of heaven (terence malick)
26. blindness (fernando meirelles)
27. killer's kiss (stanley kubrick)
28. dirty harry (don siegal)
29. mad detective (johnnie to & wai ka fa)
30. the idiot (akira kurosawa)
31. in bruges (martin mcdonough)
32. play misty for me (clint eastwood)
33. bigger than life (nicholas ray)
34. bronco billy (clint eastwood)
35. the terminator (james cameron)
36. the wizard of oz (victor fleming)
37. hancock (peter berg)
38. the day the earth stood still (robert wise)
39. iron man (jon favreau)
40. the gauntlet (clint eastwood)
41. breezy (clint eastwood)
42. before the devil knows youre dead (sidney lumet)
43. die hard (john mctiernan)
44. magnum force (ted post)
45. casino royale (martin campbell)
46. body of lies (ridley scott)
47. solaris (steven soderbergh)
48. indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull (steven spielberg)
49. the puffy chair (duplass brothers)
50. i am legend (francis lawrence)
51. space cowboys (clint eastwood)
52. quantum of solace (marc forster)
53. wanted (timur bekmambetov)
54. the magnificent ambersons (orson welles)
55. speed (jan de bont)
56. australia (baz luhrmann)
57. coogans bluff (don siegal)
58. the enforcer (james fargo)
59. joe kidd (john sturges)
60. spider-man 3 (sam raimi)
61. dear wendy (thomas vinterberg)
62. goldeneye (martin campbell)
63. night watch (timur bekmambetov)
64. judge dredd (danny cannon)
65. robocop 3 (fred dekker)
66. robocop 2 (irvin kershner)
67. zack and miri make a porno (kevin smith)
68. goldfinger (guy hamilton)
69. you only live twice (lewis gilbert)
70. mad max - beyond thunderdome (george miller & george ogilvie)
71. die another day (lee tamahori)
72. W. (oliver stone)

fanfan la tulipe (1952)

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i must confess that christian-jaque's "fanfan la tulipe" represents an area of french cinema thus far negleted and therefore unknown to myself. gerard philipe, an actor previously unheard of by myself, but somewhat a legend akin to james dean in his native france, leads an enjoyable cast through a fun enough swashbuckling adventure set during the seven years war. the film displays a wit and sense of irony that i, rather patronisingly i must admit, thought would have been lost on the era of the films production, alas i found it to be a surprisingly entertaining 90 minutes. gerard philipe is understandibly lauded in his homeland, judging by his performance in "fanfan la tulipe" it is due to his charismatic and whimisical nature, and proves very watchable. the film is reminiscent of kubrick's "barry lyndon" in many respects, in tone and literal story, and i wouldnt be surprised to find that jaque's film did indeed inspire kubrick's work.

che - part one (2009) & che - part two (2009)

this afternoon i had the privilage of seeing steven soderbergh's epic biography of eduardo ''che'' guevara in one piece on the big screen. the entire film lasts just under 5 hours, and features a 15 minute scored intermission and credit booklet.

five hours for a single feature is a new record theatrically for myself, yet the hours flew by. in fact i would actually compare it favourably to the running time of "australia" in a way, as both are big screen epics that iv seen recently.

benicio del toro is amazing in the title role, to put it simply. he embodies the character, and indeed the figure in a way that i cant imagine anyone else doing so. why there hasnt been as much acclaim im not sure, its one of the strongest lead roles iv seen in a long time. in terms of differences in the character between the two films, che is much more prominent in the first part, whereas hes slightly more in the background in the second. i like to think of the first film as the introduction to the character, both literally and figuritively, whereas the second one explores the influence of the man, again both literally and figuritively. the supporting cast is as epic as the running time, with all proving worthy counterparts to del toro, with santiago cabrera proving a bit of a stand out as one of che's cuban comrades. an appearance from matt damon as a middle aged german preacher proved popular too.

"che" is soderbergh's return to form, after a pretty poor 8 year run (his last truly great film being 2000's "traffic", incidently del toro's finest role to date). drawing comparisons to pontecorvo's "the battle of algiers", alongside the work of terrence malick, the film (s) proves a real joy, is genuinely exhilerating and the first of what is looking to be a great first month of 2009.

au hasard balthazar (1966)

"au hasard balthazar" is my first robert bresson. a filmmaker known for the quality of his pictures over the quantity of them (only 14 films were made over a period of 40 years or so) bresson has in the past slipped under my radar in the past due to the conflicting nature of his work and the french new wave. as im going to be exploring his work in more detail over the next 12 months (due to my MA's reading list) i decided it was about time i dipped my toe into the water, picking up a selection of his work over the whole period of his career.

the concept alone of the tale of a donkey who is passed from owner to owner, some kind, some mean, draws comparisons with the life of christ, with the story being a strong analogy for that of his life, death and resurection. jean-luc godard's famous claim that au hasard balthazar is "the world in an hour and a half", certainly ring true, although im not sure that he would be as supportive of the religious overtones (a theory proven true later on in bresson's life, when he confirmed the analogy as being his intention).

the film is beautifully shot, in bresson's trademark workmanlike style. there is very little camerawork in the sweeping sense, in fact there is very little movement at all, but this is appropriate for the tale at hand. as is the score, which borrows from schubert.

the wizard of oz (1939)

as per the request of my reading list, a fresh viewing of "the wizard of oz" proved a necessity this christmas. having not seen the film for at least ten years i had forgotten just how vivid and downright great a film it is. as a fan of the work of murnau and lang i was amazed to realise that ''the wizard of oz'' came just 12 years after lang's "metropolis" and murnau's "sunrise", which is surprising considering the technical progression between the films. according to one of the many documentaries on the dvd, "the wizard of oz'' is the most seen film in history. madness.

traffic (2000)

steven soderbergh's "traffic" is possibly the last of a kind. its one of the final films that focussed on the US government's "war on drugs" prior to the events of the ninth of september 2001, whereby terrorism officially became the states' first port of call when it came to protecting its citizens. a concept explored deeply in television show "the wire", the idea that the the national drug problem hasnt been much of a priority since the towers came down rings true in hollywood at least, where sprawling epics based on the subject are now fairly uncommon. the likes of the abysmal "crash" (the haggis deadweight, not cronenberg's masterpiece) now take its place, pushing the emphasis on human nature as opposed to high crime. which is a shame, as "traffic" is pretty much the best thing both the director and cast of the film have ever done.

the strongest section of the film takes place in mexico, at the source of both the drugs that move the story along as well as the bookends for the film. benecio del toro leads the mexico sections, draped in drawn out yellows, part of the concept that dictates each section of the film is exhibited in a different colour (with michael douglas' scenes as the government minister shot in cold blue hues), wherein the gritty reality of the drugs trade is revealed, through a combination of torture, corruption and political clarity. catherine zeta jones leads the california sections of the film, as the wife of a local businessman who is found to be a key player in the importation of drugs, who's own downward spiral correlates with the narrative flow. and while im not generally a fan, michael douglas is genuinely great in the aforementioned role, as the government representitive on drugs, who's own daughter is a drug user herself. coincidence or what? the supporting cast, filled by class acts such as don cheadle and luis guzman are great, and while there's many a famous face in the supporting cast its never particularly distracting.

"traffic" has aged amazingly well, much in the same vain as the political conspiracy films of the seventies such as "all the presidents men", in the respect that they both represent an area of society widely ignored.

australia (2008)

baz luhrmann's ode to his homeland proved an apt post-christmas viewing. not expecting to enjoy it at all i was pleasently surprised by the final piece. the analogy towards "the wizard of oz", while lazy, was actually fairly satisfying, and while its not something i can see myself revisiting any time soon it provided an entertaining 3 hours on a lazy afternoon.

the passenger (1975)

jack nicholson's finest performance, "the passenger" is without doubt one of the greatest films ever made. in turn i would consider the piece to be michalangelo antonioni's finest work too.

nicholson plays journalist david locke, a man fed up of his life and situation. when the oppurtunity arises, he uses it to fake his own death and take on the identity of another man. when the man in question turns out to be an arms runner, locke's life falls into chaos, culminating in the famous ten minute tracking shot that brings with it the films climax.

the limey (1999)

terrence stamp plays the limey of the title in steven soderbergh's low key post-modern homage to the british popular culture of the 1960's and the revenge genre. watching this so soon after godard's french new wave piece "pierrot le fou" opened my eyes to the great influence the movement clearly had on this film. the style and tone are very similiar, structure wise especially (though the comparisons to earlier godard work may be fairer).

the most notable feature of "the limey" is its use of editing. the unique way in which the flashbacks and flashforwards compliment and dictate the story is very interesting, and manages to portray a hidden segment of the characterisation that would otherwise be hidden, or even missing.

pierrot le fou (1965)

for me, jean-luc godard's "pierrot le fou" not only represents the best example of the french new wave (despite some purists attaining that its not actually an example of the nouvelle vague at all...) but is, in my opinion the greatest film ever made.

''pierrot le fou'' is a film about regret, even down to the final scene. the story of an ad-man who one day, out of work and disillusioned with the route his life has taken decides to flee with his children's babysitter, a girl with whom he has a past. in turn it is discovered that the girl, marianne, has a couple of unresolved issues revolving around algerian gangsters, and so begins a journey to the south of france. the synopsis just outlined does very little to describe the film, as plot is, in a similiar manner to that of ''a bout de souffle'', almost irrelevent. the film is more concerned with the emotions of the semi-eponymous character (who actually goes by the name of ferdinand, yet marianne insists on calling him 'pierrot'), and his journey into decay, as outlined fairly explicitly in the early party conversation scene with samuel fuller.

half way through the picture, marianne tells a story concerning a man that decided to escape death (as in "death" the being. ala bengt ekerot in ''the seventh seal", as opposed to the actual act) by leaving paris and then heading to the south of france, only to hit a truck after driving all night. this analogy rings true for ferdinand, our hero, and could be seen as a nod to the audience, whom by this point in the movement, would have grown accustomed to the distinctive wit and wryness of the sort of humour expressed.

its worth pointing out just how important anna karina, and indeed her relationship with godard was on the final state of the film. in the years since its release, ''pierrot le fou'' has been regarded as one of the all time great examples of a piece of work created through heartbreak. anna karina and jean-luc godard's marriage fell apart during work on "pierrot", with the couple divorced by the time the camera's rolled. this personal situation is evident on the screen, with "pierrot" actually turning into a rather more biographical piece of work than im sure godard originally envisioned. the treatment of marianne as a character, and the way in which she treats ferdinand steadily declines, commenting perhaps on the relationship between godard and karina. and while it may seem like rather a light hearted role when all told, try comparing the diet-femme fetale of marianne with korina's odile in ''bande a part", to see how such similiar characters are handled differently. im under no illusion that the break up of his marriage and the nature of his work following "pierrot" are no doubt linked, i would actually be inclined to say that such a dramatic change in style and tone has never been seen in the arts before or since.

jean-paul belmondo, godard's often used performer returns in "pierrot le fou", in a role that i feel bookends incredibly well with belmondo's work in "a bout de souffle", and in turn, performances that bookend the entire nouvelle vague movement. one could almost view pierrot le fou's 'ferdinand' as the grown up michel poiccard, a loose end that has grown up to be all that he despises.

godard's political tongue changes with "pierrot le fou", and signs of the work that was to follow are becoming. gone are the loving references to american popular culture, as seen in ''a bout de souffle'' with belmondo's 'michel' and his aspirations for bogard, and the almost status symbol-like nature of the coca cola bottles in "bande a part", and in are the sly (and at times blatant) swipes at american culture, be it the satirical verse of the party scene, told in taglines from advertisements, or the attack at the texaco petrol station.

and those are just a few of the reasons as to why "pierrot le fou" is the greatest film ever made.

die hard (1988)

tis the night before christmas and all through the house, ''die hard'' is blaring, it wouldnt be the same without.

christmas eve special! the hopeandbullshitlist (at 24/12/2008)

sunrise has finally been overtaken as the top film! im going to be watching a couple of films over the christmas holidays that are bound to threaten the new top film though, including my bona-fide favourite film of all time, so i guess we will have to wait and see just how long it lasts at the top.

1. the element of crime (lars von trier)
2. sunrise (f.w murnau)
3. bottle rocket (wes anderson)
4. the outlaw josey wales (clint eastwood)
5. red desert (michelangelo antonioni)
6. mon oncle antoine (claude jutra)
7. unforgiven (clint eastwood)
8. f for fake (orson welles)
9. the brothers bloom (rian johnson)
10. changeling (clint eastwood)
11. the dark knight (christopher nolan)
12. wall-e (andrew stanton)
13. blow up (michelangelo antonioni)
14. europa (lars von trier)
15. the shop on main street (ján kadár and elmar klos)
16. hellboy - the golden army (guillermo del toro)
17. out of sight (steven soderbergh)
18. days of heaven (terence malick)
19. blindness (fernando meirelles)
20. killer's kiss (stanley kubrick)
21. dirty harry (don siegal)
22. mad detective (johnnie to & wai ka fa)
23. the idiot (akira kurosawa)
24. in bruges (martin mcdonough)
25. play misty for me (clint eastwood)
26. bigger than life (nicholas ray)
27. bronco billy (clint eastwood)
28. the terminator (james cameron)
29. hancock (peter berg)
30. the day the earth stood still (robert wise)
31. iron man (jon favreau)
32. the gauntlet (clint eastwood)
33. breezy (clint eastwood)
34. before the devil knows youre dead (sidney lumet)
35. magnum force (ted post)
36. casino royale (martin campbell)
37. body of lies (ridley scott)
38. solaris (steven soderbergh)
39. indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull (steven spielberg)
40. the puffy chair (duplass brothers)
41. i am legend (francis lawrence)
42. space cowboys (clint eastwood)
43. quantum of solace (marc forster)
44. wanted (timur bekmambetov)
45. the magnificent ambersons (orson welles)
46. speed (jan de bont)
47. coogans bluff (don siegal)
48. the enforcer (james fargo)
49. joe kidd (john sturges)
50. spider-man 3 (sam raimi)
51. dear wendy (thomas vinterberg)
52. goldeneye (martin campbell)
53. night watch (timur bekmambetov)
54. judge dredd (danny cannon)
55. robocop 3 (fred dekker)
56. robocop 2 (irvin kershner)
57. zack and miri make a porno (kevin smith)
58. goldfinger (guy hamilton)
59. you only live twice (lewis gilbert)
60. mad max - beyond thunderdome (george miller & george ogilvie)
61. die another day (lee tamahori)
62. W. (oliver stone)

mon oncle antoine (1971)

claude jutra's 'mon oncle antione' has the honour of being this viewers favourite christmas film of all time. sure its a tad grim; the tale of a young boy confronting death and mortality for the first time couldnt not have been, but the atmosphere of the canadian asbestos mining town and the folk surrounding it create a christmas feeling like no other.

i first saw the film earlier this year, having been sent a copy by mistake (and at no charge!) by an online dvd store. as i wasnt expecting the dvd it took me a while to get around to giving it a viewing, with my immediate post-screening reaction being "i should have left it til christmas'', which desite the derogatory slant the comment may take, its actually a compliment. with the film being set (largely) over the course of one day in the aforementioned town's convenience store, it seemed to be the perfect accompaniment to the lazy atmosphere in my own mind on christmas eve, having winded down after a few hours of last minute work based activity. the fact that the day on which the film is set happens to be christmas eve only serves to compliment this even more.

jutra's film, in which he also stars was recently named the greatest canadian film of all time, and while i may not agree with that entirely (guy maddin occupies too big a space in my heart for such bold claims to ring true) it is a complete masterpiece. after watching the film earlier today, i made the decision that it would be my official christmas film, and will be viewed every christmas eve.

solaris (2002)

steven soderbergh's often frowned upon remake of the tarkovsky classic was given a recent viewing, in light of the upcoming release of "che" next month. while its not the marvel that is the original 1972 film, it is actually rather interesting, at least as an example of soderbergh trying a different genre. over the next week or so im going to watch a few more soderbergh films, in the shape of ''the limey'' (one i havent seen) and ''traffic'' (one i havent seen since its theatrical release), alongside the previous ''out of sight''.

spider-man 3 (2007)

i caught this on tv a few nights back. i was a fan of the film when i saw it theatrically, seeing past the many criticisms thrown at it, but found that on repeat viewings the film suffered terribly, ven more so than the first two films.

out of sight

being my first steven soderbergh experience i didnt know what to expect when i first saw 'out of sight', back during the dawn of dvd back in 1999. i picked the film up at the recommendation of a colleague at the time, he being the sole other dvd player owner that i knew back then. its difficult to explain the sheer exhileration that came with each and every dvd that i picked up back then, an impossible thing to explain now that the format is the most successful home entertainment platform of all time. alas, i was dubious of seeing 'out of sight' at first, the credentials of its cast being enough to cast doubt (clooney was fresh off of 'batman and robin' at the time, while jennifer lopez was, well, jennifer lopez) over the apparent quality of the picture. i was pleased to find that not only was i wrong to make such assumptions, but i was ridiculously wrong.

the shifting of time feels innovative, despite it being de-rigeur at the time of production to rely on such gimmicks, and the film has a none-too-shaky -cam handheld style that compliments proceedings well. and wouldnt you know it, clooney and lopez are both great in their roles. its since become apparent that clooney wasnt the clown that the misfire that was 'batman and robin' suggested, and miss lopez has seemingly all but disappeared, leaving not very much to be aspired.

judge dredd (1995)

a moment of madness, partly inspired by the news that a new version has recently been greenlit, ended with me taking a look at the the sylvester stallone-led "judge dredd". needless to say it wasnt as bad as expected, nor as bad as i remember. the concept of a helmetless dredd will never really work with me, yet the rest of the visuals work a treat. the blade runner-esque world of mega city-1 is really strongly realised, and stallone as the eponymous dredd is actually borderline perfect casting (were it not for the ego and the mask removal).

robocop 2 (1990)

the lowest point in the robocop movie trilogy (the tv series being off of the radar when it comes to levels of poor), has the eponymous hero dealing with a super addicitive futuristic drug and the ensuing cult that is attached to it. the film is harmless enough, yet it lacks the subtle sophistication of the first film.