rosemary's baby (1968)

roman polanski's horror film of sorts is notable for containing what is considered by many to be the archetypal performance from actor john cassavetes. a personal favourite of mine, cassavetes worked within the hollywood studio system as an actor in order to fund his independent directorial efforts. rosemary's baby sees cassavetes playing guy woodhouse, a struggling actor, not much of a stretch theoretically, but in this reality our actor makes a pact with satanists in order to see his career flourish.

the film is told largely from the point of view of woodhouse's wife, the rosemary of the title, played by mia farrow. as a result of guy's selfishness she bears the brunt of the effects by giving birth to the spawn of satan himself, which on paper sounds absolutely ridiculous, but is played out beautifully and is incredibly effective. the subtlety of the pacing, and the emphasis on family-based paranoia combine to create a film that is more metaphor than direct assault. its with this in mind that it goes without saying when i claim that modern horror films like the saw series, or this years my bloody valentine 3D pale in comparison in terms of effectively scaring an audience. stylistically the film owes much to polanski's european origins. character, subtlety and symbolism are key when it comes to truly involving an audience, a fact that seems all but lost in modern american horror films.

happy-go-lucky (2008)

having never really bought into the whole mike leigh obsession that seems to plague most film criticism, it would be an unfair of me to claim that i wasnt anticipating happy-go-lucky somewhat. the general buzz around the piece dictated that my interest was piqued, so it was with that in mind that the film was viewed. unfortunately i was left feeling almost indifferent to the entire film. there were moments of greatness (the early cab scenes between scott and poppy are nothing short of hilarious brilliance) but the underlying problem remains in that which many have mentioned in the past - the character of poppy is just too annoying. my only previous run in with sally hawkins was in two of leigh's previous films; all or nothing and vera drake, and in both she plays very different characters to that of poppy, which says to me that it isnt sally hawkins per se that is annoying, but the character instead. the character is said to be a love them or hate them experience, and for me it was just far too over the top. one other area that grates is the way in which mike leigh portrays the working class. i find it to be patronising at best, and totally off the mark. i couldnt help but find the irony in the use of the song 'common people' by pulp in one scene absolutely hilarious. the song is a scathing attack on class tourism, and also manages to sum up the way i feel that leigh looks upon the lower classes. a credit crunch amelie, the success of happy-go-lucky is dependent on how much of poppy one can stomach.

love on the run (1979)

coming soon.

monsters vs aliens 3D (2009)

dreamworks animated pictures first fully fledged 3D film is largely a success, although the pacing lags and the therefore the story struggles to keep entertaining throughout. the 3D element works a treat, although for the third time in a row a picture has been tarnished somewhat by the absolutely incredible trailer for disney pixars up proceeded it. for the first time in the short lifespan of this new fangled 3D fad a 3D ''moment'' has genuinely shocked me. the scene involving the ball at the beginning actually made me jump, something i thought i was far too world weary for.

in terms of characters monsters vs aliens succeeded in doing pretty much the impossible, by making both reese witherspoon and seth rogen bearable. will arnet, best known to this viewer as G.O.B from arrested development impressed most of all, with a great turn from hugh laurie too.

as family fare goes monsters vs aliens works really well, although the midsection may prove too much of a chore for some. its definitely worth seeing theatrically in 3D, but im not sure how valuable its replayability will be.

faust (1926)

the final film produced by friedrich wilhelm murnau in his native germany, faust (based upon the famous tale of german folklore) revolves around an incredibly simple premise, yet is magnificently epic in its full form. in fact, faust proved to be UFA's (universum film AG) most ambitious film to date, only being overtaken financially by fritz lang's metropolis the following year. in terms of set design and visual effects the film was advanced beyond its years, and still manages to impress.

the camerawork is outstanding, especially in the flight sequence. for its time this was ridiculously ambitious. the effects, although variations on simple old fashioned techniques, still work very well. it all adds up to create a very specific yet wholly appropriate style. there is a shot involving the young girl that is the object of the young faust's attention, whereby she becomes entrenched by the evil power of the necklace he gives to her, which involves an unusual camera movement that makes it appear that she grows physically whilst under its control. its a fleeting second of a shot, but fascinating nonetheless, and incredibly effective.

there is some genuinely terrifying visuals, the plague being inflicted upon the village being the one that immediately springs to mind, and sticks there too! the giant feather that makes up a section of mephisto's headpiece is downright bizarre, but all the more disturbing for it. there is a legitimate comedic streak throughout the picture, and is especially prevailant in certain scenes. the most obvious of these comic scenes would be the "he loves me, he loves me not" sequence, wherein mephisto is pursued by the character of marthe schwerdtlein. such narrative breaks were common place in the cinema of the twenties; over-serious subject matter was often broken by over the top, out of character (in terms of the style of the film) sections.

the film is rife with religious allusions, much further beyond the literal footing that the subject matter carries with it. the scene towards the end of the film revolving around gretchen's walk across the snowy field is akin to the proverbial trek across the desert, with the omnipresent tree even reminiscent of a palm tree. im not sure whether or not this is intentional, but its a great little touch. the religious aspect ties into the films overlying and ultimate theme; that of redemption.

bed and board (1970)

the fourth part in francois truffaut's antoine doinel cycle, bed and board explores the married life existance of antoine and christine, his sweetheart from stolen kisses. the concept of antoine doinel being a part of a marriage is an interesting one alone, and even the way in which the marriage is announced to the viewer is as inventive and quirky as one has come to expect from the series. as the camera focuses on various areas of her body, christine is seen walking down a street, stopping off at several vendors along the way. when referred to as 'mademoiselle' (miss) by the various people she encounters she corrects them with "non. madam!'' ("no. mrs!"). this somewhat slow reveal is the perfect way to start a film of two very distinct halves.

for some reason the first half of bed and board feels much different to the second. not really in terms of tone or anything, but moreso in quality. the first half, in which we see antoine ply his wares as a flower-dyer, and go through the motions of young married life is very entertaining, yet the second half (post-antoine's affair) seems lacking somewhat.

once again 'the family' is a major theme within the antoine doinel cycle. antoine's relationship with his own parents is once again avoided, but the onus is placed on that of antoine's relationship with his own son. the scenes of a proud antoine posing for photographs with his new born son is genuinely affecting, and wonderful to boot. his proclamations of his sons future greatness contradict greatly with the yore's of antoine's own relationship with his parents. in related territory we see antoine's relationship with christine's parents is as strong as ever. he latches on to them in a similiar way to how he did with colette's parents in antoine and colette. also, an indication to the doomed nature of antoine's affair with the japanese girl is perhaps telling in the way in which he doesnt develop a relationship with her family.

a key line within the film in the form of -

"moving from the personal to the universal"

is an interesting surmisation might be that just be the key point of the film, at least within the series. for the first time in his life antoine is truly independent, alas this might not be in the manner he had originally thought it would be. there is also a really interesting manner in which the doinel films interwene through converse, mentions of events, or homages of sorts are rife, with the cellar scene being a particularly nice nod to stolen kisses. the recycling of locations from previous doinel films, in particular the brothel and hotel from antoine and colette, is a nice touch, and similiarly theres a point where the relationship banter between antoine and christine reminds of the banter between seberg and belmondo in godard's a bout de souffle. taking the film as an influencer (as opposed to the influenced), theres an apparent influence within the film on the likes of wes anderson, with the whimsical and unique bold yellow subtitles, as well as the use of props and even clothing as a prop.

while its the scattershot and fantastic nature are what is most immediately striking with bed and board, it is the emotional subcore that is most effective. the moments wherein antoine attempts to prevent christine getting into a cab is genuinely heartbreaking, and the final phone calls are affecting beyond belief. this sort of emotional attachment, or reaction at least, isnt what is expected from this period of french cinema, yet its abundant in droves. the failure of antoine doinel's marriage is genuinely heartbreaking.

hiroshima mon amour (1958)

im going to keep this very brief, as hiroshima mon amour will be the first of a new in-depth type of article that i will be producing starting in the next few weeks. needless to say, hiroshima mon amour is perfectly apt as the first of these new, more analytical approaches to film criticism. more time will be spent on these articles, with a higher wordcount and a stronger theoretical background utilised. i look forward to this new approach, and hope to produce at least one article several thousand words at length every week.

advise & consent (1962)

advise and consent is very complex in its evaluation and exploration of american politics. as such the film feels incredibly authentic, and very honest an interpretation of what happens behind the scenes of national government. for its time the film manages to not only feel very fresh and bold, but almost nostalgic at the same time. bold in the sense that it is tackling incredibly controversial subject matter for 1962, but nostalgic in the slow pace and black and white photography that is used to convey the story.

at its core the film is an exploration into the corruption of an honest man, in the shape of robert leffingwell. the honest man gradually becomes corrupt as he climbs the political chain, the scene in the commitee where he 'breaks' the witness is heartbreaking in its display of how far a man can fall. the character of brigham anderson appears to be an attempt to rectify the narratives stance, by giving a second chance for someone to speak out and be honest. his subsequent death is genuinely distressing and the emotional peak of the picture.

strangely, at least based on what we are to expect of a film, charles laughton is the star of advise and consent. his character is discussed intently by every existing character, and at great length several minutes before his first appearance in the picture. his seab cooley is a terrifying and perfectly crafted example of character acting. henry fonda, as the young politician at the center of the controversies is great in a role that is surprisingly subdued. i guess such a comment is clearly the result of a film with such a large ensemble cast.

the moment with the president sat between the portrait of abraham lincoln and the portrait of george washington speaks volumes. not only is it a reminder of just how well otto preminger can shoot a film (the use of the widescreen pallett is inspired, and serves to remind us just how visual this rather muted picture is), but it also serves as a witty nod to the rose-tinted politics of the past. each of the characters within the film seems to be standing up for what they believe to be right, be it the upholding of the rules of congress or the defense against such dubious political figures as seab cooley, yet by doing so they are contradicting everything they claim to be just.

high plains drifter (1973)

the spritual and somewhat necessary follow-up to the dollars trilogy, clint eastwood's first western as a director proves to be the most visually experimental film within his oeuvre. at times the film borders on the genre conventions of horror, with the depiction of the death of the character of 'the marshall' being incredibly grim and suggestive, in line with the likes of exploitation horror films.

visually the film is nothing short of tremendous, especially within the towns transformation into an interpretation of hell authored by our protagonist (a literal man with no name, bringing to mind obvious parallels with leone's dollars trilogy). as is to be expected with eastwood's work the film is strictly paced, and perfectly so. saying that, there are deviations from the usual expectations, with flashbacks invisibly melded within the framework of the general structure. it all serves to add up to a rich experience tho, and while its not the greatest film in eastwood's catalogue, its still a beautifully unique take on the western genre.

casablanca (1942)

as an entity casablanca is much bigger than a film. it is a major part of hollywood history, and as such is incredibly hard to judge on its own merits. despite the relevence of such points, i have attempted to look at michael curtiz's film in an objective manner, although i am not sure of the level of success that that will achieve. casablanca is a film i remember looking at at 16 years old, in the first year of my film studies. its an archetype of cinema, a benchmark in its field. having watched the film for the first time outside of education for this piece i couldnt help but feel underwhelmed by the experience, which is disappointing to say the least.

a product of the studio system, casablanca formed the basis of pretty much every irony-laden romance that followed. its repurcussions can still be felt today, minus the bold, unhappy ending in everything from pretty woman to the notebook. thats not to say that casablanca is simply a romantic drama/comedy, it obviously carries much more than that simple tag (why else would it have endeared for so long), but upon viewing it recently i couldnt actually put my finger on just what "it" was.

"it" is the performances; bogart and bergman are electric in their roles, with bogart especially strong, in a glamourous role that is identifiable with and relatable towards. for me it was paul henreid's victor laszlo that was the biggest draw. the characterisation is perfectly judged, which i guess is what extends to the rest of the cast. the smallest of characters feel as though they exist completely within the world of the film, without ever feeling too unbelievable or over the top.

an aspect of the film that has alluded me in the past was the adoration with which the characters, and indeed the film look towards paris with. the famous line of "we'll always have paris" aside, the deep love affair with the city itself, perhaps a thinly veiled comment on the nazi regime prior to america's involvement with the second world war, is all too apparent, with the use of la marseillaise both as the score, as a diagetic 'weapon' against the germans, and as an influence being the most obvious example.

while the studio system generally dictates a formal approach to the process of filmmaking, a 'workmanlike' approach if you will, that doesnt necessarily mean that casablanca is particularly "workmanlike" in its execution. the muted pace and tone are perfect for the material at hand, flashy camerawork and overt-editing arent needed and wouldnt suit the film at all, with the occasional sweeping camera shot as daring as it is necessary. one cant help but wonder how the film would have been approached by the likes of orson welles or someone similiar, being that his film was far superier technically, and actually produced over a year before casablanca. that doesnt take into account the simple fact that casablanca is an actors film, it revolves around those perfect central performances completely, which in turn leads onto the acutely considered characterisation.

awaydays (2009)

the closing film of the bradford international film festival, awaydays from director pat holden and based upon the book by kevin sampson proved to be largely entertaining but ultimately rather disappointing. awaydays would at first appear to be a product of the subgenre of "the football hooligan film", a subgenre which, for this viewer at least, would potentially qualify for the title of "worst subgenre of all time". the likes of lexi alexander's green street and the danny dyer starring the football factory are genuinely terrible films, the problem of which stems from the fact that neither actually tackle (pun intended) the problem at hand, in the respect that they dont actually answer for the subject at hand, and seemingly celebrate the vile nature of what is being portrayed on-screen. there is no remorse, no real consequence and very little conscience at hand, which are exactly the things that one would expect from the portrayal of such dispicable behaviour. alas awaydays is largely removed from the negatives fo what has gone before, which in itself is a point worth celebrating, although it does lack severely outside of this one particularly positive area.

the familiar story of an outsider looking to be a part of a gang made up of people he aspires to be like, awaydays features twin great turns from its two young leads, both of whom are making their feature film debuts. liam boyle, as the genuinely likeable elvis is especially strong, in a performance that has a good chance of genuine crossover appeal into mainstream cinema. nicky bell is great as the young outsider, who strikes up an almost romantic friendship with elvis en route to becoming a part of the firm. visually the film is very strong too. it reminded a lot of anton corbijn's joy division biopic control, with the pace at times reminiscent of corbijn's film too. awaydays lacks the authentic feel that control had in abundance though, and at times feels like a fred perry commercial (everyone is far too clean and fitted).

the soundtrack to awaydays, featuring the likes of magazine, kraftwerk and the obligatory joy division is the highlight of the picture, bringing to mind christopher petit's radio on in its jukebox-like nature. the sheer fact that a film with a relatively small budget features such a strong soundtrack ought to be commended.

the films failings, which ultimately bring the entire picture down lie in its largely disjointed structure. perhaps this is intentional, in fact i am of the attitude that it probably is, but the nature of the flow is so unreliable that its problem is glaringly obvious when apparent. the running time doesnt help either, with the film being at least 30 minutes too long, although the editing nazi in me would trim 50 minutes, streamlining the whole thing.

despite being largely unimpressed with the film myself, i have a feeling that awaydays will be pretty successful when it reaches cinemas in june.

1001 apologies to thee...

you may have noticed the slight backlog of pending reviews on hope lies... at the moment (and indeed the new title), alas i am here to reassure thee that all will be well come the close of business on the day of mon. apologies wherein necessary, but i have been mucho busy(o?) at the bradford international film festival. the great irony is of course, that i have watched many great, great pictures over the last week, but have been without the time to report back. a revision of the list is imminent too.

thanks for the company...

adam


PS- i have created a new feature for the blog, tis very exciting. more details forthcoming.

fury (1936)

an old favourite, and a definitive product of the hollywood system that hollywood didnt want viewers to see, fritz lang's first american film fury is as watchable as ever. the story of a man whom is wrongly arrested and subsequently believed to be unlawfully killed by the means of mob protest apparently came in reaction to the claim that over 6,000 people had been victims of lynch mobs in the 49 proceeding years to the films release. such tumulous subject matter resulted in the unoffical ''banning'' of the film by the studio, before it reached home video at the end of the 1990's.

spencer tracy leads the cast as the dead man who rises from the grave in order to bring justice upon his killers, and as such the film is very much his. as was of the time the supporting roles lean from the side of comedic sidekick to lovelorn damsel, but its the central performance that one will remember.

fury is very much a departure for the type of cinema being output at the time of its production, at least within the american studio system, and as a result was one of the films that laid the tracks for film noir to cross. obviously lang's association with german expressionism lent him a level of authority that was perhaps lacking in the other key members of the foundations of fim noir as an american movement, and this is distinct in his early american work (pre-the big heat for arguments sake). in fact, if you look at fury followed by its immediate successor you only live twice you can see the similiarites towards film noir grow greater. as lang became a more relaxed american filmmaker his style laxed back to how he was comfortable working, as opposed to working to the methods outlined by the studios. inevitability dictates that lang's artistic capability would eventually dispose of the strict guides within which he would be expected to work, its fascinating to see it in action over a 15 year period. when you take into account the commercial failure of citizen kane, and the all round failure of the night of the hunter, films which were both heavily indebted to lang's earlier work in terms of style, it makes it all the more impressive that lang was able to somehow come through with bringing his style to the fore, in light of such financial duress. alas, if it werent for the failure of the two films named above i wonder if we would have experienced what we know as 'film noir' earlier.

personal services (1987)

in celebration of the career of terry jones, full time member of monty python and part time solo film-maker, the bradford international film festival ran a thread of his work, leading up to an evening of conversation with the man himself. the wind in the willows and eric the viking featured, along side personal services.

aside from the work of terry gilliam (and cleese's outstanding and underrated clockwise), i have never really explored the work of the former pythons. comedy is a genre that doesnt really grab me generally, especially most british comedy, and a bad experience with a fish called wanda as a boy has left a bad taste so lingering that it appears to have left a subconscious warning somewhere in my psyche. anyway, as personal services was showing as part of the terry jones micro-season i decided to give it a shot, and im rather pleased i did.

very much in the vein of the archytypal british 1980's comedy, personal services tells the story christine painter, and her rise from put upon waitress to madame of successful brothel. it really does take a look at a by-gone era, a world which no longer exists in the same way. i remember as a kid seeing inuendo laden advertisements for the likes of 'french polishing' in phone boxes and on notice boards, a concept which is explored in this film, albeit in a lighthearted manner.

having never been a fan of julie walters i wasnt expecting much from her turn. memories of her over the top gurning and whatnot alongside the likes of victoria wood mean that i find it difficult to like her as an actress, but she was great as the lead character of christine. without ruining anything, the 'revelation' of the character of dolly's true identity was nothing short of hilarious, and genuinely surprising. the star of the show, as it were, has to be the character of 'wing commander morten', perhaps the most likeable pervert to ever grace the cinema screen. alec mccowen's performance is one of the most genuinely hilarious i have ever seen, his presence and mannerisms alone were enough to raise a chuckle.

western union (1941)

more acute readers may be aware of a bit of a trend at the moment, alas it is purely coincidental. fritz lang's penultimate foray into the world of the western was sold to me on the premise alone, in which former gunslinger vance shaw decides to turn himself straight by taking on the task of protecting the building the western union telegraph lines across the western side of the united states. trouble arises when our protagonists former gang members prove to be the people that he is protecting his employers from, and therein launches a moral based western from the golden age of cinema.

visually the film isnt clearly "a fritz lang picture", in fact its largely similiar to other fare of the time, but the spirit, the conscience of the piece is very much of what we would expect of him. randolph scott, a hearty leading man who lends more than just a physical presence to the role of vance shaw, bringing the spiritual augmentation that the moral issues that make up the central conceit demands. robert young as shaw's love rival, an educated young man named robert blake, adds an element to the film that while it may not be wholly necessary, is still rather effective, at least in allowing the audience to strike up a relation point with shaw and therefore strengthening the ultimate emotional bond between viewer and film.

the inheritors (2007)

a genuine delight, and the surprise of the bradford international film festival for this viewer. former photographer eugenio polgovsky has produced a film that is incredibly slight, yet somehow overwhelmingly cinematic at the same time. the film is largely silent, with only the diagetic sounds of the mexican villagers the film centers on posing as aural interuptions. the sheer fact that the film shies away from modern attraction techniques yet still manages to work incredibly well says a lot.

as a fan of bresson an affinity towards realism was always apparent in my own viewing habits, alas the plight of the "stars" of the inheritors makes the lives of the put upon protagonists of bressons work seem easy going. a fellow viewer commented that he felt as though the film reeked of "poverty porn", whereby the audience would be not only manipulated into feeling a certain specific emotion, but the audience themselves would somehow be in 'cahoots' with the producers of the film and somehow be empowered by watching certain things.

the last metro (1980)

considered by many to be the film that aptly bookmarks the end of francois truffaut's career, the last metro marks an interesting counterpoint to the whistful youth of his debut work the 400 blows. while the core themes remain the same; disillusionment in authority, rebellion against thy bearers, the scope of this later work is much bigger. while the last metro isnt technically his final film, thematically it certainly feels like it.

the twin leads of catherine deneuve and gerard depardieu are nothing short of outstanding. they hold the film together in a way that reminds of the later antoine doinel films, especially bed and board, and is reminiscent of the way in which ''the relationship'' as a concept is predominent throughout truffaut's ouevre (as is apparent in jules et jim and fahrenheit 451, extending as far as both incorporating love triangles). the third party within the relationship of deneuve and depardieu comes in the shape of deneuve's husband, a franco-jew in hiding who manages to shadow-direct the play at the center of the film from beneath the floorboards. in a similiar manner to jules et jim, neither party involved in the love triangle is particularly unlikeable, extending an emotional draw to the audience.

the supporting cast serves well, with the controversial meanderings of some of the characters being a witty commentary on the behaviour and standing of the nazi party at the central core of the film. lesbian relationships, resistance guerrilas and blackmarket dealings for the basis of a heavy attack on the contradictory nature of government.

the films visuals are one of its strongest areas, with the striking photography possibly being the best of truffaut's career, and paying due credit to the fantastic locales recreating paris within the throes of world war two. it cannot be stressed how great looking a film the last metro is, i know its a cliche, but words simply wont do.

the electric horseman (1979)

an oddity of sorts from director sydney pollack that tells the story of 'sonny' steele, five times champion ''all-round-cowboy'', whom becomes disillusioned with his status as advertising icon, and flees the bright lights in an attempt to free the mistreated horse that he calls partner.

reminiscent of eastwood's bronco billy, the electric horseman tackles similar territory, with both facing outdated ideals that have been modernised with vastly different results. while the electric horseman never reaches the heights that personal favourite bronco billy achieves, its still a hugely enjoyable film, with a touching finale that will surely tug on the heart strings of even the hardest of hearts.

robert redford was at his most interesting in the years running up to the electric horseman, with his performance being reliably affable and being a great example of just why he was so appealing at that time, with jane fonda great as the co star that is more than just a love interest. its worth bearing in mind that the electric horseman came at a time when fonda wouldnt really be associated with this sort of crowd pleaser, a contextual affirmation of the importance of the films political subtext.

as may be apparent from the previous form of my writings, im a huge fan of the concept of the post-modern western, and the electric horseman fits in nicely amongst this subgenre.

faubourg 36 (2009)

christophe barratiers follow up to the chorus is perhaps the most staggeringly beautiful film i have had the pleasure of seeing so far this year. the highly stylised paris that stands as the films backbone looked beautiful in the 70mm print that i saw the film shown on over the weekend. alas i wasnt able to stay for the entire film, so cant really comment on the whole piece, but will say that the first hour was really good, with barratier recycling much of the cast of his earlier film. i look forward to seeing the rest of the film as soon as possible.

carny (2007)

an interesting little documentary on the role of the "carny" or carnival worker within the modern world of present day america. while maintaining an overtly positive facade of the its subject the film doesnt shy away from the darker side of this line of work (child abandonment, felony implication and three-way relationships are just three of the stranger aspects tackled). i dont know if the film will ever really reach beyond the festival circuit, the structure and tone seemed more at home in the home, via television, with the style being reminiscent of the sort of thing one would expect to be produced by the likes of louis theroux. it was a great film though, with its limited fate being somewhat slightly depressing.

how the west was won (1962)

one of only two films shot in glorious cinerama, the triple-director led how the west was won is an epic look at several generations of american settlers. i watched the film in the unique 'smilebox' style, that aims to replicate the look of the film as it was originally meant to be seen on the legendary curved screen associated with cinerama projection.

the film is hugely entertaining, and while its running time is hardly lenient, its not ever an issue either. in fact, i managed to fit in two screenings of the film over two days, interesting as the films visual language is. the episodic nature of the film dictates that its a relaxed view, although some of the segments prove more entertaining than others (with a personal favourite being the jimmy stewart starring one).

a. effect (2009)

a great little short film, a. effect tells the story of a 30 year old slacker that is trying to find his way as an actor on a college drama course. the real star of the show is his best friend patrick, a young asian guy with a mean travis bickle impression in hes repatoire. a. effect is the second project from former special effects guy mike ott, although based on a. effect it doesnt feel like a film made by someone who would have a deep understanding of the special effects field. the film is very much best summed up by the tag of "american independent film" or more specifically "post-wes anderson american independent film". usually i associate such a comparison as a negative attribute, why bother attempting to imitate wes anderson, he has such a specific style that it makes very little sense, alas a. effect manages to succeed greatly. perhaps the greatest compliment that could possibly be paid towards a short film is with regards to its length. when the credits ran, and patrick outlined his next performance (mark wahlberg's turn in the departed) this viewer was left feeling the need to see that film. i literally didnt want it to end.

OMG/HAHAHA (2007)

when setting out on writing this review i headed the title with the year 2009, assuming that it was a new film. however upon looking at the imdb entry for the film i found that it was actually 2 years old. this is an important note, as it confirms that the film has been as successful as i expected it would have been.

the descriptive term "the facebook generation", one which has been applied to this film, is enough to put me off of any form of anything immediately, alas i figured i would give it a shot. what i was faced with was perhaps the single most self indulgent piece of cinema i have ever had the misfortune to sit through. it was a mess of a film, with the incredibly naff concepts that drive the plot proving tired and contrived, which is kind of ironic considering the nature of the film. throw in a heavy dash of patronisiation and ladies and gentlemen, we have the worst film this writer has seen all year.

citizen kane (1941)

where does one begin with orson welles' debut/magnum opus?

often voted "the greatest film of all time" by publications as far and varied as sight and sound magazine, the american film institute and cahiers du cinema, citizen kane is not only an outstandingly produced piece of cinema, but its incredibly likeable and accessible too. having seen the film countless times over the past decade or so i am constantly surprised by the sheer number of things that i manage to pick up on each fresh viewing. its a pleasure to watch, and so devoid of pretension and the associated fears that i can actually see why such presumptions are made by those who havent actually seen it. at the end of the day the genius of orson welles' film comes down to one unmistakable fact; prior to citizen kane the modern feature film didnt exist.

the chorus (2004)

christophe barratier's multi-oscar nominated 2004 effort proved to be reliable middle of the road euro-fare. the story of an inspirational teacher at a school for delinquent boys is an inspirational affair, following the sort of inspirational teacher lines that one has come to expect in the likes of dead poets society.

formidable comedy actor gérard jugnot leads the impressive enough cast as clément mathieu, the inspirational teacher in question. he straddles the line between affable bufoon and subtle listener very well, and manages to draw a surpising amount of emotion from the role and project it upon the viewer.

the biggest problem with the chorus is simply that its ''fine''. its never particularly outstanding, but its not terrible. its occupies a strange junction between the two, which is all well and good, but dictates that its not particularly memorable or even interesting as a result. im seeing barratier's follow up at the end of the week, which i hope fares much better.