AUGUST 2005 MOVIE VIEWING #745 - #754

28 Sunday
Muppet Christmas Carol (Brian Henson 1992 85 mins) 2.5/ 5
[DVD] Film #754
First Muppet film seen. Short and enjoyable telling of the Charles Dicken novel. Michael Caine is great as Scrooge who detest Christmas until he is visited by 3 ghosts of christmas. Highlights - Beaker and Bunsen and the Swedish Chef- and Michael Caine's strong convincing performance. Maybe one song too many in the film but kept my interest all the way through.

Skeleton Key (Iain Softley 2005 104 mins) 1.5/ 5
[Coburg Drive-In 1 9.20pm] Film #753
The first ever film I have seen in a drive-in. A thriller about a girl (Kate Hudson) who tends to a stroke victim (John Hurt) in a house owned by Gena Rowlands. Some strong visuals and editing , but ultimately the film is let down by unfinished plot points- the bad casting of Kate Hudson, and the lack of interest in the narrative. Strong points include the performance of Gena Rowlands and John Hurt.

24 Wednesday
Land of the Dead (George A Romero 2005 93 mins) 1.5/ 5
[Highpoint Cinema 1 9.15pm] Film #752
Horror film director George Romero's slightly comical zombie film. While this film has only a handful of scary moments, the majority of the film is taken up with exposition, comical moments- and really doesn't know what direction to take. The open sequence braces us for a gruesome film- but then the film turns comical right away and loses that scary connection. Dennis Hopper has one scene in particular where he is very good - and the nice touch of the old Universal Logo at the start of the film made me smile.

21 Sunday
Barefoot in the Park (Gene Saks 1967 104 mins) 3/ 5
[DVD] Film #751
A really enjoyable film about newly weds trying to live in an apartment at the top of 6 flight of stairs. Jane Fonda and Robert Redford make a very enjoyable couple, with Fonda outstanding with her bubbly, happy-go lucky personality, and Redford with his suave demeanour. But, it is Mildred Natwick as the mother who is wonderful - a really genuinely funny performance with unequal delivery and movement. A surprisingly fresh movie which still stands the test of time.

21 Sunday
Wages of Fear (Henri - Georges Clouzot 1953 156 mins) 2.5/ 5
[DVD] Film #750
4 men are hired to transport an urgent Nitro-glycerine shipment by two trucks- without the necessary safety equipment. A film which starts off slow- before the main narrative kicks in a quarter of the way thorough and builds to a shattering crescendo.
Yves Montand is great as the driver of one van, and the leader of them all. Some very striking moments in this film- the destruction of one truck , the oil pit scene and the last scene of the film- the astounding piece of direction and editing involving the music of The Blue Danube and the way it connects the triumphs and tragedies.

13 Saturday
Bad Education (Pedro Almodovar 2005 104 mins) 2/ 5
[DVD] Film #749
Pedro always directs odd films- in this film, told with flashbacks within flashbacks, a movie script is being directed about the lives of two young boys and priest. The subject matter is not for the faint hearted, and Gael Bernal performance is , as always, strong. But I found the narrative to be confusing at time, and that some of the characters motives did not match the character themselves.

6 Saturday
The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy 1973 99 mins) 1/ 5
[DVD] Film #748
The strangest film I have seen since Querelle (Number 693). A cult classic amongst film buff, a policeman travels to an island to investigate the disappearance of a girl and is caught up in bizarre rituals from the island folk. Certainly worth watching for the sheer bizarreness of the story and Christopher Lee's over the top performance. Some nice images.

Brooklyn Bridge (Ken Burns 1981 58 mins) 3/ 5
[DVD] Film #747
Ken Burn's first ever documentary- a short 58 minute look at the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. It is fascinating to compare this documentary to later Burns documentary in respect to style and length of chapters. This dvd is quite short and contains 2-3 minute mini chapters whereas more recent documentaries have lengthy chapters. Still has the same Burns style to it, and I found this story to be quite informative and interesting.

3 Monday
Open Water (Chris Kentis 2003 79 mins) 2.5/ 5
[DVD] Film #746
Strong film of a couple left in shark infested ocean after a scuba diving expedition. some moments of the film are truly terrifying and in particular the remaining 15 minutes of the film is quite brilliant. in some situations early in the film the dialogue sounds a bit corny- but the majority of the film keeps your interest and builds suspense.

1 Monday
Saw (James Wan 2004 102 mins) 3/ 5
[DVD] Film #745
Great idea for a story- two guys wake up chained to a bathroom, and there is a dead body in between them. The flashbacks and characters and plot twists are very well handled, apart from the overall twist- which I picked in the early part of the film. Other than that, a real tour-deforce for first time director. Maybe slightly long and drawn out, but all the markings of a true genuine thriller.