What can I say about this one that hasn't been made clear by its own adverts and trailers? It may be Pitch Black, but it's not deep black. That said, I can think of worse ways to waste a couple of hours. Somewhere between a disaster movie and a wannabe-Alien monsterfest, this rattles along at a fair pace, with a huge cast of amusingly shallow characters (the stereotypes may offend, but I'm not sure they deserve that much attention) lit up against a dark background like the heroes of Scooby Doo and dying off like jelly babies in a schoolyard. The monsters - "a cross between a cat, a bat and a shark" - are predictably pathetic, but scary early on when left mostly to the imagination. The little ones, sweeping around in flocks, resemble little baby nightgaunts, and seem to produce the appropriate reaction in those they carry off. They're very cute.
I never read or saw much X-Men material before, though I had done a little background research as I followed the film through its production stages for a column I write. To be honest, I had expected just another vaguely irritating Hollywooden dilution of a once smart idea, with too many weakly developed characters whom the viewer was expected to recognise without introduction. However, this one is a rare creature indeed - a mainstream American movie with morally sophisticated, non-dogmatic themes. Its principle villain was complex, sympathetic, and not so very different from the leader of the 'good guys'. Images of the Holocaust, of rascism and homophobia, were conjured up to impressive effect in an examination of human reactions to what is different, and of the horrors which such reactions can inspire. Anyone who was ever (like Mystique) afraid to go to school will find something to sympathise with here, but the performances - particularly the key role of the bigoted senator so abused as to evoke anyone's pity - are so finely judged that it is equally possible to feel sympathy for those who are prejudiced, for those who are afraid. This film made me question the way that I personally respond to bigotry, and I admire it for that.
There's also plenty of action and excitement in this film, which manages to have things blown up in an impressive number of ways. All the central characters are memorable and come across as having distinct, developed personalities. Hugh Jackman's central performance as Wolverine is particularly gripping; his is a Han Solo of a hero, for all his superpowers coming across as an ordinary screwed-up idiot with his back agiot with his back against the wall, struggling just to stay alive, obnoxious but appealing because of it. Anna Paquin works surprisingly well as Rogue, and incidentally has a remarkably altered accent. Patrick Stewart manages to be surprisingly non-irritating. Ian McKellen is superb as ever, disturbing but tragic, and he gets all the best lines:- "A bolt of lightning into an enormous copper conducter? I thought you lived in a school!"
This film seemed to satisfy the longstanding X-Men fans with whom I went to see it, whilst I never once felt excluded as a newcomer. I highly reccommend it.
This was the first time in many years that I saw the words 'directed by Ridley Scott' attached to a film and found myself able to believe them. It is a delight to see such a capable film-maker returning to form; all the more so because this three hour long epic also marks a return to form for the 'sword and sandals' genre itself; after some thirty five years of nothing, we finally have something new on the scale of Spartacus or Ben Hur. Of course, Gladiator suffered from all the same problems as these recognised classics - its length was sometimes tiring, it was slow in places, it had a tendency to sprawl between sequences of action - but for he most part it held itself together well and was surprisingly gripping. Russell Crowe's strong, albeit blank central performance wisely eschewed glamour in the face of simpler virtues, allowing the character of Maximus to become a cipher for innumerable struggles against corruption in Rome. Oliver Reed makes a fine swansong, demonstrating the capability which lay behind his boisterous reputation. Joaquin Phoenix has suffered quite a bit of criticism for his portrayal of Emperor Commodus, but personally I didn't have a problem with that; because of the necessary weakness of the character, I felt that it was probably the most difficult role in the film, certainly the least sympathetic, and Phoenix made it believable; he gave the impression of being an actor who knew how to do research. It was amusing to see the way that other members of the audience reacted in shock at suggestions of incest and homosexuality - what the fuck did they expect from a film about the Roman Empire?!? Personally, for all their famous cruelty, I find that my instinct regarding the majority of Roman emperors is to take them home and wrap them up in blankets and feed them cocoa, because they seem so much like little lost puppies in the annals of history. This film, however, kept me on my toes, with strikingly choreographed scenes of violence and battle. The opening battle sequence was one of the best I've ever seen. Definitely worth going to see.
I thoroughly enjoyed
This one was much more like an episode of The Muppet Show than like those creatures' previous films; it was heavier on the sex, violence and innuendo, the plot was less coherent, the human actors got even less to do (though Andie MacDowell's fight with Miss Piggy on the beach was lots of fun) and the whole thing ended with a le thing ended with a sentimental and slightly lame musical. I can't honestly say I thought it was very good, but it was nevertheless fun; I expect just watching the muppets sitting around at home having dinner would be just as much fun, since it's their interaction, their bitchiness and their concern for each other that really makes this stuff work. The best bits were definitely in Rizzo the Rat's prison movie subplot.
On the third day of this year I went to see Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. I liked it very much, but I can't say I was swept off my feet by it in quite the manner I had hoped for. I don't think it's Burton's best work; it's also quite a departure for composer Danny Elfmann, whose sweeping orchestral score certainly marks an interesting development in his work but sometimes lacks the subtlety which I think the story needs, rather overwhelming the dialogue. Johnny Depp is passably good in a difficult role as Ichabod Crane; Christina Ricci looks pretty and behaves in a suitably confusing manner as the heroine; but of course it is Miranda Richardson who steals the show, unfortunately in some ways, as this makes it rather too clear that her role cannot be the cameo which it is first presented as. Christopher Walken is suitably scary as the horseman, but frankly he can look a lot more scary in a suit. In places the plot just got lost among all the running about and lopping off of heads. The script didn't always seem very coherent. The visuals, however, were stunning, both eerie and beautiful, and the light-work in the scene where a family are attacked in their home was on a par with the best moments of Vincent or The Nightmare Before Christmas. The tale is overcrowded as folk tales often are, crammed with bit-part characters, but for the most part it gets away with it, and supplies an entertaining, occasionally thrilling ride.
Inevitably, although I would rather catch them at the cinema, I end up seeing a lot of films this way too...
Last updated 13th May, 2005