Craig Skinner2013-05-24T01:32:01-04:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=craig-skinnerCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Craig SkinnerGood old fashioned elbow grease.Zero Dark Thirty - Torture, Revenge and a Question for Americatag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.25528692013-01-25T15:53:22-05:002013-03-27T05:12:01-04:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/Zero Dark Thirty moves into more scenes which are well-played to upset and discomfort an audience. We are introduced to the lead, Maya (Jessica Chastain), who is the somewhat unenthusiastic bystander, and later accomplice, in the torture of man believed to have information relating to global terrorism.
Maya appears in these scenes as something of a blank slate, aside from a few awkward looks she is at first also very passive, and despite the film's reasonably lengthy running time she always remains somewhat inscrutable, with the camera often lingering on her blank and seemingly dispassionate stare. She has one purpose it seems. To find Osama bin Laden.
Recalling the singularly focused female protagonists of seventies revenge pictures - Meiko Kaji's 'born for revenge' protagonist in Lady Snowblood comes to mind - Maya has little to no back story in Zero Dark Thirty and despite multiple interactions with co-workers she seems to form no real social bonds. When she later refers to the terrorists as having killed her friends the line almost comes across as laughable due to the vague or non-existent relationships she has fostered with others.
Her main friend in the CIA and the man who we first see torturing prisoners in the early scenes is Dan (Jason Clarke), an educated CIA agent who helps Maya in her quest to hunt down bin Laden. Dan quickly becomes burnt out and returns to America, an attempt to put the torture he has inflicted upon others behind him, although not predominantly due to guilt it would seem but out of some fear of retribution. He even comments to Maya, "You don't want to be the last one holding a dog collar when the oversight committee arrives." That Dan is aware that what he is doing may be considered wrong emphasises how warped the situation is within the CIA. Whilst the question of whether torture is wrong or right is not represented on-screen there is certainly the sense that those within the CIA know that what they are doing may not be entirely legal.
The lack of care for this subject by the characters is highlighted in a scene in which Barack Obama is seen on a television stating that America does not torture. Again director Kathryn Bigelow returns briefly to Maya's blank stare before the characters get on with what they were doing. This isn't a subject of particular interest to them despite their close relationship with what Obama is talking about. The characters in Zero Dark Thirty are focused on one idea and there is little to no room for self-analysis.
The controversy that has swirled around Zero Dark Thirty regarding a positive depiction of torture is a massive red herring when it comes to what the filmmakers are actually saying and appears to be largely born out of a significant amount of baggage brought to the film, rather than anything that is up there on the screen. Those who find the torture of human beings despicable, if only this wasn't just part of the human race, will find the actions of members of the CIA in Zero Dark Thirty deplorable and disgusting. Any sense that this led to evidence that helped find bin Laden will, of course, in no way change that. It is also disingenuous to suggest that this is the whole story, as the film presents it. It is made abundantly clear in Zero Dark Thirty that there is a web of information that leads to the discovery of the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and it has been gathered in various ways.
What has not been at the forefront of discussions relating to Zero Dark Thirty, and what was also absent from the mainstream news when bin Laden was actually killed, is the desire for his death that seems to be so often just accepted as a given. "If you really want to protect the homeland you need to get bin Laden." So says Maya, when her dogged pursuit of bin Laden is called into question by her CIA superior Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler). When Maya says 'get' she quite clearly means kill. Bin Laden's death is the ultimate goal, not his capture and arrest, and this is never once questioned by any of the characters in the film. It's probably quite likely that it also wasn't discussed in the real halls of government buildings in Langley, Washington and further afield either.
Bin Laden's death is in many ways the end point of Zero Dark Thirty, but the film does not end with a whooping gung-ho mission accomplished celebration of the death of bin Laden. Instead, the final line uttered in Zero Dark Thirty is "Where do you wanna go?" - said by a pilot to Maya - and a lingering shot of Chastain's face. After another brief period of staring into her inscrutable blank stare we see her expression change to one that looks almost despairing, before finally she begins to cry.
It's an open-ended and somewhat bleak note to end on and leaves an audience with an indelible sense of what the past two hours and forty minutes have really been about. There's an emptiness, a pointlessness to the whole endeavour that doesn't give the audience a sense of catharsis, a deep sigh of relief at the end that the job's been done, we're safe now, the bad guys lost. The final emotion is one of despair.
Director Kathyrn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal discard the simple American cinematic tradition of good guys and bad guys and leave the audience with the sense that even in the U.S. government's attempts to guard themselves from threats and seek some cathartic relief for the truly horrible events of 9/11 they have also found themselves in the 'bad guy' role and it comes with a sense of pointlessness and despair which is written all over Chastain's face. As Maya provides a symbolic surrogate for America, the final line in Zero Dark Thirty provides a crucial question for not just a post-9/11 America but a post-bin Laden America. "Where do you wanna go?"
This piece was originally posted at HeyUGuys.]]>The Sapphires Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20529252012-10-31T21:11:54-04:002012-12-31T05:12:01-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
Whilst the fact that the group never quite make it to the top should not be a surprise it is, in a way, a rather pleasing story development in a film that it is otherwise incredibly by-the-numbers. With every turn The Sapphires appears to reveal the screenwriters reluctance to show courage in what they are writing; plot points hint at something unexpected before falling back on the obvious and characters behave in reckless and almost surprising ways before quickly apologising. Occasionally the screenwriters even dip their toes into commenting on the racial tensions that an all aboriginal girl group in the sixties has to face before quickly pulling them out of such interesting waters and getting on with the light hearted japes.
Cheifly responsible for these japes is O'Dowd, who is the bright spot amongst a number of middling characters - more the result of weak writing than bad performances - and his attempts at injecting a little soul into a group that have up until now been performing country and western standards provides the film's funniest scenes. The musical performances are also pleasant enough but there is little that really pops or shines, despite the group's rather glittering name. Incongruity is rife too with a number of songs plucked from the seventies, despite the film's clear setting in 1968. The choreography during the many musical numbers is also disappointing at times, falling back on very unexpressive traditional moves and framing for the most part and looking like something of a cheap imitation as a result.
Cheapness is a general issue throughout too, with the sequences set in Vietnam suffering greatly from Blair failing to mask the artificiality of what we are seeing. An attack on an army base, for instance, should be tense and actually rather upsetting for anyone invested in the relationships on screen but it is very seriously undermined by characters awkwardly leaping out of the way of unconvincing explosions going off on a flatly lit location.
Innocuous and inoffensive The Sapphires is an easy film to watch, too easy perhaps, and many will find it a pleasant enough evening at the cinema but for those looking for something a little bit more special or something with any bite or sparkle, it's best to look elsewhere.
This review was originally posted at Craig Skinner on Film.]]>Room 237 and Film Criticismtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20528622012-10-31T20:57:02-04:002012-12-31T05:12:01-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
It seems quite likely that the first is an issue with the way in which the majority of people experience the world, with an uncritical mind, and the latter with the common belief that only ideas and attitudes that filmmakers 'deliberately' put into their films matter. Both responses are ones that are actually somewhat encouraged by a film that attempts to pull together a number of rather far-fetched readings of The Shining.
Room 237 presents the viewer with these readings through a reasonably fine selection of clips from Kubrick's films and beyond, and through the voiceovers of those expounding the theories. One effect of this is that we are never really presented with the people whose theories we are listening to, resulting in further distance from people that we really need to understand and appreciate where they are coming from.
The disembodied voices throw out a number of wild ideas as the film progresses, including theories pulling in references to Native Americans, World War Two and the idea that Kubrick was involved in faking the moon landings. The last theory is in the segment, the film is divided into nine, in which director Rodney Ascher really appears to nail his colours to the mast with what the film is really about. Rather than a serious and considered look at competing analyses regarding The Shining, Room 237 is either a rather snarky look at crazy conspiracy theories or a stupendously idiotic attempt at serious analysis.
When a voice informs us that the only anagram that you can make from the letters in 'Room No. 237' is 'Moon' it's not hard for anyone with a basic grasp of anagrams to realise how ridiculous that statement is and what other, rather unfortunate, word those letters can also be made to spell. The moment is rather funny within the film but it is only funny because it is such a mocking moment, a laugh at how deluded the concept is. Leaving that moment in tells the audience not to take any of this too seriously, it's just a bunch of wild theories. Why not a documentary about genuine, serious film analysis though, without all the mocking? Would that be so bad. It might help tackle the two comments I raised at the head of this review.
There are moments that approach serious criticism and even illuminate details in The Shining but they are somewhat buried, or at least obscured, by a great deal of silliness. The film delves into the set design, for instance, plotting out the layout of the hotel in a rather interesting way. Spatial fidelity is an area of film analysis that is all too often relegated to the margins of film criticism, with a lot of film critics often not too happy digging into technical areas of film analysis. The film lays out the inconsistencies in the relationship between spaces due to the way in which they are seen and for a moment the film becomes rather interesting, but it quickly moves off into a rather more zany direction. The modus operandi seems to be, the crazier the theory the more worthwhile it is to the film. Entertaining/funny theories seem to win out over sensible, carefully thought out ones.
I once saw the rather fantastic author/mathematician/scientist Simon Singh deliver a lecture on the Bible Code, the concept that The Bible can be used to predict events in the future. Excepting the challenge to find examples of the 'Bible Code' in Moby Dick Singh went on to show how the code could be used to find references to Princess Diana's death. Many, many references. To a hilarious degree. It was a funny exercise that swiftly undermined The Bible Code, making it clear how easy it was to find something once you are looking for it. Much of Room 237 is unfortunately just like watching someone explain The Bible Code and point out the ways in which it predicts the future.
Damage to the perception and understanding of film criticism is something that this film will undoubtedly result in, both from those who take the ideas far too seriously and perpetuate them further and also from those that lump in all critics/academics with the voices we hear here. The film will no doubt be entertaining to some, it was to me at times, but an interesting look at The Shining and the theories surrounding it, it most definitely is not.
This post originally appeared at Craig Skinner on Film]]>Rust and Bone Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20507522012-10-31T14:53:01-04:002012-12-31T05:12:01-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
The most compelling case for this is in a sequence in which Stephanie (Marion Cotillard), a whale trainer who has recently lost her legs in an accident, sits in the sunshine and imagines conducting her whales again. Seated in her wheelchair, her eyes closed, the sound of Katy Perry's Fireworks swelling on the soundtrack - a call back to an earlier scene - she waves her arms, imagining directing the whales again. As the music gets louder it subtly shifts into Alexandre Desplat's beautiful and tender score for the film. As one's shoulders initially hunch, ready to cringe at what could be a terribly corny scene, Audiard pulls every string in exactly the right way, and as one's shoulders relax the scene reveals itself to be not cringe worthy at all but emotional and near rapturous.
It is also Cotillard's extraordinary performance that pays dividends in this and many other scenes. Quite possibly her finest performance, she is utterly convincing as Stephanie, a character that is emotionally complex and intriguing from the outset.
Stephanie is only one half of the 'odd couple' that makes up the central thrust of Rust and Bone though. After a chance meeting at a club with the troubled and reluctant father Ali - played by Bullhead's Matthias Schoenaerts - Stephanie begins to develop a rather unconventional relationship with him, with Ali providing her with everything that she needs, liberating at her physically and emotionally. It is never quite clear if Ali understands that this is what he is doing for Stephanie and how important it is to her emotional well-being and her psychological recovery from her accident and this ambiguity is well played in subtle exchanges and sparse dialogue.
It is in this uncertainty, for the audience and for Stephanie, as to Ali's motivations and feelings that one can find some of the real substance to Rust and Bone. The emotional conflicts central to the film are extraordinarily deftly handled by Audiard but there is also a lot resting on the shoulders of Cotillard and Schoenaerts. Cotillard is, as I have said superb, and Matthias Schoenaerts proves without doubt that his performance in Bullhead was not just a feat of great casting, as his character here is complex in a number of different ways and he rises to the challenges the role involves.
Ali's relationship with his son Sam is a particularly difficult area, with Ali struggling from the very beginning to deal with the responsibility thrust upon him. His character is unlikeable at almost every turn and it is almost painful to watch some of his interactions with his son Sam (Armand Verdure), especially in contrast to his burgeoning relationship with Stephanie, and it is perhaps only in the final extraordinarily powerful few seconds of the film that one can ultimately warm to him.
Audiard and co-screenwriter Thomas Bidegain have filled Rust and Bone with contrasts and parallels - the physical ability of Ali and Stephanie's disability, the Ali/Stephanie and Ali/Sam relationships and so on - deeply seeding a number of interesting ideas into a script that is at its core a thinly veiled a melodrama. Audiard has then obscured the melodrama further with an almost minimalist filmmaking approach, save for a few sound mix choices and an appropriate use of slow motion at times, creating something that is compelling to watch unfold and never too insistent upon moving you.
The structuring of the story does become a problem at times, with an unfortunately abrupt jump in time shortly before the final act being particularly troublesome, but the strong character development helps smooth over any cracks in the way the plot moves forward. These minor issues aside, Rust and Bone is an incredibly well crafted and intensely emotionally absorbing film worthy of serious attention.
This review was originally posted at HeyUGuys.]]>The Expendables 2 Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.17710582012-08-12T19:27:05-04:002012-10-12T05:12:31-04:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
This intent never quite translated into The Expendables and the film was ultimately oddly cold and flat and most disappointingly, entirely lacking in any well conceived or executed action.
The film, or at least the way the film was marketed, seemed to click with enough people and The Expendables went on to be a financial hit, leading to the green-lighting of a sequel, The Expendables 2.
For this second instalment Stallone is out of the directing chair but there is still the sense that the film is is his pet project and he has managed to persuade even more action stars to come along for the ride the second time around.
The film opens with The Expendables pretty much as they were in the first film, with the addition of sniper Billy 'The Kid' (Liam Hemsworth), and in an extended pre-title sequence we see the group of mercenaries blasting their way through a town and blowing away hundreds of what we are to assume are "bad guys". The Expendables are attempting to rescue a Chinese billionaire, cue the painful one-liner "That's what I call Chinese take-out", and they arrive in customized vehicles with gung-ho slogans emblazoned across them, things like 'Shock and Awe' and 'Knock, Knock'. The former is presumably a reference to the military doctrine and the latter simply a joke due to its placement on a battering ram.
Now, if you chuckled to yourself at the idea of a military battering ram having 'Knock, Knock' stencilled on the side of it then you may actually find some enjoyment in The Expendables 2, a film peppered with 'jokes' that are mostly pitched at that sort of level.
On a number of occasions the action takes a time-out in order for one of the characters to quip something that seems well placed to entertain the other characters/actors, even if it leaves most audience members groaning and slamming their heads into the seat in front. The most painfully unfunny 'comedic' quips are those that reference other films, films that feature the actors who are playing the characters making the jokes. So we have Arnie accompanied by quips about getting his ass "Terminated" - don't think too hard about the visual of what that could actually mean - and Chuck Norris popping up out of nowhere, only for his character to be described as a "lone wolf" and then make an actual "Chuck Norris Joke", and not a very good one at that. The effect of all this quipping and referencing is wearying and not all funny.
Even if these kind of asides were funny they certainly wouldn't fit in with a lot of the rest of the dialogue, which is often po-faced and far too serious, despite all the bombast and ludicrous action exploding either side of it.
Stallone has the most cringe-worthy stoic and faux-philosophical musings to spout in the film but the pauses in the story for Stallone to say something that attempts to be meaningful are not the only efforts to play this farce with a straight face. Death, cruelty and exploitation are all treated with some sort of attempt at respect in places but these moments are always bookended with daft action or misjudged humour. A key character's death, for instance, loses a little of its impact when it is preceded seconds before with a trademark roundhouse kick from JCVD and then a very awkward line reading of "I'm dying" from the victim of the kick.
The idea put forward by Stallone's character (Barney Ross) in his more sombre moments, and explicitly made clear in Inferno, is that the characters are on some kind of noble and heroic warrior's path, but there is a vast difference between that concept and what is conveyed through the story and action sequences.
The opening sequence exemplifies this issue, with the Expendables blasting their way to the finish line with a series of moves that most closely resemble an obsessed video-game player who knows where every single bad guy is before they appear and where every trick to the game is hidden.
None of it ever looks hard. And it sure as hell doesn't look heroic.
This sequence, and the many others that follow it - with the exception of the mess of a climax to the film - are at least rather impressive in places thanks to some ingenuity in the conception of the action and some reasonably solid execution. It is in this area that the film excels far beyond what the original had to offer but that is perhaps damning the film with faint praise.
Simon West, whose career began with the asinine but entertaining Nicholas Cage actioner Con Air, has a much better handle on this large scale action than Stallone had in The Expendables and this is ultimately the film's saving grace. A gleeful desire to blow up as much stuff as possible in the most ludicrous way pervades these action scenes and that's mostly in the film's favour, with its 'action' being the main selling point.
The action in the larger set pieces is often fluidly edited and has the satisfying sense of a series of dominoes falling down one after the other, exactly as they are supposed to. It doesn't exactly make the scenes seem dangerous or suspenseful but in terms of spectacle West does impress. West and cinematographer Shelly Johnson's also pay attention to framing the action for clarity and to enhance the experience in these larger set pieces, something that is occasionally lacking in recent action blockbusters.
In the 'smaller' scenes and in the aforementioned climax things fall apart though and the action is often as half-baked as it was in the first film. Shoot-outs rely on pummelling the audience with disconnected shots of guns firing and heads exploding with little in the way of any relationship between the shots. Geographical logic is also often entirely absent and this combined with a lack of consistent coherence in the editing leads to these scenes becoming monotonous and often very dull.
The hand-to-hand combat scenes in The Expendables 2 also come up lacking, despite the talents that action stars such as Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins bring to proceedings. When Jet Li's movements look uncomfortable and unimpressive in a close-quartered space it is a clear indicator that something is amiss. Li's one action scene is plagued with edits that are either too long - lingering after a punch connects for an awkward period - or too short - missing crucial movements - and martial arts fans will undoubtedly find a lot to complain about. Later fights featuring JCVD and Adkins, who impressed greatly in the Undisputed films, fair even worse, with the latter's fight with Statham mostly obscured by bizarre camera placements and more inelegant edits.
The Expendables 2 is a Hollywood film that is entirely about looking inward, faded action stars coming out of semi-retirement for a big sequel to a film that was itself a depressing celebration of Hollywood mediocrity.
Hollywood has been having its ass constantly kicked in action cinema over the past twenty years by the impressive talents emerging in other countries and where poaching these talents has failed it has fallen back on old stars. The issue is that the stars in question (West included) were often not particularly good to begin with and this tired attempt to celebrate them whilst at the same time repeating their work is just a reminder of their failings and why they have since been eclipsed by greater talents.
A third Expendables film seems highly likely at this point but this particular Ouroboros needs slicing in half. And quickly.
This review was originally posted at Craig Skinner on Film.]]>The Kid With a Bike Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13741422012-03-22T20:18:44-04:002012-05-22T05:12:01-04:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
Cyril is unwilling to accept the idea that his father has just abandoned him and sold his beloved bike. He escapes the home to track down his bike and speak to his father. Unable to achieve either he is deposited back at the home, but not before a chance encounter with the near saintly Samantha (Cécile De France), a local hairdresser who seems to find sympathy with the troubled Cyril following an altercation in which he ends up wrestling her to the floor.
The two connect and there is obviously the early hints that Cyril may have lost one parent but found a surrogate in Samantha. Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the directors' (Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne) prior work this is conveyed with great restraint. The Dardennes never fall into over-egging the pudding when it comes to the relationship between the two throughout the film, but even in these early scenes there is important groundwork laid that holds real significance.
Cyril clearly takes a shine to Samantha, obvious despite his face betraying nothing, following a visit from her after she manages to find his bike. Cyril asks if perhaps he could stay with her at the weekends, something Samantha promptly agrees to, and the two begin spending every weekend together and forming a difficult but very meaningful bond.
In the hands of many other writers and directors this kind of material could easily be horribly trite, filled with cliché and over-sentimentality but in the hands of the Dardennes this is never a concern. Subtlety and naturalism are clearly at the heart of every choice in The Kid with a Bike and the film is so incredibly engaging and affecting as a result of the strong commitment to this approach. The cinematography is understated and mostly hand-held and the only area in which stylistic intrusion interferes in the story is a few instances in which a single piece of music disrupts and distracts. Not a particularly significant problem and in any other film the brief washes of music could even go unnoticed. Here though it is entirely conspicuous and an odd choice that seems to add nothing but instantly pull one out of the film. The moments are brief though and for the most part every moment in The Kid with a Bike is near flawless. Once drawn into Cyril's small world you are captivated, every twist in the story leaving you almost holding your breath, anxious as to what will happen next.
Despite the rather difficult subject matter and tense plotting, it gets darker than the above set up would perhaps suggest, the film does contain some levity. A rather 'pretty' summer bike ride is, for instance, a moment to take a sigh of relief and despite this moment treading a thin line from simply being twee it is entirely in service of the story and in keeping with the events that are unfolding. This sweet aside is also contrasted by heartbreaking moments, such as a near tragic accident late in the film or the moment in which Samantha's boyfriend forces her to choose between him and Cyril, following a bout of particularly bad behaviour from Cyril. Samantha's flat response of "him" to the question from her boyfriend, "It's me or him" is utterly convincing and beautifully underplayed. So much goes unsaid in this brief moment but so much is conveyed, a perfect encapsulation of the beauty of The Kid with a Bike.
Deftly written, sensitively directed and with nuanced and considered performances, The Kid with a Bike is another wonderful and engaging film from Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne.
The Kid with a Bike is in UK cinemas now.
This review was originally posted at HeyUGuys.co.uk]]>Wild Bill Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13739932012-03-22T18:50:08-04:002012-05-22T05:12:01-04:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
Ulu Grosbard's under-seen and underrated 1978 film Straight Time (based on the equally excellent book No Beast So Fierce by Edward Bunker) uses this premise to explore the way in which the released inmate's, played by Dustin Hoffman, life is defined by the way in which they have been labelled by society.
In his debut film, Wild Bill, Dexter Fletcher treads similar territory with his lead character struggling to adjust to life outside of prison but in addition he introduces an intense family drama to the mix.
The titular Bill (Charlie Creed-Miles) returns home from prison after many years inside and in the interim period his two sons, Jimmy (Sammy Williams) and Dean (Will Poulter), have been abandoned by their mother and left to fend for themselves. In Bill's absence 15 year-old Dean has taken on the role of the family patriarch and cares for his younger brother whilst trying to hold down an illegal job on a construction site. Rather amusingly, and with a hint of social commentary, the construction site in question is the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.
Shortly after Bill's release he is deposited unconscious onto Dean and Jimmy's sofa, Bill's old friends do a good job of celebrating his return by helping him get totally inebriated. Dean and Bill instantly clash, Dean clearly blaming his father for, in his eyes, abandoning them. The animosity intensifies when Bill later highlights the boy's living arrangements to the social services leading to a rather awkward home visit.
Bill is at first a reluctant father, uninterested in taking care of the boys and anxious to get away from his old criminal life, planning to move up north for work and a new start. Dean manages to blackmail him into staying though, at least until the social services are off their backs.
The remainder of the film follows a path that is perhaps not too difficult to predict, with Bill upsetting the apple cart by refusing to get back involved with his old friends' criminal activities, Dean and Jimmy reconnecting with their father and a slight romantic sub-plot between Bill and local prostitute Roxy (Liz White). The film rests not on dramatic twists and turns though but on a slow and engrossing story that pulls you into the world in which the main protagonists and a number of side characters (populated by very recognisable British actors) live. This is done with expediency and an economy that ensures that a lot of the characters really get under your skin without the film feeling crowded or over-reaching.
The way in which the actors inhabit their roles is also essential to this investment and there are many performances to commend here. Poulter is perhaps most noteworthy, unsurprising to anyone who has seen his impressive debut in Son of Rambow in 2007, but Liz White is also excellent in a role that could have so easily been a simple stereotype. The way her character is drawn has subtlety and she brings a lot of warmth to the role.
Fletcher perhaps lives up to a widely held belief here about the ability of actor turned directors to coax strong performances out of actors but a lot of the groundwork is clearly already there in the script (written by Fletcher and Danny King). Fletcher's direction is also mostly very competent with the film feeling entirely cinematic, no complaints here about this looking like an ITV drama, but retaining an intimate and small scale approach. Cinematographer George Richmond does excellent work too, helping give the film a look of its own and technically notable shots such as a long tracking shot early on, which weaves through their flat and the corridor outside, belie the low budget roots of the film but are appropriate to the content, not simply grandstanding.
Far removed from the nonsensical and childishly excessive gangster films that have clogged up DVD shelves in the UK, particularly in the wake of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (in which Fletcher starred), Wild Bill is a convincing and absorbing drama and an impressive début feature.
Wild Bill is in UK cinemas now.
This review was originally posted at HeyUGuys.co.uk]]>Haywire Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.12202962012-01-20T20:55:41-05:002012-03-21T05:12:01-04:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
The fight is brutal, faces are pounded and bones crunch, but it's also beautifully choreographed, expertly performed and shot and edited with the utmost skill and scalpel-like precision. Using a number of different set-ups Soderbergh, editing the film under one of his usual aliases, cuts between them with enough speed to ensure the sequence is dynamic but slow enough to ensure one's eyes take in all the necessary information.
The scene is something of a masterclass in the way in which action can be shot and edited, and it doesn't hurt that Carano, the star of the scene and the film, is an accomplished MMA fighter.
Mallory is a covert operative employed by an agency whose client book includes the US government. The agency frequently carry out jobs that the government would rather not get their hands dirty doing themselves and Mallory quickly comes to the government's attention. Prior to their confrontation in the diner Aaron and Mallory worked together on a hostage rescue in Barcelona, work that their handler Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) won from US government employer Coblenz (Michael Douglas). Since the mission a lot has changed though, Mallory has 'gone rogue' and her former employers are hot on her heels. Following her escape from Aaron, Mallory steals a car, taking its owner Scott (Michael Angarano) hostage. She then begins to tell Scott all the details that led her to where she is now and the film shifts into a series of flashbacks that make up the bulk of the film.
The script, penned by Lem Dobbs (The Limey), is economical enough to ensure that the film, which is at its heart a fast-paced action thriller, never gets bogged down in overly complex plotting but it's also intricate enough to keep one interested and invested in what is transpiring. Various puzzle pieces slowly fall into place and as the full picture is revealed there are twists and turns but no huge surprises. As we gradually learn what has occurred though we are slowly pulled closer and closer to Mallory's character, investing more in her plight as we do so.
Carano's performance as Mallory, her first major role, is highly commendable and whilst she brings all that is needed to the stunning action sequences it is in some of the more subtle moments that she really impresses. A cracked smile or quizzical eyebrow at the right moment is enough to communicate everything we need to know and feel and the film is filled with silent communicative moments that work extraordinarily well both on a character and story level.
Carano is also surrounded by a number of excellent actors in supporting roles, including, in addition to those already mention; Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas, Mathieu Kassovitz and the ever reliable Michael Fassbender.
The fight in a hotel room between Carano and Fassbender, which has been at the centre of the film's marketing, is truly extraordinary and a high point amidst a number of excellent physical sequences. Their relationship, two spies thrown together and made to play at being a couple, makes for some interesting and playful interplay between the two but there is more going on beneath the surface. Haywire is filled with subtle genre twists, evidence that Dobbs and Soderbergh are having fun subverting expectations somewhat, and the way in which the film's script deals with the gender of the lead character is also more densely interesting than it may first appear.
When Kenneth (McGregor) comments "Don't think of her as a woman, that would be a mistake." the dialogue is making explicit an area for discussion that runs throughout Haywire. Carano is, for instance, as forceful beating Aaron to the ground as she is when she pulls him towards her and kisses him in a flashback to Barcelona. She's in charge and dominant.
Mallory is not a simple ass-kicking alpha female though, a common archetype that is so often just a male stereotype in the skin of a female action hero, and there are crucial moments when her fragility and emotional range is evident. She is hurt at times, both emotionally and physically, revealing a more complex and truer depth to her character. Haywire is not a heavy-handed essay piece though, it's a super slick action movie which is just thankfully as intelligently thought out as it is entertaining.
Smart, stylish and incredibly well crafted, Haywire is as ludicrously pleasing to the eye as the best of Soderbergh's recent work and even if you don't engage with the intriguing thematic subtext the film is a thrilling and riveting action spectacle with plenty of jaw-dropping action set pieces.
Haywire is in UK cinemas now.]]>The Artist Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.11282252011-12-04T15:49:34-05:002012-02-03T05:12:01-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies in 2006 Michel Hazanavicius and the seemingly effortlessly charismatic Jean Dujardin looked set for global domination and a real crossover into the mainstream cinema-goer's consciousness. Outside of France OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, and the equally smart and entertaining sequel OSS 117 - Lost in Rio (2009), never seemed to really break out in the way that they perhaps should have done though.
Despite some incredibly witty and biting satire and a glorious cinephilic approach to filmmaking, the OSS films seem to have been regarded as little more than Bond parodies in the vein of the dreadful Austin Powers films, a misunderstanding not helped by the lack of awareness outside of France of the original OSS films.
Michel Hazanavicius and Jean Dujardin have reunited yet again though and this time their cinematic playground is not the cult Eurospy films of the sixties but the better known, certainly in the US and UK, Hollywood of the twenties. In particular The Artist centres on the dying embers of the silent film period in Hollywood and the birth of the 'talkies'.
Setting The Artist in twenties Hollywood Hazanavicius again re-creates a period not just within the verisimilitude of everything we see on screen, the costume design and so on, but also in his technical approach. The most obvious signs of this are of course in the academy ratio framing throughout and the absence, for the post part, of synced sound but there are also a number of subtle and expertly applied techniques too.
The period detailing is always present in the composition and also in the way in which the camera moves, or significantly doesn't, constantly conveying a sense of time and place through stylistic choices. There are allusions to other films too, although these are not always quite so rooted to this exact period in Hollywood's history, including an amusing nod to the famous breakfast table sequence in Citizen Kane. There is even one sequence in which Hazanavicius cleverly incorporates footage from The Mask of Zorro and the extent to which this appears so naturally part of the film is a testament to Hazanavicius' technical adherence to the period and Dujardin's spot on performance, and slight similarity to Fairbanks.
Dujardin and co-star Berenice Bejo are also quite extraordinary in the way in which they so convincingly capture a very particular performance style prevalent in the late Twenties in Hollywood. Aside from the temporal specificity in their physical performances, an expertly placed hand on a hip here or an eyebrow raised there, both manage to convey all that is required wordlessly. Silent film stars' rather 'large' performances have become something that is somewhat mocked in some sectors of popular culture but there is no sense of cruel parody here, this is a loving tribute and an attentive pastiche.
The Artist goes beyond pastiche though, 100 minutes of which could have simply been one gag drawn out too far, and tells a grand and very beautiful story. Whilst the coming of sound and backstage Hollywood machinations provide a framework for the film narratively, and provide an interesting and absorbing context, the meat of the story is in the romance between George Valentin (Dujardin) and Peppy Miller (Bejo) and as this difficult and complicated relationship unfolds over many years one becomes invested in their lives and emotions whilst at the same time gripped by the story of the coming of sound.
The Artist is not at its core a cinematic essay piece or simply an indulgent slice of self-reflexism but an intoxicating story told with skill and humour. The final moments in the film blend the two intertwined narratives, the romance and the move of Hollywood to sound, wonderfully in a climatic scene that showcases Dujardin and Bejo's talents even further and brings to a close this joyous and beautiful tale.
The Artist will be released in UK cinemas on the 30th of December.]]>London Korean Film Festival - The Yellow Sea Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.10959922011-11-20T18:10:07-05:002012-01-20T05:12:01-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/The Chaser, in 2008 and the film quickly brought him to the attention of Hollywood with Warner Brothers buying up the remake rights to The Chaser for $1 million.
Hong-jin Na's latest, The Yellow Sea, is also the first Korean film to receive investment from a major Hollywood, with Fox International reaching into their deep pockets to contribute to the project. The Yellow Sea is very much a Korean production though with Hong-jin bringing back the same cast and crew for his second film and swimming in very familiar waters to his début both in terms of the genre and the way in which he approaches it stylistically.
The Yellow Sea crosses back and forth across the titular sea, between the Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Yanbian and Seoul in South Korea. Much like the border crossing narrative the lead character, Gu-nam (Ha Jung-woo), is a man divided both by his citizenship (Korean-Chinese, a so-called Joseonjok), by his desire to stay in Yanji City but also to travel to find his wife in Korea and also in his reluctance to break the law clashing with his need to.
After accumulating large gambling debts, and desperate to find his wife, he 'excepts' an offer to travel to Seoul. There he is supposed to carry out a hit on someone, thereby wiping his debts. This hit is not the simple job that was sold to him though and very quickly he finds himself on the run, pursued by gangsters and the police, all the while still trying to track down his absent wife.
The tricksy plot surrounding the hit is certainly engrossing, as is the search for his wife, but it is the grimy and violent action that provides the real meat of the film. None of the action is glamorous or balletic in any way though, the characters in The Yellow Sea fight dirty and they fight with whatever comes to hand, mostly knives and axes, and when vehicles come into play there is more crashing and breaking windows than there are handbrake turns or speeding sports cars.
Whilst this action and the twisting but forward propelled narrative are often gripping and entirely compelling, the pacing across this 140 minute film (the domestic version adds a further 17 minutes) is problematic and occasionally threatens to drag the film down entirely. The film too often stops and starts when moving between scenes and differing types of sequences, slow dramatic scenes then energetic action sequences, drama then action and so on and so on. This lack of fluidity is definitely an issue but luckily the various parts that make up the whole are largely fantastic and the film is mostly a solid and entertaining thriller, just one occasionally saddled somewhat by pacing issues.
The Yellow Sea played as part of the London Korean Film Festival 2011 and will be available to buy on Blu-ray from February 2012.]]>Silent Running Blu-Ray Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.10865962011-11-10T13:53:15-05:002012-01-10T05:12:01-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/Silent Running simply within the context of being an accomplished science fiction film, but like the best that science fiction has to offer Silent Running is far deeper than its outward appearance may suggest.
That is not to say that the special effects and so on are not important and worthy of high praise. Director and special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull, hot on the back of 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Andromeda Strain, managed to create physical special effects that even today look entirely convincing and natural to their surroundings. The biodomes that are so important to protagonist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), and in many ways the human race as a whole, look less futuristic now than they may have done in 1972 (visitors to domes such as the Eden Project in Cornwall will attest to this I'm sure) but the image of these fragile structures floating in space is a powerful science fiction image, and it is one that has all the more impact due to Trumbull's impressive use of miniatures.
But it is scriptwriters Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino & Steven Bochco's emotional story of Freeman, the domes and his robot companions that makes Silent Running such a compelling and rewarding film. Filled with post-sixties rage about the destruction of the environment, the story of Silent Running is powerful, critical and prescient but crucially it is devastatingly heartbreaking.
Freeman Lowell is a complex and conflicted character and when he commits acts that in another context may seem unthinkable we understand his motivations and sympathise with what he is doing. Almost 40 years on it is hard to think of a more cogent film that tackles direct action and environmental concerns so thoughtfully and effectively. It's also still hard to find a more emotionally affecting science fiction film.
Silent Running makes its HD début here and it's an impressive one. Masters of Cinema have given the film a new lease of life with this HD transfer, which is stunning in its clarity and detail. Work has been done to restore damaged elements but this is all but impossible to see in the finished HD transfer. Grain is intact, appearing a little too heavy in the brighter scenes perhaps, and apart from a couple of slightly smoother sequences (these are very short) the transfer is consistent and superb. The 2.0 audio track is also clear and seems far more dynamically wide and representative of the original track than the previously released UK DVD.
The booklet describes the technical breakdown of the process and elements used to produce the Blu-ray as follows:
Silent Running appears in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono 2.0 sound. The film was transferred and graded in HD resolution from an interpositive 35mm source element made in 1996 and supplied by NBC / Universal, USA. Further restoration work was completed at Deluxe 142, London. Picture issues such as dirt, light scratches, and debris as well as warped, damaged, or unstable frames were removed or improved upon using a combination of HD-DVNR, Phoenix, and MTI systems. For this Blu-ray, we encoded in 1080 / 24p using theAVC codec.
Special Features:
Full-length commentary by director Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern - Trumbull and Dern obviously still hold a lot of affection for Silent Running and this helps make for a warm and enjoyable commentary. The pair provide a lot of interesting production information and this coupled with their obvious enthusiasm for the film 28 years on (this commentary was recorded in 2000) helps make this a must listen special feature.
Isolated music and effects track - A feature I've never really found essential myself but it is a nice addition regardless, especially considering how wonderful much of the score, soundtrack and the sound effects are.
The Making of Silent Running, a 1972 on-set documentary [50:00] - A great overview of Silent Running's production with a lot of behind-the-scenes information.
Two video pieces with Douglas Trumbull [31:00 + 5:00] - The longer interview segment focuses on Silent Running's production and the shorter has Trumbull talking about his career in general. The latter, despite its short length, is fantastic and definitely one of the highlights of the extras.
A Conversation with Bruce Dern, a discussion with the actor [11:00] - More from Dern on the making of Silent Running and getting the part.
Original theatrical trailer [3:00]
A lavish 48-page full-colour booklet featuring rare photographs and artwork from Trumbull's personal collection, and recollections of the film's cinematographer, special designs coordinator, and composer. - MoC's booklets are always of a particularly high standard and the one that accompanies this disc is no exception. The photographs and artwork included are a particular treat, both contextually interesting and beautiful.
Read more about the Masters of Cinema Series at Bleeding Cool.]]>London Film Festival - Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.10149702011-10-17T04:51:15-04:002011-12-16T05:12:01-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai begins with Kageyu (Koji Yakusho), the head of the House of Li, telling Hanshiro (Ebizo Ichikawa) the tale of Motome (Eita), a samurai who arrived at the gates of the House of Li asking for the use of their courtyard to commit ritual suicide (Harakiri, or actually more accurately Seppuku).
Hanshiro is requesting this very same thing and it is clear that Kageyu is attempting to offer Hanshiro a warning. Motome had no intention of actually going through with the suicide and was actually attempting a 'suicide bluff', a newly popular technique of extracting money from the wealthy houses, who would give the desperate samurai money and send them on their way.
The early seventeenth century in Japan (the beginning of the Edo period), the time at which the film is set, was a period of difficulty for samurai who were largely unneeded. Without a war to fought many found themselves without retainers and therefore penniless. This 'suicide bluff' was therefore a way for a desperate masterless samurai to get his hands on some money when he was in direst need. The House of Li are aware of this growing trend and, suspecting that this is exactly what Motome is up to, decide to make an example of this latest chancer. Motome is scared and bullied into committing suicide in the courtyard and has to do so with a bamboo sword, having sold his own sword and replaced it with a bamboo replica, an effort to save face.
This moment of brutality, as Motome repeatedly thrusts the inadequate weapon into his stomach, is the only point in Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai in which Miike presents us with gory violence, the kind that many would probably be expecting in this follow-up to his 2010 film 13 Assassins. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is very different film from 13 Assassins and this blood heavy sequence is included in an effort to emotionally confront the viewer, to make it clear what a deeply unpleant act this is. The sequence is much longer and graphic than the equivalent sequence in Kobayashi's original but it is perhaps necessary here, in order to provoke such a strong reaction in some modern audiences.
Returning to Hanshiro and Kageyu the story then continues with Hanshiro seated in the courtyard, ready to commit seppuku. His final request though is for a particular second (the one who decapitates him following his disembowelment at his own hands) but neither this choice or either of his other two choices are available that day. As messengers are dispatched to find them Hanshiro begins telling his own tale, the story of Motome pre-suicide. Motome was actually his adopted son and ultimately son-in law and the story he tells is a very sad one, told entirely in flashback and with a sensitive touch from writer Kikumi Yamagishi and director Takashi Miike.
The unfolding narrative summarised above, and the subsequent developments in the story, are without doubt the greatest strength in Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai and they are as compellingly told here as they were by Shinobo Hashimoto and Masaki Kobayashi in 1962. A key difference between the original and this 2011 remake is the visual approach though. One fascinating aspect of Kobayashi's film was the cinematography, particularly the use of vertical and horizontal lines to divide the characters in the courtyard scenes, and the contrasting approach in the flashback scenes, less harsh delineations and more slow-moving camerawork. Miike takes this same idea in the courtyard scenes, demarcation and visual division, but uses an entirely different technique.
In Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai this is achieved stereoscopically, the characters divided by their position on the positive or negative parallax of the 3D image (mostly using the positive - appearing as if behind the screen). This coupled with a minor use of vertical and horizontal lines in the set design leads to a startlingly effective but relatively subtle result. Aside from being incredibly pleasing to the eye and simple to understand visually, this manipulation of the image enforces the separation between the standing of various characters and, perhaps most effectively, strongly separates Hanshiro from the other characters in the courtyard. He appears alone but, more and more as the story develops, defiant and a lone voice amongst many. Mirrored in the narrative that unfolds this is conveyed visually with his placement in the 3D image, a startling and incredibly impressive example of the capabilities of 3D technology.
This impressive use of 3D continues throughout Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, in particular in the use of extreme depth of field and an interesting type of 'close ups' in a number of scenes, notably including interior scenes. One common comment regarding the 3D in Avatar was that the 3D was much 'better' in the exterior scenes on Pandora and while this could perhaps be based more on the visual extravagance of the Pandora scenes there are issues in some of the interior scenes, mostly with objects or side characters seemingly incorrectly taking prominence in a scene (stereoscopically speaking). This is not an issue in Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai as at any one time one's eyes are tracking to the 'correct' part of the frame, particularly in scenes in which a character is strongly emoting and this their face should be the entire focus of our attention.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is ultimately a film that focuses heavily on the character's emotions, an investment in their plight is crucial to the twisting and intriguing narrative having the necessary impact, and it is in the aforementioned interesting type of 'close ups' that the 3D technology again achieves something quite special. Characters seems to stand out from the backgrounds, their faces coming to the forefront and holding our concentration. Conventionally this would be achieved with a close up but here Miike shoots wider but achieves the same effect with the background appearing far into positive space and the character's face standing out against it. It is not, it is perhaps important to note, done by placing the character far into negative space. In fact, negative space is used with great restraint and is used more to enhance the extended depth of field and never to make objects or characters fly out at you.
Due to the prominence of characters' faces within the image and the nature of the story a lot of weight rests on the shoulders of the actors and they all equip themselves adequately, a lot of the work is perhaps done in their casting more than anything else though. That said, Ebizo Ichikawa is excellent as Hanshiro and despite playing the same role made famous by the wonderful Tatsuya Nakadia, Ichikawa is very memorable in this new version of the story, making the role very much his own.
Whilst Miike's Har-Kiri: Death of a Samurai may be lacking some of the political urgency that Kobayashi brought to the table in 1962, especially in Kobayashi's use of the film to explore untrustworthy and morally bankrupt leaders and the Japanese concept of honne and tatamae (public perception versus the truth) , Miike has lost none of the classical beauty of this compelling story. Also, with the decision to film Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai in 3D he has employed some stunning visual techniques and found a new and highly effective way to tell this story.]]>Tabloid: Preview of the new Errol Morris Documentarytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.10016262011-10-10T19:00:00-04:002011-12-10T05:12:02-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
Hiring a private investigator, a pilot and bodyguards she traveled to find Kirk, liberate him from the Mormon church and continue their relationship. Liberate him she did, and not just from the church. Hiding out in a cottage in Devon Joyce seduced/raped Kirk (what actually occurred is less than clear) and tied him up with rope (the reporter for The Mirror points out that 'chains' sounds better) in the process. These three days of sex in the countryside led to confusion in the media over what actually happened, Joyce's subsequent arrest and tabloid papers going crazy with phrases such as 'The Manacled Mormon' and 'Mormon Sex in Chains'.
Following her arrest and release on bail the tabloid's helped make her a star as she was photographed kissing Keith Moon and even upstaging Joan Collins at the premiere of The Stud. Joyce clearly didn't need much help to capture the public's attention though with comments in court about Kirk such as "I love him so much that I would ski naked down Mount Everest with a carnation up my nose if he asked me to". Joyce is an eccentric and incredibly engaging character and it is her somewhat unhinged behavior mixed with wit and intelligence that is at the center of the story in Tabloid.
The story of Tabloid goes off in a variety of strange directions though with developments in Joyce's life that defy belief. The final act in particular comes almost out of nowhere and Joyce's most recent tabloid notoriety is for a reason almost impossible to guess. Even this strange twist in the tale though, which might on the surface appear inconsequential, is important in unraveling Joyce's unique world view. There is also a highly revealing sequence in which Morris presents footage filmed by Joyce in which she films the same thing multiple times, subtlety shifting the meaning each time. As Joyce perhaps significantly comments, if you keep repeating a lie you begin to believe it's the truth.
Despite the lightweight nature of Tabloid, all of Morris' obsessions are here and the tone feels perfectly pitched to the subject matter. The intense investigation and almost clinical study on show in Standard Operating Procedure, for instance, may seem far from the fun of Tabloid but many of the same themes are explored and the films have a lot more in common than one would first imagine. One example of a similar key theme is the 'truth' of images and the way in which Morris explores the way journalists report on 'facts' they uncover is at the heart of both films.
There is a particularly amusing moment when The Mirror journalist (Kent Gavin), who covered the story, describes Kirk as being chained up and "Spread-Eagled". He repeats this phrase a number of times and to add further emphasis (in part for comic effect) and to highlight the way Gavin relishes the phrase, Morris flashes the text "Spread-Eagled" on screen. The moment gets a big laugh but this laugh has a lot to do with the audience understanding the way the journalist is deliberately sensationalizing the story and the way in which Morris is mocking him by taking this even further. This technique returns throughout the film and Morris uses text and images to compare and contrast with what his interviewees are saying.
The interviews themselves are also clearly heavily edited. This has a lot to do with pacing, the film is beautifully paced, but in this editing Morris is also constantly manipulating the footage to convey precisely the message he wants to convey. The 'joke' inherent here though is that this kind of manipulation of the truth is exactly what the film is so often a commentary on. Unlike Kent Gavin though Morris is not a slave (Gavin admits this is what he was) to Joyce and the story she wants to present. Presenting Joyce early on as intelligent (with an IQ of 168) and not the ditzy beauty queen that a lot of journalists may have taken her for, it becomes clear that control of the story is in the hands of Morris this time around.
Tabloid is without doubt the funniest of Morris' documentaries but the light hearted surface level belies a film that is as complex and fascinating as any of his previous films.
Tabloid is released in UK cinemas on the 11th of November.]]>Guilty of Romance Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9802822011-09-25T19:03:09-04:002011-11-25T05:12:02-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
Izumi's transformative adventure is set against the backdrop of a criminal investigation into the murder of beautiful woman who has been mutilated, a number of her body parts swapped with those of a doll and others (including her clitoris) removed completely. Sono's certainly not a master of subtlety but he does know how to explore a fascinating topic in a provocative and compelling manner.
Stifled by her marriage to a popular writer (played with restraint and poise by Kanj Tsuda), and bored with her monotonous and dull day to day life, Izumi gets one part time job handing out sausage samples and another posing for photos. The former leads to exactly the kind of Carry On-esque innuendos that may be flooding your brain and the latter predictably (this is a Sono film after all) turns into a softcore, then ultimately hardcore, porn shoot.
The coercion of Izumi in the photo shoot to gradually reveal more and more skin until she ends up having sex on camera is a very tricky scene but one that is handled well by Sono. It is also a microcosm of the larger themes explored throughout Guilty of Romance, as Izumi gradually 'finds herself' through engaging in sexual activities, often seemingly against her will at first, although the nature of her character makes this consent complex, intriguing and very occasionally troubling.
Surrounding Izumi are those that want to exploit her and also those that seemingly want to free her from her repressed and resolutely patriarchal lifestyle. Izumi is almost certainly intended to be emblematic of a wider picture that Sono sees in Japanese society and even perhaps in the Japanese media, both the AV (Adult Video) Idol scene and the more mainstream film industry.
Filled with fascinating thematic strands, Sono's conclusion to his loose trilogy is bold and brutal, another compelling and dark tale that fulfils the promise of much of his earlier work. With new attention paid to more restraint in the filmmaking this is one of his most satisfyingly constructed films but still yet another thrilling entry in Sono's increasingly potent body of work.
It's worth noting that the version of the film reaching UK cinemas is the 'international cut', which is roughly thirty minutes shorter than the extended domestic cut.Sono has allegedly stated that he prefers this shorter cut and whilst the scenes cut (mostly surrounding the police investigation and the sex life of the main investigator) do sound intriguing, the shorter cut of Guilty of Romance is lean and far better paced than most other Sono films. Those wanting to see the international cut too are in luck though as this will be included on the UK Blu-ray, out on November the 28th.
Guilty of Romance is released in selected UK cinemas on the 30th of September.
Find more of Craig's reviews at HeyUGuys.]]>Red White & Blue Reviewtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9679072011-09-17T19:15:01-04:002011-11-17T05:12:02-05:00Craig Skinnerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-skinner/
The first third of the film is distinctly Erica's story and the whole film could have easily hung on just the minimal plot developments here, aided by Amanda Fuller's truly stunning performance. Fuller was probably FanTasia Film Festival's greatest revelation for me when I first saw the film there last year, with her brave and impressive performance totally blowing me away. Also crucial to the success of these early sequences is Rumley's early-Linklater approach to the direction. Slacker is a film that instantly comes to mind in the film's first thirty minutes with the shot composition in particular sharing distinct similarities. The film as a whole also bears obvious comparisons to the work of Peckinpah and Larry Clark but Rumley moves outside of these inspirations and the film is, in many ways, uniquely his.
After the introduction of Erica and Nate the film then takes a complete turn and switches to follow Franki's narrative arc. Franki's mother is dying of cancer and he looks after her relatively alone, echoing Rumley's earlier film The Living and the Dead, whilst trying to get his band off the ground. It is hard to say too much about this section or the final act without giving away too much but suffice to say things do not go well for Franki. The final act is then when we see the film turn more towards horror and Rumley plays with the conventions of vengeance in films and also particularly the rape-revenge film. At the core of Red White & Blue though is a tragic and affecting love story that has genuine emotional depth.
The violence and bloodshed in the final act feels entirely narratively justified by the earlier scenes and the emotional investment that Rumley ensures an audience succumbs to gives the film a punch to the gut, an impact so rarely felt in contemporary cinema.
Shot by cinematographer Milton Kam in just 18 days, over 27 locations and on the Red digital camera, there is an effective reliance on intimate natural lighting and the film is visually impressive. In addition to the lighting, the aforementioned composition is also incredibly important in setting the tone and upsetting the mood in key sequences. The editing and direction are almost perfectly economical and even the occasional editing flourish works well within the narrative, only adding to the economy of not telling the audience how to think or feel but simply presenting the story effectively.
Red White & Blue is emotionally engaging, visually stunning and more arresting with each passing minute.
Red White & Blue is released in limited UK cinemas on the 30th of September and on DVD and Blu-ray on the 10th of October.