Weeks 12-13

Introduction

I knew I should have posted the not-too-short-really week twelve by itself, as week thirteen has seen a veritable mass of films viewed toward the end. But it's done now, so on with the show!

The end of the second week here marks the exact quarter-way point of my filmic quest (in time terms anyway) and so it seems an appropriate point to reflect a little on my quest so far. So here are some numbers, all totalled up to the end of week thirteen:


Statistics

I have seen a total of 36 films.

Of those, 1 was released in the 1910s, 2 in the 1920s, 1 in the 1940s, 2 in the 1950s, 4 in the 1980s, 3 in the 1990s, and 23 in the 2000s. That means there's nothing from the 1930s, 1960s or 1970s.

I have seen 27 on DVD, 6 at the cinema, 2 on VHS, and just 1 on TV.

The only directors to turn up multiple times are John Glen (twice) and F.W. Murnau (twice). As it turns out, a fair few actors turn up at least twice, mainly thanks to films like Hot Fuzz, Boogie Nights and Crash. It was only Roger Moore who managed several appearances when I first started putting these stats together!

I have awarded 4 films 5/5, 17 films 4/5, 10 films 3/5, 4 films 2/5, and 1 film 1/5. This makes the average score 3.5/5. Either I see lots of pretty good films or I need to adjust my scoring downward slightly. For anyone interested, the five-star films were Hot Fuzz, United 93, Crash and Trainspotting, whilst the one-star was Flight 93.

My weekly average is now 2.8 per week, which means I'm on course to see about 145 films this year. Maybe I should adjust that aim...


Weeks Twelve and Thirteen

Anyway, it's time to get on. Here are the films I watched between March 19th and April 1st...


25) Doom (2005, Andrzej Bartkowiak, DVD) 2/5
Doom is quite flawed in many ways. I don't say this because I inherently dislike mindless action films (while I am perfectly aware they are not usually Great Films, I enjoy them as entertainment); I say this because Doom doesn't really succeed at being one. It takes too long to get anywhere -- I think someone thought it was building suspense, when really it's just nothing happening. When it does kick off it's brief and only vaguelly entertaining. And the much-discussed first-person sequence is far too much like watching someone play a video game.

26) Flight 93 (2006, Peter Markle, DVD) 1/5
Oh dear. The Other Film About United 93 is just that. With poor acting, pedestrian direction, dreadful effects, and a young child in every single scene involving a relative, this film is infinitely inferior to Paul Greengrass' United 93. Where that was subtle, realistic and moving, this is over-worked, cheesy and laughable -- yes, laughable; we spent half the running time taking the piss out of it! Not good for a film about a tragedy. Some have called this a worthy companion piece to United 93. It's not. United 93 is essential; Flight 93 you can take or, preferably, leave.

27) Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002, George Clooney, TV) 4/5
George Clooney's directorial debut is part biopic, part comedy and part spy thriller. It's the last part that works best, but perhaps that's just because I have a predilection for spy thrillers; that said, the filmmakers would seem to agree as, after a late appearance in the plot, it comes to dominate its climax. It's also nicely shot, especially the excursions to Europe. I would recommend it (though not quite as heartily as Clooney's second film, the excellent Good Night, and Good Luck).

27a) Crash: Director's Cut (2004, Paul Haggis, DVD) 5/5
OK, I must confess, this one is something of a cheat -- I've seen Crash before, and whilst some 'director's cuts' can be vastly different this one is only around two minutes longer. But I'll take any chance I can get to go on about how this is a much better and more Oscar-deserving piece than a certain overrated film about gay cowboys. In my opinion this is a film that should be seen, not necessarily for its message but for its quality in terms of performance, direction, etc.

28) The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, Tommy Lee Jones, DVD) 3/5
Empire gave this film one of their rare five-star reviews, immediately making me want to see it. Shame they overrated it then. A confused first act (which jumps about in chronology for no discernible reason) gives way to a more linear second two that, while more pleasing, seem to do away with major characters for no reason other than the plot ran out of things for them to do. The film has its moments, and some pretty views, but five-star it ain't.

29) Trainspotting (1996, Danny Boyle, DVD) 5/5
Choose great direction. Choose iconic images. Choose a great soundtrack. Choose a brilliant cast. Choose a career-making performance from Ewan McGregor. Choose a witty script. Choose realism. Choose drugs. Choose sex. Choose a condom, for the first time on screen. Choose swearing. Choose violence. Choose drink. Choose Scotland. Choose Trainspotting.

30) Little Miss Sunshine (2006, Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, DVD) 4/5
People will tell you this is a comedy, when really it's a comedy-drama. A TV critic once said, not wrongly, that a comedy-drama is something that isn't especially funny nor especially dramatic so tries to do both. Luckily, Little Miss Sunshine is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious, from the opening dinner scene to the send-up of inherently paedophilic beauty pageants at the climax (so hilarious it almost single-handedly pushed my mark up to a five). There's also some competent drama threaded through to make that side worthwhile. And I suspect that lovable little Abigail Breslin was more deserving of the Oscar than that irritating Jennifer Hudson.

31) Mrs Henderson Presents (2005, Stephen Frears, DVD) 4/5
Judi Dench is clearly having a whale of a time in this 1930s-set comedy about a 70-year-old widow who starts up a nude revue. It begins as light comedy with a gently risque edge (rather in-keeping with its subject matter!), but things get a tad serious when the war hits. Luckily the film finds its lightness again in time for the ending, which is much more suited to the general tone. All told it's simply a bit of fun, but its overall quality just about nudges it into a four.

32) Chocolat (2000, Lasse Hallstrom, DVD) 4/5
Although not the lead character this time, Judi Dench once again revels in playing an old lady who can say what she likes, in this pleasant adaptation of Joanne Harris' novel. It's a neat little story about acceptance that doesn't suffer from an occasionally episodic plot or a sometimes quaint depiction of French small-town life. (I was occasionally distracted spotting the sci-fi/fantasy credentials of the cast. But that's just me.)

33) American Dreamz (2006, Paul Weitz, DVD) 3/5
This loosely satirical comedy from the director of such diverse fare as American Pie and About a Boy sees Dennis Quaid's Bush-growing-a-brain President agree to be a guest judge on Hugh Grant's Simon-Cowell-with-looks TV talent show that features Mandy Moore's moral-less wannabe and Sam Golzari's Iraqi potential-suicide-bomber as contestants. It's pretty much as loopy as that sounds, though not as clever as it thinks it is. It starts well, the quality dips as it takes too long to get to the actual contest, but the ending manages to redeem things.

34) Secretary (2002, Steven Shainberg, DVD) 3/5
I seem to recall reading that Secretary attempts to depict a realistic and sympathetic dominant/submissive relationship. Unfortunately this seems to come a bit unstuck with the feeling that the relationship is initially based in an emotionally (and physically) abusive act against a clearly vulnerable character, leaving the following events and mutually loving resolution tinged with a hint of something akin to Stockholm Syndrome, in my opinion. Well acted and all, but fundamentally flawed.

35) The King and I (1956, Walter Lang, DVD) 3/5
To be fair to The King and I, I was a little sleepy through most of it, and, thanks to some slightly cheesy bits at the start, my mind was occasionally locked in a spoofing mode. However, there are some recognisable songs and an Oscar-winning performance from Yul Brynner, as well as truly sumptuous sets and costumes.