Week 31

Introduction

My quest to see 100 films I've never seen by the end of 2007 passes the three-quarters point this week, and we're not even two-thirds of the way through the year!

This is the first single-week entry since week 14. As well as a concerted effort (such as three films on the Friday!), it's helped by a lessening in the amount of TV I've been watching -- last entry's list of 19 on-going programmes has shrunk to 13 by the end of this week. Some might say I watch too much TV...

Nonetheless, I've moved from about two films per week average over the last 16 weeks, to a total of eight films this week! Well well well.


Week Thirty-One

As well as a Week Of More it's a bit of a Week Of Quality. Three of this week's films are ones I've been dying to see for ages, and the rest follow not too far behind (OK, maybe I wouldn't've put the likes of Kinky Boots or Confetti on a list of films I was dying to see, but I did want to). There's also a fair few awards and nominations, and no small amount of critical acclaim, across them.

One could also argue that it's a Week Of Variety. To be honest, I suspect there's always a fair bit of variety in my film choices, but this week it's especially pronounced -- straightforward British comedies stand by low-budget intellectual sci-fi; complex teenage faux-film noir sits next to epic trilogy-starting Russian fantasy/horror; American gangster thriller lies beside classic British romance... And, while most were made in the new millennium, there's a spread of over 60 years between the oldest and the most recent. All within the space of seven days, too!

Perhaps because of all these reasons I've found choosing the final rating for every film here quite tricky; all of them have some malleability, either up or down.


70) Primer (2004, Shane Carruth, DVD) 3/5
According to many this is a real 'love it or hate it' film; in typically awkward fashion I'm going to place myself right in the middle. The thing is, I can see both sides -- there's a great conceit here, with a decent plot built around it; but it drags the idea of treating your audience's intelligence with respect too far into the realms of Simply Not Explaining Things Properly, including taking almost half the film for anything to become clear. Sadly this clarity only lasts a few minutes before things get muddled up again in the second half of the plot. I'd like to be able to love Primer, but the things that make me want to hate it just pull it down.

71) Kinky Boots (2005, Julian Jarrold, DVD) 4/5
A working class Britcom in the vein of films like The Full Monty. It may take too long to get going properly, and even the most casual film viewer could jot down the key plot points from the start, but it nonetheless manages some laugh-out-loud moments and it's more often happy than groan-inducing when the 'twists' come off. If nothing else it's worth seeing for Chiwetel Ejiofor (who you may recognise from films such as Serenity, Inside Man and Children of Men) as a drag queen. My score may be a little generous, but all round I enjoyed watching it, so why not?

72) Brick (2005, Rian Johnson, TV) 4/5
There's a nagging sense that you're watching a student short film for large chunks of Brick, especially at the start. This is accompanied by a niggling worry that it's also been vastly overrated. But it does, eventually, kick into gear -- the incomprehensible plot becomes a bit clearer and the fantasy that these high school kids are in some film noir becomes less irritating and more quite fun. It occasionally lapses back into its earlier problems but, all said, I'm glad I bothered to stick with it.

73) Night Watch (2004, Timur Bekmambetov, DVD) 4/5
Urban action fantasy from Russia; the first part of a trilogy (though, apparently, film two wraps the plot up and film three will be made in the US, looking at a different part of the story). It makes for a pretty entertaining tale, with a neat ending that both concludes this film's plot and leaves everything wide open for what's to come. It also has some very snazzy subtitles (sadly only available on the two-disc DVD; I won't waste too much space ranting about how crap the one-disc is here). If you don't like Films With Subtitles, this one might surprise you.

74) The Departed (2006, Martin Scorsese, DVD) 4/5
An all-star cast lead Scorsese's Oscar-winning remake of Hong Kong action thriller Infernal Affairs. It's an unusual yet striking mix of elements: cops vs. robbers thriller, gangster drama, relationships of those who protect/threaten us drama, and several more. It winds up with an unusual feel for structure and pace, though is never less than stylish. Having not seen many of Scorsese's earlier films it's hard for me to say if this is up to standard, as many say it is; but I still believe Greengrass' United 93 was more deserving of the Best Director nods. As I did earlier this year with The Prestige, my rating errs on the side of caution.

75) Confetti (2006, Debbie Isitt, TV) 3/5
Largely improvised Britcom, shot in a documentary style, about three couples trying to win a most original wedding competition. It starts out quite poorly, with unlikable characters and an irritating style, but things do improve and a number of the characters do grow on you (some do, deliberately, remain horrid). My favourites are the pair of camp wedding planners -- you don't get much more stereotypical, but they're lovable and amusing from the off. Fittingly, the weddings at the end are probably the best bits.

76) Brief Encounter (1945, David Lean, DVD) 5/5
Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard star in the classic romantic drama from highly acclaimed writer Noel Coward and highly acclaimed director David Lean. The central character's relationship is, famously, a very British affair -- all awkwardly repressed emotions, discussion of the weather, fear of society's opinions, stolen passionate kisses, guilt, indecision, true love and endless cups of tea. The witty screenplay, direction, and lead and supporting performances are all excellent. Undoubtedly and deservedly a true British classic.

77) Educating Rita (1983, Lewis Gilbert, TV) 5/5
Julie Walters makes her big screen debut opposite Michael Caine in this British comedy drama about a 26-year-old University student and her disenchanted drink-sodden tutor, adapted by Willy Russell from his own play and directed by the man behind Alfie and three Bond films. For a comedy drama (which usually fail to do either successfully) it's genuinely very funny, but maintains an appropriate weight in the dramatic moments. The script is full of great lines, beautifully delivered by the two leads; Walters is especially excellent. If you haven't seen it it might not be what you expect, but that's no bad thing. Recommended.