Week 32

Introduction

Another single-week entry! Well now, isn't my film watching going smashingly.

Some might say I've been generous with the five-star ratings of late -- four in the last two weeks, compared to a total of six in the 29 weeks before it! Maybe I have. There aren't any to be seen this week, though that doesn't mean I haven't seen any good films! In fact, some only fall slightly short.

Another thing you'll notice this week are reviews of the original Star Wars trilogy. This is the first time I've seen them in a ridiculously long time; certainly, more than five years, possibly as many as ten! It's all part of a little Star Wars weekend I've had -- watch out for a 100 Films special (yes, I have specials now!) about it in the next few days!


Week Thirty-Two

It would be pretty hard to beat the massive eight new films I saw last week... and I haven't. But five new ones, plus all six Star Wars films (three reviewed here), is far from bad going. And, obviously, adds up to more in total.

I say five news ones -- that's not strictly true. You see, we begin with a slight oddity this week: I actually saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a couple of weeks ago... and then completely forgot to review it! So, technically, it belongs in an earlier entry, with a lower review number... but that's far too much hassle, so I've just put it here instead. I'm sure no one will mind...


78) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007, David Yates, cinema) 3/5
The main problem here lies in trying to condense a 600+ page novel into a bit over two hours. While the book feels padded, watching the film it becomes apparent that this actually builds mystery and suspense, most of which is lost in what feels like a series of extended montages that create an abridged version of the book. The direction is stylish and there are still some neat action sequences, but it lacks much of the fun or flowing coherence of the previous two entries. Hopefully the next novel can be translated to the screen better, though I'm beginning to fear that anything less than using two films to adapt the final entry will be a mistake.

79) C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004, Kevin Willmott, DVD) 2/5
Mockumentary about the history of America had the South won the civil war. While an intriguing idea, in practice it's disappointing. Apparently such a victory would have led to everything the nation did since being to maintain slavery. There are some neat ideas (a Cold War with Canada) and some genuinely amusing or cleverly satirical bits, but the focus is too narrow and, consequently, unbelievable and sometimes dull. It also seems unable to break away from reality far too often: Wall Street still crashes, JFK becomes President and is assassinated, etc. The acting is frequently dodgy and it all has a very amateurish feel. To top it off, considering it's pretending to be a British documentary, the style is too like cheap American TV documentaries. All in all, a disappointment.

80) Pan's Labyrinth (2006, Guillermo del Toro, DVD) 4/5
Empire's 2nd best film of 2006; IMDb's 43rd best film ever; winner of over 60 awards... Pan's Labyrinth comes to any viewer with a serious amount of critical acclaim and genuine hype. As you might expect, this is a problem. I'm not going to disagree that it's a very good film, but I wasn't blown over by it, as I probably expected to be. Nonetheless, it's definitely worth seeing. The cinematography is worth mentioning especially. If there's one pro in the sacrilegious argument for a dub over subs, it would be that you could watch the pretty pictures properly. If you manage to not let the buzz take effect, you might find you love the film too.

81) Stranger Than Fiction (2006, Marc Forster, DVD) 4/5
Another of Empire's best films of last year (this one was 21st). Forster is developing an eclectic filmography, with Oscar-nominated dramas Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland alongside psychological thriller Stay and the 22nd Bond film. Stranger Than Fiction is different again, melding several styles into a cohesive whole -- mystery, rom-com, existentialism, a bit of fantasy, and those Ikea graphics from Fight Club. Some plot beats may be cliched, but that's almost the point; besides, there's plenty of originality to make up for it. A few plot turns in the final act also make sure you're never certain how it will end.

81a) Star Wars - Episode 4: A New Hope - DVD Edition (1977/2004, George Lucas, DVD) 4/5
Much criticism has been made of Lucas deciding to modify the original trilogy for the 1997 re-release, and then further for the 2004 DVD release. It's not necessarily unjustified, but it is sometimes picky. If Han shooting first bothered you, you may be a little pleased to know they now shoot at the same time. There are a few other extremely minor changes from the '97 version... sadly, though, not to the CGI: Jabba still looks dire, not even as good as the Episode 1 version -- CGI that was five years old by the time of this release! The film itself is still a fun sci-fi-fantasy action/adventure, devoid of many problems that plague the new trilogy.

82) Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006, Liam Lynch, DVD) 3/5
JB and KG, aka Tenacious D, go in search of the Pick of Destiny, an ancient guitar pick that will make them rock gods, in their first movie. The humour is a mixture of schoolboy toilet gags, general silliness/quirkiness, and rock/culture references -- undoubtedly, therefore, your mental age will dictate which bits (if any) you laugh at. Some jokes hit, others don't, and whole sections seem to be there merely to ensure the movie gets to a decent running time. If you're already a Tenacious D fan it's worth checking out, but if you don't like them you'll never like this. Personally, I think the music's the best bit -- and that's all on the soundtrack CD.

82a) Star Wars - Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back - DVD Edition (1980/2004, Irvin Kershner, DVD) 4/5
Little here is visually different from the '97 Special Edition. Cloud City benefits from the CGI windows and lighting it was given back then, though the views look as fake as ever. The big change comes in dubbing both Boba Fett and the Emperor with appropriate actors from the prequel trilogy (as well as a few other minor audio tweaks). Other than shunning the poor original actors in such a way, Empire is much the same as ever. Widely held as the best in the series, of course, which is not something I'd dispute. The 7th best movie ever made though? Possibly a bit of a stretch.

82b) Star Wars - Episode 6: Return of the Jedi - DVD Edition (1983/2004, Richard Marquand, DVD) 4/5
Again, there seems to be only minor differences or effects improvements here -- it does make you wonder what the fans were kicking up such a fuss about! The main additions are shots of planets around the Empire following the destruction of the Death Star, and these actually improve what is otherwise a very low-key celebration. The main addition to the DVD is Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. It doesn't work at all; in fact, it manages to make it looks as if there was never anyone there at all! The film is still a great piece of entertainment; the speederbike chase is one of the trilogy's greatest action sequences. And Ewoks are cute.