Week 34

Introduction

This was going to be the first double-week entry in a fair while, the main reason being that I'm going away for the best part of a week very shortly, probably without internet to post an entry. But then I watched a fair few films at the start of this week and decided to just do an earlier entry instead! So this may be called Week 34, but it's actually Week 34 Days 1-4, and the next entry will just silently include Week 34 Days 5-7 (if I even watch anything then). I'm sure no one will mind but me!

If I do get the net working during my away-time, you may be lucky enough to see the first stand-alone editorial here. I've been musing on the IMDb Top 250 and may put some of those thoughts down...


Week Thirty-Four

Several over-long reviews this week -- I appear to be losing my self control on that front. They'll have multiple paragraphs before long, you mark my words!

Something I've also just noticed is that across five reviews I've used four different scores. Considering I've so far this year only seen one film deserving of the lowest score, that's quite a spread. Just a shame the scores nicely rise only to fall right back at the end, eh.


91) Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (1997, Hideaki Anno, Masayuki & Tsurumaki Kazuya, DVD) 2/5
The genesis of this film is a long story (at least, longer than I'd like for this review!) The anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion ends with bizarre theme-centric episodes that fail to conclude the story; a film was produced to re-tell the end from a story-centric position and/or to provide an alternate ending (depending who you believe). This is not that film, but something that was released a bit before that. The first 69 minutes (titled Death) are an intriguing reorganisation/summary of the series in a somewhat impressionistic way, including a few new scenes. It's either quite clever or just a jumble. The final 27 minutes (titled Rebirth) are an all new continuation of the story. There are answers, revelations, some great sequences, and a great cliffhanger! Unfortunately this is also the start of the concluding film, which ultimately renders this as just one thing: a fan-only curio. Its main value, in my opinion, is the neat cliffhanger, which makes for a tantalising ending (instead of the first act plot point it must be in the next film). If you're curious about Evangelion and think a filmic summary sounds a good idea, don't watch! Get hold of the series, it's worth the time. (I'll undoubtedly share my thoughts on the conclusion, The End of Evangelion, as soon as Play.com get it back in stock!)

92) The Cat's Meow (2001, Peter Bogdanovich, DVD) 3/5
Possibly-true 'murder mystery' set in 1920s Hollywood. As with the similar Gosford Park, the point lies less in plot and more in characterisation -- there are some good performances, especially from Eddie Izzard, Joanna Lumley and Edward Herrmann, though Kirsten Dunst seems a bit flat in comparison. The era's style suits her though, and the whole period is beautifully evoked; for my money the prettiest scenes are the black & white bookends. Sadly the similarity to Gosford Park is the film's main shortcoming: once realised, it's clear that Cat's Meow doesn't have the same subtle complexity in its story or performances. In its own right, though, there's much to like.

93) Letters From Iwo Jima (2006, Clint Eastwood, DVD) 4/5
Companion to Flags of Our Fathers (widely considered the better of the two), showing the same battle from the Japanese perspective. Letters focuses on the human angle, getting to know the characters as they prepare for battle (the Americans don't arrive for almost an hour) and through flashbacks. The action sequences and cinematography owe a lot to Saving Private Ryan -- desaturation is becoming a war film cliche; that said, it works here, fitting the bland sandy environment and emphasising bursts of colour from blood and flames. The film aims to humanise 'The Enemy' but only succeeds in showing that there were some good people in a society of old-fashioned ideas; the obsession with pointless suicide over genuine use of men may be true, but still seems savage and unpractical (probably more a flaw of the real military attitude than of the film, then). No character who follows this is a good guy; likable ones survive or are Westernised. The Americans we see are a mix too (one shoots captured soldiers for no reason, for example), but this feels like a hollow attempt to depict the filmmakers' countrymen equally rather than genuinely aiding the concept of the Japanese as good guys. A mixed film then, the value of which lies not in presenting a view of war, humanity or Japanese culture, but in providing a view (or, indeed, half a view) of this one particular battle. (I'll undoubtedly share my thoughts on the first half of this pair when LoveFilm decide to send it to me.)

93a) Gone With the Wind (1939, Victor Fleming, DVD) 5/5
I thought I'd seen Gone With the Wind but, watching it again, it's clear I hadn't properly. This is partly because I first saw it on TV, in two halves, a week apart, each starting at 1AM. I just about managed to follow the story, in between drifting off for whole chunks. Another reason is the quality of the restored print on the DVD: it looks stunning, every frame is beautiful; it's a shame no films look like this today. The performances are uniformly excellent, especially (of course) Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable; though special mention must be made of the fantastic Oscar-winning Hattie McDaniel as Mammy (the first African American to be nominated for and win an Oscar, and deservedly so). The direction is brilliant, displaying styles you think weren't invented for another 20 years; all of the design work is gorgeous; and the story is epic and expertly told, moving across genres (romance, war, melodrama, comedy) with ease. It's easy to see why this is the most popular film ever made. First time round I just thought it was very good; now it's firmly one of my favourites.

94) The Black Dahlia (2006, Brian De Palma, DVD) 2/5
Noir-wannabe, adapted from the James Ellroy novel based on a real, unsolved case. That case is far from the focus here; from the start the apparently-central crime is anything but, meaning the biggest let-down is that events barely follows the eponymous story. It's one of many problems in a film that tries hard to be a proper noir but fails in almost every respect: performances (most of which wind up flat), corny dialogue, plot, pretty-but-vacant direction, and even voice-over narration. I haven't read the novel, but apparently it's a poor adaptation too. What you want is a '40s-style thriller; what you get is a weak '40s-set character drama.