Quick Change (1990)
Bill Murray comedy about a bank heist. Bill Murray enters a bank dressed in a clown costume and proceeds to jovially make big requests for a helicopter and a monster truck. He's clearly got something up his sleeve, but what?
I hadn't seen this in years. Bill Murray stars alongside Geena Davis (Thelma and Louise, The Fly) and Randy Quaid (???). The trio work together pretty well and the whole film is very sweet and good fun. It's a farce with real heart behind it. Definitely a must-see for any Bill Murray fan.
B+
The Lady (2011)
Luc Besson has done some pretty awesome films. Leon was, at one point, my favourite film of all time, The Fifth Element is a fantastic sci-fi movie (albeit with Chris Tucker going a little over the top), and while Joan of Arc: The Messenger hasn't had unanimous praise, it's a movie I enjoyed greatly. Then, after a long gap, Besson released "Angel-A" which was lacking in any clear direction and became cheesy as hell right at the end. But then recently Luc Besson redeemed himself greatly with The Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec which, while lacking any logical consistency was appealingly barmy from start to finish.
So now Luc Besson gives himself the challenging task of adapting the story of Aung Sang Suu Kyi for the big screen. It's always confused me how this mild-mannered figure could be seen as such a threat by the Burmese government. Sadly that's the weakest aspect of the film. The Burmese military leader is depicted as an almost comical bad guy, guided by superstitious notions rather than sensible reasoning. In fact, the suggestion seems to be that the main reason she's not killed is because of superstitious notions by the military leader.
There is admittedly one great scene regarding her part in the struggle against the oppression of the people of Burma. Unfortunately, there's only ONE great scene regarding her part in the struggle against the oppression of the people of Burma.
Where the film is much more capable is in it's depiction of the relationship with her husband who is often forced to leave Burma and is eventually used as a way to persuade Aung Sang Suu Kyi to leave the country. There's a balance her family has to accept between the importance of her work in Burma and how much they miss her as a wife and mother. Michelle Yeoh does an absolutely fantastic job of portraying the internal conflict of this important figure and I really hope we see her roles which make the same use of her talents in the future.
There's some great emotional scenes and a wonderful central performance, but I finished the movie still very confused as to what Aung Sang Suu Kyi's role in Burma really is. It's a real pity that the family issues are handled so well while the issues in Burma that make her such a renowned political icon for peace and democracy are only touched upon in a very limited way.
C-
The Messenger (2009)
A soldier just come back from action abroad is given the task of giving condolences to the next of kin of soldiers who have died in combat. Woody Harrelson acts a kind of mentor showing this soldier the ropes, while Ben Foster is protagonist taking on this responsibility for the first time. He's not really interested in the post but as he comes to understand its importance he becomes rather more fascinated with the process. After all, he too is coming to terms with the deaths of soldiers who he came to know as friends.
Over the course of the movie a variety of possible responses to receiving the news of a loved one's death are explored. One next of kin figure is played by Steve Buscemi and another is played by Samantha Morton, both of whom are brilliant. The issue of how people respond to men in uniforms coming to break the news of their loved ones death face to face is quite fascinating.
The film builds up some compelling characters and there are some Woody Harrelson is able to really push home the humourous aspects. That said, while there's never a dull moment in this drama, I did feel that not enough had actually happened overall by the ending. This is more of a character study than a plot-driven story. For what it is, it does it very well so my final score may be more of a representation of my own tastes. However, while I give this a lot of credit for its deep emotional core, I wanted there to be rather more at stake. I still recommend this as a very good film.
B+
Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (2010)
I'd been looking to this one for a long time since Filmdrunk recommended this film after seeing it at Sundance. I made a point of watching the first Elite Squad movie as soon as I could and, though I had mixed feelings about it, I thought it was really good overall. I think I may have overrated it in my initial review (http://fatpie42.livejournal.com/101457.html) because I was so impressed by the concept. While "City of God" was about the internals squabbles of drug cartels and the effect on ordinary poor people, "Elite Squad" was about a special armed police force known as BOPE that is just as opposed to the corrupt police as it is to the drugs cartels. The protagonist is a very right wing figure, justifying the violent approach of the armed police with the scale of the crime levels they are trying to redress. The way this figure has a strong moral stance on the one hand and yet glorifies violent reactions by armed police on the other seemed to be part of the development of a realistic and human figure at the centre of the issues.
So this is where Elite Squad 2 becomes really interesting. We start with our protagonist once again taking a very right-wing approach towards his work yet with a strong moral code of sorts and then we are introduced to his polar opposite, a liberal academic who is moved by moral sentiments to counter what he sees as oppressive and unjustified methods of crime prevention. Our protagonist sees the drug dealers as scum, while the liberal academic sees the police as fascists. It's probably easier for the average viewer to side with the liberal figure, which is what makes the first Elite Squad movie important prior watching, even if it isn't really necessary to understand what happens in "The Enemy Within". I think even new viewers will recognise that there's an element of naivety in the way the liberal academic seems to trust certain violent thugs.
There's much more of a political angle in "Elite Squad 2" and that's an important element that was missing from the previous film. There's also a great deal more time spent on the way the uncompromising BOPE squad finds itself relating to the corruption in the police force.
This new film evens up the ideological one sidedness of "Elite Squad". It's also got some really exciting moments, some family drama elements, political intrigue and it's a great deal more streamlined than the previous film. "Elite Squad" was an okay movie with a unique approach to the subject matter. "Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within" is an excellent no-holds-barred drama. It's a brilliant film and bodes well for the upcoming Robocop remake by the same director.
A+
My Week With Marilyn (2011)
This is an awkward one to review. On the one hand there's a wonderfully endearing quality to the film. Eddie Redmayne proves his versatility after playing the conflicted monk in Christopher Smith's "Black Death", since he now plays the privileged aristocrat overflowing with enthusiasm for the possibility of working on a film. While it's clear that his eventual role owes something to his family ties, the way he constantly puts in extra effort to be seen as worthy in that role makes him a very charming character.
On the other hand, not an awful lot happens in this movie. I suppose this is a similar complaint to what I had with The Messenger, but I feel it's even harder to give this film credit because so many of the characters surrounding the protagonist seem to lack depth.
There's an awful lot of great actors throwing in a performance here: Kenneth Branaugh, Toby Jones, Judi Dench, Phillip Jackson, Zoe Wannamaker Derek Jacobi. With all this acting talent being drawn from, the end product is oddly more of a sweet and cheerful piece and there doesn't seem to be the weight involved that there ought to be.
And then there's Michelle Williams. She seems to be playing Marilyn Monroe as the Michael Jackson of her era. An absurdly huge star losing her grip on reality and social convention due to her success. Marilyn Monroe is shown as playfully eccentric and emotionally sensitive, but at it's (intentionally) never quite clear whether she is naive.
The movie recounts her work in a film with Laurence Olivier. It's the theatre world clashing with the movie world and in the middle of it is our protagonist trying to ease the conflict. There's something sublime about the way Eddie Redmayne's character becomes enchanted by Marilyn Monroe and Michelle Williams does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of Marilyn Monroe for us. However, all of this is in, as I said, a very sweet and cheerful movie and while there are some fantastic moments in the film, it doesn't really seem to add up to much by the end.
This is a great fun piece that will be enjoyable for all the family to watch. While it's not really one that you'd want to come back to time and time again, it succeeds in being very good fun and, in spite of a somewhat inconsistent tone, it has enough heartstring-pulling moments to make it feel like a proper cinematic experience overall.
B+
Puss In Boots (2011)
A little uneven, occasionally a little immature, and not all the jokes hit the mark. Still, it's great to see Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek back together, even if it is for seemingly the most bizarre El Mariachi film ever. (In case anyone didn't get the reference, they star together in the second and third movies of Robert Rodriguez' "El Mariachi" trilogy: "Desperado" and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico".)
The plot is rather inconsistent, but there are fun moments and the film doesn't fail to entertain. I think this showed a lot of promise and could potentially have been a much better film. It's not the best animated film, but standards have been high lately and this is good enough to make for a reasonably satisfying evening in.
C+