Category: Film

“Cadillac Records” is “Ray”, but multiplied in acting prowess and deft direction by a first-rate ensemble cast. Intense, quirky, precise characterization of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, my two great heros of the howl. Watch out for Gabrielle Union and Beyonce bring real performances to the screen. Excellent film. Hoochie coochie seed, baby.

“Green Zone” is another film about Iraq. It’s given a voice though to the Iraqi people, no longer just wailing women in black or caricatures of brown people. They got the accents right apart from the one Egyptian (I think) guy trying to be Iraqi. Nod to the guy from the Channel 4 series, who played Sadam, who plays Al-Rawi in this film. Average film.

“Sex, Lies, and Videotape” is a dark, dark affair. A real classic. Really great performances by all involved. James Spade is raw, just almost effeminate. What we create, especially involving other people, almost becomes progeny, a child, having traces of us, but can longer be called solely your own. Agree/disagree?

Actor’s note: nice to see Andie MacDowell’s character flourish once she was given that emotional compost.

“Confessions of a Gambler” is let down supremely by weak, wooden performances all round. It’s sad because it’s a very good and strong story, with a great soundtrack.
Some choice shots though; look out for: 1) ceiling-looking-down picking out the main character dressed differently in a sea of worshipping women in a mosque 2) the medium of the main character dressed in black, holding a cigarrette with the Cape mountains behind her.

Thankfully, this is South Africa and not the Middle East, where a shot like that is tolerated and hopefully understood.

Rayda Jacobs wrote the original novel, directed, produced, and acted in the main character. She should have stuck to the first three only.

I haven’t laughed this hard and this deeply in a very long time at the cinema. A funny, well-written, gritty film with an ensemble cast, all giving excellent performances. It’s “American Beauty” the sequel, interestingly with Annette Benning being in both. Sure to offend the Republican sensibilities of the US, it’s still a very real and entertaining film, portraying gay couples as-is, avoiding melodrama or head-bashing.

“The Hurt Locker”. Starts off strong but ends like a limp handshake. The slower arthouse version of “Jarhead”. Not Oscar material in any way. The insight into disillusioned soldiers is overdone. The ending borrows from “Home of the Brave”. Did I say borrows? You could safely say, steals unabashedly.

“Crazy Heart”. Good film. Strong performances by Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal brings a lot of vulnerability and openness to the role. Ending is realistic and non-sappy. Yet, not Oscar material. Not a timeless piece, from where I’m standing.

“Inception”. Rewatched this and stayed awake for the final section that I missed last time. Interesting, strong film. Real star here is really the concept or story rather than the actors. It’s the darker, broodier cousin of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Vanilla Sky”, the one with the morose face and emo haircut. Ending is interesting. Touches of playfulness comes with shots of Marion Coutillard and then Edith Piaff playing in the background. Definitely to own.

“Coco”. The one with Audrey Tatou. Didn’t get to finish this, but very promising. Was interesting to compare and contrast with “Coco and Stravinsky”.

“Broken Embraces” again. Awesome, sublime. Even on a second viewing when you know how it ends.

“Cairo Time”. Don’t waste your time on this. Couldn’t get past 10 minutes. So crap. Alexander Siddiq can’t even muster a few phrases in Egyptian. And Patricia Clarkson looks like she’s just woken up. A unnecessary excuse for a film.

“Coco and Igor”. Excellent film if not often it becomes about two tortured artists walking around looking morose. But cinematography and acting par excellence. Very arthouse, slow moving, but worth the watch.

“Greenberg”. Molasses pace, but interesting. Cringeworthy performance from Ben Stiller. But insightful. There are lots of people out there who are not glam or ‘cool’, but they go through all the problems of humanity too. If you can get through it, watch it.

The intellectual and philosophical big brother of Michel Gondry’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. Good performances by DiCaprio, Cotillard, and Hewitt-Gordon. Last third of film was tedious, but overall great film. The theme of science being Big Business’s last frontier is relevant and explored it with cold cynicism. Need to watch the film again.

A powerful story across both films – clumsy in first, polished in second. Great performance from Billy Connolly. One can tell much happened to Troy Duffy’s development: writer and director of both films.

A really excellent film. Entertaining, well-written, and superbly acted by a cohesive ensemble cast. I can’t believe that Brad Pitt finally did some real acting – shocking. The screenplay is tight and the cinematography is well-lit and expressive.