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Reviews
The Hunger Games (2012)
A bad rip-off of Battle Royale
This is just a ham-fisted, Hollywood rip-off of Battle Royale.
If you like it, I suggest you see Battle Royale, Salute of the Jugger and at a stretch, The Running Man. Much better films.
There's an obvious nod to all three previously-mentioned films, with an overtly 1980's styling in the over-class fashion and a blatant rip-off of the story-line of Battle Royale.
Not a bad movie, just unoriginal by a long way and there's already 20-year-old movies that do it better.
The rest is just blah, blah, blah.
Watch the decent movies.
The Last Airbender (2010)
Hollywood doing Chinese spirituality? WTF?
This film has action, special effects out of it's ying-yang.
That's purely why it gets a 4/10; it will appeal to the average mindless idiot.
But basically it's an American attempt at Chinese spirituality and cinema. Guess what? It fails. More than that, it's insulting.
If you're an idiot who likes sfx and has no concept of the world beyond small-town America, then you'll probably love it, as there's no black people in the film whatsoever. That's right! No black people at all. Not even an oriental person, despite it being a film obviously raped from Chinese cinema! I'm afraid my appreciation of the film ends there. It was a poor film based on a bad concept that I couldn't even associate with on any level other than it looked pretty at times. No thanks.
Dogville (2003)
An Obvious Allegory
Dogville is a minimalist, and somewhat critical and pessemistic, allegory of America from its inception to relatively modern times (and by extension, if loosely, of the Western world). If that first sentence makes you think "wtf?!" then this isn't a film for you; you're probably one of the residents of Dogville without actually realising...maybe I am too. Like a theatre production which makes good use of the audience's imagination, this film is intentinally sparse, set in a studio with painted outlines of buildings, streets, plants and even dogs. I read that as an intention for the story and characters to be the most, and only, thing that should be on the minds of the viewer; it works.
Whether that allegory is based in the time the film is set in 1930's (post-) depression America or modern-day America is a finesse that a non-American would never understand: it seems equally valid today.
The story centres around the arrival of Grace (Kidman) to a small mining town known as Dogville, which has seen better times but is now secluded, isolationist and introverted. Grace arrives as a refugee from oppression, and meets the beautifully-acted Tom (Bettany) who hides her in the abandoned mine. If you want a dry synopsis of each chapter of the film, Wikipedia does it well.
In my view, Grace represents the ideal of America (not necessarily the American Dream). Her journey throughout the film begins with hard work to become accepted, her gradual, graceful and brutal exploitation and eventual submission to the very thing she fled from in the first place.
The various supporting characters are relatively easy to define as aspects of American society - Tom represents the well-meaning liberalism that seeks acknowledgement and approval for good deeds whilst exploiting that which he seeks to protect, The Big Man (James Caan) represents imperialism (in the guise of organised crime) from which Grace sought to escape, but to which she ultimately returns after the abuses she suffers at the hands of those who don't understand her and seek to use her for their own ends, etc.
This is a movie that is as entertaining as it is hard to watch at times. If you're prepared to think about what you're watching and accept the director's criticism about the way we live, it's very thought-provoking. If you watch it literally, there's not much here for you and maybe a Steven Segal or Jean-Claude Van Damme movie is more your speed.
I personally thought the credit music of David Bowie's "Young America" was a bit heavy-handed, and purely there as a "this is what the movie's about, stupid!" comment, simply because you either understand this movie or you don't; if you haven't got it by the end credits, then a song isn't going to illuminate you.
Overall, it's a sublimely-acted film, perfectly cast and very engaging if you appreciate theatre and can look beyond the obvious.
Gran Torino (2008)
Dirty Harry Evolves
I gave this movie 10/10 not because I thought it was the perfect film, but because I think it is very good for absolutely anyone.
Clint Eastwood plays a curmudgeonly, old American patriot (maybe typecast) who is dealing with the death of his wife, living in a neighbourhood which has become predominantly inhabited by the very people he despises (basically, everyone else), simply by being there long enough.
What ensues is a man set in his ways, but with a lifetime of experiences and knowledge, trying to come to terms with modern life without the (one assumes) guiding hand of his now-deceased wife.
It sounds like a feel-good chick-flick (and it is) but what it also equally is, is Clint Eastwood at his best being Dirty Harry and his roles in the spaghetti westerns. Sounds impossible, but true.
This film manages to walk fine lines on so many fronts, and intelligently deals with them without losing any credibility or being patronising. Clint Eastwood's character (Walt Kowalski) manages to be Dirty Harry, Mr. Miyagi and Max Goldman (Walther Matthau's character in Grumpy Old Men) without effort...with subtle humour too.
It's thought-provoking and exciting at the same time. A grown-up movie that everyone can enjoy from ages...well...teens to Grumpy Old Men and Women.
If this movie doesn't win at least one Oscar for Clint Eastwood's performance, then that award isn't worth a pat on the back from your boss while they're off on their holidays paid for by the bonus they got for the work you did.
Franklyn (2008)
Worth a watch
An interesting presentation on the varying degrees of "insanity" of three people. The film is somewhat disjointed early on, but makes more sense as the film progresses, as the individual stories converge.
The trailers you may have seen which may make you think this is a Batman-esquire superhero movie are misleading. There is an element of that, but it is wholly the fantasy of one of the characters. It's very enjoyable though, very well crafted (much in the style of Dark City), but not what the film is about. If you were expecting a British Batman, you will be disappointed.
What you do have is a lower-budget melding of Dark City/Fight Club/Magnolia/random other film.
Worth watching, but no great shakes. Bit like Donnie Darko in that respect, but none other.