What DVD have you just watched?

Frankenweenie, Richard Burton's latest stopmotion animation film. From a technical point of view, the film's very good (and in black & white), and the story has a heart and seamlessly references Frankenstein, Metropolis and some of Burton's earlier works (e.g. Edward Scissorhands, Mars Attacks). But it's indifferently paced and edited, the music is not very interesting, and the voice acting of some of the characters is so-so. All in all, pretty disappointing given the spectacular Nightmare before Christmas and especially Corpse Bride.

Cheers,

EJ

We quite liked it. Not at the top of the tree, but better than the Ice Age stuff, for sure.

Hi Winky,

You're not alone - it did very well at the box office.

M

Argo After an opening that sets the stage well but then drags on a bit, the film is brilliant as of the moment Tony flies into Iran. After many years, finally a winner that's worthy of the oscar for best picture.

EJ

A tale of story telling and reflections on faith. An interesting ironic metaphor of a swimming pool (Piscine, the main character's name) stranded in an ocean.

Matt, what did you think of the film?

Haim,

I really enjoyed the film. I haven't read the book and wasn't sure of what to expect. Well done and interesting visual presentations. Makes me want to read the book now.

Matt

Matt,

Same here. We have the book at home. Wife says that it is one of the rare films successfully capturing the spirit of the book based on.

Haim

Last night

Well, not on DVD - on TV: Fun with Dick and Jane, the remake with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. Overall, not a very sharp satire or a very funny comedy, but some good moments. Alec Baldwin as the greedy CEO and Richard Jenkins as his CFO lackey steal the show. 

EJ

Lawless is a western set in the 20s during the prohibition. The story focuses on two of the three Bondurant brothers, who run moonshine in rural Virginia, and the crooked cop who hunts them. Like a good western, the film includes great vistas, a simple but quite realistic plot, sympathetic leads and a rotten bad guy, and a good shootout at the end. I was taken aback by the moments of extreme violence, though - we're talking a pig being shot, throats being sliced, people shot down and trodden upon, a woman raped at knife point, all in close-ups.

Cheers,

EJ

Clochemerle - BBC series from 1972.

Definitely worth watching again. Not quite as risque as I remembered it, but I was a teenager at the time.

Are you taking the pissoire....lovely series. G

Last night...

Great performance by Anthony Hopkins.

Green Street starring Elijah Wood, as a Journalism undergrad at Harvard, sees him being expelled from the prestigious institution as the result of misdemeanours of his arrogant and above-everyone room mate. Taking stock of his remaining life, Wood's character heads off to London England to see his sister but then winds up in the murky world of the nations most unfortunate export - football hooliganism as part of the infamous Green Street Elite. Ignited by his experiences in London, Wood's character returns to Harvard Univ. with a new sense of courage, confidence and purpose, confronting his adversary (the room mate) to reclaim his place there. 

In terms of all other hooligan based films, the dialogue and script is pretty cliched, its working-class characters are too, however this film is recommended, to American viewers in particular for its portrayal of the subversive Anglo-American culture clash, plus for any prospective Harvard Journalism students out there.

Very well acted.

Last night

Dark Shadows

I quiet enjoyed this, but I can see why it wasn't a big hit, it falls between a number of stools.

The film is not:

horrific enough to be horror;

funny enough to be a comedy;

cute enough to be a family film.

Yet it is well executed and kept my interest. I suppose if I was to TRY and categorise it I would say it is a black comedy about unrequited love.

Pretty much in standard Burton / Depp territory, but perhaps without that real touch of flair that I have come to expect and enjoy - oh, and with a very odd piece of casting for Christopher Lee!

Mildly disappointing.

M

Life of Pi - loved it, a marvel of technology and storytelling. The film is about the concept of religion as a means to illustrate and communicate life values and morals. I can see how it's rejection of dogma and breezy cross-religious references are not for everybody, but that probably only underlines the relevancy of this film. The topic is serious, but the way it's presented by our likeable, often humorous, lead character makes it easy to digest. And the visuals are mind-blowing - just ten seconds of Richard Parker scratching his nails on the lifeboat makes you wonder if digital animation will get any better than this.

Cheers,

EJ 

An excellent film yet also one that is unsettling and profoundly thought-provoking.  There are some difficult questions asked and the answers are not easy to take. As children look to teachers to fill so many roles vacated by parents, and parents divest their responsibility towards their children onto those very same teachers, society and the law place demands on those teachers to detach themselves ever further from the children.  With such conflicting expectations, how do teachers get through each day..? Watch it.