Reviews
Quo Vadis (1951)
Spectacular visuals, awful script
It is rare to watch a film with such a clear split between the good and the bad. On the credit side, there is a whole series of exceptionally good set pieces, ranging from Nero's parties to a deeply impressive burning of Rome. Thousands of extras (what great work for unemployed Italians in postwar Cinecitta!), a menagerie of wild animals, stirring brass fanfares. To audiences in austerity-ridden Europe this must have been a wonderful relief from their daily grind, and all of it filmed in gorgeous deep colour. That said, the film is dragged down by its pervasively banal script, and by wooden performances by the two leads. Ustinov as Nero gives it his all, but even he could do little with these dire lines. My advice: watch it for the great visuals, then watch Spartacus for a correspondingly good script, one that takes you into the heart of ancient Rome.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022)
Shame about the scripts
You can see that this series benefited from massive investment. The production values are as high as they could possibly be. The period pieces alone are lovingly recreated and the settings beautifully filmed, both interior and exterior. There are some first rate performances and the special effects are simply mind-boggling, clearly state of the art. What a pity, then, that the series' creators could not come up with plots to match. All of the dramas are thin, and painfully stretched out to make them fill an hour of screen time. Characterisation is minimal. The series is worth watching for its good qualities, but every episode leaves the viewer thinking 'is that it?'
Somewhere Boy (2022)
Great acting, but thoroughly implausible premise
Some wonderful acting here, without a weak link, but let down by two big failings. First, it was totally incredible that an intelligent young man wouldn't have questioned this isolated upbringing. Apart from anything else, where were the house's electricity and TV transmissions coming from? And secondly, at over three hours it was far too long. A two-hour span, comprising four half hour episodes, would have made for a tighter, more coherent drama. I thought this was a great shame, because as a coming of age drama, focusing on the three young people brought together by these painful events of the past, it would have been excellent viewing. Loved the old songs, a technique borrowed from Dennis Potter but no worse for that.
Hamlet (1996)
On and on and on
Not an easy film to assess. Acting, staging, direction and music all deserve 10/10 but awarding that score would be to overlook the fact that for much of the time it has no traction. There are scenes that simply go on far too long, and would obviously benefit from editing or even exclusion. Some of Branagh's ideas for the play are silly, others brilliant. Overall though ... what a labour of love on Branagh's part, and what a tribute to the play that is, arguably, Shakespeare's greatest.
Scrooge (1951)
Saved by Sim
When Alastair Sim is on screen this is enjoyable. His performance is enthralling. But at other times the lame script and rank sentimentality make it painful to watch. It's a reminder of how mediocre much post-war British film-making was.
The Children Act (2017)
Stunning performances but too refined and torpid
This was so well acted and so well filmed, and the themes so subtly handled, yet it left me cold. The way of life of the metropolitan elite at the film's centre was well observed but the sheer tastefulness of it all - even the marital discord - was emotionally distancing. The film lacked grit and tension.
Saint Maud (2019)
What a disappointment
I love films that take belief seriously, the best example being the brilliant and shocking Breaking the Waves. I thought this might be in the same league and it certainly has a performance from the lead to match that of Emily Watson. The first half was building very well, but then it lost its way, and the remainder was jarring melodrama. The film ended up dismissing faith experienced at this level of intensity as evidence of derangement and social isolation, which was boringly unoriginal. Some great acting and excellent direction could not disguise the emptiness of the message.
55 Days at Peking (1963)
Stodgy and lame, mediocre in the fullest sense
By the time the intermission starts, this movie has totally run out of steam. Ponderous, dull and lacking any momentum, it could be held as marking the collapse of the overblown historical epics that were so popular in the early 60s, had Cy Endfield and David Lean not infused the genre with new life in Zulu, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. The difference? Largely vitality, intelligence and authenticity
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
What damage a rubbish script can inflict
This movie has a fascinating subject, excellent battle scenes, some first-rate performances (Guinness, Mason and Plummer), and stirring music by Tiomkin. So why is it such a crashing disappointment? Well, the supposed love between Boyd and Loren is totally without chemistry, but the central problem is the script, which is the very definition of leaden. Entire scenes are jarringly tedious and without point. Marvellous cinematography, splendid costumes and sets and efficient direction can do nothing in the face of such mediocrity.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Monty Python spin-off that outstays its welcome
This fantasy comedy has its moments but loses its appeal after an hour or so. Compared with The Life of Brian or the Holy Grail it is pretty thin stuff. Most of the over the top reviews here must be based on nostalgia.
The Swimmer (1968)
Falls a long way short of Cheever's story
This is a brave attempt to create a film of Cheever's classic story. Despite a strong central performance by Lancaster it fails to pick up on the many nuances that Cheever achieves in just 20 pages. A couple of episodes are stretched out interminably to reach 95 minutes. I had never seen it before and after this viewing could understand why.
The Endless (2017)
Seemed endless (sorry)
This movie was a strange combination of the cerebral and the mundane. I loved the intelligence underpinning it and the nice twists the explanation of events made possible. But the film lacked any momentum and at times the direction was simply limp. The acting was similarly low key, scarcely acting at all. Minimal facial expressions and gestures. One plot line I would like to have seen explored more fully was why the two brothers were living such unfulfilled and disappointing lives, and why they were living them together. Why not get qualifications, meet people, move on? Was this simply down to their experiences in the camp, as was hinted at? There were good ideas here but they needed more development and tighter execution to create a film worthy of them.
Man of Straw (1972)
A great series, lost for ever
This early tv appearance by Jacobi as a weaselly, duplicitous social climber in imperial Germany showed what a star was in the making. Alas, we can no longer enjoy his terrific performance because the series was not archived and is lost for good. Very sad
Cadaveri eccellenti (1976)
Outstanding political crime thriller
This is a remarkable film which captures perfectly the greyness, cynicism and violence of the Italian political scene in the 70s and 80s, the 'years of lead' as Italians call them (anni di piombo). The highly script, acting and direction are all top notch and the twists and turns keep you glued to the screen. It really deserves to be better known. The ending is extraordinarily downbeat! No Hollywood feelgood in this one.
L'avenir (2016)
A Huppert vehicle
Huppert is always worth watching, plus there are lovely shots of Paris - the real city, not the Woody Allen version - and a terrific cat. That's about all though. A plot would have helped.
L'amore ritrovato (2004)
Pretty, easy to watch but lifeless and dull
This story of a doomed passion is nothing if not easy on the eye. The lovers are stunningly good looking and the camera bathes them and their surroundings in a lustrous glow. Who would have thought fascist Italy, repressive and lurching towards catastrophe, could be so agreeable? Neither of the protagonists have anything much to work with and some scenes are tediously drawn out. Watchable enough but instantly forgettable stuff.
Aprile (1998)
A sufeit of Moretti
Written by, directed by and starring ... i wouldn't mind that, but he's in every single scene, and that really starts to jar after a while. He's an agreeable sort of chap, talented, liberal, charming etc, but he could let one or two other people get an occasional look in.
Raising Arizona (1987)
Terribly disappointing after Blood Simple
I find it hard to believe this awful movie followed Blood Simple. In that film every scene is brilliantly written, acted and shot. In this film, by contrast, virtually every scene misfires. The relationship between Cage and Hunter is implausible and Cage's silly hair quickly becomes irritating. The kidnapping and everything that follows is gauche and mediocre. The Big Lebowski and Barton Fink are among my favourite movies so it's not as if I don't enjoy the Coen brothers' sense of humour. Indeed, the problem is the absence of anything genuinely funny. But then the Coens are nothing if not inconsistent, witness Burn after Reading and Hail Caesar.
La città delle donne (1980)
Fellini on a downward slide
I am a great fan of early Fellini, and as late as Amarcord I still find much to admire. After that, though, there seems to me to be an inexorable decline in originality. By the time we get to this film the decline is definitely in evidence throughout. Freshness has given way to trademark, vitality to predictability. Mastroianni is still there, as cool and enigmatic as ever, and some of the cinematography remains dazzling. But an air of staleness hangs over the whole film, which apart from its other defects is far too long. Fellini fanatics admire it, that much is obvious, and good luck to them. But most simple admirers will pass it by. It is worth adding that in the troubled and deeply unequal world we live in, Fellini's later obsession with the idle rich is looking increasingly frivolous. But maybe that's just me.
Omnibus: Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968)
A minor classic
This was the first in a series of BBC adaptations of M.R. James's famous ghost stories, and was directed by Jonathan Miller for the equally famous Omnibus productions. It was followed by a sequence that were made more or less on an annual basis through the 1970s, and the BFI has issued them all in a very attractive box set.
Miller, and Michael Hordern as his lead actor, did a great job and this film still grips the viewer. It holds its own as a ghost story and the recreation of a Norfolk hotel and its staff and guests is impressive. Jonathan Miller discusses the film in a short interview though he has disappointingly little to say about it. Unfortunately the same quality evaded the later films, most of which were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. He produced much more workmanlike versions lacking the original camera shots and telling atmosphere that Miller achieved in 1968. But some are better than others and Clark did work with some good actors. Of the last entry in the 1970s run, The Ice House, directed by Derek Lister, the less said the better. The same applies to the misguided attempt to make a new version of 'Oh whistle' in 2010.
Julieta (2016)
Wonderful cinematography, weak script
It's usually worth watching an Almodovar movie if only for the exquisite use he makes of the camera and the quality of acting he manages to extract from his cast. That is certainly the case with Julieta in which every scene is beautifully composed. Andalusia, Galicia and Madrid have never looked so enticing. Having said that, the narrative of this movie is really poor. It revolves in some sense around the theme of guilt but that doesn't stand up well to a close examination. The twist at the close is pure melodrama and the film doesn't really end at all. Almodovar just brings down the shutters on the movie. So this is very much a mixed bag. Lovely filming, lovely actors, lovely decor, but dare I say it, this is basically an art-house soap.
The Sense of an Ending (2017)
Fine, moving adaptation of one of Barnes' best novels
After somewhat iffy reviews and some discouraging interviews I was really pleased by this movie. The novel has great depth and touches on weighty topics, leaving certain unresolved issues in its wake. Payne (scriptwriter) and Batra take on a very challenging job and with the help of a stellar cast they make as good an adaptation as anyone could reasonably expect. Broadbent is magnificent as the male lead and all the female ones are excellent. The cinematography is outstanding with some exterior shots that take your breath away, indeed Batra lingers on them a bit too long, though one can see why!
There is a good deal to admire. The interweaving of past and present is highly skilled, the recreation of sixties milieus authentic. The school scenes rang true - I went to an all boys grammar school in the sixties and they get it right with the exception of the swearing. Incredible as it may seem to some people, swearing was unusual fifty years ago. I loved the way the painful weekend at Chislehurst - central to the mystery - was handled.
There were a few lapses of judgement and taste but overall I would rate this as one of the best movies I have seen in the past year. It deserves awards.
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Sunk by a leaden script
What this weak movie brought home to me was the importance of a good script. Two days previously I rewatched The Mission, a masterpiece about European contact with the indigenous people of the Americas. The Mission has wonderful actors, inspired cinematography and a classic score, but what enables them all to synergise is Robert Bolt's intelligent, sensitive and beautiful script. It fills the film with radiance. By contrast, the script for 1492 is unbelievably poor, pedestrian to the last degree. I wonder that Ridley Scott allowed himself to be saddled with it. OK, Depardieu's English is not great, but from the start you can see that this fine actor can do nothing with these lines. Nor can Weaver and the others. Funny really, because the script is surely the least costly item in the budget.
Life (2017)
Solid entry to the space monster genre
'Life' was good, a respectable 3.5 out of 5, and it would have been a 4 but for the cop out ending, which I think reflected a lack of confidence on the part of its team in the quality of their output.
The writers and director did not disguise their debt to 'Alien' and to a lesser extent '2001', and their overt referencing of those films was sensible - after all, with a plot like this one nobody can ignore such masterpieces. 'Life' stands up well to comparisons, being a well scripted and capably directed effort. I liked the way the members of the crew were fleshed out with backstory and some character development. There was a cost in terms of slackening tension but it was worth paying because you cared more about their fates. The creature was very well managed as was the spaceship interior. Action scenes were lively and full of impact.
Yes, there were plenty of implausibilities, but I can live with those if the result is worth it. And in 'Life' it was.
Arthur & George (2015)
Disappointing
I got hold of this mini series after reading the outstanding novel by Julian Barnes on which it is based. The book is very deep and I didn't expect the series to follow it faithfully. Even so, the series is disappointing. It starts well, cutting quickly to Doyle's involvement in the miscarriage of justice and the way it freed him from the debilitating grief and guilt occasioned by his first wife's death. There was good period atmosphere, and some excellent location filming. But the second and third episodes went adrift. The complexity of the case seemed to defeat the scriptwriter who sought refuge in melodrama and to that end introduced some unhelpful and implausible additional plot lines. These included a murder, which made the case much more serious than the animal mutilations and anonymous letters which comprised the original crimes. The best I can say about it is that it occupies an evening in a reasonably entertaining way. But the novel is infinitely superior.