Ooooh, what have I been watching the past 2 weeks....
L'Armee des Ombres - based on anecdotes by a member of the French resistance, and filmed by Jean-Pierre Melville (also a former Resistance member). Tells it like it was, no glam or bullshit. A dour, washed-out, miserable film, and all the more perfect for it.
Come and See - WW2 from the Russian point of view, and a rather worthy one at that given that they lost some 20 million soldiers and civilians.....mind-blowing, harrowing and traumatic. It'll give you nightmares. Another film by a director who experienced war first hand; he pretty much gave up film-making after this, he'd done what he had to do. As for the young first time actor in the main role, you have to see his performance to believe it.
Hidden - An intelligent thriller, no neat, pat ending, no heroics saving the day, and such a sad centre to it. Subtle film-making and story-telling.
The Prestige - saw this once, loved it, got confused, wanted more, watched it again, enjoyed it even more. And I'll watch it again and enjoy it again. A superb cast and the underrated Hugh Jackman, who despite hailing from Down Under seems to have two brain cells to rub together but can act a storm (just put that in to see if anyone's reading this...)
Darkplace - Anyone else seen this? Spoof 80's-style TV series from 2004, set in a Romford hospital built above the gates of Hell - which isn't far from the truth, for anyone who's visited a UK hospital recently. Extremely funny.
L'Armee des Ombres - based on anecdotes by a member of the French resistance, and filmed by Jean-Pierre Melville (also a former Resistance member). Tells it like it was, no glam or bullshit. A dour, washed-out, miserable film, and all the more perfect for it.
Come and See - WW2 from the Russian point of view, and a rather worthy one at that given that they lost some 20 million soldiers and civilians.....mind-blowing, harrowing and traumatic. It'll give you nightmares. Another film by a director who experienced war first hand; he pretty much gave up film-making after this, he'd done what he had to do. As for the young first time actor in the main role, you have to see his performance to believe it.
Hidden - An intelligent thriller, no neat, pat ending, no heroics saving the day, and such a sad centre to it. Subtle film-making and story-telling.
The Prestige - saw this once, loved it, got confused, wanted more, watched it again, enjoyed it even more. And I'll watch it again and enjoy it again. A superb cast and the underrated Hugh Jackman, who despite hailing from Down Under seems to have two brain cells to rub together but can act a storm (just put that in to see if anyone's reading this...)
Darkplace - Anyone else seen this? Spoof 80's-style TV series from 2004, set in a Romford hospital built above the gates of Hell - which isn't far from the truth, for anyone who's visited a UK hospital recently. Extremely funny.
