Aye-Or-Naw-O-Meter: July 2010

Time for another quick roundup of some of the films I've been watching this month and whether they're worth watching, aye or naw.

The Prestige: Aye



Seriously, how good a filmmaker is Christopher Nolan? The Prestige somehow passed me by and until now was the only one of his films I hadn't seen. Put simply it's fantastic. Like his other films it's complex and all time bendy and it would be unfair to spoil it in any way. Just see it.

Be Kind Rewind: Naw



Be Kind Rewind is a great idea and is at its funniest when the guys are making their little ramshackle spoofs but sadly it's nowhere near as funny or engaging when they're not. It would have worked best as a series of short films released on the internet instead.

Meet The Fockers: Aye



Formulaic, enjoyable sequel that promised little to a formulaic, enjoyable film that promised little. Cracking cast and funny. Nothing more and nothing less.

Black Christmas (original 1974 version): Aye



Arguably the first slasher flick, pre-dating Halloween and using the same first person killer perspective, this is disturbing if a tad cheesy. In fact if you're looking for a film that is referenced by Scream more than any other it could be this thanks to the crank calls and a number of other spoiler type things. A good Halloween watch or a great Bah Humbug Xmas film.

Up In The Air: Aye



Ruud saw this in Toronto before its release and reviewed it here. Seeing it now post-Oscars hype it's difficult to see why this got so many five-star reviews and acting nominations. Don't get me wrong it's a good film and worth seeing but too much of it feels been-there-done-that. Clooney essentially plays himself and I can't quite work out what was so special about Vera Farmiga's performance. Anna Kendrick, or the one with the boobs that the wee twat doesn't fancy because he'd rather be with the suicidal chick who clearly hates him in Twilight, is fantastic though and her nomination was correct. It sounds like I'm pure ragging on this and that's not fair. It's well written and directed and anything that features J.K. Simmons is always worthwhile, it just isn't as good as you've been made to believe. Approach it like that and you should find a lot to like.

Youth In Revolt: Aye



Michael Cera starts out playing that role he always does before subverting things as his own maniacal alter-ego when he meets a girl who wants to fall for a bad guy instead of the spineless tube he is. Often hilarious, almost always slightly surreal this plays a bit like a teen Fight Club. Some of it doesn't work, and it certainly feels a little too disjointed, but enough of it hits to make it worth seeing.

The Science Of Sleep: Naw



My second Gondry film of the month and his second miss. This is really dire, a lucid dream movie that just doesn't click at any point. There's some really interesting visuals but quite simply Gondry isn't a storyteller and until he starts working with good scriptwriters again his movies are going to be avoided by me.

A Prophet: Aye



Now this is French cinema at its finest. No wanky twoddling about here. A young Muslim is sent to French prison on a six year sentence. We follow him as he rises from absolute nobody to the man. There's a lot of religious symbolism, but it wouldn't be a meaningful prison movie without that now would it? Assured direction, phenomenal performances and an engaging story make this a must see. So see it. You must!

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Aye



Here's another one of those movies where everyone talks weird and you need to read what's going on for two and a half hours. As such seeing it at the cinema was pretty much a non-starter thanks to a lack of screenings. Shame as it's a cracker and a film that does a great deal to show that not all Swedish films are metaphor filled snooze-fests about death and shit. In all honesty this is the sort of thing Hollywood could turn out, and now they are with David Fincher attached to direct. It's a very dark thriller with lots of sexual issues, so right up Fincher's street. I'd say catch the original now but unlike most remakes this probably won't be a disaster. Still it's great so get it watched.