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.

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

Some quick reviews of some stuff I've watched this month. Should you bother with them, aye or naw?

Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee: Naw (unless you can watch it streaming on Lovefilm)



A spoof documentary shot by Shane Meadows on the fly during The Arctic Monkeys Old Trafford gig with rapper Scor-Zay-Zee (imagine Peter Kay channelling Snoop Dogg) and Paddy Considine improvising his arse off as a roadie who's a total git. Worth seeing for Considine who is, as always, fantastic but it's very slight and feels like something made very quickly. A bit more time put into it and this could of been a gem. As it is it doesn't quite work. Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee's song is hilarious though.

Becket: Naw



Ruud recommended this one to me. It's not really my thing. Everything's a tad to ACTOR-ly and it's clear it's based on a stage play. It's obviously a good piece of filmmaking just not my cup of tea. If you do like this sort of thing make it an aye.

13: Game Of Death: Aye



Well, what the hell is this? Asian cinema has a bit of a habit of trying to blend genres in as seamless a fashion as possible. Anyone who saw the excellent The Host will know it was as much a family drama as it was a horror, with some slapstick and social comment thrown in for good measure. This Thai effort could be pitched as a black comedy take on the Saw series, before itself becoming quite horrific and complex. Basically it revolves around a put upon office worker struggling to make ends meet. After he gets fired his phone goes and he is offered the chance to play a game that can net him an incredible amount of money. There are thirteen rounds and each task becomes increasingly difficult. It's a feverish, strange movie with some hilarious touches, but it also has a lot to say about how far we're willing to debase ourselves for gain, such as those who allow their lives to be plastered all over our TV screens. Quite fitting in this final Big Brother year, although the eating round verges a little closer to I'm A Celeb's munch and spew exercises. The film as a whole is a bit of a mess, but it's an interesting, entertaining and disturbing mess and is well worth checking out.

Where The Wild Things Are: Aye



Speaking of disturbing, unsettling movies, my word. Where The Wild Things Are doesn't feature corpse retrieval or decapitated bikers but it is a mind fuck. Most people will probably just dismiss this as a kids movie and be done with it. It's really not for kids, rather it's about being a kid, and all the fears, insecurities and psychological torment that can bring. It's actually quite a menacing little film, with a genuine sense of threat coming from the wild things that Max may or may not have created in his head. It's a mesmerising, beautiful, fragile tale that doesn't really have much in the way of structure, but then what kid's imagination does?

Harry Brown: Aye



Ruud went and reviewed this as part of his Toronto Film Festival diary and I agree with him totally. A cracking thriller and one that is very relevant with the state of British society and how incompetent the Police have been to deal with it (watch it get worse now that they've been told to slash budgets and meet more dreaded targets). Sure some of the baddies may be a touch overdone but they help to add to the sick fug like atmosphere that hangs over the whole film. And Caine is bloody brilliant. The opening title says Michael Caine is Harry Brown. That says it all really.

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

A quick roundup of the films I got sent to me from Lovefilm this past month, my first as a member, plus anything else I happened to see for the first time:

Waiting For Guffman: Aye



Funny Christopher Guest directed improvised comedy. Made before the glorious Best In Show this features the same subtle observational humour, and a lot of the cast, with that film. It's not as good but it's still worth a watch.

The Red Balloon/White Mane: Aye



The Red Balloon is a short French film that plays a bit like an artier Bicycle Thieves in the sense that nothing much happens and it's really just the document of two companions walking through a European city. The balloon is a wonderful character and the work to make it move the way it does is wonderful. Plus the transfer is stunning. Maybe a tad dull for some, others will find it beautiful and mesmerising. The White Mane is an extra short film on the DVD and is worth a watch too.

La Jetee/Sans Soleil : Aye



Another French short getting a DVD release and again it's bundled with an extra film. This time you get a full length one Sans Soleil which is interesting and at three times the length of the main feature is a great bonus but the gem here is the La Jetee. It's a brave, intelligent piece of film making that asks the viewer to interpret what exactly is going on. It's shot almost entirely as black and white still photographs, there is some movement that comes as quite a thrill, and went on to be remade by Terry Gilliam as Twelve Monkeys. Highly recommended.

Fanny and Alexander (Director's Cut): Naw



Oh deary me. This is considered a masterpiece by Ingmar Bergman but it's actually an over long (five hours twelve minutes), bloated mess. The story goes nowhere and takes forever to do anything, the acting is overwrought and annoying and magic becomes a major plot point, simply it seems because Bergman got a bit stuck. I'm not entirely sure what the point of this is. If you can tolerate it see for yourself the epitome of everything that's wrong about European art cinema. Shame after The Red Balloon and La Jetee showing how wonderful it can be.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Aye(ish)



I watched this for the Rifftrax treatment. So far I've seen the first four films in the series purely for this reason. The first two were dreadful but I have to admit to enjoying the latter two films and now want the Rifftrax crew to do the rest of the series purely so I'll end up watching them. I know I won't bother otherwise but I've kind of gotten into these. I say aye(ish) because it's not really that good and if you're not a Potter fan you'll probably not really like it that much without the Rifftrax.

Aye-Or-Naw-O-Meter

I've joined Lovefilm so I can catch up with some stuff. Getting newer films is difficult but I'll review them as I get them. What you tend to get sent instead are the foreign or short films on your list.

Instead of writing big reviews of these I thought I'd start the Aye-Or-Naw-O-Meter. Put simply should you see the movie, aye or naw. I'll do it as a monthly roundup and include any other films or that I've watched on telly or elsewhere.

I'd quote an advertising meerkat right now but I bloody well hate him so I won't.

First one on Monday.