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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 372
A collection of 4 new by Wes Anderson, for Netflix, all adapted from Roald Dahl Stories, and starring (in No Particular Order) - Ben Kinsley, Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes & Benedict Cumberbatch.
Those stories, in order:
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, about a wastrel and gambler who learns to meditate, see through the essence of things and sets up charities and orphanages worldwide;
The Swan - A bullied child;
The Rat Catcher - Exactly That
Poison - About an imaginary snake that's affected a man with very bad manners.
Peak Wes Anderson, and admirable in the use of tear-away sets and simplified storytelling. While in terms of budget they seem like they would have been cheap enough to make (even cheaper if he'd opted for green-screens and no-practical effects) - still, the techniques of scene paintings, the narrator both within/without the story, other little tricks make this far more enjoyable than the budget would suggest. Wes Anderson is a genius and his economy of "Less is More" and spending his budget on competent writers and actors is brilliant.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 374
Watched this last night. Meh, based on real life events in Iraq (I'm guessing) - it's set in real time over 90 minutes while soldiers deal with shit going down.
A slow start, and then it takes off and - for a war film, it's still pretty slow. Probably points for realism, but I'd still give this a miss, I'm pretty "warred" out.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 400
So, played out against the backdrop of America - a group of journalists are documenting the secession of Texas/California and the Civil War that results. It's good, not great, and ends - well, not unpredictably. IN fact probably a little too predictable.
Tonight I'll watch "Warfare" and see if that's any better.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 378
This was a charming Italian/Swedish film, in the vein of "Super Eight", about a young girl whose father disappeared during a mysterious "weather/ufo" event.
And it goes off in a few directions but notable it sticks pretty close to it's subject and doesn't opt for any of the easy endings that most American versions would have done. Which, in my mind, makes it superior. Sort of a kids film, "Goonies" or "ET" but without the big budget and effects. It succeeds despite.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 440
Nicholas Cage in something completely different...
Now, what I initially thought was going to be a Nic Cage surfer-revenge pic a-la "John Wick" or a million other-some-such.
Was I wrong. A completely surreal - well, how to describe it? And I don't care to give the plot away - but the camera, the shimmering heat, Nicholas Cages (and other's) eyebrows given an absurd focus, the twists and turns - I did not see that coming.
And the meta - for fear of giving it away - I'll put beneath the "read more" link.
Not an enjoyable or easy watch - but absolutely brilliant.