Darth Stujitzu's Reviews

Casino Royale

2006 Directed by : Martin Campbell

At long last the new Bond film is here, complete with new Bond Daniel Craig.

Saw it last night, and I have to admit that Martin Campbell has once again managed to successfully relaunch the Bond franchise and a new Bond.
Casino Royale is a departure from most of the Bond films before it, it's darker, grittyier and more realistic than any Bond films to date.
Brosnan had already started to take Bond down this road to a certain extent, but in Casino Royale Craig delivers a Bond unlike any other we have seen, a man whos ego and arrogance often leads him to make crucial mistakes, a raw unyielding brute of an agent who has yet to have his rough edges polished off.
I can't think of any major flaws in the film, I enjoyed every minute of it, and after the poor invisible car and bad cgi of it's predecessor, Casino Royale has given the Bond franchise back its credibility.

All the major ingredients are here, stunning action sequences and locations, beautifull women, drama, aston martins, vodka martinis etc .
Casino Royale has set the bar high for the following films, I just hope they can keep that level this time as I personally felt that after Goldeneye, Brosnan's subsequent films never really reached the heights.

Best Bond film in ages, more like the Bourne films in tone, but with added gloss.

Rating 4.5/5

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Nice review, Darth. I've been pysched about Casino Royale for a long time, and got all my friends similarly riled up once the trailer came out. A group of us are seeing it tonight. Can't wait. Thanks for the thoughts!

i'm only going to see it becuase Craig is hottttttttt!!!*giggles*

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Thanks Darthy, can't wait to see it

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The Fountain

Directed by : Darren Aronofsky 2006


The Fountain follows a love story between Hugh Jackman and Rachael Weiss set over a period of centuries and the elusive search for eternal life and the Fountain of youth ( or tree of life in this case! )

I'm a huge fan of Requiem for a Dream, and I've been looking forward to the Fountain for ages, indeed it's taken ages for it finally to make it onto the big screen, originally starring Brad Pitt, the film has taken many twists and turns before reaching completement.

Having just finished watching the film, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how I should review it. It is visualy stunning, there are so many scenes that are beautifully shot and composed and from a filmmaker's point of view it is a fascinating watch.
From a normal filmgoer's point of view, I'm not sure that it will be that sucessful, the story is often confusing and with all that's going on visualy it can be distracting and hard to follow, the story is not on the traditional linear path, and requires you to concentrate from start to finish.
Although I was blown away by some of the imagery in the film, my overall feeling afterwards was that this film was slightly egotistical, and that Aronofsky was trying to be almost too clever for his own good. The performances of Jackman and Weiss are also difficult to gage as this really was an unusual film, that doesn't fit well into the norms of big budget films.
To some extent I feel this could be Aronofsky's "2001", a film that won't appeal to everyone. It will confuse and loose many before the film finishes, but to anyone that has any aspirations to be a filmmaker, should definetly check it out just for the visuals and images that Aronofsky weaves.

I'm still at a loss as to how much I enjoyed the film, perhaps a few more views on DVD will help make up my mind.

Rating : 3.5/5 ( mostly for the stunning images on display )

Hard Candy

2005 Directed by : David Slade


Hard Candy follows the story of Jeff ( Patrick Wilson ) a 32 year old photographer who has been flirting on-line with Hayley ( Ellen Page ) a 14 year old girl.

The film starts off innocently enough, although it's hard to fathom why a 32 year old would be knowingly flirting with a 14 year old, but soon takes a very severe twist that makes for an uncomfortable but fascinating viewing.

A taught pyschological thriller, with great performances from the two leads, that asks as many questions as it answers.
The torture scene is all implied rather than shown in all it's gorry detail, but I have to confess to taking two attempts to finish the film, I haven't felt that squeamish in a long time, and because we aren't shown anything it reminded me of " Seven " and it's clever use of implication over gore.
The film's main strong point is the performance of it's two leads, it's a fascinating story that is well acted and well directed, it made me feel claustrophobic, uneasy and as mentioned squeamish, but I became totaly imersed in the story and it made me think long after it had finished.
Having watched all the extras on the DVD, it further confirmed my views that this is a fantastic piece of cinema, well worth checking out, although the subject matter of pedophilia will deter many from watching it.
The many twists and turns the film takes constantly makes you change your loyalties from one character to another, and although I was a little disapointed in the ending, overall, I can't remember a film recently that has effected me as much.

Not a film for everyone, a tricky subject matter is very well handled, and direction and performance are excellent.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pan's Labyrinth

2006 Directed by : Guillermo del Toro


Set in 1944 during Franco's ethnic clean up of Spain, the film follows Ofelia ( Ivana Baquero ) a young girl sent to live with her heavily pregnant mother and her step-father the evil Captain Vidal ( Sergi Lopez ) in the north of Spain.

Ofelia becomes lost in a world of fairy-tales and becomes convinced that she is possibly the long lost princess of a magical kingdom deep below her new home. Set a number of tasks by a Faun to see if she is the real princess, Ofelia becomes more imersed in her own fantasy world, whilst her evil step-father continues his blood thirsty tirade against the Basques who are being helped, in secret, by key members of the Captain's home.

The best way to describe this film is that it's an adult fairy tale, darker and more grusome than it's counterparts, it is beautifully shot and acted and a must for fans of del Toro.
Del Toro manages to weave the two stories together masterfully, and there is enough on screen to keep you engaged throughout, a strong story, great visuals and fantastic performances, especially by Baquero, Lopez and Maribel Verdu as Mercedes, the mole in Vidal's camp, all help make a very enjoyable and worth-while film.

A dark little tale, definetly not suitable for kids.

Rating 4/5

This is England
2006 Directed by : Shane Meadows

This is England follows the story of Shaun a lone 12 year old boy who has recently lost his father during the Falkland's war, who befriends a group of skin heads that take Shaun under their wing and in many ways become his new family and fill some of the gap left by his father.

Shane Meadows is one of those filmmakers you either love or hate, most of his recent films have been very well recieved in the UK and to most aspiring filmmakers he is percieved as somewhat of an example of what can be achieved on a relatively low budget.
What Meadows does well is make what are often referred to as " kitchen sink " type dramas similar to Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, where the emphasis is on character & story more than budget and effects.
At it's heart, " This is England " is about dissatisfaction of many towards the Tory Government, Margaret Thatcher and their involvement in the Falkland's War, there is a real sense of how desperate Britain was in the early 80's, high levels of unemployment, widespread poverty, the class divide and racisim.
To many the skinheads of the 80's were portrayed as a bunch of racist neo nazi thugs, but Meadows manages to turn that image around 180 degrees at the start as the skinheads Shaun befriends appear to be well adjusted, caring, friendly, polite and as far from the normal percieved image as possible, more so that their group includes a black man called Milky who plays a pivotal role in the film.
The main turning point in the film is the release from prison of Combo, back to claim his old stamping ground, leadership of the gang and the girl of his dreams, even though she's now attached to current leader Woody.
Shaun is taken under Combo's wing much to the dissapointment of the rest, and it's clear that this partnership can only be to Shaun's disadvantage as he is exposed more and more to Combo's true self and the hatered that lies within him.

I enjoyed This is England, for me it's not as good as his previous film " Dead Man's Shoes " but it still has enough on show to keep me intrested throughout, the performances are fine, Thomas Turgoose as Shaun gives a decent performance in his first role, Stephen Graham as Combo has the right mix of kindness and menace required for his role. Andrew Shim as Milky and Joseph Gilgun as Woody for me were the real standouts, both gave a more subtle performance to deeply layered roles, you can clearly feel the unease of both characters every time Combo is around.

To sum up a decent film from Britain's king of low budget filmmaking, most of what Meadows directs is somewhat biographical, it would be intresting to see what he would do with a decent budget at his disposal.

Rating 3.5/5

Atonement
2007 Directed by ; Joe Wright


Accused of a crime he did not commit Atonement follows the lives of Robbie Turner ( James McAvoy ) and Cecilia Tallis ( Kiera Knightley ) as they try to rebuild their lives and clear Robbie's name.

Briony the sister of Cecilia is a budding writer in waiting, the 13 year old's fertile imagination is the cause of the false accusation that changes the lives of many of the main protagonists in the film.

Atonement is one of those strange films that whilst I enjoyed it, there seemed to be something lacking and really failed to deliver something of substance that would make it really stand out from the countless other romantic films set in this era.
The cinematography is beautiful, credit to Seamus McGarvey, the story is compelling enough, there is a bitter sweet twist at the end, the performances are all fine, but for me it lacked a stand out moment, something to define it and be rememberred for.
In many ways it reminded me of " A very long engagement ", all the ingredients were there, it just seemed to come up a little short.
As stated I did enjoy the movie, and I really wish I could put my finger on what specifically is missing, perhaps it just didn't live up to all the hype, maybe I was expecting more from a film that has been touted for so many BAFTA's and Oscar's, ultimately it's a film I'm glad I've seen, but would be in no rush to watch again.
Rating 3/5 Good but forgetable.

The Counterfeiters
2007 Directed by : Stefan Ruzowitzky

The Counterfeiters follows the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazi's in 1936.

As the war took it's toll on the German economy, the Nazi's in particular the SS decided to set up a counterfeiting operation that would flood the British and US markets with large amounts of counterfeit notes which would in term destabilize their economies.

At the heart of the story is Salomon " Sally " Sorowitsch, a well known counterfeiter and general all round crook as he strives to make the perfect counterfeit pound and dollar in order to save his own life and the lives of many other men working with him in a Nazi concentration camp.
These men are treated well despite being in a concentration camp, they are detached from the other prisoners and live in relative luxury by comparison, but even this causes divides between co-workers in the counterfeiting operation.
Adolf Burger is intent on sabotaging the operation from within, wary that if successful in their quest, the imprisoned Jews will end up aiding Germany's war effort he relentlessly tries to appeal to the selfish Sally to aid him in his sabotage.

At the start of the film, pre-war we see Sally in his element, a nasty loan shark with a taste for the finer things in life, he is a habitual criminal, and makes no apology for his ill gotten gains.
As the film progresses we watch as Sally struggles to survive and keep those around him alive, he is all to aware that he is aiding the Nazi's, but his own personal survival and that of the other counterfeiters is more important that Burger's idealist stance.

The film strives to be different, the main leads Sally ( Karl Markovics ) and Burger ( August Diehl ) are both complex and flawed characters, each man stands by his beliefs no matter what the consequences, it proves to be compelling viewing as this uneasy relationship between the two men appears to be heading towards only one conclusion.
There is able support from Devid Striesow as the SS commander Friedrich Herzog, a man similar to the pre-war Sally in many ways, a man who will stop at nothing in order to get his ways, but unlike many other films in this genre he is a wolf in sheep's clothing rather than being outright diabolical.

The film kept my intrest from start to finish, it can be a little slow at times, and there can be a sense of deja-vu about some of the film, and whilst it's not quite up there with Schindler's List or the Pianist, it's still a very worthwhile effort.

A though provoking film that you definetly have to be i the right frame of mind to watch.
Rating 3.5/5

Good to have you back buddy. Stick around this time, eh?

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Silk
2007 Directed by : Francois Girard


Silk is the story of Herve Joncour ( Michael Pitt ) a trader and smuggler who must travel to Japan to buy silkworms after his town's supply becomes infected.

Set in 19th Century France, the film follows Herve on his trips to Japan to meet the mysterious Ronin he will trade with, whilst there he meets and becomes obsessed with the Ronin's concubine.
Already married to Helene ( Kiera Knightley ) Herve struggles with his love for his wife and his obsession with the concubine.

A little slow in places, Silk's main attribute is that it's beautifully shot, indeed the DOP Alain Dostie reminded me of Roger Deakins with his lush and beautiful cinematography.
There is a fine cast on show, but it's really Pitt's film, as the other actors drift in and out of the story, but he handles the role well, and he is an actor I always find intresting to watch.
Apart from Pitt, the main star of the film is Japan, it is beautifully shot and plays a large role in the film, a sprawling epic landscape that is always scenic and compelling viewing.

A slow burner period piece that is never heavy on the romance, but is visually stunning in places, and it's not everyday that one of the film's main characters plays such a pivotal role without ever saying a word.
Rating 3.5/5

Great reviews Darthy You have returned with a bang

Naked
1993 Directed by : Mike Leigh

Difficult for me to do a review on this film as Tacitus has already done the defining review in his thread, so I'll make it short and instead reccomend that you read ole Tacitus' review.

To be honest David Thewelis is not one of my favourite actors by a long stretch, probably due to him playing Dan Starkey in Divorcing Jack, a role James Nesbitt was born to play, and if I'm being 100 % honest his acid wit grated on me a little during the first twenty minutes or so.

However, I'm glad I stuck with it, as it is an incredibly thought provoking film, and very poignant to those of us who have had a friend that seems set on self destruction.
Again, similar to my thoughts on Shane Meadows, this film will not be for everyone, and indeed it pays to have some memories of growing up in 80's Britain to fully appreciate the film, however as a human story it's compelling, and if you can put up with regional accents then it's worth the work

My only real gripe is the nasty landlord character, who for me was slightly too over the top, and his quirks were very exagerated.

Not happy viewing if you're looking for something uplifting, but if you're in the mood for dark, twisted, compelling viewing, then look no further.
Rating 3/5

Once
2006 Directed by : John Carney


Set over a week in Dublin, Once is the story of two lonely drifters who find a common love through the music they make.

To be honest, it's a quaint little film, but it can play at times like an over long music promo.
There's nothing wrong with the film, but at it's heart it's the music that drives the film rather than the performances.
It's a little too convieniant at times, and especially in Marketa Irglova's case it's obvious that music is more her speciality rather than acting, but it's far from being Keanu-esque and doesn't really detract that much from the film.

There's moments of humour and it vears away from the traditional Hollywood style of romantic film, it's not as laugh out loud as the Commitments, nor is it as schmolzy as Notting Hill.

Rating 2/5 The Soundtrack's not bad either.

American Gangster
2007 Directed by : Ridley Scott


American Gangster is based on the true story of 70's drug kingpin Frank Lucas and the empire he built in Manhatten.

So, all the right ingredients were there, a great director in Ridley Scott, two of Hollywoods leading men, Washington & Crowe, a great story, so how could it possibly fail?
Well, for this reviewers' money it failed to deliver on it's great promise.
The performance's are ok, but it's nothing that you haven't seen before from Washington & Crowe, and I'm at a loss as to how Ruby Dee got an Oscar nomination for such a brief and unremarkable performance. I'm not having a dig at her in particular, perhaps it was just a bad year for supporting female roles, she was fine in her performance, but there was nothing Oscar worthy about it.

My other major gripe about the film is it's portrayal of Lucas, perhaps I was expecting this film to be more in the vain of Scarface, after all if you're going to be one of the most successful druglords of the times, you have to be ruthless, & feared in equal measures.
Perhaps because the real Lucas and Detecive Roberts were involved in the film, it made Scott portray him slightly more favourable than he really should have been.
I guess I was just expecting more from Scott, Washington & Crowe, but ultimately American Gangster is far from being a memorable film, and with the talent on show left me feeling slightly disappointed.


Rating 2/5

Into the Wild
2007 Directed by : Sean Penn


The film follows the true story of Chris McCandless as he makes the decision to shun the normal life his parents have planned for him after his graduation, and embark on an adventure living in the wilds of Alaska.

I really enjoyed Into the Wild, perhaps because I'm at a crossroads in my life and can fully appreciate the mindset that McCandless had, I'm sure many of us have become bored of our lifestyles and have often thought about making bold life changing decisions, but unlike most of us McCandless followed his dreams through to their tragic end.

The film is beautifully shot by Eric Gautier, a real road movie in the vain of Kerouac, where the stunning scenery almost becomes a character in the film by itself.
Emile Hirsch gives a fine performance at the core of the film, it's his movie, and whilst he is surrounded by other well known acting heavyweights, Hurt,Harden, Keener & Holbrook, it's really only his character that is properly fleshed out, and rightly so.
(Similar to Ruby Dee in American Gangster, I felt that Hal Holbrook was fine in his performance, but agin far from being Oscar worthy.)
My only gripe was the rather ill fitting MTV style edits, the Simpson-esque style text scrawled over the screen was annoying as too was the use of jump cuts, and various speeding up and slowing down of certain scenes, for me the film would have been better served without these intruesive edits.

A beautiful, poignant film that left me thinking long after I'd finished watching it.


Rating 3.5/5

No Country for Old Men
2007 Directed by : Joe & Ethan Coen


Llewelyn Moss ( Josh Brolin ) stumbles across a drug deal gone bad, amongst the dead bodies strewn at the site he finds $2 million.
Unbeknownst to Moss, Anton Chigurh ( Javier Bardem ) a stop at nothing hitman is on his trail determined to get the money back and kill anyone in his way.

I like the Coen's brothers films, but I don't love them. With the exception of O Brother where art thou, I always feel that their films promise so much, but always come up a little short.
No Country is yet another example, decent performances, a decent story, beautiful cinematography by Roger Deakins, but again, I was left feeling a little disappointed.
I heard many various reviews of the film, but most people seemed to be universal in their frustration at the ending of the film, and now I know why.
No Country sees the Coens going back to their roots, and it reminded me straight away of Blood Simple, probably more due to the deep south setting, tone and genre of the film, and similar to Blood Simple is a decent cat and mouse film that just somehow misses the mark.
I can never really put my finger on it, comedy wise I always feel their films are humerous rather than laugh out loud, thriller wise I always feel they do a decent job without ever really delivering the spectacular twist I'm expecting.

It's a good film, but it's not a great film, and if you're going to have Roger Deakins as your DOP, you really should be matching his skills with the camera, with your script and finished film.
The cast are all great, Bardem deserves his Oscar, Brolin is the comeback man of 2007, Tommy Lee Jones is his usual dependable self and Scotland's own Kelly McDonald does a decent job in such company.

I live in hope that one day the Coens will deliver a thriller that will hit the mark and leave me in awe of their obvious talents.

Rating 3.5/5
P.S. What has Deakins got to do to win an Oscar???

Nice reviews, buddy.

Thewlis is a strange one, no mistake. I'd compare him a little to John Turturro - 'unconventionally attractive' (which is the fairest way to describe it but if he can pull Anna Friel there's hope for all of us) and thus destined to play character parts, the size of which doesn't do his talent justice.

Jimmy Nesbitt as Pontus Pilot in a Norn Iron accent doesn't quite work either. This will make no sense if you've not been watching the BBC over the last couple of nights...