hermes

I didn't get picked. Bah. Bastards. Oh well.

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I figure it's been a while since I did a movie recap/review so here's what I've been watching lately:

I'll start with the big one: Watchmen. It was good film, and a worthy adaptation of what many people said was a unflimable graphic novel. Admittedly it's cut a lot of the stuff from the around the edges of the story - e.g. the banter between the detectives, the psychiatrist at home, the pirate comic-within-a-comic - but didn't detract from the novel's core messages about humanity, love, war and paranoia. And yes, they did change the ending slightly, but it's not surprising as the original's audacious take would probably be too much for most regular movie-goers to swallow. Great casting, great effects and great attention to detail. The only thing I found distracting wasn't Dr. Manhattan's giant blue penis (which was particularly large on the IMAX screen) but the ageing makup for the senior Ms. Jupiter, which to me just didn't seem to work quite right. The film reminded me of the Dark Knight; although Watchmen is clearly the earlier work, and probably influenced the latter a great deal, they are both weighty, serious films that while on the surface are about superheroes, underneath they are about much deeper, darker things, much more like classical opera than soap. To be honest i'm still digesting my viewing, and I'm very likely to see it again in the next few weeks.

Last week I also went out to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button before it disappeared. Apparently it was scripted by the same guy who wrote Forrest Gump and critics have been right to point out many of the similarities between the two films: e.g. central character as idiot-man-child, nods towards famous moments in history. However Gump is much more of a sappy feelgood tale, whereas Button is a darker and more honest look at life - the film's message is really to underline the simple home truth that happiness (and life itself in fact) is transitory. It's still a very romantic film, and there is something of a fairy-tale quality about it, but it's also pragmatic, and doesn't shy away from the cruelties and the indignaties of old age. I find it strange that David Fincher of all people would be driven to tell a tale like this given his reputation of technical perfection and his prediliction for tales of obsession.

I also saw Push, a film skirting the edges of the superhero genre where rogue people with psychic abilities battle it out with similarly gifted government agents. A film on the far end of the spectrum from Watchmen, it had a plot which didn't hold up to cursory inspection. Some great ideas, but criminally squandered, I came out of the theatre wondering why they couldn't have done a better job. One to watch out of curiosity only (and to file away next to the similarly disappointing Jumper).

Going back to January I also made time to see The Wrestler (both awesome and heart-breaking, Rourke should have won the Oscar), Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (risable trash that is embarassing for the genre), Slumdog Millionaire (great feelgood film although I'm not entirely certain it's worthy of all the hype) and Frost/Nixon (excellent performances from Sheen and Langella, much more gripping than you might think).

At home on DVD I also recently watched Southland Tales, Richard Kelly's next film after Donnie Darko. It was quite a perplexing film - difficult to decide whether it was just pretentious wank, or whether Kelly was onto something. I can see why it riled the critics though - very David Lynch. I really hope his next film The Box is a lot better.

I also finally caved in and bought Daywatch on DVD even though it doesn't have the cinematic titles on it (it's now only 3 in HMV). Grubby, erratic and shot through with moments of genius it's very much in the same vein as the first film in the series, and the action set-pieces are innovative and off-the-wall. I dread to think where Timur Bekmambetov is going next after Wanted - he really is bonkers - possibly only out-rivalled in the mental stakes by the joint writer/directors of Crank and the upcoming Crank 2. High Voltage.

Finally I should also take a moment to praise The Mist, Frank Darabont's film adaptation of Stephen King's short story where some locals get trapped in a supermarket by a mist full of monsters. This has to be the best horror film I've seen since The Descent - Darabont ratchets up the tension masterfully and the ending is just mind-blowing. A must-see for all horror fans.