Confessions of a filmoholic

That's it. Confessions of a Filmoholic is no more. It's an ex-blog. There are several reasons for that - I'm going to be pretty busy for the next couple of weeks, and rather won't have time to write, I'm also struggling for ideas what to write about. And, last but not least, I seem to be the only person who reads it. I even can't get my friends interested. But, just in case I'm wrong, and there actually is somebody who reads my scribble, there is one more film I want to tell you about. The Life and Death of Peter Sellers tells a story of, well, I think it's quite easy too guess by only looking at the title. For those who don't know, Peter Sellers was one of the best actor of the 1970's, famous for his chameleon-like thespian skills, mostly known for the original Pink Panther series, where he played the clumsy inspector Clouseau. And that was his problem, since he sought recognition for his more serious work. Or, at least that is what the creators of this biographical movie claim. No matter if true or not, The Life and Death... is a very insightful attempt of depicting a difficult personality with serious emotional issues. Also, it is a must-see for a cinephile, since people like Stanley Kubrick or Blake Edwards play an important role in the plot. Unfortunately, people who are not into the history of film may be a little bored. But what I liked the most the movie is, that it doesn't give you any straight answers, most notably to the question if Peter Sellers was a genius, or only wanted others to think he was. And let me finish my last post with this mystery unsolved.
7/10

(I might be back)

Right, who watched Watchmen? It is a peculiar beast. Last night I saw it for the second time and I still can't make up my mind what to think about it. The problem is, that just before the film came out, I read the comic book it is based on, and believe me, it is brilliant. If Zack '300' Snyder's movie was disappointing, writing about it would be an easy task. Luckily it is not. What I like about it is how dark it is - bloody and brutal - a thing you rarely see in a summer blockbuster. It is also serious, taking on poignant moral issues, with an ambivalent ending. You can't do anything but admire the filmmakers' courage - they actually spent $130m to show us this disturbing psychological drama. Also, kudos to the writing team, who managed to transform the complicated graphic novel into a more-or-less coherent movie. So, what is my problem? Well, the film is TOO faithful to its literary source, both on the visual level and plot-wise. It is so stylised you can't really engage with the characters and if you had read the book, there isn't anything that you wouldn't expect. Also, you miss 'I wonder how they showed...' feeling, typical for other adaptations, just because everything looks identically as in the graphic novel. I hope you understand why I wish I hadn't read the book before I watched the film - I guess I would have liked it more then.
7/10  

Social dramas made by British directors are amazing - take fantastic works of, let's say, Mike Leigh, for example Secrets and Lies. Their horrors are decent too, enough to mention aptly named Descent. The film that combines these two genres in quite a good manner is Eden Lake from James Watkins - a very tense story of a couple terrorised by a bunch of immoral teenagers. What is really good about is its unpredictability, the director plays with the viewers' expectations, and it's sometimes hard to say, what is coming next. It is well acted too, especially the kids seem both realistic and terrifying. Unfortunately, it has one major flaw - massive plot holes. Let me give you an example - when the protagonists' car is stolen from their beach-camp, what do they do? They go to look for it LEAVING ALL THEIR STUFF BEHIND (including the tent and diving equipment)! Oh, come on. If the film wasn't so underwritten, it would be really unmissably great. Now, it's only good.
7/10

Yesterday I saw Inception. Even though it was pretty good, I don't feel I'm ready to review it yet. I simply didn't understand it in full, so I'll write about it when I see it again. Until then, let me tell you about the film, it is very similar to. Some say it would be Matrix, some mention Memento, but the movie that resembles Inception most, so much that even feels sometimes like its derivative, is David Cronenberg's EXistenZ. Surely, this director made better movies before (The Fly) and after (History of Violence), but this one is also worth looking at. If you are keen on stories in which reality merges with fantasy to the point you can't tell one from the other and enjoy the lurk into somewhat sick mind of one of the most original filmmakers of our time, which is populated by his favourite 'organic machines' (like a gun made of bones, shooting tooth-bullets), this one is just for you. And if you've seen Inception too, you will see that I'm right.
7/10  

A bit of nostalgia. Yesterday I watched a film I used to absolutely love as a kid. I found it really scary then, but recently I heard opinions it was not that good, so I was a bit worried if I would like it now at all. Fortunately, Stephen King's It is not too disappointing. If you, like me, have really fond memories about this movie I can assure you it is still worth to spend full three hours in Derry, Maine, trying to find a way to kill the evil clown, Pennywise. It is pretty well acted, and if not terrifying, it still has threatening atmosphere. The best thing about the film is Tim Curry's portrayal of the malevolent jester, both scary and funny. What aged badly though are the cheap special effects, which rather will make you laugh than shiver. But if you are looking for an old-school B-movie, especially if you saw it ages ago, it won't be a waste of time.
6/10

Remember my post about Paranormal Activity? It happens, that sometimes respectable critics give bad films good scores. The bigger problem is when they do the opposite - when they tell you to avoid something, that is actually pretty great. This is the case of The Boat That Rocked. The reviews I read were saying the movie was dreadful, but I watched it anyway, only because of the marvelous cast. And I did not regret it. The Boat... might not be the best thing I've ever seen, not even close really, but it is quite enjoyable. Unpretentious entertainment, which doesn't make you laugh your head off, but puts a wide grin on your face. Good music, great actors, a few laughs - a perfect easy Sunday afternoon film.
7/10

Juno is a great film. It is also pretty popular, so, I guess there is no need to convince anybody about it's values. But how many of you have heard about Jason Reitman's debut feature, called Thank You for Smoking? It might not be as good as his next film, Juno, but it quite different. First of all, for the most of the time it is immoral. The main character is the spokesman for tobacco companies, whose job generally is to try and convince people, that smoking is good for them. It all is quite wittily written, being a hilarious sharp satire on the absurdities of the Western societies. Unfortunately the film drags a bit in the middle, also the relationship between the main character and his son sometimes just doesn't ring true. Summarizing, it is good, smart entrainment, and it's flaws cannot make you feel disappointed.
7/10

Me again. It's been a while since I last wrote, but I was pretty busy while on holiday. So busy in fact, that I haven't watched any film for the last two weeks. Until yesterday, that is. Yesterday I saw Battle Royale - a film I had been chasing for quite a long while, but I couldn't find a reasonably priced copy anywhere, until I visited a DVD store in Poland, where I got it for equivalent of £5. I had rather high expectations regarding the film, having read a lot of positive reviews, but I must say I was slightly disappointed. The story itself is great - in the nearest future, in order to both rid the society of potential criminals and entertain the public, a group of kids from the naughtiest class is picked every year to be locked away on a remote island and told to kill each other until there is only one winner left. The premise of the film is very fresh, doesn't have a 'Hollywood' feel. The execution is not bad as well - all is very dynamic, funny, and really, really violent. But there is something missing. Be it lack of acting skills in some of the children, or a predicable ending, but this is not the masterpiece I wanted it to be.
7/10

Now I need to tell you about a film that was undeservedly bashed by the critics. And why did that happen? Apparently everyone was expecting from the director Richard Kelly another Donnie Darko, a dark, teenage drama with a hint of 1980s nostalgia and science-fiction motifs. And Southland Tales is anything but (well, maybe apart from SF, which is still present). What I think people didn't get is the film's tongue-in-cheek quality - when not taken serious it is actually very funny. And also very clever - there is literally a dozen of characters and Kelly's imagination does not know any boundaries. There are so many mad ideas, you could share them between at least five other inventive movies. Funnily enough the film's strength is also it's biggest weakness. As you can imagine the number of characters as well as of the subjects the director brings up make the whole enterprise a bit confusing. It is not really hard to follow, but at times requires a lot of attention. Also, I didn't 'get' the ending. Concluding - a pleasure to watch, a nightmare to understand. Not as bad as they say.
6/10