Monday 10th March 2008

Diary Of The Dead - (USA)

Director - George A. Romero

Cast - Joshua Close, Michelle Morgan, Scott Wentworth

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George A Romero’s new zombie movie Diary of the Dead is a shot in the arm that horror genre needed. While it is by no means a great film, and it doesn't quite hit the heights of either Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead, it is inventive, scary and humorous in parts. Crucially, unlike the majority of contemporary horror films, it also has a point; a message; a stance.

It is true to suggest that after the hype of his first two pictures, Romero consciously identified himself as a social commenter. This ultimately made his latter films a little clumsy and unsubtle in the way that they conveyed their message. The social-political metaphors were derived from both Night and Dawn by an intuitive viewer, rather than having it slapped across the face, as is often the case with his films nowadays.

This is a minor criticism though. Because Romero’s views are always interesting and they do make you think about societies ills, which is refreshing for a horror movie of late. In the Diary of the Dead’s case, the attack is very much aimed at the media; it’s representation of war, of violence, and of oppression. This in turn reveals a great deal about human nature and our own Darwinist desire to survive at all costs, even if that does mean destroying all those around us.

Such an apocalyptic vision is in keeping with cinemas overall tone of late. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood are the two notable pictures that express similar pessimism. At 68, Romero has once again established himself as a horror master and in doing so, hopefully encouraged a new, younger crop of directors, to be equally as insightful and ambitious.

3rd March 2008

Be Kind Rewind (USA)

Director - Michel Gondry

Cast - Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover...

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Michel Gondry is not a good screenwriter. Be Kind Rewind highlights this point in fifty foot neon signage. Never has there been a film so desperately in need of a plot, character development and just some overall coherence. Which is a shame, because at its essence (and despite all of its faults), Be Kind Rewind is a great idea and a lot of fun.

Be Kind Rewind does manage to capture a little of what makes mainstream cinema so appealing, and it is not necessarily the actual pictures themselves. Rather, it is our response to such films. The way we commune in our groups and descend upon the cinema as a social outing; the way we howl with laughter and recycle dodgy action movie quotes for ages after; the way we somehow identify with the characters and secretly wish we could perhaps be them for a brief moment.

These urges usually find an outlet through the process of re-enactment. With common people, this is typically via the means of a daydream. Yet there are some people who take a different approach, they pick up a camera and actually begin to make movies themselves. It is this act that beautifully encapsulates the charm and potential of cinema and it is where Gondry is at his best.

Gondry approaches the ‘sweding’ of Hollywood films with inventiveness and a DIY aesthetic that has come to signify him as a director. His approach is often whimsical and sentimental, but it is always honest and pure in spirit. Such a love of cinema makes it hard to really criticise him. Despite the fact that Gondry clearly needs to be reigned in a times, you can’t help but admire him.

Mos Def also deserves a mention. He performs charmingly in a role that at first seems to be second fiddle to Jack Black’s showy turn. Yet Def steals the show and ends up being the heart of the film, in the process confirming his status as an exciting young comedic actor.

Be Kind Rewind falls down on many levels, but always manages to pick itself back up with smile.

25th February 2008
Rambo (USA)
Director - Sylvester Stallone
Cast - Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Michael Marsden...

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So far this year, as befitting awards season, audiences have been treated to a steady stream of interesting and enjoyable movies. We now go from the sublime to the ridiculous. The release of Rambo signals that award season is truly over with and we are entering the dire movie months of March and April.

Rambo has few redeeming features. The dialogue is laughable and is nothing more than a selection of meaningless sound bites. It is easy to add that the acting is truly atrocious too; however one would struggle to imagine that even Brando, Olivier, or Pacino could deliver those lines with any sort of dignity. The story is entirely unconvincing and the whole picture is so poor that it actually begins to become mildly entertaining. Very mildly mind you.

But it’s Rambo! Surely such snobbery is redundant. Rambo knows what it is and is not pretending to be any different. This is perhaps true, but still one can not defend the movie as being anything other than tired and turgid.

The most distressing aspect of this picture is that it begins with a horrific montage of real news footage from the conflict in Burma, an issue that is truly important. What follows however, is eighty minutes of boneheaded politics and scene’s that can only be described as morally reprehensible. Nothing meaningful can be derived from Rambo. Consequently the conflict in Burma has is yet again neglected. Paying money to watch this movie was an embarrassment.