PREFACE
This is the sporadically updated blog of reviews by Harriet, author of In the Aquarium: a londoner's life.
I have kept the reviews separate to enable them to be indexed and therefore more easily accessible (see listing below).
FAVE FILMS DEAD MAN What an idea, the man is dying for almost the entire length of the film, the music is fantastic, its black and white, ideology, mythology, funny, sad, Johnny Depp sex god...
THE DRAFTMAN'S CONTRACT The first Peter Greenaway film I saw and possibly the most accessible. Beautiful set, costumes, direction. Fantastic soundtrack.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE I knew exactly what was going on right up until the last 15 minutes and damn it but then I lost it.
NIGHT ON EARTH Jim Jarmusch made the only film with Winona Ryder worth watching and it had Beatrice Dalle (say no more)
O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? Roar out loud with laughter and tunes that make you love country music. My sister had to sneak out of the cinema ahead of our dad and me cos she was so embarrassed at our laughing.
ORLANDO Quiet, passionate, time travel.
PITCH BLACK Bails and I watched this with its bleached scenery and its whoar factor star. We LOVED him, Mr Diesel take a bow.
RESERVOIR DOGS Tight Tarantino gang heist gone wrong. Great soundtrack. And there's something about Michael Madson, dancing just before cutting off the cop's ear...
ROMUALD ET JULIETTE Truely lovely romance comedy.
THREE COLOURS TRILOGY Blue, White and Red. I liked them all. Quiet stories, beautifully shot.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS Its a story told. And the first time I saw it I didn't get the twist until just before it happened.
Seen The Reviews
29 August 2004 The Chronicles of Riddick Showcase Wood Green
We love Vin Diesel. Nuff said.
Kidding, we knew it was gonna be a crappy movie but sometimes that doesn't matter because of who's in it. Yes he's not the worlds most animated actor but he is good looking and he really does wear a black vest well.
Marks out of 10
Eyes: 10
Action: 8
High Body Count: 9
Corny One Liners: 10
Voice Over and Spoken Thought: 10
Good Looking Ladies: 2 (there's two of them)
Judi Dench: 10 (love the disappearing thing but interested that you can 'chain' a being down who can evaporate.
Special Effects: 5 (SpEs are getting too slick, they are just not suprising anymore)
Likelihood that a girl that used to dress as a boy would grow up to be gorgeous and have lovely brunette curly hair having been incarcerated with tonnes of hairy sweaty men for 5 years: 0
Suspension of Disbelief Rate Needed: 10
Story: 5
Credits Length: 10 for effort, 2 for information provided
Overall Rating as a Film: 2
Laughs: (hopefully it doesn't take itself too seriously because we laughed quite a lot) 7
Its a bit like The Mummies series - boys of a certain age will love it. Girls who like Vin Diesel will love it. Don't see it if you like your cinema high brow.
27 August 2004 Carnesky's Ghost Train Truman Brewery, Brick Lane
"A Dark Ride Across Haunted Borders..."
We know what will happen on a ghost train - there'll be wailing, screams and a skeleton will drop out at you, cottonwool cobwebs drifting across your face and out of the dark someone will touch you.
This is a performance that uses that knowledge and builds on it. A cabaret goes on as you are driven through the dark on a ride-train. Pulled through those sharp bends that swing you in your seat huddling next to your neighbour as your eyes fight to adjust to the darkness before something shocks you in the dark (and of course not being able to). The sights include holograms, video and glimpses of performers not quite enough time to figure out the illusion as you go past, a brushed hand reaching out in the dark. Round and round, each time a little more information taken in about whats been seen. Use of mirrors, illusion, circus tricks and mood-music. Genuine fright (if you are easily frightened by such things as I am and the man in front of me was). And all too soon its finished. A brief snippet. But excellent.
See www.carneskysghosttrain.com when the bandwidth exceeding is over. Guardian
