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
19 December 2004 Odeon Tottenham Court Road Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Let me just say, "pants". What? You didn't hear me? PANTS I say PANTS.
Pants repeat of the same jokes as last time. Pants english accent - upper twittish more so than last time. Pants friends, shallow characterisation. Pants waddling fat girl walk. Pants dress sense. Pants but NO charm, at all, not a jot. Absolutely bloody rubbish. Don't even see it on DVD. OR TV for that matter.
14 December 2004 Woodgreen Cineworld The Incredibles
Now this I liked. The idea of the world being overrun with superheros, who are all retired and trying to hide their superpowers because of the insurance nightmare that mopping up after them has become, really is quite believable. So Mr Incredible loses his incredibly boring day job and doesn't tell the wife (well they don't do they?) and then pretends he's going to work everyday as per ususal (and spends the time getting back in shape).
Love the supersuit designer.
Then it all becomes like a james bond/action movie. Lots of homage. Great one liners. Great characterisation. Fantastic rendering. I loved it. And I laughed out loud (in fact I was told I laughed out too loudly, but nevermind eh?).
It starts off in that way that is common with Julianne Moore - she's a woman fallen into her own world, nobody understands, she goes around her life going through the motions. Gradually the story is unravelled to us - she had a son, but he died, she sees a therapist. Then we start to learn that she actually is making it up, everyone around her is telling her that she is remembering a false memory. Twists and turns. Gradually becoming more and more unbelievable. Did quite get into it, despite having to suspend quite a lot of disbelief. Ends up being a sci-fi type thing. Plus action.
27 November 2004 Woodgreen Showcase Cinema The Grudge
It wasn't that great, although I liked the fact it was sort of all green and blue, evening, night time. But it still made me jump. Even when I knew it was coming. (Sometimes I think I shouldn't go and watch scary movies). There was spreading black hair. There was that horrible noise you can make with the back of your throat and your mouth open (you know the one that hurts after a while).
