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davies-michael54
Reviews
The Dark Knight (2008)
Something still missing
Dark Knight is better than Batman Begins. There is a sequence near the end of Batman Begis where the Scarecrows plan takes shape that is still a better script piece than most of Dark Knight.
I know lots of people love this movie and I can see why its so popular. But like all the expectation around the first Batman movie 20 years after the spin off movies with Adam West and about 20 years before the Chris Nolan ones, the movie featuring Jack Nicholson also left a sense of disappointment. Everythings in place but its not moody and dark enough. The Dark Knight doesn't have the sense of torment in Bruce Wayne. He responds to the threat to Gotham in an action movie and there ins't the sense of torment or darkness in Christian Bale. The comments by other characters are the closest the film gets to moral dilemma.
The best of the films production is in the performances. Gary Oldman as the ruffled and confused Gordon whose determination overcomes this. He's made to look ordinary and plain. This makes his character the more sympathetic. Harvey Dent is an outstanding character. His torment, pain and emotions are from an earlier era that we don't see much anymore as CGI and running around appear to substitute for story and acting.
Heath Ledger's Joker is as everyone says a revelation. Its very different from Nicholson's performance and no weaker in comparison.
The Third Testament: The Antichrist and the Harlot (2009)
Innovative and daring
********MAY CONTAIN SPOILER********
This film was interesting from beginning to the end. The non linear narrative requires the audience to remain attentive in order to follow the story. The technique was effective in making the story gripping. The continuous flashbacks and flash forwards created uncertainty in what the present was meant to be. The safest assumption being that the flash forwards were the present. This break from conventional film making only serves to drive the film forward. The director Ali Paterson was clearly willing to take cinematic risks which many movie directors wouldn't.
Kevin Leslie played the central character Angus Young. I'm not sure if the writer realised the name is also shared by the AC DC guitarist from Australia. By using the non linear narrative we see Angus changing through the years which makes him surprising and unpredictable and the audience are uncertain what they are going to see next. An excellent device for use in a thriller. Angus appears to be cold and manipulative character in his appearance with Kalani, Macéo Bhardwaj
giving a very good performance as a confused soul for Angus's interest. The film then contains flashbacks to a very different Angus showing Kevin Leslie's range as an actor.
THe back story is delicately handled and Jamie Bird is central to this giving the most moving scene with Kevin Leslie. The main section of the film is Angus's transition in accordance to the film's promotion material the 'Lover-' is undergoing a new life. Theatre actor Vincent Jerome appears to build the story with Angus and the meaning of the title of this movie takes shape. The romantic element takes an unexpected tangent and the momentum moves up. Aspects from past scenes take on new meaning. This was not a script that could be predicted.
The film takes another leap with the reappearance of the mostly stage actor Steve Armourae. Having 2 notable but not very well known stage actors in Armourae and Jerome meant the film took on different energy, momentum and colour. Both filled the scenes and clearly enjoyed their characters. One of the major scenes has both asserting their characters like they were on the stage of the Globe theatre. I've seen Armourae in plays before. Clearly he often tones down the assertive, commanding big acting that he has done a couple of times and at one point in the Crucible got caught out by some snarling bass that got out of control. Here although largely let of the leash Armourae was keeping it under control. Kevin Leslie's performance having again to undergo a change of personality met Jerome and Armourae's challenge in the film's climax. The confrontation between Kevin Leslie and Armourae sounds like a confrontation between Christopher Lee (Armourae doing a bass baritone of Dracula) and Leslie growling like Clint Eastwood.
The film takes risks in many ways and has a fresh approach. The credits say it was partly inspired by Robert Rodriguea's techniques and th e pace and rhythm are similar to his work. Ali Paterson has underplayed the religious references and concentrated on the thriller which is preferable in this instalment; since the director said there will be a sequel 'The Rapture' which I imagine will explain and bring into prominence the intriguing religious and mystical references in this film.
This is an unusual independent movie that takes around 15 minutes to appreciate what you are watching which is when the jumping between time lines congeals into an engaging thriller. A film that doesn't make compromises to the audience to try to grab their attention in the first minute but requires attention from the audience in the same way as a classic novel.
The Nutty Professor (1996)
Round again for career recovery
Eddie Murphy makes something of a career recovery with the best comedy he has made in the 1990s or 2000's. Competition for that title isn't much however. The best Eddie Murphy comedies are from th e 1980's.
The comedy is strong and that is in large part to the earlier Jerry Lewis comedy making filming easier as th update has the previous movie to refer and revise from. Instead of Jerry LEwis's socially awkward and buck toothed Professor here Eddie Murphy is a heavily overweight professor. His problem is handled well by Murphy despite some unpleasant tone in the jokes, a characteristic of Murphy's comedies like 'Norbitt' where he has had a larger part of writing the script. For one of the best stand up comedians of the 1980's its strange how when Murphy is involved with the script the tone takes on something cruel and often not funny.
The story centres on Murphy's use of a drug to change his appearance from being overweight. Like the Jerry Lewis character once the transformation has occurred there are unexpected problems as the professor's new confidence brings a Jekyll and Hyde aspect to him.
Not the best of Eddie Murphy's films but playing more than one character allows him to show some versatility.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Where is the Force?
I tried watching this again recently. Once again I failed to complete it. Was it the complex plot, the dense psychological nuances that defeated me? Surprisingly not. It was the cardboard producing values with many millions of dollars of special effects behind it. There was so much excitement. A New Star Was 20 years after the original and then the biggest disappointment in history of film.
To summarise: dialogue awful, plotting dreadful, directing also meaningless. There have been criticism of characters presenting racial or ethnic stereotypes. That does appear to be true among the CGI cast. And everyone hates Binks except he is one character that is less irritating than when it was released.
The actors like Liam Neeson emerge with some integrity from the lifeless dialogue except Natalie Portman's Padme is too stilted much of th time. It may have been deliberate to deliver lines as flatly as possible when she's in her regalia, probably a joke about the decoy. But the flatness does grate as it is lifeless. Out of her royal garb and in fighting costume she comes far more to life.
1 for the acting, 1 for the light sabre battle.
Teddy Edward (1973)
Forgotten and perhaps lost
I can only just remember this. No one else has written a review so maybe no else does either. I don't think it was ever repeated. I can't recall the 'plot' to each episode. I say 'plot' as it was one of the simplest concepts in TV history and it was remembered for that reason alone.
Made in 1973 by the BBC who were making big budget spectaculars someone came up with the idea of a story of a teddy bear and a couple of his friends. I can't remember what species his friends were but they cuddly toys too; actually one was definitely a dog. One of those small breeds.
Here's the clever bit: The filming consisted of photographic stills. There was no movement at any time. To overcome this limitation the cameraman used slow zooms and moving the camera at an angle to keep things interesting and it worked. The programme was accompanied with continuous incidental music and the photographs were of mostly outside locations under bright sunlight.
To take the simple idea further the narrator of th shows was Richard Baker, the piercing blue eyed BBC newsreader. Richard was one of the main anchors a serious major news presenter. His voice may be fantastic and soothing but its authoritative and surprise to find such a major figure narrating a children's programme. It can't be imagined that a leading newsreader would be asked to narrate a children's show now. The BBC prefer hyperactive people in their early 20's. This supposedly appeals to children. The 1970's presenters were very different and probably better.
There's no sign of this little gem on DVD and it might not even exist any more. The BBC wiped many programmes from tapes in the 1970's and a programme like this could easily be lost forever being seen as a cheap and insignificant programme. Actually it is important as an example of how so little can be turned into something so charming.
You and Me (1974)
Lots to do in changing format
A programme intended to teach preschool children starts with a deception. The hamster and crow as co presenters from 1974 series. Put a crow with a hamster and watch as the crow eats the hamster. This never once happens in the show. Children being shocked by the realities of the natural world and crying as Alice the hamster was torn apart is the probable excuse why this piece of education was never featured. They were also stop animation figures too which may have something to do with it.
The series in the 1970s was more of a documentary style showing features about moving house in the first episode or oranges in a subsequent one. The human presenters were voice overs in these segments before cutting back to Alice and Crow as commentators.
The show moved away from information style education to entertainment education when in 1979 the crow and hamster were sacked and replaced with a dragon. Like all dragons Duncan the dragon ran a shop. A messy shop which was not a good example for children. If the dragon can have an untidy room so can children would be the logic against parents. Duncan was a puppet instead of the earlier stop animation which means he was able to acquire a curly haired human compatriot. The show's atmosphere was more lively and entertaining than the earlier years and the documentary pieces were largely replaced with dragon and man performances as educational inserts. Still it didn't feel like any other children's' show. The content was for 5 year old but the style and atmosphere had more gravitas than many news programmes.
The dragon was evicted after only 2 years. A new approach to make it more relevant to children consisted of a new reggae song by UB40 and the introduction of inner city puppets Cosmo and Dibbs and their friends often at a market stall. Their human co presenters never asked what kind of species these various coloured foam Muppet style creatures were. It remains unclear what on earth they were. These foam puppets were more engaging than the wooden dragon and their interaction by having 2 or more, Baxter and Spike of them gave the show the popularity it had lacked.
The puppets all had distinct personalities. Gravel voiced Cosmo was the assertive one and confusingly with the voice was the girl puppet. Her brother Dibs was the cautious but timid and often mournful character.
The show provides a sociological study in its change of production starting with an educational programme designed for school: information, adult voice overs and its 2 animated characters in a news blank background. Then the dragon with human partner in a complete set as a means to make it more entertaining. With the final casting the show tries to reflect the experience of its audience by setting it in a market place, in an inner city with a variety of people which many children would have experienced unlike talking to a dragon.