Change Your Image
simon-parritt
Reviews
La vie d'Adèle (2013)
Long and disappointing on so many levels
Apart from the thinly disguised stereotypes of lesbian love and a smattering of general misogyny, the film has little to endear itself to me. Having won the Cannes award, I am at a loss to know why.
The sex scenes are long and gratuitous adding nothing the narrative, characterisation or plot. In fact the film could have benefitted from an strong independent editor who should have cut about 90% of the sex scenes and around 60 mins over all.
However I am not a fan of 3 films with a few notable exceptions, this isn't one.
I am not quite sure who the editor was as it seems 5 names are listed, a case of too many cooks spoil the spaghetti metaphor maybe? I guess something vaguely interesting might have emerged from a rather pretentious over indulgent directors heavy hand had someone taken a firm hand with him and the script.
Sadly a bit of a rambling 3 hours I could have missed.
Bait (2019)
Watchable - just
A bit too self conscious a film for my taste. May appeal to those who are too young to have enjoyed being 60s & 70s art school or film school students. It might have made the grade for me if it didn't go with that whole slightly contrived scratched 16mm old stock look and wasn't so self consciously using stereotype characters with quite cliched and clunky politics. Watchable, if you enjoy the derivative style and ignore the stereotype politics
Hereditary (2018)
Horror ....that says it all !
What can one say! I guess Gabriel Byrne's must be short if cash as he just about scrapes some semblance of something from a pretty dire script and cliched direction and story (Sic) line.
As for the last 30 mins ..... best just give it a miss and save yourself the effort.
Stockholm My Love (2016)
Sense of place
Whilst seemingly contemplative and questioning happiness or is it contentment the film triggers thoughts of place, belonging, loss and happiness. The use of repetitive images and secequences act like a visual rhyme that emphasises and underpins the journey through the city both in space and time.
Whilst it might be thought of as downbeat in fact it seems more a celebration and as implied in the title about love for the city where life love and loss have meaning.
Thoughtful idea for a film in a time when place, belonging and identity are something increasingly problematic for many. Also a film that stayed with me visually.