Reviews

Some great acting and a strong storyline, not to mention nice sets. I really enjoyed this film. Theresa is a Betty Blue type of character about whom we learn little other than that men fall for her charm despite her problems.

A 90 minute version of that bit in Jurassic Park where they're trying to hide from the Velociraptors in a Laboratory. Even the kids look remarkably similar. And if you're wondering how they'll deal with their various noise-problems as the film progresses, don't bother - the solutions are all drearily predictable and un-entertaining.

Some questions... if they're in imminent danger day and night from killer monsters with superhuman hearing, why do they keep metal trinkets and buckets on shelves, waiting to be accidentally knocked off crashing noisily to the floor? How do they sleep without snoring or groaning?? How come the so-fast-you-can't-even-see-them-with-freeze-frame monsters are somehow hard-of-hearing, slower and easily distracted when someone important is in danger from one??? How do the family use their toaster????!!!!!

This is a serene and stylishly shot ghost story. It brings to mind vintage tales of haunted houses but has an extra layer of depth in its story-within-a-story, something like what MR James might have written. Its one fault is that it's a little too long, but it has strong visual presence and a good central performance that both keep it interesting.

Many good reviews for this film but in reality it's about little more than Melissa George pointlessly and inexplicably romping round a deserted ocean liner in tiny shorts and heels, knocking off her fellow passengers. The time loops make no sense, the justification for them is paper thin and the whole plot is one poorly executed idea slowly sliding into the murky depths. The best thing about the film is the brief calm- before-the-storm that happens near the beginning, then it's destination: tedium.

Tokyo Godfathers is the story of three 'bums' and an almost supernaturally lucky baby. it has obvious parallels with the Western story of the three wise men and Jesus, but in this case Jesus is a girl. The bums are also far from wise but are, however, totally dedicated to the plight of the infant they find one evening, abandoned in the rubbish heap. The film follows their quest to reunite parents and child.

What lifts this film into magical territory is that the lives of each of these homeless people would make personal day-to-day survival for most of us testing enough, without having to consider the continual needs of a baby. But in the end, this quest is what binds them together and gives each of their lives some meaning. Their personal stories unravel and are explained individually through flashbacks and chance encounters. Although the story is often carried along by inexplicable coincidence, it is tightly plotted and does not suffer from clunky dialogue or too much sentimentality (as can sometimes negatively affect Japanese films in my experience) -- in fact, the dialogue is superb throughout and often very funny.

The music and drawing style are wonderful and the life of early 21st Century Tokyo is perfectly captured in the cityscape. The cold and often snowy plazas, streets, alleys and graveyards make for a fittingly inhospitable backdrop, which is at the same time imbued with a serene beauty. Also, the complete history of Japanese art seems to have been injected into the face of homeless transvestite, Hana, whose sudden and dramatic emotional outbursts are some of the highlights of the film.

This is one of my absolute favourite films to watch around Christmas time and has my highest recommendation as an antidote to the usual CGI-heavy stuff that seems to be available these days. It has everything that makes a good adventure story, and depth and detail enough to reward re-watching. I've seen it three times now and it gets better every time.

Now, let's start by making it clear that this is an extremely stylish movie. There is no denying that the camera work, visual effects and creation of atmosphere are extremely effective. The drug taking scenes are very powerful when they are viewed the first time, and the second time, maybe even the third, but by the fourth, fifth...tenth..twentieth time the same rapid sequences of drug-taking and their immediate effects wear very thin. Had the film been any longer I think I would have thrown a bag of flour at the screen.

The plot is very, very predictable and the visuals are tacked on in categorizable chunks. After a while you will be waiting for the next step down on the ladder of visual hallucinations. These, like the other effects, are very stylishly done and are quite disturbing at times, but there is really nothing new here.

For some reason this film reminded me a lot of 'Jacob's Ladder', though I think the latter is better and has a much higher re-watchability. In places the camera work was very similar to 'Killing Zoe', again, a slightly better film in my opinion. 'Requiem for a Dream' just doesn't have any substance beyond it's own simplistic message and clever effects; there is just too much repetition here.

Is the acting any good? I don't think so. There was really nothing challenging to be acting about unless you count stereotypes as challenging acting. Each character gets high, gets into a stuporous rage and eventually gets hurt - there is no restraint and everything is just blended together so that even a hint of a good performance is lost in the mixture (a problem I find with many American films these days).

However, my final comment will read, "this movie took me somewhere I didn't want to go, and it did it effectively. It just did it about fifty times in less than two hours and then ended".

Note: I loved Pi, and was quite disappointed with this film.

Sitting through this cringe-worthy premise left me wondering why I had bothered.

Vile characters were swamped within a seething mess of a storyline. The film lacked dignity at every turn; each scene was treated with the same cold, empty disregard. But what annoyed me most was the speed with which complex and sensitive matters were introduced, exploited and exposed, barely leaving time for the viewer to believe his/her eyes.

I will be reminded of this pitiful tale when I put my own child to sleep and endeavour to be a better parent.

I was looking forward to seeing 'The Mother' but from the outset it failed with its aggressive tone and noisy over-acting. 4/10

Not too much to say about this film except that the title sums up the film and it is wonderful to watch. It won't knock you out of your seat with excitement but the scenes of Tokyo are very nicely worked and you get a real feel for the city as a tourist would.

On a technical note, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson work very well together. You never once feel that their relationship is false; all the stiltedness and unease you may remember from liking someone when you first meet them is there. And as they get to know each other the film follows them along at an easy pace.

I can understand that some people might be disappointed upon seeing this film, it reveals very little and really goes nowhere. However, it is to be enjoyed at a relaxed pace and shouldn't be judged by its 'thrills' (or lack of).

This is a predictable and very dull film. To begin with most of it is filmed down a dimly lit hole, which is not a good pretense for excitement. There is no surprise when the plot 'twists' occur and though I don't believe a film needs plot twists to be interesting, some big surprises would certainly have helped this film along.

As someone else remarked, the film is very 'mid-Atlantic'; filmed in the UK but aimed largely at an American audience (so the main characters HAVE to be N.American) it all feels woefully unrealistic.

Thora Birch is a fantastic actress, but here she plays the troubled schoolgirl with very little originality, unlike her brilliant performance in Ghost World, and her accent always reverts to American at the really intense moments (which does add some humour to keep interest levels up).

The behaviour of the characters is irritating and stereotypical to say the least and the idea that four people would want to spend a few days down a (very dull) hole is almost laughable.