Change Your Image
greenknight-2
Reviews
Cashback (2006)
Thoroughly entertaining
The basic storyline: an art college student ineptly (as do we all) loses his girlfriend and suffers acute insomnia as a result. In order to make use of the endless hours, he takes a night job at a supermarket and discovers that he can stop time whilst trying to deal with the interminable boredom, the distractions of his fascination with art and the female form, the juvenile antics of his workmates and just the perception-altering effects of lack of sleep.
What results is a highly entertaining movie. The nearest similarity I can describe is The Full Monty, or The Commitments. It's very engaging, GENUINELY funny in parts (I actually laughed, which I rarely do to full-on, so-called comedies), thought-provoking (or at least, day-dream-provoking) and very true to life (despite...or maybe because of...the time-stopping events).
I can't fault this film except for one very minor flaw - the nudity. Now I'm not against nudity in any way, shape or form, but I would be remiss to ignore it. There is a fair wedge of it in this film, and it is all young, attractive women (except brief shots of a male life-study model's bum). That's my only (very minor, as I've said) gripe.
The justification for the nudity in the film rests on the main character's artistic fascination with the female form and his ability to "see beauty in every crease and fold", but it seems he can only see the beauty in young, slim, attractive women. Odd, that. Maybe I'm an artist and don't realise it. Or not. Give me a cuddly, older woman any day.
Despite that minor criticism, this is a film you won't be disappointed in watching, and I would further say that the nudity in the film is tastefully (if graphically) portrayed enough for a 15+ audience in my opinion (that's for boys, obviously - probably 12+ for girls who won't get excited by the sight of what's natural).
Thoroughly entertaining, possibly even a good DVD to rent for a first date (if you're too stingy to spring for a meal and flowers) 8)
Chemical Wedding (2008)
A Very British B Movie
I was torn when I watched this film - on the one hand, it's a very average film, mostly confusing and random, sometimes poorly acted (and sometimes not) and of a subject matter that I am very critical; on the other hand, if you view it as a (relatively) low-budget, British B-movie it's actually quite good. Not entertaining, mind you, it never actually manages to fight its way out of the swamp of "too many ideas, crammed into too little time with no coherence". But the production and direction of the film is commendable.
The basic plot of the film is that Aleister Crowley, "the wickedest man in Britain" (in the early part of the last century - I doubt he'd rank above "dirty old perv" these days) manages to get reincarnated into the body of a Cambridge professor (played by Simon Callow - by far the best part of the film) and starts a 4-day (? - the query is because a lot happens, but little relevant, over the 4 days) campaign to become wholly physical again.
Basically, stuff happens; lots of it random, and I'm sure was more meaningful to the writers than it was to me as a viewer (and that as an educated and informed viewer). Unfortunately, as good as it looks at times, and as many good ideas are just screaming to to be exploited, it just ends up being a B-movie. I'd still watch it though, just the once.
I realise that this constitutes a critique rather than a review, but it's difficult to sum up what happens in the film other than what I've just said - it's a bit random, and if you're into thelemic mysticism you'll probably enjoy it, but unfortunately I view the whole subject as occultism for people who are too scared to throw off the shackles of catholic Judaism, and compensate for their reticence to abandon Christianity for something more pure with an unhealthy interest in the Christian devil. But you're talking about a film about an early 20th century English occultist raised in a strict Christian family, so what can you expect? Anyway, if you're in the mood for a British B-movie (well made, but not exactly stimulating) - this is the movie for you (or watch Razorblade Smile or Dead Mans Shoes instead).
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Why?
A video rental store under threat of closure. Two idiots who stumble on a way to exploit other idiots to save the store. Ummm...that's it.
I get this film. I understand what it's trying to do, I really do. But at the end of the day it's just rubbish.
Yeah, so some people are entertained by amateurish remakes of films. Good for them. Sentimental stuff about Fats Waller is good too; there's nothing wrong about preserving things worth saving for future generations to ignore.
What this film amounts to is the list of films that are paraded for you to take note of somewhere in the middle. By all means, watch them, enjoy them, make your own judgements. That's all this film is about...could've been achieved by some obsessive nerd listing his favourite films and likes on his blog.
The world has moved on. VHS won't be mourned like vinyl. Amateur videos are okay on Youtube, but most people actually have lives. What is the point of this film? Please explain.
Angel-A (2005)
Like a hug from a distant relative
A French film by Luc Besson, shot in black and white, which is fundamentally an examination of life with a love story and a fantastic creature as the female lead for good measure. Sounds like a recipe for a truly touching and stylish movie, doesn't it? Regrettably, it isn't. It's not a bad movie, but all the ingredients raise your expectations to the point that when you are served a bland collection of "stuff" on a plate, you are disappointed and wish you'd had fish 'n chips instead; at least you'd get what you expected then.
The main flaw (if it could be called a flaw, more a "why bother?") is that it's shot in black and white. Some films benefit from this. It adds to the experience. In Angel-A, it serves no purpose except to distract you from the film by making you ponder if it's trying to be pretentious. This film could easily have been made in colour with no difference whatsoever.
Secondly, the film serves as a vehicle to propose a few semi-philosophical ideas (the main one being that telling the truth is a good thing). Most films manage to do this by telling a story and allowing the audience to come to their own conclusions about what they see. This film is on a par with Dogma in that it is too scared the audience is not bright enough to think for itself and errs on the side of being patronising to make sure you get the point. It loses its credibility as a film for thinking people by doing that. The points it makes are true enough though, just made in a way that requires little thought from the audience; the appeal of revelation is that you assume that you have managed to reach the conclusion mostly by your own efforts. This is Enlightenment Of The Soul For Dummies.
As I watched this film, I found myself comparing it to Splash! (with Daryl Hannah as a mermaid), which made much the same impact and had all the same ingredients, but was in colour. This film is Splash! but in B&W.
The last problem with this film is that any plot lines which could have supported the lacklustre dialogue on which the film depends seem to be discarded and left flapping in the wind as unimportant.
Overall, this movie fails to live up to expectations and you'd be better off watching Amelie (which has all the right ingredients and more), even if you've seen it before.