Film Shapes

This perfectly-tuned biopic of the father of the atomic bomb has the Nolan stamp of assuredness upon it. The opening gives us scenes of a young-ish Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) getting to know himself and quantum mechanics, intercut with a couple of hearings - a congressional one with Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr) attempting to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and a more secretive one to decide on Oppenheimer's security clearance. Sounds pretty dull, to be fair, but Nolan seems to realise the potential for yawns, so he keeps this whole first act zipping along, with constant, escalating music (by Ludwig Göransson) and tight editing (by Jennifer Lame). Oppenheimer breezes through this flurry and arrives at the central driver of the story - the recruitment of scientists to the Manhattan Project, run by Matt Damon's General Leslie Groves. It's around this time in the story that Oppenheimer starts to realise the potential for destruction that his work entails - he j...

As per the film's title, this is all about the last legally sanctioned duel in France. In 1386! Wikipedia gives a more recent 1547 and Ridley Scott himself directed a film (his first) in 1977 called The Duellists , set around the early 1800s, though I take it the duels in this film were not judicial. Anyway, The Last Duel is a pretty fine film. It's neatly structured into three parts, though crucially, not three acts. Each part is named 'The Truth According to....', covering the main characters, played by Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. These are Jean de Carrouges, Jacques Le Gris and Marguerite de Carrouges respectively. Add Ben Affleck's delicious portrayal (replete with quality swears) of Count Pierre d'Alençon, and you have some excellent turns; just the right side of smallgoods. The 'three truths' structuring will, of course, conjure thoughts of Rashomon (and the many examples of  films or TV shows using the Rashomon Effect), but the icing...

Elysium .  A conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by certain Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults. Initially separate from the realm of Hades, admission was initially reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes. Later, it expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic, where they would remain after death, to live a blessed and happy life, and indulging in whatever employment they had enjoyed in life. (Thanks again Wikipedia) This space-station world, at odds with the filthy, poverty-riddled Earth mainland seems a sound stepping off point for a really meaty Sci-fi satire, or at least a social conscience drama. So why is it so unsatisfying? I'll see if I can work this out in the next few paragraphs (I'm still not quite sure, if I'm honest). Due to the need to pick over the bones of this film, there'll be some spoilers to follow. I reckon Elysium is let down quit...

June 1st. Cheap tickets day at HAT 109. I was hopeful about this film, but also a little wary. As it turned out, both preconceptions were met. I liked parts of it a lot and hated parts in equal measure. Positives first. Matt Damon is a really likeable figure on screen (off it as well, so I hear) and his acting is improving with age, rather like Di Caprio. His partnership with Emily Blunt works very well here - she's great too. The story is based on a Phillip K. Dick novella, and it has a certain nutty charm, reminiscent of an old episode of The Twilight Zone TV show. Some of the set-pieces come off (a couple of chase scenes on foot in particular) but the theme of the film is where the worms come out. Right off the bat, let me say I can't stand religious propaganda in films. Religion, as a plot point, a theme or even an incidental garnish to a story are all fine with me, but I can't abide the sly stuff (and this is mostly perpetrated by Hollywood). The Adjustment Bu...

We saw this on March 30 at the Toho Cinema complex in Nishinomiya (I think it was free as I'd built up 6 movies on the point card). As I recall, there was a long queue and I was a bit concerned our theatre would be full. Luckily, the clueless majority were evidently lining up for something called Tangled. Or some shite Japanese anime or baseball flick. As is usual with the Coen's films, True Grit looked great (shot by Roger Deakins again) and the dialogue fairly sparkled. The casting was typically spot on and they really have a sense of atmosphere - which the music (by Carter Burwell again), the costumes and the sets exemplify brilliantly. But I reckon this film sits around the mid-section of the Coen portfolio, just near Miller's Crossing and The Big Lebowski . Not quite up to the standards set by Barton Fink, No Country for Old Men and Raising Arizona but not as low as The Hudsucker Proxy or Burn After Reading .