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Reviews
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
So that's how the war should've ended!
Tarantino presents challenging work. This is no less challenging than his previous efforts. There is a multi-faceted lot, with two key events coming together at the end of the story. And the film is a story, set in WW2 but not as we might know it! And this works well. Back to the film.
The characterisations of the key characters are stereotypical, and this is not a bad thing! It clarifies motive and method for the film. The SS officer, Colonel Hans Lander, is played across the full range of clown to chilling murderer very well.
Action sequences are well staged, and the build up to them very effective. The blood and gore often presented in Tarantino films is present in this one too.
The film is travelling towards the assassination of Hitler and his cronies. The method by which this'll be done is then developed with the plot centering on the showing of a film celebrating an outrageous feat of arms on the part of a German soldier.
The French girl who owns the cinema chosen for this event being the Jewish girl who escaped from Lander at the start of the film.
The remainder of the film covers the assassination attempt at the cinema. It is splendidly shot, and in a style which stands up to multiple viewings! But I'll not tell you what happens!
Lander takes off with the basterds at end of the film, getting his just deserts!
The film tells its story well, and the violence featured reminds the viewer that war is terrible, but that people are responsible for that frightfulness. The look and feel is good, and there's even a track by David Bowie which feels just right!
Violent-yes, entertaining-yes, thrilling-yes, a typical Tarantino story with an unanticipated conclusion!
UFO (1970)
Caught Between Stools .....
UFO was produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson who up until then had been responsible for a range of internationally successful puppet based shows eg Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet etc. The basic conceit being that Earth was being visited by Aliens who were 'harvesting' humans for organs etc. and the travails of the defence arrangements made to respond to the threat. Set in 1980, there were two aspects to the production: the hardware as presented by model-work and the human interactions as represented by a'live' cast.
Firstly, the show has an aspiration to be for 'grown-ups' with many of the stories being to do with inter-human relationships against extraordinary backgrounds. This in itself is very ambitious, and I must say not entirely successful.
The nature of the alien threat is never taken beyond the flying saucer escapes interception and generates a threat to which SHADO, the defence organisation, deals with.
The show is attractive to watch in terms of production values and casting. The nature of SHADO, the global defence organisation, is well established but seems very lightweight in terms of the assets and personnel it controls to deal with the threat. But to be honest, I don't think this works against the show.
The main recurring characters are attractive and garner interest. The challenge of dealing with extraordinary situations is the main theme throughout the 26 episodes and in general terms the scripts superficially arrive at some kind of resolution, not always comforting or simple.
The show was an ambitious one, and for it's time (1969/70) was quite successful in presenting and dealing with big issues. But it was never clear to whom the show was being presented to. Often broadcast as a kids show, even where issues involving extra-marital sex or drug addiction were plot themes, you do wonder if the broadcasting networks ever watched the show!
Attractive to watch and of its time, the show retains interest and can be recommended to Anderson fans and viewers of 1960s social commentaries/dramas.
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Don't Forget to Add Value to Your Remake
It's hard to review films which are re-makes or re-hashes of an original. But lets try! We all know the basic conceit of the film in that husbands can replace their over-achieving wives with eponymous housewives - who are for decorative value with their 'drive' in business/science/political life etc removed and replaced with a subservient decorative 'housewife' aspect.
I find 'successful America' a shallow backdrop, but this is necessary here as the plot involves the well to do in their gated estate. The general situation emerges in an unsubtle way. Wives are shallow and ornamental, and time is spent allowing the husbands to confirm that is how they want their wives to be.
We know there is something peculiar going on when one of the wives has a malfunction during a civic dance. This pretty much confirms Kidmans sense that something is amiss. Walken makes an an appearance as the brains behind the situation, but without any suspense or intrigue about his character or what that character does. There is a housewife who doesn't appear to fulfil the ideal presented played by Midler. But the role played is simply to provide the contrast between actual wives and the 'ideal' wives. She ends up being converted, but to be honest, I was wondering why she had not been up to that point.
There is a decision to be taken by Broderick in respect of his wife, but watch the film to see what this is. The final part of the film comes at a ballroom event, and we are then told what we need to know about the wives, who is responsible and the status of the relationship between Kidman/Broderick.
There is a pretty poor twist to the film's ending, but it adds little.
A film which seemed more about the American high-life than the basic scenario about re-manufacturing individuals as life-style accessories and dealing with issues that might be expected to arise.
The film was visually attractive, but lacking in any real plot development and ultimately for the characters, a lack of empathy or understanding.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
A Very Lightweight Affair
I saw this film in a second hand shop, and knowing that it had acquired poor reviews I wanted to see what constituted a 'bad film'. Well, the film has a very polished look about it. Although some of the moon scenes had a Total Recall look to them. The background artists were quite stilted and didn't look at all 'natural'. Back to the film. There was not much to the film. Characterisations were very simplistic, and the 'robots' were very curious in their presentation. It was quite a violent film, and what there was did not appear as comedic violence. One of the villains was especially ugly in a fashion which I suspect was comedic - cross eyes, curious gate etc. Murphy didn't add anything at all to a fairly limp script, and the Nash character was hard to pin down. There were a number of car chases 'on the moon', one featuring John Cleese, but any comedic angle to this went over my head. The end was very light - seeming to lack any sense of threat/urgency/difficult job well done etc. All in all, this was a poor film with what seemed high production costs but had neither any sense of originality, urgency or character empathy. All in all, it just seems boring.
Silkwood (1983)
Ordinary People in Extraordinary Circumstances
Given away with a Sunday newspaper, I left this film in the 'watch later' pile for quite some time. I'll start saying the film has a slow pace, but his helped in developing the characters as people'. Whilst not a Streep or Cher fan, both play their parts very well building an empathy and understanding not often done successfully in a mainstream film. It's not a shock/horror affair - more how people react to hazards presented by way of their day to day job. I liked the way her relationships at work suffered as she went about her work, and this I thought well presented. The type of threat to which Streep was exposed was well developed as the film went on. I didn't buy into the work situation following her transfer to a review function nor the way in which she acquired evidence for the Trade Union re radiation levels. I liked the relationship portrayed between Streep and Russell, it did seem realistic to me. The essential point being how personal and representative priorities often conflict with the one impinging on the other. In short a film about how ordinary people respond to extraordinary situations. The film encouraged you to form an opinion rather than give you one ready made. This is one to sit, watch and empathise with.