Trying to fend off post-holiday blues I have been hitting the films. The weather's foul here in Yorkshire and the UK News is so depressing so there's nothing for it but to watch movies with the mutt.
Here's a few I've seen on Amazon this week:
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice:
Well what can I say that I didn't say when I first saw this at the Pictures. It's simply awesome! OK, the storyline's a bit weak but who cares. Everything else is bat-tastically super! What appeals to me greatly is its unrelenting grimness, its unceasing darkness, as if the whole thing was filmed at night. This fits the ominous mood completely. This is no kids film anymore, its a full-on fisted brawl where whole buildings collapse! Missus Moonbase hated it!
I thought Affleck's Bats was inspired. His grim determination to have a bad day is written allover his chiseled jawline and as for his light-up eyes and enhanced growling voice, well, they would give Wolf Man the willies. Henry Cavill was his usual convincing self as the Man of Steel and Lois Lane was suitably downbeat throughout too. The low-key rumble of a musical score was also captivating and unobtrusive. A dark slice of DC for sure and I want more!
My only reservations - and they are small ones: Lex Luthor was a little too manic - the crazed giggles a bit annoying; the Kryptonian Doomsday looked too much like the Cave Troll in Lord of the Rings - he just wasn't scary enough for me - and finally - the musical rock riff motif that could be heard whenever Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman appeared. It just wasn't necessary. Wonder Woman doesn't need melodies. She's just wonderful as it is!
But these are small flecks in an otherwise perfect gem. I cannot wait for Justice League. Move over Marvel, DC is back!
The Wave:
this was a Norwegian film with English subtitles. It really was excellent. Basically without giving too much away it tells the story of a small Fjord town facing a possible tidal wave. Its lead is a geologist and his family, who are about to leave for Stavanger when ....
It's a beautifully made flick, really well acted and the tension is wound up like a spring. It reminded me a lot of Dante's Peak from years back but with a Norwegian take on things.
Sink Hole:
a disaster movie starring Starship Trooper Casper Van Dien. A film which sank into its own low-budget special effects fairly quickly along with the pubescent cast as well. It lasted all of ten minutes before I bailed.
World Trade Center:
I saw this many years ago but owing to its noble content I thought I would see it again. Made five years after that terrible day in September it paints a realistic picture of the chaos in New York when the twin towers were struck. I thought Nick Cage did a good job as the leading man. Where the film stalled was its focus on the men trapped underground. Inevitably not a great deal happens until they are rescued. A noble effort covering a real-life story of the Port Authority Police, some of the many heroes that day. Such atrocities are difficult to make into movies and - should they be anyway? The list of the fallen in the end titles was heart-breaking.
What have you seen recently readers?
Last week I had a chance to see both the original Westworld (1973) and its follow-up Futureworld (1976) for the first time, and from the original 35 mm film prints of the time. Two movies that I would have enjoyed immensely as a kid, and did so even now, especially when shown from worn-out prints turned magenta along the years. You cannot beat that 70's feel!
ReplyDeleteGreat flicks Arto. I have them both on VHS. Seventies prints eh! Were they shown on a projector? Of the two I like Westwprld most. i think the film really gels together. Yul Brynner's gunslinger is mesmerising and the shock on the guests' faces when they realise that live rounds are being used is fabulous cinema. James Brolin is also excellent in Capricorn One. Have you seen that?
DeleteYes the films were shown on a regular 35 mm projector, just like old times, with blimps at reel changes and all. Capricorn One I have seen although way back.
DeleteWestworld in my mind linked strongly with the Terminator movies, featuring a robot that just does not stop chasing its prey.
Fabulous. I would love an old projector and a stack of super 8 monster movies! It'd be like being a projectionist! Your films sound fab Arto.
DeleteMichael Crichton's fascination with theme parks was equally fascinating for us readers and viewers. I actually prefer Westworld to Jurassic Park. Yes, Yul Brynner was the original Terminator wasn't he.