Adam & Paul
Being a tale of two Dublin junkies in 2004.
The film follows them as they look for
their next fix, and concoct hapless schemes for the money to pay for it.
The uneasiness I felt watching this story
of two pathetic men as they negotiate the city that barely tolerates them, old
friends who no longer trust them and family who are at least wary, is a testament
to the performances of the leads Mark O’Halloran and the late Tom Murphy.
It’s a naturalistic tale featuring many
moments of Adam & Paul aimlessly waiting in between events in a vaguely
anonymous Dublin, and the comedy inherent in scenes like the bodged shoplifting
are pierced by the low-level violence and other uncomfortable moments, such as
the mugging of a disabled man.
I find Adam & Paul to be a decent film
that’s hard to recommend as it’s a difficult watch, though not in the way I’m
used to as with the films of Haneke for example.
The balance in tone with the stereotypical
cheeky chappy Irish wit with darker moods was continued in director Lenny
Abrahamson’s great second film, The Garage, and I’m looking forward to the
chance to catch his third, What Richard Did.
Rango
A warm and inventive animation that’s
family friendly and yet still manages to riff on a chameleon version of Johnny
Depp’s Hunter S. Thompson interpretation, Rango is a delight.
Arriving at a tangent from the usual CGI
animation stables, Rango is a combination of the fish out of water or awkward
urbanite stuck in the country (see also Depp’s Ichabod Crane), married with the
old Wild West tale of a corrupt mayor/land baron controlling resources and gunmen to keep
his town in check.
Despite these generic foundations, Rango
has a lot to offer with lots of quirks and twists that aren’t twee or
gratuitous, and treats the audience with intelligence so that it’s suitable for
all the family but without making the mistakes of Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr.
Fox.
As well as the original approach to family
film, the animation itself is glorious with a keen attention to detail
capturing myriad textures but in a way that brings the characters to life,
rather than just ticking a technical expertise box (see Monsters Inc’s Sully
whose fur seems luxuriant because they wanted to show off more than anything).
Taken 2
So after Liam Neeson rescues his daughter
in Taken, killing a fair chunk of human traffickers in the process, the
surviving relatives are somewhat upset.
Coincidentally it seems that not only are
they from some indeterminate Eastern European state, but that they are muslims
too!
After Liam takes a security job in Istanbul
he mistakenly invites his daughter and ex-wife (newly estranged from her last
man) to join him after his job finishes, putting them at risk from the muslims!
After Liam and ex-wife are abducted, the
daughter manages to escape thanks to a phone call from pops and his secreted
stash of spy bits, eventually helping him escape too but not mom!
So then off he goes to get her back.
Some of the DIY escape/fighting bits are
fun as Liam convincingly takes out the baddies with confidence, but ultimately
it feels a little dissatisfying compared to the original, which was a guilty
pleasure as it is.
What with the Bourne films and the like,
Western action films have become much more competent and to stand out you need
something special, or be consigned to the heap of straight to video fodder.
Forgettable.
Skyfall
In comparison with the Bourne films that
took the latest Bonds as a jumping off point, Skyfall shows the signs of the
Bond franchise’s age.
The comparatively low speed and lack of
kinetic rush in the opening chase sequence feels pedestrian compared to similar
scenes from the Bourne films, whilst the incredibility of the speeding train
fight sequence just stands out as odd in the context of the new ‘gritty’ Daniel
Craig Bond. The prominence of the product placement of the Caterpillar brand of
construction vehicles highlights how invasive product placement has become such
an integral part of Bond that it is beyond parody and can only serve to break
any suspension of disbelief, like the bad jokes Bond tosses out moments after
reluctantly leaving a fellow agent badly wounded. The use of the Caterpillar
vehicle as well shows up the absurdity of Bond, forcing a fantastical set piece
into play rather than letting one evolve naturally or logically.
Thematically, a washed-up Bond who hits
bottom and struggles to stay relevant as an agent in the field in this age of
techno terrorism tries for an earthy weight. However, although this thread does
work, it’s hard to see how Bond could hit bottom again after the turmoil of
Quantum of Solace where he seeks to both avenge his lovers’ death and deal with
her betrayal.
On the upside Javier Bardem’s pretty good
as the big baddy, there is a nice big explosion at the climax and a few fun set
pieces, however silly they are.
Not as good as it wants to be but still a
fun watch.
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