Miracle Mile

Dir: Steve De Jarnatt
Starring: The feller from ER, and a (no offense) quite repugnant lady

NB watched this stinker cos he had heard it was an underrated gem of 80s sci-fi. Admittedly, the scene in the diner is rather good as the tension builds up, and no one is sure whether to believe what's happening. But then it goes all mushy. And for what? The guy from ER is in love with a really rather repugnant looking lady (I'm sure she's lovely and I'm sure she looked a lot better without that awful haircut). The worst is that they kiss. That's one on-screen frenchy I do not want to see again.

Rating: Bad

Frank

Dir: Lenny Abraham's Son
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhall

NB identifies muchly with the big-headed Frank: we both need an alter ego - a metaphorical disguise - in order to express ourselves. Admittedly, Frank does it much more successfully, and eventually (SPOLER) learns how to do it without the big head... NB however is trapped inside his character for life.

Frank combines many different elements of musical mythology, primarily, of course, the legend that is Frank Sidebottom and the Oh Blimey Band. The story focusses on what happens if someone ordinary gets involved in something extraordinary. The results are pretty bad.

In terms of the cast, I know he's scoring roles all over the place recently, but NB is actually unimpressed: No, it's not Michael Fassbender (who is surely one of the best and most diverse actors of the new millennium), it's Domhnal Gleeson. Admittedly, his character a bit weak and unlikable in this, but he's pretty wooden in general.

Thankfully, Michael B and Maggie G are here to keep things believable; if a story about a musical genius wearing a giant freak head recording an album in rural Ireland can be called believable.

Rating: Great!

Stalker

Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky
Starring: Alexander Kaidanovsky, Nikolai Grinko

Sci-fi meets religious symbolism in this thinly-veiled attack (?) on deification. A grim Russian cast takes you on a journey into an unknowable area where all of your wishes will come true... or will they? Whether that's your cup of tea or not, you can't deny Tarkovsky's skill as a director. It's amazing well shot and the sets and atmosphere of the whole thing really make you believe that this is a "forbidden zone."

Just look at that grim face on the image and you'll get the idea.

Rating: Overbearingly intense and significant but undeniably well-made

Seppuku / Harakiri

Dir: Masaki Kobayashi
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai

Can anyone rival the immense presence of Tatsuya Nakadai? When NB was 16 years old he watched the Seven Samurai and was completely blown away by Toshiro Mifune's performance. And yet, in a much more understated, controlled way, Nakadai steals your attention in an even more profound way than Mr. Mif. (The comparison between the two fellerz has been made too often for me to go on about it here.)

In Seppuku / Harakiri, Nakadai plays a ronin who visits the house of a local lord looking for a place to die. Or does he? Kobayashi reveals the real plot bit by bit, and after everything is in the open: BOOM! An action scene to rival the best of them.

Rating: Great!

Bleak Moments

Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Anne Raitt, Eric Allan

Ohh, this is so bleak. I love it! It takes 45 minutes to get going, and the sound quality is atrocious, but once things really kick off, it's hard to look away from Bleak Moments. It's a story of disappointment, frustration, small joys (mainly dry sherry) and daily life.

One of the key scenes is in a Chinese restaurant where a couple who are on a date are being constantly watched by the only other feller in there. The conversation is stilted, the food looks bad, and it's all just... well... bleak. Another amazing scene involves the uptight boyfriend asking his girlfriend if she prefers television or radio. It's cringeworthy enough to make you shudder.

If you know how to enjoy bleak misery, this is a masterpiece!

Rating: Great

North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Stay / Inside Out

Dir: Pete Docter-y, Ronnie Del Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, etc.
Comment: Has NB become old and cynical? Everyone seems to love this film, but I really didn't get into it. I could see that it was good... but it seemed to try too hard to give me a message, and I don't like to be manipulated. I am manipulat-er not a manipulat-ee. Animation's pretty ropey in some places too.
Rating: Good






Dir: Marc Forster
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Ewan McGregor
Comment: Tries too hard and comes off a bit contrived, cos the complex plot and psychological twists are ultimately kind of un-engaging. Ewan McG's hair is pretty amazing in this, tho.
Rating: Alright film, great hair

Dir: Alfred Spatchcock
Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
Comment: Sharp script, sharp suits, dangerous blondes, lots of running around. A true "film." NB prefers Hitchcock's more claustrophobic works, but NBNW is unquestionably a "classic."
Rating: Genius

Hummener-hummener-hummener

Dir: Alfred Hitch
Starring: Ray Millan, Grace Kelly
Comment: NB realised he's forgotten all of the details from some classic Hitch films so he's been watching them again. Dial M is genius. Really well directed... I felt genuinely shocked by the attempted murder scene.
Rating: Genius

The Big Short

Looking good, Batman

Dir: Adam McKay
Starring: Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling

Narry Borman saw the great housing crisis of 2007 coming from a mile away, and put all of his stock into Findus Crispy Fingers. NB has literally thousands of boxes of them stacked up in his garage, but he knows, one day, they'll all come crawling back, begging for those crispy delights.

Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carrel (among others) also saw it coming, and wisely chose to 'bet' against the market, which meant that when it crashed, they got rich.

Even after watching The Big Short, I'm still not exactly sure how. What I do know is that the financial system is a house of cards, and that it's being rebuilt again. What fools! After the next big crash, Findus will be the next currency, Findus!!

Christian Bale steals the show, as always, although he's looking a bit buff for a banker (showing him doing some press-ups does not explain that level of buffness, Mr. McKay). The others are great too, although, as Mark Commode said, "a bit wiggy."

The two things I didn't like about this film were: annoying cut scenes where celebrities 'hilariously' explained complex financial terms; and the over-use of blue language. Both of these detract from a film that is otherwise stylishly made (almost no soundtrack, btw, which makes it all the more 'real') and well edited.

Rating: Good