Four Lions

The opening moments of Christopher Morris' Four Lions displays how incompetent the protagonists are. They don't get much smarter as the film progresses, but the scale of the humor does.

Indeed the leads aren't exactly dumb (well, with the exception of one of them), but they're not the brightest crayons in the box either. They try to prove themselves as legit terrorists, but all they do is the complete opposite of that.

You can't blame them for trying. (You can blame them for being bloody ignorant when it comes to trying to stay incognito.) They're probably only doing all of this for attention, but no one knows except for them.

What makes Four Lions funny is its script. Without it, the whole film probably would have fallen apart. Hey, for every comedy, there has to be a good script. (That should be a requirement in Hollywood to be honest.)

Four Lions is very good. There are a number of moments that are laugh out loud funny, some of them inappropriately. Still, it's very entertaining.

My Rating: ****1/2

FYC: Defiant Success

Well, it's that time of year again for members of the Large Association of Movie Blogs (or LAMB, as we're so affectionately called). First year I ran I got nothing. Second year I got nominated for Best Classic Film Blog. This year I hope to get a little more recognition. Here are the categories I'm vying for:

Best Blog Well, why not? I can't be the only one crossing fingers to get nominated for this one.

Best Classic Film Blog Hey, I got nominated for it last year. Might as well see if I can pull the same stunt twice.

Funniest Writer If you don't know why this category, you don't read this blog very often, do you?

Best Running Feature I figured my BOOK VS MOVIE posts deserved some more recognition by now.

Best Design I know Stevee is gonna trump this category, but might as well take a stab at it.

It's more than last year, but come on. I've been blogging for almost three years now. I deserve to be a little selfish. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the bank because of...reasons.

(Oh, and do your votin' here. *cough*)

Code Unknown

I'm a trifle reluctant towards Michael Haneke. I was underwhelmed by The Piano Teacher and Funny Games annoyed the hell out of me. But you know what they say: third times's the charm,

Was that the case with Code Unknown? Surprisingly yes. Perhaps it's because it's not pretentious and full of self-worth like The Piano Teacher and Funny Games. (Sorry, Tyler.) Instead, it's a damn fine film focusing on a menagerie of people, connected only by an incident that happens early on.

There are two things in Code Unknown that made me love it. The first is the acting. It feels very natural rather than forced like most of the actors in the other Haneke films I saw. It flows as the film progresses.

The second thing is how Code Unknown is shot. Many of its scenes are shot in long takes, which is a risky move in itself. (God knows how many times it took to get each scene right.) All in all, a clever decision from Haneke.

As mentioned above, third time's the charm. And Code Unknown is definitely a charm. It just works wonderfully. Especially after seeing The Piano Teacher and Funny Games, I was surprised this was a work from Haneke. That's a good thing, mind you.

My Rating: *****

Howards End

As I've stated a number of times before, most period pieces tend to bore me. I think it's because the frequent topic of the social class war that made me express a disinterest. However, those that veer away from the subject manage to catch my eye.

This is the case with James Ivory's Howards End. Sure, the social class war is acknowledged but never overemphasized. If it weren't for the presentation of the characters and the flow of the script, I probably wouldn't have liked it as much.

Speaking of the script, it just works. Rather than feeling stuffy and pretentious (sorry, Andrew), it feels as though it could be applied to modern day society. (Yes, I know it's based on a book. No, I haven't read it.)

The actors are just divine. They all play their roles wonderfully. Of them, my favorites were Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter, all completely different from the other.

Man, that was a very good film. It has the right balance of elegance and posh, and doesn't make it appear too British. (Yeah, I can't believe I said that last bit either.) To sum things up, I very much enjoyed Howards End. (Happy, Andrew?)

My Rating: *****

Funny Games

I really need to learn to not get my expectations up so high for some films. I always get my hopes dashed.

This can be applied to Michael Haneke's Funny Games. I heard it was a film full of torture, sadism and all sorts of nastiness, something bound to horrify anyone who dared watched. If that's the case, then what was the garbage I saw?

Seriously, it's like Haneke didn't even try to make it the least bit suspenseful. It would have been nice, but he didn't even give a hint of it. Frustrating, really. (I doubt the remake made improvements.)

It has its...perks, for lack of a better word. However, there are few. There is an amusing brief sequence towards the end, but that's all there is. It starts off promising, but it all goes downhill from there. And quite quickly too.

Haneke really has a lot to do to get me interested in his work. I mean, The Piano Teacher was a little too bizarre, and Funny Games was a bloody mess, figuratively and literally. What should have been a tale of terror  ended up being insufferable and excruciating to watch. The only torture involved with this film is towards anyone who dares to watch this drivel.

My Rating: **1/2

A Room with a View

Oy, the things I do to garner the approval of a fellow blogger. Foreign films for Tyler, British period pieces for Andrew...it gets tiresome after a while, but what the hell. I like doing it.

For Andrew, I saw James Ivory's Room with a View. I knew of it, but not very well apart from a few names in its very British cast. Once I started watching it, I sensed it would be about romance (since that's what most British period pieces are about), and guess what? I was right.

That doesn't mean I didn't like it. I thought it was quite good. It's just I want to find a period piece where love and romance aren't the main themes. (I did find that in Topsy-Turvy however.)

One thing I did like about the film was the acting. Of the prolific names, my favorite performances came from Daniel Day-Lewis and Maggie Smith. Day-Lewis possesses an arrogant air underneath a refined persona, something not many actors can do in a low key. (Most actors would ham it up like it's nobody's business.) Smith on the other hand shows a quieter side to human behavior. There's a reason for why they're both two-time Oscar winners; they're good at what they do.

All in all, I liked Room with a View. I probably would have loved it had the pacing been a little faster. The acting is the focal point of the film (at least in my eyes). Also, Andrew, I do wish you would watch more contemporary-set British films.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Avengers

I'll admit I'm not much for superhero/comic book movies. However, I do like them in a similar way to animated movies in that they're a good way to let your mind go numb. That, and my inner tomboy gets the better of me at times.

Now Joss Whedon's The Avengers looks like the typical comic book movie, complete with awesome explosions and a star-studded cast. Technically it is, but it's so much more than that. It's a step up from that stereotype in fact. The reason? The script.

I'll admit I've never seen any of the shows Whedon worked on or every one of the Marvel movies (all I saw were the Iron Man movies and Thor), but it didn't tamper my viewing experience. It may have helped if I had, but I don't really mind. Oh well, extra homework for me!

Speaking of the cast, it's awesome. Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner are completely badass. Mark Ruffalo is great in his role, displaying the troubled side of Bruce Banner. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth both play their characters of Captain America and Thor as beings heavily unfamiliar with the society they're trying to save. I honestly can't be the only person that thinks Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark is the best piece of casting in the last ten years. And I have to bring up Tom Hiddleston, who is slowly becoming a favorite of mine in recent memory. Anyone who can take a supposedly one-note role and give a layered performance is worthy of recognition.

If it wasn't clear enough, The Avengers is awesome. The nearly two and a half hour running time just flies by. The score by Alan Silvestri is fantastic. And this next line is going to get me killed, isn't it? (Ah, screw it.) Your move, Mr. Nolan.

My Rating: *****

The Wings of the Dove

At first glance, Iain Softley's The Wings of the Dove looks like the typical, snooty British period piece. (Then again, most of them do. Sorry, Andrew. It's the truth.) In reality, it's a somewhat hypnotic tale of greed and betrayal.

The greed is in full swing in Kate Croy (Helena Bonham Carter). Brought up in a life of luxury, she finds it hard to leave it behind so she can be with her lover Merton Densher (Linus Roache). Yet at the same time, she never shows she even enjoys the wealthy life she leads.

The betrayal comes into play halfway through once Kate establishes ties with Millie Theale (Alison Elliott), a dying American heiress. Kate comes up with the scheme of Merton winning Millie's heart in order for Millie to hand over her fortune to him when she dies. Nothing at all could go wrong with it...except maybe a tiny detail.

I couldn't help but notice a few parallels between this and Dangerous Liaisons. Kate is just as vain and arrogant as the Marquise de Merteuil. Though not as heartless, Merton is willing like Vicomte de Valmont to appease the woman he desires. That leaves Millie to be sadly unaware of her lover's true intentions like Madame de Tourvel.

The Wings of the Dove is good, but the pacing was a bother for me. The work from Carter, Roache and Elliott is very good, all three expressing the bad, neutral and good sides of human nature. This is basically for the period piece fans. (Looking at you, Andrew.)

My Rating: ****

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

With all due respect, I enjoy watching the films that are frequent features here. But come on, give me some slack. I can't watch critically acclaimed films, foreign films and the classics all the time, and not get an animated movie in there.

I opted for Peter Lord's The Pirates! Band of Misfits. It has everything many animated movies have, sure, but it's still fun to watch regardless. (A stark contrast to the many other films I usually see, which leave me either depressed and/or drained.)

As with the case of most other animated movies, I was drawn to this one because of some of the names doing voice work. Hey, I'm bound to like something if the supporting cast features Martin Freeman and David Tennant. (It's also a sign I need to cut down on British television, but moving on.)

There's always something just so pleasant about watching animated movies. They're just a really good way to forget your troubles temporarily. They're also not completely mind numbing like many of the "comedies" of today, so that's an added bonus.

I really liked The Pirates! Band of Misfits. It's silly at times, but that's easy to overlook. It's definitely a good movie for the whole family or just as something to watch alone when you need something to make you relax. Seriously, it's just a load of fun.

My Rating: ****

The Thomas Crown Affair

Norman Jewison's The Thomas Crown Affair has everything most crime capers of today try so hard to capture. It's sleek and sexy, two adjectives that best sum up most star vehicles of the 1960s.

Steve McQueen stars in the title role of Thomas Crown, a bored businessman. Like his earlier roles in The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven, McQueen makes it clear early on that he is in charge. Crown is collected in every scene, never hinting at a change in personality. Hey, he is played the King of Cool after all.

Faye Dunaway co-stars as Vicki Anderson, an insurance investigator working on the case of the bank robbery Crown planned meticulously. Like her Oscar-nominated roles in Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown and Network, Dunaway plays Vicki as a fiercely independent woman. She thinks for herself rather than be influenced by others.

The combination of both creates a spark like no other. McQueen's natural charm and Dunaway's cold appeal go excellently together. When people say opposites attract, they ain't kidding.

The Thomas Crown Affair in toll is clever filmmaking at work. Along with its two glamorous leads, it displays enough innuendos to make anyone blush. (The infamous chess game is the creme de la creme.) John McTiernan remade it several years back, though I doubt he recaptured what Jewison put in the original.

My Rating: ****1/2