 The main reason I watched this film, is because of the film’s director, Bong Joon Ho. The guy rarely disappoints, and his other science fiction film, Snowpiercer, is one of my all-time favourites!
I was aware of the mixed reviews (although I hadn’t read any of them), so tempered my expectations. The film was okay, but the tone was a bit all over the place, and it was definitely too long. At times, you felt a sense of pathos for the protagonist, but the villains were practically pantomime villains (and an obvious reference to Trump/Musk), and cheapened the film’s effect. The film’s ‘messaging’ was anything but subtle, but if the director got away with it in ‘Parasite’ you can see why he’d go all in with this film too. In this instance, it was just too ‘over the top’. Not a bad film, but not great either; Robert Pattinson does a good job though.
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 I hadn’t seen this film since 2010, and to be honest, I didn’t think much of it back then. The climax was weak, and the idea of Tony Stark “creating” a new element was too beyond the pale for me.
My opinion of those things hasn’t changed, but the film is far more enjoyable than I remembered. It’s got great humour, decent action, and does exactly what you want it to do; which is, entertain you in a big budget, bombastic way! Good stuff.  This film, about a trio of teenagers aiming to play on the biggest stage for Jazz in Japan, is good stuff!
The story, however, is quite conventional and quite repetitive. The characters have a linear journey, with not many bumps on the road, and little insight into their personalities. Still, it’s more about the music, and animation, and both of those are top-notch (yeah, some of the art is clearly CG, but it is what it is). I enjoyed it. If you’re into anime, or Jazz, you’ll enjoy it too!  I remember when this film came out, and how it was meant to herald a return to hand drawn animation for Disney Animation, after they gave up on the medium in favour of CG. It was also a return to the musical format that had brought them so much success in the 90s.
The film, in the hands of Disney veterans, Ron Clements and John Musker, did not disappoint! It was great when I first saw it, and watching it again, a decade and a half later (my God, has it been that long??!!), it’s even better! The artwork has only grown more gorgeous to look at, and the story and songs are great too!! Maybe not up there with the best of the films from the 90s, but honestly, I have nothing bad to say about this film; it hits all the notes. I only wish it was more successful, so Disney would actually return to hand drawn animation. Sadly, this film was their penultimate effort (Winnie the Pooh was their last), which means we should savour it all the more. Great film!!  I’ve never really had any interest in Disney Animation from the 70s and 80s (probably their least successful period), but I saw some stills on the instagram feed of @wonderfulwoldofcolorpalettes showing Oliver & Company, Disney’s reimagining of Oliver Twist set in New York, starring a stray cat as Oliver, and the art work looked funky!
I’m a big fan of New York City in the 80s (in Cinema), so I figured I’d check it out, and it was actually alright! It’s not up there with the films from Disney’s renaissance, but it definitely has a charm, and the unpolished art work actually looks better than the bland, super polished look of their current crop of computer generated movies. If you’re a fan of Disney animation, it’s definitely worth a watch.  So I attended this talk, given by Professor Mark Thompson, the head of CERN (home of the Large Hadron Collider), and it was one of those occasions that offerred a tiny glimmer of hope in mankind’s future.
The fact that so many nations work together, not for military gain, but purely to increase our scientific knowledge, is indeed cause for hope! Aside from gaining a slightly better understanding of particle physics, I was also pleased to learn that their research is having real world benefits, especially when it comes to treating things like cancer. Hadrons are far more precise, and less damaging than other particles, and whilst they are good at killing cancerous cells, they leave healthy cells unharmed! They’re even better at imaging than x-rays, because x-rays cause a lot of damage too! Comparatively speaking, CERN is cheap to run too! It only costs a billion quid a year to run! For a cross border, multinational research facility, that’s pittance! I mean, the UK government alone loses between £50-80 Billion a year to fraud and errors!! Anyway, despite how good the talk was, I’ve still managed to end on a depressing note. Sigh. Welcome to life in the UK.  I really enjoyed this film and I highly recommend it, but when I was deciding whether to watch it, the first review I read on IMDB said to go in blind, and know as little as possible.
So that’s what I did, and the advice was absolutely spot on! The less you know, the more you’ll enjoy it.  Unfortunately, I knew what Soylent Green was, before watching this classic sci-fi from the 1970s. I imagine the filmmakers were hoping to recreate the same kind of shock ending as Charlton Heston’s other classic sci-fi, Planet of the Apes. I have no idea if they were successful in that regard.
What they were successful in creating, however, is a vivid picture of where humanity is (still) heading, with environmental collapse, global warming, and corporations running everything. The contrast between the lives of the wealthy elite and the suffering of the masses, is shown to great effect. The scene where the protagonist is overjoyed at the sight of running tap water is particularly effective. For him, the greatest luxuries are eating real food, and being able to enjoy a shower! The things we take for granted, even now. Although they got their dates wrong (the film is set in 2022, which in our reality, saw the planet emerging from a different crisis!), the film is still very prescient, and can be seen as a direct response to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which details the environmental damage caused by pesticides. Whichever way you look at it, this film is proof that we’ve been aware of the catastrophic future we’re headed towards, for over fifty years! Yet governments still do nothing, except aid corporations and hasten our demise. Like all great science fiction, it holds a mirror to society, and isn’t about the explosions and escapist fantasies that plague modern sci-fi. 1970s Hollywood really was a different beast. Good film.  I was aware of the name, Pina Bausch, and Tanztheatre, but I had no idea what either was about, and to be honest, I had little interest in finding out. But the French dancer I was chatting to, recommended I watch this film; so I did.
It was so esoteric and arty farty, that I wanted to turn it off. I couldn’t get into it. The whole experience felt like a chore. Fortunately, the second half of the film was a more pleasurable viewing experience. I don’t know if it’s because my mind adjusted to what I was watching, or if the dance sequences were more accessible to someone that isn’t trained in dance. The film isn’t a biopic; more of a tribute, with dancers praising Pina Bausch, intercut with performances from some of her shows, recreated specifically for this film. Interestingly, Wim Wenders only agreed to make this film once 3-D filmmaking technology was more advanced, because he felt there was no way Pina’s brilliance could be realised in a two-dimensional format. He’s probably right. The film is made to be seen on the big screen, in 3-D, not at home on a flat screen, the way I viewed it. Still. I love dance, but I guess I don’t love it in all its forms. Not for me, I’m afraid.  One of the best things about London, in my humble opinion, is the abundance of world class theatre we have to choose from. There is so much talent concentrated in this city, it’s almost criminal not to enjoy it!
Another great thing about London is how pretty much every nation on Earth is represented here; the vast majority of people here are foreign born, and the theatre scene reflects those international, and touristic tastes. Therefore, it was nice to see a show that spoke to a specifically British audience, or at least one that has an awareness of British comedy history. The show is about three great British comedians from decades ago, who share a dressing room, and discuss their lives and the sacrifices they’ve made, all while poking fun at one another. The actors were brilliant; absolutely recreating the comedians in voice and mannerisms, without it seeming like an impersonation. The show itself was very funny and poignant, but it really helps to have some background knowledge about the comedians (such as the fact that one of the comedians actually died of a heart attack on stage, but the audience thought it was part of his act, and couldn’t stop laughing). It was also the most amount of British people I’ve seen in an audience in a long time, and it was nice; reminded me of my youth, when London was full of British people! Haha. |
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A chronicle of films, shows, and theatre I've seen, as well as books I've read, and talks I may have attended. ArchivesCategories |
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