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Zombieland (out 15 March 10, Cert. 15) Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray, dir. Ruben Fleischner, 2009,
cert. 15 MonkeyScore: 72% A virus has turned just about everyone on Earth into flesh-eating zombies. 4 survivors embark on a road trip across the USA, having to figure out whether being stuck with each other is worse than giving in to the zombies. There's Columbus (Eisenberg), a geeky wuss who's turned his fears into a survival manual, and Tallahassee (Harrelson) whose main drive is to kick zombie ass and find the last Twinkie on earth. They soon meet up with con-artist sisters Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), who have their own technique to survive the mayhem and reach the West Coast alive. Zombieland claims to be the best zom-com since Shaun Of The Dead - and it lives up to the challenge. While the premise is slight the action is delivered at a pace that mirrors the zombie madness: it's fast, quite a bit furious and as gory as it is hilarious. Harrelson's Tallahassee is straight out of a comic book, and Eisenberg just shines through what is in effect his first lead role. Don't expect to be scared - it's not that kind of zombie movie - but do prepare yourself for some rather interesting ways to dispose of the undead and look out for a brilliant cameo by Bill Murray. Zesty and very funny - can't wait to see what happens in the sequel!
A Serious Man (out 15 March 10, cert. 15) MonkeyScore: 85% 1967, the Midwest. Larry Gopnik's life goes from quietly dull to rather eventful - the wife's leaving, his brother is parked on the sofa, his son is misbehaving in Hebrew school and his daughter's skimming his wallet to finance a nose job. And that's only home. Work's just as interesting with a failing student trying both bribe and legal action against him and anonymous letters that could jeopardise his chance for tenure. Perhaps by seeking the advice of three trusted rabbis, Larry can find a way to deal with his problems and become a genuine "mensch' - a serious man. Relying on character actors rather than their usual cast pays of in spades in this original comedy by the Coen brothers. Michael Stuhlbarg's performance, playing Gopnik, is both understated and funny. Support comes from vastly talented actors mostly known for their TV work like Richard Kind (of Spin City fame), Adam Arkin and George Wyner who between them have been in just about every significant TV show since the 70s. A Serious Man is almost as nonsensical as some of the parables used by the rabbis featured: like the religious allegories referred to, it's best appreciated as a whole rather than trying to pick out the logic and over-analyse the details. It is a little gem of dark humour, both poking fun at and fondly supporting the main protagonists for seeking solace in the Jewish faith. It's clever, with hidden depth, and yet manages to remain entertaining and fun. A treasure of black comedy, subtle yet laugh-out-loud. |
The White Ribbon (out 15 March 10, Cert. 15) Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesh, Burkhart Klaussner, Ernst Jacobi, Steffi Kühnert, dir. Michel Haneke, 2009, Cert. 15, in German with English subtitles MonkeyScore: 68% In northern Germany, just before World War I, the children and teenagers of a Prostestant village are at the heart of strange incidents that seem to take the character of a punishment ritual. Viewed from the eyes of the village schoolteacher, the events in
Haneke's film seem rather benign at first. Bullying, gossip and
neighbours turning against each other ruining a perfectly nice little
community are central themes to the film. The over-arching unspoken
conclusion is that these behaviours made the German people ripe for the
taking by Hitler. This is rather over-intellectualising film. One may
want to use their brain cells every now and then, between
run-off-the-mill Hollywood productions, but this should not exempt
film-makers from telling stories with a beginning, a middle and an end.
Yes, the film is utterly beautiful, shot in sublime black&white and
lit to perfection. And yes, it will make you think about the war and
how people can be mean / jealous / bigoted etc. But will it release
emotions by simply watching the story unfold? The main problem with
this is that the White Ribbon doesn't really end - it fizzles out. A beautiful piece of film, but hardly Haneke's most compelling.
Elizabeth (out 15 March 10, Cert. 15) Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Finennes, Christopher Ecclestone, John Gielgud, Richard Attenborough, Vincent Cassel, Fanny Ardant, Eric Cantona, dir. Shekhar Kapur, 1998, Cert. 15 Pitcher Kenny Powers (McBride) was poised for greatness until his fading fastball and insufferable personality got the better of his game. He heads home to Shelby County, North Carolina, to take up a job as a substitute gym teacher. In spite of the fact that his fame has all but dried up, Powers starts planning his comeback in-between drinking binges. review coming soon |
Crimson Wing (out on 15 March, Cert. PG) Dir. Matthew Aeberhard and Leander Ward, 2009, cert. PG Lake Natron, northern Tanzania. Crimson Wing takes a look at the lives and deaths of the multitude of flamingos who inhabit the lake. review coming soon
Elizabeth - The Golden Age (out 15 March 10, Cert. 12) Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Jordi Mollà, Laurence Fox, John Shrapnel, Samantha Morton, Abbie Cornish, Rhys Ifans, Clive Owen, dir.Shekhar Kapur, 2007, Cert. 12 MonkeyScore: tbc% |
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