Sherlock Holmes

I know I oscillate between seeing some films on the day of release and then catching up with others a year after release, but this one has escaped me first time around. I've been on holiday and then on the road solidly for 4 weeks - sad boy, no movies!

This is an engaging film - on whatever level you wish to watch it - unless of course you are looking for something that pays homage to Basil Rathbone! This is an in-your-face postmodern update of the the Victorian sleuth using Matrix-style cinematography, a wonderful soundtrack and the portrayal of Holmes as an action hero with serious issues.

The acting performances are all strong but Downey Jr. dominates by a long way. His physical presence, his experimentation with mind-bending substances, his bare-knuckle fighting, his inability to sensitively articulate his emotions and his immense intellect combine to produce a mesmerising character. There are periods of prolonged and brutal violence. As unwelcome as they are, they are an integral part of the contradiction that this Sherlock Holmes is. Loathed but needed in equal measure by every character in the film, he stumbles his way through sheer genius and hapless coincidence fighting a foe who is only revealed at the end - thus the scene is set for the next in the franchise.

I was fortunate enough to watch this on Blu-ray disc and I must say that it was visually stunning. The lighting and colour palette combine to give a compelling depth of characterisation of Victorian London and the Thames-side wharves and docks. In one scene of a series of monumentally vivid explosions where fireball after fireball erupt in stunning vibrancy, the sound is almost non-existent as the full force of what you witness is perfectly well transmitted by visual means. This heightens the impact and is a most clever Directorial device - well done Guy Ritchie.

Where the story does deviate from the norm is that it features a separate love-interest for both Holmes and Watson. Both girls give good performances against lead pair. At the conclusion one is betrothed and one in handcuffs - plenty of scope for development in Sherlock Holmes 2 which is already in the can and which also features Noomi Rapace (Millennium Trilogy).

There is little by way of morality to explore in the main story-line - it is incidental to the plot as Holmes confronts the first potential WMD. What does make this film endearing is Watson's addiction to gambling and also to Holmes and Holmes use of reasoning to reveal the only possible solution. The film does tend to go a bit too long and could happily lose 20 minutes. There is also homage paid to gothic horror and at times the script does sound like something set in Hogwarts.

This film is well worth watching - a visual feat if you don't mind the violence that runs throughout. I'll give it 7.5/10.

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

I've had this on the shelf for a while and watched it yesterday. A Disney animation about a geeky kid who invents things and is an outcast at his local school. It's an authentic geek comes good, saves the planet and gets his girl story.

The story is well told as it explores a number of universal themes: child/parent relationships, following your vocation, over compensating in order to impress, collapse of a one industry town, greed and celebrity, self-sacrifice to save the world and boy gets girl. Not bad for 90 minutes of animation - the quality of which is stunning. The way animators are able to render water these days is simply amazing.

There isn't a lot to say about this film, except it takes the original book story and re-presents it in a fun and imaginative way. The voice characterisations are spot on including Mr T as the town cop. If you could call up manna from heaven, what would you choose?

Good family viewing that would allow gentle exploration of important themes with children. I'll give it 7/10.

Brighton Rock

Another trip to London provided the opportunity to return to the Ritzy in Brixton to view this gritty and hard film. A retelling of Graham Greene's novel rather than a remake of the 1947 film with a few interpretative twists of its own. Set in the early 1960's, the film's locations, costume and feel are very authentic all of which struck a deep resonance with my childhood.

As a film, the violence of petty and organised crime in Brighton is stereotyped to the point of ridicule - even the cigar smoking Colleoni played by Andy Sirkis is a character more at home in 1930's Chicago or the Soprano's Bada Bing. Rose is never wholly convincing either as the naive girl or emerging mobster wife besotted with Pinkie. John Hurt also (unusually) delivers a stale performance in a role reminiscent of the Chancellor in V for Vendetta. In terms of performances it the menacing Pinkie (Sam Riley) and in particular the resolute Ida played by Helen Mirren who carry the film.

There is a recurring theme of Roman Catholic faith that threads its way through the story. Pinkie believes, but only in hell. Rose believes and we see here strikingly in a church from above a cruciform Christ suspended from the ceiling. Pinkie offers her the choice of freedom or committing a mortal sin meaning she could never go to Church again. She chooses Pinkie and sin.

The script is at times clunky and plot devices are sometimes too contrived, usually in relation to timing. The running battles between mods and rockers add nothing to the organised crime theme that underpins Pinkie's world. There is a high level of deceit and lying necessitated by the plot which made this an uncomfortable watch for me. The moral bankruptcy of the criminal underworld is revealed in all its glory - even to the point of there being no honour amongst thieves! There is constant violence that is consistent with gang-land crime but it is thankfully restrained and demands little in the technicolour department.

This film has too many short-comings for it to be great. Unfortunately it will always live in the shadow of its illustrious predecessor - which will remain a hard act to follow.

I'll give it 6/10.

A Summer's Tale

This is the second in Eric Rohmer's Four Seasons quartet of films. Set in Dinard in Brittany, the film charts the romantic journey of Gaspard one summer as he awaits the start of a new job. Having recently completed his Masters in Maths, Gaspard gets off the ferry and finds his friends house where he plans to await the arrival of Lena. The film covers three weeks of a Breton summer.

As he waits Gaspard fills his time with swimming, walking, sun-bathing and composing songs on his guitar. He encounters Margot, a waitress working at her aunties creperie. Margot has herself recently completed a PhD in ethnography and the two of them spend much time together walking the coast and conducting philosophical debates about the nature of relationships and love.  Margot persuades Gaspard to go to a disco with her and her friends. It is here that he meets Solene and afterwards Margot alerts Gaspard to the fact that Solene has the hots for Gaspard. Gaspard begins to see Solene whilst continuing to see Margot as he waits for Lena.

The problem Gaspard faces is that he is unable to make a choice. He prefers to intellectualise romance and play philosophical games. Whichever of the two girls he is with is the the girl he is madly in love with - but he cannot commit just in case Lena proves to be an even bigger catch. Margot is self-assured, charming, attractive and refreshingly straight-forward. Solene is flirtatious but always wants everything on her terms and sees nothing wrong in stringing two or three boys along at the same time. Lena doesn't arrive until three-quarters of the way through he film.

With each of the three Gaspard attempts to clumsily paw and kiss them. Each rejects his advances for different reasons. Margot because he is intent on Lena and/or Solene and in any case her boyfriend is due to return from overseas. Solene because she likes to play games and toy with her catch and Lena - well that's simply the way Lena is.

Gaspard's intellectualisation of commitment and love blinds him to the fact that Margot is throwing herself at his feet and offers so much to a potential relationship. His mind is seduced by Solene who is more of a sexual tease but whenever things begin to get serious in that department she withdraws citing her principles. Lena is the big prize that Gaspard holds out for as her enigmatic mind-games and pouting tantrums seem only to increase her level of attraction to Gaspard.

Unable to disentangle his mind from the fact that he has got three girls in tow at the same time, he manages to set up a trip with each in turn to the same island destination at the same time and then is unable to get himself out of the fix. Out of the blue, a friend calls with the offer of a deal on an eight-track recorder and as quickly as the ferry delivered Gaspard, he departs on it immediately for a tryst with a tape recorder in La Rochelle. All of which demonstrates that the only true passion in Gaspard's life is music and that girls are nothing more than an intellectual interest.

That well educated, maturing twenty-somethings could allow themselves to get caught up in such shallow and empty mind-games is a surprise. That each of the three women are in different ways very attractive is not.  The film maintains the tension of latent sexuality fervently simmering throughout - I was expecting sexual activity to spontaneously erupt at any point, but it never does. There are kisses with Solene and Lena and when Gaspard attempts the same with Margot she gently but firmly repulses his advances. It is as Margot and Gaspard stand on the jetty as he waits to board the ferry that will take him away that we see the first and only really passionate kiss - and that at Margot's inception. A literal taste of what he will be missing because of his pursuit in women of unreachable perfection - and for him in the pre-eminent sphere of music, an eight-track tape recorder! There are no winners in this story.

An interesting but ultimately frustrating film. I'll give it 6.5/10.

Certified Copy

Set in stunning Tuscany and starring the even more stunning Juliette Binoche, this film's strength lies not in anything visual but in ideas and the heavy dialogue that delivers them. The dialogue switches seamlessly from Italian to French and then to English. This is in and of itself a device that mirrors the counter-play between the philosophical and relational concepts that the central couple repeatedly tangle over.

The departure point for the story is the book launch of amateur art historian James Miller's 'Certified Copy'. In the book he divorces authenticity from value and promotes the worth of the copy. Using art as a springboard, the story very deftly takes concepts more at home in Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation and delivers a tour-de-force post-modern expose of relationships. Or you can simply enjoy a beautifully presented film about a French woman and English man flirting and arguing in Tuscany.

A key to untangling the story is the use of mirrors and windows whether they be open or closed. Reflections and views through provide a running commentary on the twists and turns in the relationship between James and Elle. They begin as though they have just met for the first time but end up like an estranged couple trying to reconcile themselves. The viewer is never quite sure if they have already been married for 15 years or meeting for the first time. The story makes a strong play on what makes a relationship authentic and we are never sure whether we are watching the real thing or a couple copying what a relationship might look like. It asks the question 'what is real' and lays it over relationships like a template.

Binoche delivers a scintillating performance that embodies strength and vulnerability without being crushing or weak. Her performance is worthy of the Prix d'interprétation féminine (Best female actress) she won at Cannes for this role. This is an acting début for opera singer William Shimmel (Miller) of which he can be proud. The gravitas of his voice and presence deliver a strong and assured performance.

Whether you choose to indulge the post-modern mind-games or not, this is a very good film. Get hold of the disc and watch it. I'll give it 7.5/10.

Biutiful

This is a gritty and demanding movie. It charts the long dark night of the soul for Uxbal whose world slides inexorably into despair, disappointment and death whilst he is seeking respite, renewal and redemption. Always on the threshold of making it big but never quite pulling it off, Uxbal staggers from mishap to catastrophe as he attempts to bring up his daughter and son single-handedly in the dismal and bleak back streets of one of Barcelona's least desirable neighbourhoods.

In this journey, Uxbal, is a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona. He is a psychic sought out by recently bereaved locals who helps the souls of the dead to journey from their body to their final resting place. Yet he struggles to prepare himself for the same journey once diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer that already has secondaries.

His estranged wife Marambra suffers with bipolar manic depression, earns a living giving 'massage', enjoys too much wine and unknown to Uxbal is sleeping with his brother Tito. Tito runs a club which allows full satisfaction of any need for drugs or sex and which towards the end of the film serves as the vehicle for Uxbal to have one last blast before his impending death. The trajectory of the film is clear from the outset - Uxbal will not find escape from the inevitability of his circumstances. As the film progresses - sometimes painfully slowly (it could do with losing 30 minutes) - the spectre of Uxbal's eventual demise looms ever larger over the unfolding plot.

Add to this Uxbal's role as go-between gang-master for a group of illegal African street hawkers and a group of illegal Chinese sweat shop workers and the seedy back-street world of the Barcelona that never features in the glossy travelogues is revealed in all its depressing forlornness. Things turn from bad to worse when the hawkers start dealing on the side to augment their meagre income and are busted by the Police and deported. Feeling sorry for the sweat-shop Chinese shivering in their basement hovel, Uxbal buys gas heaters for them and they end up gassed as they sleep one night.

This all sounds pretty bleak. It is. This is most definitely not a feel good film. It is nevertheless a wonderful and powerful study of the human spirit and the struggle to make good in the face of adversity. Throughout, Uxbal operates to the highest transcendent moral and ethical standards within his world both showing and earning respect among the community.

Uxbal's remorse for the deported Africans and dead Chinese is tangible. His inability to make a fresh start with his wife and give his children the domestic security he craves for them is frustrated by Marambra's illness. His impending failure to be there for his children weighs increasingly heavily on his heart. The film is set in the capital of Catalunya - a macho culture. Add to this the underworld dynamic, evidence of Uxbal's drug addiction past and the wailing and hysterical Marambra and you might conclude this movie's story is too dark and beyond redemption. You would be wrong.

The film's salvation comes from the strength of the performances - particularly the actors who play the lead family. Bardem has already won the 'Best Actor Award' at Cannes for this role and was nominated for a Golden Globe and is nominated for both a BAFTA and an Oscar. I'd say that on the basis of the evidence, he is a strong contender. Uxbal's devotion to his children and his desire to give them opportunities to make a life of their own is the redemptive power that drives the narrative. As he helps them with their homework, it it the transliterated spelling of the English word 'beautiful' that gives the film its title.

I'm not in a hurry to see this film again - it is a 147minute journey into a hellish existence - but I'm glad I did. I know I rave about my local Picture House Cinema (Harbour Lights) but a visit to London yesterday gave me the opportunity to visit the 'Ritzy' in Brixton - another in the chain. It was a great experience - a full food menu on offer, four screens, two bars and an upstairs lounge offering live music, comedy and readings. A really great and thriving centre of cultural engagement. I'll be back.

I'll give this film 7/10 and encourage those with a strong constitution to go and see it.

In the Electric Mist

Well where to start with this one? Perhaps with an acknowledgement that in the US this film went straight to disc! If you are a fan of Tommy Lee Jones playing a grumpy old man, or the lovely Kelly MacDonald doing another totally convincing American accent, then this could be a film for you.

What this film is actually about is hard to tie down. At times it's a crime/drama thriller at other times it's a fantasy/historical cross-over. The problem is that as this film meanders through multiple story threads and ends in a frayed tassel rather than a tight knot. If you like closure, then this film will only have limited appeal. On the other hand, if you want to watch a film that leaves you with more questions than answers, this is the film for you! It's also a an example of excessive product placement (GMC and Dr Pepper).

Jones gives a trademark performance which perfectly reflects the dreary pace of life in rural Louisiana. As a recovering Alcoholic he has a sympathetic disposition to others' afflicted with this illness. The film flips between today, the 1960's and the American Civil War. In addition to alcoholism, other themes embraced are racism, Mafia-mob activity and prostitution. All that said, the centre piece remains the character played by Jones - Police Lt Dave Robicheaux.

As a study in small-town post Katrina Louisiana, this is an excellent film. There are many strong performances and the Blu-ray disc I watched delivered an exceptional visual feast. Overall I'd say this film will repay the investment of watching it. It's not a classic, but it is interesting and solid cinema. If you get the chance to see it, take it.

I'll give it 6/10.

Se7en (Seven)

Please do stop me if these are becoming boring - but these books increase my understanding of films so much, I think they're great and want to collect the entire set over time. You can pick them up quite cheaply second hand on Amazon or Play.com.

This is by far the best book in this series that I have read. Not only does it open up the structure of the film to aid understanding, but the commentary is easily accessible and objectively delivered. There are many references to other films about crime and serial killers which is really useful. For me, what sets this book apart is how the author approaches and deals with sin and evil. The treatment is really enlightened and balanced - great stuff.

Look out for these small books (this one's only 88 pages) and snap them up when you see them.

68th Golden Globes

We will wake up tomorrow morning to discover who has won - I'm looking forward to the edited highlights.

Will it be The King's Speech, or The Social Network, or Inception, or Toy Story 3?

Let's see what tomorrow brings. I hope The King's Speech does well.

A Tale of Springtime

On a dark winter's evening it's time to turn to the pile of new DVDs left by Santa! We thought we'd try Eric Rohmer on the strength of his legendary status and not having seen any of his work. So we embarked on the Tales of the Four Seasons with this offering from 1989 - A Tale of Springtime.

It is said that humour is something that does not travel between different cultures and the fact that this film is described as a comedy evidences this. It is a perfectly good film without imposing the comedy tag on it. We didn't laugh once when we watched it - we did smile, but we didn't laugh.

The film is a study in relationships and family dynamics. Jeanne is a philosophy teacher in a secondary school. She is thoughtful, open, aware of her own shortcomings and seemingly uncomplicated. With her boyfriend (whom we never see) away, she cannot bear the thought of living in his untidy flat on her own and with her flat being used by a cousin and her boyfriend a chance encounter at a party with Natacha who invites her to stay in her flat is a welcome opportunity. Natacha is an 18 year-old student at the Conservatoire de Paris and her father lives at his girlfriend's. Natacha's father (Igor) is only a few years old than Jeanne and Igor's girlfriend (Eve) is only two years older than Natacha. Natacha is resentful of her father's relationship and openly hostile towards Eve. The shadow of her divorced mother (again whom we never see) looms large over Natacha who struggles to ever be 'good enough' despite her promising musical career.

On one level the film is nothing more than a fly-on-the-wall record of this group of people's encounters over a 10 day period. On another level it provides an insightful exploration of articulate, cultured and needy people going about their lives and trying to find a sense of purpose and fulfilment in their relationships. In this respect it holds a mirror up to the viewer - to you and me. For this and not for making me laugh, this is a worthy film. I'm looking forward to A Winter's Tale.

I'll give it 7/10.

The King's Speech

You have probably heard a lot of hype about how good this film is. Believe it! Go and see it now while it's still on.

For my money the three leading actors are worthy Oscar nominations. This film is full of subtle yet sumptuous detail. It is also filled with believable and endearing characterisations that will mesmerise you, draw you in and captivate you.

This story allows the viewer a rare glimpse inside Britain's Royal Family. It shows the intrigue of the interaction between the different offices of state as Europe stumbles towards inevitable war. An unconvincing Tomothy Spall as Churchill is perhaps the only chink in what is otherwise a tour-de-force ensemble cast. Derek Jacobi gives a strong performance as the slimy and thoroughly unlikable Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang.

The central story is how Prince Albert becomes King George VI and overcomes a stammer in order to deliver speeches to the nation over the new-fangled wireless. It is a timely reminder of the relentless march of technology and how people communicate. The Royals of the 1930's found radio an intrusive and unwelcome medium - what would they have made of Twitter and Facebook?

Helena Bonham-Carter gives a tender performance as the determined and persistent Princess/Queen Elizabeth. Her facial expressions and verbal interjections are spot on and her performance is the personification of royalty. Colin Firth delivers a career defining performance - which if anything is outshone by Geoffrey Rush's portrayal of Australian Speech Therapist Lionel Logue.

It is the relationship between the Prince and the therapist that is the mesmerising and enchanting centre-piece of this film. The Prince whose genetically determined default is to formality and status strikes a marked contrast with the informal and unqualified Harley Street wannabe. The therapist's irreverence is mirrored by Logue's unorthodox and self-taught methodology. He claims no qualifications but bases his methodology on a background in amateur dramatics and teaching elocution which he combined to help Australian troops traumatised and speech impaired after World War I.

The film ends where it began - with the King making a speech. There is an after note in which we are informed that King George VI awarded Logue the Royal Victorian Order, appointing him a Member (MVO) on 11 May 1937 and elevating him to Commander (CVO) in 1944. The Order rewards personal service to the sovereign and admission to it is the personal gift of the monarch. We are told that Logue coached every war-time speech the King made and that they remained life-long friends. A fitting postscript to an extraordinary story.

This is cinema of the highest quality and was fully deserving of the spontaneous applause from a packed Harbour Lights audience. Go and see it - now! You will not be disappointed. I'll happily award it 9/10.

The Other Boleyn Girl

It is hard to know how any man would not look twice at the either of the Boleyn sisters. However, King Henry managed to reduce the art of courtship to the single word 'tonight' and what the King wants the King gets. His libido is seemingly only topped by the complete lack of any morality amongst the male characters in this film which is more fantasy than history. This is no costume drama that seeks to retell history - it's more like an episode of Dallas or Dynasty recast in medieval times!

The women in this film are the victims as they are traded like cattle at a market to enable their 'owners' to progress up the ladder of social standing and influence. Having set up Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) for a meeting with the monarch it is Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) who makes it first into the royal bed. Initially she is is depicted as unwilling - she is herself newly married and craves only the quiet life in the country. Anne is a more scheming, intelligent and manipulative character. She raises the stakes and ends up paying the ultimate price. The girls' mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) vainly tries to point out the moral bankruptcy with which the men are carrying out their transactions - but to no avail. Catherine of Aragon is unusually shown as a sharp, attractive and morally principled woman who refuses to bend to the bullying of her husband. It is good to see a film where the women, whilst abused and bullied, are seen as upholding a sense of morality. It's a pity that they come up against the most immovable object English history has known - a King unable to sire a healthy son and heir.

This film could have been so much more than simply a vehicle for eye candy and an expose of England's moral bankruptcy. A TV movie at Christmas is probably the right slot for this. I'll give it 6/10.

Still Walking

Another study of family life - this time from Japan. Every summer the family reunites to remember the passing of the eldest son. The Patriarch is embittered as no-one follows his career as a doctor. He is preoccupied with the old ways and honour is everything. He even refuses to go to the local store to buy milk in case a neighbour sees him with the shopping - a task too menial for a respected doctor to perform.

Guilt abounds and tension is ever present as everyone endures the reunion. The second eldest son has recently married a widow with a 10-year-old son and he is 'between jobs' neither of which endear him to his parents. The daughter is married to a car salesman and has children of her own. As with most cultures the grandchildren are over-indulged and get away with anything. It is the generation in the middle that are torn between the liveliness of the children and the impossible expectations of the grandparents. A scene of the evolution of values as generation passes on to generation.

It is the way the film weaves the mundane tasks of everyday life - preparing vegetables, with glimpses into eternity - the endless ocean and prayers to the departed, that is its strong point. All of this integrates into the tensions simmering just under the surface and which boil over from time to time.

There is much tenderness in this film as the generational expectations are played out finding varying degrees of success. The new bride is a sensitive and beautiful woman who desperately wants the best for her husband and to 'fit in' within her adoptive family. Despite his promises, the daughter's husband is better at sleeping than mending the tiles in the bathroom. But in the end no-one can live up to the expectations placed on them and the visit ends with relief that it's over for another year.

This is not a Japanese Another Year but it is a gentle film that allows the viewer the privilege of observing a different culture and its value system. It is well worth investing the time to watch. I'll give it 7.5/10.

My top 2010 releases

A new year gives the opportunity to review the releases seen in the last year. What would you include in your top 10?

Here's mine:

1. The Social Network
2. Another Year
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
4. Of God's and Men
5. My Afternoons with Margurette
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
7. Inception
8. Micmacs
9. Avatar
10. Alamar
    

Another Year

I missed this first time around but was very glad to catch it yesterday at Harbour Lights. It was well worth the wait. This is a most excellent film - top class in every respect.

This is an observational movie which has more of a docudrama feel about it. That is to take nothing away from the acting which is superb - each character convincingly portrayed with confidence and comfort like a well-worn pair of favourite slippers. Gerri and Tom are approaching retirement, They exude contentment - in their long marriage, their comfortable home, their respective careers, their son's unhurried wait for a partner and their allotment. Contented stability. They live the suburban utopian dream. It is therefore highly believable that their hospitable kitchen attracts those trapped in their own a dystopian nightmares. So the plot is established, a plot we observe throughout the course of a calendar year with the four seasons and their characteristics reflected in the abundant provision of the allotment.

A colleague of Gerri's, Mary and an old friend of Tom's, Ken are stuck in the same lonely booze-filled rut. Whilst Ken has desires for Mary they are not mutually returned and Mary maintains a fantasy about a possible future with Tom and Gerri's son Joe. Add to this the bleakness of Ronnie, Tom's recently widowed brother and the circle of the depressed and dysfunctional who orbit Tom and Gerri is complete.

The film's simplicity is its master stroke. For just over two hours we are allowed the privilege of observing this couple dispense good-humoured wisdom whilst finding fulfilment in every department of their lives. On one level there is nothing more to this film than that. The beauty of this film lies in the nuanced and intimate detail of the exchanges and the affirmations of life that this couple offer. It is the juxtaposition of their ordinariness against the extra-ordinariness of the affect their lives have on their friends and family that delivers the power within this film. This is an extraordinary film.

Another Year deserves to do very very well in the forth-coming round of awards ceremonies. Do give it your support on screen and on disc. I'll give it 9/10.

Movies to look out for in 2011

The BBC have kindly drawn up a list for us to enthuse over. What whets your appetite?

Tron: Legacy

As you can see, Tron: Legacy has much to commend it! The only option on offer was a 3D screening and I remain unconvinced about the supposed benefits of this viewing format. It definitely helps to have seen the original as this film very tightly follows on - and has left the door wide open for the franchise to go on earning dollars for Disney.

The harmony between the two films in terms of story and conceptualisation is spot on - the continuity is excellent. The original set has been believably updated and the design of the new film is a classy progression from what went before. It is good to see the same two main older actors/characters as well as some from the next generation. The visuals are stunning - Star Wars meets The Matrix kind of stuff. The sets are vast open CG spaces echoing the hangars full of Star Wars droid armies. The fight, race and chase sequences are very well done both within 'The Grid' and in the real world. The transitions between the two worlds are quick and convenient which is just as well as this film makes no attempt to explain the 'science' behind what we see.

I am happy to report that the dialogue has also been updated and that a budding love interest for young Sam Flynn is presented in the persona of Quorra (see above). The character Zuse [sic] is an interesting introduction - reminiscent of the Merovingian from The Matrix saga. One disappointment is the way the story engages with the central plot - that Clu was tasked with creating the perfect world - a virtual utopia. Clearly Clu and Flynn interpreted this goal in different ways but I feel much more could have been made of the Paradise Lost/Paradise Won plot.

I won't spoil the story - such as it predictably is. This is however good viewing - but I remain unconvinced about the 3D. Do catch it while it's on. I'll give it 8/10.

Of Gods and Men

Most films that set themselves within the context of a living and worshipping Christian community fail to capture the nuances and struggles of what it means to be in Community. This film succeeds.

Based on real events, Xavier Beauvois Directs a film of subtlety and sensitivity that explores the impossibility of tension created when vocational vows are confronted by an opposing fundamentalist ideology. Set in Algeria in 1996 at the monastery of Tibhirine in the Atlas Mountains, the community of the Cistercian monks are faced with a deep challenge as the legacy of French colonial rule sees the country descend into civil war. As fundamentalist Mujahideen move into the area and take control in a guerilla-style insurgency, the Community struggle to maintain their integrity.

Over the decades, a village has grown up around the monastery and the two enjoy a symbiotic relationship. The Brothers cultivate their land and sell and barter their spare produce in the village market. The leaders of the local community enjoy a mutually respectful relationship with the monastery and benevolent Islam is seen to find meaningful expression alongside the Christian faith of the Cistercians. The Brothers operate a clinic for local people where Frere Luc dispenses dispenses basic remedies, good advice and second-hand shoes to those in need.

When one of the Mujahideen is wounded, the group's leader storms into the monastery seeking medical supplies. The leader, Frere Christian, asks the armed militants to leave the monastery as it is a place of peace. He also explains that what little they have by way of medicine is for the local Moslem population and not for them. In diffusing the tension, Frere Christian quotes an apt verse from the Koran thereby demonstrating the brotherhood of a shared life of faith.  The Mujahideen leave empty handed but respect has been earned.

The arrival of the armed conflict within the monastery propels the community into disarray. None of the monks seek martyrdom yet some feel a pressing need to move to a safer place elsewhere in Africa or back to France. Frere Christian having been elected leader by the Community now has his leadership tested. What will the community decide? How will Christian exercise leadership? How does the daily rhythm of prayer and work dialogue with the developing and pressing situation? How will Frere Christian deal with the local official who suggests the Monastery might be seen as collaborating with terrorists? What will the outcome be?

It is in exploring these questions and the relational tensions they create within Community that the film delivers an insightful and intimate exploration of the internal and external conflicts that ebb and flow. Beauvois may be guilty of ramping up the tug on the heart strings as the film reaches its climax, but you will never listen to Swan Lake in quite the same way ever again!

This is an excellent film - please do go and see it. I'll give it 8.5/10.

Books - I've been reading again!

Just finished a couple of movie related books.

The first one is another in the BFI Film Classics series on Blade Runner by Scott Bukatman. It is a thorough exploration of the themes of the film and touches on story, cinematography, philosophy and metaphysics to name but a few - an excellent read.

The style is quite academic - it has 103 footnotes in its 86 pages - which renders it a slow read if the contents are to be absorbed (at least this was my experience!). However, the wide range of references to other films and to books was invaluable and I have purchased some of them to help me deepen my understanding of what Ridley Scott was aiming for when he made this iconic film. I now want to watch the film again. For me, one of the deepest questions the book raised, was when it compared Asimov's notion of what is to be human with that offered by Philip K Dick who wrote the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on which the film is based. For Asimov it is the capacity to learn, develop and evolve - Artificial Intelligence, whereas for Dick an android is incapable of displaying empathy as this is the most definingly human of characteristics. What do you think?

The second book I concluded (for the second time) was Neuromancer by William Gibson which was in large part the inspiration for much of The Matrix. So much of the world Gibson constructed was translated to The Matrix.

 
I never need an excuse for watching this film - but if I felt I did, I just got one!

Reading about films can be fun too - try it.

Shrek Forever After

In what is reputed to be the final outing for Shrek and his friends we have perhaps the best of the four-movie franchise. All the favourite characters are there as Shrek confronts his own mid-life crisis - yes this is another film about existential angst!

The graphics in this DreamWorks produced film are simply stunning. The smoothness of movement, rendering and transition are simply amazing and take the game to a new level. I know that technology and software are evolving rapidly, but with the way Hollywood is going, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish the real world from the dream world. There aren't any seven-foot ogres in the village I live in, but you know what I mean.

The story is more than good enough and again here we have a film that delights in ripping off/paying homage to nursery rhymes and movies throughout - only in this film it's done with a whole lot more panache and style. Rumplestiltskin is cast as the villain as he entraps Shrek who is going through his own personal mid-life crisis. Cameron Diaz, I mean Fiona, becomes ever more the wonderful wife by the way that she so lovingly demonstrates understanding and doesn't use the opportunity for trying to deploy a 'two wrongs make a right' response. In his own characteristic blundering well-intentioned way, Shrek works out a solution and in the end everyone lives happily ever after - or at least we'll have to assume that, if this is the last in the series.

As with all films exploring this kind of material, it comes with an invitation to examine our own vulnerabilities and weaknesses - the vanities that might just collude with our ego to push us into unhelpful behaviour. We are all of us prone to this from time-to-time, relationally, professionally and vocationally. The need for a regular check-up in the 'how am I doing' stakes may help prevent most outbreaks - as will the attendance of a faithful and loving companion - if we are blessed enough to have one or more.

Alternatively you can watch this film and laugh - especially as Puss in Boots does a wonderful impersonation of Garfield!

It is in the cinemas this Christmas and available on DVD/Blu-ray. Well worth adding to your collection - go and see it. I'll give it 8/10.

Last Action Hero

I know there are glaring holes in my viewing history, but I have only just caught up with this - nearly 20 years on! (I will never be classed a movie-buff - not that I am seeking that accolade.) Well, where to start with this? I guess any film that falls into the genre categories of Action/Adventure, Comedy and Sci-Fi/Fantasy is spreading itself pretty thin. As the art-work above demonstrates, this film pays homage to the burgeoning Hollywood Action Hero with none other than the Governor playing the title role. It is a pastiche of clichés and is so formulaic in terms of plot, script and setting that it requires no imagination at all to watch. Given the type of film I usually watch and blog about, that's a welcome change!

I think this film's intentional tongue-in-cheek approach sends itself up very well and with Schwarzenegger complicit with the scam, it becomes all the more effective. Is he acting extra-hammy in this or is it natural Austrian hamminess? Either way it fits the context.

Perhaps the game to play whilst watching this is to see how many film scenes you can identify that are copied/ripped off/paid homage to in the movie. I guess it's healthy that Hollywood can fund and produce this kind of introspective hero-fest movie. Perhaps today, more than ever, America - and the rest of us for that matter - need a real hero to save us all. Away in a manger, no crib....

I'll give it 6/10.

Tron [The original]

Before I go to see Tron:Legacy, I thought I would remind myself of the original. After 28 years it can hold it's head high - in terms of conceptualisation and state-of-the-art CG (for 1982!). The script on the other hand is from the top drawer of Disney mushiness and is less than state-of-the-art.

The concept of someone (a user) becoming digitised and ending up within a computer programme itself was far-fetched for the time - today it is commonplace. The idea of Artificial Intelligence possessing the ability to grow, evolve and develop has long been championed by Isaac Asimov and others, but here it is given a persona that makes it feel more than real. This film really was ahead of its time.

Tron:Legacy is being well received and may well give Harry and the Potters a run for their money this holiday period at the box office. There are at least three films I want to see at Harbour Lights this coming week - how many will I make?

This is still worth the investment of time and energy to watch. The outcome is pure Disney, the romance triangle is clumsy and the dialogue is clunky and at times sentimental which does not fit with this type of film.

I'll give it 7/10.

Virgin Media and Volkswagen - seeing film differently

A regular feature of the pre movie ads and trailers these days are offerings from VW and Virgin Media.

VW pay homage to iconic films - The Great Lebowski, and currently When Harry Met Sally  and Ghostbusters with their own humorous presentations. I presume somewhere within VW's corporate tax efficiency are grants to support film-making. Well done to them if that's the case.

Virgin Media are busy championing new film-making talent and give the opportunity for short films to be shown in cinemas. There have been some excellent offerings but I must celebrate From The Cellar by Tito Saachi currently on screen which can be found here. A first class production in terms of conception, execution, acting and overall quality. Well done Tito.

Somewhere

Another day, another film about existential angst - not the usual fare in the run up to Christmas. This film explores the existential angst of celebrity nihilism. The clue to the subject matter comes right at the beginning as the fixed camera shows the central portion of a circular race track with a black Ferrari driving circuits. As the car moves in and out of frame, the only thing holding the attention is the beautiful symphony of Maranello's orchestral Ferrari 360. Throughout the film sound is noticeably important rather than the usual 'invisible' support to the pictures. It is though the microphones have been sewn into the very fabric of the actors clothing as we hear every last little sound. The Ferrari's throbbing V8 even crackles and ticks as it cools after being turned off. We spend a lot of time in the movie cruising the cool neighbourhoods of Hollywood in the 360 but it is as though it never reaches second gear just so that we can hear that beautiful engineering harmoniously grunting and groaning. Perhaps this is a metaphor for the life of the film's central character?

Stephen Dorff plays jaded actor Johnny Marco who exists in the hotel Château Mormont on Sunset Boulevard recovering from a broken arm. His life is filled with pills, parties a pole-dancing twins, but he is a passenger drifting in and out of consciousness between movies. Everybody loves Johnny and his easy and amiable personality makes him likeable. However complicit you feel Johnny Marco is for his predicament, his genuine likeability will provoke feelings of sympathy in you - particularly through the way he tenderly interacts with his daughter Cleo (played by Elle Fanning). There is more than a hint of re-run and re-contextualisation of Lost in Translation here - but that was an awesome film, so no real problem.

It soon becomes clear that Johnny's life is empty. Johnny Marco is a world famous actor dutifully attending photo shoots and news conferences at the bidding Marge whom we never see but only hear on the phone. He has everything he could seemingly want - except purpose and intimacy. Both turn up in the shape of his 11 year-old daughter Cleo whom his ex-wife dumps on him as she goes through her own episode of angst and the need to get away. Johnny appears to be an excellent father. he takes his daughter skating, although he didn't know she'd been doing it for 3 years! He takes her to Milan for the launch of his latest film in Italy where he receives an award - a kind of Italian Oscar. In the limelight of the stage he slips into role and presents a coherent and together persona. The next day he and Cleo escape the celebrity cocoon and head for the airport taking another celeb's car to escape the attention.

As the film progresses, a press conference delivers a metaphor for Marco's life. He is unable to answer a series of innocuous questions about the meaning and content of what he does and the roles of his characters. His life is empty and meaningless. After having spent a few weeks with Cleo as mum sorts herself out, Cleo goes off to camp in Nevada. The only thing more pretentious that driving from LA to Las Vegas in a black Ferrari 360 would be to fly across the city in a helicopter to rendezvous with the camp taxi - this Johnny and Cleo do for some undisclosed reason. Her departure to summer camp precipitates Johnny's slide into angst ridden insecurity. He calls his ex and begs her to visit him to talk - she declines. The next morning he resolves to move out of the hotel and he drives off into the Californian desert. In an isolated spot he pulls to the side of the road, gets out of the car and walks off with the hint of a smile on his lips. Perhaps he has had an epiphany and come to his senses. We don't know because the music changes and the credits roll.

The soundtrack is excellent with the usual choice of good mood music and songs. As I mentioned, the way the sound is recorded is with maximum detail and brightness which reinforces Johnny's sense of isolation. Furthermore, in addition to the long opening shot of the circling 360, there are two other long held shots - one is a very gentle zoom in to Johnny's head as he sits sleeping as a head cast is taken for SFX for an upcoming movie, the only sound is his heavy nasal breathing - the only holes in the plaster cast that encases his head - another cocoon metaphor? The third long held shot is of Johnny and Cleo sunbathing on loungers at the hotel pool after enjoying a playful swim together. The length of the shot emphasised for me the nothingness of their existence - I have never been one to waste time sunbathing when the sun can be enjoyed in so many more active ways!

Much of the footage of this film is recorded on hand-held cameras giving a reportage rather than dramatic feel to the film. It could be a documentary about the emptiness of this kind of lifestyle. Being part of the Coppola dynasty I'm sure it is familiar to the Director, Sofia. This film demonstrates the maturing of her style. It's muted palette is handled creatively and with sensitivity. There are no bad guys in the film only good guys - it's just that they need help to discover themselves. But then don't we all?

This story is timely as the cult of celebrity is increasingly coming under the spotlight and we are even seeing the rise of anti-celebrity in some corners of our media infested world. We have too many people enjoying celebrity for no good reason. The worlds of music and drama have very few stars these days and far too many celebrities. The likes of Youtube and other social networking sites means that everyone now has the facility to be famous - exposure and celebrity with no responsibility. Even bloggers like me! Another post-modern malaise?

A worthy film - I'll give it 7.5/10.

The American

Clooney's latest introspective angstfest is a poor film - it could have been so much more. It is cool, but beyond that it is confused. Is it an action film? Not enough action. Is it a love film? Maybe, but the ending will leave you unfulfilled. Is it a film that explores ghosts from the past and the pricking of conscience? No, the intervention of the priest is too heavy and direct for that.

What is certain is that the backdrop could be from a travelogue - the snowy expanses of Sweden, the bustle of Rome, the remote and tranquil beauty of the hillside village in Abruzzo. The visual quality of the cinematography is at times stunning. As an Assassin and gun maker on the run, Clooney's character wants out, but his handler has one last job for him. This time all he has to do is make a gun for another assassin - Mathilda. You might think that someone trying to lay low would not go as an American outsider to a small rural village where they would undoubtedly attract attention. Furthermore, you would not expect someone craving anonymity to strike up a friendship with the village priest and a romance with one of the village prostitutes - both people who circulate widely within the local population. It is of little surprise that his past catches up with him and in the cobbled streets of Castel del Monte chases ensue where assassin's bulletts are exchanged and innocent bystanders killed - none of which seems to attract the attention of the police or turn the locals against The American.

The film leaves a lot unsaid - too much in my mind. At other times it is in your face as the priest confronts The American about his sins and offers confession - but it is the priest who ends up confessing to the assassin. At best the plot and dialogue are clunky. There is no back story and everything that happens in the film that clearly has a reference to things outside the village is left to hang in mid air. The ending is similarly inconclusive.

The Clooney character is clearly going through a mid-life crisis. However, it appears not to be one of regret for what he has done. If there is any regret, it is over how hard it is to retire gracefully from the world of the global assassin club. He knows too much. He has seen too much. He knows too many contacts. He no longer serves a useful purpose for those who would hire him and has become a liability. Therefore, like those whom he used to hunt down and kill, the hunter now becomes the hunted. The plot is clichéd and unremarkable. It's like a low-budget Bourne film in that respect!

This is the extent of the moral insight offered by the film. It fails as an action movie. It is unsatisfactory as spy movie. Its conclusion spoils it as love story. It appears that this film is useful as a vehicle for the muscular Clooney and beautiful Abruzzo.

If it's a rainy afternoon and you've nothing better to do, go and see it - if only for the beauty of Castel del Monte. I'll give it 6/10.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.?

I was reading this month's Empire and was intrigued to find a piece from 13 year-old Chloe Moretz who played Hit-Girl/Mindy Macready in Kick-Ass. When I reviewed the film, I was critical of the level of violence her character perpetrated - it made me feel uneasy and I still don't want to see the film a second time because of it.

In the piece in Empire (January 2011 page 125) Ms Moretz says what an awesome year it has been for her and how she loves making movies - and that 'it's always going to be that way'. It's good that youngsters have aspirations and are able to fulfil dreams, but to me it reveals the same naivety with which a 13 year-old is cast as a vengeful and violent super hero (or should that be heroine?). For me this is further underlined by her remark in the piece "It's a film - it's fun. You're not supposed to go in wondering what its moral standards are." If film-makers and actors have no moral responsibility for their creative product, who does? Precisely where does Ms Moretz draw the line?

It is understandable that one so young can so easily get caught up in the whole Hollywood thing. She claims that her family help her keep her feet on the ground and that she is a 'normal 13 year-old girl'. She also quotes a congratulatory tweet from Kylie Minogue and says "After Kick-Ass, adult actors really respect me for being an actor, not just a kid actor".

I am in no way casting doubts about her acting abilities - although her role in Kick-Ass was not a stern test of these. What I do want to question is her lack of seeing where moral responsibility lies.

Two to look out for

Amongst the trailers and advertisements at the cinema yesterday, two upcoming titles caught my eye and I hope to get to see them.

The first is Sophia Coppola's Somewhere starring Elle Fanning and Stephen Dorff. I like the way Coppola treats her themes and although this looks like another epiphany and  transformation movie, it promises to be worth seeing. Catch the Time Out  review here.

This film from Artificial Eye seems to be exceptional. The reviews already have it riding high - find a BBC review here. Based on a true story - frightening stuff.

My Afternoons with Margueritte

How can someone who has been loved so little, love so much? This film is a gift - a kind of French Forrest Gump.

Germain was an unwanted child - the product of a fling at a dance between his mother and and an American GI. In a relentless series of flashbacks, Germain is told of his uselessness, his clumsiness, his stupidity and reminded that his arrival in this world was both unintended and unwelcome. His mother treats him harshly and undermines any self-confidence he may have had. His teacher at school does the same in a series of ritual humiliations. His drinking 'buddies' at Francine's Cafe also endlessly rib him. Germain is lacking in sophistication, social graces and an ability to understand the full impact of what he says. A bumbling simpleton.

His mother is now portrayed as a deranged and drunken chain-smoking sot. Germain has a series of odd jobs which gives him an income, he also tends a productive vegetable garden at his mother's home where he lives outside in a caravan. Germain's only warmth comes from his loving relationship with Annette, the local bus driver. All of which contribute to an unlikely pretext for a movie - that is until Germain encounters Margueritte one afternoon in the local park. Margueritte has recently moved into a local retirement home. She is 95, has travelled the world and is very well read. Rather than frustration, she finds Germain's simple and uncultured demeanour something that engenders affection and she sees in him something of a kindred spirit. A friendship begins.

The in's and out's of the film explore the territory you would expect from such a plot - there is nothing new here. What is noteworthy is the powerful simplicity with which the exploration is undertaken and the strength of the performances from the whole cast. The final words of the film are a voice over by Germain where he says something like, 'it is unusual for a love story to be written and not contain the word love'.

This is a film about hope. This is a film with a powerful message about the human condition. The story of this film shows that our ability to love is innate and will find ways of expressing itself given the right circumstances. Annette and Margueritte allow Germain to express his love and so to give voice through his actions to his sense of self. The vegetable garden and Germain's understanding of what makes a good growing medium are a clever metaphor.

Germain could so easily have become an embittered victim. Instead his good-natured capacity to look for the best and help people where possible demonstrate that love has the power to transform. If we are to understand that we are made in the image of God and that the most intimate expression of God is the Trinity - a relational communion, then acting on love would seem to be very much a part of what it means to be human - to be made in the image of God and to spend our afternoons with Margueritte.

As I said, this film is a gift. Go and see it now! I'll give it 8.5/10.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

The third instalment from Steig Larson's Milennium Trilogy. I found this to be a very good film and a fitting climax to the trilogy. Tension and action are well balanced and paced throughout. Having set the context in the first film and given the back-story in the second, this one nicely brings it together. You know what the hoped for outcome is, but will they be able to achieve it?

The plot is complex with at least three arms of Government and private security involved. There is also Lisbeth's half-brother Niedermann running around trying to kill her, not to mention a gang of bikers and a bent and abusive Psychiatrist caught up in the whole saga. Characters who have previously only been peripheral come much more to the fore and the Milennium quartet find their relationship pushed to the limit. The pivot around which all this revolves is Blomkvist - who's pursuit of truth in the face of a cover-up started the whole saga off. It is fitting then, that the trilogy concludes with the Swedish authorities on trial as well as Lisbeth Salander and it isn't right until the end that you find out which way the scales of justice will tip.

This trilogy has launched Noomi Rapace onto the world stage - and deservedly so. She delivers a consistently intense characterisation of the abused and damaged Salander who struggles to express her humanity and who seeks a sense of self that has integrity within a system that has abused and violated her for most of her life. Rapace manages to span the spectrum by delivering a performance that is filled with brutal power one moment and child-like vulnerability the next. Her method-acting style will have seared Lisbeth Salander into the movie-going public's corporate mind. She cuts a striking image as the defiant Gothic-punk striding through the prison corridor on the way to court:

It is good to see from imdb.com that she has indeed been busy since this trilogy

Interesting to see that she has been confirmed as having a role in the Alien prequel - she'll give Ripley a run for her money - never mind the slobbering beast itself!

I also hope that these films give Michael Nyqvist (Blomkvist) greater exposure - although his range (from what I've seen) is limited, the roles he has delivered are all strong performances.

This third film of the trilogy looks even more like being part of the six-part TV series it is. It will be interesting to see what the Hollywood treatment brings to the party when it is released. Nevertheless this remains a solid trilogy, that dips in the middle but finishes strongly. For those who found the inclusion of the graphic scene of sexual violence in the first film to be questionable, its inclusion in the plot is justified by the way in which it is referred to in this film. I am not condoning what was portrayed, but it is a central a defining plot device.

With the seed of the plot centred on the defection of a Cold War Russian spy and covert Government organisations colluding in cover-up to commit Salander to a Psychiatric Hospital for her entire life, it does feel like a work of fiction. Sadly, events of the last decade have shown all too graphically that when Governments feel a pressing need to protect their citizens, they are able to blur the boundaries between what is lawful and just and what is considered to be expedient and reasonable to deliver 'security' in a way that becomes indefensible. Sweden is usually upheld as a model of how nations should behave with its strong tradition of liberal socialism. For me this made the story harder to buy into.

With the DVD and Bluray already available on the continent, UK viewers will have to wait until 04 April 2011 before they can get their hands on an English language sub-titled edition! But don't wait until then - get yourself off to the cinema and see it now while you can.

I'll give it 7.5/10.

Films of Faith and Doubt

I have just had the privilege of leading a three day course with a group of lay and ordained folk from the Diocese where we explored together what God might be saying in and through five films which probed various aspects of faith and doubt. In a sense the format and content presented nothing new. What was new and unique was the intentionality of bringing together that group of (self-selecting) people in that place at that time to watch, reflect on and interact on these films. Again and again reactions centred on the power of narrative to engage and transport us - something to be aware of as we communicate the Gospel message today in a world hungry for a good story.

There were many occasions where people's emotions were engaged - rage, anger, pity, pain, sorrow, loss, love, regret, hope, grace, blessing, gift and bewilderment all played their part. The course was well received and all participants contributed significantly to our shared learning together. Thanks to those who were there.

We kicked off with Bergman's Winter Light made in 1962. Bergman's then wife agreed that it was a masterpiece - but a dreary masterpiece. Exploring existential angst in the midst of the bleakness of a flatly lit Swedish November, a Lutheran Pastor, widowed, grieving and feeling inadequate, wrestles with the realities of life and death - and doesn't always get it right. Not a cheery film to watch but a good one to open with.

This was followed by Angel-A from Luc Besson. If all Angel's look like Rie Rasmussen bring heaven on! A powerful exploration of self-image where the central character, Andre, is helped to gain sufficient self-confidence to adopt a persona that is more integrated with his charcter and as it happens one which makes him more attractive as an individual. It is a film about hope and transformation. It is shot in black and white and dramatically exploits the backdrop of Paris in all its splendour and seediness.

After a night's sleep, we steeled ourselves for Jesus of Montreal - surely one of the best re-tellings of the Passion there is. Too many Passion Plays are set in ancient times or in contexts that are so unfamiliar that the focus is on the story. But this film is set in contemporary Montreal - a modern, throbbing, thriving metropolis - a context that a large proportion of us find familiar. This recontextualisation forces the viewer to appropriate the Passion story in a way that makes it very much of the here and now and not simply a distant misty image engaged with in Passion Week each year.

Being a kind soul, we had some free time in the afternoon before watching As it is in Heaven in the evening. This Swedish film is hard to get hold of. It has not been distributed in the UK or USA and as far as I'm aware there is no English language version available - which is good as the Swedish language is so expressive. I managed to get hold of an Australian (Region 4) disc through ebay which had English sub-titles (most European versions have only German sub-titles). This is a powerful film about the transformation of a community. If the final scenes give us a glimpse of what Heaven may be like, sign me up now. Powerful.

I then offered a late-night optional seasonal viewing of The Flint Street Nativity which was well received and a welcome antidote to all the existential angst that was in the other films. Strong performances from a great cast.

We rounded the whole thing off on the final morning by watching Keeping the Faith which I have now seen a number of times. With each viewing the issues it deals with grow in complexity and depth and I really do commend this as a challenging film - especially for anyone in ministry. A great performance from the leading trio ably supported by Eli Wallach and Anne Bancroft. This is not a 'piff and bubble' film. It was directed by and stars Ed Norton who dedicated it his late mother - Robin Norton. It has a powerful message that Norton obviously felt he had to communicate. I for one, am grateful that he did.

Interspersed between the viewings were sessions reflecting on what we'd seen, some general stuff on how we might approach theological reflection in the context of films, an exploration of some of the resources out there to help us with that and a series of papers that I had prepared on a range of issues related to films of faith and doubt.

My thanks to all who contributed.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Harry Potter has come of age. The conceptualisation, the acting, the story all take the saga to another level. Well done Joanne Rowling for the story and also to David Yates for his Direction of the film. This film stands on its own two feet and does not need the juggernaut of Pottermania to sustain it. I see it took $61m on its opening day in the USA!

This film runs out at 146 minutes - not bad for part 1 of a book! The story never lags and the dramatic tension rises and falls to deliver a roller coaster ride of emotional highs and lows. I was looking for weaknesses in the acting performances and found none. I was expecting melancholy and melodrama - but his film is more like The Wizard of Oz meets Jason Bourne. It is mature and stands independently of any back story. Hogwarts is but a memory as the story unfolds out in the big and increasingly bad world. It's a good old tale of good verses evil and part 2 will, I hope, deliver a saviour figure and the defeat of the Dark Lord. I wonder if Voldemort is a Sith?

I'm not going to spoil the plot line for anyone (like me) who hasn't read the books and comes to the film fresh. I will comment on a few changes in emphasis that JK has skilfully moved the plot to focus on.

There are plenty of special effects, spells and enchantments all of which reinforce the feeling that this continues to be a story about witches and wizards. The major change is that all the action takes place outside Hogwarts which underlines the notion that this cohort of students have graduated and are ready to take their place in the real world.

It is not only the theme of impending darkness that Voldemort and the House of Slytherin seek to usher in that marks a move to more mature and deeper themes. The three main protagonists are also shown as more mature and complex characters. Not only do they have to contend with the threat of the end of the world as they know it, but hormone soup is flowing through their veins and Ron in particular has a complete inability to express himself coherently when matters of the heart well up inside him which not only frustrates him but the viewer too. As much as anything, this film is to do with relationships that matter - and not only romantic ones as Hermione's painful parting from her parents within the opening two minutes shows.

There is so much to commend this film. I could go on and on - but rather than that, go and see the film for yourself.

I'll give it 8.5/10.

A Short Stay in Switzerland

Fergus Walsh, the BBC's medical correspondent actually appears in the film as a documentary is made.

This is another uncomfortable film. Uncomfortable, as it presents a truth that seems to be counter-intuitive and I don't know how to resolve the tension it creates.

This is a film based on a true story about assisted suicide using the services of the Dignitas Clinic in Zurich - hence the title. The lead character (played by Julie Walters) has just watched her husband slowly die an 'undignified' death as the result of a degenerative neurological condition. Both she and her husband are Doctors which of course makes the irony all the more poignant. Not long after his death, she is diagnosed with a different but similar untreatable terminal condition.

From the outset she determines not to die in the way she painfully watched her husband slip away. She resolves to take matters into her own hands to end her life. Her three grown up children struggle with what she is proposing - particularly so soon after having just lost their father. Feeling that the UK's laws are an ass, she contacts Dignitas and makes the arrangements. Shortly after a Christmas celebrated well she says the time has come and with her three children she travels to Zurich for a short stay. The end is quick and administered with the kind of ruthless efficiency the Swiss are renowned for.

Every fibre in my being wants to do all that it can to preserve human life at any cost - all life is received as a sacred gift. However, when confronted with the means to alleviate suffering in the face of an inevitable outcome, there only seems to be one possible humane outcome. I am content with my moral and ethical theory when it lives in an abstract world devoid of any real consequences, but when it smashes head-on into the context of a real person it is found wanting and I do not know how to square the circle. My hope is that I will never be caught up in such a dilemma relating to someone close to me.

This film sets the moral context brilliantly and the acting is top drawer. Another uncomfortable watch - but essential viewing if we are to be real about the broken world in which we live.

I'll give it 8/10.

In the Valley of Elah

If you like Tommy Lee Jones' performances as a law enforcement officer then this will rank up there amongst his best - almost as good as No Country for Old Men. This is a tense and well-paced thriller that explores the inhumanity of the unintended consequences of war. There is also a very good performance from Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon does the morose mother thing she is so good at.

When you take young men (and it mostly is) who are full of life, a sense of adventure and a desire to serve their country and turn them into killing machines and deploy them in an inhospitable and alien land to fight an enemy they can't see or understand, is it any wonder that they lose the ability to see where the boundaries are when they return home? This story exposes the full horror of modern warfare and the terrible things it does to those who answer the call to duty and place themselves in jeopardy. Taking the risks of bullets and bombs in Iraq is one thing. Dying because you fall out with your mates in a bar or chicken restaurant is something else - but both are unintended consequences of intervening as world police. This film should be sub-titled 'Team America: Gone Wrong'.

The pain and anguish suffered by Jones and Sarandon's characters as parents impotent in the face of a military juggernaut is powerfully portrayed. The ability of institutions, in this case the Army and the Police, to close ranks and freeze the ordinary person out is chillingly scary. The film is punctuated with movie clips shot on patrol by Jones' son in Iraq - including an instance when he is forced to run over a child. Branded a thriller - this could so easily be a horror movie - perhaps should be.

How any national leader can sleep at night after sending their country's finest into the cauldron of hatred and warfare is a good question to ask.

An agonising watch - but you should see it as in doing so we pay homage to those fighting on our behalf. This film is enough to make anyone a pacifist!

I'll give it 7.5/10.

Laurel Canyon

Another film set in Los Angeles depicting a dysfunctional family with an absent father figure! Oh happy day. The other half of today's members' free screening at Harbour Lights. This one is from 2002 and no doubt was chosen to sit alongside Cyrus.

Sam (Christian Bale) and Alex (Kate Beckinsale) are bright PYT's at Harvard. They jet off to LA where Sam is to undertake a residency as a Psychiatrist whilst Kate completes her Ph.D. dissertation on genomes of Fruit Flies. Gripping stuff. The plan is for them to stay at Sam's mum's place - she should be away. When they arrive, they find that she is in residence with a British rock group - she is a record producer of some repute and the house is equipped with its own studio.

The basic story is that Sam is tempted by Sarah a second year intern from Israel but worried for Alex's peace and quiet as she studies. Sam encourages Alex to find a place for them to live - near where Sarah lives. Meanwhile, Alex is gradually drawn to the drugs and sex and rock n' roll lifestyle of the house's other occupants and begins to discover a side she never knew she had.

Sam fights off the demons of his attraction to Sarah only to confront Alex in a state of undress at a party in the penthouse of a local hotel with British rock group's lead singer who is having a fling with Sam's mother. This is just at the point when Sam's mother calls a halt to a menage-a-trois but that doesn't stop Sam from jumping to conclusions and having a go at the Brit. A big punch up involving all four main characters follows which spills into the foyer of the up-market hotel. Miraculously all comes good, Sam and his mother are reconciled and the film concludes with Sam ending a call with Sarah saying he would call her right back. Inconclusive.

The only glimpse of something real and tangible is when Sam breaks professional protocol and calls in the mother of a 16 year-old patient he is treating in an attempt to offer some basic relationship support in the hope of heading off a full-scale spiral into drugs and psychotic behaviour. The rest of film deals with passions and desires that never quite as real or believable.

I felt the story was self-indulgent and never really got away from predictability and pretentiousness. Christian Bale turned in his hallmark half-whispered performance and lacked any real spark of life or conviction. A moribund performance in a moribund film. It left me feeling very frustrated. The way in which temptation was offered and faced, made sense only if Harvard and New England were devoid of temptations and a move to the state of Californication opened up endless possibilities. That Sam and Alex had progressed to the age they had and lacked the vocabulary, wit and motivation to articulate their feelings towards one another only serves to demonstrate that even PYT's don't know which side of their bread is buttered! The stereotypical portrayal of Sam's mother as the archetypal rock groupie chic and the Brit rock band as philandering pot-heads probably satisfied American box offices, but on a chilly November Sunday afternoon in Southampton UK, it left me as cold as the East wind.

I'm ever more glad that this screening was free. Don't bother going to see it - there are much better stories and performances out there.

I'll give it 5/10.