Reviews
Skyfall (2012)
Disappointing...
...and lacklustre.
If you like drab colours, muted scenes and grey British countryside, you can find Tourist Information videos on YouTube - admittedly they won't be as beautifully shot as Skyfall - but they'll have the same depth of story.
This really was a sickening disappointment, where one expected fights and glamorous locations; instead we were treated to dull conversation in basements, lacking either tension or humour.
And it's obvious the Global Recession has effected the budget for this latest effort, because apart from a few skyline shots in Singapore, for the most part we were ensconced in English train tunnels or grey London streets - so take a lesson from the miserly budget afforded for Bond's most recent outing, and don't waste your money.
The Encounter (2010)
Is this what Christians really want us to know?
...if so, it's an interesting little piece.
First things first though: It's shot on video, the production values aren't great, but there's some nice interior shots when we're introduced to the diner, and some good use of lighting (though for the most part it's a little bright - yet that may be intentional on the director's part, in an attempt to convey an atmosphere of honesty and truth being shone on each character's circumstances).
The dialogue roams between realistic conversation and very formalised speech, never quite settling in one place - which has the unfortunate effect of reminding the audience that we are watching a film, but we are usually brought back into the suspension of disbelief in the next moment, so there's a general flow to the story.
The premise is simple; several strangers meet in a 'last chance diner' where a mysterious and all-knowing owner talks to them about their lives - a theme that could easily have been ripped straight from 'The Twilight Zone', which the dialogue acknowledges with a knowing nod. And any fan of that series can pretty much guess at a lot of what happens.
So this is where we get to the actual 'message' of the film, which seems to be not only an evangelistic tool but also a meditation for actual Christians, because it not only looks at those outside the flock, but also spends some time addressing believers - and the themes it touches on range from dysfunctional marriage, infidelity, abortion, child abuse, and addiction all the way to mass genocide in the Old Testament - and when I say 'touches on', I mean it - there's a very light touch given to each of these questions, for which some might accuse the work as being over-simplistic.
Yet the fact that the director has chosen to cover them at all, is to his credit - all of them quandaries in which the Church has been in debate with secular society for many years.
And in recognising that his audience will range from young teens to mature adults, he has attempted to give answers to all these questions as gently as an apologist may - so that everyone who watches his film will have some measure of satisfaction no matter how delicate or jaded their sensibilities are.
This is to be especially felt within the arguments one of the more troubled characters have with *SPOILER* Jesus (for yes, it is he - a fact that's made clear a little too soon into the film), for this more harried soul has much to contend with God about, being a survivor of abuse and suicidal depression. Not to mention the interesting dynamic between a self-proclaimed 'self-made' man who credits all his achievement to pride.
But at this, I'll have to refrain from much more detail lest I spoil some of the story, save to say that I think this film is worth watching, if only for the insight into how Christians think about the world and what they believe God wants you to know about.
This is by no means a perfect film, but it's fascinating for all of the above reasons, so I recommend you take a look.
The Lawn Boy (2008)
This Movie is Terrible.
Shot completely on video, it has the air of a cheap and tawdry exploitation flick - and that's what it is, a soft-soft-porn fantasy of a powerful white women falling for a jobless black man who still lives at home with his mother.
The opening scene is gratuitous and repulsive, the female lead decrying her lack of sex while marveling at the amount of intimate toys she has collected, her monologue felt like it was stolen from the trash-bin of 'Sex and the City'.
And this same stilted dialogue continues throughout the rest of the film when she's talking with her white girlfriends, who immediately bring up the stereotype of black men having large penises, and go on to say that nothing else really matters.
As for the male lead, his conversations with his peers are equally racist, with a large dose of sexism thrown in to boot, and nothing is said to rectify these assumptions throughout the whole film, except on the most perfunctory level.
I'm going to end this review right here because this film is a piece of garbage, and I don't want to waste any more time on it.
Some Guy Who Kills People (2011)
A Gentle, Little Black Comedy...
...tailored to fit well with fans of many genres, and suitable for an occasion where you fancy something a little special.
This film brings an 'art-house' sensibility to the serial killer oeuvre, delicately interweaving the more macabre elements of shlock horror with a sweet tale of Americana.
The characters, though all somewhat disquieting, have a warmth which is slowly revealed. This is to be found most especially in our protagonist; the restrained and morose, yet decidedly murderous 'Ken Boyd', who at 34, still bears both the mental and physical scars of a kidnap and torture by several members of his high-school - snippets of which we are shown in flashback from the start, and which quickly evoke sympathy for our anti-hero.
That same sympathy is snatched away from us several times throughout the flick, only to have it returned as we see him begin to open up to his estranged daughter 'Amy', who walks into his life one day - and decides to stay, her sweet nature bringing a light of life into his dark world, her enthusiasm so infectious, it even persuades him to try dating.
All this is played against the backdrop of a small-town America where an intriguingly eccentric cop is trying to solve the spate of killings that have recently occurred there, while several more, most fascinating characters walk in and out of Ken and Amy's lives.
If I have any major complaints, it would be that the pacing is at times quite staid - on two occasions I found myself wanting the story to move along a bit faster. I also found the violence a little too understated, but then, that was in keeping with the rest of the movie, where subtext and understatement were the words of the day.
I also think I would have appreciated some of the characters being fleshed out a bit more, Ken's Mother being the prime example, for at times she is quite truculent toward him, then in other moments she shows a sweet tenderness toward Amy, I really couldn't quite grasp where her deep bitterness came from.
But again, it's fair to say I found everyone portrayed in this piece quite alluring, yet like the perfect guest who doesn't outstay their welcome, this little black comedy tottered off into the night...leaving me wanting more.