In need of a clever title.

I’ve recently watched a number of films that were new to me, some old, some new, but rather than go in depth into each one, and bore you with numerous posts, I’m just going to talk about each one in the order in which I saw them, and if I feel like expanding on any of them I’ll bore you there and then. Deal.

Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

Based on the only successful escape attempt from the inescapable prison, starring Clint Eastwood. Like The Shawshank Redemption with less gang rape and Morgan Freeman voiceovers.

 A Fist Full of Dollars (1964)

Part of Sergio Leone’s celebrated man with no name trilogy, it was shit.

 The Way (2010)

Written and directed by Emilio Estevez and starring his father Martin Sheen. Sheen plays Thomas Avery who travels to France in order to collect the body of his son, who had died while traveling the length of the Camino de Santiago, a route from southern France through Spain, ending at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where it's believed the remains of Apostle St. James are buried. Once there Avery decides to have his son cremated and rather than take him home, decides to walk the Camino, to complete the challenge his son had embarked upon and scatter his ashes along the way.

The film was inspired by a trip that Sheen and his grandson, Estevez’s son, had taken, driving the length of the Comino. Sheen had suggested the idea of a low budget documentary about the pilgrimage route, but his son was thinking a little bigger. Estevez went off and wrote a script with his father in mind for the lead role, and apart from the primary roles all the other people in the film are actual pilgrims, and people who live along the route, including the group of Romanov gypsies.

The film was described to me as being like The Straight Story, the 1999 David Lynch film, based on the true story of Alvin Straight who took his own pilgrimage, travelling from Iowa to Wisconsin on a lawnmower to visit his estranged and sickly brother. A description which I think is quite fitting, they’re both films about men past their prime travelling great distances in an unconventional fashion in the name of family, they’re both films where nothing major actually happens, just about the people they meet along the way, the trials of the traveller, and what they come to learn about themselves, and there both films that are completely engrossing.

I loved this film so much that after watching it I went straight on Amazon and bought the book its partially based upon, I just had to know more, but then The Way not only makes you want to read up on the pilgrims challenge, it also makes you want to go and do it yourself. I would say that’s the definition of an inspiring film.

 

 The Soloist (2009)

After the completion of his career resurrection with Iron Man, and the farcical comedy Tropic Thunder which followed, Robert Downey Jr. clearly decided to stretch his serious acting muscles. The Soloist follows the true story of a newspaper columnist who befriends a schizophrenic homeless man, who in his youth was a musical prodigy.
somewhere between The Fisher King and Shine, while not being quite as good as either.

Nick & Norah’s infinite Playlist (2008)

A tale of love for the cool kids, the ones that used to smoke behind the bike sheds, and love bands with a passion when they’ve all got day jobs and no one’s heard of them, and despises them as sell-outs as soon as they taste success. Starring Kat Denning (Thor, The House Bunny), and crown prince of geeky awkwardness Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, TV’s Arrested Development)

Warrior (2011)

The MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Rocky. Warrior is tale of two estranged brothers who take part in the first MMA world championships, featuring some brilliant performances from Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, Star Wars episode II & III), Tom Hardy (Bronson, Inception) and Nick Nolte.

I really enjoyed this, not that I knew anything about MMA beforehand, but then I didn’t know anything about boxing the first time I saw Rocky 4. One of the things I particularly liked was the way the story of Edgerton’s brother was there from the start, you knew what his motivation was right from the beginning, what he had at stake, and the contrast with Hardy’s brother, who you know nothing about, the answers being filled in one at a time like a crossword as the film progesses.

Mission impossible III (2006)

Another slice of Hollywood midget Tom Cruise’s action franchise, this time directed by JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek) entertaining enough, but ultimately as forgettable as the previous two. However it was good seeing Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a villain.

Ink (2009)

Imagine someone who’s just graduated from film school, read too many Neil Gaiman books, and watched too many Chris Cunningham videos, and then you’ve got Ink. I wanted to like this more than I actually did, it had some good ideas, some pretty good effects, especially since it clearly had no budget, and the Incubi are brilliantly creepy. Unfortunately it could do with some higher quality acting, not to say it’s bad, it’s just not always great, clearly the film student went next door and picked up some drama students.

The fight scenes are just a blur of rapid cuts, one to make the sequence seem exciting and two to cover up the fact none of the actors obviously have any previous stage fight experience; however it doesn’t accomplish either, just confusion and a possible seizure.

But it’s not just the fight scenes which are confusing, so are other chunks of the film. Ultimately two words can some this film up, Confusing & Pretentious.

And now to watch Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy