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LXXXVIII: Tan Lines (Ed Aldridge, 2006)
The greyest surfing movie ever, if not the gayest. It's set in a small town, apparently on an island, where surfer Midgett becomes the lover of a friend's newly returned hom elder brother, a brother who had apparently been seduced by a teacher (although it may be that the relationship was more consensual in practice if not in law). Meanwhile Midgett is paid to orally pleasure a girl so that she can practise her deportment, and middle aged couple have an orgy on a bowling green.
Not a film to make a lot of sense, and rather forgettable - although some of the sexual stuff lingers in the mind rather longer than I'd prefer. The trailer made it look more gang-related - more Romper Stomper, which had its own homoerotic edge - but this is just casual homophobia. At the end of the day it's another inconsequential summer in the life.
LXXXIX: Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 2009)
Pixar animation (released with short Partly Cloudy) in which Carl Fredricksen meets and eventually marries Ellie, who shares a dream to follow the explorer Charles Muntz to South America. Decades later, his house about to be demolished and destined for the retirement home, Frederick escapes, with boy scout Russell in tow. In South American dreams are both fulfiled and dashed. I think I preferred this to WALL-E, and I confess to having seen little of the Pixar back catalogue for reasons which escape me (I have a boxset now - indeed for a while as it was bought in Zavvi). I guess it could be criticised for being a boy's adventure, with the absent wife/mother, but it has a charm which allows it to push through. Take handkerchieves, and for goodness' sake sit through to the end of the credits. (You do that any way? Good for you.)
XC: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (Paul Wietz, 2009)
Adaptation of the first three of the Darren Shan books by the director of American Pie, relocated to the US (although I don't think the books specify a location. Darren Shan and his best friend Steve visit the freak show Cirque du Freak, and Shan steals a huge spider, whilst Steve wishes to become a vampire. Before long, Steve's life is in jeopardy, and in order to save him, Shan becomes a vampire - just as a century long truce between vampires and the sadistic vampeneze comes to an end. Chris Massoglia and Josh Hutcherson as the teens are a little colourless, and we perhaps don't see enough of them to be convinced they're friends, but
John C. Reilly as Mr Crepsley and Willem Dafoe as Gavner Purl steal the film. We see more of them together than the point of view of the narrative strictly allows, but it's forgivable. Michael Cerveris as Desmond Tiny is also hissably villainous. I enjoyed it, although the later books get a bit schematic and I can't see them making four films.
XCI: The Soloist (Joe Wright, 2009)
Here's the thing - clearly Jamie Foxx's performance has Give Me An Oscar written all over it. It has the edgy lunacy that scored well for Geoffrey Rush in Shine and Dustin Hoffperson in Rainman (albeit autism rather than schizophrenia), and got Russell Crowe a nomination. But the emotional heart of the film is Robert Downey Jr's character.
LA journalist Steve Lopez (Downey), recovering from a bicycle accident, encounters a violinist down and out Nathaniel Ayres (Foxx) and senses material. Ayres had been at the Juillard School, studying cello, but developed schizophrenia and dropped out, eventually ending up on the streets of LA. Lopez attempts to help him, and discovers the redemptive power of music, and is healed by seeing the slefless behaviour of a noble African American. It's an old story but a good one - afterwards I'm not clear that Ayres wasn't happy in his own life, and the film is ambivalent about city policy to homelessness (you don't need to be a musical genious to be saved, but it helps).
Foxx is excellent, and Downey as watchable as ever (bar Chaplin and Ironyfree Man), with sterling if thankless support from Catherine Keener as Lopez's not entirely estranged wife and Tom he's all over the place right now Hollander as barking Christian cellist.
XCII: Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (Shane Meadows, 2009)
After This is England and Sommers Town, Meadows moves away from child protagonists but hard to adult ones in this Steve Coogan-flavoured improvised mockumentary shot in 5 days. Le Donk (Paddy Considine, Meadows regular) is failed rocker with estranged pregnant girlfriend. Now he is working as a roadie and trying to get Nottinham rapper Scor-zay-zee on the bill at an Arctic Monkey gig. A rather ramshackle documentary crew led by Meadows follows their progress.
Considine is rivetting throughout, although somewhat of a prick - and I found him wryly amusing rather than laugh out loud (although the audience I was with found him funnier). There is some pathos here, as Le Donk clearly realises he is his own worst enemy, and aplogises for his behaviour even as he is about to say something outrageous. I wonder how much the audience of the gig were in on the joke - Considine is hardly a household name. Stay for the end credits, for more monologue from Le Donk.
(You do that any way? Good for you.)
Totals: 92 - [Cinema: 27; DVD: 60; Television: 5]
The greyest surfing movie ever, if not the gayest. It's set in a small town, apparently on an island, where surfer Midgett becomes the lover of a friend's newly returned hom elder brother, a brother who had apparently been seduced by a teacher (although it may be that the relationship was more consensual in practice if not in law). Meanwhile Midgett is paid to orally pleasure a girl so that she can practise her deportment, and middle aged couple have an orgy on a bowling green.
Not a film to make a lot of sense, and rather forgettable - although some of the sexual stuff lingers in the mind rather longer than I'd prefer. The trailer made it look more gang-related - more Romper Stomper, which had its own homoerotic edge - but this is just casual homophobia. At the end of the day it's another inconsequential summer in the life.
LXXXIX: Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 2009)
Pixar animation (released with short Partly Cloudy) in which Carl Fredricksen meets and eventually marries Ellie, who shares a dream to follow the explorer Charles Muntz to South America. Decades later, his house about to be demolished and destined for the retirement home, Frederick escapes, with boy scout Russell in tow. In South American dreams are both fulfiled and dashed. I think I preferred this to WALL-E, and I confess to having seen little of the Pixar back catalogue for reasons which escape me (I have a boxset now - indeed for a while as it was bought in Zavvi). I guess it could be criticised for being a boy's adventure, with the absent wife/mother, but it has a charm which allows it to push through. Take handkerchieves, and for goodness' sake sit through to the end of the credits. (You do that any way? Good for you.)
XC: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (Paul Wietz, 2009)
Adaptation of the first three of the Darren Shan books by the director of American Pie, relocated to the US (although I don't think the books specify a location. Darren Shan and his best friend Steve visit the freak show Cirque du Freak, and Shan steals a huge spider, whilst Steve wishes to become a vampire. Before long, Steve's life is in jeopardy, and in order to save him, Shan becomes a vampire - just as a century long truce between vampires and the sadistic vampeneze comes to an end. Chris Massoglia and Josh Hutcherson as the teens are a little colourless, and we perhaps don't see enough of them to be convinced they're friends, but
John C. Reilly as Mr Crepsley and Willem Dafoe as Gavner Purl steal the film. We see more of them together than the point of view of the narrative strictly allows, but it's forgivable. Michael Cerveris as Desmond Tiny is also hissably villainous. I enjoyed it, although the later books get a bit schematic and I can't see them making four films.
XCI: The Soloist (Joe Wright, 2009)
Here's the thing - clearly Jamie Foxx's performance has Give Me An Oscar written all over it. It has the edgy lunacy that scored well for Geoffrey Rush in Shine and Dustin Hoffperson in Rainman (albeit autism rather than schizophrenia), and got Russell Crowe a nomination. But the emotional heart of the film is Robert Downey Jr's character.
LA journalist Steve Lopez (Downey), recovering from a bicycle accident, encounters a violinist down and out Nathaniel Ayres (Foxx) and senses material. Ayres had been at the Juillard School, studying cello, but developed schizophrenia and dropped out, eventually ending up on the streets of LA. Lopez attempts to help him, and discovers the redemptive power of music, and is healed by seeing the slefless behaviour of a noble African American. It's an old story but a good one - afterwards I'm not clear that Ayres wasn't happy in his own life, and the film is ambivalent about city policy to homelessness (you don't need to be a musical genious to be saved, but it helps).
Foxx is excellent, and Downey as watchable as ever (bar Chaplin and Ironyfree Man), with sterling if thankless support from Catherine Keener as Lopez's not entirely estranged wife and Tom he's all over the place right now Hollander as barking Christian cellist.
XCII: Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (Shane Meadows, 2009)
After This is England and Sommers Town, Meadows moves away from child protagonists but hard to adult ones in this Steve Coogan-flavoured improvised mockumentary shot in 5 days. Le Donk (Paddy Considine, Meadows regular) is failed rocker with estranged pregnant girlfriend. Now he is working as a roadie and trying to get Nottinham rapper Scor-zay-zee on the bill at an Arctic Monkey gig. A rather ramshackle documentary crew led by Meadows follows their progress.
Considine is rivetting throughout, although somewhat of a prick - and I found him wryly amusing rather than laugh out loud (although the audience I was with found him funnier). There is some pathos here, as Le Donk clearly realises he is his own worst enemy, and aplogises for his behaviour even as he is about to say something outrageous. I wonder how much the audience of the gig were in on the joke - Considine is hardly a household name. Stay for the end credits, for more monologue from Le Donk.
(You do that any way? Good for you.)
Totals: 92 - [Cinema: 27; DVD: 60; Television: 5]
