Diao Yinan directs Fan Liao, Gwei Lun-Mei and Xuebing Wang in this Chinese neo-noir where a disgraced detective begins working an old case when he remembers suspects the new investigators may have overlooked.
Wanted to catch this earlier effort after the eerie but effective The Wild Goose Lake. This has one or two fantastic deadpan set pieces; a skating rink stalk, a salon bust that goes sideways. But the mystery is pretty straightforward even if the storytelling attempts to obfuscate it. Ends on a stretched out, arty note that will have art housey poseurs scratching their beards. Fan Liao and Gwei Lun-Mei put in gentle but complex turns.
Jaume Collet-Serra directs Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard and Isabelle Fuhrman in this horror where a couple take in a weird orphan girl with deadly results.
Bought this in the Parisian equivalent of a Cash Convertor for a single euro. Bargain! The Middle Eastern dude behind the counter was super excited, chatting to me in French about ‘Esther’. Proof enough surely that if someone could make a third one with Isabelle Fuhrman (as a ghost?) there’d be a market for it. This isn’t quite as good as the bonkers late-in-the-day prequel First Kill. It needs twice the amount of murders to support a 2 hour running time and that big twist has never been that much of a shock. Still it is more than adequate as a glossy Saturday night special. Bring Esther back!
Mark Dindal directs David Spade, John Goodman and Eartha Kitt in this Disney animated buddy comedy where a spoilt Incan emperor is turned into a llama.
A Disney I’ve only caught in bits and pieces up until now. The comedy is pretty strong and in every aspect has some cute Ren & Stimpy / Animaniacs vibes. Whether a Disney theatrical release should be “lowering” itself down to that level is one for the executives from twenty or so years ago but it holds up as a silly one-watcher. Kronk is the best henchman since Aladdin’s Iago.
Sofia Coppola directs Emma Watson, Katie Chang and Israel Broussard in this teen true crime drama where a group of high schoolers use social media to break into celebrities homes and “borrow” their lifestyle.
Easily Sofia’s weakest in that it has very little to say beyond that initial elevator pitch. There is (pointedly?) no emotional connection between us and the mini-thieves so it just kinda plays out like cold smoked salmon on a fried egg. I hope Megan Fox got her pillow pistol back?
Mike Cahill directs Brit Marling, William Mapotherand Robin Lord Taylor in this soft sci-fi where two loners, united by a tragedy, prepare for a parallel planet Earth to approach their own miserable existence.
Boring and pretentious. Whatever planet you are on.
Jeremy Paul Kagan directs Meredith Salenger, John Cusack and Ray Wise in this kid’s adventure where a young teenager must ride the rails through Depression era America to reunite with her father.
A childhood favourite of Natalie’s, this really won me over on second watch. The gritty, authentic setting. The constant sense of peril. The brilliant dog acting. Salenger’s un-cute lead performance. Her chemistry with a generous Cusack. The exciting set pieces with convincing stunt work. The unforced air of futility to Natty Gann’s quest… and the ultimate heart pounding pay off. Every scene is pitched exactly right… never dumbing down for children but never crossing the line when exploring the hardwired bleakness. Yeah, more kids movies like this please.
Ralph Zondag and Eric Leighton direct D. B. Sweeney, Alfre Woodard and Ossie Davis in this first feature length CG animation from Walt Disney studios.
One downtime day when they could not get a special effect working on the set of Robocop, Paul Verhoeven and Phil Tippett devised a dinosaur feature where they would never have to worry about live action humans integrating unsuccessfully with go motion FX. They hired The Wild Bunch writer Walon Green to bash out a script… and 15 years later the end result was a Disney cartoon with all of their unlikely names floating around the periphery credits. To say Dinosaur was unduly dark or violent because of these early stage talents is unfair, you could pretty much say there’s a certain uncomfortable edge to well over half of the Mouse House’s kids films. But the plot has an apocalyptic air that is startling yet also a John Ford wagon train bonhomie, a jovial sense of community, that is the flick’s true strength. I’m guessing Walon brought that to the table. The combining of live action landscapes with CG creatures is successful – especially in the thrilling opening prologue which is dialogue free… a choice the whole movie should have made. And the subtext of out with old / survival of the fittest in a shifting landscape is curiously apt considering this is Disney’s first attempt to cut loose and leave behind hand drawn animation. Ultimately here is a fine, if a bit bland, adventure but the providence of Dinosaur proves fascinating.
Terry Zwigoff directs Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi and Scarlett Johansson in this indie teen comedy based on Daniel Clowes’ cult graphic novel.
Where the nerd things are. A summer of ignoring bad choices, not giving a fuck and the unexpected consequences. Thora Birch serves continual cunt in her best role. Her Goodwill salvaged looks just eat the screen up. Her Enid sums up that horrible space where your life is at a crossroads and it seems easier to just sit in-between four lanes of oncoming traffic than make a decision. It is the strongest written female teen protagonist role in cinema, or at least a photo finish between her and Reese Witherspoon’s equally iconic Tracy Flick. And the awkward, don’t go there, chemistry between her and Buscemi’s sad but constantly furious Seymour is a rubbernecking blast. You have no doubts as to why these two sometimes mean, casually irritable people might die alone… and age difference put to one awkward side, might be imperfect for each other. “He’s the exact opposite of everything I hate.” Many teenagers define themselves by their fandoms and tribes, but for Enid Coleslaw, it is her weaponised rejection of everything but the obscure and unloved that make her the loveable bitch she is. Zwigoff has a few very specific late 90s sub genres competing here – the aimless Gen X ‘Do nothing’ movie, the American Pie raunchy youth comedy and a weird anti modernity, anti ‘prescribed art’ counter culture death wail. He blends them really well… better than say Napoleon Dynamite that used Ghost World as a mood board but left the soul behind. The ambiguous ending is quite beautiful. All in – a misanthropic yet colourful teen gem that increases in value the more middle-aged it gets.
Greta Gerwig directs Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell in this blockbuster comedy based on the Mattel doll where Barbie leaves her world of innocent play and empowered positivity to experience the real world.
Can’t believe that Tom Cruise dangled and leapt through a careening Orient Express for absolute reals but this muddled corporate feminism rip-off of Elf based on a problematic dolly was the movie to save cinema!?
Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Francis Glebas and Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi direct Steve Martin, Bette Midler and James Earl Jones in this anthology of animated music videos to classical arrangements.
Was never going to be a favourite but the guest hosts are a fantastic addition and Eric Goldberg’s Rhapsody In Blue segment is worth the price of admission alone. Better than the original butt number.
Bobby Carroll's Movie Diary 