Film Review; Joulutarina & The Painted Veil

Its been a while since I've done a film review. Despite having seen quite a few films since the last review. So first, lets do a little summary of some of them...

A little out of date now, is Joulutarina (Christmas Story). This is the tale of how a little boy called Nikolas came to be Santa Claus (or Saint Nick, whatever your fancy). Orphaned as a young boy, he was taken in by a different family of his poor village in the north of Finland each year. Every Christmas he would carve gifts for the children of the families that had given him a roof and shown him kindness. But the village starts to struggle, and one year there seems there is no-one to take Nikolas in. So he end's up being taken in by the reclusive carpenter who all the children fear.

This is a great example of how modern Finnish cinema can be (not so arty as the Arki Kauas-whatsit's of Finland). It also has some familiar faces and places. There is one shot of Turku (hurrah!) and has smalls roles played by Mikko Leppilampi (host of esc 2007) and Antti Tuisku (who is rather cheesy in this tbh). Antti also did a rather lovely song for the soundtrack called valovuodet (Light Years (apparently)). Anyway, its a lovely heartwarming tale about the story of Saint Nick, from the people that know it best :) Definitely worth a watch, but only when in that cheery festive mood, as the ending is rather incredibly cheesy.

Then, also watched before Christmas was a film called The Painted Veil. This is a rather more gritty film, staring Ed Norton and Naomi Watts. Norton plays an english doctor in the 1920's, who after finding out that his wife has been having an affair, forces her to move with him to a remote village in China in the midst of a major Cholera outbreak. This is a complicated love story, which is beautifully realistic in that there is no wrong or right answer, nothing is black and white. Was Kitty entirely to blame for her adultery, or was Walter also to blame for marrying her when he knew she didnt love him. Kitty believed that her lover loved her truefully, and assumes he will save her from her fate in China. But since he has a wife of his own, and shows no compassion for her situation, she has no choice but to accompany Walter to China. As time goes on, and she becomes restless, she starts volunteering at the ophanage run by nuns. Slowly Walter and Kitty start to mend their relationship, and Kitty begins to see a deeper side to Walter.

Its a truly captivating story. The cinematography is beautiful, and captures the breathtaking Chinese landscape wonderfully. This is not a conventional love story of boy meets girl. It is something much more complex, but thats what makes it so interesting. You really end up investing in these characters. You're never sure who you side with, as both bear their demons.
Either way, a highly recommened film.

Film Review - London to Brighton

I actually watched this film last week, but I've been so busy I didnt have time to write a review. But I feel like I should. I heard a lot of good press when this film was around, and I'm always interested to watch British independent films, as they tend to be pretty gritty and realistic as opposed to the fake stuff we always get imported from the US. Not that there is anything wrong with hollywood, but you have to appreciate the difference.

So anyway, onto the film. London to Brighton starts with two girls (well one woman, one girl) in a public bathroom with running makeup and clearly shook up. It transpires that they are prostitutes running away from their pimp. The reason they are running becomes clearer as the story continues, and the whole picture isnt fully painted till near the end of the film.


I dont know why I liked this film so much, its pretty depressing subject matter - prostitution, child-runaways, gangsters, general criminal behaviour. But theres something in the character development and the relationship that forms between the two girls that make the film worth watching. If your not easily disturbed by these topics, I would recommend a viewing. The film is only 90minutes long, and well worth it I think.

Film Review - Paris Je T'aime

Today, it was just too hot to move. So I ended up watching lots of telly and a DVD I've been meaning to watch for a while. I'd never heard of Paris Je T'aime, but found it in the HMV sale and thought it sounded like an interesting concept.

The film doesnt have a specific plot or main characters as such, but it does have 2 main themes. Paris and Love. A love for Paris, love within Paris, love despite Paris... You see my point. The film is actually made up of 18 or so short films of about 10 minutes. Each segment is set in a different arrondissement/district, filmed by a different director with its own characters and plot.

I think Paris was the perfect city to chose for this project and cant really imagine it working in London or New York for example. Its interesting to see the different directions each director went. Some choosing a typical love story, some choosing to be comedic, some really tugging at the heartstrings and some that are just plain weird (vampires anyone?)

Overall you get a pick'n'mix selection of all the different roles love plays in our lives, from simple arguments on the metro to painful loss. I would say its a film worth watching so long as you know what to expect. Its not a tourist advert for Paris (there's no product placement shots of major landmarks), and its not a complete film which can be a little frustrating. There were some stories where I would have liked to follow their story a little longer, and see some more character development. However, overall it is worth watching to experience these snipits of peoples lives, and to experience 'real Paris' perhaps.

My favourite segments were the ones set in Quais de Seine, Tuileries, Bastille, Faubourg Saint-Denis, and particulalry the one set in Place des fêtes which brought me to tears. But I guess the beauty of the film is that there is something here for everyone and if you dont like a segment (there was only one I really didnt care for - Quartier de la Madeleine) its only a few minutes before the next.

Film Review - Hancock and more

I've realised that I havent written up any of the films thats I've seen recently, mostly because they've been a bit rubbish. Or not rubbish perhaps, but just typical summer films with not much to say about them apart from that they're alright for an evenings entertainment but I wouldnt watch them again. So I'll give a quick 1-2 sentence reviews of some of the films I've watched so far this summer;

• Indiana Jones; Predictable but enjoyable fun with Harrison Ford proving his worth. Story line was a bit weird, but its almost irrelevant.
• TMNT; My brother's childhood heroes. I got sucked into watching this, and although I've always preferred the cartoons I didn't think it was as bad as the reviews at the time made out - only watch to satisfy curiosity.
• Black Sheep; Very daft but a lot of laughs (if your into that sort of thing). Worth renting for an evening of popcorn with friends.
• Junebug; A slow paced film (not often seen from America) that's not great but it's alright. It doesnt really go anywhere, but the characters are interesting, one of whom is played by Ben McKenzie of OC fame, so worth watching to see him do a more 'serious' role.

Another film I've seen this summer was Hancock. I'm actually a big fan of Will Smith. Possibly due to my brother - we would often have the Fresh Prince on after school, and he was always listening to his music. Then of course came independence day, which my brother still watches quite often, not that I blame him, it is a kick-arse film. Anyway, I've seen Men in Black, both Bad Boys, Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West, Ali, I Robot, Hitch, and I Am Legend. So naturally I wanted to see Hancock. I must admit, its not one of his best. His performance is very good, he plays it with just enough comedy to keep everyone entertained. Its just the script that lets it down. Its almost like its two films. The first 45 minutes of the film are great, I really enjoyed that part, but then it runs it course and so the story takes a twist. This is where it all gets a little strange, and particularly the last 15mins, really test the viewers willingness to believe whats being proposed. Even Science Fiction has to make sense.

In conclusion, its a good summer flick to go see if your a Will Smith fan, simply because he plays it well. If your not to fussed about him and are after a good story instead, it might be worth steering clear and chosing something else. Or if not, rent I Am Legend because that is a quality film.

Betty Blue

So, I know I said I'd review Indiana Jones, but it looks like I'm off to the cinema to see another action film tonight, so think I'll just review them both at the same time. Instead I wanted to right a quick post/review of Betty Blue, a film I've watched before and reviewed on Sounds Of Europe if anyone was listening.

Last night, for no apparent reason, I started watching this film again. Its actually a very sweet film, with likable characters that kind of sucks you in before you realise. Bearing in mind I was about to go to bed, and put it on for background noise perhaps I ended up watching well over an hour of it before I remembered that its a 3 hour film and I needed some sleep. So, I paused it, and finished it this morning before getting out of bed (oh the life of a student, hehe).

The story is told from the perspective of Zorg, an unambitious plumber who starts seeing a local girl named Betty. Betty is wild, and free and very beautiful, and Zorg gets into trouble with his boss after she moves in with him. So, they leave (well, its a bit more dramatic than that, but its half the fun). Before they leave, Betty finds a manuscript of a novel that Zorg wrote a number of years ago, and after moving to the city she begins a crusade to have the book published.

Zorg loves Betty's wild spontaneous nature and you can see he cares very much for her. However, as the film progresses, Betty's wild nature becomes more and more erratic and less predictable, and Zorg begins to worry for her.

This is a very simple story, about two people deeply in love but unable to save each other. Be warned, there is no happy ending here. But it is a painfully real story, told in a simplistic style with great character depth. The acting is superb, and it gets better with each viewing. I highly recommend it to anyone into slightly dark films.

The Science of Sleep

Whenever I go into HMV or equivalent, I tend to head to the sale section and read the description to any films that catch my eye especially those I've never heard of. I'm a big film fan, and get bored with the general drab that gets shown in the cinema, so am happy to find such interesting DVD's for as little as £3, which was the case with this film.





The Science of Sleep (or La Science Des Rêves) is a beautiful film staring Gael Garcia Bernal from the Motorcycle Diaries and written & directed by Michel Gondry, who directed Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. I have to say I hated ESotSM, and was thoroughly disappointed with it after such rave reviews. I didn't like the characters and found the whole plot a bit silly. So this made me wary of this film, but for some reason I bought it anyway. And I'm very glad I did.

The story revolves around Stéphane, who moves to France from Mexico to be with his mother following the death of his father. He's an artist, but takes up a boring job manufacturing calenders, and thinks of returning to Mexico. However, he soon becomes infatuated with his neighbour, and finds reason enough to stay. He clearly has had a very vivid imagination from a young age, and this is explored in his dreams which come alive on screen intermingled with reality. At times Stéphane has trouble distinguishing dream from reality (as does the viewer), and his dreams become a way for him to try and sort through his troubles in waking life.

The dialogue of the film is mostly in English, but switches between some French and Spanish also, however by having subtitles on all the time (which I do with every DVD anyway) its not at all hard to follow, and somehow adds to the charm of the movie. I was pleasantly surprised with this film. Maybe it was just that I could identify with the characters more, and felt like the story, although partly based in a dream world, was much more realistic than ESotSM. Also I found it quite funny in places, and laughed aloud on many occasions. I would recommend it to anyone that likes 'alternative' films, but those looking for a chick-flick should stear clear. I think this is a film that will remain with me, and that I will happily watch again in a couple of months as it is involving but light enough to enjoy over again.

***** 4/5