What I Just Watched?

Michael Clayton (1st view) - The first film I've seen in a while thanks to the Olympics. Tony Gilroy, writer of the Bourne films, delivers a thoughtful thriller that is never less than engaging. I've always liked George Clooney and he once again proves highly watchable. Tilda Swinton also makes an impression, though I don't think either of them deserved Oscar recognition. The best actor on show is Tom Wilkinson, who simply excels in all his scenes. Things get wrapped up a bit too neatly, and there's one coincidence too many, but this is very good overall. Oh, and it also features one of the best death scenes I can recall seeing in any film - 4/5

Black Sheep (1st view) - Ha, what an insane film! Genetic experiements go awry and create a bunch of man-eating sheep, plus humans who turn into sheep! Completely insnae and ridiculously gory. It reminds me an awful lot, in both humour and content, to Peter Jackson's Braindead, albeit slightly more polished (the make-up and effects actually came from Weta Workshop). Dodgy acting and writing all adds to the enjoyable hokum. Far from a masterpiece, but more fun than it probably should be - 3/5

Ask The Dust (1st view) - Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek star in this adaptation of John Fantes's novel, directed and written by Chinatown's screenwriter, Robert Towne. Farrell plays a struggling author in 30s Los Angeles who meets and fall in love with Hayek's Mexican waitress. Both leads do well enough but their relationship is completely unbelievable, Eileen Atkins and Donald Sutherland both pop up and are utterly wasted, and the whole thing turns into a tiresome bore - 2/5

Goya's Ghosts (1st view) Milos Forman, oscar winning director of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, gives us this tale set in Spain in the late years of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Stellan Skarsgård stars as Francisco Goya, an artist whose depictions of the church in his work lead to investigation by Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem). Meanwhile, Goya's muse Inés (Natalie Portman) is wrongly imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisition. It's quite a bleak film, but never less than engrossing, a fictional story set against the backdrop of the French revolution and Napolean's invasion of Spain. I'm not the biggest fan of Portman but she does well here (maybe period films are her forte, as she also impressed me in The Other Boleyn Girl). Stellan Skarsgård is on fine form also, but best of all is Bardem. Lorenzo is a character that is initialy easy to hate, but he walks a fine line throughout the film, and Bardem plays him beautifully, incredibly smug, pious and caring all at once. Bardem's long been a favourite of mine, and it's something of a shame that many people will only tend to recall him from No Country For Old Men, as good as he was, he's been better a few times and I think this is one of them. Overall, quite excellent - 4/5

The Public Enemy

6/10

Hellboy: Director's cut (5th view) - I gave this a rewatch in preperation for seeing the sequel tomorrow. and it is, quite simply, one of the most enjoyable comic book adaptations I've seen. Guillermo Del Toro distinct visual flair works wonders for the film, and Ron Perlman is perfect as the title character, who is himself a wonderful creation. The presence of the always watchable John Hurt benefits the film, there's a nice score Marco Beltrami and fishman Abe Sapien is a great sidekick. It's my first viewing of the director's cut and in truth none of the additions are noteworthy, but they don't detract from the overall experience. Very good - 4/5

Excellent choice Aura!

:D Better still Nomi, it was the Funklet's choice. We're now onto this:-

That is one brilliant daughter you have there Aura!

O Lucky Man! (1973), Lindsay Anderson follows up If.... (1968), with this oddball but ultimately pleasing comic musical fantasy, which is probabily one of the best British films of the 1970's. It has Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, (the same character from If....), now working for a coffee company, and is given the opportunity to sell coffee to mayor companies throughout the North East of England, but Mick gets involved in weird and wonderful exploits that send his life in all different directions. Even though made in the 1970's, this is a film that has not aged, nor will it, it still feels relevent today as it did then, it's a biting satire on a capitalist society, and how it affects people's life for worse and for better, McDowell is one of the best actors in cinema, and one of the most criminally underrated. He's complimented in this by a BRILLIANT supporting cast including Ralph Richardson, Arthur Lowe, Dandy Nichols, Warren Clarke, Bill Owen, James Bolam, Geoffrey Palmer, Brian Glover and Helen Mirren!! But, the icing on the cake for this scumptious film is the music score and songs by Alan Price, which are worth it for the film alone. The film might be nearly 3 hours long, but mark my words, it's worth every minute!! You must see it!! :D 5/5

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