onlydanno’s thing

Inside Man

 So as my long summer holidays come to an end, I'm still playing catch up and squeezing in a few more films I didnt catch when they were released. Today's was 'Inside Man' with everyones favourite Denzel Washington, and Ive got to say, I really enjoyed it. Recently Ive been getting a bit frustrated with the predictability
of films. Everything seems very formulaic and nothing tends to hold my attention in the way I hope. I came to Inside Man with this pessamistic attitude - however I was pleasantly surprised. This is a film with a just a slight difference. It follows the 'cat-and mouse' power games between a bank robber and a hostage negotiator, both of whom are smart men. Its a simple well-worn premise but its told in a way which maintains interest and tension, yet in a very relaxed style, so that youre never quite sure which way the plot will end. One device I always love in films - possibly linked to my craving for unpredictablility - is ad-lib scenes and this film contains many quite clearly improvised moments which make the whole thing even more watchable and very real. Throw in a handful of English actors alongside the always brilliant Denzel and Im bound to be happy. In addition there is also an underlying moral message throughout about respect for your fellow human beings which adds a sense of 'feel good' to the film which is a little unexpected, but which works in setting the story in a bigger picture. For its individuality and comfortable performances, alongside a great story and Spike Lee's unpredictable direction, I'd have to say i really rate this film and would recommend it to anyone seeking something just a little bit outside the standard thriller blockbusters.
Filed under: Films

Bugs
Another day, another made for TV movie on demand. And if yesterday's 23 Days of Fear was surprisingly impressive, todays "Bugs" wasn't. The premise of oversized bugs being woken from 65 millions years of sleep by a money hungry developer digging a tunnel in itself is cheese on toast, but it wasnt that which was a problem. The acting was. Now I like cheese. Im a big disaster movie fan, and what could be cheesier? But when cheesy acting crosses the line into porn star performance, weve got a problem. The lead actor, Antonio Sabato Jr. is about as porn star wooden as you can get. Developer meglomaniac Karl Pruner is just as bad. But the problems go deeper. The writer has taken every cheesy line from every film trailer ever. "We've got company!" is yelled 65 million times, "Its there I can feel it", "Im going to stay here and keep an eye out for my new friend" are just a few lines from a whole battery of cliched moments which have been ripped from the whole Alien series in an attempt to make this credible. Combine all this and you have one big old pile of formulaic corny cheese. Which is actually a shame as the effects and the rest of production are all pretty good. An entertaining way to pass an hour or so I guess, but leave your brain, and memory of other films elsewhere.
Filed under: Films

D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear
So I was browsing through the on-demand movies on BT Vision - Picturebox yesterday and couldnt settle on one I was in the mood for. I randomly picked this one however, not knowing anything about it, other than it was a made for TV job. Surprisingly it was a pretty well put together drama. Plenty of suspense and nicely styled. The truth about its plot made it horrific, yet in that typical human way - even more watchable. When you are hundreds of miles away from events like this, it becomes just a story on the radio or TV. Its 'that sniper thing' happening in America somewhere, and realistically you actually take no notice more than giving it a cursory eyebrow raise. Films like this do the job of filling in those gaps for you that the TV news didnt do at the time. They will always be controversial for capitalising on people's pain. But surely if they open up the story to the whole world to see the horrors that people went through, thats a good thing isnt it? Isnt that better than people being shot needlessly and the rest of the world not batting an eyelid? Now I have some sense of the sadness and the horror of that moment in history I didnt have before. The film wasnt perfect - the wonderfully bad English accent of the fake UK newsreader sent me into spasms of laughter - but it did capture the moments of tension and fear which did not seem to communicate themselves to me during the whole period of the incident.
Filed under: Films

Flood (2007)
It should have been good. The idea was good. The effects were good. The location good. But somehow, Flood just doesn't work. The plot seems to be a mess, some of the acting distinctly dodgy, & the pace of the film all wrong. Clearly I'm no film expert, but I do know my disaster films. This was an opportunity to do a good, perhaps slightly cheesy, disaster film with an original backdrop. Yet it just doesn't work. The film feels like a jigsaw put together in the wrong order so no emotional attachment or connection is ever felt by the viewer, while all the significant moments are glossed over way to quickly. It prefers instead to take the best bits of other films (Day After Tomorrow, and Armageddon) and use those to achieve some sort of success, but fails. Had it been brave enough to stand up as a film in its own right it could have been a different story. The sad thing is there are some good bits. The original concept was good. The special effects good & specifically an acting performance by supporting actor, underground worker Zak (Tom Hardy), is excellent. But the film as a whole is badly executed, & sadly a disappointment.
Filed under: Films

The History Boys

 I like originality in films whether its how the film looks, how its written or how its performed. The History Boys has this originality in many ways. Keep in mind its taken from a stage play and the cast are all from the
stage version and you will accept the melodramatic performances and slightly surreal version of a school in England in the 1980s. Once past that obstacle, you will find a film which is honest, thought-provoking and full of insight into the world I spend my daily life in - education, teenagers and the individual’s constant struggle to do what is right in a world which requires lies and deceit, under the guise of skill and honesty, to get ahead…Maybe it’s just because this is my world, and this was my teenage era, that this film resonated - or perhaps because Alan Bennett has many thought provoking things to say which actually matter. Either way, its a film worth watching and mulling over continually afterwards.
Filed under: Films

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
I never ever took to the Lord of the Rings films or books as a kid, or when i got older. I dont know why I just couldnt. But tonight I sat and watched the beginning of the Narnia Chronicles and was stunned by what a great film it was. I read the book as a kid and very rarely does a film ever conjur up those pictures you had in your mind when you read it. This film does. It totally sucked me into the magical fantasy that it is and has shot right into my top ten best ever films. It is brilliantly put together, totally summing up the atmosphere of the novel while at the same time being completely accesible and enjoyable. I would actually recommend it as a film to adults rather than children, because as an escape from the real world that adults live in it fits the bill, no questions. Watch with an open mind and you’ll totally love it.
Filed under: Films

In Her Shoes
It’s really not a "chick flick". Really. Well maybe just a little. But to call it that I think underestimates this quiet, slow, thoughtful film in a big way. It’s a simple story about complex relationships with the brilliant Toni Collette doing her usual amazing acting. I cant describe what it is about this film I like really because I think many people will fall asleep, but I think the main thing is it has heart, and doesn’t try to pull typical movie stunts to please the easily pleased. Does that sound pompous? I don’t care really because deep down this is a good film with a nice story and a good heart.
Filed under: Films

King Kong
Disappointments come in all shapes and sizes. But some of them are just massive. King Kong is one huge donkey dropping of a disappointment. For starters, there should have been some serious editing in there. Just how much running and screaming are we supposed to sit through? And did we need to see every oh-so-brilliant special effect from every conceivable angle? But mostly it was the story. It was just such a mish mash of everything, which made it feel like there wasnt in fact a story at all. It left me with the same feeling as Titanic - I couldnt wait for the monkey to arrive and die, and I couldnt wait for that bloody ship to sink. I didnt care about any of the characters, which made it a long drawn out farce from start to finish. It just seemed to be an exercise in showing off brilliant special effects and huge film budgets but with no real content. It reminded me of those times when you sit and watch someone else play a video game for hours on end - and lose the will to live. 3 of us watched it, 3 of us hated it. What a pile of monkey nuts.
Filed under: Films

The Butterfly Effect
Just lately I’ve been rediscovering DVDs I haven’t watched in a while, I just rewatched Butterfly Effect all over again - and loved it as much as the first time. Keep in mind that it was the Director’s cut i.e the one without the happy ending which was used in cinemas. The directors ending of choice is a much more satisfying conclusion and makes a great film even better. Anything else would have turned into a Disney film. Would we go back and change things if we could? And if so, would it really make a difference? I’ve a tendency to trust in fate no matter what. What will be will be, no matter how appalling or happy.
Filed under: Films
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