Films, long and short

More films I’ve watched!

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

This is the longest film I’ve ever seen. 312 minutes. I was quite wary of watching this, as I didn’t particularly care for the other Ingmar Bergman film I watched from my list (The Seventh Seal), so five hours seemed a particularly daunting prospect. Fanny and Alexander (imdb rank: 210) is a film about a family of actors (the Ekdahls) in early 20th century Sweden. Fanny and Alexander themselves are the sister and brother of the main family.

The family is pretty entertaining. In the first hour or two of the film we become very familiar with Fanny and Alexander’s parents, uncles (and their various problems with their wives), grandmother and family friends. I was a bit surprised how much some of the characters talk about sex – particularly when it was coming from the grandmother. It’s all done really nicely though.

When a death befalls the family, this proves the catalyst for a variety of difficulties befalling Fanny and Alexander. They end up moving away from their well-to-do extended family and their friendly housekeepers, to a much more austere setting. A recurring theme is that Alexander sees ghosts, and his relation to the spiritual world becomes a pivotal feature of the tale.

The children themselves don’t actually feature as much as might be expected (particularly Fanny) considering the film revolves around their fate. Though the main attraction is in the characters for a large part of the film, the main story does become a source of tension and excitement on its own merits (though after half way through, I would say).

There’s a nice structure to the whole saga. Some of the characters are really compelling. That being said, the 312 minutes is a bit arduous. There are scenes that I thought dragged on a bit. Glad I’ve seen it, but I probably won’t try it again.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

I hadn’t really even heard of this film before I watched it so didn’t know what to expect. It does seem odd that I would be so unaware of such a highly-regarded Stanley Kubrick film (imdb rank: 218). It is based on a 1844 book (The Luck of Barry Lyndon) by William Makepiece Thackeray, and follows the title character, an 18th century Irishman, throughout his life. There are two distinct acts. The first details the character’s youth, his ne’er-do-well-ish gallivanting and how he came to be known as “Barry Lyndon” (he is called “Redmond Barry” originally). The second shows how his luck takes a turn for the worse.

As I find is often the case with period dramas, the film hasn’t really dated (at least I don’t think so). The main aspect of the film which seems a bit weird is the ageing of the main character. As the character is played by the same actor (Ryan O’Neal) throughout, when he is playing a teenager, this is pretty unconvincing. Of course, several far more recent films have fallen afoul of this, but it does seem quite noticeable.

I liked this film, but it’s all about the presentation. The general path of the story is a fairly predictable (though the intricacies are anything but). The music is really nice. There are a lot of classical pieces, particularly a version of Handel’s Sarabande, which acts as the main theme and works really well. Anyone who appreciates the wardrobe selections in period dramas would probably like this a lot, as a great deal of care clearly went into the large variety of costumes featured.

The Imitation Game (2014)

I suspect that this Alan Turing biopic will not be in imdb’s top 250 for too long. At the time of writing, it stands ranked at no.222, but I suspect it to slowly drop out. This isn’t to say it was a bad film, and the story of Alan Turing is an interesting one that needed to be told. Unfortunately, due to several liberties taken with history, this film doesn’t really do that.

Alan Turing is a figure that philosophy students often become acquainted with fairly early on. We discuss the Turing Test – the test of computers to see whether they can, in a text conversation, convince human beings that they are also computers – which gives the film its name (this though of the film’s name to the film itself was utterly tangential and unnecessary). So philosophers tend to have a fondness for Turing. And rightly so. His contributions not only to philosophy and computer science, but the war effort as a whole were momentous.

It does seem tainted by its disingenuousness, but looking at the film independently of its historical inaccuracies, it is a fine piece of entertainment. It’s told through three time periods of Turing’s life. We see him struggle as a youth in school, working at Bletchley Park during World War II, and in the post-war years. Most of the film, unsurprisingly, takes place in the Bletchley Park years. Cumberbatch plays him as barely capable of social interaction, or understanding people at all.

While I wouldn’t recommend this film to anyone who wants to learn about Turing, for those who are willing to take it with a pinch of salt, it is tolerable. My particular position about the film is definitely affected by my dislike of Cumberbatch (why is he in everything???), but he was fine in this (despite playing up Turing’s social difficulties, though I imagine that was not entirely his decision).

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Studio Ghibli does very well on the imdb top 250. With My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Laputa: Castle in the Sky (not counting Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) as well as this, the studio is extremely well-represented. As I discussed previously, I really enjoyed My Neighbor Totoro, and though they weren’t my favourites, I thought Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke were at least enjoyable. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Grave of the Fireflies (imdb rank: 64).

One virtue this film does possess is brevity. At 89 minutes, it isn’t much of a commitment. That’s enough for positives.

The film is about a brother and sister who are left alone after their mother dies in Japan towards the end of World War II. The older brother finds himself trying to take care of his younger sister however he can. Essentially, loads of bad things happen to them and it sucks. It seems like this has the potential to tug on the heartstrings extensively. I did not feel moved by the film though. While in Totoro, the characters demand one’s interest and empathy, I never felt this here, until right at the end, where some nice music came in.

Visually the film is similar to other Studio Ghibli films, so for people who are in love with that style, this film will have something to offer. As might be expected, however, I would not recommend this film. It’s just sad.

Films I watched just for fun

While taking breaks from the list, I’ve also watched Ant-Man at the cinema recently. I did enjoy that. As one would expect, it’s lighter than a lot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, with a load more jokes. Paul Rudd does the role perfectly.  I was glad to see Joe Cornish (of  Adam and Joe fame) among the writing credits.

I also re-watched Alien Resurrection recently with some friends. We were playing a board game which is based on the Alien series, containing scenarios for each of the films, and some of my friends hadn’t seen Resurrection, which we duly rectified. It was actually better than I remembered, despite the story making very little sense. A lot of the film seemed set up to give Sigourney Weaver cool lines. There were a few decent characters though, particularly those played by Winona Ryder and Ron Perlman. It’s definitely not the best writing Joss Whedon has done, however.

Film challenge update

I’ve been a bit rubbish on my film list recently, which has left me needing to watch, on average, a film from the list every other day for the rest of the year. Anywho, here are the ones I have watched recently.

As the first instalment of this Tarantino two-parter, it is somewhat difficult to evaluate in isolation. Kill Bill : Volume 1 (imdb rank 167) is the first half of a revenge story. We are presented with Uma Thurman’s character (who we do not learn the name of in this film) as she makes her way through a list of people she intends to kill.

The story is told in a non-linear manner, though not in quite so jumpy fashion as Pulp Fiction. There is, as we may expect from Tarantino (and the general premise), a lot of gore.

The soundtrack is one of the highlights for me. A wide array of top tunes supporting the story, including a featured performance by The 5,6,7,8s. 

There really isn’t much story here. It’s all in the presentation. It’s aesthetically very nice. One extended scene is portrayed in the form of an anime, which is a nice touch, and works really well in the film. The story we do have is reminiscent of a comic-book style. We have a heroine, several high-profile villains and a quest for revenge. Entertaining film, but not as good as several of his films before or since.

La Haine (1995)

I hadn’t heard of this film before I watched it. La Haine (imdb rank 226), which translates as “hate” or “hatred” is a French film, and it’s black and white. Beginning in a poor suburb of Paris, the story centres on three teenage male friends shortly after a riot during which one of their friends was critically wounded by police. One of the three (Vinz) is intent on getting revenge on the ‘pigs’ if their friend should die.

It’s a very powerful film, and poignant in a (depressing) way, insofar as it taps into the problems that result from inequality and perceived hopelessness, as the fear and desperation that can accompany living day-to-day.

The film is very authentic. The characters are all absolutely believable, which makes the difficulties they experience throughout the film particularly effective.

8 1/2 (1963)

I found this film difficult. 8 1/2 (imdb rank 196) is an Italian black-and-white film. The main character is a famous film director, who is trying to make a film, though he hasn’t really figured out what type of film he wants to make. He has a cast and is in the process of building a set though.

The reason I say I found it difficult is the constant flashbacks/fantasies/imagined scenes. They give a huge insight into the character, but for a large part of the film I found them confusing or disorienting. Early on in the film there are also several scenes where there just seem to be too many people talking. It definitely gives the desired effect, but at the same time makes the experience one of confusion/frustration.

It’s got a lot to say about life, and there are some very interesting scenes, but the film mostly struck me as kinda surreal. I didn’t really enjoy the experience. This is one of the films that film-makers adore, so my crude annoyance at it probably indicates that I’m some sort of Neanderthal. So be it. Joe confused. Joe want sleep.

Prisoners (2013)

Tense. Prisoners (imdb rank 238) is a very tense film. The film begins with the abduction of two young girls, before taking us through the responses of the detective put in charge (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the father of one of the girls (Hugh Jackman).

The ensuing drama reveals a complicated storyline, with several intricacies delivered with timing perfect to enhance the tension. At times, this film is quite an ordeal, but it pushes all the buttons it intends to.

Shutter Island (2010)

Directed by Martin Scorcese, this film (imdb rank 195) is a bit of a mind-fuck. I like it, but it is a mind-fuck. We see a US marshal visit an island (unsurprisingly called ‘Shutter Island’) to investigate a mental patient who escaped the hospital for the criminally insane. You can tell from very early on that everything is not as it seems. Twists and turns are expected and delivered, but in a way that isn’t disappointing.

With Leonardo DiCaprio as the main character, you expect a good performance, and that’s what you get. He plays the paranoid, anxious Teddy Daniels very well.

I think with this film we get a psychological thriller with everything you might want from the genre. It’s not going to go down as my favourite Scorcese film, but considering his repertoire, this is no damning indictment.

Into the Wild (2007)

This is a survival film based on a true story. Into the Wild (imdb rank 157) is essentially a character study of a college graduate who decides to leave society and go ‘into the wild’. I took a quick dislike to the main character, finding him annoying, petulant, self-righteous and generally irritating.

Despite that potential pitfall, the film is quite pleasant. A lot of short stories contributing to the trek of the main character are told – non-chronologically – in an appropriate order giving the piece a nice structure, making sense of the character’s life. I also found the main character much more tolerable as the film went on, which was fortunate.

I think it really comes together at the end, it the final “chapter”, so if you watch it and get put off, I’d recommend sticking with it, as it pays off.

In the last few weeks I also watched a few films not on my list (perhaps somewhat irresponsibly, given how many I need to watch by the end of the year already).

Frances Ha (2013) is a really cool film with a nice soundtrack. It’s pretty hipster, but if you can forgive such things – including its being black-and-white – I’d say give it a shot.

We need to talk about Kevin (2011) is a strange film based on a book of the same name. It was alright, but not one I’d recommend. Largely saved by the performance of Tilda Swinton.

Then there’s Jurassic World, which I saw at the cinema not long ago. As someone who still uses a Jurassic Park duvet cover, I do have a vested interest in this franchise. It was pretty much what I expected. It was exciting, entertaining, funny in places (not always deliberately). It had children who (in classic Jurassic Park style) were extremely irritating, and who I wanted to die from the start. The story doesn’t make much sense, as seems to be the way things are going in action films these days (alas). It is a fun film though, and DINOSAURS! 🙂