Sunday 7 March 2010

this week on 100 Films

6 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

His Girl Friday (1940)
If you ever meet anyone who claims all old black & white films are slow, simple and boring, show them this. And if you ever meet anyone who hasn’t seen this, show them it; and if you haven’t seen it, watch it

Juno (2007)
There’s underage sex, swearing, numerous displays of teen independence, divorce, love of rock music and horror films… All that’s missing from a Middle American Mom’s worst nightmare is drugs (there’s no violence either, but we know them there yankees love a bit of that).

The Man Who Sued God (2001)
putting the church in a position where their only sensible defence is to prove God doesn’t exist is always going to make for a good story.

Michael Clayton (2007)
The obvious point of comparison is Damages, the excellent TV series that also concerns such high-profile big-business lawsuits, but... Damages sustains it for over 9 hours, replete with cliffhangers and plot twists so far beyond what Clayton’s surprisingly straightforward story has to offer that Gilroy isn’t even dreaming of being that good.

No Country For Old Men (2007)
it’s really about Fate, randomness, chance. Some clearly think this brilliant; I remain unconvinced. It lacks satisfaction. Maybe that’s real life — no, that is real life: random and lacking closure and satisfaction. But this isn’t real life, it’s a movie

There Will Be Blood (2007)
I can’t help but wonder if I missed something crucial along the way because, even after two and a half hours, I had no real idea what the film was about.

More next Sunday.

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