Sunday 25 August 2013

TV

Veronica Mars
2x19 Nevermind the Buttocks

Films

Speed (1994)
[2nd watch]

I think I appreciated this more second time round. Sure, Keanu Reeves can't act -- but he's not as bad as I remembered, mainly because only one or two scenes really require Acting. What it is, however, is fantastically directed and edited, a proper rollercoaster ride that is both exciting and tense as required. Fantastic job by Jan de Bont & co.

this week on 100 Films

Three new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, including the first from What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?

And that's up first...


City Lights (1931)
Though the film is mostly comedic and the romantic plot is a little thin, Chaplin also manages to construct moments that are affectingly emotional. The most notable is the ending, which remains a striking example of subtle acting yielding huge rewards.
Read more here.


The Imposter (2012)
There’s no doubting The Imposter tells a bizarre and fascinating tale, but at times I felt it was one that might be better served through a solid Sunday supplement article than a feature-length documentary film.
Read more here.


It Happened One Night (1934)
it’s the archetypal rom-com: two mismatched people are forced together, initially hate each other, fall in love. I don’t know if it was such a well-known set of events back then, but today it’s a formula we’ve seen repeated a thousand times in cinema. Despite that, its execution here feels fresh.
Read more here.


And new to the new blog...


Babel (2006)
The quickest way to assess Babel is to say that it is about something — or, About Something. The plots, such as they are, aren’t really the point; nor is how they connect, or what chronology they actually occurred in... Naturally, because it is About Something, the Something it is About isn’t made blindingly clear
Read more here.


St. Trinian's (2007)
it has a pleasantly wicked sense of humour, which must be pushing that 12 certificate on moral grounds... There’s a number of good, brief, visual gags too, such as the RE department having a Practical Study of the Easter Story with a girl strung up like Jesus on the cross (Christian bating is always funny).
Read more here.


While You Were Sleeping (1995)
It’s not a laugh-out-loud comedy and it is (of course) heavy on the sentiment, but it does have a lovely Christmasiness that is perfect for [that] time of year.
Read more here.


More next Sunday.