Out now on DVD
Eragon
Eragon is one of those films I've seen in the shops for quite some time, but because it looks like another budget D&D romp, I've shied away from it. Until now. I should've kept shying. The film starred Pinocchio or one of his wooden relatives. In support of a most unenthusiastic kind was Jeremy Irons, and underused were John Malkovich as the Evil King and Robert Carlyle as his Evil Henchman. There was some pointy, bony skinny girl as Princess Ariel, and a blue dragon which was forever likely to set the wooden boy on fire. The film ended threatening a sequel, but Irons and Carlyle managed to escape that fate by dying. Poor old Malkovich got really pissed off at a tapestry at the end. He was obviously angry that he'd signed up for the sequel and couldn't get out of it without severe financial penalties.
Blood and Chocolate
This is another werewolf story from the makers of Underworld, but where that was not intolerable, this is. Werewolf girl meets human boy, but the other wolves aren't having it. It's the old Romeo and Juliet routine. Watch Underworld or the sequel instead. Not great, but you'd really rather see those than this.
Goya's Ghosts
It's the Age of Goya. The Spanish Inquisition really isn't expected, but summons Natalie Portman on suspicion of being Jewish, and tortures her into admitting it. The family tries to get her out of prison, but fails even after blackmailing Father Lorenzo who, having got la Portman up the duff legs it to France and returns with Napoleon's armies. The prisoners of the Inquisition are freed, but by this time Portman has lost her marbles and tries to find her daughter (also played by Portman – way to keep costs down) who, as it happens, is a prostitute. Goya does what he can, but always seems too late to do it. In the end, the Inquisition have their revenge on the quisling, Lorenzo.
Stellan Skarsgard plays the part of Goya (couldn't they have got a Spaniard?) as if he stumbled across the set of the film and wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.
Nice to look at, but dissatisfying perhaps because it ends inconclusively.
10 items or less
Morgan Freeman plays an actor who's career has stalled. He goes to a supermarket as part of his preparation, allegedly, for an indie production. There he meets Paz Vega who works at the ten-items-or-less till. She has a job interview later in the day. He offers to help her prepare for it, while she restores his confidence. It's one of those mismatched buddy films, but understated. As Freeman says at the end of the film, they probably won't meet again. They've both got something out of their brief association and their lives move on. Danny Devito and Rhea Pearlman even put in a cameo appearance.
Dreamland
It's very hard not to describe Dreamland as a clichéfest. Girl lives in trailer park (aka Dreamland). She's constrained by her father who's never recovered from his wife's death; her best friend who's got MS; and the appearance of the new boy in town who she gives up for her dying friend. Meanwhile, she's an aspiring writer with offers coming in from universities all over the States.
It would've been easy for a film like this to be mawkish and sentimental, but it sort of manages to avoid that. It's not really doing anything new either. There's the inevitable crisis and it's resolution. The characters are a bunch of people who have become isolated from or have isolated themselves from the rest of society.
Post scriptum
Yeah, Spaces is misbehaving again. Yawn. I thought it'd been sorted, but clearly not quite yet. I might see you tomorrow. Who knows?
Eragon is one of those films I've seen in the shops for quite some time, but because it looks like another budget D&D romp, I've shied away from it. Until now. I should've kept shying. The film starred Pinocchio or one of his wooden relatives. In support of a most unenthusiastic kind was Jeremy Irons, and underused were John Malkovich as the Evil King and Robert Carlyle as his Evil Henchman. There was some pointy, bony skinny girl as Princess Ariel, and a blue dragon which was forever likely to set the wooden boy on fire. The film ended threatening a sequel, but Irons and Carlyle managed to escape that fate by dying. Poor old Malkovich got really pissed off at a tapestry at the end. He was obviously angry that he'd signed up for the sequel and couldn't get out of it without severe financial penalties.
Blood and Chocolate
This is another werewolf story from the makers of Underworld, but where that was not intolerable, this is. Werewolf girl meets human boy, but the other wolves aren't having it. It's the old Romeo and Juliet routine. Watch Underworld or the sequel instead. Not great, but you'd really rather see those than this.
Goya's Ghosts
It's the Age of Goya. The Spanish Inquisition really isn't expected, but summons Natalie Portman on suspicion of being Jewish, and tortures her into admitting it. The family tries to get her out of prison, but fails even after blackmailing Father Lorenzo who, having got la Portman up the duff legs it to France and returns with Napoleon's armies. The prisoners of the Inquisition are freed, but by this time Portman has lost her marbles and tries to find her daughter (also played by Portman – way to keep costs down) who, as it happens, is a prostitute. Goya does what he can, but always seems too late to do it. In the end, the Inquisition have their revenge on the quisling, Lorenzo.
Stellan Skarsgard plays the part of Goya (couldn't they have got a Spaniard?) as if he stumbled across the set of the film and wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.
Nice to look at, but dissatisfying perhaps because it ends inconclusively.
10 items or less
Morgan Freeman plays an actor who's career has stalled. He goes to a supermarket as part of his preparation, allegedly, for an indie production. There he meets Paz Vega who works at the ten-items-or-less till. She has a job interview later in the day. He offers to help her prepare for it, while she restores his confidence. It's one of those mismatched buddy films, but understated. As Freeman says at the end of the film, they probably won't meet again. They've both got something out of their brief association and their lives move on. Danny Devito and Rhea Pearlman even put in a cameo appearance.
Dreamland
It's very hard not to describe Dreamland as a clichéfest. Girl lives in trailer park (aka Dreamland). She's constrained by her father who's never recovered from his wife's death; her best friend who's got MS; and the appearance of the new boy in town who she gives up for her dying friend. Meanwhile, she's an aspiring writer with offers coming in from universities all over the States.
It would've been easy for a film like this to be mawkish and sentimental, but it sort of manages to avoid that. It's not really doing anything new either. There's the inevitable crisis and it's resolution. The characters are a bunch of people who have become isolated from or have isolated themselves from the rest of society.
Post scriptum
Yeah, Spaces is misbehaving again. Yawn. I thought it'd been sorted, but clearly not quite yet. I might see you tomorrow. Who knows?
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