So, the first film is "Cadfael" The Sanctuary Sparrow. A Brother Cadfael film, based on the the books by Ellis Peters (Edith Mary Pargeter). Wonderfully filmed, Cadfael is acted by Derek Jacobi, and is one of our favourite series on DVD. They only filmed 13 of her stories in this series, but they're all wonderfully filmed and acted. They're truly a joy to watch, and we watch them again whenever the mood strikes us. The only sad thing is that there's only 13 of them...
District 9 is an interesting film that deals with the issues of aparthied, bigotry and prejudice, and xenophobia, all in the context of a pretty good science fiction plot. The film was one of the 'sleeper' films of 2009, and was very well received critically. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Besides, it's not often you hear so many South African accents in a film...
La dignidad de los nadies (The Dignity of the Nobodies) is a documentary analyzing globalization's role in the economic disaster in Argentina which led to the December 2001 rebellions, and focuses on the small victories of thousands of the 'nobodies' that make a difference and may just change the world...
What can I say about Sherlock Holmes? Other than, if you get a chance, watch this film! In every new film I see him, I am more and more impressed with Robert Downey Jr.s acting abilities. When I first read of the film being done with him in the lead I was more than skeptical. After seeing it I can honestly say that I've seen Holmes transformed. A brilliant bit of acting, keeping all the necessary habits and quirks,but putting new life in an old body. I never thought anyone would be able to do a credible Holmes after Jeremy Brett, but Rober Downey Jr. gives it his best, and it certainly shows. Truly well done. Even good old Dr. Watson is reborn in this film, and in a good way, in keeping with a former military gentleman. There's more of the suprenatural in this film than in the usual Sherlock Holmes story, but it works well and keeps the action moving. Overall, very much worth the viewing...
A horror movie in the non-classic category - Ginger Snaps. Oh, there's lots to say here about these young girls and 'the curse' and the change to a werewolf and all that kind of stuff. It all doesn't come off perfectly, though. It's not fully successful in using the change at puberty to a young woman become a werewolf - another type of change. The attempt to showt hem as analogous is stretched a bit in the film, but overall this B movie horror film works well. It has it's frightening moments, a certain amount of humour, and just the right amount of dread and uncertainty. While it may have bitten off more than it can chew (heh, heh) in the analogy department, it certainly works as a horror flick, and a pretty darn good one. The lead (or the lead who is becoming a werewolf) is named Ginger. 'Ginger Snaps', get it? There you go...
What to say about ¡Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana)? Well, it's an animated film, the only one I watched in the past while. It's an older film, released in 1987, and the DVD release shows its age. The plot is interesting - a vampire scientist has created an elixir that will allow vampires to go out during the day, and the formula is kept by his nephew, a jazz trumpet player in the Cuba. What this starts is a war between the vampire equivalent of the Mafia and the traditional European vampires, with lots of action and so on. A fun bit of fluff, really, though it's necessary to watch it at leaast twice (like any subtitled film) in order to catch everything. It's just part of my love of vampire films...
Les dents de la nuit (Vampire Party) is another one of my guilty pleasure vampire flicks. This is a French film, again subtitled, which requires a second and possibly third watching to get everything. It's nothing out of the usual for a vampire film, though it's filmed as a comedy and comes off well in that genre. There's not too much in it to frighten anyone, but, while a bit risque (it is French) there's nothing overtly sexual in it and some of the humour is delightful. It's fun to watch French comedy, and doubly fun to watch French comedy including vampires. It's not a deep film full of meaning and hidden sub-text, but it is a great popcorn flick. I'll be watching this again.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian *Sigh* I'm not sure what to say about this film. It's a Disney production, and they've obviously spared no expense in filming it, but it somehow seems flat and lifeless compared to the older BBC productions of some of the Narnia books. It's not that it's bad, it's just that it's, well, boring might descibe it. I didn't feel a lot of connection with any of the characters. While I might consider this a good popcorn flick, I know from reading the book and the rest in the series that it should be more. It should draw me into the world the children have been called into again, but it doesn't. It's pretty. Disney does pretty really well. That's about it.
Well, there you are. Most of the films we (or I) have watched in the past couple of weeks. I say most because I know there have been some that I've forgotten. That won't matter as I'm sure I'll watch them again. I'll try to include them at that time...
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