The Last Film I Saw: “Colin”

Let’s try this again…

COLIN

Went to a preview of this supposed £45 zombie film at the BFI for Halloween. The director, Marc Price, was a really lovely, humble guy and I hope he gets the success he deserves. The film was good, the microbudget shows but the passion and story shine through the short comings. Like the zombie main character the story meanders and slightly outstays its welcome, it is also extremely hard to feel sympathy for a zombie and the film struggles partly to muster any kind of empathy and emotion for its main character. It flits from individual vignettes as the zombie travels the streets, to the overarching story of Colin himself – and the mix can be a little jarring  (when we move to another scene debating the point of the previous). However all this said, it’s a good little movie with some fantastic scenes. Definitely catch it if you get the chance on its limited cinema run.

Review: Koji Morimoto’s Orange Scrapbook

Koji Morimoto is one of my favourite directors and animators. You may not recognise his name but if you have a remote knowledge of Japanese animation I’m sure you would recognise his work (Akira ring any bells?). While he is perhaps most famous for animating on large anime films and series I am personally most fond of his work as a director – he directed “Magnetic Rose” by far the best film on the “Memories” anime shorts DVD, and directed “Beyond” on the original “Animatrix” DVD (again my personal favourite of the collection). As a director his films have a distinct style, inhabiting dreamy scifi worlds not far removed from our own (and, of course, the animation is always phenomenal). Anyway, I heard there was an artbook of his lurking around so after much hunting I managed to get myself a copy, and it didn’t disappoint.

Review: “Adaptation”

Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze up the ante with “Adaptation” a bonkers self-referential splurge on writers’ block and orchids (as a metaphor for passion).

Kaufman includes himself as a character in this script, and his portrayal is everything a screenwriter should be: self-deprecating, overweight and hopelessly timid. His character is wonderfully offset by a fictitious identical twin brother, an equal parts loveable and infuriating character who typifies the awful amateur screenwriter, with banal, idiotic and overused ideas, who to top it all off is excepted in to the industry by blind luck. Both characters are brought to life by Nicolas Cage who, while I generaly dislike, shows his ability as a half-decent actor during some of the more tender scenes between the two characters.

Review: “Elephant”

Okay, “Elephant” is a film inspired by the Columbine shootings, and shows a regular high school day ending in a similar harrowing incident. The film is shot beautifully, with some huge (and technically amazing) tracking shots, that follow several different students on their individual journeys throughout the school. They serve to build up a picture of a vibrant high school full of life, and really put you in to the shoes of some of the characters.

Review: “Cannabis Works”

Tatsuyuki Tanaka is a big animator in Japan – he worked as a key animator on Akira (pretty much the biggest Japanese animated movie ever), and has done work on music videos, short films and adverts.

Review: “Imprint”

“Imprint” is Takashi Miike’s entry to the “Masters of Horror” series that ran in early 2006. His entry was banned in America, but aired over here in the UK on a little channel called Bravo - however not wishing to line Rupert Murdock’s pockets (and not being able to afford to, even if I did) I missed it. Finally, and with great anticipation, I managed to seek it out.

Review: “A Better Tomorrow”

John Woo’s “A Better Tomorrow” is one of my favourite films, while it may not be the best example to illustrate his action artistry it illustrates his skill as a filmmaker and storyteller perfectly. The story itself is a classic emotional tale of gangster redemption: Mark and Ho are partners in crime, gangster bosses and best friends. Life is great (Ho even managing to conceal his profession from his cop brother Kit) until one day a job goes foul, Ho is banged up in prison and Mark gets crippled trying to avenge him. One prison montage later and Ho is released to find his father topped by rival gangsters, his brother hates his guts, and his best friend Mark is working for peanuts downtrodden by the same gang he was once a boss of. Now the two of them must get out and play it straight, but will the gang let them go and will Kit ever forgive Ho?