Finding good movies is a bit of an Easter egg hunt this year. Let’s start with three good movies that have been on before; that somehow you might have missed. Both Platoon [e.tv.Sunday.22.05] and Slumdog Millionaire [M-Net.Saturday.00.15] won Oscars for Best Film.
A ROBERT CAPA LIKE IMAGE FROM PLATOON
Oliver Stone brought the bloodfest that had been Vietnam into grisly focus in Platoon; it’s strangely dated today, there has been quite a revisionist backlash in war movie making since then (compare it to say The Hurt Locker)
WARFARE FOR A NEW MILNNIUM IN THE HURT LOCKER
Platoon is interesting to watch again for that reason alone. And, to be fair, Oliver Stone is a more than competent filmmaker; Platoon is Stone at his best.
In Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle examined the implications that instant wealth can have on an ordinary person. We all live with this prospect now, reality TV has seen to that. Millions are there for the taking if you can sing, dance, act, survive on a diet of creepy crawlies or in this case, know the name of the third musketeer.
THE TENSION IS PALPABLE
There are also some stunning performances from the whole cast of Revolutionary Road [M-Net.Friday.04.00]; watch out especially for Michael Shannon. If you missed the movie on the big screen or last week on the box, it’s well worth waking up for.
FORSTER IN ACTION
Only in America could the authorities invent a machine that, quite literally fries people, and its legal, too. Monster’s Ball [M-Net.Saturday.22.20] is a stunning piece of cinema, made by Marc Foster, who directed Finding Neverland, one of my favourite movies from the last decade.
In 2001, Foster examined the very controversial subject of judicial murder and the effect that this has on the humans involved, both the family surrounding the person on death row and those called upon to administer this form of barbaric justice.
A STUNNING PERFORMANCE
Halle Berry delivers a performance that has to be seen, to be believed. Her role as the wife of an executed man won her a well-deserved Oscar, incidentally making her the first black woman to be so honoured. Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle are also first class; I don’t think that anyone who watches Monster’s Ball will ever think about Capital Punishment in the same way again.
Monster’s Ball also takes a look at love and trust across racial lines, so does another movie on show this week. Foreign Student [SABC1.Sunday.22.00] finds a young Frenchman dealing with racial tension in the Deep South of the 1950s, where existed racism, on a par with that of South Africa.
THE FILM WAS A GREAT SUCCESS IN FRANCE
The film doesn’t work on every level, but it does go a long way to show how unimportant race, as an issue, shoud be.
WILLIAMSON INFLUENCED BRITISH BLUES BANDS OF THE 60S
Foreign Student is not a heavy treatise and there are some glorious moments, enlivened by the music of blues giants, Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin’ Wolf.
THE SHEER JOY OF 'LET'S PRETEND'
A movie that has been around for a few weeks is Son of Rambow [M-Net.Sunday.03.15]. Don’t be put off by the title; actually, it’s a delightful look at adolescence, in all its complexity, joy and adventure.
THAT'S MIA FARROW'S MUM MAUREEN O' SULLIVAN CLUTCHING TARZAN
Tarzan was a screen forerunner of other great heroes, Superman and Batman to name just two. Nowadays, our heroes come from distant, dark planets, in the early days of Hollywood, Darkest Africa sufficed. Tarzan, played by Johnny Weissmuller thrilled audiences of the thirties with his daring do and animal cunning, not to mention his eloquent cut to the chase, ‘Me Tarzan, You Jane.’
MINNIE DRIVER IS JANE'S VOICE
A piece of loincloth and a broad smile survived for decades until they tried to intellectualize the whole thing and made Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes and most of the fun evaporated. Not to be outdone, Disney went back to basics, and made a very nice little animated musical, Tarzan
[SABC3.Sunday.14.30], with a score by Genesis front man and superstar soloist, Phil Collins. He won an Oscar for You’ll Be My Heart and Tarzan has since done duty as a Broadway musical.
PHIL CLUTCHING HIS OSCAR
CRUELLA IN FULL CRY
In 1961, Disney made an animated feature called 101 Dalmatians, featuring super villainess, Cruella De Vil who spends most of the movie trying to turn a batch of puppies into a coat. I remember hating her at the bughouse matinee, even then. The movie and her name passed into movie buff history. Come the 90’s, the film was remade, in non-animated form, with Glenn Close camping it up as Cruella. The film was okay and Madam Close was well supported by Joely Richardson and Joan Plowright—101 Dalmatians [M-Net.Sunday.10.00].
CAMPING CLOSE
Anyway, to squeeze the last box office dollar, four years later came 102 Dalmatians [e.tv.Friday.14.30 and Saturday 13.30], Camping Close at it again, with an even more over the top Gerard Depardieu in tow. This was not a good idea at all. I think the DVD of the original is available, do yourself and your loved ones a favour and hire it instead.
COME BACK, ALL IS FORGIVEN
I was never a great Pink Panther fan, but then, I am not a sight gag fan, and to me it all seemed a bit of a one joke joke. How I long for Peter Sellers, now that Steve Martin has made his second appearance as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther 2 [M-Net.Sunday.20.00 and Wednesday.23.55].
SEE WHAT I MEAN!
Steve is also around doing what he does best, making a right twit of himself; this time, with the help of Queen Latifah, who, by the way, is the best thing about the movie. The film is called Bringing the House Down [e.tv.Friday.20.00]; they could burn it down for all I care.
NARNIA COMES TO LIFE
With the holidays here, fantasy abounds. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [SABC3.Saturday.19.30] is everything that Narnia fans could want. The story is well told and the special effects are there for plot purposes, and not just for effect. For the record, Tilda Swinton makes a jolly good witch.
ALMOST OVERKILL
I was less impressed with the adaptation of Corneilia Funke’s Inkheart [M-Net. Saturday.20.30 and Tuesday.02.50]. Her story has become a real fantasy classic, but the movie, somehow seems to try too hard, there is almost too much to see. The movie is worth a watch, however. The idea of characters from books coming to life is such an appealing one, so nice to see dear Toto, the little dog from The Wizard of Oz.
AS A RULE, THE 30S DATE MUCH BETTER THAN THE 60S OR 70S
Angelina Jolie proves again that she is not just a pouty face, she can act—and how. Clint Eastwood directed Changeling [M-Net.Monday.21.30], which is well set in the Depression and concerns a nightmare scenario—the power that the state can wield. John Malkovich, always has something interesting to offer and the film as a whole is intriguing, if a little on the long side.
THE SYMBOLIC GUN
If Assault on Precinct 13 [SABC1.Friday.22.00] is indeed the original, and not the rather poor remake with Ethan Hawke, then we are all in for a treat. Although made in the late 70s, the film is an urban classic, taunt, spare and compelling. John Carpenter never really made a better movie.
CRUZ AND KINGSLEY IN AN ACTING BONANZA
Elegy [M-Net.21.30], made by Spanish director Isabel Coixet, is also pretty marvelous, with Ben Kingsley proving that he wasn’t just Gandhi, and Penelope Cruz proving again what a fine thinking actress she is. The story wobbles a bit, but overall, the human dynamics click, and Patricia Clarkson is a standout in a smallish role.
CRUZ' LOREN LIKE SMOLDERING WON HER AN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION
Volver [M-Net.Sunday.22.35] is another Spanish offering, this time from Pedro Almodovar, an outrageous filmmaker, whose movies often work very well. Volver is definitely one of those, with a sensuous Penelope Cruz, looking like a young Sophia Loren, with just the right amount of bemused comic input. The subtitles don’t detract a bit; somehow they connive to make the film even funnier. Don’t miss it.
NO BOGIE AND BACALL
Basic Instinct [e.tv.Saturday.22.10] was mostly hype on first release; all that can be said is that it hasn’t aged very well either.
I see that e.tv. is showing its well-worn Sherlock Holmes movie on Thursday, after midnight, to tie in perhaps, with Robert Downey/ Jude Law Sherlock Holmes around at the moment. Actually, it is one of the Basil Rathbone/ Nigel Bruce classics from the 40s, but it is one of 20 old titles that e.tv. recycle week after week, this being one of the regulars.
A BIT OF LATE NIGHT TELLY-KEVIN WHATELY AS LEWIS
I know these movies are often shown in the middle of the night, but some people enjoy just that. Watching late night movies. Surely, they can find a fresh batch from somewhere or take a leaf out of M-Net’s book and buy some British TV series that are feature length. Lewis [M-Net.Friday.00.15] is on this week. Lewis, of course was Inspector Morse’s sidekick. It’s the same sort of thing as Morse, highly entertaining whodunit stuff and it can help to get you, very pleasantly, through the night.
My pick is Monster’s Ball [M-Net.Saturday.22.20]. It really is a movie of note.