Shadow Dancer (movie review)

Shadow Dancer (15) (1 hr 42 mins)

It’s not often you see a film that is completely captivating from the opening shot to the closing credits but Shadow Dancer is one such film. This gripping thriller relies on a well-crafted plot and believable characters to hold your attention throughout.

The opening scenes are set in Belfast in 1973. Young girl Colette is asked by her father to go out to buy him cigarettes. She persuades her younger brother to go in her place and he is killed in the street (as we later find out) by an IRA bullet.

We then jump to London in the early 1990s. Now a young mother, Colette (played by Andrea Riseborough) is also an IRA operative. She is on a mission to plant a bomb on the London Underground but when the mission goes wrong, she’s arrested. MI5 officer Mac (Clive Owen) offers her a deal: escape from a long prison sentence and separation from her son in return for informing on her own family.

She accepts the offer but is soon involved in an IRA attack on a police detective. When the attack is thwarted it becomes clear to IRA leader Kevin that either Colette or her brother Connor must have tipped off the police. With Mac demanding tip-offs and Kevin watching her every move, she knows that one slip-up will wreck her life.

Meanwhile Mac has problems of his own. He begins to realise that his boss (Gillian Anderson) has her own agenda and that he cannot guarantee Colette’s safety.

Directed by James Marsh (Man on Wire, Project Nim), the film is atmospheric, raw and well-paced. It benefits from an intelligent script by Tom Bradby (on whose 2001 novel it is based) and an outstanding performance from Riseborough as a woman with secrets but no-one to confide in. At the core of the film lies Colette’s inner conflict between loyalty to her son and loyalty to her brothers. How great a sacrifice is she willing to make?

It is refreshing to watch a thriller that is not crammed full of dialogue, car chases and gun fights. In this film what is left unsaid is as important as the words that are spoken, and excitement is built up with clever plot twists and skilful editing. Marsh’s direction is impressive, his varied use of tracking shots, hand-held camera and close-ups racking up the tension.

Marsh won an Oscar for his brilliant documentary Man on Wire (2008), which told the story of Phlippe Petit’s high-wire walk between the Twin Towers in New York. Shadow Dancer proves he can make outstanding films in different genres and marks him out as a film-maker to watch.

I saw this film at the newly-refurbished Ritzy in Brixton and was impressed with the venue. The seats are comfortable, it has a bar and restaurant and also hosts live music. It’s one of the Picture House cinemas, which combine mainstream films with independent and foreign films. Check out their film programme at www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Ritzy-Picturehouse/Whats_On.

Rating: 9/10

The Apple (movie review)

The Apple (drama) (1998) (1 hr 26 mins)

This engrossing film from first-time Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf tells the true story of 12-year old twin girls who since birth have been kept locked inside their home by their parents.

Their mother is blind and their elderly father is worried that allowing the girls to play outside in the yard would make them vulnerable to local youths who sometimes climb over the front wall to retrieve their football. When some of the neighbours send a petition to Social Services, the girls are initially taken into care, then allowed home on condition that the parents allow them to leave the house.

What makes this film so extraordinary is that it has the style of a documentary but is actually re-enacting scenes that happened so that the camera can record them. The director managed to get the family to agree to take part in the film.

The girls’ case was picked up by the newspapers and the father in particular feels aggrieved when it is reported (wrongly it seems) that the girls were chained up and neglected. At times the father breaks down in tears at what he sees as his mistreatment by the Press. The mother remains angry at how outsiders have intruded upon her life.  One wonders why they agreed to take part in a film that doesn’t reflect very well on them. Money perhaps? The chance to give their side of the story?

Most of the film portrays how life changes for the family when a social worker insists that the children be allowed out into the streets to play with other children. The two girls can barely speak, having had no contact with anyone except their parents. Yet the local children quickly befriend them and there seems real hope that the girls can adjust to a more normal life.

The girls themselves seem remarkably joyful considering the limitations that have been placed on them. They take delight in simple pleasures like making handprints on the wall, watering a plant, eating an ice cream. They are clearly not acting but just being themselves. It is hard to tell whether all the scenes are re-enacting events that actually happened but the film has a natural feel and a simplicity that makes you believe this is a true story.

The director was only 17 when she made the film but must have benefited from her father, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, also being a film director. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the film is the way in which the director lets the camera linger over each scene, allowing the story to unfold gradually. The film won the award for best first feature at the London Film Festival.

Rating: 9/10

Brave (movie review)

Brave (2012) (animated fantasy) (1 hr 33 mins)

This latest film from the Pixar stable is an entertaining fairy tale set in tenth century Scotland. It tells the story of feisty teenage princess Merida, who is a brilliant archer and not at all suited to the demure life her mother has trained her for. When the Queen prepares her for the ritual arranged marriage with a prince from one of the local tribes, Merida rebels and runs away.

She comes upon a witch and asks her to cast a spell upon her mother to make her back down. But the spell misfires and turns the Queen into a bear. After a good many fights, chases and a dose of heart-searching, the Queen is restored and harmony breaks out between mother and daughter.

The story is rather slight but the action is carried out with the usual panache and humour we have come to expect from Pixar. The Scottish setting gives the film a rustic feel and the cast, which includes Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters and Robbie Coltrane, throw themselves into proceedings with gusto.

The central relationship in the film is between mother and daughter so I would expect the film to appeal especially to pre-teen girls, though the cinema I watched it in had a very mixed audience including younger children, teenagers and quite a few adults. I saw it with my 15-year old daughter and she enjoyed it. We saw it in its 3D version, which probably made it more interesting to watch.

I think adults might find the story a tad twee and the characters rather one-dimensional. The action moves along at a fair pace under the direction of Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt) but doesn’t have much of a message. Apparently Pixar rewrote their animation programs for the first time in 25 years for this film but I can’t say I noticed any difference in the animation.

Before the film there is an amusing animated short called La Luna by first-time director Enrico Casarosa, which has received an Academy Award nomination.

Rating: 6/10

Woody Allen: A Documentary (movie review)

Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012) (documentary) (1 hr 53 mins)

This engaging documentary from Robert Weide is a timely reminder of the comic genius of one of the world’s great comic actors and film directors. If you only know Allen from Midnight in Paris, be assured that he has made many better and funnier films in a long and distinguished career.

There are interviews with Allen’s family and friends, critics and actors including Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Penelope Cruz, Larry David, Mariel Hemingway and Marshall Brickman. However, the most revealing scenes are the reflections of Woody Allen himself. It becomes clear that he is not motivated by money or fame but by the hope of making a great film worthy of his heroes, Fellini and Bergman. He is clearly disappointed at how some of his films have turned out, though why he should single out Manhattan for criticism (widely regarded as one of his very best films) is puzzling.

At the start of the film, Allen reveals that it is the writing of scripts that is his first love. Translating the screenplay into film is a frustrating process for him. His first involvement in film came when he was commissioned to write the screenplay for What’s New Pussycat? (1965). Studio interference mangled his script and left him feeling bitter. He resolved that if he ever made his own films, he would demand complete control. He’s never had any studio interference on any of his films.

The documentary gives an informative account of Allen’s background, an upbringing in Brooklyn, his early love of the cinema, early success as a gag writer for newspaper columnists and how he forced himself through the ordeal of stand-up comedy until he made himself a success.

The film provides a good overview of Allen’s career as a film director but it was a shame there wasn’t more attention given to some of his best films, particularly Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanours, two of his most ambitious and critically acclaimed films. After the scandal over his private life when he left Mia Farrow to marry Farrow’s adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, his films struggled to secure a cinema release for a number of years, which led to some good films being rather overlooked. These included the very funny comedies Anything Else and Curse of the Jade Scorpion.

One of the features of Allen’s film career has been how many established film actors have wanted to star in his films. Very few have turned him down. Scarlett Johansson and Naomi Watts speak of appreciating the freedom he gives actors to interpret the script in whatever way they see fit. On the other hand, Josh Brolin clearly wanted more of a steer from the director.

Allen comes across in this documentary as a driven man, compelled to bring out a film every year. He also appears to be a humble, warm and very funny man. If you enjoy this film, you’ll also enjoy Wild Man Blues, a 1997 documentary by Barbara Kopple of the European tour Allen undertook with his jazz band. That film reveals a Woody Allen close to his neurotic screen persona, and again brings out his natural humour and warmth.

There have been some great Woody Allen films, a lot of very good ones and quite a few mediocre efforts. Let’s hope he will be remembered for his best films, which hold their own against the very best films ever made. He should certainly be remembered as the funniest film actor there has ever been.

Rating: 8/10

Spider-Man (movie review)

The Amazing Spider-Man (fantasy) (2012) (2 hrs 16 mins)

The latest instalment of the Spider-Man returns to territory covered in the first Spider-Man film from Sam Raimi back in 2002, with Peter Parker a high-school student discovering that he suddenly has amazing powers. The second and third films were darker and seemed to lose their way by looking for an emotional depth that the characters just couldn’t carry.

This fourth Spider-Man film returns to the simplicity of the first film. The director is Marc Webb, who made the innovative film 500 Days of Summer. There is not too much innovation here but the film has all the ingredients for an engaging superhero film. The story may be much the same but this time around we have a different actor playing Spider-Man and a different villain for him to face.

Parker visits the laboratory of his father's friend, Dr Connors (played by Rhys Ifans) and is bitten by a radioactive spider, thus gaining remarkable powers. of strength and agility. Dr Connors injects his withered arm with a lizard DNA-enhanced serum (as you do) and turns into The Lizard. Meanwhile, Parker falls for classmate Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone). whose father, by coincidence, is a police captain convinced that Spider-Man is nothing but a vigilante.

In some ways this version of Spider-Man's origins is better than the first film. Andrew Garfield is an improvement on Tobey Maguire, who just seemed too nerdy to transform into a superhero and lacked Garfield's charm. The script contains enough laugh-out-load moments and Martin Sheen adds some acting weight playing Parker's Uncle Ben. The special effects are also up the usual high standard. The film also has a touch more realism, which particulary works in the romantic scenes.

I’m still not sure that it was necessary to remake the first film. Surely this was a lost opportunity to do something more interesting with an established superhero?

Rating: 7/10

Night of the Sunflowers (movie review)

Night of the Sunflowers (thriller) (2006) (2 hrs 3 mins)

This debut feature by Spanish director and screenwriter Jorge Sanchez-Cabezudo is an assured and gripping thriller. It tells the story in six segments, from the viewpoint of different characters, allowing us to interpret the action in different ways as our understanding builds and to see how the characters’ lives become intertwined.  

The setting is a quiet Spanish village which has been shocked by the recent murder of a young woman. Now another crime is about to be committed.  A young woman, Gabi, is waiting for the arrival of her husband, Esteban, and his colleague, Pedro, when she’s attacked by a travelling salesman. When Esteban and Pedro arrive, the man has gone and they go in search of him. When Gabi identifies the wrong man, they confront him and the man is accidentally killed. They decide to cover up the death, a decision which is to have many repercussions. 

Another strand of the story shows young policeman Tomas, working for the demanding Amadeo and engaged to his daughter. When the distressed men arrive with Gabi, Tomas sees a chance to line his own pocket, unaware that his boss is becoming suspicious. 

The scenes are beautifully composed, almost like works of art and the tension is built up steadily, with unusual camera angles and a kind of lingering stillness. The characters are all well drawn and the film manages to keep us guessing about the outcome right up to the end.

Since this film, Sanchez-Cabezudo has concentrated on TV drama, which is a shame as his talent deserves to be seen on the big screen. 

Rating: 9/10

A Separation (movie review)

A Separation (drama) (2011) (1 hr 31 mins)

Even if you don’t like foreign films, I urge you to see this film as it is quite simply one of the best films ever made. 

It’s an Iranian film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi which touches on issues of culture and religion but is, at heart, about human relationships, about how conflicts and misunderstandings can easily arise and cause so much damage. Its setting is Tehran but it could be any town in any country. The film won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, plus numerous other awards from film festivals around the world. It was also the highest rated film on the Meatcritic website for 2011. 

From the opening scene, where middle-class couple Nader and Simin dispute with a judge about whether or not they should get divorced, to the final scene, where their 11-year old daughter Termeh has to decide which of them to live with, the story is utterly gripping. There are enough plot twists to make you feel you are watching a thriller. 

Nader and Simin have been married for 14 years but now Simin wants to leave the country with daughter Termeh as she doesn’t want Termeh to grow up in Iran. Nader wants to stay in Iran and is concerned for the welfare of his elderly father, who lives with the family and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Simin files for divorce but the judge rejects her application so she moves in with her parents, leaving Nader to look after Termeh and Nader’s father. 

Nader hires Razieh, a poor, deeply religious woman, to care for his father while he’s out at work. Razieh is pregnant and also has a daughter she has to bring with her to work. One day, Nader returns home to find Razieh has gone and his father is lying unconscious on the floor. When Razieh returns, Nader confronts her and accuses her of stealing money (though she is innocent of this as Simin had earlier taken the money to pay removal men). He pushes her out of the flat and she slips and falls, leading to a miscarriage. 

From this set-up a battle of wills develops between Nader and Razieh and her husband as both sides seek redress through the legal system. Nader eventually agrees to pay Razieh compensation but on condition that she swears on the Qur’an that his actions caused her miscarriage. This is one of many moral dilemmas the characters face as the situation escalates. 

The film engenders sympathy for all of the characters through all the twists and turns of the plot. The direction, script and acting are excellent and the film richly deserves the praise it has won. It will be interesting to follow Farhadi’s career to see if his future work can live up to the very high standards set by this film. 

Rating: 10/10

The Fallen Idol (movie review)

The Fallen Idol (thriller) (1948) (1 hr 35 mins)

This was the first, and arguably the best, of three collaborations between director Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene, the others being The Third Man (1949) and Our Man in Havana (1959). It was nominated for Oscars for Best Direction and Best Adapted Screenplay and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film.

The story unfolds over a single weekend and is told through the eyes of Phillipe, the young son of an ambassador in a foreign embassy in London. The ambassador is away but will return on Monday with his long-absent wife. The absence of Phillipe’s mother is not fully explained but there is a hint that she may have been suffering from some mental illness that cannot be openly discussed. Phillipe is left in the care of the butler, Baines (played by Ralph Richardson), and his formidable wife, the housekeeper. Phillipe has come to idolise Baines, who entertains him with made-up stories of daring adventures in Africa and other exotic locations.  

For Baines, time spent with Phillipe is an escape from a loveless marriage. Baines is also developing a relationship with a younger woman, Julie, who is the embassy secretary. When Phillipe sees them together in a cafe, Baines tells him that she is his niece. They take Phillipe to the zoo and he begins to view Julie as an intruder, a threat to his special relationship with Baines. 

After Baines has an argument with his wife, she falls from an upstairs landing and is killed. It is an accident but Phillipe thinks Baines has murdered her and when the police arrive to investigate he tries to protect his hero, which only serves to make the police suspicious. The tension builds as Phillipe becomes increasingly desperate to help Baines but each step he takes seems to make things worse. 

Graham Greene regarded this as the best film adaptation of his work and it is certainly an excellent film, with richly-drawn characters and masterful direction that makes full use of the vast spaces within the embassy. Richardson gives a measured performance as Baines, conveying a man trapped in an unhappy marriage and trying to make the most of life. Phillipe is also an interesting character. Neglected by his parents, he forms a strong attachment to Baines but feels sidelined by Julie’s appearance in his hero’s life. When the police arrive on the scene, his need for attention transfers to the police and he threatens to disrupt the investigation. 

The film is tightly-plotted and skilfully builds up the suspense as Phillipe struggles to comprehend the adult world which surrounds him. 

Rating: 10/10