Object Dart

This page has taken over from the numerous reviews I was writing.

I’ll just list films, with a blurb.

district 9 – 23 august 2009 – pretty damn awesome.

star trek – 7 may 2009.

the watchmen – 14 march 2009 – been a long time between drinks of water. a great little film, of a graphic novel i’ve never read. really enjoyable but.

hallam foe – 31 december 2008 – a delightful and quirky scots black comedy. hallam is not recovering from his mother’s death, and is searches for evidence by spying on people. crazy, crazy days.

coversations with my gardener – 25 november 2008 – another family film, this time french. a painter retires to his family villa, and there meets an old friend. a tale about the wisdom of simplicity, friendship, and the small things mattering at the end.

hula girls – 24 november 2008 – very much a family film, hula girls is based on a true story. a japanese coal-mining town is facing closure, but is saved by the formation of a troop of hula dancers. a touching, well written drama with plenty of laughs, the usual characters, and a little morality.

after the wedding – 23 november 2008 – a great danish film. a bloke running a food programme for homeless kids in india is summoned to rich benefactor back home. there his old life confronts him, unexpectedly. yet another solid outing from the danish.

quantum of solace - 21 november 2008

the darjeeling limited - 16 november 2008 – a wacky, quirky, and wonderful  little film by the makers of the royal tenenbaums, and the life aquatic, two films i love. this film is very much in the same vein, exploring themes of family, distance, and the shallowness relations can assume. but, all done irreverently and, let’s admit it, crazily. downside? owen wilson.

dan in real life - 7 november 2008 – a highly enjoyable, yet cutesy romantic comedy. there’s something for all the family in this one. widower takes daughters to the hamptons for a holiday and meets a new woman. trouble is, she’s dating his brother… what will happen!

in bruges – 7 november 2008

the rain of the children – 31 october 2008

how to lose friends and alienate people – 26 october 2008 – yet another formulaic romantic comedy. so… how many of these damn things do you think they can make? did have some actual laugh out loud moments though. just too few to mention.

the duchess – 5 october 2008 – meh. a sumptuous film but ultimately a bit of a slow day at the office. the story had a lot of subtly, but at the end of the day exactly how many films can we make about aristocracy and self-sacrifice for society?

the happening – 10 September 2008 – a stinker wrapped in a great stinking stinker. god this was an awful film, not helped at all by some of the most god-awful acting i have ever seen from mark walhberg. i swear, someone needs to take out a court order to prevent this guy ever acting as anything but a vacuous pron star…

forgetting sarah marshall – 3 september 2008 – i actually really enjoyed this film. it was predictable ‘movies by numbers’, but had a few genuine laughs.

hellboy 2 – 31 august 2008 – a fun film that refuses to take itself seriously. great special effects not because of what they are, but because the amount of imagination in them. recommended for a non-intellectual evening.

the clone wars – 24 August 2008 – these films will be awful until lucas stops writing the damn things…

apron strings – 17 August 2008

superbad - 16 August 2008 – completely hilarious boyish humour. i totally remember being this drunk, awkward and full of bullshit. these guys were far more gay than me but.

the promise – 8 August 2008

casablanca – 24 July 2008 – still a classic. has the best script ever.

hancock – 17 July 2008 – and enjoyable a light romp through the world of superheroes. the good news is that it doesn’t follow like it used to be a comic book, which is always a pleasant change when dealing with hollywod tosh.

prince caspian – 19 June 2008 – annoyingly full of smart-arsed toffs. otherwise? full of plot holes you could drive a bus through. nice cgi but.

the motorcycle diaries – 11 June 2008 – a pretentious attempt to mythologise che guevara. full of contrived poignancy, and che looking wistful and respectfully virginal. in all in all? just. plain. boring.

21 - 2 June 2008 – An ever-so-slightly predictable story well-aimed at its “smart-guy” university student audience. In offensive.

Lars and the Real Girl - 29 May 2008 – A heart-warming story of a guy experiencing “some difficulty” adjusting to real life. So, to compensate, he gets himself a silicon girlfriend, and it’s not seedy! This film was a delight, if not a little rose-tinted.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 23 May 2008 – On the dull side, and the leading lady can’t act at all. The film tries to recreate all the old fun that was the original trilogy, but once again just goes to show, there’s no going back.

Ironman - 18 May 2008 – Not as bad as I thought it would be.

Hunting and Gathering - 25 April 2008 – A lovely film based around a set of loners who find that together they’re a greater whole. Sounds cheesy, but is done with considerable charm. Deliberately leaves small holes in the character development, and ends (as expected) on a high note.

Two Days in Paris - The should have called this “Couple Squabbles in Paris”. It’s an interesting film, but too Allenesque. Enjoyed the characters, but was unusually annoyed by the male lead. Could there be a more whiney person anywhere?

No Country for Old Men – 21 March 2008 – Simply fantastic. I loved everything about this film. The best the Coen Brothers have ever made, and I’m glad to see a return to their South Western roots.