Film Review: Enemy (15) (Canada/Spain 2013) (Director: Denis Villeneuve), Filmhouse, Screen Three, Edinburgh, Saturday 03.01.2015, 20:35

I was drawn to this film due to the fact that it is another film staring Jake Gyllenhall and directed by Denis Villeneuve, who previously worked together on 'Prisoners' (2013). Jake plays a university history lecturer who is listless and disinterested in life. A colleague suggests a film he may enjoy and within that film he sees his exact doppelganger who he then pursues. I don't wish to say more regarding the plot, though do feel it is fare to say that the film approaches the idea of a doppelganger in a fresh manner. 

The film makes very good use of lighting to induce a queasy/twilight sort of quality. The editing is done in a manner that, along with Jake's nuanced acting, gives the film a  mysterious/enigmatic quality. Having given the film my full concentration, I am still unraveling it now the day after having seen it. It is not often that can be said in these times where most filmmakers feel they have to spell out exactly what is happening. The sudden ending is both bamboozling and revealing, as long as you don't allow the bamboozling element to lead you to dismiss what you have seen.  

I feel this is a fundamentally more interesting film than 'Prisoners', as good as that was, though don't feel I can go quite as far as saying it is excellent. Jake is developing quite a habit of making very good films that are not quite excellent. I find myself having to give the same rating as 'Prisoners' & 'Nightcrawler' (2014). 

Rating: 09/10.      

Film Review: Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (15) (U.S.A. 2014) (Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 03.01.2015 15:40

I am a great fan of this directors film from 2000, 'Amores Perros', though this is the first film that director has made since that I was intrigued enough by to wish to go and see. 

This is the film about an actor who used to play a superhero who is now pursuing putting on a credible stage production on Broadway to rescue some semblance of dignity and respect. The film also appears to be in a very flippant way to be ab out telekinesis. 

The only things that rescue this film from being complete and utter pretentious tosh are the performances by Amy Ryan, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough and most notably Emma Stone. Emma Stone's performance, in the size of role she has, is really very commendable. She is easily the most naturalistic of all the cast.

It appears to me as though the director may have had a fluke back in 2000, and my resistance to his subsequent work is now reinforced. Don't waste a couple of hours of your like on this vanity project. 

Rating: 04/10.    

TOP 10 LIVE PERFORMANCES OF 2014:

2014 was a quieter year than last, hence why I am only doing a top 10 of live performances.
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1.) Sister Marie Keyrouz L'Ensemble De La Paix, 13.08.2014, Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh

2.) Akram Khan Company perform Gnosis, 20.08.2014, King's Theatre, Edinburgh

3.) Iron & Wine (Solo Acoustic), 16.11.2014, Adelphi Theatre, London

4.) Robert Newman's New Theory of Evolution, 15.08.2014, Stand in the Square, The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh

5.) Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch perform Sweet Mambo, 24.08.2014, The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh

6.) Philharmonia Orchestra perform Britten's War Requiem, 14.08.2014, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

7.) Ladysmith Black Mambazo, 09.08.2014, The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh

8.) Toumani Diabate & Sidiki Diabate, 29.05.2014, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

9.) Abdullah Ibrahim, 18.07.2014, The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

10.) Billy Connolly: High Horse Tour Scotland 2014, 04.10.2014, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2014:

2014 has felt like a mixed bag in terms of good films. I have only seen 9 new films which I would consider to be 10/10 or better, though this has also been the year that saw the release of Ida, which I already consider one of my all time favorites. 

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1. Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski)

2. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)

3. The Double (Richard Ayoade)

4. Gone Girl (David Fincher)

5. God Help The Girl (Stuart Murdoch)

6. Wakolda (Lucia Puenzo)

7. Winter’s Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

8. Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev)

9. The Raid 2 (Gareth Evens)

10. Tracks (John Curran)

Film Review: Big Eyes (12A) (U.S.A. 2014) (Director: Tim Burton), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Monday 29.12.2014, 20:35

I was intrigued by this film due to how unburtony the promotional coverage was. Tim Burton is a director I have a lot of time for, though he can be hit 'n' miss. The film tells the true story of Margaret & Walter Keane. At the point of meeting for the first time, Margaret understands Walter to be a fellow artist. After they were married Walter begins to take credit for Margaret's very distinctive work using the rationale that people don't buy female art. By this being a true story, it is predictable from the off that this lands up in court.

The film was a good presentation of how socially in the 1950's and 1960's it was very normal for wives to be dominated by their husbands in the U.S. of A., to the extent of their self identity becoming vastly compromised. 

Amy Adams was very good as someone trying to do the best they can in difficult circumstances. Regrettably Christoph Waltz's character was like a great big slab of ham. I understand that it is possible that this may be a fairly accurate portrayal, though it still felt too heavily acted. 

The film distracts itself for a period, to put over questions about what is art. I feel this unnecessarily complicates the film as is not relevant to the central strong thread to the film, that of someone being denied ownership of their work, work that is also very popular with others despite what art critics may think.  

The film is a good watch, a reasonably well told though flawed yarn, though to me it is not up there with the best of Mr. Burton's work.   

Rating: 07/10. 

Film Review: Stations Of The Cross (15) (Germany 2014) (Director: Dietrich Bruggemann) (German, French & Latin with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Three, Edinburgh, Sunday 14.12.2014, 17:50

This is one I went to see due to the extent of critical buzz. The film shows a young follower of the Lord, within a modern-day fundamentalist Christian family, who in preparation for their Confirmation, spirals into martyrdom. The film shows what happens in defined-chapters, which have headings that emphasise the parallels to the Stations Of The Cross. Almost all of the film is made using static camera shots, which helps to focus upon the interplay between the actors.

The film has some, what I found to be, comedic moments, such as the followers mother raging against the evils of gospel and soul music. I found the film to be about the power of delusion. Some of the film had a degree of discomfort to the watching, and other elements were just sad; to see any young person self-persecuting to the degree of removing any joy from their life is not easy. I feel this is an interesting film, though I would not say it is enjoyable. 

Rating: 06/10.      

Film Review: Winter Sleep (15) (Turkey 2014) (Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan) (Turkish with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 29.11.2014, 14:15

I went to see this on the strength of the director's previous film, 'Once Upon A Time In Anatolia' (2011), my 2nd favorite film of 2012. Winter Sleep concerns a hotelier, who is a retired actor and part time writer, the hotelier's younger wife and his embittered sister who lives with them and assists with the running of the accommodation for hire. The tale takes place in the fairly rural Cappadocia area of Turkey and is picked up at the point of paying customers thinning then running-dry in the lead-up into the winter period.

The film is 3 & 1/4 hours long, though it did not feel anything like as long as that; itself a mark of very good film-making. There are scenes of conversation between two people that run for over 20 minutes, though it does not appear to drag for a second and just adds to the engrossing nature of the piece. 

The film concerns how difficult it is for any one person to be able to be truly empathetic to another. How difficult it can be to put ourselves to the side and not allow our vested interests to colour interactions. The film also deals with perceptions of guilt and the fact that we always carry expectations of how we want/expect others to behave/respond. The film then concludes with ruminations on the idea of contentment and how this differs from seeking the ideal. The film considers what it can take, or what can lead to, someone being able to accept their circumstances as good enough. The absolute ideal being almost never attainable, yet how often in modern film do we have lead characters resolve to accept their lot as is, including the imperfect.    

The film is a compelling and deeply humane piece, as well as being visually beautiful. The film has a joyously ambiguous ending encouraging the viewer to ponder on what could/should be. Despite saying all of this, in regard to all of these aspects, it feels as though it comes up slightly short of 'Once Upon A Time In Anatolia'. This in itself is no criticism, more a reflection upon the excellence of his previous work. I would happily recommend this film to anyone who is into proper films.   

Rating: 10/10.