Short Reviews #23
The Good Shepherd (2006)
Well fashioned but very cold fictional look at the inner workings of the early days of the CIA. Robert De Niro steps back behind the director’s chair for a second time with much authority and control over the rather complicated subject matter and screenplay. This film feels very much like a cold war novel brought to life, with fear and espionage playing effectively throughout. The film runs close to 3 hours and when the main character is pretty much emotionally detached throughout, it tests your willingness to sustain involvement. But I guess that’s what De Niro is trying to say about members of the CIA – that patriotism takes precedent over everything else in life and how it affects the lives of family. Matt Damon plays a decent enough everyman in an ultra low-key performance. Angelina Jolie, Michael Gambon, Alec Baldwin, John Turturro, William Hurt and De Niro all provide excellent support along the way, despite their limited screen time. And it was nice to see Joe Pesci back on screen after an 8 year absence. If you like your thrillers low key, intelligent and you have a lot of patience, you’ll find The Good Shepherd extremely rewarding.
For Your Consideration (2006)
Unfortunately Christopher Guest’s departure from his mockumentary approach isn’t as successful as I had hoped. Lines and scenes are still improvised but instead, there’s a more structured story and the satire more direct. But in the end, how can you not love any of his films and the wonderful ensemble he brings along for the ride? This time, Catherine O’Hara gets the best role as a possible Oscar contender and goes to town on it. This is her film all the way, she is beyond brilliant. But in the end, I found myself only raising a few chuckles and a couple of laugh out loud moments. It saddens me to say but I definitely believe this to be one of Guest’s weakest films. The cast are all there; perfect as always (a nice turn by Ricky Gervais too), it’s just the story isn’t as original or entertaining as what we’ve enjoyed in the past. I’m sure Guest will learn from this and change direction slightly with his next effort and I can’t wait!
Happy Feet (2006)
This is my third serving of emperor penguins and I think I’m full! I love March of the Penguins and David Attenborough’s Planet Earth series shot them beautifully in HD so I guess it was only a matter of time before they would become lovable computer generated images. This time, it’s George Miller taking control and his years of experience delivers a wonderful kid’s animated picture. This is nearly up there with Pixar and beats the hell out of the most of the 2nd rate computer generated money grabbers filling the cinemas these days. The animation itself is of a very high standard (done by Australia’s own Animal Logic), the characters all likable and extremely entertaining for most of its running time. The last 30 mins or so feel a little out of place and clunky but I don’t think they ruin the overall experience, especially for the youngsters. Casting Robin Williams was a good decision as he always elevates the humour level in almost any animated film he voices. His character Ramón is hilarious. Good to see George Miller making a hit because now he can get on with another Mad Max film (Sans Gibson of course). An accomplishment all around.
Saw III (2006)
You know what? Saw III isn’t a terrible conclusion to the super successful B-grade horror trilogy. If you enjoyed the original (and to a lesser extend the sequel), this one closes it all off nicely. I believe this is probably due to Leah Whannell’s involvement in the screenplay. He’s written each of the Saw screenplays so there’s a consistency at play and it shows especially in this entry. The plot focuses more on character development this time around rather than just a bunch of traps and deaths and it doesn’t really work. But this isn’t Shakespeare. It’s B-grade horror fare and on that level, it’s fairly competent. There’s a particularly nasty scene involving some brain surgery that’s extremely well done that will have you squirming in your seat. There’s already talk of Saw IV of course but I have to congratulate Leah Whannell and James Wan, the original filmmakers. They’ve acted as executive producers on the sequels and made squillions of dollars and deservedly so. A lesson to all your filmmakers out there – Write and direct a successful genre pic with a trilogy already planned and when the original hits big, executive produce the sequels. Your mum will be proud!
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
It’s gory, it’s gruesome and not in the least bit original. But for gorehounds, this will probably suffice. I kinda enjoyed the remake of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre and although Jessica Biel’s superb rear end had much to do with it, visually it was quite well done and marked the beginnings of these uber sadistic horror flicks. Taking the directorial reigns this time is Jonathan Liebesman who made the mightily crappy 2003 flick Darkness Falls. Apparently this film was his chance to redeem himself. Well, I can say it’s ‘slightly’ better than the former pic but really, this is just a rehash of the remake (a rehake?). The film details the birth of Leatherface, how he became who he is along with the rest of the fucked up family. But none of it is revolutionary or the least bit interesting. Even the great Lee Emery couldn’t make the proceedings bearable. And based on this film, the director has been rumoured to make another Friday the 13th flick. Need I say more?
