Awake (2008 /
A reasonable thriller that threatens to really engage without ever quite succeeding. It seems oddly structured with an overly lengthy introduction and abrupt ending (which could easily have been the middle act!) The central premise, that of “anaesthetic awareness”, is oddly redundant and could have been omitted without affecting the plot.
30 Days of Night (2007 /
A fast-moving and extremely gory survival-horror that wastes few of its 113mins. The dialogue can be a bit ropey at times and there are a few gaping plot holes but bar that it comes highly recommended to fans of the genre.
I am Legend (2007 /
A decent post-apocalyptic romp marred by unnecessarily sentimental “
Lars and the Real Girl (2007 /
Not the mindless comedy I was expecting but rather an enjoyable, albeit slightly sentimental, look at the approach to mental illness which is neither too light-hearted nor too preachy. Top performances all round, especially Gosling as Lars, enhances the experience further.
One Missed Call (2008 /
Poor remake of the cult Japanese horror that lacks the intensity and sense of humour of the original. The attempt to tie up the loose ends (as opposed to the originals fairly loose explanations) works somewhat but fails to have any real impact.
2 comments:
I'm surprised you went so easy on one missed call...what about the changed ringtone? The original one was much more creepy.
I thought Awake was really good...possibly because I don't mind all the sentimentality at the start. What about the twists...all 20 of them. Surely they deserve a mention.
"One Missed Call" - ha ha, does the baddie's name come up on the display when he calls and people send him to their message minders?!
I like the look of that Lars film. Looks like that film Mannequin except not shit and 1980s
Saw 'In Bruges' last night.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as a pair of very Dublin gangsters sent to Bruges after a botched hit in London, and told to await further instruction from their boss (Ralph Feinnes). Well if the idea of showing gangsters engaging in the ordinary and mundane is familiar to us post-Pulp Fiction then the surprising pathos of this film is not. The humour was probably too non-PC and decidedly offbeat for some viewers and critics but a frat comedy it ain't.
8/10.
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