Posts Tagged ‘Jacques Audiard’

  • 23 May

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    Movies I Watched at the 65th Cannes Film Festival 2012

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    With the 65th Cannes Film Festival enjoying one of its most (potentially) impressive line-ups in years I was lucky enough to attend the festival this year. Due to work and financial constraints I could only make the first few days of the festival, but I still managed to squeeze in 10 films (and the last half of Project A on the beach). So to give you my thoughts on what I watched, plus to rub it in for those who weren’t there, here are capsule reviews for everything I caught.

    A couple of my friends and colleagues are still there and plan to record some podcasts during the festival, so keep an eye out at Blueprint: Review for those. I recorded a couple with them last week so check those out over there too.

    Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

    Director: Tsui Hark
    Screenplay: Tsui Hark
    Starring: Jet Li, Xun Zhou, Kun Chen
    Country: Hong Kong
    Running Time: 121 min

    (2.5/5)


    Tsui Hark’s latest martial arts extravaganza is entertaining and handsomely mounted but rather uninspired and clumsily plotted. There are a few too many characters too and it gets a little confusing at times. It’s not as enjoyably crazy as Hark’s previous offerings either which was disappointing but it is action packed and still fun to watch. The 3D is OTT which does it favours at times, adding depth to the lavish and extravagant sets, but distracts at others with a barrage of items being thrown at the camera.

    Moonrise Kingdom

    Director: Wes Anderson
    Screenplay: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
    Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Edward Norton
    Country: USA
    Running Time: 94 min

    (3.5/5)


    Wes Anderson’s new film is charming and enjoyable but ultimately very slight. The central romance is a little too creepy to anchor the emotional core with the kids acting like adults all the time, but Anderson’s style takes centre stage and it’s clearly lovingly crafted, making for a very pleasant and easy watch. Maybe that’s faint praise but it’s hard to come up with a better way to describe the experience. I certainly enjoyed it at least.
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  • 16 Oct

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    VIFF 09 Review: A Prophet

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    I don’t discriminate against film length but in a festival setting, when by 4 PM you’re on film number four of the day, a two and a half hour film could be a daunting challenge but when a film captures your attention as strongly (and quickly) as Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, 2 ½ hours doesn’t seem long enough.

    The film stars relative newcomer Tahar Rahim as Malik El Djebena. A youth offender, Malik’s latest lawbreaking is the first as an adult and he’s sentenced to six years of hard time. A pretty face with no one on the inside, he’s alone in a world of allegiances where looking at someone the wrong way is enough to get you killed but Malik isn’t stupid. He reluctantly takes on a job that aligns him with the Corsicans who rule the prison and instantly goes from no-one to protected guy. Over the years, he builds alliances and relationships while always being on the lookout for his next opportunity and when a deal leaves Luciani, the most powerful and influential of the inmates and the man who essentially saved Malik, alone, Malik becomes his right hand man until a series of events leaves Malik fending for himself.

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