Rev Stan's film blog

Two great films: The Imposter and Shadow Dancer

The Imposter

I'm not normally drawn to documentaries at the cinema, although the few that I have seen have generally been really good but I was struck by the utter absurdity of the story of The Imposter tells when I saw the trailer.

And it is an utterly absurd story. Director Bart Layton, in an interview, said he was asked why he'd made it as a documentary rather than a drama based on true events and he said that if this story was made into a drama no one would believe it.

It's a film where you can't give too much away without spoiling its impact but what you'll get from the trailer is that it's about a French Albanian who turns up in Spain claiming to be the missing son of a Texan family. The missing child  - missing for three years - was blond haired and blue-eyed, the Imposter has black hair and brown eyes and the family believe him and take him in. Yep I told you it was utterly bizarre but it really happened. The narrative is told  through a series of direct to camera interviews with the imposter, the family and the authorities intermingled with some re-created scenes.

Totally compelling I think my mouth was agape with the incredulity of the story for the entire film I'm giving it 83%.  On IMDb it has 75% with a Metascore of 78% while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 95% with 85% of site visitors giving it three and a half stars or higher.

The Shadow Dancer

If you like quietly intense, intelligent thrillers of the ilk of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy then get yourself off to see The Shadow Dancer. Set during the early 1990's Mac (Clive Owen) works for MI5 and is trying to turn Colette (Andrea Riseborough) from IRA activist to informant using the fact that she is a mother as leverage.

From the outset this film is laced with tension but in a subtle way. It would have been easy to make it into an action thriller, over sensationalising certain events but in choosing not to, it is all the more powerful and uncomfortable to watch. It also allows the audience to join the dots rather than spoon feeding the story.

Superb performances from all involved but particularly Andrea Riseborough who is a joy to watch in whatever she does.

I'm giving it 86% on IMDb it has 72% and no Metacritic score yet while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 93% with 77% of site visitors rating it 3.5 stars or higher.

The sobering and haunting Dreams of a Life

Don't normally go for documentaries at the cinema but I'm glad I did because Dreams of Life is really very good, the sort of film that you have to see with someone because there is so much to talk about afterwards.

It's about Joyce Carol Vincent who, at the age of 38, was found dead in her north London bedsit by bailiffs. Her body had lain undisturbed for three years. Beside her were wrapped Christmas presents.

In the film friends and ex-boyfriends talk about the Joyce they knew and her life as they perceived it. The interviews are interspersed with photo's, clippings from the press and the journalist's investigative notes. There are also scenes re-enacted by an actress.

What soon becomes obvious is even those close to her didn't really know her as well as they thought. Nonetheless, this isn't the sort of woman who's three year absence you could imagine going unoticed. She wasn't a loner or a drinker or on drugs. She was well liked and thought of uniformly as a nice person, good-looking and not short of attention. It is probably the most disturbing aspect of the whole story. 

She had good jobs and a string of nice boyfriends - one of whom worked in the music industry which resulted in her meeting a clutch of famous names from the 80s. She even met Nelson Mandela and there is a poignant clip of her in a crowd of people listening to him speak.

It is an intriguing and very sad tale. There are lots of questions that remain unanswered which will haunt you. 

Definitely worth seeing and I'm going to give it 80%. It's got 78% on IMDb (no Metacritic score) and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 100% of site visitors have given it 3.5 stars out of five or above.

 

Amazing A Life in a Day trailer

This film looks amazing. Brilliant idea, on July 24 last year people were asked to film their day and post the video on YouTube then producers Ridley and Tony Scott and director Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland) put together a film based on those clips.

You can read more about it here but the trailer has just been released and is breathtaking:

 

I'm Still Here the mock/umentary but is it any good?

I'm glad @polyg suggested going to see this because it's certainly given me plenty to think about and I probably wouldn't have gone of my own choosing.

So the big question is, is it or isn't it a mockumentary about Joaquin Phoenix giving up acting to try and become a rapper? I googled Phoenix and the latest story is that writer/director/producer Casey Affleck has said that it is a hoax after saying that is isn't - all part of the marketing ploy perhaps?

Before I explain my reasons for thinking it's likely a mockumentary I should probably explain a bit more about the film. It basically follows the over-weight, unkempt hair and bushy bearded Phoenix as he embarks on a hip hop career. Phoenix appears to be going through some sort of personal crisis or breakdown treating those around him abominably. It is apparently warts and all showing him taking drugs and messing around with call girls.

So here goes, my evidence for why I think it's a fake:

• Casey Affleck is Joaquin's brother in law and I think you'd have to be a pretty evil bastard to show off a film of a member of your family behaving so badly and making such a fool of themselves.
• And would he really let a member of Phoenix's staff do that* to him while he slept
• I genuinely don't believe an actor would behave with quite such a degree of self importance and treat people like that.
• If he really was changing his career I would expect the documentary to examine in far more detail why he'd chosen hip hop in particular but this is all mysteriously skirted over.
• The feeling that it is all just a big joke is always there lurking in the background and I was waiting for the big reveal.

So many films, so little weekend (with post script)

It's not often there is nothing on that I want to see at the cinema - I've already clocked in 26 films this year. But then there are occasions like this weekend when there are just too many films being released that I really want to see and not enough viewing hours (or finances to see them all).

So which to choose from this bunch?

Robin Hood

Well Robin Hood for me, is like a vampire to a goth. I'm always curious to see what they do with such a well worn tale. Will there ever be a Sheriff of Nottingham as good as Alan Rickman? Will there ever be such a lack of attempt at an English accent as Kevin Costners? Will Robin Hood ever be as gorgeous as the Michael Praed/Jason Connery telly combo of my teen years? Indeed will Robin Hood be lapsed gentry or from the mean streets of Nottingham? Will Marian kick-ass or be a damsel? You get my drift.

And it's got Russell Crowe whom I have a reluctant admiration for, Cate Blanchett and the lovely, lovely Matthew MacFadyen who I'm really curious to see play baddie Sheriff of Nottingham as he is usually the good guy. (PS tick yep, did this one. Views here)

Vincere

This Italian film has been all over the trailers at the Curzon and looks really interesting. It's about Mussolini's secret lover with whom he had a child and then rejected and I know nothing of the era.

And it feels like Italian film making is warming up to something outstanding this year after one or two disappointments last year. So it has the potential to be very good. (Seen and reviewed here)