Filmfest

I was off work on Monday so decided to have a bit of a DVD binge. I haven't been to the cinema as much as I used to over the past year and thought it was time I caught up on films I had missed. Watched 4 films which I have never done before in one day. It was a fun way to spend the day if not the healthiest. There is something about watching films that makes you want to snack. Here is a quick review:

Children Of Men - This was the one film I was eagerly anticipating but it turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the day. The idea of the film is good whereby women have become infertile and the youngest person on the planet has just been killed at age 18. The world is going to pot and there seems to be no hope. However despite some decent acting the story just failed to grab me and I ended up not really caring what happened in the end. It wasn't a bad film I guess, just not as good as I expected it to be. It didn't help that Julianne Moore was in it. I really don't like her as an actress and it does seem to colour my judgement for any film she is in, the film has to be very good to overcome the Moore hurdle. She just seems far too earnest or histrionic depending on the situation and it just seems like a little girl pretending to be an actress. Apparently the film industry seems to disagree and she gets nominated for numerous awards. Mind you, Eddie Murphy has been oscar nominated this year so you can't read too much into these things. I'm just grateful Moore only had a small part in Magnolia otherwise she could have ruined that too.

Little Miss Sunshine - Great film and cast, very enjoyable. Notable for the fact that the young girl in it actually gives a good performance, normally you want to slap precocious sprogs in films. There was a danger the film could have got a bit American and schmaltzy but it resisted the temptation well. There were a number of funny parts and it's worth seeing for Olive's dance routine.....

36 - French film starring the two French acting heavyweights Gerard Depardieu (which is a great name to say, makes you feel French) and Daniel Auteuil. It's been billed as a French Heat and I thought it was just as good. Both play policemen but sometimes the line between cop and criminal is blurred. One thing I like about french films is that quite often the people portrayed aren't pigeon-holed into set roles i.e. good or bad. Whilst this can be ok in certain films, it's more realistic to portray people as mixed/unsure about life and just reacting to situations as they arise.

The Break Up - Better than I expected. Vince Vaughn is always good to watch in these kind of films and Jennifer Aniston was good in her role too. It's maybe a little predictable but as the fourth film in a dvd-a-thon, it's just what you need. The support is criminally underused especially Jason Bateman who is excellent in Arrested Development but is barely on screen. Vince does his usual jobs for the boys and ropes in Jon Favreau as his best mate, it's scary how big he has become. Mind you Vince himself does seem a bit bigger these days too. It's been a long time since Swingers.
There are some funny moments and is worth it if you want something undemanding.