Winter Light

A stark, but compelling work by Ingmar Bergman. So simply shot and what seems to be such a simple story, but layered with meaning and words that will have you thinking for days. Algot's monologue on the Passion of the Christ, and the two monologues where Tomas and Marta reveal their true feelings for each other, are immensely and deceptively powerful. The mundane and boring become fascinating - take for example the long sequence of the service at the start of the movie. It seems incredibly mundane, and yet you can't look away.

Written on the Wind

This Douglas Sirk melodrama from 1956 is at once a parody of its times, the American lifestyle of the 1950's and of itself and the type of film it represents. It is also source material for a thousand subsequent soapies, including the blockbusters Dallas and Dynasty. It looks magnificent in its lurid Technicolour, the obviously fake backdrops of Miami Beach and the New York skyline looking even better than the real thing.

Woodstock

Dudes, this is one awesome movie. I expected to find this terribly dated and a bit dull, but on the contrary, it is a fascinating glimpse at an era and a valuable record of a very special and exciting event. The music is played with such enthusiasm and raw talent. Joe Cocker in tied dyed tee-shirt, playing air guitar and belting out With A Little Help From My Friends should be vaguely ridiculous, but its not - it sounds so right and amazingly vital and fresh. The biggest surprise is just how primitive it was. We have come such a long way to the concerts and festivals of today, but there is no doubt that we have lost much of the joy and innocence of the times portrayed here. I was struck by the obvious camaraderie. One scene stands out, at the end of the first day as quiet falls over the throngs of people. I found it a little disapointing that the film does not follow the chronology in which the acts appeared - but this is a small gripe. It is, for its time, an extarordinary well made concert film. The sound is excellent and the musical numbers well balanced with background story and shots of the crowds.

Yojimbo

Akira Kurosawa’s darkly comic classic about a lone Samurai warrior, who after the fall of the feudal system in Japan, wanders into a small town and becomes embroiled in a deadly feud between to local gangs. It’s a fascinating combination of eastern and western (real wild western) themes. It’s the classic lone gunslinger plot set in a village in Japan. The plot is almost identical to A Fistful Of Dollars. There are many other parts and techniques in Yojimbo that have been copied by later film makers. Near the start there is a scene of a dog making off with a severed hand in his jaw – lovingly reprised by David Lynch in Wild at Heart. The black and white cinematography is excellent, capturing perfectly the desolation of the besieged town and the tension between the opposing parties.

Death Proof

Intended to be part of a double feature called Grindhouse, a homage by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror) to the B movie and the grindhouse (sleazy cinemas that played these dodgy double features). Death Proof, Tarantino’s contribution to the doube bill, now plays alone in an apparently extended form. It’s entertaining and proof that, even when he tries, it is hard for Tarantino to make a bad movie. I suspect the jump cuts, scratches on the print and reel that was accidentally shot in black and white, all of which was intended to enhance the grindhouse feel, are probably somewhat lost on an audience that does not know the background. Zoe Bell, the NZ stunt girl, who plays herself, is excellent and its nice to see Kurt Russell again.

Atonement

An absolute wonder of a movie. Atonement, from the novel by Ian McEwan, is one of the best I have seen in a very long time. A rich and multi-faceted story, which starts off as light and elegant as a feather and plunges to the depths of despair and regret. A number of excellent performances, none more noteworthy than that of Keira Knightley, finally getting a role worthy of her considerable talent and great beauty. The cinematography is breathtaking. Great care has been taken over framing every scene of this film. One scene in particular, that of the Dunkirk evacuations, stand out as surely one of the great scenes of film history. As a portrayal of the surreal nightmare of war it is stunning. In one part a character stands in front of a film being showing on screen behind him. This type of scene has been used in many films, but it has never struck me as effective as here. It felt as though the character had stepped from the screen and become part of the audience. Whether or not this was intentional, I cannot say. For me that effect aligned with an underlying theme, that of the story teller and his or her relationship to the audience and the characters in the story. Is it kindness to provide a happy ending for your characters and hope for your audience or must one stick to an honest retelling however grim the outcome?

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Watching this with my young sons I realised how basic the effects must look to them having so far grown up in the CGI age. All the same I think they enjoyed it and I certainly enjoyed watching it again and not just for nostalgic reasons. The industry owes so much to these Spielberg blockbusters. They are referenced again and again. It is easy for me to recall the wonder that we once felt at Close Encounters, ET, Raiders, Jurassic Park and others.

I have always loved the way Close Encounters builds up to its climax with the mysterious sounds and the shape of Devil’s Peak. Richard Dreyfuss is also one of my favourite actors, often underrated and here also he works hard at a convincing performance of a man obsessed, which is largely overlooked in the bigger picture.

We watched the original presentation (1978) and not the later (1980) Special Edition. I would now quite like to revisit that version as well.

Strange Cargo

Here’s quite an odd offering from 1940. Starring Clarke Gable and Joan Crawford it must have constituted quite a risky choice for both of them at the time. Both were at or near the heights of their careers. Gable had just completed Gone With The Wind. The movie has a strong religious tone and deals with a Christ-like figure called Cambreau (Ian Hunter) who helps and guides the other characters at various times of crisis. A heavy-handed allegory, but not without some curiosity value and well played by the leads.

I Am Legend

The initial visual effects provides for such a gripping background and atmosphere that the remainder of this film may have been doomed to be a bit of a let down. Sometimes it is all about the anticipation and the mystery. That is not entirely the case here. For me the film delivers all the way through, although the second half could not sustain the excitement of the first and the realism is somewhat lost once you have a chance to sit back and contemplate some of the larger credibility gaps in the plot. Nonetheless, this is a terrific movie. The effects are second to none and Will Smith provides another thrilling performance (but we would expect no less – he seldom disappoints).

I Am Legend is a remake. It has two predecessors: The Last Man on Earth (1964) starring Vincent Price and The Omega Man (1971) starring Charlton Heston. Whilst I have seen neither I imagine they were very different films. When one thinks about it, the degree of “reality” made possible by CGI has really changed our expectations of movies altogether. We are rapidly getting to the stage where effects, even those as startling and realistic as in I Am Legend will no longer impress us. We will have come to expect that anything is possible on film. This is not a bad thing as it will demand more from moviemakers in terms of story.