Happy Death Day (2017) ★★★½ Quote:
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Caught in a bizarre and terrifying time warp, college student Tree finds herself repeatedly reliving the day of her murder, ultimately realizing that she must identify the killer and the reason for her death before her chances of survival run out.
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Scream + Groundhog Day = Happy Death Day
This could be my favourable Blumhouse production – it's a smart and fun high concept film with decent performances and energetic direction which stands up to a second viewing very well.
Brüno (2009) ★★½ Quote:
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Flamboyantly gay Austrian television reporter Bruno stirs up trouble with unsuspecting guests and large crowds through brutally frank interviews and painfully hilarious public displays of homosexuality.
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Borat has aged well; this hasn't. The stereotypes which Sasha Baron Cohen's Kazak reporter uncovered are not so evident here.
Like Borat, Brüno is an offensive character, but sadly Baron Cohen doesn't manage to use the character as effectively as either Borat or Ali G when exposing the petty prejudices of the interview subjects.
I watched this again with the enhanced commentary track with Sasha Baron and Larry Charles, a very interesting device which occasionally had picture in picture footage of the two men as they spoke about the film and how it was made.
What makes this unusual is that quite often Baron Cohen would pause the film and give more information about a particular scene or that box would have behind-the-scenes footage/still photos; in this sense there was no rush to talk and they could take their time; it made the commentary more revealing and interesting watch then the film itself.
Highly recommended.
Cloud Atlas (2012) ★★★★ Quote:
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A set of six nested stories spanning time between the 19th century and a distant post-apocalyptic future. Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Based on the award winning novel by David Mitchell. Directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis.
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This is a sprawling and ambitious film by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, one which looks and sounds amazing and confusing the hell out of me the first time I saw it. This second viewing gives it a great deal more coherence and left me wanting to watch it again. It's a film where, whatever you think of the story/stories, the AV aspects cannot be faulted.