Reviews

#140RVW

The 8th Doctor & the Spice Girls manager abandon their cesspool of a flat for a drunken holiday in the country. British hilarity ensues…

What’s more:

I have a theory about niche movies. It’s really more of an opinion than the theory, I suppose, and it extends well beyond movies. It runs basically thus: you really only need one of each, and whichever one you are exposed to first is the one for you. It doesn’t matter how good anything you see later is, it will seem derivative and unnecessary, even if what you see subsequently was actually made first.

This is true for mopey English bands, Delta blues singers, fantasy authors, kung-fu masters, edgy stand-up comics, ballpoint pens, procedural cop shows, impressionist painters, gangsta rappers, architects, you name it. It doesn’t really make much difference which one you pick, as long as you have one. You like Hüsker Dü? Great, me too. But I prefer The Replacements. I know there are probably better slasher flicks than Halloween, but that’s the one I saw first. Grendizer over Voltron, X-Files over Kolchak, Jesus and Mary Chain over Echo and the Bunnymen, Sargent over Monet, Robert Johnson over Son House, the list goes on and on.

So I had a rather unpleasant feeling while I watched Withnail & I. A week later and I’m still struggling with my thoughts about it. This movie came highly recommended, and I know people love it. So while I watched it somewhat disinterestedly, I strongly felt that I should have been enjoying it a lot more. And a big part of the problem is the phenomenon I’m talking about; I really only need one drugs and squalor movie, and for me it’s. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I’m not saying it’s a better movie – I just got there first. (Drugstore Cowboy is actually a better movie than either, but I think it goes beyond drugs & squalor and qualifies as non-niche.)

Withnail & I follows the 8th Doctor and the guy who managed the Spice Girls as they abandon their cesspool of a flat for a holiday in the country, where they are completely unable to care for themselves. It’s a fish out of water story with LOTS of drinking. Unlike most drug movies, the main drug in Withnail & I is alcohol.

The story takes place at the end of the 1960’s in England, where the mood is no longer hopeful, and the setting is perfect. As these out of work actors muddle through, their struggle is part of a larger national identity crisis. This is the ugly side of the Sixties, as the flower children come down from their clouds and are greeted by an increasingly hard and bleak world.

This is comedy, however, and it excels on that score. The madcap misadventures of the characters are what good British comedy is made of, and writer/director Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical tale makes for great entertainment. A star is born in Richard E. Grant in his very first film performance; he is absolutely captivating. Paul McGann, through no fault of his own, is relegated to the background, despite being ostensibly the lead character, both by Grant and by Richard Griffiths, who is equally wonderful as Uncle Monty.

I’ll definitely be re-watching Withnail & I. On paper everything about it is great, and watching the trailer and reviewing quotes as I prepared this review made me remember the movie with more enjoyment than I had when I actually watched it. Maybe the problem was simply that I was tired, or that I was watching it on an empty stomach (I should have filled it with alcohol so as to better be in the appropriate mood).

I find myself in the odd position of highly recommending a movie that I personally didn’t love. But I suppose that happens sometimes when you critique films. The Killing Fields was the best movie I hope never to see again (heartbreaking), so there is a precedent for this sort of thing. Cheers…

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Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

Main Cast	Richard E. Grant Withnail, Paul McGann & I/Marwood, Richard Griffiths Monty, Ralph Brown Danny
Rating	R
Release Date	Fri 19 Jun 1987 UTC
Director	Bruce Robinson
Genres	Comedy, Drama
Plot	London 1969 – two ‘resting’ (unemployed and unemployable) actors, Withnail and Marwood, fed up with damp…
Poster
Runtime	107
Tagline	You are cordially invited to spend a funny weekend in the English countryside. (US poster)
Writers	Bruce Robinson
Year	1987

#140RVW

Some films are so good there really isn’t a lot to say about them. This is an important & no longer little-known story, thanks to this film.

What’s more:

The story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry is one of the most compelling of the Civil War. The courage and bravery of men who gave their lives for a country that had enslaved them, discriminated against them and would not thank them for their service is beyond extraordinary.

So many great things going on in this movie, from Denzel’s breakout & Oscar-winning performance, to the James Horner score to the Oscar-winning cinematography of Freddie Francis.

Andre Braugher makes his film debut and Morgan Freeman is his Morgan Freeman-est. Matthew Broderick continues his quest to be taken seriously even with a forever boyish face, and he makes a very compelling case here – maybe his best work.

The real star of this film, though, is the story. It’s heartbreaking without sinking into despair, inspirational without being smarmy.

Kevin Jarre’s screenplay hits all the right notes and delivers amazing dialogue and emotion that is hard-hitting and real.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

Main Cast	Matthew Broderick Col. Robert Gould Shaw, Denzel Washington Pvt. Trip, Cary Elwes Maj. Cabot Forbes, Morgan Freeman Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins
Rating	R
Release Date	Fri 15 Dec 1989 UTC
Director	Edward Zwick
Genres	Drama, History, War
Plot	Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
Poster
Runtime	122
Tagline	Their innocence. Their heritage. Their lives. Nothing would be spared in the fight for their freedom.
Writers	Kevin Jarre (screenplay), Lincoln Kirstein (book)
Year	1989

#140RVW

The last Boston film to be predominantly shot outside of Boston, hopefully for a long time. Classic Scorsese, but with a real plot for once.

What’s more:

Scorsese always does really well with character study films, but this may be the most story-driven of all of his movies. And it makes this one of his most enjoyable. Despite the length, there is an energy to The Departed that keeps it moving along wonderfully.

For starters, this may be the best source material he’s ever had to work with. Originally made in Hong Kong as the film “Infernal Affairs”, relatively new screenwriter William Monahan adapted the story and was rewarded with an Academy Award for his work. The dialogue is so perfect – this is the sound of Boston tough guys.

The story of Boston’s most famous gangster, Whitey Bulger, is overlaid on what was already a great crime tale: the cops want to take down gangster Frank Costello and both sides employ undercover operatives. The filmmakers wisely realize that what is most fascinating about this tale is not the crime – it’s the development of these parallel characters, mirroring each other as they progress through an increasingly dangerous series of events.

All the acting is excellent, of course, but Leonardo DiCaprio really stands out. His story is arguably the most interesting, but it is a testament to the actor that he is able to wrest attention away from such a heavyweight as Nicholson and his Costello character. Reportedly DiCaprio shied away from any award promotion for his performance as he didn’t want to take away from any of his co-stars. Pretty stand-up if so, but it certainly cost him a Best Actor win.

As his counterpart, Matt Damon is his usual solid self. No knock on Damon at all. He’s a great actor and he’s great here – just nothing new here. Vera Farmiga is an excellent addition to the cast; nice to see a (relative) newcomer among these familiar faces. Although hers is one of the less believable Boston accents.

Thelma Schoonmaker received a well-deserved Oscar for editing; the movie absolutely hums with energy and the many characters and scenes work together to keep the excitement level high.

Every good filmmaker deserves a chance to craft a great thriller. It’s really interesting to see how different artists approach the genre. It’s one of the reasons I tend to like remakes; they don’t need to be improvements on the original, just new interpretations. In classical music it’s called variations on a theme. Like anything else, the key is having a really solid story to work off; then let’s see what you can do. For this one, Scorsese puts on his game face and nets Best Picture…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

Main Cast	Leonardo DiCaprio Billy, Matt Damon Colin Sullivan, Jack Nicholson Frank Costello, Mark Wahlberg Dignam
Rating	R
Release Date	Fri 06 Oct 2006 UTC
Director	Martin Scorsese
Genres	Crime, Drama, Thriller
Plot	An undercover state cop who has infiltrated an Irish gang and a mole in the police force working for the same mob race to track down and identify each other before being exposed to the enemy, after both sides realize their outfit has a rat.
Poster
Runtime	151
Tagline	Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?
Writers	William Monahan (screenplay), Alan Mak (2002 screenplay Mou gaan dou) …
Year	2006