The Golden Compass - Bite-sized Review

I just thought I'd post a few little thoughts on this film.

I never got around to seeing this film in the cinema when it came out but I've just finished watching it now. The overriding impression it has left me with is that it was a massive missed opportunity. Now I've never read the books but from the film it is obvious that there is a very detailed and well thought out universe there. The film however failed to get any of this detail across.

It felt as though the makers knew that they couldn't fit everything into this film and were determined to keep the running time under two hours. As a result the movie hurtles along at a million miles an hour, jumping from one place to another. There isn't enough time given to explain the world that these characters live in, which is a shame. Also the actors Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman whom the advertising was based around had barely any screen time. Especially Craig, who has little more than a glorified cameo.

Having said that I felt it was okay and I would be interested in seeing a sequel if it gets made. That is a pretty big if at this stage considering its box office in the US. It has certainly made me interested in reading the books though.

Another thing I have to take issue with is its win in the Best Visual Effects category at the 2008 Oscars over Transformers. The effects were impressive but nowhere near the level of Transformers that in my opinion set a new benchmark for visual f/x.

There Will Be Blood

I saw There Will Be Blood on Friday night. I had wanted to see the film for a while but I had been putting off going to see it. It just looked so heavy and I knew that it was a difficult film with a very long running time. Now, a long film doesn't both me but only if it is good. If a film is good then the longer the better. To say that this film is good is a serious understatement. When I got out of the cinema I knew that I liked it but wasn't sure to what extent. It was only when I started thinking about this review that I realised just how good it really is.

I do believe that I have seen a brilliant piece of work. A work of genius perhaps. It had everything from wonderful direction, beautiful cinematography, the amazing score (superb work from Jonny Greenwood), great performances and a very intriguing story. I was aware while watching the film that even over an hour into the film I was still unsure of where the story was going. Then even when it came to the end I was surprised at where it finished up. Surprisingly there were a couple of moments in the film that got the audience laughing out loud. Though I do think that in one instance it was probably not the intention of the film-makers.

It is a very long film but at no point did I notice the time going by. I just wanted to see what was coming next. I have to comment on the mood in the film. The director Paul T. Anderson (PTA) used the score and the look of the film to create a true sense of dread through parts of the film. At least that is how I felt while watching. Also the bravery of the director for opening the film with a near twenty minute stretch with no dialogue is to be applauded.

Having seen the film now I can agree that Daniel Day-Lewis was good value for his Oscar win. Some people have claimed he is overacting but I disagree strongly. Yes, it is a loud performance but that is the character he was playing, he needed to be that over the top. Having said that I would still have preferred to have seen Viggo Mortensen win best actor.

I think that PTA should have been honoured as best director at the Oscars. I just feel that the work done was more impressive in that he gave the film a totally unique look. There is a very high chance you will not have seen another film that looks like this. (No disrespect to the Coen Brothers though as I loved No Country for Old Men). Just another point about the Oscars. The score by Jonny Greenwood was disqualified and that is a tragedy. It does sound similar to some Radiohead music understandably and that for me is a major plus point.

I noticed a few people in the cinema left at around the two hour mark. That is something I just don't understand. They give the movie two hours and then leave? Why not stay for the final part rather than have the first two hours go to waste?

I would thoroughly recommend the film to anyone who has had their fill of blockbuster superhero movies for the moment.

Oscar Winners, my take

Not too many surprises really at last nights Oscar ceremony. I'm happy to see that No Country for Old Men won big on the night. It really was a great film and the Coens deserve their best director[s] award. Javier Bardem winning for his performance as a really scary villain was thoroughly deserved too. I also so Michael Clayton this year so I also think that Tilda Swinton was good value for her win too.

Unfortunately, I wanted to see Viggo Mortensen winning for best actor but it went to Daniel Day-Lewis as predicted. I haven't seen his performance yet but from the ads it does look good. Hopefully I'll be seeing the film soon.

The biggest upset for me took place in the technical categories so I suppose it isn't that big a deal but it annoyed me nonetheless. How did The Golden Compass win best visual effects over Transformers? For me Transformers took visual effects to the next level with their photo realism. They truly were absolutely amazing and in this day and age when we have become very blasé about visual effects. I've seen clips of The Golden Compass and while the effects were good they were basically the standard of what we now expect. They certainly didn't raise the bar in the way that Transformers did. Was it a case of Michael Bay's over excitable direction detracting from the impact? Possibly.

It was also nice to see The Bourne Ultimatum pick up three awards. All in technical categories but an Oscar is an Oscar.

Those Oscar nominations

The Oscar nominations went out today. I'd like to write up some of my thoughts on the nominations but due to releasing schedules between the US and Ireland some of the contenders have yet to open here. There Will Be Blood, Juno, Sweeney Todd and In The Valley of Elah have not yet been released. I was actually due to see No Country for Old Men tonight but alas that was not to be. I'll see it tomorrow hopefully. So unfortunately I won't be able to comment as fully as I'd like. Maybe I'll see some more contenders before the actual ceremony (if there is one).

Best Film
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

I've only seen Michael Clayton and I am actually surprised it got as many nominations as it did. It was a good story, well acted and had a superb ending but I felt it was slow and rather dull at times. I expect to see Old Country... and There Will... soon enough. Best director is a similar story as all the directors of the best film nominations got nominated themselves.

Best Actor
George Clooney
Daniel-Day Lewis
Johnny Deep
Tommy Lee Jones
Viggo Mortensen

I've seen two of these performances Clooney and Mortensen. I did like Clooney's turn as Michael Clayton, he is still a likeable character even though he was playing a character who wasn't really all that likeable. Mortensen though deserves to be given the Oscar. He was tremedous as the Russian mob guy. The accent, the presence and the charm. In fact, he should be given it just for the naked bath house scene alone. Talk about acting above and beyond the call of duty.

Unfortunately there really is no point in continuing as I have yet to see any of the films where the best actresses have been nominated. It appears that Ellen Page has come a long way from X-Men III. Best supporting actor / actress is the same again.

In a more technical category I expect Transformers to get the award for special effects. They really deserve recognition for bringing CGI images up to near photo realistic quality. Not to disparage Pirates III as I did leave the cinema thinking, 'wow' they are very impressive effects. Particularly the facial animation on Davy Jones but most of those effects were pioneered last year. I would have liked to have seen some recognition for The Bourne Ultimatum. I know some people will say it is merely an action movie but that is to do it a massive disservice. Not only did it bring a quality franchise to a very satisfying conclusion but it ended it on a high note. I feel that director Paul Greengrass should have been nominated for best director. He certainly put his own distinctive look on the franchise upon taking over from Doug Liman. He carried this look over to the third movie and perfected it. Nobody does shaky-cam like Greengrass. Also his narrative instincts were shown to superb by taking the risk of splitting the chronology of Supremacy and Ultimatum, then trusting the audience to figure it out for themselves. That is enough ranting about that oversight.

Another other film I expected to get some nominations was American Gangster. I really enjoyed the movie but I felt that it didn't quite have the quality to be win best picture but I did expect it to be nominated. I've just realised that Zodiac has also been shown no love by the Academy. It was similar to Michael Clayton in that it has been described as dull but it was the subject matter that really grabs you. The attention to detail in the movie is astounding and the acting was also of the highest quality. Although I had some reservations about Jake Gyllenhaal, not his performance so much but rather his presence in the role. I think the movie should at least have been given some writing nominations.

One thing I would really like to see is our release schedules come more inline with those in the US. We get the big blockbusters the same day but it would be nice to start seeing the smaller more award friendly movies be the same.