Father Geek reporting in with some more reviews from the Edinburgh Film Festival in Scotland... this time they are from a spy by the name of... Euan. If you're one of those touchy types concerning "spoilers" you may want to proceed with caution because there are some items ahead that MAY strike you as spoilers... on the other hand they may not. However you have been warned...
Hi,
Some reviews from the Edinburgh Film Festival.
Spider Review
When discussing working with David Cronenberg on Spider, Gabriel Byrne describes him as being a provocative director that makes films which people either love or hate. This is a perfect description of Cronenberg’s work, because as a director he delves into areas that others wouldn’t dare (and to be honest are probably beyond their contemplation) and repeatedly churns out films that challenge his audience. Now I have to say from the start that I’m not a great fan of Cronenberg’s work, as I often find it too cold and weird, but having said that I still approach his work with interest for the simple reason that I know that I’ll witness some originality.
With Spider, Cronenberg has attempted to provide an intricate working of how the mind copes with understanding memories, in the sense of what is reality and imagination. The mind that we enter is that of Spider (Fiennes), a patient just transferred from a mental institution to a half-way house in the East End of London near where he grew up. Returning to this area rekindles childhood memories that Spider had kept suppressed for years, which are mainly concerned with the lose of his mother (Richardson). As the memories slowly come back Spider starts to remember the role that a local prostitute (also Richardson) played in getting rid of his mother and setting up home with his father (Byrne). It soon becomes clear that Spider is confused between which memories represent reality and which represent figments of his imagination.
Every shot that we witness in the film is through the eyes of Spider. From scene to scene the characters will behave differently and will appear to be inconsistent, but it is Spider’s memories that are inconsistent. The characters are merely a representation of Spider’s mood at the time, and Cronenberg ultimately leaves the audience in the dark over which representation is actually the correct one (although in truth the reality is always the half-way house of the extremes). Fiennes does his best in what is actually a pretty thankless lead role, considering that his main task is to mumble incessantly. The character of Spider is not there to engage the audience, as it is his memories that we are watching unfold, not his actions. It is the performances of Richardson and Byrne that are the heart of the film, as it is their ability to believably vary the persona of their characters that makes us accept that we are watching someone’s memories. Richardson does a fine job in her three separate roles, but it is Byrne who really impresses as he has to provide subtle variations on the same character.
Spider’s world is one predominately filled with dark and dreary locations. The East End of London is a depressing haven of dark greys and eerie shadows. In contrast, when we witness Spider’s happy memories, working in the fields with fellow mental patients, we are presented with images of vibrant colour that almost seem too perfect to be true. Scenes are laced with symbolic images of Spider’s mental struggle; his doomed attempt to complete a jigsaw and the half-way house itself is symbolic of the true reality of Spider’s thoughts. There is also an interesting little mystery running through Spider’s collection of memories, which is only revealed in the films closing scene.
Despite the challenging nature of Spider and the intricate way in which Cronenberg builds up the various conflicting memories, his minimalist direction and the films meandering pace ultimately left me feeling bored at times. When Byrne and Richardson are not on screen I found myself lacking interest, as all that I was left with were Fiennes mumblings. Whilst Spider is not as weird as many of Cronenberg’s other efforts, I still found it to be too cold to truly engage me. It is difficult to watch for many reasons, but Spider is at least a brave film that attempts to capture on screen what many would perceive as the impossible. Love him or hate him, it is hard not to admire Cronenberg’s work, and whilst Spider is not what I would class as an “entertaining” film it is an important and thought provoking one.
My Little Eye
Big Brother has become something of a phenomenon. Whenever the latest batch of ego-centric housemates willingly expose themselves the nation talks about nothing else. Now I’m not a big fan, but I’ve seen enough to know this one thing: the show is boring as hell! I’m sure that I’m not the only person that’s contemplated how much more fun the whole experience would be if the organisers at least tried to mess with the minds of the contestants. Imagine the excitement that could be created if the contestants started to think that they where unsafe in the house. Director Marc Evans obviously shares this view, as My Little Eye is an expertly crafted fright fest based around this very idea.
My Little Eye’s premise is simple. Five contestants have to spend 6 months in an extremely creepy looking house in the middle of nowhere that it filled with cameras in every room, so that their actions can be broadcast over the internet. If all of the contestants make it to the end then they get to share a prize of $1 million, but if one of them leaves the house then they all lose. With one week left until they get their greedy mitts on the wonga, weird things start happening. Dark secrets from their pasts are revealed, strange noises are heard at night and the contestants become more certain that something sinister is a foot to deter them from collecting their prize money.
Before I go any further let me just say that My Little Eye is the best horror film that I’ve seen since this year. Evans allows a genuine sense of dread and unease to develop, before unleashing a tension filled final act that delivers all that was promised before. Instead of being hindered by his low budget limitations, Evans exploits them to the full by providing conclusive evidence that successful horror is based on the premise that “the less the audience sees, the more frightened they become.” An unsure audience is often an uneasy and scared one. Evans makes My Little Eye look and feel like a reality TV show. He rapidly cuts between the various cameras, so that we are always aware of what each character is up to. But his greatest achievement is how he fully optimises the potential of the night vision cameras. Portraying everything in a haunting shade of green, even the simplest movement can become incredibly creepy. The night vision makes the character appear sinister and ghostly, but most effective of all is the disturbing way that the cameras illuminates their eyes, giving them an almost possessed look. The editing is also tight and fast, never allowing us to become too comfortable in front of a single camera, thus allowing the frights to perfectly timed and often unexpected.
Evans manages to keep the audience guessing as to what is actually happening by throwing numerous red herrings into the fold. Is it the organisers (who are constantly refereed to as “The Company”) playing tricks to freak them out, is there somebody else hanging around the house that they don’t know about, or is one of the contestants up to something more sinister? Thankfully when Evans does reveal the truth it isn’t the usual cop out that we come to expect from horror flicks these days and is far more sinister than most would expect. The film is played out well enough by a cast of largely unknown’s, who don’t bring the baggage and bias of big name stars. They include the usual spectrum of personalities; the bimbo, the sensitive guy, the cynical and self-aware one (Lemche basically does a slight variation of Jamie Kennedy’s Randy in the Scream films), etc.
With My Little Eye, Marc Evans has taken a simple idea and managed to bring out it’s full potential. This is a tension wracked edge of your seat horror thriller that should leave hardcore fans more satisfied than they have been in ages. What’s even more surprising is that although it’s set in the US, this is a British film and proof that not everybody in the industry is content with making uninspired tales of hardship set on a council estate. With a spot on marketing campaign to accompany its release, My Little Eye has the potential to be one of the surprise hits of the year.
Once Upon A Time In The Midlands
To the outsider the British film industry must look somewhat tired and predictable. Every year it seems to regurgitate the same old film, whereby we have a romantic comedy/drama set mainly in a council estate that has the same down to Earth and likeable people struggling with their lot in life. Now don’t get me wrong, the British film industry can handle this genre comfortably, but it’s just that, personally speaking, I’m fed up of seeing this same film over and over again. The industry is in real danger of typecasting itself and instantly diverting the best in British film-making talent (the likes of Christopher Nolan and Sam Mendes) straight to America, where there more original ideas are more appreciated. Shane Meadows’ final installment of his self-proclaimed “Midlands trilogy” is indicative of this, as whilst it is a fairly good-natured and likeable effort, it still left me with a strong sense of deja vu.
With Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, Meadows’ attempts to provide a novel twist on the old format by playing the tale out like a Western. Hard-as-nails criminal Jimmy (Carlyle) sees his old flame, and mother of his daughter Marlene (Finn Atkins), Shirley (Henderson) turn down her current boyfriend’s, the awkward and geeky, but good-hearted Dek (Ifans) marriage proposal live on television during an episode of Vanessa. Seeing this as a chance to win back his the woman he believes is his, and on the back of a heist gone wrong in Glasgow, Jimmy swaggers back into town. A battle over Shirley then ensues between Jimmy and Dek. Also living on the same street is Jimmy’s sister Carol (a constantly shell-suited Kathy Burke) and her estranged husband, and would-be Country singer Charlie (Tomlinson).
Once Upon… has as strong a British cast, as you’re likely to see all year. Carlyle and Ifans returning more to their roots after some bigger budget Hollywood fare and the always dependable Burke and Tomlinson providing solid support, whilst young Finn Atkins freshens things up with a promising debut. However, Ifans and Atkins aside, none of the actors are really able to give us characters to really engage with. Carlyle seems content to do another rift on his Begbie persona for the majority of the film, whilst Burke and Tomlinson aren’t given the time or the material to deliver much more than the occasional laugh. And Henderson, essentially providing the heart of the story, comes across as too whiny and never convinces as the woman that both Jimmy and Dek feel as though they must have. That said though Rhys Ifans is a bit of a revelation here, as for the first time in his career he gets to play the a “normal” guy. Showing superb physical and verbal comic timing, Ifans makes Dek a thoroughly likeable if somewhat clumsy lead with whom the audiences can both laugh at and sympathise with. Ifans at times underplayed performance manages to lend credibility to Dek’s transition from neurotic wimp to reluctant hero. His interplay with Atkins is also excellent and provides most of the films emotional impact.
One of the major problems with Once Upon… is that halfway through all the laughs seem to pretty much disappear, as the film moves into some very predictable heart-searching melodrama. This is a shame as Once Upon… is actually pretty amusing for the first 45 minutes and some a couple of superb comic moments; most notably a heist involving robbing clowns that goes wrong. Meadows also manages to successfully carry through a couple of running gags, particularly Jimmy’s ex crime buddies (lead by James Cosmo) hunting him down in a succession of ridiculous stolen vehicles. Dek’s love for his car “Baby” (a souped-up Ford Sierra that acts as his trusty horse) also provides for numerous successful jokes. The film is also filled with iconic Western imagery and clearly shows Meadows love and enthusiasm for the genre. He slips in a repeated number of nice touches, but I particularly liked the exaggerated creaking made by the “bad guys” leather in the film.
Once Upon… isn’t a bad film. It’s got its fair share of laughs and boasts an excellent lead performance from Rhys Ifans. It does however feel a touch lazy and is really lacking in fresh ideas. A lot of people find comfort in familiarity and the film will probably do OK at the box office, but I hope that this isn’t taken by the British Film Industry as indication that they can go on churning out the same repeatedly average product.
Cheers
