A few quick reviews

The Aviator (1st viewing)

Martin Scorsese returns to form with a fabulous biopic of the life of Howard Hughes, but it's DiCaprio who steals the show here. His portrayel is refreshingly human, and even moving in Hughes' worst moments, and The Aviator represents his move into decidedly more adult territory. He is supported by a never-better Cate Blanchett, who may be acting a little too hard, but makes up for it with her hilarious portrayel of Katherine Hempburn. Beckinsale is less interesting, but at least she has improved on Van Helsing. The rest of the cast is huge, and you'll be shocked at the massive amount of small roles and cameos that have been taken up by famous actors and actresses. Even Willem Dafoe and Danny Huston show up along the way. Bladwin and Alda work well together and independently, especially Alda, turning what could have been straight 'villain' roles into something a little more interesting.

The techinical aspects of the film also deserve mention. The visual effects (not something you're used to seeing in a Scorcese picture) are very well done, and all the flying sequences are truly terrifying, especially the crash scene, which had me flinching and groaning throughout. Scorsese also utilises split-screen techniques very effectively. Some parts may be difficult to sit through, but The Aviator is one of the best crafted films of the year and deserves mention in almost every catagory of this year's Oscars.

***** out of 5.

Birth (1st viewing)

Jonathan Glazer delivers a haunting tale of love and inner feelings. Or, he throws together a ridiculously contrived piece of trash that wants to be smart but isn't. Birth was always bound to split audiences right in two - it is the definition of a love it or hate it movie. Personally, I loved it.

Kidman plays Anna, whose husband Sean died ten years ago, and who is now remarrying to Joseph, played by Danny Huston. She resides in her mother's apartment/mansion, her mother being Lauren Bacall. It's quite an ensemble, but it is broken apart by the arrival of a boy claiming to be Sean. He doesn't use the word reincarnation, he just says that he is Sean. I won't ruin the plot, but needless to say things soon take a turn for the worse.

The whole experience is extremely disturbing, or I found it to be, anyway. Cameron Bright, as the young boy, is creepy but also very human. Considering his age, he does a fantastic job with a complex role. Kidman gives the best performance of her career as Anna. Everything about her is simply perfect, from her delivery to her deepest facial expressions. She is dazzling.

The conclusion of the film is haunting, especially the final scene, and the whole experience is deeply affecting. Far better than I had ever expected. ***** out of 5.

The Iron Giant (5th viewing)

Living proof that director Brad Bird, behind the recent animation masterpiece The Incredibles, is not a one trick pony. After seeing The Incredibles twice in the cinema, I decided to re-visit one of my other favourite animated movies, also directed by Bird - 1999's criminally underrated The Iron Giant. Not only is it entertaining and instantly re-watchable, it's also one of the most touching and smart animated movies of the last decade.

We have a paranoid governement agent who sees conspiracies wherever he looks, and whose fall from grace and refusal to believe the giant is friendly represent much more than appears on the surface, as does Hogarth's friendship with the giant and the army's immediate violent response to the sight of him. Much like The Incredibles, this is an amazingly multi-layered and beautifully animated tale, further boosted by great voice performances from Eli Marienthial, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jnr., John Mahoney and Vin Diesel. ***** out of 5.

My Current Ballot for 2004

In no particular order, here is my 2004 ballot as of December 21st...

Best Picture
Collateral


Kill Bill Vol. 2


The Incredibles



Before Sunset


Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Best Director
Michael Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill Vol. 2


Kevin Macdonald, Touching the Void


Michael Mann, Collateral


Alfonso Cuaron, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban


Best Actor
Kevin Spacey, Beyond the Sea


Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Tom Cruise, Collateral


Jamie Foxx, Collateral


Ron Perlman, Hellboy


Best Actress
Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Uma Thurman, Kill Bill Vol. 2


Bryce Dallas Howard, The Village


Holly Hunter, The Incredibles


Julie Delpy, Before Sunset


Best Supporting Actor
David Carradine, Kill Bill Vol. 2


Freddie Highmoore, Finding Neverland


Jim Carrey, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events


Tom Wilkinson, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Steve Carell, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy


Best Supporting Actress
Kirsten Dunst, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Daryl Hannah, Kill Bill Vol. 2


Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls


Meryl Streep, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events


Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland


Best Adapted Screenplay
Robert Gordon, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events


Steve Kloves, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban


Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy


Andrew Adamson, Ted Elliot, Joe Stillman, Terry Rossio, David N. Weiss & J. David Stem, Shrek 2


Tony Gilroy & Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Supremacy


Best Original Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill Vol. 2


Charlie Kaufman & Michael Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Stuart Beattie, Michael Mann & Frank Darabont, Collateral


Brad Bird, The Incredibles


Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy, Before Sunset

The Phantom of the Opera

Considering his filmmaking history, there aren't many directors who would have been an odder choice to helm this one than Joel Schumacher. Over the last ten years, he has ruined the Batman series and broken several laws by releasing Bad Company, but he's had some good spots as well - Phone Booth, an action thriller set entirely on one street, and Tigerland, a cheaply made war movie. None of this translates to directing a classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical onto the screen. Yet here we are. Schumacher gets full marks for effort, and you'll soon forget you're watching the work of the man who gave us the appaling Batman and Robin. But sadly, Webber's musical hasn't translated well onto the big screen.

Things start well, with a good introductury scene filmed in black and white, set at an auction of items found in the Paris Opera house that is the setting of our story. As the chandelier 'in pieces' is raised, the whole opera house rebuilds itself in front of our eyes, accompained by the weirdly likeable Overture, in the best sequence of the film. Only once the film switches to colour can the audience appreciate how stunning the sets are - the films is truly a masterpiece of period artistry. Every shot is beautiful.

It's the music that really kills Phantom - after Angel of Music, The Mirror and The Phantom of the Opera, you've pretty much heard it all, and all the later songs feel like slower, less exciting variations on songs you've already heard. Also, Webber's involvment was no doubt the reason for several lines being sung, which not only do I hate, but also they would have sounded much better spoken normally.


t is both a blessing and a curse that Phantom has no big star to sell itself with. On the one hand, there's no unessecary changing of the plot or characters to make the star seem more likeable, but the actors we're given are nothing special. Emmy Rossum is pretty (although she's unnaturely thin) but her usual charisma is not on display here. She has the same look on her face through the whole thing. Butler is better, but doesn't quite pull off the Phantom's dangerous aura. They both have fine singing voices (presuming that's always them singing, which it might not be). I have no idea what the big deal is over Minnie Driver, who had no more than four scenes and wasn't funny in any of them.

At 2 hours and 23 minutes, Phantom is way too long, and its length is completely unnesessary - several scenes could have been shortened or cut out completely. There is a resonably satisfying ending waiting for you at the end of it all, but why bother? There is so much to hate about this film, I can't even remember half of the things I disliked. Sad but true - Phantom is a disappointment, however good it might look.

**1/2 out of 5.