Category Archives: film review

Gangs of New York

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Underwhelming, and I’ve been trying to put my finger on why.

Suspect number one has to be Leonardo di Caprio. I know that the little girls love him, and I actually think that he _can_ act… he just didn’t have the weight for this part. Too pretty? Too blond? Didn’t help that he was up against Day-Lewis.

Suspect number two, though, is that very same performance from Day-Lewis. Every so often he seemed to be impersonating Robert de Niro, which I guess was deliberate, but was veryoff putting. I kept expecting him to say something about milkshake to little Leo.

Suspect number three has to be studio interference, which apparently was extensive. Yet even with a further half hour or so of coverage, it’s not as if the film was too short – more like the opposite. Is it simply that Scorcese need to be reined in? Don’t know.

Some great moments, mainly involving Day-Lewis, but I finished it feeling ‘so what?’ Not a good sign. At some point I’ll watch it again with the Director’s commentary, and see if that reveals anything useful.

3/5

Inland Empire

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Wow. I was trying to keep track of the different levels of reality and gave up after six – and then realised that I was missing the point, and went instead with the flow of ax(x)on hopping through the Inland Empire. A remarkable performance from Laura Dern which was the only thing that kept it at all coherent, and a surprisingly positive and integrative ending which I loved.

Of course, it’s only really for Lynch fans, and if you haven’t already watched Mulholland Drive – preferably several times – then much of the texture of this film would be missed or misunderstood, as in many ways it is an extension of his quite savage critique of Hollywood explored there. For me a 5/5, for other, perhaps more normal people(!) no more than a 3 🙂

Moon

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Quite brilliant, and very interesting, well worth a re-watch – but not sure if there is a religious sub-text or not (as opposed to simply a meditation on being human). Excellent ‘riffs’ on 2001 et al. 5/5

American Psycho (movie)

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When I first heard about this, it didn’t appeal, but then I caught part of it on TV one night and was intrigued – and thanks to Lovefilm I’ve now managed to see the whole thing. Very, very dark satire. Right up my street. And this monologue deserves an award all of its own. Brilliant. 4/5

Derek Nimmo returns from the grave (Rev.)

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Let’s start with the positives:
– context is realistic, and being an ex-East End vicar myself it was great to see some familiar locations being explored;
– Tom Hollander can act;
– it did make me chuckle a good deal, and I’m sure I’ll watch the whole thing.

BUT

Why oh why did we have to endure yet another presentation of a vicar as a downtrodden and browbeaten big girl’s blouse? When I was first called to the ministry I resisted the call for as long as humanly possible (two days of arguing directly with God; yes I am that stubborn) and that was simply because I had absolutely no desire to be a Derek Nimmo. He still represents for me all that is most spineless and useless about the church (the established church in particular) – the reduction of ministry to social work, to – in one of the sharpest moments of the programme – the need to devote all our energies to ‘wiping people’s arses’.

You’d never glean from a programme like this that Jesus was incredibly courageous and manly – a bloke’s bloke if ever there was one – that he was often astonishingly rude to people he disagreed with, that he was angry and aggressive – and that there are a great many clergy who follow that path. In short – there is nothing prophetic about this presentation, it was entirely lacking in theological substance and truth.

Grrr.

However, having got that off my chest, there was at least a sign of the worm turning at the end of the programme. It will be interesting to see if that represents the way the series will go. How wonderful it would be if there was a robust presentation of the reality of God in a vicar’s life. I won’t get my expectations up.

The Fall

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This was an absolute feast visually, but what held it together was a phenomenal performance from the child at the centre of the story. I’m not sure if it carries a great weight of meaning – the ‘bracketing’ of the film with particular images put me in mind of Magnolia – but it is certainly a film that could be watched many times. Highly recommended 5/5

20 Seconds of Joy

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I caught this on TV last night and found it fascinating. It is a documentary following a Norwegian base-jumper, and it explores what drives people to pursue these extreme sports. It had interesting things to say about the nature of fear, and the way in which facing and conquering the fear of death – which you need to do if you’re going to jump off the side of a cliff – leads to much greater equanimity and sense of proportion in the rest of life. I’d recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

It also struck me, however, that some people have the same attitude to worship that base-jumpers have to the adrenaline rush (the “20 seconds of joy”). They seek a ‘hit’ – an internal ‘charging’ of their spirituality, in the same way that the base-jumpers entered a state akin to meditation when they really had to concentrate on pulling the parachute cord at the right moment. Just as with any other addiction, familiarity breeds contempt. The Norwegian girl rapidly became accustomed to simply jumping off a cliff and flying down, so she pursued a path of flying closer to the cliffs for a greater rush. In the same way I have the impression that much Christian “worship” is about pursuing a particular experience, a particular subjective state, which allows some self-forgetfulness, and we end up with the phenomenon where “the pastor feels like a cult prostitute, selling his or her love for the approval of an upwardly mobile, bored middle class, who, more than anything else, want some relief from the anxiety brought on by their materialism” (Hauerwas & Willimon).

I think that to really enter into a genuine and transformative relationship with the living God a believer has to be prepared to work past the threshold of boredom with regard to worship. It is only when the self, with all its immoderate and ultimately jaded appetites, its consumer preferences and idolatry of choice, is subject to a higher discipline that a genuine intimacy with God can be found.

Put differently, many contemporary worship forms will simply end up breaking the legs of the believer. Liturgy puts them back together.

The Unforgiven Wrestler

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Finally got around to watching this film last night – I had been meaning to watch it for ages – and it was, as expected, an excellent film, highly recommended, although, as a tragedy, it ends up being pretty grim. 4.5/5

However, whilst watching it I was put in mind of the text from Sunday’s service: “he who has been forgiven little loves little”. The turning point in the wrestler’s story is a rejection, which leads to a relapse into bad habits, which escalates into another rejection, and a further relapse, and the man sinks back into the way of death. In other words, it is because of a lack of forgiveness – especially from one crucial person – that death follows. So I see the film as an exploration and presentation of a spiritual law – where choosing love and forgiveness leads to life in abundance, so too does a lack of love and lack of forgiveness lead to death.

Similar themes to the Eastwood film – hence the title of this blog post.

District 9

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Probably the best sci-fi film of at least the last ten years, a highly intelligent, sharply observed and meaningful movie which packs a hefty emotional punch. Obviously, if your preference in alien films involves Arnie and a big gun, this might be a bit disappointing (although the action-packed third act is very exciting), but if you want an original vision that is fully realised and executed, you won’t go far wrong. Marvellous. 5/5