Jack Reviews

0

Jack Reviews Confessions (2010)

  Synopsis: Confessions is an adaptation on Kanae Minato’s novel which focuses around a cold as ice teacher and her story of revenge after her four year old daughter is killed. The film opens with a class full of loud and unruly school kids who seem uninterested in learning and focus more on tormenting other students and communicating through their mobile phones. The reason for this behaviour could be down to the fact that this is Yoko Moriguchi’s (Takako Matsu) last day teaching them. However she stays calm while pacing around the children, addressing them formally, as she slowly reveals her story. She discusses the way in which her four year old daughter is murdered and even then, the children only reply with brief comments and remain unfazed by her truthful story. She begins discussing the seriousness of life with a screech on the chalk board disrupting the subtle music and catching the attention of her self-obsessed students, a possible reflection of today’s society as a whole. As the story continues she hints that the two culprits are sitting in that very classroom referring to them as Student A and Student B, giving the classroom more incentive to listen in as we become engrossed by her story. She then delivers a sickening message that two of the milk cartons which the children have just been indulging in have been tainted by HIV contaminated blood as her revenge for her daughter’s death, breaking the equilibrium. Even though this may seem like a spoiler it happens fairly early in a film that is filled with twists, turns, love, death and insanity. Without wanting to reveal too much the films develops into five Confession stories, similar to the Ju-On series, which delves into the stories leading up, during and after the event of the death. The super stylised slow motion, repeated sequences and fisheye mirrors which occur frequently throughout this film help reflect the madness that thrives. The unsettling tension build ups like in many of Kubrick’s films and is delivered in the same brilliance, captivating the audience slowly, revealing just enough to keep us hooked. This tension that builds is the best I’ve seen in years and would even go as far as saying that this is the best East Asian film I’ve seen (with Joon-Hwan Jang’s Save the Green Planet (2003) a close second) The visual elements are combined with the presence of Radiohead’s Last Flowers fitting like a jigsaw and like nothing else you will see in cinemas this year. There are no jump out of your skin scary moments, however you will still leave the theatre shaking in your boots as the whole feel of the film is just utterly disturbing. The cast of school children are nothing but superb as their juxtaposing adult sadistic actions with their young looks are conveyed to perfection. However it is not only the school kids that stand out; every single character plays their role effortlessly. But if there is one character that stands above the rest, it is easily Student A: even though he is a young actor, he brings an honest yet terrifying portrayal of the difficulties of youth and has a scream which will haunt your nightmares. I can appreciate that this film may not appeal to everyone but if you have a love of foreign cinema or a passion for thrillers then I really cannot stress enough how just how amazing/beautiful/incredible (or whatever positive adjective you can place here) this film is, so if you get the chance to see it, please do. It will challenge the way you have ever thought about the thriller genre. Where it is not a popular mainstream film it will be a bit difficult to find in mainstream theatres, but even if you have to travel 20 miles I would advise you to do so because you cannot beat that feeling of watching such a magnificent film on the big screen. However if this is not a possibility then it will be the best £15/$20/€15 you will spend on a DVD and I am sure that I will not see a better film all year.   6/5    

0

Jack Reviews: Unknown (2011)

When watching the trailer for Unknown I was very excited to watch this preview and expected a lot, as the film reminded me of Liam Neeson’s 2008 action packed Taken. However if you watch this film, you will come to realise very soon that this is not Taken 2, as I did, and will be severely disappointed. Unknown is the story of Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) who is involved in a car crash in Berlin and as a result is in a coma for four days. Upon waking, Elizabeth (January Jones), his wife of five years, no longer recognises him. But, if that wasn’t bad enough, there is someone else claiming that he is Dr. Martin Harris and even has all the same documents. Harris struggles for people to believe him while being hunted by almost everyone, resulting in his growing paranoia and a lack of trust of those around him. To find out the truth Harris tracks down taxi driver Gina (Diane Kruger) in an attempt to discover his past in order to redefine his future. The film is a brainless exercise to pass a couple of hours without being taken seriously at all. Though, the fight scenes, at times, are very entertaining and there is quite a cool car chase towards the end of the film. But, the thing that really bothered me about this film was the total disregard towards the small details. At moments the dialogue became cringe-worthy with much of the cinema laughing during these moments. The editing during the fights scene was so quick it was hard to see who the hell was hitting who. And finally I just didn’t see a rapport between any of the characters with much of the acting below par. However, Neelson I feel does play the role very well and at 57 shows he can compete with actors half his age and can still teach them a thing or two. As I said before, you cannot really compare this film with Taken as it is hard to have a change of character from a government secret agent to a biotech and still give off the true badass aura. The film seems as if it is forgetting which genre it is trying to portray: combining crime drama, action blockbuster, and mystery thriller into a confusing mess. It is an OK film but remember to leave your logic behind before viewing this film. 2/5 Unknown is in cinemas March 4.

0

Jack reviews: Biutiful (2010)

As I sat in a cosy arthouse cinema in Soho sipping my pint of cider I was unsure what to expect from this film. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu takes a different approach from his multi-narrative style (which is evident in 21 Grams and Babel) and instead focuses solely on Uxbal (Bardem) a hustler who shuffles between corrupt police, Senegalese street hawkers and Chinese sweatshop owners making his living. But Uxbal’s persona of a strong man, due to his line of work, is overshadowed with hurting and vulnerable feelings. His life at home is an uphill struggle caring for is two kids as their bipolar, alcoholic mother comes and goes. This is also exacerbated with the news that he has cancer and is only has a couple of months to live and with this news tries to right the wrongs for the sake of his children. Not only that but he has to live with the burden that he can communicate with the dead and attends funerals to pass on messages to grieving relatives. At first this supernatural theme seems a bit confusing and unnecessary but as the film develops, it draws on the relationship Uxbal hold with his ‘spiritual advisor’ as she is the only one that he opens up to and shows his true feelings. During his last months of life there are glimmers of hope for all the characters he tries to help. He moves back in with his ex-wife Marambra (Maricel Álvarez) for the sake of his kids and they share an emotional moment as the family joke and bond over the melted ice cream. Uxbal then allows one Senegalese immigrant and her baby to move into the old flat rent free, supplies heaters for the Chinese workers living in the basement as well as trying to get them work on his brothers construction site. But in the end his hard work shatters into a thousand pieces as everything he tries to mend backlashes with everyone being worse off than when he started to no fault of his own.

Biutiful is a film surrounded in bleakness and depression which is contrasted by being set in Barcelona, as it has wonderful architecture from the likes of Gaudí, which would be a filmmakers dream to shoot. However this beauty is never really touched upon reemphasising the gritty under belly which lies within this city and even though Uxbal is involved with so many deeds, he is still isolated because of his inevitable death. Every building we enter is a cramped, dingy struggle for life with the characters trying to make the best out of their shitty situation. But it is also tiny delicate aspects of the film which makes it outstanding; reflections in mirrors being off synch and the sound which is all the point of view of Uxbal. It is a hard film to watch because of its contents and makes for a very uncomfortable viewing by giving such a realistic insight to Barcelona street life. Javier Bardem plays this role perfectly with recognition from Cannes Film Festival, giving him the award for best actor and has also been nominated for an Oscar. It’s not a film you would want to watch again and again as its message will stick with you for a long time after watching it.

4/5