Review - The Admirable Crichton (Alternative title - Paradise Lagoon) (1957 - Dir. Lewis Gilbert)

As I started watching The Admirable Crichton I had an unusual feeling of deja vu. It's got Kenneth More in it. It involves the sinking of a ship. Mr More has to jump overboard and swim to a lifeboat. All the posh people whinge about not having their fancy clothes (cumberbunds, perhaps) and their accoutrements during a crisis. Yes, it's A Night to Remember except loads of people don't die horribly and it's pretty funny too.

Kenneth More plays the titular Cricthton, a butler in a well posh house. He plays the role completely straight and this makes the comedy work brilliantly. I chuckled. I chortled. I even had a little guffaw. Most of the jokes are at the expense of the silver spoon lickers or they are comments on the class system. It's always a treat to have a good laugh at rich people's misfortunes.

After their ordeal at sea, Crichton and the Lord's family end up on a desert island. Amazingly enough, the Lord has no idea how to survive and neither have any of his cronies. But Crichton does. When the rest of society is removed, what happens to the traditional roles? And what will happen if they manage to return to Blighty? Can one Butler beat the natural order of all things British? You'll have to watch it to find out.

Crichton, being a bit of a ladies man, has two on the go at once: the Tweeny (a servant played by the shockingly accented Diane Cilento, almost up there with Dick Van Dyke and Brion James) and the Lord's daughter, Mary (Sally Ann Howes). You're never quite sure which way he's going to go. Will he stick within his class or go for a bit of upper-class jiggery pokery? Choices, choices...

Unlike other films based on plays, (J.M.Barrie wrote the original) you don't really feel that you are watching a play that's been filmed. All in all, an enjoyable experience then. A timely reminder to respect and look after one's servants; one day they could save your life. Now Jeeves, bring my smoking jacket and my best pipe, after you've done that you can remove these blasted dangleberries.
7/10
evlkeith



If you like this you could try:
A Night to Remember, Reach for the Sky, Hobson's Choice, Sailor Beware.

Review - Carandiru - (2003 - Dir. Hector Babenco)

If it's the stereotypical prison drama you're after then Carandiru may not be for you. That's not to say there aren't brutal scenes of fighting, drug taking, scalding, shanking, rat attacks and several other features of the Prison Checklist, however the film is much more than a gritty tale of incarceration. The action conveys a sense of warmth and humanity to the lives of the characters mainly through the examination of flashback scenes of their pre-custody lives relayed to the prison doctor and this makes the whole thing more real and at times disturbing.

Over the first three quarters of the film we get to know, like and believe the stories of the inmates and this makes the ultimate ending so much more powerful. There's also an intriguing contrast between the characters we think we know and their actions in the prison environment. For instance, it's hard to believe a charismatic romeo called Highness can behave the way he does away from his previous life and the ladies, although his chat up techniques are equally unbelievable. The fact that we view the prisoners' stories through the eyes of the prison doctor, and subsequently the author of the novel recounting his actual time within Carandiru, also adds a sense of realism and authenticity to proceedings. 

The fact that the film was shot on location in the real prison just before it was demolished adds an extra layer of realism and the naturalness and unforced nature of the acting may be a direct result of them living and working in this environment. There are no weak performances with Maria Luisa Mendonça (Dalva), Rodrigo Santoro (Lady Di) and Lázaro Ramos (Ezequiel) the pick of the bunch. It's Brazilian, it's original, but I doubt it's what you're expecting. Definitely worth a watch.

7/10

Doccortex

If you like this you could also try:
Favela Rising, The Elite Squad, Bus 174.

Review - To (2009 - Dir. Fumihiko Sori)

I'd pre-ordered this based on Sori's previous work - Vexille in particular - but after seeing a not-so-great review in SFX I cancelled the order and thought that I'd rent it instead. I should have stuck to my original plan and not bothered reading other reviews first. As with Vexille, it's not the best film ever but something about it gets under my skin and makes me want to watch it again.

To is two separate stories (this severely confused me, when the credits for the first part came up after not that long, it took me a while to realise there was a second story), based on the manga 2001 Nights by Yukinobu Hoshino. Both stories deal with what will happen when humans start to venture out into space. Will we make exactly the same mistakes again?

The first story Elliptical Orbit concerns the shipment of a new energy source. Fifteen years after setting off, the ship transporting the liquid protons back to Earth has to stop off for repairs at a space station. The female captain of the ship meets up with Dan - the head honcho of the space station - and they obviously have a history. But what has happened between them? This story is not really concerned with the science and more with how relationships will be affected by long haul space travel. It contains some strangely static space battles but is nonetheless quite enjoyable.

Then we come to Symbiotic Planet. This is a riff on Romeo and Juliet with two lovers hailing from two different antagonistic nations. Being planet-bound this one has a different feel and atmosphere to the first story but the style and theme ties them both together. It also has a comedy ending that made me chuckle. Fairly standard issue characters are the norm, especially the military types, but I could easily imagine this kind of thing happening. Again, this is more of a love story than hard science-fiction.

A mention has to be given to the title sequence which is one of the best I've seen in years. Music and clean visuals come together beautifully, whetting your appetite for what is to come. I could watch it repeatedly - nice and loud.

The style is a little odd - not quite anime, not quite the CG animation produced in Hollywood - but if you've seen Vexille or either of the similarly styled Appleseed films you'll be used to it. I like it as a way of telling stories differently. There is some resistance to it, with people worried that it might replace traditional anime. As Sori himself says, there are some worlds that you can only produce with hand-drawn animation giving Miazaki's work as an example. I think there's room for all of these different styles. I like this. I like anime. 

I have a strong suspicion that my rating of this film may go up over time. It's one of those films that I just feel myself drawn back to again and again. I better go and order it now...
7/10
evlkeith

(As an aside, the extras are quite interesting - especially the brilliantly titled 'Special Questions'. Sori explains how most western films are dubbed into the Japanese language for a Japanese audience. It seems that the whole world is a bit subtitle averse.)


 

If you like this you could also try:
Vexille, Appleseed, Appleseed: Ex Machina.

Review - Flesh + Blood (1985 - Dir. Paul Verhoeven)

Whoops. Soz.

Flesh + Blood starts off like a highly inappropriate pantomime. The acting is shocking; even Rutger Hauer suffers from a severe case of over-the-top, back-slapping camaraderie and raucous flaughter (definition - false laughter). Brion James is the worst offender, but then again, he always is. (See Tango and Cash for more of his comedy antics.)

The initial section of the film makes for uncomfortable viewing. Rutger's merry little band of mercenaries are cheated out of their rightful spoils by Arnolfini, a noble lord. Then they are run out of town. They soon get their own back. They ambush said lord and nick his treasure, inadvertently kidnapping his son's bride-to-be, Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh - Last Exit to Brooklyn). By this point you are firmly on the side of Rutger and his little chums, cheering them on in their humorous shenanigans and malarkey. Then they brutally gang rape Agnes. 

Flesh + Blood takes a good long while to recover from this, but as it develops, it transpires that you should be siding with Agnes and the lord's, initially irritating, son. You have to give Verhoeven the benefit of the doubt that this was always his intention, to usurp your expectations. Then the plague makes a guest appearance and things start to pick up.

There are some cracking quotes in it. A band of soldiers come across an old lady, accompanied by a young lady. They question them. The young lady won't talk. The old lady explains that, "Some soldiers, big fellows like you, raped her when she was a child and then cut out her tongue for fun." To which, one of the soldiers comments to his boss, "Come, my friend. We'll learn nothing here." Cheers, mate. Very sympathetic. Good luck in your job at The Samaritans. Another pearler is: "Knives and forks are part of our lives." Don't ask.

Mr Hauer is just made for iconic shots. Put him in the rain, mist or against fire and film him. Instant great shot. There are at least three such shots within Flesh + Blood. Worth the asking price alone. The small matter of a hot tub scene adds value too.

After the shaky start, Flesh + Blood grew on me and by the end I actually quite enjoyed it. Not Verhoeven's best. Not Hauer's best. But not bad.
4/10
evlkeith



If you like this you could also try:
Salute of the Jugger, Blind Fury, Excalibur.

Review - The Wicker Tree (2010 - Dir. Robin Hardy)

Let's get this straight out of the way: The Wicker Tree is not as good as The Wicker Man. But you can say that about 99.999% of films. Robin Hardy set such a high standard it would be unreasonable to expect another film of such exceptional quality. Just as Joe Dolce could never hope to hit the giddy heights of 'Shaddap You Face'. Maybe not.

Is it any good then? Well, I liked it. It grew on me more and more as the film progressed. I suspect it will improve on repeat viewings. The tone of The Wicker Tree is more comedic than The Wicker Man - one scene involving a gentleman's middles perhaps goes a tad too far down this route - but it still has an unsettling atmosphere and has its fair share of erotic moments.


Beth Boothby (Brittania Nicol) is a pop star - with many hit parade top tunes to her name - who just so happens to be a born again Christian. Steve (Henry Garrett) is a cowboy. Who just so happens to be engaged to Beth. They have silver chastity rings so jiggery pokery is off the menu. They decide to become missionaries (eh? Didn't we say no hanky panky?) and set off to Tressock, Scotland. If you've seen The Wicker Man, it's fair to say you have a fairly good idea of what's coming next: songs, comedy moments, rudies and horror. Hardy leaves the horror to your imagination without resorting to gratuitous splatter scenes. This fits perfectly with the tone and feel of the film. 

As with The Wicker Man, this film deals with a clash between a current religion and the pagan Gods, who are used very cynically to explain away a sticky situation that the big bad boss man, Sir Lachlan Morrison, finds himself in. It also poses the question, 'Can you escape from fate?'. I think that the answer is given, in that everyone plays their part in the game, but I won't reveal the final outcome. If fate is definitely real, I would just sit playing PS3, eat coconut macaroons and drink Tizer all day rather than going to work. Fate will take care of the rest. If you can't change your fate you may as well have a laugh in the meantime.

The ending - again, it's never going to be as mind-numbingly horrific as The Wicker Man's but it is very atmospheric. I felt that it was a little bit rushed, possibly because I wanted to spend longer in the unsettling atmosphere surrounded by the gorgeous imagery. The titular tree is a stunning piece of design (originally drawn by Robin Hardy). It deserved more screen time. The ending, especially the final shot, reminded me of Hammer and Amicus productions. Very British. Which contrasts nicely with the casting of two Americans as the lead roles.


Sadly, Christopher Lee couldn't play the part of Sir Lachlan Morrison due to a back injury. What a difference that would have made. Graham McTavish is okay in the part and by the end, when he gets all shouty, I didn't mind him too much. But you can't help wondering... 

Robin Hardy would like to make a third film, to make it a trilogy. What a great fella. He's in his eighties and is still able to make a film of this quality and think about making another. After seeing The Wicker Tree, I would look forward to it. A salute is definitely the order of the day.
8/10
evlkeith


If you like this you could also try:
The Wicker Man (if by some miracle you haven't seen it - do I even need to bother saying that this is the original, not the 2006 waste of time), Dead of Night, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, Theatre of Blood.

Feature - A Year of obscurendure in Quotations

It's been a long year at obscurendure with literally hundreds of reviews. To celebrate a year of the premier obscure film blog I've re-read the whole thing and picked the quotes that effectively summarise our output and tell you everything you need to know about our editorial stance. For regular readers; can you spot who said each quote and which film it relates to? (Check out our parallel article at Into the Valley of the Obscure.) 

"Who doesn't love a helmet wearing lady with a shotgun and lawnmower shield combo?"

"One of my most hated things is Thunderbirds spoofs. People walking around pretending to be puppets. Scum of the earth."

"Being generous, you could call Lupin a 'ladies' man'. Being less generous, a 'pervert'."

"I hate musicals and I hate characters spontaneously singing. It has the power to spoil even the best of films. I really, really hate it."

"Time for some moustache porn. It is so luxurious. So thick, bushy and neatly trimmed."

"In a similar fashion to Lupin, the Beastman comes across as a bit of a pervert, peeping and chuckling in a really dirty fashion. Funny, though."

"Shacks are great. If that doesn't whet your appetite I don't know what will."

"Then you have Goldblum playing the usual Goldblum character, dressed as a red and white cowboy. Hate him with a passion."

"Here is a typical scene: a man dances with a dead villager, accompanied by a fellow with a hurdy gurdy. In the foreground sits a man cackling away, encouraging the surreal dance, while a woman holding a duck stares gormlessly into space."

"The creepy guy makes Lupin the Third look like Mother Theresa."

"Don't get your hopes up with the miners: they look nothing like the Northern National Union of Mineworkers miners that are probably in your head. They are more like a Guillermo del Toro creation, eyeless, noseless with large lower canines."

"When the best thing about a film is a dog called Robin - and he's not in it for long - you know things are not good."

"If you like cops with guns, shooting drug dealers with guns in slums, with loads of guns and shooting then this is the film for you."

"Glass blowing with stunningly hot molten glass and hypnotism do not make good bedfellows."

"Lupin is a 'gentleman' thief. I can't quite recall the word 'letch' being in the definition of 'gentleman', or the action of 'sticking out your tongue and waggling it around at scantily clad ladies' being referred to either..."

"And anyway, any film where a fella tries to woo a lady by playing a saw can't be all bad. It sounds gorgeous."

"Not to be confused with the more specialist title The Kerb Crawlers, The Sky Crawlers is a traditional anime/CGI mutated hybrid type thing."

“If you're after a business blouse make sure that it complements your suit rather than contrast with it. That would just be crazy.”

“I can see this being half decent if you were in a dark cinema at two o'clock in the morning and you'd had a few Tizers. You could fall asleep and dream of desiccated cow corpses.”

Doccortex