Little More Lust, Little Less Caution

In thinking about this week's director, I wonder if I should take my own advice and watch one of Ang Lee's films again. You see, I watched LUST, CAUTION back during the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival...early on a Sunday morning...where "half awake" would be a generous way to describe my mental state.

Along with being in a better mindset, my taste has changed in the last four years - so perhaps if I were to give it a rent now, I'd find that the pace and tone are in fact more in line with what I want in a film.

For better or worse, here's what I wrote back then...

Ang Lee's movies are some of the most consistently best-looking films, and just about every time I watched one for the first time there was at least one "that's a great shot" moment. I didn't get that with LUST, CAUTION, so while it is shot well, it didn't strike me as visually interesting as some of Lee's other films like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN or THE ICE STORM. That said, I did enjoy the scenes that involved the four women conversing over their game of mah-jongg. It reminded me a lot of the scenes in EAT, DRINK, MAN, WOMAN where the characters talk passionately as they cook...

Check out the full post here.

"...And He Still Has Hell to Look Forward To" (Hatter Talks SE7EN)

This one is a tad redundant, because in many ways I said most of what I needed to say about SE7EN during the Fincher episode. Still, it might make for a good read.

A few months ago I was taking part in a series that was slowly going through the 1001 Essential Films list and posting about them. This post came from that series, where I mulled over the film fifteen years after its release, and considered its status as an "essential" film.

The events of SE7EN do indeed feel like a slow descent into hell. Perhaps the hardest things about this journey is where it leaves us. The case builds to it's painful conclusion...and then ends after a quick nod. The film kicks us as hard as it can square in the gut. Then as we're left on our hands and knees puking in the gutter, the film basically walks away and waves goodbye, leaving us to try and collect ourselves as best we can...

Check out the full post here.

"Know What's Cooler Than a Million Dollars?" (Hatter Settles The Social Network/Citizen Kane Debate)

I took some flak earlier this year when I stuck my neck out and made a declaration. So what better way to celebrate the David Fincher episode than by going back to that glorious debate.

Some of you might recall, that last autumn when THE SOCIAL NETWORK was setting the moviegoing world on fire to a certain extent, there were some who had the audacity to call it "CITIZEN KANE for a New Generation".

That's heresey for a film lover like me, and it prompted me to take a long hard look at both films...

Kane’s fate is far more tragic. As the newsreel tells us, the man outlived his power. At his peak, he was raking in a fortune, ran a news syndicate that was influential, and stood on a political precipice that included him being poised to be governor, with the American presidency within sight. He lost it all, because for Kane power wasn’t enough. He always felt some gaping hole that only love could fill, but it had to be love on his terms...

Check out the full post here.

"Hey Joe, what do you know?" (HATTER reviews A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)

For 12 years, Stanley Kubrick worked on this project. Originally intended to be released much earlier, originally it was Joseph Mazello (the lad in Jurassic Park who has only recently starred in The Social Network and The Pacific HBO TV-Series) who was due to play 'David'.

As part of the 1001 Film To See Before You Die, Hatter reviewed the title noting the following:

"Sadly this team effort is not without questions, as Kubrick unfortunately passed away before the project went ahead. Thus understanding exactly where Kubrick's ideas end and Spielberg's begin is foggy at best, and might even contribute to what doesn't work with this film (more on that later). That said, it is amazing to see touchstones of two geniuses in the same film. Only in A.I. can we get silhouettes against the moon and the chin-down-eyes-up glares"

He expanded further on Kubrick's trademarks that feature - and what Spielberg may have interpretted badly in his full review, which you can see by clicking here 

"I Do Not Know This Man" (Hatter Reviews TRUE GRIT)

Talking about The Coen Brothers proved to be a tricky task. They have so many truly great films that one could easily dedicate an entire twelve part series to them alone! But in the effort to keep things succint, Simon and I were forced to skim past some of their titles.

Such as TRUE GRIT.

But thankfully, both he and I have done a lot of writing on the Coens over the years, so we have them covered with the written word.

Here's a taste of what I thought of their western remake last year...


TRUE GRIT feels like a sermon about cowardice and consequences. The movie begins with a quote, pointing out that the lowest form of cowards are the ones that run when nobody is there to chase them. What sort of fate should befall such a person? Do they deserve the mercy and luxury of the law? It wouldn't seem so if even a fourteen-year-old can grasp the gutlessness of the action. No. In the society TRUE GRIT inhabits, such lack of spine merits bounty hunters, vigilante justice, and retribution...

The full post can be found here.

The Film Locker #4: Joel and Ethan Coen and 'No Country for Old Men'

Having spent two weeks covering film directors who may be a little off the beaten track, we regain the road by moving to younger and hipper folk in Joel and Ethan Coen. Having both watched both back-catalogues, Hatter and I argue it out with our favourites and not-so-favourite films with an in-depth analysis of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

We go through our top-of-the-shelf choices and choose two films that reflect the diversity of the Coen's style with a nice little musical treat tp finish the episode!

On a sidenote, results for Episode 3 will be released soon so - don't let this stop you from entering this weeks competition!

And, as usual, it is already up on itunes and can be found easily on podomatic - so, please do try and write reviews and support us if you can! We have the ol' RSS feed and 2.0 RSS and, if you link in different ways, we also have it on Google and Yahoo

The Film Locker #3: David Cronenberg and 'The Fly'

So, much love to our new listeners who have entered the competition and the writer-inners (email us!) and with two in the bag - a Woody Allen and a Martin Scorsese episode, we now move onto more obscene and obscure directors with David Cronenberg.

Our choice of film is The Fly. Hatter mentioned how, prior to our Woody Allen show, he had not seen Hannah and her Sisters, and the same is true of The Fly for me. In fact, in preparation I watched three Cronenberg films: The Fly, eXistenZ and Dead Ringers for the first time!

And, as usual, it is already up on itunes and can be found easily on podomatic - so, please do try and write reviews and support us if you can! We have the ol' RSS feed and 2.0 RSS and, if you link in different ways, we also have it on Google and Yahoo

"You Inspire Me" (Hatter Reviews YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER)

As much as we effused about Woody Allen during the podcast, there's one side-effect that comes with being such a prolific director: The films aren't all winners.

Take last year's offering, YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER. Oddly enough the film wasn't bad per se, it just wasn't up to the level that one might expect from a Woody Allen film. Here's part of what I had to say about it after taking it in at TIFF 2010


Just about every character in YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER seems to have the same mindset. Almost to a man, they seem to believe that their lovelife is in a rut and that they need to make a change. They need someone else - anyone else. If they shake off the person that has held them back, then suddenly their every wish will come true and their life will be filled with meaning and love. Problem is, it seldom works that way...

The full post can be found here.

"Gimme Champagne When I'm Thirsty, Give Me a Reefer When I Wanna Get High..." (Hatter reviews SHINE A LIGHT)

Few people can film rock & roll like Martin Scorsese. The man has it down to a science and does it with such subtlety that a viewer never truly realizes just how much craft is in play.

The last great example of this was when Scorsese took his crew to film the world's greatest rock & roll band play a theatre show in New York. Here's a bit about what I thought at the time...


Fair Warning: This review will be difficult for me to write without letting my biases show. I'm a believer in rock & roll. I'm a follower of Martin Scorsese. And I'm deeply devoted to the Gospel according to Charlie, Ronnie, Keith, and Mick. However, I will try to set all of that aside, and give an honest account of SHINE A LIGHT. Light a candle for me...say a prayer...this will be tough...

Slight sidenote, this review was posted in my first few months of blogging...so if it seems a little rough, I plead inexperience. The full post can be found here.

"Get Yourself Together Teddy..." (Hatter reviews SHUTTER ISLAND)

Thank you to everybody who has listened to our first episode so far, given us great constructive feedback to work with, and participated in the trivia game. I'm sure I speak for Simon when I say that we're happy we were able to start this crazy collaboration off with a bang.

During Episode One, Simon mentioned that for him SHUTTER ISLAND was the best film of 2010, and while I didn't completely agree, I did find the film to be an amazing cinematic experience.

Here's a taste of what I wrote at the time on The Dark of The Matinee...


"Do you really want to know?"

We've all heard those six words at some point, and in all of us it evokes a certain unease. It answers a question with a question, and tells us that we're not going like the truth. That's the feeling that lingers over much of SHUTTER ISLAND...that every single answer we get in this mystery will lead to further - and more unsettling - questions...

If you want to read more, the full review can be found here.