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.

"I'm Seven...But I Look a Lot Older" (Simon reviews THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON)

We didn't really plan it this way (perhaps I did subliminally), but Simon and I spent a lot of time during the podcast talking about THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.

This is the Fincher film that seems to get wailed on the most these days. Truthfully I wasn't totally fussed about it when I first saw it either, but subsequent watches have led to me appreciating it an awful lot more.

Simon, on the other hand, remains unconvinced...

This is really quite a film. The special effects are flawless - and showing the range of ages of Benjamin and Daisy does look quite smooth and in no way affects the watching-of-the-film. Basically, these groundbreaking effects, do not interrupt the narrative. The narrative has enough problems...

Check out his entire review here.

"Oh You Betcha Yah..." (Simon Reviews FARGO)

What is the best Coen Brothers film? One could make a case for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN...certainly MILLER'S CROSSING is up for discussion...some might even suggest THE BIG LEBOWSKI (though I wouldn't).

For my money, I think it's hard to top FARGO - even though, as I mentioned in the show, I didn't like it at first go. Simon reviewed it for Screen Insight a while back, here's a taste of what he thought...


Frances McDormand's 'Marge' is such a force that as soon as we see her and 'Norm' wake up to the call of a homicide, it is she who is the centre of the story. Everything else turns to dust. Her idiosyncrasies and mannerisms, "yah" simply make every sequence amazing to watch. She notes on the documentary that she can only do 'Madge' when in the wig - which doesn't surprise me. Something so fluid can't be turned on and off - you have to physically become the character...

The full post can be found 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.

"I'm a World Renowned Claustrophobic" (Simon reviews MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY)

I know I said it before, but with 41 films, it's going to take me a while to get through all (or even most) of Woody Allen's body of work. Something I've also said before, is that I'm happy I can defer to Simon when trying to settle on where to start.

Take MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY.

With a title like that, one might think it's complete farce, but according to my Brit friend, it's quite celever (if flawed). Here's a snippet of his take on the film...

Apparently, originally this Murder Mystery was squeezed into Annie Hall but, thank God, the Marshall Brickman/Woody Allen script for Annie Hall has no murder element whatsoever. But, Allen does team up with Marshall Brickman to complete this script so it does remain as chirpy as Annie Hall but without the heart. I think it was Madonna who said that "there are all the songs about people breaking-up and getting together - but none about staying together". This film has a great strong central theme in how couples can stay together...

The full post can be found here.

"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.

"Fucking Men!" (Simon Reviews HUSBANDS AND WIVES)

In a lot of ways I need to thank Simon for picking Woody Allen for the podcast as it pushed me to chase down more of his films. This of course led to many wonderful hours with my blu-ray player as I got to experience films like SWEET & LOWDOWN and this week's feature film, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS for the first time.

One such film was HUSBANDS AND WIVES, which Simon has a great review of over at Screen Insight...


Now I know that I have had this coming for a while. A Woody Allen fan who has not been disappointed … it was inevitable really. There are films which are weaker, granted, but more often than not, an awesome cast approaching a high-concept comedy-drama will always have merits. Fact of the matter is, Husbands and Wives simply doesn’t have enough scope in its concept and the characters – notably Mia Farrow and Judy Davis – are simply not likeable or relatable for us, as an audience, to enjoy their company for a hundred minutes...

Guess I liked it more than he did, eh?
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.

"Thank God For the Rain To Wash the Trash Off the Sidewalk..." (Simon reviews TAXI DRIVER)

One film we danced around during the episode and only mentioned sparingly is Scorsese's classic TAXI DRIVER: A film Simon called one of the three essential Marty movies.

The Ballad of Travis Bickle is a film that almost demands repeat viewings, something Simon mentions in this post on Screen Insight. Here's a taste...



Because the whole film cuts so close to the bone, it has the edge of fear and horror. The eyes lingering in the car mirror and the sense throughout the film about what Travis will do - when will he crack?

His not-so-subtle racism is also a part of this which is so difficult to watch also. In a world that has become so diverse - whereby, in my opinion, racism has become hidden as opposed to being openly condoned. Travis drives through the streets rarely conversing with people - but we know his thoughts and his attitude to the African-American characters in his head. The real fear and horror is the possible parallels this might have with people in society today - violent, dangerous racist sociopaths who will inevitably crack at some point...

If you want to read more, the full review 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.