A Very Long Engagement
"Jeunet's film might at first seem a bit fragmentary, as there are so many themes, strands and storylines to deal with, but as the story builds to its harrowing but ultimately beautiful conclusion, it gathers momentum like a giant snowball that will strike the audience with incredible strength..." (full review)
<strong>Alfie</strong>
"If nothing else, "Alfie" is a watchable and at times mildly entertaining film. I wouldn't recommend paying full price to see this movie, but take it in at a matinee screening to find out what Alfie's all about..." (full review)
<strong>The Incredibles</strong>
"A movie of this magnitude gets me exciting because the possibilities for good stories in the film medium have now expanded. Pixar proves that not only do they have the tools, but the talent to back them up. It's inspiring and their efforts should be used as an example by producers who constantly bombard us with amazing technology and no story. It's the most fun I've had in a long time and I can't wait to see it again. I envy your first time..." (<a href="http://latinoreview.com/films_2004/disney/theincredibles/review.html" target="_blank">full review</a>)
"Perhaps the biggest problem for Pixar is that by focusing on humans for the very first time, "The Incredibles" fails to capture the fantasy element that goes hand-in-hand with talking fish ("Finding Nemo"), working-class monsters ("Monsters, Inc."), or inanimate objects that suddenly spring to life ("Toy Story"). Sure, "The Incredibles" has its moments, but it's only clever in fits and starts, and it doesn't really maximize the potential for sharp comedy that a movie about a family of superheroes should have. Good? Yes. Incredible? No..." (full review)
"It is the lack of originality in the plot that detracts, somewhat, from the impact of "The Incredibles, although children probably won't even notice that. "The Incredibles" will make a lot of money, and it should, but I hope that Pixar's next effort takes a few more chances..." (full review)
<strong>The Polar Express</strong>
"It's a project that was obviously close to his and Zemeckis' heart, but it's just too bad that the sentiment of the story got lost in the technology. Hopefully, Zemeckis will fare better on his next big experiment..." (full review)
<strong>"A Very Long Engagement"</strong> by 'S. Haesen'
During the first World War five soldiers injure themselves in the hopes of being send home. Not so, as all of them will be executed for being cowards. A bit later Mathilde gets news that her fiancée (one of the five) is dead. She doesn't believe the news as, because of the bound the two lovers formed, she can still feel his heart beat. Mathilde goes on a search, looking for her husband. But is he really still alive?
Since A Very Long Engagement's subject matter is rather serious I was expecting a severely toned down Jeunet. Nope, this is vintage Jeunet. In the first minutes alone he already introduces us to several characters by using the same method he used in Amélie: flashback + a female voice narrating. He's also using several actors who have been in his previous movies: Audrey Tautou, Dominique Pinon and Jean-Claude Dreyfus to name a few.
What hasn't changed either is Jeunet's ability to make each character different. It's as if every single one of them has his own story to tell, or just stands out because of their quirks. The beauty of the film is that the director manages to combine his usual trademarks without shying away from the horrors of war. The movie is quite gaily but I never got the sense Jeunet was trivializing war. I personally felt the mystery of the movie only really started to take of in the second half as Mathilde starts to find out more and more about what happened to her husband and the plot thickens.
Tautou's Mathilde could best be described as Amélie waking up from her dream world and having to deal with reality. It's a quirky character (just watch how she decides for herself whether her fiancée is dead or not), hopeful yet somehow more serious. Tautou does a fine job with her character, but overall I was more impressed with her turn in Dirty Pretty Things.
Jeunet once again bathes most of his scenes in a yellow-ish colour and is still capable of creating striking images. There are certain shots here (such as the one where a farmer is announced he'll have to go to war) that are simply stunning. On the downside Jeunet's approach portrays some characters as being too one-dimensional ("some people are just evil" one character in the movie says). Whether you're going to like this movie or not, will largely depend on your opinion of Jeunet as a storyteller. Personally I'm now officially a fan"
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"Splinter"</strong> by 'J'
Splinter is the story of Dr Lexington ( Eva Pope) a secretive psychiatrist working on a new device which taps into the subconscious thoughts of its subjects/victims. Funded by mysterious backers with a hidden agenda she and her colleague Dr Zinger isolate an office building over one weekend and experiment on all those inside. The experiment at first seems to be a success and then we discover that Splinter doesn't just read emotions.
Splinter is the feature directorial debut of Kai Maurer who has done several well received short films. He has a good grasp of the subject matter here and puts his own stamp on it from the beginning. The opening is particularly striking with a series of vignettes fast cut to draw the audience into what is an intriguing subject.The early parts of the film reminded me of classic British fare like The Prisoner or The Avengers..it sets up an intriguing jigsaw puzzle,gives you a single piece and then slowly allows you to work out what is going on.
The cast is uniformly excellent, particular praise going to Paul Barber a well known UK actor from such shows as Only Fools and Horses, Emily Woodward as Joyce and Eva Pope who is constantly absorbing as Dr Lexington, a far more comples character than she first appears. The production has a strong visual identity which helps to reinforce the surreal nature of some of the elements. There is strong use of profanity, semi-nudity and sexual situations in the sequences exploring the characters sub-conscious desires. These elements don't seem gratuitous because the viewer is drawn into the storyline and accepts them as fantasy ( and often hilarious).
Inevitably things go wrong with the Splinter Project and this gives us, in this rough cut, a slightly stodgy middle section. However I'm sure the minor problem with pacing can be re-edited before release. The ending however is very memorable being a completely unexpected twist and quite bizarre.The final moments present the director with the same problem with that facing Patrick McGoohan in the closing moments of the Prisoner, namely how does one close this story? The denouement arrived at in this production is a nice turnaround on the audiences expectations and was certainly appreciated by the test audience. The screening was a rough cut without titles, end credits or special sound.
