briancham1994 Reviews

Jennifer's Body (2009)

A thoroughly mixed bag

[6/10 · 7 May 2024]

It's hard to tell what to think of this film. First dismissed as trashy titillation, and now revered as an underrated classic of the 2000s, which impression is more accurate? To be honest, it's somehow both at once. The film's strengths and weaknesses follow a "spiky" profile with very strong points and very negative points at the the same time.

Let's start with the positives. Megan Fox was surprisingly adept in her performance as Jennifer, the high school queen turned seductive succubus, with every glance and smile showing her powers of manipulation over the other characters. In other scenes, she expresses fear, insecurity and love, demonstrating Fox's range beyond the shallow first impression many had of her in the 2000s. The other side of the coin is Amanda Seyfried's performance as the bookish and attached "Needy", who goes through her own transformation into a fierce demon slayer. The dynamic between these two characters is the real heart of the film, which is about Needy outgrowing her attachment to Jennifer and her self-centred ways.

Then to the negatives. Unfortunately, the critics are right about much of the film being by-the-numbers slasher fare. The deaths of many characters seemed like the same repeated scenes of idiotic horror film characters walking into their own demise. The film may have been trying to do something original by reversing the genders, but it barely goes beyond the trashy exploitation of Species (1995), and never really made any "empowering" statement to me. The aftermath of those deaths are also handled badly, as the film doesn't really know whether the audience is supposed to hear funny quips and laugh at what's happening, or see traumatised teenagers and feel deeply impacted by what's happening. This whiplash between comedy and horror muddles the emotional stakes of the film, as the protagonist is fuelled by avenging these deaths.

All in all, it's a fun film, it just didn't live up to its potential. It's a real shame that this 6/10 film was not "fully cooked", because the ingredients of a strong 8/10 film clearly lurk underneath and reveal themselves at times - but only for brief moments.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Memorable character, convoluted plot

[7/10 · 6 May 2024]

The infamy of Sweet Smell of Success rests on the portrayal of its protagonist, the slimy publicist Hunsecker. Played by the talented Burt Lancaster, Hunsecker is one of the most obnoxious characters ever put to screen, embodying the script's biting dialogue with reflective glares and intrusive mannerisms. Every aspect of his character's journey is calculated to manoeuvre his social connections to wreck his sister's relationship through the power of the media, dropping hints and leads to manipulate the public and enrage her fiance. Even after being found out, his callousness knows no bounds and his attitudes towards abusing the journalistic profession continue unabated. It's ultimately a story about success at all costs and the type of person who pursues this - let down by some convoluted twists along the way.

Umberto D. (1952)

Tragic social realism

[8/10 · 6 May 2024]

Umberto D. Is a classic of Italian social realism, along the same lines as The Bicycle Thieves. It follows the intimate story of an old man (the Umberto D. Of the title) and his dog as they try to survive on a meagre pension in post-war Italy, going through all of his daily tribulations. Because of its naturalistic setting, the characters are all grounded and offer no solutions, only more desperation and strife. No details are spared as Umberto D. Tries anything and everything from selling his belongings to negotiating with his landlady to begging on the street. It's very tense to watch as he slowly runs out of options and sadly even tries to abandon his dog, knowing that we as the audience would not be able to try much more, especially with so many social forces acting against him. It's a simple but heartbreaking story, but one that needs to be told.

The Birds (1963)

Supremely silly

[4/10 · 6 May 2024]

Even Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, couldn't save this film. The famous director applies all of his talent to make the birds as scary as possible, but it's far too limited by the silly premise. For sure, there are certain scenes that can be tense and make us root for the characters to get through the latest flock of birds unharmed, but it all quickly goes downhill as soon as the birds appear as hokey puppets or start dive-bombing through windows in bizarre fashions. The Birds is best viewed as a comedy, because it's not worth much more than that, and I don't think anyone can make mindless flocks of birds seem like a truly formidable force. The only part I found genuinely eerie was the sequence near the end when birds cover the entire landscape, sit still and watch the protagonists silently as they walk slowly through their driveway. Those few shots were the only thing stopping me from submitting an even lower star rating.

Beauty and the Beast (1946)

Classic fairy tale film

[7/10 · 1 May 2024]

Beauty and the Beast (1946) is the classic kind of fantasy film that makes you feel just like a child reading the original fairy tale for the first time. The soft film and lush historic setting combined give the world an ethereal atmosphere, accentuating the action and emotions. At the same time, the drama of the main characters feel relatable and down to earth, as Belle's tribulations with her sisters are a timeless testament to sibling rivalry. The discovery of the castle is an incredible visual and technical achievement that shows the eerie phantasmagorical nature of the space, plunging the characters and audience alike into another world. The combined ferocity and tenderness of the beast is the true lynchpin of the film, as well as Belle's relationship with his dichotomous nature. Like the Beast's tumultuous nature, the story takes on twists both sweet and terrifying, culminating in the climax in the glasshouse. It's not quite as lively as the Disney adaptation almost fifty years later, but it's just as heartfelt, thanks to the fantasy atmosphere and romantic acting.

Harold and Maude (1971)

A Wes Anderson film before Wes Anderson

[8/10 · 23 April 2024]

This film is far before its time. It's a quirky hipster indie film that pre-dates the current crop of quirky hipster indie films, it's a Wes Anderson film before Wes Anderson and it's an "emo" protagonist before anyone had ever heard of the term. The premise is bizarre to the point of surreal - a fake-suicidal death-obsessed teen has an affair with a criminally joyous elderly lady, going on wild adventures and alienating the regular folk around them whose attempts to understand them are equally as comical. It veers so far into extremes and caricatures that I don't think it's even trying to impart any philosophy of living life to the fullest, just some insane characters taking the audience on a zany ride whether they like it or not, all to the beat of cheery retro classics.

Great Expectations (1946)

Classic British drama

[7/10 · 22 April 2024]

As a classic of British literary adaptations, Great Expectations far surpasses its source material. While I dismissed the book as sentimental nonsense, the film imbues more life into the characters and escapes the book's trap where they are chess pieces arranged solely to deliver a moral. The protagonist Pip is played by Tony Wager and John Mills in a performance that balances the book's overtly idealistic innocence with a familiar yearning for adventure. Estella has a greater presence in the Havisham household and actually has a personality beyond just being a blank object of Pip's affection. Miss Havisham herself appears as a haunting figure, balancing Estella's energy with a heavy melancholy that pervades her larger-than-life mansion. All of these improved characters fuel the plot, which is greatly enhanced by being streamlined into its most coherent and dramatic moments, trimming off all the unnecessary fluff from the original. However, it unfortunately still suffers from endless coincidences that lessen its believability and constrain its potential.

Laura (1944)

Classic film noir

[8/10 · 21 April 2024]

Laura is a classic of the film noir genre, establishing the hard-boiled investigators and plot twists that we all associate with that era of film. Dana Andrews plays the brazen detective assigned to investigate the shocking death of the titular Laura, a magnetic figure who attracted the adoration of everyone around her. In flashbacks, we see how she became tangled up with her mentor, her fiancé and a model, leading to many intrigues that show a darker side of everyone involved. Just as the audience thinks they have it figured out, the film throws an infamous plot twist halfway through that up-ends everything in the present and leads to an even greater conspiracy. Now it's up to the detective to press even harder for the truth, which reveals that Laura may not have been as innocent as she once seemed. The seemingly simple situation turns out to be more brilliantly involved than it appeared at first sight, and the acting reveals similar layers beneath all the main characters. Watching this film felt never-ending, with no end to revelations, and all the more intriguing because of it.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)

Suspenseful Western drama

[7/10 · 14 April 2024]

The Ox-Bow Incident starts out like a typical Western film, with macho horseback riders quarrelling over a dispute in a dusty desert town. What follows is a subversion of the usual story that turns justice into a mockery of itself, a trial turned into a lynching. In a tense hour long segment reminiscent of 12 Angry Men, several men are accused of stealing from a locally respected figure and shooting him, and must convince the mob of their innocence before they are summarily hanged. The clashing characters and their ideals reflect the harsh conditions of the west where violence and justice coincide as one, sometimes to the point of lynching in the name of necessity. It's a very tense hour, fuelled by the stakes and utter convictions of the participants, though it does get dragged down by a lack of variety.

Kapoor & Sons (2016)

Ups and downs

[7/10 · 10 April 2024]

As stated in Anna Karenina, every happy family is happy in the same way, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own unique way. Kapoor & Sons is a family drama that absorbs the audience into their family's own unique brand of unhappiness as two brothers reunite after a lengthy time away. Every character brings problems that send the family on an exhilarating downward spiral, from career plagiarism to infidelity to financial issues. The film's strength is in its impressive actors who convincingly portray characters that veer rapidly from sympathetic reflection to apoplectic conflict and back, bringing the audience with them. By the end, you'll swear you know this crazy family yourself!

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

An incredible improvement over the first film

[8/10 · 9 April 2024]

Having been vastly disappointed by the first Frankenstein film, despite its star status in horror movie history, I was pleasantly surprised by its sequel. Retaining all the key points of the first film that made it memorable, it uses these to tell a story that is more character-driven and humanistic rather than a monster-of-the-week scenario. For once, the monster himself is treated as a character and the brilliant sequence with the blind man is adapted from the novel, showing how his destruction comes from his inner longings. Now that he can speak, we learn that all he wants is a companion, which of course becomes the obsessive hobby of Dr. Frankenstein. To make things more complicated, Frankenstein's mentor arrives on the scene to imbue his own kind of scientific madness, tempting him to join forces. As before, the harsh lighting and dark settings combine to give the entire film a starkly otherworldly feel, which accentuates the indecisive torments of the characters as they try to grapple with the consequences of their experiments. An incredible follow-up.

Safety Last! (1923)

As funny as it is tense

[9/10 · 2 April 2024]

Harold Lloyd may not have had the stardom and influence of Buster Keaton, but his comedic talent is a close match in Safety Last! Typical of the 1920s, it has a rather simplistic plot with a sweet romance and a hapless, down-on-his-luck everyman trying to make it in the world. It's an endless stream of rapid-fire comedic situations with one department store mishap following another, all punctuated with Lloyd's brand of clumsy acting and an ensemble of pointedly caricatured supporting characters. The final sequence is the highlight of the whole movie and is as nail-bitingly intense as any modern thriller. With impressive special effects and another endless stream of physical mishaps, Lloyd climbs up the side of his building with a heart-pounding determination matched by the audience. Every level has its own gag, its own near-fatal accident and its own sympathetic moment - and never running out of fresh ideas! Safety Last! Is a true classic of the silent era that blends comedy and tension to tell a unique and heartwarming story.

Glory (1989)

Compelling war story

[7/10 · 31 March 2024]

Glory is a film that drives the audience forward on several levels - both as a war film and as a personal story. Deftly balancing the journeys of Matthew Broderick's officer and the entire black cast, Glory manages to show the endless racism during the Civil War as well as its overcoming. Broderick's nervous and understated performance actually fits his role well, as his young officer character is thrust well out of his depths and learning how he relates to his soldiers is inspiring itself. At the same time, the yearning for the soldiers to be heard and respected constitutes its own journey, leading to strife but resolving through endless efforts for justice. It all culminates in a bombastic finale that gives the soldiers what they worked hard for, although this scene was too muddy and impersonal to act as a real climax.

Frankenstein (1931)

Disservice to the novel

[6/10 · 27 March 2024]

Frankenstein (1931) is a well composed film that established a lot of classic horror film tropes - the dark grainy texture, the electric atmosphere, the gothic castles and the cackling mad scientist - but it does the novel a complete disservice. The characters are reduced to caricatures acting out a now overdone monster of the week plot. The monster is purely monstrous without any hint of humanity (not even the ability to speak!), moaning and groaning to signal a superhuman threat and nothing more. The scenes are brilliant and tense, from the suspenseful resurrection to the fiery lynching, but the characterisation is just too shallow to back it up beyond stock stereotypes and innocent townsfolk.

The Conversation (1974)

Tense thriller

[9/10 · 26 March 2024]

The Conversation is a film of fine, fine details. Gene Hackman plays a loner involved in the surveillance business, planning elaborate schemes to capture vital information from his targets to pass onto clients. His associates range from enigmatic middlemen to hapless assistants, and it's clear he's just as much in the dark as the targets he records. The real genius of this film is in how it makes the audience go back over the same details with a fine toothcomb, over and over again, just as the protagonist analyses each phrase on his tape recorder. Although it may sound tedious on paper, each revelation increases the stakes of the investigation and we realise just how much danger everyone is in. The protagonist, forced to abandon his detachment, finds no choice but to intervene in the couple and his client. With constant trepidation and uncertainty, he finds that nothing is as it seems and he is just as much a target. A truly chilling story given great power by the tiny details and inflections of the performances, hinting a lot but betraying very little.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

What a ride

[8/10 · 7 March 2024]

I didn't really get this movie, but what a ride. Starting out with a car crash on the titular road, "Rita" teases an enigmatic backstory with her mysterious gang connections and blue key. The butterfly-like Betty agrees to help and explore Rita's identity among her newfound wonder at Los Angeles, echoing the audience's innocent wonder and desire to figure out the scenario. Throughout, we are teased with mysterious side scenarios that suggest there's more than meets the eye - a dream figure behind a diner, an incompetent hitman and a supernatural cowboy. Then the blue key is turned and the film's true nature is unlocked - sheer surreal chaos where identities and stories are in flux. I don't really get it all, but I suspect its not supposed to be gotten, just experienced for what it is. In some ways, the bait-and-switch feels like we are being cheated out of a traditional narrative, but in other ways, the characters and scenes were symbols of a hostile Hollywood dream all along. I suspect every viewing of Mulholland Drive will be an entirely different film, as the viewer's perspective makes the story.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

This is what cinemas were made for

[9/10 · 5 March 2024]

Dune: Part Two is the perfect example of a movie that must be seen in the cinema and not at home. The visual spectacle and design is unparalleled among sci-fi and really feels like a completely fleshed out future world (or worlds), with architecture, props and costumes that look like they were sourced from a museum rather than a Hollywood warehouse. Compared to the first film, the stakes have true gravity and the scope is much wider with far-ranging battles and conspiracies. It's hard to pinpoint any highlight as every scene is iconic, incredibly beautiful to behold and accompanied by expertly rousing music, all underscoring the central feeling of foreboding. Where would I begin? The ceremonies with the Water of Life plunge us into an ancient ritual that almost kills the drinker and reveals deep secrets that the audience only finds out in drips. Paul's terrifying vision of death and destruction (much less cheesy than in the first film) show the inner turmoil he faces as someone who is the fulcrum of the planet's destiny and resents his role but can't escape the fate set in motion by higher powers. The short scenes with the foetus are mysterious and tease at an important role to be played by her future version. Chani's frantic misgivings in the Fremen gatherings impress the deleterious effects the prophecies are having on her people and the unprecedented role of the Bene Gessarit. Princess Irulan's musings in a beautiful garden about the historical developments around her uncover just how deeply all the conspiracies extend. The scenes in the Harkonnen's world are stark and show how brutal and power-hungry they are and how formidable they can be. The actors in these scenes are perfectly cast and all impart a sense of heaviness, as if to stress just how much Spice is tied to the fate of the world, the past and the future all together. All of this combines to form an experience that immerses us in a compelling future conflict, relentlessly ratchets up in tension and constantly giving the sense that there's something even more world-shattering just around the corner.

That said, the film has a few flaws that are noticeable but not substantial enough to dent my rating of 8.5/10 (rounded to 9). Some of the characterisation is caricatured - the Harkonnens are too cartoonishly evil to be believable (how many times do we need to see them murder their own staff?), Stilgar is too fanatical to be believable (how many times do we need to see him exclaim, "the prophet! As written!!"?), the Fremen are too invincible to be believable (did anyone ever doubt how the battles would go?) and the romance between Paul and Chani was forced. The pacing was uneven, as some scenes sped by very quickly (for example, most of the emperor's scenes), and some dragged on for no good reason (most of the times they walk or talk through the desert). Paul would have gone blind by looking directly at a nuclear explosion. The ending felt anticlimactic and was too overt in how it was setting up another sequel. Some parts of the book that are crucial to understanding the planet's history were excised, like the long-term human genetic plan and the ecological plan, which were reduced to one-line mentions. Finally, as a vexillologist, I couldn't help but notice how badly designed the flags were. One of the key principles of good flag design is simplicity, as a simple design can be recognised and remembered at a distance and when waving. Each faction has a central symbol, but their flags drown them out in a mess of visual detail, hamstringing their ability to signal at a distance and establish themselves in the audience's mind. This is a shame, as each faction has such a strong visual identity in their settings and costumes, but their symbols are not given the opportunity to shine and become iconic. Denis, if you are reading this, please hire a vexillologist!

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Slow burner

[8/10 · 19 February 2024]

Planet of the Apes is a classic science-fiction that leads up slowly to its now-famous climax revealing the true nature of the titular planet. The scenario starts out small with a good natured crew crashing on a desert planet, but turns out to have more complexity than once thought. The audience is treated to a variety of odd sights - feral humans, apes on horses and a conspiracy - and challenged to accept these at face value. Over time, more plot twists around the simians start to build up and we realise there's more to their society than they are letting on. I won't repeat the final revelation as it has passed so deeply into popular culture that more people know about that infamous scene than have seen the entire film. As an experience, Planet of the Apes is a slowly unfolding flower of revelations that demonstrates a great way to showcase the shocking intricacies of a science fiction scenario.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Sympathetic portrayal of crime duo

[7/10 · 18 February 2024]

Bonnie and Clyde is heralded as one of the films that marked the end of the Hays Code and the beginning of the New Hollywood era, filled with sympathy, freedom and nihilism. Gone were the moralising, stifling didacticism and stereotypical villainous criminals. Bonnie and Clyde tells the story of the titular duo and their accomplices in a way that celebrates their wildness, much like Robin Hood with less excuses. The actors are to be commended for feeling like regular down-to-Earth individuals who have gotten caught up in the excitement and don't always know what they are doing, but can evade a shootout and play the media game better than the police. The portrayal of this film was groundbreaking for the time with its extensive violence and criminals getting away with everything (not quite shocking by today's standards, of course), setting the scene for newer crime films.

The African Queen (1951)

Rather tame adventure

[7/10 · 17 February 2024]

As far as adventure and action films go, The African Queen is rather tame. It relies on the interplay between the two protagonists, one a sophisticated and passionately patriotic missionary, the other a rather mellow boatman. After she pressures him into making makeshift torpedoes to help the war effort, they go an a terrifying journey through an unnavigable African river to reach the Atlantic (filmed on location!). The resulting thrills are primarily repetitive scenes where the rapids overwhelm the boat and some part of the engine fails - how many waterfalls can they go down before the viewer catches on? The ending shakes things up as they get caught by the Germans, but even then, the heroics are a bit silly. Not a bad film, but relies mostly on its conflicting actors and scenery, and offers not much else.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Classic action film

[8/10 · 17 February 2024]

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a successful early action film due to several key ingredients. The first ingredient is Errol Flynn's wonderful portrayal of Robin Hood that has now become the "swashbuckler" cliché. Before the likes of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, Flynn's Robin Hood was suave, energetic and charming, while engaging in athletic and heroic feats that made a mockery of the villains while endearing himself to the peasants. The second ingredient is the lavish scenes that make the most use of the Technicolor system by featuring all manner of detailed banquets, forests, tournaments and other medieval settings that look incredible even by today's standards. The third ingredient is the stage presence of all the supporting actors, as they all steal the show when expressing their emotions - either about the dastardly scheme to steal the throne and impoverish the Anglo-Saxons, or about Robin Hood's efforts to put an end to these schemes through his robberies and escapes!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Poignant tale of life

[7/10 · 17 February 2024]

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a polarising film that lies firmly within the Magical Realism genre, which often straddles the line between whimsy and nonsense and often struggles to find a point to the strangeness. In this case, the film tells the story of Benjamin Button who ages backwards and is told in many vignettes, along the lines of Forrest Gump. Brad Pitt does a great job as the main character showing all of life's stages and how his reversed aging tears apart any relationship he can make before he can get attached to a new life. At points he makes attempts to get reattached to those he finds familiar like his mother or Daisy, but these inevitably never work out, despite his best efforts to settle in a life that can work for him. Within these stories, the "point" of the magical realism becomes clear as he has to value and cherish what he has before it goes away, just like all of us. It's poignant and touching, but not a masterpiece due to some scattered elements that slow down the film and don't really connect, especially the framing narrative. Visually, the effects portraying Benjamin Button may have been impressive at the time but they are very distracting and rubber-faced by today's standards. A strong 7/10 but could have been better with more streamlining and emotional connections between the vignettes.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

The most heartfelt zombie film

[7/10 · 5 February 2024]

Shaun of the Dead broke new ground in the year 2004 by portraying a zombie film where the heart of the film is in bumbling everyday characters who are going through a comedic crisis. Bolstered by brilliant performances by Simon Pegg and his cast who seemed to be just stumbling throughout their lives, the film's story deftly interweaves the threat of a zombie horde with the emotional stakes of a romance gone wrong. The numerous little moments and callbacks throughout the film add to its charm - the attack with the music records, the peanuts in the dark and the morning trip to the dairy. However, the most memorable parts are simply the heartfelt moments when the protagonist messes up and tries to pursue every harebrained scheme to get his girlfriend back, showing the emotional core within the blood and gore.

Brief Encounter (1945)

Slice of life with noir characteristics

[7/10 · 14 January 2024]

Brief Encounter is a very unassuming British postwar film that's about not much beyond a middle aged woman's affair and her conflicted feelings. With a dreary (but stable) home life, she falls for a doctor at a train station. While the romance and characters are nothing special in themselves, the subtly impassioned narration makes it feel much larger than life, imbuing everyday events with touching meaning. The best way this is portrayed is through the in media res introduction where a banal encounter in a café fills the main character with intense anxiety. Only later do we find out why - her tryst is filled with paranoid lookouts, cover stories and rescheduling that add to the complexity and stakes for these everyday people just trying to get more out of life. Overall, the film is very limited in its setting but uses noir like shadows and narration to express a rich inner life.

Spartacus (1960)

A true epic

[8/10 · 14 January 2024]

Spartacus is a classic sandal and sword epic from the classical heyday of the genre, and it lives up to the reputation set by similar films like Ben-Hur. The settings are expansive and lavish, the crowds are massive and the battles are historic and scope. This setting really underscores what's at stake as we see Spartacus reluctantly leading the slave revolt and the frenzied senators in Rome trying to respond to the threat. At the same time, the story of Spartacus' wife adds a personal touch and makes the stakes work on an emotional level as well. The cut parts of the film are quite apparent in some places like the implied intrigue in the Roman Senate, but we see enough to figure out the hints of what's going on behind the scenes. The dedication of the other slaves to Spartacus' cause is authentic and more compelling than the man himself, as it's the entire movement that's the star of the show. Despite its advantages, there are a few things that let the film down a little: a lack of obvious influence from Kubrick, old fashioned accents and some hokey painted backgrounds.