A Love Story Across the Ages

Somewhere in Time (1980)

Watching Somewhere in Time again, having not watching it for several years, I was struck by two things. Firstly, it’s a lot more stately in its progress than I remember, possibly because it’s tale is so slight. Also, Christopher Reeve’s character is a lot more emotionally unstable and downright obsessed. Viewed from a certain perspective, he could have had a breakdown upon staying at the hotel and have fantasized everything else. Indeed, his character in the novel has a brain tumor, clouding the issue further. You can see why this became a Cable Cruncher, and then cult hit though. It’s chaste enough for children to watch unsupervised, but is unashamedly sentimental, containing one of John Barry’s most beautiful scores. Modern audiences, or even ones from when it was released, may not have had the patience with it, but true romantics will always hold it dear. 9/10

I ain't afraid of no Ghost

Ghost(1990)

Ghost, that blockbuster, supernatural, romantic juggernaut of 1990, has not aged well. This was the first time I had seen it after remembering a good proportion of the female members of my Secondary School going to see it. I’m actually glad I waited though, as its 20 year old fashions and styles actually make it more sympathetic than I think I would have found it originally. From the first scene of the three main characters knocking down a wall, the guys stripped to the waist in designer dungarees, Patrick Swayze’s terrible shirts, the “Ditto” response- such bad Yuppie script shorthand for unexpressed feelings, and of course the much spoofed Potter’s Wheel scene, actually gave it a cheery charm. So Demi cries, Patrick is bland, and Whoopi saves the day(a few years before we got tired of her one note schtick), the animated spirits are appallingly badly rendered, but it is a cold blooded person who doesn’t still get a little moist eyed at the sound of The Righteous Brothers or the long goodbye at the end. 6/10

The Best Film Ever Made

Jaws(1975)

I normally watch Jaws once a year, normally in May to start off my Summer- a form of sadomasicistic pleasure as I grew up in a seaside town. I’ve seen it twice this Summer, a month apart- once on the 4th July- “you’ve got a panic on your hands on the 4th July,” and am tempted to see it again, as you never know when it will be around again. It is that good, one of those rare films that you can literally watch again and again, back to back, just to relish every aspect. Not many films, not even Spielberg films can claim that- maybe Raiders or perhaps E.T. are the only other two I can think of, off the top of my head. So much has been written about Jaws( indeed, see my review on The Shark is Still Working(2006), that it is probably wise to simply state the changes I have personally noticed in watching the film. Well firstly, without a doubt, it still works. It hooked the half full audience- like most old films, I think people who’ve seen it on TV, forget how good it is on the big screen, and mix it up with the substandard sequels. Also, while the first half is peppered with great moments- Chrissie’s death, the ferry conversation, Alex Kintner’s death, Quint’s speech among many others, the second half, from the Orca leaving the dockyard, doesn’t let the audience go for a second. It was also the first time on seeing it, that I realized that Jaws is officially looking dated to me, the fashions and cars look old, the colour is too saturated, but it doesn’t matter. It may have slipped from contemporary to period piece in my eyes, but just like Psycho(1960) or North by Northwest(1959), once it’s playing, you get dragged back into the familiar story. An evergreen classic. If only Spielberg still killed dogs and children in his films with such glee. 10/10

This Doc's Got Teeth

The Shark is Still Working (2006)

This excellent documentary about Jaws(1975), has been a festival favorite since it was made but having waited patiently to see it for four years with no sign of a theatrical release, or it being used as a dvd extra, I jumped at the chance to watch it as part of the Alamo’s Shark Week. So did it live up to the hype? Well, yes, and no. By default, any documentary is going to have aspects more interesting to you than others, and this was no different. Some things I wanted to know more about were skimmed over or just not touched on- the sequels or references in other films for instance. Other things, primarily the Jawsfest at Martha’s Vineyard could have been trimmed further. What it did achieve though was some impressive new stories- the fate of both Orcas which hadn’t been heard before. It also proved it’s title true in igniting your interest in well beaten ground and making you want to watch the film again.
Richard Dreyfuss by the way is hilarious, and possibly this is responsible for getting him back in the water as the very Hooper looking character in Piranha 3D this Summer. It’s also nice to see how many directors line up to bestow their thanks on a film for changing their lives, that isn’t Star Wars(1977). Kevin Smith’s Weed to Crack analogy for the narrator of the trailer is priceless. Well worth seeing and perfect as a double feature before the movie. 9/10

Travolta on Form Shocker!!

From Paris with Love (2010)

The poster, trailer and cheekily pilfered(from the Bond canon) title of this film, plus the threat of Travolta overacting- always a double-edged sword of one part entertaining(Face Off), to two parts appalling(see pretty much everything else), did not bode well. Infact, the director of Taken(2008) was a plus negated by the Luc Besson producer credit which is not necessarily a mark of quality anymore.
As the film starts, all of my worst fears seemed to be realized. Jonathan Rhys Meyers American accent slides about uncomfortably like a contact lense that doesn’t want to stay in, while Travolta gets a big reveal scene which is instantly undercut by him swearing and shouting about energy drinks and the French. Does the plot of a big American cutting a swath through France sound familiar? Later there is also an uncomfortable Pulp Fiction(1994) reference which is in danger of reminding us of a much better film. Like Taken though, this is another slow starter which gets progressively better as it goes along. Travolta we realize is putting on his asshole façade(sometimes very amusingly with his ‘I Love Paris’ hat), rather than just being one, while Rhys Meyers, less interesting but still believable, is forced to go off book with his protocol. There is also a nicely held threat that Travolta’s Charlie Wax may turn out to be the bad guy after all. The film’s twist is sadly telegraphed but still provides a shock in the film’s best scene at a dinner party, and then doesn’t leave you enough time to question it too closely as it races for the finish with a great Ronin(1998) style motorway chase. Not Shakespeare then, but a refreshingly short action thriller with a distinctive French taste, and Travolta having more fun but also irritating us less than he has in 15 years. 8/10