Repulsion (1965)
Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry and John Fraser
The notion of the mind resembling some form of abstract imprisonment is a well visited cinematic vehicle, Roman Polanksi’s take on the concept acts like a metaphorical soliloquy of one woman’s battle with sexual and social phobias. The troubled mind of Belgian beautician Carol (Deneuve) is lost in a structural four walled abyss of her London apartment, degenerating into a nightmarish surreality of murderous impulses brought about by a fear of predatory assailants that lurk inside. Polanski’s use of symbols is to be marvelled as sights of rotting meat and cracking plaster aptly signify the degradation of our subjects psyche, whilst grotesque tentacle like arms that grow from within the walls prevail to dehumanise Carol’s fragile disposition. It’s easy to see the influence the piece has had in the years after its creation be it Carrie (1976) and as recent as Black Swan (2010), Repulsion is an impressive voyage into the realms of our minds more shadowy reaches.
8/10
2. Some Think New
I am Number Four (2011)
Director: D.J. Caruso
Stars: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron
Imagining a blend of tried and tested Sci Fi conventions like ET and Superman, tied together by teeny melodrama of the Twighlight Saga, will bring you somewhere near I Am Number Four ‘s derivative stink. We follow John (Pettyfer) coming to terms with his covertly natured existence, inherent demigod powers, which come about with life as an on the run alien avoiding a deadly intergalactic race war which threatens his very being, yet despite the seriousness of his predicament, life soon becomes embroiled in high school innocuities that unconvincingly take priority. The unforgiving back story, multiplicity of narrative strands and accompanying wave of characters make it difficult not to exhort the observation that this would have been better served as an episodic TV series and indeed feels like one at times. If you still care past the laborious first hour or so of mostly painful character development, and even with the Bayhem style car smash finale I Am Four still feels like an overblown pilot episode of some ghastly Smallville imitation.5/10
3. Some Think To Borrow
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
There is something rare and indeed endearing about watching a piece of cinema that captures beautifully the dying embers of a lost era like a generational montage. (500) Days Of Summer is just that, a film about and for the last wave of generation X-ers coming to terms with their ideals and memories being relegated to nothing more than nostalgia of 80's TV theme tunes and inane Beatles debates, whilst the world becomes an increasingly vapid cauldron of cynicism with older generations embarking on second lives and marriages, with a younger generation offering a bemusedly wise shoulder to cry on.
Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is the post modern romantic about to be torturously put to be the sword over 500 days of acquainted love that befalls him. Tom is a builder, a planner, not literally of course but in nature, epitomised by his budding but elusive profession as an architect and displayed by a love for creating structures both physical and poetic as a greeting card wordsmith. Tom lives on a steady foundation of contented certitude with a network of friends, steady employment, and a love of contemporary music and cinema. Zooey Deschanel is the 500 day Summer (her name) that he will endure, one could argue the “are they aren’t they” couple are cut from the same cloth, but where as Gordon-Levitt’s character wears his heart on his sleeve, Summer is a more introverted enigma, a staunch detractor of love and its existence, she lives by a code of conflicted spontaneity which is even a puzzle to herself.
Both leads produce performances that become delightfully sketchy effigies of 21st century relational dynamics. We see a quietly devastating contradiction as Gordon-Levitt’s manages to bring out Tom’s possessive lust strung out by his blind obsessions, whilst Deschanel’s delivery has Summer contritely cognisant or her own imperfections.
Director Marc Webb’s work bears all the hallmarks of his prowess as a pop video virtuoso, as there is a inspiring dexterity in the way pieces of the narrative play out like fragmented music videos. The same can be said of (500) Days Of Summer’s use of non-linear recitation which somehow manages to still feel very much sequential with scenes melting gloriously into one another with ease, whilst others are ignited by lush tones of the eclectic soundtrack. 500 days is a transient journey which finds a variety of angles to shed a light on the American romance with all of it fascinating intricacies.
9/10
4. Some Think Due
Source Code (2011)
Release: April 1st 2011
Director: Duncan Jones
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga
Synopsis: An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
Why get excited: Source Code is the eagerly anticipated follow up to Duncan Jones much heralded debut Moon (2009). Jones gets over 7 times the financial backing of his maiden feature most which was probably spent on acquiring Jake Gyllenhaal to spearhead the project. Source Code promises to be another cerebral offering Bowie jnr (his father is musical legend David) with the added potential of big budget thrills and spills.
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