MINORITY REPORT [2002]

Minority Report is another film from Steven Spielberg's cold, cynical period that saw the director shitting the bed in the final 15 minutes of every project from those mixed days.
Loosely based upon Philip K. Dick's neo-noir short story of the same name, it follows a world where the crime of murder can be foreseen by law enforcement but is put into question when one of it's leading officers is accused of murder himself.
There's plenty of tantalizing ideas and themes thrown around but it's all wrapped around a rather soulless heart that makes it difficult to attach oneself to.  There's several moments of astonishing camera-work, imaginative action sequences and icy yet fascinating visuals that all matches Dick's Cold War paranoia story to a tee.  So maybe it might have been an even more successful adaptation if it were done for an anthology television series instead.

3 spider-bots out of 5

Curtains (1983)

I would see the poster for Curtains often in my local VHS Rental store back in the day. I assumed it was some kind of killer-doll flick. I was wrong, it's nothing like that. Instead, it begins as an almost sophisticated thriller that quickly descends into something that's equal parts competent slasher and cheap horror in which things aren't always what they seem.
It involves six actresses invited to a remote location in order to audition for the same role. They all want the part; although some are more determined to land it than others and might even kill for it, literally.
Besides a few excellent scenes (the ice-skating sequence in particular is a definite highlight), the film isn't very good. But the women all give great performances, with the most memorable for me being Samantha Eggar, looking like she just walked off the set of a Katharine Hepburn biopic.

2½ fledglings out of 5

The Reboots Collection

Some films didn't fit comfortably under the Remakes heading and are best described as Reboots. It's usually undertaken because the studio had run the original series into the ground but still wants to milk it, so they make it shiny and new with actors and actresses that are more appealing to a younger audience. (We're probably all thinking it, so I'll go ahead and say it: sometimes it means that men/women are hired based on looks rather than talent.)

There might be some duplication of titles that are currently in the Remakes post. That's because they're either confusingly both or I've not personally seen them and can't make a judgement call on where they belong. I'm happy to take advice and/or suggestions from folks, either in relation to "add this title," or "remove that one, prick!" Sincere thanks to anyone that contributes.

The King's Speech (2010)

The Duke of York, son of King George V, has a stammer that makes public speaking both problematic and terrifying. With his inaugural speech on the wireless looming, he seeks the aid of speech therapist Lionel Logue.
The grand settings are nice, but the real beauty is in the relationships that develop. With that in mind, Colin Firth doesn't get the credit he deserves as an actor; he proves once again that he's more than up to the task of carrying a lead role and giving it the nuances it deserves.
Geoffrey Rush as Lionel is great, too. His interactions with the Duke humanise the royal, showing him as more than just a privileged and pompous figurehead that the public at large were conditioned to respect and revere.
I wasn't at all surprised to discover after viewing that parts written for the stage were incorporated into the screenplay - they're easy to spot.

4 mouth marbles out of 5

The Amityville Curse (1989)

The fifth film is set in Amityville but not at 112 Ocean Avenue, and it has nothing whatsoever in common with the backstory presented previously.
An abandoned house, a 'fixer-upper', is bought by folks hoping to make a profit. They decide to live in it while they make repairs. But wait, the dwelling is evil and one of them is psychic! I didn't see that coming~ Even so, the lady with ESP (Dawna Wightman) is the best that the film has to offer. Otherwise, even the most enthusiastic Amity fan will probably feel shortchanged.

1 jumping hardback out of 5

Notebook on Cities and Clothes (1989)

Wim Wenders' film is very much an essay in the style of French auteur Chris Marker, so much so that I've no hesitation in recommending it to fans of Marker. It uses one art form (film) to capture another kind of artist (designer) at work, being both a commentary on the image presented and on itself. Like Marker, assumptions follow observations but are never unwelcome.
In focus is Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, a fascinating individual whose sense of ease is the opposite of what I expected.
Yohji's designs help people discover and accentuate their identity. The beauty that's uncovered when a chosen garment and a sense of individualism are combined is a large part of what drives him.
It's not a documentary on the fashion industry, it's a glimpse into a quiet soul who has an intuitive understanding of why he does what he does.

4 kinds of accord out of 5

The Church (1989)

aka Cathedral of Demons / Demon Cathedral /  Demons 3

Though not a continuation or even directly linked to Demons (1985) and Demons 2 (1986), it's officially the third film in the series. But don't expect the same kind of cheap gore as what came before. Dir. Michele Soavi's film is more of a slow-burning, psychological affair, which is a polite way of saying that it has bucket-loads of atmosphere (most old churches/cathedrals do) but is so deathly slow, with empty characters, that at times it's a struggle to even maintain interest. It's too much foreplay and not enough bang. The script is a mess, too. When it does deliver the goods, though, wow, it's bloody amazing!

NOTE: If you've any interest in seeing it, I recommended going in without first watching the trailer, otherwise you'll have ALL the best scenes spoiled for you, and at least one of them you really don't want to see coming. An image search is an equally bad idea. But it's fun to watch the trailer afterwards to compare - it makes it look like a bona fide masterpiece of the genre.

2½ hidden mechanisms out of 5

Uzumasa Limelight (2014)

Kamiyama is an ageing kirareyaku, a bit-part actor whose job is to be killed dramatically by a film's lead, to exist just outside the limelight. The waning popularity of jidaigeki films in his native Japan means Kamiyama's usefulness in the industry to which he's devoted his life is destined to soon end.
Having a real life kirareyaku in the role (Seizô Fukumoto, who's died onscreen over 50,000 times in a very long career) gives the Kamiyama character an authenticity that cinema rarely manages to capture. Likewise, Chihiro Yamamoto, who's starring in her first film, brings the same as a fresh-faced actress who fits into the new, more profitable template.
The sadness in the story is nicely offset by a genuine underlying warmth, a feeling of love for an era that deserves to live on.

3½ prawn bends out of 5

The Remakes Collection

They suck, right? Mostly they do, but not always. In some cases your preference will depend upon which version you saw first. In others, there'll be a clear winner and only a fool would try to argue otherwise, which is not the same thing as loving something for personal reasons.

Below the cut is a list of films that are reviewed here on In a Nutshell and a few TV Miniseries that are reviewed over on Nut Box. The original/first version is on the left, with the remake/subsequent version(s) following. I'm not going to make a distinction between 'actual' remake and 'adapted from same source'. I'm sure I've missed some. Don't be shy. Point them out.

Fida (2004)

Jai (the ever-youthful Shahid Kapoor) falls hopelessly in love with Neha (Kareena Kapoor) at first sight; if the roles were reversed the pursuit that follows would have the woman labelled as all kinds of crazy or even certifiable! But Jai's actions are selfless, done out of love, which, let's face it, is a state that's inherently selfish... go figure.
Initially I was unimpressed by Fida's methods, but once the majority of the stupidity began to make sense (yay for context) I was pleased that I'd picked it to watch, and soon afterwards the film really came alive.
I don't know if the classic John Woo setting that cropped up was loving homage or shameless rip-off, but it sure made me smile.

3 green bottles out of 5

The Ogre (1988)

aka Demons 3 / Demons III: The Ogre / House of the Ogre

While holidaying at an Italian villa with her husband and son, horror author Cheryl (Virginia Bryant) begins to relive nightmares about things that plagued her as a child, twenty-five years ago. Even though frightened out her of wits, her writer's mind won't rest until the terrors can be explored.
The villa is a visually beguiling setting that could accommodate any number of stories, and the suspenseful, atmospheric moments within and beneath it are classy (helped immensely by some fine Simon Boswell music), but the filler time between each set-piece is bland, bordering on vacuous.
When it comes to the finale, the Ogre is about as convincing as the relationship of the married couple. If a few of the secondary characters had had their story expanded then things might have been more interesting.

2½ intoxicating orchids out of 5

The Commitments (1991)

Dubliner Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) decides it's his destiny to manage a successful band, but first he has to find the members. When they're together their egos clash like ships in a storm, but on stage they ignite, drawing upon their working class backgrounds to put the 'soul' back into soul music.
Alan parker turned Roddy Doyle's 1987 novel into a film with his usual level of verve. At almost two hours the pace does occasionally dip, but the dialogue is always excellent and the characters remain utterly believable, helped perhaps by most of them being real musicians and not actors at all.
If you want a primer on what it is to be Irish, you need look no further.

4 mock conversations with Terry Wogan out of 5

The Crazies (1973)

A film about a virus that turns regular people into violent 'crazies'.
Fire Department volunteer David (Will McMillan) risks infection to ensure the safety of his significant other, Judy (Lane Carroll), a nurse who's got problems of her own. Also, a team of scientists hastily search for a cure while, elsewhere, a small group of survivors are on the run from the military.
The first half moves at an uncomfortably fast pace while documenting the actions of a response team. The lack of polish in the production is somewhat beneficial, giving the talkative scenes a sense of realism.
Strangely, most of the characterisation doesn't come until the second half, which is also where the film places some of its more memorable scenes.

3 army issues out of 5

The Big Doll House (1971)

We enter the prison alongside three new arrivals who see first-hand how it's run and what life means for the women behind bars: violence and torture.
Pam Grier in a Jack Hill film is more than enough to have me staying for a screening, but Doll House was her first major role and she wasn't quite as impressive as she'd eventually become. It doesn't help that it's not a particularly memorable WiP film, or maybe my standards are set too high having been spoiled by the Japanese entries in the genre.
Pam's contribution to the soundtrack is worthy of praise, though.
Jack Hill regular Sid Haig plays a vital role as a sleazy delivery man.

2½ slippery wrestles out of 5

Chacun son Cinéma (2007)

(Eng: To Each His Own Cinema)

An anthology that contains over thirty short films by as many different directors, commissioned to celebrate six decades of the Cannes Film Festival. Each work is approximately three minutes in length and was supposed to represent the director's "state of mind [...] as inspired by the motion picture theatre." As usual with this kind of thing, I'll put the full list in comments.
My 'Admit One' was for Kitano and Cronenberg, neither of which were essential. The ones that moved me most were Alejandro Iñárritu's 'Anna' and Abbas Kiarostami's 'Where Is My Romeo?', both of which had more emotion than the others combined. Also, I really liked Chen Kaige's 'Zhanxiou Village'.
A lot of them take place inside a theatre with crucial scenes from actual films being projected onscreen, so expect some spoilers.

3 light shows out of 5

Dil Ka Rishta (2003)

A rich bachelor (Arjun Rampal) with plenty of time on his soft hands falls in love with a beautiful teacher (Aishwarya Rai) and consequently finds himself deep in a mostly cliché-ridden situation for his troubles, but at least they were used correctly. Interestingly, however, his rival in love is a hell of a nice guy, making it difficult to choose who to best sympathise with.
The tragedy is worked into the story well enough, but it could've been staged better. Afterwards, it asks a viewer to accept some wild turns in the plot. If you're in a forgiving mood and willing to go with the flow (i.e. not over-analyse too much) then I'd wager most folks won't regret giving it their time.
Rakhee Gulzar's 'angry mother glares' are memorable, like daggers in the soul.

2½ past tenses out of 5

Mother of Tears (2007)

The conclusion to Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy arrived twenty-seven years after its predecessor (Inferno (1980)), and while it's good to finally have the triumvirate fully represented, Mater Lachrymarum's story doesn't come anywhere close to being the equal of the other two.
The very modern settings are beautifully framed a lot of the time, and the way the camera pursues Asia through the architecture is reminiscent of earlier works, but it lacks the stylish visuals we've come to expect. Even Claudio Simonetti's score, something that could've helped maintain the personality of the previous films, is a departure from the style.
About twenty minutes before the end we get a glimpse of the highly atmospheric work we should've had throughout, but even it doesn't last.

2½ witch gifts out of 5

Unholy Women (2006)

A trio of unconnected horror shorts from Keita Amemiya, Takuji Suzuki, and Keisuke Toyoshima, respectively, each one approx 30 mins in length.
01. Rattle Rattle's experimental nature is its greatest strength, but until that side of it becomes apparent it seems like little more than another generic J-Horror that leads with atmosphere but has a ghost that's more comical than grisly (was that part satire?). The ending is where it all comes together.
02. Hagane isn't strictly 'horror' but is by far the best of the three. Its bat-shit weirdness and hilarious nature are raised ever-higher by a wonderful sense of timing and some perfect editing. I'm not going to say what it's about, but I urge anyone into Japanese weirdness to check it out asap. It's worth buying the disc just for it, even if you never finish the other two.
03. The Inheritance is a slow-burn involving a mother and her son and an ancestral home. The woman deals with her problems in a less than adult manner, leaving her son feeling disappointed. The strained emotional climate is fertile ground for an old threat to make its presence felt once again.

3 bags full out of 5

A Boy and His Dog (1975)

Blood can sniff out a woman in a crowd. It's perhaps not as amazing as it sounds when you consider that Blood's a dog. But what is amazing is that he's telepathic and can communicate with Vic, a human. Their relationship is mutually beneficial, but they're also genuine friends; everyone needs a friend in a post World War IV landscape (it's 2024).
I loved the set-up and the well-defined qualities of the protagonists, even to the point that I forgot it was Don Johnson that I was watching, but the film undergoes a significant change in style after the halfway mark and—even though it's an interesting change in itself—for some reason my connection to the characters fell away, leaving me weary of the whole affair, wanting it to go back to how it was. Perhaps on a different day I'd have felt differently. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend it to fans of low budget post-apoc fiction.

3 wasteland rovers out of 5