cairnst-94911 Reviews

Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966)

Christopher Lee is excellent.

[7/10 · 23 May 2021]

The script presents Rasputin as a horror villain. Christopher Lee is excellent, though, and the film comes to life in the scenes where he mesmerises 'Sonia' (Barbara Shelley).

Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018)

More is less.

[5/10 · 25 April 2021]

It's unlikely that approximately six hours of TV are required to make a spin-off from a source-novel of less-than two-hundred pages. 'Picnic at Hanging Rock', like Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', draws power from what's left unsaid. Whereas Joan Lindsay, in the original book, has the imagination to step-inside an earlier time-period, this adaptation simply superimposes twenty-first century mores onto a world where they don't belong. Nearly everyone has become 'pan-sexual'; and it's highly unlikely that a young aboriginal woman would have attended a posh girls' school in Australia c.1900 (no matter how politically correct this might be). The episodes are often terribly over-directed. Natalie Dormer seemed miscast as 'Mrs Appleyard'. 'Miranda', 'Irma' and 'Marion' are played by exquisitely beautiful actresses, but the characters come across as annoying and shallow. Lola Bessis really shines in an expanded characterization of 'Mademoiselle'.

In the 1967 book, the missing girls are kept in the background, becoming more-of an idea or enigmatic symbol. A large part of the novel consists of the author - a woman - writing about women being viewed by men (Michael, a young, upper-class Englishman, and his working-class Aussie friend, Albert). Bringing the senior-boarders right into the foreground distorts the story, producing diminishing returns. And 'Mrs Appleyard' has been disastrously rewritten. More is definitely less in this case.

Elizabeth R (1971)

Old is better!

[9/10 · 15 April 2021]

I watched this on a TV re-run. It desperately needs the sound and picture to be restored. Nevertheless, it's immeasurably superior to almost every historical drama made in more recent times. 'Elizabeth R' is the antithesis of programmes like 'The Tudors' or 'Versailles': nothing is sexed-up, actors aren't absurdly glamorous, gratuitous violence is avoided and historical accuracy is respected. It has brilliant ensemble acting and an overpowering central performance from Glenda Jackson. In this instance, 'old' is definitely better!

Hidden (2018–2022)

Worth staying to the end of Series Two.

[6/10 · 9 April 2021]

Series Two has some excellent cinematography, placing grim housing estates against a timeless Welsh landscape. The use of Gaelic, too, gives the viewer a feeling that they're observing a foreign world (and I'm from the UK!). Series One, however, is burdened with a clichéd script, and is stretched out far too long. Rather than the seductive bleakness of Scandi-Noir, there's an atmosphere of unappealing drearyness. Series Two proceeds the same way (I was prepared to give up!), then makes a remarkable turnaround near the end. The conclusion presents a chillingly accurate depiction of a sociopathic youth. There's also a genuine sense of pathos and tragedy - in the way that deprived neighbourhoods can breed this criminal type, and in the devastating effects of their behaviour on the immediate community.

The Valhalla Murders (2019– )

Familiar theme, good characters.

[6/10 · 17 December 2020]

Good crime drama. The theme - a conspiracy to hide the sexual abuse of minors - is very familiar, and the behaviour of police officers sometimes defies logic (this can also be found, however, in better dramas like 'The Bridge', 'Wallander' or 'Beck'). Well-acted, with two interesting lead characters.

Happy End (2017)

Absorbing drama, uncertain mood.

[7/10 · 5 December 2020]

An absorbing drama that makes quite a powerful statement about the fragmented nature of modern life. It's a sort-of sequel to Haneke's 'Amour', but the tone is so different I didn't register this at first. The director has a tendency to impose ideas upon the naturalistic flow of a story, twisting characters to the point of implausibility. He can be irritatingly oblique, also. Another criticism is that 'Happy End' has an uncertain mood: it utilises the format of a social comedy, but the sense of underlying dread and menace makes it impossible to read as 'black humour'. Well-acted and impeccably filmed, though.

The Descent (2005)

Horror allegory.

[7/10 · 28 November 2020]

'The Descent' is addictively rewatchable, with excellent ensemble acting (from an all-female cast) and clever references to other films. In the last section, it veers away from action-horror towards ambiguity and allegory. Normally, this kind of twist can seem artificial and tacked-on, but here it adds unexpected depth to a simple story.

The Babadook (2014)

Good horror, excellent actress.

[7/10 · 28 November 2020]

Good psychological horror with an excellent performance from Essie Davis. In the last third it lapses into cliché, and becomes over-reliant on supernatural elements. Also, as a study in parental anxiety and breakdown 'The Babadook' is somewhat overstated. Nevertheless, it's much better than most of the recent films of this genre that I've seen.

Climax (I) (2018)

Disappointing.

[5/10 · 8 November 2020]

I had only previously seen 'Irréversible' by Noé - which is a brilliant film despite its repellent subject matter. 'Climax', by comparison, doesn't compel the viewer in-the-same-way to seriously consider human nature in its most degraded form. The dance scenes are well handled, and there are many striking audio-visual elements. But the movie lacks any depth of humanity. It left me somewhat numb - weary, even - with regard to the escalating, depraved behaviour on view. Disappointing.

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Very good.

[8/10 · 29 August 2020]

Extremely well-acted by Glenn Close and John Malkovich (with his extraordinary control of facial expression). Merteuil and Valmont should simply be loathsome characters, but the movie conspires to make you feel their humanity. Impressed.

Suspiria (I) (2018)

Risible ending.

[5/10 · 23 June 2020]

Excellent music, detailed cinematography and knowing references to 'Suspiria 1977'. Victims are killed through the magical power of dance/music, rather than by a satanic 'serial-killer' (like in the original). No attempt is made to update Dario Argento's extraordinary use of colour and expressionist soundtrack for the digital age (this remake employs a muted palette and Thom Yorke's discrete score instead). 'Suzy' is no longer a clear moral centre for the story, which was, originally, a kind-of adult fairy-tale. This leads to a collapse, in the last third of the picture, into incoherence, with a risible ending. Very flawed.

Rabid (2019)

A bit of a mess!

[4/10 · 9 June 2020]

Good music and an affecting performance by Laura Vandervoort, as 'Rose'. Shifting the emphasis away from an abdominal injury to her facial disfiguration, however, would have worked better as a separate film (rather than a story about an epidemic). This remake jettisons the most unsettling feature of 'Rabid' 1977: that disease quickly strips human beings of identity, and causes the rapid erosion of any notion of civilised behaviour. Whereas Cronenberg's original endures as a disturbing comment on alienation and the human condition, its successor focuses on clichéd and irrelevant themes of scientific hubris and personal/collective vanity. Disappointing.