Iro's Reviews

This film had to be reviewed. It's been hailed by critics and won a decent number of awards (with a possible Academy Award nomination on the way). It's a relatively simple yet surprisingly effective story and, while I don't totally agree with all the critical fervour that's surrounding the film, I can't deny the fact that Samson and Delilah deserves it.

The film focuses on the titular duo, a pair of Aboriginal teenagers living in the middle of a remote Aboriginal community. The pair have a somewhat clichéd "odd couple" dynamic - Samson is a petrol-sniffing delinquent who frequently causes trouble, whereas Delilah is more conscientious, doing her best to help out her elderly grandmother. The unsteady equilibrium of the first third of the film gets broken and before long Samson steals a car and takes Delilah with him away from the community and into a nearby town in order to try and escape their lives.

The most important thing to understand about Samson and Delilah is that it moves quite slowly. I know that if a movie is deliberately paced slowly, it's not necessarily a bad thing, although I find it can test my patience a bit when you stretch the whole thing out like this, even if it's for the benefit of the story. To be fair, most of the film is about the monotony of the characters' lives, depicting their daily routines and just how badly they can be disrupted by the forces of chaos (and oh, do they get disrupted). If anything, the general monotony of the film only serves to make the "events" of the film seem even more shocking, and they only get worse as the film goes on.

What makes up the "slow" parts, though? There's a general lack of dialogue in the film and even then most of it is spoken in Aboriginal dialect, putting an emphasis on the notion that actions speak louder than words. Even so, the sound design in this film is strong, with some of it playing a significant role in some of the film's most stunning moments. The film does adhere to David Lynch's notion that "sound is half the picture" - in which case, the other half of the film is well done. For the most part the cinematography is pretty good. It goes for a documentarian feel, often shot through with some stunningly colourful shots of otherwise stark locations and situations. The story and action may waver, but the look is consistent.

For a low-budget debut feature, Samson and Delilah is a surprisingly strong piece of work. The simplicity is a good thing, even if it does equate to stretching the plot a bit thin at times. The acting's pretty decent, the film has some good technical qualities and overall it's an important film to watch for a variety of reasons. The documentary feel does give the impression that the film serves another purpose in addition to mere entertainment, and getting people to take a look at this window into the lives of the poor and the disadvantaged among us.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

I'm a sucker for Australian cinema and this one is definitely on my 'to view' list.

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Well, here it is.

James Cameron's project has been hyped to within an inch of its proverbial life over the years, what with the epic budget, alleged re-inventing of special effects and some admittedly underwhelming trailers full of conspicuously computer-generated blue elves. The question that's burning in everybody's mind leading up to its release this week is: Is it really that great?

The answer: pretty much, yeah. But more on that in a bit.

For those of you who haven't heard the story, the plot revolves around paraplegic marine Sully (Sam Worthington), who's offered a second chance at life on the lush alien planet of Pandora. The humans on the planet are engaged in a war with the native population, blue humanoid warriors known as the Na'vi, over extremely valuable natural resources. To this end, a handful of scientists (led by a delightfully taciturn Sigourney Weaver) have created an "avatar" project where people control cloned Na'vi in order to get close to the tribes and work something out. Through a cruel twist of fate, Sully ends up controlling one such avatar and from there the story well and truly begins.

Now, where do I start with Avatar? The film's a lot of things, but it's obviously not perfect, and I'm not sure whether to address its flaws or good points first. Something tells me I'll go with the flaws first. It's hard to judge them too objectively - it all depends on just how tolerant you can be. I'd probably say the film's worst flaw also plays a huge part in defining just how good (or bad) the film is. I refer of course to the film's copious use of CGI characters. This is a problem that I think will depend on the viewer. Either you're going to find it horribly distracting the whole way through or get used to it after about five minutes. I reckon this is something that is up to every viewer to decide. Myself - I fall into the latter camp. Just as well, because that could very well be the major deciding point in how to judge the film, if only because Avatar is saturated with CGI. Not like that's a bad thing, as a lot of the CGI looks very flash. Avatar's look is pretty damned impressive, all things considered. Between the lush locations, slick gadgetry and veritable cornucopia of action available, I can hardly see how the film's abundance of CGI is a problem. It definitely aims high and hits its mark a lot.

With that main issue out of the way, the rest of the film manages to be considerably strong a lot of the time. Once the story gets going, it stays riveting for much of its lengthy runtime. It's well-written, even if one of the central metaphors seems a little too obvious (powerful corporation attacking harmless natives over valuable resources - not exactly subtle) and it managed to keep reasonably surprising all the way to the end. The acting was by and large good; Worthington doesn't exactly shine as the hero, but he performs reasonably well. The highlight is probably Weaver, although there's something to be said for Stephen Lang's battle-scarred colonel, who makes up for a general lack of character dimension with relative ease.

The real question remains as to just how great Avatar is. It's definitely an amazing epic in spite of its few flaws and relative lack of originality, so it's admittedly far from perfect. It remains by and large a visual extravaganza if nothing else, and should deserve consideration for one of the better blockbusters of the year (if not necessarily one of the best films). Depending on your expectations, it either wasn't quite as great as it could have been or it was far superior. If you had mixed expectations like I did, it's probably a mix of both. Avatar remains a technically great piece, a bit lightweight in parts, but overall pretty damned good. I'll definitely be checking this out in 3-D, anyway.

BEST OF 2009

This is only a current end-of-year list as I still have a lot left to see (here's looking at you, Hurt Locker) so here comes my current picks for my favourite films of 2009.

10. (500) Days of Summer



There are a good handful of films that are interchangeable for the #10 spot but for the time being I'll settle on Marc Webb's relatively unsophisticated debut feature. A story about the highs and lows of the relationship between a pair of hipsters seems rather clichéd but it hits most of the right notes, perfectly capturing what a relationship can be like. The acting's pretty decent on all counts, the music fits just fine, plus the non-linear presentation works so effectively. There's also nothing like seeing Han Solo in your reflection.

9. Drag Me To Hell



A change of pace from #10, this film sees Sam Raimi's return to form in delivering delightfully schlocky horror. Raimi goes for a very visceral experience, putting Alison Lohman through the proverbial wringer as the curse starts to ruin her life and she tries anything to stop it. The plot's a great throw-back to classic horror, plus Raimi's distinct style only makes it that much more fun to watch something so intense yet humourous.

8. Black Dynamite



I got to catch this at a film festival a few months ago. As it stands, this is currently my pick for "comedy of the year" (sorry, The Hangover). Black Dynamite is several cuts above most movies that pass for parodies nowadays. It works as a lovingly crafted homage to the low-rent so-bad-it's-good blaxploitation of yesteryear while also exaggerating the genre's capacity for hilarity to incredible degrees. Horrible acting, dozens of goofs, shoddy filmmaking and some ludicrous plot development and action. To say nothing of the film's very, very ridiculous finale...simply the funniest film I've seen all year.

7. A Serious Man



You can usually depend on the Coens to deliver the goods. Even though Burn After Reading was a bit of a misfire and not really a Top 10 of 2008 film, it didn't destroy expectations for the brothers' latest effort. Trading on one of their favoured plot frames - guy gets wrapped up in a series of escalating troubles - and keeping it mostly low-key (interspersed with occasional flourishes of random storytelling and dream sequences) results in a gem that doesn't feature some of the brothers' more bombastic work, but still remains a compelling study of character, religion and life in general.

6. District 9



Not your average summer blockbuster, dealing with thick South Africans and ugly aliens, but it paid off. A rather ingenious if vaguely unoriginal plot that makes for great thrills and action? I'm in.

5. Moon



An excellent low-key debut that told an utterly arresting tale of isolation and a mystery which I don't know whether or not to spoil, but it's still pretty good. For a film with such a low budget it created a very effective atmosphere in which to tell its rather ingenious story, anchored by a brilliant Sam Rockwell.

4. Avatar



James Cameron's CGI-fest may have its flaws but as far as purely visual experiences go I don't think anything else can really top it. The time just flew by as I was absolutely sucked into the movie. Absolutely gorgeous film.

3. Inglourious Basterds



Another return to form by an established director, Tarantino's film took some unexpected turns here and there, staying entertaining all the way through. Hats off to a mostly excellent cast that plays the tension damned close to perfection. Hell, I did see it three times in cinemas - probably more than I should have, but still.

2. Watchmen



Part of me feels I probably shouldn't rate Watchmen that high because I have to admit, it's not as good as some of the other films on the list. But hell, I love the book and the movie was a reasonably faithful adaptation of it. It hit a lot of the right notes (even when it sacrificed a bit of the story's soul for sex and violence) and the fact that it was one of two movies I saw three times in theatres this year should say something (not sure what, though.)

1. Up



A bit of a surprise choice for my film of the year, but Up is worth it. A film that is by turns funny and tragic, adventurous and emotional, and basically a very good affirmation as to why I still bother watching movies.

Nice list Iro Thanks

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
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I'll + rep that just for having Black Dynamite on it.

^ ditto

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That almost implies that the other nine movies on the list aren't worthy of rep at all.

Almost.

Fine review, youngin'. Do you really think that the film ultimately ends up demonizing the skinhead sub culture, though? I can seethe evidence to support that, but I really like to think of the climax as a result of an innocent culture that got tainted with some nasty ideologies, which I wouldn't necessarily call demonizing, but I do see your point.

Rar, didn't even realise you loved Grindhouse that much, though. I liked it too, but if you split them up then Death Proof is definitely the superior film..imo of course.

Yeah, demonising is probably a little extreme, but it was the word I felt was most appropriate at the time (usually write my reviews almost immediately after finishing the movie in question).

As for Grindhouse, well, the individual parts by themselves aren't all that, but combined they're somehow better. Planet Terror is somewhat better when extended, though I still have my issues with it (lead girl is terrible, etc.).

When you say immediately you mean like within the hour after finishing the film? I used to that when I was contributing to the student union paper back at uni, but I think i'm one of those people who needs to take a few days and gather my thoughts and notes before writing a review.

Not sure if there can ever be a terrible actor in films like Planet Terror and Death Proof, but yeah, Rosey isn't exactly Naomi Watts. The main thing I don't like about McGowen is that every time I hear her dialogue, I get this weird feeling that she's a complete and utter bitch in real life. That said, you so would, wouldn't you???

Something like that, yeah. Part of it's due to the fact that a good chunk of my reviews are new releases and there's something about having the first review of said releases up on this site that drives me to do it. Gets more attention than other reviews, I admit.

And that's the feeling I get - but whether I would or not...hmm. Pass?

Few films have filled me with equal amounts of anticipation and dread as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The anticipation came from the marriage of an intriguing premise and a director that had shown immense promise through having a hand in some of the best comedy of the past 10 years. On the other hand, the over-the-top style and hipper-than-thou vibes looked to be a double-edged sword that could bring the whole thing crashing down in bright computer-generated flames.

Let's get the plot out of the way - for those who haven't heard anything at all about this, the titular character is an unemployed musician living in Toronto who ends up meeting the girl of his dreams one night. As he gets involved with her, he discovers that she has a hell of a past - she's left behind "seven evil exes". For no adequately explained (or particularly necessary) reason, they each come after Scott and engage him in ludicrously over-the-top battles. In between fights, Scott still has to deal with the various ups and downs of his relationship and how it affects the rest of his life.

Right, let's move on the film proper - well, those feelings I mentioned in the first paragraph? By and large justified in both respects. On the good side, stylistically the film is sublime. Despite having never read the source comics, I still enjoyed the film's heavy-handed usage of comic-book conventions such as visible sound effects, split-screen panels...the works. That's going without mentioning the copious references to videogames, whether it's the subtle use of sounds from other games or the blatant references to such things as getting lives or winning points. The visual effects are also top-notch, going above and beyond expectations with colourful clashes and blistering battles. If nothing else, Scott Pilgrim looks a million dollars.

Now comes the bit where I follow up a paragraph full of earnest praise with a little bit of honest criticism...while the film is great visually, I'm not really a fan of everything else about the film. Michael Cera does his usual "awkward goofiness" schtick, while most of the other cast deliver undemanding deadpan performances. On the other hand, the hamminess of the exes comes close to making up for it it.While I don't deny that these different styles genuinely fit in the right sequences, sometimes it gels and sometimes it doesn't. The same goes for some of the references that the film tries to jam in, especially one scene that parodies a certain popular sitcom that really isn't quite as funny as it should be. I could probably rattle off a list of the stuff that falls flat, but I'd probably have to list the stuff that didn't as well, so the non-action sequences are something of a mixed bag for myself.

If you're familiar with any of Wright's other work, this will definitely amuse you to one degree or another. If you're not, well, I daresay all the promotional materials give you the right idea - it's a fairly lightweight romantic comedy plot wrapped in a few layers of unbelievable fantasy and cooked to a crisp. Ultimately it suffers from one very extreme case of style over substance, but what a style it is. Definitely worth seeing in theatres, if nowhere else.

Thanks Iro I heard a review on the radio the other, night very similar to yours

Bill Hicks. Whether that name is familiar or not, he's generally credited with being one of the best stand-up comedians ever. His stand-up tended towards attacking what he perceived as social ills, especially people's ostensibly backwards attitudes towards drugs, religion - the whole world, really. Never really gaining widespread popularity in his native America, his sudden death from cancer at the age of 32 did not cause much of a shock, yet in the years since his passing he has left behind an impressive comedic legacy and influenced countless others. American is basically a documentary about Hicks, drawing on interviews conducted with the ten people closest to Hicks - his family, his friends and his colleagues at the Houston comedy club where Hicks began his career.

As some of you probably know, I've been a fan of Hicks for the past few years now. I own albums, DVDs, know several of his routines word for word - but I didn't think I was going to let that cloud my judgment of American. Its unorthodox method of telling Hicks' story - a sort of cut-and-paste animation that involves taking cut-out photographs of people and animating them against new backgrounds - is initially a point in the film's favour, though it can and does come across as gimmicky in some areas. Sometimes it works surprisingly well, most noticeably in a sequence depicting an acid trip. It's either the sort of style that will prove distracting all the way through or grows on you. Myself, I opt towards the latter opinion.

Content-wise, it's all there. I'm familiar with most of Hicks' life story and have experienced a lot of his material in one form or another, but the inclusion of several home-video performances proved an unusual insight. The film doesn't completely settle into blind worship of Hicks either, even dedicating screen-time to exploring his substance abuse breakdown and the toll it wrought (one of the few aspects of Hicks' life I didn't know much about). This leads me to wonder if this film is more for people who are already familiar with Hicks or for people who know next to nothing about him. It seems to be the former, given the relative lack of stand-up featured in the film. There are plenty of routines that cover the range of Hicks' material - from the seemingly trivial riffs about pop stars and smoking all the way through to his most confrontational material about his hopes and fears for humanity (the latter of which proved too unpopular with the general public, thus leaving him an underground figure). American isn't really a primer on Hicks' comedy, which is why any prolonged emphasis on the stand-up itself seems to jar with the heavily animated biopic nature of the rest of the film.

So, do I recommend this? It's a competently made documentary with an unusual angle in the animation, but whether or not it would be of interest to anyone outside of Hicks' fanbase is a tough call. Hicks' story has a rockstar vibe to it that proves consistently (if not overwhelmingly) interesting that means the uninitiated will definitely get something out of this - especially if it serves as an introduction to Hicks' comedy. However, I daresay that it's the fans that'll get the most out of this. I know I did.

Nice review Iro I am one of those people who didn't know about this guy

Slacker was a great movie. Old but great. This review is very accurate and i cant agree more.

What did you think about the ending though? I wasnt a fan of it. When movies dont end the way i want them to i am immediately turned off. I guess its a bad quality that i have.

Doesn't matter, you appear to be banned.

Enjoyed your review of this film, which is on the money...thank you for singling out Tommy Lee Jones' underrated contribution to the film and thanks for mentioning the lack of music in the film...I noticed that too...the film really didn't need music to propel it, the story did that all by itself.