My Week in Film #6

On Monday night, I and a select group of friends went to the VUE at Clifton Moor to see Clint Eastwood’s new film, Gran Torino. A forty-five minute trip to see a film may seem excessive, but the cinemas in Scarborough are poor enough to justify the journey (especially when coupled with their lack of choice). The film in question, however, was anything but poor. Eastwood directs himself portraying Walt, a misanthropic, racist widower with a horrible family who assumes his life can’t get much worse until a group of Hmong people move into the house next door and bring trouble with them in the form of a gang perusing harassed youngster Thao.

The first thing to say is that for the first time in what seems like an age, going to the pictures didn’t involve super-heroes, monsters, corsets, sci-fi or fantasy. This film is no high-concept blockbuster, it is a contemporary drama and god did it feel good to see a film without even a hint of spandex.

Whilst the change in Walt’s opinions about non-whites is predictable, the engrossing storyline is slightly more off-kilter than I expected, with a surprise, though in retrospect, inevitable ending. The script is tight, the music understated (though I wasn’t sure how I felt about Eastwood’s raspy singing over the end credits; predominantly creeped out, I think) and the photography somewhere between perfunctory and elegant. The main draw here is obviously Eastwood’s superlative performance (touted as his last) which is by turns sympathetic, distasteful, comical and frightening.

The only criticisms I really have with the film are that several lines from the supporting characters sound forced and unnatural, which undermines the realism at points. Also, the words ‘Gran Torino’ sure are said a heck of a lot; I realise it’s the name of the film and everything, but would it never be shortened to ‘the Torino’ or just ‘the car’? Whilst a minor quibble, this too undermines the realism of film, which is disappointing, considering how important an air of reality is to the film’s moral standpoint. However, the film is excellent overall and is highly recommended.

I also watched A Cinderella Story this week, which is a modern retelling of Cinderella starring Hilary Duff. There isn’t really a lot of good to say about it. I’d be surprised if there is anyone in the demographic primarily portrayed (teens preparing to go to university) who would find this fun in a non ironic way. Pre-teen girls would probably love it but then they’d probably love it more if it featured their age group more prominently (as in the actually not bad prologue). Also annoying about the teens portrayed is that despite all being supposedly in the same academic year, the actors cast look to be variously aging from around fourteen to thirty.

Anyway, the dialogue is mostly poor or tedious. The two leads are either massively pretentious or the scriptwriter(s) simply don’t know how teenagers speak. Acting is functional. Expect no flair in cinematic technique. The plot drags on far too much in the final act. Half-arsed set-pieces and narrative devices are stuck in at various points, but at least, I suppose, some effort has been made to engage audience interest.

Good points? Well, the transposition of the classic fairy tale into its new twenty first century Californian setting is pretty seamless and Jennifer Coolidge’s performance as the step-mother raises a few smiles, but little else catches attention. It’s not that the film is overtly, offensively bad, just that there is very little good in it. Films like Enchanted, The Princess Bride and (though I hate it) Shrek have proven that contemporary fairy tales can both critically and commercially successful. A Cinderella Story is just evidence of a criminal lack of effort.

Finally, I watched Quantum of Solace for the first time last night. Following on directly from the satisfyingly decent Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace follows everyone’s favourite secret agent as he travels across the globe in an effort to uncover the mysterious organisation responsible for the death of his girlfriend Vesper in the previous film.

Unfortunately, the film does not maintain its predecessor’s high standards: rushed unfocussed and awkward, Quantum can’t seem to strike a balance between the drama and the action. Characters seem sketchy, motivations are not clear and some of the action sequences are simply ludicrous, especially frustrating given the Bond team’s dedication to something approaching realism in Casino Royale. It is perhaps unfair to keep comparing the film to its prequel, but when a franchise chooses for the first time to make a direct sequel I feel it is inevitable.

Quantum is not without its redeeming features. Daniel Craig is still appealing as Bond and Judie Dench’s scenes (of which she has significantly more than in previous outings) are consistently entertaining. And I seem to be the only person in the world who likes the theme song (to an extent). There is evidence, such as in the opera set piece, that the film could have been great, but on too many occasions the film misfires, the aforementioned scene being the best example. Also, the plot is pretty silly, but then this Bond (and even the last film had him defeating terrorists with… poker) and these kind of things can usually be looked over. Unfortunately, the film has too many other flaws to cover these up. Ultimately, who wants a Bond film in which M’s scenes are more interesting than Bond’s?