20/09/2013 The Film Review

Hello and welcome to The Film Singapore Grand Prix.

Review. Mark commode is with me. We have got a typically mixed bag,

including The Call, with 911 including The Call, with 911

operator Halle Berry, up against a psychopath. We have Diana — you have

read the press stories, now, watch the movie. That features Naomi

Watts, transferring herself into the most photographed woman in the

world. —— transforming. And also, Rest in Peace Department. I would

say The Call sounds quite riveting... It is a very good

thriller, B—movie type idea. Halle Berry is the 911 operator. She gets

a call which ends very badly, she is very traumatised, she cannot put the

headset back on. She becomes a teacher, and yet, when a call comes

in from Abigail Breslin, who is calling from her mobile phone, in

the boot of her's car, Halle Berry has no choice but to get back into

the driving seat. —— her abductor's car. Emergency... What is your name?

Casey Welson. I am in the trunk! We Casey Welson. I am in the trunk! We

are going to find you, OK? You have got the best team of people in this

whole city working to find you, but whole city working to find you, but

in order for us to help you, I need you to help me. Can you see the

Is there anyway you can break it Is there anyway you can break it

your arm out and wave it, wave it, your

wave it, OK? Someone is stuck in the wave it, OK? Someone is

have got hi! What is happening, trunk of the car in front of me.

thing, and it does it rather well. It is a good setup. We have kind of

scene versions of it before. It is scene versions of it before. It is

kind of Buried on the road. For the kind of Buried on the road. For the

first two thirds of it, it follows it through pretty ruthlessly, and

Abigail Breslin and Halle Berry Abigail Breslin and Halle Berry are

both to rivet. It is quite a hard thing to do, people on the end of

phones, but they do it very well. There has been some complaints that

in the third act, the film becomes a little bit more action orientated. I

know a lot of people have felt disappointed by that. I would say, I

think that the work that is done in the first two thirds is such basic,

good, stripped down exploitation movie stuff, I am willing to forgive

the fact that in the third act, the fact that in the third act, it

feels the need to somewhat ditch credibility. Thematically, the third

act makes no sense narratively, act makes no sense narratively, but

in terms of the underlying themes, it does work. I guarantee you that

for at least two thirds of the film, you will be gripping the edge of

desk. Absolutely want more, and you desk. Absolutely want more, and you

are rooting for those people. You want things to work out well for

them. I wish I could say that when we were watching Diana, you want

more. You have probably read some of the press about it, it has got very

stinky reviews. It is Naomi Watts playing Diana, and it is based

speculatively on a relationship she has with her heart surgeon. The

have said, it is absolutely terrible. It is not terrible, would

that it were. What it is is unbelievably respectful and polite

and frankly quite boring. You are and frankly quite boring. You are

watching it thinking, it is like watching people treading on

eggshells. The personal between these two characters,

obviously it is speculatively, as nobody knows what happens behind

closed doors, so all of those closed doors, so all of those

conversations are imagined. But you conversations are imagined. But you

end up thinking what is an actress of this calibre, and a director like

end up thinking what is an actress this, Oliver Hirschbiegel, what did

they think they were doing? I suspect that they were thinking it

might be almost something like a prequel to The Queen. That film had

a fantastic script. In this case, what is lacking is a fantastic

script, a script in which Diana actually has two ask the heart

surgeon, do you think it is possible for somebody to die of a broken

clearly something which is made to clearly something which is made to

be shown at 2.30pm on a Sunday afternoon. It is not as funny as

that terrific TV movie about wheels and Kate. This is not funny at all.

The script is the key thing. What this does not have is a great

script. What this has is a lot of speculation, a lot of winks and a

lot of wiffle. I have got a rule, almost, if I am told this film

genres, I am not sure about it. I am genres, I am not sure about it. I am

told this one was some kind of supernatural action comedy.

Essentially, Ryan Reynolds is a cop, he dies, and on the way to heaven,

Department office, and he is told he Department office, and he is told he

can either face judgment, or go back can either face judgment, or go back

down to earth with another undead cop, Jeff Bridges, because the Earth

is being run by deados. Here is a clip. When you ride with me, you

ride with the best. Expectations are high, things are going to come at

you fast, they are going before, driving? Look at the ankles

on that girl. That is what does it on that girl. That is what does it

for you? In my day, women dressed conservatively. That make you wait

less creepy. When exactly was your day? 1800, buddy. I am what they

used to call a lawman. It was used to call a lawman. It was

considered a very sexy name at the time, just call me Roy. It is true

grit in cars. It is also Men In Black, and it is a bit of GHOST. It

falls between umpteen stalls. It cannot decide if it wants to be

jolly, all—round family jolly, all—round family

entertainment, or if it wants to be something darker. Uncertainty, you

end up thinking, if you are long enough —— young enough to like those

kind of monsters, you will be really bored by the stuff about the loving

wife. If you are old enough to be interested in the back story, then

you will be thinking, I saw you will be thinking, I saw

Ghostbusters, and I saw Men In Black, all of them, and the problem

is, this is not any of them. In some parts, people will find Jeff Bridges

funny, but I thought he was just a soft—pedalling. He is clearly having

fun, but there is that strange rule that the more fun it looks like

people had making the movie, the less fun it is to watch the movie.

Mary Louise Parker is really good, but she is not on enough. There

Mary Louise Parker is really good, this

earthlings as a very very tall woman are on earth, they

earthlings as a very very tall woman and a very short man, which enables

Jeff Bridges to do all of these gags about, why are you looking at me

like that? But I keep forgetting that you set that gag up. Obviously,

it came from a graphic novel it came from a graphic novel

different hits, and there is no one, different hits, and there is no one,

unifying theme. The problem is that it ends up satisfying nobody in

course, as you know, in America, it desire to satisfy

course, as you know, in America, it tanked, and

just seems to be fundamentally all over the place. Fundamentally all

over the place ought to go on the poster. Actually, the quote I can

imagine them using is, not imagine them using is, not as

terrible as everybody keeps telling you.

terrible as everybody keeps telling screening, that is what everybody

was saying. It is not without some fun bits. You would be hard pressed

to make a movie with. Bridges to make a movie with. Bridges

without any fun bits. But they are just bits. You might find some bits

of it funny on Youtube. —— with Jeff Bridges. And moving onto Rush. Yes,

it is kind of black and white, to some extent, in the way in which it

depicts the differences in depicts the differences in

personality, but I think it does it really well, and I am not interested

in Formula one. Neither are my, particularly, it is kind of Mortal

Kombat. You actually care what happens, and I did know enough about

Formula one to know what happens. And there is the possibility that it

might have the kind of attraction which Senna did not. That did not

audiences, who do not really audiences, who do not really

understand Formula one anyway, what I think this one does. This film

says, just come with us and you will says, just come with us and you will

a very low budget movie, and it is a a very low budget movie, and it is a

story about a curmudgeonly old guy, and a young man breaks into his

charming, to some extent incidental, friendship. It is sweet

charming, to some extent incidental, Philip Davis is brilliant in it.

charming, to some extent incidental, some theatrical screenings, but an

awful lot of people will be seeing it first on DVD. It is a low—budget

British film, made with heart. And crowd funded? That was for the

distribution, for the money. It and you very much.

Before we go, a reminder that you will find more from Mark command