The Week In Movies 22/8/11 - 28/8/11

The week started off well with a quickfire 3 films but then descended in to anarchy and lack of sleep as i only managed to watch another three in the following 5 days. I really must watch Tokyo Story today or it will be a late return to the DVD shop.


I saw The Merry Gentleman on Friday, a movie that is much loved by me but generally unheard of by the general population. Drawing similarities between such classics as Le Samourai, Michael Keaton's debut film is reviewed by me here for those who missed it.

Noir Night was a wonderfully entertaining double feature this week and the Tuesday reviews for Shanghai Express and Pepe Le Moko will hopefully be nearly as enjoyable.


Robocop was practically a first time viewing for me, I remember so little about having seen it when i was much younger. And I was a little disappointed to tell you the truth. I was expecting something, more. Perhaps it hasn't aged well? I do highly recommend you go see Edgar at Between The Seats for a full review from somebody who didn't seem to think it had anything lacking.

I saw I Am Love finally. I've been wanting to see this movie ever since I saw a poster for it on the underground at Cockfosters in 2009. I found the poster quite compelling but managed to miss it at the cinema and then as if by magic I was looking in the Japanese section at Starland and there it was. I Am Love is an Italian movie. It stars Tilda Swinton as a Russian matriarch. She learned Italian with a Russian accent specifically for the role apparently. It's a shame as the movie was a little too much style combined with not enough substance. It wasn't bad but once I got past the fact that every single shot looks like a work of art it wasn't that good either. Tilda Swinton is an entirely separate matter. She was great. As usual. Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies initially had the same reaction but changed his mind later, Stevee, yes, THE Stevee stuck to her guns and continued to dislike it and had this to say on the subject and BT gave it a 7.1 whilst including some of the beautiful images from the movie.

Final film of the week was a revisit to my least favourite Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I initially saw this on the one and only date I had with a girl I met whilst horrendously drunk at a VIP party in Covent Garden. When she sent me a message the next morning I had absolutely no idea who she was, I could barely remember getting home. Tequila girls and an free bar will do that to you by 9pm apparently. Anyway I was enamoured with this particular Anderson at the time and thought it would be a good way to show off how awesome I was with my taste in quirky indie type films. Backfired. Big time. We were both obviously bored throughout, it just didn't feel like a Wes Anderson at all. I never saw her again after that.

Leah hadn't seen it and I thought it was about time gave it another shot and I was much more impressed than the first time but I still can't place it anywhere near the level of his other movies. Leah however loved it, she laughed at it a lot more than me that's for sure. Bill Murray was especially great. I may not watch it again however. For a nice contrast of opinions check out a positive (Defiant Success) and a negative (NerdVampire) experience.

So that's it, a quick roundup and on to other things, like more work. What you guys been watching? Have I missed the point of Robocop? Can anyone offer any explanation for Life Aquatic other than the Noah Baumbach script? Who missed The Merry Gentleman review?

Movie Review: The Merry Gentleman (2008)

Digging back in to my viewing archives from 2009 I thought I'd share some thoughts on the quite lovely directorial debut from Michael Keaton, The Merry Gentleman.

Billed as a crime thriller but in reality this is a sort of love story about Frank, a suicidal hitman, Kate, an unknowing witness to one of his hits and Dave, the cop investigating it.


The Merry Gentleman is a neo-noir that feel remarkably similar to the work of Melville, calling to mind most prominently Alain Delon in Le Samourai. The pace is incredibly slow with the focus on the feelings and interactions of these lost souls rather than action and fast talking like you might find in a sub par Tarantino clone. Here you will find no car chase, no gun fight, no explosions; instead we are treated to suspense and tension built around the secrets and lies these characters tell each other.




The subtle yet compelling performance of Keaton in any other movie would surely have garnered award attention but somehow got overlooked, probably due to the low key nature of the movie. He hardly says anything, he lets his face and his gestures do the talking for him as a character who is struggling to find reasons to live. But outdoing him is the fabulous Kelly MacDonald, who by now can surely play the permanently optimistic yet troubled/damaged young woman with her eyes shut, yet she always seems to put that something extra in to it. It's a good thing too as she has to carry the majority of the film's dialogue as the centre of attention for three men all looking to her as some kind of angel of mercy or forgiveness ready to wipe out all of their past transgressions and usher them in to a good, wholesome, happy life. It was quite a strong year for female actors but when Mo'Nique and Sandra Bullock are winning awards you have to wonder why a movie needs to have a big financial backing for a performance as good as Kelly MacDonald's in a film as wonderful as this can just go completely ignored.




I am really quite astounded by the creative eye of Keaton. There is the visual beauty crafted by Keaton and his cinematographer Chris Seager which will leave you breathless combining with the simple yet essential nature of the relationships that develop to create something both poetic and magical, powerful and moving. There's so much beauty contained within these 100 minutes that I was left silent for a long time afterwards. I could tell you about the way Keaton manages to get right to the soul of his character by his choice of where to place a camera as a director and what words not to say as an actor but then if I went in to too much detail it might spoil the wonderful surprise that this movie is. Be prepared to be touched by a ghost and his angel.


Michel Keaton is a fine actor and based on this movie he has all the makings of a fine director too. I very much hope he gets another shot at directing a feature.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one if you've been lucky enough to see it. Share some blah below.