The Fall

Well let me tell you now - this film is like Marmite. You will either love this film or hate it.
Me? I loved it.
First the negatives - some will find it slow-paced and weird and on the surface level kind of plot-less and pointless. If you are not used to thinking a little harder about your movies this might not be the movie for you.




If you are still reading - well done! - because in reality this is a beautiful stunning movie that has great depth and great acting.

The plot is simple. California, 1915. A little girl, recovering in hospital from a fall, is befriended by a stuntman who is also recovering from a fall that appears to have left him paralyzed.

She is bored and wants company. He is depressed and wants to kill himself.
Out of these needs arises a tale of mystic magic, grand adventure, love, death and ultimately redemption.

Filmed without any of today's special effects so commonly used and relying solely on the lens and perspective, director Tarsem Singh creates a visually stunning and surreal film canvas that is truly a work of art in its own right.
Within the celluloid images, Singh also asks valid questions of his audience - questions about reality and imagination, about religion and deliverance, about love - all the while exploring our love of stories and story-telling.

I do not necessarily agree with some of his points - Singh portrays religion here as a bad thing that betrays our main characters, while Darwin and his pet monkey (oh the irony, I know!) are portrayed as holding the answers to much of the mysteries of life. And yet his conclusion - that love and our own humanity is what redeems us long after religion and science and darwinism have left the scene - is a fitting and suitable ending to this Picasso-esque fairytale.

Singh draws out a very good performance from Lee Pace (Pushing Up Daisies) as the struggling stuntman in need of deliverance. But Singh's greatest achievement in this film is capturing the essence of childlike curiosity and imagination and innocence with newcomer, Catinca Untaru. You will fall in love with this child. The delightful 5 year old Romanian's performance has got to be one of the most remarkable performances of a newcomer on the big screen and well worth making this film a must-see on it's own merit.

Like I said, some people will just not get this film but if you are a fan of movie-making and being challenged and inspired this film comes highly recommended and makes my top three films of the year so far. A beautiful piece of film art and story-telling.

In Bruges

Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes.

First of all, to enjoy this movie you need to not be bothered by the f-bomb. It is used and it is used frequently. You should also not be surprised by the occasional graphic violence - it is after all a story about two hitmen. And then you have to be somewhat savvy with the English culture to get all the jokes. But if none of this is a hindrance, you will discover a gem of a movie in this dark comedy.
Cleverly written and well acted, In Bruge is hilarious and oddly touching and most importantly - original.
Ray (Colin Farrell) is a simpleton hitman plagued with a conscience who is sent to Bruges with his mentor Ken (Brendan Glesson) to wait for their next instructions. Ken wants to sightsee but Ray doesn't and instead ends up finding himself in a number of surreal situations with a few of the locals including a racist dwarf, an arms dealer called Yuri, and a local drug peddler called Chloe. When Ray's boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) joins the mix, things are set for a killingly funny film.

Don't be fooled by the trailers. This is one of those rare movies where the film is better than the trailer. It is clever, funny, touching and - fan or not - you will love Colin Farrell. He and Brendan Gleeson make a good case here for a more modern and layered version of Laurel and Hardy. Not to be missed also, is Ralph Fiennes performance as the principled crime boss with Tourette's!

Some people's sensitivities may make this film offensive, but that is kind of the point and the joke!
Not necessary to see on the big screen but definitely worth watching sooner rather than later.