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Film REVIEWS
DVD
THRILLER/SCI-FI THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (12A) 99min ●●●●●
The work of Philip K Dick has inspired some of cinema’s great sci-fi films, from Blade Runner to Minority Report via Total Recall. The Adjustment Bureau, which is derived from one of the author’s short stories, doesn’t quite measure up to the former or latter, but it’s a fun ride. Marketed as a cross between the Bourne trilogy and Inception, George Nolfi’s film is actually more of a romantic drama with elements of sci-fi and action. It thrives on the human connection underpinning the story rather than the ‘out there’ sci-fi that forms the backdrop. When ambitious young congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) suffers a career setback, his life is transformed by a chance meeting with beautiful dancer Elise (Emily Blunt). Norris is advised against pursuing the relationship, however, by mysterious members of a hat- wearing organisation who are determined to plot
an alternative course for him. Naturally, Norris chooses to try and pursue his own destiny. Admittedly, how much you enjoy Nolfi’s film depends on how much you’re prepared to go with the sci-fi element of the story, which challenges the notion of fate and could be interpreted as deeply religious. Thankfully, though, the chemistry between Damon and Blunt make them an easy pair of protagonists to root for, and Nolfi’s decision not to take things too seriously works in the film’s favour. The New York locations, too, help to provide an eye- catching backdrop to the belated action sequences.
Indeed, it’s only really the sci-fi element that begs more questions than it answers and which could have benefited from greater exploration – a criticism that could be levelled at many lesser Dick adaptations. Adjust your expectations accordingly, though, and this is still a hugely enjoyable slice of hokum. (Rob Carnevale) ■ General release from Fri 4 Mar.
DOCUMENTARY CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (15) 90min ●●●●●
In 1994 the limestone Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc caves in France’s Ardèche region were discovered by explorers, and it emerged that they contained the oldest ever paintings created by human beings, dating back some 35,000 years. Last year, Werner Herzog became the first ever filmmaker to gain access to what he calls in his distinctive voiceover the ‘place where the modern soul awakened’. Herzog’s images are filled with a sense of awe: the vast chambers contain towering stalactites and animal bones strewn on the floor, while on the walls are the charcoal depictions of all manner of animals, including mammoth, minotaur and bison. The 3D technology captures the contours of the rock formations, imbuing some of these artistic representations with an illusion of movement. There’s a wonderful coda involving albino crocodiles at a neighbouring nuclear reactor plant and interesting questions are raised about the human impulse to pass on knowledge through art to future generations. (Tom Dawson) ■ Selected release from Fri 25 Mar.
Here’s what may be of interest on DVD and Blu-ray coming out in March. An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley (BFI ●●●●●) brings together the almost complete short and feature work of this overlooked British filmmaker whose films were as important in essaying Britain’s social decline in the 1970s and 80s as those of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. Highlights include his two best features Brothers and Sisters and Telling Tales. City Island (Anchor Bay ●●●●●) is a likeably intimate comedy drama about a dysfunctional New York family. Andy Garcia stars as Vince Rizzo, a prison guard with a secret dream of becoming an actor. Julianna Margulies, Alan Arkin and Emily Mortimer bring a lot of class to this modest farce. Just when you had finished watching all of Akira Kurosawa’s films on DVD, here comes Early Kurosawa: The Unknown Films of Akira Kurosawa (BFI ●●●●●) containing Kurosawa’s long unavailable first six features. None of these films is as good as Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, Red Beard ad nauseum but they all contain suggestions and premonitions of the brilliance to come.
Crime drama Stone (Lionsgate ●●●●●)
starring acting heavyweights Robert De Niro and Ed Norton, didn’t get a cinema release in the UK last year, which is a shame because this double-crossing psychological drama is better than some films that did, and of course it’s a veritable smorgasbord of method acting.
Susana and The Brute (both Bongo, both ●●●●●) are two of the great Andalusian surrealist and filmmaker Luis Buñuel’s little seen 1950s melodramas. Susana (also known as The Devil and the Flesh) is a satiric fable of erotic desire and communal decay, while The Brute is an unblinking melodrama of capitalist brutality and corruption.
Powerful little seen psychological thriller The
Night of the Following Day (Odeon ●●●●●) starring Marlon Brando and Richard Boone gets a long overdue release, the depth and sadism of this 1968 kidnap drama now seems way ahead of its time.
Finally Canadian indie film director (and one- time Mr Molly Parker) Matt Bissonnette’s lovely 2006 film Who Loves the Sun (Axiom ●●●●●) (pictured) finally emerges on DVD. This dawdling tale of homecomings and old loves is as relaxing as English language cinema gets without herbal intervention. (Paul Dale)
3–31 March 2011 THE LIST 67