When that coveted trophy Tom's Film of the Year comes around again in December 2008 No Country For Old Men will surely be among the front runners. It may well be the greatest film The Coen Brothers have made, and that is high praise indeed.
As you all know it's based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name and features several outstanding performances. Josh Brolin turns in the performance of his career, and I know it's not saying that much but so too does Scotland's own Kelly McDonald.
Javier Bardem is nothing less than intense in every film he appears in, but his special brand of menace just leaps off the screen here.
There's a nail-biting shoot out at a hotel midway through the film that had me completely mesmerised. I can't say that I found the ending 100% satisfying but a small quibble for such an electric film.
The Savages is well worth seeing too. Again, a couple of great performances from two of my favourite actors in Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. Playing siblings whose messy lives are put on hold to look after their elderly father, the pair of them offer realistic portrayls of children disconnected from their father, clumsily attempting to do the right thing.
The script is clever and touching and with these two in the lead roles you can't help but be swept along with it.
Tuesday 29 January 2008
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3 comments:
No Country For Old Men was indeed spectacular. I had my doubts about it when I heard that it was being filmed because Cormac McCarthy has this very distinct and sparse literary style which is as essential to the novels as is the plot. The Coens managed to pull that off. It wasn't just nearly flawless as a film--it's likely one of the best literary adaptations ever made.
Mark Lawson has a thing over on The Graun about how we're having another "golden age of cinema". There have been so many truly excellent movies out lately that I'm very much inclined to agree with him. Well, except for his judgement on Superbad.
Superbad wasn't for balding men in their 40s who hang about with Tom Paulin.
Thank fuck for that.
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