All Consuming : Richard MacManus

Angel (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Richard MacManus) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:15:19 GMT

The Real Life of Angel Deverell (Angel) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]

by François Ozon

This is a very well shot movie, using styles from the 1960’s – e.g. scenes like you saw in The Sound of Music or Mary Poppins. The story is about a precociously talented writer, played with gusto by the lovely Romola Garai, who becomes a writing sensation with wildly imaginative novels. She buys a mansion called Paradise House and gets the man of her dreams, a painter whose dark paintings haven’t found an appreciative audience. Without ruining the story, the dream house, controlling lifestyle and marriage don’t end well. At the end we’re left wondering if Angel’s ‘dream’ life was really all it cracked up to be. The implication is also that Angel won’t be remembered long term as a significant novelist, but more like a Judy Collins of this age (or a JK Rowling?).

Overall a really enjoyable movie. All the actors were great, including NZ’s Sam Neil with one of his signature performances as an upper class guy with soul and an artistic bent. The lead actress Romola Garai was especially good in this role.

The ending possibly could have been better, but still an absorbing movie with a great story and characters. Beautifully shot too, loved the homages to 60’s family movies.

Consumed "The Real Life of Angel Deverell (Angel) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Richard MacManus) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:15:19 GMT

The Real Life of Angel Deverell (Angel) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]

by François Ozon

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Grindhouse Presents Death Proof"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Richard MacManus) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:41:38 GMT

Grindhouse Presents Death Proof

WORTH IT!

Death Proof Rocks

nobody@allconsuming.net (Richard MacManus) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:39:34 GMT

Grindhouse Presents Death Proof

Watched this movie last night on DVD. I really enjoyed it and it shows what a unique talent Quentin Tarantino is, and so attuned to the times. And tbh this movie was refreshingly free of the sadistic violence that is so often in his movies (there were bits of violence, but nothing squirmy).

It starts out with the first lot of women talking in a car, in the kind of back n forth hip talk that we saw in Pulp Fiction. All the women actors are great, as is Kurt Russell as a grizzled yet enigmatic stuntman.

Later in the film I was pleasantly surprised to see a kiwi actress, who turns out is a real-life stunt woman! Hearing a kiwi accent in a Tarantino movie was strange, yet satisfying!

The car chase sequence at the end is pure adrenalin, very well shot.

Overall this is a great action movie, with all the artistic touches you’d expect from Tarantino (without ever being predictable).

Still exploring the hype (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Richard MacManus) — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 02:59:56 GMT

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

by Arctic Monkeys

This band has been much hyped and the video to ‘dancefloor’ impressed me enough that I bought the CD. It’s growing on me – not the kind of album that you love straight away I think. There are some very good tunes on this, some other songs I haven’t gotten to like yet. Overall though I like it.

A story about "You Are the Quarry"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Richard MacManus) — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 11:21:08 GMT

You Are the Quarry

by Morrissey

I’m not usually a Morrissey fan, but he really nails it on this album. This is my first day listening to this CD, but I’ve played it a few times so far. Morrisey’s lyrics are cutting and super-intelligent. And the lead guitar work is fantastic, as is the rest of the backing band. Superb stuff.