6 November 2003
(Almost plot-less, character-less martial arts action film from Quentin Tarantino, chopped in half.)
There are people who say that this doesn’t add anything to the genre from which it borrows so heavily. They’re wrong. Since when were production values this high in any Asian action film, or in any Asian film full stop?
To be honest, apart from that it has high production values and is gloriously over-the-top in places (particularly the anime sequence), there’s not much to say about it. Either you’ll be wowed by Tarantino’s energy, or bored by his sloppiness. Or, um, both, as I was.
(Romantic comedy about a gold-digger and a divorce lawyer who’s so successful he a pre-nuptial agreement named after him.)
I didn’t even know this was possible, but four — yes, four — people worked on the script for this, making it a ‘not really’ Coen brothers film. Joel Coen (natch), Ethan Coen (natch), Robert Ramsay ( Life , Big Trouble ), and Matthew Stone (ditto) are all credited with the screenplay, and a further person (John Romano) is credited with the story.
Guess what? It doesn’t have an edge. Even during the subversion of George Clooney’s painful ‘love conquers all’ speech, there’s a sense that you’re watching a film that’s been mashed between the pestle and mortar of writing by committee. There were moments where I literally rolled my eyes, thinking things like ‘Wheezy Joe?! Is that the best they could do?’
Oh, but it does have an excellent opening credits sequence, possibly even bettering the slick typography of Catch Me If You Can . Never have drumming cherubs been so amusing.
Soul-crushingly mediocre.
(Documentary about eight nerdy kids taking part in the 1999 US National Spelling Bee.)
I shit you not, this is one of the films of the year. Documentary films that get theatrical releases have to balance entertainment and accuracy. The best ones — and Spellbound is one of the best — draw you in with the accuracy and authenticity, and let the entertainment follow from there.
Despite their wildly differing backgrounds, attitudes, and circumstances, all of the children featured come across as engaging, albeit to differing degrees. Neil has an intense, methodical training system worked out with his father, but also plays sports and does other things. Harry’s comparatively young (he’s the only one of the eight to not be in his last Spelling Bee) and extremely talkative. Angela’s father is a Mexican who moved to Texas, and doesn’t even speak English.
Fill out their personalities, and those of the other five, and you have the first part of the film. Where it really shines, though, is in the Spelling Bee itself.
Sweaty palms? Check. Palpitations? Check. That ‘sinking feeling’ in your stomach? Check. Going minutes without breathing? Check. Mouthing words that you know, in the hope that they travel through some wormhole into the contestant’s brain? Check. It may not be life-or-death — two of the eight in particular were definite on this, as were their parents — but by God, it’s riveting. The number of contestants goes down as the difficulty is ratcheted up over the course of several days of fierce competition. When there are only two left, it becomes almost unbearable. Almost, that is, because the winning word is somewhat anti-climactic, although appropriate.
Olympic high jump for the brain.
(Young offenders get sent to dig holes in the desert…but for what purpose? Screenplay adapted by Louis Sachar from his novel of the same name.)
In lesser hands, the introductory nod to O Brother, Where Art Thou? would have been the most memorable part of this film. Andrew Davis, however, is more than capable, and has left us with a film that skillfully interweaves past and present, love and betrayal, comedy and tragedy, and much more besides.
It wasn’t all down to him, of course. The adult section of the cast is about as strong as you’ll get, with Tim Blake Nelson, Jon Voight, and Sigourney Weaver all clearly enjoying themselves. The child actors are competent at worst, and Shia LeBouf is excellent in the lead role.
The final third is disappointingly predictable, alas, as all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place just a little too smoothly, and the ending really is nothing special. But for the preceding 90 minutes it’s one hell of a fun ride.