I was watching t.v. lately and I saw an ad for a film called A PROPHET . The ad or trailer was really good, one of those that show you just enough to whet your appetite. I cant wait to see this film. It should have won best foreign language film at this years Oscar's but lost out to an Argentinian film called THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES. The film A PROPHET looks like a thrilling prison drama with some great acting.The director/writer JACQUES AUDIARD made a film a few years ago called THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED .I saw this lately on d.v.d., an unusual film about a petty criminal who's late mother was a famous concert pianist ,the son decides to resume what was once a promising career as a pianist with surprising results.
Out this week in selected (of course) cinemas is THE KILLER INSIDE ME directed by MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM from the source material by JIM THOMPSON. I've read a few of his books and this one was particularly violent. The screen adaptation is very close to the source material.Both of these film are not for the squeamish I hasten to add. I wouldn't like people reading this (does anyone read this?) thinking that they are going to see a couple of clever crime caper films, far from it A PROPHET and THE KILLER INSIDE ME are as heavy as it gets.You have been warned!
Back when RESERVOIR DOGS (my film of the 90's) was first released there was a huge outcry about the level of violence in it. The ear slicing scene in particular came in for some heavy criticism, but looking closely at that scene you realise that you don't actually see anything only a suggestion! The camera pulls away and focuses on the wall. When I saw INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS last year I realised it was a lot more violent ,visibly at least. Germans getting their heads busted open (by horror film director ELI ROTH no less) but no outcry this time ,how times have changed.It's a tough one the old screen violence debate.We like it in films like DIE HARD and that but when it is realistic its a different story.QUENTIN TARANTINO always has good soundtracks to his films. Sometimes the choices he makes are a bit mad but he is obviously a huge music fan. Music can make or break a film in my opinion (I know who cares about my opinion). For example a perfectly good film CRASH directed by PAUL HAGGIS was for me ruined by a bad soundtrack.I'm sure lots of people liked the score but let them write about it in their own blogs!
One of my favourite films and soundtracks is DEAD MANS SHOES starring PADDY CONSIDINE and directed by SHANE MEADOWS .Set in rural England its a revenge film (do I see a pattern forming here?) not a million miles away from ,certainly influenced by, TAXI DRIVER. Its got an awesome soundtrack with incidental music by CALEXICO and three uninterrupted songs by BONNY PRINCE BILLY,SMOG and M.WARD. On my second viewing of this film my photographer friend Matt http://www.mattpetosa.com/ pointed out that the director didn't cut the songs but let them play through which he believed maintained the integrity of the piece (ahem).It took me a while but I finally got what he meant.
An example of how this should not be done was in the film GARDEN STATE starring and directed by ZACH BRAFF in the scene where NATALIE PORTMAN hands him her headphones to listen to a track by THE SHINS (great song) all we get is about thirty seconds of it, maybe the director thought we did'nt have the attention span for the whole song, pityHugh Hyland
