Review of A Cock and Bull Story (2005) by Fuck Y — 17 Mar 2007

[b]Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story[/b].

Roger Ebert describes it best, "...a film about the making of a film based on a novel about the writing of a novel." And this is precisely what you'll get from [i]Tristram Shandy[/i], a film that throughout most of its running time seems to be designed to cater to those viewers familiar with the subject matter at hand. The script is, indeed, clever and sparingly funny, but it's a primal emotional core that the film lacks. Too often does the film scatter along plot points without direction or pull towards anything resembling a point. Like its starring comedians, it's random for the sake of being random and never quiet achieves any lasting impact beyond what's already on the screen. You'll enjoy it while it lasts, but you'll forget about it after the credits have rolled. The most memorable aspect of the film comes in the form of a slight relationship between the film's lead and his film-obsessed co-worker. It is sparse, but it is also the only sense of emotional resonance that Winterbottom seems to have throughout this prodding, yet funny, mess of a film.

[b]Head-On[/b].

You've heard the plot before. Two people from different backgrounds find something similar in each other and through common chance fall in love. [i]Head-On[/i] is just about that and then some. Faith Akin tells the story in an energetic, demanding, and gritty way that blinking is your last option. At heart it's a love story about two people living on the outskirts of life, but it's just as adrenaline-pumped as any action blockbuster you'd see hitting theaters in the summer. When Sibel asks Cahit to marry her in an arranged marriage just so she can be rid of the shadow of her parents, Cahit agrees and therein starts the chaos that will turn both their lives upside down. [i]Head-On[/i] is a drama about two strong personalities. It's almost a study of taking two very strong-minded people, putting them into one room and observing the outcomes. It's largest flaw is a somewhat sloppy and rushed ending. Do we really know enough about these two people to accept the decisions that are made in the finale? Perhaps the film needed to be longer to deeper flesh out the characters, but what 'is' here is strong enough to contain the viewer's interest. Beautifully performed, stunningly photographed, and told with a rush of heart and excitement, [i]Head-On[/i] is a love-story told in a way that will leave your heart pounding in more ways than one. (I can't believe I just wrote that).

[b]Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

[/b].

Russel Crowe is a fantastic actor. He has a presence that is unmatched by most in cinema today and embodies each role he chooses with precise detail. I haven't seen a film where I've thought of a better actor to take this man's role, and this is no different in[i] Master and Commander[/i]. The film centers around the HMS Surprise's journey and stalking of a French warship along the coast of South America. Weir decides to focus only on the HMS to save realism and set the tone that this film is about the HMS and her crew. Not focusing on both sides works wonderfully in adding an intimidating aspect to the French side and gives them an almost frightening aura before the big impact. The film's greatest strength and emotional core is the relationship between Captain Jack (Crowe) and the ship's doctor Stephen Maturin. They are opposites, but have a deep abiding respect for each other that carries the film along. It is this example of respect for opposites that Crowe's Captain Jack subtly teaches to the mostly younger crew and how keeping their heads high for one another is what will ultimately save them in battle. [i]Master and Commander[/i] is a quietly effective film and while it may show off its grandeur through visuals and sound, it never fails to be an unnervingly effective drama about life and death on the sea.

[b]Chungking Express[/b].

Wong Kar-Wai is a master of mood and tone. He is able to transcend Christopher Doyle's gorgeous cinematography and make it an almost living, breathing aspect of the film just as much as its actors, music, and script are.[i] Chungking Express[/i] istold through its characters and through its visuals. Using flashy, almost claustrophobic editing in fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping scenes, and quiet, nearly slow-paced editing that agrees with the tenderness of the film's emotional core. [i]Chungking Express [/i]is split into two sections. The first section concentrates around Cop 223 who recently broke up with his girlfriend and is spending his nights alone bustling along the busy nightlife of his urban town. He meets a mysterious lady in a yellow trench coat and the two hit it off with barely saying a word to each other. The second story centers around Cop 663 and his fascination with the adorable Faye played by the again adorable Faye Wong. The two stories are connected by the simple theme of the longing of love and escape in any way that is possible. Being lonely in a city as alive as the one portrayed in [i]Chungking Express[/i] is, next to hell, the worst thing that could happen to these people. The song "California Dreaming" by the Mammas and the Pappas is played consistently throughout the second portion of the film. It's the irony in the lyrics "...I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A." that makes the characters' situations all the more emotionally resonant and relatable. We all long for escape, and for the Cops and their fellow love interests, it's the idea of no expiry dates and the promise of warmth that keeps them going. [i]Chungking Express[/i] is a moody, poignant, and meditative film on the strengths that a significant other can truly have.