Ghost Writer and Dexter
Aug. 22nd, 2011 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatJust finished watching the flick Ghost Writer - the film directed by Roman Polanski while he was under house arrest at his luxurious chalet in Switzerland. Not a bad film, but it is hard to watch without the information I know about Polanski lurking in the background. I can't help but wonder if I'd have experienced it differently if it were by another director? Also, maybe it is just me, but Polanski's films are less interesting now than they were in the 1960s-70s. His later work feels a bit paint-by-numbers, you have the chase scene, the dark claustrophobic rooms, the dreary landscape, the suspenseful music, the odd angle close-ups. I'm not sure he's done anything all that interesting since the films of his hey-day, Rosemary's Baby, The Tenant, Tess, and Chinatown.
The acting and writing are good. The direction is just a bit stale and lacklustre, disappointing even. It reminds me a great deal of that horrible adaptation he did of Arturu Reverte-Perez's The Club Dumas - a few years back, which starred Johnny Depp. Had the same atmospheric touches and conspiracy theorist feel.
Here the bad guys are the Americans - who are manipulating the Brits. And the main character, Lang, feels like a riff off of Tony Blair. Actually some of the story feels ripped from headlines a few years back. To say more, would most likely be spoilery. Interesting concept but I've seen it done better elsewhere. But it is a fun movie and it did hold my interest, which is more than I can say for Eureka, The Closer, or Alphas. It may well be a mood thing - I wanted a political thriller and I rather adore the cast of this one - Olivia Williams, Kim Cattral (who is unrecognizable), Pierce Bronsan, Tom Wilkinson, and Ewan McGregor in the lead. McGregor is quite a good actor, loved him since Trainspotting.
Overall...worth a rental.
Also finished watching the first half of Season 5 - Dexter. So far, it is compelling and enjoyable, but I find that I really don't have much to say about it. I've seen it all done before of course, so there's little to comment on. (I've watched the first two discs, have two more to go).
Julia Stiles makes a far more interesting accomplice than Dex's previous attempts, Jimmy Smits or Lilah. And a nice change of pace after Trinity. The case, unfortunately, smacks of the misogynistic serial killer trope that we see far too often on tv nowadays - the fact that it is realistic and most of the violence committed in our society is against women, doesn't make any easier to watch. Particularly if you are female. Nor does it help that we once again have a white guy vigilante acting as the mentor and protector and helper of the poor victimized girl. For a moment, I thought the sub-plot would be redeemed by Deb being assigned it and solving it.
But, nope.
There are funny bits of course. And the satire is still in evidence. But there's a stale feeling to the proceedings, as if we've all been through this before. At one point while Dex is desperately and somewhat hilariously trying to elude his sis and Mazuki, since they are about to collide with his nocturnal activities...I thought, eh, they will never catch Dexter, or see him.
He'll find a way to elude them, the only mystery is how. This round? He cleverly had his two victims appear to kill each other and let Mazuki come up with the story. It was funny, but also somewhat predictable. One senses that the writers are beginning to run out of territory or new ideas. Sooner or later they are going to have to have Deb find out what her brother is - and then maybe the show will evolve past it's own comfort zone.
Deb's storyline - sans Dexter - is actually quite interesting. Actually everyone but Dexter seems to move forward here. We have Deb and Quinn, who I think genuinely cares about her and may even be falling for her. But he has a bone to pick with Dex and is understandably suspicious. Part of me is rooting for him to achieve his aim, with the skeletal Peter Weller (aka Buckaroo Bonzai or Robocop depending on which cult movie you prefer. Hee, that's two actors from Buckaroo Bonzai that have shown up in Dexter. The other one was...John Lithgow.) I want Deb to find out damn it, and have for four seasons...the tease is getting old.
Loved the Santa Muerta mess - with all its fall out. Outside of the somewhat grating Battista/Guerta relationship - the supporting characters in this series are more interesting than the main character - or more evolving. Deb is moving forward. Dex seems to be standing in place, although his relationship with Harrison is progress. The Irish nanny though? Creeps me out.
I keep thinking Nanny and the Professor, except with weird religion and dead bodies. There's an undercurrent in this season of religious cultism. Where people do things in ritual fashion. The prayer to St. Bridget, the ritual killings of the people by the Sante Muerta gang leaders, and
the ritual rapes, torture, and killings of the women by the motivational speaker and his groupies.
(Another stunt casting choice - Johnny Lee Miller, of Trainspotting fame. Give Dexter kudos for it's casting choices - only can do that on premium cable.) Not crazy about anti-religious cult storylines - find them to be bit trite and cliche. It's far too easy to critique religion nowadays, it's becoming the easy bad guy, like the Russians were in the 1980s and the drug dealers in the 1990s.
Enuf, off to bed.
The acting and writing are good. The direction is just a bit stale and lacklustre, disappointing even. It reminds me a great deal of that horrible adaptation he did of Arturu Reverte-Perez's The Club Dumas - a few years back, which starred Johnny Depp. Had the same atmospheric touches and conspiracy theorist feel.
Here the bad guys are the Americans - who are manipulating the Brits. And the main character, Lang, feels like a riff off of Tony Blair. Actually some of the story feels ripped from headlines a few years back. To say more, would most likely be spoilery. Interesting concept but I've seen it done better elsewhere. But it is a fun movie and it did hold my interest, which is more than I can say for Eureka, The Closer, or Alphas. It may well be a mood thing - I wanted a political thriller and I rather adore the cast of this one - Olivia Williams, Kim Cattral (who is unrecognizable), Pierce Bronsan, Tom Wilkinson, and Ewan McGregor in the lead. McGregor is quite a good actor, loved him since Trainspotting.
Overall...worth a rental.
Also finished watching the first half of Season 5 - Dexter. So far, it is compelling and enjoyable, but I find that I really don't have much to say about it. I've seen it all done before of course, so there's little to comment on. (I've watched the first two discs, have two more to go).
Julia Stiles makes a far more interesting accomplice than Dex's previous attempts, Jimmy Smits or Lilah. And a nice change of pace after Trinity. The case, unfortunately, smacks of the misogynistic serial killer trope that we see far too often on tv nowadays - the fact that it is realistic and most of the violence committed in our society is against women, doesn't make any easier to watch. Particularly if you are female. Nor does it help that we once again have a white guy vigilante acting as the mentor and protector and helper of the poor victimized girl. For a moment, I thought the sub-plot would be redeemed by Deb being assigned it and solving it.
But, nope.
There are funny bits of course. And the satire is still in evidence. But there's a stale feeling to the proceedings, as if we've all been through this before. At one point while Dex is desperately and somewhat hilariously trying to elude his sis and Mazuki, since they are about to collide with his nocturnal activities...I thought, eh, they will never catch Dexter, or see him.
He'll find a way to elude them, the only mystery is how. This round? He cleverly had his two victims appear to kill each other and let Mazuki come up with the story. It was funny, but also somewhat predictable. One senses that the writers are beginning to run out of territory or new ideas. Sooner or later they are going to have to have Deb find out what her brother is - and then maybe the show will evolve past it's own comfort zone.
Deb's storyline - sans Dexter - is actually quite interesting. Actually everyone but Dexter seems to move forward here. We have Deb and Quinn, who I think genuinely cares about her and may even be falling for her. But he has a bone to pick with Dex and is understandably suspicious. Part of me is rooting for him to achieve his aim, with the skeletal Peter Weller (aka Buckaroo Bonzai or Robocop depending on which cult movie you prefer. Hee, that's two actors from Buckaroo Bonzai that have shown up in Dexter. The other one was...John Lithgow.) I want Deb to find out damn it, and have for four seasons...the tease is getting old.
Loved the Santa Muerta mess - with all its fall out. Outside of the somewhat grating Battista/Guerta relationship - the supporting characters in this series are more interesting than the main character - or more evolving. Deb is moving forward. Dex seems to be standing in place, although his relationship with Harrison is progress. The Irish nanny though? Creeps me out.
I keep thinking Nanny and the Professor, except with weird religion and dead bodies. There's an undercurrent in this season of religious cultism. Where people do things in ritual fashion. The prayer to St. Bridget, the ritual killings of the people by the Sante Muerta gang leaders, and
the ritual rapes, torture, and killings of the women by the motivational speaker and his groupies.
(Another stunt casting choice - Johnny Lee Miller, of Trainspotting fame. Give Dexter kudos for it's casting choices - only can do that on premium cable.) Not crazy about anti-religious cult storylines - find them to be bit trite and cliche. It's far too easy to critique religion nowadays, it's becoming the easy bad guy, like the Russians were in the 1980s and the drug dealers in the 1990s.
Enuf, off to bed.
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no subject
Date: 2011-08-23 04:30 am (UTC)And I watched the Dumas movie when I had the flu. I'm hoping the flu had something to do with it because.. that was one weird ass movie.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-23 04:04 pm (UTC)I don't blame you, that would bother me. Last time I checked aqueduct's weren't fire proof or volcano proof.
Ghost Writer didn't seem so presposterous as just been there, done that...which is okay, I guess.
And I watched the Dumas movie when I had the flu. I'm hoping the flu had something to do with it because.. that was one weird ass movie
Not entirely...that movie was a mess. Sort of campy in places, confusing in others, like it wanted to be two different movies at the same time. Polanski has gotten into atmosphere lately and consipiracy theories.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-23 12:21 pm (UTC)I saw 'Ghost Writer' in a big empty movie theater where the atmosphere really worked for me. It is such a luxury when you get to enjoy a movie on a big screen without anyone around to annoy you! LOL
no subject
Date: 2011-08-23 10:02 pm (UTC)Goes to show you - that 90% of acting really is the direction and the script. Sex in the City was meant to be a bit over-the-top, it's pure satire, like Glee. (Although I liked it a whole lot better than Glee, I won't bore you with why.)
The movie theater may make a difference, Ghost Writer was a very dark movie and difficult to hear - soundwise, I wanted close captioning.