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Reviews
Gabriel (2007)
Don't judge the film too quickly
I had my doubts about this film when I first saw the trailer - to me it looked like a ripoff of the Nightwatch premise. However, when I saw it I learned that the story itself was very different. Oh sure, it has a Jesus-like story arc much like the Matrix and a good vs bad that pretty much every fantasy film has.
What I liked about this one was that the story didn't follow the usual formulaic storyline that you can almost time down to the minute. At first I wasn't sure where the story was headed, but as it unfolded I became drawn into it. I enjoyed the story, and it's exploration of the concept of freedom. I found it to be a story of great substance, and bears watching a second time in order to fully appreciate it, much like films such as Donnie Darko.
I liked that the cast was filled with people I didn't know, it gave it a freshness and allowed one to view it without the context of the actors cluttering the story. I liked the gritty visuals and sound - it pulled this off without the need to provide motion-sick tablets with your ticket, unlike movies like the Bourne Ultimatum which took wobbly camera shots a bit too far. It is a look typical of many Australian films, such as Wolf Creek, but the comic-book look of the film gives it a sense of fantasy which suits the story perfectly.
One thing I particularly liked was the way the fight scenes were realised - a fresh approach to supernatural battles which, I think, works well.
I found the effects a little over-done at times, and some of the visuals could have used a bit more polish, but considering the film's budget (or lack thereof), I think it's very impressive.
Sure, it's no Hollywood blockbuster, but that's kind of the point.
School of Life (2005)
You'd never know it was made for TV...
I stumbled across this film on cable and started watching it because I'm a fan of Ryan Reynolds. I kept watching it because it was surprisingly funny, thought-provoking and touching.
The story begins with the death of "Stormin' Norman", the legendary history teacher and grandfather of the main character, Dylan. His father also teaches at the school, and the competition for teacher of the year formerly held by Stormin' Norman gets ugly when the new history teacher, Mr "D" (Reynolds) is an instant hit with the entire school.
It manages to be inspirational without teetering into schmaltzy, well-written and brilliantly cast. School of Life is about realising that life is shorter than you think, and "it takes less than death to kill a man".