Reviews

This is an entirely puppet-based film from the Jim Henson Studios. A tale of good versus evil, the underdog triumphing over adversity. Heart-warming and un-mawkishly sentimental, this is a story of an evil tyranny (the Skeksis) who gain essential life-essence by stealing the souls of their victims for their own distorted vanity. They have blighted the world for eons in their quest for eternal youth but there is a portentous planetary alignment that prophesises their doom. Our hero is a mild-mannered, unassuming orphan-child who assumes the mantle of his manifest destiny. Only he can save the world. The characters are clearly defined and Muppet-style simplistic but this film has a darker feel and ambiance than most Jim Henson creations, and therefore appeals more to the jaded but secretly sentimental. This film will bring tears to the eyes of serial killers.

More than just reminiscent of Lang's Metropolis, Tron is a beautiful, well made exercise from a main stream producer (Disney) which reminds us of the time before Jurassic Park and Episode One where creative skill was left to human perception rather than a computer's digitally correct ideal. Owing more to the human colourists than the now outdated computer effects, this film is evidence - similar in a way to Kubric's pre-Moon landing, pre-CGI 2001 - to the creative and more sensory-pleasing abilities of the human artist over soul-less programmers, from a time before when a box would 'parse' it all for you. It's difficult to express how high-powered computers fail to create an image that is satisfactory to the human eye; there is always something that rings false about it. Tron was created in a period of wire diagrams being the best you could coax from a computer; anything else was added by human hand. A film that makes you nostalgic for the time when Disney made films that were accessible for all, almost Bakshi-like in its disregard for the mainstream. There is struggle against adversity; there is an oppressive, evil regime; there are two heroes who survive despite all odds; and there is love conquering all (a token woman is included as love interest. Ironically like the IT industry). The naive use of technical jargon merely adds to the "computer program" style setting and this film is ideally suited for today's retro-chic society. As a Disney film this is aimed predominantly at children, so if you fail to understand the plot then I would recommend sticking to the Lion King or some other pabulum. This is a great film - watch it.

It is not everyday that you would consider Romero's original a cinematic masterpiece, but compared to this abortion it's Citizen Kaine. If the creators of this movie had spent less time whacking off over each other and concentrated on what makes a good zombie movie then this could have been a better film than the original. Sadly it's not. The original had humour and an edginess that this film lacks. If possible it is even less feasible and the characters less believable than the original. The sole reason I stayed in the cinema was because of the obvious potential of the pregnant woman. "Hooray, a high-cost special effect zombie baby would save this film," I said. After wading through the abysmal dialogue and one dimensional characters for what seemed like eternity (80 minutes is as long as this type of movie should last. Tops) as the original story was "improved upon", finally the feted scene arrived. Whoosh, it's over. And it was rubbish. Jackson's Brain Dead is my standard for reanimated infants and he did that on a tuppence ha'penny budget. This film assumes you have never seen any other slasher or zombie movies and I would only consider it suitable for small children. Preferably ones who are already dead.

Gummo is a film of substance, a rare thing in this time of Estee Lauder actresses and pec enhanced tree trunks stumbling around the kindergarten dialogue. Reality TV before it became anachronistic. A film that demands a second viewing to truly understand the director's vision is a rare thing; my initial impression was of a mockery of Red Necked America, but now after several viewings I understand it as a celebration of the sidelined aspect of American culture. Unafraid to pull its punches, unafraid to deal with the shocking, the jarring, the discomforting; it is a film that is mostly about killing cats and sniffing glue. Possibly a freak show, but one done in the style of the old freak shows - the freaks call the shots and they revel in their opportunities. A piece best enjoyed at 5 am on a Sunday morning after burning the midnight oil, when your nerves are raw and you need something with bite to cut through the fog. Nobody has created such vivid set pieces and each time you review the film there is a new mullet to admire, a chair to be beaten, a Down's Syndrome prostitute to mull over. Prepare to be shocked and provoked whilst being entertained; when the film finishes you are compelled to take stock of what you have seen and in my eyes that is what films are for. A hearty thumbs up.