July book and film review

BOOKS

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES, by Cormac McCarthy. Frustrated by his life at home, a young Texas man and his friend head south to Mexico to follow their destinies. Along the way, they meet another lad, whose only skill appears to be shooting people... A dark, elegiac book of great beauty. McCarthy's style is deceptively simple, drawing one into his world of men, horses and death in early 20th century Mexico. Memorable.
PLAIN TALES FROM THE HILLS, by Rudyard Kipling. A series of short stories describing life under the British Raj of the late 19th century. Kipling was a young man when he wrote these stories, and the enthusiasm of youth, with all its overconfidence and brashness, permeates on every page. His world view would not be considered politically correct today; indeed, his portrayal of the natives is often patronising, though always humane and compassionate. But it is also a work of great skill and illustrates what Kipling was already becoming: the consummate story teller. Try a few.

FILMS

VIVA RIVA (2010) D- Dio Munga. In a lawless Democratic Republic of Congo, petrol is as valuable as gold, so our hero steals a tanker-load from his gangland boss and is ready to make his fortune. But his boss is none too pleased, and several other hoodlums are equally anxious to take his booty from him. Neat little effort, evoking the exciting, dangerous world of the Kinshasa underground with frightening authenticity. Excellent offering, with good direction and acting throughout.
THE GREEN LANTERN (2011) D- Martin Campbell (2011) A youthful test pilot somehow finds himself recruited into an inter-galactic league committed to protecting the Universe from the forces of evil that lurk behind every asteroid. I'm sure this works quite well as a comic strip, but as a big budget movie, despite its impressive special effects, it's frankly ludicrous. It's impossible to take it seriously (and I think you're supposed to); eventually I couldn't be fagged to see it through to its end. Take my advice, and don't even try...
COLORS (1988) D- Dennis Hopper. A rookie cop (Sean Penn) and his grizzled partner (Robert Duvall) are tasked with tackling the gang problem in south central Los Angeles. With levels of violence uncommon for its day (though pretty standard today) the film has a raw, genuine feel which lingers in the memory, reinforced by the strength of the two leads. Watchable, if a bit heavy.
AU HASARD BALTHASAR (1966) D-Robert Bresson. The life and times of the denizens of a rural French village, seen from the perspective of Balthasar, a long suffering, but infinitely wise donkey. A subtle, moving tale of the best and worst of human folk, told in Bresson's languid, lyrical and ultimately unique style. Bresson never rushes anything, and you must adapt to his pace if you are to savour fully his great skill as a director. One of the master's best.
THE CAPTAIN'S PARADISE (1953) Sea captain Alec Guinness has found the secret of happiness: a wife in two different ports. One is a homegirl, the other a good time specialist, thereby representing the ideal woman, but in two manifestations. All is indeed paradise, until the two find out about each other... Interesting idea, trouble is it fails to convince, even with the great Guinness in the lead, who looks ill at ease in every scene he appears in. Extremely disappointing and irritating. Don't bother.
COWBOYS AND ALIENS (2011) D- John Favreau. In the Wild West, an outlaw finds himself fighting, not the law or the Indians, but aliens intent on extracting all the gold the world has, even if they have to destroy Earth to do so. A kind of Butch Cassidy meets War of the Worlds, the plot is a bit hard to swallow, but in the event, and to my surprise, Daniel Craig and his cronies carry this off rather well. Crossover films like this can be dangerous (note the complete collapse at the box office of the recent Disney blockbuster "John Carter" which linked the American civil war with the Martians), but in the end I did sort of enjoy this one. Doesn't quite match Craig's masterful performance as Bond in "The Queen goes to the Olympics" though. Now that was truly priceless...
CHAMPION (1949) D- Mark Robson. Kirk Douglas plays an up and coming boxer who doesn't realise how talented he is until an unscrupulous agent discovers him and pushes him forward to become a genuine contender. But there are casualties along the way... Powerful and gripping account of the fight game, with Douglas superb as the ambitious pugilist. Beautifully shot in stark monochrome, the way film noir should be.
DRAGONS FOREVER (1988) D- Sammo Hung. Some say this was the greatest of the Hong Kong based kung fu movies, with its 3 greatest exponents in action: Sammo Hung (who also directed), Biao Yueng and the incomparable Jackie Chan kick and punch their way through this madcap romp through pre-handover HK in a film whose plot barely matters. The fight's the thing, and these 3 (all trained at the Shanghai ballet school) make it look as much like ultra violent ballet as anything. If you like martial arts movies, this is perhaps the best ever made.
DEPARTURES (2008) D- Yojiro Takata. A young cellist, finding himself out of work when his orchestra goes bust, replies to a newspaper ad headed "departures". He thinks it's a travel agent, but the departures referred to are from this world to the next. Horrified at first, our hero finds himself warming to the rituals of preparing the departed for their final journey, despite the disapproval of his family and friends. Tender, moving, delightfully made movie, which offers great insight into the Japanese way of death. See it.