June 2018 film review part 1

NE LE DIS A PERSONNE (Tell no one) (2006) D- Guillaume Canet
8 years before, Alexandre’s Wife was murdered, presumably by a serial killer. He struggles to come to terms with her loss until a video is sent to him which appears to show she is still alive. Even more worryingly, on the very same day the police inform him they have discovered 2 bodies which, according to them, implicate him in his late wife’s murder. What to do? Run away. Run away fast.

In this film, director Canet draws on a perennial Hitchkockian obsession: ‘the wrong man’, and produces a movie very much in the latter’s tradition. But for me the plot was a little too labyrinthine, and the cuts a little too confusing. But don’t take my word for it. The French loved it and it won loads of awards over there. Certainly notable.

CONRACK (1974) D- Martin Ritt.
A young, idealistic teacher (John Voight in one of his finest roles) is given the daunting task of teaching a class of children living on a remote island off the coast of South Carolina. His name is Conroy, but the nearest the kids can get to pronouncing his name is ‘Conrack’.
             He soon finds a level of ignorance he had not thought possible in an America of the 1960s, and starts from the bottom up, teaching them to swim (a kid drowns on an almost monthly basis as no one knows how to swim) and how to brush their teeth. The kids take to their new mentor, but the authorities are less pleased, especially local superintendent, Hume Cronyn, who orders him to stick to the curriculum. But ‘Conrack’ knows that ain’t gonna fly, and goes his own way, passing on the kind of knowledge these kids will need to survive in the world beyond the island. Finally, the inevitable happens and he is fired for insubordination.

Martin Ritt is one of my favourite American directors. From socially aware dramas like A Man is Ten Feet Tall (also known as Edge of the City) to powerful westerns such as Hombre, Ritt has taken on only projects which appeal to his sense of right and wrong in modern society. And here he has excelled himself, creating a brilliant, funny and moving comment on American life.

SHIN GODZILLA (2016) D- Ishiro Honda
Following the radiation leaks from the Tsunami-wrecked power station at Fukushima, a terrible monster emerges from the depths and wanders ashore, where it reeks terrible carnage. A team is assembled to deal with it, but members of that team suspect that what they are witnessing is in fact a leap forward in evolution, and that Homo sapiens may no longer consider itself at the apex of the evolutionary tree. No matter, it’s causing so much mayhem the only option appears to be: kill it. Only problem? The damn thing appears to be pretty much invulnerable. They could nuke it, but they’d have to take out Tokyo as well, something that might not go down well with that city’s 37 million inhabitants...

There have been innumerable Godzilla movies since its inception in the 1950s, most from Japan, although Hollywood has also done a couple. But for me this is the best of them. High quality special effects, sound acting and a unique atmosphere make this a rather special movie. Give it a go.

See next post for more movies