Vantage Point
(2008)
Enjoyable enough 24-lite
fare, but the little girl crossing the street had me in derisory hysterics.
What self-respecting terrorist swerves to avoid hitting a child? He should be
ashamed of himself. And given the endless car chase, the geography of the area
did seem to be bizarrely circular. I need a map.
***
The
Vault of Horror
(1973)
Ginger-bearded
Tom Baker stars in the best sequence, and sports an unbelievably shocking
yellow corduroy suit. When he's running around on location I kept seeing Doctor Who’s City of Death before my eyes. Terry-Thomas' anal retentive comes a
close second, while the Masseys are solid in the stylish opener that's only
spoiled by some comedy fangs (the restaurant sequence is superb, nevertheless).
***
The Verdict
(1982)
A raw, ravaged performance by Paul
Newman, a cracking script by David Mamet, and assured understated direction by
Sidney Lumet. This is the kind of film that would now feature a motivational
montage song halfway through (Erin
Brokovich, anyone?) but this avoids any of the easy traps of the courtroom
drama (although Mamet's original script ended before the verdict was
announced).
****1/2
The Visitor
(2007)
Richard Jenkins deserved his Oscar
nomination, giving a wonderful performance as a college professor going through
the motions who finds himself sparked back into some sort of life when he
discovers an illegal immigrant couple living in his New York flat.
The biggest compliment I can give this is that it never once feels like it’s taking a "Hollywood" route or a going for easy emotional manipulation. Thomas McCarthy's a fine actor, and probably an even better writer/director.
The biggest compliment I can give this is that it never once feels like it’s taking a "Hollywood" route or a going for easy emotional manipulation. Thomas McCarthy's a fine actor, and probably an even better writer/director.
****