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breaklikeagirl
Reviews
Late Night Shopping (2001)
A Scottish Film? Really?
As far as films go, this is likable enough. Entertaining characters, good dialogue, interesting enough story. I would have really quite liked it had I not been irritated immensely whilst watching at the utter disrespect it shows the city it is set in.
Glasgow. In Scotland. Yet every character is English (save for Sean's girlfriend, who is Dutch). Scottish accents are heard only fleetingly in menial jobs & roles. As a Scottish woman (& as a viewer who likes her "real life" films to be a bit more like real life) I really don't think it would have hurt to use any one of the countless talented Scottish actors...or at least got English ones who could toss together a decent accent! The futile attempt at using the word "wee" a few times did nothing but to further the insult.
American Cousins (2003)
Good for the Mafia, bad for Glasgow
I feel I have to comment on this film purely to correct the comment below. None of the characters are traditionally Irish, as the film is set in Scotland. Dear me.
American Cousins is a nice wee film. It didn't take itself too seriously, which is good as it was a little hammy & far fetched, particularly towards the end. Overall, the story was interesting - funny in places, heartbreakingly sad in others.
It's a mafia film set in Glasgow (that would be Scotland). My only complaint is that it makes Glasgow look so backward, - dated, cultureless & empty. Glasgow is (like everywhere else in Scotland) every bit as modern as America or any other country but the hospital, café...everywhere in the film was dingy & dated.
However, the cast were good, their acting carried the story (apart Stevan Rimkus, who was cringe-worthy to watch as JoJo) & the story was touching in places. A good film to pop on when you feel like some light entertainment.
Elephant (2003)
Doesn't Quite Reach Its Potential...But Still Worth A Watch
The film focuses on select pupils of a typical American High school, going about their school days in the run up to a school shooting.
The way the film is shot is what struck me as I watched. The way the separate lives of the apparently random cross section rub against each other is very interesting, as is the jumping between times which leaves the viewer at first uncertain about how the story will take shape. The way the camera follows its subjects around, and how it keeps only them in focus at times to isolate other characters who have previously dominated the shot is quite captivating.
I did feel that possibly a little too much development was focused on some characters, leaving no space for expanding on the assassins. I felt there was no real motive behind what they did - only one incident hinted at why one of the boys was intent on what they did, and in a film that tries to make a comment I really didn't think being so shallow was justified. I also felt my enjoyment of the film ebb when the killers were neatly stereotyped - Nazi video (check), bit artsy fartsy (check), homosexual confusion (check).
This film has so much potential, and was so beautifully shot, but it left me cold and not as shocked as I could or should have been given the violence exhibited at the end.
Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002)
Give It A Fair Try
A down to earth film, very true to its Glasgow roots.
Wilbur is a suicidal 30 something, affected by loosing his mother at a young age. His suicide attempts set the scene, and it becomes apparent that they are not truly serious but are in fact his reaction to the possibility, or sad fact, of loosing others in his life whom he depends on.
It is love and responsibility that save him, as when faced with the harsh reality of loosing his brother Harbour, Wilbur is able to cope with the love of Harbour's wife and his role in her life and that of her daughter, and does not need to turn to suicide.
A talented cast, including some identifiable faces, brings home this realistic story. My only grumbles lie in the lack of location detail (but this is only because I come from the city myself, and enjoy seeing it on film. The location range does not actually adversely effect the film beyond that), and perhaps the ambivalent feeling I as a viewer had surrounding the affair between Wilbour and Alice. I like to feel hatred for those who cheat, & I really should have in this case, but all the characters are kept on an even level so it is hard to take sides. In many ways, this could be the aim of the writer, so that the viewer simply takes in the details of these people's lives without having to make decisions.
At any rate, a good film for thinkers.