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andybigbloke
Reviews
The Descendant (2007)
Eerie and memorable
Having been addicted to films for some 30 years I am just as happy watching something made for £1M or £100M , but I don't expect them to be the same. I only expect them to be interesting The concept and realisation of the Descendant along with the strange and ,to me, previously unknown subject matter made the film compelling. The tension that develops between the fey protagonist (James) from the modern world and the serious reserved characters James discovers in his family's past is very well played in large part and I had a growing feeling of discomfort as the film progressed. Horror films that develop discomfort from the milieu (The Wicker Man)rather than with bloodied bodies and slick CGI ( Nightwatch )seem to stick longer in the memory and this is one of the former.
King Kong (2005)
Films are not video games
There were actually times watching this film when I could imagine the text appearing indicating "Level 3" as the next set piece began. I am normally quite accepting of any frailties in a film assuming it manages to holds my attention for the length of the film, something which a depressingly large number of films fail to achieve ( I get bored easily ) However the way that the film appears to have been forced to fit with the structure of the tie-in video game means that for me it fails this basic test. It lurches from one impressive set piece to another but by the time they leave the island to return to the modern world I was so annoyed with the stilted pace that I couldn't stand any more and turned the film off. V Poor IMHO