derekmgb Reviews

Daphne (2017)

Artful Character Study

[7/10 · 30 January 2020]

Ignore all the reviews calling it boring, empty etc, written I assume by people that like explosions and flashing things but can't invest a little bit of effort in trying to appreciate a film that attempts to provoke thought and discussion

Performances are excellent especially from Emma Beecham, I sometimes had to remind myself this was a scripted film, so natural was her portrayal of Daphne - I mean is she really just Daphne filmed fly on the wall?? Brilliant

I loved her kind of offhand 'acting' complete with lines delivered so life like it was hard to tell if she had just come up with that stuff - and the direction where actors dialogue is left to happen in a very natural way - stunted, overlaps, talk overs - hard to act, and you can see some actors struggling with it, defaulting to more polished delivery.

I was drawn in by Daphne's frustrating, abrasive character and her descent in to self loathing - she's not easy to like, but that's the point - why is she like this, why does she not care about herself or much else

The film has a few clunky parts, like the psychiatrist for example, and some of the script and character development is under cooked but maybe that kind of fits with the impressionistic feel - over all the film offers real rewards for those willing to really watch and listen

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Nice Face Shame About the Plot

[5/10 · 16 June 2012]

When we enter a Movie Theatre we buy into the collective suspension of disbelief required to enjoy a film not least because we've just parted with some 'hard earned' for a seat and overpriced popcorn/drink etc.

However in doing so we trust the director to treat us with respect and intelligence by taking care of all the details, both visual and narrative, to build a convincing and immersive experience and if this is done really well we forget we are watching flickering images and believe we have an all-seeing eye into another world. Two fantastic examples in the Sci-fi genre would be Alien and Blade Runner, the latter actually attaining the level of Art in my humble opinion, never mind a damn good sci-fi pic.

The thing is, these two movies were based on stories not written by Ridley Scott, unlike Prometheus, which was cooked up by the director aided by some colleagues... and here lies the problem.

An author, whose sole aim is to create a story/idea and develop it, of course, through the medium of the written word, would spend months - years even - perfecting the plot and characters whereas a film director is essentially a visual artist. You follow my drift.

Ridley is a great director and the visual scope of Prometheus displays his talent... but he ain't a writer and the Hollywood goons that pulled him down this path make movies with dollar signs in their otherwise blank eyes.

I'm thinking a build up to the mission with a nod to CONTACT and a journey with a wink to 2001 etc etc.

Ho hum, some neat ideas under-developed and fantastic visuals make this just about worth the entrance fee but get your popcorn/drink at the corner store on the way.