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National Treasure
****1/2
An excellent entertaining adventure starring Nicholas Cage as an obsessed explorer whose
family have passed down an obscure clue to find a vast treasure. Like his forefathers (but unlike his weary father)
Cage is driven towards finding this fortune. The first clue leads to him needing to "borrow" and examine the original Declaration
of Independence from a museum and the City hopping, relentless adventure carries on from there…
National
Treasure is Indiana Jones with the internet – a modern imaginative adventure where Cage and his cohorts are tracked
by a rival explorer – the film’s baddie played by Sean Bean. Despite the bad reviews often given to it by
others, I think it is a superb, fast-moving and entertaining story which is a serious candidate for my list of Top 20 films
of all time.
Released – 2004
Seen by me: 17.1.05 (with Naomi and Tracy), 6.1.06 (with Naomi)
Neil Young: Heart Of Gold
****1/2
A superb, specially recorded concert
film by Jonathan Demme. Heart Of Gold features Neil Young and the band of old
friends with whom he recorded his recent Prairie Road album as well as a sparingly used gospel choir and small string and
brass sections.
The first half of the concert film features pretty much all
of the recent LP – pleasant, intimate, country-tinged songs, probably not classic NY but the new songs have their moments
and show where the artists is now. Moving into old age, Young seems largely at
peace with himself though there are still flashes of the old anger (his next project after this concert was the ferocious
Living With War LP!).
Clearly grateful to his loving family and supportive
friends, this sentimental, moving performance goes into the second half where Neil plays the classics. Uniformally brilliant, this includes a beautiful Harvest Moon, touching fingerpickin’ Old King and
classic, solo Old Laughing Lady. Other songs featured such as the superb I Am
A Child and Old Man possibly owe their inclusion to the recent death of Neil’s father to whom the film is dedicated.
Recorded
at the legendary Ryman Auditorium at Nashville, Heart Of Gold is a exquisitely-made, intimate concert film by one of elder
statesmen of rock whose singing and playing get better and better. It led to
me playing all my old Neil Young albums again which must surely be the point. A
brilliant, moving performance.
Released: 2006
Seen by me: 29.9.06 (with Anne)
Night To Remember, A
****1/2
It's fascinating how the same historical event is depicted in different eras of film.
Take the sinking of the Titanic - the dialogue (especially pre-sinking) in 1958's A Night To Remember is very stifled compared
to the 1990s Leo-and-Kate-show or Julian Fellowes recent TV series. Despite the period formalities however, the overwhelming
emotional impact of this terrible loss of life is still very visible and moving.
A
Night To Remember doesn't hold back in blaming the designers of the ship for not having enough lifeboats or showing the steerage
passengers locked in while the higher classes escape. This is all the braver bearing in mind that many of the survivors were
still alive when the film was made.
It also has very good special effects
bearing in mind its vintage and, in spite of the period dialogue, is as good and powerful as any later re-tellings of the
same story. Arguably the best-ever Titanic movie and strongly recommended.
Seen by me: 25.3.12 (with Naomi)
Notting Hill
****
Romantic,
feel-good comedy with good performances by Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant who essentially play themselves - she as an insecure
top actress hounded by the paparazzi and he as a bumbling, very English bookshop owner. Starting slowly but getting better
as the film progresses, there is an excellent supporting cast including Gina McKee, Rhys Ifans and Tim (Captain Darling) McInnerny.
Well worth watching.
Released - 1999
Seen by me: 1.9.02
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