Change Your Image
samuelmcgregor
Reviews
Predestination (2014)
Great idea, poorly executed.
Almost all movies and shows will include some exposition scene, even those with complete mastery of the film or TV medium like Coen brothers and David Chase will occasionally include a scene that has no relevance other than to advance some aspect of the plot. However, half-way through Predestination you realise that the movie is just one big long exposition scene. And the vessel through which they convey this story is at best, poor, at worst, incredibly contrived: Woman walks into a bar and says to barman "I have a really good story to tell you," barman says "that's interesting, please tell." From then on almost the entire plot is driven from narration. To quote Brian Cox in Adaptation, "God help you if you use voice-over in your work, my friends. God help you. That's flaccid, sloppy writing." And sadly this movie is a prime example.
The writers also got a little carried away with the plot-twists. They are 4 major plot twists, and by the fourth, they are really flogging a dead horse. And plot revelations become increasingly more banal and contrived. The writers also leave no room for interpretation or for the viewer to come to the conclusion themselves. This move is as subtle as a block-splitter.
Don't get me wrong, the story is inventive, and certainly brings a new twist to the clichéd and overused, "man goes back in time to change the past and right some wrong" storyline. However by the end of the film I didn't feel the audio-visual experience delivered anything extra than reading the script would have.
Girl Asleep (2015)
Beautifully shot but disappointing, confusing mess.
Napoleon dynamite meets Pans Labyrinth, not in a good way.
This film was beautifully shot with a very faithful recreation of 70's Australian fashion and style down to the Eames replica couches and hotted up HQ panel van. But sadly falls flat with a distinct lack of narrative tension and confusing fantasy element which adds nothing to the film.
Despite the very accurate recreation of the physical world of the 70's, much of the dialogue feels very out of place, reminiscent of new-age psychobabble of the 2010's.
There are a few solid jokes all relating to aspects of the 70's we'd rather forget, but far from enough to entertain for the 90 minute run time.
Do yourself a favour, go watch Napoleon Dynamite or Pans Labyrinth, and give this one a miss.