The Returned Episode Six Lucy Review

So this episode focuses on Lucy Clarsen. (Ana Giradot) If you've forgotten who that is, I don't blame you.  Way back in the first episode, she is a barmaid, working in the Lake Pub.  On her way home from work, she is brutally attacked and hospitalised.  In the last episode, we find out that she is a medium who can speak to the dead whilst havinf sex.  The episode ends with Lucy waking up from her attack.

As per usual Lucy  opens with a flashback exploring the titular character's backstory.  Well, I say explore, all we find out is that Lucy arrives in the town and blags her way into a barmaid job.  We then see her medium skills in action, when she has sex with Jerome, so that she can communicate with the dead Camille.  In the present day, Lucy's stab wounds heal miraculously and something compels her to find Simon, who by convenient coincidence is at the same hospital after being shot dead by Thomas.  Simon who comes back to life once again finds Lucy and the two have sex.  In doing so, Lucy reveals some interesting infromation about Simon.  Hitherto, we know that Simon killed himself, but we don't know why.  Other episodes have alluded to how he wanted to kill himself due to depression.  Yet when Lucy confronts him about this, he denies it.  Whilst it was definitely itneresting learning more about Simon, I'm more sceptical of Lucy's narrative.  I think it is somewhat clumsy writing to introduce a relatively new character with a new narrative, six episodes into the series.  I think it would have been much better if Lucy's character and narrative had been established at the beginning of the season, where we could have had more time to learn about her. 

Meanwhile, the theme for the rest of the episode is redemption.  Laure offers to protect Julie and Victor, from the police, whilst Toni does the same for his brother Serge.  Meanwhile, Camille pretends to have been in contact with the children who died with her to ease the consciences of those left behind.  However, the most startling transformation goes to Serge who goes from cannibal serial killer to a nurse-maid.  Upon discovering the unconscious Lena, he takes she home and cares for her.  I don't find this to be the most belieavble and it doens't help that his motives for doing so aren't explained.  Although maybe I'm just sceptical over whether serial killers can really change like this.  However, what I am more sceptical about how Lena, upon overhearing Serge's true identity, goes from threatening him with a knife to having sex with him.  Again, how believable is this really?

What redeems this scene is Toni and Serge's relationship.  After Toni discovers tha the polcie are coming after Serge, he goes to their house house to warn him and also inadvertently spills the beans about Serge to a hiding Lena.  Toni then tells Serge to hide, whilst he confronts the police rifle in hand.  The line "I'm your big brother" sums up his loyalty to his brother, and also marks another interesting transformation.  In one episode Toni goes to burying Serge alive to stop him from killing anyone else to shooting at police officers coming to arrest him.

Menawhile, a panickiing Lena runs into the nearby woods and after getting lost stumbles upon a group of people gathered around a fire.  In the episode's creepiest shot, the all turn to look at her.  Who are they? Comment your best theories.

I think it's fair to say that I have not liked Camille's character, but in my last review, I acknowledged that, partly due to Yara Pillartz's brilliant performance, I was overly harsh on her.  In this episode, her character goes from strenth to strength.  After Frederic discovers her secret, Pierre decides to reveal to the other parents whose children died with Camille.  Camille decides to play the part of medium to bring peace to the parents.  However, this has devastating consequences when two parents kill themselves to join their dead son.  This footage is cross-cutted, perhaps a little confusingly with Lucy and and Simon having sex.  I guess the film-makers wanred to confuse us, as I originally thought we were watching Simon's death scene.  Yet, I found this cross-cutting very confusing. 

From the last episode, it is clear that Yara Pillartz is a talented young actress and it was refreshing to see her explore her acting range more.  I also think that through Pierre orchestrating all this, he is trying to repent for the role he played in Victor's murder.  Does this make him any less vilainous? perhaps.  I still think he has a secret agenda.

Even though they take a bit of backseat in this episode, some important developments are revealed concerning Victor and Julie.  Victor tells Julie that he believes she is a fairy godmother who is supposed to look after him until his mother returns.  I love this idea and I think it works well. Whilst initially wary of him, Julie has become very protective of Victor.  However, it is also revealed that Victor has a scar on his arm, similar to Lena's.  What do these scars means? Comment below.

Finally, upon discovering Camille's true idenity, Frederic enlists the help of his friends to dig up Camille's grave.  Rather than finding her body or even an empty coffin, they find a coffin filled with water.  Other readers have identified that there appears to be a connection between the Returneees and water, but what is it? Why is Camille's coffin filled with water? Let me know in the comments below. 

The Green Mile Review

Click here to read my review of the Godfather Part III

"Please boss, don't put that thing over my face, don't put me in the dark. I's afraid of the dark."

Number 51 on the top 1000 greatest films of all time is the the 1999 adaptation of Stephen King's novel 'the Green Mile.'

Set during the Great Depression, Paul Edgecombe (Tom Hanks) Brutus "Brutal" Howell, (David Morse) Dean Stanton, (Barry Pepper) Henry Terwiliger (Jeffrey De Munn) and Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchinson) are all prison officers on deathrow.  Their jobs introduce them to one very special prisoner: John Coffey. (Michael Clarke Duncan) John Coffey is a giant of a man who wrongly convicted for the rape and murder of two little girls is sentenced to death.  What makes John Coffey special is his gift to heal the ailments of others, no matter how severe.

Michael Clarke Duncan is an absolute powerhouse in this film.  He was nominated for the Academy Award for best suppporting acotr and it is easy tos ee why.  He fills up every single shot, not just due to his massive frame, but also his captivating presence.  John Coffey is very much the archetypal gentle giant, highly sensitive to the pains of others.  Whilst his character is somewhat reminiscent of the magic "negro" stereotype, he is still a great character.  Michael Clarke Duncan plays the part beautifully.  He does so much more than cry.  He entralls, he engages and he intrigues.  Despite how the prison officers discover that John is innocent, they are unable to prevent his execution.  This scene arrives at the film's conclusion and it is absolutely heart-breaking.  Even I had a lump in my throat.

The film's setting of death row was also a great backdrop.  Being set in a prison, you are introduced to the best and worst of humantiy.  However, the characters that are good and bad aren't the ones you would expect.  One of the prisoners is William "Wild Bill" Wharton (Sam Rockwell), a vile, disgusting and despicable man- very much everything you would expect a serial killer to be like.  However, at the other end of spectrum, there is Eduard Delacroix who is charming, likeable and friendly, despite being an arsonist, rapist and murderer. 

Although, psychopaths can be charming.  I know that Jeffrey Dahmer lured his victims by feigning an injured hand.  Anyway, so whilst on one hand you have the charming and the genial Eduard Delacroix, you have the revolting, antagonistic and unpleasant Percy Wetmore.  This character is horrible, but I think this is a testament to King's original writing and Frank Darabont's screenplay.  To subvert a viewer's expectations about he morality of certain characters is a powerful and effective device to keep them engaged and it works well here.

I haven't read the Green Mile, but I have read other Stephen King's texts and this adaptation is faithful to the themes of redemption, the supernatural and horror.  And oh boy, this film is horrific.  In the film's most horrific scene, Percy Wetmore to spite Eduard Delacroix one last time purposefully decides not to wet the sponge before placing it under the electrocution cap.  This robs him of a quick, painless death and, rather, he dies excruciatingly.  This scene is sickening to watch, but done well.  It truly showcases the worst of humanity.  Percy Wetmore is a despicable character, which is conveyed by Doug Hutchinson's great performance.  Even though, I haven't discussed them, Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast were also all great. However, Michael Clark Duncan blows them all out of the water and he is the reason that I am giving this film a superlative rating.  Yep, after Three and Out, City of God, Rang De Basanti and the Godfather, this is the fifth film to be rated as "superlative."

Sure you can criticise it for its three-hour run time, but I think you need three hours to really explore the intricacies of the narrative and characters.  All in all, this is a brilliant film and John Coffey's death is a silencing of one of the gentlest lambs in film.

The Returned Episode Five Serge Et Toni

SPOILER ALERT

After four seemingly unrelated episodes, things are slowly beginning to come together.  Narratives are aligning and characters are beginnign to connect.  Firstly, there's Serge and Toni who have grown to be some of the more interesting characters.  At the series' beginning, Toni was nobody speical, just the manager of the Lake Pub, but now that it has been revealed that he is the older brother to a serial killer, he is a much more intriguing character.

Just like the other episodes, Serge et Toni begins with a flashback of the titular characters.  Seven years earlier, we see Serge attack Julie.  She only survives by Toni's intervention who knocks out Serge and takes Julie to the hospital.  Toni then takes Serge home to stop him from hurting anyone else.  How does he stop him? By burying his brother alive.  The Returned is certainly getting dark, isn't it? Whilst all of the narratives engage with family, Serge and Toni's is the most poiggant.  Toni kills his brother to stop him from killing anyone else.  I can see Toni's logic here, but one can't help but think that burying somebody alive is an incredibly cruel thing to do to your brother even if he is your brother.  If anything, I think this episode teaches us how even the most innocous people are capable of evil acts.

Fast-forward to the present-day and it is revealed that upon discovering an unconscious Lena, rather than stabbing and eating her, Serge takes her home and nurses the scar on her back.  He goes so far to hide her identity from Toni.  Why is Serge doing this? Is he trying to atone for his sins? What prompted him to start killing in the first place? This has yet to be revealed, which I feel is a mistake.  Having a serial killer, who isn't necessarily the antagonist, as part of your main cast, can be risky, as you're in dnager of romanticisin his actions.  If Serge's motivations were clearer, we might be able to understand the character better.

Speaking of antagonists, another thing that this episode does is create a moral ambiguity around every single character.  Originally, I thought that Piere was the villain, but now I'm not so sure.  With Serge being a serial killer, it would be logical for him to be the antagonist, but with how he is protecting Lena, I'm not so sure about her that either.  Simon who hitherto has been one of the "good" characters forces himself upon Adele.  Jerome, Lena and Camille's father, who seemed well-intentioned but bunbling was revealed to have once hit Lena.  Even Thomas who as a police officer who you would expect to br erigteous and honourable is less than apologetic when Adele and Chloe confront hum about the cameras he installed to spy on them.  Essentially, every single character is portrayed as morally grey, which I think is realistic.  In real life, people are multi-layered and not everyone fits easily into "good" and "bad" categories.  I have always said that the characters and their relationships is one of the best things of the Returned and this episode proves it.  The characters are as morally ambiguous as they can be.

Boy, oh boy, there is no character more morally ambigous than Victor.  Since he literally appeared out of the darkness, I have never been quite sure whose side he is on, despite loving the character.  Although, what I can be sure about is that there is something definitely off about this kid.  After being taken from Julie, who I will discuss later, he is brought to the Helping Hand and Pierre.  In thie episode's scariest sequence, Victor, upon realising Pierre's involvement with his death, confronts him about it.  Pierre desperately tries to defend himself saying that it was his partner's fault and he tried to stop him.  Victor doesn't believe him and conjures up a hallucination of the burglar who murdered here.  However, this time, Pierre fights against this image.  This sequence is terrifying and shot well.  Victor's heightened emotional state leads to the entire town losing power (can we expect anything less from such a creepy characer) which means that his confrontation with Pierre was lit by moonlight.  This scene was atmospheric and utterly engaging.  The fear on Pierre's face seemed real and it was great to see Swann Namboutin do something more than stand around looking creepy, although he does do this brilliantly.

Episode by episode, we are finding out more about each character and Serge Et Toni  is no exception.  In this episode, we find out more about why Julie is so closed off.  After she was attacked by Serge and driven apart from her girlfriend Laure, she lost all passion for her life and began to wonder whether she was had died in the attack and was one of the Returnees herself.  To test this idea, she decides to jump out of her apartment window, but luckily, Laure finds and stops her before it is too late.  This was a minor scene, but a powerful and revealing one.

However, the standout star in Serge Et Toni is Yara Pillartz who plays Camille.  Whilst I have been harsh on her and her teenage rebellions, I think I was being overly-critical.  She is just a regular teenager with regular teenage problems, plus the fact that she has come back from the dead.  This epsidoe sees her teaming up with Simon, who comes to stay with her after the police step up their investigation to find him.  Simon wants Camille to convince Adele and Chloe to skip town with him.  Afteer the pair fail to meet him, Simon goes to confront them.  However, Chloe secretly rats him out to Thomas who comes along and shoots him...well I was about to say dead, but is it possible to die twice? Anyway, sufficed to say, Simon is in a bad way at the end of the episode.  Camille helps Simon in exchange for masquerading as her ex-boyfriend to make Frederic jealous.  Why Camille is so attracted to Fredieric is probably one of the show's biggest mysteries considering that he isn't the brightest.  Camille's tactics work and jsut as the pair are getting it on, she confesses her true identity.  Frederic, doing the right and honourable thing, immediately leaves, leaving Camille to greive alone.  Pillartz's performance is to be applauded here.  The heartbreak on her face is obvious and the scene is painful to watch, but done very well.  It is lit by candlelight making everything very intimate.  It comes at a logical time too.  Even someone as brainless as Frederic is bound to realise who Camille was sooner or later.  She couldn't hide for much longer.  

I was also glad to see the storyline of the dam losing water, which has been of the more lacklustre narratives, being expanded upon.  In some stunning cinematography, animals are shown to be floating suspended in the lake.  IT is later revealed that the animals drqoned being so scared of something that they ran into the water to kill themselves.  In maybe not the smoothest exposition, Adele explains to her students that their current town was built on the remains of an old town that was submerged when the old dam burst.  Was this was led the animals to kill themselves or is there something more sinister afoot? It was great to learn more about the town's backstory, which is atmospheric and eerie in itself.  I have always thought that the dam losing water is the over-arching narrative of the series and it was nice to see it take centre-stage.  It also emphasises another important theme of this series: memory and the past.  All characters including the town itself have had enigmatic and backstories and sometimes there isn't any escaping from your past.

More is revealed about Lucy Clarsen.  If you can't remember who she is, then you're not the only one.  In the first episode, she is attacked by Serge whilst walking home from work.  When not working as a barmaid in the Lake Pub, it is revealed that she is a medium.  But not your average, run-of-the-mill medium.  Lucy can only speak to the dead when she's having sex.  Why? Who knows? There is certainly no doubt that the writers are creative.  At the episode's conclusion, Lucy is shown to be waking up from her attack.  Is she one of the Returned now? Comment your answers below.

The Godfather Part III Review

SPOILER ALERT

Click here to go to my previous review of Red Dragon 

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." 

So again I am deviating from the beaten track to review number 663 on the top 1000 greatest films of all time.  Francis Ford Coppola's third installment in the Godfather trilogy: the Godfather Part III (1990)

What's it about: Set almost twnety years after its predecessor, the Godfather Part III sees a far older Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) finally seeming to succeed in legitimising his criminal empire.  Having performed Vast amounts of charity work, he is named a Commander of the Order of Saint Sebastian by the church.  In his final attempt to legitimise the Corleones, he offers to pay the Vatican's huge debt in exchange for their shares in Immobilare- a global housing company.  However, Vincenzo Mancini (Andy Garcia) theatrens to plunge Michael back into the criminal underworld.  Vincenzo is Sonny's, Michael's older brother, illegitimate son, and Michael's nephew.  Yet Vincenzo's volatile disposition and heated rivalry with New York caporegime Joey Zaza threatens to destroy everything that Michael has built.

What worked: Francis Ford Coppola has described the Godfather Part III as an epilogue to the Godfather trilogy and I would agree with this.  The Godfather Part III hearkens back to the previous films enough without adding in too many new elements.  Granted most of the original cast are missing, which I will discuss later, but the same themes and ideas are present.  Family is at its most prominent in this film, especially within Michael's own family.  I particularly liked the dynamic between Michael and his son Anthony who, rather than going into family business wants to become an opera singer.  I felt that this was a great callback to the original film and I half expected Anthony to follow in his father's footsteps.  However, this role was filled by Vincenzo, who differently to Anthony wants nothing more to be a pezzonovante.  Like his father, Vincenzo has a vicious temper, which makes him one of the film'st most interesting characters.  James Caan who played Sonny in the first film had such a huge, magnetic presence that I think the second film suffers heavily from the lack of his inclusion.  I was glad to see a similar character who brought a charisma and energy to the film, which the second one lacked.

I also really liked how this film focuses more on family loyalty and dispenses with the lengthy courtoom scenes of the second film.  While the Mafia scenes are entertaining, I feel that the true interest lies in the psychology of the Michael trying to hold all aspects of his life together.  He is desperately seeking redemption from his violent past.  Al Pacino, as he usually is, was great in his role and really looked the part.  

I enjoyed how the female characters, especially Michael's sister, Connie (Talia Shire) were given much more to do in this film.  I think that the character was underused in the first two films and it was nice to see her do more than cry.  She takes much greater control in this film okaying Vincenzo to whack Joey Zaza and also orchestrating the death of traitor Don Altobello.  Overall a much more interesting and well-rounded character. 

Whilst the narrative is not always the easiest to follow, I felt that it was engaging throughout and alternated well between Michael's family life and his mob life.  A lot of the film was also set in Sicily and I thought this was a refreshing and interesting change to New York.

What didn't work: Whilst I don't think that this film is as bad as people say, I agree that it is definitely the worst of the three.  Sofia Coppola's performance as Michael's daughter Mary was critically panned and I can see why.  I didn't like her.  Throughout the film, she had a smarmy smile on her face that made her look arrogant and stuck-up.  Furthermore her incestuous relationship with her first cousin Vincenzo was awkward, cringeworthy and a little weird.  Although to be fair to her, she only took the role at her father's request after Wiona Ryder dropped out, despite having little acting experience.

I think one thing that does hurt this film is its largely new cast.  Al Pacino, Diane Keaton and Talia Shire are the only prominent returnees.  Robert Duvall was supposed to return too, but he dropped out after it emerged that he would be paid less than a quarter of Al Pacino's salary, despite having as much screentime as him.  The Godfather Part III suffers without the character of Tom Hagen.  In the first two film, he acts as the consigliere/family lawyer, but this voice of reason is sorely missing from this installment.  His abscence is explained away as an off-screen death, but I feel that this is an insult to such a great character.

Lastly, I really didn't like the ending.  After Mary is shot dead in an assassination attempt meant for Michael, the audience scee the Mafia Kingpin screaming in a primal rage, in another great performance by Pacino.  However, the film then cuts to Michael sitting on his own in Sicily before keeling over and dting.  This is where the film ends.  I felt that this was far too sudden and abrupt.  One second Michael is surrounded by his family cradling his daughter's body and the next he is all alone in a completely different place with no explanation as to what happened in between.  Sure, you can argue that this shows how Michael's immoral past has caught up with him, alienating himself from his family, but I found the ending too jarring and confusing.  I think it would have been far more powerful, if the film had instead ended on Michael's primal scream.

What was ugly: Call me old-fashioned, but the incestuous relationship still weirded me out.

Rating: Good.

So, all in all, this film is definitely not as good as its predecessors but it is still a good film in its own right, well except for the incest.  Either way, it can be said with utmost certainty that the Godfather started a very long mile of gangster films.

The Returned Episode Four Victor Review

SPOILER ALERT

For the purposes of clarity, I will be referring to the episode titles in italics

Ah finally the episode we needed if not necessarily the episode we deserved.  In Victor, we get some important backstory to this episode's titular character.  In the flashback beginning this episode, we find out that Victor was shot dead thirty-five years earlier in a burglary gone wrong.  With this revelation, Victor becomes a more empathetic character, yet there is still something seriously off with this kid.  Mrs Payett's body is found by the police and it is revealed that Victor (Swann Namboutin) did not kill her, as I first thought, but rather she killed herself.  Although, I reckon that Victor had something to do with this.  When the police discover Mrs Payett, the police officer and Julie's former lover Laure (Alix Poisson) discovers Victor, and furious that Julie has been hiding him away, takes him to the Helping Hand Shelter. 

However, I think this is where the Returned drops its first clanger.  When Laure takes Victor away, he submits without objection, yet when Mrs Payett threatens to do the same, Victor influences her to kill herself.  Why doesn't he do the same with Laure, who is essentially a stranger taking him away from Julie, who he is so inexplicably drawn to.  Actually thinking about it, learning more about Julie and Victor makes the connection  a lot more logical.  Both characters are completely alone; it is assumed that the rest of Victor's family die off-screen in the burglary.  They are drawn to each other because they have nobody.  Despite how it has taken  four episodes to unpick this, I think it is a sign of the subtle yet powerful writing.  The Returned is multi-layered and complicated.  You have to be patient to understand its many twists and turns.  And boy, the biggest twist comes at Victor's conclusion, where it was none-other than a much younger Pierre who was robbing Victor's house.  Although, it was Pierre's partner who actually shot the young boy.  To Pierre's credit, he did try to protect Victor.

Having said this, I still think Pierre is the villain of the show.  Just like Victor, he is morally ambiguous and he also seems to have an agenda.  We know little about the man, but what we do know is bad.  He manages the Helping Hand Shelter, but what is this shelter exactly? We don't know.  Yet Pierre keeps a watchful eye over all of the residents of Annecy.

Talking of watching, we turn to Thomas, the Captain of the police force, who spends more time watching his fiance Adele and step-daughter Chloe on hidden CCTV cameras rather than doing any actual police work.  Driven by jealousy at the return of Adele's dead fiance Simon, Thomas begins watching them everywhere they go.  This is when he sees the two having sex.  This raises an interesting question.  Can the dead have sex? Surely Simon doesn't have enough blood flowing around his body to adequately perform, but hey, as we already know the Returned isn't one for answering questions.  What this narrative does do is inject a bit of life and conflict into Thomas' character.  Hitherto, he has just been shouting orders and sitting on his arse, but upon seeing these images, he realises that he has to do something.  I think that this was necessary to breathe a bit of energy into a character that was beginning to stagnate. 

Speaking of stagnate narratives I have to say I'm getting a little bored of Camille's teenage rebellions.  With no thought to the rest of her family, Camille fully embraces her fake persona as Lena's cousin Alice, so that she can become closer to Frederic, whom she has always loved.  Although, why this is beyond me, as he is a bit of  brainless dolt.  Yet, whilst this is happening, Lena's scar on her back has grown into something so serious that she is hospitalised.  In the first episode, it is revealed that Lena and Camille are twin sisters and have a special twin connection.  Lena was supposed to be on the coach trip with her sister, but feigned illness so that she can stay behind and sleep with Frederic, despite knowing Camille's attraction to him.  In a wonderful role reversal, just as Camille and Frederic are getting touchy-feely in the Lake Pub, Lena sensing something amiss, leaves the hospital and in a superb piece of acting from Jenna Thiam tries to make Camille admit her true identity.  Camille refuses to and Lena's exasperation with her sister is clear.  It is hard not to feel for the character here.  Jenna Thiam's performance was visceral and powerful.  In this small mountain town, we get the impression that the inhabitants don't really aspire to much and are content to live quiet wonderful lives, so that when people do return from the dead, it is too much for characters like Lena to handle.  After Camille petulantly refuses to reveal her true self, Lena storms off and passes out in the underpass, where who should find her, but none other than Serge.  Considering his reputation with solitary women, this does not look promising for Lena. 

Grow a Pair-performance poetry

Ok mate, I'm not gonna wait
I'm gonna tell you straight
don't complain, act like you have a brain
so you got friendzoned, cry me a river, but show a sliver
of decency and self-respect
she didn't do it because you're a nice guy
oh dear, oh dear, that excuse is so last year
so buck up, grow a pair, you silly mare,
I'll tell you why she did it.
Shock horror, can it be true?
She did it because she doesn't like you!

I'm gonna be blunt,
she did it, because you're a whiny
you were scared, you never dared,
you lied, you cried, you waited, you hesitated, you pontificated
maybe if you'd been a man,
she'd be holding your hand, you'd understand
instead of lying on your rock, looking at the clock
one hand wrapped round your
how could your skull be so thick? You need to be quick
or you'll finish last, yeah it makes sense, but don't be so bloody dense,
all you need is confidence.
So she said no, you're feeling blue
but of course it's her fault that she isn't attracted to you
but what the hell are you gonna do?

Girls only like bad guys
God, you still believe those lies
if you tell me that crap, you're getting a slap
if you really think that, you. are. a. professional. class. twat.
Girls like the confidence, the independence, guys who don't live to other's expectations
she doesn't like your trepidation, lack of initiation, boring conversation
avoid the devastation, make your move first
for better or worse
take that risk, make yourself proud
stand out from the crowd
take a shot, strike whilst the hammer's hot,
she might say no and it'll be shit, but you still did it
yeah it'll suck, it's just bad luck
so unclench your fist, don't get your panties in a twist
don't ramble, take pride that you took a gamble,
because I'll say without further preamble
if you don't have the balls to risk everything for the girl you like
do you really deserve to have her?

Author's Notes

This performance poem is all about my thoughts on the friendzone.  I've written an article on the friendzone, where I expand on the ideas that I've raised here.  Thanks to my beta-editors Catherine and Lerisa.  Watch me perform the poem below:

Red Dragon Review

SPOILER ALERT

Click here to go to my previous review of the Godfather Part II

So I'm taking a break from the top 1000 films of all time (surprisingly this film didn't make the cut) to review Red Dragon.  I have recently finished reading the book and I wanted to see how the two compared.

How it all goes down:

Adapted from Thomas HArris' best-selling book, Will Graham, (Edward Norton) an FBI profiler, is brought out retirement to apprehend The Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes,) a serial killer, whose real name is Francis Dolarhyde, who kills entire families to bring him closer to the Higher state of being that he calls the Red Dragon.  To help him catch this killer, Graham enlists the help of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) a brilliant but dangerous psychologist with a taste for human flesh.

What worked:

One reason why I didn't like the book as much as I thought I did was that it got very confusing and convoluted at times.  Whole sections of the novel were dedicated to clunky exposition about police procedure, which I did get bored of reading.  I was good to see that the film decided to omit most of this exposition, resulting in a better-placed, more streamlined final product.

This film has a lot of famous names in it: Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Hopkins and Philip Seymour Hoffman, just to name a few.  I thought all of the performances were really strong.  It was interesting to see Harvey Keitel and Edward Norton playing characters who are on the right side of the law.  In Keitel's roles in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, as well as Norton's roles in Fight Club and American History X, neither actor plays particularly up-standing citizens.  

Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as Hannibal Lecter.  His performance is unnerving and chilling.  Hopkins is quiet and subtle in his portrayal,  He is not loud or brash, but rather plays the role with an air of maliciousness, thus making the character all the scarier.

Whilst Anthony Hopkins was great as Lecter, I feel that the real praise should go to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played sleazy tabloid reporter Freddy Lounds.  Hoffman looked the part and was every bit as dirty, callous and underhanded, as Lounds is portrayed in the book.  Even though, Hoffman is only a supporting actor and not in the film for very long, I think he is one of the best things in it and I wished he was there for longer.

As a thriller, Red Dragon also works well.  The suspense builds slowly and steadily, due to the subtle writing.  Most of the violence is solely alluded to and not explicitly shown.  Whilst, we know that the Tooth Fairy murders entire families, we only see fragments of the murders,  So that when the Tooth Fairy captures Freddy Lounds and tortures and kills him, in a particularly tense scene, this comes as a shock and a good payout to the building tension.

What didn't work:

Whilst the film is pretty faithful to the book, and I did praise it for omitting the novel's clunky exposition, it isn't perfect.  Whole chapters of the book are dedicated to the Tooth Fairy's backstory and his modus operandi.  As a child, he is systematically abused by his grandmother.  As an adult, he becomes obsessed with William Blake's painting The Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in the Sun,  and he believes that each person he kills will bring him closer to becoming the Red Dragon.  His obsession with becoming the dragon becomes so strong that it manifests itself as a separate personality.  Francis Dolarhyde constantly fights with this personality for control of his mind and body.  However, whilst the book explores Dolarhyde's motivations in detail, the film somewhat skirts over these issues.  Dolarhyde's backstory is condensed into one mere flashback and I don't think this was enough time to really learn about the character.

My second criticism also refers to the book.  Throughout the film and the novel, Francis Dolarhyde is referred to by two separate names: the Tooth Fairy, which is what the press and FBI call him, and the Red Dragon, which is what he calls himself.  These names are used so commonly that they almost become interchangeable, which I found very confusing and difficult to follow.  It would have been much better if they had just called Dolarhyde the Red Dragon, the name I prefer, and had stuck with it.

What was ugly:

As part of the Red Dragon/the Tooth Fairy's modus operandi,  he smashes the mirrors in the house and places the shards on his victims' eyes.  This was one of the ugliest images in the film.

Rating: Good

A creepy, tense adaptation with strong performances but let down by its failure to explore the Red Dragon/Tooth Fairy's motivations.  This notwithstanding Hannibal Lecter still remains the Godfather of movie villains in the last couple of decades.

The Returned Episode 3 Julie

SPOILER ALERT

For the purposes of clarity, I will be referring to the episode's title: 'Julie' in italics.

Three episodes in and I'm finally glad to see an episode focusing on my favourite character Julie.  I think Julie is one of the most interesting characters on the show and I'm glad that we were able to find out more about her.  Julie also answered the question raised in last episode's cliffhanger: what are those scars on Julie's stomach?

Just like the previous two episodes, this one starts explosively.  Opening on a flashback of seven years ago, we see a woman later, revealed to be Julie walking home, one night from a fancy-dress party.  She leaves behind her girlfriend Laure, a police-officer, who desperately wants her to stay.  In the underpass, Julie is attacked by a man, who is later revealed to be Serge, and stabbed multiple times.  Whilst Julie survives the attack, she isn't one of the Returned, she is still severely affected by it.  In the present, when Laure goes to question Julie about Lucy Clarsen who was attacked in similar circumstances, it is revealed that Julie's attack drove the pair apart and they have barely spoken in seven years.  I, for one, loved this tragic backstory that they gave Julie.  I think it speaks volumes for why Julie is so lonely and closed-off now.  It is a very sympathetic portrayl of the character and it's made me like Julie even more.  I think that it's great character development and it explains why she and Victor are so inexplicably drawn together.

Whilst Victor is creepy at the best of times, this is taken to new heights in this episode, as it comes to light that something is not quite right about this kid.  At the beginning of Julie, we know next to nothing about Victor, not even his real name, but at the end, we realise that he has some type of supernatural powers.  What are these powers exactly? Why are they there? Where did they come from? Of course, this isn't explained.  However, we do find out that he has the power to make people see certain things.  Julie hallucinates Serge attempting to attack her in the lobby of her apartment, but it is revealed that Victor is making her see this.  Although, why or how he does this is left unclear.  However, what really makes Victor creepy is what happens between him and Julie's nosey neighbour, Mrs Payett.  After Julie is visited by Laure, Mrs Payett immediately questions her about why a police officer came to see her and accuses Julie of illegally adopting an immigrant or refugee.  Julie quite rightly tells her to va te faire foutre (excuse my French) and then leaves Victor alone to run some errands.  Victor goes to visit Mrs Payett and the next we see of the town gossip, she is lying dead with multiple stab wounds with her many cats licking up her blood.  Personally, I love how she is portrayed as a crazy cat lady.  Nobody likes a gossip and I'm relieved that Mrs Payett is out of the picture.  I'm much more interested in how eerily Mrs Payett's death resembles some of Victor's unsettling drawings.  Did Victor have something to do with her death? Did he kill her himself? We know that something is off with this kid, so it could be possible.  Whilst Victor still gives me the creeps, I do love his and Julie's relationship.  In a wonderful moment paralleling Victor taking Julie's hand in the first episode, after Julie hallucinations of Serge attacking her, she says her head in Victor's lap and he tentatively strokes her hair.  This is a beautiful, but subtle moment and for me, one of the best in the episode.

Victor is not the only creepy character in this episode.  In a relatively new developing subplot, Adele's new fiance Thomas, the head of the police force, uses the town's CCTV system to spy on Adele and her growing relationship with her ex-fiance Simon who has come back from the dead.  He is visibly shocked when he sees the two having sex.  Although, in his actions, Thomas is hardly proving himself to be an honourable, up standing officer of the law.  Rather, he seems jealous and insecure of somebody who is effectively dead.  Although, in fairness, it is rare for your fiance's ex-lover to come back from the dead and even rarer for the two to have sex with each other.  However, interestingly, a character who takes an even stronger interest in Simon than Adele or Thomas is the enigmatic, morally ambiguous Pierre.  He views Simon as a lost sheep whom he wants to help return to his flock.  It's only a few episodes in, but I feel that Pierre is being set up as the series' antagonist. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think there is something off about him.  It's just a little unsettling the amount of interest that he holds in Simon or Camille.

Camille and her storyline continues to be annoying in this episode.  I won't go so far to say that I hate her character, which isn't fair, but I don't like her as much as the other characters.  In Julie, Camille continues to be reckless, immature and annoying.  Continually sick of being hidden away from everyone, Camille becomes more adventurous wearing her sister Lena's clothes and asking her mother, Claire, to take her clothes-shopping.  Whilst they're in the shop, the pair run into a family friend who is visibly shocked at seeing Camille.  Although the quick-thinking teenager says that she is Lena's cousin Alice, the family friend remains unconvinced.  After this, Camille, still pretending to be Alice, sneaks to the Lake Pub, where she meets Frederic outside and begins talking with him.  The two, having been friends before Camille's death, get on well and Frederic invites her inside for a drink.  There they run into Lena, who has not been coping well with the return of her dead sister or her father's proposal that the family move out of Annecy, is furious to see Camille there and sends her away before storming off into the bathroom.  Frederic follows her into there and just as the pair make up and about to have some angry sex, Frederic notices a large scar on her back.  This is enough to freak Lena out and she leaves.  As I have said from the start, what this show does well is portraying how people react to loss.  By demonstrating Lena beginning to buckle under the pressure of Camille's return, I think her character and narrative are portrayed very sympathetically.  More so than Camille whose teenage rebellions are beginning to grate on me.  Yes, we get that you're sick of being kept secret and you want to be all grown up, but come on.  How can you be so stupid? You're dead! What will happen if the wrong people find out that you've returned from the dead?

And finally, as it has been the last two episodes, the water in the dam is still dropping.  Yep.  That's it. This subplot receives no development upon this point and thus proves to be the show's weakest narrative and possibly one of the show's only weak points.  This is a shame really, as I have a feeling that this sub-narrative is being set up as the story arc designed to connect all of the characters and their narratives together.  Despite this, I have absolutely zero interest in it.  I hope they expand on it soon.

So, in summary, Victor is creepy, (what is with those hallucinations and did he kill Mrs Payett,) Camille is annoying (is it so difficult to keep a low profile? Come on.  I thought millennials spent all their time on their phones in their bedrooms,) Thomas is insecure and pathetic (come on, jealous of a dead guy.  Really,) Lena is scarred, both physically and emotionally and Julie is still the best character in the show.

Where did Lena's scars come from? Did Victor kill Mrs Payett? Give me your answers in the comments below!

The Godfather Part Two Review

SPOILER ALERT

Click here to go to my previous review of Apocalypse Now

So again, we have taken a break from chronologically following the top 1000 greatest films of all time to review the film rated number 3 on the list: (after the Shawshank Redemption and the Godfather) the Godfather Part 2.

How it all goes down:

Partly based on Mario Puzo's the Godfather and partly original material, the Godfather Part 2 focuses on two parallel storylines.  The first is shown via flashbacks and documents Vito Corleone's (Robert De Niro) rise from a small boy in Sicily to crime boss of New York.  The second focuses on Michael Corleone (Al Pacino,) who is now the boss of the Corleone family and his continued struggles to take his family legitimate.  His struggles involve him coming up against ruthless Jewish gangstesr, internal family squabbles and treachery in Michael Corleone's personal and professional families.

What worked:

As a sequel, the Godfather Part 2 has always proved to be popular.  It constantly ranked and reviewed highly, although never as popular as its predecessor, upon watching this film I can understand why it is held in such high esteem.  The Godfather Part 2 is an awesome film for much of the same reasons the first film was so successful.  Technically and stylistically this film works well.  I thought that the flashback scenes worked well.  I felt that they were incorporated well into the other narrative and the transitions between the two narratives weren't disruptive.  I also really liked how the flashback scenes were shot.  They begin by showing Vito Corleone as a young boy in Sicily with a harsh yellow filter, which I felt did great with setting the scene.  The extreme heat of the location was conveyed well.  The other flashbacks have a grainy texture and an old-timey feel.  I also really enjoyed learning about Vito Corleone and what caused him to become "the Godfather." I think the film does well in fleshing out Vito Corleone as a character.  This section of the film is taken from Mario Puzo's original text and from what I remember, they remain quite faithful to it.  Whilst obviously changing minor details, they follow the main story.  

Another reason why I liked the flashbacks was that it was a peek into time periods and locations that are foreign to me.  I felt that the film was quite realistic in its depiction of Sicily and of early 20th century America.  Just like the original, everything felt authentic and real.  It was great seeing Vito Corleone walk around 1920s New York and just thinking about how it was different then compared to now.

Robert De Niro plays a young Vito Corleone and I think he is very good within his portrayl.  His Vito Corleone is cool and confident, but also a little charismatic and cheeky as well.  I thought it was definitely different to Marlon Brando's portrayl.  I think that De Niro brought his own spin to the character.  He isn't copying Brando, but rather making the character his own.  And as a plus, De Niro doesn't mumble nearly as much, which means you don't need to have your volume at full blast to hear him.  I also really liked learning all of the minor characters too, such as Vito's future caporegimes Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio and his future consigliori Genco Abbandando, as well as Don Fanucci, the local crime boss that Vito murders and then assumes his position.

I also really liked the Michael Corleone narrative for how it engages with themes of loyalty and family.  Whilst Michael has assumed the power and control that his father held, he has certainly not assumed the respect that Vito Corleone commanded.  He is constantly being compared to him, which obviously frustrates him.

Michael's older brother Fredo tired of being constantly overlooked and undermined betrays Michael to his enemies in the hopes that he will finally receive his dues.  Throughout the book and the first film, Fredo is considered the stupidest and weakest of the Corleone children and is thus mistreated by the family.  It is therefore perfectly understandable that he will want to betray Michael so that he can gain some respect.  This is where the film works so well in engaging with the theme of loyalty.  It was very powerful watching Fredo's protests about how he should finally receive his dues.  All credit to John Cazale for his great performance here.  

On this note, just like the first film, the acting is strong all hand.  Robert Duvall is once again great as family lawyer Tom Hagen and Diane Keaton who plays Michael's wife Kay Adams is also brilliant. However, special credit is reserved for Al Pacino who is outstanding in his role as Michael Corleone. Unlike his father, Michael has a vicious temper, which Al Pacino does brilliantly to portray.  The final scene between Pacino and Keaton is one of the best in the film.  The acting here is so powerful and so visceral.  Kay Adams tells Michael that she is leaving him and is taking their children with her, as she is afraid that they will grow up poisoned by Michael's evilness.  In one last shocking revelation, she reveals that she lied to Michael about a miscarriage resulting in her losing her baby, when actually she had it aborted, as she didn't want to bring another child into a world run by men like Michael Corleone.  In this scene, the film really forces you to get into the mindset of those living as mobsters and it is intriguing and engaging to see.

What didn't work:

Unfortunately, like its predecessor, this film is not infallible.  Whilst watching it, there were a couple of mistakes that are too big to ignore.  Firstly, whilst watching this with my dad, he pointed out that it was very silly for Don Fanucci to be walking around in public without any protection, thus making it very easy for Vito Corleone to kill him.  I would have to agree with this.  As crime boss, you would naturally have a lot of enemies, so it would only make sense that you would have a street boss meaning that you don't have to show your face in public.  Failing this, you would at least have bodyguards to protect you.  I feel that this is a quite serious error within the film.

The second thing that I didn't like was something they've changed from the book.  In the book, Vito's surname is Andolini and he later changes it into Corleone to honour the village in Sicily where he was raised.  However, in the film, he becomes known as Vito Corleone due to a clerical error made by one of the immigration officers.  I didn't like this change, because for Vito to change his name to Corleone shows a lot of pride in his Italian origin and I think it's important to celebrate this.  So, whilst this could be considered quite nitpicky, I still think it's a poor change.

Thirdly, I don't think that this film was paced nearly as well as its predecessor.  I found that I much preferred the Vito Corleone narrative than the one involving his son Michael.  One reason why I liked these films so much is learning about the Mafia.  Vito Corleone's narrative which focuses on his origins story naturally explains more about the Mafia and its structure and purpose.  However, in Michael's attempts to legitimise the Corleones, his narrative turns away from the organised crime and instead focuses more on his family and legal problems.  After one of his caporegimes becomes an informant, a good portion of the film focuses on the court proceedings that follow.  I felt that the film was bogged down with a lot of talking and legal issues and it lacked a lot of the dramatic tension and action, which the film had to offer.  Whilst there were some standout moments within Michael's narrative including the scenes with Diane Keaton and John Lazale, but I did find myself getting a little bored at times.  

What was ugly:

Kay Adams aborts a child so that it doesn't have to grow up in Michael Corleone's world.  

Rating:

Awesome.

Whilst this is a great film in its own right, it isn't anywhere near as good as its predecessor.  The Godfather Part II is a little slow in places and it has a few bad mistakes.  That notwithstanding, all in all, it is still a very entertaining film. The acting and narrative are strong and this and the original Godfather are just the long in a very long mile of mob films.  There is no doubt that by the film's conclusion, Michael Corleone has become a red dragon.

Click here to go to my review of Red Dragon

The Returned Episode 2: Simon

SPOILER ALERT

As each episode is named after a specific character, for clarity I will be referring to the episode title in italics.

Two episodes in and we have yet to receive any answers to the many questions raised by this intriguing and enigmatic French supernatural drama.

The Returned is set in the small alpine town of Annecy in South-Eastern France.  It focuses on a group of people who have returned from the dead and attempt to reintegrate back into their old lives unaware of their recent demises.  Each episode focuses on a specific character with this episode focusing on Simon (Pierre Perrier,) a young man who upon returning from the dead wants nothing more than to be with his fiancee Adele (Clotilde Hesme) again.

The first episode raises a number of burning question, such as why are the dead returning? How are they returning? Why are only certain people returning? Why do they have no memories of dying? Is it possible for the Returned to die again once they have returned? If you're one of the naive people, like me, who were expecting answers in this episode, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.  Instead of giving any answers at all, this episode just raises more questions and introduces new characters. Actually, it does one question.  In the last episode, we saw Mrs De Costa being tied up and left inside a burning house by her husband who could not cope with her return.  In this episode, we see her "alive" and well, thus answering the question about whether it is possible for the dead to die twice and whether they can come back when they have died.  Although, by answering this question, it does then raise the further questions of how Mrs De Costa was able to escape a burning house no worse for wear.  So actually...I'm not sure whether this answered anything: a trend which is very popular with this show.

Whilst the first episode was mainly set-up, this episode did a lot more to advance the narrative and develop characters.  Simon's narrative frames this episode.  It begins with a flashback showing Simon's band playing in the Lake Pub where his fiancee Adele works as a waitress.  A few days after, on the morning of their wedding, Adele is left standing at the altar, whilst police officers tell the reverend about Simon's death.  One interesting thing that we have learnt from the Returned is that the returnees are ravenous upon their returns.  Simon is just the same as we see him go into a diner to buy some food but ends up beating the brusque and rude owner.  Meanwhile, Adele confides in the parish priest Father Jean-Francois about seeing Simon walking around.  He advises her to not push him away, but to embrace him and make her peace.  Again, this engagement with the theme of loss and how the living think about the dead is what makes this series so good.  It is interesting to see how different people react to loss.

From here, the episode moved to focus on Camille (Yara Pillartz) who I have to admit I'm finding one of the more annoying returnees.  Whilst Simon is the strong silent type and Victor is mysterious and creepy, Camille is whiny and petulant.  I understand that upon coming back from the dead she is confused and scared.  Her sister broke down in tears at seeing her and her parents don't know how to act around her, but I think that her character could have been written a little more sympathetically.  In this episode, Camille, sick of being cooped up in her house, sneaks out to go to the Lake Pub to see her old friends Frederick and Lucha.  Whilst Camille peers through the pub window to see if she can see Frederick, Lucha approaches her and asks her whether he wants her to sneak her in.  Shocked, Camille runs off.  When she returns home to her family, she breaks down in tears over how Lucha fails to recognise her.  I understand that it would be very upsetting for one of your childhood friends to not recognise you and I can agree that the sequence was well shot, I can't help but get annoyed at Camille for doing something so reckless as walking around town in broad daylight where anybody could see her.  Although with Camille's narrative, yet another question is raised by Pierre, the local religious man, who tells Camille that she isn't the first person to return.  There have been others.  Do we find out anymore about this? Of course we don't.

So two episodes in and there isn't any sign of any storyarc, apart from the very vague and loose narrative of the town dam losing water, which signifies that the Returned is a character-driven drama. One set of characters that I'm glad to have found out more about in this episode is Julie and Victor. Victor is a mysterious little boy who is inexplicably drawn to hospice nurse Julie.  In the last episode, we see Julie is initially wary of Victor, but soon grows protective of him.  Julie only becomes more protective in this episode.  She continues to fend off her nosy neighbour and whilst she finally does go to the police station to report Victor, she isn't very clear or helpful to the police officers there.  As I said in my last review, Victor and Julie are my favourite characters in this show and this episode is one of the reasons why.  I think that it slowly begins to explain why Victor is drawn towards Julie.  Both of them are outsiders.  As far as we know, Victor is completely alone with no friends or family and Julie is similarly alone.  She lives by herself and is never shown in a social situation or with any casual company.  In these past couple of episodes, her interactions have been limited to Victor, her nosy neighbour, Mr De Costa, whom she looked after before he killed himself, and the police.  In all of these interactions, Julie is the more passive character.  She is uncertain and unsure of herself.  Julie is portrayed as very withdrawn and reserved and this is partly the result of good writing but also of Celine Salette's excellent portrayl of her.  After Julie finds out that nobody is looking for Victor, she begins to become more attached to him.  She buys him new clothes and tucks him in at night.  Julie is one of the more interesting characters and I am very interested in watching her character arc.

Simon also introduces a new character called Serge (Guillaume Goux.)  He is the brother of Toni (Gregory Gadebois,) the landlord of the Lake Pub, and little is revealed about him.  However, it is made abundantly clear that Toni is not the happiest at seeing Serge again when he knocks him over the head with a shovel and locks him out of the house.  Serge is understandably furious at this and his confusion and fear is etched painfully across his face, as he tries to persuade Toni to let him into the house.  After Serge lures Toni outside and demands to know where their mother is, Toni tells him that she is dead and Serge doesn't remember her dying, because he died at the same time.  Serge breaks down upon hearing this, which is another great example of how this show engages with emotion.

The last narrative that Simon focuses on is the barmaid Lucy being brutally attacked upon walking her from work.  In this episode, it is revealed that she was stabbed seventeen times and her abdomen was bitten into- a modus operandi reminiscent of a serial killer who went missing seven years prior.  Whilst, I do love seeing all of the characters interact with each other, I do quite like this shocking event is used to help push the narrative forward.  It adds another layer to the show and keeps it interesting.  You never know what to expect.

So, in summary, this episode did a lot of things.  It introduced new characters, whilst pushing forward other narratives and characters.  The scenery remains gorgeous and the use of music remains strong and it held my interest.  As I said in my review of the last episode, what makes this series so good is how it not only engages with the theme of loss, but also how damn mysterious it is.  It doesn't answer any of the viewer's questions but rather allows them to come to their own conclusions.  In this episode's final five minutes, it shows Julie undressing to shower and revealed that on her stomach she has a number of old scars and cuts, laying down just another mystery for us viewers to speculate over.

What do you think the scars on Julie's stomach are? Where do you think they come from? Let me know in the comments below.