Triple Bill Mini Musings: December 2013...

Cloud Atlas:
What's it about?
Centuries-spanning sci-fi epic from The Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer that's pretty damn hard to summarise.
Who would I recognise in it?
Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Keith David, Ben Wishaw, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon, and more.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Covering numerous intertwining stories that cross centuries, cultures, nations, genders, sexualities, race, and more, this near-three-hour venture is a tough sell from the get-go. However, the sprawling story is chopped up into constantly changing bite-size chunks, so you're always getting a new piece of information, and a different setting at regular intervals. Themes of imprisonment (physical, mental, or social), slavery, and good-versus-evil bind the disparate tales together, all of which feature the same group of actors in different guises. Actors swap gender, race, and colour, just to make things a little trickier, but at the same time surprisingly more cohesive than you'd initially think. Told across various points in history (slavery-era 19th century, pre-WW2, the 1970s, the present day, futuristic Neo-Seoul, a strange post-apocalypse, and then even further into the future), it's a heavy load at first, but the constant drip-feed of answers and questions keeps the film fresh and the pace moving forward. It certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, and while I was dubious at the start of the film, by the end I was won-over. It's strange, it's out-there, it's complex, but it's a smart and commendable piece of filmmaking that can't manage to reach the dizzying heights of The Matrix, but easily swats away the overblown funk of Speed Racer. Good.

Click "READ MORE" below for Compliance, and Seduce & Abandoned...

Compliance:
What's it about?
The astonishing true story of how a twisted prank caller posing as a police officer (purely over the phone!) convinced the employees of a fast food restaurant to strip search one of their own colleagues ... and more.
Who would I recognise in it?
Dreama Walker, James McCaffrey.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The opening message about how the unbelievable events about to be told are represented as they happened is important to remember, as what unfolds over the course of the film is so hard to believe ... but believe it, because the film is basically a beat-for-beat retelling of a shockingly true story. You'll scream out why on earth nobody questioned the voice on the phone - nobody asked for identification - nobody challenged the veracity of the caller's claims ... nothing. The writing of the caller is a fascinating glimpse at the power of psychological conditioning - normal people are convinced by a 'voice of authority' to carry out unlawful imprisonment and various forms of assault and humiliation. There was an infamous sociological test that proved that most people, under the influence of an authoritative voice, would inflict pain upon a fellow human being without questioning their actions until they were asked why they obeyed. Compliance (and the real-life situation) is a horrifying look at the flaws of the human mind. As an aside, fans of the "Max Payne" videogame series will recognise the voice (and face) of the titular action hero in the form of actor James McCaffrey. Compliance is a disturbing and fascinating film in equal measure - the fact that dozens more incidents like this happened across thirty U.S. states before the caller was arrested is even more jaw-dropping. Good.


Seduced and Abandoned:
What's it about?
Documentary about the search for film funding in the 21st century and a loving look at the Cannes Film Festival. Co-presented by Alec Baldwin and James Toback.
Who would I recognise in it?
Alec Baldwin, Martin Scorcese, Francis Ford Coppola, Ryan Gosling, Jessica Chastain, and more.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
With it's somewhat obtuse structuring (film novices need not apply), and an over-inflated sense of self-importance, this meandering documentary doesn't seem to be too concerned about winning over its audience quickly. To begin with your reaction is forced in the direction of 'Aww, poor, well-connected, famous millionaire ... somebody doesn't want to fund your movie' by the pompous feel ... but eventually it warms up a little bit. Interviews with the likes of Scorcese and Coppola breathe a sense of filmmaking wonderment into proceedings - the reason and passion behind making movies - and humorous asides from the likes of Ryan Gosling, even if only momentarily, pierce through the pomposity and 'we want to make filmmaking history' bluster.

Ultimately, Seduced and Abandoned doesn't feel like it really goes anywhere. The primary target of its attention seems to drift throughout the running time (Cannes, acting, funding, and filmmaking in general), and the documentary struggles to shake off a sense of privileged entitlement that won't curry much favour from anyone struggling to break in to the film industry (as opposed to the established figures of monied success featured in the film). It's a mixed bag - when it isn't full-of-itself, it can reveal fascinating moments of behind-the-scenes wrangling when it comes to the business part of "show business", and can sometimes even poke fun at itself (Baldwin makes for an affable co-host) - but these far more intriguing and entertaining moments always have to wrestle with that aforementioned and off-putting sense of self-importance. Alright.