Reviews

Colin Newman 2009 Top Ten

Ahoy! I’m Colin Newman, Brighton’s very own Vincent Price of illustration. A lot of inspiration for my work comes from my passion for cinema. I sit in the dark listening to movie scores and soundtracks, scheming and painting and crafting horrible things. Mr. Belle has cordially invited me to share my thoughts with you regards the movies that inspired me this year. So I flippin’ well did.

Should you be so inclined, you can keep up with my adventures over at Traumatron.

1. Watchmen – Zack Snyder
This is the movie I’d been waiting for for 12 years. I followed its development from a handful of hasty notes on a napkin to those early trailers which set the nerd community on fire, and yes – I was most pleased with the result. Having first seen it in glorious, 50ft high IMAX-o-rama, I thought “Was I just dazzled by the spectacle and not the adaptation?”. Well, having since re-watched the original version as well as the Ultimate Cut, I can quite merrily say: “Was I, buttons!”. This is a great film, superbly cast and confidently acted. Clumsy choices on the soundtrack make for some cringe-worthy moments however. That Hallelujah sex scene? Yikes.

 

2. Coraline – Henry Selick
After the crushing disappointment of Gaiman’s stylistic mish-mash snore fest Mirror Mask, I didn’t have high hopes for Coraline – certainly not in terms of dialogue at least. However, the ‘desperate-to-be-Lewis-Carroll’ style seems dissipated by a largely American cast. The story is pretty much cut and paste fantasy fare, but it is approached with such artistic flair that all fears are swayed and are replaced with a quiet awe at the glorious set pieces, jolly characters and, at last, a genuinely sinister baddy. Tremendous fun.

 

3. District 9 – Neill Blomkamp
Yeah. More praise for District 9. It gave us a hero with flaws, a cast of CG characters we actually cared about, and a fresh approach to sci-fi that bought some home truths about equality bubbling to the fore. While the plot does stray into the realms of the ridiculous, it has a definite agenda and pulls us along to a very affecting finale.

 

4. Anvil! The Story of Anvil – Sacha Gervasi
Oh, Lips. Lips, you dreamer, you. Will you ever make it? Er, yes. Yes he will. Because this movie about a a bunch of lads who never gave up has propelled them to stardom and for once it’s rightly deserved. This is an unmissable, touching, brilliant tale of friendship and hope. And it’s about Metal. It’s an all round winner for me.

 

5. In the Loop – Armando Iannucci
My first taste of Ianucci’s satirical masterpiece The Thick Of It, was this big screen effort. It’s super fast pace and my total lack of a frame of reference for the goings-on did leave me bewildered at first and if I’m honest, I’m only a fan because of the absolutely terrifying dark lord of spin, Peter Capaldi’s Malcolm Tucker. He tears through the movie like a bile filled tornado, tearing everyone he encounters in half with a tongue that could lash the armor plating off a tank. And for this I love him. Catch series three on iPlayer, it’s the sharpest thing on television and this movie version is still winning awards across the pond. Get on it.

 

6. Up – Pete Docter
The charming tale of a widowed man and his amazing journey in honour of his late wife is instantly captivating. There is some wonderful work here and is anyone as pleased as I am that in the arena of animated family entertainment, there is still room for original story lines, adult themes and genuine invention? Pixar never disappoint do they? Oh wait, there was Cars…

 

7. Grey Gardens – Michael Sucsy
One you might have missed this year is this retelling of the story of the Beale’s of Grey Gardens, based on the Maysles Brothers’ 1975 documentary of the same name, detailing the lives of Edith Beale, and, er, little Edith Beale. This dramatisation brings to life the accounts the ladies give in the documentary in a vibrant, energetic style. Drew Barrymore gives an uncanny performance as the eccentric Little Edie, and the film lends a depth to these women that the documentary just couldn’t give us. I honestly can’t recommend this desperately sad and beautiful tale enough.

 

8. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone – Hideaki Anno
One for the otaku crowd, this movie snuck out under the radar here in UK. For those not in the know, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a much loved, cerebral and controversial Anime series that has a long history of celebration, remastered versions, and a great many debates about what it all really meant. This movie is part one of four of a retelling of the story of Shinji, a little boy thrust into the spotlight when his father forces him to pilot what appears to be a giant robot in order to save the world from otherworldly monsters dubbed The Angels. You’re thinking – standard Japanese giant robot rubbish, right? Wrong. The first installment of this epic reboot trims the fat of the series and of course dazzles with next generation special effects, but is the just the first step in a surprising journey of flawed heroes, betrayal, love, loss and the very nature of the human condition.

 

9. Drag Me to Hell – Sam Raimi
Hey everyone, Sam Raimi’s back! Thrills, chills, laughs and a killer ending make Drag Me To Hell an entertaining ride. I’m afraid there isn’t much more to say about this brief return to form other than… can we have some more?

 

10. The Children – Tom Shankland
I honestly don’t know how this movie got past the censors. The story is this: A bunch of kids go bananas and their parents are forced to kill them. This is a grisly, bizarre and unsettling piece of work. It’s also hugely enjoyable if you fantasize about seeing the middle class eaten alive by their own monstrous squealing offspring, which I do. So hurrah for this grim little spectacle.

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