I'm not really sure how to do the films I've seen recently because some are downloaded ones that aren't getting/haven't been released. Hmm. I'll take all the older ones here and decide whether to do the other two together or separately. Anyway, out of sheer boredom I watched Mission: Impossible III on tv the other night. I'd skipped this at the cinema when it came out even though it had Viscount Hoffman in it because, well, it didn't look very good. My former self was right on the money.
This is a really by-the-numbers, unispired entry into the series and has made me convinced J.J. Abrams is a complete hack (this plus his contribution to the risible Cloverfield has killed any interest I might possibly have had in the upcoming Star Trek film). Cruise is in full snooze mode, Michelle Monaghan has absolutely nothing to do and their relationship is so paper thin and unconvincing it scuppers any interest dramatically. Big Phil is hardly in it, has a completely 2D character and merely has to shout a lot. It's almost impressive that the screenplay so consistently strips away most of what is interesting about the performers involved. The action is solidly done but devoid of tension, it's a watchable film but it's trite to the point of annoyance.
Later that night I taped Lucrecia Martel's debut, La Ciénaga, which I missed when FilmFour did their Argentina season a few months ago. This interested me because I saw her second film, The Holy Girl, on sky a few years ago and while not a great film it had fine performances and lots of atmosphere. This film doesn't have quite the same blend of sexual tension and unease, but it is fairly atmospheric. The problem though is that you have all these characters and it's not entirely certain what the relationships are with everyone and who's who.
There are some good performances, Mercedes Morán isn't as good as she was in her later film with Martel, but she has a very nice presence and it's a similar story with Sofia Bertolotto as the main young girl, she doesn't reach the heights Maria Alche did in The Holy Girl but she's extremely natural. If I were to give an example of what's ... wrong with this film then it's that I watched it two days ago and I'm struggling to remember how it finished. It's very low key and there isn't a strong dramatic arc to the movie, it's more of a mood piece. This is not to say it's a bad film, it's just not very engaging and rather forgettable, although a decent watch at the time.
Lastly, I downloaded a film which came out 4 years ago and has been out on dvd in America for over 3 years, but has never had any distribution of any kind here: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. I've wanted to see it for years because I'm such a fan of Julianne Moore and I just got completely bored and frustrated with it not being available and got it off the internet because they clearly have no intention of trying to get me to see it through legal means.
This is a real-life story of how a housewife in the late-50s/early-60s kept her family afloat by entering contests companies ran for writing the words for their jingles. The style of the film is hyper-cute but inconsistent and the drama is rather repetetive with Moore continually bailing out the family at the last minute following the feckless father (played by Woody Harrelson) wasting all the money. It's a thankless role for him, but it's the Julie show. She's her usual subtle, natural self but there is the odd moment where I saw Julianne Moore crying or acting so while very good, it's not quite up to the quality of her finest work. It's not particularly involving but it is so stylish it's always watchable, even if it does leave a lot of questions unanswered.