Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by clarkjohnsen (R) on March 10, 2008 at 12:45:16

This played at the Landmark Kendall Square, and every time I go there I seem to have forgotten why I don't like to go there. There are silvery decorations on the walls near the screen that reflect the light. The masking is incompetent. And the audience is half Cantabridgians who always laugh at the weakest jokes if they're PC enough and miss the good stuff. Oh well.

The film was most enjoyable, although the first twenty minutes seem rather lackadaisical. You get a lot of Colin Farrell facial expressions (mostly amusing) and Brendan Gleeson stodginess and grand views of Bruges; then finally Clémence Poésy for the looks and Jordan Prentice reprising his role (more or less) from Harold and Kumar.

But then comes the fateful telephone call that swings the second act into motion, and what a sitter-up that bit is. A whole new movie! Also we get the other side, the truth, about Colin Farrell's character, the insouciant Ray.

Then Act III introduces Ralph Fiennes. Oh my. We've been waiting for Harry.

I must concede there were two big plot holes (anyone care to disccuss?), but they slide by easily enough, as they tend to do when you're enjoying yourself. On the plus side, nearly every piece of action or background introduced in the first act, comes around later to fulfillment (the coins!). And midway through, a song by Schubert, Der Leiermann (The Hurdy-Gurdy Man), cuts through with a kinetic significance; the singer is begging him to play a Song for Death, nor is this any ordinary organ-grinder.

clark