Author Archives: Ben Gould
Equilibrium (2002) is better than the Matrix sequels.
And I don’t know why it was ever associated with those mingers. It has guns and a similar theme. Wow!
There’s nothing particularly new or groundbreaking about Equilibrium (2002). It’s just a really well-made high-concept flick from someone straight out of a movie den who’s made it their quest to put into entertainment what they’ve absorbed from staples of the genre. All the usual tropes are here: regime offering order instead of chaos, Orwellian euphemisms and doublespeak, the conflicted civil servant.
“Who will guard the guards themselves?” will always provide plenty of movie material, and this is supremely stylish and flies by. It knows it’s shite. And that’s a good thing.
And Sean Bean dies in it. Which is inevitable.
Boiling Point (2021) is how you make a movie.
This was intense viewing, to say the least. The best thing about it is its reality – folk having a complete nightmare on the job and juggling like fuck. And it’s all over a bit of food.
It’s not a masterpiece, but Stephen Graham is fabulous in everything and I would watch him drive a milk float for 90 minutes.
Meet the Parents (2000) is forever hilarious.
It’s finally on Netflix, the streaming platform the excuse to watch once more what you’ve viewed 20-odd times already.
This is the ultimate comedy about Murphy’s Law, with one inane episode after another. But they are all credible and you believe every moment. It’s so well shot and edited, with the awkward reactions and expressions half of the hilarity. Moreover, it defines awkward. And there’s a seasonal quality to it, like it should be mandatory Christmas viewing.
Sadly, together with Analyze This (1999), it gave De Niro the impression he was first and foremost a comedian, and it kickstarted almost two decades of utter shite from the legend. This includes the truly horrid sequels to this masterpiece.
Wanderings and ... wonderings. 