July was a decent month, 3 films, all worthwhile in their own way.
Ice Age 3 is, inevitably, an also-ran in the animated movie race. It doesn’t come from Pixar so is never going to be as great as something like Up (wait for the October Film Fight for that one). It is, however, a good fun film. Sure, the plot isn’t very deep, but it’s a kids film. It’s silly, and funny, and has some surprising risque jokes. Simon Pegg is great as crazed adventurer, Buck, and the rest of the cast build the franchise just a little more. Good and simple humour. (See my Ice Age 3 Twitter review).
It’s hard to say whether Sascha Baron Cohen has any shame or limits. In every one of his projects, he goes further and further. Bruno is no exception. His very camp, Austrian fashion designer runs amok through US talk shows, the middle east, and the deep south; offending everywhere he goes. The laughs are inconsistent, but when they come they’re often huge. It’s obviously not for the easily offended, but for those that like humour that makes them very uncomfortable, this shows the master at work. (See my Bruno Twitter review).
Finally, Moon is an interesting movie. It’s not The Shining in space, which is what I expected, but it does evoke the cold and desolate atmosphere even better than that movie. Sam Rockwell plays a harvester operator at the end of a three-year stint on the moon, when things start to go wrong. The isolation has made him lonely, to the point he’s seeing people on the surface. The mystery deepens when he realises he might not be as mad as he first thinks. The structure is a little slow, but the off-beat way scenes play out make it fairly compelling. Early on, it’s hard to tell whether we’re seeing delusions or genuine events, firmly planting us in the reality of the film. A convincing debut from Duncan Jones. Definitely see. (See my Moon Twitter review).
The winner for July is Moon, for it’s stark atmosphere and interesting play with the medium.