Chris Curtis

Last night

Sometimes life deals you little ironies which remind you just how weird it all really is. Last night was just such a moment seeing two films: first Mike Leigh's new 'Happy Go Lucky', followed by catching up finally with Michael Haneke's Americanised replica-remake of his 1997 cult shocker 'Funny Games'. Both sound quite jolly don't they?

So the evening starts with 'Happy Go Lucky', a remarkably upbeat film for Mike Leigh, this is just fantastic. The highlight for me, and by quite some way, is Eddie Marsan's role as Scott, a driving instructor wound so tight that the unresolved inner tension literally crackles out of the screen. The final driving lesson showdown is glorious. Scott's worldview is so perfectly acted that, even if you haven't heard anyone like that before, somehow you know there are people dotted all over the world who see life through his eyes.

A quick coffee and then on to 'Funny Games, made all the more interesting because I've never got to see Haneke's original version from the late 90's. You might think that two films with 'happy' and 'funny' in the title would go well together. Anyone who's seen 'Funny Games' will already be smiling at the chasm I was about to try and cross in movie genres in the space of 10 minutes. 'Funny Games' is a brutal essay on violence and how we, the audience, engage with it on the screen. The plot reminded me of Leopold and Loeb, the two young Nihilists famous for the murder of Bobby Franks. Suffice to say that, even though almost none of the violence takes place on the screen, this story of two young polite men terrorising a rich American family is just about the darkest film I've seen in a while. Happy and lucky it isn't. And yet, this is an amazing film. It breaks all kinds of rules about what you can do with a plot (and I won't spoil it here by saying what they are). It's 'difficult' to watch but I'm glad I did.

Coming home, strange confused dreams took over of happy people and dark murders. Weird.

Street Kings (David Ayer)

David Ayer wrote 'Training Day' and the excellent 'Harsh Times', so getting him to direct his first big movie must have seemed like a good idea. I guess it must have seemed like that to the impressive 'A' list cast that includes Forest Whittaker, Keanu Reeves and Amaury Nolasco (Sucre in Prison Break to the initiated). And hey, isn't that House (sorry, I mean Hugh Laurie) popping up there as a tough Internal Investigations cop? This has the potential to be a classy dark cop thriller about the underbelly of the LA police force.

Except it isn't. You can buy the best ingredients from the classiest markets, but if the recipe is wrong, it's still going to leave a bad taste in the mouth. 'Street Kings' somehow manages to completely fail to engage. The final twists aren't twists at all, they've been signposted in neon for the past hour and a half. The action seems to focus on attaching a camera to the wheel of a sports car and driving it up and down Sunset Boulevard at 3am in the morning. The story is apparently about a cop "questioning the loyalties of everyone around him" but the only loyalty being questioned was my liking of films like 'Harsh Times'. This film is too convoluted to please anyone who just wants action and too mixed up to catch the attention of anyone who wants to revel in a plot. What a shame.

In Bruges (Martin McDonagh)

A cracking week Gromit, what with 'Happy Go Lucky' bringing the deft comedy touch of Mike Leigh back to the screens.

'In Bruges' is also a comedy but much much darker, earning it's '18' certificate in spades as the film progresses. And you know what, it's a cracker. All the reviews today are talking about the snappy script, and that's what you notice first of all. The plot itself doesn't hurry, and you might be lulled into wondering what on earth is happening during the first 40 minutes. But the pace bears fruit. By the time you've engaged with the characters, played by Colin Farrell and the awesome Brendan Gleeson, things are ready to roll. The dark tale that plays out is a joy to watch... at least if a violent tale of Irish hitmen is what you imagine as joy. Best film for a while as far as I'm concerned.

Son of Rambow (Garth Jennings)

It's nice this film. Not earth shattering. certainly not as good as the US critic have declared it, but an enjoyable experience nevertheless. After a break from films (gasp) due to work, this was the first thing I saw last week. Maybe I had too great expectations, but it somehow didn't work it's magic on me as much as I wanted it to. The depiction of the Exclusive Brethren is wry and clever, and the characters are fun. Worth a trip.