The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

Film of 2012 #56

Geena Davis stars in this film that hints a little at the Bourne Films, at the start of the film she knows she has amnesia and to a certain level has accepted this. She has hired private investigators to try and find her past, one of these investigators is played by Samuel L Jackson in a post Pulp Fiction role. He starts as a fraudster just trying to take Geena Davis for all he can, to then becoming her partner as she tries to piece together her life. As with these things there is a secret from her past that comes back to haunt her in her new life and as with all these stories there is a decision to be made whether she wants to return to her old life or the new life she has found since amnesia.

As with a lot of these films there is a point where you have to suspend your disbelief about the situation and what actually could and does happen but overall this is a lot of fun. You pretty much stay with the Geena Davis character and as she finds out things so do you as the watcher. I think that there is a level where they felt back in the 80's and 90's that small stories did not work and they need to be bigger and bigger and push the levels all the way. It works in this film as it sort of runs along the fantastical and gets more and more unreal for everybody involved. There is a nice point when it switches from the Geena Davis character on to the Samuel L Jackson character and he ends up the one not knowing what is happening.

This is a fun film without being anything mind-blowing, it is well worth watching especially if you like the Bourne films it is an older female role that I think is a different take but very similar to these stories. Overall this is a 3 star film that I think you should watch.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Film of 2012 #40

This comedy from Shane Black was sort of below my radar, I was aware of it but not much about it. When I heard it was a comedy and the rough outline it intrigued me enough to give it a go and it was most enjoyable. It is a very styalised film with Robert Downey Jnr as the Narrator and speaking directly to you very aware that it is a film you are watching and there are scenes where the tape is rewound. There is a definite style within the film that could be a bit off putting for some people. I have to say that it is an enjoyable film with Robert Downey Jnr in his days before Iron Man showing a bit of the skill that we would see in later films. Val Kilmer as gay Perry an actor that was always a bit meh to me as I was never really sure if he was any good or not and I had not seen him in anything I really liked him in. He plays the gay private eye very well and then the female lead is Michelle Monaghan someone who has been around for a while but never really expoloded in to being but she played the part of Harmony very well.

The story is told in a sort of Noir style with the narrator telling the story and leading the audience and there is a hint that the narrator in this case might not be fully trustworthy. There are what appear to be plot holes but I think that this is all part of the telling and the fun of the film. However it could jar with you if not expecting something as strange as this. I think that it adds to the charm of the film and it actually makes me want to explore some real Noir films as I am not aware of actually seeing these films. I have seen several parodies done and it all leads me to want to see and learn more.

Overall this film is a bit different to anything I have seen recently and I would recommend that everybody sees it, a solid 3 star recommend, let me know if you have seen it and if you liked it or not.