True Detective

True Detective is now out on DVD in the U.K. Louisiana State Detectives Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) are called to the scene of what looks like a ritual murder:

The series follows the case in flashback as the two detectives are interviewed many years after by their counterparts working a similar murder. A lot of fuss has been made of the series, preempting a cult following, but it is justified. McConaughey is hot property at the moment, after Mud and more recent films, and Cohle is a very suitable vehicle. Some of the weirder ideas that Cohle has (or purports to have: you're never quite sure if he's just playing games) would sound rubbish from a lesser actor, but he holds the attention perfectly. Harrelson's role is more solid and conventional, but it contrasts well with Cohle and is no less compelling. I honestly believe that you could just show the interviews without the flashback and it would still be good watching.

The direction and script are equally good and a third component, even a third actor really, is the atmospheric Louisiana countryside, part industrial (a strong feature being the refineries and chemical works supporting oil industry along the Gulf coast) and still very rural and religious.

Very, very recommended.

Now You see Me

Through LoveFilm, this is a nice little caper film. Four illusionists (Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson and Isla Fisher) are brought together to stage the ultimate act of their careers, but a much grander show is being played out.

It's a pretty good film, with a good cast (Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman supporting) and a reasonable plot, if a little preposterous, plus the magic tricks are imaginitive. A good, if undemanding, pizza movie.

The Hunger Games

From my LoveFilm subscription, I watched this adaption of the very successful book by Suzanne Collins. In a dystopian future America, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take part in the annual gladiatorial fight to the death in place of her younger sister.

This is a very good film. The future seems realistic enough, with the extreme divide between the very rich and technically advanced Capitol and very poor Districts, plus the death-match reality TV show used as a tool of political control. The acting is also up to the mark, with Donald Sutherland as the sinister President Snow and Woody Harrelson as Katniss's washed-up and cynical mentor, and you feel a fair amount of empathy with the lead characters.

It's a bit more thoughtful than the average pizza movie. Recommended.