In the category of About Bloody Time...

[nina_ds]

The British Film Council has just certified additional materials (at least a director's commentary, possibly more) for Shallow Grave. The 15th Anniversary Edition, perhaps? That's terrifying, as I do remember seeing this in the theatre, but why has it taken this long?! I know that Trainspotting gets more attention, but I thought it was overrated at

Comments

[elyssadc]

Shallow Grave is one of my favorite movies of all time. Hands down. This is brilliant news.

[nina_ds]

It was a bit of a shock to realize next year will be the 15th anniversary, but that film left a very strong mark on me. I liked it while I was watching it, but it was one of those movies that really stuck with me long after I'd seen it - particularly some of David's scenes. (It was my first exposure to CE.) I didn't like any of the characters, but I did have some sympathy for David. Juliet is cold and calculating, and Alex was an idiot (I still don't see the charm of Ewan MacGregor, but he did get some great lines), but there was a believable, weird, co-dependent chemistry among all three of them that was disconcerting and compelling. But David actually grows and develops throughout the movie - almost literally. He's so curled up and tense at the beginning, but as the fear and guilt set in, he relaxes, the testosterone starts to flow, and he becomes a stronger, better person. Okay, also a murderer, but it was a fascinating performance and blew everyone else away as far as I was concerned, and I came with no preconceptions about any of

[elyssadc]

I liked it while I was watching it, but it was one of those movies that really stuck with me long after I'd seen it - particularly some of David's scenes.Hell yes. I can't actually remember what my first impression of the movie was because it's been so long and I've seen it so many times. But I do recall that it was the movie that made me fall in love with both CE and Ewan McGregor, so there's that. I find all three of the characters loathesome, but I do agree with you that David is the most sympathetic. Even while I hate him for his weakness at the begining and fear his insanity at the end. I think what I love most about the movie is how incredibly claustrophobic and paranoid the relationship is between David, Juliet, and Alex. They are so solipsitic and narcissistic and horrible, yet they pull you in by BEING so insular. No matter how completely fucking loopy their actions seem, I believe 100% that they have that kind of hold on one another. I mean I understand why each of them does what they do, even while finding it

[nina_ds]

Oh, I definitely remember my first impression of the film, because after that voice-over, you get that close-up of CE's eyes and I had a distinct moment of "Hello, who are you?" It's not that he was so good-looking (although the eyes are stunning), it's just that he had such an intense connection with the camera. (Yes, in retrospect, he has charisma even while dead!) The smoothness and technical proficiency of his transformation just floored me. And his creepy-sexy thing with Juliet (and even Alex at times) was the first time I'd really engaged with that kind of subtlety.

I think I liked Ewan MacGregor about as well as I ever have in the movie, but he did put the "shallow" into Shallow Grave (I so sympathized with David's moment, "I don't care how much you paid for it, we don't know how much it cost us.") He's got the kind of charm that really doesn't work on me, but it fits "Alex" to a T, and, as I said before, he did get some great lines. "But you're a doctor, Juliet, you kill people every day!"