Franklyn (McMorrow, 2008)

[ayaa1977]

Never heard of Franklyn, but it looks like fun. This needs to come out just before Watchmen otherwise it will die. Also, I *like* Ryan Phillipe. May be this could be his ticket out of B-list.

Franklyn is coming out this weekend in Dubai. I like Ryan Phillipe too. I looked it up and it currently geetting 63% @ rottentomatoes which is really decent.
Plus it has Eva Green going for it. Those eyes of hers are killers.

So is anyone gonna check out this British Sci-Fi?

[ozzylogic]

I've got it on kff, shall watch it tonight.

[ayaa1977]

I've got it on kff, shall watch it tonight.

What's kff Ozzy?

[animatedude]

I've got it on kff, shall watch it tonight.

What's kff Ozzy?

lol! well that's a long long story.it's kaytee's favorite format.i'm so looking forward to this despite shitty reviews from Mark Kermode and others.

[ayaa1977]

So guys, have anywone watched it in cinema? Ozzy you said you were gonna watch it. How was it?

[ozzylogic]

My pc died, and I was busy doing OTHER stuff on my lappy, my bad. It's worth acquiring on KFF for sure tho.

[ayaa1977]

Synopsis: Franklyn is a split narrative film, part of it set in present day London, and part is set in the dystopian "Meanwhile City" where it is mandatory for everyone to follow a registered religion no matter how ridiculous or made up it is. It follows In London, an attention seeking art student Emilia, Eva Green, who is in and out of the hospital because of her many suicide attempts, Milo, Sam Riley, recently has been dumped by his bride right before their wedding day, and Peter, Bernard Hill, a church warden who is desperately looking for his missing son. While in Meanwhile City, Jonathan Preest a masked vigilante, Ryan Phillippe, who might be the only disbeliever in Meanwhile City, and he is hunting down The Individual, the leader of the Evil religion of Duplex Ride who is responsible for the death of a young girl.

Franklyn is the type of films that tests your patient as a viewers. Its four stories move in parallel for two thirds of the film and the Meanwhile City narrative especially seems like it belongs in a different film, and at time that will frustrates you. But please be patient because you shall be rewarded. The worlds in the film meets neatly and the loose ends will be tied up in such a wonderful way. I really was kind of bored by the first half of the film because I thought it will lead me nowhere, but just at the point I was ready to give up on the film, it started enticing me and teasing with little clues that were enough to keep me interested till the final act. It was a very good experience and I really liked the film. Acting was fine across the board, except for Ryan Phillippe, who didn't live up to the challenge because in Meanwhile City he has to be the narrator of the film and he spend the majority of his screen time masked, and I am not sure he pulled out the voice work that well.

It is a wonderful small film and I will give it 4/5.      

[madali]

Franklyn (Gerald McMorrow, 2008)

There are several plots in this film. A girl's constant suicide attempt and her relationship with her mother. A young man's breakup with his fiancé. A man looking for his son. All in present day London, but there is another story, that falls in an alternative world, a futuristic looking dystopian city, ruled by religious authorizes, and a masked crusader, being the city's only atheist. It is only this story that is interesting and enjoyable to watch, but as it constantly shifts from this story to the other, you wander when the two will meet, and after a while, you realize they probably won't, and the future world must be a story within a story of one of the characters, or a dream, or a fantasy, or something that makes the story less interesting.

And it is a shame, because "Franklyn" could have been a fun sci-fi action film, something along the lines of "Dark City", moody and atmospheric. The constant shifts between the styles of the film and the stories, means you eventually stop being interested in either.

2/5