On Slow and Fast Cinema with Meek's Cutoff and Fast Five

Meek’s Cutoff could easily fall into the recent category of steadily contemplative cinema known as slow cinema. This movement was recently described by Jonathan Romney as a “varied strain of austere minimalist cinema… a cinema that downplays event in favour of mood, evocativeness and an intensified sense of temporality.” Meek's Cutoff is very much concerned with time and the repetition of events that drag time out over the course of a long, arduous journey across America. The natural lighting, under dramatic acting, often difficult to hear, and the square framing (instead of the traditional wide screen) give the audience a sense of being a part of this journey. As the travelling is hard going for the characters, the viewing is hard going for the audience, but it is rewarding. Meek's Cutoff exerts a strange power as you watch, not unlike a tractor beam. There is nothing obvious drawing you towards it, but yet you can't turn away and find yourself part of the characters' experiences. There is clear technical proficiency in front of and behind the camera in all areas and yet the story must have been a hard sell and is unlikely to make a profit, which is unfortunate. This is powerfully subtle cinema.

Not powerful and as far from subtle as you get can is Fast Five. This is the fifth instalment of the Fast and the Furious series (2001 - 2011) and rarely stops for breath. The dialogue is flat, the characters struggle to move out of their one dimension and film is far too long. Yet there is undeniably pleasure to be had in the insane, fantastical action sequences. The film is lifted by the presence of Dwayne Johnson, who has charisma and lifts any scenes he is in and makes the most of the screenplay, which seems to have been written in several sections by different people who didn't communicate. Instantly forgettable, but ridiculously enjoyable.