A hilarious film with a great lineup of actors, including Jimmy Carr (8 out of 10 cars) Jessica Stevenson (Spaced, Royle Family) Robert Webb (The smoking room, peep show)Alison Steadman (Fat Friends, Gavin and stacey)Martin Freeman (The office) and many more great actors, this movie provides a great blend between hilarious scenes and real life struggles.The actors and actress's play their parts very well creating believable slightly over the top characters. The story line is unique as a magazine is hosting a competition in which the contestants have to have the most original wedding, the winning couple gets a house. This idea allows for many a funny moment and a very good ending. The directing is mostly clear and easy to follow, and overall it is a great family film, not suitable for young children as there is some bad language and some naked scenes. The DVD hosts a couple of extras including three alternative endings, which is a very good reason to invest in a copy.
This is a film to watch for good character acting as much as a good story. Tom Hanks creates quite a presence throughout the film but it"s the appearance of Phillip Seymour Hoffman that brings the film to life. Without him this would be an interesting story, but Hoffman brings humour and involvement to the film in spades.
Congressman Charlie Wilson, in the hands of Tom Hanks, is a fairly likeable character; of course he is, it"s Tom Hanks at his best with a glint in his eye. That"s not to denigrate his performance in any way; the character is huge, and Hanks is transformed in the film, he totally inhabits the character at all times. It"s one of those interesting films which has you wanting to find out more about the real life counterparts afterwards. Julia Roberts in particular really captures the look of wealthy socialite Joanne Herring.
For those of us who remember this era the first time round, it"s really quite disturbing how much of a period piece this seems! On many occasions this makes you think about how we view things now compared to these times. Entertaining and thought provoking; now that"s a must-see film in my book.
To have all the Blackadder's together in one box set is a dream come true, but to have all the specials as well is absolutely wonderful! I urge anyone to buy this box set so that they can get the full Blackadder experience, even if the quality isn't quite HD the stories and characters are more than well worth it.
Just like to say how impressed I was with the DVD. Not only the Self Defence Techniques demonstrated, but also the superb layout and interaction. Having trained in two Martial Arts myself I was interested to see what Goshinkwai (Total Body Defence) had to offer. I was not disappointed!! The techniques employed to take out any would be attacker were clinical, straight to the point, no messing around! I can see why it"s looked upon highly by Special Forces. Can"t wait for the next DVD!
A martial art that has somthing for every kind of martial artist. A teaching DVD that will become the bar for all martial arts DVD's.
With this film, Disney have cracked the market yet again. How clever to introduce actors such as Patrick Dempsey, and in particular Amy Adams, to a part animated film. Their calibre within "trendier" and more mainstream films expand Enchanted"s audience; and indeed make this an enjoyable film for both older kids and parents to watch. The script is very clever, with wit, fun, and content to appeal on all levels. This is a super film, a near perfect combination of animation and live action. I would expect to see more in the same vein from Disney soon, and this is no bad thing; highly recommended.
Alvin and the Chipmunks surprised everyone by being, well, not that bad really. The helium powered voices are certainly present but there"s actually something rather charming about the eponymous rodents that was missing from the cartoon series. Dave Seville (Jason Lee) is a failing musician who, in a bid not to return from another pitch meeting empty-handed, steals a muffin basket that just happens to be the hiding place of three recently displaced chipmunks. Alvin, Simon and Theodore have a talent for singing and Dave quickly realises that they could be his ticket to the big time. While, from Dave"s point of view anyway, the relationship is strictly professional, the chipmunks immediately make themselves at home and set about accidentally ruining his personal life. Believing that Dave no longer wants them to be part of his life, the chipmunks fall into the hands of greedy record producer Ian who sets them a punishing touring and recording schedule. Witnessing the exploitation of the chipmunks is just the wakeup call that Dave needs to realise that true family are the people (or creatures) that you choose to spend you life with and so he sets off to rescue his three furry sons. The CGI animation used in Alvin and the Chipmunks is excellent and the rendering is not too far from the original Chipmunk artwork. The script is highly amusing although does lay on the heart-warming factor rather thickly as family films tend to do. Although of particular appeal to younger viewers, Alvin and the Chipmunks is a reasonably sophisticated funny film that should please comedy fans and Chipmunk veterans alike.
Waitress, Adrienne Shelly"s third and final film, is a melancholic comedy about love and the triumph of passion over mundane drudgery. Jenna (Keri Russell) is a waitress and pastry genius at Joe"s Pie Diner, a cosy local eatery in small town USA. Also employed by the cantankerous Joe (played by veteran American favourite Andy Griffith) are the brash Becky (Cheryl Hines) and insecure Dawn (played by Shelly herself). All three waitresses are suffering the horrors of man trouble but it is Jenna who has it the worst. Her husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) barely acknowledged her existence and when he does, the best he can manage is to treat Jenna as his personal property. Realising that she is pregnant, Jenna fears that she will be stuck with Earl forever but hope is on the horizon in the shape of Doctor Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), her married obstetrician. Aided by Jenna"s canny confections, the two begin an affair that seems destined to end in despair. Waitress is an unusual film in many ways, in one part it is a rather formulaic romantic comedy but in another, surprises and twists abound. The script offers a believable slice-of-life tale and it has a deadpan humour that prevents the story slipping over into the sentimental. Keri Russell is best known for her role in TV comedy Felicity but in Waitress she shows some serious acting chops. Jenna could easily have been a clichéd doormat whose hopes and dreams were easily traded for financial security but Russell portrays her as an eminently sympathetic dreamer whose reaction to her pregnancy is both funny and understandable. Waitress is a wonderful film which manages to entertain and be uplifting without ever falling into the trap of being chicklit mushy. The pies looked delicious too.
Aristotle once said that "Dignity consists not in possessing honours, but in the consciousness that we deserve them", and such is the enduring victory of Palestine and her people. As a Semitic civilisation, the Palestinian Arabs (from Phoenicia to the present day) have lost and regained their country more times than any other people on Earth: from Romans to Crusaders, Philistines, Mongols, Tartars, Britishers and Israeli Zionists; they've seen them come, and they've seen them go, though the Holy Land, in my opinion, seems to have drunk more than her fair share of blood in the centuries of bitter conflict. Avi Mograbi's compelling, if off-the-cuff, documentary about Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, employs the ironic juxtaposition of Jewish Torah legends Samson and Masada, with the Palestinian people's struggle against Zionism. Drawing parallels between Samson's destruction of the temple (arguably the first suicide bomber) and 960 zealots of Masada; who, legend has it, chose mass martyrdom (alternatively, mass suicide) to surrender when besieged by their Roman oppressors. Mograbi's documentary is at its strongest when it uses 'No Comment' veritie techniques (i.e. the absence of narration or voiceover) which are now regular features on many news channels, to highlight the banal, ritual indignities imposed upon Palestinians by their Israeli occupiers. We get a glimpse of life under the cruel white n' blue; as malefic Zionist troops, peering suspiciously from behind U.S. supplied M-16 gun sights in fortified watchtowers, stop residents at checkpoints; vandalise vehicles and bark orders at Palestinian citizens who dare answer back. Vicious in manner, but also afraid, in spite of their obvious military advantage; the Israeli"s alleged ultraviolent inferiority complex, only serves to remind us that these conscripted soldiers of Zion are predominantly drawn in from the most impoverished parts of Eastern Europe, fanatical ideologues drilled to act as both vandal and victim. And though soldiering is a stressful profession, it's impossible to be a good soldier in a bad war or an occupation built upon irrationality, injustice & racism. And though not as good as 'The Ramallah Diaries' (2004), 'Nekam Achat Mishtey Eynay' (which refers to a blinded Samson's last prayer asking God to avenge but one of his two eyes) offers an honest insight into Zionism today: an ideology which, like the idol of Dagon itself, seems to be buckling under the weight of its' own inequity; with money spinning "birthright" tours and neo-Nazi rock concerts for British & American tourists, Zionism is shown up as little more than a crumbling demi-god, housed in a modern day edifice of mammon. As mad Rabbis scream and shout, the crowd is whipped into a racist fervour by songs about Samson and Masada, serenaded with lines like "Revenge, revenge, revenge" the narrative comparison to the Palestinian struggle so obvious, that the old rocker has to shout "...on Palestine, Palestine Palestine" in a chilling, yet endearingly absurd rant. And though Mograbi uses the Masada example as a symbol of defiance, he gradually relates it back to implied themes of an Israeli persecution complex; subtly suggesting that perhaps, more than any other people in the Middle East; Zionists, a gathered clan who are taught to see themselves as history's hardest done by, may well be the most volatile / irresponsible cult to have nuclear weapons. For gone are the days when sycophants like Marvin Heir could freely censor films like 'A Dream No More' (1998), or Zionist thugs blockade informative documentaries such as Roy Battersby's 'The Palestinian' (1978) robustly championed on the Oscar stage by its narrator Vanessa Redgrave. Mograbi, whose nineteen years in film have seen him address Israeli imperialism (perhaps to make amends for his second unit work on Menahem Golan's anti-Semitic B-movie 'Delta Force'), with righteous indignation in films like 'August: A Moment Before the Eruption' or farcical humour with 'Happy Birthday, Mr. Mograbi'. My only criticism would be that some scenes (i.e. the telephone conversation), as interesting as they are, would be better suited to bonus material than part of the main feature. A film such as this has, no doubt, inspired a new generation of documentarians, most notably Ido Harr, whose award winning 'Nine Star Hotel' (2007) focused on Palestinian workers trying to earn a crust in the occupied territories. And though I'd love to see Mograbi make a film about 'Neturei Karta' and orthodox Jewry's heroic, hundred year resistance against Zionism, 'Nekam Achat Mishtey Eynay' is still a very good documentary, definitely worth seeing. Eyes wide open.
Based on the novel by Blake Nelson, Gus Van Sant"s Paranoid Park is the quietly devastating tale of a teenage boy struggling to deal with terrible guilt. Alex (Gabe Nevins) is an introverted 16-year-old who uses his passion for skating as a means of avoiding thinking about the troubles in his life, his parent"s acrimonious separation and the bleating demands of his pushy girlfriend (Taylor Momsen). Seeking escape from his daily life, Alex visits Paranoid Park, the hangout of the serious Portland skaters. Even Paranoid Park ceases to be a refuge for Alex after he agrees to an illegal ride on a freight train with one of the older skaters. A security guard catches them on the train and, while trying to apprehend the pair, ends up fighting with Alex. The security guard is pushed and ends up in the path of an oncoming train. The older skater quickly runs off, leaving Alex alone with the body of the guard. Feeling unable to tell anyone what happened, not even his best friend Jared (Jake Miller) or his girlfriend, Alex bottles up his feeling of guilt until his mind is in danger of imploding. Elephant, Van Sant"s earlier film which also had the central theme of the destruction of youth, is an acknowledged masterpiece but Paranoid Park may be even better. The cinematography of Christopher Doyle is understated yet still breathtaking while many scenes (particularly the dialogue free break-up or Alex"s conversation with his out of focus father) manage to be beautiful and brutal all at once. Despite most of the main teenage cast being recruited through adverts on MySpace, the acting is marvellous. Gabe Nevins has taken a quite repressed and inexpressive approach to Alex"s character and his portrayal captures adolescent turmoil superbly. Gus Van Sant is a master of experimental film-making and Paranoid Park is framed as a confessional story that Alex is writing and so the action often skips about through time with some scenes repeating and overlapping. Paranoid Park is a haunting snapshot of teenage life today and the story will remain with the viewer long after the film finishes. Unmissable.
There exist two major works on the life of Golden Age conqueror Sultan Amir Timur Pasha; one by medieval Persian scholar Ali Yazdi Sharif Ud Din, the other by an equally gifted biographer called Ahmad Ibn Arabshah. The former of the aforementioned texts describes the Asian warrior king as a just, pious and honourable visionary, the other damns him as a barbaric usurper with no regard for human life. Hence it should come as no surprise to learn that Arabshah was Timur's enemy, and Sharif Ud Din his friend; for the truth, more often than not, resides somewhere in between adoring praise & bitter condemnation. One could say the same about 'A Mighty Heart', director Michael Winterbottom's well acted, though thematically limited, adaptation of Marianne Pearl's deeply personal, gut wrenching account of her husband's disappearance and eventual murder in rural Pakistan. Angelina Jolie puts in a powerhouse performance as Marianne, and we sympathise with her agonising ordeal in spite of knowing the outcome. Daniel Pearl (played with mild mannered conviction by film & TV actor Dan Futterman, best known for 'The Birdcage' and 'Shooting Fish') was reported to have been a Wall Street journalist who set out to interview Islamic militants in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (an Asian equivalent of North America's badlands or the Australian outback), but was kidnapped by terrorists in Karachi on 23rd January 2002. His harrowing last moments captured on film: Pearl was made to declare his Jewish faith, crouched in a position inflicted upon hostages held in Guantanamo Bay and killed. It was a brutal, savage act when seen from one perspective, but the truth, as always, and especially in an age of engineered misinformation; is never as straightforward as we're led to believe. For there are facts, troubling facts, which if denied, do as greater disservice to the truth as embracing externally manipulated paradigms constructed to serve a sinister political agenda: Daniel's father; Yehuda Judea Pearl was, in his youth, an Isreali military conscript with alleged intimate, post-service links to Sayeret Matkal, Mossad & other anti-Semitic Zionist terror groups. Maybe the younger Peal was, as his captors are said to have claimed, an Israeli spy / agent provocateur, alternatively; his race, dual-nationality and demeanour made him the perfect patsy for Anglo-American-Israeli imperialism: An unfortunate pawn in one of their many false flag terror ops; useful not only in promoting the so-called 'war on terror' in Pakistan, but reinforcing Israel's inane idea that any nation resisting the neo-fascist, antediluvian tyranny of Zionism, is also a hotbed of anti-Jewish barbarism. And yet we mustn't overlook the possibility that sometimes, sons are punished in place of their fathers: one recalls the cowardly, false flag murder / beheading of young anti-war activist Nick Berg allegedly committed by U.S. troops in 'Abu Ghraib'. And the fact that Berg's father; prominent peace campaigner Michael Berg, was mentioned on a leaked hit-list composed by Zionist sympathisers on a far right-wing Republican website, his son taken into U.S. custody in Iraq hours before his grisly murder was filmed and uploaded. Experts may state that Pearl's murder from a rational, investigative stance, bears all the hallmarks of a false flag; everything from the dubiously named, non-existent terror group (i.e. 'National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty'), presence of U.S. approved contracted mercenaries and the proven siphoning of aid. 'A Mighty Heart', in spite of its subject matter, isn't particularly interested in the politics of international terror but decides instead to focus on the human drama / search elements; as dedicated Karachi cops led by Irfan Khan and accompanied by creepy American mercenary Will Patton, break down doors, torture suspects and set wire taps. At times, it appears as if Winterbottom is satirizing the Pakistani government's desire to volunteer itself as an overeager, embarrassingly obedient lieutenant for U.S. imperialism; even going so far as to prove how terrorism takes hold without having any characters emphasis it, whilst Pakistan's leader faces a predicament not dissimilar to that of Odysseus the Greek king of Ithaca; forced to join Agamemnon's wars of empire for the sake of his own country. But despite such a wealth of material, 'A Mighty Heart' fails to convey how one heinous event fits into the bigger picture, which only makes for a frustratingly tepid two hours. Angelina Jolie's look in this movie evoked memories of Shakespeare's muse in Sonnet 130 and her Marianne Peal comes across as a quietly courageous, essentially decent woman struggling to find her voice on an unplayable chessboard of socio-political machinations, moves and countermoves. I find it odd, however, that that the same critics who now praise Jolie's emotive, grief-stricken scream as the pinnacle of good acting, ridiculed the exact same performance when Angelina's queen Olympias was informed of her son's death in 'Alexander' (2004). Another film that deals with the same subject matter, albeit fictionalised for greater dramatic resonance, is 'Infinite Justice' (2006); an independent shot on HD-DV and released about the same time as 'A Mighty Heart'. 'Infinite Justice' (no famous stars save Jennifer Calvert, known only to those who used to watch 'Spatz' in the early 90s) is, in many ways, a better film; as its not bound to any source material hence has a lot more room for narrative manoeuvre and thematic expansion. 'A Mighty Heart'is a well acted, nicely shot but ultimately unsatisfying picture.
Powerful feature film debut by veteran documentarian Nick Broomfield, 'Ghosts is an unflinching dramatisation (or 'Real Cinema' if you prefer) of events surrounding the deaths of 24 Chinese immigrant workers in England; who drowned in treacherous night-time conditions on Morecambe Bay whilst picking cockles to be sold in some of Britain's leading supermarkets (three of whom are named on screen). 'Ghosts' follows a similar narrative structure to that of Michael Winterbottom's 'In This World' (2005), depicting the immigrant's exploitation in stages: first at the hands of unscrupulous smugglers at home, then by the faceless tyranny of neo-imperial Globalisation and our hemisphere's modern day slave trade in migrant workers. Broomfield, like other neo-realist directors before him, chooses a cast of non-professional actors, many of whom, including 'Ghosts' leading lady; Ai Qin Lin, give affecting performances drawn from their own experiences. 'Ghosts', despite quite a bit of human drama and even some oddball humour, was primarily made to enlighten an audience about what's going on in the world today with regards to labour, and in that respect; this stark and harrowing picture achieves exactly what it set out to do. 'Ghosts' is an important, demanding film, simply told and definitely worth seeing.
Written by the king of the 1980's: John Hughes, and directed by Stan Dragoti, 'Mr Mom' is a witty, poignant, and above all, brilliantly acted film about conjugal roles and trying to strike that elusive balance between work, family and personal relationships. Michael Keaton plays Jack Butler, an average man's man turned hapless househusband after losing his job as an engineer. Jack's wife Caroline (played with aplomb by Terri Garr) becomes the breadwinner by taking on a high-powered role as an advertising executive much to Jack"s initial dismay. And to make matters worse, he also has to contend with Caroline's leering boss, who's hitting on her at any given opportunity. There aren't many movies that hold up so well, films which are as funny now as they were back then; 'Mr Mom' is one of those exceptions. I first remember seeing this as a kid during my summer holidays, and I've been a Michael Keaton fan ever since: I liked him in 'Gung Ho', laughed out loud at 'Nightshift' couldn"t quite appreciate 'Clean and Sober' back then (though its one of my favourites now), loved 'Beetlejuice' and braved the queues / hype for 'Batman'. If you've ever been unemployed, or simply stuck at home for some reason, you'll probably empathise with Jack's spiralling descent into the murky abyss of daytime television and soap operas. This man, a mere shadow of his former self, becomes a bloated, pyjama clad loser watching 'The Young & The Restless' mumbling at the TV whilst talking about characters as if they were real people. Jack, after some words of wisdom from his pals (cameos by Christopher Lloyd and Jeffery Tambor) is forced to admit his life is a shambles; its a funny, but sad and a depressingly accurate depiction of what can happen to a person in times of corporate / societal failure and economic uncertainty. 'Mr Mom' works for a variety of reasons, the most of important of which is the casting of Michael Keaton; Keaton saves would could've easily been an overacted, schmaltzy affair; cheesier than an Edam festival and twice as fragrant. For Michael has a unique ability to take on the seemingly unimpressive, and transform it into something bordering on genius. His talent for sardonic humour, erratic mumbling and psychical comedy infused with the furrowed brow of a serious actor, makes trite and unpromising comedic situations (e.g. malfunctioning Hoovers and overflowing washing machines) seem fresh and genuinely amusing. Being a housewife and mother is probably the hardest job in the world after nursing, and certainly the most unappreciated. John Hughes's script is a typically male tribute to that role, insomuch as it depicts how a guy would handle it (i.e. not very well) Jack subtly finds himself living out the worst clichés of what some men think their stay-at-home wives probably do all day (e.g. watch soaps, play cards for food vouchers and gossip with their friends). But eventually discovers there's a lot more to it than that, mirrored by Teri Garr's job as an advertising executive, cinematic shorthand for that old, but true, cliché about parenting being an experience, not a commercial. Jack's character goes through three stages in this movie: At first he's the downtrodden working man bounced out of a job who becomes a depressed acrophobe losing his grip on reality. Secondly; he's the caricature homemaker getting to enjoy his new role but not quite managing to grasp its finer points, and lastly; he's a man for all seasons, a man amongst men: A woman: Mr Mom. Fans will delight in witnessing the origins of what would become staple John Hughes scenes; the surreal, personified imagination sequence, this one sees Jack dream that his wife catches him cheating with their uninhibited neighbour; Joanne. She guns him down soap opera style, Jack collapses in a melodramatic heap and in his death throes, realises he's missed his chalk body outline by a few inches, he snaps back to life, and shuffles over into it before his nemesis; Caroline's boss, leans over and proclaims: "tough luck John", Keaton replies in his hilariously half defiant / half pathetic way: "Jack...it's Jack". In fact, for all the set ups and outrageous situations, 'Mr Mom' works best when its simply Keaton and his family trying to get though the day; the hazards of home decoration and DIY: "Kenny, don't paint your sister", relatively simple tasks like grocery shopping or dropping the kids off at school going spectacularly wrong, topped off with Jack's epic quest to try and help youngest son Kenny abandon his woobie security blanket: "I understand that you little guys start out with your woobies and you think they're great...and they are, they are terrific. But pretty soon, a woobie isn't enough. You're out on the street trying to score an electric blanket, or maybe a quilt. And the next thing you know, you're strung out on bedspreads Ken. That's serious". A laugh a minute, and a must see for Keaton fans.
It's a testament to Clint Eastwood's directorial prowess; that the silver-haired septuagenarian has managed to shoot a pair of war movies back-to-back, without compromising on any of the aspects that make for a good film. Focusing on the infamous WWII Pacific theatre battle of Iwo Jima, Japan, 'Flags Of Our Fathers' is told from an American perspective, whilst 'Letters From Iwo Jima' (the better of the two) offers a rare insight from the Japanese side, and features an unforgettable performance from the legend that is Ken Wantanabe ('The Last Samurai'). In 'Flags Of Our Fathers', Eastwood focuses on a platoon of exploited U.S. marine corps veterans immortalised in an iconic photograph of them raising Old Glory in the midst of battle. Adapted by Paul Haggis ('Crash', 'Million Dollar Baby') and William Broyles Jr. ('Jarhead') their screenplay courts expectation before cutting it down in one fell swoop; successfully subverting an American cliché in a stone cold deconstruction of wartime propaganda, hence exposing the clinical banality of the entire episode as handled by the powers that be. And though modern, media savvy, audiences know all too well that their governments, when left unchecked by society & The Forth Estate, will do horrendous things to their own people for personal gain; corruption in the upper echelons of power is a well known fact, but a fact worthy of repetition, especially in today's political climate. A veteran's second war (i.e. readjusting to civilian life) was memorably covered in William Wyler's 'The Best Years of Our Lives' (1946), and here, Eastwood, whose political leanings have always been Republican (some have even citied evidence that he's a member of the 'Bohemian Grove cult) seems to visually reference Alexander Solzhenitsyn; who astutely concluded that "A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny". For such is the nature of our hemisphere's 'Military Industrial Complex' that those who own the means of production will continue their war on human civilisation, until every individual is reduced to the status of victim or slave. A prime example is the manner in which these soldiers are paraded around as war whores, their trauma or guilt pushed aside without a second's remorse or moment to reflect upon the imperial travesty so often misnamed 'the good war'. Adam Beach, probably cast on the strength of his performance in John Woo's WWII picture 'Windtalkers' (2002) plays Native American soldier Ira Hayes, (immortalised in song by Johnny Cash) with dignity and grace, his naivety giving way to a burgeoning sense of anguish / frustration. Fellow troops Paul Walker, Jamie Bell, perennial onscreen soldier Barry Pepper and Jesse Bradford all acquit themselves well, whilst Ryan Philippe puts in an especially good performance as John 'Doc' Bradley. 'Letters From Iwo Jima', adapted by Iris Yamashita from Tadamichi Kuribayashi's 'Picture Letters From Commander in Chief' is an instant classic; one of the finest, most poignant and tragic war films ever made. Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Wantanabe Ken) is given command of the Iwo Jima operation; an intense, contemplative but stoic tactician, he soon establishes an impressive network of trenches & tunnels to combat an imminent U.S. onslaught. Kuribayashi and his troops know all too well that they've been abandoned to their fate amidst Iwo Jima's volcanic sands by the powers that be (a thematic echo from 'Flags Of Our Fathers'), scraping by on meagre rations and minimal supplies, an imperial solder wryly remarks: "We'll be dead before the Americans get here". And yet the General retains his dignity in spite of falling morale; inspiring respect through professionalism, his letters home and brief chats with comrade Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara) managing to stave off collective despair. Eastwood ought to be commended for the manner in which he portrays the Japaneese army as brave men putting forth a Spartan effort to make their last stand. Scenes with an American p.o.w. are reminiscent of Erich von Stroheim and Pierre Fresnay's dynamic in Renoir"s 'La Grande Illusion' (1937) whilst performances by Kazunari Ninomiya, Ryo Kase, Nae, Shidou Nakamura & Tsuyoshi Ihara are uniformly excellent. Kazunari Ninomiya's young baker; Saigo, managing to convey an everyman quality which highlights individual character over nationalist ideology. His distraught wife Hanako (Nae) is also good, and their moment of shared concern pays fitting tribute to an idea once voiced by an understandably biter U.S. Vietnam vet: who accurately stated that "...no one ever gives up their life for their country..." but that "...their life is torn from them piece by piece, until there's nothing left". Eastwood's artistic choices reflect this appropriately Nihilistic outlook; for the colour palate in both films is relentlessly bleak. War, that parasitic entity, seems to have sucked the frame dry; leaving only the charred bone whites, morning blues and greys of battle. For in the words of Earnest Hemmingway: "They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason". There are three sides to every war: their side, our side, and the truth, and though neither picture may be the absolute truth, at least they land somewhere close to it. Recommended.
The thing that I liked about this film was seeing Pierce Brosnan act completely against type. Perhaps he"s keen to rid himself of any type-casting problems in the future because in The Matador the only characteristic that his character Julien Nobel has in common with James Bond is his charm with women. Besides that he"s self loathing and an alcoholic
And instead of being licensed to kill by Her Majesty, he"s a hired hit-man.
On a job in Mexico he meets mild-mannered salesman Danny played by Greg Kinnear. They"re not the most likely of friends. Nobel has a bit of fun with him by teaching him a few of his assassin tricks and gives him some marital advice
Basically Nobel is a wreck, he"s burnt out and thinking about quitting the assassin business. And this is the strangest part - Danny helps him overcome his fears.
It"s a little long for a comedy and the midsection drags noticeably but it"s a bit different to most films
Brosnan gives a winning performance. And Hope Davis also entertains as Danny"s wife but Kinnear doesn"t give his best performance.
This live DVD is probably the best live DVD I have ever seen. It features 2 live concerts, 1 at Wacken Open Air, the other is an Acoustic Concert. The DVD also has interviews and 2 music videos. It also comes with a bonus CD, Best of CD, with 17 fantastic tracks. For track listings go to www.suidakra.com
A MUST BUY
Swings and roundabouts they say: It only seems like yesterday that Transformers were consigned to the scrap heap of popular culture, but lo and behold; those robots in disguise are back with a vengeance. 'Transformers: The Movie' was a pivotal point for the cartoon saga, released in 1986, it tanked at the box office after traumatising young fans (though your reviewer loved every minute) with its high body-count and onscreen deaths of popular characters. Its unexpected failure following a media backlash, also thwarted the theatrical release of 'GI Joe: The Movie' (another good film) but in spite of a lot of bad press, 'Transformers: The Movie' went onto become a cult classic on VHS and now, at long last, gets a decent DVD release. Much has been made of the Optimum 2-disc SE tin (which also serves to plug Michael Bay's live-action film), personally, I think that version is somewhat of a cynical, self-important cash-in whilst this 'Re-Constructed' edition has plenty of good extras and retains that all important sense of fun which made the 80s cartoon so popular; even the box is a colourful blue, as opposed to the humourless, corporate greys of the 2-disc tin.
Its 2005 (which seemed like a lifetime away in 1986) and heroic Autobots, led by the Yasir Arafat of Transformers: Optimus Prime, prepare an audacious attack behind enemy lines in the civil war for their homeland Cybertron. The Deceptacons, however, infiltrate Autobot HQ (via Soundwave and Ravage) to launch a devastating, pre-emptive air strike over Autobot city on Earth. After one of the fiercest, and deadliest, battles in Transformers history (and believe me, I misspent my youth staging some with toys), things change forever, and new leaders must rise from within to take up the struggle. 'Transformers' as a concept; is, in all honesty; ridiculous, for its only by admitting to its absurdity that we can still enjoy it on those long, and worryingly frequent, trips down memory lane. Deceptacon leader Megatron makes more of an impact here than he ever did in the series; for this robot (in disguise) killed Prime, Starscream, Centurion, Ironhide, Ultra Magnus, Brawn and any other Transformer whose toys weren't selling. Many of them were resurrected or repaired, but that's beside the point, for Megatron is guilty of being the first corporate war criminal in animation history: "such foolish sentimentality". Featuring a host of celebrity voices, including the late/great Orson Welles in his last role (playing, appropriately enough, an unstoppable colossus called Unicron), Leonard Nimoy provides vocals for Galvatron whilst 'The Breakfast Club's' Judd Nelson voices our hero Hot Rod / Rodimus Prime with animation legends Casey Kasim & Scatman Crothers on board as Cliffjumper & Jazz. Great film, as good as the live action, and in many ways; a lot better. Autobots: roll out.
An excellent programme, with a cast that are most suited to their roles. Margaret Thatcher described it as a political documentary, rather than a satire!
I thought this film was very clever in that it uses the marginalised group of skinheads in Thatchers early eighties, to demonstrate the many facets of humanity, through the individual characters. We have a funny and warm bully who supports Shaun following a bad day at school juxtaposed with a manipulative just released criminal, who sees Shauns ability to stand up for himself as potential in his ambitions to get the gang involved in the National Front. It is easy to anticipate the difficulties Shaun will come up against as a result of the decisions he makes but the ending is not predictable! It is great to see really plausible acting in typical FilmFour style and Turgoose is outstanding. Apparantly it is based upon Director, Shane Meadows personal experience and that certainly comes though in the sensitivity of his creation.
An intriguing look into the lives of a gang of skinheads and the characters particular influences on 11 year old Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), who has lost his father in the Falklands War. It particularly looks at the vulnerablity of this adolescent boy and the attractiveness of gangs.
Lively, and surprisingly well paced, adaption of the famous 1980s toy line / cartoon; action director Michael Bay gives us an absurd, yet unashamedly entertaining, three-in-one: transforming the military propaganda movie into a teens-in-peril picture before reconstructing that into an 'Armageddon'-esque event film. 'Transformers' manages to defy the odds and embraces its hi-concept of giant sentient robots (in disguise) with glee, and though Shia LaBeouf's humorous, energetic and generally amiable acting style suggests he must've studied the entire John Cusack back catalogue (he even looks a bit like him) it would've been nice to see a little more from our hulking metal heroes, (i.e. perspective, character etc) though scene-for-scene; they're given a fair share of screen time, and I imagine they couldn't risk investing any more into the budget without going north of $300 million. 'Transformers' does well to make the human characters / stories as appealing as possible, and employs some reasonably well written jokes used to good effect in early scenes with Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf), his would-be girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) and car/Autobot protector Bumblebee (reinvented here as the Lennie Small of the 'Transformers' universe). Fans will already know of the civil war between Autobots and Deceptagons, their respective leaders Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving) embroiled in years of conflict on home planet Cybertron, so the writers add a little something new with a maguffin called the All Spark; some power cube of pure energy sought by both sides, which just so happens to be on Earth. I mentioned military propaganda, and its here by the B-52 cache load, albeit packaged in a way better suited to a video game or, appropriately enough, an action figure diorama. There's even a scene in an American military base in Qatar (no mention as to why its there to begin with, I'm guessing not to protect Saudis from Transformers) where U.S. soldiers and Arab citizens fight side by side against deadly Deceptagon Scorpinork. Human characters also include buff bozo Josh Dhurman as Captain Lennox, his comrade-in-arms Sgt. Epps (former R n'B singer Tyrese Gibson) and a platoon of customary army cut outs (i.e. Hispanic guy, bespectacled joker and others who're there to make up the numbers). Lennox barely survives the Qatar base attack and heads stateside to rendezvous with allies for an inevitable, yet highly anticipated, showdown. Josh's character is written as the quintessential all American hero, not those scum rapists in 'Abu Ghraib' who immediately come to mind anytime anyone mentions the U.S. military, but a handsome, straight, decent, virile family man not afraid to pick up an M-16 or give an order to "Make it rain" (euphemism for a napalm airstrike, apparently). Story three (the most tiresome by far) has the Pentagon's top man; John Voight and some annoying young DSP analysts trying to decipher Transformer sonic code picked up by the Mars Rover mission. Don't ask. Now Jerry Bruckheimer is to Michael Bay what Bert is to Ernie, so it's strange to see a Bay film without his old partner on board, but even though Bruckheimer was probably too busy counting his monies from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to sign up, top marks have to go to producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and his editing team. As 'Transformers' is always on the money when it comes to action, now say what you will about how bad a director Michael Bay is, but he understands, and has mastered the art of shooting a certain kind of action sequence, for not since James Cameron has any Hollywood action director been able to handle large scale, hyper kinetic set pieces quite like Bay. Steven Spielberg is also on board as co-producer, and I'm willing to bet he had a hand in the tooth fairy scene. 'Transformers' is a watchable, fast paced bit of CGI fluff that's bound to appeal to retro fans, families and newcomers alike; here's hoping they don't ruin it with sequels. More than meets the eye.
Riveting, if somewhat unoriginal, vampire movie whose fascinating premise translates as little more than 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (though not nearly as hilarious or hardcore) meets 'Near Dark' via 'Pitch Black'. Barrow, Alaska is about to experience a month of total darkness; their last sunset filmed with impressive, snow capped luminance by director David Slade (in his follow up to edgy underground hit 'Hard Candy'). Like an anxious flock of birds, most of Barrow migrates south for the winter dark spell, though strapping Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) and quite a few others stay put. A bizarre series of seemingly unrelated crimes are soon linked as the work of someone (...or something) trying to further isolate the already remote hamlet. The situation goes from bad to worse; as bloodthirsty vampires descend upon Alaska for an unabated, free-for-all wholesale slaughter. Now if you've seen one vampire movie, you've pretty much seen them all, but that doesn't mean there isn't something to love about each one: '30 Days of Night', for example, draws heavily from one of my favourite films in the genre; 'John Carpenter's Vampires' (1998) whilst sparring use of 'Day-For-Night' filter and shutter effects during vampire attacks is reminiscent of the excellent 'Blade' trilogy. Josh Hartnett puts in a solid performance as the young Sherriff charged to outlast an increasingly bloody siege, and though he's yet to better his laconic turn as Slevin Kelvra in 'Lucky Number Slevin', Hartnett gamely runs with it for the blood-soaked finale. Aussie actress Melissa George is also on hand as fire marshal Stella Olsen, joined in municipal matrimony to Eben, George, who seems to have found her niche in horror, has an unchecked tendency to overact. And since Slade knows what makes for a good performance (see Ellen Page in 'Hard Candy') could've worked to make the Olsen's strained relationship a little more believable, instead of us simply waiting around for the next big action sequence. Produced by horror legends Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, '30 Days of Night', essentially a vampire western, and a thoroughly entertaining one at that, has bite as a kinetic comic-book thriller, though many scenes may be over familiar to genre fans whilst the creatures themselves look like Blackheart prototypes from 'Ghost Rider'. Now I like most vampire films, hell, I'm even known to occasionally pop on 'Vampires II: Los Muertos' with the impossibly hot Arly Jover and 80s rocker Jon Bon Jovi! and this is no different: A well made popcorn movie that'll yield a lot more enjoyment when viewed as an action film than a fully fledged horror. Bloody good show.
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