I really enjoyed the box set of friends it allowed me and my friends to really fully enjoy the funny moments of friends and gave us an oportunity to get better at at our favourite game friends scene it.
I decided to use my 'extra day' this leap year wisely, and do things I enjoy; so a day of good films it was to be! An extra day being perfect for catching up on some I'd missed, I started off with this small treasure of a film.
Quietly released in the cinema, the DVD release had also previously escaped my notice. Renee Zellwegger, as another English character, seems somehow natural in her use of the accent now; I think we are so used to her as Bridget Jones that this is no longer a barrier to becoming genuinely involved in the film from the very start.
Indeed running at under 90 minutes, quick involvement is fairly crucial. Wheras some may say this whips through her life too quickly, for many reasons I am a champion of shorter films. There are too many overlong epics which would have benefited from stricter editing. In this case, the running time helps in making this a film which will appeal to a younger audience; those who may be too old for Beatrix Potter books themselves, but are just right for curiosity into the story behind them.
Ewan McGregor co-stars as the young publisher who falls in love with the author, and he has never been more charming or more lovely.
This is a captivating look at a story which continues to have an effect on so many of us. Whether you had the books as a child, read them to someone last night, or ate your cereal from a bowl with Miss Tiggywinkle printed on it this morning, there must be very few who haven't spent time with the characters in Beatrix Potter's unique little world.
My advice? Don't leave this until a leap year like I did! I'd recommend this on different levels; as a captivating, appealingly-made film, and as an insight to a story which brought colour and imagination to most of our childhoods.
'The N.Y. Times' called Peter Berg's 'The Kingdom' "'Syrianna' for dummies", but quite frankly, that's an insult to 'Syrianna', not to mention dummies. 'The Kingdom', though tacked with a poignant, albeit mealy mouthed, dénouement that equates the American M.O. to that of the terrorists; plays like an anachronistic, anti-Arab shoot em' up that teaches us all Arabs (hence Muslims) are bad, besides the ones who serve U.S. interests at the expense of their own country. When a devastating suicide bomb blast levels an American owned oil worker's compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; a po-faced crack team of maverick 'FBI' agents are dispatched to do a routine meet n' greet, but unsmiling hard man Ronald Flurry (the excellent Jamie Foxx cast as yet another authority figure; what is it with this guy? his last four characters have either been cops, agents or soldiers), Chris 'whatamidoinginthis?' Cooper, Justin 'here-because-the-screenwriter's-brother-likes-me' Bateman and Jennifer 'miracle-I'm-still-working' Garner don't do meet n' f***in' greet: Hoo-Rah! 'The Kingdom' is produced by one of my favourite directors; Michael Mann, though after the opening 'U.S.-Arab History Timeline' (obviously compiled by someone suffering from selective amnesia) you can tell why he passed the buck to actor/director Peter Berg. Now Berg had a small role in Mann's superlative neo-noir 'Collateral' (2004) followed by a brief appearance in Joe Carnahan's (whose brother's on script duty for this one) 'Smokin" Aces' (2007), and is actually quite a good director with entertaining, if lightweight, movies like 'The Rundown' (2003) and 'Very Bad Things' (2000) to his name. Yet here, Berg seems to have abandoned any & all sense of individualism or creativity, to give us his best impression of a Michael Mann film; aping everything from hard, HD-DV camera moves to procedural terminology and stylish shootouts complete with authentic cartridge Foley. A lot of time is spent in uncovering clues or checking shady alleyways for Arabist evildoers who, it seems, are in league with enemy clichés escaped from 1920s propganda films. There's a bizarre scene in which an investigating Arab officer gives Jennifer Garner some pink pyjamas because she's a girl, funny, but not quite in the way the maker's had intended whilst the penultimate scene; in which the same Saudi officer shakes her hand as a teary eyed sign of cultural progress is as laughable as it is absurd, coming in as it does, after a ridiculous, 'G.I. Jane'-esque fire fight. Two good action sequences and shots of Jennifer Garner running, can't compensate for a lacklustre storyline that attempts to build bridges by trying as hard as it possibly can to ignore the elephant (or should that be herd?) in the room (i.e. U.S. terrorism in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and the 130 countries in which they've built permanent bases). For its a real stretch for us to accept a premise that claims to be rooted in some kind of reality, yet at the same time, avoids the real issue with every passing frame. At best; it's a bad Michael Mann movie, at worst; it's a bad Michael Bay movie, though for trivia purposes, you might like to know 'The Kingdom' is the first production that Saudi royals allowed to be filmed in the UAE...great, for as Matt Damon's exasperated advisor said to an Arab Emir in 'Syriana': "...that's probably not the dumbest decision you've ever made, just the dumbest one you'll make today". Cool poster, shame about the movie.
Directed by Frank Oz and written by rising young British writer Dean Craig, Death At A Funeral boasts a stellar cast including Jane Asher, Daisy Donovan, Rupert Graves, Kris Marshall, Alan Tudyk and the always-on-form Peter Vaughan and is a riotous comedy of the very best traditions.
When Daniel"s father dies all he wants to do is give his dad a dignified funeral service. But when romance, jealousy, hallucinogenic drugs, dark secrets and blackmail all collide what should be a quiet and respectful event turns into a crazy mix of slapstick, farce and comic misunderstanding.
With each character having just enough to do it really is a strong ensemble piece and although every role could be hideously overplayed in the wrong hands, Frank Oz directs his cast expertly.
Tudyk is nothing short of hilarious as he keeps his performance perfectly balanced on the edge of believability. Kris Marshall doesn"t stray far away from his usual characteristics but he still pitches his performance well and Peter Vaughan steals each scene that he appears in.
Death At A Funeral may not instantly appeal to everyone, but anyone that, accidentally or otherwise, find themselves watching this film will be pleased to have uncovered a rare gem of British comedy.
Fantasic series, one of the very best! Joanna Lumbley and Jennifer Saunders really out do themselves in this series! Very very funny, my favourite episode of this series being small opening, if you love the begining series then you'll definately love this, highly recommended for a great laugh and has very good extras on the second disc. 10/10
This fine film is a complex story well played out,Raul Julia outdoes anyone he shares the screen with at the best of times.Kurt Russell gives a solid performance and both Michele Pfeiffer and Mel Gibson are electric together.
In one scene Gibson evokes a creepy smile to punctuate the development of the story and a chill goes through you as you realise he is treading a fine line between good and evil.This is one of my favourites from the Eighties,strong storyline and stellar cast.
I just bought this since my VHS is getting worn out,viewing this for the past twenty years on ration I am surprised the tape has lasted so long.
A fantastic series with good portrail of late 18th Century London, well researched and adapted to the screen. Mind you keep expecting Iain McDiarmond to say 'Join the Dark Side or Perish'
Hit n' miss historical fantasy unjustly crucified by the world's press who, by now, really ought to know how a Dino DeLaurentius production usually plays out: mildly entertaining action adventure: check, fit woman: check, everything done slightly on the cheap: check. 'The Last Legion' is a deceptively epic title for a relatively small scale picture, yes; there are a few big battles, but quite frankly, its not a million miles better than some ancient history programme on the 'BBC' and only slightly more impressive than those shoddy, cut n' paste campaigns depicted on 'Rome'. Now Colin Firth is often criticised for his bland performances, but he's just one of those actors unable to ascend the citadel of his own iconic status, sure 'Fever Pitch' was quite good, 'Bridget Jones's Diary' and 'The Edge Of Reason' saw him play to he-whose-name-we-are-about-to-mention, there were even a couple of inoffensive romantic comedies along the way too, but he'll always be Mr Darcy. Wherever he goes or whatever he does; that role (as great as it was for him back in the day) will, like your mother showing your girlfriend embarrassing childhood photographs in the family album, always come back to grab his cheeks & ruffle his hair when he least expects it. Its 460 A.D. and Colin Firth is Roman general Aurielas; sworn to protect child emperor Romulus Augustus (Thomas Sanger) from the barbarian kingdoms who've almost overrun Western Rome. Alas, he's not doing such a bang up job, as the kid's parents are promptly murdered and he's imprisoned in exile on some fortified island by marauding Visigoths (lead by bearded Scot Peter Mullan). Aurielas and a few loyal compatriots promptly assemble an elite unit thanks to help for Rome's Eastern front, which arrives in the shapely form of Byzantine warrior Mira (a stunning Aishwarya Rai) to rescue the young Caesar by finding a fabled Roman legion who're rumoured to be somewhere on the desolate outpost of Britannia. Lots of running about, some reasonably exciting battle sequences and an admirable lack of pretence (unlike '300' or 'King Arthur') actually makes its 100 minute running time go by quite painlessly, Firth's Roman general displays all the urgency of someone trying to organise a housewarming in Slone square than restore an emperor to his throne whilst young Sanger looks as confused as us; trying to figure out the film's bizarre switch from 'Fall Of The Roman Empire' to Arthurian legend hybrid. Laugh at some of the most enjoyable overrating you're likely to see all year (i.e. sir Ben Kingsley as welsh wizard Ambrosinus) and Ed Wood-esque bumlines like "he's a woman!"; 'The Last Legion' is a bit of a non-starter, though not as bad as some make it out to be. Rent the DVD, or see it on the 'Hallmark' channel in a month.
One of (if not) The best of Johnny depp's performances ever.
He truly encapsulates the part, drawing you into the dark streets of old London town, where all of society rich and poor lived. from thieves and beggers to the likes of gentry,lawyers
judges and priests.
The story it told through the unusual but very pleasant form of song. (some can be so infectious you just can get the tune, out of you head!)
it begins with Benjamin barker(Sweeney todds former name)with his pretty blonde wife & baby daughter in a market place. where he gets arrested by the bow street runners (the newly formed police force)he is sent to Australia by the Judge Turpin on a false charge for a crime he did not commit.
The story then continues with Mr Todd returning to London on a clipper ship sailing up the Thames.
When he disembarks he finds his way to the area where he live with Lucy (his wife)he enters an empty pie shop owned by Mrs Lovett.who, it seems has not had a customer for quiet some time!(probably due to the cockroaches running over the tables and floors.)
he then discovers that the flat above the shop is still unoccupied.(after 15 years)she claims it was due to it being hunted, but Todd takes occupancy never the less.
after finding out his true identity she hands him a box which holds a set of silver plated (cut-throat) razors.
(sorry, but now you know why they are called this!)
they strike up a weird but mutual friendship and start to discover that they could help each other in their own very different ways.
I wont give the whole plot away, but Sweeney's companion on the ship, a young boy sailor, falls in love with a blonde haired pretty young girl called Johanna, who it turns out is being looked after by none other than Judge Turpin.
Catchy tunes. Excellent choreography and a good looking cast. With the obvious story line of not stepping away from your own kind ( the geeks with the geeks and the jocks with the jocks) However rules are meant to be broken and that is what this film is all about.
The moral lesson is all too obvious without pushing it down your throat. You get drawn in to the feelings of the characters.
You also get drawn in to the stick in your head tunes. I know I was humming them for days.
A perfect film for the current Disney channel generation tha even adults will fail not to enjoy.
5 out of 5
I took my little girl to watch this film at the cinema, It is Enthralling and totally amazing. I recommended it to all of my friends who took their children and loved it too.
The cast and effects are fantastic, the storyline is a little too predictable but the film overall is Fantastic!
A real girly film but boys like it too!
Having watched season 1 of Boston Legal,I couldn't wait for season 2,and much to my pleasure,it was just as good as season 1.From the attorneys antics,whether in the courtroom or in the offices,to the on screen chemistry between James Spader and William Shatner,the whole show is just a joy to watch,it will leave you smiling and you will find it difficult too put it down,once you have started watching.If you haven't seen season 1,then get that first,just so you can enjoy it from the beggining,I am now waiting for season 3.Happy viewing.
Excellent conclusion to Robert Rodriguez's 'Mariachi' ('Guitarist') saga, which began way back in 1992 with 'El Mariachi' and though I wasn't a fan of that particular movie, I admired Rodriguez's economic ingenuity / boundless creativity in bringing his low budget crowd pleaser to fruition. 'Desperado' (1995) on the other hand, was much better; with an iconic performance by Antonio Banderas as Mariachi (though original star Carlos Gallardo made an appearance in his guitar gang), the mainstream debut of Salma Hayek and some hyper kinetic, John Woo-esque gunplay, the film was big on action & one-liners but slight on story and depth. 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' (2003) has it all; the perfect blend of action, character, story & spectacle, though its' hard to believe its' been well over a decade since Mariachi first picked up his guitar-case-full-of-guns and began an ultra-violent vendetta to avenge the death of his true love. For in that time, Robert Rodriguez has honed his everyman appeal to a tee, helmed at least one cult classic ('From Dusk Till Dawn') directed pal Quentin Tarantino's acting scenes in 'Pulp Fiction' shown an earnest desire to explode pretentious movie myths and an admirable brass tacks approach to filmmaking that he's willing to share with all who'll listen (his '10 Minute Film School' is must for any aspiring auteur).
Rodriguez has turned directing, often considered to be one of the industry's most stressful jobs, into both a profession and a pastime; playing by his own rules whilst editing and scoring movies in his own home (watch the behind-the-scenes extras for details) Bob Rodriguez is now a brand unto himself. Here, the young Mexican shoots his best script to date: 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' sees El Mariachi (super cool Antonio Banderas) forced out of grief stricken exile (his wife and child were murdered by the General whose now in league with a nefarious drugs cartel attempting to facilitate a military coup d'état) by corrupt CIA man agent Sands (an excellent Johnny Depp), who stokes his dormant desire for revenge whilst playing both sides. With an all star cast, 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' is a unique film in terms of being an endgame par excellence; the only franchise in recent memory that's actually improved with each sequel (though you needn't have seen either to appreciate this). Johnny Depp is a marvel as agent Sands; trying as he does to destabilise Mexico City's political landscape armed with an array of dodgy disguises, an unreliable fake arm, his mobile phone and an arsenal of automatic weapons (stand out scenes include Sand's silently mouthing "yes I would" in his meeting with Rodriguez regular Cheech Marin, 'complimenting' some chef, dismissing that bubblegum selling kid, cursing the church bells and doing his Marlon Brando impression in a confessional). Robert's cousin, scarily moustached badass and "Mexi-CAN" Danny Trejo returns along with Ruben Blades, Mickey Rourke and Salma Hayek (Hayek fans be warned: it's just a cameo stretched over four short, though narratively important, scenes). Antonio Banderas and Willem Dafoe (blackened up and putting on an impressive, albeit almost comedic, Mexican accent in a somewhat dubious throwback to less enlightened times) tear up the screen with some serious scenery chewing (and shooting) whilst Depp tires his hand at being a Sergio Leone-esque anti-hero. Banderas does his on screen legend proud, for though he doesn't have that many lines, Antonio acts with his eyes and, in true pistolero tradition, lets his guns do the talking: we're rooting for him all the way, and may even be inclined to stand up and shout: 'God Bless Mexico' come the patriotic ending and his character's unexpectedly insightful answer to a question posed in recurring flashbacks. Eva Mendes also puts in a revelatory performance as Agent Aljedrez, deadly & desirable; Mendes pulls off authoritarian chic with ease and deserves more screen time; I"d love to see her play similar roles and not relegated to the doldrums of nondescript comic book fare or random romantic comedies. Mariachi's gang is always worth looking out for; this time our hero brings Enrique Iglesias (not as terrible an actor as you might think) and mini-Banderas Marco Leonardi (star of 'From Dusk Till Dawn 3: 'The Hangman's Daughter'') into the fray, both put in decent performances in spite, or perhaps because of, dialogue limited to jocoserious, but naturalistic, banter. 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' is a consistently entertaining, fast paced and well acted political action movie with scenes rendered in crisp, bright colours on HD-DV cameras (surely the future of filmmaking). A top soundtrack (kudus to Salma Hayek's surprisingly good rendition of 'Siente Mi Amor' and Patricia Vonne's excellent 'Traeme Paz'), fluid action sequences and great cinematography which brings a largely unseen side of Mexico to the screen with stunning effect. With endless repeat viewing potential, this is a movie I've seen at least once a year since 2003 and it's a blast everytime, so don't be a "Mexi-CAN'T" be a "Mexi-CAN" and see it now. Maravilloso!
Great collection of film clips throughout Marc"s career and indepth look at his Life through friends and family best yet.
The casting is excellent and the tone and cinematography. The casting is excellent and the tone and cinematography lift it beautifully, and you with it. Instead of the usual Dickensien sooty rime you can smell the salty slap of the thames and the blood and sweat of Bradley Headstone's frustration. Even CDs classic too-neat happy ending is well balanced and you genuinely feel the suspense of Lizzies predicament. Can't recommend this highly enough. This has genuinely some of the UKs most extraordinary actors. Any one of them, in any other ensemble, would act all-comers off the screen but the total quality is spectacular - in the end you just hold your breath and get lost in it.
A sensational idea for a film. The cast are brilliant and there are far too many great performances to try to bring one ahead of all the others. Its a serious must buy film and worth watching over and over. Not that I want to highlight any performance but the boy who does the sweeping up is magnificent and oh so tiny!
Saw them in Birmingham. Absolutely brilliant. Can't wait until I get this DVD.
Sexy, beautiful and old enough to be your grandmother, yes, its Raquel Welch; live and in living colour, four of the buxom beauty's best known films (well, three and another chosen at random, not to mention one glaring omission) from 1966-68. Now I know what you're thinking: if those mammaries could lactate I'd be eating cereal everyday for a month, but lets not subject Raquel to the debased indignity of juvenile objectification...after all, that's what the films were made for. And at the risk of sounding gay; I love what 'Fox' have done with this DVD set: the shocking neon pink works a treat, with Raquel's face emblazoned on the cover like a massive balloon with Raquel Welch's face on it. Antonioni would've approved.
We get off to a fine start with 'Fathom' (1967): A so-bad-its-good spy spoof in the style of Mario Bava's 'Danger Diabolik!' (1968) with a smattering of Dean Martin's 'Matt Helm' (1966-69) franchise and a touch of Alberto De Martino's 'Operation Kid Brother'(1967) thrown in for good measure, 'Kid Brother', incidentally, being an off-the-wall Italian Bond spoof starring Sean Connery's younger brother; Neil Connery! Welcome to the 60s everyone. 'Fathom', directed Leslie H. Matheson, the man who bought us 'Batman: The Movie' (1965), does a fine job to play it straight for as long as it does, though an honest theatrical trailer helpfully suggests we don't try to 'Fathom' the plot. Raquel is Fathom Harvil; an ace skydiver / part time dental hygienist in Spain, coerced into retrieving an H-bomb detonator codenamed 'Fire Dragon' for MI6: Fathom parachutes into action, avoiding Machiavellian adversaries, bulls, bullets and double crosses all whilst wearing as little as possible. Matheson, the old perve, is a real pro and uses a lot of the same angles he employed to shoot Catwoman Julie Newmar two years previous, for every time Raquel's in shot (usually wearing a two piece bikini) he doesn't so much as execute a camera move as imitate Tex Avery's Big Bad Wolf, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if director and crew were ogling, howling and hitting themselves over the head with mallets as they filmed this. I imagine sophisticated perve Stanley Kubrick (may he rest in peace) would've snapped 'Fathom' up in a heartbeat, if only they'd let him turn it into an unwatchable art film with at least one full frontal money shot. Now to call 'Fathom' a straightforward spoof is a little misleading, for it's actually an intoxicatingly colourful series of random events strung together by the infectious charm of its leading lady, cinematographer Douglas Slocombe's sterling work on the Mediterranean palette (he'd later go onto become DP for 'The Lion In Winter', 'The Italian Job' and the 'Indiana Jones' trilogy) and a self-reflective sense of the surreal. It annoys me no end when people go on about how good life was in the 1960s, only because I actually believe them, and would've loved to have been around back then. Not simply because you could get away with making movies like this, but because it seemed like a truly fascinating juncture in the panorama of human existence, oh well, as Voltaire once said: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us"...no, hang on a minute that was Gandalf. Never mind. I enjoyed 'Fathom' a great deal, it's probably my favourite film in this set, but then again, I also liked 'Modesty Blaise' (1966) so glean from that what you will, and yes, that is a young Richard Briers from classic 70s sitcom 'The Good Life'; what would Barbara say? Good, helium light entertainment, nonsensical in the extreme, but a fantastic adaption of Larry Forrester's cult novel which, believe it nor not, was inspired by a true story! 'Fathom' defies expectation and never plunges to the depths of banality; it is, for a variety of reasons, Raquel's finest hour and a prime example of what a certain kind of cinema was all about in the swinging sixties. Great for a laugh.
Now I've heard of people disappearing up their own holes, but to be taken by somebody else's is just cruel & unusual, such events occur with alarming regularity in director Richard Fleischer's fun filled sci-fi adventure 'Fantastic Voyage' (1966). Cold war shenanigans abound as a defector Russian scientist and pioneer in the field of miniaturization, is critically wounded and left comatose in a botched assassination attempt; obviously, the only possible solution to treating the blood clot in his brain is by shrinking an expert manned submarine, injecting them into his circulatory system and hoping for the best. Raquel Welch (who bears a striking resemblance to Eva Mendes in this movie) plays crewwoman Cora, and quite frankly, if I were being injected into another man's canal for a potentially multiple life threatening mission that could culminate with a potentially messy or embarrassing demise, I'd want Raquel Welch to be there too, I think we all would. Here, she's stuck between erstwhile Roman charioteer Massala ('Ben Hur's' Stephen Boyd) and future megalomaniac Blofeld (Donald Pleasance, no doubt hired for his escapology experience as 'The Forger'). SFX are good for the time and a lot of matte paintings & pop art sets (e.g. the alimentary canal and medulla oblongata) still retain their visual splendour. Good performances from the cast make this a compelling and consistently amusing watch, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. The concept eventually, and inevitably, found its way into the comedy genre with Joe Dante's 'Inner Space' (1987) but 'Fantastic Voyage' is a good old fashioned, hi-concept family film that's bound to entertain.
Its 1968, and overrated, talentless, neo-Nazi hack John Wayne (may he rest in peace) was three years away from doing the unthinkable; and making the first decent film of his tediously long career (i.e. 'The Cowboys'). For the western itself had undergone a quiet revolution thanks to wily desperados Leone & Eastwood who, by now, had smashed it for all it was worth, sent it back to Hollywood on an old mule, reverse saddle and on its last legs. Meanwhile, old school industry heavyweights: 'The Rat Pack's' supercool, silky smooth crooner Dean 'bo-bo-bom' Martin and alleged real-life Satanist Jimmy 'wahh-wahh' Stewart are cast as gun slinging siblings in 'Bandolero!' director Andrew V. McLaglen's intermittently entertaining but strictly by-the-numbers western, caught, somewhat uncomfortably, between comedic tomfoolery and violent melodrama. Stewart rescues brother Dino from the hangman's noose and the pair ride headlong into high, and ultimately, deadly adventure across the Mexican badlands. Our girl, though she gets a good deal of screen time, is little more than a co-star here, and her Mrs Stoner character is, a lot like the movie, somewhat of a schizophrenic creation; part Jill McBain, part Soldadera and a little bit of every Latina heroine who ever picked up a shotgun. Raquel puts in a good performance drawing on her Bolivian heritage to do a passable Mexican accent and it's also quite rare for a western heroine to be as involved with the action as Raquel's character is in this picture, but there's no two ways about it; this is one the last films of its kind. Peckinpah would leave the western a smoking, bullet strewn corpse with his merciless, ultraviolent classic 'The Wild Bunch' a year later, whilst Ralph Nelson's brutally honest, superlative 'Solider Blue' (1970) would put the final bullet into a drawn out death; effectively assassinating white American mythos about how the west was won, once and for all. 'Bandolero!' ('Mexican Bandits') is a reasonably entertaining romp through familiar territory, though personally I would've liked to have seen one of her more controversial pictures in this genre (e.g. '100 Rifles' or 'Hanni Cauler') instead, still, its not a bad movie and worth seeing if you're in the mood.
For reasons that go above & beyond baffling, 'One Million Years B.C.'(1966) isn't included in this set, and we wrap things up with an enjoyable, if rather pedestrian, private eye picture with another 'Rat Pack' legend, ol' blue eyes himself; Frank Sinatra playing the Marlowe-esque Tony Rome (complete with snazzy white suit and a phrase book full of idiosyncratic hipster speak). 'Lady In Cement'(1968) is frequent Sinatra director Gordon Douglas's adaptation of Marvin H. Albert's hard boiled novel, and a sequel to 'Tony Rome'(1968). Focusing on the discovery of a body weighed underwater in cement, Miami PI Tony Rome is drawn into a murderous, labyrinthine conspiracy that leads him to question the owners of a seedy strip club and beautiful, wealthy alcoholic (a classic combination) Kit Forrest (Raquel in fine form). Its a well acted adaptation that held my attention throughout, though I would've liked to have seen the original first in order to compare both movies, overall; a far out crazy picture that'll have you using terms like 'far out' and 'crazy' whist calling people 'cats' for no apparent reason. 'Lady In Cement' is a shot glass of late 60's cool thrown over your face in manner not unlike Ted Striker from 'Airplane!', look out for some groovy, by-the-poolside palettes from DP Joe Biroc ('Superman', 'It's A Wonderful Life') that add character to this light n' breezy procedural, which is essentially 'Hawaii 5-0' meets 'The Rockford Files' via 'The Rat Pack'.
Commendably serious and engrossing epic focusing on the origins & criminal activities of the 'CIA', as seen through the eyes of obedient operative Edward Wilson (an excellent Matt Damon). Going back and forth in time over a 22-year period, director /actor Robert De Niro successfully manages to organise Eric Roth's potentially problematic narrative into an articulate, coherent and visually impressive opus. De Niro's directorial prowess in terms of scene structure / depth-of-field is second-to-none (loved the newsreel to scene transitions) and though this is a million miles away from his debut 'A Bronx Tale' (1993), he makes a mistake by trying to tell the story in an impartial manner, for such subjects are partisan battlegrounds built upon inflexible ideologies / very specific geo-political aims. And though his lassie faire approach allows the viewer to make up their own mind, it also takes the sting out of some of the indictments whilst shadowboxing with issues that demand to be bought out into the open: its as if De Niro, like his protagonist, is struggling to balance patriotism with integrity, yet failing to realise that the former has no purpose without the latter. Matt Damon is on top form as the troubled, humourless spy, though one can't help but question his character's sexual preferences; deciding as he does to spend more time with dusty hacks than with hot wife Angelina Jolie (who also puts in an excellent performance). Everyone brings their A-game to the picture including co-stars Alec Baldwin, Michael Gambon, Joe Pesci (memorable in his one and only scene), Billy Crudup and even Brit comedian John Sessions (I wonder if De Niro ever saw 'Stella Street'?) Great acting saves this picture from becoming a drag, for its laboured pace, methodical realism and the fact that it covers such a long period of time, requires a lot of patience from the viewer.
Eric Roth, though a superb screenwriter, seems fond of taking historical liberties; one recalls his infamous omission of the Moroccan waiters murder by Israeli death squads in 'Munich' and here, his script makes questionable use of dramatic license; even going so far as to suggest that North America's failed 'Bay Of Pigs' invasion of Cuba via air-strikes, exiles and mercenaries, wasn't due to the indefatigability of the Cuban people in their struggle against U.S. imperialism, but thanks to some loose talk between-the-sheets. Some of the more unexpected twists involve the fate of Damon's son's bride-to-be and the manner in which it's executed, the German secretary with a hearing aid (deafness seems to be an underlying theme) and an extremely well-crafted, Hitchcockian red herring that's stretched throughout the whole film. Conspicuous by their absence are some of the CIA's most widely documented, and successful, conspiracies from the era, namely 'Operation Paperclip', 1945 (conceived by alleged Nazi sympathisers / CIA co-founders Dulles & Kissinger) 'Operation Ajax', 1953 which successfully deposed Iran's democratically elected president and installed The Shah's brutal, 20 year dictatorship. Zionist U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson's leaked phone call sanctioning the deadly bombing of the anchored & manned 'U.S.S. Liberty' by Israeli fighter jets disguised as the Egyptian air-force, would've made for an incredible subplot, De Niro could have got a lot of material out the above, and though Roth may've wanted to focus on the Cold war elements of the story, I would expect a duo of such high calibre to consider how including these events would've enhanced the scope of their story. The fact that Israeli terror, Zionism, Islamic fundamentalism or U.S. meddling in the Middle East isn't even mentioned, makes the picture seem dated in terms of highlighting the ramifications of the agency's existence and deeds. Everyone whose anyone in the spy game gets a few minutes of screen time: English MI6 agents are portrayed as smug, ashen-faced conmen whilst the Russians are heavy accented bear-like chess players, though ultimately, the entire enterprise is shown up as an unsavoury, wretched cabal of sad men-in-raincoats who never grew up (The fact that we see Damon on stage in drag belting out a number from 'H.M.S. Pinafore' only serves to confirm the man-child angle). Transferring their boyhood fantasies of secret handshakes, gangs & violent games coupled with an inability to differentiae camaraderie from homosexuality, to the altogether deadlier forum of real life; where the guns are real and people die horrible, often unnecessary, deaths; the first being the sacrifice of a spy's soul. The antithesis of those cringe-worthy 'Alias' themed 'CIA' recruitment videos fronted by Jennifer Garner, 'The Good Shepherd' may just fall short of being a fully-fledged masterpiece, but its easily one of the finest spy films of the last decade. Dry but rewarding.
Ken Loach is Britain's finest director by a country mile, and after 'Aye Fond Kiss' (2005) returns with another excellent, neo-realist slice of life, this time focusing on the origins of the 'IRA' and their war against The British Empire's 'Black & Tan' imperial regiment (i.e. crack military death squads dispatched to stymie Northern Ireland's bid for home rule in 1920). A force who strike an exceptionally bitter blow in an old religious conflict, hence instigating the dirty war that frequently spilt over into England, and one which continues to claim the lives of many innocent people on both sides. 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' tells the story of Irish brothers Damian (Cillian Murphy) and Teddy (Padraic Delaney) who join the Republican struggle against British rule. And though Loach makes this as much a film about filial freedom fighters as 'Land & Freedom' was about externally imposed (i.e. Stalinist) splits within the anti-Franco resistance in Spain, its also a keenly observed look at the imperial paradigm itself: an unjust and insidious matrix which exploits the many, to subsidise the decadence of the few.
One daren't imagine how such a story might've been handled in Hollywood, so it should come as no surprise that Loach never turns the English villains into caricatures, and even highlights the fact that much of 'The Black & Tan' were made up of convicts or battle hardened veterans, returning from the soul destroying carnage of their government's most recent imperial misadventure: 'World War I'. Cuban hero Ernesto 'Che' Guevara once defined imperialism as "...a carnivorous animal that feeds upon the unarmed peoples of the world", and that's exactly the image this picture conveys; for its not just an indictment of British foreign policy, but the foreign policies of any and all imperial entities. Showing how an empire in decline ('The British Empire' was approximately 30 years away from collapse in 1920) is like a wounded, rabid creature whose savagery increases tenfold as it ponders its own end; the parallels with the U.S. in Iraq or Zionists in Palestine are as glaringly obvious as that of the possibility of another Galway for the Irish.
'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' also succeeds in showing us the grassroots execution of colonialism's favourite device: 'Divide & Rule', or when they're driven out: perfecting the fine art of being a sore loser, and though many empires have made the same heinous & cowardly exit (e.g. withdrawing French colonialists carving out Lebanon from Syria to factionalise Muslim & Christian Arabs, the English surrendering and implementing conditions conducive to civil war in Africa, Ireland and India or North America's carpet bombing / instigation of civil war in Cambodia during their retreat from Vietnam) at the end of the day, the responsibility lies not with the fleeing oppressor whose role it is to see his conquerors fail, but with the oppressed themselves whose role it is to reclaim their dignity in the smoothest possible manner. For imperialism may offer the bait (and is justifiably condemned for doing so), but its their own choice to take it. The second half of this film, though firmly rooted in the period, pretty much describes the situation faced by 'Hamas' and 'Fatah' in Palestine today, or the situation as it was for native South Africans during the last days of struggle against apartheid. Murphy's character insists upon the unconditional liberation of his homeland by any means necessary ('Hamas', 'Fatah Islam', 'Marxist PPFLP') whilst Teddy is willing to buy into the notion of a semi-autonomous 'free state' within British control ('Fatah' elements) thus proving that old imperial tactics never change and neither, it seems, does the way in which people respond to them. Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty have made a timeless masterpiece, worthy of its Palm'e Dor win at Cannes: 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' is nothing less than 'The Battle Of Algiers' for Northern Ireland. A must see.
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