Forget the fact that the Man in the title is a bit blah, because there's lots to enjoy in this movie if you're a fan of 'B Movies' or chop-socky action. This movie is a bit of a vanity project for RZA, one of the rappers from the Wu Tang Clan. He co-wrote the film (with Eli Roth, usually a horror merchant), directed it and stars as The Blacksmith. I think he should have stuck with writing and directing, because those jobs he has performed more than competently. Acting is not for him though, displaying an extremely limited range of facial expressions (mostly just the same one throughout) and not a lot of personality. This is more than made up for though, by some artfully hammy acting by Russell Crowe as Jack Knife, Lucy Liu as Madam Blossom, former WWE wrestler Bautista as Brass Body and especially Byron Mann as head baddie Silver Lion.
In case you couldn't tell by the silly names, this is an incredibly silly movie but I found it immensely enjoyable in all but a few flashback scenes. Set in feudal China just before modern weapons, a village is the battle ground for a number of different clans who want control. The Lion tribe tend to be fairly peaceful other than fighting the Wolf and Hyena clans, until Gold Lion (leader) is murdered by one of his own. His son and heir, Xen-Yi the Dagger Blade, tries to return to the village to avenge his father's murder and wrest back control of the clan from Silver Lion who has taken over with big plans to rob the government of a haul of gold that will be passing through the village. The Blacksmith has historically provided weapons to all sides, but finally chooses a side when Xen-Yi comes back and is wounded by the hulking, impervious goon Brass Body. English gentleman Jack Knife who is staying at Madame Blossom's brothel/hotel initially seems to be here coincidentally, but eventually a purpose is revealed.
The movie is essentially a series of fights, between clans, then between Jack Knife and anyone who interferes with him, then between Xen-Yi and his former clan members, then between The Blacksmith and Xen-Yi and Brass Body, then the Lion tribe with the Gemini Killers who are escorting the gold, then it sort of becomes all in once the gold has been jacked and the Government finds out, then the Blacksmith has to get revenge with his newly forged Iron Fists after Brass Body cut off his forearms. Madame Blossom and her girls are also a lot more than they seem! The fight scenes are all super-stylised and hyper-violent (eyeballs being punched out and flying across the screen and plenty of crimson squirting) and this is where the influence of Eli Roth is felt. It's got a similar feel to Kill Bill's big fight scenes, except with smaller weapons and hand to hand martial arts rather than samurai swords. The 'stylised' element also continues with the use of modern day hip hop music as the score rather than traditional score music.
My companion rated this as a 5 out of 10 but I would give it closer to a 7 out of 10 as I really enjoyed the fights and the campiness of it all.
Wednesday 26 December 2012
Monday 24 December 2012
Christmas Eve movie marathon
Wow, it's Christmas Eve already. Where has that year gone? For me, it's been consumed with way too much work. But work finished early today, so after getting through the season finale of 'Homeland' which we were too tuckered out last night to watch live after my family Christmas day, it's time for our traditional Christmas Eve movie marathon. Elf, followed by Bad Santa. Or perhaps Bad Santa, followed by Elf?
Elf is the magical Christmas spirit movie, although with a big twist of weirdness thanks to Will Ferrell's manchild antics. Why do we rewind the part where he gets hit by a car so many times though? Hilarious and with a nice heartwarming finish. For the guys, it stars Zooey Deschanel in a very winning role.
Bad Santa is the antithesis of a Christmas movie on the surface of it, featuring a mean, alcoholic, career crim who poses as Santa for department stores each year with his dwarf partner in crime as an elf, in order to rob the store the night before Christmas. In this new city, he meets an 8 year old boy who is borderline mentally challenged and therefore easy to take advantage of for accommodation and food while he pulls his scam. Despite all the swearing, fighting, shagging and other miscellaneous bad behavious, this movie does manage to show some Christmas spirit as well. This one is definitely NOT for the family/kids (the F word appears about 70+ times in various guises) but could be a goer for the grinchier folk out there. If you don't own it and can't rent it, it's showing on GO! on Christmas night at 9:30pm (Brisbane time).
Merry Christmas to all my readers, hope you have a happy day and get to enjoy some movies in the next few days. Now I'm off to load the DVD player, kick back, put the feet up and enjoy some laughs.
Elf is the magical Christmas spirit movie, although with a big twist of weirdness thanks to Will Ferrell's manchild antics. Why do we rewind the part where he gets hit by a car so many times though? Hilarious and with a nice heartwarming finish. For the guys, it stars Zooey Deschanel in a very winning role.
Bad Santa is the antithesis of a Christmas movie on the surface of it, featuring a mean, alcoholic, career crim who poses as Santa for department stores each year with his dwarf partner in crime as an elf, in order to rob the store the night before Christmas. In this new city, he meets an 8 year old boy who is borderline mentally challenged and therefore easy to take advantage of for accommodation and food while he pulls his scam. Despite all the swearing, fighting, shagging and other miscellaneous bad behavious, this movie does manage to show some Christmas spirit as well. This one is definitely NOT for the family/kids (the F word appears about 70+ times in various guises) but could be a goer for the grinchier folk out there. If you don't own it and can't rent it, it's showing on GO! on Christmas night at 9:30pm (Brisbane time).
Merry Christmas to all my readers, hope you have a happy day and get to enjoy some movies in the next few days. Now I'm off to load the DVD player, kick back, put the feet up and enjoy some laughs.
Thursday 20 December 2012
Word of warning on The Hobbit High Frame Rate version
Good evening and welcome to a very nerdy post about the technicalities of film formats - something you need to consider before you go and see The Hobbit. The casual movie goer would not normally pay too much attention to what format their film is being shown in, other than is it the 2D or 3D version as some really can't stomach the 3D format and others don't want to pay the extra and are happy with two dimensions. However, I recommend that casual movie goers pay attention to the format that their local cinemas are showing The Hobbit in, before you go. It may determine how much you enjoy the movie.....
Previews of The Hobbit in both 2D and 3D are appearing this weekend ahead of the film's release on Boxing Day. I recommend you check with your cinema which of the following formats they are going to be playing:
2D, 24 frames per second
3D, 24 frames per second
3D, 48 frames per second
IMAX and IMAX 3D (only at IMAX cinemas, none here in Queensland sadly)
You may not be aware that Peter Jackson is pioneering a new technology with The Hobbit, choosing to film in the new style of 48 frames per second (you will see this denoted as HRF for High Frame Rate in the advertising). Essentially this is a faster rate at which the images are played, which should reduce motion blur and bring a new level of 'realness' and 'immersion' to your movie experience. Everything should be super clear and detailed, especially when coupled with the fact that the HFR is being used only with 3D.
Why should you care about this? Well the jury is still out on this new technology and whether it actually enhances the experience or detracts from the experience. Generally what we love about movies is that they take us away from everyday life into a magical motion picture world, where the filmmakers can make us see only what they want us to see. In theory, HFR of 48fps should enhance this. But early reports are coming in that it is quite distracting and may actually have you focusing on the wrong things and not getting into the story and characters as much as you would with 24fps, the current standard in cinemas.
If you want to get a bit more detail, here is an article I found which is a bit technical but it is the view of a person who went to see The Hobbit in 2D 24fps, 3D 24fps and 3D 48fps. So they are actually comparing 3 versions of the same film and their view is that the HFR and 3D combination is not favourable and actually reduces your enjoyment of the movie.
http://gizmodo.com/5969817/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-masterclass-in-why-48-fps-fails
On the other hand, the movie reviewer who posted a review of The Hobbit in today's free mX commuter newspaper wrote a glowing review of both the film and the technology, saying it was 'breathtaking' in the visuals.
It will be very interesting to see what the jury decides, which will probably require more movies to be released in the format to get a better feel for the pattern. Which one will I be going to see? I'm not sure, I'm going to read a bit more and think about it a bit and it may depend on when I'm going to see it. It will definitely be 3D but whether it is 3D HFR may depend on how much of a Post Christmas headache I have... I have a strong feeling though that my natural curiousity is going to draw me towards the brand new technology, just to see what it's like. I hope this has been helpful to you.
Previews of The Hobbit in both 2D and 3D are appearing this weekend ahead of the film's release on Boxing Day. I recommend you check with your cinema which of the following formats they are going to be playing:
2D, 24 frames per second
3D, 24 frames per second
3D, 48 frames per second
IMAX and IMAX 3D (only at IMAX cinemas, none here in Queensland sadly)
You may not be aware that Peter Jackson is pioneering a new technology with The Hobbit, choosing to film in the new style of 48 frames per second (you will see this denoted as HRF for High Frame Rate in the advertising). Essentially this is a faster rate at which the images are played, which should reduce motion blur and bring a new level of 'realness' and 'immersion' to your movie experience. Everything should be super clear and detailed, especially when coupled with the fact that the HFR is being used only with 3D.
Why should you care about this? Well the jury is still out on this new technology and whether it actually enhances the experience or detracts from the experience. Generally what we love about movies is that they take us away from everyday life into a magical motion picture world, where the filmmakers can make us see only what they want us to see. In theory, HFR of 48fps should enhance this. But early reports are coming in that it is quite distracting and may actually have you focusing on the wrong things and not getting into the story and characters as much as you would with 24fps, the current standard in cinemas.
If you want to get a bit more detail, here is an article I found which is a bit technical but it is the view of a person who went to see The Hobbit in 2D 24fps, 3D 24fps and 3D 48fps. So they are actually comparing 3 versions of the same film and their view is that the HFR and 3D combination is not favourable and actually reduces your enjoyment of the movie.
http://gizmodo.com/5969817/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-masterclass-in-why-48-fps-fails
On the other hand, the movie reviewer who posted a review of The Hobbit in today's free mX commuter newspaper wrote a glowing review of both the film and the technology, saying it was 'breathtaking' in the visuals.
It will be very interesting to see what the jury decides, which will probably require more movies to be released in the format to get a better feel for the pattern. Which one will I be going to see? I'm not sure, I'm going to read a bit more and think about it a bit and it may depend on when I'm going to see it. It will definitely be 3D but whether it is 3D HFR may depend on how much of a Post Christmas headache I have... I have a strong feeling though that my natural curiousity is going to draw me towards the brand new technology, just to see what it's like. I hope this has been helpful to you.
Movie #28 - Skyfall
Blonde Bond is back in a classic action movie that definitely holds its own in the Bond catalogue. Skyfall is in many ways an old-fashioned movie and in other ways a thoroughly modern movie. Old fashioned comes in the form of the early action scenes being mainly based around hand to hand combat and also there is lot of battles fought with words. Modern is the villain, Silva, who chooses to use the internet to bring about his particular brand of chaos.
The film opens with Bond and an unnamed field agent (played by Naomie Harris) pursuing a bad guy through the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and eventually onto a train, where the agent has to take a shot before the train disappears into a tunnel. She hits Bond by mistake, who falls into the water, presumed dead. Meanwhile, back in London, M is taking heat from the British Government, particularly Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes in a small but key role) the head of foreign affairs. It seems the hard drive the bad guy got away with in Istanbul contained a complete list of all MI:6 agents undercover in the field, endangering hundreds of lives and the agency's top assets. When the first agent's name is leaked on the internet, it seems there is a link between M and the perpetrator, who seems to want M to think about some past sins. The link only adds to the Government's concern about M's ability to do the job, especially as she is 'getting on'. The pressure is on to retire, but M is determined not to leave the agency in a big mess. Luckily Bond resurfaces (no great spoiler there, wouldn't be much of a movie if he died in the first 10 minutes) and agrees to take on the mission.
All the talk about a lack of globetrotting in this Bond entry is a bit misleading, as there are still plenty of different locations to visit to solve the puzzle and contain the villain, Silva (played in a very strange but compelling way by Javier Bardem who is almost as unsettling here as he was in 'No Country for Old Men'). The Bond girls have been overhyped as well, as I felt that they didn't really have much to offer in this story. The focus is squarely on M and her relationship with Bond and Silva.
What is a plus for this film are the fight scenes, with one done in silhouette in a Shanghai skyscraper window being particularly memorable, and the inevitable chases and gun battles. All executed in classic style where you can understand the action, none of this ridiculous fast cutting that seems so popular these days. The performances by Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are superb, both being very sypathetic characters as the film doesn't shy away from the age of these characters, asking the question 'can they still do what is necessary?'. There are a few touches of humour in their interplay as well which is needed to lighten the otherwise very serious mood.
I'm not a huge fan of the Bond character and films - I haven't seen more than maybe a third of them. I have seen all three of the Daniel Craig entries and I think this has been my favourite of those. I did however walk out of this very impressed, it was a well-put together movie with very few weak or slow moments and some memorable action. Definitely one to see for action fans.
Post-script: I forgot to say that the new Adele song 'Skyfall' must be the best Bond theme ever and I'm not even an Adele fan. Beautiful. And Ben Whishaw as the new version of Q the gadget man is very spunky.
The film opens with Bond and an unnamed field agent (played by Naomie Harris) pursuing a bad guy through the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and eventually onto a train, where the agent has to take a shot before the train disappears into a tunnel. She hits Bond by mistake, who falls into the water, presumed dead. Meanwhile, back in London, M is taking heat from the British Government, particularly Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes in a small but key role) the head of foreign affairs. It seems the hard drive the bad guy got away with in Istanbul contained a complete list of all MI:6 agents undercover in the field, endangering hundreds of lives and the agency's top assets. When the first agent's name is leaked on the internet, it seems there is a link between M and the perpetrator, who seems to want M to think about some past sins. The link only adds to the Government's concern about M's ability to do the job, especially as she is 'getting on'. The pressure is on to retire, but M is determined not to leave the agency in a big mess. Luckily Bond resurfaces (no great spoiler there, wouldn't be much of a movie if he died in the first 10 minutes) and agrees to take on the mission.
All the talk about a lack of globetrotting in this Bond entry is a bit misleading, as there are still plenty of different locations to visit to solve the puzzle and contain the villain, Silva (played in a very strange but compelling way by Javier Bardem who is almost as unsettling here as he was in 'No Country for Old Men'). The Bond girls have been overhyped as well, as I felt that they didn't really have much to offer in this story. The focus is squarely on M and her relationship with Bond and Silva.
What is a plus for this film are the fight scenes, with one done in silhouette in a Shanghai skyscraper window being particularly memorable, and the inevitable chases and gun battles. All executed in classic style where you can understand the action, none of this ridiculous fast cutting that seems so popular these days. The performances by Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are superb, both being very sypathetic characters as the film doesn't shy away from the age of these characters, asking the question 'can they still do what is necessary?'. There are a few touches of humour in their interplay as well which is needed to lighten the otherwise very serious mood.
I'm not a huge fan of the Bond character and films - I haven't seen more than maybe a third of them. I have seen all three of the Daniel Craig entries and I think this has been my favourite of those. I did however walk out of this very impressed, it was a well-put together movie with very few weak or slow moments and some memorable action. Definitely one to see for action fans.
Post-script: I forgot to say that the new Adele song 'Skyfall' must be the best Bond theme ever and I'm not even an Adele fan. Beautiful. And Ben Whishaw as the new version of Q the gadget man is very spunky.
Tuesday 18 December 2012
movie #27 - Twilight Breaking Dawn Pt2
Surprisingly, this movie did not suck. After Breaking Dawn Part 1 has taken out my award for one of the worst films I've seen in years, I had low expectations on the second and final instalment of the Twilight saga. Those expectactions were pleasingly exceeded by one main factor: a clever way to end the movie on an exciting note without completely changing the book ending. But I can't tell you about that because it would break my own rule about no spoilers. So you'll just have to decide whether you will give it a chance or not. To review this movie though, there are spoilers from earlier films so don't read below if you are not caught up.
Part 2 picks up the moment that Part 1 left off, where Bella awakens as a newborn vampire after the birth of her and Edward's half-vampire half-human child. The scenes of Bella understanding her new feelings and strength and feeding for the first time are fairly laughable from a special effects perspective but at least provide some excitement which was sadly lacking from Part 1. We then expect to fall back into the typical Bella/Edward/Jake love triangle but this is dashed by discovering that Jake has 'imprinted' on the child Renesmee and no longer has the same feelings for Bella. Things get a little boring as the family group get all gooey, snuggly and cosy and watch Renesmee grow up a little too fast but luckily imminent danger is just around the corner to wake us up. The Volturi hear about a child with extraordinary powers from a passerby who was a former friend of the Cullen clan. They vault (geddit) into action without looking for evidence, mounting a campaign to come and kill the child which threatens the security and secrecy of the vampire race in the world. The Cullens swing into action to defend their little treasure who is not what the Volturi think, recruiting in a bunch of fun vampires from around the world to 'testify' for them.
The scenes of the 'good' vamps practising their talents and preparing for war with the Volturi are quite fun although I thought more could have been covered with Bella's particular talent (been a while since I read the book but I recall that being more critical than it's made out to be in the film. The final confrontation is not quite the anti-climax I have always felt the book was, thanks to the aforementioned cleverness of the screen writers which will not be revealed here. It's definitely a satisfactory ending to a series that has had its ups and downs in excitement and given us the dubious acting talents of Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (who has been a lot better elsewhere). The endless intense stares continue in this movie so if you weren't a fan before, don't expect any changes here.... The whole movie is not awful though, with some tension, fun and laughs (love your work actor who plays Charlie).
Part 2 picks up the moment that Part 1 left off, where Bella awakens as a newborn vampire after the birth of her and Edward's half-vampire half-human child. The scenes of Bella understanding her new feelings and strength and feeding for the first time are fairly laughable from a special effects perspective but at least provide some excitement which was sadly lacking from Part 1. We then expect to fall back into the typical Bella/Edward/Jake love triangle but this is dashed by discovering that Jake has 'imprinted' on the child Renesmee and no longer has the same feelings for Bella. Things get a little boring as the family group get all gooey, snuggly and cosy and watch Renesmee grow up a little too fast but luckily imminent danger is just around the corner to wake us up. The Volturi hear about a child with extraordinary powers from a passerby who was a former friend of the Cullen clan. They vault (geddit) into action without looking for evidence, mounting a campaign to come and kill the child which threatens the security and secrecy of the vampire race in the world. The Cullens swing into action to defend their little treasure who is not what the Volturi think, recruiting in a bunch of fun vampires from around the world to 'testify' for them.
The scenes of the 'good' vamps practising their talents and preparing for war with the Volturi are quite fun although I thought more could have been covered with Bella's particular talent (been a while since I read the book but I recall that being more critical than it's made out to be in the film. The final confrontation is not quite the anti-climax I have always felt the book was, thanks to the aforementioned cleverness of the screen writers which will not be revealed here. It's definitely a satisfactory ending to a series that has had its ups and downs in excitement and given us the dubious acting talents of Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (who has been a lot better elsewhere). The endless intense stares continue in this movie so if you weren't a fan before, don't expect any changes here.... The whole movie is not awful though, with some tension, fun and laughs (love your work actor who plays Charlie).
Movie #26 - End of Watch
This movie is no longer out due to my slackness, but you may find this review handy for the DVD store!
End of Watch is a pretty decent action/cop thriller, from the bloke who did cop movies like Training Day, Street Kings and Dark Blue. To give you fair warning though, this movie has a lot of 'shaky cam' because there is a bit of a 'gimmick' used that one of the cops is making a doco for film school. Do not watch if you hate shaky cam.
End of Watch follows two LA cops who are lucky or unlucky enough to be assigned to the extremely mean streets of South Central LA. The two cops are single white male Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and married family guy from Hispanic background Mike (Michael Pena). While normally this scenario would be an odd couple not getting along, played for laughs situation, the movie has them as best friends whose strong bond and rapport is the only thing that gets them through the hellish scenarios they face at work. This kicks off with a car chase resulting in a gun fight where the crims are taken down by our pair who survive an internal review to get straight back on street patrol. After which a rather over-the-top series of further adventures occur which turns our guys into saints but makes them a target for the bad guys. And when the sh*t gets serious, boy does it get SERIOUS.
The movie definitely has an ultra-realistic feel from the large amount of hand-held camera shots and the use of some non-actors for the baddies who may or may not have some real-life experience of being a gun-toting foul-mouthed gang member in South Central LA. Seriously, this film has a lot of swearing and really embraces the street slang to continue the 'real' feel (even though you can't always understand exactly what they are referring to). The downsides are that it can be quite depressing, and I felt that there were just too many 'good deeds' by two individuals - this would be more realistic if it happened to about 5 people rather than just two. Also the 'found footage' idea is pretty dumb when parts of the movie are following the bad guys inside their car or parties.
The upside of the movie are the strong writing by David Ayers and performances by Jake and Michael. The friendship between these 2 guys is extremely truthful and the scenes of them trading insults, stories and jokes in the patrol car and sharing life's big moments are needed to lighten the heavy mood and provide some good laughs.
I left this movie feeling like I'd been punched in the face but not unhappy about it. Solid and quite thrilling in places.
End of Watch is a pretty decent action/cop thriller, from the bloke who did cop movies like Training Day, Street Kings and Dark Blue. To give you fair warning though, this movie has a lot of 'shaky cam' because there is a bit of a 'gimmick' used that one of the cops is making a doco for film school. Do not watch if you hate shaky cam.
End of Watch follows two LA cops who are lucky or unlucky enough to be assigned to the extremely mean streets of South Central LA. The two cops are single white male Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and married family guy from Hispanic background Mike (Michael Pena). While normally this scenario would be an odd couple not getting along, played for laughs situation, the movie has them as best friends whose strong bond and rapport is the only thing that gets them through the hellish scenarios they face at work. This kicks off with a car chase resulting in a gun fight where the crims are taken down by our pair who survive an internal review to get straight back on street patrol. After which a rather over-the-top series of further adventures occur which turns our guys into saints but makes them a target for the bad guys. And when the sh*t gets serious, boy does it get SERIOUS.
The movie definitely has an ultra-realistic feel from the large amount of hand-held camera shots and the use of some non-actors for the baddies who may or may not have some real-life experience of being a gun-toting foul-mouthed gang member in South Central LA. Seriously, this film has a lot of swearing and really embraces the street slang to continue the 'real' feel (even though you can't always understand exactly what they are referring to). The downsides are that it can be quite depressing, and I felt that there were just too many 'good deeds' by two individuals - this would be more realistic if it happened to about 5 people rather than just two. Also the 'found footage' idea is pretty dumb when parts of the movie are following the bad guys inside their car or parties.
The upside of the movie are the strong writing by David Ayers and performances by Jake and Michael. The friendship between these 2 guys is extremely truthful and the scenes of them trading insults, stories and jokes in the patrol car and sharing life's big moments are needed to lighten the heavy mood and provide some good laughs.
I left this movie feeling like I'd been punched in the face but not unhappy about it. Solid and quite thrilling in places.
Friday 14 December 2012
BIFF 2012 Wrap Up
Phew, what a busy couple of weeks I've had with BIFF, followed by a rock and roll odyssey lasting 2 weeks and then realising it's almost Christmas and I better get shopping! I've only now had time to digest the BIFF experience and provide a summary.
Between the 12th and the 25th of November, I ended up seeing 23 movies in total. And there wasn't a really bad one in the bunch, I picked pretty well again. Before we look at my Top 5, here is what won the Audience Vote during the festival (for non-BIFF goers, you get to vote on a scale of 1-5 after each movie by ripping a little voting slip and handing it in). It seems they've heard my previous criticism and the results are based on the percentage of 'love it' votes because some of these movies had extremely small audiences but still made the Top 10. That's what it should be about, the amount that the people who saw it liked it, not how many people were free to attend at that time.
Showtime Movie Channels Top 10:
Between the 12th and the 25th of November, I ended up seeing 23 movies in total. And there wasn't a really bad one in the bunch, I picked pretty well again. Before we look at my Top 5, here is what won the Audience Vote during the festival (for non-BIFF goers, you get to vote on a scale of 1-5 after each movie by ripping a little voting slip and handing it in). It seems they've heard my previous criticism and the results are based on the percentage of 'love it' votes because some of these movies had extremely small audiences but still made the Top 10. That's what it should be about, the amount that the people who saw it liked it, not how many people were free to attend at that time.
Showtime Movie Channels Top 10:
- The Hunt
- Mission to Lars
- The Field of Magic
- The Central Park Five
- Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel
- Amour
- Waziz
- No
- Thy Womb
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Close but no cigar went to Coral Rekindling Venus, Show me the Magic, Miami Connection, Ai WeiWei's Never Sorry, The Queen of Versailles, Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present (shown on TV this week!), Ernest & Celestine.
Alright, that's what everyone else loved, what about me? My Top 5 was:
1. God Bless America (US). If I don't get this for Christmas, I'll be ordering it off Amazon on Boxing Day!
2. Mission to Lars (UK - also #2 above) - I think we all agreed this was a heartwarming charmer.
3. Sinister (US). Almost scared the pants off me. I love having my pants scared off!
4. The Reluctant Revolutionary (Yemen/Irish production). Shocking, inspiring, eye-opening and very real.
5. Sons of Norway (Norway). Funny, touching coming of age tale mixed with punk rebellion.
I would also rate Miami Connection close to the Top 5 for pure stupidity and hilarity, and also Maniac was a strong contender for just pure originality in an overstuffed slasher genre.
If you get a chance to see any of these movies, I suggest that you take that chance. There's a whole world out there around us and BIFF is a great way to see what is happening in places you would normally never see or read about without great difficulty. Even if you wouldn't watch them over and over again, these movies are a great experience to have. Let me guide you next year!
I would also rate Miami Connection close to the Top 5 for pure stupidity and hilarity, and also Maniac was a strong contender for just pure originality in an overstuffed slasher genre.
If you get a chance to see any of these movies, I suggest that you take that chance. There's a whole world out there around us and BIFF is a great way to see what is happening in places you would normally never see or read about without great difficulty. Even if you wouldn't watch them over and over again, these movies are a great experience to have. Let me guide you next year!
Sunday 9 December 2012
Last BIFF Film Review - The ABCs of Death
Closing night of BIFF and one of the last films screened is 'The ABCs of Death'. Not actually a movie, but 26 short films all run together with only one thing in common - death. The creators of this film took 26 directors from around the world, many working in the horror genre, and allocated them one letter of the alphabet, a $5,000 budget and a maximum running time of 4 minutes. That letter had to represent a method of killing someone, but the director had complete creative freedom of how to choose and film their segment.
The result of this little experiment was for me, a little too bizarre. Some were obvious, some were extremely tenuously linked to their letter, some were artsy fartsy (O is for Orgasm), some were blah, and some were just extremely weird (F is for Fart). This movie is not for the faint hearted and will at some stage offend you. If you haven't been offended up to the letter Y, don't worry, you will be offended by the letter Z, which was directed by our mate Hiro Nishimura (last year's 'Helldriver', 'Tokyo Gore Police') and is completely crazy. You won't ever have seen anything like this. Whether you want to or not I think will depend on your mood - my overall vibe was that I didn't like it very much. It was too disjointed, the death methods were not traditional or scary enough for my liking, and the directors are not well known enough to be able to successfully play 'guess the director' before the end credits roll (with two exceptions - we spotted the Metalocalypse guys fingerprints on their segment and Nishimura of course). I preferred last year's Film Festival entry "50 Best Kills" which was a mash up of the 50 best death scenes, commentated by Lars Nilsson of the Alama Drafthouse Cinemas in the US. Much more fun!
If you are interested to know what the 26 chosen letters are, please scroll down and I've listed them below. Not the best closing to a Film Festival that I've had, but an experience.
The result of this little experiment was for me, a little too bizarre. Some were obvious, some were extremely tenuously linked to their letter, some were artsy fartsy (O is for Orgasm), some were blah, and some were just extremely weird (F is for Fart). This movie is not for the faint hearted and will at some stage offend you. If you haven't been offended up to the letter Y, don't worry, you will be offended by the letter Z, which was directed by our mate Hiro Nishimura (last year's 'Helldriver', 'Tokyo Gore Police') and is completely crazy. You won't ever have seen anything like this. Whether you want to or not I think will depend on your mood - my overall vibe was that I didn't like it very much. It was too disjointed, the death methods were not traditional or scary enough for my liking, and the directors are not well known enough to be able to successfully play 'guess the director' before the end credits roll (with two exceptions - we spotted the Metalocalypse guys fingerprints on their segment and Nishimura of course). I preferred last year's Film Festival entry "50 Best Kills" which was a mash up of the 50 best death scenes, commentated by Lars Nilsson of the Alama Drafthouse Cinemas in the US. Much more fun!
If you are interested to know what the 26 chosen letters are, please scroll down and I've listed them below. Not the best closing to a Film Festival that I've had, but an experience.
Apocalypse
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo.
Bigfoot
Directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano.
Cycle
Directed by Ernesto Diaz Espinoza.
Dogfight
Directed by Marcel Sarmiento.
Exterminate
Directed by Angela Bettis.
Fart
Directed by Noburo Iguchi.
Gravity
Directed by Andrew Traucki.
Hydro-Electric Diffusion
Directed by Thomas Cappelen Malling.
Ingrown
Directed by Jorge Michel Grau.
Jidai-Geki
Directed by Yudai Yamaguchi.
Klutz
Directed by Anders Morgenthaler.
Libido
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto.
Miscarriage
Directed by Ti West.
Nuptials
Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun.
Orgasm
Directed by Bruno Forzani, Helene Cattet.
Pressure
Directed by Simon Rumley.
Quack
Directed by Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett.
Removed
Directed by Srdjan Spasojevic.
Speed
Directed by Jake West.
Toilet
Directed by Lee Hardcastle.
Unearthed
Directed by Ben Wheatley.
Vagitus
Directed by Kaare Andrews.
WTF!
Directed by Jon Schnepp.
XXL
Directed by Xavier Gens.
Youngbuck
Directed by Jason Eisener.
Zetsumetsu
Directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura.
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo.
Bigfoot
Directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano.
Cycle
Directed by Ernesto Diaz Espinoza.
Dogfight
Directed by Marcel Sarmiento.
Exterminate
Directed by Angela Bettis.
Fart
Directed by Noburo Iguchi.
Gravity
Directed by Andrew Traucki.
Hydro-Electric Diffusion
Directed by Thomas Cappelen Malling.
Ingrown
Directed by Jorge Michel Grau.
Jidai-Geki
Directed by Yudai Yamaguchi.
Klutz
Directed by Anders Morgenthaler.
Libido
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto.
Miscarriage
Directed by Ti West.
Nuptials
Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun.
Orgasm
Directed by Bruno Forzani, Helene Cattet.
Pressure
Directed by Simon Rumley.
Quack
Directed by Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett.
Removed
Directed by Srdjan Spasojevic.
Speed
Directed by Jake West.
Toilet
Directed by Lee Hardcastle.
Unearthed
Directed by Ben Wheatley.
Vagitus
Directed by Kaare Andrews.
WTF!
Directed by Jon Schnepp.
XXL
Directed by Xavier Gens.
Youngbuck
Directed by Jason Eisener.
Zetsumetsu
Directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura.
The Queen of Versailles - A Riches to Rags tale
Movie #22 of the Brisbane International Film festival and #3 of the day after a very fast walk back up to Palace Barracks from the Tribal Cinema, was "The Queen of Versailles". This was a fascinating documentary which actually won the BIFFDocs prize on offer for best documentary at the festival. And I can see why. I was totally prepared to hate the people in this movie and find them obnoxious, but I only hated them part of the time. The other part I felt some sympathy. The filmmakers did a good job.
This documentary was filmed over a number of years, following the extremely wealthy David Siegel (who made his fortune selling time-share resorts in the US) and his wife Jacqueline who "worked her way up from nothing" and their 8 kids (7 biological, 1 niece adopted). Initially the documentary was following their quest to build the largest private residence in the US, named Versailles. What they continually called their dream home, the rest of us would call complete and utter obnoxiousness and wasteage. The home was to have something like 70 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms and kitchens, private theatre, bowling alley, grand ballroom, swimming pools, staff accommodation etc etc etc. plus ridiculous decoration and spending on marble, Edwardian furniture and the like. When it was finished, the home was estimated that it would be worth $100 million. And this was being built while they lived in an already ridiculous mansion. So yeah, I'm feeling the urge to laugh at them and hate them right now. But then something happens. The movie mainly follows Jacqui and despite her seemingly extravagant lifestyle she seems to be quite a normal and likeable person who only pulls out the designer duds for big parties (although the boob implants are on show constantly no matter what the scenario) and I find myself thinking 'she's not as bad as she seems'. Surprise #1.
The 'Riches to Rags' part of the story comes when the Global Financial Crisis hits during construction of Versailles and right after their company has built the biggest tower in Las Vegas with a wad of borrowed funds. With the banks suddenly not wanting to lend money and particularly to sub-prime borrowers, the Siegels get into trouble. They are not allowed to sell any more time share in the Vegas building, they have to make a lot of staff redundant from the business, they can barely afford the repayments on the building and their home, and now they can't borrow any more funds to finish their dream home. Boo hoo. But completely fascinating. Now we get a glimpse of what happens when the wealthy realise that it's all on paper and isn't going to feed and clothe the children. And this is where it gets difficult because you see these people who should be struggling, but their life still seems pretty good. Jacqui spends up so big on Christmas and they still try to have these big parties, but then you discover that she has not actually been told the extent of their financial problems and if she'd known she wouldn't have done it. Surprise #2. She also sends some money to help out an old school friend whose house is being foreclosed upon by the bank. Surprise #3. David though becomes a grumpy old man and starts to alienate his family while he concentrates on trying to find a solution to their issues as the GFC drags on. His own daughter seems very insightful when she says that it's like he doesn't even love Jacqui, she's more of a 'trophy' wife for the good times. You wonder why she stays with this much older man who treats her like crap. This makes me feel even more sympathy for her - surprise #4. However, their dogged pursuit of their goal to either keep Versailles, sell it unfinished for $70m or finished for $100m, and David and his son's insistence that the banks are the bad guys here (which they are but they're not the only ones - earlier he was bragging about how much money he made off suckers who buy his product) brings me back to contempt again.
This was pretty interesting stuff, particularly for anyone like me who works in the finance area and has an understanding of what it was about. You won't get any financial analysis here though, it's a story about people with more money than sense and taste, right to the end. Fascinating stuff and highly worth seeking out.
This documentary was filmed over a number of years, following the extremely wealthy David Siegel (who made his fortune selling time-share resorts in the US) and his wife Jacqueline who "worked her way up from nothing" and their 8 kids (7 biological, 1 niece adopted). Initially the documentary was following their quest to build the largest private residence in the US, named Versailles. What they continually called their dream home, the rest of us would call complete and utter obnoxiousness and wasteage. The home was to have something like 70 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms and kitchens, private theatre, bowling alley, grand ballroom, swimming pools, staff accommodation etc etc etc. plus ridiculous decoration and spending on marble, Edwardian furniture and the like. When it was finished, the home was estimated that it would be worth $100 million. And this was being built while they lived in an already ridiculous mansion. So yeah, I'm feeling the urge to laugh at them and hate them right now. But then something happens. The movie mainly follows Jacqui and despite her seemingly extravagant lifestyle she seems to be quite a normal and likeable person who only pulls out the designer duds for big parties (although the boob implants are on show constantly no matter what the scenario) and I find myself thinking 'she's not as bad as she seems'. Surprise #1.
The 'Riches to Rags' part of the story comes when the Global Financial Crisis hits during construction of Versailles and right after their company has built the biggest tower in Las Vegas with a wad of borrowed funds. With the banks suddenly not wanting to lend money and particularly to sub-prime borrowers, the Siegels get into trouble. They are not allowed to sell any more time share in the Vegas building, they have to make a lot of staff redundant from the business, they can barely afford the repayments on the building and their home, and now they can't borrow any more funds to finish their dream home. Boo hoo. But completely fascinating. Now we get a glimpse of what happens when the wealthy realise that it's all on paper and isn't going to feed and clothe the children. And this is where it gets difficult because you see these people who should be struggling, but their life still seems pretty good. Jacqui spends up so big on Christmas and they still try to have these big parties, but then you discover that she has not actually been told the extent of their financial problems and if she'd known she wouldn't have done it. Surprise #2. She also sends some money to help out an old school friend whose house is being foreclosed upon by the bank. Surprise #3. David though becomes a grumpy old man and starts to alienate his family while he concentrates on trying to find a solution to their issues as the GFC drags on. His own daughter seems very insightful when she says that it's like he doesn't even love Jacqui, she's more of a 'trophy' wife for the good times. You wonder why she stays with this much older man who treats her like crap. This makes me feel even more sympathy for her - surprise #4. However, their dogged pursuit of their goal to either keep Versailles, sell it unfinished for $70m or finished for $100m, and David and his son's insistence that the banks are the bad guys here (which they are but they're not the only ones - earlier he was bragging about how much money he made off suckers who buy his product) brings me back to contempt again.
This was pretty interesting stuff, particularly for anyone like me who works in the finance area and has an understanding of what it was about. You won't get any financial analysis here though, it's a story about people with more money than sense and taste, right to the end. Fascinating stuff and highly worth seeking out.
Friday 7 December 2012
BIFF Movie 21 - American Mary
Movie #2 on the final Sunday of BIFF was "American Mary". This was billed as a horror but in reality was more just a macabre drama that I found a little weird. Directed by the sisters who gave us "Ginger Snaps", it follows a young medical student who inadvertently becomes involved in the underground body modification scene, initially to make money but then her motivations for performing some bizarre surgical procedures become questionable. And therein lies the problem. We never actually find out what is behind this young girl who at first appears quite normal but is then able to perform some fairly unspeakable acts with seemingly little emotion or regret.
Mary is a promising but struggling uni student who seems to have no family other than a grandma who lives in a foreign country. With debts piling up and very few options, Mary decides to take a job at a gentlemen's club but during the 'interview' she is called upon to do some highly illegal surgery to save a guy the owner has tortured a little too far. A big wad of cash persuades her too easily although there is a scene of her reacting afterwards. With some extremely alternative people tracking her down to do some cosmetic surgeries, Mary at first says no but the even bigger wads of cash persuade her. After attending a surgeon's party where she is drugged and raped by her lecturer, Mary kinda goes over the edge into an icy cold world where she gets her revenge. Within a few minutes she becomes well known on the internet as the queen of body mod surgeries and quits her medical degree. While you can completely understand her wanting to get revenge on this disgusting person, the script has her doing some pretty despicable things in anyone's book and also gaining a bit of an ego, swanning around in designer gear and wielding her cutting tools like a maniac against anyone who crosses her.
The dark vibe was pretty cool but I felt the movie to be flawed. Mary's lack of emotion at certain times is never explained, it makes it difficult to empathise with what would normally be a very sympathetic character, the ending is unsatisfying and overall I just felt the construction was weird. The relationship between Mary and the club owner is bizarre and a lot of things just don't come across as natural. The biggest cross for me though is how the directors cut away from a lot of the gorier parts of the film which might otherwise have saved this and given it a bigger impact. Afterwards I heard a few people saying that the film was 'too mainstream' but I would have to disagree - this explores some pretty strange places to me.
Mary is a promising but struggling uni student who seems to have no family other than a grandma who lives in a foreign country. With debts piling up and very few options, Mary decides to take a job at a gentlemen's club but during the 'interview' she is called upon to do some highly illegal surgery to save a guy the owner has tortured a little too far. A big wad of cash persuades her too easily although there is a scene of her reacting afterwards. With some extremely alternative people tracking her down to do some cosmetic surgeries, Mary at first says no but the even bigger wads of cash persuade her. After attending a surgeon's party where she is drugged and raped by her lecturer, Mary kinda goes over the edge into an icy cold world where she gets her revenge. Within a few minutes she becomes well known on the internet as the queen of body mod surgeries and quits her medical degree. While you can completely understand her wanting to get revenge on this disgusting person, the script has her doing some pretty despicable things in anyone's book and also gaining a bit of an ego, swanning around in designer gear and wielding her cutting tools like a maniac against anyone who crosses her.
The dark vibe was pretty cool but I felt the movie to be flawed. Mary's lack of emotion at certain times is never explained, it makes it difficult to empathise with what would normally be a very sympathetic character, the ending is unsatisfying and overall I just felt the construction was weird. The relationship between Mary and the club owner is bizarre and a lot of things just don't come across as natural. The biggest cross for me though is how the directors cut away from a lot of the gorier parts of the film which might otherwise have saved this and given it a bigger impact. Afterwards I heard a few people saying that the film was 'too mainstream' but I would have to disagree - this explores some pretty strange places to me.
Monday 3 December 2012
I heart The Living End
I love The Living End. They can easily be described as my favourite band ever. Like many people (well ones as old as me or older anyway) I first heard them in 1996 when they released the EP "It's For Your Own Good" with the tracks "From Here on In" and "English Army" getting a lot of airplay on Triple J. I was 18 and the mix of poppy punk and a bit of rockabilly was new and exciting.
I went back and bought their earlier EP "Hellbound" which I still play regularly to this day for the unbridled enthusiasm and cool songs. In 1997 they released the double A side single Prisoner of Society/Second Solution. This needs no introduction really, as the single won the 1998 Aria Award for Highest Selling Single of the year and spent a record breaking 47 weeks in the Top 50 of the Aria charts. The highest selling single award is pretty amazing given that (a) the single never reached #1, peaking at #4 and (b) this was in a time when CD singles were a big deal and you had to actually sell a lot to outsell everyone else. Not like today! Prisoner of Society was brilliant for its rebellious lyrics and anthemic chorus - no teenager can resist its powerful chant of "we don't need no-one like you, to tell us what to do!". Unfortunately over time the song's social commentary has faded in people's minds in favour of the snotty brat cliche. Something which the band have obviously felt and decided to take the song out of their live setlists, but somehow it always manages to creep into the set. Second Solution was the other A side single and it is actually the better song I think and gave them a good lead in to their debut album "The Living End".
I started going to shows around the time of the second EP coming out, and The Living End had me hooked on live gigs straight away. There is a very good reason for their reputation as one of Australia's best live bands - they have worked damn hard and played so many shows, and they give their all every time. I saw them at every little dirty basement around town, but I will never forget seeing them at The Chelsea (RIP) in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. I knew the songs inside and out but this time instead of jumping around in the moshpit, I positioned myself up the front in front of Chris Cheney and had what I would afterwards describe as an epiphany. It wasn't an epiphany in the Christian sense, but in the other sense of the sudden comprehension or realisation of a larger meaning of something. It was watching the sheer genius of this man with his guitar playing (while singing!!!) that I realised I was born to be a punter and a fan of this band; that I would never have the talent to be in a band or entertain people, but I sure could do a great job of appreciating those that do; and that The Living End were a worthy band to follow. And they have repaid me so many times, particularly with their latest tour, the Retrospective Tour.
For many years, I saw The Living End play at every venue possible whether Brisbane or the Gold Coast. I've seen them support local bands (Snout) and international bands (Rancid), headline their own shows with various supporting acts, and play massive festivals like Livid and Big Day Out. This has died down over the years as I became too old and uninterested in modern music to attend every festival, so I've missed quite a few festival appearances. Which is a shame as it's a great place to see them in their element, entertaining the bogans and the rockers alike, Chris playing a solo with his beer bottle and Scott with his double bass up in the air over his head. They are amazing and if you don't believe me you have to buy the 'From Here on In' DVD which documents several fantastic performances.
Another great gig was at the Arena in the Valley, which I almost missed. A group of us were going to this show and all but me were enjoying quite a few pre-show drinks. As the time rolled around to leave, we went out to the car and in the process of cleaning out the back seat for my passengers, I bent down and banged my eye on the car door with a loud 'crack'. When I stood up, it didn't feel too good and everyone said "Are you ok?" to which I said "I don't know". Then Ben took one look at me and said "We better go inside and have a look at that". We did and that was a bad idea. I'd cut the corner of my eye on the corner of the door and although I'd been fine while they all inspected me, looking in the mirror at the blood running down my cheek made me go all woozy. Now here is the driver, unable to drive, and the passengers all too drunk to drive - what could we do? We called some friends and Karen was sober so she popped around to take a look. We decided it wasn't too bad and she took me to the chemist who agreed that it could probably be solved with a butterfly clip which was duly applied by our sober steady-handed friend. Then I decided that we were still going to go to the concert, because there was no way that I wanted to miss The Living End! So we got in the car, drove into the Valley and enjoyed one of the best concerts they've done although I bounced around a bit less than usual as I didn't want the cut to open up again. Afterwards we hit an alternative club and danced the night away (for some reason I thought headbanging to Bullet for my Valentine would be a good idea). The next day when the black eye came out and we could see the cut properly and how close I'd come to actually cutting my eyeball (see picture below), I realised that all of that was probably not the best idea. But I landed on the right side of fine and gee it was a fantastically fun night out.
The Living End almost came to a screeching halt back in 2001 and 2002 after Chris was involved in a serious car accident that left him unable to play for a long time, and then founding drummer Travis left the band citing burnout and disagreements over the musical direction of the band. Fortunately for us, Chris did recover and is able to play better than ever, and replacement drummer Andy Strachan (formerly of awesome Aussie band from the 90s Pollyanna) has slotted into the band so well that most people wouldn't even know there was another drummer. Andy does a fantastic job.
All of that was a long time ago and a lot has changed with me and them. I think a lot of people would say that The Living End's best music is in the past, because as they've grown up as people and developed as musicians, their music has changed. It's a lot less punk, a fair bit less rockabilly and a lot more mature. But if you give it a chance, this music is still excellent. No, it's not the same but is that such a bad thing? People complain when a band repeats itself until it's no longer good (the 'time to give it away' argument) but also don't want their favourite bands to change. Lose-lose. Also they are men in their late 30s, married with kids so are they going to write about teenage rebellion forever? To me, their songs and lyrics have always been based in either real experiences or stories ripped from the headlines and based around the experiences of Aussie workers - it's stuff that people can relate to. This has not changed and it would, in fact, be ridiculous if they were still writing about being little punks. I myself have grown with the band and still love everything they release. The new album "The Ending is Just the Beginning Repeating" is great, with some very punchy songs crossed with the more mature, moody rock stuff. I'm disappointed it hasn't had more attention, praise and appreciation, especially by fans of their early work. It's the band's favourite album and the more I listen, the more I can see it becoming mine too.
I've also had people tell me they have 'sold out' but I would argue that they have done the opposite. If they were selling out, they would have changed their musical style to something that is actually popular e.g. screamo punk, pop, hip-hop. How can you be selling out when your music is becoming less popular and selling less over time? Also I've never heard a Living End song in an ad for anything. I think they have actually stayed true to themselves and made the music they've wanted to make regardless of how it is received. And it has been received pretty well, even if not by the old fans, as they still won 2 Aria Awards in 2011 for Best Rock Album and Best Live Band.
The thing that I can't fathom is that TLE did not win Best Live Band at the Arias in 2012. What better gift can a band give it's fans than a massive run of shows where they play all of their albums in full? This was the most exciting music news of the year for me, and the 6 concerts in the first week of December was the most anticipated event I think I've ever attended. It's a massive physical and technical undertaking for the band, having to learn something like 90+ songs and play for 7 nights in a row and then only a few days break before the next city. Anyone saying there should have been more shows should have their head read, it's an absolute gift that we are getting this. And two nights in, I have enjoyed every minute of it so far and look forward to the other 4 shows. I am giving them the 'Best Live Band' award from me right here, right now. The love and appreciation that this band have shown their fans is unprecedented and makes them the all time greatest band from Australia in my opinion.
If you have given up on The Living End or don't know their work, I strongly suggest that you seek out their six albums and two EPs and give it a good, close listen. I'm sure you will love it. Better yet though, go to a live show and experience the band in their best element - raw, hot and sweaty, fun, passionate rock and roll. Join me at The Zoo in Brisbane this week for one of the remaining 'Retrospective Tour' shows!
I went back and bought their earlier EP "Hellbound" which I still play regularly to this day for the unbridled enthusiasm and cool songs. In 1997 they released the double A side single Prisoner of Society/Second Solution. This needs no introduction really, as the single won the 1998 Aria Award for Highest Selling Single of the year and spent a record breaking 47 weeks in the Top 50 of the Aria charts. The highest selling single award is pretty amazing given that (a) the single never reached #1, peaking at #4 and (b) this was in a time when CD singles were a big deal and you had to actually sell a lot to outsell everyone else. Not like today! Prisoner of Society was brilliant for its rebellious lyrics and anthemic chorus - no teenager can resist its powerful chant of "we don't need no-one like you, to tell us what to do!". Unfortunately over time the song's social commentary has faded in people's minds in favour of the snotty brat cliche. Something which the band have obviously felt and decided to take the song out of their live setlists, but somehow it always manages to creep into the set. Second Solution was the other A side single and it is actually the better song I think and gave them a good lead in to their debut album "The Living End".
I started going to shows around the time of the second EP coming out, and The Living End had me hooked on live gigs straight away. There is a very good reason for their reputation as one of Australia's best live bands - they have worked damn hard and played so many shows, and they give their all every time. I saw them at every little dirty basement around town, but I will never forget seeing them at The Chelsea (RIP) in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. I knew the songs inside and out but this time instead of jumping around in the moshpit, I positioned myself up the front in front of Chris Cheney and had what I would afterwards describe as an epiphany. It wasn't an epiphany in the Christian sense, but in the other sense of the sudden comprehension or realisation of a larger meaning of something. It was watching the sheer genius of this man with his guitar playing (while singing!!!) that I realised I was born to be a punter and a fan of this band; that I would never have the talent to be in a band or entertain people, but I sure could do a great job of appreciating those that do; and that The Living End were a worthy band to follow. And they have repaid me so many times, particularly with their latest tour, the Retrospective Tour.
For many years, I saw The Living End play at every venue possible whether Brisbane or the Gold Coast. I've seen them support local bands (Snout) and international bands (Rancid), headline their own shows with various supporting acts, and play massive festivals like Livid and Big Day Out. This has died down over the years as I became too old and uninterested in modern music to attend every festival, so I've missed quite a few festival appearances. Which is a shame as it's a great place to see them in their element, entertaining the bogans and the rockers alike, Chris playing a solo with his beer bottle and Scott with his double bass up in the air over his head. They are amazing and if you don't believe me you have to buy the 'From Here on In' DVD which documents several fantastic performances.
Another great gig was at the Arena in the Valley, which I almost missed. A group of us were going to this show and all but me were enjoying quite a few pre-show drinks. As the time rolled around to leave, we went out to the car and in the process of cleaning out the back seat for my passengers, I bent down and banged my eye on the car door with a loud 'crack'. When I stood up, it didn't feel too good and everyone said "Are you ok?" to which I said "I don't know". Then Ben took one look at me and said "We better go inside and have a look at that". We did and that was a bad idea. I'd cut the corner of my eye on the corner of the door and although I'd been fine while they all inspected me, looking in the mirror at the blood running down my cheek made me go all woozy. Now here is the driver, unable to drive, and the passengers all too drunk to drive - what could we do? We called some friends and Karen was sober so she popped around to take a look. We decided it wasn't too bad and she took me to the chemist who agreed that it could probably be solved with a butterfly clip which was duly applied by our sober steady-handed friend. Then I decided that we were still going to go to the concert, because there was no way that I wanted to miss The Living End! So we got in the car, drove into the Valley and enjoyed one of the best concerts they've done although I bounced around a bit less than usual as I didn't want the cut to open up again. Afterwards we hit an alternative club and danced the night away (for some reason I thought headbanging to Bullet for my Valentine would be a good idea). The next day when the black eye came out and we could see the cut properly and how close I'd come to actually cutting my eyeball (see picture below), I realised that all of that was probably not the best idea. But I landed on the right side of fine and gee it was a fantastically fun night out.
The Living End almost came to a screeching halt back in 2001 and 2002 after Chris was involved in a serious car accident that left him unable to play for a long time, and then founding drummer Travis left the band citing burnout and disagreements over the musical direction of the band. Fortunately for us, Chris did recover and is able to play better than ever, and replacement drummer Andy Strachan (formerly of awesome Aussie band from the 90s Pollyanna) has slotted into the band so well that most people wouldn't even know there was another drummer. Andy does a fantastic job.
All of that was a long time ago and a lot has changed with me and them. I think a lot of people would say that The Living End's best music is in the past, because as they've grown up as people and developed as musicians, their music has changed. It's a lot less punk, a fair bit less rockabilly and a lot more mature. But if you give it a chance, this music is still excellent. No, it's not the same but is that such a bad thing? People complain when a band repeats itself until it's no longer good (the 'time to give it away' argument) but also don't want their favourite bands to change. Lose-lose. Also they are men in their late 30s, married with kids so are they going to write about teenage rebellion forever? To me, their songs and lyrics have always been based in either real experiences or stories ripped from the headlines and based around the experiences of Aussie workers - it's stuff that people can relate to. This has not changed and it would, in fact, be ridiculous if they were still writing about being little punks. I myself have grown with the band and still love everything they release. The new album "The Ending is Just the Beginning Repeating" is great, with some very punchy songs crossed with the more mature, moody rock stuff. I'm disappointed it hasn't had more attention, praise and appreciation, especially by fans of their early work. It's the band's favourite album and the more I listen, the more I can see it becoming mine too.
I've also had people tell me they have 'sold out' but I would argue that they have done the opposite. If they were selling out, they would have changed their musical style to something that is actually popular e.g. screamo punk, pop, hip-hop. How can you be selling out when your music is becoming less popular and selling less over time? Also I've never heard a Living End song in an ad for anything. I think they have actually stayed true to themselves and made the music they've wanted to make regardless of how it is received. And it has been received pretty well, even if not by the old fans, as they still won 2 Aria Awards in 2011 for Best Rock Album and Best Live Band.
The thing that I can't fathom is that TLE did not win Best Live Band at the Arias in 2012. What better gift can a band give it's fans than a massive run of shows where they play all of their albums in full? This was the most exciting music news of the year for me, and the 6 concerts in the first week of December was the most anticipated event I think I've ever attended. It's a massive physical and technical undertaking for the band, having to learn something like 90+ songs and play for 7 nights in a row and then only a few days break before the next city. Anyone saying there should have been more shows should have their head read, it's an absolute gift that we are getting this. And two nights in, I have enjoyed every minute of it so far and look forward to the other 4 shows. I am giving them the 'Best Live Band' award from me right here, right now. The love and appreciation that this band have shown their fans is unprecedented and makes them the all time greatest band from Australia in my opinion.
If you have given up on The Living End or don't know their work, I strongly suggest that you seek out their six albums and two EPs and give it a good, close listen. I'm sure you will love it. Better yet though, go to a live show and experience the band in their best element - raw, hot and sweaty, fun, passionate rock and roll. Join me at The Zoo in Brisbane this week for one of the remaining 'Retrospective Tour' shows!
Monday 26 November 2012
Movie #20 The Reluctant Revolutionary
The last day of the film festival has come. The first of two documentaries I would see today is The Reluctant Revolutionary. This is a fantastic and confronting piece of filmmaking, taking a first-hand look at the popular uprising in Yemen in 2011.
Irish documentary maker Sean McAlister is in Yemen making a documentary about falling tourism which is contributing to Yemen being one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman and having an Al-Qaeda presence in some regions, a spate of kidnappings of tourists has really dented the industry. We see things from the perspective of guide Kais who has seen his world collapse as economic problems and flagging tourist numbers forced him to give up the hotel he managed and now bookings for trips are at an all time low. His wife has a baby on the way and is thinking about leaving him if he can't find a way to provide for his family. This provides a sympathetic emotional base on which Sean McAlister then builds a personal insight into the Yemeni revolution through the eyes of Kais and himself. Extending his stay in Yemen as a tourist, McAlister manages to remain and film the events from the inside even after foreign journalists are removed from the country, although it becomes touch and go whether he can stay towards the end.
The fascinating part of this documentary is that Kais begins as a supporter of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but as events unfold he slowly becomes a support of the revolution protests and wants the President out of power. Nothing in his situation has changed for better or worse, but interaction with the protestors and seeing what occurs in the protest camp leads him to believe that change is needed.
The confronting part of this documentary is the first-hand footage of the protest camps and the events of February and March 2011. Although Saleh, who has been in power in Yemen for 33 years, had been elected democratically in 2006, there was a growing movement that felt he should hand over that power due to economic problems, corruption and unemployment. Happening simultaneously with the Egyptian uprising against Mubarak, the Yemeni revolution was based around peaceful protest calling for a peaceful hand over of power, new elections and a new constitution. While initially peaceful, the Government eventually tries to disassemble the protest camp which leads to rising anger among the people. On March 18, the Government fired on protestors who held no weapons and killed 52 people, including children. Although you do not see this directly, McAlister's camera does capture the gunshots in the distance and does go into the makeshift hospital that is set up for the victims, which shows unedited footage of gunshot victims. I'll never forget what one doctor says to the camera when Sean asks if he should stop filming: "Your camera and your eye is the best thing to show the world what is happening in Yemen. Use your brain camera, your eye, to show what is happening here. The government is shooting to kill, they are not shooting to stop protestors - these wounds are all in the head, neck, chest and shoulders."
I got goosebumps all over my body seeing the sheer size and determination of these protestors to prevail, even if it means giving their lives for a better world for their families. I felt sick watching the footage of injured people, many still very young. I felt like I had just had a slap in the face despite there being some moments of humour in Kais' observations of Yemen society. We have no real problems in this country compared to many others and more people should see this to appreciate the freedom we have here.
The post-script: After the events of March 18 captured so shockingly here, it still took 7 months before Saleh agreed to a power-transfer deal in November where power went to the vice-president temporarily and Saleh would quit the presidency by Feb 2012, in exchange for immunity from prosecution for any crimes committee while in power. Although the people did not agree with this deal, it was enacted. In February 2012, an election was held with 65% turnout. Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi took the oath of office in Yemen's parliament on 25 February 2012.
Post-script 2: The protestors are not 100% guilt free as might be implied by the film. Although everything you see in the film is peaceful protest and pushing for dialogue, there were elements of the uprising that were violent. On 23 May, a day after Saleh refused to sign the transition agreement, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, the head of the Hashid tribal federation, one of the most powerful tribes in the country, declared support for the opposition and his armed supporters came into conflict with loyalist security forces in the capital Sana'a. Heavy street fighting ensued, which included artillery and mortar shelling. Saleh and several others were injured and at least five people were killed by a 3 June bombing of the presidential compound when an explosion ripped through a mosque used by high-level government officials for prayer services.
What this all proves is that the so called 'Arab Spring' is a highly complex issue but one that it is difficult to argue against, particularly after the horrible events in Egypt and Syria. This one is a real eye-opener.
Irish documentary maker Sean McAlister is in Yemen making a documentary about falling tourism which is contributing to Yemen being one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman and having an Al-Qaeda presence in some regions, a spate of kidnappings of tourists has really dented the industry. We see things from the perspective of guide Kais who has seen his world collapse as economic problems and flagging tourist numbers forced him to give up the hotel he managed and now bookings for trips are at an all time low. His wife has a baby on the way and is thinking about leaving him if he can't find a way to provide for his family. This provides a sympathetic emotional base on which Sean McAlister then builds a personal insight into the Yemeni revolution through the eyes of Kais and himself. Extending his stay in Yemen as a tourist, McAlister manages to remain and film the events from the inside even after foreign journalists are removed from the country, although it becomes touch and go whether he can stay towards the end.
The fascinating part of this documentary is that Kais begins as a supporter of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but as events unfold he slowly becomes a support of the revolution protests and wants the President out of power. Nothing in his situation has changed for better or worse, but interaction with the protestors and seeing what occurs in the protest camp leads him to believe that change is needed.
The confronting part of this documentary is the first-hand footage of the protest camps and the events of February and March 2011. Although Saleh, who has been in power in Yemen for 33 years, had been elected democratically in 2006, there was a growing movement that felt he should hand over that power due to economic problems, corruption and unemployment. Happening simultaneously with the Egyptian uprising against Mubarak, the Yemeni revolution was based around peaceful protest calling for a peaceful hand over of power, new elections and a new constitution. While initially peaceful, the Government eventually tries to disassemble the protest camp which leads to rising anger among the people. On March 18, the Government fired on protestors who held no weapons and killed 52 people, including children. Although you do not see this directly, McAlister's camera does capture the gunshots in the distance and does go into the makeshift hospital that is set up for the victims, which shows unedited footage of gunshot victims. I'll never forget what one doctor says to the camera when Sean asks if he should stop filming: "Your camera and your eye is the best thing to show the world what is happening in Yemen. Use your brain camera, your eye, to show what is happening here. The government is shooting to kill, they are not shooting to stop protestors - these wounds are all in the head, neck, chest and shoulders."
I got goosebumps all over my body seeing the sheer size and determination of these protestors to prevail, even if it means giving their lives for a better world for their families. I felt sick watching the footage of injured people, many still very young. I felt like I had just had a slap in the face despite there being some moments of humour in Kais' observations of Yemen society. We have no real problems in this country compared to many others and more people should see this to appreciate the freedom we have here.
The post-script: After the events of March 18 captured so shockingly here, it still took 7 months before Saleh agreed to a power-transfer deal in November where power went to the vice-president temporarily and Saleh would quit the presidency by Feb 2012, in exchange for immunity from prosecution for any crimes committee while in power. Although the people did not agree with this deal, it was enacted. In February 2012, an election was held with 65% turnout. Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi took the oath of office in Yemen's parliament on 25 February 2012.
Post-script 2: The protestors are not 100% guilt free as might be implied by the film. Although everything you see in the film is peaceful protest and pushing for dialogue, there were elements of the uprising that were violent. On 23 May, a day after Saleh refused to sign the transition agreement, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, the head of the Hashid tribal federation, one of the most powerful tribes in the country, declared support for the opposition and his armed supporters came into conflict with loyalist security forces in the capital Sana'a. Heavy street fighting ensued, which included artillery and mortar shelling. Saleh and several others were injured and at least five people were killed by a 3 June bombing of the presidential compound when an explosion ripped through a mosque used by high-level government officials for prayer services.
What this all proves is that the so called 'Arab Spring' is a highly complex issue but one that it is difficult to argue against, particularly after the horrible events in Egypt and Syria. This one is a real eye-opener.
BIFF Scary Saturday
Second last day of the festival and I've got two late night movies lined up.
First up is Sinister. This is a scary movie, in the best traditional style of using a dark house, effective sound and a sense of foreboding to scare yourself. The movie stars Ethan Hawke as Ellison Oswalt, a man who writes those true crime novels which detail the how, who and why of real life crimes. After a couple of flops he is chasing another big hit bestseller and thinks he's found the best chance after a family is murdered in their back yard and the youngest daughter is still missing. Struggling financially and refusing to take a normal job, Ellison sees an opportunity to gain unique inspiration when the murder house goes on the market for a steal. Not telling his wife and two young children about the fact they are moving into the murder house seems like a pretty bad idea. And so it proves to be....
Almost from the first day that he sets up his home office and begins researching for the book, Ellison is drawn into the mysterious events after finding a box of home movies filmed on Super 8. The movies are from different time periods and turn out to be much more than they first appear - they contain many clues to what is really going on. But how did the movies get in the attic in the first place? Who filmed them? Why do creepy things keep happening?
I strongly recommend this movie if you like scary movies with a slight supernatural element. I was truly creeped out in some scenes, to the point where I was squirming in my seat every time Ellison put on one of those movies (or it put itself on). All the usual scary movie tropes are used in this film, but they are done really effectively to build tension and send a chill down your spine. And if you don't believe me, take it from the girl 2 rows down who kissed her boyfriend, got up and left, not to return, after about 40 minutes. This movie should be coming out at the cinema soon and I suggest you slot it into your schedule as it should be seen in a dark cinema.
Second movie tonight was Inbred which was promising to be a funny, gory splatterfest. Instead what we got was a bit of a shocker. Four young juvenile delinquents are taken to a secluded cottage in a small English village with two social workers for a bit of time away from society. Unfortunately, escaping from a gang of THE most inbred, hillbilly, maniacal weirdos that inhabit the village proves a little too much of a team building activity for this bunch of misfits.
This movie is just bad and weird. The person who has thought up the concepts for the manner of death (of both the city folk and the few inbred hillbillies they manage to take out) and the bizarro 'theatre' that the locals attend, is obviously a pretty twisted individual. I don't normally mind weird or gory but for me this just didn't gel and it was hampered by some pretty poor acting all round. The hillbillies are a cruel bunch of freaks and the city kids are a cruel bunch of misfits and the biggest problem is that I didn't feel sympathy for any of them so I really didn't care who lived or who died. My recommendation: Avoid.
First up is Sinister. This is a scary movie, in the best traditional style of using a dark house, effective sound and a sense of foreboding to scare yourself. The movie stars Ethan Hawke as Ellison Oswalt, a man who writes those true crime novels which detail the how, who and why of real life crimes. After a couple of flops he is chasing another big hit bestseller and thinks he's found the best chance after a family is murdered in their back yard and the youngest daughter is still missing. Struggling financially and refusing to take a normal job, Ellison sees an opportunity to gain unique inspiration when the murder house goes on the market for a steal. Not telling his wife and two young children about the fact they are moving into the murder house seems like a pretty bad idea. And so it proves to be....
Almost from the first day that he sets up his home office and begins researching for the book, Ellison is drawn into the mysterious events after finding a box of home movies filmed on Super 8. The movies are from different time periods and turn out to be much more than they first appear - they contain many clues to what is really going on. But how did the movies get in the attic in the first place? Who filmed them? Why do creepy things keep happening?
I strongly recommend this movie if you like scary movies with a slight supernatural element. I was truly creeped out in some scenes, to the point where I was squirming in my seat every time Ellison put on one of those movies (or it put itself on). All the usual scary movie tropes are used in this film, but they are done really effectively to build tension and send a chill down your spine. And if you don't believe me, take it from the girl 2 rows down who kissed her boyfriend, got up and left, not to return, after about 40 minutes. This movie should be coming out at the cinema soon and I suggest you slot it into your schedule as it should be seen in a dark cinema.
Second movie tonight was Inbred which was promising to be a funny, gory splatterfest. Instead what we got was a bit of a shocker. Four young juvenile delinquents are taken to a secluded cottage in a small English village with two social workers for a bit of time away from society. Unfortunately, escaping from a gang of THE most inbred, hillbilly, maniacal weirdos that inhabit the village proves a little too much of a team building activity for this bunch of misfits.
This movie is just bad and weird. The person who has thought up the concepts for the manner of death (of both the city folk and the few inbred hillbillies they manage to take out) and the bizarro 'theatre' that the locals attend, is obviously a pretty twisted individual. I don't normally mind weird or gory but for me this just didn't gel and it was hampered by some pretty poor acting all round. The hillbillies are a cruel bunch of freaks and the city kids are a cruel bunch of misfits and the biggest problem is that I didn't feel sympathy for any of them so I really didn't care who lived or who died. My recommendation: Avoid.
Saturday 24 November 2012
BIFF Magic Night
Thursday was a magical movie night. First up tonight I attended the world premiere of the documentary 'Show me the Magic' which profiles legendary Australian cinematographer Donald McAlpine. In attendance was Mr McAlpine, his wife and Jack Thompson, a friend of Don's and patron of APSA. Plus the director and producers of the doco.
Don McAlpine started his career in Australia quite late in the piece after being a teacher and then filing news reports for the ABC. He worked on early Australian classics Breaker Morant, Don's Party and My Brilliant Career, which provided a springboard to Hollywood where he worked with director Paul Mazursky quite a bit. He has a varied resume, never making the same type of film. He's done action, comedy, Predator, drama and musicals. I think his work on Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet is particularly good and seeing some clips from the making of that movie makes me want to watch it again. The movie did a good job of showing what a cinematographer actually does, which is basically lighting and framing the scenes to make it look just right on the screen - dark when you want it dark, light when you want it light, and each actor framed perfectly. It was also an interesting look at his life, illustrating the saying 'behind every good man is a great worman' quite well, as his wife proves to be a funny, feisty lady who gave up her own teaching career to be with her husband as he travelled the world so that they could hold their marriage together and he could follow his dream. Not that I advocate that, just that it obviously works well for them.
I had to miss the Don McAlpine Q&A session to speed over to Palace Centro to see 'Following'. A very good introduction from the 'first films' programmer indicated to us that this first film from director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins trilogy, The Prestige, Inception) was filmed on an extremely low budget, in between the 9 to 5 jobs of the director, actors and crew, using natural light and minimal sets. We were thus prepared for what followed, which despite the low budget and low lighting in places still managed to be a complex neo-noir drama. An interesting concept (a burglar with a motive beyond just stealing stuff, he seems to enjoy messing with the heads of the victims more) with a twist in the tail long before that was trendy, and telling the story out of time but still keeping you guessing. It's an impressive debut even though not the most thrilling movie we've watched. However, you can definitely see where he built on the ideas in this film for Memento, his second film which was a really big step up from this one. 'Following' is due to be released on DVD for the first time in the near future, so if you're curious to see where this excellent director got his start, check it out.
Don McAlpine started his career in Australia quite late in the piece after being a teacher and then filing news reports for the ABC. He worked on early Australian classics Breaker Morant, Don's Party and My Brilliant Career, which provided a springboard to Hollywood where he worked with director Paul Mazursky quite a bit. He has a varied resume, never making the same type of film. He's done action, comedy, Predator, drama and musicals. I think his work on Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet is particularly good and seeing some clips from the making of that movie makes me want to watch it again. The movie did a good job of showing what a cinematographer actually does, which is basically lighting and framing the scenes to make it look just right on the screen - dark when you want it dark, light when you want it light, and each actor framed perfectly. It was also an interesting look at his life, illustrating the saying 'behind every good man is a great worman' quite well, as his wife proves to be a funny, feisty lady who gave up her own teaching career to be with her husband as he travelled the world so that they could hold their marriage together and he could follow his dream. Not that I advocate that, just that it obviously works well for them.
I had to miss the Don McAlpine Q&A session to speed over to Palace Centro to see 'Following'. A very good introduction from the 'first films' programmer indicated to us that this first film from director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins trilogy, The Prestige, Inception) was filmed on an extremely low budget, in between the 9 to 5 jobs of the director, actors and crew, using natural light and minimal sets. We were thus prepared for what followed, which despite the low budget and low lighting in places still managed to be a complex neo-noir drama. An interesting concept (a burglar with a motive beyond just stealing stuff, he seems to enjoy messing with the heads of the victims more) with a twist in the tail long before that was trendy, and telling the story out of time but still keeping you guessing. It's an impressive debut even though not the most thrilling movie we've watched. However, you can definitely see where he built on the ideas in this film for Memento, his second film which was a really big step up from this one. 'Following' is due to be released on DVD for the first time in the near future, so if you're curious to see where this excellent director got his start, check it out.
BIFF Friday - Best movie of 2012!
Today I realised I was over half way. Not in days, but in movies seen off my list. Because it's only been 1 or 2 per day so far, it hasn't seemed like a lot. Someone asked if I was sick of it yet, I said "no way!" And that is a good thing, because tonight I saw the best movie I've seen at the festival so far, and one of the best movies I've seen this year!
Movie # 16 today was 'Django', another spaghetti western directed by Sergio Corbucci (who also directed 'The Mercenary' which I saw earlier this week). This was made in 1966 and introduced the character of Django, who proved very popular and spawned a series of sequels and imitators using the character named Django. Django you see is a bit of an anti-hero, a man with a heart grown cold following the (implied) killing of the woman he loved and who will basically do anything for adventure and gold. It's a very similar character to the one in 'The Mercenary' and since they are both played by Franco Nero, I couldn't help but compare the two. I found 'The Mercernary' to be funnier and more fun, whereas 'Django' is a much more bleak film in theme and setting.
A lone stranger walks into a mud splattered, rain soaked ghost town in southern California, dragging a coffin and holding a girl he's rescued from bandits. The only place in town that is open is a bar/brothel which has survived by servicing the rival gangs of the Mexicans who have crossed the border to formulate plans for a revolution against the army in Mexico, and a nasty gang of racist Californians who wear red hoods and scarves (KKK beginnings?). Returning the girl is likely to bring trouble from both gangs, and the scene is set for a showdown. Django doesn't seem afraid though, and when you see what he has in that coffin, you'll know why. What follows is a tale of cold hearted killing, double crossing and revenge. At the time, the violence was regarded as being quite brutal and while it would be fairly tame these days, some scenes were a bit uncomfortable. Django is a pretty cool character but I found it a little too bleak to be enjoyable and probably preferred 'The Mercenary' of the two selections.
Friday night and movie #17 rolled around and one with a bit of anticipation based on the description alone. 'God Bless America' did not disappoint, I would rate this as one of the best movies I've seen so far this year. This is a movie which dares to say what we are all thinking - that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, with the death of manners, kindness to our fellow human beings, and common decency.
'God Bless America' is an extremely dark comedy that will appeal to anyone who has thought that American culture is leading to a dumbing down in society and destroying the values of a civilised culture. Obsession with fame, reality TV, talking head TV shows, self-centredness, stupidity and misguided patriotism are some of the chief culprits and targets of this incredibly black comedy. Frank is a man who has been pushed down, by the divorce from his wife who has moved on with a younger man, the disaffection of his daughter, being terminated from his job over a ridiculous harrassment claim and finding out he has an inoperable brain tumour. An intelligent man who values being nice above everything, he despairs over the vapidity and stupidity he sees all around him at home (the opening scene where he takes spectacularly bloody revenge on his annoying neighbours in a dream shocks you from the outset so that what follows doesn't seem quite so bad), at work and on TV and the radio. He's been pushed a tad too far by this recent bad news and snaps when he sees a whiny teen pricess on TV having a tantrum about her parents buying her the 'wrong car' for her sweet 16th. Taking out his gun, he decides to take out Chloe to rid the world of this nasty girl who values all the wrong qualities. A classmate of Chloe's witnesses the incident and is delighted with the outcome as she too sees many things wrong with a world that looks up to people like Chloe. Stopping Frank from killing himself, Roxy convinces him to make this an ongoing concern and take her along for the ride.
What follows is an insanely violent but hilarious road trip as the perfectly matched pair of killers try to pick the ultimate victims to get their point across, but their motives are continually misunderstood by the media. The climax at the finale of the fake pop star show American Superstarz is an absolutely scathing attack on both the makers and participants of these shows that set people up for ridicule as well as stardom.
We found ourselves agreeing with so much of this movie (although mental note, I have to stop giving high fives or else Frank and Roxy would be after me) and saying 'it's so true' a lot. Their discussions about their next potential victims cover a wide range of behaviour on the annoying scale but it is satisfying to see that they reserve their ire for those who really deserve to die. I won't give too much away though on that front.
This movie is excellent, balancing the extreme violence with a lot of laughs and never having the perpetrators violate their own (twisted) code of conduct - there is no inappropriate relationship a la Natural Born Killers here. In fact, despite the similarities in storyline I did not think of NBK at all while watching this. It's much more concerned with righting the world's wrongs, just in the wrong way. I loved this movie. I highly recommend it. It's on again tonight at the Film Festival at 6:30pm.
Movie # 16 today was 'Django', another spaghetti western directed by Sergio Corbucci (who also directed 'The Mercenary' which I saw earlier this week). This was made in 1966 and introduced the character of Django, who proved very popular and spawned a series of sequels and imitators using the character named Django. Django you see is a bit of an anti-hero, a man with a heart grown cold following the (implied) killing of the woman he loved and who will basically do anything for adventure and gold. It's a very similar character to the one in 'The Mercenary' and since they are both played by Franco Nero, I couldn't help but compare the two. I found 'The Mercernary' to be funnier and more fun, whereas 'Django' is a much more bleak film in theme and setting.
A lone stranger walks into a mud splattered, rain soaked ghost town in southern California, dragging a coffin and holding a girl he's rescued from bandits. The only place in town that is open is a bar/brothel which has survived by servicing the rival gangs of the Mexicans who have crossed the border to formulate plans for a revolution against the army in Mexico, and a nasty gang of racist Californians who wear red hoods and scarves (KKK beginnings?). Returning the girl is likely to bring trouble from both gangs, and the scene is set for a showdown. Django doesn't seem afraid though, and when you see what he has in that coffin, you'll know why. What follows is a tale of cold hearted killing, double crossing and revenge. At the time, the violence was regarded as being quite brutal and while it would be fairly tame these days, some scenes were a bit uncomfortable. Django is a pretty cool character but I found it a little too bleak to be enjoyable and probably preferred 'The Mercenary' of the two selections.
Friday night and movie #17 rolled around and one with a bit of anticipation based on the description alone. 'God Bless America' did not disappoint, I would rate this as one of the best movies I've seen so far this year. This is a movie which dares to say what we are all thinking - that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, with the death of manners, kindness to our fellow human beings, and common decency.
'God Bless America' is an extremely dark comedy that will appeal to anyone who has thought that American culture is leading to a dumbing down in society and destroying the values of a civilised culture. Obsession with fame, reality TV, talking head TV shows, self-centredness, stupidity and misguided patriotism are some of the chief culprits and targets of this incredibly black comedy. Frank is a man who has been pushed down, by the divorce from his wife who has moved on with a younger man, the disaffection of his daughter, being terminated from his job over a ridiculous harrassment claim and finding out he has an inoperable brain tumour. An intelligent man who values being nice above everything, he despairs over the vapidity and stupidity he sees all around him at home (the opening scene where he takes spectacularly bloody revenge on his annoying neighbours in a dream shocks you from the outset so that what follows doesn't seem quite so bad), at work and on TV and the radio. He's been pushed a tad too far by this recent bad news and snaps when he sees a whiny teen pricess on TV having a tantrum about her parents buying her the 'wrong car' for her sweet 16th. Taking out his gun, he decides to take out Chloe to rid the world of this nasty girl who values all the wrong qualities. A classmate of Chloe's witnesses the incident and is delighted with the outcome as she too sees many things wrong with a world that looks up to people like Chloe. Stopping Frank from killing himself, Roxy convinces him to make this an ongoing concern and take her along for the ride.
What follows is an insanely violent but hilarious road trip as the perfectly matched pair of killers try to pick the ultimate victims to get their point across, but their motives are continually misunderstood by the media. The climax at the finale of the fake pop star show American Superstarz is an absolutely scathing attack on both the makers and participants of these shows that set people up for ridicule as well as stardom.
We found ourselves agreeing with so much of this movie (although mental note, I have to stop giving high fives or else Frank and Roxy would be after me) and saying 'it's so true' a lot. Their discussions about their next potential victims cover a wide range of behaviour on the annoying scale but it is satisfying to see that they reserve their ire for those who really deserve to die. I won't give too much away though on that front.
This movie is excellent, balancing the extreme violence with a lot of laughs and never having the perpetrators violate their own (twisted) code of conduct - there is no inappropriate relationship a la Natural Born Killers here. In fact, despite the similarities in storyline I did not think of NBK at all while watching this. It's much more concerned with righting the world's wrongs, just in the wrong way. I loved this movie. I highly recommend it. It's on again tonight at the Film Festival at 6:30pm.
BIFF Movie #13 - Miss Bala
Miss Bala is the only movie of the day on Wednesday and I'm pumped from a fun karate class earlier in the evening. This movie, which promised to be quite exciting, actually dialled down the action and amped up the drama. It was set in Mexico and I was expecting a look inside the brutal drug cartels that are running rampant there. And I got it.....and it was lot more modern and different than how I've pictured it in my mind.
A girl in her 20s decides with her friend to enter a beauty pageant in an attempt to find fame or fortune and escape her poor life making clothes. Laura's friend Suzu meets up with a man at a nightclub who she claims can help them do better in the pageant. Laura's not interested but in trying to extract Suzu, she gets caught up when a gang raids the venue and kills the rival gang. They spare Laura but when she tries to find out what has happened to Suzu the next day, the gang leader takes an interest in her. In exchange for helping her with the pageant, the gang needs her to run some errands for them e.g. park a car full of dead bodies (including a DEA agent) in front of the US embassy, carry drug money across the border, seduce the general to enable them to take him out. Laura has no choice but to comply with the gang's requests because they have her under the gun from the beginning and there seems to be no way to escape.
The most interesting thing about this movie is the contrast of the gang leader's behaviour between casual brutality against his enemies and the relatively tender treatment he shows to Laura, at least in the beginning. The focus on Laura is a sad and shocking tale of a girl who gets drawn into a big mess against her will, based on true events that happened to a former Miss Hispanic America contestant. However for me I would have got more out of seeing things from the gang's point of view. A gripping thriller though. This movie is on again today (Saturday 24 November) at 4pm if you are interested.
A girl in her 20s decides with her friend to enter a beauty pageant in an attempt to find fame or fortune and escape her poor life making clothes. Laura's friend Suzu meets up with a man at a nightclub who she claims can help them do better in the pageant. Laura's not interested but in trying to extract Suzu, she gets caught up when a gang raids the venue and kills the rival gang. They spare Laura but when she tries to find out what has happened to Suzu the next day, the gang leader takes an interest in her. In exchange for helping her with the pageant, the gang needs her to run some errands for them e.g. park a car full of dead bodies (including a DEA agent) in front of the US embassy, carry drug money across the border, seduce the general to enable them to take him out. Laura has no choice but to comply with the gang's requests because they have her under the gun from the beginning and there seems to be no way to escape.
The most interesting thing about this movie is the contrast of the gang leader's behaviour between casual brutality against his enemies and the relatively tender treatment he shows to Laura, at least in the beginning. The focus on Laura is a sad and shocking tale of a girl who gets drawn into a big mess against her will, based on true events that happened to a former Miss Hispanic America contestant. However for me I would have got more out of seeing things from the gang's point of view. A gripping thriller though. This movie is on again today (Saturday 24 November) at 4pm if you are interested.
Thursday 22 November 2012
BIFF Movie #12 - Maniac!
I had this pencilled in for late Friday night but when they shifted the Tuesday night session to 8:30pm I decided to bring it forward to free up the Friday night schedule. So glad I did, because now I can tell you how cool this movie is and now you can go see it on Friday night too!
Maniac is a remake of a 1980 slasher movie, one that I think is probably pretty low profile since my friend M, a horror movie buff from way back, had only seen the cover and not the movie. Sorry I can't tell you whether this is actually a faithful or different remake, but I can tell you that it's a super fun little movie with a twist. Not a twist ending, the twist is that the movie is told from the point of view of the killer. Most horror movies show the victim's point of view, creating fear for the viewer as they put themselves in the victim's shoes and see the killer stalking them. This movie chooses to show a large majority of the scenes literally from what the killer is seeing, apart from a few scenes which pull back and show the whole thing or when he is looking in the mirror. This aspect means that the usual fear element is watered down but it definitely does create something different and interesting.
Elijah Wood is the only name actor in this movie, playing Frank who by day is a creepy guy living alone in a warehouse where he restores antique mannequins to their former glory and doen't have a lot of friends. By night he is a creepy guy cruising for chicks with good hair who he kills, scalps and uses the hair to create very realistic wigs for the mannequins, who he then treats like they are real women. He meets a girl, Anna, who photographs mannequins for her art portfolio and is the first person to treat the mannequins and Frank with any respect. But what will happen when Frank finds out that Anna has a boyfriend?
The good thing about this movie is that it doesn't try to complicate things, the reason for his insanity is fairly obvious, there is no twist ending and it provides some really gory, gooey stuff for gorehounds. And it's not filmed in shaky cam so you can watch it pretty easily. It does have some limitations stemming from the 80s roots e.g. a girl who realises she's being followed runs into a pretty lonely neighbourhood instead of just getting out her mobile and calling for help as you would think anyone would in this day and age. That's just nitpicking really though.
In summary, a strong slasher movie with strong violence and gore but one that is super cool and has a point of difference to hold your interest.
Maniac is a remake of a 1980 slasher movie, one that I think is probably pretty low profile since my friend M, a horror movie buff from way back, had only seen the cover and not the movie. Sorry I can't tell you whether this is actually a faithful or different remake, but I can tell you that it's a super fun little movie with a twist. Not a twist ending, the twist is that the movie is told from the point of view of the killer. Most horror movies show the victim's point of view, creating fear for the viewer as they put themselves in the victim's shoes and see the killer stalking them. This movie chooses to show a large majority of the scenes literally from what the killer is seeing, apart from a few scenes which pull back and show the whole thing or when he is looking in the mirror. This aspect means that the usual fear element is watered down but it definitely does create something different and interesting.
Elijah Wood is the only name actor in this movie, playing Frank who by day is a creepy guy living alone in a warehouse where he restores antique mannequins to their former glory and doen't have a lot of friends. By night he is a creepy guy cruising for chicks with good hair who he kills, scalps and uses the hair to create very realistic wigs for the mannequins, who he then treats like they are real women. He meets a girl, Anna, who photographs mannequins for her art portfolio and is the first person to treat the mannequins and Frank with any respect. But what will happen when Frank finds out that Anna has a boyfriend?
The good thing about this movie is that it doesn't try to complicate things, the reason for his insanity is fairly obvious, there is no twist ending and it provides some really gory, gooey stuff for gorehounds. And it's not filmed in shaky cam so you can watch it pretty easily. It does have some limitations stemming from the 80s roots e.g. a girl who realises she's being followed runs into a pretty lonely neighbourhood instead of just getting out her mobile and calling for help as you would think anyone would in this day and age. That's just nitpicking really though.
In summary, a strong slasher movie with strong violence and gore but one that is super cool and has a point of difference to hold your interest.
BIFF #11 - The Mercenary
Today I attended 'The Mercenary', the first movie I've picked out of the Spaghetti Western retrospective mini-program. I've not really seen a lot of classic Westerns but I do enjoy the elements in a Western. Young Guns is one of my favourite movies so I thought I'd go and have a look at the older movies which have a much more serious point of view and often times policital statements being made.
The Mercenary is a fairly political movie, dealing with a Mexican revolution, rising up against the rich white businessman coming across the border to run the mines and forcing the locals to work in poor conditions. However while this is the theme, it's not too bleak as the focus is actually on the relationship between revolution leader Paco Romano and a Polish immigrant mercenary named Sergei but referred to mostly as 'the Polak' for his origins. It's a love/hate relationship that makes for a lot of fun. Essentially Sergei comes across Paco early on in his revolution and basically masterminds the whole thing for a series of escalating payments from Paco, but allowing Paco to take all the credit/infamy. The army and a rich dandy named Curly (played by a very young Jack Palance with a full head of thick, curly black hair!) are all after Paco, Sergei and their crew - will they be able to escape and carry on with their dream?
All the elements of a good Western are present and correct here - the lone gunslinger (Sergei), a fantastic Ennico Morricone soundrack (love that whistling), the beautiful scenery,the fesity woman, the struggle and grit, plus those trademark activities - gambling, drinking, brawling and shooting. All of the parts are assembled beautifully for a rollicking ride backwards and forwards across Mexico. I'm looking forward to seeing Django tomorrow now!
The Mercenary is a fairly political movie, dealing with a Mexican revolution, rising up against the rich white businessman coming across the border to run the mines and forcing the locals to work in poor conditions. However while this is the theme, it's not too bleak as the focus is actually on the relationship between revolution leader Paco Romano and a Polish immigrant mercenary named Sergei but referred to mostly as 'the Polak' for his origins. It's a love/hate relationship that makes for a lot of fun. Essentially Sergei comes across Paco early on in his revolution and basically masterminds the whole thing for a series of escalating payments from Paco, but allowing Paco to take all the credit/infamy. The army and a rich dandy named Curly (played by a very young Jack Palance with a full head of thick, curly black hair!) are all after Paco, Sergei and their crew - will they be able to escape and carry on with their dream?
All the elements of a good Western are present and correct here - the lone gunslinger (Sergei), a fantastic Ennico Morricone soundrack (love that whistling), the beautiful scenery,the fesity woman, the struggle and grit, plus those trademark activities - gambling, drinking, brawling and shooting. All of the parts are assembled beautifully for a rollicking ride backwards and forwards across Mexico. I'm looking forward to seeing Django tomorrow now!
BIFF Movies #9 and #10
Where am I up to? Oh yeah, Monday, seems so long ago. First movie of the day was 'Loveless'. I was excited for this movie as it was the first film directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker, Point Break), was Willem Dafoe's first feature role, and it was about rockabilly biker dudes invading a small town to fix one of the gang's broken bikes on the way to Daytona. Problem is, it was just kinda dull. There were a few moments of excitement, a few laughs at the rockabilly talk (cool your jets, daddy-o etc etc) but mainly it was just long slow takes of a pensive looking Willem Dafoe. All mood and style but not a lot of substance here.
More fun was movie #10 for the week, 'Dirty Ho'. When the credits started, I instantly knew this was gonna be good - it's a "Shaw Brothers" movie! The renowned production company that has made hundreds of kung fu films from the late 50s and even up to today. This one was from 1976. Set in ancient China, the 11th prince Master Wang has abandoned royal life and lives among the people as a social gadabout, drinking fine wine and collecting antiques. His kung fu skills must be disguised to avoid being recognised. The film opens with a scene where he comes up against common thief Ho in competition for the attention of women with his gifts of jewellery and 'drafts' (whatever those are). A fight breaks out which Wang wins with the most subtle kung fu and fighting skills you will ever see. Ho decides to track Wang to recover his jewellery (itself stolen) and they get into a series of funny stoushes, with each other and with others (the three cripples scene is hilarious) until Wang eventually takes on Ho as an apprentice without him even realising it. With the upcoming naming of the heir to the dynasty, the greedy 4th prince decides to take out the 11th prince and then the real fights begin. Eventually Ho realises his master's true identity and skill and begins training in earnest to help him get back to the palace alive and in one piece for the ceremony.
Don't mistake this as a serious fight flick though, it's a comedy from start to finish, that just happens to have some superb choreography and almost balletic fights. The movie lets the storyline unfold in chronological order with no gimmicks - it needs none other than the main theme of Wang's subtle skills. I'm glad I knew what this was about because in the beginning, you might even have realised what he was doing if you weren't watching closely. Really funny, really cool and really fun. And a lot of nice beard smoothing in between fights as well! I went home happy.
More fun was movie #10 for the week, 'Dirty Ho'. When the credits started, I instantly knew this was gonna be good - it's a "Shaw Brothers" movie! The renowned production company that has made hundreds of kung fu films from the late 50s and even up to today. This one was from 1976. Set in ancient China, the 11th prince Master Wang has abandoned royal life and lives among the people as a social gadabout, drinking fine wine and collecting antiques. His kung fu skills must be disguised to avoid being recognised. The film opens with a scene where he comes up against common thief Ho in competition for the attention of women with his gifts of jewellery and 'drafts' (whatever those are). A fight breaks out which Wang wins with the most subtle kung fu and fighting skills you will ever see. Ho decides to track Wang to recover his jewellery (itself stolen) and they get into a series of funny stoushes, with each other and with others (the three cripples scene is hilarious) until Wang eventually takes on Ho as an apprentice without him even realising it. With the upcoming naming of the heir to the dynasty, the greedy 4th prince decides to take out the 11th prince and then the real fights begin. Eventually Ho realises his master's true identity and skill and begins training in earnest to help him get back to the palace alive and in one piece for the ceremony.
Don't mistake this as a serious fight flick though, it's a comedy from start to finish, that just happens to have some superb choreography and almost balletic fights. The movie lets the storyline unfold in chronological order with no gimmicks - it needs none other than the main theme of Wang's subtle skills. I'm glad I knew what this was about because in the beginning, you might even have realised what he was doing if you weren't watching closely. Really funny, really cool and really fun. And a lot of nice beard smoothing in between fights as well! I went home happy.
Tuesday 20 November 2012
BIFF Update #8 - Doco double play
On Sunday I took it pretty easy, only attending the double documentary session at lunch time. The first one was 'Glitter Dust: Finding Art in Dubai' which was a fairly critical look at the art scene in Dubai. For me, I didn't quite get the purpose of this documentary, it seemed to be trying to do two different things at once. It was looking at the art scene in Dubai and saying how difficult it is for art to compete with the completely materialistic culture springing up in Dubai (where a $10,000 handbag is regarded as the ultimate in beauty). Which is strange given the deeply religious base in the UAE but it really does seem to be all about what you wear and what designer goods you hold and own. On the other hand, the doco looked at 3 artists and how they are struggling to get a foothold in the art community. What I think would have been better would have been to spend more time focusing on these people and using their experiences to reflect the wider issue. But it was a good look into the burgeoning world city - it's amazing how much construction is going on there right now.
The second doco was much more affecting. 'The Love of Books: A Sarajevo Story' was a true eye opener, telling the tale of a group of dedicated library workers who moved over 10,000 books from the main library in Sarajevo to a safe place during the siege of Sarajevo. Following Bosnia and Herzogovina winning independence from Yugoslavia, Serbian forces moved in 1992 to surround and blockade the city. The siege lasted until 1995. I remember hearing about this and occasionally seeing key moments on the news, but this doco blends re-enactment of the events with real footage, and it had my mouth literally hanging open in shock. The Serbian forces were arrayed in the hills surrounding the cities where they could fire shells into the city at will, plus they planted many snipers in outlying buildings to pick off innocent civilians at will. The way that the Sarajevan people managed to carry on with their lives in this environment is amazing, continuing to go to work and try to live normally while running across open spaces under threat of sniper fire.
As a lover of books myself, I have so much admiration for this small group who risked their lives on a daily basis to move 10,000 books (carried in banana boxes which would later cause problems due to the hunger in the city) from the main library, firstly to the madrassa (a university type institution) and then later to an even safer concrete basement. This is because the shells being fired could set any building alight at any time. The collection of ancient manuscripts at the library had not been microfilmed or copied at that stage, so these were the only copies of some of these writings and they needed to be saved. It really gives me a new appreciation of the modernisation of libraries, which in the past I have grumbled as making today's uni students a bit lazy (just look it up on Google has replaced the hard yards I had to do at the uni library looking up reference numbers and then sitting and leafing through books and magazines to find references for assignments) but now I see as a great thing for the preservation of knowledge. As long as the computers and servers are all well backed up of course!
Sadly, many books at the library were not saved and the building was eventually bombed and set on fire, destroying a large quantity of books. That this courageous group saved 10,000 very precious manuscripts at risk of their own lives is still a massive achievement, as some of the re-enacted scenes were quite harrowing. What ended the siege in 1995 I can't tell you. I'm just so glad it did end, as 11,500 people lost their lives unneccessarily and there was so much destruction of what had been a beautiful, peaceful, multicultural city up to that point. What a lucky country we live in that this has never happened and is never likely to happen.
The second doco was much more affecting. 'The Love of Books: A Sarajevo Story' was a true eye opener, telling the tale of a group of dedicated library workers who moved over 10,000 books from the main library in Sarajevo to a safe place during the siege of Sarajevo. Following Bosnia and Herzogovina winning independence from Yugoslavia, Serbian forces moved in 1992 to surround and blockade the city. The siege lasted until 1995. I remember hearing about this and occasionally seeing key moments on the news, but this doco blends re-enactment of the events with real footage, and it had my mouth literally hanging open in shock. The Serbian forces were arrayed in the hills surrounding the cities where they could fire shells into the city at will, plus they planted many snipers in outlying buildings to pick off innocent civilians at will. The way that the Sarajevan people managed to carry on with their lives in this environment is amazing, continuing to go to work and try to live normally while running across open spaces under threat of sniper fire.
As a lover of books myself, I have so much admiration for this small group who risked their lives on a daily basis to move 10,000 books (carried in banana boxes which would later cause problems due to the hunger in the city) from the main library, firstly to the madrassa (a university type institution) and then later to an even safer concrete basement. This is because the shells being fired could set any building alight at any time. The collection of ancient manuscripts at the library had not been microfilmed or copied at that stage, so these were the only copies of some of these writings and they needed to be saved. It really gives me a new appreciation of the modernisation of libraries, which in the past I have grumbled as making today's uni students a bit lazy (just look it up on Google has replaced the hard yards I had to do at the uni library looking up reference numbers and then sitting and leafing through books and magazines to find references for assignments) but now I see as a great thing for the preservation of knowledge. As long as the computers and servers are all well backed up of course!
Sadly, many books at the library were not saved and the building was eventually bombed and set on fire, destroying a large quantity of books. That this courageous group saved 10,000 very precious manuscripts at risk of their own lives is still a massive achievement, as some of the re-enacted scenes were quite harrowing. What ended the siege in 1995 I can't tell you. I'm just so glad it did end, as 11,500 people lost their lives unneccessarily and there was so much destruction of what had been a beautiful, peaceful, multicultural city up to that point. What a lucky country we live in that this has never happened and is never likely to happen.
BIFF Movie #7 - West of Memphis
After the massive high that was 'Mission to Lars', 'West of Memphis' was the ultimate downer. And not just because it is about a gross miscarriage of justice leaving the true killer of 3 young boys able to walk free for the rest of time, but also because this movie was overlong and a bit dry and contained some very confronting real footage of the dead bodies. OK, I had a killer headache that was preventing me from sitting still and concentrating at a high level, but still I don't think I was the only one thinking it.
The documentary tells the tale of the "West Memphis Three" from the very beginning up to the present day. This is a case of a horrific crime in 1993 where three Arkansas 8 year old boys went missing and were found drowned in a creek, arms and legs tied, and their bodies cut and mutilated in some areas (particularly genitals). The police immediately decided that this must be a satanic cult related killing and soon arrested three local teenagers - Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Miskelley Jr. Because these guys were pretty alternative, had some petty crime convictions (vandalism and shoplifting), Damien had spent some time in a mental institution and his diary contained writings about being depressed and wanting to drink blood etc. The policy had basically made their minds up that these were the guys. They got a confession from Jessie Miskelly Jr that they had done it, and there you go, case closed.
1. Never mind the fact that Jessie's 'confession' was riddled with inconsistencies and didn't match the facts of the case. When you hear the tape of the interview, you can see that the police involved were feeding him facts and leading him towards the true information whenever he had something wrong. There was some indication that Jessie may not have 100% mental faculty and was probably intimidated into that confession.
2. Never mind the fact that one of them was not even in the county that night (corroborated by multiple witnesses).
3. Never mind the fact that despite being offered a generous deal if he ratted on Damian, Jason said 'no' because they were both innocent and went to trial.
4. Never mind the fact that there was no evidence, including DNA, to link any of the 3 to the crime scene.
Despite the above facts being tendered in the boys' defence, all 3 were convicted of the murders, with Damian being given a death sentence as the alleged ringleader, and the others being given life sentences. An appeal against their conviction in 1994 failed. After about 10 years of research and investigation by various people engaged by the family and friends of the men, a growing movement believed they were innocent and the police had bungled the crime scene and used inappropriate methods of questioning the defendants and witnesses. A key witness recanted her statements saying they were all lies under coercion by police. New DNA testing in 2007 strengthened the view that they were not guilty, and turned the attention to Terry Hobbs, step-father to one of the young boys who was amazingly never questioned by police or treated as a suspect. There may have been some jury misconduct.
Damien made a request for a retrial in 2007 but the hearing was continually put off. Finally in 2010 the Supreme Court ordered a lower judge to consider the evidence and decide whether a re-trial should occur. In August 2011, the re-trial was ordered but the defendants immediately put in a plea known as an 'Alford plea'. This allowed them to maintain that they were innocent of the crime (which they had all done over the many long years in jail) and still plead guilty. The judge then sentenced them to the time already served, so they walked free that day.
The real injustice of all this, other than the 17 years these men spent in prison for a crime they claim they did not commit and it does seem that the police just had it in for them, is that the true killer has never been found and never will be since there are three people who have been convicted of the crime. Someone cruelly killed three children and got away with it. It's sickening really.
As for the movie itself, it's a fairly even-handed look at the whole thing, with interviews with the police and prosecutors balancing out those of the friends and family. It's long because there is so much detail, even though not all details have even been included. It has some high-profile supporters' thoughts, including Henry Rollins (the only humourous part), Eddie Vedder and Peter Jackson (who executive produced this movie and it emerges that he and his wife probably financed a large part of the 2007 request for re-trial and subsequent legal bills). It's not sensational at all, although towards the end it seems to be firmly pointing the finger at Terry Hobbs, so in that way it is probably the best way to present the story. This is not really a cautionary tale as there's probably nothing that could've changed the outcome, but it does serve as an indictment of the 'judge a book by its cover' mentality.
The documentary tells the tale of the "West Memphis Three" from the very beginning up to the present day. This is a case of a horrific crime in 1993 where three Arkansas 8 year old boys went missing and were found drowned in a creek, arms and legs tied, and their bodies cut and mutilated in some areas (particularly genitals). The police immediately decided that this must be a satanic cult related killing and soon arrested three local teenagers - Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Miskelley Jr. Because these guys were pretty alternative, had some petty crime convictions (vandalism and shoplifting), Damien had spent some time in a mental institution and his diary contained writings about being depressed and wanting to drink blood etc. The policy had basically made their minds up that these were the guys. They got a confession from Jessie Miskelly Jr that they had done it, and there you go, case closed.
1. Never mind the fact that Jessie's 'confession' was riddled with inconsistencies and didn't match the facts of the case. When you hear the tape of the interview, you can see that the police involved were feeding him facts and leading him towards the true information whenever he had something wrong. There was some indication that Jessie may not have 100% mental faculty and was probably intimidated into that confession.
2. Never mind the fact that one of them was not even in the county that night (corroborated by multiple witnesses).
3. Never mind the fact that despite being offered a generous deal if he ratted on Damian, Jason said 'no' because they were both innocent and went to trial.
4. Never mind the fact that there was no evidence, including DNA, to link any of the 3 to the crime scene.
Despite the above facts being tendered in the boys' defence, all 3 were convicted of the murders, with Damian being given a death sentence as the alleged ringleader, and the others being given life sentences. An appeal against their conviction in 1994 failed. After about 10 years of research and investigation by various people engaged by the family and friends of the men, a growing movement believed they were innocent and the police had bungled the crime scene and used inappropriate methods of questioning the defendants and witnesses. A key witness recanted her statements saying they were all lies under coercion by police. New DNA testing in 2007 strengthened the view that they were not guilty, and turned the attention to Terry Hobbs, step-father to one of the young boys who was amazingly never questioned by police or treated as a suspect. There may have been some jury misconduct.
Damien made a request for a retrial in 2007 but the hearing was continually put off. Finally in 2010 the Supreme Court ordered a lower judge to consider the evidence and decide whether a re-trial should occur. In August 2011, the re-trial was ordered but the defendants immediately put in a plea known as an 'Alford plea'. This allowed them to maintain that they were innocent of the crime (which they had all done over the many long years in jail) and still plead guilty. The judge then sentenced them to the time already served, so they walked free that day.
The real injustice of all this, other than the 17 years these men spent in prison for a crime they claim they did not commit and it does seem that the police just had it in for them, is that the true killer has never been found and never will be since there are three people who have been convicted of the crime. Someone cruelly killed three children and got away with it. It's sickening really.
As for the movie itself, it's a fairly even-handed look at the whole thing, with interviews with the police and prosecutors balancing out those of the friends and family. It's long because there is so much detail, even though not all details have even been included. It has some high-profile supporters' thoughts, including Henry Rollins (the only humourous part), Eddie Vedder and Peter Jackson (who executive produced this movie and it emerges that he and his wife probably financed a large part of the 2007 request for re-trial and subsequent legal bills). It's not sensational at all, although towards the end it seems to be firmly pointing the finger at Terry Hobbs, so in that way it is probably the best way to present the story. This is not really a cautionary tale as there's probably nothing that could've changed the outcome, but it does serve as an indictment of the 'judge a book by its cover' mentality.
Monday 19 November 2012
BIFF Movie # 6 - Mission to Lars (Ulrich)
Saturday morning in late spring and the predictions were that we were going to have a massive storm cell bringing severe storms over Brisbane on both Saturday and Sunday. Driving home from a morning appointment, the storm clouds were following me ominously and I just had time to pull in, collect the papers, bring in the washing and then BANG, big storm with lots of lightning, thunder and heavy rain. But it was over in a pretty short time, nothing too bad. So we jumped in the car to go into the city and see a couple of movies at Palace Barracks Cinema. The warnings all said there were more storms to come, but luckily the Barracks carpark is undercover so we could just relax and enjoy our movies. On the drive in, we realised that we had been lucky, as the inner-city looked like it had been completely smashed by a storm, trees down everywhere and huge amounts of water around.
Movie #6 was 'Mission to Lars' and I don't think I've seen a more heartwarming movie ever. It brought a little bit of sunshine to a dark and stormy day. Brother and sister Kate and Will Spicer have a 40 year old brother Tom who has Fragile X syndrome, a form of autism. He is a huge Metallica fan and continually tells his family and carers that he wants to 'meet Lars'. Lars Ulrich, Metallica's drummer, super businessman, artist, destroyer of Napster. Seems unlikely.
So Kate and Will decide to embark on a mission to bring Tom to America, see Metallica in concert, and if they are lucky, arrange a meeting with Lars Ulrich, all to be filmed for a documentary. And the fantastic part of this movie is that the most difficult part of this mission is not actually arranging the meeting with Lars - it's getting Tom to actually go to the meeting! You see, Tom's syndrome means that he needs routine and consistency, doesn't like to be around conflict and he hears noises more loudly than other people do so imagine him at a massive rock concert by Metallica! But just getting him on the plane looks difficult, as Kate wakes up late and it throws Tom out completely. It's fascinating to see how these siblings have so many problems adjusting their own behaviour to suit their brother, but eventually they do find a more relaxed pace where they can start to enjoy the family trip and make him feel comfortable. But get him to the concert? That is still an impossible dream!
It's hard to review this movie without giving away what happens, so I will say 'Spoiler Alert' so you can look away now.
Finally hitting on the right approach, Kate gets Tom to the venue and into the backstage area, where they wait and wait and it looks like the meeting is now not going to happen. We all feel really disappointed, as we have really grown attached to Tom as the movie progressed. But then, it happens, and Lars is so nice, and so cool and he goes well beyond just a 10 minute meeting. Yay! The look on Tom's face is amazing, when you think back on it you can just start tearing up. This is such a heartwarming movie and one that was very worthwhile seeing.
It also made us think a lot more about giving further support to charities like Young Care (http://www.youngcare.com.au/) which aim to get young people who need care into facilities that are more appropriate for their age, instead of nursing homes and aged care facilities. I'll certainly be supporting more than I have before. You should too!
Movie #6 was 'Mission to Lars' and I don't think I've seen a more heartwarming movie ever. It brought a little bit of sunshine to a dark and stormy day. Brother and sister Kate and Will Spicer have a 40 year old brother Tom who has Fragile X syndrome, a form of autism. He is a huge Metallica fan and continually tells his family and carers that he wants to 'meet Lars'. Lars Ulrich, Metallica's drummer, super businessman, artist, destroyer of Napster. Seems unlikely.
So Kate and Will decide to embark on a mission to bring Tom to America, see Metallica in concert, and if they are lucky, arrange a meeting with Lars Ulrich, all to be filmed for a documentary. And the fantastic part of this movie is that the most difficult part of this mission is not actually arranging the meeting with Lars - it's getting Tom to actually go to the meeting! You see, Tom's syndrome means that he needs routine and consistency, doesn't like to be around conflict and he hears noises more loudly than other people do so imagine him at a massive rock concert by Metallica! But just getting him on the plane looks difficult, as Kate wakes up late and it throws Tom out completely. It's fascinating to see how these siblings have so many problems adjusting their own behaviour to suit their brother, but eventually they do find a more relaxed pace where they can start to enjoy the family trip and make him feel comfortable. But get him to the concert? That is still an impossible dream!
It's hard to review this movie without giving away what happens, so I will say 'Spoiler Alert' so you can look away now.
Finally hitting on the right approach, Kate gets Tom to the venue and into the backstage area, where they wait and wait and it looks like the meeting is now not going to happen. We all feel really disappointed, as we have really grown attached to Tom as the movie progressed. But then, it happens, and Lars is so nice, and so cool and he goes well beyond just a 10 minute meeting. Yay! The look on Tom's face is amazing, when you think back on it you can just start tearing up. This is such a heartwarming movie and one that was very worthwhile seeing.
It also made us think a lot more about giving further support to charities like Young Care (http://www.youngcare.com.au/) which aim to get young people who need care into facilities that are more appropriate for their age, instead of nursing homes and aged care facilities. I'll certainly be supporting more than I have before. You should too!
Sunday 18 November 2012
BIFF Fri-day night, creepy night
Movies #4 and #5 were on tonight and I must say I inadvertently picked a very complementary double bill of movies, both taking a look at the impact on others of people with sick and twisted minds.
First up was 'Sound of my Voice' which is the latest film co-written and starring Brit Marling (from last year's great drama 'Another Earth'). I think this girl is going to be a big star in the near future, particularly for her ability to write unique, small dramas with a little dose of sci-fi. The movie opens with 2 people being admitted to a cult, who we soon find out are actually a film-maker couple who are out to bring down the cult leader from the inside. The cult leader is Maggie (Brit Marling) who claims to be from the future and has come back to help lead people (read: true believers) to a safe place to avoid the never-explained apocalypse that will occur. What follows is an interesting exploration of how even the most sceptical person can have their views changed by charismatic people, even ones like Maggie who offer little evidence and what they do offer is ridiculous - a funny scene where Maggie sings 'a song from the future' but it turns out to be Dreams by the Cranberries. The movie unfortunately raises more questions than it answers in the conclusion, but it was an interesting little film nonetheless.
It definitely made a good segue into the next movie, 'Compliance'. It was set almost entirely within a fast food joint called Chickwich (mmmmmm chicken sandwich) on a very busy day when the store was low on bacon and pickles and they knew they had a shadow shopper franchise quality control person possibly visiting. The manager receives a phone call after lunch from a police officer advising her that he has a victim who has reported having $1,500 stolen out of her wallet by a counter employeed, plus several witnesses. He's too busy to come down to the store right now to interview the girl, so he asks the store manager to follow his instructions. The girl, Becky, denies taking the money, saying it's not even possible. So they check the girl's pockets and purse to try to find the money. When that reveals nothing and still protests innocence, the police officer tells them they have to stripsearch her. Both parties are reluctant but the police officer talks to Becky and convinces her to cooperate so it will be over sooner, which she ultimately does and the stripsearch occurs. Still they find nothing. The girl must then be detained and her clothes left out in the manager's car for the police to search properly. Oh, and a male employee must be used to stand guard over her since the manager has to go back out to the store.... The demands become increasingly creepy and while all the various employees and relatives who become involved over the space of an afternoon and evening seem reluctant and suspicious at first, for some reason they comply with this disembodied voice' instructions and things escalate quite far.
Now here's where you might be thinking - why didn't they realise it's not a real cop and just hang up? And I agree, I felt the same way. But the thing is that you don't really know how you'd react unless it really happened to you. You would definitely like to think that you would be suspicious, you'd ask for a number to call back to prove it really is a policeman and not a prank call, you would just refuse to do the things you're asked. And if you're Becky, you like to think that you would firmly resist what happens, scream, yell, run away. And the catch with this movie is that is is based on true events that occurred in America. And not just in one store, once. Apparently this heinous, malicious, sick individual got 70 people in America to believe him, to the point at least of stripsearching their employees - there were 70 reported cases of similar incidents.
The movie really speaks to the fact that most of us want to believe that we are good people, we follow the rules and laws and want to be seen as helpful and good. We don't want to be seen as not co-operating with the police. That there are some people out there who can smooth talk people into doing otherwise unthinkable things, who have an answer for everything you throw at them and know just what to say and when. Think about it, you probably know one. I'm sure I wouldn't have done any of those things, but after deep reflection I think I might only be 95% sure, there might be a small chance I could have been convinced. How many times have we given out info over the phone without really checking that the person who's called us really is from that legitimate place needing to confirm our details? This is a lot further than that scenario, but unless it happens to you, do you know that you would do the right thing? A good cautionary tale, a little confronting to watch at times (certainly not worth of the walkouts that are being used to 'hype' the movie though) and not a fun night out. Thought provoking indeed.
First up was 'Sound of my Voice' which is the latest film co-written and starring Brit Marling (from last year's great drama 'Another Earth'). I think this girl is going to be a big star in the near future, particularly for her ability to write unique, small dramas with a little dose of sci-fi. The movie opens with 2 people being admitted to a cult, who we soon find out are actually a film-maker couple who are out to bring down the cult leader from the inside. The cult leader is Maggie (Brit Marling) who claims to be from the future and has come back to help lead people (read: true believers) to a safe place to avoid the never-explained apocalypse that will occur. What follows is an interesting exploration of how even the most sceptical person can have their views changed by charismatic people, even ones like Maggie who offer little evidence and what they do offer is ridiculous - a funny scene where Maggie sings 'a song from the future' but it turns out to be Dreams by the Cranberries. The movie unfortunately raises more questions than it answers in the conclusion, but it was an interesting little film nonetheless.
It definitely made a good segue into the next movie, 'Compliance'. It was set almost entirely within a fast food joint called Chickwich (mmmmmm chicken sandwich) on a very busy day when the store was low on bacon and pickles and they knew they had a shadow shopper franchise quality control person possibly visiting. The manager receives a phone call after lunch from a police officer advising her that he has a victim who has reported having $1,500 stolen out of her wallet by a counter employeed, plus several witnesses. He's too busy to come down to the store right now to interview the girl, so he asks the store manager to follow his instructions. The girl, Becky, denies taking the money, saying it's not even possible. So they check the girl's pockets and purse to try to find the money. When that reveals nothing and still protests innocence, the police officer tells them they have to stripsearch her. Both parties are reluctant but the police officer talks to Becky and convinces her to cooperate so it will be over sooner, which she ultimately does and the stripsearch occurs. Still they find nothing. The girl must then be detained and her clothes left out in the manager's car for the police to search properly. Oh, and a male employee must be used to stand guard over her since the manager has to go back out to the store.... The demands become increasingly creepy and while all the various employees and relatives who become involved over the space of an afternoon and evening seem reluctant and suspicious at first, for some reason they comply with this disembodied voice' instructions and things escalate quite far.
Now here's where you might be thinking - why didn't they realise it's not a real cop and just hang up? And I agree, I felt the same way. But the thing is that you don't really know how you'd react unless it really happened to you. You would definitely like to think that you would be suspicious, you'd ask for a number to call back to prove it really is a policeman and not a prank call, you would just refuse to do the things you're asked. And if you're Becky, you like to think that you would firmly resist what happens, scream, yell, run away. And the catch with this movie is that is is based on true events that occurred in America. And not just in one store, once. Apparently this heinous, malicious, sick individual got 70 people in America to believe him, to the point at least of stripsearching their employees - there were 70 reported cases of similar incidents.
The movie really speaks to the fact that most of us want to believe that we are good people, we follow the rules and laws and want to be seen as helpful and good. We don't want to be seen as not co-operating with the police. That there are some people out there who can smooth talk people into doing otherwise unthinkable things, who have an answer for everything you throw at them and know just what to say and when. Think about it, you probably know one. I'm sure I wouldn't have done any of those things, but after deep reflection I think I might only be 95% sure, there might be a small chance I could have been convinced. How many times have we given out info over the phone without really checking that the person who's called us really is from that legitimate place needing to confirm our details? This is a lot further than that scenario, but unless it happens to you, do you know that you would do the right thing? A good cautionary tale, a little confronting to watch at times (certainly not worth of the walkouts that are being used to 'hype' the movie though) and not a fun night out. Thought provoking indeed.
Saturday 17 November 2012
BIFF Movie #3 - Miami Connection
This has to be the best bad movie I've ever seen! Absolutely no budget whatsoever, the most ridiculous storyline, corny dialogue spoken by non-actors who didn't even get a script, gaping plotholes and giant leaps in logic. But fun, funny and hugely entertaining? Hell yeah.
Miami Connection was a movie that the Alama Drafthouse in Texas (co-run by Lars Nilsen who was out here at the Film Fest last year curating a mini-program from his own 'Fantastic Film Fest') bought for $40 off eBay sight unseen. Running it in their annual marathon of watching the first scene of each movie in their vault, they realised what an amazing opening scene this movie had and investigated further, until they were able to release it to cinemas. The story behind the movie is pretty amazing - a guy with no money talks a bunch of tae-kwondo instructors into paying him $10,000 each and in return they get to star in the movie. The director then disappears part way through filming, so one of the tae-kwondo guys decides to finish it himself despite having no filmmaking experience at all and barely speaking English! And he does a terrible job of his scenes, making the other guy look almost competent.
Set some time in the early 80s in Miami, Florida, the movie inexplicably circles around a group of five friends and martial arts experts who are in a rock band called Dragon Sound. They write cool songs about being best friends forever, fighting ninjas etc etc. One of the guys starts dating a girl whose brother is a leader of a gang of goons trying to help a gangster take over the cocaine distribution racket in Miami. The band then has to continually fight this gang who want them all dead (why? I don't know), another gang led by the disgruntled leader of the former house band at the club, and a pack of black-clad, motor cycle riding ninjas. Why the gangster bothers with the incompetent goons and doesn't just go straight to the deadly ninjas, we'll never know - except that wouldn't make a very long movie.
Despite the ludicrous plot and the poor direction and editing which means scenes just end and start with no connection, I found it thoroughly enjoyable. The bad fashion kept me entertained just on its own. The fight scenes were awful but some of the tae-kwondo practise scenes were pretty good and the big fight at the end with the ninjas was pretty cool and they tried to a get a bit of gore in there with some arms hacked off by swords. The dialogue was mostly made up by the cast as it was fairly random and stupid, but this gave some of the biggest laughs. Yes, we were laughing AT you, not WITH you, but who cares? A fun night out - I'm gonna go check eBay and see if I can find it.
Miami Connection was a movie that the Alama Drafthouse in Texas (co-run by Lars Nilsen who was out here at the Film Fest last year curating a mini-program from his own 'Fantastic Film Fest') bought for $40 off eBay sight unseen. Running it in their annual marathon of watching the first scene of each movie in their vault, they realised what an amazing opening scene this movie had and investigated further, until they were able to release it to cinemas. The story behind the movie is pretty amazing - a guy with no money talks a bunch of tae-kwondo instructors into paying him $10,000 each and in return they get to star in the movie. The director then disappears part way through filming, so one of the tae-kwondo guys decides to finish it himself despite having no filmmaking experience at all and barely speaking English! And he does a terrible job of his scenes, making the other guy look almost competent.
Set some time in the early 80s in Miami, Florida, the movie inexplicably circles around a group of five friends and martial arts experts who are in a rock band called Dragon Sound. They write cool songs about being best friends forever, fighting ninjas etc etc. One of the guys starts dating a girl whose brother is a leader of a gang of goons trying to help a gangster take over the cocaine distribution racket in Miami. The band then has to continually fight this gang who want them all dead (why? I don't know), another gang led by the disgruntled leader of the former house band at the club, and a pack of black-clad, motor cycle riding ninjas. Why the gangster bothers with the incompetent goons and doesn't just go straight to the deadly ninjas, we'll never know - except that wouldn't make a very long movie.
Despite the ludicrous plot and the poor direction and editing which means scenes just end and start with no connection, I found it thoroughly enjoyable. The bad fashion kept me entertained just on its own. The fight scenes were awful but some of the tae-kwondo practise scenes were pretty good and the big fight at the end with the ninjas was pretty cool and they tried to a get a bit of gore in there with some arms hacked off by swords. The dialogue was mostly made up by the cast as it was fairly random and stupid, but this gave some of the biggest laughs. Yes, we were laughing AT you, not WITH you, but who cares? A fun night out - I'm gonna go check eBay and see if I can find it.
Friday 16 November 2012
BIFF Update - Sons of Anarchy
Punk rawk! I kicked off my 'official' festival experience last night with 'Sons of Norway', a funny and sweet movie about a kid just trying to rebel by getting into punk rock in the late 70s, foiled at every turn by his dad's liberal views. If you like punk music, you'll love this entertaining and very funny movie as I did.
Nikolaj is a young boy, I'd guess about 14, brought up in Norway by a loving but slightly oddball family. His dad is a bit of a hippie with extremely liberal views on many things, and his Mum is a very loving and tolerant lady who indulges her husband and kids. At the beginning, Nikolaj and his friends dress like normal kids in flared jeans and t-shirts but they are already interested in music such as The Stooges and the Sex Pistols. Following a tragic accident with his mother, Nikolaj increasingly turns to punk as a way of life that resonates for him and rebels against society, police and parents. The only problem is that his Dad, Magnus, not only is not offended by Nik's clothing and behaviour, he doesn't even comment on some of it and as time goes on he even openly embraces the ethos and actively encourages the boys to continue. Needless to say, acceptance isn't what Nik is looking for from his dad and you wonder what is going to happen to these two lovable misfits.
The things I loved about this movie were the nostalgia for the 70s punk explosion, the humour and the fact that the Dad was actually the most anarchist person in the group. My friend Mat accompanied me and I think he summed it up well in saying that it was great because it wasn't a typical Hollywood structure of a movie. If this was your typical Hollywood movie, the dad would be disapproving and there'd be a struggle and then everyone would kiss and make up at the end, but instead the dad is liberal to the extreme and the boy has to come to terms with the fact that he really has nothing to rebel against. I think it's trying to say something about the punk movement's ethos with a guest appearance by Johnny Rotten (looking more and more like a caricature every day) but I didn't really get a clear idea of the conclusion it was drawing. Despite the slightly downbeat ending, I found this to be really entertaining and I remember having a big smile on my face almost the whole time.
Sons of Norway is screening again on Saturday 17 November (tomorrow) at 6:30pm. Check it out!
Nikolaj is a young boy, I'd guess about 14, brought up in Norway by a loving but slightly oddball family. His dad is a bit of a hippie with extremely liberal views on many things, and his Mum is a very loving and tolerant lady who indulges her husband and kids. At the beginning, Nikolaj and his friends dress like normal kids in flared jeans and t-shirts but they are already interested in music such as The Stooges and the Sex Pistols. Following a tragic accident with his mother, Nikolaj increasingly turns to punk as a way of life that resonates for him and rebels against society, police and parents. The only problem is that his Dad, Magnus, not only is not offended by Nik's clothing and behaviour, he doesn't even comment on some of it and as time goes on he even openly embraces the ethos and actively encourages the boys to continue. Needless to say, acceptance isn't what Nik is looking for from his dad and you wonder what is going to happen to these two lovable misfits.
The things I loved about this movie were the nostalgia for the 70s punk explosion, the humour and the fact that the Dad was actually the most anarchist person in the group. My friend Mat accompanied me and I think he summed it up well in saying that it was great because it wasn't a typical Hollywood structure of a movie. If this was your typical Hollywood movie, the dad would be disapproving and there'd be a struggle and then everyone would kiss and make up at the end, but instead the dad is liberal to the extreme and the boy has to come to terms with the fact that he really has nothing to rebel against. I think it's trying to say something about the punk movement's ethos with a guest appearance by Johnny Rotten (looking more and more like a caricature every day) but I didn't really get a clear idea of the conclusion it was drawing. Despite the slightly downbeat ending, I found this to be really entertaining and I remember having a big smile on my face almost the whole time.
Sons of Norway is screening again on Saturday 17 November (tomorrow) at 6:30pm. Check it out!
Tuesday 13 November 2012
BIFF is go! Movie #1 Down
Movie #1 at the 2012 Brisbane International Film Festival has happened! Before it even started! As with last year, the Festival has a couple of movies screening before the opening night event on Wednesday. Last night I went to see Hari-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 3D. I have to say that it was a slightly disappointing start for me this year. Only because I expect so much from director Takashi Miike, who is usually pretty extreme but this movie was more of a melodrama with a few extreme parts. Also the 3D was unwatchable, not sure whether it was the cinema projection, glasses or just me (normally I love 3D and have no problems) but I had to remove the glasses in any fast moving scenes. Luckily there weren't many (!).
This movie is a very good quality movie, just not what I was expecting really. After last year's '13 Assassins' which explored similar territory (the honour of a Samurai in post-feudal Japan) I was expecting something similar - an exploration of the issues but still with some crazy fighting scenes. Alas I was disappointed as the film chose instead to tell a sad and drawn out tale of a young man with a sick wife and baby and the lengths he will go to for them. It did have a good point to make about morality and humanity in the face of an honour bound society's expectations, told within an interesting structure for the film. However there were no real surprises to be found and I just missed that crazy edge his movies normally have. He's mellowing out!
This movie is a very good quality movie, just not what I was expecting really. After last year's '13 Assassins' which explored similar territory (the honour of a Samurai in post-feudal Japan) I was expecting something similar - an exploration of the issues but still with some crazy fighting scenes. Alas I was disappointed as the film chose instead to tell a sad and drawn out tale of a young man with a sick wife and baby and the lengths he will go to for them. It did have a good point to make about morality and humanity in the face of an honour bound society's expectations, told within an interesting structure for the film. However there were no real surprises to be found and I just missed that crazy edge his movies normally have. He's mellowing out!
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