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!
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