I can't believe the latest film from Will Ferrell has gone straight to DVD, yet there we were renting it out the weekend it hit the shops. And it's an absolute cracker, although it won't be to everyone's taste.
Firstly a warning. This film is set in Mexico and is spoken entirely in Spanish with English subtitles bar a few lines from an American actor. So if you don't like subtitles, this may be the film to win you over! Apparently Will Ferrell learned his lines phonetically, since he doesn't speak Spanish.
Secondly another warning. This film is a parody of Mexican 'telenovellas' - a film genre which combines high soap opera and dramatic, sweeping storylines with poor production values and usually plays straight to TV. I am no expert but I'm taking it from Will Ferrell who had the idea after seeing a few of these movies. As a parody of this genre, the movie also combines high soap opera and poor production values, but it is deliberate.
Will Ferrell plays Armando Alvarez, a simple guy who works on his father's ranch raising cattle and riding horses, and looking for love on the wind. Trouble is afoot as the local drug cartel leader, The Onza (played in a hilariously camp manner by Gael Garcia Bernal), is making life difficult for the Alvarez family, using their ranch to execute his enemies. The family business is in trouble, so home comes little brother Raul (Diego Luna) to save the day. Raul is a big business man in the city, and brings his new woman Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez) with the news they are engaged. But more trouble arises on two fronts: Armando senses that Sonia is not who she says she is and may not love his brother like she should, and Raul has gotten mixed up in drug dealing himself so The Onza is feeling threatened.
This setup leads to some of the most hilariously over the top discussions, fights, love scenes and shootouts as the drama escalates. It's kind of like watching a spoof of a Quentin Tarantino movie crossed with the Bold and the Beautiful. It's quite violent in places and then just absurd in others (Armando's white lion guided trip while unconscious after a 'real' lion attack is so meta).
Will Ferrell, I commend you on bringing this film genre to our attention and learning Spanish in order to convincingly play the part of Armando. A top notch supporting cast who do speak Spanish certainly helps though, and it seems everyone was really in on the joke (check out the Making Of feature on the DVD).
This movie is so much fun and you will have to make sure you have the pause and rewind buttons handy. Since we knew what we were getting into, we were ready and had a great time playing 'spot the deliberately bad production values' and sharing them with each other. As an example to get you going, there is a scene where a hot senorita housemaid is bringing a tray of drinks to the family in the study, but when the shot shifts to brother Raul, the arm handing him the tray is clearly that of a large hairy man. The drink then changes from one cocktail to another as the family discussion continues. Also keep any eye on the backgrounds to any outdoor shots, and also the background players in the dinner scene celebrating Raul and Sonia's engagement. Some of these jokes are easy to miss so make sure you don't watch this one alone!
Showing posts with label DVD Gem Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DVD Gem Posts. Show all posts
Monday, 1 April 2013
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
DVD Gem - Beasts of the Southern Wild
A film that may have passed you by but is definitely worth a watch is
‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’. It scored
rave reviews from a range of movie critics after a short release last year, and
was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (a first timer!), Best
Actress (9 year old Quevenzhane Wallis) and Best Adapted Screenplay. Not bad for a movie most of us hadn’t heard
of! It didn't end up winning anything after all, but it’s an absolutely unique film
that will leave a lasting impression so I suggest you rent it out from the
video store!
Adapted from a play, the plot covers two main storylines – a
father teaching his young daughter how to survive in the world, and a community
who want to deal with a severe weather event in their own way. Where this becomes unlike anything you’ve
ever seen before is in the setting: ‘The Bathtub’. The bayous of Florida, outside the levee. It's a wild, primitive kind of life for the residents but that's the way they like it.
The main character is named Hushpuppy, a young girl whose mother just up and left her to be cared for by her father Wink. Wink has a tough love approach to raising Hushpuppy, but you can see that it is based on love. As the film progresses we suspect that it's because Wink has a medical condition which means he may or may not be around to take care of Hushpuppy for much longer, so he is teaching her to be self-sufficient even at the tender age of about 7. Problems arise for both when a huge storm hits the bayou (very Hurricane Katrina-like) and the water level rises, forcing the Bathtub dwellers into desperate action as their ecosystem struggles to survive. When the Government tries to forcibly evacuate them, they become even more determined to stay/get home.
Quevenzhane Wallis gives an extraordinary performance, being only around 7 years old and never having acted before. It's fierce and strong but also wondrous. Most of the actors in the film are actually non-actors from the area where the movie was filmed. It's a credit to the director that he has drawn such naturalistic performances from these people who must have gone through hell in some parts.
All of the above does absolutely no justice to the magic of this film. Hushpuppy's voiceovers give an insight into the poetic thoughts of this fierce young girl with a softer side as she longs to meet her mother. Her interest in ancient cave paintings and creatures manifests in the release of a group of ancient aurochs (large scary ox like creatures) who were frozen in ice, which has melted in a really unsubtle dig at global warming. As the movie progresses, the aurochs stampede towards the Bathtub and confrontation with Hushpuppy, but is it real or all in her mind? Will she actually find her mother?
What I loved about this movie was the combination of fierceness of these people but the joy they take in their simple lifestyles and the strength of the community and their roots. There are some very strong messages here, some obvious and some that require a bit of quiet reflection to notice. You won't be able to shake some of the images that you will see here so you will have time to think it over. It's a completely unique setting and unlike any other movies I've seen. There are no easy answers given and even the title is a puzzle - does it refer to the stampeding aurochs or the people of the Bathtub themselves?
The main character is named Hushpuppy, a young girl whose mother just up and left her to be cared for by her father Wink. Wink has a tough love approach to raising Hushpuppy, but you can see that it is based on love. As the film progresses we suspect that it's because Wink has a medical condition which means he may or may not be around to take care of Hushpuppy for much longer, so he is teaching her to be self-sufficient even at the tender age of about 7. Problems arise for both when a huge storm hits the bayou (very Hurricane Katrina-like) and the water level rises, forcing the Bathtub dwellers into desperate action as their ecosystem struggles to survive. When the Government tries to forcibly evacuate them, they become even more determined to stay/get home.
Quevenzhane Wallis gives an extraordinary performance, being only around 7 years old and never having acted before. It's fierce and strong but also wondrous. Most of the actors in the film are actually non-actors from the area where the movie was filmed. It's a credit to the director that he has drawn such naturalistic performances from these people who must have gone through hell in some parts.
All of the above does absolutely no justice to the magic of this film. Hushpuppy's voiceovers give an insight into the poetic thoughts of this fierce young girl with a softer side as she longs to meet her mother. Her interest in ancient cave paintings and creatures manifests in the release of a group of ancient aurochs (large scary ox like creatures) who were frozen in ice, which has melted in a really unsubtle dig at global warming. As the movie progresses, the aurochs stampede towards the Bathtub and confrontation with Hushpuppy, but is it real or all in her mind? Will she actually find her mother?
What I loved about this movie was the combination of fierceness of these people but the joy they take in their simple lifestyles and the strength of the community and their roots. There are some very strong messages here, some obvious and some that require a bit of quiet reflection to notice. You won't be able to shake some of the images that you will see here so you will have time to think it over. It's a completely unique setting and unlike any other movies I've seen. There are no easy answers given and even the title is a puzzle - does it refer to the stampeding aurochs or the people of the Bathtub themselves?
Sunday, 29 April 2012
DVD Gem - Attack the Block
After watching this little cracker of a movie the other day, I really wished that we had gone to see it on the Opening Night of the Brisbane International Film Festival. It is such a good movie that would be so fun to see with a group of people who could cheer and fist pump along with you. This is going into my "DVD Gems" category because it is a fantastic movie but one that people might not have heard. Do yourself a favour and hire it out!
Here are some reasons that I guess you might not have heard of or watched this movie:
Attack the Block is the first movie written and directed by Joe Cornish, an associate of the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost trio (Shaun of the Dead guys). His only previous fame came from co-writing the screenplay for Tintin with Edgar Wright and Steven Moffat. The cast are largely young, unknown or first time actors. The budget was only $13 million (Battleship had a budget of $200 million). It lasted only 2 weeks in our cinemas, if that. You might have heard people saying that it is hard to understand what the actors are saying between their thick South London accents and street slang.
Here are some reasons you should see this movie:
1) It's really fun. The movie is set over one night where an alien invasion is overlooked by the authorities due to coinciding with a giant fireworks display, so it's up to a gang of thug teens of about 15 years of age to defend their council estate (The Block) from the nasties. The 5 boys are quick to twig to the alien threat, retreat to the Block, arm themselves and fight back. It's like a darker Gremlins or Goonies.
2) The aliens are a point of difference to other alien movies. The aliens that have been created for this movie look like nothing else you've seen, are super cool, and aren't here for earth domination. They can also kill or be killed quite easily. They are really threatening and scary, great effects for such a small budget. There is some gore and violence.
3) It's bold. The movie opens with the five teens menacing and mugging a female nurse who is innocently walking home. Arming themselves to fight aliens is pretty simple when they already have knives, baseball bats etc. in their personal aresenal. These are the guys we're supposed to cheer for against the baddies in the rest of the movie? Well, yes, but for a first time writer/director he is very clever at not making these boys sypathetic and doesn't actually ask you to care about them even while you do want them to overcome the alien invasion. As the nurse who is forced to team up with the kids who mugged her only a few hours earlier if she is to survive, Jodie Whittaker walks a very good line between reminding them they're not heroes and understanding them.
4) It's funny. There are a lot of funny moments between the boys and some allies they pick up along the way, including unfortunate drug purchaser Brewis who's always in the wrong place at the wrong time, head drug dealer of the Block Hi-Hatz and his employee Ron (Nick Frost). Little fellas Mayhem and Probs also provide a fair bit of the comic relief as they try to tag along with the older boys. The accents are far from the worst that have been put on screen (I've still not seen Snatch in full - can't understand a word they're saying?) and they are smart by using the street slang repeatedly so that even if you don't know what a word means the first time, it gains context until you understand it.
5) It's kinetic. The film has an appropriately beats heavy soundtrack that accompanies the action which just keeps pumping along. There are only a few moments to draw a breath as they try to figure out how to overcome an ever growing horde of dark black creatures.
I hope I've convinced you that this is a real DVD gem. We really enjoyed it and look forward to more from this talented Brit.
Here are some reasons that I guess you might not have heard of or watched this movie:
Attack the Block is the first movie written and directed by Joe Cornish, an associate of the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost trio (Shaun of the Dead guys). His only previous fame came from co-writing the screenplay for Tintin with Edgar Wright and Steven Moffat. The cast are largely young, unknown or first time actors. The budget was only $13 million (Battleship had a budget of $200 million). It lasted only 2 weeks in our cinemas, if that. You might have heard people saying that it is hard to understand what the actors are saying between their thick South London accents and street slang.
Here are some reasons you should see this movie:
1) It's really fun. The movie is set over one night where an alien invasion is overlooked by the authorities due to coinciding with a giant fireworks display, so it's up to a gang of thug teens of about 15 years of age to defend their council estate (The Block) from the nasties. The 5 boys are quick to twig to the alien threat, retreat to the Block, arm themselves and fight back. It's like a darker Gremlins or Goonies.
2) The aliens are a point of difference to other alien movies. The aliens that have been created for this movie look like nothing else you've seen, are super cool, and aren't here for earth domination. They can also kill or be killed quite easily. They are really threatening and scary, great effects for such a small budget. There is some gore and violence.
3) It's bold. The movie opens with the five teens menacing and mugging a female nurse who is innocently walking home. Arming themselves to fight aliens is pretty simple when they already have knives, baseball bats etc. in their personal aresenal. These are the guys we're supposed to cheer for against the baddies in the rest of the movie? Well, yes, but for a first time writer/director he is very clever at not making these boys sypathetic and doesn't actually ask you to care about them even while you do want them to overcome the alien invasion. As the nurse who is forced to team up with the kids who mugged her only a few hours earlier if she is to survive, Jodie Whittaker walks a very good line between reminding them they're not heroes and understanding them.
4) It's funny. There are a lot of funny moments between the boys and some allies they pick up along the way, including unfortunate drug purchaser Brewis who's always in the wrong place at the wrong time, head drug dealer of the Block Hi-Hatz and his employee Ron (Nick Frost). Little fellas Mayhem and Probs also provide a fair bit of the comic relief as they try to tag along with the older boys. The accents are far from the worst that have been put on screen (I've still not seen Snatch in full - can't understand a word they're saying?) and they are smart by using the street slang repeatedly so that even if you don't know what a word means the first time, it gains context until you understand it.
5) It's kinetic. The film has an appropriately beats heavy soundtrack that accompanies the action which just keeps pumping along. There are only a few moments to draw a breath as they try to figure out how to overcome an ever growing horde of dark black creatures.
I hope I've convinced you that this is a real DVD gem. We really enjoyed it and look forward to more from this talented Brit.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
DVD Gem #2 - Harry Brown
This is the second in my series of "DVD Gems" which is designed to uncover older movies you might have missed or new ones that might not have much of a profile but are worth a watch.
I actually watched this movie on DVD around Christmas time and meant to review it then but ran out of time. But three months on and it's really stayed with me and forced its way out, because it was so powerful. Don't watch if you're about to move to England though!
Harry Brown is also the name of the main character, played by Michael Caine. He is an older fellow (I think his age is given in the movie but I've forgotten, he's well over 70 though) living a quiet life on the pension, visiting his sick wife in hospital and occasionally meeting with his only friend, Len for a beer or game of chess. Harry lives in one of those housing estates you often see in gritty British dramas: drab grey or brown buildings of small apartments populated by losers, crims and kids with no future. Every day he takes the long way to his various destinations to avoid the young thugs who hang out in the tunnel under the road having 'fun' by harrassing passersby. You can tell Harry isn't happy about the situation but he keeps his head down and doesn't want to make trouble. Until one day, something happens to poor old Len. Sick of the police not doing anything about the thugs and their pranks, he decides to take matters into his own hands but ends up on the wrong end of the stick. Two police offers become involved in Len's case but it quickly becomes clear that justice is not going to be done and Harry finds himself unexpectedly fighting back.
The things that make this movie stand out are the grimly realistic setting (seeming particularly so since the riots last year) and just the sheer power of such an old, feeble man finding a way to teach these young crims a lesson and see that justice is actually served. Michael Caine is fantastic as Harry, portraying a steely determination crossed with the frustration of a failing body and shaky hands. The revelation of Harry's former career definitely helps with believability though. I don't think it would have worked anywhere near as well without this former tough guy in the role.
The violence in the movie is fairly confronting, especially a scene at a drug dealer's compound and a riot. Quite a few times during the film I found myself saying "how scary" and I think this is all due to the commitment of the filmmakers to realism. I really could see such things happening in England and that is a very scary thought. Just the other day I read a report that senior police figures are calling for an action plan to clean up a few areas that are almost becoming "no-go zones" for police and law-abiding citizens, which just lends more credibility to this movie which should stand the test of time. Let's hope that things improve over there and they can look back at this time capsule and say "how appalling" but for now, it's a strong eye opener of a gritty revenge thriller. Do yourself a favour and check this movie out.
I actually watched this movie on DVD around Christmas time and meant to review it then but ran out of time. But three months on and it's really stayed with me and forced its way out, because it was so powerful. Don't watch if you're about to move to England though!
Harry Brown is also the name of the main character, played by Michael Caine. He is an older fellow (I think his age is given in the movie but I've forgotten, he's well over 70 though) living a quiet life on the pension, visiting his sick wife in hospital and occasionally meeting with his only friend, Len for a beer or game of chess. Harry lives in one of those housing estates you often see in gritty British dramas: drab grey or brown buildings of small apartments populated by losers, crims and kids with no future. Every day he takes the long way to his various destinations to avoid the young thugs who hang out in the tunnel under the road having 'fun' by harrassing passersby. You can tell Harry isn't happy about the situation but he keeps his head down and doesn't want to make trouble. Until one day, something happens to poor old Len. Sick of the police not doing anything about the thugs and their pranks, he decides to take matters into his own hands but ends up on the wrong end of the stick. Two police offers become involved in Len's case but it quickly becomes clear that justice is not going to be done and Harry finds himself unexpectedly fighting back.
The things that make this movie stand out are the grimly realistic setting (seeming particularly so since the riots last year) and just the sheer power of such an old, feeble man finding a way to teach these young crims a lesson and see that justice is actually served. Michael Caine is fantastic as Harry, portraying a steely determination crossed with the frustration of a failing body and shaky hands. The revelation of Harry's former career definitely helps with believability though. I don't think it would have worked anywhere near as well without this former tough guy in the role.
The violence in the movie is fairly confronting, especially a scene at a drug dealer's compound and a riot. Quite a few times during the film I found myself saying "how scary" and I think this is all due to the commitment of the filmmakers to realism. I really could see such things happening in England and that is a very scary thought. Just the other day I read a report that senior police figures are calling for an action plan to clean up a few areas that are almost becoming "no-go zones" for police and law-abiding citizens, which just lends more credibility to this movie which should stand the test of time. Let's hope that things improve over there and they can look back at this time capsule and say "how appalling" but for now, it's a strong eye opener of a gritty revenge thriller. Do yourself a favour and check this movie out.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
DVD Gem #1 - Tucker & Dale vs Evil
This is the first in what may become a series - mining out the gold at the DVD store that you may not otherwise have thought to rent. Let me know if you like it.
On Friday night we rented out Tucker & Dale vs Evil (new release section). This was a movie I was very keen to see this year based on the premise alone, so imagine my surprise when looking in the JB Hifi catalogue this week and seeing it there. Unfortunately it has skipped our cinemas so I went straight down to Video Ezy to secure it.
I think this movie is destined to become a cult classic. It is a very clever subversion of movie cliches, done in an extremely fun way. A group of college kids set out on a camping trip to the woods in Virginia. In travelling to their destination, they come across two hillbillies, Tucker and Dale, who are also travelling to their vacation home in the woods. In the early scenes, this could be any American teen horror film such as Cabin Fever. However it doesn't take long to twist this up completely, as our hillbillies are revealed to be intelligent, sensitive guys who just want to enjoy a quiet weekend of renovating the cabin, fishing and drinking beer. The college kids, familiar with the horror movies where the hillbillies are out to kill, torture and scare kids such as themselves, immediately overreact to Tucker and Dale's innocent scariness.
Once at the cabin and campsite, things quickly take a turn for the worst as the college kids misinterpret the kind actions of Tucker and Dale in saving one of them from drowning and decide they have to take the hillbillies out before they themselves are killed. Unfortunately the college kids' skills in doing so are closer to what would happen in real life than most 'survival' movies, and they start to meet with some very funny accidents that further fuel their belief that the hillbillies are picking them off.
Most of this movie is either amusing (the interactions between Tucker and Dale and the very pretty Ali who sees the guys for what they really are) or outright hilarious (mainly the death scenes). I thought Ben was going to burst a blood vessel laughing at certain points of this movie, and I wasn't far behind. Whatever you do, don't compare it to the "Scary Movie" franchise, as it is spoofing a few movies but in a much more subtle and funny way. It is more about subverting the cliches with clever writing and dialogue than just making fun of the past movies.
Alan Tudyk (who you will know as Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball or the funny boyfriend on acid from Death at a Funeral) is great as Tucker, the supportive friend, as is Tyler Labine as Dale who has a great memory and a very sweet heart. The college kids are largely disposable, but that's the point. The special effects and gore scenes are very well executed as well.
In summary: funny, cool, smart and unexpected. Dig this one up today!
On Friday night we rented out Tucker & Dale vs Evil (new release section). This was a movie I was very keen to see this year based on the premise alone, so imagine my surprise when looking in the JB Hifi catalogue this week and seeing it there. Unfortunately it has skipped our cinemas so I went straight down to Video Ezy to secure it.
I think this movie is destined to become a cult classic. It is a very clever subversion of movie cliches, done in an extremely fun way. A group of college kids set out on a camping trip to the woods in Virginia. In travelling to their destination, they come across two hillbillies, Tucker and Dale, who are also travelling to their vacation home in the woods. In the early scenes, this could be any American teen horror film such as Cabin Fever. However it doesn't take long to twist this up completely, as our hillbillies are revealed to be intelligent, sensitive guys who just want to enjoy a quiet weekend of renovating the cabin, fishing and drinking beer. The college kids, familiar with the horror movies where the hillbillies are out to kill, torture and scare kids such as themselves, immediately overreact to Tucker and Dale's innocent scariness.
Once at the cabin and campsite, things quickly take a turn for the worst as the college kids misinterpret the kind actions of Tucker and Dale in saving one of them from drowning and decide they have to take the hillbillies out before they themselves are killed. Unfortunately the college kids' skills in doing so are closer to what would happen in real life than most 'survival' movies, and they start to meet with some very funny accidents that further fuel their belief that the hillbillies are picking them off.
Most of this movie is either amusing (the interactions between Tucker and Dale and the very pretty Ali who sees the guys for what they really are) or outright hilarious (mainly the death scenes). I thought Ben was going to burst a blood vessel laughing at certain points of this movie, and I wasn't far behind. Whatever you do, don't compare it to the "Scary Movie" franchise, as it is spoofing a few movies but in a much more subtle and funny way. It is more about subverting the cliches with clever writing and dialogue than just making fun of the past movies.
Alan Tudyk (who you will know as Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball or the funny boyfriend on acid from Death at a Funeral) is great as Tucker, the supportive friend, as is Tyler Labine as Dale who has a great memory and a very sweet heart. The college kids are largely disposable, but that's the point. The special effects and gore scenes are very well executed as well.
In summary: funny, cool, smart and unexpected. Dig this one up today!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)