Film Review with Robert Mann - Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass *****

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if someone tried to be a superhero in real life? And I don’t mean like in Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies - the most realistic superhero movies that have been made to date - with all the cool gadgets and stuff, I mean if someone just put on a homemade costume and just started fighting bad guys without nothing more than some major overconfidence and their wits (and perhaps a pair of nun chucks) to give them an edge over their opponents. Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore because the latest superhero movie Kick-Ass, based on the ongoing creator owned comic series of the same name written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr., shows exactly what it would be like if someone really did try the superhero thing and it would be quite fun apparently. The road to getting the film made, though, has not been an easy one, with the project being rejected by all the major movie studios due to the rather graphic and perhaps controversial nature of some of the comic’s content and director Matthew Vaughn having to raise the $70 million production budget himself, the financing coming entirely from independent sources. This, however, is not at all a bad thing for the completed film as freedom from the constraints of studio imposed restrictions has allowed Vaughn to make the film exactly as he saw fit, and thus deliver something that is in no way diluted or cheapened by the interference of studio executives whose only interest is the bottom line.

A nerdy teen who's unfortunately “invisible to girls”, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a comic-book fanboy whose major obsession is superheroes and whose object of desire is the beautiful Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca) who happens to think that he is gay, Dave has always wondered why we don't see superheroes in real life, and one day he decides to try it out for himself. With his home-made costume - a wet suit bought online - and weapons, Dave springs into action against some local hoodlums. Amazingly he survives, and is thrilled and amazed to find his life is changed forever. With his new superhero name 'Kick-Ass', Dave inspires an entire subculture of copycats, ranging from well-meaning do-gooders to crazed vigilantes, among them fledgling crime fighter Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) with whom he forms a friendship. Not only that but he also finds himself working alongside real superheroes in the form Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz), an 11-year-old sword-wielding dynamo, and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) as he takes on the the forces of local mob boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) who has resolved to wipe out the costumed crusaders. At first Dave thinks that “with no power comes no responsibility” but he soon learns that this is far from the case.

Director Matthew Vaughn is following in the footsteps of fellow Brit director Danny Boyle in proving to be extremely adept at a variety of genres. First, he won acclaim in the gangster genre with his directorial debut Layer Cake, then he enchanted viewers with his magical fantasy Stardust and now he has delivered one of the most original and most super superhero movies in a long time with Kick-Ass. And you probably thought that there was no originality left in the superhero genre. Here, Vaughn has delivered a film that is superb on every level. Featuring serious geek credentials in the form of numerous subtle (and some not so subtle) superhero and comic book references and in-jokes and being a sincerely faithful adaptation of writer Mark Millar’s comic series (unlike 2008’s rather unfaithful adaptation of his Wanted comic), this is a film that is guaranteed to please fans of the source material but at the same time there is plenty for the unitiated to enjoy as well. Several films in the past have attempted to combine superheroes and comedy or deconstruct the superhero genre and in most cases they have either failed or only been semi-successful in achieving this goal, e.g. Mystery Men and Watchmen, but Kick-Ass succeeds where they don’t, managing to be both hilariously funny and show superheroes in a whole new light. The approach taken here is one of realism and this allows for a superhero movie unlike most you have seen before. Even though some later scenes perhaps stretch believability slightly, pretty much everything you see happen in the film is stuff that really could happen. The superbly shot and choreographed fight and shootout sequences, which are thrilling, hilarious and brutally realistic in equal measure, are all things that are very plausible and could perhaps happen in real life. There are no super powered battles or anything, just violence that is brutal and bloody, but refreshing in that we see an undiluted representation of the brutal reality of what it would be like to be a superhero as opposed to the fantastical representation so many superhero movies show with their 12A fantasy comic book style violence - not all fun and games. Additionally, the fight sequences aren’t as clear cut as what we are used to seeing, with the fights not always turning out in favour in the hero. In fact, the first attempt by Kick-Ass at crimefighting ends in disaster, with him being beaten, stabbed and run over by a car. The dialogue too is every bit as refreshing and honest. Never shying away from crude language, more sensitive viewers may be offended by some of the things that are said, but every bit of dialogue sounds authentic and true to life, adding to the realism of it all. The characters too seem realistic. They do not have superpowers, in some cases they don’t even have good basic fighting skills and (a few exceptions aside) don’t have access to cool Batman style gadgets and gizmos. The heroes are just everyday people with everyday problems and this feeds into their lives, making for characters that are far better developed and have far more interesting dilemmas than your average superhero. As a result, the characters are much more relatable and believable, allowing a deeper level of audience empathy than in most comic book movies. Conversely, the villains are not over the top supervillains but rather just mob criminals, the kind of which you would find in the real world. Realism is also present in the way Kick-Ass becomes an internet phenomenon and an entire new wave of popular culture develops around him. If someone really did try to be a superhero this is exactly what would happen.

The film is technically excellent on every level, with Matthew Vaughn Jane Goldman’s screenplay being truly hilarious, tragic, exciting and realistic offering up a superbly coherent and well structured narrative, some very memorable, believable and profanity laden dialogue and plenty of well developed and authentic seeming characters. Vaughn’s direction is every bit as fantastic with the director bringing some real style to the production in the form of great continuity and editing, superb camera work and the incorporation of both comic book style text at points and a comic style sequence which fills out the backstory for Big Daddy and Hit Girl. The roles have been cast to perfection too. British actor Aaron Johnson is proving to be a very versatile actor. Just two years ago, he was playing the male romantic interest in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, last year he played John Lennon in Nowhere Boy and now he absolutely excels in the role of Dave Lizewski. Not only does he nail the American accent but he also convincingly and humourously portrays both the geek and ‘tough guy’ sides of his character and proves very capable at everything that is required of him here, both the funny and the serious stuff. For all the strengths of his performance, though, he just does not compare to Chloë Grace Moretz, an extremely talented young actress who is fast becoming the early 21st century’s answer to Jodie Foster, not a child actress but a grown up actress in the body of a child. She delivers an extremely mature performance that is way beyond her years and perfectly captures the toughness of her character as well as the emotionally tormented side. She swears up a storm and some will be shocked at some of the language coming out of her mouth, particularly a mention of the c word, but it never seems gratuitous, rather making her damaged character all the more convincing. Moretz also shares a very good hero-hero/father-daughter dynamic with Nicolas Cage, the two being so perfect together that you could easily believe that they really are related. Cage too is excellent, taking a backseat in a supporting role for a change rather than being the leading man. His role here is perhaps one of his most perfectly cast parts in some time, combining his usual energy and superb entertaining abilities with his other, somewhat less seen acting abilities, with genuine emotion being portrayed in certain scenes. Mark Strong once again does the villain gang, being well cast in the criminal boss role, although not having quite the impact he could have due to having played the bad buy part quite a few times lately. Any such problems are not the fault of his performance here though, just that he doesn’t much particularly different this time round. Christopher Mintz-Plasse also delivers an enjoyable performance as the wannabe superhero who isn’t quite who seems to be. Finally, Lyndsy Fonseca is a very likable romantic interest and not merely a damsel in distress, and Clark Duke and Even Peters are also well cast as Dave’s geek friends Marty and Todd. Other recognisable faces putting in appearances are Dexter Fletcher and Jason Flemyng but little is made of either. Overall, Kick-Ass is a superhero film that genuinely does bring something new to the table. It offers a take on superheroes that seems fresh and original, is hilariousl, thrilling and even slightly tragic and is superbly made in every respect. Simply put, this is a film that truly does kick ass and the news that a sequel is already in the works already has this critic getting excited. With Iron Man 2 now less than a month away, April 2010 is set to be a stellar year for superhero movies.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Kick-Ass: Cine-literacy and the Geography of an Action Scene

CAUTION! SPOILERS!

I'd been looking forward to Kick-Ass for a long while, perhaps that was the problem? I'd heard amazingly posititve hype from preview screenings as Comic-Con, perhaps that was the problem? I'd read relentlessly enthusiastic quotes from 5-Star reviews, perhaps that was the problem?

Sure, Kick-Ass is by no means an awful movie, it's also, sadly, not a classic. Kick-Ass is enjoyable enough, but it falls short of the edgy, rampant and off-beat status it occasionally flirts with and Matthew Vaughn seemed intent to preserve. Vaughn financed the film outside of Hollywood, because he knew no studio would be willing to front up the cash for a film as violent, different and potentially controversial as this. Based on the graphic novel by Wanted scribe Mark Millar, the story focuses on an average teenager who wonders why nobody has tried being a real-life superhero. His efforts see him getting repeatedly battered and becoming an internet video sensation. This, in turn, attracts the attention of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, two 'genuine' superheroes (though, like Batman, their power is in the artillerly) who have a vendetta to settle with mob boss Frank D'Amico.

At it's out-set Kick Ass works excellently, it's fast-paced, darkly humourous, juggling its multiple narratives with a sense of whimsy and mystery; the introduction of Nic Cage and Chloe Moretz as Damon MacReady (aka Big Daddy) and his daughter, Mindy (aka Hit-Girl), is superb. Meanwhile Aaron Johnson as Dave Lizewski (Kick-Ass) makes his oddball transformation the stuff of genuine awkward teenage fantasies, and the film laces his early attempts at superheroism with enough gritty realism to shock. Unfortunately these touches, brutal stabs of reality, fail to punctuate the film which gradually becomes more and more like any number of other superhero/action films without bringing anything particularly new to the mix.
After his first beating Dave is hospitalized and finds himself, at the end of his stay, staring at X-rays of his skeleton filled with metal plating and scaffold, with the doctor's informing him of damaged nerve-endings; so much for his lack of super-powers, now, like Sam Raimi's titular Darkman, he has a slightly higher tolerance for pain. Also, much like Raimi's Peter Parker in Spiderman 1 through 3, Dave gets the gorgeous girl - after a very humourous mid-section in which she thinks him gay - this is a change to Millar's graphic novel, alongside a few other plot machinations, and is a rather unrealistic and disappointing inclusion to the film. And rather than continue to subvert the genre conventions in the story-telling, as the film hints at when Dave's narration begins to reference movie-characters who have continued narrating from beyond the grave, the final act of the film is disappointingly predictable.

What really bugged me though was the lack of cine-literacy in the despatching of chief villain Frank D'Amico. Near the end of the second act one of the henchmen pilfers a bazooka from Big Daddy's HQ, clearly this will be used at some point in the film, the bazooka remains in our collective conscious until the final confrontations between Kick-Ass vs. Red Mist and Hit-Girl vs. D'Amico. Kick-Ass and Red Mist knock one another out, whilst D'Amico gets the advantage over Hit-Girl, it is at this moment that he goes for his gun. We intercut to the unconscious Kick-Ass who slowly begins to stir. Clearly, he would be incapable of taking on D'Amico unarmed, and the only weapon we know he could use at this point would be the aforementioned bazooka. Sure enough, just before D'Amico can point blank Mindy, Kick-Ass is at the door, fires the bazooka and D'Amico is sent flying out the window to explode at a safe distance. Unfortunately, this feels like a very unsatisfying end to a reasonably threatening chief villain.

It made me think about the end of True Lies, in which Arnie is taking out bad guys in a harrier jump jet whilst trying to rescue his daughter from plummeting to her doom, and also has chief terrorist Art Malik on his wing with an uzi. We, as an audience, know that Arnie has a missile on the wing of his plane waiting to fire, we know that Malik is unsteady on his feet when Arnie banks the jet and we know, when Arnie gives his daughter a 'Hold On' look, everything that's about to happen. Sure enough, Arnie banks the jet, Malik slips, slides down the wing and gets caught on the missle. Arnie hovers his finger over the launch button, draws a wry smile and looks Malik in the eye, our anticipation is high, we're giddy, waiting to hear what possible quip Arnie could come out with... "You're fired." he deadpans, it's so perfectly cheesy that it ellicts cheers and guffaws in equal measure. Whoosh! The missle is launced sending Malik flying, but not only that, he zooms straight through a building towards the helicopter gun-ship containing all his terrorist buddies - KABOOM! Perfect cinematic action geography by one of the genre's masters, James Cameron.

Before firing the bazooka into D'Amico, Kick-Ass said something, but such is the lack of impact of this moment that I can't even begin to remember what it was! Elsewhere in the film, especially in the 'blood-letting', I felt that the film fell short of those that had gone before; with the spurts of red on a lesser level than, say, studio-backed V For Vendetta and Hit-Girl's hallway shoot-out had none of the thrills and wit of, for example, Leon's final confrontation. The violence in this film should've have had you spitting popcorn with its excessive gore and humour, much like, rather neatly, Timur Bekmabetov's adaptation of Millar's graphic novel Wanted, which was a pleasingly 18 certificate movie with a fine sense of action geography.

These are just a handful of my initial qualms with Kick Ass, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie, but it's not my 'new favourite film' as some sites are claiming; but their sense of hyperbole has often been dubious. I look forward to returning to Kick Ass on DVD in the future, to see how it holds up, but I won't be rushing back to the cinema to check it out again... in fact, the likes of this year's Daybreakers and Solomon Kane - though poorer films overall - had a better regard for witty violence and inventive action and, thusly, hold more repeat curiosity for me. Even though, as previously remarked, all in all they aren't as good as Kick Ass!

June Havoc R.I.P.

June Havoc, the Hollywood actress whose childhood partly inspired the musical Gypsy, has died in Connecticut at the age of 97, it has been announced.

Havoc, younger sister of famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, died of natural causes on Sunday at her home in Stamford, her publicist said on Monday.

Born June Hovick in 1912, Havoc had leading roles in more than 20 films, among them Gentleman's Agreement.

Yet she mostly worked on the stage, appearing in numerous Broadway shows.

These included Pal Joey, in which she appeared with Gene Kelly and Van Johnson, and Cole Porter show Mexican Hayride.

Her last Broadway appearance came in the early 1980s when she took on the role of Miss Hannigan in Annie.

However, it is for Gypsy - filmed in 1962 with Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood - for which she is perhaps best known.

Havoc inspired the role of Baby June in the musical, the archetypal stage daughter pushed to stardom by her overbearing mother.

The play was based on a memoir of her older sibling Louise, who grew up to be the burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee.

"I loved my sister but I loathed her life," said Havoc in 1998, saying there was nothing wrong with her mother Rose's "drive and ambition".

Havoc also wrote four plays, one of which - 1963's Marathon '33 - won her a Tony nomination as best director.

Chloe Moretz Is Kick Ass

Actress Chloe Moretz endured months of demanding physical training for controversial new movie Kick-Ass - she had to perform 1,000 crunches every night and learn how to take apart a gun.

The 13 year old was cast as assassin Hit Girl, a character who uses bad language throughout the movie and is seen savagely killing numerous villains.

And to prepare for the physically intense role, Moretz learned martial arts and spent two months in a challenging training program, prompting co-star Aaron Johnson to dub her a "mini-Schwarzenegger".

She says, "Two months before the movie started I started training to be Hit Girl. I knew it was going to be physical, but I didn't know it was going to be that physical. First I did basic training - how to take apart a gun and how to put it back together. I then did more technical training, like the bow staff and butterfly knife. They made me do 1,000 crunches a night and 50 pull-ups. I loved learning the martial arts moves. Learning to flip a butterfly knife was fun and challenging too."

But despite her role, Moretz is adamant she hates bloodthirsty films: "I would never want to see that kind of violence. I'm a chicken. I'm scared of spiders. I like romantic comedies. I'm totally a chick-flick girl."

Butler Bored Of His Own Face

Gerard Butler is delighted his new animated movie How To Train Your Dragon has taken attention away from his role in The Bounty Hunter - because he's fed up with seeing his face on posters promoting the action film.

The Scottish actor's turn as a bounty hunter received huge press attention after it was rumoured he was romancing his co-star Jennifer Aniston off screen.

The pair laughed off the claims, insisting they are just pals - but Butler admits he's tired of being subjected to tabloid speculation.

And he's pleased his new DreamWorks project, which topped the US box office charts at the weekend, has taken some of the media glare away from him.

He explains, "I do admit that it's got a little weird seeing my mug (face) everywhere. I have my face on posters and buses and I don't need it on everything.

"It has been a pleasure to go behind the scenes and be just the voice of a character. It's good to lie low for a while."

Cemetery Junction Q&A

April 12 at 5pm, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will be sitting down LIVE with MySpace to answer your questions on the making of their first feature film, Cemetery Junction.

Mike's Kick Ass Review

With No Power, Comes No Responsibility...

When I was growing up, like any young boy, I had many fantasies and daydreams (some of which are probably not suitable to talk about here). One of those fantasies was to end up like my greatest role model, someone who enforces justice, puts the bad guys behind bars and does it all in a nifty suit.

That person?... Columbo

I also wanted to be a Super Hero.

So, how come no one’s ever tried to be a Super Hero?

Enter Kick Ass.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on a comic book series written by Mark Millar, Kick-Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a floppy haired high school teenager who spends most of his time being ignored by girls and masturbating to the tribes women of National Geographic. After being mugged, Dave decides to become a real life super hero, albeit one problem... he has no super powers. Way over his head, Kick-Ass inspires two other vigilantes, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) & Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and soon finds himself caught up in an increasingly violent blood feud with mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

The film was everything I wanted, funny, gory and very well cast.

Chris Hewitt from Empire Magazine says:
“A ridiculously entertaining, perfectly paced, ultra-violent cinematic rush that kicks the places other movies struggle to reach.”

To be honest, I find it hard to disagree!

Claudia Winkleman Is Film 2010

The very pretty Claudia Winkleman has been named as the new presenter of Film 2010, succeeding Jonathan Ross, the BBC has announced.

The star, who currently has her own weekly arts show on BBC Radio 2, said: "I am completely over the moon about being given this enormous honour."

The long-running BBC One show, which started as Film 71, was presented by film critic Barry Norman for many years, with Ross taking over in 1999.

TV presenter Winkleman will begin her new role in September.

"Everyone has an opinion on film and I'm looking forward to debating the biggest news and releases with a whole variety of guests each week," Winkleman said.

"I am incredibly proud to be to be presenting the new look Film 2010. It's an honour to follow on from the brilliant Jonathan Ross.

"I have been lucky enough to cover the Baftas and present the UK broadcasts of the Oscars and the Golden Globes for years and now to be able to work with the producers on Film 2010 is just amazing."

She also explained that the format of the show would be changing slightly.

"And also, just so people don't panic, it's not just me, because that would be horrifying. So it will be brilliant critics and all kinds of people sharing their knowledge, because I'm rubbish on horror."

Brian De Palma's Obsession; Damien Sage's Review

Brian De Palma's Obsession (1976),
Damien Sage's Review
by Damien Sage

On the eve of Michael Courtland's (Cliff Robertson) tenth wedding anniversary, his wife Elizabeth (Genevieve Bujold) and their young daughter Amy, are kidnapped and held for ransom. The police convince Michael to use counterfeit money to pay the criminals and trap them. This plan eventually backfires and, during a high speed pursuit, Amy, Elizabeth and the kidnappers are killed in a tragic accident.

Ten years later, while on a business trip in Italy with his associate La Salle (John Lithgow) Michael stops into a cathedral he and Elizabeth used to frequent, when they would visit Europe together. Inside, Michael meets a mysterious young woman named Sandra, who happens to be an exact double of his dead wife...

Michael is instantly taken with Sandra, perhaps a bit too much. But, none the less, the two begin a courtship and fall in love. Eventually Michael brings Sandra back to the states to wed, against the advice of La Salle and virtually everyone around him. Oblivious to his obsessions and blinded by this "second chance" Michael presses forward with the nuptials.

On the eve of the wedding Sandra vanishes, in her place is a ransom note, a duplicate of the one from ten years before... Frantic and overcome with near psychotic desperation, Michael vows to do everything in his power to avoid a repeat of his past mistakes and to get his beloved Sandra back...

In the early seventies Brian De Palma and film school companion Paul Schrader attended a screening of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Vertigo (1958.) So inspired by the revisiting of this classic film, De Palma and Schrader decided, in their own act of obsession, to do an homage of sorts and, thus, Obsession (1976) was born. And, in my humble opinion, not only does Obsession do a successful job of honoring Hitchcock, it also one ups it's source of inspiration on almost every level, but particularly and, most importantly, in emotional resonance.

I have long been an admirer of Brian De Palma's films. He is a master of manipulation and visual artistry. De Palma always paints a unique filmic experience onto the screen with a fantastical, slightly removed from reality touch. His movies are always drenched to the bone in style, and I mean true style, no shaky cam junk, no flash cutting, just vivid cinematic beauty, existing in it's own special De Palma plane. And, Obsession is, naturally, no exception to this rule.

From the first shot to the last Obsession finds itself in a world of lush, soft focus photography, fluid and florid camera movements, operatic locales and transitions, jaw dropping twists and a dreamy, off kilter atmosphere so thick it's almost staggering. Although De Palma would make his most well known film, Carrie, later in the same year. And, he has had much larger successes, Scarface (1983), The Untouchables (1987), Mission Impossible 1996.) AND, my personal favorite of his works, Dressed to Kill (1980), certainly stands as a great cinematic work. I consider Obsession to be De Palma's best film, as a filmmaker, not only because of his usual visual theatrics, but because the film has much more of a deeply, deeply emotional story and characters than any of his other output by a large margin.

Michael Courtland as played by (the usually supporting or villainous) Cliff Robertson is instantly likable, for no real reason, other than appearing to be a kind, decent, human being from the first moment we meet him. Robertson's "lack of star power" adds a layer of familiar un-familiarity to the role, that a bigger name never could have. He comes across as a nice relative or next door neighbor you've known and loved for years, with simple body language and tone of voice. This immediate likability makes the ensuing tragedy (upon tragedy) all the more heartbreaking, because you can truly feel for this man (and his actions) from the bottom of your soul.

The rest of the acting in the film is also top notch. Particularly from Bujold, who, like Robertson, flies on Oscar caliber wings throughout the film's running time. Bujold has always been an odd actress, seemingly hard to place in a film, but here she is used to the absolute best of her abilities. Also, as La Salle, John Lithgow (one of the screens great hams) delivers a relatively subtle performance, that still maintains a slight edge of silliness or camp to it, that helps (at times) cut the edge off the abject seriousness of the film in a very appreciable way.

The screenplay by Schrader and De Palma is intriguing, both exceedingly subtle and all at once over the top. It is chock full of both "normal" subdued moments and highly unusual twists that come along at a brisk pace. Bernard Herrmann's haunting and operatic score deserves special mention, as it drives the film and enhances the story in a perfect manner, almost becoming like a living, breathing character itself. Vilmos Zsigmond's typically brilliant photography also elevates Obsession to another plane it never would have achieved in lesser hands (particularly since the film was shot on a meager, even for the time, $1.4 Million budget.)

When all is said and done Obsession is the ultimate tale of regrets, second chances, the depths of love and the human soul, and, what can happen when you let all of those things blind you to the rest of the world.

10 out of 10 star filtered, soft focus shots!

Film Review with Robert Mann - The Blind Side

The Blind Side ***

Released in cinemas in time for Thanksgiving in America last year, The Blind Side is a film that, well, blind sided pretty much everyone. Expectations were considerably less than stellar for a film that was expect to to merely do average box office and pass by largely overlooked by moviegoers but when it opened far bigger than anyone expected it became apparent that this film is far more than initially appeared, something which has only become more apparent with the film turning its surprisingly big US opening weekend of $34 million into a truly awe inspiring $250 million and counting, not forgetting that the film is also an Oscar winner, with star Sandra Bullock having taken away the Best Actress award at this year’s Academy Awards. So, why has this film been so unexpectedly successful? Like so many inspirational films before it, the fact that it tells a undeniably true story (based on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis) makes it something that is both relatable and all the more moving for its real life inspirations. But, does this success mean that the film itself is actually something special?

Homeless and under-educated African-American teenager Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) has precious little going for him. A gentle giant, he's isolated at school and traumatized by the gangsters in his run-down neighbourhood. A shadow of the person he should be, it's not until he befriends a young boy named SJ Tuohy (Jae Head) and gets taken under the wing of SJ's mother Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) that Michael gets the help he needs to reach his true potential. The gutsy matriarch of a well-off white family, Leigh Anne is determined to help Michael overcome the adversities he faces from his family - also including adopted sister Collins (Lily Collins) and father Sean (Tim McGraw) - teachers Miss Sue (Kathy Bates) and Coach Burt Cotton (Ray McKinnon) and peers. With his new home environment and adopted family, Michael makes steady progress, and ultimately sets off on the road towards becoming an All-American sporting hero.

The Oscar that Sandra Bullock won for her performance in The Blind Side is very well deserved. Here she delivers the performance of her career, nailing the accent of her character perfectly and effectively combining heart, emotion and toughness to create a thoroughly believable and well developed character with whom we can really empathise and who really root for. She also has a very convincing and sincere motherly dynamic with co-star Quinton Aaron. In fact, pretty much the entire cast performs strongly. It should be noted, however, that only Bullock even won an Oscar here, the film as a whole not receiving any such recognition from the Academy Awards. You see, this is a film that will divide moviegoers. Some people will love it for its optimistic and positive portrayal of the world and events and lack of edge, grit and realism - these things make it a very ‘happy’ film where, aside from the last half hour, some of which seems like its from another film altogether, nothing bad happens at all, everything being completely sugar coated - while others will hate the film for the exact same reason. The sugar coated representation of reality shown here bares little in common with actual reality and such an absence of realism robs the film of genuine drama, the kind of which that could make events truly engrosssing (although people who want to forget about the real world will lap it up). Also, the focus of the film is primarily on the character of Leigh Anne - a well to do woman who almost views helping Michael like a project, even if it does grow to be much more rather than the potentially more interesting character of Michael himself. A major problem here is that Michael is too underdeveloped as a character with not enough insight being shown into his past. We only get very brief glimpses into his childhood in the form of flashbacks, the emphasis being on the flash as flashes are all we get, robbing of the crucial background that could make him so much more interesting as a character. This, in turn, makes it harder to really empathise with him, even though we can still feel happy as his life is turned around for the better. For British viewers, the American Football scenes will also hold the film back, with many viewers likely to be alienated by all the references, which will only be truly understood and appreciated by Americans and the Football scenes themselves which may be too hard to follow for those lacking an understanding of the sport, i.e. most British people. Things such as this mean that, while this film has lots of potential, it doesn’t fully deliver on it, the film never being as engaging as it could be. Nonetheless, though, the story is inspirational, that much is undeniable, and it will be hard not to be moved by it. Just remember that The Blind Side is pretty much carried by Sandra Bullock and without her it is most unlikely that it would be receiving much attention at all.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon 3D ****½
How to Train Your Dragon 2D ****

Following a quiet 2009 for DreamWorks Animation, with only Monsters Vs Aliens being released in cinemas, 2010 is set to be a mega year for the animation studio with three new CG animated features being unleashed onto cinema screens in both two and three dimensions in the form of July’s Shrek Forever After, November’s Megamind and this week’s How to Train Your Dragon. Unlike many DreamWorks Animation creations, however, their latest effort is not an original idea for once but rather based on pre-existing source material in the form of the book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, which is part of a series following the adventures of young Viking character Hiccup. Speculation is that the film isn’t an entirely faithful adaptation of the source material but on its own terms does it at least live up to the standards of other DreamWorks movies, particularly their fantastic first foray into the 3D format from last year?

Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is a Viking teenager who lives on the island of Berk, where strength and prowess in battle are everything and fighting dragons is a way of life. But hapless Hiccup doesn't exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding traditions. He pines for the affections of Astrid (voiced by America Ferrerra) and longs to join his fellow Vikings in their war against the dragons but his wimpiness and clumsiness only ever get him into trouble, so he is set aside working as an apprentice to Gobber (voiced by Craig Ferguson). The time of initiation is coming, and this is Hiccup's one chance to prove his worthiness to his tribe and father Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler). But when he encounters and befriends an injured dragon, whom he names Toothless, Hiccup's world is turned upside down. His unexpected friendship with a dragon challenges him - and his fellow Vikings - to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

Anyone who goes into this film expecting a how to guide on training dragons will be disappointed but anyone who wants to see a fun, action packed family animated adventure will find that How to Train Your Dragon is a film that has much to offer. For starters, the animation is up there with the best work that DreamWorks has done, combining breathtakingly beautiful, and pretty realistic looking, animated landscapes with well realized dragons that come in varieties both scary and cute - the dragon at the centre of the story being particularly adorable. The film also boasts plenty of exciting dragon filled action sequences, spectacular flying scenes and, if seen in 3D, some extremely stunning 3D effects work. Made to be shown in 3D from the start, not converted to 3D in post production like some films, you really can tell that this is the case, in the excellent application of three dimensions, with everything from simple shots - one underwater shot really pops out - to the action sequences gaining massively from the extra dimension, providing you with a first hand experience of events that really do seem like they are happening right in front of you. If you don’t get to see it in 3D, though, don’t fret as the animation is still pretty spectacular even in 2D and the other aspects of the film are not influenced in any way by the added dimension. The story is pretty heartwarming either way and carries a nice message, the dialogue and humour are pretty sharp and quite funny, if not the best that DreamWorks has done and the vocal performances are, as you would expect, excellent with everyone doing a good job at giving their characters distinct personalities. Obviously, the accents are not authentic but who cares? Other vocal performers include Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Robin Atkin Downes, Philip McGrade, Kieron Elliott and Ashley Jensen. Overall, How to Train Your Dragon isn’t quite DreamWorks Animation’s best film, falling behind last year’s superior effort, but it definitely falls amongst their finest films with this tale of dragons turning from being pests into pets proving to be a rollercoaster ride of a movie that will be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang

Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang ****

It’s the Easter holidays again and, as usual, the film studios have several choices lined up for family viewing, although only two really worth mentioning - firstly the latest DreamWorks Animation effort How to Train Your Dragon, which will no doubt be the dominating movie at the box office, and the number two film for this school holiday, Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang, the sequel to the very popular 2005 family film Nanny McPhee. Given the dominance of the American film industry in the realm of family entertainment (and blockbusters in general come to think of it) it is quite refreshing to see a completely British made family movie grace our screens again but, following underwhelming returns for British made features in recent years, a lot is resting on this film to not only deliver quality family entertainment, the kind of which only the British can really provide, but also to restore British cinema to a position of popularity with British cinemagoers.

The magical Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) appears at the door of Mrs Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away fighting in the Second World War and is also having to contend with her brother-in-law Uncle Phil (Rhys Ifans) who is determined to convince her to sell the farm. But once she's arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs Green's children Norman (Asa Butterfield), Megsie (Lil Woods) and Vincent (Oscar Steer) are fighting a war of their own against their spoiled city cousins Cyril (Eros Vlahos) and Celia (Rosie Taylor-Ritson) who have just moved in and have wasted no time in causing havoc. Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

Nanny McPhee is not exactly a film in need of a sequel yet Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang nonetheless proves to be a very worthy follow up. More a new adventure featuring the titular character than a direct sequel (the film takes place in a different time period to the original film although there is one loose link to the first film), The Big Bang does not have that much of a plot, the narrative mostly going from one of Nanny McPhee’s lessons to the next, but it makes up for this in other areas. The messages at the heart of the story are good and honest and today’s children could certainly learn a lot from them. The humour is clean, simple and old fashiones, completely avoiding anything that is crude, aside from a few (tastefully done) poo jokes. The film has moments of ingenuity, particularly the ‘Scratch-O-Matic’ invention which resides on the farm. The visual effects are extremely charming, with the animals being brought to adorable life, especially the piglets that are so adorable, especially when they are doing acrobatics, flying or performing a synchronised swimming number (yes, you read that right). Visually, the film is nice to look at in virtually every respect, with beautiful countryside locations and a a period authentic recreation of World War Two London providing backdrops and set design being both colourful and vibrant. Such vibrancy is also present in the extremely colourful characters that inhabit the story, everyone brought to life superbly thanks to a series of great performances from the film’s cast. Reprising the titular role of Nanny McPhee, Emma Thompson (who also wrote the script and acted as executive producer) is completely perfect, American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal shows a different side with a lively performance and delivering a very convincing British accent and the child performers are all superb too, with special mention going to Rosie Taylor-Ritson. The intruding cousins are suitably stuck up and horrid while the other children are perfectly full of energy as their characters fight back against them. The all star British cast also includes Maggie Smith, Bill Bailey, Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor, Sam Kelly, Katy Brand and Sinead Matthews. The only weak link in the cast is Rhys Ifans who is strangely underwhelming in his role. Overall, Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang is perfect family entertainment for this Easter holiday. It may not be the best family film of the year but it is certainly one of the most magical and you after seeing it you will believe that pigs can fly.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Hot Gossip

"I have worked out to that song Bonkers" - Brad Pitt
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>> Cuntgate <<       

Ken Russell rules    
Hugh Grant supposedly called Matthew Freud a Berkshire Hunt at a party last week,
to which the publicist responded by smearing chocolate cake on the actor.
Hugh must be delighted that the cunt is on the other foot for once.
Back when he was just starting out Grant appeared in Ken Russell's Lair of the
White Worm.  On his first day on set Ken was trying to direct a scene, but Hugh said
"I've been thinking about my character and I thought I should play the scene sitting
down". Ken looked at him and said "Who gives a fuck what you think you cunt?"
And that was the end of that discussion. God bless Ken Russell

SHIFTY Event

CHECK THIS OUT

Script To Screen, Shifty with writer and director Eran Creevy

Date:   Sunday March 28th.
Time:  12.00pm
Place: Odeon Panton Street, London.  (Seating is limited)

Sign up here...

So the movie is the BAFTA nominated Shifty, directed by one of Britain’s newest talents (you can see a
short excerpt from an interview with him.)

As soon as you sign up, you get the shooting script – this gives you the chance to read the actual pages
they took to set and see how the story evolved through a very tight shooting schedule and almost no budget.

On Sunday, you see the film on 35mm, after which an extended film makers Q and A with Eran himself.

Finally, everyone retires to the pub across the road for a networking event.

So new to this mix (and just confirmed now with the producers) is the short proposal that the film makers
used to secure their deal with Film London (due to confidentiality, some parts have been omitted).
It was this deal that enabled Shifty to be both produced and very successfully marketed.

You will get this PDF when you sign up.

There is also a Shifty poster which Eran will sign and we will raffle in the room on the day.
Don’t leave it too late - the last two events (Dead Wood and Exam) both sold out and they had to turn
people away!

Tickets £19 (plus booking fee and inc VAT)

More details here... 

I Agree With James Cameron

Both the Avatar Blu-ray and DVD will be released without any superfluous trailers, as James Cameron, so do I. Especially the ones you are unable to skip. Doesn't make any sense.

Thanks to Frank for pointing out this link.

The Scouting Book For Boys

Set in a Norfolk coastal caravan park, The Scouting Book for Boys is a British drama about careless and free Emily and David, both fourteen, who fill their summer days climbing on roof tops, swimming in the pool and playing tricks on each other. The teenagers’ unshakable friendship suddenly is put under threat and, as a result, the kids come up with a terrifying plan. Brace yourself for a stomach kicking, shocking turn of events, as The Scouting Book For Boys is not for the faint hearted! Aptly described as the coming of age love story with a sting in the tail, The Scouting Book for Boys is the cinematic debut of Bafta award winning shorts director Tom Harper and Skins writer Jack Thorne, assisted by some of the team behind Slumdog Millionaire. This Is England’s Thomas Turgoose delivers an excellent performance depicting the awkwardness and contradictory instincts typical of an adolescent finding his feet through adulthood. The film has screened at festivals around the world including The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival earlier this year, where writer Jack Thorne won Best British Newcomer Award for his screenplay. I personally recommend this beautifully shot British drama, a refreshing change from predictive story lines and Hollywood painted glitter

Films I Enjoy (But Most Do Not or Have Never Heard Of) Chapter II: The Quickening by Damien Sage

Films I Enjoy
(But Most Do Not or Have Never Heard Of)
Chapter II:
The Quickening
by Damien Sage

Here is the second appearance of what I hope will be a series of articles about movies, or films as they are sometimes called, that pleasure me highly upon viewing, but don't necessarily tickle other people's fancies (if they have even heard of these celluloid expressions at all.)

Fatal Instinct (1993)
In 1992 Paul Verhoven unleashed a beast unto the world known as Basic Instinct. And, that film in turn ushered in a wave of rip-off's, knock-off's and quickie cash-in flicks so staggering in amount, frequency and stupidity, it would be mind boggling, were it not so totally normal for every day Hollywood business.

We got Madonna's "steamy" (retarded but fun) magnum opus Body of Evidence (1993), The Temp (1994), EVERY Shannon Tweed direct to video Soft Core "Erotic Thriller" and even a mediocre direct to video affair starring Michael Madsen called... Fatal Instinct (1992).

THAT however is not THE Fatal Instinct I refer to here. No, Fatal Instinct '93 is a much different beast altogether... While it does feature a murderous love triangle, steamy bedroom romps and sultry saxophone score... It also features a roller-coaster riding skunk, Sean Young's "buns" being buffed with carnauba wax and the aforementioned sultry saxophone score being played by an ON CAMERA musician. Yes, Fatal Instinct is a parody of the genre, a scathing, dead on, pitch perfect parody at that.

Comedies are tough to review, because what is funny to some, certainly may not be funny to others. So, all I will say on the current subject is, Fatal Instinct effectively skewers all the cliches and tropes found in classic and not so classic Erotic Thrillers and Film Noir's with deadpan lunacy. From Double Indemnity to Fatal Attraction, no one is safe. The acting, production design, score and cinematography come together in a perfect semblance of comedic bravura... (There are back-lit venetian blinds and ceiling fans in nearly EVERY set, including a phone booth and the lead character's car... If you realize what this means, then Fatal Instinct will flat out slay you.)

Also, if you like "Naked Gun" or Mel Brooks style humor, Fatal Instinct will be your paradise. You'll be quoting the film for YEARS!

And with that, I will leave you with this classic exchange from the film's hard boiled, cop/lawyer, main character Ned Racine (Armand Assante at his grizzled, sexiest) and the femme fatale Lola Cain (Sean Young... at her crazy, sexy peak):

(Setting: Lola's Bedroom. Ned has just dropped by to help Lola look over some very confusing legal "papers." Much to Ned's dry amusement these papers turn out to be a laundry receipt and an expired lottery ticket. EXTREMELY thankful for Ned's "help" Lola shoves the "papers" into Ned's pockets with lustful force and nestles up close to him in a lusty embrace...)

Lola: (Orgasmic) Ohhh, I'm so grateful. How can I ever repay you for all that you've done?

Ned: (Deadpan) Cash would be nice.

Lola: (Confused but still lusty) Isn't there some other way?

Ned: (Smirky, but oblivious) I spose you could wash my car.

Lola: (Annoyed, but erotic) No... I mean... Isn't there something else you want? Something else I could give you? (Rips off Ned's sport coat)

Ned: (Slips jacket on, still deadpan) Slow down. There's a speed limit in this town. Sixty-five miles an hour.

Lola: (Laughs, playfully sensual) How fast was I going officer?

Ned: (Nervous) About a hundred and twenty three.

Lola: Spose you pull me over and frisk me!

Ned: Suppose I let you off with a warning...

Lola: Suppose I find a cop with a bigger night stick. (Grabs Ned's butt)

Ned: Suppose I put you under arrest for being a bad girl, with bad thoughts.

Lola: Suppose you handcuff me to the bed?

Ned: Suppose I do... And then we lose the key... And while I'm gone to get a duplicate made this house catches on fire... And I can't get back to save you because the bridge is washed out... So, you die a horrible death, toasted like a polish sausage on a flaming spit!... Would you like that?

Lola: Mmm, I'd love it!

Ned: Well... I'm sorry ma'am.

(Ned leaves. Lola looks into the camera briefly, heartbroken and confused.)

The Sender (1982)
A young man in a tattered red pullover (Zeljko Ivanek) wakes up beside a desolate country road, in the middle of nowhere. A spider crawls across the boy's pale hand. He looks around, seemingly lost and in a daze. The young man stands himself up and walks along the nearby highway until he reaches a bustling lakeside, populated with noisy summer travelers.

The young man walks slowly toward the lake, oblivious of everyone around him. As he walks along in a trance the young man begins picking up rocks and stuffing them into his pockets, filling them to the brim in fact. When he reaches the waters edge he keeps right on walking... tears begin to fall from his eyes... he goes under the murky water... the scene cuts to black...

And so begins one of the greatest low budget horror/thriller's of all time, The Sender, directed (unbelievably) by "Battlefield Earth's" Roger Christian.

From it's powerhouse opening we follow the young man, nick-named John Doe #83, as he is taken to a mental hospital, where he is placed under the care of Dr. Gail Farmer (Kathryn Harrold.) The rest of the film revolves around Dr. Farmer trying to reach the young man, who's frequent, painful dreams seem to influence the bodies, minds and realities of everyone around him in increasingly terrifying and violent ways...

The Sender is a stylish, ambiguous, gory and emotional affair, well acted, scripted, directed and played on all counts. Zeljko Ivanek and Kathryn Harrold deserve particular praise for lending real, heartfelt gravitas to roles that could have easily been short changed. And, had Roger Chrisitan maintained the magic he displays while directing this film all the way up to making "the worst movie ever" Batlefield Earth, he probably could have salvaged it and made a true sci-fi classic. But I guess he just had this one great movie in him.

The Sender features scenes of hauntingly horrific beauty that will stick with you for ages (including a jaw dropping slow motion "psychic explosion" which will never let you look at electro shock therapy the same way again) and was recently released on DVD for the first time from Paramount, I highly recommend adding this wonderful film to your collection.

Ultraviolet (2006)
I enjoy "bad" movies nearly as much as I enjoy good or classic ones, this is no secret. I am also an avid studier of film reviews (nearly as much as I am a studier of films themselves.) Often times, naturally as they would, these two areas collide... As, sometimes, I read a review for a film that I would usually pay no mind to, that is so ALARMINGLY negative that it COMPELS me, with every fiber of my being to see said cinematic abortion. This statement, in turn, takes me to March of 2006...

Every Friday I used to take the film review section from the newspaper (when they still released one), look over the goods, bads and uglies and pick out a couple movies to take in over the weekend. This particular Friday, four years ago, featured one of the most absolutely scathing reviews I had ever seen printed (besides their just verbal raping of Bad Boys 2.) The review in question was for Ultraviolet, a film by Kurt Wimmer, starring Milla Jovovich. Our local critic awarded the film 1 star out of five and went on a tirade about wooden acting, lack of plot and incoherent pacing as per the norm with such lambasting... He, however, ended the article with a paragraph so inconsequentially "praising" (to my eyes at least) that I decided I'd need to pony up and watch the movie twice. I will paraphrase this lovely tidbit for you now:

"In this visually over the top, candy colored, style over substance world, we watch super-model turned "actress" Milla Jovovich as the titular Ultraviolet strut through the film, in skin tight, color changing outfits, as if on a catwalk, slaying literally THOUSANDS of men, while tossing off banal one liners left and right like some half-baked comic book heroine..."

Needless to say our local critic was right, to a degree, as that is almost exactly what Ultraviolet turned out to be. A glossy, hyper stylish, effects driven, pseudo-comic book, puff piece of a film, in which Milla Jovovich clomps along in time with a pulsing soundtrack while she murders hundreds and thousands of baddies in increasingly over the top methods, while spouting grizzled action hero zingers as if she were a female Bruce Campbell.

However, while the local film reviewer found this repugnant, I disagree whole heartedly. I do not find Ultraviolet to be a bad film at all. A cheesy, over the top, somewhat fluffy film, yes. But bad, no.

The film, unusual for most modern action or sci-fi flicks (especially one made on an average Uwe Boll caliber budget), is gorgeous to look at and totally unique in it's visual and production design (unlike say... Transformers, The Bourne Films or anything by Roland Emmrich which all have a very SAMEY "gritty," shaky cam look.) The fight scenes of the film are quite well staged, if total fantasy and completely over the top, displaying a bit more of Wimmer's "gun-kata" style from his previous cult-hit Equilibrium (2002.) It does throw a couple of Matrix-esque shots at us, but doesn't over do it the way some do (McG.)

Plot wise the movie is a loose retelling of John Cassavette's art-house classic Gloria (1980.) Just, instead of a mobsters girlfriend, fighting through a few gangsters while on the run with a child in tow, we get a genetically modified hybrid woman fighting through hoards of pseudo-vampires and super-soldiers, while on the run with a child in tow, who happens to have a secret medical cure embedded in his DNA.

I concede that there is a bit of oddness in the coherency/pacing department, but there is a story behind it. Ultraviolet premiered at Cannes with a run time well over 2 hours and heavily Rated-R. By all accounts from those in the audience the film was a "modern masterpiece." The studio that was releasing the film felt otherwise and eviscerated the film for it's theatrical release, paring it down by over an hour, to 87 minutes, to gain a PG-13 rating. Later they released an "Unrated" version of the film at 94 minutes. I have seen both versions and prefer the 94 minute cut. However, I of course wish there was more of a fan base for the film to insist upon an issuing of the full "Director's Cut." Perhaps my little blurb here will compel enough people out there to try this fun little gem out and show it some public love.

Looker (1981)
This overlooked sci-fi/drama effort from the woefully underrated (as a personal screenwriter and director at least) Michael Crichton is a stylish, engaging and prophetic look at the entertainment industry's fascination with physical perfection and digital/media integration.

Looker's basic plot follows plastic surgeon to the stars Dr. Larry Roberts (Albert Finney) as he tries to clear his name after several of his female patients, each of whom requested very specific and odd physical alterations, turn up dead.

That is just the surface however, under the skin of this flick however, we get a frightening and all too real (especially today) dissection of "Hollywood's" obsession with beauty and the lengths at which they will use technology to phase out imperfections. The models and actresses of the film (after being run through computers and focus groups) show up to their plastic surgeon with notes on what they wish to have changed, down to the millimeter. The ladies are also subjected to full body scans (years before the current trend of Avatar and Beowulf) where upon their image and likeness are digitized, perfected and rendered in false 3-D forms, for use how ever their new "owners" or customers see fit.

Looker is a bit dated in it's look, style and fashion. And a few of the visual effects and Barry DeVorzon's synthesizer score add a layer of cheese to the film that it really doesn't warrant, but overall, it is an astoundingly poignant look at the (ever increasing) falseness of the entertainment industry.

Sorcerer (1977)
Four men with shady pasts, each from different countries, each with varied backgrounds, temperaments and lifestyles are forced, out of personal mistakes, mishaps or misfortunes to work for a seedy Oil company in South America. When a fire breaks out in one of the company's remote drilling sites the men are presented with an opportunity to make enough cash to get out of this hell and possibly clear their names... The opportunity however, is a daunting one, as the men will have to work together and trek through miles of hostile jungle terrain, in ancient trucks, while transporting several crates of highly unstable nitro-glycerin...

The film is a suitably gritty, realistic, brilliantly acted remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot's classic film Wages of Fear from 1953, directed by William Friedkin (just off the phenomenal successes of The French Connection and The Exorcist.) Despite having to compete with a more well regarded film I personally feel Friedkin admirably equals, if not outright surpasses the original, by featuring a tighter pace, better performances (especially from Roy Scheider in the lead) and having a bit more polished down-and-dirty, yet still stylish feel.

It's a movie about how far you can push a man, both body and soul, before he breaks. A movie about the endurance of the human spirit. A movie that explores how far one is willing to go to salvage their life and redeem them self, for whatever reason they may have. And, it is a film that could never be made today.

Sorcerer is a powerful and underrated movie that you should experience as soon as you can.

Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang - Review

Or Nanny McPhee 2 if you prefer. Or if you're fond of sarcasm, like me, Mary Poppins 3.

Having been forced to sit through the first Nanny McPhee film so many times I actually grew to enjoy it, and then so many times after that that I got totally sick of it, I didn't hold out much hope of liking this.
My first thoughts at the start were surprise that the middle-English voice narrating belonged to Maggie Gyllenhaal, and that the narration itself along with the freeze-frames at the start were really annoying. What I hadn't expected was for the annoyingness to wear off, and that the whole thing would continue to be quite tolerable.

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a mother trying to run a farm and bring up three kids, while her husband is away at war. The children are supposedly running riot (but actually seemed pretty well-behaved to me). Rhys Ifans plays Maggie Gyllenhaal's brother, who is a jerk and trying to persuade her to sell the farm to cover a gambling debt. Two posh kids from the city show up, act like spoilt brats and make life even more difficult.
Cue Emma Thompson's magical nanny who shows up in the nick of time to teach the kids to be nice, and basically save the day.

There are a fair few laughs to be had with the magic tricks that McPhee pulls - my kids had a rare moment of agreement that the flying pig was the best part of the film - and there are some interesting big-name in small cameos (Ewan McGregor barely has a single line).

The kids both agreed it was better than the first Nanny McPhee, though they disagreed on whether it was better than last week's How To Train Your Dragon - this may be a girl/boy thing (it was my son who preferred the dragons, in case your wondering).

Personally I would also have to say that this is a more enjoyable film than the first Nanny McPhee, although I may change my mind after another thirty viewings...

I'm Here Online

Click on the ABOUT pic to tell you more...
Click on the other pic to see this wonderful short film

Quick News

Philip Seymour Hoffman wanted for Daniel Johnston biopic?
John Malkovich and Frances McDormand join Transformers 3.
Brad Pitt looks great at Kick Ass premiere.
In The Darkness trailer is creepy.
Studio Ghibli - Nisshin advertisement.

My Favorite "Gay" Films by Damien Sage

My Favorite "Gay" Films
by Damien Sage

I am an odd person... and a gay person. Therefore I naturally have odd tastes in "gay films."

Most mainstream or well known movies found in the niche of queerity I do not enjoy (Case in point, I immensely dislike Brokeback Mountain. I didn't hate it mind you, just found it dull, cliched and un-inspired on most levels... it had some nice shots of clouds and fields in it though.) The fact of the matter is, most widely heralded gay films are almost always the exact same thing, a married man coming to terms with his sexuality, a teenage boy or girl coming to terms with their sexuality or some horribly tragic tale about a gay boy, girl, man or woman being savagely chastised, beaten or worse... for coming to terms with their sexuality.

All of these films are usually painfully PC to the point of nausea, full of saccharin preachiness and maudlin sentimentality so thick even Steven Spielberg would say "God damn!"

I've known all my life that I was a fag-o-sexual. I've also known that I don't like dull as dishwater, Lifetime-esque, weepy, soap box melodramas. I grew up on James Bond, Star Trek, Star Wars, 80's Horror Films and Euro Trash. In films I enjoy I like some style, pizzaz, oomph and (as much as us gays love em so much) BALLS! I know for a fact that I am not the only queer to feel this way, but, a lot of people are afraid to say such things for fear of pissing people off.

I am not afraid, and people should learn to be a bit less... pussified. So, without further adieu, my Top Ten favorite "Gay" Films. (I am excluding "drag queen" films from the list as that is just too easy for me.) (Also, I use quotations as SOME if not most of my favorite Gay Films are not necessarily considered gay by the status quo. You've been warned.)

10. Suddenly Last Summer (1959)
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written by Tennessee Williams and Gore Vidal

Elizabeth Taylor plays Catherine Holly, a young woman who, while on vacation with her cousin Sebastian, witnesses something so horrible that she goes completely insane. When her Doctor (played by real life homo Montgomery Clift), presses to find out exactly what happened, Catherine's Aunt Violet Venable (Katherine Hepburn) demands that she be lobotomized to cover up the truth.

I don't really want to reveal just what the truth was (because it is TRULY, TRULY one of the great twists in screen history), but lets just say it has something to do with "Cousin Sebastian" being a VERY naughty boy...

When I first saw this movie, many, many years ago my jaw simply dropped when Elizabeth Taylor launches into her powerhouse "revelation monologue" at the end of the film. And I need not tell you that it takes A LOT to floor me. But the fact that the movie was made when it was, stars who it stars and is such a well regarded, if not outright "classic" film, makes what the movie is about all the more potent and applaud worthy in my opinion. Yes, the homosexuality apparent in the film is deplorable, BUT it is a major milestone in gay cinema and one of my all time favorite psychological thriller/melodramas.

9. First Blood (1982),
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
and Rambo III (1988)

Yes, the original Rambo Trilogy. Scoff if you will, but I am not the only one who considers the films gay.

I grew up loving action movies, Norris, Schwarzenegger, Eastwood, Bronson and yes, Stallone, to name a few. 80's action movies in particular were always a pleasure to me as a young boy, not just because they featured lots of explosions, violence and guns, but because they almost always featured womenless, hard-boiled, loner guys who liked to take off their shirts, rub their muscled bodies with vaseline and kill dozens (sometimes hundreds and thousands in the case of Sly and Bronson) of people all for the sake of their lost "partner" or best friend.

True the films were not made purposefully to be gay and none of the characters in the films are expressly queer (in fact they're just supposed to be hyper masculine figures of right wing fantasy) but, if that scene in Commando where Schwarzenegger's ex-boss comes looking for him and Arnold sneaks up behind him with a knife and the guy then smiles orgasmically and says "Mmmm, smooth, swift and silent... Just like always" doesn't strike you as a bit limp wristed... (then perhaps the chain mail wearing, handlebar mustache having, lisping, bitchy, leather daddy bad guy of the same film will.)

Anyways, the Rambo Trilogy... In a nutshell, the films follow the exploits of Ex-Green Beret/Super Human/(Lost Lonely Gay Boy?)/Vietnam Veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) and his Best Friend/Mentor/Father Figure/Love Interest (?) Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) as they do stuff that involves maiming (First Blood), killing (Rambo: First Blood Part II) and rescuing (Rambo III) various persons, places and things.

I wont go too deeply into each film, but I'll list the moments that most confirm my beliefs about it being the ultimate gay fantasy series, ever.

First Blood:
A. Rambo is accosted for being an "outsider" in a small backwoods town and is summarily stripped and sprayed with a giant hose by Brian Dennehy and David Caruso.

B. After fashioning new clothing for himself and diving off a cliff Rambo sews up his own injury like a perfect little seamstress.

C. Rambo enjoys impaling men with large phallic objects.

D. Col. Trautman's various speeches about being in "a lot of dirty holes" and covering "each other's asses more than once" about Rambo. Also the line "God didn't make Rambo, I did" delivered with the cryptic pride of not a father or leader, but someone much much closer.

E. Lastly, and most importantly, the entire ending of the film, where Rambo is brought in and subdued by Trautman, thusly causing Rambo to breakdown and fall into his "mentor's" arms crying like a young boy who finally feels safe and at peace.

Rambo: First Blood: Part II:
A. The off the shoulder pink sweater/skin tight jean/feathered hair ensemble Rambo wears in the beginning of the film.

B. Throughout 75% of the film's running time Rambo is shirtless, tan, oiled and flexing as if posing for the cover of Mens Workout or Inches.

C. Five minutes after kissing a girl (the only speaking girl in the entire series mind you), she is brutally murdered. It's as if the gods themselves are telling Rambo "vagina's are bad." Rambo does keep the girl's lovely jade Buddha necklace as a "good luck charm" though.

D. This go round Rambo enjoys firing lots "exploding arrows" into the backsides of men, while saving his fellow "brothers in arms."

E. The torture scene, where upon Rambo is chained, shirtless, to an electrified mattress by his domineering, mincing, Russian captor.

Rambo III:
A. The tagline, "The first was for himself. The second was for his country. This time it's to save his friend." Not wife, not family member, but his "friend" Col. Trautman.

B. The plot, a beef jerky like, constantly shirtless Rambo kills THOUSANDS of men to save his "best friend." NO OTHER REASON. ONLY TO SAVE HIS "FRIEND."

C. Rambo spends most of the film "bonding" with a young boy and a bearded man. This includes lots of slow motion montages, maudlin speeches and giving the boy his necklace from the last film.

D. The line, delivered by Trautman while being strung up and tortured, "God would have mercy... Rambo wont!" Said through gritted, yet orgasmically happy teeth as if he's said this line many times in the heat of passion.

E. The entire ending of the film, where, after Trautman has been rescued, he and Rambo run along, practically hand in hand, smiling at one another and prattling off sappy one liners to one another as they murder people and blow stuff up.

8. Tenebre (1982)
Written and Directed by Dario Argento

Dario Argento is one of my favorite directors, firstly, because in his pre-1987 career he did vividly stylish, fast paced, hyper violent, surrealistic horror/thrillers of various types better than no one else in Italy (including his mentor Mario Bava.) And, secondly, because he is the progenitor of my ultimate favorite type of "gay film." That being a film in which gay people exist in the world of said film, but the film is not about them being gay.

There are gay characters of both the lesbian and male homo variety in almost all of Dario's films, Cat O' Nine Tails (1971), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) and Deep Red (1975) spring to mind most immediately, but nearly all of Argento's output feature characters that are either expressly queer or could easily be considered gay. Sometimes they're the killer or associated with the killer, sometimes they're the cop chasing the killer and sometimes they are part of the body count, regardless, they were there in a time when few films would have an abundance of gays.

Now, I'm quite sure the films didn't feature homo characters because Dario is just a big supporter of gays or anything, most likely they were there to push buttons or just because Europe is a bit more open than the rest of the world, or both. But, the fact is, Dario writes queers into the fabric of his cinematic world, sometimes they're good, sometimes they're bad, but most importantly they are there and it ISN'T A BIG DEAL!

This brings me to Tenebre. The film is about an obsessed fan stalking and killing people around and associated to a famous thriller novelist, while he is on a promotional tour for his latest book. The movie is gorgeously shot, well plotted (especially the twist) and violent beyond all belief, in a very stylish sort of way. I suggest you track down a copy right now.

Anyways... the gayety of the film.

There is a lesbian reporter and her bisexual, whore-ish girlfriend. They're FAIRLY minor characters and essentially just body count fodder. But they're there in the world of the film, they interact with and aren't hated by the main cast. They aren't horrible stereotypes. They exist, they just are and I love that. (Also... the stalker is most likely gay too.)

7. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Screenplay by Frank Pierson

To reveal why this classic film is on my list (and yes this is the only mainstream, truly well known film on here) I must reveal the twist of the film, if you can call it that. So if you haven't seen the movie, and you SHOULD see the movie if you're a fan of great cinema I suggest you get to it before you continue reading this.

(SPOILERS) In Dog Day Afternoon Al Pacino plays Sonny Wortzik a depressed Vietnam Vet and homosexual, who robs a bank on a hot summer day to get the money to pay for his lover's (Chris Sarandon) sex change operation. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong and a stand off ensues that may or may not end in violence...

The film is brilliantly acted, paced taught, well shot, realistically scripted and it most certainly deserves every ounce of it's classic status. There isn't much else I can say on the subject other than it's great and everyone should watch it just for those aspects. And, just as an added plus, it is probably the greatest "mainstream" gay oriented film in existence.

6. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Written and Directed by Robert Hiltzik

Once again, another spoiler heavy entry into my list, so if you haven't seen the film or someone hasn't already mentioned the twist ending to you OR you haven't seen that episode of Robot Chicken where they parody said twist, then don't continue onward with this section of the list.

When this film was released in 1983 it was considered a cheap Friday the 13th knock off. Looking at the poster/box art for the film and even reading a brief more "normal" synopsis (from someone not "IN" on the film) would also suggest this. But Sleepaway Camp is no The Forest (1982), Sweet Sixteen (1983) or even one of it's own insipid (yet QUITE amusing) sequels. Sleepaway Camp is a much different film, a cheap slasher film yes, but one made with a touch of subtlety, style and intelligence rarely seen in the genre of the time (and certainly not today.)

(SPOILERS) In 1975 while boating on a nice summer day a man and his two children, Angela and Peter, are seemingly killed in a freak accident, while the man's gay lover looks on in terror. Years later after being raised by her "eccentric" aunt, the surviving child Angela (Felissa Rose), is sent to Camp Arawak for the summer with her feisty cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tierstan.) Once at camp the soft spoken and introverted Angela is tormented relentlessly by her fellow campers, some of the older counselors and nearly raped by the cook. Ricky vows to defend Angela... then the murders begin.

Who is killing the people of Camp Arawak? The foul mouthed, hyper protective Ricky? Angela's would be boyfriend Paul (Christopher Collet)? Or meek little Angela herself?

(MAJOR SPOILERS) The answer, revealed by the film's legendary final shot, is Angela. And, Angela isn't really "Angela," she is Peter. Peter's sister Angela was killed in the boating accident and he was taken in by their Aunt. The crazy Aunt then decided to make Peter, Angela, because she already had a boy, Ricky. It's a fucked up, truly mind blowing twist, especially for a film of this genre (and budget range.) Made even more unbelievable and shocking, since all of the kids in the film are played by KIDS who deliver fine performances, especially the leads Rose, Tierstan and Collet.

Sleepaway Camp is a well shot film (making great use of shadows) chock full of subtext and psychological layers. Sure the movie is hampered by a non-existent budget, a bit of the usual cheesiness associated with the genre and some campy adult performances, but still, it tries it's damnedest to be more than the sum of it's parts.

The true strength of the film is that it allows us to really feel for and know all of the younger characters on a primal, relatable level. As, we have all been made fun of in our lives at some point or another, most likely as a child and we all probably wanted to beat the crap out of our tormentors, (not kill them, but certainly give them some come-uppance.) And Sleepaway Camp perfectly captures just how mean other kids (and people and general) can be to other kids, for no real reason other than being "different" from them.

5. L.I.E. (2001)
Directed by Michael Cuesta
Written by Stephen M. Ryder, Gerald Cuesta and Michael Cuesta

A 15 year old, gay boy named Howie (Paul Dano) who has just lost his mother, has an inattentive father and is surrounded by less than admirable friends, begins a relationship with a much older man, who just happens to be the neighborhood pedophile.

L.I.E. is a very realistic, honest film. Possibly the most un-bias, un-preachy, just plain real film of this type. As a gay boy who grew up striving to find someone who would accept me and understand the feelings I was having the film is, naturally, strikingly personal. But really, anyone gay or straight can understand "crushing" on an older person and wishing they would help you, as a friend (or perhaps more) figure out all the confusing things that go on in teenage life. Maybe not to the semi-dangerous extent that happens in the film, but it's still a very relatable and honest concept.

In other hands (say Larry Clark) the film would have ended up exploitative and offensive, but despite the subject matter, L.I.E. never goes that route. Paul Dano as Howie turns in a charming, soulful and utterly believable performance well beyond his years. And, Brian Cox as his "love interest" delivers an equally realistic and witty portrayal of a role that usually would devolve into menace or camp. The film is exceptionally well written and paced. It's controversial and unexpected in places, but also touching and sweet. It's a film with balls and that, beyond anything else, is why I enjoy it.

4. Cruising (1980)
Written and Directed by William Friedkin

This is another film in the "it's set in a world with gay characters, but isn't really about them being gay" subset that I enjoy so much. It is also a film that most gays, critics and.... well... people in general despise. I of course, do not.

Cruising is LOOSELY based on a true story about a detective (Al Pacino) that goes under cover to catch a serial killer who targets gay men with S&M proclivities.

The film overall is totally seedy, stylishly gritty and oft times confusing. But, despite what most people say today, is a realistic representation of a subculture of gay (and straight sex) that WAS and still IS (to a much lesser extent) in existence.

I can understand gays of the time (who were fighting an uphill battle for our rights) hating the film because it showed off to the masses a side of certain types of queers that don't really show the group as a whole in a "good light." I can understand gays of today hating the film because they just cant wrap their minds around the sexually open, total freedom of the pre-AIDS era represented in the film. And, I can also understand why critics and people in general hate the film, because it is a movie told in an oddly distant, yet frank way, filled with lots of unlikeable people, gay and straight.

But the reason I love the movie is 1. It was the first film I saw with an A-List actor (Pacino) and an A-List director (Friedkin, still high off the success of The Exorcist and The French Connection) dealing with gayety in an all out, no pussy footing around the subject way. And, 2. Because it is a film that shows "normal," not so normal and outright deplorable, gays, straights and others interacting with and existing beside one another. But, the film at it's core isn't really about the sexuality of the characters, it's a police procedural about doing anything to find and stop a serial killer.

Simply put I like Cruising because it's an A-List dramatic thriller, that just shows gays of all types in the same world as straights of all types, good, bad and ugly on both counts. I'm not gonna tell you to run out and grab this one, because chances are you wont like it. But if you're a fan of Friedkin, Pacino or gritty 70's-esque cop movies you should check out, just go into it with an open mind.

3. A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
Directed by Jack Sholder
Written by David Chaskin

Ok, so I said earlier, that I don't enjoy films about guys coming to painful terms with their sexuality... But, when that coming to terms involves the sexuality becoming the physical manifestation of Fred Krueger and ripping itself from your body to go on a killing spree... I must make exception.

Set several years after the original film, Jesse (played by real life homo Mark Patton), his domineering father (Clu Culager), his quiet mother (Hope Lange) and young sister (Christie Clark) have moved into the infamous house on 1492 Elm Street.

Jesse is soft spoken, somewhat effeminate and enjoys dancing around his room lip syncing to disco music. He has a girlfriend (played by Meryl Streep look alike Kim Myers) but she is really more of a gal-pal than a love interest. As, Jesse more so enjoys spending his time wrestling around, bare assed with his hunky jock best friend (Robert Rusler.)

Aside from being the new-ish kid in town and... "different"... Jesse has another problem... Ever since he and his family moved into their new home he's been having nightmares... Jesse dreams of a horribly burned man in a red and green sweater that wants to use his body to do "bad things." This naturally leads to much more confusion for poor Jesse and... violent murders.

The makers of Freddy's Revenge say they didn't intentionally set out to make a warped "gay coming of age story" but admit in hindsight that it turned out that way. Granted, there is a sequence in the film where, after one of his nightmares, Jesse sneaks out of the house in his pajamas, only to seek solace in a gay bar. Where upon Jesse runs into his closet case, mean, leather daddy, gym teacher, who then leads him back to the high school for some after hours "working out" and de-masculinization. Yeah, I can see how you wouldn't mistake that as intentionally gay... Granted though, the gym teacher is, of course, immediately stripped naked, humiliated, tied up and killed by Freddy, from behind, in the showers... Oh wait, still gay.

In any case, Freddy's Revenge is the only "coming to terms with ones sexuality" movie that I enjoy, for obvious reasons. It's certainly not the best Elm Street movie or sequel (that'd be Part 3.) It's made obviously on the cheap side, but has a few touches of style (the wasteland school bus sequence, the "coming out" of Jesse scene and the final showdown are particularly nice.) It's well acted, particularly by Patton and Myers. And the story is actually somewhat poignant for a quickly made, cash-in sequel.

2. The Fruit Machine aka Wonderland (1988)
Directed by Philip Saville
Written by Frank Clarke

This is a pleasantly stylish, sometimes surreal, very obscure little gem I came across many years ago and instantly fell in love with. It combines all my favorite aspects about gay cinema and cinema in general to make a truly enjoyable and engaging film experience.

The Fruit Machine is set in the UK and tells the story of two gay lads; Eddie (Emile Charles) the effeminate, slightly awkward one and Michael (Tony Forsyth) the attractive, out going, "playboy," who witness a murder in a nightclub then go on the run to avoid being killed themselves. While evading attack from the psychopath (Bruce Payne) hot on their heels Eddie and Michael find a solid, friendly love for one another, while experiencing many good and bad aspects of life.

I don't want to divulge too much about this film as it's definitely more of an experience than a 100% cohesive movie. There are lots of surreal and cerebral moments in the film. And, several fantasy sequences, but it is still strangely straight forward as well. It is directed with visual flourish by Philip Saville, employing the use of a rich color schemes and interesting camera work. The movie is well scripted and the dialog and situations, while a bit fanciful at times are believable. And the acting, particularly from the two leads, but all around too, is excellent.

If you like off beat, VERY obscure, well made cinema, gay or straight, this is a film for you.

1. North Sea Hijack aka ffolkes (1979)
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Written by Jack Davies

Yes, my number one entry is a film which some may scoff at, yet again as no one in the film is directly referred to as gay. But this time, unlike with the Rambo films, the makers of the film do everything they can BESIDES directly saying "QUEER!" to let you know that our leading man, his team and the villains are friends of Dorothy.

Sir Roger Moore plays Rufus Excaliber ffolkes, the gruff, bearded, man "who knows men's bodies very well," woman LOATHING (seriously disgusted by them), cat hoarding leader of an elite commando unit that is usually sent in to do the jobs no one else can get done. ffolkes lives with his men and his many cats, hating women and training together in blissful solitude on his private island.

Anthony Perkins plays Kramer and Michael Parks plays his second in command/probable lover Harold, both are terrorists, bitchy, mincing queens and generally angry people. They hijack two giant oil refineries, named "Ruth" and "Esther" with the intent of blowing them up and destroying England's economy. Naturally the refineries are held for ransom and the government is given a limited amount of time to pony up the cash before all hell is let loose.

ffolkes devises an ingenious plan to thwart the terrorists, stop the bombing and save the UK, but will he and his men make it before it's too late?

Even though the plot of the film is very "Bondian," both Moore and to a lesser extent Perkins did the film to break up a bit of their overwhelming type casting and do something a tad different. To a degree they succeed, but do extremely well in their roles regardless of similarity to past exploits.

And, just on the whole North Sea Hijack is a rollicking, well shot, well acted, well paced, witty, action film, of a classic style. If you like Bond films, adventure stories or just good solid ass kicking the film will be a delightful experience for you.

THAT is the main reason why I love the film, because first and foremost it is a top notch action adventure. However, it is also because the hero AND villains are so obviously homosexual (and it doesn't matter to the story, they just exist, it doesn't have to be said or made a big deal of) that it is truly an all time classic for me. Yes, I'm sure there are people who would argue that ffolkes and his men and Kramer and Harold are just "eccentric." And, I will agree with them, they are eccentric.... and men loving homos featured in the best gay movie ever!