I was just checking through older posts for this on/(mainly) off feature thanks to Ruud picking up the ball again with the wonderful Groundhog Day. I now realise that the last post I made about it was in February, not too long ago you're probably thinking. That's February 2009, and it was an update on the next films I'd be looking at.
Whoops!
I'll forego the Coen Brothers' films for now as I've already done Hudsucker Proxy and I'm not quite ready to sit down and watch them all again so soon so I'm going for something else, another quirkier addition to the list. Expect it next week, he says knowing that the last film he added to the list was in October 2008. But seriously, next week. Honest.
As far as the list system goes I can't really remember it or how it works so from now on I'm just going to add films to the list at the bottom and for me anyway it's not in any particular order, it's just great films from a decade that was pretty damn good.
So see you next week with a quirker, but great little film.
A spoof documentary shot by Shane Meadows on the fly during The Arctic Monkeys Old Trafford gig with rapper Scor-Zay-Zee (imagine Peter Kay channelling Snoop Dogg) and Paddy Considine improvising his arse off as a roadie who's a total git. Worth seeing for Considine who is, as always, fantastic but it's very slight and feels like something made very quickly. A bit more time put into it and this could of been a gem. As it is it doesn't quite work. Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee's song is hilarious though.
Ruud recommended this one to me. It's not really my thing. Everything's a tad to ACTOR-ly and it's clear it's based on a stage play. It's obviously a good piece of filmmaking just not my cup of tea. If you do like this sort of thing make it an aye.
Well, what the hell is this? Asian cinema has a bit of a habit of trying to blend genres in as seamless a fashion as possible. Anyone who saw the excellent The Host will know it was as much a family drama as it was a horror, with some slapstick and social comment thrown in for good measure. This Thai effort could be pitched as a black comedy take on the Saw series, before itself becoming quite horrific and complex. Basically it revolves around a put upon office worker struggling to make ends meet. After he gets fired his phone goes and he is offered the chance to play a game that can net him an incredible amount of money. There are thirteen rounds and each task becomes increasingly difficult. It's a feverish, strange movie with some hilarious touches, but it also has a lot to say about how far we're willing to debase ourselves for gain, such as those who allow their lives to be plastered all over our TV screens. Quite fitting in this final Big Brother year, although the eating round verges a little closer to I'm A Celeb's munch and spew exercises. The film as a whole is a bit of a mess, but it's an interesting, entertaining and disturbing mess and is well worth checking out.
Speaking of disturbing, unsettling movies, my word. Where The Wild Things Are doesn't feature corpse retrieval or decapitated bikers but it is a mind fuck. Most people will probably just dismiss this as a kids movie and be done with it. It's really not for kids, rather it's about being a kid, and all the fears, insecurities and psychological torment that can bring. It's actually quite a menacing little film, with a genuine sense of threat coming from the wild things that Max may or may not have created in his head. It's a mesmerising, beautiful, fragile tale that doesn't really have much in the way of structure, but then what kid's imagination does? Harry Brown: Aye
Ruud went and reviewed this as part of his Toronto Film Festival diary and I agree with him totally. A cracking thriller and one that is very relevant with the state of British society and how incompetent the Police have been to deal with it (watch it get worse now that they've been told to slash budgets and meet more dreaded targets). Sure some of the baddies may be a touch overdone but they help to add to the sick fug like atmosphere that hangs over the whole film. And Caine is bloody brilliant. The opening title says Michael Caine is Harry Brown. That says it all really.
Time to get this feature back on the road so I scoured the DVD shelf and my eyes fell on this, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis? Early 90's? Plus I bought it years ago and the cellophane was still on it so i felt it was time, the planets were aligning I guess. Dont Think I had actually seen this since the 90's so that was a nice wee extra. Incidentally, how good is the poster to the right, I initially thought about finding a better quality one then thought fuck it, why not have what looks like 8 A4 section poster? Free from Look'in or Smash Hits or some other magazine of that time. Ha!
40 WORDS OR SO
Angry ego centric weatherman has to relive the same day over and over again in small Pensylvanian town to hilarious effect till he is happy or maybe just less of a angry ego centric weatherman. Stars a Groundhog.
REVIEW
Terrific film with a brilliant central performance by Bill Murray (does he do anything else?) Watching Groundhog Day your mind wanders to what you would do if you have to live one day over and over again, mostly though you find yourself reliving a good day or aday where you are in familiar surroundings. This film puts our central arsehole in a weird little twon he doesnt know with limited choices of things to do. High Concept comedy? oh yes. it really is superbly scripted, the way the story builds and makes sense while not ramming the concept down your throat is a credit to Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis. However, you have to take into account Murrays adlibbing skills, as many of the scenes are peppered for the better with cynical Philisms that surely come from Murray as the scenes are retaken. Ramis says as much on the commentary at the films finale which was written that Phil says "lets live here" to which Murray adds "we'll rent, to start!"
The myraid of characters who populate Punxsutawney are a joy to watch and repeat viewings makes you see how they all turn up at different parts, and also the continuity for me is first rate as many scenes are repeated at he lives out the same day none of it seems forced.
Excellent 90's comedy. though here is a snazzy trailer which is cut to make it a tense thriller, works well.
The whole film is available in parts on youtube too if you search for it, though you never heard that here. :)
THE TOP 100, WHERE AND WHY
1. Braindead 2. Hudsucker Proxy 3. Grosse Pointe Blank 4. Tremors 5. Cube 6. Galaxy Quest 7. White Men Can't Jump 8. Groundhog Day
Put it in at number 8, its good and it stands up, plus at this early stage I guess it doesnt really matter. its in and thats it.
Its reported today that the script for this upcoming flick which started filming yesterday was left in a greasy spoon type of cafe by mistake and found by a fan.
some interesting points about this story:
The guy that found it never read it cos he is a fan and wanted to enjoy it at the cinema (or on dodgy pirate (no pun intended) DVD depending on his chosen form of movie watching)
and
its going to be titled On Stranger Tides which is something i never knew and is about Jack Sparrows search for the fountain of youth, which considering i am reading about this and passing judgement in the form of this blog on my 29th birthday today seems quite apt.
However the mindblowing element of the story is the fact the script was 194 pages long!
194 pages, now at the rule of thumb is that script pages usually are a page a minute making this one over 3 hours of script and that isnt taking into consideration the probable one page synopsis of 5 minute action set pieces or the fact that the last two in the franchise have been frankly shabbily edited.
Could this be shaping up as a 4 hour family film? Probably not but the film is scheduled to be released next May so plenty of time for fans to get their arse in training to be sat down for most likely 3 and a bit hours. Oh and no doubt it will be 3D, but that really has no relevance.
Chris Morris isn't one of those comedians that plays it safe. Anyone familiar with his TV work will know of Brass Eye Paedophile Specials and getting the made up drug Cake discussed in parliament. Delve deeper into the nightmare-scape that is Jam and you find a woman calling a plumber because her baby has died so he makes it a part of the house's pipe system so when they use the water it moves. So it's not really a shock that the subject of his first film is a group of Jihadist suicide bombers looking to bring carnage to the streets of Britain. But this is far more subtle than his previous work, almost to the level where it could even be called gentle.
Like last year's In The Loop (by Morris cohort from The Day Today Armando Iannucci) this is a film that deals primarily with characters and dialogue. There are some absurd set pieces in Four Lions but for the most part it prefers looking towards the smaller things. For a start the suicide bombers are presented as humans. You may even find yourself caring for them, even rooting for them. This is at once the gentle aspect I spoke about and also the most radical thing about the film. Instead of showing them as monsters Morris looks at them as people, very stupid and misguided people, but people. Ringleader Omar is shown to have a nice home, a smart and attractive wife and a small child. Somewhere along the line though he's become alienated from the Islamic faith and Britain's consumerist attitude and decided that blowing himself up is the only way to go. His brother Waj is about as clever as a four year old who's head is missing. He's in purely because he does everything his brother asks of him. Like others he's probably not really into the whole death bit, not because he has doubts like them,but because he doesn't quite get what is being asked of him. Best of all is white convert Barry, a man who looks like a football hooligan, albeit it one dressed like a devout Muslim. He's a bit like a born again Christian, trying desperately to prove himself worthy after years of living a different life. As such he's by far the most into the Jihad, in fact he's a little too far into it. Brilliantly though he appears to also be a racist who hates his brown skinned cohorts and who's grand plan is to bomb a Mosque, supposedly so moderates rise up in anger, but he keeps forgetting he needs to blame someone else for it.
Four Lions is at once a biting social satire and a hilariously silly film. While it raises some interesting, and little asked, questions about suicide bombers it also features scenes about bomb crows, confusion over whether a Wookie is a bear, and the grand Jewish conspiracy to control the world through spark plugs. I sincerely doubt that there will be a funnier film released this year, or one that actually challenges the viewer to question things as much. Sadly it's very doubtful it'll get a wider worldwide release, I could lie and say it's mainly because of the very British sense of humour but let's be honest it's the subject matter. That is a great shame as it's a brilliant, brave piece of filmmaking and deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.
Yup, not long to wait for the next instalment of Cinematic Titanic, Danger On Tiki Island. It's another live DVD, which I personally welcome as the previous two, East Meets Watts and Alien Factor, are the best things they've done so far. Here's the trailer:
Also included is the Titans first DVD extra, a documentary about their live shows. You can get it on 15th June either on DVD or to download here. Expect a review soon after I've gotten my copy in the post, which has been surprisingly quickly in the past.
