The Crazies - Cineworld - 28/2/10

A confession before we begin.

I have never seen the original version of "The Crazies". I love George A. Romeros "Dead" films (certainly the first three) but I just haven't ever made the effort to see it.

Now that that's out of the way let's get down to the business at hand.

This film was dreadful.

I can't tell if it was a pointless remake or a faithful remake but what I do know is that as a stand alone piece it was mind numbingly dull.

I once worked beside a chap who was completely boring. He finished every sentence with the phrase "yeaaaah?" regardless of whether he was actually asking a question and seemed totally oblivious to the fact that every time he started to speak people started looking for other, more interesting things to do, like counting the checks on gingham shirts or thinking about the great speeches of Gordon Browns Premiership.

I didn't think I would ever be as bored as I was in his company.

"The Crazies" trumped him. That's no mean feat considering that, unlike my former colleague, this film enjoyed a big budget, lots of special effects, explosions and buckets of fake blood. I cannot remember another horror film that was so laboured and so devoid of shocks. At times I had to check the people around me for vital signs to ensure that they hadn't slipped into comas.

Worse than being boring (not the Pet Shop Boys song...that's brilliant) was the fact that the director, Breck Eisner, insisted on battering the audience around the head with his far from subtle commentary on American foreign policy. No doubt he thought that this was terribly clever and incredibly worthy. It wasn't. It was irritating.

Let me explain; "The Crazies" concerns a small town in Iowa that falls foul to a virus that makes the inhabitants do awful things. The source of this virus is a weapons grade chemical that has entered the towns water supply after a US air force 'plane crash lands in a nearby lake. The military then arrive to wipe out the town and everyone who lives there while a hardy band of survivors, including the sheriff and his pregnant wife, try to make it out. By the end only the sheriff and his wife have made it to the next big city at which point we learn that the military has been tracking them and the whole process must start again.

Now lets take Iraq as an example of American foreign policy...America puts Hussain in place, supports him and then wipes him out before moving on to the next place where a previous "good guy" must be destroyed. That appears to be Eisners view of things. He may be right. He may be wrong. What I do know is that being bludgeoned with his view of things over the course of "The Crazies" left me with an almost uncontrollable desire to find Eisner and do something crazy to him.

Do you see what I did there? That's about as subtle as this film was.

Horrible.

February 2010

This month I challenged myself to see, on average, a new film (at the cinema) every second day. I'm delighted to report that I have succeeded (cue slow hand-clapping from entirely unimpressed readers) and that as well as that I was able to squeeze in several other films on DVD.

The real highlight of February was the Glasgow Film Festival who were kind enough to give me press access to films over the opening weekend. The programme as a whole was diverse and interesting but the films that I saw were, universally, excellent. In addition festival director Alison Gardner was very welcoming and accommodating. I really cannot thank everyone at the festival enough.

March now beckons and I have lots of mainstream films to catch up on as well as the final few films of the Ozu season at the Filmhouse...yes, you can look forward to yet more review of films about Japanese family life!

Keep reading and spread the word.

The Witch Who Came From The Sea - DVD - 28/2/10

Banned during the "video nasty" purge of the 1980s which saw many low budget horror films denied a rating and thus an audience "The Witch Who Came From the Sea" is a cult film that, if released now, would seem tame in comparison with the likes of the torture porn of "Hostel" or the arthouse shocks of "Antichrist" but which must have seemed utterly bizarre and disgusting on its release.

The story concerns Molly who is haunted by visions and memories of her fathers sexual abuse. Now in her adulthood Molly embarks on a murder spree which sees her marry sex and torture to bring suffering and death to her victims. The tagline "Molly really knows how to cut men down to size" is an accurate description of the end that awaits each of the men that Molly murders using, first, her feminine wiles to snare the men and then a razor to finish them.

At first glance this looks like standard horror/exploitation fare but it would be wrong to dismiss this as just an early example of what has now become the excessive torture-porn genre. In truth "The Witch Who Came From the Sea" is a feminist film with Molly exacting revenge on men for their subjugation and abuse of women. It is no accident that she removes the penis from her victims, this emasculation is a deliberate message. Molly is a post-feminist heroine and despite her victimhood she ultimately triumphs over a patriarchal society by ending her own life before she can be arrested. Interestingly each of her victims come from male dominated areas; television and sports which are also areas where women are relegated to supporting roles.

Millie Perkins (Molly) gives a convincing performance as the damaged and dangerous central character and director Matt Climber delivers plenty of shocks and blood alongside the political message of writer Robert Thoms script. What surprised me most about "The Witch..." was that I started to watch expecting a sleazy, exploitative movie because of its reputation as a video "nasty" but what I got was a sexual politics tract; not many films deliver so completely the opposite of what you expect.

Still Walking - Filmhouse - 24/2/10

Written and directed by Hirozaku Koreeda "Still Walking" explores similar territory to that found in so many of Ozus films...most obviously in "Tokyo Story"...by examining the lives of an ordinary Japanese family over the course of one day. In doing so he has brought a film that is as funny and quirky as it is strikingly familiar and tender. Each of the characters reminds you of people in your own life...possibly even of yourself.

The Yokoyama family gather in order to commemorate the death of the eldest son fifteen years ago. Coming together in the home of the parents (the grumpy, curmudgeon and proud father and the more natural, amusing but acidic mother) the children (the son who has married a widow with a young son and the daughter who has arrived with her two children and car salesman husband) find themselves dealing with the difficult nature of their father, the cutting asides of their mother and the presence of their dead brother.

The interactions between them all, usually accompanied by the presence of food, brings each character to life and the performances of all the actors are fabulous. Had this been billed as a fly-on-the-wall documentary you would have remained convinced after watching so convincing are the performances and the story.

Like so many Ozu films the clash between the values of the elderly parents and their Westernised children is a strong element of this film and Koreeda has clearly been influenced by the master director although his film is brisker and lighter than those of Ozu. What also struck me was the closeness of this film to "Departures" in that both deal with death and the impact of it upon those who are left behind. The Japanese sense of tradition and respect runs deep within much of their cinema and it manages to present a compelling case that the West could learn much from them.

Your Fathers Murderer: A Letter to Zachary - 23/2/10

Showing on British television as part of the "Storyville" season this incredible documentary from director Kurt Kuenne has to be one of the most moving experiences I have enjoyed in a very long time. He crafted a film that while telling a very specific story managed to reach out and speak of something universal while I watched...that love really is stronger than death. I cannot imagine the person who watches this and doesn't find a tear rolling slowly down their cheek and I'm not sure I would want to know that person.

Kuenne tells the story of his friend Andrew Bagby who was shot and murdered by his ex-girlfriend and who then fled to her home in Newfoundland in an attempt to avoid prosecution. Shortly after her return to Canada she announced that she was pregnant with Andrews child and that is the launch pad for Kuennes film as he seeks to send a letter to the unborn child that will document who his father was and what he meant to his friends and family. The story that actually unfolds is something altogether more unbelievable and, at times, shocking.

The film also paints a picture of Andrews parents David and Kate Bagby as they struggle to bring their sons killer to justice while at the same time trying to ensure that they have access to their new grandson. The horror of having to sit in the same room as the woman accused of murdering their son and be pleasant to her in order to have time with their grandson is something that I'm not sure I have the words to describe but the film manages to give us a sense of how difficult their struggle was.

While Andrew starts the film as the hero of the piece it soon becomes obvious that his parents are the real heroes...their patience, love, understanding and perseverance is inspiring and uplifting. They are the kind of people that we would all dearly love to be able to call our friends. At times it seems beyond belief that they could endure so much pain and heartache yet still remain so upright, forthright and committed to what they believe. Their battle for justice brings an awful moment of real human suffering that left me sobbing as I watched.

In a world where "hero" can be attached to the likes of John Terry, Ashley Cole, Jordan, Britney Spears and so many others utterly undeserving of it, it was fabulous to see a film that contained two people truly worthy of the accolade. If you are reading this from within the United Kingdom I implore you to find the time to watch the film here before it disappears. I can promise that you will find something beautiful as you watch, even though at times the ugliness on display is almost too much to look at.

Perfection.

Adventureland - DVD - 22/2/10

When "Adventureland" made its UK debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June of 2009 there was a fair amount of hype surrounding it and, in fact, it sold out meaning that I didn't manage to see it. When it had its theatrical release in September it seemed to pass me by and I didn't really give it much more thought. That's not normally a good sign for a film. However catching it now after the initial hype had passed by has been, I think, a good thing. I seem to remember much being made of the films connections to Judd Appatow (director Greg Mottola is from the Appatow "stable") and that may have played a part in my decision not to go and see it.

However, in much the same way that the decision to market "Slumdog Millionaire" as a "feel good" movie did that film a disservice, so too was the decision to market this as a sort of 1980's "Superbad". Far from being a vulgar teen "comedy" this was a really charming film which has a real ring of truth to it. None of the characters have the feeling of being young people talking in the way that adults think young people talk but rather they look, sound and behave in the way that young people do. That's a major achievement and one not to be sniffed at.

The plot is classic and simple...boy meets girl, boy and girl smooch a bit, some awkward moments follow and in between a whole range of weird and wonderful (sometimes at the same time) characters do a whole series of weird and wonderful things. All of this happens in the confines of the eponymous "Adventureland" a run down amusement park where the rides are dangerous, the games are fixed and the owner is mad.

Where some films that could, mistakenly, be lumped in with "Adventureland" lack any emotional depth here, at times, there are moments that place a lump in your throat and bring a tear to your eye. It's not easy to make comedy that also has emotional weight and Mottola has done a magnificent job in creating a film that makes you laugh and feel at the same time. Much credit for that has to go to to Jesse Eisenberg (who was also wonderful in "The Squid and the Whale" and "Zombieland") and Kristen Stewart (star of the hideously empty "Twilight" films) who both give really convincing performances as James and Em...the two intelligent, awkward and confused college bound lovers at the heart of the film.

What is perhaps interesting, in retrospect, about "Adventureland" was the fact that it enjoyed its release at the same time as "Fish Tank" (which also had a debut at the EIFF) and both of these films tell the story of awkward, confused teenagers but in wildly different ways...each of them gloriously, fabulously honest. It would make an interesting double-bill...one film showing the awful, ugly truth of life in modern, housing estate Britain in the darkest of ways while the other shows the magical, awkward, myth of teenage love in the most colourful of ways.

This was an unexpected delight and a film I'm really glad that I eventually made my way to.

BAFTAs 2010

Isn't Jonathan Ross the most objectionable, sychophantic, juvenille and irritating human being you have ever seen and, sadly, heard? Really, take a few moments to think of someone who is less deserving of his position in society and you would be hard pressed...which is exactly what should happen to Ross, he should be pressed, very hard by something very heavy.



Apart from the horror of Ross giggling at his own jokes, attempting to buddy up to the assembled A listers and generally behaving like a total git the BAFTA awards managed to bring a little glimmer of hope into my life...they didn't give the best picture award to "Avatar" or best director to James Cameron. Both of these are good things, especially if they are repeated at the Oscars. Fingers crossed boys and girls.



Best film went to "The Hurt Locker" or, as I rather unkindly called it when I saw it at last years EIFF, "Dude, Where's My War". Having seen the film again since then I think I may have been overly critical but whatever my reservations it was a film about something important with well drawn characters and emotional depth, unlike...well, I'm sure you can guess. I was also pleased that director Kathryn Bigelow won for best director...a female director working in a male dominated world and producing a very masculine film; she deserved her award.

Colin Firth picked up the award for best actor and I can't say that I disagreed with that. His turn in "A Single Man" was excellent and, although again, I didn't particularly love the film he was impressive. The same could not be said for the winner of the best actress which went to simpering public school girl Carey Mulligan who played...a simpering public schoolgirl in "An Education". How anyone could take to this wet blanket of an "actress" who makes Kiera Knightly look animated is beyond me. Anyone with a heart and a modicum of understanding of film could see that Katie Jarvis in "Fish Tank" was the outstanding female performer of the year.

The two awards which pleased me the most were Duncan Jones who picked up Outstanding Debut for "Moon" which was one of my favourite films of last year and "Fish Tank" winning for best British film...which it was...by a mile...so there.

My one major complaint would be the insistence on ghettoising films by not allowing the years outstanding picture, "A Prophet", to be judged alongside English language films. "A Prophet" in any language was the best film of the year...it was devastatingly beautiful (not easy to achieve when most of the film is shot inside a colourless prison), totally convincing and contained performances that outshone any of those in the English language nominees. However, the fact that it won for best film in a foreign language is some consolation.

Overall the BAFTA awards were given to worthy winners and if they are replicated at the Oscars film fans the world over will be happy enough...especially if you know who for you know what walks away with only a couple of technical awards.