Bloody hell, I'm glad I have not seen Crash. Well the Paul Haggis version anyhow. Just watched In the Valley of Elah and yes, it was well written well directed and all that cobblers, but bloody hell, talk about beat you senseless with the main point. War is hell, blah-blah, it makes devils of us all, blah-blah, when we return we are still devils, blah-blah.
Ooh, look at all these evil phone videos. Ooh, lets make the culprit blank-faced with PTSD. Ooh, lets put this flag upside-down. Ooh just in case anybody didn't get it, lets dedicate it to the children.
Perhaps if more Americans dedicated their lives to not shooting children in their own country, the world would be a better place. But God probably told them to shoot the suckers.
It all comes back to the fact that even post 9-11, more Americans have been killed by their own kind than by terrorists. Go figure. Or as Paul Haggis would say:
Bam! with a fist!
Bam! with a stick!
Bam!! with a knife!!
Bam!!! with a gun!!!
On a more parochial note, at least Donny got promoted today!!
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Blinded by the (evangelical) light.
I chuffing hate evangelical Yanks.
On a completely separate topic, I recently watched another fantastic documentary from Errol Morris. The Fog of War "stars" Robert McNamara, a former Secretary of Defense (sic) talking about his life and experiences in the diplomatic big-brain corps. He has eleven lessons that he has learnt, and which he feels we could all benefit from by using his experience. I think he is pretty much right really. The film is one of Morris's "let them talk but add a bit of archive footage" jobs which I prefer, as his earlier stuff like Vernon, Florida and Gates of Heaven left me a bit cold, with just the odd character standing out as worth watching.
The subjects discussed seem highly topical given the fact that Iraq is having the crap blown out of it and the USA (with the UK as it's lapdog) seems to be lining up Iran. Lessons obviously not learned. It beggars belief that the USA can once again see the only way forward for a slightly misguided bit of the world being to embrace free-enterprise and the dubious benefits of consumerism. Don't get me wrong, I love buying stuff as much as the next bloke (have you seen my on-line DVD catalogue?), but not everybody in the world has to sign up to the shallow vacuous existence promoted by American TV (and the Administration, to keep the rednecks in check).
Line up at the doors of the out-of-town shopping mall to buy your plastic effigies of Jesus nailed to the cross.
I chuffing hate evangelical Yanks.
On a completely separate topic, I recently watched another fantastic documentary from Errol Morris. The Fog of War "stars" Robert McNamara, a former Secretary of Defense (sic) talking about his life and experiences in the diplomatic big-brain corps. He has eleven lessons that he has learnt, and which he feels we could all benefit from by using his experience. I think he is pretty much right really. The film is one of Morris's "let them talk but add a bit of archive footage" jobs which I prefer, as his earlier stuff like Vernon, Florida and Gates of Heaven left me a bit cold, with just the odd character standing out as worth watching.
The subjects discussed seem highly topical given the fact that Iraq is having the crap blown out of it and the USA (with the UK as it's lapdog) seems to be lining up Iran. Lessons obviously not learned. It beggars belief that the USA can once again see the only way forward for a slightly misguided bit of the world being to embrace free-enterprise and the dubious benefits of consumerism. Don't get me wrong, I love buying stuff as much as the next bloke (have you seen my on-line DVD catalogue?), but not everybody in the world has to sign up to the shallow vacuous existence promoted by American TV (and the Administration, to keep the rednecks in check).
Line up at the doors of the out-of-town shopping mall to buy your plastic effigies of Jesus nailed to the cross.
I chuffing hate evangelical Yanks.
I'm nearly back! (like you cared)
I know it has been nearly a month, but I have been writing stuff, just in my log book, not up here. I have seen a stack of stuff, so expect an avalanche at the first sign of work going slack.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Barbie-licious
A crazy 70's sub Charlie's Angels, secret-agent mix, The Doll Squad is a colourful cheeseball with poor dialogue, acting, sets and plot. Lots of semi-naked "beauties" with heaving bosoms toting big machine guns, chopping and kicking their way through dozens of men. It tries, but never quite gets to any state of respectability, but is nevertheless good for a chuckle. There is a lot of blood and thunder and quite callous cruelty which surprised me a bit.
Pretty thin James Bond style plot - evil megalomaniac wants to take over the world then spills the beans in time for our heroes to save the day. Wonderfully dodgy special effects (the same explosion is repeatedly shown throughout the film, just coloured differently or flipped around.
The most convincing member of the cast is Tura Satana, mainly due to her martial arts expertise (have I just made that up?), so you get the deal here.
Pretty thin James Bond style plot - evil megalomaniac wants to take over the world then spills the beans in time for our heroes to save the day. Wonderfully dodgy special effects (the same explosion is repeatedly shown throughout the film, just coloured differently or flipped around.
The most convincing member of the cast is Tura Satana, mainly due to her martial arts expertise (have I just made that up?), so you get the deal here.
Yum-yum
A hard to find Canadian production (I got it from eBay), Blood & Donuts is a small, character-driven horror-based film that was a refreshing change from the previous day's Horton debacle.
A vampire is woken from a 25 year sleep by a stray golf ball hit from a rooftop. He was sleeping to try and get away from the complexities of co-existing with the humans about him, but he seems to decide to give it another go. It is not really a vampire-flick, just an awkward outsider trying to fit in style job. From that point of view it is pretty good, with the vampire trying to resist his addiction (to blood, dummy) and using his powers (super-strength, big scary vampire face) to help his new-found friends. Fine performances from Currie and Clarkson as the romantic leads offset by a bizarre accents from his cabbie friend which takes you out of the moment every time he is in a scene. Sinister cameo from big Dave Cronenberg is great, the best of his I have seen.
Overall, a gentle (apart from the blood!), easy watch.
A vampire is woken from a 25 year sleep by a stray golf ball hit from a rooftop. He was sleeping to try and get away from the complexities of co-existing with the humans about him, but he seems to decide to give it another go. It is not really a vampire-flick, just an awkward outsider trying to fit in style job. From that point of view it is pretty good, with the vampire trying to resist his addiction (to blood, dummy) and using his powers (super-strength, big scary vampire face) to help his new-found friends. Fine performances from Currie and Clarkson as the romantic leads offset by a bizarre accents from his cabbie friend which takes you out of the moment every time he is in a scene. Sinister cameo from big Dave Cronenberg is great, the best of his I have seen.
Overall, a gentle (apart from the blood!), easy watch.
You what?
My daughter's birthday, so as a treat before the unleashing of the cake we had a trip to the flicks to see Horton hears a Who. Like father, like daughter, neither of us liked it much. It follows the book pretty much, but sticks in a load of back story and waffle that just seems to take away it's best points. The animation was OK, but bits of hyper-realism (the opening shot of water drops for instance) jarred with the Dr Seuss style characters. Some good jokes-monkeys as banana machine guns, the animé-style insert (but why was it there? Just thrown in for filler?). Jim Carey quickly grates with his usual gurning and OTT voice not even hidden by his being an elephant.
It was rated as U, but a couple of scenes had several children leaping into their parent's laps in fear.
Not an ideal start to a four year old's birthday, or any day for that matter.
It was rated as U, but a couple of scenes had several children leaping into their parent's laps in fear.
Not an ideal start to a four year old's birthday, or any day for that matter.
Wet, wet, wet
Not sure I got the point of this one, but it kept coming up in stuff I have read, so thought I would give it a try. The Witch who came from the sea is typical early 70's exploitation fayre. The story of the gradual disintegration of a young woman's mind brought on by abuse as a child. She desires young muscle-mens bodies, but then wants to chop off their privates. We've all been there eh? Just me then? OK.
She eventually (quite quickly actually) goes on a killing spree (or does she?), falls apart and has an assisted suicide. I wasn't sure that she actually did the acts of violence in the early parts of the film, but the later sections imply that she did. Perhaps I wasn't paying attention. She gets a pretty good mermaid tattoo on her belly (just like her abusive Dad's) that I am pretty sure my wife would approve of, especially given the amount of Miami Ink she has been watching recently.
A much-lauded central performance form Millie Perkins, I found it to be overblown and bland in equal measure (perhaps I really wasn't paying attention).
The movie was on the Video Nasty list over here in the UK, but who knows why? Bloody Thatcherism gone mad again, as there is no real on-screen gore. It is pretty sure what she is up to, but you never actually see the razor slicing into flesh.
To me it was neither exploitation nor art house, just a bit of a damp squib.
She eventually (quite quickly actually) goes on a killing spree (or does she?), falls apart and has an assisted suicide. I wasn't sure that she actually did the acts of violence in the early parts of the film, but the later sections imply that she did. Perhaps I wasn't paying attention. She gets a pretty good mermaid tattoo on her belly (just like her abusive Dad's) that I am pretty sure my wife would approve of, especially given the amount of Miami Ink she has been watching recently.
A much-lauded central performance form Millie Perkins, I found it to be overblown and bland in equal measure (perhaps I really wasn't paying attention).
The movie was on the Video Nasty list over here in the UK, but who knows why? Bloody Thatcherism gone mad again, as there is no real on-screen gore. It is pretty sure what she is up to, but you never actually see the razor slicing into flesh.
To me it was neither exploitation nor art house, just a bit of a damp squib.
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