Religulous: Movie Review
Rating 7/10
Cast: Bill Maher
Director: Larry Charles
What are you to expect from a comedian for whom irreverent would appear to be
their middle name?
Furthermore, what would you expect from the director who helped Borat
terrorise parts of the civilized world?
Well, throw the two together and add in a mix of religion, and what you're
left with is Religulous, a doco screening at the World
Cinema Showcase. ( Read more about the festival here!)
Bill Maher, the host of American shows, Real Time and Politically Incorrect,
makes no excuses about coming to the religious debate from a position of severe
doubt.
He wasn't born skeptical - and was raised by a Catholic and Jewish
family.
In this film, Maher meets Jews, Christians, Muslims, Mormons on his quest to
see how the religious tick.
He heads to a Creationist museum in Kentucky - and visits a truck stop chapel
- and along the way (in true Louis Theroux style) meets some of the more extreme
believers on the spectrum as he tries to dissect what exactly faith is.
Maher's style is mischievous and, at times, (unsurprisingly) provocative as
he interrogates people - sometimes, they answer as a rebuke to his increasingly
irreverent questions.
He asks one believer (after telling them their take on miracles is pretty
lame) why he doesn't kill himself if he can't wait to be with God.
As the doco unfolds, there are some crafty and amusing inserts between
questions and interview subjects - during the Creationist segment, scenes from
Planet of the Apes are shoehorned in for comic effect; and subtitles crop up on
the screen during various interviews.
Some of these are relevant and some of them are just punchlines - but they
give the doco a different feel to normal handlings of the subject.
The only time Maher loses the upper hand to an interviewee comes when he
meets up with an anti-Zionist rabbi - Maher's so stunned by the rabbi's beliefs,
that he walks out.
Elsewhere the interview subjects are mocked, belittled and provoked into
answers - and at times, it's very funny - even if it is biased.
Religulous has a nice closing monologue from Maher where he
extols the benefits of doubt which he says is more humbling than the arrogance
of belief.
Ultimately, Religulous won't cause you to question any
beliefs you have and it won't open your eyes too wide into other religions and
their ways.
Maher's at times contemptuous attitude, may offend some - as he has a
viewpoint from which he refuses to shift from - and Religulous' argument that
religion has caused a lot of misery in the world is not a new one.
However, don't be surprised if you find yourself warming to him as the film
goes on.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Watchmen: Movie Review
Watchmen: Movie Review
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley, Carla Gugino, Patrick Wilson
Director: Zack Snyder
Right - let's get this straight.
This film is going to divide the audience in two - 1) those who love, cherish and adore the original graphic novel and 2) those who've never read it, have heard the hype and wonder if it's like The Dark Knight.
Superheroes generally have been going darker as a genre over the past few years - and Christopher Nolan's take on the Batman franchise has plunged them deeper into noir.
So, the inevitable question with Watchmen has to be - does it measure up or does the weighty expectation piled upon it in the past few months sink it?
Watchmen is the story of a group of "superheroes".
Set in an alternative 1985 where Richard Nixon didn't leave the White House in disgrace and where the threat of nuclear war with the Russians is always around the corner, Watchmen tells the tale of a band of ordinary men who became the self appointed vigilantes of America; even fighting in Vietnam to help the cause.
But all of these dysfunctional guys - bar one, the atomically blasted apart Dr Manhattan - have no superpowers whatsoever and are racked with morality issues.
Things get worse for the Watchmen when Nixon introduces legislation outlawing the masked vigilante fraternity for good.
Cast aside and no longer wanted, the Watchmen are in their twilight years.
And when The Comedian, (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), one of their number is murdered, a lone vigilante known as Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) sets out to discover who was behind the brutal death - but what he discovers is infinitely more terrifying than he could have expected as the conspiracy runs a lot deeper and with consequences for the entire human race.
As I say, this film from visionary Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons, was always likely to appeal a lot more to the fans of the book (of which, I will admit, I am one.)
It's a dark, bleak, moody affair which is expertly realised and true to its original source material.
It's also quite a verbal film which demands a lot of concentration from its audience as the strands of the conspiracy are drawn together.
That said, it is truly stunning when viewed up on the big screen.(I'd recommend seeing it in IMAX if you get the chance)
Director Zack Snyder, who made the highly stylised 300 with Gerard Butler, has once again captured the feel of the graphic novel and created some truly bone crunching fight scenes (complete with some slow-mo moments).
However, those scenes don't resort to the Matrix bullet time effects which give them an original feel.
The opening credits sequence is audacious - to the sounds of Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changing, the entire history of the vigilantes and how they've become what they've become is laid out - it's the perfect scene setter and leaves Snyder more time to concentrate on the latter day action without having to resort to wads of exposition to explain who everyone is and so on.
The central protagonist in Watchmen is Rorschach (played with spitting venom by Jackie Earle Haley) - as the last of the "superheroes" to continue working behind a mask (a cloth white balaclava which has moving ink blots on it a la Rorschach test) he is yet another anti-hero - but as the film goes on, you root more for the guy - even if he is pre-disposed to settling scores in a quite violent way.
Also central to the film is the glowing blue Dr Manhattan who's lost touch with all of his own humanity, despite being charged with looking over the rest of the human race.
There's Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), a pair of former heroes who're struggling to get by day to day without the costumes - and who can only really come alive when they embrace what they were - not what they are now.
These are characters suffering crises of identity, who have lost their sense of self by being unmasked and unwanted.
If you're in the dark about the novel and wonder if the film will appeal to you - I can safely predict you will enjoy it - but with the caveat that if you like comic book films as a genre.
It's a complex, dense conspiracy with unconvential heroes - and one which may suffer because it doesn't appeal across the spectrum in the way Superman and Batman have throughout the years.
But to be fair, that was always author Alan Moore's intention - his "superheroes" were based in reality, riddled with foibles and regrets and his vision was to portray a universe where heroes were a reality rather than a the hyper-reality of Gotham City and Metropolis.
Watchmen is an, at times, violent affair which is definitely not for the younger generation with more violence and sex than was in The Dark Knight.
However, it's yet another stunning entry into the "superhero" genre.
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley, Carla Gugino, Patrick Wilson
Director: Zack Snyder
Right - let's get this straight.
This film is going to divide the audience in two - 1) those who love, cherish and adore the original graphic novel and 2) those who've never read it, have heard the hype and wonder if it's like The Dark Knight.
Superheroes generally have been going darker as a genre over the past few years - and Christopher Nolan's take on the Batman franchise has plunged them deeper into noir.
So, the inevitable question with Watchmen has to be - does it measure up or does the weighty expectation piled upon it in the past few months sink it?
Watchmen is the story of a group of "superheroes".
Set in an alternative 1985 where Richard Nixon didn't leave the White House in disgrace and where the threat of nuclear war with the Russians is always around the corner, Watchmen tells the tale of a band of ordinary men who became the self appointed vigilantes of America; even fighting in Vietnam to help the cause.
But all of these dysfunctional guys - bar one, the atomically blasted apart Dr Manhattan - have no superpowers whatsoever and are racked with morality issues.
Things get worse for the Watchmen when Nixon introduces legislation outlawing the masked vigilante fraternity for good.
Cast aside and no longer wanted, the Watchmen are in their twilight years.
And when The Comedian, (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), one of their number is murdered, a lone vigilante known as Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) sets out to discover who was behind the brutal death - but what he discovers is infinitely more terrifying than he could have expected as the conspiracy runs a lot deeper and with consequences for the entire human race.
As I say, this film from visionary Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons, was always likely to appeal a lot more to the fans of the book (of which, I will admit, I am one.)
It's a dark, bleak, moody affair which is expertly realised and true to its original source material.
It's also quite a verbal film which demands a lot of concentration from its audience as the strands of the conspiracy are drawn together.
That said, it is truly stunning when viewed up on the big screen.(I'd recommend seeing it in IMAX if you get the chance)
Director Zack Snyder, who made the highly stylised 300 with Gerard Butler, has once again captured the feel of the graphic novel and created some truly bone crunching fight scenes (complete with some slow-mo moments).
However, those scenes don't resort to the Matrix bullet time effects which give them an original feel.
The opening credits sequence is audacious - to the sounds of Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changing, the entire history of the vigilantes and how they've become what they've become is laid out - it's the perfect scene setter and leaves Snyder more time to concentrate on the latter day action without having to resort to wads of exposition to explain who everyone is and so on.
The central protagonist in Watchmen is Rorschach (played with spitting venom by Jackie Earle Haley) - as the last of the "superheroes" to continue working behind a mask (a cloth white balaclava which has moving ink blots on it a la Rorschach test) he is yet another anti-hero - but as the film goes on, you root more for the guy - even if he is pre-disposed to settling scores in a quite violent way.
Also central to the film is the glowing blue Dr Manhattan who's lost touch with all of his own humanity, despite being charged with looking over the rest of the human race.
There's Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), a pair of former heroes who're struggling to get by day to day without the costumes - and who can only really come alive when they embrace what they were - not what they are now.
These are characters suffering crises of identity, who have lost their sense of self by being unmasked and unwanted.
If you're in the dark about the novel and wonder if the film will appeal to you - I can safely predict you will enjoy it - but with the caveat that if you like comic book films as a genre.
It's a complex, dense conspiracy with unconvential heroes - and one which may suffer because it doesn't appeal across the spectrum in the way Superman and Batman have throughout the years.
But to be fair, that was always author Alan Moore's intention - his "superheroes" were based in reality, riddled with foibles and regrets and his vision was to portray a universe where heroes were a reality rather than a the hyper-reality of Gotham City and Metropolis.
Watchmen is an, at times, violent affair which is definitely not for the younger generation with more violence and sex than was in The Dark Knight.
However, it's yet another stunning entry into the "superhero" genre.
The Secret Life Of Bees: Movie Review
The Secret Life Of Bees: Movie Review
Rating 4/10
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Paul Bettany, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo
Director: Gina Prince Bythewood
1964 South Carolina.
Against a backdrop of the civil rights movement, 14-year-old Lily Owens (Fanning) runs away from an abusive father T Ray (Paul Bettany) taking with her the family's caregiver Rosaleen (Hudson).
But Lily is running away from the fact she's haunted by the death of her late mother whom she accidentally shot when she was young while her parents were arguing.
Lily and Rosaleen end up on the doorstep of the honey producing family, the Boatwrights - a trio of sisters; August, the matriarch (Queen Latifah), the ever so fragile May (Sophie Okonedo) and the belligerent June (Alicia Keys).
Within days Lily's introduced into their world - and taught how to keep bees.
But little does she know that in that house where she ended up, lies a secret which will change her life forever&.
Based on the best selling book by Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees is unashamedly Sunday afternoon chick flick material.
It dances a fine line between outright schmaltz and tear jerker and is clearly pitching for a certain demographic.
While the film's not an unmitigated disaster by any stretch of the imagination, it is slow to get to where the narrative wants and is lumbered with some horrendously clunky dialogue and a clear case of sledge hammer foreshadowing.
When it's revealed the ever so fragile May is one half of twins and the second died, and she's described as a soul split in two, it's quite obvious (spoiler alert) May's not going to see the end of this film.
And that's half the problem with Bees - at times, its lazy characterization (be it either the flaw of the script or the director) makes you feel like you're watching a terribly clichéd Sunday afternoon drama pitched for the Hallmark Generation.
However, there is one saving grace.
Dakota Fanning.
Her performance as the deeply troubled, permanently haunted Lily is astonishing - and shows once again, that when she's part of an ensemble, she clearly blows everyone else off the screen. She clearly has a long way to go on her Hollywood journey - and if all her performances are as good as this one, she'll be collecting awards soon.
Unfortunately though it's not enough to lift The Secret Life of Bees out of the saccharine mire that is chick flick material - sometimes, you feel sick when you devour too much sugary stuff.
The Secret Life of Bees is one of those times.
Rating 4/10
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Paul Bettany, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo
Director: Gina Prince Bythewood
1964 South Carolina.
Against a backdrop of the civil rights movement, 14-year-old Lily Owens (Fanning) runs away from an abusive father T Ray (Paul Bettany) taking with her the family's caregiver Rosaleen (Hudson).
But Lily is running away from the fact she's haunted by the death of her late mother whom she accidentally shot when she was young while her parents were arguing.
Lily and Rosaleen end up on the doorstep of the honey producing family, the Boatwrights - a trio of sisters; August, the matriarch (Queen Latifah), the ever so fragile May (Sophie Okonedo) and the belligerent June (Alicia Keys).
Within days Lily's introduced into their world - and taught how to keep bees.
But little does she know that in that house where she ended up, lies a secret which will change her life forever&.
Based on the best selling book by Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees is unashamedly Sunday afternoon chick flick material.
It dances a fine line between outright schmaltz and tear jerker and is clearly pitching for a certain demographic.
While the film's not an unmitigated disaster by any stretch of the imagination, it is slow to get to where the narrative wants and is lumbered with some horrendously clunky dialogue and a clear case of sledge hammer foreshadowing.
When it's revealed the ever so fragile May is one half of twins and the second died, and she's described as a soul split in two, it's quite obvious (spoiler alert) May's not going to see the end of this film.
And that's half the problem with Bees - at times, its lazy characterization (be it either the flaw of the script or the director) makes you feel like you're watching a terribly clichéd Sunday afternoon drama pitched for the Hallmark Generation.
However, there is one saving grace.
Dakota Fanning.
Her performance as the deeply troubled, permanently haunted Lily is astonishing - and shows once again, that when she's part of an ensemble, she clearly blows everyone else off the screen. She clearly has a long way to go on her Hollywood journey - and if all her performances are as good as this one, she'll be collecting awards soon.
Unfortunately though it's not enough to lift The Secret Life of Bees out of the saccharine mire that is chick flick material - sometimes, you feel sick when you devour too much sugary stuff.
The Secret Life of Bees is one of those times.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Dean Spanley: Movie Review
Dean Spanley: Movie Review
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam, Bryan Brown, Art Malik
Director: Toa Fraser
Sometimes a film comes along which takes you completely by surprise.
A film which you try and explain to people the basic plot of and they look at you like you've lost the plot completely.
Dean Spanley is one of those films.
Based on the book by Lord Dunsany, this film from New Zealand director Toa Fraser (No 2) is based in London Edwardian times and centres around a cantankerous Fisk senior (played with impish irascibility by Peter O' Toole) and his relationship with his son Fisk Junior (Jeremy Northam)
Junior spends every Thursday with his father - out of a sense of family ritual rather than a desire to be with him; but each visit drives a wedge even further between the two.
One day Fisk junior suggests they attend a seminar on reincarnation from a Swami Nala Prash; however O'Toole's character dismisses the entire meeting as "poppycock"
Tucked away at the back of the audience, is Dean Spanley (played by Sam Neill) - his attendance piques Fisk Junior's curiosity and he decides to invite the Dean to dinner to further explore his beliefs.
But the Dean has to be tempted to attend with the promise of the provision of a bottle of a Hungarian wine known as Tokay - a wine only given out by Royal Assent.
The problem is that this Tokay, when imbibed by the Dean, sends him back to a former life - as a dog.
Astounded by what he's seen, Fisk Junior soon finds himself on a quest to secure more Tokay so that he can explore even deeper the reality of the Dean's former life.
Dean Spanley is one of those films which will be given the label of quirky - but to do so, is to simply dismiss its warmth and story - plus the ending is such an emotional sucker punch that it'll catch you unawares.
Northam and Bryan Brown are good in their roles and O'Toole gives a sterling performance as usual - his eyes sparkle with a cheeky cantankerous fire.
(There's also a brief appearance from a new Shortland Street character (Tai Scott) as Harrington Fisk played by actor Xavier Horan - whose fleeting moments on film are pivotal to the Fisk's relationship)
But it's Sam Neill whose performance steals this film.
Initially, his Dean Spanley seems a little aloof and wary of the Fisks - but the more he imbibes the Tokay, it becomes clearer to the audience how much of Neill's performance is channeling that of a pooch.
From the jowly beard to the whimpering noises he makes when he first sniffs the wine, Neill embodies all the behaviours of a dog - but in a subtle and restrained way.
Dean Spanley is a tale of fathers and sons, dogs and their masters - of comradeship and relationships, reincarnation and reconciliation - this offbeat story will leave you with a whimsical grin on your face.
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam, Bryan Brown, Art Malik
Director: Toa Fraser
Sometimes a film comes along which takes you completely by surprise.
A film which you try and explain to people the basic plot of and they look at you like you've lost the plot completely.
Dean Spanley is one of those films.
Based on the book by Lord Dunsany, this film from New Zealand director Toa Fraser (No 2) is based in London Edwardian times and centres around a cantankerous Fisk senior (played with impish irascibility by Peter O' Toole) and his relationship with his son Fisk Junior (Jeremy Northam)
Junior spends every Thursday with his father - out of a sense of family ritual rather than a desire to be with him; but each visit drives a wedge even further between the two.
One day Fisk junior suggests they attend a seminar on reincarnation from a Swami Nala Prash; however O'Toole's character dismisses the entire meeting as "poppycock"
Tucked away at the back of the audience, is Dean Spanley (played by Sam Neill) - his attendance piques Fisk Junior's curiosity and he decides to invite the Dean to dinner to further explore his beliefs.
But the Dean has to be tempted to attend with the promise of the provision of a bottle of a Hungarian wine known as Tokay - a wine only given out by Royal Assent.
The problem is that this Tokay, when imbibed by the Dean, sends him back to a former life - as a dog.
Astounded by what he's seen, Fisk Junior soon finds himself on a quest to secure more Tokay so that he can explore even deeper the reality of the Dean's former life.
Dean Spanley is one of those films which will be given the label of quirky - but to do so, is to simply dismiss its warmth and story - plus the ending is such an emotional sucker punch that it'll catch you unawares.
Northam and Bryan Brown are good in their roles and O'Toole gives a sterling performance as usual - his eyes sparkle with a cheeky cantankerous fire.
(There's also a brief appearance from a new Shortland Street character (Tai Scott) as Harrington Fisk played by actor Xavier Horan - whose fleeting moments on film are pivotal to the Fisk's relationship)
But it's Sam Neill whose performance steals this film.
Initially, his Dean Spanley seems a little aloof and wary of the Fisks - but the more he imbibes the Tokay, it becomes clearer to the audience how much of Neill's performance is channeling that of a pooch.
From the jowly beard to the whimpering noises he makes when he first sniffs the wine, Neill embodies all the behaviours of a dog - but in a subtle and restrained way.
Dean Spanley is a tale of fathers and sons, dogs and their masters - of comradeship and relationships, reincarnation and reconciliation - this offbeat story will leave you with a whimsical grin on your face.
Friday, 20 February 2009
Zack and Miri Make A Porno: Movie Review
Zack and Miri Make A Porno: Movie Review
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Craig Robinson, Traci Lords
Director: Kevin Smith
Dear, oh dear.
Kevin Smith has swapped that sparkling witty dialogue that he's become known for in previous films for smut and downright crudity - and if you like puerile, then you'll love this.
Zack and Miri Make A Porno is the story of Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks), two housemates and long term friends who've fallen on extremely hard times.
Just pre-Thanksgiving, the pair find themselves completely broke and with their power and water cut off and facing eviction from their flat.
However, matters are made even worse when they head to a school reunion and realize just how low their lives have sunk in terms of success and personal growth.
So, faced with ruin and life on the street, on the back of a flippant comment from Miri about how they're going to make money, the duo decide pornography is the way forward.
They begin to recruit a crew and actors, but faced with the reality they'll have to have sex with each other to make ends meet, Zack and Miri begin to realise how exactly they feel about each other.
Will true love out - or will porn win the day?
ZAMMAP (it's catchier that way) is to be brutally blunt, a major disappointment.
Smith's put together a good cast (although Rogen is playing yet another variant of those loser roles he excels so much at) but it just doesn't work as well as it could have done.
Granted, Craig Robinson (warehouse boss Darrell from the US version of The Office) is perhaps one of the best things in the whole film - he steals every scene he's in.
And there are some pretty funny laugh out loud moments scattered throughout - though honestly, that's because of a lot of fairly gross humour.
Smith carries on his Star Wars obsession - Zack and Miri's first attempt is Star Whores, complete with the characters Darth Vibrator, Hung solo et al - although word round the TV2 Movies office is that version already exists.
The problem with ZAMMAP is that it veers so violently into stereotypical rom-com schmaltz at the end that you actually end up feeling cheated out of the film's original premise.
Elizabeth Banks (JD's kooky part-time girlfriend and mother of his child on TV2's Scrubs ) starts off being a likeable character but ends up being annoying as she falls into moping for Zack mode - Rogen's Zack is, as mentioned earlier, a variant on all the roles he plays - although he does have some comic moments (sadly a lot of that is due mainly to crudity), they are few and far between.
There are funny one liners (which won't work by my quoting them out of context) and various pop culture moments - the team discuss what's actually going on on TV2's Lost while Zack and Miri have sex - but overall, Zack and Miri Make A Porno is lacking the money shot.
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Craig Robinson, Traci Lords
Director: Kevin Smith
Dear, oh dear.
Kevin Smith has swapped that sparkling witty dialogue that he's become known for in previous films for smut and downright crudity - and if you like puerile, then you'll love this.
Zack and Miri Make A Porno is the story of Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks), two housemates and long term friends who've fallen on extremely hard times.
Just pre-Thanksgiving, the pair find themselves completely broke and with their power and water cut off and facing eviction from their flat.
However, matters are made even worse when they head to a school reunion and realize just how low their lives have sunk in terms of success and personal growth.
So, faced with ruin and life on the street, on the back of a flippant comment from Miri about how they're going to make money, the duo decide pornography is the way forward.
They begin to recruit a crew and actors, but faced with the reality they'll have to have sex with each other to make ends meet, Zack and Miri begin to realise how exactly they feel about each other.
Will true love out - or will porn win the day?
ZAMMAP (it's catchier that way) is to be brutally blunt, a major disappointment.
Smith's put together a good cast (although Rogen is playing yet another variant of those loser roles he excels so much at) but it just doesn't work as well as it could have done.
Granted, Craig Robinson (warehouse boss Darrell from the US version of The Office) is perhaps one of the best things in the whole film - he steals every scene he's in.
And there are some pretty funny laugh out loud moments scattered throughout - though honestly, that's because of a lot of fairly gross humour.
Smith carries on his Star Wars obsession - Zack and Miri's first attempt is Star Whores, complete with the characters Darth Vibrator, Hung solo et al - although word round the TV2 Movies office is that version already exists.
The problem with ZAMMAP is that it veers so violently into stereotypical rom-com schmaltz at the end that you actually end up feeling cheated out of the film's original premise.
Elizabeth Banks (JD's kooky part-time girlfriend and mother of his child on TV2's Scrubs ) starts off being a likeable character but ends up being annoying as she falls into moping for Zack mode - Rogen's Zack is, as mentioned earlier, a variant on all the roles he plays - although he does have some comic moments (sadly a lot of that is due mainly to crudity), they are few and far between.
There are funny one liners (which won't work by my quoting them out of context) and various pop culture moments - the team discuss what's actually going on on TV2's Lost while Zack and Miri have sex - but overall, Zack and Miri Make A Porno is lacking the money shot.
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Hunger: Movie Review
Hunger: Movie Review
Rating 7/10
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham
Director: Steve McQueen
A film about the treatment of IRA prisoners during the 1980s was never going to be an easy watch.
But that's an understatement for Hunger , the story of IRA prisoner Bobby Sands.
I don't recall the last time I felt quite so uncomfortable during a visit to the cinema - or so brutalized by what I was watching.
This is an account of IRA prisoner Bobby Sands and his decision to go on hunger strike while in Her Majesty's Maze Prison near Belfast - known as H Block prison.
But you don't get to see the central character until a little way into the film.
It begins with a prison officer getting ready for work - his routine consists of checking under the car before starting it in case of a car bomb.
The scene then switches to H Block where a new inmate is being brought in - and in accordance with the blanket protest and no wash policy of prisoners, he's put in a cell.
But the minute he's in there, the truly horrific conditions within are revealed - with faeces smeared over all the walls, piles of rotting food and flies, this is really not the ideal conditions for anyone who wants to keep their sanity.
Within 10 minutes of this stunning film from Steve McQueen, it's clear the brutality on the screen is going to have a lasting effect on its viewers.
Rows of guards beat the naked prisoners as they run a gauntlet from one end to another; when officers forcibly wash the prisoners, it's a violent confrontation with scissors and one which leaves each prisoner with whelks and bloody sores.
It's at this point we're first introduced to Bobby Sands - and within minutes, it becomes clear his mind is made up - and the endgame is set in motion.
Sands' decision to initiate a hunger strike involving some 70 men in the prison is the centerpiece of this film - its centerpiece is a 24 minute, single camera shot with Bobby Sands debating his reasons with a Father Dominic Moran.
This scene, while intensely high in the philosophical stakes, also has its humour - albeit of the darkest kind.
It's also the scene which really shows off Fassbender's intensity as Bobby Sands; you really get to understand the motivation and reasoning for the strike - all of that comes on top of the daily brutal conditions the prisoners live in.
It's at this point the film really ramps up the discomfort as Sands begins his strike.
He lasted 66 days in real life - and Fassbender himself underwent a 10 week controlled fast to achieve the shocking physical effects of a hunger strike on the human body.
His emaciated, sore riddled body will stun you and make you squirm in your seat - as well as making you respect how far people will go for their beliefs.
Hunger is a film about the psychological and physical lengths some will go to when a conflict becomes so deadlocked and neither side is willing to compromise or concede.
Ultimately though it's deeply uncomfortable viewing in parts, shocking and stunning in equal measures; this film will haunt you for long after you've seen it.
Rating 7/10
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham
Director: Steve McQueen
A film about the treatment of IRA prisoners during the 1980s was never going to be an easy watch.
But that's an understatement for Hunger , the story of IRA prisoner Bobby Sands.
I don't recall the last time I felt quite so uncomfortable during a visit to the cinema - or so brutalized by what I was watching.
This is an account of IRA prisoner Bobby Sands and his decision to go on hunger strike while in Her Majesty's Maze Prison near Belfast - known as H Block prison.
But you don't get to see the central character until a little way into the film.
It begins with a prison officer getting ready for work - his routine consists of checking under the car before starting it in case of a car bomb.
The scene then switches to H Block where a new inmate is being brought in - and in accordance with the blanket protest and no wash policy of prisoners, he's put in a cell.
But the minute he's in there, the truly horrific conditions within are revealed - with faeces smeared over all the walls, piles of rotting food and flies, this is really not the ideal conditions for anyone who wants to keep their sanity.
Within 10 minutes of this stunning film from Steve McQueen, it's clear the brutality on the screen is going to have a lasting effect on its viewers.
Rows of guards beat the naked prisoners as they run a gauntlet from one end to another; when officers forcibly wash the prisoners, it's a violent confrontation with scissors and one which leaves each prisoner with whelks and bloody sores.
It's at this point we're first introduced to Bobby Sands - and within minutes, it becomes clear his mind is made up - and the endgame is set in motion.
Sands' decision to initiate a hunger strike involving some 70 men in the prison is the centerpiece of this film - its centerpiece is a 24 minute, single camera shot with Bobby Sands debating his reasons with a Father Dominic Moran.
This scene, while intensely high in the philosophical stakes, also has its humour - albeit of the darkest kind.
It's also the scene which really shows off Fassbender's intensity as Bobby Sands; you really get to understand the motivation and reasoning for the strike - all of that comes on top of the daily brutal conditions the prisoners live in.
It's at this point the film really ramps up the discomfort as Sands begins his strike.
He lasted 66 days in real life - and Fassbender himself underwent a 10 week controlled fast to achieve the shocking physical effects of a hunger strike on the human body.
His emaciated, sore riddled body will stun you and make you squirm in your seat - as well as making you respect how far people will go for their beliefs.
Hunger is a film about the psychological and physical lengths some will go to when a conflict becomes so deadlocked and neither side is willing to compromise or concede.
Ultimately though it's deeply uncomfortable viewing in parts, shocking and stunning in equal measures; this film will haunt you for long after you've seen it.
Saturday, 14 February 2009
He's Just Not That Into You: Movie Review
He's Just Not That Into You: Movie Review
Rating: 9/10 for chick flick lovers, romantics and people wanting something to do on Valentine's Day; 5/10 if you're a cynic
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Kevin Connolly, Drew Barrymore
Director: Ken Kwapis
Ah human behaviour.
That most difficult of things to read - and the signs are even more mixed up when it comes to affairs of the heart.
In the movie adaptation of the best selling 2004 novel by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, an ensemble cast find themselves dealing with various problems of relationships while living in Baltimore.
Essentially centred around the story of Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a deeply insecure and desperate to be in love woman, He's Just Not That Into You (known from now on as HJNTIY) showcases a series of couples all having some kind of problems with their communication and lives and all intertwined in some way.
There's Beth and Neil (Jen and Ben) who've been together for 7 years and who show no signs of getting married (despite's Beth's continual insistence they do); then there's Janine and Ben (Jennifer Connelly and Bradley Cooper), high school sweethearts who married too early and now Ben's contemplating a lusty affair with Scarlett Johansson's singer Anna - who in turn is being vehemently pursued by real estate agent Connor (Entourage's Kevin Connolly).
On the fringes of these relationships and woven into the narrative via the old six degrees of separation are Alex - played by Justin Long - a bartender who guides Gigi's naive ship through the relationship minefields and Drew Barrymore's Mary, a small ads saleswoman.
Clearly, HJNTIY is aimed at a certain demographic - and judging by the screening I was in, it's 100% right to be pitched at its core female audience.
That said, it's not uncomfortable viewing for men as it has a light breezy frothy feeling to it as it charts its sometimes rocky course through the problems of love and happiness.
Of a pretty good ensemble cast, this film easily belongs to Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long.
Goodwin's Gigi verges at times on stalking as she tries to overanalyse each post date moment, neurotically scouring over every little detail with a fine toothcomb - but again, her character is never anything less than relatable (and possibly a bit too close to home judging by some of the groans and comments from the audience)
While Long's character Alex the bartender is heading pretty much on an obvious arc of redemption, he's pretty affable and makes the best of a role which could have seen him reduced to a caricature.
Drew Barrymore seems to be reduced to a sort of cameo performance but she makes the best of her (minimal) time on screen with a wonderfully realised speech about how we're all being dumped or contacted post dates in different ways.
Luis Guzman also deserves a mention as well for his brief hilarious performance as a site foreman who's caught in a moment with Janine's character - it's at moments like this, that you appreciate director Kwapis (the American version of The Office, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants) and his deft touch to the proceedings.
He's Just Not That Into You is the perfect film for Valentine's Day, or for gathering a gang of girlfriends together - and I can guarantee you there will be at least one of your gang who'll relate to the antics of the ladies on the screen.
Rating: 9/10 for chick flick lovers, romantics and people wanting something to do on Valentine's Day; 5/10 if you're a cynic
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Kevin Connolly, Drew Barrymore
Director: Ken Kwapis
Ah human behaviour.
That most difficult of things to read - and the signs are even more mixed up when it comes to affairs of the heart.
In the movie adaptation of the best selling 2004 novel by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, an ensemble cast find themselves dealing with various problems of relationships while living in Baltimore.
Essentially centred around the story of Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a deeply insecure and desperate to be in love woman, He's Just Not That Into You (known from now on as HJNTIY) showcases a series of couples all having some kind of problems with their communication and lives and all intertwined in some way.
There's Beth and Neil (Jen and Ben) who've been together for 7 years and who show no signs of getting married (despite's Beth's continual insistence they do); then there's Janine and Ben (Jennifer Connelly and Bradley Cooper), high school sweethearts who married too early and now Ben's contemplating a lusty affair with Scarlett Johansson's singer Anna - who in turn is being vehemently pursued by real estate agent Connor (Entourage's Kevin Connolly).
On the fringes of these relationships and woven into the narrative via the old six degrees of separation are Alex - played by Justin Long - a bartender who guides Gigi's naive ship through the relationship minefields and Drew Barrymore's Mary, a small ads saleswoman.
Clearly, HJNTIY is aimed at a certain demographic - and judging by the screening I was in, it's 100% right to be pitched at its core female audience.
That said, it's not uncomfortable viewing for men as it has a light breezy frothy feeling to it as it charts its sometimes rocky course through the problems of love and happiness.
Of a pretty good ensemble cast, this film easily belongs to Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long.
Goodwin's Gigi verges at times on stalking as she tries to overanalyse each post date moment, neurotically scouring over every little detail with a fine toothcomb - but again, her character is never anything less than relatable (and possibly a bit too close to home judging by some of the groans and comments from the audience)
While Long's character Alex the bartender is heading pretty much on an obvious arc of redemption, he's pretty affable and makes the best of a role which could have seen him reduced to a caricature.
Drew Barrymore seems to be reduced to a sort of cameo performance but she makes the best of her (minimal) time on screen with a wonderfully realised speech about how we're all being dumped or contacted post dates in different ways.
Luis Guzman also deserves a mention as well for his brief hilarious performance as a site foreman who's caught in a moment with Janine's character - it's at moments like this, that you appreciate director Kwapis (the American version of The Office, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants) and his deft touch to the proceedings.
He's Just Not That Into You is the perfect film for Valentine's Day, or for gathering a gang of girlfriends together - and I can guarantee you there will be at least one of your gang who'll relate to the antics of the ladies on the screen.
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