12 ANGRY MEN

Ok, so, a couple of weeks ago I distinctly recall musing on the wisdom of writing about films from the 80’s… In that context, it’s rather strange I actually picked a film from the year 1957. But you know what they say; variety is the spice of life. And besides, I feel that although it is a classic (and rightly so may I add), it’s such an old film that a lot of people who aren’t bona fide conaisseurs may well have not seen this one. It’s a nostalgic black and white movie – typical of the era in many ways (but more of that later) and stars a rather dashing Henry Fonda…

The 12 angry men mentioned in the title are actually 12 jurors on a murder trial. The 90 minute film takes place during the deliberations of the jury; we are privy to their discussion and decisions behind closed doors. The case seems pretty open and shut at first: the defendant is a 18 year old youth from a poor neighborhood, charged with the murder of his father. Of the 12 jurors, 11 are pretty sure he’s guilty. But not all: 1 of the jurors (Henry Fonda) is not at all sure the case is such a simple one. However, as the youth is tried for murder in the 1st degree, the decision of the jury must be unanimous. As a young man’s life hangs in the balance, how will his fate be decided?

This little gem by master director Sidney Lumet is truly a film of a different era. First of all, the whole film is confined to the “jury room”. There are no fade outs and reconstructions of the events discussed for instance. The entire thing is left to the imagination of the observers. In fact, the film is very, very similar to a theatre play in many ways. Not an easy feat to pull off; a film purely based on dialogue – not least in today’s “fast paced” times where we all need to have things broken up into little chunks for us and plenty of variation mixed in… But don’t let this worry you in any way – anyone who enjoys a witty conversation will undoubtedly love this movie… Because, although we don’t see the events, the murder or the suspects; this is basically a “whodunit”. And it focuses on what is to me the best part of whodunits : following clues, comparing evidence discussing, reconstructing… The work done by the “little grey cells”. It is also a very good snapshot of the prejudices of the day and of people from different strata of American society… Last of all, I cannot forget to comment on the acting – as it was absolutely BRILLIANT. I personally didn’t recognize any of the other actors but maybe older viewers will… In this type of film, naturally a lot of weight rests on the actors and an interesting piece of trivia is that apparently Sidney Lumet had the actors sit in a room and go over their lines for hours to give them an authentic feeling of claustrophobia…
The film went as far as being nominated for three Oscars in the day (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay) but lost in all three categories to “The Bridge on River Kwai – admittedly another classic.
In short, 12 Angry Men is a classic that fully deserves its place among the classics. Do not miss…

WHATEVER WORKS

Ok, in my lecture today I am going to talk about Woody Allen. (sorry, this is an in-joke between me and my mother). But even if that sentence means nothing to you, it’s as good a beginning as any. What do you make of him? Love him? Hate him? Honestly, he was another director that slid through the cracks where I’m concerned. I discovered him quite by accident when a friend dragged me into Vicky, Christina, Barcelona one day. I left the film with the distinct impression I needed to know more about this. I don’t know as much as I should to date, but I do know enough to tell you I like it =) . Whatever Works is his latest film and I spent a fruitful couple of hours watching it, which is why I now want to share it with you.

Ok, meet Boris Yelnikoff (Larry David. Lord that man looks like Woody Allen!). He is an “almost Nobel nominated” genius. He is a major hypochondriac with a very negative outlook on the world and great contempt for his fellow humans. He has just taken up being a recluse when Mississippi stowaway Melodie St Anne Celestine almost literally stumbles across his path. Despite his better judgment he takes her in and lets her stay for a couple of days. She is naïve, inexperienced and quite beautiful. A very unlikely friendship is now born. Melodie calms Boris and makes him happy, she in turn learns a lot from him (think My Fair Lady, set in the 2000’s with a VERY grumpy Henry Higgins). But things are about to get complicated. Melodie’s parents track her down and land on their doorstep. When it comes to love and such like, Boris’s philosophy is “Whatever works so long as it doesn’t hurt anybody.” Finding something that works, however, may be a tad more complicated than anyone suspected…

Ok, so maybe not Woody Allen’s finest hour - but a definite success. It’s basically a light-hearted romantic comedy, with a goodly dose of Allenesque criticism of the world. Well more specifically of the New York “elite”. The artistes, the great thinkers the “free spirits” (the ones in inverted commas – yes there IS a difference!) all get a goodly poke. Plus, one piece of criticism I heard is that the character of Boris is slightly caricatured, not “realistic”. I mean, Larry David’s acting is fine; it’s not that, it’s the character of Boris himself that is “unbelievable”. But it’s not so “bad” it scars the film. And I mean, we believe the existence of all kinds of unrealistic characters while watching romantic-comedies, this one is really tame considering. And yes, there are a few “tirades” where Mr. Allen definitely wanted to get a message across. I have no problems with messages. And they’re not so long you’ll have to fast forward =) In short, Mr. Allen has made a very intelligent and funny romantic-comedy, with the purpose of entertaining us and voicing a point of view, an opinion. He does this in no uncertain terms, does not sugar-coat it or anything. But in my opinion it’s ok, I mean it isn’t just anyone, it’s Woody Allen we’re talking about his opinions are kinda interesting. And if you disagree, well, you can just fast forward. You’ll enjoy the film anyway.

VALKYRIE

If you turn round and tell me that you are actually fed to the back teeth with WW2 films and that you do not want set eyes on another again, I would sympathize. I mean, I would find your reaction a tad excessive but I could see where you were coming from. Truth be told, tragic though the events of WW2 were, I feel that too many mediocre to bad films have been made on the topic. Thus people get the impression that if they’ve seen one they’ve pretty much seen them all. The good Allies vs. the evil Germans. Now this was no doubt true up to a point, but not completely. I mean, you can’t realistically claim that ALL Germans were evil / frightened / following the Nazi party without thinking. In fact, Valkyrie is the true story of a group of German officers who took on the Third Reich; if only to “show the world that not all of them were like him”.

The group is actually comprised of Nazi army officers. They, however, think that Hitler is destroying Germany. And they feel he must be stopped at all costs. Under the leadership of Colonel Von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) a daring plan is hatched. They will utilize the “Valkyrie” plans, plans to be used to maintain order in Germany if Hitler is killed or is cut off from the rest of the country. Stauffenberg himself will murder Hitler. The Valkyrie plans will in the meanwhile be re-written to exclude the SS and thus the “friendly forces” will act quickly, taking over all points of authority and taking over the country without shedding a single drop of blood (except Hitler’s). However as we all know, and as John Lennon very rightly put it, “Life is what happens while we are busy making plans”…

Now, you may have had prior knowledge of this coup. And for anyone who has basic knowledge of the WW2 history, the end of the film is pretty evident. The plot failed, the group was caught and as for the consequences… Well let’s just say they weren’t rapped on the knuckles and set free… But I still think you should watch it. Why? Well, first of all, my very short rendition above doesn’t even come close to doing justice to how complicated Operation Valkyrie actually was. It’s a very, VERY exciting story of strategy, resistance and a delight to watch for anyone who relishes that feeling of watching the “dominos fall” if you see what I mean. I have heard Tom Cruise’s performance being called a failure – honestly, I wouldn’t go that far. He’s not my favorite actor either but his performance isn’t really bad. Besides, I was personally very touched by the quote I stated in the first paragraph. The band knew only too well that their plan might well fail, spelling death to them all but desperately and above and beyond anything wanted to show the world that they were not all “like him.” Seeing that they died in the attempt, I feel we owe it to them to at least listen to their story…
(For those who want to learn more about this, check here for the Wikipedia page. Always a good place to start =)

FINDING NEVERLAND

I was browsing through last-weeks posts and all the mention of Peter Pan and Johnnie Depp put me in mind of another little gem. It is yet another true story, not a very well known story yet a story well worth knowing… It is the true life story of J.M. Barrie, the writer of the novel Peter Pan and the events that inspired the creation of the classic we all know and love today…

Scottish playwright James Barrie (Johnnie Depp * SIGH…* ) has just suffered a dismal failure with his latest play. He is also lacking terribly in inspiration, a condition fed by the depression brought on by his failure… Inspiration comes to him in the surprising form of beautiful and fragile widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet) and her four young sons. Barrie turns out to be an excellent playmate and father figure to the boys. He becomes especially close to Peter, one of the younger boys (acted by child prodigy Freddy Highmore). Peter is troubled, misses his father, has an extraordinary imagination and does not want to grow up… Despite criticism from Sylvia’s mother (the multi-award winning Julie Christie) and Mary, Barrie’s wife (acted by Radha Michelle - hmm, I never knew I was such a fan of hers, I seem to write about one of her works every week!!) Barrie spends more and more time with the family. It will inspire him to write his greatest work ever. If he can only convince the producer Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman) it’s a viable business venture that is…

First of all, with such a stellar cast, the film can only be so bad if you see what I mean =) But in fact, director Marc Foster is not to be sneezed at either; his works you may have heard of include Monsters Ball, Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner and Quantum Of Solace… This is most definitely a successful work: the film was nominated for a total of 7 Oscars ® including heavyweights such as Best Motion Picture, Best Leading Actor (Johnnie Depp - *SIGH*) and Best Writing. (Ok, so in the end it only won Best Achievement in Music but the other fields were actually worth a mention!!) The film also trails a very long list of nominations for prestigious awards such as Golden Globes and BAFTA’s, so I feel that even those of us who in later years have begun to shy away from mainstream cinema should feel confident to “dip a toe in” so to speak. I mean, come on guys, so many juries, they can’t all be wrong /stupid / corrupt!

And besides, even if you are completely anti mainstream, didn’t you read Peter Pan (or even better, have it read to you, like I did) when you were younger and love it? (And if you didn’t read / have it read to you I am genuinely sorry about that. If you did and didn’t like it, well, chances are you’re reading the wrong blog mate… really…) Ehm, so you did love it, right? Aren’t you just the teensiest bit curious as to what the real Peter Pan was like? I am really sorry to disappoint you guys but he did actually grow up – here’s his Wikipedia page. I always find the real stories behind these great works fascinating (same with the extraordinary life story of Lewis Carrol and his creation of Alice in Wonderland for instance). Maybe it’s this fact that endears the film so much to me. It is still a beautiful, touching film.

SE7EN

I have some difficulty understanding why human beings seem to have this innate need to be scared. Horror movies for instance. I have great respect for a well executed horror film, and when I come across one I don’t hesitate to put it on the site (Triangle for instance). But the genre is tough to pull off – it tends to descend into complete mayhem story-wise and / or rely on liters of fake blood and loud sound effects to scare us (read make us jump). People are quite scary enough in real life as far as I’m concerned. I mean, take Zodiac for example. (Alternatively, take the story of the real thing, here). Serial killers. Now that’s scary. Not least because they’re actual real people, not characters dreamt up by a screenplay writer. All though, I must say there are some “pretend” serial killers and evil characters that are just as scary. I mean, without resorting to “magical powers” and the like. I have in mind, a film by the director of Zodiac, Mr. David Fincher. Mr. Fincher is also the praiseworthy director of cult movie “Fight Club” and in my view, has a flair for the scary, gory (without the whole “God, that’s a lot of ketchup” effect). His works are most definitely parental and sensitive stomach-al advisory. The film I want to talk about in this particular write-up is Se7en (or Seven for anyone who is confused). It has attained cult status in its own right but it’s been around for a while now and is not as famous as it’s brother Fight Club so I just wanted to make sure you remember / learn about it =)

The beginning of the film will be familiar to anyone who has seen a “cop-flick” or two. Detective Lt. William Sommerset (master-actor Morgan Freeman) is ready to retire. He has an earned reputation for being both eccentric and one of the best officers on the force. His last duty, before being sent off to enjoy his retirement, is to have rookie cop David. But Sommerset’s last case turns out to be anything but simple. A simple if rather bizarre murder turns out to be the first in a series: There is a psychotic serial killer out there… He’s using the seven deadly sins as an M.O. As time goes on, the deadly sins get more and more serious and the murders more and more… Imaginative… Mills and Sommerset have to act fast, because if they run out of sins, they run out of time. And then, they may never catch him…

Now, here, ladies and gentlemen, is one scary film that doesn’t need ghosts and ghouls. Brr… Apart from that, the film deserves a mention on its technical merits too. It was, for instance, nominated for an Oscar® for Best Editing. The whole atmosphere of the film is very dark which is noticeable in the choice of location, dialogue and characters. We also see Gwyneth Paltrow as Mills’s young wife, rounding off a very talented leading cast. Morgan Freeman is, in a nutshell, Morgan Freeman. And just watching Mr. Pitt leaves us with no doubt as to why David Fincher chose him for his extraordinary cult movie 4 years later. I mean, it’s easy to forget but Brad Pitt is a lot more than just a pretty face. He can ACT. Anyone who doubts that can just pick up cult movie “12 Monkeys”. I admit there may have been a slight “dip” in the middle but I feel he’s “back” now. That was my distinct impression on leaving “Inglorious Bastards” anyway. But I digress. Yes, well, the film is basically a VERY well executed murder mystery. It is the VERY well executed bit that carries the caution factor. The adrenalin never stops; you are literally chilled to the bone and I actually got up and screamed at the screen in the final minute or so – anyone who has watched the film will know why. You’ll enjoy it. You may have nightmares afterwards, but you’ll enjoy it.

GOMORRAH

Well now, I think it’s safe to assume that we all like a good old fashioned gangster-flick every once in a while… It’s the great stars like Al Pacino or even further back Alain Delon that endeared them to us first. Loveable rogues, tough guys, “wise guys” (remember “Goodfellas” by Martin Scorsese?). That being said, in real life most of us have nothing to do with gangs and due to the “nature of the beast”, know very little about their workings in real life. It is not easy to find out about how gangs or the mafia work in real life and you may have to pay dearly if you do find out. You just ask Roberto Saviano. The young Italian writer is, as you may have heard, the author of a book named “Gomorrah” that gives a detailed account of the workings of the Camorra (a powerful Neapolitan mafia-like organization). His account was so accurate that he was subsequently threatened by a number of Neapolitan “godfathers”. The Italian Ministry of Interior appears to have taken this seriously because they responded by granting Mr. Saviano a permanent police escort… The book in itself must be fascinating; however, I am yet to read it. What I am going to focus on today is the adaptation to film of it by director Matteo Garrone. You may or may not have heard of the film but it literally shook Europe. Matteo Garrone walked away with the Grand Prix at Cannes, was nominated for the Golden Palm, won numerous David Di Donatello Awards was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film not to mention a César Award and many MANY more… In short, you name a festival in Europe, Gamorrah probably was at least nominated for a distinction there in 2008…

Now, this film comes with a disclaimer – it contains a lot of realistic violence and is tough to watch. It is not one single story: it is five stories of various characters in various strata of the gang. There is Don Ciro, a middleman who distributes money to families of imprisoned gang members. Toto, a 13 year-old grocer’s boy who winds up in the heart of the Camorra completely by chance. Roberto, a graduate who works in the waste disposal business and realizes that the business has a side that is dirtier than he ever could have imagined. Pasquale, a haute-couture Camorra tailor who has “extra curricular” activities in mind. And finally – the story I was most touched by – Marco and Ciro two teenage wannabe gangsters, continually and spontaneously reenacting scenes from Scarface and really trying to “play with the big boys”. The havoc they cause will have truly tragic consequences…

Now, I adored this film – but I have to warn you of one thing. When I started watching the film, I started with the added advantage of having watched an interview with the director about the film beforehand. I have heard from numerous people who have watched the film without this added bonus that they found it rather “piecemeal” and hard to follow. It is true that it takes a while to figure out that the five stories don’t necessarily connect per se – and even following the stories some of the time is also tough. You might do well to do the teensiest bit of research before you start on it. But I mean, this is no Donnie Darko, you will not need a guidebook. Just try not to watch it after a tiring day at work. And secondly, do not forget that the stories you’re watching are, if not % 100 true (and in some cases they are – Marco and Ciro’s story for instance – if I am not much mistaken) have their roots very firmly planted in reality. In my mind, it deserves every award it gets. Bravo…

AMADEUS

I long considered the wisdom of adding 80’s and 90’s films to my reviews. Not because I find them “outdated” or something, quite on the contrary, I love them. The trouble is you, my beloved readers, might find them outdated. And there is more of a chance you’ve watched them of course. But when my memory (or indeed my good self) stumbles across an old favorite (Beetlejuice, Hook and the like) I cannot resist. This is one such time. I have to share. I have to gush. And I am almost gushing tears as I write this review – this is the first film – first grown-up film I liked. It got me interested in movies. It’s “the one”. It won 8 Oscars ® and was nominated for a further 3. It walked off with BAFTA’s, Golden Globes, César Awards and David Di Donatello Awards – impressive but I don’t really give a damn because it was my favorite movie of all times before I was old enough to comprehend all that… “It” is Milos Forman’s AMADEUS.

Amadeus is, as the name suggests, the life story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told by his rival composer Antonio Salieri, now (in the film) residing in a mental institute. I will not give a detailed account of Mozart’s life (and if you do not know it you will find out in the film he he ). But I will tell you the film focuses on the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, an Italian born composer settled in Vienna. It actually was not very much of a rivalry; Salieri was a good composer of his day but not on a par with the genius of Mozart… Historical accounts as to the actual relationship between the two men differ – some accounts claim Salieri did indeed do everything in his power to put obstacles in Mozart’s way, others claim that the men were in fact colleagues and had an amicable relationship. This film explores the theory that Salieri envied Mozart’s genius bitterly while respecting and admiring at the same time. And it shows us how far this envy may have led him…

The film contains, in truth, everything a good film should. The acting is brilliant, although the two lead actors – F. Murray Abraham who won an Oscar ® as Salieri and Tom Hulce who was nominated – seem not have worked on anything I’ve seen after that ("that" is 1984 incidentally). The direction, well, is by Milos Forman. The soundtrack is largely composed of Mozart’s arias that are beautifully rendered. And of course, there is Mozart. His life and tales are well worth watching in themselves – to say he was “quite a character” would be an incredibly British understatement. Ok, it is 160 min long but honestly in my view you actually CANNOT have too much of this one.

And to those of you who were curious – yes, I did LOVE the Opera as quite a small child. And murder mysteries (oops…). What can I say? I was a very strange kid…

SURROGATES

Ok, animation, children’s classics, and fantasy – all this is fine for me. Sci-fi? Not a big fan. I’m not quite sure why, I am the right generation to like sci-fi. Possibly, because I was brought up on a steady diet of books and stories. I’ve never really liked machines or computers (though God knows I use them often enough). I would feel no great loss if they vanished tomorrow – except perhaps to write my blog… That is why; getting me to like – I mean REALLY like a sci-fi flick is no mean feat. No sir. I was vaguely curious about Surrogates and had a few hours free at work and that is the only reason I picked it up in the first place. I reckoned it was a police drama of sorts, had to have action in it being a Hollywood film with Bruce Willis in it and thus would probably pass the time… Well, it did pass the time, I’ll give it that, but it did a whole lot more in the meantime…

Surrogates is set in a rather eerily realistic (to my mind) future. In this future, technology has advanced to such a degree that people no longer need to leave their homes. Ever. They live their lives “by proxy” using robotic surrogates that can be controlled with the mind. These surrogates are, as you can imagine, completely customizable and physically perfect, you can be absolutely anybody you want to be… Crime rates are absolutely nil, in fact there hasn’t been a murder in quite a few years when suddenly a man and a woman and their surrogates are destroyed by a very sophisticated weapon. Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) is the FBI agent who must investigate this. The prime suspects are a renegade group of people who live without surrogates under the leadership of a man called The Prophet… But when Greer’s own surrogate is destroyed in a chase another challenge presents itself. If he wants to solve these seemingly impossible murders he must accomplish the unthinkable… He must leave his house. For real…

The technology itself may not exist yet but we are not as far from the Surrogates as you might imagine. This is, after all, a mere caricature of the internet. We all have customizable online personas (and they are completely customizable – hence the many child-filters against people who, shall we say, are not as well meaning as we are in chat rooms. I mean look at the newest development on this topic here) and do in fact have complete online “lives”. To the point that there is an actual website (www.suicidemachine.org) that helps one commit “online suicide” – removing one from all the social networking sites completely and forever. That may sound like a nightmare scenario for most of us but it actually might be quite liberating if you think about it… For those who are slightly older, well first of all, the sci-fi element does not get in the way of the police-drama section. It is undoubtedly there, but not “hard to follow”. In fact I am, to be honest, almost completely computer illiterate and yet could follow the ins and outs of the plot with ease. And Bruce Willis isn’t half bad either =)

HENRY POOLE WAS HERE

Now, I could forgive a lot of people for saying they do not understand what exactly I see in this film. On the surface, it seems rather ordinary, not boring per se, but not that attractive either. I didn’t have very high hopes for it when I started watching but well, it was work and it had to be watched so there we were, as it were… I was pleasantly surprised by it in the end; I would by no means claim it was “life changing” but it is a genuinely good movie, perfect for a certain kind of mood…

Meet Henry Poole (Luke Wilson who you will probably remember from Legally Blonde). We don’t know very much about him actually and it doesn’t really matter anyway because he is going to die. The test results are back, yes it’s inoperable and no, there is no way back. What is the sickness? Does that matter? His life has basically come to an end… Everyone copes with this kind of shock differently; Henry decides to fold in on himself. He rents a house in the suburbs, cuts off all communication with everyone in his former existence and starts to live out his last couple of months, completely isolated from the world and “dead” to all intents and purposes… But life has a funny way of forcing itself on you when and where you least expect it. And in Henry’s case, it comes in the form of Jesus Christ. In a stain on his wall. “This is a miracle” claims Esperanza (Adriana Baraza who was nominated for an Oscar in her performance as a supporting actress in Babel) his rather nosey next door neighbor. The annoying thing is, try as Henry might, he cannot get rid of the stain. And the stain starts, or so claim the believers, to perform miracles. There is the added complication of Dawn (Radha Mitchell whom I especially admired in her leading part in Surrogates) the beautiful and sassy single mother next door, to whom Henry feels hopelessly attracted to despite telling himself their relationship has literally no future… Yes, this “preparing to die” malarkey is going to be A LOT tougher than Henry expected…

Now, don’t let the initial blurb of the film get you down. It is not a “sadness and death” film. Quite the contrary, it is a film that celebrates life. But it does this in a rather perverse way, the way it chooses to celebrate, a bit like life itself… I thought at first glance that Henry Poole’s reaction to death was a bit unbelievable, but it is actually a mindset I can comprehend. Hit by the sudden news that none of his hopes, dreams and plans for the future will ever happen, Henry makes a stab at taking control. He extracts himself from his life, with his own will and on his own terms, fortifies himself with vodka and pizza and waits for Death who will make the next move… It’s just that life itself is predictable, and in fact it goes on even when you try and stop it or become completely passive. It is interesting to compare it with “The Guitar” that I have also reviewed on this site (click here for review) There, the main character Melody takes a completely different stance, throwing all caution to the wind and running after her dreams and desires… She decides to pursue true happiness before she dies, Henry, unlike Melody, craves control above anything; he wants to be the one in charge even in death…

Happiness has a funny way of coming in strange disguises though… Watch it, I feel you will like it =)

HOOK

Are you one of those people who will “never grow up”? I most definitely am. Animations are one thing – they attract a different kind of crowd all together, but there are some children’s films that absolutely HAVE to be watched – and not necessarily when one is young either. Especially the great classics like Cinderella (I mean they even did a grown-up version of that with Drew Barrymore – remember “Ever After?”) or, in this instance Peter Pan. Now, Hook (THE FILM!) is NOT a “grown-up version of” Peter Pan. It’s a children’s film in all its glory but Dear God, what a children’s film… If you are like me determined to “never grow up” chances are you have already watched Hook numerous times. But then again maybe you missed it somehow. Maybe you were too old or too young… You definitely MUST catch up with it…

Well, Hook is not so much the classic story of Peter Pan, more the story of what happened after the story ends. As you recall, Wendy returns home, and Peter continues his life in Never Land, visiting her every year. But then, one year, there is a stranger lying in Wendy’s bed. It’s her daughter; she is just Peter’s age and really beautiful. Peter loves her at first sight and decides never to return to Never Land again… But now settled in the real world, reality takes a hold of him – he marries Wendy’s daughter Moira, gets a job, has two lovely children – a boy and a girl and… Completely forgets about Never Land… As far as he’s concerned he is an orphan found and raised by Grandma Wendy (the delightful Maggie Smith). He is a complete adult and he neither believes in magic or fairies… (he is superbly acted, incidentally by Robin Williams, an actor I greatly enjoyed “in his prime” but has now in my view almost completely slid off the radar…). Well, he may have forgotten about Never Land, but Never Land most definitely has NOT forgotten about him. Not least his dastardly rival Captain Hook. (And after watching Dustin Hoffmann’s stellar representation of Captain Hook, I have been unable to envision the pirate captain in any other way. I’m talking true pirates here people – I’m as big a fan of Johnny Depp as the next person (possibly bigger in fact) but Mr. Hoffmann says it all. Yes, ALL.) Seeing that Peter will not be back any time soon, the Captain ventures into the Real World, and sees what has happened. Being the most dastardly pirate that sailed the seven seas, he hatches a cunning plan to either force Peter to return to Never Land or hurt him beyond belief. He abducts his two children, aiming to turn them into pirates and turn them against there father, thus making him, Hook, invincible. Luckily Peter’s oldest ally and friend Tinkerbell (wait for it… Julia Roberts. Can you believe this cast??) is on hand to take Peter back (by force) to Never Land, much to the joy of the Lost Boys. Now all they must do is somehow remind Peter how to fight, fly, crow, use his imagination and live by the rules of Never Land, for this is the only way to defeat Hook. However, is Peter too far gone to be saved?...

I honestly cannot remember how many times I have watched Hook. It is such an absolutely wonderful story, acted out by absolutely superb actors. And the stars don’t finish there – Bob Hoskins is Smee, Captain Hook’s right hand man (no pun intended hehe) only I couldn’t insert him into the synopsis =). Don’t expect any Avatar type action – this was filmed in 1991 but go by Peter’s rules – use your imagination and you will begin to “see” the whole thing. And since it is not a “remake” of the story it will not spoil it for the little ones either, on the contrary, it’s what happens next, how the story really ends and that might be a life saver for some parents out there (I was very much a “what happened next” type child). This is a WONDERFULL story, an absolute classic and EVERYONE needs a bit of escapism from time to time… Come on, don’t be shy…

CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI

Children of Huang Shi is a true story of unexpected kindness and heroism in the face of incredibly adverse circumstances… We all know that life being what it is, we often find ourselves under the strangest circumstances forced to do the most unexpected things… Such was the case for one young reporter who was sent to China to cover the Japanese invasion in 1938. He was out to get the “story of his career”. He ended up the surrogate father of 60…

George Hogg (a role supremely executed by the talented Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) was the name of this reporter. Young and more daring than a lot of his colleagues, he ventures behind Japanese lines in the guise of a Red Cross worker. There he witnesses the atrocities being committed and is almost caught and executed by the Japanese when he is rescued, badly wounded but alive, by Chen Hansheng a Chinese communist (Chow – Yun Fat who you will no doubt remember from many films among which we can state Pirates Of The Caribbean : At The World’s End). As Hogg is in no state to brave the crossing back over the border, his new friend takes him to an orphanage run by Lee Pearson (Radha Mitchell who you will remember for her leading role in films like Surrogates and Henry Poole Is There) to recuperate. The 60 very bedraggled orphans have a love-hate relationship with Hogg at first, but he gains their respect and love by tending to them and repairing the run-down orphanage… But dark days are not far. The nationalists are soon at the door of the orphanage, demanding to enlist the children into the army. George and Lee can only do one thing: Bundle the children up as best they can and set off on a long trek across China to find a safer place for their small charges…

Ok disclaimer. I defy you not to cry BUCKETS as you watch this one. It’s a fascinating account of human compassion and heroism (braving the steppes of China in mid-winter is no mean feat). It’s just one of those stories that remind one that there is hope yet for the human race. And it is also interesting to watch simply because well, generally speaking unless you are a historian (or live in a country in that area of course) chances are you don’t know that much about the occupation of China by Japan. (And I quite agree that for a Westerner it’s a strange thought, considering the proportions and the populations of the two countries but actually it was no laughing matter, quite heinous atrocities were committed during the occupation as the film will elaborate). The edition I watched (I think most editions in fact) ended with photographs of Hogg (the real one) and interviews with the surviving orphans who came to dote on him as a father and this added a nice touch up to the realism of the film…

99 FRANCS

OK, time to own up. I don’t always watch films the week I put them on the blog – occasionally I do “retrospectives” of ones I have watched. Come on, have hearts, I have a pretty good memory and don’t always watch three good films a week! Well, I was trawling through my archive at work today – I had a couple of hours free and decided to dedicate it to a few retrospectives – when I came across this film. Dear Lord, this film is so good I am kicking myself for not starting with it… I watched it three times AND volunteered to watch it at work. I don’t care if it’s French. I don’t care if it’s “experimental” – whatever that may mean – People, this is life-changing stuff, my sincerest apologies for forgetting it in the first place…

OK, so meet Octave Parango. Creative director and advertiser extraordinaire. He lives an INCREDIBLY fast life, fast women, the latest drugs A LOT of money. He is, in short, happy. Or does a VERY good impression of pretending he is. Then, quite unexpectedly he falls in love. For real. And as if that was not enough of a shock, the relationship fails, big time. Octave is still reeling from the pain, but life goes on and so do meetings with major clients… In one such meeting, Octave decides he has had enough. Enough of the consumerist, sham world of advertising, enough of the system that harbors it and people like him… This is war in all its horror. Octave style.

Now, for the older generation, the style of this film may jar… The editing is mind numbingly quick in places – a style the younger generation is used to from video clips. The style is very VERY hard hitting and has major shock value; think on a parr with Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick. But this style is SO well suited to the film because it matches the fast paced consumer society we live in, and we are after all so immune to EVERYTHING attached to this society that any criticism that is to be taken seriously MUST be shocking. And it is not just a dry criticism or elegy to the death of originality and times gone by. It gives a clear mind-numbing picture of the world of Advertising, the way they operate and the way we the consumers let ourselves get “had”. It’s one Hell of an angry film…

The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Frederic Beigbeder – and quite honestly, I am quite curious to read the book as well. And don’t let anything I’ve said put you off in any way, it’s a very honest and open account of things we all think, feel and would like to do in our heads. You will never watch advertisements in the same way again…

DERSU UZALA

Now, as I mentioned before, my film – education is largely self-made. It depends largely (not uniquely but largely) on two things : what appears on my desk at work and what turns up in the bargain baskets of large DVD stores. Now, before you say anything DO NOT diss bargain baskets. I found the entire works of Jim Jarmusch in a bargain basket once – it was a while back but the price was VERY reasonable. Anyway, because of the randomness of the incoming films there are gaping holes in certain bits of my afore-mentioned education. Akira Kurosawa is one of the greats who actually tumbled into one of those holes. I’m not proud of it however a fact is still a fact… Anyway, Mom had been (almost literally) eating me alive trying to get me to watch Dersu Uzala – her all time favorite movie. She actually went as far as buying me the DVD (not from the bargain baskets). She finally got me to watch it too, although in the end she almost had to sit me down Clockwork Orange style (see here if you don't know what I mean - disclaimer : still does not belong to me in any way, see www.cswap.com for more)and force me to do it (Not out of any open aversion to Akira Kurosawa more due to a decided lack of planning). As you can see it made it to the blog. Cheers Mom.

Now, Dersu Uzala is set in Siberia at the beginning of the 20th century. Our hero is an army cartographer and captain in the Russian army who has been sent to survey and make detailed maps of the Siberian steppes and forests. He has a battalion of soldiers with him for aid and protection but it soon becomes apparent soldiers will not be sufficient to survive in this land that is in fact completely foreign to them. By chance the little group cross paths with Dersu Uzala, an old Goldi (Mongolian) hunter and trapper who lives in the forest. His lifestyle has varied very little from those of his ancestors; he worships the forest spirits and speaks pidgin Russian. The group find him “quaint” and “old fashioned” but it soon transpires that Dersu Uzala is a force to be reckoned with as far as survival is concerned. The Captain will have his life saved, learn many lessons from and find a true friend in Dersu Uzala…

You may imagine that a film directed by a Japanese director telling the tale of an exhibition in Siberia may not contain that much nail-biting tension. But make no mistake there are true nail-biters in this film alongside truly touching moments. Mr Kurosawa has prepared for us a true roller-coaster of emotion and the excitement is so great that even the fact that the film goes on for two and a half hours (it’s a film from a different generation don’t forget) does not bother the modern viewer. In a funny kind of way – and you may not guess it from the beginning – it is a perfect example of Asian cinema. It is not fast-paced, infact you do not feel the pace at all, which is a remarkable achievement. The perspective is not what we are used to and we are introduced (in my case anyway) to the true spirit of Siberia, feel the power of the tigers and fear the deadly blizzards with Dersu. In fact we are introduced – almost experience – a lifestyle lost in the 19th century… It is a poetic yet strong yet very emotional film… It obviously didn’t win an Oscar® for nothing. And Mr Kurosawa did not become a legend for nothing. If like me you somehow missed it, MAKE time for it…

UP FOR SOME REAL TIME TRAVEL ? TRY "TAKING WOODSTOCK"

Woodstock. Were you there? Do you wish you were there? I sure do but it was waaay before my time. Now that was a revolution. And as stories go, it doesn’t get much truer than that. Well, did you ever stop to consider how Woodstock came about? Because with an event like Woodstock one tends to put it in the same category as the forces of nature, magically appearing on its own so to speak… However as magical as it may have been the Woodstock music festival had its beginning rooted in very solid reality had VERY real organizational problems and by all accounts one would have trouble believing some of the characters involved were real off the screen…
Such as Elliot Teichberg. In the beginning Mr Teichberg had nothing what so ever to do with Woodstock. He is an interior designer and painter (well, friends and family buy his paintings) and a gay rights activist in New York. His parents run a small motel in The Catskills. Well they try to – their attitudes have scared off all the customers… With foreclosure looming Elliot has no other option but to go back to White Lake to somehow save his parents. But the situation is pretty dire and Elliot is getting pretty desperate until Elliot happens to see a news item in the local newspaper… A three-day music festival was going to be organized in the next town. Something pretty damn big and impressive. However the townspeople had (successfully) run the organizers out of town fearing a “hippie infestation”. Now Elliot has in his possession one permit for a music festival (he organizes the town’s festival every summer), an empty motel (a little run down but ideal for a H.Q for the organizers) and a neighbor, Max Yasgur who owns a dairy farm with HUGE fields (and we can all guess what THEY were used for)… Elliot communicates this fact to Michael Lang, the organizer of the festival and low and before he knows what’s happening, millions (literally) are on the road to the Catskills for three days of music peace and love…
Taking Woodstock is HANDS DOWN the sweetest film I have watched in a long time. But with a master director like Ang Lee at the helm, how can one not expect a show? Mr Lee literally transports us to the heart and soul of the festival. The best thing about it is that on slight inspection, the film is pretty full of what could be called “clichés”: 60’s clichés, hippie clichés, small town clichés, even a few Jewish clichés (I have to put a disclaimer here and add that what starts out as seemingly an amusing oddity takes a rather serious turn at the end of the film – but I’m not giving away anything, watch and see) The thing is, these are so beautifully managed they are not caricatures or clichés but little things that convey the very soul of the festival… That is why the film portrays the “spirit of the 60’s” so well, with complete honesty, openness and simplicity – to the point that it feels like time travel! The characters are naturally taken from real life but they are so well portrayed that you can’t help sympathizing and empathizing with them all almost immediately. I especially enjoyed watching Elliot Teichberg (Demetri Martin) and Jonathan Geoff as Michael Lang.
Some bits in the story made me laugh out loud. Yes, there is some nakedness… Ok, a lot of nakedness… But when I say nakedness I mean just that – naked people. NOT what you were thinking… Ok there are drugs – but come on for God’s sake, it was the 60’s! It was Woodstock!! And don’t dismiss it as something that will fall down the generation gap – you’ll love it. Word of honor.

THE ACCUSED

Ok, now for a bit of time travel. All the way back to 1988. Oscars ®. Ok, anyone know who won Best Actress that year? No cheating mind! Yes? No? Give up? Jodie Foster. One of my favorite actresses by far, so naturally I was curious. A pretty interesting story too – so I decided to take a look at it…
The afore-mentioned story goes as follows: Sarah Tobias (Jodie Foster) is a waitress who lives in a trailer park with her drug-dealer boyfriend. One night, after a particularly unpleasant fight with said boyfriend she goes to a bar to chat to a friend and blow off some steam. At the bar she has a few drinks, smokes some grass and flirts a little. However her antics take a wrong turn and she ends up being gang-raped. She runs to the police determined to drag the men through the courts, however there is a problem. The men in question are “fraternity” guys with “connections”. She is a penniless waitress who was drunk on the night and who is known to usually have a few drinks too many. Thus the D.A.’s office, that is meant to protect her, doesn’t consider her a “strong case” and will not stand by her like they should. Sarah, along with the assistant D.A. assigned to the case must use courage and wits if she wants to stand up and be heard..
Now, the story is your common or garden courtroom drama. It’s interesting as I think it gives an accurate enough picture of the system and a woman’s place in the system in the 80’s. Speaking of the 80’s the film is sooo 80’s you can’t help but notice it. The characters. The way the story progresses. The editing. The rapists and the “spectators”. Dear Lord, the hair and costumes... But what makes this otherwise rather ordinary film extraordinary is Jodie Foster. Her performance as Sarah Tobias, down and out as far as society is concerned but determined to have what is owed to her simply shines through. Sarah is not a character you can necessarily “bond with” that easily... But of course the storyline and Ms Foster’s extraordinary performance make her entirely real...
However, I must hasten to add that one Jodie Foster does not make a masterpiece. The film is good but not brilliant. It’s still pretty damn exciting though – definitely make the time for it...