ESSIE SPEAKS OF SOMETHING OLD AND SOMETHING NEW

I actually love the couple these two films make. 

One is a classic "oldie". But a goldie. Come on, it's Hitchcock. I'm sure you love Hitchcock, who doesn't? Especially if it's got a good old dose of romance and suspense without the gore factor. 

But the second is something new. A documentary to be precise. But it's a documentary about something that "happened" mainly fifty years ago. It just nearly went unheard and unnoticed. Luckily, it was "caught". Because it would have been a shame if we had missed it. I don't know you have to watch it to see what I mean... 

Happy veiwing folks, and have a great sunday!

Essie

THE TRUTH IS ALMOST ALWAYS STRANGER THAN FICTION... "SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN"

It’s funny, when you get multiple movie buffs together; generally there are as many opinions as there are people – if not more. We do tend to be an emotional lot. But when I talked to various different movie buff friends of mine, they all concurred on one point. The best film of 2013 so far was without a shadow of a doubt Searching For Sugar Man. Admissions that I had not got round to it yet were met with unfeigned amazement tinged with horror – and I claim to be some sort of amateur expert! I got the message pretty quick – I also got a tad annoyed because I’m an Aries. And while I’m all for taking direction and advice, we are, as a zodiac sign, generally more comfortable telling OTHER people what to do. Hence the blog. Ehm. However, never let it be said that I ignore advice and refuse to take direction so I dutifully set off on my quest to find sugar man this week. My, oh my… I was not disappointed.

Searching for Sugar Man is the story of Rodriguez. There’s a strong possibility you never heard of him. Unless, that is, you come from South Africa. Rodriguez is an American signer who released two albums in the ‘60s, was a complete flop as far as anyone knew, and sort of vanished into the ether. His songs were highly political, almost Dylan-esque and anti-establishment. The spirit of the sixties at its best, topped off with real musical talent. Most of the world went on to forget Rodriguez completely. Except one very unlikely country… In South Africa, at the time almost a pariah country because of the apartheid regime, Rodriguez became the voice of the revolution, of the entire anti-establishment movement. He was bigger than Elvis and everyone  who was anyone owned his records. The thing was though; no one had ever seen him live. No one even knew his full name. The record sleeves were very cagey when it came to information and there were outrageous reports circulating that he was dead – most of  the urban legends pointed to some form of suicide, the most popular story being that he had set fire to himself on stage.  A couple of South African fans, however, were not content to let things go. They wanted, no needed, to discover the truth behind all this legend, even though it may lie thousands of miles away. The road would be frustrating and full of obstacles…  But when they finally got to the bottom of the mystery… The truth would truly prove stranger than anything any screenwriter could dream up…

I love the way the style of this documentary fits in so well with the wonderful story it tells. It seems, on the surface, your common or garden “talking heads” type documentary with scenic shots and a little animation thrown in here and there to jazz things up a bit. You don’t explain a lot from it. You definitely don’t expect to be completely blown away, swept off your feet, shaken to the core type results. Yet, what you need to understand is, that this documentary is not “plain” per se. It simply rids itself of all unnecessary frills and bows. It just, says it like it is. Pretty much the way Rodriguez did in his songs. The simplicity of the documentary makes you concentrate on the message, the story and this is what draws you in. And the story is such a strong one that you know what? You don’t need the frills. You don’t even miss them. And THAT is one in the eye for some more “commercial” production if I ever saw one.

I am so grateful to this documentary. No, I really am. Firstly, the music – almost exclusively original songs by Rodriguez – is AMAZING. Why this man never became an icon of his age is beyond me. And ironically, these days it’s almost impossible to find an actual album so, this film is actually the largest collection of his songs you can probably find. Mind you, I’m sure this film will have a soundtrack released, right? Right? God I need to check on that actually. But apart from the music – though I find it truly difficult to set the music aside all together, you will also get to know about a truly extraordinary artist. The kind of person I am genuinely relieved to know still exists. If you think I’m simply bending over backwards to not give spoilers, by the way, you are wrong. I’m just… Staying true to the story. The mystery needs to stay. You need to take the journey yourself. Well… What are you waiting for? Start walking!... 

OF DREAMS AND MONSTERS... "MARNIE"

Ok, I know you guys kinda prefer me writing about the newer things out on the cinema screen. I respect that. This is why this week is about compromises. Something old and something new. Nothing borrowed but my pyjamas are blue so that should count for something. Ehm. Moving on.  Now I picked this film because it has a little bit of something for everything I think. You may have seen the name “Alfred Hitchcock” and automatically assumed “crime and gore” well, here’s some good news for you : Not every film Hitchcock did was a derivative of Psycho. Oh no. Mr Hitchcock was a man of many, many talents not a one trick pony. So this is, in fact, a top notch psychological thriller with some romance and drama thrown in. You’ll like it. I know you will.

Marnie (Tippy Hedren) is many things for many people. She is not a “lady of the night” nor is she a special agent – she is, in fact, a secretary. But she is not exactly content with the life or salary of a secretary. She makes her “real” living changing identities and moving from job to job, robbing the safes of the companies she works for as she goes. And she has got quite a nice little side line going in this way until she stumbles into Rutland Coop. Now the dashing young owner of the company, Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) takes a shine to her. He takes a shine to her in a big way. So much so, not only does he want to “make her his” – which is easier said than done, believe you me – but he also wants to cure her of her thieving and lying. What starts as something cross between a love affair and an interesting project for him and a minor inconvenience for Marnie will end up taking the couple on an eventful journey, both psychological and physical, that will lead to more and greater discoveries than either of them could possibly imagine.

Now this is an interesting one. Firstly, it’s a Hitchcock classic as far as suspense goes. This is undoubtedly a voyage of adventure and discovery. And the added benefit? No blood or gore. That’s good news for those of you who are weaker in the stomach area. Mom, yes, that means you too. The chase this time takes place largely in the human psyche. And I have always said, our minds can dream up monsters and horrors greater than anything the “real” world can provide. Of course the construction of the story is picture perfect and you are just chomping on the bit trying to figure out where the whole thing is going, not least because Mr Hitchcock is not exactly renowned for his happy endings. He invented the concept of killing of the lead character mid plot, remember (yes, that was Hitchcock, NOT Game of Thrones).

But why is it, I pondered as I watched, that we get so enthralled in the fates of this typically good looking movie couple ? I am a romantic at heart, but it takes more than “beautiful people” and some /any premise that they are together for me to root for them. Then I did a bit more deep thinking and worked it out, well I worked out my perspective at an answer anyway. See, the film taps into what we all really, deep down inside want in life. At a certain age, we have all got hang ups, old wounds, battle scars… Things that have hurt us, that makes us suspicious or over-protective or whatever your own particular Achilles heel might be. Now, we may or may not voice it openly, as we know this is a rare occurance, but deep down, yes we would love a beautiful stranger of the gender and sexual preference of our choice to sweep us off our feet, fall madly in love with us, face up to all our excess baggage, not shy away or be daunted by it at all, and “cure us” of the baggage. Thus we emerge, perfectly healed, at peace with our past and madly in love. I mean yes, in this particular piece the couple are very “typical Hollywood” – blond beautiful woman with a set of problems clearly (and unabashedly) taken straight from Freud’s own textbooks (at least Hitchcock has the integrity to slip Freud in there too) coupled with a tall dark and handsome Sean Connery who just happens to be a millionaire and an amateur scientist (and thus in possession of the means and knowledge to cure her). I mean the premise is as unrealistic as they come, yes, bosses fall for their secretaries but it is rare that they actually stick around to “cure” them. In fact, like most people, they probably shout “excess baggage” and bail if they have as much baggage as Marnie. Then again, you are so enthralled in the story you can easily put yourself in Marnie’s shoes and have your own “dream relationship” for two hours. This, my friends is the beauty of cinema. Maybe not therapy per se, but catharsis guaranteed… 

ESSIE AND HER INNER CHILD

Ok, you guys have probably figured this out for yourselves, but I am coming to terms with a  certain fact. My lifestyle has changed. It is now vastly impractical for me to update the blog on thursdays. Weekends work infintely better. You will have noticed. I sure have. Let's just accept the fact that the blog is updated on weekends now. Sunday night being the latest. Come Monday morning, blog will be updated. Follow me on social media (@Essie_Tweets for Twitter) and I'll let you know when the new stuff is up. Or, you know, you can do the old fashioned thing of just checking the webiste. Whatever gets you through the night.

So what do we have this week? It's animation time! You know by now, it's one of my week spots. And as you all probably know, there have been a number of very interesting films coming our recently, it's high time I spoke about it. But as you know, just because I'm a fan, I'm not going to ignore any faults I find. So scroll down to see me rant and / or gush, but more importantly connect to my inner eight year old.

happy viewing,
Essie

"MONSTERS UNIVERSITY" BECAUSE SOMETIMES,YOU JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL...

I was REALLY looking forward to this one. You all have probably figured out by now that I’m a bit of as sucker for Pixar. I… Ok, yes, it’s unprofessional but what can I say. I’m a fan. I’m positively biased. That is not to say I wasn’t a tad bit worried about Monsters University. I mean, come on, a prequel? It feels a little bit like scratching the bottom of the barrel to me. There are absolutely quillions of talented screenwriters out there, surely, if we wanted to revisit Mike and Sullivan, our friendly duo from way back when, an imaginative “new development” could be found. That being said, I simply had to check it out. I mean, it was a rainy afternoon, I had nothing in particular to do, Pixar monsters seemed to me the perfect thing to cheer me up. At the very least I could b.tch about them on the blog later, which would definitely cheer me up.

Hence, here we hurtle back through time and universes to see how the “dream team” of Mike and Sullivan all began. I couldn’t help but giggle to realise they were taking the whole prequel thing very seriously. Because we start tracking Mike at around, if I’m not much mistaken, primary school. But no worries – it’s completely relevant. It is at this early age that Mike decides he wants to be a “scarer”. You know, the most prestigious and brave monsters around, who ventured into the human world and collected “scream energy” to power the whole world. Thing is, Mike looks a little too much like a tennis ball on legs to be considered scary(at this particular point, he is a very small tennis ball on legs with braces). So um, how can I put this… He is not considered to have the most realistic aspirations in the world. That said, he works his socks off, does not give in and lo and behold, he makes it into the prestigious “scare programme” in Monsters University. Now, a lot of us know how going on to university, moving away from the small town to follow your dreams may seem like the end of all the problems we ever had – Mike definitely thinks so. And if the worse comes to the worse, he has always been a swat, he has his trusty textbooks to get him though… Right?

Ok, first of all, all Pixar fans out there can heave a sigh of relief. It is everything a Pixar movie always promises to be. Perfect accompaniment to a rainy, grey afternoon, your favourite blankie and a touch too much chocolate. It’s a bright burst of imagination full of good-natured adventure and humour, and tons of laughs, delicately placed throughout the story. You’ll love it. You can take your little one or younger sibling to see it with a clear conscience. Unless you are categorically exhausted, you are very probably not going to fall asleep watching this one (that being said, Mom actually fell asleep watching Star Wars… Need I say more?).

Like I said, this is classic Pixar. That being said, is it a Pixar classic? Hmm. I’m not that sure. I mean yeah, sure, every film has a “underlying message”. In  this particular case there are several. I especially applaud the open call to not necessarily rely on “book learning” to achieve your dreams. There is also the very Hollywood trope of “disparate characters coming together as a team” (and with Monsters as a template they REALLY went wild on the disparate characters) and, just to counterbalance the first point I mentioned, not relying on natural talent and working with it to truly achieve your dreams.  Now, I am not saying films shouldn’t have such social messages. Especially since the target audience is the younger generation. But, you know, quite apart from adults watching it too, kids today are pretty damn smart. I think Monsters University borders on the “public information film” fine line with this one. I don’t know, maybe it’s me getting jaded, but it was all way too close to the surface for my liking. Think, for example, of Up!. Now that was one heck of a film. Priceless too. Yet with that famous opening sequence that has made grown men cry. With that, the adults are just hooked. Lost love is such a common theme in a lot of lives – if not necessarily by death – we end up rooting for him all the way through the film. But when you strip away the finery it’s actually the story of a hardened, jaded character “rediscovering life”. I mean, step back and squint a little it could actually be A Christmas Tale. I mean theme-wise. Clearly there were no ghosts in Up!,  Yet, like I said, you don’t notice it at all unless if you think about it. And you can make monsters as colourful as you please, it is THIS kind of imagination in the storyline that gets my pulse racing these days. I mean, it’s not like kids didn’t love Up!. Come on, talking dogs! The cone of shame! What more do you want? Like I said, I reckon we should give the younger generation a tad bit more credit. I mean, admit it, they’re way better with gadgets. I reckon they can easily handle a film.  

"WRECK-IT RALPH" - BECAUSE A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST

Aah the arcade. I wonder when that one is going to bite the dust completely. Or perhaps it already has bitten the dust? Not quite sure. I have never been too much of a gamer. I do remember having a ting, pokey little arcade at the top of the hill we lived on though. I always loved the idea of going there – yearned to, in fact – but Mom was adamant. I guess it was for the best. I’m pretty sure the deprivation is not the source of any psychological problems, so there you go. Anyway. It’s funny really, just because the film was released recently, one automatically assumes it is set in the present day, though of  course there is nothing preventing it from being set a few decades back… God I’m on a good old ramble tonight, aren’t I? Don’t be mad. It’s all related to the film in hand. Sort of.

Well, whenever it may or may not be said, Wreck-it Ralph is set in a universe where at least one arcade in particular is still going strong. Sure, there are daily concerns about “work” and survival – if your game goes “out of order” or you’re too unpopular, you get the plug pulled on you and you have nowhere to go – but basically, the show must go on. In this particular case, the show is the game.

Now we all know that every story needs to have a villain but Ralph, the particular villain of the story, is not really happy with his lot. He doesn’t want much, just a friend or two, and maybe a decent place to live that is not a dump. A literal dump. His fellow characters tell him to just embrace who he is and “get on with it” as it were. However, one day, Ralph simply has enough. And as anyone who is familiar with the game knows – he has a bit of a temper on him. An argument with his fellow game characters ends in a wager of sorts: if Ralph can win a medal of some sorts, they will let him come and live in the big house. Thing is, in this game, Ralph can’t win a medal. The solution seems simple enough to Ralph: find another game to win a medal in. However, as you can imagine, as Ralph moves from game to game in search of his medal, every move he makes has unforeseen and sometimes disastrous consequences. Let’s hope Ralph turns out to be as good at fixing things as he is at wrecking them…

First of all, I need to commend Disney on this one. But then again, they have been at this business for a while, so they sure know how to mix ‘em, as it were. It is the perfect blend of adult content vs. being suitable for younger viewers. I mean, if nothing else, seeing the arcade games alone should put a warm fuzzy feeling into the heart of any red blooded gamer. And shall I tell you something, even if you’re not a gamer. Anyone who knows me knows I’m no gamer by any definition of the word but even I saw stuff I recognised. If you were even remotely into arcades – you’re going to love it. Trust me.

I was ranting and raving in my post just above about the messages and stuff in the film. Let’s have a gander at this one. Basically, the film tells us, you can actually be happy where you are (oh come on, that’s not a spoiler. You totally knew that was the way it was going). It’s all about changing your attitude. Oh and keeping lines of communication open. It’s all very recession – politics. I mean think about it, the usual message is that if you work hard enough, you can change everything. The film gently reminds us that sometimes, we don’t need to. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this is a bad message at all, but after all the economic turbulence we have been through lately, I really thought the message was quite poignant. Very make do and mend. And of course, it’s not like some things don’t change rather drastically. In fact, true blue Hollywood, there is a love interest thingy going on in there (whereby a typically “masculinised” single woman is “feminised” by love – but the relationship has so much comic value, I can actually forgive them for that. Besides, don’t sharpen your claws too much ladies, I don’t want to give too much away, but let me just say there is the idea of a female president floating around in that movie too. I like that idea. I really do =)

ESSIE LOSES HERSELF AGAIN

I hang my head in shame.

I am mortified.

I believe this is a first though, in the history of this blog, right? I mean... I'm just so sorry. It really won't happen again. Really.

The title of this particular post has a double entendre in it though. Yes, it's mainly a poke at myself for disappearing. It is also a good theme of how I'm entertaining myself these days. We have a book for a welcome change! It's my new "thing" - I cannot reccomend it more highly!

And then there is a new take on one of my favorite things. I moan about it, but try to be objective as well.

happy viewing,
Essie

LOSING MYSELF IN PAPER, NOT SCREENS : "RIVERS OF LONDON"

Ok. I need to tell you all about my latest obsession. This series. This series right here. See, reading-wide I was at a tad bit of a loss as to what to do after I finished reading Game of Thrones. I know some of you sympathise, a lot of people I have spoken to have gone through the same “syndrome”. I mean come on, you’re immersed in thousands and thousands of pages of gripping narrative and suddenly “bang” you have to wait for the next one for God only knows how long. I mean, the latest one was released 2 years ago apparently (I say apparently because I wasn’t following it “live as it were. I waited for the prices to be reduced and bought the lot).  The writer, George  Martin has admitted he has to pick up the pace but that’s about as far as it went . No dates, no nothing. So I have to resign myself to the fact that I’m going to be waiting on that book for a while and find a replacement. Yes but how? I actually wanted to go on with something fantasy-related as it were. My films and work tend to be very “real life” these days, so bizarrely the more fantasy my books are the better. I dunno, it’s probably just a phase. The point is, there I was:  Looking for a fantasy novel and in possession (so to speak) of rather high standards, courtesy of Tolkien, George Martin and the likes. I heard the raves on Rivers of London. Some of them actually emanated from my friends. I tentatively picked up the first book – well, it couldn’t hurt. And my God… Not hurt? Not since the Harry Potter books have I read anything at the speed of a hundred pages a day. Definitely not things I wasn’t writing a dissertation on. Rivers of London came and went in a flash and you will doubtless see me stumbling out of a bookshop near you armed with everything Ben Aaaronovtich has written. Look for someone quite short in a purple raincoat. Yep, that’s me.

Meet P.C. Peter Grant. He is pretty much a young man of our times. He is just starting out on a career in the police force and having finished his initial training and obligatory bout of “grunt work”, he is about to be “recruited” to his destined department. Thing is, what with his ability to get so easily distracted and all, he is headed straight for a desk job, as far from action as the force can put him , much to Peter’s disappointment and despite all his grand dreams. That is, until, after a particularly gruesome murder, he ends up taking a statement from a ghost by mistake. Realising he has just met a witness who has been dead for 200 years startles Peter, but when he tells his superiors, it startles them even further. The result, however, is not a padded cell as Peter suspected it might be. He is, instead, recruited to a secret department of the police that deals with the supernatural. The good news is, Peter is no longer destined to be a pen pusher. The somewhat confusing news is, he will be an apprentice wizard instead.

As you have probably guessed this book is a combination of Harry Potter and the X files. Nothing beats a good hybrid, and I honestly can’t think of two better shows to “hybrid” (yes, this is a verb. Well it is in my universe. Mom, don’t block my creativity). I love the character of Peter Grant. Aaronovitch does a FANTASTIC  job of writing how a real person from our century would actually react to coming face to face with magic. What I like the best is, that Peter actually tries to come up with something as close to a scientific explanation as he can under the circs. This is good. Because often magic has a kind of dogmatic “it was so and cannot be explained” aura, which it shouldn’t, not in a century of science and discovery. Not to mention the fact that dogma of any kind is generally a bad thing and has no place in a novel – that’s my view anyway. And he has very 21^st century problems that centre largely around his smartphone. But I’ll let you discover those as you go along.

Aaronovitch also imbues Grant with a dry, British sense of humour which I love. And he also clearly has extensive knowledge of London and life in the city. As a Londoner myself there were so many actual locations I know and so many situations I am familiar with. All this of course adds to the “realism” of the book, especially if you live in London. But shall I tell you something? If you live in a big city, you’ll probably know what he means in a lot of cases, even if you don’t live in London.

So the book accomplishes the rather extraordinary job of bringing together a beautifully realistic snapshot of 21^st century London and magic, mystery and mythical creatures. Honestly, if you love one or the other – or possibly even both – you need to take a look at this series… 

P.S Don't get confused by the links of a book called "Midnight Riot" on the blog by the way, it is the exact same book, it was just published under a different name in the States. And I can't seem to be able to find a link to the UK version :/ 

THE LATEST TAKE ON A CLASSIC: "STAR TREK – INTO DARKNESS"

I’m a bit old fashioned when it comes to Star Treck. It has to be the original or none at all. By that I mean, you know, the classics. Shatner. Nemoy. Takei. I have all due respect for The Next Generation and Patrick Stewart. But anything after that I tend to kind of shudder at and turn away. I dunno. It’s a personal thing. So when this film came out I sort of shuddered at it as well. But being a massive fan of Benedict Cumberbach, I had to see it as well. Well that and the fact that I’m a massive Star Trek fan. I was %100 sure I wouldn’t like it as much as the series, but then again, I had to see what exactly they had done to it. Well, I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t run from the room screaming, but it isn’t the original. Just saying…

So, we are “at the very beginning” as it were. A young Kirk ( Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Bones (Karl Urban) along with all the other familiar characters for the Enterprise are at the beginnings of their careers.  Kirk is recognised for his talent but seen as too young and impulsive. But his commended planning and bravery come directly into play when an almost unstoppable danger emerges from the heart of their very own organisation. The danger is great, the manhunt will lead the Enterprise into hostile territory and the stakes are very, very high but Kirk is completely determined he will be the one to bring the criminal into justice. Because this time… This time it’s personal.

Now, it’s tough writing this review in a way. I mean ok. Anyone with a cursory knowledge of Star Trek is going to take one look at the cast list and go “Oh Benedict Cumberbach is Khan… So why all the mystery??” I mean yes, we (we being Trekkies) know exactly who Khan is. This film is, essentially “how they met”. And a fine job of it J. J. Abrams does too. I think the film is better understood if it is taken as an effort to introduce a new generation to the Star Trek franchise. Put a couple of handsome faces in it, some modern special effects, you know, shake it up a bit. That’s why I’m kinda leaving these people to discover who Khan is themselves. People who know, don’t need much in the way of explaining – right guys?

Thing is, in a sense this is a successful effort. I had quite a few people who knew virtually nothing about the series who went “oh I should look into that” (queue yours truly holding forth for about 20 minutes on how they should really, really, start with the originals, no matter how old they are. I’m not sure if I actually convinced them or physically scared them to be honest… ). Now, I’m not sure if this is me being an old fogy or not, however, I really, really tried to see something “special” connected to this film. I failed. I’m not saying it’s a bad film, not at all. But see, I think I’ve sort of grown out of action – adventure films, unless they have something really, really going for them. This film is typical Hollywood fare. Handsome young men, big explosions, a relationship (were Uhura and Spock actually ever a bona fide couple? I mean yes there was electricity, yes I totally get that people want a “love interest” storyline in there especially since the Spock – Kirk “bromance” may well confuse younger viewers but still… I mean I don’t know. Do we really need a love triangle / interest every single time? Even when it was managing perfectly well without one? The jury’s out).

I mean, ok. I am aware of the fact that this is probably me being an old fogy. I’m probably just comparing it to the series in my head and “finding it lacking”. But if you do enjoy this sort of thing, please watch it. If you’re a trekkie, try and look at it as more of a standalone film loosely based on the characters of  Star Trek. I found that helped me quite a bit… 

SORRY FOR THE DELAY

Guys just to let you know that I am very sorry for the delay and the blog will be up and running - as it were tomorrow. Promise.

In short, please don't abandon me just yet.

and have a good weekend.
Essie

ESSIE DOES A DOUBLE TAKE

You know, sometimes you have those films you need to re-watch. You enjoy it. But you just do a double take, for whatever reason.

It could be, like my first film today, that it goes so quick and there are so many "strands" to bring together that you just have to re-watch it once you are "in the know" just to  see it come together in real life.

Or it could be like my second film where there is just so much depth to the story and so many "layers" going on that you have to watch it once, to get the story, and then watch it again just to fully appreciate all the "layering" in the film.

I do not re-watch films often. I don't know why, it's a "thing" of mine. But these two babys definitely deserve a second, if not third whirl. And no matter how many whirls you decide to give it, I am confident you will get hours of enjoyment out of it.

happy viewing,
Essie

THE SUBCONSCIOUS CAN BE A SCARY THING WHEN YOU'RE IN "TRANCE"

I’m always intrigued when multiple people tell me they “need to watch the film again to be sure they “got” what was going on. It’s usually means one of two things for me. It’s either going to be one of those annoying things you actually need a user’s manual to watch. Or it’s going to be something with really a good dollop of meat on it that I can sink my teeth into. See, I’m fussy like that. I love a good challenge. I definitely don’t like simplistic endings and half – baked storylines. God knows I’ve moaned about it here often enough. But the challenge always is, with these “multiple levels of reality” type film, not ending up with a film so sophisticated you need dedicated websites explaining it in full for people to get it. Which is why I am not a fan of Donnie Darko. But I’ll moan about that some other time. I’m happy to say, having watched Trance, it doesn’t make the sh.t list. It scrapes through. Just, in places, but it scrapes through.

As the late great John Lennon said once, life is what happens to us while we are busy making plans. You can plan something down to the last detail, you can think of every single eventuality, but in the end… Life will happen. Something will “go wrong”.  This is precisely what happens during a seemingly “perfectly” planned heist at a well-known London auction house. The auction house has stringent security systems so the heist has to be planned within an inch of its life. They have everything thought of, down to an “inside man” in the shape of the auctioneer. But then… Life happens. The criminals cannot find the picture they stole, and a blow on the head means the auctioneer, the last person who had it, cannot remember it either. The criminals are utterly desperate to get their booty back so in their desperation they hire the services of a hypnotherapist. But see, that’s the thing with things like hypnosis. Once you let someone so deep into your mind… Well… Practically anything can happen.

Ok, I have to say, I really shouldn’t have mistrusted a master like Danny Boyle. He has done a spectacular job. Don’t sit down to the film with any expectations. Or do, it won’t make much of a difference, you’ll be changing your mind as to what is happening every fifteen minutes. But don’t worry. You go for a very, very exciting ride, but you get the explanation in the end. Yes, yes it’s a tad like the much caricatured “villain explaining his master plan” scene. Don’t be disheartened by that comment though and trust me, by the time Mr Boyle has quite finished with you; you will need someone to sit you down and explain what the heck just happened. The film is fast paced, a bit like the more modern editing style that people see younger directors “accused of” a bit of that, you know,  MTV style, snappy, video clip like editing, you know what I mean. But I reckon it suits the film. It really augments that sense of disorientation that is brought about in Simon, the auctioneer – played by James McAvoy.  I think the “explanation” scene is legit also because, you are as confused as Simon by that point and the editing, the storytelling, the way the film has been structured all compliments that fact.

So, if you want something that is going to present a bit more of a challenge for you, go for Trance by all means. It is different enough so that fogies like me literally have nothing to grumble about and familiar enough so that if you are not a lover of massively complicated plotlines and convoluted films you will still not be completely alienated but actually have a real good time. And also, yes,  it totally deserves a re-watch!

YOU DON'T NEED ENNEMIES IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS LIKE "THE FRIEND FROM AMERICA"

Ok, I feel I need to give you a heads up on this one. This is by no means, shape or form easy viewing. It’s tricky, because on the surface it very much seems so – and indeed, it can be taken as such – but if you want to burrow down into the whole thing, you’re going to suddenly find there is one heck of a lot of burrowing to do. But then again, hey. It is Wim Wenders. If you’re a fan, you’re a fan because you like to burrow. I have been on the fence with him on quite a few films, but I have to put this in here because well… Say what you will he is damn good at making a truly striking film. This is one of them, without a doubt.

This is the story of Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper). He is a wheeler- dealer and makes a living passing off imitations of famous artworks to rich clients and auction houses as genuine. While he has a several fingers in some rather dark pies, however, that’s about as far as he is prepared to go. So when one of his “darker” acquaintances calls in an old favour and asks him to kill a man, Tom is not exactly overjoyed at the prospect. But ducking and diving is his “thing”, so he is quick to spot an easy way out: a German restorer and picture framer he ran into on his travels, Jonathan Zimmerman. Now the man doesn’t actually lead a double life as a hit man, but he is severely ill. There are rumours going round that he is at death’s door. So surely,  a man with nothing (well, almost nothing) left to lose should be easy enough to convince? Right? After all, everyone has their price. Unfortunately though, these kinds of things tend to have a habit of not being as “clean cut” as they first seem. And with a complete novice to the underworld in the picture as well, things could get very ugly, very quickly.

Now, you can watch this film with no “burrowing” at all. It is a rather “film noir” ish thriller. And an arm-chair gripper of a thriller it is too (is that a thing?). I love the ambiguity that comes with a lot of Wenders’ films, it is rather close to life. Possibly too close for comfort for some. The characters are, like a lot of us, neither quite one thing nor the other. This puts you in the rather bizarre position of neither being able to get too angry with the “villain” nor quite sympathize with the protagonist. I think it’s this feeling of detachment that gives the film its realistic edge and doesn’t quite allow you to “submerge” yourself into it. I mean, it’s a “thing”, you either like it or you don’t. I’m a fan. It gives you time to think – which is the aim of making a film like this of course. You can’t get people completely immersed in a film then expect them to extract complex political and philosophical messages from it.

And there is a lot of deep questions to be asked here. I have read multiple reviews and ranges from the philosophical (specifically whether it is “ok” to kill a criminal The type of thing we have been discussing since Crime and Punishment) to the political, reading the relationship between Zimmermann and Ripley as an allegory of the relationship between East Germany and USA back in the day. I don’t really want to comment on it too much, because it’s one of those films where you’re going to get as many interpretations as you have viewers. I don’t want to influence you. Give it a gander (or possibly two) and see for yourself.

But I can promise you that, by Wim Wenders’ standards it’s a pretty damn accessible film. And even if you don’t want to “burrow”, it’s definitely a fun film to watch just for the sake of the story. Tell you what, watch it with a few friends with strong opinions. You’ll have a whale of a time discussing it afterwards J