DON'T LET LIFE "RUSH" PAST YOU...

So Konichiwa as the locals say over here. I have just arrived in Japan J It truly is turning out to be the holiday of a lifetime – but I’ll tell you one thing, getting out here is a bit taxing. I am almost completely de-jetlagged at the moment but the actual flight itself tired me infinitely more than the time difference. Well, what can I say, I am an incurable fidget and sitting still for almost 20 hours is just… Agony. Sleep wasn’t much of an option (I’m a bad sleeper at the best of times) so the airline entertainment system was my best friend for the duration of the flight. Especially since I found so many films that I desperately wanted to watch in their archive. It was for this reason that when my friend asked me how my flight went, my answer was “Not bad – the food was good and I watched 5 films!” I mean the upshot of that was that I ended up sleeping a total of 2 hours but hey… You know… Priorities… ;)

And one of the films that impressed me the most was this one. The mix of adrenaline and emotion was at a level that actually kept me awake and alert through the last lap of my journey, at my most tired (needless to say I totally crashed and burnt right afterwards). This is definitely one of the films I am rooting for at this year’s awards. Here’s why.

Rush is the true story of the intense rivalry between Formula 1 drivers John Hunt and Niki Lauda. (Played respectively by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl). It is a rivalry that will colour ‘70s Formula 1 racing for ever. The two men are vastly dissimilar in all ways imaginable. John is a tall and handsome ladies’ man who enjoys being the talented “big kid” on the race course, throwing all responsibility and caution to the wind and winning over everyone he annoys by his sheer drive and raw talent. Niki Lauda is the mirror opposite.  The Austrian driver borders on the antisocial, by his own admission looks like a rat and drives his entire team insane with his extreme focus on every single little detail and perfectionism. He is, however, as much of a genius on the race track as Hunt is… Or is he? That is the question the two drivers strive to answer as they battle it out on the track time after time… Their opposing personalities means that the clashes continue both on and off the track and makes the driving even more intense…  But the real question is who will win the coveted world championship? There can be only one…

Hand on heart, I have never seen the point of Formula 1 (or 2 or 3 ) driving. I guess it’s because I’m not the sporting type but cars driving round and around in a circle… Meh… If you’re on the same page as me as far as sports and sporting movies, go don’t knock this one just yet…  Because the actual fact is that it is really, really not just about the driving. In fact the driving is almost just a side line. What really comes, rather brilliantly to the forefront of this film is the analysis, on many different levels, of the intense rivalry between Hunt and Lauda. I found it very, very similar to the concept of the “worthy opponent” that one often finds in tales from the far East. I mean, this is not to say the concept is not present here in the West but it is not spoken about or analysed as much. Both drivers are men of very great talent and relish the fact that the other presents competition that they can truly get their teeth into. Each one is, for the other, “the one to beat”, on the racing track they are almost in their own little world, their own little race, just the two of them, while the other drivers fight it out amongst themselves who gets third place and lower. The clash of personalities just adds passion to the whole affair, intensifying the rivalry and giving each one that many more reasons to want to beat the other.  Yes, in so many ways (but not a sexual one, very obviously) it is almost like being in a relationship. I don’t want to give you too many spoilers, but further down the line we see clear signs that the relationship changes; what starts off as the two men very, very clearly annoying each other to death ends up becoming something akin to sibling rivalry. Towards each other, it is no holds barred. But if a third party tries to attack one of them in any way, rivalry is put aside to form a joint front.

But do not be fooled – or indeed alarmed- this is not some kind of Hollywood-ised “buddy movie” where the two men end up “growing” together and becoming close friends in the end. As this is real life, there is a substantial amount of pathos to the ending of their story which I will leave you to discover. But I think this adds to the beauty of the story really. Holywood fairy tales would have us believe in one “explosion” of an event that remains focal and life changing for ever. In real life, however, the great, the good the ugly and the beautiful come, have their moment on the stage and move on, leaving their place to something else. This is what makes life the beautiful, colourful tapestry it actually is, as opposed to the tidy linear story that is infinitely more practical for films. That tapestry is not always easy to describe or portray in films but this is a very, very good effort. Definitely worth your time. 

A TRUE STORY OF IMPOSSIBLE ODDS, I GIVE YOU : "CINDERELLA MAN"

On Christmas, especially after copious amounts of food and drink, I am not in the mood for complicated artworks. I am, as you know, a particular fan of films that get the proverbial “little grey cells” whirring, but not today. This is why cheesy Christmas classics came into being. I am not talking about one of those however. I am talking about an emotional story of impossible odds being surmounted by sheer courage, determination and hard work. And I’ll tell you something else, it’s a true story to boot. I give you, James J. Braddock.

James J. Braddock (Russel Crowe) was a boxer in the mid to late ‘20s. He was a rising star, set to do great things. He lived with his wife Me (Rennee Zellwegger) and three children in relative comfort, luxury and happiness until… The Great Depression. Like many people in the States, Braddock loses everything. He has to beg for shifts on the docks for any sort of hope of getting some income to feed his family. They now live in a shack in a shantytown, barely able (and not always that) to pay for their most basic needs. His dreams of fame and fortune seem like a flicker at an incredible distance until his ex-manager and very old friend manages to get him one last fight. Braddock hasn’t fought in years, he is a lot older besides, no one gives him much of a chance… Until he actually wins the fight. This is the beginning of a renaissance, as it were. Although, it seems positively unbelievable. Because this one-time champion, now dock worker, has actually got his sights set on being the world heavyweight champion. Is he out of his mind? Or is there an actual chance he could make it?

Admit it. Realism, storylines etc. aside, we all love it when the good guys get the prize in the end. We all love it when the underdog wins through impossible odds. Especially in a matter like boxing. I mean, yes, it is violent and everything but there is something deeply satisfying about our kind hearted hero beating the evil bad-guy to a bloody pulp with his bare hands (Come on, admit it). And of course there is a delicious bad guy; one Max Baer who was infamous for actually killing people in the boxing ring. To be fair on the man, as he was actually a real person, he was probably just a boxer who was doing his job and getting on with his PR but still. He suits the purposes of this film very, very well. And ironically (or not) he happens to be the person Braddock needs to fight to win the world title… In short, as you can imagine, the whole atmos of the film is very suitable for too much turkey, indigestion and large amounts of wrapping paper.

And, to be fair, even if you know how the story ends (to be honest, a – You can probably guess from my review how it ends and b – You can Google it and find it out in a heartbeat- I did haha) it detracts nothing from the emotion of the film. I watched with baited breath, I bounced up and down, I actually ran round the room yelling instructions at one point. You can’t help but admire the man. And enjoy the film. Despite all of its conventionality, it has undoubtedly made my top 10.

A TRIP TO YOUR PAST AND YOUR IMAGINATION : "WILLOW"

Now, was this a major childhood film where you grew up? I had never heard of it to be honest. My boyfriend, however, grew up on this apparently. As in he actually knows most of the film word for word. When I disclosed that the closest I could think of to “Willow” was the iconic “Wind in the Willows”, that would never do. I was promptly sat down to watch the film then and there, because frankly, how did I survive to 29 without having seen the film in the first place? If there is one thing I love, it’s a good fantasy film with a good dollop of ‘80s nostalgia as you guys know by now, and so we settled down. But then the credits started… Hang on, Lucasfilm? Ron Howard as director? (director of Angels & Demons, Frost / Nixon, The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella Man and A Beautiful Mind among other things). George Lucas himself as executive producer? Er, OK hang on, this is not some lost children’s flick from the ‘80s. This is serious stuff with potential to be a classic.

So, what is the story here? In a land far, far away, where magic still rules the earth, there is an evil queen called Bavmorda (I LOVE all the names in this film by the way. They would give Dickens a run for his money). She is an unjust tyrant that rules the land with much cruelty; however, all hope is not lost. There is a prophecy. A prophecy that tells of a very special baby girl whose destiny it is to topple Bavmorda and put an end to her tyranny. (I know, it’s not the most original storyline in the world, but hey… Ok, what was the basic storyline for Lord of the Rings? Thank you. Moving on).  Our queen Bavmorda however, is not one to leave things to chance. She gathers all the pregnant women in the kingdom in the hope of finding this special baby and perform a ritual that will “exile her soul to oblivion”. The baby is indeed found; however, the midwife-  being a brave and clever soul - smuggles her out of the castle. Hereby starts our adventure. It falls to Willow Ufgood, a dward, Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) a rather hot-headed swordsman of dubious intent, two brownies (having stopped reading Enid Blyton a while back I had clean forgotten about the existence of brownies. Shame on me!) and an unfortunate sorceress who herself has been changed into a muskrat to get the baby to the safety of a good kingdom where she can grow to fulfil her destiny. Willow has magic, the power of good and justice on his side. But will it be enough to conquer the evil magic and barbarian hoards of Bavmorda?

Ok, I know. There is a lot in this film we have seen before. And then again, it is because of instances like this, when they are done so well, that we want to see this type of thing again and again and again. Willow does it well. All of it. The requisite bouts of comedy are well done and still hilarious. The atmosphere and the magical world constructed are superb. I mean, yes of course if they had the technical possibilities we have today it would be a whole different story. But shall I tell you something? It is no substitute for imagination. I honestly think that special effects are well and good but it’s making us lazy. I mean, when I was a child we had entire imaginary worlds – built out of thin air! We used very little in the way of props, we often “pretended” everything existed and we were fine. We loved it! Think the classic scene in “Hook” where they sit down to dinner and seemingly there is no food there at all. Only when the characters start using their imaginations they see that there is food on the table and you know what? It is as filling as you please. This is the strength of imagination. And this is that makes this film an absolute joy to watch. It is not that the film is “lacking” in comparison to modern films where all the (visual) gaps are filled in for you. You just have to use a different skillset. A skillset we don’t use as often as we should in the modern world by my reckoning. I guess this is why some of us really enjoy ‘80s fantasy movies while others find them pointless. If you are of the latter group I strongly encourage you to give this a whirl. Exercise your imagination a bit. Go on… You’ll enjoy it once you get into it you know…