BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR... "SEVEN PSYCOPATHS"

Now, the name of this film does not give much away. I mean, it does and it doesn’t. As you probably guessed, from the trailer and from the name, yes, it is basically about seven psychopaths. Basically.  There is quite a hefty dose of violence mixed up in all of this. Come on, we are dealing with psychos here. But it is also about something you might not actually expect. Creativity. We all know that any sort of creativity – writing more than most perhaps as it is such a solitary occupation when you get down to the nitty-gritty of it – is a bit of a battle. But of course no man is an island. And if you have not chosen your friends as wisely as you could have done, they might well leak into your creative endeavours to create what we might call an “explosive” mix… Especially in Hollywood the land of dreams…

Marty  ( Colin Farrell) is a struggling screenwriter trying to place together his “next hit” – a screenplay called “ Seven Psychopaths”. Now, the title may be catchy but sadly it is about as far as Marty has got. Billy (Sam Rockwell), an actor who is not all together very stable himself, is Marty’s best friend and as such is dying to use his own rather original approach to get Marty out of his predicament. There is, however, a very slight problem. It involves actual psychopaths. And the head of a gang (Woody Harrelsson) who is out to basically kill them all. There’s a Shih Tzu in the mix. And of course, an almighty shootout at the end, worthy of the name “Seven Psychopaths” – or so Billy hopes anyway. Well, one thing is for sure. If he makes it out of this mess alive, Marty really is going to have one heck of a story to tell.

As you will be able to tell from the get go, there is not one iota of material that is “serious” about Seven Psychopaths. True enough, there are some moments of “genuine” emotion, but only to serve as a breather for the onslaught of absurd comedy that reigns supreme throughout the show.

Now, the onslaught of absurd comedy is not a bad thing. Nor is the profusion of violence – as long as you don’t mind that sort of thing. The film is a bizarre one. I suspect that a lot of people will see a lot in it that they like. But almost definitely some things they don’t like. Stylistically the film is quite “modern”. Multiple characters and merging storylines (the name of the script should be a hint here), each slightly larger than life and the previous hero come together to form the film. This means very slick and quick editing and a lot of laughs / emotion based exclusively on violence. In fact, I have just found the word I was looking for, it’s cartoonish. I’m specifically thinking of Road Runner and Wiley E. Coyote, where more and more elaborate weapons come out as the two immortal cartoon heroes “duke it out”. While this is all well and good as entertainment and for some, you may well want a tad bit less pointless bloodshed (by pointless I mean for comedic value only – or close enough for it not to matter), fewer characters and slightly fewer “branches” on the storyline. Or at least branches that are tied together a little more “tidily”. I feel you. I kind of feel the same way. But on the other hand, I honestly doubt this film was ever made for serious dissecting. It is loud, bawdy fun and you should take it as such. Or not take it at all if you don’t have a stomach for violence – but that’s another story all together…

MY FUNNY VALENTINE : "MOONRISE KINGDOM"

Don’t get me wrong, I have never had anything but respect for Wes Anderson. It grew even more when I saw his rendition of Fantastic Mr. Fox. I mean, wow. Seriously, wow. That was something. But this… This is just… I am not known for being caught short for words but I am actually having trouble describing this film. It is categorically the sweetest film I have ever seen with the best examples of absurd comedy and caricatures that I have ever seen. You can neither get “into” the film and be swept away by it nor can you help sympathizing completely with the characters and getting caught up in it emotionally. I mean, I kid you not, this film bends time it’s that exciting. And yet you’re always an outsider looking in – and you feel it very clearly. How does this come about? Let me try and explain as best I can…

Sam Shatusky and Susy Bishop are lovers. There seems to be nothing wrong with this statement in itself. The thing is, they are 12. Ok, you may say, a bit young, but still, nothing wrong. The thing is though, neither Sam nor Susy are exactly your average 12 year-olds. They are both, in their own ways, problem children. To the point that their families, friends (well, acquaintances anyway) and their teachers alike are unsure what to do with them. Sam and Susy however, being problematic yet not stupid, come up with a simple solution. Elope, find a place to live, start a new life together far, far away. Which again would be completely fine if they were not 12. As they are 12, however, once our lovers elope, the entire population of the small town they live in comes out in force to look for them.  In the process, of course, quite a few dirty secrets start to see the light of day… It turns out, in fact that our “normal” little town may not be quite as normal as they make themselves out to be.

One thing here is absolutely certain. Anderson has captured the absolute essence of “awkwardness”. This is not some “cutie” story of young romance, people. It talks of being out of place, sticking out, of being alone. It talks of being surrounded by people who never quite understand.  It does this in absurd looking ways sometimes, but the emotions the situations end up conveying clearly, very clearly, leap in straight from real life.

As I said, Anderson uses every trick in the book, every technical gimmick possible to make us feel like “spectators”. But this works brilliant with this particular story, because this is exactly how Susy and Sam feel. Spectators. Outsiders. Not allowed to join in and not sure why. Like I said, you would have to be made of stone not to know exactly what Anderson is talking about here. He has literally taken the emotions out of the emotional field and slapped them onto a screen. And this, boys and girls, does not happen that often.

And I mean. What a cast. Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Muray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swindon are all superb. But Kara Hayword who plays Susy and Jared Gilman who plays Sam, who happen to be completely novice actors also definitely deserve a mention. I will risk sounding like a complete old hack and say it is that “raw” quality to their acting that makes them stand out, as opposed to the confidence exuded by some child-stars that makes them seem just that tiny bit unrealistic no matter how good they are. Not only do they work absolutely brilliantly together, but they succeed completely in realistically “being” their characters. I have a feeling they will go far.

This is not a film for the ex-cheerleaders and football jocks among us. This is a film about how it felt to be, well, all the rest of us. On the outside. I am confident you will love this film. Please, please don’t miss it. 

POSSIBLY MY IDEA OF A PERFECT FILM : I GIVE YOU KING "CRY BABY"

  I try to be professional while I write this blog. This may seem strange as I am actually doing this for pleasure not work. But still, standards must be kept up and all that, and I try and be objective and honest and all that when I review films. Like everyone, however, I have my Achilles heel. I don’t admit this too often, but those who know me know this well. If Johnny Depp is in it, the chances are I am probably going to love this film. No matter what the rest of the technical qualities. I mean, I will notice the rest of the film. I will bear whatever is wrong with it in mind when I talk about it. But I will also like it. For Johnny’s sake. *sigh*.

But into all that comes a film like Cry Baby. Ladies and gentlemen, you would be very hard pressed to squeeze more things I like into a single movie. It’s a musical. It’s a ‘50s musical. It has ‘50s music in it (in case you hadn’t made the connection). It has Johnny Depp in it. It has absurd comedy and kitch coming out of its ears. I am well aware that film critics everywhere may not necessarily agree with me but I just may have discovered perfection dear readers. In my universe, anyway.

So what is Cry Baby about? Well, we’re in Baltimore, the ‘50s. And the town can be roughly divided into territories of two gangs. One, the Squares, the “goodie two shoes”, who have the full support of the adults and the “Drapes” aka the juvenile delinquents (these are all real gangs by the way and based on the memories of writer and director John Waters but I’ll get to that in just a second). The head of the Drapes gang is Wade Walker, better known as Cry Baby, who can sing and croon like Elvis himself and can make the girls swoon with his ability to shed a single tear. Love, however, knows no boundaries and one day, he falls for a girl. The girl – Allison - happens to be very “high up” in the Squares gang. However, she is actually “sick of being good” and Cry Baby has a heart of gold for all his bravado and showing off and with a bit of a “bad girl makeover” Allison is soon the “queen” on Cry-baby’s arm. However, the small town, Allison’s ex-boyfriend and the “system” are determined to keep the lovers apart. Will they overcome the obstacles and get together in the end?

I love this film because it doesn’t put on airs and graces. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a serious (and successful) effort at making a brilliant film. But at the end of the day it is a fifty’s film full of fifty’s stuff that may well look like kitch to us today. Frankly, the film really, really doesn’t care. John Walker grew up in Baltimore where the Drapes (the real ones) and all their escapades ruled the headlines. Like all respectable kids growing up, he really wanted to be a Drape. Whether he succeeded or not (I got the impression not from the interview but who knows), he has put that whole era well, truly and completely into the film. And the comedy. The absurd comedy, oh my God. I know that both musicals and absurd comedy are acquired tastes more than anything else, but for those who like them, this film offers perfection, be it through the music or the performances. Johnny Depp is gorgeous as Cry-Baby and my other favourite in the film is without a shadow of a doubt Iggy Pop who stars as his “step-grandfather”. I’ll let you discover for yourself how that works out J

Now, if you’re going to feel all self-conscious and weird because you’re not watching the next “cool and hip thing” give this a miss. But if you’re not pre-occupied with “cool and hip” and want to really let rip, and I mean toe-tapping, guffawing and actually applauding the screen, this is the one. Plus it has Johnny Depp. I mean, come on, this is a proposition you just can’t refuse… Right?