ABOUT THE DEVIL BEING IN THE DETAILS... "OUR SUNHI"

This is another thing I love about film festivals. If you bypass the big galas that will clearly open in a few weeks in cinemas anyway an dig around in the independents, documentaries and foreign films, you can come up with some truly extraordinary things (a fact I have been trying to demonstrate since next week). Our Sunhi, from the “Laugh” section, is definitely one of these. Now, we have all heard of the Buddhist principal whereby life (and subsequently your future incarnations) present you essentially with the same lessons, people and advice until we truly learn from them and move on (I’m sure this concept has an actual name and everything, however… You know…). This is used a lot in productions that are a lot more tragic and didactic by nature. Our Sunhi takes the concept and not only points out that it can be viewed as very funny… It reminds us that we actually probably witness it on a daily basis…

Sunhi is a quiet young woman who wants to become a director. At almost 30, she feels that it may just be too late for her, but is still willing to give it her best shot. Her aim is to get a scholarship to study abroad; she feels this will better her and give her a better shot at her dreams. However, this means stepping out of her shell and acting. And getting over her own fears and uncertainties is one thing, she must also interact with a whole host of people who are… Let’s just say rather unconventional. On the list are her course professor (to whom she must be nice as she needs his reference letter for this programme), her ex (with whom she most definitely has unfinished business) and miscellaneous classmates (who are each “special” in their own way). Another point worth noting is that Sunhi is just about the only woman in this motley crew…  So we watch her trying to figure out which way to go next and we realise that there is, in fact, a lot of circularity in what is going on in her life, albeit hidden under the … Question is, does Sunhi?

Now, as I wrote the review thus far I realised that there are many traps you might fall into in trying to imagine what the film is like / about. First of all, don’t let the idea of repetition scare you – it’s not boring and definitely not absurd comedy. I know, it’s a Korean film and the Korean are rather “out there” when it comes to absurd comedy and it is not everyone’s cup of tea. This is a very delicately constructed romantic comedy – of sorts. The thing is, much like Sunhi, it is a bit of an original so a tad hard to classify.

Secondly, don’t be scared by the concept of “Buddhist concepts” , the film is NOT about how we should examine our lives and not repeat our mistakes. Well, it is, but this is not the main point, and the film merely shows us how these repetitions don’t necessarily need to come in the form of dramatic events but can actually be hidden in day to day events. And it goes on to suggest that, to move forward, it might be a good idea to actually pay attention to what is going on around us and you know… Act on it maybe? But like I said, this is just a suggestion. The repetitions mentioned are subtle yet not so subtle they cannot be used for great comic effect. And more importantly, they are very sensitive and taken directly from real life. I mean, for example, imagine when you first move to an area, change jobs or schools… You know how for a while, you end up just having the same conversation with different people until things settle into a routine? It happens at parties as well if there are a lot of people you don’t know. Yeah, kind of like that, only concerning things such as love, relationships, major life decisions etc.

You might think, at first glance, that Our Sunhi is making a bit too much of a fool of some of the characters. But then again, objectively, are they that different from us, bungling through life, not seeing the patterns and repeating mistakes? It’s definitely not that different from me. Especially before my first mug of coffee… 

GROWING OLD DISGRACEFULLY - AND "SIDEWAYS"

There are a few facts I need accept. I turned 30 last month – I am officially “no longer a young person”. Oh sure, 30 is the new 20, you are as old as you feel, it’s just a number and all that jazz, but let’s face it – to partially quote this very film – all things being equal, around about a third of my life is over. I think this is why at “benchmark” years in your life and at events you have a tendency to look back, take stock and in some cases make a desperate attempt to change the way things are headed. Or not. I can sympathize enormously with this feeling – although I am a tad bit too young for a midlife crisis as such yet – there has been a certain amount of looking back and taking stock going on. Which is why I HAD to tell you about this film. It speaks so eloquently of these feelings and their consequences, I felt we simply HAD to take some time out and talk about it. It comes to us all you know. Some may hide it better than others but it does come to us all…

Ok, so, like we said, it is these landmark events and turning points that make you stop and look back at your life and take stock. For Miles (Paul Giamatti), it is his best friend Jack’s (Thomas Haden Church) wedding. This is especially poignant for Miles because following the break-up of his marriage a few years back, he has been for all intents and purposes, an emotional wreck. The fact that his dreams of getting his novel finally published – the realisation of which seems constantly just on the horizon but out of reach – do not help either. In short, he has hit middle age and feels he has failed. Jack is in a similar predicament with Miles in many ways, an aspiring actor (though he is currently waiting for the right project and getting by with voiceovers) he has achieved less than he would have hoped. However their characters could not be more different; Jack is confident, outgoing and very much a ladies man. Still, this odd couple have been friends since university, and it is only natural that Miles is the best man at the wedding. As a wedding gift, Miles decides to treat Jack to a trip to wine country in California. Wine is Miles’ hobby and specialty. Jack is naturally very happy to be there, but he knows little and less about wine. And he has decidedly different plans about what their priorities should be on the trip…

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that what Jack wants more than anything out of this trip is “one last fling” before he ties the knot. And in so many ways this film is a gentle, loving comedy about reaching middle age, turning back and asking oneself “how has it gone so far?” Above all, it is about the very different ways we can react to the answer we get.

It is tempting to write off Thomas Haden Church’s Oscar® nominated performance as a rather typical take on a midlife crises  / pre-wedding nerves syndrome but the beauty of it is, you can never quite write him off as a slime ball. You kinda end  up feeling sorry for him too. You know, he’s the “goofy villain” in the film almost and yet you really want him to do alright. As for Miles, I defy anyone who has had some sort of brush with depression in their lifetimes (and that would be more of us than you would think I imagine) not to sympathise with him. Literally the only criticism I’d have of the film is that it felt the tiniest bit too long for me. But then again, there’s the difficulty of adapting a book – I guess especially if you’re the director you would be extremely hard pressed to cut out one section or another that you particularly liked…

I saw this film being referred to as a “surprise hit” somewhere. I can’t quite understand how people failed to see this one coming a mile away. True, it’s a road trip movie and lately these films have been more associated with young people and narratives about taking a step into adulthood. But that’s the thing about being a child or a teenager, right? I mean, how many of us weren’t sure that once we had “grown up” “everything” would come clear? Yeah, newsflash. Adulthood is not happily ever after. Luckily however, as Sideways lovingly reminds us, nor is it the end. There have been many films that remind us that reaching a certain milestone age (say 40 or 50) is not the end of it all. Sideways shows us an uncompromisingly realistic view of failure. And how it can potentially be turned around even if you think you are now, in Miles’s words not mine; “So old you aren’t even in the game anymore – a pasture animal waiting for the abattoir”.  And one thing we all do, no matter what, is grow old. I think this is why it’s important to step back from our sometimes overly competitive lives and remind ourselves that it really is never too late. That it is ok to fail – even fail big time – sometimes. You may occasionally “laugh outloud” at this film – I know I did - but you’ll more probably smile at it lovingly from beginning to end. Because these are things we all really worry about – even though we may talk about them little and less.

A colleague at work was mentioning a wedding she worked at ( I work in events these days, much like Jack I’m waiting for the right project to come along. Hah.) the other day. This particular colleague is a deal younger than me so I smiled when she said “The bride was old. Like, maybe 40.” How surprised do you reckon she will be when 40 creeps up on her and appears at her door? My 40^th is a mere 10 years away and knowing my life it’s going to rush up on me when my back’s turned. Not that I’m saying this is a bad thing… J

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…

LOVE IS IN THE AIR... ALONG WITH BLOOD, GUTS AND THE WALKING DEAD... ZOMBIELAND

This film had been recommended to me by a friend a while back. I have been saving it for a rainy day for a while. You know what I mean, not an ACTUAL rainy day, but you know, one of those days you actually need a few belly laughs in your day. One of those days when everything goes wrong, you only achieve about a third of what you set out to do that day, and in the end, end up going “Oh s*d it”, abandoning everything, turning on a comedy and gorging yourself on chocolate. I had one of those recently. This film did wonders for me. And it goes especially well with triple chocolate chip cookies. Just fyi…

 The initial premise of the film does not sound promising at all, this I grant you. Ok, sometime in the not too late 21^st century, a mysterious virus has wiped out most of the United States and possibly the world – there is no way of knowing at this point. This virus however, does not kill. It transforms you into a zombie. And there is no cure. So there you are you see. Only a handful of resourceful souls have managed to survive and one of them is our narrator, otherwise known as Columbus. This is not his name you understand, but his destination, he doesn’t like exchanging names, it makes you too familiar, and this is not good in a thing if one is in constant danger of being eaten alive. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is, ironically not the kind of person who would survive in what used to be the real world. A virtual recluse with not many friends and far too many phobias and hang ups, he has survived by rigidly sticking to a set of 30 something rules he has made for himself. He was in university when the outbreak took hold for good, so he reckons that he might as well try and make his way back home (to Columbus) to see if his family has survived. Now, crossing a zombie-infested United States is not a straight-forward task as you might imagine. This is why you might think it’s a good thing that our friend Columbus runs into a couple of actual people on the way. But when one of them is a self-styled and quite possibly completely insane self-styled Zombie hunter Tennessee (Woody Harrelsson) and the other two sisters with a propensity for scamming our dastardly duo out of everything they own and making off with it… Well, let’s just say things get interesting.

Ok. Don’t worry about the gore and blood, it’s not that kind of comedy. It’s a combination of genres, the way most things actually are these days, but mainly it’s a romantic-comedy / road - trip movie with the comedy level really, REALLY amped up. I mean, in my already depressed state at that moment, a mere 20 minutes in, I had laughed out loud 4 – 5 times. That’s how good it is. I love Jesse Eisenberg who is impossibly aggravating and endearing at the same time as Columbus with all his worries and hang-ups (note the name, Columbus by the way. He is after all, our hero who will go on a voyage of discovery and growth, so what better name? They don’t choose these names randomly ya know, some thought DOES go into it!). As for Woody Harrelsson, oh my GOD. I mean, Columbus is of course our hero and main man, Tennessee is our main comic situation provider and sidekick, but man oh man… He deserves a film all to himself. My respect for Mr Harrelsson grows with every single film I see him in, I mean, he has acted in an absolute plethora of different, almost random parts and films but has pulled off every single one to such a high standard… This definitely comes as one of my top recommendations folks. Chocolate and bad days are optional but hey. Watch it. Seriously.  

"HANCOCK" - A SUPERHERO WITH ATTITUDE

Ok, so this is another one I meant to watch for a while and forgot to get round to. That’s what happens if one lives one’s life surrounded by films. I live in a perpetual state of “what should I watch next”. I did not expect Hancock to be anything but an amusing fantastic /action movie that I would watch of an evening and forget. And to be absolutely fair, I highly doubt that Hancock is going to change anyone’s life. However, neither is it quite the soap bubble I thought it would be. I believe the character originated in some form of graphic art, this wasn’t something I’m aware of, but I do intend to “get round to it” sharpish. But let me tell you the story first.

Hancock is a super-hero. And you know what super-heroes are like, right? All honour, good manners and eat all your greens. Very nice in their place (say if aliens are attacking or, I don’t know, there’s a fire or an earthquake) but a little annoying in day to day life. I mean, that’s kinda what I think of old school super-heroes. This is why I loved the concept of Hancock. Because this super-hero has a serious attitude problem. He’s rude, he’s obnoxious, he’s a bum – as in he’s literally homeless – and he has a serious drinking problem. And yet he goes around the city, saving people as best he can. Now, Hancock is good enough at saving people. The thing is, it’s not only what you do, but the way you do it as well. So, as you can guess, Hancock is NOT  a very popular guy. Until, randomly, he saves a PR executive (Jason Bateman) from what is almost a fatal train accident. The PR executive decides to return the favour by doing some work on Hancock’s rep. This, as you can imagine, is the start of an amazing set of adventures in itself. But then, to add to all of that, there is the Exec’s wife, Mary, (Charlize Theron) who appears to hate Hancock with all her soul. But that’s another story all together.

Now, some people do not think much of Will Smith in general. Err, I do. I mean, I’m not a massive fan of his music, let’s be honest. And I highly doubt we will ever see him on a stage as King Lear or some such. However, in the movies he has acted in, his performance has always been brilliant. He is, in my view, especially good at comedies, and I mean honestly, I could not even imagine a better drunk and disorderly super-hero. What is more, in his numerous previous roles he has proved himself as an action star as well. So all in all, he is very, very successful in every single twist and turn of this film. I also think Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron are excellent choices as the PR exec and his wife too.

As I said, this film will not change your life. It is not, however, yet another badly put together action movie. It’s creators have taken some time to craft an original story in a genre that has all but been “done” completely.  And studios have invested the money it takes to give the story the technical backing it deserves to make rather spectacular special effects. In short, this is good quality entertainment folks. I can really think of worse films to turn my brain off to of a Friday night. Definitely recommended. 

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? 

A BIT - NO A WHOLE LOT - OF LAUGHTER : "IRON SKY"

You know, usually you can classify films. But just occasionally, you come across that one unique gem you cannot quite place. It may be presented to you in the most unlikely wrapping. But once you see through all that, it is quite clearly a life-changing experience. Well, almost. When one of my many neighbours in halls first presented us with the idea of a film about Nazis in space one thing was evident. It was either going to be totally brilliant or a total disaster. With a storyline like that, you literally cannot be mediocre. Now this film has not got the publicity I feel it deserves. Because, to my mind, it is categorically one of the best parodies to hit the screens in a very, very, very long time. But let’s get the storyline first. We all thought that, post-WW2, the Nazis were either caught or killed. Not so. They actually moved to the “dark side of the moon” where they have been living in their own colony, developing their own technology and planning for the day they will take over the planet once again. And the whole process is kicked into action by a pair of American astronauts stumbling on the colony. It is obvious to the heads of the colony that these “earthlings” are part of the great Allied strike that will destroy them; the Nazis pull the date of the plan forward. The question is, is Earth ready? Will good overcome evil? And will James Washington (our surviving astronaut) be able to convince the rest of the world that “the space Nazis are coming?”… Before we started watching this, somewhat obviously, we all had our different views on how the film would turn out. I had my money on the theory that it would be so bad it would be good, you know Ed Wood style. But no. Take all the cheesiest jokes and corny stereotypes you can think of. Then just stuff them all into the same film. Not all willy-nilly of course. But basically that’s what the film felt like. In a good way (Half an hour in we – a room full of post graduate students – were hooting with laughter and in some instances rolling on the ground). Nothing is sacred. Everything is made fun of and I mean everything. Every single Hollywood convention you can think of. And the difficulty of it is of course that if I were to give you any examples it would be a massive spoiler. Which we do not do on this blog. So, don’t be put off by the weird plotline. It’s merely an excuse to bring out one of the funniest films in a long time. I had never actually heard of the scriptwriter/director but I sincerely hope he has more stuff coming. In fact, I honestly can’t wait…

AND A BIT OF A GIGGLE : "WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR"

I want to firmly establish one thing from the start. I am not a fan of Bollywood. Not usually anyway. I have tried to watch a few of the classics in my time and have failed miserably on multiple occasions. Therefore I was not, shall we say, over the moon with joy when I heard that half of one of my modules for my degree would be devoted entirely to Indian cinema with a very large portion of Bollywood thrown in, naturally. This obscure little number was at the bottom of our list of “suggested films to view” and I picked it out purely for “intellectual” purposes; my aim was to analyze it and contrast it with another film – The Chess Players directed by Satyajit Ray, look out for the review of that one in weeks to come! – but anyway, the point is never in my wildest dreams did I expect to actually enjoy the film so much…
The story itself doesn’t sound that original; we are in a small village in rural India, pretty close to the present day if not the present day itself. Mahadev is a young man who has studied in university but has had to return to live in his village due to economic hardship. He dreams of becoming a writer but the closest he can get to making money for his writing is by charging a couple of rupees per letter for his largely illiterate neighbors in the village. But don’t think that Mahadev’s lot is monotonous. He gets embroiled in everything from love triangles to political scandals as he try to use his originality – literacy – to his best advantage, sometimes with unexpected results…
I think my main problem with Bollywood acting is that it takes itself a tad too seriously. Now, the same kind of acting is present here, but with the added bonus of a propensity to poke fun at itself from time to time. It has all the tropes of a good, old fashioned comedy. You know what I mean, what our (my) parent’s generation called “good, clean family fun”. But it does this without being all stiff and stuffy about itself. Mahadev is an upstart in more senses than one; he is bright but also tends to get carried away by his emotions to sometimes disastrous results. The film also makes a rather serious point about gender politics. Ok, there is a little bit of “queer cinema” thrown into this film somewhere. I won’t give out too many details because the whole thing kinda creeps up on you and this style suits the message a lot better I think. As far as topics like homosexuality and transgender and the like are concerned, the concepts tend to be seen as things to be ridiculed in developing countries – and cultures like that of India. This film however, devotes one of its sub-plots (don’t get me wrong the whole narrative in the film is heterosexual in a quite defined way) to make a stand on the matter, and the surprises in that quarter just keep coming until – literally – the last five minutes of the film. In short, this film was simply full of surprises for me. I really enjoyed it and laughed out loud at certain bits. It is possibly because I have grown up in Turkey and humor and culture in Turkey are very similar to their Indian counterparts. But I am fairly confident that Mahadev and his motely neighbors will be able to somehow entertain you no matter where you hail from…

AND TO FINISH OFF, SOME VINTAGE BRITISH FARE : "THE ITALIAN JOB"

Here we have before us two great British classics. Michael Cane is undoubtedly one of the best known and most liked British actors and The Italian Job has its own place among immortal British movies. I am not (in fact and in all fairness cannot) dispute the charisma of the young Michael Cane. And The Italian Job is no doubt a really funny movie, well worth a spin of a weekday evening – but I can’t really say I wasn’t disappointed. I mean, I expected more from this fella for some reason, possibly because of all the hype surrounding it…
So, a lot of you probably know “the score” but I’ll quickly run through it for those of you who don’t. Charlie Croker (Michael Cane) is a smooth-talking professional criminal. He is just out of jail and already onto the next big job. The idea is stealing four million dollars’ worth in gold while it is being transported through the crowded and congested streets of Turin. A lot of things seem to point to this being an impossible feat, not least because the mafia have got a hint of what the Brits are planning and have taken a personal affront to this daring stunt on their own turf. But Charlie, along with a little help from a randy computer expert Professor Peach (this character is first time I’ve heard Benny Hill speak!), the support of British crime-boss Mr. Bridger (Noel Coward !), three minis (appropriately colored red, white and blue), a couple of vans and a whole host of petty-criminals is determined to give it a shot. And get away with it.
Credit where it’s due, this film is one of the ones that is responsible for the birth of a whole host of hilarious heist movies, the modern and most successful incarnation being Ocean’s 11. And I was rather surprised to see that even this early ancestor was sure to involve the latest technology and computers. We have almost all probably watched the modern Ocean’s 11 and remember how highly computers figure in the film – here they have a place too. Admittedly, here the computers look more like walk-in freezers crossed with old magnetophones and the computer programs look like old and massive reels of film, but still. A nice touch. And of course there is the famous car-chase scene with the three minis and the Italian cops; now that one completely deserves its place in movie history, I’ve never seen anything like it! Michael Cane is dashing, funny and witty. There is a lot of witty repartee and word-play, common to British humor; the only problem you WILL have is if you do not like British humor… But I love it, so am biased.
I have to say however that; first and foremost this NOT the most original plot in the world. Benny Hill is a nice touch, but it’s classic, typical Benny Hill, just with a soundtrack. And I love Benny Hill, but in a film that bases itself on rather cool British humor I think he was a tad out of place. I don’t know, like spaghetti in chocolate sauce – nice in their own rights and separate, slightly “icky” when they come together. Another thing is, the whole film leaves a lot of loose threads at the end, and I don’t just mean the “cliff-hanger” ending, the whole darn thing is untidy – I thought so anyway. You just have to “suspend belief”, accept “that’s the way it is in the film” and get along with it. It just doesn’t bare too much scrutiny. So just don’t scrutinize it (with me it has become a professional hazard) just sit back and enjoy, and you should be ok. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

LIFE IS NOT SERIOUS THE WHOLE TIME : "THE MARX BROTHERS AT THE CIRCUS"

Ok, I’m looking back on this week’s fare and I think it’s turning out a little too serious and sad. Well, that’s the funny thing about cinema, when you say “classic” or “artistic” or “important film” one somehow thinks of something rather serious and sad – ideally a little hard to understand. But no, there are such things as classic comedies as well; these are guys that you really should have seen if you’re really into cinema. Sometimes they are a little older than what you are used to – Charlie Chaplin for instance or Laurel and Hardy – but, even if they date from the silent era like those guys, they are still able to glide onto your screen and cause you to split your sides… Now if anyone and I mean ANYONE deserves a place up there with the comedy greats of cinema, it is the Marx Brothers. Their classic movie “Duck Soup” is still considered by and large one of the funniest films ever made. Personally, just seeing Groucho Marx on a screen brings a smile to my face (so you could say that I am rather prejudiced!). This little gem is another one of my bargain basement discoveries. It is an absolute side-splitter and has the pronounced advantage of being just 83 minutes long, a bite sized classic that is guaranteed to wash away all your cares.
Welcome to Wilson’s Wonder Circus! One of the best three-ringed circuses in the world! And although it seems to be filled with everything you could desire from a circus, there are black clouds circling above the tents. Mr. Wilson is young, good looking and has followed his heart in more senses than one as his rich widowed aunt has disinherited him because of his love of the circus, but also because the love of his life is one of the circus performers, Julie. The only problem is that Wilson owes the manager Mr. Carter 10 000$ - by the end of the week! If he cannot come up with the money, he will lose the circus and become completely destitute. Mr. Carter however, is determined not to play nice. He doesn’t want to hand the circus over to Wilson, so he comes up with a cunning plan. The night Wilson finally gets together to pay the debt – the money is stolen! Wilson is distraught, but luckily he is not alone. The circus dogs body Tony (Chico) and the slightly eccentric and mute circus mascot Punchy (Harpo – as if he needed an introduction) are on the case. And in their arsenal they have another big weapon: Mr. Loophole, Legal Eagle (Groucho of course). Will Mr. Wilson be saved? Or in the well-meant efforts will our three friends destroy the circus entirely?
This is a typical, old fashioned Marx Brothers comedy. Good, old-fashioned entertainment, broken up with songs (I am still humming “Lydia the tattooed Lady” to myself as I write the review the next day) and classic, old-fashioned sketches… As always, Groucho’s appearance on scene heralds a steady stream of one-liners and jokes that come pouring out at a rate and in a style that will make the most stony-faced of you split their sides… The brothers will do everything from walking on walls to leading blues quires for your amusement, and all you have to do is to cut all logic adrift kick back and enjoy. I will not go on talking about it for too long, I mean it’s the Marx brothers we’re talking about here, they don’t need an introduction, you on the other hand, need to stop reading about it but sit down and enjoy the sensation that is the Marx brothers… You know you’re taking no risk here… Step right in…

"DOWN BY LAW" AND HOW TO GET BACK UP AGAIN...

Now, having met Allie and got to know his philosophy slightly better, we jump forward a few years and see what he may become when he grows up. And as if to break the mood of deep philosophy of the previous film, we see quite clearly that the result needn’t be tragic or very thought provoking… Down by law is qualified as one of the “coolest comedies” ever, with an even cooler cast – and if you ever thought that there could be no such thing as a truly funny minimalist comedy, well, prepared to be proved wrong.
Zack (played by legendary musician Tom Waits) is a DJ. He is basically very much like Allie Parker from Permanent Vacation all grown up. The only trouble is that he is lacking slightly in Allie’s maturity and his girlfriend has had enough of his attitude and kicked him out of their flat. Jack (John Lurie) is a pimp. But again, he has no great ambition and drifts through life, things seem to be going well, he’s cool, he’s hip… Various hitches and “setbacks” later, these two misfits will end up as cellmates in jail. At first, their great similarity means that they rub each other the wrong way, but this soon transforms into something akin to “brotherhood”; while goading each other and bickering nearly constantly, they are deep down good friends. Things change dramatically when they are joined by a third cellmate: Roberto (Roberto Begnini). Roberto can only speak very broken English, phrases of which he religiously writes down in his “phrasebook”. Unlike his cellmates, he is anything but “cool”, he talks constantly and can be best likened to a well-meaning Labrador. But just as his cellmates are trying to decide whether to like him or loathe him, something unexpected happens: a chance for escape presents itself and our three cellmates grab at it… The question is, will they be able to put their various differences to one side and escape in one piece?
It’s part of Jarmusch’s originality that after setting out a certain thing, a certain outlook on life in a quite sober way in one film, he can turn around and use it as a mainstay of comedy in another film… Although I must admit I somehow suspect that later on in life Jarmusch decided that the comedy side of the “cool” attitude to life was more important than its philosophy because in quite a few films I have seen he puts a “cool” character and a “totally uncool” one side by side – or portray a character trying to be cool but actually not really managing… As you can imagine, this a typical “clash of characters” film, with Roberto Begnini providing the comic contretemps to the ultra-cool Zack and Jack. It is rather telling that, ok warning, a small spoiler, that at the end of the film Roberto is the one who is “successful” as in he is the one who actually manages something concrete, Jack and Zack however will, shall we say, continue to drift to unsure futures in pretty much the same way they were at the beginning of the film…
In all the Jarmusch films I have watched, one thing that always strikes me greatly is the attention to detail. Since this is a minimalist film with minimum points distracting from the main story, the small details naturally gain great importance and one can sit back and savor a cleverly planted gesture or expression from one of the actors or a prop of some description, cleverly inserted into the foray… And again – I cannot say this often enough – something should be said about Jarmusch’s cinematography, this time even more striking in black and white…

FOR A LARGE, HAPPY SLICE OF LIFE, STEP ON BOARD THE "MYSTERY TRAIN"

If you had nothing but the DVD edition of this film that I own, and more specifically the blurb on the back to go on when researching this particular film, you might be a tad confused. The DVD cover explains that the film successfully combines a Japanese ghost story, an Italian romantic-comedy, a Brit that causes utter confusion and trouble (nothing new there then!) and Elvis Presly. And although this is, admittedly, a mighty confusing concoction, it is a very neat summary of what goes on in this film. See, this is the beauty of films like this. Life, real life, actually does successfully combine elements like this. It’s just that we are often so lost in our own strand of the story that we see nothing but what surrounds us personally and not the big picture. Mystery Train is not only one of the single funniest films I have ever had the pleasure of watching, it is also a rather stunning “slice of life” with a slightly deeper message hidden down below…
Our story takes place in Memphis, Tennessee. A young Japanese couple disembarks from a train; they are here to sightsee; the young man’s hair and dexterity with his Zippo lighter alone tells us what great fans they are of a certain lost age. Sun studios, Graceland and the excitement of actually being there engulfs them both; our young hero however is, as was anyone worth knowing back in The King’s day, ultra-cool. His girlfriend, like a lot of women I know, accuses him of being cold and unfeeling. After a day’s sightseeing they settle into a small hotel in the town center for the night before continuing. At just about the same moment, a young woman from Italy (Nicoletta Brasci) who is accompanying the body of a loved one back to Italy has found out, much to her distress, that she has to stay in Memphis overnight. She finds a small hotel in the center of town, where a young woman is in the middle of a fight with the hotel’s night clerk who only has double rooms left and refuses to have her stay in one at half price. The young Italian will agree to be her roommate and will then have to listen to endless stories about her English boyfriend, nicknamed Elvis, how they broke up and how she’s leaving him and leaving town… Before she has a strange brush with a ghost that is… Lastly, again at the same time Elvis (not the singer, the afore mentioned British boyfriend played by the ultra-mega charismatic lead singer of The Clash, Joe Strummer) is in a bar, getting very drunk and waving a gun around. It will be up to his colleague Will Robinson (played by Rick Aviles, who is not best-known for lead parts but who you will have seen in smaller parts in classics such as Carlito’s Way, The Godfather III and Ghost) and his “brother in law” Charlie (played by Steve Buscemi, another “staple” of Jarmusch’s – not that I am complaining) to calm him down and get him out of trouble… Well, that’s the plan, anyway. The night is preparing for many strange stories and adventures, and they will come together in the strangest, most unexpected way…
The first thing I noticed about this film is that the location was, in fact, the same as Down By Law. You may think that this would take away from the feel of the film but in fact it does not. Because the whole point of the film is a sort of permanence of locations. We wander round and around the streets of Memphis, crossing the same streets and sometimes even copying the same shots as a couple of minutes ago while the story changes and advances… This in, itself, is a rather beautiful thing: I sometimes stop to wonder at how many people in total must have walked on the same streets as I have… Mind-boggling thought, no? This is also the ultimate “strands of life” film, because the three stories do come together in the end, but ironically, neither of them are aware of it… Another funny little quirk of living on this planet; for all you know, the stranger next to you might be a potential best friend or the love of your life, you may actually never know…
Jarmusch makes no bones about the fact that this film is about music. Good music, from back in the day… The soundtrack will have the toes of viewers of a certain generation tapping, think Elvis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Parker… Yeah, you know what I am talking about… And lastly, but by no means on earth least, I must give a standing ovation to one of the best comic duos I have ever seen. See, Joe Strummer is not the only musician on board. The night clerk at the hotel (where, you will doubtless have guessed, all three “stories” end up) is played by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (best known for his classic tune “I put a spell on you”) and the bellhop assisting him is played by Cinqué Lee. Apart from the obvious practical part they play in advancing the story, their various interactions and conversations are inserted into various places in the story (like small side dishes between main courses if you will) and constitute some of the categorically funniest dialogues I have witnessed in my 28 years on earth. I promise you, remembering them alone still has me giggling. They are so funny that sometimes we see the same dialogue twice (remember that all three stories are occurring at once, so sometimes as the information we gain about the “background” puts a whole new slant on a dialogue we thought was something completely different) but that doesn’t matter, it’s STILL funny…
In short, another touching and sensitive slice of life from Jarmusch; yes there is a lot to think deeply about, but at the same time there are plenty of instances to laugh, just like life itself… Watch this one if you watch none of the others… Mind you, I have a feeling you will be converted after watching this one anyway… =)

AND NOW, A BIT OF LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT: "YEDİ KOCALI HÜRMÜZ"

This film actually got a bit of a bad rap when it first came out, not necessarily from the general public but from “art circles”. I think the reason was , since Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz is in fact quite an old play that has been re-made for various mediums a number of times, the expectancy from the film was a little too high. No, honestly, this film will not change your life. It will however bring a smile to your face that I guarantee. If the film did not exactly turn out to be a deep, philosophical work of art it stayed true to itself: this is a light-hearted musical, aiming solely to entertain. The cast is brilliant, the acting hilarious (which is a compliment seing this is a comedy) and the songs, while in Turkish and aimed largely at a Turkish audience are fun to listen to and the dancing that accompanies it is fun to watch so even those viewers who do not speak Turkish can be sure of a good time when they sit down to watch this one…
We are back in Ottoman times, at an uncertain date before the First World War. Turkey is governed by Sharia law, and according to this law any man can marry up to four women legally – provided he can look after them. The same right is not, as you can imagine, extended to women. They have hardly any rights at all – hardly any say in the matter even seeing as they are often “given away” by older relatives and not necessarily allowed to court or chose their future husband. In İstanbul lives one woman who is determined not to be the “weakling” in this whole set up. After all, if a man can marry more than one woman, then a woman should be able to marry more than one husband. As there are no actual centralized records back in those days, and the second wives do not necessarily live in the same house as the husband (it is common to live in the same house but not necessary)with a little intelligence this is not hard to manage either. Hürmüz lives in a large house left to her by her late husband (a very old and rich man in love with her beauty and died leaving her everything) and by using her wits and with help from her friends is married to no less than seven men! The trick is not to keep the rest of the town (for back then, as it is now, reputations once gone cannot be regained) and of course the seven husbands in the dark. Thus Hürmüz very successfully has her cake and eats seven helpings at once until… Until she meets a man she actually falls in love with – and she isn’t married to! And just as she is trying to find a way of luring him in as well to be number 8, one husband (who was in jail and thus out of her hair) breaks out of jail, one who lives in a neighboring town decides to pay a surprise visit and her newest husband – a sea captain – comes home one day with no prior warning, causing the two husbands she has in the same town to become suspicious… Hürmüz risks public humiliation and stoning if she is found out, and with such a plague of husbands buzzing at her door, she must use all her wits and creativity to break herself out of this mess…
As you can tell from the summary, the actual topic of the film is as old as the hills. Men vs. Women. However, my personal opinion is that if films on the subject continue popping up, it’s because we keep on watching them. It is rather funny to think that this was first adapted from a play that was, as I said, quite old and from a time one assumed moral values to be different. Just goes to show I suppose, some things never really change… Another thing that is as international as the story is of course good acting. And this film offers up some of Turkey’s best; Nurgül Yeşilçay makes for a striking Hürmüz, while Gülse Birsel – who is also famous for her successful performance in a very, VERY long standing sit-com she also wrote is a priceless sidekick (the town matchmaker, naturally) and… Well I could go on and on and on, but just about every single one of the cast members are famous and I can’t think of a single one that ends up doing a bad job…
I was in two minds about writing about this. I mean, since stories and sentiments are more universal, normal “film” films are a better bet when it comes to crossing the language barrier. Comedies tend to rely a bit more on cultural specificities and a goodly number of the jokes in the film do tend to be “in jokes” on local dialects and funny sayings. But all in all, I personally feel that the sense of fun and the universal nature of the topic – men and women – make up for the bits that will get lost in translation. And let me also add that some of the songs from this musical have quite literally come from Turkish traditional music so you it will be a true cultural tour for the unfamiliar as well…

GRANDDADDIES OF CINEMA - THE SILENT MOVIE WEEK : THE GENERAL

Looking back on my previous entries, I’m pretty sure you must be slightly bemused by the fact that my choice of viewing matter seems to be less of a choice and more a series of fortuitous events that lead me from one film to another. I wish I could offer an explanation for it. Say I made it up for your amusement or something. But honestly, that’s exactly what happens. I have an archive of films and I paw through them going “Umm, how to amuse myself today”. I will happen across a film and say “ah, I’ve been wanting to watch that for a while” (not an entirely fair statement seeing as this sentence can be applied to the greater part of my archive) and pounce. I will, perhaps, decide to make a “theme” out of it and sort out some of its “brothers and sisters” in time for next week’s fare but basically the choice of theme is, yes, as random as it looks. Or Devine design (and in this particular case God is working in more mysterious ways than usual but anyways…). In some cases I will haphazardly watch a bunch of films and realize they make a theme (that was last week! I completely unthinkingly watched The King’s Speech on a Saturday and Cry Freedom on the Sunday. In Cold Blood was finished on the same Saturday). In short, if you wonder why and how we have skipped from “historical events” last week to “1920’s silent movies” this week, I honestly don’t have a clue. So there. If you figure it out, let me know – as far as I know I just saw The General with Buster Keaton in it and said “Oh yes, this has been lying around for ages” watched it, loved it and decided to follow it down with Charlie Chaplin and Metropolis the following days… I’m not sure if this is a fitting introduction for such great artists but they were the greatest comedians of our times and the situation is pretty darn funny so I reckon they won’t mind…
The General is not a general per se but a train. And Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) is its loving driver. There is one thing / person he loves more than the General and that is his best beloved. Now, the General is a steam engine of course for we are back in the time of the American civil war. And alas, the war has already reached her hometown in the South.His sweetheart's brother and father both enlist at once and she expects Johnnie to do the honorable thing – i.e. enlist as well. Now, Johnnie is more than happy to oblige but the authorities who hear he’s an engineer won’t have him – he’s much more valuable as an engineer, trains are the fastest modes of transport of the time. But his girlfriend's mind is made up. Unless Johnnie enlists, she wants nothing further to do with him. So poor Johnnie labors on as does the war… Until one fateful day, when Johnnie’s General is abducted by northerners… And to make matters worse his beloved ?? is taken hostage. With the two things he loves the most in the hands of enemies; Johnnie knows there is only one thing left to be done. Cross enemy lines and get them back. By himself.
Now this film was made in 1927. When movies were “movies” as opposed to the later “talkies”; no sound, constant piano music, a lot of the action and speech is mimed with “explanations” written on a black screen – you know what I’m talking about… So especially comedies had a completely different way of functioning. Slapstick was, basically, all they had. And heck, were they good at it! Now don’t turn your nose up at slapstick and physical comedy. I know these days it’s more associated with private parts and underwear but remember kids, this was the ‘20s! Bare flesh was a no – no. So were “rude” jokes of this sort. Some little comic twists took me completely by surprise even; I’m just not used to thinking that way! Now, I didn’t actually laugh out loud as I watched this film but I don’t think I stopped smiling once. It is brilliant, funny from beginning to end without once losing beat. You may call it “naïve” and look down your noses at it but well, remember what Zorba the Greek said : “Clever men and grocers, they weigh everything.” – one can have too much of a good thing. Thinking included.

GRANDDADDIES OF CINEMA - THE SILENT MOVIE WEEK: THE GOLD RUSH

Charlie Chaplin’s “little tramp” is, without any doubt, one of the great iconic characters of the 20th century. I mean, I’m sure you know him, even if you have never watched any of his films. He was the best of the entire comic genre; his gags, jokes and mimics have become classic parts of comedy routines. As for impersonating “the little tramp”, well… As we all know that can still make on laugh until one cries (by the way, did you know that Charlie Chaplin actually came second in a “Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest he entered just for kicks?). Anyway, of the many famous films he has left us as his legacy the one we will talk about today is “The Gold Rush”.
It is the height of the great gold rush in Alaska. The land is crawling with prospectors seeking their fortunes. Townships spring up like mushrooms and brave men battle the hardships with the dream of becoming millionaires. Here we find our friend the little tramp. He is not too successful at first. Friends and enemies come along as does Georgia, a beautiful girl who steals his heart in one of the townships. The little tramp may truly have a heart of gold, but will that be enough for him to reach the real stuff lying under the ground?
Now Chaplin’s comic genius in undeniable. Besides, there is a reason these films are timeless – Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, the lot of them. They may be constructed in a completely alien way to modern films, there may not even be any sound, but if stories and technology changes, comedy does not. People still laugh at the same kind of things, and these guys are the ones who “did it first”. Staked a claim if you will – especially Chaplin. But Chaplin’s character had a different appeal as well. He was the little guy standing up to the bullies and outwitting them. Of course this is more apparent in some films rather than others but if you think about general themes it is in fact what Hollywood likes best – and most definitely what we like best: Good triumphing over evil. Only in this case good comes with a warning against split sides – and a ticket for eternal fame.
I once again say as I did in my previous post: don’t let the naiveté or the lack of 3D put you off. Just sit down, see what you make of it. I’m ready to bet you’ll surprise yourself…

MIXED BAG WEEK! : SHAUN OF THE DEAD

Now, as some of you may actually know, your humble author has been on a bit of a sabbatical for a while now. And said author (me) is (am) using this opportunity to peg the massive holes in her (my) cinematographic general culture. I take the operation very seriously and try and watch a film a day at least. But sometimes, it all gets too much. When I settled down this morning, second cup of tea in hand, to figure out what to do with the rest of the day I A) wanted to get on and watch a film. B) wanted to do something not too taxing. After a barrel load of classics (including three days of “And Quiet Flowed The Don”) I somehow didn’t quite feel up to something heavy. Something light yet sustaining. Like chicken soup only not necessarily “good for you”. Fruit salad with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I was looking for that kind of film – something you could seriously enjoy eating yet not get indigestion afterwards. I dug around in my “to watch” pile for about half an hour (no kidding – and yeah, what can I tell you, it’s a big pile!) when I stumbled across this yet again. I say “yet again” because it’s not the first time I’ve stumbled on this, only every other time I turned and chose something else at the last minute – until today…
Dear readers, I adore this film. But your reaction to it will vary depending largely on your reaction to British humor. If you love it (as I do) you’ll love it. If not, it may seem like a pointless waste of time. Bear in mind and read on…
Shaun (the BRILLIANT Simon Pegg) is your common or garden loser, living in the south of England. He shares a house with his straight-laced flat mate and his childhood friend Ed who is a prize slob. He works in retail and gets on with things. His girlfriend Liz however, would like slightly more. A change, an adventure, anything just as long as Shaun is shaken out of his torpor. Their relationship has almost reached crisis point when they notice something strange going on around them. A mysterious disease is turning the entire country into zombies. The disease is spreading, the panic is spreading and soon Shaun, Liz and a bunch of acquaintances are the only ones left “alive” in the neighborhood… But for how long?
The director of this timeless classic is Edgar Wright (who I wrote of in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World). And I swear I like the man’s work better every single time I watch it. The storyline of the film is, you may have noticed, the same as just about every other zombie film (funny or otherwise) out there. The story isn’t the point though. It’s a showcase of comic talent, that’s what it is. I mean, maybe at the outset it was meant to be a horror – comedy; for me it was just a comedy with zombies in it. I couldn’t begin to describe all the hilarious little details about the story and the characters (and wouldn’t dream of it either seeing as that would RUIN the film for you) or the MAGNIFICENT finale but I assure you, you will enjoy it. Even if you don’t like zombies. And so long as you like British humor. I can’t say that often enough actually; if you don’t like British humor do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one. Personally, though it just affirmed something I thought all along. The British are one of the funniest peoples on earth…

JEDIS WITH FLOWER POWER AND "MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS"

Haha, well, we’ve all heard a bit of hype about this one, right? I don’t believe in hype, but I must say, I was curious. I mean, George Clooney, Edward Norton, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon… I must admit, one DOES get curious. Common sense alone dictates that this should make for quite an awesome movie – all the actors have proved their abilities as far as comedy is concerned on numerous occasions… The actual result in this case is, however, “mixed”. I’m not saying it’s a bad or boring movie (or why would I review it) but it is definitely DEFINITELY not to everybody’s tastes…
Bob Wilton (Edward Norton) is a reporter that is down on pretty much everything. His wife has run off with his editor, killing his family life and career in one fell swoop. He is (understandably) depressed. He decides to make a drastic change in his life if only to shake things up a bit. And thus heads off to Iraq (story is set in the mid 2000’s – yikes, I actually said that). There, pure chance (or possibly fate) brings him face to face with Lynn Cassidy (George Clooney). Now Lynn is part of a top secret team of soldiers: the New World Army. The New World Army is the result of the US army’s efforts to train “psychic soldiers” – with actual super powers. But the New World Army is not an army in the classical sense. Oh no, lead by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) they wish to bring peace and respect to earth – think the spirit of the 70’s revived – only have super powers. Now Bob may be depressed but he recognizes a story when he sees it. So he follows Lynn out into the desert on his latest mission. The experience will prove, in a word, life changing.
Now, the only thing that actually got me through this film is my love, nay, obsession with absurd comedy. It’s a very good example of the genre too; a fact I was able to discern even though I was almost dead on my feet when I watched it. I didn’t actually laugh out loud but was genuinely amused by most of the film. But on the other hand my Mom (who was watching it with me) waltzed off in the middle of said film and went to bed – completely uninterested in finding out what might happen in the end (and to be honest at that point it could be absolutely ANYTHING. Go for it if you’re into something experimental, non linear and absurd. Or if you’re a George Clooney or Edward Norton fan. Can’t say fairer than that…

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.

A SERIOUS MAN

This week is definately one of my “visit the favourites” weeks. Because now that we have passed through my latest review of Truman Capote – now one of my newest “favorite” authors – and we are hankering for something to watch, why not go for an old favorite this time. My favorite writing – directing – producing duos the famous “two headed director” , The Coen Brothers. More specifically their latest film, A Serious Man. Now, A Serious Man was highly publicized. I usually have very high expectations of the Coen Brothers – they are my favorites after all! And ladies and gentlemen, this film did not disappoint either…
Meet Physics Professor Larry Gopnick. He is a devout Jew, a family man, an idealistic teacher. A serious, sensible man with a serious sensible life. Then, quite unexpectedly he hits a bad patch – or rather, the bad patch kinda hits him. One of his students decides to bribe him for a passing grade – and that in itself starts a chain reaction of unfortunate events but there is more. His tenure is now in danger because of anonymous letters that circulating about him. At home, his brother Arthur is stuck on the couch indefinitely and is causing mayhem in more senses of the word than one. His son’s Bar-Mitzvah is approaching but his son only seems interested in the television and his radio. Oh, and his wife has just told him she is cheating on him and she wants a divorce. She also wants him to move out of the house. Yes, Larry Gopnick is most definitely in a tight spot. But at least things can’t get much worse, right?
First and foremost I must hasten to tell you that those among you who usually avoid the Coens because of excessive violence (with classics like Fargo and No Country For Old Men no one can blame that attitude, although it is not my attitude in the least) need not do so this time.
Ok, so I was in two minds as to wether to point it out but it took a while for me to notice this (I started watching the film with virtually no research) but it’s actually a modern adaptation of the Book Of Job (from the Old Testament). I hesitate on “banging on” about this fact but really, the film makes a lot more sense if you bare it in mind I foundBut don’t let that put you off – there isn’t a single actual reference to this fact in the film. I mean, the Gopnicks are a devout family but reference-wise that’s about as far as it goes. Infact, in the able hands of the Coens, the film almost becomes a dark comedy in parts. And there are some very intelligent jokes and references. I mean, I am not Jewish and I was not alive in the 60’s so a lot of the period stuff was lost on me. But there are some very intelligent details that become apparent on closer inspection so this double Oscar® nominee (Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Direct For Screen) is definitely worth your attention. Hell, I’m thinking of watching it at least twice… And that’s not just because I’m a fan…

HE SEES DEAD PEOPLE... "GHOST TOWN"

You may or may not have figured out as you browse the pages of this humble blog that I have a soft spot for comedy. I like making people laugh in life and I like people who make me laugh. So I have a soft spot for comedians as well. And as far as people I have a soft spot for goes, Ricky Gevaise features pretty highly on the list. He first made a name for himself with The Office (the ORIGINAL BRITISH version) as the absolutely stranglable boss David. In addition to all this, he keeps knocking off some pretty damn good films, and Ghost Town is one of them.
Meet Bertram Pinkus (Gervaise). He is a dentist. And also, very possibly, the most antisocial and stranglable man on the planet (yes even more so than David) . He hates human contact of any kind, thinks most human beings idiots and would prefer to be left well alone which is just as well because not a lot of people like him. However one day, during a colonoscopy, his life changes. He dies you see. Only for a couple of seconds but he does die. When he comes back, his life has changed : He can see dead people. It turns out that the dead walk among us (those who have unfinished business with the living naturally) waiting for someone who can transmit their last messages to us. They naturally flock round Bertram begging him to help. Bertram just gets annoyed and tells them to piss off. The ghosts insist. They are decidedly at an impasse when a rather unexpected member of the “living” dead come along. Frank (the talented – and Oscar® nominated Mr Greg Kinnear) is a businessman who was killed in a freak accident. His wife has got over is death pretty quickly (because he was rather a cad and had been cheating on her) and is infact preparing to remarry. Frank is at his wits end because he can see that her fiancée, despite looking perfect in every way, is a con artist. He decides she deserves better, especially after the way he treated her. Being a savvy businessman among other things, he sees his opportunity and makes a deal with Bertram : If he helps him separate his ex-wife and her fiancée, he will help Bertram with “the ghost problem”. Bertram who is also at his wits end at this point, accepts. But as they start working on Frank’s “cunning plan”, another complication shows its head : Bertram seems to have grown feelings. And the feelings are all centering round Gwen, Frank’s ex-wife…
The thing about most of Ricky Gervaise’s comedy is, in a bizarre way it tends to be a bit of a “niche” event. I mean, The Office. I LOVED that show but personally felt that a lot of the situations in that would mean very little to anyone who hasn’t worked in the private sector. Again, another movie of his, The Invention Of Lying. I am told it is hilarious (I haven’t watched it) but reviewing the subject matter I have a nasty feeling it would be lost on you unless you were an atheist (I may of course be wrong, but that’s what I gathered on first inspection). Ghost Town isn’t like this. Bertram is a common or garden annoying anti-social bloke and I’m sure you know at least one person like him. So you will by definition LOVE seeing him in trouble. And if by any chance you watched The (British) Office and thought David was funny you will LOVE this (experience talking) . It’s very VERY good quality situation comedy, with a bit of Hollywood thrown in. Ok, I mention Hollywood and there is NO getting away from this matter here especially at the end (For God’s sake,the tagline for the film is: “He sees dead people. And they annoy him.” If you see what I mean.) So Ok, it will not change your life. But the sight of poor bloody Bertram trying to grapple with the ghosts will make you laugh out loud. And really, you DO NOT want to watch serious stuff the whole time. I mean, the frowning will give you wrinkles to start with… ;)