MARKED MOVIES

Raising Arizona * * * * 1/2

Posted in Adventure, Comedy with tags 1987 on December 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen.
Screenplay: Ethan & Joel Coen.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Trey Wilson, Frances McDormand, Sam McMurray, Randall “Tex” Cobb, T.J. Kuhn, Lynne Kitei, M. Emmet Walsh.

In 1984, “Blood Simple” was released and it marked the debut of a certain couple of siblings named Joel & Ethan Coen. It’s was a marvellously dark and twisted, low-budget, modern noir and put their names on the film industry’s map. You’d think that once a particular, successful, style has been established it would be wise to stick with that winning formula but the brothers’ sophomore effort went in an entirely different direction and they delivered a wickedly, wacky and hilarious comedy, proving that their talents are comfortable in any genre.

H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) is a repeat offender for petty theft and can’t quite keep out prison. It’s in the slammer though, that he meets his sweetheart Ed (Holly Hunter), the police photographer, and not before long the unlikely pair are hitched, on the straight and narrow and ready to start a family. Problem is, Ed finds out she’s infertile and deeply longs for a baby. It just happens around this time that local and well-known furniture salesman Nathan Arizona’s wife has just given birth to quintipulets. H.I. & Ed decide that having four babies is more than anyone can handle and decide to kidnap one for themselves. It’s here that all sorts of problems begin for H.I. & Ed as they try to keep their new family together with escape convict friends (John Goodman, William Forsythe) paying a visit and a rogue bounty-hunter biker (Randall “Tex” Cobb) on their trail.

The first and still one of the best of the Coen brothers’ comedies. This was the film that proved that the siblings could do zany and outlandish comedy with absolute ease and consummate skill. It also allowed them to show off their ability to film with such a kinetic energy and an introduction to their (ever growing) catalogue of zany characters. The performances across the board are outstanding with special mention going to the two leads; Nicolas Cage is marvellous as the hen-pecked, buffoonish, human form of Woody the Woodpecker and Holly Hunter is equally as good as his neurotic and controlling spouse. Cage has become a bit of laughing stock in the film industry these days but back in the 80’s and early 90’s he delivered some memorable roles. This is certainly one of them. What a joy it would be to see him reprise these type of roles and what a joy it is to watch such a sharp and exciting comedy from quite possibly the most consistant filmmakers around today. If ever there was a film that could be labeled as a live-action animation, this could possibly be it. It’s not just the work in front of the camera that excels though; behind it, cinematographer (and future director himself) Barry Sonnenfeld does some sublime work. He assembles some very fine action set-pieces and keeps the camera moving at an almost unbearably frantic pace. Roger Deakins has now established himself as almost another Coen sibling with his consistently reliable work on their recent films but he wasn’t always the man to bring their vision to the screen. Sonnenfeld was. Another frequent collaborator is the always reliable Carter Burwell who infuses all the mayhem with a pefectly fitting score that brings the whole package together.

Quite simply, this is how comedies should be made. It has a little of everything and it shows exactly why, I regard the Coen’s as the most consistently surprisingly and creative filmmakers we have today.

(This review was part of a “double take” with Eric who runs the IPC blog. To read the post in full and get his alternate take on it, please go here.)

Mark Walker

26 Comments »

Beasts Of The Southern Wild * * * * *

Posted in Drama, Fantasy with tags 2012 on December 21, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Benh Zeitlin.
Screenplay: Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin.
Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes, Pamela Harper, Gina Montana, Amber Henry, Jonshel Alexander.

2012 has been a bit of an underwhelming year at the movies for me. So many films have promised so much, yet failed to deliver. It’s encouraging though, that one of the art-house films of the year comes along and restores your faith in creative and original cinema. “Beasts Of The Southern Wild” is exactly that type of film.

Based on the one-act play “Juicy and Delicious” by Lucy Alibar, this tells the tale of Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) a philosophical little girl who lives in a rundown Louisiana town called “The Bathtub”. It’s a bayou steeped in poverty, yet brings a certain freedom to the villagers. Their freedom is compromised though, when a storm floods the entire area and kills the livestock, forcing the community to flee their homes in search of pastures new.

As we are introduced to our young protagonist Hushpuppy, we see her building a nest for a bird and before long we witness her holding small chicks to her ear to hear their heartbeat. In her own words “Strong animals know when your hearts are weak.” This is a child that’s completely in touch with nature. It’s this very understanding and connection with nature that makes her such a sweet and appealing character and one that’s a real pleasure to share her journey with. That journey takes shape in her struggle for survival and a sense of belonging, as her home is destroyed in a storm, leading her on her life-affirming travels that address the nature of family, community and the refusal to be defeated or succumb to the norm. This is a film about culture and the automatic assumption that those who live a different lifestyle (even impoverished) need to be helped or changed into a mainstream or industrialised way of living. Ultimately though, it’s a right-of-passage story about bravery and survival and an allegory for climate change.
It’s strikingly shot throughout with the camera rarely staying still, adding that all important, stark sense of realism, required for the material. This is a film that’s filmed from a child’s eye view and young Quvenzhané Wallis (who was only 5 years old at the time of filming) is absolutely outstanding in the lead role. This young, untrained, actress should not be overlooked when the awards are being dished out. Fine support also comes from Dwight Henry as her defiant, stoic and seemingly harsh father Wink. To think that these two performers had never actually acted before is astonishing. They both deliver some of the best work all year. There are also shades of director Terrence Malick (“The Tree Of Life“) and his fascination with flora and fauna and it also adopts his scrutiny of such things. Quite simply, this is a stunning debut from director Benh Zeitlin who’s not afraid to infuse his story with surreal and highly effective visual moments of mythical wild aurochs who pursue Hushpuppy on her travels. It manages that rare ability to balance fantasy and reality and does so with such poetic flair. There was a moment in the film where I thought it was losing it’s way and rushing towards it’s conclusion but this was short-lived; it soon got back on track and finished with absolute aplomb.
Throughout the soulful journey, we get to know and love Hushpuppy and in her moment of self-assurance she informs us “In a million years, when kids go to school, they gonna know: Once there was a Hushpuppy, and she lived with her daddy in The Bathtub“… How could we ever forget?

Heartwarming, uplifting and not without it’s moments of pathos. This is a film of purity and truth and one of the years very best.

Mark Walker

45 Comments »

Looper * * * *

Posted in Action, Science Fiction, thriller with tags 2012 on December 17, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Rian Johnson.
Screenplay: Rian Johnson.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels, Pierce Gagnon, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Garret Dillahunt, Qing Xu, Frank Brennan, Tracie Thoms, Nick Gomez.

“12 Monkeys“, was the last time I seen a science fiction/time-travel movie that featured Bruce Willis and if that was anything to go by then this film could do no wrong. In hindsight, it’s not as tight or as clever as it thinks it is and it’s not quite up to the standard as the aforementioned Terry Gilliam movie but it’s still thoroughly good entertainment.

The year is 2044 and organised crime has a grip on society. Hit men (known as ‘Loopers’) are employed to execute people sent back from 30 years in the future. Time travel is illegal but being under the control of the mafia, it allows them to eradicate people without a trace. One of the rules of being a Looper though, is that they must execute their future selves when they are transported back. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a Looper but he fails to carry out the hit on his older self (Bruce Willis) and they are both forced to go on the run, potentially altering their future with very dangerous consequences.

For any good sci-fi yarn to work, it has to have an interesting and thought provoking concept. This film can certainly claim to possess that. All-be-it, it’s a little self-indulgent and doesn’t entirely hold up under scrutiny but once you let yourself go the film has a lot to offer. Wisely, it doesn’t overplay it’s futuristic setting, preferring instead to go for a more subtle and minimal approach. This helps in creating a better sense of realism for it’s genre and concept, as well as making it easier to identify with the characters – of which, the ubiquitous Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes central stage. Now, a lot has been said about the prosthetic make-up of Gordon-Levitt to have him look more like a younger Bruce Willis and I can see why people have had issues with it. For a start, it seems unnecessary to have a very talented young actor mimic one that isn’t exactly known for having a massive range in the first place. However, this was the path they chose tread and for the first half of the film I thought Gordon-Levitt captured the mannerisms of Willis very well indeed. In some ways, he gave a better performance as Willis than Willis does himself. The only problem I had with the make-up was the meticulously shaped eyebrows. They looked too dark, out of shape and well out of place. Anytime, Gordon-Levitt was onscreen in the latter half of the film, I was distracted by them. Not only did he not look like Willis, he didn’t even look the same way that he started the film. It was bizarre to say the least. That aside, the film is brilliantly structured, well realised and poses the odd noodle-scratching moment. My only criticism would be the second half; it takes the action away from the dystopian city and heads into rural farmland and around this time hits a bit of a lull. Its saving grace being an outstanding performance from young Pierce Gagnon who, just about, acts everyone else off the stage.
Upon it’s release it was heralded as 2012’s “Inception“. I wouldn’t go that far in my praise for this; it didn’t quite have that Nolan magic but in respect of being a piece of exciting and thrilling escapism, it’ll hold up amongst the best of the year. For that reason, filmmakers like Rian Johnson can’t be encouraged enough when they seem intent on delivering movies that an audience can really get embroiled in. I was a big fan of his modern-noir debut “Brick” and despite some critical panning, I also enjoyed his con-man follow-up “The Brothers Bloom“. This is, undoubtedly, a bigger step forward for Johnson but he handles it admirably and I can only hope he continues to provide innovative pieces of work like this, without the Hollywood studios getting their claws into him.

A smart and imaginative thriller that manages to squeeze out more mileage from the time-travel sub-genre. It does so by bringing a fresh and original approach to it’s paradox while also possessing a moral compass.

Mark Walker

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TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on December 17, 2012 by Mark Walker

Welcome back to Tuesday’s Trivia Tidbits. For those of you out of the loop, this is a little compilation of 10 movie related facts that I will be posting weekly and info that I always find interesting. So without further ado, this weeks are…

1: The fictional nation in the film “The Hunger Games” is called Panem. This is derived from “Panem et Circenses” or “Bread and Circuses” which comes from the latter days of the Roman Empire, in which the government would keep the masses satisfied not by performing their public services well, but by providing violent and deadly entertainments for the people to watch, which is rather fitting for the subject matter of the film.

2: Before George Clooney was cast in “From Dusk Till Dawn“, Tim Roth, John Travolta, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, and Christopher Walken were offered the role of Seth Gecko. They all passed because of scheduling conflicts.

3: “Dirty Harry” is the slang term for a photographer with a single lens reflex (SLR) camera. The slang term for an SLR camera is a .44 Magnum.

4: In the novel of “No Country For Old Men“, Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones’ character) says of the dope-dealers, “Here a while back in San Antonio they shot and killed a federal judge.” Cormac McCarthy set the story in 1980. In 1979, Federal Judge John Howland Wood was shot and killed in San Antonio by Texas free-lance contract killer Charles Harrelson, father of actor Woody Harrelson who plays Carson Wells in the film.

5: Before Audrey Tautou got the part of “Amélie“, it was written specifically for Emily Watson. She wanted the part but had to decline because she didn’t speak French and had already agreed to be in “Gosford Park“.

6: There are only four films, based on a comic, that have been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. They are Al Pacino for “Dick Tracy“, Paul Newman for “Road to Perdition“, William Hurt for “A History of Violence” and Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight“. Ledger is the only winner.

7: In “Lost In Translation“, the inspiration for having Bob Harris (Bill Murray) do a Suntory whisky commercial was partially inspired by the fact that Sofia Coppola’s father, Francis Ford Coppola, made a real Suntory commercial with Akira Kurosawa in the 1970s.

8: Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey and Robert Downey Jr. were all considered for the role of “Edward Scissorhands” before Johnny Depp got the role. Drew Barrymore was also considered for the role of Kim Boggs that eventually went to Winona Ryder.

9: Director Quentin Tarantino revealed at Comic-Con that Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington’s Characters are meant to be the great great great grandparents of the character John Shaft from the “Shaft” movies. An overt reference to this connection can be found in Kerry Washington’s character’s full name: Broomhilda Von Shaft.

10: Anthony Burgess originally sold the movie rights of “A Clockwork Orange” to Mick Jagger for $500 when he needed quick cash. Jagger intended to make it with The Rolling Stones as the droogs, but then re-sold the rights for a much larger amount. Ken Russell was then nominated to direct because his style was considered well-suited for the material. He would have cast Oliver Reed as Alex. At some point, someone suggested rewriting the droogs to be girls in miniskirts or old-age pensioners. Tim Curry and Jeremy Irons turned down the role of Alex. Stanley Kubrick once said “If Malcolm McDowell hadn’t been available I probably wouldn’t have made the film.” Author Anthony Burgess initially distrusted Kubrick as a director, but was happy with the results. He felt the film later made the book, one of his least favorite books he had written, overshadow his other work.

So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…

(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)

32 Comments »

Ted * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Fantasy with tags 2012 on December 15, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Seth MacFarlane.
Screenplay: Seth MacFarlane.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis, Giovanni Ribisi, Patrick Warburton, Joel McHale, Matt Walsh, Jessica Barth, Bill Smitrovich, Bretton Manley, Sam J. Jones, Norah Jones, Tom Skerritt, Ted Danson, Ryan Reynolds.
Narrator: Patrick Stewart.

After many years of success with the hilarious animated sitcom “Family Guy“, it’s creator Seth MacFarlane finally ventures into his first feature film. It shares little in common with the aforementioned show except the same brand of lewd and crude humour, so any familiarity with that show will stand you in good stead in what to expect from this.

When John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) was 8 years-old he wished that his beloved stuffed bear would actually come to life and never leave his side. One stormy night, his wish comes true and Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) transforms into an actual walking, talking, bear. 25 years later though, John isn’t really moving on his life and his lifelong friend is getting in the way of John’s relationship with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis). Decisions have to be made, which could separate their childhood attachment forever.

Now let’s be honest on this one and face the facts straight up; without the gimmick of a weed-toking, talking, teddy bear this film wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful as it is. The profanity of it’s cuddly protagonist is the very basis on which this film relies on it’s entertainment and for the most part, it works. The jokes don’t always hit the mark but on occasion it delivers some outrageously hilarious moments. MacFarlane seems to be aware, that the more you keep up a rapid fire of jokes the higher the likelihood of some of them sticking. He delivers a relentless fighting scene that will bring reminders of the long-winded dual with the chicken in recurring “Family Guy” episodes and the rest of the film is peppered with in-jokes to films and popular culture of the past, as well as incorporating “Flash Gordon” star Sam Jones in quite a prominent role that’s filled with self parody. Some of these jokes will be wasted on younger viewers or anyone unfamiliar with MacFarlane’s TV show but one thing’s for sure, the same brand of risqué humour can certainly be relied upon and the bonus of it coming in the form of an innocent, cuddly looking, teddy bear make it all the better.
The only drawback, is it’s stumble towards it’s conclusion where it succumbs to formula and loses it’s way slightly but it’s the performers that keep it consistently entertaining; Wahlberg is an actor I find it hard to warm to but he delivers some fine comedic work here and the always reliable Giovanni Ribisi adds just the right amount of darkness to the proceedings. Ultimately though, the star of the show is MacFarlane. His voice talents really bring Ted to life and his controversial and observational humour is ever present and welcome.

I wouldn’t go as far to call it comic genius but it’s certainly a lot of fun. Like it’s title character, embrace it and it’ll bring comforting rewards.

Mark Walker

27 Comments »

Ruby Sparks * * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance with tags 2012 on December 12, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris.
Screenplay: Zoe Kazan.
Starring: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan, Chris Messina, Elliott Gould, Deborah Ann Woll, Toni Trucks, Aasif Mandvi, Alia Shawkat.

After 6 years, husband-and-wife directing team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris deliver their long-awaited follow-up to the brilliant “Little Miss Sunshine“. It would seem that the director’s were in no rush to emulate their previous, Oscar winning, success; preferring instead to wait for the right script. It would also seem that that time has now come and it’s, certainly, been worth the wait.

Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) is struggling writer who once wrote a ‘genius’ novel when he was 19 years old. The trouble is, he’s now struggling for material and suffers from writer’s-block. On the advice of his therapist (Elliott Gould), he begins to write about a girl that has been appearing in his dreams: Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). The next day, Ruby becomes a real person and they both strike up a beautiful and loving relationship. What Calvin then realises is, that if he can will her into existence by writing about her, then he can change her at any time and make her do what he wants by writing more.

Not many films built around romance have had the audacity to explore the very nature of love itself and the stipulations that seemingly come with it. It’s a genre I’m not fond of but that’s only because most are catered for the masses. This film dares to explore the complexities of a relationship and the stipulations that both sides make. It questions whether we can really love a person, wholeheartedly, without their indiscretions ever becoming irritating or intolerable. It also addresses the nature of dominance within a relationship and how that, in itself, is destructive.
Therein lies the beauty and honesty of this film; it’s not afraid to pose these questions and it’s also not afraid to explore the darker elements to it’s premise or get it’s hands dirty when it needs to. After a gentler, more romantic-comedy beginning, filled with wonderful touches of light and observational humour, the denouement takes a brave, impressive and twisted dramatic turn, that shows the darker side to the fantasy. Wisely, the film’s fantasy premise is never explained. This may irk some viewers but really, the film wouldn’t have gained anything by trying to break it down. Quite frankly, it just wouldn’t have worked but that’s testament to the filmmakers, the terrific ensemble of actors and most importantly Zoe Kazan’s highly original screenplay as they all have you believing in them, even when you know you shouldn’t. Once you’ve accepted the premise, you can sit back and enjoy the excellent performances all round; Dano, once again, displays his more than capable acting chops with a character that is often, and cleverly, likened to writer J.D. Salinger and wonderful comic-relief comes in the form of Bening and Banderas as new-age hippie parents. The biggest surprise is from the screenwriter and eponymous Zoe Kazan though; she brings a real warmth and creativity that manages just the right balance and allows her to flit in-between moods with ease. Without such an endearing and understanding performance, the film wouldn’t have worked as well as it does.

With excellent performances all round, and a great mixture of humour and pathos this is one of 2012’s genuinely surprising highlights. Like “Little Miss Sunshine” before it, this is a real treat.

Mark Walker

21 Comments »

TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on December 10, 2012 by Mark Walker

1: Michael Fassbender’s performance as Lt. Archie Hickox in “Inglorious Basterds” is layered with irony due to his real life. Fassbender was born in Germany to German and Irish parents and raised in Ireland, now residing in London with fluency in German as his first language and English as his second, and a mastery of English accents and dialects. In the film, he plays an Englishman who goes undercover as a German, and who can speak German fluently, but cannot hide his accent.

2: Sergio Leone was approached to direct “The Godfather” but turned it down since he felt the story, which glorified the Mafia, was not interesting enough. He later regretted refusing the offer, but would go on to direct his own critically acclaimed gangster film, “Once Upon a Time in America“.

3: (Courtesy of Fogs’ Movie Reviews)
In “Blue Velvet“, Dean Stockwell held a worklight in the Roy Orbison “In Dreams” sequence only after director David Lynch saw him holding one during a lighting session. He was originally supposed to hold a microphone but Lynch found the worklight far more creepier and effective.

4: After their success in “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid“, the subject of “Serpico” was first planned as a star vehicle for Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Redford was to play Frank Serpico (Al Pacino’s role) and Newman was to play his lawyer friend David Durk (a character renamed “Bob Blair” in the final film, where he is played by Tony Roberts).

5: As of 2010, there are only six actors to win an Academy Award for a role primarily in a language other than English. They are: Sophia Loren, Robert DeNiro, Roberto Benigni, Benicio Del Toro, Marion Cotillard and Christoph Waltz.

6: Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone had to wear genital pads during the sex scenes in “Basic Instinct” due to the AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s.

7: Yann Martel, the author of the book “Life Of Pi” has stated that his inspiration for the book’s premise came from reading a book review of Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar’s 1981 novella “Max and the Cats“, about a Jewish-German refugee who crossed the Atlantic Ocean while sharing his boat with a jaguar.

8: There is a supposed “odd-numbered movie curse” associated with the “Star Trek” films in which the odd-numbered films tend to be weaker and the even-numbered ones tend to be stronger. This curse was supposedly proved false with the poor reception of film ten, “Star Trek: Nemesis“. J.J. Abrams’ new “Star Trek” is the eleventh film. Years before, Simon Pegg’s character in “Spaced” joked that every odd-numbered Star Trek film being “shit” was a fact of life. Pegg noted: “Fate put me in the movie to show me I was talking out of my ass.”

9: The mug shot of George Clooney’s character Jack Foley in “Out Of Sight” (of which Karen says “He doesn’t even look like that“) is the mug shot of Clooney’s character Seth Gecko from “From Dusk Till Dawn“.

10: While filming the whipping scene in “Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom“, the crew played a practical joke on Harrison Ford. While he was chained to a large stone, Barbra Streisand appeared, dressed in a leather dominatrix outfit. She proceeded to whip him, saying “That’s for “Hanover Street“, the worst movie I ever saw.” She continued whipping him for “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope“, and making all of that money. Carrie Fisher then threw herself in front of Ford to protect him, and Irvin Kershner chided director Steven Spielberg. “Is this how you run your movies?” This entire sequence was filmed.

So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…

(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)

29 Comments »

Sinister * * *

Posted in Horror, thriller with tags 2012 on December 7, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Scott Derrickson.
Screenplay: Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Fred Dalton Thompson, Clare Foley, Michael Hall D’Addario, Nicholas King, Vincent D’Onofrio.

Admittedly, I wasn’t a fan of director Scott Derrickson’s previous films “The Exorcism Of Emily Rose” and “The Day The Earth Stood Still” so it’s promising to see that he actually can craft something of a reasonable amount of quality. This didn’t impress me as much as it did others but it’s still an admirably (sometimes excellently) crafted horror movie.

Crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) has a career that is now nosediving. He’s in desperate need of another bestseller and to achieve this, he moves into a house to research a book where the hanging of an entire family took place. His wife (Juliet Rylance) and children are oblivious that they’re living in a crime scene but once Ellison discovers a box of home movies in the attic, the dark events begin to unravel and affect them all.

Derrickson’s handling of the material here is quite impressive. He keeps the plot moving briskly and has a good grasp on mood and atmosphere. He’s also aided by a typically reliable lead performance from Ethan Hawke. From the offset, it appears that all the ingredients are in place and for the most part they are. Very few modern horrors have achieved such a commanding hold over a contemporary audience. However, once the supernatural element to the story is introduced it begins to lose it’s way and credulity becomes stretched. If it had relied more on it’s highly effective, investigatory nature, it would have made a very good serial-killer thriller: the Super-8, home video scenes alone, are truly alarming and disturbing and instil a real feeling of dread. That being said, this a horror at the end of the day and most fans of the genre will, no doubt, be satisfied. Personally, I wish it had stuck with the intriguing first half. During this time, it was a far more effective take on Joel Schumacher’s earlier 1999 film “8mm” that also dealt with a similar theme of investigating ‘snuff-movies’. Like most horrors, it has the protagonist making foolish decisions in the dark and it throws the obligatory jumpy moment at you – which doesn’t always work – but for me, the real horror came from the genuinely unsettling atmosphere.

On the whole, this was a very effective and chilling film but it was the unravelling of the mystery in the final third that didn’t quite match what had went before. A fine effort but it could have been tighter.

Mark Walker

17 Comments »

Everything Must Go * * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2010 on December 6, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Dan Rush.
Screenplay: Dan Rush.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Michael Peña, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Laura Dern, Stephen Root, Glenn Howerton.

Anyone that’s been reading my reviews for any length of time will be aware of my dislike for the humour of Will Ferrell. Don’t get wrong, I’ve enjoyed some films of his: “Stranger Than Fiction” and “Elf” are a couple but for the most part his humour just doesn’t work for me. Thankfully, this is Ferrell minus his funny bone and as he plays it straight, he delivers some impressive work.

Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) is fired from his sales job for his reliance on alcohol. When he returns home, he finds that his wife has left him, locked him out of the house and left all his belongings on the front lawn. He refuses to accept this though and decides to camp out in his chair and drink beer for days on end. As this is not legal, his cop friend and AA sponsor (Michael Peña) suggests that he pretends to be having a yard sale to buy him some time. Not before long, Nick starts to makes friends with the neighbours who help him sell his stuff.

The problem with this film isn’t Ferrell as I’d expected it to be. The problem with this film is that the material doesn’t stretch far enough. It’s based on the short story “Why Don’t You Dance?” by Raymond Carver who was responsible for the serious of vignettes that made up Robert Altman’s magnificent film “Short Cuts“. Where Altman got it right though, was in keeping all the segments little tales of their own and never fleshed them out too far. This had been a short story for a reason; there just isn’t enough material to cover the ground of a 90 minute feature – and it’s shows. Despite a series of very good moments and the struggle and believable, emotional downfall of the protagonist, it has a series of lulls which just feel like padding. As a result the dramatic weight is lessened and your concentration begins to waver. That being said, there is still plenty to admire here and that mainly comes in the form of Ferrell, who flexes his acting chops in a more serious role than audiences will be used to. I’m not normally a fan of his brand of comedy but as a dramatic actor he’s actually quite good. Unfortunately, for him though, the whole film rests on his shoulders; most of the other characters are secondary with Laura Dern, particularly wasted, in a thankless bit-part. However, the theme of a downward spiralling individual forced to confront his past – and his addictive problems – is reflected well, in the coveting of material objects and their relevance to a person as a whole.

More of a tragi-comedy with the emphasis on the former. It has serious moments of lethargy but worth watching for it’s metaphoric approach to life and to see Ferrell command the screen with depth, in a rare dramatic role.

Mark Walker

23 Comments »

TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on December 4, 2012 by Mark Walker

1: As part of their training for “End Of Watch“, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña spent five months doing 12-hour ride-alongs with on-duty LAPD officers. During Gyllenhaal’s first ride-along, he witnessed a murder.

2: Michael Madsen was offered the role of Sgt. Horvath in “Saving Private Ryan“. He turned it down, recommending friend Tom Sizemore for the part instead. Madsen was also originally cast as Michael Cheritto in “Heat” but was ultimately replaced (for unknown reasons) by Sizemore again.

3: David Lynch was originally offered the chance to direct “Return Of The Jedi“. He turned it down because he believed it was “Lucas’ thing.” He went on to direct “Dune” instead.

4: “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid” – According to screenwriter William Goldman, his screenplay originally was entitled “The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy.” Both Steve McQueen and Paul Newman read the script at approximately the same time, and agreed to do it, with McQueen playing the Sundance Kid. When McQueen dropped out, the names reversed in the title, as Newman was a superstar.

5: In the scene where Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard argue in the street in “The King Of Comedy“, three of the “street scum” that mock Bernhard are Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, and Paul Simonon, members of the British punk rock band, The Clash.

6: Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Jules in “Pulp Fiction” was originally written to have a gigantic afro, but a crewmember obtained a variety of afro wigs and one jheri curl wig. Quentin Tarantino had never thought about a jheri curl wig, but Jackson tried it on, Tarantino liked it, and it was kept.

7: Alfred Hitchcock originally envisioned the shower sequence in “Psycho” as completely silent, but Bernard Herrmann went ahead and scored it anyway, and upon hearing it, Hitchcock immediately changed his mind. Hitchcock was so pleased with the overall score written by Bernard Herrmann that he doubled the composer’s salary to $34,501. Hitchcock later said, “33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music.”

8: Aaron Eckhart, Brad Pitt, Charlie Sheen and Thomas Jane were considered for the role of Leonard Shelby in “Memento” before Guy Pearce got the part. Christopher Nolan’s first choice was Alec Baldwin.

9: The title of “Alien” in Hungarian was “The 8th passenger: Death“. Consequently, the title of it’s sequel “Aliens” was: “The name of the planet: Death“.

10: Steven Spielberg considered directing the film “Three Amigos!” but chose to do “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” instead. He has said in interviews his choices for the roles of the Three Amigos were Steve Martin for Lucky Day, Bill Murray for Dusty Bottoms (ChevyChase’s role) and Robin Williams for Ned Nederlander (Martin Short’s role).

So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…

(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)

40 Comments »

End Of Watch * * * *

Posted in Crime, Drama with tags 2012 on December 1, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: David Ayer.
Screenplay: David Ayer.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera, David Harbour, Cody Horn, Maurice Compte, Diamonique.

David Ayer certainly seems to know his way around South Central Los Angeles: He delivered the screenplay to the Oscar winning “Training Day” in 2001 before making his directorial debut, four years later, with “Harsh Times“. The James Ellroy adaptation “Street Kings” followed, and with his latest being yet another foray into those crime-ridden L.A. ghettos this is confirmation of Ayer’s comfort zone.

L.A. cops Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) routinely patrol the streets and neighbourhoods of South Central. These guys aren’t just partners but good friends and they both take their jobs very seriously. It’s the strong bond between them that allow them to effectively deal with life threatening situations every day. But through their absolute commitment to their work, they discover a violent drugs cartel that puts both their lives in danger.

Anyone familiar with the aforementioned films that Ayer has been involved in, will know that he has a propensity to focus a lot on the interplay of his characters; mainly this is done in the car, allowing the audience to get a closer proximity to the back and forth banter and camaraderie. Where this film differs though, is in the use of a found footage/steady-cam approach. This particular style may be wearing thin with a lot of people (myself included) but for the most part, it works here. Following a couple of cops on the beat adds another angle to the sub-genre that’s not been explored yet and taps into the voyeuristic nature of the reality tv shows that we’re bombarded with these days. I’ve never really been a fan of these neo-fascist, propaganda shows that depict the police carrying out their duties but sometimes they can be intriguing and many find them very appealing. However, Ayer is smart enough not to rely solely on this ‘reality’ approach; he intercuts it with wide-angles whenever the documentary vibe is unsuitable, which gives a good overall balance to the action. That being said, the film does suffer periodic lulls and falls prey to cliche with underwritten and stereotypical gangsters but it’s the rapport between Gyllenhaal and Peña that keep the film interesting and involving. Both deliver solid performances and their exchanges of dialogue are entirely believable and, at times, genuinely humorous.

The steady-cam now makes it’s way into the mainstream with some financial backing and familiar faces involved. It may irritate some but ultimately adds a sense of realism that’s required for the material. Once you accept the conceit, the rest is an intense, visceral and action filled movie.

Mark Walker

33 Comments »

Dawn Of The Dead * * * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Horror, thriller with tags 1978 on November 28, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: George A. Romero.
Screenplay: George A. Romero.
Starring: Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, David Emge, Gaylen Ross, Tom Savini, David Crawford, David Early.

In 1968, director George A. Romero made his directorial debut with the – now infamous – zombie horror film “Night Of The Living Dead“. At the time, it was considered the ultimate gore-fest and has since spawned numerous imitations. Not many have achieved the same standard of that classic zombie movie but Romero himself released this follow-up, ten years later, in 1978 and arguably, it’s as good as (if not better than) his debut.

The epidemic of zombies, who have risen from the dead and are now walking the earth, continues as four survivors of the zombie plague take refuge in a deserted shopping mall. They decide to stay longer than they thought and try to hatch a plan to escape somehow but with the arrival of a gang of militant bikers their security is compromised.

Less of a sequel and more of a remake to “Night Of The Living Dead“, this film benefits from an ingenious and very memorable conceit; four people barricaded in a huge shopping mall while the undead lurk and prey outside. It allows itself to be an allegory of consumerism with a clever and highly satirical approach. It contains an occasional humorous nature but the overall terrifying premise is never compromised. Some of this humour even comes unintentionally, due to it’s cheap budget and sub-par special effects – the blood used looks like vibrant, red, children’s poster paint. However, the low budget only adds to the overall authentic feel and despite it bordering on the ridiculous, Romero’s skill still shines through. His use of tension is excellently delivered, simply by using an extensive series of cuts. Each action sequence is edited in such a way that it is nothing less than highly skilful filmmaking and with Romero assuming both director and editor credits, he deserves the utmost respect. A more sophisticated audience may balk or snicker at the budgetary constraints and abysmal acting but really, it doesn’t matter. The material is so good and handled with such skill that it overshadows any lack of worth or imperfections.

In this particular sub-genre, bad acting and bad effects would normally make for a bad movie but in this instance, that’s not the case. Romero is a master of his craft and this is evidence enough to prove so. Hugely enjoyable, and one of the best, post-apocalyptic, zombie flicks.

Mark Walker

39 Comments »

TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on November 26, 2012 by Mark Walker

1: George Clooney’s first steady TV role was as a character named Ace in the 1984 medical sitcom, (coincidentally named) “E/R” that was based in Chicago and co-starred Elliott Gould, Mary McDonnell and Jason Alexander. Ten years later it would take another TV series “ER” (also based in Chicago) to finally launch him to stardom.

2: Leonardo DiCaprio was the first choice for Col. Hans Landa in “Inglorious Basterds” but Quentin Tarantino then decided that a German-speaking actor should play the part. Christoph Waltz eventually got the part. The two actors would later appear together in “Django Unchained“.

3: Not only did Buster Keaton do all his own stunts, but, when needed, he acted as a stunt double for other actors in the films.

4: There are only 5 actors to achieve 4 consecutive Oscar nominations. They are: Jennifer Jones (1943-46), Thelma Ritter (1950-53), Marlon Brando (1951-54), Elizabeth Taylor (1957-60) and Al Pacino (1972-75).

5: “The Evil Dead” director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell were friends from high school, where they made many super-8 films together. They would often collaborate with Sam’s brother Ted Raimi. Campbell became the “actor” of the group, as “he was the one that girls wanted to look at.”

6: Harrison Ford nominated River Phoenix to play him as a teenager in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade“. When describing how he prepared for playing the role, Phoenix explained that he didn’t really base his portrayal on the Indiana Jones character, but on Harrison Ford. So he observed Ford out of character before acting his part.

7: Vincent D’Onofrio gained 70 pounds for his role as Pvt. Pyle in “Full Metal Jacket“, breaking Robert DeNiro’s movie weight-gain record (60 pounds) for “Raging Bull“. It took him seven months to put the weight on and nine months to take it off with physical training.

8: Three former friends of director Richard Linklater – Bobby Wooderson, Andy Slater, and Richard “Pink” Floyd – sued him for the unauthorized use of their names and images in the film “Dazed and Confused” and for their representation as stoners, which they said, damaged their reputation. The characters were played by Matthew McConaughey, Rory Cochrane and Jason London respectively.

9: The character of Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop” was originally going to be played by Mickey Rourke or Sylvester Stallone. Rourke passed on it and Stallone left the project and used some of his script ideas to make “Cobra“. Other actors who were considered for the role were Al Pacino and James Caan before Eddie Murphy finally took over.

10: The presence of oranges in all three of “The Godfather” movies indicates that a death or an assassination attempt will soon happen. A few examples are: The Senator is framed for murder after playing with oranges at the Corleone house; Johnny Ola brings an orange into Michael’s office before the attempt on Michael’s life; Fanucci eats an orange just before he is gunned down and Michael is eating an orange while plotting to kill Roth; Hagen and Woltz negotiate Johnny Fontane’s position at a table with a bowl of oranges on it, and later Woltz discovers his horse’s severed head; Don Corleone buys oranges right before he is shot; Sonny drives past an advertisement for Florida Oranges before he is assassinated; at the Mafioso summit, bowls of oranges are placed on the tables (specifically in front of those Dons who will be assassinated); before Don Corleone dies, he puts an orange peel in his mouth to playfully scare his grandson.

So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…

(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)

32 Comments »

Wanted * * * *

Posted in Action, Fantasy with tags 2008 on November 25, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Timur Bekmambetov.
Screenplay: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan.
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Marc Warren, Common, Kristen Hager, David Patrick O’Hara.

Action is not normally a genre I’m drawn to but when it’s done without reservation, I can completely enter into it. I, normally, find that the genre always goes a little too far. That being the case, if your going to go far you night as well go all out and be as innovative as you possibly can. This can certainly claim to do that.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a bored and downtrodden office worker who gets bullied by his boss while his best friend is sleeping with his girlfriend. His life is a shambles. That is, until he is approached out of the blue by the mysterious Fox (Angelina Jolie), a highly trained assassin who is part of a secret society called the Fraternity. Wesley’s father was also a member and now that he’s recently deceased, Wesley is heir to the skills of a master hitman and the Fraternity bring him onboard.

In his first English language feature, director Timur Bekmambetov brings the similar style from his Russian vampire movies “Night Watch” and “Day Watch” and proves that he’s a director that can certainly stage an action scene or two. There are cars that do 360 degree flips, people that leap from skyscrapers, bullets that collide with each other mid-air and even ones that bend round corners, buy hey, it’s based on a comic-book by Mark Millar (also responsible for “Kick Ass“) so anything goes right? The action scenes are sublimely hyper-stylised and delivered with a breathtakingly fast pace. It also stages a lot of the action in glorious slow-motion, encapsulating the moment and allowing the audience the wallow and appreciate even further.
To begin with, the film may instil a certain deja-vu as it borrows heavily from “Fight Club” in it’s premise of a disheartened man, in a dead end job, that finds a new lease of life. Mainly what it incorporates though, is the balletic skills of Hong Kong action maestro John Woo and the gravity defying works of “The Matrix“. Quite simply, it’s ludicrous stuff but riotously enjoyable all the same.
McAvoy struggles a little with an American accent but for the most part he’s good and his performance captures both a sense of humour and an impressive and convincing action ability. A heavily tattooed and vampish Angelina Jolie also gets her fair share of action moments, all-be-it, without much in the way of dialogue. As good as they are though, this is not a film that spends a lot of time or focus on character development. It’s an action movie that doesn’t pretend to be anything else and is all the better for it.

Visually astounding with a breakneck pace that rarely let’s up. It’s exciting, innovative and enjoyable, but most of all it’s fun. Exactly how an action movie should be delivered.

Mark Walker

44 Comments »

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama, Romance with tags 2012 on November 22, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Lorene Scafaria.
Screenplay: Lorene Scafaria.
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Martin Sheen, William L. Petersen, Adam Brody, Derek Luke, Rob Corddry, Connie Britton, Melanie Lynskey, T. J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, Gillian Jacobs, Amy Schumer, Rob Huebel, Bob Stephenson.

Maybe it’s to do with the 2012 Mayan prophecy but over the last couple of years, there seems to have been a recent fad of ‘end of days‘ movies. So far, we’ve had Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia“, David Mackenzie’s “Perfect Sense“, Mike Cahill’s “Another Earth” and now this. Of the four though, I’d have to say that this is the weakest.

A 70 mile-wide asteroid named Mathilda is on a collision course with Earth with attempts to divert it thwarted. Earth will be obliterated in 3 weeks. Throughout this time, Dodge (Steve Carell) and his British next-door neighbour Penny (Keira Knightley) strike up an unusual friendship and embark on a road trip that should suit them both. Dodge wants to track down the real love of his life and Penny wants to get back to Britain to spend her remaining days with her family. Along the way though, things don’t turn out exactly as planned.

The major problem with this film is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be; it starts off with some sharp observational and gallows humour but doesn’t manage to be a laugh out loud comedy. It then delivers a serious dramatic tone – while pitching in elements of science fiction – which, surprisingly, bog it down in tediousness from which it never recovers. The genre in which it is most suited is romantic-comedy but the characters are dull and their situations even more so. It also suffers from an extreme lack of pace. You’d think that a film that delivers a premise of the entire earth having 21 days to live would have a bit of urgency about it. You’d also be forgiven for expecting some ridiculous ‘bucket list’ scenarios but it simply doesn’t provide them, despite threatening to on occasion. There are sporadic moments where it promises to get it’s groove back but ultimately falls into a slow and meandering cross country love story that, for the most part, is dreadfully uneventful.
Steve Carell is starting to annoy me in these kind of tragic, everyman, loner roles and I’m not a fan of the snobby Keira Knightley at all; I can’t get over the fact that she always comes across as if she was born with a silver spoon up her arse. There are some welcome appearances from the likes of Martin Sheen (who needn’t have bothered) Patton Oswalt and William L. Petersen – the latter in particular getting a much needed humorous scene involving the expected appearance of a hitman. It’s little moments like this that make the film all the more frustrating; it shows glimmers of great potential but doesn’t stick to what it does best and ends up being tedious and melancholic. After all this has (finally) passed by, the film almost redeems itself at the end with a lovely and touching moment between the protagonists but by then, it’s too little too late.

Despite not being a massive fan of the two leads, I was intrigued by the films premise. That being said, any potential it had was floundered by delivering scene after scene of mind-numbing emptiness.

Mark Walker

34 Comments »

My Movie Alphabet.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on November 21, 2012 by Mark Walker

This is my third blogathon this year and it’s yet another good one. It was started by Mettel Ray as you can see from the image above and you can find a little more info by visiting here.
The aim is to work through the alphabet with anything film related; The first one will begin with a number and then A-Z after that. It’s a little more tricky than you’d imagine as some favourites need to be left out. Not everyone can make the cut but honourable mentions are given also. Anyway, here goes with my alphabet that hopefully, reflects my taste in movies.

#:
12 Monkeys.

Under the watchful eye and Imaginarium of Terry Gilliam, is this fantastic, time-travel, Sci-Fi gem. Based on the short French film “La Jetee” and written by “Blade Runner” scribe David Webb Peoples. It also boasts career best performances from Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis.

(others I thought of) 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1900, 12 Angry Men.

A:
Amelie.

For the ultimate, heart-warming, feel good movie, Amelie is second to none. It also happens to be a highly artistic, creative and visual spectacle. That, and Audrey Tautou is adorable in the title role.

(others I thought of) Al Pacino, Angel Heart, Aliens, Alfred Hitchcock.

B:
The Big Lebowski.

Intelligent and meticulous comedies don’t come much better than this. Every character and line of dialogue is delivered to perfection. It has a solid cult following for a reason and remains one of the few films that gets better with every viewing.

(others I thought of) Blade Runner, Bill Murray, Boogie Nights.

C:
The Coen Brothers.

The bros. have never made a bad film in my opinion and rank as the most consistent and reliable of director’s. They’ve stumbled on occasion (“The Ladykillers“) but still always bring something fresh and unique to the screen.

(others I thought of) City Of God, Children Of Men, John Carpenter.

D:
Daniel Day-Lewis.

Day-Lewis is, quite simply, one of the greatest actors to ever grace the screen. His commitment to every role is matched only by the class of DeNiro. It’s always a pleasure to see what he brings to a role.

(others I thought of) Drive, David Lynch, The Darjeeling Limited, Dog Day Afternoon, The Dude.

E:
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

Or, the ‘Elaborate Complexity Of The Kaufman Mind‘. A stunning piece of work from the wonders of writer Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry. It could also, arguably, possess the best work from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. A heartbreakingly surreal, near masterpiece.

F:
Fight Club.

A massive ‘Fuck You’ to capitalism and the establishment. Very few mainstream films are as daring and as well constructed as this is. Another film to boast one of Brad Pitt’s finest characters and to have him coupled with Edward Norton is stuff of cinema gold.

(others I thought of) Fargo. Francis Ford Coppola.

G:
Goodfellas.

One of the true, great, mafia films which might not be as grand as Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” but works equally as well on a more domestic and personal level. It was difficult to chose between them but had to go with Scorsese’s (for now).

(others I thought of) The Godfather parts I & II, Glengarry Glen Ross, Gary Oldman, George Clooney.

H:
Harold & Maude.

One of the most unconventional love stories you’re likely to see. Full of quirky humour and touching moments and has two excellent lead performances in Burt Cort and Ruth Gordon. A cult favourite.

(others I thought of) Harvey Keitel.

I:
Indiana Jones.

Does anything really need to be explained about this iconic, whip-cracking character? I think not! Marvellous stuff and the perfect example of cinema as sheer entertainment.

(others I thought of) Inception, Inland Empire.

J:
Jeff Bridges.

Highly underrated actor that had received 4 Oscar nominations over nearly 40 years before eventually winning one for “Crazy Heart“. He followed his win up the following year with another (his fifth) nomination. Always reliable and he’s also responsible for embodying The Dude.

(others I thought of) Jack Nicholson, Jackie Brown.

K:
Ken Loach.

For authentic, working-class or political cinema, I can’t see past the great director Ken Loach. He works with minimal budgets and mostly untrained actors and his results are always raw and realistic.

(others I thought of) Killer Joe, Kill Bill.

L:
L.A. Confidential.

As a big fan of crime-writer James Ellroy, it’s a pleasure to see an adaptation of his material actually work onscreen. Credit to everyone involved and it also marked a big step into the limelight for Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.

(others I thought of) Lars von Trier.

M:
Memento.

Christopher Nolan seems to have made a bigger impression on the movie-going public with “Inception” and his “Dark Knight” trilogy but it was in his early days with Memento that his class really showed. A sublime, labyrinthine modern noir with more twists and turns than you shake a stick at.

(others I thought of) Martin Scorsese, Miller’s Crossing, Mickey Rourke.

N:
No Country For Old Men.

Finally, the Coen brothers got their hands on well deserved Best Director Oscars for their work on Cormac McCarthy’s neo-western. Dark, gripping and boasts a villain to remember in Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh – who’s weapon of choice is a hydraulic cattle-gun. One of the Coens’ finest.

(others I thought of) Christopher Nolan.

O:
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.

Radical points of view and anti-establishment voices were rife in the
60’s/70’s. Very few films or characters captured this as well as Cuckoo’s Nest or it’s protagonist Randall Patrick McMurphy. Jack Nicholson is on scintillating form and the film remains only one of three that have won all top 5 Oscars.

(others I thought of) Once Upon A Time In America.

P:
Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Versatile actor that always brings a real depth to his characters. Each and every one of his performances, no matter how small, are powerful character studies. Possibly the best of the modern generation of actors.

(others I thought of) Pulp Fiction, Paul Thomas Anderson, Paddy Considine, Pedro Almodovar.

Q:
Quentin Tarantino.

Tarantino managed to change the face of cinema in the early 90’s and he done it by merging lots of others’ work into his own idiosyncratic style. Some believed him to be a flash in the pan but Quentin is just as strong now as he ever was and very few director’s have as much anticipation on the release of a new film.

(others I thought of) Jesus Quintana.

R:
Robert DeNiro.

In my humble opinion, DeNiro is the finest actor that we’ve ever had. There are not many (if any) who can claim to have worked with such an abundance of top class directors and do it year after year. Now, he may not be reaching the heights he once did but there’s no denying the presence that DeNiro brings onscreen or the iconic roles he’s brought over the years.

(others I thought of) Reservoir Dogs, Robert Carlyle, River Phoenix.

S:
Steve McQueen.

To kill two birds with the one stone, and allow me to mention two of my favourite films, I’ve chosen the director of both of them. “Hunger” and “Shame” are two very fine pieces of work and McQueen’s collaborations with their leading actor also allows me to bring special mention to the brave and highly talented Michael Fassbender.

(others I thought of) Sergio Leone, Stanley Kubrick, Sean Penn, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, Se7en.

T:
Trainspotting.

Before the heights of an Oscar for “Slumdog Millionaire“, director Danny Boyle tackled the ‘unfilmable’ novel by Irvine Welsh about the Edinburgh drug scene. Most of the actors have went on to bigger things but their performances here are still career highlights. Robert Carlyle as the violent psychopath Begbie, is especially memorable.

(others I thought of) The Thin Red Line, The Tree Of Life, Terrence Malick.

U:
The Usual Suspects.

With one of the finest twists in cinema history, it would be very difficult not to include this. Director Bryan Singer has never quite managed to emulate his success here but it’s a film that lasts long in the memory and another that is always mentioned and referenced.

V:
Vic Vega.

Since I’ve struggled to include “Reservoir Dogs“, I’ll include the most memorable character from the film; Michael Madsen’s sadistic portrayal of Mr. Blonde aka Vic Vega is completely unforgettable and instantly went down as an iconic piece of cinema with his ear-slicing jig to Steeler’s Wheel’s, Stuck In The Middle With You.

W:
Wes Anderson.

It’s a delight to have such a quirky and creative director working in film these days. No-one makes films quite like Anderson and he’s a director that I genuinely get excited about upon the news of a new project. Love or loathe him, there’s no mistaking his idiosyncratic style.

(others I thought of) Tom Waits, Wild At Heart, Waking Life.

X:
The X-Files.

For want of a better choice, I had to go with this. Not because the films were great but the tv series that spawned them was absolutely fantastic. Mulder and Scully are also two characters that have easily entered popular culture.

Y:
Y Tu Mama Tambien.

A great little Mexican, coming-of-age, road-movie that introduced me to the excellent talents of director Alfonso Cauron and actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna.

(others I thought of) Yojimbo.

Z:
Zodiac.

The second film to appear from director David Fincher. Choosing anything involving the letter “Z” doesn’t leave a whole lot of choice but I haven’t picked this because I was limited. It is genuinely a magnificent film and one of my favourites from Fincher. It makes a great companion piece to his other, more visceral, serial-killer thriller “Se7en“.

(others I thought of) Zombieland.

So there you have it. My Movie Alphabet that hopefully gives you better idea of my tastes. To view others who have taken part in the blogathon go here

Mark Walker.

45 Comments »

TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on November 19, 2012 by Mark Walker

1: The iconic picture of Sean Connery as James Bond holding his Walther PPK pistol is, in fact, not entirely true. The weapon he is holding in the photo is just an air pistol. The real Walther PPK never showed up for the photo shoot so Connery had to make do with the air gun instead.

2: Before Andrew Garfield was announced for the lead part in “The Amazing Spiderman“, Taylor Lautner, Josh Hutcherson, Robert Pattinson, Jamie Bell, Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, Alden Ehrenreich, Zac Efron, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Xavier Samuel, Jim Sturgess, Anton Yelchin and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were also considered to play the lead role.

3: In an early draft of “The Big Lebowski” script, The Dude’s source of income was revealed. He was an heir to the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube. It was Joel Coen’s idea to drop this and never say.

4: After “The Lord Of The Rings“, eight of the nine members of the Fellowship got a small tattoo of the word “nine” spelled out in Tengwar, which is the Elvish script created by writer J.R.R. Tolkien. They got it at a tattoo parlor in Wellington, New Zealand, to commemorate the experience of the movie. The ninth member, John Rhys-Davies, declined and sent his stunt double in his place. Elijah Wood’s tattoo is on his lower stomach. Sean Astin and Billy Boyd have the tattoo on their ankles (to commemorate all those hours in the hobbit feet). Orlando Bloom, who plays the archer elf Legolas, has his on his forearm. His tattoo is visible during a fight scene in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl“. Ian McKellen’s is on his shoulder. Dominic Monaghan’s is on his shoulder. And the eighth member, Sean Bean, has his tattoo on his right shoulder. Viggo Mortensen has his tattoo on his left shoulder. It is visible on some pictures from the movie “Eastern Promises”

5: Before “Carlito’s Way“, film producer Elliott Kastner filed a lawsuit against Al Pacino for allegedly backing out of a deal to star in a film as Carlito Brigante with Marlon Brando as Davie Kleinfeld (the Sean Penn role). The suit was eventually dropped.

6: Joaquin Phoenix was offered the role of Derek Vinyard in “American History X” but found the subject matter of the film distasteful and passed on the project. Edward Norton then took on the role and gained a second Academy Award nomination for his work.

7: In “Casino“, Robert DeNiro always held his cigarettes the same distance from the lit end so that their lengths never appear to change. This was to avoid the continuity problems that accompany a chain-smoking movie character.

8: Both Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman were trained at the Pasadena Playhouse. During their time there, they were voted “Least likely to succeed” but proved them wrong in 1967 when they got their big breaks: Hackman in “Bonnie and Clyde” and Hoffman in “The Graduate“.

9: Vivien Leigh, who suffered from bipolar disorder in real life, later had difficulties in distinguishing her real life from that of Blanche DuBois, the character she played in “A Streetcar Named Desire“.

10: Before Keanu Reeves was cast in “Speed“, various actors were offered the role of Jack and reportedly turned it down: George Clooney, Stephen Baldwin, William Baldwin, Johnny Depp, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Keaton, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Jeff Bridges. The film was originally written with the intention that Bridges would play Jack and Ellen DeGeneres would play Annie (Sandra Bullock’s role). DeGeneres was initially chosen because the role of Annie was going to be a comedic role opposite the serious role of Jack.

So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…

(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)

58 Comments »

Red, White & Blue * * *

Posted in Drama, Horror with tags 2010 on November 15, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Simon Rumley.
Screenplay: Simon Rumley.
Starring: Noah Taylor, Amanda Fuller, Marc Senter, Jon Michael Davis, Patrick Crovo, Nick Holden, Mary Mathews.

I’m not a fan of unnecessary violence in movies but when it’s delivered in a psychological fashion like Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” or possibly Shane Meadows’ “Dead Man’s Shoes” then I can certainly go with it and respect the skill of the filmmaker. This shares some similarities with those aforementioned films but ultimately became far too savage and obstinate for me to fully appreciate.

Erica (Amanda Fuller) is promiscuous Texan woman who has frequent, casual sexual relations with different men and completely indiscriminate in her choice of partners. One night she meets Iraqi Vet, Nate (Noah Taylor) and strikes up a genuine affection and friendship. However, Erica goes missing one day and Nate decides to look for her which uncovers some wrong doing and also brings out a sociopathic nature in the seemingly gentle Veteran.

A film of two halves: The first, slow and methodical as it builds the relationships between the characters. During this time, it’s filled with empty and loveless sexual encounters. It has a deliberate pace that may lose the interest of some viewers during this time. However, the second half of the film picks up the pace considerably and relentlessly. It’s filled with violence and retribution and falls into torture porn territory with a frighteningly realistic and ambiguous performance from Noah Taylor. It’s a shift in tone I wasn’t fully prepared for and, as a result, found it a little hard to stomach. This is saying something, as just days before, I had sat down to the dark and disturbing William Friedkin film “Killer Joe” and enjoyed it immensely. The content of that movie was was no picnic (in more ways than one) but this film outstripped even that in terms of it’s lasting and unsettling effect. If I had fully known what I was getting into with this, I’d probably have avoided it. That being said, I can’t fault the construction and skill of director Simon Rumley on his pervading sense of dread or commentary on modern America but the resultant material just isn’t for me. The most interesting aspect is seeing Noah Taylor flex his acting chops in a style that we’re unaccustomed to and proves that despite still being relatively undervalued, he’s a very fine actor.

A stark and uncompromising film that’s very well handled but when it’s disturbing and violent nature takes hold, the content is very tough going. Be aware, there’s a good chance this film will linger long after viewing it.

Mark Walker

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TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on November 12, 2012 by Mark Walker

1: Michael Keaton’s real name is, in fact, Michael Douglas. He had to change his name when he began acting because there was already a Michael Douglas in movies. While he uses a stage name, he has never legally changed his name to Keaton. Michael Douglas’ name, on the other-hand, is actually of Russian descent, his father Kirk’s real name is Issur Danielovitch Demsky. So in essence, there is only one Michael Douglas and that’s Keaton.

2: Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz were the first actors who got an offer to appear in the film “The Lovely Bones” which would have been their second collaboration together (after “The Fountain“). However, while Weisz accepted her part, Jackman had to turn his down. Ryan Gosling was cast instead, although he would drop out as well due to creative differences. Gosling had gained 20 pounds and grew a beard for the role but three days before the shooting started he was replaced by Mark Wahlberg.

3: During the production of “Dumbo” there was a long and bitter animators strike, in which half of the studio’s staff walked out. Some of the strikers are caricatured as the clowns who go to “hit the big boss for a raise“.

4: Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Steve McQueen and Burt Lancaster all claimed to have turned the film “Dirty Harry” down. Initially, Warner Bros. wanted either Sydney Pollack or Irvin Kershner to direct. Kershner was eventually hired when Frank Sinatra was set to star, but when Sinatra dropped out, so too did Kershner.

5: All the principal actors of “Saving Private Ryan” underwent several days of grueling army training – except for Matt Damon, who was spared so that the other actors would resent him, and would convey that resentment in their performances.

6: When originally released in the UK a number of town councils imposed a complete ban on the showing of the film “The Exorcist“. This led to the bizarre spectacle of “Exorcist Bus Trips” where enterprising travel companies organised buses to take groups to the nearest town where the film was showing.

7: Groucho Marx died three days after Elvis Presley. Unfortunately, due to the furor over the former’s death, the media paid little attention to the passing of this comic genius.

8: For the infamous orgasm scene in “When Harry Met Sally“, the original script called for just Harry and Sally to talk about women faking an orgasm, until Meg Ryan suggested that Sally actually fake an orgasm at the table. Rob Reiner loved the idea and put it into the script.

9: In 1969, after the success of “2001: A Space Odyssey“, Kubrick turned to one of his life-long obsessions into a motion picture screenplay – Napoleon. The script would have required an extremely large budget to be made into a film, and it was all on its way well into pre-production, when the studio suddenly decided to pull the plug after another big-budget biopic on the life of Napoleon, “Waterloo“, failed financially. Kubrick, angry and depressed that his film was canceled, would later in his career (and even in the production of other films) attempt to get the project back on its feet with different companies over the years. The requirements needed would have been to write a completely new screenplay, and Kubrick, feeling he couldn’t match the masterpiece that was his original draft, dropped the project.

10: As an amateur boxer, Mickey Rourke put together a streak of 12 straight Knockouts. He became a professional boxer in 1991 and went under the nickname “El Marielito“. He retired in 1995 undefeated, after boxing a draw with “Irish” Sean Gibbons in Florida in 1994. It was during this sporting time that Rourke required surgery on many facial reconstructions that have left him looking the way he is now.

So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…

(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)

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LAMB of the Month

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2012 on November 6, 2012 by Mark Walker

Hello fellow bloggers, I trust that the world of blogging is treating you well? I have to admit that it has certainly put a little smile on my ugly moosh. Now, this isn’t a post that I’m used to delivering but I hope it’s something that I will be doing on a regular basis. It may also seem like small potatoes to some but it leaves me with such a warm feeling all over that I could sit and hug myself all day.
If truth be told, I was getting a little burned out with my blog as regular activity and input over the last month or so began to get on top a bit. Since the beginning of October I’ve been involved in my very good friend Ruth’s Blogathon from her site FlixChatter called “Small Roles Big Performances“. After that, I continued to deliver several, consistent film reviews and right through the month I managed to keep it going. I was involved in a couple of fun and interesting collaborations with another friend, Eric, who runs The IPC with his suggestion of a “double-take” on films like “Escape from New York” and “Leon“. Throughout all this, I was still (somehow) able to watch and compile my own personal work for Marked Movies and deliver reviews on an eclectic mix of genres; Horror isn’t something I’d normally be drawn too but I even attempted that and my good friend and colleague Michael who runs the site It Rains… You Get Wet seen it fit to include me in his excellent post Halloween Sundries on the Eve. Over at Head In A Vice, I’ve also been involved in Tyson’s enticing and forthcoming discussion of a certain movie (that I won’t disclose at present) involving four different bloggers. Yes, it’s been a busy month and I could go on and on here but ultimately I’m trying to shed some light onto the ultimate movie site that entices all of us bloggers. Yes… I’m speaking of “The Lamb” (The Large Association of Movie Blogs). If you haven’t heard of it… you should’ve! If you aren’t a member of it… you should be! Quite simply, it’s all under the watchful eye of film enthusiasts like ourselves and, in not so many words, a big thanks goes out to the man with the plan, the eye in the sky, Joel Burman, who has seen it fit to bestow me with Lamb of Month.

I can’t thank Joel enough and it’s little moments of recognition like this that make all the time and effort worthwhile. You can follow Joel personally on twitter @joelburman. Also, a big thank you goes out to everyone who’s been stopping by my site and taking the time to comment and include me in their own sites. I may have missed some people out here and for that I apologise but you all know who you are anyway. Thanks again. Onwards and upwards my friends.