February 2013
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‘A Serbian Film’, (‘Srpski Film’), 2010, cert 18,...
Seen 30/01/13
Ultimately, this is a horror film about porn, suggesting that beneath its cheeky, trashy facade lurks the darker side of human nature.
According to the director, this is also about the literal rape of the Serbian national identity. The horrors depicted reflect local war crimes that the film’s creators grew up watching on the news. Spasojević also claims to be challenging...
January 2013
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“Study a packed cross-Channel ferry if you want to see a modern ship of fools....”
– Julian Barnes, ‘Flaubert’s Parrot’, 1984. Another less grand but thoroughly accurate summary of humanity and the observant writer. I have no idea who Boudin is, by the way.
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“Amongst those who go to sea there are the navigators who discover new worlds,...”
– Gustave Flaubert, 1845. Probably no better summary of the artist and the human race.
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“I don’t care much for coincidences. There’s something spooky about...”
– Julian Barnes, ‘Flaubert’s Parrot’, 1984.
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“The artist is a”loner”, a fastidious observer who will suddenly...”
– Mervyn Levy, from the introduction to ‘The Paintings of LS Lowry: oils and watercolours’, 1978, Book Club Associates, London, p. 13.
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: The Impossible depiction of foreign tragedy in... →
readhassanvawda:
The Impossible, a film that ever since I heard about it has made me uncomfortable and sad by seemingly epitomizing the condition of mainstream Western perceptions and representations of tragedy of the other. I am not arguing or questioning at all about the films technical credentials or artistic…
This is the best thing I’ve ever read on tumblr, from a friend of...
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Humans are such social creatures.
Lowry, ‘Railway Platform’, 1953, Oil on board.
Every time you enter a room, or step onto a bus or train, everyone looks at you, as if they want you to be someone else: an old friend, a new lover or just someone to talk to. They always turn away, disappointed.
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A thought.
I now think its wrong to gather your favorite books or films or albums or plays or paintings or whatever, strap them onto a tiny raft, and hunch over them as you rage against a heaving ocean of culture. We should dive into that sea, and catch all the fish we want. 08/01/13
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An announcement! Or a form of New Years...
Since everyone else appears to be doing it, I’m going to review the most memorable films that I saw in the cinema in 2012, simply because I didn’t get round to it when I did see them. There may also be other articles and reviews of other films and stuff that I didn’t get round to as well… If I get round to them.
I have also included this picture of me fighting the giant...
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'Berberian Sound Studio', 2012, cert 15, GB, dir...
Seen 06/01/13
Sometimes, you’re sure that you’ve seen a good film, and the critics say it’s good. You just can’t see why.
Toby Jones plays a British film sound technician named Gilderoy, who arrives in an Italian sound studio in 1976, where they’re recording the soundtrack for a horror. Tensions among the crew rise, and Gilderoy becomes increasingly alienated and disturbed, though...
August 2012
1 post
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'Ted', 2012, cert 15, dir Seth MacFarlane, 2/5
I don’t care what anyone says about Family Guy, American Dad or any other cartoon Seth MacFarlane’s involved in. These shows have displayed an incredible streak of savage satire combined with crude and surreal humour. So even when I saw the trailer of Ted, I felt a little let down.
Some of the MacFarlane ingredients are still there. There are moments of humour on pop culture, celebrities and mild...
July 2012
2 posts
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'The Dark Knight Rises', 2012, cert 12A, dir...
There’s one event connected to this film that highlights the danger of hype. When a Rotten Tomatoes reviewer gave The Dark Knight Rises a negative review, he received death threats from people who haven’t even seen the film. However, when the reviewer compared Dark Knight Rises to Transformers, I was inclined to agree; not that it’s that bad.
I guess the important question is: is this as good as...
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‘Moonrise Kingdom’, 2012, cert, 12A, dir Wes...
A friend of mine declared that if all films were racially categorised (like Spike Lee films are classed as black cinema) Moonrise Kingdom would be labelled in the white middle class genre. He does have a point, as this is a Wes Anderson film and most of his films would fit this label. Certainly his latest work, like all his films, glows with that warm, quirky, indie character of his which both...
June 2012
2 posts
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‘The Grey’, 2011, cert 15, dir Joe Carnahan, 2/5
This film should have been called Liam Neeson vs. wolves. Neeson portrays yet another overly serious central role as a tortured, sad eyed action hero, who, after whispering monologue over the film’s long depressing intro, ends up on a plane with some manly oil workers, which crashes in Alaska.
Once the bunch of disaster film stereotypes (including the negative idiot who annoys everyone, the black...
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‘Prometheus’, 2012, cert 15, dir Ridley Scott, 2/5...
For a prequel, this film leaves a lot unanswered. Intended as a precursor to director Ridley Scott’s other sci-fi horror Alien, a classic from 1979, the plot follows the ever familiar narrative of a band of humans setting off into space on a quest of discovery, this time to find out whether the origin of humanity was the work of aliens. Eventually, the intellectual awe gives way to brutal horror...
May 2012
1 post
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‘My pain and sadness is more sad and painful than...
Mclusky are surely one of the most underrated rock bands to have been ignored by the masses on initial release. They burst out of Cardiff during the early 2000’s and after three electrifying albums, due to unfortunate circumstances, were forced to disband.
If you like your rock music loud and raucous but with a smart, humorous edge, Mclusky are certainly for you. This is their debut, originally...
February 2012
1 post
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‘Bedtime for Democracy’, Dead Kennedys, 1986,...
The fourth and final album recorded by 1980’s American political punk band, the Dead Kennedys, ‘Bedtime for Democracy’ retains the sound and voice that always made the band stand out from their contemporaries.
The lyrics, penned mostly by singer Jello Biafra with minor contribution from other band members, are still on top form. They address almost every issue affecting American society at the...
January 2012
18 posts
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‘12 Angry Men’, 1957, cert. U, dir. Sidney Lumet,...
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This film reminded me of Reservoir Dogs and not because of any violence. The deceptively simple plot takes place in limited settings with a limited amount of nameless characters, all men in suits. These restrictions only served to increase the film’s intensity, along with superb acting and gripping dialogue.
A boy is being tried for the murder of his father. The twelve, all male members of the...
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‘9 songs’, 2004, cert. 18, dir. Michael...
This is the first film I’ve awarded zero stars since I started this blog. It seemed to do everything wrong. The only good things about it were the music performances to a degree but the fact that the performances were there still annoyed me, particularly the choice of bands, all of whom seemed to be ‘hip’ bands of the era.
All it seems to consist of are footage of rock concerts, explicit sex...
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‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, (‘Des Cabinet des...
It’s hard to write a review of this film, since due to its age and the restrictions of its time, it’s unfair to compare it to today’s film standards. The only objections I had to the film were that it’s ‘dialogue’ and plot were sometimes too simple and obvious. At the same time its Gothic themes and look were over the top; as well as it’s acting, to the point of being laughable; although that was...
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‘Coriolanus’, 2011, cert. 15, dir. Ralph Fiennes,...
Shakespeare is one of the few archaic writers I enjoy. His plays have real energy and colour and his powerful, poetic dialogue certainly shines through in this: the first film adaptation of one of his more obscure works of which I’ve never heard of but I’m glad I’ve seen.
What also makes this film unusual is that it is actor Ralph Fiennes’ directorial debut. This play adaptation is an...
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‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, 2009, cert. PG, dir. Wes...
I already read the book by Roald Dahl many years ago and I’ve seen some of Mr Anderson’s other films recently. I still enjoy memories of the book as a slightly weird tale of the trickery of woodland animals pitted against some unpleasant farmer characters, which unsurprisingly for genius Dahl had a dark, violent edge. I also enjoyed what I’ve seen of Anderson, especially the Darjeeling Limited....
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‘The Kids Are Alright’, 2010, cert. 15, dir. Lisa...
Julianne Moore and Annette Bening both play two middle aged women named Jules and Nic, a lesbian married couple living in suburban America, each of whom had a baby through artificial insemination. One is now an 18 year old girl named Joni, played by Mia Wasikowska, who is spending her last summer at home before leaving for college. She has a 15 year old brother, Laser, played by Josh Hutcherson....
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‘The Killer Inside Me’, 2010, cert 18, dir....
At first I thought I was enjoying this film and it did sound promising. Very firmly set in its environment of 1950’s small town west Texas America, the film offers some pleasantries such as period setting and dialogue, boosted by good acting, especially from Casey Affleck in the lead as a respectable, mild mannered deputy sheriff. At least, that’s what he and the film appear to be on the surface....
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‘Another Earth’, 2011, cert. 12, dir. Mike Cahill,...
There have been a significant number of independent films with an interest in the cosmos recently. Both Kaboom (2010) and Melancholia (2011) dealt with the end of the world which took place in the background to some smaller scale relationship drama. As interesting as these ideas were, none of them satisfied me, which goes for this film too.
As a second planet forms close to Earth, a young woman...
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‘Restrepo’, 2010, cert E, dir Tim Hetherington and...
Everyone should see this film. On sight this appears to follow the plot of many a war film. A platoon of American soldiers is stationed in a foreign country in one of the deadliest combat zones the US military has known. They live rough, they fight an unseen enemy, suffer casualties and the survivors go home scarred. However, this is a war film with a difference. It’s a documentary.
In 2007, a...
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‘The Libertine’, 2004, cert 18, dir Laurence...
I heard that this film came out along with the first Pirates of the Caribbean, which Mr Depp also famously starred in, and some people at the time were certain that the Libertine would be more successful. After seeing it, I’m not surprised why the opposite of affairs actually took place.
The legend that is Jonny Depp plays an equally legendary figure: John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester in 17th...
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‘Tyrannosaur’, 2011, cert. 18, dir Paddy...
I came out of this film wanting to punch someone and not in a bad way. This film produced a wide range of emotions in me, as any great example of British drama should.
Written and directed impressively by actor Paddy Considine (who I will always remember as one of the moustached detective duo in Hot Fuzz), the film follows a character named Joseph played splendidly by the rugged Peter Mullan; an...
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‘The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle’, The Sex...
I had my doubts about this record. John Lydon had left and it was recorded as a soundtrack for a film which I haven’t heard good things about. This doesn’t have the power and quality of Nevermind the Bollocks… but it’s still present on some tracks, particularly the ones where Lydon’s vocals were taken from 1976 demo recordings. His snarling vocals are still fun and catchy on punk covers of...
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December 2011
21 posts
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‘Spiderland’, Slint, 1991, Touch and Go Records,...
I came across this album in my 1001 albums… book. Reading about the album, Slint sounded interesting even if I’ve never heard of them before or heard anyone I know speak of them. However, it was probably the year that won it for me: 1991, the height of ‘alternative rock’. You had Nirvana’s Nevermind. You had the Chili Peppers breaking out. You had Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and Hole...
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‘White Light/White Heat’, The Velvet Underground,...
The first time I seriously considered listening to Velvet Underground was after reading an article on them in Uncut. They sounded like a cool band so one Christmas or birthday, their famous debut with Nico and that iconic banana cover came my way. At first, I was disappointed. I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. However, the songs grew on me and when I found out that their second album...
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‘The Football Factory’, (2004), cert 18, dir. Nick...
I’m a fan of the book by John King and what little I saw of the film led me to believe that it didn’t do the novel justice. Surprisingly, the whole film was a fair adaptation, even if it didn’t plumb all the depths, but as always a book has more freedom to go into detail. The film certainly captured the savage energy of the writing, as we follow Tommy Johnson, a young man approaching thirty who...
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What 'Edward Scissorhands' says about the mind of...
Before I start, I just have to clear this up: I really enjoy the film Edward Scissorhands. I think it’s a highly imaginative, well made and emotionally affecting modern fairy tale. But if you were to approach the movie from a psychoanalytical angle, it reveals a disturbing amount about the inner workings of its creator’s mind. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Mr Burton. He’s done some...
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‘The Ox-Bow Incident’, (1942), Cert. PG, Dir....
Westerns produced after the 1960s tend to be anti-romantic towards a traditionally romantic genre. However, it’s almost incomprehensible to think that a western produced as early as the 1940’s, when the genre was considered as little more than entertainment, could not only attack the western genre but society in general.
Starring the great Henry Fonda, the unfortunately titled Ox-Box Incident...
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Classic Albums by Classic Bands #6: Nirvana
Favourite band, favourite albums. Let’s dive in.
Nevermind (1991)
It’s almost impossible to write about this album as so much has been written about it since. Admittedly, I didn’t think much of it when I first heard it. It didn’t particularly strike me, despite the great singles present on there, but which I’ve already heard countless times. I think it must have been something to do with...
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Watchdirtyruggedzombie:
christianbalefansite:
Christian Bale killing Jared Leto scene from American Psycho
Thank you for making your way onto my dash, Patrick Bateman.
I bloody love this scene. It’s just a little bit insane. I’ve even re-enacted it on youtube x
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Classis Albums by Classic Bands #5: The Pogues
Near the end, folks! Near the end of the initial 6 music artists I’ve chosen for this series that is, which has long been delayed by work, but there are always more bands. For now, and with a touch of Christmas spirit, I’m going to review two records by one of my all time favourite bands, the Pogues.
These Anglo-Irish boys are probably most famous for that one Christmas hit single everybody...
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‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, 1946, cert. Universal,...
In a plot that has since become famous and frequently copied, we follow the life of George Bailey, a banker from a small American town, from a boy to a family man, played with feeling by the great James Stewart. As a young man, George is desperate to leave town and see the world, but he always puts his responsibilities for his family and friends first, so he ends up taking over his father’s loan...
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‘Sarah’s Key’, 2010, cert. 12, Dir. Gilles...
This was yet another one of those movies which I walked into not expecting much of and ended up being blown away by. Admittedly, I haven’t read the novel the film is based on but I can definitely vouch for the movie’s quality.
The film follows two parallel storylines. One is set in the present and centres on an American journalist named Julia Jarmond, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, who’s living...
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Fruit Presents ‘Loot’ by Joe Orton, 3rd-4th...
The only other play I’ve read by Joe Orton is Entertaining Mr Sloane, which I found disturbing but fascinating all the same. So I was expecting to experience the same feeling of repulsion when I read about this performance of another black comedy by Orton. It takes place in a Catholic household, where a woman has just died and is being grieved over by her husband. Other family members have other...
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Classic Albums by Classic Bands #4: The Pixies
Today for my fourth entry, I am going to review two masterpieces of independent rock by one of the strangest and yet, even stranger, one of the most popular bands in their field, the one and only Pixies.
What is there not to like about this band? Sure they began to lose it after their third album and their popularity has only built up to its extent after they initially broke up and once people...
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