gibberish

A remake of The Shining. Really scary.

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Cheers to Pete the Meat for pointing me in this direction.

I love Blue Monday.

I love Laurel and Hardy.

So imagine how good it would be if you could combine the two.

Well, imagine no longer.

At the back of Edinburgh Waverley opposite the Fruitmarket Gallery, said arts establishment has erected an art installation by Douglas Gordon. It’s a screening, on a bespoke screen, of The Searchers slowed down to run over a five year period because that was the timeframe over which the movie ran.

It runs 24/7 but isn’t very visible in daylight.

You’d get through a few popcorns though wouldn’t you. If you watched the whole thing, like

It’s called 5 Year Drive By (The Searchers) and I think it’s rather a good idea, if all a little silly really.

I had so been looking forward to this movie and had to bide my time to see it.

However, on a wet Monday afternoon in Glasgow my chance arrived.

PT Anderson is right up there among my favourite directors of all time with Magnolia in my top 5 films, ever! News of Daniel Day Lewis’ performance and his (as it turns out justified) favouritism for the Best Actor Oscar only added to my anticipation.

The film’s position as No. 23 EVER on IMDb’s review list (my filmic bible) meant it had to be a total classic.

So I’m afriad I have to beg to differ.

Whilst much of it amazes there is just too much indulgence in this movie. The first 20 minutes when, famously, not a word is uttered feels to me like film wank. It is overlong as well and I felt the cinematography failed to reach the top drawer; it’s simply too dark in places.

The theme of greed is interesting but it feels a bit derivative of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - the famous book of the 50’s - although I gather the inspiration was drawn from a little known novel called ‘Oil’. And there are rather too many moments where Daniel Plainview played, mostly magnificently, by Daniel Day Lewis, is symbolised as the Devil incarnate sheathed in shards of flame and plumes of smoke. OK PT, we get it…

The context in which this greed is acted out is Oil Boom America (the first third of the last century). It centres around an oil prospector’s run ins with an unnamed fundamentalist Christian outback church.

The parallels between Bush and Iraq are not difficult to see.

Whilst the congregation may be innocent worshippers, the relationship between the young pastor (Dano) and Plainview, is the real axis of the movie and it meets with mixed results. Partly because Dano’s performance is not 100% convincing. Close, but no cigar.

Indeed the denoument was, I thought, verging on the absurd.

Daniel Day Lewis’ descent into madness is well observed and he manages to avoid the excesses of Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York. However, having seen most of the big movies of the year his was probably the best male lead performance - although I felt Ellen Page in Juno and Javier Bardem in A Country For Old Men were better, purer, more believable constructs.

Which brings me to my final point. The Coen’s movie beats it hand down on every level except for the score, which is stunning.

Jonny Greenwood was responsible and this is the standout moment…

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Verdict?  7/10.  (Still an A in old money, but I was expecting a straight 10)

This is a bit different. A modern take on folk as a kind of folk supergroup. They could have called themselves Sky Ba’tat!

Led by Martin and Eliza Carthy and featuring Sheila Chandra, Benjamin Zephania, Paul Weller, Trans-Global Underground, Billy Bragg, The Copper Family and Tuung it maybe shouldn’t work, but it does.

However, even though it’s a new take on folk if you don’t like folk you won’t like this. If you’re ambivalent it might just swing it for you.

They are The Imagined Village. What’s most interesting is when they meld olde English Folk with ‘World Rythms’ so that the percussion can be really interesting and exciting, particularly on the song “Cold Haily Rainy Night.”

The other thing that’s heavily rotating on the car stereo is the soundtrack from Juno featuring a bunch of quirky off-beat stuff. “A bit kooky” would, I suppose, sum it up and no better demo of that is the Velvet Underground’s “I’m sticking with you” which is, for those of you that know it, is not typical Velvets.

In addition it features Dearest by Buddy Hololy which is really rather good and A Well Respected Man by The Kinks, thereafter you’re into Belle and Sebastian territory with a couple of contributions (Expectations and Piazza. New York Catcher). But the real backbone of the album is a bunch of college bands from the US that I’ve never heard of but would like to find out more, principally Kimya Dawson, but also Barry Louis Polisar, Antsy Pants and The Moldy Peaches.

Here’s some Kimya…

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It’s all good fun, feelgood stuff.

Well worth a tenner.

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My blog has been infected by Eldon Tyrell wannabees. (See he’s at it again comments.)

One is an asswipe (although I must admit I hadn’t copped the Bladerunner reference at first and I was probably being bated, so maybe he’s actually a great wit).

The other is my pal, agent provocateur and known asswipe, Rob Morrice, feebly attempting to pass himself off as Mr T. For those of you who work for a living it’s probably too much to either keep up with or care about. For the rest of us (me) it’s rather amusing.

The question is; Do sheep have electric dreams?

Gosh.

I’ve just seen back to back breathtakingly good movies (No country for old men and this) and I’ve got “There will be blood” to come.  This is a vintage movie year, make no mistake. There will be no embarrasement like “Crash” in 2008’s Oscars (The Scottish remake is “Pish”)

It was really interesting that every award at the BAFTAs last week seemed justified and yet Atonement’s first award of the night was “Best Film”.

Made sense to me.

They say it’s all in the writing; and of course it is.  Of course it is - because that’s where the ideas lie.

Juno is quite extraordinarily written by this year’s original screenplay Oscar winner (if not I will eat my hat) Diablo Cody - great name by the way: well written.

The script apparently has a bit of an autobiographical streak to it but who cares really because this script hums, zings, kerpows, shocks, amazes.

It is the best written movie I can remember.   I don’t buy that old school Casablanca was genius approach - because I think the writing was wooden - hence the acting.

The Coen’s movie from last week (which is brilliantly directed and acted) is largely lifted from McCarthy’s novel, so that maybe doesn’t compete as a “script”.

Juno, the film and the character, is ascerbic in the extreme, but that is where the film’s second great quality kicks in - Ellen Page.

In the hands of a lesser actress this would have turned into a vitriolic, acidic, bitchlike performance.  Instead it is funny, charming and endearing.  She too has a chance of an Oscar (I’ve not seen Julie Christie, so can’t comment, and as much as I loved Keira Knightley’s Atonement performance I do believe this is superior.)

This film is much funnier than I expected and when I say funny I don’t just mean “funny”, I mean “Dad, shut up you’re the loudest person in the cinema.” funny. (Said Tom.)  In a completely different way it is as funny as Borat.

And that’s funny.

I laughed out loud 20 times.  That makes good value for money in my book.

But it is also poignant, beautiful, well observed and has the kick-assest soundtrack you could ever conjure up from the fey fraternity, led by the likes of Belle and Sebastian who feature twice.  I will (sadly) buy the soundtrack (as will Kenneth Fowler).

Sorry to be so unoriginal but it really is another 9 out of 10 movie.

It really is.

I have to confess from the outset to something of an on-off respect for Tim Burton. Whilst I loved the Nightmare before Christmas I was ambivalent about most of his other work and genuinely disliked The Corpse Bride and Beetlejuice. I am no great fan of Depp’s either. Nevertheless, I am a huge fan of the whole Sweeney Todd story and Stephen Sondhiem’s masterpiece on stage had the potential, as raw material, to raise Mr Burton’s stock in my eyes. But only if he got it right.

He did.

Sweeney Todd is essentially an opera, not even a musical. It features wall to wall singing with what is hardly a stellar cast of musical talent: Rickman, Bonham-Carter, Depp, Baren - Cohen (Hilarious as the Italian Barber) and Timothy Spall are not exactly renowned in the hit parade. Fear not though. There is barely a bum note to be heard. The great thing about Sondhiem’s majestic score is that it’s not so much the technical singing ability as the passion, insight and energy that makes his music and stunning lyrics come to life. Add to that sublime art direction and cinematography and you have yourself a bleak gorefest full of humour and pathos.

“There will be blood” I assumed. There was.

Burton, for me, styles films as much as he directs them, but one cannot argue with the quality of performance he ekes out of his other half (Helena Bonham Carter). Mrs Lovett, the pie shop owner and Sweeney Todd fancier, is every bit as important a character as Sweeney himself and much of the film focuses on Bonham’s adoration sadly, for her, reciprocated by an equal and opposite dismissal by Depp.

The comedy is glorious too and Timothy Spall makes a lovely, grisly sidekick (the Beadle) to Alan Rickman’s gloriously camped up Judge Turpin. Sacha Baron- Cohen’s cameo appearance as Senor Adolfo Pirelli is laugh out loud.

If you think you dislike opera make one exception in your life and see Sweeney Todd. As my 13 year old son would say… It’s a beast.

This is a very complex film to decode and review. Because the politics are tough.

Should one shout for the Americans when we know just how bullying and, frankly, evil they are as he world’s only superpower?

Should we castigate the Ruskies for (at the time of the events) being equally obnoxious?

Should we feel sorry for the put upon Afghanis who are now considered an axis of evil (by the axis of evil)?

Dunno.

The story concerns Playboy Senator, Charlie Wilson (played brilliantly by Tom Hanks) lobbying congress to fund a covert war on behalf of the Afghanis who had been invaded by the Ruskies and were taking it up the arse big style.

Arms deals are done in Israel with a Jewish arms dealer played utterly ridiculously (laugh out loud ridiculous in fact) by Ken Stott.  Ken Stott? He’s a Jock! And the Ruskies get a right old doing as a result.

In fact, they were eventually sent homewards, tae think again.

The script is brilliant, having been penned by ex West Wing main writer, Aaron Sorkin (I’ve never watched West Wing so can’t coo as much as The IMDB crowd do about him).  It’s actually very funny despite the subject matter. And then there’s Phillip Seymour Hoffman

(”That’s your pal Mark”, Jeana says every time he’s in a movie. Why? ‘Cos I spotted him as one of America’s best actors in Magnolia and was proved right.)

Is it a good film?

Yes.

Is it right to cheer on Hanks as a hero?

Don’t know.

Should you go and see it?

Undoubtedly.

By the way.

Julia Roberts?

Nah.

No I am not boasting.

I am talking about the new Will Smith movie.

This kind of film is what going to the flicks is all about. I was scared witless from the first moment to the last. Admittedly I hadn’t realised it was a zombie movie (of sorts) before the titles rolled and it was a good 40 minutes before we even came across one, but Jeez, this is a film designed to make you jump. I won’t spoil it but, as they say, wear brown trousers.

I know zombie flicks are overdone of late.  But that’s not a reason to overlook this freakshow.

Will Smith is in fine form, essentially carrying the movie singlehandedly with very little human intervention. That’s because we understand him to be the last man standing after a genetically treated measels virus which was intended to eradicate the world of cancer went ugly overnight.

The scenes that have most redolence in this movie are the truly stunning and really eerie street scenes of an abandoned New York populated only by escaped zoo animals who aren’t that handy with lawnmowers, the result being that, for example, Madison Avenue is well on its way to becoming a maize feild with a bunch of abandoned, rusting cars lying around. Whole buildings are wrapped in polythyene, presumably a failed attempt to contain the virus in some way.

Smith looks great, acts pretty well and builds up a strong relationship with his only companion, his three year old Alsation, Sam.

The film is lavish. The sound engineering is both deafening and a major component to most of the shocks.

The zombies, while CGI’d at times, are genuinely creepy. They cannot come out in daylight as UV burns them on the spot so they huddle, vampire like, in ‘hives’ in gloomy dilapidated buildings waiting for nightfall when they take over the streets with their ghoulish hounds.

In one set piece when we KNOW Will shouldn’t go into a darkened building the tention is unbearable and more drawn out than a Strictly Come Dancing result. You KNOW it will culminate in a massive fright and it does, but that doesn’t stop it being eye-wateringly scary.

This is a cracker and my first 8 out of 10 movie of 2008.

Go see.

I was sent this link by my distant relatives in California.

I’m sorry Pat, but it makes me glad to be Scottish/European.  Hell, even British.

The Americans sure know how to make someone gag.  And this is the proof.

Oh lordy, lordy.

http://oldbluewebdesigns.com/mybeautifulamerica.htm

I have just watched Children of Men which blew me away. Given that I’ve just finished reading The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood the two seem almost like companion pieces. I am fairly ambivalent about Clive Owen although he is excellent in Closer but this film does his credibility no harm whatsover as he is a hugely sympathetic and believable male lead.

Set in 2027 in a dystopian London where no babies have been born (in the world) for 18 years it concerns Owen’s quest to help a heavily pregnant black girl (Claire Hope Ashitey)to safety on an Island community called the Human Project.  The society that has evolved since the human race found it was unable to procreate is nasty, dangerous factious and heavily ruled by an aggressive police presence.  Peter Mullan as Syd, the bad, good cop is fantastic, as ever.  So too is Michael Cain who plays an aging hippy that helps Owen and Ashitey (unfortunate surname I have to say)

The script, cinematography, plot and acting are all brilliant but there is one very long single-take scene that steals the show.

As Owen and his charge struggle through a side street that is hosting a modern day gunfight at the OK Coral, someone is shot and the camera lens is flecked with blood. Throughout the scene the blood remains on the camera lens which creates an incredibly realistic and actually quite terrifying sense that you, the viewer, are in the midst of this horrendous nightmare.

It’s a great movie and one I now wish I had seen in the cinema.

This is the Mailtrain GPO movie of the 1930’s.

Well the best bit anyway.

Poetry by Auden

Read by Sir John Betjamin

Music by Benji Brittan.

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What ho!

Amusingly described as crap 30’s rap on You tube.

I can see why actually.

PT Anderson is currently the world’s most gifted film-maker.

Fact!

Boogie Nights, Magnolaia and Punch Drunk Love are each brilliant in different ways. His new movie “There will be blood” breaks in the US at Christmas and in the UK on Feb 8th. (I will be there on opening night.)

It is garnering feverish reviews as this punter blog on IMDB shows.

PT Anderson delivers perhaps his best work with “There Will Be Blood”. Unlike “Magnolia”, the film’s daunting runtime is not very daunting whilst watching it. All acting in the film was solid, even the work of the child actors. Daniel Day-Lewis in particular delivered a truly phenomenal performance, capturing the power of greed, fear, insanity, and comedy simultaneously, at many points throughout the film. At no point does the time period distract from the power of the film. Sometimes period pieces cannot be appreciated because they delve too deep into historical details — turning the experience into more of a documentary than a narrative set in the past. This is not the case for “There Will Be Blood”, as human interactions are the focus of the film. Johnny Greenwood’s chilling score is very strong, benefiting from the elegant minimalism that he show’s in the band Radiohead. Will this picture go on to win Best Picture? It absolutely has every right to, however I feel that this movie is a bit ahead of current trends in modern cinema, and will sadly go unnoticed for that particular Oscar. I’m certain that this film will garner many accolades in the independent and film festival scenes. All in all, this is truly a perfectly crafted film.

Apparently Daniel Day Lewis is, once again, peerless and fully method-acted throughout.  (Although, to be honest I thought his portrayal of Billy Blood; the butcher in Gangs of New York was over the top.)

If you haven’t seen any of his previous films see them on DVD now.

They are ALL masterpieces.

My pal, Pete Martin, made a lovely short film last year and asked me to be in it! It’s been in the running for awards and is being shown, possibly for the last time, at the Film House, Edinburgh on Monday 12th November from 6pm. I can’t imagine it will be sold out so you should be able to get tickets at the box office on the night

More info about Shoot First, what else is showing and running times can be found at - http://www.filmhousecinema.com/

If you haven’t seen the film before now, you can watch the trailer at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upRae97UHYU

Much debate was had at the time as to whether Joy Division’s second album “closer” was pronounced with a soft s, as in; nearby, or a hard one as in; the end.

Of course the latter won through because of the inevitable outcome of Ian Curtis’ life.

I was a “fan” of Joy Division at the time, being of an impressionable age (Ian Curtis died on the day of my 18th birthday) but I was nowhere near as influenced by them as I was by Hooky and the boys when New Order took over. Indeed Blue Monday is probably my seminal song of all time.

So, I didn’t go into the movie theatre all agush.

If anything, what I might have gushed at would be Anton Corbijn’s cinematography, because I was more in awe of him as NME’s seemingly resident photographer, than I was of Joy Division.

However, for the first two acts of this movie Joy Division rose above my love of New Order because this was Joy Division - not a Joy Division tribute band.

It was Joy Division because Anton caught them as he did in 1979, albeit a little less grainy.

No question.

Their music rocked, but more importantly rolled. Joy Division’s drumming is often overlooked because Ian Curtis took centre stage so powerfully, but make no mistake, Stephen Morris was an integral part of the Joy Division sound.

So, to the film. Anton Corbijn you would hope/expect to cinematograph well, but direct?

Oh yes.

Oh yes, he can direct.

He does of course have not insubstantial talent of Samantha Morton at his beck and call, and she has guaranteed a BAFTA for this one. She is brilliant.

At the start of the film she is a dippy love-stuck teenager, and believable with it. As the film progresses she deals with the disintegration of her marriage in about as understated and believable way as you could possibly imagine.

Now, Sam Riley, as Ian Curtis looks the part. That is well documented. But he also plays the part. It would be so easy to go OTT in this performance, but he controls it (perhaps a clue from the movie title).

His performance is quite simply, immaculate.

As act three and the real point of the film unfolds we lose Joy Division and we find the Curtis’ and the Belgian lover of Ian in a true love triangle. It is moving, beautiful, sad and nailed!

Totally nailed.

And for a movie bio pic to do that one can do no less than award 10 out of 10.

Stunning.

If the last ghost clip wasn’t enough for you this might prove their existance…

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I didn’t spot the ghost in this apparently true sighting the first time I watched it, but if you concentrate you’ll find it - certainly by the second viewing.

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I see that the Duchess of York is Executive Producing a Martin Scorses remake of Shrek. The first on film as opposed to CGA. And has taken the opportunity to drive a little bit of nepotism. (Nothing new there then).

She has cast her daughter in the lead role as Princess Shrek.

Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, is suing the Royal Family for nicking Rock of Gibralta’s teeth.

It is the world’s greatest movie site and I’ve written several reviews on it which you can read here if you can be bothered.

What bothers me though is its reskin.

I think it’s becoming less user friendly and overly commercial.

I hope it’s a phase