Gossip

Gossip is a dvd I had always fancied buying not because of Norman Reedus but due to James Marsden and my love affair with X-Men.  Even though Gossip was a film I wanted to see it has taken me a long time to add it to my collection.

I go through phases people - it’s how I roll.

PLOT:  Three college flatmates Derek (James Marsden), Jones (Lena Hedley) and Travis (Norman Reedus) decide to team up and prepare a group thesis based on gossip.  They spread a rumour that two drunken students sleep together at a party in order to see how it develops.  Proceedings take a sinister turn whenever Naomi (Kate Hudson) realises she cannot remember sleeping with Beau (Joshua Jackson) and becomes convinced that she has been date raped.  The rumour gets out of control.  The friends begin to panic.  Things aren’t quite what they seem.  What harm can gossip really do as after all its just words…. END PLOT

The plot is pretty solid and once the rumour has been spread there are a few good twists and turns thrown in to keep things moving at a fast pace.  Contrary to its success, or lack thereof, at the box office Gossip is quite a strong thriller. 

A small flaw in the plot would be that the police involvement in the film never amounted to anything more than a short interview with Naomi.  There did not appear to be a medical examination which would have cleared up matters once and for all.  Although Naomi was the victim Gossip isn’t her story - the focus stays solely on the rumour and the three flatmates therefore any facts which came out of a police investigation may have been ignored by the masses in favour of a more juicy or controversial outcome.

Watching the rumour spread and grow is the most interesting part of the film as you know that in real life events could very easily take a similar turn. It was interesting to watch the student populace turn on Beau based on nothing more than a rumour only to then turn on others when the truth was finally exposed.

The cast were all fine.  James Marsden, best known for playing Cyclops, always got a raw deal in the X-Men films but he shows in Gossip that he can carry the lead role in a film.  Marsden oozes a charm he which can instantly flip into something much darker.

Norman Reedus was also good as the awkward art student - knowing that Reedus is an artist in real life really made me pay attention to all the artwork in the film as I knew it was all his - I loved the flatmates sofa throw!

The film must be considered a success for the fact that the queen of lazy rom-coms Kate Hudson isn’t annoying.  This is a rare achievement which deserves acknowledgment - that girls career took a swan-dive the minute she met Matthew McConaughey.

Gossip was filmed in 2000 which was just before the outbreak of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.  It would be interesting to see just how different the film would be if it was made in 2010 as so much more could have done with the idea. 

I think that Gossip should have been much more successful than it was - it is ironic that a film about gossip and rumour couldn’t muster up the word of mouth to give it some of the success it deserved.  It is a very good 90min thriller that can easily be rewatched. 

Senna

It’s now twice in as many weeks that I have ventured to the Queen’s Film Theatre - a pastime that I am quickly becoming accustomed to.  After the brilliance of Julia’s Eyes last week it was now the turn of Senna.

I should probably put into context my knowledge of Formula 1 before I review the film.  I joined the sport just in time to watch Hakkinen win his first championship and enjoyed another year of success with him before the five long years of Schumacher dominance ensued.  The sport should be thankful for the arrival of Alonso and all the success, drama and controversy the driver brings with him at least once per season. Schumacher’s achievements cannot be disputed but Formula 1 was as boring as hell during his reign. 

It is clear from the above that I am a relatively new fan of the sport and the Senna era was very much before my time but I know enough about F1 to appreciate just how great the man was.

Senna follows the career of Ayrton Senna from his karting days right through to his time in F1.  It isn’t merely a clip show of cheesy footage - the documentary is put together really well and interweaves onboard footage, news reports and family home videos to great effect.

The film ramps up the tension during the Senna/Prost rivalry of the early nineties to the extent that even those who experienced events first hand wont fail to be sucked in.  The drama was obviously unscripted and it made this section of the film absolutely riveting.

As well as the racing action we are given an insight to the politics of the sport and Senna’s reaction to this was anger, frustration and an attitude of let racers be racers.  There is a great scene where he is arguing with the FIA in the drivers briefing over the lack of runoff areas and it was quite entertaining to see him gather the support of the rest of the field.  Senna won that battle convincingly. 

We are shown just how loved the man was in Brasil and the passion and love he held for his country also shone through.  I didn’t know how deep his faith in God ran and he was very vocal and honest in his interviews about God’s role in his life and career.  There are few people who could pull this off without appearing pretentious or even false but with Senna everything about him came across as very genuine.  With his faith came equal amounts of charm and there was a great cheeky sense of humour hidden behind high levels of intensity.

Watching the film was an emotional experience as every time he spoke about how short his career would be in comparison with his life I welled up and when the caption of Imola 1994 came up on screen I was in pieces. 

Probably the darkest and most tragic weekend in the sports history culminated in the deaths of two racers the latter being Senna himself.  It was strange to watch just how uncomfortable he was that weekend in the car and after the death of Ratzenberger you almost got the feeling that Senna knew something else was going to go wrong.

You have to give the Senna family credit as they did not shy away from allowing harrowing footage of the accident, the doctors trying to revive Ayrton and the funeral to be included.  This was as absorbing to watch as it was traumatic. 

As the funeral procession travelled through the streets of Brazil thousands of people were there to pay their respects.  It was a remarkable sight.

I saw Senna in a sold out screen and for the last ten/fifteen minutes there was an unusual amount of shuffling and shifting in seats from an absorbed audience struggling to keep control of their emotions.  I have never experienced this watching a film before and I doubt it will be repeated for a long time. 

The filmmakers did a nice job of tying up the Senna/Prost rivalry at the end of the film.  They were fair in showing that Senna too was flawed but Prost was very much portrayed as the villain of the piece.  Prost was shown carrying the casket at the funeral several times and they made sure to highlight the fact that he is a Trustee of Senna’s charity.  It was a nice touch as it showed that a great rivalry came with great respect.

The film ended on a solemn note at the funeral however this was swiftly followed by a little montage showing that although the premature death was tragic there was also a great life worth celebrating. 

Senna is an absolutely breathtaking documentary that will affect fans and non fans in exactly the same way - it is a truly remarkable story.

There has already been chat of Senna winning the Oscar for best documentary and it will be thoroughly deserved as documentary or not Senna is an amazing piece of film-making. 

It will take something truly special to stop Senna from being the film of the year.  10/10.

Tough Luck

Despite all the best efforts of Her Majesty’s Royal Mail my self created Norman Reedus season is still ticking over nicely.  This evenings dvd of choice was Tough Luck

PLOT:  Archie (Norman Reedus) is a petty thief who fails to pull off a con at a travelling fairground and is given a job by the owner Ike (Armand Assante). Archie falls for Ike’s wife Divana (Dagmara Dominczyk) and the two begin an affair.  After Ike offers Archie $25,000.00 to kill his wife things get complicated as the usual game of who’s playing whom begins.  Archie gets screwed.  Archie screws Divana.  Archie gets screwed by Divana……and the winner is…..END PLOT

Tough Luck follows the same basic plot of most con films and it’s up to the audience to figure out who is leading the hustle.  The film pulls this off quite well but doesn’t add anything new to the genre as the story isn’t particularly original.  Tough Luck does pick up the pace in the last act when all the cons and scams come to a conclusion head. 

The cast are fine - Norman Reedus is able to pull off the likeable everyman with ease.  If you could kindly ignore the fact that this sentence is the second worst sentence I have ever written I do mean it.  Reedus season is only just starting but I have yet to see him play a character I haven’t fallen in love with - the man could out charm Bradley Cooper without even trying.

I can't pretend to recognise any of the supporting cast but Dagmara Dominczyk is absolutely stunning and was a more than capable co-star.

Tough Luck has that Independent look about it which I am really warming to.  It is dusty, natural and lacks the Hollywood shine - although it looks all the better for it.

Tough Luck is a good film which suffers due to the people that made it.  This is the director, Greg Ellis’ first and only directorial effort and I think if he ramped up the tension and suspense slightly he would have created a much stronger film.

The frustrating thing is that on another day this film could have been more successful as it offers no more or less than other thrillers that are knocking around.  I suppose it really is just Tough Luck……….kindly ignore the fact that this is the worst sentence I have ever written......

Green Lantern

Summer Season has arrived bringing with it the years biggest and noisiest films and quite frankly I am in my element as these are the films cinema was made for.

The main problem with Summer Season is that there is a never ending conveyer belt of said big and noisy films being produced so the quality rises and falls *like a witty pun I can't think of*

The trailer for the Green Lantern solidly put the film in the “fall” category and it was out of respect for the Summer Season that I love so dearly I was there to see it.

PLOT:  Tony Stark Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is a cocky arrogant dick who gets chosen by a dying purple alien to become a Lantern.  Ryan inherits a ring and a Lantern which is used to charge the ring when the power dies.  There is no logic as to how and when the power dies and it proves that alien technology is just about as reliable as the battery on my damn Blackberry.  The entire known universe is split into a neat and tidy 3600 sections with Jordon destined to protect one of them from a fear eating cloud which suddenly appears from nowhere.  There is a love interest.  There is a training sequence which actually uses the line “gravity is a bitch”.  There are daddy issues from no less than three characters.  Mark Strong inexplicably has an evil CGI moustache.  Jordan saves the day.  END PLOT

The plot of Green Lantern is a rehash of many comic book adaptations.  This isn’t particularly a problem as like it or not all genres follow certain patterns and trends - the problem with Green Lantern lies with everything else.

I will admit that after seeing Ryan Reynolds play Deadpool in Wolverine I did go through a very short lived dvd collecting phase - it’s how I roll - but he never came anywhere close to being an actor I would actively seek out.  There were glimpses of talent in Buried when he showed (and surprised) the world that he was capable of carrying a movie based solely on performance.  In Green Lantern Reynolds regresses to an almost caricature incarnation of every other role he has played.  I think what makes it all the more offensive is the fact that he didn’t even try.

The supporting cast of the Green Lantern is unusually full of strong actors with Mark Strong (complete with a sinister CGI moustache) Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan  all appearing as Lanterns although in the case of Rush and Duncan their roles were nothing more than voiceover cameos.   Peter Sarsgaard is usually a reliable soul but in Green Lantern he spent most of his screen time screaming dramatically and is in no way a decent villain.

With this moustache and being called Sinestro the big surprise was that Mark Strong didn't turn out to be evil in the last act.

I am quite good at appreciating a film for what it is. I went to see a summer blockbuster laden with effects and explosions so I am not going to complain about the fact that the film contained effects and explosions.

The problem with the effects in Green Lantern is that they are just plain bad - most definitely the worst of the year so far.  The idea of having a completely CGI suit may seem like a neat idea but it didn’t work.  I know Reynolds is toned to within an inch of his life but even he isn’t that sculpted.  Reynolds’ head also didn’t match the body to the extent it looked like it  was copied and pasted on via amateurish Photoshop.

The power of the ring allows you to bring your imagination to life and although this is admittedly a cool power Hal Jordan’s imagination appears trapped in a childish Acme time warp - I was half expecting him to conjure up an anvil to drop on the evil clouds head.  I do appreciate that the childish imagination is part of Jordan’s psyche but it just gave the entire film an unwelcome cartoon feeling.

I had no background knowledge of the Green Lantern comic before I saw the film but in a way this is a moot point as I am reviewing a film not a comic.  I don’t need to have read a single issue of Batman to know that Christopher Nolan made one of the best superhero films to date. 

The Green Lantern is quite simply a bad film.  It gets 3/10 - if Mark Strong and Geoffrey Rush cannot save a film then it is pretty much fucked to high hell. 

The Boondock Saints

As a general rule I find myself rocking up late to all bandwagons but when I arrive I tend to jump on board these underground unstoppable juggernauts with gusto.  I don’t think there has ever been a cult classic that I have been a part of since its creation but I have spent my entire life being about four steps behind the general populace and my discovery of films has followed the same pattern.

We are on film two of my Norman Reedus phase which has taken a short hiatus due to the good Queen’s postal system not seeing fit to deliver the dvds ordered over a week ago but I digress……..

Due to my general incompetence I have lost and found my old natty dvd of The Boondock Saints on several occasions but in order to embrace the Reedus season which is taking place in my living room I splashed out and bought a fresh copy on Bluray. 

PLOT:  Irish twins Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) creatively kill a couple of Russian gangsters in self defence after a St Paddy‘s Day bar-room brawl gets out of hand.  After a dream sequence (affectionately known by me as the orgasm scene) they realise their calling in life is to kill all the criminals in Boston.  Detective Smecker (Willem Dafoe) is sent to Boston to bring an end to the vigilante killings.  There is Billy Connolly.  There is killing.  There is Willem Dafoe in a dress. There is bloodshed. There is a lot of destroying evil so that the good may flourish.  END PLOT

The plot of The Boondock Saints is fine - two decent god loving brothers killing the scum of the earth to make the world a better place - I can get on board with this notion quite easily.  The film maintains its heavy religious undertones without turning into a preachy self-important mess. There aren’t many times in life when you find praying cool but it happens several times in The Boondock Saints.

There is plenty of humour - mostly due to the brothers bickering and some witty one lines thrown in for good measure.  As a cat lover I never thought watching a sleeping cat being shot at close distance could be amusing but this says more about me than the film.

If you look hard enough into any film that isn’t made by Guillermo del Toro you can find faults - the only fault in The Boondock Saints I care enough about to mention is St Patrick’s Day itself.  I have never in my twenty-five years of being Irish referred to the day of St Patrick as St Patty’s Day. In Ireland we keep the “D’s” thank you very much.

The Boondock Saints is an independent film and the budget at times is noticeably low but it doesn’t matter.  Sometimes keeping things simple works for the better and the opening scenes with The Blood of Cu Chulainn has become one of my favourite opening credit sequences.  

A film is only as good as its cast and Flaney and Reedus are great in their roles as Connor and Murphy.  After watching several convention videos on youtube and seeing that these two guys are friends in real life it actually makes me like the actors, their characters and the film even more - there is something genuinely likeable about all the people involved.

The Boondock Saints is very Connor heavy and he gets most of the scenes and lines although this by default makes Murphy my favourite.  There are a few scenes were it’s just Connor and Rocco (David Della Rocco) and I always, without fail, get this weird sense of “Yay Murphy’s back” when he wanders back from praying somewhere just off screen.  The screen time is a bit more even in the sequel. 

Every actor in the known world will at some stage play a role with an American accent but it’s only on the rarest of occasions that an Irish accent will be required and this usually goes down the road of the typical Oirish “top O the mornin’ to ye” leprechaun accent that I’ve yet to encounter on this Island.  Flanery and Reedus fair well with the accent and thankfully keep any Oirish tendencies to a minimum.

The action, violence and language are all there - it has its rating for a reason but by today’s blood splattering standards it isn’t as extreme as more recent films.

The Boondock Saints does get a bad rap from film critics who are paid a large wage to write about film.  I get that opinions are opinions and I have no interest in trying to change the minds of  those who don’t like The Boondock Saints.  What I will say is this -  I think that there is a certain amount of snobbery that comes with all film fans (myself included) and I believe that it is as trendy to run down The Boondock Saints as it is to gush about how breathtakingly wonderful The Shawshank Redemption is - when push comes to shove I know which film I would rather watch. 

The circumstances in which The Boondock Saints was pulled from the cinema are obviously unfortunate, however looking at it from the films point of view it probably saved it from being forgotten in a long line of Boston gangster films. 

The success of this film isn’t due to any amount of Empire Magazine gushing and fanfaring it is due to the word of mouth advertising by the fans to the new fans and this has turned The Boondock Saints into a cult classic which has spawned a sequel and if rumours are to be believed a tv show which is more than most mainstream films will ever achieve.

The Boondock Saints is a film that shall forever be loved.
Here endeth the gushing.

Amen

Facebook - 30 Day TV Challenge - 21-30

Technically I should have finished this list about two weeks ago but I can't imagine any of my few readers were waiting with bated breath to see how many times The West Wing would appear in this particular section of the challenge (place your bets now)

Day 21: Favourite cliffhanger in TV

Choice: Adama gets shot - BSG season 1 finale 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzmhr07rz-U

BSG had long finished its run on tv before I stumbled upon the dvd box sets. It was an impulse buy of a series I didn't know if I could warm to as I am not a huge watcher of sci-fi on tv but I gave it a whirl. I absolutely love the first season and the final scene when Adama gets shot was a real WTF moment as it was completely unexpected.  Needless to say I made it all the way to the finale of season two but the time jump put me off, I disembarked the ship and seasons 3 and 4 will forever remain unwatched.

Day 22: Favourite scary scene from TV 

Choice:  Hush - Buffy The Vampire Slayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Uk1KITymI 

For a cult classic that I watched faithfully this is Buffy's only appearance on the list.  Only three seasons made it into my dvd collection and to be honest it's become a forgotten show.  That being said when Buffy was on form it was great fun and with the episode Hush it went down the road of full horror and managed to create one of the scariest 40mins in tv history.  Most of the episode takes place in complete silence and although the opportunity for humour isn't wasted the notion of not being able to call for help never fails to be scary.  I remember watching this episode for the first time when I was home alone in the dark.  Every light in the house was on until my family returned and my mother started complaining about the electricity bill.   

Day 23: Favourite comedy TV moment

Choice:  Niles Crane - Three Valentines - Frasier

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTdD_dVyteA

Niles Crane is one of the best comedy characters ever created and although the wit of Frasier is generally a lot more intelligent than this clip there is something about Niles' section of a Valentines Day episodes that never gets old.

Day 24:  TV scene that made you cry 

Choice: In Excelsis Deo - The West Wing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXlPSXuJFDQ 

The West Wing will go down in history of one of the greatest shows ever written - Aaron Sorkin again proves his brilliance with this episode.  Toby gets a call from the police after a homeless War Vet is found dead wearing his old coat and he arranges a military funeral which is attended only by Toby, the soldiers homeless brother and Mrs Landingham whose twin sons were killed in the Korean war.  The funeral is woven into the rest of the cast lining up to watch the choir sing.  

It is a brilliant piece of television - I never fail to be crying buckets by the closing credits.  Amazing.

Day 25:  Favourite TV series ending 

Choice:  Friends 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMsr-fWGvKM

Friends is probably one of few shows I will have watched practically every episode of and I don't feel overly embarrassed about that fact.  The quality of the show rose and fell many times during its ten year run with Joey, Chandler and Phoebe becoming exaggerated caricatures of their former selves.  Ross and Monica were the only two who have stood the test of time well and I do not acknowledge Rachel's existence.  Regardless of the quality of certain seasons Friends coming to an end was a major event when it first aired and it was hard not to feel emotional that the show had finally come to and end.  The rumours of a film will never go away and it is a question of when rather than if but I don't care either way.  Friends was a show of its time and should remain gone.

Day 26: Most disappointing TV series ending

Choice:  Supernatural - Season 5 finale

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0GeRLOjLYI&feature=related

The first two seasons of Supernatural were great tv - two brothers, classic rock and bucket loads of mythology.  Supernatural was always treading on dangerous grounds when it left the monsters and ghosts and shifted its focus to heaven and hell.  This arc introduced us to the fan favourite Castiel and the kooky Misha Collins but is it the shows downfall?  I'd say yes - it was clear watching season five that they had no idea what they were doing or how they wanted the story to end.  The season peaked at episode eighteen then gave us several filler episodes before the grand (and I use the term so loosely I am lying to you) finale.  This was to be the final episode ever until it was renewed for a sixth season.  The current episodes cannot compare with early mythology based "monsters of the week" and this is coming from a fan who actually prefers story arc in her shows.  Gutted.

Day 27:  TV world you wish you could live in 

Choice:  The Walking Dead

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1v0uFms68U

For those of you who don't know me - I like zombies and I like to think (regardless of what you or Max Brooks says) I have a plan that will see me ride out the zombie apocalypse with the greatest of ease.  You may frown and that and call me an idiot and you can - but we both know that if you are not equal parts scared and excited at the prospect of zombies roaming the earth then you my friend, are already dead.

Day 28: Guilty pleasure

Choice:  The A Team 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyz_2DEah4o

The A Team first aired during the decade I was born in and even though it has aged greatly it also manages to stand the test of time quite well.  It is very formulaic - someone needs help, the A Team show up,  The A Team lose the first fight, The A Team build something, there is a shoot out were no one gets shot (although the general rule was at least one member got shot per season), The A Team wins and the little guy can go back to sowing his crops of spreading the word of the Lord in peace.  It is a ridiculous show but it has a charm that carries it through.  Wish the film did better at the box office.   

Day 29: TV show you first remember enjoying 

Choice:  The Queen's Nose

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAvqX_uBq04

If you are a child of the 90's you would have watched this show and every time you got a 50p you would be compelled to wish upon it just in case it turned out to be a magical coin.  This was the generation of kids tv I grew up with.  I suppose it isn't a surprise that kids tv declined as I got older - my cousins watch crap like I-Carly which is like listening to nails on a chalk board or the Black Eyed Peas.  

Day 30:  TV Show I am Watching At The Minute

Choice 1:  Justified

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7iVqdrUt1c

Day 30 is tied between Justified and Game of Thrones and as per usual I am behind with the masses on both shows.  

Justified follows the story of a sarcastic, cowboy hat wearing US Marshall who always shoots first played by Timothy Olyphant. It is fantastic tv that needs to be watched for yourself to see just how great the show is.  As great as Timothy Olyphant is he is matched by Walter Goggins who plays Boyd Crowder.  I am midway through season one on dvd and will hopefully go straight onto season 2.

Choice 2:  Game of Thrones 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpJYNVhGf1s

I watched episode one expecting cheesy fun along the lines of the 300 and was completely thrown by what I was seeing.  I had to go back and rewatch the first couple of  episodes in order to understand what was going on but from then onwards I have been completely in love with it.  Game of Thrones is  shot about 20mins from where I live makes it homey and there is a great Celtic vibe about the show which resonates into the score, which of course I also love.  I don't know the books.  I don't know what is happening and I don't want to.  This is a tv experience which will reward those who go in blind. 

If you bet once for The West Wing congratulations you win the grand prize of absolutely nothing at all.

Six Ways To Sunday

 It is only Monday but I already know that the chances of me making it to the cinema at the weekend are slim so I am stuck for something to blog about.  For reasons unknown to myself I don’t tend to review dvds but I am in the middle of my own self-created Norman Reedus phase so why the hell not?

Tonight’s dvd of choice was Six Ways To Sunday.  Tomorrow nights dvd choice depends on the Royal Mail and it's casual postal system.

PLOT:  Harry (Norman Reedus) lives with his overbearing mother (Debbie Harry) in Run-Down-USA.  He along with his friend Arnie (Adrian Brody) are hired by the mob in order to collect debts.  Harry discovers a hidden talent for killing and quickly makes his way up the employment ladder.  Harry falls for his Iris.  Harry’s mum isn’t happy.  There is an awkward meet the parents dinner.  There are bloody murders.  There is incest.  There is suicide. There is a wonderfully twisted and dark happy ending. END PLOT

I have to admit that I knew little about Six Ways To Sunday other than what I read on its IMDB page and that it starred Norman Reedus and this, quite frankly, is the sole reason I bought the film.

Where to start with the plot? It’s your typical coming of age story of a slightly crazy hitman with a manipulative mother.  The story had the potential to be ridiculous but it worked because at the core of Six Ways To Sunday is really dark and twister humour along the lines of Very Bad Things and The Cable Guy (two films I really like).

Norman Reedus manages to play Harry with such naivety that Harry boarders on being a likeable simpleton but at the same time you wouldn’t dare piss him off as there are flashes of dangerous anger (note - don’t say anything about his mother).

Debbie Harry is great as Kate Odum, Harry’s mother.  There are some fantastic moments between the two - the sex talk is uncomfortable to watch and I loved her constant manipulation of Harry in order to get him to stay with her and split up with his new girlfriend Iris.

Adrian Brody appeared to be channelling Ali-G about two years before that character was created but he was also fine.

Six Ways To Sunday will not be to everyone’s taste.  I have always liked dark humour so I knew I would have no problems with the content.  It transpired that I liked the film a lot more than expected. I thought my blog would be full of fangirly Norman Reedus gushing in a desperate attempt to hide the fact that Six Ways is a bad movie but I don’t need to go down this road as after only one viewing I know tonight's is going to be the first of many. 

On its first viewing Six Ways To Sunday gets an 8/10 but I know the film needs to be rewatched to fully appreciate it although next time I will NOT be watching it with my mother. Christ……..

Los ojos de Julia / Julia's Eyes

 Tonight was my first visit to the Queen’s Film Theatre and despite my justified fear that they would sense I am not a graduate of the university they did not throw me out of the auditorium in an overdramatic fashion.

They say timing is everything and it was just shear luck that I stumbled upon the QFT in time for their showing of Julia’s Eyes.

You will all know by now that the love I have for Guillermo del Toro is equalled by my love for all things Spanish so it is embarrassing to admit that Julia’s Eyes was my first Spanish language cinematic experience.

PLOT:  Julia (Belen Rueda) and her estranged twin sister Sara both have a degenerative disease which causes blindness.  After Sara’s apparent suicide Julia returns home and discovers that the death of her sister may not be as straightforward as it seems.  The stress of events brings on an attack of blindness and Julia undergoes an eye transplant by way of a donor.  Julia returns to her sister's home to recover under the care of her nurse Ivan, and becomes convinced that the person who was after her sister is now coming after her.  There is darkness. There are scares.  I have now been motivated to finally go and get my eyes tested.  END PLOT

The plot is fairly standard for a thriller but the scares are heightened by the fact Julia is completely blind for the latter half of the film.  The idea of losing your sight is scary enough but to find that you are unable to defend yourself from what is essentially a crazy stalker turns out to be terrifying.  There are enough twists and turns though to keep interest levels high - I didn’t piece the puzzle together until it was played out before me - there were no wild (yet accurate) guesses thrown out ala The Orphan.

What saves Julia’s Eyes from becoming another run of the mill thriller is the performance of Belen Rueda - she was fantastic in The Orphanage but in Julia’s Eyes she upped her game.  In lesser hands Julia would have been reduced to a blond bimbo running around in a suspiciously revealing nightgown but Rueda kept her performance grounded and real the entire time.  It will take something special to beat her performance this summer and if it doesn’t happen I wont be surprised.

The villain is human, there are no supernatural elements involved at all which is unusual for a del Toro (presented) film.  The villain does ham up the wide-eyed craziness towards the end but there are genuine levels of creepiness in there too.

I try not to comment on how a film is shot in too much detail as I usually end up sounding like an idiot but Julia’s Eyes was very drained of colour and a lot of the film takes place at night or in dimly lit rooms.  The lack of light and colour really ramped up that unavoidable fear which comes with being in complete darkness.

The action was tense although not particularly violent.  The scares were all enhanced by Rueda’s performance and reacting to the sounds around her.  It is not often I will physically look away from the screen but there is one brief moment with an eye and a needle that I just couldn’t watch.

I would be hard pressed to find something I didn’t like about Julia’s Eyes as I absolutely loved it.  I have yet to see a Spanish or del Toro film I haven’t immediately fallen in love with and Los ojos de Julia as done nothing to dampen the reputation of either. 

It’s doesn’t happen too often during the year and it never happens with back to back cinema trips but Julia’s Eyes get 10/10. 

Naomi Watts is sitting intently by her phone awaiting the announcement of the remake as we speak………..

Facebook - 30 Day TV Challenge - 11 -20

Interest has quickly waned in this particular challenge. Television isn't my area so I am now just repeating myself but one must finish what one starts.

Day 11:  Least favourite television theme tune

Choice: Coronation Street

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdfLn5dHhzI&feature=related

I don't watch any soaps.  I would rather blunder through my own mundane existence than spend seven nights of the week watching the never ending stream of 30min dramas which are all set in various parts of England.  The theme tune to Coronation Street just sums the show up.

Day 12: Favourite TV Actor

Choice: Jensen Ackles

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjpsjdnZQzw

There are people who will argue that he is nothing more than a pretty face and  it is an argument which is only half correct.  The guy can act to the extent that he makes his co-star look slightly amateurish at times.  His film credits are quite poor to pretty much non-existent with his career being very teen oriented with Dawsons Creek and Smallville being his other well know roles. It remains to be seen where his career goes after Supernatural, a show which is edging past its sell-by date, although I do hope he is successful.

Day 13: Your Favourite TV Actress

Choice: Allison Janney

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eXqwG3irZc&feature=related

This is the first of several appearances of The West Wing in this blog alone.  I have no idea how many times this show will appear on my list!  Allison Janney plays CJ Cregg one of my favourite characters of all time - she is a strong independent lady more than holding her own in a cast full of men.  She has strong scenes than this one but it is a more light hearted moment between CJ and Sam.

Day 14:  All Time Favourite Character

Choice: Daryl Dixon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1amMxBiaJ68&feature=related

He is one of the most recent tv characters so perhaps it is a bit premature to elevate Daryl straight to the top of the pile but meh I don't care.  Daryl is an angry, racist, uneducated redneck but Norman Reedus plays him with so much charm that Daryl is now the kicker of asses.  He also blurts out some cracking one liners especially when he is pissed off which is frequent.  

It is interesting that a character who doesn't appear in The Walking Dead comics has been accepted by the fans to the extent that he is the fan favourite and best thing about the entire show.

Day 15:  Favourite Show From Your Childhood

Choice: Maid Marian and her Merry Men

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWhLp2Zpn1w&feature=related

If you were a child of the 90's you would have watched this show.  Robin Hood was a vain idiot and Sherwood Forest was ruled by Marian and her men which included Little Ron and Rabies.  I can't remember much of the show at all but it's theme tune is remembered as one of the greats!

Day 16:  Favourite Hero

Choice: Dean Winchester

http://www.youtube.com/watch?fmt=18&gl=DE&hl=de&v=skL9WlLrc6o

It transpires that Supernatural also appears on this list several times too.  It is hard to believe that I have almost fallen out of love with this show.  Season 6 starts next week and after that monstrosity of season five's finale I will give it the benefit of the doubt for at least a few episodes.  Early Supernatural sees Dean at his most heroic self.  In hindsight I probably should have kept Day 16 for Daryl Dixon who is destined to become the reluctant hero of The Walking Dead but I've made my bed and one can hope that either Dean or Daryl will lie in it with me.

Day 17: Favourite TV Villain

Choice:  The Yellow Eyed Demon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKKIL59eNsE

It is becoming more apparent that leaving several days between each day in the tv challenge has it's downsides as Supernatural appears more times than it deserves.  I don't watch that much tv and my god this challenge has been hard!

Supernatural used to feature creatures from all walks of mythology but now its villains are attractive demons.  The YED was the first of these demons and its defining moment was possessing John Winchester in the season one finale.

Day 18:  TV Character You Would Want On Your Side In a Fight

Choice: Leo McGarry

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJ6yqQRAQs&playnext=1&list=PLC91FA3EFBE9CDC9C

As with all characters in The West Wing Leo has his big moments but Leo's "guy in a hole" story upgrades him to the best character of the entire show.   Leo was a phenomenal character who was completely devoted to the President but also not afraid to speak his mind - he looked after his own.  

Honourable mention must of course go to Daryl Dixon as quite frankly if Leo can't talk any enemy of mine around I want Daryl to shoot them in the face with his crossbow.

Day 19:  Character You Would Like To Have Coffee With

Choice:  Niles Crane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDX_AOXhMZ8

I love Frasier and although you can't really fault Kelsey Grammar it was always David Hyde Pierce who stole the show.  Admittedly it did go down hill once Niles and Daphne got together but the first six seasons were absolute genius.  There were so many memorable Niles moments to chose from but I could find the clip I wanted from season one so this one shall have to suffice.

Day 20:  Favourite Adaptation From Film/Comic/Novel

Choice:  The Walking Dead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zHEJ7oGrTY&feature=related

A tv show about zombies - what is not to love! 

There is nothing I do not like about this show.  I watched The Walking Dead before I read the graphic novels and I am so glad that I did it this way as it means that I love the show on merit and did not go down the road of comparing it to the source material.  The above scene is the best moment of the show so far - Morgan, a relatively minor character, struggles to kill his wife who has already turned and this is interwoven with Rick apologising to the (affectionately known) bicycle girl before killing her.  It's a great scene with a great score in the background.

I have high hopes for this show and now that I know what is coming ie the prison arc it has the potential for some horrifying dramatic moments.  

Fingers are well and truly crossed it keeps the high standard up.

The next ten days will follow eventually depending on my interest levels.  Please prepare to see these shows reused on several more occasions until I finally can put this Challenge to bed.......

X-Men: First Class

Last night finally marked the return of X-Men to the big screen. After the major disappointments of X-Men 3 *shudder* and Wolverine I did not err on the side of caution and deployed full scale excitement mode despite the cautious advices of the other 2/3 of The Nerdy Trio.

In fairness: any excuse for not working is acceptable to me

PLOT: Back in the days of yore, before Toads got struck by lightening, Rogue became a whiney little bitch and Cyclops became criminally underused, Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) were involved in a bromance to which all future bromances shall be forever compared to. The two become friends and create the first team of X-Men in order to defeat Sebastian Shaw.
The Hellfire Club spend the first 2/3 of the film running back and forth between America and Russia trying to upgrade the Cold War into a Flaming Hot War. During the final act Sebastian suddenly remembers that he has the power to start the nuclear war himself and is promptly defeated by the Xavier and Magneto.
Xavier and Magneto continue the merry dance of being best of friends/greatest of enemies. Mystique finally gets a decent amount of screen time but almost strays into whiney Rogue territory. Havok is most definitely the most interesting Summers and I discover that my hatred of January Jones runs deep. END PLOT

I was ridiculously excited for this film and it is my pick for summer blockbuster of the year so my hopes were high. I went into X-Men 3 with delirious levels of excitement and came out of the screen with worryingly suicidal levels of disappointment. I think we were all grateful that X-Men: First Class ended much more positively.

Professor X and Magneto are a strange characters as they are so familiar yet also completely unknown. It was nice that we went back to their younger days and got an insight into their backgrounds - Charles with his rich upbringing and Erik and his torturous time in the concentration camps.

Charles is the never flinching voice of hope throughout each X-Men film and although he is the most consistent character it is Magneto who is the most interesting as he is the one with the inner conflict. X-Men: First Class is essentially the telling of how Magneto joined the dark side.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were fantastic choices for Xavier and Magneto. They are both great actors and did not bring shame to the performances of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan.  The two played off one another really well whether it be in the more light hearted scenes such as the traditional “bring the team” together montage or the emotional moment when Xavier brought a happy memory out of Magneto's buried subconscious.

Fassbender proved that he can act in Spanish, German and French but his English accent did slip a few times. There were several occasions when Magneto became very Irish and during one particularly mean moment of badassery he appeared to be possessed by Batman and deployed a level of growl to his voice that would scare the shit out of Christian Bale. He is fantastic and dare I say it - slightly better than McAvoy........

Kevin Bacon rocks back onto the big screen as Sebastian Shaw and does a good job. I can't think of a stand out moment though as he basically walked around and looked quite smug in his dashing suit.

The special effects were all fine. There were a few nice little moments with Banshee and Havok learning to use their powers but the big set piece was reserved for the Magneto vs. Submarine battle.

The original X-Men Trilogy suffered greatly as Wolverine and Storm got FAR too much screen time and other characters who should have been given more to do (Cyclops and Nightcrawler) were relegated to the background.

In X-Men: First Class the screen time seemed to be spread out a lot better and although there is a distinction between leading and secondary cast I didn’t feel like any actor forced their way to the front of the queue ala Hallie Berry.

This is the summer of reboots and I think with X-Men: First Class we now have a reboot which worked and can be followed up with a new wave of X-Men films which will hopefully be as strong as this one.

X-Men: First Class will not be everyone’s idea of a great film but these are characters I grew up with a kid. I absolutely love watching them in film. It gets my first 10/10 for the year. There are flaws yes - we got a bit too much Cold War stock footage and no one can be forgiven for hiring January Jones but I don’t care.

I have fallen in love with these characters all over again.


****

I have added to my original review as a friend thought that the CGI looked a bit dodgy in parts and as I didn't bother to cover it at the time I've decided to add it into my review.

I thought that the CGI was fine for the most part.  If I were to pick a fault it would be the character of Beast who did look bad - even X-Men 3 did a better job.  According to Wiki the budget is in the region of $120million so maybe they should have done better with the budget.  I read that there were quite a lot of reshoots so perhaps time became a factor.

Matthew Vaughn hasn't directed many films, but I do like the Vaughn/Goldman partnership which also brought us Kick-Ass and Stardust (another Vaughn film where the effects are poor), so I hope that his ability to work with big action set pieces which require CGI improve.

Did it dampen my love of the film? That would be no! It still gets 10/10.