Film Reviews – Cinema – Clash Music

Preview - Michael Jackson: This Is It

ClashMusic — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:33:33 +0000

This Is It was set to be Michael Jackson’s big live comeback - a series of fifty performances that would show the world that he was still the greatest entertainer on the planet.

Sadly, fate had another card to play and fans were all left with thoughts of what might have been, whilst busily trawling through hours of old performance footage on You Tube. Now, four months after his tragic and untimely death, over one hundred hours of rehearsal footage and interviews with collaborators have been edited and compiled into a film-documentary, suitably entitled This Is It. Released in cinemas for a limited two-week period, the film promises to finally put to rest rumours that the late superstar was wheelchair bound, on death’s door and unable to moonwalk, and is anticipated to elevate him back to Number One - a place he was, ironically, most at home, but that also caused his ultimate downfall.

If its trailer is any indication into the star’s condition before his death then it appears Jackson was still on top of his game, being both involved in the orchestration of the choreography, musical direction and staging, as well as keeping pace with dancers half his age; which of course, for many, makes his loss all the more frustrating.

If you want to see MJ perform his gravity-defying moonwalk; grab his crotch and sing his trademark yelps and ‘chamones’ one last time, then This Is It - grab a front row experience for his final concert.

Words by David Aaron

Le Donk And Scor-Zay-Zee

ClashMusic — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:25:29 +0000

Much like a band putting out a covers EP between albums, Le Donk And Scor-Zay-Zee represents a lighter diversion away from the norm for Shane Meadows. And much like a band’s filler release, Meadows’ latest is rather lightweight but nonetheless an entertaining stopgap, if nowhere near as engrossing as his usual work.

Le Donk is a grizzled roadie who’s slowly getting a bit too long in the tooth to achieve any genuine rock ‘n’ roll heroics of his own. Hardly the most self-aware or reconstructed of characters, he’s at least aware of his situation and has an escape plan; to mastermind the development of Scor-Zay-Zee, a young rapper of indeterminable authenticity, to the top. Somehow Le Donk uses his cunning and contacts to land his young prodigy a killer break - a support slot to the Arctic Monkeys.

Largely improvised and crafted over the course of five days with a meagre budget, it’s no surprise that the film opts for the budget-conscious spoof documentary genre. The cast itself is familiar from the realm of Shane’s world; the director appears as himself alongside Paddy Considine as Le Donk, Warp Films producer Mark Herbert and a host of similarly recognisable faces. Unsurprisingly Considine dominates with a rush of often genuinely funny improvised puns, with Le Donk showing remarkably good taste for one of the world’s less cerebral roadies with the constant decoration of a Guided By Voices T-shirt (the band being one of Considine’s personal favourites).

The very nature of this filmmaking process dictates that the consistency of humour on offer is inconsistent and, despite its obvious strengths, it would take an arch devotee of Meadows’ work to successfully argue the case that everything on show here is worthy of our time. Think of it as an extended version of one of the early Meadows / Considine shorts - it’s more than a little rough around the edges, but it possesses enough raw energy to ensure that it strikes the target far more often than it blazes wide.

7/10

Words by Ben Hopkins

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Mike Diver — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:21:51 +0000

Clash scuttled along to the Leicester Square Odeon last week for the first European screening of the second live-action (okay, mostly CGI-action) Transformers movie – yes, we saw it before its stars showed up a few days later for the premiere proper. The follow-up to 2007’s successful first film, this sequel is again helmed by Michael Bay, a director hardly renowned for his subtlety on screen.

And, sure enough, Revenge Of The Fallen is all huge explosions, ridiculous battle sequences and super-kinetic chases from the very start to the Middle East-set climactic skirmish. We’re several thousands of years in the past to begin with, the storyline (sketchy though it is) beginning with the revelation that the evil Decepticons – the antagonists of this movie, its motion-picture forerunner and the cartoon and comics series of the 1980s onwards – arrived on Earth and got ahead with getting up to no good long before contemporary events. The robots may have departed, but they left behind some killer (literally) technology, including a weapon that can harvest the power of our sun. And now, in 2009 (we’re told the film is set ‘today’), they want that shit back. But the heroic Autobots – Optimus Prime and his motley crew of soldiers that mostly turn into cars; the Decepticons seem to have an advantage, as most of them can fly – aren’t going to let them ruin the home planet of their new mates, us.

And that’s the story, pretty much. The Fallen character is an old-timer who’s been pretty pissed ever since defecting from the path of all things wholesome – he turned to the proverbial dark side way back when, and now only a Prime, a relation of the very first Transformers, can stop him from making good on wreaking his Earth-destroying revenge. Optimus has to step up – and of course he ultimately does, albeit after a flirtation with deactivation (belated spoiler alert!) – and by the time nearly two-and-a-half hours have passed, various characters have been reduced to scrap metal, and our human protagonists – Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and The Parents from the first film; oh, and some college dude pal of LaBeouf’s, who wets himself and screams a lot – are a bit dirtier than they were at the outset. A third movie is set up much in the manner of the first, as Optimus sends another message out into space, and then…

…All you’re left with, really, is a stinging sensation in your ears – this is a LOUD movie – and the feeling that the powers that be have taken a fun, family-friendly first film and destroyed it by cramming in more action than necessary into a boisterous sequel that’s so vivid with its depictions of carnage and chaos that, ultimately, it seems remarkably bland. There’s still plenty of silly jokes for the kids, and double-entendre funnies for mum and dad, but really: this plays out like one long advert for the masses of merchandise accompanying its release (not to mention the many brand names appearing on screen). The story is weak, and no one character enjoys enough screen time for us to really care about their fate, least of all The Fallen, who’s reduced to a supporting role once the first film’s villain Megatron (voiced brilliantly by Hugo Weaving) returns from his watery grave. There are budget-range video games available with more engrossing narratives than this, and while the effects are frequently amazing when appreciated in isolation, the constant barrage of them blurs the highlights into a whole that’s rather less impressive.

But then again, nobody was really expecting anything different, were they? If you disengage your brain completely there is pleasure to be derived from Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, and LaBeouf is clearly developing into an actor who’ll soon leave these sort of run-really-fast-and-duck-and-dive-and-scream roles behind; Fox, too, has her moments, and is on record as not personally liking the content of these all-action flicks – she’ll shine before long in a completely different picture. But, given the budget and the massive worldwide audience for this movie, one can’t help feeling short-changed once the credits roll.

Hollow, overly long and dangerously loud, this is a classic blockbuster in a modern sense: a certainty for critical lambasting, but just as sure to make the millions necessary to make another instalment.

4/10

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Trailer

The Wave

Ben Hopkins — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:12:56 +0000

When idealistic teacher Rainer Wenger decides to teach his teenage students about the intricacies of totalitarian control with a practical lesson, he fails to realise how well-received his study plan will be. His rebellious (if suspiciously glamorous) class embrace The Wave’s uniformity and discipline, but soon the experiment spirals out of control as they battle non-believers, deface the city with their movement’s logo and obsess over their seemingly perfect new way of life.

Inspired by historical events, The Wave feels immensely real and offers a reminder that any society retains the power to switch individual behaviour to extreme levels. Director Dennis Gansel also succeeds in making such events feel very easy to be sucked into; the results are obviously repulsive but the journey is deceptively seductive.

Think a teen-centred version of the similarly awesome Das Experiment. Think Skins with themes of political philosophy, group psychology and anarchy. Think, “I need to see this.”

Unrelated

Ben Hopkins — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:05:27 +0000

Winner of the Fipresci Award at the London Film Festival, Unrelated introduces director Joanna Hogg as a British talent with plenty of talent for a bright future. The film’s central character Anna (Kathryn Worth) is pushing middle-age and facing a fast-sinking marriage when she joins an old friend on her family’s holiday to Italy. More comfortable with the young adults in the family, she finds herself enticed by her friend’s son Oakley (Tom Hiddleston) but she’s soon forced to confront her emotional turmoil head on.

Lingering static shots are used to great effect to delve into Anna’s psyche and the family dynamic, while the Worth and Hiddleston’s performances communicate huge statements with the most subtle of glances. Thankfully Hogg prefers an intimate character study over a morality tale, making Unrelated a subtle yet engrossing hybrid of bourgeois family values and the murky depths of loneliness and regret.

Linha de Passe

Rob Monk — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:59:25 +0000

Walter Salles’ (The Motorcycle Diaries, Central Station) latest is a tough, unsentimental examination of Brazillian youth identity in a world of poverty and a dissolving traditional family unit. Drawing heavily on documentary filmmaking, Salles and occasional directing partner Daniela Thomas - they also worked together on ‘96’s Foreign Land – tell the story of four brothers living with their mother coping with the daily disappointments and frustrated ambitions of inner city Sao Paulo. Each react to their situation in different ways, either turning to football, God or crime in order to get out of the ghetto.

A moving and powerful slice of social realism, Linha de Passe is tense, gripping and profoundly tragic. As a statement of how families become eroded by poverty and a lack of a traditional father figure it is an important and admirable film.

Pineapple Express

Nick Annan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:03:41 +0000

Cinema has a long and somewhat chequered past with marijuana. For some – principally those who indulge in The Chronic, one assumes – films such as Up In Smoke, Super Troopers and Half Baked are landmarks in modern cinema. For the rest of us who don’t do our weekly shop at the petrol station, they’re films about drugs, to take drugs to, and whose enjoyment is enhanced by virtue of being high.

Now before you go checking that the top of this website says Clash and not The Daily Mail, I should point out that there is nothing wrong with that, but Pineapple Express - the latest sure-fire hit from Judd Apatow and friends - is an altogether different beast.

The film revolves around hapless and directionless stoner Dale (Seth Rogen), who inadvertently witnesses a murder conducted by a corrupt cop and a local mafia head. In his haste to leave the scene of the crime, Dale dispenses with his roach, which contains the eponymous Pineapple Express strain of marijuana – a potent strain sold by only one dealer in town, Dale’s dealer Saul (James Franco). The pair are hounded by merciless gang members intent on keeping them quiet, with only each other to rely on.

Whilst films such as Super Troopers rely too heavily upon the presumption that stoned people are funnier than people who aren’t stoned, Pineapple Express does what none of the afore-mentioned stoner classics do, and acknowledges that two hours of jokes about marijuana is about an hour and fifty minutes too much for the majority of the clear-headed, popcorn-munching public. Pineapple Express simply uses marijuana as a peg to hang the real story on, rather than thinking it’s the reason why people are watching. The beating heart of Pineapple Express is a story of friendship; it just so happens that it’s a friendship borne out of a mutual love for weed.

Rogen and Franco have a real on-screen chemistry, and both enhance their reputations with brilliantly paced comic performances. Rogen in particular is brilliant, and once again fills the screen with his immense likeability and everyman charm - not to mention his rather big face.

Judd Apatow is fast gaining a reputation for giving movie goers the best of both worlds – scatological and childish (but very funny) gags aplenty, combined with stories and characters the audience cares about. Pineapple Express is sure to see his cache elevate even – ahem - higher.

Words: Adam Carroll-Smith

Jar City

Ben Hopkins — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:50:41 +0000

It’s safe to say that Icelandic murder mystery is very much a niche genre and, for all its obvious accomplishment, Jar City is unlikely to change that. Coming from the same director of the outstanding 101 Reykjavik, Jar City feels like CSI on a very grisly trip.

When an ageing man is found dead, the only distinguishing aspect of the murder is how few leads the investigation have to progress with. The case unfolds through a myriad of forensic details and long-lost motives that manage to encompass most of humanity’s least savoury excesses.

Employing a greying colour scheme and a methodical narrative method, Jar City is immensely compelling if somewhat inaccessible. That said, the least appetising cinematic snack since Oldboy and some morbidly odd humour varies – if not lightens - the tone. Icelandophiles and connoisseurs of sophisticatedly real whodunits will adore Jar City but it doesn’t have the crossover potential of Tell No One.

RocknRolla

Ben Hopkins — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:20:28 +0000

Guy Ritchie isn’t the sort of director who is going to deliver a blistering insight into the human psyche or a fierce attack on society’s socio-political issues. RocknRolla matches that assumption, being typically unpretentious fare in which men are devious double hard bastards and women are gorgeous but, of course, still devious.

The plot is ludicrously convoluted in order to create an illusion of complexity, but it boils down to one simple issue; a Russian mobster heads a highly lucrative property scam in London but soon finds that all manner of dodgy folks – from accountants to old school Cockney gang members – are after a cut of the action. Ritchie runs this standard A to Z synopsis through a labyrinthian trail of mini twists to a diverse selection of London backdrops, but can’t disguise that this process doesn’t give this paper thin concept any additional substance.

The performances are universally decent, especially from the underrated Toby Kebbell as a fading junkie rock star and from Matt King who, just like in his role as Peep Show’s Super Hans, gets all the best one-liners and plays pretty much the same character. But as a whole the cast are undermined by their characters who almost without exception are the sort of broadly drawn caricatures that an outsider would paint by way of stereotyping. If Gerard Butler’s One Two had owned a fluffy ginger kitten, you’d expect him to be his neighbourhood’s feline bully, plotting to swipe an illicit consignment of catnip from under the noses of the Russian street cats.

It’s not that RocknRolla is unwatchable by any means. It possesses a comfortable familiarity to British drama of days gone by (it’s easy to draw parallels with everything from Ealing comedies to Only Fools and Horses) and enough contemporary punch to ensure its relevancy. It even boasts one undeniably spectacular set piece that could be considered a brilliant parody of one of Terminator 2’s most infamous scenes. But, by the same measure, an attempt to tackle homosexuality in a macho male world is at best mildly comical and at worst just plain dumb.

RocknRolla is undeniably attention grabbing and, more often than not, an entertaining ride. But as the final credit rolls and the realisation that no underlying depth has been established, it’s hard to see any purpose in it beyond flashy eye candy.

Ben X

Nick Annan — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:57:30 +0000

Ben X tells the story of a gifted autistic boy who is mercilessly bullied at school. Seeking refuge from the realities of life with his condition, he begins to live through his favourite role-playing computer games, and desires to press the metaphorical reset button on his life, in much the same way as he is able to in-game.

The film flits between the in-game footage and the live-action without it ever feeling cumbersome or distracting. However, the pace of the film is uneven, and the narrative weighs heavy on the viewer midway through - there is perhaps too much of an exploration of why Ben wishes to escape the real world, and not enough time dedicated to the inevitable but very worthy happy ending.

Greg Timmermans does an admirable job of portraying the troubled eponymous Ben, but doesn’t wholly convince. Despite this, the film marks a very promising debut from director Nic Balthazar.

Words: Adam Carroll-Smith

Somers Town

Ben Hopkins — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:10:28 +0000

Following the double-barrelled powerhouse of tumultuous drama and often harrowing emotions that was Dead Man’s Shoes and This is England, Shane Meadows avoids the very real possibility of directorial typecasting with Somers Town. Evolved from a short, Somers Town casts aside the dark narrative drives that personify Meadows’ greatest hits to date, but his fans will be comfortably familiarised with his common themes of unconventional bonds and self-discovery shot with a liberal dosage of naturalistic humour.

Also returning from This is England is Thomas Turgoose, cast as Tommo, a young lad who has run away from his Midlands home in the hope that the grass is greener in the Big Smoke. A chance meeting with Polish immigrant Marek (Piotr Jagiello) gives him a much needed ally in his so far unwelcoming new home. Although Marek lives with his father, he shares an essence of big city loneliness with Tommo and the pair bond over teenage shenanigans as well a mutual love of glamorous French waitress Maria.

Aside from one glorious scene, Somers Town is shot in black and white, a decision that not only gives a timeless sheen to this slice-of-life style snapshot, but one that also emboldens the intimacy and charming looseness of the boys’ journey. Comparatively statuesque compared to the cheeky urchin that emerged with mature panache in This is England, it’s heartening that Turgoose’s initial promise has continued to evolve in an altogether mellower role. Not that Jagiello is at all overshadowed; his debut performance is testament to Meadows’ continuing powers at extracting the best from young actors and his interplay with Turgoose is one of Somers Town’s most immediate delights.

The teenagers’ personal renewal – the discovery of who they are amongst an essentially alien community – reflects the changing identity of Somers Town itself. As the backdrop of the development of St. Pancras Station emerges, the area’s own fight for identity emerges. With the inevitable gentrification of the locality comes cosmopolitanism, but the likely cost will be the longstanding locals that inhibits the outskirts of the film; Perry Benson’s comically Del Boy-styled trader Graham and Huggy Leaver’s traditional café owner.

But above all else, Somers Town is wonderfully optimistic with Marek and Tommo’s coming of age tribulations glowing with the glorious future that first love, the first illicit drink and the development of life-long friendships all promise. It’s a departure for Meadows, but, unsurprisingly, effortlessly brilliant.

Savage Grace

Rob Monk — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:37:04 +0000

For such a consistently good performer Julianne Moore is in serious danger of becoming typecast. She always seems to play attractive, vivacious women (see Short Cuts, Magnolia, Boogie Nights etc) barely able to conceal an excess baggage of neuroses.

Savage Grace once again sees Moore ‘on the edge’ as Barbara Daly Baekeland, the charismatic and opportunistic wife of the heir to a vast fortune. When son Tony arrives it quickly becomes clear that not all is well in the family home; marital infidelities, drugs, class insecurities, incest and eventually tragic murder all make their way into this angst ridden picture.

Inevitably the leading lady’s performance carries the film, but there is more to the film than just Moore doing her strong/vulnerable mental breakdown thing. Savage Grace is a bold and compelling journey into the land of the fucked up, made even more disturbing by the fact that it was based on a true story. Scary.

Female Agents

Ben Hopkins — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:06:38 +0000

Eager to emphasise its historical credentials, Female Agents almost betrays itself with a heady mix of feminine glamour, bombastic action and slick espionage.

Louise (Sophie Marceau) is assigned to a near impossible task; the rescue of a British prisoner of war captured in Normandy and held by the Germans under tight security. The plan calls for an all female team so she enlists a group with enviable credentials – a seductive showgirl, an explosives expert, a prostitute and a communications specialist. So far, so straightforward, but then the Special Operations Executive gives the team a far more dangerous task in the shape of the assassination of the head of Nazi counter-intelligence.

This examination of the role of women in World War II soon falls to secondary importance to a glossy, stylish and speedy rush of explosions and double-dealings. Although more intrinsically plausible than the similarly themed Black Book, Female Agents possesses a clash of pace that doesn’t quite allow it to match Verhoeven’s gloriously unsubtle adventure. Although bold enough to expose the darkest undercurrents of WWII (which is particularly effective with some gruelling scenes of interrogative torture), Female Agents will struggle to appeal much beyond those who enjoy their war films with an added spice of glamour.

A Complete History of My Sexual Failures

Ben Hopkins — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:30:44 +0000

Not unlike a typical Dave Gorman adventure, director Chris Waitt sets out with one simple question in mind; why do girls keep dumping him? And to find that answer, he employs an equally simple method of questioning; essentially, “why did you dump me?”

With his dishevelled appearance, lax time keeping, inconsistence employment and studenty flat, Waitt clearly doesn’t represent great material for a woman looking for a husband and family. He makes for a thoroughly entertaining host; his dry wit, offbeat charm and retro grunger appearance all explaining exactly how he attracts such an array of women in the first place.

Waitt is a harder character to judge than this suggests, often empathetic but still on occasions his own worst enemy. Admittedly the film suffers from moments that feel staged, but there remains enough awkward humour, unexpected sadness and truths about life to make A Complete History a near perfect potential last date movie.

The Happening

Ben Hopkins — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:39:57 +0000

Once in a while, you wonder how a massively high profile film made it past the rigours of audience testing, focus groups and other in-depth analysis. The Happening is a case in point. It’s a weird film, one that you would expect some of its individuality to have been kicked away in search of a more obviously commercial endeavour.

America’s northeast is experiencing an unusual phenomena of strange behaviour followed by mass suicide. The news channels are quick to attribute blame for these events to terrorist activity. Science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) attempt to survive until the situation passes.

The Happening is mostly peculiar for the manner in which the films passes by with sufficient interest to engage your attention, while at the same time being so utterly ludicrous that you can’t fail to avoid realising that it’s not any good. The initial premise does indeed promise much; the sense of bewilderment at what exactly is occurring is enticing and the creepiness and execution of each affected citizen’s demise is compelling.

But as the film progresses, the film’s unusual circumstances become swamped by cinematic moments so odd you can’t quite believe they’re happening. At one stage a news report shows a man at a zoo trying to provoke the lions into attacking him. “What kind of terrorists are these?” questions a news anchor in a moment so Chris Morris that you suspect it was lifted directly from the deleted scenes of a Brasseye DVD. The couple also encounter a soldier who has just realised that almost every road around him is surrounded by unexplainable death and yet he acts like a character from Sergeant Bilko. Meanwhile, Deschanel pulls the same face of wide-eyed horror for the entire film, a stance that could well prove to be acting’s greatest danger to eyesight since Malcolm McDowell’s infamous scene in A Clockwork Orange. Is the acting deliberately hokey as a homage to a fifties b-movie?

If that’s not enough, M. Night Shyamalan lays down his environmental concerns with all the subtlety of attempting to destroy a garden shed with a nuclear warhead. To a backdrop of cooling towers pumping out pollution and plants mass produced in artificial biospheres, we find Wahlberg and chums running away from the wind. This is no way to initiate a credible discussion on global warming and mankind’s impact upon the planet.

And yet, despite everything, The Happening remains on the right side of viewable. The cause is kept mysterious enough to maintain a hope of a satisfactory conclusion and the fate of Elliot and Alma provides sufficient dramatic ammunition. And even if you hate the entire film, it’ll provide another point of entertainment while debating Shyamalan’s career trajectory.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Ben Hopkins — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:32:49 +0000

Something within In Search of a Midnight Kiss gnaws at your soul. It’s the sort of film that makes you question the very essence of your life, creating a duel thought process that flickers between gusts of optimism and chasms of negativity. The truth is of course somewhere realistic and middling, but such is the power of this lo-fi American indie that perspective is temporarily deflected.

All of which is particularly odd given that the film doesn’t seek any great insights into the human condition or humanity’s bigger issues. Its message can be summarised tidily enough; there’s a shard of light in despair but comfortable contention usually masks something more unsettling under the surface.

The setting is Los Angeles, the date New Year’s Eve. Wilson (Scoot McNairy) has endured the worst year of his life and his final day of the year gets off to a bad start when he’s caught indulging in some Photoshop-based onanism. Best friend and housemate Jacob (Brian McGuire) has big plans for the night with girlfriend Min (Katie Luong), but first pressures Wilson into posting an online personal ad. He heads off to meet Vivian, the first woman to respond and whose motivation is to spend midnight with the perfect man.

Wilson’s laidback nature and the occasionally beautiful monochromatic photography initially recall Slacker, Swingers and Clerks, but meeting Vivian for the first time gives the film a different spin. Much like the first encounter with Juno, it’s initially hard to adjust to her razored dialogue and snapping wit – she’s sure captivating, but pretty annoying with it. But as Wilson and Vivian’s day unfolds, In Search of a Midnight Kiss exudes a charm not entirely unlike that of Once. The humour is sharp; occasionally cruel, but grounded in realism. But the film sporadically sparks with an emotion that will just floor you. That director Alex Holdridge can do both in the same brief scene is nothing short of amazing; a shot of one of Vivian’s rejected dates at the stroke of midnight is especially stunning.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss isn’t perfect by any means; some of the edits grind and it’s hard not to occasionally feel that the raw acting is slightly overwhelmed by the vivacious dialogue. But only a hobbyist pedant could deny that these factors make the film any less charming. Romantics, pessimists and film fans alike are sure to rate this as a defining moment of 2008.

Irina Palm

Ben Hopkins — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:23:04 +0000

It’s a rare leading role for Marianne Faithful as Maggie, a widow desperate for cash to pay for treatment for her severely ill grandson. Unskilled and with no assets to her name, Maggie finds chasing employment to be a lost cause. When she spies an advert in a club looking for a hostess, she’s naïve enough to investigate. Maggie soon becomes Irina Palm, Soho’s leading purveyor of glory hole relief.

Although the film’s central conceit is bleak, the tone isn’t one that preaches the evils of the sex industry in a social realist sense. The focus is on Maggie’s late life transformation. Although initially disgusted by the sordidness of the work, her generous sacrifice builds independence. But it’s complicated too; from the revulsion of her son to the curiosity of her respectable friends.

An unusual humour fluffs the storyline effectively and Garbarski captures the inimitable Soho atmosphere. But it’s Faithfull’s fantastic performance that makes Irina Palm deserving of your time.

Gone Baby Gone

Ben Hopkins — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:51:45 +0000

Delayed due to its unfortunate parallels with the McCann case, Gone Baby Gone unites Ben Affleck for his directorial debut with brother Casey starring as private investigator Patrick Kenzie.

When young Amanda goes missing, her family’s desperation drives them to hire Kenzie and his partner Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) to augment the police investigation. Amanda’s drug-addicted mother doesn’t provide much in the way of help, while detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and police captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) also appear to have their own agendas.

Gone Baby Gone is a triumph for the Affleck brothers. It’s fair to say that Casey’s brief career as a lead is already overshadowing that of his brother, but Affleck senior shows tremendous accomplishment in his directorship and his co-written screenplay is twisted with moral ambiguity. Although a sense of self-worthiness occasionally overwhelms the film’s focus, Gone Baby Gone is a resonating, powerful experience.

Mongol: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan

Nick Annan — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:32:53 +0000

When I heard that there will be a film about Genghis Khan, I couldn’t help but expect a story about a merciless, blood thirsty, war leader who was unapologetic in his conquering and constantly ate the flesh of his enemies (who wouldn’t given the chance?).

However, I was taken aback by the beautiful story that portrayed him not only as a deeply religious, loving father, but also a person that was totally committed to uniting the many nomadic tribes of his people. The director, Sergei Bodrov shows us the true heart of a man that had been persecuted at birth and yet overcame all his obstacles to become a fearful leader. This is illustrated by the popular Mongolian saying “Do not scorn a weak cub, for he may grow up to be a fearful tiger.” Healthy advice for all you secondary school bullies out there.

But this is not just your run of the mill film about a revolutionary who overcomes adversity and inspires a nation. No, Mongol purports to give the truest account of Genghis’ life as compiled by Bodrov and screenplay writer, Arif Aliyev; thereby dispelling the rumours about Genghis that you may have come to love. The story is beautifully told and the acting is superb. I especially enjoyed Amarbold Tuvshinbayar’s portrayal of Jamuka, Genghis’ blood brother and penultimate nemesis, whose reasoning for not doing anything he didn’t want to was “that’s just not what Mongols do.” There are certain principles that are subtlety drilled into our subconscious like racial pride, the importance of traditions and the love of a good woman but the basic story is interesting enough that it does not feel like a history lesson.

So, even if you are not interested in ancient war heroes or the origin of Mongolia, this movie will still appeal. Testosterone filled men will be pleased with the bloody battles and the romantics among you will be equally pleased with Genghis’ commitment to his wife, Borte despite falling pregnant whilst in the enemy’s camp. This film is worthy of its nomination at the Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. Mongol paints such a great picture of Genghis that you’ll end up wishing that he was one of the candidates for the London Mayoral election. Men, feel proud as apparently 1 in 200 of us share the great man’s genes.

Words: Elijah Lawal

California Dreamin' (Endless)

Ben Hopkins — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:56:36 +0000

The ‘endless’ of the title refers to the film’s officially unfinished status following the sudden death of director Cristian Nemescu and sound editor Andrei Toncu. Tragedy struck on August 26th 2006 when the taxi driving Nemescu and sound editor Andrei Tuncu from the editing lab was hit by another car, a collision that claimed the lives of all three people. The release of California Dreamin’ (Endless) is the version untouched after Nemescu’s departure, the ‘endless’ referring to the fact that no-one knew what his final cut would be.

Just twenty-seven years old when he died, Nemescu’s California Dreamin’ collected the ‘Un Certain Regard’ award at Cannes for young talent and innovative work, as well as the Satyajit Ray Award for a director’s first feature screening at the London Film Festival, “which best captures the artistry and humanity expressed in Ray's own vision.”

Not that California Dreamin’ feels incomplete. A NATO train packed with American marines stops at the remote Romanian village of Capalnita where it’s held by an over officious stationmaster with his own agenda and a troubled past. As the delay drags, the marines are kept entertained by a fake village centenary, a horde of randy female students, a Romanian Elvis impersonator and a workers’ strike.

The film’s quirky humour and farcical events feel close in atmosphere to Goodbye Lenin, but the omnipresence of social and political issues make California Dreamin’ a serious work infused with comedy rather than vice versa. With dramatic scenes occasional but overwhelmingly powerful, California Dreamin’ is a rare example of genres colliding to make a highly original satire of epic proportions.