Predators (2010)

I said I was going to watch Predators in my last post but I just meant I was going to watch some trash. Well, surprisingly, I actually went out and hired it, much to my lady's disgust. Holy shit but did I love the original 'Predator' (1987). I'm guessing I must have seen it at least 10 times as a teenager as my unstable testosterone levels were surging. Looking back at Arnie's filmography, I was a fan between 'The Terminator' (1984) and 'T2' (1991) years. 'Commando' (1985), 'The Running Man' (1987) and 'Total Recall' (1990) all appealed to my pubescent blood lust and I still hold them in fond regards. Ahhh, good times.

Needs to be seen at least 8 times.

I placated my lady by pointing out that Predators is a Robert Rodriquez film but actually, he only produced (I knew that). It borrows heavily from the original film, jungle setting, bunch of hard dudes with big guns and some of the actual dialogue and scenes seemed very similar, perhaps they were paying homage. Crap only knows. So not a lot of originality going on here but what about cool shit? Predator vs Yakuza isn't a scenario I've ever envisioned happening but it was damn good, I certainly should have envisioned it! Predator vs Predator was a highlight too, seeing one deliver a vicious knee to another in the head from 3 angles was a lovely touch, brought a tear to my eye. Beyond that however there isn't too much to get excited about. It's a bit of a laugh seeing Adrian Brody run around in mud, slapping monsters in the face but overall this is fairly ordinary fare even though I appreciated the insight into the feud between the different Predator breeds. I'd say watch it if you're a Predator fan but otherwise seek out some classic Arnie, 'Raw Deal' (1986) perhaps. 
2.5/5
On Tuesday night I am planning on watching a stinking pile of trash that will make Predators look like classic Kurosawa so stay tuned my little mud larks!

Father Of My Children (2009)

Another mature drama which is good, I'm a mature and dramatic human. Awwww shaddup! Shaddup!
This is a french film about an enigmatic, passionate man leading a life most of us wouldn't mind a slice of. He breathes his profession as a film producer and has a young family that he loves. There's not enough time in the day for this chap. It's a little exhausting watching him continually performing several tasks at once but it drives and fulfills him. Of course as we all know, life is a bitch and things don't always go to plan. His film company hits the financial skids and his treasured life starts to take a depressing tilt.



The film is about this gregarious character and the consequences his decisions have on his family and those around him. I think it does a great job displaying the ebb & flow of life and that an event is only one among others. While it is sad and some girlie-men may reach for the tissues, I feel it has a positive tone to it, encouraging even. There are some great performances especially from the kids and the lead actor, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing. 28 year old Mia Hansen-Løve directs stylishly, it has a real fresh feel. A top effort from such a young director, no doubt about it.
I'd have to say that this is one of the better films I've seen for quite some time. Them French sure know how to make a quality flick. 
Now I think I'll go watch 'Predators' or something.
4/5

The Eclipse (2009)

When is an Irish ghost story not an Irish ghost story? When it's a quiet family drama with supernatural themes on the side...I guess that's still an Irish ghost story though....ahem. Despite being reeled in expecting to see psychotic leprechauns wielding blood stained shillelaghs, I sat like a contented old mate at the bar with a tasty Guinness throughout this slow yet ultimately satisfying little number. Yeah, a little head scratching occurs at the films' conclusion but on reflection it's an intriguing blend of genres and the ghost elements make a compelling discussion point. Particularly if you're really into families and ghosts, and I know for a fact some of you people are.

Set in Cork there is some beautiful scenery and Aidan Quinn does a good job playing a cock you'd happily give a nudge into incoming traffic. Ciaran Hinds plays the lead character who's a grieving widower with a quiet dignity. A while ago I saw Hinds in Todd Solondz's 'Life During Wartime' (2009), the follow up to his film 'Happiness' (1998), in which he plays a paedophile. He manages to do a very convincing job as a fiddler, really. Both those films are amusingly disturbing and should be seen.
The Eclipse rates fairly low on the 'That was scary, I just wee'd my jeans a little' scale but reasonably well on the 'relationships and shit' scale.

3.5/5

Hi Mom! (1970)

Ok, my first follow up film from a previous post. My Brian De Palma tangent has taken me to this somewhat experimental, smutty, and I imagine pretty controversial in ye olde 1970, romp. De Niro attempts to break into the porn industry by making peeping tom style films which he records from his apartment. It's pretty silly and certainly has some funny moments especially as he trys to convince the porno boss to lend him some money. There is glimmers of hell-awesome Travis Bickle coming out in De Niro here too.





The second part of this ribald adventure finds De Niro getting into cahoots with a group of militant black actors. He is a minor character in the doco styled 'Be Black Baby' scenario. This is actually some pretty confronting stuff as the black guys paint their faces white and the white audience's black and then force them through a degrading experience where performance and reality is blurred. Beatings, rape, gunfire etc ensue.  Why haven't I ever heard of it before? I don't know but I imagine it's probably your fault.
It has a bit of an ad-lib feel which is sometimes awkward but there's some interesting stuff going on here for sure. I'll have to check out 'Greetings' (1968) at some stage where De Niro plays the same character.
Be black baby, be black. 
3/5

You, the Living (2007)

Ahhh Nords...funny lot, I like em, they make me laugh. This Swedish piece by Roy Andersson is a whole lot of little vignettes, some of them related, from day to day life. These moments are often mundane, depressing and quite familiar for anyone who claims to be human ( I have a wet pulp of grounded coffee from the bottom of a plunger in place of a heart so I don't count). A lot of them are pretty funny too in that dry, reserved Nordic manner. Andersson appears to have a reasonably dim view of how many of us conduct ourselves but at times he also seems to be celebrating our shortcomings, like hugging an old, pathetic, alcoholic uncle. He's shit but you still love him...well, perhaps you're a bit fond anyway. The drab colors and stark lighting draw out the mostly ordinary circumstances taking place. It took a little while to get into the swing of the pace of things, I wanted more from the scenes to start with but the unconventional structure is a treat once embraced. Please don't be stupid about this ok?
I guess poking a stick at life's awkward and anxious moments is better than slipping a rope around your neck and dropping off a height of approximately 1.5 meters. 
A therapeutic experience.
3.5/5




Roy Anderson has directed a couple of other films that sound like they will be worth tracking down.  'A Swedish Love Story' (1970) and 'Songs From the Second Floor' (2000). The latter is apparently in line with You, the Living but more depressing. Sounds awesome, I'm watching that shit! 
Talking about the Nords, a film I am very keen on is 'The Man Without A Past' (2002) by Finnish director Aki Kaurismåki. This is the second film in his 'Finland' trilogy, each film individual but dealing with the similar theme of the downtrodden. Poor pricks, being homeless in freezing arse Helsinki would suck ice balls. He has made quite a few other films that sound interesting but I'd like to start off by completing the trilogy with 'Drifting Clouds' (1996) and 'Lights in the Dusk' (2006) first. 
I will do my best as you know, I always do.

The Black Dahlia (2006)

Jesus, why have I seen this film 3 times now? Dipshit. First time I struggled with the muddled story lines. Then I read the book by James Ellroy a couple of years later and it was fucking great so I watched it again so I could do the book/film comparison thing. It does a reasonable job of capturing the era and translating the characters to the screen but takes some deviations from the book to it's detriment and the stilted acting doesn't help the cause. I watched it again because my lady just read Ellroy's fictional account of the 1947 true crime and she wanted to do the comparison, much to her disappointment. Sob. I can't imagine she'll put herself through it another two times. Read the book instead.
2/5

Scarletts not in the book but it's still much better

Brian De Palma directed this underwhelming neo-noir trip and apart from a few other notable misses has some great films under his belt. Scar Face, The Untouchables and Carlito's Way all being flicks I've gurgled joyously through. While reading about his earlier directorial efforts, two in particular wrenched at my curious little balls, 'Greetings' (1968) and 'Hi Mom!' (1970). They star a young and relevant Robert De Niro in America's first X rated films (re-cut for an R rating). 'Hi Mom!' is described as a counter-culture satire which caused controversy back then and after reading some comments on a few movie sites it still disturbs many people today...sounds just like the sort of garbage I need to see. De Niro is a novice adult film maker who is recording his neighbours from his window and gets entangled with a radical group of black actors. Scenes of urban terrorism and rape are rightly distressing to many people but stay tuned as I endeavour to track this black comedy filth down and deliver my verdict on it modern day potency.

Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)

I'm a Chappelle fan so I saw this at the cinema when it was released (with a buffer seat in between old mate and myself. Why do some people have a problem with this practise?) and again on telly the other night while rehabbing from a large wedding the night before. I find a couple of glasses of red smoothes out this process.
It documents Dave throwing a concert/party in Brooklyn and the days leading up to the event. It's cut out of sequence but flows nicely so you get to watch performances from the day all the way through.
'The Chappelle Show' was one of the best skit shows to come out of the US that I've seen. Unfortunately Chappelle quit during production of season 3 and pissed off to South Africa unannounced for a spell, turning his back on a $55 million contract. Man, that is no easy decision. Guy was sick of the industry b.s. and jack arses screaming 'I'm Rick James bitch!' everywhere he went. Refreshing to see a celebrity turn their back on a payday out of disgust and try to keep their feet on the ground. Real shame however that he's not on the tv regularly anymore. It would appear he's doing plenty of stand up though and appearing in the odd movie. Apparently he set a stand up record a while ago yammering on for 6 hours 15 minutes but it has since been beaten by this guy...urgh.



Anyways, not being a major hip hop fan it was surprising to me to see such great musicianship from the rappers and their accompanying musos throughout this doco. I can't even imagine contemplating shelling out $$ to go to a rap concert/festival but I would have loved to have been at this thing. Erykah Badu was my standout but there is some strong showings from Mos Def, Kanye West, Dead Prez and the Fugees. Chappelle breaks it all up with his whip fast craziness and the inclusion of some of the local residents and workers is pretty cool too. The block of streets they work and live in becomes a character itself.
Interestingly this is directed by Michel Gondry who did 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and a couple of other enjoyable films. Not so easy to spot his style here but a good job none the less, nicely played Michel.
Worth seeing even if the hipppity hop is not your thing.
4/5

Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

I've been planning on watching this John Carpenter directed film for a while. A few years ago I saw his film 'They Live' (1988) in which scumbag aliens have taken over on the sly and are subliminally controlling humans through advertising. Man, I loved that film. Recently I saw it again and then watched 'The Thing' (1982) which, although having some hilariously dated special effects, is still a bit of fun. I wasn't really into horror as a kid, sure I watched the Elm Street films and the odd zombie flick but I was just a little queasy with the hacking and splintering of body parts. I could happily watch people get riddled with bullets in shitty action flicks or pounded into a bloody pulp in martial art films but no chainsaws being driven up between legs, thanks. Anyway I have since gained an appreciation for horror and after watching a few Carpenter films I am keen to investigate more of his films including the Halloweens. For the moment however I'll  continue my quest with this little firecracker.

A small group of cops, secretaries and cons are spending the final night in the Anderson district cop shop before it is relocated. Suddenly a spazzed out mute busts through the front doors sobbing. The lads in the cop shop are surprised to learn that he is being pursued by a blood thirsty gang who want to chop up everything in their path. Thus begins the big siege and the start of many shotgun blasts, aimed to remove the middle sections of countless silent foes.
One of the things that I dig about Carpenter's films is the subtle comedy throughout. Often the characters deliver quirky little lines that you may not have been expecting and you think, 'Heh, you're not such a prick after all mate!". Not the sort of thing you laugh out loud at, not on first viewing anyway, but like I found rewatching 'They Live' and some of this film's scenes, is that the humour grows on you.  Then you get a scene like this little beauty...




Wow, you don't see that too often these days. A great little wake up call if you are getting too comfortable. It reminds me of when I watched Pulp Fiction for the first time and Marsellus Wallace shoots bystanders accidentally while firing at Bruce Willis. Bit of a shock but also a bit of a laugh too!
Of course the acting can be a little wooden at times and the dialogue often sounds like it was written the night before shooting but the lead actors all bring something to the table especially Austin Stoker who plays the lead cop. Dodgy editing appears at times too. One scene shows a cop standing by idly on the edge of the screen, obviously assuming he was out of shot, as one of the cons goes berserk with his prison chains on the warden's hide.
One of the stand out aspects of this film is the soundtrack. It's totally bad arse. I've listened to it before and couldn't wait to see it attached to the action. Whenever it kicked in I found myself rubbing my hands with glee in expectation to what sort of crazy shit was around the corner. Fortunately it's used to great effect and quite often too. Carpenter composed and recorded it as he does in many of his films. He's pretty renowned for them, having their own cult following. Please, check this out and get your dark brood on...




Being set in a major US city, featuring a rampaging gang and made in the 70's it reminded me of other films I'm a fan of such as 'The Warriors' (1979). Modern day action films should look more to this combination of suspense with shorts bursts of ultra violence instead of just 90 minutes of gun fire and bland car chases. It's not without it's flaws but it is a blast (in your oxygen thieving face)!
4/5

Oswald's Ghost (2007)

I watched this on SBS 2 last night, they have a lot of interesting films on there. That's a fact. This feature length documentary directed by Robert Stone focuses on the assassination of JFK in 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald and the surrounding conspiracy theories. Unfortunately Oswald was blown to pieces by small dog loving Jack Ruby a few days later, so he went to his grave without being trialled and denying the charges. 
The film delves into Oswald's character and history and offers a reasonably compelling argument that he was capable of acting alone. Dude had been in the Marine Corp and then did some crazy shit like shoot his elbow to get out. He defected to the Soviet Union and returned to the States again with a little commie wife. He also allegedly shot a cop who was trying to arrest him after the assassination. Basically the guy was trained up and had some wild ideas and visions of grandeur. The Warren Commission, responsible for the 'single bullet theory', was set up after the assassination and concluded he acted alone but it was widely criticised as to being, well, wrong. 
The middle of the film focuses on the conspiracy theories, ranging from a CIA hatched plot, the Cubans, the Vietnamese, the mafia, and president to be, Lyndon Johnston to name a few. There's quite a bit of food for thought dished out here, some of it sounds like wild crackpot talk and some of it can be seriously considered.

Lee Harvey Oswald: bewildered communist.

                                      
Giving opinions and offering insights throughout is a revolving set of heads. Some of these I found interesting like Norman Mailer, guy just sounds like an authority on anything. Mark Lane, the attorney who authored 'Rush To Judgement' which criticises the Warren Commission and questions Oswald's guilt. Also popping up were a few aged heads with the title 'Student Activist'. What their authority is remains a mystery to me. I can only guess they were hovering about at uni in the 60's ingesting chemicals, rooting about and talking shit. Good times no doubt but I don't think we needed to see them in this.
The film ends by covering the traumatic years following the assassination, other political leaders that got capped (Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy) and the effect it had on the American public's psyche. A lot of facts are covered by news broadcasts from the time and other contemporary footage which does a great job of depicting the fervour created by the event. The people interviewed often have a unique involvement and perspective (apart from those curious old students) and a lot of light is shed on Oswald who remains a strange figure in US history. 
Seeing as I didn't have a lot of knowledge about the JFK assassination or an opinion of who was responsible, I found this to be an illuminating documentary.  It offers the possibility that Oswald was the gunmen and it also gives credibility to some of the conspiracies. If you are already clued up on all this and hold your own theory then I don't know how much it would offer. Me however, I got quite a bit out of it and would like to hear some more points of view on how poor Johnny lost the back of his skull.
3.5/5 

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