Saw this last night at a special screening followed by a Q&A with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. I liked "Shaun of the Dead" but wasn't a huge fan but I liked what I'd heard about "Hot Fuzz". I still wasn't prepared to be quite as blown away by it as I was.
This film works both as an out-and-out comedy but also as a high paced action film and also manages to showcase the directing talents of Edgar Wright and the acting of Simon Pegg (who can really *act*) The first half is a gentle build up but is generally and genuinely amusing, but once we put the pedal to the floor for the second half the pace is relentless.
The plot is substantial enough but isn't really what we've all come to see - it's about the snappy dialogue and the gags. To describe it as a spoof is unfair - they just corrupt the genre a little and turn up the comedy.
Great fun from start to finish.
Hot Fuzz
Mr. Bean's Holiday
I don't wish to go on and on as Mr bean is a character whom each individual has their own views on, some love him and some hate him however this film, for most fans, is a welcome return to the 'classic' bean we knew in the TV series far less 'americanised' than in the ultimate disaster movie. It seems that Rowan has taken bean to a new emotional level resembling classic silent artists such as Keaton and at times Chaplin, some scenes seem very reminiscent of "the kid" and help keep peoples attention to the story, not just Beans funny movements, though at times it drags slightly. There are of course aspects which have been included to accommodate an international audience but that is expected. In an effort not to give any of the film away and there's little dialogue to quote all I can say is that I enjoyed the film and felt that this is the Bean i saw as a child and Rowans ability to emote with facial expression alone should place him amongst the greats in silent entertainment.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
I've avoided this movie for sometime now. Firstly because friends told me that it was 'Pulp Fiction'-ish (and boy do I hate that movie). Secondly, because its British and although I'm from South East London myself and love British television comedies, I have rarely found British humour well translated onto the big screen. Normally it is toned down to plain slap-stick goofy uncomplicated Inspector Cleuseau type humour tailored for American audiences.
But to find not just British, but straight-faced East London cockney-slang and swear filled humour in a really stylish movie was a revelation.
I have always believed that British humor, especially East London humor is much more sophisicated than American humour. Maybe the reason why American audiences have been more forthcoming with LS&2SB is that despite the accent, they finally 'get it' without having to have it remade into an American version, ala Faulty Towers and Threes company and other British comedies. Yet, I believe Tom Cruise is remaking the movie with an American cast. I suppose for those who just cannot understand English unless its spoken in an American accent. That is really a shame as there are so many diverse accents all around the world and LS&2SB could not have been done in any accent other than cockney.
Still, there are bits only the British will get, like the scene with the three guys pouncing on the traffic warden in the back of the van. That scene had me clutching my sides. Only someone living in London can feel true loathing for a traffic warden, the most hated person in Britain.
Cinemtography was superb. I wont go into who's already done the slow-mo's and stop action argument. It is near impossible to do anything in a movie today that has not already been done. You can either do nothing - or do whatever you can as long as it suits the mood and the flow of the movie, and Guy Ritchie just cannot be faulted. He projects the seedy, thin laned, miserable weathered London, yet with such style that you want to see more. The camera work could not have been better. Just see the projection of Eddy's unsteady, light-headed wooziness as he gets up from the gambling table having lost everything and owing even more. Brilliant.
The Soundtrack was as diverse and yet brilliant as I have ever heard in a movie. I dont want to look like waving the Union Jack here, but this movie shows that the British have a more diverse taste in music. From Reggae, to Ska, to Rock, to Mikis Theodorakis every track played just added to the scene showed.
In short, LS&2SB is a movie that just does not stop for a second, is full of refreshing humour, filmed with style, has a lively soundtrack, some violence thrown in for good measure, and a story with more twists and turns than a bowlfull of spaghetti.
Dont let this movie slip you by. You'll either love it, or hate it.
If this movie was not British, I'd give it an 8/10, but since it is, it gets 9/10 from me.
Favourite dialogue: Rory Breaker: If you hold back anything, I'll kill ya. If you bend the truth or I think your bending the truth, I'll kill ya. If you forget anything I'll kill ya. In fact, you're gonna have to work very hard to stay alive, Nick. Now do you understand everything I've said? Because if you don't, I'll kill ya.
Love Actually
In London, from five weeks before Christmas up to a month after Christmas, the lives of different persons are linked by love. The Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) and the member of his household, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon); his sister Karen (Emma Thompson), her husband Harry (Alam Rickman) and Harry's secretary, Mia (Heike Makatsch); Harry's employees, Sarah (Laura Linney), a woman with a serious problem in her life, and the designer Karl (Rodrigo Santoro); the writer Jamie Bennett (Colin Firth) and his Portuguese maid Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz); the grieving widow Daniel (Liam Neeson) and his son, Sam; a porn actress and her colleague; the singer Billy Mack (Billy Nighy) and his manager; the just married couple Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Juliet (Keira Knightley) and their best man Mark (Andrew Lincoln); a British young man that travels to USA, trying to score women in that country. "Love Actually" is a delightful homage to love. There are different situations, some of them dramatic, others funny, sometimes touching but never corny. The interconnection of the stories has a perfect timing. The cast is a constellation, highlighting the shining beauty of Keira Knightley and the nice role of Hugh Grant. There are many wonderful moments, such as the collective interview of the Prime Minister and the American president; or the moment when Karen finds that her Christmas gift is a CD of Joni Mitchell; or when Mark declares his secret love for Juliet; or the relationship of Daniel and Sam; or when Daniel meets Carol; or when the manager of Billy makes a comment about Elton John; or the narration in off in the beginning of the movie. I believe I could list many other magnificent moments, but better off the reader of my review rent or buy the DVD and have a good time. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Simplesmente Amor" ("Simply Love")
Trainspotting
In 1996 John Hodge took Irvine Welsh's novel "Trainspotting" and with the help of Danny Boyle's direction created one of the most influential, modern cult classics Britain has to offer. Commonly ranked among the greatest films of the 90s; "Trainspotting" delivers satisfactory viewing every single time. The essential drug film.
The term "trainspotting" in this case, is not the non-drug based hobby, but has two meanings for this film. A) The act of "trainspotting" is UK slang for trying to find a vein to intravenously inject drugs. And B) A joke not featured in the film, but two of the characters go to a disused train station to buy drugs and say they are going "trainspotting".
Ewan McGregor stars as Mark Renton, a performance that put him on the map, a man who spends; or wastes, most of his time taking drugs with his friends in one of their apartments. Until he decides to finally pack it in and go cold turkey. We see the highs and lows of the drugs as Renton attempts to build a new life. He battles the strain and the influences of his mates; including Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller) a man who stops at nothing to take all, Spud (Ewen Bremner) a fast-paced anxious performance and Francis Begbie (Robert Carylye) a frighteningly intense character who is possibly my favourite of all-time; and Renton's sex life.
Vibrant colour is used to exaggerate the actions to intensify the imagery on screen. This also makes it stand out from other films creating a massive impact on the viewer. Unforgettable. The soundtrack consists of the pop culture the characters themselves love and some regularly featured in real life at the time. The film captures the era perfectly.
Danny Boyle's stylish direction is what mainly is so appealing about the film. Delivering an expertly structured adrenalin rush. The daring topic of the film was well perceived by critics and audiences to claim universal praise. But, they were still unsure if it was supporting drugs or an anti-drug film. In a way it is both.
We are guided through the film with Renton's narration, making it an extremely watchable viewing, one irresistible to want to experience several times. A hilarious triumph. This is movie-making.
The Devil Wears Prada
With dialog that absolutely crackles, "The Devil Wears Prada" is bound to please most audiences but will primarily appeal to the MTV generation, I suspect. When all is said and done, it's your typical fish-out-of-water, bright-lights-big-city fable, just dressed up all purdy.
Or, put another way, it's essentially "The Princess Diaries" with much, much, muuuuuuuuuch better dialog and a slightly more sophisticated and dramatic story arc.
So while older audiences may feel the film is a bit formulaic, the hysterical, but occasional cruel, one-liners and zingers hurled at Anne Hathaway's Andy are sure to keep them entertained. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt get most of the barbs, and Blunt in particular is fantastic in the film.
Tucci and Meryl Streep, however, get to make the most provocative and stirring speeches in the film, and they deliver. Hathaway capably carried the movie, perhaps overacting, but she makes it work. Streep proves again that she's a gifted comedian. Emily Blunt, as Emily, is pitch perfect, and her performance here gives beautiful irony to her given name.
The film is just too long, however, primarily because the director feels obliged to explain everything -- every plot point is rendered obviously and painfully clear, and nothing left open for interpretation. That said, we're spared the "perfect ending" and left with a heroine who can truly stand on her own two feet, and in any shoes she might desire.
Forrest Gump
FORREST GUMP (1994) **** Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson. Brilliantly directed and inspiring comic drama about the truly extraordinary life and times of mentally challenged Forrest Gump (Hanks in the best role of his career won his second Best Actor Oscar in back-to-back winning roles), a simple, honest, and decent man whose childlike innocence is his lucky charm through his altering experiences that span the past two decades flawlessly. Mind-boggling Oscar-winning computerized effects by Industrial Light & Magic has Gump meeting the famous and infamous. Hanks is a wonder (dare you not to get a lump in your throat when it finally registers that he has a child - watch his face!) and gets fine support especially Wright as the love of his life and Sinise as his best friend (Best Supporting Actor nominee) superior adaptation of Winston Groom's novel by Eric Roth (also an Academy Award recepient) that truly captures lightning in a bottle. Oscars also went to director Robert Zemeckis and for Best Picture. *** One of my all-time favorite flicks. I still cry, particularly Forrest telling Jenny why he loves her so much ("You're my girl!") and at the gravesite when the birds fly overhead.
Shaun the Sheep
Genre: Plasticene TV series with no dialogue and a sheep from the third "Wallace And Gromit".
My thoughts: There are lots and lots of good (and not so good) episodes. This series is SO CUTE AND FUNNY AND FUN! I don't know if I should say this but I actually prefer this to any of the "Wallace And Gromit" films!!!!! :O :O The ones I don't like are the episodes with the pigs, they bully Shaun WAY too much. There is also an episode called "Mountains Out Of Molehills" which I don't like very much either. My favourite episode is where the farmer and sheep do some painting. The ones with the chicks is my 2nd favourite, SO CUTE! The chicks are just yellow blobs with beaks AAAWWWWWW!! :) :).
Who I recommend it to: Aardman fans, plasticene fans and Shaun the sheep fans! Enjoy!
Who I DON'T recommend it to: People who are not interested in animation, people who do not have a good sense of humour and grumpy people.
What happens: In every episode, Shaun has some funny, but clever ideas up his wool, some to sort out big, and some to sort out little problems...
Lars and the Real Girl
If anyone had told me I would one day be crying during a movie about a man and his blow-up doll, I would have called them a liar. But, here I am, going through at least 3 Kleenex even after the movie is over. Lars and the Real Girl is a touching, quirky film that is a lesson in why people do the things they do. Anyone that is interested in social work, counseling, psychology, or ministry should watch this movie.
Lars is a quiet young man (probably 30s) who does not like to be touched. He works in a cubicle in some random office. Currently, he lives in the garage of his childhood home. His brother, Gus, and new wife, Karin, live in the connected house and are expecting a child soon. Karin puts a great deal of effort into trying to pull Lars out of his shell. Gus, on the other hand, thinks Lars is happy how he is. It's his choice to spend time alone, isn't it? The status quo is shaken up, however, when Lars brings home a new girlfriend. Her name is Bianca, and she is a blow-up doll. But Lars doesn't realize this, or if he does, he doesn't acknowledge it. She is, to him, real. He talks to her as if she is. For everyone who thinks sounds disgusting, take note: his relationship with Bianca is not sexual by any means. On the contrary, Bianca used to be a missionary and the two of them insist that Bianca sleep in the house instead of in bed with Lars in the garage. I say the two of them insist because Lars actually seems to hear answers when he asks Bianca's questions.
At first everyone is shaken up. The four of them go to the family doctor under the guise of needing to make sure Bianca is in good physical health. Dr. Dagmar suggests to Gus and Karin that Bianca is here for a reason and they should just ride it out. She asks Lars to come in once a week to make sure Bianca is all right. While they wait for the treatments to take effect, Dagmar and Lars get a chance to talk, and voilà, Lars is in counseling without him even knowing it.
Karin wants to do what is best for Lars. Gus just wants this little problem to go away. This is making it all too apparent that maybe things aren't all right with this family. On the positive side, Lars starts spending more time around other people. People of the town, including preachers, hairdressers, and hospital workers, all treat Bianca as if she is real. This seems to give Lars to courage to come out of his shell, but he isn't the only one who changes.
Bianca helps this community and this family come together in unexpected ways. The acting is superb. Ryan Gosling as Lars is sure to get an Oscar nomination. Paul Schneider as Gus is the perfect brother who would rather bury painful issues than deal with them. Patricia Clarkson as Dr. Dagmar is a truly compassionate doctor that would put any counselor to shame.
Lars and the Real Girl has now moved up to my top favorite movies of all time. Anyone who sees this movie will be pleasantly surprised. During the movie, I saw one couple get up and leave. I have no idea what they could have been offended about. There is nothing sexual or gross about this movie. The blow-up doll merely becomes a physical embodiment of one man's terrible loneliness in a world where he was heartlessly abandoned.
Juno
If people didn't realize what a joke the Academy Awards have been, certainly Juno will go a long way to show just that.
Juno is nothing but a huge PR campaign masquerading as an indie film. That's exactly what the Academy wants to be known for.
The fact that Juno is completely fake, from the absurdly hip bio of its writer to its forced (supposed) humor is what the Academy is all about.
Academy Awards have ceased a long time ago to be about quality. That's why they love Juno. They saw the hundreds of trade ads and voted for Juno, and the other films that bought cover ads in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.
It may be good business for trade newspapers, but it's a shame for film and for the public.
kitchen confidential
It seems that channel 7 in Australia is showing the rest of the episodes that were not aired after Fox cancelled the show in the USA.
I guess they have a better sense of humor than Fox.
I hope that when they are all aired they put them on DVD for those of us who loved the show. I have seen some of the episodes that were not aired and they were hilarious. There is so much reality cr*p on TV it really upsets me when a network doesn't give a truly smart comedy to gain an audience before pulling it off the air. I understand that Seinfeld almost met the same fate but thank G*d it was allowed to continue to become one of the best comedies ever!!
Hotel Babylon
Another Show putting the BBC back at the top of UK Drama.
This is another show on the BBC that just fills me with joy! For so long I have been deeply depressed at the state of UK TV. Channel4 came up with "Big Brother", and suddenly it was reality TV on every channel. Now it may be just me, but I get enough reality watching the News channels and getting depressed. I have craved good drama for years now. Drama should be a little escape from reality, a break from the news, an hour to 'switch off' and immerse yourself in another World, like a long hot bath! Drama on UK TV has been very poor of late. The soaps are being run almost nightly, and I felt that these almost daily showings are leaving the writing teams really pushed for more desperate ideas. We have had a couple of gems now and again ("Queer as Folk" for example). So you cannot imagine my delight when I heard the BBC were resurrecting "Dr Who". Russell T Davis at the helm (a writer I have worshiped since I watched Children's TV!) and a cast and crew that should be envied the World over I was excited. Sure enough, "Dr Who" was a sensation! Suddenly there seems to be a resurgence in drama on UK TV. No offense to my American buddies (responsible for 24, QaF, Sex and the City, 6Feet Under et. all), but it is great to see UK Drama coming back with the quality and care the US throws at a lot of it's Dramas. I must at this point, thank HBO for all they do for drama in the US :) So, onto "Hotel Babylon".
This show is a wonderful creation, and another great commission by the BBC. A collection of individual stories that can be watched independently of each other and enjoyed. However, the Hotel staff are a great excuse for building a story arc as the series develops and you become attached to them emotionally. The stories contain humour, and moral conflict that makes you think. This is not 'brain death TV' but something and some people you become involved with. This cannot be praised highly enough.
The cast are superb, totally superb. The writing is clever and wonderfully woven, and the editing makes the show a beautiful thing to watch. The sets are lavish and totally believable, the lighting is perfect, the sound track (VO and music) is wonderful. This is a show that I hope has been filmed in HD, so we can really appreciate the work done by both crew and cast in this wonderful format even more on DVD (HD or Blu-Ray, I don't care!) release.
Please give this show a try, and I truly believe you will not be disappointed. Do not expect "Fawlty Towers". Expect a lavish well made Drama, that will excite and engage. I thank the whole team for such a great job.
With a growing portfolio, "Hotel Babylon", "Doctor Who", and "Sea of Souls" to name but three, I am quietly hopeful the BBC has passed it's 90's "Reality" phase, and now are back into GREAT Drama.
Samantha Who?
Here is an original idea. What if we all had the chance to forget the transgressions we committed in our life up to this time? What would happen if you woke up from a coma not knowing the first thing about your past? Such is the premise of "Samamtha Who?", a charming fantasy-comedy starring Christina Applegate, formerly of "Married...With Children". I suspect that most of us, given the chance, would probably not like a few things about our past lives, but Samantha, pre-amnesia, was a bit more unlikeable than most. Miss Applegate has progressed quite a bit as a comedic actress over the years, and her character here gets a chance to show her considerable comedic talents. Her reactions and expressions remind one of the early Marlo Thomas in the "That Girl" series. This series deserves a chance to succeed, if only the writers can keep up the writing end, not running out of ideas based soley on the amnesia gag. There is promise here.
The Big Bang Theory
It probably won't last just because I thought it was funny, but the story of two geeks (Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons) and their friends and a ditsy blonde (Kaley Cuoco) had some clever moments.
Unfortunately, there are only two episodes in the can, so maybe next week will be the last chance to see it.
Like I said, I thought the premise funny, and certainly more interesting that "Chuck." How can you not laugh at friends like Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar)? Are there real people with names like that?
Check it out before it's gone.
Chuck
Chuck plays like its creators decided to try and make a TV show with as little content as possible, Everything in this show is on the surface. Nothing strikes a chord or recognition of anything human, or even funny.
Then again, to be funny, you need to have real characters, not walking clichés.
It comes as little surprise of course, given that McG and Josh Schwartz have a well-deserved reputation outside Hollywood for vacuous "entertainment" (I use the word loosely) and NBC is now sadly known as the Must Avoid Network if you like quality entertainment.
Still it's rather appalling to see in what contempt the producers of Chuck hold their audience. They manage to insult where they were supposed to amuse.
Pushing Daisies
I guess stealing from yourself is not as bad as stealing from someone else, but it does tend to keep you in the same rut. The creator of "Pushing Daisies", Bryan Fuller, simply recycled his premise from "Dead Like Me", even having the characters headquartered out in a waffle (pie) house. The only substantial changes are a surreal production design and an "Ameilie" type storytelling technique; presumably to give the thing a more absurdest feel. CW Television has also stolen Fuller's DLM idea for a spectacularly bad show called "Reaper", which premiered this fall.
I instantly disliked this show despite a very favorable bias. My biggest question is how much better I would have liked it had I not been a fan of "Dead Like Me"? I think that I would have probably liked it a bit better but not enough to become a regular viewer or fear its early cancellation. My other question is how anyone can consider this even remotely original, given its obvious rip-off status? Since everything is relative maybe those making the originality claim have spent the past two years on a steady diet of "Hannah Montana" or "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody".
So why can't I recommend it to fans of "Dead Like Me", or even to fans of "Tru Calling"? Mostly because it somehow fails to capture the humanity elements of Fuller's earlier show (which is available on DVD if you are interested). "Dead Like Me" balanced its supernatural premise with a very clever coming of age story. It had its absurdest elements but they were offset by a realistic production design; which kept it grounded. The strength of "Dead Like Me" was its foundation of normalcy, despite the supernatural elements the characters behaved in ways that viewers instantly identified with. "Pushing Daisies" is more like "Austin Powers", you might find it funny at times but there is never a strong connection with the characters.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Skins
Fast-paced and full of angst-ridden fun, this British drama may be based on teenage characters and aimed at a teenage audience, but its content is strictly adult. Watch as eleven teens struggle with highly-charged issues of race, religion, sexuality, drugs, and food disorders. With a solid set of good actors, expect the drama to consist of a lot of well-played emotional ups and downs.
