Moving on...

This posting is long overdue and a little bit of housekeeping.  I have opened a new media and entertainment related blog with a dear friend who was previously the creator and superblogger over at the FFFurbelow.  We hope that you will join us at CineCritical.com and share your ideas, thoughts and interests.  Thank you for reading and I wish you all the best!

http://www.CineCritical.com

A few films to enjoy on a lazy weekend...

It has been awhile since I've actually sat down and written a review. I thought I would ease in by suggesting a few surprisingly good movies you might not otherwise take a second glance at:


WHEN YOU WANT TO STAY IN

Pirate Radio. From the creative talent behind films like Notting Hill and Love Actually comes the story of a group of misfits transmitting rock to the mainland, at a time when the British government would not allow it to be played on public radio. Alternately hilarious and touching, the film is the perfect combination of what made films like Notting Hill popular without the saccharine sweetness that also makes them unwatchable in parts. What's more it has an absolutely killer soundtrack. Then again, how could it not...

SPECIAL BONUS: watch the deleted scenes as they are 45 minutes of absolute hilarity. But do yourself a favour and leave the director intros off. There's a reason he's behind the camera.


Wild Target is another Bill Nighy special, also starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Grint (of Harry Potter fame). The story follows a thief (Blunt) and the assassin who is meant to be killing her (Nighy) but who-- in a strange twist-- becomes her bodyguard. Along for the ride is a hapless bystander played by Grint who seems to have a natural affinity for weapons (much to his and others' surprise). This oddball mix of characters works well together and all three actors are well cast in their roles. A fun and silly modern farce, this film will have you giggling from start to finish.


IF YOU'RE PLANNING A NIGHT OUT

The King's Speech is an inspiring (if a little formulaic) film that follows the late King George VI as he attempts to overcome his stutter. With strong character actors like Helena Bonham Carter and Colin Firth (as the royals) and the always fabulous Geoffrey Rush the fairly conventional writing is elevated to an enjoyable and uplifting outing. I defy you not to feel your heart swell as Firth spits out the final speech.


Morning Glory follows the path of small time tv producer Rachel McAdams as she tries to bump the viewership at her new morning show. Featuring the talents of Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford as the argumentative anchors, this is another feel good movie. Again it is the performances that make this film worn watching but there are more than a few funny lines and it's an altogether enjoyable little Rom Com.

For those of you more into unconventional film, stay tuned as Ill be covering Black Swan and some other less mainstream stuff in the near future.

The Millenium Series: finale over...

I was recently fortunate enough to see the final installment of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series at the theatre and found that I was not disappointed. We pick up at the close of the last book with Lisbeth Salander waking up in a university hospital with injuries from her run in with Alexander Zalachenko in the last movie. She is battered and broken and will be going on trial for attempted murder but defiantly refuses to speak to her doctor or her lawyer at first even though they are working to help her. But in the way that Lisbeth does, our heroine manages to command the respect and loyalty of those around her.

Ultimately this amounts to a movie about Lisbeth's trial with a little intrigue and action thrown in but the part that makes it compelling is that all the things you've watched Lisbeth go through in the last two films come to a head. Without giving too much away we are finally able to see Lisbeth benefit from her take no prisoners attitude and come out on top to a certain extent which is incredibly satisfying.

However what the movie does well with respect to it's karmic attitude towards Lisbeth, also comes off in this instance as a little self serving and unlikely based on the context which has been set up in the rest of the series. That said I'm willing to forgive a little pandering to the audience if only because any other ending would have been insincere. What's more, the last scene manages to be surprising and honest enough that it also counteracts the awkwardness of some of the resolutions.

All in all the series is definitely worth watching and makes me want to have a look at the books. I'm hoping that a little of the pandering can be explained by the translation to a new medium but ultimately I don't really care. This series is the source of one of the most compelling (and well acted) heroines in recent memory and is entirely worth a viewing. While neither of the sequels can outstrip the original film, they are of a better quality than a good deal of the current offerings out there.

Keep Calm...read this one...

So I’ve just started reading a book called Queen and Country which, if I’m honest, I probably should have gotten to awhile ago but it’s no less relevant now than it was when it first came out ten years ago. Following the lives of three “minders” in the British Intelligence service, Queen and Country centres not so much on the characters involved but on their circumstances and the political motivations and concerns surrounding the job that they do. Sounds boring hmm? Actually, it manages to be quite compelling.

Let’s start by letting you know that the author Greg Rucka has won several Eisner awards (think Pulitzers but for comics) not only for this very book but for a fairly major Batman storyline and is the author of many popular turns in the main books for many mainstream comics characters. Add that to the fact that with Queen and Country he’s making his main characters non-Americans so that he can criticize American interests overseas without the book being decried as anti-American (they’re British, what else would they say?). At a time when it was incredibly unfashionable to speak out against the American political machine that was driving Bush to the top, Greg Rucka and his team were making their voices heard; to a select few, but just the same...

With a comfortable blend of humour and tension and steeped in verifiable world news and historical influences, the book keeping me guessing, and interested. The characters are engaging and one feels could almost be real as they traipse through the various life and death situations they’re faced with, all the while bitterly reminding themselves that they’re doing it, “for Queen and Country.”

The one drawback to reading something like this in a trade (i.e. the collection that you can walk into the bookstore and purchase) is that since there are several VERY different artists who worked on this book, the changes are quite jarring. While they do a good job of facilitating the change (i.e. they put a roster into the book whenever the artist changes to make it clear who’s who) I was insulted by the change in main character Tara Chace’s appearance from awkward, almost boyish Tin Tin styled heroine (see the image above) to busty comic vixen who’s co-workers are immediately trying to get into her pants (yes that's the same character on the right side of the adjacent frame). Artist Leandro Fernández goes too far in my estimation when he sends Tara into the office in a blazer that’s cut down to her navel and no bra, nor undershirt to speak of. It’s one thing to draw her as a busty comics character, I’ve been reading comics long enough to know that’s a given but the juxtaposition between the two styles is jarring.

All that said, the series is certainly worth checking out and definitely is a well plotted, well thought out piece of story, with compelling characters and interesting viewpoints on the world. Ten years removed it’s an arresting view of the world as it was through the eyes of a few on the fringes. But then I suppose, that’s what being a comic reader’s all about, yes?

Michael Cera vs. My expectations

Point Cera, with an assist from Edgar Wright.

As you will know if you've been reading for awhile, I've been looking forward to this movie for quite some time. However, I'm not the biggest fan of Michael Cera (this is more out of apathy than dislike). So I was reasonably concerned that I would not enjoy the film, even though I have enjoyed all of Edgar Wright's films thus far. What I didn't allow for was that I wasn't familiar with the source material. And if the film is any indication, I need to get familiar with the source material.

Based on the graphic novel from Toronto born artist/writer Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim vs. The world follows a twenty something bassist whose band, the sex bab-ombs is struggling to make a name for themselves in the wake of Scott's heartache. With the story centered around Scott's love life, it runs the risk of getting too cutesy but O'Malley's humor deftly deflects any discomfort one might be feeling from the schmaltz. The humor does rely heavily on some basic old school gamer knowledge but manages a certain inclusivity by not being heavy handed about it. In addition to which, the meta humour that is peppered throughout is truly one of the film's strongest points and allows for even the regular moviegoer to enjoy.

Fun and quickly paced, Scott Pilgrim vs. The world is just good natured fun. And it doesn't hurt that it's set in Toronto.

Enjoy!

In honour of a good friend's wedding...

...today's list will be my top wedding movies.

Enjoy!

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mS4VPs5OCI)

This is much more traditional than this list was supposed to be but I can't help getting a kick out of the comedy in this film. Light-hearted and enjoyable, this movie is a great curl up and enjoy type that doesn't require much thought.

Rachel Getting Married (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tIvMUy8UDs)

On the flip side, this film gets to the nitty gritty of what being family really means. With a younger sister and maid of honour (Anne Hathaway) who's recently been released from rehab and a whole host of new potential family members in tow, this film leaves you feeling like you've actually been to a wedding...drama and all.

Father of the Bride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKSmMr0uOHk)

In true Steve Allen fashion this film stumbles through to the bitter end but ultimately shows its heart. God I miss the eighties.

The Wedding Singer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf3cy-eMfkQ)

And from the actual eighties to the fake eighties, this is by far (in my eyes at least) Sandler's best film as he plays frustrated but genuinely kind-hearted Wedding singer Robbie, who's heart has been stolen by an always adorable Drew Barrymore. With the 80's kitsch and the appearance of a Delorian midway through, this film will have even the toughest critic chuckling along.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb7bu_n1erY)

No list would be complete without the film that made Hugh Grant famous. Four weddings and a funeral brings you back to the way that romantic comedies used to feel. That is, developed beyond: "Guy + Girl = sex and cooing from the audience".

Monsoon Wedding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjQjw-UyAX0)

Mira Nair's Golden Lion winning film is set in the four days that precede the arranged marriage of a middle class Indian family's only daughter. This is a film that I've always wanted to sit down and watch as I've heard nothing but good things about it so I figure, why not check it out?

Can you think of any great wedding movies?

TIFF is coming...are you prepared?

Today I came home from a weekend away to find my TIFF ticket package guide waiting in the mailbox for me to peruse and choose. But here's the rub: I went online to find out what was playing and take a look at the reviews so that I can figure out which package will work for me and lo and behold the response was this:



Not Cool. You expect me to pay a whole bunch of money for tickets I'm not even sure I'm going to use? I get that it's a prestige thing and everything but frankly I'm not interested in the showboating...I'm there for the films.

Shame TIFF. Shame!

The Girl Who Played With Fire...

Was fortunate to be one of the early birds who got a chance to attend a free screening of The Girl Who Played With Fire downtown yesterday and was very pleased with the result. Compelling as ever, Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist are back in the second installment of this Swedish trilogy based on the thrilling novels of the same name.

Almost intentionally in opposition to the way that the last film was quiet and thoughtful, taking its time to unravel the mystery at the perfect pace, this film is loud and action packed with much stalking about of characters who in the last film, spent most of their time doing desk work. It is a necessity of these types of trilogies to "up the ante" as it were and certainly this film does in an interesting and, if not unique, certainly compelling way. And while I wasn't as engrossed in the film as with the first (sorry Matt), I certainly remained entertained and interested throughout.

Noomi Rapace's Lisbeth Salander continues to fascinate and excite me and certainly although I do find that Larsson's main characters all have interesting layers, I do believe that Lisbeth is his crowning achievement and the reason that the books have sold so universally well. What's more, while he is continually making a point of the violence that is directed towards women in modern Swedish society and the perspective on women in general, Larsson insists on trolling out a slew of strong and capable female characters. Michael Bloomkvist himself becomes involved with several and certainly seems (as the trilogy's resident hero) to gravitate towards and thus validate the strength of these female role models.

All in all the film was enjoyable and (for those who saw the first film) certainly not as upsetting. Though there are graphic depictions the action is much more james bond than snuff film this time around. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed by this offering and if you haven't yet seen the first movie...please....just do it.

Oh and check out the New York Times review: http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/movies/09girl.html

Time for some new Kicks...

Was listening to a podcast on my way out this evening and heard about this film and it got my interest up so when I got home I looked up the trailer. Shot by the cinematographer that went on to be nominated for an Oscar for his work on A Single Man (Eduard Grau), the film appeared at the 64th Edinburgh film festival and seems quite interesting. It follows the lives of two football fangirls who get involved with an up and coming footballer named Lee.

Check out the trailer below, I think this one's worth watching:

I'm prejudiced against voice over...

...especially when it's mine. This has been my day, though a little more solitary and with somewhat less half-naked Jack Black. Just thought I would share my frustration.

Enjoy,

Siobhan

This made me laugh...

...it's funny, though I'm not sure it would work as a full length film it made for a cute trailer. Take a gander at everyone's favourite: the original Karate Kid.

This Swedish thriller left me stunned...

This film is an incredible example of why remakes of amazing foreign properties should not be allowed. This film is paced beautifully, developed expertly and comes to a head in a satisfying and thought provoking way.

This film made me happy I hadn't read the book yet.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a Swedish thriller/mystery based on the best-selling novels by the late Steig Larsson (author and journalist much like his protagonist). The story picks up as Michael Bloomkvist, celebrated journalist, is convicted for defaming the character of a wealthy businessman about whom he wrote a tell-all exposé and takes place over the 6 months prior to his serving his jail sentence. Bloomkvist is approached by another wealthy tycoon whose favourite niece disappeared nearly 40 years prior and who is desperate to find out what happened. He is charged with uncovering the secret of her disappearance and the identity of her killer and, having nothing else to lose and no paying gig to speak of he accepts the assignment.

Though all of this is incredibly compelling and serves as the main storyline, keeping the momentum going it is the subplot and introduction of the titular character Lisbeth Salander which keeps the audience pinned to their seats. To give anything away about Lisbeth would be to take away from the impact of her story so I will simply say that actress Noomi Rapace's performance will be etched in my brain for quite some time.

You owe it to yourself to see the original before Hollywood makes a travesty of this incredible film (they're in talks with the production company for a remake). Do you remember My Sassy Girl (with Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford)? Brothers (you may remember this offering featuring Nathalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey MacGuire)?

There's a reason the remakes weren't huge hits...respect the original. And while you're at it check out these two films as well. They may not have done well as remakes but there's a reason they were purchased...




(click the arrows on the right to open fullscreen)

Harry Brown, needs a vacation...

I truly adore Michael Caine. I think his acting, even in those few movies that he's done which weren't worthy of him, has been truly superb. In Harry Brown, we have undoubtedly found another movie which simply wasn't worth his acting talents. Caine, the film's suposed protagonist, is a pensionner who's wife has passed away and who live alone on the estates (low rent housing in London's south end). All Harry wants is to play chess with his only surviving mate, Len. But when Len is pushed too far by he hooligans living in their housing complex and gets himself killed it looks like Harry (a veteran marine involved in the conflict in Northern Ireland) has to go back to work.

Although there wasn't anything in the film which pushed so far it seemed unreal the overall feeling of the film-- for me--amounted to a badly executed cross between Gran Torino and Payback with none of the charm of either. Although Caine's returned marine is perfectly balanced, making mistakes from lack of practice and not being able to chase down young drug addicts, his coldness during the whole procedure makes it difficult not to sympathize with the victims. In addition where Clint Eastwood's character in Gran Torino grew through the film (realizing the error of his racist ways and defending a family from gangsters), Caine's Harry Brown devolved into a sometimes likeable killing machine reminiscent of homeicidal psychopaths. All this would be fine if, like Gibson's Payback protagonist, while clearly psychotic there were moments of lightness or comedy.

All in all I think the film was a little heavy on the violence and not heavy enough on the justice. If you want to see Michael Caine prove that pensionners can fight back the by all means, see the film, but be warned: you may come out of it with a tinge of pride for the unsung hooligans defending their homes from vigilantes and self-righteous policemen.

BABIES!!

Isn't that what you think every time you see the trailer for the new documentary film? Babies follows the youngest of four families through their first year until they start to walk. A great premise that was not at all executed well.

The four families that were chosen came from different countries and situations (one assumes in an attempt to show that we are all the same). Unfortunately I didn't get that at all and what's more, I found myself getting annoyed with the parents from San Fransisco and their insistence on speaking a language I could understand. Not a good sign. The film has consciously chosen not to interview the parents in order to focus our attention on their protagonists (the titular babies) and as a marketing strategy it works beautifully. Change a little text and your film can be shown Inc any country in the world. As a storytelling technique it comes off a little lacklustre.

The problem is not in the setup though but rather the execution of the film. The babies are not compelling enough to keep my attention for two hours and the interesting life of the children (who live in Nimibia, Mongolia, Japan and San Fransisco) is never mined because the filmmakers wanted to prove their preconceived notion of what they would find so they weren't looking for anything else. The babies were cute, the film was surprisingly short and ultimately it's a good thing to support documentaries but I would suggest you save your money and spend it on ice cream and a walk in the park, it'll be much more exciting.

Better Together?

Even though I like many of the players I'm concerned this will be a one note comedy that doesn't last very long...thoughts?

The Invincibles: live action edition...

...a.k.a. ABC's upcoming No Ordinary Family.

Looks like the superhero related television is coming out of the shadows for the upcoming season as--in addition to NBC's The Cape--ABC's new offering about a family who develops superpowers takes its turn in the spotlight. The show follows a typical nuclear family who in a moment of desperation go on a vacation to try and spend some quality time together. After their plane crash lands in a freak storm they return home only to find that they may have more in common than they thought.

The show stars Julie Benz (of Dexter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) and Michael Chiklis (most notably of The Shield and the Fantastic Four films) as Stephanie and Jim Powell, a couple who's marriage and family life could use a kick in the pants. The family is rounded out by Kay Panabaker (a veteran of television guests spots) and Jimmy Bennett who is probably most well known for playing "young James T. Kirk" in the recent Star Trek adaptation from J.J. Abrams. Also starring Weeds' Romany Malco as Jim's friend and confidant, No Ordinary Family hits your television set next season.

On review of the trailer, I think it may fare a little better than The Cape but we'll have to wait and see. It's certainly on my list of things to give a shot...will it be on yours?

Could The Cape be the next Heroes?!

(Season one people, the only season worth talking about was season one).

As this season's offerings come to a close we're starting to get a few glimpses of what to look forward to next season. Among them and in the wake of shows like Heroes and Human Target is The Cape, a modern day retelling of the Robin Hood stories (with a few little twists like a family). Vince Faraday is a family man and the only good cop still serving on what is presumably the New York Police Department, after he is framed and left for dead he becomes an outlaw, cut off from his wife and son and unable to return to his home.

In exile he meets a Circus master who shows him the ticks of the trade he needs to become "The Cape" and fight back against the corruption that plagues his fair city. Modelled on his son's favourite Comic book hero, "The Cape" becomes a crusader for good and an outlaw who is hunted by his former comrades in arms. Along the way he picks up a few friends, including Summer Glau who plays his insider as a Blogger with access to vast amounts of media (read Marian, though one hopes not a love interest since there's the pesky matter of his wife and kid), a strange "Little John" amalgam made up of Verne Troyer and Vinnie Jones, and various other secondary characters.

I won't lie, even though the trailer is the ultimate cheese I'll probably watch a few episodes. Hopefully Summer's penchant for picking good projects will hold true. And hopefully NBC's tendency to let new shows reach their stride will overrule the other part of Summer's penchant which is being on good shows that end before they should...

Summer offerings a little less than "A"-okay...

I'm usually a big summer moviegoer. Certainly the summer is the time when the most anticipated blockbusters are usually released. But it seems like this year the offers are a little slim.

The Losers, an action comic originally conceived as a parody of the A team, has the unfortunate timing to have come out the same year as the new A team led by Liam Neeson. In addition the A team movie seems (in trailers anyway) to play like a parody of itself, aping the lines made famous by Mr T in the eighties. All the while another "A" team is being introduced in the adjacent movie theatre as Robert Downey Jr. and every famous person they could find to appear romp through Iron Man 2, which ends up amounting to a glorified trailer for the forthcoming Avengers film.

Having said that, I do think it will be a decent summer for documentaries and foreign films and with the general lack of big blockbusters that interest me I may actually manage to get out and see them. The trailer for Waiting for Superman nearly brings me to tears every time I see it and Disney's Oceans is poised be incredible. In addition there are plenty of docs that came out this year I have yet to see as I've been shirking my movie watching responsibilities in favour of television (which has been increasingly compelling of late).

So in the end, it seems, there may be enough alternatives to the summer blockbusters that I will be able to curb my appetite for film. And of course there's always Scot Pilgrim vs. The world ;)

The Glist...

Alright Glee, I have a bone to pick with you...

That's right, after month and months of watching and waiting for the show that knocked my socks off to come back I've suddenly found that (surprise, surprise) it's not all I have wanted it to be. They promised us bigger musical numbers, surprises, more drama, more fleshing out of some of the secondary characters. And while I've seen some of that occurring, I've found that a great deal for what was promised is being isolated to a few key players and we're just ending up dropping a lot of promising storylines.

And so I've come up with a Glist of my own, the top fifteen reasons why I'm still watching, but I'm getting increasingly impatient.

15. Will Shuester has become a simpering, narcisistic ass-hat in the last few episodes. He's consuistently mistreating the women in his life and to be honest, is more and more turning out to not be the best educator. And I know a lot of educators.
14. Terri Shuester was supposed to get more airtime this season. They were going to develop her character. What happened to that?
13. Why is Ken being nice to Will Shuester now? He hasn't shown maturity in the past and Emma broke his heart for Will so when will's treating her badly why isn't Ken trying to smash his face in instead of giving him advice?
12. Molly Shannon.
11. Are Puck and Quinn together? I see them walking together, I could have sworn I saw them holding hands in the background the other day. If they are, why hasn't it been addressed? It certainly would have made Rachel's attempted seduction of Puck a little more sinister in the last episode. And does anyone remember when Quinn said she was going to "do this on my own"? When did that plan go out the window?
10. Why did they drag Kurt back into the "loving Finn" trap when we thought he had moved on from that? If he's decided that he wants him to be his brother that's one thing but the parent relationship storyline almost seems like a throw away reason to have Kurt looking sad and angsty. Love Kurt, don't love that storyline.
9. Tartie needs more airtime. Five seconds of "Yes let's be the minority couple and kiss to seal the deal," isn't enough. They're also both great characters in their own right. I want to know more.
8. Why was the music in the fourth episode SOOOOOOO bad?! I get that the theme was bad music but why couldn't they have chosen bad music that could actually be saved? Wasn't that supposed to be the point? If they thought they saved it, they're sorely mistaken.
7. Santana and Brittany need to be a little less fleshed out. I really want them to stay on the periphery because they're soooo good on the outside. Brittany's one liners are amazing.
6. As much as I love KChen...what was her purpose in that episode? And what fully grown man comes onto a woman by placing the back of his hand on her chest?
5. The fact that Rachel and Finn were "together" when the show came back made no sense whatsoever. Even Rachel isn't that stupid. It's like they're taking her two steps forward and ten steps back.
4. Sue's personality is getting a little spastic. I like that they're giving her layers and a chance to show that while on the outside she's all business, she's really just the dorky teenager who never got past her compatriots teasing her but they need to be careful about it. She can't just turn on a dime, it needs to make sense...even if it's just meant to be funny.
3. Finn actually liking Rachel in a real way also doesn't make sense. She's done nothing to deserve it other than liking him too much. If it's about missing the attention she was giving him I get that but if that's the case they need to make it more clear.
2. Where is Quinn living? And how is she affording to live there cause she's not getting money from Terri anymore...
1. The Glist was a bad reveal...it felt a little like a sad attempt to remind us about Quinn. Hint guys: I never forgot so can you please ANSWER MY PREVIOUS QUESTIONS!?

It just seems to me that the producers and writers are dropping a lot of great storylines in favour of the quick sell. And I'm getting increasingly annoyed with Rachel's lack of capacity to change. C'mon guys! I want my favourite show back!

**Please note: in spite of all this....THE MADONNA EPISODE ROCKED!!!!**

I love Alan Moore...

There is nothing to be said other than, please check out the website for his new zine series Dodgem Logic. The man is certifiable but hilarious :D