David M. Brown's Blog, page 21
August 1, 2014
This Month’s Books (July 2014)
Steven Pinker – The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011)
Selected by The New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of the Year
The author of The New York Times bestseller The Stuff of Thought offers a controversial history of violence.
Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species’s existence. For most of history, war, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, pogroms, gruesome punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, Pinker shows (with the help of more than a hundred graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened?
This groundbreaking book continues Pinker’s exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our intrinsic motives- the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that steer us away-and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about humankind’s inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is sure to be hotly debated in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the way we think about our society.
Verdict: 4/5
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Ben Brooks – Lolito (2013)
She’s online.
‘I booked a hotel,’ I say. ‘Near Marble Arch.’
‘That sounds great, hon. I can’t wait to see you.’
‘Yeah. Me too.’
‘I’m vaguely nervous.’
‘Don’t be.’
Do be. I’m a child.
Lolito is a love story about a fifteen year-old boy who meets a middle-aged woman on the internet.
When his long-term girlfriend and first love Alice betrays him at a house party, Etgar goes looking for cyber solace in the arms of Macy, a stunning but bored housewife he meets online. What could possibly go wrong…?
Hilarious, fearless and utterly outrageous, Lolito is a truly twenty-first century love story.
Verdict: 3/5
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Patrick Ness – The Crane Wife (2013)
The extraordinary happens every day…
One night, George Duncan – decent man, a good man – is woken by a noise in his garden. Impossibly, a great white crane has tumbled to earth, shot through its wing by an arrow. Unexpectedly moved, George helps the bird, and from the moment he watches it fly off, his life is transformed.
The next day, a kind but enigmatic woman walks into George’s shop. Suddenly a new world opens up for George, and one night she starts to tell him the most extraordinary story.
Wise, romantic, magical and funny, The Crane Wife is a hymn to the creative imagination and a celebration of the disruptive and redemptive power of love.
Verdict: 3/5
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James Bowen: A Street Cat Named Bob (2012)
The moving, uplifting true story of an unlikely friendship between a man on the streets and the ginger cat who adopts him and helps him heal his life.
Verdict: 4/5
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July 20, 2014
This Week’s Films (20/07/14)
Trishna (2011)
Trishna (Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire) lives with her family in a village in Rajasthan, India’s largest state. As the eldest daughter, she works in a nearby resort to help pay the bills. Jay (Riz Ahmed, Four Lions) is the wealthy son of a property developer. When he takes up managing a resort at his father’s request, he meets Trishna at a dance and their fates cross. Jay finds every opportunity to win Trishna’s affection and she accepts his efforts with shy curiosity. But when the two move to Mumbai and become a couple, Jay’s deep family bond threatens the young lovers’ bliss. Based on Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Ubervilles, master filmmaker Michael Winterbottom’s (A Mighty Heart, The Trip) latest film is a powerful look at the tension between ancient privilege and modern equality, between codes of urban and rural life, and ultimately a hymn to both the glory and the tragedy that comes with beauty in all its forms.
Verdict: 7/10
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Winter Solstice (2004)
WINTER SOLSTICE tells the tale of small steps taken in the aftermath of family loss. Landscape gardener Jim Winters (LaPaglia) is a quiet craftsman, a soft-spoken man who prefers an orderly life. His family, however, is anything but orderly. Older son Gabe (Stanford) is planning his escape to Florida, leaving behind any shot at a stable future with his girlfriend. Younger son Pete (Webber) has retreated into a private world of anger, drift and disappointment. It is only when he meets his new neighbor, Molly (Janney), that Jim finds a way to deal with his own life and his family’s future.
Verdict: 6/10
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White Men Can’t Jump (1992) 
Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) and Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes) are an unlikely pair of basketball hustlers. They team up to con their way across the courts of Los Angeles, playing a game that’s fast dangerous – and funny. Directed and written by Ron Shelton (“Bull Durham”), and co-starring the sizzling Rosie Perez, “White Men Can’t Jump” is a slam dunk, high-flying comedy hit!
Verdict: 7/10
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Faithless (2000)
An imaginary woman recollects the painful experience of adultery to a storyteller.
Verdict: 8/10
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When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
Two of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Meg Ryan (YOU’VE GOT MAIL, CITY OF ANGELS) and Andy Garcia (DESPERATE MEASURES, THE GODFATHER, PART III), deliver critically acclaimed performances in this inspiring motion picture hit. As Alice and Michael, Ryan and Garcia are a passionate couple whose once-stable marriage is rocked by her increasing dependence on alcohol. As they strive to overcome this challenge, they discover a renewed sense of love and commitment. Sparked by hope and ignited by riveting star performances, WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN is the must-see hit of the year — a story of fiery passion — and the enduring power of love.
Verdict: 6/10
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Thirst (2009)
From the acclaimed director of the global hit Old Boy comes a shockingly original vampire story with a chilling, erotic style. A blood transfusion saves the life of a priest, but also transforms him into a vampire. He struggles to control his insatiable thirst for blood until a love affair unleashes his darkest desires in deadly new ways. Hailed as “Daring, operatic, and bloody funny!” (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly), Thirst is a truly wicked love story that takes classic vampire lore to twisted new heights.
Verdict: 8/10
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The Replacement Killers (1998)
International superstar Chow Yun-Fat (John Woo’s Hard-Boiled) makes his Hollywood debut with Oscar(r) winner Mira Sorvino (1995 Best Supporting Actress, Mighty Aphrodite) in THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS, a fierce and explosive action thriller from director Antoine Fuqua (Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” video). After he betrays Mr. Wei, the ruthless crime boss who hired him to avenge his son’s death, professional killer John Lee (Yun-Fat) goes on the run. Enlisting the aid of beautiful document forger Meg Coburn (Sorvino), Lee attempts to return to his family in China before they are victimized by his betrayal. But Wei’s army of “replacement killers” is hot on his trail, and now both he and Meg are targets of their impressive firepower. With both sides fully armed and determined to fight to the death, an ultra-violent shootout breaks out when they finally face off against each other.
Verdict: 6/10
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The War of the Worlds (1953)
H.G. Wells’ chilling novel of a Martian invasion of Earth becomes even more frightening in this 1952 film adaptation that’s widely regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. An Oscar. winner for Best Special Effects. Also available is the first season of the TV series: The attempted Martian invasion of the Earth in the 1950s was thwarted when the aliens fell foul of the common cold virus. But rather than die the invaders went into hibernation and 30 years later they are revived and a second invasion attempt begins. The Martians can now possess human bodies and are opposed by a small band of resistance fighters.
Verdict: 6/10
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Of Mice and Men (1992)
John Steinbeck’s classic comes magnificently to life in this beautiful and stirring film starring Oscar® nominees* John Malkovich and Gary Sinise. Directed by Sinise from an adaptation by Oscar® winner** Horton Foote, this “flawless miracle of movie-making” (Susan Granger, “American Movie Classics”) is a must-see for all audiences. Best friends Lennie (Malkovich) and George (Sinise) find themselves unemployed in Depression-era California, unable to keep jobs because of Lennie’s childlike mentality. But once they get hired at the Tyler Ranch, they enjoy a brief period of stability – until their supervisor’s wife (Sherilyn Fenn) becomes the victim of Lennie’s compassion, forcing George to make a compassionate decision of his own.
Verdict: 8/10
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The post This Week’s Films (20/07/14) appeared first on B-Lines and Felines.
July 13, 2014
This Week’s Films (13/07/14)
Blitz (2011)
Tough, uncompromising and totally un-PC cop Brant (Jason Statham) joins forces with Officer DC Porter Nash (Paddy Considine) to hunt down a serial killer (Aiden Gillen) who has been targeting police officers. This fast-paced action-thriller is a raw, gritty tale of moral ambiguity, outsiders and the sacrifices the police make to keep crime off the streets.
Verdict: 7/10
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What Doesn’t Kill You (2008)
Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke, Best Actor In a Supporting Role for Training Day, 2001) are two lifelong friends who grew up like brothers on the gritty streets of south Boston. They started early as street thugs living by the criminal code, doing petty crimes and misdemeanors that grew increasingly more serious. Eventually they fall under the sway of organized crime boss Pat Kelly (Brian Goodman). As Brian becomes increasingly lost in a haze of drugs and ‘jobs,’ he consistently disappoints his loyal wife (Amanda Peet) and their two sons. Torn between the desire to be a good husband and the lure of easy money, Brian must make the hardest choice of his life.
Verdict: 7/10
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Mala Noche (1986)
With its low budget and lush black-and-white imagery, Gus Van Sant’s debut feature Mala Noche heralded an idiosyncratic, provocative new voice in American independent film. Set in Van Sant’s hometown of Portland, Oregon, the film evokes a world of transient workers, dead-end day-shifters, and bars and seedy apartments bathed in a profound nighttime, as it follows a romantic deadbeat with a wayward crush on a handsome Mexican immigrant. Mala Noche was an important prelude to the New Queer Cinema of the nineties and is a fascinating time capsule from a time and place that continues to haunt its director’s work.
Verdict: 6/10
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The Enforcer (1951)
A district attorney is determined to bring a criminal kingpin to justice and break up his murder-for-hire operation.
Verdict: 8/10
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The Help (2011)
The #1 New York Times bestseller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the powerful performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast. Led by Emma Stone, Academy Award®-nominated Viola Davis (Best Supporting Actress, Doubt, 2008), Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help is an inspirational, courageous and empowering story about very different, extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project — one that breaks society’s rules and puts them all at risk. Filled with poignancy, humor and hope — and complete with compelling, never-before-seen bonus features — The Help is a timeless, universal and triumphant story about the ability to create change.
Verdict: 9/10
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Bellissima (1952)
Oscar® winner Anna Magnani (The Rose Tattoo) stars as a screen-struck mother, convinced that her daughter’s star potential is her ticket to a better life, in a performance that Hollywood legend Bette Davis called “brilliant, uninhibited and full of volcanic, earthy power. ” Risking everything in pursuit of her dream, Maddalena (Magnani) finally arranges a screen test for her child, only to realize the cruel reality beneath the shimmering veneer of the filmmaking industry.
Verdict: 8/10
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The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Based on Tom Clancy’s bestseller, directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER sweats with high-tech anxiety and the tension of men who hold Doomsday in their hands. A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Connery). The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst (Baldwin) has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it – because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find him, too. The hunt is on!
Verdict: 8/10
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A Bronx Tale (1993)
Gangster Sonny is the big man in the Bronx neighborhood of an Italian small boy named Calogero. A shooting witnessed by the boy (nicknamed C) is the starting point of a lasting bond between the gangster and the boy. Father (bus driver Lorenzo), however, disapproves. C grows up under the wing of both men, torn between his own natural honesty and his fascination with Sonny. C’s neighborhood cronies get involved in theft, use of guns, and racial fights. When C falls for an African American girl, things don’t get any easier. C’s leap to manhood is marked by tragedy, but also by his recognition of the many faces of love.
Verdict: 8/10
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The Headless Woman (2008)
A bourgeois woman is driving alone on a dirt road, becomes distracted, and runs over something. In the days following this jarring incident, she is dazed and emotionally disconnected from the people and events in her life. She becomes obsessed with the possibility that she may have killed someone. The police confirm that there were no accidents reported in the area and everything returns to normal until a gruesome discovery is made. Lucrecia Martel’s third feature after the acclaimed La Cienaga and The Holy Girl examines the intricacies of class status and the role of women in a male-dominated society.
Verdict: 7/10
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Daybreakers (2009)
Two-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, when an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.
Verdict: 6/10
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Titan A.E. (2000)
A reluctant young hero holds the key to the future of mankind in the palm of his hand in this eye-popping, sci-fi adventure. In the year 3028 the Drej, a vicious alien race, has destroyed earth. Fifteen years later a young man named Cale learns he possesses a genetically encoded map to the Titan, a spaceship that holds the secret to the salvation of the human race. With the Drej in hot pursuit, Cale blasts off with the crew of the Valkyrie in an attempt to find the Titan before the Drej destroy it – and with it, mankind’s last chance for a home of their own. Featuring an all-star voice cast that includes Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore and an edgy, out of this world soundtrack, Titan A.E. is an intergalactic thrill ride for a new generation.
Verdict: 5/10
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The Hours (2002)
The story of how the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.
Verdict: 8/10
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Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
How deep into the darkness will you go to discover the truth? The terrifying sequel to Insidious follows the haunted Lambert family as they seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. They must rely on familiar allies to exile the demons that follow them and unearth the secret before the evil continues its deadly rampage. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey reprise their roles in the film directed by James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring).
Verdict: 4/10
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Essential Killing (2010)
In an award-winning performance (Best Actor, Venice Film Festival), Vincent Gallo (Buffalo ’66) plays Mohammed, a Taliban fighter captured by the US military in Afghanistan after a violent desert attack goes awry. While being transported to a secret detention center in Europe, the vehicle crashes and he suddenly finds himself free. But his newfound freedom quickly disappears as he is relentlessly pursued in a snow-blanketed forest by an army that does not “officially” exist.
A critically acclaimed, thinking-man’s action thriller from director Jerzy Skolimowski (The Shout), ESSENTIAL KILLING tells the story of one man’s struggle for survival, where morality has no place as he confronts the necessity to kill in order to survive.
Verdict: 4/10
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Deconstructing Harry (1997)
Suffering from writer’s block and eagerly awaiting his writing award, Harry Block remembers events from his past and scenes from his best-selling books as characters, real and fictional, come back to haunt him.
Verdict: 6/10
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The post This Week’s Films (13/07/14) appeared first on B-Lines and Felines.
July 11, 2014
Dave’s Odyssey #31
In May 2008, I went travelling on my own for the first time and was out of England for a month. Along the way I took in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand before coming home. I kept a journal of my time on the road, so here’s a day by day account of my trials and tribulations that has the undeserved title of Dave’s Odyssey.
Day 31 – Thailand – Home
Despite being an hour behind schedule the pilot managed to trim our flight down to 11 hours. At first I tried numerous times to get some sleep, 
as I’d be catching three trains before returning to Barnsley. I did doze a few times but was always roused from this.
With all the lights out I had little option but to watch some very good films. During the flight, I squeezed in The Bucket List, Sweeney Todd, No Country For Old Men and Juno. I’d wanted to see all four and thanks to Quantas’ excellent entertainment system I was able to do so for free.
As usual, Quantas threw food at us within minutes of take off. It was quite an experience to be having dinner in the early hours of the morning, but as always our sense of time was all over the place. I was much amused by the flight path we took which sensibly avoided the Middle East but still chanced Afghanistan before crossing Russia. I felt it was a pity we didn’t all get on in this world. It would cut down some flight times for sure.
Quantas served us breakfast at 5.00 a.m. and we eventually landed in Heathrow at 7.30. We were supposed to touch down at 7.00 but having set off an hour late from Thailand I couldn’t complain too much. Unfortunately, we didn’t leave the plane for another 45 minutes as they couldn’t find a gate for us. When they did locate one it was turned down due to some contraption – a bridge or something – being broken!
After finding our luggage it was time to bid farewell to the tour group. I got my backpack and went off searching for the Underground. I didn’t get chance to say goodbye to many people but my two ‘grandmothers’ – Valerie and Pamela – I did see so that was a good consolation.
I found the Underground quite straightforward once I knew what I was doing. London’s King Cross was around the 25th stop so it was a fair old plod. Thankfully, it was busy enough for me to follow people and not wander round aimlessly. The only snag of getting from London to Leeds was the price of £80 for my ticket. Well, it wasn’t like I was doing this every day.
It seemed appropriate to bring my account to an end as I headed north towards Yorkshire. I was understandably
nervous when I set out but was fortunate enough to have an easy-going tour group. Over the last month I’d seen some amazing places and had loved every minute, save the brief stay in Thailand, which was mirrored by a few others in the group. Trying to pick the high point of the tour was not easy and I chose not going to attempt it. I enjoyed our brief stay in Singapore, New Zealand was magnificent with the scenery and culture, and I soon learned why Australia is such a popular destination for travellers. I’m glad I got the chance to see Thailand just so I can say I’d been there. I do think somewhere like Hong Kong would have been a more rewarding place to go. Overall, the tour had given me the travel bug. Where I would go from here? I couldn’t wait to find out.
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July 9, 2014
Masterpieces #24: Grandia
Grandia, one of the most popular role-playing games (RPG) in recent history, is now available exclusively for the PlayStation game console. RPG fans will welcome Grandia’s imaginative, vibrant and detailed gameplay, which is complemented by a strong character-driven story, set in a warm and inviting world. Developed by Game Arts, the producers of Alisa Dragoon and the Lunar series, Grandia is an RPG masterpiece, loaded with innovative gameplay features and scenarios that will captivate players, providing more than 70 hours of gameplay. Grandia is an extraordinary story that pits magic and technology against the feral guise of corruption. Long ago, before humans could claim their superiority upon this world, a benevolent race, with great knowledge and powers, lived in peace and harmony. As the world evolved, humans began to establish their roots in these lands and people began to believe that the existence of the magical city of Angelou was nothing but a myth. But the sinister General Baal knows otherwise and scours the world in hopes to find the ancient capital of Alent and unleash its secrets. Embark on an unforgettable journey as you assume the role of Justin, a precocious 15-year-old boy. As the adventure begins you uncover what happened to the ancient world and try to stop General Baal from awakening a deadly secret.
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Grandia (1999)
Originally released on the Sega Saturn, Grandia later found a home on the Playstation in June 1999. Though not as commercially successful as the Final Fantasy series, there are many notable qualities to Grandia and it remains a remarkable achievement today.
The story begins in the town of Parm where a teenager named Justin lives for adventure and longs to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who were both fully-fledged adventurers. From his father, Justin has inherited a mysterious artefact known as the Spirit Stone, which proves to be the key to unlocking the lost civilization of Angelou and unearthing the secrets of a fallen race known as the Icarians. During a trip to the Sult Ruins – an archaeological site owned by the Garlyle Forces – Justin’s Spirit Stone helps create an image of a woman named Liete who beseeches Justin to head east across the sea to begin the search for Angelou. Along the way Justin meets a renowned adventurer, Feena, who joins him on his journey while the Garlyle Forces, led by General Baal and his son Colonel Mullen, also enter the fray in their own independent search for Angelou. What follows is an epic adventure for Justin across a variety of lands peopled by a myriad of races and cultures.
Grandia is divided into a series of sub-quests with every town and village that you encounter requiring you to solve puzzles or overcome different challenges, quite often with an engaging boss battle at the end. More often than not you will be faced with the intrusive Garlyle Forces and have to see off their threat to continue your journey and protect the native peoples. Aside from the towns, Justin must explore ancient temples and ruins as he pieces together the mysteries of Angelou. On your journey, the party will be comprised of up to four members with Justin and Feena being the mainstays, with other characters such as Sue, Gadwin, Guido and Milda joining you temporarily and all proving worthy allies.
Visually, Grandia appears inferior to many RPGs, even from the PS1 days, but what it lacks in graphics it more than makes up for with the battle system. Deploying a turn-based system as in Final Fantasy, Grandia manages to surpass its highly esteemed rival with the battles being more engaging and realistic. Up to its tenth instalment, the Final Fantasy series had characters and enemies lined up opposite each other. While Grandia begins the same, your characters move around the battlefield and will rarely, if ever, finish in the same place they started. To enhance your characters you need to purchase/obtain better weapons and armour but magic is also crucial in their development. The acquisition of mana eggs is vital as these are traded at shops for magic – fire, wind, water or earth. Both weapons and magic begin at level 1 with frequent use in battle helping earn experience to level them up, making your characters stronger, unlocking some deadly moves and creating an assortment of magic spells for your repertoire. While one element of magic gives you access to some useful spells it is in combining elements that the best results are achieved. For example levelling up fire and wind helps create lightning spells, while water and wind gives you access to ice spells. It’s a fun system and well worth exploring as levelling up weapons and magic also impacts on your characters personal attributes such as HP and strength.
There is little to fault with Grandia. Some of the voice acting, mostly Sue, can be annoying but these lapses are infrequent. Navigating through some sections can be tricky despite a handy compass pointing you in the right direction. If you’re not a fan of random battles you may find fault here but Grandia deploys a better system that Final Fantasy didn’t use until later incarnations. As you wander the landscapes your enemies will be visibly roaming around so if you are not in the mood for battle just work your way around them. This isn’t always possible but if you find random battles a bane in RPGs, Grandia at least offers you some sanctuary.
Grandia deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the best of the RPGs. Though some of the visuals are not of the highest standard, this is easily overlooked by an engaging story and a superior battle system. If you have never played Grandia it is well worth going back to experience this gem.
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July 6, 2014
This Week’s Films (06/07/14)
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Featuring the most successful heavy metal band of all time, METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER offers a revealing and exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the legendary band as they confront personal demons and their relationships with each other while recording their Grammy-winning album, St. Anger.
Verdict: 8/10
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The Time That Remains (2009)
Covering the years from 1948 to the present day, writer/director Elia Suleiman’s THE TIME THAT REMAINS is a humorous, heartbreaking film that explores life among the Israeli Arab community, shot largely in homes and places in which Suleiman’s family once lived. Inspired by his father’s diaries, letters his mother sent to family members who had fled the Israeli occupation, and the director’s own recollections, the film recounts the saga of the filmmaker’s family in subtly hilarious vignettes. An intimate and semi-biographical portrait of Palestinians living as a minority in their own homeland, THE TIME THAT REMAINS is an elegantly stylized chronicle of life’s often touching absurdities.
Verdict: 8/10
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Let’s Get Lost (1988)
Documentary on the life of jazz trumpeter and drug addict Chet Baker. Fascinating series of interviews with friends, family, associates and lovers, interspersed with film from Baker’s earlier life and some modern-day performances.
Verdict: 8/10
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Exit Elena (2012)
With no place to call home, 19-year-old Elena takes a job as a live-in aide. She finds herself thrust into the middle of a family in crisis: all the things that go on between a father, grandmother, mother, and cat. Eventually, Elena strikes something of a balance though… That is, until the prodigal son returns home. Placing fictional characters alongside real people, ‘Exit Elena’ is shot through with all the rough edges inherent to family life and home movie form – in short, it’s a dark comedy.
Verdict: 7/10
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The Indian Tomb (1959)
After more than two decades of exile in Hollywood, master filmmaker Fritz Lang triumphantly returned to his native Germany to direct the lavish two-part adventure tale The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb from a story he had co-authored almost forty years earlier. In the grand tradition of the serialized cliffhanger, this film picks up right where The Tiger of Eschnapur ends. The adventure concludes with a rescue from a sandstorm, a trek through the jungle, a cave of lepers, and a bloody palace rebellion. Together, these films provide the cinematic link between the classic silent serials and the modern action/adventures of Indiana Jones and The Mummy.
Verdict: 8/10
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The Thorn in the Heart (2009)
Filmmaker Michel Gondry turns from the playful semi-surrealism of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and The Science Of Sleep to the personal story of a beloved family member in this documentary. Suzette Gondry is Michel’s aunt and a retired schoolteacher; she educated children in rural communities in France from 1952 to 1986. While Suzette was committed to the education of all her students, she was a particularly close with one in particular — her son, Jean-Yves, with whom she’s had a loving but sometimes combative relationship. Michel accompanies Suzette on a journey in which she visits the many schools where she taught — or the sites where those schools once stood — and speaks of her experiences. She also meets some of her former students, and it’s clear they recall Suzette as a woman with a kind heart but a strong will, and her determination earned her the enmity of a few of her charges.
Verdict: 5/10
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Exam (2009)
Like Saw for corporate go-getters, in EXAM eight young people vying for a sought-after job are locked together in a room and given one hour to finish their exam. But the exam is a blank piece of paper and the eight candidates soon realize their only competition isn’t a Q&A but each other. Hot rising talent Stuart Hazeldine is Hollywood’s in-demand rewrite artist for top sci-fi and thriller fare and now he’s established himself as a behind the camera threat with this brilliant genre spin highlighted by actor Luke (28 Days Later) Mably’s swaggeringly solipsistic bad-boy charisma as the job applicant most likely to succeed by stabbing you in the back. Like Saw for smarties or the B-movie gem Cube, EXAM is one test you can look forward to bring your number 2 pencil and hope you don’t get cut.
Verdict: 7/10
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A Prayer for the Dying (1987)
Mickey Rourke (9 1/2 Weeks) gives “his finest performance to date” (L.A. Weekly) in this hair-trigger action-thriller co-starring Bob Hoskins (Enemy at the Gates), Alan Bates (The Sum of All Fears) and Liam Neeson (Star Wars: Episode I). A gritty tale of retribution and redemption, A Prayer for the Dying has “a brisk style and an edgy rhythm” (The New York Times) that will keep your heart racing in suspense until the final frame! Tormented IRA revolutionary Martin Fallon (Rourke) wants out of the endless cycle of violence and bloodshed. Unfortunately, the price for his freedom is to perform one last murder for a ruthless mobster (Bates). As the vicious world he’s trying to escape closes in on him, Fallon’s only hope for salvation may be the man he’s been ordered to kill.
Verdict: 6/10
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The Aura (2005)
(Drama/Thriller) A shy taxidermist who secretly dreams of executing the perfect robbery stumbles upon an opportunity. Caught up in a world of complexities and frightening violence, his lack of experience puts him in real danger. Plus, he is an epileptic. Before each seizure he is visited by the “aura” — a paradoxical moment of confusion and enlightenment where the past and future seem to blend. Argentina’s official submission, Best Foreign Language Film for the 2006 Academy Awards.
Verdict: 9/10
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The Idiots (1998)
Lars von Trier wrote (in four days) and directed this Danish comedy-drama about a group of Copenhagen eccentrics who find a therapeutic release and confront apathy via unacceptable, idiotic behavior which they call ‘spazzing.’ Stoffer ( Jens Albinus) is supposed to be selling his uncle’s house but instead it becomes the focal point for geeky group activities. Restaurant patrons are disturbed by the group’s mischief, but single diner Karen (Bodil Jorgensen) develops an appreciation of their antics. Stoffer, at his birthday party, wishes for a ‘gangbang,’ and both clothes and inhibitions are soon discarded. But when Stoffer calls for the group members to let idiocy invade their personal daily lives, only Karen takes up the challenge. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Verdict: 6/10
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Nightwatch (1997)
This edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller stars Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, Big Fish) as Martin, a cash-strapped law student who took the wrong part-time job. Martin’s peaceful graveyard shift at the city morgue fast becomes a time of terror when a serial killer begins wreaking havoc – and leaving behind clues pointing to Martin’s guilt! Also starring Patricia Arquette (TV’s “Medium”), Nick Nolte (Warrior) and Josh Brolin (True Grit, Men In Black III), Nightwatch is a stylishly original motion picture that leads you on a shocking series of twists and turns.
Verdict: 6/10
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Vengeance is Mine (1979)
LIKE ALL GREAT SHOHEI IMAMURA PROTAGONISTS, VENGEANCE IS MINE’S IWAO ENOKIZU (KEN OGATA) LURKS ON THE MARGINS OF JAPANESE SOCIETY. A THIEF, MURDERER, AND CHARMING LADY-KILLER, IWAO IS ON THE RUN FROM THE POLICE. DIRECTOR SHOHEI IMAMURA TURNS THIS FACT-BASED STORY, OF THE SEVENTY-THREE-DAY KILLING SPREE OF A REMORSELESS MAN FROM A DEVOUTLY CATHOLIC FAMILY, INTO A COLD, PERVERSE, AND, AT TIMES, DIABOLICALLY FUNNY TALE OF THE PRIMITIVE COEXISTING WITH THE MODERN. MORE THAN JUST A TRUE-CRIME CASE, VENGEANCE IS MINE BARES MANKIND’S SNARLING ID.
Verdict: 8/10
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In the Bedroom (2001)
Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, Sissy Spacek. To the dismay of his Maine family, a college freshman falls for a young mother who is not quite divorced from her jealous husband.
Verdict: 9/10
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Robot & Frank (2012)
Set in the near future, Frank, a retired cat burglar, has two grown kids who are concerned he can no longer live alone. They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until Frank’s son chooses a different option: against the old man’s wishes, he buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. What follows is an often hilarious and heartwarming story about finding friends and family in the most unexpected places. Starring an ensemble cast led by Academy Award nominee Frank Lengella (2008, Best Actor, Frost/Nixon), Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon (1995, Best Actress, Dead Man Walking), Liv Tyler and James Marsden.
Verdict: 8/10
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Manhattan (1979)
Nominated for two Academy Awards in 1979 and considered “one of Allen’s most enduring accomplishments” (Boxoffice), Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white (Allen’s first film in that format) and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score, Woody Allen’s aesthetic triumph is a “prismatic portrait of a time and a place that may be studied decades hence” (Time). 42-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), he doesn’t love and a lesbian ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who’s writing a tell-all book about their marriage and whom he’d like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend’s sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginning of Isaac’s quest for romance and fulfillment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake and the gateway to true love is a revolving door.
Verdict: 9/10
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Breathe In (2013)
When a foreign exchange student arrives in a small upstate New York town, she challenges the dynamics of her host family’s relationships and alters their lives forever.
Verdict: 6/10
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The post This Week’s Films (06/07/14) appeared first on B-Lines and Felines.
July 4, 2014
Dave’s Odyssey #30
In May 2008, I went travelling on my own for the first time and was out of England for a month. Along the way I took in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand before coming home. I kept a journal of my time on the road, so here’s a day by day account of my trials and tribulations that has the undeserved title of Dave’s Odyssey.
Day 30 – Thailand
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
A 6.30 a.m. start in Thailand began with another pleasant breakfast, all you could eat once more. The serenity of the morning was broken soon after and once again Alison was the culprit. Charlie explained that her long shorts were simply not long enough to enter the temples we’d be seeing that morning. Alison refused to compromise and Charlie’s day was made worse by two couples from the group ranting about the day in Thailand we had lost due to our cancelled flight in Sydney. Despite the inconvenience that an extra day would cause to many people from the group, these couples wanted Charlie to arrange at least one more day in Bangkok for us. In fairness to him, Charlie kept his cool and advised the couples they were welcome to stay longer but they would have to pay for it.
Outside, a group of us apologised to Charlie for the serial whingers and I reassured him that the debacle with Quantas was not his fault. The majority of us were now at the point where we just wanted to go home. It had been a fantastic month but we’d crammed in a lot and over time fatigue had inevitably set in.
On the tour we got to see Bangkok in full. It was a fine city with some eye-catching displays of dragons, elephants and an endless array of large pictures of the King of Thailand. The people were obviously proud of their kingdom and why not?
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
As Charlie talked us through the streets, I continued to feel uneasy in the country. At our first stop we were warned to stay close to Charlie and that people wanting to sell souvenirs would hound us. Those interested had to bargain with each seller. It was an accepted custom here.
At the Grand Palace Complex you weren’t filled with confidence by the sight of armed guards but we all got in without a problem except for Alison. She was called over by security and told her long shorts were inappropriate. They arranged for her to wear a long skirt and did she let us know that she was unhappy? You bet she did! In one respect I sympathised because there were a lot of women there wearing skirts and dresses but they appeared to be locals. On the other hand, Alison was warned by Charlie and paid no attention whatsoever. The truth was we were visitors in someone else’s country and you have to respect the laws and traditions.
The bulk of the morning tour was a walk around the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The whole complex was a fantastic display of architecture, rich in colour with numerous statues and buildings immaculately put together. The downside of the tour was the heat. It was around 80% humidity and the sun was out most of the time so we were all sweating. Even poor Charlie was resorting to wiping his forehead every few minutes with a useful handkerchief. He didn’t have any spares for the rest of us, which was a shame.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
The main temple in the complex was so sacred that shoes and hats were simply not allowed. Our shoes had to be removed and left outside on a series of shelves. Charlie assured us they would be there on our return, especially those of us with the biggest feet. That meant I was safe.
Inside the temple we were invited to sit or kneel before a fabulous series of statues rising all the way to the ceiling. It was a monument of Buddha and photos were not allowed. You were also forbidden to point your feet at the statue but why anyone would want to stick their feet in the air while in a temple was anyone’s guess. It did make me feel self-conscious about keeping my as out of sight as possible. I hated the thought of accidentally offending anyone.
After the Grand Palace we once again negotiated the souvenir sellers before heading to our last stop – the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. A group of us waited outside in the shade as the heat was simply too much. Those that went inside informed me the interior was great but at one point everyone stopped and there was nowhere to move. It sounded like we hadn’t missed much.
I wish I’d had this much conviction when trying to cross the road in Bangkok
On our return to the hotel a group of us went to the local shop. I’d decided to stick to my policy of safety in numbers. The shop wasn’t far away but, my word, it was a classic comedy getting there and back again. Firstly, we found a pedestrian crossing but no one stopped for us. We then noticed on both sides of the road a set of flags that you could carry. I took one, held it aloft, and wandered into the road. Sure enough the cars stopped but, I assume, it was only because the alternative meant hitting me. It was a precarious walk with cars stopping and starting but we all survived.
The local shop had the usual essentials but it was difficult to tell what was what with the symbols on the packaging. Eventually the four of us were on our way. Before reaching the pedestrian crossing I made a complete mistiming of ducking to avoid a road sign and clattered into it pretty hard. This amused my trio of fellow travellers. I left the pedestrian crossing honour to one of the others. I assumed the use of the flags was linked to the crossing of the road. If not the locals were probably enjoying regaling a story of four crazy tourists that stepped into the road waving a flag around.
Due to the heat and the uneasiness about wandering around Thailand alone I opted to spend the afternoon doing final packing for the return journey to England and just relaxing before another long flight. We’d had a taster of Thailand and as nice as the city of Bangkok was there was a worrying gulf in wealth when seeing some of the slums and the foreboding I had in coming here in the first place had turned out to be fully justified. I felt safe in Singapore, New Zealand and Australia but not in Thailand, and that’s not a fun way to travel.
We aimed to fly back in style!
While watching English football on Thai TV I happened upon a show that just showed clips from matches – quality goals, outstanding saves, reckless tackles etc – and it was hosted by two very giddy women who really did represent my ideas of heaven and hell. The loudest of the two looked like Mylene Klass while the other reminded me of my favourite actress – Zhang Ziyi. I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about but it was interesting to sample a spot of Thai TV.
We left the hotel at 9.00 and began the drive to the airport. All the way there I had this sense that something was going to go wrong before we got to leave the country. I wasn’t far off! We said farewell to Charlie and I saluted him with a shake of the hand for all the crap he had endured from some members of our group. He’d been an absolute gentleman throughout and I was sorry we had so little time with him.
Bangkok was a huge airport and I endeavoured to get through to the gate for our flight as quickly as possible. I ignored the shops after checking in my backpack and negotiated security and the dreaded metal detector without any issues. As I’d run out of contact lense solution back in Sydney the matter of carrying liquids was no longer a problem either.
By the time I reached our gate I found there were no shops or anything. My two ‘grandmothers’ were on hand to spare me from deprivation by forcing me, almost at knife-point, to share their box of chocolates. They were very persuasive. It was a long wait for the plane so the chocolates certainly helped. In fact, the delay meant we were late taking off by a good hour. Outside it was raining heavily with thunder and lightning which wasn’t the most reassuring way to take off. Day 30 ended sat in the airport waiting. The plane finally took off early on day 31.
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July 2, 2014
Masterpieces #23: Once Upon a Time in the West
Sergio Leone’s original uncut version of this monumental epic. The picture itself is as big as its Monument Valley locations as grand as its fine distinguished cast as tough and bawdy as every kid imagines the Old West. Henry Fonda plays the blackest character of his long career and he’s utterly convincing as Frank the ruthless murderous psychopath who suffers no conscience pangs after annihilating an entire family. Jason Robards is the half-breed falsely accused of the terrible slaughter. Charles Bronson plays The Man who remembers how his brother was savagely tortured. Brilliantly directed by Sergio Leone this glorious picture re-established the Western” significance to cinema art.
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Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Sergio Leone’s western classic is one of the finest of its genre. As with many masterpieces the film’s critical acclaim came slowly with a poor box office return when it was first released. Today it is mentioned in the same breath as other great Westerns such as Unforgiven and The Searchers.
There is so much to admire in Once Upon a Time in the West beginning with its stellar cast. Claudia Cardinale is a tough heroine in what is largely a man’s world, Henry Fonda is brilliant as the merciless killer Frank, Jason Robards brings some light relief as the outlaw Cheyenne, while Charles Bronson brings a dominant presence to the screen as the mysterious Harmonica.
Sergio Leone manages to weave two engaging storylines together, with Harmonica’s pursuit of Frank sandwiching the central plot – the desires of a greedy businessman to acquire the hotly disputed McBain Farm with Frank playing the part of the bloodthirsty enforcer. Though the eventual face off between Harmonica and Frank is important, it never intrudes heavily on the main story until this element of the film has firstly been resolved.
Leone’s film was one of the first that made me appreciate the more technical aspects of film, especially the camera work. The concluding section revealing Harmonica’s reasons for hunting Frank and the sweeping camera taking in the barren wasteland of the West is one of my favourite moments. Over 40 years on Once Upon a Time in the West remains a stunning cinematic experience and, in my opinion, there has never been a better Western than this one.
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June 30, 2014
This Month’s Books (June 2014)
Morrissey – Autobiography (2013)
Autobiography covers Morrissey’s life from his birth until the present day.
Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in Manchester on May 22nd 1959. Singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Smiths (1982-1987), Morrissey has been a solo artist for twenty-six years, during which time he has had three number 1 albums in England in three different decades.
Achieving eleven Top 10 albums (plus nine with the Smiths), his songs have been recorded by David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Marianne Faithfull, Chrissie Hynde, Thelma Houston, My Chemical Romance, and Christy Moore, amongst others.
An animal protectionist, in 2006 Morrissey was voted the second greatest living British icon by viewers of the BBC, losing out to Sir David Attenborough. In 2007 Morrissey was voted the greatest northern male, past or present, in a nationwide newspaper poll. In 2012, Morrissey was awarded the Keys to the City of Tel-Aviv.
It has been said ‘Most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that Morrissey has reached in his lifetime.’
Verdict: 4/5
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Anya Seton – Katherine (1954)
This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history—that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets—Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II—who ruled despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king’s son, falls passionately in love with the already married Katherine. Their well-documented affair and love persist through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. This epic novel of conflict, cruelty, and
Verdict: 4/5
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Rupert Colley – The Cold War in an Hour (2010)
This is history for busy people! In an hour this is how the Cold War happened. From the end of the World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the world lived within the shadow of the Cold War. For almost half a century the East and the West eyed each other with suspicion and often with hostility. And all the time the threat of a Third World War remained a distinct possibility.
Verdict: 3/5
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Alexandre Dumas – The Count of Monte Cristo (1844)
‘On what slender threads do life and fortune hang’
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas’ epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialised in the 1840s.
Verdict: 4/5
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Tony Judt – Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 (2006)
Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world’s most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep readers through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change-all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. Both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy.
Verdict: 4/5
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Andrew Mulholland – The Korean War: History in an Hour (2013)
Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.
Bringing together the military mights of the Soviet Union, China, North Korea, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United Nations States, the Korean War raged for three years from 1950 to 1953. Not only the result of a carving of Korean territories following the Pacific conflicts of the Second World War, it was also a battle of ideologies as General MacArthur’s American military forces occupied the southern half and Stalin’s Soviet forced supported the northern half.
Initiated by infantry movements and air raids, the region gradually became mired in a static trench war by July 1951, and would continue to cost both sides in both morale and human lives. The Korean War: History in an Hour is the concise story to one of the most bitter and enduring conflicts of the post-war era.
Verdict: 3/5
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June 29, 2014
This Week’s Films (29/06/14)
Real Steel (2011)
Enter the not-so-distant future where boxing has gone high-tech — 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots have taken over the ring. Starring Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter turned small-time promoter, REAL STEEL is a riveting, white-knuckle action ride that will leave you cheering. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the thrill-packed arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback. Visually stunning and complete with knockout bonus material, REAL STEEL is a pulse-pounding, inspirational adventure filled with heart and soul.
Verdict: 5/10
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Bright Future (2003)
Friends Mamoru and Yuji are aimless young men stuck in dead-end jobs in a dreary factory in Tokyo. Mamoru, the more antisocial of the two, is obsessed with his pet project of acclimating a poisonous jellyfish to fresh water by gradually changing the water in its tank. One night, he inexplicably murders his boss’ family and is sentenced to death. Yuji, left to continue the jellyfish experiment, befriends Mamoru’s estranged father, and the two form a bond. But Yuji’s attachment to the jellyfish is even stronger, and problems arise when he accidentally releases the poisonous creature into the canals of Tokyo.
Verdict: 7/10
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Harakiri (1962)
Following the collapse of his clan, an unemployed samurai (Ran’s Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to commit ritual suicide on his property. Iyi’s clansmen, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for a new position, try to force him to eviscerate himself— but they have underestimated his beliefs and his personal brand of honor. Winner of the 1963 Cannes Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, Harakiri, directed by Masaki Kobayashi (The Human Condition) is a fierce evocation of individual agency in the face of a corrupt and hypocritical system.
Verdict: 10/10
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Lifeforce (1985)
From the director of Poltergeist and co-writer of Alien comes a thrilling sci-fi adventure of explosive action and pulse-pounding suspense. With mind-blowing special effects by Oscar winner John Dykstra, Lifeforce is a sci-fi extravaganza that delivers out-of-this-world excitement. A mission to investigate Halley’s Comet discovers an even more fascinating phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! After a deadly confrontation, the aliens travel to Earth, where their seductive leader (Mathilda May) begins a terrifying campaign to drain the life force of everyone she encounters. Her victims, in turn, continue the cycle, and soon the entire planet is in mortal danger.And when the mission’s sole survivor (Steve Railsback) sets out to destroy her, he comes face to face with the most charming and horrifying being he’s ever known. Will he be able to destroy the lovely vampiress…or will he become yet another victim of her fatal charm?
Verdict: 5/10
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Cafe de Flore (2011)
In 1960s Paris, a working class woman gives birth to her first child, Laurent a Down Syndrome son. Undaunted she embraces the challenge of raising her beloved offspring as normally as one would any other child. Her husband abandons them both. She bravely brushes this additional hiccup aside as Laurent replaces her spouse as the perfect man of her dreams. As Laurent approaches school age Jacqueline’s aplomb becomes obsessive and cloying. Her increasingly self-destructive attachment to her son is raised to a fever pitch when, at the age of seven, he meets a Down Syndrome girl (Veronique) and experiences his first crush. His sudden desire for independence, and his attraction to Vera, are the catalysts that transform Jacqueline from a loving mother into something resembling a lover scorned. What emerges is a love triangle of potentially tragic proportions.
In 21st century Montreal, a forty year old divorcee, Carole, is trying to restart her life after her divorce, two years earlier, from Antoine, a devastatingly handsome, successful touring DJ. Soul mates who’ve been a couple since the age of fifteen, their divorce is a schism that might prove impossible for either of them to put in the past. Making the transition even more difficult for Carole is the fact that her two daughters, one teen, one tween, are about to gain a stepmother, a stunningly beautiful, heartbreaking blonde, a woman about to ”steal” away the perfect man of her dreams. The young girls are being cruelly pulled in two different directions, Antoine’s father, a recovering alcoholic, seems to side with his ex-daughter-in-law, and Carole is succumbing to fits of depression and potentially dangerous bouts of sleepwalking. What emerges is a love triangle of potentially tragic proportions.
Verdict: 7/10
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Chasing Madoff (2010)
A look at how one investigator spent ten years trying to expose Bernie Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme that scammed an estimated $18 billion from investors.
Verdict: 6/10
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I Served the King of England (2006)
Humorous wartime film, adapted from the novel by Bohumil Hrabal, following Jan Dite (Ivan Barnev), a waiter fixated on his dream of becoming a hotel owner and millionaire. In 1930s Prague, hotel waiter Jan longs for the life of the rich and famous guests he has to serve. Exploiting every opportunity he can find, especially if it involves a beautiful woman, Jan slowly but surely begins to achieve his heart’s desire. But just when things seem to be working out for the upwardly mobile servant, the Nazi occupation threatens to scupper his best laid plans. Chancing on another route by taking up with Aryan amazon Liz (Julia Jentsch), Jan believes he’s managed to stave off disaster, only for fate to deal him another decisive blow.
Verdict: 8/10
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Jimmy Hollywood (1994)
In JIMMY HOLLYWOOD a young Jimmy Alto (Pesci) moves to Hollywood from New Jersey to try to make it as an actor. With circumstances progressing nowhere, an unemployed Jimmy resorts to stealing from his girlfriend when he needs money. When someone breaks into his car and steals his radio, he and his friend William (Slater) begin staking out the neighborhood in hopes of catching the thief. This new operation gives birth to the S.O.S. (Save Our Streets) organization that ultimately gives Jimmy a sudden taste of fame.
Verdict: 5/10
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Secret Things (2002)
SECRET THINGS is the story of two gorgeous young women who discover the power of sex as a tool to climb the social and professional ladder. Sandrine and Natalie work at a strip club; Natalie performs an erotic act on stage while Sandrine serves drinks. After they both get fired, the two become roommates and Natalie begins training Sandrine in the art of seduction. Erotic lessons on how to pleasure oneself and others, how to seduce and not be seduced, public nudity and the art of the fake orgasm are all part of their plan to take on the world of men. After landing jobs at the bank and “working” their way up the ladder, these femme fatales don’t bargain for the ultimate cruelty and power of their prey. However, the girls soon meet their match in Christophe, the ruthless son of the bank’s president.
Verdict: 6/10
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Unhung Hero (2013)
When Patrick Moote’s girlfriend rejects his marriage proposal at a UCLA basketball game on the jumbotron, it unfortunately goes viral and hits TV networks worldwide. Days after the heartbreaking debacle, she privately reveals why she can t be with him forever: Patrick’s small penis size. “Unhung Hero” follows the real life journey of Patrick as he boldly sets out to expose this extremely personal chapter of his life confronting ex-girlfriends, doctors,anthropologists and even adult film stars. From Witch Doctors in Papua New Guinea to sex museums in Korea, Patrick has a lot of turf to cover on his globe trotting adventure to finally answer the age old question: Does size matter?
Verdict: 6/10
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Rabbit Hole (2010)
This is the extraordinary story of Becca and Howie. Eight months ago, they had a picture-perfect life with their young son. Now, they are posing as normal in the wake of an enormous loss; blindly looking for footing in a sea of new emotions. This is the remarkably moving journey of a couple finding their way back to love.
Verdict: 7/10
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Changing Lanes (2002)
Late for court, an attorney weaves in and out of traffic. In a different lane, a father whose right to see his children rests on getting to court on time. A minor accident will turn these two strangers into beasts.
Verdict: 6/10
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Red Lights (2012)
Veteran paranormal researchers Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) debunk fraudulent claims of ghost whispering, faith healing and other psychic phenomena by detecting what Matheson calls red lights, the subtle tricks behind every staged supernatural occurrence. But when the legendary blind psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro)comes out of retirement after 30 years, his once-fearless adversary Matheson warns Buckley to back off, fearing reprisal from the powerful Silver. Determined to discredit Silver, Buckley and his star student (Elizabeth Olsen) use every tool at their disposal to uncover the truth behind the charismatic, spoon-bending, mind reader. But Buckley is forced to reexamine his own core beliefs as his quest builds to a mind-blowing conclusion in this taut psychological thriller from award-winning writer and director Rodrigo Cortés (Buried).
Verdict: 5/10
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The World (2004)
An exploration on the impact of urbanization and globalization on a traditional culture.
Verdict: 8/10
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Pandorum (2009)
In Pandorum, Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, The Express) and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) join Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down, Twilight), Cung Le (Tekken, Fighting), newcomer Antje Traue, and director Christian Alvart (Antibodies) to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton (Quaid) staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower (Foster) ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.
Verdict: 6/10
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The German Chainsaw Massacre (1990)
A bloody and demented blend of Brechtian political satire and Texas Chain Saw Massacre-style horror, this shrieking gore-fest is set during the first hours after German reunification. Fleeing from the East, hapless victims fall prey to a crazed family of human butchers, who introduce them to the pleasures of the Free Market by noisily hacking, bludgeoning and chainsawing them to death. Abrasive, relentless, cruelly funny and enjoyably deranged.
Verdict: 4/10
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Black Christmas (1974)
It’s not a lot of fun when you have to spend Christmas Eve stuck in your sorority house. It’s even worse when a bloodthirsty psycho slides down your chimney. It’s Ho, Ho, Horror with Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea in a cult favorite from Bob Clark (“A Christmas Story”). AKA: “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” “Stranger in the House.”
Verdict: 6/10
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Dig! (2004)
Seven years in the making and culled from over 1500 hours of footage, DIG! plunges into the underbelly of rock ‘n’ roll, unearthing an incredible true story of success and self-destruction. Anton A. Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols are star-crossed friends and bitter rivals – DIG! is the story of their loves and obsessions, gigs and recordings, arrests and death threats, uppers and downers, and the delicate balance between art and commerce.
Verdict: 8/10
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The Tiger of Eschnapur (1959)
After more than two decades of exile in Hollywood, master filmmaker Fritz Lang triumphantly returned to his native Germany to direct the lavish two-part adventure tale The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb from a story he had co-authored almost forty years earlier. With incredible precision, Lang crafts a blend of color, decor, movement and montage that, in the twilight of his career, once again proves him a virtuoso of film form. Previously available in America only as Journey to the Lost City, a 90-minute condensation of the two films, these exotic masterpieces are presented restored and complete for the first time in the U.S. Western architect Harold Berger (Paul Hubschmid), called to India by Chandra, the Maharajah of Eschnapur, falls in love with the beautiful temple dancer Seetha (Debra Paget), although she is promised to the Maharajah. Their betrayal ignites the wrath of a vengeful Chandra, who is fighting his own battle for power with his scheming half-brother, and the lovers are forced to flee into the desert. Featuring breathtaking location photography and cliff-hanging suspense, the first part of Lang’s epic is highlighted by Paget’s erotic temple dance and Hubschmid’s battle to the death with a man-eating tiger.
Verdict: 9/10
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