Review by Tacitus...

[Tacitus]

Hello campers! I've finally decided to put some thoughts down on (virtual) paper about the films I love.

Here we go.... :D

Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004COJ2.02.LZZZZZZZ.gif http://www.robotwisdom.com/jorn/leigh.jpg

Naked is one of those films that leaves a mark, a scar even, on everyone who watches it. Set in early '90s London it stars David Thewlis (7 Years in Tebet, The Big Lebowski) as Johnny, Lesley Sharp (The Full Monty, From Hell) as his long-suffering ex Louise and the late Katrin Cartlidge (Breaking The Waves, Topsy-Turvy) as Sophie.

http://members.aol.com/laochfion/Naked1.jpg

The opening scene sets the tone for the movie, with Johnny seen having rough sex (probably non-consentual) with a much older woman, leaving her in a Manchester allyway and fleeing in a stolen car to London. Johnny's escape and subsequent search for his ex-girlfriend leads him (and us) on a nightmarish journey into the decaying half-life of Thatcher's Britain.

Thewlis gives a career making (and possibly breaking, when you look at the scraps this talented actor has had to feed off in the subsequent decade) performance as a confused, highly intelligent drifter whose acid wit is only matched by his desire to self-destruct. Everyone who encounters Johnny is subject to stinging barbs and Revelationary proclamations in equal measure, in fact the Book of Revelation plays a crucial role in his challenging world-view.

Johnny's meeting with Louise (excellently underplayed by Lesley Sharp) is punctuated by a series of vignettes - He meets, and has a brief sado-masochistic fling with, Louise's flatmate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge was never better as the fragile victim and her death in 2002 at the age of 40 was a great loss), an equally disturbed Glaswegian teenager (Trainspotting's Ewan Bremner) and his girlfriend, and Brian a security guard in charge of an empty building - "You're guarding space? That's stupid, isn't it? Because someone could break in there and steal all the ****in' space and you wouldn't know it's gone, would you?".

These characters are well-drawn and acted but really only exist for Johnny to undertake an increasingly frustrated tirade against the state of the world, indeed in a less skilled director's hands, Naked could have easly turned into a reactionary, humourless 90 minutes reminiscent of the worst in 1960s Kitchen Sink drama. Thankfully Leigh (who also wrote the screenplay) gives the characters enough depth for the audience to care for even the unsympathetic - apart from Greg Crutwell's one-dimentional 'villianous landlord' Jeremy, though on repeated viewings I've found the character's abject nastiness to be needed in relation to making Thewlis' nihilistic Johnny a more sympathetic figure.

After the final, bleak showdown Johnny and Louise prepare to leave London and return to Manchester. This isn't meant to happen, Naked can't have a happy ending?


The cranking up of Andrew Dickenson's haunting score prove otherwise as Johnny makes his (final?) bid for salvation by leaving while Louise's back is turned, battered, bruised and limping on the outside, still railing against the world on the inside.

The film's final scene shows Thewlis limping down the street, towards the camera, in the early morning light while the pounding music swirls around him. Who knows where he's going? I doubt if Johnny does, though I suspect that this journey has a one-way ticket.

http://www.mannheim.de/io2/download/Bilder/Agenda21/leigh_naked_1.jpg http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/9633/naked2.jpg

Naked is in equal measures bleak and touching, nasty and funny, Damnable and redemptive. It's wonderfully shot (by longtime Leigh cinematographer, Dick Pope) and tightly directed. It's David Thewlis' film though, he gives Johnny the raw energy and belligerence this flawed Prophet deserves. A spellbinding performance in a wonderful film - you might not like the subject matter, and at times the situations veer dangerously close to pantomime, but this portrait of the urban hopelessness left by Thatcher's rule is compelling viewing...

A memorable 5

EDIT and postscript -

This film was a weird choice for a first review but I had a bit of a 'long night of the soul' on Saturday (mainly brought on by Gin, Ireland losing at the Rugby and too much faux sympathy directed at me in the club afterwards) so I fed Naked into my player and life didn't seem quite as grim...

I guess we all know our own version of Johnny, I did. Sadly Colin's not with us anymore (he succumbed to an AIDS related illness two years after Naked's release). Colin was very much one of Thatcher's children: hyper-intellignet, scathingly funny, determindly working-class and abandoned by his family, childhood friends and The State. Colin drifted from low-paid job to low-paid job but his demons always seemed to pull him back from any kind of commitment.

He spent 3 months sleeping on our sofa then disappeared into the night in early '94. We didn't see him again.

Maybe this is why Naked has such a pull on me. I don't know. :)

[christine]

Great review Tacitus, of a film that strangely I've not seen. I've added it to my rental list now though. I agree about Katrin Cartlidge, she was an actress with a lot of integrity.

[Ezikiel]

Nice choice for a first review. Naked is a terrific film, and agree that Thewlis' performance is just simply amazing.

[SamsoniteDelilah]

Great review, D. :)

[nebbit]

Thanks Taty for a great review, I am a long time fan of Mike Leigh, I haven't seen Naked it is now on my must see list. i would love to see you review Secrets and lies :D :D :cool:

[Tacitus]

Lost In La Mancha (2002, Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000096FUD.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpghttp://www.geocities.com/fidelio1st/film/gilliam.jpg

.....Or How Storms, Aircraft and Jean Rochefort's Prostate Sabotage A Movie.....

Murphy's Law -

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

You will always find something in the last place you look.

No matter how long or how hard you shop for an item, after you've bought it, it will be on sale somewhere cheaper.

The other line always moves faster.

In order to get a loan, you must first prove you don't need it.

Anything you try to fix will take longer and cost you more than you thought.

I've always been a fan of Cervantes' Don Quixote and when I heard that Terry Gilliam was adapting it for the screen, my eyes lit up. Sadly, Lost In La Mancha may be the closest we'll get to seeing the director's vision.

Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe's fascinating documentary was originally intended to be a 'Making Of...' feature (think of The Hamster Factor on the Twelve Monkeys DVD) to accompany Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. It instead stands as a memorial to Murphy's Law.

From the beginning, Gilliam seems subdued. He's complaining that the film's budget is half of what he needs. He's complaining that no one can track down co-star Vanessa Paradis. Then the filming starts....

http://images.digitalmedianet.com/2003/03_mar/features/la_mancha/lamancha04_250.jpg

We're treated to unrehearsed extras, prima donna horses, electrical storms, a flying visit from the Spanish Airforce and a guest appearance from poor Jean Rochefort's aforementioned prostate (which causes the actor understandable pain and to fly back to Paris for days on end for treatment). Lost In La Mancha unfolds like a horror film with a mounting sense of dread as each new catastrophe hits the production and to see Gilliam visibly wilting onscreen makes for uneasy viewing.

Terry Gilliam has, of course, been through this all before with The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (1988) - an epic fable, beset by problems but differing from The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in that it actually limped over the finish line. To make matters worse, the filmed scenes we see look like classic Gilliam - big close-ups, fantastical design, slapstick etc. Rochefort (health permitting) was perfect as Don Quixote, Depp seemed kooky as ever and Vanessa Paradis was..well...stunning as ever.

http://images.digitalmedianet.com/2003/03_mar/features/la_mancha/lamancha07_225.jpg

You've got to feel for the director, thwarted in making a movie that he'd spent years thinking about but it's compelling viewing.

As the man himself said - "I am getting tired of these fights [with backers.] Each time you get into a fight the world closes in a bit. You start losing an innocence, a belief that everything is possible. Terry Jones thinks I'm belligerent and egotistical, and that I've got to get into a fight to keep me going. It does keep me awake. But I limit it to the fights that are worth it nowadays."

As I said - "It's difficult pushing custard uphill." ;)

A bittersweet 4

[Tacitus]

Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows)

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/d/images/dead-man-s-shoes-poster-0.jpg http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/spotlight/2001/images/shane_meadows_body.jpg

Dead Man's Shoes is a film that I'd been waiting for since it's Premiere at the Edinburgh Festival last year. The buzz was promising - a return to form by Shane Meadows after the messy Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, shot in 3 weeks (for £750,000) and featuring a devastating performance from his friend/actor/collaborator Paddy Considine.

The film concerns Richard (Considine), an ex-soldier who returns with his disabled brother Anthony to the small English town they left 10 years before. He has a score to settle with the local gang, headed by Sonny (ex-British Light Middleweight Champion and onetime foe of Chris Eubank, Gary Stretch), who had drugged and abused Anthony before leaving him for dead in a derelict building.

http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2004/filmsschedules/images/films/2004/77.jpg

Thus opens a revenge movie of sometimes quite startling intensity, Considine (who I've been bigging up recently but honestly feel that he's the best actor England has right now) delivers a performance of rare quality - passive/aggressive, subtle, caring, ferocious but always fuelled by one thing: the guilt of not being there when his brother needed him most.

http://www.highangle.co.uk/reviewsimages/deadmansshoes.jpg http://arts.telegraph.co.uk/arts/graphics/2004/09/17/bfmead117.jpg

As a director, Meadows isn't shy about referencing the films that influenced Dead Man's Shoes' style - there are echoes of Straw Dogs, Get Carter and even First Blood in the tone but nothing is heavy-handed or blatent. Tony Kebbell is wonderful, underplaying Anthony's vulnerable state when it would have been easy to have done another 'Charlie Babbitt' while Sonny's gang brings some much needed levity (and a few laugh-out-loud comedy scenes) to the show.

It's violent, sure, but as Dead Man's Shoes unfolds, we begin to understand exactly why Richard has been driven towards this state.

"God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and let them into Heaven. I can't live with that."

For me, this is the best British film since Trainspotting, and the more I watch it the more I feel that DMS could surpass Danny Boyle's 1996 landmark.

Not sure of a US release date but there's an R2 DVD containing commentaries, deleted scenes, making of doc, an animated graphic novel and a bittersweet Meadows short (also starring Kebbell) called Northern Soul.

http://www.filmfestival.gr/2004/films/nh/i13.jpg

If you can, watch it.

An essential 5

Website and Trailers (http://www.godwillforgivethem.com/)

[Aniko]

Wow...great reviews Tacitus. I loved reading your comments on Dead Man's Shoes in particular. Sounds powerful.

:)

[Tacitus]

Thanks Annie. :)

[Sedai]

Didn't notice the thread until now. Good work :)

[Tacitus]

Straight To Hell (1987, Alex Cox) http://images.greencine.com/images/article/alex-cox.jpg http://www.joestrummer.us/images/straight.jpg

I hadn't seen this film in 15 years, and it was pretty bad then. An, ahem, homage to just about every Spagetti Western made (particularly the Django films), the most interesting things about Straight To Hell are the extras - an Alex Cox/Dick Rude commentary and a retrospective doc.

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/images/24/straight_to_hell.jpg

Apparantly the movie came about because Cox had booked Joe Strummer, Elvis Costello and The Pogues to play a series of concerts in Nicaragua to support the Sandinistas. The money didn't appear so the whole crew disappeared off to Spain, wrote a script and filmed Straight To Hell on the set of the 1973 Sturges/Bronson Picture, Chino.

It shows...

Courtney Love has a role, methoding 'most annoying person alive' superbly. Indeed, one might even suspect that she isn't acting, as Cox & Rude remember her 'difficult' behavior on the commentary. ;) The Pogues (the reason for me watching the film all those years ago) look drunk, not surprising since their day would consist of waking up in a gutter beside the set, drinking tequila and collapsing at sundown - good work if you can get it.

I like Alex Cox, one of the true mavericks and a better director than his body of work would suggest. Straight To Hell though is messy and often takes the idea of homage a stage too far into 'rip-off' territory. Still, it you've paid a bunch of drunken singers for 6 weeks work, what else do you do?

File this one under - It seemed like a good idea at the time. :)

Interesting soundtrack though...

A shambolic 2

[nebbit]

Great reviews Tatty, I think I will give Straight to hell a miss but keep my eye open for Dead Mans Shoes thanks for the link also :D

[Caitlyn]

Great reviews Tac... thanks for sharing... :)

[Pyro Tramp]

Nice reviews, Dead Man's Shoes is the Don.

I got Straight to Hell free on a magazine, didn't realise it was *proper* film, lol.

[Sedai]

Great stuff Tac. I notice your stuff hasn't been pegged for the soon-to-come revamped review section, so I am going to go ahead and get them set up. They are certainly of high enough quality....

One thing though. Before I can go about it, I will need you to rate the films. The site is going to use the 1-5 star(popcorn box) system, and although you certainly don't have to adhere to this, the reviews will have their ratings changed over to the system when added to the new review area, so it will make things easier. If a "scale of 1-10" system is used, the rating will be changed to the 5 star system to reflect the relative level given, and maintain consistency across the site. You can do half-boxes, so it is still as flexible as the 1-10 system.

To use the popcorn boxes, rate thusly:

[*rating]4_5[*/rating] (remove asterix for the real deal, of course) for a 4.5 star rating.

For examples see my thread. and Thanks for writing. :)

[Tacitus]

Cripes! I have to rate them too?

The things one has to do in the name of Art...

Thanks Sed, but can I have a Guinness bottle rating instead of the popcorn? It'd suit the mood in which I wrote them. :D

[christine]

I can't think about Alex Cox without seeing that scene in Breakfast With Hunter where he's explaining to Hunter S Thompson how he's scripted his famous wave scene in Fear and Loathing as an animation. HST nearly goes off the scale of pissed offness "You keep insisting that my best work should be put into some sort of Mickey Mouse ****!" , Cox is reduced to a quivering jelly and can't get out of there fast enough.

[Sedai]

Thanks Tacitus :)

[Pyro Tramp]

Did Dead Mans Shoes remind you of Old Boy at all, Tacitus. It did me....

[Tacitus]

Did Dead Mans Shoes remind you of Old Boy at all, Tacitus. It did me....

To be honest, not really, though there's a similar feeling of guilt running through both films. :)

[Sedai]

Wow, it really wasn't long at all...

Post destroyed!!

[Pyro Tramp]

Huh?

[Tacitus]

Huh?

Nasty post trying to be funny.

Removed. ;)

[Tacitus]

Boiling Point (1990, Takeshi Kitano)

http://www.nfi.no/sysimg/sisutitles/org/4828.jpghttp://home.clara.net/raydav/kitano.jpg

Kitano’s second feature as a director is interesting in a number of ways and, for me, works best when seen as a staging post between the more straightforward Violent Cop (1989) and 1991’s quirkier, more introspective A Scene At The Sea.

Masaki (Yûrei Yanagi) is a young man working in a filling station who, in his spare time, plays for a poor minor league Baseball team. His adventure begins when, in an uncharacteristic fit of rage, he punches a local Yakuza hardman. Masaki’s baseball coach is former gangster turned restaurateur Iguchi, who still fancies himself as a player on the Underground scene and tries to intercede on the young man’s behalf with his former colleagues.

http://www.acdrifter.com/Images/HighRes/A-F/Boiling%20Point/Boiling_Point-1.jpg

After an unsuccessful meeting, Iguchi sends Masaki to Okinawa in search of a Yakuza named Uehara (Kitano himself), where he is to buy a gun to settle the feud once and for all…

Boiling Point is packed with Kitano staples - beautifully framed shots, the minimum of unnecessary movement, sudden bursts of violence, slapstick comedy, ‘fun on the beach’ etc - but it’s a difficult film to comprehend on initial viewing. I’d go so far as to say that it’s the director’s least accessible work, and that’s down to the two lead characters:

Masaki is slow, sometimes painfully so, and doesn’t elicit much sympathy from the audience while Kitano plays his most dislikeable screen character - Uehara is an unpredictable psychopath, equally at home raping men as he is brutalising women (think of Goodfellas’ Tommy turned up a few notches). A humorous brutal psychopath, though. ;)

http://www.computer-museum.de/kitano/images/boilingpoint_2.jpghttp://www.computer-museum.de/kitano/images/boilingpoint_3.jpg

The movie’s subtleties come to the surface on repeated viewings and it’s clear that Kitano is a director in transition (it was his second feature), gradually moving to the fringes of genre convention but yet to find his feet with the remarkable 1993 film, Sonatine.

Boiling Point, or to give the film it's japanese title, 3-4x juugatsu is good, but not great, and I would recommend watching a few other Kitano movies before taking the plunge.

A brutal, calm: 3_5

http://www.takeshikitano.net/imfilm/boiling.jpg

[Darth Stujitzu]

Glad to see reviews on" Dead man's shoes ", " Lost in La Mancha " and " Naked " that I can relate too. I have enjoyed all theses films, perhaps that they all involve British directors makes my slightly biased, but its always good to see home-grown talent doing so well, or not so well in Gillingham's case!!!
Its a mystery to me why Hugh Grant continually gets work over somebody like Thewlis, who IMO is a more talented actor.
Have you seen " Divorcing Jack "? Adaptation of the novel by Colin Bateman, who on his day is Irelands answer to Karl Hiassen, a quirky comedy/break from the norm for Thewlis.
Great thread Tacitus, I'll look out for future reviews.

[Tacitus]

Thanks DS. Yup I've seen Divorcing Jack and it's pretty good. The Reverend Ian Paisley's a more talented actor than Huge Grant though... ;)

Big Ian's rehearsals for the Ulster production of The Usual Suspects were not going well...
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2004/12/01/02PAISLEY_ent-lead__200x160.jpg
"It's not payback! It's precaution. You wan't payback, you wanna run, I don't care! I'm not doing this for Fenster, I'm not doing it for you... I'm doing it for me. I'm gonna finish this thing. This Adams...errrr...Kobayashi b@stard is not gonna stand on me! Sorry loves, can we do this one more time?"

[linespalsy]

I actually had the opposite reaction to Boiling Point. Loved it when I first saw it, just bored by the stark sullenness when I finally went back and rewatched it a couple months ago. A few images stand out, mostly ones centered around Kitano's character. And I like how he plays the script out against expectation/formula with the half-assed vendetta scheming, but I thought the overblown finale defeated itself in that respect (sorry for being vague, don't want to give away the ending). The same thing happened to Hana-bi with me. Great on first viewing, nice and depressing, just bored on reviewing, don't think I'll bother seeing Sonatine again since I suspect it won't live up to the great movie stuck in my memorybanks/.

[Tacitus]

I've been watching Sonatine for 10 years (it ain't that long but y'know what I mean) and it never fails to charm and amaze me. It's a far better, more satisfying, film than Boiling Point and possibly leaves less questions than hana-bi. Give it another go. :)

[IDigCereal]

I love the reviews. Haven't seen any of the film's you've featured, but your reviews have piqued my interest in a few, and are undeniably well-written. Keep on pumping them out, they give me ideas for rentals.

[Tacitus]

I love the reviews. Haven't seen any of the film's you've featured, but your reviews have piqued my interest in a few, and are undeniably well-written. Keep on pumping them out, they give me ideas for rentals.

Thanks mate. Appreciated. :)

[Tacitus]

Sonatine (1993, Takeshi Kitano)

http://www.cinemazone.dk/images/image566.JPG http://www.kamera.co.uk/images/takeshi_kitano.jpg

In the last 10 years this insignificant little reviewer has watched many hundreds of films, thousands even. There’s one that he keeps coming back to, Sonatine, and hopefully he’ll explain why in the paragraphs that follow.

Sonatine was Kitano’s fourth feature as a director, coming after Violent Cop, Boiling Point and A Scene At The Sea. It was the movie where I first took notice of his talents, tucked away late on BBC2 during 1995. I was told that it was “kinda like Reservoir Dogs” and “violent”. Whoopee. :rolleyes:

What unfolded that night was a nihilistic odyssey into one man’s reason for being -

Murakawa (Kitano) is a Yakuza, in charge of a Tokyo crew sent to Okinawa to aid a fellow syndicate of a little ‘problem’ with a rival crew. It soon becomes clear that him and his men have been the victims of a set-up and they hide out in a remote beach house, waiting for the all clear…

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/sonatine03.jpg

Sonatine works on a few levels, whether as a straightforward gangster story or a character study of violent men. It’s clear pretty early on that Murakawa is tiring of his life, not his chosen profession but of living itself. An early example is the shootout in the bar - while those around him duck for cover Murakawa stands still and carries on shooting. Wearily. Until nobody meaningful is standing.

Whilst in hiding, something strange seems to happen to this group of hardmen. They indulge in childlike games, build traps in the sand and play jovial rounds of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’. Jovial, that is, until Murakawa walks over and introduces a handgun into proceedings. The gun is empty as he raises it to his temple but Murakawa’s unknowing henchmen get the message. The boss doesn’t care about dying.

http://asianfilmweb.de/filme/s/sonatine_szene.jpg http://www.revisioncinema.com/ci_sona2.jpg

In fact it seems that these few short days on the beach (which include a romance) seem to hammer home to Murakawa what his life could have been like had he chosen a different path..

Miyuki: You're tough. I love tough guys.
Murakawa: I wouldn't carry a gun if I were tough.
Miyuki: You can shoot without a second thought.
Murakawa: I shoot fast because I get scared fast.
Miyuki: But you're not afraid of dying, are you?
Murakawa: When you're scared all the time, you reach a point when you wish you were dead.

There’s an elegiac tone to Sonatine, from the sparse dialogue to the haunting, minimalist score. Economy of movement is something of a Kitano trait, everything is balanced. Shots are framed exquisitely and the action takes place within, characters either joining or departing. Beat (the name Kitano gives to himself as an actor, a reminder of his stand-up comedy days on Japanese TV) himself has made a name playing taciturn, violent men, and he’s never been better. His granite-like features and world-weary gait suit the character, even down to the final, bloody resolution…

Now, why do I keep coming back to Sonatine? It’s style, it’s wistfulness, it’s lack of Hollywood convention, the whole package. Along with hana-bi, this is Takeshi Kitano’s masterpiece as a director and I’d place it top of the tree if only because Sonatine is the film that introduced me to the work of this remarkable man.

5

[nebbit]

Thanks Tatty, I will have to see if I can get a few of the movies you have reviewed, one of my problems is, where i live no decent DVD rental store, they seem to stock so much mainstream fluff. :rolleyes:

[Tacitus]

I've had the same problem since moving back here nebbs. One of the best moves I made was joining an online rental site, is there anything similar in Aus?

And thanks for taking the time to read my babble. :)

[nebbit]

I have just joined one, :yup: so I am hoping I will be able to find a lot of the movies I want there. :D

[Tacitus]

Incident At Loch Ness (2004, Zak Penn)

http://www.mtv.com/shared/media/images/cinema_source_photos/150x200/dr0400/0465/046505H1.jpg

Hello, my name is Tacitus. I’m a film watcher. I watch a lot of commercials. That little dog that chases the covered wagon underneath the sink? I’ve seen that one. In 1992, I went down to Ormskirk, Lancashire to a semi-detached house called Dun Romin. Don’t look for it, it’s not there anymore.

But that night I watched a movie that, for me, redefined the word ‘Motion Picture’. I remember being knocked out by it’s exuberance, it’s raw power - and it’s punctuality. That movie was by Germany’s now legendary Werner Herzog. Thirteen years and twelve films later, Werner Herzog is still going strong. And he’s earned a place in cinema history as one of Germany’s loudest directors.

So in the summer of 2005, when I heard that I was going to get my hands on a movie featuring Herzog called Incident At Loch Ness, well needless to say that I jumped at the chance to watch the documentary - the, if you will, “Lochumentary” that you’re about to see reviewed. I wanted it to capture the sights, the sounds….the smells of a hard working auteur director on the road.

And I got that; I got more….a lot more. But hey, enough of my yakkin'; whaddaya say? Let's Nessie!

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/twentieth_century_fox/incident_at_loch_ness/_group_photos/michael_karnow4.jpghttp://www.joblo.com/images_movie_reviews/incident_at_loch_ness.jpg

Ermmm...sorry campers, dunno what came over me there. Anyway, wonderful piece of filmmaking. The legend of The Loch Ness Monster has always fascinated me and here we have a film that delves deeper than ever before into the mysteries of one of Scotland's longest and deepest lakes.

4_5

[nebbit]

Thanks for the review, love your enthusiasm. http://bestsmileys.com/playing/18.gif

[Tacitus]

Thanks nebbs, just call me Tati DiBergi. ;)

Good to see you home too. :)

[Sinny McGuffins]

Thanks for the review, Tacitus. :)

I guess it was a late night then, the post time says 3.58 am.

[Tacitus]

I guess it was a late night then, the post time says 3.58 am.

I got home not too late, around midnight, but had a chronic attack of insomnia so decided to make use of my time. ;)

[Darth Stujitzu]

God damn you Tacitus, just when I thought I was out(of my Scottish movie thread) you drag me back in!!! Guess I gotta check it out, I have seen little bits of it , but my memories are hazy. As you can imagine, I've seen loads of documentaries on Nessie, indeed there was a time when you couldn't move at Loch Ness for all the film crews!
Whatever you do, no matter how bad your curiosity gets, never watch the Loch Ness film with Ted Danson, so bad it's title has been erased from memory!!! Stick to re-runs of Cheers if you're in the mood for a bit of Danson.
You Danson?
You Asking? :laugh:

[Tacitus]

Whatever you do, no matter how bad your curiosity gets, never watch the Loch Ness film with Ted Danson, so bad it's title has been erased from memory!!! Stick to re-runs of Cheers if you're in the mood for a bit of Danson.
You Danson?
You Asking? :laugh:

Seen it. The only thing that sticks in mind is the lovely Joely Richardson. ;)

http://www.hellomagazine.com/specials/londonfashionweek/img/section1-2.jpg

Doesn't the joke have Arthur Askey in it? :D

[SamsoniteDelilah]

Gracious! Thank goodness for double-stick tape!

Thanks for the recomment on Incident at Loch Ness - had a big fascination with that story as a kid, but have never seen good film on it. I'll check this out, for Nessie and Werner. :)

[Tacitus]

Revengers Tragedy (2002, Alex Cox)

http://dvdplaneet.nl/images/revengerstradigy.jpghttp://www.theyshootpictures.com/images/coxalex.jpg

Alex Cox is a strange old bird who seems quite content with ploughing his own furrow. From ‘80s Indie staples such as Repo Man and Sid And Nancy to documentaries about the Emmanuelle films, he’s never been bound by convention. Revengers Tragedy, his most recent cinematic release, is an adaptation of Thomas Middleton’s Jacobean play.

” I'm tired of the apostrophe. Nobody knows what to do with them any more (even though the rule regarding apostrophes is very simple, it seems to have become totally un-learnable). There wasn't one on the title page of THE REVENGERS TRAGEDIE and what's good enough for Tom M is good enough for me.”

The movie has an extremely interesting cast with the lead taken by Christopher Ecclestone (most recently seen as BBC TV’s Doctor Who but a fine character actor in his own right). Veteran Shakespearian thesp Derek Jacobi plays the Machiavellian Duke, murderer of Vindici’s (Ecclestone) new bride Gloriana (seen only in silent flashback and played by the beautiful, auburn-haired, leggy, freckled Riverdance lead, Jean Butler). There are other notable appearances by Eddie Izzard (Lussurioso), Sophie Dahl (Imogen), Tony Blair’s Father-In-Law Tony Booth as Lord Antonio and Margi “Letter To Brezhnev” Clark.

http://www.kennesaw.edu/theatre/IMAGES/RevengersTragedy1-lrg.jpg

In terms of setting, lighting and costume Revengers Tragedy has a style that I haven’t witnessed on screen since Derek Jarman’s 1977 Punk odyssey Jubilee. Expect bondage trousers, fishnets, back-combed hair, piercings, tartan and lashings of make-up - and that’s just the men. Izzard is on familiar turf here though poor old Derek Jacobi takes on the look of a granded Goth waxwork…

Being an adaptation of a work from the Shakespearian period, Cox has chosen not to interfere with the language, though his characters speak in a broad Liverpudlian (or Scouse, for those this side of the pond) accent. He’s also decided to pepper the prose with some modern phrasing. For example, when Vindici produces a skull from his bag his brother murmurs “F**kin’ ‘Ell mate!”, which is hilarious at times, though, I suspect, not intentionally so.

http://www.dvdoutsider.co.uk/dvd/pix/r/revenger1.jpg http://bloggerhosting.com/movies/jpgs2004/revengers_tragedy_2.jpg

Cox on the dialogue: ”To emphasize, in a filmic way, the absolute absence of change! The injustices of the early 17th century are those of the early 21st. Corrupt and powerful forces oppress the poor and the meek. The poor rise up. They are suppressed. And a younger generation of poor, angrier and with access to weapons, rises up to take revenge... Just as US foreign policy in Central America was the same in 1856 as in 1986.”

The film itself is lightening paced, messy and self-indulgent. But also great fun. The echoes of Jarman’s Jubilee (and his adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest) are unavoidable given the subject matter and ‘look’ that Cox has given the film - Revengers Tragedy has a of Future Noir feel, though more Clockwork Orange than Blade Runner. There’s an energy here that I find most appealing, Cox’s zeal for Middleton’s play really shining through, but overall I’d file it under experimental.

Definitely worth a rent though, especially if you’d like to see Doctor Who head butting a teenage boy and Sir Derek Jacobi in white makeup with black lipstick. ;)

Prithee!! I'll give it a 3

Website with trailer (http://www.revengerstragedy.com/)

Alex Cox quotes taken from alexcox.com (http://www.alexcox.com/)

[nebbit]

Thanks Tatty for another great review, will add this to my list. http://bestsmileys.com/writer/2.gif

[TheUsualSuspect]

Incident At Loch Ness been meaning to pick it up, but had hesitation, seems like I will now. Good review.

[SamsoniteDelilah]

Looks very freaky! :p
Thanks for your thoughts, D.

[Tacitus]

Mayor Of The Sunset Strip (2003, George Hickenlooper)Mayor Of The Sunset Strip (2003, George Hickenlooper)

Beware watching documentaries for the first time while under the influence of alcohol, especially documentaries which are as interesting as Mayor Of The Sunset Strip…

Rodney Bingenheimer is a late night radio DJ in Los Angeles. He’s also credited with introducing David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, Blondie, Oasis, Coldplay and Daniel O’Donnell* amongst others to a mainstream American audience. UK MoFos might liken him to a more mainstream John Peel, if the sadly departed Peel had resembled an emaciated Hobbit, that is, and had been Davey Jones‘ double during The Monkees television series.

Rodney (I’ll develop arthritis if I continue typing his full name) blew into California in the mid-60s just as Youth culture was beginning it’s shiny happy transformation and quickly became friendly with the ‘in’ crowd. Every meaningful gig had this elfish young man hanging round (usually far enough away so as not to be mistaken for a band member but close enough to be included in the photographs) and he was taken under the wing of Cher and Sonny Bono. Fast forward a few years and Rodney is working in Publicity for various record companies, being photographed with The Beatles, Elvis, Bowie, The Beach Boys etc etc. He opens up his own nightclub and eventually finds his way into radio, where the documentary finds him.

http://www.moovees.com/clips/big/mayorofthesunsetstrip1.jpghttp://www.stylusmagazine.com/weeklyimages/mv_mayor_2.jpg

Mayor Of The Sunset Strip is laced with interviews from Rock Royalty: The aforementioned Cher, Debbie Harry, David Bowie, Joan Jett, Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani et al. They all say the same thing, that Rodney is a ‘great friend’…… which he certainly seems to be. He comes across as a quiet, polite little man with an enormous love for music and the accompanying desire to play it to as many people as possible.

On first viewing I half-dismissed his status as merely being a male groupie (incidentally, Pamela Des Barres appears - she’s also a ‘great friend’ and still looks fantastic) who was present, Gump-like at some of popular music’s seminal moments. That’s doing a major injustice to the man, however, as a further (sober) watch revealed the genuine affection these musicians have for him. And it’s easy to see why they love him - Rodney loves them and he doesn’t ask for anything in return. Again, it might be slightly churlish to suggest that he has lived his life through other people’s celebrity but that’s the impression the movie gives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/02/03/images/george_hickenlooper_mayor_interview_top.jpghttp://www.filmthreat.com/UploadImages/mayorsunset01story.jpg

George Hickenlooper (Hearts Of Darkness) spent a couple of years documenting every facet of Rodney On The Roq’s life, from meetings with his father and childhood friends to an almost too painful-to-watch interview with his wannabe-singer ‘girlfriend’. There’s a Warholesque quality to the man, he’s almost an empty vessel. An empty vessel filled by the compliments of others. Thesedays Rodney has found his show relegated to the Graveyard shift on a Sunday night while younger DJs compete for the title of Indie King, but he’s not bitter…..

Well, actually he is……but watch the movie.

Sad, unintentionally funny and endearing in equal measures then. Highly recommended. 4

* A prize for spotting the deliberate mistake...

[nebbit]

Thanks Tatty, great review. :yup:

Um er...... mistake..............indie king http://bestsmileys.com/nono/5.gif

[Tacitus]

Thanks Tatty, great review. :yup:

Um er...... mistake..............indie king http://bestsmileys.com/nono/5.gif

Thanks luv. :)

Look for the first asterisk to win your prize...

[SamsoniteDelilah]

I'll try and remember to catch his show on Sunday nights, and let you know what that's like. I think I have heard it once, as "Rodney on the Roq" sounds familiar, and it's a fond familiarity, though vague. Nice review, thanks!

[Tacitus]

Tarnation (2003, Jonathan Caouette)

http://www.wellspring.com/movies/images/upload/Tarnation_poster_final_sm.jpg http://www.filmdeculte.com/photo/film/tarnation/1.jpg

What initially drew me to Tarnation was the fact that it was made (according to the blurb anyway) for a few hundred dollars on an iMac. Documentaries on dysfunctional families are always interesting too.

The film is told through the eyes of wannabee actor Jonathan Caouette and charts his life, to the age of 31, and relationships with his mentally ill mother and adoptive parents (his grandparents).

http://www.variety.com/graphics/photos/reviewt/rtarnation.jpg http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/images/film/1507_Tarnation4.jpg

It’s a strange life, true. Renee was forced into undergoing electric shock treatment in her teens which left a terrible scar. Her marriage fell apart, she lost custody of young Jonathan (who eventually ended up with her parents after a series of foster homes) and her health continued to deteriorate. Jonathan grew up confused, both about himself and his mother, and decided to become an actor.

Tarnation is told in a series of vignettes which all take the same pattern: Old home movie footage of his mother interspersed with present day scenes, photographs and Caouette’s own student movies. And what cringeworthy excuses for ‘art’ they are…

http://www.dictatuur.nl/images/uploads/tarnation.jpg

The problem I have with Tarnation is that the whole thing seems so terribly selfish and staged. It’s as if the director is using his unfortunate family life as a 90 minute promo to hawk round the major studios. Not a whole lot wrong with that on it’s own I guess - art comes from within - but this is cynical.

There’s no love shown by Jonathan to his mum, just orders barked at an obviously distressed woman on how to hold a camera. One gets the feeling that she’s only there to juxtapose and explain her son’s ‘troubled’ existence. In my mind it’s very close to exploitation.

Caouette himself is portrayed as a tortured artist but comes across as a preening narcissist. From an objective viewpoint his own problems, while completely apparent, pale in comparison to his mother’s and grandparents’ (who, in this day and age, would like to be saddled with the name Adolph?) but he’s always there in the background shouting “Me! Me! Me!”

The scene which almost made me throw an ashtray at the screen is set up by Jonathan’s grandad telling him the reason we have an indentation between our top lip and nose, the old ‘touched by an angel’ thing. Caouette, of course, manages to find a way to prod his sleeping mum under her nose.

On camera.

With someone else filming.

Sickening, if only because it’s so blatantly false.

The one area where Tarnation works is in the respect of making any sort of film at all on this budget - though that’s been done before it’s still impressive.

I'll give it a 1 because even Mussolini made the trains run on time...

[Piddzilla]

Tarnation (2003, Jonathan Caouette)

I'll give it a 1 because even Mussolini made the trains run on time...

Woah... I thought you'd like that one... I'm shocked. Tarnation is among my best this year (among those I've seen this year, that is).

[Tacitus]

Woah... I thought you'd like that one... I'm shocked. Tarnation is among my best this year (among those I've seen this year, that is).

heh. :)

I guess my review was 110% gut instinct. Take the cynical treatment of his mum out of the equation and I was left with a passable video diary by someone not half as tortured and talented as he thinks he is.

It's rare thesedays that I'll pass up on listening to the commentary but really couldn't stomach this one.

What did you like so much about it Pid? I wasn't trying to be deliberately obtuse.......honest. :)

[Piddzilla]

Well, I think I basically thought the same things of him as you did, that he was a hopeless narcissist who litterally screamed "Me! Me! Me!" the whole time. But I found that moving. I saw it as someone looking at himself as another person almost because that was what he did. The way he dealt with the absence of his parents, his homosexuality and his mom's mental illness moved me a lot. I was also pretty impressed by the artistic side of it, the iMac thing. And it had fantastic music... :)

I guess all artist are self occupied and in this case it was especially obvious. But instead of irritating I found that honest, in some way.

Would you feel the same way if he had written a book instead, you think?

[Tacitus]

Would you feel the same way if he had written a book instead, you think?

If the book had had the same attitude, quite possibly. ;)

For me, there was no seeking to understand the way he is by Jonathan. Just a sense of 'My mom's got problems, but look with what I have to deal with!'

I guess it's honest in the sense that, judging the director on this film, I wouldn't want him as a friend but I don't think this was his intention. The surface portrayal of him as a character was as close as I'd imagine but the actual nuts and bolts of his raison d'etre appeared overtly cynical and stage managed. Yeah, the whole thing was probably designed to get him noticed, but I hated the way he went about it.

The look of the film was quite interesting at first with the quick cutting of various styles and mediums but soon became repetitive. The music wasn't bad though, true. :)

[SamsoniteDelilah]

Thanks for the review. :)
This sounds intolerable. lol I have a ton of artist friends, and they're as well-adjusted as the lawyers, nurses and accountants I know. I find that "I'm an artist so I can behave like an arse" thing to be monumentally tiresome. Sounds like that's the main theme of this one, so since I don't have an ashtray to throw at my tv, I'll spare the cat and not rent it.

[Piddzilla]

Thanks for the review. :)
This sounds intolerable. lol I have a ton of artist friends, and they're as well-adjusted as the lawyers, nurses and accountants I know. I find that "I'm an artist so I can behave like an arse" thing to be monumentally tiresome. Sounds like that's the main theme of this one, so since I don't have an ashtray to throw at my tv, I'll spare the cat and not rent it.

Only thing is that it's not that kind of a film and it's certainly not the main theme. Caouette's perhaps not exactly well-adjusted like that ton of artist friends of yours, but the opinion that he's behaving like an arse is Tacitus actually the first one to have that I know of (although I'm sure there's millions of them out there). Those of my friends who've seen it, and they're quite well-adjusted the lot of them, have all loved it. It's been heavily awarded and if rating means anything, it's got a 7.4 on www.imdb.com. Tacitus' thoughts count more than most other thoughts to me so it's not that I don't respect his opinion, on the contrary, I can even understand him. If you find Jonathan Caouette annoying you will not like this film simply because the film is a documentary about the life of Jonathan Caouette. So in that sense, yes, it's selfish and self occupied. But then again, which great filmmaker is not? I never saw him as exploiting his mom though.

I was just a little surprised that Dave didn't like it....

[Tacitus]

If you find Jonathan Caouette annoying you will not like this film simply because the film is a documentary about the life of Jonathan Caouette. So in that sense, yes, it's selfish and self occupied. But then again, which great filmmaker is not?

Ah but... :)

I hated Tarnation not just because i found Caouette annoying. True, I find it hard to have empathy with someone so self-obsessed, but that's not a case for me damning the film.

I'll say it again but the style grated on me very quickly and there was a whiff of bull about some of the scenes.

My reading of his treatment of Renee is probably a very personal one, but I'll stand by it.

Anyway, the DVD is sitting in a post box in darkest Tyrone right about now, waiting for it's trip home. :)

since I don't have an ashtray to throw at my tv, I'll spare the cat and not rent it.

Good job kid. I've always found that cats make very unsatisfactory ashtrays... ;)

[SamsoniteDelilah]

Only thing is that it's not that kind of a film and it's certainly not the main theme. Caouette's perhaps not exactly well-adjusted like that ton of artist friends of yours, but the opinion that he's behaving like an arse is Tacitus actually the first one to have that I know of (although I'm sure there's millions of them out there). Those of my friends who've seen it, and they're quite well-adjusted the lot of them, have all loved it. It's been heavily awarded and if rating means anything, it's got a 7.4 on www.imdb.com. Tacitus' thoughts count more than most other thoughts to me so it's not that I don't respect his opinion, on the contrary, I can even understand him. If you find Jonathan Caouette annoying you will not like this film simply because the film is a documentary about the life of Jonathan Caouette. So in that sense, yes, it's selfish and self occupied. But then again, which great filmmaker is not? I never saw him as exploiting his mom though.

I was just a little surprised that Dave didn't like it....
There's really no telling with Dave's taste. ;)

I hope you didn't take my comments as any sort of slight against you or your taste in film, Piddy. I am now starting to wonder if Tacitus saw the film on your recommend and if that's the case, I certainly didn't mean any offense to you with my distaste for self-involved artists - they're completely unrelated topics, in my mind. I know if that's a part of his reaction, it likely would be mine as well though - I too respect his thoughts and we often agree on things - and I know that if that is a prevalent theme in the film, that I'd be put off by it. That said, if I find myself with a copy of the film and two free hours, I'll likely watch it, if only to confirm I was right. ;)

[Piddzilla]

Good job kid. I've always found that cats make very unsatisfactory ashtrays... ;)

They make terrific scouring rags though. ..meeeow..

There's really no telling with Dave's taste. ;)

I hope you didn't take my comments as any sort of slight against you or your taste in film, Piddy. I am now starting to wonder if Tacitus saw the film on your recommend and if that's the case, I certainly didn't mean any offense to you with my distaste for self-involved artists - they're completely unrelated topics, in my mind. I know if that's a part of his reaction, it likely would be mine as well though - I too respect his thoughts and we often agree on things - and I know that if that is a prevalent theme in the film, that I'd be put off by it. That said, if I find myself with a copy of the film and two free hours, I'll likely watch it, if only to confirm I was right. ;)

That's all I can possibly ask for. From a lady. Regarding this particular subject. :)

[nebbit]

Thanks for the review Tatty, interesting chat fokes but i will give it a miss. :yup:

[Tacitus]

Thanks for the review Tatty, interesting chat fokes but i will give it a miss. :yup:

You're welcome, kid. :)

They make terrific scouring rags though.

I thought that was just an Irish thing...

[Caitlyn]

I'm definitely feeling like Alice's rabbit now… can't believe it has been so long since I told you how much I enjoy your reviews Tatty… my "to see" list is getting longer and longer... :)

[Tacitus]

Thanks Caity. Your seal of approval means a lot to me. :)

I must do something about updating this thread too, but the muse is having trouble finding me right now. It's SatNav disc must need updating...

[Darth Stujitzu]

We don't want your thanks, we just want your reviews!!!!
( if only I sounded like Sir Bob Geldof, that would be funny, ah well, I try )
Right D, no excuses, if I can write 11 reviews in a row, I know you can too, so get reviewing!

[nebbit]

You heard what the man said http://bestsmileys.com/writer/1.gif ;D

[Tacitus]

I can be a contrary old bugger when faced with requests, y'know. :D

Thinking of doing a director's retrospective but need to refresh myself with some of his films before letting it loose...

Love the avatar nebbie, by the way. Janet Leigh meets Charlie Drake. ;)

[Tacitus]

Grizzly Man (2005, Werner Herzog)

http://www.theavon.com/Grizzly%20Man.jpg http://www.third-ear.com/images/Articles/0105/Werner%20Herzog1.jpg

"I'm in love with my animal friends. I'm in love with my animal friends! In love with my animal friends. I'm very, very troubled. It's very emotional. It's probably not cool even looking like this. I'm so in love with them, and they're so f***ed over, which so sucks." Timothy Treadwell

Sometimes great cinema just falls in your lap. Werner Herzog realised this very quickly when presented with the 100 hours of footage which forms the bedrock of Grizzly Man.

The late Timothy Treadwell was a sometime actor. An actor who apparently lost out narrowly to Woody Harrelson for what became his career-making, eponymous role in Cheers, but this was as close as Treadwell came to thespian fame. He drifted along for a few years, masking life's disappointments with alcohol and drugs before emerging in the '90s as a campaigning ecologist with the preservation of Alaska's grizzly population foremost in his thoughts. 'A Kind Warrior', as he says early in the film.

Treadwell spent thirteen Summers living in Katmai National Park, studying and documenting bears. For the last five of his visits he brought along the video camera who's recordings make up the bulk of Grizzly Man's running time. Living under canvas, Treadwell eschewed as much contact as possible (barring the occasional female companion, such as Amie Huguenard, his girlfriend and fellow wildlife enthusiast) with the human race for months at a time, all the while within sniffing distance (and without firearms) of one of the most dangerous carnivores on the planet.

http://www.missoulanews.com/photos/movies/0513Film1.jpghttp://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/lions_gate_films/grizzly_man/_group_photos/timothy_treadwell1.jpg

We are treated to snippets of wildlife documentaries (Treadwell's longterm plan) presented with childlike enthusiasm, glee even, but all too often the wide-eyed and innocent tone gives way to an almost pathalogical declamation of the Park rangers, trappers and tourists who seek to damage the habitat of or harm his adopted 'friends'. For such a confirmed eco warrior, at times Timothy Treadwell gives the air of a rather selfish individual, guarding his ego and status as much as he searches to protect the local grizzlys.

Herzog peppers this footage with interviews with Treadwell's friends and Alaskan acquaintences, including the pilot who found his, and Amie Huguenard's, remains in October 2003. Grizzly Man's opening monologue with Timothy describing the effect of a bear attack was eerily prophetic...

The director has seen a side to Treadwell that many overlooked - that of the maverick filmmaker. In fact Werner parallels the Katmai Park footage with his own work on Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo where he worked in close proximity to his own version of Treadwell's grizzly in the forest, Klaus Kinski. Herzog provides a voiceover which is both balanced and affecting, alongside a beautiful score from Richard Thompson.

http://keywestfilm.org/Films2005/grizzly_man_photo_08.jpg


Grizzly Man works on a few levels for me: Treadwell's wildlife footage has an intensity about it which is rarely seen outside the very best David Attenborough documentaries. The fight pictured between two male grizzlys has a terrible beauty, for example. There's also, of course, the study of the man himself, a man who I read as having deep-seated emotional scars and a void in his life. This void could seemingly only be filled through a delusional belief that wild, dangerous animals could be befriended and reasoned with. Demons are exorcised here....in multiple takes. The true shame is that Timothy chose to spend his final few weeks with a woman as uneasy in this environment as she was desperate to return home.

Timothy and Amie's death, at the hands of a lone grizzly, was captured on his camera's audio, the lens being fortunately obscured. We are shown Herzog, genuinely shocked and moved, listening to their final moments on headphones and imploring the tape's tearful keeper (an ex girlfriend) to destroy it without ever listening to it's contents.

Part eco-warrior, part ego-warrior - I highly recommend Grizzly Man.

4

"Treadwell probably did not realise that seemingly empty moments had a strange, secret beauty. Sometimes images themselves develop their own life, their own mysterious stardom..." Werner Herzog

[SamsoniteDelilah]

Great review! :)
I had missed the part where Herzog compared the whole thing to Kinski, that's hilarious.

[Tacitus]

Great review! :)
I had missed the part where Herzog compared the whole thing to Kinski, that's hilarious.

Thanks hon! :D

I cheated ever so slightly in lifting the Kinski analogy from an interview I saw with Herzog. Personally I think that Klaus would have scared the grizzlys silly... ;)

[nebbit]

At last!, Tatty is back, well i hope :kiss: Thanks for a great review, it has triggered a memory, One Ornrey Sumbitch recommended it to me ages ago :blush: so better add it to my fetchmovies list :yup:

[Tacitus]

Thanks nebbie. :kiss:

Here's the website (http://www.grizzlypeople.com/home.php) for the organisation that Treadwell founded, Grizzly People, if anyone's interested. :)

[Darth Stujitzu]

Looking forward to seeing Grizzly man, great review as always.
Read a hilarious piece in one of the film mags last month about Herzog and Kinski, both are absolute crackpots, but I think Kinski definetly shades it in the looney stakes.

[nebbit]

At Last, I have watched Naked :yup:

Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004COJ2.02.LZZZZZZZ.gif http://www.robotwisdom.com/jorn/leigh.jpg

Naked is one of those films that leaves a mark, a scar even, on everyone who watches it.
http://members.aol.com/laochfion/Naked1.jpg
That it does, I have been thinking about it for 3 days :eek:


Thewlis gives a career making (and possibly breaking, when you look at the scraps this talented actor has had to feed off in the subsequent decade) performance as a confused, highly intelligent drifter whose acid wit is only matched by his desire to self-destruct.
I thought he was brilliant, his character really drew me into the movie. i had to keep watching to see what would happen next. :yup:


Johnny's meeting with Louise (excellently underplayed by Lesley Sharp) is punctuated by a series of vignettes
Lesley Sharp was good, but somehow I kept thinking that Louise and Johhy didn't quite go together, what did she see in him :rolleyes:


He meets, and has a brief sado-masochistic fling with, Louise's flatmate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge was never better as the fragile victim and her death in 2002 at the age of 40 was a great loss
Sophie was the character I loved the most, i was totally sucked in by her fragile victim persona, she is someone i would want to befriend and help, is that the counsellor coming out in me? :D what did she die of? :(

disturbed Glaswegian teenager (Trainspotting's Ewan Bremner) and his girlfriend
I couldn't stop laughing when he finally met up his girlfriend, that was such a funny scene :laugh:


Greg Crutwell's one-dimentional 'villianous landlord' Jeremy, though on repeated viewings I've found the character's abject nastiness to be needed in relation to making Thewlis' nihilistic Johnny a more sympathetic figure.
You are probably right about this :yup: but even with that didn't find anything sympathetic or even appealing about Johnny either. Even when he ended up having a bath he didn't look any cleaner :laugh:


After the final, bleak showdown Johnny and Louise prepare to leave London and return to Manchester.
At this point I was screaming to Louise, Noooooooooooooooooo don't go with him, so i loved the ending :yup:


Mike Leigh has done another brilliant job :D


you might not like the subject matter, and at times the situations veer dangerously close to pantomime, but this portrait of the urban hopelessness left by Thatcher's rule is compelling viewing...
It is great viewing, thanks for the great review which compelled me to hunt down a copy and wait all this time to get it, it was worth it. :yup: :kiss:

[Tacitus]

Thanks Stu. :)




It is great viewing, thanks for the great review which compelled me to hunt down a copy and wait all this time to get it, it was worth it. :yup: :kiss:

Awwww. :kiss: Thanks sweetie. :)

I always feel slightly guilty when someone buys a film directly from my recommendation but you can't go wrong with something as powerful as Naked... ;)

[Tacitus]

Ghostwatch (1992, Lesley Manning)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/ghostwatch_200.jpg

This review probably won't mean much to anyone here other than myself and others who happened to watch BBC1 on Halloween night 1992...but please read on...

Ghostwatch started life as one of six proposed episodes for the BBC's Screen One series which centred on the supernatural. Screen One was a vehicle for 60 minute, commissioned in-house, self contained dramas going out weekly for which the BBC had become rightly famous. The likes of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach had cut their teeth on BBC drama before branching into feature films, for example, and most recently Danny Boyle directed Mr Wroe's Virgins (1993) for The Beeb, then launched headlong into Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and Hollywood.

During this particular Screen One season's gestation, writer Stephen Volk, producer Ruth Baumgarten and director Lesley Manning took the collective decision to give Ghostwatch a life of it's own, turning a conventional urban poltergeist story into something more immediate.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/ghostwatch_2.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/ghostwatch5.jpg

Reality Television was becoming increasingly popular, as were telethons, hidden camera shows and live outside broadcasts with satellite link-ups so Ghostwatch morphed into a very interesting premise indeed - To be screened on Halloween Night 1992, a television crew would descend on a locally infamous 'haunted' house and spend the evening inside. They were to be ably assisted by a respected anchorman in the studio, a resident paranormal expert with personal involvement in the case and a bank of telephones, manned by psychic researchers taking calls from members of the public and presided over by another well-known TV face who just happened to be married to the presenter spending the night in the haunted house. Proceedings were to be screened 'as live' with a real phone number flashing on screen which connected callers to the BBC switchboard, taken over for the night by real paranormal experts.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/all.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/sarah.jpg

Interesting? Then read on...

Casting for the show was, of course, paramount and Volk, Manning and Baumgarten decided on the respected, almost stately televisual figure of Michael Parkinson (Britain's answer to Johnny Carson) as the anchor with real life married presenting couple Sarah Greene and Mike Smith (familiar from hoards of childrens' and light entertainment programmes) as the intrepid reporter and assistant anchor respectively. Professional Cheekie Chappie and star of Red Dwarf, Craig Charles was cast as the second location presenter and made up what was, at the time, a thoroughly convincing factual broadcast lineup. Actors were brought in to play the paranormal expert, the haunted house's family and various members of the public interviewed outside the psychic dwelling.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/ghostwatch_3.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/ghostwatch10.jpg

The plot of Ghostwatch unfolds mostly as expected - a slow beginning, the reveal of the main characters, backstory, cuts between 'live' footage from the house commented on by Parkinson and the resident Expert (played by Gillian Bevan). There are a few unexplained bangs and the occasional ghostly visage, trapped on screen for one or two frames only, just long enough for viewers to wonder if their eyes were, indeed, playing tricks on them. The house's sad history is gradually revealed in phone calls from ex residents and the poltergeist makes himself more vocal and appears to centre his fascinations on the household's 12 year old girl, again pretty standard Horror movie plotlines.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/ghostwatch2.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/gwoutside.jpg

I can remember watching Ghostwatch at the time and thinking to myself that I was watching a real Outside Broadcast...for a while. The presenters (and only Sarah Greene had any acting background) carried their roles off with aplomb but the professional actors became gradually less and less believable, even to my 19 year old, slightly drunk eyes. Half way through I was convinced the programme was a hoax, albiet a darned good one, but the production quality made me stay until the overblown end.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/scratches.jpg

The aftermath to Ghostwatch led to 1000s of complaining calls to the BBC, most of them from viewers who believed what they were watching was real and were voicing genuine concern about the young girls in the house. Switchboard operators told everyone that the show was a fictional drama and offered counselling but the fallout was such that Ghostwatch was immediately banned from repeats and only surfaced again on DVD after the fuss had died down, a full 10 years after its one and only broadcast. The production team maintain that they didn't set out to deliberately fool the public (and if you're quick you can catch an extremely brief 'written by' credit at the beginning) and those who made it as far as the end credits will find the full cast and crew list rolling in front of their eyes - this was too late for some, however, and Parkinson in particular received a great deal of negative newspaper press in the following days. There was even a report of a connected suicide (shown below)...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/mail.jpg

Watching Ghostwatch through 33 year old eyes revealed something quite different from my first viewing. It's an excellent satire on Television's quest for ratings through other people's discomfort. The special effects (though state-of-the-art for an early 90s TV programme), daft ending and acting from the family and expert haven't stood up well but the story itself is still pretty compelling. The DVD package is excelent with a fantastic commentary from Volk, Manning and Baumgarten all talking about the production and aftermath in great detail. Hidden away on the disc are the screenplay and a short story by Stephen Volk in pdf form, which is a nice touch.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/parkie.jpg

I'll file this one under 'Curate's egg'. Catch it if you can... 4

[SamsoniteDelilah]

Looks like a fun one. :) I don't see it on Netflix, which has me wondering how much of a release it's had. I like the idea that it's a commentary on the trends in modern tv. We could use a show like that in the US!

[Tacitus]

Can't imagine it's ever had a release outside The UK and I didn't even realise that I could pick it up until a few days ago.

I doubt if something like Ghostwatch would travel well as half the fun is watching TV personalities, who you probably wouldn't know from Adam & Steve, talking so seriously about such matters.

Imagine if This Is Spinal Tap starred the actual members of Saxon (playing themselves) and you're half way there. ;)

[nebbit]

That sounds a hoot Tatty, :yup: could you burn it, my address is NSW Australia ;D

[Tacitus]

I will not be party to such blatant shiver-me-timbers type behaviour! Not in public anyway... :D

[nebbit]

I will not be party to such blatant shiver-me-timbers type behaviour! Not in public anyway... :D

Ok :bawling:

[Tacitus]

This Is England (2006, Shane Meadows)


http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/243212160_da9d0937c9.jpg


In one word – astounding.

Shane Meadows’ semi-autobiographical tale of an 11 year old boy, befriended by a gang of skinheads in The Midlands of the early ‘80s is as visceral a piece of filmmaking as you’ll see all year. Perhaps the most visceral for a good few years, as the film it brought immediately to mind was Dennis Hopper’s almost-forgotten Out Of The Blue.

This Is England is that raw…and a lot better.

The director has a great knack of pulling wonderful performances from his actors: Bob Hoskins in Twentyfourseven, Paddy Considine in A Room For Romeo Brass and Dead Man’s Shoes and now Stephen Graham as the troubled, volatile Combo.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/thisisengland.jpg

Graham is possibly best known as the little pitbull-faced guy in Scorsese’s Gangs Of New York. He’s been around for a while but, with This Is England, his time has definitely come. His portrayal of the skinhead-in-chief will probably be compared to Ed Norton’s turn in American History X, but that wouldn’t be fair as, in my eyes at least, Graham’s Combo blows Derek Vinyard right out of the water in terms of humanity, believability and pathos.

It’s an Oscar-worthy performance in a film that’s not going to get within a million years of The Academy’s nonagenarian dodderers. Shame.

The rest of the cast are on top form, with Meadows regulars such as Andrew Shim, Vicky McClure (who’s grown into a fine-looking young woman – think Keira Knightley with attitude ;)), Jo Hartley, George Newton and ‘Big’ Frank Harper peppering the supporting roles. Thomas Turgoose, in a debut performance as the 11 year old Shaun, is solidly believable.

In fact, anyone who’s seen A Room For Romeo Brass can testify to the aplomb that Meadows writes and directs children, and This Is England is definitely seen through a child’s eyes.

The film evoked strong memories in myself – I was around Shawn’s age in 1983 and can well remember gangs of skinheads, mass unemployment, grotty council estates and the Falklands war. The spectre of Thatcher haunts This Is England but echoes remain today in attitudes toward immigrants. We’ve not learned much, have we?

That was England and, in some respects, it still is…

4_5

[nebbit]

Great review Tatty :yup: so nice to see you back reviewing :kiss:

[adidasss]

Ah, another great recommendation. Seriously man, you should do this more often :yup:

[Tacitus]

Thanks guys. :) Did you ever get to watch Dead Man's Shoes, adi?

[adidasss]

You wouldn't believe it but some bastard on Demonoid quit on me while on 88.8%. I've been downloading it for some 2 weeks now...I still have hopes that someone will show mercy and continue to seed. I'm gonna give it a couple of more days, I wanna see it badly but kinda feel it deserves to be seen in good quality. But if that can't be, I'll certainly download the xvid, along with This is England...:yup: I know I'm gonna like them both...:)

I've been craving for some good European films for a while now...

[Tacitus]

Shiver me timbers, for the life of a pirate can be hard indeed.

Arrrrrrrrr Jim lad!!!

[adidasss]

24. Dead Man’s Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows)

http://www.filmweb.no/bilder/multimedia/archive/00091/Paddy_Considine_og_T_91646o.jpg

Phenomenal. Meadows’ grim (but thankfully funny in parts) tale of a brother’s revenge sneaks up like a train on a dead man. Paddy Considine confirms my trumpeting as the best Brit actor of his time and Shane Meadows as their most promising director.

My favourite film of the past 10 years…

I finally saw it. Amazing film. Didn't understand half the dialog (for one, the accent is rather thick, and blast the xvid version I was forced to download, the sound was quite terrible at times), but I still enjoyed it immensely. Gotta get me the proper version so I can watch it again....it is worthy of my (soon to be) incredibly cool DVD collection...

Meadows seems like an awesome talent, to make this kind of movie at his age (my God, he was only 32) is quite an achievement. Love the soundtrack too...
Paddy was great (quite scary too ;)), but his (film) brother impressed me even more, one of the most believable interpretations of a mentally challenged person I've ever seen. And I loved the very Loach-ian improv from the supporting cast.:yup:

Tonight I'm watching This is England. Yay!

[Tacitus]

Shane Meadows is the same age as me, and that's a sobering thought. ;)

I did a proper review of Dead Man's Shoes on this thread's first page (here (http://movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=250436&postcount=7)) if you're interested, and I'd highly recommend that you track down the R2 DVD. It has some great extras including a fantastic commentary track by Shane & Paddy and an excellent short film starring Tony Kebbell (Richard's brother in DMS).

Once you've seen This Is England then it's time for Twentyfourseven and A Room For Romeo Brass... :)

[Sedai]

Very well done, Tac. Thanks for the time and effort!

[adidasss]

Saw This is England...yes, yes, yes! Another great film from Meadows. This chap's soon to become one of my favorite directors! He's got a brilliant understanding of the child psyche...I was utterly gleeful while watching the first half hour of the film, so much fun...I felt ten all over again. Brilliant mix of comedy and social drama.:yup:

I don't know if it's because he's totally new to me, but his films feel so fresh, youthful and electrifying! Once again, thanks for the recommendation, I probably never would have heard of him if it weren't for you.;)

It's off to Twentyfourseven and A Room For Romeo Brass for me then.:)

[nebbit]

Mayor Of The Sunset Strip (2003, George Hickenlooper)Mayor Of The Sunset Strip (2003, George Hickenlooper)

Beware watching documentaries for the first time while under the influence of alcohol, especially documentaries which are as interesting as Mayor Of The Sunset Strip…

Rodney Bingenheimer is a late night radio DJ in Los Angeles. He’s also credited with introducing David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, Blondie, Oasis, Coldplay and Daniel O’Donnell* amongst others to a mainstream American audience. UK MoFos might liken him to a more mainstream John Peel, if the sadly departed Peel had resembled an emaciated Hobbit, that is, and had been Davey Jones‘ double during The Monkees television series.

Rodney (I’ll develop arthritis if I continue typing his full name) blew into California in the mid-60s just as Youth culture was beginning it’s shiny happy transformation and quickly became friendly with the ‘in’ crowd. Every meaningful gig had this elfish young man hanging round (usually far enough away so as not to be mistaken for a band member but close enough to be included in the photographs) and he was taken under the wing of Cher and Sonny Bono. Fast forward a few years and Rodney is working in Publicity for various record companies, being photographed with The Beatles, Elvis, Bowie, The Beach Boys etc etc. He opens up his own nightclub and eventually finds his way into radio, where the documentary finds him.

http://www.moovees.com/clips/big/mayorofthesunsetstrip1.jpghttp://www.stylusmagazine.com/weeklyimages/mv_mayor_2.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/02/03/images/george_hickenlooper_mayor_interview_top.jpghttp://www.filmthreat.com/UploadImages/mayorsunset01story.jpg

I have finally seen this Doco, i was glued to the TV, I saw a very socially phobic person over come his anxiety to be a very respected and loved person. :yup:
Thanks Tatty for a great review :yup:

[Tacitus]

I have finally seen this Doco, i was glued to the TV, I saw a very socially phobic person over come his anxiety to be a very respected and loved person. :yup:
Thanks Tatty for a great review :yup:

It's great innit?

First time I watched Mayor Of The Sunset Strip I was half-convinced it was a Spinal Tap style mockumentary, knowing the fag-end of nothing about Rodney on the Roq and being confronted by this strange, tragicomic little man who seemed so ill at ease with the world in which he chose to live his life.

I must watch it again soon, thanks nebbie! :kiss:

[Tacitus]

Orson Welles: The One Man Band (1995, Oja Kodar & Vassili Silovic)


http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/screenshot002.jpg

An interesting, if slightly melancholy, look at the final years of one of the greatest mavericks to grace the silver screen.

The Orson Welles I remember (as opposed to the Orson Welles who's films I have come to love) was the gigantic black-clad bloke from the Sandyman Port adverts. The mellifluously toned voice-over exponent. The chat show regular.

That he was taking these gigs to finance his own film projects was unknown to me. In fact, until I saw F For Fake around a decade and a half ago, I had no Idea that Welles' talents extended to anything other than Citizen Kane and the War Of The Worlds radio spoof which I picked up as a free cassette on the front of a magazine.

Heh, I say 'anything' as though that's not a big deal... ;)

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The look at snippets from 2 decades of unfulfilled dreams (courtesy of his long time love, and one of the best looking women who's ever lived, Oja Kodar) prompted a strange feeling of both sadness and emptiness. The films were shown in the roughest possible cut and the incoherent quality made me wish that the man had had even semi-reputable backers. They might well have turned out to be dogs but at least they'd have been shown as the director had intended. The documentary also shows a number of short comedic sketches that Welles had written and filmed in 70s England which, if I'm blunt, translate three decades later into a 3rd rate Monty Python script, binned before Graham Chapman had the chance to spill a drink on it.

Definitely worth watching, though, if only to hear the great man thunder his way through a few chapters of Moby Dick. ;)

4

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/screenshot023.jpg

[nebbit]

Thanks Tatty, I am a big Orson fan, I did a one day seminar about him a few years ago. There was a woman in the audience who had worked with Him when she was young. She said, she was in awww of him, very difficult at times, but she loved working for him. :yup:

[Tacitus]

I think that this is one of the extras on the Criterion edition of F For Fake. ;)

[Tacitus]

Kantoku - Banzai (2007, Takeshi Kitano)

It's hard to know where to begin with Kantoku - Banzai, it really is. Perhaps the best way to approach things is to first offer a potted filmography of Kitano's recent work.

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After the divisive critical responses to Brother and Dolls (though I still maintain that Dolls is one of the most affecting films I've seen), Japan's Renaissance Man and all-round auteur found himself going in a completely different direction with the supremely enjoyable (and accessible) Zatoichi (2003).

How on earth does one follow that up without being further pigeon-holed and making a quick yen with Zatoichi 2 or another existentialist Yakuza drama?

The answer, for Kitano, was to look inward. This resulted in the essay in deconstructionalism that was Takeshis'. Takeshis' was everything that Zatoichi was not - willfully impenetrable to the casual observer and more than a little self indulgent to even a devoted fanboy such as myself.

Kantoku - Banzai sees the director attempting more self-analysis, this time with a comedy not seen since 1995's Getting Any? (a film that I do not have an awful lot of time for). The basic premise has Kitano (playing himself in a similar, though not identical, fashion to Takeshis') attempting to overcome a succession of box office flops by making films in a variety of different genres; accompanied by the voice of a wonderfully bitchy narrator who details each effort's shortcomings to the nth degree.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/I_BANZAI.jpg

Some of these films-within-films are great: the tardy Ringu rip-off Noh Theatre; the homage to everything Chop Socky (and more than a nod to Zatoichi) that is Blue Raven: Ninja Pt II and the tale of family strife set in the 1950s, Coal-Tar & Rikidozan.

This last slice of picaresque fantasy is especially diverting, harking back as much to prime Mike Leigh as it does to Ozu. If Coal-Tar & Rikidozan had been made feature-length and left at that I'd have been a lot happier, in fact. ;)

Around the film's half-way point, Kantoku - Banzai shifts focus towards just one film, the supposed Sci Fi thriller The Promised Day, and this is where things take a marked turn.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/070402_kantoku_banzai_sub7.jpg

Superficially, the Promised Day segment is merely an excuse for Kitano to indulge in the broad slapstick of Getting Any? - cue tons of knob gags, people falling over, cross dressing and general mayhem. It even gets a little Pythonesque in places...crossed with an adult episode of the Tellytubbies...

Maybe I just don't 'get' Japanese humour. Maybe this is why I found Getting Any? such hard going.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/897.jpg

Maybe this is why I found parts of Kantoku - Banzai almost toe-curling in their crassness.

Gloom was beginning to descend on Chez Tatt, let me tell you, so I forced myself to watch the entire film again and, putting cultural differences/expectations to one side and trying to focus on what the director was trying to tell me, the patient viewer. The answer is probably (I say 'probably' because Kitano has a fantastic habit of not giving a flying **** about what people think) nothing more than a sideways look at how the Japanese public expect one of their idols to behave.

It's quite apparent that the 'Kitano' character turns into an indestructible fibreglass mannequin whenever the going gets tough. In fact the scenes between the various film-ettes on show portray our hero desperately attempting to kill off his static alter ego...

...Make of that what you will. ;)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/banzai02.jpg

In summation, then, Kantoku - Banzai reminded me of Monty Python's Meaning of Life - A succession of disparate sketches hung on one tenuous hook. Heck, there's even a Gilliam-esque animation sequence and the closing Glory To The Filmmaker title comes straight out of Life of Brian.

The movie's second half is tough going. Indeed, were it not for the decidedly daffy interplay between Kayoko Kishimoto and the achingly cute Anne Suzuki I might have found myself reaching for the FF button in places. *

Unlike Getting Any?, however, Kantoku - Banzai has a heart the size of a heavyweight wrestler (and there's a wonderfully daft wrestling scene here - how's that for a segue? :D) and is rescued by an interestingly pointed first half with one genuinely great chapter - if you liked Kikujiro the the film is worth getting for Coal-Tar & Rikidozan alone - and just enough cultural commentary and loveable characters in the second.

As the doctor says at the end (after giving the mannequin Kitano an MRI scan, natch), "Mr Kitano, your brain is broken."

For all its flaws, Glory to the filmmaker! :D

3

* For those of a lecherous disposition, the first half features a few appearances by Yuki Uchida (including one where she's wearing the tightest jeans in the known world) who is, and I'll stop before I dribble over the keyboard, one heck of a fine lookin' woman. :)

[christine]

Good write up Tac, and pretty much what I thought too.

You've got to wonder sometimes, yeah I know we probably don't get half the allusions in films like this, but how far does the mischievious person that is Kitano go in making films for personal indulgance - just for a laugh? Let's think ourselves into his shoes, we know he has a wicked sense of humour, we know he only makes films he wants to, not what other people want him to, so why not make a film where you have a lot of fun with your mates and stand back and see how flummoxed reviewers are and how they scrabble to put any meaning to what they've seen? It'd make me laugh if I was him :D

[Tacitus]

Aye, the reason why I gave Kantoku - Banzai a second viewing so quickly after the first is because one of Kitano's many sides (and one which I admire the most) is his complete refusal to do what the public expect him to. On a personal level it backfired a few times here but you always get the feeling that he's giving a wink here and there to both fans and critics alike.


Of course, after two such self indulgent pieces of cinema, the public will expect a third so it'll be just like Kitano to select a different gear once again and serve us up something more, shall we say, traditional. ;)

What did you think of the short film on the DVD, Chris? It was charming enough to have made it into the first half of the main feature.

[christine]

I've not watched the short film yet, I've lent the film to a friend of Jims who I'm making into a Kitano fan:D I'll watch it when I get it back and let you know.

[Tacitus]

There are few nobler things to do than turn someone on to TK. :D

On a side note: I'm wondering if this DVD I have is hooky (everything about it seems genuine and I've been stung before and know what to look for) because when I click the 'special features' button in the main menu, nothing happens - the short film is in a section by itself.

Then again, I've got a lot of cheapo Asian imports which look like they'll fall apart if you so much as look at them funny. ;)

[christine]

I did wonder when I saw how much that guy charged you, but then I just thought I'd overpaid for mine from YesAsia, but I'd had it on pre order for ages so just accepted the price. I'll check back with you when I get mine back and we'll compare notes.

[Powdered Water]

That's a very interesting review Tac, I'm definitely going to give this a go if I ever find it. I don't think I've seen any of his films.

[Tacitus]

I did wonder when I saw how much that guy charged you, but then I just thought I'd overpaid for mine from YesAsia, but I'd had it on pre order for ages so just accepted the price. I'll check back with you when I get mine back and we'll compare notes.

I doubt if it's a knock-off now (the picture quality's perfect and the DVD itself is lovingly embossed, not a cheapo lightscribe job that I've experienced before) but the more likely scenario is that it's a Chinese edition - Chinese subs of 2 varieties.

I have a couple of 'real' pirate DVDs which I bought in good faith a few years ago. I could have done a better job myself with a blank disc and DVD Shrink - Amateursville. ;)

[Tacitus]

That's a very interesting review Tac, I'm definitely going to give this a go if I ever find it. I don't think I've seen any of his films.

I'd watch a few more Kitano films first (if you haven't previously) before tackling this baby otherwise it might put you off him for life. I'd start with Zatoichi then Kikujiro, Sonatine and Hana bi. :)

[Powdered Water]

I'd watch a few more Kitano films first (if you haven't previously) before tackling this baby otherwise it might put you off him for life. I'd start with Zatoichi then Kikujiro, Sonatine and Hana bi. :)

Yeah, I was just looking at his filmograghy, I didn't realize this was the same guy who did you're #1, I really want to see Sonatine. And I doubt I would be too put off by it, I've been getting into more and more diverse film makers as I *gasp* get older and I bet I could handle it. It really looks interesting. I think if I can handle a Miike movie I'll be able to get into these as well. It seems he has a bit of a self indulgent style perhaps similar somewhat to David Lynch, would you agree or am I off base?

[Tacitus]

Personally I'd put Kitano on a different plain to Lynch (and I'll probably get lynched for saying that, heh) but yeah, if you can handle Miike you're well able for Kitano - he has nothing in his filmography that's as out there as Visitor Q, Happiness of the Katakuris or Izo[, for instance.

He's not exactly mainstream, though, but if you're a fan of beautifully-framed existential character studies then his early stuff (up to and including hana-bi) is where you're headed. Subsequently, he's been a lot harder to pin down. :)

[Powdered Water]

Yeah, I was just using Lynch in a kind of general brush stroke to help me to get a better *feel* for him. He looks like a real interesting film maker I'm going to have to track some of his stuff down.

[nebbit]

This Is England (2006, Shane Meadows)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/243212160_da9d0937c9.jpg

In one word – astounding.

That was England and, in some respects, it still is…

4_5
I watched this recently, wow what a great movie :yup: the characters were so real :yup: thanks for your great review again :)

[Tacitus]

Glad you liked it nebbie. :)

Funnily enough, I've been having a conversation over the last few days on another (non movie) message board with a guy from Brazil who's a rabid Shane Meadows fan (and that great actor 'Paddy Constintine' ;)).

[Tacitus]

Pavee Lackeen: The Traveller Girl (2006, Perry Ogden)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/B000EQHHEC02_AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_V5375579.jpg

I first saw this little slice of Irish life a couple of years ago, liked it but stupidly didn't buy it. The mistake got rectified a few days ago...

Pavee Lackeen tells the story of a few days in the life of a young Irish Traveller girl, Winnie, and her family, living in a collection of run-down caravans near Dublin's docks.

The Irish Traveller (not to be confused with the Romany Gypsy - are we allowed to say 'gypsy' these days?) has been marginalised for as long as I can remember, constantly being turned away from land and corralled into places that stray rats would consider squalid. Their (deserved or not, stereotyping is God's shortcut in many instances) reputation as thieves who leave every campsite an unhealthy mess follows them everywhere and the few who actually accept council offers of permanent (ie: bricks and mortar) accommodation usually don't put up with it for very long.

A lot of the time it's the neighbours of the 'settled' Traveller family who make it plain that they're not wanted in tha area. A lot of the time it's an intangible desire to be out, once again, on the open road.

I've taught Traveller kids in my time, by the way, so my experiences have either been seen first-hand or related to me by the children and their parents. ;)

Which brings us, rather circuitously, to Pavee Lackeen: The Traveller Girl itself.

Director Perry Ogden is a photographer by trade and first made his name with a collection entitled Pony Kids (Link (http://www.photoinsight.org/visual/perry/pages/exhib_po.htm)). This work, which I've not seen other than the occasional internet photograph, inspired him to delve deeper into the often forgotten world of Ireland's supposed indigenous people.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/1-1.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/protectedimagephp-1.jpg

The first thing we need to remember is that Pavee Lackeen isn't a documentary - Even though every Traveller in the film is a non-actor living a life similar to the one depicted, they're working from a script (conceived by Ogden and Michael Venner) and, I suppose, have to be judged in that way.

We're not talking Oscar-winning performances here but the pathos stands out a mile, especially bearing in mind that a lot of the cast can't read or write. Pathos, though, only goes so far and some of the situations depicted feel very staged, the actors uncomfortable and inappropriate. Some, but not all...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/pic_pavee_4lg.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/3-1.jpg

The star of the film is Winnie Maughan (10 at the time of filming) and, quite frankly, she's a revelation. Worlds away from the usual child actor, she's a girl with very little schooling and absolutely no intentions or aspirations of stardom. It shows in places (such as her smiling broadly when engaging in a playground 'fight') but this young lady has a screen presence I've seen in very few.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/pavee-1.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/Films2006paveelackeen.jpg

I suppose it's a credit to Ogden and Venner's screenplay - they obviously don't intend to take Winnie and her family too far out of their daily comfort zone - that an untrained kid can command a film for 90 minutes but there's surely more to it than that. Pavee Lackeen is more than a window into Winnie's world, it's a window into her very soul.

She's bright, hyper-alert, always questioning (but equally resigned) and, perhaps most surprisingly, unfailingly polite.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/pavee.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/2-1.jpg

If this were a conventional film I'd smugly pronounce "A star in the making" but I suspect we'll never see her on screen again...

Pavee Lackeen isn't perfect, not by a long shot, but if you can look beyond the flaws you can see (or, more importantly, you can feel) the despair, the defiance and, perhaps most importantly, the normality of Irish Travellers, a race of people who I'd place right alongside Native Americans and Indigenous Australians in their historical social climate.

It might perhaps have been better as a straight documentary but, as things stand, there's a flavour of early Ken Loach or Alan Clarke's Christine (EDIT - and Dennis Hopper's Out Of The Blue, now that I think of it) here. If you dig social realism then Pavee Lackeen should be right up your particular, rat-infested and litter-strewn, alley... ;)

4

Trailer -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcDe9xz_PZ8

[christine]

Good review. I missed Pavee Lackeen at the pictures and meant to get round to seeing it. Thanks for reminding me :)

[Tacitus]

Definitely worth a look (though I make no bones about saying that without the central performance I'd rate it no higher than a 3) if you can track it down.

I paid four whole pounds on eBay for a brand new copy. ;)

[christine]

I'll try and track it down. My friend is a teacher of traveller children in Somerset, I don't think she's seen it either so I can pass it on to her too.

[Tacitus]

Really?

Before I did my teacher training I spent a few terms working with kids who'd been excluded from mainstream lessons. The vast majority of them were Irish Travellers. :)

[nebbit]

Thanks for the review Tatty :) I am going to see if I can track it down as it sounds like a movie i would like :yup:

[christine]

Really?

Before I did my teacher training I spent a few terms working with kids who'd been excluded from mainstream lessons. The vast majority of them were Irish Travellers. :)

Must've been interesting. My friend also does sessions with the local kids in the schools most used by travellers children to make them more aware of the effects of prejudice. She loves her work but finds it tough sometimes to work against stereotyping, even in young children.

[Tacitus]

Thanks nebbie. :)

Chris - Kids are always a product of their environment, I guess, no matter where they're brought up. Adult Travellers have always had the reputation of being always 'on the make'. If I couldn't read or write, was turned down for every job I applied to because of my housing status and consequently had to support a family on benefits I think I'd be cutting a few corners too. As part of her work, my mum deals with quite a few settled Traveller families and the traditional stereotypes seem not to apply - she describes every single house as 'a little palace'. ;)

I forgot to mention, by the way, to anyone who watches the Pavee Lackeen DVD - avoid the director's commentary. I only managed a few minutes and found it hard to warm to Perry Ogden.

Patronising twaddle...

[Caitlyn]

Great review Tatty... thanks for sharing it with us... :) The Traveller Girl sounds like a movie that's right up my alley... and I will be tracking it down...

[Tacitus]

I couldn't find it on a quick browse of Netflix, Caity. Looks like you'll need to import it (and have a region-free player yada, yada, yada :D) but, never fear, I doubt if it'll break the bank. :)

[Iroquois]

Well, it turns out that this is going to be on Australian TV tonight (11:40pm local time) so I'll try and give it a watch.

EDIT: Okay, so it just finished a few minutes ago. I thought it was a decent watch, probably worth about 3, maybe 3.5. Not too sure exactly how good I reckon the film is, but I reckon it was an interesting watch. Quite amused at the fact that they actually had to subtitle a large chunk of the English dialogue in it.

Random observation - also reminded me a lot of Gummo (the movie, not the MoFo) for some reason. They both have a similar feel about them, but I guess all these zero-budget realistic-as-hell movies feel the same. I don't know.

[Tacitus]

Nice one. :)

Interesting about the subtitles too (my DVD has English subs, but they're the normal 100% 'hard of hearing' selectible ones), did you find yourself needing to use them?

I find that happens quite a lot on TV over here with English speakers who have a strong accent - Jamacia, India, possibly even Indegenous Australians (I say 'possibly' because I'm sure I saw a recent(ish) documentary which had subs when the Aboriginal folk were speaking but not the white Aussies). Personally I find it bloody annoying and not a little patronising...

Then again, I'm pretty sure that The Committments was shown in some areas partly subtitled and the language in that was nowhere near as dense as in Pavee Lackeen. ;)

[Iroquois]

Yeah, I needed subtitles for The Commitments. :p Probably wouldn't need them if I watched it now, though.

During the first third of the film I actually thought they were seguing into a different language cos I couldn't understand it. Didn't happen so much later on, maybe because I'd gotten used to it after the first 30 minutes.