Jan 27 2012

Horrible Bosses

Viewed – 27 January 2012  Blu-ray

When first hearing about this movie, the classic Dolly Parton movie / song Nine To Five came to mind, as it similarly follows the story of three disgruntled employees who plot to kill their bosses.  Jason Sudeikis of Hangover fame, finds his lovable boss Donald Sutherland replaced by son Colin Farrell, who just happens to be a coke snorting womanizing ass****.  Jason Bateman is ruled over by scum bag Kevin Spacey who treats him like crap, and newly engaged Charlie Day is being sexually harassed by Dentist Jennifer Aniston.

This very funny movie is full of great lines, most of them toilet humour juvenile granted, but with a quality cast that all deliver and increasingly absurd situations (look out for the ‘wet works’ moment), this was a movie that really entertained.  Sudeikis again proves to he one of the more assured comedy talents around, and Bateman also made for a likable and funny ‘straight man’ amongst the chaos.  A special mention must go to Jennifer Anniston playing against her rom-com stereotype and being ridiculously sexy throughout, and Spacey also makes for a very good villain, even if the part is not exactly a stretch for him.  The script may be a little too reliant on crude gags and colourful language, and some times it gets a bit too silly (with a totally over-the-top Farrell) … but along with a memorable cameo from Jamie Foxx, this ticked many of my boxes.

Fans of movies like The Hangover, Hall Pass etc should be all over this, and for anyone who likes a well written comedy with a quality cast … recommending this one is a no-brainer.

Verdict:  4 /5

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Jan 26 2012

Paprika

Viewed – 25 January 2012  Blu-ray

I had previously only been aware of Japanese animation guru Satoshi Kon after seeing the brilliant Perfect Blue some years ago, and on hearing of his  passing in 2010 from pancreatic cancer, I always promised myself I would seek out anything else he had made.  Paprika, adapted from the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, follows the story of an experimental device that enables therapists to enter the dreams of their patients in order to help them.  When the device is stolen, chaos erupts as reality and the world of the dream collide.

This is a startlingly visual experience, awash with colour and imagination.  Kon’s movie assaults the senses and really blew my mind.  It plays with your perception of what is real and what isn’t, much like he did in Perfect Blue, but this time its much more avant garde and limitless, showing a director at the top of his game.  Sad it was to be his last feature.  Yet Satoshi Kon has left the world on a glorious high note, delivering one of the most beautiful and imaginative animated movies I have ever seen.  The detail and wonder on display here, along with utterly freaky music and sound, is often quite breath-taking (the reoccurring image of the parade, the gloriously weird theme tune etc).

Ok, it’s quite hard to follow with the kaleidoscopic style and imagery at times overwhelming, but conventional story structure is not the big selling point here, more the look and ideas, with many visual references including classic Japanese TV show ‘Monkey’, and Disney’s Pinocchio.  Christopher Nolan has cited it as his inspiration for the similar Inception, and also in my opinion it has much in common with David Cronenberg’s Videodrome.

A unique, brain-melting event of a movie that I urge you to seek out immediately.

Verdict:  4 /5

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Jan 24 2012

Red State

Viewed – 23 January 2012  Pay-per-view

When most people think of the name Kevin Smith, they immediately conjure up images of slacker comedies like Mallrats and Clerks and characters like Silent Bob.  Yet he has also turned his hand to somewhat deeper themes in the likes of Dogma and Chasing Amy.  With that being said, he has never really been known for horror or thrillers – until now.

This follows the story of three friends who answer an add-on website to hook up with a woman for sex.  These hormonal guys think it’s their ticket to getting laid, and are soon setting off to meet the woman at her current residence – a trailer.  Yet all is not as it seems, and before long the guys have been drugged and become the hostages of a local, notorious religious cult, lead by unhinged preacher Abin Cooper (the brilliant Michael Parks).  At the same time, a Sheriff being blackmailed by the preacher due to some questionable nocturnal activities, calls in a local special agent (John Goodman) to lay siege to the cult.

This movie borrows heavily from real life cult situations like that of The Manson Family and Waco, and for me was totally gripping.  The three teens may not have a personality between them, and their plight is somewhat self-inflicted, but the cult and their beliefs was believably scary and unpredictable – meaning I was always wondering what was going to happen next.  Several times the movie surprised me, and some deaths really knocked me back in my seat.  For the subject, I don’t think Kevin Smith offered any new insights, and just why the cult did what they did wasn’t very clear.    Smith has previously explored controversial subject matter, and like his earlier Dogma, this touches on subjects that some may find questionable.  Sadly there isn’t the depth to really get to the point on any of it, turning more into an action movie half way through, despite a promising opening.  Yet with a powerful, creepy performance from Michael Parks, who also stood out in movies like From Dusk Till Dawn and Kill Bill, and a great turn from Goodman, who is always a joy – this was still entertaining.  Also, with some interesting nods to 9/11 and how America has changed in the wake of terrorism, I was also left with plenty to think about.

Verdict:  3 /5

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Jan 23 2012

Gordon, where are you?

Now readers of this blog will attest that I am a huge fan of the Half-Life series; first person sci-fi shooters with unrivalled gameplay, storylines and immersion, where you play as scientist Gordon Freeman as he gets mixed up in an alien invasion.  Half-Life 2 remains the benchmark by which all story-based first person shooters should be judged, and even though Valve originally promised a trilogy of spin-off episodes … to date they have only delivered two, leaving audiences on a cliff hanger at the end of episode 2.  That was four years ago, and what have we had since?  NOTHING.  Valve will not confirm or deny the existence of another Half-Life game in development, and although rumours have swept the internet of possibly Half-Life 2: Episode 3 being announced, or even more excitedly, Half-Life 3, we still have a wall of silence from Valve.  This is simply not good enough in my opinion, and I’m beginning to resent Valve’s attitude not only to the beloved gaming series, but also to its loyal fan-base.

Over on Valve’s own Steam community forums, a group has been started asking for more communication from Valve on the subject, stating they do not want to rush the development of the next Half-Life, but would like to know at the very least, that another Half-Life is in development.  Other developers are only too happy to shout about their games, and Valve’s famous secrecy has begun to grate.  I can see such behaviour back firing on the developer, as when the next Half-Life does come out, it will only be its loyal fans that take notice, and the majority of the gaming community, drip fed on yearly Call Of Duty games will not even understand its significance.  Which would be a huge shame, because to date, Half-Life 1, 2 and the two episodes have delivered supremely entertaining gaming, and if Valve were to deliver the next Half-Life to the same standard, if not better – then once again, we’d all have to sit up and take notice.  Let’s hope we still care when and if that happens.

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Jan 21 2012

Friday The 13th

Viewed – 20 January 2012  Television

I have no problem with remakes, if that is they bring something new to the franchise / classic movie or at least show they are trying.  Good examples of recent worthwhile horror remakes include The Thing, Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Revisiting one of the longest running horror movie series in memory however, is a different matter entirely.  Normally any horror fan has seen one of the Friday The 13th movies somewhere along the line, and everyone will have a favourite (mine is Part 4), so you would thing with such a wealth of material to take from, the makers of this would be able to come up with something new, fresh and relevant.  Did they buggery!

This treads the same old ground as many stalk and slash horrors over the years … sex mad teens, an isolated location, and a masked psychopath, picking them off one by one.   A ten or so minute opening pretty much wraps up the storyline to the first two movies, glossing over the most interesting aspect of the franchise (the killer’s mother) in a few seconds, and then its on to the pretty but personality-free cast as one man returns to camp crystal lake in search of his sister, who went missing months previous.  Now this could have been an interesting angle, but is overshadowed by the usual jock douche bags, bare breasted bimbos and dope-heads … all of which this viewer had no problem whatsoever seeing murdered.  Sadly killer nut job Jason Voorhees has lost much of his presence over the years, and now just ‘appears’ and kills without any particular imagination.  The murders are instantly forgettable, and what tension there could have been is lost in the fact the movie is almost pitch black dark most of the time, meaning its difficult to see exactly whats going on.  The epileptic camera work only makes this issue worse.

So it’s a real shame that a bit more thought or imagination couldn’t have been applied here … as at one time, Friday The 13th was good stuff, even if for me it was always the poor man’s Halloween.  What we have here is a badly made, imagination-free insult of a horror movie that nobody really needs to see – especially the fans.

Verdict:  1 /5