In the Loop – Out on DVD now

In the Loop is a spin off from the BBC series The Thick of It is Aramando Iannucci’s UK/US political satire about the spin, wheeling and dealing in the corridors of power in the lead up to war.

The film begins when the British Secretary of State for International Development Simon Foster (Hollander), accidentally backs the movement towards war, which brings him to the attention of the powers in Washington and the Prime Ministers chief spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi). Foster is then asked to Washington where Tucker follows him in an attempt to smooth out diplomatic relations.

It’s a very funny film, the script is quick and sharp and witty. There is so much duplicity and trickery going on in the halls of power where one wrongly uttered word can change the fate of a politician or even end their career. It’s not a difficult leap of imagination to out the fictional events into real life – maybe it’s a subject that’s very close to home in today’s world. Watching the political power plays, back stabbing, back tracking and spin is funny and dizzying.

In the centre of it all is the cobra like venom spitting Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi) a character who is so foul mouthed, vicious and powerful its jaw dropping to watch. His tantrums and rages (which he constantly seems to be on the edge of) punctuate the film as he spins and lurches from one PR disaster to the next salvaging positives out of the mistakes of the somewhat naive ministers. Tucker is such a great character you wait for him to appear – he totally dominates the movie, which isn’t a bad thing.

It’s quick, funny, witty, sharp, clever and funny – well worth a watch.

Director: Armando Iannucci

Cast:

Peter Capaldi – Malcolm Tucker
Tom Hollander – Simon Foster
Gina McKee – Judy
James Gandolfini – Lt Gen George Miller

For the website click here

Inglourious Basterds in cinema now Certificate 18

Set in World War II in Nazi occupied France Quentin Tarantino introduces us to his Basterds – a team of Jewish soldiers lead by American Lt Aldo Raine (Pitt). Tarantino gives us his spin on World War II. The Basterds are a team of Nazi hunters striking fear in the Third Reich as they hunt the German army planning intent on getting Raine his 100 Nazi scalps.

The film also concerns Shosanna (Laurent) a woman who survived the massacre of her family and ends up in Nazi occupied Paris running a cinema. Her life is changed when her cinema is chosen to host the Nazi’s latest propaganda film, which provides her with the opportunity to exact revenge on the Nazi officer who killed her family.

To say this is just a war movie is far to simple, Tarantino again produces a clever multi layered story full of colourful characters, quick dialogue (and wonderful accents), great set pieces, violence combined with a great sense of humour. It also a mixture of a Sergio Leoni western and the Dirty Dozen. I expect the flashes of violence and the clever and quick dialogue this was the first Tarantino film where I laughed throughout.

The characters, even the ones where we only see them in snapshot, are all fully formed, there is also such a great comic (and sinister) used of accents it adds to the many twists and turns of the film itself. There is also a real build of tension in scenes, whether you are anticipating the specialist skills of the ‘Bear Jew’ or the outcome of the Nazi premier.

It’s a very good movie, I really enjoyed it – although I didn’t find it as smooth of stylish as my favourite Tarantinos like Pulp Fiction. Its quick multi layered and clever and it will keep you on your toes to the final scene. One word of warning is that when the violence happens it really happens – its worth watching though if you can stomach it.

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast:

Brad Pitt – Lt Aldo Raine
Melanie Laurent – Shosanna Dreyfus
Christoph Waltz - Col Hans Landa
Eli Roth – Sgt Donny Donowitz
Michael Fassbender – Lt Archie Hicox
Diane Kruger – Bridget von Hammersmark
Daniel Bruhl – Fredrick Zoller
Til Schweiger – Sgt Hugo Stiglitz
Gedeon Burkhard – Col Wilhelm Wicki
Jacky Ido – Marcel

Click here for the trailer

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Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus on DVD now

As the title says a huge shark and a huge octopus fight after getting defrosted when an ice shelf breaks off – they were locked in combat before the freezing and they are determined to continue their battle. Some humans in submarines are also involved.

Well I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece and I was expecting comedy and I did laugh – lots, but what I did find amazing was that this film was actually made at all. I might have understood it if it was made in the 50’s or even 70’s but now – really what’s the reasoning? This film is pure B movie – from the script, to the ‘acting’ to the effects… its really quite astonishing that this ever go green lit and made its was onto DVD.

Its been quite a while since I have seen such bad acting and terrible lines – you will find yourself laughing although not for the right reasons. Nearly every scene in the film is awful, I began to pick holes in the movie but then gave up and decided to treat it like a comedy, which was on reflection the best thing to do. I can’t begin to describe how cheesy the science scenes are – were they making chemical solutions or were they mixing paint? Everything seemed so colour coded even without the bad acting and script.

Well I suppose the ‘big’ draw in the movie is the monsters who seem to pull off some stunning attacks octopus v oil rig, shark v flying plane, shark v Golden Gate bridge before they actually get stuck into each other. Did no one who was making the film realise that showing the same footage over and over again of a shark swimming would get a little tedious and that today maybe the audience expects a little more. The shark on the Universal Studios ride looked more realistic.

It was bad very bad but it was also so funny at the same time. I’m not going to grade it as I think for a film itself it would scrape a one star but for being one of the funniest worst movies I have ever seen it might qualify for 4 stars.

Director: Jack Perez

Cast:

Lorenzo Lamas – Allan Baxter
Deborah Gibson – Emma MacNeil
Vic Chao – Dr Seiji Shimada
Sean Lawlor – Lamar Sanders

Click here for the trailer

Duplicity on DVD now

Two ex spies Koval (Owen) and Stenwick (Roberts), who have a history, team up against two corporate enemies Tully (Wilkinson) and Garsik (Giamatti) to outwit the big corporations and come out on top. The ex spies team together to outwit the enemies in the search for the patent on the ultimate product.

Duplicity is marketed as similar to Out of Sight or The Thomas Crown Affair (with Pierce Brosnan), in which two untrusting adults play cat and mouse with each other when they meet their match while also trying out outfox the system. In this film you have Roberts and Owen as the attractive ex spies working for or against each other as they globe trot plotting the ultimate corporate coup. In the other (equally sparring) corner you have Wilkinson V’s Giamatti who begin the film with one of the funniest and unexpected opening titles I have seen for some time – think of Celebrity Death Match without the plasticine and the blood but dressed in smart suits!

Its not a bad film its also just not a great one either, its clever – but maybe not too clever, its interesting – but not too interesting, and the leads are attractive but without any real sexual tension. I don’t know if more inventive camera angles and cut aways might have helped. They might have highlighted more tension between the leads, theres something about the cat and mouse between a lead couple that can add a great deal to the sexual tension in a film when shot well – unfortunately this film is lacking in this respect. The leads are good but lack a certain spark.

Everyone plays their part well and the script is funny and clever but I felt this was a film lead more by the stars rather than the director – it could have been better, more inventively shot and definitely sexier – which Im sure was what it was trying to be.

Director: Tony Gilroy

Cast:
Clive Owen – Ray Koval
Julia Roberts – Claire Stenwick
Tom Wilkinson – Howard Tully
Paul – Giamatti – Richard Garsik

Click here for the official website

Hunger on DVD now

A film based on the Maze prison hunger strikes of 1981 was never going to be light viewing but what the English director Steve McQueen has created is something that’s compelling as much as it is shocking.

Hunger is centred on republican army member Bobby Sands (Fassbender) as he leads the Maze prisoners on the ‘dirty’ protests and then hunger strike as the prisoners fight for political status. Davey (Milligan) arrives at the Maze and refuses to cooperate with the authorities he becomes the roommate of Gerry (Campbell) a protestor who has smeared faeces from floor to ceiling in his cell. The films focus then switches to Sands and his fight for justice.

It’s a very powerful and highly emotive film, its devoid of embellishments and additions the story is very much left to speak for itself, who needs words when the condition of a prison cell is testament to the strength of belief of its inhabitants.
Fassbender is powerful and controlled as Sands – a man so focused that starving himself to death is seen as acceptable. The visual image of Sands during his hunger strike will stay with me for some time.

The scene with Sands and the priest (Cunningham) is one of the most powerful and compelling I have seen in some time. There is nothing on the screen apart from two amazing actors and great dialogue.

McQueen has created a film that neither judges, condones or condemns the actions of the Maze prisoners in 1981, he just presents the story and leaves the audience to discuss and decide. This film will divide opinion over recent events in history but it also serves as reminders of how bad the troubles actually were and how we are in a much better place today.

Director – Steve McQueen

Cast:

Michael Fassbender – Bobby Sands
Stuart Graham – Ray Lohan
Liam Cunningham – Father Dominic Moran
Brian Milligan – Davey Gillen
Liam McMahon – Gerry Campbell

For the official website click here

Ravenous available on DVD certificate 18 - although not widely available!

Cowardly Capt Boyd (Pearce) receives a promotion after a battle in the Mexican American war in the 1840’s – a promotion won despite his total cowardliness. He is posted to Fort Spencer, which is a remote and isolated place in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

It is here with the seven other inhabitants that a stranger Colqhoun (Carlyle) arrives with wild tales of cannibalism after loosing his wagon train. It is only when the majority of Fort Spencer’s inhabitants go off to investigate that Boyd realises the truth about Colqhoun and his taste for human flesh.

This for me was a film that had got away from me – I had heard about it, missed it on release and haven’t managed to get a copy on DVD – until now. I’m pleased to say it was worth the wait. It’s like a western with a macabre twist and it’s a lot more psychological than an average horror film with the eerie and dangerous Colqhoun wonderfully portrayed by Carlyle. It is Pearce though and the cowardly and haunted Boyd that provides the film with a human side as he himself needs to find his backbone and prove to himself that he isn’t a the coward people think he is.

I was left wondering why its never been re-released or isn’t more widely available which is a shame as viewers are missing out - it deserves to be seen to a wider audience.

Watch it – if you can find a copy.

Director – Antonio Bird

Cast:

Guy Pearce – Capt. John Boyd
Robert Carlyle – Col. Ives / F W Colqhoun
David Arquette – Pvt. Cleaves
Jeremy Davies – Pvt. Toffler
Jeffrey Jones – Col. Hart

For the official website click here

Persepolis out on DVD now

Persepolis is the Oscar nominated biography of Marjane Satrapi which begins when she is a girl who growing up in Iran in the 1970’s revolution. She lives with an idealistic family who send her away to Austria so she can live without the restrictions of the new regime. In Austria she learns to be free but she is ultimately unhappy so when she returns home she realises the changes that have befallen Iran and the increasing restrictions on women.

The film is animated, stark black with clean white and its very, very effective. I had worried that the stripped down animation would be unable to convey emotions or feelings but I was wrong. There is something in the basic colours that mean you have to focus on Marjane without any distractions. It does not only good looking it’s a good story too, the encroaching restrictions of the regime are dealt with without sensation and that gives it all the more weight. You also feel the intensity of Marjane’s character she is constantly a fish out of water – her quest to fit in and be accepted is a constant theme in the film, as is her dry humour which is no small feat for a few black lines.

A good film, a moving story based in recent history it also has a great strong look to match the strength of the characters in the film.

Directed by Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi

Cast (voice only)

Chiara Mastroianni – Marjane ‘Marji’ Satrapi
Cathering Deneuve – Mrs Satrapi (Marjane’s mother)
Danielle Darrieux – Marjane’s grandmother
Simon Abkarian – Mr Satrapi (Marjane’s father)

Click here for the official website