Reel Time - Jonathan Melville

Vote for The A-Team!

2010-04-28T23:37:00.009+01:00

Those clever people over at the marketing department for the upcoming movie version of The A-Team have come up with a cunning plan worthy of Hannibal himself: they've mocked up a series of UK election-style posters featuring everyone's favourite soldiers of fortune canvassing for your vote.

It's a nice idea, my favourite being Murdock's raving looney version, which will make perfect sense to any fans of the original 1980s programme but probably very little to anyone brought up on repeats of Friends or 27 series of Big Brother. I pity the fools.

Just don't pause for too long thinking about the sense behind these posters, as the whole point of the series/film is that The A-Team are trying to stay out of the limelight and having their faces plastered over billboards might not be the smartest move.

They're also based in the Los Angeles underground, making canvassing visits to UK constituencies rather tricky and whether they'd legally be able to stand for election here is debatable...

A new viral video has also appeared online which is worth a watch.

The A-Team is released in the UK on 30 July.

Getting into deep water with Back to the Future

2010-04-23T17:31:00.004+01:00

Over the last few months I’ve sneaked into these pages a few not-so-veiled references to one of my favourite films, Back to the Future, each one vaguely justifiable at the time.

This week, as a new book is released which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the time travel classic, I can finally devote a full column to one of the most entertaining movies ever committed to celluloid.

For those of us who remember being taken to the cinema to see Back to the Future on its original release – it arrived on UK shores on 4 December 1985 and I was nine-years-old at the time – the film was a thing of wonder.

Backed by a PR campaign which employed Huey Lewis and the News to provide the radio-friendly title song, the film was funny, exciting and had a cool car in the shape of the DeLorean, at a time when KITT from Knight Rider was still the best thing on four wheels.

The new BFI Film Classics book, simply titled Back to the Future, is clearly written by fans of the film, but as well as recalling moments such as the DeLorean hitting 88mph and the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, it also touches on some of the political issues addressed in the script, particularly attitudes to teen culture of the 1950s and 1980s and its representation of science, atomic power and time travel.

It also reveals that in 2007, Back to the Future was chosen by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved for all time in the National Film Registry thanks to it being ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically’ significant.

Bizarrely (or perhaps not given the anniversary I mentioned earlier), a new time travel film is about to be released in the UK which references Back to the Future, at least in some respects.

John Cusack, a man who will be forever linked to the 1980s, leads the cast of Hot Tub Time Machine (out 7 May), in which four friends travel back to that decade from the present and are forced to try and preserve the past, though perhaps not in quite the same way as Marty and Doc Brown.

It sounds like a fitting tribute to a movie which shaped many people’s view of science fiction, making it accessible to a mass audience and paving the way for two ingenious sequels.

DVD Round-up, 19 April 2010

2010-04-19T23:47:00.010+01:00

It’s a sad fact that sleaze and scandal are something of a mainstay of modern British life. Gone are the days of hushed-up goings-on in nightclubs by politicians and minor celebrities which at one time would only have bothered their consciousnesses – these days they’re likely to be splashed across the front of a tabloid rag and in the next issue of a celebrity magazine.

Of course, not everything makes it as far as the papers, with extortionate fees paid to publicists such as Max Clifford to hush up the seediest stories while others are given a new spin which makes them more palatable to a sleaze-hungry public.

The how’s and why’s of cover-ups and expose’s are at the heart of Chris Atkins' scathing new documentary, Starsuckers (Network), which fearlessly looks behind the lies and half-truths while creating a few of its own for the purposes of the film.

At breakneck speed we’re dragged through the gutter and beyond as Clifford is shown proudly discussing his work while new light is shed upon celeb-led good causes such as Live 8, the truth behind them worthy of a documentary of their own.

Quite what can be done to halt the rot setting in any further is debatable, but it’s important that as many of us watch Starsuckers before that next issue of Celebrity Fakes-R-Us Weekly hits the shops.

Extras include deleted scenes, a making-of and commentary.

Steven Soderbergh is a director with a varied back catalogue of films: the man who brought us the fun Ocean’s 13 is also responsible for the darker Che and the cult The Limey. Now he changes direction again for The Informant! (Warner Home Video), a picture which almost defies categorisation as it introduces us to a world of industrial espionage and personal intrigue in 1990s America.

Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is a successful vice president of an agri-business who does the unthinkable and admits to FBI agent Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) that his company has been involved in price-fixing.

Going undercover as informer for the FBI, Whitacre becomes involved in ever-more dangerous situations as he tries to expose his bosses, the plot getting further twisted when it turns out he in turn is playing games with the FBI.

The Informant! is never a straightforward watch, with jaunty incidental music at odds with the drama and Whitacre’s mental state often difficult to understand. What’s obvious is that Damon is a skilled comic actor, his confident grasp of the material ensuring that repeated viewings will allow the viewer to better gain an insight into the mind of his character.

The Blu-ray-only director’s commentary is worth checking out, Soderbergh’s yack tracks renowned for their frankness and honesty.

Espionage of a different kind can be found in the new release of 1960s thriller Maroc 7 (Network), featuring US actor Gene Barry as wannabe-Bond Simon Grant making his way from swinging London to dusty Morocco in search of a deadly fashion photographer, played by the less-than-killer Leslie Phillips.

Maroc 7 is fascinating for its kitsch value and the sight of Phillips (who also produced the film) doing more than simply ogling the fairer sex, though it’s safe to say that Barry was never going to beat Connery at his own game as the rather bland Grant. Cyd Charisse adds glamour to the piece and the score is above par.

Extras include three image galleries and a PDF publicity booklet.

Cult movie fans who revere the work of Japanese actor, director and sometime gameshow host “Beat” Takeshi Kitano should look out for the mind-boggling Takeshis’ (Artificial Eye), his new film which looks at the world of a celebrity in an entirely new way.

Whilst Beat Takeshi (Takeshi) is a much-loved film star, convenience store worker Kitano (also Takeshi) is a lookalike actor who is searching for his own way into the industry.

Fate lends a hand by crossing the paths of the pair, both the film’s characters and its viewers pulled into a world of confusion as a result.

Takeshis’ is a film which needs time devoted to it, a wild ride which never takes itself seriously but refuses to turn itself into a joke. Takeshi fans won’t need told twice that it’s a must-see, while newbies might need more convincing and should probably start with one of the actors previous works, such as Zatoichi, before embarking on this.

Finally, step back to Camelot for Eureka’s lavish release on DVD and Blu-ray of 1954’s Sunday television favourite, Prince Valiant, starring Robert Wagner, James Mason and Janet Leigh.

Prince Valiant (Robert Wagner) travels to Camelot to become Sir Gawain’s (Sterling Hayden) squire only to discover treachery in King Arthur’s court – all in glorious Cinemascope!

Though it’s little more than a romp, Henry Hathaway’s film looks and sounds epic, while the sight of James Mason in knightly garb is almost worth the price of the film alone

Rediscovering Laxdale Hall

2010-04-19T17:53:00.006+01:00

Local Hero, Gregory's Girl and Trainspotting are probably near the top of most people's lists of best Scottish films, but even the most devout movie buff will struggle to offer up 1953's ultra-rare Laxdale Hall (Panamint) as one of their favourites.

It's the story of a group of Highlanders at odds with the British Government, following disputes surrounding the road which leads from their village to the rest of Scotland. When the men from the ministry arrive in Laxdale, determined to move the villagers out of their remote homes and into a newly built town, the locals decide to fight back.

Thought only to survive in a damaged print not suitable for home video, the recent discovery of a near-pristine copy by a West Lothian film distributor meant that a DVD could be released to an unsuspecting world.

While it may not have the cheeky charm and infinite rewatchability of Whisky Galore or the whimsical magic of Local Hero, Laxdale Hall is still a hugely enjoyable yarn, its success lying in the fact that Scotland looks so good and in its impressive cast list.

Made on location at Applecross in the Highlands and featuring many exterior shots of the area, not only does the film feature appearances from Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales in her first film part, but Local Hero star Fulton Mackay pops up as a young love interest and the late, great Rikki Fulton stars as a Glasgow poacher.

My favourite performance comes from ex-Vital Spark star Roddy McMillan as Willie John Watt, a man who's wife keeps having baby-after-baby while he has visions of his dead father. It's a lovely turn which complements the work of character actors such as Jameson Clark and Ronald Squire, bringing the witty script to life.

Having never heard of Laxdale Hall until a few weeks ago, I'd urge all film fans to search out a copy and keep their fingers crossed for more archive gems turning up sometime soon.

Another film worth looking out for is Edinburgh-set Crying with Laughter, in cinemas from today. It's a drama set in the world of stand-up comedy and features Stephen McCole as a man coming to terms with a past he's tried hard to forget. Though it's not always an easy watch, McCole is a strong lead and the script will make you think long after it ends.

The Expendables meet The A-Team

2010-04-09T14:30:00.003+01:00

As I mentioned in today's Evening News, this is the summer that the 80s action heroes, from cinema and TV, return in the shape of Arnie, Sly and Bruce in The Expendables and Hannibal, BA, Faceman and Murdock in The A-Team.

While I can't vouch for the quality (they're not out for a few months yet) they do look like a whole lot of fun...

and...

Anyone else looking forward to these as much as I am?

DVD Round-up, 29 March 2010

2010-03-28T22:54:00.004+01:00

Mighty Boosh fans rejoice! The director and stars of the cult comedy have finally banded together to make a movie in the shape of Bunny and the Bull (Optimum). And, while Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt may not be the leads of this particular adventure, it still has enough Booshisms to make a decent substitute until the real thing comes along.

Set in the living room of Stephen Turnbull (Ed Hogg), who hasn't left his house for months, a series of events causes him to recall a round-Europe trip he took with his flatmate, Bunny (Simon Farnaby).

However, because of Stephen's refusal to leave the front room, his flat becomes a recreation of his original trip, his sofa a gateway to another world and the dinner table a series of railway tracks, motorways and other locations too distant to go to physically.

As Stephen and Bunny move onwards on their journey, encountering odd characters (including Fielding and Barratt) and a love interest in the shape of Veronica Echegui, Bunny becomes more annoying and the reason for their trip less clear, the viewer wondering just who their loyalties should lie with.

Stunning visuals accompany them throughout, the backdrops getting more elaborate as they progress. With the story losing its grip at times, it's the film's look which is perhaps the most interesting, though a bittersweet ending does go some way to putting the rest of the piece into perspective. A frustrating watch.

A commentary, making-of documentary and other material help give some context to the film.

Controversial in its native South Korea, Breathless (Terracotta Distribution) comes to DVD in a features-packed 2 disc edition which attempts to get beneath the surface of this violent, yet rewarding, film which is written by, directed and stars Yang Ik-une.

Sang-hoon (Yang Ik-june) is a debt collector with a violent temper, one who likes to fight first and ask questions...never. Thanks to a brutal upbringing involving domestic violence, Sang-hoon's view of the world is fuelled by the need to exact pain on anyone he feels he can, until he meets a schoolgirl with a similar story.

Though its budget may be tiny, the fact that Breathless takes place mainly on the backstreets and interiors of offices and houses means that it's never meant to be glossy, Yang Ik-june never glorifying the violence at its centre.

With a gradual build up of tension and impressive interaction between characters, this is an absorbing and often difficult watch that rewards the persistent viewer.

Also out today is 1957's The Man in the Sky (Optimum), an Ealing Studio film starring Jack Hawkins as pilot John Mitchell who is living a less than fulfilled suburban lifestyle with his wife (Elizabeth Sellars) and their two children.

While taking a new plane on a test flight one day, his passengers including Donald Pleasance and Lionel Jeffries in minor roles, Mitchell realises something is wrong with the engines and orders his crew to parachute to safety. Remaining on board and unable to land, Mitchell must decide the best course of action while the town below, including his wife, watches.

Directed by Ealing regular Charles Crichton and featuring a strong performance from Hawkins, this is still a sub-par Ealing film, even if it does entertain for its short run time. Mitchell's reasons for wanting to remain on board may be admirable but there's not enough character there to make the audience sympathetic with him, the film falling rather flat when he does return to terra firma.

Still, as a lesser-known entry to the Ealing canon this is an important release, a good chance to see the recently-deceased Jeffries in a small part.

DVD Round-up, 22 March 2010

2010-03-21T22:36:00.012Z

Forget remakes of 1970s slasher films, big budgets and star names: 2009's Paranormal Activity (Paramount) cost only $10,000 to make but has already grossed over $100 million in its native America, features a couple of unknown actors and has enough chills to make you think twice about any noises you hear in the night.

The plot is simple: when a young couple, Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston), move into their new home they are soon bothered by strange sounds around the house as they try to sleep.

When Katie admits she's felt haunted all her life, Micah decides to take control by buying video recording equipment and filming their days in the house, setting it up in their bedroom to try and capture footage of what's happening around them.

Soon the pair are being tormented by something they can only hear but which is determined to cause them both pain, mental and physical.

While the all-American couple of Micah and Katie can be irritating at times, the actors do well to at least make them realistic, director Oren Peli adding layers of tension to each night's happenings.

Watched at home with the lights out it's a seasoned horror fan who won't feel at least a few hairs raising on the back of the neck during the film, though it perhaps loses some of the thrills that might be felt during a visit to the cinema.

A UK-exclusive director's commentary and making of documentary add to the package on the DVD and Blu-ray.

Another recent horror release is the latest in George A Romero's series of zombie allegories which began way back in 1968 with the now-classic Night of the Living Dead.

Now, in Survival of the Dead (Optimum), Romero maintains the low budget but moves location to a small US island inhabited, for no apparent reason, by two Irish families brought into contact with the undead as well as a rogue military unit intent on destroying every zombie in sight.

Though the plot makes little sense, the actors, led by Kenneth Walsh as Patrick O'Flynn and Seamus Fitzpatrick as Seamus Muldoon, at least seem to be having some fun, hamming it up throughout. With zombies taken out by single bullets, there's little actual horror here, the only real enjoyment to be had from the ridiculous plot and dialogue.

From modern horror we turn the clock back a few decades, Odeon Entertainment bringing us two gems in the shape of 1965's Dr Terror's House of Horrors and 1971's Blood on Satan's Claw.

Starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee and directed by horror veteran Freddie Francis, Dr Terror opens in the carriage of an old fashioned train where five men are joined by Doctor Shreck (Peter Cushing) as he starts to tell them their destinies using a deck of Tarot cards.

Each man's fate, involving werewolf legends, killer plants and voodoo curses, is described in detail by the Doctor as each one tries to work out how to avoid their fate.

Actors such as Donald Sutherland, Roy Castle and Bernard Lee pop up to add some class to proceedings, while Christopher Lee is brilliantly OTT as the art critic with a terrible temper who is having none of it. Original, creepy and blessed with a killer twist ending, Dr Terror's House of Horrors is must-see.

Blood on Satan's Claw is an odd beast, the tale of a 17th century English village which is slowly possessed by by the Devil.

When a skull is found in a field by a local farmworker, a Judge (Patrick Wymark) is brought to see it, only to discover it has vanished.

As strange goings-on occur over the next few days, including fur growing on areas of people's bodies and a change in temperament for many of the young, the suspicions of the elders grow.

Starring a number of familiar faces, from Upstairs Downstairs' Simon Williams and Doctor Who's Wendy Padbury, and backed by a terrific musical score, the film has plenty to offer the jaded horror fan who might despair at modern day offerings.

Away from the world of blood and curses, 1950's The Clouded Yellow (Eureka) is an overlooked British thriller which deserves some reappraisal, especially as it stars two great actors in Trevor Howard and Jean Simmons.

Ex-spy David Somers (Howard) decides to take a break from the world of espionage by retreating to the English countryside to catalogue butterflies for a rich family.

Attracted to his employers troubled young niece, Sophie (Simmons), Somers is embroiled in a murder mystery which will see the pair go on the run from the authorities across the UK.

Taking its cue from John Buchan's The 39 Steps in its man-on-the-run plot, the film makes up for its slightly pedestrian nature with fine performances from its two leads and a fun cameo from Kenneth More as Somers' always-eating ex-colleague.

Winning the P'alme D'Or at Cannes in 1987, Sous le soleil de Satan (Under the Sun of Satan) (Eureka) is a story of religion and murder starring Gerard Depardieu as priest caught up in events which may or may not involve the Devil.

Set in 1926 rural France, the film follows young priest, Donissan (Depardieu) who meets a young woman who has had many affairs and carried out an act of murder. On his way to meet her, Donissan encounters visions of the Devil which tempt and taunt him.

This is a dark tale which is hugely rewarding thanks to Depardieu's stunning performance as a man warring with himself and his God, a bleak story which says some interesting things about religion and humanity.

Horror of Brookside Close

2010-03-20T13:45:00.001Z

For new British film Salvage, horror is a four letter word: soap. Yes, seven years after we thought we'd seen the last of Scouse drama Brookside, it returns this week as the Close makes an appearance as the location of a film where the actors murder more than just their lines.

Set on Christmas Eve, as Jodie (Linzey Crocker) returns to Liverpool to visit her mother, Beth (Neve McIntosh), the spirit of goodwill is soon forgotten as the pair argue with each other, get split up and are then kept apart by a troop of armed soldiers.

No, they're not trying to stop Jimmy Corkhill's latest scam, but are on the hunt for a piece of missing cargo washed up on a nearby beach, a cargo which appears to have a mind of its own as more and more dead bodies are discovered in the neighbourhood...

Seeing the set of Brookside overtaken by the military is one thing, but watching a single mum trying to save her daughter while fending off a one-night stand and a marauding foe who makes Harry Cross look friendly is another matter.

The film tries hard to raise tension with some interesting camera angles and a mildly diverting plot, but the conclusion is muddled and there more plot holes than in a typical Brookie script. Salvage will be showing at the Cameo, and is out on DVD, on Monday.

I've now started wondering what TV/film crossover could be next after Salvage. Will Albert Square be the setting for the next Steven Spielberg blockbuster, Indiana Jones searching for ancient relics in the Queen Vic (and I don't mean Dot Cotton or Peggy Mitchell)?

Perhaps the set of River City will used by a French film director wanting to make a four hour, subtitled, experimental documentary on Dadaism? It might sound niche, but it'll almost certainly get more viewers than the average episode of Scotland's only soap.

Finally I want to give a plug for Shutter Island, which I went to see over the weekend. Director Martin Scorsese is having a bit of fun here, using every visual trick up his sleeve to draw the audience into his world of mystery, drama and 1950s paranoia.

Ben Kingsley and Leonardo DiCaprio are on top form and I'd highly recommend catching a boat to Shutter Island over the next few days.

Cast your mind Back to the Future

2010-03-12T12:33:00.002Z

Here's a tricky question for you: what's your earliest film memory? Is it watching a Disney film on TV? Or maybe it’s going to the cinema with your parents as a child and being enchanted or even terrified by what was going on up there on the silver screen?

Perhaps it’s easier to name the film which had the biggest impact on you, making you view the world in a new way or think about things differently?

That's the central premise of new book Screen Epiphanies (BFI/Palgrave Macmillan), in which author Geoffrey Macnab has interviewed 32 leading film-makers with the aim of finding out which film inspired them to pursue a career in the industry.

Who'd have thought that Taxi Driver and Goodfellas director Martin Scorsese would nominate 1948 ballet film The Red Shoes as the one which he’s “continually and obsessively” drawn to? He saw it first aged nine and it never left him.

Scottish director Kevin Macdonald, director of The Last King of Scotland and State of Play, plumped for 1943’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, partly because his grandfather, Emeric Pressburger, directed it and he could see so much of him in the film.

Oscar winner Danny Boyle, he of Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting fame, claims that he’s still “haunted” by Apocalypse Now while Chariots of Fire director David Puttnam goes for the slightly-less-violent 1940 version of Pinocchio by Disney, saying that after seeing it in 1948 he left the cinema thinking “that’s what I want to do.”

The choices are many and varied, but what stands out is a deep love of the cinema-going experience, even those who saw the films first on TV trying hard to see them on the big screen later on.

My first cinema memory is queuing outside the old Odeon on South Clerk Street at the age of five to see The Empire Strikes Back with my cousin, but my most vivid recollection is watching Back to the Future for the first time in 1985.

Back to the Future fanned the flames of my love for science fiction and of high concept movies which are both intelligent and entertaining, something I’ve looked for in films ever since.

What’s your earliest film memory?

DVD Round-up, 8 March 2010

2010-03-07T22:26:00.011Z

With Tim Burton's version of Lewis Carroll's classic tale taking the cinema by storm, there's now a chance to revisit an earlier adaptation in the shape of 1972's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Fiona Fullerton takes on the role of Alice, tempted by the White Rabbit's (Michael Crawford) into Wonderland where she meets Tweedledum and Tweedledee, The Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a host of weird and wonderful characters.

As with many British fantasy films of the past, the look of the magical land is less Hollywood technicolor and more low budget soundstage, but that's not to say it looks cheap. Director William Sterling takes his cue from Sir John Tenniel's illustrations to build his bizarre dreamscape.

Using impressive visual techniques to shrink and grow Alice, and inserting well known actors such as Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore and Spike Milligan alongside a feisty Fullerton, Sterling gives us a memorable Wonderland, one where parents and children should feel slight trepidation once they make it to the bottom of that hole.

Little remarked upon on its 2009 release, Just Like the Son (Bounty) is a road trip with a difference, in which a young thief takes a boy across America to find his mum using ill-gotten gains to fund the journey.

Mark Webber stars as Daniel Carter, a petty criminal sent to work at a primary school in Greenwich Village where he meets 8-year-old Boone (Antonio Ortiz). Finding out that Boone's mother has been taken ill and the boy sent away to a foster school, Daniel decides to save him and reunite him with his family.

Managing to avoid sentimentality, director Morgan J Freeman has a lightness of touch which ensures the potentially cloying nature of the story is avoided. The rapport between Webber and Ortiz is also refreshingly real, time given over to establishing their relationship.

With its straightforward narrative and appealing actors, Just Like the Son is a gentle enough tale with enough rough edges to ensure it doesn't become too predictable.

English history gets a kick-up the ramparts in 1939's Tower of London (Optimum Classic), a gothic-tinged retelling of the Richard III story, Basil Rathbone giving it his all as the murderous King hell-bent on attaining the throne by any means necessary.

Starting out as the Duke of Gloucester, brother to King Edward IV, Richard doesn't suffer fools, or failure, gladly. Assisted by the fictional executioner, Mord (Boris Karloff), Richard, cons, swindles, fights and murders his way through the ranks to place himself as King of England.

Made by Universal, the studio that brought Frankenstein and Dracula to the big screen, Tower of London has all the darkness of those movies along with its own sense of morbidity that is inevitable in such a doom-laden tale.

Rathbone is a strong lead, always on the look out for his next opportunity for success, and much of the fun her can be found in trying to second guess his next move.

Karloff is also on good form, his thoroughly evil Mord showing the odd glimpse of humanity when he's not drowning Vincent Price in a vat of wine or torturing unfortunate peasants.

While a bit of historical knowledge might help your enjoyment of the film, and the odd American accent does distract, Tower of London is never dull and adds a touch of colour to historical events.

Awaking in a small Welsh fishing village and unsure how he got there, Rex Harrison finds himself embroiled in a series of unfortunate events in The Constant Husband (Optimum Classic), the upshot of which being that he's married...to seven different women.

Taking it upon himself to investigate his own life, Harrison uncovers false names, occupations and love affairs, becoming increasingly unsure of why he did what he did or how to get out of the mess.

Written by The Lady Vanishes Sydney Gilliat, The Constant Husband is clearly a lesser affair for Harrison compared to Doctor Doolittle or My Fair Lady, but this doesn't stop him having a ball as the uptight cad, a kind of 1950s Hugh Grant.

The story rattles along at a fair lick, with few signs of reality bothering the script, cameos from the likes of George Cole helping to make it a frothy concoction that lovers of romantic comedies should find appealing.

Finally this week, Optimum have pulled another little known British film out of the archives by the scruff of the neck in the shape of 1954's The Rainbow Jacket.

Last of the Summer Wine's Compo, Bill Owen, stars as disgraced champion jockey Sam who discovers a potential protege in the form of young Georgie (Fella Edmonds) and encourages him to take up riding.

With the promise of riches and fame,Georgie and his mother jump at the chance, the boy discovering that there's more to training than just sitting on a horse as he's put through various trials by the owners of Lord Logan's (Robert Morley) stables.

Beginning as a comedy with an appearance by Sid James in the opening scene, Rainbow Jacket switches direction somewhat during the film's run, Sam's history clearly troubling him as he tries to mould Georgie into an honest jockey.

As Sam schools the boy, telling him to always do the right thing, Bill Owen portrays his clapped out character with empathy in a role which would usually be shown by way of a simple cheeky chap routine.

With the emphasis placed on the need for morals and dignity at all times, The Rainbow Jacket has elements not expected in these type of films and as such marks it out as something that little bit different, thanks mainly to a strong turn from Owen.

Don't worry about David: David Morrissey interview

2010-03-04T20:44:00.019Z

David Morrissey can lay claim to being one of Britain's best loved actors, with a string of TV and film roles, including State of Play and Doctor Who, to his name.

Now, after a few forays into directing for television, Morrissey has made his first feature film, Don't Worry About Me, a small-scale love story set in his home town of Liverpool which manages to be both touching and thought-provoking.

I recently caught up with Morrissey in Inverness following a screening of Don't Worry About Me and began by asking him to tell me about the film's plot.

It's about a London guy called David who has a one night stand with a Liverpool girl in London and he thinks in his mad romantic way that this is the girl for him. He follows her up to Liverpool and she’s not as single as she led him to believe, and her boyfriend kicks-off.

David gets drunk, gets his wallet stolen and he’s stranded in this city. So he goes to make bet on a dog in order to get some money to get home and in the bookies he meets another girl and they spend the day together through various circumstances.

It’s about two incompatible people who decide to tell each other their secrets and share their pain with each other.

How did you come to get involved with the script?

I had spent about three years trying to raise money for another film which had a budget of around £5 million and I kept getting close to it and then it wouldn’t happen and it was quite tortuous. So I decided to find out how much money I could raise without a script.

My brother’s a businessman in Liverpool so he set-up something called an EIS, a tax incentive initiative and combined it with another Government tax initiative. We then went to the business community in Liverpool and brought together four guys who were very interested in low-level investment and I ended up knowing I could probably get around £100,000 by just saying it was a film but not what it was about or who was in it.

Then I had to find the film. I sat with lots of writers, lots of people who had ideas, read lots of books and they would either be too long, not good enough, short films or too expensive. So I was stuck up a gum tree really.

Then I read a review for a play at the Arts Theatre in London so I went to see it. At first I didn’t think it was going to work, far too complicated, it was in rhyming couplets so I left the theatre but the story stayed with me about this guy going up to Liverpool.

I went to meet the two writers, who were also the two actors in the play, and asked if they’d work with me to make a feature out of it and they said yes. I bought the rights to it and we went to work from there.

You’ve directed before for television, including Passer By with James Nesbitt, but what was it that inspired you to direct a film?

I really wanted to direct, to go on a full journey with a project, like I had with Passer By and Sweet Revenge, but I wanted it to be a feature film as I felt that TV had its own rules and I watch films but don’t watch TV. I watch European cinema not American cinema and I wanted to make those types of movies, but nobody would give me the money to do it.

I was getting increasingly frustrated while going to the cinema and seeing film I thought were crap so I thought “I want to make a film.” So that’s what I did.

Unfortunately I couldn’t make the film I originally wanted to make, though I hope to make that at another point, but I was able to make this film which I’m really proud of and everything just fitted in: it had the sensibilities I wanted to have, it was set in my home town and it just worked.

One thing I notice with British films, particularly low budget British films, is the desire to show a Britain with drink and drug problems. Was it important to you that you avoided that depiction?

It wasn’t important but I was glad it did take me away from that. Drug abuse and violence has become a bit of a cliché in British films and I’m trying, though not for any conscious reason, to find a new way into a story.

I was interested in a story about two people who had things to live with that were very recognisable to most people, the line between being a family member but also a carer, and trying to live and deal with that. I didn’t set out to make a film that didn’t have elements of drug abuse or whatever, it was more that this story needed to be told in a certain way.

One film this reminded me of was an American film from a few years ago, In Search of a Midnight Kiss...

It was really weird. I’d made my film and went away and made a film as an actor, then came back and was re-editing it and after about a month he phoned me up to say I had to see this film and I thought: “They’ve made my film” and everyone’s going to think I ripped it off.

I was in a real state watching it with my wife and at the end of it I turned to my wife and said “I’ve just wasted two years of my life.” She told me they were very different but I had to go away and really re-examine myself and look at the film again before I could say to myself that it is different and there are so many films out there that are similar that it’s OK to make two films which have similar themes, but it took me a long time to come down from that ledge.

How would you describe your directorial style? Have you found yourself borrowing elements from directors you’ve worked with?

I’m inspired by directors I’ve worked with and also from those I’ve not. You have to be careful because you have an ambition for something but when you get on the floor or you get your budget, to execute those plans takes a certain amount of skill, equipment or whatever so you’ve got to really know what your capabilities are.

I knew we couldn’t do a lot of trick shots on this, we didn’t have a lot of equipment and weren’t able to afford some of the things we’d have liked such as steadicams, cranes or even tracks, so I knew I had to rely on the actors and that it was an actors story and I knew I could do that.

My “thing” is that my films are full of strong performances because I know actors and how to treat them and get inside their head and if there’s a style I have then it’s to do with making actors brave and giving them an atmosphere they can create in, but you hand it to them.

Sometimes on a set directors don’t hand a set over to you because they’re too busy with this, that and the other that they forget that what is coming out of you is important and creating that atmosphere is important and I think I can do that and know that’s a discipline a director has to have.

I’m currently reading the autobiography of actor Ray Brooks, someone who's scathing of soap operas and their production techniques after a stint on EastEnders. How do they affect the acting process?

[Their style is to] say your lines in the right order and get out. It’s a terrible way to work because what you want is to give an actor time and also mess with their head a bit. Sometimes you’ll hit a plateau with some scenes and you want to have a chance to come through that. You might have done something yesterday that when you come in the next day you think you’ve got to change them because something else you’ve shot changes it.

The old maxim that you set out on the first day to make one film, you shoot a completely different film and edit a third film is true and you have to be alive to the possibility. With my film things were changing around us as were going, the actors were warming up and getting relaxed with their characters and with the camera and I had to start using that and enjoy letting them improvise a bit and if your schedule is bang, bang, bang you don’t have time for that.

But I’d say that’s not just soap but TV in general, it’s tough.

Are your actors new to film?

Completely, they've not done anything before.

How much ad-libbing was there?

Quite a bit on the beach, I let them just go for it, or walking down the street. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn’t.

You mentioned before that the BBC have bought the film for transmission but how important was it that it was a film and not made for TV? How different is it?

It was very important and it’s a very different thing. You framing is different, your sensibilities are different. I always feel with TV there’s a need to keep things going because you don’t want people to turn over, you’re worried about them using their remote control. With film you know you’ve got more of a captive audience and you’re hoping you’ve got time for the the story and characters to develop and that the audience will stay with it to find out what’s happening.

TV audiences tend to get bored faster and turn over. It was always made for film. The BBC have been very supportive of new filmmakers and do show their things quite often so it’s been very good for me.

We hear a lot about the shiny floor shows such as X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing and how they're being made instead of new one-off dramas. How do you think it’s going?

Not good. One-off dramas are the hardest things to do because they’re so hard to sell. TV executives want a growing audience, its first episode to get 5 million, its second to get 6 and for it to grow in that way so people go to work and discuss it, which is why one night it’ll be on BBC One, the next on BBC Three, on iPlayer and so they can catch it.

One-off dramas don’t have that because they can’t build an audience, which is a shame because I loved all those Play for Today and Screen One dramas. How some people have got around that, which is brilliant, is you’ll have a series such as Clocking Off or The Street which have a precinct thing such as the workplace or the street, but they’re basically one-off dramas, and that is genius.

They have completely different teams and actors but the same set. I did a Clocking Off for Paul Abbott and it was brilliant, a great script but inside this TV series.

What to you means the film is a success? If it goes to number one in the Box Office or if people see it and take something away from it?

The answer to that is that the film is a success. For me standing on Crosby Beach with the rain coming in wondering when we were going to finish this and thinking it would never happen, to sitting it thinking nobody’s ever going to watch this to standing here tonight standing in front of an audience, that’s a success.

Getting from A to B, that’s the success. I can’t tell you the amount of scripts I get and jobs I’ve started that never get finished. I had an idea to make a film and I’m here now talking about it: that’s success.

I’ve also paid my people back, so in that respect it’s a success. The short answer is it’s already a success and anything else is a bonus. It’s been a real ride making it and I hope people enjoy watching it.

Don't Worry About Me is out on DVD on Monday 8 March.

DVD Round-up, 1 March 2010

2010-03-01T17:26:00.008Z

Prepare to travel through another dimension, one of sight and sound...and odd happenings on the sea which you'll be scratching your head over for a long time after.

Taking it's cue from the much-loved 1960s anthology series The Twilight Zone, Triangle (Icon Home Entertainment) takes a seemingly innocuous situation – a young mum going on a sailing trip with friends – and spins it off in an entirely unexpected direction.

Heading to the harbour after getting an odd ring at her doorbell, Jess (Melissa George), sets sail with love interest Greg (Michael Dorman) and his friends, their journey soon interrupted by a storm which nearly kills them and the appearance of an ocean liner which could be their saviour.

Boarding the ship, Jess starts to feel something isn't quite right, a fact proven when future version of the visitors start appearing on the ship, leading to a cat-and-mouse game through the vessel...and through time. Looping back on itself and threatening to tie both the viewer and the characters in knots, writer Christopher Smith's script is never less than great fun, his high concept idea played out with a strong cast and tight direction.

Melissa George gets much of the screen time as the multiple versions of Jess and holds everything together thanks to her mix of beauty and brawn, which sees her take on a very physical role with ease. The only problem watching Triangle for the first time is that the looped events play havoc with the brain, demanding a re-watch soon after and a desire to consume the director's commentary and making-of documentary.

While Triangle was filmed in Australia (standing in for America), 1959's The Siege of Pinchgut (Optimum) was both made and set in Sydney, a thriller perhaps best remembered for being the final film to emerge from the very British Ealing Studios.

Escaping from a Sydney prison via a small boat, Matt Kirk (Aldo Ray) and his gang of cronies, including younger brother Johnny (Neil McCallum), are stranded in Sydney Harbour when the vessel's engine dies. Pitching up on Pinchgut Island, a nearby fortress, Kirk takes a family hostage as he tries to prove his innocence to authorities who discover his whereabouts.

Trapped on the island, with the army training their guns on him, Kirk must take desperate measures to ensure his plan goes smoothly. Making good use of its location, with Sydney appearing on-screen in many sequences, the film preceded Sean Connery's turn in The Rock by around 40 years, the convicts' decision to take out as much of Sydney as possible by force sharing a plot strand with the 90s actioner.

Filmed in black and white and featuring a host of British character actors in smaller roles, Pinchgut is in turns tense and darkly funny, a curio that deserves rediscovery.

The great Bob Hope is at the centre of two new releases from Optimum, 1941's Caught in the Draft, in which he attempts to dodge being drafted into the US army, and 1942's Star Spangled Rhythm, an attempt at US propaganda also featuring a host of Paramount Studio stars.

Caught in the Draft sees Hope star as cowardly actor Don Bolton, happy to play at soldiers on screen but terrified of giving up his cosy lifestyle for life in army. When he meets the daughter of a real-life Colonel, Antoinette (Dorothy Lamour), who believes in men signing up to fight, Don decides to fool her into thinking he's joining the army.

Meanwhile, Star Spangled Rhythm allows Hope to play an exaggerated version of himself, banding together with 1940s stars such as Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Dorothy Lamour and Veronika Lake to help Paramount guard Pop Webster (Victor Moore) to fool his son into thinking he’s the studio’s Executive Vice President.

Deciding to stage a variety show for the Navy, Pop is delighted when his friends agree to take part, each one showcasing their talents for free. While neither film is quite up to the standard of Hope and Crosby’s ‘Road To…’ movies, the chance to see the former in action is always a treat.

Hope may not have written a word of his own dialogue, but he knew how to deliver a line, his repartee with Lamour in Caught in the Draft a highlight of an otherwise medium effort.

Of the two, Star Spangled Rhythm has more energy to it, a sequence where Hope ends up hiding out in a shower while someone else actually takes the shower proving his comedy mettle. Made as something of a PR piece for the US military, showing the boys fighting abroad a good time when a smile was hard to come by, Rhythm is a patchy production but it has enough flair to make it a more than the sum of its parts.

Must-see: Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story

2010-02-26T13:40:00.006Z

A quick post today to point you in the direction of the latest Michael Moore film, Capitalism: A Love Story, which opens in cinemas around Edinburgh today.

Following on from his documentaries Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911, Moore returns with a scathing commentary on capitalism and its effect on our world.

Looking at how the US government is funded, and virtually owned, by international banks, he also highlights the sickening way we've been indoctrinated to believe that taking out loans on our homes with huge interest rates is a good thing, the results on homeowners around America shown in stark detail.

Whether you're convinced by everything he says or not, at least Moore incites debate, something many films these days simply can't be bothered to do. Well worth seeing on the big screen.

DVD Round-up, 16 December 2010

2010-02-15T23:54:00.004Z

In recent years we've been deluged with horror films from the East, Japan producing it's fair share of shockers which then end up being remade and sanitised by American film makers looking to cash in on their success.

One film which has somehow avoided the craze is 1977's House (Masters of Cinema) from director Nobuhiko Obayashi which was possibly given up on by Hollywood executives when somebody tried to explain the plot to them.

This psychedelic frenzy of a film comes across as a mashup between Scooby Doo and Hammer Horror, a story of young schoolgirls going to the countryside and staying at an old house, only to find their accommodation brings their nightmares to life and leads to a series of deaths that are both gory and inspired.

Director Obayashi is keen on visual tricks, one recurring image, that of a blue sky behind our heroines, constantly turning out to be a painting on a wall or billboard. Along with garish colours and wild camera angles, mere description can't possibly do justice to the spectacle on offer here.

With a soundtrack from Godiego, the band behind that other 70s oddity Monkey!, this is a crazed and wonderful little film that might not make much sense but does demand repeated viewing, either under the influence of alcohol or stone cold sober.

Interviews with the film's creators, a trailer and booklet complete the set.

Taking a breather from the madness, the BFI open the vaults to bring us two discs worth of films from the Central Office of Information (COI), the organisation set-up after the Second World War to promote the culture and concerns of a nation reeling from the dismantling of the British Empire by the Atlee government.

After the war there was a worry among the populace regarding the state of the nation's youth, the results of rationing and economic hardship putting a strain on Britain's youth culture. The films on these discs represent the cream of the crop from hundreds made in the 1940s and beyond.

With the set subtitled Police and Thieves, disc one concerns itself with the reform of children caught up in crime, their reform of paramount importance to both parents and worried friends and neighbours.

Starting with 1946's Children on Trial, an odd little story about teenage boys sent to an institution for a few years only to be returned to their parents as well regarded young men, we're taken on a tour of the various methods employed in the reformation of naughty boys and girls around the country.

Not to be left out, Edinburgh is showcased in 1944's Children of the City while films such as Probation Officer, Youth Club and A Chance for Brian show that the methods used to tame the kiddoes of the past weren't as tough as we might have expected from productions such as Alan Clarke's Scum.

Disc two moves onto a series of police recruitment films from through the years, again mixing scripted stories and documentary to depict a profession which always seems to be changing. Most films go to great lengths to portray the bobby as a friend of everyone in the neighbourhood, even going so far as to help one old dear with her tax return forms.

While occasionally quaint, these films are also important glimpses into our cultural heritage and it would be interesting to see how a modern day director would approach such material when the life of the British copper has changed so much over the decades.

Is The Room the best worst film ever made?

2010-02-15T22:46:00.001Z

I've an apology to make. Most weeks I try to recommend a film at the cinema or on DVD which has some redeeming features, a hopefully quality choice that you might otherwise miss and that deserves to have your hard earned cash spent on it.

Sorry, but that all changes today as I introduce you to a film dubbed “the best worst movie of all time”, one so bad it inspires audiences to laugh at its dialogue, throw plastic spoons at the cinema screen and stage mock walk outs from the auditorium.

Released in 2003 by writer/director/producer and actor Tommy Wiseau, The Room cost $6 million to make and centres on Johnny (Wiseau) whose girlfriend is cheating on him with best friend, Mark.

After that the details get a little shaky. Subplots appear and disappear for no reason (most notably the revelation from one character that she's suffering from cancer, only for the subject never to be mentioned again); dodgy green screen work depicts a very fake San Francisco; and one actor falls over playing football and vanishes for the rest of the movie.

Terrible as it might sound, the film was supposed to be a serious drama, Wiseau claiming in retrospect that it's a black comedy. What changed his mind was the appearance of the film at late night screenings around America, fans latching onto the sheer awfulness of it all and embracing it.

Celebrity fans such as actor Jonah Hill, Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright and actress Kristin Bell are obsessive about The Room, the latter even throwing parties at her house to screen it to friends.

Of course, watching and enjoying bad films is nothing new. Back in the 1950s, director Ed Wood Jr was renowned for producing low quality pictures such as the infamous Plan 9 from Outer Space, while The Rocky Horror Picture Show is notorious for its audience participation. Personally, I feel like throwing real cutlery at the screen during any Will Ferrell film, but maybe that's just me.

Sadly, The Room isn't available on DVD in the UK, but all is not lost. Seven years after its release, the Cameo cinema is screening the film for one night only on Saturday 20 February, a rare chance for Edinburgh cinema-goers to see what all the fuss is about. Just remember your plastic spoons...

2010 Oscar nominations

2010-02-05T17:02:00.009Z

I noted in today's Evening News that this week saw the publication 2010 Oscar nominations, a list dominated by James Cameron's Avatar and Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker.

There are some obvious choices and a few surprises, though in the main I just hope Avatar doesn't completely sweep the board - here's that list in full:

Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role

Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film

“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
“Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction

"Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

“Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)

“Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
“The Cove” Nominees to be determined
“Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
“Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)

“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
“Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
“Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing

“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film

“Ajami” Israel
“The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)” Argentina
“The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada)” Peru
“A Prophet (Un Prophète)” France
“The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)” Germany

Makeup

“Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
“The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)

“Avatar” James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
“Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)

“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Picture

“Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Producers
“District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro, Producers
“Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

“French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
“Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
“A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)

“The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
“Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
“Kavi” Gregg Helvey
“Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
“The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing

“Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
“Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing

“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects

“Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
“District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
“An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

DVD Round-up, 1 February 2010

2010-01-31T22:43:00.004Z

Perhaps the most underrated horror film (if box office takings are to be believed) of 2009 was Pontypool, a small Canadian chiller set mostly in the confines of a radio station as a zombie massacre occurs outside and off-screen.

One-time screen bad guy Stephen McHattie is Grant Mazzy, a big city shock jock relocated to small-town Canada on the morning shift. On his way to work one day, Mazzy encounters a strange woman on the road, but thinks nothing of it as the snow starts to fall.

Once at work, things start to go awry when phone calls from locals alert Mazzy and his producer to the fact that Pontypool's populace are turning nasty. Mazzy must now try to work out what is happening before he and his colleagues become the next target for the rampaging mob.

Working with a tiny budget, director Bruce McDonald ekes out every ounce of drama from Tony Burgess' script, the inherent hokiness of the plot given gravitas by McHattie's sterling performance as the smooth-voiced Mazzy.

There's also fun to be had with the unique reason given for the virus spreading through Pontypool, one you'll be thinking about long after the credits have rolled. It's a nifty little film which deserves your time, even if horror films aren't usually your thing.

Oh, and when those credits have rolled, stay tuned for something even odder...

The Second World War may have been one of the worst moments in history but its dramatic potential remains unsurpassable judging by the continuing trickle of films set during the period.

Out now on DVD is 2009's Army of Crime (Optimum), a smart thriller focussing on the real-life story of those who took part in revenge attacks against the invading Germans in the Paris of 1941.

When poet Missak Manouchian (Simon Abkarian) is caught early on in the war by the Germans, his wife Mélinée (Virginie Ledoyen) is forced to step in and begin subversive actions against the occupiers.

Manouchian is soon approached by a Resistance group composed of Jews, Hungarians, Poles and other immigrant workers, his task to reform a ragtag assembly of youths into something that might take on the Nazi's.

Although it clocks in at just over two hours, Army of Crime doesn't waste valuable time with lengthy scene setting. Instead it starts as it means to go on, pulling the viewer into the plight of the protagonists, allowing the various strands to be come together smoothly.

With torture and violence the main weapons in the Army's arsenal it's not surprising that this isn't a comfortable watch, but it is an important one. Ledoyen and Abkarian make for powerful and always watchable leads, helping make Army of Crime one the most satisfying war dramas of recent years.

From 1940s Paris we jump back a few decades to the silent era and the release of yet another gem from the archives courtesy of Masters of Cinema, Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin.

German born actor and director Ernst Lubitsch became on of the most sought after Hollywood directors in the 1930s and 40s, films such as Heaven Can Wait and The Shop Around the Corner bringing him great acclaim.

Rewind to the early 1920s and Lubitsch was still living in his home city of Berlin and trying to impress audiences with his comedic acting. While he had minor success, it wasn't until he began directing that he found real success.

This new set collects six of Lubitsch's Berlin-era films together for the first time: Ich Mochte Kein Mann Sein (1918), Die Puppe (1919), Die Austernprinzessin (1919), Sumurun (1920), Anna Boleyn (1920), and Die Bergkatze (1921).

Stand-out on this set are Mochte Kein Mann Sein, in which Lubitsch's muse Ossi Oswalda has to pretend to be a man in order to have a night on the town, and Die Puppe, a bizarre story which opens with a house being put together with the pieces from a toy box and characters coming to life to enact a strange love story involving a woman that's really a doll...

Also included on the set is a fascinating documentary on the man and his life which puts things into context.

Those old silents are golden

2010-01-29T12:50:00.006Z

In today's paper I discussed my trip down to Bristol for Slapstick 2010, a celebration of the works of silent comedians who wowed audiences back in the 1920s and 30s with their daredevil on-screen antics, mostly without the aid of stuntmen or camera trickery.

Luckily, thanks to DVD and the internet we're able to see many of these films easily, so here are a few examples of silent comedies which have inspired me to search out more of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and their contemporaries.

First up is my silent hero, Buster Keaton. Known as Old Stoneface, Keaton never smiled on-film, at least not in his self-made films, and his acrobatic skills were honed from years performing on stage with his family. You can get a glimpse of his style here but his feature length films are well worth checking out:

By far the best known silent comedian is Charlie Chaplin, born into poverty in London only to become one of the highest paid film actors in the world - here he is in a montage of clips:

Finally, here's Harold Lloyd, the gentleman of silent films and a man who could perhaps be better described as a comic actor rather than a full-on slapstick star. One of his feature films, Girl Shy, was screened at Slapstick 2010 and brought the house down (not literally, but that would have been quite apt considering the things that went on in some these films)...

The above is just a taster of what to expect from the world of silent movies, which weren't really silent at all if you consider that they were always shown with live musical accompaniment. As I mentioned before, these films are best watched with an audience in a cinema to get the full effect, but grab yourself a boxset in the next DVD sale and you'll be doing yourself a favour.

What's your favourite silent?

DVD Round-up, 27 January 2010

2010-01-27T22:57:00.005Z

If I asked you to think of a 3D film then there's a good chance Avatar would spring to mind. But step back to the end of 2009 and a little 3D film crept into cinemas and took everyone by surprise with it's spot-on humour and gorgeous visuals...and it wasn't UP.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony Pictures) takes place in a small town where scientist Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) is determined to invent something big that will ensure people remember him...and he succeeds in style.

Creating a machine which converts water into food, Flint becomes a celebrity, while big city weathergirl Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) tries to prove her own worth while slowly falling for Flint.

Throw in some cameo appearances from Bruce Campbell as the nasty town Mayor and Mr T (yes, that Mr T) as a cop tired of Flint's disastrous inventions, and Cloudy starts to become something special.

Add the stunning visuals (stripped on DVD and Blu-ray of 3D but don't let that put you off) and the smart script which had me laughing all the way through, and this becomes a minor modern classic for animation and comedy fans.

Available on DVD and Blu-ray, the latter set also comes bundled with the DVD and features the usual glut of extras, from a director commentary to making-of documentaries. There's a real sense of fun throughout this set which is refreshing.

Though it never quite made its mark in UK cinemas, the two part Mesrine (Momentum Pictures) finds its natural home on DVD as Vincent Cassel's turn as the legendary French gangster arrives in a two-disc set.

With its opening scene harking back visually to Steve McQueen's 1968 classic Bullitt, Mesrine: Killer Instinct (the first of the two films) is instantly a revelation, a vibrant and classy entry into Mesrine's (Cassel) 1970s world which will be recalled at the start of part two.

We're then taken back a further 20 years to Mesrine's time in the army, our journey with him starting as he takes his leave from the military and begins to dabble in the French underworld. Meeting mafia boss Guido (Gérard Depardieu), Mesrine soon rises through the ranks to become a feared and respected criminal.

Part two, Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 is more of the same, though much of the bravado of the first film is gone, Mesrine instead more the hunted than the hunter. Cassel still has the charm and the skill to ensure he can outwit the police and his friends, but there's a feeling of the light going out on his career, albeit over a long, and entertaining, period of time.

To try to summarise the twists, turns and surprises of Mesrine is unfair to the layered story that screenwriter Abdel Raouf Dafri has produced. Prison breaks, bank robberies, disguises, violence and a healthy dash of humour are the name of the game here, director Jean-François Richet making Cassel look every inch the hero even when he's clearly up to no good.

Whether or not you agree that making a criminal look effortlessly cool is morally justified, Mesrine is a fun ride. At over four-and-a-half hours it's also a commitment, but try and set aside time one evening for them both and you'll be rewarded with a compelling mix of drama and biography that hasn't been seen in the cinema for a long time.

Finally we have Une Femme Mariee (Masters of Cinema), Jean-Luc Goddard's 1964 “missing” film which hasn't been available on video or DVD until now.

Macha Méril is Charlotte, a married woman who begins to have an affair with actor Robert (Bernard Noël) while gliding through a world composed of material possessions and confused morals.

When Charlotte discovers she's pregnant by Robert she must lie in order to keep some semblance of peace, but decisions must be made that will affect all their futures.

Composed of a number of close-ups of Méril's body alongside the various fads and fashions she encounters, Goddard's film is akin to a magazine, the viewer flicking from scene to scene without getting the chance to digest much substance.

Viewed as a whole it's a rewarding watch, a gorgeously shot insight into a woman who has embraced Sixties culture and is enjoying the benefits, as well as the all-too-obvious downsides.

It's hard to fault the presentation of this new Blu-ray, an impressive booklet putting the film into context with regards to Goddard's other films and video essays helping the viewer to delve even deeper into the film.

Avatar hit's 3D legacy

2010-01-26T17:45:00.005Z

There's a new terror stalking the gold encrusted streets of Hollywood and it's name is 3D. Spurred on by the success of a little film called Avatar, which has earned over $1.3 billion and garnered rave reviews, movie executives are now scouring their production slate to see where the next 3D success could be lurking.

Get ready for Tron Legacy, Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3, The Princess and the Frog, Battle for Terra and even a sequel to 80s B-movie horror Piranha in the shape of the imaginatively titled Piranha 3D, with more to come.

If reports are to be believed, Ridley Scott is trying to turn his soon-to-be-made $200 million Robin Hood epic into a 3D version and Zombieland 2 is also going to be tinkered with so that the blood and guts of the undead can appear to splatter over your popcorn next time around.

It also seems that we could soon be bombarded with a raft of re-releases from the archives if the money men get their way. George Lucas wants to show us the Millenium Falcon eluding the Imperial Starfleet once again in 3D and there have been rumours that other classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Superman and Jurassic Park could be 3D-ified.

While the huge success of Avatar is a godsend for the cinemas is it as good for audiences?

My own experience of Avatar is that it looks nice enough but that the plot is so simplistic it's virtually My First Sci-fi, though maybe that's vital if James Cameron is going to get the largest possible audience through the door to see it.

What really bothers me is that all the effort that has gone into making the film look so good is dulled by the viewer having to wear sunglasses for the duration. The gorgeous colours are muted and I find myself lifting my specs at regular intervals to see what's really going on up there.

Just this week I watched recent 3D film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Blu-ray, in a standard 2D version. The script was funny, the picture clear, the plot great fun. And I didn't miss 3D at all.

Then again, if a high grossing 3D movie brings more viewers into the cinema and means smaller films can be made with the profits, maybe it's not all bad.

I'm waiting to be convinced.

DVD Round-up, 18 January 2009

2010-01-17T21:04:00.005Z

Recently re-released in UK cinemas and re-evaluated by audiences and critics alike, 1949's, The Queen of Spades (Optimum) is a morally challenging tale from director Thorold Dickinson based on the novel by Russian author Alexander Pushkin.

Set in the St Petersburg of the 1830s, Pushkin's story tells of a Russian army officer, Suvorin (Anton Walbrook), addicted to playing card games with colleagues. When he hears a story about an old Countess (Edith Evans) who received the secret of how to win at cards through nefarious, and supernatural, means, he commits himself to retrieving it from her.

Determined to get close to the Countess, Suvorin becomes friendly with her niece, Lizaveta Ivanova (Yvonne Mitchell), manipulating her and others to find out the facts behind the stories.

Although brought onto the project at the last minute, Dickinson imbues the film with a dark atmosphere which could only be achieved in glorious black and white. Walbrook may not be a likeable main characters but he's magnetic in his charm and bloody mindedness, the viewer egging him on to uncover the mystery which can only have an unhappy ending.

This new DVD contains an introduction from one The Queen of Spades greatest admirers, director Martin Scorsese, along with excerpts from talks with Dickinson following the release of the film.

Also from Thorold Dickinson is 1952's The Secret People, a tale of love, betrayal, subterfuge and revenge stretching across the decades and through Europe.

As the film starts, sisters Maria (Valentina Cortese) and Nora (a young Audrey Hepburn) have arrived in London to stay with family friends following the death of their politically active father at the hands of fascists in Spain. Integrating with their new family, the girls are taken to Paris on holiday seven years later, only for Maria to meet her former boyfriend Louis (Serge Reggiani), a member of the Spanish resistance.

From here the plot doesn't merely thickens but congeals, as Maria is roped into helping Louis attempt an assassination on the General who killed her father, something she is willing to do thanks to her love for him but morally uncertain about due to her upbringing.

Using the same visual flair which worked so well in Queen of Spades, Dickinson brings an already taught script to life. Helped by a fine cast, especially Cortese as the permanently confused Maria, Dickinson weaves a tangled web of intrigue which is never a settling watch, while the chance to see a young Hepburn ballet dancing is one you won't see repeated often.

A British revenge Western starring Raquel Welch as heroine Hannie Caulder (Odeon Entertainment) might not sound like one of the great lost examples of the genre, but slip this new DVD release on and you might just be converted to its charm.

When three cowboys – Western legends Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam and Strother Martin - pass by her ranch, killing her husband and raping her, Caulder determines to take revenge on the men. Bumping into Thomas Luther Price (Robert Culp), a man as good with a one-liner as he is with a gun, the pair set out to find their targets in the harsh landscape of the West.

Putting a new spin on the hoary old revenge clichés, Hannie Caulder has real charm and grit, Welch and Culp making a fascinating team as his world-weary style, honed to perfection over many years, clashes with her slightly less rounded ability.

While the tone does sometimes veer uneasily between comedy and drama, this is still a welcome addition to any Western fans library, an example of what can be done with a strong cast and a script that doesn't talk down to its audience.

Looking like its script might have escaped from the confines of an old Hammer House of Horror or Tales of the Unexpected production meeting, Fright! (Optimum) is the sort of film one expects to see late night on ITV, though that's no bad thing in this case.

Susan George is schoolgirl Amanda, called to the house of Jim (George Cole) and Helen (Honor Blackman) to babysit for their young son. Copious close-ups of the locks on the front door and Blackman's wide-eyes tells us that Something Is Wrong but it's not until Jim and Helen have left Amanda on her own that the problem becomes clear.

Years ago Helen happened to be married to homicidal maniac Brian (Ian Bannen), a man who has just been released from prison and who now wants nothing more than to get back to his house to see his wife and child. And perhaps kill them if the mood takes him.

Full of odd camera angles, creaking doors and strangers at the window – Cole's future partner-in-crime Dennis Waterman turns up at one point as Amanda's boyfriend – Fright! Certainly has its moments of suspense, but not enough to make it a classic. Any chance to see the late Bannen is usually a welcome one, and if you're looking to watch a very British chiller, this could be for you.

Staying with psychopathic killers, 1970's Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Odeon Entertainment) hails from Italian director Mario Bava, a man famed for his genre work in such “classics” as Danger: Diabolik and The Whip and the Body.

With the intention of raising the low budget horror's sales potential in America, Canadian actor Stephen Forsyth was shipped to Europe to star as wedding boutique owner John Harrington. Running the business with his wife Mildred (Laura Bett), Harrington tries to live a life of normality, only marred by tendencies to murder pretty young brides on their wedding nights as he tries to recall a traumatic episode from his childhood.

Held back from having a playboy lifestyle by his nagging wife, Harrington proceeds to murder her just as a local police inspector decides to take a close interest in the boutique owners life.

Packed with visually arresting images and plot developments that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief, Hatchet for the Honeymoon is nonetheless a lot of fun. It won't win any awards for the acting but the gaudy colours and ridiculously OTT plot and direction keeps it powering along till the bitter, and rather clever, end.

I'll never forget what's his name

2010-01-15T20:28:00.001Z

We all have our favourite actors, stars who we'll pay to see in just about anything. For me it's The Great Escape's James Garner. You'll have your own and that's what they're there for, to get bums on seats.

Suggesting anyone would watch a film for the extras (or supporting artists) in the background would be ridiculous – wouldn't it?

I was inspired to think about the subject this week by new book A Quiet Man Miscellany (Atrium) by Des MacHale. It takes a fond look back at the 1952 John Wayne film The Quiet Man, the story of an American (Wayne) who returns to Ireland to reclaim his family's land.

MacHale has investigated everything related to the film, uncovering a mystery involving an actor not credited in the film's end credits. You'll need to read the book to discover whether he finds the answer, but I started wondering about these ignored extras.

Did you know that Bruce Willis, Michael Caine and Matt Damon all started out as extras? Even Fidel Castro appeared in 1946's Holiday in Mexico before he became slightly better known.

My claim to movie fame came when for two days I “starred” as a doctor in the remake of South Pacific in Australia with Glenn Close. OK, you can't see me on screen in the final product but I know I'm there, trying hard to look like I belonged in the 1940s.

What about the girl who was the first victim of Jaws? The passengers who fell to their deaths in Titanic or the New Yorkers killed in Cloverfield? Who were the cowboys in all those Westerns whose characters are guilty of no more than getting caught up with a bad crowd, ending up in a bar room brawl or shot by the movie's hero?

They each turned up on set to give it their all. They told stories to their friends and family about the time Eastwood or McQueen killed them. Weren't they as much a part of their film's success as Clint and Steve?

We don't know their names and we'll never hear their stories, but without them they would be duller films. So, in the absence of an Oscar category for them, let's hear it for the faceless men (and women) in the background, each one a star in their own way and each a little part of movie history.

DVD Round-up, 10 January 2009

2010-01-09T21:39:00.013Z

Set in Johannesburg, featuring prawn-like aliens whose dialogue needs on-screen subtitles to be understood and a leading character who is racist (or is that speciest?) towards the aliens, District 9 (Sony Pictures) isn't your typical feelgood film.

Throw in some clever parallels to South African politics, a brilliant central performance from Sharlto Copley as desk-bound paper pusher Wikus Van De Merwe and a smart script which slowly builds up the tension as things go from bad to worse for Wikus, and you've got something special.

Add an executive producer in the shape of Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and some of the best CGI you'll see this year – the aliens look like they're interacting with the humans in many scenes and watching the various guns and gadgets in action is intense – and District 9 becomes a contender for best action/sci-fi film of 2009, if not the last few years.

The effects look gorgeous on the Blu-ray edition, a commentary from direct Neil Blomkamp and extras such as the three part filmmaker's documentary and in-depth looks at how the visuals were created helping to make this as informative as it is entertaining.

Short films may be an acquired taste, but 1965's Paris vu Par (Artificial Eye) puts an interesting spin on the genre by linking six stories by half a dozen of France's finest directors via different neighbourhoods of Paris.

Each director – Jean Douchet, Jean Rouche, Jean-Daniel Pollet, Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Goddard and Claude Chabrol – is given a separate cast and script and allowed to delve into various relationships and situations.

From a two-timing hussy attempting to pacify her lovers to a comedically-confused shop owner who thinks he's murdered a tramp with his umbrella and a bored housewife determined to see more of the world, the films are all timeless in the stories they tell.

Out of all them it's Chabrol's La Muette which is the stand out piece, a funny, yet shocking, vignette which will catch even the most hardened film fan by surprise.

In each mini-epic it's Paris that remains stalwart in the background, a non-judgemental onlooker happy to remain the playground of the tourists while real life takes place in its suburbs. Paris vu Par is a gorgeous little film which will demand re-watching.

The last few weeks may have seen the birth of a new Time Lord on our TV screens in the latest Doctor Who adventure, but turn the clock back 47 years and there's a chance to see the very first Doctor, aka actor William Hartnell, in his last film role before the Tardis beckoned.

The World Ten Times Over (Optimum) tells the story of nightclub hostess Billa (Sylvia Simms) who shares a flat with fun loving Ginnie (June Ritchie) in the London of the early 1960s. As the glamour of the back street clubs starts to fade and Billa is faced with her distant father (Hartnell) who has come to visit, the world of the two women begins to disintegrate around them.

Although a bleak film, The World Ten Times Over is worth watching for the strong performances of Hartnell and Simms as a father and daughter who have drifted so far apart they don't know how to communicate anymore.

Simms in particular gives Billa a world weariness which makes her all too believable and it's surprising this film has been so overlooked in the long list of Sixties classics we subscribe to.

Moving out of London and into the 1970s, Spring and Port Wine (Optimum) takes us up to the factories of the industrial north of England and into the lives of the Crompton family, led by patriarch Rafe (James Mason).

Fiercely proud and determined not to make the same mistakes his parents did, Rafe ensures that his large family never borrow or live on Hire Purchase, their lives revolving around their small house and meal times together.

When youngest daughter Hilda (Susan George) refuses to eat the meal provided, arguing she puts her wages in the pot and deserves the right to choose, it's the catalyst for a sequence of events which threatens to tear the family apart for good.

Based on a play by screenwriter Bill Naughton, there's a definite stage-bound feel to the film, TV director Roger Hammond keen to keep the family gathered around the kitchen table. Young actors such as George, Hannah Gordon and Rodney Bewes imbue the film with energy while James Mason impresses as the father who knows best but who always has a twinkle in his eye.

Of all the characters it's perhaps Diana Coupland as Mother who has provides the heart the film and it's her the camera lingers on as the madness around her grows to a crescendo.

A snapshot of a way of life now long gone, Spring and Port Wine is a memorable ensemble piece with a nice line in humour which lightens the darker edges.

From the sublime to the ridiculous now, with the arrival of The Lost Continent (Optimum) on DVD. Made by the House of Blood itself, Hammer, the opening sequence of a motley ships crew watching their Captain (Eric Porter) commit a body to the ocean soon flashes back to the events which led to current events.

Those events involve a mysterious cargo, odd passengers and mutiny, each new twist resulting in a group of strange bedfellows drifting into misty waters and ending up in a land that time has seemingly forgot (though that's another film entirely).

With a budget that apparently ran out during filming and a script which veers between serious and ludicrous, this is a mixed bag.

There's undoubtedly something fun in watching giant squid eating nefarious characters, but when a group of Spanish religious nuts turn up sacrificing humans to appease their god, it's hard to know what the scriptwriter was thinking.

One for a rainy Sunday, The Lost Continent is good campy fun: just watch out for the squid.

Finally, And Then There Were None (Optimum) is a 1970s take on 1930s Agatha Christie novel Ten Little Indians, a claustrophobic and typically convoluted story centring on a group of disparate characters brought together in an old house in the desert by the mysterious Mr Owen (the voice of Orson Welles).

Oliver Reed, Elke Sommer and Richard Attenborough are among the rag-tag group - French crooner Charles Aznavour even popping up to provide a slightly jarring musical interlude – and it's never less than entertaining to watch them each trying to out-act the other.

Your enjoyment of the film no doubt depends on your tolerance for Agatha Christie, especially Christie minus Marple and Poirot, but there's enough sheer nastiness and a great enough sense of mystery here to make it one of the better adaptations of her work.

What will you be watching in 2010?

2010-01-08T12:18:00.005Z

In today's Edinburgh Evening News I laid out some of my film watching plans for 2010, mainly involving revisiting some classics - a year of Akira Kurosawa and film noir - as well as improving my cinema-going experience by avoiding watching 30 minutes of adverts each time and reading fewer spoilers.

Generally I just want to watch more quality at the cinema and at home, whether that's blockbusters, foreign films or golden oldies - I'll try to share as many discoveries as I can here on the blog and in the paper on a Friday.

If you have any resolutions, or recommendations, let me know in the comments section - or over on Twitter - and I'll do my best to check them out.

Happy viewing!

The long and winding Road

2010-01-06T23:04:00.006Z

It might be cold outside (OK, it is cold outside), but at least it's not a barren wasteland inhabited by highly suspect people attacking the weak and weary (OK, maybe it depends where you go on a Saturday night) - unlike in The Road which is out in cinemas this week.

The film is an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel, a post-apocalyptic nightmare where a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) travel the road as the world collapses around them.

Like the novel, this is a bleak vision of the future, a very near future. Also like the novel, not much actually happens, though I won't spoil the plot for anyone new to the story. I enjoyed the film for Mortensen's performance and the look of the film (I'm a sucker for bleak landscapes) but I couldn't help but wonder what the point of making it actually was.

The fact that the story is so minimal works well in the book, McCarthy's prose carrying the reader along with the characters as they get hungrier and dirtier at the turn of each page. On screen the interaction between Mortensen and Smit-McPhee works and the film doesn't outstay its welcome, but whether it remains memorable is another matter.

Sometimes a novel should remain a novel and not be shoehorned into something it isn't, however good the actors. Perhaps viewers of the film who don't know the book will feel differently and if you haven't read it I'd welcome your thoughts on the film.

Otherwise maybe think twice about taking this particular cinematic journey.