Bourne Ultimatum, The'

Prelude: The Bourne Series
In the modern era of action films, this series brought some ground-breaking change to the equation as it kicked off with The Bourne Identity back in 2002. I personally have noted many film reviews referencing the Bourne films as though they are now the standard template where it comes to espionage films. Though I wouldn't give it 'that' much credit, I certainly did much enjoy the Bourne Identity on its release. The baby-faced Matt Damon was more than met the eye.

Then in 2004 came The Bourne Supremacy, the mandatory sequel to a successful film, (especially where they already have further source material at the ready), which explored further the scarred character of Jason Bourne adding further depth and insight into his past. Or did it? Having not seen the films since their initial cinema release & discussing them with a couple of friends, surprisingly we found ourselves actually struggling to distinguish between the two.

We recalled that both were good enjoyable action flicks, and that there was a great car chase, some awesome hand to hand fighting & wait ah, that was it, the distinguising factor was some of that shaky camera stuff that was mentioned in every instance that I recall reading about the second film, but seriously I'll have to watch them again to actually refresh myself with what actually happened in them.

Normally I would have made the effort to watch them before going to see this, but Richard has kept my evenings and weekend schedule of film-watching quite on the busy side & so I tumbled along to Leicester Square for the screening for The Bourne Ultimatum feeling unprepared somewhat.

Plot Synopsis:
Rogue agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is being hunted by the people in the CIA who trained him to be an assassin. Still suffering from amnesia and determined to finally learn of his true identity, he is lured out of hiding to contact a journalist named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), who has been following his story. Throughout his research, Ross has gathered valuable information about Bourne and the Treadstone project. This is rather inconvenient for U.S. government official Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), who is hoping to start a similar covert organisation.

With intent to kill Bourne and the journalist before they expose the program's disturbing secrets, Vosen sends agent Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) to lead the search effort. Simultaneously, Paz (Edgar Ramirez), one of the remaining living Treadstone assassins, is dispatched to find and neutralize Bourne and Ross. In order to finally learn of his true origins and find inner peace, Bourne will have to evade, out-maneuver, and outsmart the deadliest group of highly-trained agents and assassins yet.

Review:
Bearing in mind this is officially the year of three-quels, I expected yet another rehash of the prior Bourne films, whereby Jason Bourne stumbles across some information, follows this up, chases answers about his past, taking him from one country to the next with the expected as standard, hand-to-hand action fights, car chases et al, as I mentioned above, but with a higher budget to treat us with bigger explosions & more battered cars.

To an extent I was right, all the above ingredients are in the mix, but I got far more than I bargained for. At the risk of sounding like a spoiler, Jason Bourne finds some substantial answers this time round. This came as a bit of a pleasant surprise to me.

It seems mandatory that I say something about shaking-cameras that Peter Greengrass introduced to the supremacy. Well, either I've got used to it, which I sincerely doubt, or its calmed down. I'm going to discard the point with, yes, there were instances of jittery cameras involved but not enough to take you away from the ongoings.

Matt Damon has certainly come out of his shell, his confidence and enthusiasm comes across throughout. You're no longer thinking, "but he's just a baby-faced boy". You're thinking: He's pretty badass, I wonder how he'd fare against Jack Bauer or James Bond. (and so the battle of the JB's ensues, it's not just me I've been hearing about this all over the place).

A special mention is deserved for the spectuacular fight choreography of the film, the first major action scene in the film at Waterloo station in London, got the largest cheering from the audience as he took them all down one by one, with the surveilence capturing a snapshot of him in the process. "Oh my God, That's Jason Bourne."

Anyway, like any of the JB's in action, you do have to suspend your beliefs a little. the hero is going to get his way, no matter what, though obstacles there are, little is going to stop him. Once you get past that hurdle, you'll find this is one of the finest action thrillers out there, not only does it have you holding your seat with the tension throughout, but it also has a decent well-written plot.

I wonder if having Scott Z. Burns added to the screenplay writers would perhaps have a hand in this? Having not read the books I couldn't really say for certain, how much is source or how much is screenplay but not only does it escalate the ongoing chase of the prior films to a whole new level, but it also stands tall as a stand-alone film on its own merit.

Handled with a subtlety that the prior installments seemed to lack, I'd say whether you've seen the previous Bourne films or not, with ample doses of action, chases & thrills. This is by far the best action film I have seen this year, hands down!

Just a quick list of things I need to do, more for myself, but you may as well know:

Collect remaining month's of entries & re-insert them into MT.
Re-style / Re-customise MT configuration. Having some 'issues' with its initial config too so thing may come & go in the interim.

Write-ups to do:
Raindance Preview snippets for:
Exhibit A, Congorama, Red Like The Sky
- I've seen all 3 need to write them up 2 done 1 to go.

Filmstalker Reviews for:
Death at a Funeral, Sugarhouse, Breach, The Bourne Ultimatum and Waitress
- Seen 4 of them so far, watching one tomorrow, all yet to be written up.

In addition, need to review The Simpsons Movie .. but that's getting a lower priority based on the above. Now that it's Friday, I also need to go watch Cash, Gandhi My Father, Hoax & I've yet to see Harry Potter & Hairspray too.

Well as you've probably noticed, the site went down. Almost a week now. The website for the hosting providers went down too, which meant the only way I could contact them was one email that wasn't bound to thinktivity (which I google'd). Unsurprisingly, this isn't the first time:

I've had numerous such issues before with them:
8th May to 10th May: Downtime with further issues with mail until 15th May. I was told when it was fixed (by which time I knew as I checked every hour of the night & day).
22nd June: Down for a day, no explanation given.
18th July: Few hours downtime. Explanation "The service went down due to a DDOS attack and hard drive upgrade."

I didn't post about this as a hatred for them, as I can understand. In the IT world, some things are just plain beyond us, not much can be done. No data was lost so overall I was okay with it. That said, keeping us in the loop with what's going on .. quite important in my books.

26th July ... Still down .. One response! Unacceptable!!

The only response I got was 5 days ago (I have chased multiple times since):
"My servers and server provider have disappeared. There's nothing I can do right now."

So I've moved providers, gone for something UK based this time (EUKhost). I'll slowly fix the links, looks and images, but FilmStalker Screenings (+ 5 pending reviews), as well as watching & writing previews for the upcoming Raindance Film Festival are keeping me busy at the moment. (+ ofcourse the FTW 9to5 job I have). So bear with me, I estimate everything will be up and back to normal within a week.

Breach'

Plot Outline:
In February, 2001, Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper), a senior agent with 25 years in the FBI, is arrested for spying. Jump back two months: Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillipe), a computer specialist who wants to be made an agent is assigned to clerk for Hanssen and to write down everything Hanssen does.

O'Neill is told it's an investigation of Hanssen's sexual habits. As the weeks pass by Hanssen, a devout Catholic, has earnt O'Neill's respect. Even Hansen has warmed to him. O'Neill's wife however resents Hanssen's intrusiveness.

The personal and professional stakes get higher as O'Neill learns from his superiors that Hanssen is a spy. The film here-on follows the struggle of whether he can help catch "the worst spy in history" red-handed and hold onto his personal life?

Overall Impressions:
What sets this film apart from other of a similar genre is firstly that it is a true story, secondly that it tells us right from the beginning how it will end, and thirdly that this being one of the most important cases in the history of the FBI, it surprises that they got someone with virtually no undercover experience to do the job. Why? My guess is the only sense I could find is that somebody that has worked the system for 25 years, will no he ins and outs, so a rookie trying to deceive him would be refreshing. What strikes as refreshing to the viewer is how i remains realistic and even so the way he manages to just about hang in there, keeping his cool in the midst of this madness that really sticks out.

The growing relationship of the two principal characters, has a level of fear and paranoia, as well as a subtle layer of respect and fondness growing on both sides. O'Neill sees a side to Hanssen that the FBI were never going to see. He sees a devout catholic dedicated to his job, his wife and his faith, preaching at every opportunity he can find. When he is informed that Hanssen is a spy, he finds it hard to believe or digest, as do we. Throughout, we have our doubts about whether these are mere allegations, until some proof comes about.

The on-goings from beginning to end are engaging and keep your interest peaked, whether it be the fact that the tension is gradually handicapping O'Neill's personal life or the progression of trust and deceit between him and Hanssen. The way O'Neill is able to use Hanssen's faith against him is humorous but convincing & quite realistic.

Interestingly, most of the work here is done through simple conversation, no big action shootouts, no big explosions, but it is certainly an effective narrative. Though in the perspective of the character of O'Neill who is the central focus, it's Hanssen (Chris Cooper) who steals the show. As I said above we're not really sure of where we stand with him. He is impossible to read, yet with enough evidence put forward to let us have our suspicions. In the end we're not even really sure why he did what he did. We know it wasn't the money, we can only assume it was his ego. Considering his strong beliefs it feels that he doesn't even realise his double standards, which shows him up as flawed and thus more humane.

Overall, a very well put together tense drama, proving once again that a thriller doesn't need car chases and explosions to thrill. Simple conversation can be sufficient. With a spectacular performance by both Ryan Phillipe and Chris Cooper, it's certainly worth a watch. The only concern being the numerous other releases at the same time.

The Simpsons: Movie'

Plot Outline:
In the eagerly-awaited film based on the hit television series, Homer must save the world from a catastrophe he himself created. It all begins with Homer, his new pet pig, and a leaky silo full of droppings. A combination that triggers a disaster the likes of which Springfield has never experienced. As Marge is outraged by Homer's monumental blunder, a vengeful mob descends on the Simpson household. The family makes a narrow escape, but is soon divided by both location and conflict. As the fates of Springfield and the world hang in the balance, Homer embarks on a personal odyssey of redemption - seeking forgiveness from Marge, the reunion of his splintered family, and the salvation of his hometown.

Overall Impressions:
Exactly what it says it is. It's the Simpsons & it's a movie. I had concern that it would perhaps feel like a Sky One 3 episode back to back Sunday experience, but actually it does hold up as a film on its own merit. It doesn't take for granted that you know the series well, but I'm sure it has a few extra treats in there for those who do. (I'm not one of them). There's really very little else to say. 15 years on, The Simpsons are still funny, if you're a fan you'll love it, if not you'll probably still enjoy it.

Worth checking out for Spider-Pig even if you're not a simpsons fan.

Sugarhouse'

Plot Outline:
Based on Dominic Leyton''s critically acclaimed stage play called Collision. It''s the story os Tom (Steven Mackintosh) who is a middle-class city boy whose life has reached breaking point. D (Ashley Walters) is a young crack-head: smart, witty, desperate.

Tom is completely out of his depth when he finds himself in D''s abandoned warehouse attempting to do a ''deal'' with the energetic; volatile drug addict. The two enter into an irrational, deadly game of cat and mouse. The tense drama escalates when psychotic local crime-lord Hoodwink (Andy Serkis) wakes up to find his snub nose gun missing.

Overall Impressions:
Nifty little film, well structured and exceeded my expectations. It's the simplicity and performances that struck me. Admittedly it still felt like a play, just with more props and locations, but why fix what already works?

A simple, effective, gritty film that reflects a less glamourisd London than we're used to seeing.

Death at a Funeral''

Plot Outline:
On the morning of their father''s funeral, the family and friends of the deceased each arrive with his or her own roiling anxieties. The son, Daniel, knows he will have to face his flirty, blow-hard, famous-novelist brother Robert, who''s just flown in from New York--not to mention the promises of a new life he''s made to his wife Jane.

Meanwhile, Daniel''s cousin Martha and her dependable new fiance Simon are desperate to make a good impression on Martha''s uptight father, a plan that literally goes out the window when Simon accidentally ingests a designer drug en route to the service, leaving him prone to uncontrollable bouts of delirium and nudity in front of his potential in-laws.\n\nThen comes the real shocker: a mysterious guest who threatens to unveil an earth-shattering family secret. It is now up to the two brothers to hide the truth from their family and friends, and figure out how to not only bury their dearly beloved, but also the secret he''s been keeping.

Review:
With a title like Death at a Funeral, you'd certainly hope this is a comedy, and it is. A dark little comedy with only a pinch of respect left for the deceased. From the very outset when the funeral home delivers the wrong body, you know what to expect from this film. It exploits the formalities and the things people do or don't do at funerals out of confusion, grief or respect.

Throwing into the mix, rivalry of the siblings, politics of the extended family, a one night stand, an old uncle on a wheelchair, a bunch of hallucinogenic drugs and a dark secret of the deceased and you're surely onto a winner, right? Well, sort of.

It has good writing by Dean Craig, the structure and all the components do fit together tightly, there's no complaining there, however it lacks a certain freshness and feels like a path we've walked before. I assume there is little you can do to make fun of a funeral that hasn't been seen & done before.

The main strength of he film is its witty dialogue, followed by its performances. Though primarily it is about the two sons of the deceased, Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen) and celebrity novelist Robert (Rupert Graves), the focus does deviate frequently to the multiple subplots. In line with the mayhem that the film sets out to achieve, this works a charm. All the cast gets ample scope to add their contribution of madness to the pot.

This is also its weakness though, as it feels on the verge of being a bit 'too' much. The mayhem seems too perfect. Everyone is at the right place at the right time to add their witty dialogue or action to chuck in that extra joke. It seems as though they aimed to do to Funerals what Airplane did to films about plane journeys, but unfortunately this is not achieved.

I cant think of that many films that play with the comic aspect around funerals, but Wedding Crashers and Four Weddings and a Funeral spring to mind. There is also the TV series Six Feet Under, which added a further depth by having the dead communicating selectively with the living.

Back to the film, quite predictably, the mayhem eventually boils over and brings us to a climax where the issues that have been brought to our attention are either resolved or set in motion to be resolved. At the risk of sounding repetitive, it all seems quite clinical, adding randomness to this mix and not tying up everything so neatly only would have added to the viewing pleasure.

Possible moral of the story:
If you care, try not dying, you never know what might happen to you after that.

All said and done, though nothing ground-breaking, it is an enjoyable little caper, it does what it says on the tin, it entertains. With multiple laugh out loud cracks seeded into a compost of smirk worthy moments to take away, it's worth a watch if you fancy something short and sweet, to kill a couple of hours.

So it's been a while since I did a personal post, so here goes. A note about the people that have most annoyed me over the last week (& probably a lot longer).

People with umbrellas. Nothing against the brollies, just the people. Some idiots carry their brollies as though their own required space hasn't increased at all with the brolly now open. The number of umbrellas I have dodged while walking in the rain is larger than pi which is more than enough. Rain doesn't irritate me at all, in fact its quite pleasnt in small doses, but the agony of having these muppets, walking the streets with open brollies like their mother owned the road & you had no right upon it is unacceptable.

Worse still was the damned two women I encountered two totally independent bus stops, who had their umbrellas open but wouldn't shift into the rain when walking towards me. I mean you have shelter, I don't, I'll take the shelter I can get, is it not common sense? Lestat went into the rain on one of these occasions while I simply waited blocking their way until they shifted. I honestly think I was being too kind, I should have taken her approach & walked head strong straight into her, the force would have thrown her into the road into the puddle that the stupid cow was probably trying to avoid a few moments earlier.

Transformers'

Plot Outline:
A long time ago, far away on the planet of Cybertron, a war was being waged between the noble Autobots (led by the wise Optimus Prime) and the devious Decepticons (commanded by the dreaded Megatron) for control over the Allspark, a mystical talisman that would grant unlimited power to whoever possessed it.

The Autobots managed to smuggle the Allspark off the planet, but Megatron blasted off in search of it. He eventually tracked it to the planet of Earth (circa 1850), but his reckless desire for power sent him right into the Arctic Ocean, and the sheer cold forced him into a paralyzed state. His body was later found by Captain Archibald Witwicky, and before going into a comatose state Megatron used the last of his energy to engrave a map, showing the location of the Allspark, into the Captain's glasses, and send a transmission to Cybertron.

He is then carted away by the Captain's ship. A century later, Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf), nicknamed Spike by his friends, buys his first car. To his shock, he discovers it to be Bumblebee, an Autobot in disguise who is to protect Spike, as he bears the Captain's glasses and the map carved on them. But Bumblebee is not the only Transformer to have arrived on Earth.

In the desert of Qatar, the Decepticons Blackout and Scorponok attack a U.S. military base, causing the Pentagon to send their special Sector Seven agents to capture all "specimens of this alien race," and Spike and his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) find themselves in the middle of a grand battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, stretching from Hoover Dam all the way to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, within the depths of Hoover Dam, the cryogenically stored form of Megatron awakens..

Overall Impressions:
I have a memory of these robots in disuise being the most spoken of cartoon when I was at school. I didn't have TV back then so all this talk just got on my nerves. In fact, big colourful robots really don't appeal to me, all the above said, I did appreciate the film for what it was. The robots looked amazing. At no point did I think, "that looks fake". This point alone makes the film worth viewing at the cinemas. What we know Michael Bay does well in his films certainly holds for this one: big shiny things & huge explosions. In addition there is an underlying sense of humour through the film that I also enjoyed.

Shia (after Disturbia which the UK still hasn't seen released) is definitely earning a reputation for having a pleasant on-screen presence. He reminds me a little of Zach Braff which only adds to his credential. It's fair to say his character is probably the most central. Having Megan Fox around allowed the humour to be maintained, (plus she is warm).

Moving on to the robots, Bumblebee (The yellow car) gets the most screen time & character development, I also liked the fact that he didn't speak, his communicating through the car radio was believable. As boy meets car turned robot, it was good to see the roundup of the full Autobots team when Sam gets the gaps filled in my Optimus Prime. It showed much potential for the characters (which leaves scope for sequels I'm sure). It was little dubious how Sam believed everyting Prime told him though, maybe mommy never told him not to talk to strangers as a kid.

For me, this was probably also the point where it started to go downhill. The viewers expectations would rise to a certain high with the team assembled, unfortunately, what follows doesn't really didn't deliver, or does it? My point here is the pre-climax got a lot of robot battling action out there, which is amazing to watch, but I'm really not sure what happened. I couldn't always tell who was fighting or even why on earth they decided to take the cube to a civilian area. Partly this is due to the lack of character given to each robot (with the exception of Bumblebee & Prime), on the Decepticon side, I couldn't tell you any way of distinguising between them except when they were named.

All said & done, it's worth seeing but with an aeye for the amazing effects rather than the characterisation. With inevitable sequels lines up, I see hope for this series yet.

Possible moral of the story:
If we as a planet get attacked by big fricking robots, learn to distinguish between the good & evil ones. The ones with vivid colours that children can access in the form of wax crayons are the good ones, the others are the evil ones. Once we have this clear we'll know which side to take in the war. I am making the assumption that the bad robots won't come in disguise.

I've also been informed that if they show up in two dimensions and look as though they've been drawn then distinguisihing between them may be a little harder. If you require the techinicalities, comment & a response shall be given (probably by Demon).

Worth watching for the extremely believable effects. If you like the idea of robots fighting & transorming into vehicles, you're onto a total winner. Just don't go expecting the characterisation of the robots that the cartoons boast of.

Partner

Plot Outline:
In the sophisticated romantic comedy, Prem (Salman Khan), a legendary Mumbai City "date doctor" a.k.a "Love Guru" who has helped hundreds of men woo the women of their dreams. In his childhood he understood a woman's likes and dislikes in food, clothes or men as he had several sisters. His aim is to help those men who like or love the women, not those out to simply bed them.

His most difficulat client is bumbling Bhaskar (Govinda), who is in love with Priya (Katrina Kaif), the rich and famous daughter of an industrialist tycoon. Prem after noting Bhaskar's character sees this as an impossible task, especially considering the girl's status, after much hesitation he helps Bhaskar find his lady love.

Even the ultimate professional bachelor himself discovers that all of his tried and tested tricks of the trade are no match for Naina (Lara Dutta), the one woman he falls for; she works for a newspaper as a journalist.

Overall Impressions:
You've probably guessed already but this film is quite highly inspired by Hollywood the film Hitch, but don't let that put you off, as Hitch had a Will Smith to boast about while we have Salman Khan, I can see how that vaguely equates. Hitch had Kevin James who was very good, but on our side we have Govinda, a comedy legend, a league of his own. So getting straight to it, this film has everything you expect from a David Dhawan film.

What is that you ask? A plot that could have made sense but doesn't because it's that drenched in jokes, a number of characters and events that just aren't believable yet still manage to make you like them. Yep, a David Dhawan film means it's time to switch brain off and take a ride to a land of laughter.

For people that thought Govinda is a thing of the past, this'll put them straight. He may look a little older, but he's still got it. Although playing a secondary role he comes up beyond that and even outshines Salman (not that Salman is in the background). Salman Khan is basically Salman Khan, thankfully he's taking it a little easy flambouyant personality he's developed over the last decade & slipping into a little more mature attitude as far as the acting goes, he's not taking himself too seriously, and I really think that's what the people need to see from him about now, it's amusing seeing him taking digs at himself for his 'rip his top off' scenes too.

The leading ladies surprisingly manage to make their presene felt in this comedy dominated by the men, maybe it's just my crush on Katrina though making it tough for me to not notice her.

If I try picking apart the structure of this film I'd be here for hours, I mean they had a structure (ie; Hitch) but then they've doused it with so many jokes that the plot started wavering, the funnies were given priority over sensibilities, so I'll just say if you watch this, see it as the non-sense comedy it is rather than a plot & you'll be fine, if you're looking for a structured story, this probably won't have fallen under your radar to see anyway.

It does what it says on the tin, it's funny & it entertains. An enjoyable laughathon with Govinda & Salman as the perfect comedy partners.

Naqaab (Disguised Intentions)

Plot Outline:
Naqaab tells the story of Sophie (Urvashi Sharma), a young girl from a middle-class family. She is engaged to millionaire Karan Khanna (Bobby Deol). When she meets Vicky Malhotra (Akshaye Khanna) her affections shift to him and problems begin in her relationship with Karan.

The focus of the film also shifts to the shady past of all three characters, with some unexpected elements thrown in. Who does Urvashi choose? Who does she really want? What are their shady pasts?

Overall Impressions:
Yet another good film, which could have been better advertised, as far as the online site & press kit goes. The synopsis makes it sound like yet another love triangle, but that couldn't be any more wrong. The trailer I must say was more accurate to the ongoings.

Being in Cambridge I found myself missing this on its opening night & I'm not too happy about that. I really would have liked to see the response of the packed house on Friday (I enquired & it did sell out as I thought it would). Anyway putting my bitterness aside, moving straight to the film. The film is something Indian cinema has rarely witnessed. Yep, it's that good. Abbas-Mustan are known for their thrillers, but this one is balanced so well, it makes me wonder if their prior work was actually this good. It's not your generic love triangle, nor is it a simple who-dun-it style film either. The film works its magic by throwing the viewer a trail to follow. The entire way, we are being given clues that tell us that things aren't quite what they seem.

What is interesting is, as it unravels little by little, each prediction you make based on the clues given, some are expected & some are not, however the trail doesn't end until the very end. We keep getting a flow of things to guess & double guess. In the pre-climax when it's all out in the open, it is a bit of a shock, as you're wondering how this can end and the fact that it's been over 90 minutes doesn't even occur to you, this is the film's largest strength.

Performances all round only help, the new-comer Urvashi is confident and shows promise, Bobby Deol is playing a rich tycoon again, but he does it so well, I can see why he's given the role. It's Akshaye Khanna that this time steals the show. He's an absolute natural. The music in the film is minimal, but stays with you after the show, yet another trait of the Abbas-Mustan thrillers.

Possible moral of the story:
Let's just say if camcorders are all the craze these days, by stalkers & private detectives, its probably something I should take on board & lookout for. Invest in one? Perhaps, perhaps not, but certainly keep an eye open for if I'm being filmed. That or always pose, just in case.

Perhaps not the most shocking thriller of the year as its labelled itself, but certainly one of the better ones. Would recommend to anyone looking for something out of the ordinary.

Sivaji - The Boss

Plot Outline:
The film begins with a person being cast into the Central Jail, Chennai. When asked what he did wrong, he says that he tried to do good for the people. We see that this is the protagonist Sivaji (Rajinikanth). A flashback is shown to when he returned from the US as a Software Systems Architect to Chennai. He has brought Rs. 249.990 crores that he has earned in the US.

He intends to start a charity organization called Sivaji Foundation and build hospitals and educational institutions which will service the poor free of charge. However, he faces roadblocks to his plans in the form of bureaucracy and corrupt officials. Setting aside his principles, he bribes his way through the system, losing his assets in huge chunks, even mortgaging his house and personal property in the process. With corruption having infinite hunger his resources are all gone. His competition with the aid of the corrupt have left him in the streets to beg.

Overall Impressions:
I should point out, this is the first Indian film I am seeing where I don't actually understand the language & had to rely on the subtitles. I'm sure some of the jokes went to waste on me but no much, as most of it is extremely visual. The kids of the 80's will remember Rajnikant from films like Hum and Brashtachar. He's done a few hindi flicks but it's the Tamil sub-industry where he is seen as a total rock star. I can see why to some extent, he has a confident personality & style about him that is unique, a somebody that the people out there can aspire to be like.

The first half of the film is a little slow but as the synopsis suggests, he digs the hole in which he's to find himself stuck in. Given a 1-rupee piece as a mockery of him, at intermission point he takes it as his only resource to turn his fate around. In true Rajni fashion, he also decides to wipe out all the country's black money by taking the matter into is own hands. Commiting laundery for the good of the people, thus cleansing the money & breaking every organisation that stands between him & his goal. Though unrealistic, it points at some possibilities for the future of India, how there are solutions to the problems out there, only if people take some responisibility for themselves.

The love story and songs waivered into the plot are a hindrance to the ongoings. That said as standalone pieces, the songs look as though they chewed up a budget of a film in itself, but
above all what stood out to me about this film is how it took me back to my childhood, the late 70's and 80's film nostalgia took over me.

The action was totally over-the-top. Cars exploding, One man fighting 30 men with musical instruments for weapons, the full works. It was like watching a Jet Li film without the martial arts. Though totally defying reality, it finds a good place for escapism & fun, while relaying a message that we've heard and said hundreds of times. Corruption must end.

All the above said & done, I enjoyed it & the main reason is the atmosphere in the cinema, it felt like being back in Leicester again on the opening night to a Bollywood film, the crowd cheered the hero as soon as he made his entrance, boo'd the bad guys, whistled at the women folk, and cheered on the hero when he did anything cool, the full works.

Not a necessary film, more a guilty pleasure. Kids who liked those Mithoon & Amitabh films of the 80's may enjoy this, but prefer watching their old favorites again due to the language barrier.

Killing of John Lennon, The

Plot Outline:
John Lennon is known by most people, the Ex-Beatle who was assasinated December 8th 1980. Shot at five times with hollow point bullets from a .38 revolver by Mark Chapman. This film is about Mark Chapman & the three months that preceeded the shooting.

Mark Chapman's chilling words: "I was nobody until I killed the biggest somebody on earth." hold pretty much the weight of the film in it's very meaning.

Overall Impressions:
In the opening titles we are told that all of Mark Chapman's words in the film are his own, giving us a clear insight into the film's narrative being very much 'real'. What follows is how from merely being a disturbed young individual, his path wavers all over the place and soon finds focus in the assasination.

With an outstanding performance from Jonas Ball, who is hardly off screen, this presents the story of Lennon's killer in a way that is quite worrying. It taps the viewer with things they can easily relate to, things that people think but don't say, the more unstable kind of psyche that has to kept in check. At the surface of it, this guy is a human being just like you, me, the people we know.

The fact he coudn't keep it in check and that he became so focussed and determined to kill Lennon is probably the point where he's no longer one of us, but upto that point he has the human parallels that make the latter half quite chilling. As the story unfolds towards inevitable tragedy, you really do find yourself hoping that he won't do it, but he does. The film probably should have ended here, however it carries on and explains the words from the opening. He practically became famous over this, he even promoted the bok that supposedly inspired him to take the actions.

This whole stint in the last twenty minutes was uncomfortable and irritating. The guy was making excuses of God telling him to kill Lennon, later being exorcised for demons, it was all a bit of a mush. He couldn't make his mind up about the 'why' he did it, the only thing he was clear about is 'what' he did. The closing of the film tells us he's still locked away in maximum security.

Incidentally, the actor reminded me of Cillian Murphy quite a bit, and the character had vague resemblence in personality to Patrick Bateman, perhaps he was in creation inspired by this, who knows?

Possible moral of the story:
When I become rich & famous, I'm going to have private investigators after anyone that hangs outside where I live & someone watching them too, just in case.

A disturbing and chilling look at a mind of a killer. Very well done, but I'm pretty certain, this won't be for everyone.

Hors De Prix (Priceless)

Plot Outline:
Jean (Gad Elmaleh), a shy waiter at a luxury hotel, pretends to be a millionaire and awakens the interest of Irène (Audrey Tautou), an adventurer who makes wealthy men pay for her bills. When Irène discovers who Jean really is, she escapes. Problem: Jean is in love and goes after her, finding her at Côte d'Azur. Rapidly ruined, he adopts the lifestyle of whom he loves. Step after step they get closer...

Overall Impressions:
Such a silly plot, yet such a good film. Why? Well, it sets out to do one thing only, entertain. Logic for this reason has been thrown out of the window. As the story is set up in the initial ten minutes, we already know where it is going with this. What we don't know is how and how far he will go with this.

It's from here on that it progresses by making you smile while she test the waters of his dedication & this is exactly where it scores. Even the viewer will think, "wow, this is too much" & "what a cow", but in the end its all balanced out.

Possible moral of the story:
Money can buy happiness. Money can buy love temporarily, for a more permanent position, you'll need a good source of money. Like gold-digging, perhaps. (Though I prefer the being Bruce Wayne option).

A very unpredictable romantic comedy, which climax aside skips out over-used cliches and is all the more better for it. One of the best films I've seen at the festival. 'nuff said really.

Evan Almighty

If you take the ark away from the equation don't you think this looks quite similar to the poster for Weather Man??

Plot Outline:
The last time we saw Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), he was being tormented by rival Bruce Nolan onscreen, live from their Buffalo TV station. But as time passed and Evan has made up with Bruce, he's gone onto bigger and better things.

Newly elected to Washington D.C. as a congressman, Evan has left Buffalo, New York in pursuit of a greater calling. But that calling isn't serving in the illustrious ranks of America's politics, but being summoned by the Almighty himself (Morgan Freeman), who has handed Evan the task of building a new ark, much as Noah did before.

With time passing by and his family belittled by Evan's newfound realization, Evan will have to do the work that God has given him in what promises to be an unusual adventure for a man who just wanted to serve his country, might actually be serving humanity.

Overall Impressions:
My expectations were almost Nil. I did enjoy Bruce Almighty thoroughly, but having seen the trailers for this, I did think, perhaps they've gone too far, and they have but it's not as a bad a thing as I had dreaded. Much like Bruce, it holds as a strong family entertainer. Suitable for all ages and all levels of film viewer. An enjoyable experience that has its mushy moments, layered with ample laugh out loud moments.

It opens up with Evan in his new post, getting used to the ropes & realising, if he wants to change the world, he's going to need all the help he can get. As he makes a small and rare prayer, asking for just this, he gets in return more than he'd perhaps initially desired. It takes him quite a while to come to terms with what is happening to him, but as he does & what he does forms a lovable little story, which roots back to the very simple acts of human kindnes that we sometimes seem to forget about while lost in our routines of self-maintenance.

Possible moral of the story:
One 'Act of Random Kindness' at a time. Collect stray animals, people & suchlike whenever you can, be kind & loving to your family if you have one, etc, etc, but what's perhaps not stated but common sense is that obviously you do this stuff once you can afford to.

So realistically, putting yourself in a position where your day-to-day routine actions are lucrative would be a good start. So get yourself into politics, medicine, law, computing or any other power bearing position & then try to change the world. Finding the time when you are ready will probably be the hard part.

Better than you might expect. Very much a family film that can be enjoyed by all.

Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea)

Plot Outline:
Something bizarre has come over the land. The kingdom is deteriorating. People are beginning to act strange... What's even more strange is that people are beginning to see dragons, which shouldn't enter the world of humans. Due to all these bizarre events, Ged, a wandering wizard, is investigating the cause.

During his journey, he meets Prince Arren, a young distraught teenage boy. While Arren may look like a shy young teen, he has a severe dark side, which grants him strength, hatred, ruthlessness and has no mercy, especially when it comes to protecting Therru. For the witch Kumo this is a perfect opportunity. She can use the boy's "fears" against the very one who would help him, Ged to open the gates between life & death thus gaining the immortaility she has long been waiting for.

Overall Impressions:
Well, with Prince Arren stabbing his father & stealing his sword in the opening scene, I wondered where they were going with this, especially considering he is the main 'hero' character, but it all pans out well. Quite a philosophical film when looked at as a whole.

It maintains the humour that I would expect from a film of this genre, while adding some beautiful visuals to be enjoyed by the viewer too. If I were to try & fault this film, it would perhaps only be in its strangeness at times, but I can't really fault it here for this is where its charm lies. In fact, this is rather toned down if compared to either Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away.

Admittedly I haven't seen any of the other works, but it's certainly on my huge to-do list.

So, in the end I guess this would be a good step for someone new to this style of film, to then work up to its predecessors.

Possible moral of the story:
Magicians & sorcerers are cool, they should however ensure that they only use their powers when required though, for the balance of the world depends upon it. Human nature however is prone to misuse this for gain of power and immortality & so basically we're all doomed. No wonder why we have no mystical powers left.

I mean if the option of immortality with power was held in front of us, would we try to take that or embrace that Death is the equal & opposite counterpart to Life, without which life is incomplete?

An enjoyable ride, perhaps not quite up to the level of Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, but never-the-less not to be underestimatd. Well worth a watch.

Lili et le Boabab

Plot Outline
In Richard's much-feted autobiographical film, Romane Bohringer gives a captivating performance as Lili, a French freelance photographer who is hired to document her town's sister community in Senegal.

The sisterly relationship between the two towns reflected in the film's shifts between Cherbourg in Normandy and Agnam in the Sahel is also reflected in the bond Lili (a 33-year-old unmarried woman) forms with Aminata (Aminata Zaaria), a young unmarried woman with an illegitimate child.

Overall Impressions:
Well, for someone like me who doesn't travel much, it's good to see the foreign locales in their raw natural element. (I'm used to seeing them in a vibrant & colourful muse in the Bolly-world) but I wouldnt say that the film quite fits the criteria of entertainer.

It's quite a simple story of a better off by comparison French woman who helps one of the slaves out in Africa, which has a bit of drama, but it's hard to find drama when it's all so real. The African's only seemed quite surprised, disgusted and in some cases jealous of her generosity. That whole a slave should be treated like a slave, and a bastard child is the responsibilty of it's grandfather, who is embarassed and ashamed.

Yes, to the western region I can see how this is harsh & intolerable, human life being precious in all avenues & all that, but out there they don't have help from the local
government, in their poverty that have to find their own set of rules that govern & find some balance.

It's a harsh reality, but it's fact, like the armed forces as an extreme example, if they worried about the life of others out there on the battlefield, theyd be screwed. If some child is between you & a shooting enemy, what's to be chosen as your action? It's not quite the same with the film, but it just felt to me that the outsider though trying to be helpful was violating their environment balance.

I bet they didn't thank her for it, which would explain why she then made a film about it, so others would compliment her works. Just knowing that this film is autobiographical is also a strange thing to me. It's quite a self-indulgent feature. Though visually refereshing I couldn't really get past this.

Possible moral of the story:
I you want people to know how kind and caring you are, make a movie-film about it. Someone's bound to watch it & be inspired.

Visually a treat, the story was less depressing & preachy than I anticipated, but possibly because it was lost in being self-indulgent. Watchable, but not a must.

Disturbia

Plot Outline:
After his father's death, Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf) becomes sullen, withdrawn, and troubled -- so much so that he finds himself under a court-ordered sentence of house arrest after a run in with the law. His mother, Julie (Carrie-Ann Moss), works night and day to support herself and her son, only to be met with indifference and lethargy. The walls of his house begin to close in on Kale. He becomes a voyeur as his interests turn outside the windows of his suburban home towards those of his neighbors, one of which Kale begins to suspect is a serial killer. But, are his suspicions merely the product of cabin fever and his overactive imagination?

Overall Impressions:
Didn't read the tagline, don't see the trailer or know anything about the film? You're probably better off, and in that case it's a total winner. Unfortunately the marketing for this has been done in such a way that it reveals all too much. I was lucky enough not to have seen anything, but I guess a lot of people may not be.

The stup is simple but effective. The film opens up with the fatal accident that scars Kale deeply with the loss of his father. One year later when he hasn't done his homework and sleeps through class, his teacher disgustfully asks him what he thinks his father would have thought of him? As an instant reflexive action he punches the teacher in the face. As he gets prosecuted, the judges appreciate his mental scarring through a loss of a parent & give him a small sentence of 3 months house arrest. He s warned that it may seem lke a breeze but after a few days he may suffer from disturbia and strange thinking.

(Now anyone that knows me & my friends knows, this is no big deal, all you need is your xbox & an internet connection & and you'd be set, for this reason we have a scene specifically showing he has had his xbox live subscription & iTunes account revoked by his dear mother.)

With his new constraints with the addition of ample spare time he soon finds himself bored. So, he picks up his binoculars & does that whole people watching thing. As a perfect resolution to the first act, a hot single girl moves in next door, just as he picks up this new found hobby.

The second act continues quite smoothly. It's from here that the fun begins, as he stalks his neighbourhood, as well as finding out numerous amusing little secrets, he also stumbles into what would seem to be a potential murderer. His car has damage that seems to match a news description connected to a missing girl.

*Spoler Alert*
See its here that you have your doubts about whether it's real or his imagination playing with him. Are the clues all fitting together to prove that his neighbour is in fact a serial-killer or is his paranoia getting the better of him & this is exactly the feeling I got. The ambiguity really does work for it, alas the publicity tells it all to you.

From here knowing how it's all panned out, there can only be one real resolution really, and so the final act becomes much like the third act of a slasher flick. Chase here chase there, screams of pain, screams of terror, a few dead people & finally a dead bad guy. The good guys win, woohoo! Let's just say everything special it had gathered was thrown away at the latter part of the second act.

Now the way I would have handled it would probably reflect something like the end of American Psycho, leave the ambiguity pending, they still could have used the exact same third act, but with an additional spin of him perhaps dealing with his paranoia on a subconscious leve or something of that sort.

Anyway, that's just me, its an enjoyable film as is, I merely though it could have done with that little bit more.

Possible moral of the story:
Being paranoid is probably a bad thing, watching your neighbour's each & every move, learning their dirty little secrets, not so bad, just don't be idiotic enough to get caught. If you decide to take on such a sport, you should be in the power position where you have the information you can use to get these people into trouble. Don't risk reversing that position, else you & yours become victims & that is definitely bad.

Enjoyable, modern day thriller, which probably had more potential to be a smart film rather than a generic money-spinner, a pity in that sense, but as I said, enjoyable none-the-less. Would recommend.

Screen East
Digital Shorts'

Title: Blood on his Hands
Runtime: 9 mins
Directed by: Justin Coleman
Synopsis: James must make a decision about his brothers killer....
A drug addict, should he be allowed he chance to be rehabilitated or should he get the harshest of all penalties through the law? A thought provoking little short, that leaves the resolution open to the individual.

Title: Monoculture
Runtime: 9 mins
Directed by: Jason Cuddy
Synopsis: Harry grows a magical plant and finds happiness, but can he keep it?
By far the best short I have seen here so far. In black & white we see the monotonous lie of a young man, late o work, day & night at work, ending up home, only to rise another day to a similar routine. Until he gets his hands on some seeds that he decides to plant. As the plant flourishes it brings colour to his life & everything that he allows.

He finds himself, living the colourful life with a partner, decorating every aspect of hs life, until the plant itself gets neglected and wilts. Slowly he ends back into the monotone that he originally began in. There is a message here. It's the little things in life that make itcolourful & worth living. It's crucial to remember that these roots need watering, whatever they are.

Title: Guilty?
Runtime: 8 mins
Directed by: Nic Cornwall
Synopsis: Have you got a secret you want to confess?
Visually, not much but a screensaver, but it covers some interesting little stories. It's a montage of confessions & how they are not as big an issue once divulged. Is guilt simply a factor of hiding things? Well I think its quite variable

Title: Under the Stairs
Runtime: 7 mins
Directed by: Mark Wickham
Synopsis: Eve befriends a hungry monster living under the stairs - but can he be trusted?
A sweet little animation, I think its quite straightforward as far as its little plot goes. No, wild things can not be trusted. (Not that humans can either , in fairness)

Title: Mummy and Baddy
Runtime: 7 mins
Directed by: Keith Wilson-Singer
Synopsis: Freddy is an evil super villain living at home with his mum - with disastrous consequences.
It may remind you of Family Guy's Stewie in its execution, but it ends up being a matter of maternal love being endless & without conditions. A nice little mockumentary style animation.

Title: 21st Century Male
Runtime: 7 mins
Directed by: Alex Tweddle
Synopsis: Documentary - John has escaped an abusive relationship, what does the future hold?
About a guy scarred by his relationship. With the aid of a psychologist, it shows some interesting insights into how much mental torture women-folk can put us through as men.

Title: Tsuru
Runtime: 6 mins
Directed by: Tim Edwards, Matthew Reeve & Tristan Brittaine
Synopsis: Tsuru is fighting the darkness... will she survive its grasp?
A bit f a Deja Vu syndrome going on with this one. Many origami animal are consumed by the darkness in the corner of the room, until they combine powers and fight back. It kinda reminded me of Power Rangers in that sense.

Title: Al-Baghdadi
Runtime: 10 mins
Directed by: Maythem Ridha
Synopsis: Ali arrives from Iraq and finds that the UK is not all that he thought it would be..
The struggle of a child in a new country, as well as his experiences of bullying and change, it also covers a more positive adventurous aspect to his move. It simly states it's hard, not too preachy & so it gets my thumbs up.

Thoughts Overall: The best set of shorts I've caught here so far. Pick of the lot is definitely: Monoculture

Eagle Vs Shark

Plot Outline
Fresh from Sundance (Grand Jury Prize nominee), this wickedly offbeat comedy, is New Zealand's wink to US indie hit Napoleon Dynamite. Jarrod (Jemaine Clement), is a lonely oddball and video game clerk who has spent the last decade plotting vengeance on a bully from his high school past.

In spite of himself, Jarrod captures the attention of hopeless romantic Lily (Loren Horsley) at a 'dress as your favourite animal' party, that she slyly gets herself invited to. He an Eagle, she a Shark. A funny fractured romance between two total misfits, woven into an all-consuming quest for revenge.

In addition, it's about two half-eaten apples that find themeselves on a mission to find each other and hangout & enjoy the morning sun.

Overall Impressions:
Well, stating that it's a nod to Napoleon Dynamite is fair in that the feel is very indie, the characters are quite strange all-round and the sense of humour it has probably won't appeal to all, that said those it will appeal to, it will appeal to greatly.

Looking at the structure of this film, it is when broken down to it, a romantic comedy, with a man on a mission. The fact that they don’t overly complicate the characters or the storyline from the given synopsis warrants merit. The simplicity of it leaves ample scope for the character and action to take its cause and this is where it scores highly.

Right from the get-go with dreamy Lily trying her best to get our questionable heroes attention, inviting herself to his party, right through to the climax where the protagonist meets his childhood nemesis.

Leaving the viewer in hysterics by the character’s quirky behaviour and actions, this one I would say deserves a definite credit to the star cast. It appears that it has been left to the actors how they represent & interpret the writing. The dialogue between Lily and Jarrod works very well throughout, particularly in the beginning portions, if I were to take a guess, I’d imagine some of this was probably improvised.

Their interactions do take a backseat as emphasis then moves to the training and preperation for the big fight, but it’s only for the better. Meanwhile Lily gets to know the family as do we. It's all very well balanced, allowing you to enjoy the scene rather than get caught up in trying to work out what is going on.

Possible moral of the story:
Contrary to what they tell you, gatecrashing is cool, it allows many missed opportunties to flourish. Dressing up in wierd costumes and playing video-games, also, cool. Overall I'd say the moral behind it for me byrns down to all the strange things you dont do on a regular basis: Don't knock it til you try it. Oh, perhaps one more thing, working at some burger joint - not cool.

Though aimed at a niche, I'd say its very much worth a watch, if the climax (amongst numerous other moments) doesn’t have you laughing out loud I’d be very surprised.

Short Film Fusion
Straight 8'

one super 8mm cartridge, no editing.

Overview of the program:
straight 8 is a super 8 film event open to anyone brave enough to shoot a three minute film on a single cartridge of super 8, editing only in camera and then creating a separate soundtrack - never having seen their film. Successful filmmakers see their films for the very first time at straight 8's screenings - together with a huge and expectant audience!

A unique opportunity to see the first projection of straight 8's crème de la crème selection from their 131 worldwide entries received for the 2007 event. These are the ones they showed at Cannes Film Festival in May - and Cambridge is proud to be next on the list.

My thoughts:
I don't have the names of all the films & directors this time, as they merged them into one big fusion, played one after the other. The one that stook out to me as my favorite involved a guy with his ipod sitting in a cafe, enjoying the music & reading his paper entirely oblivious to the armed robbery happening just behind his back. Ignorance is bliss & all that. :)

There was one that followed a mime and another man that take up a battle that end up under water with water pistols and super soakers. It's probably a lot funnier to see than here described.

There was one that followed the history of a cigarette butt on a regular street floor through multiple art works of vehicles & machinery, makes you think how the history of the tiniest things around you can be so deep. So much of the things around us that we take for granted.

There was one about a Frenchman on a mission to find the source of English wine and fix it. There was a very surreal one about the similarities between a game of golf and sex, with a song about it & everything. There was one with early morning scenes of an empty London with soothing music, climaxing in a couple of guys rising imaginary horses. There was one annoying one where they just kept repeating the word Cannes in a wierd pitch.

..and that's just the ones I can remember of the top of my head.

Oh I do recall the final one, it was about a driver having Deja Vu about driving on a road and encountering a naked woman which steered his attention just enough to allow his car to be driven off a cliff. Seeing this repeatedly was actually quite a chore. What was interesting was they followed the film up with the making of it. That loked far more interesting than the film itself. The number of cars destroyed, the lighting, the planning, so much can go into filing a 3 minutes film that you never would have thought of, it shed some light on this fact.

This batch funnily enough was more entertaining than the batch I saw yesterday. It's amazing how the higher constraints people have, how their ideas can find further focus. Reminds me of a conversation I had with another writer about why Prison Break & 24 are doing well.

Anyway, overall the lack of editing was hardly noticable, even all the sound was amazingly in synch. Some used music that would be quite unversal, some must have timed their shots very well.

Black Gold

An in-depth look at the world of coffee and global trade in documentary form. If you didn't already know that coffee is big business, then this film film put things into perspective for you. Quite a lot of numbers are thrown at you that will amaze you.

It follows Tadesse Meskela, a high-level representative from the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union through majority of the film. He gives us a lot of information with regards to how things are out there and where the black gold fits into the picture. Only now do I understand what all this fair-trade malarky is all about. It means 6 of the middle men are cut out between the farmer & you, hence the farmers get more for their harvest. Good on them.

What I did think it got preachy about is how Ethiopian coffee is better than all other coffee, I mean surely that's a matter of opinion. Yes the poor Ethiopian farmers deserve far more than they are getting for their beans, but surely so do the other African countries in a similar boat.

Another factor that they have to realise is if one big corporation changed its ways, another would merely take advantage or take over. It's true and sad that the farmers out there are in the state that they are, but here it is all about the profit, as harsh as it sounds, it like being in a queue for money, if you step aside there are 1000 others behind you to take advantage of the fact that you for a moment felt guilty.

Anyway small glitches aside, it's a very good insight into the coffee making process and its true worth. What can we do? Well I'll keep my eye open for fair trade products as a prefernce here-on, but no I'm not going to stop going to my regular corporation coffee outlets.

Macbeth

Plot Outline:
Based on the Shakespeare play, this is a modern day interpretation of it set in the ganglands of Melbourne.

In a nutshell it's about Macbeth (Sam Worthington), who after encountering prophecies from 3 witches that hail him as future King, takes up with his wife Lady Macbeth (Victoria Hill) the plan to make the propechy true, by wiping out the King. His tragedy is that though he becomes King, the next King after him is prophecised as the blood of another.

His wife commits suicide out of guilt, he goes a bit nuts himself, and then gets killed for his deeds by a man who wasn't born naturally, but 'ripped' from his mother premature. The witches made Macbeth feel he was immortal by telling him he could not die from anyone born.

Obviously, theres a lot more to it, I merely summarise for those who mayn't be familiar.

Overall Impression
Well, if you look up Shakespeare on imdb you'll see there are 100's of adaptations of his work, and I get it, his work is extremely well written, so it makes sense. Personally must admit, these modern day adaptation are pretty nifty, it's good to see a well wrtten story modernised for the current day audiences.

What is a little strange though is using the original lines that are three centuries old. I mean dont get me wrong, it's poetic and surely something that fans of his work would enjoy on-screen, but as a film being a standalone piece, it sticks out as quite a bit odd. In addition there is the whole King thing, it doesn't quite work in the underworld, maybe they should have replaced it with the word Godfather or Don :). I think it'd be better either set in the correct era, or if the modernisation was done 'fully'. I'm sure it's not intended, but it comes off as a bit half-hearted if they don't.

Okay, putting that aside, the film overall stands pretty mediocre, watchable, even enjoyable, I mean who doesn't enjoy a good shootout in a mansion??, but little you'll take away as spectacular, except the performances, in paticular that of Macbeth & Lady Macbeth. Since she also wrote the screenplay I wonder if it was merely a medium to showcase her talent. Shakespeare adaptations do seem good for that, that's for sure. Oh and about 75% into the film I realised that Malcolm was the 'mouse' in the Matrix.

Possible moral of the story
If you get blood on your clothes and on your hands while killing someone, you're an idiot. You should have worn a raintcoat, but anyway dealing with the matter at hand, take it to the dry cleaners, and if questioned claim it's cranberry, cran-apple, that way you know it'll be cleaned properly.

Praiseworthy performances, style & direction, but little else

Short Films
Birds Eye View - UK Shorts'

Birds Eye View is a creative platform for women filmmakers.

Title: One Hundedth of a Second
Runtime: 6 mins
Directed by: Susan Jacobson
Synopsis: A young photojournalist is forced to face the consequences of her work in a war zone.
Nicely done. It flashes between current day and the day her award winning picture was taken. Alternating between the reality of war with the reality of today, a ceremony to celebrate her success out there, leads to an expected climax of much impact. One of those films that makes you double think your choices, stating the obvious here, that every action has a react.

Title: Ordinary Magic
Runtime: 10 mins
Directed by: Deborah Anzalone
Synopsis: Ordinary Magic consists of a series of interviews with six Londoners in their seventies and eighties, each of them offering intimate observations on their lifelong quest for meaning and knowledge.
You can always count on the old to impart some wisdom as well as some total non-sense to the young of today, the issue is merely filtering the correct batch out. I'd say the same holds for this one, a little lengthy for what it is but interesting..

Title: Desires
Runtime: 2 mins
Directed by: Kate Jessop
Synopsis: Desires is a composite of stop frame and drawn animation and live action footage. A delightfully tender adaptation of Gaia Holme's poem.
Short and sweet animates visual attached to a poem & appropriately. It questions what happens to the desires that we don't succumb to. A very good question & a good little rant about it.

Title: A Moment
Runtime: 5 mins
Directed by: Valeria Ruiz
Synopsis: In this touching and poignant portrayal of grief we view a moment of sexual intimacy through the eyes of an elderly woman grieving her lover of a life-time.
As John Cage in Ally McBeal would say "Let me take a moment", a moment extended beyond a moment is more the way it felt, but it makes a point. Sometimes a moment needs to be taken to grieve before you can continue your routine that is living.

Title: The Girl with the Short Hair
Runtime: 3 mins
Directed by: Maryam Mohajer
Synopsis: A little girl has to 'prove' she's a girl to some boys at a party. Recounting the episode to her mother, we discover that a five-year olds' logic can bring about hilarious results.
This is a sweet & sinister little film, amusing as well as cheeky. The pick of the lot from what we see hear so far.

Title: Tingel Tangel
Runtime: 2 mins
Directed by: Kathryn Ferguson
Synopsis: I found an old photograph of a wooden dance machine from a Weimar Berlin Cabaret show. It inspired me to build a wooden dance machine that parodied the old chorus lines of the 1920's.
In B/W, this one is quite surreal, the old scratched record music does add quite an authentic touch, you may find yourself smiling & swaying as you watch this, in the end you may wonder what was the point though.

Title: The Other Man
Runtime: 15 mins
Directed by: Dictynna Hood
Synopsis: Winner of both the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the UK Film Council Kodak Best Short Film Award, The Other Man, starring BAFTA nominated Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House), is a brilliantly observed story about a husband's reaction to some shocking news.
Blimey, maybe I'm not clued up on short films as I think, with a number of awards behind it, I must admit I found this quite stretched out and boring, it may just be my attention span though. My interest was peaked when the woman breaks news to her husband on the phone that she had been raped, but then the way she would let nothing else be shared was to me pretty stubborn & irritating. I can see why he got annoyed, but from this point it just extends this moment of irritation another 5 minutes, with no resolution. I was not pleased.

Title: Sleep with the Fishes
Runtime: 4 mins
Directed by: Belle Mellor
Synopsis: A flotilla of imagined vessels glide across a bright blue sea, struggling to stay afl oat. This bizarre and wonderful animation is set to enchanting music of the Tiger Lilies.
I really can't say much except, the music is pleasant & the visuals plain wierd.

Thoughts Overall: As a set of shorts, that are advertised as Bird's Eye view, I was kind of expecting shorts shot from helicopters, hot air balloons or planes, alas they are in the view point of birds (women-folk) rather than birds (that fly). It was okay, two or three standout shorts amongst others that were plain mediocre. Pick of the lot has to be The Girl with Short Hair. I guess I do look for entertainment even from the shorts, while some are simply out to send a message. My advice either way to shorts makers is to keep them well, you know, short.

Rock, Paper, Scissors:
Way of the Tosser

Plot Outline:
Throughout history people have used their body, mind and soul in their never-ending quest for power. Gary Brewer uses his hands. Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Way of the Tosser follows Gary Brewer, a die hard RPS professional, along with his girlfriend Holly Brewer (no relation) and best friend Trevor Morehouse, as Gary quests to reign supreme at the 2006 RPS World Championships!

As Gary trains to be the best we learn that being a true tosser involves a lot more than just tossin'. We're talking karaoke, cup-a-farts, tin foil helmets and, of course, karateoss. Oh yeah, there's also the Ludlows, (Gary's infertile, die hard fans / next door neighbors), the sage yet drunken guru Finnegan O'Reilly, and the hot dog eating arch nemesis Baxter Pound.

Most importantly there's the test of true love. Will Gary's heart lead him to victory or will he suffer the same fate as so many tossers that came before him?

My Thoughts:
Well, I came down from London on the Friday night to catch this one at 22:45 so in my head I felt I was likely to be quite disappointed. The alternative was to come here on the Saturday morning getting ample sleep in the interim.

Thankfully the film was good, actually very good, simple in its execution and plot but it did what it set out to do, it amused & entertained, the applause after the film is something I haven't experienced in a long while & as y'all know I've gone to see my fair share of films. The applause was well deserved. These are the kind of films that make a point. Independant films aren't to be under-estimated as they too frequently are.

In case you don't know, a quick overview of what RPS is: Rock, Paper, Scissors is a two-person hand game. It is often used as a selection method in a similar way to coin flipping or drawing straws to randomly select a person for some purpose. However, unlike truly random selections, it can be played with skill if the game extends over many sessions, as a player can often recognize and exploit the non-random behavior of an opponent.

Review
Moving on to the film, it is a mockumentary, even though it comes off as an entirely fictional work, it shows a reality which to many will have been unthought of. The sport hasn't been made up for the film. There is in fact a WRPS tournament where a part of this was shot. The RPS enthusiasts, especially the ones that take it seriously, clearly must know that they're mocked for it; in a tongue-in-cheek fashion it is a hobby that mocks itself. Making a film that is mocking a sport that mocks itself must have been a challenge in itself. Kudos for achieving that.

Yes, there are hints of Dodgeball - A True Underdog Story, in that there is a common ground between them, we have the protagonist underdog and his supporters and friends, we have the opposition who we root to lose from the very get-go and they compete at a sport that is kinda difficult to take seriously. The comparison ends there.

There is distinct and pleasant flavour about the characters as soon as they are introduced, Gary (Tim Dorion) and Holly (April Mullen) Brewer are instantly likable. They definitely have a good chemistry. I'd say its notable that they look like they enjoyed making this film. Baxter 'the chump' Pound is instantly arrogant and dislikable. The competition between them is clear cut and simple. Shot over a tight schedule of only 9 days, this low budget film shows that good films aren't about budget, they're about content & this is entirely where it scores.

Then there is the unforgettable character of Trevor (Ryan Tilley), their best friend and supporter, like my friend Demon, you'd probably be dubious about befriending him, for he is certainly strange. He seems to have a strange sixth sense and seems quite connected to what would be considered 'beyond' reality, but once you get to know him he's just as lovable, if not more. Some of lines did come across as perhaps a nod to the Napoleon Dynamite, I'd say this is more the way the character has been written but I do have to admit, it was very strange listening to Ryan in the Q&A after the film speaking in a 'normal' fashion. So, unlike Jon Heder, I come to the conclusion this guy can act different parts too.

The story sets us up a few days before the tournament, and the following scenes bring us closer to the characters as the training montages begin. You wouldn't imagine this number of jokes about tossing was actually possible. By the time we reach the tournament we have been educated with the weaknesses & strengths of our protagonist. We've met his Guru, we;ve met Little Stacey his disciple, we've met the mighty Intimidator (the best scene in the film!!) and so I won't go into how it all ends, but I will say you find yourself rooting for him the entire way.

In the end, though you'll realise you've learnt a fair thing or two about the art of tossing, but the overall film is about love & friendship and treasuring those close to you.

Possible moral of the story:
Tossing is a crucial part of life, you could deal with all your daily issues in this simple manner. So many wars could be stopped if people were to take up tossing instead. It's not that hard to understand the rules, two pre-tosses for streetwise, three for qualified professionals. ;) What's hard is knowing your opponent.

I recommend this to anyone up for a laugh. You'd find it difficult to walk away from this film without a smile. Keep your eyes open for it.

As some of you already know, for the next 9 days as of tonight I shall be attending Cambridge's 27th Film Festival. In between showings and some of that limited yet precious sleep stuff, I shall cover everything that I do see.

In addition, myself and Simone will be covering the news stories published on Filmstalker over the next week or so (as of tomorrow night), as the Highlander that runs it on a day-to-day basis needs to go into seclusion and train his mind and soul in the craft of deep relaxation, (probably followed by some ninja training sword action too), for only then will he be truly be ready to conquer the HD world that comes before us. Hope to catch some of you over there.

Die Hard 4.0

Plot Outline:

Die Hard 4.0 - The latest chapter in the enormously successful Die Hard franchise, takes action to the next level as Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) confronts a new breed of terrorism.

Set in today's digital world, the nation's computer infrastructure that controls all communications, transportation and power is brought to a devastating halt.

The mastermind behind the plot (Timothy Olyphant) has taken every angle into account. What he didn't count on was Detective McClane, an old-school cop who knows a thing or two about how to foil terrorist plans.

On what appeared to be a routine drop-off taking hacker Matt (Justin Long) from his home to the FBI, John McClane once again finds himself in the middle of a terrorist situation. So he does what he knows best and what we know him for best.

Overall Impressions:
I must admit, when I saw the trailers I though, jeez here comes the cheese, this might end up being a bad bad thing. As in Blade Trinity bad. Thankfully it's not, in fact it's far far from it.

Well you may be disappointed to learn that the first couple of explosions in this film are not the doing of John McClane. Your disappointment will end quite promptly with what follows. They really don't mess around with the setup this time round. Everything you wanted this Die Hard comeback to be, it is, and probably more.

Bruce Willis nails this one to the tee, does this guy even get old? That said I've got to say in a predominantly Bruce focussed film, the supporting cast all round do a good job & will get praise and noticed. There is much witty dialogue flow, from all the characters, that make them fleshed out.

The action is absolutely amazing. The concern people had about it being rated as a PG-13 in the US was baseless. A strong 15 in the UK, adrenaline junkies are in for a treat. Even if you're not an action fan, it'll be hard not to marvel at what you see. Some may comment they go too far, and I can see that (in the one scene with the F35 for one), but you won't complain. There's far too much to enjoy to get picky. It's paced very well.

The small things only add to the experience, the Terminator model falling on the keyboard, the elevator shaft, the Kevin Smith cameo, the Independence Day scene - I'm still in the zone, go watch it. Jack Bauer should watch this, he might learn something.

Oh and for the record, Maggie Q looks stunning and has a sexy voice, she also knows how to kick. :-D

Possible moral of the story:
When planning a terrorist attack, factor in John McClane, and by factor in we mean, wait 50 odd years for him to die hard naturally, or just let it go. There's probably 100 other things you could do with your life that don't involve getting shot, ran into by a car, thrown down an elevator shaft, etc, etc. You get the point.

It would be a terrible mistake to miss this one. It re-defines action films of today. 'nuff said.

So, after a good year of having the issue I decide to cave and take the Powerbook to get the power socket replaced. I had to make an appointment to see a "Genius" at the genius bar at the Apple shop, was a friendly enough chap, but I must admit, I wouldn't call him or the guy to his right a genius. I explained that the battery would not charge up using a power connector because the socket had gone bent. He checked anyway & told me that they'd have to replace the socket. Hooray, on the same wavelength, that's a start. He took my contact details and quoted me £112 which included having the component installed by an expert. Not happy, but fair enough, if that's what needs doing, let's get on with it. He then tells me, it will take 7-10 days to get back.

Unimpressed, I ask if he could add a note saying I'd like it back by Friday (6th), now it's not his answer that annoys me but the way he words it. He says, that's not going to be likely, in fact he can guarantee it will take longer. Swiftly adding that's the only thing he can guarantee. I take the receipt and move away thinking, is my laptop even insured? Am I just sending it to a slaughterhouse? If this is what the Genius is like, only god knows what the experts do to it.

During this whole experience, me being me, I also caught the entire conversation the other Genius was having to the customer on my left. She was asking about how iTunes works with regards to grouping songs. A long story short, the guy in essence told her that she should not re-tag any of her music, she should only download songs from the iTunes store & if she ripped any custom compilation CD's, she shouldn't expect to see any titles, artist names or CD art.

She was also instructed not to organise her own music (though iTunes actually gives you an option to do so), she should allow iTunes and only iTunes to organise the music for her (like it's fricking God and knows everything you know). What a chump. I didn't intervene, but if I was one of those mystery shoppers assessing him, he'd be sacked, re-employed and sacked again, possibly even urinated on. I wonder how that works anyway, the whole mystery shopper thing, (I've worked out how to urinate) hmm, I'll have to look into that, potential fun.

Apne'

Plot Outline:

An ex-boxer, Baldev Singh Choudhary (Dharmendra) had been done injustice many years ago as he was attached with a dope charge, a stain in his otherwise successful boxing career. He wanted to wash it away by making his son Angad (Sunny Deol) an international successful boxer, but times were hard, as finances were low, the son made a judgement and took a business opportunity more financially fruitful giving up his boxing career. This kept the father from achieving his burning desire to wash away the insults. He blamed Angad for this.

An opportunity strikes Baldev in the form of a T.V. Show. He trains a local boy to get into this media hyped boxing show, but is ditched for a better coach at the last minute. Baldev's younger son Karan (Bobby Deol) has just launched his first music album. Realizing his father is in crises of his life, he gives up his dream of a musical career to get into the game of boxing. Karan works hard and wins all through thinking that his victory will bring the two pillars of his family together.

Overall Impressions:
Around the release of two B-movies this one being a higher standard is definitely the best of the three films released this weekend. The cast being actually the father and two sons works magic on screen, totally natural. It grips you, right from the offset, an old man who seems to have lost touch with life, smiley on the outside, paining on the inside, until an offer is made to him, that excites him, though reluctant you can see he's excited, and so unravels the distant relationship with his elder son. The elder son's perspective on the matter also clarified and not in the wrong, we now empathise with two of the characters. We want their relationship to be fixed, but the story shifts in a different direction entirely.

The second son, gets to fill the dream of the father after the other chump betrays them & finds a supposed better coach. It only makes sense that the first match in the tournament would be payback. Being a boxing film, there are instances that remind you of the Rocky films, with the training montages in particular, but similarities do end there.

As the tournament progresses, the bond between father and younger son gets stronger, the elder son gets neglected upto a point, but he is happy to see his brother doing well & his father's dreams finally flourishing. The twist comes in the final fight, the younger son versus the current heavyweight champion is going well until he becomes victim of cheating by his opponent. Blinded by grease in his eyes, he gets his ribs broken & knocked not only out of the match but straight into a coma.

This is where it all ties up so beautifully, the elder son goes beserk when he finds out about the cheating & decides to find revenge. Already trained as a boxer, he merely needed to work on his stamina, a match is fixed, training montages ensue and the climax I'll leave for you to see. I haven't covered everything, trust me :)

Unfortunately music is pretty mediocre, you are likely to walk away with the Title song that waives in and out of the background throughout the film. "Apne to Apne Hote Hai" (Our own are yet our own), but that's about it. You'd think for such a historical event, the music director'd have tried harder. Maybe he was saving all the good songs for his own film (Yes, music is by Himesh Reshammiya - HR).

Performance-wise, its Dharmendra that is a total pleasure to see, the original 70's action man of Bollywood, back to show these rookies how it's done. Sunny Deol is close second as the family oriented son who seeks his father's affection & love. He underplays his character very believably, that said, if he hadn't got in the ring in the end, I would have been disappointed. Known for his bloodshot eyes and punches that could take out the lights of even a wild animal, his climax fight was inevitable, and what a fight it was. Two thumbs up. Bobby Deol does a superb job too but his father & elder brother are veterans, much to stand up to, they will walk away with the acclaim this time.

The women have small supportive roles which they manage, Shilpa Shetty has very little to do but to support neglected hubby which she does a good job of. Katrina Kaif looks stunning and though she has little to do too, I'm extremely glad she was in it, I fall in love with her everytime she's on screen. I think I'll stop right there.

Possible moral of the story:

Don't mess with Punjabi people, they're mega strong and their fury could shake up even the strongest of people. When they unite for you, you'll win, when they unite against you, run for your life, and keep running, if you think you've got away, it's probably because they're training their children to come for you.

The first film where you see the father & two son's together is enough reason to see it, but the story & execution only heighten the glory. It's a shame about the mediocre soundtrack, but well worth seeing.