Star of the absolutely stone-cold mental "A Town Called Panic", was on Twitter being interviewed by LoveFilm today.
In response to my wild and totally baseless accusation that he must be on drugs to be involved in such a psychadelic, overtly nut-job movie, he responded:
"@Alibianchi the only time I had drugs was after a case of foot and mouth broke out on Stephens farm"
So there you have it folks, directly from the horse's mouth. Check out the trailer below:
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Friday, 24 September 2010
Uber-quick Film news - 24th Sept
Every Friday I'll post the big news you need to know all in one place so you can look like you know what you're talking about:
The winner for most mental film of 2011 will without a doubt go to A Town Called Panic - starring a horse, Indian and Cowboy, and stuff. Seriously, check it out. It's a real film:
Keanu Reeves is all ready to go for Bill and Ted 3 - Excellent!
Duncan Jones - the man who made Moon, is in the running to direct the next Superman film, being mentored by Chris "Actual Superman" Nolan.
Black Widow (from Iron Man) is getting her own movie.
The new Harry Potter trailer was released, it is obviously darker (again) and actually does look pretty good:
And finally...I got my press accreditation for London Film Fest and am currently salivating over the films I will see before any of you! Most Excellent!!!
The winner for most mental film of 2011 will without a doubt go to A Town Called Panic - starring a horse, Indian and Cowboy, and stuff. Seriously, check it out. It's a real film:
Keanu Reeves is all ready to go for Bill and Ted 3 - Excellent!
Duncan Jones - the man who made Moon, is in the running to direct the next Superman film, being mentored by Chris "Actual Superman" Nolan.
Black Widow (from Iron Man) is getting her own movie.
The new Harry Potter trailer was released, it is obviously darker (again) and actually does look pretty good:
And finally...I got my press accreditation for London Film Fest and am currently salivating over the films I will see before any of you! Most Excellent!!!
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Best of what's left
So, Summer Blockbuster season is over, but there is still heaps to look forward to. Here is my list of the top eight (because nine is silly) films you have to see before I bury you alive. Speaking of which:
1 - Buried - Released 29th Sept
Ryan Reynolds is buried underground (probably for his role in The Proposal) with only a phone and lighter. Guarenteed to give you the heebie-jeebies as the camera never once leaves the confines of his coffin. See it before Reynolds literally hits the stratosphere as Green Lantern next year.
2 - The Social Network - Released 15th Oct
David Fincher does Facebook. Charting the rise and rise of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, this already has killer reviews. Fincher (creator of Se7en, Fight Club & Benjamin Button) is one of the best Directors around. Trailer also features best choice of backing track this year!
Like this.
3 - RED - Released 22nd Oct
Dame Helen Mirren with a machine gun. 'Nuff Said.
4 - Let Me In - Released 5th Nov
The Swedish "Let The Right One In" - about kid vampires - was one of the most affecting and beautifully shot films of last year. The remake is from Matt "Cloverfield" Reeves, which is promising, and stars Chloe "Hit Girl" Moretz, which is promising, but it's probably fair to say I'm more nervous than excited about this one.
5 - 127 Hours - Released 5th Nov
The true story of Aron Ralston who's arm got caught under a boulder while climbing alone in Utah, and who eventually escaped by cutting off his own arm. Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) is great. James Franco (Pineapple Express, Knocked Up) is great. Concept sounds pretty dull. Let's see which wins out.
6 - The American - Released 26th Nov
Come on, admit it, everyone fancies George Clooney. Playing a retired assassin brought back into the game for one last assignment (yeh, yeh, yeh), the concept may not be original but Georgie boy is always worth the ticket price. Plus it's filmed in Italy which is, y'know, nice.
7 - Black Swan - Released 1st Dec
The buzz from Venice Film Festival about this is huge, so will probably have a look when I'm at London Film Fsetival as an official member of the press (ahem!). There may be an advisory attached for sexual content. I have to say, however, this isn't usually my thing - bit arty and intense for my taste...
8 - Skyline - Released 11th Dec
...which is why Skyline looks right up my street. Apocalyptic news flashes, cities being destroyed, aliens doing funky things with bright blue lights, hundreds of people being swallowed by city sized spaceships. This is real art people.
And then there's also that Harry Potter and the Overlong Farewell if you're interested in that kind of thing.
1 - Buried - Released 29th Sept
Ryan Reynolds is buried underground (probably for his role in The Proposal) with only a phone and lighter. Guarenteed to give you the heebie-jeebies as the camera never once leaves the confines of his coffin. See it before Reynolds literally hits the stratosphere as Green Lantern next year.
2 - The Social Network - Released 15th Oct
David Fincher does Facebook. Charting the rise and rise of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, this already has killer reviews. Fincher (creator of Se7en, Fight Club & Benjamin Button) is one of the best Directors around. Trailer also features best choice of backing track this year!
Like this.
3 - RED - Released 22nd Oct
Dame Helen Mirren with a machine gun. 'Nuff Said.
4 - Let Me In - Released 5th Nov
The Swedish "Let The Right One In" - about kid vampires - was one of the most affecting and beautifully shot films of last year. The remake is from Matt "Cloverfield" Reeves, which is promising, and stars Chloe "Hit Girl" Moretz, which is promising, but it's probably fair to say I'm more nervous than excited about this one.
5 - 127 Hours - Released 5th Nov
The true story of Aron Ralston who's arm got caught under a boulder while climbing alone in Utah, and who eventually escaped by cutting off his own arm. Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) is great. James Franco (Pineapple Express, Knocked Up) is great. Concept sounds pretty dull. Let's see which wins out.
6 - The American - Released 26th Nov
Come on, admit it, everyone fancies George Clooney. Playing a retired assassin brought back into the game for one last assignment (yeh, yeh, yeh), the concept may not be original but Georgie boy is always worth the ticket price. Plus it's filmed in Italy which is, y'know, nice.
7 - Black Swan - Released 1st Dec
The buzz from Venice Film Festival about this is huge, so will probably have a look when I'm at London Film Fsetival as an official member of the press (ahem!). There may be an advisory attached for sexual content. I have to say, however, this isn't usually my thing - bit arty and intense for my taste...
8 - Skyline - Released 11th Dec
...which is why Skyline looks right up my street. Apocalyptic news flashes, cities being destroyed, aliens doing funky things with bright blue lights, hundreds of people being swallowed by city sized spaceships. This is real art people.
And then there's also that Harry Potter and the Overlong Farewell if you're interested in that kind of thing.
Monday, 20 September 2010
The Town
The Town – 15
Director – Ben Affleck
Cast – Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Charlestown, Boston, the capital of carjacking, kidnappings and armed robberies, is a neighbourhood built on loyalty to friends and family, where crime is passed down through generations. It is also the town where Ben Affleck grew up, the film riding between a genuine affection for the town of his youth, as well as it’s ability to destroy the lives of those who struggle to escape. The pain of a trapped life is felt in every single mother, drug-addled blue collar worker and disaffected young person on screen. Doug MacRay (Affleck), leader of a successful group of bank robbers, feels this pain more than most, committing reluctantly to the last score that will finally release him from his life on the edge, and bring him out of the shadow of his family’s past.
The Town is Affleck’s second foray into directing (happily, all memories of Daredevil and Gigli far behind him). Fresh off the back of the superb Gone Baby Gone, The Town shows a maturity and respect for his craft usually reserved for those several years, and multiple films, down the line. The grit and brutality of the street is brilliantly brought to life by a cast of “they so hot right now” young things who are given a script that allows them plenty of space to flex their acting muscles. Utilising the considerable talent of cinematographer Robert Elswit (Salt, There Will Be Blood), Affleck is equally at home with action, played out with energy in the confined streets of Boston.
Sure, the idea of one last score to get out of the game is not a new one, but in the hands of Affleck and friends, it becomes an involving and exciting crime caper, with moments of real humanity and emotion.
Rating – 8/10
Director – Ben Affleck
Cast – Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Charlestown, Boston, the capital of carjacking, kidnappings and armed robberies, is a neighbourhood built on loyalty to friends and family, where crime is passed down through generations. It is also the town where Ben Affleck grew up, the film riding between a genuine affection for the town of his youth, as well as it’s ability to destroy the lives of those who struggle to escape. The pain of a trapped life is felt in every single mother, drug-addled blue collar worker and disaffected young person on screen. Doug MacRay (Affleck), leader of a successful group of bank robbers, feels this pain more than most, committing reluctantly to the last score that will finally release him from his life on the edge, and bring him out of the shadow of his family’s past.
The Town is Affleck’s second foray into directing (happily, all memories of Daredevil and Gigli far behind him). Fresh off the back of the superb Gone Baby Gone, The Town shows a maturity and respect for his craft usually reserved for those several years, and multiple films, down the line. The grit and brutality of the street is brilliantly brought to life by a cast of “they so hot right now” young things who are given a script that allows them plenty of space to flex their acting muscles. Utilising the considerable talent of cinematographer Robert Elswit (Salt, There Will Be Blood), Affleck is equally at home with action, played out with energy in the confined streets of Boston.
Sure, the idea of one last score to get out of the game is not a new one, but in the hands of Affleck and friends, it becomes an involving and exciting crime caper, with moments of real humanity and emotion.
Rating – 8/10
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Certified Copy
Certified Copy
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Cast: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell
Set in the stunning landscape of Tuscany, Certified Copy follows a couple who appear to have just met as they spend a day discussing life and art while appearing to be getting to know one another. After being mistaken for a married couple in a coffee shop, it gradually emerges that perhaps there is more to this relationship than meets the eye.
With long lingering shots of emotional interaction, philosophical debates whilst meandering through the Italian countryside, and being paced out almost in real time, this is not one for the adrenaline junky. However, once you can see beyond the pompous talk and, at some points, energy-sapping debate, what emerges is a sensitive and well-balanced examination of marriage, sexual politics and relationships. Juliette Binoche as an un-named woman, justifiably won the Best Actress award at Cannes Film Festival for this performance. While often the dialogue takes place off-screen, Director Kiarostami is not afraid to let the camera remain on Binoche, picking up her every emotion and expression, peaking in a wonderful café scene where a single tear seems to sum up a full life.
Dismissing any kind of overt drama, the film is at it’s best when it focuses on the simplicity of a look or gesture, being used to convey the deepest of emotions. Patience is a virtue, and when you manage to stay with it beyond the admittedly fairly boring opening act, that patience is rewarded with a surprising and sensitive story, challenging you to discover what is real and what is fake.
Rating 5/10
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Cast: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell
Set in the stunning landscape of Tuscany, Certified Copy follows a couple who appear to have just met as they spend a day discussing life and art while appearing to be getting to know one another. After being mistaken for a married couple in a coffee shop, it gradually emerges that perhaps there is more to this relationship than meets the eye.
With long lingering shots of emotional interaction, philosophical debates whilst meandering through the Italian countryside, and being paced out almost in real time, this is not one for the adrenaline junky. However, once you can see beyond the pompous talk and, at some points, energy-sapping debate, what emerges is a sensitive and well-balanced examination of marriage, sexual politics and relationships. Juliette Binoche as an un-named woman, justifiably won the Best Actress award at Cannes Film Festival for this performance. While often the dialogue takes place off-screen, Director Kiarostami is not afraid to let the camera remain on Binoche, picking up her every emotion and expression, peaking in a wonderful café scene where a single tear seems to sum up a full life.
Dismissing any kind of overt drama, the film is at it’s best when it focuses on the simplicity of a look or gesture, being used to convey the deepest of emotions. Patience is a virtue, and when you manage to stay with it beyond the admittedly fairly boring opening act, that patience is rewarded with a surprising and sensitive story, challenging you to discover what is real and what is fake.
Rating 5/10
Saturday, 21 August 2010
The girl who played with fire
The Girl Who Played With Fire
Release date: 27 Aug
Director: Daniel Alfredson.
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre
Rated: 15
The sequel to the brilliant Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, this Swedish film continues the story of hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), as they delve into an the criminal underworld, uncovering a sex trafficking ring and a trail of murder along the way. This, the second of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy books, sees the story begin to focus more on the intriguing character of Salander, a girl with a mysterious and troubling past.
Salander is wonderfully and sensitively played by Rapace, who is undoubtedly a major talent. However, she is an extraordinary splash of brilliance in an otherwise rather un-extraordinary film. While undoubtedly the success if the book it is based on proves the story works in a literary format, unfortunately here, the pacing and energy of the film feels lacklustre. The raw edge and depth of the first film that made it such a huge critical success, here is softened and simplified. One potentially interesting thread about the sex trafficking industry is frustratingly reduced to being a sideline issue. There is little character development - if you have not seen the previous film, you would find it difficult to care for the people involved.
Some of the film's later revelations are poorly handled, feeling cliched and, with one twist in particular, fairly inexplicable.
Compared to the excellent first film, this is disappointing, being essentially reduced to an adequate crime thriller. Despite this, there is enough both to keep the viewer engaged, and to build anticipation for the third of the trilogy being released later this year.
Content advisory: One particularly violent scene and a fairly graphic sex scene, as well as references to a rape.
Rating: 5/10
Release date: 27 Aug
Director: Daniel Alfredson.
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre
Rated: 15
The sequel to the brilliant Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, this Swedish film continues the story of hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), as they delve into an the criminal underworld, uncovering a sex trafficking ring and a trail of murder along the way. This, the second of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy books, sees the story begin to focus more on the intriguing character of Salander, a girl with a mysterious and troubling past.
Salander is wonderfully and sensitively played by Rapace, who is undoubtedly a major talent. However, she is an extraordinary splash of brilliance in an otherwise rather un-extraordinary film. While undoubtedly the success if the book it is based on proves the story works in a literary format, unfortunately here, the pacing and energy of the film feels lacklustre. The raw edge and depth of the first film that made it such a huge critical success, here is softened and simplified. One potentially interesting thread about the sex trafficking industry is frustratingly reduced to being a sideline issue. There is little character development - if you have not seen the previous film, you would find it difficult to care for the people involved.
Some of the film's later revelations are poorly handled, feeling cliched and, with one twist in particular, fairly inexplicable.
Compared to the excellent first film, this is disappointing, being essentially reduced to an adequate crime thriller. Despite this, there is enough both to keep the viewer engaged, and to build anticipation for the third of the trilogy being released later this year.
Content advisory: One particularly violent scene and a fairly graphic sex scene, as well as references to a rape.
Rating: 5/10
Thursday, 19 August 2010
The Expendables
The Expendables
Rating: 15
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Sly’s entire phone book.
The 1980s were the golden era of the action icon, with true classics like Rambo, Terminator, Die Hard, and Masters of the Universe (?!), all being forged in this epic period. Compared to the spandex-covered, emotionally-compromised Marvel stars of today’s cinema, the heroes of the 80s felt no pain, no remorse, and they absolutely did not stop, ever! That is, until the 90s which introduced a new breed of insipid superstar who acted with their brains rather than their trigger finger.
When Stallone announced he was bringing together the ultimate fighting team for a grunt-fest of epic 80s proportions, those of us with a violent disposition who model ourselves on Arnie’s physique (in my case, successfully) had our hope rekindled.
The opening scene sets the pace nicely with all the loud noises, flexed biceps and blood letting you would want and expect. However, being constructed around a very simple and mainly irrelevant plot (go in, save the girl, blow stuff up), when the action stops and the talking begins, the Expendables seriously loses pace. The much touted scene featuring the Big Three of Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger is just plain uncomfortable, with dialogue that is forgettable at best, and at worst makes the skin crawl.
Thankfully, coming out of the mid-section slump, the last half hour more than makes up the mileage. With some beautifully executed deaths, brutal fist fights, lots of big guns and exploding stuff, mixed with a dash of lovely little one-liners, The Expendables finds it’s purpose. Reportedly, Van Damme refused to join the team because he didn’t get the joke. And this is exactly why it works. Populated by a cast grateful to be doing what they do best, and clearly loving every minute, it never gets weighed done with a sense of its own importance or takes itself too seriously, focussing instead on a testosterone driven performance with barely an ounce of grey-matter in sight.
And I, for one, am grateful.
Rating: 7/10
Rating: 15
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Sly’s entire phone book.
The 1980s were the golden era of the action icon, with true classics like Rambo, Terminator, Die Hard, and Masters of the Universe (?!), all being forged in this epic period. Compared to the spandex-covered, emotionally-compromised Marvel stars of today’s cinema, the heroes of the 80s felt no pain, no remorse, and they absolutely did not stop, ever! That is, until the 90s which introduced a new breed of insipid superstar who acted with their brains rather than their trigger finger.
When Stallone announced he was bringing together the ultimate fighting team for a grunt-fest of epic 80s proportions, those of us with a violent disposition who model ourselves on Arnie’s physique (in my case, successfully) had our hope rekindled.
The opening scene sets the pace nicely with all the loud noises, flexed biceps and blood letting you would want and expect. However, being constructed around a very simple and mainly irrelevant plot (go in, save the girl, blow stuff up), when the action stops and the talking begins, the Expendables seriously loses pace. The much touted scene featuring the Big Three of Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger is just plain uncomfortable, with dialogue that is forgettable at best, and at worst makes the skin crawl.
Thankfully, coming out of the mid-section slump, the last half hour more than makes up the mileage. With some beautifully executed deaths, brutal fist fights, lots of big guns and exploding stuff, mixed with a dash of lovely little one-liners, The Expendables finds it’s purpose. Reportedly, Van Damme refused to join the team because he didn’t get the joke. And this is exactly why it works. Populated by a cast grateful to be doing what they do best, and clearly loving every minute, it never gets weighed done with a sense of its own importance or takes itself too seriously, focussing instead on a testosterone driven performance with barely an ounce of grey-matter in sight.
And I, for one, am grateful.
Rating: 7/10
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