The TV Pick of the Week – 17/02/13

Going to the cinema is expensive, buying DVDs is expensive, renting movies is expensive and torrenting is illegal (and, more importantly, doesn’t guarantee good quality sound and image). Luckily, films sometimes appear on TV. Here’s the best one this week.

Mad Max 2

Sunday 17th February

ITV4: 11.45pm – 1.45am

This week’s pick was an absolute pitch struggle between one of my favourite movies of all time, and one of the most criminally overlooked ever made. On the one hand was Mad Max 2, a film that is one of – if not the – greatest sequel ever made. Yet, in the words of famous Country singer Randy Travis, ‘on the other hand’, there was Brazilian masterpiece Black God, White Devil (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol).

Following on from the low budget Mad Max, this sequel has more grit, an increased budget and enough action to keep a narcoleptic from falling asleep. In fact, given that Mad Max 2 propelled Mel Gibson’s career into Hollywood overdrive, you’ll be hard-pushed to see it on the TV schedules. Yet for some reason I can’t quite fathom, ITV have a tendency to play the cringe-worthy Beyond the Thunderdome so often you have to wonder if Tina Turner is personally in charge of scheduling the films for the network.

Back before we all found out Gibson was quite fluent in racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and homophobia (indeed, I have the vaguest hope that the past decade of bigotry was all just method-style preparation for a starring role as Hitler – after all, hope springs eternal) he was a charismatic and simply captivating male lead. When he’s on screen, you can’t help but be drawn to the man.

Put simply, the story follows our reluctant hero helping a group of settlers who are beset by a gang of marauding bikers in the aftermath of an almost-apocalyptic third world war, all in the manner of a classic loner-frontier Western. Interestingly, the hunger for oil in the film only becomes more prescient as time goes by. On show is brilliant cinematography, comic book visuals that still pop with life, a thumping, dystopic soundtrack by Brian May (the Aussie composer, not the be-permed guitarist from Queen) and a kind of sinewy self-knowing macho energy that’s sadly missing from mainstream films in the past years (this last decade has seen ‘macho’ somehow become a byword for thumping your chest and being casually homophobic, yes 300, I’m looking at you).

Now, over on Film 4 on Thursday morning (1.10am – 3.45am) is the exquisite and simply incredible Brazilian masterpiece that is Black God, White Devil. Simply by virtue of a coin flip, this narrowly missed out on the spot as a Pick of the Week, but that in no way suggests it’s not deserving of the title. Only available on DVD since 2008, this is a true gem for anyone interested in World Cinema and if you watch one film this week, make it this.

Set in the 1940s, Black God, White Devil is an epic film that follows anti-hero Manuel as he kills his exploitative boss, and then flees with his wife across the plains. Manuel soon finds himself under the sway of a messianic preacher and self-proclaimed saint who actively supports ritualistic violence. Following some rather disturbing scenes, the couple then move on and become embroiled with a gang of ruthless revolutionaries who use their doctrine to murder and rob from rich and poor alike. On it goes until Manuel learns that his destiny is his own hands. A hefty dose of stark imagery and social portent: just right for a graveyard timeslot.

Such is its rarity; I couldn’t actually find a trailer for the film with English subtitles, so here it is in glorious Portuguese. Perfectly timed for the award season, I will actually use this as a deft example of why award ceremonies are pointless: this epic film lost at Cannes to the most vapid dog turd of a musical that has ever been defecated out of the bowels of the French film industry. Let me introduce you to 1964 Palme d’Or winning Les parapluies de Cherbourg (click the link and if you can sit through the whole thing you have my respect and sympathy). Recitative singing (taking dialogue and singing it) is just one of the worst excesses of the genre. Now if you take what is often the most excruciating part of any musical and stretch that insipid rubbish over an hour and a half you get what I like to call ‘a reason to throw a brick at the telly’. Rant over.

This was written by Robert James Taylor. He is, for all intents and purposes, a human.

Mainstream Review: Puppies vs Cat

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Gorilla Film Magazine is aware of films, television and games that are actually popular. We don’t put a lot of effort into covering that stuff, but we’re definitely aware of it. So here’s the Mainstream review of the week. 

Puppies vs Cat
Release Date: 20/01/12

Perhaps one of the most moving, and indeed disturbing, films in recent years is the sinisterly titled Puppies vs Cat, a short film available to watch on YouTube. The basic set up of the piece is this; a brown cat is overwhelmed by a a group of about six white, fluffy puppies.

The cat is pinned down, as the small dogs pile onto it, snuffling and nipping at the feline’s neck and back. At first, the scene is comical and adorable, but as the film continues the true horror of it all begins to sink in. The image of a gang of pure white animals, beating and suffocating one brown animal is disconcerting to say the least. And, just to hammer home the point, the cat attempts an escape and is gleefully pursued and caught once more by the pack. The audible screams from the cat does nothing to sedate the bumbling puppies who, oblivious to the obvious cruelty of their actions, continue to pull the cat down.

Not content with tackling the grim subject of white supremacy, the film takes an interesting turn by introducing the disembodied voices of the filmmakers themselves, who laugh and point at the cat’s trauma. This clearly represents the cold apathy of God, who allows evil into the world without intervening or comforting the repressed. Indeed it is strongly hinted that the Western idea of God is that of a totalitarian parent, favouring the stupid, unrelenting love and loyalty of the dog to the cautious individuality of the cat. Dark stuff indeed.

This was written by David Knight.

The TV Pick of the Week – 06/02/13

Going to the cinema is expensive, buying DVDs is expensive, renting movies is expensive and torrenting is illegal (and, more importantly, doesn’t guarantee good quality sound and image). Luckily, films sometimes appear on TV. Here’s the best one this week.

Black Death

Wednesday 6th February

BBC1: 11.40pm – 1.15am

Occasionally there are some absolute gems that are heinously overlooked by critics and audiences alike, and Black Death can certainly be thrown into that category. Although one can always hope it finds its niche alongside the classic Witchfinder General and become a cult classic for future generations.

Set in 1348, the narrative sees a young priest named Osmund as he guides a group of soldiers, led by Sean Bean’s Ulric, who are searching for a village that seems to be untouched by the Black Death. Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of the morally conflicted Osmund is superb – his reason for leaving with the men is so he can rendezvous with a girl he’s fallen in love with, a dilemma that makes him question his own faith as the character is forced to choose between his monastic life, and his love for Averill. When the group arrive at the village they find a witch controlling the villagers through drugs and manipulation, touching on the use of power, cruelty and religion in society. For the absorbing final third alone, this movie is worth the late night price of admission (besides which, do you really have to be awake for work on Thursday? Nothing ever happens on Thursdays. You know it, I know it, and your boss knows it’s just a doss.)

The action is handled by British director Christopher Smith, whose previous films include Creep – the fairly decent horror flick set in the depths of the London Underground and Severance – another fairly decent horror film, although one in which you’ll inevitably find yourself thinking ‘this would be perfection if Danny Dyer – sorry “Dah-knee Doy-er” -  hadn’t been cast in a lead role’.

This week’s pick also allows me to indulge in my love of Sean Bean (although saying that, I’m not half the fan in comparison to whoever curates ‘The Mighty Bean’ fansite). He’s a simply fantastic actor and I’ve religiously watched everything he’s been in, with the sole exception of the recent Silent Hill: Revelations. I love the man dearly, but I’m not such an out-and-out masochist in order to wilfully sit through another turgid mess like the original Silent Hill.

As an aside, anyone want to join me in starting a Kickstarter campaign to make a film where the legendary Sean Bean actually survives to the credits? It’s become so culturally ingrained you just count down the minutes and wonder how inventive they’ll be with the deed. In fact, it’s probably not ruining any suspense to check out this infographic that FHM knocked up – it does give plot spoilers about Black Death, but like Gerard Butler shouting obnoxiously in every film he’s in, it seems as though it’s some unwritten rule that the Bean must die.

This was written by Robert James Taylor. He is, for all intents and purposes, a human.

Mainstream Review: ParaNorman

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Gorilla Film Magazine is aware of films, television and games that are actually popular. We don’t put a lot of effort into covering that stuff, but we’re definitely aware of it. So here’s the Mainstream review of the week. 

ParaNorman
Release Date: 28/01/12 

Norman is a melancholic, lonely and essentially average American kid, albeit one who can see and communicate with the dead. Lacking the foresight to hide this unbelievable fact from other folk, he mopes around his spooky hometown of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, being routinely bullied and shunned by those who are understandably incredulous of his wild claims of paranormal abilities.

These bullies include Norman’s own family, who find his unrelenting conversations with dear old dead grandma a trifle disconcerting. His mother worries, his father is embarrassed and his sister, the generically shallow Courtney, assumes Norman’s gifts are actually just a pathetic cry for attention. At school, the best Norman can hope for is to be ignored by everyone, but alas the school bully, Alvin, is always lurking around the corner, itching for a chance to draw attention to Norman’s strangeness.

Luckily, Norman finds a friend in Neil, an overweight boy and the victim of bullying himself. Despite the reservations of Neil’s brother, Mitch (wonderfully voiced by Casey Affleck), the two outcasts bond, forming an entirely likely friendship. But before things can get too normal for Norman, the young boy is visited by a series of bizarre visions, the worst of which happens when he’s on full display at a school play, commemorating the town’s famous witch execution of 300 years ago. Needless to say, Norman flaps about wildly and makes a complete tit of himself in front of the whole Blithe Hollow community, shaming his father into grounding him.

To make matters worse, Norman is contacted by his weird uncle Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman in crazy mode) who tells him that he must protect the town from the witch’s curse, or else the dead will walk the earth.

And so, as storm clouds gather ominously above, Norman’s life begins to unravel, and the story shifts in tone and pacing dramatically. This is actually quite common in the horror films ParaNorman so expertly parodies; the first half of the film is a slow-burner, build up, establishing the world and the characters, while the second half is a pantomime of gore, ghouls, slapstick and surreal horror.

The film certainly has no trouble setting up engaging characters; Norman, Neil, Courtney, Alvin and Mitch all conform to the horror movie stereotypes (the jock, the materialistic girl, the loner etc) but they all have enough quirks and interesting arcs to elevate them, so that they become people we actually care about. One of them might even be the first openly gay character in a mainstream children’s animation, and despite that he isn’t in the least defined by his sexuality.

The world that these wonderful character’s inhabit is beautifully realised; a homage to classic horror, from the quintessential suburban town to the twisted forests and the surreal dreamscapes. Of course, the most striking thing about ParaNorman is the incredible stop-motion animation, which is just a total feast for the eyes. This is somewhat expected considering the film was made by the people who had a hand in bringing the splendid (and more evenly paced) Coraline to life. Still, it’s kind of hard to explain just how lovely ParaNorman is to look at, it’s probably the rough edges, the lack of Hollywood shine, from the melty-faced mother to Prenderghast’s insane, lop-sided grin, the world is a treasure trove of misfits and monsters, a glorification of the imperfect.

There’s nothing normal about ParaNorman, and obviously that’s the point. The main theme of the film is bullying, and more specifically the fear that leads people to become bullies. It’s a very simple idea, but it takes some surprisingly dark turns, ending up in some really strange places, but always staying true to itself.

ParaNorman has been compared to the work of Tim Burton, which is pretty unfair considering Burton hasn’t made a decent flick since, what, Sleepy Hollow? And that’s being generous. As for animation, Corpse Bride was instantly forgettable and The Nightmare Before Christmas, while an adaptation of Burton’s poem, was directed by Henry Selick. So if you’re avoiding this one based on that connection, fear not!

ParaNorman is a gorgeous, witty celebration of great horror movies, like the works of George A. Romero and John Carpenter. That might seem like a strange subject for a kids movie, but the mark of those filmmakers has sunk into pop culture so effectively that the horror on display here is iconic and recognisable by all. Besides all that it’s just a bloody funny, beautiful animated movie with a decent message (for once) and it’s heart firmly in the right place.

This was written by David Knight.

The TV Pick of the Week – 03/02/13

Going to the cinema is expensive, buying DVDs is expensive, renting movies is expensive and torrenting is illegal (and, more importantly, doesn’t guarantee good quality sound and image). Luckily, films sometimes appear on TV. Here’s the best one this week.

Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan

Sunday 3rd February

Channel 4: 2.05pm – 4.20pm

Without a doubt, the best of the old-school Trek films, the Wrath of Khan has it all: a preposterously intense – and ‘genetically superior’ – pantomime villain; Shatner chewing the scenery like a velour-bedecked cow and, something that’s rarely noted upon – a brilliantly menacing score by James Horner (he of Oscar winning fame for his soundtrack to Titanic).

If the recent reboot of the franchise has whetted your appetite for some classic Trek, then look no further than this film. In fact, though the original film in the Star Trek canon had some interesting elements, it lacked a strong narrative that was always the main draw for the TV series – indeed, the story behind the production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is so muddied from start to finish, it’s a wonder it came out as cohesive as it did. Die-hard Trekkies are in two minds about The Wrath of Khan, not least because Paramount dispensed with creator Gene Roddenberry when making it. Looking at it objectively though, this film had the pacing and panache that was needed to resurrect the franchise.

The plot, such as it is, can be boiled down to one of Shakespearean levels of revenge: Khan and his fellow super-humans were picked up by Kirk in a classic episode of the TV show and exiled onto a planet. Fast-forward fifteen years and Khan seeks to gain revenge on the erstwhile Captain for the death of his wife. In order to do so, he steals a weapon designed to plant life on planets – the unimaginatively titled ‘Genesis Device’. Cue some interstellar action and Shatner’s hallmarked rifle delivery where sentences are. a series. of. words. punctuated. at random. intervals. In fact, at his worst, you’d be forgiven for being unsure if he’s genuinely got a problem or whether he’s purposefully appropriating a stutter worse than Gareth Gates, famed word-masher and Katie-Price banging runner-up of Pop Idol.

In fact, there were early rumours that suggested J. J. Abrams was going to work in Khan Noonien Singh as the main villain of the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness. Alas, and probably for the best, they decided against rehashing the plot, although it must be said, there are some obvious areas where they were influenced by Khan more than any of the other films.

As the Beastie Boys – and no doubt Gareth Gates – would say ‘check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out’.

This was written by Robert James Taylor. He is, for all intents and purposes, a human.

Mainstream Review: Dredd

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Gorilla Film Magazine is aware of films, television and games that are actually popular. We don’t put a lot of effort into covering that stuff, but we’re definitely aware of it. So here’s the Mainstream review of the week. 

Dredd
Release Date: 14/01/12 

Judge Dredd is a law enforcer who works tirelessly to restore some semblance of order in a huge, dystopian metropolis called Mega-City One. The city is a grey, bloated, metaphor for ‘the machine’, the kind of future home for humanity that Pink Floyd warned us about. The ‘Judges’ are fascist policemen, each acting as judge, jury and executioner, and dispensing justice as they see fit. Dredd is an iconic symbol of totalitarianism, and in any other story he would be the villain, but Mega-City One is so corrupted and vile, he’s the only hero we’ve got.

Although he significantly tones down the satirical elements of the comic book, Alex Garland’s take on Judge Dredd is surprisingly faithful to the source material. Dredd himself doesn’t grow as a character, at the start of the film he’s a cold, unrelenting bastard, a parody of the soulless justice system, and he’s exactly the same come the credits. That said, the character is consistently hilarious, but the humour comes from his cruelty, his lack of personality and, perhaps most importantly, his habit of understating everything. He only speaks when necessary, preferring to grimace menacingly, and his obligatory one-liners defy the law of what a one-liner should be. Instead of delivering ‘humorous’ puns, like Stallone or Schwarzenegger, he simply states things like “Negotiation’s over. Sentence is death.” or, when asked to round up the entire plot of the film; “Drug Bust. The perps were uncooperative.”

Karl Urban does a fantastic job as Dredd, essentially playing a robot with a gravelly voice. It’s a very modest performance, considering he isn’t allowed to show off as an actor, he doesn’t even take his helmet off throughout the entire film, so we never once see his eyes or anything above the mouth.

Without an evolving, emotionally engaging protagonist, the film relies on the rookie sidekick, Olivia Thirlby’s Judge Anderson, to inject a bit of humanity into the story. Anderson is really the star of the show, she’s a recruit who failed her aptitude test, but is given another shot at being a Judge due to a mutation that gives her powerful psychic abilities (although, rather interestingly, that’s not always an advantage when dealing with the sick minds of the criminals). Anderson is often the voice of the audience, calling into question Dredd’s black and white view of the world, and defending criminals she sees as victims of the system. She’s also appropriately scared when things get tough, which provides a bit of tension in the more action-packed and (really) violent scenes. Without her, we would be stuck with Dredd simply shaking off the insane danger he’s put in time and again, and we would come to find the action as banal as he clearly does.

Speaking of action, there’s plenty of it, walls explode, people are blown to pieces, and the inclusion of a drug that seems to slow down time leads to some stunning slow motion sequences that somehow make even the most violent deaths appear beautiful and tranquil. The lack of a really big budget stops things from going epic, and the majority of the film takes place in a single, immense tower block, which unfortunately draws parallels with The Raid. Although the similarities are a complete coincidence, Dredd can’t help but suffer in comparison, at least as far as incredible action scenes go, but if you give Dredd a chance, it still holds up on it’s own merits.

Interestingly, Dredd, a science fiction film based on a comic book (and, in many ways, a fairly generic action movie), totally passes the Bechdel Test. There are several women in the film, including Lena Headey as Ma-Ma, the rather terrifying villain, and they all have motivations and character arcs that don’t revolve around the male characters. In fact, given that Dredd is an avatar for emotionless justice, and most of the other male characters are fairly standard criminals and creeps, it’s the women, Anderson and Ma-Ma, who have personalities we can identify with.
Also none of the women are sexualised or fetishised, there’s no ‘boob armor’ on Anderson’s uniform, it’s pretty much the same as Dredd’s (although she’s helmet-less, so we can identify with her). The subject of sex or sexism never really comes up, except in a scene where one of the films villains attempts to unhinge Anderson by thinking sexy thoughts (it doesn’t work).

Ma-Ma is an intriguing villain, a dead-eyed, old kingpin, addicted to drugs and power, and waiting for death. Power has become a chore for her, and you get the sense that she’s bored with life and doesn’t see an escape, so she tortures other people like a spiteful child with a magnifying glass and an ants nest.
The cast is fairly small (again, the budget), with only a handful of other characters in the story, including the Chief Judge (who also happens to be a women) and a perp played by Wood Harris who, like his role as Avon Barksdale in The Wire, justifies his criminal behaviour as defiance of the corrupt justice system.

Dredd didn’t do so well at the box office, possibly because of the extreme violence, comparisons to The Raid or memories of the 1995 movie starring Sylvester Stallone. However, it was released on DVD in the UK a couple of weeks ago, and I urge you to go and buy it. Although it’s still a huge mainstream feature film, it needs a bit of support to keep the franchise going, and offer audiences a different spectacle to the CGI, self-indulgent mess of The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man, or even the dry self-importance of The Dark Knight Rises. Comic book movies often only appeal to the hardcore fans, unless it’s a homogenised cash-in based on bland, archetypal heroes such as the Marvel movies. I would argue Dredd should appeal to a wider demographic, it’s going for a ‘big dumb action movie’ vibe but there’s enough satire and dark humour to keep things interesting. Also the music is fantastic, a bleak, grubby industrial score that has real crunch, and is vastly superior to the much hyped Tron OST by Daft Punk.

There are no magical MacGuffin cubes or awkward name drops (I’m looking at you, “Robin”), the references to the bigger world that Dredd inhabits are scattered about to build a sense of place and time, rather than to satisfy fans. The film feels modest in scope, with a tight, textbook narrative, but with a lot of potential to go big. You get the feeling that should Dredd get a sequel, his world will open up, and we’ll get a chance to delve into the dark and satirical themes of the comic series, capitalism, consumerism, fascism and the ultimate price of justice: freedom.

This was written by David Knight.

The TV Pick of the Week – 26/01/13

Going to the cinema is expensive, buying DVDs is expensive, renting movies is expensive and torrenting is illegal (and, more importantly, doesn’t guarantee good quality sound and image). Luckily, films sometimes appear on TV. Here’s the best one this week.

The Mouse that Roared 

Saturday 26th January

BBC2: 7.00am – 8.25am

If ever you were to think that comedy films who prematurely blow all their funny in the trailer are a symptom of the modern age (I’m looking at you, The Campaign), then you might be pleased to note it’s a long-standing tradition in Hollywood that dates back as far as some of the other established fixtures of the industry, like sexual exploitation and actors who can’t sing, singing.

If that introduction has whetted your appetite (in which case you might want to consider yourself a film sadist) let me introduce you to the wonderful, though not-without-its-faults comedy vehicle for Peter Sellers – The Mouse that Roared. The premise is perfectly tuned for Sellers with a tiny pre-industrialised country going to war with the United States in a bid to get rebuilt by their conquerors. Cue a series of ludicrous events that have the feeling that they’d work a little better in the confines of a stage adaptation (which happened a few years later). However, for the fact that many will not have seen prime Sellers besides Dr. Strangelove and the odd re-run of the Pink Panther series, this is a perfect choice. Besides which, for all its faults, the film has enough consistent laughs to hold your interest, and when the gags begin to lag, it’s still got an inventive enough premise to keep you entertained.

For cinephiles you should also note that Jean Seberg, the astoundingly beautiful actress who went on to play Patricia Franchini in Godard’s À bout de souffle is on hand as window dressing – she doesn’t do much more than look gorgeous, but hey plaudits for doing her job with some aplomb.

This was written by Robert James Taylor. He is, for all intents and purposes, a human.