Category: Review Page 2 of 8

REVIEW : Knowing

On 27/03/2009

In Film, Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

This is the new film from director Alex Proyas, and starring Nicolas Cage. It concerns a chap who realises that a list of numbers found in a time capsule from 1959 are a code which gives details of disasters (both man-made and natural) which occurred after the time capsule was buried – and, he realises, there are numbers covering future dates as well. An intriguing premise, which is why I went to see it.

I’m not entirely sure that the film quite makes good on the promise in the premise, mind, and given the way it’s been advertised, other audience members may be left feeling slightly duped; it’s been trailed more like a thriller with supernatural undertones, which isn’t really very accurate at all, as it’s much more of a science fiction film. And I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea – one woman outside the cinema complained rather loudly about the sudden veer into SF towards the end (if you’ve ever seen The Watcher In The Woods, it’s in that sort of vein).

Anyway, it’s not a bad film, for all that; Cage isn’t an actor who draws me to the cinema just by his name being on the poster, but he turns in a decent enough performance here – though the grieving widower father isn’t a million miles away from Mel Gibson’s role in Signs, though that’s more to do with the script than his playing of it, I think. The rest of the cast are perfectly fine, too.

The pacing of the film is a bit uneven; it’s a bit slow at the start when the story’s being laid out, then it kicks into a much faster pace when the disasters start happening (the first major one is very effective indeed, and is all in one take; the second is more grisly but none the less well done), and then it keeps going with a gradual unravelling of what’s going on until the aforementioned ending. The direction of the film kind of matches this, only really livening up when there’s mayhem on the screen, but it’s perfectly watchable, and you’re never in any doubt what’s going on.

While I was watching the film, I enjoyed it, but afterwards, a few stray plot threads kind of niggled at me (skip to the next paragraph to avoid the semi-spoilers); why, if the various fates were inevitable, were people given the power to predict them? Since the film bothers to bring up pre-destination versus free will, why were the results of the former all so gloomy? Given the ‘EE’ situation, what could Koestler or any of the other characters have done to show they were learning from the events ? What were the tall strangers there for – help, or just watching the end times? And what were the black stones for?

These questions aside – and only one of them (the first, but don’t look back if you don’t want spoilage) is a really huge plot problem to my mind – Knowing is an enjoyable enough film, as long as you don’t mind a side order of science fiction with your on-screen destruction. Worth seeing at the cinema for the well-filmed disaster sequences (which are suitably unnerving), but if you have a big screen and good speakers, you can quite cheerfully wait for it to come out on rental.

One Of My Intermittent Posts About Twin Peaks, This Time With Pictures

By John

On 22/01/2009

In Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

I’ve written before about my fondness for the TV show Twin Peaks, and I’ll no doubt do so again (perhaps, one day, even explaining why I like it so), and in case you haven’t guessed it by the start of this sentence… well, this is one of those posts. If you’re not interested in this subject, normal service (if that’s what it can be called) will be resumed as of the next post.

Anyway – for those of you who are still here – I was rather amused to hear that a Twin Peaks variant of a range of skateboarding trainers was being released; partly because it’s almost two decades since the show was last on TV, and also because I’m 37 years old, for goodness’ sake, and the idea of trainers featuring motifs from a TV show really shouldn’t elicit the question ‘Where can I get them?’ and have me reaching for the internet so quickly. Still, I think we’ve established I’m an overgrown infant, and so the pictures surrounding these words are pictures I’ve actually taken of my shoes, which I received yesterday.

The first picture gives you a general idea of the trainer – as you can see immediately, there’s an owl pictured on it, in line with one of TP’s signature phrases (or should that be warnings?) “The owls are not what they seem”. As well as the green stitching along the shoe, and the spare green laces supplied, there’s a hint of patterning on the ‘grey’ area which might be faintly fern-like or leafy, but that might be me looking for more of a bucolic motif than is actually present.

The second picture is perhaps not a usual angle to take a photo from, but people with perhaps even a passing familiarity with TP will probably understand why I did it; the red sides of the inside of the shoe, combined with the zig-zag pattern on the insole, combine to create an in-shoe replica of the ‘Red Room’, one of the series’ most memorable locations (if indeed it has a physical existence). Only certain people can enter the room, and in certain circumstances, but with these shoes any old clown (by which I mean me) can at least send their feet in. And, for what it’s worth it, they’re really rather comfy.

I’m no kind of trainer expert – though my father often maintains that I “should be trained by now, surely?” – but these seem well made, and comfy, with enough extras and doodads to keep Twin Peaks fans amused. How they work for skateboarding or other physical activities I couldn’t say, but there will probably be proper reviews elsewhere on the internet of that sort of thing. Oh, and one final touch I forgot to mention – the paper surrounding the shoes (in the box they arrived in) has a wood-style print on them, which seems to continue the generally ‘nature-based’ look of the whole package.

Overall, then, a nice job on a slightly odd choice of TP-tie in, and they’ve brought a smile to my face and a slightly increased bounce to my step. I got mine from Flatspot, and the service was very good, though of course other firms should be able to supply them.

REVIEW: ‘Dreams on Spec’

By John

On 28/10/2008

In Link, Pictures, Review, Uncategorized, Writing

Dreams on Spec is a 2007 documentary which follows three writers as they work on spec film scripts.

The three writers – David, Joe and Deborah – are at different stages; David works at a talent agency and has sold one of his scripts, Joe’s been working on a script for a number of years whilst day-trading and looking after his autistic daughter, and Deborah used to work for a creative agency and is now trying to find funding to film her first script. As well as being at different stages in their careers, their screenplays are on wildly diverse themes – David’s is a modern take on the slasher film, Joe’s written a coming of age piece, and Deborah’s film is described as a ‘gory commitment comedy’.

We don’t get to learn too much about the content of their scripts, but the focus of the film is more on their attitudes and perseverence; David’s concerned about losing control of the script as it goes into production, Joe’s meetings with a script advisor suggest it’s almost ready to be sent out, and Deborah is trying to pay the bills whilst hoping that money’s forthcoming to make her film. Intercut with their three tales are short ‘talking head’ spots with established screenwriters like Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher and Ed Solomon, all of whom talk in a realistic way about the nature of working in the film industry, and the ways they’ve been treated by studios in the past.

The film’s about 90 minutes long (plus an extra 30 minutes of material featuring the established writers), but I found it seemed much shorter than that, as it was very engaging; it’s an interesting insight into the often mundane reality of writing (that is: re-writing, and re-writing, and so on), interspersed with some very amusing insights. The three writers were well presented – for example, it’s hard not to feel for Joe when he asks his wife to read his latest draft, and she sharply replies that she’s already read several drafts for him.

The direction, editing, and general film-making on this documentary are pretty much perfect – by which I mean that it’s as good as invisible; whilst it’s very professionally made, there are no flashy or obtrusive directorial tricks, and so it just gets on with telling the story – and it’s a story which, if you’re interested in writing, is an interesting one. In a way, the film could be seen as a bit of a litmus test to establish whether writing’s for you – given the stated unlikelihood of succeeding (it’s likened to the chances of winning the lottery), the film makes one either feel that there’s little point in applying pen to paper (or finger to keyboard), or rather stirs the feeling that trying harder is the way to go (you can probably guess which camp I fell into).

I don’t know if this film has been shown on UK TV (More4 or BBC4 seem the most likely channels for a broadcast of it), but it’s available to buy on R1 DVD, and I certainly recommend it – if nothing else, it’s nice to see that there are people in the same boat as you are. You can buy the DVD from the official website, or from Amazon, and I think it’s well worth watching.

Review: ‘Bodyworlds – The Mirror Of Time’

By John

On 27/10/2008

In London, Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

‘The Mirror of Time’ is the latest incarnation of the ‘Bodyworlds’ series of exhibitions, run by the anatomist Gunther von Hagens. And yes, the Bodyworlds exhibitions are the ones with real dead bodies preserved by a process called ‘plastination’.

Let’s just deal with the issue of looking at dead bodies first; I have no problem at all with it – I don’t consider the human body, even stripped of its flesh, ugly or scary or gross or anything like that, though I understand that a lot of people might feel that way. That’s fine, though I do dislike it when saying ‘I don’t like it’ gets conflated with ‘ah, but were the bodies obtained legally?’ and the like. I’m absolutely fine with the idea of something I’m interested in not being to someone else’s tastes.

As an aside, I think part of the reason that such sights might creep people out is because the only times we’re generally likely to see the human body with its musculature exposed, or nerves poking out, is in a horror film (example: Hellraiser) where it’s not exactly presented in a good light. And its sheer lack of familiarity (to most of us, anyway) makes looking at such sights feel like looking at one of those lifeforms from the bottom of the Marianas Trench – just too outside of our frame of refence to be immediately comfortable, basically.

Anyway, all that aside, I thought this was an interesting exhibition. It starts off showing the stages of development in the womb, and then shows various stages in the lifecycle, with particular emphasis on aging and other ways that our internal organs change and decay over time. There are several other plastinated forms which don’t really fit in the ‘chronology’ really – a plastinated horse and giraffe, for example – but the overall theme just about holds, and I was genuinely surprised at some of the items, such as the size difference between a healthy and a diseased liver.

This was the first time I’d seen one of these exhibitions, and thus the first time I’d been within such a short distance of a dead body. I have to say that, even knowing that these were real people who’d once been walking and breathing and eating and pooing like you or I, after seeing the first one, I didn’t really focus on that aspect of it, but instead was more intrigued by the way you could see the nerves or whatever. Which, I guess, is the point of the exhibition.

I did come away, though, with a renewed sense of being impressed at just what a clever device the human body is; fragile in some respects and yet resilient in so many others, and whether you believe that the form developed as a result of some divine intervention or evolution or some other route, it’s nonetheless an incredible organism, and the mere fact that you’re able to see these words and read them and interpret them as having some meaning is, in itself, the result of a number of biological processes in a system that we could all too easily take for granted. That said, Mrs Wife and I did go on to the chip shop afterwards, so one might argue that the respect for the body was short-lived.

If you don’t find the idea of the plastinated forms off-putting, there’s some informative stuff to be gleaned from this exhibition, and I’d recommend it.

It’s on at the (now post-)Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London, until August 23, 2009.

Review: ‘The End Of Mr Y’ by Scarlett Thomas

By John

On 23/10/2008

In Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

I talked back here about how pleased I was to get this book at a bargain price, and I’m even more pleased to be able to report that it’s a cracking read.

The plot, put very simply, is that student Ariel Manto finds a copy of the rare book ‘The End Of Mr Y’ – she’s pleased about this, as it’s covered by a thesis she’s writing on the author of the book, who disappeared. Like the main character in the book. And where exactly has her tutor vanished to?

The writing style is very readable, even when characters have to talk about some fairly in-depth theoretical stuff, and it’s got enough twists and turns to keep you unsure what’s going to happen next – it was, cliché as it may sound, the kind of book that made me wish I had just one more tube or bus stop to go before I had to stop reading.

My only niggle was that the slight romance sub-plot felt just that – slight – and I thought it was going to develop into something slightly more interesting than it did, but really this was just a disappointment in comparison to the way the other plot elements flowered so satisfyingly.

Definitely recommended, and if you’re wavering, do bear in mind that the edges of the pages are all black, so as one carries it around it looks like a grimoire, or some other book containing mysterious knowledge. A book that’s both a good read and physically well-designed? What’s not to like?

One to own, and certainly read more than once, I’d say.

REVIEW: Kung Fu Panda

By John

On 18/08/2008

In Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

This film’s been out for a while now, but I thought it was worth a quick review… if nothing else, it gave me an excuse to put this picture up, which is actually a pretty good summation of the general tone of the film.

Anyway, the basic story is that Po, a rather rotund Panda living in a valley with many other anthropomorphic animals (well, this is a Dreamworks animated feature), ends up being nominated as the ‘Dragon Warrior’ who will defend the valley and its citizens against the vicious snow leopard Tai Lung. Po, of course, is wildly unsuitable to be the Dragon Warrior, having more enthusiasm for Kung Fu than actual knowledge or ability. The previous five candidates to become Dragon Warrior (Monkey, Tigress, Crane, Viper and Mantis) are also sceptical of Po’s credentials, and are open in saying as much to their Kung Fu master, Shifu. Shifu’s position is further complicated by the fact that Tai Lung was his student some years ago, and developed his fighting skills under Shifu.

Upon the news that Tai Lung has escaped from prison, the five would-be Dragon Warriors (and Po) set about preparing to defend the valley, and essentially the film is about them finding a way to do this. I’m simplifying a lot here, but I’m keen to avoid any spoilers, as I really would urge you to see this film and enjoy the story for yourself, because it’s a lot better than you’d probably imagine or expect – I’ll cheerfully admit that I had my reservations about it going in.

My main reason for feeling hmm about Kung-Fu Panda was – aside from the fact that it’s yet another CGI film featuring animals – the fact that Po is voiced by Jack Black. I really liked his turn in the film version of High Fidelity, but since then it’s felt as if he’s been playing the same character, and it’s not necessarily a role I want to see over and over again. So, I was wary, but he seems to be well-cast here, and the setting of the story seems to rein in any possible tendency towards overdoing it.

The playing of Po is pretty decent then, and Dustin Hoffman is really good as Shifu, his master, but the stand-out voice performance in the film has to be that of Tai Lung – the villain of the piece – who, I was amazed to find out, is played by Ian McShane. I know, I know, he’ll always be Lovejoy to most of the people in the UK, but he snarls and menaces his way through the film like Terence Stamp as General Zod, in a really well-judged performance.

The animation in the film is top-notch too – opening with a great sequence which looks like old-style Chinese paintings brought to life, and featuring some glorious scenery, it’s almost a perfect example of how to do CGI. The fight scenes are really busy and action-packed, but you always know what’s going on, and the sequence in which Tai Lung escapes from prison is visually very exciting.

The story’s not overly demanding, but it’s well-paced, with some nice little character bits, and a lot of laughs (many of them slapstick). Perhaps the most telling remark I could make on this would be to point out that in the cinema where we saw the film, there were quite a few children in the audience, and whilst some of them were talking a bit in the first few minutes, they were sufficiently drawn in by the film that they were quiet for the rest of its running time. That, in itself, might be recommendation enough for those of you who have children.

Overall, then, I’d recommend this film – my expectations were only moderate, but I enjoyed it a lot, laughed out loud several times, and thought it looked great (especially on an IMAX screen, where the often beautiful vistas completely fill your field of view). If you can, I’d recommend seeing it on the big screen. It’s rated ‘PG for Mild Martial Arts Action’, but as the BBFC rating decision says, the film’s generally light tone means that there’s not much to scare in it, and so it strikes me as a pretty perfect film for a family outing. Definitely worth leaving home for.

REVIEW: Buddha Bar, London

By John

On 11/08/2008

In London, Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

Now, I don’t normally review bars and/or restaurants on the blog; I leave that sort of thing to Mr Factory and his fancy mediterranean lifestyle), but as this place only opened on Friday, and I was there on Saturday, I thought I might try to get in ahead of Anton Ego and his colleagues.

If you’ve not come across it before, the Buddha Bar is a small-ish chain of restaurant-bars at various locations around the world which, unsurprisingly, are themed around the orient and Buddha. The picture above shows the Paris venue, and the London branch is very much the same in layout – the whole place is dominated by a massive Buddha statue, and the restaurant and bar alike are more shadow than light (as I mentioned in point 5 of this post, that can mean you fall over things). But it’s certainly got an atmosphere about it, despite effectively being within a hollowed-out leg of Waterloo Bridge (well, they call it Victoria Embankment, but it’s inside the northmost stump of the bridge, so)…

Anyway, the London branch was due to open some months ago, and its opening date was pushed back by several weeks if not months, meaning that the laydee and I turned out, by chance not design, to be dining there on what was its second night of actually being open. In terms of the environment, this was fine – the place was clearly finished and ready for business – and in terms of service, it meant that we often had several members of staff looking after us at once, which was a pleasant change from most dining experiences (and only once did one of them bump into a piece of furniture, which is more than I’d be able to do in such a darkened workplace).

As for the food and drink, well, take a look at the menu, and you can see if it’s your sort of thing or not. The absence of a specific vegetarian main course option on the menu is something of an omission, because there is one – I had a very nice vegetarian curry served within a hollowed-out coconut, which was tasty but not heavy, and nicely presented. The desserts are very good too, and, again, not overly filling.

If you followed the link above to the menu, you’ll see that the prices are pretty high (though if you want to see really big numbers, take a look at the bottom right corner of page 2 of the wine list. Crazy). And I won’t argue with that – the Buddha Bar isn’t cheap, but I think it’s not just a place to eat but also an interesting atmosphere to be in; more a place to go to celebrate an anniversary, or someone’s birthday, or a date when you want to do something a bit different.

A lot of reviews of the other branches tend to focus on the prices or to suggest it’s a slightly pretentious place, and I can’t pretend there isn’t some validity to that kind of comment, but if you want a change from the usual sort of environment, and don’t take it too seriously, I’d say it’s worth a visit.

REVIEW: The Dark Knight

By John

On 25/07/2008

In Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

I think I’ve written before about my near-obsession with Batman (consider it akin to Jerry Seinfeld’s feelings for Superman), so you probably won’t be surprised to know that I went to see the new film last night.

There’s been a lot of hype and hoo-ha and coverage about it, not least because of the death of one of its stars and recent allegations made against another (hence the picture above, which is something that is oddly appropriate given aspects of the film), but I’m going to stick to commenting on the actual film here, not personal aspects connected to the cast or the marketing push.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot, and it’s probably about as good a Batman film as you could hope to see; the plot’s full of twists and genuine surprises, and even though the film lasts something like 150 minutes, I get the feeling that certain storylines or scenes could have been given a bit more room to breathe. That said, it scoots along at a fairly breathless pace, in a nice taut way – even the sequences which look more like character moments tend to have some resonance or ramifications later on in the film.

I’m trying to keep this review spoiler-free, but suffice to say that the overall plot is a logical continuation of the situation at the end of the previous film (‘Batman Begins’), with a new District Attorney in place as Gotham’s various gangs scramble to take control of the various rackets in the city. Cue the Joker, in a performance by the late Heath Ledger which is more likely to generate nervous laughter than genuine chuckles. The Joker’s played here as an agent of chaos, and given that Batman is almost the living embodiment of one man’s attempt to impose some kind of order on a chaotic situation (both in his own life and that of his city), it’s only right that, as the film goes on, Batman struggles to anticipate the Joker’s next move.

You’re probably wondering, though, about the explodey-boom bits, and if there are good gadgets and vehicles, and oh my goodness yes there are; some of the stunt-based sequences are really rather spectacular, but like a film such as Raiders Of The Lost Ark, the scenes actually have a reason to be there as the story unfolds.

I mentioned Ledger’s performance, but I think it’s fair to say that there is not one bad turn in this film; it’s a strong cast, and all of them do very creditable jobs, even if some of them have to do less to impress – maybe it’s just me, but I do feel that Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman have sufficient goodwill in the bank that just seeing them in a film is a good thing.

The end of the film is interesting, too – whilst it leaves things open for another in the series, the status quo has been shaken quite considerably, so it would be interesting to see how the story would be continued. Given the box office success of the film, a continuation seems likely, but if it wasn’t by the same team (cast and crew) a dip in quality would seem pretty much inevitable, though I’d be happy to be surprised.

Overall, then, this is a film I’d wholeheartedly recommend – it functions well as a crime film or a thriller, and has enough character bits and explosions to keep the eyes as well as the brain entertained. If you can see it at an IMAX cinema, by the way, I urge you to do so – some of the sequences have been specially shot to take advantage of the screen and sound capabilities of the IMAX technology, and it’s very well used indeed – it enhances the film without being gratuitous.

Review: ‘Born Standing Up’ by Steve Martin

By John

On 23/05/2008

In Link, Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

Again, it was one year ago today when I suggested Steve Martin’s skill now seems to lie in his precisely-written novels, and this non-fiction memoir of his experiences doing stand-up comedy seems to suggest this is still, or indeed, the case.

As noted in m’colleague’s mini-review, there was a time when Steve Martin’s stand-up talent was such that he could well have been voted the funniest man in the world; he filled huge venues and sold vast numbers of LPs (yes, it was back in the days before CDs and downloads), and in this book he tells you how he did it.

Well, not exactly, as his comedy was far more fragmented and intuitive than that, so it’s not like it worked to a formula which you could learn from this book and then copy – unless the lack of a formula could be seen as an approach in itself, much like I often fear that the ‘ethical relativist’ stance is, in its way, a positive position. But in this book, Steve talks about how his stage act gradually developed, what worked and what didn’t, and how he felt about his success.

If you’re interested in comedy, both the jokes at the front of it and the process that goes into their creation, this book will almost certainly be of interest; his writing is very precise and easy to understand, and the book’s short and to the point – given that it’s a small-sized hardback (a format I really like), the phrase that kept coming to mind as I read it was that it’s ‘a bonsai book’ – there’s not a lot of it, but everything that’s there is there for a reason.

I’ve read a few books purporting to tell you how to write and/or perform comedy, but they’re usually written by people I’ve never heard of, which hardly inspires confidence; this book, though, is written by a man who rose to the very top of the comedy ladder, and who honed his act carefully and thoughtfully for some time before finding success. A great read, and most definitely recommended – but if you have any lingering doubts about whether it’d be for you, you can read the first chapter here.

Review: ‘Blind Faith’ by Ben Elton

By John

On 23/05/2008

In Pictures, Review, Uncategorized

Exactly one year ago, I wrote about how Ben Elton seems to do more interesting work in his books than his stage and screen work (‘Get A Grip’, his most recent TV work, was pretty weak, though I think that was partly due to the format and his co-host; Alexa Chung may be popular with the papers and fashion magazines, but her presenting skills are, I feel, doubtful – compare her to, say, Mikita Oliver, and it’s all too obvious who’s most comfortable and natural on-camera. But I digress).

And lo and behold, here I am 365 days on, reviewing his most recent novel, ‘Blind Faith’. As you could guess from the cover and the title, it’s very much a novel about belief.

Set in a future London after a disastrous flood (which, now I think of it, links with several religious stories), the book features a man called Trafford who starts to have doubts about the society he lives in – everyone shares everything (literally – sex and childbirth are public events) on constantly-streamed websites, people walk the streets barely-clothed, and there are vast religious events which have more in common with a political rally than, say, a charismatic gathering.

Science and reason are actively frowned upon and punished, meaning that vaccination is outlawed, and Trafford begins to wonder if all this is right, especially after his wife gives birth to their daughter. His wondering turns into active doubt, and he begins to seek people who, like him, think that things could be different.

As you’ve probably guessed, there are definite parallels with Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, but to be honest this is almost impossible to avoid in a dystopian novel, as Orwell’s book casts a long shadow. Elton’s take on these things, though, is more acute in its attacks on what he sees as being wrong in the present day (the current obsessions with ‘sharing’, public emoting, celebrity and the like), and as a result is, to my mind, more satirical.

And it’s not toothless satire or restrained prose, either – here’s an example from one of the book’s key scenes:
“… no society based on nothing more constructive than fear and brutish ignorance could survive for ever. No people who raised up the least inventive, the least challenging, the least interesting of their number while crushing individual curiosity and endeavour could prosper for long.”
… those are meant to be Trafford’s thoughts, but I think it’s not too much of a reach to imagine that it’s what Ben Elton thinks too.

This isn’t a gut-bustingly laugh-out-loud gagfest, but is certainly one of Elton’s stronger books, and the points it makes are, to my mind, solid ones, and it’s well-written. It just came out in paperback last week, and I heartily recommend it to you as a good read, and one which might well set you thinking about some of the issues it raises.