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Underground (1998)
Rats Fighting In A Barrell
As someone who was around when the whole rave and clubbing scene was happening in the UK, its odd that I somehow missed this at the time. While sometimes its an oversight and you can find a hidden gem, most of the time its because some things sink without trace because they simply aren't any good. This is definitely in the latter category.
The story centres around Rat, a young and very unsympathetic drug dealer who sells drugs to a girl who ends up hospitalised or worse. He spend the film walking around being annoying and breathing through his mouth. The rave promoters where the girl fell ill are also dealers, so they set out to find Rat. The problem with this movie is because nobody in the film is likable, you really don't care what happens to any of them. The only reasons anyone talks these films up is generally because they will have a few songs which people like, or because of the subject matter. Because they aren't good films. While most of the acting is passable at best, it really falls apart during the action or violence scenes. Which somehow look unbelievable even though its something as simply as someone being punched or kicked. The ending is both entirely unbelievable and laughable. Due to the acting and the obvious redemption angle its fishing for, which only works with sympathetic characters. Its a stark reminder that not everything in the 90's was great, even if it has a dance music soundtrack. One to avoid, or regret if you actually watch it.
Blur: To the End (2024)
Interesting Doc About Britpops Second Band
I am not a massive Blur fan. I don't own any of their CDs, however as someone who was around in the 90's, like Oasis, Blur were part of everyone in the UK's psyche. It was impossible to not hear their music on Top Of The Pops, radio or even nightclubs and pubs if you were socialising at this time. They were not as popular as the more working class Oasis. However Blur did have their fans, which seemed to be mainly female and/or students. They were hyped as being more cerebral than Oasis. But were mocked by their rivals as playing "Cockney Chimney Sweep Music" by one Liam Gallagher.
This is an odd documentary as it finds the band prepping for their Wembley gig. While they apparently haven't been in touch, that is almost irrelevant as they are still pretty much well known to the UK press. One for cheese and the others for playing music. However this is more intimate camera work and that is the rub of this doc. Because Blur have almost a bad reputation for not being that pleasant. There have been numerous stories about their behaviour and theres the infamous Naurduar interview. This documentary doesn't exactly negate that image. They come across as a but whiny and irritable, unlikable almost. They don't even seem to like each other. The Wembley gig seems like a cash grab and they are simply enduring each other for the payday. So not a million miles from Oasis. However it is still good to see they are still functioning as a band. And some of the convert footage is good. But the much covered incident of Damon breaking down crying on stage isn't in this doc. An obvious omission. I've no idea whats next for Blur but what I do know is a UK tour wasnt on the cards. Like I said, they weren't as popular as Oasis.
Piece by Piece (2024)
Peak Black Creativity.
Pharrell Williams is a different person to many different people. He has been a hardcore rap producer, pop music producer and also a fashion icon. So while this movie will have a surface appeal to many, it may only be certain demographics that rate this movie highly.
The main talking point about this movie is the fact its a Lego movie. This is just another example of why Pharrell is different, remixing the biopic, but in a way that is satisfying for the masses as well as for the streets.
What is interesting about this movie, which on the face of it may appear less "human", due to the Lego setting, is how emotional it. If you know his journey as a rap producer, to becoming a pop star working with the worlds biggest artists, there is definitely an emotional tug when certain beats drop.
I hope this is still in theatres because this needs to be seen in a setting with a phat sound system.
Surgical Spirit (1989)
Appeals To A Certain Demographic
Surgical Spirit is one of those long forgotten British sitcoms that existed on a Friday night during the 80's and 90's. It has classical music for its theme music and score, and its about a surgeon. Like the American comedy Frasier it has an air of classicism about it. Its all very posh and that seems to be its main appeal. Because the central character isn't very likable. She is an aggressive gobby woman who only seems to have a primary setting, which is sarcasm. Although it does seem to veer into total aggression at some points. Its unlikely she would be working in the NHS as long as it has a functional HR department. There is a long running "will they wont they" workplace romance theme with one of her male colleagues. The other source of narrative tensions coming from her relationship with her son and what seems like her only friend in the building. This show is mainly for posh people who think only classical music should exist and women who enjoy watching other women verbally abuse men without consequences. Sure some of it is funny in a farcical kind of way however its the sort of jokes you can see coming a mile off. Its unlikely this show would have mass appeal today, simply because the main character is so caustic. Would a working class woman get away behaving like this? Or is being rude at work only acceptable for the chattering classes?
Other, Like Me (2020)
Feels Short
This is an actually interesting documentary about the people who were involved in the musical group Throbbing Gristle, who are now viewed as forefathers of electronic music. I describe them in this way because what this documentary isn't is a doc about a musical group. Its more a background and brief introduction to the art collective that existed long before any musical instruments were picked up, called Coum Transmissions. The problem this documentary has is there is really no way to scratch the surface of the group in such a short space of time. Particularly when using a talking heads approach. This is evident to anyone who has read Cosi's book, while some of the main events are touched on, there is little depth. There is also not much in discussed in terms of music production, which is one of the key areas of interest to many.
On the plus side there is little fat in this doc, it flies past very quickly but leaves you none the wiser about who the people are or what they were actually about. I would even go so far as to say that it may not make much sense if you didn't already know the story. Ignore any scores for this above a six, that is just fans of the band who are obviously starved of new content from them for obvious reasons. Another plus of this doc is it doesn't try to ram any political ideas down peoples throats, about identity etc. The people are who they are and it doesn't need discussion or any forcing of ideas. They were a weird bunch based on what they did, most of which isn't of interest to people who liked their music. Maybe this should have been focused on TG as opposed to being a complete but shallow history of them from their activist artists days.
Hype! (1996)
Hype By Name
I can recall the grunge scene at the time, with a handful of bands making the pop charts, in direct competition with UK indie and electronic music. There was a definite push by the media to promote Seattle as a cool place, Starbucks coffee and Frasier were growing in popularity at that time.
This documentary attempts to cover the wider Seattle grunge scene and that is where the majority of people will simply loose interest. Because for every Nirvana or Soundgarden, there are a thousand other Seattle grunge bands you never heard of and so don't care about. And this doc tries to introduce some of them and make you care about them. The problem is they aren't any good. The interviews give the impression of so many musicians who were simply goofing off, getting drunk and playing bad music badly. As if not caring made them cool. Its the obvious college student pose of trying to be seen to be aloof when the opposite is true. They will claim to be doing what they want but they are just conforming to another set of rules, which produces inferior music. Like most music docs its a mix of talking heads and performances. The talking head sections aren't that interesting but at least they are a break from the next no name band playing 80's punk style music to an audience which is made up of their friends who are also in bands that play the same music. The only positive about this is that it shows how musical scenes are simply manufactured constructs by at that time, widely read musical press. Which are then commercialised until every penny can be squeezed out from them until they collapse when they become mainstream, hence no longer underground and cool. This wasn't a musical movement that did anything new musically and died out just as fast as it arrived because there was nothing there in the first place. Maybe of interest to people who were heavily into the scene at the time, but to an average person its simply bad music with the occasional interview with the bad musicians. It was a 90's college poser movement built on punk which left no real legacy.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Missing Something
As if you didn't know this is the third Deadpool movie which brings back the deceased Wolverine character, post Logan. And that is where this movie loses some of its spark. The fact that dead characters are now able to be brought back to life as well as the multi-verse angle, basically means there is zero at stake anymore in these so called universes. The narrative is an obvious team up against a bad guy/girl and the universe or universes are universally under threat etc etc.
While there is action galore the fact nobody really dies or can die means there is little at steak when it comes to the violence. So instead they have to try and make the violence more stylish and in some cases played for laughs. But for some reason the fights seemed quite flat and emotionless. Another problem is the cameos. Sure one or two surprises were there, but for the most part I was thinking who is he/she? How are they relevant and what exactly am I missing. Because this is definitely a comic book nerd movie and unless you are in that demographic you won't get any of these references. Even the song choices this time aren't as good. This film is quite the mess, with too many faces, too many pointless punch ups, no real tension and Ryan's cheeky dialogue is starting to grate. Its an ok superhero movie, but really the bar has dropped since infinity war and that is really where it should have ended. I'm not even sure what "universe" this is supposed to be but they should have left Wolverine buried.
Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977)
Another UK 70's Time Capsule
Due to age I missed out on the UK 1970's sex comedy boom, so have been watching movies from this genre as they make themselves available on TV. Because these aren't exactly the kind of things you would pay money to watch or go out your way to see at the cinema. As if cinemas would play this kind of thing, seeing as they are now all staffed by woke feminists in 1950's tea dresses and ironic NHS glasses. Unlike the Carry On Series, the Confessions series is less family friendly due to its content, so it doesn't get as much love. The narrative is also much more streamlined as the Confessions series basically follows the protagonist in his job role as numerous nubile women decide they want to have sex with him now and for no apparent reason. And there are plenty of opportunities as this is a holiday camp. The humour is generally around nudity in public and the fear of being caught having sex from others. There is little crude language and the sex scenes are tame compared to what can be seen on the average teenagers phone. Is it ironic that these movies did and still do have feminists frothing at the mouth, when 40 years of feminist intervention have lead to even more extreme content being normalised by the public? This is definitely a UK time capsule movie and shows a more innocent time, regardless of the "that didn't age well" comments from the virtue signallers who are looking at far worse stuff.
Playtime (1967)
Gray Time : Mon Boring Oncle
Is it is surprising how many times Tati's movies are mentioned in the Criterion Collection cupboard raids? You would think they were selling DVDs? Being someone who considers themselves a film lover I thought it was time to dip into Tati's output. Why I started with Play Time is that its currently the highest rated of his movies. I had no idea that it was shunned by the public and lead to his bankruptcy. Its easy to see why.
Play Time opens very tamely with high grade cinematography but low grade dialogue. Lots of shots of city scenes with people viewed as if they were ants in the distance. Conversations are had but apparently the director doesn't want you to know what about. Instead the focus is on what is happening on the periphery of the scene as some anonymous person struggles with some furniture. Except its not that funny and these scenes tend to go on for a bit too long. Its as if the director knew people wouldn't notice the joke straight away. But this also cranks up the running time. And the humour isn't exactly high brow either. Chairs that sound like farts? This is the lowest hanging fruit in comedy. Much of the humour is actually around bad design, bad design of buildings or furniture, so this is probably a film liked by design students. But its not actually a good movie, as there is nothing to grasp in terms of narrative or emotion. Its like a France based 1960's version of Rear Window, if Rear Window limited itself to the scenes were we observed the neighbours from a distance. What this movie reminds me of are those people at Arthouse cinemas, who laugh too enthusiastically at slightly amusing incidents in what are supposed to be high brow movies. They want people to know they get the joke and they are very clever people for doing so. You know, pretentious. Maybe I have discovered yet another shortcut to identifying pretentious people, they say they enjoyed this movie.
One from the Heart (1981)
I Can See Why It Bombed
This movie has had a re-release and so this is what brought it to my attention, the new trailer looked lush and the names attached sold it to me.
This is the movie that broke Coppola and its quite clear to see why. One From The Heart tells the story of the night or is that nights of a couples break up and their attempts to move on with new people they only just met. The problem being they still have feelings for each other. The first issue with this movie is its not really a movie. It feels like a stage play musical that has been filmed. There seems to be little structure and it comes across as unfocused. The score is quite obtrusive and has you questioning if this is actually a musical, it actually does have a small number of dance episodes, yet its not fully a musical either which leaves you scratching your head. Its quite a mess at times. Another big issue is that neither of the pair are actually that sympathetic either. The biggest selling point is actually the cinematography. Its very much in the vein of the technicolour of Wong Kar Wai at his best. As a result this is more for the film buff who wants to see why this didn't pan out, as it does have some great cinematic elements. Its just not a film your average person would get much from. Worth a watch but not exactly memorable. On the plus side it seems to fly past pretty quickly.
The Hunted (1995)
Samurai vs Ninja
How did I ever miss this? The Hunted is an overlooked action film that isn't huge on budget but is in entertainment. The story is of Lambert character who ends up being pursued by a ninja cult after witnessing a crime. He is then sought out by a rival samurai family who claim to offer him protection from the ninjas.
While this sounds more like an 80's B movie, its actually done to quite a high standard. More so than you would expect. The fact is that this uses mainly Japanese actors and for the most part its really a Japanese film with a Westerner as a lead. This actually reminded me of really good anime, the action scenes are realistic and bloody. Its a movie that shows respect for the Japanese culture, unlike the majority of American ninja flicks. If you told me this was a Japanese only production I wouldn't have been shocked in the slightest. Easily Lamberts best movie after Highlander.
Twisters (2024)
Too Late The Sequel
Why bother making a sequel or is it a remake to what is now considered a Sunday afternoon classic 30 years later?
I had this on my list for a while and eventually forced myself to watch this based on average reviews. The narrative focuses on a female weather nerd who has an idea to destroy twisters from within using science, however her initial attempt ends in disaster. She moves on but is brought back into the storm chaser fold by a friend for a second attempt at trying her storm busting plans.
How this differs from the first is they unfortunately have gone "girl power" again, with the male lead playing second fiddle to the females. There are plenty of goofy men however all the females are super competent scientist types, delivering snarky put downs to guys who just accept it. As a result the main female simply isn't likeable. Another fail is that is isn't as fun as the first, no flying cows but plenty of people flying to their deaths. While the CGI may look better the action scenes aren't better than the first. Its an odd choice to try and reboot this so long after the first movie and use so much of the same narrative. However the "updates" are glaring, because its the current attitude of Hollywood towards men which makes this movie stink. This is the same female lead who was in Normal People, which also had quite an anti-male slant. Her accent has changed in this however it seems to be the same old story, one that is currently losing Hollywood billions. Pretty glad I didn't shell out to see this in theatres.
The Boss' Wife (1986)
Its Exactly What You Think It Is.
The Boss' Wife is one of a very long line of 80's sex comedy farces, in which the title and poster told you everything you needed to know. These movies always had a nymphomaniac woman who seems hell bent on coming onto an average Joe type character. With the added complication that the guy was married, she was or both are in this movie. And she is obviously his bosses wife, further adding to the tension and providing the name of the movie.
The narrative is obvious, a guy has a promotion on the line and his boss has invited him to a social weekend to talk business, but the bosses wife has other ideas. This is your typical farce type of humour, much like that found in Frasier, of ridiculous situations, in that case of a sexual nature. This movie is so cliched that you even know exactly what moves the bosses wife will try on the average joe character while seated at the dinner table. There is some nudity thrown in, some bad accents and uncomfortable scenes, however it does actually fire along at a face pace. Its very much a movie of its time and there is no pretence its anything other than advertised. Its an average 80's movie that has the feel of a TV movie, particularly as the opening credits roll with a font I haven't seen since Heart to Heart. Watchable if you want to watch an 80's movie about a nymphomaniac bosses wife from the 80's, because that is exactly what it is.
Bass Impact (2024)
Not My Tempo
As someone who has not only been a fan of but now also produces "bass music", this was a difficult watch. The names associated with this doc are obvious click bait, including artists from genres that really only get lip service. Because this is not a doc about bass music, whatever that is, but its about the lesser quality dub step that has become a meme. The American version of dub step is now a seen as an example of terrible music, which probably required quite high levels of production skills, but still sounds horrendous and abrasive. It will forever be known as being a sizable fashion blip in the states for a very specific demographic.
This is really a Skrillex fan doc. While he comes across as a great guy it doesn't mean I like his style of music. And that is what makes this a difficult watch, as there is so much of "that" style of dub step playing throughout.
There is little Drum and Bass, no actual Dub, Miami Bass or any of the genres of Hip Hop which are bass driven on show. I think the fact there was so many drum and bass DJs in this doc, yet so little time was given over to the story of it, they must have been scratching their heads as to why they are even in this.
While this is a glossy production, it does suffer from a lack of editing and structure. This is almost a 2 hour slog and really needs trimmed down. So much so that I had to watch this in multiple sittings. The only thing that kept me coming back was the hope they would actually play some decent music or at least cover something else interesting.
At best this is a not great doc about Skrillex and may interest people into similar artists like Flux Pavilion etc. The problem is, most of the interview content you can see better on YouTube for free. And unfortunately this doesn't really bring much else to the table.
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Easily The Cohens Best
I used to not understand why this has often been downvoted as being one of the worst Cohen brothers movies. But watching it in 2024 its obvious why.
The Hudsucker Proxy is an obvious homage to the Golden Era of cinema and its not done in an ironic way. This is obviously a jolt to some audience members and they simply don't know how to handle the tone of the film. Much like the also underrated Crimewave, you either get and love this style of movie or you don't.
The story concerns Tim Robbins character who by a sheer stroke of fate ends up the head of Hudsucker Industries, because the board are looking for a stooge to manipulate so they can buy off the company stock cheap if they can force its share value to plummet. There is also a love story with Jennifer Jason Leigh who is simply doing the best performance of her career as a fast talking career woman. And this is the reason this movie has been downvoted. The fact is feminists did not like seeing this portrayal of a hard nose career woman who was one of the boys so much its left her single and childless. And that ladies and gentlemen is why this has been wrongly maligned as its simply one of the best Cohen brothers movie, particularly if you like their lighter, fun side. Of course critics are always wanting the moody output from the Cohens, like most of the cinephiles they want "difficult" movies because it makes them think they are more intelligent. Yet Hudsucker simply crackles along and there isn't a dull moment throughout. The cast is better than you could expect with Bruce Campbell and even Paul Newman, but Jennifer is the star of the show. Which is ironic as its the feminists who dislike this movie the most.
There are some quite shockingly unexpected scenes and also a fantastic musical score which sits well with the retro big city ambience. This is a great period movie which nails the comedy and tone of the era, which has simply flown over the heads of many who watched this and couldn't figure it out. The fact is the Cohens as directors have fallen off since 1998 and this is easily one of their best movies, when they were at their peak. It was also the turning point when critics went against them, forcing them into more "highbrow" content. But the fact is the further you go forward in time from Hudsucker, the less crowd pleasing their movies have become. Also this is definitely a great Christmas/New Year feel good movie. Not exactly something you can say about No Country For Old Men or Fargo.
Camden: Made in Camden (2024)
Not What It Says On The Tin.
I was drawn to this series as the adverts suggest its a series which looks at the musical history of Camden. Images of punks, indie kids and rappers flashed up on the screen. Yet that isn't really what this is about. Instead we get some input from Suggs of Madness and a lot more of Coldplay and Dua Lipa for some reason. Not exactly edgy is it? Its one thing to talk about how lawless Camden was or is, but then serve up what is basically the most bland pop artists around. The artist most featured is Dua Lipa and much is made of her immigrant background. We then here her discuss how "male dominated" the music industry is, when her career has obviously been massively supported by men. And there is also the issue of the fact she could easily be a model. Which I am sure helped open quite a few doors held open by men.
So if you think this is going to be a proper musical history of Camden and seminal gigs and music scenes, you are mistaken. It comes off more like a Dua Lipa fan piece about her journey. Maybe this may go down well with a young female audience but this is an obvious bait and switch by Disney. Not for real music fans. Plus the show fails to mention why Camden would be special? You can pick any major UK city like Glasgow or Manchester and all of these bands have also played their venues.
Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill (2022)
You Know Where This Is Going
I had never heard of the artist before as its not a name that tends to crop in documentaries about music, probably because made what is basically folky guitar music. Which just doesn't have the same glamourous and dangerous image as rock does, so it's simply not sellable to a young audience. And there are very few young people in this documentary.
Unlike many docs this does not go into a massive deep dive into childhood from birth, but instead focuses on the career. Which is a welcome angle.
The documentary is enriched by audio of interviews and hand written notes from the artist discussing her music, in particular tracks which have significant resonance.
This artists story is very common however, as they say that on a record label, 90% of the artists never make it, despite the label spending on promotion. And of the 10% who do, they feel they should have been paid more, based on sale. However that money went on the other 90% of artists hoping they would make it. She was firmly in the 90% in terms of popularity. Her issue was her style of music didn't have the commercial edge and a record label is really just a band looking for commercial success.
This artist had issues with heroin use and likely mental health issues, which were never really addressed in the doc, nor did it seem by her. She was injured badly in a car accident, however there was scant detail as to why. A common pattern for substance users is they will use, have a significant injury through an accident, then spiral back into heavier use. This to me seems hinted at but not confirmed. Thought its a well know phenomena if you have worked in this domain.
While it is interesting to see that young people are taking to her music, its obvious that she could have been around today to see her new wave of popularity if she wasn't on drugs. Its hardly a spoiler as she passed away many years ago, like so many in the alternative scene.
Certainly an interesting watch and may spur some people to go and listen to her music, but this is still another doc about an artist who has passed on who had no say in its making.
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Good, But Far Too Long
This was a midweek late night offering on Talking Pictures and after checking the IMDB score and the fact its Blake Edwards, it was a must watch.
This is a basic police procedural very much in the vein of Dirty Harry, that is the film this reminded me of the most. Its the story of an asthmatic criminal who is trying to pressure a bank worker into stealing money for him. The bulk of the story is him trying to evade the police and her and the authorities trying to unmask him.
While this is a well acted and shot movie, it feels about 30 mins too long. Which is basically an entire act too long. And based on what this additional 30 mins brings, which is not much, just a few diversions, it really needs to be trimmed down. While I am sure at the time this must have been the height of tension as far as films go, there is too much sagging in the middle and at times I just wanted it to end. It was after an hour I checked the time and couldn't believe the story was still going to be strung out for another hour. You already know he isn't going to be caught and nothing is going to happen to the main female character, so why so long?
There is no way this is a 9/10 movie, its a solid 6 or on a good day a 7. Its good, just not a classic.
Damaged (2024)
Decent Low Budget Serial Killer Movie
I have noticed a few low scores on this movie, however that seems to be issues around the expectation of the film. Particularly with some heavyweight names attached. This is not a big budget Hollywood affair, but a Scottish production which has attracted some big names due to the storyline. And unlike the majority of these films I wasn't able to second guess the twists and turns of the narrative.
This is obviously a made for streaming movie so it has a TV movie look. However this is kicked up a notch by the filming locations of Edinburgh and West Lothian, particularly Bathgate. As a result this movie will play better in Scotland than it will abroad. Not just because of the location but the use of Scottish actors and dialect.
What you will get from this will all be down to your expectation. If you think this is a Hollywood blockbuster budget movie, then sure it won't meet those expectations. But it was never advertised as such. Sometimes actors do movies because they like the script and it seems Samuel L Jackson and Vincent Cassel were happy to take a pay cut to star in this. Not a bad movie by any stretch but then again who said it was an Avengers movie?
I would also add that there is another issue about this movie that upset some people and that is they didn't see where the story was going in terms of character and they didn't like where it went. If you are open to twisty narratives then that won't be an issue.
I Am Weekender (2023)
A Hype Piece To An Overhyped Short
Back in the 90's it was the music journalists who had the power to create musical scenes. They were self important people who knew what they were doing, but tended to let their own opinions about things become centre stage. Now that print journalism is dead, these writers no longer have the same influence. The band Flowered Up were a brief footnote in the history of indie music lore, they weren't a massive success like The Stone Roses, but the music magazine writers tried to make them a thing. Weekender is the result of the brief cross pollination between indie guitar music and electronic dance music. Electronic producers like Andrew Weatherall had a history of remixing and producing guitar bands to make them more palatable to an electronic music audience and so more commercially successful. The overlong Weekender track was turned into a short film about someone going out for the weekend. And that is basically it. This documentary is yet another revisionist "everything done in the 90's was amazing" talking heads bore fest. The usual suspects aka rent a quotes turn up for another easy pay check. The narrative they are trying to spin is that this is some kind of massively influential and important film, when in reality it was released and didn't do much business. Because its actually quite boring and the music isn't really a good fit. Weekender is not a rave scene movie. Its a guitar band albeit remixed track about a post man who goes out at the weekend, takes drugs then struggles at work on Monday morning. Surely an electronic bands track would have made more sense? And that is probably the main reason Weekender was mainly ignored by ravers at the time. It didn't really resonate, despite what Irvine Welsh suggests. For one ravers weren't reading Melody Maker or NME, we had other magazines. Very few people bought Flowered Up records and even fewer watched Weekender. Partly because it wasn't readily available but that is generally because many of the people who had seen it didn't think it was good enough to promote through word of mouth. Anyway Weekender is now on YouTube. A bit like D Notes Coming Down, it tries to capture a bit of the rave scene but doesn't. So its a five for effort but that's pretty much it.
Chiu kup gai wak (1993)
Hasn't Anyone Noticed?
Hasn't anyone noticed that these Hong Kong action movies have some pretty blatant racist undertones? The bad guys tend to be white super evil giant men who are always overpowered by Chinese using kung fu. It took me a while to realise this but there are generally some 7ft tall bad westerners thrown into the mix as cannon fodder to get beat up, sometimes by tiny women. And they are generally unheard of in terms of acting in English language movies. This has to be a hang up from the colonial days.
The movie itself is just your average speeded up fighting with lots of bullets flying without any aim. The narrative is about Chungs character who is a policewoman who's fiance is ex military and heads off to Hong Kong to make money, which he does, but illegally. Chungs character is called in to investigate her now ex's gang and the big heist he is planning. You know how it goes from here. Cue sad piano music and bad emotional overacting and a really bad Chinese sad song at the end.
These films would be more acceptable if they weren't so obviously anti-Western propaganda. But in the current climate it hard to not notice nationalistic bent of the direction.
Diva (1981)
A Lesser Known French 80's Classic
It was only while browsing videos on Youtube of Alex Cox doing his Moviedrome intros that this popped up on my radar. While I knew about some of the well known French 80's titles such as Subway and the Three Colours trilogy, Diva wasn't one I have seen discussed or talked about.
It was clear however from the opening scenes this was a classic. It tells a very convoluted story about a post man who is an opera fan and obsessed with a particular singer, who ends up involved in a police corruption drama.
It comes across as a slightly high brow version of one of the Taxi movies, because it does have a lot of action scenes, however the cinematography elevates it.
The version I watched was almost two hours and it flew by due to the fact it has a tight script and fast paced action. Its probably the title which throws people off as it gives no clue as to the type of movie this is. If anything the singer is a side character and the music is fairly irrelevant. However the poster and title makes it look like a singer biopic. Instead its a crime/action/drama that's still very French and very good. Eight baguettes out of ten.
Air: Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing (1999)
Air: Eating, Complaining and Boring.
Air were a briefly popular band from the 90's who initially popped up on the Mo Wax label, which was known for the trip hop genre. This was downtempo music aimed primarily at the post clubbing environment and was largely sample based. Air however were different, in that they were a band which played instruments so were quite traditional in their approach to music. So its not surprising that many people who heard their early output were disappointed when the album dropped, to much hype.
This documentary covers the band touring and its very boring as a result. Because touring is boring. Its repetitive and the only up occurs when the band are on stage. Oddly enough the makers of this decided to focus on the very mundane aspects, as if we are supposed to feel sympathy because the band are asked the same questions by almost every reporter. It was Liam Gallagher or was it Noel? Who poured disdain on bands who moaned about being in bands, when its one of the easiest and more fun jobs available on the planet. So this whole "I am bored with it all because I am a French intellectual" vibe doesn't come across well. There are numerous vox pops of fans and non fans, the latter I believe left in as an attempt at humour, as if its preposterous that people have never heard of the band. Simply put most haven't. And the reason for that is they were one of these overhyped 90's cool bands that never lived up to the hype, while the initial fans felt cheated because they weren't a sample based band but played instruments. And rock music was a no no in the world of electronic music. While their album did well, which is why they toured and this doc was made, in reality they only had a handful of ok tunes. Most people who bought the album played track one then walked off and forgot about it, as the majority of the CD was basically a rock band trying to do background music. Which is ironic as they were a band who was mimicking sample based bands, who in turn were sampling live bands.
So its no surprise that they slipped into obscurity, especially when their second CD dropped. I watched this out of curiosity however its quite a long and boring watch with minimal music and the band interviews aren't that engaging.
Its maybe a watch if you liked some of their singles but unless you are a hardcore fan this will likely send you to sleep.
Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019)
Wu Cares?
Having been a hip hop since the 80's and was there when the Wu Tang arrived, unlike the majority of the bands current fans. I have to say this show is a disappointment.
This is billed as a background story to how the Wu Tang developed, however its actually just an average black family in the hood melodrama. With some Wu Tang/Hip Hop thrown in to keep people watching.
While the production values are high, the writing quality is not. To be frank who actually cares about the majority of the characters? Do we really need to know about what seems like every family member, every auntie, grandmother, absent father or even employer of every member of the Wu Tang? Not if you want to tell the story of the band which this doesn't do directly. The other main failing of the show is its moral compass. Because everyone and their mother is dealing drugs, you simply don't care when someone ends up in jail or dead as a result. Its a very strange position to take. It seems to be arguing that you can do any crime imaginable, but they show wants you to feel sympathy when things go left? One episode in particular when a character verbally abuses a policeman and pays the price. Cue sad music and pigeons flying about.
Its obvious that its fans of the band who are over hyping this show, much like they over hyped their music. If you know the history the hype around the band was actually fake, drummed up by members of the band themselves. So they didn't get famous on merit. They have some great tracks and some members are better than others, but anything they did as band after the first album isn't any good. It seems that they are living off their brand and not the quality of their product. They have been good at selling themselves but now the quality isn't there.
If this was a TV show that didn't have the band name attached, would anyone be saying this is anything more than a 5/10 show? I doubt it.
The Fall Guy (2024)
The Fail Guy -A Microcosm Of Why Hollywood Is Failing
If you didn't know The Fall Guy was a very successful 80's TV series which this bears little resemblance to. And that means that the elements that made the original have been removed for something much worse.
The reasons why so many of these big budget Hollywood movies tanking at the box office are on show in this movie.
Firstly the TV show was about a man whereas this movie should really have been called The Female Director. Colt is a goofy male character in this movie who can easily be beat up by women half his size and is constantly apologising to his love interest. Why Ryan insists on playing goofy male leads over and over again is a mystery. Maybe this is what he thinks feminism is? Strike one.
Next this is a movie where stuff happens but the fact is you simply don't care. There is zero emotional content in this movie.
Strike two.
The action sequences are heavily CGI'd and are actually boring. Another big jump? Another explosion? Who cares.
Strike three.
The cinematography makes everything look super glossy and unrealistic, which is yet another thing that gets in the way of engagement. Some people in Hollywood seem to think having movies look like a computer game is a good thing. Its not.
Strike four.
There is some forced nostalgia for 80's shows like Miami Vice, when the theme kicks in, all it does is remind you Miami Vice was better.
Strike five.
The facts are this is a very boring movie which took a loved series and ruined it, people are voting with their wallets. This has nothing to do with Colts character which is a disappointment to fans of the series. While younger audience members who don't know the show will simply see another female led action movie which an incompetent goofy male lead. This two hour movie is a great example of why so many independent cinemas are closing down, due to the lack of people turning up. You may watch this but you wont remember a single thing about the story or an emotion you experienced watching it.
