Movies you should have seen but probably haven't.

Once again treading on toes here, with a movie related post that isn't really what i write about usually. However, we have a large collection of movies in our living room, most of which are box office hits, however some are slightly lesser known. As the title suggests, these are movies you may not have seen, but probably have. If you have seen them mind, do comment and validate my choices with something like "ooh yes Alex, very good choice."


The Business


Danny Dyer et al feature in what can only be described as a bunch of guys who are criminals from Peckham, who en masse decided to up-sticks and become criminals in the more continental temperatures of the Costa-del-Sol. The protagonists have many fingers in many criminal pies, but the brunt of the story is based on the fact they bring drugs to the Spanish south coast. The story has numerous hurdles mind, and this indeed makes the film. Not particularly action packed, it is funny on the odd occasion, which leaves the biggest selling point down to the acting and the drama involved. Now, the biggest criticism of Danny Dyer i've heard is the fact it's difficult to take him seriously: believe me, in this role, he and Tammer Hassan work together beautifully, and really do make the film. Throw in a killer 80s soundtrack, and this is actually a very good movie.




Reign Over Me


Adam Sandler is an actor who divides opinions no end - however Reign Over Me is far from his usual grade of comedy. Reign Over Me is about a dentist (Don Cheadle), who runs into an old friend (Sandler) one night, and the old friend mysteriously does not remember anything about Cheadle. It develops that Sandler has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as a result of his family being killed in the 9/11 attacks on America. The film is actually an incredibly delicate, respectful and altogether tasteful look into the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sandler wasn't originally down for the role, it was infact Tom Cruise. While i am a big fan in general of Tom Cruise, i think Sandler plays the role better. Cruise i think may have added a bit too much glamour and (no homo) been to handsome for the role. Sandler (no disrespect to him) has the scruffy hair, bedraggled face and his nasally voice contribute to a great character as part of a great film.



The Orphanage


Spanish film this. A Horror/Thriller about a couple who take on an old abandoned Orphanage (where the female grew up). Through the work of the supernatural, the couple's son goes missing, which results in a lengthy hunt for the son, which in the end spreads across the whole of Spain. The film is not your run of the mill horror/thriller, which is after cheap thrills. The film is so well shot, with such tremendous acting by the lead Belén Rueda that you end up engaged in the story. It is this engagement and sympathy toward the lead that draws you in, and indeed become involved with the atmosphere and feel very much part of the experience. To say the films strong point is engaging with the audience, given the film is in spanish with sub-titles, it says an awful lot about the quality of the film. Evidently Guillermo del Toro is working on an English remake, that sticks to the main themes and settings of the original, this is something i am looking forward to if it happens. 




Do give these films a watch if you get the opportunity. A final note, is that as i write the Blog is very close to 2000 hits, one of the readers of this blog may well be its 2000th viewer, to which i offer my thanks, and a sincere congratulations.

Knowledgeable, open-minded, thinker....

Bright eyed and bushy tailed i was in 2008, signing what become to be my life away to the IBO...

The years studying the International baccalaureate left me mentally drained indeed, and the years since i have been vocally critical about not only by decision to study a course plainly too hard for the common man to take, but also the organising of the course itself at my school.

However, upon reflection, it was not perhaps as bad as i might make it out to be. While you might enjoy a blog about the pitfalls of IB a bit more, this blog is actually going to lavish some praise on the IBO, and it starts with giving credit, to the IB Learner Profile. 

The IB Learner Profile

At the time it was a big joke, we would laugh about how the IB was supposed to make us: Principled, Risk-Takers, Knowledgeable, Balanced, Communicators, Reflective, Caring, Thinkers, Open-minded and Inquirers. All a bit to good to be true. When we were told this is what we would become, i couldn't help but sense the undertone of a children's TV show, i can imagine somewhere there is a program installing these values into five year olds...

Do the IB they said, it'll make you better people they said. Bah! I scoff at your perfectionist model of how we can be brilliant. Excelling individuals? I just lost my virginity and i'm doing just fine thanks. 

Two years on, and i did not have much to show for my efforts. One grade less and i would have failed. Two years of study and i nearly had no qualifications at all. You may read with concern, I wear my sixth-form under-achievements as a badge of honour.

Second lowest point score of all my class mates. Yet, I look at where i am today with disbelief. 

Okay, i am not the Maitre'd a the Ritz, nor am i a Professor at Cambridge. But...University of Hull, about to do a years placement in Whitehall? Things haven't turned out so bad. I have no doubt this recovery, coming "back from the brink" in the words of many a famous writer, is down to a certain resiliency and desire i have to do well. Was i born with it? Did it come from Mum or Dad? Or did it come from that course i did when i was 18? (We don't actually talk about the IB in our house anymore).

The IB taught me - admittedly the hard way - about how to cope with big workloads, with reading endless material and in general, taught me about how to give up a social life in order to get my head down and meet a deadline. For sure, this is something my peers lack at University i have found. Yet, i tend to come out of deadlines relatively unscathed. No meltdowns, only two all nighters to my name thus far. I'm taking Uni life in my stride. I have no doubt because i've done this all before, i know how it works. I've been there, and i actually did by a teeshirt...

Nonchalantly i walk into the exam hall. Slight smirk on my face, other people are sweating, crying, in the distance someone is actually loading a gun and putting it into his mouth. Meanwhile, smoke off the page, i'm churning out acceptable work, if not good work, no problem at all. There is no panic revision, there are no tears to mum and dad on the phone, embarrassed at the pending idea of having to resit the year. 

I'm sure this sounds like i'm tooting my own horn. I'm doing that a bit yes. But the point is when it comes to working, i'm pretty much the definition of the IB learner profile. I'm coping just fine. For that, Thanks IB.

Gordon Brown

The book i've been gorging on most recently is "Brown at 10", and i tell you it is a slog. The content is engaging don't get me wrong, but it is a very long book. Of course, it was put on hiatus while i was revising for exams, but i still am reading this book, its been nearly 6 months! Indeed, testament to the fact how long it is, i do cite Anthony Seldon's book in an earlier blog, that was published in February and we're still going. 

Anyway, i'm up to April 2009 of Gordon Brown's premiership, a year from the 2010 General Election i thought i would share some thoughts about about his job thus far. 

Reading what is a finely written book, a few things come across about Gordon Brown's strengths and weaknesses. His intelligence truly is remarkable, and i think it is often underestimated. Say what you like about the recession, i am in now doubt that Gordon Brown is a very clever man when it comes to Economics. Unfortunately, as Prime Minister, he had to go from a Chancellor, specialising in monetary policy, to an 'all-rounder' that is the role of PM. Indeed, his economic interests often clashed with those of his Chancellor, Alistair Darling. The two clashed far to often, disagreeing on policy far to often. The fact is the Prime Minister should have kept an eye on, but not got in the way of Darling. This was not the case, and as a result i think what were, i believe, sound economic decisions were made to seem rushed, muddled and even haphazard. 

His commitment to international development is touching. Brown rather blew hot and cold when  it came to oratory performances, however some of his most moving came when talking about foreign aid and global development. It is regrettable that his Premiership will forever be scarred with the wounds of a global economic crisis. Had the crisis not been on the scale it had been, or indeed not happened at all, i'm sure Brown's commitment to economic development would have been applauded for many years to come. 

Indeed, during the G20 summit held in the UK in April 2009, while many leaders where ready to bash out deals regarding their own financial interests, Brown was insistent on not forgetting Less Economic Developed Countries during the crisis. Indeed, many considered Brown's chairmanship of the G20 summit to be one of his finest hours. His ability to converse with global leaders is something he was readily praised for. Brown's engaging personality earned him many friends on the global stage. Indeed, Brown's suggested most unlikely of all playmates, George W. Bush, was very complimentary about their relationship during their last conversation before Bush handed over to Barack Obama. 

Even the illustrious Sarkozy, pomp and circumstance and all, got on well with Brown. While the two shared different ideals, they came together at a time or global economic need. However, while Brown's globetrotting was beneficial in building bridges, notably in the Far East and China, it is not global relationships that win General Elections. While on the international stage Brown was eloquent, charming and overall a leader, his domestic control always seemed to be lacking. The communique from the G20 summit was applauded as a success, safegaurding international development and economic security. However, domestic policy blunders such as the 10p tax debacle and extension of detention for suspected Terrorists, resulted in a generally unhappy cabinet and an unhappy electorate. 

As a result, numerous plots against his leadership never painted a picture of a leader. There are only so many mutiny's a captain can stand before his credibility is all but wiped out. Damning press-releases, the most infamous perhaps by David Milliband in the Times in which he effectively announced his readiness to run for leadership at some point, did no good to Brown's effectiveness as a leader. 

Some were keen on over-throwing Brown, which was not helped by the fact Brown had a tendency to alienate most of his cabinet, the majority of Junior Ministers and near enough all of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Brown took most of his advice from Ed Balls, Ed Milliband and the likes of Number 10 staff such as Jeremy Heywood, which left most other high-profile MPs in the lurch.

Altogether, Brown was always under intense pressure. Perhaps it was his personality; in general  being quite difficult to work with and a bit of a perfectionist. Maybe it was always living in Blair's shadow got to him? With a botched General Election, which was expected in 2007, Brown never had a mandate, he never laid down a policy proposal in a manifesto that the public voted him in for. As a result, he never had a direction to pursue, policy was always a bit reactionary. His speeches at Party Conferences never pointed members in the direction he was going to take the Government - perhaps this is why domestic policy never got him any plaudits, and perhaps this, aside from global success and recovering an economic crises, resulted in failure to win the 2010 General election. 

My Movies

Ah, welcome back, it's been a while. Coursework and Exams unfortunately meant my blog had to be sidelined for a while (commitment to the blog's cause indeed), but we're back, and this time we're here to stay, or at least stay until my next bout with coursework.

Inspired by the "My movie life" section of Total Film magazine, this blog is much like my previous blog Desert Island Discs, but it's for films. Here we go.

The First Movie I ever saw

101 Dalmatians (Disney, animated version) - I'm 99% sure this is the first film i ever saw in the Cinema, at the now defunct St Albans Odeon. A quick IMDB search about the film suggests it was released in 1961, which makes me assume there must have been a re-release of the cartoon version to tie in with the 1996 version of the film, staring real people and real dogs. I don't remember much of the experience mind you, nor much of the film. Unlike the first (proper) book i read, Band of Brothers, it's not something i feel i could go through again, hence why i haven't seen it in a long, long time. In fact the only thing i remember from the film is the song: Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil, if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will.

Movie I hate but everyone else loves

Spiderman (Tobey Maguire) - Never really got into this movie. The first time i watched it i fell asleep, which perhaps has not helped the films cause. Every time i've tried to watch it since, i give it a fair go, but always end up drifting off or finding something better on the TV. In general i'm not a big fan of superhero films, though when they tie a bit of personality and enjoyable storyline a la Dark Knight they can be bearable, if not enjoyable.

The Movie that always makes me laugh

Difficult because i tend not to enjoy comedies as much as i used to (i'm quite boring you see). I'd have to say Meet the Parents i think. De Niro and Ben Stiller are both polar opposite actors in what they do, i would say, which is why this film just works. As well as the funny moments such as Stiller being dragged out of an airport for saying "Bomb" on a plane, the general ambiance and body language between the protagonists, Father and Son-in-law make the film so very watchable. Meet the Focker's was also alright, if not more fabricated to pander to a mass audience, and i have not seen the latest installment, Little Fockers.

Last movie that made me cry

Senna (2010) - I may have cried at a film more recently than this, however if i did the experience obviously didn't stick with me. Senna on the other hand is not a tragic film, it is just plain up tragic. There are of course no actors or camera trickery. As a Formula One fan, you know it's coming, and i remember wondering how it would be shown at all. The on-board camera follows senna for a whole lap of the San Marino Grand Prix Circuit. You feel sick as you know whats coming. And then  it happens. You watch a man die.

(Interestingly, or perhaps happily is a better word, the television producers cut-away from Ayrton Senna's on board camera, only moments before the accident. There is of course no film feel in the car recording the footage, it's just broadcasted as and when the producers see's fit. As a result of the producers cutting away from the on-board shot, there is no "clear" video evidence of how he died. He died in the crash of course, but the specifics are unsure. Perhaps it is best the camera cut away, and we'll never know.)

The Movie Character I most identify with

I could be a bit ordinary here, be predictable and say Batman in the Dark Knight, the anti-hero. Instead, i'm going to cite a character from a TV Show. Richard Shiff's character, Toby Ziegler in The West Wing, is incredibly intelligent, down to earth and over all focused on the job. However, an ex-wife and streams of disappointing election campaigns later, he cannot be blamed for having a withdrawn personality. This makes him more serious, and it's his seriousness to the job and his life that makes him respected in what he does. The monotonous personality however is all there is to him, tested he will explode into a rage, holding a grudge and fuming against those that wrong him. Sound familiar?

The movie i haven't seen  but should have

So many. Quite a few "classics" spring to mind: The Good the Bad and the Ugly, neither of the Godfathers, Shawshank, i've never even seen Grease! However, i do love the work of Michael Sheen, and the content is right up my street, hence my choice Frost/Nixon. Okay, yes, perhaps the aforementioned titles (with the exception of Grease) should maybe be given  more attention, however no doubt those films will be shown for the rest of time they will get their chance.

A belated review of the Rugby World Cup 2011 video game

Only one word can describe this game: shocking. It was a long time ago when i purchased this game, back when i did, i remember hating it, and for some obscure reason i gave it a second chance this Easter, and it remains very, very poor.

I remember my first impression of the Rugby World Cup 2011 being something along the lines of "This is exactly the same as EA Sports Rugby 2006." Indeed, the buttons are the same despite being released 6 years on, and the similarities don't end there: the "special moves" are the same, there are the same old glitches and the same old general fallacy about the whole experience. The thing is, at the time Rugby 2006 was pretty advanced and well informed as a Rugby Game for the PS2. The game was so good in fact i still own it and a PS2 to play it on. For this not to have advanced is disappointing.

Then we come to specific issues within the game. The biggest is the licencing problem. If you bought the official FIFA World Cup video game, you would rather expect Brazil and Lionel Messi to be featured in the game. Alas, in the RWC video game, New Zealand and Australia (two of the best teams of Rugby Union) feature, however with "Fictional" player names because of licencing issues. It is very confusing that the best Rugby team in the World and the hosts of the World Cup are not featured in the tournaments official game. Again, you might hope the official kits for the world cup are there, but this is only the case in the "World Cup" game mode, not for the exhibition match game type.

Again, there is a general issue with squad selection, which were not up to date at the time of the games release, nor is there any downloadable content to update the squads and players. Indeed, England's sensation at the three-quarter position Manu Tuialagi is not in the game, despite featuring in warm up matches.

Gameplay issues swamp the game aswell. In the lineout for example, do not expect to win your own line out too often if you play on the "hard" difficulty, which just seems odd. Earlier today i was pinged for the penalty because "Ball unplayable in ruck" despite the whistle blowing when the ball was in the hands of my Fly-half. Now i'm not a complete expert on the Rules and Regulations of Rugby, however i'm sure a penalty occurs where the infringement happened, not on the half way line from where Rory Jackson took his penalty kick. Penalties in general are awfully designed, with "Dangerous Tackle" awarded every time you make contact with a player off the ball. This incident occurs frequently because of the camera angle used, "side on" is rather one dimensional and hence tackling players is difficult because they move along a different plane to the one the camera is aimed at.

I won't even get started on the awful player design or robotic commentary, all that is left to say is be certain to remember this game is absolutely awful and as a buyer you should not be tempted by it when it is on offer for £15.

Overall 2/10.

The Woman in Black

So, last night i watched the Woman in Black, the cinematic version with Harry Potter. It's fair to say me and my dad don't do horror movies, both of us were left uncomfortable throughout the film, getting all jumpy and watching through half an eyelid during the majority of the film.

In truth my experience of horror movies doesn't stem much further then the Final Destination series and all the Scream's, these serve as humorous gore rather than actual horror hence why this film "shit me up" suitably. I have seen The Orphanage before, a Spanish film quite similar to The Woman in Black (In the The Orphanage an aging woman supernaturally manages to kidnap a kid and kill him), which as a film is just full of thrilling peril.

Indeed, the film was full of the same old tension building moments which as usual climax in a host of loud noises and sudden images which well and truly surprise the viewer. It was quite funny actually, in the cinema screening i was in, everyone jumped and then resorted to a dull chuckling after each "jumpy moment." As if in laughing we somehow collectively brushed off the humiliation that was the grouped fear fest.

As far as the protagonist goes, Harry Potter has not done too badly since Hogwarts, working in a Law firm which requires him to go to a spooky old house "up north" and go through the paperwork of a deceased woman in order to determine the inheritance or the sale of the house. Harry Potter as a person though, hasn't really changed. I'm worried he will never grow out of the dull, the worlds against me, my parents are dead attitude that has plagued his life thus far. Indeed, his child in the film drew a nice picture for him, and had characterised his dad with a frown.

Now, i didn't particularly like the Harry Potter films, all a bit fanciful, that's all wrapped up quite nicely until next term type of sequel film. As a result i have become quite cynical with regards to the characters, saying things like "Why does Harry and his friends have to go looking for trouble? Why can't they just behave? Why don't they just get on with their school lives?!" Well, it's the same old, same old for Harry in this film. A reasonable man, upon hearing some creepy noises/seeing the dead in a creepy old house would bail on it faster than greased lightening. Of course, stupid is as stupid does, and rather than leaving the house and showing the proverbial "fuck you" to his bastard law-firm, instead he decides to probe the issue, and explore the house, opening up every door and every box or trunk in search of god knows what, only to find sudden noises and scary non-beings. Indeed, despite having been well and truly being spooked in his first visit, he decides that he should spend the night at the house in order to get work done! Needless to say, without wanting to reveal spoilers, shit hit the fan, screams and all.

As a film its actually not too bad. The plot as to why there is a "woman in black" is quite interesting, and we learn more and more as the film goes on. However, with about half an hour to go, both dad and i shared a look as the film become a little bit too far fetched for our liking. Harry suggested to the only other sane person in the town that they some how "reunite" the woman in black with her dead son in order to relieve the woman in black of her supernatural pain and suffering. Indeed, what a brilliant mind Potter has to figure that out, rather than do the sane thing and just leave... Of course, this idea results in possibly the most atmospheric 10 minutes of cinema i have ever seen.

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The film is set in that era where big creepy houses in the country were the norm. Indeed, you can understand  where these stories came from. Big city writer leaves the city for the country, only to be greeted by strange folk who talk of strange goings on up at the old house.

I'd recommend to be honest, it was a pretty nice change to the usual horror stuff i've seen, even if it did make me awfully frightened.

Coming at you with another Film review....

As yes, i do recognise with this being my second film review in almost as many days, i appear to be treading on some of my friends toes (a far better film critic writes here: My friends Blog and here: My friend's film review blog). Still, forgive me but i like having literally 1,500 worldwide hits within a year, i'm going to press on regardless of how many stolen ideas i regurgitate (technically my last blog was the "anniversary" blog as i first started posting seriously again in response to the 2011 budget).

Today i watched Starter for 10, for the University Challenge viewer, you will understand the reference, because indeed the films protagonist is a Student with a quest for knowledge (not unlike myself, i smiled when he mentioned his longing for reading Plato) who makes Bristol University's team for the University Challenge competition.

Not too much is made of how he gets on the team and how he gets on when competing, instead the storyline is drawn from his struggles surrounding being on the team, which result in impaired performance. While being a drama in genre, you still get the Rom-Com story line, the hurdle that is the misinformed love interest, the balls'd up attempt at choosing the right love interest and the falling out with the best mate.

Despite the "predictable" aspects of the films storyline, i was still rather engrossed by the main character, Brian (Played by James Macavoy) and his meandering life. As a whole the film is a loose (i say loose because it was the plot development had degrees of subtlety) transformation from working class lad to grown-up, smart in most sense adult.

At no point did was i ever on the edge of my seat, nor did i cry or wish the film went on for 30 more minutes. However, i did sit and watch very content in the knowledge that while the ending did strike me as a foregone conclusion, i did not mind the road we took to get there. Indeed, along the way there are certainly laughs thanks no doubt to the work of Macavoy and Bendedict Cumberbatch.

Set in the 80's, the film is also gifted with a terrific soundtrack, of pop and a lot of alternative rock such as the Smiths, which went down very nicely.

Its a BBC made film, so by all means keep an eye out for it in on the BBC one night as they try to fill up some air time. My all means worth the watch.