The Road

As I have often mentioned before, I have a big liking for post apocalyptic movies. I'm not entirely sure why that is, perhaps it's the whole end of the world vibe and being one of the last people alive, battling for survival.

So it was with eagerness that I popped this into the DVD machine. Some sort of unexplained cataclysm has occurred and all the crops have failed, the sun has gone and slowly, everything that once grew has stopped. Amongst the devastation we find The Man and The Boy, a father and son trying to make their way to the coast. Along the way The Man, played by Viggo Mortenson tries to ensure his son learns enough skills to be able to survive in this new and dangerous environment. They brush with some dangerous characters and The Man desperately tries to maintain his dignity and compassion whilst also being hard enough to ensure his son survives. The young actor who plays The Boy is one of the few high points in this movie, in fact he is the only high point. Mortenson just does his usual shtick and the other, supporting characters aren't really fleshed out enough t make you give a toss. There are some excellent shots of a ruined America, with panoramic vistas a specialty.

This movie had been hyped up and I had made the fatal mistake of buying into the hype. I'll state right now that I was disappointed by The Road. Perhaps if I had read the book first then maybe I would have appreciated it a bit more but as it is I found it to be full of relentless symbolism, of sodding great periods where nothing happens and then a few sudden jumps of action sprinkled in here and there.

It's not like this is an awful film but it's just one that leaves you wishing there was more to it. It's the film equivalent of a diet fizzy drink.

2012

Roland Emmerich has given us a fair few big budget, special effects heavy blockbusters, often with a heavy ecological bent. This is just one such movie and to be honest I had held off on seeing it as I felt a little bit snowed under by movies like this.

I gave in recently and rented it from the library at the exorbitant price of a £1 for a week. To my surprise I actually enjoyed it. The effects, whilst bombastic, fit in and the acting and writing can be a little wince inducing at times but is perfectly passable.

The plot, whilst implausible, doesn't come across as miles too outlandish. Basically there are massive does of radiation coming from the sun that bake the earths core and cause massive tidal waves and earthquakes. In amidst all this chaos, some scientists and politicians try to find a way to save humanity and a father tries to find a way to save his estranged family.

There are the jaw dropping set pieces you would expect but you don't really get the feeling of being shuttled along between scenes. The plot is set such that the scenes themselves don't seem too extraneous. In another rare move, the kid actors in this film are actually quite likeable and the adults? Well they're quite good too and John Cusack has the tinge of Nicolas Cage is genre hopping mode here.

The ending does come across as a little bit trite and condescending but then again this is Hollywood we are talking about and a patronising pat on the head is to expected at times. That's just a little quibble though as this is a fun movie, with great special effects that for once do not detract from the film itself. If you have 2 and a half hours to spare then there are worse ways to spend them.

The Simspons Movie

I used to be near as dammit obsessed with The Simpsons, having initially first become a fan of Americas First Family way back when they first hit our screens back in the late 80's. The show is oftentimes laugh out loud funny and can have moments of genuine emotion. There are also parts that kids can laugh at and follow and jokes that will fly over their heads and land at their parents. There are popular culture references ahoy and some of the characters, both form the family itself and the wider Springfield community have entered our collective consciousness so much that they are a part of our life.

So a couple of years back, when the makers announced they would be doing a film to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show, I was jubilant. I pre-ordered my ticket to be sure of getting in and settled down with baited breath. Actually it was a large bucket of popcorn but I think I'm allowed a little poetic licence eh?

I re-watched this on DVD the other night to get a fresh perspective on it. I have to say that I am more than a little disappointed. The plot revolves around Springfield being declared a disaster zone and being secluded. The Simpsons break out of the quarantine and go on the run. Essentially that's it and if that reads like a normal Simpsons episode being stretched over the length of a feature film then that's exactly what it is and that's exactly why it's a failure.

There are jokes, and there brilliant moments but, and this is crucial, they could have all been fitted into a normal Simpsons episode. The rest of the movie is filler and subplots that go nowhere. There are hordes of Simpsons characters and as such, not everyone will get screentime but they could have found expanded roles for Grandpa Simpson, Mr Burns and my own personal favorite, Snake Jailbird.

This movie can now be found for as little as £3 brand new. Save your money and watch one of the earlier episodes for free on Channel 4.

The Infidel

When a movie attempts a culture clash, the results can oftentimes be horrible to watch. However sometimes the filmmakers can get it spot on and in The Infidel they've achieved the latter.

Omid Djalili plays a lapsed Muslim, a guy who likes a beer and his football, much to the exasperation of his son who is due to marry a woman who is the niece of a radical Islamic preacher. Under pressure from his son he starts to be more Muslim and researches his background to learn a little more about his faith. However, to his horror he discovers that he had been born to Jewish parents and had been given up for adoption whereupon he was taken in by Muslim parents. HE is stunned by this and even more surprised to discover his birth father is still alive. He searches him out but his fathers Rabbi tells him he must learn more about Judaism before he can see his dad.

As you might expect, there are moments of self doubt but our lead finds himself and discovers that he is really comfortable with life. It's a kind of schmaltzy message but thankfully there are some real belly laughs along the way. Omid Djalili is excellent but he has always been a favorite of mine and here he is complimented excellently by the rest of the cast, including another excellent actor, the great Richard Schiff who plays a Jewish version of Djalili's character in that he is a Jewish man in conflict with life and his faith. There are moments of spot on observation of Jewish and Muslim life and the overriding message is one of tolerance, that the two faiths are far more alike than they are different.

My only criticism of this movie is that the way the subject of Israel is dealt with is a little trite and Matt Lucas features in this movie and I can't really abide him but those are are only minor trifles when compared to the rest of this movie which strikes an excellent balance between genuine conflict and pathos and laugh out comedy.

The American President

I am a big fan of the t.v. show The West Wing, a political drama that follows the ups and downs around the West Wing and the lives of the staff therein. As far as I am concerned it is the best t.v. show of all time and this movie is by the same people responsible.

Michael Douglas is the President, a single father whose wife died whilst on the election trail. So he face life in the White House on his sweeney. However he meets Sidney Wade, a female lobbyist that is working on the behalf of an environmental group. After an embarrassing first meeting, the pair form a bond and a relationship that tests the Presidents credibility and brings his opponents to the fore. Richard Dreyfuss plays a Republican (boo! hiss!) presidential hopeful who launches a character assassination attempt against the President and his new flame.

As I have already mentioned, this film was made by the same people who gave us The West Wing and that shines through here. We see several of the same actors that etched their way into out consciousness and there are elements of the plot here that make it into the West Wing. The writing is amazing and all the actors involved pull off the ultimate acting trick of making you totally and utterly buy into each and every character and care enough what happens to them. There is a speech towards the end of this movie that almost had me standing up and cheering. Most of the film is set within the confines of Washington and to me, as a one-time visitor to that place, that's an added bonus.

My tastes in movies is quite eclectic but one genre I don't normally go for is the romantic comedy. That way lies estrogen and that's for me. However, this is one rom-com that absolutely hits the spot and makes you laugh and at times can jerk a tear.

Resident Evil

I like video games and have done so ever since I first fired up my Amstrad and took charge of Harrier Attack and Roland On The Ropes. Since then, both my taste in games and movies has moved on and I have developed a big liking for films based on my favorite video games. Usually they are almost always awful but you watch each one, hoping it will live up to the game.



This is a film based on the very popular Resident Evil games, which are survival horror games based a zombie apocalypse. I'm onto a winner straight away there being a zombie fan! We open with a virus being leaked in a secret underground lab. We then follow a group of tough commandos and an amnesiac woman as they endeavour to discover any survivors and root out the story of what happened at The Hive. Reading that back, it makes the film sound very slight, very forgettable and in essence that's true but for all that it is fairly enjoyable.



The acting is perfectly OK, whilst not being outstanding, the gore factor is present but seems strangely sanitised. There are a few jumps here which is par for the course with any zombie flick. The characters are fleshed out enough to pull you along with the story if not make them quite believable. Of all the video game into film adaptations I have seen, this one is about as close to the source material as you're going to get. Given that, it's more of a full on action style zombie flick than one that goes for scares or laughs.


It wont change your life and nor will it make you question your sanity in buying or renting it but it will prove to a be a diverting and enjoyable 90 minutes. Subsequent Resident Evil movies have improved upon this original but this a fairly decent jump off point.

Thunderpants

Perhaps it is a sign of my immaturity or perhaps I just like any movie with a good story but once I had checked the back of this DVD and seen the whole premise revolves around a boy who farts a lot then I was well and truly hooked!


Most kids movies have a sort of cloying message to them, stuff about being yourself or being nice to others etc and the sentimentality gets ladled on with gay abandon. It's the rare kids movie that manages to entertain both kids and adults without being overly schmaltzy. Given that our hero here has an unfortunate tendency towards explosive flatulence, it's no surprise that we manage to avoid being clubbed over the head with any 'message'.


The kid in question here is Patrick Smash whose unique gift makes itself known early on in his life and has a catastrophic effect on the poor lad. His dad leaves and his mum turns to drink. When he gets to school he is bullied mercilessly and has only one friend, a ginger kid with no sense of smell. It's this friend that realises Patrick's special ability could be utilised and with his brains and Patrick's farting ability a plan to rescue some stranded astronauts is launched.

That's the plot in a nutshell but along the way Patrick at first alienates everyone with his noxious harris but in the end, all he wants is friends and family to love him and to achieve his dream fog oing into space. We find ourselves really rooting for Patrick and when he finally does make it into outer space and we see that huge smile on his face, it's hard not to shed a tear. As has been mentioned on here before, most child actors make you want to punch the screen in annoyance but all of the kids involved here do a bang up job. Special praise goes to Rupert Grint who plays Patricks best (only) friend. He was in what is probably the best known movie series of all time in Harry Potter but here, after a few minutes, you utterly forget that and really buy into his and Patricks friendship. The adults involved, including Stephen Fry and Simon Callow also seem to have a great time and the whole feel of the movie is one of anarchic fun.

I bought this movie yesterday in a remaindered stock sale in my local library. I paid a quid for it and watched it as soon as I got home. It's now leapt right up my favorite movies list. Can't really praise it any higher than that.