Posted: February 1st, 2003, by Marceline Smith
Man, are we cool or what? Totally solves all those ticket buying problems though. You’re there early enough that no-one else has bought tickets yet but not so early that you might change your mind and go do something else instead. Then you go drink alcohol and wonder what bubble-coated prawns are until showtime. The non-revolutionary part of me that likes supermarkets and tall buildings thinks it would be cool to hang out in the UGC bar even when not planning to see films. I know this to be wrong though. The ticket lady gave us a free UGC magazine to read and it was great. Reviews of upcoming movies with a handy ‘You’ll like this movie if you liked…” thing, like Amazon recommendations in reverse. Totally perceptive stuff like If you liked Muppet Treasure Island you’ll like this new Disney movie also based on Treasure Island! If you liked Memento you’ll like Irreversible ‘cos, er, it’s filmed backwards… If you like Eminem you’ll like 8 Mile! Actually the 8 Mile review just had some presuasive quotes like ‘Eminem Rocks!”. So I’m deffo going to that now.
Did we see a film? Oh, right, yeah. We went to see The Two Towers. I’d already seen it but it was all part of my convoluted Lord of the Rings viewing strategy. I watch the film for the more vivid experience of watching the story develop, then I read the book to fill in the gaps and explain anything I didn’t get and then I see the film again with my new-found understanding. I’m really enjoying this way of doing things, apart from having to stop myself from reading the last book before December. I got much more out of this second viewing although some of the more ridiculous bits seemed ridiculous beyond belief [that bit where Sam and Frodo hide under a cloak outside Mordor made me want to scream with annoyance] and some bits in the middle were really dragging but overall it rocks and even more so than the first film. I imagine most of that’s down to Gollum though who manages to be both hilarious and pitiable and steals the entire film, with Frodo’s scary eyes coming a close second. If you’ve not seen it yet then get on it before you miss your chance. I can’t wait for the next one.
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Posted: November 20th, 2002, by Chris H
Michael Moore Personal Appearance at the Cameo Cinema
“We are delighted to announce that Michael Moore will make a personal appearance at the Cameo on Monday 25 November. After a Q&A session in Screen 1 before the 9pm performance of Bowling for Columbine, he will sign copies of his new book “Stupid White Men” in the Cameo Bar.”
(the Cameo’s in Edinburgh, by the way)
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Posted: October 13th, 2002, by Marceline Smith
Hurray, I’ve finally been doing something I can blog about. We grabbed some handily placed kids today and went to see The Powerpuff Girls Movie! It was really great as well. And don’t say it’s not topical since it has a theme tune by bis [which they nicely punked up for the film]. It was basically just a long episode of the cartoon but considering how rare it is for cartoons not to get messed up in the movie version, that was pretty ace. They used the time to explain the origins of the Powerpuff Girls in proper detail and also how Mojo Jojo came to be an evil monkey genius. It was hyper brightly coloured, almost excessively loud and packed full of monkey smacking action and actually funny jokes. It also had the best newspaper headline ever: FREAKY BUG-EYED WEIRDO GIRLS BREAK TOWN. We also added our own brand of hilarity to the showing by bringing along Rhiannon’s talking Pikachu who has master timing for shouting ‘pika-pika!’ during quiet moments. I’ve yet to find a situation where this isn’t funny. So, yeah, go see go see!
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Posted: October 8th, 2002, by Chris H
Sweet Sixteen. I went to see it last night and it’s excellent. Ken Loach is a supreme manipulator of emotion. If he wasn’t allergic to happy endings he’d be bigger than Spielberg. Him and his damned inconvenient integrity. The film is great and, according to the BBFC, it is as dangerous to children as the film I nearly went to see last night, Baise-Moi. The French film with the (allegedly) gleeful amounts of rape and murder. They both get 18 certificates but if you watch Sweet Sixteen you would be hard pressed to see why. There’s no nudity, the drug use is all off-screen and the small amount of violence is sensitively and inexplicitly handled. But it is as dangerous as Baise-Moi because it contains some words, one in particular, that the censors don’t like. Can you guess what it is? Yes, it’s the one for everyone’s favourite piece of anatomy. I have to say that as the film is set in Greenock, not far from diskant tower and as Ken Loach has used local actors, I know just how well he’s done at capturing his characters’ voices. And yes they are saying “cunt” a lot. Big Deal. The kids throwing fireworks outside my window are too. Why is it that films about growing up are always kept away from the age group they are about? I won’t get onto how I think this shows the BBFC to be suffering from geography- and class-based bias, just this: Why not use a combination of the new 12A rating and the consumer advice now on every poster (i.e. “contains strong language”) to let folk decide for themselves, rather than class a well-made and touching (hate that word) film alongside Zombie Flesh Eaters?
If nothing else, it devalues the 18 certificate as a guide to those seeking out morally reprehensible filth.
Get Your War On. The Guardian should syndicate it instead of that Doonesbury column I can never spot the punchline of. Haven’t laughed more at work for too long.
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Posted: September 5th, 2002, by Ollie
been watching lots of films lately, most notably vanilla sky and brotherhood of the wolf…
vanilla sky was semi-surprising, as there were enough unexpected elements to keep you guessing (cameron diaz’s freaky slut routine was entertaining). the major downfall though, apart from the weak final scene, was the fact that tom cruise’s character was such a prick, that you really didn’t care if he sorted things out or not. for some reason, i can’t help but compare it to fight club in my mind, but it loses out each time to edward norton’s rich guy turned crazy loser. the total recall thing was kinda cool though.
next, brotherhood of the wolf, a horror/kung fu/period drama/swashbuckler. quite a mix, i’m sure you’ll agree, but a very good one. vincent cassel is possibly one of my favourite actors, mainly because he only ever seems to be in great films (dobermann, la haine) and he steals the show here as the crazed gothic….oops, i almost gave the whole thing away there. in fact i probably have already, but go see it, it stands out to me as being one of the most original films i have seen in some time.
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Posted: August 19th, 2002, by Chris H
I went and saw a couple of films and a couple of authors and managed to not see any comedians except the ones who hang around in bars waiting to be recognised. Baader is easily more entertaining than you’d think a film about Marxist-Leninist terrorists could be. It focuses more on Andreas Baader than the RAF as a whole and it’s a mix. There’s funny scenes like in the courtroom where they all say “ich bin Baader,” Spartacus-style, but the director doesn’t (entirely) shy away from the violent spiral the group got into by following their rhetoric through. The opening scene is proper rousing stuff though, a montage of 60s moments set to “Kick Out The Jams”. An hour after the film had finished I wanted to see it again, there’s depth there as well as the cute art student-types with AKs.
The other film I saw was very different (and not just to Baader but to just about everything ever). The Happiness of the Katakuris is like if the Addams Family ran a guesthouse with the von Trapps. It’s Bollywood-esque in its eagerness to break into song at variously appropriate times (falling in love, dying of a knife wound, whatever). All their guests die despite the family’s best efforts but through disposing of the bodies as a family, they grow closer together and find happiness. Probably a film people will love or hate, but it earnt a round of applause at the festival and I think it deserved it for the opening animation alone. It’s what Jan Svankmeyer would have done if he wasn’t sweeping floodwater out of his cellar.
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Posted: June 26th, 2002, by Ollie
So it says on the back of the new Lightning Bolt DVD, entitled “The Power of Salad”. And I’m happy to confirm that the rock contained on said DVD could indeed sink ships. It’s a film made by Peter Glantz and Nick Noe which follows the Rhode Island band around on their 2001 US tour, with lots and lots of great live footage, interviews with fellow freakboys Pink And Brown and a bunch of ker-ay-zee animations that do bad things to you if you stare at them for too long. I know I’ve gone on a bit about this band on this weblog before, but they really are fucking tremendous, the most refreshing and original band I’ve heard in a very long time. Stupid fucking noise. With cats. Luke says they’re meant to be playing here some time soon, which will make me very happy indeed.
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Posted: June 26th, 2002, by Marceline Smith
Well, we went to see Spiderman last night and it was actually not bad at all. I was trying to think of any similar kind of blockbuster superhero type films that I’ve seen but I couldn’t so I’m comparing it to how I imagine other blockbuster superhero type films to be like. So the main good thing about it is how not blockbustery it is. Okay, you’ve got all the good vs evil, special effects filled battles, etc etc. but mostly it’s about the people and not their superhero alter egos. There’s a lot more Peter Parker in the film than there is Spiderman. It’s all very cartoony and colourful and fast and enjoyable really. Well, providing you can blind yourself to some of the really annoying plot holes [might be more fun in your own home so you can shout frustratedly at the screen]. It’s not the best film in the world and I imagine it will go into ever decreasing sequel madness over the years but it’s fun and worth seeing if you’re going to the cinema with a bunch of people or if you’re bored and you’ve already seen Star Wars.
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Posted: June 25th, 2002, by Chris H
I’ve just seen the poster for the Stallone remake of Get Carter. hahahaha. No wonder it went straight to video here.
But I want to see it!
A chance to see him throw someone from an american soap opera offof Gateshead carpark. (Or wherever the septic equivalent of newcastle is.) And the scene where he orders a pint of bitter IN A TALL GLASS:
Carter: “give me a bottle of Budweiser / Miller / Coors [Sly, who’s your agent dealing with for this scene? – hack director]. IN A TALL BOTTLE.”
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Posted: June 12th, 2002, by Chris H
Someone has looked into my mind and decided “let’s show films in a pub”. Big up to Blackfriars in the Merchant City, they show films FREE at 9pm on Tuesdays. Last night I saw Jesus’ Son, a US indie film that was about last year, it’s pleasant company for 90 minutes of your life. Drugs, sex, black comedy, sweet/nauseating bits and the main character is called Fuckhead. I did feel slightly cheated though: there’s no Velvet Underground on the soundtrack despite title and the characters being on heroin. Next week they’re showing Me Without You then it’s Requiem for a Dream.
Tonight should be fun. Not just OXES, not just I’m Being Good but also Fighting Red Adair and Sam’s Hot Car Lot, who i’ve heard things about. I’ll be the one skulking by the bar, sporting the soon-to-be fashionable “rats gnawed my skull” hairstyle.
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