Movies|TV|General Geekery

April 10, 2012

Toast (2010)

by Max

Toast, directed by S.J. Clarkson, and based on cookery writer Nigel Slater’s autobiographical novel of the same name, is a hart warming tale of a young Nigel Slater growing up and being introduced to food. Nigel’s mother (Victoria Hamilton) has a severe case of chronic asthma and later dies when Nigel’s about nine, his father (Ken Stott) starts to have relations with their maid Joan Potter (Helena Bonham Carter) whom he later marries. Nigel is really furious with Mrs Potter - as she becomes known as to Nigel - when she tries to essentially replace his mother. An older Nigel (Freddie Highmore) then pursues an interest in cooking to a great extent; he even starts to compete with Mrs Potter at making her signature Lemon Meringue Pie. His infatuation with food becomes so prolific he is employed at the local restaurant and chooses home economics as an elective course at school.

Stuart (Ben Aldridge), a young man training as a ballet dancer, whom he becomes romantically interested in, tells him that he shouldn’t be forced to do things by his father or stepmother, they share a kiss and he leaves. When he comes home he finds Mrs Potter in the kitchen, crying because his father died while mowing the lawn (presumably because of the amount food she fed him). Nigel remembers what Stuart said and begins to pack his suitcase and then leaves to become a chef at a restaurant, leaving behind Mrs Potter, never to see her again.

A good part of the film has Oscar Kennedy playing a nine-year-old Nigel, who does the innocent youngster very well. Freddie Highmore’s appearance and acting just made the film perfect. The whole film is very 60s and kitsch and the dishes that Mrs Potter makes and the way she dresses just completes that. Overall the film is quite enjoyable, and makes a cute autobiographical recount of Nigel Slater’s early life and where it all began for him.

3.75 Stars

Toast was first broadcast in the UK on BBC One 30 December 2010, it was later released in theatres on the 11th of August 2011.

The film is now available on DVD worldwide.

The film received a gala at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.

-Maximilian Ryck

4:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZbeQnwJP_Oei

(Notes: 11)

April 5, 2012

Anonymous asked: could you do a review for We Need to Talk About Kevin

A few of our writers have already reviewed it:
tagged/we_need_to_talk_about_kevin

Happy reading!

5:00pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZbeQnwJ9DVp4

Filed under: Anonymous

March 31, 2012

Tomboy (2011)

by Max

Tomboy is a French movie directed by Céline Sciamma, tells the story of a pre-pubescent girl named Laure (Zoé Héran) who dresses like a boy. The film documents her struggles with her gender identity. from playing a game of soccer topless with the boys, to fashioning a play doh penis to wear with her swim wear. Her constant will to be a member of another gender makes you feel a connection with her if you’ve ever tried to change yourself or blend in.

Her mother and father raise her like a normal child and respect her choices to look like a boy. She, her father, younger sister Jeanne and heavily pregnant mother have moved to a new house.

At first glance Laure seems like a boy, she dresses and looks very convincing. She has her hair cut short and wears plain t-shirts. The underlying truth is revealed when she has a bath with her younger sister; the French don’t have a problem with child nudity compared to America, and this instance is very passive.

After settling down she meets some new friends in the neighbourhood. She introduces herself to a girl called Lisa, as Mickäel. She is identified as a boy by all the children that she plays with. Lisa begins to love Mickäel and they briefly share a kiss alone beside the local lake, which really does melt your heart. This relationship develops into a cute innocent crush; they act like they’re “together”.

The first person to find out that she identifies as a boy is her sister, Jeanne. At first she wants to tell her mother but then later goes with it. She the identifies Mickäel as her older brother, not sister. When the family is eating dinner, Jeanne tells her parents that Laure has a friend named Mickäel, both Jeanne and Laure laugh at their parents ignorance.

An angry parent of a boy that Mickäel plays with, complains to Laure’s mother that her “son” had beat him up. She is distraught to find out that Laure has been acting as a boy all this time. Laure’s mother dresses Laure in a dress and forces her to visit the boy he injured. She then takes Laure to see Lisa, Laure objects to this and then Laure’s mother explains that she’s not trying to humiliate or punish her, she doesn’t mind that she acts like a boy, but it just has to be done. Lisa feels humiliated and betrayed.

At this point Laure can’t take it anymore, she runs away. She runs into the forest and takes the dress off, exposing her grey singlet and black shorts underneath, she then throws the blue dress onto a high tree branch and walks away.

She then later discovers the boy who saw her in a dress, telling all her other friends the real truth. Laure then snaps a twig under her shoe and they begin to chase her. They restrain her and pin her against a tree, they all surround her to check if she is a girl. Lisa protests to this, but then later she is forced. The scene then cuts to Laure sitting on the forest floor, with her head between her knees.

Later, Laure’s mother gives birth who’s gender is unknown. Laure then goes out onto the balcony to see Lisa standing outside waiting for her. She goes downstairs and then Lisa asks “Who are you?”, Laure responds with “My name is Laure.”

__________________________________________________________________

What really is disheartening about this film is the gut feeling you have that you know something is going to go wrong or someone is going to find out, and this makes you really care about Laure.

The film, in terms of production, is very well done. The Director Céline Sciamma, has done a marvellous job at portraying this film. Cinematography is simple and elegant. There is only one song on the soundtrack and it’s used beautifully. Zoé Héran who plays Laure does a really good job, she is absolutely perfect for the part.

The film as a whole is a very innocent depiction of how people might react to gender curiosity, after all, these children are around 10 years old. If this film were set in the United States and starred teenagers, the view would change completely. This innocence really captures your heart and changes any views you had towards transgendered people.

4.5 Stars

Tomboy is available in limited release in Australia and is also available on DVD

Tomboy won at the 2011 Torino Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

-Maximilian Ryck

12:18am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZbeQnwIqxY4P

(Notes: 13)

Filed under: Tomboy film movie Céline Sciamma Zoé Héran Max reviews bildungsroman lgbt gender

March 15, 2012

Community: ‘Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts’

By Jordan

Huzzah! After months of eager anticipation during its hiatus, the latest Community episode has landed, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

Throughout these two-and-a-bit seasons we’ve come to know and love each character like an old friend, and seeing them on screen together again is such a delight that the show would be entertaining even without great writing. Which it has. Even though it’s not a concept episode (such as the exceptional Remedial Chaos Theory), Urban Matrimony still manages to cruise along and never hit a bum note, the only frustration being that it can’t go for another twenty minutes. It may not be the most memorable, or the smartest, or even the funniest offering its served up, but the greatest thing about Community is the warmth it exudes. From the tune of the opening theme to the credits, it fills you up with happiness, and that’s something very special indeed. Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts is further proof that, even when it’s not at its best, Community is still one of the greatest sitcoms around.

Grade: A-

11:49pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZbeQnwI3gv_f

(Notes: 2)

Filed under: Community Jordan urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts Television

March 12, 2012

Life’s Too Short: “Episode Four”

By Sam

Ostensibly, Life’s Too Short is a mockumentary about dwarf actor “Warwick Davis”, played by Warwick Davis. He’s been slightly reimagined into a David Brent/Michael Scott sort of self-centered idiot. Under the surface, Life’s Too Short is just Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant showing off a few famous friends with a dwarf plot thrown in to prove that this isn’t an exact replica of Extras.

That’s a bit harsh, but that’s what the show is becoming. Especially in “Episode Four”. Steve Carell shows up for absolutely no reason. Hell, Gervais and Merchant show up for no reason other than to thumb their noses at their critics. It’s annoying, and very narcissistic, and they’re usually much better comedians than this.

And there’s really not much else to say about this episode, or the show. There are some bits that work this week - Cheryl’s total obliviousness is fun, and Warwick’s bit of physical comedy climbing the bookshelf was lazy, but it was solid. Other than that, it’s pure self-indulgence.

Grade: D

7:25pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZbeQnwHvNbCD

(Notes: 1)

Filed under: sam television warwick davis ricky gervais life's too short Stephen Merchant

March 10, 2012

Portlandia: Season 2

By Sam

Year: 2012

Original Channel: IFC

Created by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Jonathan Krisel

Starring: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein

Guest Stars: Andy Samberg, Jeff Goldblum, Eddie Vedder, James Callis, Edward James Olmos, Ronald D. Moore, Jack McBrayer, Annie Clark, Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Adams, Kristen Wiig, Miranda July, Joanna Newsom, Johnny Marr, Ed Begley Jr, Tim Robbins

This feels odd to say about a show that’s only been around for sixteen episodes, but Portlandia has outstayed its welcome. Season one was very funny, and I enjoyed bits of season two, but the show is showing very clear signs of stretched originality, and the central premise - poking fun at Portland, Oregon and its quirky, eccentric citizens - was thin to begin with. Can they really mock a bunch of basket-weaving, Star Trek-reenacting hipsters for another season? After the second half of season two, I doubt it.

It started strong. I’ll say that. “Mixology” and “One Moore Episode”, the first two episodes of the season, rank among the best episodes of sketch shows I’ve ever seen. “One Moore Episode”, in particular, nails exactly how people who get addicted to any kind of show (be it Glee, Game of Thrones, or in Fred and Carrie’s case, Battlestar Galactica) feel and act. It’s authentic, and there’s just the right amount of guest stars.

On the other side of that, there’s the finale: “Brunch Village”. It’s more of an actual episode of television than the rest, but that’s arguably not a good thing. The charm of Portlandia was, for me, its unpredictability. By dedicating one episode to one thing the entire time shows how thin the show is stretching itself, and how aggressively unfunny it can get when it does.

That being said, it gives us all more Kyle MacLachlan. Maybe it should stick around just for that.

Grade: C

March 8, 2012

Criterion Column: Spine #20: Sid and Nancy

By Sam

Year: 1986

Directed by Alex Cox

Written by Alex Cox and Abbe Wool

Starring: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb

Biopics have been a staple of film since 1900 (George Méliès’ Jeanne d’Arc is often credited as the first biographical film), and so the genre understandably gets a little redundant. But ever so often, a biopic so revolutionary comes along and shakes up the whole game; Sergei Eisensetein’s Alexander Nevsky in 1938, Hiroshi Inagaki’s Miyamoto Musashi trilogy from 1954-1956, and Peter Morgan’s Tony Blair films The Deal, The Queen, and The Special Relationship (2003-2010) are all examples of this. However, the film that stands out to me as totally changing the landscape of an entire genre of film is Alex Cox’s incendiary Sid and Nancy.

It’s only ostensibly a biopic; there’s been quite a bit written about its historical fallacies and misportrayal of Sid Vicious’ bandmates, better known as the Sex Pistols. However, I don’t think that’s what it sets out to say; it says more about an entire generation of British (and eventually American) youth than it does any particular band member. Sid and Nancy are the nearly legendary lovers, he a talentless bassist for the iconic punk band The Sex Pistols, she the heroin-addicted groupie. They form a suicide pact while high, but only Sid goes through with it. The film is an exploration of the psyche of the generation Vicious belonged to - the punk generation - using Sid and Nancy as a window in. It’s an ingenious film, and that’s why it’s one of the best biopics of all time.

Does the film belong in the Criterion Collection?

It only proves their extreme commitment to the very best of cinema (not just art cinema, mind you; Sid and Nancy has some seriously depraved scenes), and it’s a brilliant film in its own right. Absolutely.

8:37pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZbeQnwHhpwtd

Filed under: Sam criterion collection Criterion Column Sid and Nancy film 1986 Alex Cox Abbe Wool Gary Oldman Chloe Webb

March 7, 2012

Oscar Retrospectives: 1932

By Jordan

Three years ago in 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) decided to change the Best Picture field from 5 nominees, as it had been for decades, to make way for an expanded field. Lots of people (including this particular blogger) weren’t happy with the move for a variety of reasons (it allowed The Blind Side to sneak in, for one), but what a lot of people don’t know is that it had been done before.

The 5th Academy Awards were held at the Fiesta Room of the Ambassador Hotel on November 18, 1932, and were hosted by actor Conrad Nagel. Films screened in LA between August 1931 and July 1932 were eligible for nominations. Walt Disney made a short film especially for the event, Parade of the Award Nominees, including caricatures of the six acting nominees along with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. Disney himself was a recipient this year, of a special award for the creation of the iconic mouse.

The 8 Best Picture nominees were:

Arrowsmith
Bad Girl
The Champ
Five Star Final
Grand Hotel
One Hour With You
Shanghai Express
The Smiling Lieutenant

Edmund Goulding’s star-studded Grand Hotel won the award, becoming the only Best Picture winner ever to not be nominated for any other award. While some regard it as shallow fluff, it’s still one of the earliest examples of portmanteau cinema and features a smattering of lovely performances, especially that of Greta Garbo whose character delivers the now-famous line “I want to be alone”, which placed 30th in AFI’s 150 Years…100 Movie Quotes in 2005. It’s a wonderfully solid film, and one that truly deserves its BP nomination.

1932 also marked the last Picture/Director split until Driving Miss Daisy/Born on the Fourth of July in 1990, the Best Director prize going to Frank Borzage for the second time (after Seventh Heaven at the first-ever ceremony) for his film Bad Girl. I found the film to be an awfully dull affair that’s made watchable only by the dedicated and naturalistic performances of its cast. A boring snoozefest of a romantic drama, I’m still struggling to figure out what exactly the title is referring to- but I suppose the more suitable title Marital Problems doesn’t really have the same ring to it.Based on a now long out-of-print novel, it also won the Best Adapted Screenplay award. Psh.

There were two Ernst Lubitsch musicals starring Maurice Chevalier nominated this year, One Hour With You and The Smiling Lieutenant. While I may have enjoyed the latter a smidgen more because of its more engaging plot, they’re both lively, charming and deliciously Pre-Code, and Chevalier is fabulous as ever in the lead roles. Granted, the films are guilty of superficiality, but Lubitsch injects them with such vibrance and creativity that you forget you’re watching a bunch of squabbling lovers and it’s damn hard not to go along for the ride.

Lee Garnes won a well-deserved Best Cinematography prize for his beautiful (Wikipedia tells me it’s Chiaroscuro) work on Joseph von Sternberg’s Shanghai Express. Starring a luminous Marlene Dietrich, it stands out with Grand Hotel as being a notch above its fellow nominees, if only in the elegance department. If the script stumbles, it’s made up for by von Sternberg’s stunning visual storytelling, and the end result is a gorgeously designed, unusually engrossing melodrama.

The final Best Picture nominee I could get my hands on was Five Star Final, a decent enough offering about the dark side of tabloid journalism from Mervyn LeRoy. Never as entertaining as the previous year’s similarly themed Best Picture nominee The Front Page, it isn’t helped by occasionally dodgy acting across the board (a special mention must be made, though, for Boris Karloff’s magnetic supporting performance). A few nice directorial touches sprinkled throughout keep things interesting, and it’s a perfectly competent film, but Best Picture worthy? Maybe not.

Frank Borzage, Helen Hayes, and Fredric March at the 5th Academy Awards ceremony held at the Fiesta Room of the Ambassador Hotel. The acting awards were, for the second consecutive year, combined into two categories, this time consisting of three nominees. Wallace Beery (The Champ), Frederic March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and Helen Hayes (The Sin of Madelon Claudet) all picked up trophies- Beery and March came within one vote of each other, and because of Academy rules at the time, a tie took place.

So, who do I think deserved the big prize?

I’m perfectly happy with the Academy’s decision to award Best Picture to the suitably grand Grand Hotel, but Shanghai Express is probably the better film. And I’ll just forget Bad Girl ever happened.

March 5, 2012

My Pet Theory: Parallels Between Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire

By Sam

Note: if you’re not caught up on either show, skip this article. Spoilers.

This is My Pet Theory, a column I’m inventing just so I can write this article. Maybe it’ll continue. Who knows. To the crux: Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire are, without a doubt, two of the finest dramas ever to grace the small screen. Perfectly plotted, with excellent, hardworking casts and some of the best cinematography this side of Emmanuel Lubezki, they exist as a testament to the art of television.

They’re also the same exact show.

That’s not anything against either show. In fact, they compliment each other beautifully. But there’s no question in my mind that Walter White and Nucky Thompson are (unintentionally) the same character, and the worlds around them are very similar, if you adjust the setting and time. There’s one catch: in Breaking Bad, we’re watching Walter White begin as a high school teacher and slowly work his way into a crime empire. In Boardwalk, we watch Nucky Thompson slowly but surely lose his. They show the same character at two very crucial and inevitable points in his life: the rise and the fall. It’s the classic hero story, albeit the word “hero” is used very loosely.

The parallels between Jimmy and Jesse are fascinating, as well. I’ve always noticed similarities between the two, but I realized that the main differences aren’t in the characters themselves, but how Walter and Nucky - their mentors/enemies - view them. In the beginning of Breaking Bad, Walter needs Jesse. He approaches Jesse to cook meth, not the other way around. But as their relationship grows and the world around them complicates, their dynamic slowly shifts from semi-equals to Walter being Jesse’s boss, essentially. In season four, Jesse nearly usurps Walt - until he realizes that he truly does need Walt now.

In contrast, by the end of Boardwalk Empire’s second season, it’s very obvious what the relationship has done to both men. Nucky clearly doesn’t need Jimmy anymore (as evidenced by his execution of his former companion), and Jimmy thinks he doesn’t need Nucky, until the men he’s fall in with prove to be more questionable than he’d like. He turns to Nucky, but the naïvety that weakens Walt is nowhere to be found in Nucky. He kills Jimmy, in cold blood, and it’s in this that I realize that Jimmy is probably the last in a long line of Jimmies. There have been lots of…well, I don’t know what to call them. I’ll go with worker-son. It suits the relationship best, even if it does come across a little Big Love-y. Nucky’s likely had scads of worker-sons in between Jesse and Jimmy, and it’s in this that he’s become to cynical towards them.

There’s been lots of speculation as to where Walt began his decline in morality (yet rise in the crime world), and I agree with the majority - he begins his transformation when he kills Jane, Jesse’s girlfriend in season two, but he doesn’t realize it until the brilliant “I am the one who knocks” speech in season four. That means he goes nearly two seasons without noticing his deep, dark decline into the underworld. Nucky’s not the kind of man who would let that go unnoticed, and I noticed a lot of “I am the one who knocks” speeches made by Nucky, all with diminishing returns.

This brings us to the women in their lives: Skyler and Margaret. They compliment each other very well - Skyler is the woman who will (probably) eventually die helping her husband build his empire, and he will view Margaret as his chance for a way out. I’ve always imagined Nucky kept Margaret around not because he loved her - although I do think he’s grown very close to her - but because he saw the depths of his depravity and needed a trapdoor to redemption. It’s unclear as to whether he’ll take that road or not, but I think he likes knowing it’s there.

So there it is. My pet theory. Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire are absolutely brilliant, and go hand-in-hand in depicting, respectively, the rise and fall of American crime. (Boardwalk, more literally, depicts the rise of American crime - the roaring ’20s introduced organized crime to America). Just like the original trio of HBO dramas - Deadwood, The Sopranos, and The Wire - depict the rise, decline, and eventual fall of American civilization (respectively), BB and BE go hand in hand with those shows, albeit with a more focused viewfinder.

9:17pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZbeQnwHYhbLm

(Notes: 11)

Filed under: Sam television Breaking Bad Boardwalk Empire My Pet Theory spoiler spoilers

March 4, 2012

GCB: “Pilot”

By Sam

GCB stands for Good Christian Bitches. That’s the most intriguing thing about the show. Otherwise, it’s a poorly-written mishmash of (the slightly superior) Desperate Housewives and the countless Real Housewives of Atlanta/Bangkok/Hell shows that Bravo keeps cranking out. It’s advertised as scandalous, but the most scandalous thing in the pilot is the name of the Hooters knockoff that Amanda (Leslie Bibb, doing her best) works at: Boobylicious.