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chuckwheel
Reviews
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)
On the day of the Brexit
If you agree with me that Peter Cook is an unqualified genius, then you really should see this epic film today. Although, actually you might find it rather depressing
I saw it thanks to a late night screening on BBC2 sometime in the late '80s. The movie itself is from 1970. The comedy is a bit hit-or-miss, but then again, it's not exactly a comedy film. I may have missed the beginning, but it starts with Peter Cooke snooping around an opinion poll firm, and winding up as Dictator of Britain, via the use of referendums. OK, that is a total spoiler, but I think it might actually make this film better if you understand where it is headed. Yes, it just about sums up the situation Britain has gotten itself into with today's Brexit, and what appears to be a takeover by the extreme right of the ever-unpopular Tory party.
This movie is not one that might jump out at you. While watching it, I was definitely finding it a bit hit-or-miss, but the ending was highly impactful, and has always stuck with me. On this day of the Brexit, some 35 years later, it looks pretty F-ing Prophetic. Plus it also features Arthur Lowe in seminal role.
In many ways this film could be viewed upon as a playbook for the aspiring dictator; maybe Farage & co. have seen it?! The thought of being further separated from friends and family on the continent is deeply saddening. But at the same time globalization has undoubtedly increased the divisions between rich and poor. Like most of us today, I am for working towards a brighter future, where people can live and work where they want. We have a planet with bountiful resources that can provide all that we could ever need. So turn down the crazy waves, people. Anyway, In trying to understand what went on today, I can't help thinking again of this movie. Yes, Britain is an island, but so is this whole darn planet, and we need to start figuring out how to share it nicely.
Star Wars Rebels (2014)
Great little show.
Rebels is a great little show. It's got nice pacing, good stories, characters and voice-acting, including original movie cast members doing the voices of all the well-known characters. It really nicely captures the feel of the original Star Wars, while tying-in beautifully with the clone wars continuity. I found the clone wars animated series to be kind of dull, and gave up on it after a season and a half. Not so, Rebels, which really manages to keep the excitement level up and feel like it is advancing the plot of the greater Star Wars universe. It bodes very well for what Disney is going to do with the franchise. However, I did get into an argument with a friend's kid, who insisted that Clone Wars was a better show and that Rebels was too juvenile. Bah, kids these days, what do they know!!!
Klovn: The Movie (2010)
The funniest movie ever.
Having watched and re-watched this film many times and consistently found it hilarious, I can only give it a 10 out of 10. Yes, it is extremely rude, and if you are the sort of person who gets offended, then, yes, you WILL get offended. Yes, it does walk an extremely fine line, but in my opinion it walks that line successfully. No, you are not supposed to admire Casper and Frank, and their adolescent boy-man personas, and the way they trample all over moral and social taboos. But perhaps you will recognize a bit of yourself in them (a bit that, as an adult, you should be keeping deeply repressed!!!).
After seeing the film, i was so excited to find out that there were 60 episodes of the TV show to watch too (currently available on HULU). All are just as good as the movie. One thing in the movie that didn't come across as well as in the TV show is the personalities of Casper & Frank's partners Mia & Iben. They really do a lot to hold the show together, and it's men's relationships with the women that really takes they show to another level beyond what was done in Seinfeld & Curb Your Enthusiasm -- though Klovn definitely owes those shows a debt. My wife definitely loves the TV show, because of the women, but was less enamored with the movie, where the women play a much smaller role.
Will it work in America? No, Not on as large a scale scale as it should. The humor is far to terrifying for your average, fearful yank. I love that Danny McBride is going to attempt a re-make, and after Eastbound & Down he might be the only man that could & even he will have to dumb it down. On the whole, I am much more excited about the original duo's Klovn Forever, due out in Sept 2015.
About Time (2013)
Seriously underrated
I've watched this film 4 times now, and every time it gets better. The writing is amazingly tight, and it is an incredibly well put together film. If you liked Notting Hill and Love Actually, then you should not miss this one. The premise seems a little goofy at first, but if you let that distract you then you've missed the point. It's about life and love and what you can and can't do to make them better. It also has some perfectly scripted jokes. Acting is superb all round.
If it didn't quite work for you the first time, I seriously suggest you watch it a couple more times. There are very few movies that reward repeat viewings so well. The Underground montage, the greatest wedding sequence ever and the final walk on the beach get me every time.
Dredd (2012)
Loved it
As a 42 year-old, lifelong Dredd fan, I can only say that, as far as I was concerned, it was a near perfect adaptation. It felt very true to the source material, but also contemporary and relevant. And please, I am not talking about that terrible Stallone version from the '90s, but the original comic book series.
On the surface it's pretty much a straightforward action thriller, but there's really a lot more to it than that and it definitely merits several viewings. Excellent production design and effects, but not overdone. It has a 'District 9' Pedigree, so if you saw that little gem, you know what I'm talking about. It's a hard 'R' rating, and it revels in the violence, this isn't some soppy summer superhero special for the kiddies... Or at least it's only for those ready to graduate to something a little stronger, if you know what I mean.
I liked that it was just another ordinary day in the life of Dredd, but for us fans, it was an epic day because it was Anderson's rookie test - nice work from writer Alex Garland! Lots of sweet little Easter Eggs like that in the film to really make it shine for a fan.
Like all good comic book heroes, Dredd is simple on one level: he is the law. He's an unstoppable force, he never waivers and he never fails. But he's complex because in one story he is the hero who saves the day, in another he is an extremely mean cop and pretty much the villain. This picture gets the tone dead right and makes great choices throughout. It's lean and mean and exceedingly bad-ass!!!
Adventures Into Digital Comics (2006)
Informative introduction to the world of webcomics
Well I finally got to see "Adventures in Digital Comics", the long-anticipated documentary about webcomics. I'm not it in, but one of my black and white Pewfell strips appears on screen fairly briefly - big thrills! I didn't get paid, but I do get bragging rights and it qualified me to receive a free copy of the film on DVD! So was it worth the wait? Director Sebastien Dumesnil originally began the project about 4 years ago I believe, filming a number of interviews with some well-known webcomics personalities at Comicon in San Diego where he also captured on film the very first ModernTales.com panel - which I sadly missed. Over the years he's added some other interviews, of varying production quality. Scott McCloud gets some good air time and comes across well, but the interviews with Shaennon Garrity and Derek Kim suffer from very poor lighting and audio quality.
The movie gives a good overview of the recent history of the traditional comics market, and of the birth and early growth of the webcomics industry. However failing to secure interviews with some key players such as Scott Kurtz and the Penny Arcade boys who actually make a living out of their comics is a pretty major omission.
In general there is way too much time spent on the reasons why the print comics industry slumped in the nineties. There is no similar in-depth look at the history of webcomics themselves and no mention of early pioneers such as Sluggy or Argon Zark.
I wish the film-makers had spent more time looking at the actual webcomics, and what makes them so unique, rather than just having a lot of talking heads telling us that they are unique, and then only flashing us quick glimpses of what they are talking about.
Still, it wasn't boring and I believe this film was an early effort for the young filmmakers, and a labor of love. If truth be told I did find it inspiring. It has made me determined to redouble my efforts with my own comics, which have slacked off a bit of late. Also it got me my first movie credit and a listing in the Internet Movie Database. For ALL these reasons I am giving it a 7 rather than a six!
Chuck Whelon
http://www.pewfell.com
Zítra vstanu a oparím se cajem (1977)
Very funny and very clever sci-fi time travel movie
I remember seeing this movie late one night on the BBC in England. It was many years ago (early 80s I think) but it was so good and I've always wanted to see it again. The plot centers around an airline pilot in the future who works for a time travel company who run tours to the past. I can't really remember all the details but it was something about one of the time-travel ships being hijacked by some people who want to kidnap Hitler or something. There are all sorts of hilarious mixups and weird goings as the hero goes backwards and forwards to different eras of history. He ends up re-visiting the same day 3 times - trying to avoid bumping into himself (thus causing a time paradox). I'm a bit fuzzy on the details but I also remember that a sort of pepper spray is frequently used which turns the victim a putrid green color and freezes them for a while in a particularly amusing way. The production design is a terrific late 70s very Czech vision of the future, kind of funny but inventive and setting the perfect tone. I laughed a lot and was left well impressed by the very intelligent way the concept of time travel was handled. All too often in scifi/time travel movies the internal logic of the situation is fundamentally flawed. In this movie all those paradoxes work toward build up the humor as the hero's life becomes more and more complex and confused. As far as I can remember anyway. If anyone knows any way I can get hold of or even just see a copy of this film here in the US (where I don't believe it was ever released) please e-mail me. A forlorn hope I guess because even some Czech friends of mine hadn't even heard of it!
Ztracená tvár (1965)
Source for Face Off?
Based on a short story by noted Czech Science fiction writer Josef Nesvadba (who co-wrote the screenplay to the excellent Zitra vstanu a oparim se cajem (Tommorrow I'm going to wake up and scald myself with tea) among others), this movie is about a criminal who forcibly switches, via an operation, faces with a priest. The result is a change in both of their behaviors to suit their new appearances. In conclusion however it is shown that this is just a transitional phenomenon the reality of peoples natures is not proven to be changed by having a different face. Sound familiar? Was this the source for the John Woo movie Face-Off?