Film Review: 44 INCH CHEST (2009)

Director: Malcolm Venville
Writers: Louis Mellis, David Scinto
Running time: 95 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Crime
UK Release date: 15^th January 2010

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 28^th January 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is one of those films I have wanted to see for some time now. From the writers of ‘Sexy Beast’ (a film I very much enjoyed) I was really looking forward to more of the same. I can see where they were going with it, but it didn’t quite have the same impact as their previous effort. I think the idea was solid enough, but what they did with it really didn’t quite work out (for me). I will tell you more after this brief summary.

When Colin Diamond’s wife, Liz, tells him she’s leaving him for another, he is devastated. He gets her to give him the name of the other man and he, and some friends, take him to a room for a talk. It is here where the majority of the action takes place. Even before the man is brought out of the cupboard they have him stashed in we have some quite explicit dialogue and flashbacks of what had transpired in the previous 24 hours. Colin’s ‘colleagues’, Meredith, Old Man Peanut, Archie and Mal have already softened ‘Loverboy’ up for him, but now it’s up to him to decide what’s to be done. Asking the others to leave the room, he talks through the various options open to him. I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be looking into the disappearance of that waiter a few months back.

A very well made film with some very colourful characters and some great dialogue, but it does have the look and feel of a stage play. I guess this is because the majority of the action takes place in one room. One thing I cannot fault is the performances; everyone was superb! And so special mentions go to; Ray Winstone as Colin Diamond, Ian McShane as Meredith, John Hurt as Old Man Peanut, Tom Wilkinson as Archie and Stephen Dillane as Mal.

There is an awful lot of dialogue in this film and much of it contains extreme swearing, but much of it I found was quite philosophical. I think the trouble is, there’s far too much of it and, at times, it doesn’t help the story move along very smoothly. I found the ‘hallucination’ scenes very confusing and they got more bizarre the longer they went on! It ended up being quite a strange film in the end that left me kind of flat. I can’t really recommend it for that reason, but if anyone out there feels like giving it a look I’d be interested to hear what you made of it.

My score: 5.7/10

IMDb Score: 5.8/10 (based on 3,175 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0914837/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 40/100 (based on 77 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 36/100 (based on 13,005 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/44_inch_chest/#

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Warning: Strong Language.
Archie: Are you hearing this? What you've done? What you're responsible for? Are you proud of yourself? Was it worth it? All this pain.
Mal: Fucked his wife. Fucked his fucking wife. You fucking wife-fucker, you. You fucked his fucking wife, you wife-fucking cunt. Another man's wife. Are you stupid, are you fucking thick, you cunt? Fuck another man's wife? You don't do that. It ends in this. This. This is where it ends. You listening, you hearing me? Shitter? Little shitter?
Archie: You should have got your own fucking wife to fuck!
Mal: You're in deep shit mate. You're in the worst possible place a man could find himself.

Colin Diamond: I want you dead. I think you owe me that. I do. Because that's what you've done to me. You've fucking killed me.

Colin Diamond: I bet she's never farted in front of you, has she? Has she? No- I thought not. I mean, that's not romantic, is it? You just want the perfume clouds, the romance, the magicalness of it all- the false crap. Well, I've got news for you, Sonny Jim- that's not love. Love's hard work, hard graft. Love can be murder. Love is watching what she wants to watch on the telly, taking her the papers and a cup of tea on a Sunday morning in bed and inquiring to how she might be feeling, "You all right, Liz?" whilst plumping up her pillows. And she might get irritated by that, but you gotta take it on the chin and broad shoulders, because she's the queen, and you're the bee- the Dad. And so what if you cook the dinner and you get no thanks for it? Don't do it if you expect thanks. That's not why you do it. And yes, you forgot the dripping tap for ten years, and then one day- for whatever reason, fuck knows why- you get off your fat ass and you find yourself under the sink with a spanner in your hand and you're smiling like fuck- because you know it's gonna please her. And if she don't notice it, she don't notice it- it don't matter. It's fixed. It's plumbed. It's the maintenance of a marriage, the nuts and bolts, the nitty gritty, the reality- that's life, that's love, it ain't easy- nobody ever said it was gonna be easy. It's fucking hard work. But, you know, love can be... lovely. One day, you'll be in the bathroom, having a shave in front of the mirror, all soap on your face, and you feel her approaching you. She's hung a pair of tights, hanging on the radiator. And as she leaves, she pats you on the bum and gives you a tiny smile- almost not a smile- but a smile nevertheless. And it will mean the world to you- the whole. incredible world- the fucking universe.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.44inchchestfilm.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: LONDON BOULEVARD (2010)

Writer (Screenplay)/Director: William Monahan
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 26^th November 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 13^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this came out it didn’t make any big ripples in the pool of critical acclaim. Just another British gangster movie was the vibe I got from various sources. Even so, when it recently aired on TV I decided to give it a look. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised to find a very understated, but at the same time, quite violent film that I quite enjoyed. It does have its faults though; I’ll get to them after this very brief summary.

When Mitchel is released from prison having done a three year stretch for an assault he finds it all too easy to slip into his old ways. An old friend, Billy Norton, sets him up with somewhere to live and takes him out collecting protection money in the high rise flats. It’s not what Mitchel wants though and he is tempted with an offer of a job looking after reclusive actress, Charlotte. Her assistant (for want of a better word) Jordan shows him the ropes but he is always being dragged back into the world he is trying to escape. A big crime boss, Gant, wants him to steal from Charlotte, but he has become very attached to her. Can Mitchel get away from the life that sent him to jail or will he be sucked back into that life to protect what he holds dear? There is much more to it than that but the Spoiler Police have threatened to take away my PC if I say any more.

A very well made film with some interesting performances. I thought Colin Farrell did a decent job as Mitchel, although I did find his English accent a bit odd. Keira Knightley also put in a decent turn as the slightly paranoid Charlotte. David Thewlis as Jordan and Anna Friel as Briony (Mitchel’s sister) were excellent. Finally, Ben Chaplin as Billy Norton and (of course), Ray Winstone as Gant both did excellent work also.

I found the film quite confusing at first, there were many threads that started and didn’t really seem to go anywhere. Once the Mitchel/Charlotte storyline gets established though, it does become more coherent. As I said at the beginning, it’s quite violent and so maybe not one for the more squeamish. Rather a lot of time is spent on establishing Mitchel as a gangster and not enough on his blossoming romance with Charlotte. This meant that I ended up not really convinced by their relationship in the end and so it didn’t quite work (for me). It is still worth a watch though and I’d still deem it… Recommended (just).

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 13,450 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1213648/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Mitchel: You don't want me to be a gangster. Nobody wants’ me to be a gangster, 'cause I could not stop if I started.
Mitchel: You'd be the first to die.

Charlotte: If I fell in love with you, what would you do about it?
Mitchel: Everything.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/london-boulevard
Trailer:

Film Review: SEXY BEAST (2000)

Director: Jonathan Glazer
Running time: 89 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Crime
UK Release date: 12th January 2001

Watched on Sky+ Friday 29th April 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Whenever I’m in a conversation about British gangster movies, this one always comes up. Much to my dismay, I haven’t been able comment because, for one reason or another, I kept missing it. This was remedied recently when it finally re-appeared on TV. It’s an interesting film that’s marked by one particularly extraordinary performance and an awful lot of profanity (swearing).

Gary 'Gal' Dove is a retired gangster, he lives in Spain with his wife, Dee Dee. His friend, and ex-colleague, Aitch and wife Jackie live nearby and they barbecue, hunt, eat, drink and generally lie in the sun and have a good time. This is until the day Jackie receives a phone call from Don Logan. Don is a nasty piece of work who has decided he wants Gal to come out of retirement to do one more job. The thing is, Gal is happy with his life and doesn’t want to go back, but Don is on his way to persuade him. Also, an ulterior motive is revealed for Don’s visit that leaves all involved feeling quite uneasy. Now, the heist is being planned by crime boss Teddy Bass and it involves the robbery of a depositary owned by a character known as Harry, but can Gal be persuaded.

There is a really good cast in this one; Ray Winstone plays Gal very well, he has all the attributes to pull off this role with aplomb. Amanda Redman plays Dee Dee, his wife, Cavan Kendall is Aitch and Julianne White is Jackie. Teddy Bass is played by another well known British actor, Ian McShane, as is Harry, who is played by James Fox. But the star accolade must go to Ben Kingsley as Don Logan, I don’t know what he was on, but he pulls of a masterly performance in this one. It’s so different to everything else I’ve seen him in and I loved every minute he was on screen.

I really enjoyed this film, admittedly, the performance of Ben Kingsley has a lot to do with that, but there were also a few rather innovative touches that made the story a bit more interesting that it might have been. So, over all, it’s a pretty well made film with a decent cast, an interesting plot, one stellar performance and an awful lot of swearing… Recommended.

My Score: 7.5/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0203119/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sexy_beast/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE PROPOSITION (2005)

Director: John Hillcoat
Running time: 104 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Drama/Western
UK Release date: 10th March 2006

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 12th March 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This one was recommended to me after I watched, and very much liked, The Road (2009) by the same director. Although it’s set in Australia in the 1800’s, it has very much the look and feel of a Spaghetti Western. It’s an interesting film with some nice ideas, but I just didn’t seem to be able to connect with any of the characters. More of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please track down that murderer while I write the next paragraph).

Charlie Burns and his young brother, Mike are captured by Captain Stanley and his troops. They are wanted in connection with the brutal rape of the pregnant Mrs Hopkins and the murder of her entire family at their homestead. The older brother, Arthur, has escaped into the hills. Stanley propositions Charlie with either tracking down and killing his brother Arthur or seeing his beloved younger brother Mike hang in nine days. He takes off in search of Arthur but events out in the bush and back in town are about to take a turn for the worse for both Charlie and Stanley… I’ll leave my summary here so as not to incur the wrath of the spoiler police.

It’s a pretty well made film, as I said, in the style of a Spaghetti Western. Some stunning scenery on view, credit to the cinematography for that. Decent performances all round, particularly from Guy Pearce as Charlie Burns and Ray Winstone as Captain Stanley. Both stood out in this one. Emily Watson was also good as Martha Stanley, as was John Hurt as the bounty hunter, Jellon Lamb.

As I said at the beginning, I found it quite hard to connect with any of the characters, good or bad. I guess they had no redeeming features in my eyes. I like the concept of the film, but the way it was executed, cutting back and forth between Charlie’s search for his brother and events back in town with Captain Stanley, didn’t work for me. I found it a bit of a mess over all, but not all bad, there are some scenes in there that I really like, but maybe not enough to make me want to watch it again.

My score: 6.7/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0421238/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/proposition/
Official Site (Australian): http://www.sonypictures.com.au/movies/theproposition/index.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3589800217/

Film Review: SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL (2010)

Directors: Mat Whitecross
Running time: 101 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 8th January 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 16th January 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Back in 1977 while punk was just getting going, a band called Ian Dury and the Blockheads released an album called ‘New Boots and Panties’. A few years later, feeling a bit nostalgic, I bought said album really cheap. I still have it today; in fact I’m listening to it as I type this review. Now, onto the film, it’s a biopic all about Ian Dury, his fight against disability and his rise to fame. Here’s a brief summary before I tell you my thoughts (summary haters please mingle with the audience while I write the next paragraph).

Ian Dury was an entertainer, or that’s what he always said he was interviewed. He had been struck down with polio when he was young and this left him withered down his left side. When we first see him, he is with another band who are rehearsing downstairs while his wife, Betty, gives birth upstairs. Later, after their last gig, he meets Denise Roudette, with whom he has an affair. They move in together and a while later, his son, Baxter, comes to stay with them. As Ian puts a new band together, including musician and songwriter Chaz Jankel, Baxter struggles to come to terms with the chaotic lifestyle he has been thrown into. The film plots his rise to fame and the effect it has on Ian and those around him. It also tells of his early life in flashback, his relationship with his father, Bill, and his unhappy childhood in an institution. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to give too much away.

Made in a very theatrical style, this film cuts from live action to animation, to live musical performances and back again. It all sounds a bit chaotic, but, for me at least, it works. At the centre is a really great performance from Andy Serkis as Ian Dury, although he doesn’t particularly look like him, he has all his mannerisms down to a tee. I also thought Bill Milner played the part of Baxter Dury very well, it can’t have been an easy part for a young actor and I thought he coped with it pretty well. Similarly, Wesley Nelson played the part of Young Ian Dury very well. I should also give honourable mentions to Olivia Williams as Ian’s wife, Naomie Harris as Denise Roudette, Tom Hughes as Chaz Jankel, and nice cameos from both Ray Winstone as Bill Dury (Ian’s dad) and Noel Clarke as Desmond.

Although Ian Dury wasn’t the easiest person to get along with (for those that don't know, he passed away in 2000) and consequently not the nicest man in the world, I found this quite an enjoyable film to watch. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Ian Dury and the Blockheads, but I do recognise that Ian was a very talented chap and I always respected him as an artiste. Later in his career he appeared in quite a few films, not a bad actor. Over all, it’s quite an interesting film, very touching at times but also quite bold in its approach. I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but still… recommended.

My score: 7.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1393020/
Official Site: http://www.sex-drugs-rock-roll-thefilm.com/news/16/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1506083865/

Film Review: TUBE TALES (1999)

Directors (in alphabetical order):
Gaby Dellal (segment “Rosebud”)
Stephen Hopkins (segment “Horny”)
Bob Hoskins (segment “My Father the Liar”)
Menhaj Huda (segment “Grasshopper”)
Armando Iannucci (segment “Mouth”)
Amy Jenkins (segment “Mr. Cool”)
Jude Law (segment “A Bird in the Hand”)
Charles McDougall (segment “Steal Away”)
Ewan McGregor (Segment “Bone”)

Running time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 19th November 1999

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 23rd October 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a collection of nine short stories centred in and around the London Underground, known by the locals as ‘The Tube’. Each story has a different director which makes for quite an interesting feel to the film. It was originally made for TV but I don’t think that detracts too much from the quality of the piece.

There are some well known actors involved in the project, both from film and (UK) TV. These include, Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Simon Pegg, Sean Pertwee, Liz Smith, Denise Van Outen, Don Warrington, Rachel Weisz and Ray Winstone. I particularly liked the performances of Denise Van Outen in ‘Horny’, Don Warrington in ‘Steal Away’ and Ray Winstone in ‘My Father the Liar’. Although all the performances were pretty good.

Over all I found this a bit hit and miss. Some stories were great whereas others just failed to hit the mark. It’s still a very watchable piece, but, I suspect, one you’ll only watch once. I should warn you that there are a few pretty gross things that go on down there, so I advise not watching during a meal. My two favourite segments were ‘Rosebud’ and ‘Steal Away’: Recommended, especially for these two.

My score: 6.2/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0176250/
Official Site: http://www.tubetales.co.uk/flashindex.htm