Film Review: MONEYBALL (2011)

Director: Bennett Miller
Writers: Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Stan Chervin (story), Michael Lewis (book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game”)
Running time: 128 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Biography/Drama/Sport
UK Release date: 25^th November 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 9^th September 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I was intrigued to see this film when it came out not because I’m a fan of baseball, it’s not big here in the UK, but because I heard Aaron Sorkin was one of the screenwriters. I have been a bit of a fan of his work ever since ‘The West Wing’ and I always make a point of seeing it whenever I can. Sadly this one didn’t make it to my local cinema and so I waited for it to make it to the small screen. I was pleasantly surprised; not the long emotional speeches you would normally associate with Sorkin, slightly more muted, but his mark is unmistakably there. I will tell you more after this very brief summary.

This film plots the rise of a struggling baseball team, the Oakland A’s, and how they achieved this remarkable goal. We concentrate on the general manager, Billy Beane, a former player who never quite made it but found a niche for himself in management. Having lost his star players at the end of the previous season he has to rebuild the team. He comes across a Yale Economics graduate, Peter Brand, who has some interesting theories. Taking Brand’s advice, Beane begins to recruit new players much to the dismay of the scouting and coaching staff. The season of 2002 doesn’t start well; they have many of the right players, according to Brand, but the coach, Art Howe, won’t play them to their strengths. He can’t see what the statistics are telling Brand and so does what he feels is best. Eventually Beane has had enough and makes some changes to the playing staff that forces Howe to play the team as intended. The change in fortunes is remarkable and they go on a record-breaking run of wins… But will they win the ultimate prize? Well, if you’re a fan of baseball you’ll already know the answer to that, but I’ll leave it there for those that don’t follow the sport.

Very well made with some nice visuals, I particularly liked the use of actual sports coverage and news reports, it gave the story a sense of realism. All the performances were very good; Brad Pitt, who also produced, did a great job as Billy Beane. Jonah Hill was also excellent as Peter Brand; he added some nice comic touches too. The coach, Art Howe was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who I felt was a little underused. I will give honourable mentions to; Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg and Stephen Bishop as David Justice.

Quite a slow pace to this one gives the audience time to get to know the major players and figure out just what Beane and Brand are doing. To me, the fact they didn’t include the coach in their plans was a major flaw; he’s the first one you have to convince! Putting that aside, I did find myself rooting for the team as the season came to its conclusion and that’s testament to the writers and the filmmakers. If you can get a foreigner who knows very little about the sport to become emotionally involved then you’re doing a good job in my book. Over all though, despite its flaws I did enjoy this one and I’m happy to give it my seal of approval.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.1/10

IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (based on 117,253 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/

MetaScore: 87/100: (Based on 42 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 95/100 (based on 221 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 86/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 71,889 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moneyball/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Peter Brand: There is an epidemic failure within the game to understand what is really happening. And this leads people who run Major League Baseball teams to misjudge their players and mismanage their teams. I apologize.
Billy Beane: Go on.
Peter Brand: Okay. People who run ball clubs, they think in terms of buying players. Your goal shouldn't be to buy players; your goal should be to buy wins. And in order to buy wins, you need to buy runs. You're trying to replace Johnny Damon. The Boston Red Sox see Johnny Damon and they see a star who's worth seven and half million dollars a year. When I see Johnny Damon, what I see is... is... an imperfect understanding of where runs come from. The guy's got a great glove. He's a decent leadoff hitter. He can steal bases. But is he worth the seven and half million dollars a year that the Boston Red Sox are paying him? No. No. Baseball thinking is medieval. They are asking all the wrong questions. And if I say it to anybody, I'm-I'm ostracized. I'm-I'm-I'm a leper. So that's why I'm-I'm cagey about this with you. That's why I... I respect you, Mr. Beane, and if you want full disclosure, I think it's a good thing that you got Damon off your payroll. I think it opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities.

Billy Beane: Would you rather get one shot in the head or five in the chest and bleed to death?
Peter Brand: Are those my only two options?

Scott Hatteberg: [Responding to being asked to play first base for the Oakland A's] I've only ever played catcher.
Billy Beane: It's not that hard, Scott. Tell him, Wash.
Ron Washington: It's incredibly hard.

Peter Brand: Billy, this is Chad Bradford. He's a relief pitcher. He is one of the most undervalued players in baseball. His defect is that he throws funny. Nobody in the big leagues cares about him because he looks funny. This guy could be not just the best pitcher in our bullpen, but one of the most effective relief pitchers in all of baseball. This guy should cost $3 million a year. We can get him for $237,000.

Billy Beane: It's hard not to be romantic about baseball. This kind of thing, it's fun for the fans. It sells tickets and hot dogs. Doesn't mean anything.
Peter Brand: Billy, we just won twenty games in a row.
Billy Beane: And what's the point?
Peter Brand: We just got the record.
Billy Beane: Man, I've been doing this for... listen, man. I've been in this game a long time. I'm not in it for a record, I'll tell you that. I'm not in it for a ring. That's when people get hurt. If we don't win the last game of the Series, they'll dismiss us.
Peter Brand: Billy...
Billy Beane: I know these guys. I know the way they think, and they will erase us. And everything we've done here, none of it'll matter. Any other team wins the World Series, good for them. They're drinking champagne, they get a ring. But if we win, on our budget, with this team... we'll have changed the game. And that's what I want. I want it to mean something.

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

Film Review: MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978)

Director: Alan Parker
Writers: Billy Hayes & William Hoffer (book), Oliver Stone (screenplay)
Running time: 121 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Biography/Crime
USA Release date: 6^th October 1978

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 9^th September 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first saw this film many years ago and I have to admit I wasn’t all that impressed with it back then. So I thought I’d give it another look having a much wider experience of the world of cinema and the world in general for that matter. I think this time I had a greater appreciation of it but at the same time I could still see things I didn’t like so much. Here’s a very brief summary then I’ll explain.

The film charts the true story of how Billy Hayes ends up in a Turkish prison for smuggling hashish. He is picked up at the airport and found to be in possession of two kilos of the stuff. Wishing to make an example of him, the authorities throw Billy into the brutal Shagmahr prison in Istanbul. Having been beaten by the cruel head of the prison guard, Hamidou, he is befriended by a fellow American, Jimmy Booth, an Englishman, Max and a Swede, Erich. They all have varying sentences but all live in the hope of getting out someday. A kind of trustee, Rifki, sells them tea and blankets and stuff, if the price is right, and he is universally hated because he’s always snitching to the guards. As time passes Billy never becomes accustomed to prison life and despite the efforts of the American Consul, his father and a local corrupt lawyer he finds himself stuck there with a four year sentence. Wishing to make a further example of him the prosecutor appeals to a higher court and Billy ends up being sentenced to thirty years! He now has no option but to try to escape. I will leave it there as I don’t want to enrage the Spoiler Police any more then I have to.

Very well made with some great visuals on show; you really get a feel for the place. I can’t say I was enamoured with the music though, yes there were a few Turkish themes but then there was this electronic music that seemed to cut right across the grain. How the music won the Oscar in 1979 I will never know! All the performances were very good; Brad Davis does a decent job in the lead roll as Billy Hayes without being particularly outstanding. Randy Quaid did some great scenery chewing as Jimmy Booth, John Hurt was excellent (as ever) and Max and Norbert Weisser did a decent job as Erich. Of the bad guys, I thought Paolo Bonacelli did a very good job as the slippery Rifki and Paul L. Smith did a great job as the brutal head guard Hamidou. Finally honourable mentions go to both Irene Miracle as Billy’s girlfriend, Susan and Mike Kellin as Billy’s father.

For a film that won two Oscars; ‘Best Music, Original Score’ and ‘Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium’; I found it a little disappointing. Other nominations included ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ for John Hurt which I thought was well deserved. I think what lets it down is the performance of Brad Davis in the central role. He doesn’t quite carry it off and, because the whole film hangs on his part, it suffers because of it. It’s almost like he’s trying just a little bit too hard at times and you can see it on the screen. Even so, it’s an intriguing tale with some nice touches; for example the use of the sound of Billy’s heartbeat as he’s going through customs as the beginning of the film; very effective. Over all, well worth a look but not particularly for the central role; there is still much to admire though, hence my score.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.8/10

IMDb Score: 7.6/10 (based on 33,564 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0077928/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 95/100 (based on 21 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 62/100 ‘Want to See’ (based on 29,228 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/midnight_express/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Tex: Boy oh boy, you picked a bad time to fly, Billy. They're guerrillas all over the place blowing up planes and all. They hit four planes in four days. But I guess you young people don't read the news anymore. That, and with our people back home kicking up a shitstorm about the flow of heroin from Turkey...
Billy Hayes: I didn't have heroin. It was just a little hashish.
Tex: That doesn't matter. A drug's a drug.
Billy Hayes: It was only two kilos.
Tex: It doesn't matter if it was two kilos or 200 kilos. The Turks love catching foreigners. They want to show the rest of the world that they're fighting the drug trade.
Billy Hayes: Who are you? What's your name?
Tex: That's not important.
Billy Hayes: Are you with the American consulate here in Istanbul?
Tex: Something like that.

Jimmy: So... Billy, what are you in for? Hash?
Billy Hayes: Yeah.
Jimmy: Where'd they get you?
Billy Hayes: The airport... trying to get home.
Jimmy: You go through customs?
Billy Hayes: Yeah, I was busted right at the plane.
Jimmy: Aw, man that's heavy. That's very heavy.
Erich: It's bad if they get you for smuggling, but if they make it possession, the sentence is lighter. The best thing for you to do, Billy, is try to make bail. If you make bail, you're free. You can easily get yourself a fake passport on the black market, or get yourself across the border into Greece.
Jimmy: Dream on, Erich. They'll never grant bail to foreigners whom may be a flight risk.
Erich: But if you argue in court about you being innocent...
Jimmy: This ain't the good ol' USA! This is Turkey, man! It's a fuckin' accident here if you're innocent! There ain't nobody here that is innocent!

Billy Hayes: [voiceover] To the Turks, everything is "shurla burla", which means "like this, like that". You never know what will happen. All foreigners are "ayip", they're considered dirty. So is homosexuality, it's a big crime here, but most of them do it every chance they get. There are about thousand things that are "ayip", for instance, you can stab or shoot somebody below the waist but not above because that's intent to kill. So everyone runs around stabbing everyone else in the ass. That's what they call Turkish revenge. I know it must all sound crazy to you, but this place is crazy.

Billy Hayes: What is a crime? What is punishment? It seems to vary from time to time and place to place. What's legal today is suddenly illegal tomorrow because society says it's so, and what's illegal yesterday is suddenly legal because everybody's doin' it, and you can't put everybody in jail. I'm not saying this is right or wrong. I'm just saying that's the way it is. But I've spent 3 1/2 years of my life in your prison, and I think I've paid for my error, and if it's your decision today to sentence me to more years, then I...
[he becomes overcome with anger]

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: CAPTIVITY (2007)

Director: Roland Joffé
Writers: Larry Cohen (screenplay/story), Joseph Tura (screenplay)
Running time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Horror/Thriller/Crime
UK Release date: 22^nd June 2007

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 8^th September 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I really didn’t know too much about this film before pressing the PLAY button on my Sky+ box. I guess I was intrigued by the way the film was set-up; I hadn’t seen any trailers and so went into it more or less blind with only the TV guide write-up as a lead. Having seen it (& having decided on the score I would give it) I had a quick look online to see how it was received. Pretty badly by all accounts although there were a few who, surprisingly, really liked it! But it’s my opinion we’re here for and I’ll give you that after this very brief summary.

Jennifer is a model; a very famous model who works hard to keep herself at the top of her game. What she doesn’t know is she is being stalked and that this stalker is about to kidnap and terrify her. Having been stood up at a club she gets up to leave only to find her drink had been drugged. She wakes up in a basement that seemingly has no exits. She screams and shouts but to no avail. Eventually her captor makes contact and she is now subjected to all kinds of psychological torture. She eventually discovers she is not alone in the basement; there is an adjoining room and in there is a young man, Gary… I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police (scary kidnap movie division) will be paying me a call (again).

There are some nice visual effects used, particularly at the beginning of the film, that I found quite effective. Sadly I didn’t really notice much evidence of them after that. The performances were all pretty good; particularly Elisha Cuthbert as Jennifer; much of the film relied on a strong performance from her and I couldn’t see that she put a foot wrong here. Daniel Gillies as Gary was adequate without really being stretched, as was Pruitt Taylor Vince as Ben.

A film with a very small cast that has a very claustrophobic feel to much of the action. I have seen it described as just another ‘torture porn’ movie, but I felt it had a little more depth to it than that. The trouble is, it tries to be a little too clever and as a result I found it ended up being a little bit too predictable. The filmmakers also failed to allow the audience to connect with the victim and as a result they cannot really sympathise with her situation. It’s a shame because I quite liked Elisha Cuthbert’s performance. Over all though, a little too predictable and without enough guile to hold the audience.

SteelMonster’s verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED

My score: 4.7/10

IMDb Score: 4.6/10 (based on 15,662 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0374563/

MetaScore: 24/100: (Based on 17 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 7/100 (based on 74 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 34/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 327,384 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captivity/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
None available that don’t give too much away (sorry).

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: FOUR (2011)

Director: John Langridge
Writer: Paul Chronnell
Running time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Thriller
UK Release date: 21^st October 2011

Watched on Sky+ Monday 3^rd September 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have to say I knew nothing at all about this film when I hit the play button. I had been intrigued by the write-up in the TV guide and that was enough to whet my appetite. A very staged drama, it soon grabbed my attention but I can’t say I was exactly gripped all the way through. I will tell you more after this extremely brief summary.

When a jealous husband discovers his wife is having an affair, he hires an unscrupulous private detective to find the lover. This man is kidnapped and taken to an abandoned factory so the husband can have a few choice words. On arrival the detective tells him he has taken the liberty of also kidnapping his wife so he might encourage her to see the error of her ways also. They are held in separate parts of the building, tied to chairs with bags over their heads. The husband starts with the lover… but there’s a twist in the tale. I really don’t want to give any more away and so I’ll leave it there.

A film that very much relies on the performances to provide the impact; and I must say they’re all pretty good. So I’ll give honourable mentions to; Martin Compston as the lover, Craig Conway as the husband, Sean Pertwee (yes he is the son of former Dr. Who Jon Pertwee) as the detective and Kierston Wareing as the wife.

Plenty of twists and turns in this very wordy plot; but not one that will leave you gasping trying to figure out. It’s all pretty straight forward once certain revelations are made. After a nice beginning I felt it lost a bit of momentum over the middle third, but picked up again towards the end. Admittedly it’s not an original theme but I thought it was quite nicely done, if a little weak here and there. There is some very robust language so please be aware of this. Over all, pretty well made with some nice performances but it does suffer a little towards the middle.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED (Just)… Could have been better though…

My score: 5.7/10

IMDb Score: 3.5/10 (based on 32,290 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1645074/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 17/100 (based on 6 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 0/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 72 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/771254132/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
None available… (Shame because there was some good dialogue in this one…)

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.fourthefilm.com/
Official Site: http://fourthefilm.com/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fourthefilm?ref=ts
Trailer:

Film Review: SUPER (2010)

Writer/Director: James Gunn
Running time: 92 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Action/Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 8^th July 2011 (Limited)

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 2^nd September 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is another of those films that came up in an online conversation; this time I believe we were discussing ‘Kick-Ass’. I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but as it went on it kind of grew on me. It’s one that has had a bit of a mixed response both among the critics and the public alike. I didn’t think it was all that bad; much stronger violence that ‘Kick-Ass’ which does give it an edge, but I’m not here to do a comparison. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Frank Darrbo is a bit of a loser and after his wife, Sarah, leaves him for a low-life drug dealer called Jacques, he flips out. Realising he wasn’t strong enough to get Sarah back on his own, he looks for a way. Believing he has heard a message from God, he re-invents himself as ‘The Crimson Bolt’; a super-hero crime fighter. Realising he has no powers he goes to a comic-book store and here he meets Libby; she helps him in his research. Eventually he’s out there fighting crime with his trusty pipe-wrench. This, of course, comes to the notice of the police and it is subsequently reported on TV. Having followed Sarah, Frank discovers where she is living and makes an attempt to rescue her. He fails and is shot while trying to escape; he can now only turn to Libby. She is thrilled and allows him to stay with her while he recovers and it is here that ‘The Crimson Bolt’ acquires a side-kick, ‘Boltie’. Can this crime-fighting duo go into the evil lair and rescue Sarah from the clutches to Jacques? Well, you probably guess I’m not going to tell you here… I’ve already said too much.

Well made with some nice incidental music; a collection of songs mostly, but nicely chosen. All the performances were very good; Rainn Wilson was excellent as Frank Darrbo/The Crimson Bolt; as was Ellen Page as Libby/Boltie. I felt that both Liv Tyler as Sarah and Kevin Bacon as Jacques were woefully underused. Honourable mentions go to; Gregg Henry as Detective John Felkner, Michael Rooker as Abe and Michael Rooker as Hamilton. Oh, and look out for Nathan Fillion as The Holy Avenger.

For me, the star of the show was Ellen Page; she brought such enthusiasm to the role and I have to say, she was also pretty funny. To be honest, given the quality of the rest of the cast I ended up a little disappointed, I expected more somehow. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good movie with some great moments and some nicely done effects; it just seemed to be lacking. I did like that the violence was quite brutal and it wasn’t depicted as glamorous in any way. In fact, the consequences of it were plain to see. I didn’t much care for the ending; it all got a little too schmaltzy for me. Even so, a decent movie; but most definitely NOT one for the kids.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 32,290 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/

MetaScore: 50/100: (Based on 26 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 47/100 (based on 112 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 56/100 (based on 18,516 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super-2010/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Sarah Helgeland: What are those?
Frank Darrbo: I'll wake up and see these first thing every morning. My perfect moments. They can inform my day. Set me in the right direction.
Sarah Helgeland: The hands are a little big, don't you think sweetheart?

Jacques: Alright, pal. Haven't I been nice to you? I mean I've been nice, right? I complimented your cooking. You don't know who I am, so I'm gonna give you one last warning. Out of the fucking kindness of my fucking heart don't
[shouting]
Jacques: fucking touch my car again.

Libby: Batman had Robin. The original Human Torch had Toro. The Flash had Kid Flash. I could be your kid sidekick!

Frank Darrbo: Maybe you need to be bored sometimes.
Libby: You don't see them bored in comic books.
Frank Darrbo: That's what happens in between the panels.
Libby: Wow, in between the panels! Is that where we are right now?
Libby: We could do anything here.

Frank Darrbo: [Repeated line] Shut up, crime!

Frank Darrbo: You don't butt in line! You don't sell drugs! You don't molest little children! You don't profit off the misery of others! The rules were set a long time ago! They don't change!

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

Film Review: SLADE IN FLAME (1975)

Director: Richard Loncraine
Writers: Andrew Birkin (screenplay), Dave Humphries (additional dialogue)
Running time: 87 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Drama/Musical
UK Release date: January 1975

Watched on DVD Saturday 1^st September 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Back in the 1970’s glam rock was all the rage and one of the better bands of that era were also one of my favourites, Slade. They were lucky enough to make a lot of money and, as happens, eventually comes the talk of making a film. The question is, what type of film to make; they didn’t want to re-do what had been done before and so a slightly darker route was chosen. They made a film about what it was like to be in a successful band… warts and all. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Charlie, Paul and Barry are in a band fronted by one Jack Daniels. They are not very successful, just playing pubs, clubs and the occasional wedding. Their manager is a sleazy character called Ron Harding who arranges the few engagements they can get. To be honest, he’s not bothered as long as he gets his 10%. After a run-in with a rival band, “The Undertakers”, fronted by Stoker, the band parts company with Jack Daniels and Stoker ends up as their front-man. At their first gig a representative of an advertising company from London happens to hear them and is impressed. They are offered a contract by Robert Seymour and they soon find themselves on their way to stardom with some big money behind them. They call themselves ‘Flame’ and pretty soon everyone has heard of them. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? And have they heard the last from Ron Harding? Well, I’ll leave those questions unanswered or the Spoiler Police (Slade Division) might be paying me a visit (again).

Not the greatest production ever made; even so, it holds together pretty well. I was surprised at how well the band members did in playing their parts; Don Powell (drums) as Charlie, Jim Lea (bass) as Paul, Noddy Holder (vocals/guitars) as Stoker and Dave Hill (guitars) as Barry. Of course there were also some professional actors involved and they all did a pretty good job too; Tom Conti as Robert Seymour, Alan Lake as Jack Daniels, Johnny Shannon as Ron Harding, Kenneth Colley as Tony Devlin and Anthony Allen as Russell.

I really liked the gritty feel of this one, very reminiscent of films of the late 60’s, early 70’s. I have to admit to being a fan of the band and the film features two of their very best songs; “How Does it Feel” and “Far Far Away”; which is bound to swing my vote (slightly). A very interesting film giving an insight into the way bands were manipulated and eventually torn apart by unscrupulous people. I very much enjoyed it and I think it deserves more recognition. I also watched the documentary that comes with the DVD and I can see why certain band members were a little worried about how it would be received. They shouldn’t have, it’s a fine piece of work and well worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My score: 8.4/10

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 219 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1023114/

MetaScore: NO DATA: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes Score: No Score Yet… (based on 1 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 40/100 ‘Want to See’ (based on 28 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/slade_in_flame/
or
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/slade-in-flame/
(not sure which is current)

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Jack Daniels: [after been given their work schedule] Thanks Mrs. B. Two pubs, four socials and a bloody jacaranda club.
Charlie: Not a bad week though.
Ron Harding's secretary: Not a bad month.

Jack Daniels: [shouts over the din of a poor drum solo audition] Not your actual Gene Cooper is he?
Barry: Who's she?
Jack Daniels: Before your time.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Clip:

Song: “How Does it Feel”:

Film Review: THE WAY BACK (2010)

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Peter Weir (screenplay), Keith R. Clarke (screenplay), Slavomir Rawicz (novel “The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom”)
Running time: 127 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Adventure/Drama
UK Release date: 21^st January 2011

Watched on DVD Friday 31^st August 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is one of those films I have been meaning to watch for a while now. I always like a film based on a true story, as this one is; somehow it makes the action on screen more real to me. Although a little over-long, I must say I did find this quite an inspiring tale. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

When a Polish man Janusz Wieszczek is thrown into prison in 1940 on charges that are, let’s say, dubious to say the least; he is sent to Siberia. Here he is put to work in a labour camp cutting trees and preparing logs. After an incident with one of the guards, he is sent to work in the mine; effectively a death-sentence. All this time he is talking to several others about getting out. They have a rough idea where they are and have worked out that if they head South they can make it to Mongolia. On the night of a big storm a group that includes Janusz, Valka, Mr. Smith (an American), Voss, Tomasz, Kazik and Zoran make their bid for freedom. Heading south and using to storm to cover their trail they soon lose the prison guards. They lose one of their number to the cold, but press on. They are joined by a girl, Irena, who seems to have a bit of a shady past, but they take her with them anyhow. They eventually make it to Mongolia but realise that Communism has reached there as well. Their only option is to cross the Gobi Desert to Tibet and finally the Himalayas into India. Who will make it? Well, you probably guessed it, I’m not going to tell you here or the Spoiler Police (Soviet Division) will be sending me to Siberia (again).

A really well made film about an epic journey; Peter Weir is good at this kind of thing and this is a good example of his work. A nice musical score by Burkhard von Dallwitz complements the visuals with quite anthemic themes, particularly towards the end. All the performances were very good; particularly Jim Sturgess as Janusz, Colin Farrell as Valka, Ed Harris as Mr. Smith, Saoirse Ronan as Irena and Mark Strong as Khabarov. Honourable mentions must go to; Gustaf Skarsgård as Voss, Alexandru Potocean as Tomasz, Sebastian Urzendowsky as Kazik and Dragos Bucur as Zoran.

There is a bit of a spoiler at the beginning of the film where the audience is told how many make it to India which does take a little of the impact away from the film. You find yourself wondering just when various cast members might either meet their demise or decide to take another path. It’s a distraction I could have done without. The film is a bit too long and there is a lot of time spent in just getting out of Russia which, I felt, could have been better spent in crossing the Himalayas (just my personal preference). Over all though I did find it quite inspiring that such a journey could be made and I felt quite elated at the end. I may not watch it again, but I’m glad I gave it at least one viewing. Worth a look!.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My score: 7.7/10

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 42,826 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1023114/

MetaScore: 66/100: (Based on 33 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75/100 (based on 122 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 70/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 29,977 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-way-back/

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
[in Polish, using English subtitles]
Interrogator: [presents pen to sign confession]
Janusz: No.
Interrogator: Bring in the witness.
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [brought in]
Interrogator: Do you know this man? His name?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: Janusz Wieszczek.
Interrogator: Witness, what's your relationship with this man?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [crying] I am his wife.
Interrogator: Accused, do you confirm this?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: Yes.
Interrogator: Witness, what do you have to say about the accused?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [agonizing] From his conversation, I have come to know he is critical of the Party, especially the leader of the Soviet people, Comrade Stalin.
Janusz: What have they done to you?

Mr. Smith: Kindness. That will kill you here.

Valka: Prison is okay. Debt is bad. But there are many prisons, they don't find me.
Zoran: What about America?
Valka: Oh, it's not for me, freedom. I wouldn't know what to do with it, I swear to God.

Janusz: [eating snake] Tastes like chicken.
Zoran: Yeah. A big black poisonous chicken with no legs.

[last lines]
Man: Where have you come from?
Janusz: Siberia.
Man: Siberia?
Religious man: [speaks to crowd in unknown language]
Man: And how did you come, sir?
Janusz: We walked.
Man: Walked?
[crowd noise]

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.thewaybackthemovie.com/
Trailer: