Reviews

Watching as one that knew absolutely nothing about Taylor other than that "Shake it Off" is a wonderfully catchy pop tune, Miss Americana came across as entirely lacking in depth.

It isn't bad, per se. Just incredibly bland.

It's a movie for the fans only. But not for anyone, like me, who'd laugh out loud when a multi-millionaire, multi-award winning singer says things like, "If my imagination popped open... unicorns would burst out!!"

I mean, Jeez, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse died at 27. And Taylor's thinking of unicorns at 30?!!

Girl needs to get lost in an opium haze or trip balls on acid or munch on a forest of mushrooms 'cos if she could marry her undoubted, incredible, technical talent with an experienced heart she'd make music that'd stand the test of time.

And maybe a movie worth watching...

Oh, man. As an expatriate Irish man living in the US, this movie was a trip. It's an excellently shot treat of cinema verité. It looks at the dark underbelly of American politics but does so with a fresh and interesting new perspective.

The documentary is a political coming of age set in "Boys State", Texas. For the uninitiated, that's a participatory program for teenage, male students where everyone has the opportunity to become a part of the operation of his local, county, and state government. The program, which is run by American Legion Boys State, exposes participants to the rights and privileges, the duties and the responsibilities, of a franchised citizen.

The training is objective and practical, with city, county, and state governments operated by the students elected to the various offices. The documentary focuses on a number of the boys as they sought political office.

Because of seemingly unlimited access, the documentary was amply able to shine a light on both the burnished, sunny side and the seething, avaricious side of America and to put both on display for the world to see!

The bright side of America breathes life into opportunity. Bringing kids to a camp and honing their public speaking skills and political debating skills is just amazing. And to do it in a manner that brings kids like Steven, who came from a disadvantaged background, is a genuinely beautiful thing.

But then you have the dark side of America which bubbles to the surface as extreme privilege and an entitled attitude which is just horrible. Unfortunately it isn't restricted to adult politicians and, even in a documentary about kids, that entitlement reduced politics to a binary "us against them" process.

Because Boys State is among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for high school students, it's expressly meant to reflect real life. As such, the binary "us against them" process wasn't helped by the adults splitting the kids into two parties and having primaries. I know that happens in the US but it doesn't happen in any other democratic country in the world. It seemed such a missed opportunity to me. Couldn't all those wonderfully brilliant kids have been tasked with finding a solution rather than just mirroring the broken reality?

That being said, the purpose of the documentary wasn't to uncover solutions, rather it was to just let the process speak for itself. And that it most certainly did.

The film reflected one of the great unspoken facts of American life - everyone basically agrees about everything here. Or, at least, all the things that matter. Everyone here is, for the most part, a nationalist. And everyone here is, for the most part, a capitalist.

To use an analogy: there are a handful of different types of drinks: alcohol, water, soda, fruit juice etc. Within those categories there are subcategories. Soda contains cola, soda waters, lemon and lime flavored drinks etc. And those subcategories can be broken down into specific brands, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, and RC Cola, for example, in the Cola subcategory.

While other countries have genuine debates about the advantages of water over wine or vice versa. In the US, everyone has seemingly agreed that Cola is the only drink worth having! Americans argue vehemently about whether Pepsi or Coke is better, and all the various different other drinks and, in fact, even all the various different other colas are relegated to an irrelevance before the debate even begins!

It's a two party system here and everything outside the tent, i.e. the vast majority of an entire beautiful spectrum of possibility, is simply resigned to the dustbin!

And, because of that, what happens in real life, also happened in the movie. The young politicians eschewed positions in favor of slogans! Real debate didn't happen. Because there wasn't really a difference. There was nothing to debate. Cola is cola. And whether Pepsi is better than Coke or vice versa is really only a matter of personal choice.

Instead, US politicians - in real life as in the film - weaponized slogans and attacked perceived personality flaws in their opponents. Both sides were guilty of that, most obviously in Rene and Ben. Especially Ben! I found myself wondering, "WTF is wrong with that kid? Regan dolls and an insane lust for power?!" But both were at fault. Each only cared about winning in the narrowest, most binary sense possible.

Rene had a great line about Ben at the end, "I don't hate the man. Never will. I think he's a fantastic politician. But I don't think 'fantastic politician' is a complement either."

That was a caustic summation! And entirely accurate. I loved it! And yet Rene was equally willing to use every dirty trick in the book to get ahead. And stay ahead. And he was king of ad hominem attack - as evidenced by that wonderfully cutting final remark. I think that kid'll go far in American politics. But I don't think that's a complement either!

Anyway! The film just about blew my mind! Great documentary! Outstanding film! But, my oh my, I hope none of those kids (except Steven) end up running the country!

Despite featuring some wonderful interviews and archival footage, I Am Your Father is ruined by the film-maker's senseless insistence on inserting himself into the film.

The film has a fascinating story at its heart - that of David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy and remained remarkably unrecognizable despite playing one of the most iconic characters in all movie history.

Yet the central story - that of David's all too human journey and disappointment - is elbowed out of the way so the film-maker can indulge in some wish fulfillment.

While I understand the temptation for the film-maker to become his story, particularly given Star Wars' place in the Pantheon, the Michael Moore approach weakened the film and turned what should have been a richly poignant piece into just another ho-hum documentary. Pity.

From Thriller, to Bad, to Dangerous, to baboon poo crazy, Michael Jackson went from being the most brilliant performer on the planet to being the oddest. From the largest selling album of all time, to the most groundbreaking music videos ever created, to rumours in the press, to court cases taken by alleged victims, the self styled King of Pop, led a life that was fed, at first, by media adulation driven by the critical success and commercial brilliance that characterized his early career and, latterly, by the media obsession with the sad little soap opera that his life had become. Jackson, like many before him, bears witness to the horrifying maxim that those whom the God's wish to destroy they first call promising. His last two decades were, from this fan's point of view, at least, filled with too much madness to the detriment of the music and this film, unfortunately, follows that path entirely. Too much madness and not enough music.

If Jackson were still alive than doubtless the footage recorded here would see the light of day, but only as an extra on the live concert DVD. It would never have been released as a movie and there's good reason for that – it's simply not strong enough.

I'm a huge fan of Michael Jackson, Billy Jean is the best pop song of all time, but, seriously, who wants to watch the best performer on the planet rehearsing? I want to watch him perform! Rehearsals are merely dry runs for the real thing. This is a concert movie without a concert, and where's the point in that? That's like watching THE GODFATHER (1972) without Marlon Brando. It's like eating a banana split without the ice cream. There's no pay off.

There's no denying Jackson's brilliance, but, damn it, everyone on the planet knows that Jackson could sing and dance! There's no fire in the film, there's no screaming crowds, there's no adoration, and without that there's nothing to whip him into full frenzy. All you're left with is the sad knowledge that you're watching a man that lived to perform, getting ready to perform, and in the back of your mind you know that he'll never actually do it.

THIS IS IT was most definitely made for the fans. It was made to wring money out of them and it's working perfectly. As someone who had tickets to go see Jackson in the O2 in London, I was looking forward to seeing the film. All it did, however, was remind me that the greatest pop performer the world has ever seen will never be seen again.

My opinion notwithstanding, fans will, for the most part, I suppose, enjoy it. Those obsessed with Jackson will claim it proves he was back to his best, and it certainly contains moments when Jackson appears to be in full flight, but these are all too fleeting and are, naturally enough, interrupted because that is, after all, what happens in rehearsals! All the marketing for the movie claims it will only be in theatres for two weeks. And that's probably true. But that, I suspect, is because they want to rush the DVD out in time for Christmas, grab some more money.

As a money-making machine, then, THIS IS IT is it. It will undoubtedly rake in the millions. As a great Jackson film, however, or as a great concert film, a great documentary, or even simply a great film, THIS IS IT isn't even at the races.

There was a time when Halloween was inextricably linked to Michael Myers. He was as terrifying as the holiday and when the original HALLOWEEN came out, way back in 1978, he scared the bejesus out of people. In the over 30 years since then Halloween has become the second biggest holiday of the year. Let me say that again – Halloween is the second biggest holiday of the year. People spend more money at Halloween then at any other time of the year, except Christmas. And so you can hardly blame movie studios for trying to cash in.

So I can forgive them for digging up Michael Myers and putting out another Halloween movie, which they did in 2007. And I can forgive Rob Zombie for directing it. I can even forgive people for going to see it. What I can't forgive, however, is Zombie's latest attempt at resurrecting the franchise.

According to the director, he was exhausted after the first remake. "When I finished the first Halloween, I was burnt out, exhausted and never wanted to hear the words 'Michael Myers' again," said Zombie. "But I feel that way after I finish anything that's exhausting." He initially relinquished the responsibility but, ultimately, affection for the characters made him rethink his decision. "I started getting possessive about it. That's when it became something I wanted to do. It was my Michael Myers, my Laurie Strode and my world. I didn't want someone else taking charge of it." So both Zombie and Michael Myers are back. Again. And it's an awful pity. For some unknown reason Rob Zombie's first HALLOWEEN was something of a hit – it grossed almost $80 million at the worldwide box office, which isn't a fortune in film terms, but it's not a bad return on a movie that cost less than $20 million to make.

Rob Zombie's H2 picks up at the exact moment that his first HALLOWEEN stopped and it follows the aftermath of Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton).

In this latest film, Michael Meyers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. Unleashing a trail of terror, Myers stops at nothing to bring closure to the secrets of his twisted past. But the town's got unlikely new heroes, if only they can stay alive long enough to stop the unstoppable.

This latest is a snooze fest unless, of course, you like particularly incoherent films about people killing other people in particularly brutal ways. It's an insult to anyone that liked John Carpenter's brilliant original. If you want to watch a Halloween movie then I suggest you go rent his!

I like my comedies to be brash and brilliant. I like to laugh out loud and SUPERBAD (2007) ticked all those boxes!

It was directed by Greg Mottola and I laughed my head off, so I was really looking forward to his latest, ADVENTURELAND. I expected it to pick up where SUPERBAD left off. And it does, sort of. The film is screamingly funny in parts but there's also a wonderfully bitter sweet nostalgia to it. It strikes me as being a far more personal film, presumably because Mottola writes as well as directs.

The movie is set in 1987 and is all about James, played by Jessie Eisenberg, who was meant to be having the summer of his life. He's just graduated from an English degree and is off to the prestigious Columbia University to do a Masters. He was supposed to go backpacking across Europe with his buddy for the summer, but then his Dad got a drastic pay-cut and so he's stuck working a dead end job in a crappy run-down amusement park, called Adventureland. Horray for him! He learns a lot about vomit, corn dogs and why college is essential to his continued survival.

There is, of course, a really pretty girl who works 'rides', rides are far cooler than games, by the way, so James is stuck in games. But the pretty girl, Em, played by Kristen Stewart, who ya just knew was going to be an absolutely massive star since her small role in Sean Penn's INTO THE WILD (2007), isn't quite the girl next door. She comes from the wrong side of tracks and doesn't exactly have a stellar record in relationships. But she does have an eye for James.

Bill Hader, who appeared as one of the cops in SUPERBAD, absolutely steals the show again as Bobby, the manager of Adventureland. To him managing Adventureland is not just a job, it's an Adventure and his scenes are the hands down funniest parts in the film.

ADVENTURELAND is a wickedly smart comedy that manages to mix intelligence, humour, nostalgia and comedy to wondrous effect. It's got a thumping soundtrack and belts out the hits from the late 80's, with pride of place going to Falco's Rock me Amadeus. Genius!

And while it's rude and raunchy in parts, it has a heart of gold. The scenes are achingly sincere and wonderfully capture the melancholic emotions of early adulthood while also doffing a cap at the drink-fuelled chaotic madness of youth. The dialogue is brilliantly written, the characters are wonderfully played and the situations are seldom less than hilarious.

There's an awkward honesty to the film that is, at times, almost embarrassing but the lead actors are so wonderful to watch that it's never less than super sweet, without ever being saccharine. I went expecting SUPERBAD and while this is never as laugh out loud funny, I absolutely loved it! It's a brilliant film. Hilarious but super sweet! Catch it if you can.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE Director: Peter Yates Country: USA/UK Year: 2009 Language: English Runtime: 153 Minutes Rating: 12(A)

Chances are you've made up your mind about Harry Potter. It's been impossible to escape the young wizard and his spell casting friends. The books are a global sales phenomenon with more than 400 million sold and the previous five movies have, collectively, grossed well over $4 Billion around the world. Success for this film, then, is guaranteed and true fans were never likely to be disappointed by the film. But is it any good?

Voldemort, the evil wizard, is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts, Harry's school, is no longer the safe haven that it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within its walls but Dumbledore, the headmaster, is more intent on preparing Harry for the final showdown that is fast approaching than in worrying about Hogwarts. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, who Dumbledore believes holds crucial information.

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary – teenage hormones! They rage across the ramparts and Harry finds himself drawn to Ginny who is also admired by Dean Thomas. Lavender Brown decides that Ron is the only one for her, only she didn't count on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Warner Brothers, who released the pic, held it back from its original date which was scheduled just before last Christmas. It released THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) on the same weekend last year and it was hoping that the latest Harry Potter would do similar business around the world. The movies share more than their release weekend with an undercurrent of unease running through both films.

And while there's no getting away from the fact that THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE is not as strong as earlier Potter films, there's equally no getting away from the fact that it deliciously sets up the ultimate show down between Harry and Voldemort.

The film plays a little long at over two and a half hours but the vast majority of fans leaving the theatre, both young and old, had huge grins on their faces and I heard more than one person say, 'I can't wait for the next film.' But is it any good? Well, yes and no. It's magic if you're a fan but non-believers will struggle to see what all the fuss is about.