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Reviews
Route Irish (2010)
A solid independent feature film about modern war set in Iraq from a surprisingly overlooked and unique angle*
In contrast to the most successful war or Iraq war film this century so far..
I remember going to see 'The Hurt Locker' with high hopes because I had been sold on the hype, it had a female director tipped to win awards and I really liked what she(K.Bigalow) did years before with 'Point Break' a fun(and sometimes funny for the wrong reasons) crime caper.
After the credits rolled I was in two minds(similar to when I first saw 'Point Break') because I appreciated the technical aspects of the film but something seemed to be missing... My big problem became clear when I overheard people talking on the way out. In particular, I heard two teenagers summary comments to each other, that it was 'pretty good','a bit of fun' and 'there were some really good special effects and action sequences' which to me, is a summary of what most people said to me to date about the film.
No one seemed to care that they had for the purpose of entertainment just sat, popcorn in hand, and watched a film about a war that was still ongoing outside the cinema(albeit five thousand miles away) at the same time...
So, I left the cinema feeling like Walt Disney had final cut on the production and it was financed by Haliburton and McDonalds etc. I was in a state of mild mental shock... Sickened, disgusted and annoyed with the world, to be more precise...
Anyway, I am generally interested in 'facts' and the 'details' of what is going on around me and why things happen the way they do. Cinema for me is not about entertainment. Going to the 'movies' to be entertained, escapism etc. is fine. I do it but it's a different experience. If I go to see a film about a current war I would expect it to say something meaningful.
So for me, the Hurt Locker is the benchmark epitome of total bullshit filmmaking in the 21st century and so offensive(even just in it's inception alone) on so many levels that I really wouldn't know where to start or finish for fear of ranting into oblivion...
Anyway, I have seen many documentaries, read many articles watched endless news footage, reports and interviews on the current War(S) in the middle east and I'm still not 100% sure what is actually going on.
One thing that I do know for sure though, is that all other feature length films related to the Iraq War in the past decade(apart from a few documentaries) portray the allied forces as the victims and all are dedicated to their military forces... WTF is that all about...?
Everything in the 'Route Irish' story by K.Loach, although fictional with use of some artistic license, has happened in real life!... It will also continue to happen again as a matter of fact...
If you want escapism and have to be entertained all the time then you know where to go for your fix.
Some people are still rolling out the same old polemic argument about Loach/'Route Irish' that he/the film is lefty, over-long, boring, preachy, flawed in acting,writing,direction and it sometimes looks like it was made for 50 quid. etc. etc. ...But we must appreciate him, social justice, national treasure etc. etc.
BLAH BLAH BLAH....
Trust me, the film is not perfect by any means but see it for yourself because those people are idiots...
-If you are one of them you can stick it in your Hurt Locker...
:P
Dubman.
The '...unique angle*' being the people who are the real victims and the people who are really responsible...
_______________________
'Cold Hard Reality is always so boring and difficult to watch.....' -Another complete idiot.
American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009)
*Hmmm... I imagine he would say... "Suck Satan's Cock, haHaHAHA" :P
*...Who knows?.. I'm sure he would appreciate the fact that it is, at least, the truth.
If anyone has not yet experienced any of Mr. Hick's incredibly funny, artistic and sometimes groundbreaking performances, expressing his ideas, opinions and beliefs through the medium of Stand Up comedy then (unless you are from another planet...) I would have to ask; "where have you been and what exactly have you been doing with your life??.."
Although this was pretty well made and mostly interesting it is more a homage by his family and closest friends about his upbringing and his life from their point of view, not a detailed dissection of all his work and media appearances. It is also, perhaps, just a final gesture to the many fans to maybe set the record straight on a couple of minor details and to publicize his life again for a new generation of fans... Which, in an age of misinformation, illegal wars and rapid global change is, I think personally, very very important.
It fails miserably however to really express just how great this man is and why he is revered by many as a genius and by most, not least his peers, as one of 'the' (sadly)rare and truly important artists in the relatively short history of the form. To be this is really a companion piece to the live recordings and the various other media floating around in the virtual ether.
I gave it 8 out of ten just for the possibility that it will encourage some new fans to watch his stand up, learn about him and hopefully, more about the world around them in a humorous way.
To me he still is a truly genuine human being in a world full of fake, fallacy and fear.
An inspiration to anyone who believes in logic, reason, individuality, equality, the freedom to choose and that love is about the human race as one.
Enjoy... :)
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)
Love it or hate it, it's a bad ass black-comedy that's hilarious because it's mostly real......
-No spoilers here...
A darkly-twisted, hilariously-unhinged,, satirically-farcical story of one man doing what's right... for himself.
A lot of debate is centered around whether this film is connected to Abel Ferrara's Film from the 1980's. Save some time and trust me on this, the answer is NO, IT IS NOT CONNECTED TO IT AT ALL..
Many people are divided about this reinvention of the cops and robbers, good guy bad guy genre... Some love it, some don't.. et all.
It is one of those films that, while obviously you have to see it for yourself, I believe many will use as a benchmark to judge another persons sense of humour... Maybe even intellect.
It's just that good!!!
For me, it's a seriously clever and uniquely funny crossover between the independent and mainstream style of cinema.
I have not seen NicCage act better or as well for a long, long time. You do not need to be a follower of the cult of Herzog to enjoy this film either.
It's instantly accessible to anyone with a twisted laugh and an evil grin... Mua..Hahaha... All jokes aside, if I was ever PC it would be high on my list of guilty pleasures(Luckily that's never been a problem, though). It's one of the few films out of thousands I've seen that I make an effort to recommend to people I don't even know...
-Take time out and enjoy the great Werner Herzog directing hilariously good fun out of the darkest corners in our reality...
If you don't like it, at least you'll know you're one of them... :)