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The Fisher King; Blog Cabins Blog-a-thon

Posted on Sep 02, 2010 under Movie Review, film reviews | 3 Comments

Many thanks to Fletch of Blog Cabins fame for hosting this blog-a-thon. Fletch’s idea is to highlight thirty great movies in which craziness or insanity are involved and I was happy to oblige

My pick is the comedy-drama, The Fisher King, starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.

The film centres around a popular DJ, Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) who advises a crazed fan to wipe out a bunch of people at a club. Lucas of course doesn’t think for a second that he will actually do it. However when the madman does carry out the massacre, Lucas is weighed down by remorse.

Skip to several months later, when Lucas is saved from a gang of thugs by ex-professor Parry (Robin Williams). It transpires that their fates are intertwined, as Parry became a tramp following his wife’s death, at the hands of Lucas’ insane fan. In order to try and make amends and redeem himself, Lucas decides to help Parry search for a nonexistent Holy Grail and to win the heart of Lydia (Amanda Plummer).

The premise sounds a bit wacky, it is a Terry Gilliam film after all. However, to me this is probably Gilliam’s best to date.

For one, there is a stellar cast. Jeff Bridges, who finally received the recognition he deserves at last year’s Academy Awards, gives a spell-binding performance. He is complimented by Robin Williams, Amanda Plummer and Mercedes Ruehl, who won an Oscar for best-supporting actress.

Now, I’m not a fan of the majority of Williams’ movies, i.e. Mrs. Doubtfire and Jack. However, he does have a couple of good ones, and The Fisher King is one of them.

His character is a colourful and undoubtedly crazy one. He tends to dance naked in Central Park, talks to invisible people and believes a mounted knight is pursuing him.

The film is also notable for Gilliam’s fantastic visions, including a scene which takes place in Grand Central Station. The noisy station transforms into a splendid ballroom, as Williams dances with Plummer. Indeed, Plummer is perfect for Williams and their scenes together are both zany and touching.

Every character undergoes a transformation throughout the film and they learn from each other. We see that despite Parry’s delusions, there is still hope for him and even more importantly for Lucas, who is granted an all important second chance to redeem himself by saving his new friend.

At times, the film is funny; at times it is tragic. (And also a little crazy). But ultimately, The Fisher King is a touching tale of redemption.

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The Expendables

Posted on Aug 25, 2010 under Movie Review, film reviews | 12 Comments

When I first heard of The Expendables some time ago, I eagerly awaited its release.

Between Sly Stallone, Arnie, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis & Jet Li, it promised to be an action movie feast. All it was missing, was the Muscles from Brussels himself, Mr. Jean-Claude Van Damme. “But, no matter,” I thought.

To be fair, I didn’t expect Academy award-winning acting, nor did I expect a “good film.”

Nor, did I expect a great plot. It was a fairly simple one; a bunch of mercenaries head to South America to overthrow an evil dictator. Brilliant. Stallone meets plucky, pretty girl along the way. Predictable and perfect.

But, what I did expect was to be entertained. And for me The Expendables failed in this. My mind continued to wander off, as it ploughed through scene by scene. It was just plain boring. Even Dolph Lundgren, who I was greatly impressed by as a teenager,(originating from his Universal Soldier time) couldn’t save the day.

It was such a pity, as the movie had great potential, which it failed to take advantage of.

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Lucas Lee’s Movie Posters

Posted on Aug 17, 2010 under Film, Movies | 6 Comments

Over on Empire, they have hilarious (and fake) posters for actor/skater/evil ex-boyfriend Lucas Lee. As you probably know, in Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Scott has to fight Ramona Flowers evil exes, and one of them is an actor called Lucas Lee (Chris Evans).

They are supposed to be some of the oh so dodgy movies that Lucas Lee has made since breaking up with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). They are worth a look, if only to have a laugh at the similarities to some Hollywood movies that he makes a mockery of, namely The Fast and the Furious, Mission Impossible and the Bourne Identity. My favourite probably has to be “Let’s Hope There’s A Heaven.” Yes indeed. Which one is your fave?

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Films That Defined Us

Posted on Aug 13, 2010 under Film | 20 Comments

Marc from Go See Talk kindly invited fellow movie bloggers to an event, Films that Defined Us.

These are the movies that set the bar for us and even more so, movies that we were raised on and that defined our tastes. Thanks Marc for inviting us to this trip down memory lane!

I grew up in the eighties. Hence, my entire list is devoted to this decade.

1. The Breakfast Club (1985)

Genre: Drama/Teen Comedy

Five high school students, from different backgrounds and pretty much nothing in common meet in detention. To everyone else, they were the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess and the Kook, but to each other they would always be the Breakfast Club.

The movie stood out to me, as I was a school kid at the time and its depiction of teenage life is as accurate as you get. It’s sincere and and smart and in that sense it differed greatly to other teen comedies at the time.

It didn’t have to rely on toilet humour to carry it through. Instead, it’s heavy on dialogue, which is excellently executed by the stellar cast, including the athlete, Emilio Estevez, “Rebel Without a Cause” Judd Nelson, Ms. Popularity Molly Ringwald, an eccentric Ally Sheedy and the geek Anthony Michael Hall.

This John Hughes classic stands out in its category, as it succeeds where other teen movies didn’t, in that it cleverly smashes teenage stereotypes in an insightful way.

2. Die Hard (1988)

Genre: Action

I covered “Die Hard” in a previous post. However, as it’s one of the best action movies around, it deserved another mention. It’s hard to believe that it was released 22 years ago and most definitely stands the test of time.

“Die Hard” is headed up by Bruce Willis and features Mr. Alan Rickman. The role of cynical New York Detective John McClane shot Willis to stardom and he plays the role with relish. In short, McClane goes to L.A. for Christmas break to visit his estranged wife, Holly. What should have been a cheery Christmas holiday turns into a gun fest, where McClane takes on European terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Rickman).

It stands out for many reasons. First, it introduced us to the terrorist entrepreneur. Unlike most eighties film villains, Gruber’s actions are solely money-motivated. He uses guns to storm the Takagi Corporation’s Christmas party and steal millions of dollars from the company. Secondly, it introduces us to a new action character, the “down on his luck” hero McClane, who is in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Thirdly, it’s not all action and its witty script, which is laden with comic gems and classic one-liners is probably the best thing about it. In my books, it will live on as one of the best action movies ever.

3. The Princess Bride

Genre: Action/Adventure

The Princess Bride tells the story of Buttercup, a beautiful princess, played by Robin Wright, who falls in love with Westley (Cary Elwes). But evil forces come their way and Buttercup is kidnapped by agents of the terrible Prince Humperdinck.

As a child, I loved the swashbuckling antics on screen and as an adult I love the witty and tongue-in-cheek swipes at other movies in its genre. It stands out as it succeeds in appealing to two very different generations. Plus as a kid, I remember thinking Cary Elwes was the best thing since sliced bread.

4. Back to the Future (1985)

Genre: Family/Science-Fiction

Marty McFly is played by Michael J Fox who is a teenager in California in 1985. But Marty finds himself flung back in time by Dr Emmett Brown’s time machine and he’s stranded in 1955 America, until the Doc can help him.

This was a tricky genre and there is a lot of competition. Indeed, many of these movies are a lot better than Back to the Future. However, I chose this one for one main reason; it’s good old-fashioned fun. Plus, it has some action, comedy and romance thrown in for good measure, what more could a kid want?!

All in all, the writing is superb, it has a cracking soundtrack and it’s one of the best time-travel flicks around. 25 years later, it still stands up and it goes to show that great writing and entertaining family movies are timeless.

5. The Lost Boys

Genre: Horror/Comedy

A mother and her two sons move to a small town in California, where a group of teenage vampires terrorise the town. The group attempt to draw in the older son, played by Jason Patric.

There are good and bad things about the movie. It’s not scary, nor is it particularly funny. It also has the predictable ending. But there was something about that cool eighties vibe, complete with crazy hairstyles and hip soundtrack that drew me in.

It stands out as it’s one of those movies that captures the essence of the eighties and I guess also for nostalgic reasons:)

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Miller’s Crossing (1990)

Posted on Aug 09, 2010 under Movie Review, film reviews | 5 Comments

From the Coen Brothers, comes this beautiful film set in the days of Prohibition. Leo (Albert Finney) is the Irish gangster who rules the city with the help of his right hand man Tom (Gabriel Byrne). But their control is challenged by an ambitious Italian Johnny Casper (Jon Polito) and his brutal sidekick Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) Tom tries to keep the peace between the two bosses, but falls out with Leo over a woman, (don’t you know)

“A handsome film about men in hats” was how Joel and Ethan Coen described their third film. It’s brilliantly cast, with the central character, Byrne playing the ice-cool Irish gangster; complete with a fedora pulled down over his face, in case any emotion seeps from the calm facade.

Tom (Byrne) tells of a dream whereby his hat was blown away in the wind, saying “there’s nothing more foolish than a man chasing his hat.” However, he spends half his time chasing his hat and it’s a central image in the film. It’s almost as if, as so long as he holds onto the hat, he is in control.

And Jon Polito is perfectly cast as the fiery boss and shoots off some brilliant one-liners, such as “I’m talkin’ about friendship. I’m talkin’ about character. I’m talkin’ about – hell. Leo, I ain’t embarrassed to use the word – I’m talkin’ about ethics.”

The film oozes black humour and and you have to have your thinking hat on for his one, as it’s easy to miss something. It’s one of those films that you have to watch a second and third time, as the dialogue is sometimes so complex.

It’s a pity that other Coen Brothers films have overshadowed this work of art. Well worth a viewing.

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The Happy 101 Award

Posted on Aug 05, 2010 under General | 15 Comments

Kai of “The List” passed this meme onto yours truly. It’s an “award” type thing called the Happy 101 Award and the idea is to share the things that bring you joy. Here goes!

1. My family. For tolerating me:)

2. The sun! Basically, we don’t see enough of it over here and when it does decide to peep through those grey clouds, everything just seems better.

3. Romantic comedies – and the more mindless the better.

4. Writing. I complain about it, but at the end of the day, I love it.

5. Coffee!

6. Reality TV shows. They are my guilty pleasure. What can I say? Others misery brings me happiness. Big Brother, X-Factor, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, The City. Fantastic stuff.

7. Watching music videos from the eighties. So entertaining.

8. Getting some sleep. Having gone through several months of insomnia, the rare night that I do actually sleep is such a relief.

9. Holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ireland, but sometimes you just have to get away. NYC T minus 6 weeks and counting.

10. Food. And more food.

So, now I have to pass it onto ten other bloggers. Sorry in advance folks!

1. Róisín at Sundryandco

2. Dan at Top 10 Films

3. Ronan at Filmplicity

4. Marc at Go See Talk

5. rtm at Flixchatter

6. Andrew at The Film Blog

7. Peter at Magic Lantern Film

8. Novroz at Novroz Favourite Things

9. Heather at Movie Mobsters

10. Dan the Man’s Movie Reviews

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Paths of Glory (1957)

Posted on Jul 29, 2010 under Movie Review, film reviews | 7 Comments

In this Kubrick classic, which is set during the first World War, Colonel Dax (played by Kirk Douglas) is ordered to take the German fortress known as the “Ant Hill” at all costs.

The French soldiers refuse to continue the attack which will result in certain death of the entire battalion. With their own heads on the chopping block and to cover up their own mistake in what was effectively ordering a suicide mission; the French Generals decide to make an example of their own troops. This results in three innocent soldiers being court martialled for cowardice and mutiny. It falls to Colonel Dax to defend the three men and battle the biased court and the French command.

It’s hard not to feel sympathy for the three men, who were unfortunate enough to be singled out. Also, the manner in which they were picked; one was at random, another because his superior disliked him, is chilling. The court martial scene is truly compelling and evokes pity, as the men stand before the court, while every argument in favour of the defence is slammed by the prosecution, i.e. French command.

The screenplay doesn’t pull any punches either and there are some great lines, such as General Mireau’s assertion, ”there’s no such thing as shell-shock” or General Broulard’s dark remark, ”there are few things more fundamentally encouraging and stimulating than seeing someone else die.”

Douglas is brilliant as Dax, however the soldiers are somewhat one-dimensional. Apart from one or two good lines, such as ”see that cockroach? Tomorrow morning, we’ll be dead and it’ll be alive. It’ll have more contact with my wife and child than I will. I’ll be nothing, and it’ll be alive,” we don’t hear enough from them. But then again, maybe this was Kubrick’s intention and to portray how the men are just pawns in the generals ambitious game.

Overall, this anti-war film like all great films, stands the test of time over fifty years later and is a lesson on humanity, without being preachy.

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New Character Banners for Sucker Punch

Posted on Jul 23, 2010 under Film, Movie News | 19 Comments

Sucker Punch is due for release in the United States in March 2011 and Warner Bros. has released character banners for the movie.

Zack Snyder directs and it stars Emily Browning as Babydoll, Vanessa Hudgens as Blondie, Abbie Cornish as Sweet Pea, Jamie Chung as Amber, Jena Malone as Rocket and Carla Gugino as Madam Gorski.

It tells the story of Emily Browning’s character, Babydoll, who is confined to a mental institution from which she conjures up an alternate reality. Browning has to find five objects that will help her to escape.

Snyder has described his movie as “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.” Sounds vaguely interesting!

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Green Lantern Pics

Posted on Jul 16, 2010 under Film, Movie News | 19 Comments

Yesterday, the first pictures of Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern appeared. A couple of more pics have been added, including Blake Lively, Tim Robbins, Angela Bassett and Peter Sarsgaard.

Hmmm, not too sure about these, but I’ll reserve my judgment until the movie comes out. On the plus side, Reynolds is looking pretty good though:)

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Olive Recommends…A Taste of Ireland

Posted on Jul 12, 2010 under Film | 3 Comments

Róisín from Róisín Recommends kindly invited me to post a selection of short clips that reflect what it’s like to live in Ireland, thanks Róisín!

It includes a clip from “Intermission” which shows a small sample of our infamous “customer service” and Dylan Moran’s hilarious clip about what others think of us Irish. Head on over there to check it out. Enjoy!

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Movie News First – Movie news, reviews, trailers and gossip

The Fisher King; Blog Cabins Blog-a-thon

The Expendables

Lucas Lee’s Movie Posters

Films That Defined Us

Miller’s Crossing (1990)

The Happy 101 Award

Paths of Glory (1957)

New Character Banners for Sucker Punch

Green Lantern Pics

Olive Recommends…A Taste of Ireland

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