And so...

And so I pick up the pen once again, put down a few lines. I have my reasons for doing so however...

Yesterday at work - a long, hot, much Coke consumed day, I made an extra £5 off of the trolleys, so, thought to myself to buy a DVD. Decided not to go for the bargain bin stuff and instead got Saving Private Ryan. Interesting choice? It certainly has been. On the one hand, it is flag-waving American gung-ho fare (and the DVD special feature is stuffed to the gills with ex-WW II Army types saying the same, not to mention the overtly sentimental/patriotic music), and, as the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book says, it (the film) is Spielberg being his sentimental self, and accordingly allowing this side of himself to run riot, and the film being an incredibly polished work, despite claims to realism...


...there are some great moments (and I do not ususally grant that moniker to a film). Accordingly, this is when John Williams (composer) takes a hike. When there are no bugles in the background. E.G. Before the German sniper is brought down, there is a long take shot from his point of view - he sees the guy he has just shot, has the opportunity to finish him off with another shot, yet does not do so. The fact he is then shot himself only adds to the moment, in fact driving home the realism of the moment.

The 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book mentions the film's anti-war message. Moments like that mentioned above, also when the tension created by a team of GI's meeting a group of Germans, the two groups shouting at each other to lay down their weapons, the tension created by this accordingly and that tension being broken by another group of GI's machine-gunning the Germans - drive home an anti-war message. In fact, I would argue that in many ways, music, and other sentimental touches, such as using the words of Abraham Lincoln at the end of the film are in fact used in an ironical, and non-sentimental way. What the film does do is to bring down war to a personal level - something ironically juxtaposed with the scene where the anti-tank planes appear. Relief comes, but the conflict then becomes one of impersonality.

JUST seen what in fact is one of the most powerful films of my life - The Song of Bernadette. Incredible. When you give thought, deep contemplation to the whole matter, is it not astounding that people still believe? True, no-one is perfect. Only one guy ever was and is. But, all that it takes is faith. Believe. Take the leap.

That is good, for believing what you do, we confer upon you a rare gift, these days - a martyr's death.

I'M gonna have to forego on the watching all my DVDs thing. All my stuff is being cleared out of the house (the DVDs alone occupy 2 boxes!) next week, so impossible for me to rumage through all the boxes for films. I did however see 3 great movies yesterday:

Almost Famous. For a long while I loathed this film, and said to myself that I only bought it because it references bands like Cream and Zeppelin, blues-rock, and Layla. BUT, I really enjoyed it. Great comedy value. And, although it dos references bands like Cream and Zeppelin etc, this has got to be my favourite quote from the film:

"The magazine that broke up Cream, trashed 'Layla', ripped every album Led Zeppelin ever made..."


Good review here, here, IMDB here, and Wikipedia here


Amadeus, on which my cousin was the location manager. This one goes without saying. Great all round. Wikipedia here.




The Wicker Man. The first time I've seen it. Lots of well-known actors, in particular Christopher Lee (who you even get to see in drag!) and Britt Ekland (Lawdy Mama!), but for me, what really stood out was the music. See the Wikipedia article for more details...


The 'Bengal Tiger' returns today...

When the capitalists are dragged from the Kremlin and shot in the street, then you will know my intentions...

SO, did Air Force One last night. I don't deny that Wolfgang Petersen is a great director - he did, after all, give the world Das Boot. However, it seems to be the usual story - director of European/African/South American origins, with great critical reputation in their own country goes to Hollywood, and then spends the next however many years producing right wing propagandist knaw. Air Force One is a great film - essentially Die Hard on a plane, but it still, nonetheless is overtly capitalistic and right-wing in outlook. At one point, the chief villain, Korshunov expresses why it is that he does what he does - why he recklessly and needlessly kills people on a whim. His philosophical, contemplative answer, that "I would turn my back on God himself for Mother Russia", shows him to be a flawed, yet rounded man, and it is perhaps significant that this outlining of his deeply held beliefs is scorned by the President's daughter, to whom he addresses it to.

On the other hand, the film is also damning in its praise of American foreign policy. The White House senior staff - whilst committed to solving the problem of a lot of pesky Russians onboard a supposedly secure plane, are also committed to arguing over who has the authority to deal with the problem of a lot of pesky Russians onboard a supposedly secure plane.


Reviews of the film can be found here, here and here. The IMDB review is also worth looking at, as it makes what is probably the most important point of all. This whole film is set on a plane right, and lots of pesky Russians are firing automatic weapons. Why then is the plane never hit?



The full text of Korshunov's speech is:

When Mother Russia becomes one great nation again, when the capitalists are dragged from the Kremlin and shot in the street, when our enemies run and hide in fear at the mention of our name and America begs our forgiveness, on that great day of deliverance, you will know what I want... how's your blouse?


Next on the list...Airplane

I'm tired, I'm cranky, and my wife's in Argentina...

I'VE decided to work my way back through my DVD collection. I'm almost up to the ¾ mark on the overdraft, so unless I can find a cheap (!) copy of the West Wing series 2 on DVD, no more DVD for me...



...The back-tracking begins with A Canterbury Tale, Powell & Pressburger's well known war/fantasy film from 1944. There's a great essay about it available here. What is even better is that, when the film was made, some of the cathedral interiors were shot at St. Albans Abbey, a beautiful building, and possessor of the longest nave of any of the English cathedrals... The Abbey has in fact featured in quite a few films, including:


Johnny English

First Knight


Next on the agenda...Air Force One. A good article from the people at Wikipedia here, complete with lots of lovely links to pages about various kinds of assault rifles...

I bought Eldorado, the follow up to The Scarlet Pimpernel in a 2nd hand bookstore today. Any more 'oh's' and 'ah's' about love and I shall do my nut. It's passable stuff, Eldorado, but that may only be because the 1982 film adaptation (the Anthony Andrews/Jane Seymour one) is based partly on it. I think it is true what people say - the author, Baroness Orczy may have written a classic novel (The Scarlet Pimpernel), but everything after that was pure unadulterated pap...




And I've just discovered this great site...

So this is show-business...

YOU know what one of the greatest gangster films of all time is? Not Goodfellas, not the Godfather films, not Once Upon a Time in America, not Road to Perdition (?), no, I refer to ... Bugsy Malone. It has, arguably, one of the greatest gangland leaders of all time. Not Don Corleone, not David 'Noodles' Aaronson, not John Rooney, not Paul Cicero, Jimmy Conway nor Tommy de Vito, instead, Fat Sam Stacceto.




Fat Sam: comparison to other gangster/mob figures:



Don Vito Corleone. For a full biography, click here. Well connected, with contacts in both the print media and the federal government. Involved in prostitution, number running and gambling. Known to make unrefusable offers. Offer him oranges and you are almost certainly guaranteed a long, fulfilling and happy life.






Jimmy Conway. More information can be found here. Has a penchant for stealing. Also for extreme violence. Numerous business interests, including slot machines and 'imported' Armani dresses. Also involved in restauranteering, narcotics and point-shaving. Known to be connected to Paul Cicero and Tommy de Vito. Former intimate of Henry Hill.


Stacceto: so called 'King of the Lower East Side'. Numerous business interests, including alcohol and grocery produce. Conducts business transactions at Fat Sam's Grand Slam. Does not take kindly to publicity. Large in physique, Stacceto has a number of associates and dependants, including Bugsy Malone, Tallulah, 'Knuckles', Fizzy and Loius (aka Joshua Spleendecker)... A man not to be reckoned with, Stacceto has a child-like capacity for violence, particularly when armed with a soda ciphon or pool cue.


You may take the traditional route and tell me that I am giving praise to what is, after all, just 'a kids movie'. But, Bugsy Malone is, a film about film itself. A movie about movies. As Jodie Foster, who plays Tallulah says, 'so this is show-business...' Check out the biography of Bugsy Malone's director, Alan Parker, and pay particular attention to the line 'a celebration of youth and the arts'. Then, watch the film, and, if possible, do so with Alan Parker's commentary to accompany it. I guarantee that you will come to the conclusion that this is 'a film about film itself'...

Got the blues 'bout me so and so...

THIS has been the stuff I've playing most on the Gould recently. Robert Johnson, amazingly, has an unbelievable effect over women. Put on 'Come On In My Kitchen', and they start doing some incredible dirty dancing. Also, playing hard-ass stuff at loud volumes through a Fender amp also has its plus side.




Robert Johnson - all because the lady loves ... Cadbury's Milk Tray


The Da Vinci Code came out yesterday. The Independent slated it, gave it only 1 star out of 5 in the Arts and Books Review. Click here for more... I am, however, extremely tempted to buy La Haine. Good article about it in this month's Total Film. I remember we studied La Haine for European Cinema. As a testament to my film studies department's complete lack of knowledge about films, not one of the lecturers at the time (and there was the full quota of 3!) pointed out that the film is really about the French Government's anti-anything that isn't French/Parisian French policy, policy which, has served to create more problems than solve them. This is a country which has banned 'foreign' pop singles for God's sake...


As to the women/dirty dancing thing, Whole Lotta Love is also strongly recommended.


And I still want to buy the 2nd series of the West Wing. And I've broken my own rule in this post. However...