BLOKEISM # 1 Roger Vadim

Roger Vadim.

Journalist, actor, writer, Director, legend. His most famous partners were Bardot, Fonda and Denueve. Not bad eh? He made it to 72 and this French lothario has a pretty impressive CV both of women and Kitsch/avante garde movies.

  

http://youtu.be/Tw6WMdrzbJw

Vadim directs

DON'T BUY TOP POTTER RINGS

Sometimes things that are eulogised become annoying. That annoyance is generally based on two things; the fact that you don’t get what all the fuss is about and the realisation that the item of zeitgeist is a huge steaming pile of excrement. Obviously readers of this Blog can empathise with my complete contempt towards Top Gear; the worst Television show of all time based on its target audience and the audience it systematically excludes.

Aside from Top Gear there is a cinematic and literally case in point, The Harry Potter franchise; adequate children’s books, average special effects laden movies, and paint by numbers content. Yet the amount of adults happily amercing themselves, nay ingratiating themselves into the world of Rowling, is a classic example of the Naked Emperor syndrome. Yet Potter pales into insignificance compared to the hypnotic pseudo spiritual world of the Lord of the rings movies.

Never has a series of movies been lauded, without respect of content, merit and cinematic values as this trilogy of trite tripe. Peter Jackson seems to be good at one thing only as a director; the genre of running away from things, stopping for a tussle with things, then running away from things again,. It’s like some sort of directorial Groundhog Day.

But these franchises say a lot. What they tell us is that you can fool most of the people most of the time. Top Gear, LOTR, Potter etc are all a part of the conglomerated and perceived view of what appeals to the arbiters of cultural taste. Those arbiters of course being ironic; as they love to be.

Those movies/books/TV shows that I am referring to are, of course, the latest in a line of side show geeks pitching Snake oil, only this time the architects of taste are informing the audience by dint of a belief that we all need cultural guidance.

I say, don’t buy into it. Recognise these products for what they are. It’s okay to be in the minority. It’s okay to not be that interested in cars. It’s okay to feel apathetic about reading children’s books. It’s fine to not engage with Elves and protracted scenes of overblown battle. Choose to not engage with the definers of taste.

All being said and done I don’t like Top Gear; it annoys me. I don’t like Lord of the Rings; the movies are mind numbing and effects driven. I don’t like Harry Potter books; they are storytelling by number, For kids. I don’t like the Harry Potter movies; they are basically Simpson/Bruckheimer movies with sheen of culture. And that's all it is; a sheen.

MADMENTHESOPRANOSTHEWIRE

The Divine Trinity(alphabetically)-Mad Men/The Sopranos/The Wire

Time for a reappraisal of how good these three shows were/are.

In any reckoning these three TV shows are the best that has been seen. Comparisons are inevitable yet futile.

Mad men is set in the past and like the Sopranos uses flashback and glimpses into the internal minds eye, whereas The Wire has a real time narrative and does not employ any insight into past and dream states.

What they do have in common is quality. Quality in writing, casting and attention to detail. They all take the art of subtlety to new heights, particularly in the time given to character development.

 http://youtu.be/WcRr-Fb5xQo

Mad Men

The Sopranos and Mad Men have ensemble casts that orbit a lead character and The Wire does too, but to a lesser degree as McNulty does not have the importance of Tony or Don/Richard in terms of plot development.

What they each bring is a sense of involvement and commitment. To speak of their greatness is by no means exaggerating and I would put the numerous episodes as bodies of work right up there with the cinematic greats like The Godfather, Casablanca or Goodfellas

 http://youtu.be/NUT07eZoXPw

The Sopranos

I have watched The Sopranos and the Wire in their entirety twice and am currently amid the exploits at Sterling Cooper again and again. All three are masterpieces of TV and I cannot praise them highly enough

 http://youtu.be/ZbhH0JmMFzo

The Wire

In a world where Tarantino directed a double episode of CSI  I could imagine David Lynch directing an episode of Mad Men, Spike Lee doing The Wire and of course Scorsese The Sopranos and those great directors would be faced with a challenge.

Spike Lee doing The Wire

and of course Scorsese The Sopranos

or David Lynch directing an episode of Mad Men

...Which got me thinking;

Woody Allen-Curb your Enthusiasm

Paul Greengrass-The Sweeney

Mike Leigh -Gavin & Stacey

Ken Loach-Coronation street

The Coen Brothers-Twin Peaks

Michael Mann-CSI: Miami 

Christopher Nolan-Life on Mars

David Fincher-The X Files

Stanley Kubrick-The Prisoner

Tim Burton-Land of The Giants

John Walters Batman (TV Series)

Tony Scott-24

Michael Bay- Baywatch

John Lassiter-Top cat

Steven Spielberg-Roots

JJ Abrams-The man fron U.N.C.L.E.

Clint Eastwood-Tombstone

Albert Brooks-Frasier

Brian DePalma- The Fugitive

Paul Verhoeven -V

http://youtu.be/q7UQLUcK2sY

Quentin Tarantino-The Itchy & Scratchy show

 

...Just a thought

La Pel Que Habito (The Skin I Live In)

 The Skin I Live In

http://youtu.be/uVgKd1JLSPQ

Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya are at the core of the story told in this exceptional movie that conjures up flavours of Cronenburg and the ethereal quality of Lynch. It's a story about one mans obsession, and his cold scientific eye following an incredible path to both follow the obsession and revenge for an act that took place involving his daughter.

Almodovar is a master of the surreal as seen in his past work; this film follows a path that is a story of obsession not unlike that of Dr Frankenstein. As the story unfolds a terrible truth is revealed and the level of Banderas’ Doctor Legard’s obsession becomes clear. Horrifyingly so. The way in which the story is told gradually entwines the viewer into the Surgeons mind and motivation.

There are moments of real horror in the sense of how a human being can be manipulated to meet the needs of another, alongside these moments there is a story that is unravelled in a disjointed manner, and this adds to the feeling of dislocation. Love is an underlying theme; love between family members and love between two people. 

Banderas is excellent but high praise should go to the beautiful Elena Anaya as Vera Cruz, the quality of her performance takes on greater meaning as the tale unfolds. She has a great future ahead of her, that's for sure.

It is hard to review this movie as there is a central fact that, if revealed, will spoil the enjoyment of the first time viewer. That central fact is where Aldomovar shows an eye for showing the limits of morality.

http://youtu.be/x4Dutkyb_Xk

soundtrack

Suffice to say that La Pel Que Habito is one of the best movies that have been released for some time. Intelligent, moving, horrifying and always interesting. The soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias is superb, as is the set design; Quality from Almodovar.

http://youtu.be/FVIWxN14K2U

trailer Espanol

MY HIT LIST : FALLING IN LOVE

http://youtu.be/X2k3GC5P-iw

Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep reunited after the Deer Hunter in what is essentially a 'Brief Encounter' style movie. The result, a fabulous movie. Under rated and under appreciated as it sees DeNiro in an unfamiliar role. Having said that Trevor Howard was hardly the matinee idol when David Lean put him in Brief Encounter.

The movie is a wonderful and subtle love story and both actors are as

good as their reputations.

It's the sort of movie that is ideal lazy afternoon fare as well as being well worth seeing for fans of the pair who generally go for their more intense work. The beauty of the movie is the unspoken stuff and the unfulfilled elements, both characters struggle to do the right thing, they both have their own lives that they neeed to deal with. It's a tale that could actually happen to any one of us. Great mainstream cinema

http://youtu.be/4oWy0-WlqS0

http://youtu.be/1jVz5D5--7s

BACK TO THE FUTURE

CINEMA WILL HAS EAT EATEN ITSELF

 

 

COMING TO A CINEMA NEAR YOU SUMMER 2011

Yes it's all gone a bit retro in Hollywood. One might almost think that they are running out of ideas? hmm...

SIMPSON DON



Two sublime shows collide (again)

http://youtu.be/NSQfFyAAckk

DON SIMPSON

Two sublime shows collide

http://youtu.be/KcmM7Jh2Y3k

http://youtu.be/193HrGxexXY

Britain can take it

YES WE CAN

http://youtu.be/cFU6EF8vJAc



Another view from the beach;35 years ago the sEx piStOLs spoke about AnaRcHY iN tHe UK and now it has come to pass. Our green and pleasant land has turned into a post dystopian Charlton Heston movie; dangerous days. The young offenders seen on TV screens in the last few days, and their 30 something parents feel immune to the notion of law and order and also feel an entitlement to the trappings of prosperity without having to earn them. I felt heartened to see members of communities taking a stand against the underclass rabble. A solution is going to take time but in the interim let's see the scum swept off the streets and let's drop notions of softly softly policing and manipulated human rights. Let's see law breakers who blatantly go about their corrupt business of looting and arson met with absolutely scathing punishment. The time to rebuild is right now, the time to excerpt maximum penalties is now. The time for government to put our house in order, for the nation, for law abiding citizens, is now. A solution and a plan has to come out of this abdominal situation to ensure that down the line this never ever, ever happens again because conditions, morality and standards don't allow it

View from the beach;Back in London It's all gone post apocalyptic In a culture where possession and product is king the underclass scavengers have opportunistically descended on local cathedrals of capitalism with the sole intent of taking that which they have not earned but feel they are somehow entitled to. These thieves and parasites have been gathered through the use of anti- social media; a tool they use readily to while away time between visits to the Job Centre. The authorities, so befuddled by human rights and liberalism, do not employ tear gas and water cannon nor will those that are bought to trial receive more than a slap on the wrist. When the underclass turn into feral vultures they need to be met with extreme measures. Put troops on the streets if that's what it takes to impose order, build more prisons to put these miscreants in; with proper and lengthy sentences. Those adolescents involved? Impact their failing parents by prison and fine. The scum of the earth involved in placing London under a climate of fear are beyond fair and amicable treatment .They choose to break the law , they choose to leech off the honest working person, they choose to behave like savages; therefore let's see them being forced to pay for those choices. With full force.