Che – Part 2 (2009) & 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sort of….
Yeah, so I know I said I would be abandoning my recent trend of Monday matinees but sometimes events conspire to make me a liar. Having already taken the day off to stay up for the Oscars I realised I have a number of movies and film events in the pipeline over the coming few weeks, therefore I really should be making the most of my spare time to ensure I catch what else I can when I can, I really enjoyed the first part of Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Che‘ diptych so a cinema visit to round off the project was essential. I’m glad I reconsidered.
‘Che – Part 2‘ follows neatly on from the events in Part 1, concentrating on the revolutionary struggle that the guerrilla icon spearheaded in Bolivia during 1967. In an effort to replicate his earlier successes Che travels incognito to the Latin American battleground and swiftly ingratiates himself with the fledgling Communist revolution against the US bankrolled puppet government of President Barrientos. In a protracted and grim land campaign the uprising is incrementally crushed, the machinations of both the Soviet and American superpowers ultimately rendering the insurrection as doomed to failure. He never really stood a chance.
Together these two films form a powerful cinematic experience, like LOTR ‘Che’ is essentially one film partitioned (yeah I know LOTR was three but you know what I mean) into two distinct segments, I look forward to the DVD/Blu-Ray release to spend a long afternoon puzzling over this enigma. I particularly like the way Soderbergh avoids any obvious psycho-babble to explain Che’s drive and passion, there are no flashbacks in either film to any childhood brushes with authority or some clumsy formative experience that would explain his zealous and all consuming devotion to the cause. The film is much more linear that Part One, there are no trademark Soderbergh hopscotching around the tale’s time-frame, it starts with his arrival in Bolivia, moves through the unfolding events month by month and concludes with his (Erm, SPOILERS) final betrayal and execution. Another first class performance from Del Toro keeps the man ambiguous with a clear aura of charisma that inspired his troops and subsequent student radicals over the past forty years . There were a few unexpected faces in the film, the actress from ‘Run Lola Run‘ as Tania and Lou Diamond Philips of all people as the communist leader Mario Monje, the most surprising appearance however was a blink and you’ll miss it thirty second turn from this blog’s favourite member of FAG. The final few scenes are expertly sculpted, a gripping battle closes the film leading to a sombre yet memorable conclusion. Quite an achievement, more of this type of stuff please? OK, thanks.
So you’re probably wondering what I mean by ‘sort of’. A few weeks ago I noticed in the local press that something called the Starlight Cinema was hosting a free screening of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey‘ in Canary Wharf. So lets see, Minty’s favourite film, being shown in a free screening on his doorstep – how could I possibly overlook this? I ambled over to the venue and realised that the film was being projected in a business hall I had attended a conference at a couple of years ago, not the most auspicious of environments to see the film but I soldiered on. Unfortunately it was soon revealed that the film was being video projected on a small screen and worst of all as the film began it appeared that some technical genius had screwed up the contrast settings, the projection was out of alignment and there was visible interference between the shifting colors on the AV system that was obviously designed for PowerPoint presentations, not film screenings. You can imagine my reaction. I had planned to to pick up the Blu-Ray of the film to celebrate a certain impending anniversary – more on this early next month – so bailed out after the opening ‘Dawn Of Man’ sequence, for a free screening I can’t really complain although I would have been pissed if I’d had to leg it across London for this experience. C’est la vie.
Films of The Year 2008. Mostly…..
So how was your Xmas? I had a quiet one with the parents, hung out with Sweetberry and Zipzee, business as usual really. Unsurprisingly there wasn’t much on TV although I did enjoy the Cecil B DeMille documentary on More 4 and am enjoying the repeat of the BBC’s 1986 series on RKO Studios that is currently airing on BBC4. Film-wise 2008 was a pretty good year I’d say, I’ve identified some new cult and genre movie fissures to mine in 2009, I caught up with some world cinema classics by the likes of Fellini, Dreyer and Antonioni and there is plenty to look forward to over the next twelve months so I can’t complain. So let’s begin, as a general rule there will be minor spoliers with some of my comments so read at your peril – I won’t be disclosing major events such as the ending of ‘The Mist’ though as that is something you have to see for yourself. Yeah, I know….
‘There Will Be Blood‘ – Film of the year. Mark my words, this is the one they’ll be talking about for years to come. If you believe as I do that truly great films are a synthesis of outstanding achievements in each of a films major ingredients – the story and how that is constructed in the plot, the performances, the soundtrack, the cinematography, the direction, the editing and that most elusive of qualities which is a film that carves its moment in time in terms of theme, style and relationship to the world in terms of a work of art – well then sorry Oliver Stone, here is the definitive film of the past eight years of US hubris and beyond. I’ve picked it up on Blu-Ray and whilst the extras are woefully short the transfer into the small screen does not diminish its incredible power. In addition I’m wracking my brains to think of a film this year that has genuinely achieved a classic line that will be embedded in cinema history so the final word is ‘I Drink Your Milkshake‘.
‘The Mist‘ – A perfect companion piece to ‘There Will Be Blood’ if you consider the shift from an epic, big, sprawling ambitious film to a tight, compact little B movie that both reference the times we live in in their own idiosyncratic ways. This was just so much fun and I love the sense of urgency that seeps into the movie from the films production given its tiny budget, minuscule shooting schedule and need for old school 
improvisation on set in terms of cutting corners and coverage of scenes – take a look at the DVD extras to see what I’m getting at. The black and white version of the film on the DVD which echoes its 1950’s inspiration is good fun (yes you can just adjust the contrast and colour on your TV anyway but hey), in either version this is simply brilliant good old school horror fun that takes itself seriously and ditches any tiresome tongue in cheek winks to the audience. Its ultimate achievement of course though is that shattering conclusion. Stephen King is on record as saying the only reason he didn’t include such a nihilistic and shocking ending is that he never thought of it himself and I think that is the best praise that Darabont could expect.
‘No Country for Old Men‘ – Or ‘No Place For Old Bastards’ as my Dad amusingly called it. The best American chase movie that I’ve seen for quite some time on a second viewing you really absorb just how taut and 
lean a film this is, there is almost no extraneous filler to distract from the relentless chase that forms the films spine. Bardem has already gone down as the best villain in American movies since Hannibal Lektor and this was the film that has really catapulted Josh Brolin into the A list stakes, I do love how the final act goes into some unexpected places and fucks around with some conventions (what, he’s dead? But how did that happen?) and also screws around with some other screen expectations – the final scene is outstanding. I hope that after cleansing their system with ‘Burn After Reading’ that the Coens come back with another serious film, looking at their IMDB profile they have a number a new projects in various states of development – we shall see.
‘
Wall-E‘ – Yeah, I know, a frickin Disney movie in the top films of the year? What’s happened to gore-hound Minty? Well, it was a tight run race with this and both ‘Hunger’ and ‘Four Months, Three Weeks & Two Days’ but having caught this again last week it just nudges itself in amongst the extremely dark and ominous films I’ve really enjoyed this year. It really is a beautiful, genuinely magical film and represents a quantum leap forward in animation. It’s almost photo-realistic, once these Silicon Valley visual creatives nail CGI eyes and hair on screen I swear all the new actors and actresses in, well, say 2025 will be digitally generated. After they get to outer space it does vaguely lapse into Pixar by the numbers stuff but that brand of criticism is testimony to the strength of the exquisite opening thirty minutes in my book. I mean tell me that this isn’t enchanting. I admire the premise of the film that should seep into the kiddie audience subconcious and what more can you ask of a massive mainstream animated production which is obstentiously for the ankle-biters these days?
OK, here’s the deal. I’ve obviously missed something but to be honest I’m still working on a certain other picture which rounds off my films of the year, my thoughts on that movie have grown particularly unwieldy and has distracted me from posting on the usual retrospective pictures I’ve loved in 2008 and what I’m really looking forward to in 2009. So, to break with tradition I’m gonna post each section separately as I finalise and polish my posts on the latter two elements of Minty’s cinematic year. Below is a quick sypnopsis of the slighly marginal movies I’ve got marked on the calendar, I’ll get the other stuff up within the next week or so. As a taster here is my favourite scene of the year, ‘There Will Be Blood’ aside that was the most electrifying five minutes I’ve spent in the cinema in 2008.
In addition I’m looking forward to the previously mentioned third world SF movie ‘Sleep Dealer‘, Rian Johson’s ‘The Brothers Bloom‘ is still awaiting a UK release date although the trailer is hardly inviting, Scorsese is back with ‘Shutter Island‘ then there’s ‘Synecdoche, New York‘, the hugely praised ‘The Wrestler‘ by Aronofsky, the horrific ‘Martyrs‘ ( if it doesn’t get buried – no pun intended – by Miramax like they did with ‘À l’intérieur‘), Ash is kind
of back and most importantly John Carpenter is back with, err, well, a Nicholas Cage movie. The tagline is ‘Uncaged’. Look, it might be good, alright? It…well it…….it might….anyway some other exciting news here which will no doubt be redundant by the time you read this. So there you have it. I think it’s been a great year for movies and plenty to look forward to next year, personally speaking I’ve found a brilliant place to live and a new assignment with some other opportunities in the pipeline so am looking forward to what suprises the new year will bring. There is at least one, possibly two Best Man privileges to navigate. The US election result aside it’s hard to imagine a more disruptive year in global events but let’s not dwell on such downers, in order to combat the dark clouds I guess I’m gonna have to remind us all of the code with which to live your life. Happy New Year and I’ll see you all in 2009….
London Docklands Musuem
In a bid to get to know my new manor a little more intimately I paid a visit to my local London Docklands Museum last week attracted by not only the permanent displays but also the intriguing Jack The Ripper exhibition which has been widely advertised around East London.
I’ve always had a passing interest in the Ripper mystery, an interest kindled by a combination of my general obsession with London’s history and of course this fantastic graphic novel. I think its enduring appeal is due to not only the grisly murders themselves and the emergence of that potent cultural archetype – the serial killer – but the way that these terrible events were reflected in the emergence of the tabloid press at the time, the way that the murders focused world attention on the frankly despicable ghettos and squalor that blighted East London in the late 19th century, the birth of the police procedural and the prevalence of racism in conjunction with immigration concerns (how things change eh?) as for some reason there was some bizarre belief at the time that the killer must be Jewish, the whole almost supernatural dimension to the crimes. All of these elements are admirably represented in the exhibition with same amazing documents from the time including some of the murder case reports written in that curious Victorian calligraphy, maps and newspapers, garments, tools, surgeons instruments and even some spoken word memories from residents of the East End from the era, presumably recorded just before or during the war.
The other obvious reason for its endurance of course is that fact that Jack was never captured which has ensured a cottage industry of speculation on who was responsible with the inevitable conspiracy theories being aired every few years. I also found it interesting that it was in the midst of this carnage that a small tale appeared in ‘The Strand‘ magazine, the debut of a certain bohemian detective. The most chilling exhibit was the infamous ‘Dear Boss‘ letter, written in crimson red, signed by Saucy Jack himself. Well, of course the letters veracity is hotly debated but it gave the whole display a much more tangible impression to me. Here’s the tour podcast.
The permanent exhibition was also excellent with the large focus on the slave trade being particularly well curated and affecting. Maybe it’s my ignorance but for some reason I have always associated the slave trade with America alone, the evil whip wielding plantation owners brutally torturing their servants which rather overlooks the fact of our massive culpability in this historical atrocity. The sheer scale of the operation was also something of a shock to me, the vastness of the operation in London, Liverpool and other UK ports was extraordinary with the accumulation of human misery actually leaving me a little depressed as I wandered home.
Anyway, it was cool to get a deeper feel for my surroundings and unearth some of the fascinating history of the area. Here are the obligatory film clips for Docklands and Jack, I’ve always had something of a soft spot for this unique rendering of the legend. Totally unrelated but here is a challenging movie quiz courtesy of Empire magazine, bet you can’t beat my score of 36….
Flotsam & Jetsam XVI
Well, its been an eventful couple of weeks. Finished my assignment at Tower Hamlets, had my birthday and fitted in an exhibition, some cinema visits and a gig – entries are being prepared for the last two. I’m looking forward to relaxing for a couple of weeks now before actively seeking anything new, I’ll enjoy exploring my new part of the world and there are some other exhibitions and places I’d like to check out.
A week on Saturday I celebrated my triple celebration – my new place, my birthday and being unemployed!! After a exploration around Limehouse and Canary Wharf we hit some pubs and had what I think was a pretty good curry – things were getting sketchy at that point so I can’t testify to the food’s quality. In any case, many thanks to all my mates who visited and here are some amusing film clips which (Spoliers beware, more on this film below and thank you Neil for my present, it rocks) should stir some dormant memories….
I paid a visit to Tate Modern and had a look at the ‘Street & Studio‘ exhibition that has been praised in the press. It was very good, I gravitated to the Weegee and Diane Arbus photos but my favourite was this which looks like its escaped from a fashion shoot from ID magazine in 1994 – quite remarkably it was actually shot in 1949.
BBC4 are continuing a fine mini season of films from some mainstream and neglected genres – the Western, the British B Movie (which showcased this masterpiece) and this week Courtroom Films. The 90 minute documentaries to accompany the seasons have been pretty good, and I strongly urge you to catch ‘The Verdict‘ which is on this week as it is something of an overlooked treasure with probably Paul Newmans finest performance.
We will also be treated to a documentary on the great Werner Herzog this week as part of the Imagine strand, maybe he can explain his recent exodus to Hollywood and shed some light on the disappointing ‘Rescue Dawn‘ which I reviewed here. More distressing is the mooted remake of ‘Bad Lieutenant‘ which is a great and very challenging film in its own right, of all the projects he could secure why on earth has he opted for this with Nicholas ‘Possibly the worst actor in Hollywood’ Cage in the title role? Anyway, no I’m not going to link to that scene in the movie (if you’ve seen it then you’ll know what I mean), so here are some clips which may give you a feel for the film.
Staying with the film theme for a change, I am excited to see that the Barbican is hosting a film season on Alex Cox which gives me the opportunity to see one of my favourite ever films on the big screen – ‘Repo Man‘. It’s a shame that Cox has never matched the achievement of his cult debut and some of his recent efforts have been mediocre to say the least. Still, I still haven’t got round to catching up with this which is supposed to be good and discussions of this event on some of my favoured film sites have led me to some terrific free downloads of the Moviedrome programme notes which is cool. On the bad news fromt, it appears that Tartan films has finally folded which is a real shame as they are responsible for bringing many superb films to the UK and arguably are most responsible for bringing the phenomenon of Asian J Horror movies to our shores. RIP.
Finally, just to disprove my cold cynical image here is a link that bought a mist to my eyes and rendered my bottom lip all a quiver. All you cool kids who know your way round the Interwebs may have seen this before but it’s new to me. If it doesn’t activate a tiny spark of shared optimism in our future in an era of sabre rattling in the middle east, global financial holocaust, energy and foot riots coupled with climate catastrophe then nothing will. Even if he is a smug lucky git who has travelled the world. Bastard.
Mintys New Yard
Success!! After four weeks of negotiation, subterfuge and machiavellian plotting I have finally received the keys to my new place and moved in last week. Having taken a couple of walks around the area over the weekend it’s really only just sinking in just how lucky I have been with this, the location is incredible with everything I need within a very short walk. When I first moved to London back in 2000 I was working for this crew and my old office is now just round the corner so I know the area well, but it’s amazing just how much (2002) its changed in the mere five years since I moved on (2007) the obvious one being of course the skyline. If I step outside my front door then I’m on the Thames Waterside which of course means I’m fucked when this happens, but until then I’ll soldier on. I have a pretty good cinema on my doorstep and easy transport links into the West End too.
It’s funny, I was born a little further down in South East London almost 35 years ago and here I am back with the first place of my own. Life eh? It is expensive but not a huge amount more than places I’ve looked at over the past few weeks and the proximity to work and location more than make up for the cost. Heck, even if worse comes to worse and the contract work dries up – something significantly more likely with the recent Tory gains in the local elections – then I can always land a job back in the private sector in Canary Wharf or I might try for the City itself. OK, tricky.
Flotsam & Jetsam XV
Been quiet for a while hasn’t it? I haven’t had much to blog about as I actually haven’t seen anything on the big screen, it seems that the usual glut of good films that grace cinemas in Q1 of the year has dried up and we are in the barren no-mans land until the summer blockbusters are unleashed. God help us all. I’ve also been busy trying to sort out a new flat which has gone less than smoothly, more on that little adventure later. Nevertheless dear reader I have picked up some interesting little sites and links for your perusal…
Intriguing little project here, an analysis of the opening shots of a number of movies with some thoughtful comments from bloggers such as yours truly. The quiz is pretty tricky, I got 7 from that one and a much better 8/10 out of the easier quiz. Couldn’t get either of the bonus shots, they were a nightmare. You? On the other side of the spectrum, here is a project for only the bravest of film fans.
I’ve been getting into a great podcast called the ‘Hollywood Saloon’ which you can access here. It’s run by a couple of guys who really know their stuff as a couple of LA based film makers and editors themselves who riff on a variety of topics from DVD rip-offs and formant wars, director’s cut special editions, three hour masterclasses concentrating on one director or series of films, a discussion of the best car chases – loads of stuff. The shows themselves are not just two talking heads which even for me can swiftly turn incredibly dull but they’ll employ the soundtrack or musical score to the films they are talking about running under the commentary and discussion punctuated with film clips or interview excerpts which gives the series a much more polished, professional radio transmission quality. Highly recommended.
So, I finally caught up with ‘The Wire’ and finished off Season 4 – don’t worry I’ve kept this all spoiler free as any bitch who spiked this play would be gone fr’ real. I’ve been thinking about it and have concluded that this show is probably the best American TV show ever made, quite how it gets better and better with each Season is just astounding. For me it kind of flatlined in Season 2 but was and is still light years ahead of its HBO peers, ‘The Sopranos’ or ‘Deadwood’ narrowly excluded. Season 4 focuses on the schools of Baltimore and the experiences of four young kids as they progress through the system each to a quite different conclusion and period in their lives – if this season had a motto it would be ‘Kids will learn – its a question of where’. The unobstructed realism culled from the show’s primary creative team being a retired Baltimore cop and journalist, both residents of the city for over thirty years I think is what really elevates this programme amongst its peers. There are zero concessions to melodramatics and cliche, the reality of the show and its characters (naturally based on amalgamations of real people, from street dealer all the way up to the Mayor) lead logically to conclusions and fates where even the most beloved of characters are in peril as events in Season 3 amply proved.
They manage to keep close to a dozen story arcs in the air simultaneously, intertwining and meshing them together to deliver a stunning critique of the current status quo in America. Absolute first class entertainment and I cannot fucking wait for the fifth and final season that recently aired in the states which I understand focuses on the role of the media and press in the whole sick system. For the record my favourite characters is probably Omar. Oh, and Cutty is pretty cool. But then again I can’t exclude Bodie can I? . Or indeed Bubbles or of course Bunk. Well, and then of course there’s McNulty. It would be a crime (ho, ho) to omit the chilling Avon Barksdale of course. Or Stringer. Yup, the show is densely populated with well realised, amazing and engaging characters. I might just have to resurrect my on line download procedures as I don’t think I can’t wait until Season 5 gets a DVD release….
EDIT – Fantastic timing, I’ve just had the NFT schedule for June come through and it looks like they’re premiering the first episode of Season 5 followed with an interview and Q&A with creator David Simon. There’s a man I would genuinely like to shake the hand off and thank for so many hours of sheer entertainment.
For this miscellaneous post here are some film clips based around moving home and getting a new place. Why? Well, life moves on dear reader and after almost five years in Richmond I am attempting to secure a new place by Canary Wharf with a move in date of early next month. If I manage to pull this off it will be quite a coup as I’ll be living within ten minutes of the Wharf itself which has all the amenities I need (Waitrose, HMV, Game, dozens of clothes shops, bars and restaurants, book shops) and I’ll have the West India Key Cineplex on my back door – literally. Tower Hamlets have just extended my contract which means I’ll be able to walk to the office which any Londoner will tell you is a commute that’s rarer than rocking horse shit. Oh, and City Airport is about twenty minutes away for any weekend breaks I fancy taking and my beloved BFI twenty minutes away on the Jubilee line. This is all contingent on my new nemesis, my kryptonite if you will – Estate Agents. Up until now I thought that recruitment consultants were pretty much the most loathsome and dishonest excuses for humanity I’ve had the misfortune to liaise with but these abhorent, decitful, avaricious fucks really are something else. There is a very special layer in hell, a place where the arch prince of lies Asmodeus himself weeps at the monstrously cruel tortures inflicted upon these fuckers in my fevered imagination. Watch this space and wish me luck.
Minty's Menagerie 
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