afilmaday Reviews

Anvil (2008)

Every Artist Must Watch This Movie

[10/10 · 27 August 2012]

The questionable quote by Picasso 'Every child is born an artist, the problem is to remain one once they grow up' is important and poignant for artists making that transition from childhood to adulthood. How far will an artist go to keep their dreams alive? What happens if things don't go to plan? How will they support themselves? These are important questions every aspiring artist, musician, actor, writer, filmmaker, animator, designer etc. must consider. Today's feature is a prime example, this is Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

Plot: Canadian metal group Anvil are considered the inventors of thrash metal, with many bands citing them as a direct influence, such as Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax, and were a big act in '84, playing alongside Scorpions, Whitesnake and Bon Jovi. Unfortunately were never met with the success that others had and director Sacha Gervasi, self-proclaimed 'number one Anvil fan of Britain', documents the struggling band as they approach their 50s still chasing their dreams.

Metal fans everywhere will view the movies introductory interviews with Lemmy, Lars Ulrich, Slash and many other megastars as a brief subjective history lesson. It introduces Anvil's significance to the genre and heavily glorifies the band. It then dramatically juxtaposes with the celebration of lead vocalist Lips' 50th birthday with the band playing in a bar in Canada emphasising the lack of commercial success they should have had. This contrast sets the tone of being a true underdog story and we are then presented with their ups & downs throughout.

This documentary is not unflinching or gritty realistic that one might expect, but director Sacha Gervasi brilliantly sets the tone to match that of the band; Lips' natural optimism, drummer Robb Reiner's endless patience and newcomers' support for their dreams. He edits the movie in such a fashion that one is only aware of it upon reflection; their first gig at Sweden Rock festival, Lips interacts with those whom he admires including Michael Schenker and Tommy Aldridge, which makes Anvil relatable and much like regular fans. At the same festival, two Japanese fans approach them, one of them labelled as an 'original Anvil fan', a foreshadowing to the climatic gig in Japan, where it appears they have a very large fan base. During their European tour, it presents the issues of their passionate but poor manager Tiziana Arrigoni who gives the band empty venues, un-paying owners and poor accommodations; the first gig in Sweden went perfect, second gig in Prague was troublesome, with a lawyer in attendance telling them they are being conned by their "shit manager", and final gig in Transylvania, being told 5,000 people are to show and only 174 do so. It was a 34 day tour, yet presented in a typical 3-Act story structure. This is not an attack or a negative comment, but Gervasi made these creative choices to give them necessary exposure and admiration the band rightfully deserves. If he had made it fully realistic, then the tone would contrast to the tone of the band and appear like an attack or putdown.

It has moments of sadness when Lips is presented almost as a victim, with a clearly unsupportive but tolerant family, and this presentation of victimisation manipulates the spectator into siding with Anvil. The constant rejections from record labels and some hope with old producer Chris Tsangarides all give perfect plot points to structure this brilliant true-life underdog story.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil is accessible to everyone for it does not rely on its audiences' prior knowledge to the genre. Anyone involved with the arts must watch this portrayal of artists struggling to get by and do what they love. Yes, it is manipulative for structural purposes but the message is loud; doing what you love involves plenty of sacrifice and will not always end how you wanted it. High recommendation for anyone wanting a great underdog documentary.

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008 Video)

Good follow-up to Bender's Big Score

[8/10 · 27 August 2012]

A number of fans on various websites talking about today's feature were disappointed when comparing it to Bender's Big Score and while I disagree, which will be explained later, I can see why; the premise is unconventional, it does not have an immediate lasting impression and it did lack the laugh-out-loud humour we've come to expect. It was a gargantuan premise dealing with themes that can feel like retreads when looking at Futurama's history. This is Beast with a Billion Backs.

Plot: At the end of the last movie, a tear in the universes has been opened and been dubbed an 'anomaly'. The Planet Express crew go to investigate, Kif and Amy get married and Fry begins a relationship with Colleen (Brittany Murphy), who also has 4 other boyfriends. Fry is unhappy with the polyamory so he ventures through the anomaly to discover a colossal, one-eyed multi-tentacle beast named Yivo. The tentacles attack everyone in this universe, with anyone who is attacked by one to utter "Love the tentacle". This worship results in Fry becoming Pope of this new-found religion, discovering the tentacles are its genitals and our universe is hoping to move in with Yivo.

The writing staff of Futurama/Simpsons have both liberal and conservative members and this can be a refreshing change with liberal messaging shows like South Park and American Dad! for it presents many ideas, issues and themes from both perspectives and never gives a final stance, but more for the audience to decide. So, the major theme here is love. While others will have a final message, what Beast with a Billion Backs does is not have a preachy message at the end but present various pros & cons on various factors within love. For example, Colleen explains to Fry that no one man can satisfy her for she has too much love to give and needs much love in return; their entire relationship has the positives which is overall satisfaction for her and the understanding of the first 4 boyfriends, but the discomfort Fry ultimately suffers. He does eventually understand her after meeting Yivo. Another example is Bender's actions and speech about the dark-side of love, saying its greedy, selfish and vengeful. It has no finale in its message on how the team views love but simply various examples and ideas on what some of them may think/feel about love. Both liberal and conservative views presented here without besmirching the other.

The only theme it failed to explore at all was religion, which could have given way to vast exploration but seeing as it's a sensitive subject that Futurama are not known for tackling or challenging, I think this was wise move. Plus, the vastness of the unanswerable love query was explored brilliantly enough and this could have cluttered the film.

In response to it being unconventional premise is something I disagree; they have explored relationships in prior episodes but it was focused mainly, not exclusively, on Fry and Leela, including Bender's Big Score. It's great to see the team bring this onto a bigger scale, venture beyond The Planet Express crew and see it be both comforting and destructive.

In response to not having an immediate lasting impression...it is a film that may require multiple viewings to appreciate the phenomenal and creative writing. After the first film, many thought it would remain daft and silly with the emotional serious tones being centred around Fry, but here, they expand it to the whole universe and I personally felt the heartbreak at the end, ending on such a bittersweet note.

The humour is lacking, however, with laughs being few and far between; the only moments I remember were from Stephen Hawking and Zapp Brannigan. The jokes were much more visual than prior, which I'm not sure the reason for this creative choice but this isn't entirely foreign to Futurama; it just seemed more focused there than on the dialogue.

Beast with a Billion Backs is a fantastic follow-up to the first, linking the two seamlessly and pushing Futurama forward. While the jokes are lacklustre, its concept was bold and it continues taking advantage that in the future, anything can happen.

More reviews at anyfilmaday.blogspot.co.uk

High School Musical (2006 TV Movie)

Eric Cartman "This is cool?"

[1/10 · 27 August 2012]

Yes, I got around to watching this; I can't have a true opinion on a movie unless I've seen it. I understand this is a kid's Disney musical so I shall review this objectively and knowing I'm not the intended audience. This is High School Musical.

Plot: Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is captain of the basketball team for East High School. Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hugdens), whom Troy had met at a New Year's Eve party through karaoke, is the new girl and is a member of the scholastic decathlon team. During an open audition for the school's musical, a romance begins to blossom and friction is caused within the basketball team, Troy's best friend Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) and coach/father Jack Bolton (Bart Johnson), within the decathlon team, Gabriella's best friend Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman), and twins Sharpay and Ryan Evans (Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel), who enjoy being centre of attention and are musical fanatics.

As this is a Disney it is no doubt cheesy, corny, packed with clichés and real cringe moments for audience members aged 12 and over, but my criticism does not lie with the obvious targets… It is aimed elsewhere…

The movie's main inherent problem is it lacks any obstacles or tension for its audience to get involved with; the first appearance of our leading couple begins with them singing together at karaoke with a crowd going wild and they themselves are stunned by the overwhelming reaction. We are given the crescendo at the beginning meaning their arc of wanting to sing together at the school musical becomes a flat experience; yes, of course we all knew they would end up together, but it should not be given in the opening act! It needs build up.

Troy… let's break this down. He's young, good looking, wealthy lifestyle, captain of the basketball team, everyone he talks to likes and respects him, but he's afraid his basketball friends won't like him if he joins the musical. Now, usually when a movie presents this issue there's a moment or collision between worlds where our protagonist must make a choice, for this is a real life lesson. What happens here? They collide and are annoyed for literally seven minutes! and they soon become supportive while he still remains on the team. In short, the film's moral message is you can have your cake and eat it providing your friends support you. Oh yeah, that's right, neither Troy nor Gabriella actually decide to go for the call-back by their own accord but only do so once they have the support and acceptance of their friends. … That's a terrible message! If you want to go for the 'be yourself' message movie, then have Troy and Gabriella go for the call-back, turning on their friends and their friends support them, learn the error of their ways and welcome them back to their respected clubs. This is a reflection on American youth where their schooling system (I'm not sure how widespread it is) forbids any competitive nature to boost their self-esteem, which is why in the climactic song the self-centred twins do not get their comeuppance of their bitchy jealousy or attempting to sabotage Troy and Gabriella's chances and finish as the villains, but become nice, supportive and accepted. It's kid-friendly to the point of condescension.

Previously, live-action Disney programming allowed their characters to have flaws; in Smart Guy, TJ Henderson had an ego, in Teen Angel Steve Beauchamp was socially awkward and in The Famous Jett Jackson, Jett Jackson was fickle. Here, nobody has any flaws, which makes the experience feel sterile and distant. Have an obnoxious friend or a dim- witted teacher.

High School Musical... I don't get it.

More reviews at anyfilmaday.blogspot.co.uk

American Beauty (1999)

Deserves all the awards it got...

[9/10 · 10 May 2012]

This modern classic is difficult to define or summarise for the overlapping themes keeps film fans and historians forever pondering, analyse and interpret. Philosophical ideologies are presented with its ever questioning of conventional beauty, the contemporary need for materialism and the uncontrollable nature of mankind's urge to conform. The spiritual and emotional imprisonment, numbness and sedation that Lester endures is what many of us can identify with, this yearn to break-free, rebel against mediocrity and relive adolescence to find oneself. It questions the stance of success, is it financial or personal? Does ambition lead to greatness? Teenage angst is conveyed as significant to the person as the more mature themes. Angst, insecurity and identity are the groundwork for adulthood for if it were to trivialise Ricky, Jane and Anegla's journeys, their own personal searches for acceptance and understanding, then it would risk self- contradicting Lester's rebellion as hypercritical and, snobbishly speaking, superior.

During my personal pondering, I began to seek not only these deeper understandings but more importantly the root to all these issues. The tag-line itself "…look closer" could be a hint.

We, as the spectator, must view this not as a reflection or an alternative portrayal of middle-class suburbia but as a satirical fantasy; Lester's postmodern opening narrative "in less than one year, I'll be dead" and the camera swooping over his painfully average suburban neighbourhood indicates this is not natural storytelling. Throughout, its cinematography is conveyed in a dreamlike state, even the shift between reality and Lester's sexual fantasies are only distinguished by a shift in tone and music – during the cheer-leading scene, the dance is personalised and slowed down during the fantasy, juxtaposed against the upbeat showcase in reality; during the bathtub scene, the steam conveys eroticism to contrast Lester's reality in a cold, sterile bed with his wife. Lester is an anti-hero, doing what we all wished we could do; blackmail his boss to leave his confined vacuous career, stay at home, get high and listen to classic rock, and have a job with minimal responsibility.

Now, the root to every issue here is the danger of repression, a dual battle between personal freedom and the necessity of acceptance; for humans it's imperative to adapt and blend with its surrounding environment. Lester believes he has discovered his individuality, but in the third act it becomes apparent his behaviour, the working-out, drinking beer, owning a sports car and lusting after adolescent women are all the stereotypes of being a man, which is why he does not take Angela's virginity nor openly spew his own hang-ups on Angela when she asks, "How are you?" He simply says, "…I'm great!"

Carolyn works as the polar opposite, her addiction to fit-in with society's norms without ever confronting her banal existence (elevator music at the dinner table), her deep flaws (she never accepts Jane has issues with her, too) or her negative emotions (overt when happy but forcibly shouts and slaps at herself when sad).

To conclude it conveys a strong message about the destructive consequences of repression, the ugly actions it manifests when left to fester and beauty is subjective not objective. Every Westerner needs to watch and understand this movie.

American Beauty only works with a stellar cast of strong acting, a solid naturalistic script and music which plays a balancing act between reality and dreams. No minor character is stock, every moment is shot and performed with the height of sophistication and it's apparent as to why Spielberg called this upon initial viewing, "you've created a masterpiece."

For more, check out anyfilmaday.blogspot.com

Murder at 1600 (1997)

One of the poorer movies during Snipes' height of fame

[6/10 · 10 May 2012]

I really wanted to like this movie, be invested on either how awesomely 90s it is or how interesting certain aspects were, but it fails. It's not a bad movie, it's a dull movie.

Firstly, we have the sex scene in the Oval Office, which you can tell on how it's conveyed that director Dwight Little thought this was controversially awesome, and to tell us this is a mature movie. (Many 90s films had these shadowed sex scenes to signal this is going to be an intertwining tale of double crossings, sleaze and conspiracies.) We also have Harlan's introduction, using unorthodox methods to disarm a suicidal man with typical smart aleck. (Many 90s films couldn't shake off 80s cop maverick and were used not as a plot point or moment of hilarity like its predecessor, but as a quick ploy for character emphasis, only never to be used again throughout the movie.) Then a bombardment of clichés; Nina revolts against the Secret Service, Chief Spikings is heavily secretive and dismissive towards the detectives and Harlan is a 'man of the streets' with own problems but always gets the job done. Nothing original is presented.

The closest we get to something a little different is Harlan's apartment where we see a miniature recreation of Washington in the 19th Century; he talks to Nina about his father being a "history buff" and through this he too is fascinated by American history but…this goes nowhere! He never talks about history, this trait quickly disperses and no reference is made later. I'm guessing the point is to emphasise his love for the city, but it needn't go to such lengths of making this.

The cigar Harlan had throughout was a cheap, tacky attempt at conveying a hardened, maverick cop of the streets, a man with a problem with authority etc. because he never smokes it! It's not even alight, which you could forgive as Snipes is a non-smoker, but to have it there is really disjointing viewing.

The performances from the surrounding cast weren't particularly memorable; none of them were bad or outwardly irritating but were just there. The closest to any intrigue was Dennis Miller who definitely tried to add humour to the script.

Murder at 1600 is dull and unoriginal. Everything here has been done many times before and whenever its shows any signs of originality, it's quickly discarded for safer choices. A time-filler flick.

Submarine (2010)

True Love Here

[9/10 · 3 May 2012]

I really dig Richard Ayoade's work; a nice minor character in The Mighty Boosh, co-wrote and starred in the most underrated show of all-time Garth Merenghi's Dark Place and is in the hit-and-miss sitcom The IT Crowd. Knowing he was behind today's feature, I was thrilled to see what he does in his directorial debut. This is Submarine.

Plot: Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is an intellectual, inquisitive 15 year-old. He has fallen for straight-talking Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige). His parents' marriage, Jill (Sally Hawkins) and Lloyd (Noah Taylor) Tate, is in decline. Matters are made worse when psychic Graham Purvis (Paddy Considine) arrives on the scene.

Once we're presented with the first Goddard-style placard, it's apparent this film will have style, experimentation and something different. By utilising the underlining self-awareness through Oliver's narration, these dynamics aren't artistic pretentiousness but a direct reflection of our protagonist. He's a natural storyteller, into classical literature and tries new things i.e. smoking a pipe, wearing hats. So we have various cinematic techniques (the Super-8 montage of them playing on the beach and a more contemporary 3-D freeze frame when Zoe falls into the lake), we have in-direct fourth-wall jokes (Oliver mentions about his life being filmed, but due to budget restraints, will have to settle for a simple panning wideshot) and is told through chapters and an epilogue. This style never hinders nor overwhelms the characters and dialogue but is an emphasis on Oliver's journey.

The humour in this movie is not presented through traditional punch lines or comedic back-and-forth bantering scenes but little treats for movie fans; they're lost in the sentences, the deadpan deliveries and subtle mumblings.

Jordana contrasts heavily against Oliver's intellectualism, not as a ditsy bimbo but a self-confident every-girl. Outspoken but no revolutionary, fits-in but isn't popular and what I find most liberating, isn't gorgeous! She's a cute, average girl. She is equally naïve as Oliver when it comes to sex, but she has the self-confidence to keep things into perspective. Equally compelling is that she is a kid! She doesn't like romance yet is too young to have been romanced; make-up is minimal with half-polished fingernails; she doesn't use complex sentences to convey her unique traits in the eyes of Oliver. Because of this, Oliver's infatuation with her is earnest, her heartbreak in the final act has weight and their intimacy is adorably off-centre.

While other movies either believe they're brave and have the relationship end on a bittersweet yet uplifting note or end on an unrealistic happily-ever-after note, this movie balances by emphasising its important of being now! Everybody involved knows this relationship will end, but at the beginning of one's sexual journey, your first relationship is not meant to last, it most likely will end but the point isn't to find the one but to enjoy these life experiences, understand its significance in shaping your emotional maturity and knowing it was great at the time.

Submarine is not the average, insipid teenage comedy movie regularly seen in cinema but an honest, reflective study of teenage sexual maturity. A quirky, indie comedy without becoming smug and with supporting characters equalling engaging to watch, you won't be disappointed.

For other reviews, check out anyfilmaday.blogspot.com