Review #1,385: 'Superbad' (2007)

By the time Greg Motolla's Superbad hit cinema screen back in 2007, it felt like this story of two high school boys looking to acquire booze in the hope of scoring with some hot chicks had arrived almost a decade too late. The teen sex comedy craze kicked off by American Pie in 1999 had finally fizzled out, and comedy was giving way to the man-child humour of Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell. Yet like Knocked Up did for the romantic comedy the same year (the two films share many of the same cast and crew members), Superbad digs deep and finds genuine heart as its main characters go to increasingly desperate lengths to finally get laid. This may be because screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg had been writing the film since they were teenagers, and the film is clearly based on their experiences (the two central characters are even named Seth and Evan). The dialogue is often so vulgar it makes you wince, but it also offers an insight into what it's like growing up these days. With all the knowledge on offer for these youngsters, the pressure is more about how well they will perform than simply doing the deed.

Seth (Jonah Hill) is a chubby, curly-haired teen whose lowly position on the school coolness hierarchy doesn't stop him from running his mouth about practically everything. He talks to his best friend Evan (Michael Cera) not only about watching porn, but everything from which websites he's considering paying for and all the crazy shit they offer. Evan is more softly-spoken and ethical, preferring to respect women (mainly the girl he's got the hots for) while Seth wails about the sex he could be getting. Like many best friends, they share little in common other than their lack of other friends, but have spent so much time together they've become inseparable. They do have another friend: the small, bespectacled Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who is so unpopular that even Seth and Evan don't particularly like him. Today, however, he is their saviour. Fogell has purchased a fake ID that lists him as an organ donor from Hawaii named McLovin, and the trio manage to bag an invite to party, only they are given the task of buying all the booze. The questionable fake ID and Fogell's youthful appearance aren't the only problems standing in their way, as a brush with two police officers (played by Seth Rogen and Bill Hader) sends their night spinning out of control.

Motolla occasionally moves away from the wittiness of the teenagers' word play in favour of slapstick, and these moments don't so much as raise a titter. Seth gets his by a car, and the two police officers (who look like they've wandered in from a different movie) chase an old drunken guy through a bar while fumbling with their weapons. Thankfully, these moments are brief, as Superbad is undoubtedly at its best when focusing on the awkward smaller moments of teenage life. Often they are so nervous they look away or answer a question that hasn't been asked, and when they finally get the nerve to talk, it all comes out as near-incomprehensible gibberish. If you were a nervous teenager of questionable popularity, these scenes will likely strike an uncomfortable, but hilarious, chord. When the bedroom antics finally arrive, they are either a complete disaster or, in Evan's case, events take a surprisingly mature turn. They don't quite know what they want romantically and the movie isn't interesting in exploring it, as the main love story here is between Seth and Evan themselves. Yes, there are shades of homoeroticism in their relationship (with the two heading to different schools, and the fact that Evan is to live with Fogell, it feels like a romantic break-up), but their friendship goes far deeper. Superbad is one of the funniest films of the last twenty years, and somehow one of the most touching.


Directed by: Greg Mottola
Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Martha MacIsaac, Emma Stone
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,367: 'Spider-Man 3' (2007)

When Marvel Studios were finally allowed some control over their most bankable character Spider-Man with just enough time to fit him into Captain America: Civil War, even the most die-hard superhero obsessives had grown tired of the adventures of Peter Parker and his red-suited alter-ego. When Tom Holland's definitive incarnation eventually graced the screen in a glorious extended cameo, it suddenly all made sense. Sony, who still held onto the rights but agreed to share with Marvel and allow him into their universe, simply didn't know what to do with him. They were on a roll with Sam Raimi's horror-inflected vision, which placed character above action and made Parker an underdog you could really root for. But the studio wanted more, and forced Raimi to shoe-horn in a fan-favourite villain at the expense of what was so great about this series. The worst part is that they did it again just seven years later with their Andrew Garfield-led reboot.

The villain the studio demanded was Venom, the razor-toothed, lizard-tongued alien symbiote who attaches itself to Spider-Man and improves his powers, while turning him into a dancing, floppy-haired douchebag at the same time. But Venom isn't the only Spidey foe appearing, for we also have a new Green Goblin, played by a returning James Franco, and Flint Marko, aka the Sandman, played by an incredibly bored-looking Thomas Haden Church. The evolution of Franco's Harry Obsorn has been set up from the very start, so his emergence as his father's successor to don the goblin mask and wreak havoc for our friendly neighbourhood web-spinner should feel natural and well-timed, until he is hit on the head and develops amnesia. With so much already going on, it feels like both an unnecessary step back in the story and sheer lazy writing. We are also given Marko's backstory, and it turns out the lug-headed escaped con was the man really responsible for Uncle Ben's death, which paves the way for more of Tobey Maguire's constipation face during his quiet time with Aunt May (Rosemary Harris).

There's simply too much going on, and when the film allows the pace to slow enough to spend some quality time with its central character, it turns out that Peter has turned into such an insufferable narcissist that we can't wait to get away from him. But, if you've seen the film, you'll know that's not the worst of it. The black alien goo arrives from space without explanation, and just so happens to land nearest to Peter Parker. The posters teased the darker side of Spider-Man, but what we got was spontaneous dancing, winking at girls in the street, and not listening to Mary Jane's (Kirsten Dunst) acting career troubles. I remember hiding behind my hands back in 2007 during the now-infamous dance sequence, and it hasn't improved with age. I've never uttered the words "I just want it to stop" out loud during a movie before, not until I saw Spider-Man 3 for the second time anyway. But it doesn't stop, not for what feels like another two hours, squeezing in Eddie Brock's (Topher Grace) transformation from slimy, unethical photographer into the vengeful Venom, and forging alliances that come out of nothing. As the wasted Kirsten Dunst screams as she hangs from an alien web at the climax, you'll be thinking that everybody involved is so much better than this, and they were, just three years earlier.


Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, James Cromwell
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,258: 'Disturbia' (2007)

Back in 2007, Steven Spielberg pushed for Disturbia to be a vehicle for up-and-comer Shia LaBeouf, the kid he was so impressed with in Holes. He would also later cast the young star in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and no doubt played a part in hiring LaBeouf for the lead in Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. It hasn't quite gone to plan for the once cherub-faced and effortlessly charming actor, but his off-camera antics are perhaps more to blame than his film choices, as well as his frequently bizarre artistic endeavours. Anyway, LaBeouf is the best thing about Disturbia, demonstrating the sort of motor-mouthed confidence and assured screen presence Spielberg no doubt saw in him when he was still a child actor. Still, he cannot save Disturbia from turning into a conveyor belt of cliches and slasher tropes.

Traumatised by his father's death a year earlier, teenager Kale Brecht (LaBeouf) struggles to focus in school. When a classroom incident leaves his Spanish teacher with a swollen face, Kale is sentenced to three months house arrest wearing an ankle monitor that bleeps when he ventures further than 100 yards from his house. After a montage of video games, junk food and Red Bull, Kale's mother Julie (Carrie-Anne Moss) takes away all his television and music privileges. Boredom soon sets in, until he spots his beautiful new neighbour Ashley (Sarah Roemer) taking a dip in the pool. Using his binoculars, he starts to watch his neighbours intently, buoyed on by his comic-relief best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo). Ashley soon joins in on their games, as their attention is turned to creepy neighbour Mr. Turner (David Morse), whose car and general behaviour matches that of a serial killer being reported in the local news.

Clearly aiming for Rear Window for the teenage crowd, Disturbia forgets to add that one key Hitchcockian ingredient: suspense. If you have seen the trailer for D.J. Caruso's film, then there's really no need to see the whole thing. A fast-paced beginning that introduces the three perfectly likeable teens zips by smoothly, and offers the odd genuine laugh. When the central serial killer story kicks into gear, the action descends into a series of loud bangs and quick edits, so all hope for anything resembling tension quickly flies out of the window. Almost as if film is afraid of offending its young target audience, the moments of 'horror' are frustratingly soft, and it fails to convince that any of its attractive young cast are ever in any real peril. I was left waiting for a twist, or even a moderate surprise, that never came, so I was forced to sit through a plot I had worked out within the first twenty minutes. If this is what passes for suspense nowadays, Hitchcock would turn in his massive grave.


Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse, Aaron Yoo
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,241: 'Hounddog' (2007)

It has been said that when it comes to cinema, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Controversy can spread word-of-mouth and natural curiosity faster than most ad campaigns, propelling a film that may have flown under most people's radar to surprise success and welcome notoriety. This isn't always the case however, as Deborah Kampmeier's Hounddog proves. Following a screening at the Sundance Film Festival, the film faced protests for a scene in which Dakota Fanning's character is raped (she was 12 at the time of filming). Hounddog went onto to be a critical and box-office failure, and has since faded into obscurity. In fact, the gut-wrenching power of the hard-to-watch rape scene and the performance of Fanning are the only good things to be said about this slow-moving and cliche-ridden drama.

It's the late 1950's. Lewellen (Fanning) is a precocious young girl living in rural Alabama with her deadbeat dad (David Morse), and next door to her religious disciplinarian grandmother (Piper Laurie). She spends most of her spare time performing awful renditions of her favourite Elvis Presley songs, or down at the local watering hole with her friend Buddy (Cody Hanford). The two share the odd kiss and inspect each other's private parts with fascination. We're told that Daddy is abusive, and clearly gets violent with his new girlfriend (listed as 'Stranger Lady' in the credits and played by Robin Wright). However, he is struck by lightning one night and reduced to a simpleton, becoming reliant on his tom-boy daughter and terrified she will abandon him. Lewellen's main concern is nabbing tickets for Elvis's visit to town, until a horrific attack turns her world upside down.

In an attempt to capture Lewellen's poverty and the general barrenness of the Deep South setting, Kampmeier has pasted together images of rusty, decrepit vehicles parked on overgrown lawns and damp, sweaty interiors, combined with the constant chirping of crickets. It's beautifully filmed, but this kind of imagery has been used countless times before. It often feels like a foreigner's idea of Alabama, all string vests, small-town ignorance and God-fearing. You wait for the story to kick into gear, but it never does. Instead, the film seems to revel in putting Lewellen through one horrible experience after another, with seemingly no point. She seeks guidance from local snake-catcher Charles (Afemo Omilami), who teaches the girl about the blues which inspired Elvis, and the two share a few scenes in which he comes across as the cliched wise black man. Hounddog is terrible on almost every level, but thank God for Fanning, who even outshines seasoned veterans like Morse and Wright.


Directed by: Deborah Kampmeier
Starring: Dakota Fanning, David Morse, Cody Hanford, Piper Laurie, Robin Wright, Afemo Omilami
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,102: 'Sunshine' (2007)

Danny Boyle's under-performing attempt to rekindle audience interest in the philosophical sci-fi genre so successful in the 1970s plays out very much like an object hurtling towards the Sun - thrilling, dazzling and often overwhelming at first, before quickly burning out and being swallowed up by the enormity of the themes it attempts to explore. 2007's Sunshine ponders a future in which humanity is facing extinction as the Sun powering the planet is burning itself out. A last-gasp mission sees the crew of Icarus II travel for five years through space with a bomb the size of Manhattan in the hope of reigniting the Sun's flames.

Of course, there was also an Icarus I, captained by a man named Pinbacker (Mark Strong), which disappeared seven years earlier carrying out the same mission. When a distress signal is picked up from the lost ship, the crew of Icarus II, captained by the enigmatic Kaneda (Hiroyuki Sanada), are faced with the dilemma of either carrying on with their mission, or answering the call and picking up a second bomb in the process, and therefore doubling their chances of saving humanity. Physicist Capa (Cillian Murphy) makes the decision to set a new course, much to the frustration of level-headed engineer Mace (Chris Evans). However, navigator Trey (Benedict Wong) forgets to realign the ship's shield as it changes course, throwing the entire mission into jeopardy.

The film captures the claustrophobia and restlessness of the cramped surroundings and characters incredibly well. The crew often feel as if they are hunched over, as if being slowly swallowed up by the deadly beast that is their destination. Even the on-board garden, a self-sustaining eco-system which supplies the ship's oxygen, tended to by botanist Corazon (Michelle Yeoh), feels oddly suffocating. Boyle's trademark eye for visuals also helps give the film a sweaty, scolding vibe. An entire room on the Icarus II seems to be dedicated solely to appreciating the Sun's sheer power, as the crew, in particular psychiatrist Searle (Cliff Curtis), sit and stair in utter awe. Sunshine begins rather slow, but Boyle takes this time to sculpt an incredible sense of atmosphere.

Boyle's desire to contemplate the larger questions is ultimately the film's downfall. In the early scenes, the mere presence of the Sun looming just behind that massive shield and the way Boyle captures it is enough to start audience's comparing the star's influence to that of God, and the crew's mission to save humanity by conquering something of such unfathomable power has enough religious connotations on its own. The climax sees the arrival of a mysterious being on the ship that may or may not be supernatural, and it just doesn't work. A lot was written at the time about the Sunshine's descent into slasher territory, and although I can applaud the attempt to muddle genres and take the story in a completely different direction, I have to agree with the criticism. Instead of inviting discussion as the credits roll, it simply left me disappointed at the squandered potential.


Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cliff Curtis, Benedict Wong, Mark Strong
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,080: 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007)

One may have anticipated a drop in quality upon the release of Paul Greengrass' trilogy-capper The Bourne Ultimatum back in 2007. After all, the first two movies made no real effort to cover up the fact that they are ultimately the same movie, and Ultimatum is no different, again sending Matt Damon's haggard, amnesiac super agent on the run from serious-looking CIA agents and emotionless "assets" across a variety of countries at breakneck speed. However, the Bourne trilogy does what trilogies rarely do and gets progressively better which each movie, and this third instalment has learned from the franchise's previous mistakes.

Greengrass goes for all-out action here, barely stopping to catch its breath as the film squeezes tension out of the most ordinary of places and situations, and delivering set-pieces that dwarf anything that came before. There's no doubting that Bourne will make it out of this film alive, and no matter how dire the situations the superhuman find himself in as shady CIA heads Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) and the returning Pam Landy (Joan Allen) track him down using every conceivable piece of spy equipment at their disposal, you know he will somehow find a way to smash his way out. What makes Ultimatum so miraculous is how Greengrass manages to still keep things grounded, whether it's watching Bourne pummel an assassin with a leather-bound book or causing carnage on the streets of New York.

When it does pause for breath, Greengrass thankfully seems eager to wrap up the story of how Bourne came to be the unstoppable badass he is, and uncover the organisation known as Treadstone, the secret agency that have been hunting him down ever since he was picked up by a fishing boat with bullet holes in his back. It's a revelation without any revelations, as anyone with half a brain could fit the puzzle together from the events of the previous films, so the film doesn't spend too much time dwelling on it, cutting straight to the chase when the voice plaguing Bourne's dreams manifests itself in the form of Albert Finney.

Of the plot, there is little to write about. Bourne tracks down journalist Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), who has taken to writing pieces on the former agent's exploits and a program known as Blackbriar. Bourne's presence naturally attracts the attention of Vosen et al, and the rest you can guess. It's the simplest of McGuffin's, one that exists for the sole purpose of transporting Bourne around the globe and assaulting the senses with exhilarating action, and the experience is all the better for it. Damon is so good here that he doesn't need much dialogue to create a credible and sympathetic hero, as he manages to capture the spirit of Jason Bourne with his fists and looks of panic more than words ever could. While you may still need a barf bag on hand during some of the more frantic moments, The Bourne Ultimatum is an example of the action genre at its finest, one that will leave you scratching your head as to why the studio felt the need to add the Jeremy Renner-starring spin-off and the recent fourth instalment, Jason Bourne, to the story.


Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Paddy Considine, Scott Glenn, Edgar Ramírez, Albert Finney
Country: USA/Germany

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #964: 'The Girl Cut in Two' (2007)

The Girl Cut in Two was one of the great Claude Chabrol's final films in an astonishing career that span 58 years before his death in 2010. The former Cahiers du Cinema journalist was famously a huge fan of the work of Alfred Hitchcock, writing about the Master of Suspense at length for the magazine before Chabrol's own work weaved together Hitchcock's sublime blend of melodrama and tension with Chabrol's own French New Wave (his debut Le Beau Serge is widely considered the first). This 2007 effort does much of the same, but the emphasis is more on the melodrama for the main bulk of the film and it lacks the New Wave edge of his early, greater works.

Pretty young weather-girl Gabrielle (Ludivine Sagnier) catches the eye of the rich and famous author Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand) when the latter is interviewed at the TV station she works for. Charles performs a book signing at Gabrielle's mother's book store, where he is confronted by the filthy-rich heir to a pharmaceutical company, Paul Gaudens (Benoit Magimel), while Charles invites Gabrielle to accompany him to an auction. The clearly unhinged Paul also lusts after Gabrielle, and begins an aggressive pursuit of her while she is off falling in love with the arrogant and pretentious (and married) Charles.

Sagnier is particularly lovely as a character who may have come across as spoiled and selfish if not handled quite so delicately. There are fewer things quite as uncomfortable to watch than a nice girl caught up in a love triangle with two absolute arseholes, and Berleand and Magimel certainly bring a complexity, and even flashes of sympathy, to their loathsome man-children. Gabrielle is pulled back and forth between the two - the metaphor of the title also plays out almost literally in a slightly surreal final scene - and this goes on for quite a while. It gradually builds up to the inevitable and the film begins to feel more juicy, however by the time this happens there aren't quite enough minutes remaining to fully explore its full potential. Certainly engaging but one of the French auteurs lesser works.


Directed by: Claude Chabrol
Starring: Ludivine Sagnier, Benoît Magimel, François Berléand, Mathilda May
Country: France/Germany

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #848: 'Nanking' (2007)

Without the focus on the heroic efforts of a small group of European and American expatriates, Nanking the film would be a near unbearable experience. The Nanking Massacre, or The Rape of Nanking as it's widely referred to, took place over a 6 week period in 1937. The Chinese capital city was invaded by Japanese troops, resulting in 200,000 (or more depending on varying estimates) innocent people raped and slaughtered. Tales of civilians being forced to have sex with corpses or family members, unborn foetus's being cut out of their mother's belly with bayonet's, or the gang-rape of small girls and boys are all confirmed here. But Nanking achieves its power not through shocking and repulsing but by showing the triumph of the human spirit in the face of hell on Earth.

Although plenty of archival footage is used - from the beautiful, pulsating Nanking sitting proudly as China's capital, to it's destruction through heavy bombing - a bulk of the film consists of readings by actors of diary entries written by the likes of Nazi party member John Rabe and American missionary Minnie Vautrin. Rabe and Vautrin were part of a small, wealthy group of men and women who decided against fleeing Naking, and set up a 'Safety Zone' inside the city. The actors, including the likes of Jurgen Prochnow, Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson and Stephen Dorff, are earnest and understated in their delivery, and this helps give these moments an urgency, when it could have come off as trying to add some Hollywood gloss to a devastating event.

The Japanese agreed to the implementation of the safety zone, but their soldiers would parade the grounds, raping women at will and dragging men off to be executed on mass for being suspected enemy soldiers. Still, the protection offered by Rabe, Vautrin, Bob Wilson et al is estimated at being responsible for the survival of 200,000 Chinese lives. This is hard stuff to watch, one of the most despicable war crimes ever committed - interviews with Chinese survivors and seemingly remorseless and disconnected Japanese soldiers hit particularly hard - but this is essential viewing, proving that in order to move forward, we must look back.


Directed by: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Mariel Hemingway, Woody Harrelson, John Getz, Stephen Dorff
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #768: 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' (2007)

Back in 2007, with the impending arrival of J.K. Rowling's seventh and final instalment novel and this, the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Pottermania was at astronomical levels. A director new to the franchise was introduced, David Yates, who seemed a shrewd choice given his track record in British TV, but in hindsight, his inexperience with blockbusters proved slightly harmful to the franchise. It became difficult to cram Rowling's increasingly sprawling novels into a two hour-plus film, and Yates (along with fellow newcomer Michael Goldenberg penning the script), struggled to juggle the emotional drama so delicately handled by Cuaron and Newell before him, along with the CGI-heavy action.

With the horrors he witnessed at the climax of Goblet of Fire still lingering in his mind, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself returning to a wizarding world in denial. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy), refuses to believe the Dark Lord has returned, and half the pupils at Hogwarts accuse Harry of being an attention-seeker. Even Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), who has always protected Harry, seems to ignore him. Only his close friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and the strange new pupil Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), stick by him inside school. Outside, Harry is encouraged by his surrogate father Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who is part of the Order of the Phoenix, a small group of wizards preparing the upcoming war with Voldemort.

Everything about Order of the Phoenix is suitably grim. The opening scene in which Harry and his repulsive muggle cousin Dudley (Harry Melling) meet a couple of hungry Dementors, shows Harry's world as dry, cracked and grim. It suits Harry mood, with his first experience of witnessing death still haunting him, and the frustration of being ignored making him quick to anger. Hogwarts is also no longer a safe retreat for the pupils, as the introduction of Ministry of Magic worker Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) sees the school of wizardry infiltrated, and Voldemort's true aims become clearer.

The politics were more carefully laid out in the novel, and it's here that Yates stumbles. Umbridge's fascist approach is clear as day, to the point of making Harry write lines that scratch into his skin, but the effect it has on the changing attitudes towards 'mudbloods' such as Hermione (wizards born out of non-magical parents) and half-breeds like the formidable centaurs lurking in the forest, is all but ignored. The climax at the Ministry of Magic, which sees Harry and Voldemort both seeking a prophecy, is messy, as it was in the book. It works well when focusing on Harry and his demons, and Radcliffe again performs well, but integrating them with the enormous ensemble and the overarching story is where it falls flat.


Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Isaacs
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #725: 'Zodiac' (2007)

You would be forgiven if you went into David Fincher's Zodiac expecting a routine serial killer flick, but, although it opens with two memorably brutal murders, it puts aside character and plot to simply document the case of the Zodiac killer in the late 1960's and into the early 70's. The problem is, he was never caught, so Zodiac draws you into the jigsaw puzzle that was the search for the killer, only to be frequently met with dead ends and red herrings. The three lead characters come and go throughout the film, but this is not about them, it's ultimately about the fear that gripped San Francisco when the Zodiac was on the prowl.

At the San Francisco Chronicle, a letter arrives from someone claiming to be the Zodiac killer, who has already shot a young couple in their car. The letter demands publication, and offers a puzzle involving strange symbols as a means of uncovering his identity. This draws in Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who, despite his interest, is not taken seriously by the staff, who include crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.). The Zodiac strikes again, attacking a couple in a park and shooting a taxi driver in the back of the head. Police detectives David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are brought in to investigate, and liaise with Avery and Graysmith, whose lives start to be consumed by the case.

Fincher is obviously comfortable in this setting, having already brought to life the eternally drizzly and grim world of Se7en (1995) and the miserable confines of modern corporate life in Fight Club (1999). Zodiac is a mixture of both, here filmed digitally, and here combines a grimy brown colour palette with Fincher's recognisable eye for the stylish. It takes pride in its detail, grinding out excitement within the most mundane of activities. In Zodiac, a close-up of handwriting or the discovery of a previously ignored newspaper clipping become just as tense as any action scene. After all, this is a film about the case, so such close observation is as vital as it is entertaining.

The acting is top class across the board, with Mark Ruffalo, a character actor who has gone underrated for far too long, standing out in the least showy role of the lead trio. Downey Jr. brings his natural charisma to the boozy, erratic Avery, and Gyllenhaal, given the most screen-time (his character wrote the book the film is based on) is a likeable underdog. The characters aren't given much time to breathe between the fast-talk conversations and the digging for clues, but its the Zodiac himself that looms largest over the film. He is barely seen outside of the opening half hour, but his presence is never far away in Fincher's nervous San Francisco. And there lies the film's genius. Impeccably directed, brilliantly written, and utterly terrifying.


Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, John Carroll Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Elias Koteas, Brian Cox
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #402: 'My Name Is Bruce' (2007)

In the small town of Goldlick, four horny goth teenagers trash an old graveyard, which is the resting place of a hundred Chinese labourers who died in a mining accident years before. As a result, they awaken the Chinese god Guan-Di (James Peck), who instantly starts hacking them up. B-movie and Bruce Campbell worshipper Jeff (Taylor Sharpe) manages to escape. Meanwhile, Bruce Campbell is finishing low-budget film Cave Alien 2 when he is kidnapped from his trailer by Jeff, who takes him to Goldlick to help fight off Guan-Di. Thinking it's a birthday present from his hapless agent Mills (Ted Raimi), he plays along and tries it on with Jeff's mother Kelly (Grace Thorsen), until, that is, he realises the killer is real.

I really wanted to like this movie. I'm a huge fan of Campbell and the Evil Dead (1981-1992) films, and it's an interesting idea to have the actor playing a fictionalised version of himself in a horror setting, a genre he is certainly no stranger to. But as loveable as Campbell is (here he directs as well as taking the lead role), the film falls flat on its face, and it is as bad as you could ever imagine it to be. Campbell's inexperience as a director is the main problem, with the film never finding a pace or a tone it is comfortable with, and I couldn't quite figure out what audience he was aiming for. It's too childish for adults, too tame for horror fans, and too outright unfunny to appeal to comedy fans.

It is first and foremost a comedy, with Campbell portraying himself as way over-the-hill, complete with run-down trailer, recent divorce, and alcohol problem. It is an amusing performance, but the script is just too damn awful to serve him justice. Add that to the mix of racial stereotypes, homophobic jokes (they're only acceptable if they're funny!), juvenile slapstick, and needle-slipping-off-the-record sound effects, the film ends up being about as funny as contracting AIDS. And I still can't understand why the townsfolk would employ Bruce Campbell, who they know is just an actor, to fight off a god. Reading some other reviews on IMDb by fellow Bruce Campbell fans, it would seem other people actually like this film. The Greatest Chin in Movies can literally do anything and still be worshipped.


Directed by: Bruce Campbell
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Grace Thorsen, Taylor Sharpe, Ted Raimi
Country: USA

Rating: *

Tom Gillespie

Review #350: 'Blood, Boobs & Beast' (2007)

For any budding young film-makers desperately trying to scrape together funding and willing actors to make a low budget horror/sci-fi film, then there is one rule they must follow. The film must contains the three B's - blood, boobs, and a beast. These elements are what audiences think they want, and ultimately go for, especially in the straight-to-video market. It is also what television companies look for when buying late night cheapies to show to the drunken and the stoned. Cult film-maker Don Dohler has followed these rules, and although it hasn't exactly brought him financial success, he has enjoyed a steady output since 1978's The Alien Factor.

Blood, Boobs & Beast is a love-letter to low-budget film-making, and its arguable that as much love and determination goes into these (usually very bad) films as any of the mainstream output. It briefly traces Dohler from his days working on an underground comic called WILD (a sort of MAD homage that had contributors from the likes of Jay Lynch and Art Spiegelman) to his work on the hugely influential Cinemagic Magazine, that gave guidelines on how to make home-made special effects and monster costumes (read by the likes of Tom Savini and J.J. Abrams).

While its a relatively poorly made documentary, it has plenty of heart, much like the work of Dohler. Director John Paul Kinhart clearly has a lot of love for his director, and its hard not to be moved as Dohler describes how the internet made him realise he has a dedicated fan-base. I just wish they hadn't included the two very annoying film geeks who think it's funny to recite lines from The Alien Factor while drinking beer. So, a must-see for B-movie fans, and an eye-opener to just how difficult it is to make a movie (it takes us throughout the development of Dead Hunt (2006)). The ending is extremely moving, as Dohler sadly developed cancer and passed away during the making of the film. I will certainly try and track down some of his films, however bad they look.


Directed by: John Paul Kinhart
Starring: Don Dohler
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #97: 'Margot at the Wedding' (2007)

Margot (Nicole Kidman) is a neurotic and mentally unstable writer, who with her son Claude (Zane Pais) head out to the country to visit her free-spirited sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is soon to be married. It is shocking to Margot that her attractive and intelligent sister would be marrying someone like Malcolm (Jack Black), an overweight failed musician whose past is soon to catch up with him. The two sisters have apparently put their troubled pasts behind them and seem to be getting on well, but Margot's penchant for spreading secrets and generally strange and aggressive behaviour threatens to place the sisters at loggerheads once again, and jeopardise the whole wedding.

Director Noah Baumbach's work seems to autobiographical, giving his films an independent insight into relationships and family. His 2005 film The Squid And The Whale explored divorce through the eyes of two young brothers, and was uncomfortable and real in a way that can only be known through experience. Margot At The Wedding explores sibling rivalry, and issues of selfishness, frustration and jealousy and is executed with the same amount of intelligence as his previous effort, but does not hit the same heights. This is mainly because the characters are just repellent and unsympathetic that I wondered why I should watch a film revolving around them. However, the film remains interesting and is sporadically funny, and is well performed by an ensemble, namely by Kidman.

Directed by: Noah Baumbach

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, Zane Pais, Ciarán Hinds, John Turturro

Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #88: 'Sukiyaki Western Django' (2007)

This Japanese-Italian crossover is a homage to the great spaghetti westerns of the 1960's and 70's. The oh-so familiar plot is reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece Yojimbo (1961), later remade by Sergio Leone as a western with A Fistful Of Dollars (1964). A brooding gunslinger arrives in a small town that has been torn apart and occupied by two warring clans - the reds and the whites. After advertising his expert gun skills up his arrival, he at first offers up his services to the highest bidder, but after realising the peril faced by the town's innocent natives, he decides that he can put his skills to better use and wage a war against the clans. All of this is seemingly told by a mysterious stranger played by Quentin Tarantino, who introduces the film at the beginning.

After the truly cringe-worthy opening scene, in which the aforementioned Tarantino shows off his acting 'skills' and mows down a few faceless bad guys and talks tough, the film seems to pick up some pace. The opening is deliberately designed to look cartoonish, with plastic looking sets and over-the-top blood spraying. It just doesn't work and thankfully moves away from this style and takes on a more traditional method. For all it's trying, the film never leaves second gear. The familiar storyline doesn't offer anything I've not seen before, and the decision to have the Japanese actors speak in broken English with subtitles is an interesting idea I suppose, but just becomes slightly annoying and confusing. I would expect better from a director such as Takashi Miike, who made the excellent Audition (1999) and Ichi The Killer (2001). I just pray he doesn't become another homage-loving filmmaker like Tarantino.

Directed by: Takashi Miike

Starring: Hideaki Itô, Masanobu Andô, Kôichi Satô, Quentin Tarantino

Country: Japan

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #75: 'Zoo' (2007)

Upon getting hold of a copy of Zoo, my girlfriend asked me what it was about. I ummmed and aaahhh before informing her that it is in fact a documentary about a man who died from internal injuries, caused by having sex with a horse. That's putting it nicely. I may have even used the phrase 'bummed to death'. She then asked me why I would want to watch a film about such a thing. I couldn't reply. The fact is, since Zoo was released back in 2007, I had been dying to see it. I don't know what that says about me. Perhaps it's revealing my disturbing levels of curiosity about all things that shouldn't really be discussed. Anyway, I had the last laugh, as the film is genuinely very good.

On a small farm in King County, Washington, groups of men would get together every now and then to escape their hectic lives and family. They would talk, drink, joke and play games together. They also had one thing in common - they were in love with horses, and enjoyed having sex with them. When a withdrawn character called Mr. Hands arrived at the farm, the men were curious. He seemed unsure and unattached. In 2005 he was rushed to the hospital, dying of internal injuries. He subsequent death caused a media storm and the investigation uncovered the farm and what was happening there. The state was forced to immediately pass laws against beastiality and the recording of the act.

While it would be quite easy to make a joke of the situation, or to make a straight-laced documentary uncovering the seedy goings-on at the farm and the incident that later became known as 'the Enumclaw horse sex case', credit must go to director Robinson Devor for creating something entirely different. It was completely not what I expected. Zoo is a mysterious, dreamlike documentary that allows its real-life participants to give their point of view over slow-motion reconstructions of the incidents. It's a brave artistic move that never feels pretentious or meaningless.

I can only describe the feeling of the film as a mixture between Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line (1988) and Andrew Jarecki's Capturing The Friedmans (2003). It had the slow-building, crime-oriented feel of the former, and the storyline that you just can't quite believe actually happened of the latter. It's a fine mix and works surprisingly well given the taboo subject matter.

In regards to the subject matter, it is handled both sensitively and with an air of curiosity. It allows the participants on the farm to tell their story, and doesn't misrepresent them in a way to make the viewer feel disgusted. Not to say that I didn't feel that way. Hearing these men talk about having genuine feelings of love for the horses, and relating to them on a basic, animalistic level just made me pity them. Not to say that I wasn't fascinated by what they had to say.

A strange, hypnotic film about a shocking and unbelievable incident. I urge people to see past what the film is about and allow themselves to be moved by this quite unique film.


Directed by: Robinson Devor
Starring: John Paulsen, Coyote, Russell Hodgkinson
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #33: 'Boy A' (2007)

The death of a child is always shocking on screen. Back in 1931, audiences watching the horror masterpiece Frankenstein sat in shock as the monster threw a young girl into the lake, drowning her. Watching the film now, it still maintains its shock value. John Carpenter's excellent 1976 film Assault On Precinct 13 sees a heartless thug remorselessly shoot a young girl in a brutal scene that I couldn't believe when I saw it. It's difficult and risky portraying the death of a child that ultimately represents the innocence that we all see disappear as we grow older. However, one thing that is rarely even attempted on screen is to follow the killer of a child as a main protagonist. Fritz Lang tried and ultimately succeeded in M, one of the greatest films ever made. That was back in 1931, and it's rarely been tried since.

Boy A stars Andrew Garfield as Eric Wilson, a young man recently released from prison, getting ready to start a new life under the new identity of Jack Burridge. Helped to re-locate and ultimately settle in his new surroundings is Jack's rehabilitation worker Terry (played by the ever-reliable Peter Mullan), who treats Jack almost as a son, having been with him from his troubled beginnings. Finding a new job and making friends at work, he becomes romantically involved with receptionist Michelle (Katie Lyons) and looks like he is slowly being accepted back into society. But Jack is hiding a dark secret from his past, and were this truth ever to be discovered, it would mean the end to his new life and the possibility of a lynch-mob reaction. His childhood is revealed in flashbacks, as he falls in with Philip (Taylor Doherty) at school and begin a strange friendship which ultimately ends in tragedy for both of them.

Boy A's main strength is its refusal to take a moral stance. It just tells the story of a mentally scarred young man who made a terrible decision early in his life that has had an irreversible impact on the rest of it. Garfield is terrific as an almost child-like adult struggling with the need to grow up quickly and face a strange and often hostile world. When he begins his awkward romance with Michelle, his character appears to almost feel guilty about allowing himself to enjoy it, with knowledge of what he's done and the possibility that the truth may be revealed. In a powerful scene, while Jack and Terry are having a drink in a pub, Jack discusses the fate of Philip in prison and wonders why he has been allowed to have a second chance. Garfield is outstanding as I mentioned before, earning a BAFTA for his performance back in 2008. He has come far since this and will play Spider-Man in the upcoming re-imagining of the comic-book hero.

The film has invited comparisons to the infamous 1993 James Bulgar case, in which two youths Robert Thompson and Jon Venables tortured and horrifically murdered the 2-year old child in Liverpool. For an incident that saw one of the most vicious public outcries in British history, the film has taken a massive risk not to stir up a similar controversy. Thankfully, everything in the film is sensitively done, taking time to show the backstory of the main character up to the incident. It also doesn't sugar-coat it either, building up with an almost uncomfortable intensity that tastefully doesn't linger. It also poses some important questions about the legal system, trial-by-media, and how old a person should be before they can take responsibility for their actions. It attempts to answer none of course, letting the film provoke discussion.

It's a fascinating, sad, funny, tragic and unsettling film that is well handled by director John Crowley, and strongly performed by the cast. If only more films would have the balls to tackle such a sensitive subject. Superb.


Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Siobhan Finneran
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie