God Bless America

  God Bless America is a great concoction of truth and exaggeration. Frank (Joel Murray) is divorced, terminally ill and loses his job. After seeing endless rubbish on TV he finally has enough and goes on a killing spree with the unlikely accomplice of 16 year old Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr).
   Frank is finally pushed over the edge by all the reality shows and adverts on TV. Sadly many of these reality shows do exist in real life, such as 'My Super Sweet Sixteen' where you see horrid rich and spoilt teenagers plan a ridiculously huge party. Then there is the barrage of X Factor type shows, The Kardashians, Cribs...the list is endless. A spoilt teenager is Frank's first victim and it is Roxy who makes him realise that he should keep on killing people who "deserve to die" rather than killing himself.
   This is predominantly a comedy, but it also shows one of the issues in western society as a whole. Talentless people are worshipped and the wrong ideals are being set for the next generation. Why go to university to get a well paid job when you can just leak a sex tape and become rich overnight?
   Obviously I am not saying that I agree with murdering these people just because they're annoying and have no talent or self respect...maybe just a punch to the face would suffice. God Bless America is a well made humorous look at the ever growing problem of reality TV and fame.

For fans of annoying people getting killed, films that make a good point and comical killings.

Stars ****

Photo from www.guardian.co.uk

The Cove

   A group of activists and the well known Ric O' Barry attempt to infiltrate a cove in the town of Taiji, Japan to try and expose shocking acts of abuse on dolphins.
   I have been meaning to see this film ever since I saw a trailer for it back in 2009. However, somehow I've only just got round to seeing it! The Cove is one of the best documentaries that I have seen in a very long time.
   At the beginning I thought that the people slaughtering these dolphins in their thousands each year had a reason for it, even if it was wrong, but it turns out that they didn't. The fact that the chosen few that are taken away to be kept in captivity and perform as show dolphins are actually the lucky ones is heart wrenching. The rest are cornered into a secret, highly guarded cove and butchered. They are either falsely sold as 'whale meat' (as dolphin meat is high in mercury and is therefore poisonous), or just killed as they are 'pests'. Some of these fishermen actually believe that dolphins and whales are the cause of fisheries being in decline, which is ridiculous to say the least. The high profile activist Ric O' Berry believes that many of the problems of Taiji are made worse by the lack of effort from the government and possibly even a government cover up.
    I was thoroughly entrenched in this film. I felt the pain of the dolphins, and for the activists that tried so hard to uncover the full truth. I wouldn't say this is a film to be enjoyed, but it is a documentary that must be seen. Three years on and the killings continue, though they have marginally decreased since this film was released. The more people who know about this, the more chance there is for it to be stopped for good.

For fans of dolphins, hard hitting documentaries and a moral conscience.

Stars *****

These are just a few sites to visit if you want more information about supporting the activists:

www.savejapandolphins.org

www.taijiactiongroup.blogspot.com

www.thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-the-dolphin-slaughter/

www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

  After revisiting the Lord of the Rings trilogy to prepare myself for The Hobbit, I was worried that this new Tolkien trilogy could be as painfully corny as I found the great Lord of the Rings trilogy after re-watching it. Thankfully Peter Jackson manages to subdue the corniness and create a fascinating and exciting story. I don't feel that The Hobbit should be made into three films though, as the book is relatively short. However, if the next two are as good as the first then I'll have no complaints.
   Bilbo Baggins has a comfortable life in the Shire until Gandalf convinces him to join the dwarfs in a quest to regain their homeland. Martin Freeman does an excellent job as Bilbo Baggins and as a younger Ian Holm. It is also fun to see some of the old characters again, even Elijah Wood as Frodo returns! Somehow no one appears to have aged even though it's been a decade since Lord of the Rings.
   I was also concerned with the length of the film, but once again it manages to impress by keeping the storyline interesting and diverse, breaking up the dwarf quest with story developing scenes and flashbacks of what had happened to the dwarfs. There is an enjoyable mix of characters from Lord of the Rings, such as Gollum and new ones like goblins, stone giants and the Pale Orc.
   I'm very much looking forward to the next two installments to see if they live up to the first. It's a pity that they're being spread out over three years though, maybe every six months would have been better.

For fans of Lord of the Rings, Tolkien and an adventure.

Stars ****

Picture from www.telegraph.co.uk

Seven Psychopaths

   Seven Psychopaths looked awesome from the trailer and the film was even better! The first five minutes are excellent with Michael Pitt and Michael Stuhlbarg (both from Boardwalk Empire) in a hilarious and well acted scene as two mobsters waiting to do a hit.
   Sometimes too many well known actors in one film can overwhelm the story, however, this isn't the case here. Christopher Walken is at his comical best, along with Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell and the excellent Woody Harrelson. There are also some great cameos and smaller roles from Tom Waits, Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace).
   Marty (Colin Farrell) a struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes involved in the criminal underworld after his best friend and professional dog snatcher Billy (Sam Rockwell)  kidnaps a mob boss' much loved dog.   
   The story has a feeling of originality to it and follows an interesting concept, that being a psycho doesn't necessarily mean you have to be some sort of murdering maniac, though it does help.
   There's plenty of drama and emotion that mixes in perfectly with the laugh out loud humour. The psychopath stories told throughout by different characters add an extra layer to the story that puts Seven Psychopaths up there as one of the best films of the year.

For fans of huge laughs, great storytelling and psychopaths.

Stars *****

Catch .44

   I spotted Bruce Willis and Forest Whitaker on the front cover of this DVD and thought it might be worth a ganders. I wasn't disappointed either, well, apart from the end, but I'll come to that soon...Tes (Malin Akerman) and her two friends have a job to do for their crime boss Mel (Bruce Willis) and it sounded straight forward. All they had to do was intercept a drug deal that was going down on Mel's patch at a small and innocent diner. As the story unfolds it becomes more than just a simple drug interception.
   The flashback scenes being interspersed throughout the film help build up a picture of how all of the characters are in the situation they are in, adding edgy suspense which helps the plot build up to the final act. Whitaker is brilliant throughout, his almost schizophrenic personality as Ronny gives him the opportunity to show off his acting skills, with varying accents and an erratic personality.
   I think I could write a page or two on the ending, but to avoid making this a spoiler I'll try to explain my annoyance with as little detail as possible...Willis is only a supporting character, his scene with Whitaker was top notch, as the two great actors put on top performances. I foolishly let myself believe that I was going to get the ending I wanted, a different ending that would have made this film a 4 star in my eyes, but a star gets knocked off for what they decide to do.

For fans of great acting performances, gritty thrillers and annoying endings.

Stars ***

End of Watch

   Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena put on great performances as two young officers of the LA beat. At the beginning I didn't know if I liked their characters or not. They came across as immature, foolish cops with massive egos, however, they grew on me as the film progressed.
   A routine traffic stop leads to an address, which stirs Brian's (Gyllenhaal) curiosity, but ends up marking them both for death as they get on the wrong side of the Mexican cartel. The way the Cartel members come across makes it very easy to dislike them. Or maybe I just couldn't stand the way they talked...
   Brian records his shifts on camera even though his superiors and many other officers are not happy about it. This creates a great sense of gritty realism as many of the shots come from Brian's cameras. The film takes place in the darker side of LA, there's no Hollywood, big mansions or fancy living. This is the real world and a harsh one at that.
   End of Watch is a gripping crime thriller that also doesn't lay low on the humour. Jake Gyllenhaal is picking his films wisely and this is one definitely not to miss.


For fans of cops, realism and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Stars ****