Return of the Living SB Movie Experiment: Pontypool

[The Pixel]

Cockneys vs Zombies www.imdb.com/title/tt1362058/

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Angus

Suggested by Mister Pigwell


Let me warn you immediately that I have never been a fan of teen dramas/comedies. Even as a teen. I found them forced, unrelatable and worst of all, formulaic as all Hell. After the first minute you could predict the entire plot with absolute accuracy: awkward boy is unpopular at school at gets bullied and to make matters worse, the girl he likes ignores him and is attracted to or already dating the head bully. But one day an unusual event gives them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show their worth. Through the film, he will hustle in preparation for the big day (you better believe there'll be a montage) while the bullies will keep getting in his way. Just before the end, something will happen making it seem like all hope is lost, but then a deus ex machina will occur, saving the day. The bully gets his comeuppance, the girl falls for him and they all live happily ever after.

And I am sad to say this movie follows the formula to a T. It looks like it might actually break from it at first as it turns out the kid IS decent at sports, as usually this kind of film has a "nerd vs jocks" theme, but it quickly starts following the usual threads and in the end, it is the same thing we have seen a thousand times before. Even the moral of the story, that people should be accepted despite their differences rather than attacked because of them, is cliché as Hell and yes, it IS delivered through a speech from the main character to the bully at a prom with the public applauding at the end.

So yeah, this movie, while it has its moments, doesn't bring anything new to the table. On top of that I was rather annoyed by how manipulative and forced its attempts to draw emotions from the audience were at times. Oh no! Angus' father dies while his mother was giving birth to him! And the labor lasted two days! And oh no! His grandfather randomly dies mere minutes before his wedding! What are the odds? C'mon, guys! It's so sad!

And finally, there is one thing that really pissed me off, but since it comes at the very end I'll put it in a spoiler box:

SPOILER: Click to show

Angus withdrawing from joining Jefferson High School despite the fact that this is obviously something he really wanted to do and worked hard for, and instead deciding to stay at the school where he got bullied for years, but it's okay because he "got his moment". So the real moral of the story seems to be that you should abandon your dreams and avoid seeking an environment where you will be comfortable, doing something you enjoy and are good at AND will most likely be around like-minded people as long as you get your five minutes of fame in front of the ball queen.
Because that is what greatness is truly all about: a fleeting moment of superficial popularity which will soon be replaced by the usual statu quo, so forget about putting effort in becoming a better person by learning to move on from the things that eat at you and ensuring that your skills are used to their full potential someplace where they will be appreciated, just stay in an unhealthy, non-constructive environment because maybe, just maybe, you'll get to show off for a few minutes.

So yeah, didn't care much for that one. I am really not the audience for this kind of films and frankly even if I were, I doubt it would have made much of a difference.



Next on the list: Black Caesar

[Mister Pigwell]

^That may be the first honest critical review of Angus I've ever seen.

For most like myself, this movie is very much apart of their childhood... like Surf Ninjas or Heavyweights or Rookie of the Year (actually this list could go on forever I'll stop there on fun kid movies) so I can easily see the rose colored glasses I keep for this film.

Good review.

I'll wait another day to throw another one out to let you clear your queue a tad.

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Mar 23, 2014 19:42:06 GMT -5 Mister Pigwell said:

^That may be the first honest critical review of Angus I've ever seen.

For most like myself, this movie is very much apart of their childhood... like Surf Ninjas or Heavyweights or Rookie of the Year (actually this list could go on forever I'll stop there on fun kid movies) so I can easily see the rose colored glasses I keep for this film.

Good review.

I'll wait another day to throw another one out to let you clear your queue a tad.

Ha ha. I don't know if me trashing it makes it more honest than other reviews, but I'm glad you liked it. Like I said it did have a few genuine moments. I especially liked the grandfather's speech on bravery, which does make sense to me(which only made it all the more jarring to me that the film seemed to somehow misunderstand its own moral at the end as it seems to me to promote stubbornness rather than bravery). And to be fair, I was probably also a bit grumpy watching it as, well, I didn't like this kind of movies as a kid, so I'm certainly not going to like them as an adult.

But yeah, glad you're taking me tearing apart a film you seem to like and definitely very happy to see so many people already interested in this concept, especially since most of the films suggested so fare are stuff I wouldn't have thought of checking out myself.

[Glitch]

So are you gonna go through all the movies we suggested? *looks at Red Robin suggesting Serbian Film.* Well, this will be...interesting.

[Strotha]

Just because I'm forcing Bradley to watch it, The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover. Beautifully made art movie but I'm a sick bastard and find it utterly hilarious. The scenery, costumes, cinematography and everything are beautiful though.

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Alright, before we get to Black Caesar, I would like to (not-so-)briefly give my thoughts on the two movies I've already seen that I mentioned earlier:


A Serbian Film

Suggested by Jiren


I don't know if it says more about me that this is the first of the suggestions I have already seen, or more about Red Robin for trying to make an innocent virgin mind try to watch this had it been anyone other than me doing this.

But yes, A Serbian Film, one of the most infamously violent and offensive films in history and unlike crap like The Human Centipede or Hostel, it actually deserves that reputation (well, I suppose Hostel IS offensive, but only because our "heroes" in that movie like to throw homophobic slurs around like they're closeted politicians). And yet it's still not worth seeing.

The movie is about Milos, a retired male porn star contacted by his former colleagues to do one last job that will set him and his family for life (seriously? We're copying heist movie clichés for this?) AND restore the greatness of Serbia's film industry and culture. Because we all know how well pretentious Eastern European porny arthouse films always do internationally. Right off the bat, I have a problem with this as the movie tries really hard to sell us the idea that Milos and his family are the Serb everyperson and are rather poor (money problems is what supposedly convinces Milos to accept the job), but several shots show they must be pretty well off as they live in a nice two-story house with a wide garden in a posh neighbourhood and own two cars. These people are NOT poor. Not by any standard, and certainly not by Serbian standards. If they are that hard-up for cash, I think moving to a smaller house or sell one of their cars would be a more reasonable idea than accepting money to screw something without being told what it is or Hell, just shoot a porno for a company you actually trust.

Because oh yeah, when he meets the director to discuss possibly starring in the movie, he is almost literally told "just stick your dick in it and don't ask any questions" when he asks what exactly he will be asked to do. Because there's nothing suspicious about that and porn stars never care about what acts they're made to perform. I am finding it difficult to sympathize with this guy's plight when he is so obviously walking into a trap all because it will -maybe- make him money.

So shock of shocks, the guy paying you to f*** stuff in a secret area without telling you what it is turns out to be evil and his film turns out to be a snuff/rape film. He ends up drugged and forced to commit horrible acts, a scene requiring the phrase "NEWBORN PORN!!" to be shouted happens and they all die unhappily ever after.

The director of course tried to pull the ol' "it's not exploitation, it's very clever social satire and if you don't get it it's because you're too narrow-minded for my genius concept" that hack directors trying to make their trash look clever love to do (hey! Another thing this film has in common with Hostel!) by claiming it is all a parable for Serbian society during the years of dictatorship, because how are you going to talk about that WITHOUT a scene of some asshole raping a newborn? It's not like anyone would be interested in the actual story of dictatorship, ethnic cleansing and all that, right?

And just so we're clear, I have nothing against exploitation movies, but I do have something against hypocrisy and trying to pass crass stupidity as hidden genius, which is what this film is all about.

I will only give this thing one credit: the evil director from the movie remains convinced the entire time that he is making a grandiose art film and claims that it is a metaphor for the struggles of the Serb people and a satire of the Serbian film industry's obsession with victims, which you may recognize as the exact points the actual director of A Serbian Film claims he was trying to make, and just like in-universe, all he really did was shoot a bunch of pointless, absurdly violent scenes and slapped a message over it. So I feel the director might have actually been going for some kind of meta thing to satirize pompous pretentious films that claim to be more intelligent than they are because otherwise, that would imply that the director didn't realize the hypocrisy of his film and what are the odds of that ever happening? HA HA HA!!

But, you know, even assuming I'm not just reading too much into it, it still doesn't make the movie good as it doesn't understand the difference between satirizing something and partaking in it.




The Truman Show

Suggested by Red Impact


Well, that's certainly more pleasant. AND more intelligent, with symbolism that actually symbolizes something. Things that are actually related to the movie even! In fact, it is one of my favourite movies ever.

This is the movie that single-handedly made Jim Carrey go from "that guy who sure can mug a lot" to "that guy who sure can mug a lot and is one hell of a f'n good actor too" in the collective mind. He really shows his range in this film and turns out to be the perfect choice for the role, as his earnestness and positive energy really helps you identify and sympathize with Truman.

The story is that of Truman Burbank. A regular clean-cut guy who works at an office, lives in a nice neighbourhood with a loving wife and generally seems to have fun just minding his own business. His only real problem in life is his crippling phobia of water which prevented him from ever leaving his home town, which happens to also be an island. Oh and I forgot to mention he's unwittingly the star of a reality-TV show that has been following him his whole life. Actually it even started following him a bit earlier than that as they show images of him as a fetus still inside his biological mother's womb. However, he starts noticing strange happenings and odd patterns which make him start questioning his world.

It's a very good film in many different ways. Of course it harps on the voyeuristic aspect of reality shows, but also parodies the fact that there is nothing real about them, as it is established that every person important to Truman is an actor following a script and they even occasionally start doing product placement in the middle of a conversation, and there is even an interview with the show's director who explains what events they intend to make happen in the future, showing that the "real" show is completely scripted except for Truman's reactions.
In fact, the way the show's inner works are depicted is what sells the movie for me. It may not seem important considering the film's focus is on Truman's increasing suspicions and how he deals with them, but it is vital in making the story believable, especially as you then understand why he never questioned it earlier: he's been used to this artificial life since birth so why would he find any of it weird?

There's also plenty of religious symbolism with the director essentially being God as he controls the weather, the time and various random events that push Truman one way or the other, but it is done subtly enough that it doesn't beat you over the head with it and it isn't distracting. It becomes more obvious towards the end of the movie but again, it is well executed so it isn't a problem.

Finally, I would like to say that another aspect of the movie I really liked is the numerous shots of people watching the show. Again, it isn't very important in the grand scheme of things, but it is a detail that adds a nice touch of realism as it shows how much this show is affecting people and what I found particularly interesting about it is that the film is surprisingly not judgemental of the audience, who is portrayed as rather sympathetic and curious people who genuinely care about Truman's well-being rather than creepy voyeurs.

[Joker]

Well that covers A Serbian Film then ,lol

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Black Caesar

Suggested by kidglov3s


Sorry it took me longer than I would have preferred to write this, I've had a busy day. Anyway, this is a film that'll be tough to talk about for me because even though it is the first blaxploitation movie I've seen (celebration!), I didn't feel very strongly about it either way. I mean I did enjoy it while I was watching it and I certainly don't regret seeing it, it's just the kind of films I feel I won't need to watch again.

I will say this though. It was a Hell of a lot darker than I expected. When I hear "blaxploitation", I think campy martial arts/cop flicks with disco music all around, but this is not one of those. It's definitely a hard and gritty mobster movie. Something Tarantino might have made if he'd try his hand at a realistic movie.

The problem I have with this movie is that there's nobody to really root for. Tommy himself is a mob boss so of course he won't be a good person. But seeing that he's also a bully even by mob standards and a rapist to top it all off, he really isn't even an anti-hero, just kind of an ashole. An asshole with a personality, and a well written asshole, but an asshole nonetheless. The other mob bosses are the kind of racist shitheads you might expect from a movie like this so they're right out too and the more likeable characters like Joe and Helen are rather bland and don't get much development. So in the end, I was just kind of watching stuff happen on screen and while it IS good stuff, I didn't feel very invested. And I think that's why I think I have no strong feelings towards this film: to make the audience care, you have to give them a goal, to make them want to see one of the sides win, and this didn't do it for me.

So yeah, decent movie, worth a watch, but not more than one.


Next on the list: Bon Cop, Bad Cop

[stealthamo]

You know, if I didn't have a ton of stuff to watch already, I might do something like this. And I only say might because one of the first suggestions was A Serbian Film. Anyways, I could go a number of different ways with a film pick, but I'll go with a classic:


Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

[armbar]

Let's go for some good old fashioned hockey. Slap Shot that is.

[kidglov3s]

Awesome read. I find the nihilism in Black Ceasar to be the most interesting element. That they chose to make Tommy the bad guy in line with the classic gangster films rather than a sympathetic avenging force, as most blaxploitation films would. I'd be curious to see your thoughts on a 30s gangster film after reading that.

Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (1932)

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Mar 24, 2014 20:19:30 GMT -5 kidglov3s said:

Awesome read. I find the nihilism in Black Ceasar to be the most interesting element. That they chose to make Tommy the bad guy in line with the classic gangster films rather than a sympathetic avenging force, as most blaxploitation films would.

Yeah, like I said, I was surprised by how dark and serious this movie was, which was a rather good thing as it gave weight to the actions, but I would have just liked it if the few characters who weren't completely rotten had gotten a bit more attention. I'm not saying they should have won, but be more developed, if only to counterbalance people like Tommy and McKinney. After all, if you want to show how evil these people are, you've got to show that the people they exploit are better than them.

[kidglov3s]

Mar 25, 2014 4:14:59 GMT -5 SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman said:

Mar 24, 2014 20:19:30 GMT -5 kidglov3s said:

Awesome read. I find the nihilism in Black Ceasar to be the most interesting element. That they chose to make Tommy the bad guy in line with the classic gangster films rather than a sympathetic avenging force, as most blaxploitation films would.

Yeah, like I said, I was surprised by how dark and serious this movie was, which was a rather good thing as it gave weight to the actions, but I would have just liked it if the few characters who weren't completely rotten had gotten a bit more attention. I'm not saying they should have won, but be more developed, if only to counterbalance people like Tommy and McKinney. After all, if you want to show how evil these people are, you've got to show that the people they exploit are better than them.

Maybe that's where the overwhelming charisma of Fred Williamson as Tommy Gibbs throws things off balance. Like on paper Joe and Helen are more balanced against Tommy than they are on-screen because Hammer's mojo just gobbles everything up.

I notice that some of the things that make Black Ceasar a movie I've watched countless times (namely the stolen shots in New York City as it is, as it was and the James Brown songs) couldn't supplant the problems you found with the story. I'm really fascinated by how often it seems to be proven true that the story is the most important thing. To be honest I never really considered the story on its own merits, because I've always viewed it through the prism of how it was playing with the narrative dynamics of the gangster genre.

[Deleted]

The Seventh Seal

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Bon Cop, Bad Cop

Suggested by @supersweetbotch


Again, not a genre I'm fond of (even though I love crime stories), as much like teen dramas, I find buddy cop movies predictable, and I often find them to try too hard to be funny. However, this one was a very pleasant surprise, precisely because it doesn't follow the usual trends.

The story is that of two Canadian cops, David Bouchard from Québec and Martin Ward from Ontario, who have to team up to solve the case of the murder of hockey executive Benoit Brisset, whose body was found right over the Québec/Ontario border, and it soon turns out that they are dealing with a serial killer.

Like I said, the usual conventions are quickly thrown out the window. Sure the two don't like each other (at first) but they at least manage to remain professional about it whereas most similar movies would have had them go on a dick measuring contest over anything. In general, their relationship is very believable, which makes the characters all the more endearing and while they do take potshots at one-another, it feels more like a relatively friendly rivalry than two immature manchildren being dicks to one-another for the sake of being dicks to one-another.

In fact, in general, for a comedy cop movie, the comedy side is rather restrained. It is light-hearted but the humour isn't shoved down our throats, it feels very natural and, again, believable; you can buy these people acting the way they do in their situation. Most importantly, this film knows when to stop being a comedy and play things straight. As a result, the emotional scenes also feel genuine whereas in most other buddy cop movies, they would have come across to me as a hamfisted attempt to gain the audience's sympathy.

And of course, the actual plot is very interesting too. I found myself way more invested in it than I would have expected and I really wanted to see these guys crack this case open, and it somehow manages to make you believe in the seriousness of a hockey-themed serial killer.

But what really made this film appeal to me was how it played around with clichés, making them new again. I always like movies that manage to do that. For instance, David is divorced, but not only did it NOT turn him into an alcoholic wreck of a man, he is still in good terms with his ex-wife AND his daughter! And they don't even have him hook back up with his ex! On top of that, in one of the very first scenes, it is established that David's daughter has a dance recital later that day and he promises he'll be there even though he had forgotten before his ex reminded him of when it is. Once I saw this, I braced for the inevitable scene of him remembering at the last moment and arriving just too late, making his daughter mad... and was shocked to find they had him actually arrive on time and, believe it or not, actually had it be relevant to the plot. Even the killer is surprisingly creative. He's wearing a hockey mask so might expect some kind of Jason Voorhees knockoff, but he is nothing like that and even the mask doesn't use the old-school mask with air holes look and is more of a steel grid.

Overall a very entertaining and refreshing take on the genre. I highly recommend it even if you're not big on cop movies, buddy or otherwise.


Next on the list: My Name Is Nobody

[Deleted]

Since Ssnakebite liked my Canadian movie suggestion I'm going to suggest two more. Fubar and Fubar 2 (watch them in order) and these two entries can be 24 hours apart to make it fair for everyone else. The first one is very low budget and the second one has a way better production. Any person who works in the rigs or up north considers Fubar 2 a documentary rather then a comedy.

Edit: Also Ssnakebite did any of the NHL jokes or references or allusions to the story go over your head or ruin the experience? When I saw this movie with someone who doesn't know anything about hockey, I was constantly asked to explain it? Assuming you don't follow hockey or anything

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Mar 25, 2014 18:58:03 GMT -5 @supersweetbotch said:

Since Ssnakebite liked my Canadian movie suggestion I'm going to suggest two more. Fubar and Fubar 2 (watch them in order) and these two entries can be 24 hours apart to make it fair for everyone else. The first one is very low budget and the second one has a way better production. Any person who works in the rigs or up north considers Fubar 2 a documentary rather then a comedy.

Edit: Also Ssnakebite did any of the NHL jokes or references or allusions to the story go over your head or ruin the experience? When I saw this movie with someone who doesn't know anything about hockey, I was constantly asked to explain it? Assuming you don't follow hockey or anything

*Whacks SuperSweet's fingers with a ruler* I said only ONE suggestion per post!! Therefore only Fubar counts! See, it's because of things like this that you're not a sexual fantasy any more!


But more seriously, the NHL references didn't bug me at all. If there were any I missed, it certainly didn't get in the way, and that's from the POV of someone' who's entire knowledge of hockey comes from playing NHL 2002 way too much (seriously, this is one of the best sports games ever). Honestly I didn't feel you need to know much, if anything, about hockey to follow the story.
For example, when checking IMDb I found out the character called Harry Buttman is a reference to real-life NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, but you really don't need to get it to enjoy the movie. While watching, I just thought Buttman was a bit of stupid name and a surprisingly unsubtle joke considering the rest of the movie is still fairly believable.
And again, I don't feel the jokes are the film's biggest asset so I don't feel you lose anything by not getting them as the characters, atmosphere and story are strong enough on their own. Really for the most part the jokes are the kind of banter you'd expect from real-life taking the mick out of one-another.
Again that's actually what I liked about this movie: unlike most buddy cop movies, it doesn't try too hard to get big fat laughs.

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Il mio nome è Nessuno (My Name is Nobody)

Suggested by Drillbit Taylor


I had actually seen bits of pieces of this one (the fair and Nobody stealing the train) but never the whole thing and I liked what I saw so I was very much looking forward to this one, not to mention I have a soft spot for spaghetti westerns. And I must say it did not disappoint. The plot is both very simple and very surprising. A man who keeps referring to himself as "Nobody" meets his childhood idol Jack Beauregard and insists that he must end his life by single-handedly taking on the 150 members of a mercenary group called the Wild Bunch. And the whole film is pretty much Nobody doing his damnedest to make it happen.

The film is also something of a parody of spaghetti westerns... and yet it remains in my opinion one of its greatest representatives. This of course owes a lot to its atmosphere and while Leone isn't credited as director (Tonino Valerii is given full credit), his influence is undeniable, especially with the long, silent scenes that somehow manage to suck you in the entire time. The entire thing feels like what The Good, the Bad and the Ugly would be if it didn't take itself seriously and much like Bon Cop Bad Cop, it works because it doesn't try too hard to make you laugh (although it does feel a lot more like a comedy than that movie). Okay, maybe Morricone's score self-parody takes it a bit further but it's not distracting and it does help the movie's atmosphere so I'm fine with it.

The other strong asset this movie has is of course Nobody himself, who also feels like a less serious (and certainly less brutal) version of Blondie and honestly, I find to be an even more interesting character as I always liked the "unassuming badass" type of character and I find him more layered. In fact, I can't help but feel he must have inspired the character of Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop in many ways. Just watch the scene where he's asked to bring a bomb to Beauregard and tell me you can't picture him with a green jewfro. Nobody represents this movie well: he's cool, he's fun, he knows it and knows that he doesn't need to overdo it to gain everybody's attention.

So in short, it's a fun movie that works both as a parody and a straightforward work and much like Nobody, it's more clever than it lets on. A must see for all western fans (and I feel even non-fans would like it a lot), especially if you would like something lighter than the usual spaghetti western fare.

Also, out of 5 movies so far. This is the second one to have Jean Martin as a major character and also the second one to have a scene establishing a main character by having him shoot someone in a barber shop early on. What are the chances?


Next on the list: Pan's Labyrinth

[Drillbit Taylor]

Glad you liked it. I Think it is a great part of its genre that is often overlooked.

Adding Cobra Verde