For A Few Movies More

My girlfriend and I have recently moved into a new apartment. And by new I mean it is a new place for me to live – the apartment itself is very old. There are cracks in the walls, rusty bathroom fittings, volatile stoves and loose cupboards. Basically its age gave way to its price which fit neatly in my budget. This budget is the reason why our TV is still the 15 year old 15 inch hand me down from my friend when he bought his new HDTV. Complete with stereo sound and one AV channel for the turn of the century DVD player, this cubic badboy was set to be my home entertainment system for many years to come. However, we invited some friends around who are also renting couples on tight budgets. We asked them to bring a few movies to choose from and when they came we learned that they had the standard CD pouch of illegal downloads and, more significantly, a projector. After some fiddling around with seating arrangements and plugging some yellow cords into the projector and red and white ones into the TV (gotta use that awesome stereo sound) we suddenly had the makings of a home cinema.  A few borrowed pirated DVDs and a look on ebay at some $250 projectors later and I started imagining leaving the old C Ray tuber on the curb and organising movie marathons at Eden’s Cine Plaza.

Much like the similar high-concept thriller Buried, I wasn’t sure how exactly 127 Hours was going to hold my attention for the 90-odd-minutes of its run time. I’d already heard the incredible true story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who had to sever his right arm after a boulder crashed on top of it, pinning him in place at the bottom of an isolated valley. But as amazing and awe inspiring as this tale is, I already knew what the outcome would be. And I hate to say it; I think the biggest selling point to me had to be the promise of a film detailing the brutal limb severing action in unflinching detail. I know, I know, that’s incredibly morbid etc. But my interest in this stems from my innocent curiosity to actually see how he went about executing this horrible deed in order to free himself. But luckily there happens to be far more to this story than one man sawing off his arm for an hour and a half. There’s a truly moving story of human perseverance that really allows you to leave the theatre feeling uplifted, plus the entire film is neatly packaged with some astounding visuals and a truly effective soundtrack to create an end result that’s an absolute delight for the senses.

I can’t say I’m one hundred percent familiar with every minor aspect of Aron’s story since my only exposure to it has been through news bulletins, so it’s hard for me to tell if every single piece of information that 127 Hours feeds us is pure fact. These are only small details, but I’d be really curious to find out if he actually did meet the two girls just before he found himself trapped, and did he really go that batshit crazy in the valley by himself. Anyway, these are but minute details and at the end of the day the important details are still in place. Aron (played by James Franco) is trapped and there’s only one way out of this situation for him, and it won’t be pretty. It may be hard to imagine just how the film will keep the audience engaged with its one man in a valley narrative. However it manages to rise above its seemingly limited concept with a clever screenplay that sees Aron flip-flopping his focus back and forward between his current, apparently helpless situation, and reflecting on past moments from his life. These flashback sequences, although brief in appearance, really allow the audience to engage with, and further learn about this enigmatic character while simultaneously breaking the growing sensation of dread as we move ever closer towards the already infamous arm cutting sequence.

To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of short films. I can understand the appeal of making them, and that they can be a great stepping stone, but as an audience member, I just can’t get excited about them. I’m a big fan of great characters and interesting stories and well-written dialogue. Short films – obviously! – don’t really give you much time to expand and do those things that I like best. It means that the format may work quite well for some genres, and do nothing for others. Comedy is perfect – you can tell a joke in a few minutes and get a laugh. Drama however, relies on spending time with a subject or character to make you feel something and connect with what you’re watching (my opinion on this coming through clearly in the recap below — most of my faves were funny ones).

But I decided to put all my personal feelings aside and get excited about Sydney’s own World’s Largest Short Film Festival – Tropfest. It’s no wonder that short films have kicked off they way have, in our world of YouTube and short attention spans. Everything is bite-sized, and that includes our entertainment. A short film festival – as much as I’m probably coming across as hating them – is a good idea though. Being outdoors with friends/family, having a picnic, and in a couple hours you’ve experienced over a dozen different stories. After experiencing it firsthand though, I must admit I’ve warmed up to short films much more. My only complaints are related to my personal people-hating habits  — smokers sitting nearby, drunk people stepping on your blanket, (super annoying) people talking too loudly during the screenings — so I don’t really have any faults with Tropfest itself. I’m not sure I agree with established/professional filmmakers being allowed to compete. It seems a bit of an unfair advantage as they — arguably — have access to more money, better equipment, and ‘good’ actors. But after seeing some of their work and finding it generally underwhelming, I guess I’ve found myself disproving my own theory (more on that below).

In short (pardon the pun) I had a great time and would definitely go again. Check out my humble opinions on the finalists. And grab a free DVD with this weekend’s SMH, or try finding them online, and tell us what you thought. Here’s to Tropfest 2012!

There are really two things than you say about Faster. Firstly, it may very well be contender for the prestigious award for the most clichéd movie ever made. EVER. We’ve got the classic tale of revenge backed up by the well worn cop on his last assignment before retirement plot, rounded off by the familiar hired killer takes one last job storyline. That’s literally three of the most overused plots all condensed to fit into the same movie. However this leads us to the second point about Faster, despite the overwhelming feeling of been there done that, Faster manages to overcome the odds and actually deliver a fun, fast paced action romp. No, it’s far from a masterpiece; it’s just one of those dumb, fun action flicks that are easy on the brain and a blast to cheer on. Plus it sees the The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) returning to what he does best — cracking skulls. That’s right, no more fairy wings, no more cute little kids and no more dogs pulling funny faces. Just The Rock kicking some serious ass.

While the plot of Faster may bring about a serious case of déjà vu, it still takes off to a promising start early on. After serving a long, hellish stint inside a violent prison, Driver (The Rock, and yes that is his character’s name) only has one thing on his mind, revenge. So it’s really no surprise when this angry, violent and clearly unreformed criminal starts to hunt down the men responsible for the death of someone close to him the second he sets foot out of prison. Thus starts a bloody rampage that eventually drags in a drug-addled cop close to retirement (Billy Bob Thorton) and a professional killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) both hot on Driver’s heels. There’s really not much more to the plot than that, which to be honest isn’t really a big deal since all the film aims to do is fling frequent action sequences our way all in the vein of an 80’s B grade action flick. Accompanying this is an overabundance of melodrama in the character stakes, but this just seems to further highlight the cheesy, easy on the brain nature of the film.

OK wait, wait. I can explain. I can explain! Look, I know just from the title of this article that I have probably cost myself any further writing privileges on For a Few Movies More – not to mention having lost any future movie debates with my friends by default –

“Well I think the best picture is between eith-”

“Umm Eden didn’t you once say you loooove Bring It On?”

“I never said I lov- “

“Yeah I think we’ve heard enough.”

- But to plead my case (even though I have already pleaded guilty), I don’t see this so much as a pleasurable movie experience but for some reason I have had countless guilty experiences watching it.

It is always the same story: I am sitting at home with very little to do and television becomes my last resort for entertainment (i.e. I was bored and lazy so I turned on the TV) and Bring It On happens to be one of those movies that has regular TV appearances, and for some reason every time it comes on TV I fall under its cheerleading charm. Here’s how it would go:

You know that feeling when you’re sitting in a cinema watching a truly enjoyable, high-quality film and you find yourself completely and utterly immersed in the events taking place on screen? All of your real world worries and concerns temporarily drift out of your mind to a far away place as the film in question grabs your total, absolute attention. If anything, I find that’s a clear indication that I’ve just watched an amazing film. But if that’s how I determine films of a high-calibre nature, then what are the warning signs that you may be watching a turkey (besides the obvious case of hating the film intently and silently with your mind)? Well let me help you out there.

Warning Sign #1 – A case of the wondering mind.
This is a phenomenon that occurs when a film simply cannot hold one’s attention and in turn, leads to the viewer’s mind to wonder about trivial and inconsequential factors in their life.
Warning Sign #2 – The concrete chair syndrome.
Setting in shortly after the previous warning sign, the main symptom is the inability for an audience member to get comfortable in their cinema chair. This leads to the frequent shifting and repositioning in the hope of finding some ancient, secret sitting position that will provide total enlightenment and a state of ecstasy, or at the very least, a comfortable way of sitting.
Warning Sign #3 – The “Why won’t this stupid fucking movie just end?” state of mind.
This usually sets in around the midway point of a film. Typically when an audience member thinks the film is nearly over, only to discover after checking their watch that there’s still another 45 minutes left. This is almost always followed by an exasperated groan or an audible bout of cursing.
Warning Sign #4 – Acceptance
Just face it, the movie sucks and it’s not going to get any better.

What’s the reason for listing the aforementioned warning signs? Because this is quite literally the exact pattern that I suffered through as I attempted to tolerate the action/“comedy”, The Green Hornet.

I feel that when it comes to watching films of a sub-standard nature, I have a pretty high tolerance. For some reason I can happily throw on a crappy B-grade slasher film any day of the week and effortlessly enjoy the bad acting, weak story and nonsensical plot lines unfolding before my eyes. However, amidst these fun guilty pleasures, every now and then I stumble across the sort of film that I simply cannot, nay, refuse to endure. The kind of film where every aspect feels flawed and/or rushed. A film in which both the teams working behind the scenes and in front of the camera form some sort of unholy alliance to manufacture an awful film of such magnitude that the only way to escape its wrath and to preserve one’s soul is to either switch the film off, or leave the cinema before it can inflict further damage. Now, in my time as a film geek, I have only ever walked out on or wilfully switched off a film midway a handful of times, but after my recent viewing of the 2010 Sci-fi/Action flick Repo Men, I’m going to go ahead and up that tally to a handful and one.

So to give you a brief insight into what I expected of Repo Men compared to what it delivered, allow me to give you a brief overview of the film. Repo Men is set in a not-too distant future where through the miracle of science, the prospect of replacing any damaged body part/organ is no longer science fiction. This miraculous act of replacing living organs with artificial ones is unfortunately undermined by the fact that the uber-shady corporation known as The Union sells this technology at such an unaffordable price, that it’s practically impossible for any average working class schmuck to afford the repayments. Thus enter the Repo Men, individuals assigned the messy task of reclaiming these organs by literally slicing them out of the unfortunate customer. Jude Law steps into the shoes of the character Remy, the toughest Repo Man on the block who is unlucky to find himself an unwanted recipient of an artificial heart courtesy of The Union after a disastrous accident. And surprise, surprise, after discovering he now suddenly has a conscience and is unable to continue with his Repo duties, Remy finds himself on the run from his former work colleagues. Now this admittedly enticing setup seems ripe with potential, it’s just a shame that I never found what would come of it seeing as how I couldn’t even make it past the 45 minute mark of the film…