(Berberian def; short for Berberian Sound Studio, a flick rated as the film of the year of 2012 by Britain's most established film critic Mark Kermode, but is actually, an exquisite waste of time).
'Park up the side alley my car-park is full'. Paul cried from the kitchen window as I rolled up to his gaff.
I duly do so.
'No park it on the curb, leave room for the tractors'. He said chucking spaghetti into a colander.
I get some revs and throw both wheels onto a high rustic step.
'No get the wheels on the grass beyond the curb, don't fuck up the grass though.' He ordered.
With a reluctant sigh I accelerated gingerly onto the precious grass, knocking out my exhaust on the curb. The belly of my car cried and a throaty explosion followed.
'FUCK IT!' I cried. 'Happy now? Got your two fucking inches worth of space?'
I abandoned the car, ate some spaghetti and watched Tyrannosaur with subtitles so Alicja could follow the dialogue.
MOVIE INFO
Joseph (Peter Mullan) is an unemployed widower with a drinking problem, a man crippled by his own volatile temperament and furious anger. Hannah (Olivia Colman) is a Christian worker at a charity shop, a respectable woman who seems wholesome and happy. When circumstance brings the pair together, Hannah appears as Joseph's guardian angel, tempering his fury and offering him warmth, kindness and acceptance. As their relationship develops, Hannah's own secrets are revealed - her husband (Eddie Marsan) is violent and abusive - and Joseph emerges as her unlikely savior. With striking performances and a deeply felt story, actor-turned-writer/director Paddy Considine's film is a stunning debut about the emergence of grace and redemption from the least likely of places.
The movie starts with a succession of 'cunts' and 'fucks' as the main protagonist (Peter Mullan) gets kicked out of a bookies and stamps his own dog to death. That pretty much sets the tone for the entire movie. What's funny about Peter Mullan is that he was the guy in Braveheart that told Mel Gibson he is not up for fighting the English;
'Fight? Against that? No. We will run. And we will Live."
Then Gibbo gives the freedom speech, persuades Mullan into battle and Mullan gets his fucking head chopped off. Nice one Gibbo.
But in stark contrast to that character Peter Mullan is up for a fight in pretty much every scene in this film. He is of course, a rather unsavoury character, but is eventually redeemed as the characters surrounding him are even more grotesque. He takes sympathy on his neighbours kid and this had shades of Gran Torino for me. But it mainly centres on a relationship with Olivia Colman, a Christian do-gooder of whom is subjected to some pretty nasty stuff from Eddie Marsan. He even pisses on her in her sleep!
As far as British Miserablism goes this is at the better end. There are moments where it needs a rocket up its arse. A few scenes where Mullan asks how Colman likes her tea I could have done without. And the soundtrack is pretty middle of the road for something this extreme.
Tomato Meter - 82% critics
Tomato Meter - 85% audience
Peter Meter - 78%
Last night I got a lift down to Cineworld by my buddy Rael and we watched Cloud Atlas.
MOVIE INFO
Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Each member of the ensemble appears in multiple roles as the stories move through time
I remember hearing a story about how the NME couldn't review The Beatles track 'Strawberry Fields' because it was so revolutionary and ahead of its time, it literally didn't know what to make of it. And for the first hour of this film I was getting those vibes. This could be either the best film I've ever seen, or the shittest. (Incidentally I researched that NME story to see if I could get any validation for that NME story, but came up with nothing, so most probably heresay).
There are many problems with Cloud Atlas and I feel I should address those first.
1. It's too fucking long. At one point I was wondering if this film was a practical joke. Imagine not knowing anything about a film, watching it, and it just never ends. It looks like it could end at any moment but at what point do you walk out? 3hrs? 5? So having that thought rattling around was not a good thing.
2. There is zero chemistry between Halle berry and Tom Hanks. Considering this film is based on how love is an entity that can survive even death, this for me was a problem.
3. There is about 10 different story-lines taking place in different passages of time. Only about 3 of them were interesting to me. Maybe it's a coincidence that Jim Broadbent was featured heavily in those story-lines, and the ones that were not so interesting, he cameos in.
Maybe not.
4. The tone of the film flicks between serious, comedy, serious, comedy. I found the balance shift slightly misplaced at times. But that's not necessarily a major flaw, black comedy can be pretty hard to pull off.
Ok that's enough negativity. But for a film this ambitious it puts itself out there to be shot at.
At the same time the ambition of the film should be heralded. You don't get many films that look like this and it should be commended for that. The couple of story-lines I enjoyed were done very well. The Whishaw and Broadbent scenes were the best ones for me.
Oh and there's a great sex scene in this, true true.
Tomato Meter - 66% critics
Tomato meter - 73% audience
Peter Meter - 74%
Last Sunday my best friend Paul got me some tickets to see my team Liverpool host Swansea at Anfield. My first time in going and we thumped the Welsh 5-0. Luis Suarez was omnipotent in that game and the 'You Never Walk Alone' theme sung seconds before kick off sent chills. So go watch Liverpool play at Anfield and NOT Tyrannosaur OR Cloud Atlas.
@thepeterbrooker
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