Bridesmaids

Firstly what this film is not, Bridesmaids isnt a female version of The Hangover, its been billed as such in some places and this isnt really a good comparison for the film, for a start it sets the bar way too high and secondly its not anything like it, apart from the fact they have a wedding at the end theres very little to tie them together.

The story is about Annie, Kristen Wiig, who is a failed bakery store owner who now scrapes a living in a jewelry store, where her jaded outlook on life sends customers running for the door. Her best friend  Lillian, Maya Rudolph gets engaged to Doug and asks Annie to be maid of honour. The rest of the bridal party finally meet at the engagement party and fun ensues as Annie tries to arrange everything she is responsible for while trying to outdo Helen, Rose Byrne, who is married to Doug’s boss, she is fabulously wealthy as well as beautiful and talented, Annie hates her straight off the bat.

The rest of the bridal team is made up of Melissa McCarthy as Megan ,Lillian’s new sister in law a raucous larger Lady with a dark side, Rita, Wendi McLendon-Covey ,Lillians cousin who is mother to three boys and wants to escape the abuse and drudgery that comes with her marriage and Beca, Ellie Kemper ,a work colleague of Lillian who is newly married and see life as all sweetness and light.

The story moves from event to event which is very American in the set up and isnt too familiar to UK audiences unless you watch a lot of TV movies, theres the bridal breakfast before the wedding dress fittings, the bachelorette party and the bridal shower.

There is plenty of funny stuff happening at each event, some gross and some just silly but in between Annie’s who is a fuck buddy for a handsome rich guy and pretending she’s cool with it, is romanced by an unlikely Irish Wisconsin state trooper, Chris O’Dowd, has run ins with her English room mate and his stupid sister and regular meet ups with her bitter mother who is desperate for her to move in with her.

Things dont go too well in almost every facet of Annie’s life and she manages to royally screw up everything, often with hilarious consequences and her role in the wedding gets passed onto a triumphant Helen. The ending is almost predictable but for a hangover style guest at the wedding and the ending is OK if not mind blowingly original.

I think the concept that this is a Hangover style movie hurts its chances of acceptance by the audience as I heard some guys on dates complaining as we left it was a chick flick, which I can see where they are coming from but disagree to a point. The humour isnt all female slanted, although the funniest stuff is when they are being unladylike and there is a fair bit of toilet humour and visual gross out gags.

Megan is a terrific character as she is a totally uncouth, foul mouthed and always on, as they say. She proves to be a great help later in the film and her story at the end gets the most laughs, watch the end credits is all I will say on that one. Annie wasn’t very likeable from a male perspective and she seemed to deserve everything that happened to her which I dont think is supposed to be the case, having Rose Byrne as the ” Baddy” was a mistake as she is too likeable and you dont get behind Annie in their duel of bitchiness.

The Irish state trooper is never quite explained although it does get brought up and there are some bits which seemed to have no point to them, Lillians dad being a miserable git for a few seconds etc. Also the inclusion of Matt Lucas and his ridiculous sister serves no purpose, and by ridiculous I mean bad not funny. The mother is an addition that serves no comedic value and adds nothing dramatically so why bother, I recognise the actress from some eighties soap opera and maybe thats the joke, if it was it didnt travel well.

On the plus side some of the laughs are genuinely belly laughs, usually from some gross moment or brought about by Megan although Annie’s exit from her job is an instant classic moment which had some people gasping as they laughed which is the highest of accolades in my mind. I will say one thing for the film and that is the preview showed some things that arent in the film and that was a blessing as so often the funniest jokes are telegraphed by the preview and leave nothing of note in the movie.

On the whole this is a decent comedy with some very funny moments and worth a watch, more of a date film than a guys night out.

Green Hornet

 

Green Hornet is brought to us by the team who wrote Superbad  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and its apparent straight away that they have set a similar tone for this Super hero adventure.

Seth Rogen,  plays Britt Reid who is also the titular Green Hornet a wealthy young man, son of a media tycoon who has recently taken on a crusade against crime in LA, who is wasting his life on partying and womanizing much to his fathers disgust. When Ried senior dies of a bee sting his sons inherits all his dominions and sets about living life to the max, letting his fathers news paper The Sentinel be run by the old family friend, who advises Britt to stay well clear and let things run smoothly without him.

Finding his morning coffee has dramatically fallen in quality over night he is told that Cato, one of the members of his fathers staff he sacked the day before is responsible for the great coffee. Cato, Jay Chou, is a complex young man who invented things for Mr Reid and looked after his fleet of classic automobiles. They strike up a friendship and after much alcohol is imbibed they set out to remove the head from the statue of Jack Reid placed in front of his grave. Job done Reid witness’s an attack on a young couple by a gang of thugs and he intervenes without any idea of what he is going to do, he runs and meets up with Cato who uses his almost supernatural abilities to disarm the thugs and beats them off, Reid delivering the final blow once the hard work is done.

The press latch onto the fact they had disfigured the statue and portray them as criminal, a fact reid loves and he sets out a plan to work against crime from the inside, the Green Hornet is born, at least in principal the name comes out of a session with the Sentinels reporting staff where they are told to push this story to the max.

Meanwhile the head of the local crime syndicate Chudnofsky, is suffering from low self esteem after a rather brash new crime boss insults his style and general ferociousness, after blowing up the night club where the new gang had set up shop he deliberates over his current style and looks for a more dynamic persona, the emergence of the Green Hornet at first is of no consequence, at least according to his lackeys.

Reid then meets his new secretary Lenore Case, Cameron Diaz, a journalistic type who gives him the lowdown on the demise of the Sentinel over recent years and her theories on what and where the hornet will strike next, using John Gotti‘s rise to the head of New Yorks crime families as an example of text book villainy. Using her ideas Reid and Cato set out on a spree of damaging attacks against the local drug dealers and hoodlums, leaving a calling card with an e mail address on, which makes its way back to Chudnofsky, now no longer convinced the Hornet isnt going to affect business, other members of his syndicate are dissenting, if the Hornet is independant then why not them. Chudnofsky, Christopher Waltz, is humorous and dangerous in equal measure and his murderous temper is fun to watch, his disbelief when the Korean KIm, is bitching about him is great, ” I should kill him myself, he’s a friend after all” they send an E mail to the Gmail address and arrange for a meeting in a piece of waste ground.

The trap is set and in getting out of the situation they manage to kill one Chudnofsky’s best henchmen so revenge is his only thought. The two hero’s fall out about the level of planning Reid put in and the have a physical fight, which Cato easily wins so the part with enmity. Meantime a bounty of $1,000,000 is put on the Green Hornet and the gangs of LA start to bump off anyone wearing green in an effort to get the dough, the paper bosses are blaming Reid for pushing the Hornet story so hard and Cato feels guilty but is powerless to do anything without access to the vehicle or equipment at Reids mansion.

He checks the Gmail and receives an offer of peace if he is willing to kill Reid which he accepts, Ried is meeting the DA his father had been in cahoots with over recent years, down playing crime in order to make him look like he was doing a great job, The DA tell Reid he is powerless in this situation and he had better toe the line or die like his father, the DA confess’s to injecting his father with some powerful venom, usually associated with bees, then the fun starts as Cato emerges, with chudnofsky, now renamed Bloodnofsky in a rebranding effort which involves speech when he kills as well. The whole thing kicks off and there is a great car chase with guns and bombs a plenty. the finale happens at th Sentinel where Reid is forced to fight without Cato as he is tied up with his own fights.

The result is quite fun and as usual there is plenty of humour as it goes along at a good pace throughout. The film isnt a classic, never was going to be with this subject matter but it does stand at least a couple of watches, the cast is good and the dialogue is really good, witty and cool at the same time. the visuals are very cool also and Cato is portrayed with the highest level of intelligence and skills as opposed to the series where he was a fighter alone. the ending is just right and although there could be more I dont think there should be as this sits well on its own. on the whole a very good film which will entertain all but the most hardened Fanboy.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is HBO’s epic new series set in a mythical world of Westeros where there has been political upheaval over recent years and intrigue and military power are the order of the day.

Sean Bean stars as Eddard Stark lord of Winterfell, the most northerly province of the Seven Kingdoms ruled over by King Robert Barratheon,John Addy, Eds good friend and long time ally, the story starts with the death of John Arryn, the hand of the king, essentially his military advisor and second most powerful man in the kingdoms, Rob sets out for Winterfell to drag Ed back as his new hand, a role he is loathe to take but duty to his king is everything and he succumbs. The Queen Cersei Lannister, Lena Headey, is a conniving bitch who is involved incestuously with her twin brother Jaime, Starks youngest son accidentally spies their carnal relations and is thrown from the tower they are in, resulting in him being paralysed from the waist down and with no memory of what transpired.

Leaving his son and family, except his two daughters, Sansa now betrothed to Joffrey the kings heir and Arya a tom boy, he takes to the long road to Kings Landing the seat of power and where the Iron throne sits. In the meantime dark events have transpired north of the wall, a huge barrier hundreds of feet high that protects the northern borders of the kingdom, put there to defend against the Winter Walkers, a legendary enemy of incredible power, the wall is manned by the Black Watch recruited from the jails of the kingdom these men live an almost monastic life and pledge to serve until death. Eds oldest son , a bastard decides to follow his uncle into service and he is treated badly by his peers because of his lineage until his skills become apparent and their respect is earned. They are seeing strange occurrences, dead rangers and movement of the Wildings, the humans who live north of the Wall.

Meanwhile in the southern most lands of Westeros another of the many dynastic families is trying to make alliances with a fierce nation of horse warriors the Dothraki, Viserys Targaryen and his sister Daenerys are the only survivors of the previous kings family and they plan to ally themselves with the Dothraki and set out to regain their birthright, Viserys ambition is all encompassing and he forces his sister into a marriage with the Khal of the nations,Drogo, uncaring for her well being just the military power the ties of marriage will bring him. His hold over her slips as she learns to please her barbarous husband and she exerts her power as the Khalesi.

The great families of the realm are the Baratheons, the Lannisters, the Starks, the Tully’s, Grey Joy, Arryn and Tyrell, all have power over their realms but the Lannisters are covetous of the throne and plan to take with guile what was won with brawn, Joffrey being the fruit of incestuous union between the queen and her brother. Stark eventually comes to find out this unholy truth and the consequences of this knowledge are far reaching and devastating. The Targaryens have mixed experiences from their Dothraki alliance, where Daenerys thrives , falling pregnant and becoming beloved by her people her upstart of a brother offends his hosts with his brash expectation of obedience, eventually going too far and being killed in a fairly grisly fashion.

Meanwhile the Starks have discovered the cause of Brans injuries and set out to get vengeance, taking the youngest Lannister son hostage, the Imp, Tyrrion who is a dwarf and the reason his mother died in the eyes of his father Tywin. The Imp is the most likeable character in the series and his love of sex and wine make him an unlikely hero, his wit and honesty being disarming even when he faces death for the actions of his more devious family members.

With Ed imprisoned for treason on the death of King Robert his family call in the Banners and set out to free him from the claws of the Lannisters, Robert the new head of the family has to win over the seasoned warriors his father commanded and with his mothers help gain alliances with the other houses.

As the series ends there is a war going on, Khal drogo is dead along with his unborn child and Sansa is in the hands of a crazed Joffrey, the Lannister armies have suffered reverses and Jaime is in the hands of the Starks, the Black Watch venture north of the wall to fight whatever has taken Benjen Stark, Eddards brother and Jon Snows uncle, and scaring whole villages of wildings away from their homes. Winter which in Westeros is not just a season but can last for years is certainly coming, and times are changing for everyone in the kingdom, the final scenes of newly born dragons  climbing all over Daenerys, The Targaryens once subdued the kingdom with the power of the dragons, leaves the future open for some great stuff to come.

The series is based on the books of George R R Martin which I havent read so cannot comment on their faithfulness to the books but he is a an exec producer on the show so he must have been in on the production and story plans. The story is quite slow to build and I was doubting whether i would be able to continue watching by the third episode as all the action happened in the first pilot episode then settled into a drama about politics and family, not what was billed. It does however pick up and the HBO ethos is there to be seen, sex and violence abound, nudity is everywhere, sometime for very weird reasons, and the dialogue is fruity with profanity.

You do get invested in some of the characters and it can be very confusing when you try and work out who is on whose side, especially at the court of the Iron Throne where the councillors are always plotting to gain some advantage, especially when Joffrey is crowned and the power rests with the Lannisters through his mother. The cast is very good, mainly british and they add to the richness already in place thanks to some terrific settings and costumes. I know there is plenty still to come and by the end of the series I was left wanting more of the same, the pacing issue seemed to be resolved and there was something of note in most episodes towards the end with a terrific penultimate episode that sees a death that few expected and certainly not in the amazing manner it happens.

Ultimately this will appeal the fantasy fans most but there is something for everyone, although adult in content, and although some, like my wife who baulked at the incest scene and never watched again, will not take to the rough and ready aspect , its certainly not akin to Tolkien they will be rewarded with some great action, intrigue and characters.

Bad Teacher

The Bad Teacher in question is Elizabeth Halsey, Played by Cameron Diaz, who is teaching to pass time while she plans her expensive wedding to her multi millionaire fiance. The fiance wises up to her gold digging just in time to prevent the wedding and she is back in the John Adams Middle school, affectionately known as JAMS teaching a year seven class.

She is shallow obnoxious and obsessed with bagging a rich man, so when the new substitute teacher Scott, Justin Timberlake, turns out to be part of a well known watch making family she sets her sights firmly on him. Her erstwhile neighbour at the school a zany, passionate teacher called Amy Squirrel, Lucy Punch, also has thing for the new sub and they get on like a pair of peas in a pod. Halsey seeing a photo of the subs ex notices her large breasts and sets out to get herself a new rack, costing almost 9k she is desperate for money. She starts a slush fund and uses all her wiles to get the money but is always coming up short, she bemoans her lack of money to a fellow teacher who mentions the chance of a 5.7k bonus for the best scores in the county test so she changes her approach, ditching the continuous flow of inspirational high school films that she shows her class and goes on an educational bender to get the up to speed. Fearing the worst she sets out to steal a copy of the answers and much fun ensues.

Her attention on Timberlakes character is taken away on occasion by Russell the gym teacher, Jason Segel, who tells her is like a Terminator and wont give up on the chase to get into her knickers. A school trip to Springfield, which she tricks Amy out of, gives her a chance at at Scott which she takes, ringing Amy while the dry hump to rile her even more.

The cheating comes to light through investigative work by Amy and Halsey pulls out all the stops to get herself out of trouble, eventually sending poor Amy into relapse of the incident that happened in 2008, that’s as much as we know about it, just the date but it implies a breakdown. As with all american movies the love story sets in at the end and everything works out for Halsey.

The film is really very funny in places, Diaz is excellent as the horrible Halsey and some of her actions and comments are truly deplorable but hilarious at the same time. The poor kids are subjected to all manner of rude behaviour as are the rest of the school faculty especially the poor principal who is fooled by her pretend shared affection for dolphins. Segel is always good and manages to soldier on with is attempts to court in the face of some very pithy comments and put downs, he makes the romance bearable even if it does let the movie down in many ways.

There are some stand out moments in the film, the car wash scene being one along with the seduction of the county examiner and it is well worth a watch there are some weak performances though, Timberlake isnt great and the dumpy friend is almost a pastiche of so many other previously seen characters that she isnt as funny as she could have been. This film is all about rude and obnoxious behaviour and there isnt too much in the way of redemption in the end which is good.

Spartacus Blood and Sand

This is the original series that spawned the prequel Gods of the Arena. It start Andy Whitfield as the titular Spartacus a Thracian warrior who is betrayed by Rome, sold into slavery while his beloved wife Sorra is given over to the legionaries then sold as a slave in Asia.

Spartacus is bought as a political manoeuvre by Batiatus to please Claudius Glaber the very roman who had betrayed Spartacus in the first place, the idea was originally for him to die at the hands of the gladiators in punishment for defying Rome however the warrior kills all four men and as such leaves Glaber with a problem, the crowd demand his life and he does not want him to survive and Batiatus assures him the Thracian will not live long at his lutus, as he is buying for personal gain the price is inflated, a reason for him to have grudge against Spartacus. the name Spartacus is only given after his victory in the arena by Senator Albinus the sponsor of the games, it is the name of a famous Thracian king.

When Spartacus joins the Ludus he is thrown to wolves as he is bullied by the Gladiators who are already branded, he befriend Varrus who has chosen to enter the games to pay off debts, they form an alliance and get each other through the initiation process and into the ranks of Gladiators, Crixus the champion of Capua is arrogant and unforgiving and Spartacus challenges him only to be defeated by his superior technique. Hos life spared to fight again he sets out to improve enough to have vengeance, having to endure the Pits an underground fighting scene where he learns to be dirty and lethal at the same time.

After a famous victory over an unbeaten legend, almost killing Crixus in the process, he becomes champion of Capua, all this is done on the proviso that Batiatus will return his wife to him if he performs well. Batiatus kills Sorra just before she arrives and she dies in Spartacus’s arms, the callous act meant to focus his man on the challenge of being the Champion.

The cast is very good with John Hannah and Lucy Lawless as Batiatus and his Lucretia, both immoral and conniving but loyal to each other and the cause of their ludus.they are supported by some top notch acting and the standard is good across the board. The quality of the production is very strange, some of the scenes are almost comic like with blood and limbs being super imposed onto the scene. the gratuitous sex gets a bit dull after a while and mens cocks never really make for TV in my opinion. The drama dn intrigue are very worth while and seeing the seedier side of Roman provincial life with its scheming politicians and there dreadful wives as well as the battle between the ludus for primacy in Padua makes for some rather uncomfortable scenes.

ultimately this is a sex and violence fest, with a better than average cast who pull it up above the level it should have been, once you get past the silly effects and into the story its good, my main complaint is they have called it Spartacus, I loved the film and even the remake a few years ago was decent bu this has no relation to the story at all beyond him being a Thracian gladiator, they could easily have renamed the main character and made a stand alone series about gladiators to the same effect. that said its a decent hours worth of entertainment and you never know it could improve immeasurably in the last couple of episodes.

Spartacus Gods of the Arena

I missed out on the whole Spartacus thing, on TV anyway and this prequel was my first glimpse at the world of Batiatus and his ludus, the endless politicking, sex and violence that was the basis of the original  series success.

John Hannah is Batiatus and Lucy Lawless his loyal yet insatiable wife Lucretia, they are custodians of the ludus owned by Batiatus’s father. The old Arena is being replaced and there is fierce competition for places in the opening games of the new one. At the same time Crixus an ornery Gaul has recently joined the Gladiators and he is seen as competition for the role of primus which is held by Grannicus. There is lots of competition amongst the gladiators for position and sexual domination as they are put through their paces by Oenomaus, who along with is wife Mellita are the most trusted and loyal of Batiatus’s slaves.

Intrigue and political machinations ensue as Tullius their deadly rival uses his position to block Batiatus and his fighters from the proposed opening games as Selonious his supposed friend brokers peace deals a plenty while the return of Batiatus’s father throws further spanner in the works as do illicit love affairs between the slaves and gladiators.

As Grannicus falls for Mellita he starts to act up and the tension increases as Tullius and Batiatus swap insult and aggression as Selonius watches with glee as they tear each other apart, the series ends with a violent and emphatic finale that sees Batiatus head of his own ludus and Crixus the new champion of Capua.

I have issue with the idea of this series of programmes, after all the Spartacus tag would infer he was involved in some manner or other but he is not, My attitude about the series in which he is the main character I will save for when I write about that program,Spartacus Blood and Sand. The tone of the show is set very early on with almost comical violence, with animated blood-letting and gratuitous sex scenes which do nothing for the story except add titillation. Dont get me wrong, I enjoy the odd sex scene but constant nudity, both male and female loses its appeal and takes the attention away from the other areas of the show which are admirable, the intrigue is very enjoyable with seemingly no morals to reign in the battling romans there is nothing they are not prepared to do to each other houses in order to win through, and the slimy Selonius is trying to benefit from each and steal Lucretia to boot.

The ending , which was obviously written long after the start of the following series, does tie up nicely with the older show and adds some depth to characters who are one-dimensional in the original show. On the whole this is enjoyable stuff and would have been acceptable as a stand alone show, I get the reasons why they tied them together but I feel they missed a trick, the main cast are very good as you would expect from such weighty stars and having started to watch the original series I am glad some of the lesser characters get a look in this time.

The Pacific

The Pacific is a serial drama about the United States Marine Corps and its campaign against the Japanese in the Pacific Islands.

It starts with a young group of officers including John Basilone having a christmas meal in the Basilone family home, all three are destined to fight at Guadal Canal in the first offencive action by the US in the war on japan. We also meet Bob Leckie a young news reporter from a small town newspaper in New Jersey , and Sidney Phillips from Mobile Alabama and their brothers in arms as they go through some basic training at Camp Pendleton before they head out under the command of Basilone and his fellow officers,

The Battle at Guadal canal is shown in all its brutality as many of our newly introduced recruits die in the first contact with the Imperial Japanese Army.  In the ensuing conflict for the small insignificant island which just happens to have a very important airfield. Basilone performs some super human heroics during the battle and is eventually awarded the Congressional medal of Honour, effectively ending his participation in what was to follow as he is taken around the US to sell the vital war bonds required to fund the war. Leckie and his compatriots are sent from island to island moving closer to Japan as the fighting becomes bloodier and Marines are killed in greater numbers.

We are then introduced to Eugene Sledge who does appear in the first episode as a friend of Phillips who’s father, a doctor, will not clear him to fight. He eventually gets himself declared fight and signs up to join his friend in Peleliu as the fighting intensifies. Sledge is a studious young gentleman who has to adapt fast to his rough squad mates including the cynical  Merriell  ” Snafu” Shelton and his harsher surroundings. The battles come thick and fast and the tests of human endurance are played out in detailed fashion, this is no spit and polish war story. You see Leckie go through hell losing friends at every turn, his heroism not enough to keep him safe from harm. As Sledge, now nicknamed Sledgehammer due to his uncompromising attitude under fire, also moves through the islands encountering some of the fiercest resistance or the whole war we see him sink into himself, unable to believe the things they have been through or the horrors they have seen, civilians killed before their eyes and injured Japanese soldiers murdered by Marines in revenge. He ends the war on Okinawa as they hear of the atomic attack on Japan, Leckie is already back in The US injured in action laying up in the veterans hospital as the news of the surrender of Japan is announced by the jubilant nurses.

In the meantime Basilone has tired of his public life and returns to train the next crop of marines, he is entitled to leave as he has served for eight years but after marrying he decides to sign back on and lead his men at Iwo Jima, he is on the front foot from the get go and dies leading his men to safety through the melee.

The last episode ventures to look at the what became of the men on their return the depth of feelings they had to live with back in a world that has never been through anything like they have. Some slide back onto it without effort others suffer what would now be known as post traumatic stress disorder and never quite see the peace they fought so hard to earn.

This series is a testament to the capabilities of some great film makers, Spielberg is involved and the feel is very much in the vein of Band Of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, the scenes of battle are enthralling and horrifically graphic at times the banter between the Marines seems authentic and many of the acts of courage shown did actually happen which only lends more credibility to the story. you see at first hand the problems that beset these men, not just the enemy although that would have been more than enough bu the elements, rain making mud so thick men drowned in it, and deprivation especially of water where the hierarchy failed to identify the lack of fresh water and men literally died of thirst while still striving on towards the enemy.

This was a great piece of Television it felt like a good war film every week, and some of the cast, none of whom are household names were immense, the episodes started off with some narration by Tom Hanks and footage taken at the time, along with some talking head stuff from surviving marines, this added gravitas to each episode as you saw something much more meaningful in their efforts, as they discussed comradeship and duty then we are shown the fruits of these endeavours and the harsh reality that these men lived through hell. On the downside I suppose you could be forgiven for thinking the whole Pacific war was fought only by the US Marine Corps as they barely mention any of the other armed services involved much less their allies but this is nitpicking really, it was meant as a tribute to those brave young men and I think it serves its purpose well.

Desperate Housewives

Dont watch it its absolutely crap, while Im on the subject of bad TV I will add in Sex and the City, Downton Abbey, Candle rise to Lark hall and Glee, there seems to be no end of really bad stuff on, I get I’m not their niche audience but why are they on at prime times when they only appeal to a certain section of the viewing public. We now have special channels for sports.

I know ITV give over a week night to football and believe me I would gladly admit they shouldnt anymore, if the want to set up a channel for sport, oh yeah they  tried that and brought down an entire format in the process. The many cable channel cater for most tastes, Syfy for the geeks and Living for the bored housewives so why put this stuff onto more comprehensive channels with a supposed broader appeal.

My idea of whats good TV isnt for everyone I know, and even on the regular channels there is stuff that does appeal to the major share of the audience and I may be in the minority sometimes and thats cool, but I really do have to complain about some of the trash out there and I may be pissing in the wind but at least I have voiced it and gotten over it for now at least.

The Sopranos

This is likely to be a superfulous review, or rather commentary as there is nothing new to be said about this benchmark HBO show.

The Sopranos was never really shown at a good time or on a regular night of the week, the later series did have some more consistency with time slots I still say it was never able to meet a big enough audience and many is the time Ihave spoken to friends and aquaintences who have never seen an episode, although once they have seen one they invariably rent or buy the whole lot of them.

The stand out thing about this show is the cast, they are pretty much small time when the show started but have grown into mega stars largely due to their performances in the show. James Gandolfini is the “Hero” Tony Soprano, Edie Falco his long suffering wife Carmela and Lorraine Bracco is his shrink Dr Melfi. there are a wealth of supporting actors who are all excellent Micheal Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Steve Van Zandt and Dominic Chianese are stand out but the many others are all great and add to the rich mix that is the hallmark of the show. One of the other strengths, cast wise is the addition of new characters all the time, most of them are guest roles with the likes of Steve Buscemi, Joe Pantoliano, Robert Patrick and Burt young among others.

The whole premise of the series is the day to day life of a Mob Family, although it starts with Tony Needing therapy, a no no in this world it soon transcends this narrow subject and stretches to include the whole world of these Made guys and there families both real and business wise. There are some pretty terrible things going on, people being killed and beaten, women being used and mistreated as well as marginalised, Tony himself is the least likely hero ever, he is deplorable most of the time, his ethics are very rigid and highly questionable but thanks to Gandolfinis brilliant portrayal you learn to like and maybe even love him, you certainly start rooting for him.

Their is no real nemisis in this show, there are the FEDs trying to RICO his ass and opposing families trying to outdo each other, but it is sometimes those closest to Tony who offer the most danger.The organisation of the Mafia is looked at from many angles with the tense line between suffering disrespect in order to remain in business or taking a tasteless joke as a reason to start a war and everything in between. We see Tony at his best, lovingly caring for old friends who are dying and still looking out for his wayward Uncle Junior as well as at his worst, hitting his Russian girlfriend, shooting family members and generally abusing his wife. This is no glamourous look at the life of a gangster, there is no excuse offered for their behaviour, the therapy scenes could have been used as such but if anything they shed light on the nastiness and evil intent that goes into Tony’s dealings although they do also show how family pressure can push a man into the actions he carries out.

One criticism I have heard of the show is they dont really have a long plotline that runs through a series, this isnt always true but the best I can say is thisnt isnt set at a particularly exciting time in the lives of the Mafia, its about everyday life for them, as one door closes another opens and one week to next they are investing in new and dangerous schemes some last a week others the whole series but its just about the business theyre in. The end of the series was greeted with some fierce derision by some, although a large amount of the main cast did meet their ends it essentially ended as an anti climax, no big shoot out or dramatic rescu, it just carried on as before, a bad day yes but just another in the life of Tony Soprano and his family.

When they come to write the annals of television in the noughties this series will stand at the pinnacle of its peers, nothing has come close to matching the formula this show had, HBO invest fortunes in some very fine programs but they have not thus far come close, The Boardwalk Empire which was written by Terrence Winters the creator of the Sopranos and had no less a dorector for its pilot than Martin Scorsese didnt match up to the hype of The Sopranos of the prohibition era, dont get me wrong its good but not that good. There has been talk of a movie which I as a fan would love for my next fix but in truth its a terrible idea and doesnt need to be done. The series was a shining light of television and will be fondly remembered and watched inssesantly on DVD, if i could use just one word to describe this show it would be hard but i think i would chose Immense.

Full Metal Jacket

Again this was surprise experience for me as I hadnt planned on watching this anytime soon. I remember going to see this film as a teenager, it was the first time I went on my own, without any friends or family, no one fancied at the time so off I went, and very pleased I was that I had bothered.

The film is directed by Stanley Kubrick, and in my opinion its one of his best. It centres around Private Joker, played by Matthew Modine, and his training at Marines boot camp through to his tour of duty in Vietnam as a reporter for Stars and Stripes Magazine.

The first part of the film is dominated by R Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sargeant Hartman, a man so hard and mean he would have been able to defeat the Viet Cong himself if they’d sent him. The tough regime he exerts on his new recruits is hard and usually fair, he hates  them all equally. Some of his one liners are now in movie folk lore often imitated and never beaten. He does take umbrage with Private Pyle played unerringly by Vincent D’Onofrio who is somewhat mentally challenged and completely out of his depth  until Joker is promoted to squad leader and told to mentor him. His continual screwing up sets the rest of the recruits against him as they are punished each time he fails in a task, this results in a beating by the whole troop, this along with Jokers tuition start to see effect as his skill with a rifle and his keenness to avoid further beatings and bullying by his Gunnery Sargeant make him conform, but at great cost. On their final night in the training barracks he flips out and shoots Gunny Sgt, Hartman and then himself, ending the training part of the film, this could have been done as two films as they are not related other than a couple of characters who appear in both halves.

The next scene is an iconic one as a lithe Vietnamese prostitute saddles up to Joker and Rafterman his photographer and protegé, and tells them she will ” Love them long time” an often repeated quote for young men for years to come. The scenes in Saigon show the high life that the troops enjoyed away from the battle field and are offset brilliantly once, following the Tet Offensive, Joker and Rafterman go to the frontline to see some action. Joker meets up with a platoon containing his training buddy Cowboy and is introduced to his squad including Adam Baldwin as Animal Mother as psychotic machine gunner who takes an instant dislike to Joker. They head out into the decimated city looking for Viet Cong and the final part of the film is about the battle they encounter along the way.

The film is a great spectacle as the sweeping landscapes change, from the verdant green of training camp to the mean streets of Saigon and the decayed destruction of the final cityscape. Some of the film, the final stuff was filmed in Becton East london and I loved going there afterwards knowing that this had been a Vietnamese city for short while. The cast is great without a weak showing amongst them and some of the actors went on to greater things, it also made Ermey a star, he had actually been a marine and wasnt really acting for the role. The story isnt one of those glorious American  films showing the pride and honour of the marines nor is it a political indictment of the war, its just a matter of fact drama, yes it shows the terrible conditions of the battle grounds as well as the hardship encountered by the recruits but it doesnt try to preach at any point.

The many quotes that have been taken from this film make it a classic of its time and the final scene of the marines walking through a burnt out city singing the Mickey Mouse club song is amazing and poignant at the same time. I have watched a lot of Vietnam war films, they were a staple of eighties cinema and this is definitely one of the very best, along with Platoon and Modines other starring vehicle Birdy this stands out. I will see it again and enjoy it as much as the first time, you cant say that about every film now can you.