Movie Review: Hot Tub Time Machine

Director: Steve Pink

Starring: John Cusack, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry

UK Release Date: 7 May 2010

Tardy Review Date: 16 February 2011

Format: Blu Ray

It's not big, it's not clever, but it's funny

This isn't the type of film I'd usually watch and I don't know what made me decide I wanted to see it.  I love comedies, but I usually prefer them to be a bit darker or more intelligent.  This is a film that tells you everything you need to know in the title and the trailer and it makes no pretence about being anything other than a silly, high concept film selling nostalgia and (hopefully) laughs.

I guess it was the obvious calls back to Back To The Future and the eighties nostalgia that tempted me, plus I'm a bit of a John Cusack fan so thought it would be worth a go.  I fully expected to watch a promising opening quickly deteriorate into dumb jokes and naff dialogue, with maybe a smirk or two but no big laughs.  What I got was a properly fun comedy that made me laugh out loud quite a few times and had a good mix of characters that kept the simple plot interesting.

The gist of it is, Cusack, Robinson and Corddry are three guys who were high-school friends in the eighties but have grown apart.  They're thrown back together when Corddry almost kills himself by leaving his car running in the garage whilst he's sat in it, drunk.  The other two are concerned it was a suicide attempt and take him to Kodiak Valley ski resort for the weekend to keep an eye on him and re-live old times, taking Cusack's nephew (Duke) with them.  Then, surprise-surprise, they travel back in time to the 80s whilst they're sat in the hot tub.

The influence from Back To The Future is strong and a the presence of Crispin Glover, who plays a bellhop destined to lose his right arm, keeps that movie in mind.  The film makers don't try to hide from the similarities, though, and elements like Robinson playing a yet-to-be-written song at a dance and Duke trying to ensure he is conceived before he disappears from existence are clear call-backs.

Corddry, as the hapless jerk Lou, is entertaining throughout and is key to keeping the laughs coming, as is the friction between him and Duke.  Both are losers from different eras and they take their inadequacies out on each other.  Cusack is the typical romantic figure who's chased status and success at the cost of his relationships, whilst Davidson is the flip-side as someone who's given up his dream in favour of settling down. In short, they all have regrets and this weekend in the past seems like the opportunity to take a second chance.

Even though many of the jokes, characters and plot are pretty obvious, I found myself enjoying this ridiculous adventure.  Some of the humour is clearly tongue in cheek and there are a few jokes that come out of left-field.  In fact I laughed more than I can remember laughing at a modern comedy for a while.  It might be silly, and it's certainly not a clever comedy, but it's not stupid either.  There are enough self-aware moments and winks at the audience to keep it fresh and even the plot isn't wholly predictable.  It might not be a total classic, or the best film I'll watch this year, but I enjoyed it and I'll happily watch it again when it pops up on TV.

Movie Review: Scum

Director: Alan Clarke
Starring: Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Julian Firth, John Blundell
UK Release Date: 12 September 1979
Tardy Review Date: 12 February 2011
Format: DVD


A hard-hitting story of the 70s English borstal system

Scum is not the sort of film you want to watch for a little light relief.  I'd heard good things about it, and had been meaning to watch it for years, but when it arrived through the post it took me a while to put it in the player.  I knew it was going to be a dark, brutal film and that's not necessarily something you want to be watching when you're trying to relax after work.  When I did bite the bullet, though, I was glad I had.

The film is about a group of youths in the English borstal system in the late 70s.  Ray Winstone plays the main character, Carlin, a tough kid who's been moved from a different borstal for hitting one of the guards.  The story follows his rise to power in his new surroundings and, in doing so, paints a horrific picture of the way the institution is run by the authorities.

Life in the borstal is filled with violence and racism, which the guards and house master not allow to continue unpunished but positively encourage.  The guards often turn a blind eye to a beating, as this is the way control is maintained, and generally enforce their will through violence themselves.  The opening scene shows two guards questioning Carlin, threatening him, beating him up and then berating him for dropping his bedclothes as a result.  This kind of bullying is consistent throughout the film and it's clear the guards and the institution have no intention of reforming any of the boys but rather using it to give them a sense of power.  The house master positively encourages the hierarchy system, giving privileges to Carlin once he reaches the status of 'the daddy' and using him as a figurehead.

The governor makes occasional appearances as a supposedly moral figure, dishing out punishments and promoting Christianity.  His punishments, though, are based on the judgements of the guards, which we know to be spurious and suspect the governor knows this, too.  Also, his decisions about what's right or wrong seem as erratic and unfair as those of his staff.  Despite his proclamations about the importance of religion, he shows no forgiveness or signs of compassion and it seems pretty clear the borstal's violence is something he would deny, yet consciously allows to continue.

Those boys who can't cope with the tough regime and genuinely need help are ignored or, worse, punished severely by the guards.  This is where the cruelty of the regime is harshest, as they ask for help from the various staff and are coldly pushed aside or beaten up.  This leads to a few of the films toughest scenes, and yet still the men and women in charge show no signs of caring.

Winstone is obviously the key character here, and puts in a good performance, but much of the films strength comes from its ensemble cast.  I listed four of the key characters above, but I could easily have listed 20.  The young actors are particularly impressive and, without exception, give performances that are convincing and realistic.  One I have to pick out is Mick Ford who plays Archer, an intellectual inmate who tries to resist the violent system and ends up receiving more punishment than the bullies.  The adults, too, are completely believable in their roles, which makes the whole thing that much harder to bear.  The film is pervaded by a gritty realism that simply couldn't be sustained without such a strong cast.  It's easy to believe that this is how borstals operated when the film was made and, apparently, it was only allowed back on TV after the system had been reformed, which speaks volumes about the terrible truths portrayed here.

Movie Review: 127 Hours

Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: James Franco
UK Release Date: 7 January 2011
Tardy Review Date: 1 February 2011
Cinema


Powerful survival story in a stylish package

SPOILER ALERTS

OK, so I'm putting a spoiler alert on this one, but it's probably not necessary as most of the publicity around this film has been focused on the big ending.  Still, if you really don't  know what it's about, and don't want to spoil the surprise, don't read on.

The film is a true story about Aaron Ralston, a weekend adrenaline junkie out exploring a canyon in Utah for kicks.  He's such a hero, as he later admits, that not only does he take this adventure alone, he doesn't even tell anyone where he's going.  This proves to be a near fatal mistake when he becomes trapped in a chasm, pinned by his arm between a boulder and the rock-face.  After trying various methods over several days to escape, he ultimately has to cut off his own arm to break free.

The film certainly displays Danny Boyle's style, with it's visceral approach recalling elements of some of his earlier work, like Trainspotting and 28 Days Later.  With the main character spending the vast majority of the film trapped in a confined space, this could easily have been a very static and, lets face it, dull movie.  But Boyle manages to inject pacing, expansiveness and emotion into the whole piece.  This is achieved through various cutaway scenes in form of flashbacks and hallucinations experienced, as well as the odd special effect to bring some mundane events to life, such as the simple act of drinking water from a bottle.

Water is actually one of the key elements within the film.  Ralston's survival is utlimately marked by how much water remains in the bottle he took with him.  The very first scene in the film shows him leaving it under the tap to fill before he leaves home and, as he collects his things, the water overflows wastefully.  Before the accident, he meets up with a couple of women and they all swim in an underwater pool.  These moments where water is so overly abundant contrast sharply with the scenes in the chasm when he has only drops left, his lips dry.  One of his hallucinations involves a thunderstorm turning into a flood that sets him free - a scene particularly reminiscent of the toilet scene in Trainspotting, as is the moment after he breaks free when he drinks greedily from a dirty puddle.

The other key theme is technology. Ralston takes a range of technology with him, including a CD player, camcorder and camera.  When walking alone through the deserted landscape at the beginning, he shuts out the peace by listening to his music, like an umbilical cord linking him back to the real world.  He takes every opportunity to photo or film what's happening to him, and this extends to his experience whilst trapped.  His pieces to camcorder start out as frustration or amusement, but end up as emotional messages to his family, as well as apologies for not being the brother or son he could have been.  It almost seems that his technology forms as much a part of his survival as the water, echoed by a scene in which we see a battery icon draining in a digital representation of the water draining from his bottle.

The use of camcorder footage within the film also lends a changing style through the piece.  The early scenes seem to be filmed on a digital camcorder (albeit a high quality one), whereas other scenes are high-quality and look sumptuous and there is the DV footage from Ralston's camcorder.  This gives the film a range of textures that really suit the different aspects of wonder, freedom, fear and entrapment.  But almost more important than this is the really effective soundtrack.  There's a great mix of instrumental pieces that intensify some of the on-screen tension and panic, as well as songs that express or contrast with what's happening - particularly notable was 'Lovely Day' playing whilst Ralston struggles (and fails) to move the boulder with a makeshift pulley.

So, there's no avoiding it - what about the scene where he cuts his arm off?  Well, there's no denying it's difficult to watch.  The actual cutting itself is a bit gory, but by no means over the top, but there are two things that really seem horrendous.  Firstly, he has to break his arm twice, as he knows he won't be able to cut through the bone - that hurt!  Secondly, he has to break his nerves, which would make anyone wince.

It's the scenes before and after this that really make the impact, though, and they're what I felt most affected by as I walked out of the cinema.  Before cutting off his arm, when he realises he's run out of other options, he almost gives up and accepts death.  Then he has something of an epiphany (not the religious kind) when he feels that his whole life has been leading up this this moment with the rock.  He sees visions of his family, and his future son, and is inspired to do what has to be done.  This manages to avoid being at all corny and gives the dramatic impetus needed for him to amputate part of his own body but, apparently, it's also what happened to the real Ralston.

More emotional than this, though, is his escape and rescue.  The simple act of being able to walk out of the canyon and find some water, the dirty puddle I mentioned above, has a strong impact.  This is quickly surpassed, though, as he wanders out alone to try and walk to safety.  He spots a family through bleary eyes and barely has the energy to call out to them.  To see this self-proclaimed (albeit ironically) hero having to call out to others for help in order to survive is truly emotional and, when this call is answered by the family, and others, the film reaches a superb climax.

I'd definitely recommend this one, provided you think you can withstand 'that' scene.  It manages to convey the isolation and terror of Ralston's situation within a truly cinematic experience and it's truly dramatic even within its confinement.

Movie Review: Garage

Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Pat Shortt, Conor J Ryan, Anne-Marie Duff
Release Date: 5 October 2007
Tardy Review Date: 28 January 2011
Format: DVD


A bittersweet Irish film about a small-town misfit


I think I must've heard good things about this film a while ago and just added it to my list on the off-chance, because when the DVD arrived, I couldn't really remember what it was meant to be about.  It's only a short film, running at only 1 hr 20 mins, which makes a nice change these days with so many films running around the two and a half hour mark.

It centres around a nice but naive man called Josie (Shortt), who works in a garage in a very small Irish town.  He is of low intelligence and taken advantage of and taunted by people around him, whilst they simultaneously offer him some level of protection and community.  It seems likely he has learning difficulties, although this isn't explicitly discussed, and so his treatment can seem uncomfortable at times.

The pacing of the film is extremely slow, with often very little happening or being said, which really portrays the feel of a backwater town in a realistic way.  The garage where Josie works has almost no customers and the boss's decision to open late on weekends to cater for passing traffic seems utterly pointless.  Josie's biggest decision at work is whether to display the oil bottles on the forecourt or not.

Despite this lack of custom, the boss arranges for a teenage lad called David (Ryan) to help him out at the weekends.  It seems at first as though this will be another socially awkward situation for Josie to contend with, but the two manage to strike up a friendship, albeit a low-key and relatively uncommunicative one.  David appears to be equally socially inept in his own way - he's a teenager after all - and the two make a good fit as friends.

With David's presence, Josie's life seems to be taking an upward turn for a while, but it's not meant to be and other events cause problems for him, including a brush-off from Carmen (Duff), on whom he has a crush.  Ultimately, things get worse for Josie rather than better, and what seems like a quaint story in its beginnings ends up getting more bittersweet as it progresses.  Ultimately it's a film about small town life and the pain of not fitting in and this awkwardness, combined with his lack of intelligence, cause Jodie to make choices that become his own undoing.

Stylistically, the film is almost more a TV movie than a cinema release, with the action tending to take place in a few small locations - most of it in and around the garage itself.  That, combined with it's slow pace and smallish cast don't make it an obvious choice for a rental, but Shortt's performance is very convincing as Josie and some of the cinematography around the local countryside is really beautiful.  It's quality is reflected in the fact that it won several awards on release, including ones at Cannes, London and Toronto.

I'm not sure who this film would appeal to - it's definitely not one for blockbuster fans, so not sure I could recommend you pay to watch it.  Having said that, I enjoyed it and it's definitely worth watching if its on TV.

Movie Review: Lonesome Jim

Director: Steve Buscemi

Starring: Casey Affleck, Liv Tyler

UK Release Date: 11 April 2008 (US Release 2005)

Tardy Review Date: 19 January 2011
Format: DVD

A quirky indie film with depression and laughs

Well, this one is a weird one to be starting with, in more ways than one. I don't know how it ended up on my LoveFilm list and can't say I'd even heard of it before I got the dispatch email. Still, I checked out the summary and it sounded kind of interesting, so I figured I'd give it a go rather than just send it straight back.

If I was going to describe this film in one word it'd be something like Offbeat or Quirky but that wouldn't really be doing it justice. I mean, it definitely is offbeat and quirky but it's much more than that.

Ben Affleck is the 27 year old Jim of the title, who quits New York and returns to his parents house in Indiana to reassess his life. His 32 year old divorced brother Tim is also living in the family home so that he can afford the maintenance payments for his two daughters.

To say the atmosphere in the house is awkward would be an understatement. It's almost like a home-based version of The Office, with a number of laughs coming from uncomfortable pauses and friction between the family members. When Jim arrives home unannounced, he barely speaks to Tim or his parents. There are plenty of scenes with the mother, excellently played by Mary Kay Place, desperately trying to share time with her sons and overstepping the line in her efforts. The heart to heart she tries to instigate with Tim whilst he's in the bath and attempting to cover his modesty is endearing and cringeful in equal measure.

The two sons seem intent on showing their dissatisfaction with their lives at every turn and Tim, in particular, makes no efforts to consider the feelings of others, with some of their comments seeming utterly brutal. One such interaction with his already depressed brother leads to a suicide attempt from Tim, which still seems to prompt little reaction from Jim himself.

Thrown into the mix of this disjointed family are a few neatly crafted characters that prevent the story from stagnating and deliver its (albeit limited) arc. Tim picks up Nurse, Annika (Liv Tyler) in a bar for a one-night fling. When he later begins dating her, he finds himself accompanied on their dates by her young, but wise before his time, son. The more healthy mother-son relationship here contrasts well with the too-old-to-be-at-home Tim and Jim, and starts to wear away some of his hard edges.

Being forced to work in his parents's factory, Tim also gets to know his uncle Stacy (Mark Boone Junior), the true villain of the piece, who prefers to be called Evil. Evil is a small-time crook and drug dealer with a healthy chunk of rough-edged charisma and he delivers a few of the best one-liners and a couple of nice slapstick moments.

Stylistically, the film is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. Apparently they had to film it on mini-DV due to budget cuts, and it shows, but this adds to the reality of the story. It's almost documentary-like at times, with a clearly hand-held approach and basic, minimal editing. The DV has given a desaturated look, which mirrors the way the colour seems to have drained from the characters lives. There is no American dream for sale in this film and it's down-to-earth approach and deliberately mundane backdrops seem more reminiscent of British indie, or even kitchen sink dramas, than any typical US output.

Ultimately this is a film about depression, self-obsession, disappointment and avoidance of responsibility, but it's not at all presented in a depressing way. It's funny and, yes, quirky and offbeat. I found myself laughing out loud a few times, and that's not something most comedies achieve these days. Whilst Jim's depressions may be genuine, Tim seems to affect his depression and wallow in it, making it possible to draw humour from this façade. One of his funnier lines, following Jim's suicide attempt, hits this nail right on the head - 'I came home to have a nervous breakdown, but my brother beat me to it!'

If you like broad, Hollywood comedies, slickly edited and with a glossy style then this definitely isn't for you. But if you don't mind a bit of shaky camera work and a low-budget style, then there are enough good performances, interesting characters and laughs to make this worth your while.