Movie Review: Welcome to Collinwood

Director: Anthony & Joe Russo

Starring: Sam Rockwell, William H Macy, Jennifer Esposito, George Clooney

UK Release Date: 23 April 2003

Tardy Review Date: 25 February 2011

Format: DVD

This is a film I just didn't bother to watch when it first came out.  It sounded like the kind of thing I'd be interested in and I heard good things about it, but I guess I decided not to see it, or at least never got around to it.   Since then I've seen bits and pieces of it on TV and so I figured it was time to watch the whole thing properly.

It's a comedy but it's not really played for out and out laughs for the most part, having more of an indie feel, with off-beat and darker humour filtered into the downbeat surroundings.  It follows the story of a poorly organised heist, carried out by some hapless and down at heel, third rate criminals.  They're all down on their luck and poor, with no prospects or hope, so when the idea of a big money job comes along, they fall over themselves to be involved.

George Clooney was on all the posters when this came out, as I recall, but he actually plays a pretty small part, with the focus being much more on the ensemble cast.  Rockwell and Macy are predictably good but the whole cast hold together really well and play off each other to make the dialogue and plot flow nicely.

Quirky slang is thrown into the dialogue, so the perfect job is called a Bellini, while a Mullinski is someone who takes the fall for someone else.  That and the way the incompetent, disorganised gang set about the job reminded me a lot of 'Things to do in Denver when you're dead', and I guess this is like a lighter version of that film in a lot of ways.  Whilst the tone of this film may be on the darker side of comedy, it's not in the same pessimistic league as Denver, and the despair a lot of the characters express is balanced with the promise of better things down the line.

Apparently the film was a flop when it was released, which is a real shame as it's an enjoyable caper movie with strong performances all round.  Clooney's influence as a producer is tangible, with his hallmark focus on left of mainstream fair.  Maybe that's why it didn't do so well, but it's also why it works in my opinion.

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.