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Hancock – post-modern comic book hero – with no comic

Tweet Hancock – Peter Berg I like Will Smith; you (probably) like Will Smith; all God’s children like Will Smith; why Will Smith even likes Will Smith – though for Will it may be less of a stretch sometimes than for us. To wit – Hancock. This movie doesn’t quite make you lose the will […]

Song For A Wolfchild – Poem: for an extraordinary woman

TweetSong for A Wolfchild Song is the breath of the spirit that consecrates the act of life Ancient voices touch our hearts to beat in time with eternity Wise spirits call our minds to contemplate present beauty Eagles cry as blossom falls seeking the earth and rebirth Through the singer the past whispers to all […]

The Departed – Nicholson’s Existential villain

Tweet The Departed – Martin Scorcese Camus places ‘absurd’ man at the heart of an implacably indifferent universe that is Godless, meaningless, purposeless. Without bad faith or consoling self-deception, absurd man makes a definitive existential decision: against all the evidence and the urging of reason, he decides against suicide. Absurdity resides in his deciding to […]

Stand-up Guys – Humour: lavatorial, stand-up guys, we can’t take this sitting down

TweetStand Up Guys – Zettel (Humour) (By way of a change – and a rest from the movies) This piece is a little vulgar, indelicate, indeed at times it may border on the coarse. But in a good way. For this dear reader, I must ask your indulgence and good will, as none of this […]

Cache (Hidden) – my story, your story, history

Tweet Caché (Hidden) – Michael Haneke (contains spoilers – plot elements revealed) Few recent films reward a second viewing more than Haneke’s justly praised Caché (Hidden). I caught it again at one of the Curzon (Mayfair and Soho) excellent midday Sunday bills. Its current release on video makes it even more widely available. Highly recommended, […]

Factotum – the only certainty is uncertainty

Tweet Factotum – Bent Hamer Factotum is a quantum movie. Or rather in its efforts to depict the chaotic life of radical writer Charles Bukowski’s autobiographical alter ego Henry Chinaski, the paradoxes and inherent uncertainties of quantum theory seem an apt metaphor. Hank, like Bukowski is a dedicated alcoholic drifting indifferently through any odd jobs […]

Dan In Real Life – turning French gold into Hollywood straw – dialogue

Tweet Dan In Real Life – Peter Hedges An imaginary phone call – Juliette Binoche and the film’s, imaginary Producer Mr Faeed. Setting up her role in this movie. MF Hey Jools JB Pardon? MF S’me. Al. JB What did you call me? MF Jools. It’s just a pet name baby. JB (icily) Pet? You […]

Memorial Day New York – Poem: New Yorkers – survivors

TweetMemorial Day – New York New York roars no systolic pause of nature’s rhythm In this forest elegant giants feed greedily every second of every minute of every day on power Manhattan marches to a bright oblivion of blinding light Man-made mammoths have overpowered their minders. Machine slaves have mastered mammon bloodless breathless implacable faces […]

Flags of Our Fathers – resonant as a brick

Tweet The Flags of Our Fathers – Clint Eastwood (BBC Prize Review) This film has the resonance of a brick. There is more evocative imagery of the pathos and tragedy of war in the stills shown over the final credits than in the whole 132 minutes of film that precedes them. It is hard to […]

King Kong – the eyes have it

Tweet King Kong – Peter Jackson (BBC Prize Review) The eyes have it. Of all the multi-million $ visual illusions created for King Kong, the most critical to the film are the prehistoric, 25 foot Gorilla’s eyes. However breathtaking the CGI generated action sequences, and they are superbly filmed and edited – it is the […]