Review: The Box

"Here's the Key to your new formica kitchen dream"

There's something going on about faces in this film - we have one particular man with a face that is missing large chunks, the special fx dude obviously enjoying playing with the image of teeth grinding together through the fibrous gap in his cheek.  There's lots of big dark eyes, staring into the distance or spookily making direct contact with whichever character is being terrorized at that moment, maniacal grins and unexplained nose-bleeds, people talking in mystic rhymes that seem to have little reason, with actors who have obviously been chosen for their 'character' faces: either ugly, weird or very obviously belonging to the mid 70s, with sideburns and suits to fit. 

Now all of that I quite liked - I like being given the chance to work out what I think might happen and I cottoned on pretty early in the film what would happen - the exact machinations of it were a mystery however and I enjoyed following the ride till we got to the point I was expecting, all of it within visually arresting and nostalgic sets.  But returning to the 'face' issue, it was Cameron Diaz's that fascinated me - she's playing a 35 year old which is just a dash younger than the age she really is and although she still seems fairly young there is an edge to her acting that suggests there is something harder and older about her, despite her years.  She doesn't rely purely on her spark, her perkiness and her wide smile as she has done in some of her previous films, such as the Charlie's Angel franchise, she instead has developed some truthful, real emotional honesty and whatever has got her to that point seems to be shown in every line and wide-eyed pained expression.  Yes, there are other actors in it but the film is essentially about Diaz and her character's experience.  It is this that holds ours and the camera's attention with plenty of close-in, full face shots, perfect for the cheek trembling and watery eyes that are required at the high points in the narrative.

There is a lot going on and although this seems to be a character movie, the stylistic twists and visual quirks do detract from their personal perspectives which may be a problem - it is about moral, individual choices but how they impact on the whole in a much larger way - greater than the sum of their parts.  Yet, at the same time, it is shown through the prism of a small family's experience and the choices they make and so at times the larger perspectives feel a little lost, kind of like putting a puzzle together without knowing what the picture you're aiming for is.  I suspect that is really what was aimed for and to get us to just follow along, in the dark, pulling fragments together until we get what the point of it all is.  The storyline of the box and the consequences of the choices made - to push the button or not - becomes basically a premise to hang a zealot's mysticism on to, meaning the family we are following are really bit players in a larger theme.

So the ultimate test: did I enjoy it?  Yes, I did. I can analyse its construction and what was meant by each twist but at the end of it, although I felt a little unsatisfied and wanted more of a resolution, I think it got to the point it was aiming for and I happily followed it through, without my attention wandering.  It felt like an older kind of thriller - sparser, the jumpy moments coming from characters and their expressions or shots that take you by surprise, reminding me a little of The Shining in that way - with drama that relies heavily on setting and the construction of the shots.  I understand my companion's perspective of it being a story that could have been told in just 20 minutes - there were sections that I felt had been drawn out unnecessarily but on the whole I came to the end of it feeling buoyed that we have film makers still making and successfully releasing this kind of work.  Whether you buy into the concept or not, or just enjoy this kind of story, it's a film that shows a high level of personal creativity, artistic vision and direction without obvious interference from budget clutching producers.  And that gives me hope for the future of film making.

Beardy Weirdy

I now realise that my dad's beard is perfectly normal and I can never call him a weirdo-with-a-beardo ever again.  Ever. 

http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/ 

Check out this dude here: apparantly he is a winner in the 'partial beard freestyle category' and has won them all, except for 2003 when he was on "injured reserve following an unfortunate encounter with a power drill. "  Injured?  Injured how?  Was he injured in the beard?  Or does that explain why he carries a cane?  And here I was just thinking that it was all part of the Dandy Fop Look - A look I intend to copyright soon.

And all of this is because I've been inspired by the snowy moustache sported by Ryan Gigg's mate at the Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.  I watched this in between slices of the X Factor.  My descent into cultural oblivion has started.

Weirdo weirdo

I love the concept of this - the idea that people have sat down, spent years in research, writing, honing and working on not just a work of fiction, but a niche subject so specialist that it might appeal to just one person, perhaps two, or maybe even three at a stretch.

Check out this link, it's classic.  I think my personal favourite has to be 'Jewish Chessplayers on Stamps'.  Or is it 'The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories'.  How to choose?  Brilliant.

Clearly some are taking the mick, like the 'History of Shit', but still, the amount of work....

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/books/weird/index.shtml

Review: The Twilight Saga, New Moon

Pull a Moonie

Ok, it's a bit of a poor pun but after the film I felt I needed a little bit of gratuitous punning, if only to defuse the intense emotion of the film.  It's a shame really, I loved the books - I was desperately waiting for Edward to turn up admittedly once he disappears after the first 20 minutes - but when he does in the film he's just sort of ... wooden.  Many of the actors are - Ashley Greene as Alice is especially so but she's on the screen for a much larger chunk than Robert Pattinson so perhaps it's just more evident.

Whatever the intent it just seems as if Bella and Edward spend such little time on screen together that their truly emotional scenes are a bit rushed and awkward - something of the depth and warmth of the first has been lost and replaced with a chilly steeliness.  Their romance doesn't seem as plausible as it did in the first so her trauma over losing him and his leaving in the first place doesn't quite ring true. 

My companion pointed out to me that really without Edward and the Cullens in the mid-section it's really just a teen-drama a-la Dawson's Creek.  Now,  I am usually entirely susceptible to that kind of heart-and-hand-wringing drama but I found myself to be a bit bored as the young actors don't seem quite as capable of pulling off those deeply wrought emotions but regardless, the sections of the film where there are adults and/or more experienced actors are where the story is more interesting.  I loved Michael Sheen's slightly camp and quietly evil Aro - that's a guy you wouldn't want to meet on a dark night.   Dakota Fanning's Jane, although only on screen briefly, is chilling - the potential for the Volturi storyline is large and looks like it could be excellent.  And as in the first film Billy Burke as Charlie, Bella's dad, carries most of the comic moments - projecting warmth and concern in all the right places.  Compare that to the teen actors and most of their scenes seem to consist of wrinkled brows and pensive posturing - there's also a lack of tone to their voices so aurally it literally doesn't come through, hampered as they are by some overwrought dialogue that requires more than just a speed-read through.

So, to sum up: see it, just because well, you loved Twilight and you have to get the rounded set before we work our way through to Eclipse and Breaking Dawn - but don't be surprised if you're a bit disappointed.  Some of the subtlety of Catherine Hardwicke's direction and visual flair has been lost under Chris Weitz's heavier hand but if the following films are as true to the books as the past two, then there should be plenty of meaty action to distract from the teen-angst.

Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sheffield, 7th December 2009.

I came a little late on Monday night to the O2, or the Carling Academy, or to whatever it's now called - I still remember it in my heart as the Roxy Nightclub, where the drinks were cheap and the entertainment even cheaper - so I missed all but the end of the warm-up gig and frankly, I'm glad I did.  The crowd seemed to be enjoying the screeching sonar range of the vocalist, including a long section of 'sing-along-in-the-crowd' but I'm afraid it didn't hit the note for me - although the band sounded pretty good when she wasn't singing.  I didn't even take the time to find out what they were called so they shall just be 'band' - indistinguishable unregistered.

That over and done with, quick smoke, quick pee, grab a drink and then I did a little bit of crowd weaving and got both myself and my midget friend right up to the barrier at the right hand side - she's hoping for a late growth spurt but I suspect that at her age (34) this is decidedly unlikely.   The band teased us with a very very long start - more than a good half an hour spent waiting, getting steadily a little hotter and the crowd slowly swelling - a rather sweaty boy seemed to have decided that my face would be a good place to park his hair and strangely didn't respond to my ever inching out elbow.  Weird.

Finally, the lights went down after multiple tweaks from the roadies and the scream from the crowd began as Runaway worked it's way into life, Karen O grinning like a loon as she came onstage, a smile that didn't diminish throughout the whole set - she was clearly loving it.  'All right Sheffield' was the first intro as she then put her energy into the song, quickly breaking into a sweat and throwing herself around the stage, stopping now and then to watch her microphone, which she waved around as though it was hypnotising.  The crowd mesmerised by every move of her technicoloured body - especially when she came out for Heads Will Roll, with what can only be described as pink gimp mask, decorated with a swirly neon cable. 

Costume was clearly important, with the leather Jacket in the video for Zero making an entrance as well as a very strange toweling outfit, which was draped over her head during Skeletons - singing through it for the main part of the song, until she whipped it back as the song peaked. 

It was a set full of energy and power, real emotion and strength - she reacted perfectly to the crowd's mood, playing up to them, posing now and then to let people take photos, ramping up the rock in the bigger songs,  the grin never wavering, her enthuisasm and pure joy transmitting to us as clearly as the sound from the speakers.  I loved it loved it loved it - and despite the surly bouncers standing right in front of me ignored them and threw myself into singing along throughout, happy to just be part of what was an excellent show.

Set List:

Runaway

Dull Life

Rockers To Swallow

Down Boy

Black Tongue

Pin

Zero

Turn Into

Skeletons

Soft Shock

Gold Lion 

Cheated Hearts

Heads Will Roll

Encore:

Y Control

Maps

Date with the Night