Tropic Thunder

Dir: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr.

Apparently this film was picketed by mentally handicapped groups because of it's repeated use of the word 'retard'. Thankfully, they didn't get their way cos the funniest thing in Tropic Thunder is the in-film 'Simple Jack' - I'm sure you can guess the rest.

So much was made of Tom Cruise in this film, but NB found him to be annoying, and his dialog to be meaningless. Much more impressive was his sidekick, a Jim Belushi look-a-like (Bill Hader) who delivered some of the funniest lines of the film.

Robert Downey Jr. was also truly excellent. I wasn't expecting much from him, but his role as a black army sergeant is flawless - even when he breaks down and becomes a white man again.

Jack Black feels rather out of character and a bit awkward. Considering he does over-the-top better than anyone else in the world, you have to wonder why they didn't just let him off his leash to go wild. Instead he's quite restrained, although the line 'My ass!' should deservedly go down in cinema history.

Tropic Thunder as a film could have been so much better. Considering Stiller's films are all about overblown, over-the-top stupidity (plus a bit of satire) it can't be that hard to make them. I never thought anyone could learn anything from the Naked Gun series, but Stiller could still pick up some tips from that series when it comes to doing stupidity well.

For all that, it is rather funny, and had Narry B kicking up his heels with laughter in a few places. It's just a bit incosistent - like Starsky and Hutch, Zoolander, etc. etc.

Rating: Good!

Blowup

Dir: Michelangelo Antonionioni
Starring: David Hemmings

Some films get reputations bigger than they deserve (see my review of Chinatown). Blow-up is another of those films. I'd heard good things, but ended up being a bit a bored.

In a film largely about photography, a good soundtrack is essential, especially considering the entire dialog from Blowup takes up about 4 minutes of the film (out of a possible 111 minutes).

That's what's wrong with it, but Blowup also has some merits. Although it is very slow, it takes you to a very interesting place where someone accidentally discovers a crime, but shows almost no interest in it except from an artistic point of view.

Most of the near 2-hour running time, though, is spent watching photos being developed, taken, or viewed. The rest of it is spent showing off some of the 60's top birds - never a bad thing.

The lead character is David Hemmings, a name almost unknown to me before this. I later found out that he spent the 80's directing and acting in such classic series as Magnum P.I. and Airwolf. That's why I didn't know him, then.

He is an amazing actor, though. A bizarre looking fellow, short, weird eyes, odd; perfect for this kind of film. He would have been ideal for A Clockwork Orange's Alex (but, then, so was McDowell), or even as a replacement for Michael Caine as Harry Palmer.

Not the most enjoyable film to watch. If you like your story's slow, and your endings open, your birds from the 60's, and dialog that's almost non-existent, then you'll love Blowup. For Narry Borman, Blowup's alllllrrriigght!

Good!

Secrets and Lies

Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Timothy Spall

Mike Leigh - you always hear things like 'stark reality', 'tragic realism', and 'gritty' in connection with that name. The first of Leigh's films seen by Narry B were Nuts In May, and Abigail's Party. In NB's mind, things like 'ruddy hilarious', 'twisted but funny', and 'thigh-slapping laughy' are brought to mind when speaking of Mike Leigh.

I wasn't sure if Secrets and Lies would match up to his other films - was it just going to be twisted, and not funny? Certainly, there's enough emotional overcharge in this film to power a city for three months, but thankfully it is also comedy genius. I think.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh or not. Either way, I did, and I laughed hard. Normally it was at something stupid - Paul's facial expressions while everyone else was breaking down, Cynthia's endless faux pas, or the overwrought tension of the situation.

Mike Leigh's still got it. Long may he keep it.

Top Work!

Billy Liar

Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Tom Courtenay, Julie Christie
Year: 1963

They say that you should always shave with the grain. Narry Borman sometimes shaves against the grain 'cos it feels strange and it's a bit different.

I love Billy Liar. It's a great film - a brilliant idea put into action in a supreme way. It's been probably 5 years since I last saw it, so I was worried that it might not be as good as I remembered. But it was just as good.

Billy Liar is perhaps cinema's original imaginative, discontented kid, living in a dream world and almost unable to face reality as it is (look at Science of Sleep for the most recent, most crappy example). Julie Christie plays his kindred spirit, but Billy's so far gone that he even let's her slip by (if Julie Christie asked Narry Borman to go to London with her, he'd give up his day job as a testing guinea pig immediately).

Admittedly, this film goes against the grain of my normal taste - it has a thoroughly depressing atmosphere, particularly in the last 30 minutes. But NB sympathizes with Liar's dream world and 'immaturity'.

You can't fault the acting (Courtenay is legendary, Christie is delicious, Pickles is on fire, and Rossiter is snide as a pig). You can't fault the script. You can't fault the direction.

Conclusion, Genius!

The Legend of the Drunken Master

Dir: Chia-Liang Liu
Starring: Jacky Chan, Anita Mui
Year: 1994

Narry Borman laughed outrageously at these credits; there was something hilarious about the credit: Jacky Chan and His Stuntman's Group. In the light of day, it doesn't look that funny, but anyway it's a good way to start the film.

Everyone knows the original Chan Drunken Master film; it's a classic. Chan reprises his role in this 1994 film, although to be honest it bears little resemblance to the original except in terms of his fighting style.

Legend, then is effectively Drunken Master II. But it actually seems to borrow more from Once Upon A Time in China than anything else. It dispenses with a lot of the comedy of most Chan films, and adds political themes and some stuff about taking pride in your country's culture. Yawn!

In a classic bit of Hong Kong editting, there is a real mess of characters. Bad guys are introduced half way through, enemies become friends with no explanation, and character form strong bonds without saying why. I love incoherence!

The main thing, though, is Jacky's stunts, of course. And there's plenty to see. He is on top form. The usual array of props are there to help him (chairs, stools, and of course, alcohol). Anita Mui, who plays Jacky's mother, steals the show, however. What a lady! She has more spirit than two Jackys.

Great film, but I'm not sure why it made Time's Top 100 Films ever.

Top Work!

24 Hour Party People

Dir: Michael Winterybottom
Starring: Steve Coogan, Andy Serkis

Narry Borman doesn't like to compare things, but if you were to compare 24 Hour Party People with Spinal Tap, you would see how different British people and American people are.

24 Hour Party People is full of the nonsense, excess, cynicism, and enthusiasm that defined the Madchester era. It does an excellent job of telling a story about a music scene, without being pretentious or annoying.

What can you say? It's the story of Joy Division, The Happy Mondays etc. You know what to expect. Great soundtrack, nice script, well-made. The casting is excellent, and some familiar faces (Mark E Smith, Clint Boon) make cameos that although pointless do lend credence to the film.

Top Work!

Get Smart

Dir: Peter Segal
Starring: Steve Carrel, Anne Hathaway

I think every film should have a Bill Murray cameo. In this, he makes a quick entrance as an agent in a tree, but even in films like Dark Knight, or Pan's Labyrinth I think he should make cameos.

Anyway, that's besides the point. Get Smart is not going to shock you. It's a light, throwaway American comedy. Not the greatest of it's genre, but not the worst.

An incoherent plot about nuclear warheads is the premise for Steve Carrel to become a spy. Why are there so many of these fake spy films in recent times? Johnny English, I Spy, even Austin Powers...

Considering Get Smart had a budget of $80m, some of the effects are awful. Truly awful. Especially the doors leading into the headquarters. They look like my nephew drew them on a etch-a-sketch. The cast is quite good, though. Alan Arkin is a top man, and even The Rocks does a good job of comedy. Anne Hathaway is tasty, and Steve Carrel excels in a role slightly different to his usual typecast.

Some funny moments, but nothing to make you cough up your own liver. What would you expect from a film connected to Mel Brooks?

Rating: Good!