Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Not many actors would want to be shown in this light, especially at the age Harvey Keitel was during the filming of Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant. By this stage both De Niro and Pacino had ceased their select few roles where they took risks and really dedicated themselves to a character. They had lost their intensity or simply chose to hang it up because what else did they have to prove. I'm not a method actor so I can't judge. Keitel has taken risks his whole career, but has never received the credit that the former names garnered. That's a positive in my books because when you see a Keitel film it feels even that much more fresh. 

Bad Lieutenant is unapologetic in its content and both Ferrera and Keitel are uncompromising in their vision and performance. It's a rough watch. Not that it particularly violent, not because of the sexual and drug abuse content, but because Keitel portrays it so convincingly. The film is very reminiscent of the themes of Scorsese's films with emphasis on the struggle between good and evil, the element of Catholicism and guilt. Keitel's character, simply labeled the Lieutenant is a despicable man. When he is not smoking crack, he is making ludicrous bets on baseball or blackmailing teenage girls to act like whores while he masturbates.  He is on a slippery slope to say the least...not a nice man. Even in the most intense film roles we recognise the character as the actor, but Keitel is too sincere here, allowing himself to be filmed completely naked (cock and all) while drooling vodka down his chin and crying. 

The subplot comes into play when there is a horrific crime where a nun is raped in a church by two local street toughs. This crime doesn't seem to affect Keitel and his deeds at first, but as time passes he is unable to comprehend how the nun, who knows who her violators are, will not give them up and asserts that she has forgiven them. We don't even need to know who her attackers are because we understand that there is know real plot, we are just watching to witness what deplorable act the Lieutenant might commit. 

Before the Lieutenant realizes that the nun fully forgives these men, he has no hope of salvation religiously, and even in terms of health. He know's he is wrong, sinful and is fully aware of his drug abuse. He understands that his demise is approaching considering his baseball gambling debts, but he figures that if the two rapists can be forgiven by a mere human then maybe there is hope for him and he can make his peace with Jesus. The drugs and paranoia lead to hallucinations in the third act as the lieutenant is alone in a church screaming out his rage at Jesus ("where were YOU!!!"), who stands in front of him before begging for forgiveness for his sins. He kisses the feet of Christ, who turns out to be an elderly black lady, who leads him to the rapists. In order to follow in the footsteps of Christ and the nun he lets them leave New York with all the money he has. Soon after he is shot. He is free.

Werner Herzog made Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans in 2009 and claimed that it wasn't a remake or sequel, and that he never even heard of the original. The nerve of that crout. Not that his film was terrible and it is not a remake or sequel, a completely different style, but the character is clearly based on Keitel's and the balls to actually claim that he never even heard of the original...that's simply disrespectful. This time around Nicholas Cage plays the Lieutenant and there is no comparison. This film was a lighter, commercially acceptable film. I havn't seen an actor give a more daring performance since, possibly before. It's not pretty.

I wanna do to Tom Hanks what Sergio Leone did to Henry Fonda.

The Guard

John Michael McDonagh, who wrote and directed The Guard is brother of playwright, screenwriter and director Martin McDonagh, who brought us In Bruges. Both films starred Irish veteran actor Brendan Gleeson, who plays polar opposite roles in the two films. These two brothers need to make more films because frankly Irish cinema would be nearly dead without them. The two McDonaghs have a chance of becoming true auteurs in the cinema world in the same breath as Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese or Spike Lee. I refer to these three directors in particular as they have all expressed their culture within their films: Lee (black), Scorsese (Italian) and Allen (Jewish). The McDonagh's represent part of Irish culture without the bloated troubled past with England, which has been repeated constantly is Irish films. 

They also write and direct their own material places them in the category of an auteur, we just have to see if they stay true to themselves and continue the good work. The Guard is a very basic story, which has been played out a million times, and the fact that a black FBI agent and a white police officer have to reluctantly work together isn't that new either. However what makes The Guard so great is the visual intent of Martin McDonagh with the help of cinematographer Larry Smith and the rugged west coast Irish landscape. This independent movie has what so many other indie hits don't: true cinematic technique and craftsmanship. This is what is missing from cinema today whether indie or Hollywood. You get pretentious young indie filmmakers shaking the fucking camera everywhere to give it that "real" look. Anyone can do that, but it is hard to find someone that can make the camera move as smoothly as say a De Palma or Hitchcock feature. 

McDonagh is aware of this and knows exactly the type of look he is going for and film buffs know too because they can reference a certain camera movement or close up they see in this to dozens of classics from the past. A scene where Boyle (Gleeson) needs to meet a young boy about hidden guns is a clear nod to Scorsese's Taxi Driver. The camera is on the boy and proceeds to do a 360 degree turn to show his surroundings before landing back on the boy. A scene where Boyle is stuck a predicament involving a gun being pointed at him has resemblance to a Sergio Leone spaghetti western with the camera giving extreme close ups of the men's faces to enhance the tension. In fact the entire movie works like a Leone movie from the Ennio Morricone-like soundtrack to the shots of the rugged country landscape.

However the main nod would have to go to Quentin Tarantino in regards to the dialogue and the fusion of humor and violence, but that is not to say that McDonagh is ripping of anybody because he puts his own experience and thought into everything, the same way when Tarantino references every film under the sun in his work he always brings his own energy and writing to the piece.

Gleeson is excellent and his relationship with his ill mother is surprisingly very moving. The scene in the pub when they are together listening to Irish music is devastating. The three antagonists Sheehy (Liam Cunningham), Liam (Dave Wilmot) and Clive (Mark Strong) are excellent. They are hilarious, but frighteningly real too like when they have to kill a guard for pulling them over, which is also excellently played by Rory Keenan. When he realizes he is about to die, the look on his face and his reaction is one of the best I've ever seen on film. Don Cheadle is fine, but brings nothing great to the table, but the story doesn't really allow him to. From viewing the trailer one would think that this is a real tight buddy cop movie, but it really focuses on Gleeson's character a whole lot more. The non political correctness isn't that strong either, where I believe again by looking at the trailer you would think it would be. The racial tension between Wendell (Cheadle) and Boyle is very tame altogether and the "racial slurs" aren't really offensive at all because we all know Boyle is joking just to get a rise out of everyone. He is "really motherfucking smart".

Gleesons becoming like the John Wayne of Ireland in the film world and in The Guard he does actually resemble the big guy a bit, not through his whoring or drug abuse, but his relationship with Aidan McBride's wife after he is found dead. He acts like a father figure to her and says goodbye to her kisses her goodbye when he goes to take on the "bad guys". Also through his weaknesses he is a man with moral fibre, who will not be bought even though the whole west coast guard force is. John Michael McDonagh succeeds in delivering an excellently crafted Irish film that is a breath of fresh air. You would think that looking at most Irish films that the directors have no real taste our influences in the cinema world, but the McDonagh's prove that they love film through wonderful references and technique. Young Irish filmmakers should take a note from these two.

The Trip

A-HA!!! The Trip might end up being the funniest and saddest film of the year that will capture audiences if they are fond of impersonations, pop-culture references, food & drink, nature and buddy-movies that display scenic routes. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play semi-real versions of themselves in this great hang out movie, who go on a road trip throughout northern England, wining and dining in countryside restaurants and taking rest in cosy bed and breakfast hotels...but there is more to it than that.

They are similar to Neil Page and Dell Griffith in John Hughes' Planes, Train and Automobiles. Brydon is upbeat and irritating with his relentless and sometimes spot on impressions, while Coogan is more reserved and dry-witted. Coogan, who is best known for possibly the greatest British comedic character ever (Alan Partridge) is having a mid-life crisis. He has had considerable success, but is desperate to break into the American mainstream. Brydon, in a way Coogan's protege, is content with his career as an impersonator and really does get pleasure out of doing them. There is also another major difference between the two. Coogan is having relationship difficulties with his American girlfriend and is evidently distant from his son, whereas Brydon is actually happily married with an infant son. Brydon and his wife call each other every night to check up on each other and humorously attempt phone sex. 

Although Coogan can seduce women easily, which he does twice on the trip, it doesn't make him happy and he is clearly lonely and unhappy. He is torn between attempting to make it in American film, his relationship with his girlfriend and fathering his son. Brydon and Coogan tolerate each other through humor, but there is evident tension between them at some stages, although we are not bogged down with   it because this is a genuinely very funny film. The dialogue is fresh and they bounce insults off each other with great comedic timing. There is also two extremely funny sequences that involve an average Joe, a newspaper and the word "cunt", and a huge Hollywood A-lister and Coogan's dreams. Coogan wants to be taken seriously as an actor and try dramatic roles, if this corresponds to his actual life ambitions then he has succeeded because Brydon might actually steal the comical performance, Coogan in reality has proven that he can truly play a serious role and evoke a performance that is moving.

Among the humor and seriousness of the film, director Michael Winterbottom gets many excellent scenic shots that portray the landscape of the northern English countryside beautifully, enhancing mountains, rivers, lakes etc... And he doesn't have to do it ambiguously like Malik did with The Tree of Life, but subtly so the audience could appreciate it and then move on with the character on their journey, laughing all the way.

Tree Of Life

To save your money, rather then going to see Terrence Malick's new sci-fi/fantasy/drama epic just stick on National Geographic, play some beautiful classic music,  place a lava lamp beside your television  and ponder the wonders of the universe and life. For probably thirty minutes I watched Sean Penn and the universe flirting with each other through random images with no plot. Finally the childhood of Jack (Sean Penn's character when eleven years old: played very well by Hunter McCracken) is portrayed on screen and the film improves. 

Although there is no real plot or storyline, on the surface anyway, Tree Of Life does convey a fascinating document of Jacks upbringing and his relationship with his strict father (Brad Pitt) and gentle mother (Jessica Chastain). There are many situations and emotions that Jack finds himself in or expressing that the audience can relate to such as family conflict, peer pressure and guilt. Brad Pitt is excellent as the head of the household, who tries to teach his three sons how to fight, work ethic and becoming strong, ruthless men in order to succeed and survive in life. The boys are terrified of him and his short temper...but its set in 1950s middle class America so it was the style at the time.

Jack like all of us attempts to understand the reason of being, life, death and his place in the universe, but we all know where this is going. Its a mystery, but lets enjoy the extraordinary beauty and power of life and the universe...fucking blah blah blah.  Its true that Malick does relate to the audience by evoking thoughts of existence, God and the afterlife, but personally those thoughts frighten me and I turn to cinema or television to escape from those daunting ideas. People might say "aww but you see this is visual cinema". Yeah, Hitchcock was the master of visual cinema and hated continuous dialogue, but his films were more challenging to make because he used simple visuals to drive the story forward, where Malick has just mashed together a bunch of extraordinarily complex images to manipulate the audience into bewilderment: "oh wow doesn't that look nice...wonder what its all about hey?" Any nerd can post that on Youtube. At least when Hitchcock manipulated the audience it was fun, creative and had a classic story with a beginning, middle and end.

The film is shot beautifully with striking images, but without any true story. Blade Runner, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and Malick's own Badlands  were all visually stunning, but had a great narrative and interesting characters. It  also seems like Malik couldn't even decide, which random beautiful image to end the film with so went with a bridge and finally the credits came up. In Cannes they booed, in New York they sighed...this is no masterpiece...deadly trailer though.

Midnight In Paris

This isn't Woody Allen's first time dealing with escapism and fantasy, but it still remains refreshing to new and old audiences' of his. In 1972 he wrote and starred in Play It Again, Sam, which is my favourite Allen movie simply because it is his funniest and portrays his love for cinema. Midnight In Paris is another Allen nostalgia package, but concentrates on literary artists rather than movie icons such as Humphrey Bogart. His latest film is also very funny, regardless if you are familiar with Hemingway, Fitzgerald, T.S. Elliot, Picaso etc... It is the artists of Paris in the 1920s that are handing out the advice rather than the stars of 1940s Hollywood.

What is so brilliant about Allen's new venture is how the movie was promoted, there was no spoiler in the trailer so the audience had no idea what to expect and was just as surprised as Owen Wilson's character Gil, a recyclable Hollywood writer, who is successful, but unsatisfied. He and his to be wife, Inez (Rachel McAdams) are on vacation in Paris with Inez' parents, a pair of strict republicans. Gil is inspired by the city and its artistic history, while Inez and her family see it as a place to shop, wine and dine and thats it. There is obvious tension between the couple, which is enhanced when the pretentious Paul shows up, "and if I'm not mistaken" played by Michael Sheen.

After a day trapped with Paul and Inez, Gil decides to take a stroll, which ends up been a time portal at the stroke of midnight and he finds himself in 1920s Paris with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Cole Porter and Ernest Hemingway. When Gil finally, after humorous questioning, realizes that he is in fact not insane, he is like a kid on Christmas. Owen Wilson plays the Woody character perfectly, he's neurotic, shy, excitable and so enthusiastic in his role.

Even if you have no interest in that period in Paris or the artists involved, this movie can relate to anyone, who desires to have lived in a different era whether it be the 60s San Francisco, 70s Hollywood or Renaissance Italy. Allen, through Gill, elaborates about how everyone in their particular era wants to live  through a different time and culture, but it would never really pan out the way you want it to. Still Allen makes it fun to try.

Woody Allen is already a legend in cinema, but he continues to make films with his signature humour and style that we have come to love. He is always picking at the fabric of society and relationships, the way we act, our culture and mannerisms and he is never afraid to do express it through fantasy. For a small Jewish nerd, he has always stood his ground in making films the way he wants to regardless of what studios or audiences think.

Tyler, the Creator: Goblin

Now here's a nasty little number...Tyler, the Creator's first major label record Goblin is much more disturbing and much less accessible than its predecessor Bastard.  People that didn't like Tyler or Wolf Gang before this will probably not change their mind after this listen. Even for the cult followers it might take time to get settled into. Its not necessarily the misogynist, racist or violent content that will cut off listeners, but the music is much more minimal and experimental than that of Bastard's. Goblin is also one of the most personal hip-hop albums ever. Whether real or fiction, Tyler isn't afraid to share his personal perceptions of himself through topics related to his mother and absent father, his love interest, his rise to marginal fame or his suicidal thoughts.

The album picks up where it left off on Bastard on the title track Goblin with Tyler in conversation with his "therapist" in which he discusses the pressure he is feeling by becoming marginally famous and barking out his feelings on his fan's and critic's perceptions of him. Tyler hates the fact that his music is labelled "horrorcore" and that people expect him to be influenced by "real hip-hop" i.e. Golden or New York renaissance era, when in fact he doesn't want to stay underground and is inspired by Waka Flocka Flame, Pusha T, Pharell and Eminem. He clearly doesn't want to be categorized and it is fresh to hear an artist not just go with the flow or be pressured to homage an era of hip-hop that didn't appeal to his generation.

The obscene and shocking lyrics are present here too and best portrayed on Tron Cat (another one of Tyler's aliases) with production reminiscent of Clipse's Trill, which is like a soundtrack for Shredder from Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (another group of rebel teens). "wolves I know you heard of us/we murderers/and young enough to get the fucking priests to come flirt with us" Tyler proudly states at the beginning, then later raps "rape a pregnant bitch and tell my friends I had a threesome", later followed by  "I cut her like a barber with Parkinsons disorder". These rhymes are taboo, but more creative than most lyrics you hear nowadays. He also compares himself to "wetbacks" running across the border and prefers snorting Hitler's ashes to coke. Tron Cat is possibly the best and most accessible track on the album regardless of its grim content.

The tirade of Tron Cat is followed by Her, which is possibly one of the most relatable and personal songs ever in hip-hop. Its a simple premise, Tyler like a girl, who sleeps around with other guys and is hurled into a state of self pity because she doesn't feel the same for him. The rejection is common enough in music, but Tyler's description goes into great emotional detail with complete honesty. "closest I got was poking her on Facebook" he claims, and admits that he wants the corny dates at the movies etc... rather than just looking for sex. Tyler is completely vulnerable and desperate here saying that he wants to send her a text of jealous rage, but admitting that he would just smile when she replies. Not many hardcore rappers or even your average guy would admit that. Tyler also admits that when he is confronted about his friends about her, he is too embarrassed to say he got rejected so he lies and said she moved away. An interesting factor is that Tyler doesn't rape or kill the girl.

Near the end of the album, Tyler kills all his friends and has an emotional breakdown on Golden. Tyler's snarl and the apocalyptic beat make it a chaotic, paranoid and schizophrenic 5 minutes where it is finally revealed that Tyler's therapist is in fact himself questioning and evaluating himself. After listening to Golden it is evident how much he respects and appreciates his mother, and how much he misses his best friend and now cult exile Earl. Tyler also illustrates how unsatisfied and unfulfilled he is with his work and life. 

Musically, Goblin is minimal and much less fun than Bastard, which should be expected since Tyler said before that he makes music for himself, but he also wants to win VMAs and Grammy's so he is making it hard on himself. Yonkers and Tron Cat stand out as most accessible for mainstream listeners. I really liked the album for its brutal honesty and aggressive flow from Tyler. My only complaint is the rebel attitude on Radicals just because its boring and old news, and they are 10 years late attacking Bill O'Reilly, who everyone already knows he is a prick. N.W.A and Eminem met that expectation, but Tyler and Odd Future can't fill those shoes because its not their time, their time is for attacking rap blogs and reaching the masses through Twitter, tumblr or Facebook. Personally I prefer when Tyler is narrating taboo tales of murder and rape or verbally attacking blogger faggots like me.