Go check out the Den of Geek revamp
With apologies to The Shiznit.
And here it is. More like Den of 'Chic', amiright?
As you can see, my pals over at Den of Geek have just relaunched the site with a new design, handily also complete with comments that actually work.
I’m not saying the previous site was hard on the eye or the comment system was fiendishly difficult to get to grips with, but both of those things (that I didn't say) are absolutely accurate, so when all's told I may as well have said them and reduced this sentence length by two-thirds, and by proxy your time spent reading it. But this isn't a 'perfect world'.
Handily, I’ve written a whole bunch of articles for the site recently, so please go check them out in the splendiferous new surrounding (and check out the new comments while you’re at it).
"Christmas Poo" seems like a long time ago.
First up, here’s a couple of big articles on everybody’s favourite filthy libertarians over at South Park. The first is a general overview of how South Park has managed to last as long as it has, while the second is a top ten of the ‘ballsiest’ episodes in the show’s history.
I guess THE HOBBIT really does look different in 48 fps.
Then, most recently, I wrote on the HOBBIT 48fps controversy, which managed to kick off a fight even in the old, broken comment system. So check that out.
Also, coming up this week there’ll be a feature from me on one of the most beloved comedy films of all time – will update with the link as and when it goes live.
Breaking Bald, more like!
Otherwise, you can check out my archive of stuff here, including my in-depth recaps and reviews of Breaking Bad series four, which you can read in preparation for the premiere of the fifth and final series in July.
And of course, don’t forget to check out the works of all the other talented, funny, virile* writers who write there.
*TBC
HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION review
I check in on the torrent sites from time to time, despite the fact I obviously, as a non-terrorist, have never downloaded anything illegally, and think anyone who torrents movies/music/pornography should be publicly flayed. It’s always worth checking the charts, though, to see what’s making waves among the pirates and to gain an insight into the mind of Johnny Enemy. Did you know, for examples, the favourite show of bloodless copyright thieves is The Big Bang Theory? Well it is.
This week a ripped copy of HOW IS SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION has been tearing up the torrent charts, and it seems appropriate that this fairly unambitious film should have had such an impact amongst the casual criminal community, starring as it does the patron saint of Justifying Terrible Shit, Mad ‘Mel’ Gibson.
Surely no one in their right minds would feel bad about pirating a film where the proceeds would otherwise go straight into lining the pockets of Hollywood’s leading wife-beating anti-Semite? Of course not: steal the movie, laugh at the alcoholic, then sit back and slowly marinate in your own self-righteous gravy.
This is the trouble with HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION – it’s impossible to separate it from Mel’s tabloid adventures, even if you go into it with the best, objective intentions (like Yours Truly, obviously.) I’ve seen a bunch of reviews for the film already that are clearly reviewing Mel and not the film itself, which seems unfair as it’s actually pretty good.
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s just surprising and entertaining enough to make it worthwhile. Apparently Mexican prisons are like mini-favelas, complete with their own families, communities, businesses and property markets – I’m not sure if this is genuinely the case or it’s just a fictional construct, but it doesn’t matter: it works here, and the production design of the prison-town itself is impressive.
Lest we forget Mel also actually co wrote HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION, and for the most part it’s very well written - the plot (a professional thief is locked up in said Mexican prison, where he befriends a boy who is linked to the de facto prison mafia) is engaging and packed with enough bonkers twists and ludicrously violent setpieces to bear favourable comparison with HEADHUNTERS, one of the best thrillers of the year – keep an eye out particularly for Chekhov’s Umbrella, a touch I really enjoyed.
Also, longtime Gibson collaborator Adrian Grunberg really knows how to stage and direct action in an exciting yet coherent way, with an impressive opening car chase, and a really good, bloody shootout in the vein of the classic 80s actioner, depicted and shot in a way that you rarely see onscreen any more.
And Mel himself remains an eminently watchable screen presence, chanelling and updating his LETHAL WEAPON persona (all twitchy, volatile charisma and sniggering wise crackery) with a good deal of success. Casting him as an anti-hero was a smart move because, after all, who’s more anti than Mel?
The trouble is, while it’s still entertaining in all the right places it ultimately is still impossible to view HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION in a vacuum, and this is largely because of some very stupid choices on behalf of the film-makers.
There’s a moment late on where Mel stares at his love interest for an unnervingly long time, before seething “Can I bite you?” Her reaction isn’t to mace him into the stratosphere and run screaming for the hills (i.e. the correct response), but rather to giggle and avert her eyes coquettishly as if Don Draper had just offered to light her cigarette.
It’s a jarring moment because quite frankly, Mel shouldn’t get the opportunity to play these scenes any more. In fact, once you are recorded threatening to orally rape your wife and burn down her house in the same sentence, you should probably just forget about ‘love interests’ altogether.
Without giving too much away this fatal misunderstanding of what an audience wants to see from a Gibson film seriously brings down the film’s final scenes, and ultimately leaves a bit of a nasty taste in the mouth. Which is a shame, because otherwise this is a nice, nasty, sleazy throwback to the heyday of 80s action that s far more effective and entertaining that lazy dross like THE EXPENDABLES.
I’d be happy to see Mel settle into a late period Robert Mitchum/Charles Bronson groove with films like this, and if that’s a direction he’s heading in then HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION certainly isn’t a bad start. Basically, anything that keeps him from making any films about Judaism at this point is probably a good idea.
THE AVENGERS review
NB: A few things before you read this - I'm going to refer to the film as THE AVENGERS as opposed to official UK title AVENGERS: ASSEMBLE throughout. It's a personal choice, so don't worry about it. Also, this review, though lengthy, is almost totally spoiler free. However, if you don't want any information at all before you go see it, then reading this is at your discretion. Okay princess?
THE AVENGERS could be the best comic book adaptation ever made.
An important distinction to make, however, is that it’s far from being the best movie based on a comic book – cinematically, I don’t think it’s in the same league as SUPERMAN I/II, or the Nolan Batman films. It might not even be the best Marvel film – I’d have to rewatch them again, but I think there’s cases to be made for both IRON MAN and SPIDERMAN 2 as better stand-alone films.
But in terms of specifically replicating the experience of following a comics mythology – it’s never been done this well before.
Let me back up.
MARLEY, SENNA, and the rise of the ‘bio-docs’
Last week saw the release of MARLEY (check out my review over at DocGeeks here), a new documentary from Last King of Scotland director Kevin Macdonald on the short but eventful life of Bob Marley. It’s a whistle-stop tour through the reggae singer’s life, covering all the bases you might expect: the influence of marijuana, Haile Selassie and the Rastafarian faith on his music; his prolific womanizing (he sired 11 children from 7 different mothers); and his role as a peace activist and cultural icon. With a nationwide distribution and the legendary status of its subject, MARLEY is the most high-profile documentary release since last year’s SENNA, and the two films certainly invite many comparisons.