When I read this article in the daily mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1254384/Jonathan-Rosss-wife-Jane-Goldman-causes-outrage-film-featuring-foul-mouthed-11-year-old-assassin.html I was outraged... well more curious actually, to read that Jane Goldman of Stardust (2007) and 'Jonathan Ross' wife' fame has apparently side-tracked her way into the world of gore and indecency. But I wonder if Richard Simpson got as far as the trailer - or indeed the synopsis - before he took up his pen full of acid to compare Kick-Ass (2010) with the likes of Tarantino.
"The character, called Hit-Girl, slices off people’s legs and shoots bullets through a man’s cheek. In one scene, the young serial killer – played by 13-year-old American actress Chloe Moretz – screams at her victims: ‘Okay, you ****s, let’s see what you can do now.’"
Now watch this: http://www.youtube.com/user/kickass?v=O5mxBaXHcFw&feature=pyv&ad=4697998620&kw=kick-ass and tell me if it hasn't an air of the Kill Bill's about it... No? You're right, I don't see it either.
I'm not sure whether Simpson's sense of humour has finally given way to the broomstick shoved up his backside or whether he just doesn't get it - I'll put any money on his review of Superbad (2007) containing the words 'pornography', 'binge-drinking' and 'the youth of today' - but his overview of this film seems to be in stark contrast to the comedy being advertised daily on TV.
To me it seems that it's just another excuse to rant, and even after successful test-screenings and the revelation that it is, in fact a comedy the Mail are sticking by their analysis saying it would be 'depressing' to see Kick-Ass successful in UK cinemas.
Luckily not all of the UK press are so bloody stubborn and are taking a more open-minded approach to the movie. The Guardian got the Mail's attitude spot on: "parents and pundits are up in arms, claiming the film encourages children to swear and kill people. And also become superheroes."
The truth is, the likes of Kick-Ass and predecessors such as Superbad and Role Models (2008) aren't made to appeal to grown-ups and serious critics, they're made for teenagers. It's not possible to look at them with a serious mind - if you do it's quite possible that you'll end up suicidal - these kids are charicatures of the charicatures of losers and never before - in my opinion anyway - has film hit the nail on the head with teen comedy like it has in recent years.
The young actors Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Michael Cera and Jonah Hill are between them quickly racking up some of the greatest films of the 00's with an entirely new level of comedy which hasn't been seen before. They're crude and brutally honest which really makes their performances resonate with a young audience.
It's time to face it, teenagers today love to cringe at these super-dorks. They're not watching these films for tips, they're not watching them to relate to the characters - they're watching them for a laugh with their mates whilst thinking 'what a knob'...
Friday, 19 March 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
Avatar schmavatar....
OK, so I haven't actually seen Avatar (2009) but I just can't bring myself to go anywhere near it, so strong are my feelings against this film I've never seen that I actually laughed out loud when I heard that Hurt Locker (2009) beat it to win Best Film at the Oscars last night. I've just never been into CGI and 'out of this world' adventures - they don't push my buttons, never have and - if it carries on this way - never will.
I know that I was loving Alien in my last blog, but the reality is there wasn't much of the film that didn't focus purely on the relationships between the human residents of the spaceship.
And if Hurt Locker's success teaches us anything - apart from the fact that women can in fact direct movies - it's that there is plenty going on down here without us bothering our neighbours in the solar system. The Iraq war film won six awards in all (Best Picture, Directing (Kathryn Bigelow), Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Writing (Original Screenplay)) and saw Bigelow as the first ever woman to receive the award for Best Director, beating ex-husband James Cameron in the process. Other big winners included Precious (2009), the story of a young girl abused by her parents and Crazy Heart (2009), which features Jeff Bridges as a faded country singer.
You only have to look in the newspapers and magazines everyday to realise that there are a million real-life stories waiting to be turned into a motion picture, or at least capable of inspiring one. But I wonder if, with the advances that 3D is making in cinemas worldwide, the likes of Universal, 20th Century Fox and Disney are focusing more on the visual potential of a film than its' actual story. Again I haven't seen Avatar but from what I've heard and read the visuals are next to nothing whilst the script and storyline are just nothing. Is this really the way that our film industry is going?
Quite frankly the more that I read about 3D and HD, the less inclined I am to even go to the cinema - it's worth noting that the purchase of equipment to screen such films is the reason ticket prices are soaring - which is a massive shame. But with the hopefuls for next year's Oscars already released perhaps there is hope for the coming year...
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-11-awards-campaign-2009/posts/oscar-2011-begins-at-sundance-with-kids-are-all-right-and-cyrus
I know that I was loving Alien in my last blog, but the reality is there wasn't much of the film that didn't focus purely on the relationships between the human residents of the spaceship.
And if Hurt Locker's success teaches us anything - apart from the fact that women can in fact direct movies - it's that there is plenty going on down here without us bothering our neighbours in the solar system. The Iraq war film won six awards in all (Best Picture, Directing (Kathryn Bigelow), Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Writing (Original Screenplay)) and saw Bigelow as the first ever woman to receive the award for Best Director, beating ex-husband James Cameron in the process. Other big winners included Precious (2009), the story of a young girl abused by her parents and Crazy Heart (2009), which features Jeff Bridges as a faded country singer.
You only have to look in the newspapers and magazines everyday to realise that there are a million real-life stories waiting to be turned into a motion picture, or at least capable of inspiring one. But I wonder if, with the advances that 3D is making in cinemas worldwide, the likes of Universal, 20th Century Fox and Disney are focusing more on the visual potential of a film than its' actual story. Again I haven't seen Avatar but from what I've heard and read the visuals are next to nothing whilst the script and storyline are just nothing. Is this really the way that our film industry is going?
Quite frankly the more that I read about 3D and HD, the less inclined I am to even go to the cinema - it's worth noting that the purchase of equipment to screen such films is the reason ticket prices are soaring - which is a massive shame. But with the hopefuls for next year's Oscars already released perhaps there is hope for the coming year...
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-11-awards-campaign-2009/posts/oscar-2011-begins-at-sundance-with-kids-are-all-right-and-cyrus
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