Current release: DOOMSDAY

This is one that I'd been waiting for a long time. Neil Marshall got good reviews with his first feature, the werewolf movie DOG SOLDIERS. I've still not seen it, but his second feature, THE DESCENT, was very enjoyable. His quest to lighten up the British film industry with decent genre movies continues now as he tries to create a balls-out high-octane post-apocalyptic action film.

He succeeds!

First, let's get the so-called negative stuff out the way. The vast majority of this film (in which Scotland is isolated following a plague, only for England to send a team in looking for survivors when a cure is needed south of the border) is derivative of a good many cult classics that came before it.

The first half of the film is basically ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, but with Scotland replacing NYC. The second half of the film is essentially MAD MAX 2, but with the Scottish border replacing the Australian outback. Along the way there's a hint of DAMNATION ALLEY, a sprinkling of MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME and it's all garnished with a bit of ALIENS.

In the lead role (Snake Plissken and Max Rockatansky rolled into one, but female - and rather sexy) we have Rhona Mitra. Yes, she was an original model for Tomb Raider; yes, she used to host the chart on Channel 5. But she makes a decent action heroine and is more pleasing on the eye than Kurt Russell or Mel Gibson (your mileage may vary). So that's good.

Kitted out in full Snake Plissken outfit, she even has an eyepatch, although hers has a neat twist. In fact, pretty much all the homages/thefts (however you want to see it) are given little twists by Marshall.

The recasting of Snake as a braw woman isn't the end of the Carpenter love-fest. Aside from taking much of the plot of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, Marshall also uses the same font on screen as Carpenter did in one of his films that I can't remember (I think it was maybe THE THING) and also does a great job of mimicking Carpenter's early 80s soundtrack music too.

And if that wasn't enough for you, one of the characters is even named Carpenter (MAD MAX director George Miller gets a similar honour).

Talking of MAD MAX, much of the wardrobe comes from the MAD MAX films too. The vehicles and motorbikes are straight out of these films, but so are the leather trousers and punk outfits. I have no idea why George Miller thought that the collapse of society would lead to everyone becoming punk rockers, but it seems to have proved a popular choice for post-apocalyptic chic ever since.

While there are other nods to MAD MAX 2 in particular (especially a scene involving a crossbow and various car-related stunts) the one that I got the biggest kick out of was seeing a MAD MAX style car chase kick off only for the 80s nostalgia levels to be cranked up to 11 when the music kicked in... Two Tribes, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood! Genius. It has the best intro of any record in the history of music, and it's a perfect choice here.

One of the aspects of the film that gave me the biggest thrill was simply the fact that it was set (and at least partially filmed) in Scotland. I've grown up loving these post-apocalypse films from the 80s so to finally see one take place on my doorstep was amazing. The post-apocalyptic Glasgow was well realised (it looks like it does after a Rangers-Celtic derby, but with better clothes) and to see these post-nuclear punks riding around... well, it's like seeing the villains from MAD MAX 2 being played by someone from TAKE THE HIGH ROAD. Brilliant stuff.

One of the more accidental advantages of the film is the timing of its release. While I'm not suggesting for a minute that we all hate each other or are about to start any wars, I do think that, based purely on my own observations, relations between Scots and English are as strained as they have been in a long time. So the fact that we have a film where the English wall up the Scots and do battle with the survivors gains a political edge that it might not have had ten years ago. It's even got a miserable Scotsman taking over the PM job from an Englishman - remind you of anything?

Plenty of other ingredients are thrown in along the way - a brief appearance by Scottish actor Martin Compston is a surprise, some of the action manages to take place in a Scottish castle, Malcolm McDowell's in it, and they even manage to get a chase on steam train.

It looks like a checklist of everything an early 80s post-apocalyptic film could need and delivers in spades. What Quentin Tarantino did for martial arts and spaghetti westerns with KILL BILL, Marshall does here for the 80s apocalyptic genre. If you love the genre as much as I do (and I admit, few of you probably do) this is an absolute riot. If you don't... well, go and see it anyway. At the very least you're supporting a drive from British genre movies; at best, you might even enjoy it...

Current release: CARAMEL

I took in CARAMEL recently, which I'd guess you'd kind of refer to a romantic comedy. It's set in Beirut however, so there's no Hugh Grant foppish shenanigans or Jennifer Garner being all dizzy.

Set in and around a beauty salon, the story takes in the adventures and misadventures of the crowd of people who work there and live in the area. There's the one who is having an affair with a married man; the one who's secretly a lesbian; the one who doesn't want her future husband to discover that he won't be the first; and so on.

What's interesting about all these problems is that they are placed in the context of a society very different from our own where such things provoke different reactions from society than they would over here. Extra-marital affairs and casual pre-marital sex? Par for the course in a Hollywood chick-flick or British rom-com.

Where it falls down is trying to cram them all into one film. There are too many characters and too much going on - in fact it feels like the movie has already been going on for some time when we start and similarly feels like it gets cut off before it quite finishes. A sharper focus on one or two of the individuals would have been preferable in my eyes, particularly on the lead character played by Nadine Labaki.

Full marks for aesthetics though. The music is agreeable and, suitably enough for a film entitled CARAMEL, the whole film is shot in a gorgeous orangey-brown palette that makes it look terrific.

Arthouse meets chick-flick.

Current release: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?

Morgan Spurlock scored a huge success with his humorous documentary SUPER SIZE ME, which took on the problem of American obesity and scored a few small victories while bringing in huge crowds (by documentary standards at least). Now he's back on the big screen to track down Osama Bin Laden.

Spurlock again proves to be a likable host and the film provides many laughs along with bite size views of Middle Eastern culture. Ultimately however the film proves shallow and pointless.

The brief tour round the countries where Bin Laden may or may not have hidden provides nothing new - guess what, there are regular guys like you and me over there - either in terms of the cultures explored or in why so many of them hate America, leaving the overall impression of an amusing school lesson.

Worst of all though is the complete disregard for other people shown. I'm not just talking about the danger he puts other people in by tagging along with soldiers in extremely dangerous places. No, what really irked me is that the supposed impetus for Spurlock's quest to rid the world of the evil terror mastermind is the impending birth of his child. Well maybe it's just me, but I can't think of anything more irresponsible for a man to do in that situation than to leave your pregnant wife at home while you go terrorist-hunting through the Middle East.

Granted, it has some moments of real humour and other more serious moments that stick in the mind (a group of angry Jews go a little further than just refusing to be interviewed) but this is definitely one film that you may as well just wait to come on TV rather than stumping up your cash for a cinema ticket. Maybe it's just that people aren't taking to movies on the subject of the war on terror, but it appears from the empty cinemas that a lot of people might agree.

Current release: JOY DIVISION

You've seen CONTROL (well, probably, anyway - it seemed quite popular here in the UK at least), the black-and-white biopic of Ian Curtis. Well now here's the real deal (in colour) as the documentary JOY DIVISION brings the story of the titular band to the screen.

Through archive footage, interviews with all major players (including the recently deceased Factory Records guru Tony Wilson) and some arty-farty visuals, we see the story of not just Ian Curtis (though he takes centre stage) but of the band itself. Where it came from, how it happened, and where it went, it's all here and while unlikely to do much at the box office it's arguably the more valuable film.

Most impressive is the picture that the film builds of the time and place - not just of the kind of bands that emerged but why they emerged, how they emerged and where they emerged from. The grim portrait painted of the early 80s post-industrial wasteland that was Manchester is a powerful one, and is aided along the way by then-and-now pictures of key locations. It's ironic that Manchester is now so much changed for the better that although the city now appears more vibrant, many of the venues and places that shaped its legendary music scene no longer exist.

And on that subject, the only real problem I had with the film was the almost God-like reverence shown towards Curtis and the band that not only establishes Curtis as a musical genius (he may well have been) but also seems to imply that Joy Division were almost the main catalyst for the change in Manchester in the years since. Simply put, I have my doubts that they were quite as important as this film suggests. Brilliant, yes; influential, without question - but beyond that I'm just not sure.

Then again, I've never actually been to Manchester, so don't listen to me.

A special occasion

I never really got round to posting anything about Charlton Heston when he died recently, and I really should have. Perhaps one day soon I'll take the time to discuss just how many of my favourite films he's been in. On Saturday however I took the opportunity to attend a screening of The Greatest Film Ever Made (aka PLANET OF THE APES) which was showing at the Filmhouse as a tribute.

I've mentioned here before about this great film and how much I love it so I'm not going to rehash it all here. One of the things about this film though is that no matter how many times I watch it (and believe me, it's a lot) I still notice new details every time.

This viewing was no exception. Again I found myself noticing little details in the background (it certainly helps when you're watching it on a massive screen instead of your TV at home) but what struck me most this time was an element of the story.

A strength of PLANET OF THE APES, in my view, is that it has always evolved with the viewer. Kids can enjoy it for the action sci-fi romp that, for much of the film, it appears to be; but as you get older you notice more and more the political aspects of the film and how they engage with and reflect modern society.

This time what I noticed is how one aspect of the story has taken on a more relevant edge in modern times.

Looking at the situation today, particularly in America, where the religious right is gaining more power, not least because of the insane guy running the country, and the issue of evolution versus religion, faith versus science is as controversial as ever - to the point where there arguments about whether it should be taught in schools or not - you can't help but see a certain power and relevance in PLANET OF THE APES.

Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) advances a theory called evolution and it's branded heresy... the head honcho Doctor Zaius (Maurice Evans) is minister of science and chief defender of the faith, but claims there is no contradiction in the two... it's all a bit familiar. I'm sure that twenty years from now, we'll probably be reading even more into PLANET OF THE APES as it continues to evolve along with us. Assuming I'm allowed to use the word "evolve".

On the same day, I took in a screening, this time a tribute to Arthur C Clarke, of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

It was showing from 70mm (a format that very few cinemas in the UK can show) and looked and sounded absolutely incredible. I have nothing more to add about the second best film of 1968 except that if you get the chance to see this from a decent print on the big screen and you ignore it, you're an idiot!

Just realised that this was my 200th post to the Freakpit. What better way to celebrate than with The Greatest Film Ever Made?

Current release: PERSEPOLIS

Oscar nominated in the Animated Film category this year, this film never had a chance of winning. Mainly that's because Pixar had a film out but equally because it's just a little bit too honest, serious and generally art-house. I know the category has only being going for a few years, but I think it'll be a few more before we see a film like this win it.

PERSEPOLIS tells of a girl from Iran who, due to the political turmoil, is sent away to Europe. The film concerns her growing up in this strange new world and the impact it has on her (and vice versa) compared with the restrictive society in Iran.

The idea of using this kind of medium to report on such issues isn't new and for all its lovely visuals (simple but vibrant, and almost entirely black and white) it just didn't strike a chord with me. It lacked the power similar endeavours such as Art Spiegelman's Maus comic strip and left me wondering who it's supposed to appeal to. Arthouse cinema-goers are only going to make up a limited audience and it's not the sort of thing that is likely to have the crossover appeal of a Miyazaki film or bring in families like Pixar movies do.

Full marks for effort and integrity and an intense view of a particular country at a particularly difficult point in time; but I'm afraid it just didn't do anything for me.

Current release: IN BRUGES

Two Irish leads (Brendan Gleason and Colin Farrell) in a film by an Irish filmmaker (Martin McDonough) - that alone puts this into the Irish cinema category for me, so off I went to see it. It was also the big gala screening at the Dublin film festival this year but like so many other films I wanted to see it didn't fit with my schedule.

Gleason and Farrell play two assassins who are ordered by their boss to lay low (in Bruges, funnily enough) after a hit goes horribly wrong. Gleason loves the place and enjoys taking in the sights; Farrell hates it and wants to get drunk or go home. Hijinks ensue.

Brutal violence rubs shoulders with laugh-out-loud humour; politically incorrect dialogue (mostly from Farrell's character) is peppered throughout with sweet-natured romance and humanity; high-octane shoot-outs fill in the gaps between lengthy dialogue scenes (the writer-director showing why he has a background as a playwright - much of the dialogue is brilliant). It's a mix of tones that all come together into an immensely satisfying whole.

The cast are near perfect (the so often miscast Farrell finally gets another role that suits him), the dialogue sparkles ("Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf!") and the scenic backdrop is used to maximum effect, combined with some pleasingly laid back music.

The film seems to occupy some off-kilter middle ground between LETHAL WEAPON-style action film and melancholic arthouse movie. It's really not the sort of thing you find in your local Odeon very often but is very, very good and you should see it while it's still on.

My EIFF 2008 preview

I guess I really should do this before the Edinburgh International Film Festival starts or it's not really a preview. Then it would just be a view.

This year sees the introduction of a new thread of cult movies, all coming under the umbrella title of "Under the Radar". These are the kind of things that tickle my fancy although some of them look like they might be a bit weird even for me. Interestingly some of these films will only be shown once, and not in the larger cinemas either, so expect these to sell out.

I'm not planning to see BIGGA THAN BEN or CRACK WILLOW, but I will be taking in BLOOD CAR (a car that runs on blood - not sure where that fits in with Al Gore's ideas but it's cheaper than petrol), SPIKE, STRANGE GIRLS and THE THIRD PINT, all of which sound very interesting. Together with the various horror films in the programme there looks like being a bumper crop of late night oddities this year, something that I felt last year's programme lacked.

Talking of horror films, that's another area I'm interested in so I'll be taking in all six of the movies under the "Night Moves" umbrella. CADAVER, JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY, MUM AND DAD, SHIVER, TIME CRIMES and TRAIL OF THE SCREAMING FOREHEAD all look like fun, so it'll be interesting to see which one (and there always is at least one) ends up being a total let down. I've heard good things about TIME CRIMES though, a Spanish time-travel murder mystery type thing. Read the programme, it'll probably be a lot clearer.

I will also, as usual, be looking to take in anything with either a Scottish or Irish connection - the former because of my patriotic duty towards supporting Scottish cinema and the latter because, well, I just like Ireland.

On the Scottish front, I'll be checking out Brian Cox's personal appearance (along with his new film RED) and will be taking in STONE OF DESTINY too, which will either be a fun crime caper or a routinely mediocre British comedy.

From Ireland I'll be seeing HELEN, EDEN and FAIRYTALE OF KATHMANDU. The latter two were on at Dublin when I visited recently but I couldn't make it to either of them. I'll be missing, however, the world premiere of Irish comedy A FILM WITH ME IN IT, because it clashes with other stuff I want to see, including the other Irish stuff. Interestingly, FAIRYTALE OF KATHMANDU is accompanied by the short film NO REGRETS IN THE WEST, which will mean I'll be seeing that one for the third time. I believe there are a couple of other Irish shorts elsewhere in the programme but I don't think any of them are in my schedule. Still, it's nice to see short films getting a platform at places like EIFF all the same - not just in the shorts programmes but on bills with feature films too, which at least ensures that people who wouldn't think about shorts programmes will still get the chance to see them and maybe think about them more in future.

Jings, that last sentence was huge, wasn't it?

Another of my interests is of course documentary. I realise that this blog entry is starting to look like a complete index of all the films I'm going to see, which wasn't my intention so I'll just give a brief outline of a few.

There are a whole bunch of documentaries screening here that were on at HotDocs and while I'm in a position to recommend some of them (MAN ON WIRE, DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH) I'm also pleased that I'll get the chance to see a few I missed, including THREE MILES NORTH OF MOLKOM and MECHANICAL LOVE. Also looking interesting are ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (because a new Herzog film is always worth looking out for) and JESUS CHRIST SAVIOUR, because it features Herzog's partner/arch-nemesis Klaus Kinski. Kinski and Herzog are both mad as a barrel of stoats so both movies should be entertaining.

On top of that, there are some other interesting Q&A sessions (the legendary Ray Harryhausen, EIFF fave Shane Meadows and cinematographers extraordinaire Roger Deakins & Seamus Garvey). I'll also be checking out almost all of the Jeanne Moreau retrospective - JULES ET JIM being the most famous (nope, I've never seen it), QUERELLE being interesting because it's got Franco Nero in it (cult legend) and THE BRIDE WORE BLACK sounds nice too, since it bears an uncanny resemblance to KILL BILL.

As with most festivals, my choices always vary wildly when compared to most of the popular choices and award winners, so if you want to see the next big thing, make sure you also pick a whole bunch of films that I've not mentioned...

My viewing at HotDocs 2008: concluded!

Later than anticipated (yeah, aren't you surprised) here's the last of the films I saw at Hot Docs in Toronto. I'm so far behind schedule that I've not even had time to post anything here about the newly-launched EIFF2008 programme. It's in June this year, in case you'd not heard.

The heavily-named STRANDED, I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED IN THE MOUNTAINS is a gripping documentary following the ordeal visited upon the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes back in the 70s (en route to a game), killing many on board and leaving the survivors to resort to desperate measures to survive.

If it sounds familiar it's because it was the basis of the movie ALIVE. I've never seen it and I'm not in any hurry to as it's difficult to see it living up to this powerful, emotional documentary. All the survivors are interviewed and there's no greater way of hearing the story than in their own words.

VIRTUAL JFK: VIETNAM IF KENNEDY HAD LIVED has a marginally shorter name but is equally as interesting a film. How would the Vietnam situation have unfolded if JFK hadn't been killed? Analysis and rare archive footage come together to show one opinion. In the end, the "what if" scenario is answered in a few lines, but the building of the case is fascinating.

DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH is a biopic on the life and work of sci-fi author Harlan Ellison. Hailed as a genius by many, unheard of by even more - he's always interesting even if he rubs many the wrong way. Forthright and opinionated, he's a fascinating and entertaining man and this documentary captures that perfectly, not to mention his infamous bouts of passionate anger. If you just think he's an angry, miserable old man you probably don't want to see this but otherwise it's a must.

PLANET B-BOY is a documentary that briefly skips over the history of breakdancing before concentrating on the world championship and a few teams that have travelled to Germany to take part. It's nothing groundbreaking as a documentary film, but as a showcase for the most incredible breakdancing you've ever seen it's a jawdropping exhibition of body-contorting madness.

Finally, BETRAYAL is about a family who escaped Laos in the 70s to come to America, leaving two kids behind, not to mention the father whose whereabouts were unknown after he was abducted by enemy soldiers. The title of the film is a little ambiguous as it's concerned with more than one instance of betrayal by more than one party, but to say any more would risk spoiling a fascinating story. The film's a bit slow-moving in places but interesting enough to hold the attention until the end.

That's all from Hot Docs, so let me just finish by saying that two of my favourites, MAN ON WIRE and DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH are both playing at the aforementioned Edinburgh International Film Festival this year, so go and see them. In fact, so are several films from Hot Docs including THREE MILES NORTH OF MOLKOM, which I didn't see but was recommended to me by an American chap I sat next to at MAN ON WIRE. Then again he was the brother of one of the directors, so read into that what you will.

I'll finish by saying that of the top ten films in Hot Docs Audience Award voting, I saw just two of them, so if you've been reading my opinions here I guess it's only fair to let you know just how out of touch I am.

Now I've got to go, as I have to spend the next couple of hours laboriously planning my schedule for EIFF next month.

More soon!