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Total Recall

Time for a movie that is ingrained in the DNA of every member of the fightrunner team, Total Recall. As you know we all have a soft spot for the mighty Austrian Oak round these parts and when this classic popped up on my TV screen a few weeks ago I realised we had never given it the TLC that it deserves. So, being the moral crusader for justice that I am I have decided to give this piece the treatment it deserves.

Storywise, you should all know this one off by heart and if hear anyone say that they have never watched it I can only conclude three things:

1.) You’re a girl

2.) You’re gay

3.) You’re clinically insane.

So for these three groups I will explain the plot. In the near future Arnie plays Douglas Quaid a construction worker who is haunted by dreams of mars and a mysterious woman that appears in said dreams. Upon visiting a clinic that transplants memories of vacations direct into the human mind, it triggers repressed memories of a previous life on Mars. Being chased by a mysterious team of heavies he runs to Mars to find out his true indemnity and gets wound up in a plot of rebellion against a dictator and a battle to provide free air for the inhabitants of the Mars colony.

Simple but effective as this is essentially one very long chase movie jam packed with that OTT violence violence we have come to expect from both the lead actor and director (Paul Verhoeven). And way too many cool fights, explosions, car chases and gun fights to mention. This is just simply a reminder of why the 80’s was the decade of the action movie as the action is comes thick and fast with non of the irony that seems to fill up modern day actioners. Memorable lines ? way too many here and I bet you have heard them all one minor sticking point may be the absence of ‘I’ll be back’ from the Schwarz. In short there is way too much good stuff packed into the running time for me to mention but one stand out would be the subway chase with Arnie using a dead body as a bullet shield and the literal disarming of Michael Ironsides head goon. One thing overlooked in this movie is the special effects which still hold up to this day and overall this movie hasn’t aged badly.

What you have here is a perfect merging of director and star with the ideal script, a true Action/Sci-Fi classic.

Rating: 9/10

Totally amazing!

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

After seeing underworld and underworld evolution at the cinema it was only natural that I should go and see the third instalment of this pretty disappointing franchise. Well this film turns out to be a prequel to the first film, with an interesting take on romeo and Juliet, swapping the montague and capulet families for werewolves and vampires.The story takes place before the first film and really only lets us know the hsitroy between vampires and werewolves.

The aristocratic vampires have enslaved the werewolves, using them to build their fortress and protect them from rogue werewolf attacks. Rhona Mhitra plays Sonja. Sonja is the daughter of elder Vampire – Viktor, played by Bill Nighy. Sonia is having an affair with the head of the werewolf slaves – lucian. The werewolves decide enough is enough and escape with the help of the Sonja. Anyway, Viktor imprisons his daughter to entice the werewolves back, however the werewolves breed and launch a huge attack destroying the vamp population, with only a few vampires escaping

The film doesn’t really add anything to the franchise. The special effects are same as the previous two films. The werewolf transformations are pretty decently done, however they are the same as in the other two films.

Fight scenes are really are abysmal.The biggest fight in this film was me trying to stay awake watching the final battle. It really is poor.

The one redeeming feature of this film is the eye candy – Rhona Mhitra. I thought not having Kate Beckinsale parading around in tight leather will be disappointing. However Rhona Mhitra is equally stunning in her various outfits and has a damn sexy English accent.

Rise of the Lycans fails to bring anytthing new to the franchise and will only please those of who who are die hard fans.  This film is pure channel 5 film gold, and should be watched if there is nothing else on. To be honest don’t spend your money seeing this film. If you want a good werewolf film I clearly can recommend Dog Soldiers.

Quote of the film: “I’ve lived by their rules my entire life. I’ve protected them. envied them. and for what? To be treated like an animal. We are not animals! Is this want you want? We can be slaves, or we can be… LYCANS!

Rating : 5/10 (that’s 5 for Rhona Mhitra)

VALKYRIE

Yeah… I’m affraid so folks, its more WW2 from your main man McFlee. I admit I have been watching a lot about the biggest war the world has ever seen… from movies to documentaries on the history channel and even sticking it to Fritz on the X-Box in the latest Call of Duty. So it will come as no surprise that I went to see Valkyrie, even though I usually cant stand Tom Cruise.

The film is based on the true story of a plot to assassinate Hitler and overthrow his totalitarian government in a bid to end the war before the inevitable assault on the fatherland by the massing allies.
Cruise plays Claus Stauffenberg, a Nazi Colonel that realises that the Fuhrer has lost his mind and that the end of the war can never be in Germany’s favour. He looses some fingers, one hand and his left eye while serving in North Africa. A band of German officers that also sense that Hitler has to be stopped realises that Stauffenberg, who has an important post close to the Fuhrer, has been left with a bad taste in his mouth. They set out to persuade him to join them in order to get him close enough to Hitler with a bomb so that they can set the end of war in action.

As you can guess, they failed!!! No surprise there unless you are a total moron with no clue of history, in which case, you probibly dont have the intelect to have read this far into my post.

I had recently watched a documentary on these particular events and I have to tell you… I actually enjoyed that more than this movie. Truth is, this was an amazing plot and full of interesting twists and detals… Just for me, it really didn’t fill out a full Hollywood movie that goes on for more than two hours. The jist of the story could have been told in half that time.

Also, Cruise is wayyyyyy out of his depth here. I mean ok he can pull off a cocky American twat with no charactor depth (because thats what he is), but he is by no means the right man for a tortured soul, scheeming to bring down the 3rd Reich from the inside. He is surrounded by some skilled actors, such as, Kennith Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp and even Eddy Izzard… This only leaves him looking like the one kid that forgot to bring his P.E. Kit to school and ends up having to do football in his underpants. Another thing is that everyone is talks in an English accent, choosing to avoid sounding like the germans from Allo Allo I think… this is ok for me but it really draws attention to Cruises high pitched whiny Californian accent and again with the kid in the y-fronts thing!

Verdict:5/10

It only gets that grade because the subject matter is really interesting even if it does feel drawn out. One for the commited war fact fan.

Feels about as long as the second world war actualy lasted.

DEFIANCE

As it has become glaringly obvious, I am a massive WW2 movie fan. So when I saw that this movie was coming out, I became interested to say the least. I had watched a Ray Mears survival documentary on the subject last year and thought to myself… Wow, a war movie from an eastern European perspective that isn’t set in Poland… unusual!”

The story told is the one of when Nazi Germany invaded Belarus in the early days of the war. They, aided by the local police, hunt down all the Jewish people in the area and kill them off in their droves. The ones who are not killed on sight, are rounded up and taken to Jewish ghettos, presumably waiting to be sent off to the concentration camps. We follow the escipades of three brothers, the Bielski Brothers, played by Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. Their family along with their entire village are slaughtered and they are forced to take to the woods in order to evade the Nazi extermination forces.
As former small time criminals, they are used to fleeing into the massive and dense forest in order to escape the police, this time the stakes are higher. Soon they realise that they are not alone in the woods, as more and more fleeing Jews gather for protection. The brothers find themselves in charge of a small civilization, hiding from the swarming power of the 3rd Reich. They soon begin to fight back with guerrilla tactics and earn themselves a reputation and unfortunately the attention of the German army who begin to try and flush them out of their new found haven.

I have the feeling that this was intended to scoop up an OSCAR at some point but in all fairness, I can’t see that happening. Although the movie is very well acted, shot and written, it just doesnt quite dig as deep as other woe filled war epics, such as “Schindler’s List”.

The acting in this movie is fairly top notch, Craig is on fine form after his latest disapointing come back as Bond. When he is speaking in Russian, I swear to god he must be fluent… either that or he spent a shit load of time training for it. The only disappointment to this is when he is speaking in English but with his Eastern accent… it just has way too much of an English tone to it, sounds too public school boyish to me.

The surprise for me was Liev Schreiber, who in my opinion, manages to act Craig off the screen. Hes the kind of guy that you regognise but can’t quite put your finger on what movies he has done. But for me he was the best thing in the movie, his portrayal of an angst ridden man, driven by bitterness and a loyalty to his family is spot on. He lives and breathes the character.

Even Jamie Bell shows us that he is not just some poof that loves to slip into some dancing pumps. He plays the youngest brother that goes from a reserved little boy into a battle hardened soldier.

The movie is beautifully shot and when the action scenes come, they are executed with style and beauty. But for me, it just lacks something in the middle, maybe a few more battle scenes or one slightly longer one would have added to the feeling of an ongoing battle and therefor a better scale of time. It just feels like they sit about a little too much for my liking. If your a fan of WW2 movies, its worth a look.

Verdict: 7.5/10

They are making a stand in the woods but have no fear people… it aint the Ewoks!!!

The boys at Stirton Productions have informed us that, Fightrunner favourite “One Day Removals” has been totaly sold out of its current DVD stock and are busy making more. I like to put that down mostly to our efforts but I guess I would be a total load of shite. Anyway they have given us a few links for you lucky beggars to feast your peepers upon…

A screening of the film running on the Dailymotion site from the 30th Jan, to the 2nd Feb for all you people out there who haven’t bought yourself a copy yet.

Also ther is a FANTASTIC edit of “ODR” with all the non swearing cut out, that leaves us with more than four minuets of pure Scottish cuss words that they have entitled “Sweary Movie”

They have also set up an online store, selling all kinds of ODR goodies from mugs to t-shirts.

And don’t forget the IMDB page.
Please, if you loved the movie, leave a review… it all helps to get it recognised and help grow the fanbase. Who knows, maybe one day we will see a Patric Whyte greetin his een oot (crying his eyes out) at the OSCARS.

Cheers you cunts!!!!

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Well best review the latest OSCAR hopeful, after it’s clean up at the Golden Globes… this movie seems set to make a big impact worldwide.

Danny Boyle’s latest movie seems like an odd choice for one of the UK’s biggest talents. From drug addicted wasters in Edinburgh to rage infected flesh eating zombies… We can safely say he has an eclectic taste in scripts. His newest film again is a complete change, a tale of a poor slum boy by the name of Jamal (Dev Patel) from India that goes on to win the Indian version of “Who wants to be a millionaire”. The shows presenter becomes doubtful of the boy’s knowledge and has him arrested just before the final question, in order to find out if he is cheating. The story is told via a series of flashbacks and we soon realise that each question of the quiz relates directly to key events in Jamal’s life that brought him to where he is now.

Starting from when he was a small boy, witnessing the death of his mother at the hands an angry Hindu mob hell bent on ridding India of the Muslims… the story progresses to how he met his true love as a small girl and how they keep being pulled apart by circumstances beyond his control, but the plucky Jamal always has faith and manages to locate the beautiful Latika over and over again as they grow into adulthood.

For me, this movie worked on so many different levels. The script is compelling and beautifully crafted with crisp dialog and a charm that you can’t help but warm to. Now I am more the kinda guy that loves movies with chain guns and zombies but even I have to say that the emotional aspect of this film gets under your skin and into your heart. The acting is very well executed, especially the two youngest versions of Jamal and his brother Salim. Usually Indian acting is a bit crude and almost comical to us… well in the context of Bollywood movies I mean. But these youngsters show that India can produce actors of real talent. Also the beautiful Latika, in her oldest form, played by Frieda Pinto is also stand out. Her acting is as beautiful as her appearance. I guess I can’t really miss out Dev Patel’s portrayal of the oldest Jamal, another crisp and emotion filled performance… truth is, they are all on top form!

It is also worth noting that the scenery and colours on screen add to the vibrancy of the story. There is also a few cinematic flares in the use of lighting, camera angles and framing that all go towards bolstering the overall mood of the movie.

The truth is, I could find no real fault with this movie at all… I guess it doesn’t really divert from the usual hard luck love story in anyway but it’s just done so damn well that I don’t really have any problem with that.

Verdict: 9/10

A movie that will leave you feeling like a million rupees! (so that’s about 20 quid then?)

Der Untergang (Downfall)

I freely confess to having missed this first time round in the cinema and in the years after despite all the rave reviews and those bloody youtube parodies (you know the ones). And I remember at the time the controversy surrounding it because of Hitler being shown in a more human light rather than the personification of pure evil that we are all accustomed to in endless channel 5 documentaries.

The story follows the last 10 days of the Third Reich in the infamous bunker in Berlin with the red army about to breach and the highest members of the Nazi party refusing to accept defeat. The story is shown from the point of view of Hitler’s private secretary Traudl Junge and it opens with the real life Traudl in an  interview expressing her anger at having worked for Hitler during those last 10 days. After showing us the interview she undertook for the job we cut to the ravaged streets of Berlin with the Soviet bombs dropping and the Third Reich in it final death throes. Hitler is now a visibly aged man refusing to accept defeat and upon learning that the situation is hopeless refuses and idea of diplomacy with the soviets and with it evacuating the citizens of Berlin he then decides to commit suicide rather than let the soviets take him alive or surrender. Also we see the Goebells who rather that live in a world without National Socialism poising their children in their sleep and then shoot themselves.

A film of this nature will ultimately depend on its cast as the figures depicted here are deeply engrained in our memories via history classes and stock news footage. And as Hitler Bruno Ganz is nothing short of incredible and rather than make us sympathise with Hitler as rabid Daily Mail readers would have us believe he actually makes the figure of Hitler more terrifying. By portraying him as a deeply flawed and quite frankly fucking insane human being rather than the Bond-esque villain that we were all taught about in school makes it all the more terrifying. To quote Shakespeare ‘The Devil would have the appearance of a gentleman’ and that is exactly what we see a focused, charismatic and driven man with sick ideology to who was a human being not the monster caricature that we all hold. Bruno Ganz lives this role and you have no problem believing him as Hitler the stand out scene which has been parodied so much where upon he hears that his forces could not attack the Russian forces and he flies into a fit of rage cursing the world and everyone for being against him is incredible.

But for me another standout scene is the deeply disturbing execution of the Goebells children, who after being sedated are force fed cyanide by their mother Magda it will unnerve and shows clearly how crazy and driven the Nazi’s were. The direction is superb with the location shooting re-creating the feeling of a besieged Berlin magnificently as the bombs fall. The Bunker itself is incredible giving an idea of how elaborate it was. Quite simply as WW2 movies go this explores a part of it we know so very little about and gives a very human and very terrifying face.

Rating 10/10

A true masterpiece that has to be one of the best WW2 movies ever made.

Nabi (The Butterfly)

Ah we’re back in Korea again as the winter film famine down at your local cineworld continues. Simply put for imaginative and thought provoking cinema no country seems to manage it as well as Korea who keep surprising the whole fightrunner team with their freshness and originality. So what we have hear is a very low budget movie shot entirely on DV camera that promises itself as a emotional / distopian vision of a near future Korea. None of the stars here will be recognizable to even the most hardened Korean movie buff. So can this be Korea’s low budget cult hit much like the planet on our shores?.

Well at first the premise sounds interesting in a very near future Korea has changed acid rain pounds the nameless city this is set in and a virus has swept the country. Although the ‘Oblivion’ virus has no physical effects it does cause victims to lose their memories and hence a tourist culture has spawned where people from all over the globe ‘Virus Tourists’ come so that their memories can be wiped and in the process any painful memories wiped in the process.The movie follows the journey of Anna who having lived in exile from her native Korea in Germany for most of her life, is returning as a virus tourist to erase the memory of a forced abortion. Her tour guide is a heavily pregnant teenager called Anna and their driver is an orphan who displays a picture of his young self on his cab and picks up random strangers in the hope of finding his family even though this goes against the tour companies rules. Also add in that Yuki keeps a stash of the personal details of all virus tourists as she feels that the memories of these people must be preserved.

So is it any good? yes it is and I can’t emphasise that enough. This is a very emotional film filled with imagination and will move you regardless of how much testosterone pumps through your body. The personal tragedies of the 3 principals and their coming together as a patchwork family is something truly uplifting to behold as the acting is top drawer here. The lead character of Anna is superbly acted as is the other 2 leads. But were this film’s strength lies is in its editing and cinematography the hand held style of the film adds to the rawness and impact and never feels gimmicky and the editing injects a good measure of pace to a story which in the wrong hands could have been pedestrian at best. The stand out scene is the birth of Yukis baby at a beach as the waves crash in around the trio is packed with meaning.

Again we find another example of why Korean and indeed Asian cinema is a quantum leap ahead of the west. Regardless of how much money is spent imagination can’t be bought and is plentiful supply in the east. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea as it does carry the sci-fi tag but is one to check out.

Rating: 9/10

A low budget triumph of substance and style blended together to bring something truly unique.

Old Boy (2nd Opinion)

You know sometimes movies infuriate me for all number of reasons and this one pissed me off so badly when the end credits started rolling. Not because of the movie itself but because of the knowledge I had before watching it that this going to get the remake treatment from Stephen Sentimental Spielberg and Will ‘Did I tell you I’m black?’ Smith. To put it mildly remaking this is cinematic blasphemy. So yep after a very brief stop over for the Oscar hopefuls fightrunner has re-ignited its love affair with South Korea and after McFlee’s gushing review of this, I decided to reach into the depths of my hard drive and give it whirl.

So the story as you all know we have a man who after spending a night harassing the Korean rozzers one night is abducted and locked in room for 15 years whilst inside he trains himself swearing revenge on whoever has done this to him. He wakes one day on a rooftop and begins his quest aided by a friendly girl he meets in a restraunt to seek the ultimate revenge. The identity of the mysterious jailor is revealed early on but the most intriguing aspect is the motives for said Jailor to lock up the hero of the piece. This leads us to that ending.

The ending hear is truly shocking as it touches upon subjects and taboos that Hollywood would never dare of touching with a sterilised 100ft pole by remote control (trust me jaws will hit the floor at the final reveal). But unlike M Night Shamaylan flick which are all about the climax, Oldboy packs in enough visual flair and originality that will have you coming back for more. Unlike most directors who have a knack for the visual Chan Wook Park keeps things brutal without it ever becoming just stylised violence or snappy one liners or just plain gimmicky. As Mcflee said the scene were our hero takes on a gang of yakuza armed with sod all else but a claw hammer, filmed in one continuous shot is a masterpiece of actions direction. Also the nightmarish dream sequence towards the end were our hero is chasing a young version oh himself around a school yard just oozes class. In fact I could sit here all night listing the smart imaginative scenes contained within and I would just be transcribing the movie.

But at the core this is a revenge movie and the best made ever. And looking back its a travesty that the jury at Cannes chose Michael Moore’s paranoid propaganda  movie Fahrenheit 911 over something as fresh and original as this it shows that for me the so called establishment in Hollywood despises originality. But enough ranting for what you have here rates as a great movie that will thrill, entertain and shock as well and unlike most Korean cinema avoids the easy route of some of the goofy humour that can crop up from time to time. Watch this and you will go bald scratching your head at how the supposed ‘dream team’ of Will Smith and Spielberg could ever hope to do this justice.

Rating : 10/10

Oh boy, oh boy revenge has never been so sweet.

The Changeling

Clint Eastwood just doesn’t know when to quit, and unlike say Nic Cage in a good way. Not content with being one an onscreen acting legend he has taken it upon himself to become one of the best damned directors around. Seeing as the weepy, ‘I wanna thank gawd’, insincere, fake, pretentious (you can tell I’m not a huge fan!) ceremony that is the Oscars is almost upon us I decided to take it upon myself to have a look at one of the hopefuls. And this one gets a sort of shoulder shrug and apathy yes we have the legend Clint Eastwood overseeing affairs but then it does star Angelina Jolie who for me has yet to put in a performance of any note. Can she deliver under the gravelly voiced guidance of good ‘Ol Clint?.

Well before that we have to get round to the premise and like I say at first glance it seems the type of true story T.V. movie that your mum would lap up. Angelina Jolie is a single parent and one day her son is abducted after weeks of searching the LA police say they have found said lad alive and well and she is re-united in front of the press with the kid. But she sees right away that this is not her boy, and the protests fall on deaf ears as the police riddled with corruption dare not admit they made a mistake. As a result she is ridiculed to the point of being thrown in a mental institution but with the help of a local preacher (John Malkovich) she fights for her name to be cleared and to find out the true fate of her son.

Like I say any movie with such a run of the mill plot is going to have to have something extra ordinary in the reserve tanks to make it special and thankfully there is plenty to rave about here. The cast without exception are excellent and Aneglina Jolie at last shows us why we should pay attention to seeing her name on a poster. Her journey from wholesome all American mother to a determined and optimistic champion of the people is amazing to watch from start to finish. The scene to watch out for me is when she come face to face with her sons alleged killer moments before he is executed. John Malkovich is on top form as well as at the start we think he is one of those ranting radical evangelicals we see on the news so much and as the story develops he become the anchor of the movie. A special shout must go to Jeffery Donovan as the sleazy police captain doing everything in his power to ridicule the central character. Another we must mention Jason Butler Harner with a brilliantly creepy and chilling performance as a mass child murderer.

And as for Clint? well he delivers the goods yet again as he seems to take a very ordinary story and turn into something utterly compelling to watch, this is a director who gets the best out of actors and makes every frame a work of art. This film is direct and powerful and should please anyone watching as it has something for everyone. Also worth mentioning that the direction in terms of realising LA in the 20’s is a real visual treat. The only place I could deduct marks for is sometimes the acing can be a bit pedestrian but then i would just be looking for cracks.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

No punnery needed for what was a great film to close 2008 on.