Gareth_Hacking

Seperado documents musician Gruff Rhys' (Super Furry Animals) quixotic adventure to track down his distant uncle René Griffiths, aka The Singing Gaucho, who appeared on 1970s Welsh television singing and playing Spanish guitar on horseback before disappearing from the airwaves. Through his own family history (with flashbacks to 1880's featuring some very dodgy fake beards), Gruff traces the fascinating but little-known subject of the Welsh diaspora to Patagonia, the only place outside of Wales where significant numbers of Welsh speakers are to be found.

Rene is something of a mysterious figure - he's just out of reach, always just one step ahead as Gruff gigs across Patagonia playing venues both large and small (at one point he performs to field of goats). Alongside the quest, the film focuses on a number of different aspects and consequences of the move down south, from the dangers the immigrants faced to their relationship and integration with the local populace, along with their struggle to keep welsh traditions and language alive. Gruff makes for a relaxed and convivial host, reacting to the everyone with warmth and humour as along the way he meets a variety of charming characters, from Tony da Gatorra and his home-built electronic instruments to the singing twin brothers continuing the tradition of the Latin Wesh gaucho.

The film is filled with whimsical turns and magical twists, from the musical inserts (it's a shame that the soundtrack was never released), to the magical red Power Ranger helmet (a stage prop which first appeared during Super Furry Animal gigs) Gruff uses to transport himself across continents. But does he find Rene? You'll have to watch the film to find out.

Having attended a one-off screening at the Manchester Cornerhouse, I can safely say that this film is visually and sonically stunning. The documentary chronicles Sigur Ros' 2006 free tour of Iceland, with every song introducing you to a different corner and aspect of Iceland. Each filmed performance takes place in a different location, from abandoned villages to massive open air concerts. And what performances they are!

Interceded throughout are interviews with the band, their support string section - Amiina and in one memorable instance, a man who constructs musical instruments from rocks. They all come across as a thoroughly likable group who have a deep love for their home-country. This film serves as both a wonderful introduction to Sigur Ros and their music as well as a great advert for Iceland.

One of Walter Hill's many overlooked and undervalued films, Extreme Prejudice is a modern day western, set squarely on the US/Mexican border.

For an action film, it's unusually structured, with two separate strands vying for prominence. On the one hand we have Texas Ranger Jack Benteen (Nick Nolte, looking particularly sharp), versus childhood friend, now drug lord Cash Bailey (Powers Boothe), battling over both the drug trade and Sarita Cisneros (Maria Conchita Alonso), a Mexican singer who loves them both. But what is a supposedly deceased US army unit doing in town? These guys are on a mission, and while they might not like their orders, they'll carry them out to the best of their ability. But what their mission is, they or us are never to sure of.

The film is filled with to the brim with fine character actors, chewing up and spitting out the tough-guy dialogue with relish. Everyone is on fine form though Rip Torn, as Benteen's predecessor and Clancy Brown, as the unit's second-in-command are of particular note.

Well worth a look if you ever get the chance.

So I was flicking through the channels late at night and was surprise to see Sean William Scott on screen in a film I didn't recognise (always the best way to watch a film I find - no preconceptions). Anyway, I was intrigued enough to keep watching all the way through to the finish.

Scott is Ben McGewen, a small-time who's having to pay off his murdered brother's debt to gang boss Gregory (Lou Diamond Philips wearing a shockingly white wig and who I only actually recognised just before the end). All he has to do is steal a rare Chinese sculpture for him. Unfortunately the sculpture is locked away in a high-security bank vault. Good thing that Ben has an elaborate plan which involves the putting on a club night in the warehouse next door and a crew of accomplices capable of pulling it off. So long as everything goes to plan of course.

Inevitably, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, but then if it didn't, there wouldn't be much of a film. Their original choice of DJ doesn't show and his replacement isn't too keen on their choice of music, Ben's ex-girlfriend is hanging around and distracting him, there's undercover FBI agents hanging around the club and Gregory is an impatient man.

I'm sure that if I thought about it, I could poke all kinds of holes in the plot and there were a few scene's that fell flat or just seemed to be filling time but I can say I warmed to the film. The main reason would be Scott, who carried the film and for once, wasn't playing a variation on Stifler. The rest of the cast were all unknown to me apart from Diamond-Philips and Dave Folley, who has little more than a cameo as one of the FBI agents though they all played their roles fine. It also made me laugh (especially a line that I will not repeat here as I don't want to upset more sensitive ears). So overall, it was a fun but nothing special.

So here we have it, the eagerly awaited follow-up from the same team that brought us Shaun of the Dead. But whereas Shaun (hereafter shortened to SOTD) drew its inspiration primarily from zombie films (more specifically, George Romero's "Dead" films), Hot Fuzz throws its net a bit wider, taking in every buddy-buddy cop action film made in the last 20 odd years and combining it with a very British perspective. Think Midsummer Murder spliced with Bad Boys 2 and you should have the rough idea.

Through a series of quick cuts we are introduced to Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg), an outstanding officer in the London police force, a super cop with an arrest record 400% higher than anyone else. In fact he's so good, he makes everyone else look bad. So Angel is packed off to the picture-perfect village of Sandford, alone save for his beloved Japanese Peace Lilly. On arrival Angel finds it difficult to adjust to village life, constantly on the look out for crime in a place where there hasn't been a murder for over 20 years and the police station is so quiet that the staff spend most of their time eating cake and ice-cream. He also finds himself partnered with over-eager constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), the son of amiable Police Chief Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent). Danny is obsessed with action films and believe's that Angel is his chance to live out his dreams of car chases and gunfights.

With the set-up completed within the first 15 minutes it's on with the plot as people start to die in a series of grisly "accidents". Angel is suspicious but no-one believes him apart from Danny. With the body count rising though, the two need to work together to find out what's going on or could it be that Angel is just wound too tightly for country living? Pegg and Frost have been doing their double act for so long it's become second nature and it's nice to see them playing (slightly) different roles. Just like SOTD, they are ably supported by a cast of familiar faces from British film and TV. It's good to see Timothy Dalton having so much fun, playing the sinister Mr Skinner with a moustache-twirling relish. Other standouts include Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall as the Andy's, two detectives who spend most of their time verbally abusing Angel and Danny.

The film is packed full of references, which I'm sure will take multiple viewings to catch. There's some inventively gory scenes which are sure to make everyone a bit more careful around churches and model villages, though they are a bit too obviously CGI. It's a shame that the action doesn't kick into high gear until the final third but with the plot not going down the most obvious of routes and since I was laughing all the way through I can't really complain. The film is a success in it's attempt to create a "British" action film, combining adrenaline-fuelled action with the mundane and everyday.

Mirrormask is a film with excellent parentage. The Jim Henson Company, hoping to emulate their now classic Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, has financed the film, with the screenplay provided by Neil Gaiman and his long-time collaborator Dave McKean directing the film. But the budget here is a 20th of cost of those earlier works and Gaiman and McKean untested in the filmic world. So how does the final result stand up? We first meet Helena (Stephanie Leonidas) working at her parent's (Rob Brydon and Gina McKee) circus. While most children would like nothing better than to run away and join the circus, Helena is fed up to the back teeth, cursing her mother for not allowing her a normal life. During a performance her mother becomes seriously ill and has to undergo life-saving surgery. That night Helena dreams, finding herself in magical land that is reminiscent of her own drawings, off-balance because of its sleeping White Queen (McKee again). Accompanied by Valentine (Jason Barry) she goes on quest to find the key that will wake the Queen and restore balance to the world, whilst avoiding the clutches of the Black Queen (McKee yet again). But there is another malign influence overshadowing this world, one prepared to destroy it all.

The film is something of a crossbreed, equally art-house and children's film. Unlike Henson's earlier films all the visuals here are of the CG rather than puppet variety. The final result is similar to other recent green-screen films such as Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Immortel. Unlike those efforts however Mirrormask features a believable fantasy world, populated by strange and unusual creatures and where fish fly through the air.

McKean has always had the ability to create striking imagery as his cover for The Sandman books will attest, and it's his visual flair that really shines here, hardly surprising considering the film 18 months of post-production. But all this eye-candy can be overwhelming, with actors possibly being overshadowed the goings-on around them. Rob Brydon gets lumbered with a quite awful mask at one point. And Gina McKee doesn't really register, surprising when considering she has 3 roles to play. But theirs are supporting roles, and lead actress Stephanie Leonidas is more than up to the task of carrying the film, ably assisted by Jason Barry, who manages carry off the side-kick role from behind a blank face-mask.

It a shame the plot could not be as inventive as the visuals, with the bare bones reminiscent of above-mentioned Labyrinth. The story meanders on occasion, with interludes that slow everything down to a snails pace. On the positive, there are moments of great comic invention, a particular highlight being the duck/gorilla creatures that are all called Bob (apart from the one called Malcolm).

So will the film achieve the same level of cult as its predecessors? Only time and DVD sales will tell.

I actually watched this film based on the recommendations of those who've commented here. It was just starting on BBC1 and, as I happened to be online at the time, I thought I'd check out what had been written here on IMDb. I'm glad I did as they convinced me to watch the film.

Whilst it's plot reads like your typical, cop-looking-for-revenge-B-movie that normally gets shown in the early hours of the morning to fill time, this plot is made watchable by tour-de-force performance from Anthony LaPaglia. He plays a undercover cop searching for revenge who's so good at being other people that he's losing his grip on who he is. LaPaglia slips effortlessly from character to character, sometimes within scenes you can see him taking on the characteristic of others. His English accent is well done, and I believe if you were to just see the scenes where he's seducing Jill Hallman, you'd simply assume you were watching a Hugh Grant style romance, except LaPaglia is infinitely more charming in my opinion.

Another performance of note is Kevin Pollack's. He gives a solid performance and makes a good foil to LaPaglia. Against these two, everyone else just seems to fade into the background.

Of course, there are problems with the film. If you analyse the plot for 5 minutes, it would probably all fall apart. Also, the film feels dated before its time, looking a few years older than it's 1995 release date would suggest. But these are by-the-by things for me personally as I enjoyed the performances so much.

Finally, for anyone interested in similar subject matter, I would highly recommend the 'Human Target' comic books written by Peter Milligan for DC comics.

I watched this short a couple of nights ago on channel 4 as part of their 'Outside Zone' section of programmes. It's a fairly simple idea - Adam and the Ants make an eventful late-night trip to their local 24-hour supermarket - but it's played well with plenty of humour and respect.

Can't say I recognised Nick Moran as Adam Ant and had to rely on the end credit's for identification. He does look the spitting image of Mr. Ant and is quite amusing, especially when trying to control the 'kids' (the 2 drummers who I haven't got a clue what their names are). Mackensie Crook is fairly recognisable and comes across as a motherly figure (it's probably just the curly blonde wig and clothes he's wearing). Apparently a couple of the original Ants were involved in the film, contributing music and making cameo appearances.

One thing I didn't get was the other group of shoppers who were wandering around. Not being a child of the early eighties, I failed to get the joke but I imagine it would be fairly obvious to someone else.

After a quick google I see that it's possible to see and download from various places. I recommend you give it a go. There's also follow-on of sorts called 'Blake Junction 7' with a few of the same faces appearing. This also looks interesting from the trailer that's online.

'Spine-Chillers' was a short-lived horror/comedy anthology show that was screened initially on BBC 3 before being shown on late night BBC 1. I remember watching one of the episodes of this series last year. 'Goths' starred Mackenzie Crook (with a truly awful black wig) and somebody I can't recall as a couple of the above mentioned sub-section of society looking for somewhere to live. After numerous rejections they find a place with a full-on Goth landlord Balfus, played with bug-eyed intensity by Mark Heap. He's a bit of a head case, insistent on getting his rent on time and who also has a thing against 'weekenders', those that only dabble in the Goth life-style. After altering the place to their liking (a very funny sequence where the Crook and the other guy paint their new place completely black and then relax with a cup of tea with the milk dyed black) and hold a house-warming they begin to notice weird stuff happening around the house and the landlord is getting particularly insistent on getting his rent.

I've no idea whether this episode was typical of the series though I did enjoy what I watched. Hopefully there will be a another series sometime in the future.

I'm assuming this is the same film that I watched in the Rotterdam film festival based on the names of the title and director. The first plot description here though couldn't be more different than the one that I had read before watching the film. Rather than a documentary, 'War' seemed to be a chronicle of the after-effects of a war that we never see on a slowly disappearing country life. The minister mentions the rapture early on and from what see for most of the film there doesn't appear to be anyone left apart from our four protagonists. Actually, 'protagonists' is probably the wrong word as they don't actually do all that much and we see very little interaction between them. When the minister calls his 'sweetie-pie' turns away from the camera so we don't actually see him speaking on the phone, suggesting she might not be on the other end of the phone.The characters are simply going through their routines, unable or unwilling to do anything else. Radio's buzz with the voices of preachers, proclaiming and preaching for all their worth. Towards the end there is a suggestion of hope for the future when the boy drops the radio from the bridge, silencing the past. Personally, I thought the film might have worked before as four separate pieces, each one focusing on a different character and lasting 10 minutes. But that's just me.

It's unfortunate that the Twin Town got stuck with the tag ‘the Welsh Trainspotting' as it's so much better then that rural moniker suggests. Kevin Allen's debut is assured piece of filmmaking, delivering a view of Swansea and Wales that the tourist board can't have been to pleased about. But this is where Allen and co-writer Paul Durden grew up and they know this world intimately. The film skewers a great many stereotypes of welsh culture and beats them into the ground.

For anyone who's ever watched S4C, the film is filled with familiar faces from 'Pobl y Cwn' and the 'Pam fi Duw?'. This is probably the only time you're ever likely to see actors from ‘Pobl y Cwm' mixing it with Hollywood as Twin Town was to provide the breakout roles for both Ifans and Scott, who have gone on to bigger but not exactly better things. It is also filled with most of director's Kevin Allen's immediate family (including brother Keith, yes that one).

Now if only Ifans would make a movie starring the two Franks and I'd be very happy indeed.

Entertaining future-prison fun, competently directed by Martin Campbell (just look at his early credits. He's come a long way since the 70's). Sure, the plot's shot full of holes (what was with all that stuff about the thermal activity on the island? Maybe I missed something at the start), but personally I always find anything with Ernie Hudson involved is always watchable. A couple of things though: Did the Insiders fighting gear remind anyone else of what the Lost Boys wear during the big battle at the end of 'Hook'? Probably just me then. Also, why would there be so many British prisoners in a American jail? We've got Wycliffe, Ian McNiece and that Whiskey guy (again, I probably missed something at the start).

Badly dated 80's buddy cop film (the soundtrack is pretty awful, although some of the clothes the guys wear in Key West take the biscuit), which I always enjoy thanks to the great chemistry between Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal. The two just ping off each other, their lines sparking back and forth and the jokes flying thick and fast. It also helps that there's also a few familiar faces in the rest of the cast (Joe Pantoliano,, Dan Hedaya). If you think about it the whole thing falls to pieces (a lot of the stuff these two get up to would probably put Vic Mackey to shame) but since it's played for laughs it's all ok (isn't it?). One thing did confuse me though. Just how exactly did Julio Gonzales get the trousers on while he's trying to escape?

Having only ever seen one episode of 'Kids in the Hall' in my life and having only a vague idea about the group (Canadian Monty Python being the easy comparison), I think it's fair to say that I came the film as somewhat ignorant when it came to all things 'Kids'.

I have to say that I was able to enjoy the film for what it was, rather than have any expectations of what it could be. What interested me most of all was it's darkness, something a lot closer to League of Gentlemen territory rather than Monty Python.

On an alternate note does anyone else notice a similarity between Don Roritor and Doctor Evil?

It's probably not fair to review a film without watching it all but with this I don't mind one bit. Cheap (the space helmets look like they were silver painted welding helmets with torches stuck on the side. the Blue Peter team would have done a better job of it), nasty (lots of silly looking gore), badly dated (I would have sworn that this was made in the 70's until I had a look on imdb) and frankly shoddily made all round (I swear there was a scene with Stephanie Beacham running down a cave system and you could be clearly see someone standing in a cave entrance in the distance waiting for their cue to run on). Doors even exploded in the wrong directions, for god's sake!

And our big bad? A singular screaming harpie. I just couldn't see what the problem was. There's no way she could have she ripped everyone to pieces (wearing what appeared to be a cricket jumper. How futuristic). The fact that she did just showed how weak, stupid and pathetic all the other characters were. Frankly, they all deserved what they got.

I remember watching this year's ago on T.V. one quiet Sunday afternoon. This is one of those films that are so bad their good. I can't imagine why all involved thought this would be a good idea. It looks cheap and is terribly edited (there's a plane crash early on where you don't actually see crash). Every single performance is appalling though Jasper Carrot has to be singled out as worst offender (shouting your every line in a awful German accent just isn't acting). The whole thing is just so terrible you can't help but laugh at it, trying to guess what the next plot contrivance will be to allow Jane's clothes to be ripped off her yet again. I highly recommend this film and suggest you all try and watch it as soon as possible.

I watched Bowling for Columbine for the second time recently. The first time was in Laussane, Geneva and the second in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Both times every seat in the cinema were filled. I tell you this as I think it emphasises that the people of Europe are very interested in what Michael Moore has to say. I'm familiar with some of Moore's TV work (TV Nation, The Awful Truth) but haven't before seen any of his longer documentaries and films. Here he examines the thorny subject of gun violence in America, using two incidents involving guns as starting points and then trying to get to the root of the problem. The first half mainly deals with the Columbine shootings, with the montage of America's involvement around the world overlaid by ‘What a Wonderful World' followed by the Columbine school CCTV footage being one of the most moving and horrifying things I have seen in the past few years. I think that the second half of the film contains a lot more emotion, the story of 6 year-old girl who was shot by 5 year-old boy in Moore's hometown seeming to have really touched a nerve in him. Throughout large amounts of information are presented to the viewer covering numerous topics and it can be a bit too much at times. But it's through this collection of information that connections are made, such as Lockheed Martin's name cropping up in the background to both incidents.

Towards the end Moore does achieve a victory of sorts, with K-mart agreeing to remove 9mm bullets from its shelves. But really nothing has changed and that's what makes this documentary so very worrying

I wasn't sure what to expect from this, having read the original graphic novel first. And while it's high calibre cast and crew (Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Sam Mendes, Conrad Hall) have made something that looks lovely, it didn't really do anything for me. The source material would have made for a great John Woo film (Collins cites him as a influence on the book in the introduction to the book) but Mendes and co seem to be aiming for something higher, a serious film about violence and the vicious cycle inherent in nature. Unfortunately they don't achieve their aims. While some might have felt that the violence in the film was too much, I personally felt that it was too understated, just enough to give a glimpse of the characters dangerous world but not much else. For me, Hanks just doesn't cut it as Michael O'Sullivan, his face too jowly with his puppy-dog eyes and weak moustache. Just because the other characters act afraid of him doesn't necessarily mean it convinces me. Oh, and can someone explain to me why they needed Jude Law to look so ugly. If they wanted someone who looked that way for the role why didn't they hire someone who really did look like that? But then again, that's Hollywood for you.

Much like ‘American Beauty' this is simply the Hollywood alternative to its bloated action films rather than something genuinely different. It just plays to safe with its intended message.

Without a doubt John Woo's most spectacular of his Hong Kong films, this is the one that got him noticed by Hollywood. Personally I think he's done better (The Killer, Bullet in the Head) but there's something incredibly ballsy about the film. It's probably the steadicam shots that following our two heroes as they blaze their way through the hospital which seem to go on forever. Who else would do such a thing? Let's hope Woo gets back to doing what he does best sometime.

With this film Tony Scott has made the ultimate buddy-buddy action film. Every second is filled with either a pithy one liner ("This is the nineties. You don't just go around punching people. You have to say something cool first."), extreme violence (a man killed by a single punch to the nose) or carnage (a car is dropped into a pool upside down). Bruce Willis's (name of character) displays rancid self-loathing, the epitome of this being a scene early on when he looks at himself in his car mirror and mutters, `Nobody likes you. Everybody hates you. You're gonna lose. Smile, you f***.' Never has there been a `hero' so difficult to like.

1991 might have been a bad year at the box-office for Willis with the failure of both this and Hudson Hawk to set it alight but at least with this film he can be proud of the results.

'Shoot Out in Swansea' is a very thorough documentary that details the background, making of and release of Kevin Allen's film 'Twin Town'. From what I remember, it opens with Danny Boyle and Andrew Macdonald, executive producers of the film explaining their involvement in the film and how they know Allen (he appeared in Trainspotting). We then meet Allen, who makes for engaging company as we follow him through the process of development and filming. The low budget nature of the film is on full display, especially when it comes to filming the scene with the male voice choir on the pier. As Allen is off in the helicopter filming the choir the crew on the ground come very close to mutiny. The documentary closes on an upbeat note as the film is selected to open the Sundance film festival and it ends with Allen proudly introducing the film to the audience there.

Classic British crime thriller with Michael Caine as Jack Carter, an enforcer for the London mob who goes back to home to Newcastle to discover the reasons behind his brother's death. Grim and bleak in its view worldview, the only glimmer of humanity comes from Carter himself when he finds out the truth. The soundtrack by Roy Budd is superb with the main theme an absolute classic. Shame there had to be a Hollywood remake, nothing could ever better the original.

This bored me. This truly did bore me. It bored the people I watched it with. We all agreed it was one of the worst films we'd seen this year. Why did this happen? XXX was supposed to be the future of action films, `better than Bond'.

The film opens with a dig at Bond when a spy wearing a tux is easily found and killed by the bad guys in a Rammenstein gig. We then are introduced to Xander Cage who is apparently an extreme sports legend. We (the audience) know this because he jumps off a bridge and Tony Hawks (not the one who dragged a fridge round Ireland) and Matt Hoffman kiss his ass. He has also never ‘sold out' which we know because a busty businesswoman tries to get him to endorse his own computer game (something the two above have made a fair few dollars from doing). I won't go on as you probably know the rest. I thought that Diesel was good in what I'd previously seen him (Saving Private Ryan, Boiler Room) but here... There's a speech he delivers saying how he guessed he was in a tested that, for me, was like nails on a blackboard. Plus the way his mouth was almost permanently hung open reminded me of a chimp. When he kissed Argento for the first time it looked like he'd never done it before in his life.

Characters I could care about also would have helped. It is two days after seeing the film I can't remember any of their names beyond Xander Cage. Our bad guys are basically a main evil baddie, a muscleman, his even bigger brother and a sharpshooter. There was absolutely nothing memorable about any of them. Also, a cardinal sin of action films is to be unexiting. Another is to not convince you that the hero is in danger. There were a few times when it was obvious that a shaven-headed stuntman who looked nothing like Mr Diesel was falling through the sky. The biggest problem was the heavy reliance on the very Bond formula this film is trying to surpass. The hard-ass boss for the hero to banter with, the beautiful women, the eccentric inventor and glamorous locations are all present and correct.

I see there's a sequel on the way. I will not be looking forward to it.

I really enjoyed watching this film, I was on the edge of my seat most of the time.It's great to watch a film where the director is in love with the possibilities of film, making use of every trick in the cinematic book. This everything-and-the-kitchen-sink style seems popular in Asia as Tears of the Black Tiger had used a similar approach. Sure, the detective's are made out to be as vicious as the criminals they're chasing but I can't think of too many films that portrayed the police in a positive light (ok, I'll let you have 'Police Academy'). The only problems for me were the somewhat plodding pace between the action sequences and that the audience never got to know anything about Sungmin.

Office Space came out rather quietly straight onto video in the U.K. country, a shame really but no surprise considering its biggest star is Jennifer Anniston and hers is only a support role. Our hero her is Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), an officer worker who is put in hypnotic state where he is extremely relaxed and can't be snapped out of it. Why recommend this film then? Because it's funny, plain and simple. It is the first live action film written and directed by Mike Judge (he of Beavis and Butthead infamy). Based on this evidence he should definitely make more. Reasons to watch the film: All the supporting characters are memorable, From Gibbon's two sidekicks: Samir Nayeenanajar (a surname nobody can pronounce) and Michael Bolton (a name that does not go unnoticed) too Milton and Peter's next door neighbour Lawrence. Best of all is Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole) oozes slime from every pore of his body. Also the Gangster rap soundtrack is superb. What are you waiting for, go and watch it now!