Blood, Love and Rhetoric (BLR), an English-language theater company based in Prague, is putting on a production for the fourth time this January with the hearty title “Chekhov – From Russia With Love, Blood and Rhetoric.” The show covers Russian history from the times of intelligentsia in cake-dresses to the wife-beaters and Adidas sweatpants of the ferocious nineties. The performance takes place at Divadlo Inspirace at Malá Strana in Prague, which has a small, cozy auditorium and a no-less-cozy bar with a medieval touch.

The show consists of five one-act plays: “Mustard,” “Swansong,” “Tobacco,” “Inspector-General” and “Proposal.” Not only does BLR provide the spectators with an introduction to Chekhov’s peculiar rhetoric, but the style of the theater group itself shows a lot. BLR enriches Chekhov with practical jokes, killer Russian and French accents, a red couch, epaulets and lots of vodka.

With the first play, “Mustard,” we plunge into the times of eccentric characters wearing plateresque outfits. One may or may not like the over-expressiveness on the part of the noble russian Madame (Beathe Linde) and her no less noble fellow Frenchman with the fidgety eyebrows (Mikey Blount). Yet, the servant’s (Uliana Elina) song will surely give you goosebumps.

“Swansong” balances between being an existential tragedy and a philosophizing comedy of an old alcoholic who returns to the bottle and forgets what he is celebrating. Curt Mattew’s merely setting his foot on the scaffolding sends the audience into fits of laughter. That is why, despite the monologue being lengthy and uneventful, “Swansong” succeeds at being entertaining.  There is a curious dichotomy between the comedian’s (Mattew) artistry and the prompter-character (Ronald Prokes) being a stranger to art, which magnifies the conflict between the generations.

The apogee of the show is Logan Hiller’s monologue in “Tobacco.” Stalin’s portrait, the formidable chorus and the suitcase with something green and radioactive altogether create an immaculate interpretation of Chekhov in a character of its own. “Tobacco” set the bar really high for the rest of the show, which might have been a mistake, seeing that the two plays following the intermission do not quite reach “Tobacco”‘s epic nature.

The fourth play, “Inspector-General,” flies by: it is short, runs smooth and is a good laugh. It is not particularly memorable compared to the rest of the show.

“Proposal,” on the other hand, the fifth and last part of the show, is quite a surprise. “Proposal” combines lowbrow criminals with the delicate matters of Chekhov’s play, and regardless of the seemingly dichotomy, the two blend together into a perfect combination. The last part might appear a bit lengthy, but it is worth the story. You would not be able to imagine better characters than the trio consisting of Aneta Kölblová, John Poston and Ronald Prokes. This is the point in the performance when the audience indeed gets blood, love and lots of rhetorics all at once.

Due credit must be given to Jim Hight, who’s sudden appearances in almost every scene gave each play a touch of BLR’s distinctive black humor that has made them into something more than just another Chekhov revival.

Having said that, if you still have not made up your mind about whether to go see BLR or not, there is one argument that is better than all the prattling on about dichotomies and conflicts of generations: Blood Love and Rhetoric gets the audience rolling in the aisles.

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“I believe in the yellow pages, but I don’t wanna film it.” So why do we need yet another Mamet revival? Only a month after seeing “November,” the Prague audience has a chance to catch “Speed-the-Plow,” one of the most celebrated Mamet’s plays that has been filling theatres since 1988.

Have you ever tried guns, booze, ambitions and swag soaked in satire? You get it all. The play is vigorously executed by Blood, Love and Rhetoric, the biggest Anglophone theatre in Prague. With only few derivations from the original play, Jim High, Madelyn Marcella and Logan Hillier make the spectators squeal with delight, providing them with an inside into the world of Hollywood movie makers: where people not only judge the book by its cover, but don’t go beyond reading it.

Supported by the sound of sirens, “California,” and “Candy Shop” the production benefits greatly from being connected to present-day in relations to time and place; a constant reference to a book by a local writer Louis Armand certainty emphasizes the fact that the show is from and for Prague.

Although the play relies largely on dialogue, one can hardly suffer from the lack of action.“Speed-the-Plow” is very stylish and juicy in all respects; vibrant characters excellently match their bright thought-out outfits. Yet once more, why Mamet? Well, it is after all the end of the world. Again.

David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow” found a valuable production in the hands of Logan Hillier, Jim High, and Martina Madisonova of the Prague-based theatre company Blood, Love and Rhetoric.

On the third weekend of December, David Mamet´s “Speed-the-Plow” was performed in Studio Alt@. The play describes the treacherous environment of American film business.

The end of the world was nigh (yet not enough), and the radiating lights succeeded in creating a heatful air from the very first scene. After all, we were in Hollywood. The minimalistic scene enables the actors to overshadow the spotlights, in whose focus many an “epiphany” takes place. Indeed, all the three characters – Karen with her distracting sex-appeal (Madelyn Marcella), slightly neurotic Bobby (Jim High), and egotistically loyal Charlie (Logan Hillier) – all of them shine perfectly.

The slight recontextualisations the production takes the liberty of doing endow the play with yet more content to be laughed at, such as the memorable propping and replacing the Vlak magazine, and his author, Louis Armand, with an unfilmable “deep” novel. Of course this little detail adds a humorous tinge only to those familiar with the propagator of Anglophone culture in Prague, the important part of which Blood, Love and Rhetoric is; still it is a production that keeps entertained not only the fans of this indisputably great figure of American drama today, but even the ones not so head-over-heels in love with Mamet.

Bobby Gould, a newly appointed big league producer, and Charlie Fox, his longtime associate, are going to make a film with Tom Cruise and two other celebrities, and the lives of both producers are about to change dramatically. Gould´s temporary secretary, Karen, spoils the promising-looking situation though, when she comes up with an idea to make a different movie based on a book about the end of the world.    In order to achieve her goal, she seduces Gould and makes him change his opinion. The morning after, however, Gould, with Fox´s help, realizes the true nature of Karen’s behavior and goes back to Cruise´’s movie.

Jim High puts up a steady, confident performance as he links well with Logan Hillier, who plays the self-seeking Charlie Fox. It is Hillier who makes the most of his part – he is hilariously entertaining, no matter if he laments, swears, or pulls a gun out of his pocket. Madelyn Marcella does not seem to match the brilliance of her colleagues at first, but she significantly improves later in the play. A perfect example of this is in Act 2, when she wins over the audience with her skillful and highly believable seduction techniques.

The slightly modernized “Speed-the-Plow” surely entertains and is hopefully going to be staged again next year.

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‘Premium Rush,’ an action film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivered to theaters Friday, August 24, 2012, had a charm of its own despite not being of traditional action caliber. Although the cast isn’t bursting with well-known actors and actresses, they pack a punch in character and witty jibes.

Written and directed by David Koepp, known for ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Panic Room’, and ‘Spiderman,’ ‘Premium Rush’ is a $35 million movie that opened at $6 million. Critics were not too impressed with the underrated action film.

Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a New York City bicycle messenger whose reckless behavior earns him the reputation as an adrenaline junkie. His bike has no brakes, allowing him to hone his abilities to imagine and execute multiple escape routes, reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes’ (Robert Downey Jr.) ability in the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movies.

On one of his jobs, he unknowingly picks up a valuable delivery from his ex-girlfriend Vanessa’s (Dania Ramirez) roommate Nima (Jamie Chung), who sports a blatantly fake Chinese accent. This catalyzes the explosion of action as he is chased by not only what seems to be a crazed stranger in a suit demanding he hand over the delivery, but a bicycle cop who witnessed him breaking a few laws. Confused at the danger of the secret package, Wilee heads back to campus to confront Nima about what he’s carrying.

It wasn’t the plot that held intrigue—although the storyline format unfurled similarly to ‘Vantage Point’ peaked curiosity—but the characters and tone of the overall film. The dry and sometimes violent humor of the characters, circumstances, and events added a complexity to the film rare in other action movies.

It is rare when action films have time to flesh out the characters, however ‘Premium Rush’ does that with Wilee’s voice overs and interactions with other characters. Michael Shannon, the actor that plays dirty cop Bobby Monday, was particularly impressive. By including competitive, romantic, and compassionate qualities to the main characters, ‘Premium Rush’ creates a very real society that comes to life on screen.

Had it not been for David Koepp, director and writer, revealing the storyline in a way that piqued curiosity, the plot would have been predictable and redundant. The characters and their respective backgrounds were pieced together like a puzzle sporadically between gripping action scenes that left little time for the audience’s attention to wander. Combined with the dry humor the movie offered, ‘Premium Rush’ delivered high-quality entertainment.

Overall, ‘Premium Rush’ is a delightful surprise that offers much more than action. Though not bound to win awards anytime soon, it is remarkably different than other blockbusters, combining comedic wit and tragic elements that culminate in a satisfied sigh at the film’s end.

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Toni Morrison has long been heralded for her difficult yet beautiful books. Ever since she won the Nobel Prize, Morrison has become a household name most commonly associated with her early books, such as The Bluest Eye and Beloved, and is both loved and hated by high school students everywhere. Her latest book, Home, however, is a far cry from the lyrical works that earned her fame.

Set during the 50s, Home follows the story of Korean War veteran Frank Money as he embarks on a journey to reach his home in Georgia where his sister is supposedly at death’s door. Along the way, Morrison explores the lives of those who have left their mark on Frank and his sister, often going back and forth through time to do so.

An examination of racial relations, a theme that carries on throughout all of Morrison’s work, is still present. Absent, though, are the breathtaking narratives that strung together those themes so well.

Frank Money has seen friends die on the battlefield and innocent orphans shot, and when he returns to the United States, he finds himself in a world where just looking suspicious can result in jail time. These horrors are so commonplace and so undeveloped that they lose meaning within the book.  A plot summary might read something like a list of terrors with little else included.

Part of the reason for this is that Home is very sparsely written.  The novel begins, “They rose up like men. We saw them. Like men they stood,” and continues in such a fashion for the rest of the novel. Although this will certainly attract some readers, it is hardly like Morrison’s usual beautiful language. Although many characters have whole chapters dedicated to them, other than Frank Money, none are as fleshed out as they could be and many come off as cliché and boring figures, resulting in the reader feeling apathetic towards them.

Still, the book does have its good points. Some passages—mostly those concerning Frank Money and his past—are quite captivating.  Morrison depicts the veteran without any sugarcoating, showing exactly how the war has changed him. As he watches a drummer get carried away by his fellow band mates, still drumming the air as they take him away, Frank wonders, “Maybe, as with the drummer, rhythm would take charge. Maybe he too would be escorted away, flailing helplessly, imprisoned in his own strivings.”

Upon reflection, many will probably wonder just what the point of this flawed work is. At 150 pages, it is quick and to the point, and yet so many parts seem unnecessary. It is worth a read more because if you do not like it, you will be on the last page before you even realize it.

Image Courtesy of   Angela Radulescu

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The hotly-anticipated miniseries from the mind of Julian Fellowes (‘Downton Abbey’) was expected to be one of the highlights of the centennial anniversary of the RMS Titanic’s sinking, however, a bloated cast, flawed set-up and overload of social commentary amounted to one massive disappointment.

‘Titanic’ is a 4-part miniseries which will document the experiences of various passengers aboard the infamous ship which sank on its maiden voyage on April 12 1912. The ship’s sinking has been depicted onscreen many times before, most successfully with the eponymous 1997 theatrical release grossing almost $2 billion, and soon to be re-released into cinemas in 3D. But this miniseries, penned by the same man who turned ‘Downton Abbey’ into a worldwide hit, does not seem likely to follow in the footsteps of Fellowes’ award-winning series.

For starters, there are too many characters. Plain and simple. Featuring 89 main characters in total, each episode will focus on a select group before ending with their efforts to escape from the sinking ship. Episode 4 will presumably tie all of the storylines together and then show which of the characters managed to survive.

Unfortunately, Fellowes has tried to do too much with too many characters, barely giving the audience a chance to learn their names or backstories before one is suddenly thrust onto the deck where hundreds of inter-changeable characters are running around, spewing out stock dialogue of  a dozen other disaster dramas.

Clearly trying to emulate the appeal of ‘Downton Abbey’, Fellowes depicts the servants and the first-class passengers, and every other group in between. However, unlike ‘Downton Abbey’, Fellowes does not have 7 episodes to tease out the nuances of their relationships, nor is there the opportunity to create compelling or surprising encounters between characters of different social status. Certainly, a variety of characters do interact in this first episode, but it is to no dramatic pay-off.

The most glaring and irritating aspect of the first episode is undoubtedly the inclusion of a social issue in every other line of dialogue. The very first scene, which lasted no more than 60 seconds, referenced: the judicial system, political protests, women’s right to vote, class bias, and even an allusion to homosexuality.

Moving beyond that, not an act break could go by without one nationality criticising another, with one American character awkwardly commenting, “I can’t see the English wanting to drop the class system anytime soon. It’s woven into their heritage.” Excuse me, but what was this character’s name? Who was he addressing?

Why should the audience care? The most laughable, and again awkward, piece of dialogue had to be when an upper-class American character told a man from an opposing political party that he could sit next to him – all while outside on the deck hundreds of passengers were clamouring onto lifeboats. It was ridiculous, and simply ineffective on any thematic level.

All in all, Fellowes is clearly eager to explore class, sex, politics, nationality, and countless other hot-topic issues. And who could blame him? The RMS Titanic was a melting pot of different cultures and classes, with the accounts of survivors offering up various threads for a story-teller to pursue in this type of series.

It must have been incredibly tempting to produce a big-budget series, guaranteed to be given a massive promotional push, scheduled in the exact same time-slot as ‘Downton Abbey’, and sure to attract interest from the U.S. and beyond. But all those lavish production values amount to nothing when you have bland characters, forced dialogue, predictable interactions, and an badly-executed premise made all the more frustrating by the possibilities for provocative storylines which it had to offer in the first place.

With three episodes still to go, one can only hope that things improve. If not, Fellowes won’t be worried. After all, ‘Downton Abbey’ isn’t going anywhere.

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When Steve Niles (Criminal Macabre, 30 Days of Night) premiered artwork from his upcoming collaboration with artist Menton3 (Monocyte, Proof: Endangered, Crawl to Me) via his Twitter feed, speculation and anticipation spread like wildfire across the Internet. Now, Dark Horse has finally announce that this new vampiric tale will premiere in Dark Horse Presents.

The Black Plague was a time of death and misery; except for the undead. For vampires, the Black Death was a welcome relief from being hunted and a time of incredible growth for the undead. On the night of their wedding, two vampire lovers are torn apart and separated for five hundred years, setting off a sequence of events that will bring the modern world to its knees.

“I haven’t been this excited about working on something in a long time. Menton3 is the perfect artist and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be doing this at Dark Horse,” Niles said. “This year I’m making a big push to become 100 percent creator owned. Nosferatu Wars will be a big part of that, I hope.”

Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith redefined the vampire genre with the groundbreaking comic series 30 Days of Night in 2002. Ten years later, Niles is poised to make history again, as he and Menton3 blow the sparkle off of the undead in Nosferatu Wars, premiering in Dark Horse Presents later this year.

Earlier this month, Dark Horse Originals also announce two new amazing series from critically acclaimed creators Matt Kindt and Gilbert Hernandez.

Matt Kindt, the most original voice in genre comics, outdoes himself in his bold new espionage series, Mind MGMT. Reporting on a commercial flight where everyone aboard lost their memories, a young journalist stumbles onto a much bigger story, the top-secret Mind Management program. Her ensuing journey involves weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, talking dolphins, and seemingly immortal pursuers, as she attempts to find the flight’s missing passenger, the man who was Mind Management’s greatest success—and its most devastating failure. But in a world where people can rewrite reality itself, can she trust anything she sees? If you think you know what Matt Kindt can deliver, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Comics luminary Gilbert Hernandez envisions his strangest, most thrilling future yet in Fatima: The Blood Spinners, a horrifying new take on zombies. A drug called “spin” offers the wildest trip imaginable, followed by its users’ inevitable, rapid deterioration into undead flesh eaters. Despite the side effect, the drug is so popular that the human population is dying out. With no cure to be found, the beautiful, lovesick Fatima may be the only thing standing between the survivors and the apocalypse. Get ready for four issues of zombies, drug lords, and gorgeous women.

Also, announced this month was multiple Harvey and Eagle Award winner Peter Bagge’s Reset, which leads off the Dark Horse Originals variant-cover program.

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Almodovar has done it again. The Spanish filmmaker has once again wowed audiences all over Europe with his latest movie ‘The Skin I live In’, one of his darkest scripts to date that will make you squirm in your seat.

A brilliant plastic surgeon, portrayed by a cold-blooded looking Antonio Banderas, experiments with human skin in his well-equipped operating theater, a solitary palatial mansion where he secretly uses a young girl ,Vera, as his guinea pig.

Vera, wonderfully played by the talented Elena Anaya, and her smooth skin will play a big part in this chilling story as the surgeon keeps experimenting on her in order to create an indestructible skin. Vera is not only getting her skin replaced but also adapting a new look, specific features that might resemble someone else.

With a twisted plot that will make your brain guess and relate the facts of the story all the way though the movie, Pedro Almodovar delivers a bizarre storyline with a very superficial title, What’s more superficial than our skin?, and yet move us in so many different levels by exposing us to a raw representation of the human nature.

The script, that was freely adapted from the novel Mygale by Thierry Jonquet, has been considered one of Almodovar’s most elaborated stories of all time, drenched in a hand-embroidered universe of thrilling scenes that will throw you back to those of Hitchcock and Buñuel. You can still perceive the pure Almodovar elements in the visuals as well, let alone the music, composed by long-time collaborator Alberto Iglesias.

Leading a pack of fierce actors, the submissive beauty of Elena Anaya tries to get untangled from the abusive and aggressive character of Antonio Banderas, by using her sex-appealing fragility that differs from her surgically-enhanced super skin. Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet, Blanca Suarez and Roberto Alamo help you shape and mold this tale in your head.

One more time Almodovar’s supporting actors are as essential and relevant as the leading ones. The filmmaker, two-time Academy Award Winner and recipient of the most emblematic awards in cinematography, is no stranger to controversy. He has been slammed by moralists and conservative audiences for dealing with LGTB themes, explicit scenes, irreverent humor or feminism.

This time around he is facing criticism for a rather violent plot and some backlash from the Spanish media, which did not stop his unconditional and devoted fans from making ‘The Skin I live In’ the second highest grossing movie during its first week in Spain.

International markets such as France, Germany or The United States have always shown a warm appreciation for his work making his movies both critically and commercially successful. In the United States, The movie premiers at the New York Film Festival on 12 October 2011 and then it is expected to hit theaters across the country just in time to get some Oscar Buzz.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/theskinilivein

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A new trend in romantic comedy movies has cropped up recently. Friends With Benefits, directed by Will Gluck (Easy A, 2010), is set to come into theaters this July 22, adding to a long list of similarly themed projects. In just the last year alone, No Strings Attached, an independent film titled Friends (With Benefits), and a T.V. series set to launch this fall on NBC have all sported an almost identical premise: boy meets girl. Both boy and girl are too busy to find a meaningful relationship, but not too busy to have desires. Boy and girl become friends… with benefits. Complications arise and hilarity ensues.

If you have already seen any of these other films, it is easy to compare them with Friends With Benefits. A number of sites have published detailed comparisons between No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits, judging everything from who is the better director, to which actor or actress has been in the most successful films. While there is some value to this type of comparison, there have been many movies with similar or even identical plots that turn out very differently from each other. Friends With Benefits may have a similar plot-line, but it is not the exact same film.

Gluck was very aware of the common plot when he began directing this film, but he felt that this well-known plot could actually add to the film instead of taking away from it. He told cinemablend.com that he wanted to do a “big time Hepburn and Tracy movie […] But [the actors are] conscious they’re going through the same thing. We now have seen so many movies and gone through so much stuff we know the story.” Gluck knows his audience is familiar with the basic plotline, and he is ok with that. He even takes things one step further and gives the characters in his films that awareness. He then combines this dual awareness to create a smart and funny film.

Friends With Benefits stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, with a number of cameos by actors such as Shaun White, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones. While the thought of Timberlake becoming an actor as well as a singer seemed unthinkable several years ago, he has begun to establish himself as more than just a singer who was in one or two films. His role in Social Network has added a lot to his credibility, and it seems that Friends With Benefits just might boost his image even more.

Gluck has managed to take an almost tired concept and imbued new life into it in his film. Instead of ignoring the host of other films with this theme, he looked back at the classic Tracy and Hepburn romantic comedies for inspiration to create a hilarious new romantic comedy. He is known for his off-the-wall humor, and his work with Friends With Benefits is no different.  It is this humor that adds something new to the film and makes it more than just another copycat.

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Director Don McGlynn’s most recent documentary “Rejoice and Shout” tells an amazing story of the power of Gospel music in America throughout the last 200 years of African American history. Starting with songs by slaves and ending with modern hip hop and rap music, this film offers an extensive, but delightful, telling of the history of Gospel music. Its influence is far-reaching, touching all other genres of music. Andre Crouch points out that its influence can be seen in “rock ‘n roll, the blues, country. [Gospel] is the root to all American music.” Without Gospel, music as we know it today would be completely different.

What makes this documentary more than merely a history lesson is the incredible music that McGlynn frequently indulges in. Instead of only playing snippets of songs here and there, the full performances are shown from artists, such as Mahalia Jackson, Smokey Jackson, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Andre Crouch, and Mavis Staples. This focus on the actual music is one of the most-liked aspects of this film, and it adds an essential element that is often lacking in other documentaries of this type.

In addition to musical and historical aspects, it is impossible to deny the religious roots that run through Gospel music. The first ten minutes are solely dedicated to interviews of Gospel greats, such as Andre Crouch and Smokey Robinson discussing the greatness of God and His importance within Gospel music. It points out the importance of the spiritual side of Gospel. It is more than simply good music. It has an undercurrent of passion that is fueled by the religious experience, and this film seeks to catch that passion and demonstrate it.

While the spiritual elements to Gospel music are essential to the genre, reviews of the film are often critical of the level of emphasis that God gets in the beginning. Jason Leroy’s review on spinningplatters.com complains that “[w]hen compared to the treasure trove of powerful music in this film, the interview testimonies seem a bit pithy in comparison.” The music itself offers strong religious convictions, and the addition of the interviews makes it more religious than some people are comfortable with viewing.

Despite the religious emphasis, “Rejoice and Shout” offers an enthralling look into the history of not only Gospel music, but how that music influenced American society from The Depression to the Civil Rights Movement. Director, Don McGlynn, points out that Gospel is more than just “a type of music. It tells the story of a people and it’s [sic] struggles.” Gospel music has offered hope and inspiration for African Americans for over 200 years through many struggles and tribulations, and what this film manages to do is take an expansive and important part of history and distill it into two hours of delightful viewing. This film is a must-see for anyone interested in music, American history, or even religious movements.

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After surprising many by winning two awards for best original screenplay and best actress at the 36^th annual Cesar Awards Ceremony (the French equivalent to the Oscars) this past February, The Names of Love will soon be moving from the French cinema to U.S. screens. In preparation for its June 24^th release, critics have already begun extolling this charming film starring Sara Forestier and Jacques Gamblin in this French romantic comedy about falling in love despite your differences.

Arthur Martin (Gamblin), which is coincidentally also the name of a popular French washing machine brand, is a forty-something Jewish scientist who studies dead animals, while Baya Benmahmoud (Forestier) is a young free-spirited half French-half Albanian liberal who sleeps with conservatives to convert them. She boasts an average conversion rate of two weeks, and even shows Arthur her book of conquests, complete with photos and descriptions for each man. There are 15,207 people in France with the name Arthur Martin, and it is the commonness of his name that first inspires Baya to try to convert Arthur to her liberal agenda. Little do they know that neither one is what the other first expected.

While the premise of putting together two opposites who inextricably fall in love anyway has been done many times before, this film adds several unique elements to its 100 minute viewing time. The Names of Love offers social commentary on many events that have been going on in France lately, but with a humorous twist.  Immigration from North African nations such as Algeria, Tanzania, and Morocco, has increased the Muslim population in France to approximately 8% (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm). Conflict has arisen between some native French and Muslim immigrants and this film uses these conflicts as a springboard to create some very funny and touching moments on-screen.

In addition, the director brings up Arab-Jewish history, as Arthur is Jewish and Baya’s father is a non-practicing Muslim. This is especially prominent in a scene in which Baya meets with Arthur’s family for dinner and Baya unwittingly uses the term “oven” several times when describing her cooking in front of Arthur’s Jewish mother. What makes this scene even funnier is Arthur’s insistence at the beginning of the evening that she mention nothing related to the Holocaust. How hard she tries to follow his instructions and fails anyway results in a hilarious scene of situational comedy.

Harvey Karten on movieweb.com points out, “that given enough time, humor can emerge from tragedy” and this film demonstrates that quite adeptly. Despite the horrible things that have happened because of intolerance and hatred, this film points out that things do not have to stay that way.

While U.S. audiences will most likely miss some of the specifically French humor that is present in the film, themes of love, overcoming differences, and learning to let go and open up are familiar enough to be understood by many different cultures. When heading to the theaters this summer, don’t forget to place The Names of Love on your list of movies to see.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/7731386@N04/

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At first glance, General Orders No. 9 seems like a combination between a science fiction flick and a film on conservation. In reality, this documentary focuses on the state of Georgia, and its development from a land of beauty to an urban desert. Filmed unlike any other documentary before it, critics have raved about its unique take on a familiar concept. Although it is called a documentary, it seems to almost defy any known category. Instead of the traditional interviews, and historical voiceovers, Persons ops instead for dramatic still shots of Georgia landscape, a haunting poetic narrative, and an organic flow. This is director Robert Persons’ first film, but it seems he has started off quite strong.

One of the most striking aspects of this film is the breathtaking cinematography. It even won an award for its quality cinematography at Slamdance Festival this January. Done in stationary camera shots instead of moving film, Persons focuses first on the beauty that is present in nature, and then juxtaposes that with the cold, concrete Atlanta that has begun to take over. Atlanta suddenly changes from an average city into a nefarious force that is slowly destroying the natural beauty that once dominated the area. Persons is not demanding an end to urban life; he is simply mourning the inevitable loss of nature in the face of industrial progress.

It is this inevitable loss that inspired the title. General Orders No. 9 references the letter that General Lee penned to his troops upon his surrender to General Grant at the end of the Civil War. In a Q&A session after his film showed in Toronto, Canada, he reportedly said that “it came across as a letter of surrender with love and admiration after a great failure and screw-up, and to me that was a metaphor for the film. The film can be seen possibly as a letter of a sort of spiritual surrender.” It is this wistful surrender that gives the film its mournful undertones, but it still manages to retain some hope in the end. This is not complete destruction. It is simply remembrance for something lost, and the acceptance that the new is inevitably coming.

As a part of explaining this loss in the context of Georgian history, the poetic narrative focuses on the gradual transformation of landscapes. The phrase, “deer trail becomes Indian trail, becomes county road” is narrated as the audience sees the dissection of Georgia from a whole land into a series of jagged lines and creates a very moving scene. It is this marriage between the unconventional poetic narrative and the visuals that leaves the audience haunted by this film.

Because this film has been done unlike any other, and the approach to the subject matter is so dark, reception to this film has been mixed. Mike Ryan on hammertonail.com hailed this film as being one of the best documentaries of either Slamdance or Sundance, but at the same time, even he admits that “it might just be too mysterious and challenging” for just any audience. It comes out this June 24 to a limited release, and if you can stomach the unique qualities of the film, it can be a richly rewarding experience.

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Green Lantern is part of the DC Comic world coming to the big screen.  The movie follows Hal Jordan, a human who is chosen by a ring of infinite power to save Earth, from Parallax, a parasite attacking Earth.  Hal Jordan, a test pilot, is called forth to protect Earth by joining the Green Lantern Corps. —an intergalactic embassy that harnesses green energy through rings to protect the universe.

To those who have read the comics, there have been some changes in the transition from comic to movie.   The movie seems like it will follow the later series, as having Hal Jordan fight off the Parallax.  Hector Hammond is also in the movie and will have run-ins with not only Hal but with the fear monger, Parallax.  It seems like the movie will incorporate different areas and villains of Green Lantern from all different eras of the Comic, but will ultimately focus on the origins of Hal Jordan.

Directing the movie is the well-known action director Martin Campbell who created such titles like: 007 Goldeneye, Casino Royale, and The Mask of Zorro.  Having done these movies, it feels like he will be right at home with the action sequences of Green Lantern.  Nevertheless, it seems like Martin Campbell didn’t know the story of Green Lantern that well before he was put on the project, so the movie might not necessarily follow the story line of the comics religiously.  However, they did have Ozzy Iguanzo, a comic book expert, so they could set the record straight on some details.  Mister Campbell  had stated in The Telegraph that, “It was an extraordinary learning curve, conceptualizing the characters, going to another planet, deciding what the planet looks like and keeping a sort of reality, if you can call it that.”  However, despite the difficulties and differences from the comics, the producer/writer of Green Lantern is none other than Greg Berlanti, whom has worked on Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, an animated movie based around Hal Jordan, Kilowog and other Green Lanterns.

The cast has its fair share of stars like Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/ Green Lantern.  Martin had picked Reynolds based upon his physical acting in “Buried”, and has been quoted saying in his production notes that, “he also physically looks the part, is charming, funny, and has a great sense of decency.“  Ryan Reynolds isn’t the only star in the movie.  Blake Lively (The Town) is taking on the role opposite of Reynolds as Carol Ferris, a fellow test pilot and lifelong friend of Hal Jordan.  Lively has this to say in the production notes about Green Lantern, ”… I love that the movie also has a great sense of fun and a hint of romance about it.”  Voices of Geoffrey Rush (King’s Speech) and Micheal Clarke Duncan (Green Mile) are used for Tomar-Re and Kilowog respectively.   Tim Robbins (Shawshank Redemption) also makes an appearance as Hector Hammond’s pushy father.

One thing that will make or break this movie is the special effects.  Spending about 50,000,000 dollars on them alone they should be pretty impressive.  Why spend so much?  Not only is making Parallax, Tomar-Re, and Kilowog entirely in CGI a task in itself, but trying to make an entire alien planet in less than a year is a daunting task.  Oa, the Green Lantern Corps. planet is all CGI, so creating an entire planet that looks realistic and pleasing to look at will take some serious skill.  What also is all CGI is the famous Green Lantern suit.  To do this, Reynolds is wearing a motion tracking suit.  Kind of like a leotard but soupped-up with motion tracking modules so that the artists can paste Green Lantern’s suit on Ryan Reynolds’s body. For such a daunting task there is good news.  People like Karen Goulekas (Spiderman) and  John DesJardin (Watchmen) are both overseers of the effects teams, and to top it all off Grant Major who worked on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be the production designer.  Green Lantern may have a lot of daunting effects in over 1,300 of their shots, but they have chosen the right people in order to get the effects done well.

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After a decade of complicated neuroticism, Woody Allen returns this year with Midnight in Paris, a refreshingly delightful romantic comedy. Albeit incomparable to his comedy classics Annie Hall and Sleeper, Allen succeeds in combining a witty script, professional cinematography, and quality acting against the stunning backdrop that is Paris.

Gil (Owen Wilson) is a struggling novelist with a fiancee (Rachel McAdams) who seems more interested in her pretentious friend Paul (Michael Sheen) than in him. To make things worse, his parents-in-law (to be) hate him, and we all know that never bodes well. All of this is compounded by the fact that he feels out of place, and I don’t mean physical location. Gil, as he walks through the beautiful jardins of Paris, yearns for the 1920′s and the bohemian artists and writers who lived and loved at that time.
Suddenly, by way of an old-time motorcar, Gil is transported back in time to his beloved era, and meets the famed greats like F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Cole Porter (Yves Heck), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and Pablo Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo). One takes enjoyment watching Gil party with literary heroes, where, thanks to Owen Wilson’s splendid acting, you can see the excitement dancing in his eyes.

Johanne Debas and Darius Khondji make movie magic with their cinematography, sweeping the audience up in the quiet cobblestone streets   of the culture capital. Throw in a warm lighting and flapper couture, and one could swoon for the City of Romance right then and there.

All in all, the charming simplicity at the heart of Midnight in Paris leaves the audience with butterflies and a few simple questions in their conscience. What would you do if you could time travel into a world so different then your own? if you could meet your hero? Gil has a chance for self-exporation through artistic creation, inspiration, and criticism, thus realizing his life is made better through art, thanks in part to his larger-than-life heroes.

That sweet reminiscence and Woody Allen’s characteristic wittiness brings together an all-in-all great star-studded film, a perfect date night movie.

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They are now officially everywhere in Australia. In addition to the Twilight series causing young girls to drool at the thought of men twinkling gently in the daylight, there are other vampires stalking and smoldering across our television screens.

For teenage vampires we have the Vampire Diaries, based on a series of books about a girl named Elena who falls in love with one of two brothers who (plot twist!) happen to be vampires. But in another, more thrilling plot twist Elena looks exactly like Katherine, the woman who both brothers loved, slept with, and who turned both brothers into vampires.

Elena has got more guts then Bella of Twilight fame, and has an amazing ability to keep her hair looking immaculetly presented regardless of what death-defying situation she has found herself in. The brothers are both very pretty and frequently shirtless.

It’s also one of the few teenage-drama shows that doesn’t just consist of endless re-caps of previous conversations and current emotional turmoil. Most episodes have some form of cliffhanger or massive plot twist. It’s exciting to watch a show filled with very pretty people having dramatic lives and plot actually progressing.

And then there is Tru Blood. It’s wild. It’s sexy. It’s not the sort of television show you want your parents or roommates or significant other, or in fact anyone, to walk in on you watching, because it could very, very easily be mistaken for some type of blood-kink pornography. But with an incredibly complex and fascinating plot. And oh, the plot.

The shows basic premise is that Japanese scientists have created a fake blood known as Tru Blood, which has enabled vampires to ‘come out of the coffin’ and re-enter broader society. This has kicked off an international battle over how to recognize and deal with vampires. After all, they are basically immortal, incredibly strong, power and beautiful and they eat us.

Also religious groups are extremely angry, calling the vampires demons and wishing for their extermination. Vampire lobby groups are engaged in campaigns for equal rights, to be able to marry and vote and recognized as citizens like regular humans.

But this is all just in the background, much as political and social conflicts are usually in the background of our lives, to the story of Sookie Stackhouse and the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. Which is filled with both very attractive people, and a heck of a lot of supernatural creatures.

There are twists. There are turns. There is harrowing betrayal. People die. People turn out to be shapeshifters or witches or accidentally summon women from ancient Greece who believe they are destined to marry gods. Yes. That happened.

It’s amazingly well acted, with convincing and multi-layered characters who evolve and change. They lose, they make mistakes (lots of them), they turn out to be bastards when you thought you could trust them, and they turn out to be wonderfully kind when you thought they were bastards.

There is a reason this show has become a huge cult-classic and has spawned drinks, merchandise and intense love in all who watch it. It’s engrossing, complex, mutli-layered and is one of the few fantasy shows that seem real.

It’s clever, funny and deeply, deeply sexy. This show is bringing sexy back, for dead bodies reanimated by demon blood who survive by drinking human blood. And every single character on the show could sexually smolder Edward Cullen into oblivion.

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There was an organization that became synomomous with the idea of the ‘happily ever after’. And that organization is Disney.

Since Disney’s beginnings, from short 5-6 minute films bringing to life old folk stories, to the multi-million dollar business which has given us Disneyland, Hannah Montana, Academy Awards and fodder for many late-night SingStar sessions.

The story behind Disney’s rise to its current superpower status begins, strangely enough, with the story of the Three Little Pigs. This was Disney’s first real surprise hit, with the theme song ‘Whose Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf’ proving extremely popular with movie going public, so much so that Walt Disney was able to get funding to put forward his, and the world’s, first full-length animated film.

The film was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, which has extremely popular since its release in 1937. On re-watching I think most of its appeal (for me at the least) lies in the almost ridiculously adorable woodland critters who worshipfully follow Snow White and assist her in her day-to-day life. I challenge anyone to watch the critters clean the Dwarves house and not want to race into the forest and kidnap squirrels to clean out the attic.

The film undoubtedly looks dated now, particularly with the CGI assistance given to the newest film, Tangled. However what Snow White does possess in the actual quality of the animation is a gentle blurring of the edges – which gives the whole film this beautifully wonderland look to it. Everything seems magical and fantastic in Snow White – she is unbelievably good and loving, the dwarves are hurtfully cute, the animals had me clawing at the screen in a desperate attempt to take them home with me and the evil step-mother seems to have been booted from Hell for being too horrible.

Disney moved onto a variety of others films after Snow White, with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and the Little Mermaid all being hugely successful for the company. But it wasn’t until Beauty and the Beast that Disney really received major critical accolades.

Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. On re-watching it’s easy to see why. The film is breathtaking, both in terms of beauty of design – from the opening strains of music beginning the film, that features those images of stained glass to illustrate the story, to the joyful concluding waltz every image looks warm, real and appealing.

But it’s not just the design and the amusement afforded by this film that makes it so lasting – there are moments of profoundness that you don’t expect in a child’s film. For example during an assault upon the Beasts castle the marching villagers sing ‘We don’t like what we don’t understand, in fact it scares us and this castle is mysterious at least’.

There’s some exposition of the deep fears of the human psyche in a song, set in a magical movie about love beyond the physical appearance. This movie fell into what is referred to as the ‘Disney Renaissance’ and after watching it it’s easy to see why. The film is beautiful, moving, touching, funny, sad and sometimes enraging. And worth watching time and time again.

And how far we’ve come since then! After the end of the so-called Disney Renaissance (which ended with the Lion King) Disney released slightly less successful films like Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, The Emperor’s New Groove, Lilo & Stitch and the Princess and the Frog.

There were also Pixar films (which is owned by Disney) at the same time – Toy Story, Wall-E and Up to name a few of the best. Pixar seemed to be taking over Disney’s territory of magical films filled with wonder and delight, and somehow adult and clever enough that adults and children alike sit through them again and again.

For a while it did seem that we would turn to Pixar for our Disney caliber films, for all those magical things which are conjured by the appearance of that magical castle at the beginning of a film. But then came Disney’s 50^th animated film – Tangled.

Tangled is a CGI film, but it manages to capture that same sense of a magical wonderland that Disney is known for. However the use of CGI, and changing social values, do mean that Disney has had to change. Today’s audiences can appreciate Snow White, we can enjoy it and see it’s value, but it does not have the same relation to us now as it did back in 1937.

Tangled is Disney’s best meshing of our desire for magical fairytales and our changing expectations for some form of realism. There are still magical creatures, that don’t help with the housework this time, but manage to be achingly funny despite it.

Tangled is the story of Rapunzel – but it makes it much more complex then the original. As Disney does best. There’s a magical flower from the sun, a wicked old woman, a swashbuckling adventurer who turns out to be lying about his name and a man the size of a brick wall who turns out to love making ceramic unicorns.

This film brings out the same childish joy in me as the Disney Renaissance films do, a sense of amusements, wonder and magic and the safe resolution of everyone living happily ever after.

Cliched? Yes. But it’s a welcome cliché.

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Grey’s Anatomy is still going strong, one of the few of those ‘hit dramas’ that have managed to retain both their audience share and their excellent plot twists.

After last seasons shocking hospital shooting, the residents of Seattle Mercy West have moved onto to new and exciting dramas. I don’t know how they manage to do any work when they’re thinking about Callie’s impending pregnancy, Meredith’s desire to be pregnant, the Chief’s wife’s deteriorating mental state, Bailey’s new relationships with a very, very pretty male nurse, Lexie and Avery getting all nekkid in every room in the house, Alex crushing on the new hot gynecologist, and the usual endless parade of intense medical dramas.

However this week the hot doctor’s changed their usual modus operendi and burst forth into song.

Well, some of them did. Callie, (played by Sara Ramirez) noticeably along with Dr Owen (Kevin McKid) and Dr Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson).

For back-story for those who have not been up to date with the twists and turns of the overworked, oversexed members of staff at Seattle Mercy West, last week Arizona, Callie’s long-term girlfriend, proposed. And then their car careened into a truck.

Because that’s how this show works. A moment of irrepressible joy. And then boom. Comes the truck.

Callie went flying through the windscreen, while Arizona sat dazed and confused at her side.

Then the strangeness began – as Callie looked up and saw… herself. Looking remarkably well presented, standing above her in full make up and gazing down kindly at her beaten up body.

And that’s when the singing began.

The weird thing was that she was basically singing songs that I mentally labeled ‘Greatest Hits of Grey’s Anatomy’. Chasing Cars, How to Save a Life…. Every other song that’s played a key role in this television series was there.

It was kind of like watching an extremely emotional session of SingStar. When after every song everyone turned and had dramatic arguments with loved ones, or wept openly, or had life changing experiences. And then went right back to the ‘Pop Rock’ edition of SingStar.

I could kind of see what Shonda Rhimes was going for when she wrote this episode. But it just didn’t quite work. It almost worked. Almost. But there was always this little part of me saying ‘What on earth are you doing? Why are you singing pop hits? You’re a doctor! Say some doctorish things and then stop her bleeding out!’

I just ended up feeling that the strangely out of place singing was distracting for an emotional and interesting episode. But I suppose that’s out of the way now, so we don’t have to fear for the inevitable musical episode anymore.

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Suave, strangely attractive, charming, father, husband…. Serial killer?

This is the premise of Showtime’s incredibly popular hit Dexter which follows a blood spatter analyst working for the Miami Metropolitan Police, who brutally murders people in his spare time.

The catch? He has a strangely twisted series of ethics drilled into him by his loving adopted father Harry, which he refers to as ‘Harry’s code’. The code basically means Dexter can only murder murderers. And he has to have proved that the people did commit murders before he can kill them.

The series has just concluded a successful fifth season and looks set to begin filming for the sixth, which will begin airing again in September.

The strange thing about this show is the intense sympathy and affection that the audience grows to feel for Dexter. You watch him murder people, over and over again, and at the end of the day you still feel like if you ran into him on the street you’d buy him a coffee and shake him heartily by the hand.

Perhaps it is because he makes such an effort to murder the guilty and other murderers, I think if the show was about Dexter the Kitten Murderer it would have a much different, and much smaller, audience base.

During the shows second season Dexter’s handiwork is discovered, and the reactions of his contemporaries in the fore mirror the reactiosn of the audience. They almost want to thank this mysterious killer, who is ridding the world of other murderers. He comes to be seen as almost a hero who preys on the evil in the world. People even beging to ascribe moral reasons for Dexter’s deadly actions.

But Dexter is not killing because he wants to rid the world of evil or he feels let down by the justice system. He’s killing because he wants to murder people, and he and his father have come up with an almost socially acceptable way of allowing him to murder.

What makes the show so intriguing is watching Dexter’s stumbling, misguided attempts to come to terms with these dark desires and also how to become an actual person. He’s assisted in this quest by his loving partner Rita and smart talking, on-edge, intense foster sister Deborah.

The show is not afraid of killing off characters, so be warned. While watching this there will be tears, and cries of ‘No! No! How could you? You killed them you bastards! Why? Why are you doing this to me?’ before collapsing weeping on the ground.

You spend the show alternately wanting to hug Dexter, yell at him, hit him on the back of the head and run away screaming from him. Sometimes all at the same time.

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Is it so bad you can’t look away? Or so good you can’t look away?

This film has been called the ‘Citizen Kane of Bad movies’, it doesn’t make sense, the acting is so poor it’s breathtaking, the sex scene is so bad that it makes me want to join a nunnery, the conclusion is ridiculously clichéd and hackneyed, the film is littered with bizarre conversations that bear no relevance to the plot, there’s absolutely zero continuity and the main star seems off-puttingly like an enraged serial sexual deviant.

The movie is the Room, written, directed, starring and produced by Tommy Wiseau. Do you sense a theme in who was making the big decisions in this film?

It somehow had a reasonably large budget- over $6 million – none of which is even remotely evident in the low-quality sets, poor camera work and porn star level acting.

The most-engagingly insane thing about this film is that the majority of the dialogue revolves around the characters worshipfully praising the main character, played by (who else?) Tommy Wiseau.

I can sum up the majority of the dialogue like this. Imagine, for a minute, that Brad Pitt, Mother Theresa, President Obama at the height of his popularity, and the best sports team you know of (I don’t know sport, ok?) were all combined into one single person. That’s how awesome everyone says Johnny (Tommy Wiseau) is. He is the greatest person who has ever or will ever live.  And everyone is struck with the kind of worshipful love that you would expect for meeting a person as awesome as that.

Don’t watch this if you want the film to make sense, at all, in any way.  But on the other hand… watch it. Prepare mentally for the most confusing, brain shakingly off-putting thing you’ve ever seen and then go for it. Oh, and watch it with a friend. Because you need someone to turn to and scream “WHAT? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?”

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And T, and Buck, and Alice, and Shoshana, and Chicken.

Televisions most complex main character is back on our screens.

United States of Tara is back for its third season, with the entire Gregson family reeling from the denouement filled finale and struggling to begin their lives again.

For those who haven’t watched the show – here’s a brief recap. The show centers on Tara (Toni Collette), a Kansas based suburban housewife with two teenage children, Kate and Marshall and a loving husband Max (John Corbett). Tara suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which means in situations of high stress she ‘transitions’ into a variety of other personalities who live inside here.

These include Buck, a cigarette-smoking, hog riding, hard drinking man, Alice, a demure and conservative housewife and Chicken, which is Tara from her childhood.

I want to be honest and say I love this show. I also love the newest addition to the cast, Eddie Izzard, who has come onboard as Tara’s psychology teacher who is completely skeptical about Dissociative identity disorder, as a serious mental illness.

Eddie Izzard, for those who are unfamiliar with his history outside of films such as Ocean’s Thirteen and TV shows like the Riches, is an immensely successful and gutburstingly funny comedian. A transvestite comedian in fact, though I don’t think we should be in fear of him rocking a frock for his role on Tara.

But if you haven’t seen his comedy go and look it up now. I’ll wait.

Twiddles thumbs

Funny right? Totally worth a look.

But back to United States of Tara, which is also gutburstingly funny and involves some light cross-dressing. The family are all trying to find their way forward this season, Max is worried about the future of his business, Marshall is attempting to get his boyfriend Lionel to acknowledge their commitment, Kate is trying to get a job that’s not gluing sparkles onto headbands with her aunt Charmaine, Charmaine is still holding onto her memories of her failed wedding, still hugely pregnant, and still refusing to acknowledge her serious relationship with the father of her baby, Neil and Tara has decided to go back to college because she’s ‘tired of being the boring one’ in the cavalcade of personalities inside her.

This is one of those rare and amazing shows that can either be a drama with moments of comedy, or a comedy with moving dramatic moments. It’s funny, it’s real (it’s also filled with large amounts of swearing so be warned younger viewers) and it’s very, very clever.

It’s also one of the rare comedies or drama’s that has real and complicated characters. Not always totally relatable, (and I’m not going to comment on whether the representation of DID is up to psychological standard, because frankly I don’t know enough detail about the condition to judge) and not always totally likeable. But that’s part of the fun. This is watching regular people, with flaws and foibles in a very strange and stressful family situation, and the ways they deal with it and the ways the story of Tara’s past comes to light are amazingly clever, funny and real.

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The only premiering Tribeca film initially viewable from Europe was, perhaps ironically, European. The Irish director, Thomas Hefferon, delivered ‘The Heist’ alongside his competing short film ‘Switch’. Hefferon has before been selected for the Festival competition with his short film ‘The Confession’ and had ‘The Pool’ premiere at Tribeca last year. The Heist had the privilege of serving as a global sneak peak for the online Tribeca audience just before the actual event kicked off.

The movie is a 9 minute short comedy shot mainly from the insides of a parked car. Three amateur bank-robbers are making a last run-through of their plan, but quickly realize that the robbing business is a complicated affair.

The leader is Francis, played by Sean Flanagan, whose feeble leading skills are seriously strained as he attempts to reason with the other two characters. It seems obvious that Francis is far from intelligent, but at least he stands out as the most sensible in the group. Nicky, the guy on the left played by Donal Gallery, reminds you of every skinny bloke with the backbone of an earthworm ever to be portrayed in modern cinema. He comes off as simpleminded; almost childish, with a distinct feminine inclination for sulking. However, he is not the one causing the most problems in the tiny vehicle; that would be Dave.

Like my boyfriend use to say; “there’s always a Dave.” In this case, Dave is a Neanderthal of a man, clearly failing to realize the seriousness of the act he is about to commit, and with a serious case of the munchies. Within the feature’s 9 minute time frame, Dave manages to fizzle the momentum for the gang repeatedly with his outrageous requests.

The movie got plenty of positive feedback in the comment section while it was still viewable. Those in favor found the ‘verbal slapstick’ – exaggerated idiocy exceeding the boundaries of common sense, highly entertaining, and enjoyed the failure of the gang to pull off a ‘proper’ heist. I personally have to join the haters. Though it is clearly meant as a lighthearted take on bank robbers, having watched movies such as The Town, nominated at this years Academy Awards, you probably have no problem imagining that being victimized in a robbery is no picnic. What bothers me, however, is neither the crime nor the pending human consequences – it’s the characters.

For a character-driven short film, this is a problem. Why the writer chose to make the characters as shallow as the bottom of a water bottle I don’t know, but the result left me with a strange feeling of defeat, and funny enough, recognition. First of all, even when we agree that the collected IQ of the car come closest to 150, it is hard for me to believe that empathy is a foreign country to men of their un-profession. On the other hand, if we agree to relinquish their moral scruples, surely they must have fears and doubts about their impending action. But this is left untouched, denying the introduction of interesting characters. Secondly, as a native Dane, I found the dialogue oddly familiar. Tar-black humor that relishes in illogical, yet conceivable problematics. My research confirms that the writer is a Dane named Troels Jacob Hundtofte, and my guess is that he’s no stranger to modern Danish action comedy. He seems, however, a stranger to the fact that direct adaptation often ruins the intension. Being stranded on the beaches of an average cast, the already hampered dialogue is left to fend for itself and ends up being forced and uncomfortable. Since Hefferon obviously has drawn inspiration from the work of British gangster prodigy, Guy Richie, The Heist ends up as the awkward child of two offbeat genres.

Overall, the story was tame and uninteresting and could have been dealt with in a 5-lined joke. My only thumps-up is for the technical achievements – the film is well shot, well editing and the setup itself works. But in the end, what was meant as comic relief didn’t move me beyond thinking that I could be doing something else with my day.

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