Heaving bosoms and ripped torsos... a typical weekend!

It has been a while since I've placed a review or two on the blog. I watched "The Curse of the Golden Flower" (very similar in vein to "The House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero"). over the weekend. It was less action packed than two films mentioned, however what really grabbed my attention was the fact Chinese women actually have bosoms. Sorry, I know that was probably quite lewd, but my eyes were captivated by the amount of oriental cleavage that was being shown (tastefully I hasten to add!).

The film, however wasn't all about heaving bosoms, though given the chance I could probably write a fairly lengthy tome on that topic :) Typical of Yimou Zhang's two previous movies, "The Curse of the Golden Flower" is a visual treat, at times the kaleidoscope of colours threatens to overwhelm the senses. The customes, and the set pieces are all tremendously done and I'm surprised the film didn't grab more headlines in this regard.

Unlike the previous movies, there's less emphasis on the martial arts and more thought given in to the plot. The details of which can be surmised as fucked up royal family back stab each other to the death (I don't mean to insult nor trivialise the film's plot - except, that was the quickest way I could condense the film's 95 mins into a sentence or two).

Apart from the drama, when the martial sequences begin, they do not fail to impress. The dramatic Wu Shu stylised combat is maintained, and no matter how over the top the violence is. It manages to captivate and enthrall. Some would argue that the fighting seems preipheral, almost added on.

Do I recommend it? Yes, and not from just from a guy's perspective (the heaving bosoms!) - but as a movie buff.

The other movie that I managed to watch was 300, based on Frank Millers graphic novel of the same name. Now this movie is on the complete opposite pole in terms of spectrum. Unlike The Curse of the Golden Flower, 300 revels in it's display of blood and gore, admittedly it does have more than it's fair share of heaving bodies (male and female) on display. Though I must add, the bodies on display on the whole, were that of "8 packed" blokes wearing black leather Speedos (doesn't quite have the same impact as heaving bosoms!).

Unlike The Curse of the Golden Flower, this one didn't have much of a plot. That's not too say it's terrible, far from it. What we got, and anyone's who's read or seen Sin City will acknowledge this as pure unadulterated hack and slash. The scenes are quite stunning, especially considering that very few of the scenes are actually "real". Most of the film is rendered CGI just as Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was.

So what's the plot? It centres on the battle between Spartans and Persians, the Persians having cast their avarice eyes over Greece, decided to invade. Of course the Greeks, weren't going to quite let the Persians walk in. So a small task force of 300 Spartans were dispatched to challenge the Persians, as a preliminary force, while the Greeks assembled. As with most films that have a historical background. A lot of liberties have been taken with the re-telling of the events. Though, it's a moot point and one that I shan't use to deconstruct the movie.

I will end by saying that it's an awesome visual experience, one for your eyes to savour and not for the brain to engage!

Little Miss Sunshine

The road trip is a fantastic movie genre. There is nothing better than piling odd ball characters into a confined space (such as a VW camper van), and then following them through their journey like a fly on the wall. "Little Miss Sunshine", is one such movie. At its core it is about family, the ups and downs they face; and ultimately how they overcome them to get to their objective. The film has a number of heart warming scenes that really grab you. However what makes "Little Miss Sunshine" stand out from your typical "family overcomes overwhelming obstacles", is the superb acting, the odd ball characters, and the obstacles themselves that need to be overcome.

The title of the film refers to a beauty pageant for children (I say children, it's really for little girls). And one family's attempt to get to the pageant on time. Before you switch off, no it's made by some neo-conservative American moral group!. What we have is a family that in some ways is completely normal, and in other aspects as far from normal as you can get!

There is "Frank", played superbly by Steve Carell (from Bruce Almighty and 40 Year Old Virgin). "Frank" is a victim of attempted suicide, an emotionally fragile character who is recovering from having his love rejected in favour of his rival (who is also his academic nemesis). We have "Granpa", wonderfully portrayed by Alan Arkin (who for me had his best role in Glengarry Glen Ross. You will not meet a more unconventional elderly gentleman than this guy! Greg Kinnear plays "Richard", a personality help guru who is desperately seeking to secure a book deal. The last three members of this oddball family are "Sheryl" played by Toni Collette (who was mighty impressive) and "Dwayne", played by Paul Dano. Finally for me the best performance of the film came from Abigail Breslin who played "Olive".

Enjoy the trailer...

Lily Allen, stonkingly good

Anyway moving away from football matters, I have been listening to the new album Alright, Still by Lily Allen. I have to say, it's brilliant. For those of you who don't know Lily Allen is the daughter of that madcap actor Keith Allen (he's the one who played the role of the stiff in Shallow Grave). She's come to the attention of the media as the self made "popstar" using myspace.

I have admit that while she's certainly no looker, her voice is strangely seductive. She has a unique down to earth voice (you could almost argue she's talking and not really singing). Some critics have likened her style to Mike Skinner's Streets. And the comparison is not far off. Even down to the subject matter, but that's no bad thing.

Another songstress who's got me by my proverbials is M.I.A. All I can say is that you seriously need to take out the time to listen to her. Her vocal style can be summed as, "pretty and gritty", her tough talking and super fast delivery is great to listen to. M.I.A whose real name is Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasm is renowned for her politically charged lyrics (currently MTV has banned the video "Sunshowers" until all references to the PLO are removed - so much for freedom of expression!).

Before I go, hopefully I'll be able to stick up another post celebrating Chelsea's continued lethargic form, but in all honesty I think that's too much to ask for! Still, Blackburn should prove themselves to be a stern test for Jose's Rentboys.

Harsh Times (indeed...)

Yesterday I caught a movie, which I was persuaded to see by a friend (he shall remain nameless!). The film we saw was called, "Harsh Times". I have to say, that it was quite moving, pretty violent and gritty . What really made the whole thing click was the acting, if truth be told the story is actually quite simple, a couple of friends who are supposed to be out driving looking for jobs, instead goof around and step by step get caught into some pretty heavy shit.

One friend is an ex ranger who has been honorably discharged from the army having served a tour in Afghanistan. "Jim", the ex ranger also carries a lot baggage from his experiences in Afghanistan and you can't help but feel for him as tries desperately to cope. The other friend, "Mike" (played by Freddy Rodriguez) is an out of work estate agent, who is trying to find a job to show "his woman" that he isn't just a bum. You get the impression that the fact he is unemployed is a slur on his masculinity, and he feels belittled as his girlfriend tries to motivate him in being more proactive.

Christian Bale absolutely owned the role he played ("Jim"), and in all the supporting cast complemented each other equally well. The scary thing is, it made me think just how many people are out there like the character played by Christian Bale. I don't want to divulge too much, except to say my friend and I ended up discussing what (if any) rehabilitation programs were available for serving military who have been trained up to do one thing only - to follow orders without question (ie kill), to re-adjust back into society.

The film is very similar in form to "Training Day", not surprisingly as "Harsh Times" was written by the same writer, David Ayer (first time director). I really do recommend making the time to see the movie, admittedly it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. However if want to see something powerful, emotional and absorbing, this film definitely scores on all 3 counts.