Andrew's Parallel Reality

Andrew's Albums No 16: "Almost Blue" by Elvis Costello

2011-04-11T00:56:00.007+10:00

In my previous post on the theme of my favourite LPs (or should that be CDs...I guess I'm showing my age talking about long playing records) I passed comment on a soundtrack album dominated by early American country/folk music. I also made some comments on the antipathy I hold towards the genre which I think is mirrored by a substantial portion of the general public. It does seem contradictory then to follow up my last post with another reference to the world of sad white men lamenting about lost love and being drunk to the sound of pedal steel guitars.

However this isn't your typical Nashville melange of cowboy hats and yodels. This is the third album from the bespectacled spokesmen for lyrically intelligent British punk music in the late 70s. There is none of the syrupy sweet strings of a typical Chet Atkins or Owen Bradley produced country album. Instead there is a distinct tang of rebelliousness merged with a respect for the tradition of an emotional truth that does underscore good country music. Thanks to Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue" the work of George Jones, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and perhaps most cogently Gram Parsons finds a voice that smug and dismissive rock fans need to listen to.

First off there is no avoiding the fact that this is an album of covers performed by Elvis that are almost all focused on soured love and sour mash alcohol. If you want the former there's Elvis's take on the Patsy Cline classic "Sweet Dreams":

If on the other hand you need to hear a bourbon or gin soaked song there is "Sittin' and Thinkin'", whilst the Merle Haggard boozers lament "Tonight The Bottle Let me Down" fuses both alcohol and lost love together.

In the liner notes to the Edsel Records re-issue Costello gives plenty of personal evidence for the case that this is a country album suffused with these traditional country themes, thanks to his own mariiage problems and bouts with the bottle. The influence of George Jones also weaves itself inherently through almost all tracks, much like a golden thread on a Nudie cowboy suit.

What elevates these songs and "Almost Blue" to a different level is that EC and the Attractions bring a different energy thanks to their semi-punk background, combining with a reasoned hoovering up of country standards. "Sweet Dreams" is the exemplar track, having a rich history in itself thanks to the aforementioned Patsy Cline version. The song's writer, Don Gibson, was part of the Nashville sound that dominated country music from the early 60s, whilst latterly the song was covered by part of the then new wave of performers, Emmylou Harris. Potentially a minefield of sticky sweet tear jerking sentimentality Elvis almost pulls off a Roy Orbison-esque performance that is all the while tempered by the knowledge this is the same (then) scrawny and bespectacled young man who sang "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea".

As said beforehand the influence of George Jones plus other Nashville legends suffuses "Almost Blue" to make this album a wonderful entry point for the rock'n'roller trying to find his or her way into country music. The curt and rollicking version of Hank William's "Why Don't You Love Me" has more than enough energy to grab some of the honkytonk sound of Hank senior, whilst reminding one of the work of EC's contemporaries Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds via Rockpile. Gram Parsons is another ghostly hand on the album's tiller, and both "I'm Your Toy" and "How Much I Lied" are wonderfully melodic songs that sit slightly apart from the other tracks in tone and style.

Of course no discussion of "Almost Blue" can't include praise for "A Good Year for The Roses". EC himself talks about the video clip and the weirdness of it helping propel the song to chart success, however this isn't the mark of the track's merit. This is a great country song no matter the sales and no matter the context, and when you hear George Jones' version you know that the basic material is enhanced by Costello's performance. Even though not written by Costello (the song was originally written by Jerry Chesnut) it has Elvis' lyrical wit and beauty running all the way through it.

If you can don't rely on getting this album in its original format; the dual disk CD from Edsel/Rhino adds significantly to the repertoire of great country music interpreted by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The addition particularly of live versions of the Leon Payne song "Psycho" adds a surreal darkness to the album; listen to this song and I guarantee you it won't ever be forgotten.

The extra disk in this collection includes more George Jones ("Stranger In The House"), Gram Parsons and Charlie Rich tracks, plus also additional efforts from Johnny Cash, Brook Benton, Loretta Lynn, Bob Wills and Stonewall Jackson. It would be no understatement to say that Costello has cherry picked some of the greatest country music writers, performers and their songs and given them new life.

Now as for my own personal history with this album I can't say specifically when or how I came across it. No doubt my late 90s interest in EC after seeing him live and picking up a solid greatest hits compilation paved the way, as did my knowledge of "A Good Year For The Roses". Where I have particular interest in the album is "Almost Blue" gave me a connection with my country music loving father, a man who had considerable quantities of music from the likes of George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams. I could be wrong but I suspect both EC and myself share the interest in saying to our elders "look at this...I like your music too, but differently." More recently it's the kind of music I like to put on when feeling in an absolute shit of a mood, the sad lovelorn drunk bastard themes talking to me in a way that the best country laments can only do.

Music Score: 8/10
Nostalgia Score: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: "Sweet Dreams", "A Good Year For The Roses", "Brown to Blue" (extended Edsel/Rhino 2 disk version: "Psycho", "He's Got You", "My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You")

Andrew's Top 20 Goodies Episodes: Part One

2010-05-25T12:01:00.014+10:00

During the 1970s there was a strict regime to be followed in many an Australian household after school. The TV was turned on and after a dice with repeated episodes of classic Yank sitcoms like "Gilligan's Island" or "The Brady Bunch" the channel was switched just before 6pm to the ABC. If you got this done in time you might get a peek at "Kimba The White Lion", but no matter if you missed this early entrant into Japanese TV anime. For many a kid (and adults as well) pre-dinner entertainment didn't really kick off till you heard "Goodies....goody goody yum yum".

Now far be it for me to argue the relative merit of "The Goodies" contrasted with the work of fellow Oxbridge alumni, "Monty Python's Flying Circus". Perhaps a little unfairly Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie were accused of making a children's show (which was in fact referred to in 'The Goodies and The Beanstalk' thanks to a John Cleese insert that was post modern before post modern became modern). This led to a certain amount of critical depreciation as the adventures of Graybags, Timbo and the scruffy one ended on TV in 1982. However thanks to the miracle of DVDs, live reunion gigs, patronage afforded by the likes of new comics such as "Spicks and Specks" Adam Hills, and pay TV I believe it is right and proper to point out 20 moments when "The Goodies" were at their absolute best. And hence, right near the summit of British comedy during the golden era of 70s TV:

20. Charity Bounce (London To Brighton): Series Two 1972
Filmed inserts were integral to almost every episode of The Goodies, with slapstick, stunts, visual gags, surreal images and Bill's catchy music keeping the energy levels high and the laughs flowing. 'Charity Bounce' is one of the best examples of how this was sustained through a half hour episode, with minimal plot and a silly plot contrivance giving Tim, Bill and Graeme opportunities to film some truly mad TV comedy.
Freddie Jones is the comic villain for The Goodies, as he and his staff at Sparklipegs Toothpaste attempt to either manipulate or derail a truly 70s charity attempt; bouncing on space hoppers from London to Brighton. It turns out that Bill, Tim and Graeme are experts at bouncing up and down on these bizarre rubber toys from the 70s, and in the process of trying to make money for the 'Grieving Grannies' turn their original ride from London to Brighton, into an around the world trek. In the process there are some visual puns taken at the expense of the French, Australians and Indian fakirs. They may be cartoon-like, and the so-called special effects enhance their silliness, but these scenes are quintessential Goodies.
It should also be mentioned that unlike many other episodes this is one outing where at times neither Garden, Oddie or Brooke-Taylor are in shot or play a part in comic scenes. Freddie Jones as Mr Sparklipegs generates some big laughs riffing off his sleazy big businessman role, in concert with his toadying underling Arthur Minion, and blonde bimbo Miss Simpkins. It's a rare comedy that is confident enough in the strength of its humour, plot and audience that the main stars are left without much of the best dialogue, the best jokes.

19. Frankenfido: Series Five, 1975
A vibrant example of what The Goodies did extremely well, 'Frankenfido' is a great mix of surreal humour, pantomine silliness, pop culture spoof and filmed slapstick. As seen in numerous preceding and following episodes, 'Frankenfido' sees Graeme as the mad scientist, in this case creating all manner of weird dog breeds. There is a fairly sane start to this entry with the plot focused on Bill and Tim looking to Graeme to help them win Crufts. However in a similar spirit to some of the work of Terry Jones and Michael Palin, Graeme's breeding experiments lead to (amongst other creatures) a gas oven crossed with a Dalmatian, or a lavatory crossed with a King Charles Spaniel. From there it rapidly starts to spin out of control, as Tim and Bill conspire to defeat Graeme's weird Goon-like 'dogs' with the assistance of a pantomine dog suit. There is a fun cameo from Magnus Magnusson and the classic quiz show 'Mastermind', which when combined with The Goodies penchant for bad puns makes for some good laughs. However then the episode becomes a true farce thanks to the sheer silliness of Graeme's surgically assembled Crufts candidate, Frankenfido. Film chase inserts keep up the energy and there is a better than average accompanying song from Bill before the episode ends with a truly bizarre and final cross-breeding. As an example of how well tuned and high spirited the Goodies could be during what I consider to be their best series, 'Frankenfido' deserves several viewings.

18. The Movies (The British Film Industry/BBC): Series Five 1975
As mentioned beforehand during the nine series run of The Goodies over the BBC & LWT they were not seen to be as clever nor as satirical as other 'rival' programs such as 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'. The use of filmed and silent inserts tended to overshadow the more verbal or intellectual aspects of their comedy. This episode could be argued to summarize what was the real comedic strength of 'The Goodies' where both filmed slapstick and character or verbal interplay created a damned funny show.
What stands out in this episode from the aforementioned great Series Five is that the first half or so screws around with all the then current complaints about British cinema. There is a reference to drunken Celtic actors (Bill Oddie channelling Richard Harris), Shakespearean dramas (a remake of Macbeth by Bill, Tim and Graeme is undertaken that farcically includes Truffaut the Wonder Dog), the poverty of British studios (Pinewood is bought for 25 Pounds) and the surreal silliness masquerading as art that was Ken Russell's directorial style. Graeme has a funny spot playing a true cinematic queen whilst Tim dons the fake boobs and big dress yet again to camp it up. It's all great fun and damned smarter than some critics would allow a so-called 'kid's show'.
Then as the three protagonists decide to create their own cinematic masterpieces the comedy changes from keenly observed satire to boisterous slapstick. Considering that Bill plays a Charle Chaplin/Buster Keaton role in the final segment it's only fitting that much of the humour owes allegiences to the work of Mack Sennett's silent classics. There are even a few moments that remind one of a Terry Gilliam cartoon, giving real physicality to the comedy that the Python writers and performers could generally only do with drawn and cut out footage. It's so rewarding to see old schticks work again, and you know this isn't a simple adaptation of others work but The Goodies using Keaton and Lloyd for inspiration.

17. Scotland (The Loch Nest Monster): Series Two 1971
The Goodies were never reluctant to use stalwarts of the British comedy industry in their episodes to help gather the giggles. In every series there were cameos and guest spots from some of the greats and the not so greats, such as Joe Melia in the 3rd series episode 'The New Office', or Roy Kinnear in two separate programs, 'The Lost Tribe' and 'Rome Antics'. In 'Scotland' there is a double dip into teh well of British comedic actors thanks to the presence of Bernard Bresslaw (from the 'Carry On..' films) and Stanley Baxter (a Scottish film and TV) and it's the later who helps take this second series show into my top twenty.
The plot for 'Scotland' is fairly simple; Tim, Bill and Graeme go to Scotland to capture the Loch Ness Monster to put it in a new Monster house at London Zoo. Before the triumvirate reach the border the humour is restrained and only slightly silly. However once the trusty trandem crosses into Scotland The Goodies make great play with some pretty hoary old Scots jokes (there are a few 'Och ayes' and 'Hoots' scattered throughout the dialogue), and it hits the funny bone square on thanks to a couple of studio scenes. The camping scene where Tim is menaced by a bagpipes spider and Bill feeds his sporrans is classic Goodies...silly and very visual, but not as childish as one may suspect on teh first watching. Then, when the three Sassenachs meet up with Stanley Baxter at the Scottish tourism board there is some classic mugging, first as Tim, Bill and Graeme lamely try to fool Baxter's character as to their Scottishness, then as Baxter tricks the Goodies into spending all their money on Loch Ness Monster fishing gear.
The filmed sequence back at the Loch has some fun moments, and after a few comedic bumps the boys do what they set out to do and return to London with monster in tow (a great gag involving the trandem and yet more pantomime style animal costumes). All major players in the episode come together at the end for a slightly unexpected closing gag (involving Garden's frequent use of puppetry and mime). 'Scotland' has an intriguing mix of surreal silliness and old style almost music-hall inspired gags and performances, with Baxter certainly a stand out. Perhaps the Scottish jokes are a little tired, but how can you not chortle after seeing scenes such as these:

16. Punky Business (Rock Goodies/Punkerella): Series Eight 1977
No one would consider The Goodies to have been hard hitting satire, particularly when compared to more strident comedic ventures which both pre-dated and post-dated the nine series which ran from 1970 to 1982 (e.g. Peter Cook's 'Private Eye' or Cooke & Mortimer's "Till Death Us Do Part"). However as parodists who knew how to lampoon the more ridiculous aspects of then current British society, Oddie, Garden and Brooke-Taylor often scored more laughs than the satiric heavy hitters whilst still taking a substantial amount of piss out of their targets. 'Punky Business' which starts as a 'Rock Follies' style story turns quickly into a gigglesome swipe at the more egregious excesses of the punk rock movement and attendant media, then moves into a twisted take on Cinderella. Most of this episode plays up on Brooke-Taylor's middle class niceness, and in a particularly funny scene reminiscent of the Sex Pistol's appearance on ITV in 1976 Tim is goaded into 'being nice'. Bill, of course, gets to revel in being the grotty spotty semi-violent working class short arse which was often his caricaturization in the series, whilst Graeme becomes a fairy punk father (perhaps keeping in harmony with his character's madcap inventiveness). Slapstick is always around a Goodies episode and the dinner scene with Tim having spaghetti at a punk restaurant with Caroline Kook (Paul MacCartney's ex girlfriend Jane Asher) is a classic; Graeme's vehement glee at pouring the sauce over Tim goes beyond mere mugging. There are some hilarious cameos from Goodies' stalwart guests Patrick Moore and Michael Barratt, and the end of this episode has one of the funniest, Milligan-inspired sequences from the last few series. Whilst Tim is given Caroline Kook's hand in marriage, it could be said that Graeme gets the better deal with the rest of her (with Bill possibly getting the funniest and most improper reward - i.e. her lower torso and legs). This is a classic episode, with inspired silliness fused to some wickedly intelligent observations about the then facile societal response to punk celebrity.

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.16: Amelie

2010-03-10T23:04:00.002+11:00

As may be seen in earlier posts on this blog I have une certaine regarde for German films, which is perhaps not as fashionable when considering the cultural and financial importance of other European cinema industries. Italian films have not been of great interest to me, Spanish cinema aside from the truly magnificent 'Pan's Labyrinth' is more about remembering the names Bunuel and Almodovar rather than watching the movies, Swedish flicks usually leave me as unmoved as a character in a Bergman film, and Russian movies rarely rate a release here in Australia. So that leaves me with the French who I consider to be both the most important as well as the most arrogant of film producers in the world.

Now before all you lovers of le nouvelle vague, Gerard Depardeiu and Luc Besson cry out 'Mon Dieu!' there have been some French films that I've enjoyed without worrying about the almost fierce linguistic and artistic 'Frenchness' that pervades that country's cinema. 'Le Grande Illusion' is one of the best anti-war films ever made. 'Les Visiteurs' made me laugh uproariously when I saw it on release here in Australia and converted me to being a mildly passionate fan of Jean Reno. 'La Gloire du Mon Pere' and 'La Chateau de ma Mere' are delightful pieces of nostalgia that positively glow, and 'Le Placard' is an engaging sex farce with surprising soul.

However when it comes to my most favoured French film it has to be 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain', a.k.a 'Amelie':

This is like watching pure unadulterated French sensibilities distilled and concentrated into a quintessential cinematic experience. I can't think of many if any other films that have been as capable of condensing and replicating what may be considered a country's soul on screen as Jean-Pierre Jeunet achieves with 'Amelie'. It's as if almost a century after the first impressionists captured French light, air, landscape, architecture, food, society...everything on their canvases, Jeunet replicates this but with the moving image.

Now in my opinion he achieves this through a painter's appreciation of light, colour, nuanced shade and deft strokes not just with the camera but with the characters. The story of 'Amelie' is in itself more a series of sketches tied around a clichéd narrative. Episodic and resolved as only a French love story can be, this isn't a movie that relies on its scenario to keep your attention.

Instead it's the colour of Amelie's life, suffused in a glow that perhaps suggests an absinthe inspired fairytale, that keeps the viewer engaged. Surreal in the sense of 'super real', this is a movie that exaggerates and celebrates all the essential ideas we have about the French. For example the scenes set in Amelie's estaminet are peopled with lovers, thinkers, artists and cynics. You can almost smell the Gauloise cigarettes and taste the pastis. Just as if we are looking at a Renoir, a Degas, a Lautrec or a Seurat 'Amelie' shows us a Paris we all believe exists.

Before I continue, a word about Audrey Tatou. Actually, two words...tres magnifique! Just as Deneuve, Bardot, Huppert and Moreau have typified the gorgeous blonde French sex kitten, Tatou exemplifies a more intense Gallic beauty combined with comedic skills that could almost be considered clown-like. Her face is vitally expressive, and the way she combines coquettish charm with innocence and insight is remarkable. Not as beautiful as Sophie Marceau, Audrey Tatou is a far better actress and 'Amelie' will always be her role of a lifetime.

Other performances from the support cast are good to great, however the actor playing Amelie's love interest Mathieu Kassovitz is probably the only disappointment to be had. I guess when you share the screen with Tatou in her premiere role it is hard to come out from her cinematic shadow.

Oh, Yann Tiersen's music is the other stellar component of 'Amelie'. Just as Jeunet's light suffuses the movie with visual colour, so does Tiersen's score with aural colour. It may resonate with some French musical motifs (accordions, plaintiff piano solos), but it is as alive as the characters it accompanies.

I shan't rave any further about 'Amelie' because to be honest others have done so and done it far more succinctly or accurately than I can. Jeunet's directorial magic combined with Tatou's performance weaves a wondrous French film fable that I think makes 'Amelie' if not the best film to come from that country in the last twenty-five years, it is the most important. If it wasn't for 'Amelie' French cinema would have no focus for non-French movie goers to lock onto and start or develop their exploration of that country's movie culture. This is a brilliant film, and it deserves every kudos it has received since its release.

My Rating:4 Bills

Andrew's Top 15 German Films (Part Three)

2009-10-19T21:56:00.010+11:00

And so, endlich, I've reached my top five Teutonic cinematic productions from Deutschland. As previously referred to my frame of reference is somewhat restricted in that I haven't included many of the critically or historically acclaimed films from the Weimar period or the German new wave of the 1960s & 1970s. My preferences have been guided almost entirely by what has been made available via film festivals or English-subtitled movies shown on SBS. So if you're looking for "Fitzcaraldo", "Wings of Desire", "Der Golem" or "Metropolis" I'd suggest you need to check out a more learned site that concentrates on the likes of FW Murnau or Wim Wenders .

5. Sophie Scholl - Die Letzen Tage (Sophie Scholl: The Last Days)
The desire for Germans of the last 20 years to understand how the previous two or three generations dealt with their Nazi heritage has lead to a plethora of films which, whilst not endeavouring to exonerate those who went before, at least find examples of those who resisted. The TV mini-series "Operation Valkyrie" is one such example, as is "Rosenstrasse". It was the 2005 film "Sophie Scholl: The Last Days" that (could be argued) has shown the apogee of the German need to find an expression via cinema of their desire to feel better about the war. It is important that Sophie and her co-resisters are young, non-violent, educated, filled with joy and passion; in effect so much of what could be the antithesis of the dull, mindless, bestial cruelty of the older men who lead Germans into their own destruction. Now this is not a movie that tries to shy away from the incompetence or indeed the actual insignificance of the White Rose movement; the Nazi war effort or its malevolent path towards solving 'the Jewish question' was in no way deterred or undermined by Sophie and her colleagues. Yet as in so many other examples of popular culture, or more specifically film; it is the spirit that is depicted through the actions of the White Rose members which gives hope. Julia Jentsch as Sophie Scholl is extremely effective, but it must be said that she doesn't tower over her co-stars. Nor does Sophie herself as a character (with dialogue derived directly from the Gestapo records) establish a moral superiority over all, a sanctity that an unworldly heroine may possess. Alexander Held is surprisingly sympathetic as the interrogator Robert Mohr, who seems to be looking for every reason why Sophie should be let go. His fatalistic acceptance of her guilt almost bemuses and befuddles him; why would anyone not want to support the war, support the government, support the Nazis. Johanna Gastdorf as Sophie's cell mate Else Gebel provides a wonderful mixture of meekness and strength as she bears witness to Sophie's final days, and again the use of historical accounts strengthens the power of the film and Gastdorf's role. Now when all is said and done the final execution of Sophie and her two male colleagues utterly defeats any feelings of hope for the three young resisters. But in their tragedy, in their struggle to express some kind of opposition that perhaps was never going to be heard or understood by their contemporaries there is some kind of triumph to be prized. In "Sophie Scholl: The Last Days" a nation is able to briefly look beyond collective guilt and find limited yet bright examples of how not all Germans were evil in their most evil time as a country.

4: Das Wunder Von Bern (The Miracle of Bern)
There are few things that unite all Germans. The language itself has regional dialects, various regions may be dominated by Catholicism or by Lutheranism, the south (including Bavaria) is nominally the home of gemütlichkeit - a semi-rural hearty love of food, fun and beer whilst the north is possibly more austere, leaning towards that old Prussian coolness, and of course Germany as a single political entity has only existed intermittently since 1871. However when it comes to fußball - football, almost every German loves the round ball game. And in "Das Wunder Von Bern" director Sönke Wortmann found the perfect story to show Germans what brings them together. Whether as a country or (in the case of the focal characters of Lubanski family in 1954 Essen) at the individual level the victory of the German football team in Bern at the 1954 World Cup the 'Miracle...' presages better times which were desperately needed after the destruction of World War Two.
Where "The Miracle of Bern" wins me over is in its two main plot threads. The first is that of the Lubanski family, trying to deal with the return of father Richard (wonderfully portrayed by Peter Lohmeyer) who has been until 1954 a POW in the USSR. The Lubanski's are on the cusp of tearing themselves apart as Richard tries and seems to fail at understanding what has changed since he left during the war. He cannot function as he used to in the mines, his daughter is friendly with the Americans, his eldest son has Communist leanings, his wife is a strong-willed business woman and his youngest son Matthias, who he didn't even know before his imprisonment, has turned to local footballer Helmut Rahn for a father figure. After some serious fractures finally Matthias and Richard come to an understanding, and as son and father find something more than respect, it is through football they can love each other again.
The second important thread of "Das Wunder..." is the German team itself. Led by the wily old Sepp Herberger (played drily by the Péter Franke, who looks like the spitting image of the real Sepp) the German team comes from all parts of the country and has several personalities who at times clash, at times gel. Helmut Rahn (Sascha Göpel) is the semi-rebellious wild child of the team, whereas Fritz Walter (Knut Hartwig) provides the discipline, the drive and the self-respect that Die Mannschaft need to beat the amazingly great Hungarians (including legendary players such as Nandor Hidegkuti and Ferenc Puskas). As the movie builds to a climax, the final game sees Sepp's team take on the Hungarians and somehow, partly thanks to a downpour of rain and Adi Dassler's revolutionary boots, score an unlikely win. To make the movie even more like a national fable, Matthias Lubanski is there at the final moments, helping Helmut in the final drive to victory.
Now I am not going to deny that the film has some flaws. It is intensely parochial, and the inclusion of the reporter Paul Ackermann and his wife as major characters is a mistake. However when you watch this movie with any German with a love of football, or for that matter an understanding what it was like before the 'wunder' of the West German economic revival, then "Das Wunder Von Bern" transports you by a wave of nostalgic happiness that makes this viewng the film a far richer experience emotionally.

3. Das Boot
I've referred to this classic German film in a prior post (here) and what I said there holds equally true in this post. This 1981 war film focused on the crew of a Kriegsmarine U-Boat is one of the best German films ever (in my biased opinion). Serving as my entry point into Deutsches kino "Das Boot" first hove into view when I saw it on a video in the early 80s. It took until 1997 for me to see Wolfgang Petersen's masterpiece in the cinema, and the experience was truly memorable. The setting may have been the now-closed Pitt Street Centre Greater Union cinema but it at times felt like I was 200 metres below the surface sweating it out with the likes of Jurgen Prochnow and Herbert Grönemeyer. The manner in which Petersen combines technical brilliance with a strong narrative, immaculate pacing and an appealing atypical approach to Germany's war experience makes "Das Boot" a highly recommended film. This is no art-house subtitled genre flick; this is a film that speaks volumes to anyone no matter their language or country. And by the way, I should be seeing very shortly the almost 5 hour Bavarian TV mini-series which served as a variant on the movie's release, and I am sure that it will add even more to the richness of "Das Boot".

2. Der Untergang (Downfall)
I know that my interests in German cinema have strong connections to how that country attempts to interpret and deal with its past, and more specifically the Third Reich era. There are so many questions that one can and does ask about the Nazis, whether they be historical, moral, sociological, spiritual etc etc. And I am looking at this period, this German experience as an auslander; how do Germans themselves explain that part of their nation's collective past and indeed guilt today? "Der Untergang" is possibly the most significant attempt made by Germans in cinematic terms to explore the self-immolation, the moral bankruptcy, the mundane evil that lay at the very core of Nazism. With the assistance of some incredibly powerful performances, director Oliver Hirschbiegel uses the last days of Hitler and his inner circle whilst Berlin falls to the Soviet Red Army to depict the ruination of a country because of its (blind) adherence to an all too human monster.
The first and most memorable aspect of "Der Untergang" is the manner in which Hitler is characterised. Played with an almost supernatural insight by Bruno Ganz, this isn't the Hollywood Hitler that has no psychological truth, no deeper characterisation than he was inherently evil. Ganz's Hitler is both more historically real and more understandable as a man. This doesn't mean anyone can have sympathy or empathy for Hitler from his depiction. In fact, seeing Ganz's Hitler speak kindly to his domestic staff, show affection, revel in his own dreams and hopes makes the almost schizophrenic destructive elements of the performance more stark in their power. And isn't it more important to see a monstrosity that is shrouded in a semblance of normalcy than the caricatured, black hatted villain?
"Der Untergang" also has its impact reinforced by the use of Tradl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara) as part-participant, part-observer, part-everyman. It's Junge's character (reflecting again remarkable historical accuracy) that is there to witness Hitler the dog lover, Hitler the ranting lunatic, the pathetic life of Eva Braun, the tragedy of the Goebbel's children's murder, the last will and testament of both Hitler and Goebbels. Importantly in the film's coda the real Junge questions herself, perhaps representing all Germans. How much of her willingness to support Hitler was seduction, how much was willingness? "Der Untergang" doesn't deign to give an answer (which would have been the facile, Hollywood approach). Instead it leaves it up to every film goer to give their own answer (plus more uncomfortably ask themselves about what their own reaction may be).
There are simply too many other amazing reasons why I heartily endorse this film as one of my favourite German movies of all time. I will admit that this is a very personal opinion and there are people out there who could see a problem with a movie made by Germans which may be interpreted to show themselves as victims, or Hitler as a person and not just a homicidal maniac. This isn't a film that glorifies Nazism nor creates a heroic Germanic myth in sympathy with some kind of Wagnerian Götterdämmerung. This is a German film that attempts to use a combination of the cinematic form and historicity to ask questions and perhaps suggest answers as to the myriad raised by the rise and fall of Nazism.

1. Goodbye Lenin
Yet again a German movie with an important historical perspective. Yet again a German movie that deals with how Germans interpret their own political, social, moral and historical experience years after the events depicted. "Goodbye Lenin" is however a highly personal, genuinely moving, and dare I say comic insight into a very Germanic issue; Die Wende or the reunification of East and West Germany.
The basic plot is simple; the relationship between an East German son and his mother is transformed by her going into a coma just as the wall is about to fall, her return to consciousness after the two countries are reunited, and the son's attempts to keep her from learning that her beloved DDR is no more. On the surface this is a movie redolent with 'ostalgie' (a German term referring to a nostalgia for the more appealing aspects of East German life to those who lived east of the wall) however it is more complex than that. "Goodbye Lenin" explores some universal human experiences, such as familial bonds, self-compelled delusions and unsatisfying cynicism, the experience of love, personal freedom and political freedom, and at its simplest what happened when one volk but two countries were forced together by forces neither really controlled.
I find this movie both enjoyable thanks to my innate curiosity about German history but also (and more importantly) because it looks at how a man copes with loss, love, his own sense of self worth, his family and what is most important to him. The performance by Dieter Brühl as Alex is wonderful; he captures so many of his character's emotional conflicts and expresses them with a truth that is very moving. The pivotal relationship between Brühl's Alex and his mother Christiane (Katrin Saß) has warmth, humour, love and a complexity which naturally reflects the problems inherent in the characters' back story. Around this is built a fable that has more (what I assume) truth about the reunification and its impact upon Germans than what official histories and important political documents will ever deliver.
Now part of the reason why I am so enamoured with "Goodbye Lenin" is how it has become part of the shared experience of my life with my partner. She was the one who brought it to my attention and she was the one who accompanied me to see it at my first German Film Festival. If anything "Goodbye Lenin" was a signal point in the joining of our lives together, reflecting the broader themes of unification shown in the movie. It's from here that my willingness to immerse myself in German pop culture strengthened, and perhaps also my love for my fiancée. "Goodbye Lenin" may be a German film, but it can speak to anyone, and more importantly, it speaks to me in a way that few other films do.

Andrew's Top 15 German Films (Part Two)

2009-09-28T09:14:00.004+10:00

Now before I begin to cite my next 5 fave Deutsch films I must add a mea culpa. Yes, I am guilty of not thinking about including classics of German cinema such as "Die Blechtrommel" ("The Tin Drum"), "Der Kabinett Des Dr Caligari" ("The Cabinet of Dr Caligari") or "Lola Rennt" ("Run Lola Run"). In the first and third instances I have ready access to those films and have seen the third which in all honesty wasn't as enjoyable as Tom Tykwer-philes would have me believe. The first is on my 'must see' list and could possibly slip in if I was either (a) patient enough to write this blog post facto and (b) if I wanted to have another German cinematic interpretation of the Nazi era included. As for "...Caligari" I know enough about this silent classic to consider it a favourite in terms of what I understand of German movies, but without seeing it in full I shan't make any further reference to it here.

Anyway, with that off my chest here are films 10-6:

10. Mädchen, Mädchen (Girls on Top)
This could be said to be the most frivolous and lightweight of my top 15 German films, and it has some seriously silly sequences. The basic storyline involves three late teen high school girls in Munich trying to experience 'orgasmus und liebe', and in the process find out the delights of internet chat, riding bicycles, sex toys and volleyball. Yeah I know...it sounds distinctly dodgy. Having said that there are some rather funny moments and one particular scene which matches the classic "When Harry Met Sally" diner sequence (and arguably surpasses it). For fans of recent German cinema seeing the likes of Florian Lukas and the much younger Max Riemelt and Karoline Herfurth is pleasantly rewarding, and it has to be said that Diana Amft as Inken is very easy on the eye. Without having the day-to-day experience of being a German cinema goer in Germany itself my expectation is (like in so many other countries) the likes of "Mädchen, Mädchen" are what bring in the ticket sales in German theatres whilst it's the art house and classic films that make the reputation overseas. Hence I have little problem enjoying this comedy.

9. Verschwende deine Jugend (Play It Loud)
"Verschwende..." is the 'lost classic' when it comes to my favourite German movies because I have only seen it once (at the 2004 German Film Festival) and since then it has never been shown on local TV (pay or free-to-air) nor is it available in an English-subtitled edition. To approximate it to a known Hollywood genre or style it could be best described as a "hey, let's put on a show" comedy/musical. There are also echoes of "The Commitments" in that both that Irish film and "Verschwende.." focus on a barely-out-of-school band manager pulling all manner of stunts on behalf of his act. Set during the early 1980s and against the background of the incredible success of NDW/Krautrock/Electronica pop "Verschwende..." follows the efforts of Harry (played by Tom Schilling) as he tries to get his Munich band "Apollo Schwabing" into a huge gig headlined by DAF. Along the way there are romantic entanglements, a bank robbery and both high and low farce. The soundtrack is an important part of the film and forms an organic partnership with the visuals. If anyone knows of an English subtitled version let me know...

8. Stalingrad
I've written elsewhere about this film account of the worst defeat suffered by the Wehrmacht in World War Two and it's natural to give it prominence amongst my fave German films. The overriding reason to see this movie is to get the 'other side of the trench' viewpoint, and I would expect for many of the German viewers of the film it would have either been an eye opener or perhaps cathartic for the war generation. The moral ambiguity inherent in making a film about the German army in its aggressive war against the Soviet Union is all there to see, as are the dirty, ragged, worn out and utterly ground down combatants. Contrasted with the Hollywood actioner "Enemy at the Gates" the German film "Stalingrad" is more visceral and more focused on the concept of frontsleben und kameradschaft. As I've also mentioned before, this was the movie where Thomas Kretschmann emerged as one of those German actors who could have a future away from his native land and language.

7. Napola (Before The Fall)
Bringing together two of the younger generation of German actors who've I've seen in several films (i.e. Tom Schilling and Max Riemelt), "Napola" was directed by Dennis Gansel who was also responsible for "Mädchen, Mädchen" and the 2008 drama "Die Welle" ("The Wave"). Many reviewers have seen in "Napola" a traditional film construct (i.e. the poor student going to a privileged school), but of course as this is a German film there has to be some examination of the Nazi period. As a coming of age film it's serviceable, and the inclusion of figures who resist Nazi ideology points to other later films (e.g. "Sophie Scholl"). However for me it's the exposition of the historical reality of the NaPolA filtered through the fiction of the film which is most intriguing. The concept of schools for the Nazi power elite is one which like almost all Third Reich social history doesn't get much mention in traditional non-fiction work about that era.

6. The Lives of Others (Das Leben Des Anderen)
Whenever German film makers look at their nation's history they have two immense anchors upon which to link their stories to. The first is the Nazi era and as show above (and as will be seen in following entries) any movie that raises even a whiff of the swastika will probably get funding and certainly will have an audience. Naturally they don't glorify Nazism, but they do try to make that period explicable to both the home-grown German audience and perhaps in the rest of the world. The other is the old East Germany, or DDR. From the Berlin Wall through the Stasi and even the post-Wende experience have meant that the Soviet-sponsored state east of the Elbe is a rich vein to mine for German film makers. And in "The Lives of Others" the writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck created a Foreign Language Oscar winning modern classic. Assisted by powerful performances from the sadly-departed Ulrich Mühe (as a Stasi observor/interrogator) Sebastian Koch (as the suspect East German playwright) and Martina Gedeck (as the tragic partner of Koch's character), "The Lives of Others" is a moving, suspenseful, politically challenging film about how corruption and day-today totalitarian infiltrations destroyed lives on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall. Mühe is particularly effective; his character Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler slowly comes to understand that the society he is sworn to protect by almost any means is actually run by his moral inferiors, who are guilty of destroying those they covet as well as those who oppose them. Facing his own ethical bankruptcy the Stasi agent actually turns, but oh so gradually. Coming out at a time when 'Ostalgie' (nostalgia for East Germany) was a powerful phenomena in German culture "The Lives of Others" is a salutary movie which is easily one of the most critically rewarded movies from Germany that I have seen.

Andrew's Albums No.15: "O Brother Where Art Thou - Soundtrack"

2009-09-27T15:35:00.002+10:00

Country music and its related styles have always been less than favoured in my pantheon of musical genres. A good proportion of this antipathy is associated with the general unpopularity of country music outside of its main market (i.e. the 10 gallon hat, 1 pint head type cowboys and truck drivers of America's mid-west), but perhaps a heavier burden of responsibility lies with the endless repetition of Merle Haggard et al when I was a small child, courtesy of my father. Believe me when I say that waterboarding Al Qaeda is nothing as a contravention of human rights contrasted with "Merle Haggard Live in Muskogee & Philadelphia" coupled with "Motivatin' Man" by John Laws on endless cassette loop as you're driven from Sydney to Broken Hill. It took something utterly special to break down my resistance. And thanks to the Coen brothers and T-Bone Burnett, the scales were drawn away from mine eyes and yeah verily I could see. "O Brother Where Art Thou" was the movie from which its soundtrack put me on my own country and western road to Damascus, even given me cause to purchase "Merle Haggard's 20 Greatest Hits"

Now it is only fair to state right now that the msuic on the album is not your typical yodelling cowboys lamenting the loss of a wife/dog/horse or some other kind of animal or mineral or vegetable substance. There is more bluegrass, spiritualist, blues and Appalachian folk than your 'yee-hah' guitar twirling guff. And perhaps that is where this soundtrack album was able to reach out to me. It didn't hurt that the movie for which it provides the musical background is a pearler; funny and intriguing as so many of Joel and Ethan Coen's films are. This is all crystallised in the lead track from the album as well as a pivotal plot point in the film...the so-called "Soggy Bottom Boys" performing "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow".

Within the context of the movie this song puts Clooney and his cohorts on a path that is utterly fantastical. Within the context of the album "I Am A Man of Constant sorrow" demonstrates that the heart of the music is in what is referred to in the movie as "old timey" music. These are the tunes that predate the slick Nashville sounds developed in the wake of the 1940s. These are the songs that were (at times) passed between generations of poor southern farmers, white and/or black, and in their prototypical manner began much of what is considered popular music today. The soundtrack for "O Brother Where Art Thou" is a roots album which effectively reunites the listener to what formed the foundation not just of a particular age of American culture, but what has determined by evolution what we hear today.

Now this overly complex analysis does detract from one core truth behind the album; "O Brother Where Art Thou" is an amazingly fun album to listen to. There are several songs which (as interpreted by their performers on this compilation) sound both incredibly fresh but also exceedingly rich. Those with Gillian Welch and Allison Krauss are but a couple of stand out tracks. I particularly enjoy The Whites performing "Keep on The Sunny Side" which approximates the original Carter Family's sound. The more bluesy tracks remind me of what lies behind so much of my beloved 60 British beat groups, whilst it's hard not wanting to join in with "...Constant Sorrow".

As for its place in my memory and life experience, well this is one of those albums that wasn't marked by a great epiphany of joy or wallowing in wells of melancholia. "O Brother..." hooked me in when I saw the movie and it was a natural corollary of seeing the film that I needed to hear the music again and again. Okay, perhaps in darker and self-indulgent moments I might feel some empathy to that man of constant sorrow, but anyone who finally finds enjoyment in country music will be willing to let in the inherent sadness of so much of the genre.

So where does "O Brother..." sit in my pantheon of albums? It's a truly special soundtrack and, akin to listening to "Das Leben Ist Grausam" by Die Prinzen it opened a musical world up for me. Without this album I'd never have felt the same pleasure at hearing Hank Williams perform "Your Cheating Heart" or try to understand more about the heritage of George Jones, Bill Munroe and even the much maligned Merle Haggard. T-Bone Burnett is the genius who brought together so many varied strands which lead me down a path I never expected, via "O Brother Where Art Thou"

Music Score: 8/10
Nostalgia score: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow (radio station version)", "Keep On The Sunny Side", "I'll Fly Away", "In The Jailhouse Now"

Andrew's Top 15 German Films (Part One)

2009-09-25T17:40:00.008+10:00

I've always enjoyed many aspects of German culture, mostly from a dilettante's perspective, without being able to comprehend the language with much success. Hence when it comes to reading the likes of Thomas Mann or listening to Die Prinzen I'm at a distinct disadvantage. However when it comes to the German cinema I've the recompense of relying on a far more visual form of entertainment which here in Australia is subtitled, hence making it far more accessible. Whilst I am aware that in many ways German cinema of the silent and early talkie period is far more important historically and artistically, it is mostly the film of the past 25 years from Deutschland that has grabbed my attention. I'm aware of the works of great German auteurs such as Pabst, Murnau, Wenders, Fassbinder and Herzog but it is the more recent film makers who create a German film language I can comprehend. Here are fifteen of my favourite German movies:

15. Liegen Lernen (Learning to Lie)
In my view "Liegen Lernen" is similar in spirit and thematically to one of my all time favourite films, "High Fidelity". The lead character Helmut (played with a general sense of emotional immaturity by Fabian Busch) spends most of his life (and therefore most of the movie) trying to cope with the women in his life. However it's his first great love Britta (Susanne Bormann) and the associated disillusionment of their break-up that determines all his attachments, and until he negotiates the resolution of that relationship there is no 'go forward' for Helmut. You don't actually like him as a character but he does deserve sympathy for being just a mere male without the good sense to understand where is life is now. There are some mildly amusing scenes but really this is a lightweight guy flick that has enough simple truths to make its viewing enjoyable. One of the first films I saw at the Sydney leg of the German Film festival, way back in 2004.

14. Schwere Jungs (Heavyweights)
On the surface this is a facile German take on the sports comedy which in Hollywood terms would be most closely paralleled with "Cool Runnings". However there is enough Bavarian-specific references in the film as well as some reasonably pointed references as to how the aftermath of the Second World War impacted upon the German protagonists that gives "Schwere Jungs" a little more depth than a Teutonic "Mighty Ducks III" for example. Some of the comedy is distinctly German-centric but there are also elements of the film that are comedic no matter the language. German comedies sometimes don't translate well at all (the Michael Bully Herbig films are certainly in this category) but "Schwere Jungs" gives enough reasons to smile without having to have come from Bavaria.

13. Männer Wie Wir (Balls)
Another German sports comedy film, this time dealing with the most important athletic activity known to Germans (i.e. Fußball - soccer) and homosexuality. The central character of Ecki is a goal keeper for a small team who is vilified and rejected by his team mates when he comes out of the closet. Determined to seek revenge (plus on the way find a boyfriend and prove himself to his baker father) Ecki forms a new team which consists purely of fellow gays which takes on (and unsurprisingly beats) his old homophobic colleagues. The humour is accessible to the non-German thanks to both the broader style of the film plus the sensibilities of the movie aren't divorced from the American background of the director. However there are moments when having some familiarity with German culture, and particularly the football mad environment of Dortmund helps. Perhaps not as politically correct nor as polished as English language comedies of a similar ilk there are still a few laughs to be had. Also I enjoyed the work of Christian Berkel as the leather-clad Rudolf whose son helps the team and in turn grows closer to his father. Berkel is one of those German actors who pops up in so many German films, ranging from "Männer Wie Wir" through to the likes of "Der Untergang" and even the recent Tom Cruise vehicle "Valkyrie".

12. Comedian Harmonists (The Harmonists)
One of the first films from what I consider to be the new age of German cinema (post-Herzog, Wenders and Fassbinder) to receive both popular success and a degree of critical acclaim outside of Germany, "Comedian Harmonists" is the story of a group of six jazz/swing vocalists who must deal with both internal conflict and fame whilst Germany shifts from Weimar indulgence to Nazi restrictions. To further complicate matters half of the group are Jewish, which ultimately challenges the group's existence in the anti-semitic environment of Hitler's Germany. This is a movie which has many elements from the traditional show-biz biopic formula (struggling band searches for success, attains success, queries that success etyc etc) but the obvious differentiation between this movie and (for example) a Hollywood classic like "Rhapsody in Blue" is that the film makers are attempting to understand via the metaphor of the Comedian Harmonists how Germans willingly accepted Nazism. The political and historical aspects of the movie are very important, and the scene involving the group and arguably the most strident Jew hater of all upper echelon Nazis, Julius Streicher, is a crystallisation of how Germans chose their destiny one way or the other. However "The Comedian Harmonists" isn't a dogmatic film, it is also immensely enjoyable because of the music, and the manner in which the actors mouth the original (and very real) band. With this movie German popular cinema of the last 15 years began to confront the nation's recent history cinematically whilst also making an entertaining film.

11. Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa)
Another German film examining the experience of Jews during the holocaust, "Nirgendwo..." is the story of a family which flees the Nazis in 1938, emigrating to British Kenya, and in the process finding both hope and despair, community and isolation. Very much a tale about the 'outsider', the pivotal relationship between the husband Walter and his wife Jettel undergoes several dramatic shifts as their love seems to waver in the face of all the hurdles thrown up by their life in the Kenyan bush. However whilst this happens Jettel finds herself, and their daughter Regina grows up in harmony with the bush and the local tribes folk. There is a dignity expressed in the Kenyan characters that is attractive to the viewer and as part of the story also appeals to the Germans. Juliane Köhler as Jettel provides a performance that underpins the rest of the cast and film, and it could be argued this is a feminist film as well as an anti-imperial one. However that is undermined by the film's ending. Cinematically beautiful and at times sprawling in plot as it is in setting, "Nirgwendo in Afrika" was also the winner of Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2003 which made it the trendsetter for much of the Oscar success for recent German films. Maybe a tad melodramatic and possibly a "chick flick" in conventional Hollywood terms, I still find "Nirgendwo in Afrika" immensely rewarding.

The War Film: 30 Personal Favourites Part Three

2009-09-22T18:08:00.003+10:00

10. Reach for the Sky (1956)
When I was a school boy there were a series of classic British WW2 non-fiction books in the library; "Carve Her Name With Pride" was one example, as was "The Wooden Horse". However the most engaging writer of these types of books was Paul Brickhill (who was actually Australian) and one of his best books was "Reach for the Sky", the story of legless ace fighter pilot Douglas Bader. The compelling story of how Bader went from being a somewhat wayward pilot in the pre-war RAF, through an accident which resulted in the amputation of both legs, then his efforts to surpass his disability leading to shooting down over 20 German aircraft followed by his capture and subsequent escape attempts lent itself perfectly to film. And in the Lewis Gilbert directed film of the book Kenneth More gave one of his best performances, which when combined with the surprisingly good special effects and solid story development makes this movie one of my all time favourites. The black and white cinematography isn't a disadvantage nor is the undoubtedly simplistic and perhaps jingoistic (by today's standards) characterisations of the war and its combatants. There is an earthy, believable uprightness that marks "Reach for the Sky" as a movie and as a war film it doesn't take any significant political or artistic stance. Paul Brickhill's interpretation of Douglas Bader is given life in the film of "Reach for the Sky", and even if it doesn't accurately reflect the real man, as depicting a man strong in character fighting the good fight it is easily one of the most enjoyable war films I've ever seen.

9. Glory (1989)
When it comes to American Civil War films it can be hard for an Australian, or indeed anyone without at least a mild interest in American history to come to grips with what is depicted. "Gettysburg" (which has been referred to in an earlier blog) is an example of this approach to the Civil War film, consisting of Confederates and Federals fighting each other across great swathes of cinematic territory. Then there's the likes of "Red Badge of Courage" which is highly personal and in some ways doesn't have to be a film about the Civil War. However with "Glory", the movie which shows black Americans neither as slaves or as victims but as soldiers fighting for their own honour, their own destiny, anyone can feel the power or indulge in a little historical examination on the big screen. The major battle scenes that bookend the bulk of the movie are wonderfully shot (and with no doubt a debt to the re-enactors who love simulating Civil War combat), giving the viewer visceral yet disconnecting visions (which is how I suspect real battle must feel at times). There isn't just rifles being fired or artillery shells exploding however, there is also some vivid character exposition. Matthew Broderick is wonderful as the white Colonel in commanding the 54th Massachusetts, with able acting support from Cary Elwes and John Finn. Morgan Freeman is magisterial as the steadfast Sgt Major Rawlins, with Denzel Washington adding a distinctive combativeness to his role as Trip. In "Glory" there is the physical battle between the soldiers of the two warring sides, but there also other just as important conflicts. Some are intensely personal (such as Shaw trying to fight his own fear of command and of battle), others political or racial. There are some conventional moments (e.g. the training sequences where the black recruits are bonded to their white commanders) and some mythologising that many a war film engages in when telling stories about historical figures. yet when all is said and done watching "Glory" is a powerful experience with few equals in the modern war film genre.

8. Breaker Morant (1980)
The courtroom drama and the war film meet in powerful elegance thanks to the work of Bruce Beresford and the cast of the Australian film "Breaker Morant", which is possibly the only film to really tackle the Boer War with any degree of financial as well as critical success. Filmed in South Australia as the renaissance of Australian cinema was rising beyond its early 70s roots, "Breaker Morant" has all the importance of later more expansive films (e.g. "Gallipoli", "Blood Oath") in developing the theme of Australians being sacrificed for Imperial a.k.a. British needs). The cast reads of like a who's who of Aussie film stars of the 70s and 80s, with Edward Woodward's cynical portrayal of the Breaker the sole stand out of a Pom playing against the British command. Bryan Brown is quintessentially Australian as Peter Hancock, whilst Jack Thompson gives a sterling performance as the doomed-to-fail defence officer Major Thomas. There's very little combat and this actually gives a degree of historical verisimilitude to how "Breaker Morant" depicts the final years of the Boer War. And as the trailer below shows this could be seen as a metaphor for the Vietnam War. No matter the deeper meanings (nor the actual guilt which lay at the heart of Morant and Handcock's executions); this is a compelling war drama which uses a trial as a focal story point whilst giving us an Australian classic.

7. The Odd Angry Shot (1979)
Another Australian war film from the first decade or so of our local industry's revival, "The Odd Angry Shot" is unique in that it has been the only movie to look at the Australian soldier's experience of Vietnam. Focusing on a small unit of SAS troops (partly because of the original book's story, partly due to budget limitations) "The Odd Angry Shot" has in some ways more to say about disillusionment felt by those who were sent to Vietnam, whilst using some broad jokes to raise a smile while you watch. The big surprise is Graham Kennedy; for a TV tonight show presenter the expectation would be that of a wooden and unnatural performance. Instead his character of Harry is quite realistic, insofar as showing how the older Aussie NCO mixes experience, mateship and humour to join with his men in enduring hardship. The supporting cast (John Jarrett, Bryan Brown, John Hargreaves, Graeme Blundell) are all solid and as part of Australian cinema's leading acting community of the 70s and 80s this film was important for their development. The combat sequences are small unit based, and with minimal support in the props and special effects departments they actually resemble what I would consider realistic interpretations of infantry fighting for a section or squad in Vietnam. There's some moments which have a more serious and political undertone, but ultimately this is a film about Australian diggers in a war no one really wanted to be in.

6. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
This example of the star-studded Hollywood action film from the 1960s still ranks as one of the best war films ever, even though its historical accuracy is negligible and the actual combat sequences are restricted to what could be called a massacre in the final quarter of the movie. However "The Dirty Dozen" has all the hallmarks of defining how we watch a war film. There are the training scenes invariably involving conflict between the men and their superiors. There is the squad made up of individuals all representative of a type (the black American, the psychotic, the unit clown, the rebel etc etc). There's the central plot device of a specially picked squad being sent on what could be considered a suicide mission. And finally when the dust settles only some of the film's heroes survive. Lee Marvin is the obvious stand out as Major Reisman but in all honesty the whole ensemble of actors present are worthy of praise. John Cassavetes was a much under-rated performer and it is in this film he really shines. Charles Bronson, Richard Jaeckl, Donald Sutherland, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, Jim Brown, Clint Walker, George Kennedy, Ernest Borgnine...it's a fantastic cast making one hell of a full-on war film come alive. War may indeed be hell, but with "The Dirty Dozen" it is shown by the movie's producers to also be intensely exciting. A staple of all my years watching war films "The Dirty Dozen" takes a lot to be surpassed (more on that point later).

5. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
This is a movie that almost defies belief. How could the same actor who performed in films such as "Where Eagles Dare", "Heartbreak Ridge" and "Kelly's Heroes" be the same man who directed this Japanese language film within the Hollywood movie industry? How can anyone from a country who's soldiers fought and were brutalised by the Japanese find sympathy for the characters Clint Eastwood shows us in "Letters from Iwo Jima"? And yet on both counts this amazing film achieves these seemingly impossible goals. For someone like me brought up on the stories and histories of Aussie servicemen and women tortured or murdered in too many places in the Pacific theatre during WW2, becoming empathic to the Japanese soldiers who resisted the Marines who landed on Iwo Jima is an incredible leap and I honestly couldn't do it with anything but a superlative film such as this. "Letters from Iwo Jima" is arguably the most important war film to come out of the US in at least 10 years; this isn't an apology for what the Japanese did nor a paean to the amazing efforts the Americans made to defeat their opponents. "Letters..." is a moving exploration of how war destroys good and bad, reduces all its antagonists to pawns without any control over their destiny, leaving nothing but survivors, victims and memories. A truly magnificent film.

4. Patton (1970)
If ever a war movie can be reduced to one role, one actor and one story then this is it. "Patton" is a modern film parallel to ancient heroic epics like the Aeneid. George C Scott's simply overwhelming performance of the super-egotistical General George S Patton III is responsible for myth-creation above and beyond what the man himself did as he led American troops against German and Italian armies in World War Two. No other American soldier has even been celebrated on the big screen as vividly or as powerfully as Patton is in this eponymous film, and in fact I would argue he is the only 'superstar' General to emerge in cinema history. Scott's incredible acting leaves the viewer both in awe at what may have been the real man's talents whilst at the same time aware of the tragic flaw that was also Patton's strength (i.e. his overweening self-belief). Now it may be we aren't watching a film with historical verisimilitude as its focal point and that'd be a fair critique if you want to watch "Patton" for that quality. The real Patton was not the booming giant but instead a smaller man with a shrill voice. The battle sequences are marred by the stand-in tanks of the Spanish army and as referred to elsewhere the famous opening monologue delivered by Scott as Patton never happened. No matter; this is the war film as national epic and as personal tragedy and without a doubt one of my all time favourites.

3. Das Boot (1981)
I'll admit to having a fascination for the German perspective of World War Two and this isn't limited to historical analysis or watching TV documentaries. German film during the war was a servant of the Nazi state and as the defeated Germans have had to come to terms since 1945 with their collective war guilt they have also had to interpret the experience in film. Therefore it was not easy for the Germans to make a film about their war experience which could actually look at their soldiers, sailors or airmen with at least a partially positive eye. In "Das Boot", possibly the greatest German film since 1945 and definitely the best submarine movie ever made Wolfgang Petersen achieves a remarkable goal. You don't hate these Germans, you can't call them all Nazis with blood on their hands. These are men just like their opponents in RN destroyers, tasked with an unforgiving job under the most trying of conditions, relying on themselves, their submarine and their comradeship to endure. Visually claustrophobic with all the tension of a thriller the actual combat scenes are limited in "Das Boot". You get plenty of character exposition (and would obviously have more if seeing the original Bavarian mini series) and when I've watched "Das Boot" both in the cinema and on TV it always feels like you are just as cramped and just as grimy as the crew. I wouldn't say you could find all the characters 'good' or likeable, but they are well-rounded and not reduced to the same kinds of caricature that some films reduce German combatants to. The staccato rhythm of intense action, boredom, silent stress and voluble terror makes "Das Boot" a war film one endures, not enjoys.

2. Platoon (1986)
Without threat of contradiction "Platoon" will always be the supreme Vietnam War film. Unlike its more grandiose predecessor "Apocalypse Now" which takes a highly literate, almost surreal approach to the quagmire that was Vietnam for the US, "Platoon" looks at the men who fought the war filtered through the very individualistic eyes of Vietnam vet Oliver Stone. There are elements in this movie which at the time made it unique, whether it be the depiction of class and race war within the soldier's own ranks, cowardice and brutality, heroism and stupidity, or even the powerfully appropriate soundtrack. Nowadays any war film looking at Vietnam has to include these and other aspects from "Platoon" to give it credibility. But Stone's masterpiece set the agenda and established a remarkable precedent for all war films since 1986. The metaphors at the heart of the movie (including the dual father figures for young Chris of Sergeants Barnes and Elias) are affecting without being over-intellectual, whilst at the same time the combat scenes are presented with all the visceral energy and power that is to be expected with M-16s, claymores, napalm strikes and booby traps erupting left right and centre. When I saw "Platoon" for the first time it left me speechless, and whilst I have recovered my wits a long time ago since then I still rate this movie as an amazingly great war film.

1. The Dam Busters (1955)
After considering the preceding 29 films (plus literally dozens more which didn't make the cut) I've even surprised myself that when all is said and done a black and white British film from 1955 is still my favourite war film. "The Dam Busters" is (like the aforementioned "Reach for the Sky") a movie adapted from a Paul Brickhill book detailing the exploits of a WW2 British hero (in this case more a pair of heroes in the characters of Barnes Wallis and Guy Gibson). There is minimal flash or excitement offered by the film (it could be said that "The Dam Busters" is less of a war film and more a tale of engineering punctuated by a bombing raid). But this dilutes the dramatic strength of the movie. The whole structure of "The Dam Busters" is predicated by the concept that an amazing weapon designed by an amazing man and then used by amazing airmen will help defeat a foe who cannot be destroyed by ordinary means, thus making almost every aspect of the film and its story and characters heroic. Unlike "Patton" which used full colour Hollywood glamour to idolise one man "The Dam Busters" relied on plot, a true story and actors who were believable to make their subject worthy of respect and honour. Admittedly the morality of bombing dams to flood factories and the attendant civilian workers is murky at best, but that's not where our attention should be in this film. Watching this movie you feel enthralled by the exploits of 617 squadron, flying at 60 ft carrying their bouncing bombs, delivering them in their sometimes real, sometimes model Avro Lancasters. I film of its era which I love now perhaps partly against what is acceptable or common place now in war films, "The Dam Busters" receives pride of place because it is a simple compelling war story told with force, economy, intelligence and respect for heroic values...things sometimes cheapened or indeed lost nowadays.

PS: An Extremely Honourable Mention - Inglourious Basterds (2009)
I won't go into chapter and verse on how much I love Quentin Tarantino's spaghetti western fable about occupied France and a group of Jewish American guerillas killing Nazis...let's just say if this blog and list had started after I saw "Inglourious Basterds" it would have eaisly gone into my top 10 and maybe even top 3. However for now let me state that with this war film Tarantino has both used and exploded almost every cliche and element of a great war film, turning in one of the most idiosyncratic, most enjoyable war films I have ever seen. A masterstroke!

Andrew's Ten Significant TV Finales

2009-09-19T12:51:00.008+10:00

There are those moments when a TV show ends its run that you feel as if a chapter in your life closes, or perhaps as if a friend has left with you wishing they'd never gone. Here's a collection of those final scenes when a significant or even beloved television series has finished, leaving me perhaps bereft at its ending, or maybe intrigued and definitely wishing there was more...

1. Blakes 7:
For four seasons I had watched "Blakes 7" with an addiction only a young boy hooked on cheesey 70s & 80s sci-fi can muster. There had been a slight emotional bump when at the beginning of series three Rog Blake had left the crew of the Liberator along with Jenna after the battle with the Andromedan fleet, but with Avon and Villa remaining I kept the faith. Fast forward to the episode "Blake"; the triumvirate of Blake, Avon and Villa reunite however it's not in the way I'd hoped for (nor untold thousands of addicts). As the clip below illustrates, there is a Peckinpah-esque denouement which to this day sits heavy on my pop culture consciousness. Perhaps this is kitsch and indulgent yet the finale of Blakes 7 was as tragic for me as it might have been for an ancient Athenian watching Aeschylus' "Agammenon", or an Elizabethan viewing "Othello". The continued speculation by other fans, the so far fruitless efforts to resurrect the original work of Terry Nation in a new TV version goes to show I'm not alone in wishing "Blakes 7" hadn't ended.

2. Life on Mars
Has there been a more imaginative reinterpretation of the police drama than "Life on Mars"? And by the way I'm referring to the UK version...the US edition was too much of an inexact copy to stomach. Watching John Simms as Sam Tyler struggle with his alternate/subconscious reality inhabit of by John Glenister's Gene Hunt alongside Chris, Ray and Annie was compelling. Combining those tried and true elements of addictive serial TV (unresolved love interest, an ensemble of fascinating characters, etc) plus an affectionate homage to the 70s ion general and old shows like "The Sweeney" in particular...well, "Life on Mars" almost broke the mold. Then, when Sam finally is within reach of returning to what he passionately desires (i.e. exiting the weird and fantastical surreality of 1973 Manchester) he makes a decision which throws out all the normal expectations. When I watched the series two finale I was absolutely gobsmacked how Sam's character reacted to his plight, and whilst others may think there is a tacked-on happy ending the juxtaposition of the final moments works perfectly for me. A classic closing of a brilliant show:

3. Northern Exposure
During the second half of my time in Armidale I was addicted to the quirky, intelligent magic realism of "Northern Exposure". The amazingly imaginative stories, the cast of characters and the emotional depth offered by this show was something I could easily engage with over and over again. Over the 109 episodes leading up to the closing episode ("Tranquility Base") I'd laughed, wondered, cried and felt an affection for Joel, Maggie, Holling, Shelly, Ed, Maurice, Chris and all the other residents of Cicely, AK. There were even moments that I considered where NX paralleled my own life experiences, good and bad, immensely private and very public. Finally, all came to a close not long after Rob Morrow's fish-out-of-water Joel Fleischman left the show. In "Tranquillity Base" my love for the good folk of "Northern Exposure" came to a bittersweet tearful end, underscored by the amazing music of "Our Town". I still get watery eyes and very melancholic watching even the clip below; I understand why good things must end, but it's heartbreaking at times like this.

'Tranquility Base' - Last scenes of Northern Exposure

4. Star Trek: The Next Generation
In the previous paragraph I made reference to how a TV show could parallel my own life (or at least how I interpreted it). In this case, "Star Trek: TNG" didn't so much as replicate my experiences but more run like the bookends of my first significant relationship. Not long after I had begun to spend time with my first girlfriend we found ourselves addicted to the adventures of the USS Enterprise NCC1701-D. And just like that shaky first series there was some bumbling and naive passion in my relationship with her. Then as the years went on "Star Trek: the Next Generation" became more mature, more diverse in its ideas and more complex. So did things change for my girlfriend, then wife and I. Finally, in 1995 we saw "All Good Things...", the final episode of the first spin off from "Star Trek". I can still recall with great clarity how my wife and I shed a tear or two as we watched the closing of what had been one of the links between us. We had both shared a loyal enjoyment of watching Picard, Riker, Data and Worf amongst others hurtle around Gene Roddenberry's universe and when it was over on the small screen part of our relationship ended. Not long thereafter (admittedly after the first movie featuring the "TNG" and "TOS" casts) my wife and I separated, and so in "All Good Things..." a TV sci-fi series finale seem to provide a coda to what she and I had shared and could no longer experience together.
And of course it's a rattling good yarn for "TNG" fans, what with a reappearance of John de Lancie's Q as well as some time travel fun.

5. Twin Peaks
I don't think anyone except David Lynch himself can and should try to categorise "Twin Peaks"; it is simply one of the most brilliantly enigmatic TV series to ever air, particularly considering it came from US free to air which over the years has been hardly known to inspire creativity and originality. Sad to say when this was at the height of its on air popularity in Australia the limits of commercial regional TV meant I failed to see it week by week on good old NEN 9/8 Armidale. Nope, instead I had the pleasure of sitting down over a couple of weekends and going through both series on video. It could be argued once Dale Cooper and the good folk of Twin Peaks came to close the case of Laura Palmer's murder (plus 'liberate' the evil spirit of Bob) the quality dropped and quirkiness for its own sake became the modus operandi. However with the final episode "The Black Lodge" all becomes scarily ambiguous, and with that came (on mart) a sense of frustration and wonder. How could "Twin Peaks" leave us the viewer with such an intense ending, with perhaps redemption lost? Still resonating for me, the clip below will keep me wondering how things could and should follow this closing:

6. The Sopranos
Is "The Sopranos" the best ever TV series in history? Perhaps. Is it one of my all time faves? Hell yes! How can anyone deny that the world of Tony Soprano is the most vividly, compelling television to come out of HBO, the premier producer of quality drama in the US. And just like my reference to how "Star Trek: TNG" seemed to bookend one real life relationship, "The Sopranos" has run alongside my current situation. Except unlike "All Good Things...", the final episode of "The Sopranos" ("Made in America") is just as open ended, ambiguous and perhaps even as mundane as what is happening in my day to day life and relationship now. This isn't a finale to wring tears or laughs out of me, instead this is a closing that makes me quietly wonder, contemplating more upon possibilities and what has gone past and what will come. I wish that "The Sopranos" had never finished but as it did this was the most appropriate signing off. Brilliant show, brilliant finale.

7. Cold Feet
Another more recent and more adult part of my TV watching experience the way in which I shared "Cold Feet" with my current partner was very satisfying, forming another link between us. There was lots to enjoy about this British dramedy, and whilst it could well be argued that the show had a certain yuppie self-indulgence it could easily be argued that it made sense on the boob tube of much which 30 somethings in Britain (as well as Australia) go through away from the fictional TV world. Finding love, losing it, friendships, work, death, birth..."Cold Feet" had enough real heart to make the artifice of Adam and Rachel's core relationship more than just a soap opera. Anyway, when all is said and done with each of the characters having their TV lives come to a final stage in the last episode (before they undoubtedly move on in their fictional world) their is a sense of closure that is very satisfying. Unlike several others TV shows listed here, the end of "Cold Feet" was at that point when any desire for more was unnecessary.

8. Quantum Leap
Another cult sci-fi classic and one which I was very fond of, "Quantum Leap" had an in-built plot device that was always going to give the show a great finale. Would Scott Bakula's Sam Beckett every make it back to his own body and place in time? Now when it came time for the end of the last series the episode "Mirror Image" addressed this through an at times confusing but ultimately very satisfying close. Like as I would expect most fans of the show would have hoped, I wanted Sam to return, ending his leaping. However with a fairly poignant last act followed by some simple end titles this doesn't happen, leaving a fairly bitter-sweet feeling. Perhaps I prefer a TV show to end on an ambiguous or sad note; perhaps because real life is never completely resolved it's better for a long running TV show to parallel such a process. Be that as it may it would have been possibly a let down for Sam to come back.

Mirror-Image-4 - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

9. Rome
As an avid student and lover of the classical era I was always going to be drawn towards HBO's magnificent production of "Rome". Possibly the best ever depiction of ancient Rome ever seen on TV (only seriously challenged by "I Claudius") I was swept away by the combination of dramatic excellence, a passion for historicity and the now typical quality that HBO TV series bring. And in the characters of Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus (marvellously played by Ray Stevenson and Kevin McKidd respectively) "Rome" the TV series and Rome the ancient civilization crystallised into someone, something I admired greatly. Whilst the rest of the final episode showed the ultimate success of Octavian as the emerging imperator Augustus, it was the personal journey of Pullo and the dying Vorenus that captured my attention. There is an ambiguity at the closing...does Vorenus actually die or is Pullo's report a fabrication? No matter; again a much loved TV show closed in a way that will continue to resonate for me for as long as I remember.

10. Star Trek Deep Space Nine
I can't refer to the Trek franchise that defined my 20s TV watching and paralleled my first relationship without referring to what I consider to be the best franchise that in its own way accompanied the next 10 years of my life. "Star Trek Deep Space Nine" may not have been a true inheritor of Gene Roddenberry's creative ideals but it simply soared as complex, shaded and deeply backgrounded sci-fi. This was the first time the Trek universe had characters with serious flaws, issues that related to family, to faith, to love and to death that could be not reduced to simple one line or one episode depictions. In a fictional setting where certainty and singular vision were worshipped "ST:DS9" made everyone including myself wonder about nuance, difference, ambiguity, uncertainty. And in "What You Leave Behind", the final "Star Trek Deep Space Nine" there are a combination of farewells and possible returns that still give me pause. I would like to think that Sisko does return from the wormhole, reuniting with his family. I wish that Odo and Kira also could reconnect, whilst how did Ezri and Julian deal with their developing relationship. How does the Dominion deal with its defeat in the war, whilst Garak's efforts on a devastated Cardassia would also make for much intrigue and interest. In the end whereas "All Good Things" left "Star Trek: the Next Generation" closing on a positive note "What You Leave Behind" is a coda that is in harmony with the rest of "Star Trek Deep Space Nine"...the prophets move in mysterious ways. By the way, the use of the background music of "How You Look tonight" is very poignant...such a classy way to end a show.

The War Film: 30 Personal Favourites Part Two

2009-07-02T23:03:00.005+10:00

(The second installment of my countdown of my favourite 30 war films)

20. Three Kings (1999)
For some reason there have been very few satisfactory films made about the two Gulf Wars. I've not been compelled to see the likes of "In The Valley of Elah" or "Redacted", two examples of the recent Hollywood attempt to make filmic sense out of the Iraq invasion of 2003. The first Gulf War spawned a few more films which I've seen, and whilst "Courage Under Fire" was pretty ordinary "Jarhead" was a better film. However if I was to pick one movie that looks at the American wars against Saddam's Iraq I'd have to go with "Three Kings". The George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg variation on the "Kelly's Heroes" war heist scenario is not frightened of making satirical swipes at the policies which shaped the American involvement in Iraq, and there is a telling inditcment of the responsibility that winning the war left for the US (and it's moral repercussions). "Three Kings" is intelligent enough to show how the MTV generation fights a war that it arguably feels no real human connection with, and then when brutalities are finally experienced it shocks the sensabilities of the average American soldier citizen into unexpected responses. This isn't the glorious and bloodless victory of smart bombs and Patriot missiles, this is Joe Average facing up to the nasty truths of war and politics.

19. Apocalypse Now (1979)
Some people would say this is the flawed masterpiece about the Vietnam War. It has some of the most powerful sequences in the depiction of war in film in cinema history (for example the "Ride of the Valkyries" sequence as Robert Duvall as Colonel Kilgore brings in his airborne troops in a raid on a VC held coastal town). The reputations of both the film stars and the director have been embellished by the experience of creating "Apocalypse Now" (how can anyone forget the manner in which Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Sheen both suffered physically and mentally in filming the movie, whilst Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz is his last great bravura performance). For me it's a war film that is perhaps just too allegorical for my enjoyment. The transformation of the Joseph Conrad novella "Heart of Darkness" into a Vietnam War film is made with a tad too much intellectual rationalisation. Also, having seen "Apocalypse Now Redux" the length of the movie is a problem as well. This is a classic film, don't get me wrong. But I have other Vietnam War films that speak more tellingly to me both as visual entertainment and as depictions of what I consider more honest combat cinema.

18. The Big Red One (1980)
Sam Fuller was a Hollywood legend, an auteur who had a vision in his cinema that was gritty, intelligent, individualistic and both positively and negatively never mainstream. His films were never the big Hollywood blockbusters like "The Longest Day", but in the case of "The Big Red One" he was able to combine sufficient funding with a brilliant script and his idiosyncratic, personalised vision to make one of the best war films ever. Lee Marvin's Sergeant (never given a full name) is possibly the ex-US Marine's best role ever, and the manner in which small unit combat is shown through the eyes of his squad of grunts in North Africa, Italy, France, Belgium and Germany is both brutally honest and poetic at the same time. There are moments of surreal action (e.g. the battle in the insane asylum) which raise this movie above stock standard "war is hell" themes. However it is also the ordinariness of the individual soldiers and how a core group of slowly combat-tired troops struggle to survive as replacements and friends alike die that gives "The Big Red One" its strength. If only "Saving Private Ryan" had as much integrity. If it wasn't for the fact I've only seen this movie a couple of times and the budget does impinge upon Fuller's vision somewhat I'd rate this higher amongst my personal favourites.

17. 300 (2006)
Having just commented on two intelligent films struggling to convey a vision of war that both compels and confounds the movie goer now I turn my attention to a gory, shallow, inane but highly enjoyable piece of ancient war as semi-real cartoon. "300" is the story of the Spartan warriors led by Leonidas in defence of the pass at Thermopylae in 480BC. It is a movie that is incredibly stylised, with only a glancing historical truth and actors who perform not as realistic people but instead as computer game-like figurines. But the battle sequences, the effects, the aural and visual excitement offered by hoplite spear, shield and sword battling insurmountable Persian odds! I get a little bored with the flat and intrusive scenes showing the political in-fighting back on the home front...as long as Leonidas and his men are killing and maiming the invading Persians this is glorious silliness. Forget the homoerotic subtext and the neo-con political posturing; this is a boy's own war film with brave soldiers battling on the big screen giving plenty of thrills to the viewer.

16. Gettysbur g (1993)
If "The Longest Day" is the most expansive and broad-sweeping treatment givenby Hollywood to a major American battle of the Twentieth Century, then "Gettysburg" is it's Civil War equivalent. This is not a short, highly personalised vision of one of the two key turning point battles of the war between the Confederate South and the Federal North; this is an epic vision that with its expanse and length tries to eulogise and commemorate all the participants. In fact, this is the movie equivalent of the Gettysburg Cyclorama, both depicting the dramatic crescendo of Pickett's suicidal charge on the forces of the Union's Army of the Potomac. In part this is a traditional 'battle' film in that generally speaking politics and philosophy don't enter the thematic explorations. It could be argued this is Ted Turner's paean to the confederacy (Turner's company produced the film and a renowned and very rich Georgian he had quite the interest in battle reconstructors who provide much of the film's soldiery), and I guess one can say without references to the issue of slaving in the south then this is an apologist's film. However bravery isn't just a Confederate virtue; the sequences with Jeff Daniels as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain commanding the 20th Maine at the Little Big Top are brilliant depictions of small unit defensive action defined by courage under superior forces. We also get to see the major commanders including Longstreet (Tom Berenger), Pickett (Stephen Lang), Hancock (Brian Mallon) and J.E.B. Stuart (Jospeh Fuqua) attempting to lead their respective men into battle and onto victory. The stand out figure though and the focal character of "Gettysburg" is Martin Sheen's Robert E Lee. If any American commander can be canonised through a film it would be Lee in "Gettysburg". Sheen's Lee has gravitas, dignitas and auctoritas like a true Virginian patrician, with just the right amount of human frailty and concern for his troops. This is American Civil War epic writ large on the big screen, and for all its failings as an historical account "Gettysburg" is a damned powerful film.

15. MASH (1970)
The Korean War has not exactly been fertile ground for great war films. "Pork Chop Hill" and "The Bridges of Toko-Ri" are two reasonable exceptions to this rule, however as the conflict was overshadowed culturally by the retelling of World War II exploits, and politically fell under the influence of Hollywood's desire to escape McCarthyist slanders it took some time before the Korean War got its great classic. And it could be argued with great accuracy that in itself "MASH" is in fact a Vietnam War film. Death and butchery being inflicted for seemingly nonsensical reasons speaks more about how contemporaries of the latter Asian war on the American homefront perceived 'their' war than how the slightly older generation saw the UN's first military campaign. However putting aside the historical orientation of "MASH" it is worth remembering this is one of the best black comedies about war with a stellar cast. Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye and Elliot Gould as Trapper John serve as the major catalysts through which Altman wreaks change upon the once dramatic world of the military hospital, however due to the slightly episodic nature of the film we see a panoply of great actors from the late 60s and early 70s Hollywood firmament. Robert Duvall, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Gary Burghoff, Rene Auberjonois, Jo Anne Pflug, Bud Cort and Michael Murphy amongst other flesh out a world that has all the self-ironic satire that Robert Altman can muster. The blood and guts is not quite as shocking as the cynicism and humour to wrought out of war's insanity. One of Altman's best, and one of the best films from Hollywood in the last forty years full stop.

14. The Longest Day (1962)
In terms of military/industrial effort Operation Overlord and the landings in Normandy on June 6th 1944 are almost unparalleled for sclae of effort. "The Longest Day" is Hollywood's cinematic equivalent in the war film genre; there may have been movies with bigger budgets (e.g. "Pearl Harbour") but no movie has ever really come close to having a veritable expeditionary force of major and semi-major film stars pop in and out of view. John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Peter Lawford, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Gert Frobe, John Gregson, Richard Todd, Curt Jurgens, Roddy McDowell, Paul Anka, Sal Mineo, Kenneth More, Rod Steiger, Stuart Whitman...and that's just a sample of the cast! Sometimes 'spot the star' disrupts one's attention to the film however for all its epic qualities "The Longest Day" almost serves as cinema verite in the way it captures the action. Filmed in black and white and using extensive historical resources (both for the script and in the form of advisors) this is a rare fictional film in that you almost feel like you're watching a documentary. Before "Saving Private Ryan" showed in its washed out colours the scenes in "The Longest Day" showing the landing at Omaha came across as the most realistic. Plus the use of German actors speaking German, French actors speaking French etc helps the authenticity of this movie. A staple of TV repeats since released "The Longest Day" can be called the most appropriate interpretation of D-Day ever seen, and certainly one of the greatest war film of any age.

13. Zulu (1964)
War films glorying in colonial gallantry and the defeat of the dashed fuzzy-wuzzies simply aren't possible nowadays. Mostly due to political correctness and embarrassment over the historical truth of European professional armies slaughtering the natives, Hollywood and other outposts of Anglo-European film culture would run a million miles away from depicting what "Zulu" did in 1964. A brave, determined and very Caucasian band of soldiers fight for their lives led by the upper class, affected Lieutenant Bromhead (Michael Caine) and the lower class professional Lieutenant Chard (Stanley Baker) after the dreaded black Zulu's have butchered a much larger force of British troops at Isandhlwana, and this is a film that reinforces the legend based on the Welsh regiment that defended Rorke's Drift. The effects look dated now and you can pick apart the veracity of the movie's themes. However when all is said and done "Zulu" is a rattling good war film with lots of action, courage under fire, extraordinary things done by ordinary men and of course a line of redcoated infantrymen singing "Men of Harlech". For anyone with a drop of Celtic blood in them "Zulu" will stir the heart. Plus due its numerous repeats on TV this is a film like several already cited in this list which I know better than even some family member's birthdays.

12. Flyboys (2006)
I think it's fair to say that this is not the most critically acclaimed film ever made about World War One. "Paths of Glory" is a far better film, as are the more closely related films "Dawn Patrol" and "Wings". In fact as has been pointed out by some critics "Flyboys" is actually a film that refers back to earlier war films than actual combat history from the Lafayette Squadron's exploits of the First World War. No matter; nor does the stodgy and dated love story really matter. What I love about this movie is the manner in which biplane dogfights are recreated during the film. "Flyboys" suffers a little from CGI- overuse however watching the French Nieuports and the German Fokker Dreidekkers going at it hammer and tong, Spandaus blazings, Zeppelins exploding and aircraft tumbling out of the sky...well it gets the blood going no worries. The characters are fairly stereotypical with some nods to early 21 st century sensibilities. But I don't want to watch "Flyboys" for the men in the machines. I want to watch this movie and marvel at the manner in which air combat first happened. This is a "Biggles" style movie; forego the plot, the actors, the themes; just revel in the Boche being shot down by our lads in their magnificent flying machines!

11. Hamburger Hill (1987)
The mid to late 80s saw a plethora of Vietnam War films deluge the cinemas, due in no small part to the success of "Platoon". Whilst Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning film took the semi-mythic approach, "Casualties of War" was a military morality play and "Full Metal Jacket" was a typical Kubrickesque exercise in weirdness, "Hamburger Hill" was a true 'grunt's' film. This was a movie where the viewer watched a squad of US paratroopers, some short timers others FNGs, trying to defeat two enemies. One was obviously the NVA forces astride Hamburger Hill; the second enemy was the hill itself. Unlike those films referred to before this is one of the few movies which shows hows viscerally tiring it is to be an infantryman. The actors are generally no namers, with a few who have had more success in TV or film since the movie's release (e.g. Don Cheadle, Dylan McDermott, Steven Weber, Courtney Vance), and that actually is a strength of the movie. These could be any soldiers in any war humping the boonies, trying to make sure that they don't die for their country, they make the other sad fucker die for his. It's obvious most of the troopers will die, it's obvious this is a futile and flawed exercise in war's general insanity. But like so much that has become part of the revised view of post-war military exploits you can hate the war but can't but admire the warriors. And by the way "Hamburger Hill" has more Vietnam War slang per minute than any other movie before or since. A much underappreciated classic.

Andrew's Top 10 British Sitcoms: The 70s

2009-07-01T17:43:00.018+10:00

As a child who would sit in front of the idiot box devouring hours of television it's only natural that I've formed strong nostalgic memories for the likes of Mrs Slocombe, Lurcio and Robin Tripp. Now this list won't be purely based on critical merit or indeed success. However they are all gems from a time when the merest mention of "My pussy..." or "I'll have half" would raise a smile.

10. Love Thy Neighbor
Yes, this is an incredibly dated and racist program which would not bear repeating in the same timelsot it used to have on Channel 7 here in Australia. In retrospect the tension between the self-parodying racism of Eddie Booth (Jack Smethurst) and the actual 'comedy' wrought by using terms like "Nig Nog" knocks down the pretension that some may had for this show as being another "Till Death Us Do Part". Admittedly the racism could be even handed, and both the lead women characters (Joan Booth, played by Kate Williams and Barbie Reynolds, played by Nina Baden-Semper) provided much of the more positive hunour. But The racist bantering between Eddie and Bill (Rudolph Walker) is probably unwatchable today. Perhaps the best aspects of "Love Thy Neighbour" were those times when Eddie and Bill actually sided together (usually against Joan and Barbie), or the rambling Jacko (Eddie and Bill's drinking friend...hence the expression "I'll have half..."). "Love Thy Neighbour" was also one of those culture cringe examples of Australian TV when they made an "...in Australia" version.

9. Citizen Smith
I've not as strong memories of "Citizen Smith" as some of the other shows listed here but I do recall that the basic premise was one of the funnier (the Tooting Popular Front lead by Wolfie, played by Robert Lindsay). There were equal amounts of ridicule thrown at the conservatives and the socialists, some archetypal domestic shenanigans (Florence Johnson, played by Hilda Braid kept up the tradition of slightly dotty mothers) and some funny minor characters (Tucker and Speed). The suburban eccentric is a staple of British humour and "Citizen Smith" is one of the more worthy examples of British 70s TV.

8. Up Pompeii
There were several British sitcoms that revolved around a major TV or film personality. Ronnie Barker had several ("Open All Hours" and "Porridge" for example), as did Barry Evans ("Doctor In the House" and "Mind Your Language"). In the case of "Up Pompeii" it was all Frankie Howard. A past master of the double entendre and the risque joke, Howard made "Up Pompeii". It certainly helped that there were plenty of plunging tunicas woren by the female characters. Sad to say when it was shown on local TV I didn't see too many episodes (what with it being too rude for a small child) but I have fond memories of what I saw. Plus looking back on its skewed debt to the Roman comedies of Plautus the classicist in me is happy to see Latin dirty jokes getting a re-run.

7. Robin's Nest
Whilst not quite as enjoyable as "Man About The House" (see below) "Robin's Nest" gave us a chance to see what happened to Richard O'Sullivan's character of Robin Tripp after he left the Chrissy and Jo. Created in a very traditional format (i.e. young couple have trouble with the in-laws; in this case Tony Britten's James Nicholls, father of Robin's girlfriend then wife Vicki, played by Tessa Wyatt) "Robin's Nest" was arguably more gentler than "Man About The House". However where the spin-off excelled was in the character of Albert, the one armed Irish dish-washer and dogsbody. Played by David Kelly, Albert added just the right amount of surrealism, slapstick and Irish jokes to "Robin's Nest" to make it a 70s classic. And Tessa Wyatt was quite easy on the eye too!

6. Get Some In
Military comedies were a standard of British TV and radio after the war, and the 70s saw quite a few. There was "Dad's Army" set during WW2 in a Home Guard unit, "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" which was about a group of army entertainers in Burma and India also during WW2, and "Get Some In", which was set during the 50s in the RAF. It wasn't so much the writing that makes this show stick in the memory, and there were some clichéd roles (i.e. Tony Selby's Corporal Marsh was probably a British cousin of Sgt Carter from "Gomer Pyle") . However it was the launching pad for Robert Lindsay as a comic actor (always called Teddy Boy by Marsh) and the ensemble of recruits (Ken Richardson a.k.a. 'Poofhouse', Matthew Lilley and Bruce Leckie) were risible targets for toned-down barracks room humour. My fondest memory of this show was watching episodes during the lunch breaks in Channel 9's coverage of the 1977 Ashes series.

5. Open All Hours
Ronnie Barker was probably the greatest British TV comic actor of the seventies and perhaps of all time. His work in "The Two Ronnies" was brilliant, and his appearances in such other notable series as "The Frost Report", "The Magnificent Evans", "Porridge" and its sequel "Going Straight" are legendary, but for me it was always his work as Arkwright in "Open All Hours" which sets his mark on the British sitcom. The devious, randy and stuttering Arkwright was perpetually berating David Jason's Granville or lusting after Nurse Gladys Emmanuel (Lynda Baron) and for such a simple set up there were always plenty of laughs. Some of it was no doubt derived from the Yorkshire setting plus much came from Barker's impeccable timing in using his stutter. David Jason's Granville was more interesting as a secondary character contrasted with Richard Beckinsale's Godber in "Porridge", but in the end this is Barker's finest hour. How can anyone not laugh at an avaricious lecher selling canned goods?

4. Dad's Army
One of the most beloved shows of British TV history, and certainly a fixture on the ABC TV viewing schedule in my house during the 70s, "Dad's Army" was a favourite which may not have stood the test of time still sits prominently in my memory. The whole cast were marvellously portrayed, however it was the duo of John Le Mesurier (Sgt Wilson) and Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring) that formed the centre. I actually found the work of Clive Dunn (L/Cpl Jones), John Laurie (Private Jones) and James Beck's Private Walker more enjoyable. There were heaps of catch-phrases ("They don't like it up 'em", "You stupid boy", "Napoleon", "Permission to...") and the mix of slapstick and astute observational comedy with a sizeable ensemble cast elevates this show to legendary status. Perhaps not as anarchic or as shocking as some of my other fave 70s sitcoms it's had a far more significant impact on my memory on so many others.

3. Fawlty Towers
Yes, I know it's the all time most perfect British sit com! Yes I know it has John Cleese in it who wrote and performed in Monty Python's Flying Circus and is a comedy GOD! Yes I know that they only ever made 12 episodes and it is almost impossible not to lose a lung laughing at epsiodes like "The Germans" and "Basil The Rat". But it can only come in third place on this list for me because it is so painful to watch. Not painful bad, but painful "oh my god what will be said or done next that will make me hide my eyes and giggle at the same time?" painful. There are heaps of other more erudite commenst available on the show, but when all is said and done for me I can laugh at "Fawlty Towers" but underneath is just too much agony for all involved. And by the way, I actually like Basil. In fact if you have ever done any customer service work before (as I have) then you'll know just scratch the surface and a little bit of Basil comes out in us all.

2. Are You Being Served
This was almost the perfect British 70s sitcom. There were jokes made about class, about sex, about sex again, about being British, about work and about sex. Oh, and did I mention it was a comedy that made sexual jokes and double entendres? The balance between all the major characters (Captain Peacock, Mrs Slocombe, Mr Humphries, Miss Brahms, Mr Grainger and Mr Lucas) was fantastic and the work of sitcom veteran writers John Lloyd and David Croft (the latter also responsible for writing epsiodes of "It Ain't Half Hot Mum", "Dad's Army" and later "Hi-De-Hi" and "Allo, Allo") kept the giggles coming. John Inman's Mr Humphries was probably the first camp comic superstar and his catch phrase of "I'm free..." will get almost anyone over 30 laughing even today. then there was Mollie Sugden's Mrs Slocombe. It was amazing what her character's pussy experienced over 10 seasons of this classic. Like "Father Dear Father" and "Love Thy Neighbour" "Are You Being Served" made it down under in a local spin off, but it was always the original which was the best. At times politically incorrect (hell, what was during the 70s?), "Are You Being Served" is the very model of a British TV comedy with knickers and boobs on the mind, being played far more cleverly than such tawdry themes would nominally allow.

1. Man About The House
I know...how can a mildly smutty comedy about a male culinary student living with two young women in a flat which has a arguing married couple as their landlords be my favourite British 70s sitcom? Why not "Fawlty Towers" or "Porridge" or "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" or...? Well it's simple. First off this was a show I'd watch often with my parents, particularly my father, and being able to laugh at what grown ups did was very important for a kid during the 1970s (and probably still is today). Secondly, in the characters of George and Mildred Roper there are two of the finest bickering husband and wife characters ever seen on TV. In fact I wonder if Yootha Joyce's Mildred wasn't somehow the mild inspiration for Peggy Bundy in "Married With Children". "Man About the House" also set up two spin-offs, and made excellent use of the talents of all the actors. The unrequited attraction between Chrissy and Robin is also a huge selling point for this show. Richard O'Sullivan's Robin is a decent but sex-mad young man and his efforts to bed Paula Wilcox's Chrissy always end in disappointment. However the main reason I love "Man About the House" is because of Paula Wilcox. She is the cutest, funniest actress in British sitcom history and up there as a true 70s dolly bird (in the truest non-sexist but slightly frisky 70s sense of the phrase). She knocks Wendy Richard's Miss Brahms aside and makes Felicity Kendall from "The Good Life" look drab and dowdy. As long as Paula Wilcox in her role of Chrissy is stuck in video amber on DVDs and repeats of "Man About The House" then I'll be a happy chappy with my fave Brit-sitcom from the 70s.

The War Film: 30 Personal Favourites Part One

2009-06-28T11:40:00.005+10:00

As a person who is intrigued by military history and enjoys cinema the war film is one of my favourite movie genres. So when it comes to war films I have seen literally dozens, and have plenty of personal favourites. This list is a condensation of my preferred titles however there are some that deserve recognition which I have included at the end of the list. Also, for the purposes of the list's criteria I have excluded films such as "The Pianist", "Spartacus" and "Gone With The Wind" in that whilst they have significant war settings are not necessarily about war or combat itself. However those and other similar examples are worthy of much merit.

30. Prisoner of the Mountains (1996)
This is a rather unique war film for me in that it is Russian, deals with the first war in Chechnya and it is effectively a 'POW film'. I'm not a huge fan of the POW genre (for example I've never really rated "The Bridge on the River Kwai") but there is something rewarding about watching Sergei Bodrov's update on a Tolstoy short story. The two lead Russian characters (played by Oleg Menshikov and Bodrov's own son) are effectively drawn and played, and their relationship with the Chechen guerillas and villagers is depicted with great humanity. I'm also partial to the manner in which the younger Russian soldier's mother tries to effect her son's release whilst delaing with a corrupt and inefficient Russian army structure. But the real star and focal point of the film is the Chechen girl Dina, played by Susanna Mekhraliyeva.

29. Battle of Britain (1969)
This is not a movie to watch if you want to see compelling acting, a driven narrative and cohesive direction. It is however a film to see if you love military aviation. The use of surviving examples of RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes, combined with Me-109s and He-111s (ironically these German types were actually Spanish Air Force equipment with Rolls Royce engines) makes the dogfight footage better than almost every other war film. Also "Battle of Britain" takes a remarkably even handed approach with the Luftwaffe aircrew being shown just as brave and dedicated as the RAF's.

28. Catch 22 (1970)
Another example of a Hollywood war film made at a time when comedy was used to give far more telling insights into war's nature than traditional gung-ho films like "The Green Berets", "Catch 22" is a fine example of an ensemble cast making great work of a fine script married with some pleasing use of real WW2 hardware (in this instance B-25 Mitchell bombers). Alan Arkin leads a stellar cast however this is one of those few movies with such a line-up that doesn't lead to "Hey, isn't that...?" viewing. The narrative and the themes are given due deference and with Mike Nichol's sure hand at satire this is a great film full stop, let alone great war film.

27. Dark Blue World (2001)
This Czech film is another paean to military aviation, in that the footage of Supermarine Spitfires is beautfully shot. Plus it also has some important and interesting points to raise about the role of Czech pilots who fought for the Allies in the RAF in WW2, and were then persecuted and imprisoned by the Communists after 1948. However the love story which is the fulcrum for the film's dramatic tension is a little flat.

26. Memphis Belle (1990)
Inspired by the war doco filmed about the original "Memphis Belle" (a USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress) this is a more traditional Hollywood war film. It looks at the aircraft's crew as a microcosm of American society and its attitude to war, and has some stereotypical messages about courage, teamwork, American power and friendship. The footage of the B-17s is good to great but there are moments when the model footage is a bit ordinary. Looking back on the film's cast it isn't necessarily the likes of Matthew Modine and Eric Stolz who I find interesting, but those who aren't actually part of the Memphis Belle's crew. John Lithgow as the braggart media officer and David Strathairn as the unit commander are more compelling as they try and make sense of a war in which they don't actually fight, using the deeds of the flight crews as their mission.

25. Stalingrad (1993)
German war films are a particular interest of mine, partly because of the manner in which post-war Germans have to deal with their own collective war guilt, and partly because 'the other side's' story is naturally interesting. "Stalingrad" is a good example of the combat film from the enemy's standpoint and it doesn't stray too far from showing both the good and the bad of the Wehrmacht's activities during WW2. It is more about the failure of command to understand and support the frontline soldaten and it doesn't seriously question why German soldiers were fighting for the Nazis in Stalingrad. Yet it does make the viewer think a little bit more ambiguously about the stereotypical bad guy German. This is the film that established Thomas Kretschmann as the archetypal good German soldier/actor.

24. Kelly's Heroes (1970)
This is not so much a classic war film as a heist movie set during WW2. The emphasis on comedy is far greater than you would expect in other war films, however this doesn't make it any less exciting or interesting for a military buff. There is also some incredibly anachronistic aspects to the film (Donald Sutherland's Oddball and his hippie tankers are the prime example) however this is just an additional twist on what is one of the more enjoyable war films made whilst the US was in Vietnam. The ensemble cast is fun to watch, with Clint Eastwood, Telly Savales, Don Rickles and Donald Sutherland the obvious stand outs.

23. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
I guess it could be seen as a bit harsh to have this classic war film so low in my personal favourites, and I admit that for many others this is not related to its impact. However this is a flawed Spielberg masterpiece in that the manner in which this populist director manipulates the viewer's emotions so overtly annoys me. The nitial landing sequence on Omaha beach is brilliant, and both aurally and visually is possibly the best battle sequence ever filmed. The final combat between the American paratroops and the German forces is also great viewing. However as the movie follows Tom Hanks' squad through Normandy it loses its impact. I got sick and tired of seeing close-ups of Hanks' shaking hand, and I kept wanting to fight against the way Spielberg telegraphed every reaction he was evoking in me. It must be said that the real star is Janusz Kaminski's cinematography; he makes the movie look stunning with his washed out grimy tones.

22. Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
Perhaps this is Clint Eastwood at his most post-modernist self-ironic, perhaps this is neo-con propaganda.Whatever the story this is a fun and enjoyable update on John Wayne's "Sands of Iwo Jima". Clint Eastwood is at his most over-the-top best playing Gunny Highway trying to weld a very average unit into a squad of 'heart breakers and life takers' before the invasion of Grenada. the balance between Eastwood's character trying to do his job as expected by his Marine superiors whilst re-engaging with his ex-wife (played by Marsha Mason) is pretty good. However let's not beat around the bush; this is a pulp film that isn't out to say too much about war.

21. The Guns on Navarone (1961)
The Hollywood model of war film involving a small band of elite troops doing daredavil feats against seemingly impossible odds is wonderfully represented in this classic adaptation of the Alistair Mclean novel. Possibly seen as way too old fashioned now, "Guns..." was a staple war film for me when I was younger as it was repeated over and over again on TV. Gregory Peck is solid as Captain Mallory the leader of the Allied commandos but it is the supporting cast who do afr better. David Niven's Corporal Miller is sufficiently insubordinate to give the film some bite, whilst Anthony Quinn is enjoyable as the local Greek guerilla. The most imressive however is Irene Pappas; she adds steel and humanity to the film and she plays possibly one of the most important female roles in a war film.

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.16: Alvin Rides Again

2009-06-27T13:45:00.003+10:00

Sequels are a hit and miss affair, with the emphasis more often on the 'miss' than the 'hit'. And whilst Hollywood is the prime culprit in pumping out ever-diminishing quality films that follow on from an original hit ("Police Academy" sequels anyone?), even the local industry is prone to sequelmania. The "Crocodile Dundee" sequence stuttered to a stop when the last entry died the death, "Mad Max" reached a big budget climax with the third entry "Beyond Thunderdome" and is apparently possibly gearing up for a reboot or fourth entry, and as referred to earlier the Bazza McKenzie films had one huge success and one fairly average follow up. For a film industry that in the early years of its renaissance was starved of box office smashes it was only natural that "Alvin Purpl e" would sporn a sequel. Hence the production of "Alvin Rides Again"

The first film was reasonable in so far as it had some fairly humorous scenes, a Candide-inspired central character and provided a huge shot in the arm for the revenue sources of Australian movies. Sad to say when it came around to "Alvin Rides Again" there was not much to add to the first film and the cliched plot contrivances and silly acting generally sunk the movie to the same level as a bad "Carry On..." film. Built around the construct of Alvin Purple (again played by Graeme Blundell) resembling an American gangster (Balls McGee) who has some very serious business down under, and the aforesaid criminal getting killed and Alvin having to masquerade as Balls, well..."Alvin Rides Aagin" is that tired.

Perhaps the most redeeming facet of this sequel is that the cast has a panoply of Aussie character and stock cast actors. High on this list is Frank Thring who had a small Hollywood career during the late 50s and early 60s, and his presence adds just the right tone of fake dignitas which underscores the ridiculousness of the movie. There's also a mildly interesting return of 70s Aussie sex kitten Abigail, who had a stronger role in the original film as "Girl on a tram showing her tits", and it's very pleasing for a fan of Aussie TV cheesecake actresses from the 70s to see the likes of Candy Raymond, Briony Behets and Kris McQuade. Chantal Contouri (as Boobs La Touche...arguably one of the worst ever character names in Antipodean cinema history) is the 'love' interest for Alvin and if you can call a scene with lovemaking in a Purple Valiant Charger with inbuilt bed as her performance climax then Chantal reaches hers there and then. Noel Ferrier and Gus Mecurio make cameos as gangster types and add just the right amount of silliness to the overall feel of the film. However this is an incredibly slight film trading off the reputation and money-making set up of a predecessor that in turn was cashing in on pervey sex comedy cliches.

I never got a chance to see "Alvin Rides Again" in the cinema when released, partly due to age issues but really even if its classification let me in I don't think I'd have gone anyway. Thanks to the DVD age and in turn the decision by Village Roadshow to couple both Alvin films together I was able to view the sequel about a year or so ago. I had however seen the aforementioned purple Valiant Charger at a local show and it held just a smidgin more interest than the film. Then, when the third and absolute last film adventure for Alvin came along (Melvin, Son of Alvin) though I was okay to see it classification-wise I never went either because it was crap or it disappeared from the local cinemas without a trace. A once entertaining and financially viable film idea had been killed by the paucity of ideas, character, performances and direction and in "Alvin Rides Again" Oz cinema had shown it was just as capable of producing mediocre genre films that killed the semi-golden goose.

My Rating: 1 Bill

Top Ten One Hit Wonders of the Seventies

2009-06-24T20:57:00.003+10:00

As far as I'm concerned pop music is buggered, stuffed, rooted nowadays. It's not so much because everything is hip-hop bare-arsed Idol house mock-soul shite. No, it's because of two vital factors. The first is I'm an old bugger who has almost no bloody time for the likes of the plastic princesses and stammering yammerers who dominate the air waves and those new-fangled MP3 thingies. The second is the art of the great one hit wonder has been lost. At its peak (i.e. the 1970s) the one hit wonder as a music phenomenon was just as culturally and musically defining as the more gargantuan rockers. For every David Bowie's "Space Oddity" there was a Terry Jack's "Seasons in the Sun". And so in honour of the days when 2UW's DJ's spun the platters and the CD was just a combination of the third and fourth letters of the alphabet, here are my top 10 one hit wonders of the 70s:

10. Kung Fu Fighting: Carl Davis
How can anyone go past a musical paean to the same Chinese martial art that inspired Bruce Lee and Keith Carradine to make terrible movies and TV episodes respectively? Plus Carl tapped into the funky black street vibe that also gave us "Shaft", "Trouble Man" and "Superfly". As 70's one hit wonders go it also has surprising longevity thanks to appearances in "Kung Fu Panda" and the popular Playstation game "Singstar". Thank goodness for funky Billy Chin and little Sammy Chung!

9. Halfway Hotel: Voyager
It's not actually the lyrics or the music that make this a pearler when it comes to 70s one hit wonders. It was the video, which arguably makes "Halfway Hotel" one of the earliest members of the conspiracy discussed in "Video Killed The Radio Star" (see below). The core of the lyrics is a male suitor trying to convince his lady love (against fillial responsibility) to come with him to the eponymous lodgings, nominally for food and drink (Moselle, one of the archetypal great wines of the 70s!), and yet underneath this appeal is lust. Pure young 70s lust. I wonder if there is any allegience between Voyager's creation and the Eagle's "Hotel California"? Perhaps they're next door on the tourist strip...

8. Undercover Angel: Alan O'Day
So the scenario of this song is a man who has certain lascivious feelings is in bed, alone. He has a dream involving a phantasm, a female figment of his nocturnal imagination, perhaps even a succubus. They do the deed to his utterings of "whaaat?" and "Alll right", then after what I can only assume is a successfully consumated wet dream the imaginary lover tells the protagonist to find a real woman who'll also play nude bed twister. Need I say more? This is an A grade classic one hit wonder, with all the subtlety that current rubbish (e.g. "You Make Me Cum In My Pants") cannot dare to dream.

7. Afternoon Delight: Starland Vocal Band
Now when I was a kid hearing the SVB's vocal stylings I had some vague image of them singing about getting some lollies or something else really fun to eat after lunch. Imagine my shock, surprise and amusement when I discovered several years later (and no, it wasn't 2006) they were singing about s-e-x in the afternoon! For all the pervey undertoes there are echoes of the Mamas and the Papas with the boy/girl harmonizing and as shown in the Youtube video the Starland Vocal Band were very 'with it' thanks to Captain & Teneille style head gear and knotted pullovers hanging over shoulders. Finally any song that inspires incest comedy in "Arrested Development" deserves more recognition.

6. Werewolves of London: Warren Zevon
One of the true litmus tests of a great 70s one hit wonder is could it happen now. In the case of Zevon's greatest ever single I think no one now would be willing to take on the song about Lon Chaney senior, Lon Chaney Junior, the Queen, Trader Ricks, beef chow mein and of course the lycanthropes in the UK's capital. Again "Werewolves..." is a fun song to sing along with (which is of course one of the few activities available when listening to an AM transistor radio in 1978, as opposed to now with digital downloads, twittering, mash-ups etc etc). Plus unlike much of today's pop music it is clever and funny, without being cynical or an exercise in audio wanking. Warren's passing in 2003 has left the world of music just that little more dimmer.

5. Blue Swede: Hooked on a Feeling
This is another very personal choice because when it comes down to it "Hooked on a feeling" is just a classic fun song and was an example of how European pop bands could triumph over their Anglo-American-Aussie rivals here downunder with good diction and a few "ooga chooga ooga chooga" lines. Yes, there have been other versions. Yes, this song became cool because of Quentin Tarentino then lost it because of overkill as part of the dancing baby/Ally McBeal fad of the late 90s. However this is a piece of pure 70s one hit wonder pop that does what all the best songs of that era do. It makes you feel good.

4. Video Killed The Radio Star: The Buggles
This is almost a cultural and music equivalent to the fin de siecle years in Paris. Whilst ebulliantly celebrating what has just passed (i.e. semi-nonsensical 3 minute odes to love, dancing, the radio, cars...you name it...all and any youthful pursuits) it also is a song darkly prophesizing the downfall of what made pop music spread like N1H1 virus. The musicians behind this song have semi-serious cred (i.e. performance and production links with acts like Yes, Asia and Malcolm Mc;laren amongst others), and it is a damn fun song to sing along too. The video clip was a stellar effort from director Russell Mulcahey (The Martin Scorcese of the MTV generation), and so even if video did kill the radio star at least it was a quick enjoyable death.

3. Farewell Aunty Jack: Graham Bond & Rory O'Donoghue
This will be my only Australian song in my top 10, and I am very very biased towards the only number one hit to actually threaten the listener with having their arms ripped off through the radio. Part comedy song, part signature sign off for the closest Australia has ever come to producing something as good as Monty Python's Flying Circus, "Farewell Aunty Jack" has all the hallmarks of a Phil Spector or Roy Orbison mini-rock-opera. There are quiet bits, loud bits, moments where love and hope, sadness and solitude are counterbalanced with motorcycles and a fat transvestite with a golden glove. This was the biggest selling song in Australia in 1974 (8 weeks at number one) and even now it's very easy for me to put on those gruff tones of Aunty jack and recite "I'm really off this time...like a piece of cheese".

2. Ca Plane Pour Moi: Plastic Bertrand
Europop punk is not one of the most popular music genres. French is not the language of edgy rock, cool funk or soulful singers. And yet thanks to the Belgian who sprung forth with an epileptic fit inducing video and more zippers on his outfit than a demo model at a trouser fly convention, we have "Ca Plane Pour Moi". I'll be buggered if I can understand the lyrics, and it bears no resemblance except certain chord progressions with it's English-language variant "jet Biy Jet Girl". However no one will ever doubt the veracity of Plastic's claim to being the King of the Divan. Francophone post-modernist self-ironic punk pop...this is the flagship of that long neglected style.

1. My Sharona: The Knack
1979 was in my opinion the greatest year in music since the Beatles split. And 1979 was the year which saw the closest thing to a Beatles tribute band literally steamrolling the charts. The Knack were responsible for the catchiest, most enjoyable, incredibly radio friendly chunk of adolescent pop rock in dare I say the last forty years. Forget "Mickey" by Toni Basil. Ignore "Turning Japanese" by The vapours. And we won't even refer to "So Long" by Fischer Z. The Knack had the the knack of scaling musical Everest with "My Sharona", then fell like George Mallory to unplumbed depths. Only 2 years ago I saw Dave Fiegler solo sing his greatest contribution to world history at Acer Arena Sydney. Its still freakin' rocks man!

Andrew's Albums No 14: "Cloud Nine" by George Harrison

2009-06-22T22:06:00.002+10:00

Christmas 1987/New Year 1988 was a fairly tumultuous time for me. I had just finished university (in circumstances that didn't end as favourably as I had hoped), started a new job, headed down to Deniliquin to spend some time with my equivocating girlfriend of the time (who was under her own family pressures) and I was not exactly popular with many of my own family members. There was the usual Australian yuletide festivities interspersed with seriously hot rural summer days, and not much else to do in town entertainment-wise. hence when I heard for the very first time "Got My Mind Set On You" on local AM station 2QN it was like a ray of friendly audio sunlight was illuminating my holiday, and it led me to become a devotee of George Harrison. "Cloud Nine" will always be the entry point for me into the music of a Beatle who I had kind of neglected, and in becoming familiar with his sound I came to respect and admire his personal stance on more than just his solo music career.

Now I will admit that what hooked me on Harrison was the production of "Got My Mind Set On You" which had (when first heard) familiarities I couldn't pin down. It took a few weeks later, when I was back in Armidale at Treble Clef (then the sole record store in town) that I discovered a link between George and my all time favourite pop genius. Checking out the album credits and finding Jeff Lynne's name surprised me in the most pleasing manner. The harmonies, the wall of sound, the intricate pop sensibilities were echoes of Lynne's work from ELO, massaged and filtered by George through his ringing guitar work and mellow voice into something I could readily fall in love with. "Got My Mind Set On You" was but an entree into an amazingly enjoyable album that had everything from romantic songs, jokes at George's own past and aural kaliedescopes returning the listener to the Beatles hey-day.

This isn't meant to indicate that "Cloud Nine" was the George and Jeff show alone. Eric Clapton, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Ray Cooper and Gary Wright (amongst others) all contribute. All these greats added depth and class to the album. However it is in the liner notes where I think the secret of the true appeal for this renaissance in George's solo career is outlined. George was quoted in the re-release "I'm at ease with myself, maybe." The feeling of happiness at just 'being' for George really permeates the music of "Cloud Nine", and every time I play it there is almost a sense of calm completion to be had. As pop albums go this is one which has a leisurely self-assuredness with a nostalgia that is neither cloying or sentimental.

I could rabbit on and on about the critical worth of the individual songs, try and place "Cloud Nine" and Harrison in the context of his Beatle colleagues and their solo careers. On the later point I think this is easily the equal of any Lennon album, and perhaps only has "Band on the Run" from MacCartney's Wings to compete with (plus it isn't as messily indulgent as George's own "All Things Must Pass"). Ultimately this is the album that gave George back to us, had Jeff do some production and songwriting which in turn led to the Travelling Wilburys, the re-emergence of Roy Orbison before his untimely death and the Petty/Lynne collaborations. And finally it was "Cloud Nine" that gave me access to the most spiritual, most humourous, most gentle of all the ex-Beatles. I miss him.

Music Score: 8/10
Nostalgia score: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: "Fish On The Sand", "This Is Love" Got My Mind set On You"

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.15: Amadeus

2009-06-15T21:08:00.004+10:00

So, when have you ever seen a movie focused on classical music and actually come out of the cinema enthralled, amused, intrigued, saddened and wanting more? Certainly not with the likes of the bizarre, execrable Lisztomania (one of Ken Russell's paeans to penises and weird juxtaposition of images), or the banal to the point of narcolepsy "Song of Norway" (Edvard Grieg's life has never been more fjord-strewn). There have been some noble efforts (Topsy Turvy being a damned good try) but there is only one true champion of the classical music biopic/epic/dramedy. 1984's Amadeus.

Far more informed and better credentialed music historians can let fly on the faux-history in "Amadeus". The whole Salieri-as-murderer construct is as ludicrous as the indescribable sound that Tom Hulce emits every time his Mozart laughs. The fiction in itself is not where this 1985 Oscar winning movie for Best Film finds its true brilliance. It is the music itself, the true voice of Mozart speaking to an audience who may not have sat wearing aristocratic finery in some upper class snob symphony hall. It is also a brilliant film for exploring the whole mystical, intangible achievement of inspired creativity. And for making Antonio Salieri (wonderfully portrayed by F. Murray Abraham) our narrator and guide to "Amadeus" we can find an anti-hero who like almost all of us who like to think we have some artistic capability in fact just scrabble in the traces left behind by the true genuii.

Now I won't attempt to recapitulate the plot and scenes of the film. Milos Forman's greatest movie clocks in at 173 minutes in its most recent Director's Cut edition. It can be said without construing any criticism of the film that it is episodic. Set piece musical moments intervene at specific points of the film, pausing the hectic narrative or the flamboyant acting of Hulce just enough to give the viewer breath. But these aren't designed like an old fashioned musical to give us a smile or a fleeting unreal insight into a character's state of mind. These are hefty chunks of music that is celestial. A novice with barely any understanding of Mozart will not just love the way the movie makes him or her laugh, sigh, contemplate, groan. It is a movie that increases the appetite for knowledge, for art, for creativity and even common, dare I say base desires. This isn't a prim, dusty, pomaded fop of a Mozart. This is a lusty, swiving, "hope I die before I get old" Mozart who knows that whatever his own physical limitations they must be burnt out to satisfy his own creative spirit, hence making us look and listen on and wonder.

"Amadeus" not only sounds fantastic, it looks brilliant too. Costume and scenery are exquisite, and it is rare to see a film use masks to such a striking effect (perhaps only rivalled by horror films which, in a crude parallel is exactly the effect we get from the iconographic mask seen above). Lighting is also crucially important in this film; candles and the flickering illumination they give burnish the concert hall scenes and actually darken the later scenes where Mozart's requiem draws him closer to his early grave. And as has been remarked upon by the likes of Roger Ebert Forman's (then) Czechoslovakian locations continue to resonate visually.

The cast is unbelievably strong in almost all its more prominent members, with Hulce and Abraham standing like two colossi between the rest. It's one of those movies where no single Best Actor Oscar should have been awarded. It can be argued without fear of contradiction that neither actor had the performances beforehand to indicate how well they portrayed the two leading antagonists in "Amadeus", and neither has repeated their achievements since. Hulce almost takes inspiration from his cast mates on "Animal House" in his Mozart; farting, drinking, gambling, fornicating and eating whilst disaster looms closer and closer. On the other hand Abraham's Salieri is a good bourgeois artist of the state who realises that for all his endeavours his life's work has no meaning when compared to a genius. This amazing critical faculty means he is also destined for lunacy.

The rest of the cast are all excellent, and I particularly like Jeffrey Jones as Emperor Joseph II. Roy Dotrice's Leopold Mozart is a replication of almost all stern fathers who want their sons to excel beyond their own achievements. Elizabeth Berridge's Constanza is a compelling mixture of flirt, sex kitten and iron maiden whilst Simon Callow's Schikaneder is a good foil for Hulce's Mozart when it comes to the second half of the film. Looking back on this movie it's also rewarding to see a very young Cynthia Nixon's Lorl, and one of the most interesting faces and character actors of the 80s and 90s, Vincent Schiavelli looks incredibly apt as Salieri's valet. Finally Richard Frank is more than adequate as Father Vogel, Salieri's confessor. His role is one of a blank canvas which Abraham's Salieri throws the narrative upon like a painter.

As you may guess I have great respect and admiration for "Amadeus", having enjoyed it immensely since I first saw it in the old Penrith Hayden Twin Cinema in 1984. One of those films whose length necessitated an interval when shown on the big screen, I like to throw the DVD in the player every so often and just crank up the volume for those moments when Mozart's music washes over the film. I have never become a devotee of classical music and of films from the major creative participants (e.g. Forman, Shaffer, Hulce, Abraham) none of them have convinced me to revisit their later work with any great desire. In all honesty "Amadeus" is a film that shares a similar quality to that of its eponymous lead character. A flash of brilliance that reminds me how leaden ordinary life and my own attempts at creation can be.

My Rating: 4.5 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.14: Alvin Purple

2009-01-16T21:18:00.005+11:00

As a kid growing up in Australia in the 1970s I was fortunate enough to be able to start going to the cinema at a time when movies made by Australians for Australians for the first time since the 1940s and early 50s. There was "Storm Boy" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock', both iconic films from the early Aussie film renaissance which were judged safe enough for a child to watch. There were entries like "Caddie", "Sunday Too Far Away", "Don's Party" and "Peterson" which were all adult films but when screened on TV I could watch without too much disapproval.

Then there were the 'naughty' films; those Aussie flicks which in some way relied upon sex, the ocker character, coarse and simplistic humour and distinctly adults-only stories. "The Adventures of Barry MacKenzie" was one such film from my early memory, whilst "Stork" is another which hasn't as yet passed before my eyes.

And then there is "Alvin Purple".
Released in 1973 (when I was at the highly impressionable age of 8) "Alvin Purple" could be argued to be the most important film of the first five years of the decade in the Australian cinema revival. Certainly not because of its critical success (critics generally hated it). Nor because of its advent as one of the first movies filmed and distributed in Australia that took advantage of the then new 'R' rating. The importance of 'Alvin Purple' was that a contemporary sex farce could rake in the punters at the movie hourses and drive ins, and that whilst its lead character was hardly an 'ocker' (such as Barry McKenzie) he was an Australian character that a domestic audience enjoyed seeing as a hopeful reflection of themselves (if you were male), or as someone they could laugh at (both male and female).

At the heart of the film is a 'Candide' style journey undertaken by young Melbournian Alvin Purple (played with a simple affecting charm and sense of fun by Graeme Blundell) through sexual escapades and challenging relationships with women that either objectify him, mother him, exploit him or need to retreat from him. There's plenty of soft-core sex and a healthy mix of bawdy jokes, erotic symbolism, gender politics and semi-ocker swearing. At the time very confrontational nowadays there is almost a sweet naivety to the plot and the characters. Yet it actually succeeds as an exercise in making a profitable and generally entertaining film.

Frankly the whole central plot device of Alvin being irresistable to women and this being his entry point into a conman's psycho-sexual fraud is fairly redundant. You could empty out a lot of the plot, change the accents and maybe make it less sophisticated and this could be an Aussie 'Carry On...' film. And perhaps that is a flaw. On the other hand, how can a film be taken that seriously as an emblem of resurgant cultural imperatives when there's lots of bare bums and bare breasts courtesy of the likes of Abigail and Jacki Weaver (both looking decidedly good in a 1973 way).

Now for my own initial experience with this film I have to wander back 36 years when I was taken into Sydney on a trip to the movies. My mother, brother and I were blessed with the opportunity of seeing some Disney flick (buggered if I know which one) whilst my father went off to see "Alvion Purple". Either as an early indication of my innate naughtiness or a desire to do what grown ups do, I threw a reasonably strident tantrum protesting my need to see 'Alvin..' with my father. as you can imagine it got me nowhere. Dad saw his R rated Australian comedy, I saw something with animals or kids or some bloody thing.

Skip forward 30 odd years. "Alvin Purple" never dropped out of my memory and aside from seeing the purple Valiant Charger (as used in the sequel) at the annual district show in 1976 and viewing some of the ribald TV episodes on the ABC it was only when the DVD came out in 2007 that I had the chance to really sink my teeth into the film. It was a bit dated sure, and definitely politically incorrect. The humour was a bit thin on the ground but as a document of what Aussie cinema was capable of producing and in the process making decent money "Alvin Purple" was not a bad way to waste a tick over 90 minutes of my life.

My Rating: 2 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.13: "All Of Me"

2008-10-20T18:40:00.003+11:00

For me the greatest comedic performers in US cinema during the period 1970-1985 were Woody Allen (a non brainer) and the self-confessed 'wild and crazy guy' Steve Martin. Whilst the former has been through numerous phases in his career, having gone from ribald semi-intellectual, semi-surrealistic comedy such as "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask" through Bergmanesque dramas such as "Interiors", with the occasional dip into musicals, screwball romances, Carol Lean-inspired British drama or simple paeans to the various women he has loved, Stebe Martin has had really only two periods in his Hollywood career. The first was before "All of Me", the second afterwards. "All of Me" which was released in 1984 took a comedian who was fairly successful on TV, very successful in stand-up and on record and mildly successful in film and made Martin into a bankable Hollywood celebrity film star.
"All of Me" is one of those movies that has a major star turn (i.e. Martin as the attorney Roger Cobb), a couple of secondary characters with not much to say about them or their associated performers, and a plot device that has been used repeatedly. If you have ever seen "Heart Condition", "Heaven Can Wait" or "Switch" then you have the basic gist of what happens in "All of Me". Someone dies (in this case it's Lily Tomlin's Edwina Cutwater), the errant soul is attached somehow to the unintended 'hero' (i.e. Martin's Cobb) and then as the two supposedly conflicted characters/souls/identities work through the problem facing the live character (in this case Roger Cobb can't control if and when Edwina surfaces, and when she does it causes all kinds of slapstick craziness) by film's end there is a resolution that makes all happy (and no, I won't spoil this flick even though you probably have seen it anyway).

So what was it that made this film work so well and transformed Steve Martin into the actor who would be called in to make "Sgt Bilko" or "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". Simple...Martin is able to adapt his unique sense of physical humour with several belly-laugh inducing scenes to give the audience a film low on subtleties but high on fun. This isn't as surreal as "The Jerk" or as mannered as "The Lonely Guy"; "All of Me" succeeds because Steve Martin excelled at that stage in his career in adult slapstick.

I haven't said too much about the supporting actors and their characters, and to be honest I don't think that is a great disservice. Lily Tomlin is barely present physically in the movie, instead it's her voice over work as her character Edwina riffs off Martin's Roger that forms the bulk of her performance. I guess the best thing that can be said about her is you can almost suspend your belief as the audience and enjoy the absurd love/hate relationship between the two unwillingly joined characters. Victoria Tennant is fairly cardboard-esque in her role as Terry, and to be blunt Tennant is at her best when she is in lingerie. Her best performance was to come later in "LA Story", and considering she and Martin were romantically linked at the time of "All of Me" their scenes together are fairly average.

The best of the supporting actors and characters is Richard Liberti as Prakha, the Indian mystic who effectively stuffed up the soul transference process that forms the central plot device in "All of Me". Just like Peter Sellers in "The Party", Liberti makes great play out of a faux Indian repeatedly saying something barely intelligable. Prakha's "fix bowl" is up there with "Birdy Num Num", and it does continually wring giggles out of the viewer. Okay, so perhaps it's a tad prejudiced but we are talking 24 years ago.

This was actually the first Steve Martin film I saw in the cinema, whereas films I consider to be better from this stage in his career (i.e. "The Jerk", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and "The Man With Two Brains" and "The Lonely Guy") I only caught thanks to video. Again due to the paucity of a place to see movies in Armidale at the time I had to wait till I returned to Sydney and took in a $5 cheap Tuesday session at the Hayden Cinema (them's were the days folks!). I can't recall too much about that session but for some years afterwards I always looked forward to the next Steve Martin release that followed "All of Me". Unfortunately as his film roles and the actual movies themselves became more mainstream my interest in Martin's films have waned. "All Of Me" is not the most successful Steve Martin flick, nor is it my favourite. Yet just as it marked a watershed in his career so it also forged a new (if slowly diminishing) appreciation of his performances.

My Rating: 2.5 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.12: "Alien Versus Predator"

2008-10-18T12:49:00.004+11:00

I believe that whenever you hear the word 'franchise' linked to a movie or TV series generally speaking one should run away, run fast and run long. A movie franchise (such as say, "Police Academyu", "Halloween", even my mostly beloved "Star Trek") is a cultural or cinematic replication of the fast food chain. When you go to see a 'franchise' movie you will probably get the usual expected ingredients reiterated again and again, with a couple of minor variations and some different personnel serving up what will satisfy you quickly without too much substance.

Hence my less than rapturous appreciation of "Alien Versus Predator" (or as marketed and as referred to hereon, "AVP")
The most frustrating aspect of this film is that the two central 'bad guys', i.e. the Xenomorph alien and the Predator are arguably the most terrifying creations in sci-fi history and yet in "AVP" they become mere carictatures. The exploitation of such iconic cinema monsters is already highly suspect; but to then couple them with a plot as flimsy as a pair of Paris Hilton's thong panties and human characters who should be tested by WADA for cardboard overdose and you get mightily peeved at such a missed opportunity.

I can't however simply turn this into a full-on dump piece, excoriating "AVP" as an utter waste. There are some intriguingly good special effects (the flashback to the Predator versus Alien battles in a Mayan-like metropolis is a high point), and at least Sigourney Weaver had the good sense to avoid this flick. But with almost every scene you feel like you're watching your wallet being emptied cent by cent and all you get in return is an ear ache and some flashing lights in front of your eyes.

Aside from Lance Henrickson the cast are no-names with a similar level of talent, providing just enough vitality to act as targets for either the rapacious Aliens or the coolly cruel Predators. The "who will survive" plot motif is reduced to "who will survive and I don't really care anyway". Plus the conclusion is like a 2-for-1 voucher for the return buyer in the previously referred to junk food outlet. You just know there will be a sequel to the sequel to the sequel to the...ahhhh, forget it!

The most depressing aspect of "AVP" is that for an audience of young males (which is no doubt where the studio heads at Fox first picthed this flick at) in the first decade of this century it probably strikes a fairly effective chord. Mindless violence coupled with characters suffering from personality-void-itis reduces what were two remarkable cinema creations of the seventies and eighties into one note cartoons. I wonder how many of those who had endured the amazing stress of the first "Alien" film, or were fixated by Arnie's one handed defeat of a supreme off-world killing machine in "Predator" could care less about "AVP. Conversely, could the fans of "AVP" have the patience for the earlier films? I think not.

In summary "Alien Versus Predator" is another example of how we the film-goers are being disrespected by the Hollywood sausage machine. They take something we hold to be special, unique, interesting, exciting and then take a Xerox approach to movie making to throw out fading copies without more than a simple mercernary agenda. I wanted to like "AVP" so much, but in the end it left me with the same feeling as if I'd eaten too many McFeasts...and I refuse to see "AVP II: Requiem".

My Rating: 1.5 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.11: "Alien Nation"

2008-07-12T12:44:00.003+10:00

In the seventies there was a time when the hard man/serious actor was very much in vogue. The more brutal and less rewarding theatrically included the likes of Charles Bronson and Burt Reynolds. Then there was the likes of Gene Hackman who could be a real hard arse (as seen in his role of Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection") and Clint Eastwood (the Dirty Harry sequence of films) and James Caan. Caan hit several high points with such features as "The Godfather", "Rollerball" as well as low points such as "The Killer Elite", playing the tough guy. His face and voice suited these casting choices well, and it was perhaps inevitable that with the advent of the eighties when Hollywood started to search for more rounded male characters in their leading men that Caan feel out of favour. "Alien Nation" may not be the best of his return films in the latter part of this decade ("Gardens of Stone" is far better), but it served as a reasoanble vehicle to return him to a reasonably successful box office vehicle.

So, what is "Alien Nation" about. Basically it is a sci-fi film with obvious cop/buddy flick references. As critics such as Roger Ebert have pointed out, the two premises (i.e. a cop loses his partner and looks for revenge and a group of aliens on earth have an insidious plot developing) are meshed in a movie that takes Caan as the embittered detective and partners him with the newcomer alien Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin). The bad guy (a drug czar amongst the aliens) is played by old British hard case from the 60s Terence Stamp, and that is really just about it. We're not talking a multi-layered and densely created narrative.

If one accepts that well there are some things to appreciate about the movie. Caan and Patinkin form a pleasantly amusing pair (reminding me a little of Alan Arkin and Caan in "Freebie and The Bean"). The Newcomers a.k.a. 'slags' have some interesting traits (they get drunk on sour milk, sea water is like acid to them), and there are some sly references to the aliens being treated almost like Latino immigrants into the US (getting the worst jobs, being exploited for cheap labour and by criminal elements). But as always the film is arguably no better than a riff of the "Lethal Weapon"/"Running Scared" type of movie where two unlikely partners fight the bad guys, except one of the partners has some serious prothesis work.

I find "Alien Nation" to be generally okay, and Caan and Patinkin are easily the best parts of the film. I've not gotten into the whole "Alien Nation" franchise (developed into a TV series that ran for two years from 1989), and the DVD isn't on high rotation in my player. I've grown to enjoy Patinkin's acting (he was certainly an eye-catching performer in "The Princess Bride" as well as the TV shows "Chicago Hope" and "Dead Like Me"). Caan on the other hand seems to have become a parody of the great hard arse he used to be (the less said about "Micky Blue Eyes" and "Honeymoon in Vegas" the better). If you want to let the brain slide into neutral for a few hours then "Alien Nation" is quite a reasonable way to achieve this end. Otherwise watch something like a Bergman or fellini film if you need some great artistic statement about the meaning of life...

My Rating: 2.5 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.10: "The Adventures of Robin Hood"

2008-07-07T15:35:00.002+10:00

There was a time when Australian actors who had an international presence were as rare as exit straegies for the US in Iraq. Chips Rafferty and Michael Pate had a few roles in the forties and fifties, whilst Frank Thring scored a few gigs in flicks like "Ben Hur" and "El Cid". Peter Finch and Rod Taylor also were moderately successful stars in the 50s, 60s and 70s, and that was about it. Before then, in the so-called golden years of Hollywood during the studio era the Aussie voice was almost totally silent. Except for one Tasmanian, who arguably was and still is the greatest Australian film star...Errol Flynn.

When it comes to the fine Hollywood arts of swashbuckling, boozing, womanising and pissing off the studio heavyweights Errol was the definitive archetype. A goodly percentage of the less cinematic qualities he possessed may have taken time to gather into full flood. But when it comes to the sword waving, duelling, fighting and loving in technicolour or black and white period pieces Errol was the go to man from 1938's "Captain Blood" through to "The Master of Ballantrae". Plus he could actually act! And all this was there for every and any movie goer in "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

As Hollywood interpretations of the old English myth this is the best, plain and simple. Forget the execrable Kevin Costner version, or the old British TV series with Richard Greene; accept no substitutes. From the moment Errol as Robin swings in onto a Sherwood Forest tree bough and says to Olivia De Havilland's Maid Marion "Welcome to Sherwood milady" you know that this is good gear.

It doesn't hurt that the supporting cast are so well put together and perform as both individual's but also as supports to the central act of Errol's. Alan Hale Snr is brawny and funny as the loyal Little John, whilst Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck has that appealing mix of silly gluttony and moral rectitude that has always made his character enjoyable through the centuries. Claude Rains brings the right degree of oily aristocratic evilness to the role of King John, whereas Melville Cooper is a more cowardly and foolish Sheriff than may have been expected. Yet it's De Havilland and Basil Rathbone who help Errol Flynn turn this version of the Robin Hood legend into great cinema.

De Havilland, Flynn and Rathbone had first appeared together as a triumvirate in "Captain Blood", and in some ways the performances of their characters continue the motifs from the earlier film. Olivia's Marian is at first not too keen on Errol's Robin, but of course all it takes is some good deeds, fine words, a swashed buckle and those oh-so-tight green 'uniform' for her to melt into Robin's arms. Olivia De Havilland was one of the greats when it came to being the not quite so helpless heroines of the Hollywood studio films, and her work with Errol Flynn will always be highly regarded.

Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisborne on the otherhand is a delight as the wicked nemesis of Errol's Robin Hood. With an intelligence and skill with swords that none of the other baddies can match, Rathbone's Gisborne is in fact a better villian because he makes life so hard for Errol's Robin. I've always thought that Basil Rathbone deserves more plaudits for his role in developing the character of the cad, the anti-hero, the conspiring and plotting villian as part of Hollywood tradition. And in fact if you look at his Sherlock Holmes films he brings that same slightly cruel wickedness deployed coolly and intelligently to that particular good-guy.

Yet all in all it is Errol Flynn's movie. Errol's Robin is the best lover, the best swordsman, the best archer, the best people's champion, the best joker and even the best Englishman (for an Aussie) seen in swashbucklers and action movies up to the time of "...Robin Hood"s' release. It could be argued he never performed as well again (although I disagree with that proposal...his work in "Too Much, Too Soon" as John Barrymore is the best of his performances), but it can't be argued that he defined how the action hero should be. There would be no Indiana Jones and legions of other later action heroes in Hollywood films if it weren't for Flynn.

Two very important other elements must be cited when reviewing "The Adventures of Robin Hood". Firstly, Michael Curtiz's direction is flawless. Yes, he was no Orson Welles or Sergei Eisenstein. Curtiz understood what the genre's requirements were, and he knew that the individual performance of the hero was central to the sucess of a film.

Secondly, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" looks wonderful thanks to its technicolor film and the respective work of the art director and costume designer. This is a lush film visually, and of course coming at a time when black and white was the norm the colors and tones of "Adventures..." really mark it out as a rich visual experience. There are two great achievements in technicolor film; one is "Gone With The Wind"...this is the other.

Finally my personal history with this movie is one that is tightly linked to the guy who's photo is below. "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was a standard and frequent showing on Bill Collin's "Golden Years of Hollywood" on Channel 10 during the 1970s. I must haved watched it at least 2 or 3 times with Bill getting hyper about Errol, Olivia, Basil etc etc. I haven't got a copy on DVD right now, but when I have a few spare dollars it's certainly one I'll throw into my JB Hi Fi basket.

My Rating: 3.5 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.9: "Aladdin"

2008-07-06T16:13:00.003+10:00

There have been two golden periods when it comes to the production of traditional animated feature films from the House of the Mouse. The first in my opinion obviously began with "Snow White and The Seven Dwarves" through to "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (i.e. 1938-1961), when the combination of art, music, story and that ineffable ability of Disney's studios to make family pleasing movies defined the look and feel of the archetypal animated Disney feature. Yes, there were a couple of hiccups, and much could be said for later films (e.g. "The Jungle Book", "The Aristocats"), but by the early seventies going to a Disney animated feature seemed more like a chore for the parent and a sop for the kids because that was what you had to do to keep the littlies happy.

Then in 1989, thanks without any doubt to the music of the ex-Broadway composers Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus the then revolutionary integration of computer animation into the older 2-D style of Disney film "The Little Mermaid" began what I consider to be the second golden age of the Disney animated feature. This period arguably reached its highest points with the next two films "Beauty and the Beast" and the hilarious "Aladdin".

As the last of the Menken/Ashman Disney films (but not the last for the directing and scriptwriting team of Musker and Clements) "Aladdin" has the usual characteristics of the Disney animated feautre. A hero and a heroine. A couple of anthopomorphic sidekicks, a bad guy and his anthropomorphic offsider, and some minor characters that have more to them just a walk on role. There's a major love song (in this case "A Whole New World"), a bit of magic and a big big debt to a previously culturally specific fairy tale or myth. But, and this is the big but...no other film from Disney's animation studios had the anarchic vocal talents of Robin Williams.

Just as in "Good Morning Vietnam" where Barry Levinson effectively gave Williams free rein to improvise dialogue, "Aladdin" sees the voice of the genie going anarchic, which when you think about it is almost anti-Disney. This is one of the main reasons I like "Aladdin"; there is a slightly subversive feel to the flick. But what it really boils down to is that Robin Williams turns a reasonable storyline with some nice animation and great songs into a classic of the comic animated film. In fact, I'd argue that Robin Williams' work in this film made almost every other recent animated film where a star vocal talent gets to feature in a cartoon movie possible. Without Williams' Genie there'd have been no Tim Allen's Buzz, no Mike Myers' Shrek, no Williams' Fender. Perhaps this trend has become redundant and over-emphasized (yes, I am thinking of the Dreamworks films), but you can't criticise the original for starting this.

Putting aside Williams as the Genie I must say that the two good guys (i.e. Aladdin and Jasmine) are rather insipid. On the other hand, Jaffar and Iago (wonderfully voiced by Gilbert Gottfried) have many a scene which if it possible for animated characters to chew up, they do. In fact if Robin Williams' hadn't voiced the genie much of the plaudits would have been given to Gottfried's Iago.

As mentioned earlier this was the last of the Menken and Ashman movies for Disney, and in fact Tim Rice wrote the lyrics for "A Whole New World". But this doesn't detract from the overall feel of the film; thankfully much like the directors the songwriters in "Aladdin" make sure that when the chance comes for William's vocal talents to add to the movie that grasp it rather greedily, again with great comic effect.

Now as for my personal experience with this film, I saw this in the old Greater Union cinema George Street Sydney first off with my then 3 year old niece. She feel asleep shortly into the film, but I was absolutely wrapt with the movie. The sequence where the cave swirls out of the desert (one fo the more impressive CG effects) was a real eye opener, and of course it was damned hard not to fall on the floor laughing at Robin Williams. The scene at the end where the genie appears with a Goofy hat as bought from Disneyland is still one of the top 5 self-referential moments in any film from the likes of Disney and Pixar. And there was no reason why when I had the chance to see it again at the cinema I did, plus get it on video. I'm still to get the DVD, and have avoided the various sequels and spin offs like the plague.

Some people could say that "The Lion King" is the pinnacle of the second golden era of the Disney animated film (which in my opinion ended with "Hercules"). That doesn't do justice to the three Menken/Ashman films and when it comes down to it "Aladdin" is a far more adult-friendly, rib-tickling laugh out loud flick that the ones that came before or since.

My Rating: 3 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.8: "Alien Resurrection"

2008-06-28T19:10:00.005+10:00

After the frankly disappointing effort of 'Alien 3', I guess anyone who was a fan of the Alien franchise was hoping that if there was going to be another movie it had to effectively redeem the dud storylines of the previous sequel, preferably with Ripley involved. Then again, there were those who would have desired (and eventually succeeded in getting) a match up of the nastiest acid-blooded xenomorph against the baddest alien hunter (a.k.a. "Alien Versus Predator"). Whatever the influences, eventually in 1997 we got "Alien Resurrection"...

Perhaps not as rewarding as the first two films, "Alien Resurrection" does actually resurrect much of the qualities of the franchise simply by taking the basic elements (vulnerable humans, a vicious murderous alien, a conspiracy and a kick-arse heroine) and then giving them just enough tweaks to make the movie enjoyable without being utterly derivative. There is a different feel and look to "Alien Resurrection" that made it a better film than may have been expected and certainly a vast improvement on its immediate predecessor.

Much of the credit should be lain at the feet of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and scripters Joss Whedon and Dan O'Bannon. Jeunet gives the film a distinctly different look to the darkened corridors of the previous 3 films, whilst the plot developed to return both Ripley and the alien is quite serviceable. There are some scenes that work just as effectively as some of those highlights from earlier films (particularly the cloned Ripley meeting her other failed 'versions'). And you can see both obvious and sly references to Jeunet's other work (particularly "Delicatessen"). Finally, when it comes to script and direction the enhancing of Ripley's character into something both inhuman and heroic is quite surprising.

There are downsides, and the biggest is undoubtedly the fact that 'seen one slaughter of the humans by the xenos, seen 'em all' returns. Roger Ebert's review makes his own reference to this issue, and I can understand the weariness creeping in by this fourth Alien film. Also, I'm not too enamoured with Winona Ryder as Call, the good android. Ryder's acting talents have never been great and she dials in a fairly average performance. If the idea was to give uber-Ripley another surrogate child to care for then that didn't gel for me.

Returning to the positives, I like the various character actors who fill in the secondary roles with both their own idiosyncratic style and enjoyment. Ron Perlman as Johner, Dan Hedaya as General Perez, Brad Dourif as Dr Gediman, JE Wren as Dr Wren and Leland Orser as Purvis all have their moments. Yes, they are all playing carictatures but the core relationship in "Alien Resurrection" is that between Ripley and the alien(s). The supporting cast provide all the background colour required without distracting from this essential plot issue.

Now as for my own viewing history of "Alien Resurrection", whilst I've not got it on DVD I saw it both on original release (at the old Parramatta Village Cinema complex) plus seen several repeats on TV. It's certainly not as shit-scary as the first two flicks in the series, and I understand why the law of diminishing returns erodes my enjoyment of the film. But if I had to give one reason to watch "Alien Resurrection" it would have to be because it ain't "Alien 3".

My Rating: 2 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.7: "Alien 3"

2008-06-17T00:23:00.004+10:00

Oh dear. Oh fecking dear! Just when you thought that the idea of the "Alien" franchise (by the way, I hate that word 'franchise' when talking about films...make's the process sound like some kind of dry cleaning business or fast food chain) had reached its creative highpoint and end with the escape of Ripley, Newt and Hicks from the xenomorphs, along comes "Alien 3" and the usual expectations of most Hollywood sequels is confirmed. What a dog of a movie!

Along with almost every other person who has seen this movie and/or has a deep respect for the first two films in this series, "Alien 3" is probably the worst of the four Ripley based films (and as I refuse to see "Alien Versus Predator Requiem" I'm going to say it's the worst full stop). So, what makes one have such loathing for what on the basic premise (i.e. the Aliens continue to stalk Ripley, killing anyone she loves, likes or even just shakes hands with)? Because dear reader, the premise is redundant, the execution sloppy and the whole idea of what happens in this sequel undermines what was the excellent story arc from the first two films.

If one reads the Wikipedia entry on this film there is a reasonable discussion of the problems and production issues behind the scenes, which have tainted "Alien 3"'s reputation. The guts of my beef with this sequel is that Newt and Hicks are killed as part of Ripley's arrival on the prison mine planet Fury 161, and on top of that almost unbelievably an alien face hugger was able to parasitically inseminate poor Ripley with a queen embryo. The internal logic of the past two films is literally thrown aside, and of course what undermines my appreciation (alongside many other critics) of "Alien 3" is that Sigourney Weaver's character is fated to die. Killing off a pivotal character in any movie series is high risk (for comparision watch how "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan" and "Star Trek: Generations" handle the death of a central figure...one brilliantly, one very ho hum). And seeing Ripley killed by the Alien and also effectively by Weyland Yutani negates the whole fight against such evil forces in the first two films. I know that there is a logic to the concept of the unhappy ending and if it is dramatically consistent so be it. But how is anything really served creatively to wipe out the survivors of LV426? Nope...I hate this part of "Alien 3".

The production values (set, effects, costume, light, sound) are all solid so technically it isn't a bad film. I can also respect some of the performances and of course Sigourney Weaver shows incredible strength playing Ripley. When she has Newt dissected in an autopsy to discover if the child was infected by a face higger, there is a palpable sense of sorrow and loss. But again, what does all this serve aside from the messy and indulgent plot threads of a weak story?

I have never seen "Alien 3" in the cinema, instead I have relied on video and TV broadcasts. If this has meant that my judgement is flawed, so be it. Then again, I find it hard to believe that my criticisms are any less valid because I didn't pony up the bucks to sit in a darkened hall with strangers to watch this movie. I don't have "Alien 3" on DVD and I would only be willing to get it in that format if gifted or burnt on a home recording. I prefer thinking of the end of "Aliens" as the best stopping point for this sci-fi saga. But of course, there is "Alien Resurrection"...

My Rating: 1 Bill

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.6: "Aliens"

2008-06-14T16:40:00.003+10:00

Okay, so you've watched the claustrophobic horror that is "Alien", and you want more of the nastiest xenomorph in cinema history. How do you bring the same terror to the big screen, maybe even improve on it, recapture the interest of the fans of the original film and bring in new audiences. Simple; make a war film where there is a whole freaking army of the acid-blooded, razor teethed nasies and a band of rapidly dwindling soldiers come face to face with annihalation. To top it off, bring back the heroine from the first flick and make her the meanest mother there is.

Now as far as I am concerned, whilst the original Ridley Scott film was good, this is without a doubt the best in the whole still-expanding "Aliens" franchise. James Cameron retained certain creative elements from the previous film, including Dan O'Bannon as part of the script team (if you ever get a chance check out "Dark Star", a counter-culture sci-fi flick from 1974 which O'Bannon co-wrote and stars in). However, as earlier shown in "The Terminator" Cameron is a great action director and he pulls together the special effects with a compelling plot terribly well.

The issues that were originally raised back in "Alien" resurface in the sequel, particularly as to the corporate evil that lurks behind the whole "Aliens" environment. Unlike in the first film where there was a somewhat shadowy aspect to this theme, in "Aliens" we get the full impact of Weyland-Yutano's profits-before-people operations thanks to the character of Carter Burke (Paul Reiser's first big film role, and one that he pulls off pretty well for a comedian playing it dead straight). Then there are the unfortunate colonists on LV-426 who become alien fodder.

It's at this point that "Aliens" becomes a war film as the Colonial Marines get despatched to go on a bug hunt, with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) back to face her own nightmares as part of the mission. From the moment they land on LV-426 the marines are in a world of pain, and it's because not only has their mission been undermined by incompetence, they simply don't have the sheer terrifying killing power of their enemy.

I referred in my previous blog about "Alien" how the first film was inspired by earlier Hollywood films. Again we see similar derivations in "Aliens", in that as the soldiers get picked off one by one by the insidious enemy, we are reminded of such films as "The Lost Patrol", "Bataan" and "Sahara". Beginning badly with an ambush where a good portion of the marines are either killed or captured by the aliens (to be used for hosts), it gets worse as escape seems almost impossible. Thankfully Ripley keeps her head whilst ably supported by Corporal Hicks (one of James Cameron's stock actor's, Michael Biehn) and surprise surprise, the 'artifical person' Bishop who's predecessor on the Nostromo actively sought to help capture the alien.

But perhaps the most powerful aspect of this film aside from all the explosive action and 'who's gunna die next' plotline is the manner in which Ripley fights for the young girl Newt. Cameron obviously enjoys in his epic sci-fi films a strong female character fighting for her child (e.g. Sarah Connor in particularly "Terminator 2"), and Sigourney Weaver delivers in spades. The scene where Ripley straps into the cargo loading suit to take on the alien mother is fantastic ("get away from her you bitch!")

I first saw "Aliens" at the old Hayden Twin Cinema Penirth in 1986, in a small theatrette that nowadasy would be considered similar to what many home theatre fans set up. I watched the flick through fingers for many a scene (particularly when the first drop ship and its crew get infilitrated by an alien), and thankfully whilst the frightening parts of the film were in abaundance, there was plenty of good dialogue, solid acting and strong combat scenes to keep me happy (plus the small audience made the movie more intimate.

"Aliens" will always be one of my favourite sci-fi films because it combines so much that I enjoy. Detailed characterisation of the core roles, deep back story, multiple themes and a credibly intriguing alien. Combine that with some fantastic action sequences and lots of gung-ho war film action and you get a bona fide classic.

My Rating: 4 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.5: Alien

2008-06-13T10:35:00.003+10:00

Let's face it, when it comes to underpants-staining, hold the cinema seat in a death grip, have to watch the film through your fingers types of movies, "Alien" is way up there. It's a film that I have only watched a couple of times because of the amazing way it scares the bejesus out of me. And as sci-fi franchise opening acts, it could be argued only the first "Star Wars" film has created a more significant cultural legacy.

In certain ways "Alien" is hardly an original film and in fact this is one of its strengths. The concept of the "who dies next" film has been around in mainstream cinema for many a year, and of course is a standard plot device for crime and detective fiction since at least the days of Sherlock Holmes. One of the earliest examples of the "who gets killed next" genre was "And Then There Was None", an adaptation of an Agatha Christie movie. And of course after "Alien" there came so many other sci-fi riffs off this theme (e.g. "Sphere", "Event Horizon") that in some ways the shock value of such a methodology has been significantly downgraded. And perhaps more or less can be said about the "Alien Versus Predator" sequels later. Anyway, "Alien" is arguably the pinnacle of this iconic way to construct a horror/mystery/sci-fi film.

Then there is the not-so-subtle anti-corporate message of "Alien", and the manner in which poor unsuspecting employees are used as sacrifical lambs by their employers. A more recent plot device than that discussed above, this concept within a film probably only started to flourish from the 1970s. "The China Syndrome" could be seen as emblematic of the way film has treated this issue, although maybe the roots go back as far as "Modern Times" and "Metropolis" with their visions of the worker pitted against an unsympathetic corporate structure. The likes of Parker, Kain, Lambert et al in "Alien" are just as much the unwitting victims of their employer as they are of the alien which kills them on the Nostromo.

All this deep and meaningful anaylsis is superfluous however when one considers the ultimate reason why this is a classic film. It is f-cking frightening!! Written by sci-fi cult legend Dan O'Bannon and directed by Ridley Scott, "Alien" has this incredible power thanks to the amazing mix of the alien itself, the careful use of lighting, the dramatic build up and even the resolution. Hans Geiger's design work is phenomenal on the alien; it is viscerally scary, from the face hugger to the chest burster to the fully grown killing machine. "Alien" reminded the film goer that not every alien was going to be as nice as the wookie Chewbacca from "Star Wars"; in fact, it's a totally evil motherf-cker.

Scott was also intelligent enough to understand that the best way to make the viewer wet their undies was to not show th alien until the last few scenes. The ancient Greeks understood that horror was best left off stage until the last moment, and Ridley Scott follows this model well. Of course there is the chest bursting sequence with Kane (John Hurt), but as soon as the gore hits the floor the alien scuttles away. To add to the horror, the alien doesn't just kill like an animal such as a lion or tiger, it also captures its prey and effectively impregnates it, which adds a pseudo-sexual horror to the movie. Few devices work better than sex and death, and they're there in spades in "Alien".

A few words on the characters; they are effectively cardboard cut outs. Only Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, and to a lesser extent Tom Skerrit's Dallas have anything to round out their personas. This isn't a bad thing, because in effect we know just enough about them to care when the Nostromo crew gets killed, but not enough to also thrill with horror at their demises. It's natural that Ripley survives because it is her character that actually has the most development. And of course what was set up here made the concept of the gutsy combative female heroine far more significant in films than had been seen for quite some time in Hollywood cinema.

Now as I said above, I've not watched this film too often because it scares the shit outta me. I missed it in the cinemas, and so I can't judge it in that context. However I can say that when I have watched it aside from freaking me out with its tension and horror, the franchise concept of "Alien" has been one of my faves for years now and this is where it all starts. Definitely a film not to watch in the dark with your wifey or s.o., and a bottle of red!

My Rating: 3 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.4: The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert

2008-06-12T23:58:00.003+10:00

The old ideal of the Australian male is usually associated with some sort of laconic, friendly country man, self-deprecating, quick witted and definitely straight. Our cultural heroes have been the likes of the Anzacs, the Don, Ned Kelly, even (and I say this with much trepidation) Steve Irwin. Paul Hogan and the rather silly Irwin both fashioned movie careers (or at least tried to) out of this construct. It's a man's country, with men's movies, Australia.

Oh, unless you remember "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of The Desert"

Without a doubt, this was one of the best Australian films to come out of the 1990s and with "Muriel's Wedding" formed part of the strongest performing brace of films from down under since the days of "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and "Storm Boy". And as I intimated in my introduction, "...Priscilla" takes great pleasure in both taking the piss out of the stereotypical Australian male character, whilst partly revelling in some of those attributes I mentioned above. On top of that, like so many great Australian films the non-speaking character that is the Australian landscape is always there. In fact, Stephan Elliot uses the outback just as John Ford used the Monument Valley in Utah...it was a backdrop but also a participant in the movie.

So, how good is this film? Pretty bloody good in my opinion. Perhaps most succinctly summarised as a queer road movie, with some slightly conventional sentiments underneath the outrageous characterisations, "...Priscilla" is both funny and moving. It takes three characters who arguably aren't innately likeable (and if you have a low threshold for gay men possibly also repugnant) and actually shows you something personable, warm, funny and moving. There's crude language and some fairly pointed sexual and scatalogical jokes (which puts "...Priscilla" funnily enough into the same canon as "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie"), but at no time is this some kind of homosexual version of Carry On Downunder. In fact, I don't even think it's a gay piece of cinema; it's more about the concept of individuality and celebrating difference. The straight characters can be just as sympathetic or as obnoxious as the gays, and there are moments when the clash of cultures (particularly the scenes set in Broken Hill) when Mitzi, Bernadetta and Felicia (a.k.a. Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp and Guy Pearce) are just as shocked at the environment they are in as those people who meet them in their place. There is not much hate and rejection in a film that could have taken these themes and run with them reasonably easily.

Ultimately, "...Priscilla" is a classic Aussie comedy, and it's one that stands the test of time quite nicely. Terence Stamp, ex-British bovver boy actor of the 60s is fantastic as transexual Bernadette, whilst Guy Pearce brings a solid performance as the outrageous queer Felicia (and alongside his role in "LA Confidential" this is the best work he has ever done). Hugo Weaving's character of Mitzi is more like a catalyst, being the point of action and reaction rather than being the movie's key protoganist. Yes, it is his journey to Alice Springs to confront his past and the responsibilities of a son, but it is those around him who most attract out interest. In fact that is what Hugo Weaving seems best at; drawing out intriguing characterisations from his co-actors (though he is a damned good actor himself).

Perhaps the most surprisingly effective work in this film is done by Bill Hunter. Over the last 30 years Australian films had to have either him, Jack Thompson, Chris Hayward or Bryan Brown in them to qualify on the 'ridgey didge-dinky di' scale. And Bill Hunter has usually played the gruff, serious, dead set butch decent Australian man. In "...Priscilla" he has a wife who shoots ping pong balls out of a certain part of her anatomy, who he married after a seriously debauched night, and then he finds himself growing extremely attached to the transexual Bernadette. Bill has basically been given the golden opportunity to play his usual role from past movies, in a new situation where he stands out as a fish out of water, yet he's also comfortable with this. It's a role that if it had been played broader it could have been an unfunny carictature; here he's funny and enjoyable.

Now, as for my personal history with "...Priscilla", I didn't immediately warm to it when I saw it on the big screen at what was then the new Belgrave Cinema in Armidale in 1995. Perhaps I wasn't ready for it, or my innate conservatism rejected the queer sensabilities. Whatever the case, when I next watched it on video a year or so later I changed my mind. It's a great film, one I've not watched for some time but will enjoy whenever I do, and it also makes me smile when I watch the aforementioned scenes in Broken Hill. As a town that formed much of my family history, seeing places I've been to (or even certain relatives had their honeymoon in...Mario's the hotel with the uber-kitsch ceilings being the key location), seeing it used this way by "...Priscilla" is quite satisfying. "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" is a very funny, visually impressive and truly Australian film that is deintely worth a squizz. And by the way, watch for great Aussie film critic Margaret Pomeranz for her cameo as Felicia's mum.

My Rating: 3 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.3: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

2008-06-11T09:40:00.003+10:00

Terry Gilliam is one of those creative personalities in the cinema world who can deeply divide his critics. Some find much to admire and enjoy in his work, with others showing major dislike for other movies. For example, "Tideland" one of his most recent efforts being described as "a disturbing, and mostly unwatchable effort...". In fact, the first adjective perhaps best describes the Gilliam methodology...disturbing. Watching a Gilliam film is always disturbing, in that you see scenes and filmic visions that shake you out of your complacency. Sometimes they are gross or horrific (I dare anyone to watch "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and not feel some degree of revulsion at the imagery), othertimes his disturbing set-pieces are Rabelaisian or Orwellian comic masterpieces (e.g. the nun asking the policeman about a machine gun in "Brazil"). Perhaps the only true medievialist in cinema, Terry Gilliam is an ex-Python who has perhaps gone off on the strangest tangent. And as expensive, strange and arguably bloated tangents go, well they don't get much more perplexing nor as financially ruinous as "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen".

Made after his first undoubted artistic masterpiece "Brazil", "...Munchausen" was without a doubt a major financial flop. Far more astute film critics can go into the whys and the wherefors, as I am sure they have. In my opinion the central reason was that Gilliam's imagination doesn't work well with financial realities. In fact, again citing the medievalist model, Gilliam seems to work with a sense of the sprawling, fantastic and unreally ambitious, perhaps like the Catalan architect Gaudi and his 'La Sagrada da Familia'. Tottering edifices with amazing details and a detachment from everyday life can be seen in both Gaudi and Gilliam's work. Unfortunately it is damned rare to find Mr and Mrs Joe Average in Mid-west America who would be willing to sit through a confusing and sprawling myth about a congenital liar from German folklore.

One thing that must be said about "...Munchausen" is that it looks fantastic. The sets, the costumes, the special effects all hit you full on. Gilliam's illustrator's eye helps a hell of a lot. But just because a film is lovely to look at doesn't mean you'll actually want to look at it. Unfortunately "...Munchausen" fails to really excite because it is just too all over the place. Is it a kid's film...maybe? Is it a parody of the heroic myth...yeah, I guess? Is it a tribute to great Hollywood films from a bygone era like "The Thief of Baghdad"...possibly? Is it even a satire on the meaning of truth, the beaurocratic mentality, mortality and old age? Not sure. "...Munchausen" suffers because unlike "Time Bandits" or "The Fisher King" there is no central concept behind the movie. Gilliam takes the original concept and literally goes berko, making a film that is fuelled by star power and roman candle-like ideas.

Take a look at the cameos featured in the movie, as an example of this indulgent form of film making. There's Uma Thurman, Robin Williams, Oliver Reed, Sting, Jonathon Pryce and Ray Cooper all bobbing up in one form or another, generally with almost no real harmony with the film (excluding Pryce, a criminally under-used actor in my opinion, and Reed who plays nicely off his wild man reputation as a domesticated version of the god Vulcan). I'm particularly disenchanted with Robin Williams who is quite inane in his role, whereas Uma Thurman is just there as visual ornamentation. The leads vary from John Neville as Munchausen, a strong performance from an actor until then mostly in theatre, to Eric Idle who puts in a riff from his Python days as his performance, to Charles McKeown who frankly doesn't interest or has much depth as a character. Sarah Polley as Sally has charm and like Kevin from "Time Bandits" sees through the vanity and silliness of her supposedly more mature adult companions. Unfortunately no one really is likeable or intriguing...even Munchausen's lies and fables lose the viewer. You don't actually feel like you want someone to succeed in "...Munchausen", unlike Sam in "Brazil", Kevin in "The Time Bandits" or Jack and Parry in "The Fisher King".

I know these are fairly simple criticisms, but what is most frustrating about "...Munchausen" is lurking underneath the gilding and the big budget is probably the kernel of a great film. Gilliam's issues with his imagination are a guilty and expansive pleasure, and when they are roped in and harnessed to a co-creative force (e.g. Michael Palin's co-scripting on "Time Bandits"), or driven by a key performance (e.g. Jeff Bridges in "The Fisher King") then his work his sublime. "...Munchausen" is at best rather attractive.

Now as for my own personal history with the film, well the key reason I wanted to see this when first released was it came from one of the six Pythons, and had some key Python-linked personnel involved. I loved (and still do) "Time Bandits" and found "Brazil" enjoyable if challenging. "...Munchausen" was a no brainer for me. Unfortunately I took my then girlfriend to the film who proceeded to find "...Munchausen" quite unappealing. She didn't really 'get' Gilliam, which is hardly surprising considering I don't get a lot of his more recents films either. Bored and unhappy she took some of the gloss off the movie experience for me. Of course with copies of first the video and now the DVD I have stripped away some of that negativity, but even after that the frailities of "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" are quite obvious. It's been a few years since I sat down to watch it, and perhaps it will be a while yet till I see it again.

Anyway, my final recommendation would eb to watch "...Munchausen" as part of a Gilliam-fest. On its own it may not be really enjoyable, but if you are willing to be indulgent to yourself and the director, and watch this movie with "Brazil" and "Time Bandits" then perhaps you will get a better sense of what Terry Gilliam set out to achieve.

Rating: 1.5 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.2: The Adventures of Barry McKenzie

2008-06-10T20:43:00.003+10:00

There was a time when Australian film wasn't available in the cinemas. Almost every flick you saw at the movies or the drive in were imported from the US or the UK. Even Australian stories like "Eureka Stockade" or "Summer of the Seventeenth Dol l" were filtered through the myopic vision of Pommy or Yank directors, producers, actors, screenwriters. The cultural cringe in film making after World War II in australia was alive and well, up until the late 60s, early 70s. And then...well a broad-brimmed hat wearing, foul-mouthed, Fosters swilling virgin on the look out for some furburger in Earl's Court hit our screens. That film was "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie".

First off, I am both proud to say yet ashamed to admit that this movie is not what you call high art. No one would accuse the genuises behind "Bazza.." of trying to remake a Fellini or Eisenstein masterpice. After all, one of the pivotal scenes has Barry Crocker (who won the part of Bazza because of his big chin) parking a tiger or chundering on the head of a Jewish psychologist. Then there is the musical moment when Bazza sings a refined melody to the "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" woman, Julie Covington, about his one eyed trouser snake. Finally, the climax to the movie is set in a BBC TV studio where Bazza and his Aussie expat mates douse a fire by pissing on it. Let's just say this is a fairly broad Rabelaisian comedy.

The big issue that must be remembered though was in 1972 not only did Australians see an Australian film made for them, they saw it in droves and the movie made quite a deal of money. In these days when there are all sorts of governmental supports and a far more traditional view that Australians can make movies, very very few far more artistically worthy films turn a profit. At the beginning of the 70s it was imperative that Aussie features spoke to us and actually turned a profit. If it wasn't for "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (alongside "Alvin Purple" and "Stork") then no one would have risked the investment in later Aussie classics. Hell, the same guy who directed "Driving Miss Daisy" was before that great Hollywood film the man who told Barry Crocker to put a tin of curry down his underpants in "Bazza..." (i.e. Bruce Beresford).

But enough of a semi-serious defence of the rather rude and crude legacy of "Bazza...". Whilst it is wildly uneven, there are few Australian comedies that make you laugh as much as this film (so long as you can forget the definite non-politically correct humour of Barry Humphries). There are some great cameos from the likes of Spike Milligan, Dennis Price and Peter Cook, whilst Humphries himself appears as the now universally successful megastar Edna Everidge (no Damehood yet...that comes in the sequel). Watching "Bazza..." is also like seeing Australian social history, from the importance placed on making sure you have clean undies in case you have an accident, through the then iconic Qantas bag and the very desirable Qantas hosties, to seeing Australians actually enjoying Fosters beer (in a real steel can). If you can laugh at yourself being an Aussie, then you can porbably laugh at this film. Unless your a blue nosed stuck up Pommy wanker that is.

I guess what really appeals to me about this film, from a nostalgic point of view if not an artistic one, is that "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie" was previously available as a rather naughty comic book, which my father had lying around our home at the time and which (if I was sneaky enough) I could cop a few peeks at and get all giggly over the use of 'bloody' and 'bastard' by the eponymous hero. Obviously I was too young to get the satire (if indeed "Bazza..." is a satire). It was just rude and funny, hence quite interesting for a 7 year old boy. And them, growing up in the 70s and 80s I got to grips with the more adult messages of the movie, whilst still laughing pretty bloody hard.

Now the question is, can "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie" be recommended to the viewing public of early 21st Century Australia (if not the world)? Maybe not...the humour can be lewd, definitely politically incorrect and rather simplistic at times. Even the use of Aussie slang at a time where the word 'cobber' was barely mentioned in Australian conversation means much may mystify the modern and/or foreign viewer. But deep down, below the filth and prurience of a rather naughty comedy, is a classic Aussie movie. You need to see this just so you can understand where Australian film and other forms of culture came from to be where they are now. And if that isn't a sufficent recommendation then go stick your head up a dead bear's bum!

Rating: 2.5 Bills

Not The Bill Collins Blog No.1: About A Boy

2008-06-09T14:51:00.003+10:00

In this, my first foray into the choppy waters of film criticism, I'm going to categorically state that the movies I look at won't be ones I generally haven't enjoyed. I'm happy to sink the slipper into something as bad as Robert Altman's "Pret a Porter" or the absolutely woeful remake of "The Island of Dr Moreau", featuring the corpulent carcass of the once great Marlon Brando as either Moreau or the island, take your pick. It's all too easy to say a film is shite and hard to then find other ways of saying it. What is more interesting from my point of view is to find films that I have enjoyed and much like my album critiques explore what has appealed to me about the flick, or its place in my memory or personal history. So, this will be an utterly personal, subjective and arguably non-classical approach to film appreciation or criticism.

And so to "About A Boy"...

In the holy trinity of Nick Hornby books that have been turned into films, "About a Boy" is possibly the most faithfully adapted (unlike the original "Fever Pitch" which is a significant deviation from the novel, or "Hi Fidelity" which transplants the story from London), and as one who read the book before seeing the film I appreciate this. Throughout cinema history the ability to wring a faithful retelling of a book (or indeed a play, poem, musical...you name the original media form) is an incredibly hard balancing act. Stay too linear and attached to the plot and you may create a verbose, stagnant film. Stray too far and the interest and loyalty the original source may have attracted will feel totally pissed off at the changes. For every "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" that grabs the original material and turns it into something vibrant, new and exciting there is a "The Sum of All Fears" that just retreads a reasonably readable book into hackneyed film boredom.

Anyway, "About A Boy" follows the novel quite closely, which is natural considering that Nick Hornby was part of the writing team behind the film. What is somewhat surprising is how well certain other members of the cast and crew contribute to the movie, in ways that may be considered unexpected. Take for example the Weisz brothers who directed and co-wrote the screen play. Amongst their corpus of work was the original "American Pie" films, which revel in juvenile male sex humour. Or the hideously redundant "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" (why anyone would want this on their screenwriting resume I don't know). The Weisz brothers take their undoubtedly strong instinctive ability to make a film that speaks to young men, but thank goodness the innate quality of Hornby's source filters their sensibilities into creating something more than previous efoorts involving penises thrust into apple pies. Even the moments where there is a potential for slapstick, broad humour that the Weisz's could fall back onto stereotypes happen in "About A Boy" (the dead duck scene) are made more subtle and arguably more funny.

Then there is Hugh Grant who is the key actor in the movie, and who's character Will is indeed utterly willful. We watch the movie through Will's eyes, the story is interpreted through his narrative. Now as this was the second film in Grant's evolution into a not-quite-bad bad boy, following on from "Bridget Jones' Diary" it was quite enjoyable to see Mr Stuttering Lovelorn Englishman become a bit more engaging. There are some quite satisfying moments, whether they be the scenes where Will has the audacity to go cruising for women at a single mother's society meeting, or the awkward celebration of the school concert. You actually like Grant's Will for being a selfish git who finds out more about himself. There is a definite moral and emotional development, from the character who wants to be Ibiza to someone who can enjoy Christmas (even though his own kidulthood is predicated by his father's success with a crap Christmas song). I'd argue this is easily one of the top two or three performances by Grant during his career.

Another surprise is the performance of Nicholas Hoult as Marcus. Relatively unknown at the time, Hoult brings an emotional truth to his characterisation of a boy faced with being an adult (and a much troubled one at that) before he gets the chance to be a boy. Anyone who has been a child of a divorce understands how hard it is to retain your innocence and avoid growing up way too fast, particularly in the early teenage years, and I'm quite happy with how Hoult makes you feel something beyond amusement at his esoteric behaviours. He may not have become a hugely successful adult actor (and not many child stars do), but when anyone considers his film career in retrospect then no one could say he didn't start very well.

The female characters and their respective performers may not have as much strength in their stories, although Toni Collette as Fiona does quite well. Hornby's books and undoubtedly his films aren't really made with great female characters or a feminine understanding. In fact, that is what appeals to me in some way because "About a Boy" and the other books and films with a masculine centrality are actually a (at the time) new genre...the "chick flick for dicks". That is to say, they are about men who actually have emotions beyond the usually stereotypical, the butch or the cartoonish Schwarzenneger type. "About A Boy" is still an artifice to be sure. but it has a roundness to the male characters that speaks more subtly yet more loudly than a "Die Hard 2" or "End of Days".

Now as to where this movie sits in my personal experience, "About A Boy" was and still is a fave, but slightly lesser in my own ranking compared to "Fever Pitch" and "High Fidelity". The music from "Badly Drawn Boy" isn't quite as significant to the film as the soundtracks for the other two films, and if there is one aspect of Hornsby's books and films that make me enjoy them it is the linkage between pop music, plot and character (e.g. Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road" at the end of "Fever Pitch"). The mixture of humour and wry observations are perhaps a little broader, more Hollywood-ish in "About a Boy", but still make me engage with the film in a way far more worthy than say watching "300" (I know, a perverse juxtaposition there). I'm no huge fan of Hugh Grant, but I do like him here. And finally this movie was always going to suffer because for me the first two Hornby books and films really did 'speak' to me...it's a little hard to have empathy for a rich, self-indulgent spoiled kidult when you generally are conditioned to avoid these behaviours.

In summary "About A Boy" is certainly pleasant to watch, and there is a goodly mix of funny and serious moments. As part of a Nick Hornbt or Hugh Grant fest it'd work quite nicely, and for a flick to watch with the girlfriend or wifey with some pocorn or even a bottle of red and some brie it'd be worth a go. There's some laughs, a few 'hmmm, that's a nice moment' monets and a few zinging one-liners. Certainly no "Citizen Kane", but definitely no "Revenge of The Nerds"

Rating: Three Bills out of Five

Andrew's Albums No 13: "Mystery Girl" by Roy Orbison

2008-06-08T23:13:00.003+10:00

In the last 50 odd years of rock'n'roll and pop there have been some great vocalists, either as having simply wonderful tonal ability or as amazing stylists. Of course there is Elvis Presley with his black sound and white posturing. Then there was the likes of the the collective harmonies of The Beach Boys. Mick Jagger in his earlier days was able to make many a Stones song sound menacingly erotic, whilst Michael Jackson at the peak of his powers had amazing success with his energetic singing. Many would say that Freddie Mercury was good enough to rank up there with professional opera singers with his range (and his performance with Monserrat Caballe merits such praise), whilst Bob Dylan and Tom Waits have made their rather unique approach to singing almost an additional instrument in their musical performances. Yet when it comes to identifying the greatest rock vocalist ever, I'd say it's almost certain that the award should go to the late great Roy Orbison.

For me The Big O's voice has that incredible ability to pull the most powerful emotions out of any song he was given or he composed himself, without any obvious effort, and with the merest of phrasing. Combine this with a range that could soar and float across who knows how many octaves, or come down to earth and glide with whispered sadness or controlled joy, and you have the most amazing vocal talent. During his first flowering he took so many songs ("Pretty Woman", "In Dreams", "Only The Lonely", "Crying" etc etc) further than similarly simply crafted pop songs into rarefied air. And then, after many years in the commerical wilderness, just as his premature death took that voice away from us permanently a magnificent coda was released for his listeners. The album; "Mystery Girl".

To start off with, there would have been no "Mystery Girl" if there hadn't have been the likes of Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bono and T Bone Burnett to restore the structures Roy Orbison needed for his voice to soar again, generating huge sales. Yes, his death helped make the commercial success of the album greater, but considering later posthumous releases (e.g. "King of Hearts") never scaled these heights the Big O's death wasn't the major contributor to this renaissance in sales. It was the unique combination of voice, emotion, songs, performers and production that took "Mystery Girl" further than would have been believed possible during Roy's doldrum days recording for MGM.

Take as an example the semi-title track "She's a Mystery To Me". I'm not sure if anyone could have suspected that U2's impassioned lead singer Bono could give Orbison an almost mystical sensory song to climb his voice along. The lyrics are almost like a post-modern salute to "In Dreams", but at the same time this is a new Big O. Wiser, more ephermeral yet grounded in almost stream of consciousness musing on the 'Mystery Girl'. Put this together with the next track, Elvis Costello's "The Comedians" and you have Roy almost reinventing himself yet this is the same guy who understood how "Only The Lonely" felt.

Then there is the opening song and at the time huge single, "You Got It". Very very few singers get the opportunity to have a hit song. Even fewer get the opportunity to repeat it. But how many can take an almost criminally simple pop song and achieve such amazing success and harmonious power in a 3.30 minute song. "You Got It" was almost the perfect way for the then recently passed Big O to be recognised; he did have it...in spades.

Now as for my personal interest in the album, and I could run off reams of faux-criticism of the music, the real significance of "Mystery Girl" was it was the best recording to come from all the post-Wilburys efforts, and like the best of Orbison the music could be played at my happiest and at my most depressed. "The Comedians" or "Careless Heart" captured all the maudlin self-mortification when love went belly up for me, and sounded almost as good as "Leah" or "Only The Lonely" when played loud and strong in a totally darkened bedroom. "You Got It" was the perfect singalong track, whereas "California Blue" was like Roy and The Beatles filtered through Jeff Lynne. And whilst I've never really enjoyed U2, I'm forever grateful that Bono had Roy perform "She's a Mystery to Me". There are some tracks that aren't quite as good ("A Love So Beautiful" is the least successful), but in the days when 10 tracks and no remixes were the norm for an album this was a damned good strike rate.

With it being almost 20 years since the album was released, and this being 20 years since Roy died, it would be nice to think that "Mystery Girl" can be re-released as a showcase for arguably the greatest male voice in the rock'n'roll era. Whilst the early Roy was best experienced in those operatic singles of the early 60s, the Roy that I experienced the most was on this album, and it still holds true to his memory.

Music Score: 8/10
Nostalgia Score: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: "You Got It", "She's a Mystery To Me", "The Comedians", "Careless Heart"

Andrew's Albums No 12: "Trampoline" by The Mavericks

2008-05-27T17:45:00.003+10:00

I was badly treated as a child, a victim of abuse that even today scars my very soul. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night screaming, a cold sweat bathing my body and leaving me tremoring like an old man with ague. Then there are those moments when I'm walking down a street or into someone's house, and all it takes is a single sound that takes me back to those dim dark years and again I'm a blubbering mess.

And what was the nature of this unforgiveable crime against my childhood? What is it that even now keeps me from pursuing a happy, healthy and balanced lifestyle?

Well dear reader, it was....COUNTRY MUSIC! Or more specifically, the trucking songs of John Laws and the up tempo Californian country of Merle 'Okie from Muskogee' Haggard. Whether it was Slim Dusty Live from Wagga Wagga in the car as I was driven to Broken Hill, or Tex Ritter on a 2KY country music special, the sounds of gee-tarz, fiddles, the Grand Ole Opry and rednecks were omipresent when it came to music in my childhood home. So it was to be expected I held some fairly hostile views against hillbilly yee-hah music.

Then along came the smoother, Tex-Mex country-pop sound of 'The Mavericks' and "Trampoline" and my world view went through a kind of revelation. Not all country and western music was going to be about divorce, drinking, cowboys and cheating women/men/dogs. Some it could actually be good...

Now it can be easily argued that this is about as much a country album as "Frampton Comes Alive" is a zydeco/blues/roots influenced magnum opus. We're not talking The Carter Family, Johnny Cash or Loretta Lynn, nor thank christ Conway Twitty. This is an album that is suffused with latino rhythms and pop sensabilities that would reflect quite nicely on the careers of Los Lobos or even the much revered West Texan Roy Orbison. The Mavericks aren't Alabama or Brooks and Dunn; they're actually bloody good!

For me the heart and soul of this album and The Mavericks is Raul Malo. His voice, alongside that of Chris Isaak is the closest to Roy's we've ever heard since The Big O dropped off the twig."Trampoline" has the benefit of Malo co-producing, therefore we actually get the due prominence for his vocal talents, as shown on tracks like "Dream River" and "Fool #1". Also, a little similar to another bearded artist with a few albums in my collection (i.e. Jeff Lynne) Raul Malo contributes mightily by writing almost all songs. Raul even twangs up the Jeff Lynne-esque feel to "Trampoline" by bringing in a strings section. Maybe "Trampoline" could be the country album ELO never made!

Of course this isn't a one man band and album; the rest of the Mavericks contribute mightily. Paul Deakin's drums are synchopated to the tracks with enough energy to make you 'Dance The Night Away' (I know, that's a fairly lame allusion to the big hit from the album), whilst the arrangements of Dennis Burnside means you can enjoy the wall of sound coming from strings and horns behind almost every song.

Putting aside my obvious enthusiasm for "Trampoline" and its place in the growing acceptance I hold now for country music (hell, I even have a Merle Haggard Greatest Hits collection now!), the most fervent recommendation I can make on behalf of the album is that it is bloody enjoyable. There's no great intellectual, music or intellectual leitmotifs to score the album against; there's just 15 songs that generally make you feel good, are pleasing to sing along with and don't make you wish that Nashville had been levelled by several thermonuclear devices. Oh, it also was one fo the first albums I could give to my George Jones/Hank Williams II loving father saying subconsciously "See you old bastard...this is the kind of country music that doesn't make me want to run screaming from the room!"

Nostalgia Score: 6.5/10
Music Score: 7/10
Fave Tracks: 'Dance The Night Away', 'I've Got This Feeling', 'I Don't Even Know Your Name', 'Dream River'

Andrew's Albums No. 11: "Northern Exposure: Music From The TV Series"

2008-05-13T22:40:00.003+10:00

Nowadays when one watches almost every quality (and some not-so-salubrious) televisions drama series such as "The Sopranos" or "Dexter", a soundtrack or selected music album is produced as an additional marketing tool. In the case of the aforementioned HBO mob drama, the two albums released from "The Sopranos" are great examples of how it's done. An eclectic selection of songs and instrumentals (with perhaps some dialogue), drawn from a TV show where the producers consciously integrated music and mise-en-scene to give the viewer a truly unique experience. The prototypical album that was spawned in this fashion from a great TV show was "Northern Exposure: Music From The Television series".

I have been and always will be a devotee of the great work achieved by the producers, writers and actors in the six seasons of "Northern Exposure", and 13 years after the final episode played it still stands up as a moving, funny, intriguing and ultimately undefinable TV show. Avoiding the darkness of "Twin Peaks" or the domestic silliness of "Picket Fences", "Northern Exposure" was amazing in that the show allowed both overt and covert streams of music from almost every genre to run through every episode. For every leaning towards Zydeco and Cajun style music, there would be a nod to rockabilly, opera, rock and even African tribal rhythms. Whenever the scene shifted to The Brick, the fictitous bar's juke box would be playing something ear-catching yet never imposing. And the first "Northern Exposure" album brought these intriguing selections onto CD succinctly with significant charm and enjoyment.

For me, the absolute stand out track is 'Jolie Louise' by Daniel Lanois. Sung in a creole Franglais fashion by U2 producer Daniel Lanois, this song is incredibly catchy, but also rather subtle and moving. 'Jolie Louise' is like some of the best Roy Orbison songs in that it is a mini-opera, although unlike the Big O this tune isn't drawn out with high notes and dramatic chords. Instead it's a song that takes Zydeco progressions that pleasantly jar against the lyric's sad tale.

Yet to take an individual track from this album and make that the highlight is arguably counter to the ethos of both the soundtrack and the TV show. 'Northern Exposure" was an ensemble show and the soundtrack has an ensemble feel. The final track on this first "Northern Exposure" album, "A Funeral In My Brain/Woody The Indian/The Tellukans" is emblematic of how it's the sum of the parts that create the (musical) harmony.

Personally this was the album that made me realise that there is more to music than my favourite artists in the more accessible musical forms. I've never been a mad fan of the Nat King Cole Trio or Booker T & The MGs, but with "Northern Exposure: Music From The Television Series" I was given my first taste of these performers, plus Etta James, Lynryd Skynyrd and Chic Street Man. It may not be necessary to watch "Northern Exposure" to find this album intriguing and fun, but when you put them together it's like strong coffee and a fresh doughnut...bliss.

Nostalgia Score: 7/10
Music Score: 7.5/10
Fave Tracks: 'Ma Jolie Louise', 'At Last', 'Songbird', 'When I Grow Too Old To Dream", "Theme from Northern Exposure"

Andrew's Albums No.10: 'Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac

2008-03-12T21:43:00.002+11:00

I once heard on a radio station there were three albums that everyone had to have. The first was 'Hot August Night' by Neil Diamond, which I admit to a small amount of shame I do have ("Hello Tree People!"). The second was Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon', which isn't in my collection (yes I know, my credibility is in the dunny but who cares what doped out hippy music critics think right?!). The third was 'Rumours', so the score is 2-1 to me, with extra time for having the last four Eurovision albums.

But enough silliness...in case you don't recall how the cover of 'Rumours' looked, here 'tis:

So, what's the history of 'Rumours' and Andrew? Hmmm...a long and tortured one dear reader. And I have one girl to thank for this, and it's not Stevie Nicks. No, it is my first love from High School (unrequited I must add), Lynette who inspired me to get the arguably greatest Fleetwood Mac album. I can't recall the specific moment and date (hell, I'm not that anal nor that unfulfilled about failed school romances), but I do remember quite well that it was a party in 1981 where Lynette told me that she was a big fan of the work of McVie, McVie, Buckingham, Nicks and Fleetwood (though not as circumlocutivly) and hence I had to become a fan.

The next step in becoming a 'Rumours' acolyte was saving up the lunch dollars so I could get a mate to buy me a copy of the cassette from the now sadly defunct Henry's Record Farm in Penrith. Eight days later (cassettes cost $7.99 in those days) I collected my copy at assembly, and I was ready to bend my ear to such tracks as 'Songbird', 'Go Your Own Way' and 'Gold Dust Woman'.

From the get go I was amazed at the quality of each song, and in fact there would be very few albums which have been compiled and arranged so perfectly when it comes to each track. There is a remarkable balance in the highlighted lead vocalists and song writers. 'Second Hand News' is archetypal Lindsay Buckingham, which gets the blood pumping, followed by the lyric 'Dreams' from Stevie Nicks, then another Buckingham track ('Never Going Back Again'), then Christine McVie's 'Don't Stop' demonstrates her pivotal role in the band. In fact whilst some may see that the Buckingham and Nicks songs are those that predominate (6 plus 1 co-written song and Buckingham co-producing). it's Christine McVie's songs that really make 'Rumours' as good as it is. 'Don't Stop', 'Songbird', 'You Make Loving Fun' and 'Oh Daddy' each demonstrate the finer qualities of the album.

Anyway, skip forward about 20 years and a lot of history for both the band members and for myself. Thanks to a brilliant documentary in the 'Classic Albums' series 'Rumours' was made far more interesting beyond the great music by the band members giving their own personal insights into the emotional train-wreck that was the album's recording. Every song that a generation before had made such a postive impact on me because they sounded so good now had a deeper, more complex level. Listening to 'Go Your Own Way' or 'You Make Loving Fun' now meant more, because behind the polished production or the melodic harmonies were the break ups of John and Christine McVie, or the collapsing relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. If you ever want to see how successful rock music can come at a personal cost, then listen to 'Rumour's and watch the doco.

In the grand scheme of my enjoyment of Fleetwood Mac's body of work, 'Rumours' is still the pinnacle. I'm not that interested in the earlier emanations of the band with the likes of Pete Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer as part of the line up. The immediate predecessor of 'Rumours', 'Fleetwood Mac' is like a rich novella next to the rich fully developed novel of the second album with Nicks and Buckingham. 'Tusk' has problems of bloated excess both in quantity of tracks and the band's drug-laden ego permeating the double-set, whilst Fleetwood Mac on 'Mirage' and 'Tango In The Night' are like slightly faded silent film stars; still great in their grandeur, but not speaking to everyone as they once did. When all is said and done 'Rumours' may not be the greatest album ever, nor one of the three greatest as posited by a long-forgotten Australian DJ. But it is a landmark album, the best ever recorded by Fleetwood Mac, and when one thinks about the best and arguably the worst of pop music in the 1970s 'Rumours' is easily an iconic recording.

Thanks Lynette, wherever you are...

Nostalgia Score: 8/10
Music Score: 8/10
Fave Tracks: 'Don't Stop', 'Go Your Own Way', 'Songbird', 'You Make Loving Fun', 'I Don't Wanna Know'

Andrew's Albums No.9: "Rushmore: The Movie Soundtrack"

2008-01-16T21:19:00.000+11:00

The films of Wes Anderson and the associated soundtracks are certainly idiosyncratic. Take as an example "The Life Aquatic", where David Bowie's music was interposed into the film's soundtrack including Portuguese versions by Seu Jorge. We're not talking ten or twelve tracks that have a certain mundane portmanteau quality that was typical of soundtracks compiled by mainstream Hollywood films since the early 80s. Instead Anderson actively integrates his musical tastes into his films, which in turn when released as an album make you realize that he is an individualist. And "Rushmore" is a prime example of this approach.
The most immediate aspect that attracts me to this album is the respect and dare I say affection that Anderson holds for the tracks he has culled from an eclectic selection of British Invasion acts. Possibly the biggest act that had a song featured in the movie "Rushmore" was the Rolling Stones ("I Am Waiting"); and yet this song doesn't make the album. Instead we have album tracks and low profile singles from acts like The Kinks, Chad & Jeremy, The Faces, Cat Stevens and Unit 4+2. In the context of the film they are all juxtapositioned for great effect; on the soundtrack album they form a whole that is rewarding yet arouses curiosity.

For example, Chad & Jeremy's "Summer Song" has been cited as one of the biggest selling singles featured on the "Rushmore" soundtrack. But Chad & Jeremy were arguably a poor imitation of Peter & Gordon who in turn were a poor British impression of the Everly Brothers. That's not entirely fair (and I personally like both British duos), but what was it that drew Anderson to use "Summer Song"? After listening to that one track it made me think more about chasing down more of their work (and if you can find it I highly recommend "Yesterday's Gone" as another Chad & Jeremy classic).

According to the liner notes Anderson originally wanted to use The Kinks' music as the focal point for the soundtrack to "Rushmore" and this was based on their loud brash rebellious sound combined with their early predilection for wearing uniforms (symbolic of Max in "Rushmore"). In the end only one Kink's track is used, and "Nothing In This World Can Stop Me Worrying Bout That Girl" is certainly a world apart from "You Really Got Me" or "Waterloo Sunset".

Perhaps the subtext to the music and the film itself is that for all the modulated revolt of youth and the ennui of adulthood, as seen in the characters of Max Fischer and Herman Blume, this is really an elegiac meditation on desire and dreams. Hence the use of "Here Comes My Baby" and "The Wind" by Cat Stevens, the aforementioned "Summers Song" and "Concrete & The Clay" from Unit 4+2. Then to reinforce the effect Mark Motherbaugh (originally a member of iconic post-punk band Devo) provides mini baroque interludes which have their own charm. Finally we get Yves Montand and "Rue St Vincent"; French cabaret evoke more feelings of dreaminess.

So when push comes to shove the soundtrack to "Rushmore" is layered and resonant of a film maker's desire to reflect the movie's original spirit in the music of the soundtrack album. I'm not sure how rare it is that film and music form such a wonderful symmetry, but when you consider "Rushmore" the film and "Rushmore" the movie you are undoubtedly encountering artistry that isn't soulless.

Finally, as to a personal note on what I recall about this album was that it (and the movie) was something I experienced at a time in my life when I was looking around and trying to find something (and someone) new in my life. A time somewhat melancholic but also quite sweet.

Nostalgia Score: 6.5/10
Music Score: 7.5/10
Fave Tracks: "Making Time", "A Summer Song", "Here Comes My Baby", "Concrete & Clay", "The Wind"

Andrew's Albums No.8: "Please Please Me" by The Beatles

2007-12-12T23:06:00.000+11:00

It's very easy to look at the body of work that constitutes the Beatles albums and cite specific critical classics. "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", one of the first concept albums. "A Hard Day's Night", the first and still one of the best rock'n'roll movie soundtracks. "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver", two albums that show the Beatles in full artistic flight. But I'd like to add another partly less-recognized album to the mix..."Please Please Me"

When you listen to "Please Please Me" I strongly believe even under the ad hoc production of George Martin, as well as the gloss applied by Brian Epstein over the Fab Four's image, the sheer creative exuberance of John, Paul, George & Ringo yells at you with a freshness that gives at least a small aural glimpse as to the mad spring of 1963 when Beatlemania began to spread. In fact, the album begins and ends with bookending vocal bangs, starting with Paul's count in on "I Saw Her Standing There", and finishing with John's one take only raw screaming of "Twist and Shout".

Whilst I can appreciate these tracks, it's actually some of the less spectacular songs which give me more enjoyment when I listen to "Please Please Me". Tracks 2 and 3, "Misery" and "Anna (Go To Him)" are a pair of classic early Beatles' tracks in that they encapsulate the ability of Lennon/MacCartney partnership in the first instance, then in the latter case a cover version of (in this case an Arthur Alexander composition) someone else's song demonstrates the Beatles' knack of turning another act's song into their own.

More pleasures I take from this album include John showing his licks with the harp, which whilst not quite as good as Paul Jones of Manfred Mann, is certainly up there with Keith Relf from The Yardbirds and Brian Jones from "The Rolling Stones. Then there is Ringo's workman-like willingness to contribute vocally on "Boys". For a big-nosed ring-in who'd replaced Pete Best he may not have been as good a drummer, but from the get-go Ringo showed he could warble more than adequately. And then of course there are the four fave hit singles: "Please Please Me", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You". Many successful contemporary bands to the Beatles would have been lucky to record four similarly successful songs in their entire career. Here we get four classic Brit-Beat tracks in one go.

Now as for my personal history or exposure to this album, "Please Please Me" was one of the very first Beatles albums I bought (on cassette, in simple two channel stereo). I've probably been a bigger fan of the early Beatles than the latter era, and you don't get too much earlier than this in their oeuvre. My cassette copy was worn out long ago, after lots of sessions played in car stereos or in my room at uni in the 80s. Now I have the Apple/EMI issued CD in glorious mono, also replicating the classic cover (see above). Accompanied by all other Australian released Beatles CDs, it may not get as high rotation as "Revolver" or "Rubber Soul", but I certainly bring it out for a listen more often than "Magical Mystery Tour" or "Let It Be". My only complaint...George is drastically under-utilized.

Nostalgia Score: 7/10
Music Score: 7/10
Fave Tracks: "Misery", "Anna", "P.S. I Love You", "Baby It's You", "A Taste of Honey"

Andrew's Albums No.7: "Fifth Dimension" by The Byrds

2007-12-04T19:54:00.000+11:00

Is there any other song that literally screams at you "I'm from the 60s, and you better accept it man!" like "8 Miles High" from The Byrds? Possibly...just possibly. But when those initial chords jumble and flow like a hypnotic Indian-raga infused through your speakers and soak into your consciousness, it's almost a certain you'll find paisley checks and psychedelic patterns swimming past your mind's eye. And all this from a song which was based on The Byrd's experience as they landed in the UK for the first tour in 1965. And also this was from the the album "Fifth Dimension", featuring folk-rock adaptations of classics such as "Wild Mountain Thyme" and comic space pop such as "Hey Mr Spacemen".

Be that as it all may be, as a child of the 1960s I find it very easy to listen to "Fifth Dimension" and marvel at how good The Byrds were and how almost criminal was their lack of commercial success from this point on in their career. Yes, McGuinn, Clarke, Hillman and Crosby weren't the same band of the radio glory days of "Hey Mr Tambourine Man" (Gene Clark, writer of "8 Miles High" had left the band by this album's release), but as a purveyor of new exciting influences on pop/rock music from this period on then they have few equals. Except maybe The Yardbirds. But more on that later.

My interest in The Byrds was (to be honest) limited to "Hey, Mr Tamborine Man" and "Turn Turn Turn" until the BBC series "Dancing In The Street" in 1995. It was whilst watching this show that my mild appreciation turned into sincere admiration, thanks to the remarkable way that Roger McGuinn detailed in episodes dealing with folk and psychedelic rock how The Byrds built their sound. The whole 12 string Rickenbacker/Bach & Dylan-influenced/half-frame granny glasses persona underpinned a band which had imagination to burn far beyond so many of their British Invasion rivals. After dipping into a "Greatest Hits" compilation, I was happy to pick up "Fifth Dimension" in an expanded format from Columbia Legacy not long thereafter.

So, aside from "8 Miles High" and "Wild Mountain Thyme" what else would bring the Byrds-listening neophyte on side with "5D"? "Whats Happening!?!?" has prototypical sounds that could be heard again in the "Sweetheart of the Radio" era, when the country-rock cred of The Byrds would emerge and then get passed on down the years to bands like The Eagles. "Hey Joe" is that same song performed by Jimi Hendrix, but of course way, way different. In fact, it could be argued that there is a jazz undertext to track recorded by The Byrds on this album. "Captain Soul" is a classic Byrds instrumental (when bands weren't frightened of releasing records that weren't filled with lyric-riddled tunes). Finally, for the obverse "I Come and Stand At Every Door" is a melancholic lugubrious track that hardly makes you want to hit rewind or return the needle to the song's beginning and "John Riley" is a slightly muddied take on the traditional English folk song.

All things considered, why should one listen to or purchase this album? Simple..."8 Miles High" and one of the best 60s bands spreading their artistic wings and soaring in a way that no one could have seen just on the evidence of "Hey Mr Tambourine Man".

Nostalgia Score: 6/10
Music Score: 7/10
Fave Tracks: "8 Miles High", "Wild Mountain Thyme", "What's Happening", "Hey Joe, "Mr Spaceman"

Andrew's Albums No.6: "Different Light" by The Bangles

2007-11-29T21:40:00.000+11:00

Was there any 80s girl-band that could match the pure pop pleasures, mixed with 60s sensibilities, Valley Girl sexiness and a four-way talent team of the Bangles? Sure, there are those who feel that The Go-Gos were the premiere pop babe band, and during the period around 1980-1982 Belinda Carlisle's crew was top not just of the hit parade but also the object of many a nascent teenage guy's lust or teenage girl's envy. But, and here is the big but, the best that the Go Go's could offer was never as good when it came to the LP format as what was achieved in the period 1984-1988, and most specifically with 1986's "Different Light".

First off, "Different Light" has an almost unlimited amount of radio friendly singles or album tracks that could have come out on 45 r.p.m. disks no probs. The three major singles from the album, "Manic Monday", "If She Knew What She Wants" and "Walk Like an Egyptian" are like distilled audio eighties. The first song, written by Prince gave Susanna Hoffs lots of room to spread her wings as the unauthorized leader of The Bangles, and combined with a clever video this was my entry point into becoming a devoted Bangles fan. Switch to "If She Knew What She Wants" we have a wistful ballad that I never get tired of listening to. And again, like so many of the early MTV years the video clip was artful and artless at the same time.

Then there is "Walk Like an Egyptian", in my opinion the brightest piece of pop fluff on "Different Light" but without a doubt the single that took The Bangles out of the major leagues into superstardom. There would be no "Eternal Flame", no messy breakup in 1989 and no much-welcomed reunion in 2000. And again, thanks to the skilful adaptation of a well-crafted music video The Bangles best attributes (i.e. their harmonies, their power pop performance and their looks) were all marshalled together in a way that made the single almost irresistible.

Now I must point out at this point that the individual singles were not the whole means to my end of becoming a huge fan of The Bangles. As I have said above "Different Light" is stuffed with other tracks that literally swamp you with quality (much like another classic pop album, "Crowded House" by the band of the same name). "September Gurls" (written by Alex Chilton) is a big fave of mine, whilst the tracks written either entirely or in part by the two Peterson sisters are each little masterpieces of the heavy harmony 3 minute pop song. If you could distill the best of the Byrds and the Beatles, throw in an inherited version of the vocal talents of The Mamas and the Papas, and ask for someone like Boyce and Hart to write the songs, and finally get four damned cute women perform with the same swagger, energy and proficiency of The Lovin' Spoonful, then that's how you get to The Bangles.

On a more personal note, my first contact with The Bangles was the aforementioned hit single "Manic Monday". Thanks to Australia's legendary TV show "Countdown" I was quickly put under the spell of the likes of Susanna, Vicki, Debbie and Michael. But it wasn't until a trip to Canberra that I lashed out and picked up "Different Light" on cassette. In fact, if I recall correctly the store I bought it from was a branch of the Homecraft chain of record stores, located in Civic and that same day I purchased "Landing on Water" (possibly Neil Young's most bizarre album). "Different Light" went on high rotation on my Corolla's Voxson tape deck and was also a frequent visitor to my stereo in my college room at uni in 1986. And like many cassettes of that era, the flashiness of it being a high tech audio tape (Chrome II perhaps, plus Dolby of course) was part of the appeal.

Now it's roughly 21 years since "Different Light" went into my collection of albums, and I still get good vibes from listening to songs like "Standing In The Hallway", "In A Different Light" and "Not Like You". When I caught 3/4's of the original band at the Enmore Theatre in 2005 I was happy to finally see how cool and groovy these definitive rock chicks were and still are. And of course if Susanna Hoffs is free for a weekend of middle aged lust and harmony pop I'm ready and willing!

Nostalgia Score: 8/10
Music Score: 8/10
Fave Tracks: "September Gurls", "Manic Monday", "If She Knew What She Wants", "Standing In The Hallway", "Not Like You"

Andrew's Albums No.5: "Balance of Power" by Electric Light Orchestra

2007-11-26T20:20:00.000+11:00

It had to happen...I had to finally write something about an album by the Electric Light Orchestra. But 'Balance of Power'? Their last released album with the original three members (Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan and Richard Tandy), 'BOP' isn't as famous as 'Discovery' or 'Out of the Blue'. It didn't sell as well as 'Face The Music' or 'A New World Record', plus it didn't have the string element to the fore as was integral to ELO on 'Eldorado' and 'Face The Music'. Yet 'Balance of Power' will always remain a personal favourite of mine compared with these other more famous albums.

Stylistically 'Balance of Power' is not typical ELO, assuming that the preconception of the listener is that they expect lush overly-produced power pop from the 70s, with heaps of strings and overdubbed harmonies counterbalanced by simple Beatleseque compositions. There is a sparse, almost NDW sound to 'BOP' that reflects Jeff Lynne's determined switch away from the so-called glory days of 'Living Thing' and 'Mr Blue Sky'. The synthesizer sound first let loose by Lynne and his unfairly ignored fellow keyboardist Richard Tandy on 'Time', then rounded out on 'Secret Messages' comes to completion on 'Balance of Power'. And as a result, this album has probably split most ELO fans into 'Why didn't Jeff keep the strings? I liked them better.' grouping (arguably in the majority), and the 'This isn't what I expected but I still like it mostly because it's ELO anyway' fans. Me, I sometimes straddle both perspectives but in the end I actually like 'Balance of Power' because of its unique sound and position in the ELO discography.

There are two core reasons why I enjoy 'Balance of Power' as I do, and one is related to the music the other to a specific moment in time. Taking the former first, on the original album there are ten tracks of which I'd say four are A-grade bona fide ELO classics, two damned good and four almost there. 'Calling America', the only single to register on the charts is a great song, and better than it's immediate predecessing charting single from 'Secret Messages', 'Rock'n'Roll Is King'. Take a geek at the video for a better idea on the song:

Yet it isn't this song that is the most outstanding from 'Balance of Power'; I'd claim 'Getting To The Point' was the best song Jeff Lynne wrote and performed with ELO in the 80s. There is a beautiful melancholia to the lyrics, which are a barely veiled coda on Jeff Lynne's ELO experience. The band he started with Bev, Richard and Roy Wood way back in 1970 was coming to an end, and 'Balance of Power' signified this. He was ready to move on, and like leaving a lover he had to break it up even though it was going to hurt. And this is the underlying feeling in this song (and in fact the whole album). Let me copy the lyrics here to 'Getting To The Point' to show you what I mean:

It's out of control (out of control)
And there's nothing I can do now
Out of control (out of control)
Spinning softly through the blue now
And look beyond these walls
As the meaning starts to dawn
It's getting to the point
Getting to the point.

It's out of control (nothing I can do)
Like a fire that keeps on burning
And nobody knows (what I'm going through)
And the thoughts just keep returning
And all you had to say
Was that you were gonna stay
It's getting to the point
Getting to the point.

CHORUS:
It's getting to the point
Where nobody can stop it now
It's getting to the point
Of no return
And all that I can do
Is stand and watch it now
Watch it burn, burn, burn
It's getting to the point
Where reasons are forgotten
It's getting to the point
Where no one knows
And all that I can do
Is say I'm sorry
But that's the way it goes...

Getting to the point.
Forever
Is a long, long way
Forever
Takes your breath away
I'd like to talk about it, try to understand
It's getting to the point
Getting to the point.

And on 'Getting To The Point' the harmonies sound a mournful counterpoint to the saxophone (probably the first time this instrument was used on an ELO album).

The other two great tracks on 'Balance of Power' are 'Heaven Only Knows' and 'So Serious'. If you can listen to the recently reissued version of this album, as the remixed alternate versions of 'Heaven Only Knows' show that the music is strong enough to support different lyrics with similar quality results. There's also 'Is It Alright' and 'Secret Lives' which are two thinly camouflaged references to Jeff's first wife Sandy Lynne. 'Balance of Power' has an emotional content far in excess of earlier ELO albums.

Now as for the second, more personal reason why I favour 'Balance of Power', I have to go back to April 15th 1986. That was the day when I bought my first copy of the album (on cassette from Treble Clef Records in Armidale). Then, later that night it was the only music I had in my car stereo as I drove from Armidale all the way back to Sydney (overnight via Tamowth, Quirindi, Muswellbrook & the Putty Road), due to a romantic interest going seriously belly up. I won't name names here, nor go into the messy college angst. I will say however that as my Corolla headed south along the New England Highway, I played that cassette four or five times and it struck exactly the right note. Not exactly a Jack Kerouac 'On The Road' moment; more like a post-adolescent farce with an ELO soundtrack. And that night resonates even more for me because it was also Spike Milligan's birthday...I know, I was and still am 'different'!

So, having written a minor essay on this subject, let me reiterate. 'Balance of Power' is not the most successful of the Electric Light Orchestra's albums but it remains one of my favourites. If you are an ELO fan give it another listen; it deserves it. If you don't like ELO then aside from your obvious unforgiveable lack of taste (just joking) you may find your ears more pleased by listening than shutting them down when Jeff and the boys sing "Told her that there was a place like heaven, cross the water on a 7-forty-7".

Nostalgia Score: 8/10
Music Score: 7.5/10
Fave Tracks: "Calling America", "Getting To The Point" "Heaven Only Knows"

Andrew's Albums No.4: "Full Moon Fever" by Tom Petty

2007-11-22T17:52:00.000+11:00

Tom Petty for me was, until the Travelling Wilburys a bit of 'yeah, he's okay'. I was moderately interested in earlier tracks with the Heartbreakers such as 'The Waiting' and to my mind one of the best ever music videos was used to promote 'Don't Come Around Here No More'. But, I wasn't exactly rushing down to Treble Clef Record Store in Armidale to get a TP & The Heartbreakers LP. Then, along came the Wilburys, and a certain amount of collaboration between Petty and my most revered singer/songwriter/producer/bad-hairstyle-owner Jeff Lynne.

So there I was in Armidale, June 1989. It was coming up to my birthday and I already had cassettes of the Wilbury's 'Volume One', 'Cloud Nine' by George Harrison and 'Mystery Girl' by Roy Orbison. 'Full Moon Fever' was easily the most requested prezzie for my 24th, and come a very cold and snowy birthday I scored 11 tracks of Petty's solo debut on MCA Dolby-D audio tape. It was pretty sweet driving up to the Red Lion pub at Glencoe, snow and sleet piling up beside the New England Highway, sitting in the back of the old man's Pajero and listening to what some people have called 'Travelling Wilburys Volume 2.5'.

I know that both critically and sales-wise, 'Full Moon Fever' got a pretty good response at the time of its release, and it certainly stands up well (plus contrasted with the more recent Petty/Lynne album 'Highway Companion'). And, without overestimating Jeff Lynne's role, or underestimating Tom Petty's in the production of 'Full Moon Fever', I think the greatest aspect of the album is that there is an overwhelming sense of individual balance. There are stand-out tracks yes, and there are signatures or standard Petty or Lynne features. But you don't get a new Heartbreakers album, nor do you get Jeff Lynne tugging Tom Petty's strings.

Take in point the opening track and one of the best, 'Free Fallin'. Lyrically, it is redolent with a cynical LA feel, sung with an almost nonchalant nasal twang by Petty. But underneath is Lynne's harmonies. Another example: 'Running Down a Dream' has a driving sound that reflects the driving theme...this is a great song to play just as Tom sings 'me and Del were singing little Runaway'. I'm sure plenty of 'Full Moon Fever' fans have sung 'Running Down a Dream' whilst on the bitumen doing 100.

Another stand out track is TP's take on 'Feel A Whole Lot Better'. There was a time when the Byrds were considered the one of the best interpretors of Bob Dylan. I'd argue that Tom Petty is one of the best interpretors of The Byrds. I wonder if those rumours of Roger McGuinn replacing Roy Orbison in the Wilburys was ever based in truth; either way you simply know that Tom Petty gets the work of Gene Clark et al. I'm not ashamed to say that this track helped me expand my interest in The Byrds beyond 'Mr Tambourine Man'.

As time has gone on (christ, it's almost 20 years since 'Full Moon Fever' came out!) I don't play my CD copy of this album that frequently. For some reason there is a flavour of youth in 'Full Moon Fever' that doesn't speak so vociferously to me now. But, it's still a great album, and I still count tracks such as 'I Won't Back Down', 'Yer So Bad' and 'The Apartment Song' as some of the best ever songs from TP, solo or with the Heartbreakers.

Nostalgia Score: 7/10

Music Score: 7.5/10

Fave Track: I Wont Back Down

Andrew's Albums No.3: "Katrina & The Waves" by Katrina & The Waves

2007-11-21T22:35:00.000+11:00

There was a time in the 80s when pop/rock bands with one or more female (lead) vocalists were all the rage. Blondie & Debbie Harry is the obvious example, and not too far behind were the Pretenders (Chrissie Hynde), The Go Gos (Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin etc), The Motels (Martha Davis), The Bangles (the Peterson Sisters, Michael Steel & Susanna Hoffs), Joan Jett & The Blackhearts...the list goes on and on. It was a golden age for the rock chick and her band.

For me, aside from the Bangles (more on them later), the most favoured band with a prominent feminine angle to their brand of rock/pop was Katrina & The Waves. Yes...the 'Walking on Sunshine' band. Possibly one of the biggest so-called one-hit wonders (though they did have more than one US Top 100 single), Katrina & The Waves are still (in my honest opinion) criminally underrated. And their 'debut' eponymous album 'Katrina & The Waves' still evokes a smile or two for me when I slip the CD into the stereo, or hit a track from it as my Ipod shuffles away.

I guess this column could be considered a defence or apology for KATW, both band and album, as well as my preference for them over more critically credentialed bands (such as the aforementioned Pretenders). First off, I won't argue with anyone who would posit KATW as a lightweight pop/rock band. Katrina Leskanich's voice is a fairly heady mix of saccharine and blues, and she belts out her vocals with an unashamed joy. But the engine room of the band and of this album is Kimberley Rew's writing. Aside from 'Walking...', Rew was responsible for great album tracks like 'Red Wine & Whiskey' and a song made more famous by The Bangles (a theme's arising here folks), 'Going Down To Liverpool'. There are a lot of songwriters out there who have never matched 'Walking...', and I think it's unfair to turn a critical nose up at his songs, the band and this album simply because of one monster single hit.

Now if I was to put aside my 'trying to sound like an educated music critic' hat for a moment, the reason why I really enjoy KATW (band and album) is that there is a simple pleasure to be derived from their songs. Lead and rhythm guitar, bass and drums...a strong female vocal performance, nice harmonies and a 60's style of beat...well that's one way to win my heart. There was a time too (specifically 1985) when Katrina was fairly easy on the eye.

Another reason why I'm not shy of preaching the KATW gospel is that whilst the band never reached the same level of success as they did with this album and with 'Walking...', they became arguably more interesting. And if you've visited my MySpace page you know that I've linked in 'Love Shine A Light' from their brief return to chart success, from their win in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest. I mean, how better to sum up KATW's own perceptions of themselves when asked about Eurovision eroding their credibility...'What credibility?' was the response.

Finally, going to the nostalgia factor, 'Katrina & The Waves' the album screams out 1985. My first copy of it was on a Capitol cassette with some kind of noise reduction called XDR. It was pretty cool, in that the cassette cover had a real 80s design to it plus it was better coz it had XDR (forget your Dolby lol!). Driving between Penrith & Armidale in a Mini Moke, brilliant autumn day on the Putty Road...and I still can recall listening to 'Walking...' through the speakers of my portable ghetto blaster nestled right behind the headrests of me and my mate Barry.

I may be the only person in Australia to own all KATW's albums released in the US/Canada/UK (still haven't got my hands on the two German CDs yet). I may be the only person who has bought a ticket to the Countdown Spectacular 2 this Friday because Katrina Leskanich will be there singing 'Walking...'. I may be the only person in Australia to even bother about writing a blog about KATW. But hey...fun music that makes you smile is just as worthwhile as the critically acclaimed so-called masterpieces.

Fave Tracks: 'Walking On Sunshine', 'Going Down To Liverpool', 'Do You Want Crying', 'Que Te Quiero'

Music Score: 7.5/10

Nostalgia Score: 7/10

Andrew's Albums No.2: "A Mighty Wind: The Soundtrack"

2007-11-21T21:50:00.000+11:00

As a devotee of the work of Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean (a.k.a. Spinal Tap), and somewhat non-sequitorially also a fan of The Seekers, when 'A Mighty Wind' came out in the cinemas I was pretty excited to see what Tap and their usual cohort of supporters (Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey etc) would do to folk music. And whilst there isn't the hard core of satire in '...Wind' as there is in 'This Is Spinal Tap', there is a wonderful mixture of loving parody in the former than doesn't just come through on the screen, it also seeps through the soundtrack. And it's damned hard to say which one is the better album...'Tap' which has probably more fame and of course features such great songs as 'Big Bottoms', 'Sex Farm Woman', 'Listen To What The Flower People Say' and 'Stonehenge', or the better crafted 'A Mighty Wind' soundtrack with tracks like 'When You're Next To Me', 'Blood On The Coal', 'Just That Kinda Day', and for my mind the best song to have ever been recorded by a fictional duo, 'Kiss at the End of the Rainbow'.

Before I get too wound up in the songs themselves or what the album means to me, there is a familiar name on the producer credits for the soundtrack album for 'A Mighty Wind': T Bone Burnett. Burnett has worked with and has links to some of my fave musical and film acts. For example, he produced the soundtrack to 'O Brother Where Art Thou', which I have already cited in my blogs as a brilliant entree into 'old Timey Music'. He was also involved with the soundtrack for 'The Big Lebowski' which has some marvellous moments (Kenny Rogers & The First Edition's '(I Just Dropped in To See) What Condition My Condition Was In', and has other links to the Coen Brothers. Burnett also participated as a producer with Roy Orbison on his legendary 'Black & White Night' concert film and soundtrack, and on Orbison's posthumous album 'Mystery Girl' brings out the very best from The Big O on Elvis Costello's 'The Comedians'. Then there's Burnett's work with k.d. land and on the soundtrack to 'Walk The Line'. Without a doubt, if you see a T Bone Burnett credit on the CD sleeve you know you're in for some great music.

But I digress...the soundtrack album for 'A Mighty Wind' works on several levels, and aside from 'This Is Spinal Tap' the only other recording that comes close is 'All You Need Is Cash' from The Rutles (a.k.a. Neil Innes, Eric Idle & Ricky Fataar). Taking a comedic approach to music is hard enough; to then meld it into not just a humorous collection of songs but to actually create a pastiche that evokes more than laughter is well nigh impossible. Very few comedians make decent music, just as very few musicians make decent comedy. 'A Mighty Wind' isn't in the same vein as someone like Weird Al Yankovic, who just takes someone elses songs and changes the words. No...Guest, Shearer, McKean, Levy and O'Hara all wring real musical value with original composition from their songs.

Even the performances, obviously made more visual because this is after all a soundtrack album, on 'A Mighty Wind' give a richness to the music beyond a simple piss-take of folkies from the 60s. The harmony work on 'Just That Kinda Day' from the New Main Street Singers is highly reminiscent of someone like The Seekers or The New Christy Minstrels. The Folksmen (or Spinal Tap on valium) positively reek of John Denver's old band, The Chad Mitchell Trio. You can laugh at these acts in the movie, you can even smile at the parody inherent in the album tracks. But you'll also find yourself humming along or even singing too.

But for me, the absolute brilliance of the album is the work of Mitch and Mickey, or in real life Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. Probably better known as the dad from 'American Pie' and the mother from 'Home Alone', these two perform both the most delicious comedy in the movie and the most exquisitely nuanced singing on the soundtrack. And my prime exhibit: 'A Kiss At The End of The Rainbow':

For some bizarre and dare I say criminal reason, 'A Kiss...' didn't win the Oscar for best film song when 'A Mighty Wind' was released (some dud Hobbit song from Annie Lennox or was it Enya...who the f...cares won). When the revolution comes baby, and I get to hand out the gold statues, there'll be one engraved for Mitch & Mickey that they can pick up any time for this classic. It's a beautiful, terribly romantic song but at the same time you know that there is a tongue steadfastly planted in one cheek. And I'm not ashamed to admit that my eyes mist over when I hear this song.

There are other classic moments on the soundtrack to 'A Mighty Wind'. Tracks like 'When You're Next To Me', 'Old Joe's Place' and 'Loco Man' are good fun and again eloquently walk that tightrope of parody and homage. And then, well the soundtrack finishes on a Guthrie-esque singalong track, the eponymous 'A Mighty Wind'. You can't help but smile after listening to the album and maybe...just maybe...joining in with The Folksmen, Mitch & Mickey, and The New Main Street Singers.

Fave Tracks: 'Old Joe's Place', 'When You're Next To Me', 'Blood On The Coal', 'A Kiss at the End of The Rainbow', 'A Mighty Wind'

Nostalgia Score: 7/10 (Hard to get nostalgic over the circumstances or history of owning or listening to this album...it's just a fave CD full stop.

Music Score: 8/10

Andrew's Albums No.1: Jeff Wayne's "War Of The Worlds"

2007-11-20T22:05:00.000+11:00

The year was 1978. Disco and punk were fighting it out on the radio, and in my very small record collection there was a pretty eclectic bunch of albums. I had a K-Tel record called 'Goofy Greats', which was filled with (in hindsight) atrocious novelty songs. Then there was 'The Best of the Goodies', which featured songs performed by my then fave British TV comedians, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. I also had an LP of 'The Best of The Monkees', and alongside that sat my vinyl copy of 'The Naked Vicar Show' (a fairly broad Aussie TV comedy transferred onto 33 1/3 record). Then, along came 'War of the Worlds'....

I was almost immediately drawn to Jeff Wayne's magnum opus, a synthesizer/orchestral rock opera based on HG Well's great Sci-Fi novel. The music itself was the initial attractant, but I couldn't fail to ignore the double album's (yes, a good old fashioned two record, four sided album) packaging. 'War of the World's' cover is arguably one of the greatest examples of cover art ever produced;

Then there was the cast; Richard Burton's narration set the tone for a melodramatic symphony which couldn't fail to both excite and scare me. Justin Hayward from the Moody Blues performs the hauntingly beautiful 'Forever Autumn' and the other major hit from the album 'The Eve of The War'. Chris Thompson (then lead singer of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, who contributed lead vocals to their most successful single 'Blinded By The Light) closed out the first record with 'Thunderchild', which still gets the blood pumping when I hear it now, whilst David Essex almost threw off the last vestiges of his 70s pop idol facade to make 'Brave New World' work as a grandiose but hollow clarion call for utopianism. Finally, there was the duet of Julie Covington ('Don't Cry For Me Argentina') and Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott.

Now as the years have gone, my original LP copy of 'War of the Worlds' has gathered lots of dust, hidden away somewhere at home. My cassette copy went to a friend, my first CD copy now sits in my fiance's collection. About two years ago I lashed out and got the ultimate collection which has 5 CDs and a DVD. I might not listen to the extra recordings, with out takes and extras, but I still love to turn the lights out and listen to those Martians wailing 'Ulla', as Jeff Wayne's crack rock opera band lets loose with the synthesizers and the electric guitars to intimate that Victorian England is being devastated by alien heat rays.

'War of the Worlds' was my first 'slightly heavy' rock album, and only last night I was pretty excited to go catch the Sydney performance of the rock opera live at Acer Arena. I'll admit that when I left I was a little disappointed, because deep down 'War of the Worlds' is an aural extravaganza, and stage theatrics and special effects tend to divert from one's own imagination of how the music paints its picture of the Wellsian novel. But when push comes to shove, everyone at some time or another should take a sneak peek with their ears open at what Jeff Wayne created almost 30 years ago.

Nostalgia Score: 8.5/10

Music Score: 7/10

Fave Tracks: 'The Eve of the War', 'Forever Autumn', 'Thunderchild', 'Brave New World'