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Dear Jack (2009)
An enlightening documentary for fans, cancer patients, friends and all!
Narrated by close friend and collaborator Tommy Lee, 'Dear Jack' is a very personal account largely pieced together from home footage taken by Andrew and his family when he was diagnosed with Leukaemia. He realised that documenting his experiences and treatment would be a productive activity and may be of benefit to others in a similar situation.
I've often wondered why more people don't know about Andrew and his music and why his superb 'Everything in Transit' album wasn't a bigger hit. This film explains why, as his illness coincided with the release and he was unable to put in all the promotional efforts that might have otherwise been done. Interestingly many of the album lyrics refer to being ill, the first line of the whole album is "She thinks I'm much too thin, she asks me if I'm sick". It's fascinating to see how this and other lines hint at that he had a feeling he wasn't well long before the diagnosis.
The film documents so much, from March 2005 pre-release gigs to build excitement for the album, through diagnosis and the rapid developments, just a few months later in June 2005 shaving his hair off, an unexpected transition from rising rock star to patient. We follow all this, learning much about the condition, treatment, and what is involved from a real sufferer's point of view. As well as Andrew's own footage, there are bits in which his family, girlfriend, even his doctor speaks, both about their observations of how he appeared to them, but also how it made them feel. Hearing their perspectives and how they felt to see this happening and doing what they could to help all adds so much to rounding out the full account of the situation. There are interesting little insights that I don't think I had any prior knowledge of, from hearing that pneumonia is actually the cause of death for over 40% of people in his situation, to seeing how he uses a lint roller to collect loose hair as it falls out, and even the more serious matters such as deciding if he wants to freeze some sperm so he could have a family later in life and saying that he's not even sure if he wants a family.
At times we see handwritten letters and notes as Andrew's feelings are very honestly documented. At one point he goes through quite a negative period and hits his lowest point. Even at this time he is still songwriting and writes a beautiful song, 'There there Katie' (which has incidentally just come on my headphones) for his sister. Symptoms get to bad during this stage of his treatment that he couldn't film for a while, but as an audience we're not left at a loss to follow events as this in itself speaks volumes about the situation.
Andrew's record label stuck by him and respected his wishes through the course of his treatment and recovery. I like how much this offers a refreshing contrast to the fictional record executives you often see in films who are often portrayed as soulless money grabbers. Andrew's team supported him, did what they could for the album and then when he was more able they helped arrange a '100 days' milestone show which brings us back to the excellent music. One of the 'silver linings' in a way is how great it is to hear about the meaning behind these songs I know and love as Andrew touches on how the album came to be. That was also the nicest part of seeing Andrew McMahon live, he explained the background to some of the songs and the lyrics suddenly took on added meaning.
Strangely and almost unexpectedly a true love story emerges from the midst of everything else. Andrew becomes very reflective on his failed relationship, he ponders over the "Yoga people say I've got a broken heart". I don't want to spoil things, but there's a happy ending and it adds such an uplifting aspect to the whole story.
I heartily recommend that everyone should give 'Everything in Transit' (now re-released for the 10th Anniversary) a listen, plus for the events covered in this film he wrote songs that appear on the 'Dear Jack EP' which is only a handful of songs but every one of them is brilliant and beautiful and so intensely filled with meaning and poignancy after seeing this and understanding what they're about. With a decade of hindsight some of the things said in this film, especially about wanting a family, are able to be seen in a more positive light as Andrew is now the extremely proud father of a little girl Cecilia, who has influenced his more recent music. He also set up the Dear Jack Foundation which does a lot of work for adolescent leukaemia patients.
As said at the outset I'm reviewing this now as it's currently available on Netflix and I think it's really worth a look, not just for fans of Andrew and his music, but for anyone. It offers a rarely seen insight on being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, not the fictionalised versions we are used to seeing in films such as '50/50', 'The Fault in our Stars' or 'A Walk to Remember' which in their own way have a place and something to say, but this is a real- life account and thankfully one that has a happy ending and offers hope and optimism.
For more of my reviews visit www.neverkissedagirl.com
Powers (2015)
Such potential, but the execution leaves it falling short!
As the first original scripted show for the 'PlayStation Network' this show presents an original take on a genre that's in abundance at the moment but also in high demand, from a renowned comics writer. So you might think this was a sure-fire success... Sadly, maybe not.
Christian Walker was once a superhero with strength and flight, but losing his powers to super-villain Wolfe has left him grounded and now a detective with the 'Powers' division of the LAPD who police the many super-powered who live in the city. Partnered with inexperienced Deena Pilgrim they investigate the new threat of a designer drug killing many in the community, discovering unexpected links to old foes.
Beset by issues early on when originally developed for FX, the network behind such international hits as 'Damages' (a personal favourite of mine), they had the potential to stir up a buzz around this show and make it a big hit, however that's really not happened. Becoming a tent pole for the 'PlayStation Network' instead has led to it being really only available to PlayStation console owners, though estimated around 100m (based on numbers of sold PS3s and PS4s) this marks a huge reduction and instant mass elimination of the potential audience. As such it hasn't had much buzz around it at all, it's completely out of the general Zeitgeist and even in superhero circles the reaction has been minimal.
That's not to say that an online distribution model for this type of show can't work well, Marvel's 'Daredevil' last month proved that beyond any shadow of a doubt. With a similar mature comics audience, 'Daredevil' was well publicised internationally and the buzz was undeniable. When the show turned out to be really well produced and a brilliant example of the genre it quickly solidified a place high on lists, including a strong score on IMDb. Evidence that the audiences ended up being dramatically different in size also comes from IMDb, in that at this moment, there are tens of thousands less users who have shared their opinion for this than 'Daredevil'. Though many people, signed up to Netflix so they could watch 'Daredevil', it's hard to imagine even the most ardent fans of this genre going out to buy a costly PlayStation for the sake of being able to watch this, even if they really enjoyed the pilot. This example therefore not only shows that a series like this has a large and clear potential audience, but also on the flip-side proves that this could have done much better.
Tonally, the show seems to try for 'gritty' but falls short of that target on most occasions. The strong language that seems intended to make it mature becomes gratuitous, noticeably so when you consider how surprisingly little swearing there was in the whole season of 'Daredevil', I think there are episodes here that had more than that whole 13-episode run. The premise is brilliant, and the potential is clear, but only a few episodes and scenes really deliver, with multiple aspects undermining the dramatic effect, including sometimes the displays of superpowers that should be integral to the story but at times are done in such a way that they felt superfluous.
I like Sharlto Copley, and there are moments in which I felt he was well-suited for the role as he looked the part as an ex-superhero and begrudging cop. What never worked for me was the chemistry between him and his partner Pilgrim, sadly they lacked the spark or frisson that usually indicates lasting success for a police procedural show, though there are brief moments that are clear attempts and forging a relationship and banter between them.
Villain-wise there's one stroke of genius in the casting, that of Eddie Izzard as Wolfe, an incredibly powerful incarcerated villain who started out as a philosopher. With Izzard's elocution and speech he fits the role very well. What ruins this otherwise excellent part is the way in which his killing is depicted, as his name indicates he 'devours' people in an animalistic way, but for some reason there are literally fountains of blood shown spraying out. I understand the aim is to make his killing seem visceral but it's so removed from reality that it completely undermines the impact of the scenes making them stupid.
The A-list casting is counteracted with some B-grade effects in many scenes where superpowers are displayed, with flyers looking ill at ease in the air, and other powers indicated with visual effects that resemble the PS2 boot-up screen cubes. Whether it's deliberately meant to look like that as a misguided branding attempt I'm not sure, but the whole series is cram packed with Sony product placement, absolutely EVERYBODY has a Sony phone, laptop, tablet, TV, PS4 and other Sony devices. There's not a single Apple, Microsoft or other manufacturer's device to be seen, right from the richest to the poorest character they have all exclusively chosen Sony products. After a couple of episodes it becomes laughable, or a potentially brilliant drinking game!
I think that despite the hugely promising premise, the eager audience, and a few strong leads in cast and crew, this show falls far short of its potential. Aesthetically it has moments that look fantastic, yet strangely these aren't the fantastical moments of the show which terribly reflect the 'console' output and dramatically cheapen the production. With a few small changes this could have been a worthy contender alongside 'Daredevil' and 'The Flash' for best superhero show of the year, and with one big change, that of distribution, at least people could have known about it. Hopefully the second season will raise the production values and overall quality of the show, possibly raising the profile at the same time, there's such potential here that's a shame to waste.
Chef (2014)
Left me hungry but happy!
His ex-wife is Sophia Vergara... his girlfriend is Scarlett Johansson... I really need to learn to cook!
Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is stuck in a creative rut, cooking the same popular menu he has been for years, he longs to try some new recipes but his employer (Dustin Hoffman) is content with the current dishes. After the menu leaves a renowned food critic (Oliver Platt) unimpressed and his scathing review spreads online, Casper gets into a heated social media argument, and loses his job. His ex- wife (Sophia Vergara) suggests Carl just gets a food truck, and with a vehicle from her other ex-husband (Robert Downey Jr.), he sets off on a road trip around America cooking the food he loves with friend Martin (John Leguiziamo) and Carl's tech-savvy and enthusiastic son Percy (Emjay Anthony).
The story is quite clearly somewhat allegorical, and it has been widely commented on how it mirrors Favreau's film career, sometimes making the big blockbusters that are poorly received by critics but aimed simply at bringing in the money from audiences. Favreau has directed such excellent films such as Elf and Iron Man, but then also made others that were poorly received such as Cowboys and Aliens, and of course Iron Man 2. Interestingly, his film almost appears to be an Indie film, but as often goes with being a big name director, it's stuffed (like a chicken... or a roasted pepper for veggies) full of huge and bankable stars.
As well as directing, Jon Favreau is leading this from the front as the main character, and I must say it thankfully feels like a piece of fitting casting rather than a vanity move. Key to the film working is his ability to portray the character well in both the personal side of the story and the professional aspects of being a top chef. To me, his cheffing skills look incredibly authentic, it would undermine the film completely if they were lacking, but I completely believed in him as being a skilled chef. Plus the finished food all looks delicious, it's like watching a feature- length Marks & Spencer food advert, often described as 'food porn'.
I enjoyed how the film also comments on some of the pros and cons of social networking. Firstly it's shown as the means of Casper's fall from grace, opening his work up to widespread criticism and going viral, but then on the flip side his son Percy makes clever use of many social networks and features to help promote the food van. Talking of Percy, Emjay Anthony who plays him is really excellent, much better than many child actors I've seen in some recent films. In fact, the whole cast really is very good, a nice mix of recognisable stars in varying sized parts but all feel well suited for their roles, especially Dustin Hoffman as a restaurateur who is mostly interested in profits, and Robert Downey Jr. whose character is so instantly memorable.
I must also mention that the film features some great music, as the film becomes a road trip and they tour the different states cooking as they go, the music changes with them, and this provides a lively soundtrack. It's only a seemingly small aspect, but adds to the feel-good tone of the film and helps to really make it exactly that, a very enjoyable film, that if it wasn't for the strong language, would probably be a great movie to enjoy as a whole family.
I recently thought that 'The Babadook' is a film you shouldn't watch alone, this is definitely one that you shouldn't watch hungry! Filled with tasty food, tastier ladies, some well seasoned performances and an appetising story, it's metaphorically as close to a well-balanced meal as you're likely to get!
For more of my reviews check out my blog at www.tknight.co.uk