Change Your Image
info-60514
Reviews
Billionaire Boys Club (2018)
Gross distortion of the truth!
Okay this is perhaps more cinematic than it's 1988 TV movie predecessor, but that was at least pretty accurate in presenting the facts. Even the Law and Order episode from the fourth season, which a highly fictionalised story was infinitely closer to the events. I'm not quite sure why writers take an interning story and turn it into implausible stuff like this but there you go. Watchable if you're not acqainted with the facts. Otherwise excruciating!
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Great insight into Gigantic Egos
I don't feel a great deal of sympathy with the music of Metallica, although some of the playing is great but a more narcissistic group of individuals would be hard to find. The film is a fascinating insight into these self absorbed egos which requires no real love for what they produce. I can never quite work out whether they are in on the joke or not but it makes for entertaining viewing and separates this from the usual bland sycophantic stuff of many music docs. Although I really came to thoroughly dislike Lars Ulrich I quite liked his artwork.
Death Line (1972)
Deserves wider Appreciation.
Unlike so many films that fall into this genre, this has genuine style and constructive narrative. The cast are very good, particularly Pleasence as the humorous detective and Armstrong whose performance along with Sherman's sensitive direction makes you feel real empathy with the murderous victim of circumstance. I think the film The Decent owes a bit to the central concept. This picture definitely deserves wider sppreciation.
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Just Wonderful.
It's truly marvellous to see such a Witty original piece talking about issues of global corporate dominance of so many areas of life. The commentary on racial stereotypes are hilarious. I really feel this deserves more accolades than, "Get Out" which was alot less innovative. Why this film has not had greater circulation and attention is beyond me. I'm so glad I came across it trawling through Netflix.
Driven (2018)
Shabby Telling of History
There are plenty of documentaries detailing the events leading to Delorean's arrest. The best of these was made in the 80's entitled Scandal Life in the Fast Lane.
This film entirety ignores the duplicity, ego and sheer delusional mentality of an unpleasant narcissistic con man.
Whenever I watch Delorean in interviews it feels a little like a Jimmy Saville moment in that he wore his disguise inside out, so to see him portrayed firstly with a kind of gravitas he never displayed but also as some heroic figure caring about the lives of the workers in Northern Ireland was laughable.
The fact Delorean was embezzling the company along with consultant Colin Chapman is entirely missing from this "biopic" and the prior activities which included dodgy side deals during his time at General Motors and extorting money from the designer of a revolutionary coolant system for cars showed he was far too lazy to be considered a true innovator or visionary in motor vehicle design. The truth was he preferred conning money out of people rather than creating solid achievements and this was the tragedy for the Two Thousand people employed in the Northern Ireland factory who pinned so much hope and worked tirelessly for a man who really wasn't remotely interested in them or anyone else.
As to the film itself. From a narrative point of you it's reasonably well written. Although Delorean's personality doesn't come close to the man I've viewed in innumerable interviews and news footage. Therefore although the performances are not bad the central character is entirely unconvincing.
I suppose in a desperate attempt not to parody a man who appeared to be a walking parody this was an attempt to make him more believable. Sadly it relies on people who've never actually seen Delorean speaking in real life to make the film watchable. One thing I didn't understand is how Delorean rarely smiles in this film, when in real life he never missed an opportunity to show off his cosmetically blindingly white molars. Whether this down to the director or actor's choice or maybe no suitable tooth bleaching technicians being available is any body's guess.
Overall this was disappointing. Delorean's story of a false economic saviour appealing to people who really wanted to believe in his smarmy patter, in particular the UK government, is well worth telling and this didn't even attempt that.
Power Play (1978)
Underrated if a little clunky
Firstly I personally feel we need all the political films we can get, as they are somewhat far and few between.
The plot is believable if you relate it to something akin to the Portugal Coup in 1974, with the exception of the rather grim ending. This is also not too difficult to accept when looking at other events in the not so distant past.
One point of interest is the motivation of the concept, being a Canadian production may have been the now forgotten political kidnap of the British Government official James Cross by the Front de liberation du Quebec in 1970.
I think the dialogue is the weakest point but I can overlook the somewhat unconvincing conversations as some set pieces, like the Aldo Moro kidnapping and Chilean Secret Police style torture sequence are effective.
I read a TV review of this once that appeared to misunderstand what a coup involves, When the critic stated only one tank was blown up as if to highlight the low production values. The reviewer clearly missing the point entirely.