A perfect pairing of sound & vision - American Me

American Me was one of the more controversial releases of 1992. It's the story of the Mexican Mafia, La Eme, and it's birth among the Chicano gangs in the prison yards of California. It's a shockingly violent film and that violence crept into real life too when at least 3 consultants who had worked on the film were murdered in and around Los Angeles on the orders of La Eme who were, to say the least, not happy with the depiction of their origin. It's a memorable film though, especially the scene below and it's fantastically economical use of music to trace the passage of time.

Montoya Santana (based on real life gang member Rodolfo Cadena) has become a big man in juvenile detention after killing an older boy who attacked him. With his star on the rise he's reunited with an old friend of his, JD, a white teenager raised in Chicano surroundings, (Based on real life gangster Joe Pegleg Morgan) and he's growing comfortable being state property. 

From the innocent 50's sounds of Bobby Day and Rockin' Robin to the sleazy 70's drawl of Los Lobos and Shotgun we pass 15 years in the blink of an eye, the sound of transition being the bang of a handball against a backboard that sounds very like a gunshot. Our boys have grown into Edward James Olmos and William Forsythe. Hair styles have changed, khakis have turned into blue jeans. Faces have hardened. A decade and a half in the joint takes it's toll. Boys to men. Men in charge of the yard at Folsom, the prison made famous by Johnny Cash. The petty crimes are in the rear view. Montoya and Joe are murderers now. They deal in drugs and blood. The song playing over them now feels apt rather than childish.

15 years of crime. Enough stories to fill a 3 hour crime epic. American Me skips it all in the space of 10 seconds. Brilliant.

Previous pairings

Beetlejuice

Rio Bravo

Hard Boiled
8 mile
Wheels On Meals
The Office (UK)
Do The Right Thing
Se7en
Mad Men
The Colour Of Money
Rules Of Attraction

Jackass II

Game Of Thrones 

Apocalypse Now

Blade

Big
Miller's Crossing

The Blues Brothers

Straight Outta Compton

The Princess Bride

American Honey

Snake In The Eagle's Shadow

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

The Untouchables

Airplane!

Dazed And Confused  

Kickboxer                                  

Grosse Point Blank

Mean Streets

Watership Down

Casablanca

Zodiac

Jackie Brown
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Deliverance
The Omen
Copland
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
The Mission

Before Sunset

Carlito's Way
A Knight's Tale
Platoon
Before Sunrise
Rushmore
An American Werewolf In London
Dazed And Confused
Boogie Nights
Raging Bull
Almost Famous
Once Upon A Time In The West
Goodfellas

Last Of The Mohicans

15 films on TV this week for your viewing pleasure

Logan   Sat   29/8   CH4 @ 21.00

An old and broken Logan is quietly eking out an existence as a limo driver. His X-Men days are far behind him. Until a young girl called Laura comes looking for help. This final installment in Wolverine's story is a stunner. A superhero/western/drama that will knock you for six even if comic book movies aren't your thing. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and little Dafne Keen are all in spectacular form here. BTW, it's brutally violent so be wary.

The Good Girl   Sat   29/8   TG4 @ 23.15

Justine is trapped in a dead end job in a crappy little town and she's not enjoying life with her husband. Until she meets an unusual co-worker called Holden. Holden has....notions. This is the film that made people realise there was far more to Jennifer Aniston than haircuts and mega famous sitcoms. A heartfelt and emotional movie with a couple of fine supporting turns from the always reliable John C.Reilly and a babyfaced Jake Gyllenhaal.

Mandy   Sat   29/8   Film4 @ 22.45

Mandy and Red are living a lovely peaceful life in the wilds of the Pacific northwest. One day Mandy has the misfortune to run into a cult called Children of the New Dawn and their peace crumbles. This 2018 horror thriller is one hell of a watch. Horrifying, bizarre and strangely beautiful. It's the weirdest film you'll see on TV this week and Andrea Riseborough, Nicholas Cage and Ireland's own Ned Dennehy all add to the joy.

Looper   Sun   30/8   BBC2 @ 00.15

Set in the near future where unwanted people are disposed of by sending them back in time to be killed. This is all well and good until a man is faced with an older version of himself. A magnificently original piece of sci fi/action right here. Chilling, brutal, intelligent and mind boggling. Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis have a whale of a time playing the young/old versions and Emily Blunt does stellar work as a protective mother caught up in it all.

28 Days   Sun   30/8   RTE1 @ 00.30

Gwen loves the sauce way too much and the day she ruins her sister's wedding is the day she ends up in rehab. She has no interest in being there but eventually realises it's for the best. The great Sandra Bullock does well in this rather cliched but very watchable look at the work involved in getting yourself clean. A nice cast includes Marianne Jean- Baptist, Alan Tudyk and Voggo Mortensen amongst others.

Identity   Sun   30/8   The Horror Channel @ 21.00

A disparate group of people find themselves being picked off one by one at a run down motel in the middle of nowhere. Just what on earth could be going on? An entertaining and blackly comic, grisly whodunnit filled with enough twists and turns for a dozen films. There's a fine cast too including John Cusack, Ray Liotta and Amanda Peet and their good work might just stop your eyes from rolling out of your head late in the story.

Border   Mon   31/8   CH4 @ 00.55

Tina's a customs officer with a difference. She can smell fear off the people she comes into contact with every day. One day she meets someone like her and things get.....interesting. This adult fairy-tale from Sweden contains some disturbing material but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best films of 2018. Original, surreal, darkly funny and grounded by a phenomenal turn from Eva Melander.

Steve Jobs   Mon   31/8   TG4 @ 21.30

Steve Jobs, the man who made Apple into what it is today wasn't a very nice person. We meet him at 3 stages in his life and get an insight into what made him tick. Danny Boyle's drama is an engaging watch and one that isn't afraid to show the nasty side of it's subject. Michael Fassbender as Jobs & Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman put in a excellent work and Seth Rogen is surprising in a dramatic role as Steve Wozniak.

Gumshoe   Mon   31/8   Talking Pictures TV @ 23.00

He's 31. He's a bingo caller and he's not happy about it. So Eddie puts an ad in the paper advertising himself as a private eye. He's been inspired by his love of private eye novels. Why not? It might be interesting. This early Stephen Frears film is fun, fast moving, quotable and contains some decent twists and turns that you need to keep sharp for. Albert Finney and Billie Whitelaw do well as the leads.

Horror Of Dracula   Tues   1/9   The Horror Channel @ 02.45

The Prince of Darkness has had his sanctuary disturbed and so sets out to prey on the loved ones of his attacker. Only one man, Dr Van Helsing, can stand up to him. This 1958 Hammer Horror take on the legend of Dracula is a magnificent film. Unsettling, sensual, beautiful looking and after 60 years, still startlingly scary in places. 2 brilliant performances from Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing seal the deal.

American Made   Tues   1/9   Film4 @ 21.00

The story of Barry Seal, pilot, cigar smuggler, CIA spook, drug runner contracted to the Medellin Cartel and eventually gun smuggler for the Contras. This Tom Cruise led action thriller is a highly enjoyable watch despite the subject matter. One of those films that would be considered far fetched if it was fiction. Strong turns from Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright and Alejandro Edda all add to the fun.

Only God Forgives   Wed   2/9   Sony Movies @ 00.45

A decade ago Julian killed a man and disappeared into the Bangkok underground. Now the death of a young girl and the arrival of his mother into the mess flips his life upside down. Nicolas Winding Refn's 2013 crime drama is tough, seedy and vicious look into the sordid side of life in the Thai capital. It's not going to be for everyone but it's an interesting and atmospheric watch. Ryan Gosling's the lead but Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm own this film.

Drowning By Numbers   Thur   3/9   Film @ 01.20

3 women, a granny, a mother and a daughter, each called Cissie, are sick of their husbands and decide to do something about them. A grimly humorous and very odd movie from the depths of director Peter Greenaway's psyche. There's so much going on you won't be able to look way while a trio of mighty turns from Joan Plowright, Joely Richardson and Juliet Stevenson stave off the darkness of the story.

The Man Who Wanted To Fly   Thur   3/9   RTE1 @ 23.20

Bobby Coote is a Cavan man in his 80's and he has a dream. He wants to fly a plane before it's too late. So he sets out to put his plan into motion. This delightful documentary is just what we need these days. A look at an obsession 50 years in the making but also a look at the family and community around who want it all to come to fruition. Record this one and watch it when you need to cheer yourself up because it's just the ticket.

The Lion In Winter   Fri   4/9   TCM @ 06.35

England. The 12th century. King Henry II is coming to the end of his reign. His 3 sons are in the line of succession but his choice is clashing with that of his wife Queen Eleanor. Her and her children set out to force his hand. A witty and complex script filled with all manner of backstabbing and shnakery plus pitch perfect performances from Peter O'Toole & Katherine Hepburn turn this into a very congenial history lesson.

Tenet

About 15 minutes into Tenet, our lead character, known only as The Protagonist asks a scientist a question about something weird he's just seen happen. Her reply sums up the entire experience of Tenet. "Don't even try to understand it."

Fair enough. I think I got there eventually. But it left a few sub cranial bruises.

During an opera in Kiev a terrorist attack takes place and Ukranian armed forces storm the opera house not knowing there's an undercover CIA agent (John David Washington) along for the ride. His mission, is to steal an unidentified object from one of the VIP viewing areas. His exit route goes sideways and the object is taken but not before he witnesses a bizarre bit of impossible physics. He's later recruited into a secret organisation and told one word - 'Tenet'. His mission is to take down a Russian Oligarch called Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) who's found a way to manipulate time. To help him he recruits a British agent called Neil (Robert Pattinson) who seems to know everything about everything and their way into Sator's organisation is through his wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), a woman with a lot to lose.

90 minutes into this I started to understand what was going on. Ok, started to understand is an overstatement but things started getting clearer. Things from earlier that had caused confusion suddenly made sense and with that the film became fun. Big fun. Big loud fun. Christopher Nolan loves his noisy action packed setpieces and here he throws them about with aplomb but it's only later in the film that you'll begin to enjoy them because my god Tenet is confusing. It's not exactly a time travel film but it's as brain melting as one. Terms like grandfather paradox and reverse entropy are thrown around and all you can do is grin and nod your head like you know what's going on. Until that moment mentioned earlier when things start to link together in your mind. Then it gets cool.

That 747 bit, those corridor fights, a bruising kitchen encounter, a horribly tense car chase, all out colour co-ordinated war. Full on moments that will sate the action junkie in all of us. If this is Nolan's audition for a Bond directing gig then he's passed with flying colours. His more intimate fight scenes still suffer from confusing geography and too much close up action but the wider stuff feels epic in scale. There's action here you'll have never seen on a cinema screen before and it will have you grinning like a loon. Until the moment you get confused again. And again. It's a film that will benefit from a second watch. One where you can take notes to turn into charts later and drive yourself batty.

That cast though. Second to none. Carrying the film through all it's madness. Even if you find it all a bit infuriating they'll keep you watching. Washington is cool as fuck, just like his daddy. All swagger and confidence, and absolutely believable when he's jamming a cheese grater into a scumbag's adam's apple. He's the audience proxy and it nearly feels like a relief at the moments when he's as confused as us. Pattinson's Neil is a fun addition who grows in stature as the film moves forward. His is the part that will stand up well to another viewing. Neil and The Protagonist work well together and their final moment is a great one, heavy with implication. Debicki's Kat gives the film it's bit of soul, stopping it feeling too clinical and like Pattinson's Neil, her Kat plays a far more substantial part than you'd think when she first appears. Branagh's bad guy is pure Bond villain. Cut crystal glasses filled with spirits, a genuinely horrible plan, all he's missing is a white cat in his lap to stroke. He's fun to watch. Except for that bit. That bit's not nice at all. Together though everyone gels and we even get a chip filled cameo from Nolan's muse too.

If you've avoided the cinema so far Tenet's a grand way to get back into the swing of things. You might leave with a headache but you can't deny it's a thrilling bit of cinema once you get your head around it.

If you get your head around it....

Tenet is in cinemas now.

Video Nasty Rewatch part 6 - Blood Feast

I saw bits of this one long before I knew what the video nasties were. In John Water's 1993 comedy horror Serial Mom we got to see the lead's son Chip slavering over gory clips from this 1963 splatter movie but we had no chance so see it uncut in this part of the world legally for another 12 years as it was part of the prosecuted 33 video nasties.

Was it worth the wait? Kind of. It's definitely unique. And it's definitely one of the worst acted films I've ever seen which is saying a lot seeing as I've sat through Fatal Deviation. Just that just adds to the joy. It's inept, it's dismal, it's shoddy, it's great craic.

Fuad Ramses is a lunatic. A caterer with an interest in Ancient Egypt, especially the goddess Ishatar. He's bored of 1963 Florida and to pep things up he's decided to resurrect her and to do so he's using an ancient Egyptian technique called a blood feast. The ingredients for this feast are the legs, tongues, faces and brains of the poor misfortunates who happen across his path and director Herschel Gordon Lewis shows it all in disgusting close up. But you can't take any of it seriously because its gore effects are easily as bad as it's acting. All ketchupy blood and sheeps tongues.

But here's the thing, despite the terrible gore and thesping there's a charm here that's absent in the majority of the nasties. Maybe its the hilariously simplistic story that feels like an episode of the 60's version of Batman? Maybe it's the ridiculous organ music that plays over the top? Maybe it's the kitsch fashions and locations? The cop that solves the murders because he too has a love for ancient Egypt? Somehow it all melds together into an entertaining whole and even better is the fact that it's only 67 minutes long. 67 minutes. Ahhhhh. Glorious. Way more films could do with being that length.

Does it deserve it's nasty status? No. Not a hope. It almost feels innocent. The cheesiness negates the brutality totally. It feels out of step with every other film on the list bar Axe! and even then feels tame beside it. There's none of the sleaze, sexual assault and leering brutality that got so many of the other films on the list banned. Just an overindulgence in goo and murder scenes that will make you howl with laughter. I'd love to watch this one drunk tbh.

Next up. Blood Rites. Back into the badness we go.

Sputnik

A monster movie can live or die with its monster. If it's a crappy one it can kill the film in its tracks, not matter how good the rest of the film is. There are exceptions to this rule of course, Jacques  Tourneur's Night Of The Demon for example but usually a badly conceived or designed monster will turn a film laughable. On the other hand a well designed creature can turn a film with a cliched story into something memorable. This is the case with Sputnik. *Shudder*

The year is 1983. The cold war between the East and the West is still on the verge of turning into something fiery. The USSR is always looking for that something special, something they can use on their enemies that's all their own. Now, in an isolated military base they might have that very thing. A spaceship has returned to Earth and there's something very wrong with Konstantin (Pyotr Fyodorov), the surviving kosmonaut. Dr. Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) is brought in to study him but she's unclear on the details of his illness until one night she gets to witness a parasitic life-form crawl out of him while he's sleeping. Her job is to figure out the relationship between man and parasite. The army all around her....well it's their job to figure out how to use it as a weapon.

I liked this a lot. It's not perfect but enough about it works to turn it in a memorable genre piece. It's full of ropey tropes and feels like it's been put together from a dozen other films but it's solid central pairing of Tatyana and Konstantin gives it a humanity that grounds the story when the blood begins to spill. It gets gory, not alienatingly so but there's enough squelch here to keep horror fans smiling, especially in the second half of the story. All of it courtesy of the little fella from space who hitched a ride back with Konstantin. A little fella that made me genuinely squirm. Kinda humanoid but moving like an arachnid, curious at one angle and terrifying at another, intelligent but brutal (huh, wait a minute...) at the same time, all scuttly and rapid forward bursts, those beady little eyes, dozens of them bunched together on it's little face, the way it devours by ripping and shredding. When it's onscreen you can't relax, it's slimy, it's tactile, it's rather unpleasant and like a spider it's unpredictable and it's here Sputnik really succeeds. I'd rather face the predator or a xenomorph anyday.

Where it doesn't succeed is the identikit setting, manned by faceless goons, barking orders through the gloominess of badly lit offices and laboratories. It's a setting that harks back to way too many 90's & 00's DTV horrors and at some junctions you'll struggle to keep your attention but thankfully the pre Perestroika setting and the adjoining paranoia/ bureacracy of the era keeps things going between the scares. Colonel Semiradov (Fedor Bondarchuk), the man in charge of the base is a nice touch, friendly at first but soon we realise he's a proxy for the powers that be in Moscow and at times he's almost as scary as the parasite. Ok, not quite but he's easily as vicious. Plus we all know a good boo-hiss villain tends to equal gooey satisfaction at the climax.....

Sputnik is a scifi horror with scares and substance. It's a rare Russian production, an actual crowd pleaser, devoid of that air of pretension that plagues a lot of Russian cinema, especially the ones that get Western releases. Think less Andrei Tarkovsky, more J.J. Abrams.

Available on google movies now.

Another unsung hero of cinema & TV - Tess Harper

Imagine starting your film career in an Oscar winning film and getting a Golden Globe nomination for your acting. Following it up with the 3D installment of a long running horror franchise. Then following that up with another film that received another tonne of Oscar nominations. Then your next film you yourself get an Ocar nomination while acting your more famous co-stars off the screen. Finally to top if off, starring in one of the most infamous box office disasters of the 80's. All in the space of 4 years. It's a hell of a way to start a career ain't it. For that beginning alone Tess Harper should be a superstar. But sadly she's not. To be honest, most people won't even know her name.

She's been a factory worker contaminated by radiation and then investigated by Meryl Streep. Been suspected of murder by Jessica Fletcher and defended against murder by the suits of L.A. Law. Played the mother of Albequerque's most famous meth cook. Been in the line of fire of Bruce Willis and his ridiculously large gun (Fnarr). She's played a sister of a thirty-something and a mammy in a Michael Jackson video. Walker Texas Ranger saved her life and she was touched by an angel. She's lived in the most haunted house in New York State and had her family threatened by the scariest haircut in New Mexico. Popped up in massively popular Netflix original and the best thing HBO have done this decade. Comedy, drama, western, musicals, horror, Tess has been everywhere. Even the Twilight Zone. Check out her checkered 37 year old career here

Greatest Hits

Tender Mercies. Rosa Lee. The woman who tames Mac Sledge. A quietly brilliant feature film debut that deserved it's award nominations.

Crimes Of The Heart. Chick Boyle. Steals the show from not only Diane Keaton, but Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek too and gets an Oscar nom for her troubles.

No Country For Old Men. Loretta Bell. The only person in Texas Tom Bell will take advice from. Condescending in that way you can't get mad at.

Frank. Frank's mam. Her explanation of her son's behaviour is the most touching moment in Lenny Abrahamson's haunting comedy drama.

Breaking Bad. Mrs Pinkman. Momma of Jesse. She loves her son but she's willing to kick him out too. Until it all backfires on her. Gets a nice cameo in El Camino too.

Previous Heroes

Michael Berryman
Mike Starr
M.C. Gainey
Mare Winningham
Dale Dickey
Vondie Curtis-Hall
Harris Yulin
Pepe Serna
Udo Kier
Fairuza Balk
Ernie Hudson
Lin Shaye
James Remar
Cloris Leachman
James Hong
David Strathairn
Frankie Faison
Conchata Ferrell
Dick Miller
Veronica Cartwright
Edie McClurg
Barry Shabaka Henley           
Raymond Cruz                        
Reg E.Cathey                          
Elizabeth McGovern               
John Amos                              
Bruce Greenwood                  
Mary McDonnell                     
Gerald McSorley                       
John Rothman                        
Margo Martindale                   
Kurtwood Smith                     
Paula Malcolmson                 
Luis Guzman                          
David Morse                           
Linda Hunt                              
Keith David                             
Zeljko Ivanek
Fiona Shaw
Xander Berkeley
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
C.C.H Pounder
William Forsythe
Beth Grant
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Regina King
Ric Young
Mark Rolston
Illeana Douglas
Jeanette Goldstein
Al Leong
Allan Graf
Bill Nunn
Thomas Rosales Jr

Moffie

Apartheid. A brutal regime that draped state sanctioned horror all across South Africa from 1948 until the early 90's. Racism was part of law, apartheid helped fuel it, enforcing segration on a majority black population by a minority white government. Under the regime white men prospered. Straight white men. Racism wasn't the only ism that flourished in the era. The title of this film is Moffie. The Afrikaans word for 'faggot'. Be prepared to hear it a lot.

Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer) is 18 years old and in 1981 South Africa that only means one thing. The army. 2 years of it. Written into law. There's no way to escape it. South Africa's at war with Angola and before he heads to the border to fight him and his fellow recruits have to be turned into killing machines. Dehumanisation is the word of the day. The training regime is horrifying. Any differences are instantly picked up on and used as ammunition for humiliation, both by trainer and trainee. Nicholas is gay and understandably keeping that to himself. Until the night he spends a night in a trench with another recruit called Dylan (Ryan de Villiers).

Christ this was a hard watch. Brutality heaped on brutality. It's the kind of film you need to steel yourself for because it will ruin your day. The military training regime depicted here makes Full Metal Jacket, which the film has taken it's structure from btw, look like a care bear's picnic. It's first 45 minutes are a constant, appalling, claustrophobic (made even more so by the film's 4:3 aspect ratio) barrage of abuse, racism and homophobia, designed to knock any hint of humanity from these would be soldiers. It's hard to watch these young men losing their souls, baby faces hardening, a foundation being built for a lifetime of hate. Moffie may be the story of a lost young man but it's an indictment of a whole country's way of thinking.

Barely a moment goes by without a depiction of trauma that will stick with you. The recruits on their way to camp abusing an elderly Black man waiting for a train, reminding you that hate is a constant state of mind in Marais Viljoen's South Africa. Bored young men punching each other in the face as a game, a brutal scene of toxic masculinity playing out to the blunt sound of  Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, that's as unsettling as any scene in a horror film. The moment a game of volleyball (A sly nod to that famously homoerotic moment in Top Gun) comes in an end in a petrifying yet inevitable way. The flashback to Nicholas's youth were his sexuality is discovered in the worst possible circumstance. Scenes that will play in your mind for weeks after you've seen them. The last scene in particular is something else, shot in a manner that plunges you into the moment with no way to escape. Despite the horror, this really is one beautiful looking movie. Director Oliver Hermanus really knows how to grab you and not let you go.

Kai Luke Brummer's turn as Nicholas is a stunner too, with sparse dialogue letting him say more with looks than any number of words. His pain is evident but you can see him bottle it up in every scene, and despite yourself you want him to keep his secret because as we see horribly, the army is no place to come out of the closet.  It's not all darkness thankfully, Nicholas's friendship with another recruit called Sachs (Matthew Vey) offers us slivers of light and then we get the ending. It's not a fairytale one, it was never going to be but......it's kinda sorta hopeful and after the catalogue of horrors we've just sat through we've earned it.

Moffie is streaming online now. It's fair tough but it's worth your while.

16 films on TV this week chosen just for you.

Kong : Skull Island   Sat   22/8   ITV2 @ 21.15

The 70's were a mad aul' time. A time where explorers would venture into distant lands without doing their due diligence and find themselves in all sorts of bother. Courtesy of a GIANT APE. This reboot of the King King story is so much fun and far better than anyone expected it to be. Super visuals, some decently scary moments, a lash of lethal music and a cast including Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson and a whacked out John C.Reilly all enjoying themselves.

The Squid And The Whale   Sat   22/8   TG4 @ 23.20

Two boys in 1980's Brooklyn are affected by their parent's messy divorce and find themselves beginning to act out in strange ways. A cutting, funny, cynical but poignant film that's full of amazing acting from a nice cast. Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels bring great weight to proceedings and Jesse Eisenberg in an early role shows signs of later promise. A raging performance from William Baldwin is a nice surprise too.

Hobson's Choice   Sun   23/8   Talking Picture Movies   15.20

Henry Hobson is a bit of a melt and his daughters want to get away from him fast. But things were a bit different for women in the 1880's and Henry's oldest daughter Maggie is having none of it. This 1954 David Lean comedy is a joy. Full of perfectly drawn characters and comic situations and a cast that's second to none. Charles Laughton is a masterly lead and Brenda De Banzie & John Mills give him fine support.

What Lies Beneath   Sun   23/8   RTE2 @ 21.30

There's something weird going on in Claire Spencer's gaff. Or maybe she's losing her mind. Her fella Norman is concerned. And her neighbours are acting a bit weird too. There's a lovely whiff of Alfred Hitchcock off this domestic thriller and having the blonde haired Michelle Pfeiffer as the lead only adds to that effect in this satisfyingly creepy and well acted watch. Good support too from Harrison Ford, Miranda Otto and James Remar.

The Book Thief   Sun   23/8   CH4 @ 22.00

Based on the novel of the same name this is the story of a young girl who finds solace in the written word to help herself and others deal with the horrors of the nazi regime in World War 2 Germany. A beautiful looking and well written film that while suitable for all the family isn't afraid to be dark in places. Appropriate given the story. Sophie Nelisse is good in the lead role and Geoffrey Rush as her uncle provides some much needed warmth.

Marley   Sun   23/8   TG4 @ 23.00

Bob Marley died in Jamaica over 39 years ago. It's hard to get through a day without hearing his music on the radio. We love his tunes but how much do we really know about him? This comprehensive documentary is a chance for us to find out what made the famous man tick. It's good stuff, full of faces and voices you'll recognise and it's not afraid to shy away from the darker, more unpleasant aspects of his story that we rarely hear about.

Manhunter   Mon   24/8   ITV4 @ 21.00

There's a serial killer called the Tooth Fairy murdering entire families and an ex FBI profiler called Will Graham is out to stop him. But he needs help from another killer he once jailed. A man called Lektor. Michael Mann's 1986 film is arguably the best adaption of Thomas Harris's books. It eschews the hamminess of the later films and goes straight for the jugular with an unerring aim. William Petersen, Brian Cox & Tom Noonan do mighty work here.

Mistress America   Tues   25/8   Film4 @ 02.10

Tracy, a student new to the New York city way of life is feeling the misery of loneliness but a new family member rapidly makes her existence into a very exciting one. A film about the problems of the middle class written and directed by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach might be an anathema to some but some stick with it and it's joie de vivre will get under your skin. Lola Kirke is a pleasure to watch.

The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre   Tues   25/8   TCM @ 13.30

Three dirt poor American immigrants band together in Mexico to find a buried treasure but problems inside and outside their little group cause major trouble for them.A true classic. This type of film where you'll recognise the story and dialogue even if you haven't seen it because it's been homaged so much. Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston are just deadly in a masterpiece directed by Walter's son John.

Mary And The Witch's Flower   Wed   26/8   Film4 @ 12.45

Wednesday, lunchtime, no better time for a dose of anime to soothe the soul. Mary, a young girl, stuck living with her grand-aunt in the country, follows a cat into the woods one day and discovers a magical new way of living her life. The story isn't vintage Studio Ghibli but the brilliant realised visuals on display here combined with a true sense of wonder guarantee you'll like this. A perfect introduction to the world of Japanese animation for kids and adults.

I, Tonya   Wed   26/8   RTE1 @ 21.35

Tonya Harding was the talk of the winter Olympics in 1994. But not because of any medals she won. Oh no, her story was far more complicated than any race to the podium. This sporting autobiography from 2018 is a fantastic watch, as dark and twisted as any crime thriller and based on a true story that will shock you. Margot Robbie is immense as the titular character but it's Allison Janney as her truly vile mother who will stick in your mind for days after.

Sudden Death   Wed   26/8   ITV4 @ 22.00

Darren McCord is a security guard working in an ice hockey rink and a man haunted by his past. When a game night is taken over by terrorists he has a chance to redeem himself. A very enjoyable watch that manages to hit all the action beats you'd expect while simultaneously ripping the piss out of the entire genre. Jean Claude Van Damme is fun in the lead and Powers Boothe is a deadly boo hiss bad guy.

Una   Thur   27/8   Film4 @ 01.35

A woman walks into a man's workplace and accuses him of impropriety with her when she was much younger. The man is horrified. Because it's all true. This is a tough, uncomfortable watch about the sins of the past and how they will deservedly come back to haunt you. Rooney Mara plays a stunner of a part, fragile, strong, unmerciless and Ben Mendehlson will make you want to scrub yourself in bleach.

Nocturnal Animals   Thur   27/8   Sony Movies @ 22.00

Her ex husband has sent her a manuscript of his soon to be published book and when Susan reads it she can't help but see a deeper meaning behind his words. This is not going to be a film for everyone, it's convoluted, a little bit pretentious and in places, dark as hell but stick with it and you'll experience a satisfying story about getting even, deserved or not. Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon are all on fire here.

They Live   Fri   28/8   Film4 @ 23.15

Rowdy Roddy Piper has come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And he's all out of bubblegum. John Carpenter's satirical scifi/thriller about a man, his magical sunglasses and the horrors of subliminal advertising is, underneath it's silly exterior, a blisteringly prescient look at the evils of capitalism and the dangers of sleepwalking through life. Oh and it has THE best all time movie punch-up courtesy of Piper and the always entertaining Keith David.

Loving   Fri   28/8   RTE1 @ midnight

A man and a woman living in Virginia in the 1960's aren't allowed to marry due to the different colours of their skin. They go ahead and do it anyway. As you can imagine, it causes trouble. A very effective look at the strength of love from director Jeff Nichols. It's upsetting as you can imagine but it needs to be watched. Powerhouse work from Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton will keep you watching until the very end.

Random Acts Of Violence

Dahmer. Bundy. Gacy. Bianchi and Buono. Jack the Ripper. West. Shipman. Sutcliffe. This is a list that could go on forever. Serial killers. The world is obsessed with them and their exploits. Films, books, comics, TV shows, all feed from them and their deeds. Serial killers have become mass media entertainment. But what about the people feeding on all this mass media? That's a question Random Acts Of Violence is asking us. Well one of the questions anyway.

Slasherman. An ultra gory adults only comic book about the unsolved killings along the interstate 90 motorway cutting through America's heartlands. The same motorway Slasherman writer Todd (Jesse Williams) and his wife Kathy (Jordana Brewster) are traversing to get to Comic Con where he can advertise his wares to his slavering fans. Along for the drive is his friend and publisher Ezra (Jay Baruchel who also directs) and his assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson). Todd is obsessed with the murders and his way of working through his obsession is to pour his heart and imagination out onto the pages of his books. Kathy is interested too but from the point of view of the victims which the eogtistical Todd finds to be in conflict with his own work. As their journey progresses they find that their realities and the images in his books are starting to blend.

The slasher genre is heading towards it's 50th birthday (A Bay Of Blood in 1971 is generally considered the film that started it all) and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Serial killer flicks are 10 a penny these days and the vast majority of them are awful but every now and then something like Random Acts Of Violence comes along and shakes things up. It has all the gore and scares you'd expect but there's substance here too. It's full of barbs and digs at creators of violent media and the people that consume it. Media that's based on real human suffering, exploited for a buck without any real thought of the misery behind it all. Are content creators to blame when fandom becomes obsession? Does violent media begat real life violence? Todd is accused of legitimizing violence, of fetishizing evil. He's faced with probing question from the people who really knew the victims he draws on his pages. This films asks him and therefore us these questions but thankfully never condescends us with the answers, letting us draw our own conclusions.

Which, considering some of the violence on display in the film, would be problematic and very hypocritical. Because Random Acts of Violence is excruciatingly brutal in places. It's rare for films like this not to have blood spilled from the off, but this one takes it's time, building the story and the characters before that first roadside attack, an appalling act that might have some reaching for the off button but because of what we've learned so far it lends a weight to the moment, making it far more hard hitting than any similar scene in a Friday The 13th/Scream film. The bloodspilling in RAOV, however well done it may be also gives the film an air of having its cake and eating it too. It blurs the questions it asks. "Is violent entertainment a problem?" while being violent entertainment itself. You'll finish the film thinking anyway, which is more than usually happens.

Baruchel, best known for his brilliant TV show Undeclared and for being the BFF of Seth Rogen in numerous Judd Apatow flicks has done well here with his first directorial toedip into horror and it's obvious he knows and loves the genre and does so with an eye on what tropes to subvert also. Late in the film the plotline gets a bit silly, but silliness has long been a main ingredient in horror and when the movie tips into full on Dario Argento by way of Tobe Hooper territory near the end horror fans will be too gleeful to care.

Random Acts Of Violence is streaming online at shudder.com now. And it's only 80 minutes long too. Score.

Still standing strong

The movie shop in Roscrea is still open. In the face of a Netflix/Amazon onslaught it has somehow survived. I'm so proud of it.

I've so many memories tied to the film rental shops at home. The places that gave me an education I've actually enjoyed and not had forced on me.

Hard Boiled. The first ever subtitled film I rented out after reading about it in Impact magazine. A film that opened up a whole world of foreign cinema to me.

Cape Fear. The first 18 certificate film I rented myself. I remember the fear, walking to the counter, holding this new film in my hand, fully expecting to be told to fuck off, only to find my cousin Nicola behind the counter who instantly rented it out to me. From then on there were no similar issues.

That time we made sure she wasn't there so we could rent out Basic Instinct.... Man, that was a disappointing one. I mean, very entertaining film and all but we were 15 and expecting FILTH

Giving the fella behind the counter the "nod" so he'd let you rent out the banned films. Remember that glorious time, watching 3rd generation VHS copies of The Exorcist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and feeling like an absolute villain.

Renting out Romper Stomper and being ostracized from my friends house because his granny walked in during a rather graphic sex scene. From that moment she assumed the film was pornographic and had no problem telling my father I wasn't welcome there anymore. The wagon.

Discovering classics like The Night Of The Hunter, The Conversation and Dawn Of The Dead. Films that never ever showed up on TV and when you rented one out it felt like finding buried treasure.

Being pointed away from Seagal and Van Damme films by knowledgable staff and pointed towards Jackie Chan, John Woo & Jet Li instead.

The time we rented out Man Bites Dog and were left traumatised. 25 years later I still remember the nausea. Haven't been able to watch it since.

Getting a Halliwell's film guide and using it to work my way through the classics available in Roscrea's shops.

Cheering along with with the boys during the entire length of The Last Boy Scout.

Watching films with my parents and not being able to enjoy them in case a sex scene kicked off. And when it inevitably did hearing my mother saying "the lads are way too young for this." Generally they were lenient when it came to movies though thank god.

The time I mitched off transition year work experience so I could watch Out For Justice.

Browsing the Xtravision ex-rental shelf to build my movie collection. It was always a buzz when you found something good.

It's a pity these shops are almost all gone. Netflix and streaming is easy and all but kids growing up now will never feel that buzz of discovery again. It's a pity.

Here we go again

Spewing racist hate? Fine.

Spreading transphobia and stirring up anger against a tiny minority of people. Yeah that's grand.

Threatening women's lives and their livelihoods constantly. No problem there.

Actually working out where people living and sending them death threats. Cool. Work away.

Calling these people bad names though? Nope. Can't be having that. Here's a big fat juicy ban for you.

Oh you've created a new account?? Bye bye again.

I think the only way to survive on twitter is to be a flat out bastard tbh.

Video Nasty Rewatch part 5 - The Beast In Heat

This one opens with a pink swastika splashed across the screen. It's going to be one of those nasties. The "naziploitation" ones.

Interestingly, out of 5 films from the list so far, it's the 4th one from Italy.

It's also the first one not to be released uncut so far.

It's such a manky film that the BBFC would probably still cut it to ribbons.

It's also so awful that it's not really a surprise no one wants to touch it.

Anyway. The Beast In Heat. Directed by Luigi Batzella (as Ivan Kathansky I assume because he didn't want his name anywhere near it) An SS experimentation camp is ran by Dr. Ellen Kratsch, a sadistic nazi who takes great pleasure in torturing the prisoners she lords it over. Her doctors have created a sex crazed half man, half beast who greatest pleasure is raping the female prisoners it gets it's hands on and it's Kratsch's hope that these rapes will lead to a super race of beastly humans. While these gestapo funded experiments are taking place, a nearby village full of partisan fighters is planning a raid to destroy the camp and end Kratsch's evil reign once and for all.

Yep. It's as repugnant as it sounds. It's a film that revels in it's nastiness, wallows in it, zooms in for close ups. The nazi's here mow down old women, throw babies into the air before machine gunning them, shoot grandads in the face in front of their grandsons. Kratsch gets her kicks from watching the beast attacking her prisoners, feeds others prisoners to rats and loves to pluck out fingernails before zapping genitalia. It's easy see why this one got added to the nasties list. Then in between it's more disgusting moments it manages to be incredibly boring and as badly acted as anything you've ever seen. A fact compounded by some stunningly bad attempts at dubbing. It's rare you find a film with literally nothing to recommend in it but The Beast In Heat is that movie.

While you're watching this you'll have the niggling feeling that something isn't quite right about the whole enterprise. It feels jarring, terribly edited, juggling two plotlines that never ever feel right with each other. You wouldn't be wrong to feel this way because The Beast In Heat is actually two films thrown together. All the partisan stuff is from a totally different film!! A dreadful WW2 actioner called When the Bell Tolls and all the nazi experiment stuff was filmed 7 years later and added to it to create The Beast In Heat. It's a cheap way to make a film I suppose but the results speak for themselves.

Despite amateurishness residing in every facet of this film's being it's still tough to watch. The camera leering over sexual assaults and torture, zooming in on nudity and screaming faces. There's something very unsettling about directors who choose to shoot films in this manner. It feels like an insight into a psyche you'd rather not see. But perhaps the most unsettling thing about this shitshow is the "beast" itself. Played by an Italian actor called Salvatore Baccaro (under the name Sal Boris, see, no one involved uses their real name) who was truly exploited here. Suffering from Acromegaly, his looks were used to create a beastly character and his every appearance just feels horribly distasteful. It's just another reason to shudder at this one.

I'd avoid this like the plague.

Next up. Blood Feast. A campy slice of fun from Herschell Gordon Lewis.

Project Power

Project Power is the latest in a seemingly never ending series of movies about people with superhuman abilities. Most of the time these films end with a city levelling climactic battle with feels so generic your eyes will roll out of your head. Project Power goes the other way. With a small scale face off on a boat at night that you've seen in a 1000 other films. Yup, it may be different but it's just as dull. Like so many other times in Project Power it's yet another wasted opportunity.

New Orleans has always had it's issues with crime but when a drug called Power hits the city the cops find themselves fighting a losing battle. Power is a bit different to the usual class A's. Here you derive your high from gaining a superpower for 5 minutes at a time. The power is different for everyone. Some can regulate their temperatures to extremes, others can regenerate life, some can run ultra fast and others can deflect bullets with their skin. It's, of course, the talk of the town, everyone wants it. Robin (Dominique Fishback) is a young dealer who works out a deal with a cop called Frank (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), supplying him with the drug so he can secretly take it to help him fight the criminals using it themselves. Then there's Art (Jamie Foxxzzzzzzz....). Art's in town for his own reasons, reasons involving his family and the genesis of power and eventually his path will cross with that of the others.

There's a sequence about halfway through this that will knock your socks off. A one take 360 degree pan of a bloody nightclub battle shot from inside a glass cage where a woman is tripping her ass off on Power, while bodies burst and shatter all around her. It's inventive, exciting and visually amazing. It will have you thinking that the dull hour or so you had to put up with to get here was worth your while. You'll assume the film is about to move to a higher plain, that shit is about to get real (I realise this line is as cliched as the end of this film, no need to point it out) and then........it flops back on its arse again. It has a pretty cool premise (powers derived from animals) and just wastes it in the dullest possible ways. We get to hear about cool abilities but never get to see them with the film choosing again and again to concentrate on done to death gunplay and wisecrackery. The wisecracks....oh god, they feel so wedged in, added in post to give character's depth and the film humour and all failing miserably. Levitt's Eastwood impression will have you edging your hand ever closer to the off switch when eventually a bullet stops it. Not a spoiler btw.

Levitt's usually a charming face to have pop up in a film but he doesn't add much here, failing to create any real bit of chemistry with either Foxx or Fishback, but at least he tries and does look quite convincing in the full flow of action. He's come a long way from little Tommy on Third Rock From The Sun. Foxx though, Foxx is in full on sleepwalk mode, he's not quite hit the Bruce Willis stage of things yet but it's getting close. His heart just isn't in this at all leaving Fishback to carry the load which she does admirably. So good in TV's The Deuce, she gets a couple nice moments here (an imagined face off with a teacher which shows off her linguistic skills and some quieter moments with her mother) and honestly, it if wasn't for her and that one take battle mentioned earlier there wouldn't be anything to recommend here at all.

It's admirable to see a film about superhuman abilities come at things from a different angle but jesus, when you have an interesting premise at least do something interesting with it. Oh and two other things. One. Don't set a film in a wonderful place like New Orleans and not use the city to it's fullest. Seriously, it could be anywhere USA. Two. Never waste a brilliant actor like Courtney B. Vance. Never. That's just flat out unforgivable.

Project Power is streaming on Netflix now. Put it on in the background or something.