My Movie Song Of The Week #78 (2011 Oscar Edition)

February 23, 2012

“Man Or Muppet” by Jason Segel & Walter (from THE MUPPETS)

- Bede Jermyn


Funk’s Top 10: Movies for a Stinking Hot Day

February 23, 2012

As some of you are already aware, I live in Australia. This is the hottest month of the year and the past few days have been SCORCHING. This is fine when you’re free to grab a surfboard and hit the beach with an esky full of tinnies (which is all we ever do), not so great when you spend your day in a roasting hot, computer filled greenhouse of a classroom with no air conditioning and fans that only serve to push the heat around.

In an attempt to think nice, frosty thoughts I’ve made this weeks Top 10 all about nice, frosty thoughts. The movies that give you that nice, cool feeling on a hot, simmering day.

10. Dead Snow

With temperatures in the classroom well over 40c, there’s a lot I would put up with for a nice bit of wind chill. Nazis? Fine. Zombies? I’ll deal with it. Zombie Nazis? Whatever. When your typical party crazy teens hold up in a shack for a night of debauchery they fall afoul of – you guessed it – zombie Nazis. Eventually they have to make the choice between trying to survive in the shack or brave the elements. I’ll take elements, thanks.

9. 30 Days of Night

A bunch of ugly vampires make a wonderful discovery: a town in Alaska where night falls for an entire month! The, of course, flock to the town with the intention of indulging in an epic buffet. A place where it is freezing cold for a whole month? Where do I sign up for this vampire stint! Just as long as I don’t have to act all mushy with the expressionless Kristen Stewart.

8. The Day After Tomorrow

A movie that can best be summed up as “it’s cold and there are wolves after me”, this little slice of apocalypse sees New York being engulfed by an epic tidal wave that promptly freezes turning the Big Apple in a frozen treat. Whilst the survivors take refuge in a big library (being an Emmerich film I’m sure it’s some kind of landmark I’m not familiar with) while slowly freezing to death. Bliss.

7. Nanook of the North

It takes a man to wear those pants. And no-one is more of a man Nanook.

Although Nanook himself looks nice and snug in his big furry pants, he must be feeling the cold. The oceans bob with giant chunks of ice, the family huddles together for warmth and each evening Nanook builds himself a new house out of ice blocks. A house made of ice – nothing sounds more perfect right now.

6. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe


Isn’t this the dream…walk into the wardrobe and emerge in a wintery wonderland. It’s filled with pine trees, mythological animals and, um, Santa Claus handing out medieval weapons. Sure the entire place is frozen by an evil Queen whilst all the locals slowly starve to death but right now it looks like paradise.

5. The Empire Strikes Back

Whilst I am certain that Dagobah and Cloud City are quite chilly, nothing can hold a candle to Hoth (mainly because it would extinguish immediately). Hoth is cold. Damn cold. Cold enough that even the capable and strong Luke Skywalker succumbs to the cold in a very short amount of time, saved only by the quick-thinking Han Solo slicing open his steed to create a snug little hidey-hole.

4. Let the Right One In

Tours now available!

Oh Sweden, aren’t you wonderfully desolate? The starkness of the landscape in this miniature vampire fable lends to the beauty of the piece. The open white landscapes are enough to send a very welcome chill down your spine and the frozen lakes are enough to make you shiver. And if those don’t capture your heart then a young vampire might just rip it out.

3. The Shining

Snug.

Welcome to the Overlook Hotel and the snowy landscape that surrounds it. Never mind the haunted hotel, decaying women in bathtubs, creepy twins and possession…it looks so nice and cold outside! With endless, rolling fields of untouched snow and a hedge maze or awesomeness. Don’t take it to heart though, like poor Jack, who ended up a little more on the frosty side.

2. The Thing

Nothing like a bit of claustrophobia to bring on the chills! John Carpenter brings that sense of biting winds and frost-clung windows through the screen and into the viewers bones. When the real world is getting hot to the point of uncomfortable then this movie will drop your core temperature.

1. Fargo

Whilst The Thing might be the coldest environment on this list, everyone throwing around those flamethrowers adds some unnecessary warmth to the place. For some real chills the cold minds at work in the Twin Cities reflect the deep snow that surrounds them. As the snow falls thicker and the sky grows darker during the movie the viewer is left feeling very cold indeed. Certainly a relief on a hot day like this.

For more of Funk’s Geekery visit Funk’s House of Geekery!


Super Podcast Pre-Oscar Special (2012)

February 20, 2012
Download HERE

Welcome to Super Podcast Pre-Oscar Special, discussing most of this years Oscar nominations! Your co-hosts Super Marcey and the terrible Australian Bede are in the house along with a couple of guests – A.J. Hakari and Sam Inglis (24FPS). So what got nominated, what got snubbed, who do we think will win and who do we think should have been nominated?

As usual you can find us at:
Hosts on Twitter – @SuperMarcey @BedeJermyn
Guests on Twitter – @24FPSUK & @MadMovieMan
Email at marcey@supermarcey.com
Join the SuperPodcast Facebook Fan Page
Subscribe via iTunes

MadMan Theatrical Coming Soon Releases

February 17, 2012

Our friends over at MadMan Films have some great new releases coming out theatrically over the next couple of months. Check out what is on offer, and jot those dates down!

BUCK – February 16th
www.buckthemovie.com

TYRANNOSAUR – February 23rd
(Limited release exclusive to Cinema Nova)

THE SOURCE – March 8th
(Limited release exclusive to Cinema Nova)

THE KID WITH A BIKE – March 15th
(Limited release at Cinema Nova, Dendy Opera Quays)

THE RAID – March 22nd
www.theraidmovie.com.au

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS – April 19th


DVD Review: Esoterica [MA15]

February 16, 2012

Dir: Sam Barrett
Starring: James Helm, Karen Barrett, Ben Brown, Arielle Gray

The Film:
Esoterica is a film that I think will strike some people as being rather odd within the first 10 minutes. It kind of is if you aren’t too sure what it is about, but if you are a film noir fan you’ll no doubt fall right into the film.

It is a mystery and that is exactly how it begins, we get thrown into the mix almost blindfolded and we have to sort out the pieces along with the characters. A private eye of sorts Will (James Helm) takes on an assignment to catch his client’s cheating husband in the act. He hides in the closet (Reminiscent of Blue Velvet) to catch them in the act and is surprised to see that a former acquaintance of his Nancy (Melanie Munt) is the other woman. But there is no time for playing as they quickly get locked into a crazy turn of events including a case of mistaken identity, with a child’s life hanging in the balance. Nothing is as it seems …

That should be enough to get you by with the film, it helps to be in the dark about the plot because it is interesting to see it unfold, but a bit of information helps. The look of the film might catch people off guard, it isn’t exactly in black and white but the colour has been mostly washed out. It aims to give it that classic noir feel, but keeping it updated. The music is also somewhat noir classic but with a mixture of a modern texture. It is an impressive feel, and it contains one of the most interesting and visually delightful credit sequences I have seen for quite some time. It is a really strong film on a visual level, and I was really impressed with the balance that was found.

The acting here is very mixed, some of it is good and quite solid and some of it not so much. This I found was a bit of a weak spot, and when someone had an unconvincing scene it actually really took me out of the moment. Our leads James Helm and Melanie Munt were pretty solid and they both did a good job with their roles. They were certainly more hit than miss, unlike George Shevtsov who was very unbalanced as Det. Jack Van Cleef. His role is very interesting and really well written but I felt he struggled with it. There were some scenes and moments that were truly laughable and others that were brilliant. Not sure what the problem was with him, but it was uneven. The supporting cast either work or they don’t, some didn’t feel entirely comfortable with it.

Esoterica is a really well written and directed film; it is something different for Australian cinema and certain deserves to be seen. It is unfortunate that some of the acting lets it down, but if you can look through that, it is entertaining. The central mystery will keep you guessing, and it certainly remains engaging throughout. It is an impressive effort in a genre that is one of the most difficult to pull off.

The Australian DVD:
The DVD I reviewed was a screener, so I am unable to comment on Picture/Audio quality.

Rating:

DVD details here.

Thanks to Bill care of Accent Film for the copy.


[The Super Five] 5 Haunting Female Characters From The World Of David Lynch

February 15, 2012
Welcome to a brand new weekly feature here at SuperMarcey.com called ‘The Super Five’. This is a different take on the ‘Top 10′ or ‘List’ style features, where I take a subject and simply name five things. It isn’t a top list, just simply five things for your enjoyment! Enjoy the debut column!

David Lynch is without a doubt my favourite director of all time, there is just something about the man and his works that hit on a level like no other. I always go back and explore his films, the strange worlds he creates and the incredibly messed up characters. Perhaps the most memorable of those characters are the females, all as different as the next, with such haunting qualities about them. So for this week I thought I would delve right into that world …

5.) Renee Madison/Alice Wakefield (Patricia Arquette) Lost Highway (1997)

Lost Highway is an odd film, yes that isn’t saying much coming from Lynch. This feels darker than some of his others, and certainly not an easy one to sit through. Perhaps the most haunting thing about this film is the dual role from Patricia Arquette as Renee and Alice. This might just be her best performance, and without it the film wouldn’t be the same.

4.) Nikki Grace/Susan Blue (Laura Dern) Inland Empire (2006)

Another dual role, from Lynch’s muse Laura Dern. This could be her crowning achievement, as the struggling older actress and the character she is meant to be playing. The lines between reality and fantasy are blurred in this nightmarish world. This film stuck with me for a long time after I saw it, mostly thanks to this performance and the characters she played.

3.) Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn (Naomi Watts) Mulholland Dr. (2001)

The duality of this role doesn’t come into play well over half way through, and for a lot of the film we’re with Betty. She’s this innocent and gorgeous creature, but then she turns into something completely different. This is the role that really put Naomi Watts on the Hollywood map, with two characters that are incredibly heartbreaking and haunting.

2.) Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) Twin Peaks (1990), Fire Walk With Me (1992)

“She’s dead, wrapped in plastic.” it was these haunting words that began one of the strangest TV series of the past 40 years. Laura Palmer was at the center of it all, who was she and why would someone kill such a beautiful creature? The mystery kept audiences guessing, and when the show came to an abrupt end, her story was told in the prequel film and her full tragedy and heartache was revealed.

1.) Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) Blue Velvet (1986)

For those that know me, this one will come as no surprise. Blue Velvet is in my Top 5 Favourite Films of All Time list, and Dorothy Vallens certainly remains one of the most memorable characters to appear on film (next to Dennis Hopper’s Frank Booth). Her character is a mystery, a beauty, full of heartbreak and tragedy. She’s a tortured soul, with something about her that just attracts people towards her, she’s the ultimate haunting Lynch female character.

My Movie Song Of The Week #77

February 14, 2012

“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston (from THE BODYGUARD)

R.I.P. Whitney Houston

- Bede Jermyn


Our Recommendations (February 14th 2012)

February 14, 2012
Every week the people of Super Website (Super Blog) will give you a recommendation of a Film, DVD, Bluray, Book, Soundtrack or any other item for you the readers to check out.
Super Marcey Recommends:

Superman The Movie

I am as anti-Valentine’s as it comes, I think the day itself is rubbish, and just a cash grab. But since we’re stuck with it, might as well celebrate it my own way.
My way would be with some action or martial arts film, as far away as romantic as possible. However instead of being completely heartless, I thought I’d recommend one of my favourite films and one that certainly fits the mold with romantic but also suits me with action. Superman the Movie is a classic, it may even be my favourite film based on a comic book. For me this is perfection, everything about this, they got right. The script is really solid, and it not only tells an origin story but it takes off into something else, something that really just completes what and who Superman is.
The casting is exactly as it should be, no one has ever been able to match Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent and Superman (Brandon Routh came close, but he was a far better Clark than Supes). He is perfect, he understood exactly what he needed to do, and he convincing with Clark and Superman being two different people. Margo Kidder was the perfect Lois, embodying everything about the character, it is easy to fall for her just like our hero does. And who could forget Gene Hackman was Lex Luthor, a great role and a memorable performance. Of course everyone else is fantastic, and I love every second of this film.
It will make you believe a man can fly …
| IMDB | Purchase DVD | Purchase On Blu-ray |
Logan J. Fowler Recommends:

One Fine Day

Ok, so, I’m gonna say it: This is my favorite straight up romantic comedy. Even a chick flick, if you will. I caught this movie once on cable and it was love at first sight. Now I pine away to pick it up on DVD.
Anyway the movie stars George Clooney pre Oscar mode (and before he butchered the Batman franchise for good) and Michelle Pfeiffer (honestly, I think she is super cute in this movie, she’s never looked better to me) as two single parents destined for each other. Each of their children attend the same school and one (fine?) day they are supposed to go on a field trip. Melanie (Pfeiffer) has arranged to pick up Jack’s (Clooney) daughter Maggie (Mae Whitman, who would go on to become the butt of jokes in Arrested Development and kick butt in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) but Jack leaves with his child anyway, making her and Melanie’s son Sammy (Alex D. Linz) miss the trip entirely. They two adults scatter back and forth taking care of both kids, but really, it’s one of those scenarios where the kids act like adults and the adults act like kids. The banter between Pfeiffer and Clooney is priceless, and the child actors in Whitman and Linz are absolutely adorable.
In addition, I like how the movie ends. It’s sugary sweet, although not in a cliche way, but you kind of can guess how the movie wraps up. It’s called One Fine Day, after all, not One Bad Day. In any case, I love this movie. You should watch it with someone special. Happy Valentine’s Day yo!
| IMDB | Purchase on DVD |
Bede Jermyn Recommends:

Once


Now I’m not ashamed to admit that I like romance films. Whether they be big budgeted Hollywood films (TITANIC, MOULIN ROUGE, THE NOTEBOOK etc.) or smaller independent films (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, BEFORE SUNRISE & BEFORE SUNSET etc.), if the romance at the heart of it gets to me then the film has succeeded.
With Valentine’s Day upon us I’ve decided for my latest recommendation I’d pick one of my personal favourite romantic films, which happens to be the 2007 film ONCE. The film tells the story of an unnamed singer/guitarist (Glen Hansard, who is the lead singer the Irish band The Frames), who spends his spare time busking of the streets of Dublin in order to earns some extra money when isn’t working in his Father’s vacuum cleaner shop. One night his life changes when he meets a young unnamed Czech immigrant woman (Marketa Irglova), who sells flowers in the same street that he busks on every day. When they start to get to know each other, he discovers she also has the same passion for music and he tells her his dream of moving to London to become a famous musician. She decides to help him with raising some money to record a demo CD and as well as to help him co-wrote some songs. Over the course of a week they write, rehearse and record their music, they start to develop feelings for each other.
This is an absolutely terrific and beautifully made romantic/musical film that I adored from beginning to end. Writer/director John Carney has crafted a film that has a lot of heart and soul. Both Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are absolutely wonderful in their roles. They both have real genuine chemistry together and their potential romance felt very real and honest (it’s no wonder they actually became a couple in real life). However one thing that stood out the most for me from this film was its soundtrack. If you’re going to make a film that relies on music to tell its story, you better have some pretty damn good songs for it. Luckily all the songs in the film (which were written by either stars Hansard & Irglova) are all fantastic, each one is beautifully written and performed by its two leads (the stand out song, of course, being the sublime “Falling Slowly”. It deservedly won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2007). Also the film has an absolutely moving and bittersweet ending which, I’m not afraid to admit, actually made me cry. There is so much I could say about ONCE but I will say if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favour and check this film right away. To me it’s definitely one of best romance films made in the last couple of years and hopefully you’ll feel the same way to after you have seen it too. Once you do, buy the soundtrack as well. You won’t regret it.
| IMDB | Purchase on DVD | Purchase on Blu-ray |
Garrett Collins Recommends:

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Valentine’s Day. A day of either happiness, sadness, or anger. If like me, you are deciding to stay in and watch a movie on this very polarizing day, why not make it a movie that makes you feel all three of these emotions, and more? After The Majestic, I really had given up on Jim Carrey in drama. Yeah, the Andy Kaufman movie Man On The Moon showed he had some range, as did The Truman Show (a movie I find to be overrated myself), but it wasn’t until Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that I found him to be a character to identify with. I think that everybody has that somebody in their lives that, you just wish you could erase from your mind, and get rid of them forever. Not necessarily because you hate them, but because you do not want to think about what their loss means to you.
The film is about a troubled couple’s decision within themselves to go through a procedure that erases the memory of their relationship. However, it is as they go through it that they both discovered what it is that they are losing. Not only is it Winslet and Carrey’s best roles to date (Winslet said in a recent Empire Magazine article that it is still her favorite role to date), but Charlie Kaufman shows other reasons as to why he is such a brilliant writer. He really has a knack for making who were once intolerable actresses tolerable, as 1999’s Being John Malkovich is still Cameron Diaz’s best performance of her career, and this made Kristen Dunst more than tolerable for a couple hours. But, he came up with a brilliant plot device to show Winslet’s point of time within the relationship she was in. He had her dye her hair the colors of blue, orange, red, green, and brown. This helps the viewer keep track of what point of time they are in, as the film does jump around a lot. This film really hit Carrey and Winslet’s career in stride, and they have never seemed more, well, human, than in these roles. Highly, highly recommended.
| IMDB | Purchase on DVD | Purchase on Blu-ray |

DVD Review: Peep World [MA15]

February 14, 2012

Dir: Barry W. Blaustein
Starring: Judy Greer, Michael C. Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Kate Mara, Ron Rifkin, Ben Schwartz, Sarah Silverman, Lesley Ann Warren, Rainn Wilson

The Film:Peep World is the story of the Meyerwitz family; mainly father Henry (Ron Rifkin), his sons Joel (Rainn Wilson), Jack (Michael C. Hall), Nathan (Ben Schwartz), and daughter Cheri (Sarah Silverman). Nathan has written a book about his family, entitled Peep World, and although the names in the book have been changed to protect the innocent, Nathan’s siblings know full well that there is truth in the story because it is about them.

The movie starts off showcasing a birthday dinner for Henry with the whole family there, and then breaks off into tangents regarding each one of the offspring of Henry. Joel is pretty much a waste of space, begging Jack for money. He lives in an extremely messy apartment, but finds solace in his girlfriend, Mary (Taraji P. Henson).

Shifting over to Jack, we find that the “most responsible” of the crew is a failing architect who has a taste for something his wife doesn’t approve of (trying to remain spoiler free here) and rightfully so, considering the fact she is seven weeks away from delivering their first child.

Sarah Silverman is a whiny mess, who complains the whole time about how the book Nathan wrote ruined her life.  Blah.

Nathan’s mini tale is the most awkward, as he heads to a doctor to deal with problems concerning his manhood.  This arc just seemed very out of place to me, but whatever.

The movie really doesn’t have a lot to say, and we realize by the end of the film, Nathan isn’t really the bad guy. However, the tangents provided don’t really give us a lot of character expositions as to why the people showcased are this way, why they are so messed up. In a way, I guess the film makers believe the audience should accept it at face value and just go with it, but I felt like the movie really didn’t work in this aspect. Also, it barely focuses on the father figure, which, for the sake of the final few scenes, would have made the movie work a lot better if we knew more about him.

The cast is so-so. Hall and Wilson are two of my favorite actors, and while Wilson does a pretty good job in his minimal role, Hall makes his character feel the most fully developed. His story was definitely the most interesting. On the negative side, Silverman whines practically the whole movie when she is featured, and I couldn’t stand her at all. Schwartz is meh, as a character who you are supposed to invest time in as the author of the titular book, he really is kind of rude (although I think that was the intent) and I didn’t really care for the character. Rounding it out, Rifkin is just there to impact the finale, but his character doesn’t do anything to make you feel hurt or hate him enough, and the movie fails in this aspect.

Peep World had some good elements. In it there could be a good movie, if some things were changed. But I had some issues with the cast, and the film itself had a hard time finding solid ground. It really is a mess, much like Joel’s apartment, and while the quick run time might be good for some, I think that some character arcs needed some depth. The strongest elements of the film were Hall, Wilson, and an intriguing story, but unfortunately that story really gets lost in the shuffle.

The Australian DVD 
Audio/Video: The video is a 16:9 widescreen presentation. Sharp picture, couldn’t find any faults with it. Audio is presented with Dolby Digital 5.1. audio was clear and I had no issues there.

Extras:
* Deleted Scenes
* Trailer

The deleted scenes are not bad, not sure they added much to the overall film but may have been a good inclusion.

Overall Rating

Thanks to Ben from MadMan for his support.


Super Podcast Audio Commentary Valentine’s Edition: Double Impact

February 11, 2012
Download HERE

Welcome to another installment of the Super Podcast Audio Commentary Edition. This next Commentary is a special Valentine’s Day one, and what better way to spend the romantic holiday than to listen to Super Marcey and special guest Sean Clancy talk about ‘double the Van Dammage’ with Double Impact! It makes sense, the film was a vanity project for Van Damme, he plays twin brothers, so he has twice the roles to play and twice the amount of screen time! It is a love letter to himself, and we enjoy the heck out of this early 90′s classic. You will too, because let’s face it, Marcey and Sean are two entertaining people!
If you have never listened to a Commentary, here is how it works. You simply need to grab a copy of the film, and sync up the podcast audio with the film. We will tell you when to press start, it is that easy! You can listen to it while you watch the film or listen to it on its own.

Can you feel the love?

It's Van Damme approved for your safety!

Disclaimer: This audio commentary isn’t meant to be taken seriously, it is just a humourous look at an action classic film. It is for entertainment purposes, we do not wish to offend anyone who worked on and in the film, we have respect for you all.
As usual you can find us at:
Host on Twitter – @SuperMarcey
Guests on Twitter – He don’t have one!
Email at marcey@supermarcey.com
Join the SuperPodcast Facebook Fan Page
Subscribe via iTunes
If you wish to purchase the film you can do so at the follow links:
Amazon (Region 1)
Amazon (Region 2)
JB Hi-Fi (Region 4)

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