Based on an extraordinary true story, ANTHROPOID follows the daring plot by two Czechoslovakian agents to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich, the main architect behind the Final Solution and third in command of the Nazi forces behind Hitler and Himmler.
One half of the brave duo is portrayed by Jamie Dornan, former male model and international lust object who is somewhat improbably also earning a reputation as one of the most intense leading men around thanks to an acting career rooted in leftfield choices and powerful performances.
With ANTHROPOID available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD from January 16th, what better time to look back at the career of the Belfast-born beauty?
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Until writer/director Sofia Coppola’s pop art look at France’s doomed queen came along, Dornan was best known for a modelling career that took in gigs for Abercrombie & Fitch, Aquascutum, Hugo Boss and Armani, even winning the label ‘The Golden Torso’ from The New York Times, for reasons obvious to anyone blessed with the power of sight. His turn as Count Axel Von Fersen The Younger, confidante and friend to Kirsten Dunst’s titular queen, soon had people looking at more than Dornan’s torso, however, and a burgeoning acting career was born.
Silence (2016) is the fifty-ninth film from the celebrated filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who’s diverse filmography includes shorts, features, documentaries and rockumentaries. Best known for his crime films (Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed), his collaborations with Robert de Niro (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) and Leonardo Dicaprio, (The Wolf of Wall Street, Shutter Island). He is also celebrated for his cinephilia, seen in his work as a film historian, teacher and in films like Hugo. Silence is the latest project from a man who is arguably the most consistent and prolific filmmaker alive today. In on/off development and production for two decades, Silence is finally released to high expectations – perhaps expectations that are too high and impossible to live up to?
Set in the 17th century, Silence follows two Portuguese priests, Padre Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Padre Garupe (Adam Driver) as they travel to Japan to find their mentor, Padre Ferreira (Liam Neeson) who is reported to have renounced his faith, under torture from the Japanese authorities who have resisted the Christians missionaries. The young Priests have their faith tested by hunger, torture, fear and secrecy in a hostile environment. This is the second screen adaption of the 1966 novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo, exploring themes of faith, colonialism, culture-clash and religious hubris. Silence is a historical drama that aligns itself with Scorsese’s religious-themed films The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun yet its themes of identity and endurance echo across the oeuvre of the Catholic-raised Scorsese.
Silence
The film is mostly in English, but with the understanding that the accented English spoken is in the native Portuguese of the Priests and the Japanese converts who have learnt it from them. The cast works well here, despite varied and occasionally inconsistent attempts at a Portuguese accent from the leads. Liam Neeson, in a supporting role, doesn’t even bother, having reached the stage of his career where he is now an icon who is cast for his presence, his own Irish growl and all. His presence is pretty effective here as this generation’s cinematic father figure, who’s magnetic pull on the young Padres is believable.
We spend most of our time with the younger priests, as Padre Rodrigues, Andrew Garfield’s face radiates the compassion that fuels him, while Adam Driver’s Garupe’s frustration is more obvious. The earnest commitment of both slowly gives way to the arguably stubborn arrogance of a missionary. Yōsuke Kubozuka does well to makes us feel the desperation of Kochijuro, in his highly physical performance of the sometimes-Christian, who frequently struggles with faith. The power play between the stubborn faith of Rodrigues and the authority of the Inquisitor holds over his life and well-being is done well with the piercing often mocking voice of Issey Ogata. Shot in Taiwain using natural light the cinematography captures a visceral texture of inhospitable nature endured by the peasants and our protagonists in feudal Japan. The separate pieces are strong but what about the film as a whole?
Well, with the mammoth expectation and subject matter, I was expecting a historical epic, but it was more of a biopic, simply epic in the length of time it covers – decades – and the length of the film itself at 20 minutes shy of 3 hours. The film also suffers similarly as biopics often do, with too much plot to cover. While I’m not familiar with the novel, it seems the film could’ve benefitted by being a little less faithful to its origins allowing the film more breathing space. With many locations to meet, dialogue and narration to run through the themes are all explored in the text, not the subtext; themes are discussed but not powerfully felt.
The film delivers on a compelling story and transports you to a different time, but does not meet my expectation of a transformative epic. I am not a religious person but that does not mean I sat there as a stony faced atheist asking the film to convince me. I’m interested in the nature of religion and open to its mediation of faith and commitment the film cleanly presents its themes which you consider but did not experience. If you have the patience for its 161 minute runtime, the stomach for 15 rated (but not 18 rated) torture, and curiosity for the latest in Scorsese’s filmography this is a part-way rewarding and affecting film.
Do you like movie trailers? Do you like Kung-Fu films from the seventies and eighties? If your answer to either question is “Yes”, you might enjoy Fists of Fury, the latest trailer compilation video directed and produced by Charles Band for his own Full Moon Features production company.
The cheap-but-fun credits clue us into the tone of Fists of Fury.
Now, let’s be clear here, right up front: A compilation of trailers for a bunch of thirty-to-forty year-old kung-fu flicks is all that Fists of Fury is. Yes, it is hosted by eighties action legend Cynthia Rothrock (star of one or two of the movies featured within Fists of Fury) and, yes, said trailers have been loosely grouped into categories such as “Femmes Fatales”, “Bruceploitation” (those movies which featured a Bruce Lee-type leading man in an attempt to cash in on the success of the legendary Hong Kong superstar) and “Weapon Deception” but, beyond Ms. Rothrock’s introductions to each category of trailers – all of which involve Ms. Rothrock in full “Miss Piggy” attack mode dispatching a motley assortment of random unfortunates in light, humorous fashion – there is no dissection or discussion of the movies themselves, no reminiscences from the casts or crewmembers, no experts in the field of kung-fu cinema appearing as “talking heads” to offer any further commentary or insight, nothing. Just the trailers, each preceded by a plate stating the name of the film featured in the trailer, the year of the film’s release, the stars of the film and a brief synopsis.
Ms. Rothrock, about to smoke some fool.
That being said, a trailer compilation movie like this can be a lot of fun; I certainly enjoyed Fists of Fury immensely. Whether it retains much replay value beyond serving as a handy reference tool for the clutch of chop-socky flicks I now wish to chase down as a result of watching it remains to be seen (I’ve seen a few trailer compilation vids now, enjoyed them all, and eventually tired of them all), but films such as Fists of Fury are often a fantastic way to see the best genre cinema has to offer in a short space of time. Let’s be honest: A lot of genre movies can be a bit of a ball-ache to sit through – as a fan of Blaxploitation Cinema, Grindhouse Horror and Spaghetti Westerns I’ve seen more than my share of duds – and, often, the best bits are all in the trailers anyway!
With so many trailers featured, even keen devotees of kung-fu cinema will likely discover at least something within Fists of Fury; for those of us who are less knowledgeable but who maybe hold an enthusiastic curiosity for the genre, Fists of Fury has a lot to offer, and comes recommended.
Fists of Fury is released on DVD 20th Jan 2017. Pre-order it now HERE.
In Japan the name Koji Shiraishi is synonymous with blood and gore as he is the famed horror screenwriter and director most notably for The Curse.
His latest horror instalment is Sadako Vs Kayako and it is a sort of face-off of The Ring and The Grudge movies. It is the twelfth film of both Ju-On and The Ring franchises and will be release in the UK online in Japanese with English subtitles this month on Shudder on the 26th January.
I caught up with Koji to ask him a few questions.
What was your inspiration for going into writing and directing horror films?
I had a request to make a movie and I was really excited to make a horror movie, but I wanted to make one that was fun, a fun movie not just a horror movie.
Is Sadako Vs Kayako going to be adapted in English or released in the UK?
It’s going to be exactly the same movie as it is in Japan, it’s going to be available in Japanese with English subtitles via Shudder on 26th January.
Koji Shiraishi
Do you watch horror films and do you have a favourite western one?
Yes I do and enjoy them a lot. I like The Evil Dead.
Would you like to make a Hollywood film?
Yes, I’ve always wanted to work in Hollywood.
Is this the final film you’re making in the franchise?
I can’t say at the moment, I think there will be something else after this movie, but that doesn’t mean to say I’ll be making it but someone else will be.
Your film GROTESQUE became illegal to sell or supply the UK in 2009. Did this make you feel you had to tone down your writing?
No. I wanted to make more controversial movies like that!
The two main characters Sadako and Kayako’s fusion form a single entity at the end of the movie and on YouTube audiences were asked to vote who their favourite character was and Sadako won the vote. If you had to vote who would you choose?
As the director i like both the characters, I couldn’t vote for one or the other.
Jeff Bridges seems to have been around forever, but has undoubtedly improved with age like a fine wine. Bridges secured his first major role in The Last Picture Show in 1971 but did not pick up his first Academy Award until 2009 for Best Actor in Crazy Heart and the Californian is a strong candidate for Best Supporting Actor at this year’s awards ceremonies for Hell or High Water, having already picked up a Golden Globe nomination.
As Hell or High Water arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on Monday 9th January, we take a look back on Bridges’ illustrious career, to date…
Hell or High Water (2016)
With a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination under his belt already, Bridges’ role as Ranger Marcus Hamilton in Hell or High Water is proving to be one of his very best performances to date. In the western crime drama, Texas brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), reunite after years apart to rob branches of the bank threatening to foreclose on their family land. For them, the hold-ups are just part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that seemed to have been stolen from under them. Justice seems to be theirs, until they find themselves on the radar of Texas Ranger, Marcus (Bridges) looking for one last grand pursuit on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their scheme, and with the Rangers on their heels, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the values of the Old and New West murderously collide. The combination of director David MacKenzie’s gritty tone and writer Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay filled with unrelenting tension and depth makes for one of the most gripping modern westerns in recent memory. As well as Bridges’ Best Supporting Actor nomination, the film has received Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
True Grit (2010)
From watching this Coen Brothers 21st century remake of the classic Western True Grit, it’s easy to see why he was deemed perfect for the part of Marcus Hamilton in Hell or High Water just 6 years later. Bridges plays a US Marshall with a dark side, hired to help a young girl track down her father’s murderer, all the while slurring and growling his way through the Coen’s smart and witty script with the same kind of deep-south dialect that he’s now managed to perfect. Having been nominated for an Oscar for his part in the gritty homage film, many will be expecting him to go one step further this year and bag himself a statue!
Jeff Bridges
Crazy Heart (2009)
Bridges earned the 2009 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in Crazy Heart, which was based on Thomas Cobb’s 1987 novel of the same name, which was in turn inspired by country music singer-songwriter Hank Thompson. Bridges plays Bad Blake, a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. In his search for salvation he meets Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.
Iron Man (2008)
Bridges’ furore into a superhero franchise was in the very first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man. The first outing for Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark set the pace for a brilliant string of films that are now dominating the box office worldwide. Bridges played Obadiah Stane, the old business partner of Tony Stark’s father, who, following Tony’s decision to cease the manufacturing of weapons for Stark Industries tries to take Tony’s place as head of the company. Stane acquires Stark’s prototype suit and reverse engineers it into a massive new suit to rival Tony’s, leading to an explosive suit-off finale. Iron Man was a demonstration of Bridges’ brilliant range, showing his credentials as a believable and despicable baddy and proving he should not be limited just to affable characters like The Dude.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
A true cult classic from the Coen brothers, featuring the character that Bridges is most renowned for: The Dude, or His Dudeness, Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing… The crime, comedy caper follows unemployed LA layabout Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski and his ten-pin bowling friends Walter (John Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi) as they get caught in the crossfire of a ransom between Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) and The Dude’s wealthier namesake “The Big” Lebowski. As events unravel, The Dude gets caught up in the schemes of Lebowski’s daughter, erotic artist Maude (Julianne Moore), encounters both cops and bad guys, and drifts through an elaborate bowling fantasy sequence titled Gutterballs. The film has given rise to a non-traditional religious philosophy based on it and Taoism known as Dudeism.
TRON (1982)
If one film can be both ahead of its time when it was released, and also look pretty dated now it 1982’s Tron, a true example of how much CGI in cinema has changed over the years. Mr. Bridges plays Kevin Flynn, a computer genius who whilst designing his own state of the art video game is pulled into its system and forced to battle his way back out to the real world tackling the game in an epic Man vs Machine encounter, which includes death races on the coolest motorbikes every seen on screen. Bridges also plays a digi-version of himself called Clu, who turns villain in the sequel released in 2010; Tron: Legacy which incidentally included much more impressive CGI for the modern movie-goer. Kevin Bridges really continues to prove that he is the king of cult film with this further addition to our list!
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Last, but certainly not least, we go back to where it all began with the film that first introduced us to Bridges’s charming, smirking ways; Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show. Quite fittingly (for this list anyway) set in small, one-horse Texas town, the film follows two high-school seniors Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Bridges), who both fall in love with the same girl, Jacy farrow (Cybil Shepherd) and in turn learn about the pitfalls and compromises of adulthood which they are about the enter. The film was a key part of Hollywood’s creative revolution in the 70’s, and can now be related to coming-of-age indie hits of today. The timing was perfect for the laid-back, intelligent star like Jeff Bridges to be born, who used his introduction to the big screen to go on and become one of Hollywood’s most recognisable faces.
Hell or High Water is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL
