Good Vibrations is the heartwarming, uplifting real life story of Terri Hooley and his Belfast based record store “Good Vibrations”.
Hooley was the man that brought us The Undertones and to celebrate the release of Good Vibrations (out in cinemas 29th March) here is a clip.
The clip shows the moment Terri Hooley discovers the band Rudi for the very first time, at a gig in Belfast.
Gael Garcia Bernal seems to have a thing for playing revolutionaries. I first encountered the Mexican actor in 2004’s The Motorcycle Diaries, where his soulfully beautiful (physically and metaphorically) portrayal of Che Guevara forever instilled in me a sympathy and attraction for Communist guerrillas (I have yet to act upon this, sadly). In No, he takes on the role of Rene Saavedra: a somewhat jaded advertising executive who designs the TV campaign fighting oppressive Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, during the 1988 referendum.
On Saturday, I told my friends that I was going to see No. Their response was essentially “huh? Pino-who?” with a Homer Simpson-esque expression. With this in mind, here’s a brief history lesson, for those who aren’t quite up on their 20th Century Latin American politics:
In 1988, General Augusto Pinochet had been the dictator of Chile for 17 years, following a US-backed coup in the early 70’s. His regime caused the torture, death and disappearance of thousands of Chilean citizens and effectively suppressed any dissenting opinion. In 1988, under pressure from the international community to legitimise his rule, the right-wing autocrat allowed a plebiscite – a referendum – to decide whether to allow him to control Chile for another 8 years, or to give democracy a chance and hold an election.
With that out of the way, let’s discuss the film. Most striking is director Pablo Larraín’s decision to film on Sony U-matic magnetic tape, commonly used on1980’s Chilean TV. This creates an old-school, low resolution effect, with colours and light appearing like an over-exposed Polaroid. At first the technique was jarring, being as we are so used to hi-def, highly saturated widescreen, but once the story took hold, it became less distracting, as well as allowed Larraín to smoothly integrate genuine footage from the dictatorship.
With such potentially serious, harrowing subject matter, the film thankfully doesn’t stray into sentimentalism or melodrama. Much like the TV ad campaign that Saavedra creates, it keeps the tone generally light, allowing only snippets of danger and fear to creep in. If anything, this makes these moments all the more powerful – the scene in which the No campaign’s celebratory protest is disrupted by government forces, concluding in Saavedra’s wife being dragged away, blood smeared under her defiant eyes, is particularly heart-wrenching.
It is the simple realism of No that makes it a success. It doesn’t over-reach: rather than attempting to demonstrate every human rights violation of the oppressive regime or show the pain of a entire generation, the film portrays one moment in time, a crossroads between the painful past and the hopeful future. Saavedra is no revolutionary hero like Guevara; his face is not destined to be plastered on the t-shirts of Camden market. Instead, he is a man doing his job and doing it well, because he is no longer able to take any more.
Runaway Features are pleased to announce a picture wrap on SAS hostage thriller He Who Dares, described as a cross between The Raid and Die Hard.
Synopsis:
On Christmas Eve a group of ruthless masked terrorists kidnap the Prime Ministers daughter, fortifying themselves in an underground car park rigged with explosives. Crack SAS operative Chris Lowe and his team are sent in and must take the building one level at a time.
Paul Tanter (The Rise & Fall of a White Collar Hooligan) directs a script from GBH writer James Crow. Patrick and Anthony Maxwell produce alongside Tanter. The film stars Tom Knight (Kick Ass 2), Simon Phillips (White Collar Hooligan), Ewan Ross (Age of Heroes) and Lorraine Stanley (London To Brighton). UK release is scheduled for Christmas 2013.
Paul Tanter comments “I am very pleased to be bringing this gritty action thriller to the market. After his bad guy role in the highly anticipated Kick Ass 2, I can see Tom Knight shaping up as a star of the future and is the perfect lead as the heroic SAS Captain. Jude Poyer’s fight choreography background in Hong Kong martial arts film has brought awesome fight scenes to a very hard hitting British film.”
Check out the poster!
Casting is where a film rises or falls. Just as directors, screenwriters, and actors all must be masters of their art, it takes inspiration and insight to pick the perfect person for the role. But casting is the art that often gets forgotten. Could you imagine some of your favourite films if different choices had been made? Could you imagine anyone but Ryan Gosling in ‘Drive’? Of course you couldn’t!
When it comes to choosing cars for on-screen exploits, the decision deserves the same care and attention as deciding on the rest of the cast. The motor you settle on should embody the spirit of the movie, the psyche of the driver, or the message being conveyed.
So, without further ado, here we look at four examples of cars that just couldn’t have been cast any better.
Shelby Mustang GT500 – Gone in 60 Seconds
Few actors have such a mixed body of work as Nicolas Cage. For every ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ there’s a ‘Wicker Man’ fouling up the list. ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ tends to fall on the weaker end of his resumé, but you can deny that the film features some fantastic motors.
The cars are just plain impressive. The star of the show has to be the beautiful and iconic Shelby Mustang GT500. Dubbed as ‘Eleanor’, the Shelby turned the adrenaline-fuelled film into an exercise in oil-soaked car porn for petrol heads.
Such is the popularity of that particular car in the film, there have been companies using the template and providing rich buyers the opportunity to buy a replica.
Aston Martin DB5 – Several Bond films
Aston Martin and James Bond – it just goes, doesn’t it? It is hard to imagine one existing without the other. Even in the most modern Bond films, like Skyfall, Bond drives an Aston Martin DB5. It just goes to show how popular and iconic the old beauty is.
What other car manages to evoke such emotion as the DB5? It just embodies the whole Martini-look Bond clearly encapsulates, especially when you factor in all the gadgets!
Whoever thought of putting Bond in a DB5 let them be knighted straight away, for we owe them a lot.
Mercedes G-Wagon – Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne-series of films has proved incredibly popular and successful, and the series’ car chases are always stand-out moments, making picking one particular vehicle incredibly difficult. But, after much deliberation, that honour, for the Bourne Supremacy, went to the super-cool Mercedes G-Wagon AMG. The AMG is the important bit here, because AMG are a bit like Mercedes’ own brand of technological mad-men, who love nothing more than to slot in a huge engine into normal Mercedes cars.
Not only does the G-Wagon AMG look cooler than the other side of the pillow, but it is also a seriously quick motor. This is always a perfect combination for any car chase, and the Supremacy’s chase was so good, people remember it to this day, thanks primarily to the Merc.
Jaguar E-Type – Austin Powers
Austin Powers may be a tongue-in-cheek satire of how the English were in the swinging sixties, but the film-makers got it spot on when they cast the legendary and iconic Jaguar E-Type as the main car in the series. Aside from the fact the E-Type is as English as a cream tea, the producers decided to paint it in Union Jack livery, which automatically created an icon in modern cinema.
The Jaguar was just a great decision by the film-makers, and one that continues to pay dividends even to this day.
Sports are not for everyone, this is true. Not everyone enjoys spending a day thwacking a cricket ball about a circular pitch, or watching twenty-two people run around a rectangular pitch for an hour and a half kicking a ball into a net. However, what most people do enjoy is a good story. There are some fantastic sport documentaries in existence which reveal true stories like no other, whether it is the underdog who triumphs over all or just an example of a human being with an extraordinary skill. These documentaries appeal to the masses, for it shows that anything is possible; inspiring us to go that bit further with our own lives. Here are six sports documentaries that have universal appeal.
Senna
It’s probably fair to say that motorsports aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Rather, it’s a bit more of a love-it-or-hate-it affair. However, the film Senna is dramatic as it comes. The film focusses on the infamous racer, Ayrton Senna, and how he changed the world of motor racing. 106 minutes of passion, battles, inner demons, family and a very special soul like no other.
TT3D
‘Some lads love going to the pub, some guys like shagging…I don’t mind it I’m just not into it’ – Guy Martin. This documentary delves into the history of the Isle of Man’s Tourist Trophy race, brimming full of ups and downs, rivalries, sacrifice and human spirit. Perhaps the most dangerous race on earth, director Richard de Aragues picks apart and analyses what motivates the drivers involved.
Hoop Dreams
Hoop Dreams is like a real-life Coach Carter, except it focusses on the boys involved. Two young boys with a dream of being in the NBA are followed by cameras for five years; this film is a document of their journey. The movie does a great job of uncovering true city life and the pressures on young black teens growing up. With more realism, emotion, tragedy, hope and truth than any Hollywood film ever made; this documentary deserves to be in everyone’s collection.
The King of Kong
If you didn’t think video gaming was a sport, then guess again. Video gaming requires as much dexterity and pinpoint precision as a darts or snooker player. However, do we know who are the best video gamers that the world has ever seen? Meet Steve Weibe and Mark Alpiger. These two likely lads meet head to head to compete for the world’s highest score in the classic video game of Donkey Kong. Director Seth Gordon works his magic as he picks apart the subculture of retro video gamers; this film goes to show how weird and wonderful life can be.
Pumping Iron
Pumping Iron covers the top amateur body builders in 1975 using the Mr Universe contest as a platform to focus around. The documentary reeks of inspiration, making you want to get up off that couch and head into the gym for a weightlifting session. Audiences are not only entertained by Arnold but by the character that is Lou Ferrigno’s father.
The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson – Unforgivable Blackness
In a time when Black people were not enslaved, but were not truly free either, the boxer Jack Johnson insisted on being free. For more than 13 years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and most notorious African American on Earth; coming from nowhere. The story of Johnson is truly fascinating. ‘Just remember that whatever you write about me, I was a man’ – Johnson speaking to a reporter not long before his death.
Thanks to The Mirror’s Grand National team for compiling this list!