URBAN FOX: Film 2010 and the value of critics…

With the launching last week of Film 2010 (with Claudia Winkleman and a film journalist instead of Jonathan Ross) I find myself thinking about film critics. While it seems a bit odd to criticise a critic, I found the show to be an odd cross between Newsnight Review and the Strictly spin off show she hosts.

What baffles me is why it needs to be live. This seems to impair the elements of the show that are not in the studio. I like finding out about what is going on set and see some cool trailers.

Claudia Winkleman seems nice. However I do look forward to her and her journalist friend properly debating the merits of a film. People agreeing with each other does not make great TV. What it needed was a real curmudgeon, the kind of Scrooge that the audience would want to boo.

When people think of critics they usually think of figures like Anton Ego from Ratatouille. They tend to be thin lipped, cruel and dismissive figures who have no emotional context with which they make their pronouncements, treating our pleasures with contempt.

With the rise of the internet, the level of criticism increases. You only have to look on Imdb to see hundreds of variations of “That was brilliant”, “that sucked”, “it’s alright” and “over rated.”

Good criticism can be great writing in and of itself. Pauline Kael is probably the most quoted but I like Peter Bradshaw and the food critic Jay Rayner. Total Film is probably my favourite film magazine because on balance it seems to recognise the difference between “highbrow” and “low brow.”

People often say that criticism is “just opinion”. A well constructed argument is never just an opinion. It should justify that opinion. For example, my personal opinion is that films should not remind you of other, better films and this is one reason why I did not particularly enjoy Inglorious Basterds. I fully accept other people probably enjoyed the fact it was camp and trashy and probably ignored the fact it was overlong and inconsistent.

Another thing to remember is that film criticism was also responsible for one of the most influential groups in film history. Cahiers Du Cinema was a French film magazine whose writers would go on to create masterpieces such as Jules et Jim and A Bout De Souffle.

A housemate once dismissed these films as “boring French films.” What they may not realise is that most modern action films (for better or worse) owe most of their techniques from the French New Wave. Tarantino was so influenced by them that his production company was named Band Apart after the film Band A Part (the jazz dance sequence in that film was also a heavy influence on the iconic dance in Pulp Fiction).

In my opinion a good critic is fair and compares like with like. For example, while it would be unfair to compare Ocean’s Eleven to Citizen Kane,  it is fair to compare it to The Sting.

It also annoys me when people refer to enjoying a film by “putting brain in neutral” as if that excuses total crap. A good action film should be of sufficient fast pace to excuse a weak plot. The Rock may not be a classic and Speed is hardly artihouse but they are aware of what the audience wants and delivers it.

By contrast, the Tomb Raider films are plodding with long lulls in between action scenes. This always guts me as I think Angelina Jolie plays the part perfectly well but is saddled with a clumsy script and useless direction.

The simple fact is nobody can watch every film ever released. There are some alternatives to critics but most of them are flawed. For example, never go and see a film your friend describes as “alright” (it’s usually bad). As I get older I find myself getting less and less hyped up by trailers and that saddens me.

Do I think anyone can be a critic? Yes if they are prepared to justify their opinions and explain it. I do not necessarily have to agree with their opinion but if it is well constructed then I can accept it. Oh and they have to stay until the end of the film (unlike some “professional” critics who should know better!)

Am I saying we could do a better job than Film 2010? I really am not and I can’t emphasise that enough. What I do think is that criticism should be taken more seriously.

URBAN FOX: The Other Guys – film review

Directed by Adam McKay

Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson

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Some films are brilliant classics, others woeful piles of crap. Others are merely average and fill a need, junk food for the mind.  The Other Guys is like that.

I love Will Ferrell but I am fully aware many people do not. In fact often things people find repellent I am strangely drawn to, such as the Tom Green epic Freddy Got Fingered and the wilfully esoteric The Brothers Solomon. I love comedy that is weird, silly and goes for my comedy jugular.

Broadly I would say this is a spoof. The basic plot is that two super star cops played by The Rock and Samuel L Jackson get all the attention, while two desk jockeys (strait laced Will Ferrell and angry Mark Wahlberg) do all the work they don’t. References to action movie clichés come thick and fast as the pair get investigate a large scale fraud.

Spoofs are harder to get right than people think. A good spoof should be played straight. Sadly for The Other Guys, that played straight spoof was already out and this was called Hot Fuzz.

It is similar in a way to how Zombieland was thematically similar to Shaun Of The Dead, albeit louder, cruder and more obvious. This doesn’t mean they are  bad films, in fact Zombieland was very enjoyable.

With The Other Guys, there are good moments but it doesn’t bind together into a whole. The cameos by The Rock and Samuel L Jackson are fantastic and the moments that spoof action films are fantastic.

Sadly the buddy interaction between Wahlberg and Ferrell is for the most part quite predictable. It is still funny but I can’t shake the feeling Ferrell is capable of much better. I couldn’t help thinking that if it was John C Reilly, Will Arnett or a more seasoned comedian it would have flowed a bit better, as opposed to occasionally funny moments.

Then there are the end credits. We were hoping for outtakes and instead got Michael Moore statistics on Ponzi schemes and fraud. While I can see the argument for spreading debate via popular entertainment, it seemed a bit too crude.

Oh I nearly forgot the saving grace of this film and his name is Steve Coogan, the man who has been in some of my favourite comedies (including the wonderful Curb Your Enthusiasm).

In short, I had a good time, but it was more the fact I was watching the film with friends and going out. It is always a bit disappointing when a film reminds you of other, better films.

– URBAN FOX

aka. Will Turner (writer, creator of Reynard City)

URBAN FOX: What people call experience…

Oscar Wilde once said “Experience is what people call their mistakes”. This is indeed true.

Well, true to an extent. We all make mistakes, the difference is what we learn from them.

I have been lucky to work with some fantastic people, some of whom I would not be able to do what I do now. When I first started I had no idea how to use email and had to be shown by a friend. Over time I have become more confident but only with the people alongside me.

When I was younger I published a book called Mix Tape. It was in my third year at the University of Chichester. The idea was a collection of short stories, poetry and sketches in the style of a mix tape, so you could flick through it and get different stuff. If you got bored, flick to the next one.

At that point I was convinced I had made it. My fellow students thought you could only call yourself a writer when you were published. What we didn’t know is that a million books get published each year.

What I learned at that point was that I could not do this alone. I don’t blame the publishers (Publish America) who did what they said they would do- get it listed and give me a couple of free copies, no more, no less. My attempts at promotion were hap hazard at best.

Fast forward today and it’s a different story. I’m working with a whole bunch of people, not just artists but writers, actors, costume designers, music producers. There is something great about working together on a project.

It also gives me a pretty heavy responsibility. A lot of people have put trust into Reynard City and it is my responsibility to one day pay each and every one of them back.

URBAN FOX: Grown Ups – film review

Director: Dennis Dugan

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Steve Buscemi, Salma Hayek and Rob Schneider

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“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men” – Willy Wonka

I think everyone has an intellectual blind spot, a guilty pleasure. Whether you switch from classical music to jig along to Lady Gaga or switch from Kafka to Cats, there is always something you’d rather people not know about.

On the other hand, I am writing an article for a media site, so there are no secrets here. I am going to come out and say it- I like Adam Sandler. He is a man child in both the child like and childish sense. Naturally, this means people either enjoy his work or denounce him as a brain rotting moron.

That is not to say I love everything he does. Little Nicky was one of the genre of “misguided high budget comedies” where special effects did not really enhance the comedy (aside from the genius Henry Winkler cameo.)

Funny People was misjudged by both Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow, attempting to do “serious” while at the same time clinging to the comfort blankets of novelty cameos and self reference. Again, Apatow is another divisive figure who I love (Walk Hard is a rare recent example of a well made spoof).

With the exception of the darkly tinged Punch Drunk Love, Adam Sandler works best when he is allowed to be silly. Wisely, he has also beefed up the cast for this one with David Spade, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and Kevin James all along for the ride, with Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello and Salma Hayek making sure it is not 100% sausage.

This is both a blessing and a curse, especially with the accompanying children. The film works best with the guys trading idiotic banter and some very well played slapstick, while Rudolph more than holds her own. Hayek is given a fairly thankless straight role and I think the role needed a more seasoned comedian, someone who wouldn’t be bothered about having a redemptive arc. If you are a fan of Saturday Night Live, there are some fantastic cameo appearances that add to the fun.

There is one ace in the hole with Sandler films, something that even the most curmudgeonly grouch couldn’t disagree with (and yes, I can hear you saying “I bet you I can” while tutting at the Telegraph). His name is quite simply Steve Buscemi.

Steve Buscemi is an actor who is the equivalent to topping a pasta with Parmesan cheese. You don’t need to add to it, but it can make all the difference. His cameos in Sandler films do not so much steal the scene as perform an effortless heist of the film. He only has a couple of scenes but they really add to it.

So would I recommend this film? I certainly would not give it one star like the snob in The Guardian (no surprise there). Yes there are some lazy stereotypes and cheap gags. However I can think I can give you an illustration of this (or heavy handed metaphor).

A repairman would always tell my Dad how he “couldn’t stick McDonalds” and how rubbish it was.  My Dad brought him a breakfast, he ate it and enjoyed it. While it is unlikely you won’t be converted by this film, for me it is a moment of idiocy that helps me get through the day!

Grade: C+

– URBAN FOX,

aka. Will Turner (writer, creator of Reynard City)

URBAN FOX: No more heroes anymore…

OK, I have deliberately used a song title as the title for this article. It is ironic as it was used in Mystery Men, a film about incompetent superheroes. Specifically, it’s in a scene where they audition odd people like Squee Gee Man and The Waffler (if you haven’t seen this film you really should and for that scene in particular).

Superhero films are more popular than ever but somewhere along the line all is not well. Modern superheroes often seem quite psychologically conflicted. People often use the term “dark” although I do not think that is entirely accurate. I prefer the term “neurotic”.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore Batman and I love Christopher Nolan’s interpretation. The problem is every new film seems to want to artificially add this kind of complexity. Superman Returns is a good example of how this can go wrong. That film feels like someone gave millions to someone to make some kind of Jesus subtext fan fiction.

Strangely enough, the man who first gave us a darker interpretation of Batman said “Maybe it is time for the cartoon to come back.” After seeing Sin City and Watchmen I have to say I agree. However, I also do not think buckets of blood and overly stylistic slow motion necessarily equates to maturity!

For me, interesting characters are not necessarily psychologically traumatised. For me, the classic example is Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid or The Sting. These are two films where the two main stars effortlessly play off each other. You could imagine going out for a drink with these guys and you genuinely want them to succeed!

And this is what I want for AK Girl and Wondervixen (aka Vibes and Sally). While they do have dark moments, essentially the story is about their relationship as friends, sparking off each other with banter and acknowledging the oddness of their world.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to go back to camp and self parody…

I just want to offer an alternative to darkness and brooding…

Is that possible though?

– URBAN FOX

aka. Will Turner (writer, creator of Reynard City)