Chris Curtis

XXY (Lucía Puenzo)

"Alex is not like other girls. She is a 15-year-old with a secret, one that no other can claim. Her parents keep her hidden away at a coastal town in amongst the dunes of the shoreline, buying time before they must decide on a life-threatening operation.

When old family friend and plastic surgeon Ramiro arrives with his teenage son Álvaro, Alex begins to realise that his visit could change her life forever. As the parents wrestle with the complications that will arise as Alex reaches adulthood, Alex and Alvaro become close, their relationship causing tensions amongst the locals. However, as the parents battle it out to instill a sense of open-mindedness amongst their society, it is the children who prove themselves to be flexible in understanding the sexual leanings and complexities of others."

This is a beautifully crafted film that tackles the angst that is common to many teenagers through the taboo and pain of a rarely talked about situation. It reminded me of pretty much my favourite film of 2005 'Mysterious Skin'.... not because the subject tackled have anything in common, but rather the brutal honesty with which teenager life is explored. Even though it makes for difficult viewing, I'm adding it to my must-see list for anyone in youthwork.

Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)

Hello blog. I remember you. You were in my life before all those other deadlines came along. Now you're back.

And to kick off, even though I'm not known for liking comedies (who wants to laugh when you can cry, right?) but this is receiving a lot of buzz around the net and looks very good. Ben Stiller has some shameful and some good stuff in his filmography... this looks like it could be on the good side.

Feast!

A feast, that's what we're currently experiencing. A glorious glut of the kind of film that by right should only appear a few times a year.

Let me elaborate:

'Let there be blood'.... and yes, blood there will be. Did someone say this is the 'Citizen Kane' of the modern day? Daniel Day Lewis is a force of nature in this movie based on a little know 1927 novel about the oil business. Will give you new ideas about uses for a bowling alley.

'Juno'... they said every line was a, well, clasic. And they were right. This is so good it'll make you weep. Except it's a comedy so maybe you'll laugh. Laugh-weep... oh, who knows. It's GOOD though!

'Before the devil knows you're dead'... Phillip Seymour Hoffman, wow. With a script so labyrinthine and exciting, you'll want to see it again and again.

'The diving bell and the butterfly'...the only one on the list I haven't seen, but the word is out that it's a cracker.

So eat up, enjoy the feast. National Treasure Book of Secrets is around the corner and we'll be back to sandwiches again.

Dan in Real Life (Peter Hedges)

Dan in real life is, frankly, something I don't want to experience. That's after having to fact 'Dan on the cinema screen' for nearly two hours. Dan is stuck in a story arc so predictable, it's like watching a missile approach on a radar screen. Except when it hits, instead of an explosion, there's just the bad smell of something that been around too long and gone off. Dan, in short, needs to keep out of real life, especially mine.

New British Film Making

I came across the BBC Film network this evening - the whole BBC site is so large you could spend a lifetime wandering round getting lost. It showcases emerging British talent in film making. I especially like 'The Making of Parts', a 16 minute film about loneliness and desire. It's a dark picture of a man's life and is beautifully shot.

What Would Jesus Buy (Rob VanAlkemade)

"Part horror movie, part agitprop theater, "What Would Jesus Buy?" is a documentary on a mission. Loud, proud and cheeky, the film runs roughshod over corporate behemoths Disney, Starbucks and Wal-Mart as it preaches a sermon of simplicity and consumer awareness." writes Kevin Crust from the LA Times. There's no UK release date set, but this looks like being one of the more interesting films of 2008. It follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse (the end of humankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt.). Now that's not a bad aim. You can get the trailer here.

Evan Almighty (Tom Shadyac)

This is going to come as something of a shock. 'Evan Almighty', due for release at cinemas in the UK this August, is actually quite good. This is especially surprising since the biography in the production notes remind us that the director, Tom Shadyac, is the man who brought us (I quote) "the uproarious laughs he provided in films from Patch Adams to The Nutty Professor." Not exactly the kind of pedigree you would want to shout about.

And so it was that I sunk into my chair at a preview screening tonight, bracing myself for something as far from the tortuous and satisfying world of world cinema as you can get. In that sense I wasn't disappointed: 'Evan Almighty' is a straight Hollywood comedy: no surprises, no twists, happy ending. On the other hand, it is actually quite funny. Maybe it was the effect of having eaten chocolate just before the film started, but the whole thing seemed, well, amusing.

The story gets off to a good start by not simply taking Jim Carey's character on from 'Bruce Almighty'. Instead it follows the life of preening newscaster Evan Baxter, played by Steve Carell. Carell is the second thing that the film gets right before it's even started. Anyone who's earned their keep on the brilliant 'Daily Show', as well as the US 'Office' has some currency in a comedy film. Carell is excellent and it's almost impossible to imagine anyone else who could have pulled off this film so well.

Anyway, the story, well, it's really about what can be forsaken in the pursuit of happiness, wrapped up in a retelling of Noah's Ark. It's a moral tale...whether or not it's spiritual is more open to question. God certainly turns up, in the form of Morgan Freeman, and he manages to come off as a very reasonable guy. It's theology 'lite' but there's nothing wrong with that every now and again.

The truth is the film will make you laugh, even if you know how it's going to end. It's exactly the kind of thing you could take a youth group to see and the challenge to commit 'acts of random kindness' (A.R.K. gettit?) is well presented. YS have launched a site in the US to buold on this theme which is worth checking out.

So there you have it. I liked it, which is no mean feat for any comedy these days. However, reading that this is 'the next instalment in the Almighty series' does make me feel nervous that there may be more on the way. One is enough for now.

Movie Famine

Yes, July is looking like being a lean month for film. Only 19 released in the UK (apart from premieres at the Cambridge Film Festival) and it's not much of a list. This week it's especially bad, although Die Hard 4.0 (as in web 2.0?) has the kind of trailer than makes you want to see it... which I will.

Last week I saw 'Shut up and Sing', a documentary about the Dixie Chicks. yes, I know going to the cinema to see a film about country music doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd want to do, but wow, what a turn up for the books. The film chronicles their fall from grace after one of the band happened to mention ata gig that they didn't support the US war in Iraq. I'll have to write about it later, but it's an inspiring film and my respect for the Dixie Chicks is truly great. When it comes to TV (and it looks like a BBC 4 kind of thing), it'll be a must see.

Golden Door (Emanuele Crialese)

The Golden Door is weird, but in a very good sort of way. If you ever wondered what arthouse Italian cinema was up to whilst Hollywood was getting stuck into Spiderman, this is the answer. A metaphorical exploration of the human journey, set to the story of a Sicilian family's emigration to America in the early 20th century. It's well shot with such an intense approach, always focusing on the people and their immediate surroundings, never giving a wider view. I haven't had time to add it to my top 10 yet but, for the first time in a good few weeks, I think I'll have to mix things up.

'The War on Democracy' (John Pilger)

I caught John Pilger's new film at the Curzon in London this week. It's the first time one of his documentary's has had a cinema release rather than airing on TV, but if Michael Moore can do it, why not? Probably I suspect because tv is less and less concerned with complex political history. Actually comparisons with Moore's work are probably not ideal, Pilger is far more intense and serious...and makes a more compelling case too.

This film tackles US imperialism in South America over the last 50 years and it makes for unpleasant viewing. "America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling," claimed President George W. Bush in 2005, as he was sworn-in for a second term as the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. Pilger starts in Venezuela where Hugo Chavez was overthrown in a US backed coup in 2002 - only to be reinstated by the sheer power of the people two days later. What follows is a chronicle of regime change that has brought misery and suffering in order to ensure the US keeps power and influence. It's very challenging stuff, especially when Pilger interviews former CIA chief Duane Clarridge. His bare faced aggression and willingness to cause any amount of suffering for the sake of US interests is appalling to watch, but a sobering dose of reality. All this, with 'Christian' presidents in the Whitehouse.

I'm sure this film will make it to tv eventually and, when it does, it'll be one to make sure you see.