There is still loads to do, but if you want to get involved, you can. Please donate here and help Little Bear get to the stage.

After IYAF the show is going to the Camden Fringe Festival, then off to untold places.

AntBuoy

You must be getting sick of me mentioning this film but it rocks. I watched it whilst going through my own 500 Days and it did a better job than any film ever has of capturing what it feels like. The excitement, the soul destroying lows and the slow climb back up.

After

So many of the scenes in this film reflect moments in my life. The smart and sarky sister, the free spirited lover, the calm voice over, the dance routine. Well they happened in my head any way.

I reviewed this film here. It will cover my initial reaction to the film. But here we are several months on and like our man JGL I have moved on. About to start a new career in the theatre, no longer settling for mediocrity. That is what these women do to us, take us past our limits.

I still listen to the soundtrack and smile. I have become a champion of the film and made a lot of people watch it. I look forward to watching it in 10 years time and thinking about how important it was then and all the new things I’ll be thinking about then. So keep reading, who knows what will happen in 500 days.

AntBuoy

To make it up to you here is 11 days of the film challenge.

Day 4 – A Film You Watch to Feel Down

Synedoche, New York.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Charlie Kaufman team up to make you feel crappy about the world. A strange tail where a theatre director recreates his whole life to a huge degree while his wife makes works of art smaller and smaller. A depressing speech by a priest at a funeral seals the deal.

When I watched this film I went out and bought a giant bar of Cadbury’s to cheer myself up. Not a great cooping strategy. When my sister saw me later that day she was terrified. I felt like I’d seen my soul murdered.

The best thing is the blurb on the back of the film that assures you this is a comedy.

Day 5 – A Film That Reminds You of Someone

BeetleJuice

Speaking of my sister, this fi;m reminds me of her. Maybe it is because they are both hilarious and utterly bonkers, but Thor knows I love them.

Michael Keaton cements himself in my mind as a comedy genius here playing the damned bi-exorcist and Tim Burton shows he has brilliant flare and imagination. Also, Alec mother truckin’ Baldwin.

Day 6 – A Film That Reminds You of Somewhere

Muppet Treasure Island / Lucky Number Slevin

Where I saw this topic I knew I’d need two entries. Muppet Treasure Island was viewed on my birthday, with two excellent friends, a lot of Pimms and a Winnie the Pooh cake. Middle class and surreal, that is just how I roll.

Tim Curry rocks and shall appear again on this list (do you know what it is yet?). This film firmly set my love of pirates in motion and influenced my Beggar’s Opera adaptation more than a little.

Lucky Number Slevin was the pinnacle of my Norwich cinema viewing experience. Every week, without fail, my friend Michael and I would go to the pictures after history class.

We watched Lucky Number Slevin in the Balcony VIP seats of the UCI. It is undoubtedly my favourite movie going experience. Comfy seats, corking film, great company and had a super-spicy Nandos before hand.

Day 7 – A Film That Reminds You of Your Past

Lord of the Rings

It may surprise you, but I am a massive nerd. What do nerds like? Fantasy. Who is the King of fantasy? Tolkien. I used to watch Lord of the Rings religiously.

Fellowship is the best one for the record. A billion different monsters to fight, the Last Stand and it is what started it all. LotR was the cinematic event of my generation. (Harry Potter, we have already had words. Go sit over there!)

Day 8 – The Film You Can Quote Best

Monty Python. All of them

Proving my geekiness beyond a doubt. I f’ing love all things Python. Holy Grail is my favourite but I can quote Meaning of Life like I the life of my many children depended on it or they would all be sold to medical experiments.

Dead parrots, naughty boys, watery bints, unladen swallows. It is all there and it is all fantastic.
Day 9 – A Film With Your Favorite Actor (Male)

Jeff Bridges

Fans of this blog know I love Jeff Bridges. For this amazing category I am going for the Big Lebowski. It is as quotable as the finest Python and it has scissor wielding nihilists.

Jeff Bridges is also excellent in Iron Man, True Grit and Tron of course. Look forward to seeing much more soon.

Would also like to give an honourable mention to Dustin Hoffman for everything (Graduate, I HEART Huckabees and Kung Fu Panda).

Day 10 – A Film With Your Favorite Actor (Female)

Anjelica Houston

What an incredible actress. I find it enormously difficult to cry in films but Anjelica’s performance in Choke had me right on the verge.

Her glorious turns in Adamm’s Family and Royal Tenenbaums makes her my favourite actress.

I am now out to watch her projects where she has directed.
Day 11 – A Film By Your Favorite Director

Jackie Brown

Tarantino feels like an obvious choice but it is for good reason. I have always loved his films and even the awkward members of the family, here’s looking at you Death Proof, have brought me a lot of joy.

Michael Keaton makes the list again in a terrific comedy performance as a desperate FDA cop. And the guy is Batman, awesome.

Jackie Brown is such a brilliant film, full of all the usual Tarantino magic. Pam Grier is the sassy Jackie Brown from which the film takes it name. My favourite character has to be the bond salesman Max Cherry. He has no other name. It is what I kept calling him when he appeared in Heroes. Pam’s turn in Smallville wasn’t quite as cool.

Day 12 – A Film By Your Least Favourite Director

Terminator 2

What happened James? Terminator 2 is one of the scariest films I have ever seen. It terrified me as a child and I loved it.

But Titanic, Avatar? Really? I know they are hugely popular but they don’t do it for me. Some where along the line you sold out. That makes you my least favourite director.

Day 13 – A Guilty Pleasure

Cross dressing films

This could be a bit revealing. I like an exorbitant number of films about cross dressing. Rocky Horror Picture Show, She’s the Man, Bird Cage, To Wong Fu Thanks for Everything, Prisicila: Queen of the Desert, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Monty Python.

Maybe its those long titles, maybe its the comedy, but for some reason I can’t get enough of these films.

In my time I have played women on the stage a few times and it is a giggle. I sych myself up saying “the Pythons did it.”

I fear I am the stereotype which Family Guy so rightly ripped us on.

British man 1: I say, you know what’s really funny? A man dressed in women’s clothing.

British man 2: Yes. Ripping good laugh.

Day 14 – The Film That No One Expected You To Like

Love and Other Drugs

As a rule I do not like RomComs. Have been some exceptions, my post on 500 Days of Summer goes into this in more detail. But Love and Other Drugs didn’t feel like a romcom, all the time.

I really like Jake Gyllenhaal as an actor: Jarhead, Donnie Darko, and Bubble Boy rock. He has been in some real stinkers: Prince of Persia springs to mind.

In Love and Other Drugs he gives a very entertaining performance as a Viagra salesman. Anne Hathaway makes a great foil and shows her range stretches far beyond syrupy Princess twaddle.

I did like this film but it had the worst adverstising campaign I’ve seen in years. This could be because you can’t market it as one thing. Its not a romcom, its not a disection of 90s culture, its not a hard hitting drama. Irritaningly it is though.

One thing I did not like in the film is the big emotional speech at the end. Could get away with one heartfelt speech but having the 5 we get saddled with is too much. Fix it in the director’s cut (like Darko) and show us how great this movie could be.

Now we are up to date on the 30 film challenge. Hope you are enjoying it so far. Get in touch if you have any thoughts. Use the comments below or find me on twitter @antbuoy

Groovy baby

I can hear you groaning from here. Knock it off. You may well say that that is the worst film since the dawn of time, its only redeeming quality being that Gold Member did not in fact sing that loathed Spandau Ballet song. But I say nay. Any film with a midget, a musical number, Beyonce in a bikini and Michael Caine cannot be bad.

In fact – it is a film I watch to feel good. It makes me smile. It is juvenile and silly and gratuitous. But it also came out before I knew the meaning of those words. Some people who have had conversations with me would say I still don’t. I had this film on video and within seconds it always made me smile.

And lets face it. Gweny looks hot in her hilarious opening scene. Pepper Potts should not be hotter than Black Widow. But I am throwing a cat amongst the pigeons and saying she does here. Let the catsuit battle commence.

When ladies wear catsuits, everybody wins.

Granted I haven’t watched this film in ages, I don’t have it on dvd, but I still think it would make me smile. It was a great spoof that became a fourth-wall-smashing-meta-pooning-behemoth.  And it made Michael Caine really happy.

What is your feel good film? What can take you from sobbing wildebeest to a regular human being and to the far side of becoming a howling beast again?

AntBuoy

Some may say this is a soft target, and it is. Poor dialogue, no suspense, stock characters. You have heard all this criticism before. The films are just not any good.

Don’t get me wrong, I like fantasy. I like the idea of Hogwarts. I like wizards fighting dragons. But do it right. I always knew Harry was going to be ok because he had to make it through 7 books (and 8 films). Hermaphrodite and Ron had to be ok because it was a children’s film. That left us with shoe horning in character’s just so they would die or killing Dumbledoor and he wasn’t even very good at staying dead.

A lot of this criticism could be thrown back at the Lord of the Rings, and rightly so. It has parts where it is down right hammy or the dialogue sucks or you are just willing Frodo to hurry up and get there.  But it always felt epic and important. And they steered away from having too much unresolved sexual tension.

The biggest thing that separates Lord of the Rings from Harry Potter is Harry Potter. He is an immensely irritating character. Played by an immensely irritating, and short, actor. I was going to put a picture of him here but I just dislike him so much I’m going to put an expanse of nothingness as it is a marked improvement on his visage.

Despite it all Potter has some good points, it is a great way for British actors to earn mega bucks. Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, John Hurt, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith. Too many to count. All the more reason to hate Harry Potter, how can you take that much awesome, rub it with pixie dust, and still end up with a story about a whingy turd?

All those delicious goodies and the films focuses on the goody two-shoes. I really dislike Haemorrhage. Go away, no one likes you! And if you fancy her, you are sick. She is bleedin’ seven years old for Christ’s sake.

Rant over. I am sure I have pissed a lot of people off with this view but I don’t care. Blame the 30 day challenge. Daniel Radcliffe must be stopped. Go read the books, then you are only giving one idiot a big wad of cash.

AntBuoy

Something special for you. A micro blog update every day for 30 days. Each day a new film reviewed and the story that goes with it. That is what I really love about films, not the stories that happen in them but the stories that happen around them. For me they are like photos of what you were doing with your life at the moment you saw them.

Give your comments, what would your film choice be for the daily topic? To hit it off I give you Day 1 – Your Favourite Film. My changes between a select few but today it had to be Fight Club.

Soap hasn't been this cool since Florence Nightingale

Coming out in 1999 this film still gets me with its wealth of ideas, fantastic pacing, excellent performances and a visual style that Fincher crafts out of shadows.

This is a very popular choice for men’s favourite film and for good reason. It whispers to some of our inner most desires. Looking at the need to fight, the feeling of inadequacy and ultimately the frustration with our day to day lives. The film visualise the aching anger in your chest that you couldn’t begin to describe.

The story is well known now. Ed Norton plays ‘Jack’. His character is never given a name, also seen in the excellent Withnail & I and not-quite-as-good-but-still-thoroughly-enjoyable Layer Cake. Brad Pitt plays Tyler Durden. The two men meet by happenstance and their lives keep getting drawn into each other’s in spite of the toll it takes on both of them.

The film spends a lot of time looking at big philosophical ideas. I didn’t care much when I was 15 and it was on tv. I ran out to get it on dvd that weekend. I felt I had become a part of project mayhem buying this 18 whilst massively underage. The guy who sold it to be didn’t care and was happy to be a part of our secret, and minute, anarchy.

And that is why this is my favourite film. It plays on our need to escape, to find something bigger than our relentless march into monotony. It is understood by your peers and offers you acceptance. I’d love to know what the equivalent is for women. Fight Club reminds you what a man can be and a glimpse at why he is controlled.

AntBuoy

Jackass 3D is hilarious. That is all you really need to know. And by that I mean it is the most important thing you need to know but should keep reading to find out the details. Details are fun.

So, I saw the film at the cinema in Morecambe. How best to describe Morecambe? A more run down Blackpool. A less great Great Yarmouth. A seaside town that doesn’t even dream of being Brighton because its sub-conscious is that much of a loser.

The cinema was tiny. On;y 8 seats side and a dozen rows deep. This isn’t a problem, viva the indie cinemas. However it wasn’t an independent cinema. It was a wannabe multiplex, with the neon to match. It reminded me of Luton in many ways.

The tickets cost an eye watering £9.30. Ouch. The cinema is no longer a cheap night out by any definition. No one bought any confection from the concession stand.

As I was saying, the film is gut wrenchingly funny. The film is also massively disgusting. Fecal matter, vomit, and every other bodily fluid imaginable is on display in this film. In eye-popping 3D. Eye popping 3D is such a naff phrase, it would be better suited to a review of the new Saw film.

I had to watch certain moments of the film through my fingers. The Lamborghini dentist (much faster than a slammed door), the sweat cocktail (exactly what it sounds like), and the extreme sh*t cocktail were genuinely horrible.

But even when you feel sick you are laughing. Sometimes laughing to stop yourself being sick. I haven’t laughed so much in a jolly long time.

Some of the sketches reminded me of the great silent film stars like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The sheer skill on display in death-defying stunts is remarkable. Look I’m literally remarking on them now.

Clip time!

Wasn’t that fun?

Like the greatest clowns there this film is tinged with a macabre feeling. Johnny Knoxville looks tired for a lot of it.The life of an extreme hedonist must be exhausting. He is genuinely having fun but when it goes wrong it goes serious wrong.
In the Invisible Man sketch, Knoxville is in a compound with an enraged bull. Needless to say the bull does its thing and Knoxville is thrown into the air. When he lands the bull stamps down on his head and neck. He is understandably shaken and carries a ‘what am I doing?’ look for a lot of the film.
The Snake Pit is another example of a prank to far. Throwing live snakes on an ophidiophobic is pretty cruel. Whilst the other stunts were entered into voluntarily, and they were able to stop them when it became too much, this one was forced upon him. It crossed the line.
For the most part this is a film about fraternal bonds. A group of friends having a great time. As guys often do they take the joke too far, but their guilty faces and good intentions keep you on their side.
I could be reading far too much into this film but it was an interesting study of male friendship and a tickling of an ancient funny bone. The film floats like a fresh steaming log on a tidal wave. And hey, at least they won’t be arrested for being Communists.

Ryan Reynolds. Good guy. Liked him since he worked in a pizza place with his mate and a girl. Deadpool was lame but he didn’t ask for freakin’ lazer beams to come out of his eyes. And he was in Blade Trinity. This guy has notched up a lot of comic real estate.

Still, he seems a bit comedy heavy in the trailer. A lot of jokes made about his clothes. Is this going to be more the Proposal than the Nines?

Doesn’t feel like Hal Jordan to me. I don’t have a lot to go on, I’m a noob in the land of Light. Had a quick nosey at Blackest Night recently and thought it was quite cool. I mostly know Hal from the direct-to-dvd voiced by fellow Pizza placer, Nathan Fillion. This seems very different.

Its also not Jon Stewart, and that’s a shame. The Green Lantern is a title, not just one guy. Its a whole police force that patrols the universe. Earth has had a few protectors. Jon made a big impact on me from watching the excellent Justice League cartoon. Here is a clip of Jon kicking arse.

The most important thing is the trailer didn’t really excite me. Somehow it lacked the cool factor. You can remember watching the trailer for Iron Man and the Dark Knight for the first time. They were events in themselves. Green Lantern sort of fell onto the stage. The graphics weren’t quite done and it looks meh.

The worst part has to be the corny, even for comic book movies, dialogue and the guy with the head. Seriously. The f**k?

Next topic.

Your Highness also launched their trailer this week. Like Lantern it has a cool cast. Zooey Deschanel is always a good thing to have in a movie.

James Franco, like Reynolds, has been in three comic book movies. His grossed billions. That has to make to you smile, lucky bastard. (Spider-man if you didn’t get that). Now Spider-man 3 wasn’t all his fault, like Reynolds, but he didn’t help.

The other guy in this trailer is very familiar. He looks like a guy my mum once dated. Seeing him collapse down the stairs made my evil heart smile.

The film looks terrible and awesome. Its either going to be the worst thing since Epic Movie or the new Princess Bride. Say what? Big gauntlet, and I’m throwing it down. What you gonna do about it?

The important thing to remember boys and girls is this: watch this film when you are a little bit drunk. Not completely gone but a little bit merry will help move things along. I call this the Snakes on a Plane factor. The closer a film is to the great concept/big disappointment point the more drunk you need to be.

So long chaps. No real movie reviews because there is nothing I want to see at the cinema at the minute. Nothing. At all.

I do want to see who would win in a fight: James Bond or Indiana Jones.

I’m back. Got lots of blogs coming for you. Covering shows I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer and a lot of movies. Comic book geekiness and video games will also get a look in.

Been a busy beaver lately, worked on five big theatre projects since July and have neglected my poor blog.

No more!

Next year I plan to get a reviewer pass for the Fringe, and you dear reader are going to help me get it.

So buckle up, AntBuoy is back.

The man/director-who-can-do-no-wrong would be perfectly within his rights to not make a third film. His refreshing take on the films he makes, doing them to the best of his ability without saving for a sequel, could mean he didn’t have an idea left he wanted to do.

This is the polar opposite of JJ Abrams. Dick. He filmed Klingons for his Star Trek movie then edited them out. He knew, to the reasonable level any human can, what would happen in Lost but knew he could get away with stringing it out for 7 seasons. He is the king of filler. New government guidelines recommend you using him to insulate your house.

The other reason Nolan may want out is the shadow of death. You all know about Ledger, I dearly miss him, but there was also the stuntman Conway Wickliffe was unfortunately killed whilst filming a car chase. A more superstitious person would be tempted to leave the project at this.

But Christopher Nolan is no quitter! Rumours abound of upcoming plot details, bullet time:

• The Riddler is the main villain
• The action takes place in Arkham Asylum
• Guest appearances from the rogues gallery by The Penguin and Mr Freeze
• Barbara Gordon has a bigger role
• Dick Grayson is in but not as Robin

This is all shamelessly stolen from IGN. Full credit to them.

I feel a great weight has been lifted from me now that I know Batman 3 is going ahead. Lets hope it breaks the curse of the rubbish three-quel.

AntBuoy

PS If you love the Batman, check out Project Rooftop and their article about a new costume for Dick Grayson.