800 Bullets.

Alex de la Iglesia has become a cult director in his native Spain for his stylish genre parodies; with 800 Bullets (2002) it’s the western. Although set in contemporary times Iglesia allows us to look back to a time in Spanish filmmaking when spaghetti westerns where made in the Province of Almeria in an area known as Texas Hollywood.

Carlos.

Granddad Julian.

The story centres on a young boy, Carlos, brought up by Laura his mother (Carmen Maura an actress best known for her roles in some of Pedro Almodovar’s best movies) and his grandmother. He discovers that his grandfather, Julián Torralba a former film stuntman, is still alive and entertaining an ever-dwindling tourist crowd on the old western film set located at Tabernas near Almeria in Southern Spain. Carlos, along with mother’s credit card and much against her wishes, finds his way to the old film set to meet his grandfather and hopefully find out what happened to his dead father. When Laura finds out she sets out to close down Texas Hollywood and destroy Julián along with his eccentric bunch of colleagues.

Carmen Maura as Laura, Carlos mother

I really appreciated this movie, mainly I suppose because I had visited the very place where it was made (see link above) and it was great fun picking out the locations. But saying that it was immensely entertaining, very amusing and portrays its straightforward narrative in a way you can’t help but enjoy and at times it looks and feels like a real western. If you can’t get to Almeria then this movie is the next best thing, I wonder if they need any extra’s next summer?

You don't want to mess with this young lady?

The Giants.

Abandoned by their mother, who shows no sign of returning, brothers Zak and Seth, 13 and 15 live in their late grandfathers house. Left to their own devices they team up with Dany, 15, who is abused by his violent simple-minded thug of a brother. The three boys spend their days stealing food from their neighbour’s well-stocked cellar, smoking dope, drinking alcohol and joy riding in granddads old car. When money problems arise the two brothers decide to rent out granddads house to a local drug dealer for three months to allow him to expand his retail business, not a particularly good move for the boys, but when needs must!

Premiered in the Directors Fortnight at the 2011 Cannes Film festival The Giants (2011) won its director and writer Bouli Lanners, best known in Belgium for comedy acting, the SACD Prize. It’s a mix off old-fashioned children’s stories along with the influences of today’s world and it’s pressures on adolescents. It brings to mind films like Stand By Me (1986) and Shane Meadows Somers Town (2008) and the fantasy of Enid Blyton’s adventures but at the oppressive end of the social spectrum. Photographed with imaginative verve by cinematographer Jean-Paul de Zaeytijd who uses to great effect the beautiful Belgium and Luxemburg countryside. Lanners direction manages to bring out the best from our three young stars Paul Bartel as Dany, Martin Nissen as Seth and most of all from Zacharie Chasseriaud as the youngest brother Zak who appears to be the only one really missing his mother!

Life's one big adventure?

A rather captivating coming of age drama about the highs and lows of three young boys who decide that life should be one big adventure but soon realise that this dream is not always obtainable. Our young characters not only build up a bond with each other but also connect with the audience in such a way that you can’t help but feel for them. It also has a cracking score by the strangely named Bony King of Nowhere! A cool European ending leaves you to decide if you’re an optimist or a pessimist?

The Debt.

Directed by John Madden, who was responsible for the condescending The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), with a screen play part written my Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goodman, who had previously collaborated together on Stardust (2007) Kick Ass (2010) and X Men: First Class (2011) The Debt (2011) is based on an Israeli film of the same name. Both films centre on the Israeli Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations better known as Mossad, an organization that carries out covert operations all over the world, who in the 1960’s captured a notorious Nazi doctor who it is alleged carried out human experimentation in Nazi concentration camps. When the prisoner escapes its reported that he had been killed and his body disposed of. A great deal of kudos is given to the team for their work but in the late 1990’s it’s discovered that the ‘Surgeon of Birkenau’ (played with sinister realism by Jasper Christensen) could still be alive. 

Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds and Tom Wilkinson play the 1990’s version of the Mossad team far more convincingly that their 1965 counterparts Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and a rather miscast Sam Worthington. This is a very straightforward thriller where everything is sign posted in advance and therefore lacks any real tension or suspense. Personally I referred Norman Jewison’s The Statement (2003) that covered a lot of the same ground and was far more entertaining.

Pigsty

Peir Paolo Pasolini

My second Peir Paolo Pasolini film of late was the fascinating Pigsty (1969). Written by Pasolini it conveys two stories running in conjunction with each other. The first involves a young man who roams the volcanic wastes of Mount Etna and becomes a cannibal devouring unsuspecting people to stay alive. Gradually others join him, forming a small murderous band that is eventually caught by soldiers from a nearby village. All are condemned to death while most except their fate the leader is unrepentant and before he dies he shouts out ‘I’ve killed my father; I’ve eaten human flesh; I tremble with joy’.

‘I’ve killed my father; I’ve eaten human flesh; I tremble with joy’.

The second deals with the anguish of the children of the bourgeoisie. Its set in contemporary Germany and is about Julian, the son of a powerful former Nazi industrialist, who seems more enamoured with the estates pigs than he does with his beautiful fiancée, eventually being eaten by them leaving no trace.

The anguish of the children of the bourgeoisie

Pasolini’s satire is said to be his most vicious attack on the capitalist society he so despised. He stated ‘the ultimate message of the film was that all societies devour their own children; therefore an a-political anarchism would be the only visible stand’. It’s alleged that these feelings where brought about by Pasolini’s mixed reaction towards the uprisings of 1968 where student’s fought against the police and Pasolini came out on the side of the policeman when every left wing organisation was backing the students. He considered them true proletariat, sent to fight for a poor salary and for reasons, which they could not understand, against pampered boys of their same age, because they had not had the fortune of being able to study. It takes a masterful director to be able to express his political beliefs on celluloid so vehemently even if Pigsty is a rather self-indulgent piece of work but it still allows the viewer an insight into how this great Italian director’s mind worked