Naked Lunch Radio

Tropic Thunder

NakedLunchRadioShow — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:55:18 GMT

Tropic Thunder

Capping off the 2008 summer movie season is Ben Stiller's meta-action-comedy Tropic Thunder, a film so backlogged with big names, movie references and Hollywood in-jokes that you'll spend its first 15 minutes with your head spinning. By the time the movie finally settles down a bit, however, it manages to find a surprisingly agreeable comic groove, skewering nearly every facet of Hollywood filmmaking – both contemporary and historical.

The plot is actually set in motion before the film begins, with a set of fake trailers and commercials establishing the film-within-a-film's major players: Stiller's Tugg Speedman, an over-the-hill action star who made an ill-advised foray into the realm of prestige film; Jack Black's Jeff Portnoy, a self-centered drug addict with a series of obnoxious Eddie Murphy-style fat-suit comedies behind his belt; Brandon T. Johnson's Alpa Chino, an energy-drink magnate; and, most memorably, Robert Downey Jr.'s Kirk Lazarus, a self-serious Aussie method actor. They're all filming Tropic Thunder, a massive-scale war film directed by a novice (Steve Coogan, in what amounts to a blown-up cameo), based on a memoir written by a loony hook-handed war vet (Nick Nolte, in hobo mode), alongside an eager young actor named Kevin (Jay Baruchel). There's also Pineapple Express' Danny McBride and Bill Hader as, respectively, as an explosives expert and a studio exec.

Robert Downey Jr. may as well be Capn' Save-a-Blockbuster. After rescuing Iron Man from being a completely run-of-the-mill comic book movie, he single-handedly fashions the year's greatest comic creation as Lazarus. In a delightful skewering of hardcore method types like Christian Bale or Nicholas Cage circa Leaving Las Vegas, Lazarus opts for cosmetic surgery to blacken his skin in order to play an African-American character named Sgt. Osiris. Downey adopts an over-the-top caricature of "black" speech and mannerisms, much to the continual chagrin of actual black person Johnson (who plays brilliantly off of Downey's exaggerations, exuding both amusement and bemusement). It's an over-the-top concept that Downey somehow manages to pull off – mainly by communicating Lazarus' innate need to be obnoxiously, relentlessly method in his methods. "I never break character 'till I do the DVD commentary."

The blackface device is indicative of the movie's preoccupation with Hollywood's systemic racism, xenophobia and PC hypocrisy. When the actors find themselves stranded in the Vietnam wilderness and come upon a band of sinister Burmese heroin producers, nearly every old trope of Generic Primitive/Asian Otherness is trotted out, from the "outsider white man praised as deity" chestnut (here replaced with an amusingly irreverent sequence in which Stiller's Speedman dons whiteface and reprises a generally-reviled older character), to the respected child leader (see Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) to the muddled use of language (the Burmese thugs don't bat an eye at Lazarus' use of Chinese) and even the PC location choice – it's the same tyranny-choked region that Stallone decimated in Rambo last year. Stiller also employs music, editing and plot cues straight out of Apocalypse Now (whose troubled filming history was certainly an inspiration), Forrest Gump (Buffalo Springfield's "That's What It's Worth") and, memorably, Saving Private Ryan's famed Omaha Beach sequence.

For all of the movie's incisive commentary on Hollywood's purity complexes (also lampooned in Lazarus' thorough explanation of the Academy's "retard rules") there are a number of elements that simply don't work. Black's Portnoy is supposed to evoke past troubled, rotund funnymen like John Candy and John Belushi, but never communicates anything beyond shallow drug-jonesing. The subplots involving Stiller's agent and studio head – played by a pair of a-listers I won't spoil – are tedious and unfunny. One of those big names is most certainly in the film in an excessive attempt at saving face after some recent embarrassments, including the use of a fat suit, and it comes across a little too clearly. All of those elements – including Black's character - could easily have been removed from the script and taken the film from its somewhat overstretched 107 minutes down to a more manageable ninety. Luckily, McBride, Coogan, Nolte and Baruchel all deliver fine, funny performances to help flesh out the interstitial scenes between big action setpieces, making the film more coherent than it has to be. That other recent exotically-titled two-word action-comedy might have a higher batting average, but Tropic Thunder logs in about ten times the pitches, and in its tireless efforts to entertain produces Hollywood's funniest film since Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

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Pineapple Express

NakedLunchRadioShow — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:00:25 GMT

When I first heard about Pineapple Express, I doubted it right away. An action comedy directed by David Gordon Green, the guy who gave us George Washington and Snow Angels? No way in hell could this keep me entertained from beginning to end! But then again you can’t judge a book by its cover and oh Christ, once you get past this book’s cover, it’s all uphill. Forget about everything you’ve seen Seth Rogan in and prepare yourself for the role he was born to play. A STONER.

Consider the comedic talent that conceived this story: Judd Apatow, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan. Furthermore, take into account that most of the Apatow-related productions are seriously demented comedies that are right up my alley: Anchorman, Knocked Up, Drillbit Taylor, Superbad, etc. Apatow’s crew keeps a pretty good average at the plate and very few of his projects have been panned by the media (except Talladega Nights, which sucked more than the average socialite). Rogan and his friends constitute the newest “Pack” incarnation, name them as you will, but they are quickly replacing Ben Stiller’s “Frat Pack” as the funniest actors in town. Pineapple Express seals its position as the best comedy of the year, if not the bloody decade, and it should be considered alongside Lethal Weapon and Beverley Hills Cop as the best action comedies of our generation.

What makes Pineapple Express truly special isn’t the (particularly unoriginal) story, but rather its ability to capture the authenticity of a mundane conversation between friends and turn it into something hilarious, in the same vein that Knocked Up and Superbad were able to do (once again due to Rogan). Since recounting his sidesplitting, first-hand depiction of a woman being penetrated by a horse in The 40-year old Virgin, Seth Rogan has carved his own special kind of writing niche and has demonstrated that stagnating punch lines and over the top humor are a thing of the past. Proof of which is Will Ferrell’s rapid decline in popularity amongst the 25-34 crowd that watch his movies. Pineapple’s dialogue shies away from the generic, elaborate progression that leads to a joke and focuses on the moment itself, or rather the improvisation that comes with it. Whether it’s a facial expression, a gesture off camera or a silly question, the give and go between characters is legendary. A man trying to buzz his way into an apartment building has never made me laugh before, but these guys pulled it off.

Furthermore, while the amount of swearing borders the thousand-mark, it is extremely appreciated, considering the childish ratings that other so-called ‘raunchy’ comedies are stuck with. Finally, a studio that knows when to give complete helm to its writers and just let them go wild. Rogan’s experience writing for Da Ali G show and Superbad shines in just about every scene.

At the core, this movie is about friendship and the limits to which they can be subjected to. Rogan and Franco are so in tune with each other that it would have been interesting to see them interact between takes, considering that Apatow-lead movies never really stop filming, a practice with the intention of promoting improvisation throughout the movie. Both Knocked Up and Superbad produced well over a million feet of tape, a feat which had hitherto been unheard of for comedies.

From the opening scene that includes a fantastic cameo by Thomas Haden Church until the final coffee shop exchange, you’d be hard pressed to find a single flaw in this movie. Best of all is the culmination of action scenes that reaches a fever pitch towards the very end, one that leaves you breathless and hoping for just a little bit more….until we get it, in true Rogan style. You’ll know when you see it.

I’ll be looking forward to next year’s Rogan-Goldberg collaboration entitled “Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse”, the teaser trailer for which has already been available on YouTube for the past year or so. Can Hollywood’s new comedy kings reproduce the magic and absolute genius in Pineapple Express? Based on what we have so far, I’d think so!

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Second Skin (2008)

NakedLunchRadioShow — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:09:42 GMT

Second Skin (2008)

Second Skin follows the lives of seven people as they delve in to the world of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). The film follows three distinct stories involving seven people.

The most detailed plotline follows Chris, Matt, Anthony and Andy, four friends and housemates living in Indiana. They play WoW as often as they can, and also document their gaming sessions. Tension breaks out amongst the four friends as they ignore the responsibilities in life including Andy whose wife becomes pregnant with twins. She at first supports his hobby (addiction), but slowly begins to disapprove with the amount of time he spends gaming.

The film also follows Dan (a recovering WoW addict whose addiction cost him his relationship, his business and his home before kicking the habit); Liz the founder of Online Gamers Anonymous; Heather and Kevin, a couple whose romance began in Everquest II, and finally Andrew who suffering from physical disabilities finds his own special freedom in the virtual world.

Because of how much ground is covered, Second Skin doesn't have much time to spend with its subjects. Little screen time given to each story. Yet the film maker documents enough drama to not only keep us entertained but care about each character. Not all the individual stories are concluded but if anything it can be argued that it only helps in leaving a little to the imagination.

The film also avoids passing judgment on any of its subjects and the filmmaker takes care in telling both sides of the story. From the responsible gamers who carry out their normal lives. To those who lose themselves in the game leading to depression, suicide, and other actions that destroy their personal relationships. Director Piniero has a lot of ground to cover and by the end never answers the most important question: are these games good or bad? Do these games bring on anything positive or simply destroy the gamers? Yet despite some complaints some of had with his approach, I think that this is the key to the over all success of the film. Piniero has resisted answering that question. After all who is he to judge?

Naked Lunch Radio

King of Kong: A fistful of quarters

NakedLunchRadioShow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:46:32 GMT

King of Kong: A fistful of quarters

Christians have Jesus Christ, Islam has Allah and classic video gamers have Billy Mitchell. The man who held the Donkey Kong record for almost twenty five years is the subject of a documentary in which an unknown newcomer in the classic gaming circle, Steve Wiebe, poses a serious threat to Mitchell's ancient record and the subsequent mind games that ensues between both men.

Mitchell is a character unlike any other. Not only does he compare himself to the Red Baron, the most prolific World War II fighter pilot, he also models his life around the idea that he is leaps and bounds ahead of the pack when it comes to classic gaming. Although the community is so small and otherwise insignificant, he revels in the fact that he sits atop a virtual throne and praised by his followers. He exudes a level of confidence so unhealthy that it borders megalomania. His ties are decked in American colors and his trophy wife follows him around with a fake smile of epic proportions. Mitchell's public appearances are carefully choreographed and his constant smugness makes it easy to dislike him as a person. In his mind, he is truly the greatest classic gamer ever, although many of his records have been broken since the 80s.

That leads us to his competitor, Steve Wiebe. When he proclaims to having a new Donkey Kong record, the married father of two from Washington State quickly becomes thrust into the gaming limelight as he does his best to withstand the onslaught from the myriad of Mitchell disciples wishing to see him fail. Wiebe is Mitchell's anti-thesis: timid and soft-spoken, unaccomplished and unstylish. Although he has always been talented at several things, he was never able to overcome his greatest nemesis, himself. Too afraid to stand up to others and often failing at the most critical moments in his life. A self-taught Donkey Kong expert, he manages to beat Mitchell's long-standing record of 874,000 and is soon recognized as the all-time best. It's around this time that his rivalry against Mitchell goes into fifth gear.

Without giving away too much of the movie, it's a fascinating portrayal of the lengths at which some people will go to defend what is theirs. It also exposes the other major players in this scene, people such as Walter Day and Robert Mruczek, founder and head referee respectively of Twin Galaxies, the only ‘official' score keepers of classic gaming. These people would appear demented by the untrained eye, but they just live for their passion. Day refers to gamers as superstars and often speaks extremely highly of Mitchell, a regular occurrence in the documentary. Brian Kuh, another disciple, is sent to Wiebe's house on one occasion to ‘investigate' his Donkey Kong machine in the hopes of finding incriminating evidence that would discredit the record he had set on it. The movie probes even further into the compulsivity that most gamers have: a lot of them will stoop to sabotage and deceitful behavior to put someone off their game. I guess that only goes to show how important this is to them.

The most frustrating element of the movie lies in the fact that Mitchell repeatedly refuses to accept Wiebe's challenges, wherever they are. The aura of mystery that surrounds him is astonishing, considering that he is a staunch advocate of playing in front of an audience to have a gaming record validated. At one point a competition is held no more than ten miles away from Mitchell's home yet he declines to even appear. Mitchell might seem confident of his abilities on the outside, but that flair is overshadowed by his reluctance to meet or even play head to head against Wiebe, the only other player in the world capable of beating the record.

The movie does an excellent job of portraying the childishness exhibited by Mitchell and his followers. I laughed out loud when Kuh sneaks upstairs and calls Mitchell to update him on Wiebe's progress during a game. Mitchell, sitting comfortably in his living room looks completely unfazed, as if he were planning his next move at the very moment. Further more, the absurdities caught on tape are consistently topped by others: Walter Day referring to Mitchell as a Jedi, calling the gaming community ‘his child' or the obsession over reaching the mythical kill screen in Donkey Kong. So much importance is placed on these scores and results that it consequently traps these people in this surreal world that is restricted to other ‘mortals', i.e. normal gamers. The doings of this tightly-knit community left me baffled by the end of my first viewing but as I watched more and more, I came to understand their motives. Why would people let something so trivial take over their entire lives, you might ask? It's an addiction I suppose and everyone has a different one.

The saga continues to this day, as the Donkey Kong record continues to be broken, almost on a yearly basis. At the end of the movie we're told that Wiebe had successfully taken over as the official record holder with a score of 1,047,000 points, but Mitchell allegedly took back his title on the 25^th anniversary of his first record-setting day. The virtual war has just begun...

naked-lunch.org

Wardance / Young At Heart

NakedLunchRadioShow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:44:40 GMT

They Can Feel It In Their Bones

War Dance

Thinkfilm, 2007

Directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix

Young@Heart

Fox Searchlight, 2008

Directed by Stephen Walker

Anyone who ever found solace in any of its myriad forms can testify to the transformative powers of art, and those who do will find something to relate in two seemingly unrelated but thematically similar documentaries.

War Dance introduces us to the Acholi tribe of Northern Uganda, an ethnic group that faces unthinkable violence on a daily basis at the hands of Ugandan president Yoweri Musevini (who has frequently been compared to Uganda's more infamous despot, Idi Amin). Forced into isolated camps, the greatest burdens are carried by the group's children, many of whom have been orphaned by the killers that wait in the surrounding bush. The doc's focus, however, lies with a Uganda-wide music and dance competetition, in which the Acholi children are competing for the first time.

While the performance sections of the film are invigorating enough to keep the proceedings afloat, the approach taken by Fine and Nix in detailing the disturbing pasts of the children in question is problematic. The children are filmed detailing the incidents that most brutally exposed them to violence (one sequence in particular, in which the child must identify his murdered parents, involves nauseating levels of detail), juxtaposed with close-up footage of their pained faces. In the context of a documentary devoted to exploring issues of violence and trauma, it might have been an effective approach, but in a film centered around the childrens' efforts to advance their singing and dancing, it's instead a needlessly heavy-handed one. It doesn't help that the translated versions of their stories seem improbably eloquent.

Stephen Walker's Young @ Heart faces a similar dilemma, but negotiates a slightly better balance. Walker documents the seven-week rehearsal period of the titular octogenarian choir as they prepare for a series of sold-out concerts, run by the steady hand of choir director Bob Cilman. The obvious charm of the film's subjects first emerges as they struggle to interpret Cilman's left-field musical choices (including tracks by Sonic Youth and Talking Heads) and reveal their boundless energy in the face of looming health crises.

It's Walker himself who comes closest to derailing the film, with his often-insipid narration and irritating editing choices - from the "yee-haw" banjo music that accompanies a road-trip scene to the questionable placement of light-hearted music video sequences directly following a fairly grueling loss. Walker lacks trust in his compelling subjects to carry the film. Nevertheless, they carry it anyway, both with their charm and their fairly incredible performances. In particular, oxygen-deprived baritone Fred Knittle's lead vocal on Coldplay's "Fix You" reminds us that a gifted interpreter can transform even the most banal tune into a thing of beauty. Their group take on Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia" is similarly revelatory, coaxing a surprising grandeur out of the original's doomed haze. It's worth the price of admission alone.

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The Nomi Song (2005)

NakedLunchRadioShow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:42:59 GMT

The Nomi Song (2005)

Directed by Andrew Horn

Looks like an alien, sings like a diva!

An incredible documentary about Klause Nomi, a cult figure in the New Wave Underground scene during the 80`s.

Nomi was a German emigrant who in the 1970s and 1980s took downtown New York by storm with his unique look and incredible operatic voice. Dressing like David Byrne while spiking his hair and applying layers of eyeliner and white powder to his face, Nomi would sing pop standards like opera arias. He first came to the attention of New York's art scene in 1978 with his performance of Vaudeville in a "new wave" format at a four night event MC'd by artist David McDermott. The reaction was so overwhelming that he was invited to perform at all the top clubs in New York City, assembling a group of unknown artists at the time including Joey Arias, Jean Michel Basquait, Keith Haring and Johnny Sex.

Andrew Horn's portrait of the new wave star Klaus Nomi is quite simply a master piece. A vivid portrait of not only the man, but an era in which the underground ruled New York and a time in which the city itself was more welcoming to new and upcoming artists. The movie gathers interviews from many of the people who congregated around Klaus before his death in 1983 along with rare live performances from the man himself. The memories are vivid and touching, truthful and unforgiving. Sharing his darkest secrets to praising him as a genius, these testimonies are the making of a legend. The film takes us from the point in which he immigrated to the States, through his underground struggle; His pursuit of greater stardom in abandoning the East Village for a record deal and finally to his taking ill to what was then called the "gay cancer"

The party was over" says painter Kenny Schraf looking back on those pre-AIDS days. Klaus Nomi was the first semi-well known figure on the New York scene to die of the disease. He is best known to the mainstream for his back up vocals to David Bowie's Saturday Night Performance. However he will forever be loved and honored in the scene that matters (The Underground) with films like this exposing him to future generations.

Jimmy D.

The Killer of Sheep

NakedLunchRadioShow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:40:22 GMT

The Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep; don't let the title put you off!

In cinematic history (that's a really long time!) few films have portrayed ghetto life as accurately and humanely as ‘Killer in Sheep'. What aspects, you might ask, make it a real standout among others? Well, consider the fact that it was shot by a UCLA student on weekends with a shoestring budget, using a mostly amateur cast. Charles Burnett, the director of this poignant tale, unknowingly created a film that has acquired cult status since its creation thirty years ago. Although very few independent movies that suffered the same initial fate as Killer of Sheep (limited distribution) can be called "cult films" today (Punishment Park and Stroszek come to mind), critics unanimously lauded this simplistic production for its accurate depiction of the down-and-out lifestyle many people suffered in Watts, an African-American ghetto of Los Angeles.

I had never heard of this movie until our Arts Editor told me about it but the title and circumstances surrounding the film's release immediately caught my interest. It opens with a powerful scene involving a father (Stan) and his oldest child. Stan berates his son for refusing to protect his younger brother when a group of children ganged up on the latter. His fiery gaze burns a hole through his son's eyes while he chews him out, reminding him that family comes first and that under no circumstances shall one abandon the other. The ferociousness of his speech does not set the tone of the film however, as we discover later on that Stan is an insomniac whose brutal labor at the slaughterhouse directly contributes to his disassociation with reality. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, his daily happenings and those of his friends and family are played out in or around his poor neighborhood.

One particular dinner scene establishing Stan's disjointed reality has him staring right into his plate, daydreaming of who knows what, aloof and content. His wife and daughter look on although fully aware of his all-to-common behavior. Other interesting scenes involve the neighborhood children who play in the rubble of destroyed and abandoned buildings due to the lack of organized activities. At one point, Stan and a few friends plot to rob and kill someone for monetary purposes. Whether it's the sight of a young boy wiping the dirt off his pants or a young girl singing to Motown tunes, the message is always present; desperation, frustration and unlimited hurdles fuel these people's lives. Poetic yet heartbreaking, Killer of Sheep reveals itself as truly original in its goal to publicize the sometimes dangerous and highly volatile life in Watts. Fortunately for North American moviegoers, the movie has been restored and enlarged to 35mm by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and Milestone Films, thanks in part to a donation from filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.

In terms of music, the songs chosen by Burnett exemplify the wonderful talent pool that African American artists have created. "This Bitter Earth", sung by Dinah Washington, is played during an especially tender moment between Stan and his wife. As they gently sway to the soulful melody, they hold each other tight; the wife grips her husband's shirt tighter and tighter, perhaps in response to the lyrics that remind her of the south she grew up in. When the song ends, Stan leaves the room and her frustration boils over as she sits on a window sill, sobbing away while a voiceover confirms her nostalgic moment. In addition, I admired the Lynch-like use of dark, ambient music to set the tone for certain scenes, a definite reminder of Eraserhead, another movie you kids should see a.s.a.p. Killer of Sheep was not immediately released upon completion due to a snafu involving the musical rights; that is, until the restorers could pony up the 150,000$ required to secure the rights.

Although it has been brought up to modern standards, the movie succeeds in keeping its message fresh and delivers the same emotional punch to its audience as it did thirty years ago. Its impact on the way we think about poor, urbanized areas was not imminent, but rather delayed. In 1990 the Library of Congress declared the film a national treasure and placed it among the first 50 films entered in the National Film Registry. In 2002 the national society of Film Critics named it one of the 100 essential films of all time. Such praise for such a modest movie only goes to show that it deserves the distribution it is finally getting.

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Dance of the Dead (2008)

NakedLunchRadioShow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:33:15 GMT

Dance of the Dead (2008)

When he couldn't get a green light for Dance of the Dead director Gregg Bishop took $15k which he earned from the profits from his short film and funded his own movie. The result was the hitThe Other Side released in 2006. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and was picked up for a theatrical release. It was a huge hit with critics and after the producers saw his film they finally gave the go ahead forDance of the Dead. Thank god!

The film doesn't isn't in any way groundbreaking. If anything it could be best describes as a cross between Return of The Living Dead and Carrie only with the cast of Fast Times at Ridgemond High. It all takes place around an all Americanhigh school on prom night. Of course like most high schools, the institution is located next to not only a graveyard but also a nuclear power plant. A chemical gets leaked without any explanation (but who needs on in a zombie film) and the dead turn to life.

The film's premise is very simple but the key to its success is that it never takes itself seriously. It takes you on a fun ride right from the first five minutes and never gives out. More importantly for a low budget film, the production values are great. They make with what they have and they do not aim too high. Too many small movies try to hard to do too much and we usually end up with bad computer effects. Here they stay away from CGI as often as possible and do an excellent job with the make up and prosthetics.

Joe Ballarini's smart script follows a group of outcasts from the school into the graveyard and all around town. In fact the best part of the film comes half way when the children shelter themselves in what appears to be a mansion. Much like Night of the Living Dead, they board up the windows and doors in hopes to keep safe. Only they quickly discover they hid themselves inside a funeral home. All hell breaks loose and the children regroup only to getaway in what else but a hearse.

The cast of Dance of the Dead was put together with mostly non actors from Georgia with the exception of Jared Kusnitz (Doll Graveyard) and Randy McDowell (Good Intentions). Jared Kusnitz, was actually in another SXSW ‘Midnight movie called Otis. Here he pulls off another great deadpan performance and lands himself in a better film.

According to director-producer Greg Bishop, they "searched for months for the right kids, ones who were good at improv and whom acted natural. Justin Welborn who also appeared in THE SIGNAL steals the show in this film. He plays the student delinquent Kyle a redneck bully who has a reputation of beating up the student population. When the zombies come out he manages to turn his anger on them and in one of my favorite scenes takes out a dozen or so zombies in what resembles a WWE hardcore wrestling match complete with elbow drops, body slams and an onslaught of weapons.

Dance of The Dead may not be at the same level as Shaun of the Dead but it makes for an entertaining time. Highly recommended for any genre enthusiasts or a group of friends getting together for a movie night. Besides that what other movie has ever featured a zombie sex scene?

Dance of the Dead will be distributed from October 2008 by Lions Gate Entertainment in a deal with Sam Raimi's new partnership Ghost House Underground. The film is expected to be part of Ghost House's inaugural slate of offerings dubbed "October Horror".

Jimmy Dean

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The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

NakedLunchRadioShow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:30:42 GMT

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

The Midnight Meat Train is based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood. The film follows a photographer who attempts to track down a serial killer dubbed the "Subway Butcher" and discovers more than he bargained for under the city streets. Directed by Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura , it stars Bradley Cooper, Roger Bart, Vinnie Jones and Brooke Shields.

Despite being the most famous horror novelist next to Stephen King, only very few films have been made from Barker's work. Three of those he actually directed. To be honest I have not been a fan of most of these films save for Candyman and Lord of Illusions. Clive Barker's Books of Blood is considered the holy grail of horror literature but the film adaptation of Midnight Meat Train is hit and miss.

I know it is based on a short story but at times the film makers seemed hard up on ideas on where to go with the film. We end up with Cooper following Vinnie Jones playing the Butcher in several scenes with many near-misses. The scenes are repetitive and lack suspense. They seem forced and it comes across as if it they are there to just stretch the film into a feature length. Overall the screenplay is solid. I appreciate that the screenwriter doesn't over explain everything and much was left to the imagination of the viewers (save for a brief explanation towards the end). You have to hand it to screenwriter Jeff Buhler for adapting a Barker story. While not perfect, it's still better than average screenplay, (minus a few really cheesy one liners used here and there such as "Stay away from the meat.)"

The adaptation of this script was a labor of love for long-time Barker fan Jeff Buhler, who worked closely with Barker throughout the process. Their intent was to expand the world presented in the original short story while preserving the underlying mythology and themes already there. In fact both Barker and Buhler fought long and hard to retain the original title of the film, which at one point was going to be changed to "Midnight Train."

The film has a very unique look and uses a lot of blue hues. Everything seems to shine on screen yet it is also very grainy. To be put simply it is visually stunning and ambitious. Anyone who has seen director Ryuhei Kitamura's film Azumi would know just how well this man can shoot action. In comparison to his earlier film "Azumi", "Kill Bill's" fight sequences look lame. Here he uses a perfect blend of prosthetics and CGI and the director brings some of the most inventive kills to ever hit the big screen. The kill sequences are impressive to say the least but more importantly gory and original. Unlike in the film "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane", the death sequences here are clever and justify it's R rating. Most of the special FX were practical, which gave the film a more believable tone. There were dead bodies hanging from the train, teeth being pulled, an intense scene in which an eyeball pops out of it's socket; and there's a fantastic kill in which a guy, hanging upside down on a meat hook, sees his reflection in a pool of his own blood.

What I didn't like was the cast. Actually I really hated the cast of this film. Bradley Cooper was just not right for the role as the main character. He held the same emotion on his face throughout the entire film. He had no range what so ever nor did Leslie Bibb who plays his girlfriend. She was even worse and I found myself hoping someone would kill off her character. Vinnie Jones plays the same mute bad guy he seems to always play, but for an x-football player he's the only one member of the cast who truly shines. Hostel II's Roger Bart pops up in a few scenes and so does Ted Rami but neither gets any serious screen time. However no one was worse that the lady detective in this film who makes M. Knight seem like a great actor.

It's a tricky film to recommend. I think that true fans of the original story will find themselves disappointed with the outcome but yet most fans of horror films will truly love it. I am glad I had a chance to see the world premiere if anything for bragging rights. However I don't see it landing in my DVD collection anytime soon.

Jimmy D

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The Killer of Sheep

NakedLunchRadioShow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:23:50 GMT

The Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep; don't let the title put you off!