Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass (15)

UK Cinemas 31 March 2010

***

“With no power comes no responsibility. But that isn’t true” says Dave Lizewski, an ordinary New York teenager who is just about to embark on a full scale superhero fight against the bad guys. He has no superhero powers or any fancy gadgets and is certainly not a master of any martial art but he learns that these are not necessary to do the right thing and take responsibility for your actions.

Based on the comic book by Coatbridge born Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr, ‘Kick-Ass’ takes the superhero genre to a whole other level. Directed by Matthew Vaughn (‘Stardust’, ‘Layer Cake’, ‘Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’) and written by Jonathan Ross’ wife Jane Goldman (‘Stardust, ‘The Debt’), ‘Kick-Ass’ tells the story of  an ordinary boy in high school who is not part of the cool crowd, the athletic crowd or the geeky crowd, but is just an ordinary teenager. He even says himself that he is not the funniest out of all of his friends. A great lover of comic books, he begins to wonder why no one has attempted to become a superhero. He dons a green and yellow wetsuit he purchased from the internet and becomes the real life crime fighting superhero Kick-Ass. Little does he know that there are actually other superheroes out there.

With elements of ‘Spiderman’, ‘Batman’ and ‘Superbad’ all rolled into one, ‘Kick Ass’ should certainly not leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth. But, with an 11-year-old girl who is responsible for most of the violence and repeats the C-word throughout it becomes clear why this superhero movie has been given a 15 rating.

The film stars British actor Aaron Johnson who puts on a great performance as Dave Lizewski. Nicolas Cage should also be applauded as the Batman-like Big Daddy. But the true star is Chloë Grace Moretz who plays his 11-year-old daughter and sidekick Hit Girl who mixes childhood innocence with comic book violence.

Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse also makes an appearance as the Harry Osborn-type character, Red Mist and Mark Strong plays his dad, villain Frank D’Amico.

The extent of blood and violence are somewhat masked with comedy elements and a carefully picked soundtrack which do slightly poke fun at the superhero genre so that the film is never taken too seriously. But, with lots of slapstick comedy I was left un-amused while the male population of the cinema rolled about laughing at characters being slapped, ran over and shot with a mighty bazooka.

The film was enjoyable and all of the comic book characters are superb. The film appeared as any other comic book blockbuster with great effects and bright colours but for me the film did not completely live up to the hype. It felt like it was lacking something and the ending could have come a good twenty minutes before it actually did.

But the film is a superhero movie with a twist which takes some brave decisions and which does something which audiences have not seen before. Just like writer Mark Millar it will play to the childhood fantasy of many men who dreamed of becoming a superhero when Batman and Superman first hit the screens.

Antony Murray Scotch Comedian of the Year 2013

Brel, 17^th March 8pm

A tall and slightly geeky Scotsman appeared on stage exactly as he looks in all of the posters, with what seemed to be the same shirt too.

But despite his down to earth appearance he had a lot to live up to as the tagline for the show describes him as a comedian for the future with a wrinkled gypsy fortune teller telling him he will be famous by 2013.

With St Patrick’s Day revellers pouring the streets of Glasgow it may seem strange to go and see a Scottish comedian on March 17. But Antony Murray did not disappoint in bringing about some cheer, albeit it was not Irish.

A Stand regular at both the Edinburgh and Glasgow clubs he opened aptly with a joke about patron saints at the expense of Americans. In fact, Americans were the theme of quite a few of his jokes.

He also tackled the Scottish East/West divide, being a man who was born in Edinburgh but whose parents are Glaswegian. Of course, with a predominantly Weegie audience he didn’t stay on the subject for too long.

But what Antony does best is self deprecation. He poked fun at his exceptionally curly mop and rhymed off the names which the very inventive Glasgow neds have came up with for him. He also poked fun at his boyish looks as despite being 28 he got asked for ID when buying a small bottle of red wine for cooking with.

Audience participation was a large part of Antony’s show and with the crowd taking a while to warm up he did manage it well. A St Patrick’s Day quiz for one lucky audience member who found a ticket under their seat meant they won a bag of potatoes, a bottle of Magners and an Easter egg for answering three Irish questions correctly. It was a nice addition to the show.

It was clear that Antony was nervous as shaking hands could be seen when he took out the questions for the quiz but this did not hamper the performance.

The venue was small and cosy and suited the performance to a T. Situated among the hustle and bustle of Ashton Lane it provided a good atmosphere. The only downside was that drinks were at a premium so I happily made sure that one would last.

Antony did finish just short of his allotted hour but this didn’t matter as I certainly didn’t feel that I was ripped off on my £6 ticket cost. He also kindly ran after the competition winner to give him a plastic bag to put all of his assorted prizes in.

The show was very funny and thoroughly enjoyable but the only criticism would be that I did not leave with my sides splitting but he is a comedian to watch for the future none the less. The prophecy of the fortune teller still has some time to come true.

Underbelly

Underbelly Episode 1: The Black Prince

STV Monday 9pm

“FORGIVE your enemies but never forget their names,” said John F Kennedy and later says Alphonse Gangitano before he shoots a man in cold blood.

Sex, violence, alcohol and drugs from almost the first scene Underbelly has hit Scottish TV screens with a bang.

The long-awaited Australian drama is based on the book Leadbelly by John Silvester and Andrew Rule and is banned in parts of Australia because some of the people involved are still awaiting trial.

The award winning programme depicts the gangland wars that rocked Melbourne between 1995 and 2004 and left 29 people dead. Many, like me, may not have heard of these wars which struck the Australian city but Underbelly is an education in the dark, violent and bloody decade.

Alphonse Gangitano, The Black Prince of Lygon Street, and one of the legendary Carlton Crew gang, is someone not to mess with. He gets under the skin of policeman Steve Owen (Rodger Corser) who is desperate to get him behind bars.

He shows no mercy on Greg Workman, a lowly thug, when he murders him at a party. The bloodthirsty crime is witnessed by two sisters who agree to testify against the violent Gangitano. But, they soon chicken out and are paid to flee the country.

Despite getting away with murder, the bloody crime sets the tone for what is to follow.

Gangitano faces an inner struggle as he comes to terms with the life he leads and battles to keep his family life separate.

Vince Colosimo puts on a superb performance as the mafia-like Gangitano. His presence is terrifying while also likable and charming. He is supported by Les Hill who plays Gangitano’s loyal friend, Moran.

The beginning of the infamous Carl ‘Babyface’ Williams (Gyton Grantley) is also portrayed and it becomes evident that he has a bigger role to play.

John Michie (Taggart) narrates the story throughout. He takes on the role policewoman Jacqui James (Caroline Craig) who narrates the programme in Australia. Although the voiceover is helpful and it does explain a bit more of the background, it is strange to suddenly hear a broad Scottish accent interrupting the Australian.

The programme is not flashy like its American gangster counterpart The Sopranos and is slightly corny at times. There is nothing wrong with this though and the Godfather-like titles link it with all of the mafia gangster dramas which have graced our screens.

With hand held camera shots, rocking music interspersed with classical and the real life locations, Underbelly lives up to the hype and gives a true representation of gangland Australia.

I am sure many will have been left on their edge of their seats and I for one am eagerly awaiting next week’s episode.

Everybody Goes Gaga

The Brits

Tuesday 16 February

This year the Brits were celebrating their 30th anniversary. The backdrop was glittered with the inner workings of clocks and there were two special awards for Best Performance and Best Album in the past 30 years to celebrate the best of British.

But, instead of the home artists stealing the show, that accolade went to an artist from across the pond. Lady Gaga was the star of the night picking up all international awards (apart from Best Male). She didn’t disappoint and her outfit was as zany as ever with a huge candyfloss-like wig. She even came to collect one of her awards with her token teacup. The only thing that I would say is that she perhaps should have sang a more popular song but her ballad was a tribute to her friend Alexander McQueen.

Apart from Gaga the other star of the show was the host, Peter Kay. He was there to keep the show running which was exactly what he did, while also telling a few jokes along the way. But the show was not about him, it was about all of the artists. He did not dwell too much on himself neither did he have any flashy costume changes. Superb host, I thought, and he did have me in stitches with his one-liner comments and was extremely British.

JLS were the big British winners and they put on a performance to show that they are not boys to mess with at the moment. Awards for Best British Breakthrough Act and Best British Single left the group on a high but, I was slightly disappointed as I suspected some miming in parts of the song.

Show opener, Lily Allen put on a good live performance (compared to others) but one thing which was slightly confusing was the dancers in pink helmets and boiler suits. They reminded me of storm troopers and danced about with weird umbrellas. She picked up award for Best British Female in a very strange wig. While she assures that she wasn’t expecting her award, she still had speech prepared.

Worse mimer of the night went to Cheryl Cole although she did give the performance of her life. The remix was great and she looked fantastic, it was just a shame that her performance was clouded by her private life.

Old timers the Spice Girls and Oasis picked up gongs for Best Performance and Best Album in the past 30 years respectively. Always one to make a show of himself, Liam Gallagher threw his Brit into crowd. It is a shame though as it appears there will be no Oasis reunion in the near future.

By far the best performance of the night was Florence and Dizzee Rascal. On paper it shouldn’t have worked but they were amazing. Gold glitter balls and harps took over the stage and the pair showed what the British are made of (far outshining Jay Z and Alicia Keys). Dizzee also picked up Best British Male and Florence got the biggie of the night, Best British Album.

Robbie Williams ended the show and got the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. His performance was not the best but he is not loved for being the best singer. He entertained the crowd and had them all singing along to his classics.

Of course, the show wasn’t without its flaws with a slight delay in the ‘live’ broadcast, blanked out sound and Jonathan Ross’ attempt at being funny. But the Brits pulled it off and it was a very entertaining two hours.

One Man’s Journey

A Prophet (18)

UK Cinemas 22nd January

****

All you can see is darkness, all you can hear are shouts and bangs and you instantly feel like you are in a place where you don’t want to be. Suddenly you can see the hands of a man and then the darkness disperses to reveal a prisoner about to serve the first of his six years in jail.

No matter how it appears on first glance, ‘A Prophet’ is more than just a prison drama. There is more than this going on behind the tall stone walls. It is a journey to freedom, not just from within the prison but also the growth of a character from boy to man and reveals the inner struggles which are encountered along the way.

It is the fifth film by French director Jacques Audiard (‘A Self-Made Hero’, ‘The Beat That My Heart Skipped’) and tracks the prison sentence of Malik el Djebena (Tahar Rahim), a 19-year-old French Muslim who is sent to prison for six years for what appears to be violence against a police officer. Malik attempts to keep himself out of the way of other prisoners but this becomes unavoidable as he is chosen by Mafia Lord and leader of the prisons reigning Corsican gang, Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup), to kill a Muslim prisoner named Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi). This incident leads to the films most gory scenes and those who are slightly squeamish are advised to look away.

Despite his struggle at the start Malik is guided throughout by the friends he makes within the prison: Reyeb, Ryad (Adel Bencherif) and Jordi (Reda Kateb). Illiterate, he begins to learn how to read and write and also masters the Corsican and Italian languages. His growth, both mentally and physically, allows him to climb the pecking order within the prison and serve his true purpose.

At no point in the film are you left question that prison life is indeed horrible. The camera conveys this through the shaky hand-held takes and the dull colour which appears on screen throughout. It gives no illusion of being anything other than what it truly is.

The film contains a varied soundtrack which ranges from ambient background music to the stark contrast of American rap, when Malik makes the big time in the prison, to Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s version of ‘Mack the Knife’ – each note complementing the feelings of the protagonist.

The film is also laced with biblical connotations. As a prophet Malik has several visions which are conveyed in the dreamlike parts of the film. He is also forced to spend 40 days and 40 nights in solitary confinement while the word around him completely changes and he is able to reflect. While the message of ‘You only live twice’ runs throughout.

At 155 minutes long some may say that the film dragged on but I honestly cannot pick one scene which I would remove. It is hard to disagree with the win at the Cannes Film Festival and recent Oscar nomination for best foreign language film. ‘A Prophet’ is a true insight into the dark world of prison life while also conveying humour, racial prejudice, segregation and power.