THE SALUTE OF THE JUGGER; Carlisle’s Final Word

"Someone from The League kicked me. The man from the City. The good one... 
I could be good like that. I'm going away, mama."

Kidda.

Jugger's alternative title is 'The Blood of Heroes'. It's easy to see why...

Synopsis;

In the wastelands of the new world, none are more venerated or adored than the Juggers; gladiator-like competitors of a brutal sport, played for wealth and renown.

Kidda is a young peasant girl who plays this dangerous sport to the disapproval of her family, with ambitions to compete professionally in the ‘Nine Cities’. With the arrival of Sallow, a veteran of the City leagues before his banishment, Kidda may finally have a chance to fulfill her dreams of leaving the desert wastes behind her for a better life among the ruling classes…

Script Logic; 1 / 2

The film, written and directed by genre veteran David Webb Peoples (the writer of some pretty big-hit films, including Blade Runner, Unforgiven and 12 Monkeys) is strong in terms of its structural narrative, although, oddly, the dialogue occasionally falters. To be honest, sometimes it was difficult to tell if the lines were duff or simply badly delivered; some of the exchanges were affecting and powerful (Kidda has never felt the touch of silk, and later laments the rarity of skin unblemished by scars), while other lines are jarringly flat.

Pace; 1 / 2

The pace, while never boring, feels like it never quite ‘pops’- the 90 minute run time felt much longer, probably in part due to the fact that most of the film is devoid of real dialogue- most of the story is told through images alone; desolate landscapes, scowls, and the violence of the Juggers. The momentum is slower than you might expect from a film such as this, but that’s not really a criticism. Rather than being a ‘sports-movie’ in this respect, the film feels more like a journey, which is in-keeping with the journey of the characters, from the desert slums into the bowls of the City.

Aesthetic 2/2

The aesthetics of the film are probably the most notable highlight. The so-called ‘Dog towns’ are suitably sand-weathered and gritty, while the underground chambers of the City, far from the paradise Kidda had believed them to be, are a surreal network of damp corridors and long shadows. There are so many nice touches and moments of creative flair; it’s hard to choose favourites; the animal-skull trophies, stones being thrown against a gong to mark the progress of time, the backpack-wardrobe contraption, or the ‘bedding arrangements’ below ground.

Acting; 1 / 2

Even the less defined characters are surprisingly empathetic (or, in some instances, sleazily vile), and with little in the way of dialogue or screen time, this can only be testament to acting capability. However, the strongest and weakest performances by far belong to the two leads; Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen respectively. Rutger brings equal parts tragedy and valour to his ‘grizzled veteran’ role, which could easily have been a dull cliché in another actors’ hands, and while Joan may not have been quite up to the task of shouldering the bulk of the narrative, she’s still an amiable screen presence and will have viewers rooting for. It would have been nice to see some of the other characters develop further, played by capable actors such as Vincent D'Onofrio and Delroy Lindo, but this isn’t to the detriment of the film.

Intention 2 / 2

It is what it is. It means to be a brutal apocalypse-guised sports movie, and it is. The film weaves between the two genres with skilful and entertaining ease. While it delivers on the promise of the sport’s brutality, it’s never overly explicit or glamorous (and for the most part, a comradery exists between fellow Juggers that prevents the violence ever being the sole intent of the sport), so it will satisfy both action-seekers and those of a more cerebral disposition.

Final Score; 7 / 10

Without doubt, Salute of the Jugger is among the best of that era’s science-fiction blood-sport movies- of which there were many, most notably Rollerball, likewise a decent film. Mostly, this is thanks to a very strong aesthetic combined with the charisma and likability of its two central leads. Well worth a watch for both fans of the typical sporting-underdog story and those of a science-fiction disposition.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY; Carlisle's Final Word

"I am going to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy."
Gamora

"What a bunch of A-holes"

Synopsis;

The long awaited and much hyped companion-piece to Marvel's Avenger series, and the first mainstream effort for fringe director James Gunn- the man who bought us both Slither and Super.
The plot follows Peter Quill, who as a child is abducted by a band of alien scavangers. 26 years later, he's adopted the alias of Star Lord and roams the galaxy as a petty outlaw. However, all that soon changes when he comes into possession of a powerful orb- an ancient artifact that the evil warlord Ronan the Accuser will stop at nothing to control. Along with two bounty-hunters, a deadly assassin, and an escaped convict, Peter becomes an unlikely hero- and the galaxy's last hope of survival...

"So here we are: a thief, two thugs, an assassin and a maniac. But we're not going to stand by as evil wipes out the galaxy. I guess we're stuck together, partners."

Peter Quill

Script Logic; 1/2

Let's not skirt the issue, the plot was never what this film was concerned with. But, as an affectionate love-letter to the absurdest sci-fi pulp novels of yesteryear, and as the backbone to string together an array of dazzling set pieces, the plot functions just fine. It's not high-concept, or breathtakingly original (on the contrary, it strives to be the reverse of that), but it serves its function nicely.
Having said that, I'm not opposed to the plot- it's the standard "big bad guy threatens the little guys, band of misfits to the rescue" deal in the mold of 'Serenity' and countless other sci-fi and westerns, including 'Avengers Assemble', and that's no bad thing. There are one or two holes in logic, but to be honest, you only start to realise this well after leaving the cinema- and by then you've been far too entertained to let it spoil your buzz.

"Peter Quill has a space ship and knows where Earth is, why did he never go home?... Why is Earth the only planet that doesn't have a clue whats going on in the galaxy?... Oh fuck it, I don't care."

In it's conception this owes more than a debt to Joss Whedon, which comes as no surprise how he's overseeing all the Marvel projects that tie-in with the Avengers.  So, no coincidence then that 'Gaurdians of the Galaxy' is very similar in tone to those movies; a strong focus on character, thrills and laughs, and as a result a very similar beast to Joss Whedon's own 'Serenity' (the cinema released resolution to the TV show 'Firefly'). Again, no bad thing.
For a film that takes great pains to appear scrappy, hap-hazard , all with an indie-sensibility, it's actually a very polished, studio-led project, with no one thing left to chance.


Pace; 2/2

At a brisk 120 minutes (a refreshing change to recent blockbuster behemoths) the story never lags. Not for a second. At points it even feels too fast, in a roller-coaster kinda way. In no time at all, Peter Quill is abducted from Earth, then an adult in space, ambushed on a barren planet, escapes in a space ship, attacked by an assassin and a pair of bounty-hunters and incarcerated in an intergalactic-Alcatraz; sounds like that should take the best part of half a film, but all this takes place in the first 15 minutes.


Acting; 1/2

First, let's consider the main cast. By now so much has already been written about how excellent all the lead performances are, but it's still worth repeating.
Chris Pratt shines in his douche-with-a-heart persona, liberally borrowing from Han Solo and Downy Jr's Tony Stark, all while channeling his inner Jack Sparrow ("but you have heard of me"). Zoe Saldana, with the unenviable task of playing the overly familiar troupe of emotionless-female-assassin, actually plays a blinder- her arc , and the revelation of her emotions and humanity are understated yet convincing. She turns what could have easily been a boring eye-candy role into a brilliant character. Former wrestler Dave Bautista has truly made this role his own and gives it his all, and surprisingly his avenging-Conan betrays a vulnerable sweetness- as well as having some of the funniest lines in the film (with a very dangerous line in "metaphors"). Finally, we have the voice talents of Bradley Cooper and the absurdly macho Vin Diesel- both of whom turn bat-shit-crazy concepts (a talking raccoon and a human-tree) into loveable, believable and fully realised characters- I kid you not. Vin's Groot is particularly loveable, a fungal reworking of his earlier Iron Giant.

The villains unfortunately let the side down a little...
Josh Brolin does what he can with his meager role as Thanos  (who will no doubt go onto becoming the ultimate villain in the inevitable Guardians & Avengers crossover), and while he's no doubt menacing he's in the film too little to make any real impact and simply feels shoe-horned in as foreshadowing- a criticism inherent of the films leading up-to Avengers Assemble. Djimon Hounsou feels similarly wasted in his part as, what is essentially, "lead thug". British TV's Karen Gillan has little time to develop her assassin character beyond "sadistic female assassin" and "jealous sister"- but her survival ensures her presence in future installments.
Lastly, we have Lee Pace as the film's chief villain, Ronan the Accuser. I'm not sure what to make of Ronan. Yes, he's sinister. Yes, he's intimidating. Yes, he has suitably villainy lines. But he's, well, sort of boring. there's nothing special or unique about him. To use Joss Whedon's work as an analogy (which would seem fitting)  Ronan the Accuser could quite easily be placed into an episode of Buffy the Vampire slayer, but as a one-show baddie rather than a series-long and charismatic opponent- which is damning criticism when the whole story to Guardians of the Galaxy hinges on how evil he is. Also, politically troubling in an otherwise light-heated film, Ronan the Accuser is a thinly veiled interpretation of a Jihad extremist; a religious fanatic who wants to bring his ancient code of tyranny to bare on a progressive mostly-white society for their perceived sins. His tactics include suicide bombings and even his facial warpaint resembled an Islamic beard! Ronan the Accuser; part Mortal Kombat's Shao Khan, part Osama Bin Laden.
It's not that any of the rouges gallery are poorly acted, not at all- just that they all felt either wasted or under developed by the script- and I can't help but feel maybe a different cast could have saved it?


Aesthetic; 2/2

Another of the film's many aces, Guardians of the Galaxy looks fantastic- like a pulp-cover made real. The film steers away from the gritty and grungy realism of most modern sci-fi in favor of an almost-cheesy,  gaudy and fantastical backdrop; space ships shaped like starfish and skulls, golden and green vapor clouds, shiny cities, and a hero who wears a hot-rod red leather jacket. All of this the product of the studio working closely with conceptual artist and sci-fi illustrator Stephan Martiniere (check him out). I don't think I've seen a world quite like it, and this helps give the film a much needed identity.



Originality & Intention; 2/2

Tongues were soon wagging at the prospect of James Gunn joining forces with Marvel studios. This was never going to be a mediocre film; either it was going to reach to reach the skies, or it was going to crash and burn (and with a budget this high, that's a lot of burning). Throughout it's journey from conception through production the public were bombarded with artwork, set reports, interviews with the stars and crew, trailers, trailers and even more trailers- all of which promised spectacular results, but could just have easily set the bar impossibly high, setting the stage for a colossal fall.  Luckily, Guardians of the Galaxy delivered the goods. No doubt this is the film its director, and Marvel studios, hoped it would be; loud, brash, flippant, absurd, nostalgic, funny, fast and thrilling.




Final Score; 8/10

While it skillfully avoids the twin pitfalls of having too much studio-interference while never becoming too "out-there" to appeal to mainstream audiences, it does make some concessions to the Marvel franchise; too many characters, too many loose ends. Aside from that small grumble, Guardians of the Galaxy is a huge gamble that paid off, thanks in no small part to a witty script and some fantastic performances. The film itself is still 'fringe' enough to cater to cult tastes and die-hard Gunn fans who are more accustomed to his harder-edged films, while still having the gloss and budget to complete its director's singular vision. Sure, aspects of the Act 3 are a bit overly-sentimental, but hey, it's a kids film- get over it.



Final Word;

Soundtrack is something I don't normally cover in great detail during these reviews. I know what I like, and I know what I think works well. I'd just like to say that initially I believed the use of 80's music in the film would be a joke that soon wore thin, but I was surprised by just how much mileage there was in the idea of retro kitsch tunes juxtaposed with the film's neon-galaxy setting. The end result is oddly touching, dramatic and very funny- and most importantly has a strong dramatic root in the story, rather than simply being a throw-away gag.
I expect to see the downloads for these songs go throw the roof...

"Why would you want to save the galaxy?" 
 Rocket   

"Because I'm one of the idiots who lives in it!"

Peter Quill

“...I'M JUST HERE FOR THE GASOLINE.”

Max (Mad Max, The Road Warrior)

"Miffed Max" doesn't have the right ring to it...

So, the trailer for Mad Max Fury Road has just been released. Have to say, looks pretty awesome. I like the reliance on actual physical effects rather than CGI (although I’m sure there will be more than a little CGI enhancement involved).

A few thoughts? Why not?

Tom Hardy is the new Mad Max. Not the worst choice, but can’t help but feel this is more about man-of-the-moment stunt casting rather than actual suitability. I remember a few years back they were kicking around the idea of Sam Worthington and Jeremy Renner, either option I feel may have been better (Worthington himself also being Australian). Still, Hardy at least never disappoints; he has acting chops, a suitably sombre scowl and makes a convincing action hero.

The villains are pretty menacing, a cross between Humongous’ marauders from the second film and the ‘bad’ tribe from Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto. Although, how they all manage to look so anemic in the desert heat I’m not sure- must have a poor diet.

On the subject of villains, Immortan Joe, one of Thunder Road’s bad guy roster (and possibly the lead villain), is played by none other than Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played lead antagonist Toecutter in the first Mad Max. Toecutter ended up under the wheels of a truck in that film’s climax, and what’s very apparent with Immortan Joe is his severe facial injuries… This is only conjecture, but is Keays-Byrne playing the same character by a new alias, or is this just a nice nod to the original franchise, a way of keeping that’s films DNA? Let’s wait and see.

Depech Mode re-imagined by H.R Giger

It’s nice to see they’ve kept the same grungy and gritty trash-can aesthetic, especially prevalent in the vehicle designs. 

We also see Charlize Theron, another ‘proper’ thesb. She’s playing the absurdly named Imperator Furiosa, who believes that she can “save the world” if only she can make it back to her home town. What she really needs is a heroic-someone to help reach her goal…

The set up would seem to have Max captured by a vicious road gang, forcibly tattooed (pause the trailer and take a peek- they’re donor details- nice touch) and strapped up onto the front of a vehicle ala’ The Road Warrior’s memorable hostages. No doubt Max witnesses some truly heinous crimes while he’s helpless to intervene, and I’m sure that gets him pretty ‘mad’.

With names such as “Immortan” and “Furiosa” it’s good the film has retained some of the bizarreness that helped make the previous movies such cult-classics. I mean, come on? “Word burgers” is a phrase that ‘Clock Work Orange’s Anthony Burgess would be proud of. In one scene, barely audible but still very much present, Humungus calls forth his “smegma crazies” and “gayboy berserkers”. That’s not forgetting  the touches of visual surealnesss, such as the tango-dancing bikers or the popping-eyes before Toecutter’s head-on collision. 

I don’t own the first 2 Mad Max films, although as a teenager I had them on VHS. I watched the second a lot more than the first as it was more of a typical action film. To refresh my memory, and relive some nostalgic moments, I Youtube’d some of the scenes. To be honest, I’m blown away by how spectacularly nasty some of it is. It’s not necessarily gory or explicit, but just really, really nasty. I doubt the new film will be anywhere near so rough-edged.

Case and point; remember the tanker chase in Mad Max 2? 

Mad Max 2's center-piece chase scene.

Firstly, one of the defenders on the tanker is hit with that grappling hook- it punctures his leg, causing the jeep that fired it to flip. His leg is then pulling the weight of the flipped jeep before finally tearing him out of his barricade, only for him to be rolled on by the blazing jeep. Ouch. And that’s one of the ‘heroes’.

The woman with the crossbow defending the top of the tanker is shot by the marauders, collapsing into the barbed wire. As if that’s not bad enough, the villains then try to reclaim her body- no doubt for some dodgy sexual practices. Her friend, the cripple, tries in vain to keep her body- only to find himself pulled from the tanker and hurled under the wheels of pursuing cars. His murderers drive away with the woman’s body, unhindered.

In the world of Mad Max, death is never glamorous. There are no brave speeches, no meaningful last glances. Death is unromantic, brutal, callous, sudden and often meaningless. I’m not sure if this is entirely to be applauded, seeing as the violence is pretty much the sole aim of these films this gives off very mixed messages (“hey kids, violence is terrible, let’s take a look at some really grim stuff”), but it makes for a nihilistic antidote to the sanitized action of most Hollywood fare. 

“They've got you wrong. You're not a coward. STUPID, maybe. But not a coward.”

The Gyro Captain

Will this new Mad Max stay true to its cold-blooded roots with an 18 / R certificate, or will it bend cap-in-hand to the alter of mainstream cinema with a top-end 15, or worse, a diluted 12a? I wait with baited breath.

But, one thing’s for sure: the trailer sets the bench-mark pretty high. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ir8Xd5QyE

“…And the Road Warrior... He Lives now, only in my memories.”

The Narrator