Shame

Today, in articles across the nation's newspapers, it has been revealed that former Hull City and Bradford City footballer Dean Windass has attempted to commit suicide twice within the last week. 'Deano', as he is affectionately known by the fans of the clubs he played for (Middlesbrough, both Sheffield clubs, Oxford, Aberdeen, Oldham and Darlington; they were the rest), is a bit of a local hero in Bradford, so it came as a massive shock to me when I read the news this morning. I did, however, find it incredibly brave for Mr Windass, a typically northern man's man, to speak about his depression and troubles with such honesty, particularly following the very recent suicide of Leeds and Newcastle (and the rest) legend Gary Speed and that of Rugby League's Terry Newton in 2010. The public and media attitude towards depression as an illness is changing in a positive way but it has previously been ridiculed (quite recently by Geoffrey Boycott), much like the idea of sex addiction.

The first time I heard of an addiction to sex was during the fall from grace of Tiger Woods, and in all honesty, I found the concept ridiculous. How can someone be addicted to sex, something which is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, natural and good for you? Having this week seen Shame, director Steve McQueen's second feature film, starring Michael Fassbender (Brandon) and Carey Mulligan (Sissy), my own opinions on sexual addiction have changed dramatically.

The film is a view into the day to day life of Brandon, a sex addict. The opening scene, in which Brandon walks around naked for a while, masturbates in the shower, goes to work, masturbates in the bathroom cubicle, comes home, has sex with a prostitute before settling in for some casual masturbation to the laptop, is kind of the only insight necessary into the back story of the lead character. This routine is disturbed by the arrival of Sissy, which I didn't initially realise was the name of Mulligan's character and thought it was more of a cutesy nickname Brandon had given his sister. There has been much discussion about the peculiar relationship of the siblings following the film. I found it to be just that; peculiar. Anyone who has a sibling of the opposite sex will know that arguments can erupt like a volcano and be fine after an hour or two of ignoring each other, however most won't walk in on the other in the bath and have a conversation whilst naked. Peculiar.

Due to the nature of the film, a certain amount of graphic nudity and sex was to be expected, however McQueen purposefully makes the sex scenes excruciatingly overlong and uncomfortable to watch. I can honestly say I was squirming more in my seat watching these scenes than in any of the Torture-Porn of the Saw/Hostel series (bemoaned in last weeks blog). Brandon does not want closeness, emotional connections or love. He doesn't seem to want real friends, drinking mainly with his boss who Sissy sleeps with during act 1. The date night scene gave us a further glimpse into the psyche of Brandon as he ponders why anyone would want to be with one person for the rest of their life and what follows is heartbreaking.

In the days since seeing the film I have attempted to see Brandon as a different kind of addict: a heroin addict chasing the dragon; an alcoholic chasing the bottle; or a kleptomaniac nicking some wine and cheese from the supermarket. All are very well publicised. The former two are seen by the general public as illnesses, a need to indulge in your own personal poison however the idea of sexual addiction is still a taboo subject. The life of the British sex addict is something which is yet to be written or spoken about on a public level and, when asked about filming in New York, McQueen said the film was intended to be British however nobody was willing to talk about it. On seeing the film, it is easy to see why.

Shame is an uncomfortable look into addiction - the routine, the pain, the heartbreak. In a day when sex is glamourised, pornography easily accessible and in a nation immune to shock (Human Centipede 2 anyone?), McQueen has succeeded in making a film about sex anything but fantastical. An incredibly interesting piece on a topic which has been swept under the social carpet, Shame is a genuine contender for the big awards this year; the two leads are wonderful, the directorial sense throughout is superb and the film itself is almost harrowing. Go see it if you have the stomach. If not, find the clip of Carey Mulligan singing "New York, New York" as it is breathtakingly beautiful.

War Horse next...

Dragon Tattoo, Sherlock 2, Snowtown, American Psycho and Batman Begins

Hello!

Lets get started on my brand new blog.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (American language version)
First and foremost this IS definitely a remake of the Swedish film. Almost a shot for shot remake of the Swedish film. Rooney Mara's version of Lisbeth Salander is almost a carbon copy of that of Noomi Rapace and Daniel Craig does a great impression of Michael Nyqvist doing an impression of Daniel Craig. That being said, and clearly having seen both the films (golden rule no.1), I didn't thing the film was any better OR any worse than the Swedish film. And I really liked the Swedish film. The 2011 version avoided doing what most remakes do and self-censoring the graphic details of the story, which, in this case, are not only integral to this film, but also to the rest of the Trilogy. The question isn't so much would I recommend this film, but more so a question of would I recommend it over the original, and that depends on which side of the fence you fall on with subtitled films. And that's a different subject all together.

Sherlock Holmes II: A Game of Shadows
Let it be known from the start: I'm not the biggest fan of franchise films. I enjoyed the first and second Pirates of the Caribbean films, found the third to be horrendously overlong and the fourth boring. Having enjoyed the first Sherlock film and hearing that Stephen Fry was in the second I felt that nothing could go wrong. Empire magazine described the film as being "Bigger, Better, Funnier" than the first. Whilst I can't go as far as that, I have to say I did enjoy the film. It does help having an AMAZING literary character in Mr Holmes and a good referencing point upon which to base your script (the plot is influenced by Conan Doyle's novel "The Final Problem"), but the highlight of the film, as with it's prequel, has to be the relationship between Robert Downey Jr's Holmes and Jude Law's Watson. My one major criticism is that it goes on a bit. There were at least 3 occasions when I thought "it's got to be finishing soon". And it didn't. It wasn't quite a POTC4 moment of "I wish this would end", but it could have been (comfortably) half an hour or so shorter.

Whilst on the topic of Sherlock Holmes adaptations, I'm so glad that Sherlock is back on the BBC. Benedict Cumberbatch (the man who can do no wrong) and Martin Freeman, in my opinion, surpass the achievements of RDJ and Law for on screen chemistry. I think I'll go into more depth about Sherlock at some stage. But not yet.

Snowtown
When Snowtown was likened to my favourite British horror film for quite some time, "Kill List", I decided it was a must see. It's not really a film I can describe as enjoyable. And that is by no means a criticism. The film is based on the Snowtown Killings (see wikipedia), and is, quite simply, bleak. In the same way that "The Road" with Viggo Mortensen is bleak, but rather than being set in a post-apocalyptic America, it is set in 1990s Australia in what could be seen as the worst advert for Australian tourism ever. Add to that bleakness a gripping tension throughout as the sense of inevitable dread  flows through the film and you have a great piece of cinema. Not an easy watch and somewhat confusing at times (nothing a visit to wikipedia after the cinema visit didn't solve) but the ability to create that much tension without ever really being graphically over the top (see Hostel/Saw etc) all in all a very good film.

American Psycho
Onto my home viewing this week and first up is 2001's, Christian Bale led, American Psycho. I've been told I needed to see this for a while as I would enjoy it. Quite simply, I did. The plot is based on Patrick Bateman (Bale), a Wall Street businessman/serial killer. Imagine "Dexter" with more humour. The first half of the film is a dialogue driven black comedy, set to 1980s classic pop hits. The second half goes a bit nuts but brings it back again for the finale, making for an excellent film. I'll never listen to "Hip to be Square" or "Sussudio" in the same way again.

Batman Begins
Blog number 1 and I'm already talking about a film I've just watched for the second time. I saw the Nolan reboot of Batman when it was initially released in 2005 and in all honesty wasn't overly keen. Looking back, I fail to see why. I can only imagine that my film taste has improved drastically with age! There wasn't one aspect of this film I disliked. Bale (again) plays a brilliant role as the troubled Bruce Wayne and Michael Caine appeared to have been playing Alfred since the early 90s. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox is wonderful casting (I couldn't help recalling how much I miss John Cleese in the Bond films for his gadget-y stuff), and Liam Neeson plays a role that benefits him as an actor, as opposed to a role where he has to kill people and look hard, although he achieves both in this film. I thoroughly enjoyed Batman Begins and look forward to re-watching The Dark Night at some stage this week, which, on release, I snubbed as an average film with a standout performance from Heath Ledger. We shall see how things have changed!

Feel free to agree, disagree and comment on anything I have posted. The lack of discussion regarding films is dull...