FILM CHALLENGE: 136) Exam

136) Exam

Director: Stuart Hazeldine

Year: 2009

Plot Summary: Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, an Invigilator gives them eighty minutes to answer one simple question. He outlines three rules they must obey or be disqualified: don't talk to him or the armed guard by the door, don't spoil their papers and don't leave the room. He starts the clock and leaves. The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find they're completely blank. They have 80 minutes to find out the question and the answer.

British cinema seems to love claustrophobic thrillers at the moment. But, unfortunately, none of them so far have succeeded as anything more than simply a good concept. The Descent was one of the first of this genre; a harrowing, character driven ride that took us, quite literally, into the depths of fear, anxiety, paranoia and isolation, only to be ruined by the slasher-flick ending involving monsters and rivers of blood. This year year also produced The Disappearance Of Alice Creed, a movie that began riveting but became increasingly dull as the plot ran thinner and thinner.

So is Exam, a mystery story set entirely in one room, any different from the rest? Unlike the question in the movie, this answer doesn't take much intelligence, determination or time to figure out: It's a definite 'no'.

This is because, while the mystery of Exam is enough to keep you watching, you might as well just skip to the end to find out the answer. After all, almost everything leading up to the big reveal is entirely pointless as the characters simply come up with theories, then prove them wrong, then come up with more theories and prove those wrong too. For example, they wonder if they need to hold the paper to the light? They try it and it doesn't work. So they then debate whether setting the smoke alarm off and covering it in water would work then. This also doesn't work after they give it a go. It follows this structure and there's nothing revealed until the end to keep us intrigued, nothing hinted at to make us wonder, nothing that develops at all in order to sustain its 90 minute length. Therefore, Exam is a tedious and dull experience.

But it's not only the story that feels boring, it's the characters too. From the minute they enter the room to the closing credits, you learn nothing about them and their relationships with one another don't develop further than a slight locking of heads and some moments of compassion between one or two of them. As a result, you simply don't care who gets expelled from the room, who comes up with the answer or who lives or dies.

Aside from the characterisations, the writer should also be criticised for the predictable, obvious dialogue that you can see coming before it's even delivered by the poor actors.

It all sounds like an interesting concept on paper, but in its execution the film-makers are unable to make it work with the bad writing, terrible cast, and more flaws than Joan Rivers' face.

2/5

By Daniel Sarath with 3 comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 135) All The President's Men

135) All The President's Men

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Year: 1976

Plot Summary: Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon's resignation.

Released only two years after the Watergate scandal came to its resolution, All The President's Men tells the story of two Washington Post reporters who risked their careers, the reputation of their newspaper and even their own lives to uncover who was really behind the break-in at the Democratic headquarters.

Making a film about an event so well known and, at the time, in such recent history is not an easy challenge. However, writer William Goldman does a fantastic job of making it an exciting and engrossing drama nonetheless. He does this by focussing the narrative less on the actual mystery aspects of the story, after all everyone already knew the main people involved in Watergate, and more on those people who investigated it. We are given an insight into the determination of these two journalists, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, as they pushed themselves harder and harder in search of the truth. We are presented the scepticism that The Washington Post's editors had in the story and the two young writers as they doubt how much truth there is in the story and consider taking them off the article. And moreover, the film displays how the members of CREEP faced the difficult challenge of doing what is honest and right in face of threats from their organisation.

However, as well as being a spectacularly well constructed story, it's also one that feels very authentic and realistic too. Having studied journalism for the last year at university and doing several placements in newspaper offices, it's incredible to witness just how life-like the movie is in terms of its understanding of how a newsroom operates. Long scenes of characters as they desperately phone up sources, the frantic rush to meet deadlines, the need for on-record sources and the conflicts between what the journalist knows is true and what to editor understands may breech media law are all present in All The President's Men.

While it doesn't deserve to be named among the classic films of the 1970s, All The President's Men remains a realistic and gripping account of what happened behind the scenes at The Washington Post in the build up to their famous article.

4/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment

FILM CHALLENGE: 134) The Town

134) The Town

Director: Ben Affleck

Year: 2010

Plot Summary: Doug MacRay was born and raised in Charlestown, a blue-collar neighborhood in Boston, where crime is a part of life. Charlestown is the world's capital for carjacking, kidnappings, and armed robberies. He is the brains and ruthless leader of a gang of bank robbers who have been able to get out clean after each bank robbery. But Doug knows that his luck will not last forever, and he is looking for one last big heist that will give him the chance to leave the town in his rear-view mirror. He finally gets the chance when he falls for a bank manager he kidnapped during his most recent raid.

After the success of his debut film as a director, Gone Baby Gone, there were high expectations for Ben Affleck's latest crime drama. However, The Town doesn't just live up to the hype, it actually exceeds it.

The movie is set in the notoriously crime ridden neighbourhood of Charlestown, Boston, described in the movie's opening titles as the bank robbery capital of the world. However, in the spirit of great crime sagas like Heat, City Of God or the acclaimed HBO show The Wire, Ben Affleck's movie doesn't just use this setting as the backdrop to these characters' stories, it actually becomes the focus of the narrative. The family ties that bind the people who live there, the feeling of community and loyalty among Charlestown's citizens, and the way that so many of them are forced to turn to a life of crime because of it's poverty are just as important in The Town as any narrative twist or character development. Moreover, as a Boston native, Affleck's presentation of Charlestown is one that doesn't feel like a tourist's version of the place but rather an authentic, honest look at what life is like there.

But that doesn't mean that the characters aren't rich and well-developed, because they certainly are. By the end of The Town, you almost feel like you know the two main criminals, Doug and James, inside out they are so three dimensional. The former, for example, as the film reaches the second act, shows a new side to him from the hardened criminal mastermind that he is initially presented as. We see how he is tortured by his mother's disappearance and see how he is tied down by the lifestyle his father lived. The latter, moreover, sheds his trigger-happy, violent skin and becomes a strangely loveable antagonist. Someone who, despite his rough edge, is both a loyal and caring friend.

These characters are also incredibly well performed in one of the most impressive ensembles I've seen so far this year. Affleck's role is a career best, Jon Hamm proves that he's far more than just the 60s ad man that we've grown to love in Mad Men giving his FBI agent a dark, loathsome edge and Jeremy Renner, nominated at the Oscars for his acting in The Hurt Locker last year, gives one of the strongest performances from a supporting actor in 2010. Even the likes of Chris Cooper and Liverpudlian Pete Postelthwaite, despite their short screen time, deliver some powerful moments.

Still, the biggest praise should rightly go to the direction from Ben Affleck. Right from the very first bank heist, he keeps The Town moving at the pace of a jet airplane, never letting your attention waiver for but a second. Furthermore, in spite of how quickly it bombs along, he also manages to make it a work of cinema that is both emotionally involving and so suspenseful that there are moments when you'll literally be on the edge of your seat.

While it isn't a perfect movie and it doesn't exactly tread on new ground and it's nothing that unique or original, The Town is one of the most well executed thrillers that you are likely to encounter this year, taking Ben Affleck on his next step to being an auteur alongside the likes of Michael Mann.

4/5

By Daniel Sarath with 2 comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 133) Aliens

133) Aliens

Director: James Cameron
Year: 1986

Plot Summary: After Ellen Ripley survived her disastrous ordeal nobody believed her story about the aliens on the planet LV-426. However, approximately 50 years later, the colony was completely destroyed. The government has decided to send Ripley out of cryostasis and to aid a team of tough, rugged space marines into the desolate planet to find out if there are aliens, or survivors.

Ridley Scott executed a brilliant horror movie with Alien. Using eerie sounds, intrictate production design and maintaining a tight control over the hauting atmosphere, the film played on our fear of isolation and the unknown. However, James Cameron took over the directing position to bring us the sequel and, as you'd expect from the famous creator of Avatar and Terminator 2, he substitutes suspense and fear for a whole lot of action.

However, while Aliens does have a lot more fire power than its slow-burning predecessor, it is nowhere near as engrossing. Scott's movie, despite moving at a steady pace, throws you right into the story and into the world of these characters, while this one lacks almost any substance for the entire first hour.

This would be okay for some films, after all exposition, setting the scene, building up tension and character development are crucial to any good flick. However, Cameron's talents don't lie in this area. Sure, he should rightly be praised for his set pieces, his effects and his visual style, but many of his plot devices, characters and dialogue are extremely cliched.

Therefore, although it does eventually reach the impressive, action-packed finale that Cameron promised, there's very little that will hold your interest up until this point.

Nevertheless, there are some redeeming factors to the classic sci-fi actioner with Sigourney Weaver delivering another great performance in the lead role. Furthermore, the relationship with a young girl that she rescues, Newt, is an involving sub-plot and Burke provides an interesting insight into how, in many ways, some humans are just as bad as the creatures they are fighting.

3/5

By Daniel Sarath with 2 comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 132) Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex

132) Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex

Director: Woody Allen
Year: 1972

Plot Summary: Seven segments related to one another only in that they all purport to be based on sections of the book Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex by David Reuben.

While some would consider it an interesting concept to take a series of sex questions and adapt them into unconnected short stories, the serious lack of good gags makeEverything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex a difficult piece of work to endure.

Allen is clearly trying to recreate the kind of movies that Monty Python had just began making, but his jokes, contrary to the aforementioned British comedians, are simply slapstick, crude and, frankly, a little immature lacking any wit or insight whatsoever. Even those ones that are amusing - and they are few and far between - feel like outtakes from the far superior likes of Life Of Brian and The Holy Grail.

Therefore, because the film sacrifices story and character in favour of comedy and the jokes aren't actually very funny, there's little else to redeem the feature. It's not something well-made by any means, nor is it well acted by its cast, and as the narrative plays out like a series of long jokes, there's no character development to keep you remotely interested. Woody Allen obviously never intended to have any of these things in his movie and that is fair enough, but if you're going to simply make something that will make audiences laugh, then the famous American comedian has to, at the very least, make it funny.

Another very poor effort from Woody Allen who remains, in my opinion, one of the most overrated film-makers in cinema.

2/5

By Daniel Sarath with 4 comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 131) The Wrestler

131) The Wrestler

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Year: 2008

Plot Summary: A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

A thumping 80s soundtrack and the roar of audiences complement a montage of posters in the opening of The Wrestler. These posters document the high point of professional wrestler Randy 'The Ram' Robinson's career, a time when he fought in front of thousands at Madison Square Garden and was an international name in the sporting world. As the montage ends, we cut to a tracking shot following Randy down a dimly lit corridoor, a shot that replicates the clichéd image of a champion as he makes his way into the ring. However, this is present day New Jersey and nowadays this once famous icon is playing small gigs for a miniscule number of fans, living either in his car or his trailer, and is forced to work week days at the local supermarket to pay the bills. And so soon we realise that he's not, in fact, taking the walk of fame into an arena of thousands of fans. He's not greeted with cheers or music. He's simply walking into high school hall where he's finished signing a handful of autographs for die-hard wrestling obsessives.

This sets up Darren Aronofsky's Oscar nominated drama perfectly, throwing us into the life of a man who lives and breathes to be in the ring but is facing retirement because of his age, because of his health and because the world he was once a star in has evolved and changed in a way that he never could. It's a universal story that everyone will either be able to relate to or, at some point, will very likely have to go through. We will all come to a point in our lives where we can no longer participate in the things we love. It's ability to portray such an honest, human and relatable story is one The Wrestler's strong suits. This is very much thanks to the stunning performance by Mickey Rourke who channels all of his emotional pain from when he very nearly lost control of his acting career into this role.

But praise about how incredible Rourke's performance is can be found in every review of The Wrestler. So, instead, I'd like to spend the next few moments raving about the work of two men behind the lens: Robert Siegel and Darren Aronofsky.

The former has created a simple story here, but one that contains such a rich character study and social commentary that it's almost impossible to love. In the scenes with his daughter, you almost feel like you can see the life story of Robinson before your eyes. He may be looking to connect with her now, but we understand that he neglected her in favour of his celebrity, fame and success while he was at the top of his game. She was simply a scar from his party life that he wanted to forget. His scenes with stripper Cassidy, furthermore, provide a fantastic insight into his emotions. Aside from being in the ring, her company is the only time he can be comfortable in his life. She, after all, is another soul who has exploited her body for attention. A person who, like Ram, aspires to be the good-looking young woman she once was but faces the harsh reality that she is a middle aged, single mother.

Their relationship is one of the most moving parts of the film. Despite the fact she is a stripper and he, when with her, is a client, there is rarely a feeling of sexuality between them. They simply reminisce about better times and talk about each other's lives. Marisa Tomei does a wonderful job in making what is usually such a two-dimensional kind of character into someone who feels like a real human being.

The latter, Aronofsky, who is usually famous for such visual movies like Requiem For A Dream and The Fountain instead turns to a more stripped down aesthetic here and one that immediately brings to mind the gritty, documentary-inspired early films of ’70s auteurs like William Friedkin and Martin Scorsese. Nevertheless, it doesn't feel like he is simply recreating their work or he is just taking a break from his usual stylishness. He actually manages to do a very rare thing for a director and totally give his own unique touch to a completely different style of film-making. Moreover, he invests a great deal in the grinding details of Randy’s profession. Though it is often cynically cast off as being “fake,” Aronofsky takes the time to shown that, really, it is complex kind of performance art that, while relying on scripted conflict and preset maneuvers, nevertheless exacts a physical toll that is all too real.

It may be a bleak movie, but it's one that offers a moving story of how one man must cope with the reality that he is no longer the young, free-spirited, invincible man that he once was. Packed with rich characters, mesmerising performances, great writing, an awesome visual style, a stunning commentary on the Western culture and is constantly full of symbolism and meaning, The Wrestler is also one that you can watch time and time again and still be awe-struck.

5/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment

Predicting The Oscars 2011: Best Actor

Best Actor In A Leading Role

• Jeff Bridges - True Grit
• Jim Broadbent - Another Year
• Robert Duvall - Get Low
• Colin Firth - The King's Speech
• Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter

With Jeff Bridges still fresh in everyone's memory for winning the award last year in Crazy Heart, it's hard to doubt that he will be overlooked for a nomination in 2010. After all, he is playing the famous role of Reuben Cogburn in the Coen Brothers' contemporary adaptation of True Grit. It's a role that John Wayne won his one and only Oscar for back in 1969 and one that Bridges is sure to nail.

Also in the running alongside Bridges, once again, is Colin Firth for The King's Speech. Firth, in many people's opinion, as well as my own, gave the performance of the year in 2009 with his role in A Single Man. The only reason that he lost, those people might argue, is because Bridges has a more 'legendary' status and had yet to have won an Oscar despite several nominations. Therefore, there's a good chance that the Academy, if this was true, may redeem themselves by giving Firth a second nomination for this performance as King George. Especially when it's received so much praise from those lucky enough to see it in Toronto this month.

But, of course, that doesn't mean that those aforementioned 'legendary' actors aren't going to get a look-in this year. Robert Duvall, who blew audiences away with a heartfelt performance in Get Low over the summer, is very likely to receive a nomination too. Not only is he an actor that many Academy voters will worship, but also, when you can act like he did at almost 80 years of age, it would be criminal to see him miss out on a nomination for Best Actor.

Another actor who wowed viewers earlier this year was Jim Broadbent in Another Year. Reviews from Cannes raved about him and, let's face it, they have a point. Can you think of another British actor who can so effortlessly tug at your heart strings and make you laugh so hard it hurts? Add his indisputable talents to the fact that he's working in a film by Mike Leigh, who always gets a stunning performance from his leads, and you've almost got a lock.

No-one has seen The Fighter yet, but nevertheless, Mark Wahlberg is being hotly tipped as someone to keep your eye on during awards season. But is another nomination for an actor in a sports movie a little cliched for the Academy? After all, Hilary Swank and Mickey Rourke were both nominated for similar roles this decade. Well, in my opinion, the story of Mickey Ward is right up the Academy's alley and Wahlberg could easily find himself in this category at the end of the year if he can pull it off.

Who might also be contenders?

James Franco - 127 Hours - I've never thought that Franco is a particularly great actor and so I'm reluctant to put him in the running despite good reviews from Toronto. However, if he can single-handedly carry the one-man movie then the Spider-Man star might just prove me wrong.

Javier Bardem - Biutiful - He won the Oscar in 2007 for Best Supporting Actor in No Country For Old Men and this role in Biutiful also took home the award for Best Actor at Cannes earlier this year. But because it's a foreign language movie, the Academy could be hesitant.

Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network - Well, the reviews are in from the New York film festival and people are falling head over heels to proclaim how good the Facebook movie is. Does this mean that Eisenberg could be nominated for the lead role?

By Daniel Sarath with 4 comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 130) The Tenant

130) The Tenant

Director: Roman Polanski

Year: 1976

Plot Summary: A quiet and inconspicuous man (Trelkovsky) rents an apartment in France where the previous tenant committed suicide, and begins to suspect his landlord and neighbors are trying to subtly change him into the last tenant so that he too will kill himself.

If anyone knows what it's like to feel like the world is against them it's Roman Polanski. He's a man who was sent to live in a Jewish ghetto after the German invasion of Poland when he was only a young boy, whose mother died in Auschwitz some years later and whose wife was brutally murdered by Charles Manson and his "family." Therefore, The Tenant, the last in his "apartment trilogy" which also consists of Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby, feels like a very personal movie. He plays the new tenant of an apartment complex in France, Trelkowski, who faces persecution from just about everyone from the concierge and the landlord to the next door neighbour and the owner of the cafe across the street.

In his only role as a lead actor, Polanski's performance is very impressive. However, like with all of his apartment trilogy, it's the entire atmosphere of the film that makes it such an enjoyable watch. Despite the fact that, for the first 90 minutes at least, the movie is made up of very ordinary scenes, there's a constant sense of foreboding and suspense in The Tenant. Therefore, as the main character begins his descent into paranoia, the decaying of his mental state is very believable. The nightmarish imagery that Trelkowski imagines within his troubled mind, furthermore, doesn't feel at all farfetched or out of place neither thanks to the incredible control of atmosphere that Polanski achieves behind the camera.

These delusions are some of the most interesting moments of The Tenant. Scenes in which the fellow tenants applaud him before his suicide attempt or Trelkowski attempts to become a woman are morbid, darkly comic and strangely insightful into the character's psyche. It's obvious while watching The Tenant that Polanski's cult classic was of huge inspiration to film-makers such as Stanley Kubrick or David Lynch in creating their own creepy, haunting pictures like The Shining or Mulholland Drive.

Unfortunately, the film suffers from being a far too long at 2 hours and 10 minutes in length and it fails to have a resolution that is unexpected despite how good it is to watch. Moreover, the fact that it's set entirely in France and yet not a single actor speaks a word of the language is instantly off-putting. Even more so when, in reflection, you realise that there was no need for the story to be set in that country in the first place. While, yes, it may have helped Polanski's movie achieve a wider release in the USA, I'm sure that there are many French citizens who might feel perplexed and possibly even offended by his stylistic choice.

3/5

By Daniel Sarath with No comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 129) Paris, Texas

129) Paris, Texas

Director: Wim Wenders

Year: 1984

Plot Summary: A man wanders out in the desert not knowing who he is until his brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his wife and son four years before.

Is there such thing as a perfect movie? Something that, no matter how many times you watch it, it's impossible to find a single fault with? Maybe not, but Wim Wenders' classic drama Paris, Texas is about as close as you will ever come.

The three major figures of the German New Wave of the 1960s and 1970s all ended up taking completely divergent paths. Fassbinder remained determinedly local and burned out quickly. Werner Herzog became interested in issues of man versus nature and often ventured out into uncomfortable sections of the world with dark, cynical stories. And Wim Wenders became fascinated by America. This love of the country is undeniably present in Paris, Texas through the gorgeous visuals, whether it's the desolate open ranges of Texas or the golden glow of California. It can also be found in the score from Ry Cooder with its blend of traditional American music like blues and country. Furthermore, the whole atmosphere and tone of the movie almost evokes some of the great American road stories like On The Road by Jack Kerouac and, perhaps more loosely, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson.

But Paris, Texas isn't just a beautiful, poetic love letter to America. It's also one of the most fascinating character studies that, in my humble opinion, has ever graced the big screen. Right from the opening moment, as Travis Henderson walks alone through the Mojave desert carrying just a near-empty bottle of water, the audience is thrown into this mystery about who the man is and what he is doing there. Completely silent and alienated from the rest of the world, we understand that Travis has been through some traumatic ordeal. As the narrative moves forward we are slowly given answers to these questions about what made Travis the way he is, and with each of these revelations, Paris, Texas creates a more complex, emotionally believable and three-dimensional protagonist.

The fact your desire to know more about Travis makes up most of this Palme D'Or winning movie's narrative is a testament to how fascinating this character is, to the brilliant writing by Sam Shepard and to the intensely underrated performance by Harry Dean Stanton. The man could have won every acting award, been knighted by the Queen and made the President and I'd still say that he didn't receive a just response to how great he truly was. After all, his role as Travis Henderson is, without a doubt, in my top ten performances of all time. For the entire first 25 minutes of the film, he doesn't say a line of dialogue yet, through the way he walks, he composes himself, the look in his eyes, etc. we immediately feel sympathy towards him and want to unlock the mystery of what broke him.

But, aside from finding out about the character's past, Paris, Texas also offers an emotional story of one man's quest for redemption. While we don't quite know what he feels he needs to redeem himself from, even the coldest of hearts will be touched by Travis' determination to connect to Hunter and find his long-disappeared wife. When his opportunity for redemption finally comes in a breathtaking monologue and with it the revelation about what really happened in Travis' life, the raw emotion from Shepard's writing, Harry Dean Stanton's acting and Wim Wenders' still, simplistic camera work all create one of the most powerful moments in cinematic history.

Wim Wenders has made one of the greatest American stories of all time with Paris, Texas. A movie so beautifully made that you almost forget that it's 26 years old. A story so intelligent yet so simplistic in its execution that I doubt anyone could dislike it. And a story so moving that, despite it's 140 minute running length, you could revisit it day after day for the rest of your life and still fall in love with it. Incredible.

5/5

By Daniel Sarath with 2 comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 128) Exit Through The Gift Shop

128) Exit Through The Gift Shop

Director: Banksy

Year: 2010

Plot Summary: Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results.

Is what he does vandalism or is it actually quite beautiful? Is he simply breaking the law or is he taking a stand against our capitalist society? Whatever you may think of the street artist's work, Banksy is undeniably a worldwide phenomenon. From recreating stone henge with portable toilets at Glastonbury to spray paining a crack to paradise on the Gaza wall, his art is some of the most controversial, political, groundbreaking and, arguably, creative work that has emerged in the last few decades. However, the man known as Banksy has never once revealed his identity to the public.

Only a few people have ever met Banksy and those who have are so loyal to him that his anonymity is never at risk. Even his parents are unaware as he allegedly tells them that he is a decorator and painter. But one man, so obsessed with street art and the work of the Bristol-born artist, made it his quest to meet him. His name was Thierry Guetta and his story is the main focus of the documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop. But is he real? Knowing Banksy's provocative and prankster like nature you have to consider the fact that this may, actually, be an entire work of fiction. What's to say that he isn't just playing us for fools in some personal joke about celebrity obsession or something? How can we trust someone who only appears as a silhouette with a distorted voice? This could well be the entire point! It's impossible to know. Let's face it, it's not like he's going to be giving a press conference any time soon.

But, nevertheless, Exit Through The Gift shop is a fantastic tribute to the beauty in street art. It quite perfectly captures the anti-commercial nature of the medium and the fact that anyone and everyone with enough money to buy a spray can is able to create something that so many people can witness. Moreover, it explore the history of the art and the entire culture that goes hand in hand with it. By the time the credits role, you'll want to roam the streets of your nearest city and tag a building with a design of your own.

But, at the same time, Exit Through The Gift Shop also raises some important questions and issues about art whether it's music, cinema, literature or graffiti. For example, the fine line between popularity and 'selling out', the nature of art and its meaning, and in the final scenes, what actually makes something a work of 'art'. It's a thought-provoking documentary and one that will take several viewings to fully digest.

Practical joke or real, it's thoroughly engaging and a must-watch for anyone who is a fan of his work or has yet to discover who he is.

4/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment

FILM CHALLENGE: 127) The Damned United

127) The Damned United

Director: Tom Hooper

Year: 2009

Plot Summary: A look at one of the most successful managers in Britain, Brian Clough, who took Derby County to Division One and later risked his career in a turbulent 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.

Football pictures are usually among the worst that British cinema has to offer. From Green Street and Football Factory to Awaydays and Mean Machine, this genre of cinema usually offers nothing more than a testosterone fuelled romp that is over-stylistic and completely void of intelligence. However, with The Damned United, director Tom Hooper has finally crafted one that is smart, funny, engrossing and offers a great study into one of the sport's most beloved icons: Brian Clough.

Screenwriter Peter Morgan has been very successful in the past at humanising famous icons. Whether it's Tony Blair in his TV drama The Special Relationship, Queen Elizabeth II in the Oscar winning movie The Queen or US president Richard Nixon in his big screen treatment of his notorious confrontation with journalist David Frost. Here, he does exactly the same, not only showing us the Brian Clough who led little club Derby County to the first division, but showing us the man who, so driven by revenge after his managing idol, Don Revie, refused to shake his hand, he ambitiously took on Leeds United's reign as Division One champions.

In many ways, it feels wrong to call The Damned United a football film because so little of the action takes place on the pitch. Instead, we focus more on these aforementioned personal battles as he fights with Derby County's chairman and struggles to balance his family life and friendships in determination to fulfil his ambition. He's a fascinatingly egotistic yet loveable character and one that Michael Sheen pulls off brilliantly. Like his performance as Tony Blair, he doesn't just impersonate the man but actually gets into his psyche and becomes him.

What glues it all together, however, is the friendship between Clough and his trusty colleague Peter Taylor. This provides the heart of the story and the typically football like homoerotic relationship they share provides much humour and warmth to The Damned United.

Great performances, clever writing and confident direction make The Damned United a very entertaining movie to watch whether you're a football fan or not.

4/5

By Daniel Sarath with 2 comments

FILM CHALLENGE: 126) Made In Dagenham

126) Made In Dagenham

Director: Nigel Cole

Year: 2010

Plot Summary: A dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination.

Made In Dagenham is not a work of art by any means, nor is it going to be a movie that lives long on the memory. But, nevertheless, this tale of womens' rights is one of the most uplifting films of the year.

Set in the late 1960s when women were still earning less income than men despite the fact that, in very many cases, they had the same level of skill, the movie tells the story of one woman who stood up for their rights and eventually forced the government to change the legislation. It is, quite honestly, a small story with little substance and, therefore, Nigel Cole struggles to make an enthralling two hour movie out of it. For example, there are moments when the narrative goes off topic and explores characters that serve little purpose to the story and it also contains some scenes that only confirm what we know already. But however clunky it may be, it would be impossible to not feel moved by Rita and her colleagues' fight nevertheless.

Cole places you inside the lives of Rita and the many women who work at the Ford factory extremely well so that, although you know what's coming, you still feel like you're fighting right alongside them. As they deliver a speech to the main union leaders you will hold your breath in suspense, as they find themselves beaten and poor from the amount of striking you will pray for their success and as they finally get what they fought so hard for your eyes will be filled with tears. Furthermore, he helps you understand the scale and enormity of their battle very well. In the first 15 minutes, their strike simply consists of holding plaques for a few hours which no-one takes any notice of. But as the narrative progresses, we are slowly introduced to the top brass of Ford, the setting becomes less claustrophobic as the women travel around the country and, soon, even the Prime Minister makes a brief appearance in the movie. It perfectly shows you the momentum which Rita's actions took and, therefore, makes the movie even more emotional.

Sally Hawkins plays Rita in another spellbinding performance. At first, she seemed to just be replicating her character in Happy Go Lucky, which she was awarded a Golden Globe for, but as we reach the second act of Made In Dagenham, Hawkins presents a feisty, tough and determined edge that even outdoes Julia Roberts' famous role in Erin Brockovich. Mostly because, in contrast to Roberts, her performance is so human and relatable. Despite all those aforementioned features, we also see Rita's emotional, nervous and funny side.

Is it one of the highlights of the year? No. Will it change British cinema? Certainly not. But, is this a story so important that it should well be committed to celluloid for people to experience for years and years? And is it one that will make you laugh, cry and cheer despite its faults? Most definitely.

3/5

By Daniel Sarath with 2 comments

And the winner at TIFF is...

For the last three years, the winner of the Toronto Film Festival has either gone on to either be one of the biggest movies during award's season or has actually picked up the top prizes.

Last year, the hard-hitting drama Precious won the TIFF's People Choice Award and later found itself nominated in many of the big categories at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes. Moreover, Danny Boyle's movie Slumdog Millionaire received the top prize in 2008 and, four months later, took home the prestigious Academy Award for Best Picture. Even No Country For Old Men won at TIFF before the modern classic went on to beat out There Will Be Blood and take home the aforementioned golden statue.

This year, the winner is...

The King's Speech

Tom Hooper's drama, staring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter tells the story of King George VI and how, deemed unfit to be king because of a stutter, he engages the help of an Australian speech therapist. The film is released in the UK in January and is getting its UK premiere at the London Film Festival next month.

Check out this feature on the film below.

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment

End Of The Month Review - August To September

Top 10 Films Of The Month

10. In The Loop

Director:

Armando Ianucci

Year:

2009

My review:

"Not only the single sharpest political satire that has graced the big screen since Dr. Strangelove, but it's also one of the funniest movies that recent cinema has brought us."

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09. Gone Baby Gone

Director:

Ben Affleck

Year:

2007

My review:

"As gripping, suspenseful and well constructed as any mystery story you are likely to encounter."

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08. The Kids Are All Right

Director:

Lisa Cholodenko

Year:

2010

My review:

"The Kids Are All Right has pretty much everything I look for in a movie and, therefore, being part of this family's life for two hours was thoroughly entertaining."

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07. Life Of Brian

Director:

Terry Jones

Year:

1979

My Review:

"The funniest film ever made and one so daring, intelligent and unique that it is rightly considered a classic."

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06. Man On Wire

Director:

James Marsh

Year:

2008

My Review:

"Every time I watch it, Man On Wire leaves me with my jaw on the floor. It's not only an incredibly gripping and entertaining work of cinema but it's one that will leave you completely stunned."

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05. A Single Man

Director:

Tom Ford

Year:

2009

My Review:

"The underrated A Single Man is a beautiful, spiritual, sad and ultimately uplifting movie about what it means to be alive."

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04. Brokeback Mountain

Director:

Ang Lee

Year:

2005

My Review:

"There are very few aspects about the movie that I would describe as anything other than perfection."

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03. The New World

Director:

Terrence Malick

Year:

2005

My Review:

"It's not something that you watch, it's something that happens to you and overwhelms you. Beautiful, poetic and jaw-dropping."

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02. No Country For Old Men

Director:

Joel and Ethan Coen

Year:

2007

My Review:

"Joel and Ethan Coen's masterpiece. One of the greatest movies of all time."

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01. Mulholland Drive

Director:

David Lynch

Year:

2001

My Review:

"Mulholland Drive is the work of one of the world's most artistic, unconventional, intelligent and unique directors at the very top of his game."

By Daniel Sarath with 3 comments