Repo Chick (2011)

I was just getting in to the swing of writing these reviews when life went and got itself in to a great big rush. A mad time of job changes, house movings, 50+ hours a week at work and not even enough time to watch movies.

Initially my fourth review was going to be the Paul Dano/Zooey Deschanel starring oddball indie flick Gigantic but the plans went out the window. Now I bring you Repo Chick instead. Laying in bed this morning finally watching Alex Cox's pseudo-sequel to his 1984 cult classic and all round masterful piece of indie film making Repo Man (do not confuse it with the overhyped Jude Law sci-fi actioner Repo Men released last year) and realised I had almost enough time to write a review for once, so here I am.

I saw Repo Man for the first time a couple of years ago and it immediately became one of my all time favourite movies, funny, imaginative, well written, zany, a five minutes in to the future piece of science fiction cinema that acted as an allegory of modern society, not to mention a very appealing approach to film making. So much like everyone else I was very excited when I found out there was a sequel.



I personally like both posters as advertising for the flick, the bright pink one evokes social memory of all those "strong men with big guns" movies we've all seen: Dirty Harry immediately springs to mind and juxtaposes it with a cute blonde girl dressed all in pink and looking like she's about to play dollies with Buzz Lightyear as Mrs Nesbitt/some male fantasy of slutty school girls. Female centered action movies are few and far between and unfortunately Barb Wire also jumps to mind here.

The second one is clearly a finished article intended for cinemas and DVD covers and whilst looking kinda cheesy and cheap is a very clever piece of art. Again you look at Jaclyn Jonet and think hot girl with a gun but this time she's almost identical to a Fembot.



To synopsisise for you: Jaclyn Jonet is Repo Chick a spoilt rich bitch who is disinherited by her family until she finds a regular job. She ends up working as a repo man for a chubby looking Chakotay from Star Trek Voyager and hunting down an antique train carriage with a $1m bounty on it. An evil scientist is using the train to deliver nuclear weapons to some American city using a gang of Vegan anti-golf protesters as a decoy.

This is probably the moment to address many of the issues that fanboys have had with this movie. It's over 90% green screen and therefore looks cheap, but there's no escaping the fact that it was a very low budget independent movie and as an innovative and resourceful artist Alex Cox has come up with ways to tell a story with what he had to work with. Initially the green screen effect is jarring and obvious but intentionally so, his characters live absurd lives and this is magnified by the green screen. Coupled with his use of miniature towns and partially animated scenes it's easy to see why some people found it difficult to watch but whilst I was saying "What the fuck?" I was also laughing along with it, it's a fun movie.

Jaclyn Jonet is excellent as Repo Chick, her only downfall being she is way too beautiful to play one of those Paris Hilton types. Her character is one of those vacuous "IT girls" who is mean to everyone and lives off of the family wealth trying to make music and fashion. Whilst in real life these people are overly made up cretins whose inner meanness shines through in their pinched facial features Jaclyn Jonet is just beautiful and no amount of method acting, wardrobe and dying her hair could change that.

The character's growth is obvious, as in not too subtle, but the story moves forward at quite a pace for the first half of the film and the dramatic change in the character is grounded within the world of the movie, so it is excusable. We're all looking for something that we can excel at, the confidence and pleasure a person gets from knowing they've found it can lead to dramatic changes in persona and Repo Chick is no different.

The only other real standout performance belongs to Miguel Sandoval, Carlos from the most recent series of Entourage or Treviranus in the Alex Cox directed, Borges written Death and the Compass. A fine actor who is always cropping up in small roles in unexpected places, a man who's screen presence is huge in a small film like this, the camera loves him. In film where not many of the cast play it straight Sandoval is like an oasis in a desert, calm and welcome.

Sure, it was clearly the intention of Alex Cox to have his characters be caricatures but there's no excuse for the performance of Chloe Webb, a woman who has hardly acted on screen in 20 years and seems to be a pet of the directors, which has to be the only reason she got the part cos the word talentless springs to mind.

The characters irritate but they're meant to, Alex Cox doesn't like his audience to just sit back and relax with his movies, they jar and make you fidget, you may be irritated but at least you're not comatose like with most Hollywood films. And the simple fact remains that this is how people actually behave. I've met and seen people like Repo Chick and her entourage and been amazed that they exist, the attitude towards financial gain is a sickening disease that's becoming more and more overpowering in the world and these characters are products of that.

THE STORY YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS TRUE, ONLY THE DIMENSIONS HAVE BEEN CHANGED, TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT.

A disclaimer of sorts, an excuse for the use of miniatures, a little bit of fun and the film makers way of telling the audience they are aware that these miniatures look like miniatures and that this is the desired effect.

Its quite possible that if funding had been in place the tiny models would never have even been considered, throw a couple of million at a problem and a real train carriage can appear for example but a movie that criticises capitalist society probably wouldn't go down too well by splashing endless cash on set design. As I said before this is a creative way out of a financial problem, set aside your initial reaction and you might just enjoy it.

I can't deny that I was disappointed by how cheap it looks as I wanted more but I enjoyed myself all the same.

Other reviews and reactions all seem to be from fans of the original disappointed by this effort, the obvious reference to Paris Hilton in the character of Repo Chick condemned, the plot or lack of has been heavily criticised and Alex Cox has been accused of lacking the punky edge and dark humour of the original. In response to these criticisms, which whilst largely justified are possibly ill thought out by disgruntled fanboys, is to point out that 27 years later Alex Cox is no longer an angry punk but he is still angry and has a critical message about todays socio-political climate. In addition consider that modern society is filled with ignorant, shallow people who worship Paris Hilton and others of her ilk and as such basing Repo Chick on her serves as an easily identifiable figure head for ridicule.

As a fan of the director and especially Repo Man I am perhaps going a little easy on this film. With my patience tested quite easily by awful films that I have a tendency to switch off, I make no guarantees that if this had been a film made by somebody other than Alex Cox I would be saying much at all about it. At least not in a positive light. I can see why it's received mediocre reviews, it's definitely a film you've got to be in the right mood for but as the Village Voice said "for all its flaws Repo Chick is a midnight-movie blast", and that is the crowd who would enjoy it I think. Open minded looking for something a little odd and a little fluffy at the same time.

This is no Repo Man but it's fun anyway.

Repo Chick (2011) DivX - icefilms.info

Operation: Endgame/Rogues Gallery

This is a first for the blahblahblahgay movie review blog, a review of a movie I have only just watched and haven't been wowed by.

Another first for the blog, a review of a movie that has had it's name changed. I got the film when it was called Operation: Endgame and it turns out that it has since been renamed Rogues Gallery apparently. Both names are a bit meh, Operation: Endgame wins out in my opinion as it does have some slight reference to the actual movie whereas Rogues Gallery puts it firmly in the sub Smokin' Aces genre of movies about people who kill each other. And essentially that is how this movie is pitched, although I get the impression it really would rather be an office based situational comedy.

As a side note the script for this movie under the name The Rogues Gallery was apparently winning awards back in 2004 but was only produced this year. Perhaps the DVD success of Smokin' Aces helped get it made? I'd say this was definitely worth seeing but perhaps isn't as good simply because it doesn't allow for any one star to shine in the same way Smokin' Aces did.



A misleading poster to be honest, look at how big Zach Galifianakis and his beard is, how centrally he has been placed, you'd expect him to be onscreen for more than the 5 minutes he is if you viewed Operation: Endgame based solely on this poster.



I particularly like the optimistic title on that Youtube trailer. Whilst you may have heard of these actors they are most definitely not stars. What it does have however is a large collection of excellent character actors that bring a whole heap of charisma and talent to the screen. This is most definitely an ensemble piece with no one character given a significant amount of screen time and for me it loses something because of that.

You may remember me mentioning the excitement I felt about watching this film in the review for The Vicious Kind primarily because it features the excellent Adam Scott and the always entertaining Zach Galifianakis (He has a great name, starts with a Gal and ends with a Kiss - Check out Zach doing stand up Live At The Purple Onion) but neither of them are really given a chance to shine in their bit parts. Big letdown for me to be honest.

So a quick synopsis for you: New guy at some covert American government agency stumbles into an ongoing inter agency feud between two rival teams of spies. The boss is assassinated and before he dies he initiates Project: Endgame, a self destruct sequence set to blow up their office multiple floors below ground with only one secret escape hatch. What follows is a series of set pieces as the spies seem intent on killing each other as they fight for survival.

OK so with that out of the way I will make reference to something i've discovered in other reviews of this flick; Americans really don't seem to understand the humour. Being originally from the UK I found this to be a very funny movie in parts but it seems that the subtlety of some of it has gone straight over the heads of a lot of American reviewers. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you it's an excellent comedy because some times it really seems to miss the boat BUT it's a much better comedy than it is an action movie that's fer sure.

Rob Corddry who seems to have a double D in his surname and was recently seen being very funny in Hot Tub Time Machine steals the opening segment with his alcohol fuelled ranting at and about his colleagues in the office. The majority of the great dialogue throughout the film can be found coming out of his mouth. The writing is at times superb and at other times a little too contrived, entire scenes apparently written to allow one line of 'clever' dialogue to be spouted by one of the spies merely serving to highlight the superfluousness of the line, bringing the viewer out of the moment instead of allowing you to enjoy the ride for what it is; a fun comedy with some comedic violence.

The action is a bit of a letdown, especially after Shoot 'Em Up and Smokin' Aces amongst others set the bar for this kind of comedy/action hybrid, but on the same level it's pretty much on par with more recent flicks RED and Wild Target. It's currently a popular genre that hasn't really managed to provide us with a 'classic' just yet so perhaps O:E shouldn't be judged too harshly.

If there's a central character it's New Man, Fool (UK actor Joe Anderson who was apparently in Musical Britflicks Control and Across the Universe,) with the most amount of screen time and the man the 'plot' weaves around. It is his first day in the office, it is through his eyes that we meet the rest of the cast and his presence allows for the expositional dialogue to feel a bit more natural. Joe Anderson is pretty good in the movie but when you have Adam Scott, Zach Galifianakis and Jeffrey Tambor in a film you would hope that they would be a little more present, again I think this fact detracts from the film for the viewer, whether you want more Zach, more Ving Rhames or more Ellen Barkin, you're still wanting something that the movie just isn't providing.

Another possible detraction is the rejection of the three act structure that typifies Western storytelling. There is no real beginning, middle and end here folks. The first part of the movie plays like a live action Archer (Fricken awesome show, watch it all right this second if you haven't already) with squabbling spies in an office environment leading to some very funny conversations whilst the second half removes that personal touch and concentrates on getting those one-liners out as often as possible whilst people die in imaginative ways. What plot there is takes a backseat until the end of the movie and then shazaam death and destruction, there is a winner and the credits roll.

Overall I actually quite liked it and I recommend watching it for a number of reasons.
1) You're a fan of this type of comedy-action movie, although if you've seen one you've seen them all at this point.
2) You enjoy the subtle humour found in a lot of British films such as Shaun of the Dead
3) You don't take your action films too seriously, don't expect amazing effects or set pieces and just accept a bit of silly never hurt anyone.
4) Rob Corddry

Operation Endgame (2010) DivX - icefilms.info

Weather Girl (2009)

Weather Girl is the fun yet slightly cliched second film from writer/director and sometime actor Blayne Weaver starring a whole bunch of TV actors including Gibbs from NCIS and Dee from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Found primarily thanks to the quality and humour of Weaver's earlier short Losing Lois Lane (2004), a film that cost the production company $6000 and was intended as a showreel for everyone involved. Not sure if it actually got them more work or if they just ended up more broke than before but it's a fun little film and well worth spending 20 minutes on.

Losing Lois Lane - watch more funny videos

The trailer really does its job a little too well I think. Watch it and you will know exactly what the movie is about, exactly what happens by the end of the movie and probably how it happens. BUT that doesn't really do the film justice. There's a real cute indie feel about it and hopefully people out there who are drawn to a movie that seems like it may offer something a little more than the standard Hollywood genre flicks would give the film a go based solely on this. I had to show Leah the trailer a few times and then insist on watching it in the end before she would choose this over the many hundreds of films I have sitting around waiting to be watched but I think it was worth it.



Synopsisisation on Weather Girl: The Weather Girl, Sylvia (Tricia O'Kelley, imdb says she is most well known for a TV series called The New Adventures of Old Christine, I've never even heard of this show) airs her dirty laundry in public and storms off of her morning TV show; career ruined she moves in with her little brother Walt (Ryan Devlin who doesn't really seem to have been in anything apart from maybe the godawful Marmaduke recently) and tries to get her life back on track with a little help from her brothers friend Byron (Patrick J. Adams whose biggest credit to date was an appearance in Old School) who just happens to have a crush on her.

I'll get this out of the way right up front; I enjoyed this movie, more than I realised at the time of watching and more than Leah did. I may have actually been expecting/hoping for a little more from it and was left a little disappointed after my first viewing but it's another film that stays with you in the weeks after and demands to be watched again.

Blayne Weaver's specialty seems to be in finding the real characters in unreal situations, we may not all be a superhero or on TV but we have all been lost at one point or another, been in love or found that love unrequited and the characters in Weather Girl are identifiable as people you may have met, friends from school etc.

The main trio put in top quality performances; Tricia O'Kelley is excellent as Sylvia, a whiny little bitch, confused and scared by the way her life has gone, completely unsure of herself and surrounded by people who serve to make her feel even worse about herself. Patrick J. Adams, whilst inexperienced, was superb as charming slacker Byron and Ryan Devlin makes wisecracking an art form as the never serious yet always caring Walt but it is the ensemble cast that helps take Weather Girl to a new level of enjoyment.

Jon Cryer who was apparently Ducky in Pretty In Pink and has been cashing in great big fat cheques on a weekly basis for camping it up in the dreadful Two and a Half Men is hilarious as Sylvia's date, the always incredible Jane Lynch nearly steals the movie (as always) with her brief cameo as a restaurant manager, Kaitlin Olson of Always Sunny fame is laugh out loud, piss your pants funny as Sherry, the other woman and Mark Harmon gives a strong comedic turn as the TV anchor sad sack who’s rendered clueless by too many years of forced banter. But for me the best characters are the bitchy best friends Emily and Jane (Alex Kapp Horner & Marin Hinkle, both also famous for being on lame TV shows) who have an amazing rapport with each other and are totally hilarious in a Kristen Wiig kind of way.

Somebody elsewhere has described the movie as feeling like it's been written by two different people and it feels close to the truth, in an almost schizophrenic way the movie slips from a ridiculously funny opening 40 minutes to an overly slow, ordinary ending via a mixture of comedy and drama. Blayne Weaver is the only writer credited with the script so the blame has to fall fully on his shoulders; he writes good situations and creates great characters but his plotting has left a bit to be desired in the drama department through not taking enough chances, the rom-com genre has a whole heap of tired cliches and the completely obvious final act found in Weather Girl is textbook rom-com and this means the film starts to drag.

"you're sexy, in a foreign film kind of way, with the angles and the attitude ..."

The other high point for the film is the dialogue: it is sharp and real and helps to develop believable relationships between Sylvia, Walt & Byron, as well as being at times completely and absurdly funny. It has been written that Weather Girl is like an entire TV season has been condensed in to 90 minutes and I think that may have more to do with the sharp, pithy dialogue than anything else.

Overall Weather Girl is a nice, well made, fun movie, filled with charming performances and is very tightly edited, there's nothing extra, nothing surplus to requirements, every scene is important to the plot and whilst the ending suffers a little through being predictable from the opening scene it takes a few clever turns while heading towards the inevitable happy ending.

Weather Girl (2009) DivX - icefilms.info