NISEKOI: FALSE LOVE SEASON 1 PART 2

As a child, Raku Ichijo made a lover’s pledge to his squeeze with a key and locket. Ten years later, he can’t so much as remember one discerning feature, and tries to find the key to fit his lock. Being the son of a Yakuza family was bound to throw up problems for the lovelorn fifteen year old, no least when Chitoge Kirisaki, the daughter of a rival mob family, transfers to Japan. To save face and set aside their rivalries, their families force them to masquerade as make-believe lovers, gloriously tapping the tsundere archetype. Not only is Chitoge a candidate with a key and a would-be tale, there’s also Kosaki Onodera, Raku’s true crush with similar circumstances, and a third girl enters the fray.

As it’s from Studio Shaft, Nisekoi packs all the typical trappings albeit with a lighter touch, but there’s still plenty of head tilts and wisps of the avant garde. Admittedly, Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series can seem impenetrable and heavy handed to new comers, and Madoka director Akiyuki Shinbo offers a more gentle entry into one of the most idiosyncratic production studios around.

Based on Naoshi Komi’s rom-com manga, the series sets up its central ideal and lets it play itself out as series of embarrassing encounters and side-splitting visual gags. The second half is more of the same. Straightforward as it may be, the quirky slice-of-life styling and honesty – the gawkiness, insecurity, and obsession of adolescents in love – make it a relatable romp. All the complexities of teenage dating are in tow, and it hasn’t gotten any easier. Perhaps it’s the quality of the characters themselves that makes the harem aspect of the show seem that much more subversive than some of its counterparts.

Despite the ample suspension of disbelief needed for the set-up, the quality writing and candid characterisation pulls you in. The rival families do play up to that most classic star crossed lovers’ story and it’s fitting that the series should end itself with a ditsy and affectionate homage to Romeo and Juliet. Chucking some of the Shakespearean cliché out the window makes for rewarding watch for the second half of this predictably impressive series.

Special Features: Opening and ending

NISEKOI: FALSE LOVE SEASON 1 PART 2 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: AKIYUKI SHINBO / SCREENPLAY: FUYASHI TOU / STARRING: YUMI UCHIYAMA, MIKAKO KOMATSU, KANA ASUMI, AYANE SAKURA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

THE FIREMEN’S BALL

There are two ways to approach and discuss Miloš Forman’s 1967 comedy The Firemen’s Ball. The first is to analyse the film from a scholarly viewpoint; to delve into its satirical stance on East European Communism at the time and the inherent corruption that prevailed. The second would be to simply enjoy the film for its sense of exuberance and energy. As much as any film can be, The Firemen’s Ball is the kind of bawdy comedy that so often misses the mark entirely, and yet in Forman’s hands comes together perfectly as the at-times seemingly random parts are woven together with a master’s precision.

There is no doubt that in 1967 Forman had a point to make. As a key figure in the Czech New Wave movement, his dissatisfaction with the communist regime was clear in his films. In 1967 this dissatisfaction led to the production of The Firemen’s Ball, which unabashedly poked fun at the system through its depiction of well-laid plans collapsing, a central leading group made up of incompetent men, and the farce that inevitably follows. This led to the film being banned in Czechoslovakia for ever and resulted in Forman’s exile in the US.

While the political imagery is impossible to ignore, analysing too closely could lead to the viewer ignoring the fun Forman seemed to be having with his subject matter. When a group of amateur firemen host a ball to celebrate the career of one of their senior members, everything that could go wrong does. Beside the slowly diminishing raffle prizes, apparently stolen by the guests, and the failure to deal with a house fire which occurs on the same night is the film’s gloriously uncomfortable centrepiece. In order to award the guest of honour with a “memento”, the hapless organising committee hastily convene a beauty pageant, the idea being the most beautiful girl will carry out the presentation. Never in the history of cinema has a less appropriate beauty line-up been assembled, and Forman can barely contain his glee at the slapstick events that follow, while still finding time to poke fun at authority.

Forman will predominantly be remembered for the films he made in the US following his exile. With the number of Oscars rightly awarded to his two most renowned films, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus, including Best Director and Best Picture for both, his early films have perhaps received less attention than they deserve. Look closely at The Firemen’s Ball and you can see the same traits throughout. The naturalistic, exuberant performances that rail against authority and the semi-tragic leads are notable in many of Forman’s works. Rarely though did the comedy blend so perfectly with these tropes as it did in The Firemen’s Ball, and as such this is a film that deserves a new audience.

Special Features: Archive interviews / Featurette

FIREMEN’S BALL / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: MILOS FORMAN / SCREENPLAY: MILOS FORMAN, JAROSLAV PAPOUSEK, IVAN PASSER / STARRING: JAN VOSTRCIL, JOSEF SEBANEK, JOSEF VALNOHA, FRANTISEK DEBELKA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

SAMURAI JAM: BAKUMATSU ROCK

Set in the Bakumatsu era, as the shoguns’ rule over Japan wanes in the mid-nineteenth century, the Tokugawa shogunate retains control with hypnotic Heaven’s Songs sung by top male idol group Shinsengumi. Deviating from these songs, whether writing or performing, is a capital offense, and in this climate of stifling injustice one would-be rocker won’t let the man get him down.

Nicknamed ‘Rooster’ for his shock-of-red mane, Sakamoto Ryoma is a gifted guitarist with impressive pipes to match. Biding his time serving slices in the local transvestite pizzeria, Ryoma soon puts his own band together after meeting bassist Shinsaku ‘Cindy’ Takasugi and bashful drummer Katsura Kogorō. Each learned under the tutelage of psychedelic shorty, Shoin Yoshida. Oh, and they all have a peace soul, and it only gets more muddled from there.

The arrival of wannabe idols, Dark Cherry, really kicks things into gear, proving that it needed the girls all along to drum up the fanservice. The gags are better, the sequences funnier, and it’s that much more disappointing when the Cherries bid adieu at the end of their episode.

Samurai Jam has a confused sense of its own antiquity, and that of rock music, which is more likely to irritate music fans than please them. Alternate as it is, the history can only be described as tenuous at best and left at that. Trying to figure out how they power their amps, electric guitars and light rigging in the 1800s isn’t worth the hassle.

The music sequences, which while certainly fun, suffer from the repetitive nature of the songs themselves – seriously guys, learn some new tunes – and the primitive CG used to animate the performances. In its more serious moments, the show does take a moment to explore the westernisation of Japan, and, perhaps more tenderly, how people are persecuted and picked-on for their music choices. It’s hard not to get won over by some of its charm, and setting aside cynicism for 12 episodes is probably a healthy pursuit anyway.

Director Itsuro Kawasaki, who has clocked up storyboard credits on Shaman King and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex among others, makes the best of what’s he’s got and the end result, wobbly CG aside, is an attractive enough package. Even writer Mitsutaka Hirota, who penned several episodes for Hunter x Hunter (2011), reels off some snappy one liners and crafty gags. The gaping hole at the centre is the higgledy-piggledy plot, due in no small part to the PSP/Vita source material.

If it’s sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll you’re after, you won’t really get any with Samurai Jam. Some sly fanservice and a catchy tune or two might be enough to satisfy the casual fan, but for ardent rockers, this is sure to aggravate.

Special Features: None

SAMURAI JAM: BAKUMATSU ROCK / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: ITSUROU KAWASAKI / SCREENPLAY: MITSUTAKA HIROTA / STARRING: KISHOU TANIYAMA, TATSUHISA SUZUKI, KENSHO ONO, SHOWTARO MORIKUBO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

THE EXORCIST: THE COMPLETE ANTHOLOGY

So much has been written about The Exorcist and its sequels/prequels that most STARBURST readers will probably be intimately familiar with how the series plays out. The Exorcist, in our opinion, is still a masterpiece, as intense and unsettling as the first time we watched it many years ago. True, familiarity has dulled the terror, but Friedkin’s film still scares on a primal philosophical level. And maybe, with stories of supposed ‘real life’ possession appearing more frequently on TV shows and in magazines, the message The Exorcist sends is still pertinent; that we shouldn’t discount the possibility there are entities out there, floating in the ether, hungry for the opportunity to pounce and hijack our bodies and souls. Maybe there’s much more to The Exorcist than we’d like to recognise. That is why the original film still has the power to keep us awake at night.

But for all the resonance The Exorcist continues to hold, the films that followed it pale by comparison. Exorcist II: The Heretic, condemned as an artistic and critical failure from the moment of its release, remains an ungodly mess but, as the years have passed, it’s become less of a train-wreck and more a puzzling miscalculation. Heretic’s director, John Boorman, apparently hated Friedkin’s movie so much that he wanted to take things in another direction, and the central ideas behind Exorcist II – what happens to a possessed person after they’ve been dis-possessed, and the conflict between theology and psychology – is an interesting one. There are, at the very heart of Exorcist II: The Heretic some fascinating themes waiting to be mined. It’s just a shame that Boorman and his screenwriters didn’t know how to excavate them.

Because of Exorcist II’s failure, Exorcist III arrived a long time afterwards. Based on a novel by the author of The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty, it is more a detective story than a horror film but the film’s producers couldn’t resist corrupting Blatty’s original vision by forcing him to add a climactic exorcism scene that is both nonsensical and tedious. In terms of the series, it easily ranks second to the original, but studio interference undoubtedly reduced its power.

After Exorcist III it seemed as if the franchise had been permanently… well, exorcised… until 2000, when William Friedkin released his directors cut, The Exorcist: The Version You’ve Never Seen, to a mixed reception, although it was great to see the film on the big screen again. Still, The Version You’ve Never Seen made so much money that the studio decided to move in fast and greenlight Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist with John Frankenheimer at the helm (and after 1996’s fiasco The Island of Dr. Moreau, the mind boggles to think what a Frankenheimer Exorcist would have looked like). When Frankenheimer withdrew from the production due to ill-health, Cat People’s Paul Schrader came in to replace him. Schrader, although a genius director and screenwriter in his own right, was also a problematic choice. He had made it clear way back in 1982 while working on Cat People that he wasn’t very interested in horror movies.

It’s no surprise that Dominion was a failure, a handsome looking but very dull meditation on the nature of evil with a young Father Merrin transformed into a priestly version of Indiana Jones. Dominion terrified the studio so much that they didn’t want to release it. They brought action maestro Renny Harlin on-board to save the project, rewrite the story entirely and film it using Schrader’s sets and also Dominion’s lead actor, Stellan Skarsgard, who reprised his role as Father Merrin.

The result, although not much better than Schrader’s movie, was at least more kinetic and entertaining. As expected, Harlin checked his brain in at the door and not only dumped all of Dominion’s navel-gazing philosophising (thankfully) but also its intelligence, replacing them with gore, jump scares, very loud off-camera bangs and CGI hyenas. Exorcist: The Beginning was critically savaged and barely caused a dent in the box office, but it did make people ask the question ”Just how bad could Schrader’s version actually have been?”, which prompted the studio, seeing dollar signs yet again, to finally release Dominion on a limited run. Seen side-by-side it’s curious to note that, despite being the most cerebral of the two prequels, Schrader’s version actually gives us the most unsatisfying vision of Father Merrin. It is Merrin in Harlin’s movie, who has already turned his back on religion when the film begins, that suggests this character might grow into the Merrin played by Max Von Sydow in Friedkin’s original.

Now The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology brings all six films together for the first time on Blu-ray. The collection has been available in the US for a while and despite the mixed artistic qualities of the series it’s good to finally see the anthology reach these shores albeit in pretty flimsy cardboard packaging. Although the special features are sparse (except for the Friedkin version, which seem to be a direct port from the original home video release), the picture and sound on all the films is fantastic and probably as good as we’re ever likely to see beyond a full-blown restoration of Exorcist II and III which, let’s be honest, is pretty unlikely. That’s kind of a shame really. It would be nice to one day see those films as Boorman and Blatty intended because, even in their flawed states, the passage of time has revealed they do have their merits.

Bottom line – The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology is a must-own. Get out there and grab this so fast it’ll make your head spin. Highly Recommended.

THE EXORCIST: THE COMPLETE ANTHOLOGY / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: VARIOUS / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: ELLEN BURSTYN, MAX VON SYDOW, LINDA BLAIR, RICHARD BURTON, JASON MILLER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT: SERIES ONE

Reverend Merrily Watkins (Anna Maxwell Martin) is a relative newcomer to the village, moving here with her teenage daughter after her husband was killed in a car accident. Her Bishop (Nicholas Pinnock) recruits Merrily to become the local Exorcist/Deliverance expert, and Merrily’s Deliverance teacher Huw Owen (David Threlfall) is quick to warn her that if she has any kind of emotional weakness she will be in terrible danger; the demons will be sure to find the chink in her armour and exploit it.

Merrily doesn’t have time to worry about that. Soon she’s helping the Police investigate a particularly nasty murder – a man found crucified in the woods – and she’s barely recovered from that grisly experience before she’s summoned to the hospital to deliver the last rites to Denzil Joy (Oengus MacNamara), an old man who has been associated with satanic child abuse. Joy is the epitome of evil, and after holding the dying man’s hand and praying for his soul Merrily feels Joy’s spirit attach itself to hers. Before she knows it she is pitched into an occult battle that will not only shake Merrily’s beliefs to their very foundations, it will attack her where she’s weakest: her relationship with her already estranged daughter (Sally Messham).

Midwinter of the Spirit, adapted from Phil Rickman’s 1999 novel of the same name, is Merrily Watkins’ first appearance on our screens but hopefully not her last. Although the novel was number 2 in Rickman’s phenomenally successful Merrily Watkins series (Rickman is soon to release number 13!) this story was the perfect choice to introduce Merrily to a television audience. It’s a beautiful and eerie introduction to the character.

Much of the credit for that goes to Stephen Volk, one of Britain’s finest screenwriters who already has a host of paranormal-related TV shows and films on his resume including The Awakening (2012), Ken Russell’s Gothic (1986), the TV series Afterlife, and the cult favourite Ghostwatch. There really wasn’t a better choice to bring Merrily to the screen. Volk’s writing is superb and considering the three episodes of Midwinter barely fill two and a half hours and yet the book itself runs to more than 500 pages, he has managed to stay incredibly close to the novel and the flavour of Rickman’s writing while still injecting some of his own trademark creepiness. It is a masterclass in adaptation.

Anna Maxwell Martin is outstanding as Merrily, taking a well-loved literary character and entirely making it her own. We’d bet that even people who are familiar with the books and have had their own vision of Merrily inside their imaginations for many years will have replaced it with Maxwell Martin’s interpretation by now. David Threlfall, as Huw Owen, makes a great foil to her, imbuing his character with a tired strength and a lot of very subtle humour. Sally Messham also gives a terrific performance as Merrily’s emotionally damaged daughter Jane. In fact, the entire production is flawless, and the camerawork, especially of the Hereford countryside, often looks spectacularly beautiful as well.

Midwinter of the Spirit could easily have been watered down by TV producers into a U certificate version of The Exorcist-meets-Inspector Morse. The fact it avoids that trap and genuinely has moments which creep us out, as well as telling an occult-based story in an intelligent and human way, is reason to celebrate. If you missed Midwinter on TV, don’t miss this DVD. If you saw Midwinter on TV, pick up this DVD and watch it again. Even on second viewing, you’ll notice a lot you missed the first time around.

MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT: SERIES ONE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: RICHARD CLARK / SCREENPLAY: STEPHEN VOLK, PHIL RICKMAN / STARRING: ANNA MAXWELL MARTIN, DAVID THRELFALL, NICHOLAS PINNOCK, WILL ATTENBOROUGH, SALLY MESSHAM, KATE DICKIE / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2ND

 

RED SUN

When Wild West outlaws Link (Charles Bronson) and Gauche (Alain Delon) rob a train carrying the Japanese Ambassador, they not only escape with a shipment of gold bullion, they also steal a precious samurai sword intended as a gift for US President Ulysses S. Grant. Or, at least, Gauche does. In the final moments of the heist he double-crosses Link and leaves him for dead beside the railroad tracks.

Shortly afterwards, a revived and reluctant Link is sent on a mission by the Japanese Ambassador to take Kuroda (Toshiro Mifune), his one surviving Samurai bodyguard, and recover the stolen sword. The only person who might be able to lead them to Gauche is Cristina (Ursula Andress), who works in a brothel run by Link’s old flame Pepita (Capucine). But Cristina is less than forthcoming, and before long Link and Kuroda have more than Gauche to worry about – a raiding party of Comanches are also on their tail.

Directed by Dr. No and From Russia with Love helmsman Terence Young, Red Sun is a fantastic combination of revenge Western and Samurai movie with Bronson and Mifune on solid form as the mismatched heroes. It’s good to see Bronson actually have fun in this part, especially considering the rather humourless and stone-faced roles he’s most famous for, and Mifune is as reliable as always, playing what is essentially a dour anachronistic character with humour and sensitivity. Kuroda is by far the most fascinating element in the film, the last descendent of a proud Samurai family who knows the world is changing and that this will be his last act in the service of a master. The price of failure, if he doesn’t recover the sword and return it to the Ambassador within seven days, is to commit ritual suicide.

Alain Delon, as the villain, is smooth and handsome and convincingly dangerous. Ursula Andress, a Terence Young veteran after her star-making turn in Dr. No almost a decade earlier, is passionate and fiery and more than a match for her male co-stars. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognise Dr. No’s Anthony Dawson as a member of Delon’s gang.

Terence Young’s direction is as assured as one would expect, aided by a fine screenplay and a superb Maurice Jarre soundtrack. Not surprisingly, Young orchestrates the action sequences particularly well and although it has a running time of slightly over two hours the film never drags.

Studio Canal’s Blu-ray looks fantastic, the desert panoramas and frequent shots of the titular red sun being especially impressive. It’s great to see this quite neglected movie get the high-def treatment it deserves. Highly recommended, even for viewers who are normally allergic to cowboys.

RED SUN / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: TERENCE YOUNG / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: CHARLES BRONSON, ALAIN DELON, TOSHIRO MIFUNE, CAPUCINE, URSULA ANDRESS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

CONTRACTED: PHASE II

A borderline stalker watches as the subject of his obsession is date-raped at a party in the back of a car. As revenge, said stalkee sleeps with stalker, thereby passing on the necrotic STD virus she carries therein. And now, for the sequel, this creepy dude gets to be our protagonist, hoping you won’t remember that one time he watched the girl he supposedly liked get raped in front of him.

As successful a piece of body horror as it was, Eric England’s Contracted had some severe issues with the womenfolk in his film, from the unlikeable heroine Samantha to her awful friends, spiteful girlfriend, and all the way across the board to her shrill mother, played by a wasted Caroline Williams. Granted, the menfolk hardly come out of it particularly well either, but Contracted bears a lot of similarities with the recent Bite in that Samantha’s condition feels like punishment handed down from the filmmaker gods for… well, something.

Enter Phase II, which picks up exactly as the previous film leaves off, with Caroline Williams having her throat torn out by her now zombified daughter. As the last man to come into genital contact with Samantha, Riley (Matt Mercer) is understandably a little worried that he might have caught a little something during their encounter. But it’s fine; we can enjoy this, since Riley deserves to be punished for his actions during the previous film.

This isn’t just the male version of Contracted though. As Riley searches desperately for a cure to the virus, director Josh Forbes and writer Craig Walendziak widen the scope, allowing for a number of surprisingly exciting action beats and a whole host of infected victims besides Riley. Watching it spread is great fun – taking in the best onscreen nosebleed since Drag Me to Hell. The new additions of black comedy and action work well next to the all-important body horror gags, which are also kicked up a notch since the previous film. After watching Phase II, you’ll never look at a contact lens in quite the same way again.

A vast improvement over its effective but unlikeable predecessor, Phase II is a gruesome but enjoyable horror sequel that builds on Contracted‘s successful elements but doesn’t merely replay them with a dick. That dick (hi Riley) will still put a few people off, but he’s certainly been toned down here. Thankfully, the horror hasn’t been.

CONTRACTED: PHASE II / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JOSH FORBES / SCREENWRITER: CRAIG WALENDZIAK / STARRING: MATT MERCER, MARIANNA PALKA, MORGAN PETER BROWN, ANNA LORE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

BACKWATER

Young couple Cass (Liana Werner-Gray) and Mark (Justin Tully) head to a secluded lake for a weekend camping, but within hours of arriving events begin to conspire against them. After hearing what they think is a cry for help, Mark convinces Cass to investigate. As Mark continues searching, Cass returns to camp only to be intercepted by a suspicious local sheriff who takes more than a passing interest in their presence. Mark, on the other hand, encounters a suspicious fisherman. There’s a lot of suspicion in the woods!

That night they come under attack from persons unknown and the chase is on.

Christopher Schrack’s Backwater could easily have been a routine, cliché-ridden entry into the backwoods murderer sub-genre so wearily sapped of originality by the ongoing Wrong Turn series. Instead, it is an example in restrained filmmaking; of how tension and terror can be generated through simple camera work and performances that never fall short of outstanding. There is a naturalistic feel at the centre of Schrack’s film, with the cast entirely convincing in their roles and the camera following them voyeuristically yet not invasively. While watching, you feel in the middle of the woods with the couple but you almost forget you’re watching a film, so effective is the softly handled direction. Obvious jump scares are also kept to a minimum with a bold reliance on silence used cunningly to crank up the tension, coupled with Schrack’s relaxed style which allows each scene to breathe, keeping the camera fixed on the subject for an uncomfortable length of time.

There is also real intelligence to Backwater. In dispensing with obvious tropes, Schrack has been able to develop a narrative that is both interesting and refreshing despite the familiarity of the initial premise. As the story progresses (and there will be no spoilers here), the tone switches back and forth as characters you thought you knew reveal more about themselves. Empathy gives way to disgust, fear gives way to sympathy, and as such Backwater becomes increasingly unsettling, never allowing you to find solace or comfort in an understanding of what is going on. Simple again, yet fear-inducingly effective.

The most amazing element to Backwater is that it was made for an estimated $40,000. It is rare enough to discover a film that is so terrifyingly involving and well-made, but even more so when you realise it was made for the kind of money that makes horror production company Blumhouse look like extravagant spenders. The achievement of Schrack and his team is all the more impressive then, but it is also an example that should be heeded. When the overwrought theatrics are dispensed with, when all you have are you wits and your crew, a film such as Backwater can be produced. It isn’t perfect, there are flaws and the ending is a little muddled, but this is a horror film in its truest form, a back-to-basics production that deserves an audience.

BACKWATER / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: CHRISTOPHER SCHRACK / STARRING: JUSTIN TULLY, LIANA WERNER-GREY, THOMAS DANIEL, ANDREW ROTH / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 10TH (US DVD/VOD), TBC (UK)
 

SPY

The spy genre has undergone a great many transitions throughout the years, from the early gravitas laden Drama and capitalisation on real world politics to the lighter, gadget jammed Bond eras to the modern day persistence in being realistic. However, every now and then, a film comes along reminding you of the fun you can have with the genre, this year alone saw the release of Matthew Vaughn’s awesome, kinetic and crazy Kingsman: The Secret Service. Also, back in June, Paul Feig’s new Comedy caper Spy was released and in another case of cynical foresight, few of us really had many expectations for it. Although in fairness, it was not hard to see why. The posters made the film look like a very unwelcome throwback to the 90s epic fail that was Roger Spottiswoode’s Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (a film bad enough to make even Stallone regret starring in it). The trailers also added very little, relying on random scenes that made the film look like a sub-par genre parody littered with some admittedly big names. So imagine the surprise when critics raved, well upon watching Spy one thing is for sure, the surprise responses were justified. 

Spy sees desk dwelling CIA Analyst Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) drawn into the glamorous world of globetrotting missions, to avenge her partner, only to find that things aren’t quite as easy as the agents make it look. Soon Susan’s assignment takes her into very dangerous territory that leaves little room for error, which is unfortunate because many lie ahead! Now while this plot is not exactly the most startlingly original of stories- the film is complete with all the usual genre gubbins of nuclear plots and double crosses- there is no denying the brilliant script. Feig’s third teaming with McCarthy (after the good if slightly overrated Bridesmaids and the brilliant buddy cop caper The Heat) is one of their best yet and the memorably sidesplitting lines come thick and fast.

The film has a minor lag in the middle but you won’t remember the odd gag that doesn’t work, as you’ll still be guffawing at the cracking lines that do. Feig spends not one moment sitting in thought but instead embraces the silliness of the genre’s trappings, meaning a plethora of Bondish fun pokes (see the classy Ivy Levan opening credits song “Who Can You Trust”) but so much more in a film about the brilliant badassery of femininity (unpreachingly delivered) and the silly fun of spy movies. The film’s biggest flaw is the lack of a strong and memorable villain (which is a shame) but the host of characters on display here does in part make up for that. 

Melissa McCarthy is an often-polarizing Comedy figure, with a marmite appeal to a lot of audiences, which is quite puzzling as she is a very good comic actress and Spy allows her full reign. McCarthy as Susan is likable, strong and a really connectable character that is not mocked as much as she is laughed along with. The supporting turns are also great fun with Jude Law embracing the role of self loving ace spy Bradley Fine, Rose Byrne letting loose the potty mouth and nastiness as glamorous but mean femme fatale Rayna Boyanov, Peter Serafinowicz stealing the odd scene as lecherous sex-starved Frenchman Aldo and even (another comic divider) Miranda Hart having moments to shine as Susan’s CIA buddy Nancy. However, in many ways, the film’s secret weapon is British hard man Jason Statham who taps into a wonderful comic ability you would have never guessed he had. Statham self-depreciates something rotten as Rick Ford and is an absolute eye watering joy to watch, striking up a great off kilter chemistry with McCarthy- the two are equally hilarious.

So while this caper is unbelievably silly and neither as keen nor crazy as Kingsman, it is a promising start for a potential new franchise that recalls a female led Naked Gun (with lots more swearing) or more crudely Bond with boobs. The writing is very funny; the action is surprisingly effective (there’s a superbly choreographed kitchen fight) and while it is not anyone’s idea of a searing satire, who cares? It’s an absolute hoot! Lets hope this bodes well for Feig’s upcoming (and very worrying) Ghostbusters reboot, although if all else fails, perhaps Susan Cooper will return with a welcome sequel (never thought we’d say that about Spy)…next stop though, a proper super villain for Susan to verbally berate (please – we love a good villain us)!

SPY / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: PAUL FEIG/ SCREENPLAY: PAUL FEIG STARRING: MELISSA MCCARTHY, JUDE LAW, JASON STATHAM, ROSE BYRNE, MIRANDA HART, PETER SERAFINOWICZ / RELEASE DATE: 9TH NOVEMBER 
 

THE CHAPLIN REVUE

Made in 1959, when Charles Chaplin’s career was on the wane and he was desperate to reintroduce his famous character The Little Tramp to a new audience (there was even talk of a new anti-atomic age film with the Little Tramp in post-apocalyptic New York… am we the only ones who wishes that happened?), Chaplin resurrected three of his short silent films, stitched them together with a self-penned musical soundtrack and some brief off-camera narration, and sent the whole package into theatres under the title The Chaplin Revue.

The three films he selected were extremely successful upon their original release, especially the second film in this line-up, Shoulder Arms, a story set in the World War I trenches during which Charlie inadvertently becomes a war hero by going behind enemy lines disguised as a tree and inadvertently kidnaps the Kaiser. It’s still an interesting idea and a brave subject for the actor to tackle considering the war was still raging when the film went into production (in 1918), but viewed almost a hundred years later the satire seems muted. Although there are some genuinely amusing moments – Charlie the soldier marching like a duck with stubbornly splayed feet or sleeping in a flooded trench and using a gramophone speaker like a snorkel – our hero’s misadventures quickly become repetitive. There’s a lot of invention in the storytelling but the film outstays its welcome round about the halfway mark.

Luckily, the shorts which bookend Shoulder Arms, A Dog’s Life and The Pilgrim are much better, especially A Dog’s Life wherein The Little Tramp befriends a homeless mongrel called Scraps and falls afoul of two robbers but saves put-upon bar singer (and Chaplin regular) Edna Purviance along the way. Chaplin’s slapstick genius is stamped throughout this film – especially in an early sequence when The Tramp evades a policeman by rolling backwards and forwards beneath a garden fence – although animal rights campaigners probably won’t find the scene in which Scraps is attacked by other dogs and soon ends up swinging by his teeth from Charlie’s costume too amusing. There’s also a quite brilliant sequence involving The Tramp coshing one of the thieves and then trying to pretend the man’s still conscious by sliding his hands beneath the unconscious man’s armpits and miming a conversation with the other thug. In a departure from most films involving The Little Tramp, he even gets the girl in the end.

The Pilgrim is the story of a convict who, disguised as a Pastor, journeys to the town of Devil’s Gulch where he runs into an old cell-mate and tries to prevent the thief from stealing an old lady’s money. Although not as inspired as A Dog’s Life, there is still the odd moment of Chaplin brilliance, especially during a scene where he ices a cake without realising it’s another character’s bowler hat.

If the main attraction leaves you wanting more, the special features include an entertaining documentary Chaplin made in 1918 called How to Make Movies, a deleted scene from Shoulder Arms and the short film A Day’s Pleasure about a family setting out for a trip which doesn’t go exactly as planned. It’s a neat little movie and notable to Chaplin enthusiasts because among the cast, playing a member of Chaplin’s family, is a pre-’The Kid’ Jackie Coogan.

Artificial Eye’s release looks and sounds fantastic but we’d suggest this disc is probably for hardcore Chaplin fans only. The Chaplin Revue has its moments but newcomers to the comedian might want to check out The Kid and The Gold Rush before taking their chances with this interesting but ultimately very mixed bag.

THE CHAPLIN REVUE / CERT: U / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: CHARLIE CHAPLIN / STARRING: CHARLIE CHAPLIN, EDNA PURVIANCE, ALBERT AUSTIN, HENRY BERGMAN, SYD CHAPLIN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW