Fear factor

Another trip to the dvd store - 10 movies in a week!



Harry Brown


Oh horrible, nasty, violent. Very modern Britain. Not Dementors in the pedestrian underpass, but thugs. A few Harry Potter references in this movie. So Harry Brown's old friend Len (the janitor from Hogwarts) is killed by said thugs. Perhaps he should not have threatened them with a bayonet. They are the same thugs who killed Harry's daughter. So Harry (Michael Caine) takes the law into his own hands. He is an elderly emphysemic ex-Marine, and it shows. He evens the score a little, but the lady detective is on to him. Definitely NOT a happy ending but a satisfying one.

I quite like that vigilante, good guys turning the tables genre. Mr Caine is, as always, masterful in an understated English way. There is not a lot of dialogue, there really doesn't need to be. Lots of horrible scenes, but a good movie nevertheless.




Bowling for Columbine


I adore Michael Moore. I think of him as the child at the parade who tells the truth about the Emperor's new clothes. This movie is about America's love affair with guns, but really it is about the fear that has been instilled into the American people. Irrational fear, it seems to an outsider. I want to say to all those people who carry guns: a) are you part of an organised militia (see second amendment), oh yes, Timothy McVeigh was indeed a member of an organised militia. And b) what are you so frightened of?

The USA has more gun related murders than other countries. Why? It is not even because they have more guns, which was the reason I would have given. Some of the non-US interviewees appeared to suggest belligerence, in the sense of warmongering, may be a national characteristic. Lots of eye-opening statistics in this movie. I learned a lot. My respect for Charlton Heston has plummeted - pretty face, but somewhat militant leader of the NRA.

Do you need to use assault rifles, semi automatics or pearl handled revolvers to shoot things that you might eat? I don't think so.

So thank you Michael Moore for a bit of sense. It was very relevant to watch this immediately after watching Harry Brown. A fear double bill.




The Other Guys


Funny cop buddy movie. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg is a hot guy, reminds me very much of Guy Pearce (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The King's Speech, and of course Mrs Mangel's nephew in Neighbours way back). So yes, funny, some of it very funny, sort of stupid but Ferrell's commitment to the role means the stupidity is actually funny rather than Apatow stupid. I think he could be a good straight ie not comic actor, given the chance.




BH suggested I tone some of this down a bit, so you have the edited version.