Yella (2007)

I have just finished watching the Australian film The Square and I must ask, how is it people always make such stupid mistakes? Do things like that really happen in real life? Can somebody be that unlucky and have things go the complete opposite to how they plan every time? I always read the Weird But True column on the news pages, and I do see some pretty strange stuff, but sometimes I just can't get past the stupidity of some characters portrayed in film. This of course leads me to Yella. A German film from director Christian Petzold, whom I have never heard of.

Our protagonist, Yella, has split up from her abusive husband after the business they co-owned has gone down the toilet. She has just got herself a job in West Germany and is on her way to a new life. When she gets there, she finds out the new job is a sham, but a chance meeting puts her into the world of big business and private equity. However her past is catching up with her and is her new partner all he is cracked up to be?

The sad thing about this film is that it really could have worked, and if it weren't for the completely stupid actions of the main characters I would be praising it to high heaven. Alas, it is not to be. A somewhat predictable ending (that will no doubt come as a suprise to some viewers) is faultered by the idiotic choices that get our characters to these crossroads in the first place. And everytime they take the wrong turn as if GPS or roadmaps don't exist in their world!!

These kind of mistakes take me completely out of the film. They totally ruin my experience and lead me to question if I really want to keep watching. It is sad that 2 films in the last week have done this to me, but I will talk about The Square when I review it later in the week.

Now I don't want this to be a completely negative review. The acting is great and the film looks and sounds good. The fault lies with the script. If you can't think of a believable way in which to get your story where it needs to go then you don't have a story. My suspension of disbelief in a film attempting to be anything other than a mindless popcorn blockbuster can only be stretched so far and not only did I see where Yella was going in the first 10 minutes, but it had no surprises along the way. I should also note that the film bares a striking similarity to another far superior and much earlier film, but sadly if I were to inform you of the title the main premise of this film would be ruined for you.

Regrettably I was unable to locate a trailer with English subtitles. (The original German trailer is below.)

Eat My Shorts: Sour Death Balls (1993)

Sour Death Balls. (1993)
A film by Jessica Yu
Running Time: 5 Minutes
Country: USA

When I was younger my family traveled from Australia to the UK for a few months in order for us youngsters to meet our extended family who still lived in the Motherland. Whilst there I met quite a number of my cousins, the majority of whom live in Scotland. When I met them, they played a practical joke on me, by asking if I would like a sweetie and proceeding to feed me one of the most foul tasting and sour "sweeties" I had ever eaten. As a going away present they provided me with a whole box of these delectable goodies so that I might do the same to my friends back home. (I took them to school and gave them to my entire class) If I had been a tad older and as clever as Jessica Yu, I may have thought of making this film.

Sour Death Balls is an original short documenting the reactions of people given a sour death ball to eat. It is mostly children who partake, but the reactions are so funny and honest that I was in stitches for most of its duration.

You can find it on the IMDB here.

and you can watch the film below:

Weekly TV Round-up

Well, with being sick and very little else to do, I watched quite a bit of TV, or I should say, I watched quite a number of TV shows on DVD.

I do enjoy Eureka, but I must say that the whole imminent destruction of town/main character etc is starting to wear me down. If you can't come up with story ideas that don't rely on last second bouts of genius then what is the point...every episode a main character is going to die from the latest whatever, or the whole town is going to explode because of that underground thing that nobody knew about in a town that supposedly has the smartest minds??? I mean honestly. Anyways, I have finished Season 3 and I am still looking forward to the new episodes next month so....what can you do...

Okay, honestly. I didn't really know where this was going and now I sure as hell can't figure it out and it only has 2 episodes left to explain it all...I'm holding my breath, but something tells me it probably won't be worth it....

This was a rather interesting Canadian series. I note that it has a 2nd season listed, but I am not sure if I liked it enough to seek it out. The pacing was really odd, slow and melodic, but not boring. I couldn't relate to any of the characters so maybe that distanced me. The idea is certainly interesting, but I don't think it pulls off what it is attempting to do as well as it could have. We basically follow a homicide detective with a colourful past that he has kept hidden from his wife and family. They move to a new house that sees the past stirred up, throw into the mix that his neighbor; an old school friend, is a serial killer and as I said, it makes for an interesting idea.


Finally....after a 6 month wait! Top Gear is back and in good form too. Loved the race from London to Scotland, Michael Schumacher is The Stig (or is he) and we still get the same camaraderie from the boys! Great fun all round. Can't wait till tonights episode!

I also finally managed to finish The Adventures of Brisco County Jnr. I never really knew what to make of this show. It is obviously camp and a tad corny, but I must admit I found it addictively entertaining, despite many cringing moments. Bruce Campbell was awesome as always and the rest of the cast suited their roles well. Some of the plots left a little to be desired, but this show is a great example of how the TV scene has changed....this first season has 26 episodes!!!! Nowadays shows are lucky to even get 12 for their first season....sad really.

well, as you can tell I am back writing again. I did watch quite a lot of movies during my week long illness and I will be reviewing some of them in the next few days. I hope you will bear with me as I am still not 100%, but I am doing my best to get back on the band wagon!

Trailer Alert - The Box

When I first heard about this film, I wasn't really sure how it could play. Having watched the trailer I now think it looks very interesting and has moved up the list of my must see movies.

Check it out for yourself:

Futurama Returns to TV

I know I am a little late with this news, but I decided to post it anyway!

Futurama is coming back to episodic form in 2010!!

I Can't wait.... and you can read more here

and again...

I am sitting in bed typing this on my girlfriend's laptop, I have been here since last Wednesday with my first (and hopefully last) ever run in with tonsillitis. To add to that, the entire left side of my mouth has turned into one giant ulcer and gum laceration and I have been pumped to high heaven with every known pain killer to man (and to little effect) Currently the elixir or Codeine, Brufen (Ibuprofens bigger brother) and Penicillin (for the infection), along with a mouth wash every 3 hours seems to be helping.

Anyways, I thought I would just update to say why there have been no updates, and that I have not abandoned or forgotten my blog.

I have been trying to watch a few series or movies between my passing out and high as a kite moments....I am up-to-date with Harper's Island, just finished watching the first episode of Top Gear season 13 and 8 Episodes of Brisco County Jnr. On the movie front, watched The Onion Movie, Don't Mess With the Zohan (cause I figured it would be better if I were under some sort of influence.....I was wrong) and the Korean version of Hansel and Gretel.

Anyways, not sure how long I am going to be out, but I hope to start writing again soon.

Trailer Alert - The Time Traveler's Wife

Well, this film has been a long time coming and finally a trailer has been released.

I read the book a few months back so hopefully it won't be too fresh in my mind when I see the film. I really can't bear to watch films adapted from books too soon after reading them as it alters my view of the film a little too much. I am a big believer that films should be judged on their own merit, not how well they were adapted from their source material.

Anyhow, check out the trailer below:

Eden Log (2007)

I quite enjoyed Eden Log, however I am starting to grow tired of the apparent unwritten law of science fiction stating that they must contain a political or environmental statement. Even the apocalyptic horror films of late have been in on this law. Why can't we just have a good old fashioned science fiction story that is not the by product of humans interaction with the environment.

That said, Eden Log starts its journey with a 3 minute strobe effect (warning to viewers who suffer from epilepsy), where we meet our main lead. He has no name, he can't remember anything and he has just woken up in a pool of water next to a dead man in what appears to be the bottom of a mine shaft. He makes his way through a number of turnstiles (with technology that suggests the setting is in the not to distant future) in an attempt to get out. He quickly learns that he is not alone in the dark.

Whilst this set up is by no means original, the set pieces, lighting and camera work made my viewing experience all the more immersive. The soundtrack is expansive with some subtle and effective use of surrounds. The score is never overbearing and in some instances completely indiscernible from the films actual sound scape. There is relatively little dialogue, which makes a change, though sadly what dialog there is basically explains away everything anyhow.

The cast is fairly limited, and aside from the two main characters, most are hidden under makeup or costumes which require very little "acting"

Overall I quite enjoyed the journey of Eden Log, but the reflection is not as satisfying and I am not sure that the ending was well thought out, but it is certainly marred by poor CGI.

I am sure most sci fi fans will find something to like in Eden Log, but it doesn't offer anything that hasn't been done in the past.