FRANK

 All it took was finding out Michael Fassbender's face was hidden to get me interested in Frank. A high end hipster drama that lifts above its cultural aesthetic and provides a funny yet poignant film.

Michael Fassbender dons a gigantic fake papier-mache head. With massive anime eyes and a delightful robot voice in this fictionalised account based on a book written by journalist Jon Ronson. Who In the 1980s played keyboards in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band, in which Frank wore a big fake head and nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity.

The first divergent from the book is the jumper into a more modern setting. Set in a quiet English seaside town Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) tries to pursue his passion for writing songs. In between working at his humdrum day job, Jon struggles to  write anything even vaguely resembling a half decent couple of lyrics. We watch him send tweets about his songwriting status or more the lack of it, along with updates on what he is eating for lunch. Jon undoubtedly enthusiastic  about this passion, he just can't seem to get it to come together yet.

When a band with an unpronounceable name comes to town. After witnessing their previous keyboard player go off the rails. Jon has the opportunity to play for a band at an actual gig. Shortly after he finds himself travelling with the band to Ireland to record an album which ends up taking him on a pretty epic journey.

Entranced by the fake head that group leader Frank wears 24/7 ("Would it help if I said my facial expressions out loud?"), Jon becomes seduced both by the guru-like enigma of his mentor, and by the waving hands of theremin player Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who seems able to conjure beautiful sounds and savage weapons out of thin air with equal ease.

Frank is a hard film to easily define and although it manages to remain on the right side of upbeat with plenty of laughs it does delve into the exploration of the creative process within mental illness. Franks states numerous times that he has a certificate. There is also an ongoing battle between art and commerce. Watching the exploits of the band trying to make a album touch on notions of artistic endeavour, originality and the sphere that songwriters and musicians have to encounter in trying to be creative. Which starts clashing with John's own dreams of stardom. Using social media to its full effect.  

This avant-garde performance art band, eventually gathers a huge enough following to get a gig at SXSW.From here the movie takes a dramatic shift. Without seeing Frank's facial expressions, we witness his transformation from mystic/guru to an unstable and socially uncomfortable dude. Striving for likability, but unsure what the term really means. Must artists suffer for their art? Why does society latch onto the newest social media gimmick? What is creative success and why are so many afraid of it?

Watching Frank is like peeling away the layers of an onion. Having question raised about the creative process, while watching the facade fade to reveal a more sinister issue. I was left we a sense of a movie journey. Something I haven't had since, Fight Club ? While Frank may not be for everyone, for those who like their movies to dance to a different beat, it is something rather exceptional.

4 out of 5 strange and wacky insane black comedies

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS (2014)

 Leaving Megalopolis was released in 2014 and is a bit of a different take on superheroes. It is kind-of like an Escape From New York-style superhero tale showing how ordinary people are coping when their protectors turn on them. It follows the story of a group of ordinary people trying to escape a city (Megalopolis) that super-powered individuals have turned into their personal hunting grounds.

 The premise of the story is that Megalopolis is protected by a bunch of superheroes. One day, a dimensional rift opens up and the superheroes all unite to battle some kind of eldritch horror. When they defeat this horror is when the real problems start as it drives the superheroes a bit insane. The heroes now have an insatiable desire to kill once every few hours or so, but also limiting them to the city limits.

 Into this horror, the story follows Mina. Mina is a cop who is trying to find her way out of the city with a bunch of people who are drawn to her in the hopes that they lead them to safety. Mina and her group are trying to escape the city limits to escape the superheroes. In their travels, they meet different civilians and how they are trying to cope with the villains.

 The art throughout Leaving Megalopolis is superb. It really captures the horror of the crazed heroes and the brutality they are inflicting on the population without being too over the top and gritty. The tone of the book is definitely more Marvel Zombies than horror, however. The design of the superheroes also fits in well with the story.

 The story is very tightly woven and very good. You never get the feeling that characters are taking stupid actions just to progress the story, and you can understand all the characters points of view. Whether it is the pragmatic Mina or the people who make deals with the crazed heroes, the story never feels like it is forced. The ending leaves allot to be desired as it doesn't really resolve too much, but as a first-issue an adequate job of setting things up. The one thing that it doesn't set up well are the different characters personalities. Outside of Mina, most of the supporting cast feel like interchangeable cannon fodder for the heroes.

 Overall, Leaving Megalopolis is a story I would definitely recommend. The story is good, the characters are compelling and the art backs the story and tone of the comic without being too over the top. Although it has a few shortcomings, for the most part it a very good first-issue.

 4 out of 5 granite-laden waffles.

MOVIE REIVIEW: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)

 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a film I was going into expecting the worst. From the bad trailers, the seeming focus shift to 'dark-and-gritty' turtles (somehow), the attachment of Michael Bay (who has made exactly 1 movie I liked) as a director and the seeming focus on a bland Megan Fox over the Turtles (as we repeat the mistakes of Shia Le'Bouf and Transformers), this movie seemed to be made to make me hate it.

 After watching this movie, I can easily see how easy it is to be critical of it. From the inconsistent tone shifts (such as the elevator scene leading into the final battle), the poor CGI on Splinter or the convoluted coincidences that ties everyone into the plot, it is an easy movie to hate. Yet, I felt that despite all of this, it somehow comes together to resemble a movie that works, at least on the fun level, by not taking itself too seriously.

 For those unfamiliar with the turtles, they are a bunch of mutated, well, humanoid turtles, who have become ninjas under their master, a rat called Splinter. You have the leader (Leonardo), the Joker (Michaelangello), the smart guy (Donatello) and the tough-guy (Raphael). They live in the sewers and work to thwart the Foot Clan (a gang) under the command of The Shredder (a power-armored ninja). April O'Neil (Megan Fox) is a reporter who is trying to get a major scoop on the Foot Clan and whose father helped create the turtles with the help of the bad businessman (who is trying to get supply and demand under his control ala Iron Man 3's bad businessman).

 What helps make this movie work is it never loses its sense of fun or ability to poke fun at itself. This is mostly through Michaelangello, who has such classic lines as "he is doing his Batman voice" when Raphael tries to do the tough guy vigilante or his unrequited love for April O'Neill. The turtles are constantly spitting out funny one-liners and doing daringly acrobatic stunts and fight moves as the movie hurtles its way through cool set-pieces in the best Michael Bay style.

 But by far, the star of the show ends up being April O'Neill, surprisingly. Although the acting does nothing to distinguish her and she has a convoluted way into the plot, she proves herself to be a proactive character. This is really highlighted at the end, as she suggests a back-up plan in case the turtles fail. She even ends up saving the turtles a more than they help her. It also helps that her character has very believable motivations (an underachieving reporter looking for her big break).

 At the end of the day, it would be very easy to hate the turtles. However, far from being a dark-and-gritty take on the beloved characters, it instead is a very fun take on the turtles. Their is probably slightly too much focus on the human supporting cast instead of the Turtles, but April O'Neill is a compelling enough character and her story ties allot more closely in with helping the Turtles that it works (as opposed to Transformers where it is a boring side story completely divorced from the actual Transformers).

 So when Michael Bay asks, "Were you not entertained?", I can answer "Yes".

 4 out of 5 pancakes in a half-shell.

The Inbetweeners 2

As a massive fan of all 3 series and the first film, I couldn't wait for this. The relatively laugh-free trailer cause me to think “Do we really need a sequel ”. That idea lodge itself into my brain, as the marketing machine started pumping its release, I was losing my interest in wasting my money on it. I’m glad I didn't end up paying to see this stinker.

The film is slow to start, too, with a overly stylised opening setting, where three of our central quartet are set up for uncomfortable misery. Will hates university, Simon’s girlfriend is crazy and  Neil...well Neil is Neil. Not until the reintroducing Jay as a kind of superstar DJ-cum-Scarface, it a fantasy sequence that is deliberately overdone, easily the funniest part of the movie. That’s about 10mins in.

Eventually they make it to Australia.Where the movie spends too much time  setting up borning peripheral characters and relying on stereotypical backpacker perceptions. It was just so dull dull dull, I  even drifted off into a daydream half way through the film. Its really annoying as i love this show, the sequel feels like a cheap throwaway to earn a some extra cash and have a holiday.

As a fan I felt it failed to deliver this was just a crude bland imitation.  What made the TV show so brilliant was the how witty and clever it was. Had lots of great awkward moments that you could empathise with. However the sequel seems to just try and recreate that rather than try and be original in its own right, and as such just leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.  Shame as I was looking forward to watching the four of them together again,  what I got where 4 lobotomized idiots.  

1 out of 5 sunburnt bus wankers.

Movie Review: Lucy (2014)

 Lucy was surprising movie that I really didn't expect to like. It was a good action movie that was well-paced and interesting and, unlike allot of movies these days, didn't try to beat me over the head with a certain message (although it definitely had its themes running throughout it).

 Lucy, the titular character played by Scarlett Johansson, begins the movie as a partying blonde who gets involved with a shady character. After a deal goes wrong with the mob, she becomes an unwilling drug mule for a new drug which happens to be injected into her system. The effects of this drug: it increases her mental capacity from 10% to higher levels, giving her access to a range of superpowers. She then wants to share her new found enlightenment with the rest of the human race through a university professor, Morgan Freeman, who has made a study of the human brain.

 If you can't get over the 'only use 10% of our brains' myth being exploited for this story, you probably won't enjoy this movie. If you can let it go, what lies underneath this is a slick action movie when it wants to be. When it doesn't want to be an action movie, it cleverly subverts the audience expectations as Lucy relies less on violence as her mental capacity and superpowers improves. For example, at the beginning she uses some cool kung-fu and gun skills to escape the mob. However, later in the movie when they line up for a big showdown, she just calmly walks through them.

 The acting here is solid. Morgan Freeman puts in his normal solid performance as the university professor, but Scarlett Johansson really stands out. As she becomes more intelligent, she captures the growing feeling of feeling detached from humanity even as she becomes more enlightened. The only failure of this movie is the lack of a solid villain. They try to establish the the mob boss as the villain, but he never feels like a true threat to Lucy.

 Despite the lack of a good villain, Lucy is a good movie. It is fast paced with good action and a good story. It doesn't let itself get bogged down with philosophy even though it has a message (knowledge is good, ignorance is bad). It is definitely a movie I would recommend checking out among all the big-budget disappointments currently out (I am looking at you Turtles).

I'll Give It My All...Tomorrow

 I picked up I’ll Give It My All….Tomorrow at my local library. This crudely drawn manga glistened among the highly polished titles asking me to pick it up. It easily had the most uninspiring cover design I’ve seen. I remember commenting to myself, “I can draw better than that” but the title was the real reason I picked it up.

Once I sat down I was deeply touched and involved in the life of Shizuo. A middle-aged man who ditch his unfulfilling job as a soulless office worker to pursue his dreams of becoming a manga artist,no matter how impossible they may seem. Although Shizuo has declared to the world his intention in life, he still has to battle himself. Rather than work, he plays video game and tends to vegetate at home, which annoys his father. 

His daughter, friends and work college accepts him for what he is. Just a man who does what he has to, to pursue his goal of getting a manga published. Its a hard uphill battle for Shizuo as he faces rejection again and again and yet, he never gives up.

Despite the fact that he lacks charisma, good looks, talent, or even common sense at times, people are drawn to him because of his kind heart and intent to live his life to the fullest.  At times the story can dwell too much on the "loser" aspect of the and less on the "lovable." Eventually the these aspects become more balanced. We get to root for Shizuo, hoping that this perpetual underdog will get at least one small chance to see his dreams come true.  

Shizuo journey really hit especially close to home for me. Although I might not be 40 yet, I’ve only just started my journey to happiness. I still struggle with my own personal demons, specially about my skills and talents . I'll Give It My All...Tomorrow has taught me some important little lessons about how beautiful the bonds between people can be and believing in yourself. 





4.5 out 5  persistence waffles of dreams.