TV Dungeon: Cold Feet

Posted on 20 augustus 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(1997 – 2003, UK)

Creator: Mike Bullen
Cast: James Nesbitt, Helen Baxendale, Robert Bathurst, Hermione Norris, John Thomson, Fay Ripley, Jacey Sallés, Kimberley Joseph

5 Seasons (35 Episodes)

The British comedy-drama Cold Feet follows the lives and times of three young couples in Manchester. Both their ages and the times they live in, make it hard for them to commit to any one person. Adam (James Nesbitt) is the typical bachelor who just can’t stick in a relationship. Until he meets the attractive Rachel that is. They start a relationship in the pilot which will prove a challenging enterprise in the five seasons that follow.

Adam’s best friend Pete is married to the inglamorous Jenny. They are past the early ‘in love’ stage and face another challenge: their first child. Through Pete and Jenny, Adam and Rachel meet another young couple, the more upper-class David and Karen Marsden. The three couples deal with all the typical relationship problems; cheating, cold feet, honesty, commitment and sometimes separation. The themes are treated in a light and comical way, but a little drama is thrown in as well. Especially in the later seasons.

What is impressive about the series is that the writers work around the same subjects, but no episode ever feels repetitive. Every minute of Cold Feet feels fresh and inspired. They do an equally outstanding job in developing the very recognizable characters. Who doesn’t know an Adam? Always funny and charming, but in a relationship constantly on the brink of either cheating or running off. Or a Rachel: pretty and a tad demanding, but irresistible for Adam beyond any doubt. In fact all three couples are perfectly cast, forming matches that feel absolutely natural.

As the series progresses the characters go through thick and thin together and for the viewer it will become harder and harder to say goodbye to them. Only towards the end of the series, the writers slip up a bit. A dramatic event occurs which, although it’s part of life, changes the tone of the series and makes it a bit more soapy. Nevertheless, this is a magnificent feel-good series that you are likely to get hooked on after viewing the amazing pilot episode.

The acting deserves mention as well. Especially Nesbitt and Norris stand out. Nesbitt is the biggest provider of laughs through marvelous comic timing, while Norris gives the most balanced performance showing a wide spectrum of emotions throughout the course of the series. Neither actors won awards for their roles, but the series did win a number of awards for writing and best TV comedy. Cold Feet is great because it perfectly captures the spirit of the nineties and one of the major problems of that age: sticking in relationships.

Brooklyn Rules (2007)

Posted on 3 augustus 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

‘Not made to be broken’

Directed by:
Michael Corrente

Written by:
Terence Winter

Cast:
Freddy Prinze Jr. (Michael Turner Jr.), Scott Caan (Carmine Mancuso), Alex Baldwin (Caesar Manganaro), Jerry Ferrara (Bobby Canzoneri), Mena Suvari (Ellen), Monica Keena (Amy), Robert Turano (Mr. Canzoneri), Phyllis Kay (Mrs. Canzoneri), Ursula Abbott (Angela), Paulo Araujo (Young Michael)

The premise of friends growing up in a mob-infested neighborhood is a natural fit for coming-of-age dramas like A Bronx Tale. Brooklyn Rules unfolds against the backdrop of Aniello Dellacroce’s death, a pivotal moment that sparked a violent power struggle within the Gambino crime family.

Amid this turmoil, the film follows three close friends – Michael, Bobby, and Carmine – from their 1974 church service, where a young Michael (Freddie Prinze Jr.) steals from the collection plate, to their complicated lives in 1985. Perhaps because of his early lack of conscience, it’s Carmine (Scott Caan) who gravitates toward the mob, drawn into the orbit of Gambino captain Caesar (Alec Baldwin), a ruthless figure who dominates their neighborhood.

Bobby (Jerry Ferrara), the gentle soul of the group, dreams of a simple life: marrying his girlfriend and becoming a mail clerk. Michael, however, faces a more complex path. Though intelligent enough to attend Columbia and pursue a law career, he finds himself increasingly desensitized to the violence around him. A brutal brawl with a local thug forces the friends to confront their mortality, and Michael’s choices grow darker; stealing from a church is one thing, but murder is another.

Written by Terence Winter, known for his sharp work on The Sopranos, Brooklyn Rules delivers a solid screenplay about friendship, choices, and growing up. While it lacks the razor-sharp edge of The Sopranos, director Michael Corrente compensates with an authentic atmosphere, a stellar soundtrack (featuring ‘Sympathy for the Devil’), and evocative Brooklyn locations.

The trio of lead actors brings their characters to life, making their friendship feel genuine despite some uneven dialogue. The romantic subplot between Michael and Ellen (Mena Suvari of American Beauty) adds a welcome layer to the story. Though not groundbreaking, Brooklyn Rules is a worthy entry in its genre, offering an engaging 90 minutes for viewers.

Rating:

Quote:
MICHAEL: “He got a necklace with a fucking ear on. Cut it of some gook in the war.”

Trivia:
Scott Caan is the son of screen legend James Caan.

TV Dungeon: Corleone

Posted on 15 juli 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(2007, mini-series, Italy)
AKA: Il capo dei capi

Directed by: Alexis Cahill & Enzo Monteleone

Cast: Claudio Gioè, Daniele Liotti, Simona Cavallari, Salvatore Lazzaro, Gioia Spaziani, Massimo Venturiello, Marco Leonardi

How does one become ‘il capo dei capi’ or boss of all bosses? That question is answered in the mini-series Corleone. In a fifty year period, Toto Riini grows up from little boy in Corleone on Sicily to the highest ranking member of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra (literally ‘Our Thing’). He does so by slowly murdering anybody who opposes him or who has any real power within the Mafia.

The Corleoneses, Toto Riina and his underboss Bernardo Provenzano, are provincial Mafiosi. They join the Mafia at a young age to escape from poverty. They rise to the top of the organisation quickly. In Sicily’s capital Palermo, the Corleoneses are perceived as hicks by the Mafia, but they are smart, ambitious and extremely ruthless as the Palermeans are about to find out. Riina was known as ‘the Beast’. It is a well chosen name considering the extreme high bodycount that can be attributed to him.

The mini-series is based on the book by Giuseppe D’Avanzo and Attilio Bolzoni. The makers wanted to not only show Riini’s rise to power and how he made it to the top, but also show the struggles of the law that wanted to put an end to him and his Mafia. Many judges and policemen died in this decade long battle. That much becomes clear in Corleone. For a long time, the law didn’t stand a real chance, but through sacrifice and perseverance they eventually got results.

To make the distinction between the good side and the evil side, the writers of this mini-series introduced a fictional character in this otherwise largely fact-based story. The true-hearted Biagio Schirò grows up with Riini in Corleone, but rather than becoming a mobster like his friends he joins the police. He follows Riini’s career closely and tries to bring him down, along with many real historical law figures, such as judge Giovanni Falcone. They stand for everything that the mob doesn’t.

In terms of production design, the makers did a good job of capturing the old times on the beautiful Sicily. Dramatically however, the series falls short. There isn’t enough suspense or character development to keep the viewer entertained for six times 100 minutes. Not even close. They could have told this story in a three hour mini-series. Now it quickly becomes repetitious. A shame, because the right basis is there.

Cult Radar: Part 3

Posted on 12 juli 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

FilmDungeon.com is glad to explore the video trenches to find that oddball treasure between the piles of crap out there. Of Course, a treasure in this context can also be a film that’s so shockingly bad it’s worth a look, or something so bizarre that cult fans just have to see it. Join us on our quest and learn what we learn. Hopefully we’ll uncover some well-hidden cult gems.

Researched by: Jeppe Kleijngeld

Dracula A.D. 1972 (UK, 1972)

Directed by: Alan Gibson
Written by: Don Houghton
Cast: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham

This is the sixth Hammer production that stars Christopher Lee as the uncanny Count Dracula. This time he appears in London during the seventies, as one of his descendants. Johnny Alucard (spell his surname backwards), performs a ritual which brings his old master back to life. Dracula rapidly starts to suck the blood out of young girls. Luckily for the London hippie community, a descendant of the legendary Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), discovers what’s going on and he bows to destroy the evil count forever. Lee and Cushing are a joy to watch as always. They are very charismatic speakers, both equipped with a great voice that enables them to make almost everything they say sound interesting. It’s only a shame that Lee gets too little screen time. Also, the actors playing the hippie characters are extremely unconvincing. Just because someone’s on acid doesn’t mean he will barely react to strange and shocking occurrences. One of the weaker and duller Hammer Dracula flicks.

The Galaxy Invader (USA, 1985)

Directed by: Don Dohler
Written by: Don Dohler, David Donoho, Anne Frith
Cast: Richard Ruxton, Faye Tilles, George Stover

It starts with a Predator-like intro-shot of a fireball flying towards earth, followed by a pulpy credit sequence, including the typical cheesy synthesizer score. The fireball (spaceship) lands in Maryland and the aggressive alien creature onboard starts to roam the outside. A group of rednecks start to hunt it down for the money and a deadly confrontation ensues, while a UFO hobbyist and his former pupil get involved when they attempt to rescue the alien. The first time the Galaxy Invader appears (within five minutes), you’ll see a guy in a suit so ridiculous, it makes you wonder why they even bothered continuing this production at all. Despite these crappy effects, the movie is often quite hilarious because of the stupid (inter)actions of the yokels and the ludicrous action scenes. The alien shoots firework rockets from his gun for Christ sakes! It looks as though the budget was just a few thousand dollars. Great movie though, if you got a thing for the ultra-cheap stuff.

Kong Island (Italy, 1968)

Directed by: Robert Morris
Written by: Chang Cheh
Cast: Brad Harris, Marc Lawrence, Esmeralda Barros

Released on a Grindhouse double feature DVD together with The Galaxy Invader. The picture quality of this film is so bad that you can barely see what’s going on at times. Not that the story is very complicated. In the Nairobi jungle, a mad scientist creates a number of brain-controlled killer gorillas. They kidnap the young girl Diana who belongs to a local expedition group. Mercenary Burt leads a rescue party into the labyrinth jungle, financed by Diana’s father, a bastard who also secretly sponsors the scientist’s experiments. The rescue party gets ambushed and all except for Burt die. Soon after, he meets the ‘sacred monkey’, a girl raised by apes, who helps him find the scientist’s underground lab for a final showdown. Dull movie with virtually nothing to make it worth your while. Also known as Eve, The Wild Woman and King of Kong Island. Best to avoid.

Lucker (Belgium, 1986)

Directed by: Johan Vandewoestijne
Written by: Johan Vandewoestijne, John Kupferschmidt
Cast: Nick Van Suyt, Helga Vandevelde, Let Jotts

The heavily insane John Lucker (Nick Van Suyt) escapes from a mental institution. We learn that he has killed eight woman and performed sexual acts with their already decomposing corpses. That already says it all right? Lucker doesn’t talk much, which makes him all the more scary when he brutally murders someone. Not that it is so much better when he does talk. A prostitute, one of his victims, tells him “this is not my idea of a good time”. Same goes for the viewer: it’s all very unpleasant and nasty. But despite its dark and gloomy ugliness, there is something fascinating about Vandewoestijne’s approach. He created a visually impressive work that features good acting. Hats off for those poor victim girls, who make their torment seem very real. Also kudos for Van Suyt’s disturbing portrayal of John Lucker. A deeply messed-up maniac filled with misogyny. If you decide to watch this, prepare for the worst though.

Nightmare Concert (Italy, 1990)
OT: Un gatto nel cervello

Directed by: Lucio Fulci
Written by: John Fitzimmons, Lucio Fulci, Giovanni Simonelli, Antonio Tentori
Cast: Lucio Fulci, Brett Halsey, Ria De Simone

The DVD-cover of Nightmare Concert aka A Cat in the Brain describes this as Fulci’s bloodiest film. Hard to believe, but it is actually kind of true. I can’t remember many films with this much red in it. It is a special film as well: Fulci stars as himself, a film director with a taste for gore, who begins having violent fantasies. He visits a shrink who hypnotizes him. As a result, Fulci can no longer see the difference between his films and reality which results in loads of brutal slayings. The idea is crystal clear: screen violence leads to real violence. Many recognizable Fulci elements are present in Nightmare Concert: inventive kills (driving over a corpse ten times), less inventive kills (body part dismemberment by chainsaw), some sex and quite a lot of black humour. It is also completely over the top and contains a few lovely moments of self-parody. Just as trashy as most of Fulci’s films, but when the man is on a roll, who’s complaining?