Page 68 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Observer Showbiz A Night To Remember
www.MelbourneObserver.com.au
Movies, DVDs
With James Sherlock
Reviews by Aaron Rourke
THE HUNGER GAMES (ALSO KNOWN AS ...)
■ With the much-hyped, big budget Hollywood action film The Hunger Games currently setting the box-office alight ($155 million in its first weekend in the US alone), not many people have acknowledged how much the film (and the books by Suzanne Collins, released in 2008) shamelessly rips-off the following movies.
Battle Royale
● Kenneth More stars in A Night To Remember
● The original and rare 1958 five-part comic strip newspaper serialisation of A Night to Remember
■ (R) (2000). 114 minutes. Now available on DVD. ***** This is THE film of which author Collins is obviously a big fan. Controversial and provocative, this highly influential film is both exhilerating and absorbing, giving us a future that is terrifying and all-too-believable. Based on the hugely popular novel by Koushun Takami, the story is set in Japan in the near future, where due to a collapse in the education system (with many students not attending school and running rampant), a new law entitled the BR Act is introduced, where one class will be selected by special lottery to take part in a ruthless program. This program will see high school students forced to fight and kill one another, with the winner allowed to return to society with special privileges (as well as weeding out the undesirables). After a chilling opening scene, the film builds methodically, introducing its characters and the world they live in convincingly, then tightens the screws as these youngsters are put in such a horrifying position. Humanity takes a back seat to selfpreservation, contradicting what the Government supposedly want to teach this new generation. All the performances are natural, allowing the viewer to connect with and experience the fear, horror, and moral uncertainty that these teenagers feel. The cast includes future stars Chiaki Kuriyama (Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol 1), and Tatsuya Fujiwara (the Death Note series), and the head teacher that sends the students into battle is perfectly played by renowned actor/director Takeshi Kitano (Zatoichi / Hana-Bi / Outrage). Legendary director Kinji Fukasaku (Tora! Tora! Tora! / Battles Without Honour And Humanity series) brilliantly balances violent action with social commentary, making Battle Royale (recently re-released by Madman Entertainment) vivid, unforgettable viewing.
Rollerball
● Did You Know? - Facts behind the story of the Titanic used in papers to promote the release of A Night to Remember
■ (M) (1975). 121 minutes. Now available on DVD. *** A slick but not entirely successful blend of sci-fi, action, and satire, Rollerball (based on the short story by William Harrison) is still mildly entertaining, and is at least streets ahead of the awful 2002 remake. Again set in the future, which is now run by global corporations, the film stars James Caan as Jonathan E, the main drawcard of a violent sport called Roller Ball, which is watched and loved by millions of people around the world. Living a life of luxury, Jonathan
● James Caan in Roller Ball discovers that he is merely a pawn in a much larger game, and that the ultra-rich elite (who look down on the players), are the ones in charge. The world will be watching. Caan (The Godfather / Freebie And The Bean / Henry's Crime) is perfectly cast as Jonathan E, and an interesting cast includes John Houseman, Moses Gunn, Ralph Richardson and Maud Adams. The Roller Ball sequences are well-staged, and the film has a largescale look and feel. The action and social satire don't quite gel however (it clicks together better in the 1976 film Death Race 2000, which could also be listed here), and director Norman Jewison (In The Heat Of The Night / The Thomas Crown Affair) allows the story to bog down on too many occasions.
The Running Man ■ (R) (1987). 101 minutes. Now available on DVD. **1/2 Based on a novel by Stephen King (under the pseudonym Richard Bachman), this trashy, low-brow adaptation is certainly amusing, but never reaches the heights it could have. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Ben Richards, a troublesome police officer who is framed for a mass murder he didn't commit. As his name is big news, he is forced to participate in an elaborate game where convicted criminals try and kill each other, with the promise that they will be fully pardoned if they win. This game is broadcast on TV (again watched by millions) and is enthusiastically hosted by Killian (hilariously played by Richard Dawson, of Hogan's Heroes fame). Ultra-garish set and costume design definitely gives the film a deliberately cheap-looking, Vegas-style atmosphere, and a sense of humour helps gloss over the second-rate nature of the script. Director Paul Michael Glaser (former star of the Starsky And Hutch TV series) keeps things moving, but never seems interested in the darker, more substantial elements of the story. A good supporting cast includes Yaphet Kotto (Alien / Blue Collar), Maria Conchita Alonso (Colors / Predator 2), and Jim Brown (The Dirty Dozen / Riot / Fingers). As throw-a-way entertainment, The Running Man is watchable, tongue-in-cheek viewing, but it could have been so much more. - Aaron Rourke
Melbourne
Observer
Top 10 Lists THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. THE HUNGER GAMES. 2. THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. 3. 21 JUMP STREET. 4. JOHN CARTER. 5. GHOSTRIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE. 6. MARGIN CALL. 7. PROJECT X. 8. THE RUM DIARY. 9. THE ARTIST. 10. AGENT VINOD. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: MARCH 29: A DANGEROUS METHOD, DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX, MIRROR MIRROR, TOMBOY, WRATH OF THE TITANS. APRIL 5: AMERICAN PIE: REUNION, GOODBYE FIRST LOVE, LOVE IN THE BUFF, PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, THE DEEP BLUE SEA, THE WELL DIGGER'S DAUGHTER, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, TITANIC 3D. THE DVD TOP SELLERS: 1. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - Part One [Drama/ Fantasy/Robert Pattinson]. 2. REAL STEEL [Action/Drama/ Hugh Jackman, Hope Davis, Kevin Durand]. 3. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS [Romance/Comedy/Drama/Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams]. 4. THE DEBT [Thriller/Action/Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington]. 5. DRIVE [Action/Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks]. 6. THE HELP [Drama/Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer]. 7. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN [Drama/Tilda Swinton, John C. Riley, Ezra Miller]. 8. WARRIOR [Drama/Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte]. 9. RED STATE [Comedy/Thriller/ John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Michael Parks]. 10. SHARK NIGHT [Thriller/Chris Carmack, Katherine McPhee, Sarah Paxton]. Also: THE WHISTLEBLOWER, CONTAGION, TAKE SHELTER, IMMORTALS, THE CUP, OUR IDIOT BROTHER, THE TREE OF LIFE, THE HUNTER, I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: THE IDES OF MARCH [Drama/ George Clooney, Ryan Gosling]. ATTACK THE BLOCK [Comedy/SciFi/Action/Jodie Whittaker, Nick Frost]. JACK AND JILL [Comedy/Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes]. FOSTER [Drama/Richard E. Grant, Toni Collette]. NEW & RE-RELEASE CLASSICS ON DVD HIGHLIGHTS: LION KING 2: Simba's Pride [Family/Comedy/Music/Drama]. LION KING 3: Hakuna Matata [Family/Comedy/Music/Drama]. DAYS OF HEAVEN [Drama/Richard Gere, Brooke Adams]. JIMMY HOLLYWOOD [Comedy/ Drama/Joe Pesci, Christian Slater]. Turn To Page 71