IMDB: Made in Britain

Basic Plot: Juvenile delinquent and skinhead is sent to an assessment center where his social worker attempts to reform him.

Outburst: This is a fairly honest portrayal of how young violent skinheads think about their world. I was torn between admiration for the main characters courage in standing up to The Establishment, disgust at his racism, and pity for his delusional ideas about society. It is pretty scary if you think about this, and doesn’t pull any punches.

— Tim Roth is amazing, the music is punk, and this is a very grim version of the after-school special. There are a lot of social commentary takeaways, if you are of that mindset.

Wikipedia Entry: Made in Britain

BUY IT NOW! Made in Britain (DVD)

IMDB: Devil’s Double

Basic Plot: Based on the autobiography of Latif Yahia, the body-double for Saddam Hussein’s sadistic son.

Outburst: There’s no doubt Uday Hussein was a monster, but this movie tries to portray him as both cruel psychopath and spoiled brat. Looking back on real footage, I’ve come to believe his character closer to Thulsa Doom than Cobra Commander, and his movie persona was altered to ensure no one would idolize an insane despot. This is the same canned movie they parade to mainstream audiences under a different veneer. If you are going to make a biography, have it hold to truth; if you want to make Hollywood-tripe, why bother using real people? Violent temper tantrums, scantily-clad women, and inane humor make this a pubescent boy’s dream — minus a few car crashes and big explosions. The end drags; the last fifteen minutes could be lopped off entirely.

— While I’d like to believe the mainstream public doesn’t want to see the same pap recycled into yet another movie, I’d be wrong. Millions of hoo-rah wannabes are desperate to see this and don’t know it yet. It’s one star from me, and two for overgrown boy hordes.

Official Site: The Devil’s Double
Wikipedia Entry: Uday Hussein

Basic Plot: Reflecting on the fact that the average US prostitute enters the life at 13, this is a documentary following human trafficking and female child sexual exploitation in NYC.

Outburst: When a young girl doesn’t get along with her folks and runs away from home, she can’t legally get a job. She can’t legally find a place to live, and from there it’s an easy step toward an illegal occupation such as prostitution. If a pimp grabs her and makes her sleep with several men, would her parents even take her back once they find out she’s been tricking? If she goes to the police, she’ll probably wind up in jail for prostitution. And if no one loves her except her pimp, who do you think she’ll turn to for help? None of these tales are a surprise to me, but they may be a surprise to you.

NOTE: this only covers a subsection of sexworkers. Not everyone in sexwork is exploited, and many are boys or transgender.

— This documentary is probably best viewed in an activist setting or among a group of people who can discuss the film afterward. Viewing it with current or former folks from ‘the life’ is probably ideal.

Official Site: GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services)

Basic Plot: The life of one working-class Dublin family collides with a socially awkward scientist when a meteor lands in their backyard.

Outburst: If you don’t understand Irish brogue and slang, don’t bother with this film; English subtitles are not available. The script is disjointed in its scenes and could’ve used better direction and editing.

– This movie is pretty standard fare for learning about life in an Irish slum and great for working on your accent.

Wikipedia Entry: Meteorite
Meteorite Collecting Is a Hobby

WATCH IT NOW: Pete’s Meteor

Basic Plot: A homophobic ex-security guard suffers a stroke and needs singing lessons to rehabilitate his voice. Unfortunately, his teacher is his drag-queen neighbor.

Outburst: The plot is fairly cookie-cutter but entertaining nonetheless as a gritty, bloody version of the Birdcage. If the main characters had been anyone other than Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robert De Niro, they would have been shoo-ins for Best Actor/Supporting Actor. Maybe the real mystery is how such winning performances managed to be overlooked entirely by judges and box office alike.

— It’s a decent movie, but I’m not sure who the target audience was supposed to be. This is a Joel Schumacher film (post ruination of Batman), so it’s best if you don’t go in with high movie aspirations. If you are a Robert De Niro or Philip Seymour Hoffman fan, you’ll want to watch it just to enjoy their acting abilities.

Wikipedia Entry: Flawless

BUY IT NOW! Flawless (DVD)
Amazon Instant Video: Flawless

Basic Plot: An obsessive-compulsive conman’s plans for a lucrative swindle go awry when his teenage daughter pays him a visit.

Outburst: Brilliant cons, but the neurotic behavior of the main character seems like a bad affectation, which is odd considering I think Nicholas Case is naturally neurotic.

— It’s pure Hollywood entertainment, but nothing that sticks with you beyond a day.

Official Website: Matchstick Men

WATCH IT NOW: Matchstick Men

Basic Plot: Irish detective infiltrates a secret organization devoted to sabotaging the operations oppressive coal-mining corporations.

Outburst: It’s a good movie, but like many older films it takes much longer for the storyline to develop than is desired by modern audiences. Sherlock Holmes fans will get a sense of deja-vu as this parallels the story in The Valley of Fear.

— How can you go wrong with the young Sean Connery?

Wikipedia: Molly Maguires movie
Wikipedia: Molly Maguires (secret organization)
BUY IT NOW! The Molly Maguires (DVD)

Basic Plot: U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko tracks a killer in Antarctica.

Outburst: When every hand in the movie throws in some ‘must have’ element, you end up with a steaming pile of Whiteout. It is unfathomable why anyone would want to stick Kate Beckinsale in a parka to begin with, but the gratuitous shower scene (in which you don’t actually see her naked) was a nasty tease. Full-frontal male nudity? Unnecessary. Subplot outlining her tortured character done entirely in flashbacks? Both unnecessary and equally torturous to the audience.

— This movie would have been a masterpiece in the 1980′s (circa The Thing). We saw the ending coming twenty years ago. Don’t watch it on a snowy day; you might get cabin fever.

Official Website: Whiteout
Wikipedia: Whiteout movie

Basic Plot: A federal marshal investigates the mysterious escape of a patient at a remote hospital for the criminally insane.

Outburst: Is he paranoid, or are they all out to get him? This movie is astounding in its depth and complexity. Even better, the ending ties everything together in a neat Hollywood package so you won’t have to stay confused forever.

/DVD — Personally, I thought it was a topnotch movie the first time I watched it, although not one I would watch repetitively. However, I’m told you pick up some very detailed nuances the more times you view it, so I’m going to have to add it to the DVD list.

Official Website: Shutter Island
Wikipedia: Shutter Island
BUY IT NOW! Shutter Island [Blu-ray]
BUY IT NOW! Shutter Island (DVD)

Basic Plot:  The biographical tale of Dublin criminal Martin Cahill. Based on a book of the same name.

Outburst:  The director did a masterful job here, cutting slickly through Cahill’s life to all its highlights. I saw the black-and-white version, which still baffles me as to why they’d release this when the movie was shot in color.   Some of the accents do make the speech unintelligible, but the gist of the actions comes through loud and clear.  The movie defines the very genre of anti-hero thriller, where the audience silently applauds the antics of a lovable Robin-hood style crook.

 (2 of 3 stars) — An entertaining romp of a movie, especially for a biography.  If you like to watch criminal capers and wacky bank  heists, this is the film to see.

Sony Pictures Official Website: The General
Wikipedia: The General
John Boorman–The Lybarger Links Interview