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mariomaniac2
Reviews
Kick-Ass (2010)
Will make you care about superheroes again.
Watching the trailer for Kick-Ass I was pessimistic. It appeared to be extreme for its own sake, the characters were lazy and unoriginal. The relationship between hit girl and her father especially struck me as forced and weird for its own sake. Having now watched the film in full I can't say I was wrong.
The difference, though, is that all of these elements work perfectly in context, because when a human being decides to go superhero they're likely to be an unoriginal weirdo, and are certainly taking things to unnecessary extremes. This is the beauty of Kick-Ass, and allows it to effortlessly achieve that which a recent crop of big budget deconstructive superhero flicks have fruitlessly strived for in recent times. The Nolan Batmans, Hancock and, most significantly, Watchmen tried to show us the consequences of putting a hero in the real world, then laid before us vastly unrealistic and exaggerated characters for our consideration. The problem with these films was that they got bogged-down in their own significance, imploring us to stop and deeply think about what a superhero is and the consequent moral implications, etc, etc. They failed to realise that comic book superheroes do not truly exist, and if they do it is for no other reason than to entertain us. By grasping this, Kick-Ass shines as wonderfully easy to relate to and batsh*t insane, simultaneously.
Many reviewers have praised Kick-Ass as a "thinking person's film" for its unconventional approach to the superhero, but I would argue the exact opposite. Its characters occur so naturally and its events so typically that the viewer just has to sit back and enjoy the show. Its treatment of superhero legend somehow avoids both damnation and mockery, and feels like nothing other than joyful celebration and homage. The glue that holds all of this in place is the film's magnificent sense of humour which, despite the odd self-aware joke that might lose its potency over time (not wanting to die "before finding out what happens on Lost" an example) sure as hell made me laugh.
Phat Beach (1996)
This movie will stick with me forever.
The year is 1996. Film as we know it is coming to a dead end. With mediocre outings such as Scream, Mission:Impossible and Trainspotting, cinema goers have lost faith in Hollywood and seek other pastimes, such as sandwich-making and witchcraft.
On a rainy 1996 day, I went alone to the local cinema. Having to make my own popcorn (as it was no longer sold due to lack of demand), I entered the empty room, a tear rolling from my eye. To me, it seemed, this may be the last time I went to a cinema, heck, it could be the last time I saw a movie!
What I saw in that very cinema astounded me as it does every generation to behold it to this day. "Phat Beach" was the phattest movie I had ever seen. It was phatter than phat. Despite Hollywood's best efforts, it has never been out-phatted, and never will in my eyes.
Imagine Ferris Buellers day off meets Kenan and Kel and you are approaching a thousandth of what "Phat Beach" has to offer. Throw in Pulp Fiction and the Godfather series, and you have the first five minutes.
What makes it so easy to relate to is the main character, Benny. Like many of us, he stays at home with his parents 10 years or so longer than he might like to, he weighs a few hundred pounds more than he might like and, yeah, he's left the small matter of having sex a bit late in hope of making his first time real special. But Benny don't care. He is a poet, a tortured soul who cares for nothing but his art.
If you expect this movie to be funny, you are sorely mistaken. What "Phat Beach" achieves is far above mere fickle humour. Your emotions are taken for a a roller-coaster ride as you follow Benny's story. You share his loneliness, his feelings of betrayal and joy at discovering a hidden talent for volleyball.
But "Phat Beach" does not make your emotions its play thing. For example, during the volleyball sequences, Benny rarely loses a point, meaning that there is no moment of doubt. Benny is phat, and thus should NEVER loose. We understand this, and therefore become absorbed by his world.
So should you watch "Phat Beach". Do you enjoy seeing fat gentlemen in chef's hats? Are you Cooilio's biggest fan? Do you seek further meaning in this life we all lead? If the answer to all three questions is yes (and it damn well should be), you should buy at least three copies of "Phat Beach" within the next ten minutes.
For me, "Phat Beach" is a masterpiece of cinema, and I therefore watch it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I recommend the DVD release including the trailer which, although essentially several random clips of the movie mixed together and interspersed with fades over several minutes, does shed a lot more of that light you've been yearning for on to this glorious movie.