daniel-497 Reviews

Shortbus (2006)

When I say I'm in love you'd better believe I'm in love L.U.V!

[8/10 · 2 December 2006]

Actions run the risk of speaking so loud it's hard to hear what people say, and of course, the action that has caused all the buzz around "Shortbus" speaks at top volume. It's in your face, and if you are not comfortable with explicit heterosexual acts, let alone male on male fellatio, you probably should think twice about seeing it. Or really, you should see the movie and try to sort out your issues with these things.

Anyway, for all its notoriety, "Shortbus" is really a feel-good-movie and a celebration of the alternative scene in New York. This means that bearded men with acoustic guitars are shown in full view, something that bothers me a helluva lot more than any members going in and out of orifices.

Sook-Yin Lee is wonderful as a woman seeking an elusive orgasm and she is the center point of the film. "Shortbus" is a warm, funny film that touches on subjects of loneliness and isolation, but never in a disturbing way. I left the cinema with a warm glow in my whole body. I think it's called love.

Pusher III (2005)

Long day's journey into an even longer night

[8/10 · 9 March 2006]

It must be hell being Milo. This film starts off as one of those "everything-goes-wrong"- movies that were so in vogue in the mid-nineties – although the focus here is not some spectacular heist but a routine heroin deal, all in a day's work for aging mid-level Serb gangster Milo.

In a way, the plot (not the film) starts out resembling that part in Goodfellas, where Ray Liotta has to keep his mind on a lot of different things at the same time and ends up being busted.

Milo also has a lot of things to mind – the heroin shipment from Holland, the preparations for his daughter's twenty-fifth birthday, keeping his NA appointments and actually staying off blow and tar for his daughter's sake as he's promised himself. The fact that he has to cook the whole birthday dinner for a party of 50 himself, and that his daughter is a full- blown Serbian bitch, surely doesn't help matters much.

Then there are some unforeseen complications which I will not discuss, but that seem to be evidence that the gods or somebody must be against poor Milo. Where most of the problems facing Pusher II:s anti-hero Tönnie seems to stem from his own weakness (and thus are perfectly believable), the combination of shortcomings that Milo faces seems a bit more far- fetched.

But anyway, that doesn't make this film less worth viewing. Just like the two other parts of the trilogy, it's a dark, depressing story full of characters and surroundings that seem perfectly real in every sense. The Scandinavian criminal underworld, with its Serbs, Albanians, Arabs and natives. Copenhagen is in many ways the heaviest of the capitals of Scandinavia, and has been rife with organized and not-so-organized crime since well back in the seventies.

One thing has to be said about the main character, Milo. The way he's portrayed in this film, I found myself having to remind myself of the Milo of the first Pusher film, the smiling gang boss having his henchman torturing small-time dealer Franke with electric wires. Whatever happens to Milo in this film, he's deserved it. Just keep that in mind.

The Football Factory (2004)

Violent entertainment

[6/10 · 13 October 2005]

If you want brilliant social commentary or an insight into the psyche of men addicted to adrenalin, look elsewhere. If, however, you want to have a laugh with your mates (presumably, this film attracts about as many female viewers as your average Jenna Jameson flick) and have a taste for "immoral" pastimes, this is quite an enjoyable film.

The producers behind The Football Factory are Rockstar Games. Yes, the Rockstar Games who gave the world the PS2 game Grand Theft Auto. This should give you a hint of what the film is about. Just like leading actor Danny Dyer's previous film Human Traffic, Football Factory sets out to exploit a subculture. Both films rely heavily on in-jokes for the initiated about what they do on the weekend, be they clubbers gobbling down ecstasy like candy and dancing, or football lads snorting cocaine and fighting.

And, destructive as drug abuse and violence may be, there is no denying that when you're right in the middle of it, it can be fun as hell. If you have ever ran down a city street with a hundred man strong mob chasing the opposition you will understand what I mean, and you will probably love The Football Factory.

This being in essence an exploitation film, I can't help but feeling that the recurring nightmares of Dyer's character and the pathetic ending have been added by somebody to take the edge of the exploitation aspect. That part of the film is really poorly and unconvincingly done, in contrast to the "immoral" parts that focus on the joy of drinking, snorting and fighting – they are for most part fun and spot-on.

Green Street Hooligans (2005)

The turkey is a rare beast

[2/10 · 13 October 2005]

True turkeys may be rare, but this is one of them. The makers of this film display a complete lack of understanding of terrace culture and football hooliganism. The script is downright silly, and what starts off as an American's "Soccer hooliganism for Dummies" ends a tragedy which show no resemblance to what's actually going on on the streets in the real world.

The whole plot is laughable, the whole angle of the wrongfully expelled Ivy League student with no history of violence turning into an adrenalin junkie overnight simply isn't plausible. Add to that a dialog that's written to explain everything about "soccer" and football hooliganism for the totally ignorant, and a set of unlikely characters and Thanksgiving's saved! Not to mention the anti-drugs agenda which looks just a little bit out of place considering the topic. Firms like the fictional "Green Street Elite" LOVE their coke, make no mistake about it!

I'll give it a 2 because they at least got the clothes right, plus the fight scenes (apart from the last one) are really good. Other than that, watch Football Factory instead. It's not a great film, but a lot more fun and at least the people who made it know a little about football hooliganism.