DVD | Born Into Brothels

I was fortunate enough to be sent an advance copy of the DVD Born Into Brothels. I say fortunate, as it’s a real eye opener rather than a fun filled night in front of the TV.

What started out as a New York photographer’s desire to photograph the prostitutes who live and work in Calcutta’s red light district. She found the task impossible as neither the prostitutes nor their clients wanted to be photographed. They were too scared.

Instead of giving up, she decided to live in the red light district so that she would be accepted. It’s here that she discovered the children.

If you think prostitutes in one of the world’s poorest cities have it bad, you haven’t met the children of prostitutes. From birth they are written off, not by their parents but by society.

The documentary starts off with an interview with a 10-year-old girl, who tells of the men who visit ‘not being very nice’ and ‘normally drunk.’ Then she hits you with an unexpected blow; ‘all the women want to know when I’m going to join the line.’

At age ten, this girl is of the age where she’s expected to earn money. And because of the stigma attached to being a child of a prostitute, there is only one way for her to earn money.

But what can one New York photographer do? She takes a group of children from her street and starts to teach them how to look at the world differently, through the camera lenes. It doesn’t take long for her to see that these are normal children with some exceptional talents.

Along the way, as well as creating talented photographers, she works tirelessly through the bureaucracy to try and find a School that will take these kids. One child she even manages to get invited to an international photographers conference, and their photos appear in Amnesty International’s calendar.

So is there a happy ending? I’m not telling. What I will say is that if watching this documentary doesn’t affect you in some way, you must be made of stone.

One point of warning, even though it’s subtitled, there is one prostitute with anger issues who uses all manner of swear words, so if you’re easily offended, you have been warned, but try not to let this keep you from watching an amazing story of the power of one.

Retail release date: 26 Jan 2006

West Wing Actor John Spencer Dies

Sad news for West Wing fans as John Spencer (Leo McGarry) dies of a heart attack.

Somebody Gets Killed? Quick, Figure Out What Video Game It's Like!

Ok, so I stole this from Game|Life, but I thought it had some merit so I decided to post it here as well:

So a prostitute was run over by a car, deliberately, in New Zealand. That's sad. What's ridiculous is that everyone is now falling all over themselves trying to find a link to video games.

Another said: "Isn't this scenario the kind of thing that the PlayStation game, Grand Theft Auto, requires of players? Perhaps there is a connection."

"Another" who, you ask? A witness to the crime? The investigating officers? No: some random person who wrote in to the newspaper.

Read the actual piece and you'll find that the "link" in the headline is that a prostitute got run over by a car, and you can run over a prostitute with a car in Grand Theft Auto, according to random people with absolutely no connection to the case whatsoever.

Meanwhile, only after ten paragraphs of this absolute twaddle, are the actual details of the actual crime discussed.

I'm going to go bash my head against the wall now.

X-Box | Fahrenheit

David Cage claims in a recent interview that most games are constructed the same way that porn movies are. His game of course is very different.

Well, at least in game play, but some of the content is the most sexually risqué of any game that I’ve ever played and would rival that of GTA’s hacked scenes. A shower scene and several sex scenes would put this game in the porn category for many people.

Fortunately this 3D, highly interactive adventure game brings a fresh new breath into an almost stagnant games industry, by re-hashing the tradition text-based adventures of old and giving it the full graphic makeover.

You get to play various characters that interact with a host of others. Imaginative and intuitive game controls mean that skill as well and creative thinking are required to beat this game.

Relatively short (it’s the quickest game I’ve ever managed to complete), its lack of stamina is compensated with the (apparently) almost endless routes through the story you can take. It is possible to make it through the game without being assaulted with sex scenes, though some opponents (of video games) would argue that these scenes were put there to make (young impressionable players) you want to go back and play again to see if you can find them.

Graphically it’s great, not mid blowing, but pretty damn amazing. Control wise the camera can be a right pain in the arse at first, but once you get used to it’s habits, it’s a breeze.

One interesting thing is the emotional state of the characters – this is how you live or die in the game. Get too depressed and you commit suicide. So you have to keep your characters mental heath in check (sex makes the main character very happy!).

But there are also some ethical dilemmas. I’m at the park and see this boy drowning, I can help him, but I’m wanted by the Police. I try to help him but every time I try to save him, two Policemen patrolling the park see me and arrest me. So after 4 – 5 tries, I just walk away and ignore the boy. My in game mental health takes a hit, but so does my real mental health. I know this is only a game, but should I have spent more time trying to work out how to save the boy, rather than skipping to the next scene to see what else the game has in store?

Are games getting so complex that they are at the level where that can prick social conscience? Who knows, maybe I just need more sleep.

DVD | Code 46

Code 46, a futuristic thriller starring one of my favourite actors, Tim Robbins turned out to be a bit of a dud.

Whilst it’s premise and basic theme was an interesting one, similar to that of Gattaca, huge plot holes and a pace that barely rivals paint drying let the entire movie down.

This is sadly one to be avoided.

DVD | Lost S1

I only watched 3 episodes of Lost when it came on TV. I couldn’t really get into it that much, and I’d discovered that it was going to be a whopping 25 episodes long. I just couldn’t see my self committing to watching that many weeks of TV.
But when the Season 1 DVD came out I figured it would be worth a go. What I didn’t know is that it would take me less than a week to watch all 25 episodes! I don’t know why, but the story just grabbed me and I had to find out what was going to happen next.
For the most part Lost was perfectly paced, with enough mystery and intrigued to keep me hooked. And that’s the beauty of TV on DVD. If I’d had to wade through the advert breaks and wait a whole week for the next episode, I’d have given up, but watching it at my (some what maniacal) own pace, with no interruptions from global corporations trying to take my money made for a riveting and enjoyable series.
So what makes a group of people, survivors from a plane crash, stranded on an island that doesn’t exist, so damn interesting? Well, putting aside the twisting storyline and mysterious properties of that Island there were two factors that really grabbed me.
Firstly there was the way the Lost kept giving you flash backs into the survivors previous life. It was more the way these flashbacks were orchestrated. You’d be given just a taste of what they were like, and it was designed to make you think of them in a certain light. But as you got to know them, more flash backs showed that they were actually quite different. It gave strength to the old adage: Never judge a book by it’s cover. It’s quite interesting to see how quickly we jump to conclusions rather than waiting to see if there’s more than meets the eye.
Secondly, it was like these survivors were being given a second chance. No matter what they had done in there previous life, now they were on an island with 40 other strangers, their slate was wiped clean. They were given the opportunity top become something better, to tackle and overcome any issues that may have been dogging them before. It was almost as if God had granted them clemency, albeit trapped on an island they may never get off.
So if you’ve never seen Lost, or like me, just couldn’t be bothered with it on TV, give the DVD a go. Trust me, you’ll love it as much as I did!

DVD | Kingdom of Heaven

The crusades are an interesting subject matter for a filmmaker, very risqué some may say. What it does offer up is plenty of opportunities for Ridley Scott to do some huge battle pieces and plenty of gory blood letting. But if you watch this movie for the action you’d be missing the point and probably come away disappointed.

As a historical movie, what Kingdom achieves is quite good. It shows the situation for what it most probably was – a melting pot of peoples, creeds and purposes. People went on the crusades for many reasons. Some wanted to spread the love of God, some wanted to be judge and jury on a people they didn’t understand, some went for fortune, and some for control.

Most powerfully it shows what can be done with understanding and acceptance and pure motives. And it shows that even the most unlikely and un-ready man can find peace if he learns from his journey.

DVD | Empire of the Sun

There’s been a few good movies from my childhood being released onto DVD of recent years and it’s funny how the movies seem so different to how you remember them. Empire of the Sun is one such movie.
I liked it as a kid, though I wouldn’t have raved about it, but now as an adult I think it’s an amazing film.
Unlike most war movies, Empire of the Sun isn’t about the fighting so much, it’s more about the civilian population and how war effects them. More specifically it’s about a little boy and the loss of his innocence. Stranded after loosing his parents in the mad rush as Japan attacks the Western sector of China, this well-to-do English boy has to fend for him self, he soon hooks up with a couple of maverick American merchant sailors who help him out for a while and then he finds himself in and interment camp.
It’s in no way a feel good movie, though it does have the predictable happy ending, but it is based of the experiences of a English boy lost in Japanese controlled China. It’s an important movie because rather than taking sides, it shows a side of warfare that is often overlooked: The devastating effect it has on the civilian population.

DVD | The Woodsman

It’s hard to review a movie like The Woodsman. It’s difficult to find the right words to use. Somehow saying that it was a fantastic, brilliant movie, doesn’t seem right when you find out what the subject matter is.

But it is a fantastic movie. It’s compelling but disturbing viewing. You’re not sure which side you want to take, because all your pre-conceived judgements have had to been thrown out the window.

There are many characters in this movie for people to relate to, but it’s Kevin Bacon’s character, Walter, that we should be rooting for. Even though we would never in real life.

You see Walter has just spent 12 years in prison for a crime he did commit: Molesting little girls.

So why, you may be asking, would anyone want to see a movie about a child abuser? For one it’s got Kevin Bacon in it. Lets face it, Kevin takes these unique roles and nails them. And it’s a movie not so much about abuse, but hope.

So OK, there might be some spoilers coming now.

In the movie Walter finds love and acceptance in the form of a hard-edged formally abused female workmate. They both fins acceptance in each other and are able to share past hurts. But Walter also finds prejudice through the cop (played by the ever capable Mos Def) and some of his other work mates.

He also finds redemption, through two sources. One is by stopping another serial child abuser who he witnesses through his apartment window. Walter recognisees the guys actions because of how he used to act. But left with no way to alert anyone, Walter struggles with what to do until one day he snaps and beats the guy up. The scene and concept works better in the movie. Of course this isn’t the best way to go about dealing with criminals, but what else could Walter do? Tell the police? A convicted child molester goes to the police to convince them he knows something? No.

His second act of redemption comes in the form of a would be victim. Struggling with his inner demons and trying to become normal is a sure to fail task with out the support of everyone around you. Walter has the support of only a few people and the ever-present judgement of everyone else. It’s a battle that the demons are bound to win. Except for one thing. His would be victim has a surprise for him. When Walter sits down in a deserted park with this little girl he ahs chosen, through talking to her he accidentally discovers that her daddy is already abusing her in the same way that Walter used to abuse little girls. Walter had always believed that what he did never hurt anyone, but now with the tears and pain on this little girls face, he realises who he was, and he gets the strength he needs to let the girl go.

It’s not a happy-joy-joy ending. Walter may be on the road to recovery, but the film leaves us with no doubt that it’s going to be a rocky road.

But a review can’t do this movie justice. The movie has many layers, and should be viewed far more widely than it will. The Mall scene in particular will change the way you see today’s fashion trends, and what it’s doing to our children.

But be warned, it’s not an easy movie to watch, it’s not popcorn entertainment in anyway. It’s disturbing and has a lot of sexual/nude scenes. But in the end, is a powerful, worthwhile movie.

Movie Quote #3

What movie does this quote come from?

There's wrong, and then there's wrong, and then there's this.

Most Games Are Like Porn!

In an interview with Jumpbutton Magazine (issue 2 coming soon) David Cage dropped this stunning revelation on the state of gaming:

Most games offer a disruptive narrative, similar to what you’d find in porn movies. You get a couple of minutes of story to set the context, the set and the characters, then an action sequence; then another bit of story to set the context for the next scene, to prepare the next action sequence, and so on.
No one cares about the story because it is not perceived as a key component of the experience. In games, like in porn movies, the user is there for the ‘action’, not the story. But most of all, the story and the action do not progress together but turn by turn (Story/Action/Story/Action).

And I have to say, that after playing Cage’s Fahrenheit, and thinking about most other games that I’ve played, he’s right!

DVD | Wicker Park

This movie took it’s time coming to retail DVD (I only get to review retail releases, and sometimes the period between rental and retail can be strangely long) and it wasn’t quite what I expected.

What the trailer showed was a totally different movie to what was actually delivered. The trailer promised a fast paced intriguing thriller, the movie on the other hand was more a look at love and the lengths some people will go to get it, and what happens when you loose it.

And in that it’s a pretty good movie. Nothing to rave about, but an interesting tangled story that shows the highs and lows and desperations of love, and it does it with out showing any real ‘flesh’ witch is pretty dam amazing for a Hollywood movie these days.

DVD | War Of The Worlds

I reviewed WOTW after seeing it at the cinema, so I’m not going to re-hash what I thought of it, you can go read it here. What I am going to say is that yes, it does survive the small screen experience and is still a damn good popcorn movie.
So what about the extras? Well they were pretty much run-of-the-mill. But what you do get is some insights on why the movie ended up being the way it was. For one, they (Tom, Steven and the dude who wrote the screenplay) got together and made up a list of what they DIDN’T want to see in the movie, such as famous landmarks being destroyed and other such cliché’s which I though was a damn good way to approach the writing of a movie.

Best line: Can you think of a plan that doesn’t involve your ten year old sister joining the army?