For my Viewing Pleasure

This weekend I have watched and liked....

1. 'Bigger, Stronger, Faster' [arthouse section of Amalgamated]- I like the broad coverage of the topic and the different perspectives on steriod usage. It's kinda got that Mike Moore edge where the subject matter is bound to make itself look stupid if you sit back and let it talk for a while. Easy pickings, but nicely put together and some good 80s action hero nostalgia. A sensitive critique on the American psyche.

2. '13 Beloved' [arthouse section of Amalgamated]

A surpising and nice Thai thriller/horror, in the mold of 'Saw' (but more psychological and slightly less gore-factor). One of those ones where you don't wanna think too hard about how it all is supposed to be plausible, though.

I have a pretty strong stomache for those kind of things, so this was up my alley and most of the violence had its purpose in the plot. I also like a film where the characters are a bit morally grey.

His fifth task had me and Carly squirming in our seats, but the gross was mixed with oddly timed darkly humorous moments, meaning it didn't take itself too seriously. The beginning seems cheesy as (a boy scout walking an old lady across a road) but later on in the film you see it had some significance, and the end had a good twist too. Worth seeing if you like a decent Asian horror - maybe a bit of a 'Saw' copy-cat, but I imagine the rights have already been bought by some American studio, none-the-less.

3. 'Jump!' [Documentary Channel]

This was a documentary about competitive jump-rope in the USA (double dutch, speed jumping, freestyle) - yeah, that's right, competitive! I liked it!

There were some cool little personalities, like the intense little girl who gives herself asthma attacks every time she jumps, but always manages to win and the unlikely best-buds duo of the tall, goofy redhead guy and the short bouncy black guy (they somehow manage to move with perfect synchonicity) and the Asperger's seeming kid who tried to make up a complicated 'jump-pha-bet' to short-hand his team's routines (it didn't fly with them). It is nicely done and uplifting and some of the tricks they do are beautiful.

Kinda in the vein of 'Spellbound', but with much more athletic kids. I think docos about eccentric, obsessive hobbies is one of my sub-genres of choice - I also liked one about professional Scrabble and The King of Kong. There was one on professional arm-wrestling on last night - gutted I missed it! The only cringe bit is the slighly annoying rah-rah American mood at the end, but by then you kinda want them to win anyhow, so they get away with it .

A film I did not like so much....

4. 'Operation Filmmaker' [Documentary Channel]

This one I'd heard about and anticipated it being clever and sensitive and suprising. I didn't find it any of the above, really. To be fair I was watching 'Grey's Anatomy' at the same time, so I might've missed something key....

But the Iraqi guy was a bit of an immature, manipulative (in an obvious way) jerk, the Americans trying to 'save' him were kinda arrogant and simplistic and the documentary maker was a bit desperate and soft.

I didn't really feel for anybody and nobody seemed to have any particular depths of emotion. The Rock made a brief appearance - that was the best bit. He has a pretty smile.

I think there was supposed to be some great statement about the tenuous relationship between the doco maker and her subject, and how the power shifted - but all I really saw was a desperation on both parts. I don't think the doco was layered enough for the filmmaker to be making some kind of ironic statement about her own feeble position, though. I don't think it was that self aware. Maybe I missed something.

It all seemed like a doco that went wrong, but rather than canning it and moving on to a better project, they tried to eke something out of it (and name drop a little). For me there was no great story of the human condition there. I guess that's a talking point - and talking points are good.....

Overall, it kinda annoyed me. I hung in there, hoping there would be some great gasping moment towards the end where it all pulled together somehow.... but the credits kinda jumped up on me, without any real closure.