The Hurt Locker
Little Tension
8 March, 2010 - 11:46
Seriously ?
I suppose cinema is like football, in that two people can sit side by side for a couple of hours, ostensibly watching the same thing, and come away with diametrically opposed views. I thought it was positively bristling with tension ,and aside from the idea of a surgically implanted bomb, saw nothing silly about the storyline.
I find it difficult to remember ...
8 March, 2010 - 12:07
... a lot of the scenes.
But for silly, how about a bomb disposal team encountering an SAS patrol (or indeed the roughtie-toughtie soldiers from any country) and the special forces chaps saying "Oo, will you shoot the baddies for us because we're not very good at this sort of thing"?
Maybe I missed something patronising about the dehumanising and brutalising nature of war but I think that the HL is destined to be one of those pub questions in 10 years where people go "The Hurt what?"
I see
8 March, 2010 - 12:36
nothing patronising in reminding people about the dehumanising and brutalising nature of war. It seems all too easily forgotten,at a time when we seem to bombarded with the idea that anyone in army fatigues is a hero.
That said, you might be right about the pub quiz question idea, as it does seem to be a case of critical rather than popular acclaim driving its award-winning success.
All the time...
8 March, 2010 - 13:27
the Oscars are just about English language and mostly American movies, they pretty much mean nothing at all. When you can marginalise truly great films like A Prophet to 'best foreign language' without even considering them for Best Film no matter how good they are, the Oscars will remain fairly meaningless, except in terms of making money.
Tony Leung's performance in In The Mood For Love a few years back was unbelievable, but he spoke Chinese in it, so he wasn't even considered. And 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days didn't even get a nomination for Best Foreign Film a couple of years back, despite being a winner at Cannes and quite simply one of the most perfect films I've ever seen. But it wasn't about Nazis, so it was never going to get much of a shot at Best Foreign Language Film.
Any award ceremony where the star of Miss Congeniality 2 is seen as Best Actress (for the whole year, out of thousands of films) is, frankly, laughable.
i suppose
8 March, 2010 - 13:38
that starring in rubbish films (well done for managing to pick only the one, I'd have gone for Speed 2) should not preclude someone from winning a 'best' gong, not that I've seen The Blind Side though its a decent book
__________________
I love Mr Tank
That's why Cannes exists, and
8 March, 2010 - 14:41
That's why Cannes exists, and all the other film festivals... precisely because the Oscars are so utterly biased towards their own back yard, and always it will be thus... but so what? It's just a massive excuse for a beano (topical zeitgeist word of the day), a luvvie-in and all that yadda yadda yadda, it's glitzy, glam what evs.. the rest of the world is capable of thinking outside The Box starring Cameron Diaz.
Or do you buy Hello and spit your vitriol across its glossy pages... how DARE you not be the New Statesman!
How many farkin' years ago is it
9 March, 2010 - 02:00
....that you idled your time away learning ocker in Australia ? I remember telling my mate Steve about that forthcoming movie, (co)written by 'a QPR bloke'...and nuffink. Now my pal just 'appens to be a member of a worldwide motorcycle association, he still resides in London, so if you need any updates....
don't you mean..
9 March, 2010 - 07:54
..if he needs any updates?
I think I'm going to write an article about trying to write this bloody movie. It's a great tale (I humbly submit) in itself. Included meeting the most notoriously bent copper in the whole of the NSW police force in a steel-pressing plant in Bankstown - that was Roger Rogerson - there's a film about him called Blue Murder. I had no idea of his reputation when I met him, was merely introduced to him as a 'reputable witness' in regard to the police handling of the 'Milperra Massacre'.
What we're talking about here is the largest murder trial in Australian history, a trail that resulted from internecine war between two rival biker clubs, who had in fact once been part of the same club - the Comancheros. I met the man who founded the Comancheros - Jock Ross - twice, at his home near Wiseman's Ferry NSW. Jock was a charming and beguiling character; born in Glasgow, joined the British Army, ended up in Oz where he decided to found a bike club based on his principles, which were drawn in part from Nietzsche and with similar interpretations of his work as the leader of the German National Socialist party...he is also probably the hardest man I've ever met, and I won't reveal his exploits or what he told me here..
Jock's club - The Comancheros - went on to become the toughest club in Northern NSW - eventually ousted by the local police force, they de-camped to Sydney's Western Suburbs, where they grew rapidly in numbers and reputation. By the time of the massacre in 1984 they'd split into two factions - the younger members having moved clubhouse to a fantastic location on Sydney Harbour in Balmain. Thr younger members, inspired by Jock's former protege, Snoddy, took on the mantle of the American bike club, The Bandidos, and were subsequently granted license to form the first Australian Chapter. The two clubs entered into an informal 'war', primarily initiated by Jock, who saw them as traitors. This 'war' led to the infamous event on Father's Day 1984, which resulted in 7 people being shot dead in a pub car park, on what had been a family day out.
I met many of the people who had been involved in the massacre, stayed with some of them and their families, and subsequently have some fascinating tales to tell.. which I hope will form the basis of the article... and why am I writing this at 6.52am? Because I couldn't sleep and it's been on my mind and the org is nothing if not a confessional for the self-absorbed.
What he said...
9 March, 2010 - 11:29
It's hard to describe the reputation of Roger Rogerson. If someone told me they'd been part of the Manson Family, stayed the odd weekend with Fred and Rosemary West or met Roger Rogerson I'd be most worried about RR.
In a steel-pressing plant too ! Bloody hell - bit intimidating. You wouldn't be surprised if he stuck your fingers in one just for fun.
Mind you Hud, you've been on that ever since I've known you. Treat my advice for what it's worth, which is bugger all, but why don't you write a book or a fictionalised version of it that might get made into a movie - Vinnie Jones is looking for work.
Apropos of books about criminal activity that have been made into films... Have you read The Informant by any chance. Much much better than the film. I thought the film was very disappointing - tried to take it all in and ended up being stretched too thin.
Hi Chris..
9 March, 2010 - 12:56
..thanks for that. I am definitely considering your idea. Haven't seen or read The Informant.
In regard to Roger Rogerson, your reaction doesn't surprise me! After I met him, I returned to Paddington where I was staying and headed to Fiveways for a much needed beer at The Royal Hotel pub. When I got in there I spotted a couple of guys I'd made friends with and who knew about the film. They asked me how it was going. When I told them I'd just met this ex-copper called Roger Rogerson, they genuinely spat their beer out in shock. After a moment of gawping disbelief, one of them stared at me and said 'You met Roger the Dodger?! And you're still walking mate?! You must be doing something right!'
Those mc clubs
9 March, 2010 - 12:57
...well the leadership anyhow, know what's going on between 'em no matter what country they're in. Having crossed paths from my teenage years with members of various associations, I've heard about that Commanchero - Bandido bovver. Personally I like hanging out with the Humpty Dumpty's...they're off the wall.
well, there's certainly an audience for it
9 March, 2010 - 12:04
In 2002, Australian film maker Martin Brown produced a documentary titled 1% One Percenters Search For A Screenplay in an effort to raise interest for a big budget movie of the massacre. The documentary, first aired on 2 February 2003, follows Brown as he looks for screenwriters, funds and a director for his movie. It includes interviews with the police investigating officer ex superintendent Ron Stephenson, Comanchero president "Jock" Ross, Bandido vice president "Bullets" and several other Milperra survivors.[5]
[edit] See alsoBy the way..
9 March, 2010 - 13:02
The info about the doco in that blurb is incorrect. It wasn't aired in Feb 2003, I didn't fly out to Sydney until 1 march 2003, and I interviewed Jock about 2 weeks later. I was still in Sydney in May, hence I missed that Oldham game and that Furs goal and had to endure all of it, and the play-offs, via t'internet at some ungodly hour. I also *almost* met Bill Power, god bless him, in Sydders, but in the end he never made it from wherever he was... Indonesia I think.
And I've just realised that in my big clear out a few weeks ago, I chucked out the video of the documentary...
In that you are
9 March, 2010 - 13:43
correct Sonic. Although culturally sometimes it felt more like 1500 years.
NOT that I didn't make a lot of great friends out there, don't get me wrong!
My take on the 'Aboriginies' didn't go down to well though. I decided they should be called Native Australians, as with their very distant American cousins. I was met with stunned disbelief when I referred to them thus in many a pub...
'You don't see many Native Australians around these parts..'
Cue narrow-eyed look
'Whaddya mean mate, I'm a Native Australian'
'No, I'm talking about the Native Australians, the ones who've been here for around 50,000 years.
'What, yer mean the fucken Abos? They're no more native Australian than I am mate.'
Dangerous territory
9 March, 2010 - 13:48
Next you'll be referring to Native English and start disparaging those who came over c1,500 years ago and kicked their pathetic little arses out to the fringes.
To give the Celts (pah! meaningless term) their due, though, they don't have the didgerifuckingdoo.
huh..
9 March, 2010 - 14:17
..the Celts, to use that umbrella term, originated in Central Europe.. earliest linguistic evidence around 6th century BC. They arrived in British Isles maybe 200/300 years later.
There is evidence for people living in British Isles for at least 100,000 years. A long, long time before the Celts ever got here. During the ice-age, Britain was of course joined to mainland Europe, and there is good evidence that the Picts arrived in Britain around 8,000 BC - again, long before the Celts. The Picts eventually settled in what is now known as Bonny Scotland.
There's a quota system
9 March, 2010 - 15:04
Just like every train from north of Leeds must contain a lone male Scotsman occupying a table with a pyramid of beer cans propped against the window. He should alternate between offering all passers by a 'wee swally' and muttering menacingly. He should be in place even if the train has just rolled off the production line 5 minutes earlier.
And he's probably not even Scottish - just from RADA and getting into character for the next gritty little thing from darling Kenny.
I bet you every board has a Hud too.
I meant Loachy ...
10 March, 2010 - 11:21
Woachy. Not the narrator of 'Walking with Dinosaurs'. Although I do love that programme, me.
And talking of programmes we enjoy, is anyone watching the repeats of GBH on one of the satelite channels? Michael Murray is one of my political heroes.
Why do you think I never went back
9 March, 2010 - 18:04
Even now I'm still shocked at the casual racism on display in Australia.
But they won't hear of anyone telling them that there's a better way of doing anything. As long as you thnk the place is brilliant and all the people are wonderful they're your best mates, but as soon as you suggest something isn't quite perfect you can fuck off back where you came from if you don't like it.
If anyone wants to swap an Aussie citizenship for something useful I'm open to offers. A nice chaise longue for example.
Was it just me, or is it actually a tedious piece of twaddle?