The Doctor's Day

Righty so another post and this time its on Doctor Who and not only any Doctor Who story but this is the 50th anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, which was broadcast on 23 November, the date that the show began.  And with that let's reverse the polarity and give this a look....

So the story begins actually where the show began at Coal Hill school, where Clara Oswald (the lovely Jenna Louise Coleman) receives a message from the Doctor (Matt Smith) who tells her to return to the TARDIS.  However when Clara does return, the TARDIS is airlifted to Trafalgar square, which was arranged by UNIT.  One of the members of the paramilitary organisation UNIT Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) shows preserved instructions from Elizabeth I (the Doctor's former wife apparently!) and a secret gallery within the National Gallery which has a display of Time Lord art.  The time lord pictures include a picture of the legendary time war, where the time lords and the dalek races were both obliterated.  The Doctor on investigating the pictures finds the glass has been broken in them and it soon transpires the 3D images contain zygons, shape shifting aliens who have been impersonating key members of UNIT and are intent on invasion.

Meanwhile another incarnation of the Doctor, known as the War Doctor (John Hurt) is the one who has said to have detonated the bomb that destroyed both the time lords and the daleks.  The war doctor intends to end the time war by use of a weapon of mass destruction called the "Moment", which is actually a sentient being, which takes the shape of the Tenth Doctor's assistant, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) who warns him of the consequences of doing so.  The Moment then opens a fissure in time and space to link the two time periods of the Eleventh doctor in London 2013 and the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) who is in the Elizabethan era, where he is investigating the appearance of zygons, as well as appearing to court a young Elizabeth I (Joanna Page).  And its not long before the three doctors, the tenth, eleventh and the war doctor are all drawn together to fight against the zygons and find the best way forward to try and save Gallifrey from its own seemingly inevitable fate.

As a 50th anniversary celebratory episode, The Day of the Doctor does a fine job in achieving just that in what is almost essentially another variation of the three doctors, as that's how many doctors we really get in this story (if you exclude the brief footage of the other doctors).  And the dynamic between the three doctors is what actually makes the story work pretty well as the doctors all bounce off one another nicely.  And the War Doctor is a nice contrast as the aged and wounded doctor who has the weight of the universe on his shoulders as he faces carrying the fate of it in his hands.  The tenth and eleventh doctors are in comparison like a pair of exciteable kids who the War doctor tries to keep in check.  The episode also makes several references to previous stories and in particular to An Unearthly Child, the first ever Doctor Who story, as we see a policeman enter a scrapyard with the name I.M. Foreman on the front and we even get the original title sequence as well.  The story also makes various other references to the Tenth Doctor's era and elaborates on his marriage to Elizabeth I as we see them together in that period.  There are also references to UNIT as Kate Stewart, the UNIT commander, is the daughter of Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart and she uses the callsign of "Greyhound leader" which was used often by the Brigadier in the past.  There is also a female character called Osgood (played by Ingrid Oliver) who is asthmatic and curiously wears the fourth doctor's scarf, and the name Osgood itself is a reference to The Daemons, the third doctor story where there was a character called Sergeant Osgood (but nothing is really made of this in the episode!).  So naturally as an anniversary episiode it is quite referential.

Moving onto the performaces were the three leads are very good in their different ways, with Matt Smith admittedly starting to grate a little with his speedy delivery and his need to constantly keep twirling as if he has just wondered off Strictly come dancing!  But regardless of that though Smith still does a fine job as the current doctor and he plays off the other two nicely, especially in his first scene with the tenth doctor when it dawns on him they are both the same person as they get out their sonic screwdrivers and also both wear glasses!  Smith also pokes fun at Tennant's slim build as he first arrives through the time fissure and he says "That is proper skinny! Matchstick man wearing sandshoes!".  David Tennant is great in his role as the Tenth doctor and he makes a very welcome return to the series and its refreshing to see his potrayal of the doctor again.  Tennant also has some funny moments such as where he confronts Elizbaeth I and accuses her of being a zygon and he takes out a device that he uses to detect aliens, and the Elizabeth asks what it is and he says "Its a thing that goes ding!".  Also Tennant nicely refers to his last line in his tenure of the show as he hears of the Eleventh's doctor dying place and he says to him "We need to find a new destination, because.... because I don't want to go".  Both Doctors also make a nice reference to their catchphrase, i.e. "Jeronimo!" for the Eleventh and "Allons-y!" for the Tenth.   

John Hurt is also really good in his part as the War Doctor as a man with a tremendous burdon of carrying fate of his race.  Hurt also has some nice moments with the other two doctors and I also like the moment where he hears the other doctors catchphrases as they are set to try and freeze Gallifrey in order to preserve it and he groans and says "Oh for God's sake! Gallifrey stands!".  Billie Piper also makes a welcome return although she is not playing her character of Rose Tyler and instead plays the Moment, which makes it difficult for us to relate to her as a character in any conventional sense.  Jenna Louise Coleman is fine (and foine!) again in her role as Clara Oswald although she does play a more secondary role in the story to what is going with the doctors, which is only fair since they are the focus of this story.  Joanna Page as Queen Elizabeth I is also quite good in her role as she has a flirtatious relationship with the tenth doctor and they later on marry and she also can't stop kissing him!  Jemma Redgrave is not too bad either in her role as Kate Stewart, the Brigadier's daughter who is prepared to destroy London in order to save it from the zygon invasion.  And finally I will mention and cannot forget to for that matter, Tom Baker who provides a nice little end scene with the Eleventh doctor, as the curator of the National gallery, who suggests to the Doctor that Gallifrey can be found and restored once again.  And as a final final note I also liked the inclusion of Peter Capaldi in the scene where all the Doctors use their TARDIS's to save Gallifrey, even though we just see his eyes its a nice touch that they included him.   

As for the story's flaws.... well it does have some and the main one would be exlcusion of the some of the other doctors from the story as it would have been nice to have seen Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Paul McGann (well he was involved in a mini episode called The Night of the Doctor of course) and Sylvester McCoy all involved in the actual story instead of just footage fron their respective eras.  In regards to Christopher Eccleston he turned down the offer to appear in the story, which was probably a reflection of his time on the show and how he didn't get on with the senior production of the time in his short tenure for the role.  And in a way it becomes more of a three-man show, and at times just a two-man show with Matt Smith and David Tennant at the forefront vying for the attention.  The story which is written by the series current producer and script editor, Steven Moffatt, is also pretty convoluted once again, and while Moffatt is an intelligent and witty writer, he can't resist in confusing his audience by writing things back to front.  Which is a reminder again of the current stories of Doctor Who will never be quite a patch on the old ones from the original show, in how they were written was far better structured than they are now.  However I guess that's just me and I don't mean to take away from the efforts that Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies have given to the series for which they deserve alot of credit for bringing it back to our screens in the first place.

So all that aside The Day of the Doctor is an entertaining story and an enjoyable way to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, which will soon carry on with a new face quite soon as Matt Smith is set to depart from the role in the Christmas special and a certain Mr Capaldi will take over, which should be very interesting.

And so with that I shall let things dematerialise right there.  

The Hunger Games Part 2: The girl on fire

Right so now onto the second post of my look at the Hunger Games as the second film was released last week, Catching Fire, I went and saw it up the town, so let's have a closer look.....

OK so I will try and not reveal the whole plot and cover only certain section as to not spoil it all.  So the story begins with Catniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) having returned home to District 12.  Catniss and Peeta are given the task of having to tour the country to the other districts and on the day they begin, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits Catniss and tells her that as a result of her acts of defiance there have been many riots in other distrcits, and she now must convince the people that her actions were done out of love for Peeta, or else her family and Peeta's will be killed.  The first stop on the tour is District 11 where the young girl Rue in the original games, who was Catniss's ally died, and Catniss pays a touching tribute to her by giving a heartfelt speech to the crowd.  However as a result of the speech one man in the crowd makes the three fingered salute of Distrcit 12, which causes the peacekeepers to shoot the man dead.  Catniss and Peeta are then taken away where their mentor, Haymitch (Woody Harrleson) tells them he fears for their safety as they have now become a political target.  After this Catniss and Peeta dutifully carry out the rest of the tour of the other districts, and as an act of faith to keep Snow in check, Peeta proposes to Catniss on television.

As Catniss returns to District 12 the peacekeepers are wreaking havoc in the area and Catniss's best friend (Liam Hemsworth) is whipped by the peacekeeping commander, after trying to save an old lady.  Catniss intervenes and the commander threatens to shoot her, but Haymitch stops it from happening and convinces the commander not to as he informs him who Catniss is and the potential consequences if she is killed.  Afterward Catniss treats and tends after Gale when suddenly there is an annoncement that the 75th Hunger Games will have a quarter quell, which happens every 25 years.  However as a new rule to the games the tributes will be reaped from a pool of victors from previous games, this new rule having been created by the games creator, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who works with Snow to try and discredit and bring down Catniss.  As a result of this Katniss is chosen to enter the games and despite Haymitch's promise to keep Peeta safe, as Haymitch is selected, Peeta instead volunteers, leaving Haymitch no choice in the matter.  And as a result Catniss and Peeta once again have to face another harrowing trial of endurance in the games, in which this years other tributes are far more deadly....

As a continuation of the first film, Catching Fire is an excellent follow up and it remains an engrossing story as the two main characters continue to have to face trials even after they have triumped in the first hunger games as Catniss and Peeta are forced into a life of maintaining the image for the Capitol as two lovers.  The difference this time is Catniss has become more a figure of hope for the districts and that she alone could influence the downfall of the Capitol.  And as the film progresses those themes are explored further, but I won't go into that just now as I don't want to spoil it. :-)

Moving onto the performances they are once again excellent with Jennifer Lawrence providing another great effort as the spirited Catniss, who as a result of her continued defiance is forced back into the hunger games.  Jennifer has several highlights in the film such as in the scene where she meets with Snow and he tells her she must play ball or else her family will be killed and the scene where she intervenes on Gale's public flogging.  Jennifer also has an amusing scene where as she did in the first film have to display her skills during the training, and she grabs one of the robotic dolls and ties a rope around it and secures the rope to the table and hoists it up so the judges can see it, which she has defaced, and she smiles to the judges and leaves.  Josh Hutcherson also provides another fine performance as Peeta, who steps in again to the games and he continues to show he has feelings for Catniss, who (OK this is a SPOILER) finally returns those feelings during the games.

Woody Harrelson is great once again as well as Haymitch who acts a protector as well as mentor to Catniss and Peeta and he tries to keep his promise to keep Peeta safe for Catniss.  Woody also get's some fun moments again in the film, one such scene is where after the tributes all have their television interviews, Catniss, Peeta and Haymich share an elevator with one of the other previous games victors, Johanna gets undressed in the elevator in front of them and she walks out naked and Haymitch says "It was fun, sweetheart!" (or something along those lines).  Woody also has a good scene where he briefs Catniss and Peeta on the new games they will enter and how they will be even more dangerous this time and he says "I want you to forget everything you know about the games.  Last year was child's play.  This year you are dealing with all experienced killers".

Philip Seymour Hoffman, making his first appearance in the games films, is excellent as the scheming and manipulative games maker, Plutarch Heavensbee (now that is one hell of a name!) and his scenes with Donald Sutherland are his main highlights.  Hoffman also has some good lines, such as where he talks to President Snow about including a new rule to the hunger games and he says "There's always a surprise we can add into the games.  Its what we call a wrinkle!".  And in another scene with Snow who says Catniss must be eliminated and Heavensbee replies "I agree but I think she should die the right way.  Catniss is a symbol, we don't have to destroy her, just her image.  Show them she's one of us now.  They will rally behind that. They are gonna hate her so much they just might kill her for you".

The rest of the supporting cast are also excellent which include Elizabeth Banks as Effie, Haymitch's chaperone, who for the most part is overbearingly cheery, but she has one moment where she drops her facade and sobs for Catniss and Peeta as they leave for the games and she says "You deserve so much better!".  Liam Hemsworth also provides a good performance as Gale, Catniss's best friend, who suffers a heavy beating at the hands of the peacekeepers when he saves an old lady from a similar fate, and also watches the hunger games in longing for Catniss to come back to him, but fearing she will fall for Peeta.  New faces to the games also include Jeffrey Wright who does a good job as Beetee Latier, a former victor, Amanda Plummer as his counterpart Wiress, who ends up in a state of trauma during the games.  Jena Malone is also pretty good in her role as the spunky Johanna Mason, a former victor who is quite outspoken in her interview as she swears at the program makers live on TV, and also has that scene where she gets undressed in the elevator in front of Hay, Cat and Peet.

In other regular roles Stanley Tucci is great once again in his role as the flamboyant TV host of the Hunger Games and he provides a series of colourful interviews with the tributes.  Tucci get's some good lines in his role, but one that comes to mind is when he interviews Catniss and she spins her dress which funnily enough as part of the visual design catches fire and he says "Catniss Everdeen!  The girl on fire!"  Lenny Kravitz also again does a good job with his role as Cinna, the fashion designer, who designs a new dress for Catniss, and also later pays a heavy price for his support in Catniss.  And finally Donald Sutherland is great as the ruthless President Snow who tries to do everything in his power to discredit as well as kill off Catniss.  His best scenes are generally when he meets with Heavensbee, but he also has a great scene with Catniss near the start of the film.  And Snow says to Catniss "You fought hard in the games, Miss Everdeen.  But they were games.  Would you like to be in a real war?  Imagine thousands of your people dead.  You family, gone."  What a lovely guy eh?? (Sorry I meant bastard!).

Francis Lawrence (who directed the underrated I Am Legend and no relation to Jennifer!) takes over the directorial helm from Gary Ross here, and he does a solid job with Catching Fire as he keeps the unease and the suspense in the games sequences racked up very well.  Lawrence also used IMAX cameras for the seqeunces in the games (which were shot in Hawaii) which I'm sure would look amazing on an IMAX screen, unfortunately I wasn't able to go and see it on the IMAX (in fact I'm not even sure its on there!).  The music score by James Newton Howard is worthy of note as well, which is very good and has plenty of potent dramatic passages that highlight the drama and the grim tone of the film in general perfectly.

So flaws????? Well not to be picky but yes Catching fire isn't quite perfect as again the film is somewhat overlong as there is a slow build up towards the games as it appears to take an almost identical path towards them as in the first film (the only difference being the tour).  Again as is often the case in sequels you also get an abundance of new characters and there is not much time devoted towards them either, especially with the former victors who fight in the hunger games again as half of them are just there as filler (or fodder more like!) who end up getting killed off pretty quick and we hear that familiar canon go off in the background (which fires off every time a tribute dies in the games).  The razamatazz of the film is also a bit distracting and annoying at times as well as the wealthy Edwardian folk that live decadent lifestyles in the Capitol are an almost infuriating contrast to the poor starving masses in the districts out in the real world (but then that is the point I guess).

But anyway all that aside Catching Fire is an entertaining, engrossing and dramatic sequel to the Hunger Games and if you haven't seen it yet, I'd recommend to give it a go.

So with that, I shall leave it there.   

The Hunger Games Part 1 "May the odds be ever in your favour!"

Right film review time and this one is on the acclaimed sci-fi film The Hunger Games, based on the book by the author Suzanne Collins.  So let's gie it a look...

OK so the story is set in the distant future in Panem, which was formerly North America, which has been ravaged by a civil war and left in a desolate state.  The nation now consists of 12 districts which are kept under control by a corrupt and wealthy capitol that uses totaliltarian methods to keep the population in check, which is run by the ruthless President Snow (Donald Sutherland).  As a punishment for the dark days (the nickname for the civil wear) each year a boy and a girl must be selected from all 12 districts, aged between 12 and 18 (who are known as tributes) for the annual Hunger Games, which is an event where the tributes are forced to fight each other to the death, with the last survivor winning the games and will be awarded wealth and fame.  In the 12th district, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers for the games after her younger sister was initially selected, along with a boy named Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) who once helped Katniss.

Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol and enroute they meet their mentor, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) a former District 12 winner of the games, who is also a heavy drinker.  Catniss and Peeta are taken to a training academy where they meet the other candidates for the games and Catniss displays her exceptional archery skills during the training.  Catniss however stubbornly at first refuses to play ball and flaunt herself in a phoney way to the public in order to gain popularity and sponsors, which Haymitch insists is the only way they have a real chance to survive in the games as the public support could help influence their survival.  However when the real games begin (which are televised and are set in a large forest) half the tributes are killed straight off as they try to run for a stockpile of weapons and equipment.  Katniss manages to escape with a supply pack into the woods and uses her skills as a hunter and wilderness survivor to help her stay alive.  However the other tributes form an alliance, including Peeta who they intend to use to find and kill Katniss as they believe she is their biggest threat.  And this is where things soon go from bad to worse for Katniss who must try and survive out in the forest against the bloodthirsty tributes and harshness of the environment controlled by the Capitol.

The Hunger Games is an excellent sci-fi film which offers an engrossing albeit familiar concept of a dystopian future where the population is controlled by a totalitarian state, which echoes the themes of such TV sci-fi shows as Firefly and Blake's 7.  It also borrows heavily on the gladiatorial themes as we even see the tributes in chariots as they arrive in the Capitol.  You could also say it is a satire on reality TV in which the viewers witness the games being played out on live television with the mentors manipulating the situation behind the scenes.  The characters are also well drawn with the strong yet vulnerable Katniss, who bravely volunteers for the games in place of her younger sister, Primrose, and has to use all her resolve and hunting skills to try and survive.  Peeta also makes for a compassionate character who at first seems to be intent on playing the game and manipulating the crowds just so he can survive, but as the story progresses you see that he really cares about Katniss, who he soon falls for but his feelings remain unreturned.  Haymitch makes for probably the best character in the story as he is an amusing, drunken and disaffected mentor but soon comes around and tries to use all his influence to keep his tributes alive.

So getting onto the performances they are excellent, particularly Jennifer Lawrence who is perfect in the role as Katniss, as she plays the part of a brave young woman who is thrown into a dangerous hostile world and shows nothing but defiance for the Capitol.  Lawrence has plenty of good moments here, and one of my favourites is scene where she is getting marked for her skills in archery and she fires a poor arrow, missing the target, which causes some mocking laughter from the wealthy capitalists above.  Then Katniss fires a perfect arrow into the centre of the targeted and no one is watching, so then she fires another arrow straight at an apple sitting up on a plate of flood close to Senece Crane, the gamemaker who looks startled and Katniss bows and says "thank you for your consideration!".  And one of her other great moments include when she comforts the young tribute, Rue, as she is dying, and after she passes away, Katniss stands up and gives a signal to the people of Rue's District 11 who make the signal in return and they start a riot.   

Josh Hutcherson also does a fine job as Peeta, Katniss's partner in the games who at first we suspect is just playing the game and her and as the games begins he flees into the forrest leaving Katniss alone.  However later on he reveals his feelings for her and he insists that she should live and he helps to her survive as he sees her as the winner of the games.  Josh's best scenes are generally with Katniss but one of his best is when he is interviewed on TV and he tells the presenter (Stanley Tucci) and he admits he has a crush on Katniss, much to her chagrin!  Woody Harrleson is great in his role as Haymitch, the drunken mentor who promotes Katniss and Peeta and tries everything he can to help them by sending Katniss little cases of items to help her survival.  Woody also typically get's some good lines scuh as when Katniss asks him "Where are you here then?" and he replies "for the refreshments!" and Peeta tries to take the drink off and Haymitch pushes him down saying "You spilled my drink!".  Also later on after Katniss's interview he says to her "Nice dress sweetheart" and looks to his female chaperone, Effie who assumes he means her and says "not you".

Donald Sutherland is also great in his role as the ruthless president Snow who rules the capitol and the districts with an iron fist, as he coldly observes the Hunger Games and shows his disdain for Katniss's defiance.  Sutherland's best line comes when he talks with the gamemaker, Senece Crane who says in regards to Katniss that "every one likes an underdog" and Snow replies "I don't!".  Elizabeth Banks is quite amusing in her role as the prim and overly cheerful Effie Trinket who is more of a fawning lovie than anything else and often shows her disapproval for Catniss's rebelious nature.  One scene that is an example of this is when Catniss stabs a knife into a table they are dining at Effie looks on in shock saying "Hey! That is Mahogany!".  Stanley Tucci is also funny in his role as the TV presenter who wear a ridiculous outfit and a pony tail, Caesar Flickman, who interviews the tributes one by one.  And finally Lenny Kravitz puts in a good performance as the fashion designer who makes Katniss's dress who gives her much encouragement throughout her training, which also shows Kravitz is a capable actor.

Getting on to the director, Gary Ross, who does an excellent job here with adapting the novel and bringing it to the big screen.  The overall tone of the film is pretty grim but Ross also provides some moments of levity thanks to the colourful supporting cast and he keeps the suspense and action in the film going well.  The film's music score by James Newton Howard is also worthy of note which is pretty good and has plenty of dramatic passages which perfectly suit the tone of the film.

So as for the flaws in the Hunger Games does it have any????  Yes well it has to be said if there is one thing that let's the film down slightly it is the pacing as the film at nearly two and a half hours is simply too long and does it drag somewhat.  Some of the campish characters can also be a bit annoying such as Effie and the Edwardian periodic fashion seems just a bit out of place next to the modern clothes they have to wear out in the hunger games arena.  Perhaps Collins is just taking the piss out of reality TV and how the Capitol makes a mockery out of the world and of reality itself as they are so corrupt and wealthy they don't have a clue, or more to the point care about the outside world.        

Anyway despite the niggles, The Hunger Games is a compelling, albet quite grim sci-fi adventure film which is well worth checking out.  In fact I have just seen the second one, Catching Fire, so I will do a post on that soon.

Till the next one, bye for now!  

  

Beware the moon, David....

Sooo time is drawing in, the nights are stretching, the days are getting shorter, so why not do a post which warns of the dangers of the dark, especially out in the moors, as is the subject of this post and a classic modern comedy horror film, An American Werewolf in London.  So get the backpacks on, stay on the roads, and off the moors.... (or so they say!).

The story begins in Yorkshire, where two young college students, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) backpack across the moors.  As it get's dark, during their travels, David and Jack head towards a local pub called "The Slaughtered Lamb".  In the pub Jack notices a five pointed star on the wall, which causes the locals in the pub to go silent and become hostile, which causes David and Jack to leave.  Before they go however they are parted with advice as to "beware the moon" and "keep to the road" which Jack and David end up forgetting as they soon hear strange howling noises in the distance as they unwittingly wander over the moors.  The owner of the pub is distressed by the situation and urges some of the locals to go out and help Jack and David.  Jack and David however on the moors hear the howling and growling noises grow nearer, as they decide to head back to the pub, they are attacked by a large animal, which kills Jack and injures David, but the locals show up and shoot the animal, which appears to be a werewolf, and afterward it turns into a dead naked young man, who lies in a pool of blood.

Three weeks later David wakes up in a hospital in London as he finds out that he went sent there by the locals.  One of the hospital doctors, Doctor Hirsch (John Woodvine) tells David that Jack is dead, and David is later questioned by Inspector Villiers and the bumbling Sergeant McManus.  David during his recuperation in the hospital starts having strange nightmares, the first of which is of him running naked through the woods, hunting a deer, he kills it and then eats it.  David later has another nightmare where monsters in Nazi outfits raid his home and kill him and his American family.  David then also starts to see visions of his dead friend Jack, who warns him that they were both attacked by a werewolf and that David will himself become one.  Jack urges David to kill himself so the werewolf bloodline will be severed and Jack will be also forced to walk the Earth in limbo until the curse is lifted, as well as the fact that David will of course kill people once he transforms into a werewolf.

Doctor Hirsch who is concerned by the possibilities of the story decides to travel to Yorkshire where he questions the locals at the pub whio remain silent about it.  However as Hirsch leaves, one of the locals suddenly blurts out the truth that David is sure to change into something but is interrupted by another local (Brian Glover) who silences him.  Doctor Hirsch returns to London where he expresses his concerns to a young nurse, Alex Nurse (Jenny Aguter) who has been caring for David.  David once his discharged from hospital, having recovered from his wounds, becomes attracted to Alex and they soon head back to her apartment where they have sex.  Later that night David is paid another visit by Jack who by now is even more decomposed than on their previous meeting and he warns him again that in one day he will turn into werewolf on the first full moon, and that he must kill himself before he changes, which David angrily refuses to accept.  However the next day as David sends most of it in Alex's apartment, as the full moon appears, he starts to feel excruciating pain as he begins his transformation into a werewolf.  In his werewolf form, David kills and mutilates six Londoners, a young businessman, a couple, and three tramps. 

The next day David reverts to human forms, waking up naked in a zoo, he has no recollection of what happened and heads back to Alex's apartment.  David feels invigorated after his night even though he can't remember what he did, until he and Alex get into a taxi and the driver (Alan Ford) tells them of the news of the murders.  David instantly gets out the taxi, realising in horror that Jack was right all along and he tries to turn himself to a local police officer who refuses to believe him.  David then calls back home to speak to his family one last time and he attemps to cut his wrists with a pocket knife but decides he can't do it.  David then sees Jack across the street in an even more advanced state of decay, they go into a porno theatre where Jack introduces David to his victims from the night before, who all insist he must kill himself to lift the curse.  David decides to sit in the cinema until the full moon where once again he feels the surging pain in his body as he transforms once more which leads into a tragic climax........

At the time American werewolf in London really was something of an innovation in that it was one of the first films to blend in both comedy and horror together and here it was done so effectively.  The film is also something of a tragedy piece as the two young Americans both fall victim to a werewolf and try and pass off David by sending him to London where he ultimately transforms.  And the film has quite a few memorable scenes, particularly the one that stands out is David's transformation into a werewolf which was superb and featured brilliant make-up by make-up artist Rick Baker, who won an oscar for his work.  The film also blends in the comedy really well in that even after David's first night of maschinations that there is still room for funny moments, such as when he wakes up naked in the zoo and he ends up stealing a young boy's balloons and then a woman's coat, after which he stands embarrassed next to bemused commuters at a bus stop!  Then there also some chilling moments, such as on the London underground where the businessman hears the distant growls of the werewolf and he ends up running round the endless winding corridors of the subway before he falls onto a travelling elevator and we see the visage of the werewolf at the bottom advance on him.

Moving onto the performances section of the review, they are pretty good here, with David Naughton providing a funny and at times poignant performance as a young guy who is doomed after his attack by the werewolf.  Naughton has some amusing moments such as where he realises the day after that he had turned into a werewolf the night before, and he runs off with Alex following him who asks him to be reasonable and he says "Oh sure, be reasonable!  I'm a fucking werewolf for Christ's sake!!".  Also where he wanders around Alex's flat, bored, on the day of the full moon, he looks into the fridge time and time again and says "I'm still not hungry!" and he looks look at himself in the mirror and says "Fi fi fo fum! I smell the blood of an English man!".  Naughton's scenes with Dunne when David talks to the animated corpse of Jack are also excellent where in their second scene, David goes into the bathroom and looks into the bathroom wall cupboard which is slightly ajar and he closes it over and sees Jack in the background, and later as they talk David says "I refuse to listen to a walking meatloaf!".

Which brings me onto Griffin Dunne who is great as Jack, David's friend who is killed by the original werewolf and wanders the Earth as an animated corpse.  Dunne's make-up for the decomposing Jack is also superb, especially in his first scene where we sees his scars are still relatively fresh and we see a little flap of flesh on his neck as he talks, its a gross but great little touch added by Rick Baker.  Dunne also get's some great lines such as where he tells David how he had a good attendance at his funeral and that he ex-girlfriend ran into the arms of someone else "An asshole! Life even mocks me in death!".  Also in this scene he tells David he must die in order to prevent him turning into a werewolf he says "I'm lonely.  You know what its like talking to a corpse??  Its boring!  Kill yourself, David.  Take your life, before you take others".  And also later in the porno theatre where he sits with him and David says "well are you going to say I told you so" and Jack replies "Well I wasn't going to say "I told you so", but I did tell you so, you schmuck!".  And of course there is Jack's most memorable line where he tells David "Beware the moon, David...".

Jenny Agutter also provides a reasonably good performance, but she is hampered by some terrible and cringing lines of dialogue as well.  Two examples of which are when she takes David to her home and she is quite frank with him about her feelings and says "I find you very attractive" and later after they first have sex and David has another encounter with Jack, she says to him "I'm torn between feeling sorry for you and finding you terribly attractive!".  Gawwwwdd spare us!  However Jenny's last scene where she confronts David in werewolf form is really good and she tells him she loves him before it all goes pear shaped.

The supporting performances are also excellent such as Brian Glover as the chess player in the Slaughtered Lamb who tells an amusing joke about The Alamo before everything goes series when Jack asks about the five pointed star hanging up on the wall.  And he parts a warning to David and Jack before they leave the pub and he says "Go. Beware the moon, and keep to the road".  And later on as he angrily stops one of the locals from talking and he shouts out "THAT'S ENOUGH!!" as he is determined to keep things quiet about the rumours surrounding the werewolf.  John Woodvine also provides a good performance as Doctor Hirsch who is sympathetic to David's story and he ends up believing there is something seriously wrong, albeit a little too late.  Frank Oz also provides a good small role in the film as a man from the American embassay who tries to talk to David in hospital, who grows restless while they talk, and as he leaves Oz says quietly to the doctor "These damn kids don't respect anything you do these days!". 

The film also features some small bit roles for future British star actors such as Rik Mayall, who would go on to star in comedies such as The Young Ones, The New Statesman and Bottom.  John Altman also appears who would go onto become the infamous "Nasty" Nick Cotton from Eastenders.  And finally Alan Ford also appears in a brief role as a taxi driver, and he would later go on to appear in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrells and Snatch, as well as appear in TV shows such as Knowing me, knowing you with Alan Partridge.

Moving onto the direction from John Landis, who does an excellent job here as he provides a fine balance of comedy, drama and horror.  And its good how Landis goes from providing some amusing cheap laughs, one of which is the hilarious moment where in the porno theatre David and Jack watch a naff porno flick, with a naked man walking in on a couple having sex and he says "How dare you that's my wife!" and the naked woman says "I've never seen you before in my life!" and the man says awkwardly "Oh sorry!" and leaves.   And then he provides some chilling sequences, one which springs to mind is David's nightmare where he lies in a bed in the forrest and he opens his eyes and he has demonic eyes and fangs.  Landis also squeezes in a recurring theme in his movies where he has a billbaord poster for a film called "See you next Wednesday" which features in the London underground scene.  Landis also makes good use of the London locations such as Trafalgar square, the London underground and of course Piccidily circus in the film's climax.

The film also has an excellent score by Ivan Reitman who provides a dramatic one which perfectly suits the tone of the film throughout.  The soundtrack also features some fine tracks such as Creedence clearwater revival's "Bad moon rising" and Van Morrison's "Moondance" and a version of "Blue moon" by Sam Cooke which are well used.  And despite the film ending on a real tragic note it is neatly undercut by The Marcels doo-wop version of "Blue moon" as well.

As for flaws or niggles, American Werewolf doesn't really have too many that bother me except maybe that its just a bit unrealistic to imagine that Alex as a nurse would tend to David night and day in hospital as surely she would have to devote her time to other patients as well!  Also the dialogue as already mentioned for Jenny Aguter's character really is terrible and banal and it seems strange how most of the rest of film is fairly well written yet it is somewhat uneven when it comes to Alex's character.  Or perhaps John Landis who wrote the screenplay just isn't that good at writing parts for women!

Anyway that's it for my look at An American Werewolf in London which is still one of the great modern horror classics, which was unique in blending in elements of horror and comedy so effectively.

And on that note I shall farewell and beware... the moon.....    

Training day "You in the office, baby!"

OK back to the movies, this review will cover the crime drama, Training Day, starring Denzel Washington as a rouge cop who takes in a rookie cop for a "training day".  So let's get into it then....

So the film begins with rookie cop, Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) who is to be evaluated by a narcotics officer, Detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington).  Alonzo is a highly decorated cop and he has a rather unorthodox way of doing things as Jake soon finds out after they carry out a drugs bust, they confiscate the drugs sold to some young kids, and Alonzo has Jake smoke the marijuana.  When Jake initially refuses, Alonzo points a gun at his head and tells him if he turned down a drug dealer he would be dead, which forces Jake to smoke it, only to later find out from Alonzo that it was laced with PCP.  Jake soon after notices a young girl being sexually assaulted by two crackheads as they drive by an alley way, Jake runs out and stops the attackers.  However Alonzo is not interested in reporting the crime as he believes justice is better served on the streets and to let them lowlifes just wipe each other out.  Along the way Alonzo pays a visit to a local drug dealer, Roger (Scott Glenn) who was a former police officer.

Later on Alonzo tries to follow the lead of another drug dealer called the Sandman, which eventually leads to the Sandman's house, but the dealer isn't there and Alonzo has to deal with the dealer's wife (Macy Gray) where he uses the excuse that he has a search warrant in order to search her apartment for drug money.  Alonzo in the process steals money during the search and on leaving, the Sandman's wife realises she has been robbed and sets the local gangbangers on Alonzo and Jake, who barely make it out of there in one piece.  Alonzo later pays a visit to his Salvadoran mistress, Sara (Eva Mendes) and their young son.  Afterwards Alonzo meets with a group of high ranking police officials, dubbed the "three wise men" (Tom Berenger, Harris Yulin and Raymond J.Barry) who agree to give him an arrest warrant in exchange for the drug money he stole from the Sandman's wife.  This is because Alonzo owes a debt of 1 million dollars to the Russian mafia and he uses the arrest warrant to arrest Roger and seize the dealer's millions stashed underneath the floor of Roger's kitchen.  Alonzo along with Jake and a few other corrupt police officers takt their share of the money, but Jake refuses to take his.  Alonzo tells Jake to shoot Roger, but Jake refuses and Alonzo kills Roger himself, leaving Jake shocked and angry at being used by him, and he angrily takes the gun off Alonzo as the other officers get involved in a stand off, which is soon diffused by Alonzo.

After this Alonzo convinces Jake to go along with their story that as they entered Roger's house, Roger shot first and Jake killed Roger in defence, to which Jake reluctantly agrees to go along with.  Later on Alonzo takes Jake out to another gang neighbourhood where he runs a personal errand for a gangster named Smiley (Cliff Curtis).  However as Jake awkwardly plays cards with Smiley and his gang members, Jake soon realises that Alonzo has abandoned him and that he has payed off Smiley to kill Jake.  And this is where Jake's problems really begin.....

Training day to this day is still a very effective crime drama and its amusing how in the underworld of drugs that the cops are just as dirty as the dealers, something which is mirrored in Alonzo.  And while the premise of police corruption is nothing new the set up of the story being told over the space of one day helps keep Training Day fresh as a film.  The film also works well mainly because of Alonzo's character as he is a charismatic cop who uses his pizaz and smart talk to manipulate the naive and clean cut Jake into doing his dirty work.  And its Alonzo's ability to use what Jake wants most and his ambition as a weapon against him when he needs to in order to see just how far Jake is willing to go.

Which brings me onto the performances which are great, starting with Denzel Washington who is simply superb in his role as the charismatic and manipulative Alonzo Harris, who toys with Jake and get's him to do what he wants (well to an extent).  Washington himself won the Academy award for best actor and its easy to see why as it is easily one of his best performances and Washington has so many highlights in the film. Washington has some great dialogue from the word go, particularly in his first scene where he meets with Jake while he ignorantly tries to read his paper, until Jake get's his attention and he tells Jake to tell him a story.  And Jake proceeds to tell Alonzo about an incident involving him and and a female assessment officer as they carried out a random drunk stop, and Alonzo listens and says "You mean to tell me that you were with a fine ass bitch for a year and the best story you can come up with is a drunk stop?!".  And later on when they get in Alonzo's car, Jake asks him "Where is the office? Back at division?" and Alonzo smiles and says "You in the office baby!".  Washington also has fun with the part as he parts his wisdom to Jake he says "To protect the sheep, you need to become a wolf" and he makes some wolf noises and insists that Jake do the same, except he does his more like a rooster and Alonzo laughs saying "I said a wolf not a rooster!".  And the scene Alonzo finally turns and shoots Roger is also really good as we see the transformation in his character from a loose canon to a twisted bastard who is willing to steal money in order to save his own neck.  Alonzo's final scene is also a real highlight where the local gangbangers in the neighbourhood all gather round as Jake confronts Alonzo.  And Alonzo says to them "I'm putting cases on all you bitches!  Shoe program, nigga!  23 hour lockdown!  You don't own shit, I run this place, you just live here!  King Kong ain't got shit on me!".

Ethan Hawke also provides a fine performance here as well as the clean cut rookie cop, who is pretty much  Alonzo's opposite in every way and throughout the film he is pushed and manipulated by him until Jake can no longer tolerate it.  Hawke's best scene of course comes where he sits and plays cards with Smiley's gang and he soon twigs that they have been paid off by Alonzo to kill him and they drag him into a bathtub where he pleads with them to spare him and he suceeds when they realise that the girl Jake saved earlier was Smiley's cousin.  Hawke also provides the film's important moral centre as he is counteraction to Alonzo's corruption and in the end he proves himself to be incorruptible.  Hawke also get's a good line when he is stoned sitting in Roger's flat, who says to him if he works out his joke then he will figure out the streets, and Jake says "I've figured it out.  Its all about smiles and cries".  

In other performances, Scott Glenn is excellent as the drug dealer Roger, and his scenes are pretty good, especially in his first scene where he tells a stupid joke to Jake, who laughs at it in a drug induced stupour and later on where Alonzo raids his house to seize his money.  Cliff Curtis is also great in his role as the gangster Smiley who is paid off to kill Jake, but unlike Alonzo, Smiley does have honour and he decides to spare Jake when he realises that he saved his young cousin.  Curtis is also such a chaemeleonic character actor that there are times when you see him in a film you can scarcely believe it is him (although he is recognisible here!).  Curtis also get's some good lines of dialogue as Smiley, especially where he tells Jake about how Alonzo owes money to the Russian mafia and he says "And if Alonzo doesn't appear up there with the cash by midnight tonight... your vato... he's dead!".  Also in the next moment where one of Smiley's crew asks Jake if he ever had his "shit pushed in" and they ask Smiley who says "Sure! I always like a little love from the homies!".

The film also has some notable smaller roles such as the lovely Eva Mendes, who plays Alonzo's mistress, Sara, who is essentially a decent woman who tries to raise her young son in a rough neighbourhood.  Harris Yulin is also really good in his small role as one of the three wise men, Detective Doug Roselli who tells a funny story how a criminal once went up in court and use peanut butter in court to pretend he wiped his ass and licked his fingers!  Tom Berenger also does well with his brief role as another one of the three wise men, Stan Gursky, who warns Alonzo that "I do not want to see you end up dead on TV like those other assholes!" (i.e. cops that have died in the line of duty).  And finally there are also some smaller performances from hip-hop stars, Macy Gray, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre, with Dre giving the best one of the three as one of corrupt cops.  And Dre gets one of the film's best lines when he meets with Jake for the first time and says to him "You are a long way from Starbucks, homie!".

The director Antoine Fuqua does an excellent job here with Training Day as he keeps the pace of the film going at a good speed and he also cranks up the tension in the film as it moves along toward its dramatic climax.  Fuqua (who sounds exactly like Denzel Washington!) also insisted on making the film in some of the most notorious neighbourhoods in Los Angeles where he even obtained permission to enter some of the LA street gangs housing projects, which marked the first time this had ever been allowed.  And for more background info on the film it is well worth checking out Fuqua's director commentary on the DVD or Blu-ray as it is really good and informative.  The film's soundtrack is also worthy of note as the original score which was written by Mark Macina is excellent and it has plenty of dark and dramatic passages that set the tone of the film perfectly.  The film's soundtrack also includes some well known hip-hop tracks from artists such as Cyprus Hill, Dr Dre, Gang Starr and P. Diddy.

So flaws.... does Training Day have any or many?????  Well it has the odd niggle or two.  To start with while Fuqua set out to make a dramatic cop film about corruption and the LA gang neighbourhoods, it does feel at times with the inclusion of such hip-hop artists as Macy Gray and Snoop Dogg in the cast, that you have wandered into an MTV video rather than an actual crime drama.  And this is reflected in certain scenes in the gang neighbourhoods and the extras stand around like they belong in a music video and you can almost expect to see Snoop Doggy Dogg come at you bustin some ryhmes!  The film's climax is also pretty over the top and it does somewhat marr the credibility of what went before with Jake getting into a big fight scene with Alonzo by chasing him over rooftops and diving onto his car.  It almost feels like at this point they had a copout (no pun intended!) and that for the sake of things they just had to have a chase sequence before Alonzo finally is taken down.  Another flaw for me is in Jake's character that if he is so goody goody then why would he even consider going to work in narcotics when in the end he sees he is clearly not cut out for it.  If being an undercover narc means having to dabble with drugs and get down and dirty among the dealers in order to expose them, then surely Jake is just too clean cut to get involved in it anyway.  Its if Jake decides he must undergo a baptism of fire for something in the end he realises that he's not meant for, which means while it was one hellish day, it was in a way also a waste of his time! 

Anyway despite those niggles Training Day remains a very effective, dramatic and involving film which is well worth watching for Denzel Washington's superb central performance alone.  And if you ain't seen it, go and check it out.

So on that note thing, I will say good night! 

Agent 47's absolution

OK its game review this time just for a wee change from the films, and this one will be on the latest game in the Hitman series, Hitman Absolution, which was released last year on what is rather amusingly the 47th week of the year! (its true!).  Anyway so let's have a closer look at the game, so get ready with the fibre wire and the baller pistols....

Right so the game's plot starts with Agent 47 (voiced by David Bateson) who is tasked with having to kill his former agency handler, Diana (Marsha Thomason) who has gone rogue.  On entering Diana's apartment, 47 shoots Diana while she is in the shower and 47 comforts her as appears to be dying, she hands him a letter saying and pleads with 47 to keep a young girl named Victoria safe from the Agency.  47 agrees to protect Victoria and he hides her at a catholic orphange and contacts an informant named Birdie, who asks his to perform a hit on a Chinatown gangster.  47 does the hit and in exchange Birdie informs 47 on the whereabouts of Blake Dexter (Powers Boothe) who may have more information on Victoria, Dexter being the corrupt and very wealthy CEO of Dexter industries.  47 learns that Dexter is staying at the "Terminus" hotel and as 47 enters the hotel and evade's Dexter's men, and eavesdrops on a conversation Dexter has in which it is revealed that Dexter intends to auction Victoria off to the highest bidder.  47 tries to strangle Dexter's large bodyguard, Sachez, who knocks him unconscious and Dexter has 47 framed for the murder of a housemaid.  Dexter then sets the hotel room on fire and leaves 47 for dead who eventually regains consciousness and evades the patrolling police.  And from here the plot thickens even more as 47 must try and find out why the agency want Victoria so badly and also fend off his enemies in the process.

After a six year absence, Hitman Absolution sees the game series return in fine style as this game definitely has alot going for it and it manages to largely keep with the same tone as the previous Hitman games.  It also manages to keep the balance of stealth and action just about right although with its more free flow movement system than the relatively static movement in the previous games, it feels at times more like playing a Splinter Cell game than Hitman, however this is no bad thing.  Absolution also explores an interesting theme in 47's character where he is now put in the position that he must care and protect for someone rather than just be a cold calculating killer who acts purely on orders.  It also shows the Agency in a more negative light too as they wish to kill off Diana and obtain the young girl Victoria, who turns out to be a genetically enhanced clone who was bred for killing, and Diana wished for 47 to stop that from happening.  And 47 even realises this himself that a young girl such as Victoria should not be allowed to become a killer at the hands of an amoral agency and this does show once more that he does have some morality and decency in him. 

Moving onto the game's control system and gameplay which are both excellent and the movement is a big improvement on the previous games as 47 can now walk and run faster around the environments.  47 also has some melee attacks such as close one on one combat with enemies where you have to press a button at a specific time in order to retaliate.  In addition to this 47 can now also subdue his victims with a chokehold or he can also snap their necks, as well as this 47 can also pick up objects such as a screwdriver, wrench or a bottle to kill or knock out his victims with.  Objects in the game can also be used by 47 to create distractions so he can bypass guards or whoever else, so 47 can throw a bottle for e.g. to distract a guard from his post so 47 will sneak by.  Similar to the previous games, 47 can also hide in dumpsters or cupboards and take a sneak peak as to see if someone is nearby.  47 can also use dumpsters or crates to dump dead or unconscious bodies in them and usually you can fit two bodies in there which is quite handy!   

Weapons wise 47 has quite a large array of guns to choose from in the game as you can use 47's classic silver baller silenced guns, or sub machine guns, rifles, shotguns and machine guns.  47 will also access his trusty old fibre wire as well, which has always been 47's classic method of dispatching enemies silently and effectively.  The game also introduces a new feature in combat called point shooting where 47 will go into a slow motion mode and target his marks and he will execute them in a chain automatically. 

Also in addition to 47's use of disguises, such as when he takes the clothes of a person he has killed or incapacitated, he can also use his senses to blend into his environment.  An example of this is when 47 may have subdued a policeman, after he takes his clothes and walks into an area where there are cops he will holds his head down to conceal himself or pretend to go on his police radio.  And while this happens 47 will have a bar which measures the suspicion level of others, which will reduce as 47's enemies grow more suspicious of his disguise.  47 in this mode almost gives you the impression that he can see through walls, as he will see normal targets in yellow, targets to be killed in red, and targets to be subdued in blue.

Moving onto the game's graphics they are simply superb and as the game series has had a complete visual overhaul the environments look stunning.  There is also a great deal of variety in the environments such as hotels, diners, bars, public buildings, industrial factories and even open desert.  The character models are also excellent and Agent 47's familiar bald visage looks that bit more lifelike and refined than before (although he appears to have heavier eyebrows!).  The voice acting in the game is also really good with David Bateson once again doing a great job as 47 as he delivers that assassin's dialogue in a very cool, calm and logical tone.  The supporting cast is equally impressive as there are some well known names here such as Keith Carradine as Dexter the main baddie, Powers Boothe as Travis the Agency head, Vivica Fox as Lasandra Dixon (not a far cry from her character in Kill Bill!) and Steve Bauer as Birdie, 47's informant.  The game also has a very good music score written by Thomas Bartschi which while it isn't in the same league as the previous scores by the superb Jesper Kyd, it is still worth paying attention to.

As for the game's flaws does it have any???  Well perhaps one or two but nothing much, first off I would have to say that in its new format the game does seem to borrow heavily from Splinter Cell in its new more free flowing movement, and while that isn't a bad thing it does make it does detract from the qualities that made Hitman unique in the first place.  Some of the features of the game don't really come much into play during use either, such as the pointing shoot mode, which is only really used sparingly in one or two scenes and in that annoying mission where 47 has to compete and win the best score in a shooting competition, which in itself is a real pain in the ass!  Some of the inane chatter from the characters in the game can also be a bit annoying, such as when 47 uses his sense mode to blend in and for e.g. someone may look at him and say "Do I know that guy from somewhere?? Isn't that guy the guy that...." and so forth.  I also felt the game has a rather lengthy and at times tiresome final mission where 47 must try and save the day for Victoria and in doing so you either have to stealthily kill off the guards or risk getting involved in a no-win gun battle, which quickly becomes mighty frustrating to avoid!

Regardless of all that though, Hitman Absolution is very solid, entertaining and worthy addition to the Hitman series and it does a fine job in keeping with the tradition of the previous games.  And if you liked the previous game then there will be plenty here for you to enjoy as well.

And with that I shall leave yee there.               

Seven pyschos

Okay doke, I thought I would get another review done (as that is what this blog is about after all!) and this one is on a more recent up to date film, Seven Psychopaths, a crime comedy written and directed by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh.  So let's grab a butchers and disect this rather sick ass bad boy....

So the film's story revolves around a struggling writer, Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell) who is longing to try and find a way to finish his screenplay, which he calls Seven Psychopaths.  Marty's best friend, Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell) is an out of work actor who makes money by stealing peoples dogs and returning them to their owner and collecting the reward money.  Billy's partner is Hans Kieslowski (Christopher Walken) a middle aged man who is of religious faith and has a cancer stricken wife named Myra (Linda Bright Clay).  Billy also tries to help Marty with writing his screenplay and suggests the masked "Jack of Diamonds" killer who has been in the press, and we see kill two mobsters at the start of the film.  Billy and Hans during their pet bulgaries, steal a Shih Tzu named Bonny, although they are unaware of the fact the dog in fact belongs to Charlie Costello (Woody Harrleson) who is a violent gangster.  Charlie soon learns of Han's connection through his own men, who soon catch up with Hans and Billy and they threaten to kill them unless they reveal Bonny's whereabouts.  However at this point the masked Jack of Diamonds killer arrives and shoots the men dead and leave his calling cards behind.

Around at this time Billy also places an ad in the newspaper for psychopaths to come forward and share their quirky stories so they can be used in Marty's screenplay  And one man that comes forward is Zachariah Rigby (Tom Waits) who shares his story with them.  Meanwhile Charlie in an effort to find his dog approaches Han's wife Myra in the hospital and he kills her when she refuses to co-operate with him.  Billy in the meantime has not only been behind the kidnap of Charlies dog, but it is also revealed (PLOT SPOILER HERE!!) that he is cheating on Charlie, as he is seeing the gangster's girlfriend, Angela (Olga Kurylenko) behind his back.  On hearing from Hans that Myra was killed, Billy hangs up and shoots Angela and gives her a Jack of diamonds card revealing that he is the masked killer.  After this Billy meets up with Marty and Hans and they drive out to the desert to avoid a confrontation with Charlie and in doing so they also try and help find a way for Marty to finish his screenplay.

As a follow up to his debut film feature, In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths continue in quite a similar vein as McDonagh continues his love affair with guns and gangsters.  McDonagh's writing in particular is excellent in the film and it features plenty of great dialogue which I will get to some of a bit later and in the film he creates some vivd and colourful characters.  And Marty is the sane centre of the film, although he himself has his own demons as he has a drinking problem and suffers a breakup with his girlfriend at the start of the film and its his mission to complete his screenplay that keeps him going.  Billy on the other hand is a carefree guy who on the outside appears to be a bit of a loose canon, but in actuality is in fact a stone cold psychopath who will kill anyone at the drop of a hat.  And Hans is the eccentric middle aged pyschopath, who turns out to be the inspiration for one of the pyschos in Marty's story, as he was a quaker who haunted the killer of his daughter to the point where he killer did himself in and Hans from the story reveals that he cut his own throat, but survived the incident.

Which brings me to the performances, which are all excellent, starting with Colin Farrell, who plays Marty in his own native Irish accent, as a whiny man who is desparate to complete his story, but can't quite figure out how to.  Farrell as Marty has some funny lines, and one of which that stands out is when he is in the desert with Billy and Hans, and Billy has called Charlie to come after them, meanwhile Hans takes some peyote and goes on a spiritual trip.  And as Billy tells him to calm down and stop drinking, Marty replies "This guy just telephoned a psycho killer to come down and pyscho kill us.  And this guy is doubting a lifelong belief in the afterlife because of a psychedelic cactus he just ate!  And you motherfuckers are gonna tell me to behave?!".  Farrell also provide us with one great last moment in the film's final scene (ANOTHER SPOILER SORRY!!) where he receives an unexpected call from Rigby, who is angered at Marty having not kept his promise to give him a mention in the film's credits, and Rigby intends to kill him, but when he hears how resigned Marty is to accepting it, Rigby decides to let him live.

Sam Rockwell is great as Billy, Marty's best friend, who just happens to be a psychopathic killer himself.  Rockwell get's plenty of great lines.  One for starters is when he says to Billy how he punched a director, and Marty tells him off for it and Billy says "I didn't mean to break his nose.  His nose was just in the middle of where I was punching!".  Also later on when he holds Charlie's dog at gunpoint with Charlie's flare gun and he says to him "I'm gonna count from five, and then your little gay dog is gonna get shot in its little fuckin gay head!".  Rockwell also provides one of the film's funniest moments when he tells them how he seees Marty's screenplay finish with a big over the top gunfight in a graveyard.  Also when Marty says to him "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" which is a logic which is wasted on Billy who says "No it doesn't! There will be one guy left with one eye.  How is the last blind guy gonna take out the eye of the last guy left?!".  And after he finishes his dramatic version of his ending for Marty's screenplay he asks them what they think, and Marty and Hans are lost for words, and Marty says "Its..... its.... very moving" and Hans says "It's got layers.  It's got lots of layers!".  

Christopher Walken is also terrific in his role as the eccentric Hans, who seems to wander around in his own dream world.  Walken provides some great moments in the film, one of which I liked was when he records using Marty's dictaphone a possible ending for his screenplay.  Walken's funniest scene comes when he walks through the desert on his own and eventually arrives on a road where Charlie's men are waiting.  And one of them, Paulo, demands that Hans put his hands up and the following priceless exchange occurs:

Paulo: Put your hands up!
Hans: No.
Paula: What?
Hans: I said no.
Paulo: Why not?!
Hans: Because I don't want to.
Paulo: I've got a gun.
Hans: I don't care.
Paulo: That doesn't make any sense!
Hans: Too bad!

In other performances, Woody Harrelson is also funny and at the same time quite intimidating as the violent and erratic gangster Charlie Costello, who while he is a loose canon with a bad temper, also has a soft spot for his pet dog.  Woody has some good moments, especially in his opening scene where he interrogates a terrified black woman about the loss of his dog, and he eventually shoots his gun at her, but doesn't kill her and he says "You can go now".  And later when he drives with Marty back towards Billy, he says that Marty should have taken a gun, and Marty says he doesn't believe in them, to which Charlie incredulously says "You don't believe in guns?! They ain't fucking leprechauns you dumb Mick!".  Tom Waits also provides a short but very noteworthy cameo as one of the pyschopaths, Rigby, who tells his story of how years ago he went on a bloody killing spree with a black woman named Maggie.  And he provides the film with one final great moment when he calls up Marty at the end of the film and says he will kill him because he didn't keep his promise to leave a message at the end of the credits for him.  But as Marty sounds resigned to his fate, Rigby is surprised and says "You sound different, you sound like you've been through the wringer!" and Marty quietly replies "A little" after which Rigby decides to spare him.

Getting onto Martin McDonagh who does a great job here with his dual role as writer and director of the film and he keeps the film pretty taut throughout.  McDonagh also doesn't pull any punches with some of the film's violent imagery, especially in the killing spree scene with Rigby and his black girlfriend Maggie, who sets fire to her victims and even saws one of their heads off, and the Buhddist monk who also dishes out some nasty deaths, its pretty extreme stuff at times!  McDonagh does however have some fun with staging the fantasy action scenes, especially when Billy gives his version of how Marty's script should end with a big gunfight going on, with Marty hunched in the graveyard trying to dodge the bullets, and in the end get's up and joins in!  And lastly I will mention Carter Burwell, the Cohen brothers regular composer who provides a really good sombre music score, which suits the tone of the film very well.

As for any flaws or niggles, Seven Psychopaths does have one or two it has to be said.  I felt towards the end of the film it started to lose itself in a rather muddled climactic fight scene at the end between Billy and Charlie, and at the end we don't really find out what happens to Charlie as a result and it was a rather unsatisfying resolution.  The film also has an excellent cast but some of the actors that are featured are really underused in very brief cameos such as Harry Dean Stanton as the "Quaker" psychopath who stalks the killer of his daughter.  Also the lovely Olga Kurylenko is underused in her role as Charlie's girlfriend and she really only has one scene in the film.  And actually this highlights an issue which Christopher Walken's character Hans brings up in that "the female characters in your screenplay are awful! As they barely say anything! And at least the girls I speak to can string a sentence together!" which you could arguably say the same for McDonagh's own screenplay as the female characters are largely sidelined here.

However despite all that Seven Psychopaths is still an entertaining black comedy, which is filled with rich characters and great dialogue, and excellent performances from the four leads.  And if you have seen and liked In Bruges, and haven't seen this yet then it is worth checking out.

So with that I shall leave it there!        

Batman's Christmas in Arkham

Rrrrrrrrrighty just for a change here is a post on a video game and this one will be on Batman Arkham Origins, which is a prequel to the events of Batman Arkham Asylum.  So let's load up the batsuit, get the bat grapple and take a dive into this game.....

I won't go into the plot too much here (so don't worry there won't be four long paragraphs of plot ahead!) but the story is set five years before the events of Arkham Asylum on Christmas Eve.  And Batman (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) is a younger more stubborn version of himself who is determined to set things to right on his own without the help of anyone, particularly the Gotham police force, whom he sees are filled with corrupt cops.  Batman learns that a bounty has been placed on his head by the crime lord, the Black mask, which draws the world's eight best assassins to Gotham.  This allows new villains such as the Joker (voiced by Troy Baker) and Anarky to establish themselves in Gotham wreak their own havoc.  Batman also relies on his butler Alfred (Martin Jarvis) to help analyse crime scenes remotely and retrieve any information he can.  As the plot progress Batman manages to take down the assassins and captures the Joker who is imprisoned in Blackgate prison.  However all is not over and pretty soon, the Joker escapes and takes over Blackagte prison where Batman has to find a way to stop the demented killer.

While it isn't in the same league as the Arkham Asylum or Arkham City, Arkham Origins still has plenty going for it and perhaps to its credit it doesn't deviate from the elements that made the first two games so good to play, as the movement and combat system are terrific.  Where Arkham City does deviate from the previous two games is the departure of its two main voice actors who did Batman and the Joker, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill respectively.  And while their prescence is missed it doesn't really detract from the game too much especially as Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker both do fine jobs as their replacements.

The game also keeps the third person perspective action as before and also places a bit more emphasis on Batman's detective skills and stealth abilities, which he can enhance as the game progresses.  This is actually one of the game's finer aspects in the in-game menus where Batman can customise and upgrade his equipment and also his combat moves, which is layed out and presented very well and in the same fashion as before in the previous games.  There are also some new additions in Arkham Origins although given the huge amount add-ons from Arkham City we don't get too much more here.  However the new additions include the remote batclaw which can be used to pull two objects together or pull objects and use them to hit enemies.  The remote claw can also be used to create a tightrope which Batman can use to cross over areas which are difficult to reach.  Then there are shock gloves which Batman acquires from the villain, Electrocutioner and he can use them to stun enemies and knock them out as well as to short circuit elevator control panels or door lock panels.

Another addition to the game is the fast travel system which allows Batman to summon his plane, the Batwing remotely to pick him up and drop him off at a selected point, this can be done while Batman is in the batcave or out and about in the city.  This is definitely a good new feature which cuts down on the amount of time taken for Batman to glide over grapple his way to new locations.  And finally there is the concussion grenade which can be used to knock multiple enemies unconscious, although I found myself not using this feature too much in all honesty.  But Batman has already acquired a fine arsenal weapons from the previous games such as that batclaw used to hook onto surfaces and to remove other objects such as ventilation shaft covers.  Batman also has other equipment such as the batarang, a throwing weapon which can be used to knock out enemies or stun them, and is available in a remote control version which can be slowed down or used to change direction.  Then there is the disruptor, which Batman can use to neturalise enemies weapons, the crytpographic sequencer which will unlock encrypted door locks, smoke pellets used so Batman can escape enemy gunfire and explosive gel which can be used on vulnerable structures and a glue grenade, which is new addition, which Batman can use to slow down enemies, create a raft on water and also seal off steam pipes.

The game's combat is superb and remains unchanged with Batman being able to put together a chain of successive hits when fighting multiple enemies.  And the more hits Batman dishes out the more experience points he will gain in the game's XP (Experience) system and he can learn new combo moves as he moves on in the story, which also let's Batman upgrade his equipment too.  The boss fights in Arkham Origins are also excellent and at times a bit frustrating as they can be pretty tough, especially when Batman fights the sharp shooter assassin, Deathstroke, and the musclebound Bane.  And in a new feature for the game, as part of Batman's detective mode, or vision, he can also scan evidence of crimes and from that perform a recreation of a crime and how it might have happened, and Batman can either reverse or forward the crime simulation as required.  Batman can also carry out side missions and respond to a crime in progress, where he can help out Gotham police officers.

Getting onto the game's graphics it uses the same engine as before and uses Nvidia's PhysX engine to produce more dynamic and realistic interactions within the game and the game itself looks superb.  Arkham Origins is also an open world game and the game's environment is vast as Batman can travel far throughout the city and there is a huge variety in terms of the environments from the cold city streets to insides of the Gotham City Police Department, Blackgate Prison, and the Royal Hotel where Joker resides in the middle of the game.  The characters models are also terrific and again there is great variety in the enemies that are available, with Batman standing as an imposing figure, who's batsuit takes heavy damage as the combat in the game get's tougher, which was feature also in the previous two games.  The game's music score by Christopher Drake is also noteworthy and is really good, although it isn't quite as impressive the amazing score that features in Arkham City but it still has plenty of good moments.  And the voice acting by Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker as Batman and the Joker is both excellent throughout, and the supporting cast is equally impressive and features such actors as Martin Jarvis as Alfred, Mark Rolston (who is best known as Drake, the badass marine from Aliens!) who voices Deathstroke and Nolan North who reprises his role as the Penguin.  

Sneaking onto the game's flaws, well it has to be said it does have some, starting with the main one which many gaming reviewers have criticised it for in that it relies a bit too heavily on the game's existing features and doesn't offer that much in the way of new features or much innovation.  The game's tone while fairly consistent with the previous game, it does paint Batman in a less than flattering light, as he is morely an arrogant, stubborn guy who refuses to listen to anyone, especially Alfred who offers him sage advice throughout.  Batman is also certainly that bit more brutal in his combat and the inclusion of interrogation allows for Batman to inflict some heavy duty blows on his enemies, although at least he doesn't resort to killing anyone, which is something that the Bat has never done in the game series.  Another thing that did bug me about the game was that as Batman makes his returns to the batcave and given his batsuit has sustained damage during combat, why doesn't he simply change his suit to a new one??!  As there is even an option in the game where in the Batcave that Bruce Wayne can bring up a container that holds a batsuit, so why aren't you allowed to change into it?!  So I always found that to be a bit frustrating, as its almost like someone dangling something you want infront of you and its taken away before you can get it!  And the fast travel system while it is handy, I think it still doesn't drop you off close enough to your chosen destination as you still can have a bit traversing to do at times before you get to where you want.   

In terms of the storyline there are times where you wonder where Batman's alliegance lies as half the time he beats the crap out of the corrupt SWAT team members who are out to take him down and collect the bounty on his head, but yet during the side missions you can help the Gotham police force to stop crimes in progress.  However I guess that shows signs of Batman realising that not all the Gotham police force are corrupt and as the game progresses he eventually relies on Commissioner Gordon helping him out, but it seems a bit bizarre that even though the SWAT teams are corrupt cops that the rest of the police force will just sweep Batman's multiple attacks on them under the carpet.  Another criticism that can be aimed at the game is that Gotham is indeed rather empty as Batman roams the streets there are hardly any civilians, but then again it is set during Christmas Eve and it is a freezing wintery night so I guess you wouldn't see too many punters out there!

The game also on its release even in the console versions has suffered from numerous bugs such as corrupted save files (which happened to me and I had to restart it all over again early on!) and other bugs such as the game crashes and freezes as well at times and a weird bug where Batman falls endlessly, which prevents players completing a mission.  But hopefully these are issues that can be resolved with updates and patch fixes and while I encountered the odd crash and a corrupted save file, I still managed to complete the story campaign fine.

Soooooooo that's it for me look at Batman Arkham Origins, which is a solid and very entertaining addition to the Batman Arkham series, and even though it isn't in the same class as the previous two games and takes a wee while to get going, once it does, it becomes a really good game and one that's worth playing.

So with that I shall bid yee good night!   

      
  

Dirty rotten scoundrels "Oklahoma! Oklahoma! Oklahoma!"

Its now November and at this time of year you begin to wonder just where the hell al the time has gone??? Do you not?  Well anyway as its a new month I thought it was time I got on with another review, and this one is of the comedy film, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin as two rival con artists who try to outwit each other.  So let's do the usual stuff and have a look at the flick....

OK so it all begins with Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) who is a suave British con man who operates in a small town Beaumont-Sur Mer on the French Riviera.  Lawrence in his routine pretends to be a wealthy prince who is fighting for the freedom of his people (although the country of his so called people is left undisclosed!) and in doing so allures very wealthy and corrupt women into giving their money over to him.  However trouble looms ahead for Lawrence as he meets a small time American con man, Freddy Benson (Martin) who intends to find some easy marks as well in Beaumont-Sur Mer.  At this time Lawrence also learns from the newspapers that a young American con artist is working in Europe, and Lawrence assumes it is Freddy and as he sees Freddy with his next intended mark, Lawrence arranges for Freddy to be arrested by the town's police inspector, Andre (Anton Rodgers).  Lawrence pretends to help out Freddy to get out of jail and insists that he must leave town as he may be reported to Interpol and will not be able to return to Europe.

However on the flight back home, Freddy encounters a woman on the plane Fanny Eubanks (Barbara Harris) who spotted him shaking Lawrence's hand and she refers to Lawrence as the prince (as she was Lawrence's mark at the start of the film) which then lets Freddy twig that Lawrence is also a charlatan.  Freddy then heads back to Beaumont sur-mer and asks Lawrence to take him on as a student to learn from him in exchange for keeping silent about Lawrence's scams.  Lawrence then tries to teach Freddy about high culture and he get's him involved in his scams as Freddy pretends to be Ruprecht, a socially inept and mentally challenged character to scare away the female targets after Lawrence has secured their money.  However afterwards Lawrence doesn't pay Freddy any money and insists that if he were to spend his money it should be on art and culture.  Freddy however becomes infuriated by Lawrence's attitude and decides to leave town, with Lawrence deliberately playing along to make it happen.  However Freddy soon returns again and he proposes that they make a bet and whoever loses will leave town.  Lawrence decides that they should pick a woman and try to extract $50,000 from her and they end up picking Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly) a young naive American heriess, and from here both men try to do outdo one another in an effort to win the bet but along the way they get more than they bargained for.

As far as farces go Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is very entertaining and even after 25 years its still a laugh and it works really well thanks to the casting of Michael Caine and Steve Martin in the two lead roles.  The film also is based on the 1960s comedy film Bedtime Story starring Marlon Brando and David Niven in which the leads characters are also two con artists and they have the same names as the two characters in DRS.  The two characters are also a good contrast with Lawrence being the sauve British gentleman who charms his way into taking women's money away, and Freddy the hustling American con man who is less subtle in his tactics to get what he wants.

Which brings neatly onto the performances of the film which are excellent, starting with Michael Caine who does a wonderful job as Lawrence Jamieson, charming and sauve on the outside, but crafty and manipulative on the inside.  Caine plays the part perfectly throughout and he get's alot of great dialogue, such as in the scene where we first meet Ruprecht, who get's a bit too friendly with Lawrence's fake wife to be, who they are conning, and Lawrence says warningly "Ruprecht, do you want the genital cuff?!".  And as Ruprecht runs dementedly around his room banging his pots yelling "Oklahoma!" Lawrence looks down at the traumitised female mark and says "Ruprecht will love Oklahoma. He's to love run and run!".  And later when Lawrence drives Freddy back from a party, Freddy says why don't they change the bet to the first one that get's Janet into bed, and Lawrence says "Don't you have an emotion that doesn't originate below the waist?!".  He also does a really good job in his pretend role as Dr Emille Shauffhausen, the German psychiatrist who treats Freddy's pretend character, a psychologically crippled US Army soldier who is in a wheelchair.  And as Shauffhausen he also get's some good lines, especially where he says to Janet as he decides to take on Freddy as a patient "Oh I will have him running, jumping, shouting and screaming before I am finished, or my name isn't Dr Emille Shauffhausen!  The 3rd!" as he whips Freddy's legs with a large flower stem!  Which brings me to probably Caine's funniest scene where he tests out Freddy's responses to being hit with the flower stem to see if he can feel anything, and he rolls up Freddy's trousers and says "we will need to try something a bit more stringent!" starts with a light tap on his legs, leading finally up to a big long run and almighty thwack across Freddy' legs!  Also in the scene where he walks with Freddy around the town after Freddy comes back and he says to him "We all have our limitations, Freddy, and we all have have to accept them. What I'm saying is: know your limitations, Freddy.  You are a moron!".    

Which brings me onto Steve Martin who is great as Freddy Benson, the cocky American con artist who uses a puppy dog act in trying to charm women into giving their money over to him.  Although it has to be said that Freddy is hardly a subtle con man, and surely his methods would have been spotted miles away! Regardless of that though Martin has plenty of funny scenes such as when he is thrown in jail by the local police inspector Andre, and he frantically tries to remember Lawrence's name.  "His name James Jessenben! Lawerence Jesterton!" and Andre eventually says "Lawrence Jamieson?" and Freddy replies estatically "Yes! Yes! We're like this!" (fingers crossed).  As Ruprecht, Martin also provides some of the funniest moments in the film, especially in the scene where he is first introduced as the mentally challenge character and he is introduced to Lawrence's female mark, and as Ruprecht he says "Mother?" and Lawrence tells him she's not his mother and Rup says "Not mother?!" and he later frantically runs around the room banging his pot and pan yelling "Oklahoma!" over and over (as that is where Lawrence intends to get married to one of his marks).  Also in the next scene as Ruprecht when they sit at the dinner table and he spits out his apple sauce, and wearing and eyepatch, he looks over to Lawrence and says "Excuse me, may I go to the bathroom first?" and he proceeds to pretend and piss himself and says "Thank you!".  And in Ruprecht last moment as he, Lawrence and another female mark drive in a car, Ruprecht puts his arm around the woman and says "Oh Lawrence, this is the happiest day of my life! I feel like my testicles are dropping!".  I also like the moment where Freddy grows tired of Lawrence's methods of keeping him down during his tuition, and Lawrence says he wouldn't give his money unless he spent it on art and culture and Freddy says "I've got culture coming out of my ass!".  And later as they argue together driving back from dropping off Janet about how Janet has told Lawrence she could only raise the money by selling everything she owns off except for her mink, and Freddy says cynically "Oh she'll still have the mink.  So if we take her for everything at least she still have a very very nice mink!".  Another funny momeny is where he give his tearful account of his made up story to Janet about how his former partner cheated on him with Danny Terio, the host of Dance USA, which broke his heart lead to his inability to walk.  And he looks over and sees a couple dancing which sets him off into fake crying mode and he says "Oh God! They're dancing! Oh take me from this place!!".  Another hilarious moment is when Freddy in his character as the soldier tells Janet that he loves her and he thinks that she is the only one that can help him walk again, and Janet encourages him to walk by telling Freddy she loves him too, and he slowly stands up and overcome with emotions he says "I'm standing! I'M STANDING!!" and he takes one step at a time unsteadily towards her, but he takes the last few steps with ease as he walks into her arms!  And then Freddy urges Janet to move back by her hotel bedroom and walks step by step toward her and takes off his jacket and pulls off his tie as he laughs loudly and hugs her.

Glenne Headly also does a good job as Janet, the supposed soap star queen, who isn't everything she appears to be, as she comes over as being kind, warm and also a bit naive, but in the end turns out to be anything but!  Glenne's performance is however a bit of a puzzle at times as I can't quite tell if she is actually a good actress or not in her depiction of Janet, as she isn't always that convincing sounding in her role and her voice.  But that aside Glenne adds a welcome charm to the film as Janet who appears to be a lovely kind hearted woman, but unbeknownst to Larry and Freddy is really playing them both like a harp.  And her best moment actually comes at the end (PLOT SPOILER!!!!!!) where she turns up back at Lawrence's villa in disguise as a New York real estate agent with some tourists and get's them involved her new scam.  And says to the men "Fellas last year I made 3 million dollars, but your 50,000 was the most fun.  Are you ready?  Well let's go get em!".

And finally Anton Rodgers is great in his role as the corrupt Inspector Andre, who is a partner in Lawrence's scams.  Rodgers affects an amusing and silly French accent, and has a few funny moments such as in his first scene where he confidentially takes Fanny Eubanks aside and tells her about Lawrence's fake persona of the prince and he pushes her up against a palm tree, which makes a loud rattling noise and he says to her "There may also be an emotional risk.  You see the prince has been a widower for five years".  Also in the scene where Freddy is in a holding cell at the police station and Freddy says about the woman who filed a complaint against him "She caught me with another woman!  Come on, you're French you can understand that!" and Andre replies "To be with another woman is French, to be caught that is American!".

Getting on to Frank Oz, who does a great job here as the director and he keeps the tone of the film nice and light, and he would later on also direct another one of Steve Martin's films, Bowfinger, and has previously directed other films such as The Score, In and Out and Little Shop of Horrors (also starring Martin).  Miles Goodman also provides a pleasant jaunty music score which suits the tone of the film perfectly and also features a version of "Putting on the Ritz" by Irving Berlin.

So the flawsssss bit.  Does Dirty Rotten Scoundrels have any??? Well yup.  For starters I don't quite buy that when Janet tells Lawrence (who plays Shauffhausen at this point) that she had to sell everything she owned to help pay for Freddy's therapy, that Lawrence actually believes her or would be so easily duped into falling for it.  And you get at that point that surely something must be up with Janet, and perhaps also at this point you get that Freddy is that little bit wiser when he says "At least she'll still have a very very mink!" which on some level suggests he does know something is up.  There is also no doubting that the story is pretty predictable and you know where it is going right from the start and as soon as we see Janet we know that she is a player (especially as she gives a sly look in her opening scene when she arrives at the hotel).  As I already mentioned it has to be said that Freddy's character is a bit annoying at times, as he is a cynical cocky asshole in his normal persona and is a (literally) teary eyed and over affectionate puppy dog in his fake persona (although it is quite impressive how Freddy can make himself cry on demand, good skill to have!).      
Anyway regardless of that, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels still remains a thoroughly enjoyable comedy 25 years on and it works so well thanks to the excellent partnership of the two leads, and if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend to give it a go.

So with that I shall say au revoir!