Triple Bill Mini Musings: Nasties, Grudges, and Battles...

Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide Part 2:
What's it about?
Jake West's follow-up documentary to 2010's examination of the 'video nasties' era in British film history. This time the fall out is covered, including such appalling events as the Hungerford massacre and the sadistic murder of James Bulger being linked to Rambo II and Childs Play 3 respectively. Other topics of discussion include the restriction of VHS cover art, former BBFC Director General James Ferman's fall from power, and the underground trading market which specialised in movies that were banned in the UK.
Who would I recognise in it?
Various commentators who appeared in the first part.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
"Draconian Days" is a fascinating companion piece to 2010's "Moral Panic, Censorship, and Videotape" and, much like its predecessor, has an awful lot of important things to say about freedom of speech, artistic expression, and censorship. We may not see sights like that of schlocky horror movies seized by the police being burned on pyres, but censorship today is still prevalent - albeit in far more insidious ways. Then it was about shielding the eyes of children from fake exploding heads, today it's the chilling aggression of social media when it comes to issues of political correctness. What hasn't changed is how some people claim offence on the behalf of others, how some people spit righteous fury without seeing - or allowing others to see - what is apparently causing offence, and how the vocal opinion of an outraged minority can (perhaps unjustly) shift the line in the sand. Both parts are extremely important documentaries and point out how, regardless of political hue, our entire political establishment were gunning for these movies. Funny then that these same flicks can now be found on shelves all across the nation, available to all (who are old enough to purchase them) and there hasn't been a mass corruption of society at large ... who'd have thunk it, eh?! Great.

Click "READ MORE" below for old bruisers and young warriors...

Grudge Match:
What's it about?
Light-hearted sports comedy-drama in which two former boxing rivals, now both in their sixties, return to the ring for one final rematch.
Who would I recognise in it?
Robert DeNiro, Sylvester Stallone, Jon Bernthal, Kim Basinger, Alan Arkin, Kevin Hart.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
In some ways it's a little bit cringe-worthy to see DeNiro and Stallone, both past their boxing movie prime, bumbling about in this comedy, but at the same time it's still an enjoyable enough diversion. It's light on chuckles to begin with, but there's some genuine laugh-out-loud moments once the blood gets pumping. It's not breaking any new ground by any means, and Rocky Balboa handled the 'one last fight' angle far better, but this is fun while it lasts. Alright.

Lone Survivor:
What's it about?
Four Navy SEALs head into enemy territory in Afghanistan on a mission that goes terribly wrong resulting in a desperate fight for survival against an overwhelming number of enemy combatants in extreme conditions.
Who would I recognise in it?
Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsh, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Director Peter Berg leaves the silliness of Battleship behind for this serious-minded and deeply respectful story (based on true events), that wisely spends a good while establishing the importance of military brotherhood before the lead starts flying. Once things do kick off though, it rarely lets up, and the battle scenes are pounding in their brutality. These men are double hard bastards and they take a hell of a beating, the agony of which is all the more explicit due to an excellent technical presentation. The objectives of the story are clear, the cammeraderie between the protagonists feels truthful, and the scenes of combat are jaw dropping - the training, the efficiency, the brutality. Opening and closing with real-life footage and photographs of the astonishing Navy SEAL training process, and the men who actually went through this tragic mission for real, brings the cost of war front-and-centre. Men and women of war go through hell the world over so that we may continue to sit on our arses and watch movies. Lone Survivor doesn't tend to muddy its focus with the exceedingly complex morals of warfare and politics, although some of the issues do come up in a catch-22 scenario ... the calm before the storm. Rather than feeling jingoistic, as it could have so easily been in other hands, Lone Survivor is ultimately about the extreme experience of four men facing an nigh-on impossible-to-survive scenario. In such a position all of the surrounding noise, the politics, everything goes out the window and it comes down to the men or women by your side in a life-or-death situation. Good.