22/12/2008 
Update for 22 December
Lots of little series for this update from quite a diverse batch of films.
First off The Love Guru, which is quite possibly the worst film of the year, well the worst I've seen and I've seen some absolute shit. I would suggest that Mike Myers was going for the record number of dick jokes in a film, he might not have reach that record (whatever that is), but he sure broke the record for the most unfunny ones, which is all of them. And to top it off, two elephants have sex, and then it just gets sad. And to think Mike Myers made fairly funny films like the two Wayne's World films, So I Married An Axe Murderer and bits and pieces of the first two Austin Powers films...
Well, if you want terrible, how 'bout an unnecessary prequel to Vacancy. The original is a pretty solid thriller and this prequel just rehashes it without the suspense and is a lot dumber. As an origin film, it's incredibly pointless and what's with the the killing of the black couple... Needed more kills? And what's happening with Agnes Bruckner's career? I predicted that she was going to be star 5 years ago and now she's making forgettable straight to DVD fare. Pffft...
The Soul Keeper is about the relationship between psychiatrist Carl Jung and one of his patients Sabina Spielrein, who later discovered a kindergarten called The White Nursery in Russia that was shut down by Stalin. Basically, this film is about Sabina and how she influenced the word of Jung and Freud in the area of schizophrenia (although Jung was fired for having an affair with her), it's an OK film, but seems to brush over what influence she actually had to focus on the affair.
And When Did You Last See Your Father is a film starring Colin Firth about a son coming home to see his dying dad and remembering moments in his life, particularly ones involving him and his father. It's a pretty good film, a bit of a weepie, with a solid cast. Snow Angels is an excellent drama that focuses on the complexities of relationships, whether they are just starting, falling apart or spiralling into tragedy. A great ensemble cast and a well told story from the director of other good dramas All The Real Girls and Undertow (and Pineapple Express, which is something completely different).
What We Do Is Secret is a film about the seminal punk band The Germs and their impact on the punk scene during their 3 years of existence. Their gigs were so out of control that they were banned from pretty much everywhere in LA. The film focuses more on lead singer Darby Crash than the other members, and there really isn't much focus on the music in the film (well the jury's still out over whether they were that good...), but they featured in the great doco The Decline of Western Civilization and have had an impact on many bands, including Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The film's is OK, but kind of skirts over their career (which is a problem with bio pics), not giving a lot of insight in what makes them good (or shit).
Finally a couple of foreign films, An Italian Romance, a pretty forgettable romantic drama about a man who obsesses over a woman he first saw in a saucy photograph. Sheesh, just rub one out and get on with it (no offence to Maya, she's fine). Then there's Un Poco de Chocolate which is a sweet little Spanish romantic comedy about new loves and lost loves and such and it has Bárbara Goenaga, a new fave, so it makes the film much more watchable, well for me anyway.
Jessica Alba in The Love Guru (with 3 videos)
Meagan Good in The Love Guru (with 2 videos)
Agnes Bruckner in Vacancy 2: The First Cut (with 1 video)
Emilia Fox in The Soul Keeper (with 5 videos)
Elaine Cassidy in And When Did You Last See Your Father? (with 1 video)
Olivia Thirlby in Snow Angels (with 1 video)
Bárbara Goenaga in Un Poco de Chocolate (with 1 video)
Maya Sansa in L' Amore Ritrovato (An Italian Romance) (with 8 videos)
Randi Newton in What We Do Is Secret (with 1 video)
