There seems to be a genuine fear of British youth at the moment. Last year we had children torturing holiday makers in tense horror “Eden Lake” and this year we have “Harry Brown”, a gritty thriller starring Michael Caine as a pensioner turned vigilante. Now, as a twenty something living in Britain I can’t help but find this sort of thing disturbing, especially as both films refuse to show any nice, non-violent kids to level out the balance, but fear of the ASBO generation is, admittedly, understandable.

“Harry Brown” has received remarkably positive reviews thus far, due in the most part to Caine’s phenomenal performance and to the glorious opening. The first half of the film, showing the intense loneliness of the central character and the growing dread and isolation he feels as his comatose wife dies and his best friend is brutally killed by a local gang of youths. The slow pace seems to reflect an empty life, the only constant being the sound of the radio. It’s stark, bleak and upsetting, and Caine’s acting is beautifully subtle and genuinely heartbreaking.

Unfortunately this beautiful opening is then systematically destroyed by an over-the-top and largely unconvincing second segment, in which nice ex-marine pensioner Harry Brown loses control, first killing a mugger with his own knife, then buying a gun from a pair of junkies and going on a rampage. It’s an interesting idea which is sadly misused: the scene in which Harry “snaps” and kills the mugger is underplayed, and his subsequent decision to start attacking the gang just doesn’t seem plausible. It’s just too great a step for the character to turn from awkward self-defence to outright murder. A few scenes between these two events might have helped but not enough is done. Following the intense and unrelenting realism of the former section of the film, this just seems too much, far fetched and over stylised. It’s not that the latter half of the film is necessarily bad, but it sits awkwardly following the earlier scenes. It’s a little like watching two separate films haphazardly spliced together.

 Still there are plenty of redeeming features for this second half. The violence of the attacks is handled reasonably well, extreme enough to be affecting but generally shown in darkened rooms allowing the imagination to take over. The performances of the supporting cast are relatively believable, if grotesque, and Caine remains remarkable throughout. Unfortunately, however, even these positive aspects are shamed by a preposterously predictable final “twist”, very similar to the “blame the parents” motif already shown in films like “Eden Lake”, but again sloppily realised and perplexingly presented.

It’s a real shame. The opening hinted at such majesty but the final result is awkward, bizarre and unremarkable. Watchable but mediocre, sadly butchering the tone and finesse of the first section.

The premise of the movie is simple.  The movie asserts that Nome, Alaska has more unsolved disappearances than any other town in the United States.  Due to this Nome has been visited more times by the FBI than any other town in Alaska, although the FBI never makes an appearance in the film.  Dr. Abigail Tyler, as played by Mila Jovovich, is continuing the work of her late husband which is looking into these disappearances.  As she does she finds that there is more to it than people just disappearing. 

Dr. Tyler uses a now controversial technique to get to the root cause of why people are having difficulty sleeping.  She uses a form of hypnotherapy called “regression” to have people relive the events at night that wake them up.  She notices a pattern in the events and a commonality between her patients.  They report seeing a large grey owl staring at them through the window.  As they try to remember what actually happened to them during this period of time she comes across a mental block that either keeps the people from remembering the event or that drives them insane with fear. During the process one of her patients commits suicide after killing his whole family.  This brings her to the attention of the local sheriff, August, as played by the exceptional Will Patton.  There is supposed to be tension between the two relating to Abigail’s husband’s death, but it never comes off as real.  As the story progresses odder activity occurs including a recording of a voice in Abigail’s room that is not hers.  This voice is speaking a language that is not recognized by Dr. Tyler so she calls in a specialist who translates the voice.  He tells her that voice is speaking Sumerian which hasn’t been spoken by a human in over 5,000 years.  Events cumulate after Abigail’s daughter is abducted and she attempts to communicate with the alien presence. 

There are so many things wrong with this movie it’s hard to know where to start.  Firstly, the setting of the movie is completely wrong.  Nome, Alaska is situated on a relatively flat peninsula that has few trees.  However, in the movie, not only are there towering mountains on all sides of the town, the whole town appears to be built in a mixed forest of conifers and deciduous trees.  Also, it rains through most of the movie.  Nome gets about 17 inches of precipitation per year, but if the movie is to be believed they get most of that in a two to three week period, all of it as rain.  So, the setting is hokey and unbelievable.  Secondly, the actors are used poorly in the movie.  Ms. Jovovich is, as always, outstanding and Will Patton adds something to any movie he’s in, but the tension between the two is forced and rigid.  The action is confined by the faux documentary style.  Thirdly, the movie is supposed to frighten us, which is does not.  Through the entire dreary 98 minutes of run time there is only one scene that actually made me jump and I jump pretty easily.   

In conclusion, this isn’t a movie to watch in the theater.  Heck, it isn’t even a movie to watch at home unless you don’t have any thing else to do.  And by anything, I mean cleaning the cat box and the drain trap are preferable to sitting through this movie.  They should show it at the dentist’s office, because getting one’s teeth drilled without pain killer would be less painful than spending $10 on this movie.  But, hey, that’s just one guy’s opinion.  Have fun and keep watching!!!

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The Goonies

With this cast of characters, it seemed perfect for adolescent. I mean, it did have both the Corey’s. But let us not forget who else was in this movie… specifically a crazy old woman and some sort of Cyclops. Throw in a scene where the kids will fall to their deaths of they don’t hit the right musical notes, and there’s a movie I cannot watch again without reliving the scary thoughts it gave me as a child. 

Fantasia

Yes, I’m talking about a Mickey Mouse movie. But c’mon. The broom army? It couldn’t be stopped! For a cartoon, this movie sure freaked me out, and gave me another reason to avoid cleaning the kitchen.

Wizard of Oz

We’re talking serious death here. I mean, it was so secret the Wicked Witch was going for Dorothy’s jugular. And monkeys may be fun and cute, but all bets are off when they’re flying through the air with spooky music playing. And you can kill a crotchety old woman with just water? This could really mess with a young child’s mind.

Willy Wanka & the Chocolate Factory

Where to begin on this one? That boat sequence was super freaky. But it was those horrible consequences those bratty kids suffered that really stuck with me. As a kid, I didn’t quite have the sophistication to realize cool special effects that turned you blue or shrunk you down to Barbie-size was just a movie trick.

Depending on the age you saw these films, you memories may be less disturbed by these films. Maybe your unlikely scary childhood movie was Dumbo or the Neverending Story. Feel free to share. I’m sure you’re not alone.

If you live in the UK, you may or may not be aware of the censorship of movies during the UK.  Lots of movies particularly horror movies were banned, or denied certificates within the UK. Silent Night Deadly Night is one of the longest pieces of censorship from this time, while it was never banned, the certificate issuers (the BBFC – British Board Of Film Classification) decided that this 1984 slasher movie should not be seen, why? For its message is that while Santa Claus will happily bring presents for the good, for those that have not been so good there is a very different offering. Now for the first time ever in the UK Silent Night Deadly Night is available uncut, and with scenes missing from other worldwide releases re-inserted for the first time.

In Christmas 1971 a family travel across Utah to visit their father, and to the children grandfather. Being Christmas time the family are eager to get back home so there young son Billy and his brother can enjoy a proper Christmas. While visiting the Grandfathers residence (a mental facility) Billy is left alone with his Grandfather who tells him (although he’s not meant to even be able to speak) that Santa will only visit him and give him a present if he has been good all year long. If he has not Santa will punish him.

Having barely been able to recover from the terrible incident than a man dressed as Santa kills his mother and father, leaving Billy and his brother orphans. Moving forward to the present day (well 1984) Billy still traumatized by Christmas related events is forced to work as a Santa in a toy store, and its only a matter of time before the memories all come flooding back.

I can’t lie, Silent Night Deadly Night is a pretty awful movie, while the idea is great, the execution (in more ways than one) is not so hot. The acting is fairly sub standard, and the way the story carries itself is pretty limp. What to me makes Silent Night Deadly Night so interesting is that it’s a testament to how ridiculous censorship was in the UK during the 80’s and for the most ridiculous of reasons.  The movie was denied a rating not on the basis of sex, or violence; but because someone felt a killer Santa would damage a developing mind.

You have to feel sorry for Billy, having endured the horror of his parents murdered by Santa, at the orphanage he is yearly tormented by the memories as the nuns force him to participate in Christmas, and one year to actually sit on the lap of a man dressed as Santa. The message of Billy’s horrific life is hammered home quite a lot during the movies first portion. And this is the movies downfall, because although the acting is bad the story flows really well right to the moment that as an adult Billy snaps and reaches for a string of Christmas lights, by the time he has picked up a hammer, axe, and impaled a young woman (played by 80’s horror icon and Scream Queen Linnea Quigley) the stories hard working plot is a distant memory.

Sadly in the 2000’s this movie is going to deliver more laughs than scares, particularly in what should be the most scary moments. There is a great sled scene which shows the kid riding the sled ending his ride without a head.

As the movie progresses Billy moves to punishing the bad, but the way he decides whom is good and who is bad becomes incredibly shaded. How exactly does Billy manage to find all the bad people, well its because all assembly of story goes missing.

The movies restoration is good, but you can easily identify where the joins are as the print is much darker, even with today’s modern technology unless the movie is a blockbuster its very hard to find the money to make the movie complete, and the reality is that there will only be a few thousand units of the DVD released; its difficult to make money out of a genre that has only a limited interested audience. But this is also a strength, because for those with a passion for the sort of movies we were not aloud to see in the 80’s this is a must have movie to see or buy.

On release (elsewhere in the world) Silent Night Deadly Night was a popular movie simply because of its basic storyline; so popular was the idea that it spawned four sequels; and its basic premise was replicated in a whole variety of other movies. Like it or love it Silent Night Deadly Night earns its place in movie history.

Image by Zanastardust via Flickr

Come Back, Little Sheba lobby card set image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director Daniel Mann and Paramount Pictures delivered Come Back, Little Sheba to movie theaters in 1952. Burt Lancaster plays the alcoholic Doc Delaney, with Oscar winner Shirley Booth as his slovenly wife.

William Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba

Come Back, Little Sheba is based on the play of the same name by noted American playwright William Inge (1913-1973). First staged on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on February 15, 1950, Come Back, Little Sheba featured an opening night cast comprised of Sidney Blackmer (Doc), Shirley Booth (Lola), Joan Lorring (Marie), Wilson Brooks (Ed Anderson), Lonny Chapman (Turk) and Robert Cunningham (Bruce).

Come Back, Little Sheba, which earned Shirley Booth both a Tony Award and a New York Drama Critics Award, registered 190 Broadway performances before coming to a close on July 29, 1950.

Daniel Mann Directs Come Back, Little Sheba  

Independent producer Hal B. Wallis purchased the movie rights to Come Back, Little Sheba. Ketti Frings wrote the screenplay for Paramount Pictures and Daniel Mann, who had helmed the Broadway play, directed. Little Sheba would mark Mann’s motion picture debut.

Wallis and Paramount Pictures assembled a strong cast for Little Sheba. Actively campaigning and eventually winning the role of Doc Delaney was Burt Lancaster, who wished to display his sensitive side. Reprising her Broadway role as Lola Delaney was Shirley Booth in her film debut. Other players included Terry Moore (Marie Buckholder), Richard Jaeckel (Turk Fisher), Philip Ober (Ed Anderson), Edwin Max (Elmo Huston), Lisa Golm (Mrs. Coffman), Walter Kelley (Bruce), Virginia Hall (Blonde) and Paul McVey (Postman).

Bette Davis had been considered for the role of Lola. Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, Ronald Reagan and Fred MacMurray had all been mentioned as potential Doc Delaneys.

Come Back, Little Sheba: Alcoholism and Lost Youth

Come Back, Little Sheba opens with college art student Marie Buckholder answering a newspaper ad regarding a room to rent in the home of Doc and Lola Delaney. The nervous Doc, a chiropractor and recovering alcoholic, likes things they way they are and frets that a new boarder will upset the steady rhythm of his life.

Marie decides to take the room, with the Delaneys doting over her as if she were their daughter, or more symbolically, their missing dog, Little Sheba. The long-lost pet represents the Delaneys’ past, the good times when Doc was a promising medical student and Lola was still endowed with her youthful good looks.

The pretty Marie is currently seeing two men: the virile college athlete Turk Fisher and the steady, responsible Bruce from back home. Meanwhile, Doc continues to struggle with his alcoholism, falling off the wagon one night and threatening Lola with a kitchen knife. Coming to her rescue are two of Doc’s sponsors from Alcoholics Anonymous, who disarm the drunken Doc and transport him to City Hospital where he can dry out.

With Doc back on the wagon once again, the Delaney household returns to normal. When Marie suddenly marries Bruce, a happy Doc and Lola express their approval.

Come Back, Little Sheba Opens in New York City

Come Back, Little Sheba premiered at New York City’s Victoria Theater on December 23, 1952.

“The screen version of Come Back, Little Sheba…makes as poignant and haunting a drama as was brought forth upon the stage. For this we may also be grateful to Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth, who contribute two sterling performances in the picture’s leading roles,” reported Bosley Crowther of The New York Times (12/24/52).

“Shirley Booth has the remarkable gift of never appearing to be acting. Opposite her is Burt Lancaster, bringing an unsuspected talent to his role of the middle-aged, alcoholic husband,” observed Variety (12/3/52).

Shirley Booth Wins Best Actress Oscar

Come Back, Little Sheba garnered three Academy Award nominations: Best Actress (Booth), Best Supporting Actress (Moore) and Best Film Editing (Warren Low). On March 19, 1953, the first year the Academy Awards ceremony was televised, simultaneously from the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles and the International Theatre in New York, it was Shirley Booth who carried the day, winning Little Sheba’s lone Oscar.

“Rising from her seat in delight, Shirley Booth tripped slightly as she reached the stage of the International Theatre here last night to accept her ‘Oscar’ statuette for Come Back, Little Sheba, one of the most unsurprising awards in Academy history,” reported The New York Times (3/20/53).

Come Back, Little Sheba Box Office, Movie Memorabilia, DVD

• Come Back, Little Sheba grossed $3.5 million at the American box office, earning the #11 slot on the list of the top moneymaking films of 1952.
• Auction results for original Little Sheba movie material, courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas: one sheet poster ($40), insert poster ($11), window card ($119.50), Italian 2 folio poster ($239), set of eight lobby cards ($45).
• On DVD: Come Back, Little Sheba (Paramount, 2004).

“I don’t think Little Sheba’s ever coming back, Doc. I’m not going to call her any more,” Lola says at the end of the film.

The little dog had lost its magic, but the movie never will…

         The first thing I’d like to talk about was how the movie was filmed. I personally being an amateur filmmaker can appreciate how the movie was filmed. Due to this I notice how the movie was shot. The film angles he used were great. My favorite is scene that I’d like to talk about is the scene when the doctor goes to the “school” where he found the human remains, and he picks up the skull with the bullet hole in it. I like how the camera angle is when he’s holding the skull, like how it’s like a first person view through the doctor’s eyes. The next thing I’d like to bring up is the lighting of the whole movie. The lighting sets the tone of the whole movie. With the yellowish, almost sepia tone almost sets you in to the mood that the doctor is in, that troubled almost uneasy feeling. The film grain of the movie also adds to this effect, because the grain adds to the mood of the whole thing. It gives everything more of the run down dirty feeling that the villages and towns in the movie had. John also likes to use actors he’s worked with before, because they know how he works, and he knows how they work. (Enders 1)

         Men With Guns was a well-written movie. John Sayles approach of telling the story was great, along with his character development. Dr. Fuentes’s need to make sure his legacy continued is what pushed him to go from village to village to find any of his old students, and even though in every town he found a disappointment either by finding out they left or had been killed, he wouldn’t give up. In fact every disappointment caused him to work harder at finding one of his students. Due to the experiences from his trip he started to learn about the truth of his country. He thought it was perfect, and Dr. Fuentes found out otherwise. The next character I’d like to bring up is the former soldier. When the former soldier is first introduced he is a hard ass. He takes the money the doctor and the boy have, and leaves them stranded, soon after the he returns with a gunshot wound and needs help from Dr. Fuentes. Due to the injury he is forced to bring the doctor and the boy with him. As time goes on you can see he did many horrible things as a soldier, but as time goes on in the movie you notice a change and he starts to care about the others not just him self. Ironically at the end of the movie he actually becomes the doctor’s legacy, and starts to help the natives with his knowledge as a medic. The last character I’d like to bring up is “The Ghost” also known as Padre Portillo. The Padre was ashamed of himself of how he let the village he served down, and because of this he lost his faith. After running into the doctor, boy, and the former soldier they caused him to gain his faith back, and he sacrificed himself to help the others move on, especially the former soldier. I like how John Sayles keeps pushing the timeline forward from village to village and keeps giving the doctor hope that maybe his legacy has moved on. It almost keeps you on the edge of your seat hoping, and wishing that the doctor will be thrown a bone, and he’ll find someone still around.

         Even with the Spanish dialog, and having to read the subtitles, you can enjoy this movie. Some critics believe that the film was more of a message than a drama (Armstrong 1); I believe that it was both. I not only enjoyed the film, it is an inspiration to amateur filmmakers like myself, especially since he’s from Central New York too.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Richard. “John Sayles” Senses of Cinema, Febuary 2004

Enders, Eric. The John Sayles Stock Company. 2002-2005,

John Sayles Retrospect, Sayles IFC Retrospective, 2002,

Image via Wikipedia

Cutting properly is an art that definitely helps to put the film together and takes the place of unnecessary words. A good cut can suggest a mood or necessary tension.

Directors like Sidney Lumet broke from theatrical mode and entered film mode by being able to call whatever angle he wanted spontaneously, scene after scene, at the flick of a switch. If he wanted to develop tension then he quickened his movement between two people talking regardless of who was talking. I get the feeling of less tension as he casually picked up Ingrid Bergman get to the train but with other more sinister characters like Anthony Perkins, I the cut of their image before they embarked was much more dramatic.

Maybe his urge to quicken the cut came from his experience in editing TV programs.

 More than just having a flashback, which was already a common mode for film to relate the actor’s dive into a past memory Lumet went a step further. He utilized flash cuts, which metaphorically stood for the intrusion of a past memory in a present situation such as when Steiger was witnessing an apparent suicide in the Pawnbroker. He would end up experimenting and ending up on a formula of sequencing sufficiently short and longer cuts to get this intrusion out without irritating the viewer.

 Cuts were applied in movies like the Pawnbroker to juxtapose events that did not sit well with the viewer; the coldness of which Steiger made love set along side a lovemaking scene between a sexier couple meant that his life was bleak and no words were needed. That bleakness was even further exemplified by a young prostitute looking for a trick as a reticent Steiger flashed back to being pushed to a see a German soldier lying beside naked women prisoner a concentration camp. Both events suggested forced situations outside his control and it was the cut between the present and past that completed that suggestion.

Lobby card image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Embassy Pictures brought the sci-fi camp classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians to movie theaters in 1964. John Call plays the fat man in the red suit, with Leonard Hicks, Vincent Beck and Pia Zadora as Martians. Hooray for Santa Claus!

Nicholas Webster Directs Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Glenville Mareth wrote the screenplay for Jalor Productions based on a story idea by producer Paul L. Jacobson. Nicholas Webster directed the interplanetary action. Webster’s other directorial credits included Dead to the World (1961), Gone Are the Days! (1963), Mission Mars (1968) and television episodes of The Big Valley, Get Smart, The Immortal, Mannix, The F.B.I., Bonanza and The Waltons.

John Call Heads Cast

John Call (1908-1973) stars as Santa Claus. Call’s previous movie credits included Boots Malone (1952), The Kid from Left Field (1953) and Happy Anniversary (1959).

Other players include Leonard Hicks (Kimar), Vincent Beck (Voldar), Victor Stiles (Billy), Donna Conforti (Betty), Bill McCutcheon (Dropo), Christopher Month (Bomar), Pia Zadora (Girmar), Leila Martin (Momar), Doris Rich (Mrs. Claus), Charles Renn (Hargo), James Cahill (Rigna), Ned Wertimer (Andy Henderson), Ivor Bodin (Winky), Al Nesor (Stobo), Josip Elic (Shim), Jim Bishop (Lomas) and Don Blair (TV News Announcer).

Speculation abounds that Leonard Hicks (1918-1971) looks and sounds an awful lot like Charlton Heston. But rest assured, Heston did not appear in this film under Hicks’ moniker.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Filmed in New York

Budgeted at a paltry $200,000, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was filmed in four days at Michael Myerberg Studios in Long Island, New York. The production facility had once served as an airport hangar located at Roosevelt Field in Garden City.

Producer Paul L. Jacobson knew something about churning out quickie productions. He had previously worked as a unit manager on the iconic children’s TV show Howdy Doody (1947-60).

Supplying various props were the Louis Marx Toy Co. and Vogue Dolls, Inc. Also on hand were “Martian ray guns,” which were actually painted toy Air Blasters provided by Wham-O, the famous California toy company who also introduced the Hula-Hoop, Frisbee and Super Ball.

Producers lifted stock footage from Dr. Strangelove (1964) in which Air Force jets are seen taking to the skies to intercept the Martian UFO.

Hooray for Santa Claus!

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians opens with a rousing rendition of “Hooray for Santa Claus,” a catchy little holiday number written by Martin Delugg and Roy Alfred and performed by an off-camera chorus of youngsters.

Two Martian kids are tuned into an Earth broadcast of KID TV, where they observe a jolly Santa Claus at the North Pole. Chochem, the revered Ancient One, advises the elders that Mars is need of such a happy figure for its children.

A Martian spaceship is dispatched to Earth to snatch Santa Claus. The ship lands near Lake Welch, where its occupants encounter two kids, Billy and Betty Foster. “Are you a television set?” little Betty asks, spying the Martians’ antennae sprouting from their heads.

Torg, the Martian robot, seizes old St. Nick at his workshop, resulting in the blaring Daily Tribune headline: “SANTA CLAUS KIDNAPPED BY MARTIANS!” What ensues is a wild cinematic free-for-all, featuring a good Martian/bad Martian routine, an impromptu alien rendition of “Jingle Bells,” a sabotaged toy-making machine and a wonderful dust-up on the Red Planet where the evil Voldar and his henchmen are repelled by toy-wielding kids!

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Premieres in Chicago

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians opened in Chicago on November 14, 1964.

“A Christmassy little movie, with science-fiction trimmings for fledgling astronauts,” reported an upbeat Howard Thompson of The New York Times (12/17/64).

“Without exaggeration, one of the single worst films ever made,” opined The Motion Picture Guide (Cinebooks, 1985).

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Box Office, Movie Memorabilia, DVD

• Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, whose alternate video title is Santa Claus Defeats the Aliens, turned a tidy profit at the box office. The sci-fi film was subsequently re-released year after year during the holidays, where it continued to rack up revenue for its thrifty makers.
• Auction results for original Santa Claus Conquers the Martians movie material, courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas: one sheet poster ($131.45), lot of two lobby cards ($30), Dell tie-in comic book near mint condition ($262.90).
• On DVD: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (Alpha Video, 2004).

“All this trouble over a fat man in a red suit,” grumbles Voldar, the mean Martian.

Well, Merry Christmas anyway – at least that’s the salutation at the end of the movie.

Ok I’ll admit it; I was skeptical.  In fact, skeptical isn’t even a strong enough word.  I was absolutely convinced I was going to hate this game.  It appears, on the surface, to be aimed directly at 14 year olds.  And it is;  what this game does is remind you just how much f*cking fun being 14 years old was at times.  Damned if this wasn’t a couple of the most entertaining video game playing hours I have ever spent.  Good god is this game a blast…  A car that kicks ass, Ozzy, an army of headbangers, flying, demons… in an era where so many games just take themselves far too seriously, here’s a flashback. 

I know what you’re thinking… I thought the same thing.  “Cheesy games like this are always done half assed.” It isn’t. Not only did they do it right,  but they did it better than could be expected.  Maybe the fighting isn’t as smooth as a really top tier hack and slash, but the story and the visuals take is so far beyond your typical smash and collect game that I can forgive them for not being perfect.  I loved the car…. What could possibly be more fun than a souped up hot rod loaded with weapons that basically only dies when you take it off a cliff? ( and this will happen when you start to get cocky.)  

The one knock on this game is duration;  It only took me 12 hours, and a hardcore gamer could probably do it in 8-10.  In it’s defense, it does have multiplayer mode,  and it is entertaining enough that you may want to go through it repeatedly with your buddies. 

What may be the game’s biggest draw, though, is the soundtrack.  Simple as this;  if you are a fan of metal music, the list is unparalleled in the gaming world.  There are epics and classics: Sabbath, Accept, Def Leppard, and Judas Priest amongst them.  New Metal?  How about Cradle of Filth, In Flames,  and Rob Zombie?  Prefer hardcore metal?  Slayer and Deathklok got ya covered.  There are even industrial bands here!  Ministry!  KMFDM!  The list just goes on…  Anthrax, Static X, Dragonforce… the metal just doesn’t stop.

I found it interesting that the game was already in production before  Jack Black got involved.  The title character fits him so well I  just assumed he was part of it from the beginning; but apparently the designer (Tim Shafer) had the idea for this game 15 years ago and began work on it before they even completed his last game, Psychonauts.

If this game isn’t already on your Christmas list for either the metal head or gamer, put it there, especially if they’re both.  You will be blown away by the depth in a game that easily could have sold just as many copies if it had been done by a lesser design team.  If you love games  that care more about making great games that will please their core audience while still being above average and great fun for everyone else, or miss the days when games kicked ass simply for the sake of doing so,  this is a game is a must have.

Brad Pitt’s performance is subtle, and thoughtful as the title character and Cate Blanchette brings her considerable grace and surprising range of vocal manipulation to bring Daisy to life. I was most struck by her voice as it changed to play Daisy from her teens to old age – capturing the sense of passing time almost more palpably than the Academy Award winning make-up. While the main characters carry the piece, there is one overlooked performance that felt as robust and real as anything one might live to see on screen, which is Jared Harris’s Captain Mike, the ship’s captain who takes the outwardly ancient but inwardly youthful Benjamin Button on as a sailor. While Harris is not particularly known for big budget Hollywood, he has an impressive string of awards on his resume. (And in this movie-watcher’s experience – anything with Jared Harris in it is worth watching.)

The plot is that a baby is born with signs of advanced age and abandoned, raised in an old folks home as he progressively grows younger, experiencing a wide range of adventures and having a few dalliances, all the while pining for his one great love, Daisy, with whom he eventually does connect. Daisy has a child, played by Julia Ormond. When the film opens, we see the daughter visiting Daisy, who gives her daughter Benjamin’s journal to read out loud, so that the daughter may know her father. This is how the story unfolds for the audience.

One of the modern day events in the film, which is the one thing that poked me as irritating, is that as Daisy is on her death bed, Hurricane Katrina is raging in the background, approaching and then making landfall in New Orleans by the end of the film. While it did provide an excuse for some poetic imagery at the end, I found that every mention of Hurricane Katrina felt like an intrusion on the story – an interruption in my suspension of disbelief. But, if you can ignore that, otherwise the film is pretty much flawless.