crazy-bananas

I'll start with an apology. I am unsure that I will be able to provide a meaningful description of this film. In saying that, I'm not sure I would have known I would have enjoyed this as much as I did, regardless of anyone's opinion. Truly, this is a film that is difficult to conventionally define – that's part of why I liked it so much. The film intertwines the classic cinema Alfred Hitchock created in his long distinguished career, with the significant historical events of the same time. So...have the classic imagery of birds, shower scenes, dead bodies...interspersed by Nixon's encounter with Khrushchev, JFKs televised presidential debate and the space race. The underlying theme is about doubles, and Hitchcock's double – both lookalike and soundalike feature. The voice over is hypnotic, and the film would have never had the same impact without the vocal performance of Mark Perry. I also felt myself hypnotised by the original soundtrack music of Bernard Hermann, and Double Take is a film I would watch at least twice.

Kandahar Break managed to break one perception I had before watching the film of where it would actually be shot. Admittedly, the crew did have to relocate and complete the film in Tunisia, but as this was due to the sad loss of Pakistani crew members, killed by Taliban insurgents. The filmmakers here took the brave and worthwhile step of filming in the afghani-Pakistan border, and made a film that is all the more enthralling for it. The storyline centres around an English contractor paid to clear minefields, and having to navigate the minefield of relations to the local people and the Taliban Government (the film is set from 1999). Lead actor and actress perform well, I think the actress is a newcomer and absolutely stunning. Keep looking for this director as I would expect this will be a good platform for him to move on well in the film industry.