Bronson: Blood, Guts and serious aggro

You know, I've got to admit that every-so-often, it's nice to have a change of operating system.

Just very occasionally, I should add.

Which is why I thought I should tell you about the film I managed to catch, last, on the family desktop, that's running Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin.

I wouldn't get too excited, though: it's going back home on Sunday!

At any rate ... ?

At any rate, let's get moving on, shall we ... ?

~~~

And let me tell you that I had something of the night to myself.

But I did have the company of a certain Mr Charles Bronson.

Or, at least, the movie about him.

And BEFORE I confuse my overseas readers, I'm talking, here about the 2009 Nicholas Winding Refn directed movie, Bronson: all about Charles Bronson, the man described as Britain's most violent prisoner.

Bronson sees Tom Hardy - who I'd last seen in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - as the film's (real-world) central character, Micheal Peterson: a man who changes his name to that of the movie star to follow a career in bare-knuckle boxing.

Only to have this interrupted, when, after robbing a post-office of just over £26, being sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Ending up serving quite a bit longer, as a result of being - as he, himself puts it - somebody nobody want's to f*ck with.

~~~

Now ... 

Am I going to tell you this is a good film ... ?

You BET I am.

While I can't tell you if Hardy's portrayal of Bronson is in any way true to life, I AM certain his performance as the main character is one of the most riveting thing I've seen on a DVD in years.

On top of that ... ?

On top of that, there's ALSO the fact that Refn's direction and framing of shots - as with the other film of his I've seen, Valhalla Rising - is absolutely amazing.

The combination of the two make Bronson a violent, but worthwhile watch.

Enjoy it, when you get it ... !

Bronson

★★★★

Psycho: Because, sometimes, you just HAVE to watch that First One … !

Which is definitely a long title, I know …

But it’s also one that I feel is — vaguely — justified.

You see, I was an impressionable teen during the 1980s, when quite a few horror films were what’re now called Slasher films.

You know the sort of thing.

They feature a small group of teenagers, all on their own, out in the sticks, being killed off — one at a time and incredibly messily — by a deranged nutter in a mask.

Or featured a small group of teenagers, all on their own, somewhere out in the sticks and being killed off — one at a time and incredibly messily — by a deranged nutter with hideous facial scaring.

Ultimately … ?

I’m thinking a LOT of those Slasher flicks were — very loosely — derived from Tobe Hooper’s original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, complete with small group of teens, isolated area and — guess what? — deranged nutter in a mask.

Don’t quote me, though.

But I’m pretty sure Hooper said somewhere he had one killer in mind, when he made Texas Chainsaw Massacre: and THAT was Ed Gein.

Be that as it may, I had little to do, to night.

Except watch a film I’d recorded a couple of days ago.

One that’s still spoken of with a certain amount of reverence, today.

One that saw a certain Mr Hitchcock turn in one of his best known films, and features a central character, again, derived from Ed Gein.

A film and character that made a certain made Anthony Perkins’ career.

Psycho …

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