7/30/2019 kk-070914- Shoot Em Up

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3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS

KATIE BRADFORDKOURIER-STANDARD

As with horror moviesand comedies, action filmsare turned out frequently,but can often become repet-itive.

D i r e c t o r s s u c h a sQuentin Tarantino (KillBill Volumes 1 and 2) andRobert Rodriguez (SinCity) attempt to stylize theviolence which moviegoershave become so very numbto.

While not reinventing the

wheel, these directors showan innovative vision whichis often mimicked and rare-ly mastered.

Shoot Em Up, from writ-er/director Michael Davis,attempts not to mimic thesegreat films, but tries to playin the same sandbox.

While it is not nearly asiconic as Tarantinos work,it is a valiant and enjoyableeffort to spice up a some-times stale format.

Clive Owen is on fire thisseason.

With two polar oppositefilms hitting the screenswithin a month or so ofeach other, the man is cov-ering his bases.

In October, Elizabeth:the Golden Age (in whichhe plays Walter Raleigh)

will hit the big screen (itis currently playing atthe Toronto International

Film Festival). For actors,mass appeal and range arethe key to success; beingbacked into a corner oftenleads to a shorter-livedcareer.

Owen has managedto avoid that by not onlyplaying in period piecesand action flicks, but alsoheavier films such as Closer(which won him an Oscarnomination).

Shoot Em Up followsa mysterious man namedSmith (Owen) who hap-pens upon a woman beingchased by a gang of menwith guns.

After playing the hero(and midwife), he manages

to save her baby, but nother.

Now saddled with a new-

born, and being chasedby a gang egged on bytheir leader, Hertz (PaulGiamatti),

Smith is desperate notonly to feed and care forthe baby, but to find outwhy on earth anyone wouldwant to kill the infant hedubs Oliver.

What does a man with ahungry baby do?

He finds a lactatingprostitute, of course. Thehooker, Donna (MonicaBellucci), plays surrogateto the orphan while Smithshoots everything thatmoves.

The subsequent plottwists are very creative, butnot quite groundbreaking.The dialogue can some-times become awkward, butfor the most part the jokesare funny and so are theaction sequences.

The film doubles as ablack comedy, somehowfinding humour in violenceagainst women and chil-dren, but not condoning it.Similarly, the sharpshoot-ing Smiths preaching aboutgun control are either origi-nal or hypocritical.

Daviss writing style issometimes too aware of itsown craftiness, similar toan overly precocious child

aware of its cuteness.While the occasional

wink at the camera can befun, doing it too much onlycauses the audience to feelmanipulated.

The film is brutally vio-lent, no matter what style isplaced upon it, and conse-quently is not for the faintof heart.

Fans of Owen in Sin Citywill appreciate his multi-tasking, gun-toting, carroteating, idiosyncratic char-acter.

However, they may bedisappointed by the lack ofdepth or cemented back-story.

Overall, although imper-fect, Shoot Em Up pro-vides an hour and half oforiginal laughs and thrills.In a market of fluff and

copycatting, that in itself isa success.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2007 - KANATA KOURIER-STANDARD - PAGE 37

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Evenings with authorsfuels literacy programs

OTTAWA PUBLICLIBRARY FOUNDATION

T h e O t t a w a P u b l i cLibrary Foundation (OPLF)invites all library usersto eat, drink and be liter-ary during the 2007/2008Literary Evening Series.

The series begins withAn Evening with MargaretDickenson, internationallyaward-winning cookbookauthor and TV host, on Oct.11, at the Chamber, BenFranklin Place, in Nepean.

Next, the headline event An Evening With JaneUrquhart will take placeon Nov. 23, at the ChteauLaurier.

Finally the bill will closeon Feb. 29 with An EveningWith Char lo t te Gray ,Ottawas own literary icon,at Earnscliffe, the officialresidence of the Britishhigh commissioner.

The fundraising Seriesconsists of three excitingevents created with thediverse interests of librarysupporters in mind, saidDavid Daubney, chair of theOPLF board of directors.

For the past 12 years theOPLF has hosted a lonefundraising event eachyear. Positive feedbackand support from commu-nity members and sponsors,coupled with the opportu-

nity to showcase so muchCanadian talent, promptedthe expansion.

Having three eventsinstead of one not onlylets us offer something tosuit everyones taste butit also gives the founda-tion the opportunity toraise more funds for morelibrary enhancements, saidDaubney.

We plan to use thefunds from An EveningWith Margaret Dickensonto enhance childrens andadult literacy programs.Proceeds from An EveningWith Jane Urquhart will gotoward adaptive technolo-gies, special collectionsand programs. An EveningWith Charlotte Gray willallow for much needed

enhancements to the OttawaRoom.

Attending one or all ofthe events in the 2007/2008Literary Evening Series isa unique way library userscan support the OPLFand enhance their libraryresources and services.

For information about the2007/2008 Literary EveningSeries, including ticket andsponsorship information,visit www.foundationOPL.ca.

Shoot Em Up delivers for Tarantino fansREEL REVIEWS

Heroic nanny fights gunmen in black comedy and action flick

KATIE BRADFORD

"The film doubles

as a black comedy,

somehow

finding humour in

violence against

women andchildren, but not

condoning it. "

Katie Bradford

Literary eveningseries begins

on Oct. 11 at BenFranklin Place