When people ask me what my hobbies are the only answer I can give is reading and watching films, which is useless as almost everyone enjoys these pastimes but I don’t really have any other hobbies per say… Sports mostly bore or frighten me. Watching films may not seem like a legitimate “hobby” but unlike most people I make a commitment to watching films; I take pride in the amount of films I watch. Whenever possible, I like to go to the cinema once a week at the least, which can mean having to see incredibly mediocre films but it also brings a high awareness of what’s out and means that I rarely miss a good film. I like to think that I have seen many more than the average person aged 20. I like to memorise actors’ names that I see recurrently. I have an ongoing subscription to Empire magazine to make sure I don’t miss an issue. I do make a hobby out of film viewing.
Reading comes into this as well. I love it when a film adaptation of a book I’ve read is released. If a film is advertised that I like the look of and it derives from a book I will hastily read the book if necessary before the film comes out. The book is usually better than the film, being the original version of the story, capable of going into more depth, allowing you to imagine things how you think they should be, and the experience of reading it is less fulfilling if you have seen the film and know what is going to happen. I find a film loses less if I already know the story from a book, you are watching a new interpretation other than your own, a visual version of the novel. However, there are flaws to this system. I have become obsessed with Haruki Murakami’s books and finding out that Norwegian Wood was to be released a few weeks ago, I rushed to read it and then went to see the film soon after. Going through the same story twice in such close succession can make the second time a little tedious. That being said, it was a brilliant book and the adaptation was very faithful, the actors played the characters well, as I’d imagine them, and I love watching Japanese films as the country is so beautiful.
If asked to name a few of my favourite films there are several which have to be mentioned: the Lord of the Rings trilogy cannot be beaten. It has the perfect combination of story (I genuinely believe it is one of the best stories every fabricated), cast, scenery, music, special affects,… I’m sure there’s more it should be given 10/10 for. I remember getting chills down my spine as I went to see the Fellowship when I was 11 and the film opened with Galadriel’s voice over. Very few films should be allowed to be 3 hours long, let alone 9 if you consider the entirety, but the Lord of the Rings definitely does its length the most justice. I think my need to read a book before the film comes out may even stem from my father’s condition that I could not see the Fellowship until I had read the novel. I was reading 100 pages a day to ensure I was ready for opening night.
Gladiator is also what I like to call a perfect combination of elements. The acting is fantastic, Joaquin Phoenix may be crazy, but this is one of the best performances ever as far as I’m concerned, and I don’t care if Russell Crow is a dick, he can act. The music makes me want to cry, I can’t watch it without getting teary and the outfits and the landscape and the coliseum make the film a piece of art.
A film that completely struck me the first time I saw it in its uniqueness is A Clockwork Orange. It’s so weird and the music is so bizarre but it is one of the few films originating from a fantastic book I think completely captures the spirit of the book and can equal it in star rating.
Tim Burton is my idol, my god. I could put many of his films on here, though Edward Scissorhands would probably come top, having been one of my favourite films since I was about 7. I don’t care if he casts the same people over and over and all his films look the same, the gothic look is his signature, it’s his own world he’s created and Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp belong in that dark, sad, beautiful world. Also, I have a massive girl-crush on Helena and so think she should be put in all films ever made.
To round off I’ll talk about the film I went to see most recently: Submarine. Who doesn’t love Richard Ayoade? Who wouldn’t want to see a film directed by Moss from the IT Crowd, if it’s anywhere as genius as the bra he took into Dragons’ Den. Craig Roberts is brilliant as Oliver, he’s so stoic and bleak for a teenager. The kids are overly mature almost and the whole atmosphere to the film is a bit grey, a bit old, not very child-like, but in its humour it could be seen as very child-like: Paddy Considine’s upsetting mullet for example. Go see it if you like proper British cinema, it’s very Welsh. The music is all by Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys, who is very good at creating the feel of a generation before him, which the film needs.
Film updates: This Friday, 1st April, looks very exciting for films - for me anyway - with Source Code (mmm, Jake Gyllenhaal), Killing Bono (mmm, Robert Sheehan, Irish accents) and Suckerpunch (no mmm, but you need ot read the concept) all coming out.
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