I do apologise for the long absence of new posts in this blog. It is the middle of my revision and exam period now and so I have not had much opportunity to go to the cinema, nor to review those films which I have managed to see. Nonetheless, I shall attempt to write a brief and belated review of "The Cabin in the Woods", a fantastic horror film which I was lucky enough to catch two weekends ago.
"The Cabin in the Woods" is a Joss Whedon film which was actually filmed in 2009 and initially due for release in 2010, but due to lack of funding and financial problems its release was delayed until this April, when it finally and thankfuly came out. It is difficult to discuss this film without giving away too much. Many even argue that the trailer is too revealing because *spoilers*....
this film has a big twist, some of which is clear within the advert. Then again, that part which is clear in the trailer is actually revealed pretty much within the first scene of the film and the main revelation comes gradually during the film and neither I nor the trailer will let you in on that secret. However, if you want to go into the cinema completely in the dark, no pun intended, which I think may be a very fun way to watch this film, look away now!
*sigh* Chris Hemsworth looking grumpy
The story is that of five twenty-something college students deciding to take a trip to a cabin in the woods - shocker - owned by the cousin of lead male Curt, aka my current man-crush Chris Hemsworth. Naturally, we're all yelling at the screen "Don't go in there, y'all gonna get eaten/slaughtered/stabbed/shanked/vaporised" or some other horrible ending.
Now, this is where Joss Whedon does something clever, for that is only half of the story. Another set of characters are introduced, dwelling in what appears to be some sort of underground army base or compound, and they're running the entire show in the cabin. This is all I'll tell you about the plot, anymore would be too much I assure you.
Many have argued that this film is not scary. To be honest, I was jumping and covering my eyes left right and center, but as I've mentioned before, I'm not very good with horror. However, even if you do want to argue that it's not scary, I will counter-argue that this film is not really part of the horror genre. At its core, this is a sci-fi film, and all Whedon fans know that this is something Joss does very well: Mix sci-fi with monsters. We've all seen "Buffy"! TCITW, which appears to be another of the many typical teens-in-the-woods-getting-naked-then-slaughtered movies is actually a satire of this genre, posing the question, "why do we enjoy sending teens out into the woods to bet brutally mutilated for our own entertainment?" This film is gory, but it's also funny and thought-provoking.
The cast all play their parts well as you can usually expect when a director hasn't gone for the most famous names he can scrabble together. Though we all know and love Chris now, this film was actually pre-Thor. And many Joss Whedon fans will recognise "Dollhouse"'s Fran Kranz skulking on the left there, as the films resident stoner and wise-guy, and "Angel" and "Dollhouse"'s Amy Acker as one of the science nerds behind the whole cabin project.
The film's pace is incredibly quick and not one moment is wasted on boring details we don't need. You won't be able to predict the multiple twists and turns and your attention will be captivated throughout as every 5 minutes leads to another revelation about the underlying plot. The ending is one of the best, most thrilling I have seen in a long time. Unfortunately, I can't reveal any of the gory details, but the film picks up a ridiculous pace and lets just say Whedon lets his imagination run wild with a multitude of horror film parodies. The finale will have you gripping your seats as you wait with baited breath to see how it will all pan out.
I also had the pleasure of re-watching "Captain America: The First Avenger" last Friday, in preparation for "Avengers Assemble". Generally, I find this film very entertaining and think director Joe Johnston made a brilliant choice casting Chris Evans in the lead, but it did not reach its full potential. It should have been the best of the pre-Avengers films, but instead it falls behind "Iron Man 1" and "Thor" due to its mediocre and rushed ending.
On Saturday night I then re-watched Scorsese's brilliant "Shutter Island". It has a fantastic performance from Leo DiCaprio, who always delivers these days, and I would recommend it to all fans of Leo, Martin Scorsese, thrillers, mysteries, films in general and pretty much anyone when it came down to it. A brilliantly suspenseful and moving film, which will frighten you and make you cry.
I must warn you not to expect another post for a while, as exams will probably get in the way, though I do completely intend to watch "Avengers Assemble" this Saturday and if I'm lucky will have time to do a quick review, which I imagine will go something along the lines of...
"Oh my God it was so good. I loved Thor SO MUCH and RobertDowneyJrandLokiandalltheothrzitwaswelxcitingcn'twaitforasequal.OMGOMGOMG!" Or you, some such squeal-like wails.
I just had one of the best film weekends I have had in aaages. I hadn't been to the cinema for three weekends in a row by this Saturday, so I was very excited about this extra special trip to see "The Hunger Games" which I had been eagerly anticipating, having read and very much enjoyed the books. The film did not disappoint I can tell you!
Far right: Hutcherson, Lawrence, Hemsworth
I reckon many fans of the book, like me, will mostly be concerned about whether the films are going to get the three young leads right, whom we have followed and loved (maybe not all of them, but you will have your favourite two) throughout the three books. Luckily for us, the entire cast was nigh on perfect, with the brilliant Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is an incredibly endearing, in-no-way-annoying protagonist, who has a lot of character in the book, unlike the protagonist of the book THG is most often compared to, "Twilight", who is completely 2D and incredibly annoying and for who I had not one ounce of sympathy while reading the book. Katniss is a skilled hunter and a beautiful girl, but you don't feel jealous or annoyed by these facts, because she's modest and brave and genuinely merits the admiration she generates and Lawrence was perfect casting for this. She's not just pretty, she has charisma, she is a strong actress, but still shows great modesty and likability. You need all these things for Katniss, as well as a capable actress, considering the range of emotions and horrors the character goes through.
The two male leads were also well chosen. Josh Hutcherson shows all the characteristics we expect from Peeta, though in a far less demanding role than Katniss'. He's sweet, sensitive and strongly moral, but also brave and charming. Hutcherson isn't quite as large or handsome as I imagined Peeta, the powerful blonde baker's son, but he acts Peeta and so he comes to look like Peeta. As you all know, I have much love for Chris Hemsworth, the wonderful Thor, and his younger brother Liam, who plays Katniss' other male lead Gale, is quickly making his way onto my man list. He's like a slightly smaller, dark version of Chris, almost as handsome, and I believe has the potential to prove almost as charismatic. His part in THG is pretty small, but don't worry Hemsworth fans, it is bigger in book 2 and he becomes incredibly significant by book 3. What he mainly does in this first installment is stand there and look handsome and broody, which he does very well, but Peeta is definitely the male lead at this point. Who knows how things will develop later on though... ;)
As always, Elizabeth Banks is PERFECTly cast as Effie Trinket. The representative of the games in district 12, a native of the capital and as such, ridiculously dressed and incredibly oblivious to the horrific reality of the games. It's all a fun show as far as she's concerned, though there's definitely a deeper, slightly more intuitive side of Effie that comes out as the books continue. I love love love Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, one of my favourites in the book, and ditto for Woody Harrelson, ever the amazing performer, as Haymitch Abernathy, the lovable drunk. And I did enjoy an appearance from Wes Bentley as Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane, I haven't seen him since "American Beauty"! My only quarrel with casting was Donald Sutherland as President Snow. There's no problem with his performance, but Snow, as president of the capital, is supposed to have had extensive plastic surgery to reduce aging in his face, probably a lot of botox, resulting in fake, puffy, slimy lips and a repulsive facade which Katniss finds hard to approach. Even with an evil sneer, Sutherland has a pretty comforting face!
The effects were, as you'd hope for this film, brilliant! The capitol had to be an interesting task, not just the amazing buildings, the stadium in which they introduce the tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games, but also its inhabitants, with their ridiculous make-up, tattoos, wigs, clothes, all far too colourful and lavish, to the extent of obscenity. The city floats in the middle of a lake, it is incredibly beautiful, but, as well all know, contains an incredibly corrupt society, which is part of what Collins wanted to put across in her book. A society which focuses that much on aesthetics, that doesn't have much bellow the surface, in the way of intelligence or morals.
Team Gale? or Team Peeta?
If you like, or even better love, the books, go see this adaptation! It is incredibly true to the books, to the extent that there were only one or two moments where I thought "That's been slightly altered, but not really," and there are no key excerpts from the book which I noticed missed out. It is very true and a VERY exciting, fun watch!! If you haven't read the book, well, either get reading or get watching! I only condone watching the film without having read the book if you genuinely have no trace of desire to read it. And people, it's time to chose whether you're Team Peeta (which I am in the book) or Team Gale (which I am in the film so far). Is it mega lame to get the t-shirt...?
To see my analysis of "The Hunger Games" books and for a slightly more detailed overview of the plot check out my post "The Hunger Games: A Briefing".
The Hunger Games was awesome, it really put me in a good mood. As I have said a million times, I love it when a book I am particularly fond of is transformed into a great film which really does it justice and I believe this is such a case. What was especially nice about this weekend trip to the cinema is that I left the Odeon to find the sun shining brightly and a warm breeze all around, allowing me to tear off my jumper and enjoy the sun on my arms for the first time in a while. Jim (with whom I watch and share all these movie experiences) and I then went down to Bristol docks, which is just lovely this time of year for an ice cream. But that's not all! No, the weekend delights reached an even greater high on Sunday when we returned to town to watch another film, "21 Jump Street", which turned out to be equally as exhilarating and noteworthy as "The Hunger Games"...
"21 Jump Street"
Jenko and Schmidt were high school enemies, now they're
BFFs, hunting down some bad guys!
If I ever didn't love Channing Tatum (OK, I didn't, the fact that he was in "Step Up" and just appeared to be generic American hunk with a boring face put me off) I do now! He is seriously funny in this film. His comic timing is perfect, he's totally lovable and endearing as Jenko, while doing what we all know he does best: Play the high school jock with lots of brawn and no brains. Jonah Hill is equally well-suited to his part, the nerdy, awkward, never-successfully-asked out a girl Schmidt. So there we have our two leads and what is the premise? Two useless cops who have only managed to get by by combining their efforts - Schmidt brings the smarts while Jacob aces the obstacle courses and physical training - are caught out when an attempt to arrest their first perp goes horribly wrong. They are subsequently sent to 21 Jump Street, an old Korean church in which undercover cops are trained and sent off on their various missions. Tatum and Hill must go back to high school - at which, naturally, Schmidt was a total loser with no friends and Jenko was the dishy track runner and football player with consistent F grades - and uncover the dealers and brewers of a new drug, which is circulating the school and has killed one student already.
This is one of the funniest films I have discovered in years. The advert really made me laugh, but as is so often the case with comedies, I was expecting the film to not quite live up to it, to have given away its best bits in the trailer. Not so! Not so at all! This film was even more amusing than its brilliant trailer. The laughs are large and consistent and the film is very fast paced. The two leads both shine in their roles, neither one letting the other down or outshining the other, they balance each other perfectly. There are enough action sequences to keep cop-movie-fans satisfied I believe, and an incredibly cool looking party is held at the boys' home (actually it is Schmidt's home, with whose parents the boys are staying to keep up the facade of being teenage brothers). You also have a bit of a love story between Hill's character and Molly, the coolest girl in school, as well as a hilarious (though not a dominant story) romance between Tatum's clearly not teenage hunk and his chemistry teacher, who can't decide whether her morals outweigh her libido. It ticks all the boxes! I would recommend this to everyone, though I'm sure in reality there are those who will never enjoy this type of film.
Film News: A new film on my "Oh my God, I must see that!" list is "The Cabin in the Woods". Why am I adding a horror film to this list? Especially one whose concept resembles "Cabin Fever" which was crap AND scary? Two reasons: 1) It is being directed by Joss Whedon, creator of "Buffy", "Angel", "Firefly", "Dollhouse" and the soon to be released "Avengers Assemble", and 2) It stars Chris Hemsowrth, now getting a second mention in this week's blog, and currently heading my man-list. Plus, really, this is no ordinary horror film in which five horny teens or tweens (not exactly sure how old they're supposed to be) end up being attacked by slack-jawed yokels or killing each other instead of sleeping with each other, this film has a much more interesting, unique take on the genre. Check out the trailer to see what I mean (unless you want to go in knowing almost nothing, allowing for more surprises, which can also be fun):
This post has been resting in my archives for weeks, filled with trailers and news which have caught my eye but without a film review to accompany them and merit the publication of said post. So today I say "Screw it!" I am going to put it out there just so that my home page can enjoy a bit of a change and so I don't get completely out of the loop of blog writing.
"Dark Shadows": This is the first trailer I have seen for "Dark Shadows" and my reaction was basically "Oh my God, this is already my favourite film and I haven't even seen it yet." I have strong hopes that this film will show Burton back on top form, reflecting the talent that created films such as "Edward Scisshorands" and "Sleepy Hollow". Admittedly, I have enjoyed all works of Burton's which I have seen, despite the general consensus that his recent films haven't been to the high standard he was once known and loved for, but I do believe that his finest works are his earliest and would love to be able to add this new one to that list!
"Prometheus": The first trailer for Prometheus was rather vague, a teaser trailer as they say, showing brief, though exciting and tantalising clips, but with no real hint at plot. This is a more detailed and comprehensive look at the film and it has me even more excited than before, because, as well all know, the viewing of a trailer really hits it home that the film WILL soon be coming to a cinema near you.
Film News: An "Artemis Fowl" movie? This would be the best film news I'd received since I discovered they were dramatising "the Hobbit". Like all other popular, un-filmed series of books, there have been rumours for a while now on an Artemis Fowl film. According to author Eoin Colfer this time last year, the script is still in the making! Well get it done people, so I can inappropriately fall in love with 13 year old boy genius, Artemis Fowl! To be fair, in the latest book he was 17, plus he's a genius and reads like an adult, PLUS he's Irish and has dark hair. I think I've justified myself sufficiently.
"The Lone Ranger": This also promises a fun cast, a re-imagining of the classic, it stars Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer (aka the Winklevi twins from "The Social Network" and a current like of mine) as the Lone Ranger himself. It will be directed by Gore Verbinski ("Pirates" 1-3) and lo and behold, it also stars Helena Bonham Carter. Yay for me. Check this Hollywood Reporter article for more details.
Devoted and much appreciated readers, I have some good news for you! Having greatly betrayed you last week in forgoing any cinema trip, I have come back with a vengeance this week with not one but TWO viewings, "The Woman In Black" on Friday and "Project X" on Saturday; both interesting case studies for yours truly.
As I'm sure I've mentioned on this blog before, I've only been to the cinema alone once before, to see "Norwegian Wood", the sad tale of a boy who loves his dead best friend's depressed, suicidal girlfriend. Not the best choice to see alone one might think, well I made an even BETTER choice this week and went to see "The Woman In Black" alone and oh my god did it scare me.
There were several moments when I considered leaving the cinema because I'm not sure that I was really enjoying myself and throughout the second half I was scrunched up on my seat, arms wrapped around my legs, that is, when my hands weren't perched by my ears, ready to cover them as I closed my eyes and hid my senses from what was going on in front of me. That said, this was by no means a bad film, all that I am demonstrating is that it is a bloody scary one. I will admit, however, that this may be the first horror film that I have ever seen in the cinema, or at least that I can remember, and I am not a connoisseur of the genre, I tend to avoid it as a matter of fact. Therefore, true horror fans, as I am sure they can deduce on their own, should not take this as a sign that they won't be able to handle the fear either, but perhaps they should see this as a recommendation if anything.
Watching this film, I soon decided that the two components which make the scariest films - for me at least - are children and dolls (or puppets - I still avoid ITV's Ripley and Scuff). What's more, the creepiest setting in all of history is Victorian England. How anyone managed to live at this point and not break down in fear every time that night arrived is beyond me. This film contains all of these factors. It centres around the legend of a "woman in black" (you'd never guess), who haunts a house on the outskirts of a small village near the English coast in the late 19th century. Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliff), a young lawyer and single father, whose wife died in childbirth, is sent to this house, whose owner has recently died, to process all the paper work. In the nearby town he is warned away from the house and as children begin to die and Kipps keeps catching the figure of a women in black in the corner of his eye, he starts to unravel the house's dark secret!
This film does several things very well. One is the aesthetics, the costumes, hair and make up are all done very well and look very gothic and cool in this period setting. The horrific face of the woman in black is very well made up and I truly never wish to see it again. The house is magnificently decked with everything you wouldn't want to encounter in an isolated, dark place: old paintings, cobwebs, children's ancient and decaying toys, a surplus of dolls and puppets, some of whose faces had a little too much life in them for my taste.
It is also a master at making you jump, whether it be the multiple viewings of the women in black or the dead children, or a crow bursting in through the window, I have not cried out in fright that many times in one film in years. One could argue that you can usually see these moments coming - if ever there is a shot facing Kipps as he walks towards you, something will appear behind him, out of his sight, if ever the camera rests a few moments on a window, someone's face will pop up -, but that doesn't mean they won't scare the bejesus out of you! Seriously, rethinking over this film is making me a bit squeamish.
There are two scenes in this film which make it a must for horror/ghost/suspense fans. The first is one long scene in which Kipps stays over night in the house - I think everyone was yelling "foolish Daniel!" in their minds when he made that decision -, which probably lasts about 20 minutes but feels like a lifetime, when all the things you don't want to see pop up do. I was so incredibly tense watching this scene and so ridiculously relieved when it was over, that is, until the second of these horrific scenes arrived, the final scene in the house. Kipps spends a further 15 minutes wandering around at night with candles, though luckily this time in the company of Ciaran Hinds, who put me at ease a little (I do love a bit of Ciaran).
"Project X" was considerably more light-hearted than "The Woman in Black", though, at times, also hard to watch. This is the story of Thomas Kubb (Thomas Mann) and his nerdy friends Costa (Oliver Cooper) and JB (Jonathan Daniel Brown) deciding to throw the party of all parties in Thomas' house while his parents are away. The boys want to bring popularity to their obscure group and basically provide an opportunity for lots of sex. Costa, the equivalent of "Superbad"'s Seth (while Thomas is more of an awkward Evan), decides to invite everyone he can AND post a local radio ad AND mention the party on Craig's list, and what Thomas hopes will be 50 a maximum of people turns into about 1,500. What ensues is pure mayhem but also possibly the best, coolest party any high-schooler has ever thrown! There's drugs, booze, a swimming pool, a bouncy castle!!, 12-year-old security guards, a dog on drugs, local celebrities and many, many naked women.
What's brilliant about this film - another of the hand-held camera genre so popular with indie teen films these days - is the authenticity of the characters and the party. The three leads feel like genuine nerds you might meet in an American High School and the party truly looks like 100s of teenagers (and some not so young, creepy men) having an epic night, completely off their heads! The majority of this film is purely one long party, with the occasional angered neighbour and visit from the police. Thomas Kubb achieves what all sweet but obscure teenage boys wants to achieve: he becomes the most popular, legendary kid in school because he throws the best party in living memory. This film is ridiculously fun and makes you wish you could go to such a party - despite the risk of being burnt alive! -, scrap that, makes you wish you could go to THIS party! Me being me, however, there were moments when I was thinking about the accumulating cost of the damages and the danger to so many young people's health. Plus, I just like how the three lead males' names are the same as the actors' :p .
Aaaaalso, I saw the trailer for "Snow White and the Huntsman" when going to see "The Woman in Black" and it looks awesome! Check it out for some olden day, fairy-tale action with a twist and for the beautiful Chris Hemsworth (I'll just ignore Kristen Stewart's presence). I couldn't find the awesome new trailer with Hemsworth's voice over, but this one also looks good...
4 Films Which Give History A... Twist (I am not saying "Top" this time, because some of these films are good and some not so good, it's more about the idea that they edit and rewrite history AND I'm sorry to say I didn't have time to do a fifth film):
Anonymous
To be honest, I don't have much time for people who claim that they don't believe William Shakespeare wrote the plays which carry his name. Such famous figures are always surrounded by conspiracy theories ("one man couldn't have written so many!" - except they're clearly all written by the same person, etc.), it's the same with James Dean, Elvis, Jim Morrison, supposedly they're all still alive! On the other hand, where this film is concerned, the idea that it was Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, who wrote "Romeo and Juliet" and all the classics we know by heart, is not what bothers me. The film claims that de Vere, as a noblemen and married into a wealthy family, would have ruined his reputation had he published the plays himself. Ok, I shall accept this lose theory, there are many who believe, as I said, that Shakespeare was a fraud, but all means, explore this idea. The history that bothers me within this film is the stories around Elizabeth I, her lovers and her illegitimate children. Her known lover, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, is merely sidelined as a conspirator, while almost every other noblemen in the film appears to be an (ex-)lover or illegitimate child of the queen. Though I'm sure she may have had the occasional affair, I think it's a stretch to say that almost the entirety of England's nobility was sired by the Virgin Queen. Plus, when all is said and done, despite the fact that it entertained me greatly, this is a pretty poorly made film, though Rhys Ifans is incredibly cool as de Vere.
Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004)
Slater as Churchill
Tagline: "History... Hollywood style!"
I very much enjoyed "Churchill", though I'm sure many critics would argue it's a mediocre film. I think it's a genuinely funny satire, making fun of the American tendency to claim all of history's victories for themselves. In this film, Winston Churchill is an American soldier, who captures the enigma machine for the allies and goes on to save the British monarchy from Adolf Hitler and help win WWII. All the Brits in the film are portrayed as helpless but lovable and the men are often incredibly camp. They'd be nowhere without Winston! There's a pretty good comic British cast going on there, we have Vic and Bob, Harry Enfield, Rick Mayall, Jon Culshaw, and Eva Braun is played by the wonderful Miranda Richardson!
Gladiator (2000) I have to be careful when discussing Gladiator in its historical context because I know very little about Roman history at this time (Marcus Aurelius died in 180AD, so the film must start around then). In the film, Aurelius is old and dying and looking for a successor. His son, Commodus, is weak and cruel and not the ideal candidate, so he looks to his loyal general, Maximus, to take over and gradually turn Rome back into a Republic. On discovering this plan, Commodus murders his father and tries and fails to have Maximus murdered too. Maximus must now wage war on the new emperor - with the aid of Commodus' sister, Lucilla - for the good of Rome! In reality, I believe Marcus Aurelius died of an infectious disease and willingly left his empire to Commodus, who was his only surviving child.
Aurelius was, nonetheless, a just and fair ruler and his son proved to be a tyrannical, neurotic and cruel successor, as presented in the film. Commodus' death in the film is at the hands of Maximus, who has been plotting a failed coup against him. Reality was not too different: Commodus was murdered as the result of a conspiracy which resulted in his being strangled whilst taking a bath. He was, however, succeeded by a new emperor, not, as the film suggests, a republic. Despite the changes to the true story, "Gladiator" captures the nature of Rome and its rulers in the 2nd century BC and is a fantastic, exciting film of epic proportions. It is so well made, I believe the alterations are completely justified as Ridley Scott has presented us with one of the greatest cinematic tales ever.
Inglourious Basterds (2009) This has to be one of my favourite Tarantino films (following closely behind the classic "Reservoir Dogs") and the most... artistic interpretation of Nazi history I have ever seen. The film includes multiple story arches, as is a tradition in Tarantino's works, and revolves around several plots to take down the Nazis and Hitler himself. On the one hand, you have First Lieutenant Aldo Rain (Brad Pitt) and his crew of American-Jewish soldiers, who specialise in torturing scalping, entering German territory on a mission to collect 100 Nazi scalps. They are the "Basterds". We also have the French Shosanna, whose family were killed by Nazis and who now runs a cinema in Paris. She arranges to have the premier of a new Nazi propaganda film, "Nation's Pride", in her venue, where she will be able to trap and murder many top level Nazis. This plot is joined by the Basterds when the British government learns of it and turns in into "Operation Kino", an attempt to kill the Nazi elite, including Hitler, once and for all. This is when the German-speaking, Britsh-chappy Lieutenant Archie Hicox, aka man of my dreams, Michael Fassbender (lets see if I can get to 100 mentions of his name in this blog) to infiltrate the event.
Though based around the events of the Second World War, especially the spread of Nazi influences throughout Europe and the ruthless persecution of the Jews, the main narratives within this film are fictitious. At times one can simply say that the fictitious characters and events don't contradict the true story, that he has just created people and actions that could feasibly fit within what was actually going on. There were many cruel SS leaders, like the character Col. Hans Landa (the Oscar winning Christoph Waltz), many European Jewish families were hidden by friends or neighbours and hunted down by such officials and a big part of the Nazi regime was the propaganda of film. However, the ending - which I don't wish to give away, making this review difficult - completely goes against all that we know to be true about the end of WWII, contradicting fact to a greater extent perhaps than any other historical film I have ever seen. This did not ruin my enjoyment of the film, it is, in a way, a very interesting take on the historical genre, but it did bring about in me a confusion as to how I feel about what Tarantino has done with a very serious period of history.
Film News
"21 Jump Street": Out 16th March, this comedy about two undercover cops going back to high school looks incredibly fun, I recommend you check out the trailer! It stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as the two policeman but also, and much more importantly, their boss is played by "Parks and Rec"''s very own Nick Offerman aka Ron Swanson aka one of the many loves of my life!
"Oldboy" remake: They appear to be making an American remake of Park Chan-Wook's "Oldboy" (2003). The new version will be directed by Spike Lee, the lead will be played by Josh Brolin and there are talks for Elizabeth Olson to take on the lead female role. See this Guardian article for more info.
"Sex and the City" prequel: Even though "Sex and the City 2" was the only film bad enough to make me actively get up and leave the cinema, the idea that they are now going to make a "Sex and the City 3", which will be a prequel and probably with an entirely new cast does excite me, because I do love the series. The current favourites for the girls are Elizabeth Olsen as Carrie, Blake Lively as Samantha, Selena Gomez (???) as Charlotte and Emma Roberts as Miranda. See this Guardian article for more information. Clearly, Elizabeth Olsen has decided to remake all of cinema!
I finally got around to watching "Hunger" (2008) this weekend, the first of the McQueen/Fassbender combinations, but also the first film I've seen this week since "Chronicle"! I know, it's shocking, I didn't go to the cinema once last week, but there's so much to do, so many essays to prepare and mock exams to revise for.
"Hunger" is a very interestingly made film, you can tell that its creator is an artist in the traditional sense, as well as a developing director. The film, which shows us the Maze prison in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, focusing on the wash strike and the subsequent second attempt at a hunger strike in 1981, in which leading IRA soldier and ex-MP for Northern Ireland, Bobby Sands, dies. This film is not about dialogue, but about intense, difficult imagery. At the beginning we are supplied with background information in the titles and then the film begins and hits us straight away with prison officer Raymond Lohan checking his car for bombs before he heads off to work, we see his bloodied and cut knuckles, the result of his violent career. Inside the prison we enter when the wash strike is already underway. Introducing us to two specific inmates sharing a cell, we see that the walls are smeared with excrement, the inmates hairy and unwashed, looking like cavemen.
Bobby Sands' (Michael Fassbender) character is not introduced for the first 20-30 minutes, so labeling it a film about Sands is almost inaccurate. He is one significant part of this serious political movement underway in Ireland in the 1980s, one which had been going on for a long time. Sands is the leading figure in the hunger strike which starts in the second half of the film and we see through him, the horrific effects of this civil war on the Northern Irish people, we are not given a black and white view where we have "IRA bad, government good", nor are the police and the authorities all cruel men (one SWAT officer breaks down in tears as his comrades beat the inmates). Though it does make one question the nature of prison guards and men given power over criminals, as the film is full of harsh beatings and unjust violence against these men, many of whom are weak and cannot defend themselves against the brutality of police bludgeons. Despite the seemingly small role for a protagonist which Fassbender plays, one of the most hard-hitting images of the film is the gradual decay of Bobby throughout the hunger strike. It is not an easy thing to watch and McQueen has in no way glamourised or toned down events, he shows us the most base, most horrifying aspects of 1980s prisons in Northern Ireland and the struggle for independence.
The lack of dialogue does not mean that we are in the dark about the logistics of what is going on. We are supplied, as I said, with the titles at the beginning giving background information, occasional genuine radio clips of Thatcher explaining the government's stance, and one long conversation (a continuous shot) between Sands and his priest friend (Liam Cunningham), also a nationalist, discussing the motives and flaws of the hunger strike. McQueen very skilfully keeps us as in the know as necessary on historical context, while depicting most of his message through images. It is a short film, at just 1 hour 30 minutes, which for a historical drama is unusual, but it does not beat about the bush. The lack of dialogue, the desire to say almost everything through what we see, not what we hear, allows for this brevity. "Hunger" is very different from his newest work, "Shame", which I previously reviewed and expressed my great admiration for as a film, but both show the natural artistic talent of McQueen, who knows how to use imagery better than many of his peers. He is a natural artist as I have said before. I cannot wait for his next collaboration with Fassbender, "Twelve Years A Slave", due out in 2013.
I haven't been to the cinema or watched many new films recently, what with all the exams and what not, but I did have a lovely dream the other day about Rafe Spall, so I thought I'd dedicate a section of this post to one of my favourite actors. The only reason I haven't mentioned Rafe before is that, despite his unquestionable talent, charisma, and understated good looks, he hasn't been in a very large amount of films or TV shows. Spall is of course the son of British acting legend, Timothy Spall, or Wormtail from the Harry Potter franchise as many young film watchers will know him.
Spall with Elaine Cassidy in "A Room With A View"
Rafe's first appearance in a film was in "Beginner's Luck" (2001), aged 18, but the first time I noticed him was in the TV adaption of one of my favourite books, "A Room With A View" in 2007 (written by period drama icon, Andrew Davies). I have this habit of falling in love with actors for playing a part in a film that I have yet to see, when that character is one I already love. For example, I read "The Lovely Bones" before going to see the film and was besotted with Susie Salmon's father, who showed such devotion and despair for his lost daughter. When I saw the cast for the upcoming film and that Mark Wahlberg was to play the part of Jack, I think I fell for Wahlberg even before watching the film, because part of me was convinced he would be brilliant. I don't know why. A similar thing happened when I heard that Rafe Spall had played George Emerson in "A Room With A View". This novel by E.M. Forster contains one of the greatest fictional love stories of all time and George is one of the most romantic and lovable heroes I have ever ecountered (along with Edward Rochester of course). When reading the novel, I imagined Spall as the lead and fell for him while falling for George. Luckily, the film did not disappoint. Though perhaps not as good an adaptation as the Merchant Ivory production, Rafe is the perfect George.
The "Desperate Romantics" (Spall far left)
Since discovering him, I have kept track of Rafe's film and TV career and have gone back to revisit old performances which I missed at the time, such as "The Chatterley Affair" (2006) and "Wide Sargasso Sea" (2006). For me, Rafe is a fantastic actor to follow because the majority of his choices have been period dramas, often depicting books which I have read and enjoyed, such as the above mentioned two, but others also, including 2006's "Dracula" (with Marc Warren as the eponymous vampire!!). "Wide Sargasso Sea"is the prequel to "Jane Eyre" in which Rafe plays a young and inexperienced Edward Rochester, forced into an arranged marriage with the beautiful Antoinette (Rochester's mad first wife from "Jane Eyre", here played by Rebecca Hall), leading to dire consequences. "The Chatterley Affair" is a fictional take on the trial that reintroduced "Lady Chatterley's" lover into the published world. Other fantastic TV appearances from Spall include 2008's "He Kills Coppers", a crime thriller based on the novel by Jake Arnott, along with Spall's portrayal of William Holman Hunt in the hilarious and fun "Desperate Romantics" (2009) series, following three of the leading Pre-Raphaelites, Hunt, Jonathan Millait and the incorrigible Dante Gabriel Rossetti, their art, their loves and their follies.
More mainstream appearances of Spall which are likely to have caught your attention or at least have a wider audience are both Pegg/Frost collaborations "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) and "Hot Fuzz" (2007). "Shaun of the Dead" is a good one for hard core Spall fans because it is one of his earliest film roles in which many may not recognise him, 21 years old and before he lost a lot of weight. He works with Shaun and is to be seen early on disrespecting Shaun at work and making the well-known comment "you've got some red on you". In "Hot Fuzz" he plays one of the two Andys, along with the awesome Paddy Considine. I am not a fan of "Shaun" I must admit, it does not make me laugh, nor am I a zombie-fanatic, but "Hot Fuzz" is definitely one of my favourite comedies and is based near my beloved home town of Bristol, woo! He also played William Shakespeare in last years "Anonymous" but he is not to be judged on this film which was not the best historical piece I have ever seen. A much better 2011 film to watch for Rafe is "One Day", based on the David Nicholl's novel, in which Spall plays Hathaways' hapless boyfriend. Though not the lead, the Guardian rightly commented that Spall's is one of, if not the best performances in this film. His character is an awkward, uncomfortabley unfunny wannabe comedian, but he's sweet and his heart's in the right place, which is something Spall plays very well.
Spall's best break may be his very own TV comedy, which many of you will know, "Pete Vs Life", in which sports journalist Pete's life is commentated on as he makes mistake after mistake with women and his career. It's an enjoyable, sweet comedy, worth a watch, though not the best thing on TV. I love him because he's a talented, natural actor, he can play a variety of different roles - though he often plays, the sweet innocent, he plays an incredibly dark, twisted, bordering-on-insane mobster in 2011's "The Shadow Line", a gangster thriller with a fantastic cast. He is incredibly personable and has a subtle charisma that shows through on the screen. I went to see him in a stage play a few years back, "Hello and Goodbye", in which he played a young South African man, left alone with his dying father in a tiny, squalid house, with deeply negative effects on his sanity. He was fantastic and it was, as I'm sure you can guess after this rather long rant, incredibly exciting to be in such close proximity to one of my heroes. Furthermore, no female fan can deny that the frequency in which Spall strips off for a role ("A Room With A View", "Wide Sargasso Sea", "The Chatterley Affair", etc.) certainly helps keep your admiration at a peak.
My only problem is that Spall does not seem to be in enough TV shows or films to satiate my addiction! Luckily for me, he is to star in one of the most anticipated, destined-to-be-great, films of the year, alongside another great love of mine, that's right, Michael Fassbender, in Ridley Scott's prequel to "Alien", "Prometheus"! Keep a look out for this film, whose cast and crew combination - when has Scott ever gone wrong? -, plus the subject matter - alien space-battles- alone should have you drooling at the mouth while you await it, before any reviews or critiques arise giving you any solid idea of how well executed the film will be.
Film News
I bought this month's Total Film, which is not a regular buy for me, but I like to have a check what articles are in there, who's being interviewed, what films are being reviewed, what inside scoop they reveal. This month's has "The Hunger Games"' Katniss Everdeen on the front cover and a look at this year's superhero movies and I have been meaning to get more up to date on what is coming out, so I bought a copy and there were some goodies inside...
"Warm Bodies": This is a new zombie film starring Nicholas Hoult as the undead hero, named simpy "R", and based on Isaac Marion's novel of the same title. The story centers around R falling in love with the girlfriend (Teresa Palmer of "I Am Number Four" and "The Sourcorer's Apprentice") of one of his victims. The incredibly cool image of Hoult in Total Film caught my eye straight away and the film is directed by "50/50" director, Jonathan Levine. "Warm Bodies" is due for release on 24th August.
"Dark Shadows": Finally, a new Tim Burton-Johnny Depp combo! No, I'm not even being sarcastic. As you may well know from my previous blogs, I have a special place in my movie-heart for Burton and his personal gothic genre. This films sounds particularly delectable, with Depp starring as Barnabas Collins, an 18th Century fish-canning magnate, turned vampire by a jealous witch (Eva Green), buried alive and then allowed to rise again in 1972, having to adapt to a totally different world. Yes, as I'm sure you're wondering, this film does also star the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter, in an impressive cast including Michelle Pfeiffer (first time reuniting with Burton since "Batman Returns" in 1992), Johnny Lee Miller, Chloe Grace Moretz and a cameo from Alice Cooper! This 8th Burton-Depp collaboration was called by Total Film "a supernatural-gothic-horror-action-comedy" - with that many genres involved, how could it not be entertaining?
The dual victors for my poll on the Best Film of 2011 were "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 2" and "X-Men: First Class", two first class films no doubt.
This weekend I FINALLY went to see "Chronicle", as well as getting the chance to watch "Moneyball", one of the films much talked about at the BAFTAs.
"Chronicle" was a really fun film with a particularly interesting take on the idea of teenagers developing super powers. Three young boys discover a hole in the ground in the middle of the woods with a tunnel leading down to a cave in which they discover a strange, glowing, other-worldly phenomenon. It emits loud, metallic noises and a bright glow and when the boys emerge they each have telekinetic powers. Their powers grow stronger and one of the boys, Andrew (Dane DeHaan), who has a troubled home life, an abusive father and an ill mother, starts to use his powers for evil and not good.
The entire film is done by hand-held camera, as it starts with Andrew deciding to carry an old video camera around with him and film everything. This technique has of course been used in multiple films since "the Blair Witch Project" in 1999, but it is used particularly well here I would say. The boys each take turns holding the camera and this complements well the powers motif as we can see almost from a first person perspective the way their powers develop and the amazing things they can do with them (spoiler: it looks particularly cool when the boys learn to use their powers to fly and play football in the clouds). Furthermore, towards the end I was thinking that, Andrew having abandoned his camera, the director might have to change to a traditional camera mode. Instead he manipulates the fact that in our modern society, there is always a camera at hand, whether it be CCTV or someone's mobile phone, from whose perspective we can monitor events. This is something you don't see often in such a film, a frequent change between the camera we are viewing events from.
The three boys all play their parts very well, they are very natural which is extra important when filming in such a way, with this home video feel. My favourite part of the film was actually before things get heavy, before the pace picks up, when the boys are developing and discovering their powers. The film has very heart-warming moments in which these new found powers allow Andrew to become closer to his only friend, Matt (Alex Russell) and to make a new friend in football player and future class president, Steve (Michael B. Jordan). We see three teenage boys in a very American high school environment, the bullying, the fickle popularity, the cheerleaders, the parties. All of this is very well executed I feel, very realistic.
As Andrew's powers become dangerous, I think this is where the film loses a little bit of its edge. Though DeHaan plays the part very convincingly and one can see how Andrew could turn down such a path, with the background he has and his difficulty with fitting in, he turns too quickly. I think that the film becomes slightly rushed, having spent a great deal of time on the boys bonding and growing more powerful. That said, the final scenes are some of the most impressive, as Andrew terrorises Seattle and I would not by any means dismiss the second half as many critics do that of films such as "I am Legend" and "Hancock" (I don't mean to pick on Will Smith here, these are just examples I remember). This is a very entertaining, well filmed, exciting and moving film. You genuinely care about all three boys and there is not one moment when I felt bored.
I also enjoyed "Moneyball" significantly more than I would bet on with a film about baseball. I will usually give anything with Brad Pitt in a chance and I saw potential in this film, about using statistics and not instinct to build a winning baseball team in 2001 America, for an intriguing concept. Though it is 2 hours 13 minutes long, I was, again, at no point bored while watching it. It is relatively fast paced, covering many games, much recruitment and many lay-offs, and of course Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill fare well in their leading roles. If you like sports films, if you like true story documentations, if you like Brad Pitt, this isn't a bad way to go. I would not give Brad Pitt a Best Actor award myself, as I do not feel the role particularly challenged him or showed his great talent as much as many of his other films have, but he plays the part very well and very naturally. This films deals with its subject matter very efficiently and is all the more interesting for being a true story, but I would not list it as one of my favourites of 2011.
There has been a distinct lack of "top 5"s in my recent posts and I have receieved many brilliant suggestions for future ones, so hopefully I'll get back to ranking the films I love. This week, I am going to be looking at the...
Top 5 Trailers That Made Me Go: "F**k yeah, I'm seeing that film!"
Arthur
With trailers like this, as with most comedy trailers, you always think, "Yes, it looks hilarious, but those are probably ALL of the best lines in the film well cut together to make me think that it will be a laugh a minute masterpiece, when in truth, the best bits have now been ruined for me." This is SO often the case, but not with "Arthur":
One of my favourite comedy lines in any film ever has to be what Arthur says here about horses (if you haven't watched the trailer, please do, you'll see what I mean). This advert made me smile from ear to ear I must say, it made me laugh, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which is largely due to the brilliant choice of song, "Rebel Rebel", but also because, despite my previous opinions on the man, Russel Brand is incredibly endearing and a genuinely funny person. Also, Helen Mirren is impossible not to love. The film delivers all the trailer promises and more. It's not for everyone, it did not received great critical acclaim and many find Brand annoying, and if so, maybe you should steer clear, but I have seen it twice in the past year and would happily watch it again and again to rekindle that warm feeling.
Don't you love that? When an advert, particularly one with a well chosen soundtrack, makes you feel something deep in your tummy? Whether it be warm, fuzzy feelings, or the chill that runs through me everytime "The Fellowship of the Ring" begins and I hear Galadriel introduce us to what will remain the best franchise of all time I am sure. I always seem to get such feelings with a good U2 track come to think of it... "With or without you" always gets me. The Dark Knight
Of course, no one would believe that I wasn't already straining my patience to the extreme in anticipation of this film, even before I ever saw a trailer. All I needed to hear was "Batman sequel", "Christopher Nolan", "Joker", "Heath Ledger", in fact, any one of these would have done, and I was writing it in my diary as the biggest event of the year. In fact, even before filming had started, I was one of the multitude of fans desperately trying to guess who would be playing the coveted role of the Joker (Steve Buscemi? Paul Bettany?). But this trailer, this beautiful piece of cinema, satsified all my hopes and dreams that this was going to be the best super hero film ever made:
What better way to introduce a film than with a shot of Batman free-falling from one of the tallest buildings in Hong Kong and with a voice over from the Joker, the legendary Heath Ledger, that sends chills down your spine? Without ruining it for you in the cinema, it reveals that this movie will have some of the best chase sequences of any film ever! The scene in which Batman is driving through the underpasses of Gotham, battling it out with the bazooka-weilding Joker, leading onto the man on man combat in the street and the incredible flip over of the truck... This is one of my favourite moments in film history and all the credit must go to the genius directing of Chris Nolan. I don't even want to hear that there are people out there above the age of 12 who haven't seen this film.
Four Lions (2010)
Unfortunately, I slightly ruined the funniest scene in this film for myself by watching the clip over and over before even watching the official trailer. This advert, on the other hand, does not show you whole scenes, but rather select clips which show you the brilliant Chris Morris style which is imprinted on this comedy. The music, the characters and the events in this trailer all prove to you how warm-hearted, funny and sweet this unique comedy is. Chris Morris is risking great things here, tackling such serious subject matter as suicide bombings in a comedy, but it pays off. He is not trivialising the act, nor is he posing the conspirators as outright villains. Some are misguided and mean well, some are unbelievably dim, and only one is genuinely dislikable. Here are presented a bunch of normal blokes, doing something incredibly wrong, but without being judged by the film maker.
Watching this advert, the concept alone, so different from anything else and a concept which could never have been realised in the United States, the home of cinema, makes the viewer feel a need to see the film to see just how Chris Morris is going to achieve this unusual goal.
If you want to see the clip that nearly made me wet myself and convinced me, more than anything else I read or saw of this film, that it had to be seen, here you go:
I Love You Philip Morris
I think this trailer might have convinced me I HAD to watch the film more than any other trailer ever. That's not to say that I wanted to see this more than I wanted to see the first "Lord of the Rings" film or "the Dark Knight", but certain films you always no you're going to see. This advert came out of nowhere and made my eyes and my mouth silently scream "fudge yeah!"
I'm not sure if this is exactly the trailer I saw, but you get the gist. It looked so colourful and fun and like no other film you've ever seen: it seemed the strangest concept for a film ever and yet it's based on a real bloke (you have to read about Steven Russell, he's such a genius, though he used his intellect to deceive others and enrich himself). I think the trailer actually entertained me even more than the film, it's so well cut, giving you the biggest shock when you see Steven's conversion and making you feel a great need to see exactly what happens to this odd character. That said, this is a genuinely sweet and moving film, very funny and very entertaining. I warn you though, the true story seems a little less endearing when told from Philip Morris' standpoint.
The Social Network
Here we have another example of well placed music, in this case Radiohead's "Creep", but a chilling choral cover.
Of course, the fact that we are introduced with the all-too-familar but extremely well-loved Facebook automatically will hook almost any of our generation. On top of this, the creepy, almost sinister rendition of Radiohead's already slightly creepy and sinister "Creep" playing on top of the various Facebook gimmicks such as "like", "comment", suggests, I feel, something sinister, intrusive and anti-private about Facebook, which I'm is an idea we have all come across. Glimpses of Mark Zuckerberg and the motives behind Facebook - I want to create something exclusive and popular! - and into the lives of the Harvard students who started it all, parties, drinking, this gives us a glimpse into the personality of Facebook which the film could reveal, which ironically enough, may have been face-less for many of us until then. You see, just in this 2 and a half minute trailer that Facebook is this massive, complex, money making machine, not just your way to let your friends no what you've been up to.
Looking at the trailers I have selected here - and I assure you, many more could go on this list, - I deduce that the main qualities in an advert which can drive me to the cinema are: memorable lines, an unusual concept and, perhaps most importantly, a good song to back it.
Film News
Oh.My.God., I have some exciting news! Are you ready? They're making a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ninja, not hero for any of the misinformed fans out there) reboot, said to be linked to director Jonathan Liebesman ("Wrath of the Titans", "Battle Los Angeles). See this Guardian article for more details.
In further exciting reboot news, Gael Garcia Bernal is to star in 20th Century Fox's new Zorro franchise, "Zorro Reborn", not set in the past but in a post-apocalyptic future.
Firstly, I would like to request any recommendations for 2011 films which I have not mentioned on here or seen, that you think were up there with the best and that I should definitely check out. I watched "Drive" for the first time this week and I am aware that there are many more I need to look out for. Of course, all film recommendations from any year are always welcome. Let me know your favourites!
Because I didn't supply you with any film news in my last blog, in this post I am exclusively going to look at film news, including some trailers for upcoming films which have caught my eye:
"Rampart" Out 24th February
Woody Harrelson is being interview in just about every film magazine at the moment and it's because of this film. The trailer looks fantastic: attention-grabbing, intense, dark, gritty. It's the tale of a corrupt, aggressive LA cop, who believes that his violent suppression of criminals is the best way and probably thinks political correctness has gone mad. It had a brilliant cast, not just the superb Harrelson, but also Steve Buscemi, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Heche, and Ben Foster who lots of young women rave about but who I'm not that bothered about yet. Maybe this will turn me!
"Micahel" Out 2nd March
The trailer for this leaves you with so many questions, I'd recommend you watch it first to see what you think of it before you read a synopsis. It is the directorial debut for Markus Schleinzer. It will probably be incredibly chilling and hard to watch, but it is a very powerful trailer:
"Casa de mi Padre" Out 16th March
This film caught my attention for several obvious reasons. Firstly, it is a comedy starring Will Ferrell, who I love. He's often incredibly endearing and always hilarious, in films like "Zoolander" and "Anchorman", but also "Elf". Secondly, it also stars Gael Garcia Bernal, one of the most beautiful actors around and thirdly, the film is in Spanish, even Ferrell is speaking in Spanish! The trailer looks very amusing, check it out:
"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" Out 2nd August
There are several films coming out this year about ol' Abe Lincoln, and though this isn't the one I'm most excited about, I do like a good vampire romp and the trailer looks fun. Benjamin Walker, with whom I am unfamiliar, plays Lincoln, and it also stars Rufus Sewell, one of my favourites, Alan Tudyk, with whom the world must be in love, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, aka Ramona Flowers, and more.
"Premium Rush" Out 28th September
Here's the one, the film we have been waiting for! One of the many Joseph Gordon-Levitt films coming out this year. In this one JGL stars as Wilee, a Manhattan bike messenger trying to escape from a dirty cop. It looks like pretty fast-paced action. Do I need to say any more than the three letters "JGL" to get you interested? Watch the trailer, here, now!!
The new Beauty
In non-trailer news, Guillermo del Toro is to direct a live action version of"Beauty and the Beast" (even after the amazing success of "Beastly"? - Yes, that is sarcasm), which will star Emma Watson as Belle.
I do love a good "Beauty and the Beast" adaptation, being a massive fan of the Disney version, and del Toro is yet to do me wrong, so lets see if Emma can tone down the eyebrow-acting to bring a faithful performance to the franchise. She certainly has the face, but does she have the talent to be a lead?
Furthermore, Peter Jackson is to direct a second "Tintin" film, according to Steven Spielberg. The pair are planning a trilogy. Production is to start on this sequel after Jackson is finished making "The Hobbit", which I think we can all agree needs to take top priority.
I also had the pleasure of re-watching "Captain America: The First Avenger" last Friday, in preparation for "Avengers Assemble". Generally, I find this film very entertaining and think director Joe Johnston made a brilliant choice casting Chris Evans in the lead, but it did not reach its full potential. It should have been the best of the pre-Avengers films, but instead it falls behind "Iron Man 1" and "Thor" due to its mediocre and rushed ending.
