Over recent months I have begun watching a large number of horror movies. I have always been a fan of the genre, there is something about scaring yourself shitless that I find appealing - now I don't mean I like sitting on the M1 or closing my eyes when chopping an onion - for those fellow horror fans, you know exactly what I mean.
I have always given any film a chance, no matter the budget, cast (preferably not Knightley!) or director. What you tend to find with horror is there are a large number of low budget films out there that try their hardest to 'do a Blair Witch' - and to be perfectly honest, most fail more spectacularly than John Carter!
I often find myself wondering if the producers and director actually watched their film back to see if it was at all scary. Or in fact, if they ever wanted to be scary in the first place! There are countless examples out there of low budget films scaring the bejeezus out of an audience.
So as I continue to expand my repertoire of the sick, twisted and damn right scary I have compiled a list of key elements when making a horror film...
The first, this is a crucial and often overlooked element - ATMOSPHERE (and no I am not talking about the board game people). If you wanna get people at their wits end, at the edge of jumping off their chair then you need atmosphere. Now I don't want to see a load of fog thrown into a scene (hang your head in shame those responsible for the remake of 'The Fog') I want a Night of the Living Dead style opening, a sense that some seriously freaky shit is about to go down and I am NOT going to like it. Or I want a dark, brooding atmosphere so beautifully created in the tremendous 'Let the Right One In'.
Next, I wanna feel some serious TENSION - not the kind of tension you see in George Clooney's face for most of his movies, where you can't work out if he is in pain or just eaten a moth - I want some proper hiding behind your pillow 'oooohh don't open that door' tension. It's not all about the fast cut shots of gore - looking at you Rob Zombie - Tension is not easy to build, the Paranormal Activity series have managed to nail it in every film. You want to keep a camera focused just for that extra few seconds so the audience begin to feel that something is going to happen, but it might not be yet, or is it, wait what's that, no its nothing, ok we are fine...BANG! HOLY SHIT I'M GONNA PASS OUT.
Here I want to pause a minute and pay homage to a horror film that has been sadly overlooked in mainstream circles. Grave Encounters was released in 2011 and I can bet no-one else reading this has heard of it. Directed by The Vicious Brothers - and to date their only title - Grave Encounters follows a ghost-hunting film crew as they film their latest episode of 'Grave Encounters'. The film sees the team shoot an episode, and more terrifyingly, spend a night inside the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital. Once the doors are locked for the night all manor of creepy shenanigans goes down and the film is brilliantly directed as the tension reaches such levels that a window opening is enough to remove your dinner earlier than expected!
The best horror films are those that have a TWIST, or ending that SURPRISES you, I am tired of the slasher 'rules' where the killer always comes back from the dead blah blah YAWN! I want a clever piece of writing that sees you sit up and dare I say it, smile, and think to yourself - well played. An example I hear you cry. Ok, just for you, I give you - The magnificent and utterly horrific 2003 French masterpiece 'Switchblade Romance'. For those who have seen it, you know what I mean? Don't worry I won't spoil it for you who haven't but this is the kind of twist I wanna see. You think you are watching one film and in the flash of an eye, you are watching something even more sinister. Brilliant.
The last element that for me can make a horror film is that one moment, that one horrifying scene where the camera doesn't cut away, or the director doesn't bottle it and you witness something you just never expected to see - for this I reference some of my favourite horror movies 'Martyrs' again French, again astounding - pick almost any scene. 'Jacob's Ladder', that deeply disturbing hospital scene where he is carried down the hallway on a stretcher. 'The Ring' - yes I agree the Japanese version is better overall but the scene where the girl comes out of the tv is sublime.
For me, horror is in the mind. There are only so many blood and guts you can see before you start to think, hang on - that's just corn syrup and food colouring. The Blair Witch Project showed you can scare the world by not actually seeing anything. Fear is primal, horror movies tap into that and when done right that can give you an adrenaline rush unlike any other genre in cinema. I always look doubtingly upon someone who doesn't appreciate horror movies, like someone saying to me they don't like tea, or don't watch 'It's a Wonderful Life at Christmas' ... You serious?!
And anyone who has seen the original 101 Dalmatians don't tell me you don't watch horror - Cruella Di Vil is pure evil!
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Thursday, 26 July 2012
The Dark Knight Rises - Christopher Nolan
In 1997 the Batman movie franchise was in a dark place. Joel Schumacher had turned Bruce Wayne into 'The Camp Crusader' - I mean the Batsuit had nipples! Come on!
The Dark Knight was left alone for 8 long years, and it was clear the franchise was going to need a complete rework to regain any credibility. It was going to take a big man to take on this project.
Step forward Christopher Nolan.
Now anyone who had seen his three previous movies knew the guy had an eye for directing gripping and compelling films, and it was greeted with a sense of excitement when he announced he was bringing Batman back to the big screen.
Once the cast had been announced it was clear that Nolan was taking the Batman franchise in a completely new direction, and thank god! It seemed we were going to be treated to a film which lent more towards Tim Burton's dark adaptation to Schumacher's, well crap, adaptation.
Christian Bale stepped into the Batsuit and with it promised to bring an intensity to Bruce Wayne that George Clooney, who seemed a fine casting, so disappointingly lacked. Batman Begins was released in 2005 and Nolan finally gave us a Batman film that wasn't just 'another comic book adaptation'. Wayne's journey in becoming Batman was much more than just a kid witnessing his parents die and swearing vengeance. Nolan's Batman suddenly felt very real, and if that was not enough he gave us a seriously mean Batmobile and Michael Caine as Alfred!
Batman Begins set the bar high for any following movies and for anyone who doubted that Nolan had the vision and talent to better it, hang your head in shame. As The Dark Knight neared it's release (in the Summer of 2008) there was whispers that Heath Ledger's Joker was something special. Ledger traigically died during editing of the film and when you see his performance in The Dark Knight you can't help but feel a deep sorrow that Hollywood has lost such a truly sublime actor. His portrayal of the Joker was chilling and utterly compelling and quite rightly brought him an Oscar.
The Dark Knight was an extraordinary piece of work from Nolan that firmly cemented his place as one of the visionary directors of his time - with Inception following this release Nolan is clearly a director getting better and better with each passing movie. The second film of this trilogy is at times jaw-droppingly filmed, from the magnificent opening scene to the brilliant car chase under the streets of Gotham, The Dark Knight was dripping with anarchy.
As I left the cinema breathless I couldn't help but begin the countdown to the completion of this franchise. Like a child waiting for Christmas morning, this promised to be a great day. As me and my friend christened it 'Dark Knight day'. So often in life when you look forward to something with so much anticipation, it disappoints. By now though I had learnt not to doubt Nolan.
And so in July 2012 saw the release of the defining movie in The Dark Knight trilogy, arguably Nolan's masterpiece (to date) and quite possibly the completion of the greatest film trilogy of all time - I am aware that the last two points can be debated in great detail...
At 2hrs 40 this is truly an epic film. What so often happens with blockbusters is the script lets the action down. Here though, as we have seen in the previous two, the script and breathtaking action sit comfortably on a very high pedestal looking out over the rest of the blockbuster landscape. David S. Goyer, Jonathan and Christopher Nolan deliver a screenplay that is as compelling as the vast shots of the Gotham landscape. The Dark Knight Rises has some stellar performances and for me it is Bale and Anne Hathaway - the latter who I had some reservations about - at their very very best. At times you feel like Nolan is just showing off, he effortlessly creates some majestic scenes (the football stadium and the policemen v Bane's army to name two) that stick long in the memory. The final 40 minutes is a lesson in how to tie up a trilogy and demonstrates that in Christopher Nolan we have a director that can tell a story, shoot it in a way that leaves you breathless, create action scenes that gets the adrenaline pumping and produce those 'movie speeches' that leave you in bits. He truly is a visionary. A man that seemingly gets better by the movie and for me, a genius.
He is producing the latest reincarnation of Superman and has a desire to direct 007. I for one cannot wait until he gets his hands on that franchise!
The Dark Knight was left alone for 8 long years, and it was clear the franchise was going to need a complete rework to regain any credibility. It was going to take a big man to take on this project.
Step forward Christopher Nolan.
Now anyone who had seen his three previous movies knew the guy had an eye for directing gripping and compelling films, and it was greeted with a sense of excitement when he announced he was bringing Batman back to the big screen.
Once the cast had been announced it was clear that Nolan was taking the Batman franchise in a completely new direction, and thank god! It seemed we were going to be treated to a film which lent more towards Tim Burton's dark adaptation to Schumacher's, well crap, adaptation.
Christian Bale stepped into the Batsuit and with it promised to bring an intensity to Bruce Wayne that George Clooney, who seemed a fine casting, so disappointingly lacked. Batman Begins was released in 2005 and Nolan finally gave us a Batman film that wasn't just 'another comic book adaptation'. Wayne's journey in becoming Batman was much more than just a kid witnessing his parents die and swearing vengeance. Nolan's Batman suddenly felt very real, and if that was not enough he gave us a seriously mean Batmobile and Michael Caine as Alfred!
Batman Begins set the bar high for any following movies and for anyone who doubted that Nolan had the vision and talent to better it, hang your head in shame. As The Dark Knight neared it's release (in the Summer of 2008) there was whispers that Heath Ledger's Joker was something special. Ledger traigically died during editing of the film and when you see his performance in The Dark Knight you can't help but feel a deep sorrow that Hollywood has lost such a truly sublime actor. His portrayal of the Joker was chilling and utterly compelling and quite rightly brought him an Oscar.
The Dark Knight was an extraordinary piece of work from Nolan that firmly cemented his place as one of the visionary directors of his time - with Inception following this release Nolan is clearly a director getting better and better with each passing movie. The second film of this trilogy is at times jaw-droppingly filmed, from the magnificent opening scene to the brilliant car chase under the streets of Gotham, The Dark Knight was dripping with anarchy.
As I left the cinema breathless I couldn't help but begin the countdown to the completion of this franchise. Like a child waiting for Christmas morning, this promised to be a great day. As me and my friend christened it 'Dark Knight day'. So often in life when you look forward to something with so much anticipation, it disappoints. By now though I had learnt not to doubt Nolan.
And so in July 2012 saw the release of the defining movie in The Dark Knight trilogy, arguably Nolan's masterpiece (to date) and quite possibly the completion of the greatest film trilogy of all time - I am aware that the last two points can be debated in great detail...
At 2hrs 40 this is truly an epic film. What so often happens with blockbusters is the script lets the action down. Here though, as we have seen in the previous two, the script and breathtaking action sit comfortably on a very high pedestal looking out over the rest of the blockbuster landscape. David S. Goyer, Jonathan and Christopher Nolan deliver a screenplay that is as compelling as the vast shots of the Gotham landscape. The Dark Knight Rises has some stellar performances and for me it is Bale and Anne Hathaway - the latter who I had some reservations about - at their very very best. At times you feel like Nolan is just showing off, he effortlessly creates some majestic scenes (the football stadium and the policemen v Bane's army to name two) that stick long in the memory. The final 40 minutes is a lesson in how to tie up a trilogy and demonstrates that in Christopher Nolan we have a director that can tell a story, shoot it in a way that leaves you breathless, create action scenes that gets the adrenaline pumping and produce those 'movie speeches' that leave you in bits. He truly is a visionary. A man that seemingly gets better by the movie and for me, a genius.
He is producing the latest reincarnation of Superman and has a desire to direct 007. I for one cannot wait until he gets his hands on that franchise!
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
The legends of tomorrow. Today
It's been quite some time since I sat in my armchair and spoke to all you lovely people. Some have asked where I have been. Others have asked if I got bored of films and moved on - this could not be further from the truth.
I have taken some time to set my engines back to neutral (name the film that comes from) and take stock of the world of film.
A few questions have arisen in my time away; A) How does Keira Knightley still get work?! B) Did anyone actually see Men in Black 3? And more pressingly who are our movie legends of tomorrow?
I mean the Pacino's and De Niro's will not be around forever - sadly. Obviously DiCaprio, Depp and Day-Lewis (enough Ds there for you!) have firmly cemented their legendary actor status but who are the 'new batch' - not the sequel to Gremlins I hasten to add.
There are a couple of shining lights in a worryingly dark and dense horizon of mediocrity. The first actor I turn to has recently stared in what can only be described as 'an instant classic'.
The film? Drive. The actor? Ryan Gosling.
This is a guy who has a rare and magnificent talent for telling you everything you need to know, without saying a word. When I discuss this sublime skill I always refer to De Niro and Pacino's only scene in Heat. For those of you who have seen it, you are already smiling and recalling it. Those who haven't seen it - sort your life out.
Anyway I digress. Gosling's performance in Drive is mesmerising. The way he switches from nice guy to brutal killer and back in the blink of an eye is in line with Pacino's performance in The Godfather 2. Yes, that good.
I cannot urge you strongly enough. If you have not seen Drive. Go get it. Trust me, buy this movie and prepare to be compelled to write a strongly worded letter to the Oscars panel asking them what the fuck they are doing with their lives for snubbing this film.
I move on to Andrew Garfield as my next big hope for the future of my cinema trips. His early work - which I know sounds ridiculous for a guy at the beginning of what promises to be an impressive CV - showed that this guy has a likeable presence on screen but it was the magnificent Social Network that really brought him to the fore of producers minds. Yes Jessie Eisenberg is the star here - well Aaron Sorkin is actually - but Garfield is superb and as he begins to get, well, fucked over he quite brilliantly portrays the anger, hurt and betrayal that his best friend (former) lays on him. The scene where he storms across the office and smashes Zuckerberg's laptop is truly brilliant.
Of course the direction is a huge part of the scenes I have discussed here but for anyone who loves films, you understand there is something in the eyes of a true actor that is missing from so many other leading men. Don't even get me started on Matthew McConaughey!
I shall leave it there for now but will return to complete my short list of potentially legendary actors soon and also discuss the all important leading lady role too.
I still can't believe Keira Knightley has made so many films recently. She looks more and more like a bug as the days go by.
Hmm maybe they should remake the fly...
I have taken some time to set my engines back to neutral (name the film that comes from) and take stock of the world of film.
A few questions have arisen in my time away; A) How does Keira Knightley still get work?! B) Did anyone actually see Men in Black 3? And more pressingly who are our movie legends of tomorrow?
I mean the Pacino's and De Niro's will not be around forever - sadly. Obviously DiCaprio, Depp and Day-Lewis (enough Ds there for you!) have firmly cemented their legendary actor status but who are the 'new batch' - not the sequel to Gremlins I hasten to add.
There are a couple of shining lights in a worryingly dark and dense horizon of mediocrity. The first actor I turn to has recently stared in what can only be described as 'an instant classic'.
The film? Drive. The actor? Ryan Gosling.
This is a guy who has a rare and magnificent talent for telling you everything you need to know, without saying a word. When I discuss this sublime skill I always refer to De Niro and Pacino's only scene in Heat. For those of you who have seen it, you are already smiling and recalling it. Those who haven't seen it - sort your life out.
Anyway I digress. Gosling's performance in Drive is mesmerising. The way he switches from nice guy to brutal killer and back in the blink of an eye is in line with Pacino's performance in The Godfather 2. Yes, that good.
I cannot urge you strongly enough. If you have not seen Drive. Go get it. Trust me, buy this movie and prepare to be compelled to write a strongly worded letter to the Oscars panel asking them what the fuck they are doing with their lives for snubbing this film.
I move on to Andrew Garfield as my next big hope for the future of my cinema trips. His early work - which I know sounds ridiculous for a guy at the beginning of what promises to be an impressive CV - showed that this guy has a likeable presence on screen but it was the magnificent Social Network that really brought him to the fore of producers minds. Yes Jessie Eisenberg is the star here - well Aaron Sorkin is actually - but Garfield is superb and as he begins to get, well, fucked over he quite brilliantly portrays the anger, hurt and betrayal that his best friend (former) lays on him. The scene where he storms across the office and smashes Zuckerberg's laptop is truly brilliant.
Of course the direction is a huge part of the scenes I have discussed here but for anyone who loves films, you understand there is something in the eyes of a true actor that is missing from so many other leading men. Don't even get me started on Matthew McConaughey!
I shall leave it there for now but will return to complete my short list of potentially legendary actors soon and also discuss the all important leading lady role too.
I still can't believe Keira Knightley has made so many films recently. She looks more and more like a bug as the days go by.
Hmm maybe they should remake the fly...
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
It finally happened...
So after quite some time of managing to avoid one of the modern relationships biggest 'moments' I have finally succumb to pressure and given in - no I am not getting married - ladies and gentlemen (and the gentlemen here will understand instantly) I have been 'Notebooked'. After so long telling myself 'I will not be notebooked' it happened. What makes it even worse, I suggested the film be brought round!
That's how they do it gents, they plant the idea in your head like inception and before you know it you are watching Noah build that bloody house!!!
Now as a self proclaimed lover of films I can watch just about any movie and on some level appreciate the talent it takes to create a movie - unless it's horrific shite like cabin fever 2, Jesus that film sucks!!
I was told before I watched the film, 'you will cry' - so as any man would, I deliberately had a chat with my tear ducts, we toughened up the defences and made damn sure no tears were shed as The Notebook played out.
I'll be honest, I quite liked the film - hey I'm a guy who grew up watching Dawson's Creek and loves One Tree Hill, this shit is right up my street!! To be honest, I expected I would like the film, maybe that was another reason to avoid it!
I kept telling myself, I'm watching Ryan Gosling here, this guy has just been - as my friend brilliantly described - 'the shit' in Driver, a film shockingly over-looked by the Oscars (don't even get me started on those guys) - so I'm watching a good actor, not Hugh Grant bumble his way through your standard chick-flick!!
So I know what you are all thinking, did I cry? No, no I did not. To the disgust of my girlfriend I have to add. Such lines as 'you have no heart', 'you have a heart of stone' and 'you cry at a cartoon but not this?!' were thrown in my direction. The cartoon in question was Up, and yes I did cry. That opening is fantastic and heartbreaking and not predictable like the notebook, and chill out ladies I am not slagging it off but you know how the film will end - look at the front cover of the DVD for Christ sake!!
Now there were two moments that, as a lover of great visual scenes in movies I really liked. The opening with the rower at sunset is a stunning image and when Noah takes Allie to the Swan Lake, that is brilliantly shot.
As the film ended and I cheered to myself for not shedding a tear I was asked 'why don't you build me a house like that?'
So as I head to B&Q for supplies and download 'building houses for dummies' I ask you this, if the Notebook is the ultimate chick-flick in the modern world, what is the modern day 'guy-flick' that girls have to 'suffer' as part of a relationship...
That's how they do it gents, they plant the idea in your head like inception and before you know it you are watching Noah build that bloody house!!!
Now as a self proclaimed lover of films I can watch just about any movie and on some level appreciate the talent it takes to create a movie - unless it's horrific shite like cabin fever 2, Jesus that film sucks!!
I was told before I watched the film, 'you will cry' - so as any man would, I deliberately had a chat with my tear ducts, we toughened up the defences and made damn sure no tears were shed as The Notebook played out.
I'll be honest, I quite liked the film - hey I'm a guy who grew up watching Dawson's Creek and loves One Tree Hill, this shit is right up my street!! To be honest, I expected I would like the film, maybe that was another reason to avoid it!
I kept telling myself, I'm watching Ryan Gosling here, this guy has just been - as my friend brilliantly described - 'the shit' in Driver, a film shockingly over-looked by the Oscars (don't even get me started on those guys) - so I'm watching a good actor, not Hugh Grant bumble his way through your standard chick-flick!!
So I know what you are all thinking, did I cry? No, no I did not. To the disgust of my girlfriend I have to add. Such lines as 'you have no heart', 'you have a heart of stone' and 'you cry at a cartoon but not this?!' were thrown in my direction. The cartoon in question was Up, and yes I did cry. That opening is fantastic and heartbreaking and not predictable like the notebook, and chill out ladies I am not slagging it off but you know how the film will end - look at the front cover of the DVD for Christ sake!!
Now there were two moments that, as a lover of great visual scenes in movies I really liked. The opening with the rower at sunset is a stunning image and when Noah takes Allie to the Swan Lake, that is brilliantly shot.
As the film ended and I cheered to myself for not shedding a tear I was asked 'why don't you build me a house like that?'
So as I head to B&Q for supplies and download 'building houses for dummies' I ask you this, if the Notebook is the ultimate chick-flick in the modern world, what is the modern day 'guy-flick' that girls have to 'suffer' as part of a relationship...
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
There are certain films that when you watch, they just blow your mind. In some cases - like the magnificent French horror Martyrs, they absolutely ruin your world. It takes a special type of film that leaves you so spellbound that you have to sit and watch the credits just why your mind positions itself back in its usual place.
For anyone who does not know what this blog is going to be about from the title - shame on you! However, let I will give you another chance, if you promise to go watch the film right after reading this... deal?
Deal.
So for all of you out there who doesn't know the film I am discussing here, let me put you our of your misery - Donnie Darko.
When I first watched this film I had no idea what it was about - I saw Empire had given it ***** and that was enough for me. A film set in the 1980s didn't exactly get me excited as I knew that would mean an '80s soundtrack - and I am not a fan of '80s music ladies and gentlemen! Yet as soon as Echo and the Bunnymen's Killing Moon hits at the start of the film, I knew I was in for a different kind of 80s movie.
There are so many truly mind blowing scenes in this film I could literally write about every single second of this film easily. The thing I love so much about Richard Kelly's masterpiece is that every person you speak to has a different interpretation of the film and different lines or scenes that stay with them long after the film has ended. There have been countless dissertations written on this movie and it is a film that is impossible to watch just once.
If you find a film that blows your mind, leaves you utterly spellbound, completely confused and totally compelled all at the same time - you know you are watching something special.
There were two scenes in this film that sent shivers down my spine. The first was where Donnie and Gretchen are in the cinema and Frank appears to show Donnie Jim Cunnigham's house on the screen. It involves my favourite quote of the film 'Why are wearing that stupid man costume?' - I don't know what it is about that line, considering there are countless great quotes in Donnie Darko, this one always remains locked in my mind. It makes me think Donnie is something other than just a troubled teenager, masquerading in human form...
My interpretation of the film is Donnie is some kind of superhero - the most telling scene in this movie in my eyes is Gretchen asking; "Donnie Darko? What the hell kind of name is that? It's like some sort of superhero or something" Donnie's response "What makes you think I'm not?" - just writing that makes me want to watch this film again!
My favourite scene is the sublime ending as Gary Jules' haunting version of Mad World accompanies snapshots of the main characters in the film awakening from, in some cases horrible and others wonderful dream. Everything about the scene just works, you feel like a portal has come out and sucked you directly into the world of Donnie Darko and I find myself with this stupid smile on my face at the end of this scene - genius work.
If you have seen this film I ask, what is your interpretation and what is your favourite scene? If you have not seen this film you have exactly 28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds until I delete you from my facebook...
For anyone who does not know what this blog is going to be about from the title - shame on you! However, let I will give you another chance, if you promise to go watch the film right after reading this... deal?
Deal.
So for all of you out there who doesn't know the film I am discussing here, let me put you our of your misery - Donnie Darko.
When I first watched this film I had no idea what it was about - I saw Empire had given it ***** and that was enough for me. A film set in the 1980s didn't exactly get me excited as I knew that would mean an '80s soundtrack - and I am not a fan of '80s music ladies and gentlemen! Yet as soon as Echo and the Bunnymen's Killing Moon hits at the start of the film, I knew I was in for a different kind of 80s movie.
There are so many truly mind blowing scenes in this film I could literally write about every single second of this film easily. The thing I love so much about Richard Kelly's masterpiece is that every person you speak to has a different interpretation of the film and different lines or scenes that stay with them long after the film has ended. There have been countless dissertations written on this movie and it is a film that is impossible to watch just once.
If you find a film that blows your mind, leaves you utterly spellbound, completely confused and totally compelled all at the same time - you know you are watching something special.
There were two scenes in this film that sent shivers down my spine. The first was where Donnie and Gretchen are in the cinema and Frank appears to show Donnie Jim Cunnigham's house on the screen. It involves my favourite quote of the film 'Why are wearing that stupid man costume?' - I don't know what it is about that line, considering there are countless great quotes in Donnie Darko, this one always remains locked in my mind. It makes me think Donnie is something other than just a troubled teenager, masquerading in human form...
My interpretation of the film is Donnie is some kind of superhero - the most telling scene in this movie in my eyes is Gretchen asking; "Donnie Darko? What the hell kind of name is that? It's like some sort of superhero or something" Donnie's response "What makes you think I'm not?" - just writing that makes me want to watch this film again!
My favourite scene is the sublime ending as Gary Jules' haunting version of Mad World accompanies snapshots of the main characters in the film awakening from, in some cases horrible and others wonderful dream. Everything about the scene just works, you feel like a portal has come out and sucked you directly into the world of Donnie Darko and I find myself with this stupid smile on my face at the end of this scene - genius work.
If you have seen this film I ask, what is your interpretation and what is your favourite scene? If you have not seen this film you have exactly 28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds until I delete you from my facebook...
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Has DiCaprio made a bad film?
I was watching Shutter Island the other day and I was sitting there trying to think of a Leonardo DiCaprio film I don't like. I mean this guy has stared in some seriously great films. He is an actor who seems to effortlessly produce brilliance on the screen. It's very rare you watch a film with DiCaprio in, I actually can't think of one, and don't find yourself at one point thinking; 'this guy can act!'
Let me start with Martin Scorsese's dark and harrowing Shutter Island. I love just about every minute of this film, from the uncomfortable soundtrack to the swooping shots of the island this film is magnificent. There are certain scenes that stay with you long after you have left the cinema and there are a number of scenes in Shutter Island that did just that. The concentration camp shooting is a brutal scene, the heart-breaking ending as the true story is unveiled (it was there where I said 'this guy can act' as he desperately clings to his kids in the lake) and the end quote from Teddy Daniels and the look DiCaprio gives Mark Ruffalo's Chuck Aule just makes me want to jump and whoop like a child.
"Which would be worse - to live a monster? Or to die as a good man?"
BRILLIANT!
I have already doffed my cap to Inception and I don't want to go in to the sheer genius of this film anymore - go check out my last post to see just how much I love Christopher Nolan's Inception.
You know the old saying 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'? It really does apply to Martin Scorsese working with DiCaprio. My next choice is The Departed, just about everything you could want in a film is here in this truly sublime movie. Just look at the cast - DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen...the list goes on! It is a heavyweight cast directed by THE heavyweight director of our time and when it ends it leaves you knocked out on the canvas after a sensational twist. Now I love a film with a twist, but one with a twist-twist! Now we are talking!! Just when you think this film is playing out a certain way boom Scorsese throws one hell of a curve-ball.
As if working with Scorsese isn't enough DiCaprio has also stared in Steven Spielberg's excellent cat-and-mouse-true-story Catch Me If You Can. I am one of the few people that isn't a fan of Tom Hanks (that is for another time so chill out everyone) - for me Tom Hanks plays Tom Hanks, except for a couple of films, but we are getting off subject - However, I have to say Hanks does make good films and while it is the best part of seven days long it is a film that you find yourself totally immersed in and I love the scene where Carl Hanratty first encounters Frank Abagnale Jr and how he effortlessly slips away.
There are many other great DiCaprio films and even if you didn't like Titanic, I bet you saw it at the cinema! DiCaprio just makes films that people go to see and he is usually superb in them. In Blood Diamond I spent the first half hour wondering if DiCaprio's South African accent was as bad as David Bowie's Russian one in The Prestige - then coming to my senses and realising it was actually spot on. Think of any film that DiCaprio has been in and tell me it is not good, you can't do it. A fine actor and one I feel is underrated.
Right I am off to get in line to wait for a ticket to see DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's next film Django Unchained - cause ladies and gentlemen, that combination cannot result in anything other than great cinema...
Let me start with Martin Scorsese's dark and harrowing Shutter Island. I love just about every minute of this film, from the uncomfortable soundtrack to the swooping shots of the island this film is magnificent. There are certain scenes that stay with you long after you have left the cinema and there are a number of scenes in Shutter Island that did just that. The concentration camp shooting is a brutal scene, the heart-breaking ending as the true story is unveiled (it was there where I said 'this guy can act' as he desperately clings to his kids in the lake) and the end quote from Teddy Daniels and the look DiCaprio gives Mark Ruffalo's Chuck Aule just makes me want to jump and whoop like a child.
"Which would be worse - to live a monster? Or to die as a good man?"
BRILLIANT!
I have already doffed my cap to Inception and I don't want to go in to the sheer genius of this film anymore - go check out my last post to see just how much I love Christopher Nolan's Inception.
You know the old saying 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'? It really does apply to Martin Scorsese working with DiCaprio. My next choice is The Departed, just about everything you could want in a film is here in this truly sublime movie. Just look at the cast - DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen...the list goes on! It is a heavyweight cast directed by THE heavyweight director of our time and when it ends it leaves you knocked out on the canvas after a sensational twist. Now I love a film with a twist, but one with a twist-twist! Now we are talking!! Just when you think this film is playing out a certain way boom Scorsese throws one hell of a curve-ball.
As if working with Scorsese isn't enough DiCaprio has also stared in Steven Spielberg's excellent cat-and-mouse-true-story Catch Me If You Can. I am one of the few people that isn't a fan of Tom Hanks (that is for another time so chill out everyone) - for me Tom Hanks plays Tom Hanks, except for a couple of films, but we are getting off subject - However, I have to say Hanks does make good films and while it is the best part of seven days long it is a film that you find yourself totally immersed in and I love the scene where Carl Hanratty first encounters Frank Abagnale Jr and how he effortlessly slips away.
There are many other great DiCaprio films and even if you didn't like Titanic, I bet you saw it at the cinema! DiCaprio just makes films that people go to see and he is usually superb in them. In Blood Diamond I spent the first half hour wondering if DiCaprio's South African accent was as bad as David Bowie's Russian one in The Prestige - then coming to my senses and realising it was actually spot on. Think of any film that DiCaprio has been in and tell me it is not good, you can't do it. A fine actor and one I feel is underrated.
Right I am off to get in line to wait for a ticket to see DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's next film Django Unchained - cause ladies and gentlemen, that combination cannot result in anything other than great cinema...
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
I can access your mind through your dreams
There are very few films I have watched in the cinema that have actually made me want to sit and watch the next viewing. It's no surprise that two of those films in question are from the same director. The first I will talk about here is The Dark Knight. Now there was a whole whirlwind of press around this film because of Heath Ledger's tragic death before it's release. There was a whole world of hype around this film and with the success of Batman Begins there was also a lot of expectation.
I will go as far to say... this is the only film I have seen that has not only lived up to the hype, it has stared the hype in the face, beaten the living daylights out of it and kicked the hype in to the next millennium.
The Dark Knight is THE definitive comic book movie. It goes beyond the realms of any other comic book film yet stays true to the dark graphic novels of 'The Dark Knight'. There are some outstanding scenes in this movie, but the writing also deserves a lot of credit. Jonathan and Christopher Nolan create a collection brilliantly dark characters here and with the cast they had at their disposal this film was destined to be mind blowing.
There is more than just a glancing nod to the original Batman film here and there are some scenes which are almost the same but don't call this film a remake. It's not, it's one of the darkest, mesmerising and spine-tinglingly awesome blockbusters of all time.
What Heath Ledger did with the Joker is proof the man had talent. A whole fucking truck load of talent. He dedicated himself to channelling the Joker's deeply disturbed character so that when he shot the film he became the Joker. His performance is a work of art on a magnificent level and a reminder that the world has lost a truly great actor.
Moving on to Nolan's second great work of art, I can't tell you how much I love Inception *holding my arms out as far apart as I can to demonstrate*. I remember seeing the trailer when watching the last ever episode of Lost and thinking 'I need to see this film'. Usually when a film excites me that much I am ultimately let down, but this movie blew me away.
The vision to create a film like Inception is phenomenal. The thing I love about Inception is how complex the story is. There are a number of sub plots going on throughout the film and you start to realise that the story is not centred around Cobb's teams mission to embed an idea in Robert Fischer's sub conscious to dissolve his father company. It is actually all about Cobb, how a man who had incredible vision got seduced by the worlds he created and ultimately lost everything he had.
Leonardo Di Caprio is one of my favourite actors, he doesn't make bad films. He is brilliant as the man who seems so calm and collected but over the course of the film falls to pieces. He seems to battle with the voices and visions in his head here so well I actually wonder if he is insane. I mean he struggles with similar visions in Shutter Island, it's a surprise Di Caprio hasn't lost his mind. He actually may have, which would explain how he plays Cobb so expertly.
I like films that leave the ending up to you. I don't want a director to explain to me every single little detail. I want large parts left up to me to decide, depending on how I interpret the film.
Nolan is a genius at this, as I discussed in my earlier post, the man is a master at screwing with your mind. He does it with consummate ease, and I wish I had Nolan's talent for doing that. There are very few directors in Hollywood today who are bold enough to not spoon feed everything to the audience.
Christopher Nolan is one of those few, and he should be cherished.
I will go as far to say... this is the only film I have seen that has not only lived up to the hype, it has stared the hype in the face, beaten the living daylights out of it and kicked the hype in to the next millennium.
The Dark Knight is THE definitive comic book movie. It goes beyond the realms of any other comic book film yet stays true to the dark graphic novels of 'The Dark Knight'. There are some outstanding scenes in this movie, but the writing also deserves a lot of credit. Jonathan and Christopher Nolan create a collection brilliantly dark characters here and with the cast they had at their disposal this film was destined to be mind blowing.
There is more than just a glancing nod to the original Batman film here and there are some scenes which are almost the same but don't call this film a remake. It's not, it's one of the darkest, mesmerising and spine-tinglingly awesome blockbusters of all time.
What Heath Ledger did with the Joker is proof the man had talent. A whole fucking truck load of talent. He dedicated himself to channelling the Joker's deeply disturbed character so that when he shot the film he became the Joker. His performance is a work of art on a magnificent level and a reminder that the world has lost a truly great actor.
Moving on to Nolan's second great work of art, I can't tell you how much I love Inception *holding my arms out as far apart as I can to demonstrate*. I remember seeing the trailer when watching the last ever episode of Lost and thinking 'I need to see this film'. Usually when a film excites me that much I am ultimately let down, but this movie blew me away.
The vision to create a film like Inception is phenomenal. The thing I love about Inception is how complex the story is. There are a number of sub plots going on throughout the film and you start to realise that the story is not centred around Cobb's teams mission to embed an idea in Robert Fischer's sub conscious to dissolve his father company. It is actually all about Cobb, how a man who had incredible vision got seduced by the worlds he created and ultimately lost everything he had.
Leonardo Di Caprio is one of my favourite actors, he doesn't make bad films. He is brilliant as the man who seems so calm and collected but over the course of the film falls to pieces. He seems to battle with the voices and visions in his head here so well I actually wonder if he is insane. I mean he struggles with similar visions in Shutter Island, it's a surprise Di Caprio hasn't lost his mind. He actually may have, which would explain how he plays Cobb so expertly.
I like films that leave the ending up to you. I don't want a director to explain to me every single little detail. I want large parts left up to me to decide, depending on how I interpret the film.
Nolan is a genius at this, as I discussed in my earlier post, the man is a master at screwing with your mind. He does it with consummate ease, and I wish I had Nolan's talent for doing that. There are very few directors in Hollywood today who are bold enough to not spoon feed everything to the audience.
Christopher Nolan is one of those few, and he should be cherished.
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