tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70727293715632735152024-03-13T18:49:48.497+00:00Life vs. FilmJayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.comBlogger501125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-75965652313570854462013-05-02T08:30:00.001+01:002013-05-02T08:30:06.219+01:00Change of address<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
This site has moved! Life vs Life now lives at <a href="http://lifevsfilm.com/">lifevsfilm.com</a>, head on over to read my latest ramblings. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw4pw2ylrVTNZMOH3phV7mMHQ8MsdZ6OTNyg9EEKqE1B12lmY4DlWrOcnIoGRpWCzaneXXlVjNdv9qJSYIe34QegPA1sCw0fVRfyjvhKXfYFQw2zrPw4JRzHSzlBKoRA9muTmKiZdfpHJ/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw4pw2ylrVTNZMOH3phV7mMHQ8MsdZ6OTNyg9EEKqE1B12lmY4DlWrOcnIoGRpWCzaneXXlVjNdv9qJSYIe34QegPA1sCw0fVRfyjvhKXfYFQw2zrPw4JRzHSzlBKoRA9muTmKiZdfpHJ/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-42456334740853608712013-04-29T22:24:00.000+01:002013-04-29T22:24:07.703+01:00Farewell<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Firstly, I'd like to congratulate myself on hitting the 500 post mark, yay me. You may have noticed my review-posting turnout has been significantly diminished in the past few weeks. This has in part been due to a few busy weekends involving family and the wedding of two of my best friends, but I've also been watching a great deal of Disney films for a Lambcast that will be released soon. As such, I've been feeling pretty depleted in terms of writing about films - I haven't reviewed anything from the 1001 List in a little while - and I've barely watched anything from it recently either. Therefore, I've decided to close up shop and take a break from the blog for a while.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'd like to thank all my regular visitors and followers, especially those of you who frequently leave me comments and/or essays (<a href="http://tipsfromchip.blogspot.co.uk/">Chip</a>, I'm looking at you), and rest assured I shall continue to read most of what you all throw out (sticking to my rule of not reading reviews of films I've not seen but intend to one day). I've thoroughly enjoyed most of my time blogging so far. I always wanted to write about films, and I hope to continue to do so until one day I'm actually halfway good at it. Rest assured that everything of yours that I read continues to inspire me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRR-F9QQ3FZGZj-7ff8WPqLLdiMLLpsnpTbP118IyPjW_-J9hcIik60S3rvnbgcJXuyn6oUBxtQLKMwShYt0CWqqNeKYhPBktjFu3ZJVCnlyvXVUYNPZxpqxIZuLWqj7YRF2R3AO4v2VwM/s1600/truman-show-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRR-F9QQ3FZGZj-7ff8WPqLLdiMLLpsnpTbP118IyPjW_-J9hcIik60S3rvnbgcJXuyn6oUBxtQLKMwShYt0CWqqNeKYhPBktjFu3ZJVCnlyvXVUYNPZxpqxIZuLWqj7YRF2R3AO4v2VwM/s320/truman-show-4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On a completely unrelated note, I'd like to announce the birth of <a href="http://www.lifevsfilm.com/">www.lifevsfilm.com</a>, where you will now find me writing on a hopefully far more regular basis, starting with an imminent review of <i>Iron Man 3</i>. The site is very much in its infancy, and although I'd meant to have it fully operational before launching it upon the world, it isn't even close. That's what happens when a busy/lazy person sets a self-imposed deadline (the aforementioned 500th post) and then neglects to work hard enough to actually reach it. Anyway, all the buttons should work, and I'll update various pages and links and things as I go. I'm pretty sure they all point back to here for now though. Give me a shout if there's something else that doesn't work, and I'll try and fix it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blogger, it's been real, but I'm taking this site on the road.</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-14468745992686407952013-04-28T19:47:00.000+01:002013-04-28T19:47:54.540+01:00The Sand Pebbles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5iyz_46PSi-e0jOHg6MyND4f8GDs3tP66gtUNJF9xWN6ER25gZlTYFLUiA4vaxBdK5X-fv8qgvwgc4nmGhFEcbBzDDRmuG3xFZDn66XaDrTc4389E8TiKku5xEzly_nyJ0uIpgVufI8m/s1600/Sand4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5iyz_46PSi-e0jOHg6MyND4f8GDs3tP66gtUNJF9xWN6ER25gZlTYFLUiA4vaxBdK5X-fv8qgvwgc4nmGhFEcbBzDDRmuG3xFZDn66XaDrTc4389E8TiKku5xEzly_nyJ0uIpgVufI8m/s320/Sand4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The year is 1926, just before one of the many Chinese revolutions. Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) is a ship's engineer who has been transferred to a small run-down gunship named the San Pablo, or the Sand Pebble to her crew. Aboard the Pebble, Holman causes tension amongst the already tight-knit yet divided crew, which doesn't help when the Chinese public attempt to instigate a war with the US.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It took me quite a while to get to this film. I had the LoveFilm disc for over two weeks before it made its way into the DVD player, and even then it was watched in two sections, something I really don't like doing with films. The main reason for this is the length of this film, just two minutes over three hours long, which is not a block of time I often find readily available to myself. However, a Sunday arose when two 90+ minute gaps arose in my schedule, so off I went on my 1920s war journey. The other obstacle I had to overcome was this film being described as an epic. Now, in my experience, the term "epic" is synonymous with "padded" or "unnecessarily overlong." Some long films are great - <i>Magnolia</i>, <i>The Great Escape</i>, <i>The Green Mile</i> - and these are very rarely described as epics, they are simply brilliant films. Occasionally there are exceptions - <i>The Good, The Bad and The Ugly</i> is both long and epic in scope, yet remains tightly plotted and a joy to behold - but these are few and far between, so I prepared myself for large amounts of time spent waiting around for something to happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It turns out that this film is essentially about just that - waiting around for something to happen. The San Pablo is a gunship with nobody to fight. Their role in existence is to be ready and able when the call comes, and to keep everything in working condition in the meantime. This would probably seem a worthwhile life if the call came often and regularly, but here there are times when you think it may never come. Fortunately, there are enough diversions to keep the mind occupied whilst we wait for the climax that does, eventually, get here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43XSHTOt29hQuA1cRiFXDxRQOnBhnFYiH8huusL76Ri8c_Gv1M_g4Mnnn7dScTT80d9UttOgtOCUl9tXfyxD6GSITPZvx9yalgsHA3Bvhp_mEaDgVXPk7o2aEB7-_yoIiz1Ebec-a7R1U/s1600/HF7Y3114_The_Sand_Pebbles_SD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43XSHTOt29hQuA1cRiFXDxRQOnBhnFYiH8huusL76Ri8c_Gv1M_g4Mnnn7dScTT80d9UttOgtOCUl9tXfyxD6GSITPZvx9yalgsHA3Bvhp_mEaDgVXPk7o2aEB7-_yoIiz1Ebec-a7R1U/s320/HF7Y3114_The_Sand_Pebbles_SD.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The focus is on McQueen's Holman. The crew of his new engine room are entirely Chinese (or 'coolies' as the rest of the crew insist upon calling them). Holman doesn't think much of their "monkey see, monkey do" way of working on the engine, and soon runs foul of Chien (Tommy Lee, no not that one), the chief engineer. Holman finds himself an engineer with nothing to work upon, more a mechanic than anything else (no offense to mechanics, but we engineers are better than you). One of Holman's story arcs involves this relationship between him and the Chinese crewmen softening, especially when he takes one under his wing (Mako) and attempts to teach him how to run an engine room properly, by actually thinking about what he is doing, how it works and how one thing affects another. Obviously this is one of the areas of the films that I took to the most, given its relation to my chosen profession, and the scene involving the fixing of a broken engine was one of the highlights, even if the outcome was entirely predictable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uQPWiF9k2HvIWcFU_K-kyvzz_RwWKFMS-pmAjWNDL7Uy3lZUsVqZASE5tulSMTqzE9yz6I2H_z5s8c3wqz6sqJvgXuqrxXEtUZswIlR9KlTcioo5vpGTpg7m-gN9MFlBcDlwBHC6GeWV/s1600/Sand+Pebbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uQPWiF9k2HvIWcFU_K-kyvzz_RwWKFMS-pmAjWNDL7Uy3lZUsVqZASE5tulSMTqzE9yz6I2H_z5s8c3wqz6sqJvgXuqrxXEtUZswIlR9KlTcioo5vpGTpg7m-gN9MFlBcDlwBHC6GeWV/s320/Sand+Pebbles.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alongside Holman there is also Richard Attenborough's Frenchy, one of the more sensitive shipmates, whose job seems to entail showing Holman around and introducing him to the rest of the crew, and then doing pretty much nothing of any use for the rest of the film. He does however get a key sub-plot involving his obsession with Maily (Emmanuelle Arsan), a virginal dancer at the local whorehouse whose deflowering costs $200, as does her freedom. Frenchy sets about attempting to raise the money to free his love, before a rival crewman raises the same amount but with a far less wholesome intent. This culminates in a couple of difficult to watch scenes, one involving a bare knuckle bet-upon fight, and the other a bidding war, with Maily being stripped against her will with every increasing bet. It's also worth pointing out that the whorehouse is run by none other than <i>Big Trouble in Little China</i>'s James Hong, and the captain of the San Pablo is Colonel Trautman himself, Richard Crenna.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The role of Jake Holman is the only one that Steve McQueen ever received an Oscar nomination for, along with seven other academy award nominations <i>The Sand Pebbles</i> received, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Mako. I'm not surprised to find that it didn't win anything, even if the only other picture up for anything that year that I've seen or even heard of is Alfie, but I am surprised to see McQueen nominated. His performance here isn't much different than anything else he's done, there's just more of it given the running time and his central focus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELbDd6stWonrIcabwNDmp2_Kn5VGMwl7AXrHrR9rG4Sy2SZHx7mKsc5CwG-zRYOnIuduS-JGFGef3LJHrd1NFd8sZcctnf3QPbS2oulyzArLyBdfA4tmBJeaY-iVRZxx0dT5M8BJur_a6/s1600/sand_pebbles_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELbDd6stWonrIcabwNDmp2_Kn5VGMwl7AXrHrR9rG4Sy2SZHx7mKsc5CwG-zRYOnIuduS-JGFGef3LJHrd1NFd8sZcctnf3QPbS2oulyzArLyBdfA4tmBJeaY-iVRZxx0dT5M8BJur_a6/s320/sand_pebbles_09.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The plot threads start to fray a bit towards the end of the film, and some sections feel a bit rushed, which is very unusual for a DVD that includes an intermission (I love it when they do that), however the climax is wonderful, a few brilliantly rewarding bouts of action that make up for the relative tedium up to that point. The scale of much of the film is truly epic too, with hundreds of extras milling about their daily lives in ports or during parades, something which you rarely see in today's CG cinema. I could have just done with it all being a little shorter, but then, as I said, this is a film about waiting, so it makes sense that that's what it puts us through.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose film 7/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-83310532069984506982013-04-18T19:48:00.002+01:002013-04-18T19:48:54.923+01:00Kate Winslet: Naturist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy-v0pxRFBsOHfGap2ItEYBvYMouCvbSO435JKD2UaCjlIxWTD1YgCKxTqxI8Dk7NN6QEjvz-bpYGX26VnW1l-HiO2SeRK7mb0goinq0LiHZEkoh3tVDZS1WccdT3iPyHP_FG_4aayAih/s1600/kate-winslet-04042011-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy-v0pxRFBsOHfGap2ItEYBvYMouCvbSO435JKD2UaCjlIxWTD1YgCKxTqxI8Dk7NN6QEjvz-bpYGX26VnW1l-HiO2SeRK7mb0goinq0LiHZEkoh3tVDZS1WccdT3iPyHP_FG_4aayAih/s320/kate-winslet-04042011-4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Kate Winslet, it seems, is more than just a disembodied pair of breasts that sporadically unveil themselves at inopportune moments in movies. Apparently there is a voice associated with those mammaries (and therefore, one assumes, a mouth, tongue, trachea and who knows how many other body parts too), and it is a voice that has become familiar to the public at large. It was only natural then that the lady in question would use said voice within films, as is the case here with two semi-documentary dramas that focus heavily on nature: <i>The Fox And The Child</i> and <i>Pride</i>. After all, it's no secret that voice acting is a great deal easier than full-body acting, as there's no hours of make-up, preparation of scenes and lighting or extravagant costumes to put on (or take off, as the case may be). Unfortunately, the appeal of an easy job can cause a lull in judgement in choosing said work, as is the case with both of these films.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
First up is <i>The Fox And The Child</i>, in which Winslet adopts narrating duties for this tale of - you guessed it - a fox and a child, as the latter (<span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">Bertille Noël-Bruneau</span>) befriends the former (a fox?) over the period of a year. I'm not a fan of attempting to disguise a documentary as drama, which is a shame as that's exactly what both this and <i>Pride</i> try to do, as I either want to watch a documentary (which I'll admit is rarer than it should be) or I'll want to watch a drama. It's never some hybrid of the two, where a thin plot is draped over the real-life footage in an unconvincing manner. You cannot add a three-act structure to real life without it feeling false.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDPQ5_DljIBYGEZWOczzGjib6uYVivqO4m64yGLI6O08LB8WpMKeh6DuPlv1QfuaQ9VBeOxBr1oF6IUdEa2RGIZC_ajdC8dGIzYjN5YNhB1f9_SYo5J8KACT2jll8SEqgT_NQWf9xB4oH/s1600/foxandthechild460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDPQ5_DljIBYGEZWOczzGjib6uYVivqO4m64yGLI6O08LB8WpMKeh6DuPlv1QfuaQ9VBeOxBr1oF6IUdEa2RGIZC_ajdC8dGIzYjN5YNhB1f9_SYo5J8KACT2jll8SEqgT_NQWf9xB4oH/s320/foxandthechild460.jpg" width="320" /></a>Director Luc Jacquet used a similar tactic for <i>March Of The Penguins</i> two years before <i>Fox</i>, and that effort was far more successful for two reasons. One, penguins are frickin' adorable, whereas foxes are halfway between giant scavenging rodents and vicious pack dogs, regardless of how fluffy and vibrantly orange the ones in this film are. I've never met someone with even mild disdain for penguins, hence why they are so often used in animated films like the <i>Happy Feet</i> and <i>Madagascar</i> franchises. Foxes, however, rarely crop up unless wildly stylised - see <i>The Fantastic Mr. Fox</i> - or bizarrely vocal - see <i>Antichrist</i>. The second trick up <i>March</i>'s flippers was the choice of narrator. I have no issues with Kate Winslet, but she doesn't really bring anything to this production, whereas with <i>March</i> you get the soothing, calming, golden-syrup-pouring-down-your-ear-canals intonations of Morgan Freeman, against whom no-one can compete in the narrating stakes.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
All that <i>The Fox and The Child</i> really has going for it is the visuals, which is only to be expected from a nature documentary. Throughout the film we're shown a menagerie of various woodland animals, including badgers, woodpeckers, stoats, voles, mice, hedgehogs, caterpillars, bears, otters, deer, frogs, pine martens, lizards, wolves and spiders, and even when there are no animals on screen the foliage on display looks like those idyllic brooks and waterfalls that have become inexplicably popular amongst recent shampoo commercials. Everything is lit beautifully - I assume the film's final cut is a result of editing down from many, many hours of footage to compile the prettiest segments - but for my liking there was too much focus there, and not enough on creating a worthwhile story. The lack of dialogue was initially annoying, but was a blessing eventually due to the horrendous dubbing, as the film was originally recorded in French.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLymEtx1rnvGiqWBLUnmfAcpjlhHFl_EpRR0V-CZt1kHa6-q2mrU0czvFLGtls9PMYoAIz7rhAiWeyvkfT_KMude7senRR6j9bE6Wg5y-ppG7ClJbMN_ODVDR-t_YQf5xr3LaPtLHOx61y/s1600/350_pride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLymEtx1rnvGiqWBLUnmfAcpjlhHFl_EpRR0V-CZt1kHa6-q2mrU0czvFLGtls9PMYoAIz7rhAiWeyvkfT_KMude7senRR6j9bE6Wg5y-ppG7ClJbMN_ODVDR-t_YQf5xr3LaPtLHOx61y/s320/350_pride.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>Pride</i> fares a little better, as there is more of a story here, and a cast that almost makes the film worth watching. Here there is no narration, instead we are to believe that the family of lions upon which this semi-doc focuses have the ability to talk to one another via CGI mouth-manipulation that isn't bad, but is a tad distracting after a while. Here, Kate Winslet and Rupert Graves voice siblings Suki and Linus, the two youngest members of their pride. Their mother is Macheeba (Helen Mirren), and they gain an adopted brother in Martin Freeman's Fleck after his mother is killed in an attack from the 'Wanderers', a group of lions with no real home, led by Dark (Sean Bean) and Harry (John Hurt). The leaders of Suki and Linus' pride are the two lazy male lions James (Robbie Coltrane) and Eddie (Jim Broadbent), and late in the film there's a brief vocal appearance of Kwame Kwei-Armeh, who played Fin on <i>Casualty</i>, and won the first season of Celebrity Fame Academy in 2003.<br />
<br />
The basic story is essentially a coming of age tale of any typical young girl, but transposed into the life of a young lioness to add an air of originality and adorability. Suki starts off as a precocious, inquisitive child, grows through a rebellious stage, considers vegetarianism, has an ill-advised crush, and eventually learns her place in the great circle of life and assumes the responsibility she needs to help the rest of her pride. Yes, I'm afraid there are an awful lot of similarities between this and the far superior <i>The Lion King</i>, right down to a finale that involves a lion dangling from a great height, and a landscape that miraculously dries up when a lion abandons their pride, only for the rivers to flow again once the family unit has been reunited. I'm a massive fan of <i>The Lion King</i>, so this comparison really didn't help the case for <i>Pride</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Pride</i>'s cast is well used, although I felt Winslet's Suki probably got more attention than she really deserved. Broadbent and Coltrane provided the film's better moments from their essentially useless but still dominating by tradition pride elders. Their bickering and discussions of the most mundane topics ("turned out nice again") were the highlights for me, as they could have been quite easily lifted from any familial gathering. Sean Bean was also good as the slightly villainous Dark, but John Hurt was cruelly underused as the more despicable character. He wasn't around enough to leave much of an impression, which is a shame as his character definitely had the potential for more. <br />
<br />
In attempting to combine nature documentaries with dramatic plotlines, the film makers of both these films essentially failed to make anything engaging. Had the narratives been dropped in favour of a David Attenborough voice over, or the plot lines been more developed and used with animated visuals, these could have just about worked as one or the other, but not both.<br />
<br />
<i>The Fox And The Child</i>: Choose life 4/10<br />
<i>Pride</i>: Choose life 5/10</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-75657187010401432502013-04-05T23:22:00.006+01:002013-04-05T23:23:32.743+01:00Top 10... Movies With All-Male Casts<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHse12_mhswAV01AF6HgSqAYoP3dSLtXxWpkNCCzvCdgTzqpL8rPzFNzyy0iVt1sO4dB12qPhJT-9dzB4ASMHsOcHk_1qDMLe6e3OnLbMQPYaJOpEK8W7Wv5MybyizG4Ph81gdGrrY-7Zx/s1600/tumblr_mfd3kjZaeW1qz82gvo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHse12_mhswAV01AF6HgSqAYoP3dSLtXxWpkNCCzvCdgTzqpL8rPzFNzyy0iVt1sO4dB12qPhJT-9dzB4ASMHsOcHk_1qDMLe6e3OnLbMQPYaJOpEK8W7Wv5MybyizG4Ph81gdGrrY-7Zx/s320/tumblr_mfd3kjZaeW1qz82gvo1_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm off on a stag do this weekend - paint-balling, followed by drinking, in case you were wondering, although personally I think those should be the other way around - and in fact this is the first stag do I've ever been on, so I'm a little apprehensive as to what's going to go down amidst a group of guys I know next to nothing about, seeing as the only one I really know is the groom. This concern comes from all the bachelor parties I've seen in films, and how none of them have ever really worked out all that well. The obvious list I jumped to was top 10 bachelor parties in films, but alas I couldn't think of 10 (in descending order: <i>The Hangover 2</i>, <i>American Pie: The Wedding</i>, <i>The Hangover</i>, <i>Bachelor Party</i>, <i>Very Bad Things</i>, <i>Clerks 2</i>, <i>Sideways</i>), so I switched it out for something similar, celebrating the films that, just like the traditional stag do, don't allow women in them. I had to take a few liberties here - you'll see what I mean - but I think they're acceptable. In fact, this list contains several of my all-time favourite films, two of which I have posters of in my lounge, which may say something about my opinions of women in cinema... Oh, and before you check, no, there isn't any gay porn on here. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo5GrfE0DT3DEnGcy1TiGqq0o-MTl7gQNIOsdINzpe-ZeEZRlF8m63W61RDxgKkuyaTL7geYJNxM0ZSK0w_ydou8SuCFO6B97-I_Q7qHMLflOBj4cWKZXxXJXDgakclGZ4GHim9HQaPCT/s1600/outpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo5GrfE0DT3DEnGcy1TiGqq0o-MTl7gQNIOsdINzpe-ZeEZRlF8m63W61RDxgKkuyaTL7geYJNxM0ZSK0w_ydou8SuCFO6B97-I_Q7qHMLflOBj4cWKZXxXJXDgakclGZ4GHim9HQaPCT/s1600/outpost.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Honourable Mention: Outpost</span><br />
Zombies! Nazi zombies! Ridiculous Nazi zombies! The premise for this film is, well, kinda dumb - a rich dude hires a group of mercenaries to take him to an underground bunker, where they discover the Nazis performed some tests in WW2 to create an unkillable soldier, and wouldn't you know it, whilst they're their they manage to resurrect them - and the film itself plays out little better. The only 'names' amongst the cast are Michael Smiley (<i>Spaced</i>, <i>Kill List</i>) and Ray Stevenson (<i>Thor</i>, <i>Punisher: War Zone</i>) and the director, Steve Barker, has made nothing else of note save a crap-looking sequel, but despite the unlikable characters (particularly Robert Blake's greasy Prior) and evidently low budget, this still has its moments. Can't help thinking Nazi zombies have a great deal more to offer than this though. I really wanted <i>Con Air</i> to take this position, or <i>Armageddon</i>, but they have fairly prominent female roles, dammit.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaGIXHoEt4cWg-mns8BF7vgcLsArOyWYKuU1Z2Bb9rlz_2lXFoz4UxLrL1YFtZY4DQN_507p0OWGgDbrMAo17WKsAKGNXquRVucV02qpM5_hJDCPxwp8z4fYqggzg38if3Na3e_3uoUhJ/s1600/black-hawk-down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaGIXHoEt4cWg-mns8BF7vgcLsArOyWYKuU1Z2Bb9rlz_2lXFoz4UxLrL1YFtZY4DQN_507p0OWGgDbrMAo17WKsAKGNXquRVucV02qpM5_hJDCPxwp8z4fYqggzg38if3Na3e_3uoUhJ/s1600/black-hawk-down.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">10. <i>Black Hawk Down</i></span><br />
Just a head's up, there's a fair few war films in this list, and if many hadn't felt the need to include the characters of reporters or the families back home, there probably would have been a couple more. Tony Scott's Somalia conflict movie makes up for a lack of female characters by having a heck of a lot of male ones, mostly played by a plethora of great actors - and Orlando Bloom. At times the sheer number of people on screen can make it hard to follow, but having them all be recognisable faces certainly helps. I've just got to run down this cast for you, it's almost unbelievable: Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Wiliam Fichtner, Tom Sizemore, Ewen Bremner, Jeremy Piven, Sam Shepard, Kim Coates, Hugh Dancy, Ioan Gruffudd, Jason Isaacs, Zeljko Ivanek, Glenn Morshower, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Tom Hardy, even Ty Burrell's in there! And those helicopters were badass.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgssRpVjuIYRbK40nkavhdK-OGw7Jj3WKlN-iiCWkGFCSAWMmMIy5AxXZSDv2-0fe_RfD2X4Z6uqRgXS6zGJMkhbSX6VoMV4EhNIwBSspcADA1wCddFCyocMAn5aLABCNVJwpZnFpTdtE/s1600/196Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgssRpVjuIYRbK40nkavhdK-OGw7Jj3WKlN-iiCWkGFCSAWMmMIy5AxXZSDv2-0fe_RfD2X4Z6uqRgXS6zGJMkhbSX6VoMV4EhNIwBSspcADA1wCddFCyocMAn5aLABCNVJwpZnFpTdtE/s320/196Image.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">9. <i>Sleuth</i></span><br />
Sleuth (the original, I've not seen the Caine/Law remake) really deserves it's own list, seeing as not only are there only two actors in the entire film, but there's only about three locations as well, and the two men (Michael Caine and Lawrence Olivier) are on screen together for almost the entirety of the film. Given how limited the production was, it's amazing how many twists and turns the plot takes, and how on edge I was as to how the story would play out. Granted, the big twist was a little easy to see coming - although this could be due to dated prosthetics and over-familiarity with Michael Caine and his ability with accents - but this remains a great film I'd highly recommend.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMql0tybjbLzefZDWsx7HjQjOb4mXIwqDszRwF4AfTOzqt_a4Y29jQ5Xr2L4yj4xiSOWaY7JRuIWdVs27Vr8UriR7uG0YN-LFuG-ltEHY_D-290et8sHN9BgQUEnGTdASZuDYPmgdKw-jz/s1600/CoolHandLuke_135Pyxurz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMql0tybjbLzefZDWsx7HjQjOb4mXIwqDszRwF4AfTOzqt_a4Y29jQ5Xr2L4yj4xiSOWaY7JRuIWdVs27Vr8UriR7uG0YN-LFuG-ltEHY_D-290et8sHN9BgQUEnGTdASZuDYPmgdKw-jz/s320/CoolHandLuke_135Pyxurz.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">8. <i>Cool Hand Luke</i></span><br />
OK, so there is technically a woman in this film (Joy Harmon, cleaning a car) but
she is essentially reduced to a Playboy magazine with a safety pin
barely holding the pull-out closed as Paul Newman and the rest of the
chain gang prisoners leer over her. Plus, she never utters a word, and
is only given a speculative name (Lucille) by George Kennedy's Dragline. The only other females can be found in photographic form, which is only right really, seeing as the film is about an all-male prison separated from society, and if there were more women-folk around then Newman's Luke would be far less inclined to repeatedly try and escape! In my opinion this is one of Newman's best performances from his younger days, although I've always preferred him older, in the likes of <i>The Colour of Money</i> and <i>The Hudsucker Proxy</i>.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEeJKc3CIKIm08WGylhYAu0BvHNBUMvnGRuNJccBRnYr5Z9gpWalZTMxvgehlISULOW40kbKyU6FpSZH6Dl6EPi5gyeebulqVIutqguT7K2Jp36ZD9UguDWhM3kapKxSAplvxxCG5wIqU/s1600/SPR-wallpaper-saving-private-ryan-1669460-1680-1050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEeJKc3CIKIm08WGylhYAu0BvHNBUMvnGRuNJccBRnYr5Z9gpWalZTMxvgehlISULOW40kbKyU6FpSZH6Dl6EPi5gyeebulqVIutqguT7K2Jp36ZD9UguDWhM3kapKxSAplvxxCG5wIqU/s320/SPR-wallpaper-saving-private-ryan-1669460-1680-1050.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">7. <i>Saving Private Ryan</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Another film that does technically have women in them, but only in very small roles and very early on, in the form of the letter-writing secretaries and the mother of the three deceased and one alive Ryan boys and the family of the present day surviving soldier, the existence of a mother may well be the driving force of the plot, but the focus is on the group of men sent to find him amongst the haystack that is war-torn France. I love the camaraderie between the guys, and the varying roles they play within the group. Whether it's the world-weary captain (Tom Hanks), his loyal sergeant (Tom Sizemore), the slightly simple sniper (Barry Pepper), the vengeful Jew (Adam Goldberg) or the inexperienced wannabe writer (Jeremy Davies), there's no weak link amongst them. Plus, the cast is peppered with great character actors in smaller roles, like Dennis Farina, Paul Giamatti, Ted Danson, Nathan Fillion and Bryan Cranston, and as is always mentioned when discussing this film, the two huge war scenes that bookend the flashback section of the film are absolutely stupendous, guaranteeing <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/saving-private-ryan.html">this film</a> a higher position on a list of my favourite war films.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghusU7xhQcdFq7Tvs-_AP2oZBK67NlOcLddwvIpPxE6kTck4Nn9oB2kbdp3cYdty54NR1c-oqTuPAY4-b8JtINZDEC6f32h5OPliSymePO8MKzUpQVD22838D_o5ZyTgX6cB5iHTnlggRI/s1600/The-Shawshank-Redemption-the-shawshank-redemption-31746592-1800-1189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghusU7xhQcdFq7Tvs-_AP2oZBK67NlOcLddwvIpPxE6kTck4Nn9oB2kbdp3cYdty54NR1c-oqTuPAY4-b8JtINZDEC6f32h5OPliSymePO8MKzUpQVD22838D_o5ZyTgX6cB5iHTnlggRI/s320/The-Shawshank-Redemption-the-shawshank-redemption-31746592-1800-1189.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">6. <i>The Shawshank Redemption</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
There was a period in my life where I wouldn't go longer than a couple of months without watching this film, and I see absolutely nothing wrong with that, as it is almost flawless. What keeps it out of my top 5 is how much I enjoy watching the remaining films more, possibly because I may have over-saturated myself on <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/challenge-shawshank-redemption.html"><i>Shawshank</i></a>'s goodness. Anyway, this is the second prison film on the list, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering I don't think there's been a mixed-gender prison movie, and no, technically there is one more prison movie to come. As before, there are very small female roles here in essentially background characters - Andy's wife that was murdered to cause his incarceration, the woman on Red's third parole board, the customers in the supermarket - and of course there's Rita Hayworth (and Raquel Welch, and the others).</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktpq0N4_r5aSfaJLNOtp3ixfbJTDBH5BcGgu0lZyE1GLc8I5f6MJf5-ZdoBbVae_Ox613lYtj6h5ji5I4MrurfJHIFSf4sa51rioEe4UEMCfCOCyuUq2ZflIoc_hwy1pQT6bRqbxAunKt/s1600/glengarry-glen-ross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktpq0N4_r5aSfaJLNOtp3ixfbJTDBH5BcGgu0lZyE1GLc8I5f6MJf5-ZdoBbVae_Ox613lYtj6h5ji5I4MrurfJHIFSf4sa51rioEe4UEMCfCOCyuUq2ZflIoc_hwy1pQT6bRqbxAunKt/s320/glengarry-glen-ross.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">5. <i>Glengarry Glen Ross</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Brass balls. That's what you need to sell real estate, and that's what you need to be in <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/challenge-glengarry-glen-ross.html"><i>Glengarry Glen Ross</i></a>, unless you want to be a coat check girl or a voice on a phone. Of the seven key actors here - Pacino, Spacey, Lemmon, Harris, Arkin, Baldwin and Pryce - it is Jack Lemmon, in an Oscar-worthy but sadly un-nominated role - who steals the show for me, even above an early shouty performance from Pacino. Lemmon's Shelley 'The Machine' Levine once had it all, but now sees his greatness slipping and faces unemployment at the hands of his own failing ability to sell, and a broken system that favours the successful. Mamet's rapid fire script is taut - you cannot cut a line from this film, not anywhere - and I long for it to be on stage somewhere near me, so I can see it how it was meant to be seen - live.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQbRzxpkHs7zuTy8W2vIOorT3JeGKfQS5pPT2u29YA1ZD6kQoV7fKZgWe2T4n7zC0oH7IjCcCsTwWEqkzkS3D1C-Bxk6R2v-7JaEHGKt6jGE8XOYjL5sfrFGEtmsbJyCToLKTrOAKjC6D/s1600/the-thing-blood-test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQbRzxpkHs7zuTy8W2vIOorT3JeGKfQS5pPT2u29YA1ZD6kQoV7fKZgWe2T4n7zC0oH7IjCcCsTwWEqkzkS3D1C-Bxk6R2v-7JaEHGKt6jGE8XOYjL5sfrFGEtmsbJyCToLKTrOAKjC6D/s320/the-thing-blood-test.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">4. <i>The Thing</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
It's appeared on lists before, so I'll keep this brief. John Carpenter's <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/thing.html"><i>The Thing</i></a> is one of my favourite films, which goes to show how great the rest of this list is, seeing as this is only at number 4. The all-male cast helps rank up the tension, which would have been more easily dissipated had there been some women on hand to relieve some of those stresses, or to at least cause the men to act civilly in front of. As such, the story of a weird alien uh, thing, integrating itself within the confines of an Arctic research station, and having the ability to transform into anyone it comes into contact with, is so incredibly tense, and it never lets up. I still haven't seen the recent prequel, but the involvement of a woman - even if she does look like Mary Elizabeth Winstead - does not raise my hopes.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy3PmlLf4xYiXuwBkDCP5kAAuY9DgRZXmXBf_hRHiCWkyo9rU3ascgBuR6_HqFYl0Zms2mCCHdc56D8cXXXzYZSyoUl-en1aaIq_Kj4QlcaAhlNx5T17yEcRKrzZPvBOaw6i1etlwp0C5/s1600/12men.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy3PmlLf4xYiXuwBkDCP5kAAuY9DgRZXmXBf_hRHiCWkyo9rU3ascgBuR6_HqFYl0Zms2mCCHdc56D8cXXXzYZSyoUl-en1aaIq_Kj4QlcaAhlNx5T17yEcRKrzZPvBOaw6i1etlwp0C5/s320/12men.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">3. <i>12 Angry Men</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Had I kept with my original theme for last week's top ten and gone with the Top 10 Movies with Numbers in the Title (not including sequels), to coincide with the <a href="http://www.filmsquish.com/guts/?q=node/4577">Film Vituperatum</a>'s movie of the week being Hitchcock's <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-39-steps.html"><i>The 39 Steps</i></a>, then <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/challenge-part-2-journey-begins.html"><i>12 Angry Men</i></a> would have proudly sat atop that pile. Sidney Lumet's masterful direction - slowly decreasing the size of the room and the height of the camera as he increases the temperature and frays the tempers - makes me appreciate this film more and more with every viewing. Add to this some stellar performances from the likes of Lee J. Cobb, Jack Klugman, Ed Begley and of course Henry Fonda, and you have another flawless film from the same director who brought you <i>Network</i>, <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dog-day-afternoon.html"><i>Dog Day Afternoon</i></a>, <i>Serpico</i> and <i>The Verdict</i>. Lumet does not get nearly enough credit as an awesome director.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiJTwnsk72__DTlTQvVtyf7JQa6lpGFJ1cg3tHcG3nzXP4ziTXPNqZdwYeEwwv-mmNPmEKNXxHv7TcSvQD5ydJL2ngJRireTusm4meCuLeiu-KtG9tk3UCcJ3rmu1vTNx5AYjiHQ9ek2h/s1600/reservoirdogs3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiJTwnsk72__DTlTQvVtyf7JQa6lpGFJ1cg3tHcG3nzXP4ziTXPNqZdwYeEwwv-mmNPmEKNXxHv7TcSvQD5ydJL2ngJRireTusm4meCuLeiu-KtG9tk3UCcJ3rmu1vTNx5AYjiHQ9ek2h/s320/reservoirdogs3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">2. <i>Reservoir Dogs</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
The first Tarantino film I saw also remains my favourite, even if I'll admit that the likes of <i>Pulp Fiction</i> and <i>Inglourious Basterds</i> are probably better. Why do I prefer <i>Reservoir Dogs</i>? Well, to start with it's a great deal shorter, meaning I can more easily watch it one evening after work without having to feel guilty that I haven't gone to the gym/written a review/done the washing up, but there's also the fact that I've never had a deep-seated craving throughout my day to watch any other Tarantino picture, whereas there have been many occasions when I just haven't felt right with the world until I've seen Michael Madsen getting his groove on to Stealer's Wheel, before cutting Marvin's ear off. I do recall there being at least one woman - Steve Buscemi's Mr. Pink briefly takes a female hostage, if I remember rightly, but her gender is of no consequence to the plot, and neither is his referring to a female waitress in the coffee shop opening. Like <i>Glengarry Glen Ross</i> and <i>The Thing</i>, this has a very small, contained cast in a limited number of locations (although not as limited as <i>12 Angry Men</i> or <i>Sleuth</i>), but it uses every aspect of the actors and places to their full extent.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSvmLQVc0MMOOe7REffhB4-pjMraYJi0AcvTMZBMxLFtXPVG70aP8i-YPng_8cqzL_udzxpd3deKCfr9mehuqpbTE48b3_ICyxjrKRIifqgMNXrtHoHJHEDxq-IbRBocqJLrPLPuafzDG/s1600/the-great-escape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSvmLQVc0MMOOe7REffhB4-pjMraYJi0AcvTMZBMxLFtXPVG70aP8i-YPng_8cqzL_udzxpd3deKCfr9mehuqpbTE48b3_ICyxjrKRIifqgMNXrtHoHJHEDxq-IbRBocqJLrPLPuafzDG/s320/the-great-escape.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">1. <i>The Great Escape</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Occasionally a contender for my favourite film of all time, though in recent years it's become a distant second to <i>Jurassic Park</i>, <i>The Great Escape</i> would top a list of war films, escape films, ensemble casts, motorbike scenes, dodgiest accents (James Coburn is a lot of things, but Australian is not one of them), drinking scenes, movie deaths (poor Ives) and so many other lists I haven't even come up with. There's a good reason I've not crossed it off my Steve McQueen list yet - I've no idea how I'll even begin reviewing a film I love so unconditionally, which is also the reason I've been rambling a little here. I should be getting to it soon though, so you can just wait a little before reading why I love it so much. I think it's mainly Hilts and his baseball.<br />
<br />
So did I miss any out? If so, I probably haven't seen them, as I literally couldn't think of any others! Either way, let me know, I love recommendations.</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-50187031145128084222013-04-02T20:46:00.001+01:002013-04-02T20:48:51.111+01:00All the King's Men<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nXkCtuU1X6PTVR1kr8TvYWCTdVM8jYZEEPOlalHb7kFitJ36fS0aqnU0RtbyjiEjSJ9BGvASFyCSfNUM4uVbivXa2t66YVStKYGEHSnwn6_dhfUOLOlADgbvVjTrFoxXxYy6gtwJIZ3u/s1600/18857781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nXkCtuU1X6PTVR1kr8TvYWCTdVM8jYZEEPOlalHb7kFitJ36fS0aqnU0RtbyjiEjSJ9BGvASFyCSfNUM4uVbivXa2t66YVStKYGEHSnwn6_dhfUOLOlADgbvVjTrFoxXxYy6gtwJIZ3u/s320/18857781.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 1950s Louisiana, door-to-door brush salesman and parish treasurer Willie Stark (Sean Penn) runs for Governor, under the eye of local politician Duffy (James Gandolfini). A local reporter (Jude Law) takes a personal interest in him, and ends up working for/with Stark, much to the disapproval of his stepfather (Anthony Hopkins) and his childhood companions (Kate Winslet and Mark Ruffalo).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's hard not to get excited with a cast that deep (as well as the likes of Kevin Dunn, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson and Glenn Morshower), under the direction of Steve Zaillian (writer for, amongst others, <i>Schindler's List</i>, <i><a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/new-york-1846.html">Gangs of New York</a></i>, <i>Mission Impossible</i>, <i>Moneyball</i> and David Fincher's <i>The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo</i>), in a film based on the winner of three Oscars in 1949, including Best Picture, and four more nominations, including Best Screenplay. However, as I discussed in a <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/top-10-remakes.html">recent list</a>, not all remakes are very good, and as it happens this one is downright terrible. And not just in the sense that it's disappointing when compared to what those involved could have achieved, it's terrible when compared to most other films that exist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You see, the initial paragraph that began this review, the one where the plot of the film was outlined, was adapted from a paragraph I had to look up on Wikipedia. This is due to the plot of the film being almost entirely incomprehensible, and organised in a manner that only exacerbates this situation. To start with, the accents of North America's deep south are fairly unintelligible to my English ears, and I'm not ashamed to say that at one point I switched on the subtitles, just to try and ascertain what the heck was going on. In fact, the notes I took whilst watching were peppered with more question marks than for any other film.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihWr0JAQws4lcA0N6ktG8viQjHL0keG13rYpO3u4vCUl6nMgtjCx8WpphY9cf3pGSbPXJGW1e0c25EtdAPaf9BDRPlfhRvl1xaIfWwlayyKs6YoXeBwBdc5xPD-kKrC9lpKh2fCZEx4-l/s1600/Sean-Penn-in-All-the-King-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihWr0JAQws4lcA0N6ktG8viQjHL0keG13rYpO3u4vCUl6nMgtjCx8WpphY9cf3pGSbPXJGW1e0c25EtdAPaf9BDRPlfhRvl1xaIfWwlayyKs6YoXeBwBdc5xPD-kKrC9lpKh2fCZEx4-l/s320/Sean-Penn-in-All-the-King-001.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is practically no character depth on screen either. Everyone is playing a broad cartoon, especially the oily Gandolfini, although Penn gives him a run for his money. It is very clear that Penn was aiming for a Best Actor Oscar, in much the same way Broderick Crawford received one in the original, but alas he overshot the mark. Penn has always been a great actor, right back to Spicoli in <i>Fast Times at Ridgemont High</i>, but the problem here is his character is almost aggressively unlikeable, even when delivering inspiring, rousing speeched, with his arms gesticulating wildly, like a marionette caught in a ceiling fan. Anthony Hopkins is reduced to doddering around underneath a horrendous hair-do, given the film's moral compass and a hobby of assembling miniature catapults, and everyone else is given almost nothing to do. Even Jude Law, the lead, is bland and left little impact, and Kate Winslet was distracting, but only because the golden colour of her hair really didn't suit her otherwise pale complexion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The one good aspect of the film was the cinematography. The whole film looks amazing, but it's almost too perfect at times, especially when Winslet enters a room or sits down, as the way she is lit has always been analysed far beyond how natural lighting has any right to work. She always seems to find the exact position where the light will bounce from her hair in the most effective manner, as though she's just descended from heaven, rather than a dusty back office. The final scene was especially impressive in terms of visual flare, almost entirely illuminated by photographer's flashes, and it would have left the film on a stunning high note, had I only had some inkling as to the motivations behind each character and why they were acting in such a way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pKxQAScxCLm1X10XcZWEgoSSXnh3B6wCPfpvRln9-9RjirIUFQkcgkGbOLciigDIwDXqErgLRrfQOB5H1gs0WCxL_vS7vt-KvPOAVWFUMw5pT_Bf8d8AXzHeuR8GU_KZakQwD5_Lk8JR/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pKxQAScxCLm1X10XcZWEgoSSXnh3B6wCPfpvRln9-9RjirIUFQkcgkGbOLciigDIwDXqErgLRrfQOB5H1gs0WCxL_vS7vt-KvPOAVWFUMw5pT_Bf8d8AXzHeuR8GU_KZakQwD5_Lk8JR/s1600/images.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That was my main problem with the film - there seems to have been no effort spent in attempting to convey what is going on onscreen to the audience, resulting in a jumbled mess of unlikeable characters doing things we're fairly sure are unsavoury, but for unknown reasons. Kate Winslet and Mark Ruffalo are briefly introduced on a beach with Jude Law in a gold-tinted flashback approximately fifteen minutes into the story, but there's no details as to who they are and nothing really happens to them at that time, but after that short scene they aren't brought back to the film for a good 45 minutes! What makes this worse is Winslet's involvement becomes the main focus of the second half of this disoriented hash of a film, and Ruffalo is integral to the climax, yet at no point did I feel I had a grasp on exactly who they were i relation to anyone else, other than each other.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In terms of the Kate Winslet films I'd heard of but hadn't seen before embarking on this journey through her career, this is a definite low point, and one that I cannot recommend for anything other than playing with the sound off, and just looking at the pretty images.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose life 3/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-41957971383118860982013-03-30T00:37:00.002+00:002013-03-30T00:39:24.984+00:00Top 10... Movie Rabbits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqo93Na20PTbhvAVj6TMPl19PhQDmxOO5cZYvNgnI5yFAFd9sCTSTc8LzBpxkr0qetzkTaDqaQr3jhS3dkmN9T0hJkFxbWkTW5nLZoqHjqyMN1BeTBSiW0bpNOL1sK8Z-I53zgY4qDRPt/s1600/-Bunnymund-bunnymund-32580822-800-600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqo93Na20PTbhvAVj6TMPl19PhQDmxOO5cZYvNgnI5yFAFd9sCTSTc8LzBpxkr0qetzkTaDqaQr3jhS3dkmN9T0hJkFxbWkTW5nLZoqHjqyMN1BeTBSiW0bpNOL1sK8Z-I53zgY4qDRPt/s200/-Bunnymund-bunnymund-32580822-800-600.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rabbits. Bunnies. Hares. Lepus. Conies. Floppy-eared, fluffy-tailed harbingers of chocolate eggs. Whatever you call them, their distinctive profiles, cute demeanour and oh-so-adorable little twitchy faces makes rabbits one of the many animals that crops up in films far more often than you might think. And seeing as it's Easter this is the perfect time to celebrate those bouncing bundles of fluff that are the rabbits of the movies. There's some notable omissions - I haven't seen the likes of <i>Watership Down</i> or <i>Rise of the Guardians</i>, haven't overly liked any version of <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> and couldn't bring myself to include <i>The House Bunny</i> on any list. <i>Fatal Attraction</i> deserves a place on a list of best scenes involving rabbits, but that is not this list, and the rabbit in question doesn't have too much of a personality, or even a name if I remember rightly, much like the dinner caught by Gollum in <i>The Two Towers</i>. And this has nothing to do with the quality of the films, it's just how much I like the rabbits in question. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoNJiOe5ClmEAAXfRgNRinsXR_SZRYBpF_9PRDBetYrRR1Y31p9vRLQQzXcfwWpLhOiLEsyB1Ywd9yXPUeR6PIKECYIws2Y2-HIOw8JNe8gz3OodMxkLe_I8jBd7pkGonZUGHWcaohhHo/s1600/ScreenCap727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoNJiOe5ClmEAAXfRgNRinsXR_SZRYBpF_9PRDBetYrRR1Y31p9vRLQQzXcfwWpLhOiLEsyB1Ywd9yXPUeR6PIKECYIws2Y2-HIOw8JNe8gz3OodMxkLe_I8jBd7pkGonZUGHWcaohhHo/s200/ScreenCap727.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Honourable mention: Jack Rabbit Slim's, <i>Pulp Fiction</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Personally, I'm amazed it's taken me this long to wrangle <i>Pulp Fiction</i> onto a list. Technically there are no actual rabbits in this film, but then that's also the case for at least two other films on this list, but <i>Pulp Fiction</i> is the most tenuous link, hence why it's only the honourable mention. Also, it's a part of my least favourite storyline in the film, as I'm not much of an Uma Thurman fan, and could have done without the Mia Wallace segment. The club itself is pretty damn cool, even if the milkshakes cost $5.00, as the chance to be served by Marilyn Monroe, James Dean or Buddy Holly (Steve Buscemi) is just awesome. The only downside is the dance contests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquSKWFQ0dlh4LauLsXkNczYgYmTj-rGCTAwN0tHz7WCK-Nxk06IsQ4OuM7u-WRVVJPj4UjNgYhHhmsTvG4jGMj8PzxPENHGuilkuSU50Yv6bY3HWpyyjofSqyJMgFrHW5r5m_vtDhV0te/s1600/Bambi-thumper-adult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquSKWFQ0dlh4LauLsXkNczYgYmTj-rGCTAwN0tHz7WCK-Nxk06IsQ4OuM7u-WRVVJPj4UjNgYhHhmsTvG4jGMj8PzxPENHGuilkuSU50Yv6bY3HWpyyjofSqyJMgFrHW5r5m_vtDhV0te/s200/Bambi-thumper-adult.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">10. <i>Bambi</i>, Thumper</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As far as I'm concerned, <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/disney-weekend.html"><i>Bambi</i></a> isn't that great of a film, and can be found amongst Disney's 'good for its time' early catalogue, along with <i>Snow White</i> and <i>Pinocchio</i> (I doubt <i>Fantasia</i> was good even back then). What the story of a young deer's formative years does have going for it though is a few truly memorable characters, one of which is Thumper, so named because of his erratically pounding back foot. He was a favourite character of my sister's growing up - she had a plush version that has since been replaced with a small army of Eeyores - and other than the April Showers musical segment, he remains the best part of the film for me.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKpYg03zcz_lDnrlT0_RpGEeYoEMDZPOb8Lj6OILI1BL-6DhkYAsp5F19Mm5z8EqZ80HfB8EJ8SAD9xJ_v49d03s1JLxwZipwe9FmMHPMfFPuUK3ifWj-ifV7YT5Sw3o-Gno2LbnACMKl/s1600/bunny-lebowski1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKpYg03zcz_lDnrlT0_RpGEeYoEMDZPOb8Lj6OILI1BL-6DhkYAsp5F19Mm5z8EqZ80HfB8EJ8SAD9xJ_v49d03s1JLxwZipwe9FmMHPMfFPuUK3ifWj-ifV7YT5Sw3o-Gno2LbnACMKl/s200/bunny-lebowski1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9. <i>The Big Lebowski</i>, Bunny Lebowski</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As much as it pains me to include Tara Reid on a Top 10 list of best anything, the character of Bunny is pretty integral to the meandering plot of <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/bg-lebowski.html"><i>The Big Lebowski</i></a>., as it is her disappearance and the apparent reappearance of her toe that drives the story along. She's barely in the film for more than a minute, but in that minute she makes a lasting impression, first by asking a total stranger (Jeff Bridges' The Dude) to blow on her freshly-painted toes, and then by offering to fellate him for a $1,000, with an extra $100 required if Brand (Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets to watch. The first I saw this scene it caused such an unexpected, stuttering belly laugh that I cannot help but include her on the list.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jaKXjk55FZIQtVo_Kcvs5abyflK2YXC7P27Qi30SthTUuErfBk8fl04e7XGf9g5yF5_O95V2UJzpcX7skqa4F9mLFAtqOVxnrbKVdKEU7y44ieL-vB8VOwAuozdeZAd6H4KuwM2T3y3q/s1600/easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jaKXjk55FZIQtVo_Kcvs5abyflK2YXC7P27Qi30SthTUuErfBk8fl04e7XGf9g5yF5_O95V2UJzpcX7skqa4F9mLFAtqOVxnrbKVdKEU7y44ieL-vB8VOwAuozdeZAd6H4KuwM2T3y3q/s200/easter.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><i>Mallrats</i>, Easter Bunny</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another minuscule role, and another who isn't actually a rabbit, but just a man in a rabbit suit pretending to be the Easter Bunny for kids at a mall, this guy exists purely to give Brodie (Jason Lee) an excuse for a beating he received from Shannon (Ben Affleck), and for the bunny to subsequently receive a retaliatory and thoroughly undeserved beating from Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith). It's one of the funnier pointless vignettes of the film, and I just love the way that a) the guy barely hides the fact that he's not the Easter Bunny from the kids, stage-whispering about how hot it is in the suit, and b) all the kids start attacking Jay and Silent Bob when they start attacking the Easter Bunny.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mZxQKmGiCzo9tMkwV0KXlSQfAiVkg1_Rfdm79kBHzqgwRudSYAYbSv34HcxOQvw2to15uMGQE4o_P2l8Wukm7WPOmv-Zm62HP6Lgo8MK3QeK9UVVXVlKwK7fFqwQ59QnNHfE5EyWM3wb/s1600/harvey7e18cb7wy7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mZxQKmGiCzo9tMkwV0KXlSQfAiVkg1_Rfdm79kBHzqgwRudSYAYbSv34HcxOQvw2to15uMGQE4o_P2l8Wukm7WPOmv-Zm62HP6Lgo8MK3QeK9UVVXVlKwK7fFqwQ59QnNHfE5EyWM3wb/s200/harvey7e18cb7wy7.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><i>Harvey</i>, Harvey</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This list gets more ridiculous by the second, as here's a rabbit we don't even see, and who may or may not even be real!</span> He secures a place though because if Harvey isn't real then I sincerely wish that he is, as having a 6 foot 3 1/2 inch tall martini-drinking, bow tie-wearing invisible rabbit with the ability to stop time and teleport would be pretty damn useful, even if everyone did think you were crazy. Plus, Harvey seems to have a way of making you a better person, just by believing in him, and having a conversation with him every once in a while.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcfZJVZ2RUWayut6Pwh1_68rHggmrv3EdtdEvhFujOmrFEGKlIWYr3ZOEpWhlztXQRe_DtWpR3Fl3F5aE1Y3-7dqEe3BMLgvBFPO1HK-W4Bmz1RwuDkVnTpXtTyFXfW74vNivRCROPz7V/s1600/frank_rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcfZJVZ2RUWayut6Pwh1_68rHggmrv3EdtdEvhFujOmrFEGKlIWYr3ZOEpWhlztXQRe_DtWpR3Fl3F5aE1Y3-7dqEe3BMLgvBFPO1HK-W4Bmz1RwuDkVnTpXtTyFXfW74vNivRCROPz7V/s200/frank_rabbit.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><i>Donnie Darko</i>, Frank</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's all in those teeth. And the eyes. And the ear/horns. And the voice. Man, Frank is just freaky as all Hell, and like Harvey he seems to exist purely in the mind of our hero, Jake Gyllenhall's Donnie Darko. What is it with invisible friends taking the forms of giant, humanoid rabbits? </span>But whilst Harvey is in the business of being a friend, Frank goes a step further, into the life-saving trade (albeit temporarily). Plus, just look at him. He's the stuff of nightmares, a Tim Burton fever dream realised by a Taiwanese sweat shop worker on magic mushrooms.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyM_vgb73GECKfMHdWEzReH5qGG-4vPUSEz47IUbYccVRaowRmINq58bprwfvezMNetVyFihuZ8qVguB_GxY4ATbFtJGPfFRF4Os4zM6IcwFMx7PkAlXYFCnEXobZyRTK7DArw-cM1nfl/s1600/11260101_gal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyM_vgb73GECKfMHdWEzReH5qGG-4vPUSEz47IUbYccVRaowRmINq58bprwfvezMNetVyFihuZ8qVguB_GxY4ATbFtJGPfFRF4Os4zM6IcwFMx7PkAlXYFCnEXobZyRTK7DArw-cM1nfl/s200/11260101_gal.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit</i>, Hutch</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The obvious choice for <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/challenge-wallace-and-gromit-curse-of.html"><i>The Curse of the Were-Rabbit</i></a> would be the giant eponymous lycanthrope inspired beasty that's been terrorising Tottington Hall's upcoming vegetable competition, but personally I prefer the gradually anthropomorphised Hutch, a rabbit who, through a The Fly-like experiment, begins to take on human traits, like long limbs, wide mouths and a penchant for slippers. He may look a little crazy, especially when compared to just how cute this plasticine creature was to begin with, but that just adds to his quirky charm.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHE28cEwM_2us-ZqY0z6pIg05oSMxd27FFCECGu_8fz6-dQdw3wNpci1y-yAg-DtJaGgJLwLTOvMoJxoAPCn3v4UdqkYbWgDhQIzlCK4GpiGCnFb186dnZikcpFBCfaxyp65hLjSNkGY-q/s1600/twister-movie-alan-ruck-philip-seymour-hoffman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHE28cEwM_2us-ZqY0z6pIg05oSMxd27FFCECGu_8fz6-dQdw3wNpci1y-yAg-DtJaGgJLwLTOvMoJxoAPCn3v4UdqkYbWgDhQIzlCK4GpiGCnFb186dnZikcpFBCfaxyp65hLjSNkGY-q/s200/twister-movie-alan-ruck-philip-seymour-hoffman.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">4. <i>Twister</i>, Robert 'Rabbit' Nurick</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I promise, after this entry the rest of the list is comprised by characters that are actually rabbits. Sort of. Anyway, I love the film Twister, and one of the reasons for this is the rag-tag group of storm-chasers led by Helen Hunt, including Philip Seymour Hoffman's rambunctious Rusty, and of course Alan Ruck's navigator, Rabbit. He doesn't have much to do, but come on! It's Alan Ruck! He's Cameron Fry! And the annoying tourist from <i>Speed</i>! And Stuart from <i>Spin City</i>! Just remember, roll the maps. Or you'll get a big crease right through Wichita. Rabbit is good, Rabbit is wise.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzNMe3iIn2HpTyKOS1vMs0AR8zl6QAg_4tgtkNprx1KsjSH15HsR-Fp4x0TH8ku5LfW4VwJhyphenhyphenh0_liWadJMoqOTfC1_-TQKPA-Hiha0QsVmcB1YedQu5O6hUB41IsL4laaR79WWmThirp/s1600/most-mismatched-onscreen-couplesroger-rabbit-26724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzNMe3iIn2HpTyKOS1vMs0AR8zl6QAg_4tgtkNprx1KsjSH15HsR-Fp4x0TH8ku5LfW4VwJhyphenhyphenh0_liWadJMoqOTfC1_-TQKPA-Hiha0QsVmcB1YedQu5O6hUB41IsL4laaR79WWmThirp/s200/most-mismatched-onscreen-couplesroger-rabbit-26724.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. <i>Who Framed Roger Rabbit?</i>, Roger and Jessica Rabbit</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Roger Rabbit is one of the greatest cartoon creations in feature films, and yet he fits easily into the pre-existing pantheon of animated characters created before him. His sparring with Bob Hoskins is perfect, as is his desperation to be the toon star he dreams of. It's a shame then that he is so often overlooked in favour of the dangerous curves of his wife, Jessica, owner of one of the greatest, and sexiest, entrances in cinema history, regardless of whether she'd be able to stand up properly if she weren't a toon.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisnUUfEp-MijXz2Qx9LcpKtyBn1rPDx24vXm39_9tZPx8Pj5uvL9ARhRQlA2JwlIj-NHvcLnCmVhs6hOTmlVC4VGsxoWb9NKAiCFVeC-gJbUSX3sHytMZww400-LF0Ue-7XxFkB49yk7C/s1600/Hobbit-bunny-sled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisnUUfEp-MijXz2Qx9LcpKtyBn1rPDx24vXm39_9tZPx8Pj5uvL9ARhRQlA2JwlIj-NHvcLnCmVhs6hOTmlVC4VGsxoWb9NKAiCFVeC-gJbUSX3sHytMZww400-LF0Ue-7XxFkB49yk7C/s200/Hobbit-bunny-sled.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. <i>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey</i>, Radagast's Racing Rhosgobel Rabbits</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For me, one of the highlights of the <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/lord-of-rings-trilogy.html"><i>Lord of the Rings</i></a> prequel was Sylvester McCoy's Radagast the Brown, an unconventional wizard who favoured the companionship of woodland creatures over people, and prided himself on his bunny-drawn sled, pulled by giant Rhosgobel rabbits. They weren't as cute as the sickly hedgehog Radagast treated earlier in the film, but do you really think there's ten hedgehogs in films for me to compile a list of? The closest I can come up with is Eugene Levy's porcupine in <i>Over the Hedge</i>, or Robert Lindsay dressed as one in <i>Fierce Creatures</i>. But I digress. If I have any hopes for the forthcoming sequels to<a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-hobbit-unexpected-journey.html"> <i>The Hobbit</i></a>, they include more Radagast, and some more bunny-related chase sequences and stunt work.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENkgJ-VybolOy8wlFbp3xyEJgxVhPuv7fQDs64or_U9vQ4oFVRvDfdXx_I7fWkVztyYJ4m1fNtjSit8ubN-U2SGuZ-2sxTJnic_YgPykRgaAahIE0EgT_rBtim0oKnXZs05kBjhKgvXpv/s1600/killer-rabbit-knight-attack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENkgJ-VybolOy8wlFbp3xyEJgxVhPuv7fQDs64or_U9vQ4oFVRvDfdXx_I7fWkVztyYJ4m1fNtjSit8ubN-U2SGuZ-2sxTJnic_YgPykRgaAahIE0EgT_rBtim0oKnXZs05kBjhKgvXpv/s320/killer-rabbit-knight-attack.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1<span style="font-size: large;">. </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">M</span>onty Python and the Holy Grail</i>, Rabbit of Caerbannog</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's a killer rabbit!Nothing beats a killer rabbit, especially one as ferocious as the Rabbit of Caerbannog, so vicious he seems to be being forcibly yanked along a wire towards his victims' throats with such intensity he barely needs to use any effort to jump! When the only method of dispatching such a rodent is via the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, well then good luck to anyone else who attempts to better this creature on my list. After all, what with those nasty big pointy teeth, a vicious streak a mile wide and the ability to literally decapitate a man in a single pounce, there really was never going to be a better bunny, was there?</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-10189548123068804182013-03-28T23:18:00.002+00:002013-03-28T23:18:54.877+00:00The 39 Steps<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDc4tmJEiroWrISMGpDzzxIVLMMWXD0DLPd9NAobZYkOA1XW9UBLIBsk8RW7-3svWsq5rTm6Yi3p0qZIaZVM9Pr5YMWXFI0gk5WLUd3ym7I7U7LdzWqNZF-YF86Km4pcv_q1xnxamuLnTs/s1600/39-steps-robert-donat-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDc4tmJEiroWrISMGpDzzxIVLMMWXD0DLPd9NAobZYkOA1XW9UBLIBsk8RW7-3svWsq5rTm6Yi3p0qZIaZVM9Pr5YMWXFI0gk5WLUd3ym7I7U7LdzWqNZF-YF86Km4pcv_q1xnxamuLnTs/s320/39-steps-robert-donat-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), a Canadian man visiting London, thinks nothing of assisting a strange woman (Lucie Mannheim) to escape a theatre riot, especially when, after the melee, she requests he take her home with him. She seems rather odd, with an indistinguishable European accent and clearly fake name, hiding from the windows and the reflection of the mirror, scared of a ringing telephone, and it turns out she's being pursued by a gunman over some business involving a secret being smuggled out of the country. Hannay of course is sceptical, until she winds up dead on his living room floor, a knife in her back and a map in her hand, with Scotland's Alt-na-Shellach circled. Hannay suddenly finds himself in the frame for murder, and must flee up north if he hopes to clear his name and save the secrets.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
This could well be the most Hitchcockian of all the man's early films, at least of all the ones I've seen so far. Pretty much every trope of his is used - with the possible exception of a maternal complex - such as a wrongfully accused, otherwise good man with a quick wit, dashing good looks and a way with the ladies, an icy blonde (Madeleine Carroll's Pamela) initially frosty to the hero's charms, events occurring on national monuments - there are several chases across the Highlands - a shady government organisation, murders, attempted murders, scenes on a train, ridiculous plot contrivances and of course the obligatory directorial cameo. However, this is still a film early in Hitch's career, and is therefore lacking in the quality he'd later develop.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeK4y0CmVC675kslzSjua5Lwh8TRF8F_RhV3VKGS8armwOnbyQJsbb8J_bBK3AuvX3iTVpt8VYr4OJ7Nlw1voqwrXiv7RonatTmmGExFjWXWE9Wnovt1xVuWNeNysBdyaGjQuBAXqIrji/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeK4y0CmVC675kslzSjua5Lwh8TRF8F_RhV3VKGS8armwOnbyQJsbb8J_bBK3AuvX3iTVpt8VYr4OJ7Nlw1voqwrXiv7RonatTmmGExFjWXWE9Wnovt1xVuWNeNysBdyaGjQuBAXqIrji/s1600/images.jpg" /></a>We first meet our enigmatic hero lost amidst a crowd at a show, during which a so-called Mr. Memory (Wylie Watson) can reportedly answer any question the audience cares to shout his way, as he willingly commits facts to his impressive memory on a daily basis. Hannay immediately ousts himself as a stranger in a foreign land by enquiring about Canadian distances as opposed to heckling after the age of Mae West, and ultimately reveals himself to be kind-hearted and selfless when he 'rescues' a woman from the ensuing ruckus. This is all just character set-up and bare bones of plot instigation, as everything comes together to send Hannay on the run in a country he doesn't know, heading to a place he's never heard of after a crime he didn't commit and from the killers he's never met. If this all sounds a little familiar, well that's because it's almost exactly the same plot as <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/north-by-northwest.html"><i>North By Northwest</i></a>, but swapping a mistaken phone call for accepting the wrong women into his home. This may not be a fair comparison - a wrongfully accused man on the run is hardly a rare character, and certainly not amongst Hitchcock's back catalogue - but it is a comparison I couldn't help making, and one that does not do <i>The 39 Steps</i> any favours.<br />
<br />
The problem, you see, is there aren't enough set pieces for me. Where <i>NxNW</i> has the crop duster, the drunk driving, the Mount Rushmore finale, all this has is some Highland gallivanting, a show hall scuffle and escaping a train. But then, this is a film on a much smaller scale. Where <i>NxNW</i> sees Cary Grant travel from Long Island to South Dakota, via Chicago along the way, a total of almost 1800 miles, <i>Steps</i> see Robert Donat take in a paltry 470 in comparison. That's barely more than a quarter of the distance! So it makes sense that <i>Steps</i> wouldn't go as far as<i> NxNW</i> (which I swear is the last time I'll ever write it like that, I hate it too), instead it shackles itself to a smaller story, a presumably smaller budget and smaller level of thrills. The way it succeeds with this shackling is, wonderfully, with shackles. Or rather handcuffs, which are behind the greatest aspect of this film; the relationship between the leads, which grows from hatred, through intolerance and finally resolves itself into something that could one day become love.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmoiSUe3wArTKjkfxvAxjzHVAR1gbeoFQWzpkhQRU4_SlthrcGCntICi-eQn5QbioeOzvgK9qU89rrD1L1Hqey989Df63T-eBZIRYks68akL-9rBmn960UfHbOr9_5N_uNWdO9heOOfEb/s1600/steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmoiSUe3wArTKjkfxvAxjzHVAR1gbeoFQWzpkhQRU4_SlthrcGCntICi-eQn5QbioeOzvgK9qU89rrD1L1Hqey989Df63T-eBZIRYks68akL-9rBmn960UfHbOr9_5N_uNWdO9heOOfEb/s320/steps.jpg" width="320" /></a>The most famous scene of <i>The 39 Steps</i>, and the one I was looking for and had heard a great deal about before watching, occurred after a slightly silly plot contrivance that requires Hannay to be handcuffed to Madeleine after she identifies him as the man who was fleeing the police earlier in the film. Inevitably he drags her on the run with him, and after a run-in with some Scottish wetlands they hide out in a small B&B, where she needs to remove her clothes to dry off. This requires the removal of her stockings, which sees Hannay's hand nervously twitch and shudder down and up the full length of her exposed leg. This film was released in 1935, at which point this was probably the equivalent of the camera attempting to anally violate Megan Fox in <i>Transformers 2</i>, but today, alas, this is not in the least bit as erotic or steamy as it should be. The main reason for this is because during the entire journey of his right hand up and down Madeleine's leg, with his left hand Hannay is eating a particularly unappetising-looking sandwich, that rather effectively casts a dampened outlook onto the scene. For a segment supposedly the most famous and memorable, it was sadly a bit of a let down.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
As usual with Hitchcock, there are a few technological aspects I admired, particularly his cut from a screaming woman discovering the body in Hannay's flat being audibly merged with the screaming train emerging from a tunnel. I also liked the short chase through the narrow train corridors, and the scene where Hannay was required to give an impromptu speech without the slightest knowledge on what it was supposed to be about. If you're looking for a best man at a wedding, you could have done far worse than him. I'm always happy when John Laurie (<i>Dad's Army</i>'s Frazer, of the catch phrase "We're all doooooomed") pops up in a film, as he does here as a jealous crofter who puts Hannay up for the night whilst on the run, and I also love how Scottish people pronounce murder as "Muhr-durh." If you are of a similar disposition, I strongly recommend tracking down the TV series <i>Taggart</i>, in which the word is said by a Scotsman approximately once every 35 seconds.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately this film did not live up to my admittedly high expectations, but this most certainly does not make it a bad film. Perhaps on a repeated viewing, now I know what to expect, it may improve in my opinions, but for now it will always remain as the little brother trying desperately to compete with <i>North by Northwest</i>. And the central plot device turned out to be just a little too silly for me to handle, but this is Hitchcock, it isn't supposed to be taken seriously.<br />
<br />
Choose film 7/10</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-45978163623476980952013-03-24T19:48:00.002+00:002013-03-24T20:48:40.973+00:00Vertigo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQliYm8pfikZ6IlT3YaniuYPcnM3lb_fNJmhS0TGSAopgXSX-DfDfahglccLOaVBqOLkO_tmDY8ZLzsJC1FqdK6R9phyphenhyphen_FG4h_2B7ojsk5JNvgf2qsNpl96c05ib9xvwdKUHxAo-t7Dqa/s1600/LIBRARY-IMAGE-OF-VERTIGO-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQliYm8pfikZ6IlT3YaniuYPcnM3lb_fNJmhS0TGSAopgXSX-DfDfahglccLOaVBqOLkO_tmDY8ZLzsJC1FqdK6R9phyphenhyphen_FG4h_2B7ojsk5JNvgf2qsNpl96c05ib9xvwdKUHxAo-t7Dqa/s320/LIBRARY-IMAGE-OF-VERTIGO-008.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">'Scottie' Ferguson (James Stewart) is a detective in San Fransisco who suffers from crippling vertigo, exacerbated by his most recent rooftop scuffle culminating in the death of a colleague and the escape of the perpetrator being pursued. He therefore retires, only to be called upon by an old college friend Gavin (Tom Helmore) who is concerned about his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), who may or may not be occasionally under some form of supernatural possession from an ancestor who committed suicide at the same age Madeleine is now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipI4BfcxwCZckwSlz3902KHcmtQBj2gAhvb8lDTey5d1VfJUeHqIbElmhKuro3ugN5rLDwOPxjesUD04KlSi8PwmcX90Y_1tnbxERt8aDPc8DYX9TA02XD0neW7vVStz0tBjWf1kLkCeC/s1600/VertigoBos2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipI4BfcxwCZckwSlz3902KHcmtQBj2gAhvb8lDTey5d1VfJUeHqIbElmhKuro3ugN5rLDwOPxjesUD04KlSi8PwmcX90Y_1tnbxERt8aDPc8DYX9TA02XD0neW7vVStz0tBjWf1kLkCeC/s320/VertigoBos2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This viewing was my second attempt at watching <i>Vertigo</i>, which since my initial watching about four years ago, has risen in the opinion's of many critics and film-makers, who recently evicted <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/citizen-kane.html"><i>Citizen Kane</i></a> from the top of Sight and Sound's greatest movies list, and replaced it with Hitchcock's thriller. When I heard the new listing, which also features <i>The Searchers</i>, <i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i>, <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/challenge-tokyo-story.html"><i>Tokyo Story</i></a> and the frankly benign <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/challenge-man-with-movie-camera.html"><i>Man With A Movie Camera</i></a> amongst it's top 10, I was at first a little taken aback, as whilst I knew <i>Vertigo</i> was well regarded, I certainly wasn't of the opinion that it was better than <i>Kane</i>, or a host of other great films for that matter. This incredulation was not well founded however, as upon further inspection S&S' top 50 list also included such undeserving winners as <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/challenge-battleship-potemkin.html"><i>Battleship Potemkin</i></a> and <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/challenge-breathless.html"><i>Breathless</i></a>, and you show me someone who genuinely believes that <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/psycho.html"><i>Psycho</i></a> (#35) is a worse film than <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/challenge-xi-au-hasard-balthazar.html"><i>Au Hasard Balthazar</i></a> (#16), and I'll show you someone who deserves to have their worldview re-evaluated, preferably via a kick in the teeth from a donkey. And what am I talking about? <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/challenge-jurassic-park.html"><i>Jurassic Park</i></a> isn't even on the list at all! It must have been awarded the honourary #1 spot and retired, to give some other films a chance. I feel like I've drifted a little off topic here. Where was I? Oh, right. No, I didn't think <i>Vertigo</i> was entirely deserving of it's new crown, and now I've watched it again and actually paid proper attention to it I still disagree with the rankings, but by a much smaller margin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think my problem with it upon first viewing was my narrow-minded desperation to try and confine the film into a specific category, which is not something one should do when watching any film, least of all Vertigo. At various points during the first half an hour or so the film could quite easily become a crime investigation action piece, a romantically driven love triangle (or square), a supernatural whodunnit or a character-motivated drama about overcoming adversity and facing one's fears. Even upon watching, it still occasionally raised question marks as I tried to deduce how I'd categorise it on IMDb. FYI, they opted for mystery romance thriller, which neatly ties in all of the ones I mentioned. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3SLUjEvXNu7z098kgg9ZvKdnoES2lpOreiy1MqtCtdqkwxYAq91_ZZg4kuIno2MxXyLwFpBm2Ycj7dTrjfAe0SzaCiDhiTjqhqZCO2j3NIbVf0fxtY6zQIIDwdO59v7L7eY8geqCKpOB/s1600/VertigoZoom2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3SLUjEvXNu7z098kgg9ZvKdnoES2lpOreiy1MqtCtdqkwxYAq91_ZZg4kuIno2MxXyLwFpBm2Ycj7dTrjfAe0SzaCiDhiTjqhqZCO2j3NIbVf0fxtY6zQIIDwdO59v7L7eY8geqCKpOB/s320/VertigoZoom2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The film begins with an heart-pounding chase across rooftops and up ladders, with Scottie and a cop on the tail of some wrong-doer who badly wishes to evade whatever questions or handcuffs they wish to impose upon him. This sequence features two of the film's most recognisable and defining images, the first being Stewart dangling from a drainpipe, and the second being his viewpoint as he inadvisably looks down from his precarious position. This shot, now known amongst other things as the 'Hitchcock Zoom' could well be the reason why this film is so revered, and has been copied, homaged and built upon by the likes of Spielberg and Scorsese, and is achieved by zooming in on the foreground, whilst slowly panning backwards, away from the subject. This keeps the focal point the same size, but shows the background appearing to drop away or distort behind them, thereby creating the perfect cinematic recreation of the feeling of vertigo. It could well be the most perfect shot in history, right up until the technique is used again a little later, this time in a stairwell to even greater intensify the effect. Supposedly the concept was conceived by Hitchcock whilst drunk, and was originally planned for use in <i>Rebecca</i>, but it was realised here by cameraman Irmin Roberts, one of the film's uncredited second unit directors of photography. It's a great shame that the supposedly greatest film of all time potentially owes it's notoriety to a man most people, even inside the cinematic universe, have never heard of. There's some other great shots in the film too, particularly a rotating kiss near the end that I can only imagine required a rather elaborate set to film, as well as an expertly framed shot of Scottie leaving a church which reminded me of a similar shot in <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/north-by-northwest.html"><i>North by Northwest</i></a>. Here, Scottie is fleeing in the bottom corner, whilst some other people are climbing the roof to discover what he is fleeing from, but on entirely the other side of the screen. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The score, by Bernard Herrmann, is predictably great, but I was distracted by my own fits of laughter in one scene featuring a church-like building, as the music being played inside sounded exactly like the background music from Tetris, which is tickled my ribs to notice is all about things falling. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIR-gYKyQRKsLDObUb54vfjV2g-dc-bmuMkTChyel3ONWxzZSDKtfc271rGQisKJsddhqryuREapuhXx4y-VIkkkjl4xXT97q2kSoQVmAb749SF3nHyhLKiBnSsNUSnsfOIBJ06t4z4sq/s1600/midge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIR-gYKyQRKsLDObUb54vfjV2g-dc-bmuMkTChyel3ONWxzZSDKtfc271rGQisKJsddhqryuREapuhXx4y-VIkkkjl4xXT97q2kSoQVmAb749SF3nHyhLKiBnSsNUSnsfOIBJ06t4z4sq/s320/midge1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is easily the best performance I've seen given by Stewart. He's much less clean cut and heroic than usual here, showing his fifty years of age especially in his more romantic scenes with Novak, a good twenty five years his junior. I love the moment when their hands innocently touch accidentally, causing him to freeze, a look of unease crossing his face as he does not know how to feel about the emotions coursing through him at that point. And when he stumbles into "I enjoyed it" after Madeleine apologises for him having to dive into the San Fransisco Bay to save her life. I'm also a big fan of Scottie's relationship with Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes), his former sweetheart and consistent friend, who clearly still carries a brightly burning torch for her old flame, despite his affections eventually pointing in a different direction. It's clear from the start that Midge will never be the predominant love interest - she is wearing glasses after all - her role is more of the confidant, the best friend excitedly brought in on the case - just look at how quickly and eagerly she's ready to investigate a historian for some information, before poor Scottie has finished pouring his drink. Part of me would have liked the Scottie/Midge relationship to have been tied up a bit more neatly at the end - she never really gets the closure she deserves - but it stops being shown as soon as it stops being important to Scottie, and maybe Midge never got that closure after the credits rolled.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDnq3gTKfyd7vIUHc6GvMxq9HFIZSfLetHL2bambpuwWNU1294fl4jD5Q1qe9qMutpqDqBwWevKrRTCBSfD_fBSiNYYkFsysfrpPkR5aCO6GsXKw_uetIbd4yrTl5-gvsFbmeX311dM8o/s1600/kim4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDnq3gTKfyd7vIUHc6GvMxq9HFIZSfLetHL2bambpuwWNU1294fl4jD5Q1qe9qMutpqDqBwWevKrRTCBSfD_fBSiNYYkFsysfrpPkR5aCO6GsXKw_uetIbd4yrTl5-gvsFbmeX311dM8o/s320/kim4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From this point on I'm going to be delving into spoiler territory, so if you haven't seen it skip to the end, or go watch it and come back. Consider this review so far to be a hearty recommendation. Anyway, Kim Novak. For the first section of the film, before she fakes the real Madeleine's death (did I not tell you there'd be spoilers? You've only got yourself to blame) I was a bit underwhelmed by her acting. She didn;t seem to have much going on, and was pretty devoid of character. I realise now that this may have been at least a little intentional, seeing as she was essentially playing a ghost, and one she'd probably never met in the first place. When she reappears as Judy, the woman who had been pretending to be Madeleine for Scottie, she is almost unrecognisable, so much so that I couldn't tell it was the same actress, as it was only the distractingly steep eyebrows that bore any similarity between the 'two' women. I think Novak may have been a bigger star back in 1958, and therefore more recognisable for cinema audiences, but for me and the others I watched it with we didn't immediately click that it was the same actress, which if anything added to the plot, as Scottie himself doesn't know. Either way, the camera loves her, although a little more so as Madeleine than Judy. She almost glides around that restaurant in the green dress, however I was never much of a fan of her in the grey suit Hitchcock famously made such a huge deal of when Novak initially refused to wear it. I really appreciated what she had done by the end of the film though, showing that subtle changes in make-up, hair and clothing do make a huge difference, but even when dolled up the same as she had been when originally pretending to be Madeleine, you could tell it was a different character underneath. It must have been a very difficult role to get her head around, initially being someone pretending to be someone else, and then eventually being someone pretending to be the same person she was pretending to be earlier, but know she must do so whilst convincingly pretending to know nothing about the original person she was pretending to be. It becomes so blackly comic, even sadistic, once we are trusted with the twist before Scottie, as we see him trying to transform this woman into the person she used to be, going out to find a suit she already has in her wardrobe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqfvP2DwrZnaNElC7ArKcjSPH2qEByCZBgyTZlSQMok1pYFYAWBSS43QJeNrwnews4RsXcFbZHlzT1v7IPBvGf5YNfQNA6AqrJgWrq72-tCYIrYz7lUuVUjajbW_A7plMFNxcAOV5xwmw/s1600/james-stewart-vertigo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqfvP2DwrZnaNElC7ArKcjSPH2qEByCZBgyTZlSQMok1pYFYAWBSS43QJeNrwnews4RsXcFbZHlzT1v7IPBvGf5YNfQNA6AqrJgWrq72-tCYIrYz7lUuVUjajbW_A7plMFNxcAOV5xwmw/s320/james-stewart-vertigo.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If I were to call upon the elements of the film I'm not overly keen on, I'd begin with the semi-animated sequence showing how Scottie has gone insane from the guilt of believing his acrophobia caused the death of his love. I understand that it's meant to be disconcerting and jarring, but seeing James Stewart's disembodied head advancing from a brightly coloured solid background reminds me of Porky Pig at the end of a cartoon. Also, the ending leaves me a little dissatisfied with the way Judy-dressed-as-Madeleine trips and falls from the window. Yes, that is how she must die, in the same way Madeleine kind of died in the first place, but I feel it would have been more conclusive and finalising had Scottie stumbled and knocked her out the window, rather than she tripping whilst fleeing backwards, so that he would have caused it all. It just felt a bit stilted, as though Hitchcock knew where he wanted all the characters to be, but wasn't sure how to get them there. Or maybe he's the greatest director who ever lived, and I;m just another schmuck criticising a film for the sake of it. Either way.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcIQWbe-U4SDqFGwUQ-E7xXbLSI42nlXVKnu-5wyioqlWLZ5BVnoslsrZFZYT440Nka8dwqFuKyUoj19A9XyPNyZykzv6at3n7rD1HyFuSSUjZ7Vxvv09bJ-z-ayvFINbctJNZznqFZiI/s1600/vertigo-black-dress-necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcIQWbe-U4SDqFGwUQ-E7xXbLSI42nlXVKnu-5wyioqlWLZ5BVnoslsrZFZYT440Nka8dwqFuKyUoj19A9XyPNyZykzv6at3n7rD1HyFuSSUjZ7Vxvv09bJ-z-ayvFINbctJNZznqFZiI/s320/vertigo-black-dress-necklace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love how unnecessary the driving plot of the film seems to be. Yes, there's a bad guy, Madeleine's husband Gavin, but his scheme is almost superfluous, and is never entirely resolved on screen. No, what's more important is the relationship between Scottie and Judy/Madeleine, the obsession that builds, and the lengths Scottie will go to attempt to fool himself into being happy. So no, it isn't the greatest film of all time (still Jurassic Park, I keep telling you), and it's not even the greatest Hitchcock film (North By Northwest, if you were wondering), but it is thoroughly deserving of at least being present on the 'snooty critic list,' it just isn't an entertaining enough watch for me to keep revisiting regularly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose film 9/10</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-89083500540167910552013-03-24T00:04:00.005+00:002013-03-24T13:35:25.823+00:00Top 10... Remakes<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cNL4kc_VB0dHR7DzJeZ57aMoZjIReZ6lsh7ZLN1vQSoF0hj88y0J6tm0p9wfZXd-ks9lwVKqhyOreLY_GmC_YQBEZFu5CKc1xz7_SojwCFJzgcJpymByTE9x7o5UGfNZNeab1r1Xxmss/s1600/adventuresofrobinhood_03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cNL4kc_VB0dHR7DzJeZ57aMoZjIReZ6lsh7ZLN1vQSoF0hj88y0J6tm0p9wfZXd-ks9lwVKqhyOreLY_GmC_YQBEZFu5CKc1xz7_SojwCFJzgcJpymByTE9x7o5UGfNZNeab1r1Xxmss/s320/adventuresofrobinhood_03.JPG" width="320" /></a>More and more it seems there's no original ideas in mainstream Hollywood, but it turns out that this has always been the case, and it just seems more prevalent now because there's so many more films released each week, and less original stories to go around, so therefore there's more rehashed versions of films gone by available to us on a weekly basis. 2012 saw three remakes in the Box Office Top 20 (<i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i>, <i>Snow White and the Huntsman</i>, <i>Les Miserables</i>), and this is far from new, hell, even <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> was a remake back in 1939 of three silent films that came before it (and a book, but everything's a remake of a book these days). The thing is though... I don't mind. I have no problem with modern film makers updating older films to introduce them to a wider audience - there have been several instances where a remake has inspired me to go back and see the original, and I've discovered a classic that I otherwise may have never found (<i>Scarface</i> springs to mind). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what inspired this list? Well, <a href="http://www.filmsquish.com/guts/?q=node/4577">The Film Vituperatum</a>'s movie of the week is The Adventures of Robin Hood, which whilst I haven't seen it yet and therefore haven't got around to reviewing, I am more than familiar with the story, mainly due to the various adaptations of it. If I had to guess, I'd say the story of <i>Robin Hood</i> is probably one of the top three most adapted tales in history, after <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/christmas-carol-movie.html"><i>A Christmas Carol</i></a> and <i><a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/alice.html">Alice in Wonderland</a></i>, but my list of top 10 <i>Robin Hood </i>adaptations would see Kevin Costner taking third place behind John Cleese in <i>Time Bandits</i> and an animated fox, at which point the list would end because I haven't seen any others, so instead I'm going to celebrate the greatest remakes that I've ever seen, regardless of whether I've watched the originals or not. Oh, and <i>The Wizard of Oz </i>didn't make the list, because I'm fairly sure I've never seen it all the way through. The list also doesn't include any English-language remakes of originally foreign works, because that would be another list entirely, and one I'll save for another day - perhaps when <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/ring.html"><i>Ringu</i></a> is selected for movie of the week?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSPrD1NkdsRDh9MMmvJo9bMoTBehaTz7H1nAiwmIyHUAyhfvelmFU8BPgbwvnUU4z1yLpkwRQ3luYJvmYgVkiQVrSIhlbShblSFyOKpltytn1Ge8lthtri0PG5FIHInT1FGHONcj72vK3/s1600/310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSPrD1NkdsRDh9MMmvJo9bMoTBehaTz7H1nAiwmIyHUAyhfvelmFU8BPgbwvnUU4z1yLpkwRQ3luYJvmYgVkiQVrSIhlbShblSFyOKpltytn1Ge8lthtri0PG5FIHInT1FGHONcj72vK3/s1600/310.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Honourable mention: <i>3:10 to Yuma</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This was a difficult slot to fill this week, as there's a lot of remakes that I really like but don't necessarily love. The 1999 Geoffrey Rush version of <i>The House on Haunted Hill</i> almost made it, as it was bizarrely one of the first films in which I appreciated an actor's performance - and even more bizarrely that actor was Chris Kattan.I was tempted with <i>T</i><i>he Mummy</i>, because of the bit where the scarab beetle crawls into Imhotep's mouth - through his cheek - and then he eats it, and I've got a soft spot for the likes of The Italian Job (Seth Green buys speakers so loud they can rip a girl's clothes off), <i>Flight of the Phoenix</i> (Hugh Laurie!), <i>Cape Fear</i> and even <i>Bedazzled</i>, though I really can't explain that last one. But no, I opted for James Mangold's <i>3:10 to Yuma</i>, which although I haven't seen for a little while and can't necessarily remember every detail of, what I can recall is it having a wonderfully eclectic cast - Alan Tudyk, Peter Fonda, Kevin Durand, Luke Wilson - and that Ben Foster was an utter badass in it. I haven't seen the original, but I do own it, and intend to watch it very soon.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4VT1TdHu4r_EA4RpOoLLKfEAySPPe-SzXomGRk8v6J5MM9COUM5EXWCkODI5OoyzdIOvHnq0fyRX_sPXfy-G_Dlp1uu5Amdh48dV1GINDoI6JDua1f33X7pLtfO4RJVpLBx8DIR3kM7J/s1600/l_115433_878906c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4VT1TdHu4r_EA4RpOoLLKfEAySPPe-SzXomGRk8v6J5MM9COUM5EXWCkODI5OoyzdIOvHnq0fyRX_sPXfy-G_Dlp1uu5Amdh48dV1GINDoI6JDua1f33X7pLtfO4RJVpLBx8DIR3kM7J/s320/l_115433_878906c5.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">10. <i>101 Dalmatians</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It takes a lot to remake a <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/disney-weekend.html">Disney classic</a> and not make a complete hash job of it, especially when that classic has one of the most iconic villains, with one of the catchiest theme songs, of not just Disney films but all time. I'm talking of course about Cruella De Vil, the aspiring puppy-murderer who desires the spottiest of coats for the new fashion season, regardless of how many of the eponymous monochrome canines she must murder in the process. Is it an all-time classic film? Not really, no, as there was barely enough plot for the 79-minute original, let alone for the extra half an hour added here, but Glenn Close is incredible as the live-action DeVil, and Mark Williams and Hugh Laurie were perfect casting as her less-than-capable henchmen, Horace and Jasper. Also, Jeff Daniels is always good, and was a great choice for hopeless sad sack songwriter Roger.</span><br />
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWdsj6EfZ2I8O_Fa3dOtM9nma9Idw-4gMDpSo-8KrVEeQxTdwz8Emc1R1Bq9wukcgoE6_09M-6eaKQwN_fkBpdoG-2gq4NM-9s074hAyFsa18SoQk7yvn5c89Otym_0E1kT-jg4sxpyYQ/s1600/Scarface-Al-Pacino-Tony-Montana-opens-fire-climax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWdsj6EfZ2I8O_Fa3dOtM9nma9Idw-4gMDpSo-8KrVEeQxTdwz8Emc1R1Bq9wukcgoE6_09M-6eaKQwN_fkBpdoG-2gq4NM-9s074hAyFsa18SoQk7yvn5c89Otym_0E1kT-jg4sxpyYQ/s320/Scarface-Al-Pacino-Tony-Montana-opens-fire-climax.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">9. <i>Scarface</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If this seems controversially low, just be grateful that it made the list at all, because I've only seen this film once, as with the 1932 <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/challenge-xiv-scarface-1932.html">original</a>, and I haven't felt overly compelled to watch it again other than to see Al Pacino's incredible performance as rising drug kingpin Tony Montana. In fact, I may actually prefer the original, even if it's a bit campy and silly, relying on the humour of a stupid person not knowing how to use a telephone properly instead of being a balls-out character-driven drama. The remake appears on all four of the lists I'm going through, and was even voted the 58th greatest film of all time on the Total Film list, so this may raise a few positions when I watch and review it next time. Until then it should just be happy sitting at number 9, a place earned by a few memorable set pieces, most specifically the ridiculously fun and over the top climax.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR04tMZA1dm16JWGh3oFui1XARj14nILLWZRV8U1zoujH3u1vpLuzYiScS0D6XFZYgxspf9obH-1vP_l7tE-i5NLVC8J8SFDl_g951uSuhSgP_5b-PBOzcu11a_rzCX0P9S93y-VqG8nyi/s1600/The-Fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR04tMZA1dm16JWGh3oFui1XARj14nILLWZRV8U1zoujH3u1vpLuzYiScS0D6XFZYgxspf9obH-1vP_l7tE-i5NLVC8J8SFDl_g951uSuhSgP_5b-PBOzcu11a_rzCX0P9S93y-VqG8nyi/s320/The-Fly.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">8. <i>The Fly</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is one of those films that seems so original and out there that it doesn't immediately scream remake, but in fact David Cronenberg's sci-fi body-horror, in which Jeff Goldblum's scientist invents teleportation, only for his initial trial to go catastrophically wrong when his DNA becomes mixed with a fly's, is a retelling of a 1958 film of the same name, directed by Kurt Neumann, who directed an awful lot of terrible-sounding films, including three <i>Tarzan</i> pictures. I'll gladly watch Goldblum in anything (he's Dr. Ian Malcolm for chrissakes), and that goes double if he's the leading man, even if the leading lady is Geena Davis. Goldblum's Seth Brundle, or Brundlefly as he later calls himself, is the increasingly dismantling heart of the film - he is spot on casting, I cannot imagine anyone better - and even with some great effects he remains the main reason to re-watch this film.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJ3oZHKcQkd0VQJoCBVt5aQfeYbxXYaBTW7gwfJqogpyrMpYH7dWP41FH67ZE8SgGDKQWJ9dKC_sp5aYvcYNQym4N0a-Dsd57Hsg7n7UV7HlUijlNazMkFgqZ0T26TBGUFrStUvFJ_qLW/s1600/True+Grit+wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJ3oZHKcQkd0VQJoCBVt5aQfeYbxXYaBTW7gwfJqogpyrMpYH7dWP41FH67ZE8SgGDKQWJ9dKC_sp5aYvcYNQym4N0a-Dsd57Hsg7n7UV7HlUijlNazMkFgqZ0T26TBGUFrStUvFJ_qLW/s320/True+Grit+wallpaper.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">7. <i>True Grit</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another film I haven't seen the original of but still own, and another western at that. The Coen brothers' <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/true-grit-2010.html">remake</a> was one of my favourite films of 2010, and not just because it's a Coen brothers film, of which one does not exist that I don't at least like. Jeff Bridges is marvellous in a role previously made iconic by John Wayne, and the Coens prove there s no genre they cannot put their unique spin on, with their trademark whip-smart dialogue, much of it taken from Charles Portis' novel (which, like the original film, is on my bookcase but has yet to be cracked open), and a stellar supporting cast including Matt Damon, Barry Pepper and Josh Brolin. Personally, I wasn't a fan of Hailee Steinfeld in the lead role, but it's a difficult role to play even for actors over the age of fourteen, so I doubt there'd be many people who could have done it better. I just don't think she deserved a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, let alone the uproar as to why she wasn't nominated for Best Actress.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxGIgkqoyVde1EFEUVjqMhvBRtSU7GbA5P4al6r_VcqXtaWQ7kfY5fmN3PkkUVlEHifRYKDWHBEjmwwXxHDUoRKBoSEk3R0MEsGBvLzsA7fHoRG-b5PKzcSneUj31Ff_snIc-t1g08VPf/s1600/dawn-of-the-dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxGIgkqoyVde1EFEUVjqMhvBRtSU7GbA5P4al6r_VcqXtaWQ7kfY5fmN3PkkUVlEHifRYKDWHBEjmwwXxHDUoRKBoSEk3R0MEsGBvLzsA7fHoRG-b5PKzcSneUj31Ff_snIc-t1g08VPf/s320/dawn-of-the-dead.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">6. <i>Dawn of the Dead</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Could it be? Whisper it - is it better than the original? Maybe. Actually, screw it, yes. And no. Well, define better. George A. Romero's 1978 zombie classic is certainly more thought provoking, providing an insightful indictment of consumer culture - even in un-death, everyone flocks to the shopping mall out of subconscious reflex - but Zack Snyder's 2004 modern update is just so much more fun and entertaining.From the pulse-quickening opening through the blood spattered middle, to the thrilling climax, the film is packed with plenty of gore, humour, ridiculous caricatures (the redneck, the pregnant woman, the dickhead[Ty Burrell!]) and a zombie baby. A zombie baby! Love it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGCj8dwKc63W1EUhDb94Hejcl7V4XrHSi_ewcLAi0-tvGaYO6qQRB-jnS9q-r971Op4BIy0WVZWVagyvvHUGHKmFB8lhvUeLFBXdlTZseqrRya8ltCV9d0J75GPKydxaNln2szTIItBLf/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGCj8dwKc63W1EUhDb94Hejcl7V4XrHSi_ewcLAi0-tvGaYO6qQRB-jnS9q-r971Op4BIy0WVZWVagyvvHUGHKmFB8lhvUeLFBXdlTZseqrRya8ltCV9d0J75GPKydxaNln2szTIItBLf/s1600/images.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">5. <i>Little Shop of Horrors</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When you're casting to replace an actor, Bill Murray probably isn't the first name that springs to mind when you're recasting a role played by Jack Nicholson. However, Murray turned out to be one of the highlights of this musical update of the Roger Corman 1960 B-movie, which I've no idea why I actually saw it, because it wasn't all that great, and doesn't have a reputation for being any better. Frank Oz's remake on the other hand, is wonderful for many, many reasons, amongst which are Murray's cameo as a masochistic dentist-botherer, Steve Martin's ruthless biker-dentist, the omnipresent back-up singers, Levi Stubbs as the voice of freaky plant Audrey II, and of course the ever-awesome Rick Moranis in the lead role.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYdbVHPvMQhGG1NBe2aJIgBJnYjBnOCkCpBQrYfiIEqhaLrJs_SImDMQZ3oUbXzUkB1M2RCtvRUxccTgUKKFFvkstbs_SwKqZfDQLaMGRdMOwiJ75eeMoAlhe4FMZYVJMwML7h9bD-IrD/s1600/kk5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYdbVHPvMQhGG1NBe2aJIgBJnYjBnOCkCpBQrYfiIEqhaLrJs_SImDMQZ3oUbXzUkB1M2RCtvRUxccTgUKKFFvkstbs_SwKqZfDQLaMGRdMOwiJ75eeMoAlhe4FMZYVJMwML7h9bD-IrD/s320/kk5.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">4. <i>King Kong</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love Peter Jackson's <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/challenge-king-kong-2005.html">King Kong remake</a>, and I'm not in the least bit ashamed to admit it. Yes, it takes perhaps a little too long for Adrien Brody, Jack Black, Naomi Watts et al to get to Skull Island, and even longer for Kong to make any actual presence, yes Black is horribly cast as movie director Carl Denham (Apparently he was told to let his eyes do the acting, instead of his eyebrows. Seriously.), yes the whole film is a bit longer and requires a serious commitment to find the time to watch it, and yes that scene with the first interaction with the island's natives generally freaks me the hell out, but I feel this film has an awful lot more going for it than many give it credit for. The scene with the search party's survivors at the bottom of the crevice, being attacked by all manner of giant insects and dentured penis-monsters was one of my favourite scenes in any film for a very long time, and the final 30 minutes or so - which I initially got annoyed at due to exhaustion at that point - has now developed into being beautiful, especially the ice skating scene, which genuinely pisses me off every time it ends. Plus, and this should not be understated, this film has dinosaurs in. Not just a couple, but lots. In several scenes. Many, in fact. And they're all awesome. Even the brontosaurus chase with the not-entirely-stellar CGI, if only because Adrien Brody kicks a raptor in the head. In the head! A proper flying-leap kick. And I've not even mentioned the T-Rex type creatures (known as V-Rexs here), and their 3-on-1 fight against Kong over a scrawny little meat-free twiglet of Naomi Watts. The dangling-in-the-vines scene is another one that I can watch over and over again, like the keyboard sequence in <i>Big</i>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUQ3WeUT2HmARTNTgm_4drFqigNA0anzTRJeRNegOXo0vYbT3JCZAfeQ-NEW5KC9im9BWW4WMu_G8AD0srSFocqoy3OPE93K78Fie4HSrTZVsiMicjnpftSHNrHSeoMTIuZA50xzlh0gZ/s1600/tumblr_lkdcdgUNP11qhgm1ho1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUQ3WeUT2HmARTNTgm_4drFqigNA0anzTRJeRNegOXo0vYbT3JCZAfeQ-NEW5KC9im9BWW4WMu_G8AD0srSFocqoy3OPE93K78Fie4HSrTZVsiMicjnpftSHNrHSeoMTIuZA50xzlh0gZ/s320/tumblr_lkdcdgUNP11qhgm1ho1_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. <i>Ocean's Eleven</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was always under the impression that the Rat Pack-starring original, which follows a barely similar plot in which the only similarity is there's a con involved, pulled by 11 men, who are led by a guy called Danny Ocean (originally Frank Sinatra), was a really good film that was a form of sacrilege to be <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/challenge-oceans-eleven.html">remade</a>. Upon watching, I found it was fairly standard and underwhelming, with only the ending being anything worth talking about, and was therefore prime material to be remade and improved upon, and by Steven Soderbergh no less. The result is a near-perfect, glossy, endlessly fun and fresh caper full of A-listers and cameos (Topher Grace and Joshua Jackson!). The sequels couldn't ever live up to the lightning strike of the first film, but they still have a place in my DVD collection, and remain fun to watch if only to see that great mix of characters interacting again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWCig1jY-kYYTJHTW7XdeFwxdOktJMeXxwuKYSwlW78gIpSQhx2SZ39YZe8qe3wBmecsXz7_D-x9IAdk48AVUspjPBDKx_X8ykagKnUi6eV4jg_7IwKzP_pANZY1whOvuuMrjIg8CadCG/s1600/The_Thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWCig1jY-kYYTJHTW7XdeFwxdOktJMeXxwuKYSwlW78gIpSQhx2SZ39YZe8qe3wBmecsXz7_D-x9IAdk48AVUspjPBDKx_X8ykagKnUi6eV4jg_7IwKzP_pANZY1whOvuuMrjIg8CadCG/s320/The_Thing.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">2. <i>The Thing</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As much as I may love the special effects in King Kong, practical effects are a source of endless fascination for me, and nowhere is this scene more than in <i>Jurassic Park</i>. But seeing as that's not a remake, </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/thing.html">The Thing</a></span></i> will have to do as a close second. The effects, by legendary FX whizz Rob Bottin, make John Carpenter's film worth watching just for them alone, be it the head-crab, the chest-mouth or the dog-Sarlacc, but add to that an almost unbearably tense story of a bunch of isolated, cabin-fever suffering guys already at each others' throats being struck with an alien creature that can impersonate any of them, and intends to kill them all, and fill the cast with the best character actors the 80s had to offer, and goddam it I'm in. And no, I haven't seen the recent prequel, because it looked terrible. By all means tell me otherwise and I'll track it down, but I've yet to hear a decent thing about it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span> </div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaonCUdKkpD3MCPbKu0yJhDgvR-POxCpHbOYDscsw95ouXOy_V_T0kMr5y1Yao1TBCAkLcGXWwuhHKOgO5t7QqIHKXfJzb4La2jnx4FR2j0kFbeKEzlslhv4ZeRRzY3YEaz1Nbo05O3sm/s1600/heat-1995-09-g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaonCUdKkpD3MCPbKu0yJhDgvR-POxCpHbOYDscsw95ouXOy_V_T0kMr5y1Yao1TBCAkLcGXWwuhHKOgO5t7QqIHKXfJzb4La2jnx4FR2j0kFbeKEzlslhv4ZeRRzY3YEaz1Nbo05O3sm/s320/heat-1995-09-g.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">1. <i><span style="font-size: large;">Hea</span>t</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is a movie still a remake if the same director made both the original and it's </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/challenge-heat.html">copy</a>? Well if it's good enough for Hitchcock, who did just that with <i>The Man Who Knew Too Much</i> in 1956 and didn't even have the decency to change the fim's name, then it must be good enough for Michael Mann too. <i>Heat</i> is a retelling of Mann's made-for-TV movie <i>L.A. Takedown</i>, and whilst I've not seen the original the buzz isn't particularly kind about it, although at just 97 minutes it seems easier to take in than the 3-hour epic it preceded. The length is pretty much the only thing I can fault about the movie, but considering just how much is fitted in - pretty much every character - of which there's a goddamn lot - gets both a back story and character arc - I' think I'll give it a pass. Plus, the cast is so ridiculously deep in this film that you cannot go more than 10 minutes without a new familiar face popping up, from Hank Azaria to Danny Trejo, Tom Noonan to William Fichtner. The acting is all top-notch, the set pieces exquisite - particularly the central bank robbery/shoot-out - and, of course, there's <i>that</i> cup of coffee.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So did I miss anything out? Maybe you've got a soft spot for Scorsese's <i>Cape Fear</i>, or Nic Cage in <i>Gone in 60 Seconds</i>? Perhaps you're an <i>I Am Legend</i> fan. Let me know in the comments. Unless you think I should have included <i>Clash of the Titans</i>. Or <i>The Stepford Wives</i>, Or <i>Taxi</i>. Or <i>The Nutty Professor</i>. OK, sometimes remakes can be pretty terrible.</span></div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-88617628777645271342013-03-18T22:28:00.003+00:002013-03-18T22:28:34.699+00:00Pre-View: Man Of Steel<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE8g20YO1f_CkkdGV7oC9N0-uiIMX9ou05wOjQfgo4fqskPQ-5gzY3mZ1dLfFXg3BTmkIF_2knjk_8syvgQtB00KGnMjZBqVpx0eNxjM9NjAFQHwF4r-9_jP_Xc4CNNqiMA9CmnCWM5tC/s1600/man_of_steel_logo_2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE8g20YO1f_CkkdGV7oC9N0-uiIMX9ou05wOjQfgo4fqskPQ-5gzY3mZ1dLfFXg3BTmkIF_2knjk_8syvgQtB00KGnMjZBqVpx0eNxjM9NjAFQHwF4r-9_jP_Xc4CNNqiMA9CmnCWM5tC/s320/man_of_steel_logo_2012.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've never been a fan of Superman. He just seems too uninteresting as a character, with his only inner turmoil being his fish out of water last-of-his-kind predicament, that I'm sure would become annoying and whiny if dwelt on for too long. My disinterest with him also stems from the fact that I've spent so little time with the character. I have technically seen Richard Donner's 1978 <i>Superman</i>, but I can't remember a single thing about it (literally nothing), and my hatred for <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/superman-returns.html"><i>Superman Returns</i></a> is well documented. I also wasn't much of a fan of <i>Smallville</i>, barely making it halfway through the first season, and I doubt I've seen more than a couple of episodes of <i>Lois and Clark</i>, although I did like Ben Affleck's performance as George Reeves in <i>Hollywoodland</i>. As such, I can't say I'm really looking forward to the upcoming <i>Man Of Steel</i>, despite the interesting trailers and general buzz over it all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuGlL1R4oxaD8B-7vxp4o1-MiRw2gk3J2jqxIHG3F9HFsiKaKqFg_5-U12ebT8AWjk0Q-NqXNKNfhVzd5nxl-fJeiWpaA1y907lYn6XcMC_jEVgIVXMPfcfVuBe2ootC-s_MFTLWZuFAQ/s1600/henry-cavill-man-of-steel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuGlL1R4oxaD8B-7vxp4o1-MiRw2gk3J2jqxIHG3F9HFsiKaKqFg_5-U12ebT8AWjk0Q-NqXNKNfhVzd5nxl-fJeiWpaA1y907lYn6XcMC_jEVgIVXMPfcfVuBe2ootC-s_MFTLWZuFAQ/s320/henry-cavill-man-of-steel.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Man of Steel</i> does have a few things going for it that may drag me into the cinemas. The first is the director, Zack Snyder. I love <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/300.html"><i>300</i></a>, <i>Watchmen</i> and his <i>Dawn of the Dead</i> remake, but I haven't seen <i>Sucker Punch</i> or that business with the owls, because they sounded potty and/or rubbish. A big-budget superhero blockbuster sounds more up his street, as long as he keeps a handle on just how much green screen he uses. Christopher Nolan on producing duties also bodes well, what with his previous experience on a certain stellar superhero trilogy, and generally not knowing how to make bad films. And then there's the cast. Amy Adams is an interesting choice for Lois Lane, but I've yet to be disappointed by her appearing in a film, so I have no issues there. Russell Crowe as Jor-El and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as the Kents all seem like good fits too, and Richard Schiff is in there somewhere too! Yay! Love some Schiff. More of him, please. I'm only unsure about the central casting of Henry Cavill, as the only thing I've seen him in is <i>Stardust</i>, and his admittedly small role as Humphrey, the rival for hero Charlie Cox for the hand of Sienna Miller, didn't leave much of an impression, and his latest leading role in <i>Immortals</i> wasn't terribly well received. Either way, he looks the part.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVNTENWoWbRM8RG3H_FD0bnRC3OH7PPMWSrXGrZu19Jl2vdf392Kh18UXXhKey7R3b_0ajX0aGw1-97SJ3TDI5yjZr3GKI7Za1AtQSslgtK7zGfd_OIorR5QNPdmTBOKhxZ4ez4Zzwru5/s1600/Michael-Shannon-of-Boardwalk-Empire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVNTENWoWbRM8RG3H_FD0bnRC3OH7PPMWSrXGrZu19Jl2vdf392Kh18UXXhKey7R3b_0ajX0aGw1-97SJ3TDI5yjZr3GKI7Za1AtQSslgtK7zGfd_OIorR5QNPdmTBOKhxZ4ez4Zzwru5/s320/Michael-Shannon-of-Boardwalk-Empire.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There's one small detail that I forgot to mention that will absolutely guarantee that I will definitely see this film at some point. Michael Shannon. I've just finished watching the first season of <i>Boardwalk Empire</i> (literally 90 minutes ago, I'm pretty consistently behind on my TV-watching, I'm about to start watching season one of <i>The Wire</i>) and undoubtedly my favourite aspect of the series was Shannon's performance as devout lawman Nelson Van Alden, more specifically the way he talks without actually moving his mouth wide enough for any words to possibly escape. It's not like he was even stacked against a weak cast, overshadowing the likes of Michael Stuhlbarg, Shea Whigham, Stephen Graham and Michael Kenneth Williams, all of whom are on particularly spectacular form as well. And Steve Buscemi, of course, but then he's the lead, and therefore cannot possibly be the most interesting character. Plus, it's Buscemi, so no-one really doubted his awesomeness beforehand, whereas Shannon seems to have burst from much lower down in the cast. I'm aware that he's cropped up in a fair amount of smaller fare before - <i>Before the Devil Knows You're Dead</i>, <i>The Runaways</i>, <i>Revolutionary Road</i>, even <i>Groundhog Day</i> - but this seems him stepping up to the big time in arguably one of the biggest films of the year, and as the lead bad guy Zod no less, as formerly portrayed by the almighty Terrence Stamp. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm not signing off on definitely seeing <i>Man Of Steel</i> in the cinemas - I'll wait for the initial reviews first - but if they're good, well then count me in.</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-27468666160124725952013-03-17T19:23:00.002+00:002013-03-17T19:32:40.238+00:00Nevada Smith<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufqMQDZOVC8uV8Mrhs7nSAaR87NHNWxBVMEKVtJNSmn0_kETlSE0nUnESEZq_2GlgH60ZOQO1IL7h-PbduLhiMYrCskKd0VZMwRVF1si8-POobhI5butghHVTKjXEsvOIKbvo8AtrinrS/s1600/nevada-smith-470-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufqMQDZOVC8uV8Mrhs7nSAaR87NHNWxBVMEKVtJNSmn0_kETlSE0nUnESEZq_2GlgH60ZOQO1IL7h-PbduLhiMYrCskKd0VZMwRVF1si8-POobhI5butghHVTKjXEsvOIKbvo8AtrinrS/s320/nevada-smith-470-75.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When three men, claiming to be friends of his father, ask young half Native American Max Sand (Steve McQueen) the way to his parents' depleted gold mine, Max doesn't hesitate in giving them directions. Something seems up, so he heads after them, but upon arriving discovers the three men have tortured and killed his folks, even skinning his squaw mother, once they had found out the mine had only produced one nugget in the past two years. Max burns down the house, not wanting anyone to see his family in that condition, and heads out into the world with just his horse, a rifle, $8.00 to his name and a vivid memory of the three men who killed his parents, and who he will not rest until they have been killed by his hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is the very definition of episodic cinema. The plot of the film, itself based on Harold Robbins' novel <i>The Carpetbaggers</i>, is very clearly split into sections. There's the initial setup for the film, imbuing Max with the motivation for why he must track and kill the three men. Next, there's his learning about the world, including being taught how to shoot by kindly gun-maker Cord (Brian Keith), before systematically working his way through the three men, played by Karl Malden, Arthur Kennedy and Martin Landau (!). The three men never appear together after their initial encounter with the Sands, so Max's mission is revolved based on hearsay, desperation and a little blind luck, just as it should be in the movies, but unfortunately it did take Max a little too long, as the film began to drag as it reached the credits at the 128 minute mark. That being said, I've just finished watching McQueen's 3-hour long <i>The Sand Pebbles</i> (review pending), and by comparison <i>Nevada Smith</i> just flew by.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bBkWh2SOkMoWF76FIwawxNsN8-J2TmAWlZOMzO6JUaNwogwxE1JTpvDGXkZOUfp1m3Ykt8L-3-z3Hbqm6CAjimTRTQWT9pPhSP63Y786g6w3V_Dk4bSBWCZIJ3-go-xpF2FPsDdDC0Cy/s1600/nevada-smith-1966-10335-1629302161+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bBkWh2SOkMoWF76FIwawxNsN8-J2TmAWlZOMzO6JUaNwogwxE1JTpvDGXkZOUfp1m3Ykt8L-3-z3Hbqm6CAjimTRTQWT9pPhSP63Y786g6w3V_Dk4bSBWCZIJ3-go-xpF2FPsDdDC0Cy/s320/nevada-smith-1966-10335-1629302161+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A great deal was packed into the extended length of this film though, with the plot taking many turns in tone that I wasn't expecting whatsoever. To begin with I was anticipating a fairly standard average-guy-avenges-parents'-death, but this was at times a coming of age film - before meeting Cord, Max cannot shoot, read, write or count, and has never even been in a bar before, yet plans to find and kill three armed and proficient killers - a gang-based western in a similar line to the first act of <i>Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid</i>, and a prison escape film, a sub-genre that I'm more than a little fond of. The prison element, in which Pat Hingle is another inmate, seemed a little contrived - the second name on Max's list has just been incarcerated, so Max deliberately botches a bank robbery so he can end up in the same labour camp - but this only goes to highlight how little - or possibly how much - Max thinks ahead about his plans. He doesn't see anything other than his mission, up to the point where when scantily clad women throw themselves at him, he instead climbs out the window and carries on towards his goal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The final act is the weakest in my opinion, and the score overall was never quite sweeping enough, but the scenery looked beautiful - it was shot in California's Inyo National Forest and Owens Valley - and there were some great shots, my favourite being McQueen on horseback, practising shooting dirt clods thrown by Cord during his training. Unfortunately, I couldn't get over how much McQueen resembled Willem Dafoe in this film, but this didn't deter too much, as overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience from a surprise film I'd never heard of amongst McQueen's career.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose Film 8/10</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-42467142245787427442013-03-15T16:10:00.002+00:002013-03-15T16:10:24.392+00:00Top 10... Movies With Title Songs<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8yRsTxHZl19qDB3x9LMYswqHhUGUAg7IN4bbIkxUuJ53_ZkPkaTPW_cZuHFLP70OBmNDB54A3Nz-zRALqpCLOjADwggau7-UVH4inH7mwC2Kt_eNBL9TbLcLOVO031-BvJUvHfiTFi5x/s1600/cabaret1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8yRsTxHZl19qDB3x9LMYswqHhUGUAg7IN4bbIkxUuJ53_ZkPkaTPW_cZuHFLP70OBmNDB54A3Nz-zRALqpCLOjADwggau7-UVH4inH7mwC2Kt_eNBL9TbLcLOVO031-BvJUvHfiTFi5x/s320/cabaret1.jpg" width="320" /></a>This week's movie of the week over at the <a href="http://www.filmsquish.com/guts/?q=node/4577">Film Vituperatum</a> is <i>Cabaret</i>. Now, I didn't submit a review for this because I watched and reviewed it during the period of my blog that I call 'Reviewing for the Sake of It' in which it was more important to me to watch, or at least sit through, a playing of the film, and record the briefest of comments upon it, as then I could get to the part I was most looking forward to, crossing it from the 1001 List (or whichever list it came from). a little while ago I decided this was ridiculous and wasn't benefiting anyone, at which point I decided to try and expand upon my reviews. I've made the intention to go back and re-review some of the films I'd not given enough respect to in the past, but there are some films I'd really not rather watch again, and amongst those is <i>Cabaret</i>. If you really want to, you can read my 130-word review <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/cabaret.html">here</a>, but personally I wouldn't recommend it. Anyway, I wanted to do a list that somehow ties in with the movie of the month (this won't always be the case, but it seems to be working so far). My initial idea was to do my list of Top 10 Worst Movies I've Ever Seen, in honour of Liza Minnelli's cameo in <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/second-chance-2-sex-and-city-movie-2.html"><i>Sex and the City 2</i></a> (second place, after <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/violence-is-funny.html"><i>Home Alone 4</i></a>), but instead I opted for movies with songs in them of the same name as the film, as of course the film features Minnelli belting out the titular Cabaret.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
This list could have very easily been entirely dominated by Bond films, but I suppressed that urge, which I'll get to in the list. Some of the films had songs written specifically for them, and by the star of the movie no less, some re-purposed older songs to fit, at least one used a blatantly obvious tie-in song for the closing credits, and one is a biography about the singer of the song they used for the film's title. And as always, this is by no means a definitive list, and I look forward to hearing your feedback on what I missed out. Just don't bring up <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/pretty-woman.html"><i>Pretty Woman</i></a>, that is a godawful film only worthy of existence for Larry Miller and Jason Alexander.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Honourable Mention: <i>Wild Wild West</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqxCce4A8ILTEeq7dyjW1A21XpaNf7dQy-Vbm6KDy93a96N8Oejkcd4Oy-HbkEnQwRtHCTiFbuxd8Me54EJiBs1CBgLlpcn_stRPU6qA9Vz1NGsI7m2y13bC3IniarQGfF7gykY7IToNw/s1600/Wild-Wild-West-ps06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqxCce4A8ILTEeq7dyjW1A21XpaNf7dQy-Vbm6KDy93a96N8Oejkcd4Oy-HbkEnQwRtHCTiFbuxd8Me54EJiBs1CBgLlpcn_stRPU6qA9Vz1NGsI7m2y13bC3IniarQGfF7gykY7IToNw/s320/Wild-Wild-West-ps06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
That's right, I'm a <i>Wild Wild West</i> apologist. Now, I'm not saying it should be highly regarded as a pinnacle of movie making, or even that it's a terribly good film, it just isn't as horrible as everyone seems to remember. Hell, I think it's downright enjoyable. Yes, there are several scenes where Captain James West (Will Smith) and the wheelchair-bound but brilliantly named Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) trade insults aimed squarely at race and disability, but there is also Salma Hayek, looking gorgeous, Kevin Kline being hysterical in a duel role (and frequently dressed as a woman), and of course a giant mechanical spider, in one of the most what-the-fuck-is-that moments I've ever seen. And it's got both M. Emmet Walsh and Ted Levine in supporting roles. And Bai Ling, but we don't talk about that. The theme song, sung of course by Smith, is annoyingly catchy but also, unfortunately, pretty damn dreadful, featuring lyrics from misogynistic: "<span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Lyric"><span class="line line-s" id="line_6">Any damsel that's in distress</span> b<span class="line line-s" id="line_33">e out of that dress when she meet Jim West" to borderline homosexual: "Loveless, givin' up a dime, nothin' less, n</span><span class="line line-s" id="line_34">ow I must put his behind to the test."</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">10. <i>Demolition Man</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lXP-YuGb_RYfiiCppbuJB7wZ_3AY4nsGqmeik3c1wEkr0ZdMk18AGKImMI2z5V-JTsF8FxdIU2F_jIVlxwyiQUvBR5sMMBGZ5C7sFe7iLYgp9RzVZQYJrtfzXhwlbz-x82rw2SIAup0K/s1600/DemolitionMan16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lXP-YuGb_RYfiiCppbuJB7wZ_3AY4nsGqmeik3c1wEkr0ZdMk18AGKImMI2z5V-JTsF8FxdIU2F_jIVlxwyiQUvBR5sMMBGZ5C7sFe7iLYgp9RzVZQYJrtfzXhwlbz-x82rw2SIAup0K/s1600/DemolitionMan16.jpg" /></a></div>
Sylvester Stallone versus Wesley Snipes... in the future! And Wesley Snipes is blonde! Like Wild Wild West, this is one of those films that is more ridiculous than it is actually good, and it fits neatly amongst my DVD collection as such, with the likes of Godzilla and Twister as something I can put on to just switch off to. I'm a fan of most films that feature either time travel or prison escapes and this one just happens to feature both, and it features Sandra Bullock at the closest I've ever come to finding her attractive. Unfortunately there's Rob Schneider in there too, spouting some crap about seashells, and one of the worst wrap-up speeches in any film, let alone a Stallone piece "I'll tell you what to do: why don't you get a little dirty, you a lot clean, and somewhere in the middle... I don't know, you'll figure it out." Sting's title song is pretty forgettable, as proven by my having forgotten it even existed, but it does, so this counts.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. <i>Walk the Line</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMMPO9f7hw3ThYIWhry1_VADPUL93rh6cpCGpGicdoEuzazzuPCVapjZSq8oVW6uO7bZ1jPc1Lcr_V1FgJRzdpkvyy71eYetOxI8Om2Nel5dLRJRMcRVhiiH69NfWdNTlbu1g-22FYNkJ/s1600/walk+the+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMMPO9f7hw3ThYIWhry1_VADPUL93rh6cpCGpGicdoEuzazzuPCVapjZSq8oVW6uO7bZ1jPc1Lcr_V1FgJRzdpkvyy71eYetOxI8Om2Nel5dLRJRMcRVhiiH69NfWdNTlbu1g-22FYNkJ/s320/walk+the+line.jpg" width="320" /></a>Telling the story of Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), from cotton farm to international star, this is one of the few films that, upon first seeing, I went out the very next day to get not the soundtrack, but the greatest hits album of it's star, someone whose music I'd never been very familiar with beforehand, but who has it has since become an album I'll gladly listen to in any situation. The film itself is pretty good, especially the performances of Phoenix and Reece Witherspoon as June Carter, but unfortunately it was so ripe for parody that I find it difficult to distinguish in my memory just what scenes were from <i>Walk the Line</i>, and which came from <i>Walk Hard</i>.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">8. <i>Weird Science</i></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0b-kQYUOTq1zqMVs_NrSAPT91mJa4xHkVo1RVtHOiHWdAJBIkzd7umHAT9u7r6ef_D2QpjUT22qLo-z9y0UbT-9IKeK8Xr0h6SLRJQmNXLAjeRwls-q_0HrOfuGBufQp7zTpdQ0PAWzm/s1600/1985-Weird-Science_1458327i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0b-kQYUOTq1zqMVs_NrSAPT91mJa4xHkVo1RVtHOiHWdAJBIkzd7umHAT9u7r6ef_D2QpjUT22qLo-z9y0UbT-9IKeK8Xr0h6SLRJQmNXLAjeRwls-q_0HrOfuGBufQp7zTpdQ0PAWzm/s320/1985-Weird-Science_1458327i.jpg" width="320" /></a>It may well be the fourth best film I've seen that's directed by John Hughes (after <i>Planes, Trains & Automobiles</i>, <i>Ferris Bueller's Day Off</i> and <i>The Breakfast Club</i>), but that's only because I haven't seen any of the other ones. Wait, that sounded bad. Yes, this is a worse film than those other ones (and <i>Home Alone</i> if you're counting Hughes scripted films) but this is still a brilliant film, with a title song by Oingo Boingo of which I can only remember the title being yelled a few times. As a film, this falls into my pet peeve of the outcast, ill-fitting kids (Anthony Michael Hall and, er, the other one, umm... Ilan Mitchell-Smith?) magically finding exactly what they needed in life, but this dodges that bullet by having them able to create life in the form of Kelly LeBrock's lightning-struck Barbie doll Lisa, thereby setting the whole thing in some ridiculous fantasy land where putting a bra on your head gives you magical powers. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">7. <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/challenge-men-in-black.html"><i>Men in Black</i></a></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg976QH_KxkX7DN_thvqoWWxMNFPK5UVWt3uvbKPnXUGl0R8n2mzMcDr1B7ufsbLZD1clQQnI3w2XCoC0TC2jrD3aV0Kmzy2eD8VPN7Q_vXHm74haMyRTcXuCS-F5bxH81SS1J39aUpdzSZ/s1600/men-in-black-by-will-smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg976QH_KxkX7DN_thvqoWWxMNFPK5UVWt3uvbKPnXUGl0R8n2mzMcDr1B7ufsbLZD1clQQnI3w2XCoC0TC2jrD3aV0Kmzy2eD8VPN7Q_vXHm74haMyRTcXuCS-F5bxH81SS1J39aUpdzSZ/s320/men-in-black-by-will-smith.jpg" width="320" /></a>Will Smith makes another appearance, rapping it up on the soundtrack to <i>Men in Black</i> as one of the eponymous galaxy defenders, in case he didn't let you remember. I recently watched part three in this series, and other than a couple of decent cameos - Bill Hader as a bitter Andy Warhol, the always brilliant Michael Stuhlbarg as a being able to see every possible parallel universe simultaneously - this would have worked far better had it just remained as a standalone single film. The original had the perfect balance of science fiction and comedy - a combination that will appear later in this list - and grounded it all around the odd couple pairings of Will Smith's wise-cracking youngster Agent Jay and Tommy Lee Jones' crusty old hand Agent Kay. The CGI is also impressive for 1997 - how is this film 16 years old? - and Vincent D'Onofrio is awesome once he gets taken over by a giant cockroach living in his body. Plus, Tony Shalhoub and David Cross!<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">6. <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/skyfall.html"><i>Skyfall</i></a>/<i>Goldeneye</i></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OlNIXck78xcVfvNWw_rlE0nHEEzW5-8IgPXZ_rR_x9IEVLf40-ysTBYKj93ZVUWTmy9VVIP-dNIiDs-VM9AZQKRpx0JB-m7eWfrt4_74cbP3Ykg-Wyex2S3fYsyJ6wHdK8xca1ZJ0JtF/s1600/_63779774_skyfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OlNIXck78xcVfvNWw_rlE0nHEEzW5-8IgPXZ_rR_x9IEVLf40-ysTBYKj93ZVUWTmy9VVIP-dNIiDs-VM9AZQKRpx0JB-m7eWfrt4_74cbP3Ykg-Wyex2S3fYsyJ6wHdK8xca1ZJ0JtF/s320/_63779774_skyfall.jpg" width="320" /></a>I couldn't let Bond dominate this list, but he definitely needs to be represented, so I picked two of the best, with not necessarily those with the best songs. <i>Goldeneye</i>, whose nasally title track by Tina Turner can be described as lacklustre at best, is otherwise tremendous fun, as Pierce Brosnan freed Bond from Timothy Dalton's debatably over serious take to be more quip-happy, smooth and downright cool as he takes on the Russians over the codes to a devastating weapon. This was Brosnan's first Bond outing, and remains easily one of the best in the series' entire 23-year run, with enough action, glamour (Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp? Go on then) and badassery to keep anyone happy. And Sean Bean! And Robbie Coltrane! And Alan Cumming! <i>Skyfall</i>, on the other hand, played out as more of a Bond's greatest hits, nodding references left, right and centre to everything that came before. Daniel Craig's Bond even escapes a pit by jumping from a komodo dragon, for M's sake! Adele's song was not, in my opinion, deserving of an Oscar, as I've never been much of a fan of hers, though I can't really say who I'd have given the award to in her place. And I've said it before, but <i>Skyfall</i> does not, I repeat not, rhyme with crumble.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">5. <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/up-in-air.html"><i>Up in the Air</i></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpyHwgU3T_TpiXOcMI7giv1LObPBYmSYWa64nczszLjZBPh56W0ovfApLdjlxbPHcxQBrpcSUXGG8HTphx66NFeanGm04XHTJWz3DtlDFACdSLhwLQzBtOqd1kLX3RyLR6YyligNQKig7/s1600/up+in+the+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpyHwgU3T_TpiXOcMI7giv1LObPBYmSYWa64nczszLjZBPh56W0ovfApLdjlxbPHcxQBrpcSUXGG8HTphx66NFeanGm04XHTJWz3DtlDFACdSLhwLQzBtOqd1kLX3RyLR6YyligNQKig7/s320/up+in+the+air.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Kevin Renick's melancholic titular track for Jason Reitman's downsizing drama-comedy fits the tone of this film perfectly. It's a well balanced, poignant piece following George Clooney's Ryan Bingham as he jets around America, assisting in company's dismissals of their employees, only to find his fleet-footed lifestyle may be under threat from Anna Kendrick's plans to do it all digitally, via webcams and Skype, all from one central office. I really like this film, which isn't as popular an opinion as I once thought, and I really don't know why. It also makes a great pairing with Reitman's debut, <i>Thank You For Smoking</i>, another tale following a hugely successful business man (Aaron Eckhart's tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor) over a few days, as his world begins to fall apart when a woman enters it (Katie Holmes' reporter, in place of Vera Farmiga's female Bingham). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/iron-man.html"><i>Iron Man</i></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQbQMKBlUfRhQyGZlx-2ZzUL7mbBBlOWi8uazwOl63foG2XdOqmADkLZUCExPaVcA-V-7JDXSwrRKHlDQrNOV0UH1LqJb7WWg4ERmhwHV083cv5N-8f78m5fa1WLtfiEW_L0wH0WJs4E9/s1600/iron-man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQbQMKBlUfRhQyGZlx-2ZzUL7mbBBlOWi8uazwOl63foG2XdOqmADkLZUCExPaVcA-V-7JDXSwrRKHlDQrNOV0UH1LqJb7WWg4ERmhwHV083cv5N-8f78m5fa1WLtfiEW_L0wH0WJs4E9/s320/iron-man.jpg" width="320" /></a>There is no correlation between the Black Sabbath song and the Marvel superhero (the song is in fact about a man travelling in time and seeing an apocalypse he will eventually bring about), but the film-makers would have been inexcusably silly not to have included it. Plus, it kicks in perfectly into the closing credits, after Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) proclaims to the media "I am Iron Man," just like in the song. The film itself kick-started Marvel's avengers initiative in the greatest possible way, with a little-known superhero, an actor on a cataclysmic rise after <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/guaranteed-happiness-kiss-kiss-bang-bang.html"><i>Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang</i></a>, and a director more known for being Monica' boyfriend in <i>Friends</i> than for handling giant blockbusters. It's gone on to become a behemoth of a franchise, with this summer's <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/top-10-anticipated-of-2013.html"><i>Iron Man 3</i></a>, directed by <i>Kiss Kiss</i>' Shane Black, one of my most anticipated films of the year, and judging by the trailers it has the potential to become possibly this series' best. Fingers crossed.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3.<i> Ghostbusters</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHhzxVNMorLTVd-MvLLEZXvR-6dIi-zzhZBFz1enymO2rf5UzyyeulxFFNxw00M_FO7n855Nb3Uh_QnH_583xpC2Hz8q4v-zI8g4j35Re-Y6Bl7cWoSPjbI9kfbep4Wvu9Ba_8IS606zP/s1600/Ghostbusters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHhzxVNMorLTVd-MvLLEZXvR-6dIi-zzhZBFz1enymO2rf5UzyyeulxFFNxw00M_FO7n855Nb3Uh_QnH_583xpC2Hz8q4v-zI8g4j35Re-Y6Bl7cWoSPjbI9kfbep4Wvu9Ba_8IS606zP/s320/Ghostbusters.jpg" width="320" /></a>Duh-nuh-nerner-nerrnerr, duhnuh-nuhna-nuh-nerr-nerr, it's the quintessential classic 80s theme tune, to the quintessential 80s sci-fi-comedy. Ray Parker Jr. crafted arguably the most iconic film of the decade, with one of the greatest videos to boot as he finally admitted to an increasingly demanding world that bustin' did indeed make him feel good. As for the film, well I'd like to think I didn't have to explain what it is about Ghostbusters that makes it so incredible, but for me it isn't necessarily Bill Murray's sarcastic yet horny Peter Venkman, or Harold Ramis' Spock-lite Egon Spengler, or even Rick Moranis' nerd-king Louis Tully. No, it's Dan Aykroyd and his boyish sense of wonder at everything as Raymond Stantz. The scene when they first look at the fire station as a possible base for their paranormal investigations and he discovers the pole makes me smile so much, every time. Whilst the song was deservedly nominated for an Oscar, it was criminally beat out by Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You. Did he have Chevy Chase, John Candy, George Wendt, Jeffrey Tambor and Peter Falk in his video? I think not.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/disney-weekend.html"><i>Beauty and the Beast</i></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eCiBqLenvvB9lS8S84lEFkR85PlCwxERGpIfS8gNhPnCYGjxaPLs3Vl7-h8fE37E7iBQc5yeYFhdJ8L1o2VOrOiWQyP1UwrecBJmb43dDLuGq7ZFXeZuqMOJl6-XHhGYtIfMYlKs26II/s1600/Beauty+and+the+Beast+Belle+head+on+Beast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eCiBqLenvvB9lS8S84lEFkR85PlCwxERGpIfS8gNhPnCYGjxaPLs3Vl7-h8fE37E7iBQc5yeYFhdJ8L1o2VOrOiWQyP1UwrecBJmb43dDLuGq7ZFXeZuqMOJl6-XHhGYtIfMYlKs26II/s320/Beauty+and+the+Beast+Belle+head+on+Beast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The second greatest non-Pixar animated Disney film (after <i>The Lion King</i>, which had it been named <i>The Circle of Life</i> would easily be my number one), Beauty and The Beast is a film that I have no shame in admitting I love, despite it not only being for kids, but predominantly female ones at that. Unfortunately, the title song (sung by Angela Lansbury's teapot, Mrs. Potts) takes place at one of the most soppy and sentimental moments of the film, but almost everything up to that point, from the marvellously chauvinistic Gaston ("As a specimen, yes, I'm intiiiiiimidaaaaaaating") to the antics of the anthropomorphised inhabitants of the Beast's mansion, this is a film it's hard not to love. Plus the animation is belle - sorry, beautiful - and there's actually a strong female character at the centre who steadfastly doesn't want to give it all up and marry the town hunk. Granted, by the end she has suffered from Stockholm's Syndrome and fallen for the hideous creature keeping her captive in exchange for her father's freedom, but y'know, people can go crazy when they're incarcerated.</div>
<br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1. <i>Goldfinger</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrm224QxYw_lgT9CIAZtjJv6SJEnCaJ1vQc9ILkI_PzuAh3VYpPCCu1TTzs_LhU-tVJ5C6bE3OuOFCw7pavUJ6-dsuNCjX0h-ywNAWw1RxwnhcHPVO4A4FsaroxtWMX1Zk0esYm7uNdKoh/s1600/goldfinger_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrm224QxYw_lgT9CIAZtjJv6SJEnCaJ1vQc9ILkI_PzuAh3VYpPCCu1TTzs_LhU-tVJ5C6bE3OuOFCw7pavUJ6-dsuNCjX0h-ywNAWw1RxwnhcHPVO4A4FsaroxtWMX1Zk0esYm7uNdKoh/s320/goldfinger_01.jpg" width="320" /></a>Well I never said that Bond wasn't going to reappear on the list, did I? What did you think was going to be number one? <i>Bad Boys</i>? <i>The Sweetest Thing</i>? <i>Convoy</i>? No, of course it's <i>Goldfinger</i>, as bellowed by Dame Shirley Bassey in a window-shaking song that, if played loud enough, would probably be able to radiate Fort Knox's gold on it's own, without the need for any atomic devices. As for the film, well it's obviously my favourite Bond picture, with the greatest henchman in Harold Sakata's Oddjob, the barmiest villain's plan, the most ridiculous Bond girl name (Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore) and a woman being killed by being sprayed in gold. Plus, there's the iconic, oft-quoted moment with the laser, and Sean Connery on top form. Perfection.</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-78622099926701666982013-03-14T22:51:00.003+00:002013-03-15T08:52:46.804+00:00Hideous Kinky<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_kbqsoKCnTDFkZPMgu-WL9a6eiINct4FSVvIcxXxfIUQqkganUN76dQG4JE1RHJF69ob-TqERnm-c9yy2fK7jyxxA4hKaNLblyzDQ5MEWBP-r_GbwW7L2RPgTQoWwF7ZxIriG0OIi7aq/s1600/hideous-kinky_420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_kbqsoKCnTDFkZPMgu-WL9a6eiINct4FSVvIcxXxfIUQqkganUN76dQG4JE1RHJF69ob-TqERnm-c9yy2fK7jyxxA4hKaNLblyzDQ5MEWBP-r_GbwW7L2RPgTQoWwF7ZxIriG0OIi7aq/s320/hideous-kinky_420.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Julia (Kate Winslet) has upped sticks from her one-bedroom London flat and moved to Marrakech after her partner cheated on her and left. Accompanying Julia are her two daughters, seven year old Bea (Bella Riza) and five year old Lucy (Carrie Mullan). Whilst in Morocco, Julia runs into financial difficulties and seeks romance, eventually finding it with street acrobat/quarry labourer Bilal (<a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/la-haine.html"><i>La Haine</i></a>'s Said Taghmaoui), before continuing to travel around the foreign lands with her children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've not discussed it yet on this here blog, but as I mentioned on the most recent episode of the <a href="http://www.largeassmovieblogs.com/podcasts/lambcast/">Lambcast</a>, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's Oscars, the first I've ever sat through due to living in a country where they aren't shown at a sensible hour (1:00-5:00am on a Monday morning) or a readily available channel (Sky Movies, which I don't have). The highlight for me, and many similarly immature individuals, was host Seth MacFarlane's introductory monologue, in which he very correctly pointed out that Kate Winslet has a knack, and some would say a talent, for getting <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/jude.html">her</a> <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/titanic.html">boobs</a> <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/holy-smoke.html">out</a> <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/quills.html">in</a> <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/iris.html">films</a>. So when we sat down to watch a film starring Kate Winslet and called <i>Hideous Kinky</i>, I paused the film at the very start and made a bet with Aisha as to how far into the film we'd get before this English treasure would unveil her own English treasures. Aisha said 15 minutes, and I opted for either the film opening on her in the nude, or vast expanses of her flesh becoming highly visible at around the 25 minute mark. Technically, we were both correct, as although Winslet was indeed naked for the opening shot, she was lying on her front with the fun parts all covered up. These parts were later revealed almost exactly on the fifteenth minute, so points go to my better half for this round.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anyway, mammary-based gambling aside, what of the film? Well, to put it bluntly, I wasn't a fan. The main problem here is a severe lack of plot, with the narrative instead taking on a more chapter-based structure as Julia and her kids muddle through one mini-adventure or overcome some dilemma or other, before moving onto the next one. There isn't a strong narrative drive, other than the gradual disintegration of the already fractured family unit. Early on, it would seem that this is just another fairly standard rom-com between Julia and Bilal, but one that just happens to be set in northern Africa as opposed to east London or L.A., but after visiting Bilal's village his little sub-strand is soon dismissed in favour of, well nothing much, really. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Often the film felt like one long montage sequence. Initially, Julia needs money as her eldest daughter, Bea, wants to go to school, which requires a uniform, which requires money. Seconds later, in the next scene, Julia has a job working as a translator for a poet, and seconds after that Bea is returning from her first day of Moroccan education. It's not long until Julia doesn't have a job once more - the poet only needed her for ten translations - and Julia must resort to selling things she has knitted instead. This sort of thing happens almost non-stop throughout the film, and elsewhere there is a severe lack of exposition to explain even slightly what is going on, as though you're flicking through someone's holiday photos without them there to describe what is going on. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGW41Nll6SbLLwZGaZLwaWJvaCprhN8VVouoUQk2uF3XlPuaa0zLvgRB7osw1ukcgZ_ruzDA2h0vY2ygNRYwGRlH9_bit63Xl94YYAhe7ZzOIlejbgYlOAZppcfgahTa7pLSPr-KjGb3uV/s1600/brhk005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTPjI3gWeZFKpSk9jz8GuquzKAAsqui_waC5JX4iZo3TjotI-GEbVscT_WRF13LoL-Vk57x3NQCYdUABgMdFAnD3gtLrW7fFhmJE9gDzsJ_XqmY6IPu3MC_Mk3aETMDWun7dD7Ck231iu/s1600/brhk005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTPjI3gWeZFKpSk9jz8GuquzKAAsqui_waC5JX4iZo3TjotI-GEbVscT_WRF13LoL-Vk57x3NQCYdUABgMdFAnD3gtLrW7fFhmJE9gDzsJ_XqmY6IPu3MC_Mk3aETMDWun7dD7Ck231iu/s1600/brhk005.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apparently, the film is supposedly told from the perspective of Julia's youngest child, Lucy, which would explain the disjointed nature and lack of explanation, as how much of the world does a five year old truly understand, especially when that world consists of an emotionally disorientated hippy mother amidst completely unfamiliar surroundings. If this is the case then it is an effective storytelling technique, but it isn't one that I approved of, as I kept thinking I'd fallen asleep and missed several minutes of what must have been crucial plot points that, upon inspection, didn't actually exist. The plot did pick up a little towards the end, but even then what could have become intense or frantic sequences were resolved far too quickly, removing any sense of tension or captivation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The highlight for me came in certain elements of the soundtrack, when both America's Horse With No Name and Queen's Somebody To Love played, as these are both songs I love. Other than that, there isn't a great deal I can say about the film that is in any way complimentary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose life 3/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-113310809391796712013-03-11T21:21:00.000+00:002013-03-12T09:10:54.378+00:00The Skin Game<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7YLk7332zcShwOz0b3NPLBa16YrlvZyNMZj9eVTT4wn9L96BtHlLDam8qkmGi5NaIYpRY6POKtGeH2VXnS2NxkgkZ8xGhCcGoyF6YBPRH3SN_VUJGQy8wLwgfZJuhHNvCwseIs1PCNnB/s1600/skin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7YLk7332zcShwOz0b3NPLBa16YrlvZyNMZj9eVTT4wn9L96BtHlLDam8qkmGi5NaIYpRY6POKtGeH2VXnS2NxkgkZ8xGhCcGoyF6YBPRH3SN_VUJGQy8wLwgfZJuhHNvCwseIs1PCNnB/s320/skin.jpg" width="320" /></a>Mr. Hornblower (Edmund Gwenn) has just purchased a rented house from Mr. Hillcrist, under the circumstance that the former does not evict the long-standing tenants of the house, the Jacksons (Herbert Ross and Dora Gregory). However, as soon as Hornblower has bought the place the Jacksons find themselves homeless, which starts a familial war, or 'skin game' between the two families.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I'll be honest, with a title like The Skin Game I was expecting this to be about porn. Or possibly football. I'm glad that I was wrong on both counts, but when I discovered the direction the plot of this early Hitchcock talkie was taking I had expected it to be far more comedic. Hitch is known for his comedic side, and the bare bones of the plot reminded me of Buster Keaton's <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/buster-keaton.html"><i>Our Hospitality</i></a>, in that both revolve around warring families, but what we have here is a straight up drama piece, which I feel I would have appreciated more had that been more in line with my comedic expectations. There was a great deal of comedy potential, especially when you consider that the Hillcrists are a clan of snobbish types whose fortune has come from a long lineage of similar snobs, whereas Hornblower is a self-made man who came from nothing, and therefore rubs Mr. Hillcrist up the wrong way with his lack of nobility and social graces. It is no fair, however, for me to besmirch this film for not being what I had expected it to be, so I shan't.<br />
<br />
What I shall criticise though is that its really not very exciting. The centrepiece revolves around an auction house, with the two rival patriarchs bidding for the same plot of land. Hornblower wishes to build upon it, whereas Hillcrist would rather it remain scenic. Unfortunately the scene wasn't terribly compelling, and surprisingly for a Hitchcock film it was also fairly devoid of any tension. This wasn't helped by a problem I consistently had with this film which was the sound quality. Some scenes of dialogue were almost impossible to make out, occasionally characters weren't quite close enough to the boom (if they were around back then) to be audible, and the DVD I watched had no subtitle options to be found. There was also some appalling ADR in ridiculously hoity-toity upper crust accents that I assure you we do not all have over here. At times though, as in the aforementioned auction scene, the poor sound quality is bizarrely referenced in the film, such as when the auctioneer's assistant cannot be heard by anyone. If all the poor sound was intentional then it was a strange joke to play on the audience, but I suspect Hitchcock became aware of the issues during the filming, so snuck in a little self-referential nod to either show his annoyance at the sound guys or to try and make it all look intentional. Either way, I didn't approve.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vKabgQy3L9LNWnDdZluxU4EqyEeG1bltLz5dj6-Nj3NZyme1r1sSCgdWQ9-gIeTG_USdH8kdVkxuemikKBYYftaowkCBw_ksqrWL9PEyN8Fl1x25GHMGh5CjDcS9Fb0D2MfCqHsTPM6D/s1600/the_skin_game_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vKabgQy3L9LNWnDdZluxU4EqyEeG1bltLz5dj6-Nj3NZyme1r1sSCgdWQ9-gIeTG_USdH8kdVkxuemikKBYYftaowkCBw_ksqrWL9PEyN8Fl1x25GHMGh5CjDcS9Fb0D2MfCqHsTPM6D/s320/the_skin_game_01.jpg" width="320" /></a>One thing I did approve of was the depiction of the different classes and their sensibilities. The class system in England is nowhere near as divided as in this film, so some moments don't have quite the impact they would have had back in the day. One of the earlier incidents in the war between the families occurs upon arriving at the auction house, when Mrs. Hillcrist (Helen Haye) goes out of her way not to acknowledge Mr. Hornblower's daughter-in-law Chloe (the beautiful Phyllis Konstam, also seen in <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/murder.html"><i>Murder!</i></a>). Everyone reacts to this as though Mrs. Hillcrist just shot Chloe in the stomach after running over her puppy, so extreme is this shunning. Mr. Hornblower retaliates, only for Hillcrist to find some information on his family that could prove disaster to him if it were to leak, or even if his son (John Longden) were to discover it, but Hillcrist is himself conflicted as to whether he should abuse this information or not, as it would involve sinking to the level of his nemesis, someone he steadfastly wishes to remain superior to, morally.<br />
<br />
There was also one terrific shot that transformed a picturesque view from a window into the exact same landscape's photograph on a poster. This, however, was not enough to save what could have been a far greater story. The ending also came about too abruptly, and it would have paid to have shown a bit more of the fallout from the events, as I'm sure some more escalation could have occurred.<br />
<br />
Choose life 5/10</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-32982021420241539582013-03-09T18:46:00.004+00:002013-03-10T20:58:39.795+00:00Top 10 Worst Movie Mothers<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
The movie of the week over at <a href="http://www.filmsquish.com/guts/?q=node/4577">Film Vituperatum</a> this week is <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/psycho.html"><i>Psycho</i></a>, hence why I posted a review of it yesterday, and seeing as it is Mother's Day this Sunday the two events seemed to coincide far too perfectly for me to not create a Top 10 list in celebration. I was a little unsure of which direction to take this in, but then I considered that the mother in <i>Psycho</i> probably wouldn't have sat too well on a list of the all time greatest movie mothers, so forgive me but this is a more negative view of cinematic matriarchs. So here is my run down of the movie mothers that make me oh so very grateful for the one I ended up with, as opposed to any of these raving bags of lunacy.<br />
<br />
Now as it turned out <i>Psycho</i>'s Mrs. Bates didn't make an appearance on this list, as all she was really guilty of parenting-wise was maybe loving her son a little too much - something which a member of this list attempted to take a bit further. Also, any US readers who may have gotten terrified of the mention of it being Mother's Day this Sunday should not be overly concerned; we celebrate it a couple of months earlier than you guys, so you've still got until May to buy those flowers. So, without further ado, here's my list of mothers who would at best deserve a hastily purchased card from a petrol station, if that.<br />
<br />
Honourable mention</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) - <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/indiana-jones-and-kingdom-of-crystal.html"><i>Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</i></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjkIAXoojp5yy2VHwitTl-16loU3k_rK2HcR_OU0GcRdP9nsfvyeop9rq8Uq3mqCZAE2X2vmF3f91v9eo0Cu9gL8mzjqza4sARqHVacaBWYGgT4nancLjs67lml_GFzu6VHECNVytxGau/s1600/Karen-Allen-Indiana-Jones-and-the-Kingdom-of-the-Crystal-Skull.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjkIAXoojp5yy2VHwitTl-16loU3k_rK2HcR_OU0GcRdP9nsfvyeop9rq8Uq3mqCZAE2X2vmF3f91v9eo0Cu9gL8mzjqza4sARqHVacaBWYGgT4nancLjs67lml_GFzu6VHECNVytxGau/s200/Karen-Allen-Indiana-Jones-and-the-Kingdom-of-the-Crystal-Skull.10.jpg" width="200" /></a>On the surface, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) doesn't seem to be too bad of a mother. She doesn't do much wrong other than get herself kidnapped and wear the same forced, frozen smile on her face for the entirety of this intolerable movie. In fact, she's done a fairly reasonable job of raising a son almost single-handedly, whilst maintaining a career along the way. Yes, that son has turned out to be Shia LaBeouf pretending to be Marlon Brando, but it could have been worse. Shia LaBeouf pretending to be Shia LaBeouf, for example. No, Marion's crime is in denying her child, Mutt Williams, of the knowledge of his father's true identity, that of [REALLY OBVIOUS SPOILER] Indiana Jones. What boy growing up wouldn't want Indy to be his father? He's possibly the coolest man in existence, and even with the lack of stability and large periods of time spent travelling the globe in search of historic artifacts and sexy historians, he'd still have been one hell of a father figure to look up to for any growing boy. Plus, she let her son go around with the nickname Mutt.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv201oHI0atxpbiI2_FFHYehOARbUZYf1TlBlFEYbUu0YMiGmnbj3HqyH8Cb-SotOUNDxC_jttJPp-74mpfNTLVR5zahagzG1o6lhFoa7dmtjqDnnrp34y3_eviRlNezP5h7-Xh9IXBG-C/s1600/tumblr_m18f2elaYI1rpf9sro1_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv201oHI0atxpbiI2_FFHYehOARbUZYf1TlBlFEYbUu0YMiGmnbj3HqyH8Cb-SotOUNDxC_jttJPp-74mpfNTLVR5zahagzG1o6lhFoa7dmtjqDnnrp34y3_eviRlNezP5h7-Xh9IXBG-C/s200/tumblr_m18f2elaYI1rpf9sro1_1280.png" width="200" /></a>10. Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) - <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-shining.html"><i>The Shining</i></a><br />
Another mother not really guilty of doing an awful lot wrong, Shelley Duvall's _ is on this list simply because she is really damn annoying. In my review of The Shining I may have been exaggerating slightly when I gave Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) a pass for going insane, seeing as he was locked up for the winter with just his crazy-ass son Danny (Danny Lloyd) and this whiny, complaining bint to keep him company, but it was only a slight exaggeration. Also, as a mother, Wendy doesn't really take much notice of her son. Of the ones on this list, she would probably be the one to cause the most embarrassment when collecting me from school or wherever, and the subsequent bullying from the other children may have been what instigated Danny's psychic powers.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq6udeweL6ABwVjlF9wT8A8n1WvGdKvuhW5-xLOoT7hlFbDfHZBDgC8Gxj_T6zb2fOszVcWR_PY8FAKJVcCk2XBcuqiZjUmrsL_-t-nQoApqG6Gww2BDSYmWtw6sG_gmd5vRX0QsdJ0JE/s1600/t32810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq6udeweL6ABwVjlF9wT8A8n1WvGdKvuhW5-xLOoT7hlFbDfHZBDgC8Gxj_T6zb2fOszVcWR_PY8FAKJVcCk2XBcuqiZjUmrsL_-t-nQoApqG6Gww2BDSYmWtw6sG_gmd5vRX0QsdJ0JE/s200/t32810.jpg" width="135" /></a>9. Ruth Dewitt Bukater (Frances Fisher) - <i><a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/titanic.html">Titanic</a></i><br />
Ruth makes the list for being entirely selfish and expecting her daughter Rose (Kate Winslet) to fix all of their family's financial woes in spite of what she'd really like to do. You see, the Dewitt Bukaters used to be very wealthy, but alas now the fortune has dwindled and, seeing as neither mother nor daughter has any skills or desire to work for a living, the only remaining option is of course to marry into wealth. Therefore Ruth has positioned her daughter in such a way that the dastardly, but more importantly filthy rich, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane) has proposed and the wedding is imminent. The only problem is that Cal is a conniving slimeball with the emotional and apathetic capacity only marginally better than that of the ill-fated boat upon which he is floating. Ruth cares nothing for the hopes and dreams of her daughter, and is willing to stop at nothing when she becomes overly friendly with Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) a man - though Ruth would never stoop to calling him that - without a penny to his name, and from steerage class no less.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKB_X7y61c63pZaG055d4QKHXxZdIvf1fgeGLwG2qEDjtHCS0WLNZ-ayX3VtQv1Ea-x0iTJPCe6u2SOuNY_Ovqf9_vhChOKxHOcrhUbkCNZQNvGvbjRlLpL6AqhCYoh3K4f_RqD6U3vpL/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKB_X7y61c63pZaG055d4QKHXxZdIvf1fgeGLwG2qEDjtHCS0WLNZ-ayX3VtQv1Ea-x0iTJPCe6u2SOuNY_Ovqf9_vhChOKxHOcrhUbkCNZQNvGvbjRlLpL6AqhCYoh3K4f_RqD6U3vpL/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
8. Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) - <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/up-in-air.html"><i>Up in the Air</i></a><br />
Well I suppose its a little late for spoilers there, seeing as the fact that Alex has kids and an existence outside of her jet-setting corporate lifestyle is the film's big reveal - or rather, it is just how devastating this news is to professional down-sizer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney). There were many adulterers from cinema that I could have selected for this list - and indeed, there is still a potential one to come - but Alex earned her place by being a mother who not only sleeps around, but who spends most of her time away from her family anyway, and conceals their existence from everyone she meets on the road. What makes it worse is just how likable she seemed beforehand - she was the perfect fit, that missing cog in Bingham's life that would have made him complete, but sadly it was never meant to be.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgE87lRSn-rxWaf8yn1JOYyvHhn6tEKphloeGHeXCHd1huT4HJL3sg12KtV6EGSGHNuNic3IZjzsnQA5MGBrdSLj48TAhaJsp_hhR82s1jvVPhW9hzjZDtoYtM_4WUIjBWBI3JMSqRo7OJ/s1600/Mrs-Doubtfire-mf03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgE87lRSn-rxWaf8yn1JOYyvHhn6tEKphloeGHeXCHd1huT4HJL3sg12KtV6EGSGHNuNic3IZjzsnQA5MGBrdSLj48TAhaJsp_hhR82s1jvVPhW9hzjZDtoYtM_4WUIjBWBI3JMSqRo7OJ/s200/Mrs-Doubtfire-mf03.jpg" width="200" /></a> 7. Miranda Hillard (Sally Field) - <i>Mrs. Doubtfire</i><br />
If I do a list of the Top 10 Best Mothers, which I'm quite tempted to do after researching this list, then undoubtedly Sally Field will appear there for her stellar performance as Mrs. Gump, who is willing to do anything to help her son lead as normal a life as possible. However, this does nothing to prevent her from making this list, as she successfully hires a nanny to look after her three children for hours at a time, without realising that said nanny is in fact her ex-husband in disguise (Robin Williams). Now, I can concede that there are some men in the world who can very convincingly dress up like and pretend to be women (though I'm fortunate enough to have never woken up next to one), but the key element here is that Miranda was married to William's Daniel for some time (their eldest child is at least fourteen) and yet she is unable to recognise him. This is a clear case of negligence, even if Daniel is a talented voice actor, and has enlisted the help of his make-up artist brother. This woman should not have been granted sole custody of the children if she wasn't willing to properly investigate someone she was planning to hire to care for them.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-jw-atY5hqkuHyEH87wkXZR8RNInMFmQD9Iui2ZqwKAYAgepOsaSs7hyphenhyphenQO44uIQP9pkNItskH7PNPTYh-q33pecgxlu3tnywuzKw-ZKvGIFwvWka8ioRqa1ljtRlU9CN4J83VFRca3PS/s1600/tmpA7A4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-jw-atY5hqkuHyEH87wkXZR8RNInMFmQD9Iui2ZqwKAYAgepOsaSs7hyphenhyphenQO44uIQP9pkNItskH7PNPTYh-q33pecgxlu3tnywuzKw-ZKvGIFwvWka8ioRqa1ljtRlU9CN4J83VFRca3PS/s200/tmpA7A4.gif" width="200" /></a>6. Stifler's Mom (Jennifer Coolidge) - <i>American Pie</i><br />
I've got nothing against a large age gap in a relationship, or even a woman attempting to seduce one of her son's school friends, as long as he is of age, but where Stifler's Mom takes it a little too far is by having intercourse with her son's arch nemesis, Paul 'Shit-Break' Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and finally giving him the one-up over Stifler (Seann William Scott) that Finch has so desperately needed. Granted, Stifler is an ass, and the closest this film has to a villain, but if viewed from his perspective Finch now has the ultimate "Yeah, but" to anything that Stifler can throw at him. In the grand scheme of things, karma-wise, this is only a good thing, but as a mother it's a pretty diabolical thing to do.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuE42hiL3FqHM0mne8baqShKFuXi9_yong_Xy2UL-8vVYsL_Jk-l5MV-X6p_SpSDZTw2Hcj1vnqkkk2HxJHrk-VbJMnEyFYlYW4SP-oUQgeQi32p79psv84WMnkIhwXGZDUPvDYW-X2k15/s1600/Home%252BAlone%252B2%252BLost%252Bin%252BNew%252BYork%252B1992%252B-%252Bmother%252Bscreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuE42hiL3FqHM0mne8baqShKFuXi9_yong_Xy2UL-8vVYsL_Jk-l5MV-X6p_SpSDZTw2Hcj1vnqkkk2HxJHrk-VbJMnEyFYlYW4SP-oUQgeQi32p79psv84WMnkIhwXGZDUPvDYW-X2k15/s200/Home%252BAlone%252B2%252BLost%252Bin%252BNew%252BYork%252B1992%252B-%252Bmother%252Bscreams.jpg" width="200" /></a>5. Kate McCallister (Catherin O'Hara) - <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/violence-is-funny.html"><i>Home Alone</i></a><br />
And now onto the big guns. Kate McCallister would definitely have earned a place on this list if she'd left her son Kevin (Macaulie Culkin) at home alone for one Christmas, as in the real world that would be justifiable enough for child services to get involved, especially when said child ended up fighting for his life against two psychopathic but fortunately cartoonishly idiotic thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern). What clinches it, and indeed raised her position a few notches, was when she did it again two years later, but on a far worse scale, when Kevin ended up alone in New York whilst the rest of his family are in Florida for the holidays. Now granted this second time around is more the fault of Kevin's father Peter (John Heard), and on both occasions there were enough contrivances for Kate to believe that her son - one of about a dozen family members involved in both trips - was with them the whole time, but leaving a child at home when you go on holiday is unforgivable. Even if he is a little brat who probably would have ruined the trip anyway. And to Kate's credit, she does spend several days travelling across America in a van full of polka-players just to see her son for Christmas.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigemK3ElH4msjqlUCVGD_age-T9z2hcXoTUMfxnpWB6Dbdq8Vzys49xAS3gUlHc4E19kCLTjXQAhPIgqXuLvp7IBpXy9rHsCLi7bVxPsxkS1g1ojngHz7BNsFGN5KdU6T9OeQf2ptt3njf/s1600/Kirstie-Alley-Drop-Dead-Gorgeous.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigemK3ElH4msjqlUCVGD_age-T9z2hcXoTUMfxnpWB6Dbdq8Vzys49xAS3gUlHc4E19kCLTjXQAhPIgqXuLvp7IBpXy9rHsCLi7bVxPsxkS1g1ojngHz7BNsFGN5KdU6T9OeQf2ptt3njf/s200/Kirstie-Alley-Drop-Dead-Gorgeous.2.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
4. Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley) - <i>Drop Dead Gorgeous</i><br />
There's nothing wrong with being ambitious, and wanting the best for you child, and if there's a way you can do this whilst correcting the mistakes you made in your own life, then well this is fine, up to a point. That point is when you start killing other people so that your daughter can win the same beauty pageant that you won when you were her age. Such is the case with Gladys, who is willing to take out all of the competition if it means success for her daughter Rebecca (Denise Richards). She bribes and hires all of the judges for the local pageant, of which Gladys happens to be the head, arranges for at least one of the contestants to be killed (exploding tractor) and attempts several other murders, including blowing up a trailer home and rendering a girl deaf by dropping a stage light on her. What makes it all worse is that Rebecca is devoid of any kind of talent (she dances with a Jesus statue on wheels, serenading him with "Can't Take My Eyes Off You") so one can only assumes what a self-entitled bitch she'd have become had her mother's plans been more successful.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufUjuZT1GCnySq-AieeN3VA3yJtB7eHQ0svx_h7QE0d5d57_Rc8MPOs45AOUHVJ6xpsG3xiyqd-I2orrUNniRbX5TQJ9olzqhIxP7SUafcd8_IM4vgUijxZ4diAUpQ0WVEI4nrJofeq8M/s1600/martys-mom.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufUjuZT1GCnySq-AieeN3VA3yJtB7eHQ0svx_h7QE0d5d57_Rc8MPOs45AOUHVJ6xpsG3xiyqd-I2orrUNniRbX5TQJ9olzqhIxP7SUafcd8_IM4vgUijxZ4diAUpQ0WVEI4nrJofeq8M/s200/martys-mom.jpg" width="200" /></a>3. Lorraine McFly, nee Baines (Lea Thompson) - <i>Back to the Future</i></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
She tries to have sex with her son. Let's just think about that for a minute. No, wait, let's really not. Granted, the 1955 Lorraine could have no idea that this boy she is caring for in her bed will one day be birthed from her own loins, and to be honest if she'd thought that for even a second her head may have justifiably exploded, but even so. She tried to have sex with her own son! There is no getting past that!</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXe0CHEPjnfSTGw5Fan4KJKLQ2aqPk3hgaV51wzTdb1D3k76CfmHUVYWO1GvYViBCxKtFFqUeqn1AeUUp1dhI4puhTD93YxvAavhQ-rrwgtIj_pCPFvkMqTCROISiz69kJESJjYB0RCQgI/s1600/precious1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXe0CHEPjnfSTGw5Fan4KJKLQ2aqPk3hgaV51wzTdb1D3k76CfmHUVYWO1GvYViBCxKtFFqUeqn1AeUUp1dhI4puhTD93YxvAavhQ-rrwgtIj_pCPFvkMqTCROISiz69kJESJjYB0RCQgI/s200/precious1.jpg" width="200" /></a>2. Mary (Mo'Nique) - <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/precious-based-on-novel-push-by.html"><i>Precious</i></a><br />
Detailing the actual abuse Mary deals out to her daughter (Gabourey Sidibe) would not be a very entertaining read, so rest assured that it is despicable enough to earn Mary a very high position on this list. I don't really want to think about it any more, so I'm going to move on. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgbQiIgTBl6HrIhHS3WXmBdQ98XhNJ7T5oWq3fvS4VjFbLDWCKZcrWBWEUInBEVPi_a31DSISRl4UA6XEmti4vRMZxUaUjjsVL33r7bP3Kq4pEkv5LYkeIqVGnqU0KSQBYMN9oUBRJIaY/s1600/carrie-se_shot5l.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgbQiIgTBl6HrIhHS3WXmBdQ98XhNJ7T5oWq3fvS4VjFbLDWCKZcrWBWEUInBEVPi_a31DSISRl4UA6XEmti4vRMZxUaUjjsVL33r7bP3Kq4pEkv5LYkeIqVGnqU0KSQBYMN9oUBRJIaY/s320/carrie-se_shot5l.jpg" width="320" /></a>1. Margaret White (Piper Laurie) - <i>Carrie</i><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
It is the role of the mother to not simply bring their children into this world, but educate and prepare them for the life they are about to lead. Margaret does a spectacularly terrible job of this, predominantly due to her strict religious beliefs, and partially because she's a nut-job. When her daughter Carrie (Sissy Spacek) encounters her first period whilst in the showers at school, the girl's instinct is that she's dying, because her mother hasn't told her what to expect. This isn't that bad though, surely? I mean, it shouldn't deserve a #1 position as the worst movie mother of all time (or at least of the films I've seen)? Well, when Carrie comes home, her mother informs her that her bleeding is a punishment for sinning, and locks her in a cupboard, forcing her to pray. And then of course, once all this maltreatment and repression have caused Carrie to develop psychic powers, Margaret tries to kill her daughter. That, ladies and gents, is why she is the worst movie mother I've ever encountered.<br />
<br />
So did I leave anyone out? If they're a truly terrible mother, then chances are I haven't seen the film, but even so I'll take the recommendation. Let me know in the comments.</div>
</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-33510545961114715922013-03-07T21:53:00.000+00:002013-03-07T22:50:48.532+00:00Psycho<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDBbMc2Fv9OTlXI3lr48RhvMOKtfA4X2RNhz2oRn54JeJCm3PedjDSloTueVoYQvb4kMZ3qzk7l6yMSGpIb0IolgXHq5bnNBn2BvunNdMsxHr-Eldh39Teo6zzO082G_JioSUIAhyt4V-/s1600/Psycho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDBbMc2Fv9OTlXI3lr48RhvMOKtfA4X2RNhz2oRn54JeJCm3PedjDSloTueVoYQvb4kMZ3qzk7l6yMSGpIb0IolgXHq5bnNBn2BvunNdMsxHr-Eldh39Teo6zzO082G_JioSUIAhyt4V-/s320/Psycho.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On a bright December Friday afternoon, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) returns to work after some afternoon delight with her similarly cash-strapped lover Sam (John Gavin). When her boss sends Marion to the bank to deposit a client's $40,000 in cash, on a whim she hastily backs her bags and flees with the money, but draws the attention of a road cop during her escape. When darkness and an incessant downpour prove too much for Marion, she checks into the run down, deserted Bates Motel, where she meets motel manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a kind yet awkward young man, unfamiliar with pretty young women entering his life. Norman's bedridden mother disproves of the presence of Marion, and refuses to let her into the house, but this is no concern of the girl's as she still has to plan what to do with the money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you haven't seen <i>Psycho</i> and know nothing of the plot beyond what I've written above, then I would firstly like to welcome you to this place called 'The World' and secondly I'd recommend that you stop reading this now, and go see <i>Psycho</i> instead. The film is great, for many reasons that I intend to go into, but I'm also going to spoil pretty much the entirety of the story, as it would be somewhat difficult to properly discuss it at length without mentioning the second half of the film. Finished it? Jolly good, then I shall proceed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Psycho</i> is widely regarded as a film that changed the face of cinema - specifically horror cinema - as we know it. It is the most famous film to show a kill from the killer's perspective (although it was beaten chronologically by two months by Michael Powell's <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/peeping-tom.html"><i>Peeping Tom</i></a>), it had the audacity to kill off the film's sole lead before the halfway mark, it features a heroine who is not only a criminal, but one who has sex out of wedlock and in the middle of the goddamn day, and it featured cinema's first ever flushing toilet. Oh the depravity! Censors had a field day upon its release, with the pivotal shower scene infamously undergoing several resubmittals to the distribution board and receiving different feedback each time, despite director Alfred Hitchcock never changing a single cut. When watched today <i>Psycho</i> may not have quite the same shock impact it did back in 1960 thanks to how well known the film has become - there's even the recent <i>Hitchcock</i>, about the making of the film - but it's easy to imagine how audience's would have felt upon it's release.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82xSCbB9prrV-eJg08QU307JoV_7s3bdPIy2STNj8w6zUXRHLIjQhNi1WzIfnPztP0nI3uZ37HvifdDwWQCcnGybzny54pj7TGp4gHs1XUzTl7FqLPu4OT2kjrOcGNKTQps4x4IVEWjKO/s1600/psycho-patrol-man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82xSCbB9prrV-eJg08QU307JoV_7s3bdPIy2STNj8w6zUXRHLIjQhNi1WzIfnPztP0nI3uZ37HvifdDwWQCcnGybzny54pj7TGp4gHs1XUzTl7FqLPu4OT2kjrOcGNKTQps4x4IVEWjKO/s320/psycho-patrol-man.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Think about it; Hitchcock had just made <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/north-by-northwest.html"><i>North By Northwest</i></a>, arguably his most commercial film; one that was almost entirely thrill-driven and popcorn-friendly. The only thing that could have led audiences to have some idea what they were in for with <i>Psycho</i> is the title, but to be fair even that is ambiguous, and it isn't until Marion has been killed that we have some idea who it is referring to. Up until that point it could have been Marion herself, or the creepy, dogged cop chasing her, or perhaps even Marion's lover, Sam, who may well have turned on her for some unknown reason once she arrived to see him. And before she is killed off, the entire film has been seen through the eye's of Marion, right up until she finishes her supper with Norman and she heads to the bathroom, whilst he makes his move to the peep-hole in the wall. There was nothing to lead people to believe that they were about to be left floundering, with no lead to follow, with more than an hour's worth of movie left to go. It's no wonder Hitchcock refused to allow cinema patrons to enter the cinema once the film had begun, as how else could he guarantee their complete and utter discombobulation at seeing Marion, the audience's cypher, killed off before them? It is such a shame that this shock is now lost on new viewers to the film, as even on my first viewing it was all but impossible for me not to know almost exactly what was going to happen, and when, and to whom. Alas, I even knew the only marginally less famous twist at the end of the film.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhP6YHx9We1Bn2tYMs5e_ltG-e9br_7Vw9re6TvHP28OmxP6WmhPzjpJKDmZGMbnCOcffUHVzWGVqqOnAGbDaUigOIBJu6vasZ5ojkLjh2oCiCqG8XUS9BTf2e8sOCQLenu-IMuKYZfwu/s1600/psycho1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhP6YHx9We1Bn2tYMs5e_ltG-e9br_7Vw9re6TvHP28OmxP6WmhPzjpJKDmZGMbnCOcffUHVzWGVqqOnAGbDaUigOIBJu6vasZ5ojkLjh2oCiCqG8XUS9BTf2e8sOCQLenu-IMuKYZfwu/s320/psycho1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So can <i>Psycho</i> still be enjoyed - and even more importantly, is it still effective - even with knowledge of how it will all play out? Undoubtedly. After all, you can just look at the career of M. Night Shyamalan to know that doing something unexpected in a film does not guarantee that said film will be remarkable, so therefore a remarkable film must surely rely upon other talents that will hold up on repeat viewings. The element of <i>Psycho</i> that most greatly embodies this for me is the acting, specifically Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. His is definitely my favourite performance I've seen so far in a Hitchcock film (second place currently being held by Robert </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Walker in <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/strangers-on-train.html"><i>Strangers On A Train</i></a>), as he perfectly balances the line between being creepy and awkward, unfamiliar around other people yet yearning for company. He stumbles over his words, stuttering and stammering at the proximity to this beautiful creature that's fallen into his life. The conversations he has with Marion are also wonderfully ambiguous once you know exactly what he's talking about; Marion's mind is firmly on the stolen money, whilst Norman's is most certainly not. It is a sublime, gawky, gangling performance that I feel does not get the appreciation it deserves, especially when you consider that Janet Leigh was nominated for an Oscar for this and he was not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I'm becoming used to with the later Hitchcock films, the cinematography is both inventive and effectively used, in most cases to best aid the storytelling. The wordless sequence showing Marion preparing to flee with the money is a prime example of this, as the camera pans from her face to her hastily packed suitcase, but keeps on finding it's way back to the envelope stuffed with money, showing her doubts over whether what she is doing is right or not. There is also Marion's bra colour, which purportedly emphasises her purity and respectability when its white, and her guilt and deception only a few scenes later when it is now black. The aforementioned supper conversation helped to show the distance between the two as well; never showing them in the same shot with the camera flitting between the two.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgo5MHazkS4B8WKNG_Z0y93SoIpEggG1CHFtumgos9b7-R8J46JACWwRGf1tAGRfHl3kHJdC01_q7tBJHgWZQSdwXzc0U0FPVYoOo52mVnS16q8qs3mrdlXe9h1N9lTnh6zZcuU53A68h/s1600/psycho4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgo5MHazkS4B8WKNG_Z0y93SoIpEggG1CHFtumgos9b7-R8J46JACWwRGf1tAGRfHl3kHJdC01_q7tBJHgWZQSdwXzc0U0FPVYoOo52mVnS16q8qs3mrdlXe9h1N9lTnh6zZcuU53A68h/s320/psycho4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bernard Herrmann's score is terrifically atmospheric too, from the opening Saul Bass striping credits to his shrieking strings to those infamous piercing, stabbing notes during Marion's ill-fated shower. However, some times the absence of score is just as effective, as in during the questioning Marion receives from the cop at the roadside. The tension-inducing music isn't needed until she peels away, the strings kicking in like a knife when she hits the gas. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I feel like this will be quite a dull post to read if I just continue to list the highlights of the film. Fortunately, it isn't all amazing. There's a shot late in the film that follows a character falling down the stairs that must have been technologically impressive to shoot but nowadays looks stilted and awkward. Also, of the four characters whose narratives we pick up after Marion's death, the two that have become our new hero and heroine - Marion's lover Sam (John Gavin) and sister Lila (Vera Miles) aren't very compelling, but fortunately Norman is still around to remain utterly captivating. That's it. That's all the negatives I can find. Back to the positives I suppose. It's less bad that the falling-down-the-stairs shot doesn't work because of how much I love the shot, also of the staircase, that sees the camera smoothly pan up the stairs and rest in the rafters, watching as Norman descends in one fluid movement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What else? Well, the way that everyone is looking for a motive that just doesn't exist in the second half of the film, thinking that Marion must have been killed for the money, is deliciously funny. And most directors would find that a shot of a long-dead corpse with a skeletal face and deep-sunken eyes would be creepy enough, but not Hitchcock. No, he needs to add a bare, wildly swinging lightbulb to cast disconcerting shadows at all angles, and of course Norman emerging knife in hand and dressed like Nora Batty to the mix as well. And that final internal monologue is so chilling! Oh I could talk about how much I love this film forever! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose film 10/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-7483266058718343862013-03-04T22:43:00.001+00:002013-03-05T09:08:49.078+00:00The Perks of Being a Wallflower<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb43yjOCSDNn7KSIgxF0mwuTmQpsw5r0o1wjsXbTspRoKkQUtKdx2w2cMgyf-o3jEO9WQDEs-z1dQNIf3Rsqx773HSIP9owDDxHGhOQv6rtg27GRpTubMrrzKSwdbSojK0mmRfKnFtpuiq/s1600/The-Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower-Still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb43yjOCSDNn7KSIgxF0mwuTmQpsw5r0o1wjsXbTspRoKkQUtKdx2w2cMgyf-o3jEO9WQDEs-z1dQNIf3Rsqx773HSIP9owDDxHGhOQv6rtg27GRpTubMrrzKSwdbSojK0mmRfKnFtpuiq/s320/The-Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower-Still.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Charlie (Logan Lerman) is starting his first day of high school. He has no friends, a distant family, and is too painfully introverted to change any of this. Fortunately when he starts school he falls in with Patrick (Ezra Miller), Sam (Emma Watson) and their small group of "misfit toys," who all help Charlie to realise who he is and what is important in life, and what may have led to the way he is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've never done this before. As I type this, I literally stopped watching this film less than 10 minutes ago. I had no intention of reviewing this film as I watched it, but I feel I absolutely must. This past weekend I decided that, as there's nothing at my local cinema that I wanted to see (they seem to be refusing to play <i>Stoker</i>), then I would rent a few of the more light-hearted films from last year that I'd missed. So, using my still-surviving local Blockbuster and a dusted-off rental card, I picked up <i>Madagascar 3</i>, <i>Ice Age 4</i>, <i>Men in Black 3</i> and <i>The Perks Of Being A Wallflower</i>. Obviously those first three are all varying degrees of silliness and frivolity, ranging from tightrope-dancing hippos to time travelling Conchords, via prehistoric piratical primates, and were a similarly mixed bag of quality (<i>Madagascar 3</i>: choose life, 4/10; <i>Ice Age 4</i>: choose film 7/10, <i>Men in Black 3</i>: choose life, 6/10). <i>Wallflower</i>, on the other hand, was not the simple high school throwaway coming-of-age comedic romance that I'd expected, and so I feel compelled to write about it. As I wasn't intending to write anything about it any longer than 140 characters I didn't take any notes, and as such this will be an even messier jumble of nonsense than usual, but when you gotta write, you gotta write. And dammit, I gotta write. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo5w9SYOjmLKmDT3Ag9j30PTDUqmaSvOQpn8rBQ4aD_8Q083kqwINO20OzCADfo0so1FgFzG0qPzyFlpt5hsX2ZWcXboRSt1oSr4JD55px5_d2l1SY-sACNIRDMaA8WdU0wYi_pae2ezm/s1600/The-Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower-Snow-Angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo5w9SYOjmLKmDT3Ag9j30PTDUqmaSvOQpn8rBQ4aD_8Q083kqwINO20OzCADfo0so1FgFzG0qPzyFlpt5hsX2ZWcXboRSt1oSr4JD55px5_d2l1SY-sACNIRDMaA8WdU0wYi_pae2ezm/s320/The-Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower-Snow-Angel.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As the film began, I felt that familiar feeling flow over me of a film I just wasn't going to like, because the story unfolding was the kind of thing I'd been led to believe growing up would happen to an outsider. I didn't fit in at school; I didn't have too many friends. You remember the kid who would ask for extra homework because he'd already done what had been set for that weekend? Well he used to beat me up for being too nerdy. I was a pupil librarian who got fired - that's right, fired from being a pupil librarian - twice. Well, technically one time I was made redundant, as there just wasn't enough work to go around, but the other time I was definitely sacked for misconduct involving a staple gun that I was being attacked with. Anyway, not only was I fired twice, but I was re-employed (to a job that cost nothing but every second of every lunchtime) each time. Did I mention I also founded my school's chess club, and carried around a plastic bag full of origami animals I made in the spare time in which I wasn't cataloguing books? Well, needless to say popularity was never anything I had to concern myself with, and the early scenes of <i>Wallflower</i>, in which Charlie finds life at school with no one to talk to isn't the most pleasant of experiences. The scene where, on his first day, he befriends his English teacher (Paul Rudd) particularly resonated with me, as two people I spoke to the most during my five years of secondary school were the head librarian, Mr. Stevens, and my science teacher/tutor, Mr. Staines (who co-founded the chess club with me, and gifted me with a glass chess set on the last day of school, which to this day I still have and long for someone to play it against).</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHLswraoINHunzkareMc3UBuvElESs6zsQ2-pBOsfVzEbJW7gDKvRBPnIwzCtvcsJ_T4rBQKdRvgpLDrVK6qdqi4aWUYK9zBlQoHEqhX1vdUtkYHKZYjhtcKHLIUPZJByynHaP8D8fpxy/s1600/936full-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHLswraoINHunzkareMc3UBuvElESs6zsQ2-pBOsfVzEbJW7gDKvRBPnIwzCtvcsJ_T4rBQKdRvgpLDrVK6qdqi4aWUYK9zBlQoHEqhX1vdUtkYHKZYjhtcKHLIUPZJByynHaP8D8fpxy/s320/936full-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-screenshot.jpg" width="284" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But of course Charlie soon plucks up the courage to speak to a fellow outsider, but one who is considerably more extroverted than he, Ezra Miller's flamboyant Patrick, and his step-sister Sam (Watson). At the homecoming ball the three bond over dancing to Dexy's Midnight Runners (incorrectly labelled by Sam as good music) and Charlie - after pouring his heart out in a post-pot-brownie high - has found himself a group of people willing to call themselves his friends. This was exactly the kind of meeting I had been assured through films would one day happen to me. <i>The Breakfast Club</i> showed Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) connecting with other social groups and finding out they were all the same underneath.<i> Almost Famous</i> had an outsider two years younger than he'd always been told (something I always assumed when I was younger too, because I was an arrogant son of a bitch) having the time of his life by running into Kate Hudson. Even <i>Weird Science</i> had Hall again, with Ilan Mitchell Smith, becoming popular and getting the girls via a fortuitous lightning strike and a scantily clad Barbie doll. My formative years were spent waiting for such a situation to come along, but alas I realise now that perhaps I should have gone out and looked for it. As such, <i>Wallflower</i> aggravated me early on as I witnessed someone to whom I could draw parallels with myself falling into a lifestyle I'd always hoped for. This initial snarky cynicism undoubtedly paid off exponentially later in the film, when my defences had been laid low in preparation for Charlie realising that all he had to do was actually talk to people to not be so lonely, and he'd fall in love with Sam, Patrick would be his kooky best friend and they'd live riotously and happily forever more. What I didn't expect was just how emotionally gut-wrenching this film would be, so much so that I very nearly teared up on several occasions, for reasons I have no explanation for. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm rambling like some kind of drunkard, possibly due to antibiotic withdrawal as I attempt to wean myself from my cold medicine, but I'm actually going to try and talk about the film now. This was supposed to be a review, after all, and I apologise because instead I seem to be using it as a therapy session. Meh, whatever works. Unless I go into exact detail into the plot of this film, which I have little to no intention of doing beyond what I've already said, this will not be the film you are expecting to see. Or at least, it wasn't for me. Yes, there are some anticipated elements of every film set in a high school - the first romance, dances, football games, parties, fights - but the story went places I wasn't expecting, and did so in ways I'm still trying to fathom. Very little is shown to you exactly, as we see things from Charlie's perspective, and he has a habit of blacking out now and then, but the drip feed of information, combined with the psychological hazy semi-memory of events Charlie's sub-conscious is making it's best efforts to conceal make this a riveting and imaginative telling of a story that could have drawn far different emotions had it been played straighter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLJJBr-jpbicbg19FHp6QSd_1_eQ55mXyfXEVPxGCMzbXbWWRNWHmyCuc3floX05DlHu1QFO5u8b2GGnKEjpivhqqrnJlZpGGyKc1P9eEZWbsMJflTX0EMaz5Wo9k6eoSiYK8nV3u_1-W/s1600/PerksEzra_620_092112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLJJBr-jpbicbg19FHp6QSd_1_eQ55mXyfXEVPxGCMzbXbWWRNWHmyCuc3floX05DlHu1QFO5u8b2GGnKEjpivhqqrnJlZpGGyKc1P9eEZWbsMJflTX0EMaz5Wo9k6eoSiYK8nV3u_1-W/s320/PerksEzra_620_092112.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The acting in this film is amazing, particularly from Lerman and Miller. I have yet to see either of the pair's well known previous features - <i>Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief</i> or <i>We Need To Talk About Kevin</i> - but I will gladly sit down to watch either of them if the acting on display is anything close to that in Wallflower. Kevin, at least, will definitely be seen this year, as the DVD has been sat on my bookcase since just before last Christmas. The weaker link in the lead trio was surprisingly Watson, more known for being the brighter spark of three young film leads in the <i>Harry Potter</i> franchise. She is by no means terrible here as the flawed object of Charlie's idolised affections, but when compared to her co-stars her thinner character (figuratively, physically they are all wafer thin) is overshadowed somewhat. The supporting cast is also excellent, is a little wasted in places, as Joan Cusack, Melanie Lynskey and the aforementioned Rudd all have very small roles, but then they are all bit-players in the story of Charlie and his friends, so this is just as it should be. I'm positive there is far more to this film that I really should mention, and I fully intend to do so once I have watched it again, but alas the DVD is due back tomorrow and sleep beckons, so it may be some time before I get the chance to watch it again. Were I not still ill and in a position where I must work tomorrow, I'd more than happily put the disc back in and watching it again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is the second film of director Stephen Chbosky, who also adapted his own novel, and it upsets me to learn that his first piece, <i>The Four Corners of Nowhere</i>, seems to be relatively unheard of wherever I look. If it is anything like this work then I sincerely hope to track it down one day, and that that day is soon. For the mean time, my mission is now to find the book and devour that instead, as this is literally the first time a film has ended and I've just sat, dumbfounded, unable to respond. If you've read this far then you've done better than me, because I fear if I read this the I won't post it, but I apologise as I've now hyped this film beyond far loftier accolades than it can ever hope to achieve from the unexpected. So please, go see this film, but do not expect it to reach you in the way that it did me, as that is the only way that it might. And if I've learned anything from this film, it's never to underestimate where something can take you. That is the most pretentious, self-indulgent thing I've ever written. You're welcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose film 9/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-9254467451608013562013-03-03T13:01:00.002+00:002013-03-04T08:28:50.159+00:00The Barbarian Invasions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI8Hsh96Pu-yAEgjQDFXLQxKOiUTyZP2lTXT8CUcYDlOnwCDuKWXsFtXtIaj5hxqKYqEkQ4kusvqn2hAbJZ9WxejM1VWzujeE-KVIgjnWAjs8kvjNJ-XLGzKcKfGjHdPddSfnrvBP1LvA/s1600/barbarian-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI8Hsh96Pu-yAEgjQDFXLQxKOiUTyZP2lTXT8CUcYDlOnwCDuKWXsFtXtIaj5hxqKYqEkQ4kusvqn2hAbJZ9WxejM1VWzujeE-KVIgjnWAjs8kvjNJ-XLGzKcKfGjHdPddSfnrvBP1LvA/s320/barbarian-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Remy (Remy Girard), a college professor with a womanising history, is mere days away from death. His wife (Dorothee Berryman), from whom he separated fifteen years ago when he refused to give up his philandering ways, summons their son, Sebastien (Stephane Rousseau) to see him. Sebastien and his father have never been close, with the son playing the father for destroying the family, and the father being disappointed his son never became a cultured intellectual, even though he is now a fantastically wealthy international businessman. Sebastien uses his fathers last days to reconnect with his old man, and make his remaining time happy, by contacting his father's old friends, disrupting the Canadian health system to get him a better room, and making an arrangement with a heroine addict (Marie-Josee Croze) to make his father more comfortable before the inevitable happens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I try not to research too much about a film before I watch it. New releases will receive trailer viewings or the occasional preview article, just to see if my interest should be piqued or not, but with older films - especially those I need to watch for my various lists - I simply don't seek out reviews, so I can go in as blind as possible. However, sometimes that leaves me at something of a detriment, as is the case here. Throughout my viewing I felt that something was a little off with this film, as though maybe a few scenes had been cut out, as the camera felt far more familiar with a few of the characters, particularly those of Remy and his friends, than I did, having obviously never met them before. The solution to this was head-slappingly simple, as I discovered in my brief research of the film - it's a belated sequel to 1986's <i>The Decline of the American Empire</i> (also on the 1001 List), also directed by Canadian Denys Arcand, and it would seem with most of the same principle cast. As such my thoughts on this film will remain incomplete until I have at least seen <i>Decline</i>, and possible until I even subsequently view <i>Invasions</i> again. If I may offer a semi-blind piece of advice, it would be to watch <i>Decline</i> first, as I assume that during that film the viewer is made privy to some characterisation more liberally skipped over in this film.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VQk6QK8AL4AZvLvs3ojB5ANbFiJwqaljudwkxClWum4tgSG8Hf8Wvm1ptjqgyM7nXSVfxpTVrf4Ne3gxk1cI0f5nhRDNKbrr5J34v_2V7g_cFccXujhIPDwA9AGK1yfwavwWN49WtFqA/s1600/barbarian-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VQk6QK8AL4AZvLvs3ojB5ANbFiJwqaljudwkxClWum4tgSG8Hf8Wvm1ptjqgyM7nXSVfxpTVrf4Ne3gxk1cI0f5nhRDNKbrr5J34v_2V7g_cFccXujhIPDwA9AGK1yfwavwWN49WtFqA/s320/barbarian-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Due to my lack of prior knowledge regarding the relationships between Remy and his college friends, my main focus of this film was instead upon the more difficult and brittle familiar relationships of Remy, particularly that between him and his son, Sebastien. The disfunction between the two is very well realised, with them having spoken for perhaps fifteen minutes in total in the past year. Remy is a learned scholar, and had similar hopes for his offspring, but the rift he created in the family caused his children to take a different path, and each is successful in their own way, but specifically Sebastien, who now has far more money than he could ever need. Late in the film he has a house that he no longer needs, and he has no qualms about just giving it away, such is his level of wealth. He also happily uses his money, obtained through some business involving the fluctuating price of oil, to help lubricate the hospital's administrative system in order to improve his father's quality of life during his last few days. The transition from Sebastien's initial nonchalance at his father's illness to his wanting to assist in anyway possible happened a little too quickly for my liking, but it showed at heart the son was a good person, and realised that helping his father was the right thing to do, even if he wasn't necessarily around all that much in Sebastien's formative years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If there is a clear message to be drawn from the film, it is that the Canadian medical system sucks. I have no real-world evidence to base this upon, but from an early tracking shot following Remy's nurse Constance (Johanne-Marie Tremblay) as she walks through the hospital's corridors, the place would not be my first choice for medical assistance. All the rooms are full and overflowing - Remy shares with four others in a room barely big enough for two - and there are more patients cluttering up the hallways, dangling with exposed electrical wiring, open ceiling tiles and barely any room to move. In comparison, the American hospitals - visited to use their superior machinery - are pristine, spacious and all but deserted of anybody but the friendliest nursing staff in the world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For a film about a dying man's last few days as he reconnects with those closest to him, the script was far lewder and more vulgar than I'd been expecting. There is discussion of the friend's sexual conquests and their youth, and of the "rivers of sperm" Remy spilled over pin-up actress Ines Orsini, how one of his friend's wife needs only use "a mere brush of her hand" to make him "as hard as a bull", and how another as an old cowboy she invites round to "shake her bush." I don't mind a little innuendo, and in fact it was often comical, it was just far from expected and occasionally a little jarring with the otherwise more sombre tone of the film. This was welcome come the end though, when I'm not ashamed to admit it got a little dusty in the room, as Remy's daughter sends him a final video, knowing she cannot make it back from her sailing trip before he passes forever. Maybe I'm not a robot after all, or maybe its my weakened immune system (I'm currently suffering from a horrific cold/cough combo).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The film's focus is at times a little uneven, with regard to who we are supposed to be following - is it Sebastien? Remy? Nathalie, the impossibly pretty heroine junkie Sebastien has contracted to care for his father? - which often forgot about some characters until they were needed - Sebastien's mother and beautiful wife (Marina Hands) for example, and having no prior relationship with Remy's friends, I didn't care as much as I possibly should have about their smaller, tangential plot-lines. However, there was plenty here to enjoy, be it the heart-breaking moments - the only way Remy's students will visit him is if Sebastien pays them - or the hilarious - Sebastien goes to the police to ask where he can most easily purchase heroine.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose Film 7/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-38701560961120648832013-02-28T20:26:00.002+00:002013-02-28T20:26:32.041+00:00Finding Neverland<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCgmInP_spzBI8fxf3XelcpUGbPWL8QANhqMLQWRiSEbmY4ChvipHtL8dHJ-cqNS-z4YuYZYvsnBEfTG5jwi3W-S6JDA237JmZbri6XJpCNdqP3kc45ji_59PzfVizybNB7pRpIBbzFsE/s1600/finding_neverland_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCgmInP_spzBI8fxf3XelcpUGbPWL8QANhqMLQWRiSEbmY4ChvipHtL8dHJ-cqNS-z4YuYZYvsnBEfTG5jwi3W-S6JDA237JmZbri6XJpCNdqP3kc45ji_59PzfVizybNB7pRpIBbzFsE/s320/finding_neverland_08.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">London, 1903. Acclaimed playwright J. M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) has just written a play, Little Mary, but unfortunately it hasn't done too well. When his maid cuts the review from his newspaper, Barrie spies Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet) and her four young boys playing in the park and soon begins spending a great deal of time with them. He finds their exploits to be inspirational, and indeed they inspire within him the idea to write a new play, one that children can enjoy as well as adults, about a boy who never grows up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm pretty sure I've never seen <i>Peter Pan</i>. Now, chances are at some point in that period of my life that others refer to as their childhood I was present whilst this film was on in the background, but I've little to no memory of my life before the age of about fourteen, and anything I can remember is almost entirely a blur, so all I know of <i>Peter Pan</i> is in broad strokes. There's something about a rogue shadow, a ticking clockodile, a fairy and that Jason Patric film where Keifer Sutherland is a vampire. So, just like when I watched <i>Shakespeare in Love</i>, there was an awful lot going on here that went over my head in terms of being related to that story. However, also like <i>Shakespeare in Love</i>, this lack of prior knowledge did not hamper my enjoyment of the film (I'm a supporter of <i>SiL</i>, although <i>Saving Private Ryan</i> was robbed of the Oscar).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, giving my limited knowledge of the story at hand and the author in question, I really didn't know what to expect with <i>Finding Neverland</i>. What I got was a film at times charmingly whimsical and elsewhere soppily melodramatic, something young families would probably enjoy together. However, as Depp's Barrie ambles his way past a sceptical show producer (Dustin Hoffman), a social-climbing yet distant wife (Radha Mitchell) and Sylvia's disapproving mother (Julie Christie) as he goes about writing and putting on his new show, the whole thing seemed to lack any real drive. For the first two-thirds of the film there isn't anything to latch onto plot-wise within the rambling story; it just charts the growing relationship between Barrie and Sylvia, and Barrie's attempts to bring Sylvia's second-youngest son Peter (Freddie Highmore) out of the shell he retreated into when his father died. There are too many smaller tangents going on without a predominant central arc to structure them around. It also didn't help too much that most of the tangents were fairly trivial, entirely unoriginal and more than a little dull.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yEX2EDCFq4UfY8nfNLlpLsK82b0HWhVFMwvAAJDFV3Q-szAUfpKoKVsX_Ls9gIdcPdnjS3K5Y8tN2NgQrIwtefbrVPauTf0Z2kMz_I0qjI8LPJW3V5BUQq93UI12LMXNn2ugJSm8sx5x/s1600/16328__neverland_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yEX2EDCFq4UfY8nfNLlpLsK82b0HWhVFMwvAAJDFV3Q-szAUfpKoKVsX_Ls9gIdcPdnjS3K5Y8tN2NgQrIwtefbrVPauTf0Z2kMz_I0qjI8LPJW3V5BUQq93UI12LMXNn2ugJSm8sx5x/s320/16328__neverland_l.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The trouble with making a film about the story behind another piece of art is that oftentimes the film's subject is so well known or worldly renowned that the story behind the making of it is far less interesting or entertaining. That was a very confusing sentence to write, but I'm pretty sure that what I'm trying to say is when watching <i>Finding Neverland</i> I'd much rather have been watching <i>Peter Pan</i> - either the film or the play. Or possibly <i>Hook</i>, I don't mind. What was good though was the introduction of fantastical elements into the plot, showcasing Barrie's overactive imagination. When he and his wife enter their separate bedrooms, she steps into the inky black murk, whilst he skips into a brightly lit meadow of wonder and creativity. Playing with his dog becomes dancing with a bear at the centre of a circus, and he plays a pirate and a Native American long before either Captain Jack or Tonto. The only problem is there wasn't enough silliness, in a story that really needed a bit more to balance the melodramatic nature of some aspects of the plot. Johnny Depp is good in his role, with a decent Scottish accent and just the right amount of twinkle in his eye, but he is the clear lead, with the likes of Winslet and Hoffman relegated to the sidelines. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The scenes featuring the production and rehearsal</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">of the play were the ones that worked best, but again these were too few and far between to make enough of an impact, even with the likes of Mackenzie Crook, Paul Whitehouse, Toby Jones and Kelly Macdonald making up the members of the theatre staff and acting company. My biggest issue, though, was the ending, which should have taken place five minutes before it did, but director Marc Forster, whose career has included the great (Stranger Than Fiction) and the not-so-great (Quantum of Solace), felt the need to tag on a scene that was not only completely unnecessary, but it coated the whole thing with an inch-thick layer of sugar that left a bad taste in my mouth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose life 5/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-3760212152607579972013-02-21T19:50:00.000+00:002013-02-21T20:01:22.159+00:00Strangers on a Train<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA4PbXuRUoldrahxaf74qZHNauYAF2xVE_BTc7_xGWTHQuqotYnwbhhAjRNgCRn5LjuLqixPFGlXGdwg9PKQg5VgsDLdDxSogBd6ZVioEv7iMc49-kN81KmREAFOeTi29cRDB5NwiLlrn/s1600/Strangers+on+a+Train+pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA4PbXuRUoldrahxaf74qZHNauYAF2xVE_BTc7_xGWTHQuqotYnwbhhAjRNgCRn5LjuLqixPFGlXGdwg9PKQg5VgsDLdDxSogBd6ZVioEv7iMc49-kN81KmREAFOeTi29cRDB5NwiLlrn/s320/Strangers+on+a+Train+pic+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>You know how the weirdo on the train always ends up sat next to you? The smelly guy, the raging drunk or the raving lunatic? Well any of these would be preferable to Bruno Antony (Robert Walker), a wealthy but evidently psychotic passenger sat across the aisle from Guy Haines (Farley Granger), a promising semi-professional tennis player with political aspirations. You see, Bruno has a plan for the perfect murder, or rather, murders, and wouldn't you know it but he not only has someone in his life whom he'd like disposed of (his overbearing father, Jonathan Hale), but he also knows Guy is in a similar position with his separated wife, Miriam (Kasey Rogers). Bruno's plan is for the two of them to swap murders, as that way there'd be no clear motive for their crimes, and whilst Guy forgets all about this after departing the train, Bruno evidently means to carry out his plot, and its not long before Miriam has been slain, and Bruno is hounding Guy to take care of his side of the deal.</div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
This is a rare situation for me with a Hitchcock film - I've seen this one before, but could remember literally nothing about it, other than it features two strangers who meet on a train, and to be fair I think the title may have given me a hint with that one. As it happens, this is a much better film than that amount of recollection gives credit to, my memory has simply been hampered by a lack of terribly memorable set pieces (although there are a couple) and by a very simple premise that is possibly not taken as far as it needed. The predicament that our hero finds himself in is one that could all too easily happen to just about anyone, without even realising it. Did you talk to anyone new today? For all you know they're already tearing your life apart without you even knowing about it, and by the time you find out it'll all be too late, and you'll be expected to kill a stranger or be arrested for a murder you didn't commit. It's a wonderful concept, and one not unfamiliar to Hitchcock fans (Roger Thornhill gets up from his table at precisely the wrong time during <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/north-by-northwest.html"><i>North By Northwest</i></a>, for instance) but it is only since watching the film that I've pondered on how easily this could happen in everyday life - there's a lot of nutters out there, or at least round here - and I feel this should have been made more of during the film.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvX6rWe96FXYUj70NzSipZnK4INwgT2FJ6s3-OM-XSGeoLDNqimo-XQnIjsPRtSU9m1vsu8XvgOM0s5Pb3YtTm6D7K_JE1zMDmHuzPSLEdm25FksCwuxpXw9xN4zImTnFr4dQxoF-ji_v/s1600/Strangers5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvX6rWe96FXYUj70NzSipZnK4INwgT2FJ6s3-OM-XSGeoLDNqimo-XQnIjsPRtSU9m1vsu8XvgOM0s5Pb3YtTm6D7K_JE1zMDmHuzPSLEdm25FksCwuxpXw9xN4zImTnFr4dQxoF-ji_v/s320/Strangers5.png" width="320" /></a>The leads here are great, even if Farley Granger sounds exactly like Cameron's Abe Froman voice from <i>Ferris Bueller's Day Off</i>, especially when he's angry. This is more than made up for by Walker's incredible turn as the flamboyant, personable yet obtrusive Bruno. As Hitchcock villains go he's one of the best I've seen - no Norman Bates, but he certainly makes more of an impact than many others, and this is all down to Walker's portrayal. One memorable shot at a tennis court, during a period when Bruno is persistently following Guy and hounding him to complete the deal, sees Bruno as the only unmoving head in a see of oscillating tennis fans, whilst Bruno's slightly squinting, entirely unnerving gaze is locked firmly and unwavering onto Guy. He's a little strange from the offset, with his custom tie clip spelling his own name and the slight flounce he has to his walk - his sexuality is hinted at, but never fully explored -and later in the film he shows just how well he can get on with new people and wrangle his way into Guy's life. He's a classic Hitchcock Mummy's boy, conflicted both internally and out, when after the murder of someone he never knew he feels debilitating pangs of guilt whenever he sees Barbara (Patricia Hitchcock), the sister of Guy's new girl, who bears more than a passing bespectacled resemblance to Miriam. Hell, even after he kills her he helps a blind man cross the street as he flees the carnival. Granger, on the other hand, plays his harassed everyman role relatively straight.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0EW3fzHyi4NbUFfAcRrsSgkDDmT8PXxgZmUitDTKOAMw2orbokfdqzm6QVL56FSOj33Jj8ZRZjMFX9DuzZKOwFAmt5eOYKM32FFv2loc0oWxYvdVt6VPBw6UGp5JjFJ846zZlwXxRHj2/s1600/44457_ba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0EW3fzHyi4NbUFfAcRrsSgkDDmT8PXxgZmUitDTKOAMw2orbokfdqzm6QVL56FSOj33Jj8ZRZjMFX9DuzZKOwFAmt5eOYKM32FFv2loc0oWxYvdVt6VPBw6UGp5JjFJ846zZlwXxRHj2/s320/44457_ba.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other major player in the story is Guy's new love, Anne, played by Ruth Roman. I've never come across Roman in a film before, but here I found I couldn't take my eyes of her, especially during the party scene. She is simply stunning, and it is no small wonder why Guy wants to settle down with her over Miriam. Apparently she appeared briefly in Gilda, and whilst I don't remember her in that I'll certainly be keeping a close eye out for her when I watch it again. Anne's sister, Barbara, on the other hand, became very close to being an annoyance to me, especially her habit of saying exactly the right thing to make Guy feel as anxious and nervous as possible in any situation, especially when Anne's family breaks the news to guys of Miriam's death, not long after Bruno has already informed him.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPqiA1qcAyEbTPbLSWXYxCNinrOLACBkoQI-qTcAR0WRDKEcvO9TN47ywdRACR2v4jUxyDwZxqhZ788bpfi9kPq4IIpqZO2i_ONjPAL0Y2ANjcuPfPAFsQCdHkZUoch9bama3f6_hmJuw/s1600/s05abig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPqiA1qcAyEbTPbLSWXYxCNinrOLACBkoQI-qTcAR0WRDKEcvO9TN47ywdRACR2v4jUxyDwZxqhZ788bpfi9kPq4IIpqZO2i_ONjPAL0Y2ANjcuPfPAFsQCdHkZUoch9bama3f6_hmJuw/s1600/s05abig.jpg" /></a>The highlight for the film for me, as is often the case with Hitchcock films, was the pivotal murder. The build up is wonderfully creepy, with Bruno essentially stalking Miriam as she takes two men, supposedly dating them both simultaneously, to a carnival, where Bruno follows her from ride to ride, making eyes at her and generally distracting her attention away from the men until he gets her all to himself. His shadow looms up on her during the tunnel of love, slowly gliding closer, but the best shot is when he strangles her, with the image distorted and reflected in Miriam's fallen glasses. It's a truly brilliant sequence, ingeniously and originally shot in a way that really sticks with you. We are brought back to this same carnival for the finale, which features a ludicrously out of control carousel that an old man must slowly climb under to switch off, and although there is a great deal of tension, mostly from the cranked up fairground music and a face being crushed by a pogo-ing horse's hoof, the sequence pales in comparison to the earlier kill. The merry-go-round scene also helps clear up that moral ambiguity of Bruno and Guy that I mentioned earlier, when one endangers a child's life, the other saves it.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
In terms of a Hitchcock
thriller, this is definitely planted firmly in the middle of the road,
which still makes it a great deal better than most other thrillers out
there, and it's worth a watch for the interesting cinematography and
Walker's chilling performance.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose film 7/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-13435549346498941972013-02-18T21:25:00.000+00:002013-02-18T21:25:25.529+00:00Zero Dark Thirty<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGQER15hmPGtLyQJzZCbb41CnPU4MugCCVgzG_yzdrErERUjLTNAiamlzzeFziH1Rh6mv2jnLvXiwNc45b9IN6QyIuXhqmm18idi-oSVSJy_CIY_lm1ki_JS6RxTy9unqmhfTemlaNOxJ/s1600/zero-dark-thirty_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGQER15hmPGtLyQJzZCbb41CnPU4MugCCVgzG_yzdrErERUjLTNAiamlzzeFziH1Rh6mv2jnLvXiwNc45b9IN6QyIuXhqmm18idi-oSVSJy_CIY_lm1ki_JS6RxTy9unqmhfTemlaNOxJ/s320/zero-dark-thirty_original.jpg" width="320" /></a>After the events of September 11th 2001, the priority of the CIA understandably became apprehending Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group behind the attacks. CIA operative Maya (Jessica Chastain) joins a team involved with this, whose initial job is the interrogation of potential leads by any means necessary, but she soon becomes more involved with the bigger picture, and ultimately becomes the only person absolutely certain of the whereabouts of Bin Laden, culminating in a U.S. Navy Seal attack on the house he is believed to be staying in, some twelve years after the search began.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Before I get into this review, I'd like to have a little rant first. Near me, there are two cinemas run by the same company (it rhymes with Smodeon) only a couple of doors apart from each other, so let's just assume they're one big cinema with eleven screens. <i>Zero Dark Thirty</i>, a film which, upon it's release, was nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture, five Baftas including Best Picture and Director and dozens of other awards, and was directed by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (<i>The Hurt Locker</i>) was released in this cinema, with several screenings every day. Unfortunately, it was released the same week as <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/lincoln.html"><i>Lincoln</i></a>, and as I can only really justify going to the cinema at most once a week due to various other commitments (like work and sleep), I had to make a decision, and decided that of these two films, <i>Zero Dark Thirty</i> would be the one more likely to retain it's percentage of screening dominance in the following week. As it turns out this was a mistake, as the week after it's initial release, this multi-award nominated and critically-acclaimed film had just one showing per day, and that was at 17:15. I finish work at 17:00, and it's a good 45 minute cycle (including getting-changed-time) from my place of business to my local Smodeon, so even allowing for trailers and commercials there was no chance of me seeing this film at my convenience. Fortunately I was able to wrangle a viewing at the next cinema over from me, but this involved going quite far out of my way, and visiting a cinema at which I do not receive loyalty points, in order to see a film that really should have been far more readily available.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Due to all the aforementioned palaver with the viewing, my anticipation for the film may have been raised slightly above where it should have been. I was hoping for a great film, as many reviews I'd read had pointed in this direction, and the little I could remember of <i>The Hurt Locker</i> was mostly positive. However, I was also prepared not to enjoy it, as I'm not a huge fan of Bigelow's directing style (this blog's <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/point-break-clearly-broken.html">very first post</a> details my disdain for <i>Point Break</i>). What I was thoroughly unprepared for though, was to leave the cinema without any opinion towards the film whatsoever. I'm not saying I was left numbed with shock, I'm saying I was completely and utterly unimpressed and underwhelmed with practically everything I'd seen, as if the previous two and a half hours had been spent in a coma, making this the most pointless cinematic experience I've ever had.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYPoZ2vVJln2qg9wMvd1xeMVgqG_W-v43qbxLrJBrh0fHmXRzMCcnW8TkJeHSTniGKrXG6ueiezZI2JIUsqrDqacXCtRoWIKErkBttAAnE5srjC-b4vm2xsAV_NXXLPbL27VPUHplHSiO/s1600/strong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYPoZ2vVJln2qg9wMvd1xeMVgqG_W-v43qbxLrJBrh0fHmXRzMCcnW8TkJeHSTniGKrXG6ueiezZI2JIUsqrDqacXCtRoWIKErkBttAAnE5srjC-b4vm2xsAV_NXXLPbL27VPUHplHSiO/s320/strong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
So what, may you ask, am I doing writing a post on something I have no thoughts on? Well, there are three reasons. Firstly, I'm trying to review everything I see in the cinema, in an effort to make this blog a little more current. Secondly, I do have a few opinions on it, although my pocket notebook received the least scribblings in recent memory. And thirdly, this is just the sort of film the 1001 book will include in it's next issue, and if I review it now then I won't have to do it again later. Shallow and selfish, yes, but also efficient. And quite frankly, I don't really want to watch this film again.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
So, thoughts. I'd really appreciate it if someone could buy Kathryn Bigelow a tripod. Shaky-cam does work at times, but those times don't exist anymore outside of found-footage films. I didn't get a headache, but it was so very distracting seeing the camera jiggle and shake in a manner that seemed far more exaggerated than would actually be the case if it were being held by someone trying to film whilst walking or running. Add to this the fact that I was sat in a rocking chair and it becomes a triumph that I didn't throw up. <i>Zero Dark Thirty</i> also rivals <i>Les Miserables</i> for most egregious use of close-ups, of which there were far too many for my liking.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtDy-MNulD9S8mEAX3-kH3cOBqdcxP60pqlKT8bcWdqycLn4rCjW5fhY-3FRONyJ-Q88tSD_YBNa7u6Pj1kNCTm3AGgrUXIL_8S76m_-dLv2kPrg_BYEJPUTi-OA1AIPw2x8iM6kQOVhyphenhyphen/s1600/chastain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtDy-MNulD9S8mEAX3-kH3cOBqdcxP60pqlKT8bcWdqycLn4rCjW5fhY-3FRONyJ-Q88tSD_YBNa7u6Pj1kNCTm3AGgrUXIL_8S76m_-dLv2kPrg_BYEJPUTi-OA1AIPw2x8iM6kQOVhyphenhyphen/s1600/chastain.jpg" /></a>In terms of plot, the pacing was good but there were far too many characters to keep track of, and they were occasionally played by recognisable or down-right famous actors, which regularly took me out of what I was watching. I'm fine with people like Mark Strong or James Gandolfini being given their roles, as they added a certain gravitas to the proceedings, but Mark Duplass had me wondering if that was really him, and then of course John Barrowman showed up for 11 words of dialogue. I cannot imagine the thought process that led to him being cast, unless there were several scenes he was cut from that required a rendition of Any Dream Will Do. I also wasn't as impressed as many other people with Jessica Chastain's performance. She didn't really stand out for me, and I get the feeling she was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar (and may even win) because, as usual, there haven't been too many spectacular roles for women this year, but she's the main character with the most screen time in a big name picture. It isn't a bad performance, and I do like her as an actress (I love what she did in <i>The Help</i>) but I just wasn't overly impressed with what is supposedly one of the five best performances of the year. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
On a positive note, I loved the cut from the London bombing to a guy sharing a chocolate ice cream with some monkeys in the desert, some elements of the plot were genuinely unexpected - which is rare for a film about real life recent events - and the helicopters sounded so incredibly sexy, which means a lot coming from a guy not overly concerned with vehicles that don't have two wheels and a bell.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Choose life 5/10</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-57243212000342240362013-02-13T07:15:00.000+00:002013-02-13T07:15:58.306+00:00Last Year at Marienbad<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmIPruO-cbJDQ-ox_hUuQsI-HYn31EBZJkD0jhHddoUZbTvWcTIfTpjG-IqJKnoamxZ7nXjb-w8vNh4khewTG1Xn-ys0Q_CpkM5v9aGTS0J_r1d_sUltpkxibYWuwW-rA9IAQodF2MZ-q/s1600/Marienbad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmIPruO-cbJDQ-ox_hUuQsI-HYn31EBZJkD0jhHddoUZbTvWcTIfTpjG-IqJKnoamxZ7nXjb-w8vNh4khewTG1Xn-ys0Q_CpkM5v9aGTS0J_r1d_sUltpkxibYWuwW-rA9IAQodF2MZ-q/s320/Marienbad.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't know where to begin. Normally in my opening paragraph I give a brief synopsis of the film, y'know, "an eccentric old man invites his grandchildren, some paleontologists, a chaotician and a lawyer to try out his new dinosaur-filled theme park" that kind of thing, but the trouble with <i>Last Year at Marienbad</i> is that there is nowhere near enough plot to even begin a paragraph. Essentially, there's some kind of swanky soiree at a swish estate that I think is somewhere in the Czech Republic. At said event, there is a man (Giorgio Albertazzi) who is resolute that he met a woman (Delphine Seyrig) attending the party a year ago at Marienbad. Meanwhile the woman's male friend (Sacha Pitoeff) plays a game with cards, matchsticks and dominos called Nim, at which he seems unbeatable. This plays out for 90-odd minutes, until the film ends, with no foreseeable additions to anything approaching a story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As you can probably tell, especially if you're a regular reader of mine, this is not my kind of film, and I did not enjoy it one bit. There's an area of cinema generally designated as 'Arty' (occasionally I had '-Farty' to that moniker) that I either just do not get on with, I've never been in the right frame of mind when watching them, or - and this is probably more likely - I just don't know how to appreciate. An example that comes to mind is Jean-Luc Godard's <i>Breathless</i>, of which I wrote a pitiful 17-line review that I've no intention of ever expanding upon, because that would require another viewing of a film I've now sat uncomfortably through twice. These are films where it's not simply a case of opting for style over substance, but in replacing any modicum of substance and replacing it with a spotlight and loudspeaker, with which the film proudly broadcasts its own opinions of itself, how gloriously stylish it is, and how glorious it is for being so stylish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx0O7lQHQlJffjuhnllq65pc-0SnpGuL4RigdCUGV559lXbl2knJ2vyjKmI-Q8uC8yeGybpv3N8lf4xZQNQRC81XVs3KofWzJ3pCgIcmscDJlPznjKdV-1Hd__-LKkSqwJwfYnE1bu2JN/s1600/04_27_08q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx0O7lQHQlJffjuhnllq65pc-0SnpGuL4RigdCUGV559lXbl2knJ2vyjKmI-Q8uC8yeGybpv3N8lf4xZQNQRC81XVs3KofWzJ3pCgIcmscDJlPznjKdV-1Hd__-LKkSqwJwfYnE1bu2JN/s320/04_27_08q.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But I digress. Before viewing <i>Marienbad</i> I can't say I'd heard very much about it, other than when it was selected for the LAMB's Movie of the Month (and how that happened I'll never know) there was a comment from Steve Honeywell over at 1001Plus which deemed the film"crap" and unworthy of another watch. As a respecter of Steve's opinions I duly sighed, made sure it was on the 1001 list, and regrettably made it top priority on my LoveFilm rental queue, resolving that I may as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later, and this way I can listen to the Lambcast and have some idea about what is being discussed (hence why I still haven't listened to the <i>Night of the Comet</i>, <i>Metropolis</i> and <i>The Shape of Things</i> episodes). I purposefully didn't seek out any further information, and resisted the urge to do so during the film, although I must admit that the level of boredom had reached intolerable levels by about 45 minutes in, so I busied myself with other small tasks while keeping at least one eye on the screen. My only surprise is that it took so long to reach this tedium peak, because the first few minutes (which seemed to last at least a good few hours) are spent with Albertazzi's character (none of the people in this film have names, but the three leads are credited as X (Albertazzi), A (Seyrig) and M (Pitoeff, although I has assured myself it was Martin Landau)) narrating how he walked around a building's corridors, the silent, deserted corridors, describing every type of wall covering and flooring he passed, and after the fourth iteration of his only marginally modified description of this task I thought the entire film was going to be like this. Accompanying the narration was a slew of slow panning shots around the house, the only sign of life being the occasional distant footman, and a score that put me in mind of someone trying to play It's A Small World on an out of tune church organ with half the keys missing and one foot stuck on one of the pedals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thankfully - although perhaps that is the wrong word to use - this opening is interrupted by discovering a room full of people all staring intently, yet blankly, at something unseen, and I was put in mind of a quote from <i>Amelie</i>: "When a finger is pointing up to the sky, only a fool looks at the finger," and yet here we are, watching the faces of the people who are watching something, rather than watching the something instead. Clearly what they are watching is interesting, whilst their faces are anything but. It is revealed that their focus is a play that has just ended, which in turn I believe is a play showing the story - that's definitely the wrong word to use - of the rest of the film, which is just another example of the film's self-aggrandising, having the whole cast enraptured by a performance of the very film they are in. After the performance, the audience all begin conversing with one another, discussing I'm not entirely sure what, as we are only treated to the occasionally snippet of dialogue from the various conversations as the camera flits from one to another. Even when it stays with the same people for more than a couple of seconds, do not expect everything that is being said to be either audible or subtitled, as why would we want to listen to a conversation when we can try our best at lip-reading in French? Moreover, why wouldn't everyone in the film all occasionally just stop talking and moving - completely in sync with one another - for the briefest of moments on several occasions, as though my disc was skipping ever so slightly? Later, A also becomes the only person not invited to join in the game of Musical Statues when she weaves her way through an otherwise static crowd. Maybe they all think that her vision is based on movement, and if they keep still she won't be able to see them and will just leave them all alone (seriously, is there any film I can't relate to <i>Jurassic Park</i>?). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c0tkmvRwsV4wOCIuYYoqx-gIF0YTpUQn8TxzN8kK1pIRfq2SuYyGWgBBJlhMbkJqNSP62GqH78YG3R2uVP5oPR8_UvIhWFqE8wbB2eH_bdgsjykzMy9Rk2tZsuS8GJPDlhGtTPi17zrn/s1600/ilyammages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c0tkmvRwsV4wOCIuYYoqx-gIF0YTpUQn8TxzN8kK1pIRfq2SuYyGWgBBJlhMbkJqNSP62GqH78YG3R2uVP5oPR8_UvIhWFqE8wbB2eH_bdgsjykzMy9Rk2tZsuS8GJPDlhGtTPi17zrn/s1600/ilyammages.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I feel the need to accentuate a couple of positives here. There was some great imagery and impressive use of mirrors, and the set looked exquisite, using a palatial estate resplendent with acres of grounds (and some delightful conical bushes), but in spite of its sheer scale it still isn't big enough to stop the central couple from bumping into one another repeatedly. As expected, the woman are uniformly gorgeous, and impeccably dressed, but unfortunately this only highlights how vacuous they are underneath the glossy exterior. Damn. I tried to be complimentary, and look what happened. Obviously there are people in this world who not only like this film, but love it dearly (it now only made the 1001 list, but the Empire 5-Star 500 as well), but alas I cannot see the appeal. And what saddens me the most is that the director, Alain Resnais, has several other films on my various lists, of which I've only crossed off one other so far, the deeply unnerving Holocaust documentary <a href="http://lifevsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/night-and-fog.html"><i>Night and Fog</i></a> (choose life, 1/10). I'm very much not looking forward to crossing off the others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose life 2/10</span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-25718663707463726202013-02-12T22:30:00.003+00:002013-02-12T22:30:27.724+00:00Secret Agent<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogiC0uNn9mW2ubbnAib2Ywlk5tbc9gC85LN-vnoinRXHXa33w_NQ3y-XTgifGS6hGDl8ytC7EPqgKn3sZi90Y4fVMYMedAOUpp1XJQLqWTm4cZlZAnvLfoS-V5ieksSZVtwZThHmPoTyl/s1600/tumblr_m81ohcH9Fe1qbsi4oo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogiC0uNn9mW2ubbnAib2Ywlk5tbc9gC85LN-vnoinRXHXa33w_NQ3y-XTgifGS6hGDl8ytC7EPqgKn3sZi90Y4fVMYMedAOUpp1XJQLqWTm4cZlZAnvLfoS-V5ieksSZVtwZThHmPoTyl/s320/tumblr_m81ohcH9Fe1qbsi4oo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a>A funeral is being held for British World War I soldier and novelist Brodie (John Gielgud). The thing is, he isn't dead, as Brodie has been recruited as a spy and renamed Richard Ashenden, and is being sent by the Q-like R (Charles Carson) to Switzerland in order to apprehend and kill a German spy, with the help of an overzealous assassin nicknamed The General (Peter Lorre). Upon arriving in Switzerland, Ashenden discovers a woman has already booked into his room, saying she is his wife, and when he enters his room he finds her to be the not-too-shabby form of Elsa Carrington (Madeleine Carroll), a fellow agent posted to assist Ashenden, but she is already entertaining another guest at the hotel (Robert Young). The three spies must work together, despite not necessarily all getting along, in order to find and stop their adversary before he completes his mission.</span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I set out to watch all of Alfred Hitchcock's films, I didn't expect to find quite so many of them to be difficult to get hold of, seeing as he is widely regarded as one of, if not the, greatest director of all time, yet when I tried to add all of his filmography to my LoveFilm queue, I discovered fifteen of his films to be unavailable, including this 1936 outing. So when, one rainy Saturday afternoon, I spotted this playing on ITV4+1, I once again rejoiced at not having an overly busy weekend planned ahead of me. However, had I not been able to track this one down, other than a few memorable sequences it would not have been a huge loss, as this is far from groundbreaking stuff, especially with regards to the plot, which relies pretty heavily on chance and insanity to get by. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorpwWVFqcGSyfqkRQ4Q9V1zwOeQcwk-s4I0evmUfB0MimQbEPCo2IsXgdhKXeo_W28_2SCCDJ2Fmtb0u3agMUXt4PMiuhMTi2AIrBHFFFRAoZOeCrTpkcPap-3lsOlM8rP_n00rP3OZm3/s1600/gielgud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorpwWVFqcGSyfqkRQ4Q9V1zwOeQcwk-s4I0evmUfB0MimQbEPCo2IsXgdhKXeo_W28_2SCCDJ2Fmtb0u3agMUXt4PMiuhMTi2AIrBHFFFRAoZOeCrTpkcPap-3lsOlM8rP_n00rP3OZm3/s320/gielgud.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You see, when Ashenden and The General, who does have a name but it is too long and ridiculous to even be found online, begin looking for their culprit, they don't have much to go on until they discover a clue, by chance, which then leads them to a suspect by sheer blind luck, and at a casino no less. Very little espionage and detective work is actually accomplished, which is fair enough when you consider that Ashenden is entirely inexperienced in that line of work, but The General is supposedly a professional, and surely there must have been some reason why Ashenden and Elsa were recruited? One major flaw that I still cannot get past is a seemingly psychic link that a man shares with his dog, who seems to be able to tell exactly what is happening to his master from miles away, and is able to react in a way that can cause intense worry and despair to all those in the vicinity of said canine, even when they cannot have the slightest clue as to what the dog is reacting too. Its only a very small moment in the film, but it is so very silly and out of place that I cannot help but comment upon it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hitchcock was clearly up to his usual mischievous ways with the audience with regards to the dialogue of this film. Most of the exposition takes place in huge blocks of conversation, making it very easy to miss a vital clue as to what's going on, whilst elsewhere discussions are missed entirely when they are probably purposefully drowned out by loud noises, such as the ringing of bells in a church tower or heavy factory machinery. This did make it an effort to keep up with what was going on - it was a while before I fully understood why Ashenden was even in Switzerland to begin with - which I'm positive was Hitchcock's intention, it just came off as a bit annoying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-jtLaNBrYmhuDH0us67V5y1DmpMDPTkXS-rxxDHc9rYt3u3HM-uqbcoEd6l66x24u9f5VEC5ZSdp18uFFUTXb_6qwS8pnU_JT-0gG3w2Ag0cWRzmojjYUNahtCntTKDJf58Ox1HYeDKj/s1600/4862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-jtLaNBrYmhuDH0us67V5y1DmpMDPTkXS-rxxDHc9rYt3u3HM-uqbcoEd6l66x24u9f5VEC5ZSdp18uFFUTXb_6qwS8pnU_JT-0gG3w2Ag0cWRzmojjYUNahtCntTKDJf58Ox1HYeDKj/s1600/4862.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But when the topic of annoying aspects about this film comes up, the prime candidate has to be Peter Lorre. The man has never been accused of being subtle when it comes to acting choices or characters, and his General is a randy, bug-eyed, hot-headed, masochistic psychopath who makes Elsa justifiably uncomfortable whenever he is in the room with her. He descends into a rabid frenzy when he discovers Ashenden has been 'issued' a wife for their mission, whilst he is posing as a bachelor, and he comes off as beyond a caricature, with his weedy little moustache, ring earring and broken English ("Someone did not very much want we to speak with him").</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The relationship between Ashenden and Elsa also rings false, and in fact the film feels like a series of circumstances contrived purely to throw these two mis-matched and initially mutually frosty individuals together, so their hearts can melt and they'll fall in love with one another - only of course they won't realise it until the final reel. Her involvement in the case is almost negligible, as for the most part she simply remains around the hotel whilst the menfolk go about handling the heavy lifting, meaning all Elsa really gets to do is offer a moral standpoint about the whole thing, and be someone for Ashenden to be concerned about.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, as I mentioned earlier there were some memorable set pieces, the best of which were a scene on a moving train full of German soldiers and an almost wordless chase through a chocolate factory (this being set in Switzerland, there is also a scene on the Alps), although the chase does feature one of the most rigid examples of pursuers stopping at the top of a stairwell and pointing in a "Look, they went that-a-way" style. I also approved of the ominous music when Ashenden and The General enter a church early on in their case, and when they discover the source of the music is in fact a body slumped on the organ in exactly the right way to play exactly the right ominous notes to fit the moment. Other than these little moments though, I cannot really recommend this film, especially when the great director has made so many better ones in the same genre.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Choose life 4/10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span>JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072729371563273515.post-16535861974704236612013-02-07T16:23:00.001+00:002013-02-07T16:23:18.325+00:00The Life of David Gale<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWP8eoQRhXOUdqiISG9DA2vQasRy4qF9Q3qV6FWmC_rYksilHWL7VN1F8krZnNrMMmon9fl_0tMo6eXyyMThJmLXngeyX9D_LusFt6bKH8OfXOm8Zk51sad7wg8Qg4eZZ84_lhokwjFPO9/s1600/The_Life_Of_David_Gale_11249_Medium.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWP8eoQRhXOUdqiISG9DA2vQasRy4qF9Q3qV6FWmC_rYksilHWL7VN1F8krZnNrMMmon9fl_0tMo6eXyyMThJmLXngeyX9D_LusFt6bKH8OfXOm8Zk51sad7wg8Qg4eZZ84_lhokwjFPO9/s320/The_Life_Of_David_Gale_11249_Medium.jpg" width="320" /></a>David
Gale (Kevin Spacey) used to have it all. He was the Head of Philosophy
at Austin University, an acclaimed writer with a wife and son (with some
dinosaur pyjamas I'm more than slightly jealous of), co-director of
Death Watch a group against the death penalty, and he had the moral
standing to turn down the advances of a nubile young student out for an
easy A (Rhona Mitra). Now, however, he's in jail, about to be condemned
with the very punishment he's spent his life protesting against, having
been convicted of the rape and murder of his friend, colleague and
fellow protester, Constance Harroway (Laura Linney). Three days before
his scheduled execution, Gale requests three interviews with ambitious
yet unfortunately named magazine journalist Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet),
to whom he tells his story in the hope that she will believe him, and
discover whoever is behind his supposed framing for the crime he says he
didn't commit.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVF9yXwQfC3gxHo6Tz-RjkE6QOVOAj1QY2s4fHBpNZiL5QZKS3LTOWRRad32TwRtaO4Ehqd3YJCQwMRdRgkdi6xD4kLjXk4E4LdWKSzgUuT89tRZRkaS9ko-ZP8qYpE5EFf10zIAZNhKD/s1600/1329337415_melissa_mccarthy_kate_winslet_lg_17jr5in-17jr5jl.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVF9yXwQfC3gxHo6Tz-RjkE6QOVOAj1QY2s4fHBpNZiL5QZKS3LTOWRRad32TwRtaO4Ehqd3YJCQwMRdRgkdi6xD4kLjXk4E4LdWKSzgUuT89tRZRkaS9ko-ZP8qYpE5EFf10zIAZNhKD/s320/1329337415_melissa_mccarthy_kate_winslet_lg_17jr5in-17jr5jl.jpg" width="320" /></a>Rape.
Capital punishment. Melissa McCarthy dressed as a goth. I've now
officially given up all hope that I'm going to enjoy any Kate Winslet
film that I haven't seen before. And don't even get me started on the
fact that I've got to at some point watch <i>Movie 43</i>. I've read the
reviews, and I flat out refuse to pay money to see something in the
cinema that's making a valiant effort to achieve a negative grade on
Rotten Tomatoes. In the case of <i>The Life of David Gale</i>, I was
slightly concerned that I'd never even heard of the film before
compiling Winslet's list, especially when you consider that she, Kevin
Spacey and Laura Linney are all reputable names, which led me to believe
they may have made some joint effort to bury this amongst their CVs.
Well, whilst this certainly wasn't a great film, it wasn't quite as bad
as I'd initially anticipated.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
For
a start, the acting is pretty good, but then with a cast like Spacey,
Winslet and Linney, what exactly were you expecting? Linney especially
is brilliant in the flashbacks of Gale's life before the crime, and
there's some nicely filled supporting players like Leon Rippy as Gale's
attorney and Matt Craven as a mysterious cowboy who seems to be stalking
Bitsey. The cast is, however, let down by Gabriel Mann as Winslet's
intern assistant Zack Stemmons, who does his best but just comes off as
incessantly whiny and annoying. Regardless of Mann, I was kept fairly
riveted until the end of the film, as I was intrigued as to how exactly
it would play out, even though it was clear from the very outset that
there were only two possible outcomes.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxPZy3duBPCEcFOUuwOAhXl0yrFFzCWLFo1jqAOHHu8PeIzyMRejT7XoP1Apbek44bZE_09tmDVDCYtc7Vw6iVYdhiH_DpbkTMCCMyJ_UARa7am2NjlskJBSw-Z2gKN96W_maDQ1z1hY_/s1600/kate-winslet-life-of-david-gale-86.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxPZy3duBPCEcFOUuwOAhXl0yrFFzCWLFo1jqAOHHu8PeIzyMRejT7XoP1Apbek44bZE_09tmDVDCYtc7Vw6iVYdhiH_DpbkTMCCMyJ_UARa7am2NjlskJBSw-Z2gKN96W_maDQ1z1hY_/s320/kate-winslet-life-of-david-gale-86.jpg" width="320" /></a>And
so we come to my main problem with the film, the beginning. It's never a
good thing when the start of a film draws an eye roll from the viewer,
but if you begin with a sequence in which your heroine pleads in
desperation with a faltering automobile that just will not start, before
anxiously checking her watch, evacuating the vehicle and running full
tilt whilst carrying an important-looking document of some kind, then
dammit I'm going to be frustrated with you. Such a set-up; a preview of
the film's climax, can only mean that Winslet's dogged reporter has
discovered some vital yet never before seen scrap of evidence that will
surely lead to the release of her subject, yet she's found it mere
moments away from his execution, so must race against time to place the
proof in the hands of those in charge of the chair, syringe, guillotine
or whatever implement of early demise the good state of Texas was using
at that time. By sheer Hollywood law she'll either arrive with seconds
to spare or far too late, and this is the only real unknown, other than
the evidence she has discovered, making everything else a build-up for
this inevitable conclusion. What this does mean is that the film isn't
necessarily about whether Gale can convince Bitsey that he's innocent or
not, when he clearly does by the opening. Instead, this is a film about
<i>why</i>. <i>Why</i> is he in prison? If he committed the crime, <i>why</i> did he do it, and if he didn't, then <i>why</i>
is there such an orgy of evidence indicating to the contrary. Whilst
this took the film in a direction I hadn't necessarily expected, I
didn't really mind all that much.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
What I did mind, however, is
the tone of the film, which is beyond preaching. This film takes a firm
stand against the death penalty, and isn't afraid to shout about it.
Regardless of my own feelings for it, this film is prepared to go to
great lengths to pull you on side in agreement come the credits. Rather
than letting the viewer make up their own mind, an opinion is forcibly
injected into your veins and rammed down your freshly guillotined
throat.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
The way the film has been put together isn't great either. In fact, it's headache-inducingly sloppy, with too many fast-edit cuts, rotating cameras and flashing adjectives used by the media to describe Gale, giving the film the appearance of something edited in PowerPoint. Also, for most of the story I had assumed it was based on real life events, as the subject matter seemed realistic enough to be the case, but there were some end-of-Argo-like moments that, were this actually a true story, seemed hastily tacked on in an effort to increase the dramatic tension. As it turns out, these moments of annoyance were undeserved, as the plot is, I believe, entirely fabricated, but even so what initially seemed like an engaging and realistic account of a plausible tale became unbearable when a pet peeve of mine reared it's ugly head when a car chase was interrupted by a speeding train blocking the path of the chaser.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Choose life 5/10</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
JayCluitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972011198109066985noreply@blogger.com4