In Defense of 'Diana'

After the countless reviews of this film stating it as the cinematic equivalent of the Holocaust, I went to the cinema to see the film not expecting much from this biopic from Oliver Hirschbiegel. The comments on it being distasteful, tarring the Princess's image and being flat out crap were all things I had read beforehand and as it is when you read the same thing over and over again, I became to suspect that I would have the same opinion as the critics and film goers who have slated this film online. I suspected wrong.

Diana tells of Princess Diana (link here, please read, very important, etc) and her life after her divorce from Prince Charles in the 1990s. Focusing on her constant battle with the British media, her clandestine relationship with a heart surgeon and eventually her public relationship with Dodi Fayed, this dramatic portrayal of the Princess of Wales' life creeps behind the guarded gates of her home in London and into her extremely unfortunate and unfair life after her break up with a member of the Royal family. As with all films regarding members of royalty, elements of fiction have been added alongside factual dates and events, increasing drama and allowing viewers to feel close to the isolated and lonely 'Most Famous Woman in the World'. I think, however, it is the addition of these fictional scenes and events that has critics and moviegoers confused.

People are taking this film as if it has been marketed as the official secret life of Princess Diana, when in reality, it is a piece of dramatic fictional work. Comments have included insults such as 'Naomi Watts doesn't even look like Diana', which, I think, says everything about the mindset that a lot of people, the majority it seems, went into this film in. If you were focussing on the lack of visual similarities between two unrelated people, then a) go back to biology class and b) read the definition of a biographical piece of cinema, revise it, then re-watch the film. There seems to be a certain attachment with the Great British public and Princess Diana that is unbreakable. People's minds are unwilling to accept a fictional piece of film and get caught up in becoming offended by a director's attempts at making a connection with the audience and evoking a state of empathy. When you take a film such as Lincoln, a film that was widely renowned to be historically inaccurate and altogether a little bit talky, if you ask me, and look at the amount of praise it got from critics all over the world, it seems almost like a barrier is put up around such films as this Diana and people immaturely refuse to suspend their disbelief in a state of defiance.

Disregarding all of the nonsense criticism I have read regarding the film, my fears for it were that as a relatively short biopic, it was going to be lengthy. There is a lot of Diana's life that is interesting and focusing on only the last two years was a brilliant way of both cutting down what would have been an extremely long running time, and also allowing those who perhaps don't know the ins and outs of Princess Diana's very public relationship with Prince Charles, to show as little judgement as possible. The rumours of the film being distasteful were also something that I thought were going to be true, and I thought this would be in regards to the death scene that was inevitable going to happen, however, to my surprise the death scene was cut out completely. This lack of showing what could have turned out be an extremely offensive and uncomfortable piece of film shows pure taste in my opinion. We all know what happened to Diana in real life, we have all seen the pictures and read the articles, Hirschbiegel has tactfully left out a scene that would have cause general offense to a lot of people, and I give him props to that, he managed to achieve his emotional scenes through skilful camera work and script writing.

The film is captivating throughout, a beautifully tragic story of love, heartbreak and tragedy, we are taken on a journey of a variety of emotions. Perhaps though, for me, the most important thing I took away from my viewing of this film is to never let a critic, or in this case a lot of critics, tell you how to feel about a movie. The beautiful thing about film is that it is subjective, the most captivating film to some will be the biggest snooze-fest ever to others, believe me, if there is anything I have learnt whilst studying for a degree in film it is that it is rare for you to find people who have the exact same film taste as yourself. Let films take you somewhere, don't hold back because of other people's opinions, and you will find yourself much more aware of what you actually enjoy and a lot more open to the film world.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints - Review

In this tale of love and drama, Bob (Casey Affleck) is arrested after taking the blame for his wife's shooting of a cop, during the time he is in prison, his wife, Ruth (Rooney Mara) gives birth to their baby girl and chooses to wait for him. The film follows Ruth and her daughter, Sylvie, coping without Bob, and also Bob's escape from prison and cross-country journey to be reunited with the people he loves.

This film is without question one of the few absolute masterpieces of modern drama films, David Lowery presents everything, the good and the bad, in such a hauntingly beautiful way that it now feels the genre would be hollow and lacking in substance without this film listed. Reaching down into the deepest caverns of our hearts, the tragic situations the characters find themselves in provoked such an immediate and honest response that the fact I was watching a fictional piece of work never entered my thoughts, I was with the characters emotionally, feeling their pain and hoping for some good to come their way. The fact that the artificiality of the film didn't interrupt my viewing even once is something special, and Lowery should be praised for this seamless feature.

The constant conflict of emotions in regards to what we should be feeling and what we are feeling is something that I felt to be extremely thought provoking and perhaps the greatest thing I took away from the film. We are watching criminals, people who have lied, cheated, robbed and killed people, yet we feel so attached on an emotional level to them, and their love is presented with such strength, that it bypasses all of the bad and we are stripped down to viewing them as two human beings in love who have been separated by an unlucky set of events. The addition of the cop into the equation presents us with a physical representation of the moral dilemma we are facing as an audience, we know that Ruth would be secure and safe if she let go of her longing for Bob and opened herself up to Patrick (Ben Foster), however we know in our hearts that her love for Bob is everlasting, to live on the edge of danger for her is worth it if she can be with Bob, and we never want her to give up on him.

The cinematography of the entire film is reminiscent of the likes of Terrence Malick and other directors influenced by avant garde cinema. Bradford Young shows his natural skill in making a frame as aesthetically pleasing as possible, the lighting, movement of camera and positioning of mise en scene leads us into appreciating a purely visual element of cinema at times almost unconsciously. Everything about this film just adds up, making it one of my favourites of the year so far. With outstanding performances by both Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, I will be surprised if an Oscar nomination or two isn't given out in regards to acting, the moving portrayals fit perfectly with the atmospheric and memorable film.

Watchmen - Review

In an alternate universe's 1985, during the threat of a nuclear war happening at any given time, a superhero is killed leading Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) to conduct his own investigation and find out who is responsible. His reasoning is that an attack on one hero is an attack on them all, however when his investigation gets started, he soon realises that there is a lot more to this murder than first meets the eye.

This film has a lot of characters who are central to the main plot of the film, there are seven main superheroes who all have their own backgrounds and stories to tell, one of the things I was most weary about before watching the film was how Zack Snyder was going to fit all of the back stories and subplots in the film without making them too brief yet not overriding the importance of the main plot with the introduction of these multiple characters. Snyder triumphs over this worry I had, beautifully capturing the majority of character's history, family and reasoning for their actions in the present, flashbacks are frequent and add a certain depth to the characters the film itself.

The acting in this film is phenomenal, be it Matthew Goode's portrayal as the handsome and smart Adrian Veidt, Malin Akerman's performance as a daughter living out her mother's dreams or Billy Crudup combined with a whole lot of CGI as the god-like Mr. Manhattan. Every single performance is captivating and believable, which is interesting when we are talking about a superhero film. The acting is a key aspect of how well flowing and easy to watch a film such as Watchmen, with such a complexly structured plot, is able to be.

The majority of this films scenes are in darkness, lighting is limited and it seems almost an experiment on just how much lighting can affect a picture's mood. The constant gloominess surrounding the characters and story is representative of the bigger picture, the constant threat of a nuclear war, the ticking of the doomsday clock and at some points, the superheroes inability to uncover the truth behind the murder. Zack Snyder made this film so highly stylised as a nod back to the character and stories roots as a comic book and his directing is filled with excitement, tension and drama, as is any comic book.

The brilliance of this film is so much more than any words can explain, capturing your attention from the opening scene to the closing one, this is definitely a film in the higher end of the superhero film category. Snyder is proving himself again and again to be one of the most visionary directors still working at the moment and Watchmen is a classic example of this statement coming true. With everything an outstanding film needs and more, Watchmen should be required viewing for anyone who claims to be a film fanatic.

Peckham & Nunhead Film Festival: The Immigrant & Steamboat Bill, Jr.

In a small corner of Peckham Rye Park, London on a friday night, a group of film fans gathered to watch two classic silent films. With the sun setting whilst a live pianist accompanied the films, the atmosphere was as relaxed as can be and there was no pretentiousness surrounding the event, which I was extremely happy about, the people that were there simply wanted to watch a good film surrounding by others who want to watch a good film.

The two films on show were Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant, a hilarious short released in 1917. The film only runs a mere 20 minutes long, yet is as engaging as any feature of the time, the slapstick comedy is constant and the accompanying piano was so fitting. The film was extremely well received and had me, along with everyone around me, in stitches.

The other film shown was Steamboat Bill, Jr, a 1928 comedy directed by Charles Reisner and starring Buster Keaton. Being made over a decade later than the previous film shown, the improvements in the production of films was interesting to look at. This film takes slapstick comedy to a new level, with the climatic storm scene at the end of the film being perhaps my highlight of the night. A roar of laughter erupted in this quaint corner of the park and didn't stop until the scene was well and truly over. It was so beautiful to see so many (well over 50) people of all ages, from toddlers to pensioners, come out to the park in a cold September evening to watch some old films.

People were drinking wine, eating scones and sampling the nearby café's burgers and organic beers. There were people on wooden chairs, in sleeping bags, on picnic blankets and on plastic carrier bags, the variety of different people this event attracted was something that struck me as surprising, and something that really started this festival off with a strong feeling that the cinema is not dying, or dead, it is, in fact, in the most unusual places and situations where you find the passion and dedication that comes with the art. What a beautiful evening to start off the festival, heres to the next week.

We're The Millers - Review

When a pot dealer gets robbed of all his supply and money, he is left with no other option than to accept a dodgy deal with an old acquaintance and smuggle "a smidge" (a lot) of pot over the Mexican border. With the help of a stripper, a teenager and a runaway, the 'family' embark on their drive and it all seems too easy until they're pursued by a Mexican drug lord, meet an easily persuadable Mexican cop and unwillingly make friends with another family travelling the same route as them. The film is a barrel of laughs, standing out among every other comedy I've seen this year as one of the greats, I haven't laughed out loud like I did during this film in a long time.

Ignoring the obvious similarities to Breaking Bad in regards to the plot revolving around a drug filled RV, We're The Millers boasts an extremely refreshing script, one filled with hilarity and one expertly crafted, with scene after scene delivering the same high standard of comedy, the 1 hour 50 minute film breezes by, a lengthy running time for a comedy, however We're The Millers has its audience's complete attention throughout. With brilliantly written characters, unique attributes and a whole lot of bad luck, We're The Millers is exciting, fresh and a thriving example of a mastered comedy.

The four main actors and actresses fit perfectly together, the chemistry comes across so naturally on screen making the comedy so much more effective and adding an element of realism to a rather farfetched plot. The bloopers shown immediately after the closing scene solidify this feeling of warmth given off by the characters, and after watching them the films scenes become more memorable due to the plausibility of the relationships and situations.

The film was extremely well received by viewers, with the start of some scenes being inaudible due to people's continuous laughs from the previous scene. I did not expect to get so much enjoyment from watching this film, Rawson Marshall Thurber has proved himself to be much more than 'that guy who directed Dodgeball'. This film is alive among many rotten comedy films that have been released in the past few years, the ambition is matched in the execution, if you watch this film you'll find yourself laughing for days.

Rush - Review

With a busy screening in East London full of veteran cinema-goers, Cineworld offered their Unlimited card holders a preview screening of Ron Howard's latest feature, Rush. Although some minor technical difficulties (we were shown the first five minutes of You're Next before the technical crew realised their mistake), the crowd was alive with excitement for what could possibly be the film of the year, and we were not let down one bit.

Rush tells of the rivalry and personal feuds between two racing drivers in the '70s, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Their lives on the race track and behind the spotlight are portrayed so magnificently by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl in this biographical drama that hits screens in the UK on the 13th September. 

Speaking of the actors, the performances given by Hemsworth and Bruhl were absolutely phenomenal, their characters and the lives they lead were so unbelievably captivating, the film raced by (no pun intended) with the performances being the leading factor in how well the film flowed and how beautifully received the twists and turns of the plot were. If Oscar nominations are not given for the acting in this film, I will have no words on the Academy's ridiculous decisions, with the best acting I have seen in a long, long time, I felt a genuine connection and involvement in the character's lives and it was brilliant.

My one fear going into this film was that the emphasis on the racing element would be too strong and would draw away from the characters and other aspects of the film, however my fears were put aside instantly, with the racing scenes never dragging on at all, the less dramatic races were shown for a couple of seconds and only the races that were crucial to the plot and character development were shown, making watching a lengthy racing scene all that more tense due to the knowledge that something is going to happen. Cinematography was strongly considered and after effects used in order to make the races an experience for the audience as much as the characters, the competitions were a break from all of the drama surrounding the other scenes, yet still held interest into the outcome of the characters and their situations. 

The film transcends any words that any critic or fan can label it with, standing out as the film event of the year so far for me, I have no doubt that this is a high point not only in Hemsworth and Bruhl's careers, but also for Ron Howard. Once a director makes a brilliantly received film (such as Howard's The Da Vinci Code) they are often known as the director who made that one film that one time. Yet with Rush, I feel Howard has proved his worth in the filmmaking business and stomped on the heads of critics of the film. This film is truly moving, outstandingly beautiful and so beautiful to watch. Don't miss out on this film.

True Romance - Review

In this 1993 film from Tony Scott, Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) falls in love with a prostitute (Patricia Arquette), kills her former pimp, steals a suitcase full of cocaine and travels to L.A in hopes of selling the lot and living in luxury for the rest of his life. As can be expected from a film written by Quentin Tarantino, things are never as simple as they seem, with pursuits, deception and violence never being too far away, True Romance is an action packed crime thriller that does not fail to deliver in terms of excitement.

There is something awfully endearing about watching a film written by such a prolific figure in modern cinema before their 'big break', Tarantino shows his love for a big plot and even bigger characters in this feature that was released only one year after his magnificent Reservoir Dogs hit the festival circuit and blew critics away. The sky is never the limit with Tarantino's scriptwriting, and the Hollywood norm is never going to be followed wholly, with scenarios put in just for the fun of it, characters introduced just to be killed off and the N-word used as frequently as the name of our protagonist, the film delivers a script that could only be written by something with an intense passion for cinema. With many hints at the ideas brewing in Tarantino's head that would be put on film in his later films such as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, parts of the script seem like Tarantino testing the waters of Hollywood to see the reactions to his graphic imagination. Writing the script was market research for Tarantino, a mere peek into some of the ideas he had for future films that he could take the whole credit for.

There is a disconnection felt when we are watching our protagonist's adventures. Speeding through the US with a case full of cocaine, being pursued by big time gangsters and taking it all in their stride, this film is not one that is easily relatable to. This lack of connection with Alabama and Clarence means that some scenes seem too stretched out or too exaggerated, I tried really hard to understand their motives throughout and gain a sense of perspective but found myself repeatedly lost. The lack of understanding, intentional or not, fits rather beautifully with the thematic side of the film, however, this journey that the characters are on is like a dream for them and why the Hell should they filter their enjoyment for us to feel engaged? When looking at this case, the characters seem to have depth, and their diegesis, although seen from our perspective through a non-understanding eye, is captivating and exciting. 

The film packs so much into the two hour running time, action, adventure, crime, romance and thriller are just some of the genres the film touches upon. With spectacular performances from Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken and Christian Slater, and a 30 second appearance from Samuel L. Jackson, it appears that many Hollywood big shots were more than happy to get on board with this film, and with many of them it was the first of many collaborations with Quentin Tarantino. Tony Scott brings everything together in a compact and enjoyable way, making quite a complex and scattered script into an easy to watch crime thriller, this film is cemented as one of my favourites of the 90s. 

Elysium - Review

In this futuristic sci-fi directed by Neill Blomkamp, the earth has become diseased and over-populated, leading to the rich boarding shuttles to a man-made space station orbiting earth named Elysium, where diseases can be cured in a heartbeat and a life of luxury is lived by all inhabitant, whilst the poor have to live in poverty and diseased on Earth. Max (Matt Damon) is a factory line worker who hasn't had the best past, trouble with the police has made him a target for both the security guard robots on Earth and also his boss. When one day, Max is directly exposed to radiation in the factory, he is told he has five days to live. In his mind, he has five days to get to Elysium, and this film follows his journey to do just that.

With a plot that features space ships, space stations and robots as recurring characters, Elysium shows off our ability to create truly believable environments through CGI and watching the film excited me regarding the potential of both our current films and also the future of cinema. Earth in the film sees endless tall buildings and crowds of people in a dusty and unclean environment, a chilling reminder of our current population problems and rich/poor divides and an exaggerated portrayal of them being our ruin as a race. Humorous at parts and full of action, the film is just as exciting and enjoyable as it is eerily creepy, with parts reminiscent of a video game, the fight scenes are amazing, Blomkamp presents us with unique angles and ways of showing the action, capturing the audiences attention and making the experience a thrilling one, as opposed to one that gets lost among all the other fight scenes we've ever watched.

The character of Kruger (Sharlto Copley) is presented as a genuinely scary, psychopathic villain. His introduction as a hooded man working undercover on Earth gives him a veiled background and allows our imagination to create our own dark beginnings for the character. His face being destroyed and rebuilt by the technology on Elysium makes him seem almost invincible, that behind all of this technology that is causing disruption and unfairness, there are also terrible humans. Matching Max's strengthened outfit, we feel that Kruger is a genuine threat to our hero's journey and the fight scene between the two near the end of the film was one of my favourite moments. Whilst on the topic of the bad guys, Jodie Foster plays an awful member of the Elysium council, allowing death to happen all around her without her batting an eyelid. Blomkamp has villains sussed out in this film, with the combination of robots and humans, the threat is ever present, seaming the film together with an overwhelming sense of tension throughout.

Outside of the obvious themes, questions are raised regarding our quick technological advancements. The idea that if we were able to simple cure diseases, there would be an injustice, is raised, surely the rich would be entitled to a better service, widening the gap between the poor and the well off and resulting in injustice towards those with little money. A lot of political thoughts came to me after watching this film, it's portrayal of a society gone corrupt enabled me to question for myself the direction in which our world is heading. The scariest part of watching sci-fi films is that elements of truth may be involved, this film is well thought out, beautifully written and oh, so thought provoking. The acclaimed director of District 9 does not disappoint with this wonderful follow up.

Frankenweenie - Review

In Tim Burton's 2012 adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein, Frankenweenie tells of a young boy, Victor, who, after his dog dies, finds a way to bring him back to life, when his classmates find out of his endeavours, they plan to discover how he did it, steal his idea and win the science fair. All does not go to plan and chaos is let loose on the town of New Holland, it's up to Victor and his dog, Sparky, to save the day.

German expressionism is a clear influence for a lot of the scenes in this film, being highly stylised and released in black and white, the film incorporates features of the 1920s movement so effortlessly giving it a dated feel although it is 3D stop motion animation which uses highly advanced technology. The constant use of shadows for dramatic effect and characters looking extremely pale with dark eyes portrays beautifully the gothic roots of the story, with Shelley being one of the most prominent authors of gothic literature, and also cements it stylistically as a 'Tim Burton film', with dark visuals and peculiar creatures becoming common features of the auteur's work.

The characters of this animated feature are brought to life with as much realism as any non-animated feature achieves, the movement of the animals in particular is something which struck me as masterfully done. The characterisation is brilliant meaning that the ending is emotionally engaging, for a moment we forget we are watching a digitally created image and connect with the story and characters of this fictional town, even when we are looking at stitched up dogs, cats combined with bats and giant sea monkeys, the film never strikes you as something false, instead it instantly makes use of the your imagination, suspending your disbelief almost without you realising it. The visuals and narrative combined make for a whimsical nightmare that you don't want to wake up from.

Tim Burton's extensive knowledge on film is shown in many subtle references throughout Frankenweenie, be it the creation of a giant lizard destroying the town reminding us of Godzilla, Sparky's love interest poodle donning the hairstyle of Valerie Hobson in The Bride of Frankenstein or even a direct reconstruction of Nosferatu's shadow climbing up the stairs. The references add an element of fun to a crazy plot, allowing audience members a moment to appreciate the influences that these iconic films have on modern cinema.
Frankenweenie is dark, dangerous and decadent, Tim Burton shows his experience in the animation field and lets his competition know he isn't about to step down any time soon. Frankenweenie contains everything you could want in an animated film, the excitement never stops. With quirky characters and an idea that only Tim Burton could write, this Oscar nominated feature is truly wonderful.

Reviewing Recent Trailers

Every so often I like to make a post about upcoming films, sharing interesting trailers and discussing my opinion on how I think the film will be. This is one of those posts.

Film: Parkland

Directed by: Peter Landesman

UK release date: 8th November

Being Landesman directorial debut, Parkland looks like it could be one of the less hyped films to look out for in Hollywood this year. Based on the shooting of JFK, the film follows in the footsteps of some of the most talked about films of 2012, ones based on real life events, with films such as Argo, Zero Dark Thirty & Lincoln all basing their narratives on real events, and all getting Best Picture nominations at the Oscars, Parkland seems to be an interesting look at the effects of the shooting on a variety of people including a photographer and a doctor.

Film: Pompeii

Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson

UK release date: 28th February (2014)

Although the film is released a while away, the hype for it is huge. The trailer for this historical action film doesn't really give much away, but it tells of a young man's journey to save his lover and his friend in the days leading up to Mt. Vesuvius' eruption. With the eruption of the volcano being evident simply in the film's title, I think that Pompeii has the capacity for a huge build up of tension and excitement throughout, and with a lot of fans of Kit Harington due to his success on Game of Thrones already on board with the film, the film should see a lot of sell out cinemas over the opening weekend.

Film: The Book Thief

Directed by: Brian Percival

UK release date: 31st January (2014)

Based on a massively popular historical fiction novel, The Book Thief has amassed thousands upon thousands of fans over the years of it's publication, with it set to hit the big screen in a few months time, the adaption will be highly anticipated by many, and as all adaptations are, highly criticised by many. The trailer looks interesting and without giving too much of the story away, possibly to encourage book sales until the movie's release, looks like it is set to be a poignant and heartbreaking story of a young girl caught up in the destructiveness of World War 2 Germany. 

Film: Her

Directed by: Spike Jonze

UK release date: 31st January (2014)

Genuinely looking to be one of the most interesting films to come out in a long time, the trailer for Her is so capturing that I feel it is needed on this list. The plot looks to intriguing and saddening, the cast is filled with some of the most terrific actors and actresses around at the moment and the style seems so delicate and pure. If you go and see one film a year, go and see this film, I have really, really high hopes and I know that it will be brilliant.

Mister Lonely - Review

Ever since one of my favourite films of the year, Spring Breakers, came to my attention, I have been meaning to look into the history of films directed by Harmony Korine, watch them all and try and get acquainted with the roots of Korine's career in which elements of Spring Breakers style may have come from. Whilst watching films from his (extremely short) filmography (only 5 feature films long, including Spring Breakers), I encountered Mister Lonely and have been blown away ever since watching it by the amount I have been thinking into the themes and characters, relating to it and just reminiscing over how much fun I had watching it and couldn't think otherwise than to write about how much I enjoyed it.

Mister Lonely has two separate plots, the main one revolving around a Michael Jackson impersonator who meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator in Paris and travels to Scotland in order to live with her and her husband, a Charlie Chaplin impersonator, her daughter, a Shirley Temple impersonator and many other impersonators. The group are striving to build a stage on their land and perform in the greatest show the world has ever seen. This characters of this portion of the plot are living their life through the image of their chosen celebrity and in isolation from the general public for most of their screen time, meaning their lack of awareness of the outside world is uncomfortable to watch for viewers. We feel as if we are intruding on a group of mentally unstable people's lives and that isn't something that is easy to watch, but as the running time of the film moves along, there is almost a beauty in the delusion of these people, choosing to live their own non conformist lives. These people choosing to live in their own bubble are perhaps a throwback to Korine's troubles with a heroin addiction prior to the production of this film, the lack of responsibilities that a heroin user feels when he is on the drug are personified into these outrageous characters and plot.

The subplot of the film shows a group of nuns working with people in a poor country. When, in a freak accident, one of the nuns falls out of an aeroplane without a parachute and survives, she tells the other nuns that it must be God's plan for them and a way of him testing their faith. Whilst the film only cuts to this subplot a few times, we see the final result of the nuns all boarding a plane to the Vatican and it crashing into the ocean. It appears that Korine is showing extreme contempt for the idea of everyone having their own destiny, and someone else being in control of their lives. The nuns, who do not even second guess that the one surviving nun must be telling the truth, are ridiculed in their comedic death, they are made to look like complete idiots, and perhaps I am looking into this film too much as autobiographical on behalf of Harmony Korine, but I read between the lines that in order to successfully live your life, you have to live the path that you decide for yourself and not think much more into it.

The film, shot in Korine's typically gritty framing, lighting and movement, shows just how brilliant a film can be when you do not insult the audience's intelligence and spoon feed them your messages. Art is subjective, and therefore so is every film, and whether people take Mister Lonely as a fictional piece of work with interesting characters and a quirky plot or as a film very closely linked to the life of the director is up to them, the fact of the matter is that what Korine produced is an interesting and thought provoking piece of film with beautifully written monologues contrasting with an anti-Hollywood style of production. Harmony Korine is the king of independent dramas and Mister Lonely is the crown jewels.

Another Earth - Review

A young girl crashes her car head-on into a family of 3 and a half after a drunken night of celebrating being accepted into college. The crash kills both the mother and her son in the car, as well as the unborn child in the woman's body, leaving John (William Mapother), a composer and lecturer at Yale and Rhoda (Brit Marling), the young girl, as the sole survivors of the accident. After four years in a prison, and the uncovering of a planet identical to Earth in that time, Rhoda is released, and finds out who the other survivor of the crash is, with the intention of confessing her crime to him and apologising. When her courage defies her and she struggles to articulate her confession, an unlikely bond forms between the pair.

Another Earth is an extremely strong debut from director Mike Cahill, focusing on the character of Rhoda, and the effects that the one mistake she made as a teenager has permanently on her life, the film deals with extremely dark and thought provoking themes, giving the impression that it was made under the control of an experienced director, not a virgin to the feature film. The discovery and uncovering of the second planet in the film serves beautifully as a metaphor for the journey of self exploration that Rhoda is undergoing, the mirrored actions of the two worlds force characters to accept the fact that they may possibly have to come into contact with.. themselves. The awakening of this idea regarding the type of person the characters would like to see in comparison to, perhaps, the version of themselves in which they currently are is one of the most important aspects of the film and definitely the most transcending, for me. Solidified by (spoiler alert) Rhoda meeting her mirrored self at the end of the film, the last image we see being the two versions of her looking at each other, Cahill definitely chose to highlight the importance of this idea both inside the diegesis and outside.

A story of deceit, regret, love and tragedy, the film is an exciting example of the wonders that are capable from debut directors and a true credit to modern independent cinema. The film has received critical acclaim, winning the Special Jury prize at the 2011 Sundance film festival, and quite rightly so, the film boasts a thematically strong script, and complemented by the raw acting talent of Brit Marling, the film is flies by. I was strongly engaged in the relationship between Rhoda and John, the characters were both so obviously scarred from the incident four years ago, and the tense conversations were so naturally performed that I forgot about the science fiction element going on outside the house and was engulfed in the realism that the relationship was presenting.
Brilliantly tugging all of my emotional strings simultaneously, this film presents the viewer with a journey that doesn't end with the closing credits, beautifully written and beautifully shot, the film shows a lot of potential for the young director and stars involved.

The Fly - Review

David Cronenberg's 1986 gore filled horror film, The Fly, has gained cult status among movie fans throughout the years. With its comic book violence and graphic make up, the film embodies everything good about '80s horror. The plot is simple, a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) working on a teleportation device decides one drunken night to test it on himself, everything seemingly goes to plan until strange changes start to appear on the scientists body. It is revealed that a fly had got into the machine with the scientist and the computer responsible for teleporting the object fused the two, the man and the fly, together.

Choosing to look primarily on how the deformation of Brundle, the scientist, affects his once blossoming relationship with Veronica (Geena Davis), Cronenberg focuses heavily on characters in the film, ignoring the cheap scares and pointless horror that is featured in many other films of the same genre. Cronenberg uses the transformation of Brundle's physical appearance, from handsome man in a suit to a beast that the audience struggles to look at without wincing, as a representation of his connection with Veronica. The interest thereby comes in two forms, one, in the repulsive features of the changed Brundle, a physical display of horror, and two, the lack of humanity that is evident in the way he speaks, walks and thinks. We do not question Veronica's fear of the new Brundle as we have the exact same fear within ourselves when he comes on screen, Cronenberg masterfully puts viewers in the shoes of the female character, forcing them to forget the passionate, human, scientist we once watched and focusing on what can only be described as an animal. Using horror as a form of telling the story and allowing the audience to understand characters more, the film chooses narrative as a priority over scares, something that relates directly to the success of the film, in my opinion.

The script is written, with many quotable phrases featured, "Be afraid. Be very afraid.", and perfectly combining science fiction and horror, showing off the new technology of the '80s and also the advancements of prosthetics. This film attempts to hammer the final nail into the coffin of horror films made previously to The Fly, screaming "Welcome to the '80s" at the top of it's lungs, we see a huge contrast in this film to the popular horrors of the '70s, with The Exorsist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween appearing to be worlds away from a film such as this. Aside from the advancements in technology shown both in the film and through the camerawork, the lack of discretion regarding the graphicness of the attacks shown in the film also proves Cronenberg wanted to set this film apart from the rest. In mainstream cinema, people would have been, and perhaps still are, discomforted by bones sticking out of wrists and baboons being blown to bits, but Cronenberg was aware of the advancements of cinema and the new features that were available in regards to special effects and camera tricks. No rating was going to stop him from displaying the possibilities of the developing film form, and with the film going straight to an 18 rating in the UK and an R rating in the US, no rating did stop him. 'If we could now show bones breaking and baboons exploding, the people should be able to watch bones breaking and baboons exploding' seems to be the mentality he went for in regards to the more graphic side of the film.

This film is really, really important in regards to the development of the horror film as we know it. With a strong plot and a clever mind behind the whole project, the film is a lot of fun to watch, featuring 'cover your eye' moments and laugh out loud moments, the film is a staple in any horror fan's collection.

Half Nelson - Review

"One thing doesn't make a man."
Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a teacher at a high school in inner city New York. He is also a man struggling with a crack addiction. Half Nelson explores the two extremely separate lives this broken man lives, and the consequences of those lives meeting when one of his students finds out about his addiction and an unlikely friendship develops between the two characters.

The most immediate point of conversation regarding this film is Ryan Gosling's Academy Award nominated performance. From scenes where his character is teaching history to his class to ones of him lying on a bathroom floor after smoking too much crack, we never forget that the character we are following is fragile and in need of help. Living a predominantly solitary life, a lot of the acting comes not in the form of dialogue but in movements and subtle expressions, when watching Gosling's performance, one would never have guessed he was the same actor as the happy go lucky character we see in Crazy, Stupid, Love or the youthful and romantic portrayal he gave us in The Notebook. Dunne's choices and unawareness of the harm he is bringing to the children he cares so much about through his supporting of local drug dealers is infuriating to watch, the film presents drug addiction so poignantly as a character flaw, not as something that defines a character, and the anger that is stirred in the viewer regarding Dunne's lack of ability to look past the positive effects of his addiction is accompanied by a deep, most sincere sympathy. This film is without a doubt one of the most thought provoking and emotion-inducing independent films I have watched in a long time.

The film is a debut from director Ryan Fleck, and the haunting themes it deals with so effortlessly are moving to the point of tears at times. Fleck fired himself head-on into the independent film scene, proving himself to be a more than capable director and screenwriter and the combination of such well written characters with detailed backgrounds and the interesting shooting style (natural looking lighting, hand held shots - reminding me of Dog Day Afternoon), the film screams realism at the viewer, allowing a much deeper and more believable engagement with both the characters and the plot. The film was a roaring success when it circulated the 2006 film festivals and quite rightly so, showing that you don't need masses of experience in order to make a film that blows people away, Half Nelson is a treasure, one that will keep its sentimentality for years to come and should not be passed up on watching.

The Conjuring - Review

It appears that James Wan took every single cliche feature of every horror film of the past 20 years, put them in a large mixing bowl, added a shitty script and some half-assed acting and put it in the oven to bake for 112 minutes. The cake we receive at the end of the running time is burnt, bland and tasteless. Excuse the metaphor, but it's the only thing that I felt could liven up this review that is quite frankly going to slate the entire film.

Directing such great horror films as Insidious and Saw, James Wan should have the genre completely sussed out. With these two films, I felt genuine respect for the director, they were ground breaking plot wise and really, really scary, with The Conjuring, however, I don't think I've ever been so disappointed whilst watching a film- perhaps an overstatement but anyway, lets continue. With a sold out cinema on a tuesday night several weeks into the film's release, everybody in the theatre was giddy when the opening titles played, awkwardly laughing in order to hide their nerves from their friends or their dates. The awkward laughter quickly turned to full fledged hilarity before the film had even hit half of the running time. The predictable 'scares' (if they can be called that), attempts at creating dramatic tension along with the plot taking itself far too seriously meant that the once nervous crowd had to remind themselves that this film wasn't a joke throughout. I, myself, felt like checking my phone half way through the feature just to clarify that this wasn't a parody of every shitty horror film ever made. Sadly, it wasn't.

Disregarding the fact that it was based on a true story, the character's were too many for the audience to even try and feel a connection to any one of them during the 1 hour 50 minutes of the film, meaning the connection, or lack thereof, we were meant to share with these characters, only identifiable through the fact we are of the same species, rendered the psychological horror aspects of the film useless. I did not care about a single character in this film, in fact, I was hoping a few of them would die off in order for me to possibly remember the names of some of them, sadly my wishes weren't granted. Without psychological scares, we are left with jump scares, and jump scares only to scare us, and giving them the credit they deserve, there were a few shouts from unsuspecting audience members who had quite clearly never seen a horror film before and were not aware of the lack of originality in the build up to these events, but for the most part, there were no surprises in the hands, faces and slamming doors meant to shock viewers.

Following another of the popular features of horror at the moment, The Conjuring uses home video cameras in order to give us a more edgy view of the events occurring. Whether the effect of these clips was to make us feel more intimate with the characters and closer to the events occurring, or whether they were used in order to give the audience a genuine headache (only one of which was effective), I don't know, however the only thing displayed to me through this feature was once again the unoriginality of the whole project.

I understand the one sided-ness of this review, but I honestly cannot remember any redeeming qualities the film offered besides the ending, which I thought was shot so poignantly and was moving, it's a shame that I had no interest in any of the character's well beings after I had just sat through almost two hours of garbage. The film is full of cheap thrills and is no different from any of the other bad horror films being produced at the moment, therefore it is not to say that people who enjoyed films such as The Purge or Texas Chainsaw 3D will not be mind blown by this feature, but for me, it didn't really cut it. Perhaps my expectations were too high from the director's previous works and the circulating reviews I happened to read before watching it, or perhaps I am missing something that most other bloggers and critics are picking up on, the fact of the matter is that I gained nothing from watching this film except a whole lot of laughter.

(I do really, really, dislike writing bad reviews and will rarely post on a film that I saw no good in, but before I went and watched The Conjuring I was dead set on writing something about it because I was expecting something so brilliant, but go and see the film, watch it and make your own mind up, prove me wrong, tell me about all the ways in which the film excited you, scared you and was original, I am such an open minded person that I enjoy listening and reading other people's views on the film).

My letterbox'd review summarises this post for those who did not read it all:

Hitchcock Statistics: Happy Birthday Sir Alfred Hitchcock

In honour of my favourite (and the most flawless) director there ever was, Alfred Hitchcock's, birthday, I found some interesting statistical Alfred Hitchcock information posters. 

Happy birthday Hitch, my life would most definitely not be the same without you.

Deconstructing The Machinist

When a films ending features some kind of ambiguity, one of my favourite things to do is read people's thoughts on the meaning behind certain aspects of the movie, and with The Machinist's ending leaving many stones unturned, it is a fun one to discuss.
This is the obvious spoiler alert. This post will contain key plot points of the film, if you haven't seen it, I suggest you watch the film and then come back to read.

The first point of discussion is the character of Ivan. The only thing Trevor says in regards to who the character is, is "I know who you are". I think it is fairly certain that Ivan is some sort of physical representation of Trevor's conscience after killing the child. Weaving through red lights with no reactions from cars of pedestrians, nobody knowing who he is in the place he claims to work, it is obvious that only Trevor can see him. Whether he is a hallucination due to his lack of sleep and clearly deteriorating health, or whether Trevor is a schizophrenic are both topics left for viewer discussion, all we know is that the character is only important to Trevor.

A more interesting discussion arises when the question of whether Trevor is already dead during the whole film, and is in purgatory whilst he is denying his sins. Some of the main causes for this theory are the flashback scene after he hits Nicholas with his car. We see Trevor driving away, driving through the same tunnel we have seen him drive before, he is driving in his red car towards a white light (the light of the day outside the tunnel). Previously in the film, he is following Ivan in the red car, and almost crashes, then his truck stops working and he is forced to pull over to the side of the road. Was this near crash an actual crash when Trevor was alive? Hence why he cannot drive any further, is he bound to the area in which he committed his crime, being reminded constantly and prompted to confess to his sins? The car crash point is solidified when Trevor goes to the police in order to track down the address of the red car's numberplate and they tell him that he totalled the car in a wreck.

The Route 666 ride can be seen as representing Trevor's life, with a car wreck, a dead body on the ground and numerous other things, it is obvious that Trevor is extremely uncomfortable in the wreck, being reminded of the parts of his life in which he chooses not to remember. The ending of the ride, choosing the Highway to Hell or the Road to Salvation is a reminder to Trevor of the choices he has to make as a person, and when he tells Nicholas to choose the Road to Salvation and Nicholas chooses the opposite, it shows us that Trevor cannot just take a backseat (in this case, the backseat represents not being in control and responsible for his actions) and take the Road to Salvation, in order to get rid of the terror that haunts him he needs to become responsible.

The final shots of Trevor being escorted to his police cell with his desire to sleep, something he was unable to do in the purgatory he was in, shows he has acted and chosen to take the Road to Salvation. The entirely white room seems almost a heaven, and his overwhelming desire to sleep due to the conscience being taken off his back shows that whatever stage he was just in is now over.

Midnight in Paris - Review

A writer's wet dream come true, in Midnight in Paris, Gil (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter and hopeful novelist is holidaying in Paris with his fiancé and her family. When, on a stroll around the midnight streets of the city, he is invited into a car full of people and taken to a party, he quickly realises he has travelled back in time to his image of the 'Golden Age', 1920s Paris. Partying with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, meeting Ernest Hemingway, Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dali and Man Ray in a bar and having Gertrude Stein critique his writing whilst arguing with Pablo Picasso, Gil is having the time of his life, which continues when he meets, and is attracted to, Adriana, a French girl living in the 20s. When the confusion of living in two moments in time becomes too much and they start interfering with each other, Gil is forced to choose between the time of his life or his real life.

The originality and playfulness of the script is one of the main factors which makes this film as enjoyable as it is. I'm sure Woody Allen had the most fun of his career re-writing historical figures to be just like any other characters in his film, and the relationships between the fictional characters, that is, those made completely from Allen's imagination, and the characters based on important artists and author's, is humbling, showing a humanisation of these names that are drilled into all of us during our time at school. Our knowledge of the figures presented prior to the film is a pulling factor in regards to us wanting to know more about them as minor characters on Gil's journey, and the addition of them to the plot allows Allen to make a point regarding our illusions of these figures as perfect examples of artists and novelists, our idealised visions of their lives are smashed instantly with suicide attempts and affairs, history is well and truly being rewritten.

The Fitzgeralds.

The film opens with a series of shots of Paris, and it seems that throughout the film there is always a constant infatuation with the beauty of the city. Be it the architecture and the cafes, or the creatively minded type of people which Paris attracts, the film never tires of the location, presenting itself, as well as Gil, as a love-stricken tourist. The cinematography is beautiful also, the lavish parties are presented as whimsical and dream-like, making the viewers second-guess the validity of the things we are seeing, therefore by default we appreciate Gil's lack of understanding of his new environment. 

Rachel McAdams plays Inez, Gil's fiancé who is very in touch with reality, her performance is not entirely breathtaking but believable, and the lack of any real interest in her character brings the audience to feel sympathetic towards Gil, a creatively minded person who's not taken seriously by the people closest to him. The most memorable performances are those of the actors playing historical figures. Tom Hiddleston plays a kind F. Scott Fitzgerald, Corey Stoll a witty and drunk Ernest Hemingway and Adrien Brody the eccentric Salvador Dali.

The film breaks down the modern person's created image of past eras and bluntly discourages ideological thinking, emphasising that history continually repeats itself, people, in years to come, will look at our generation as the perfect one to live in, however what Allen states with this film is that each era faces the same problems, we are all human and will always have our flaws, cheating on partners, alcoholism and suicide are eternal traits of our characters. The film is a really interesting watch, exploring both the troubles of creating art in the modern world and also that of the world in which a lot of our inspiration comes from, it is humbling to think about the wider themes the film presents, set in a romantic comedy following a troubled couple holiday in Paris.

Se7en - Review

Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman)'s detective skills are put to the ultimate test in Se7en, when a serial killer seemingly targets random victims, torturing them and playing with their deaths. It is not until after several murders that the detectives realise the killer is murdering people for the sins they commit. Keen on enlightening the detectives, and anyone who will listen to him, of people around the city every day committing some of the seven deadly sins, the serial killer (an uncredited Kevin Spacey) feels he is doing no wrong in forcing death upon these sinners. It takes all that the detectives have, and playing by his rules, to catch up to the murderer who appears to be constantly one step ahead of them, and when they do catch up to him, with two sinners left to complete a murder for each on the list, an unexpected twist presents itself to Mills and Somerset.

David Fincher has proved himself able to produce brilliant thrillers with the likes of Fight Club and Zodiac, however before both of these films came Se7en. Se7en shows Fincher becoming comfortable in directing a film with an ever-twisting plot, which would become key when directing the likes of Fight Club. With it being only his second ever feature film, the raw talent of Fincher is evident, it seems he has mastered dramatic tension and capturing the emotion of a character just two films in to his career. The film features one of my favourite chase scenes of all time, between John Doe and Mills, from the initial shot of John Doe's gun to the final blow of his crow bar, the chase is fast paced, the gun shots are many and a feeling of genuine excitement consumes viewers. The 'thriller' genre has never been so literal, with just the right amount of drama and just the right amount of action, we are engaged on an emotional level with the characters, yet still get to see them go about their business, dealing with the murdered and the murderer.

A constant uneasiness surrounds the character of John Doe, the murderer, his unpredictable actions and seemingly unstable mind puts genuine fear in the audience and where the two detectives mask their discomfort, the viewer finds it hard to, with Spacey's absolutely outstanding performance, his smug look, high intelligence and distorted morals make it hard for us to identify as the same species as him. Spacey proves himself to be a chameleon actor, able to take on the shape and persona of any character thrown at him, and his performance in Se7en is no exception.
The relationship between Mills and Somerset comes across so natural that you would think Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman were both stubborn work colleagues outside of the film. The build up of tension and little remarks given off by the characters are done with such ease that the relationship is easy to believe and invest in.

Se7en is a film that is hard to write about. The pure brilliance of the seamless overall film leaves even the most attentive viewer too deeply involved in the characters and the plot to make many mental notes regarding criticism of the film. The plot is thick, the acting is brilliant and David Fincher's sophomore film is still one of his best to date. Se7en is a truly exciting film and climbs itself straight to the top end of films in the thriller genre.

Dial M For Murder - Review

There are some Hitchcock films that are often ignored by a lot of people in favour of focusing attention on his bigger budget, box office record smashing films, Dial M for Murder is one of these forgotten gems. Set mainly in one single room, the film sees Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) enlist the help of an old college friend, Captain Lesgate (Anthony Dawson), to murder his wife, Margot (Grace Kelly). When the murder doesn't go quite to plan, and Margot ends up killing Lesgate, Wendice must think fast in order to cover his tracks, and what we get is a cat and mouse chase in a typically suspenseful Hitchcock style feature.

The biggest topic for discussion regarding this film is the extremely thick plot, which was adapted from the play by Frederick Knott. The many twists and turns of the plot are presented to us throughout the whole 1 hour and 45 minutes of screen time that the film runs for, showing Hitchcock's understanding of pacing and how not to overwhelm and audience with information. The plot twists are very often unseen, and the characters, specifically the Inspector, (John Williams) have more knowledge on the events of the night of the murder than the viewer, even though we were the ones that witnessed the deed happening. The murder is meticulously planned out in the film by Wendice, in order to inform Lesgate, and the audience, of the way in which the events should pan out, meaning that when, on the night of the attack, things don't really go to plan, we are already full of suspense over what position Wendice will find himself in and how he will deal with it.

With the remorselessness of Wendice sending shivers down viewer's spines, Ray Milland's performance was brilliant as the sadistic brain behind the murder. Grace Kelly, although being a minor character in terms of how often we see her, shows her perfect fit to the role of the Hitchcock blonde in this film. Her innocence is captured through her lack of awareness of her husband's manipulative side, the audience is immediately sympathetic towards her, even though she is in fact flawed, cheating on her husband with Halliday, however we discover that in Hitchcock's world, there is rarely an unflawed character and therefore should not show contempt for people's flaws, it is only when people's evil is shown that we should express out contempt. The casting for this feature was great, with the actors giving just enough performance so the realism and excitement of the investigation is relatable and not viewed as too much.

Dial M for Murder is definitely not one of Hitchcock's films to skip. Whatever simplicity Hitchcock chose to go with in regards to the technical side of the film and the cinematography is overrun by the winding plot and diverse range of characters, where we are genuinely at a loss as to where the film will go next. A masterpiece of '50s cinema, this film is an example of Hitchcock at his best and most comfortable.