Seriously, how good a filmmaker is Christopher Nolan? The Prestige somehow passed me by and until now was the only one of his films I hadn't seen. Put simply it's fantastic. Like his other films it's complex and all time bendy and it would be unfair to spoil it in any way. Just see it.
Be Kind Rewind is a great idea and is at its funniest when the guys are making their little ramshackle spoofs but sadly it's nowhere near as funny or engaging when they're not. It would have worked best as a series of short films released on the internet instead.
Formulaic, enjoyable sequel that promised little to a formulaic, enjoyable film that promised little. Cracking cast and funny. Nothing more and nothing less.
Arguably the first slasher flick, pre-dating Halloween and using the same first person killer perspective, this is disturbing if a tad cheesy. In fact if you're looking for a film that is referenced by Scream more than any other it could be this thanks to the crank calls and a number of other spoiler type things. A good Halloween watch or a great Bah Humbug Xmas film.
Ruud saw this in Toronto before its release and reviewed it here. Seeing it now post-Oscars hype it's difficult to see why this got so many five-star reviews and acting nominations. Don't get me wrong it's a good film and worth seeing but too much of it feels been-there-done-that. Clooney essentially plays himself and I can't quite work out what was so special about Vera Farmiga's performance. Anna Kendrick, or the one with the boobs that the wee twat doesn't fancy because he'd rather be with the suicidal chick who clearly hates him in Twilight, is fantastic though and her nomination was correct. It sounds like I'm pure ragging on this and that's not fair. It's well written and directed and anything that features J.K. Simmons is always worthwhile, it just isn't as good as you've been made to believe. Approach it like that and you should find a lot to like. Youth In Revolt: Aye
Michael Cera starts out playing that role he always does before subverting things as his own maniacal alter-ego when he meets a girl who wants to fall for a bad guy instead of the spineless tube he is. Often hilarious, almost always slightly surreal this plays a bit like a teen Fight Club. Some of it doesn't work, and it certainly feels a little too disjointed, but enough of it hits to make it worth seeing.
My second Gondry film of the month and his second miss. This is really dire, a lucid dream movie that just doesn't click at any point. There's some really interesting visuals but quite simply Gondry isn't a storyteller and until he starts working with good scriptwriters again his movies are going to be avoided by me.
Now this is French cinema at its finest. No wanky twoddling about here. A young Muslim is sent to French prison on a six year sentence. We follow him as he rises from absolute nobody to the man. There's a lot of religious symbolism, but it wouldn't be a meaningful prison movie without that now would it? Assured direction, phenomenal performances and an engaging story make this a must see. So see it. You must!
Here's another one of those movies where everyone talks weird and you need to read what's going on for two and a half hours. As such seeing it at the cinema was pretty much a non-starter thanks to a lack of screenings. Shame as it's a cracker and a film that does a great deal to show that not all Swedish films are metaphor filled snooze-fests about death and shit. In all honesty this is the sort of thing Hollywood could turn out, and now they are with David Fincher attached to direct. It's a very dark thriller with lots of sexual issues, so right up Fincher's street. I'd say catch the original now but unlike most remakes this probably won't be a disaster. Still it's great so get it watched.
...is no more. It would seem that the Tories axing a project that brought money into the UK at a time like this seems pretty dumb, and there will no doubt be many more stupid things in the months and years to come from that bunch of diddies, but Time Out argues it could mean a greater role for the remaining BFI or the creation of a new body.
As long as we continue to see films like In The Loop it doesn't matter what the group is called so fingers crossed the right decision is arrived at and British filmmakers aren't made to suffer.
Preamble As I said in the previous instalment of Splice's Greatest... I went back and watched the Toy Story films in anticipation of going to see the third one. Both are 90's films and both deserve to be on the list.
40 Words Or So
Woody and Buzz are now best friends but when Woody attempts to save a fellow toy at a yard sale he is stolen by a toy collector. It turns out he's a rare plaything and he completes the set of dolls made to tie in with an old TV show. Buzz and the gang set out to save him, only problem is he may not want saving...
Review
For many Toy Story holds up as a perfect example of a sequel that's better than its predecessor. It certainly has an even weepier "emotional moment":
Wipe it aff yer cheek there big yin.
Simply it isn't a better film than the first one. Background reading reveals that after A Bug's Life John Lasseter decided to take a holiday, leaving the team to do the sequel. Somehow they made a balls up of it though, so pressed for time Lasseter resumed control and somehow made a brilliant film regardless. The main difference though is that things feel a bit looser. This is probably down to the time constraints. Whereas the script for the original was honed to perfection, Toy Story 2 had a massive overhaul less than a year before it was released.
It still gets so much right, from the little knowing winks based around jokes in the first one to the emotional depth of the story. In fact Woody's predicament is arguably of a weightier nature than either his or Buzz's first time around. The biggest problem is that the secondary rescue story story feels rushed, although it does have some great set pieces:
These mainly occur in Al's Toy Barn where we're introduced to how toys live in there. But there isn't really a sense of danger, such as that provided by Sid in the first one. He kills and maims toys, Al just collects them to sell to the Japanese.
In the end Toy Story 2 is still a fantastic film, indeed it's a worthy successor to one of the finest ever made and great proof that sequels can be a good thing. It just can't quite live up to its earlier counterpart. But then, not many films can.
The 100 List (Where and Why)
There was a time that Toy Story 2 would be sitting right there behind the first one. In fact there would have been a wrestling match in my mind whether it should be sitting above it. Watching both again after a while away set me straight on this. The second one is great but has fallen in my affections in a way the first hasn't.
1. Toy Story 2. Braindead 3. Hudsucker Proxy 4. Grosse Pointe Blank 5. Tremors 6. Toy Story 2 7. Cube 8. Galaxy Quest 9. White Men Can't Jump 10. Groundhog Day 11. Porco Rosso
With Toy Story 3 coming out it's time to look back at the first ever feature length movie to be created entirely on computer.
40 Words Or So
Woody is Andy's favourite toy. But on his birthday the kid gets the coolest new toy on the market, Buzz Lightyear who supplants Woody in his affections. Jealousy runs rife and Woody and Buzz end up in deep trouble thanks to Buzz's commitment to his mission. Oh, the toys come to life when the humans aren't around, did I mention that?
Review
The thing that struck me when watching Toy Story again was just how tight the whole shebang is. I'm pretty familiar with the film now after about fifteen years of watching it and knowing what's going to happen really helps you understand how well everything in the script works. Everything pays off. If I had to teach a scriptwriting class I'd use Toy Story to demonstrate Sid Field's model of constructing a script. It's got a perfect three act structure (hell it's even got a mid-point incident) and the cause and effect on show is breathtaking. In many ways it's the quintessential Hollywood script.
Why am I banging on about the structure of the film? Well there really isn't much more to say about Toy Story is there? The animation still looks great, although in light of recent films it's starting to get a touch rough, and of course we all know that it marks a watershed moment for the industry. Hindsight shows us that of course the Toy Story effect wasn't entirely a blessing, as anyone who sat through A Shark's Tale will tell you, but beyond the impact of how the film was put together it marks a special moment because it's Pixar's first full length film.
In many ways that is the most important thing about Toy Story. It introduced us to a way of film making that hasn't been bettered by any other group in the fifteen years since. It encapsulates everything that is the Pixar way, not only visually but emotionally as well. No matter how incredible the visuals, hilarious the gags, tightly plotted the stories, the thing that stands out about Pixar's films is heart. Look at those glorious moments, WALL.E flying through space with Eve, Carl seeing for the first time what was in the latter pages of his wife's scrapbook, or of course Buzz attempting to fly to prove he is indeed a Space Ranger and not a lowly toy:
Pixar cared about us feeling something watching Toy Story and set about achieving just that by making a movie worth caring about.
The 100 List (Where And Why)
It can't really go anywhere else but top spot so far can it? Beyond the almighty technical achievement this is an incredible film. The script, acting, humour, animation, and emotion are all pitch perfect and it's the most important film on the list so far. It kick starts what is arguably the greatest run of films to come from a single studio, it's even arguable that they haven't topped Toy Story.
1. Toy Story 2. Braindead 3. Hudsucker Proxy 4. Grosse Pointe Blank 5. Tremors 6. Cube 7. Galaxy Quest 8. White Men Can't Jump 9. Groundhog Day 10. Porco Rosso
Just a quick post to say that I watched this excellent documentary from the droll comedian the other night. It explores how the American south has been depicted by various media, mainly focusing on Hollywood's negative stereotypes about the place.
It's well worth checking out, as anyone who saw his earlier Westerns film will know, and it further sets Hall out as a genuinely interesting writer on film, amongst other things.
The Dirty South can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer here (UK IP address needed) until 25th July 2010.
I'm sure we all know by now how wonderful Up is but 2009 saw some other equally majestic, non-CG animated films. Here's a quick look at a couple I've just went and caught up with on DVD:
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Roald Dahl's book was one of my favourites as a kid. As such watching a movie based on it, however loosely, contains a certain element of nostalgia. Wes Anderson, long a director obsessed with the artifices associated with storytelling, understands this so the decision to make Mr. Fox's escapades as a stop motion film is a master stroke. The animation is deliberately crude in an attempt to capture the feel of the era that gave us shows such as Bagpuss and The Clangers. Anderson has shown himself to be a bit of an Anglophile in previous films so even with an American cast this has the quirkiness you'd expect from those shows. For me the book is linked to a time when programmes like this were amongst my favourites, right before the American series like Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came along. As such the film evokes fuzzy feelings for me of a time when sweeties cost peanuts and were bigger then your hand and summer seemed to last for three years. Fantastic Mr. Fox isn't just a great film for kids, it's a fantastic one for those who remember what it's like to be one.
Coraline
Also using model-based stop motion animation is Coraline. Things are far slicker here though, in fact at times you'd swear this was CGI. This is down to the astonishing work of Henry Selick and his team, a group that can genuinely be called genius. This is truly an incredible piece of work. Much like Fantastic Mr.Fox it's as much a film about being a kid as it is one for them, only this time it's based around the fears you have. This is a horror/fantasy and it's safe to say it'll probably disturb young children. That's not necessarily a bad thing in these days of mollycoddling our kids. When I was younger I used to secretly love being scared, in fact monsters and ghosts were what I loved most even if the concept of them terrified me. Coraline plays on this. The fantasy world is thrilling, the creatures scary but it's almost shot through with emotion and humour. Quite frankly it is a wonderful film.
Both these films were nominated for Best Animation at the Oscars. As worthy a winner as Up was it would have been great to see one of these filmmakers picking up the award, surely Pixar have enough little gold men cutting about their studio. In an age where virtually all animated films are made on the Google box it has been refreshing to watch two old-fashioned, yet completely original pictures. And just like Pixar's output they succeed mainly because no matter how great their style is underneath there lies not only an engaging story but tonnes of heart. Like the best animation they don't treat the young audience they're primarily aimed at as naive and foolish, and in turn become great films for us older ones too.
Welcome to Tiki Island, dangers include a mutated Mr. Hanky, some touchy feely trees, and a touchier, feelier nymphomaniac. Please mind your step or you may trip on a midget. As breaks go it's up there with a weekend in Blackpool. As films it's about the level of, well, other Cinematic Titanic fare.
Much like the previous two CT releases, East Meets Watts and Alien Factor, Danger On Tiki Island is a recording of the group performing live. And like those two it's a fantastic installment of the series, further proving that the shift to live DVDs was a wise move. As enjoyable as the studio ones were, and it's certainly sad to lose the style and storyline of those, the live ones feel far fresher.
The movie of course really helps in proceedings. Any film that features a slightly racist vision of island life, an eccentric recluse surrounded by miniature servants and a woods alive with killer trees is ripe for riffing. And riff the Titans do. There are a few dead spots during this one that stop it from being as tip top as the previous two but thankfully they don't derail the thing. Plus there's an added level of dirtiness to this one thanks to the horny wife of the old professor. She really tries to pump everything that moves, leading to the notion that she definitely thought about doing the jobbie monster when she comes face to face with it.
A nice little touch on this DVD is the first Cinematic Titanic extra feature, a short documentary that interviews the Titans before the recording of the live show. It's a welcome, fun little addition.
So I went and explained myself here as to why this took so bloody long and why I didn't go with the films I'd initially promised. Anyway on with Porco Rosso, one of Mayazaki's lesser known films. After watching Ponyo I got in the mood to go rewatch something else by the great man.
40 Words Or So
Cursed, pig-like pilot does battle over the skies of war period Italy with air pirates and a dashing nemesis who may be able to steal the heart of his true love.
Review
Much like many of Miyazaki's films it's not really about the plot. Like Ponyo and My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso is just happy to spend time in the world of the film with the fantastic characters. Hell, the reason Rosso is now a pig is never actually explained. The difference with this one in relation to those two is that this is Miyazaki making a film for grown ups, not because it's full of violence or profanity but purely because it's about aeroplanes and love and all those things kids aren't quite interested in yet. I suppose you could say this is the one for dad.
As such it's become a bit of an underrated gem in the Miyazaki canon. It has less magic than Totoro but also less action than Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind. In fact apart from the pig shenanigans and air pirates it's probably the great man's most grounded (pardon the pun) work. The world is a lot more real than in, say, Spirited Away and yet still feels wonderful. Indeed it's a beautiful place and animation wise it ranks as one of Studio Ghibli's finest. Sadly it seems the things that make it so special are also what have left it ignored, even amongst fans of the director and studio. Even if you're not, or have never seen any, give Porco Rosso a go.
This isn't only the best scene in the movie, it may be the most beautiful and wonderful to appear in any of Miyazaki's:
The English dub that's available features Michael Keaton and Cary Elwes amongst others an they do a pretty good job. That's the one that's on the Studio Ghibli Collection DVD released by Optimum.
The 100 List (in chronological order)
1. Grosse Pointe Blank 2. Hudsucker Proxy 3. Galaxy Quest 4. White Men Can't Jump 5. Cube 6. Braindead 7. Tremors 8. Groundhog Day 9. Porco Rosso
Be thankful for Hayao Miyazaki's staunch support for the hand drawn animation style. Where all around him animation studios turned to the computer to help create their works the Japanese director remained steadfastly traditional. Of course the jump to digital has created some great works, or helped flesh out scenes too difficult to be sketched by hand, but it has also seen a great number of lazy films (I'm looking at you Dreamworks, although they seem to be sorting themselves out slowly but surely). Disney can be seen as one of the worst offenders, shutting down their traditional animation studio on the misguided assumption that Pixar had killed the world's want for such works, ignoring the idea that it may actually be a question of the quality of the storytelling that saw the studio produce flop after soulless flop. It came as no shock then that one of Pixar supremo, and friend of Miyazaki to the extent he's the only person now trusted with the English dubs of his movies, John Lasseter's first moves on taking control of the House of Mouse was to reopen the studio and oversee a return to their roots with The Princess And The Frog. As I said be thankful for Hayao Miyazaki as it is surely his continued success in the medium that allowed Lasseter to do this.
Ponyo is a dreamlike, gentle little film with much in common with what may be Miyazaki's finest film My Neighbour Totoro. Both feature mystical creatures befriending real children and a subsequent search for a missing person. The creatures come from nature, and bring subtle environmental messages with them that thankfully don't overpower proceedings as they threatened to do in Princess Mononoke or Nausiaa Of The Valley Of The Wind. Plot is thin on the ground, rather Miyazaki just seems happy for us to inhabit the beautiful world he has created. For some this may lead to frustration, what with our Western pre-conditioning to want things to constantly happen and move forward in narratives of all sorts. But the world is so enchanting that hopefully it should dispel any negativity. The animation is at all times wonderful, and it is a wonder how sequences such as the tsunami can be entirely handdrawn brimming as they are with such awesome complexity and movement. Under the ocean is a sight to behold, it is always teeming with life and seems to be alive itself as it has eyes and waves appear like giant fish while the on land world has a simplicity to its art style that's actually quite refreshing in these days of unnecessary stylistic clutter. Witness Sosuke's house which looks to have been drawn and coloured with pencils, making it seem almost like the ideal house in a kid's picture of home. And that's the key to understanding Ponyo, this is the world from the perspective of a five year old. Tapping into your inner child is a must.
As with all these pictures the choice lies in whether to watch the English or Japanese dub, with subtitles. I watched the former and it features some big names like Liam Neeson, Kate Blancett, and Matt Damon. The first two appear to have been typecast as the roles are similar to live action stuff they've done and the performances aren't the best. Damon barely features and it seems he's only here to put his name on the poster, although he's perfectly fine in the little he does do. Where the casting does succeed is in the use of comic actors and children. The latter are the youngest in the Jonas and Cyrus clans and are absolutely fantastic giving Sosuke and Ponyo the right levels of childlike wonder and energy. Comedians tend to make really good voice actors and here is no exception as Tina Fey excels as Sosuke's mother Lisa but the highlights are most definitely Betty White and Cloris Leachman as two of the old women at the nursing home, they're joined by a third voiced well by Lily Tomlin, who steal the show with their sheer enthusiasm for their characters. Leachman's line about letting a fish lick her is downright hilarious in construction and delivery.
Ponyo is a little treat. It ranks as one of Miyazaki's lesser works, but put simply a minor film from him still contains more beauty, wonder, and creativity than five years worth of Hollywood output. It is a joy just to spend time in the world Miyazaki and his team has created, one of intertwining simplicity and complexity and there's not a pixel in sight. In that sense it's reassuringly old fashioned. I for one am thankful.
The Lovely Bones is a bit of a hard sell, but then Peter Jackson's previous two projects were the supposedly unfilmable Lord Of The Rings movies and a remake of King Kong, already royally buggered in the 70's. But where he succeeded with those two he ultimately fails here. From the off the story of a fourteen year old girl telling you the story of her rape and murder at the hands of a neighbour, and the ruinous effect it has on her family, sounds like a difficult story to pull off, and so it proves. Jackson has many talents, but sadly subtlety isn't one of them.
Things start off well, we meet Susie Salmon, the victim played rather brilliantly by Saoirse Ronan, and she's just like any other fourteen year old girl, bubbly, fun and nervous about boys. But all of this is tainted with the knowledge, thanks to her narration, that she won't live to see her fifteenth birthday. Credit goes to Jackson here as when her demise comes at the end of act one it is still a genuinely tense moment, somehow made all the more difficult because the end result is known. But beyond this things start to come apart. The actors cannot be faulted, even Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz who do better than usual work as Susie's parents struggling in their own ways to come to terms with the loss of a child. Of course Stanley Tucci won an Oscar nomination for his unnerving turn as the murderer and it was deserved, as would one have been for Ronan. Susan Sarandon doesn't fare so well as the comic relief Grandmother though that seems to be as much a script issue as her performance.
In fact it's the script that proves the biggest bugbear. In the corporeal world we have a pretty straight forward grief drama with a Columbo style mystery, we know who did it now let's watch the characters solve it. It's pretty straightforward and nothing too special. But the twist in the tale is the supernatural element. Susie exists in a between state in a world of her creation lingering because she feels she has something to do. As it turns out this whole exercise, rendered in passable CGI and probably too trippy for some tastes, is all a bit pointless. The set-up leads the viewer to believe that Susie will somehow be involved in catching her killer from beyond the grave, but save for a few contrived plot points, she's pretty much passive. See it's really a film about letting go, Susie has to just as those she has left behind have to. The fact that her killer's still cutting about and may strike again? Forget about it, will ya?
It's probably this theme that has caused much bile to be projected at The Lovely Bones. Some criticism is indeed fair whereas some is certainly overkill. It's a deeply flawed movie for sure and one that Peter Jackson has misjudged pretty badly, it really doesn't seem like something he could ever have pulled off, yet Heavenly Creatures suggests otherwise. The inbetween world, although ultimately folly, is quite beautiful with some gorgeous imagery but ultimately you always feel too detached from a film that really should be moving you. Somewhere in the midst of these lovely bones there is a good film, but it needed a different type of director to find it.
It's the thirtieth anniversary today of what surely is the funniest film of all time Airplane! (it is and don't call me Shirley). But did you know that it's effectively a remake of a disaster movie called Zero Hour!? A-ha, it is and here's a video that compares scenes from both movies:
So if anyone tells you that there is never merit in remaking something you now have the perfect ammunition beyond the usual suspects (The Thing, The Fly). Airplane!, not only the greatest comedy ever, the greatest remake as well.
(thanks to Ken Plume for the link, follow him on Twitter at @KenPlume he's great and does a lot of interesting podcasts with many famous names, plus he's a comedy Anglophile so he's totally up with the hip Brit scene)
2010. Hmmm. So far, not so good. Splice has been a tad sparse on the posts front this year and there's a simple reason; I've barely been to the cinema. Now it's maybe a wee bit unfair for me to blame the lack of good movies as Splice is primarily a blog about how much I love films. Ruud joined because of his love of films. But sadly we've lost our focus a bit and recently it's been a blog about reviewing stuff that's come out and that's all. Thankfully Ruud resurrecting our Greatest 90's films feature has ignited a wee spark that's been missing in me.
I've realised that thanks to a lack of films I really want to see this year it's been good for catching up on stuff I've missed both old and new. But even then there haven't been enough Splice posts. Who cares about those event movies like Avatar and the latest Sparkly Vamp toss, it should be about having fun with movies. Sadly by reviewing everything, watching them has become a bit of a chore. And that's not right, especially as this isn't a job or something but a blog based hobby I suppose.
At least things are looking up on the movie front. Toy Story 3 should hopefully be pretty damn amazing, if I can get through without greetin like a big wean, and Scott Pilgrim looks like it'll be a belter. Plus with another Twilight movie and M. Night Shabba Ranks turning in what is reportedly his worst film by some distance in Avatar: The Last Airbender Rifftrax should finish the year strongly.
2010 so far has mainly been about quality over quantity as two films have towered above the year, and very possibly will the next decade, Kickass and Four Lions. Both fantastic and if you've not seen them preorder the DVDs now. Sadly there were some other very well reviewed films I really wanted to see, namely A Prophet, Lebanon and The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo. The reason I didn't see them? Well you may have spotted they all have something in common, none are English language films and as such were given such limited releases it was impossible to get to see them. Thankfully they are all coming out soon, or are out, on DVD so they've been queued on my Lovefilm list to be caught up on, as have the likes of Up In The Air, Precious, Lovely Bones and so on. Anyone on Lovefilm will know it can be a bit difficult getting the newer films though so fingers crossed. On the riffing front Cinematic Titanic's ninth offering Alien Factor may be their finest and Rifftrax's New Moon riff is absolutely fantastic. Both worth checking out.
So although 2010 has been a bit on the sparse side I'm choosing to look on the positive side and get Splice back on track.
Well by day 8 my time working at a film festival was winding down. After a good few days of being fresh in the morning, the night befores U2 gig and subsequent lateness in bed meant I was tired again. No matter, we only spent the early part of the day discussing how good Up in the Air was anyway.
Didnt really do much of note apart from that and at this stage as i said in the past part, I cant really remember.
I did however change my mind on which film to use my magic token on as i was locked in for Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans until my head wast turned to Waking Sleeping Beauty. So following my shift I made my way down to the AMC at Yonge and Dundas and got my ticket for the 3pm showing. In truth time was a factor, Bad Liutenant I could have done, the film i really wanted to see was Vengeance, a Johnny To Hong Kong gangster genre effort, a genre i am particularly keen on but no way could I make my work (day two of U2 at the Skydome) if i did. What a decision it has turned out to be as it was excellent and so far hasnt been released in Britain, in fact mostly its done the festival circuits so I count myself luckt to have seen it. Plus check out the cracking poster on the right: class poster, class film.
Its a warts and all documentary about the rise from the ashes of the Disney animation studio that pulls no punches with naming and shaming those involved. Its a view inside the studio, a view i guess you would never hav thought possible and its funded by....Disney!
It was really moving and really insightful and a teriffic documentary on a fascinating subject. Oddly sitting in the cinema there was a cheer went up when Patrick Swayze appeared on screen in a scene where the nominations for best Oscar in 1994 were read by him and Beauty and the Beast was nominated(thus the Pheonix had risen) as he had just passed away that week. Very odd but also rather poignant. An interesting point of the film was the way it was made, there was no talking heads, noone looking back and adding commentary, the film plays like the animators and disney business mens home movies and its a refreshing change of pace from what i am used to watching documentaries.
I really hope this film is released or even features maybe on BBC4 on Storyville or something, I know anyone who has grown up with Disney (er that will be everyone) will enjoy it.
After the film I waited to hear the writer and producer speak which rocked quite considerably. they were very candid about Disney and Pixar and were just about to answer some juicy question about the Pixar deal and i had to leave! So i have been scouring youtube for the footage and it aint there apart from this 17 second clip
so instead
Check out this two part (its actually three but the third part isnt pertinant) interview from the festival with producer Peter Schneider (the guy in the red in the 17sec vid) who also "stars" in it by a guy called Stephen Holt who actually came into the screening library i worked in actually but i had no idea who he was till now. I particularly like how his shirt matches the curtains. Looks like the interview was conducted in the hotel the festival was based at too.
Wow, its been a long time since i set this blog up with the plan to write it in April, plus its Friday and not the Sunday and its afternoon and not morning, whoa, lots of changes. A lot has got in the way since then, moving home to Scotland for me most time consuming plus the subsequent fruitless job hunt, plus like Red I had my own stand up debut in Yuk Yuks comedy club Toronto to plan for and carry out before i came home. verdict was that I was pretty good. Though I have seen a bit of it back and Im not so sure about that particular verdict. Moving on this post will mostly be about what I have been watchin since last we spoke, which is quite a lot due to my current circumstances. in fact the lesson to be learnt is that if you plan to document a year of movie watching then leaving a 3 month gap to cover is a pain in the tits so il try cut it back down. So we will have that down the bottom, above that a few trailers of upcoming titles and above that some articles (that are better written than our stuff) that you should read including some Scott Pilgrim stuff as I am rather looking forward to it because it is set in my former home Toronto. Sob Sob.
LINKS
JJ Abrams interviewing Edgar Wright at LA film Fest.
A excellent article about Scott Pilgrim, Canada and Canadians from Walrus Magazine.
Make your own Scot Pilgrim avatar like mine above! ^^^^^^^
Variety sticks up for 3d, im not buying it, but then I never bought into mobile phones.
An entertaining look at footballers soirees into celluloid.
Where have all the big persons films went? And we don’t mean Antichrist!
TRAILERS
Three films which are commanding my consciousness right now are, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Inception and the new Harry Potter film, and guess what? Heres the trailers.
oh, and Predators
ON Ruud's TV (amongst other places) THIS PAST MONTH OR THREE!
gona steal Red's aye or naw a meter to gauge my reaction for simplicity (sorry!)
Take The Lead (2006, Liz Friedlander, US) naw(ish) Jesus Camp (2006, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, US) aye Knowing (2009, Alex Proyas, US) naw naw naw Four Last Songs (2007, Francesca Joseph, UK) naw The Bucket List (2007, Rob Reiner, US) aye Dirty Pretty Things (2002, Stephen Frears, UK) big aye Music and Lyrics (2007, Mark Lawrence, US) aye(ish) District 9 (2009, Neil Blomkamp, US) huge aye ya focking prawn Major League (1989, David S. Ward, US) aye Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008, Nicholas Stoller, US) aye I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007, Dennis Duggan, US) aye We Own The Night (2007, James Gray, US) aye Waitress (2007, Adrienne Shelly, US) aye(ish) Tropic Thunder (2008, Ben Stiller, US) naw Avatar (2009, James Cameron, US) aye Gran Torino (2009, Clint Eastwood, US) aye Definately Maybe (2008, Adam Brooks, US) aye Mr Woodcock (2007, Craig Gillespie, US) naw Into the Blue (2005, John Stockwell, US) aye Nick and Norahs Infinite Playlist (2008, Peter Sollett, US) aye 3.10 to Yuma (2007, James Mangold, US) oh aye Sherlock Holmes (2009, Guy Ritchie, UK) aye Blind Side (2010, John Lee Hancock, US) aye Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski, US) aye The Damned United (2009, Tom Hooper, UK) aye lad Jersey Girl (2004, Kevin Smith, US) aye Very Bad Things (1998, Peter Berg, US) aye American Cousins (2003, Don Coutts, UK) aye Sergio Casci wroted it and me and Red love that guy, or at least i do. Dogma (1999, Kevin Smith, US) aye Author! Author! (1982, Arthur Hiller, US) aye but only for completionist Pacinophiles Knocked Up (2007, Judd Apatow, US) aye Witness (1985, Peter Weir, US) aye Dan in Real Life (2007, Peter Hedges, US) aye Rain Man (1988, Barry Levinson, US) aye Twilight (2008, Catherine Hardwicke, US) naw Mean Streets (1971, Martin Scorsese, US) aye Fantasyland (2010, Stephen Palgon, US) Available to watch in its entirity here! aye Cruising (1980, William Friedkin, US) aye Celtic Pride (1996, Tom DeCerchio, US) aye Office Space (1999, Mike Judge, US) aye(ish) grossly overated Garden State (2004, Zach Braff, US) naw In The Loop (2009, Armando Iannucci, UK) fucking aye Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008, Sacha Gervasi US) aye, eh? Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell, UK) aye
Wow, what a list, nae chance im linking all those films to imdb, ma wee laptop couldnt handle the pressure. Think I have gave enough info for the anyone wishing to investigate further to manage it without too many problems though so will begin with a review of my 3 month viewing. First the trash; Take The Lead, Knowing, Tropic Thunder, Four Last Songs, Mr Woodcock Garden State and Twilight. All mince thought. Take the Lead in fairness i wasnt looking forward to as a ballroom mixed with street dancing film and it wasnt god awful so it misses a lot of critcism, however Knowing is garbage. watched it on a bus back from New York (name dropping) a good premise about numbers and that is ruined by a plot which sucks all sorts of ass. Tropic Thunder had all its funny bits in the trailer, Tom Cruise is over rated in it, Four Last Songs is time i will never get back, British guff set in Spain about a piano or some shite, Mr Woodcock wasnt funny and Garden State was all abit five years ago, dont think it will stand up. Twilight? Well, let me say i read the book and found it poor but so many like it and the movie so i gave the movie a go and I found i liked the book better and i have less of an understanding of women than i thought i did. I mean Edward in the film is rubbish, in the book even i fancied him a bit, he sounded awesome, none of that is in the film. And in the book all her pals are supicious of her, in the film they think she is ace. and also when did they become all varied ethnicities? reading the book i never got a sense that one of the boys was a trendy asian DJ, where did they yank that from? Most of all Edward though, if its true that girls like tall odd pale guys with huge eyebrows and are a bit flakey then i should have done a power more shagging in ma youth than i did.
Those that dodged the rubbish list and might surprise you are The Bucket List, Music and Lyrics, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Definately Maybe, Into the Blue, Jersey Girl, Celtic Pride and Very Bad Things. The Bucket List was fun and not too long, as was Music and Lyrics plus i like Hugh Grant. I find him watchable in everything. Dennis Duggan made Happy gilmore so is instantly absolved of Chuck and Larry which actually had some right good gags in it. Definatley Maybe isnt the worst chick flick ever and Into the Blue is actually very watchable despite starring Paul Walker as a top diver. Jersey Girl is a decent enough Kevin Smith film though I think i prefer listening to the man himself in him many media outlets than watch his films nowadays, Cop Out kinda sucked. Celtic Pride was written by Judd Apatow kinda putting to bed my misguided thought that he appeared out of thin air and made 40 Year Old Virgin and very bad things was directed by Pter Berg who is on of the world most underated directors i think.
3 Docos so will group them together, Jesus Camp had some scary kids who loved Jesus a bit too much. Fantasyland scared me too but in a way that i could see elements of my own life. Its a film based on an idea from a book about Fantasy Baseball and a season in the life of a player. Yikes. Well worth a watch i have to say and free online. Gonna review it proper i think though. Lastly Anvil which had everything, laughs and tears. I also liked how they showed these guys own houses and they were a bit like the house i had in Canada and it made me feel good for a second. I also got to find out the bar in Etobicoke they play in near the beginning as i think i might know it. Hope i do, i like to have those little attachements.
A few Classics in there, Dogma, Witness, Rain Man, Mean Streets and Peeping Tom of which only the latter I was watching for the first time and was suitably disturbed by the premise but blown away by the style and composition of the film. I guess plenty will disagree with me on Dogma as a classic but if its the 20th time you have seen them then they must be classics in your eyes and thats hw it is for me. Mean Streets i watched on DVD for the first time and it was great. I know he gets plenty praise for it but does Scorsese do the best soundtracks or what. Immense. Be My Baby might be my favourite song ever and it all stems from that opening scene (and not Dirty Dancing where it also features)
Sherlock Holmes and The Blind Side i watched on my flight home so probably not the best place to see those, dark scenes were pretty much unwatchable but i enjoyed both immensely. Sherlock Holmes is like a superhero movie. Very very good and Sandra Bullock was well worth her gong for The Blind Side which was about sport which plays into my list of likes nicely so I was always gona be engaged and ultimately not dislike it.
That which truely blew me away was such, District 9, Major League, Dirty Pretty Things, Avatar, Nick and Norah, 3.10 to Yuma, Damned United, Knocked Up and In the Loop. All awesome and well worth repeat viewing ad naseum throughout my life. They will be mentioned again. I think its fair to say they were all better than i was expecting, District 9 blew me away as i was expecting some sort of sci fi horror or something and was enthralled, same with Avatar which i had no real clue what it was about, ferngully in 3d was my assumption but it was so much more. Damned United did good things with an excellent source though some of my favourite parts of the book were omitted but for good reason. Dirty Pretty Things is my film for telling folk about so more folks see it cos it was really rather good and a great twist at the end. Knocked Up pisses all over Superbad which i unfairly always compare it with like a pair fo warring twin brothers for some reason. 3.10 to Yuma becomes the 4th western i have ever seen and everyone gets better than the last, i should watch more! Nick and Norah is proper excellent and having been to New York and recognised some parts it made abig difference, good music too. as for In the Loop, well i have no idea what it was about really, probably nothing and also the TV series its based on i have never seen but no matter Malcolm Tucker is now my hero, expect this to feature in Fry Up most every month!
The rest, ach there is too many, im bored writing, your probably bored reading or probably havent even got this far as i have rambled on too much. Fitbas due on soon too as i write this so im signing off.
