Film Master Journal

Its been a while...and I have moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 21:40:00 +0000

It has been a long time form I have used this blog. About 18 months I would say. Well, now I am back at it but at a new blog to start fresh. Visit: www.cabinetofcinema.blogspot.com for my new blog would like to reunite with old followers if your around!

Preview to the next film underway! July 6!

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:31:00 +0000

On July 6 around 6pm (London +0 GMT) I will be uploading the next film created by my friends and I in our youtube group: IndieHouseFilms It is a mockumentary of a group of filmmakers trying to make a documentary about the Tollymore Forest somewhere in Northern Ireland. I created the film to have a bit of fun with the genre and to poke fun at conventions, movie mistakes and even young people at some parts. The film is quite silly, but I hope you enjoy it. Watch the preview below and enjoy :)

June in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:35:00 +0000

The first true month of my summer break began on the first day of June, and instantly I sat down and watched many films. In the first week, I managed to watch 13 films, and began to slow down after that, but I tallied up quite a few great films this month. I re-watched many films this time, and more than I have any month this year. I also explored the films of Wes Anderson a little, and I can see what the fuss has been about when it comes to his films. Seeing Moonrise Kingdom was released recently, I thought I would explore his earlier films, and I think they are great! He is a talented director who definitely has a very special way of telling his stories.

Total Films Watched: 28

New Films Watched: 15

Week 1 (01-07)

Batman Begins: 4.5/5

The Dark Knight: 5/5

Prometheus: 3.5/5

Antichrist: 2/5

Mirror, Mirror: 2/5

Dancer in the Dark: 4.5/5

Goon: 3/5

Alone in the Dark: 0.5/5

Persona 2^nd viewing: 4/5

A Day’s Pleasure: 3.5/5

The Idle Class: 3.5/5

A Woman of Paris 2^nd viewing: 4/5

The Kid 2^nd viewing: 5/5

Week 2 (08-14)

The Circus 2^nd viewing: 4/5

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I’d like to see it again to give a definite rating.

The Great Dictator 2^nd Viewing: 5/5

The Gold Rush 2^nd Viewing: 4.5/5

Young Adult: 4/5

Monster: 4.5/5

Week 3 (15-21)

Taxi Driver 2^nd viewing: 5/5

The King of Comedy: 3.5/5

Punch Drunk Love: 3/5

The Birds 2^nd viewing: 5/5

Week 4 (22-28)

Fantastic Mr. Fox 2^nd viewing: 4.5/5

The Royal Tenenbaums: 4.5/5

Week 5 (29-30)

Rushmore: 4/5

Best Film: Taxi Driver

Runner-up: The Dark Knight and The Great Dictator (had to include both)

Worst Film: Alone in the Dark

Runner-up: Mirror, Mirror

Longest film: The Dark Knight- 152 Minutes

Shortest Film: A Days Pleasure- 25 Minutes

100 Film Facts About Me Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:06:00 +0000

I have saw on a few blogs compiled lists of 100 facts about them. Well, here is part 1 of 100 facts film related about me. I would like to thank Cinematic Corner and Cinematic Paradox for their lists as it is what inspired this post. (Check out their great blogs also). Let's get started.

1) Although not my favourite film of all-time, if I were to choose a film to watch for the rest of my life it would be Singin in the Rain.

2) I like Titanic(1997).

3) My room is covered in movie posters.

4) I hope to become a filmmaker/film director someday.

5) Since I was about 6 years old, I knew how to work a VHS player, and since I have enjoyed films.

6) I started to become truly obsessed with the world of film at 14-15.

7) The speech at the end of The Great Dictator made me cry.

8) I also feel it is one of the finest cinema moments of all time to this date.

9) I hate Adam Sandler

10) And Uwe Boll

11) And Aaron Seltzer

12) And finally, Jason Friedberg

13) Jules is my favourite character from Pulp Fiction.

14) Throughout my life, I refer to certain situations to those featured in films. Does anyone else get that?

15) I own over 250 DVD’s/Blu-Rays in my film collection.

16) I do not take the Academy Awards too seriously.

17) One of my favourite characters in film are Alex DeLarge (played my Malcolm McDowell- A

Clockwork Orange)

18) For Halloween in 2011, I dressed as Alex DeLarge.

19) For 2012, I intend to dress as Chaplin’s tramp character.

20) The film I have watched the most time is The Nightmare before Christmas, which I have saw over times in my lifetime.

21) I now have over 350 posts at my film blog.

22) For some reason, I do not yet own a film-related shirt excluding my Nightmare before Christmas shirt.

23) I watch most of my films in my room on a Sony blu-ray player and a 26-inch TV screen.

24) Charlie Chaplin is one of my biggest cinema influences.

25) The same goes for Stanley Kubrick.

26) Unlike quite a few film buffs, I am quite a fan of musicals.

27) My favourite musical will always be Singin in the Rain.

28) I do not love Vertigo as much as most Hitchcock fans.

29) Alfred Hitchcock is among my favourite directors.

30) In my childhood, I grew up on Disney movies, Laurel and Hardy and Looney tunes as part of entertainment. (Which is probably why I watch black and white and old movies today)

31) I usually want to watch a film alone unless I am with a friend who appreciates cinema. (Or at the actual theatre)

32) A while before I began exploring into the depth of cinema, Tim Burton was my favourite director.

33) He has moved down that list greatly since, but I still think he is a gooddirector.

34) Robert De Niro may very well be my favourite actor of all time.

35) I am a big fan of Judy Garland.

36) The first 15 Rated (close to ‘R’ rating) I saw was GremlinsI think. This was around the age of nine.

37) The first Rated 18 (close to NC-17 rating) I saw was Lethal Weapon at 14 I think.

38) When I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at the Omniplex, I almost died from the excitement rush I got.

39) The Hobbit Part 1 is my most anticipated film of 2012.

40) This is followed closely by The Dark Knight Rises.

41) I love seeing Fred Astaire dance.

42) Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Bernard Hermann and Robert Shore are my favourite music composers for films.

43) I do not like Ben Stiller.

44) I do not like Sacha Baron Cohen in Bruno.

45) I like Sacha Baron Cohen in Hugo and Sweeney Todd (2007).

46) My favourite film critic is Roger Ebert.

47) Not far behind him is Mark Kermode.

48) The first silent film I ever saw was City Lights. I love it to bits also.

49) “If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed” is one of my favourite quotes. (From Stanley Kubrick)

50) The Batman films are my favourite among the comic book movies.

Stay tuned for part 2.

The Kid (1921) -Second Review-

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:27:00 +0000

Directed & Written by Charles Chaplin

Starring: Charles Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Edna Purviance

Genre: Comedy, Drama

USA

B & W, 60 Minutes

Verdict: Emotionally sincere, and full of whimsical comedy: The Kid still holds up today as a touchingly beautiful work of silent cinema.

Plot: A woman abandons her child in a car, as she can no longer take care of him. When she leaves the baby in a car, that happens to belong to criminals, the baby is abandoned by the criminals at an ally way. Along comes the tramp who tries to get rid of the baby himself, and ends up taking him in as his father. Five or six years later, we see the tramp with his child through a series of antics.

I decided that I must re-write my review of this film, as now my writing has improved. I first watched the film a full year ago and this was my second viewing. Watching it for the second time was a special thing. My first viewing was when I first truly began to love Chaplin’s work.

The Kid is Chaplin’s first feature film, with a small runtime of 60 minutes. It is not sophisticated in style and is very simplistic, but beautiful filmmaking. And you know what? It is a masterpiece. From start to end Chaplin’s comedy and tear-provoking drama of heartbreak and sentiment makes his feature debut one of his finest works. It is potent and poignant in emotion, and has some very clever gags, thanks to Chaplin’s perfectionistic ways.

The simple thing with this film is it is perfect; there is nothing to stop it being masterful in its craft. While it is not immersive like other masterpieces such as Pulp Fiction,City of God and a more relevant example Metropolis (1927), the film is flawless in its comic style and every scene is beautifully handled with care.

I cannot leave without giving mention to the powerfully simplistic emotion that Chaplin brings to the screen that is so accessible; I would find it hard for someone not to feel something during this film. It is no real secret, and the scene goes like this: the tramp is with his child, who has taken ill, and child services comes to take the child away to an orphanage. The tramp is held back as they take his child and it is a surprisingly powerful piece of silent cinema that holds you firmly with the moment. The perfectly composed music score and expression on Jackie Coogan’s (the child) face make it an emotional moment.

The inspiration of the film came out of a great tragedy and heartache to Chaplin in 1919. His son Norman was born in July 7 1919, and was born disfigured, dying just 3 days later. Roughly, five days after this tragically intense news, he came across a young child actor named Jackie Coogan, who at the age of seven could impersonate Chaplin’s tramp character movements and other comic acts. The boy inspired Chaplin and soon asked his father Jack Coogan if he could make films tarring the child, which led to the filming of The Kid. If these turn of events did not occur, we would not have The Kid today to watch with awe and enjoyment.

It may be worth watching The Kid first as it shows what Chaplin’s films are truly about: sentiment, comedy and emotion. The Kid combines all three for a recipe of graceful cinema. Whatever your opinions are on silent movies; you cannot deny his influence and artistry of his time. The Kid was a leap in comedy at the time as he combines slapstick and sentiment, and showed filmmakers it could be done.

Chaplin's slapstick is extremely well coordinated in this film with one scene definitely worth mentioning being the scene with the fight between the tramp and the tall, and exaggeratedly buff man. We witness a lamp post being bent, and Chaplin masterfully moving around the screen in a well coordinated scene full of comedy.

In the end of Chaplin’s long filming, (that spanned over 10 months), he had ended up shooting 50 times the amount of footage to the hour. Thus, the ratio is 50:1. Even now, that is an incredible amount of hours to have for a film at such a runtime, and back then, reels were no cheap thing. Chaplin shot 50 hours of footage, and his film ended up being 60 minutes long. This truly shows how much of a perfectionist he was in his craft, and the effort definitely pays off.

Here we are 90 years on, and people are still watching The Kid commending its comic efforts. If a film that is older than most people’s grandparents, that can still be enjoyable so many years on, then that truly says something about that film. The Kid is truly a timeless classic that should remain a heartfelt silent masterpiece for years to come.

2012 Goal Checklist -Half way-

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:27:00 +0000

Remember at new years 2012 I set myself targets as a film buff for my film life and blog? Well, now that we are now in the middle of the year, I thought I would check up how I am doing so far on achieving these targets. Read the post here. Now let us take a look as to how I have done so far.

1) Watch 280 Films
Well, so far I have watched 179 films. That is quite an absurd amount seeing up to this point there has been 167 days (correct me if I am wrong). Trust me, I have skipped films some days. This number includes the watching of new to me this year films being watched 2-3 times also.

2) Watch at least 160 NEW films.
Not far off it already. So far, 155 new viewings have come across my eyes.

3) See at least 70 of the films that come out in 2012
I think this is the toughest goal, that is far too high. So far I have only seen 12 2012 releases. It is the second half of the year I start seeing the years films more frequently.I am guessing I will only see 40.

4) Try and get a review published in a newspaper, or an official film site.
Not much progress on this yet, but I think I will eventually get on a film site.

5) Discover and explore 10 new directors work
This year I have explored David Lynch, Akira Kuroswawa, Quentin Tarantino, Lars Von Trier and Sergio Leone. I knew of Lynch and Tarantino prior to 2012, but I hate to admit, I only watched their films in January. I had only saw one Von Trier film in December, being Melancholia and since have saw others. I am yet to further explore the works of Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Luis Bunuel, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and others.

6) Make at least 5 short films in different genres being Drama, Action, Comedy, Documentary and Mystery & Supense.
At the moment, I have taken part in making two Mystery & Suspense films and a drama. I will be soon making a comedy with a hint of Pulp Fiction influence.

7) Enter a film competition
I will be doing this very shortly.

8) Have over 200 Followers at my blog
It seems I am not even half way to it yet :( Please follow readers.

9) Gain 200 Subscribers at YouTube
At my new channel IndieHouseFilms, my team have 45 subscribers as of this moment. Still building.

10)Start writing a film related book
I have started, but have not finished as I feel it is a waste of time. I will wait until I am in my 20's to embark on such things.

11) Expand my DVD/Blu-Ray collection to 200
I am well over this now.

Well, it seems I am not far off achieving some of these. Any thoughts?

Alone in the Dark (2005)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Directed by: Uwe Boll
Starring: Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
USA
96 Minutes

Verdict: Just plain boring and not even fun to watch to make fun of for being so bad: that is what Alone in the Dark is like. It is neither scary nor entertaining, and plays out as a messy and inept film.

Plot: There is a plot? Yes there is, but it isn’t a very good one. Based on the video game, Alone in the Dark focuses on Edward Carnby, a detective of the paranormal, who slowly unravels mysterious events with deadly results. Deadly as in, this film is painful to watch.

I will begin with saying how bad the film gets as soon as it basically begins. We are given a voice-over with text scrolling upwards as a prologue to the story, and boy is it cliché and tacky.

The prologue tells us about a mineworker in 1967 called Abkani who came across remnants of what he believes to be ‘two worlds’ being the light and darkness. He opened the gate between these worlds. The prologue then announces there are few artefacts that remain. When you’re done hearing the stupid voice-over you think to yourself, “now this is going to be a load of shit.”. It also goes on for far too long. Combine the scrolling texts from three of the Star Wars films and you have Alone in the Dark's prologue: It is that long!

Immediately after it we witness some pretty hammy acting and from their it develops into one huge cine-turd that will make you suffer for the next 88 or so minutes.

The acting is definitely abominable. It is not wooden, but poorly characterised. All the characters have our occupations and names, with absolutely no personalities whatsoever. I really mean it, I mean the actors are so flat it is as if they were just reading off cue-cards and had absolutely no idea what they were doing. I think it partly comes down to the poor direction by Uwe Boll. Not to mention some of the stereotypes involved. We have the detective haunted by his memories, who seeks out for answers, an evil scientist and a way-too young to be a doctor female, who wears glasses (an attempt to show she is smart maybe?).

How was the direction? It was just awful, with no control. As the film progresses, you hope that it will end as Boll has clearly not tried to have anything interesting happen. It is almost as if he wanted to make a bad film; and I do not mean the kind that are so bad they are good. This film is just painfully bad due to how it slowly dishes out character names and information you will have forgotten about when you hit the credits.

One of the worst aspects of the film was the stupid action sequences. Early into the film Edward is in the taxi going somewhere and all of a sudden for no explained reason (until about 40 minutes in to the film), a car from behind follows the taxi and eventually, crashes into the taxi. The following man in the car gets out and starts chasing him in a flatly cliché and boring sequence. There was one shot that was so stupid and fake I had to laugh. We see Edward running away from him and he jumps off a bus (or a truck), and we can clearly see he that he is wired up to a support as we can see him make a linear, and unconvincing movement. Imagine it this way: a cardboard cut-out that moves from the left background of the frame to the right foreground with an uninterrupted diagonal motion.

This is not the only poor little action sequence. The truly dumb ones are those involving the guns were a crappy soundtrack begins to play trying to add fun and excitement to the moment (is this horror or action?), and they really do become boring as hell. There really is no enjoyment in this film and each scene gets more boring as the last. Some of the action defies physics, like when Slater launches a kick off the ground- it looks incredibly dumb.

As a horror film, it fails. As a fantasy film, it stumbles. As a film altogether, it does not even come close to being coherent or enjoyable. Do yourself a favour and avoid it if you can. You will find no form of pleasure from watching it, and that includes watching it to insult it I made that mistake and I could have been watching a film with a similar runtime like Chronicle or Rashomon and enjoyed myself. It is a messy, boring, inept piece of filmmaking (if you can even call it that) that does not attempt in having originality or entertainment value.

At IMDB

Goon (2011/2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:22:00 +0000

Directed by: Michael Dowse
Starring: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill
Genre: Comedy, SPort
USA
Colour, 92 Minutes

Verdict: While it is not very funny as a comedy, there is some slight charm to this Ice-Hockey comedy, which is due to the performance of Seann William Scott.

Plot: Doug, a dreamer who is sick and tired of his job as a bouncer becomes an Ice Hockey player. However, the only thing he can do is throw his fists in the needlessly violent sport of Ice Hockey.

In all honesty, I laughed about three times in the film and there are no smart gags or comical jokes, but it did not stop the film from being enjoyable. Seann William Scott plays the simple minded, honest and strangely likable Doug perfectly. If it were not for this performance, the film would become a crude humoured piece of garbage, and he heavily supports the film. What is great about Doug’s character is while he is the violent not-so-bright hockey player who progresses to success using his fists; he has a big heart and an innocence to him that is quite surprising.

The story does not really have potential to be any better than it is, except that it could have developed the corny romance it tried to include. Doug meets Eva, and instantly falls in love with her. Through the various corny things, Doug says the romance is sweet, but the relationship in everything seemed rushed and undeveloped.

It is not much of a problem because you cannot really expect it to become a fleshed out romance story in its short just-under 90 minute runtime. However, it felt very flat toned despite knowing that Doug has a ‘crush’ on the girl and we can see that he really cares about her. The romantic aspect of it seemed like an excuse to add story. The film has a Rocky-like ending, which is probably what it is referencing.

Due to the lack of laughs, it is not a very good comedy, but William Scott makes the film accessible and attachable. Overall, it does not bore you with pop culture references or idiotically obvious humour, but could have had some more gags and more plot drive, making it enjoyable, but forgettable.

At IMDB

John Carter (2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action
USA
Colour, 132 Minutes

Verdict: Although not as horrible as I expected, John Carter tries hard to be a fun-filled action fantasy film, and fails in the end while replicating many other films in the past. There are some nice jokes, but the wooden characterisation and messy pacing ruin the film as a whole.

Plot: John Carter, a man from Virginia in the late 1800’s discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a saviour.

The first problem the film has is its plot. When I saw the trailer, I assumed John Carter was going to be a character that ends up transported to a new world by some unknown source. Well, it is this, but more for no reason. First, we begin in a western-like setting in Virginia, were Carter stumbles across a medallion that transports him to the new world. However, things get complex as the film struggles to explain itself stating that it is a clone of him. To make things worse, 80% of the film is actually being told through a diary entry.

"Look man, I didn't ask to be here"

The problem is we see the diary being read by a character, which we give no attention, and dive right into the story. Are there voice-overs or scenes swapping to remind you it is from a diary? No. It fatally stumbles to tell the story, and the ending is unforgivably stupid. From the moment the film begins, unrecognisable names of characters and locations are thrown in that instantly become frustrating. Why the hell Barsoom?

The next problem with the film is its pacing. It is difficult to explain, but it slows down, speeds up, jumps from time to time and just gets lost in itself too much that really brings it down. To sum up the film’s direction it is just plain messy. I am disappointed as I thought the film might have had some hope due to being directed by animation director Andrew Stanton, who had previously directed Wall-E, co-wrote Finding Nemo and co-directed A Bugs Life. It seems this jump from animation to live-action (well, half live-action) did not work out for him.

John Carter is based upon the Barsoom Novels written in 1931 by Edgar Rice, and on the 1917 novel A Princess of Mars. These two books have influenced the Sci-Fi genre, which even predates Metropolis (1927). The film seems to have come far too late, and I am surprised it was not made many years ago. Perhaps even by Harryhausen in the 60's or 70's

Furthermore, the film tries to create an expansive world for us to engage with and to be thrilled by. Why does it fail? The film tries to cram lots of information and show the various different cultures within the planet of Mars, but it is simply too much for a short time. Why does it work with other fantasy films? Put it this way; what do Harry Potter, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings have in common? They have more than one film to explain the worlds within the stories. They all took their time. Now, I do not mean this as a huge criticism but the film just failed to create an engaging universe of its own and did not take it’s time to develop it’s plot and characters.

"Why are we so stoic and emotionless?"

The performances did not help, as the characters were wooden. Despite some mildly funny gags by the alien voicing cast (which were great), the acting felt lifeless and just undeveloped completely. I'm not even going to bother explaining, but throughout the film your wondering when the characters were going to come alive.

The film in the end, has been critically unsuccessful and a blunder in the commercial world. One reason for this would be the film’s lack of star quality. This is fine, but it is quite clear when making a film on a large scaled budget, it is vital to include recognised stars in order to grab attention. Overall, the film is not horrendously bad that it is offensive, but it does nothing special or fresh and lacks entertainment value, making it a sandy and forgettable movie to skip.

Age Certificate: 12a
John Carter will be out on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 2nd, so if you want to buy it and destroy it.

At IMDB

22 Greatest Musical Numbers in Film

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Ahhh musicals. There are critics who despise them and hate the genre in film, but how can one hate a complete genre? Especially when films such as Chicago, Singin in the Rain and The Sound of Music exist in the genre. I thought it would be interesting to compile some of the best musical numbers in film in both sound and how the songs appear on film. Here they are:

All that Jazz- Bye Bye Love- Finale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXz6DW51m8&feature=related

This is truly one of the finest musical finales. It is a beautifully executed closing to the film. At 10 minutes in length, it is a fantastic song full of energy.

All That Jazz- Take off with us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmxv97uUkTE

In All that Jazz, a musical number is rehearsed, which is this one. The song starts off as a catchy innocent tune that quickly becomes full of eroticism: Another very fine song.

Chicago- Cell Block Tango

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYfAgSUNW0I&feature=related

Anyone who has seen Chicago the stage musical or film will know of this song. Through it's 7 minute duration we are given the stories of murderesses in a satirical, humorous and catchy song with plenty of rhythm.

Chicago- Overture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh6xbhsbC8I

As soon as Chicago began, I instantly loved it due to the very first song it plays. The overture is heavily fun and exciting and is one of the finest out of all musicals. As soon as the film begins, glitter and gloss are all over the screen along with the stylish editing.

Little Shop of Horror- Mean Green Mother From Outer Space

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlUdy2AobjI&feature=related
Almost forgot to include this one. When we reach the end of the strangely crafted musical, we are given an impressive and hilariously fun song.

Cabaret- Wilkommen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifcfki-7yh0&feature=related

The reason Cabaret is so great is due to having such wonderful songs. Almost every single one is fantastic. As soon as we set foot into the Kit Kat Club, we are gloriously welcomed with a truly excellent song.

Cabaret- Cabaret

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPOiaAU_vJg

When Cabaret ends, Liza Minnelli gives a strongly sung musical performance in a beautifully powerful song.

Cabaret- Two Ladies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPOiaAU_vJg

Two Ladies is one of the most fun songs in Cabaret and is without a doubt catchy.

Dancer in the Dark- I've Seen it All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62pLY5zFTtc
This had to make it to the list and is the most recent addition to my favourite musical numbers. Here, we see a distinguishable and unique piece from a very unconventional musical film. Simply fantastic.

Moulin Rouge- El Tango De Roxanne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhjR2XLIUuU

While I think the film is utterly stupid and overly self-conscious of it, there were some good songs in it, and this one surprisingly sticks out. El Tango De Roxanne is a powerful song with intense lyrics and a highly engaging sound that make it well worth listening to outside the film itself.

Sweeney Todd- A Little Priest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTOHl9nD6B0

This is an enjoyable satirical song full of macabre in the film that is Sweeney Todd (2007)

Sweeney Todd- No Place Like London

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLS1VzUwfQ4

No Place Like London is a fantastic song to start the film that shows Benjamin Barker as a character who seems tormented and twisted by his past.

Sweeney Todd: Johanna Reprise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fIK9ZMUXAQ
Johanna reprise is a fantastic part of the film that has a darkly humorous and psychotic tone to it.

The Sound of Music- The Sound of Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbQSAdU4Qb4
When the film begins and we see the marvellous aerial shot were Julie Andrews is on the hill is magic.

The Sound of Music- My Favourite Things

I could not get a hold of a video of it, but for those who have seen/heard this song and scene in the film will know it is a delightfully catchy tune.

West Side Story- Cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkdP02HKQGc
West Side Story is a greatly choreographed musical with some finely crafted songs. 'cool' is among them and is a wonderful moment in the film.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show- Rose Tint my World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTKBdDcZp90
Some will hate it for obvious reasons and others who love it. Personally, I love the film despite some of it's flaws. This is one of the many great songs and when you see it on screen, you cannot help but love it.

West Side Story- Jet Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exGJsv6ZNlo

When the film begins you know your in for a unique musical. Great song, great choreography.

Singin in the Rain- Singin in the Rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ

Of course this would be on the list. It is one of the grandest musical moments ever. With Gene Kelly's painstaking effort (that greatly payed off), the scene is simply magical.

Singin in the Rain- Good Morning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2yiIoEtXw

Another happy moment in Singin in the Rain that is comically wonderful.

The Wizard of Oz- Somewhere over the Rainbow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HRa4X07jdE
I may be one of the few, but after watching it again for the first time in about 15 months, the song was close to bringing a tear to my eye from the beauty of the song. It is not were we are, or anything to do with the character- but the music itself is very emotional and beautiful.

The Nightmare before Christmas- What’s This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEK5w2MWB1Y

Probably not expected to be here, but this song is fantastically put together along with the magnificent music. Sang by Danny Elfman (and composed), it is a visually engaging movie moment.

There are so many others that could have made it to the list, but these our what I would say are the best musical numbers that we see on screen. Thanks for looking at the list!

Was your favourite(s) mentioned? Comment and let me know what you think of this list.

Summer Plans and Blog Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Summer has arrived, schools are out (well some of them) and I am now reclining and sitting back to watch some movies. You may have noticed (if you are not a new to this blog) that I have radically changed the layout. I am at the moment mainly using a template, but it may change soon. For this summer I have some new ideas and changes to this blog and plan on exploring a wide variety of films.

The first new thing with the blog aside the new layout, is the new archiving methods I am now using. I am now organising by decade and by rating on separate pages, which the links to are found below in the sidebar.

I have also decided to use a different rating system. I feel that the 5-star system is far more appealing and while I am quite specific with my ratings, it is simplified for the reader and is far more appealing to look at that than a /10 rating. All the ratings I have dished out prior to using this system will be rounded off when put onto the ratings archive pages. Some 9.5/10 ratings will become 5-star; others 4.5/5. The ratings tags will still be available.

One other new thing with the blog is the new review structure I am now partaking. It resembles that of Empire magazine that goes like this:

Verdict:
Plot:
Review:
Rating:

Plans for the summer

Over the next 9-11 weeks, I intend to explore more cinema than ever before.

I will be visiting directors who I've seen some or several films from and getting more in-depth including:
Akira Kurosawa (4 so far)
Ingmar Bergman (2 so far)
Martin Scorsese (7 so far)
Danny Boyle (2 so far)
David Lynch (4 so far)
Werner Herzog (5 so far)

I will also be exploring the working of these directors to broaden my film knowledge and love:

Federico Fellini
John Ford
Jean-Luc Godard
Pedro Almadovar
Lars Von Trier
Luis Bunuel

The Skin I Live In: Dir. Pedro Almadovar

If you have any recommendations of great directors (preferably active today directors), or films from the above directors, please do suggest them in the comments box below.

Post Ideas

Another ambitious concept I am going with is a series of posts with film recommendations weekly throughout the summer for those film buffs out their waiting to see a variety of films. They will go by decade, and the total amount will add up to 127 films (film reference). The decades will be in random order, but 90's will come first.

For the summer, I would like to interact more with the film buff community, so I am deciding to do a guest writer project. Every week or occasionally at my blog, I will do a question and answer session with other film buffs with websites. I will also be having guest writers come to the blog to share or discuss certain topics related to film whether it is a classic review, or current cinematic events. If you have suggestions on what else I could do with guest writers, do not hesitate to suggest below.

Film Buff Goals

For a bit of fun, between 04/06/12 and 20/08/12, I intend to try and achieve the following:

Achieve 120 followers.
Compile a list of 200 top/favourite/greatest films
Have 5 guest writers at this blog
Have written 266 reviews (random number)
Writer overviews for three directors
Have 1 film marathon

Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge this post. All the best to you and have a happy summer!

Encounters at the end of the World (2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 19:34:00 +0000

Directed and Written by: Werner Herzog
Genre: Documentary
USA
Colour, 99 Minutes

Verdict: Werner Herzog has made almost as many documentaries as he has fictional films, and his documentaries most certainly have a cinematic element to them. Encounters at the End of the World is one of his best documentaries as he explores the wonders of Antarctica and its fascinatingly beautiful areas, revealing more than just gorgeous landscapes.

Plot: Herzog and his small camera crew travel to Antarctica were they interview the various people who work and live there, and explore the cold and desolate areas of Antarctica.

At this stage, I have fully fallen in love with Herzog’s films, and it is clear he is one of the best documentary filmmakers with films such as Into the Abyss and Grizzly Man in his filmography. His narration is excellent, his curiosity shows him as an explorer of the world and his writing is golden. When we hear Herzog speaking over the visuals in his documentaries, we have full attention to what he is saying. With such a voice, on par with that of Morgan Freeman's voice-over voice, it definitely gives his documentary's more edge.

Encounters at the End of the World presents you with glorious footage of Antarctica that truly makes you want to explore its acres of empty land. The interesting thing is, not only do we see the landscapes, mountains and the people who live at Antarctica, but various other aspects of Antarctica. We see underwater life, seals, a volcano and even penguins. Each of these segments could have a documentary of their own or even make this film well-over 2 hours long. However, Herzog has finely constructed all this footage giving you a full transportation into the areas that are uncovered.

An experiment being taken near a volcano.

The film shows more than just Antarctica, but a statement of human psyche with landscapes. With the interviews Herzog takes with the scientists, they are engulfed by Antarctica’s scale with one speaking passionately about an Iceberg underneath the Ice and how he felt the Iceberg beneath his feet.

The soundtrack is also worth mentioning. In many of Herzog's documentaries we are presented with montages of whatever the film's subject is, were we hear beautiful music. This one has a beautifully composed soundtrack by David Lindley and Henry Jaiser that give the film extra poignancy.

One scene I will never forget was a definitive cinematic moment that was luckily captured on film. We see three penguins in a very wide shot. One walks to the left, were the other penguins are, and another goes to the right in order to find food. One remains in the middle. What is he doing? He begins walking towards the Icy Mountains of Antarctica, into the emptiness of the frozen wasteland. When Herzog says, “he is walking into certain death”, it is a truly touching and tragic moment that has you at a standstill by its beauty. Although it is just a penguin, seeing it walking into emptiness is deeply moving and harrowing, and is one of the film’s finest moments.

This is a finely constructed documentary filled with lavish imagery of Antarctica and will mesmerise you without a doubt. Herzog gives an excellent narration and captures on film some beautiful images that do not cease to fascinate you: a very well worth watching film.

At IMDB

Prometheus (2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:28:00 +0000

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Adventure
USA
Colour, 124 Minutes
*No Spoilers Guarenteed*

Verdict: For fans of the original Sci-Fi classic, Prometheus may seem a disappointment and lacks the engaging suspense and chilling atmosphere the Alien franchise is famous for having. However, it is not entirely bad and has a great soundtrack, cinematography and a solid female lead.

Plot: The plot concerns a group of explorers who discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. That is all that can be revealed to avoid spoilers of the sort.

In 1979, director Ridley Scott brought to the world of cinema Alien, which since has been acclaimed as one of the greatest sci-fi films, having a cult since its release. Many years have passed since this, and now, we have a loosely connected prequel to the original, were we see just how the mission of finding the origins of humanity in Alien all started and originated. How is the film you say? Let us go into it now.

Although I am not a huge fan of the franchise, when I heard about this film a while back I was excited, knowing what a great director Ridley Scott is. Prometheus goes without saying as a slight disappointment, but certainly not a bad film. It is of course impossible to top the likes of Aliens, but the film lacked real development in its plot and it seemed unsure of what story it was really trying to tell.

With director Ridley Scott at helm, I thought the film’s narrative would have had the same kind of unique atmosphere the franchise is known for, which partially it does. The first half of the film is slow and quiet as it builds up towards the alien life forms being discovered when things start to get thrilling, which ultimately makes Prometheus a Sci-Fi, mystery &suspense thriller. There are a few chilling and thrilling scenes in the film, but it at times feels predictable, which I am quite disappointed with, with Ridley Scott.

In terms of being a prequel, it is very loosely connected with Alien and may as well be called a film on it's own.

The dedicated performance from Noomi Rapace, however, definitely makes the film worthwhile. While Michael Fassbender’s robotic character and Guy Pearce’s short appearing character are also great and support the film magnificently.

Another very mentionable element to the film is the wondrous cinematography captured. From the marvellous first minutes that are gorgeously shot, the film is full of visual spectacle. Though, try not seeing it in 3D. The film's soundtrack was fantastically composed Marc Streitenfeld that truly give tension and thrill to some of the scenes.

To be a little more positive for those pumped up for the film, I will say we do get some great gross visuals that appear to be real and not CGI at times. For those who enjoyed the flesh-ripping scenes of Aliens will not be disappointed by some of the violent parts of this film.

I think the ultimate problem that stops the film from achieving the same atmospheric eeriness as the original film is the huge gap between them. Alien is now over 30 years of age, and in our days of CGI-dominated cinemas and annoying 3D (which I had to see this film in), it would be impossible to truly recreate the kind of things made on screen back in the day.

Today, filmmaking techniques are different and the ways in which blockbusters are created now strongly differ from those in the 70’s and 80’s. The original Alien film is a slow-paced B-Movie that went on to rake in lots of cash at the box office, and this was because of how it was made. Today, a blockbuster must consist of action, explosions or star names (or all of them). Alienis of its time and Prometheus lacks the creative spark it had in how it was made. The budget for this film was $120-$130 million, and it shows through its high-quality cinematography and CGI, which differs quite a bit from the original film. I could continue this point, but to keep things shorter for you; the film lacks the atmosphere of the original for, nor should it truly be expected, but it is disappointing in how it fails to be an engaging and suspenseful Sci-Fi thriller.

The film is visually beautiful and I think I will have to watch the film again sometime in the future, but for now I am afraid to say it did not live up to the hype. I am sure others might enjoy it more, but this is just my opinion.

I have tried to keep the film’s main theme out of the way to give you something to look forward to, but I will simply say this: The film has characters that are set on philosophical edge to discover something, and stumble across unexpected things. Perhaps I am being harsh on it, but it definitely did not work for me. The visuals are great, and the soundtrack is ferociously intense, but Prometheusmay disappoint big fans of the original film. For me, it was quite anti-climactic, as a slice of Sci-Fi cinema that I hoped would help revive the genre. However, it still offers some chilling and thrilling moments that ARE resonant of the the first two films.

RATING: 15 (R)

Prometheus hits US theaters on June 8th

AT IMDB

May in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:21:00 +0000

The month of May has been a busy and hectic month for several reasons. First off, it’s the time of year when everyone is busy with schoolwork whether you are in High School, College or University. Now, all of my work is complete (very happy about that). Secondly, I have been unable to review many films, but I have certainly watched a lot. Now that summer is here, I thought it was time to change the blog around, and now I have a different layout, new archiving and a new review layout method. Here is an overview of May in the movies.

WEEK 1

The Kings Speech: 4.5/5

Apocalypse Now: 4/5

Let the Right one In: 4.5/5

The Avengers: 4/5

Pulp Fiction (re-watch): 5/5

Shame: 3.5/5

The Social Network (re-watch): 4.5/5

The Kid with a Bike: 4/5

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): 3.5/5

LA Confidential: 4/5

WEEK 2:

The Bothersome Man: 3.5/5

Dead Man: 3/5

Amelie: 4.5/5

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie: 4/5

Dark Shadows: 2/5

American Psycho (re-watch): 4/5

WEEK 3

Gladiator: 4/5

Seven Samurai: -Will re-watch this one to give a final verdict-

La Strada: 4.5/5

Kick-Ass: 3.5/5

City of God: 5/5

Mary and Max: 4/5

Some Like it Hot: 4.5/5

Cabaret (re-watch): 4.5/5

WEEK 4

Grizzly Man: 4/5

Million Dollar Baby: 3.5/5

Mystic Water: 3/5

Safety Last (re-watch) 3.5/5

Mullhollan Drive: -Definitely needs a re-watch for a valid rating-

We Need to Talk About Kevin: 4/5

Cave of Forgotten Dreams: 3.5/5

WEEK 5 (28-31)

Encounters at the End of the World: 4/5

John Carter: 2/5

Meet me in St. Louis: 3.5/5

Aliens: 4.5/5

Best Film: City of God

Worst Film: Dark Shadows

Films Watched: 35

New Films: 30

City of God (2002)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:28:00 +0000

Directed by: Fernando Meirelles

Genre: Crime, Drama

Brazil
Language: Portuguese

Colour, 130 Minutes

Verdict: City of God with its rocket-like pacing is one of the best cinematic achievements of the 21^st century and has accessibility allowing many people to relate and love the film. With grand young performances, flawless editing and fantastically shot cinematography, the film stands among the all-time greats.

Plot: Based on a true story, we initially follow a boy nicknamed ‘Rocket’, who lives in a Brazilian housing project through the 60’s to the early 80’s and his friend Lil Dice/Lil Ze. Along the way, the story through flashbacks and jumps in time, we see his encounters with gangs, drug dealers, sex, violence, conflict and friendship as well as several character introductions and action.

The film combines a style of Quentin Tarantino and drug dealing trope movies to create something of a modern masterpiece. It is clear that director and writer, Fernando Meirelles has referenced and saluted to Tarantino’s movie due to its narrative structure and with one of the young vast members resembling Jules in Pulp Fiction. By looking at the image below, it will be clear for anyone who has seen Pulp Fiction.

The Samuel L. Jackson look-a-like.

Furthermore, it takes the Tarantino style and the feel of a teenage drug-dealing film and gives itself a unique presence. There are films that show innovative editing to tell the story, but here the editing is simply phenomenal. From split-screen narratives to jump cuts between shots, the editing makes the film more exciting.

The editing is one of the reasons that the film is so great. In my opinion, City of God shows us just how good modern filmmaking can get, thanks to the digital age that even I have been hard on in recent years. The performances in the film, from mainly a young cast, were impressive, realistic, gritty and engaging. While the film is not a deep character study, or feature comlplex characterisation, the film captures the gangs and drug dealers universally, showing groups of these people committing serious acts of crime to survive. The film initially follows the character ‘Rocket’, but the film is not about him- it is about everyone we see. Rocket stands out as a character that gets lucky through the various things he encounters. Rocket is the character with the most development and Alexandre Rodrigues, who played Rocket, definitely showed talent giving the character plenty of edge and heart.

The performances we see from the entire cast are so surprisingly great, it has to be said that they show some of the finest modern performances in people under the age of 25 (on the most part). In addition, the fact that this entire cast are unknown, but give such strong performances as if they have had many years of on-set experience. It is clear that director Fernando Meirelles has controlled his actors with care and truly got performances out of his youthful cast.

Another character who stands out is Rocket's friend Lil’ Ze (played by Leandro Firmino da Hora), who is the film’s main antagonist that represents the truly horrible and cynical drug-dealing gangster. From the moment we meet this character, we know he is trouble.

After the film’s introduction scene set in the 80’s, we see Lil Ze as a kid, played by Douglas Silva. Here, we can see that from the very beginning he was a horrible, sociopathic and sadistic person who takes pleasure in killing his rivals. One scene to note his sadistic cynicism is when we see him entering a house and killing over five people, laughing (something of a psycho). This character we see in constant conflict with his surroundings, and his success in the business. However, he is very much alone, as we hear one of his friends even saying, “You need to get a girlfriend”

The character who says this is called, Benny, played by Phellipe Haagensen, who is also a notable performance. Benny does not come into the plot until about 60 minutes in, but his character has some significance to the plot in which I will not go into in detail. Haagensen drives the character as the honest character just trying to do right.

The cinematography is dark, glum, pessimistic and visually capturing. Its depiction of 60’s, 70’s and 80’s slum-like Brazillian housing estates is nothing short of astonishing. Therefore, thumbs up to cinematographer Cesar Charleone. The screenplay was excellently written by Bráulio Mantovani, has taken the source material, and made it into a fleshed-out film. Fernando Meirelles is without a doubt a very fine director, but it seems since City of God he has not made anything near as critically successful as this. Perhaps soon he will make another astonishing piece of work. He has my hope.

Not only is the film full of gritty action, performances and cinematography, but the narrative structure we witness indefinitely warps us into the world of City of God. If the story had not been told in such a versatile way including flashbacks, split-screen narrative and transitions between events, it would not be half as interesting. , Fernando Meirelles proves himself an excellent director, and is one to look out for in the future. The film gives a fascinatingly realistic and edgy plot (as should be being based on a true story), while also giving it an exhilarating and exciting narrative edge. City of God is one of the finest modern films to hit our screens and is without a doubt a must-see.

At IMDB

My 10 Favourite Directors as of May 27th 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Sun, 27 May 2012 11:05:00 +0000

Well, a lot of time has passed and at this point I have explored hundreds of films. I have not once made a favourite directors list public as I have wanted to ensure it is a justified list. With directors such as Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock around, I wanted to wait a while to try and explore as many directors as possible. So here it is, my favourite directors and my three favourite films from them (in no order)

Charles Chaplin
The Kid
Modern Times
Limelight

Stanley Kubrick
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
The Shining

Woody Allen
Manhattan
Everything you Wanted to Know About Sex
Midnight in Paris
(Will need to see Annie Hall again)

Alfred Hitchcock
Psycho
Rear Window
The Birds

Martin Scorsese
Taxi Driver
Casino
Goodfellas

Akira Kurosowa

Rashomon
Ikiru
Seven Samurai

Quentin Tarantino
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs

Joel and Ethan Coen
A Serious Man
Barton Fink
No Country For Old Men

David Lynch
Eraserhead
The Elephant Man
Mullholland Drive

NOTE: I am taking a liking to some other directors such as Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Sergio Leone but until I see more films from them, this is my list that I think is fair for me to say who is the best from what I have seen.

Mary and Max (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Directed and Written by: Adam Elliot
Genre: Animation, Drama
USA
Colour/B&W, 88 Minutes

Mary and Max tells the story of two very unlikely Pen Pal’s, with one being an 8 year-old Australian girl and the other a 44 year-old man with Asperger’s syndrome in New York. Through their lives, they write to one another about their lives and the differences and similarities they have.The film definitely excels with its narrative structure and excellent use of music and voice-over and it is quite a unique experience when we see the friendship and film develop. With thought-provoking content and bizarre visuals, it adds up for a unique experience.

Although the film is animated, the film most certainly strikes you with a bit of poignancy as we see two characters from very different social backgrounds writing to one another. The characters are nothing short of sympathetic, fascinating and definitely characterised with good care.

Writer and director Adam Elliot decided to shoot the film mostly on a greyscale, which in itself sets the tone for the film in a positive form. The animation is not to the stop-motion standard of Aardman, but the characters breath life as everything we see could be handled in our hands- meaning no computers were used to produce CGI effects. The visuals are very expressionistic and the film definitely has a unique look to it taking you into a very strangely designed world. Visually, it is one of the most imaginative stop-motion films there is.

The voice acting and narration of the film were excellent. Voicing Mac in voice-over form was Phillip Seymour Hoffman who brought a nice New York touch to the character. Toni Collette voices Mary beautifully with convincing voice acting.

The film is an excellent, but short character study of unlikely and curious friendship and questions the strange wonders of life. It is not a very believable thing to happen, but who cares, it is a film and is for entertainment. There is humour to lighten up the dark and quite pessimistic storyline, but in a perfectly blended manner. Do not misjudge this film as a kids film as with all its gritty subject matter and social commentary, you will definitely find this animated feature fascinatingly entertaining.

Verdict: For those who think that animated movies cannot hold you on an emotional level, I am sure this one will make you something. It may not make you shed Bambi tears, but the films expressionistic visual look on the world and friendship are worth seeing.

Rating: 8.5/10

At IMDB

Dark Shadows (2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:46:00 +0000

Directed by: Tim Burton

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy

USA

Colour, 113 Minutes

After seeing the trailer, one thinks to themselves, “Well, this seems like an improvement to Tim Burton’s last venture Alice in Wonderland” and that it might be a fun-filled Gothic styled comedy. This is quite wrong. For most people, the film has been a disappointment (not that expectations were exceedingly high anyway), but the film’s zany narrative that is simply all over the place, making most of it boring and tedious. The visuals are fantastic, but the comedy is lacking when it tries and the plot definitely brings it down.

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

I will begin with saying the positives of the film. Johnny Depp gives a great comedic performance as Barnabas Collins, even if it feels like a bit of a mash-up of his recent Burton collaboration performances. Here, we see Depp playing a character with a new and strange-to-him environment definitely creates a good deal of comedy. The film has few funny gags, with one involving Barnabas approaching a TV and destroying it saying, “Come out of their tiny seamstress!”

The film also has some interesting characters, but lack development with the plot. This includes the characters at the Collins home.

The biggest problem is that it simply does not find its feet with genre. At times it tries to be funny- and fails, and times when it tries to be scary- also fails. It is not a complete killjoy of a film, but there are some face-palming moments. The best in the cast were Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter, who all brought a bit of life to the film.

I think that Burton has let nostalgia get to the better of him here as the film sets itself in 1972- a memorable time in Depp’s life when he was a teenager. It is an interesting outlet to set this vampire in, but how many films are there you know involving out of place characters that end up in a place unfamiliar and strange to them. The Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future, Edward Scissorhands….the list goes on. The film really does not have anything original going on for it both visually and story wise. It is just a mash-up of previous workings with fun comedy involved.

What is this strange solid matter on the earth?

One thing I wish Dark Shadows could have been is resemble Beetlejuice more with comedy, visuals and structure. I hope that Frankenweenie will save Burton from his recently damaged reputation with critics and film fans and that it turns out to be the old Burton we used to know with classics like Ed Wood, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands.

Verdict: Some may enjoy the film’s plot that jumps all over the place, others will find it distracting and annoying. The film has finely constructed cinematography and visual effects, but ultimately the film fails to be entertaining.

Rating: 4.5/10

At IMDB

Memento (2000)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:29:00 +0000

Directed and Written by: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Thriller, Drama
USA
B&W/Colour, 113 MinutesSo, like many people, before giving criticism on the film I watched it a second time, and I absolutely love it! The plot follows a 'detective' trying to find the man who raped and murdered his wife. It seems simple, but he has short-term memory loss, and cannot create any new memories. Therefore, through the photographs, notes and tattoos of words on his body, he tries to track him down. What makes the film exciting is its narrative structure, which before even seeing the film you SHOULD be aware of.

When you watch it first knowing that the black and white clips are linear, and the colour ones are going backwards, you get a grip of what is going on. However, it is when you watch it a second time that you realise details a little more clearly and play the film in your mind chronologically- and that is what makes it so exciting.

However, the film is fascinatingly genius by not only the narrative structure it holds, but also the message itself. The film reminds you that the main character is not as different from everyone else as in reality; we all do things that make us who we are and own possessions that become us. It is just like how many of us here consider ourselves film buffs- that is who we are. In addition, there are times we do things to help ourselves remember things whether it is through photography, note taking or even through videos.

The character played by Guy Pearce connects to every person- the mirrored image of our divided selves. Like the character, who is puzzled and trying to figure out what is going on so are we; And that is what Christopher Nolan has achieved here. The films twists and turns will definitely have you focused.

Now, I do not know about the rest of you but how can you call a film pretentious just because it tells a story differently? Would it be better if we stuck to conventions that so many people actually complain about where originality lacks? I do not want to create an argument here, but this film has executed a story in a unique way that takes the audience on a journey- a journey that requires thought. The film can be argued, discussed and dissected for hours on end with the multi-layers of sub-text it has which makes it one of cinema’s greats. Memento to me is a hugely impressive film and one of the best of the 2000's.

Rating: 9.5/10

At IMDB

The Avengers (2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Screenplay by: Joss Whedon
Genre: Acion, Fantasy, Comedy
USA
Colour, 143 Minutes

Many reviewers and critics have gotten to this film to say what they think, and after a week I think so much shit has been flying across film fans and buffs I need to say something. What did I think? I thought the film was great, and definitely surprising for a comic book blockbuster. This definitely sets a standard for the future comic book movies, and while having plenty of mindless action that so many people love now, it does not get too lost in it all and takes time to show its characters humanity.

First off, the comedy of the film was definitely well rendered and it is good that the film is light hearted. If it did not have plenty of this humour (some of it I found quite annoying), the film would probably be ruined by it trying to immerse the audience and be all overly dramatic. We have plenty of that humour we see in Thor and Captain Americaand it does it well enough to make the film very fun.

The acting from the superhero cast (and of course, Loki) were all quite excellent. Robert Downey Jr. I must say was the best there. His character is arrogant, cocky and quite egotistical, and Downey Jr. definitely created the character of Tony Stark. Chris Hemmsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) all gave very fun, exciting and energised performances that made the film block busting fun.

However, one thing I cannot understand is why people are comparing it to Nolan’s Batman films. While The Avengers is a hot action film, it will never meet the tension, thrill and terrific performance-filled The Dark Knight. I will not go into detail behind this, but The Avengers is simply a smash and bash explosion-fest with good humour and what critics are calling ‘maintaining the humanity of its characters’. While it definitely does this, does it compare to the excellent direction, characterisation and action sequences of The Dark Knight?

Another problem the film had was how it introduced two characters, who did not really need to be in the movie- Black Widow and Hawkeye. Except for some minor exceptions, they barely even play a part in the film, and don’t do much. There are times you forget about them. But, who cares? It is a minor flaw and it isn’t very distracting.

Captain America: Why are these two in our group?

I am sure director Joss Whedon is now chuffed with the films success, and he even made a thank you message to his fans as IMDB reported. Whedon directed Toy Story in 1995 and the recent The Cabin in the Woods back when it was originally intended to be released (2011). I can say with assurance he did a great job on this film and he is a name to look out for in the future.

The visuals were most certainly pleasing and while some of the ending effects felt completely exaggerated and over the top, the film was nicely constructed. Moving on to the comedy: the film is full of quotable dialogue. “Hulk…Smash”, “he killed 80 people in two days”- “he’s adopted”, “I have an army”- “We have the hulk”, the list can go on. The film is quite quotable and the dialogue definitely is a plus for the film. The Avengers has plenty of solid performances that surround a very silly comic book plot that has a formulistic conclusion, but is definitely entertaining.

Verdict: Action packed, partly mindless, but filled with light-hearted humour and great visual effects and performances that definitely make it a worthwhile blockbuster that raises the standard for the comic book films of tomorrow.

Rating: 8/10

At IMDB

The Hunger Games (2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Directed by: Gary Ross

Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

USA

Colour, 142 Minutes

After all the hype, hate and conversation over this book adaptation, I finally decided to go watch it in the cinema. Although I expected a little bit more from the film’s glorious source matter of literature, the film definitely has great performances and well-constructed editing as well as a morally challenging plot involving kids slaughtering one another. The concept is golden for it shows the evil and inhumanity of what could be a pessimistic future for the sake of entertainment. The Hunger Games will please some, but others will find it a slow and boring story.

It is true that the film is quite slow, and compared to what you would expect this film to have (being quite a bit of action), we are left mostly with tension and running around in forests. I felt the film could have shown more of the gaming side to what the kids were doing and make more of the characters attachable and distinctive. We are left with mainly one protagonist and a character we don’t really know for other than loving the protagonist.

The performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcheson were fairly great, and they definitely show potential for the future. Especially Lawrence who boasted an emotionally charged performance.

For the first 25 minutes, the camera work was quite bad as it constantly jerked around in its attempt to give realistic feel. I understand filmmakers use freehand to make their shots look more dynamic, but it was quite dizzying for the first 20-30 minutes. However, the cinematography makes up for this surely as the film definitely has some visual delight with its future set designs and costume designs.

The story I think is great: a tale set in the future were adults have set a inhumane competition were kids slaughter one another- all for entertainment’s sake. The film lacked depth and did not show enough despite it’s runtime. At times, the characters felt hollow and the film’s progression could have had more thrill factor to it. Nevertheless, The Hunger Games has some great decision making and a morally challenging plot that will likely interest fans of the book and film lovers alike.

Verdict: Lacks development and characterisation, but offers some nice visuals and an engaging plot.

Rating: 7.5/10

April in Revue 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:36:00 +0000

Well, this has certainly been a big month for cinema for me. I have watched more films within this month than I have in my lifetime I think. Even more so than last year's summer, which was insane. Well, I watched a variety of films in this month looking at directors such as Akira Kuroswa and Sergio Leone. I have not written many reviews outside the silent marathon, so I should get on board with a few soon. Many of the films I watche din this month that I watched were pretty long, includning Once Upon a Time in America, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), which is why it seems I have watched over 50 films this month. Well, I am not near that number but I still watched a lot. Here is April 2012 in revue.

Total Films Watched:39

New to me: 32

Re-watches: 7

Week 1: (1-7)
No Country For Old Men 8.5/10
Pinocchio (Re-Watch) 9.5/10
The Adventures of Tin Tin: 7.5/10
2001: A Space Odyssey (Re-Watch): 10/10
Haxan: 7/10
Our Hospitality: 8.5/10
Cops: 8/10
The Passion of Joan of Arc: 8.5/10
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Re-watch): 10/10

Week 2: (8-14)
Sunnyside: 8/10
The General (Re-Watch): 9/10
Napoleon Dynamite: 7.5/10
American Beauty: 10/10
The Crowd: 8.5/10
Ikiru: 9/10
Pay Day: 8/10
The Prestige: 8/10
Memento (Re-Watch): 9.5/10
I Am Legend: 5.5/10
Battleship Potemkin: 8.5/10
Titanic (Re-Watch): 9/10
Nanook of the North: 8/10

Week 3: (15-21)
Vertigo: 8/10
Donnie Darko: 7/10
The Killing: 8.5/10
Orphans of the Storm: 8/10
The Maltese Falcon: 8/10
Touch of Evil (Re-Watch): 9/10
Tootsie: 8/10

Week 4: (22-29)
Fight Club (Re-Watch): 10/10
A Fistful of Dollars: 7.5/10
Oldboy: 9/10
The Shawshank Redemption: 9.5/10
Cronos: 7/10
The Hunger Games: 7.5/10
Once Upon a Time in America: 9/10
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 7.5/10

Week 5:(30-31)
Throne of Blood: 8/10
The King's Speech: 9/10

Best Film: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Runner-up: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Worst Film: I Am Legend

For May, I think I will explore some Non-US directors and watch more films from around the globe. Some on my list are: City of God, The Orphanage, Let the Right One In and The Seventh Seal. Any recommendations of fairly modern great non-english films?

25 Greatest Silent Films (prior to 1936)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Well, this is the second top silent films list I have made, except a little longer. Now, I have watched over 65 silent films and most of them have been very entertaining indeed. From Chaplin to Murnau, watchign silent films is an enchanting experience were you get to take a step back into history of how films were made. Here are what I consider the best 25 silent films of all time (excluding The Artist).

25.The Crowd

24. Orphans of the Storm

23. Sherlock Jr

22.Nanook of the North

21. The Tramp

20. A Woman of Paris

19. Intolerance

18. Our Relations

17. Battleship Potemkin

16. The Passion of Joan of Arc

15. A Dog’s Life

14. The Last Laugh

13. Safety Last

12. Steamboat Bill Jr

11. The Circus

10. The General

9. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

8. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

7. City Lights

6. The Gold Rush

5. Metropolis

Known as the first true sci-fi film, Metropolis takes you on a still-astounding trip into a vision of the future. Fritz Lang's terrific direction, the amazing set designs and still relevant to today's world plot makes it a masterpiece of science fiction.

4. The Kid

It is hard saying which is the best chaplin film, but this is certainly among his best. Lavished with sentiment and terrific slapstick, it is a silent masterwork.

3. Greed

Over time I have appreciated the film more for its efforts, and it is truly an astonishing piece of work. With a whopping runtime of 4 hours (restored) we see the ultimate tale of greed. Terrific direction and great performances all around.

2.Sunrise

Despite its simplicity the humanity and sentimentality shown in Sunrie makes it one of the most enchanting romance films to date. Beautifully crafted by F.W Murnau and still one of my favourite films.

1. Modern Times

Chaplin's masterpiece and a film that holds up today as funny, charming and surprisingly intelligent.

Orphans of the Storm (1921) [Silent Film-a-Thon 2] 12#

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:13:00 +0000

Directed by: D.W Griffith

Genre: Drama, History

USA

Black and White, 150 Minutes

In the early days of cinema, D.W Griffith made hundreds of films from shorts to features. He is known for his important works such as The Birth of a Nation, and undoubtedly, Griffith is a pioneer of cinema with his use of camera and narrative techniques. Orphans of the Storm is no masterpiece, but Griffith uses feature films to a powerful extent with this film conveying a large story based on history, were two characters simply get caught up in the moments.

The story begins not long before the French Revolution were we meet two characters called Henriette and Louise, a foundling, are raised together as sisters. When Louise goes blind, Henriette swears to take care of her forever. They go to Paris to see if Louise's blindness can be cured, but are separated when an aristocrat lusts after Henriette and abducts her. Only Chevalier de Vaudrey is kind to her, and they fall in love. The French Revolution replaces the corrupt Aristocracy with the equally corrupt Robespierre. De Vaudrey, who has always been good to peasants, is condemned to death for being an aristocrat, and Henriette for harbouring him.

For today’s audiences, this film is reasonably complex and it is important to be remembering names throughout the film. The characters lack presence, but there is a great development in them as the story progresses. The film is full of coincidences, predictable moments and gaps in the plots that do make it quite confusing to watch.

One technique Griffith uses here is flashbacks, which are presented by fading out and in to them. I do not know if audiences at the tie saw it clearly, but Griffith practically invented the technique. We can also with how he has edited his film is unique for its time. One scene we see a crowd staring, and it cuts to a vignette-styled close-up of individuals faces staring. In another scene, which I find fascinating, we see a letterboxed widescreen view for about 15 seconds. Is this the invention of 16:9? Would it be years before they would take that letterbox and stretch it to fill the frame? Silly questions, but it seems here, he has used a letterboxed widescreen.

One thing Griffith knows how to do is direct a good love scene; and the films romance seems very strong. Of course, the idea of two people from different cultural backgrounds falling in love with one another has been done before, were they are not allowed to be in love. The very earliest is of course, Romeo and Juliet, one of the core love stories in entertainment. However, it did not stop it giving the film some dimension.

Overall, the two orphan characters get caught up in all the rebellion in the French Revolution, which definitely suits its title. The two characters end up being split apart with one being used to get money by a beggar and the other falling in love with an aristocrat. It may not be an absorbing story, but there is some fascination and largeness to it that shows the film is significant in some way. However, the film as I have said can be predictable and people nowadays may not have patience for the film.

Verdict: Griffith’s film set in the French revolution will require patience to watch, and it would be recommended to watch this before his other great films including The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. You will get to witness an early slice of cinema using techniques we still see today.

Rating: 8/10

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

At IMDB

My 50 Favourite films IN ORDER (As of April 2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Thomas Pollock) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Before you plow down my list, read this first. Although I have a page of my all time favourite films on here, I have not made an ordered list of my favourites in my entire time on the blog. I have wanted to explore more cinema before making a solid list, and even posting this one I think it'll be many more months and movies before I get a very solid list. My top five choices I love almost equally, but I chose a title that has very much influenced and interested me in cinema. I am yet to watch some of the acclaimed films floating in the world of film, but here is my list of favourites IN ORDER from what I have seen in my lifetime (which by now is about 900-1000 films). Please comment and give me feedback.

50. Young Frankenstein (1974)

49.City Lights (1931)

48. The Shining (1985)

47. Back to the Future (1985)

46. The Producers (1968)

45. Frankenstein (1931)

44. Rope (1948)

43. ALI: Fear Eats the Soul (1975)

42. Jaws (1975)

41. It’s a Wonderful Life (1942)

40. A Nightmare before Christmas (1993)

39. Rain Man (1988)

38. Pinocchio (1941)

37. M (1931)

36. Wall-E (2008)

35. The Bride of Frankenstein (1936)

34. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

33. The Artist (2011)

32. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

31. Manhattan (1975)

30. Rear Window (1954)

29. Rashomon (1950)

28. Toy Story (1995)

27. Memento (2000)

26. The Gold Rush (1925)

25. Chicago (2002)

24. Cabaret (1972)

23. Limelight (1952)

22. Singin in the Rain (1952)

21. Metropolis (1927)

20. The Elephant Man (1980)

19. The Birds (1963)

18. Citizen Kane (1941)

17. The Kid (1921)

16. Psycho (1960)

15. Sunrise (1927)

14. Greed (1924)

13. The Good, the bad and the Ugly (1963)

12. Pulp Fiction (1994)

11.The Godfather (1972)

10. Casino (1995)

9. Spirited Away (2002)

8. Taxi Driver (1976)

7. Fight Club (1999)

6. Modern Times (1936)

5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

4. American Beauty (1999)

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2. Schindler’s List (1993)

AND...

1. A Clockwork Orange (1971)