Richard J Moir's Blog

My Life With(out) Her

2011-08-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged on here in ages, using my new Tumblr blog to do some reviews here and then, but I wanted to use this space to talk about my latest short My Life With(out) Her which I wrote, directed and edited for consideration for the Virgin Media Shorts Competition. It was a competition that grabbed me straight away, with the amazing prizes on offer, recognition from other quality filmmakers and a difficult challenge in fitting a film into a 2min and 20seconds timeframe, a challenge I grabbed with both hands.

Things didn't go too well at the start for My Life With(out) Her. On the first day of shooting, hours before we were about to roll, the original actress called up and cancelled. I was devastated, and I had to shoot a week later with a new actress. However, I believe this was a blessing in disguise, as this extra week gave me some time to rework the script and work in some ideas I didn't have before, and I got to work with a brilliant actress who I hope to work with in the future, Brydie Blakeley. I also worked with my friend Kieran Milward, who I had worked on in previous short films and knew how to work with him, making filming a lot easier and smoother.

When we finally got filming, it flowed quite well, and my lovely girlfriend who was the only other person helping for the majority of the shoot, let me use her house to film. I brought along my homemade dolly consisting of some guttering and tennis balls, and began shooting a film I was very excited about since the idea had formed a few weeks previous. My proudest shot of the film comes towards the end, where we see our male protagonist doing a spot of running. The shot is so smooth, as we found a nice piece of road, and I sat in the back of my car while my sister drove down it. It's actually possible to see Rosa Payne (my girlfriend and assistant director) in the background. The ending shot was done in my own bedroom, and once it was filmed I was very happy with the final result.

Kieran Milward in My Life With(out) Her

I was so eager to get to the editing stage, I put off some other editing I was doing that was actually paying to do it. I editing the majority of it in one day, I was that keen. The music was courtesy of a fantastic idea by famous musician Moby, through his website MobyGratis, where he lets student or Indie filmmakers use his unused music for their projects. A brilliant idea, and I think the song I chose works incredibly well.

I have received praise for my work for the story it tells, and I'm glad people are seeing it. I won't go into it, as I believe there are a few meanings in the story and want the viewer to make their own mind up. I'm proud of my latest short My Life With(out) Her, and am excited about the recognition it's getting. Despite a few film festival rejections, it is up for Best Music Film at Cannes In A Van in a weeks time, and even if I don't win, it's still a victory in my filmmaking career.

The Day Two Legends Died

2010-11-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

29th of November will be a sad day to remember in the world of film, as two legends of the field passed away. Star of parody smashes Airplane! and the Naked Gun trilogy, Leslie Nielsen passed away at the age of 84, with complications from pneumonia. Another, less known, film star Irvin Kershner has also passed away, at the grand age of 87, and he is the man behind the camera of arguably the greatest Star Wars film in the series, The Empire Strikes Back.

I don't know much about Kershner's other work, but The Empire Strikes Back was a fantastic, well made and memorable movie, seeing it shoot to number #11 on the IMDb top 250. It's such a shame that a well made film didn't see the filmmaker gain a higher status.

More people around the world are shocked by the heart-breaking news of the death of stone faced Leslie Nielsen, whose fantastic straight acting and one liners brought many laughs out of me, and many others. I have compiled a list of what I feel are his greatest one liners in film, made truly memorable by his brilliant acting and delivery.

Police Squad: Lt. Frank Drebin

"Ed and I drove around for hours for no particular reason. We came up empty."

Dutch: "Who are you and how did you get in here?"

Frank: "I'm a locksmith. And I'm a locksmith."

Frank: "Can you take the champ?"

Buddy: "I can take him blindfolded."

Frank: "What if he's not blindfolded?"

"Like a midget at a urinal, I'd have to stay on my toes."

Airplane! : Dr. Rumack

Dr. Rumack: "What was it we had for dinner tonight?"

Elaine: "Well, we had a choice of steak or fish."

Dr. Rumack: "Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagne."

Ted: "Surely, you can't be serious?"

Dr. Rumack: "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."

The Naked Gun Trilogy: Lt. Frank Drebin

Vincent: "Inspector Drebin, welcome."

Frank: "The feeling's mutual."

Jane: "Can I interest you in a night cap?"

Frank: "No thanks, I don't wear them."

"Like a blind man at an orgy, I was going to have to feel my way through."

Ed: "You might end up dead!"

Frank: "'You Might End Up Dead' is my middle name."

Ed: "What about Jane?"

Frank: "I don't know her middle name."

"Cheer up Ed, this isn't goodbye. It's just I won't ever see you again."

Other

"The reason they call it 'golf' is that all the other four-letter words were used up."

"Doing nothing is very hard to do... you never know when you're finished."

"You're excited? You should feel my nipples!"

"Dracula: dead and loving it."

R.I.P Leslie Nielsen

Harry Potter and The Depressing Hallows.. Part One

2010-11-20T18:04:00.001-08:00

It was always inevitable that this first parter of the finale was going to break box-office records, and send the Potter fan base into overdrive. I will keep this short though, as I feel like if I say too much, I will ruin the experience of a film that you need to see. Saying that, I will point out some moments (not plot spoilers) that may bug you throughout.

Let me just get this out of the way. Deathly Hallows is a brilliant film. Maybe not the best of the series so far, but I wasn't expecting that considering they'd save the best for the final instalment, but still an exciting ride of a movie. I'd heard beforehand that this film was dark, and that had been progressively happening throughout the series, but I wasn't expecting this...

If you are feeling upset, do not go and see this film. It is very depressing, and I won't be surprised if the majority of the children in the cinema will be having nightmares this week. There are so many moments I jumped at (yes, I jumped) that I was actually more scared in this at points than some horror films I've seen in my time. The film is dark, depressing and very moody, portrayed well by a lot of the actors, who beforehand I don't remember having much of a problem with.

Daniel Radcliffe gets by, and his acting does improve each time I see him, but he's not exactly battling fantastic talent (especially since Gary Oldman has left). Bill Nighy starts off the film and is wasted talent, and gives a dodgy Welsh accent in his limited screen time. Rupert Grint talks as if he's been running the whole time and Emma Watson looks scared and confused every single second she is on screen. She must smile about three times during the whole film. And some interesting characters in the first lot of films seem to have turned into bit parts with no bite. Draco Malfoy is now a crying wimpy boy, with no lines, and his Father seems to have turned into an alcoholic.

The best acting in the film actually comes from two very minor parts. David O'Hara and Steffan Rhodri (best known in Gavin & Stacey) give very good performances in a well written and directed scene, but again, I'm not going to go into detail.

The plot is good, but having little memory of the 6th film, I had forgotten what the hell was going on, and the first ten minutes or so didn't help at all. After a while, I (sort of) remembered what they were doing. The cinematography is amazing, but is let down by a lot of shaky cam, but is getting big thumbs up from me for the amazing special effects. My favourite scene is a strange one, as it was a scene that took me out of the world of Harry Potter (this happened twice, and the other scene that did, the dance scene, was just plain weird). The scene I am referring to as a favourite was the story of the Deathly Hallows, shown in fantastic animation by Ben Hibon. I'd pay to see more of him in the second film.

So there we have it. Harry Potter 7.1 is out and the verdict around the world is that it's pretty good, but very dim and depressing. Be prepared for a ride, a few laughs and maybe even a fear tears, as the series is coming to an exciting end.

Trailer Trash

2010-11-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is a two-part blog after my cinema experience today. First of all, I will talk about shit I (literally) saw on the big screen, and secondly, shit I (metaphorically) saw beforehand.

Jackass 3D: A Review

Many people in the world will know about the Jackass crew. And opinions will be split right down the middle on how they feel about the careers of these idiotic but quite amusing stunt men. Either they're hilarious or they're disgusting, but either way they get a reaction. 2010 sees the crew returning to the big screen after a 4 year absence (Jackass: Number Two being actually quite a good film) and in dildo-waving 3D.

I have voiced my opinions many times about how much I hate 3D. But I was in the mood for a piss-about comedy, and saved my glasses from Despicable Me, so wasn't going to be paying extra. I was going to start this review with how the film started itself, but I'll leave that until the end. Let's get onto the jokes, pranks, stunts and mess.

It's simple Jackass stuff, for everyone who has seen the original TV series and two previous movies, but it seems like instead of stepping up the danger they've just stepped up on the gross-out humour, which I'm guessing it's due to them creating this in three dimensions. I'd say half of the film is to do with faeces, vomiting, or the reactions of other people who are about to vomit. This was funny at first, but wasn't great Jackass like I was hoping. From these sorts of moments all I could think was "I've seen this all before".

What was funny, was what was funny in the previous films, and they are the skits done throughout. Johnny Knoxville in his old man costume is fantastic and gets great reactions from the street, but this was used nowhere near enough. Wee Man's bar sketch was done perfectly, and was probably my favourite bit in the movie.

Like the previous two instalments, Jackass 3D has a crash, bang, wallop, explosive ending, which is impressively done, along with the pretty cool slow motion introduction. It also ends with nice credits, showing the crew in their younger days, reliving footage from early Jackass. It all felt like the whole Jackass thing was coming to an end, which I think, in all honesty, might be a good thing.

Back to the start of the film. Before Jackass actually starts, there is a short sketch from Beavis and Butt-head. You remember them? They were a crude cartoon duo which started way back in 1993. And as you watch them there on the big screen you can only think "are they still doing this?". Which is what my thought process made of the Jackass team. They must be getting quite old now, but yet they are still going for the cheap laughs using dildos. If they keep on going, it should be with the Trigger Happy Style jokes.

Trailers

Last week when I went to see RED I was completely disappointed with the poor trailers shown beforehand. And this week was no better, forcing my friend to say "I'd like some film with my adverts please."

First up, we have a trailer shown both weeks for a film called Skyline. Two words can sum up this three minutes - pure garbage. It looks absolutely dreadful, and will only seem to satisfy the Transformer style nerds who just want so much action on the screen they can't see what's happening, but it'll make them cum. Then we have Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels. I've heard about this film for a long time, but didn't know until today it was going to be in 3D. Quick verdict: looks poor. And I think that's because of the 3D alone.

But the one trailer that really got to me was the shocking 3 minutes I had to sit through for Tron: Legacy. I have never seen the original Tron, but if this is anything to go by I won't be doing that any time soon. The film looks incredibly boring, the CGI Jeff Bridges is distracting, and it doesn't seem to make any sense. Scenes are shot just for the sole fact it's made in 3D. Who really nowadays wipes everything off a table in anger? It all just reeks of pathetic. And as I thought for the second time in just over a week that I hadn't seen a good trailer in a long time at the big screen, I realised that soon, this kind of buggery will be actually IN the cinema itself. Where are all the good films? Is next Summer going to be even worse than the film Summer we just had? Well... here's a list of films scheduled for 2011.

Thor, Priest, Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda: the Kaboom of Doom, X-Men: First Class, Super 8, The Green Lantern, Cars 2, The Rise of the Apes, Transformers: The Dark of the Moon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Favreau's own Cowboys and Aliens, Smurfs 3-D, The Change-Up, The Darkest Hour in 3-D, Conan 3-D, Fright Night, Spy Kids 4, 5nal Destination and Piranha 3DD

I'd say I'd want to see 2 of those films, so "yes", next year looks like it will be pretty poor.

RED: Ridiculous and Extremely Delightful

2010-11-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

I was excited to see RED back a few weeks ago when I saw the explosive trailer, and the impressive cast just hooked me. I was expecting a film that was all action, and one not to be taken seriously, but I wasn't expecting this. RED is very much all action, so much so you can barely go five minutes without an explosion or a car screeching round the corner.

I'll start by saying what got me hooked in the first place and that is the incredible cast that's behind this film. Bruce Willis is the main star, but just look at his super squad: John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren (although the latter unfortunately only shows up about an hour into the film). Bruce is as bad ass as he was back in his early Die Hard days, but it's the first time I've really seen any of the other's in this sort of role. Freeman is a classic actor, and just so loveable, while Mirren shows she's still got it at the age of 65. But my pick of the main cast is John Malkovich as the paranoid Marvin Boggs, providing most of the laughs with his weirdness and great one liners. The film also brings my attention to Mary-Louise Parker, who I later found out was 46, when on screen she looks no older than 30. She's brilliant in this, and also provides some of the comedy throughout the film.

What's great about this film is mainly the cast. Because of the storyline, basically four retired badasses on the run, you feel this can only be done by a cast we know so well and love. And every single one of them really works. There was rumour of John C. Reilly being cast as Marvin originally, and I'm glad this didn't go through. What works here in this film is that we love the main characters already, despite what they do throughout the film. There's also screen time from veteran Richard Dreyfuss, which is always a pleasant surprise.

The direction of the film is fantastic, with Robert Schwentke behind the camera, who does all sorts of neat tricks to really put you in the action. One of my favourite shots in the film has to be a seemingly impossible camera movement from back seat to front seat in a moving car, through two people. I haven't seen many of his other work, with Flightplan and Time Traveller's Wife not being on my To Watch list, but he's really got a talent for this directing lark.

The film itself is actually quite confusing at times though. Not helped by the main characters not knowing why they're being chased as well. Often at times you do just want the cast to sit down for five goddamn minutes and do a bit of talking, but then BLAM someone is shot and all hell breaks loose. Which is good for what the film is, but I needed a breather.

As I left the cinema I felt happy. It wasn't the type of film I'd usually go and see though, so why was this? Usually I'm up for a depressing film, some sort of French flick maybe, perhaps something from the forties or a bit of controversy. This was just a popcorn flick. I've seen them before, but have been generally disappointed. Transformers 2? Pile of garbage. Avatar? Worst thing I've seen in the cinema in a long while. RED? Fun. And that's why I enjoyed it. It was just so fun. The story didn't need to be strong, neither did the performances, but do I want to see Bruce Willis walk out of a spinning car, not get hit at all, then begin shooting straight at a jeep? Fuck yeah I do!

Bring on RED 2. Not Avatar 2... and 3.

And Just Like That, I Feel I've Wasted 2 Years Of My Life...

2010-11-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

The title for this blog is not a quote from anybody, but something I basically said to myself last night when I heard news of Leonardo Di Caprio's next role. He is playing a serial killer named H.H.Holmes in a book adaptation of Devil In The White City. Not many people will know who this serial killer did, or his ingenious way of luring his victims but I did. I spent five months researching about Henry Holmes, and the best part of my first year at University, and the summer following, writing a 164 page script about him. I was proud of my work. Now, I feel like that whole script has gone to pot.

H.H.Holmes was a serial killer who, in the late 19th century, built a fantastic hotel just in time for the Chicago's World Fair. Little did other people know was that this hotel was filled with rooms with no exits, gas pipes, torture chambers and the such. Hundreds went missing but no-one knew why. Then began the chase of Holmes and his story lives on, with himself being one of America's first ever serial killers.

Not only am I upset that my script is now being done by Hollywood, but they're choosing the wrong man to do it. Di Caprio? He may have great credits as of late but there is only one person who can fill this role and that's Robert Knepper. His evil glare, his wry smile and he even looks like Holmes. If I was directing this film, and by God I wish I was, then that's who I would of cast in a heartbeat. Even if I was offered Di Caprio first.

I thought I was pretty lucky finding a serial killer with such an incredible back story that noone had seemed to have a go at in the film industry but my luck has run out. I didn't think that I could have made the film in all honesty but it was my personal project that maybe in the future I could've given a go at. Oh well, time to contact some more film companies and wonder what could have been.

"Lack Of Money Is No Obstacle. Lack Of An Idea Is An Obstacle"

2010-10-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

I might as well do a blog about how much I hate things, because every single day I seem to find out some news in the film industry that just aggravates me, be it Star Wars getting a re-release or a brilliant film getting remade, for no reason. This post falls in the latter, and I know a fair few people will be annoyed with this news as well as me.

This list (link) is a compiled list of 50 (FIFTY!) films that are being remade in the new few years. People will be split down the middle like every remake, saying it's either needed because it's unknown or not needed because the original is a complete classic. Some films on the list, I'll admit, I've never heard of, so maybe them being brought to my attention is a good idea, but there are some that I have heard of that just don't need to be touched. For example, Battle Royale, a blood thirsty joy of a Japanese film, and The Birds, a classic Hitchcock thriller. But there is one film on the list that really got to me, and made me write this blog. And that's An American Werewolf in London.

I was going to do this post a couple of weeks ago, but glad I waited, as two nights ago I had the joy of watching this film again. It's a classic British horror comedy film, which sees some fantastic acting, some memorable scenes and the birth of some of the greatest Oscar-winning transformation effects created by Rick Baker. The latter point is deserved for it's Oscar win, Best Make-Up, and changed horror films from the 80s onwards, way before CGI was a centre point in filmmaking. The transformation scene is horrifying, brilliantly created and memorable. This scene alone is reason for there not to be a remake of a classic.

There are brilliant cameos in this film also, with director John Landis being hit by a car in one scene and Rik Mayall popping up in the pub early on. Landis had a brilliant early career with this film, Trading Places, and the Blues Brothers being his hits of the 80s, and having National Lampoon's Animal House under his belt early on in his filmography. He hit a bit of a rough patch since then, with blunders like Blues Brothers 2000 and Beverly Hills Cop III making him quit the directing business in 1998. But thankfully, he's back this year, at the helm of Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis film Burke and Hare, and from the trailer alone it looks like Landis is back on form.

An American Werewolf In London is a classic horror film, one of the best British films ever made and really was inspiration for horror films after it, with it's mix of comedy and blood, and brilliant make up design, helpful in the Landis-directed video for none of than Thriller by Michael Jackson. This film, along with many others, should be watched by all, and not be spoiled by a unnecessary remake. I bet it'll be in fucking 3D as well...

Despicable Me and Illumination Entertainment Challenge For The Top

2010-10-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

For a very, very long time, there have been two CGI-based film studios that have always stolen the limelight ahead of the others, and produced incredible animated films that have seen a massive gross revenue. These two companies are obviously Pixar and Dreamworks, with the former being one of the most successful companies in all of film. But last night I saw the first film of a new company, Illumination Entertainment, and their film Despicable Me, and finally someone is properly challenging for the top.

With Pixar and Dreamworks, their debut feature length films were top class, with the former releasing one of their most successful films Toy Story in 1995, and the latter starting out with Antz in 1998. I first saw the trailer for Despicable Me over a year ago (yes, a year!) when I mentioned the film in my old blog in August 2009. Ever since I saw that trailer I have been intrigued as this is the debut film from a new company and I was pleasantly surprised when I finally got the chance to see it.

The voice talent on show is very impressive, with Steve Carrell in the lead role, Russell Brand coming in as Gru's assistant Dr. Nefario, and Jason Segel and Julie Andrews rounding off the main cast. The story sees Gru trying to retain top position as bad guy in the world, with a ingenious plan to steal the moon. But there is one man on his tail, Vector (Segel) who is the younger, upcoming villain, going into top place after stealing the Great Pyramid of Giza.

There are a lot of cute jokes to keep the kids entertained, with the minions being reminisent of the aliens from Toy Story, the writers clearly knew how to keep their target audience entertained. But that's not to say that there wasn't jokes for the older audience. A few clever jokes including a reference to the Lehman Brothers made me laugh, but I felt that my friend and I were the only ones in a cinema of about 25 who understood the pun.

Another thing about the film, that usually gets to me, is that it was impossible to see the film in 2D, but as I wanted to see the film for a while, I bared it and donned my 3D glasses. Like I mentioned in a post a couple of months ago, 3D seems to work well for animated films, and this film proved that. There is a credits sequence made just for 3D, while during the film I was just engrossed in the story that the 3D didn't really effect me too much.

Overall, the film is definitely worth a watch, and so is the company. Being a debut film, the film didn't have much to show for other productions apart from one teaser trailer for a release in April titled Hop, in which the trailer feature the minions from Despicable Me! Something tells me they're not too far in production with that film. But it's still a film I'll be going to see.

Buried: And Other Films In Just One Place

2010-10-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

After coming out of the cinema two nights ago, I was wondering which was better: Buried, a tale of a man who has been buried alive and has to work with terrorists and their demands to gain his safety, or the fact I only paid £2.80 to see it! I had tried to go the previous week to the same cinema chain and they told me it'd be £10.70, to which I walked away. Cineworld on a Wednesday with student cards is the best thing possible for cinema lovers. But I digress, onto the film in my mind.

Buried gained a lot of hype through it's novelty and a great festival run, with Ryan Reynolds being praised by the critics all across the board. I will try and not ruin the film, as I think people should go and see this, so I will keep it short. This film does make you feel quite ill, with my girlfriend repeating "it's awful" to the storyline when we left, and there are moments which brought a tear to my eye, but a film set in one location and keeping my attention for 95 minutes must be doing something good. Director Rodrigo Cortes and cinematographer Eduard Grau do a fantastic job of keeping up the suspense, and some of the writing is great, bringing in some comedy in a very unfunny situation.

When I was thinking of the film afterwards on my journey home and that night (it's hard to not think of it a lot when it's over) I wondered about how other films only set in one location fair.

Glengarry Glen Ross - This film features a whole load of amazing actors, including Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin and Kevin Spacey, and gets through on the fantastic talent and an amazing script. One scene in particular stays in everyones mind, with Pacino lashing out at Spacey in a two minute rant with a lot of swear words. When I mentioned this to my girlfriend, she pointed out that this film, and the next in this list, are both stage plays, so are written to be set in one place.

12 Angry Men - I remember seeing this film at a quite young age and am dying to see it again, the story of 12 men in a jury deciding on a defendant's innocence. The story is very basic, and again relies on a very strong script to keep up the story. It's carried by one man in particular, Henry Fonda, and Sidney Lumet does a good job on directing. But what about one location films that aren't set on stage productions?

Phone Booth - A more modern single location film that did very well in the box office, Phone Booth tells the story of one man who is held hostage in a telephone box by a sniper. The writer, Larry Cohen, originally pitched the idea of a man in a phone booth for a whole film to none other than Alfred Hitchcock back in the 60s, but they couldn't think of a significant enough storyline for it to work. Then, over 30 years later it came to him what it should be about. I am not a huge fan of the film, but it does work, and does keep you in suspense, and I think it would have been very interesting to see what Hitchcock would have done with the script if Cohen had the idea 30 years previous.

These three films all work in a single location, with some working in better areas in others. For example, Glengarry and 12 Angry Men work in suspense and fantastic writing, while Phone Booth works well because it's set in real time. I haven't seen many one location films, so I can't think of any others that don't particularly work so well, but these three and the new release Buried are all ones to watch. Here is a list of other one-location (or set in one for the majority) films that are out there.

Clerks

Reservoir Dogs

The Breakfast Club

Rear Window

Dog Day Afternoon

Good News vs. Bad News

2010-09-29T15:24:00.001-07:00

On the 29th September, I heard two major pieces of film-related news. One quite sad, the other quite awesome. Let's get the sad news out of the way first shall we?

The Bad News - George Lucas is set to re-release all six Star Wars films into the cinemas...in 3D.

Not only did Lucas pretty much destroy an absolutely superb original trilogy by releasing three films seemingly made to solely put toys on the market, but now he's going to re-release his car crash of a trilogy right in front of your very eyes. This news obviously comes from the success of 3D films such as Avatar (awful) and Toy Story (awesome), and it doesn't stop with Star Wars getting a 3D re-release. Shrek was announced that it's original three films would be put back out their in pointless three dimension, along with Harry Potter. All fucking eight of them will now be in 3D. Woo. Hoo.

The Good News - Christopher Nolan has confirmed he will be doing Batman 3.

Even though I am yet to see Batman Begins, The Dark Knight was an incredibly film, and followed up by Inception, Christopher Nolan is on a fantastic streak at the moment, which is only a good thing for the rejuvenated Batman series. He said this to Empire:

"It’s becoming inevitable, I’ll put it that way," says Nolan. "I feel myself falling into it, I guess. And getting it all figured out and I’m pretty excited about what we’re doing so… If I haven’t announced it, I think that people probably all know at this point that I’m doing it."

Excellent news.

25/09/2010

2010-09-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

A great example of the "Bat-Climb" technique, with the camera

put on it's side and the actors, here in a Batman film from the 60s

walking across a set. Genius.

"Cinema Since The New Wave Always Seems To Be About People Fighting In The Kitchen"

2010-09-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

Being a young and hopeful filmmaker myself, I often see how other directors work, to learn from them and try and better myself. One director who I am in awe of and inspired by every single film (with Alien Resurrection a possible exception) is Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of the wonderfully dark Delicatessen and heart-warming hit movie Amelie.

After seeing Amelie a while back, I knew I wanted to make films. The stunning cinematography that paves the way in all his films is just jaw dropping at times, and you can tell what’s a Jeunet film from a mile off. So after seeing Amelie, I decided to learn more about this Jean-Pierre Jeunet fellow, and found his second Cesar winning short film on the Internet, Foutaises (Things I Like, Things I Don’t Like)

Dominique Pinon has been in every film Jeunet has touched, and this short 7 minute slice of wonderment shows his talent, his wonderful stretchy bizarre face, while also emphasising how Jeunet can brilliantly tell stories. Foutaises is a must watch for all film fans, and it was an idea that clearly stuck with him 12 years later when he made Amelie, with the same “Things I Like, Things I Don’t Like” style being used. After Foutaises came two feature length films with his filming partner Marc Caro. In 1991, shortly after Foutaises, came dark comedy Delicatessen, which was brilliantly shot, especially the last bathroom scene, and The City Of Lost Children, a film that features one of the best scenes ever created in film.

After his 1997 trip to America to shoot the fourth Alien film in the franchise, Jeunet shot to fame with the touching Amelie, which earned five Academy Award nominations, but unfortunately went back to France with none. I’ve often been annoyed with the Academy Award with their Foreign Language Film Award, cough Let The Right One In cough. Jean-Pierre Jeunet made the underrated A Very Long Engagement in 2004, again featuring the beautiful big eyed Audrey Tautou, before going back to quirky routes with his latest film Micmacs (A Tire-Larigot).

I had been waiting for Micmacs for a very long time before seeing it at the start of this year and was not disappointed in the final product. Every scene is an art masterpiece, and the storyline is classic Jeunet, seeing Bazil (Dany Boon) adopted by a group of hidden away circus freaks and getting their help on taking down two huge organisations that killed his father and ruined his life. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a talented and underrated director, that hasn’t got the recognition he deserves. I think it’s only right that you check out everything that he has done. Even his car advert that’s floating around on YouTube.

Hats (And Beards) Off To Joaquin Phoenix

2010-09-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

So it has come out, the Joaquin Phoenix documentary I'm Still Here is actually a mockumentary according to director Casey Affleck, who said Phoenix's role was "terrific" and the "performance of his career". The film, following Phoenix's so-called transition from acting into rapping, while slowly suffering what seemed like a mid-life crisis, has received mixed reviews from the critics, who don't know wether to take the film seriously or not. Roger Ebert gave the film 3/4 stars, saying

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste. The tragedy of Joaquin Phoenix's self-destruction has been made into "I'm Still Here," a sad and painful documentary that serves little useful purpose other than to pound another nail into the coffin. Here is a gifted actor who apparently by his own decision has brought desolation upon his head. He was serious when he said he would never act again. He was serious when he announced a career as a hip hop artist. He wasn't goofing when he was on the Letterman show. He was flying into pieces [...] All of this is true. At least we must assume it is. If this film turns out to still be part of an elaborate hoax, I'm going to be seriously pissed. Actually, there are subtle signs it might be."

The people I've talked to don't seem bothered about this film, but I think I might give it a go. Who knows, it could turn out to be a mockumentary comedy like that of Borat and Spinal Tap, and end up being a cult film. Or.. it might not.

I seem to be losing my touch with blogging recently, so this weekend I am going to try and watch a new release and see what the hell is going on in cinemas in the past couple of weeks.

"If It Can Be Written, Or Thought, It Can Be Filmed"

2010-09-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a word-heavy blog in a long while but there are two reasons. One, I have been working a lot and haven't really had time to write anything, but more importantly, two, in my spare time I have been going to the effort to watch the genius of Stanley Kubrick, as I realised a few weeks back I hadn't actually seen many of his films, even though I was fascinated by him. So a week went by and I managed to watch 6 of his feature films, starting from as early as 1956, a documentary, and also read the book Life In Pictures by his wife Christiane. But first, before I get into the films, here is a little about the man himself.

In his early years, Kubrick started as a photographer, getting himself an apprenticeship with Look magazine. While also doing this, he managed to "hustle" local chess clubs to gain scraps of money before later on going into movies, started by filming three short documentary subjects. These were Day Of The Flight, Flying Padre and The Seafarers (all of which I will try and watch for a later Kubrick blog). His photography clearly helped in his later films, which showed perfectionism and some of the most incredible imagery ever created. His first two feature films, Fear and Desire and Killer's Kiss, got him noticed among the film industry, but the first of his that I watched was the 1956 crime heist movie, The Killing.

The Killing, 1956

The Killing was actually the last film of the week I watched but one of the most enjoyable and exciting. The Killing sees a group of men try and steal up to $2million from a race track, with a less-than-easy plan. And they have to do it while the femme fatale of the story, brilliantly played by Marie Windsor, tries to get in on the action. It's a classic storyline, and the non-linear structure has become a staple of modern day cinema, clearly influencing Tarantino in his films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, but the most enjoyable thing about this movie is the excellent camera movements and shots that show Stanley Kubrick was special from the start. His extensive tracking shots that really get the pace going early on, to his clever use of mirrors in the chess club scene really show his perfectionist attitude towards filmmaking. Kubrick was known for re-takes over and over again to get things right, but if they produce shots like these then I don't think anyone should complain. The lead in The Killing, perfectly played by the stern Sterling Hayden, later played a role in Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, which I will get onto soon, after talking about Kubrick's next movie, a World War One film.

Paths Of Glory, 1957

Like The Killing, Paths Of Glory was adapted from a novel, this time of the same name, which became a trademark for Kubrick. All his films apart from his first two and 2001: A Space Odyssey where adaptations. Paths Of Glory takes place mainly in the French trenches at World War One. Kubrick's innovative tracking shots really work in this film, showing the long, muddy trenches and also the large battlefields where many were gunned down. Kirk Douglas, an actor who Kubrick went on to work with again in Spartacus, really shines in this role and doesn't hold anything back, with my favourite shot a long track of Col. Dax walking through his troops, not once flinching at the explosions around him. The film carries on, as Col. Dax realises that a whole wave of soldiers hasn't gone forward in a planned attack. Realising this, Brig. Gen. Paul Mireau (George Macready) decides to execute soldiers in order to teach them a lesson. It's a brutal story telling film, and was on of the first to really show how bad the war really was. Trust it to be Stanley Kubrick to be the first at doing that.

Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb, 1964

After Paths Of Glory, Kubrick went on to make Oscar winning films Spartacus and Lolita, but I did not manage to watch these two in my Kubrick week. Instead, the next film in line was his dark, war comedy, Dr. Strangelove. Peter Sellers was a well-known comedic actor, and he had already played a part in a Kubrick film in Lolita, so Stanley knew what he was going to get when he cast him in three roles (originally four) in this. Sellers plays Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley and the title role of crazy German-born scientist, Dr. Strangelove, with his alien hand. The film starts off slow, and kicks in when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) decides to initiate an attack on the Soviet with nuclear weapons as he is paranoid about a certain Communist conspiracy. Not wanting a nuclear war and a doomsday, it's down to the President and his men to try and stop the attack from happening. It is a brilliantly made and written piece of film, but it wasn't constantly laugh out loud funny. There are moments, especially with Strangelove himself, that really do get a tickle out of you, and some clever visual gags near the start of the film. My favourite part of the film was the very end though, with a hilarious line and gag to end on before the credits suddenly role. Kubrick seems to have a knack for making the last line of the film stay in your mind, but I won't ruin it for people who should see this.

A Clockwork Orange, 1971

Known around the world for being one of the most controversial films ever made, Kubrick had to pull this film from theatres in England due to his family receiving death threats. Many years later, everyone had seen it and now it has become a cult classic, with the iconic imagery of the four droogs walking around causing havoc in a dystopian and futuristic Britain. While watching the documentary Stanley Kubrick's Boxes I really began to get a sense of how much he worked on a movie before getting to the finished product. For example, Kubrick took hundreds of photographs of two of the droogs wearing different hats, just to get the right image in the film he wanted of a gang of thugs who's favourite pasttimes are violence and rape. Going on from this, in the film Eyes Wide Shut, which I will review soon, he got his photographer to take pictures of hundreds of doors for one very short scene. Even more amazing is that even after all the hundreds of doors were photographed, Kubrick went on to creating a set anyway, for a scene that lasts about five seconds. Some say his reclusive behaviour and his perfectionist nature are often reflected in his films, and some of the carefully planned shots in A Clockwork Orange do show that. Kubrick was never afraid to be controversial, leaving nothing out from the novel of the same name, and this is probably why his family received those death threats. The infamous "Singin' In The Rain" scene still makes me uneasy every time I hear the song, the use of Beethoven really showed Kubrick's fascination with classical music and the iconic imagery will be worn by people, many who have probably never even seen the film.

The Shining, 1980

One of Stanley Kubrick's most famous films, The Shining sees Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) take his family of three up to a large, secluded hotel in order to be the caretakers in off-season. Many people know this film for it's one very famous shot and line ("Here's Johnny!") while others can see Kubrick's delicate filmmaking stamp printed all over. With the large hallways and huge areas to work in, Kubrick had a field day with all his tracking and dolly shots that shine all the way through this film. There isn't too much I can say on this film that everyone doesn't already know. Some trivia? Danny Lloyd never knew he was actually in a horror film until four years after filming. He

thought it was a drama. The scene with him seeing the twins was edited, and Kubrick just told him to look down an empty hallway scared. As a horror film, there aren't many "jumpy" moments which is all audiences seem to crave nowadays in horror, but instead, just eerie moments that make you uneasy as much as possible. The music, the over-the-top acting (which Kubrick insisted on) and the storyline itself, all play a huge part in why this is one of the greatest horror films. Even though I said no properly scary moments, what's inside room 237 is terrifying.

Eyes Wide Shut, 1999

This is the last film I watched in my Kubrick marathon and the last film he ever made, when he died, four days after showing a screening to his family and friends, of a heart attack in his sleep. While Eyes Wide Shut is a slow burner, once it gets into a flow it's impossible to stop watching. Before watching I thought I'd be distracted from the big Hollywood talent of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman on screen, but as the film progressed I just lost myself. Even though I got lost in the film, I actually think Eyes Wide Shut is my least favourite of all I watched, which is saying something. The storyline is dramatic, but dragged out. The Shostakovich score is superb, but overused. Like I said before though, Kubrick had a knack for the last words in his films being memorable, and Eyes Wide Shut is no different.

Alice: I do love you, and there's something very important we need to do as soon as possible.

Bill: What's that?

Alice: Fuck.

Trust Stanley Kubrick's last ever word on his last ever film to be a cuss. I watched six Stanley Kubrick films in the past few days and every single one of them was near perfect in their own way, and showed that Kubrick could get to any genre and near enough make it his own, be it war with Paths of Glory, comedy with Dr. Strangelove, horror with The Shining, Kubrick was a master behind the camera and what he produced in front of it. I shall be revisiting Kubrick's work for a later blog, where I will talk about his other work such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Killer's Kiss, Spartacus, Barry Lyndon and Lolita. I can't wait.

Insert Film Quote That Links To Blog

2010-08-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

I've been quiet recently with my updates. The last blog I wrote was a week ago and I've been meaning to write more. I have a list of what I want to write about, so through September expect blogs on John Candy, "mindfuck" films, novel adaptations and more. Currently, I am working on scripts that will hopefully go into production in October, while also looking for work so I can stay in London. It's a hard life. In film viewing terms, I am readying myself for my Stanley Kubrick day tomorrow. I've planned it out to watch five of his films, including Paths Of Glory, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut, Lolita and 2001, while watching The Shining tonight. I also watched the documentary Stanley Kubrick's Boxes again last night, which was inspiring and really gives an insight into the genius mind of Kubrick. If you're a film fan, I suggest you give it a watch.

I will blog on Sunday about my Kubrick day. For now, I just want to finish this blog by saying a big thank you to Poppy Coburn who featured my blog in her recommended section yesterday. If you like fashion, then there's no better place to visit than her blog here.

He's Still Here... Did He Even Leave?

2010-08-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last month I posted a blog about the new career turn of Joaquin Phoenix (which you can read here). Just a month later and the trailer for the film documenting his new career choice is up on the Internet, and I am still on the fence to wether this is real or a Borat style mockumentary. I'm curious about the film, and will probably read a lot about it before deciding whether to go and see it or not. But for you who are interested, here is the trailer for I'm Still Here.

I'm Still Here is to be released on the 10th September, and is directed by Casey Affleck.

You Can't Be A Writer Without A Touch Of Madness, Can You?

2010-08-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

So, August 13th rolled by and I finally received my University degree certificate, which was a Upper Second Class Honours in Film Studies, a grade I honestly didn't expect, so I am very happy about. But like all my other friends who have also graduated, I'm stuck in my hometown, at a job that links in no way to what I actually want to do as a career. I'm working in a hospital, which even though doesn't help with my filmmaking, does give me quite a bit of time to do some writing when there's little to do. I, like many other graduates, will be spending the next few months desperately looking for a job to get me by, before I find something I really want to do and can get very passionate about. Until then, I will carry on with my writing and moving things around at the local community hospital.

I thought I'd just do a short post on what I am currently working on, a feature film, which is a comedy about an actor who is forced to help out on a bank robbery. Most of the film is just lots of little ideas at the moment, but I have managed to script out one scene which was a real life conversation between me and my Mother. Here it is. Enjoy.

Script Example

You've Got A Friend In Toy Story

2010-08-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Another Orange Wednesday rolled by last night so a friend and I decided to go and see the new Angelina Jolie epic action film Salt.. before we realised it wasn't actually showing till next week. My bad on that part. Not wanting to leave the cinema empty eyed, I decided to back down on my original points and go and see Toy Story 3 in 3D. And I'm glad to say I came out of the cinema with a big grin on my face, but that in no way related to the fact I was watching a 3D film, because for the majority of the film, I felt like I wasn't watching one. So... what was the point in 3D?

Let me start this review by talking about the amazing short film that played beforehand, Day & Night. It told the story of two 2D characters who's emotions are played in 3D inside them. It's a strange concept, and one that is very difficult to explain. Even the creators themselves had trouble describing it. I hope the picture on the right explains kind of what I mean. But while the two entities dislike each other at first, they soon begin to see what's amazing about the other one, be it fantastic rainbows in the day or the Vegas nightlife in comparison. They soon bond and it's a wonderful beginning to start off Toy Story 3.

Unlike Toy Story 2, the third instalment in the already fantastic series doesn't really pick up from where the last one left off. Instead, this is actually 11 years later. Andy, the owner of Woody and his loveable collection of friends, is moving on to college, and has to decide what to do with the remaining toys he has kept inside his toy chest. After some calamity, the toys end up in Sunnyside Day Care Centre, where they think they will get the chance to re-live the wonderful times of being played with again, and all is right with their lives again. But of course, this isn't the case, and they soon realise they need to escape to get back where they belong.

Like I said, this film takes place 11 years later as well as being released 11 years later, and the core audience is not for the youngsters anymore, but the teenagers who grew up with the original films back in the 90s. I have grown up with these toys just like Andy has, and being older, I can understand some of the more subtle references to the earlier films that the younger audience might not get, and this is why Pixar is the best at bringing these sorts of films out in the cinemas.

While watching the film, I admit I got emotional in places, and I think if I was a student just about to leave for University, I would've been worse. Pixar are getting better at tugging at the heart strings even though you wouldn't think it beforehand. They got me in the first 20minutes of Up, but who would've thought I would get teary eyed and fear the worst for toys. Toys!

Toy Story 3 had a brilliant storyline, and it seems to have wrapped up nicely, and not outstayed it's welcome unlike some other films *cough* Shrek *cough*. The animation was superb as always by Pixar's standards, but going into the film I was only thinking one thing. "God damnit I have to wear these stupid glasses". The trailers beforehand made their best to try and make things fly out at the audience, and show that 3D is the new sliced bread, but that wasn't impressing me at all. I wanted the film to start.

30minutes into the film, I was sitting there enjoying myself with my bag of skittles, when I suddenly realised I was watching the film in 3D. I completely lost myself in the moment and forgot that I was wearing stupid glasses. But that raises the point, if I completely forgot I was watching the film in 3D, then what was the point of it being in 3D? Cartoons seem to make a difference to my opinion, as I saw Up in 3D and didn't mind. It's the 3D schmuck like Avatar that gets me. I may need to see another live-action film in 3D and give a final opinion.

Flowers Are Essentially Tarts; Prostitutes For The Bees

2010-08-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Fade in. Slowly, the camera edges closer on a man in glasses, looking fidgety and depressed as he smokes a cigarette. A funky jazz version of A Whiter Shade of Pale booms loudly as we get to see the state this man lives in. Champagne and beer bottles everywhere, and a sink full of dirty dishes and mugs. The kettle then starts to boil in the foreground while the man gets ready, putting on his coat, before leaving the kettle and the room. He shouts through a door "Do you want a cup of tea, Withnail?" And a deep, uncaring voice calls back "No". These two men are Withnail and "I".

There are many movies that I am yet to watch that make others question if I actually do like films or not. While I claim to have seen a good number of quality comedy films, I was told I'd be watching another in the form of Withnail & I when I got the chance to watch it. Yesterday was that chance, and it has immediately shot straight up to one of the finest comedies I've ever seen, and also one of the best films to come out of Britain.

Starring Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann as Withnail and I respectively, the film sees the two unemployed actors in need of their big break. They are made to wait for this while living their lives in the hell hole they've made for themselves in the heart of Camden, so because of this, decide they need to take a holiday, which is where the film really gets into its comedy element. Both Grant and McGann play their parts very well, and there is clear chemistry between the two, which is very important in this type of "buddy" comedy. It worked in Planes Trains and Automobiles and it sure as hell works here. They are completely different characters, with Withnail being a drunken oaf throughout, scared of what's happening in the dark but not afraid to get his hands stuck into the dirty work while on holiday, while "I" is a more relaxed companion, before having to deal with a bull that's about to charge at him of course. The characters are well written and performed perfectly, and the minor parts fill in the gaps well, with Richard Griffiths (now known for his portrayal of Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter franchise) as a horny (to say the least) homosexual and uncle of Withnail, Monty. The scenes with him are very funny, and show the comedy doesn't just come from the lead two of the film.

The direction is perfect, from the great opening scene to the King Curtis rendition of A Whiter Shade of Pale, to the fantastic end credits. I said in a previous post about the director, Bruce Robinson, as he is the man behind the camera on the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson novel The Rum Diary, which I am even more excited to see thanks to this film. I will also be checking out his other films How To Get Ahead In Advertising and Jennifer Eight.

Like I've mentioned, the fantastic opening sees King Curtis' A Whiter Shade of Pale layered over the top, and this is just the first in many great songs in this film. Withnail & I also features a couple of Jimi Hendrix numbers, The Beatles' While My Guitar Gentle Weeps, and also some classical music in the form of Schubert. Everything fits well and with the graininess of the film, the dreary weather, the countryside backgrounds and type of humour, it is very British. And that's probably why I love it. My favourite television comedy shows are all British, and most of my favourite comedy films are too, with the likes of Shaun of the Dead and The Ladykillers.

I'm going to end this post not on Withnail & I but on some news about my own blog. On August 4th it was feature on The LAMB, a blog showcasing and highlighting all other movie blogs around the Internet. I was so happy to see my blog on there and hopefully I can get some more readers around the globe to hear my ramblings. Thank you people of The LAMB!

You can see the post here: http://largeassmovieblogs.blogspot.com/2010/08/lamb-652-richard-j-moirs-film-blog.html

Why The Catcher In The Rye Shouldn't Be Adapted Into A "Goddamn Movie"

2010-07-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Early this year, the author J.D Salinger passed away at the age of 91. He was famous for work such as Nine Stories and Franny and Zooey, before becoming a recluse around the 1980s. But his best known work by a long distance is the story of rebellious Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In The Rye, published in 1951 and still selling hundreds of thousands of copies each year. J.D Salinger was known for not wanting his most famous novel turned into a movie, but it seems like Hollywood won't show any respect, and now rumours are flying around that the film will be made, despite Salinger's requests. Recently a friend of mine, who is a fan of the book, said that it should be a movie, and I couldn't stand hearing it. And here's why.

First of all, let's start by what I've already mentioned in the above paragraph. Salinger did not want the book to become a movie. He wanted the novel to just be that, a novel. The book itself didn't even have a blurb on the back, or any quotations of any kind. It was just a story that he wanted to tell and that was that. And since he didn't want his own work to be adapted, then why stomp all over his grave and disrespect him by doing it months after he's passed away? Think about if that was you. Yeah, didn't think you'd like it either.

Another thing that gets on my nerves when thinking about films, along with remakes, films made purposely for 3D and barrel scraping sequels is adaptations. They don't get me aggravated like the others, but I'm more of a fan of original work. And when thinking about novels as films, more often than not the novel is much much better, and if a film comes out any time soon, young teenagers would probably opt for the lazy option and see the film and not read the book. Also, young teenagers are probably the only people right now who haven't read the book. The Catcher in the Rye sells 250,000 copies each year, so chances are the majority have read it, so what point is there on spending money on making a movie?

There is a huge cult following for The Catcher in the Rye, with thousands of fan pages on social network site Facebook each with thousands of followers, so if more rumours about a possible adaptation come to fruition then there will likely be a backlash. The last movie that suffered a near similar fate was the comic book adaptation of Watchmen, which was made with the comic book and the fans in mind, and therefore the movie suffered from a lack of proper imagination and creative freedom. If Catcher in the Rye was to be made, the filmmakers behind it will probably be working extremely carefully to try and get it right, and then they won't end up making the film they wanted to in the first place. This could be a good thing for fans of the book, but it could suffer on a wider scale of the audience who are not familiar with the novel.

Salinger turned down major Hollywood directors and stars who wanted rights to the movie while he was alive. Harvey Weinstein, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, Leonardo Di Caprio, Marlon Brando and most recently Terrence Malick have all been denied the rights to the novel, and this alone shows something. Big names such as Spielberg and Brando could've (and probably would've) done something great with the material at use, but even they were turned down. Who nowadays could do a decent job with the novel? Currently, the best person it could fall to is Christopher Nolan, but he seems a bit busy with the third instalment of Batman around the corner and rumours about yet another Superman reboot. Also, a lot of famous directors who are somehow still getting work despite poor recent films could be in line. These include Tim Burton and David Fincher, who must be doing some pretty naughty things behind the scenes to still be getting money for films.

While there would be a mass outrage at whoever would be behind the camera, there would also be massive talking points on who'd play the main character Holden Caulfield, the most unreliable narrator in novel history. While trying to search for a suitable actor myself, I came to the conclusion that if it came to it, the part of Holden should probably fall to an unknown, fitting in well with the story itself of a unknown boy becoming an icon around the world. If that happened in the book, surely making a film should have the same effect.

There has been rumours for decades now about The Catcher in the Rye becoming a movie, but no word has been said on the rights being given up, so the film world and the morons (to put it nicely) who want this adaptation to happen may have to wait a long time. There have been a lot of novel adaptations that have worked, including most of Stephen King's work, Atonement and A Clockwork Orange, but Catcher in the Rye should be left as it is. A blurbless novel, sitting nicely in every book shop in the world, waiting for everybody to give it a good read; not a good watch.

"Who wants flowers when you're dead?" Holden Caulfield said. "Nobody."

Comeback Is A Good Word, Man

2010-07-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

- Mickey Rourke

After a failed poker night with two friends, we decided to go to Sainsburys and browse the cheap DVDs in search for something to watch. We each picked a film and ended up just chosing one to watch, The Wrestler, the story of Randy “The Ram” Robinson and his wrestling career way past it’s prime, while dealing with heart problems, a very distant relationship with his daughter and trying to win over the affection of stripper Pam. It’s a fantastic film, well made and well worthy of it’s Oscar nominations, but it made me think about other actors who have had their careers saved or revived because of one great role. Before this film, Mickey Rourke had a great career in the 80s, with his role in Rumblefish being a personal favourite, before he went on to a successful but short career in professional boxing in the 90s. After that, he went back to acting, but couldn’t get back on track like he was before. Some say his role in 2005 crime thriller Sin City was the start of his return but it was definitely The Wrestler that got him back on the call list for producers in Hollywood, with his role being called iconic, and deserved of the awards he won. So who else was saved later on in their careers?

John Travolta

Travolta is best known for his superb dancing skills in 70s films Grease and Saturday Night Fever, but after his 1981 lead in the Brian De Palma film Blow Out (a fantastic film you should all see) Travolta was churning out flop after flop, including Staying Alive, a dreadful sequel to Saturday Night Fever, while also turning down roles in films that went on to have great success, like Officer and a Gentlemen. It wasn’t until 1994, when Travolta went on to his Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated performance as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, a superb film that got him back on the map. He began to prove his worth after this film but since then there has been some dips along the way with uncertain roles. Who knows, maybe there’s another Pulp Fiction like comeback on the way for him.

Joan Crawford

In the early 30s, Joan Crawford was in some exceptional films, such as Grand Hotel and Rain, but her career slowly started to decline with flops The Bride Wore Red and The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, causing her to be labelled throughout the industry as “Box Office Poison”. Harsh, maybe, but people had a point, and it wasn’t until 1945 when Joan was back in business, playing the lead role in the brilliant film noir Mildred Pierce, another favourite of mine. She won the Oscar, and went on to live a successful career, with 1962 thriller film What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? being another great success.

Robert Downey Jr.

You can’t really get much better comebacks than this. After five years of substance abuse, rehab entry, relapses, and prison time, in 2004, Downey Jr. started making his comeback into the film industry as a top actor. And it worked a treat. Perhaps the first film in his comeback run was 2005 comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which led on to a string of successful films, but it wasn’t until 2008 where his career went into award winning and fantastic acting recognition overdrive. 2008 was the year of Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, and he followed it up in 2009 with Sherlock Holmes and a sequel to Iron Man itself. He is now one of the most sought out men in Hollywood, and has also just been named sexiest man alive. Not bad.

I’m going to leave it at that for now and do a blog in the future about comebacks that weren’t so great. Cough Eddie Murphy cough.

Holy Crap, Movies Are Going Insane

2010-07-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

I didn't get the chance to see my disturbing double of films the other night, so here's a post before I start a busy weekend away from the computer. One thing about movies that I love is originality, which may be obvious considering my extreme hatred for remakes and barrel-scraping sequels, but there is great originality, and some movies that are so bizarre you wish the script writer had never even bothered.

It has been a week since the release of the superb dream-stealing Inception (which by the way had three trailers, one sequel, one reboot and a TV-show adaptation, geez) which proved some filmmakers had some original stories to tell. Then there's The Social Network. As far as I can tell, nothing like this has been made, but that's only because something like this shouldn't be.

The Social Network is the story of Facebook. That's right, Facebook. The social networking site which gives you the chance to perve on your friend's holiday snaps and make others look like fools by hacking into their accounts. Now there's going to be a film showing the story of Facebook, starring the ever-so-unbelievably-dull Jesse Eisenberg and directed by David Fincher, slowing going downhill like Tim Burton and M Night Shyamalan. I have posted the trailer below to show everyone what is being done in filmmaking nowadays.

A very silly idea for a film, and even the trailer makes me angry. Every time I hear someone mention Facebook, be it in this trailer or as a point in a story by a friend, I can never take anything seriously. To finish off though, I have posted another trailer for a new Kevin Kline and Paul Dano comedy, The Extra Man, which looks original without looking fucking nonsensical.

Another Week and More Film Remake News

2010-07-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been fuming that one of my favourite ever films Let The Right One In is being remade in the Hollywood money making scheme, and I was upset even more that the composer for the sad remake is none other than the fantastic Michael Giacchino, who scored the amazing soundtrack to Lost. Last night I was browsing the web when I heard rumours of another remake in the works, and I'm sad to say it's the brilliant Woman In Black that's being needlessly done over.

The film is to star Daniel Radcliffe as young lawyer Arthur Kipps, and Kick-Ass writer and Jonathan Ross' other half Jane Goldman is set to pen the script through Hammer Horror productions, which I guess, can be the only good thing about this news.

The original film, the book and the play, all scared me to death, with the latter being one of the greatest things I've ever witnessed, and I'm planning to go again. But I don't find it fair that all the best, underrated films seem to be getting remade. Let The Right One In should stay as it is, or at least be re-relased rather than remade, and Woman In Black should be viewed by everyone before they are made to see Harry Potter awkwardly working his way round a daft remake.

I can't be bothered to argue about it much any more though. My girlfriend showed me a silly list of 50 remakes that were actually good, and I counted 2 that had any sort of validity (Ben-Hur and Heat). They even had Airplane! on the list, showing that they were even struggling to find 50 remakes that worked.

Enough of remakes. Tomorrow night I'm planning on a disturbing double of films, watching Dogtooth following by the much talked about The Human Centipede, and I'll be writing about them on Friday, along with other disturbing films you may need to see.

"Falling. My worst fear is falling, falling like a bomb"

2010-07-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

That quote is from the Joaquin Phoenix comedy Buffalo Soldiers, and since last year, it seems to portray Phoenix's very own career change from actor to rapper, in the weirdest move in all film history (as far as I can remember). But is it all a hoax? More on that later, but let's look at the sad rise and fall of a great actor, and who's name is probably the best in the business, Joaquin Rafael Phoenix.

Back in the early 80s when Phoenix was starting out as a child actor, he went under the name Leaf Phoenix, wanting a similar nature-like name to his siblings, and was soon spotted by the masses for his talent picking up nominations for many young actor awards. His life was soon under the spotlight in 1993 when his brother, promising young actor River Phoenix, suffered an overdose outside the Viper Room nightclub, owned by Johnny Depp, and he decided to retire from acting, but soon returned after the pleas from his friends.

Joaquin Phoenix's first major role and the earliest memorable one I can remember of his was his fantastic portrayal of Commodus in the blockbuster film Gladiator, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Role and in the following years, his amazing acting talent just kept coming in waves, even in sub-par films.

Since 2000, Phoenix has shined in great films such as thriller Signs, real-life events drama Hotel Rwanda, Johnny Cash biographical drama Walk The Line and underrated romantic movie Two Lovers, the latter two being personal favourite films of mine. His timing and subtle acting is absolutely superb, and his portrayals of Commodus and Johnny Cash prove he has fantastic versatility and that he could only get better. But unforunately, after the release of Two Lovers, Phoenix decided to retire from acting yet again, to this time pursue a career in rapping, of all things.

Is he trying to be the next Andy Kaufman? His bizarre interview on David Letterman last year didn't really answer that, but the Casey Affleck documentary I'm Still Here could give the world an idea of what the hell has been going on the past year. After Phoenix supported a crazy beard that made him look like he should've been in The Hangover, his public appearances just got weirder and weirder and no-one seems to know if it's all an elaborate joke. The documentary has been described as "sometimes funny, sometimes shocking" and not many buyers and production companies were actually sure if it was real or a mockumentary. I can only hope for the sake of future films and the life of Joaquin Phoenix that this is all a hoax, and he gets back to acting as soon as possible.

I'm Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix will be released later this year on the 10th September.

Those Were Good Mornings, When The Sun Was Hot and The Air Was Quick and Promising

2010-07-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

2010 has been a slow year so far for films, having just gone by the half way mark and looking ahead, it can only get better. In the first half of this year I’ve only seen a handful of new films that were promising, with British Indie flick Fish Tank, Oscar nominated French crime film A Prophet and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's orgasm-on-the-eyes-fest Micmacs. All year I’ve been awaiting one film in particular, just like everybody else; a little Leo Di Caprio and Christopher Nolan movie that’s getting a bit of attention, Inception. But after a chat with my girlfriend and a bit of research, there is another film I am very much interested in coming later this year, and that is The Rum Diary.

The Rum Diary is one of Hunter S. Thompson’s early novels that didn’t get published till the very end of the 20th Century, despite having been penned nearly 40 years before, and hearing the author’s name is exciting in itself, after seeing what happened to his most famous novel Fear and Loathing in Lad Vegas, a book that I’m determined to read in the upcoming months. While researching the film I keep finding more and more things that get me excited, and more reasons why this film will probably be high on my list of best films of 2010 (here’s hoping, anyway).

The film will not only star Johnny Depp as journalist Paul Kemp in the lead role, and not only Aaron Eckhart who seems to be getting better and better in recent films, but one of my favourite actors Giovanni Ribisi, who’s acting in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Boiler Room and even TV sitcom Friends is a joy to watch. The Rum Diary will also star the quite stunning Amber Heard, which can only be a good thing. Next, after pushing my mouth back shut just looking at the cast list, I turned to see who was directing and adapting the novel; and it’s being done by one man, Bruce Robinson. This name may raise a few eyebrows but not to some, who know he has produced some fantastic films such as How to Get Ahead in Advertising and Withnail and I.

I hope this film gets a look in through the disastrous stench being spewed into cinemas recently, as it’s these sorts of films that I think more people should be seeing. Take the Wikipedia plot line for instance for The Rum Diary.

Set in the late 1950s, the novel encompasses a tangled love story of jealousy, treachery and violent alcoholic lust among the Americans who staff the newspaper.

It sounds like an amazing film, with an incredible cast, a great man working behind the camera and on the script, and Dariusz Wolski as cinematographer, who has recently worked on big budget treats for the eyes Alice in Wonderland and the ongoing Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Once I have gotten over how amazing Inception will be, there will already be a new film that I can’t wait for. Bring on September 24th.

"I Don't Believe In An Afterlife, Although I'm Bringing A Change Of Underwear"

2010-07-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

Woody Allen, real name Allen Stewart Konigsberg, will turn 75 late this year, and recently I have been watching more and more of his classic comedy films that he is known all over the world for. This morning in fact, I re-watched Broadway Danny Rose as it was showing on TCM. Woody Allen is entering his 6th decade in filmmaking, with his latest film You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, to be released this September, and a 2011 scheduled release for Midnight In Paris. But his recent films have lacked something that his classic comedies had, and that's the man himself starring in them. His quirkiness and awkward comic timing is a joy to watch, and it's a shame he's only sitting behind the camera rather than making us laugh standing in front of it. I guess we can forgive him, due to him being 74 and that he has given us some of the greatest comedies to hit the big screen. I will now go through my favourite films of his long, illustrious career and show why more young people should pay attention to what comedies used to be like (My sister had never heard of him!)

Like I previously said, I have been watching a lot of Allen films recently, as I purchased a box set and my girlfriend is a huge fan of his work. Over the past week I have managed to watch three films of Allen and all three were huge hits for me. So I will mention all three of these films in the order I watched them, starting with the hefty titled:

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid To Ask), 1972 - This isn't an ordinary film. It doesn't have a strong, hour and a half narrative, but rather a series of short films combined into one through one motive. Answering questions about sex that are a bit awkward, or as the case may be at some parts, ones you'd never really think of. There are seven questions poised, with my favourite skit being the finale "What Happens During Ejaculation" which shows the inside of a man on a date, who then goes on to have sex. When I say inside, I don't mean the gruesome details of what actually happens, but a 'numbskull'-like workings, with men patrolling the brain, and other organs of the body, with Allen himself playing a sperm unwilling to leave. It is a well worked short, and works well with the others, and features my favourite joke in the whole film, showing all the sperm in a bit of a hurry, one black sperm pops up, crying "What am I doing here?" The film also stars Burt Reynolds, one of the few big stars who pops up throughout the whole film. Gene Wilder also stars in my second favourite skit "What Is Sodomy?", a story of a man falling in love with a sheep. The whole film has great one liners, typical of Allen, and fits into his persona so well, as all of his films have that sexual undertone. Despite some of the skits falling flat, for example "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?" being a bit poor, it's a well worked film and has some memorable moments.

Bananas, 1971 - A year before Everything You Always Wanted To Know..., came this spoof film Bananas, which I had the joy of watching yesterday afternoon. The film sees American Fielding Mellish (Allen does come up with some brilliant character names) somehow becomes President of San Marcos, and is soon in trouble and exposed for what he has done. At times the plot can be a bit confusing, and I don't think my lame description helped, but the jokes still flow in and I found myself laughing every minute. Fielding's court room scene where he poses the questions to himself is a great scene and simple weird lines like "I object, your honor! This trial is a travesty. It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham" fitted in perfectly. Another great scene where Woody gets to reel off quick one liners is where he is lying on the psychiatrists sofa, a great scene showing his comedic talent.

Broadway Danny Rose, 1984 - In the late 70s, Woody Allen was making his greatest films, in my opinion, but he started the 80s a bit sluggishly, with flops Stardust Memories and A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, with the latter being Woody Allen's only nomination for a Razzie Award. But in 1984, Allen came up with the film that ranks high on my list, and is my girlfriend's favourite Woody film, which is why I watched it in the first place, Broadway Danny Rose. The whole film plays as part of an anecdote, told by a group of comedians, and tells the story of talent finder Danny Rose who gets caught in a love triangle and all hell breaks loose as he tries to keep his head by the side of Tina, brilliantly played by Mia Farrow. It's another film that features more witty one liners, but also shows great cinematography in a stunning black and white set, and the story is one of the best Allen has done, again in my opinion. While it carries on Woody's fascination with sex and relationships, the whole idea of his character trying to escape is brilliant.

Woody Allen is a superb writer, director and actor, and a great comic. Which is why I will probably do another blog on him sometime soon after a see a lot more of his films. For now, I will finish this post with a clip of his stand-up, showing he is great at telling stories as well as doing one-liners.

Richard's Guide On 'How To Not Watch Movies'

2010-07-02T04:14:00.000-07:00

And also, who not to watch movies with. I came up with this idea while lying in bed a while ago, thinking about ways that you can try and not be as terrified while watching a horror film. Then I thought, why do that? The whole point of a horror film is to scare you and make you think twice about going up the stairs. This lead me to think about how 'not' to watch a horror film, and other genres, and also people you shouldn't watch films with; the ones that lower the movie experience. As I have already mentioned horror, I think I'll start with that one.

How Not To Watch A:

Horror Film
Being scared while watching a horror film is what gives the whole experience. Fake jumps are what get me the most, while watching a fragile woman scurry around her big empty house, the music slowly building up and not knowing what is going to happen. A fantastic way in how not to watch this is by being over eccentric, jumping around the place and always thinking something is going to happen. This will ruin the film completely, and will ruin you in real life when something scary actually does happen! Who not to watch a horror film with: Someone who isn't scared of anything (Or at least say they aren't) There's nothing worse than watching a horror film with someone sitting next to you stone faced and unimpressed by how unscared they are by the film they are witnessing. It takes away the essence of the film, and makes you look like a fool. A fool!

Comedy Film
I love a good comedy film, and can't really think of a way you can't watch one. They are the type of film you can drift in and out of and still get the gist of. But I have one gripe about who you should definitely not watch a comedy film with. And that is someone who loves the film so much, they will say the jokes either just before they are told on screen, or as they are being told. Let the film do it's job and make you laugh, and stop copying the amazing jokes being portrayed on screen. This leads me to the next person you should also never watch a comedy film with, and that's the one who, after hearing a joke on, let's say, Naked Gun, goes on to tell a joke from another TV show or film, that has some slight link between the two. It really grinds my gears.

Mystery Film

Never watch a mystery film while you're feeling half asleep, while you think you can do something else at the same time or when you're not in the mood for a film. Mystery films, like Brick, need your full attention for the full time and if they could talk at you, and see you were trying to bake a pie, or sew a pillow while watching, they'd be furious! A person not to watch a mystery film with is the one who always asks questions. "Is he the killer?" "Who's he then?" "What does that mean then?" - I don't know, I'm watching the same film as you are and haven't gone forward in time to see the ending.

War Film

War films are long films usually. Never watch a war film if you don't have much time on your hands. Also never watch a war film if you're not actually interested in anything to do with: war, killing, blood or guns. But I feel the latter points is a given. There is nothing worse than watching a war film with someone who is overly in love with everything to do with the war. I don't care what type of plane they are flying in, or what guns they are using, or how unrealistic some scenes may be. I have never had this experience, but I'm also sure watching a war film with someone who was there would be a bummer and a definitely no-no.

Musical

I watched a musical the other day with my girlfriend which is probably the best situation to watch something like that. Never watch a musical when you're on your own, or with a group of guys (this coming from a guy) as while you put the DVD in the player, you're going to be judged, no matter how good the film may be. Also, if you're a girl, and you are with a group of others and it's the type of film you can sing along to, never watch a musical with someone who can't sing. I'm not talking about the ones with a mediocre voice, they're bearable, but the ones who are so bad I'd rather hear the noises of puppies drowning. And I don't want to hear that at all.

Romantic Comedy Film

Rom Coms are always a nice laugh, they mean no harm. But if you're recently single, it's a major kick in the balls. Never watch a rom com when you're feeling down. Trying to impress a date I feel is also a major no-no. You may think it's a good idea to take your date to go and see the latest Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl laugh-out-loud chick flick, but NO. What if you have got the wrong end of the stick? What if suddenly, your date wants a major commitment after only one date. Then you're screwed. And all because you took her to see a romantic comedy and got ideas in her head. Nice one, well played. Take the safe path and take her to see a horror film. Unless she doesn't get scared or horror films. See Above.

Fantasy Film

I have never done drugs, but I'm guessing the major way you don't want to freak yourself out is by taking drugs and watching a fantasy film. Imagine watch that in 3D as well! You could be scarred for life. A person to not watch a fantasy film with is someone who really doesn't appreciate cinema. Fantasy films find it difficult to gain an audience, because most want reality.

And that's my first ever guide on how not to watch movies. I may do another blog like this sometime soon, but I must go, as my girlfriend is ill and needs taking care of.

Don't Always Judge A Book By It's Cover

2010-06-30T06:00:00.001-07:00

Or a film by what you think it may be. Last night my girlfriend and I watched the movie musical Moulin Rouge, a film I had pushed away at every chance, solely for the reason it was a musical, and I wasn't sure I wanted to see such a fantastic actor like Ewan McGregor sing. But late last night, the VHS was popped in (oh yes, old school) and I decided to give it a chance as it is my girlfriend's second favourite film.

And you know what. I bloody loved it.

I haven't seen many musicals in my life. In fact, before this, I was sure out of all the ones I had seen I only enjoyed two, Grease and Singin' in the Rain. But Moulin Rouge is different in the way that it's a musical. The songs used and recycled from previously existing songs, which is why I thought I wouldn't enjoy it. The brilliance of Singin' in the Rain's soundtrack and the eccentric style of Gene Kelly's dancing is what got me loving that film, but Moulin Rouge is the opposite in that sense. It is more focused on the performance of the singing rather than the dancing, and the songs used are recognisable, for example, Ewan McGregor's fantastic rendition of Elton John's Your Song, which is, what I'm told, the moment all girls all over the world fell in love with him.

The film is fast-paced, and never stops for a breather. The set design is absolutely incredible and you really feel at times as if you're watching a show rather than a film. It's colourful and eccentric, and I only wish Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed it rather than Baz Luhrmann, as he would've had a field day on material like this. Fortunately, he was working on Amelie, so it's not all bad.

Anyway, the main point of this post is that despite my early judgement, I enjoyed Moulin Rouge a lot. Ewan McGregor was brilliant, Nicole Kidman was gorgeous and sexy throughout, something I never really thought of her before, Jim Broadbent was excellent and deserving of his Bafta win for his role, and John Leguizamo was perfect to provide a bit of comic relief. As well as the incredible set design, I was often watching the film thinking "I like what he's wearing!" showing this film had everything. It isn't the best film I've seen as I'm not the biggest fan of predictability, but as far as musicals go, this is high on my list.

Time For A Good Ol' Movie Night

2010-06-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

With a free house for a few days, I decided to use one of my nights dedicated to films, and have some friends over for a good ol' movie night. We managed to watch three movies and have a jolly fun night. First we watched...

Fargo (Coen Brothers, 1996)

Now, I would review Fargo, except that it is one of the films in my all time top 10 countdown, so I will leave the review for that. So after we watched Fargo, me and 4 other friends waited around, with Darren and Tom playing Guitar Hero, Luke playing piano and Steve going home for dinner, for 3 more to join the party. Once they turned up, we put on the second movie. A comedy was due, and it was...

Naked Gun (Zucker, 1988)

In my last post, I went on a rant about how spoof movies have gone considerably down hill in the last decade or so. David Zucker is the writer behind other classic comedies such as BASEketball and Airplane! and with two of my friends having not seen Naked Gun (I know, right) I knew they were going to be in for a treat to see this for the first time. But with the majority of the group having already seen it, the laughs throughout really shows how a comedy film should be made. With the film over 20 years old, it can still make us all laugh, and made me laugh a lot despite having seen it numerous times. The witty one liners are perfectly timed by the brilliant deadpan Leslie Nielsen, and the background jokes are a joy to look out for. There are so many brilliant jokes that many missed out on, which just shows how you can re-watch this film and still find it hilarious.

After we all got our breath back, and a little argument on why Naked Gun is funnier than The Hangover, we watched a little bit of TV, had some pizza and prepared ourselves for the last film. It was the horror film I was always going to show last, the Japanese classic Ringu.

Ring (Hideo Nakata, 1998)

Many people in the group had already seen the American remake of Ring, which was quite disappointing, as a lot of the disturbing effort in this film comes from the tension. But as many knew what was going to happen, it seemed to fall flat at times. As a film, I still love this. It has a brilliant storyline, great acting across the board and just a creepy eerie atmosphere which sets up the scene even if nothing much is happening. The famous last scene still drew some scares at the end, with people just not wanting to look at what was happening. It's a real testament to Japanese horror when you can barely look at the screen, even if you know what's going to happen because of a shoddy remake.

And that was my film night. After Ring, we watched the special features, which had the Ring video available for all of us to see. Me and Stephen then managed to scare the daylights out of some of the others by ringing the house phone once it had finished. Top night.

My All Time Favourite Films: Number 9

2010-06-23T02:03:00.000-07:00

Going in to 9th spot in my all time top 10 favourite films, just ahead of Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the film that, in my mind, was the cleverest I'd ever seen as a young boy, The Truman Show.

I haven't met a single person who hasn't seen this film, and for good reason. The absurdity of the concept is brilliant, the acting is spot on and the whole film is heart warming right up to the very end. Straight away into the film you know what you are getting into, and seeing the whole show unravel in the film is something most want to see happen to reality shows of nowadays. Reality shows are not my cup of tea by any means, but if something as crazy as The Truman Show was about, I think I'd be one of the many watching.

Jim Carrey got his name in the movie world with his over-the-top acting, and absurd comedic style, and playing Truman Burbank was a step in the other direction, showing his great acting ability. There isn't any remains of The Mask or Dumb and Dumber in this role, and it's something I much prefer from Carrey (evident in my 3rd favourite all time film). The co-stars of The Truman Show are also perfect. The way they are playing actors all in a sick game and television show is brilliant, and Laura Linney as Truman's "wife" is the cream of the crop. Cleverly intertwining adverts into the show is a masterstroke by the director, and is something you notice more and more when you re-watch the film.

When I watch a film, I take good note of the soundtrack. I love soundtracks to films, and The Truman Show is a perfect example. Phillip Glass is an extremely moving musician, and his tracks really get to you. The score 'Truman Sleeps' plays while Truman Show devisor Christof slowly watches his creation on the screen, and it is extremely moving. The music that plays throughout is brilliant, and another favourite is the upbeat tempo of 'Anthem, Part2' when Truman realises something is wrong.

Why should you see this film? If you are one of the few people in the world who has not seen this film, then get the DVD, chose an evening where you will be undisturbed and marvel at this beauty. It's an easy to watch film, and you'll really start to question the world which some people make for others. Cough Big Brother cough.

Honourable Director Mention - When I found out Peter Weir directed this film, I admit, I didn't really know much about him. That was until I did a bit of IMDb research and found out he was the man behind the excellent Robin Williams film, Dead Poets Society. Another film about how people are perceived, and another one to watch.

"In case I don't see ya.. good afternoon, good evening and good night"

I've Got One. Three Men Walk Into A Bar...

2010-06-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

... unfortunately these three men are Judd Apatow, Jason Friedberg and Todd Phillips, and therefore the joke becomes predictable and unfunny.

You may know not these names but you will certainly know some of the movies they had made. Apatow is the man responsible for such "comedies" like You Don't Mess With The Zohan, Knocked Up and the misleading Funny People. Todd Phillips was the director behind the most overrated film of 2008 The Hangover while Jason Friedberg is a plague on the film industry with his drastically awful "parody" films like Date Movie, Meet The Spartans and Epic Movie, films so terrible it makes me wonder what the hell happened to the comedy in the film industry. Back in the day, not that I was born then, you got classic comedies that haven't aged when you watch them today.

At the last Oscar ceremony, many said The Hangover was overlooked. Yes, it was overlooked, and for good reason. It wasn't funny. It was predictable, the jokes were lame and recycled and the only decent thing to come out of it was Zach Galifianakis, who did the best he could with a sub-par script. This movie has been quoted an insane amount of times since it's release by my friends and every time, I let out a pity snigger while I die a little inside. "There's a tiger in the bathroom". Hilarious. Oh my sides.

The Hangover, Knocked Up, Date Movie. All these movies do one thing and that's try and be as rude as possible. I didn't know that that's all you had to do to make a comedy film.. I remember some of my friends saying the funniest moment in the super bad film Superbad, was the period blood moment on the jeans scene and that nothing could top the comedy genius of Amy Winehouse burping (or farting, I don't remember which) over and over and over again in your face in Disaster Movie. John Candy and Charlie Chaplin must be simultaneously spinning in their graves. It's annoying that films have resorted to just being rude and vile to get laughs from the audience, who lap it up at every opportunity they get, but the death of the parody film has hit me the most. Let me explain.

A Proper Parody Film

Airplane, Naked Gun, Spaceballs. These are parody films. They have the slightest references to the films they are portraying, that could be jokes on their own. They have memorable characters, great performances and some of the best lines ever uttered on the big screen. Everyone knows the "Don't call me Shirley joke" because it was extremely clever and funny. They don't directly take characters out from the films they are parodying, and if they do, they make them into their own unique character.

A Modern Day Parody Film

Date Movie, Disaster Movie, Dance Flick. Even typing them made me nearly vomit out my own lung. These films do the exact same thing every single time. While writing them, they make a list of every film that has come out in the past year or so, take a character from it and hit them with a bus. Couple of fart jokes, couple of "classic modern day rude" jokes, sprinkle

a bit more falling over, and top it off with even more celebrities that have nothing to do with anything.

This is why I'm angry at some of the comedies coming out nowadays. Disney and Pixar are doing their best and bringing out some amazing comedy animations, while there is still hope in the form of Shaun of the Dead... um... Little Miss Sunshine and... err....

Oh dear

You Have To Do Your Own Growing Up No Matter How Tall Your Grandfather Was

2010-06-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

It hit me today. I have just finished University and am now officially just an unemployed man. Not a student any longer, just a man with a dream. I have been searching for jobs for ages, just to get along, and today I got an email that intrigued me and made me realise my situation a whole lot more.

It was from a up and coming production company, and they said my application to be a director with them was successful. In a matter of weeks, my information and director's reel will be on their site, and if any jobs come in, I will be one of the first to know. I will also be taking part in a self-funded television show in a few months (apparently, by the way) for which I will get paid for.

This all does seem too good to be true, but I am hoping for once that it is true. And that a company want me on their books. I have to get myself out there more, go to more filmmaking classes, shows etc. So tonight, high off the idea of being part of a company and off Fanta Lemon, I decided to make my business cards. Cus that's part of growing up right? They're plain, and will probably change in a matter of weeks, but it's 10 to midnight.

You Always Find What You Really Want When You're Not Looking

2010-06-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've been spending weeks trying to look for a part-time job, so I can live while trying to find a proper job in the industry. And every time I look it's the same old story. "Go online", "We're firing not hiring" or just a plain "No". Today I went for a wander around Camden Town as it's best on the weekends and stumbled upon a small little shop that I'd never seen before. Hidden away behind a stall, was some steps that led to a small but fantastic DVD store, Up The Video Junction.

Even though it was a tiny store, I spent ages there, looking at all the rare DVDs, British films dating back to the 40s that I'd only ever heard of yet not seen anywhere else, the vast amount of brilliant horror films on show. I left the shop with only two films in a bag but I plan to go back tomorrow. These films were The Third Man, a film I haven't seen in years, bought for a bargain price of £4, and Sapphire, recommended to me by the store manager.

I just finished watching Sapphire and am so glad I have now found a new shop if I'm going to find brilliant old British films like this one. Despite some dodgy acting in areas, the story line of a simple whodunnit murder mystery is brilliant, and gets going straight from the start. It's a wonderfully made British film and I want more. I need to go back to this shop. After talking to the manager he said he was only open on weekends, but is thinking about opening on some weekdays too. If so, I'll be first there to help out. If this shop was a little bigger, and not so hidden away, it'd be attracting all film lovers.

Up I Go... To The Land Of The Loch Ness Monster

2010-05-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

No posts for a while as I've been doing my dissertation. But over the past couple of days I have found out my short film Seclusionville has been accepted into the first Loch Ness Film Festival, a 4 day event with loads of great short films on display. It is at the end of September, so I am hoping to go up and see it at its first (and hopefully first of many) showing. It's quite exciting sitting there watching your creation played out in front of hundreds of strangers. The Narrator (a short which sees a young man, played by my friend Kieran Milward, being narrated but challenges him back) was shown a fair few times in front of hundreds of strangers, and getting a positive response back from them was a real boost going into making Seclusionville. Hopefully it'll happen again, and I'll just keep getting more confident with my filmmaking.

We'll see.

You Always Admire What You Don't Really Understand

2010-05-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

Remember when the first Cloverfield trailer came out and no-one had the slightest idea what the fuck was going on, but you got really into it? Then it became such a craze. In the beginning it didn't even have a name, just what looked like some shaky handheld footage, and then the release date. What is it about teaser trailers that make me weak at the knees?

I love teaser trailers. Despite most of the time not knowing what's going on, it just makes you want so much more. They can work so well that people all over the Internet will be nerds for a moment in their lives and try and work out what it all means. Below is my favourite teaser trailer for Up, my second favourite for Inception which I'm very excited about, and the last is the latest film for J.J.Abrams which we've been told isn't a Cloverfield prequel. Something about Abrams and his ability to make super cool teaser trailers.

Psychos Will Always Be Psychos, They Don't Need Video Games To Help Them...

2010-05-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

And what we also don't need are movies based on said video games...

I am a 21 year old male, and in my years, I have played a lot of video games. Ranging from the old days of Super Nintendo Mario to the modern days of... well actually I play the N64 nowadays, as I prefer the retro, but still, gaming has come a long way since I began bashing buttons at an amateur grade level. Now we have things to swing about as if we were actually playing tennis, graphics so real they'd confuse your Gran into thinking a TV show was on, and some games so controversial you could kill a man and claim "Grand Theft made me do it" and probably get away scott free, only because the judge is too busy playing a Nintendo DS, trying to lower his brain age.

I will always love games. I will constantly be the best at Diddy Kong Racing and will always get my butt whooped by my friends at Fifa because I always choose Middlesbrough, but the one thing I will never forgive is the incessant need to churn out video game movies. This started (for English movies at least) back in 1993, when Super Mario Bros. was released. And we all remember that gem of a film don't we?... Yeah that's what I thought.

Boasting an impressively low 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, Super Mario Bros. was the start of something spectacularly terrible in the world of film. Video games should be left as they are. They are made for a certain mind set. Hollywood haven't learnt their lesson, and keep on bringing out constant tosh since Mario like the dreadfully poor Resident Evil series, laughable Lara Croft and the film I'm currently watching Silent Hill, a film so bad I'd rather slip my penis into a toaster just for the thrill.

Silent Hill is one of the worst films I've ever had the displeasure to witness. I'm only watching it as it's on late night TV, but it feels as if the director (and/or writer, can't be bothered to look it up as I don't care enough) was trying to make some sort of Shakespearean thriller, with the main wench of the film walking round talking to herself, while screaming constantly, probably at the awfulness of the CGI and seeing her future as an actress slowly die in front of her. I have jumped in Disney films, I swear, and not even flinched at this garbage.

Remakes are bad enough, but to take another medium and try and turn it into a movie is just plain ridiculous. The highest rated film of a video game movie from reliable critic based website Rotten Tomatoes is a lowly 44% for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, while a big lot of films lie in the depths of 0%.

And more annoyingly, when a character that I actually quite liked and was intruiged slightly about who would play the role, the producers always seem to mess it up. Take the woman on the right. Angelina Man-Stealer Jolie as Lara Croft? Sure, some people find her attractive in fish sort of way, but I cannot stand this woman. And coming soon in the video game to movie franchise?.. Prince of Persia. A game I absolutely adored in my mid-teens and who plays the hero? Jake Gyllenhaal... what a bummer.

I don't ever see a decent video game to movie idea ever properly working. But that's the way the film industry rolls nowadays. Not got an idea? Steal something that has already worked instead of trying to be creative. People might ask my opinion on novels into films, but this is different. In most cases, this is a well tested medium and one that proves it can work, (take the excellent Misery for example) but not one video game film has made a decent impact in the industry. It's all about the money.

*Looks at upcoming releases*

Resident Evil: Afterlife.... 3D

FUCKS SAKE!

"Barney's Movie Had Heart, But 'Football in the Groin' Had A Football In The Groin"

2010-05-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been searching the Internet for film festivals that I can enter Seclusionville into. There are hundreds of short film festivals all over the globe, but what makes a short film stand out amongst the rest? I've seen many short films in my teenage years and some of them are just outstanding. Recently, a friend of mine introduced me to Nuit Blanche, a short film that took my breath away with it's stunning cinematography, heart warming story and beautiful score. So here are some short films that I came across that I loved and have inspired me to get up and get shooting.

Nuit Blanche, dir. Arev Manoukian

This silent piece is absolutely incredible. Shown to me by my friend Tom, I had re-watched it numerous times and downloaded the soundtrack. It has inspired me in just one day to create my own silent short film, which I'm currently scripting.

Leave Me, dir. Dustin Ballard

Another movie which 'has heart', Leave Me deals with loneliness, grief, and 'capturing the moment'. It is brilliantly made and very clever. Recommended by my friend Lauren 'Poppy Coburn', it's one of my favourites.

Black Hole, dir. Olly Williams & Phil Sampson

This short film is another silent film, showing greed when a man spends overtime bored at work. Like the others, it's very clever and humourous. It doesn't have heart, and is more of a 'football in the groin' short film out of the bunch.

The Best Way To Have A Good Idea Is To Have Lots Of Ideas

2010-05-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

After working every so often on my dissertation short film Seclusionville, it has finally come to an end, and will be getting its first screening tomorrow evening in front of the rest of my University class. I am nervous to say the least, as, like with my other short films, I hate watching them back, believing it is an awful piece of work and no-one will understand it. Will anyone follow what's really going on? Will anyone notice the subtle hints to the underlaying story? Will anyone get the ending? I don't know but I am relieved that working on this is over. I am proud of what I have done but it has been hell in post-production, with sound problems being a major problem, both diegetic and non-diegetic. No way was I going to pay Sony $500 for the use of a song.

With Seclusionville finished, I decided to get to work straight away on my next film, despite having lots of University work to do. But then I hit another problem. I seem to come up with a new film idea every single day. In fact, today I came up with a new one, about a theatre director who's life changes when he gets hit by a car. What to do with all these ideas? I have way too many of them. My theatre man one, my two kids witnessing a murder one, a mockumentary or two, a short film homaging the French New Wave, a short art film and a film about a boy falling in love with a lifeguard. I don't know where to start, especially since I have no time to work on any of them. I have three weeks of University left and hopefully will be working ASAP afterwards.

Saying that, I was emailed today asking to meet up with a film company to be a First Assistant Director on their low-budget feature film in June. This seemed to come out of the blue but I couldn't be more thrilled. The interview is this Wednesday, and even if I don't get the job I don't mind, it's already a big step for me. The film has a few noticeable names in it too, so it's all quite exciting. It's going to be a busy month for me if I were to get the job. But let's not get too far of myself here.

Now I must depart to finish burning some Seclusionville DVDs, prepare for my first screening of it tomorrow night and work on a film idea... or two... or five.

"For Me, Cinema Is Not A Slice of Life, But A Piece of Cake"

2010-04-30T02:45:00.000-07:00

said the great Alfred Hitchcock.

I have been busy the past few days, what with my birthday and all, and this thing called University work, so I haven't been able to get a chance to do any posts of any interest. And today is no different, I am still working on my final film so decided to post a video of something I worked on the other week. This is my first film reel, showing work I have done over my three years at University. Some of the quality of the film (i.e The Bathroom) is terrible for whatever reason, but you get the gist. When a friend of mine saw this she said that she could really see how well my work is coming along. So let's hope that continues after my course finishes.

Something I'm not looking forward to one bit.

Richard J Moir Reel from Richard J Moir on Vimeo.

My All Time Favourite Films: Number 10

2010-04-25T07:42:00.001-07:00

In a recurring theme in my blog I will do a countdown of my 10 favourite films, including an honourable mention with the same director, and tell you why you need to see these films. Starting this countdown is my 10th favourite film of all time, the John Hughes comedy, Planes Trains and Automobiles.

I remember seeing this slice of fried gold when I was younger but never remembered much of what happened. The one thing that always stuck in my head was that it starred the late, great John Candy, perhaps one of the greatest film comics of all time. Time went by, and when I was in my late teens I bought the DVD and decided to give it another watch. And boy did I love it.

The film steps away from John Hughes' teen work that he was renowned for in the 80s, and here he takes on the buddy movie, and has found great chemistry between Candy and Steve Martin, an actor who was at his peak. Unfortunately for Steve Martin, his career has gone completely downhill since, but he will be remember for his brilliantly portrayal of Neal Page. Said Neal is travelling back home to visit his family for Thanksgiving, but poor weather is getting the better of him, and he is made to take different kinds of transport to get home. On his way, he meets bumbling but loveable Del Griffith, who coincidently is going the same way as Neal, and accompanies him on his journey.

Like I said before, the chemistry is brilliant, and the big laughs come between the witty one liners shared between the two lead characters, although there are some other hilarious moments just through visual gags. Despite it being one of my favourite ever comedies, PT&A also gradually and effectively brings out the tears, which is why it is such a fantastic film. Modern day tat like Superbad and The Hangover would kill to have an emotional side to it like this, which is why they are rotting in the has-been bin while Planes, Trains and Automobiles is celebrated as a fantastic piece of cinema comedy.

Why should you see this film? Despite it starring two of the greatest actors at their peaks, it will make you laugh, bring you to doing that thing with your lips when you're about to cry.. and then cry. No other film can nail the chaos and insanity of the busy holidays, and this was the Father of all buddy movies to come.

Honourable Director Mention - John Hughes' was recently praised at the 2010 Oscar ceremony and rightly so. It is difficult to just pick out just one piece of his work as another great, as they are all fantastic in their own rights, but my pick has to go to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Brilliantly breaking the fourth wall, along with it's fantastic storyline and memorable soundtrack, Bueller put John Hughes on the director's map.

The "King of the Universe" Wants Your Money

2010-04-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon: The Summer Re-Release of Avatar

Yes!! What fantastic and breathtaking news in the world of film. Avatar is set to be re-released this summer with an additional six, count them SIX, minutes of extra footage for all those wannabe Na'vi dorks who are so deluded, the closest thing they can get to the "orgasmic" levels of Pandora is to shag a Smurf doll.

I hate Avatar. I also hate James Cameron. Most people know this, but this news just tips me over the edge on modern day cinema. Who hasn't seen this film? Who cares about six more measly minutes of migraine delivering footage? What got me most was his quote to the LA Times about this pointless re-release.

"We were sold out of our Imax performances right up to the moment until they were contractually obligated to switch to Alice in Wonderland. So we know we left money on the table there."

Sorry, what Mr. Cameron? There's money left on the table? You haven't got enough money coming out your ears already? Give other films a chance! There are hundreds of indie films that are not getting a look in because your shitty 3-D garbage is sucking in all the audience, and I use the word sucking very carefully.

Like I said before, who hasn't already seen this film? It's grossed a hell of a lot of money through hype and it's fantastic new, but not actually that great, technology, so why does it need to come out again? The bloody DVD is coming out soon! All this ties in with the news that the inevitable sequel is coming out. But this will probably be way too advanced for what Cameron really wants, so let's hope it's so far in the future that this 3-D fad has long gone and James Cameron is too tired to film it.

Pointless re-release. Most re-releases are pointless anyway, but that's the film industry nowadays. Money grabbers. At least he didn't win an Oscar. Sorry Mr. Cameron? Who did you lose to?

Oh... that's right. Ouch

"It's Better To Help People Than Garden Gnomes"

2010-04-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

In the past few months I have been wondering what quotation to get inscribed on my body forever in the form of a tattoo, hopefully one that I won't regret later. Being a massive film buff, I've spent the majority of my procrastination time looking for suitable quotes that have some relation to my life or some meaning behind them, as I don't want to end up getting a tattoo that means complete shite. I also want a quote, as I believe random doodles that most people seem to have look tacky. Maybe a quote would look tacky, but meaningful tacky.

So while looking for suitable quotes, I was wondering what made a film quote "suitable" or memorable. People quote films in everyday life, sometimes like a prick, but the majority of the time everyone knows what they mean, what film they are talking about and even the scene it was depicted in. I've made a list of some of my favourite one-liners, and some that are so cringey the writers should be castrated.

"It's better to help people than garden gnomes" - Le Fabeleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain

This is a very cute quote from an equally cute film. Amelie spends the majority of the film with quirky insights into life and this quote sums her up beautifully. Upset that her Father spends more time painting gnomes than time with his own daughter, Amelie does the opposite with her life and in this one sentence puts her Father in his place, saying there is more to life than the little unimportant things.

"I cant swim"

"You crazy? The fall'll probably kill ya!" - Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

A hilarious line smack bang in the middle of a huge problem for our protagonists Butch and Sundance. While being chased, they end up stuck at the top of a cliff and wonder where to go next. The innocence in Redford's line is struck in contrast to Newman's great delivery of the best line in the film, complete with a mocking laugh. One of my favourite scenes in film history.

"I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being" - Stand By Me

I haven't seen Stand By Me in a very long time, but when I remember this opening line to the film I may have to dive into my ever growing DVD collection and give it another watch. It sets the tone of the film brilliantly, and with one quote you're already hooked.

"I could die right now, Clem. I'm just... happy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly where I want to be." - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Jim Carrey, taking on a role completely different from anything else he had done before, utters this line with perfection, and sums up the feeling most people get when they begin to fall in love. Nothing else matters anymore. I'm not afraid to say I've felt this feeling before, which is probably why I love this quote so much.

"Oh, I was cured alright" - A Clockwork Orange

After suffering in a rehabilitation centre, Alex DeLarge breaks free, and is now confused about his own existence. Leaping from a window, he ends up in a hospital, and has to figure out what to do with his life next. This line is the very last line of the film, and leaves his character completely ambiguously. While getting better and better, slowly but surely, Alex is no different at the end than when he started, topped off with a superb sinister look.

"I'm walkin' here!" - Midnight Cowboy

There are a lot of stories about the best ad-libbed lines throughout movie history, and I was torn between this and two others ("Here's Johnny" and "You talkin' to me?"). All three of these show that actors are more than just the people reading from a script, and the Midnight Cowboy example brings in quality humour and one of the most memorable movie scenes ever, let alone in the film itself.

And the worst ever movie quote you ask (well, probably not asking but I'm gonna say it anyway)

"Love means never having to say you're sorry." - Love Story

Fuck you Erich Segal for bringing this incredibly cringey, and ridiculously stupid quote, into the film world. I can't begin to wrap my head around the pointlessness and the absurdity of this quote, which only douchebags would say in a conversation. Thank God there are films like Eternal Sunshine and Jaws spinning out classic one liners to overshadow this.

Other great one liners

"Here's looking at you, kid" - Casablanca

"We all go a little mad sometimes" - Psycho

"I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner" - Silence of the Lambs

"That's some bad hat, Harry" - Jaws

"If I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night" - The Truman Show

Singin' In The Rain and Other Weathers

2010-04-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

How to and how not to use music in films, and also how films can change how we see a track.

Films are made to make people think about things, make people express their feelings, and entertain. A handy tip for a filmmaker is using music to bring a scene to life, or pull on the heartstrings so much you feel as if your ribs are gonna burst out of your chest. Whatever the reason, music is an extremely important part of filmmaking, which I will divide into chapters right.....now.

Contrast

Sometimes in a film, you are made to deal with a tough scene that is hard on the eyes. Take, for example, the infamous rape scene in A Clockwork Orange. But what music to use for this? Singin' in the Rain of course. Alex DeLarge happily sings along while he and his droogs go about their sickly business, and after seeing this scene you will never hear the song in the same way again. Another 'contrast' example comes in the fantastic Mean Streets, in which we see De Niro, Keitel and others battle it out along to the music of The Marvelettes' Hey Mr. Postman, a song which no other director, example maybe Quentin Tarantino, would have even thought of putting in. The contrast works in many ways. In the first example, it works to bring a bit of relief to a very tough-to-watch scene, but in both it brings a bit of humour, despite what we are actually watching. Bringing humour to a scene is a tough thing to do through music, but Scorsese pulls it off well here. It is also done to good effect in Reservoir Dogs where Michael Madsen, while slicing a man's ear off which can only mean he'll spend the right of his days if he were alive unbalanced and slightly deaf, sings Stuck in the Middle With You. Memorable and humourous.

Tugging at the Heart Strings

When dealing with a trauma, a director will more often than not do his level best to really bring out the tears in an audience. A film that I am not ashamed to say I have cried at every time the ending comes around is David Lynch's The Elephant Man, and if you haven't seen this film then I urge you to go and do so. It is a cliche now that Barber's Adagio For Strings goes along with any sad scene but it works so much better here as it was one of the first films to use it, second only to A Very Natural Thing. If you do not feel at all sad, or shed a single solitary tear at the ending to The Elephant Man, then you're either some sort of sick, twisted, emotionless human being or a robot. There is no way anyone can watch this true story unfold in front of them and not feel moved.

Orchestral

This also links with pulling at the heart strings and make you cry like a newborn, but original pieces rather than songs already composed. This can be used for emotional effect in films such as The Lion King (Hans Zimmer) and Atonement (Dario Marianelli) but also used for huge punches to the ears in horror films. Films like Halloween (John Carpenter) and Jaws (John Williams) are classic examples but the famous one that springs to my mind is Psycho (Bernard Herrmann). The story goes that in the shower scene which sees a total of 77 shots depicting Janet Leigh being stabbed by a mysterious shadow, Hitchcock originally planned to not have any music at all. But once he heard the score Herrmann composed, he nearly double his salary. Just shows what music can do to a film.

Musical

Musicals are not my cup of tea personally, but there are a few that are just fantastically well made and the songs are very memorable. Before you change your opinion on the song Singin' in the Rain through seeing A Clockwork Orange, check it out in the film of the same name, and Grease is also a great example of how a musical should be done. John Travolta in his dancing prime.

The Epic

In an epic film, you need an epic soundtrack, one that'll make you remember the film for years to come, one that once you hear the music you'll be able to name the film. Ennio Morricone (right) is probably the biggest composer of the epic, scoring such films like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, The Battle of Algiers, and Cinema Paradiso. These are just a few chapters of how music can be used in a positive way, but obviously there are films that just don't really know what they are doing with the music they have the rights too.

The 'What Were You Thinking?'

There are a few examples here but I'm just going on a small rant about one that befuddles me a year after its release. Watchmen. Now I'm not a fan of this film. The slow motion was overused, the storyline was weak in nearly every area and the film dragged on for far too long. Of course with most films there is a sex scene. There's nothing wrong with a bit of between the covers action in a film, that I don't have a problem with, the idea of a sex scene was probably what kept me awake through the film. It's the music that was used to it. Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. I can't even begin to divulge into why Zack Snyder chose to use this track for this scene and I'm leaving this post with the one quote going through my head as I sat and watched what was happening in front of me.

"What the hell is going on? What were they thinking!?"

Newman vs. Pattinson: Clash of the Young Movie Stars

2010-04-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

Back way before I was born, there were proper manly movie stars. I'm talking about Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, James Dean and Humphrey Bogart. Now everyone sucks.

This blog comes just after the news that Robert Pattinson has been tipped to play Kurt Cobain in an upcoming film about his life, made by Courtney Love. I don't even have a slight inkling as to why she thinks "R-Pattz" would be good for this role of a legendary rock star, when all he seems to do is play the hunky douchebag who seems to show no emotion in anything he does. He seems to think pouting and having ridiculous hair will propel him to stardom. Unfortunately, that seems to have been the case, and just emphasises what film stars have become nowadays. Let's put the greatest film star, Paul Newman, up against Robert Pattinson and see what happens.

Paul Newman

Born on the 26th January, 1925, Paul Newman has starred in such fantastic films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Cool Hand Luke, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Road to Perdition. A career spanning over 50 years, Paul Newman not only created iconic cinema characters with his famous blue eyes and incredible acting, he was a star to the world outside film also.

He won several championships as a driver through road racing, served in World War Two in the Navy, was a strong opposer of the war in Vietnam and was the co-founder of Newman's Own, a food company which has raised near $300 million for charity.

Newman won a Best Actor Oscar in 1984 for his role as "Fast Eddie" Felson in The Colour of Money, and has been nominated for 11 other Oscars too, alongside getting a Academy Honorary Award for "recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft". There is even a drinking day named after Newman after his quote "24 hours in a day? 24 beers in a case? Coincidence? I think not".

Robert Pattinson

Umm... starred in that Twilight abomination which destroyed the idea of the vampire film. Is a model (I know, really?) and apparently a musician. His selling point is standing point blank at the camera on a poster and pouting like he's trying to squeeze something jagged out his anus.

It's not fair to judge Robert Pattinson, a so-so actor who looks like a chemotherapy patient, against Paul Newman who has already lived out his career. Pattinson is only 23, but six years in Newman's acting career, he had already established himself as one of the young greats, with on-screen charm and charisma, something to bring the film to life. The only thing Pattinson seems to bring to film is a flock of teenage girls wetting their pants at the thought of him getting his shirt off. Maybe this is saying something more about filmgoers of our time rather than film stars.

I will forever watch the films of Paul Newman, Humphrey Bogart, Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, as they were all fantastic actors. Now, it seems that all you need to become a great young film star is to look remotely good, have a pout that will make the girls weak at the knees and look generally confused in every single film shoot you do and photograph you get of yourself.

In 10 years, these "hunks" will be so much in 3D we'll be eating popcorn off their nipples. I can't fucking wait.

The 3D Age of Cinema - The Long Con

2010-04-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

"With digital 3D projection, we will be entering a new age of cinema." - James Cameron

I don't know about you but this whole new 3D technology just seems to be a huge waste of filmmaking time. Movies were fine before all this 3D nonsense started happening and now production companies are just churning out as much shit as they possibly can to bring in the audiences. While listening to Mark Kermode's radio show the other day, a woman emailed in saying she went to see How To Train Your Dragon and at one point in the filmed ducked thinking she was about to be hit. The thing is, with this woman, she was watching the film in 2D, rendering the whole idea of 3D completely pointless in one solitary moment.

James Cameron is the culprit of making 3D more than it really is. Many films nowadays are wasting their energy on throwing things at the audience to try and enhance their story. We can take Avatar as a major point in the pointlessness of 3D but I'll start with the trash that's plaguing the big screen with the new Resident Evil film coming soon. After watching the trailer, all I can think is, "what's the fucking point?"

In the trailer, we are told in three out of five of the title cards about the "new dimension" of the film. The technology has become more of a selling point than the drawn out franchise it's helping. I will not go and see this film, I had enough trouble getting through the first one let alone the 2nd and 3rd, and I will never go and see a film in 3D again. At the end of the day, 3D films are just 2D films, but just a little bit closer. After 3 minutes of watching a 3D film you're already wowed and will now have to spend 3 hours of your life, paying for a headache.

While everyone drooled and tossed off to Avatar's amazingly expensive technology, they seemed to forget that they missed out an important part. A little thing called a story. While James Money Balls Cameron spent the last 14 years of his life making Avatar's technology, he seemed to spend all of 17 minutes creating an interesting and original plot. When the film was released Cameron said the film was all about the experience. Go fuck yourself James Cameron, films are about teaching life lessons, telling interesting stories that we can relate too, giving hope, making people laugh for a few hours amongst other things. Not to go on a pointless, inane ride. If I wanted to do that I'd go to a theme park or go for a joy ride.

I'm hoping like in the old days this 3D things is just a fad. I'm sick of seeing trailers where every other scene has some ball bag throwing something at the camera, just to scare the audience, but give no real reason or point to the storyline. We may be entering a new age of cinema James Cameron, but it's not one that has any reason to go there.