Aubin Cinema – Experience Review
Ever gone to a cinema and had some dick head constantly kick the back of your seat? I think we all have at some point. I tried to fix this problem by pushing a law through parliament that allows us the basic human right to hack the legs off said kickers with rusty machetes. Despite strong Tory backing it was labelled as “excessive”. Fucking liberals. (more…)
Oscars: Let the Battle Commence
With the announcement of the Oscars this week, it begins the annual guessing game of who will win what? There’s even a competition to win one million pounds this year for guessing correctly all the winners. I am afraid I don’t have a crystal ball to predict the winners, but this is going to be an exciting year, ripe for upsets. Maybe because it hasn’t been a vintage year or all the frontrunners seem to have their faults. (more…)
The Oscars: Why Do They Matter So Much?
The 2012 Oscars ceremony takes place on Sunday 26th February 2012, and in light of this year’s nominations being announced the annually reoccurring question has once again reared its unglamorous, botox-free head: why do The Oscars matter so much? (more…)
Film Preview: The Chemical Brothers – Don’t Think
What: The Chemical Brothers: Don’t Think + Q&A, DIR Adam Smith
Where: BFI Southbank
Date: Friday February 3 2012
Time: 20:30 (85 minutes)
Tickets: £13.75, concs £10.25 (Members pay £1.50 less) (more…)
Martin Scorsese: A Legend In His Own Lifetime
This year’s BAFTA Fellowship award is being presented to Martin Scorsese. The fellowship, which is a lifetime achievement award, has been awarded to some of the biggest names in cinema, so it was only a matter of time before it was handed to the man behind Goodfellas , Casino, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Departed, Mean Streets, and many, many more. (more…)
Sherlock – The Reichenbach Fall Review
You can’t help but be disappointed that both series of Sherlock to date have consisted of just three episodes. They have been of such a high quality, that you’re left wanting more. But it would be unfair on everyone involved to complain. Each episode is 90 minutes long, with a beginning, middle and an end. They could have been split into smaller episodes, stretching out over three or four weeks, but that would be a lot less satisfying, and leave the writers having to create cliff-hangers from stories that really don’t have any. (more…)
The Unlikely Show-Stealers of Hollywood
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“Never work with children or animals”- so goes the often quoted saying amongst anyone who works in performance.
“Never work with children or animals”- so goes the often quoted saying amongst anyone who works in performance. Yes, from experience it CAN be a nightmarish ordeal, but the past year has seen some show stealing performances from our four legged and miniature brethren. Take We Need to Talk about Kevin for example, for me the younger Kevin, played by Jasper Newell put in as good a performance, if not better, than his older counterpart Ezra Miller. His scenes alongside the legendary Tilda Swinton were some of the best in the film; he portrayed such menace and calculated nastiness that you had to wonder whether this kid had in fact been born evil. Kevin is a tough role for anyone to take on, he’s such a complex character- but this kid nailed it. Sceptics may claim that the young star simply ‘winged it’ but he showed such depth in his performance with an uncompromisingly dark expression in his eyes that there is little doubt that this kid knew what he was doing and ultimately has a bright acting career ahead of him. Tilda is expected to be nominated for an Oscar for playing the emotionally devastated mother of this seemingly demonic child, and I for one hope she bags it. (more…)
Profiting from Horror
Throughout the past ten years there have been a number of low-budget Horror films that have set the box office alight. This weekend from the 6th until the 8th of January 2012 another low-budget Horror made for a reported $1 million beat off competition including War Horse, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. The Devil Inside from director William Brent Bell has opened to an impressive $33,732,515 to go top of the American Box Office and on other a 1000 less screens that it’s nearest competition Ghost Protocol. (more…)
The Age Of Remakes, Reboots, Sequels and Prequels
The separate announcements this week that a fourth instalment in the Paranormal Activity franchise is going into production, and that a remake of The Evil Dead is in the works has led to the confirmation of only one thing; cinema audiences are still very much in the midst of the age of remakes, reboots, sequels and prequels. (more…)
Artistic Integrity Vs. Selling Out
In the abundant amount of ‘Best Films of 2011’ lists there was perhaps a somewhat surprising title that kept reappearing time and again; a time travel film written by Woody Allen? Well, yes, but Midnight In Pariswas one of the highlights of the cinematic year of 2011, and was hailed as Allen’s best film for years, a triumphant return to form for the old master. Just as Vicky Cristina Barcelona was similarly hailed in 2008. EvenMatch Point, which divided its audience in Marmite fashion, was considered as at least a step in the right direction in 2005. (more…)
2012 Horror Preview
2011 was pretty much a year of remakes and sequels in the Horror genre, with the annual gift of further entries in the Final Destination and Paranormal Activity franchises with the later taking just under $203million worldwide at the box office. So it is of no surprise that 2012 will bring much of the same, however there is some light on the distant horizon. A light provided by fresh blood, and original ideas. (more…)
The Most Anticipated Films of 2012
2012 is going to be a MASSIVE year in film. You only have to take a look at one of the most hectic summer release schedules in recent memory to realise this, but there are also plenty of notable delights scattered throughout the rest of the year to keep the movie-attending momentum going right up until the end of December. As far as I’m concerned, much of 2011 was a bit of a disappointment. Whilst there were many excellent films to be found, there really wasn’t much of a flow to the release schedule at all and a few of the big guns just didn’t live up to expectations. There should, however, be enough potential quality in these 10 films to excite even the most sceptic of movie-goers. Let’s take a look at what’s coming our way… (more…)
Top 10 Films of 2011
Its down the final countdown of films in 2011 with this post, in which I count down by 10 favourite films. Once again, I have to stress that this list is made up of films that I enjoyed the most (or as much as one can, given the nature of a lot of 2011′s better films). In doing this it means that I won’t be copying other people’s lists film for film, that would be a fruitless task in light of the hours spent considering these things. Now, without wasting any more time here is my list of the top 10 films in 2011. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and at the very least find one new film to dig out in 2012. (more…)
Top Five Animal Tearjerkers – A Prelude to War Horse
British cinema audiences are on red alert; Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of War Horse is nearly upon us and, rather embarrassingly, this means it’s nearly time to cry in a cinema again while watching a film about an animal. Even the trailer about this ‘miraculous kind of an’ ‘orse’ stirs up the emotions, let alone the film itself. There is just something about animals in films that causes emotional meltdowns in audiences everywhere, whether they are set in the heroic battlefields of the First World War, or in some small backwater town anywhere in the world. The films themselves can at times be forgettable, but they always contain some kind of heart-wrenching scene towards the end that involves a cherished animal dying, nearly dying but not quite, or some kind of tear stained reunion with a grinning owner that always reverts us back to a child like state of balling our eyes out for reasons we can’t quite grasp. It’s nothing to get embarrassed about, it just means we have a heart, right?
By way of preparation for War Horse, then, here are the Top Five Animal Tearjerkers. Steady those nerves; and beware, massive spoilers are contained below. (more…)
Best of Films of 2011 (25-11)
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2011 is a year of many things in cinema, however if there was one theme that defined the year it would be a lack of truly great films. I will admit from the off that I hated Melancholia and thought that the Tree of Life was preposterous, nevertheless there is a total lack of upper level films that sat above the rest like in 2010 which had Toy Story 3 at the very least. Nevertheless it comes to that time of the year when those in the game of reviewing movies, whether professionally or amateur must stop and take stock on the year that has just been in preparation for the year that lies ahead. Breaking my top 25 down into two posts 25-11 and the top 10, here are my favourite (stress on favourite) films of 2011. (more…)
Worst Films of 2011
2011 has not been a great year for movies as my forthcoming best of post will allude there are very few films that sat above the generally good films at the top of the pile, unlike 2010 which had shutter island, inception, buried, toy story 3, social network and more. This year is more of a mess. Which is contrary to the worst movies of the year, where some of the inclusions (dishonourable mentions) are entirely based upon personal preference whereas the others in my bottom 10 could easily have been replaced by another 10 films, 2011 was bombarded by a tidal wave of terrible films. I didn’t proactively seek out bad films, so no New Year’s Eve, Trespass, Red Riding Hood, Film Socialisme, the Change-up or Adam Sandler. What we do have though is a selection of bad films and a few that are so bad that flirt with evil.
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Charlie Chaplin: A Tip Of The Hat To You
With the impending release of The Artist creating a stir among critics and audiences alike, there has been a sudden clamour for a reappraisal of the silent era of movies, and the need to recognise just how important and influential the films of that time were, and still continue to be. While The Artist charts the struggles endured by some in the film industry during the transition to ‘talkies’, it is an apt time to fully appreciate the genius and influence of a man who made the transition seamlessly, making classic films in both the silent era as well as the early sound era. That man is Charlie Chaplin. (more…)
Top 5 Alternative Christmas Movies
There are some movies Christmas just can’t be without, like turkey and roast potatoes certain films are a part of the festive magic. Most are tried and tested staples of the holiday season, but over the years several movies that happen to be set at Christmas have become just as essential viewing as ‘It’s A Wonderful Life ‘or ‘Miracle on 34th Street’.
So here’s a run down of some choice alternative viewing this Christmas, it doesn’t always take Santa to raise a festive cheer. (more…)
British Cinema VS The Megaplex
Trends in cinema have led me to write another editorial rant. Last time I did one of these was when 127 Hours was out and the number of spoilers openly revealed by the mainstream media infuriated me. Especially when the spoilers where justified because of the films roots in reality. It appears that if something happened in the real world everybody knows about it, therefore there is nothing to spoil. It was an absurd abuse of the spoiler. Enough on that, I have verbalized those demons. This time it’s an issue of market trends, distribution, Megaplex cinema chains and British (or the home isles) film. Or, to give it a punchier title “British cinema versus the Megaplex”. (more…)
Jake and Jasper: A Ferret Tale
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All independent filmmakers know how hard it is to get even the smallest project off the ground. Then, even if you get your film made the next trial of strength is to get your movie seen and talked about. There are still plenty of festivals and various digital platforms to explore but even that is no guarantee your film will get seen. The recession has made it harder for independent films to get funding, but not impossible and it’s with this in mind that an old form of funding becomes more relevant than ever before. (more…)
10 Great Asian Movies
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When Martin Scorsese finally won an Oscar, it was for The Departed. The movie also won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. This was because writer William Monahan had adapted the screenplay from Infernal Affairs, a 2002 Hong Kong movie credited with revitalising Hong Kong cinema. And in recent years, many American horror movies have either been remade or adapted from Asian cinema, including The Ring, Mirrors and The Grudge.
South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong have a movie industry that thrives on originality and complicated, often controversial plots. With this in mind, here are 10 Asian movies you must see before you die (or before they kill you in some cases): (more…)
Potterwatch: Harry Potter Retrospective, part.3
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Time can mend all wounds and change all things. Rewind just 7 weeks back and I had seen the first two Harry Potter films and felt no need or wish to change that. I was one of the countless people who either hated or was entirely disinterested with the series. These people are essentially striking it off as a series of simple kid’s films that could never possible resemble entertainment or high quality film making without ever seeing it. Much like Matthew Wright (the Wright stuff, channel 5) I only wanted to hear the perspective of people who agreed with my perspective on the series, ignoring everyone else and writing them off as either fan boys or boring. One challenge and six weeks later, I have watched all the films bar the two deathly hallows films, the second part of which is out on Friday, as if that escaped you attention.
Potterwatch: Harry Potter Retrospective, part.2
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It’s that time again, it’s time for the second edition in my running series of posts looking at the Harry Potter films from the perspective of an outsider. I am quickly moving through the series and much to my surprise my opinion and J.K. Rowling’s franchise on the screen has changed from indifference to enjoyment. Just as I am quickly moving through the series, the final film is fast approaching. The end of an era as many fans are claiming is nigh. Let’s not jump the gun though, let’s concentrate on the here and now – the film’s which I will be talking about this time are The Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix.
Potterwatch, vol.1
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It very well might be a cultural phenomenon, but that doesn’t change that Harry Potter has never washed with me. That has a lot to do with the fact that you have to be a kid to fully appreciate the series. Failing that a lot of the more long-standing fans of the series grew up alongside the protagonists. To that end Harry Potter is the star wars to this generation of kids. I was a huge fan of the original star wars trilogy, which was still huge in the 90s when I was a young ‘un. (more…)
