The Science Museum, Summer Heights High and other stuff I am loving right now!

Things I am loving right now…

 

Just before I get started, I just want to make it clear that I did love The Dark Knight, and highly recommend it as the best blockbuster of the summer 2008 so far (followed by Iron Man, in case you’re wondering!). It’s just I read it back once I’d posted it, and thought I may have been a bit too negative. It is an awesome action movie, just not the slice of perfection I’d got my hopes up for. See it for the Joker fo sho.

 So following the last blogs negativity, I was hoping to write this time about something positive, and because Sian (my lovely girlfriend) she won’t read the blog because “it’ll just be about movies”, I’m gonna write about some other stuff that I’m currently digging outside of movies.

The Science Museum

  

I’ve been to the Natural History Museum many a time, both as a child on school trips, and as an adult whilst living here in London. I love the natural history museum, mainly for the dinosaurs, but also for all the other stuff in there. The section on earthquakes is great, and all the stuff about evolution and ecosystems is fascinating, and the building that houses it is truly incredible too. It’s well laid out with loads of great displays, and interactive stuff to see and do. But go in the winter… on a week day, when it’s not heaving with tourists, and screaming kids. It’s just better that way, trust me! But the Science Museum? If I’ve ever been before, then I don’t remember. It didn’t have dinosaurs in, so as a child it probably didn’t interest me much if I did. So whilst in South Kensington with some time to spare, I just popped in. That’s the beauty of London, most of the big museums are free, it’s not like this in other European capitals, so make use of it people. So what is in the science museum? Well, loads of stuff really. I didn’t do a full exploration, only the ground floor, and some of the upper floors. but what I saw was enough to get me excited about it. There is a space exploration section, which as I’ve written about before, is something I’m absolutely fascinated by, and they have parts of rockets and instruments and all sorts. They have a lifesize reproduction of the Apollo 11 moon landing module which is just immense. The best thing though is found in the “Making the Modern World” section, where they have original machines that have been built throughout the ages. They have Stephensons Rocket, the steam train, they have all these old supercomputers and so on, but the thing that really blew my mind was the original Apollo 10 Command Module. I mean, this thing flew into space, around the moon, with men in it, and then came back, it went through re-entry carrying astronauts, and now it’s in the science museum where you can look at it for NOTHING!! This thing cost millions to build, it did incredible tasks, and there it is, in all its hard worn tiny glory. This thing looks cramped for three people I tell you. So I stood gawping for ages, I’ll probably be in about 50 tourists photos when they get home, stood there mouth agape while they pose in front of this magnificent flying machine.

 There’s also an original Formula One racing car in there, think it’s a Mclaren, driven and crashed, by Kimi Raikonnen. That’s pretty awesome, nowhere near as big as I expected. You’re not allowed to take photos of it though, so that’s a shame. The third and final cool thing I saw was an installation called the Listening Post. Its basically a curved wall of small LED displays, but its wired to the internet, and so it displays snippets of conversations from chat rooms all over the world, and the thing reads them out to you. That sounds a bit rubbish but trust me, it’s hypnotic, I could have stood there for another half an hour. Go check it out, along with the rest of the Science Museum, it’s actually quite cool. And more importantly it’s free.

 http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/listening_post.aspx

 

Summer Heights High

 

This has just been shown on BBC3 and my girlfriend introduced me to it. It’s an Australian comedy show, done in a mockumentary style a la The Office, and it’s based in an aussie school following the lives of three people in the school. Chris Lilley, the writer, also stars as each character. Firstly there is Mr G, the camp as hell drama teacher who loves being the centre of attention. Then there is Ja’mie, the stuck up 11^th year girl, who is on an exchange programme from her private school. Then there is Jonah, who is a troubled and havoc causing Polynesian 8^th year. He’s the best, you just got to see the programme to understand. Hopefully the BBC will repeat either on BBC3 or even 2 in the near future. It’s about the best new comedy show I’ve seen for a long time. It’s even better than Extras in my opinion. Mr G is genius, Ja’mie is excruciating to watch, and Jonah is just downright, laugh out loud, hilarious. Check it out.

  

White Denim – Workout Holiday

 

Is it just me, or are all the best bands from the states at the moment? Other than the Arctic Monkeys, all the best stuff coming out at the moment is American. We’re producing bland bands like The Wombats, Scouting For Girls and The Pigeon Detectives (notice how the Brits can’t do good band names either), whereas this last year or so has seen blinding debut albums from New Yorks Vampire Weekend and MGMT, and now the yanks bring us White Denim. Hailing from Austin, Texas, this bluesy garage rock band are the dogs danglys. I have no knowledge of writing about music, but just trust me when I say you need to hear their debut album Workout Holiday. It rocks.

  

Other stuff that is cool…

 

My Drive Thru – Pharrell, Santo Gold and Julian Casablancas.

 This collaboration was done for Converse trainers funnily enough. A return to form for Pharrell, who’s recent productions have been a bit bland for my likings. I suppose working with two of the coolest acts in music can’t hurt either.

  

The Repetition Kills You – The Black Ghosts

 What is it with music acts nowadays? Their names either have to have black or kids in the title. The Black Kids, The Black Keys, The Black Ghosts, The Dead Kids etc etc. Anyways, this tune is cool, but it’s the video that does it for me. So simple, and yet so well done. Bravo.

 

 

Crawl – Kings Of Leon

 Kings Of Leon are pretty much my favourite current band out there bar none. Every new album raises the bar, and their sound is maturing with every new song. They totally rocked at Glastonbury, and were a major highlight for me. Roll on their new album out end of September. Anyway you can download this free track from the new album here…

 

www.kingsofleon.com

 

 

So there you go… some cool stuff for you to enjoy. Email me anytime if you want to add anything, or if you disagree!

 

tomb@falconseven.com

 

Til next time folks.

The Dark Knight Review

The Dark Knight – Review

 

Well, finally, the biggest movie of the summer so far has landed, and I was there, 10.30am at the dome with all the other saddoes desperate to see if The Dark Knight lived up to the hype that has surrounded this movie for such a long time now.

 The marketing campaign has been an absolute triumph, never before have I been as hyped to see movie than for this. I think I was as excited for the 24/7 as I would be for the 25/12! And the dividends have paid off for such a protracted and skilful campaign, as the movie has broken box-office records in the states, and will probably go on to be the highest grossing movie of 2008. But… is it any cop?

 Have a look at the posters and advert for this movie that have reviews on them, and you’ll see a plethora of 5/5s and glowing praise from every corner, so there was no doubts that when the lights went down in the cinema that I was going to be in for a treat, but would it live up to my expectations? I have been cruelly hurt this year by Indy 4, I had seen mixed reviews, and hold a great affection for Indy, so in my heart of hearts I just wanted to love it, and for it to be ace. It wasn’t. It sucked. It was like having a child, only to find out that they were an idiot and you just hated them, despite knowing that you should love them (that may be a bit strong, but you get the idea). So my expectations were set high with Dark Knight, I loved Batman Begins, and am a big Batman fan in general (not in a major geek way, I’ve read a lot of his graphic novels, but don’t subscribe to the comics, and couldn’t tell you every minor detail of his history but…still a fan), and when I read that The Dark Knight was the “Empire Strikes Back of comic book movies” my heart skipped a beat. So the lights went down, 153 minutes later they came back up and how did I feel?

 This film rocks, in many ways, but… it’s not up there with the greatest movies ever made as some reviewers may have you to believe. There’s a lot to love, but I just left the cinema with too many niggles, it just didn’t sit right with me.

 I’ll start with what’s to love.

The Joker. The Joker OWNS this movie, every time he appears he just tears the screen apart. He’s exactly how the clown prince of crime should be, a primeval force of evil nature, out to destroy and cause as much mayhem as is (in)humanly possible. The key thing is, is that they’ve avoided making it his origin movie, and this works so well. He’s a terrifying mystery. Who is this man? Why does he look so fucked up? What does he want? The best part is, in many movies, you follow the bad guy as he plots and schemes his dastardly deeds, as well as the good guy, who is out to thwart him, but not in the Dark Knight. He just pops up, causes havoc in every scene he’s in with growing brutality, then he disappears off the radar again, leaving you and Batman wondering when and where is he going to strike next, but more importantly what will he do next? This is down to the writing of his character, but more crucially down to Heath Ledger. If you ever saw Brokeback Mountain (I did, and I loved it, I think I’m man enough to admit that), then Ledgers nuanced performance as the tortured soul Ennis Del Mar would have proved to you what a terrific actor he was, but then you put that next to his portrayal as the Joker, and it just goes to show what a terrible waste of a life, his untimely demise has been. What would he have gone on to do in the future? To have seen him just reprise his role as the Joker one more time, would have been a cinematic event in itself, but is sadly something that we’ll never see. To bandy his name around for a posthumous Oscar, to me is a little bad taste, stinking of promotion for the movie at the expense of his memory, but his performance is truly awesome. You need to see it to understand how much he IS the Joker. It’s the one thing I know that will draw me back for repeat viewings of this movie for sure. I mean since when has anyone been Oscar nominated for a comic book film, come on, we all know the truth, it probably would have been unlikely, the Oscars just don’t do that sort of thing.

 What else rocks? The Bat-pod. Super badass bike for Batman, though looks impossible to drive to me. The action sequences are incredible too, better than the action from the other summer comic book films, so far, from this year (Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk), and why is that? Erm could it be a little thing called CGI, Batman uses it minimally, the other two were practically drawn by hand in a computer somewhere. Decent performances from all the actors involved. Aaron Eckhart staking his claim as leading man material, Michael Caine providing some light relief in places and Gary Oldman on form as usual. Some nice sequences and ideas in the story, the hobsons choice moment for Batman is a killer, as is the opening sequence which I can’t wait to see in Imax.

 So what sucked?

 The biggest problem I have with the Dark Knight is the plot. It’s overlong, over complicated and fairly muddled throughout. The Joker saves it from being a confusing mess. It seems like they had a lot of good ideas for what should go in, but then, just went and stuck it all in without being a bit more ruthless. There are whole sub-plots which seem never to strike the right cord, the story of Gordons team having a turncoat amongst them, keeps coming up, but in the end, you don’t really care enough about them to even be bothered. The other Gordon storyline, which comes around halfway through (I won’t spoil it for you here) is also confusing and very unrealistic. Would they tell his wife? (you’ll see).

 My other beef with the story is Harvey Dent. Two-Face is a great character with great potential as the movie villain. Dents fall from grace in this movie seems a little forced, and the tipping point comes out of nowhere. This also, in my opinion, stems from his relationship with Maggie Gyllenhaals character Rachel. This never feels real to me at any point, there doesn’t seem to be any chemistry and somehow her character comes across as underwritten. I never really cared whether she prefers Harvey or Bruce, so a few of the films key moments just struck a dull note with me. So Harvey (no surprise here) ends up being Two-Face. The special effects for which, are great, but to me, a little jarring, as from going from hardly any CGI, to CGI heavy was a little annoying. But then it seems like, the scriptwriter (Jonathan Nolan), didn’t know what to do with him next. Apparently in David Goyers script for Batman Begins, he originally outlined two sequels, with Two Face being the primary villain for the third film, which I think would have made more sense for two reasons. Firstly, they rush an ending in for Two Face, so he never really is the villain In Dark Knight, more an afterthought. But secondly, it would have made a great part 3. Seriously, where they going to go next (presuming they make one)? The Penguin would be a strange choice, he’s much more difficult to realise in this gritty realistic Gotham of Nolans Batman. Catwoman? A cat burgler as the main villain for the whole film? Mr Freeze? Not likely. Poison Ivy? Even less likely. Two Face was perfect material, but, (spoiler alert), he aint gonna make it to the sequel. They should have had the climax centre around the Joker, and have had Two-Face slink off into the shadows, ready to cause mayhem in the third movie.

 Other niggles were the mobile phone/sonar part of the story, bit too science fiction for my tastes. Going to Hong Kong? Not necessary. Rachel Dawes character has changed completely from serious earnest lawyer to flirty flighty minx in the space of one movie.

 What to say about Batman himself? His new suit is badass, he does some seriously badass stuff, and is not afraid to push the boundaries to get his results. He even does some detecting for once. More please! His scene with the Joker in the interrogation room is a personal highlight, just distilling what we should expect from Batman and the Joker into one violent little scene. One thing though… the Bat-Voice?? Bale…SORT IT OUT. It sounds silly. It sounded silly in Begins, even worse in this one. Get some strepsils or something.

 

So in conclusion…

 Go see this movie, you won’t see a better summer blockbuster this year. Forget everything I’ve said, I’m just nitpicking what is undoubtedly up there with the other great superhero movies, and go enjoy a supreme badass of a movie…

 Just don’t expect The Empire Strikes Back of superhero films! (See earlier blogs for the reasons!)

4.5/5

 

 PS A note on the trailers. Bit disappointed there was no Watchmen, but I can wait for the Imax. Hellboy 2 looks amazing, Del Toro really knows how to flick my switches when it comes to special effects. 

But the biggest turkey of the lot I saw, was the trailer that got the biggest laughs, which just goes to prove that 85% of people are idiots. The trailer for “Don’t Mess With The Zohan” which you can watch in all its pathetic glory here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28IUYMaCPZw

 

Til next time folks.

Sky Plus, German Movies and Idiots on the Tube

The Lives of Others

First of all I want to get off my chest how awesome Sky Plus is. Its one of those inventions that are just so perfect that they slot into your life with ease, and before you know it, you wonder how you ever managed without it. I’ve used Sky Plus before at other peoples houses so understood the concept, but the new place I live at has it installed, and having just had the movie package activated, I now UNDERSTAND its potential. And Sky Movie package isn’t like it used to be when we had way back when as a kid. There used to be two movie channels, and they would launch a new movie every week, and then rotate, so you could watch Sky Movies for a week, and you’d have seen every film they have to offer. Nowadays there are about 20 different movie channels, as well as another ten channels like E4 and More4 that show movies too. So what I’m getting at is, there is just such a massive array of movies you can see on a day to day basis, that you would physically never get to see every film you wanted that they show. So with Sky Plus, I can just give a quick scan through the movies of the day, pick which ones I want to see, and bingo, they record for me to watch at my leisure.

 Therein lies the real beauty. I’m an avid movie watcher, but watching movies has its limitations. I LOVE going to the cinema, the atmosphere, the trailers, the spectacle, the headaches from too many sugary sweets, the lot. But… it’s expensive, especially in London (my favourite cinema at the millennium dome is £6 even for students). So many many movies that I read about in reviews or Empire that interest me, simply slip through the net. I can’t afford it, or couldn’t be bothered to go at the time. So now the net tightens with Sky Plus, many movies I wouldn’t go to the cinema to see, or missed them or never got from the video shop, are now at my fingertips, all down to this little grey electronic box. Hallelujah. Sat on the Sky Plus memory as we speak are films as diverse as The Lives Of Others, Lady In The Water, The Hitcher (the remake) and Annie Hall. All movies I want to see, but not enough to hit the video store, or to stay up late at night to catch on TV.

 

So in getting to my point…The Lives Of Others. The German winner of the “Best Foreign Language Film” Oscar in 2007, is a worthy winner. The film is a tale of Espionage in East Germany in the 1980’s. It follows a surveillance agent for the government who is to spy on an eminent writer and his glamorous actress partner. The agent gains a conscience and begins to question the regimes motives and ethics, and gets drawn into a dangerous game. To say this is a debut directing and screenwriting effort from Florian Henckel Von Donnesmarck is astonishing. The screenplay is excellent, tautly paced with stunning twists and turns, which leave you on the edge of your seat throughout. The pace slows for the final ten minutes following the resolution of the story, but those last ten minutes are filled with tender moments which deserve to be shown, and which many other directors may have left out for the audience to ponder. But the director is obviously very fond of his characters and so gives them the denoument they deserve. The film is also beautifully lit, and gives a very somber tone to the film reflecting the mood of the overall piece. The acting is top class throughout as well, with star turns from Ulrich Muhe and Sebastien Koch being the highlights in a stunning ensemble piece.

 So In Conclusion…

 You should invest two hours in seeing this movie if you get the chance, obviously its subtitled, so may not be to everyones taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Something as expertly plotted as this makes you jealous that you couldn’t have written it yourself!

 5/5

 

 

On another note entirely…

 

A friend of mine has a theory that 85% of people, in general, are either rude, ignorant or downright simple. I happen to agree with this, and nowhere is this more obvious to me, than on public transport and on the tube even more so. It’s probably because it’s so cramped, that people’s glaring inadequacies and simpleton foibles are so clear to me. My personal pet hate on the tube is the buttons that say “Open” and indeed “Close” next to the door on the tube carriage. These buttons found on any other train in the country will clearly open and close the doors when needed. In London, on the tube, they don’t. The doors open automatically. They always have done, and will do everyday from 6am til 12.30am (or whenever the first and last tubes are).

 So… to the guy who barged me from behind, tutting, to press said “Open” button next to the door when the tube had pulled into Mile End station, and the doors didn’t open immediately….

 YOU’RE A STUPID PRICK

 We all want to get off the tube mate, it’s not comfy being packed in there, it’s certainly not an amenable temperature, but those buttons DO FUCK ALL. Anyone who has been on the tube more than once knows that.

 

Glad that’s off my chest anyway.

 

Anyway, back tomorrow with Dark Knight review.

 (just don’t barge me on the tube do press a pointless button or I may have to get my patented Bat-Idiot Repellant-Spray out and douse you)

Reviews - Wall-E, In Bruges & Gone Baby Gone plus more

Reviews

 I’ve been meaning to get stuck in with some movie reviews on here, as I have had a lot of free time recently, so have taken my lecturers advice and watched as many movies as I could lay my eyes on. But… I really wanted to open with a big one, and what with Dark Knight only a few days away, and the hyperbole surrounding it, it seemed like the best place to start. So Thursday morning, I will be hitting the O2 Dome to watch The Dark Knight on the biggest screen possible (outside of IMAX), and will hopefully have the review online not too late after.

 But…

 In the meantime, I wouldn’t want to think that all the movies I had seen recently would go to waste, and plus I need to get some writing practice in, so I will have a quick summary of some of the films I had seen recently. Which ones are worth seeing, which ones are duff, and which ones ROCK!

 

Wall-E

 With so much hype surrounding this film, it’s difficult to say something new that hasn’t already been said about this movie. Some are calling it Pixars greatest movie, some are calling it the film of the summer. I say, it’s great too, no surprise there. What did surprise me getting goosebumps from a frickin kids movie! You know the score, cute little Johnny 5 clone is left alone on a deserted planet Earth to tidy up the mess left by the people when they departed many moons ago, 700 years ago to be precise. There’s no dialogue for the first 20 or so mins bla bla bla…this is when the film shines… bla bla bla. The gist is, I liked it, at the time, a lot. But it’s been nearly two weeks since I saw it, and you know what… I haven’t really thought about it that much since. A great movie stays with you, the warm feeling from this movie lasted all of two days.

 So in conclusion…

 A great movie, a fine achievement for Pixar, definitely better than Ratatouille, but ultimately a sugar-rush which I think will prove much less short lived in our hearts than earlier offerings Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Plus my two infant nieces didn’t think it was that good, so there!

 

4/5

 

 

In Bruges

 With great scepticism I sat down to watch this, only to find myself laughing out loud at one of the funniest movies of the year in my humble opinion. I’m no fan of Colin Farrell at the best of times, I liked Miami Vice, but probably because it was Michael Mann, but for most of the time he comes across as someone punching above their weight in Hollywood (and if the rumours about how he came to be in this position are true, it sticks in the throat even more, but I’m not about to slander anyone here by repeating said rumours).  But Farrell shines in this movie, and that says something when his co-stars are Brendon Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. This twisted black comedy about hit-men being sent to Bruges following a botched hit, is one of the most un-PC films I’ve seen since Borat, and that’s probably why I loved it so much. That it even got funding and made is triumph for writer/director Martin Mcdonagh. A film that features drug taking, prostitute shagging, racist midgets (sorry dwarfs) is fine in my books anyday. Colin Farrells turn as naïve hitman Ray is brilliant and shows that he should forget about epics, cop films and phone booth related movies and stick to comedies. Ralph Fiennes is great too, he deconstructs his image in a similar way to Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast, and for that he deserves applause…but it’s been done before Fiennes. Its better than Potter, but still, more like this please.

 So in conclusion…

 A hilarious movie, genius turns from all the actors involved, nice plot with decent twists, but a slightly muddled third act. Not for everyone, but certainly to my tastes.

 

5/5

 

 

Gone Baby, Gone

That this film took over a year to come out in the UK is a shame, but I understand the distributors reasons to pull it following the tabloid furore around the Madeleine McCann story, no film featuring abducted children would have made it far then, especially this one where the little girls is very similar in appearance. Having said that, the two stories are very different, and this film needs to appreciated in its own right, separate from the controversy of that case. Ben Afflecks directorial debut is an adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel, the same writer who brought us Mystic River. The film truly belongs to Casey Affleck, who following upstaging and outperforming Brad Pitt in the recent Jesse James movie, brings a performance that is outstanding in a movie loaded with many other great actors, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. The twisting and labyrinthine plot is a wringer, and halfway through the story line appears resolved, but with an hour left to go, you know it isn’t, and what follows next is an example of a great story, with twists, surprises and a melancholic ending. Invest some time in this movie, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait for both Afflecks next offerings.

 So in conclusion…

 A great crime movie, up there with Mystic River, with fine turns Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, and an outstanding directorial debut from a man largely written off in the press following the Bennifer debacle. Bravo all round.

 

4/5

Short Reviews

 

3:10 To Yuma

Decent western remake starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, interesting story, improbable in places, but a gritty and hard boiled film about honour and justice in the wild west. Worth seeing, but only if there is nothing else on!

 3/5

 

Zodiac

Interesting ensemble procedural, with great turns from Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. Very long, and disappointing if you like definitive outcomes in serial killer movies, but I liked it, it has a touch of rambling realism to it, they don’t always catch the bad guys in the end. Based on a true story, Fincher has found a new way to inject life into the tired serial killer genre.

 4/5

 

Infamous

This touching little movie based around Truman Capote, and the creation of his masterpiece “In Cold Blood”. Toby Young is great as Capote and injects life and warmth into an otherwise kooky character. Strange casting in Daniel Craig as his murderer love interest, and a great turn from a dowdy Sandra Bullock, but this movie touched me, and is well worth seeking out.

 4/5

 

King of Kong

This is how documentaries should be made. They take a seemingly harmless story about video game high scores and inject a twisting turning story with characters so full of life and vibrancy that you can understand why its being remade as a fictionalised movie in the near future. Sometimes seems a little staged, but how many documentaries aren’t just a little?

 4/5

 

In the Shadow of the Moon

I’m a sucker for astronauts and space things, so this documentary about the men who have walked on the moon was fascinating for me, full of wonder and magic. All footage is original and there are no ‘dramatic reconstructions’ which instantly ruin any docu’s for me. Brilliant.

4/5

 

So…next time I will hopefully have seen the Dark Knight and you can read all about it here!

My Favourite Films - Part Deux

My Top Ten Favourite Films Ever….Part Deux

So, just to recap…

 Last time I was expressing the virtues of my personal top five films of all time. Everyone has their own favourite movies, but these were mine, for better or worse. My top five came in no particular order, other than being preferred over my next top five, which again will come in no particular order (if that makes any sense!). So the top five, nothing controversial here…

 

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Jaws

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

The Shining

 

These were easy to choose, they’ve been my favourites for years now, but the next five, they are in constant flux. The first in my next five, comes from a pick of films which have recently blown my mind in terms of pushing the boundaries of what to expect from narratives.

 

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

 This narrowly pipped Memento and Magnolia to the list. A film like Eternal Sunshine does everything I think a good movie should do. It has great twists, great acting, awesome spectacle and a mind-bogglingly audacious story. For those of you who haven’t seen this movie, I won’t try to summarise further than it’s a beautiful bitter-sweet tender love story at the core, built around a twisted narrative mind-wiping science fiction yarn. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy finds out they’ve been in love before, but had their minds wiped of each other and their memories…that old chestnut. It has a great cast, Kate Winslet is never better, Jim Carrey pulls off his straight role with sad aplomb, and great support from Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkinson. Scriptwriter Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) proving once again that you don’t have to stick to rules when it comes to screenplays. Beautifully shot by Michael Gondry, I’m even considering it for my top five as we speak, this film astounds and touches me every time I see. Bravo Gondry. Also see Science Of Sleep, but not Be Kind Rewind for more Gondry magic.

 

Ghostbusters

 What is there to say about Ghostbusters that hasn’t been said before? This is quite simply one of the funniest films of all time, and at the same time one of the best action adventure movies ever. The cast is perfect, and features a few of my favourite 80’s actors ever, not only Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Sigourney Weaver (who is hot in this!) but also the don. The one and only Rick Moranis. There was a time and place in my childhood where I probably believed that he was in every movie that came out (Ghostbusters 1 & 2, Brewsters Millions, Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, Honey I Shrunk the Kids etc), and in Ghostbusters he cements his position, in my opinion, as one of the finest comic actors of the era. The movie itself is perfectly balanced between comedy, action and horror, and even has a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. You’ll never find a better ensemble cast, and the soundtrack!!! If there’s something strange…and it don’t look good…who you gonna call?

 

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

 George Lucas’ second and last good original idea (American Grafitti not counted). Again, there are no suprises here. This is undoubtedly the daddy of all action films since then. Unrelenting pace, awe inspiring action, cracking script and the finest leading man of our times (pre-ear ring). This movie takes you to a world you’ve never seen, sets it in a time and place unseen by most of us, yet makes it 100% believable. And this is down to Spielberg and Ford. Ford is just so damned cool in the Indy films, the hat, the jacket, the whip, the stubble, everything is just perfect, and the one liners and vulnerability just make him and the movie. Can you imagine Tom Selleck now in the role? Spielberg is one of my favourite directors, and this is the perfect show reel for him. Its got the action, its got the romance, the relationships and its got it in spades. Bravo.

 PS I’ll not vent about Crystal Skulls here just yet, there’s an essay to be written there, and plus, it still hurts too much to talk about it.

 

Jurassic Park

 The third and final Spielberg on my list (told you I was a fan), but for many different reasons. This movie came out when I was 11, year five of primary school. Children are all into different things as they grow up, some its computer games, others its bikes and rollerskates. For me, as long as I can remember it was dinosaurs. It still is to a degree, if I go to the Natural History Museum I head straight for the dinosaurs, I can’t help it. Also at that age, I was devouring books as if there was no tomorrow (all thanks to Roald Dahl), so when I heard that there was a movie coming out called Jurassic Park, and the science behind it, I was enraptured. My mum bought me the hard back book, and I read it in about 5 days, even reading some on my sports day if I remember correctly. For the first time, this was a book which seemed to contain real people, and could conceivably be a real situation. I longed to be in the jungles of Isla Nublar with the dinosaurs, even if it would have meant mortal danger, I wanted to be there so much. Once I’d finished the book, the wait for the movie was agonising. I went to see it the Ritz cinema in Lincoln, this was pre chain cinemas, and it had one massive screen instead of ten tiny ones. There was press interest in the movie, as it was going to be the first movie to be shown without an interval! That was unheard of then. So we got our ice creams first, the lights went down, and my little dinosaur socks were blown off. Spielberg captured the awe and magic that I had felt whilst reading the book. He’d trimmed all the bloated bits, and added some immense extra stuff not in the book. Exactly how a good adaptation should be done. I’m getting goosebumps thinking about it. I even thought 2 and 3 were cracking movies, and I want a campaign to re-unite the original cast and director to make a 4. It would probably be as bad as Indy 4, but at least I could relive my childhood excitement once more.

 

Donnie Darko

 Last but not least, Donnie Darko. A movie about…a movie about… well what exactly? This is the question that pickled my mind the first time I watched it, and made me sit there, and watch the whole thing over again. The first time I’ve ever done that (and the last time I think!). If you’ve not seen it, shame on you. Richard Kellys debut is an astonishing film, like Eternal Sunshine, that just totally pickles your head, and pushes all reasonable boundaries of what is expected of a movie narrative. It’s about being a teenager, a disaffected one at that. It’s about families, a dysfunctional one at that. It’s about young love. It’s about time travel, mental illness, wormholes, bullies, paedophiles, regrets, redemptions and relationships. Show me another movie that manages it so beautifully. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal staked their claim as best brother sister acting team since John & Joan Cusack in this movie and have both gone from strength to strength since. This is what movies are all about, being sucked in, caring for your protagonists, then finally being blown away by the story twists and turns. Plus its set in the 80’s and has a great soundtrack, so that’s the icing on the cake for me!

 

 So there you go.

 The Top Ten.

 

Empire Strikes Back

Jaws

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

The Shining

Eternal Sunshine

Ghostbusters

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Jurassic Park

Donnie Darko

 

Six science fiction films, five 80’s films, four Harrison Ford films, three Spielberg films, two Lucas productions, and Jim Carrey in a Gondry.

 So in theory my ideal film would be a Harrison Ford/Jim Carrey science fiction film, directed by Spielberg, produced by Lucas and set in the 80’s. But you know that would be shit!

 I think what you can derive from the list is I am a science fiction fan, I like modern blockbusters, as well as cerebral films, and a kick ass soundtrack is essential!

My Favourite Films

As a student of film, the first question people ask after I’ve told them the degree I’m studying for (Film & Broadcast Production), is usually “So what are your favourite movies then?” And it’s a legitimate question. As a student of film, you are expected to have good taste, although speaking to some peers, its not always strictly a given, so i’d like to think my choices are considered worthy.

 Now to pick a singular favourite movie is like asking someone to pick their favourite sibling. Its unfair. So I have always worked on the notion that I have a top ten favourite movie list which goes in no particular order other than there being a top five and then the next five (if that makes sense?). The top five has pretty much been fixed since I was about 16, and its going to take something monumental to displace any one of these from my list. There’s always a slim chance, but I think the nostalgia and context attached in my memory to these movies, makes them a tricky bunch to better.

 

Top Five (In no particular order)

 

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

 To be fair, I could have picked all of the original Star Wars movies for my top ten, but that would be unfair to the other nine places, so I plump for, in my humble opinion, the best of the lot. What makes it the best? Star Wars has always had a big place in my heart for as long as I can remember. The first poster I remember pinning to the back of my door was from ROTJ, but when you’re a kid, you just know you love Star Wars, and don’t really make a distinction between the three. I’d play with the toys religiously (Han Solo in carbonite was my favourite), and watch the movies every time they were shown on TV. Once video became more used, we recorded them, but for whatever reason, we only ever had New Hope & ROTJ on tape, not Empire. So when videos became cheaper, and pocket money improved I invested in a widescreen copy of Empire. And boy did it blow my mind all over again, cementing its place in my mind as the best of the best. The snow battle, the giant asteroid worm thing, Yoda, Lando, Cloud City (even pre special edition, it was a beautiful vision), Han Solo in carbonite and finally the maiming and the revelation. What a way to end part two of a trilogy! Most films nowadays, when a sequel is assured, have such a lame shoe horning way of setting up the next part. This is how you do it! Epic, delicately detailed human stories, revelations left right and centre and the coolest bounty hunter to ever grace our screens. George Lucas….when did you go so wrong? (Indy 4, I’m talking to you.)

 

Jaws

 From one beardy supreme to another. Jaws, Spielbergs breakthrough, the first summer blockbuster, the reason for a worldwide fear of sharks…..what else is there to say? I love this movie, and like the other films in my top ten, I could it watch over and over again. Which I have done. Superb acting, pacing, shocks, and scares throughout, plus the greatest modern cinema monologue ever makes this an unmissable movie. Which is why it beggars belief that one of my co-conspirators here at Falcon Seven has (whispering) never once seen this movie!!! Naming no names, but shame on you….you know who you are.

 

Apocalypse Now

 I’m a sucker for war films, Vietnam especially. There’s no sick reason behind this, other than being born a boy in 1982, me and my friends loved playing war and soldiers, and the most relevant and accessible war for us was Vietnam. We didn’t understand (and probably don’t still fully), the epic cultural moment that this war was at the time, but it was an easy one to play along to. Cool uniforms, and faceless nameless bad guys. Ace movies too. Platoon, Predator, Rambo, even Deer Hunter were war type films we hoovered up avidly as youngsters, but when I saw Apocalypse Now for the first time, I saw a war film unlike no other I’d ever seen. This wasn’t a war film with epic battles, awesome weaponry and gung ho valiant action. This was a twisted trippy movie, at times slow paced and introverted, at others totally balls out bonkers. Playboy bunnies in the jungle, drugged up squaddies wigging out at the end of the world, surfing, napalm and puppies. There’s Robert Duvall in perhaps the most impactful cameo ever, and then finally there’s Dennis Hopper and the behemoth that is Marlon Brando. I’ve watched this movie over and over again, and get fresh things from it every time. I’ve watched “Hearts Of Darkness” (the rare VHS only making of documentary film) and wondered how in the world this film ever came to be being made in the first place. I think Ford-Coppolla lost something out there in the jungle, but I think it made it on to the screen somehow. Watch this (the original, not the redux), and tell me of a better war film that illustrates the crazyness and futility of war. I challenge you….

 

Blade Runner

 What is there not to love about this movie? The new Final Cut is the definitive version of this movie, and so there’s no excuse now for acquainting yourself with this masterpiece, if you’ve never seen it. Ridley Scott is at the height of his powers and has taken his grimy future sci-fi look from Alien and just ran wild with it in this movie. Watch this and marvel at the ultra realistic world he has created on the soundstage for real, then look at most modern future-noir thrillers to see how they try and fail miserably to get a look unattainable with CGI. This is how movies should be made. Harrison Ford stakes his claim as the greatest actor of the 80’s in this too. Sure we had Star Wars and Indy, but this is my favourite of his characters, a nihilistic hard bitten cop, unafraid to pull punches, who dispatches synthetics with ease and grace, not bothered about shooting a woman in the back. Tough mother-f***er. Its to Ridley Scotts credit, that all the kooky characters present in this future vision come across as realistic, and none jar in the way that some science fiction movie characters can do in similar movies (Fifth Element, AI to name a few). This is one movie I’d love to see a sequel to, done properly though, no Harrison and minimal CGI (cough Indy 4 cough).

 

The Shining

 I recently wrote an essay on this for a university assignment, though I need no excuses to watch this again. When you study film, you have to look for all sorts of different things that you normally wouldn’t look for, and when you do, you appreciate great directors like Kubrick all the more. This film was given a luke warm reception when first released by critics. Slow paced, overacting from Nicholson, ineffective as a horror they said. Slow paced it may be, but this is like no horror film that came before, and even has since not been bettered in my opinion. The dread and unease builds right from the first beautifully shot tracking shot of the cars ascent to the hotel, right until its brutal and bloody climax. The scares are scarce granted, but Kubrick is no cheap shock master. The scares are there, but they’re psychological. Are there really ghosts, or is Jack just mad? You’re not quite sure until he gets released from the fridge. Then all hell breaks loose. Brilliant. Turn the lights low, get a hot chocolate, and enjoy. Pisses over modern horror from a great height.

 

Next time on my blog....

 The next five in my top ten…..

Introduction Blog

Greetings.

 

This is my first ever attempt at writing a blog. To be honest I’ve always wanted to keep a diary, and even managed for a whole year once. But alas I was a mere 10 years old and my 1992 Roald Dahl Diary (illustrated by Quentin Blake no less), is full on no greater insight into my infant mind than who I played with (village chums and cousins mainly), what we played (mainly war, wrestling or awesome nostalgia inspiring computer games such as Toe-Jam and Earl, Gauntlet, and Road Rash), what time I went to bed (?) and most interestingly what movies I’d watched (Gremlins 2, Predator and Top Gun to name but a few). If I remember I will dig out my old diary and treat you to some proper excerpts in the future, and you can judge whether my journal making skills have improved in the intervening 16 years or not.

 

So what can you expect from my blog? I’m not really sure myself just yet, but I will be reporting to you what movies I have watched, but this time I’ll include my opinions on them too, so I can hopefully help you to see some great movies, and to avoid some awful ones. I’ll probably be giving an opinion about many different aspects of the media, as I am I voracious devourer of all media output. So expect music recommendations, newspaper slatings and movie poster analysis (not in a semiotic way, god I couldn’t bore anyone with that, but more in a “why is the poster for Hancock so rubbish?” kind of way), along with day to day noodlings about the excruciating way of life for a 20 something british male living in London in the 21^st century.

 

I’m not expecting anyone to ever read this, unless they stumble upon by accident, but if you do, and I talk about something of interest and you feel you must comment, then email me on tomb@falconseven.com.

 

I really want to hear from you, and I hope that you enjoy my blog. I just hope you get more insight than who I played football against for Navenby Under 10’s, where, what the weather was like, and how many goals we were beaten by (Sleaford Dabs, raining, horses on the pitch, 12-0 probably).

 

Yours sincerely

 

Tom B