tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86940775158453834452023-11-16T11:46:48.517+00:00Reel 6Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-74350519223569983002014-02-21T12:03:00.001+00:002014-02-21T12:04:50.697+00:00The Challenge of the Wolf<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.impawards.com/2013/thumbs/sq_wolf_of_wall_street_ver3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.impawards.com/2013/thumbs/sq_wolf_of_wall_street_ver3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The Wolf of Wall Street</i> isn't about Jordan Belfort. It's about you.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t stop thinking about <i>The Wolf of Wall Street</i>. It baffles me. I am befuddled by it. How
can a film about such abhorrent, loathsome, misogynistic, corrupt, slimy scum
be occupying my consciousness so much? How did it manage to inspire such
repulsion and such base attraction simultaneously? How is it that, despite its
many, many flaws, it has proven to be so affecting?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as I can see, the only area of general agreement on
the film is that it is divisive. People walked out of my screening, though it’s
unclear as to whether this was down to boredom or revulsion. There seems to be
a fairly great consensus that, at 180 minutes, the film is groaningly,
back-breakingly, arse-achingly long. I think I looked at my watch 9 times.
Other than those areas, it has cleft critical opinion in twain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film follows the depraved debauchery of Jordan Belfort,
a Wall Street stockbroker who engaged in numerous illegal practices, including
stock-market manipulation and fraud, not to mention exploiting ordinary people,
to make millions and millions of dollars. He did all of this whilst taking a
large container ship’s volume in cocaine, Quaaludes and other illicit
substances, and copulating as if failure to exchange bodily fluids with every
last prostitute in America would bring grave dishonour upon his family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some have argued that the film has no moral centre; that the
crimes and antics of these baboons go utterly uncondemned by director Martin
Scorsese, and that there may even be some implicit endorsement of the
insobriety and infidelity, of the swearing and the swindling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total nonsense. What the film does is present a version of a
depressingly true story in all its gory glory, and allows it to affect you.
This is a masterstroke. You are presented with the American Dream – the greatest
myth ever sold – taken to its logical, most venal extent. Are you supposed to
be appalled? Absolutely, but are you not also a little bit seduced by it?
Perhaps, and that reaction in itself is interesting. It is the sort of film
which makes you laugh, but you’re not sure if you should be laughing. It is an
orgy of contradictions, literally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact is that the film is not about Jordan Belfort – if it
were, it would be a dull and somewhat unengaging film (not to mention, FAR TOO
LONG). Rather, it is about you. The audient is not invited to sit in high
judgement over these puerile idiots, nor are you asked to think that these
people are somehow brilliant pioneers. Merely, you are faced with the facts of
this Dollar Gomorrah. How you react: ay, there’s the rub.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having said that, one can justly say that the treatment of
women in this film is highly dubious. They are almost all sexual objects. Yes,
it is true that Belfort and his cronies viewed women in such a way, and it can’t
be said that the male gender is portrayed at all well in this film either, but
there is something uncomfortable about the crude sexualisation of women here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scorsese’s gamble of not having a moral tone in the piece is
that it leaves it open to almost wilful misinterpretation. We should not make
cinema with a mind to condescending to any perceived demographic, but I grew up
in an all-male boarding house, and we are dealing here with a teenage boy’s
fantasy made real – the story of how greedy, reptilian idiots won. In the
bedsits of public schools is where this film will be watched again, and again,
and again, and that is dangerous, for <i>Wolf</i>
reinforces all of the worst elements of the pubescent boy’s psyche. Then again,
Scorsese is not responsible for their education, nor should he be held up as
responsible for the moral development of a generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is not that <i>Wolf </i>isn’t troubling. It is. Deeply. It left me feeling utterly
unclean, but it had challenged me in the process to think about how so very
different I am from these people I have so clearly judged. This is not, I think,
a mechanism for eliciting sympathy for them. The judgement of their actions is
correct, so it becomes a self-reflexive challenge. The final shot, of an
expectant but seemingly benign crowd, says it all. Ask yourself how different
you really are. The answer itself is interesting.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-11319008164727117352014-02-03T11:59:00.001+00:002014-02-03T11:59:43.281+00:00The Bore of Venice: Philip Seymour Hoffman<a href="http://boreofvenice.blogspot.com/2014/02/philip-seymour-hoffman.html?spref=bl">The Bore of Venice: Philip Seymour Hoffman</a>: “He was very much an actor’s actor.” Well, there’s no denying this oft-said platitude from the last few hours, but Philip Seymour Hoffman w...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-66716436314330553582013-11-05T18:59:00.005+00:002013-11-05T18:59:46.795+00:00Gravity<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, a 3D film to get excited about</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNjE5MzYwMzYxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTk4MTk0OQ@@._V1._SX640_SY947_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNjE5MzYwMzYxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTk4MTk0OQ@@._V1._SX640_SY947_.jpg" width="216" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are two things you should know about <i>Gravity</i>, the new film from Alfonso Cuarón
(<i>Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien)</i> starring
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The first is that you should go and see it.
To put it simply, it’s really good: a 90 minute cascade of adrenaline – a
thriller made with tremendous care and attention to detail that is undoubtedly
one of the best films you’re likely to see all year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second thing to know is that you should see it in 3D,
and preferably in IMAX. <a href="http://reel6.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/have-we-hit-3d-tipping-point.html">I
have written previously about my opposition to how stereoscopy has been used in
recent years</a>, but I genuinely think that <i>Gravity</i> is an absolute first: a film intended for mass release that
has been meticulously designed for 3D by a director who really knows how to use
it. Even Mark Kermode, the Commander-in-Chief of the anti-3D army, has been
forced to admit that <i><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/posts/An-Announcement">“Gravity <span style="font-style: normal;">is worth seeing in 3D”</span></a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trouble with many 3D films has run deeper than problems
with the technology. It has been to do with the whole philosophy underlying the
use of the extra dimension. Films have been ruinously retrofitted into 3D and
others have been pointlessly made in 3D in the hope that the gimmick will
somehow improve the end product. The truth is that 3D changes everything about
the way a film is viewed by its audience, yet directors continued to construct
shots as if they were directing for 2D. 3D does, theoretically, create a
greater sense of depth and thereby makes an image more akin to how we perceive
things in the real world. It is an illusion of the point-of-view: an impression
is created that you are actually where the camera is. The third dimension
requires a different style of filmmaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">James Cameron, to be fair to him, did use depth in <i>Avatar</i> to great effect in its stiller
moments, with beautiful sequences in the forest creating the impression of fluorescent
creatures hanging in mid-air. However, to use the same film as an example, he
still directed his action sequences as if he was making <i>Terminator 2</i>, with lots of fast cutting and faster shots. This
actually served to break the illusion of depth, because when you see things
hurtling towards you in three dimensions in real life, you cannot just cut away
from them. Cutting must be used sparingly in 3D to ensure that the illusion of
the point-of-view is maintained. No amount of technology can save you from the
alienating effect of that illusion being broken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cuarón has realised this and it is his masterstroke. It’s
clear from the film’s first movement, a beautiful set-up that bursts into
frenetic life when our protagonists, NASA astronauts, are struck by space
debris from a demolished satellite hurtling through space. There is barely a
cut I can remember from that first sequence. Cuarón has painstakingly structured
long panning shots that swoop and swivel through the weightlessness of space.
The result is total immersion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film is delicately designed in every aspect, and Cuarón
even has the good sense to not use all of the depths of field available to him.
Just because you have the illusory foreground doesn’t mean that you should use
it all the time. When something does come close to the audience, it is surely
for impact, and this is therefore not something to overuse. Notably, he avoids
the stock 3D cliché of having things hurtle directly at the camera, mercifully
having anything that comes near us avoid the lens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film will still work in 2D – it is a very
fine piece of work, exhilarating and exciting, but I would recommend seeing it
as Cuarón intended it to be seen: on the biggest possible screen in 3D, because
he is a master story-teller and a master filmmaker, and if other directors use
the same level of effort in the making of their 3D stories then there is hope
that stereoscopy can become a vibrant part of the medium of film.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-67088747139098211192013-01-05T10:38:00.001+00:002013-01-05T10:44:02.729+00:00Concerning HFR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNFifyymvZknInGEtwlCylW-DdtjtEoSaqsxpaigf-GpghavzZoWkEmLmoRejDp7eRUKLQ8sbpp1dd613qtrCwdxKxNtnMjdpyocQ2snjnEY7sPvhka3KnhM5-DnK8rmQzI3-ueyesv8/s1600/pj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNFifyymvZknInGEtwlCylW-DdtjtEoSaqsxpaigf-GpghavzZoWkEmLmoRejDp7eRUKLQ8sbpp1dd613qtrCwdxKxNtnMjdpyocQ2snjnEY7sPvhka3KnhM5-DnK8rmQzI3-ueyesv8/s320/pj.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the deal with 48 fps?</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a child, did you ever have a storytime when you listened
to lots of essential but frankly quite dull background detail, and then just as
things seemed to have got going and your imagination had lost itself in the
world of the story, your mother told you it was bedtime. That rather represents
my feelings about <i>The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey</i>. I have now seen it three times, and with each viewing
the fatigue at the exposition and delay of getting into the plot has increased,
but so has the genuine sense that the whole trilogy kicks into life in the
second half of this first film, and I cannot wait for part two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part two contains many exciting mysteries, but we have
already had the big technological reveal of High Frame Rate (HFR). The decision
to shoot these films at 48 frames per second was taken in order to improve the
3D experience. I first saw this film in IMAX which (bar a few exceptions) is
projected at 24 frames per second (fps), and the usual 3D problems were there.
There is often a blurring that takes place in 3D which is immensely distracting.
Furthermore, the process of 3D removes a third of the colour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What 48 fps does is give the eye more detail to take in, and
this serves to cut out the blurring, and the nature of projecting the increased
number of frames improves (though does not eliminate) the colour loss. Both of
these were evident improvements in the HFR projection of <i>The Hobbit</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, as is often the case with human progress, the
solution to one problem is the creation of several others. More frames means
more detail, and this serves the film brilliantly when there are huge sweeping
shots of actors advertising New Zealand (sorry – I mean dwarves trekking across
Middle Earth). Furthermore, when there are exquisitely well-built miniatures on
screen, the creation of this other world becomes all the more compelling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is true, though, that, on occasions, scenes have lost
that glow and crispness which makes things look cinematic. This was not a problem
in 2D, nor in normal 3D (when the damn thing was in focus). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The greatest problems come with some of the visual effects.
Even when <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> was
being made, the visual effects artists craved night sequences. When you have
less light on screen, you can create a more effective illusion, because the
audience has less opportunity to see the flaws in the effects. Thus, the Battle
of Pelennor Fields in <i>Return of King </i>(which
takes place over about 24 hours) was much harder to pull off than the Battle of
Helm’s Deep in <i>The Two Towers </i>(which
takes place at night). Too much detail runs the risk of killing the illusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, in the hyper-detailed HFR world there is nowhere to
hide, and the illusion is often broken. An explosion which was thoroughly
convincing in 2D is suddenly clearly a pyrotechnic. A character is suddenly very
clearly computer generated. All of this serves to take the audience out of the
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is bizarre, because we are continually told that 3D is
meant to be a more immersive experience. However, if it is in 24fps it is all
blurred and in dull colour, and if it is in 48fps the image is so clear at
times as to take you out of the film. Furthermore, in both formats, the image
ultimately flattens out in your perception and begins to look like a 2D film
anyway. This is true of every 3D film I have ever seen. It is a totally
pointless endeavour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter Jackson, to his credit, has not said that his film has
to be seen in 3D, or even in 48 fps. He says it is a matter of choice. Others
are less relaxed about this. Ang Lee recently claimed that he thought people
would look back in 50 years’ time and wonder why we delayed watching films in
3D for so long because, for him, it is clearly a more immersive experience. All
I can say is that I am currently rewatching <i>The
Lord of the Rings</i> in glorious 2D. That remains the most immersive experience
I have had. Immersion comes not from gimmicks, but from story-telling. It is
imagination which gets us lost in tales.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-19864736905271772312012-12-13T22:58:00.001+00:002012-12-14T00:47:39.791+00:00Review: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/784488/thumbs/o-THE-HOBBIT-POSTER-570.jpg?7" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/784488/thumbs/o-THE-HOBBIT-POSTER-570.jpg?7" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No masterpiece, but there is much to enjoy in this return to Middle Earth</span></b></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is the case that Peter Jackson’s <i>Lord of the Rings</i> trilogy is to my generation what the original <i>Star Wars </i>trilogy was to the children of
the 70s and 80s. Every Christmas for three years, those films were amazing and
formative experiences, showing our young eyes what cinema was capable of. They
have swiftly become almost untouchable. I have never fully trusted anyone who
has said that they don’t really get <i>The
Lord of the Rings</i>. They seem like tricksy Hobbitses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The LOTR/Star Wars analogy is most apt, because both
generations craved more and both generations have had their moment of truth.
With the Star Wars generation, it was a case of be careful what you wish for,
and the fear amongst Tolkien fans, who learnt from this travesty, is palpable.
After all, a slim volume has been transformed into not one, not two, but three
films, and we are terrified that we are not about to be transported back to
Middle Earth but rather to an accountant’s spreadsheet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, in such situations, the fanboy is his own worst
enemy. He lets his expectations rocket high into the stratosphere, preventing
himself from having the relaxed open-mind which let him fall in love with the
material in the first place. Given that, the usual reaction to such big
releases is torn between cries of “It’s a masterpiece!” and “It’s an
abomination!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the case of <i>The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey</i>, it is neither of the two. It is a fine
addition to the cinematic Tolkien saga, but it has its problems. These problems
are not insuperable, and when the initial furore has died down, it will be
evident that Jackson should have our faith that he can really hit top gear with
instalments two and three.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let us start with the good points. We are back in Middle
Earth: beautiful, bountiful, breathtaking Middle Earth. The wonder of this
world and the brilliance of its realisation remain as spectacular as they were
eleven years ago. The level of care taken in this should be enough to ward off
anyone who accuses Jackson of cashing in. This man cares deeply about this
world and these stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We find ourselves back in the Shire where a young Bilbo is
assailed in Bag End by an unexpected party of Dwarves, led there by Gandalf the
Grey. Their quest is to reclaim the Dwarvish kingdom of Erebor, which has long
since been seized by the fearsome dragon Smaug. The shy and retiring Bilbo is
asked to come on the quest and, after initial reluctance, he decides to go, but
is almost instantly a total misfit in the party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though Bilbo is the eponymous Hobbit, he is not necessarily
the lead in this film. Certainly he is the lead of this trilogy, but here he is
finding his feet, and his story shares a lot of time with the nascent plotline
that Gandalf will go on to follow. Nevertheless, the lost Hobbit, torn between
trying to prove his worth and running back home is the heart of this episode,
but there is an awful lot of other stuff involved here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, this film does suffer from an almost unhealthy amount
of exposition. One has no doubt that this is all necessary. In fact, one
wonders, when it comes to the fledgling plotline of the Necromancer, if what is
put in here will be sufficient for the uninitiated. Nevertheless, there is a
lot of talking about things which have been and things which might come to be,
and it all serves to slow the pace of the film down somewhat, and that is <i>Unexpected Journey</i>’s central problem.
The pacing is a little off, and not just with the exposition. We spend a little
bit too much time in Bag End waiting for things to get going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, when Jackson is freed from the shackles of laying foundations,
he is able to wow us as only he can. There are a number of brilliant moments in
this film. A sequence where mountains fight each other is awesome. A moment of
communal dwarf singing is spine-tingling. The appearance of Gollum is utterly
terrific. Let no one persuade you this film is a disaster. There is ample proof
that it isn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not least amongst the good things here is the exemplary
acting. Ian McKellen is back on fine form as Gandalf the Grey, and Andy Serkis
deserves yet more recognition for his work as Gollum, but it is the newcomers
who truly shine. Martin Freeman is a fine Bilbo, and there is brilliant
ensemble work from James Nesbitt (Bofur) and Ken Stott (Balin), but Richard
Armitage is the stand out as the leader of the dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can live safe in the knowledge then that this is not a <i>Phantom Menace</i> moment, but nor is it a <i>Fellowship of the Ring</i> moment either,
the film being too hampered by its slow pace. One senses that Jackson has much
more to give and that this film has given him the groundwork to do that in
subsequent episodes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The weight of expectation that has been placed
on this film will lead some to abject disappointment, but look closely and </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Unexpected Journey</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> is a solid enough
story with much to recommend it, and it promises us that a very complete
cinematic incarnation of the Tolkien universe is being crafted by Jackson and
Co. Roll on part two.</span></div>
</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Rating: B</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-84030038244355919682012-09-18T15:22:00.001+01:002012-09-18T15:22:54.155+01:00New Huffington Post pieceA new piece for <i>The Huffington Post</i> entitled: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jack-blackburn/the-brave-people-of-disne_b_1889378.html">The Brave People of Disney</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-75342348981257461782012-08-14T16:11:00.000+01:002012-08-14T16:11:24.048+01:00Reel 6 and The Huffington PostI am very excited to announce that I am now blogging for <i>The Huffington Post UK</i>. The first article, on <i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i>, <i>The Bourne Legacy</i> and others, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jack-blackburn/giving-it-the-reboot_b_1772620.html">"Giving it the Reboot" is up and available to read here.</a><br />
<br />
The <i>Reel 6 </i>blog will continue to work away here with reviews, looks at trailers and other posts.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-82661345365874151812012-07-20T18:21:00.000+01:002012-07-20T18:26:41.810+01:00Review: The Dark Knight Rises<br />
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<a href="http://www.shadowlocked.com/images/stories/news/2012/005_May/022/The_Dark_Knight_Rises_poster/The_Dark_Knight_Rises_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.shadowlocked.com/images/stories/news/2012/005_May/022/The_Dark_Knight_Rises_poster/The_Dark_Knight_Rises_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Dark Knight Rises</i>, if not to new heights, then to a thrilling finale</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dark Knight is risen. He is risen indeed. Christopher
Nolan’s third Batman film promised to be an epic conclusion to <i>The Dark Knight</i> saga, and it is truly
epic in ambition, scale and action. Though there is no use in claiming that <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> is perfect, for
those who are fanatical about the films it should be an incredibly satisfying
end to the trilogy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We return to Gotham eight years since <i>The Dark Knight</i>. The streets have been cleaned up with the help of
the heroic example of the myth of Harvey Dent. Bruce Wayne has become a recluse
and Batman is no longer required. All seems well. However, a new villain is on
the horizon in the form of the masked man-mountain, Bane. His intentions are
unclear. All that is apparent is that he should be feared. As dangers mount,
will Batman return?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film starts off much more in the vein of <i>Batman Begins</i> than in that of its sequel.
There are a few quips (the movie is not humourless) but, crucially, there is a
more apparent emotional core than there was in <i>The Dark Knight</i>. This is most clearly seen through the increasingly
strained relationship between Bruce Wayne (the ever-excellent Christian Bale)
and his loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine being absolutely brilliant). Wayne
has given so much and has gained nothing but depression and loneliness. All
that seems to be left for him is death, and Alfred has “buried too many members
of the Wayne family”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The threat of Bane, combined with the complacency of the
police, forces Bruce Wayne to put the cape back on. Indeed, Bane is a fearsome
villain to watch, with his brutal physical presence and cultish zeal. Whereas <i>The Dark Knight</i>’s Joker illustrated
chaos and a belief in the corruptibility of even the whitest knight, the thinking
behind Bane is more intriguing, if less clear. Bane’s rhetoric to the people of
Gotham is not too dissimilar to that of the TEA Party or, bizarrely, UK Uncut.
As Gotham descends into the anarchy wrought by his terror, Bane’s rhetoric
transforms the city not into a utopia that either side of that divide would
like, but into total and brutal disorder. What we are left with is a warning:
be careful what you wish for, as you might just get it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Batman, meanwhile, is diverted to a pit-prison where the
inmates are taunted by the apparent possibility of being able to climb out.
However, it is this middle period of the film where things almost begin to
unravel. There’s no defending aspects of this section. The whole thing is all
over the place. In the pursuit of the epic, Nolan shows that same sprawling
lack of control that is present in <i>The
Dark Knight</i>, but he also indulges in moments of sheer nonsense. Lines like “Whatever
it is, it’s nuclear” and a cameo appearance by an alumni of the franchise are
laugh-out-loud funny and, dare I say it, stupid. There’s a <i>Prince of Persia</i> bit which is just nonsense. Oh and, on top of
this, you have the otherwise brilliant Tom Hardy’s Bane being muffled by his
mask to the point of all too frequent inaudibility. For a while, a thought
crossed my mind: has Nolan gone too big? Has he blown it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news is that the final hour is just magnificent.
The scale of Nolan’s ambition may have led it down some very silly paths at
points, but it’s worth it for the climax. Gotham is essentially in civil war,
and Nolan directs the melee with verve and confidence. It’s fantastically easy
to follow, and thrilling at every turn. However, there is a heart throbbing in
this film. One rides the highs and lows with these characters, even though many
aspects of the plot are predictable. To that end, mention should be made of
Anne Hathaway’s great performance as the sexy Catwoman, and not should be taken
of another impressive performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is turning into
a real star (he’s come a long way from that floppy-haired kid in <i>3<sup>rd</sup> Rock from the Sun</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole cacophonous majesty of the thing crescendos to a
thrilling conclusion which is not about cold ideas (as <i>The Dark Knight</i> perhaps was) but is one of genuine emotion. This
means that despite everything – despite the messiness, the lack of control, the
sheer nonsense, the predictability of certain plot-points and the utter
craziness of some aspects of the script – you are left completely satisfied,
because you don’t care about the flaws. Nolan doesn’t allow you to. Throughout
164 minutes of running time, Nolan keeps you totally gripped, absorbed and
holding your breath. Besides you should never think that you’ve out-thought the
master. No-one constructs endings better than Nolan and, sufficed to say, with
this mother of all endings, you’re in for a really great ride.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Rating: A-</b></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-26746808929996783942012-07-19T16:34:00.000+01:002012-12-19T13:45:09.664+00:00Profile: Christopher Nolan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.sfx.co.uk/files/2010/03/110310nolan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://media.sfx.co.uk/files/2010/03/110310nolan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ahead of the release of </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dark Knight Rises</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, Reel 6 re-evaluates the career of one of the world's most talented filmmakers</span></b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There
have been few directors as obviously talented as Christopher Nolan. The simple
fact is that he has never made a bad film. His least good film is <i>Insomnia</i>, and that is a very watchable,
solidly put together thriller: not poor by any means. The man has the
consistency of a metronome.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet, it is fascinating to look at
how this filmmaker has developed. The former English Lit. student at UCL never
went to film school, and has described himself as learning by going out and
making films. Certainly, this is borne out by how his movies have developed and
improved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, there are some
central styles and motifs which recur from film to film. Most intriguingly,
when one goes back to his very first film, <i>Following</i>,
a micro-budget thriller, you can see that all of the definitive Nolean elements
are there: visual style, non-linear narratives, and clever, well-thought out
plot-twists are crammed into the film’s relatively brief 70 minute runtime (by
contrast, <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> comes
in at comfortably over twice that length). It was so obscure upon its release
that the BFI cannot find a film print of it in the UK, but this tiny thriller
is the cinematic equivalent of Nolan’s DNA: there’s even a thief called Cobb
and a <i>Batman</i> symbol on show at one
point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nolan went from that to a film
which was described as a “masterpiece”. Not bad for a second feature. There is
no denying <i>Memento</i>’s intellectual
endeavour and achievement. The plot follows a man who has no short-term memory,
meaning that he cannot form new memories and quickly forgets recent events. The
film is told in reverse, starting with the man (brilliantly played by Guy
Pearce) shooting the person who raped and murdered his wife. We work backwards
and slowly see how he came to be in this position. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film’s innovative approach to
the narrative is what made it an instant classic, and something which students
of film can analyse for years to come. As
a film, its plot machinations (though undoubtedly brilliant) do form something
of a barrier, preventing true emotional engagement. It exhibits one of the few
problems with Nolan’s work. Good though all of his films are, his ambition in
every piece forces him to perform balancing acts. The various elements of his
films excite the mind, the heart, and the adrenal glands, but he often
struggles to get the balance of these elements exactly right, with one of those
areas being over and under stimulated in comparison to the others. This
prevents many of his very excellent films from being true masterpieces, and <i>Memento</i> is the first example of this:
the mind is delighted, but the heart is left a little ignored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His next film, <i>Insomnia</i>, was a shift for Nolan. Here,
with a decent budget, Nolan is forced into a position where his natural
creativity is pinned back. It does feel like he is slightly subdued, with only
flashes of his distinctive style being apparent. There is no multi-faceted
plot, but rather a run-of-the-mill affair, focussing on Al Pacino’s cop who can’t
sleep amidst the unending light of the Alaskan summer and the torment of his
guilt. The only distinctive Nolean element to it is the brilliant and inventive
visual style, brought to life by his long-time director of photography, Wally
Pfister.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This trip to the mainstream was,
however, clearly essential for Nolan’s development. <i>Insomnia</i> does nothing terribly remarkable (though that doesn’t stop
it from being a good, enjoyable thriller), but if you did not have Nolan
working out how to satisfy the demands of the mainstream, whilst developing his
own style, you would not have <i>Batman
Begins</i> or its sequels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Batman Begins</i> is an amazing achievement: a film which is entirely
accessible for a very broad audience, with a clever plot (that jumped between
different times with ease) and a great visual style. It’s also fantastically
funny and features several fine performances. The ability to construct such an
intelligent film with narrative complexity and dexterity that is still
accessible for a mainstream audience is a direct result not just of Nolan’s
experimentation in <i>Following </i>and <i>Memento</i>, but also of his time in the
shackles of a “big” budget in <i>Insomnia</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The commercial and critical
success of <i>Begins</i> gave Nolan a
platform to increase the scale of his ambition. Indeed, it has to be said that
his first <i>Batman</i> outing, though
really quite something at the time, has been seemingly dwarfed by Nolan’s
subsequent work. <i>Begins</i> was the
turning point, when Nolan’s narrative creativity and visual style met with
bigger budgets. What Nolan struggled with at this point was satisfying the
mainstream demands that are consequent from greater financial investment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pattern also emerged. The
success of an instalment in the comic-book franchise earned Nolan the right
(and the budget) to make a pet-project next. The first of these was <i>The Prestige</i>. It did not have the sort
of budget which Nolan may now be accustomed to, but <i>The Prestige</i> was a good test case for how film which demands a lot
of attention from its audience would fare at the box office without the
financial protection afforded by a franchise. Thank God, it was sufficiently
successful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film also deserved to be successful.
It was clever, gripping, intriguing and stylish. The film’s plot focusses on
two magicians who, after an unfortunate accident, become gripped by rivalry,
each obsessed with the other’s tricks and personal life. It was not a
blockbuster in set-up or style, but it was what could be described as
mainstream in terms of funding and marketing. Despite this, Nolan (adapting a
novel by Christopher Priest with his brother Jonathan), attempts a non-linear
narrative with complicated plot-turns: the sort of thing studios are very
scared of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nolan pulls this challenging
structure off triumphantly and accessibly. Furthermore, he deals with the
themes of obsession and revenge brilliantly all as part of the story. The
result is a complete experience for the viewer: visual brilliance combined with
terrific storytelling (helped by a great cast, with Christian Bale delivering a
“best ever” performance of tremendous subtlety). <i>The Prestige</i> is Nolan’s first masterpiece. It is near perfect, and
has been unfairly overlooked in the canon, seemingly because of its
(comparatively) small-scale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The word which keeps coming back
when thinking of Nolan is ambition. He is constantly attempting new and more
challenging methods and styles. With <i>The
Dark Knight</i>, Nolan really did raise his ambition. The action sequences were
bigger than he had ever attempted. The plot was more complicated than anything
he’d attempted since <i>Memento</i>. The
themes were grander and “higher” than any he’d approached before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The result is a sprawling spectacle
which, whilst messy, was instantly iconic. When first released, much of the
focus was on Heath Ledger’s last completed performance before his untimely
death. Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker is the best thing in the film: gripping,
terrifying, paradoxically repulsive and fascinating – whenever he’s on screen,
he’s hypnotic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, four years afterwards, the
sense of collective grief has settled and the film can be viewed more clearly
than ever. It is a monument to Nolan’s ambition, though it appears that, at
this point, Nolan was still wrestling with the challenges he’d brought upon himself;
still struggling with balance problems. In short, the film is so big and there’s
so much going on in it that the audience, whilst gripped and thrilled, has
little to hold onto through all the twists and turns. There is a surprisingly cold
core to it (similar to the central problem of <i>Memento</i>), as no character steps up from the ensemble to be the
emotional heart of the film, and the script gets a little wrapped up in its own
narrative and philosophical complexities which (unlike <i>The Prestige</i>) feel more like they are being discussed as commentary
to the plot, rather than being explored as part of the plot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The question of balance between
the mainstream and the Nolean lingers over it – a trip to Hong Kong sticks out
like a sore thumb as something made for the trailer to please the marketing
division. The question of balance between heart, mind and adrenaline is also
prominent. The mind is intrigued. The adrenaline is pumping. The heart,
however, is under moved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This does not stop it from being
an absolutely thrilling, spine-tingling affair. The sheer spectacle of it is
worth much more than the entrance fee. It is simply that one knows that Nolan
can achieve more balance and make something even better, truly masterful, and
perhaps even touching perfection. We know this because, with his next film,
Nolan did it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Inception</i> is the perfection of the Nolan breed: the complete fruition
of everything that he had done before. This is perhaps down to the fact that the
idea had been with him for years (he originally pitched it in 2003) and as he
learnt through all of his films, the embryonic idea for the film benefited, and
it slowly became Nolan’s second masterpiece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surprisingly, what makes the film
so good is its innate simplicity. The truth is that beneath all of the
breathtaking, mind-bending visuals (such as Paris folding in on itself), the
complicated different levels of dreaming, and complex crash-course in the rules
of shared dreams that we go through, the movie rests on the simplest of
foundations. The central character, Leonardo Di Caprio’s Cobb, just wants to go
home. When you strip it down, that’s all there is to it. That is what gives the
film heart and makes it moving as well as thrilling and a treat for the mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film has the spirit of <i>Following</i>, the ingenuity of <i>Memento</i>, the visual flair of <i>Insomnia</i>, the heart of <i>Batman Begins</i>, the complexity of <i>The Prestige</i>, and the scale of <i>The Dark Knight. Inception</i> could not
have come to be without all of those, a testament to how this extraordinarily
talented filmmaker has continued to learn throughout his career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been points in this
article when it may have seemed that I was being very critical of Nolan. This
was not my intention. After all, the more challenges a filmmaker undertakes the
more likely he is to miss the mark. Nevertheless, I shall take this opportunity
to underline my first statement about the man: he has never made a bad film. He
has given the comic-book genre the credibility it so rightly deserves. He has
created some instantly iconic films, and two masterpieces. Nolan is not just a great filmmaker: he is
both the heir to Spielberg, and the heir to Hitchcock. He is a true modern
master.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-27140005928532711242012-06-07T09:55:00.000+01:002012-06-07T10:03:38.930+01:00Lost in Translation?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com/images/e/exclusive-uk-poster-for-action-hit-the-raid-98221-02-470-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com/images/e/exclusive-uk-poster-for-action-hit-the-raid-98221-02-470-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few thoughts on the cons (and pros) of English language remakes</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“English. English. English is best. I wouldn’t give tuppence
for all of the rest.” So goes the logic of the Hollywood executive it seems, as
they continue to commission English language remakes of foreign films. It is
rightly assumed that executives are pro these remakes because of their
seemingly predictable financial success. The idea has already found an audience
and is now being translated into English for a wider, western audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The figures do not back this up however. The most common
rehashes are of oriental horror films such as <i>The Ring</i>, <i>The Grudge</i> and <i>Dark Water</i>. Some of these do achieve
huge financial success in their English forms (<i>The Ring</i>), but many do averagely or worse (<i>Dark Water </i>was a big flop).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, whilst the misguided accountant has clear (if
wrong) reasons for wanting to remake the films, the filmmaker’s motives are
often more questionable. Why remake a film unless you wanted to do something
new with it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too few people adapt in these remakes, and far too many translate.
The film critic Mark Kermode, who is most aggravated about this subject, argues
that these remakes are doomed to failure because, though you can write a script
in a different language, you cannot translate a story’s cultural context. Translating
a word broadly can lead to the loss of nuanced connotations. Also, different
things, such as water or colours, have different meanings in different
cultures. All of these can be lost in translation, meaning that one cannot
simply convert foreign films into successful English language remakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a very fine argument, but it doesn’t necessarily
lead us to a world-weary outlook on <i>all</i>
remakes of successful foreign films. One has to face up to the fact that there
can be worth in adapting foreign language films into an English speaking
cultural context.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the moment, Tom Cruise is attached to a remake of <i>The Magnificent Seven</i>, a film I have a
great attachment to. I am upset at this prospect, but, it would be blindly
ignorant to forget that the “original” film is itself a remake of Akira
Kurosawa’s Japanese language classic, <i>Seven
Samurai</i>. Clearly, I think some remakes can work, but I would argue that the
1960 western is one of the finest English language remakes ever, because it is
a genuine adaptation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kurosawa’s film is very much of its director and culture. It
is an elegiac, unhurried and sombre piece, which draws on a rich social history
to paint a very poignant tale of community and honour. John Sturges’ western
takes the central plot and places it in a distinctly American setting. It lives
off Hollywood stars (either established or in the making), great action
sequences, a rousing score: all of the elements of great American filmmaking, which
make a more light-hearted, fun experience, a world away from the story’s
Japanese roots. It adapts the story rather than simply rehashing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">English language remakes work if the originals are
inspirations for the new film, not meticulous templates awaiting the wonders of
Google translate. Some films are perhaps so rooted in their culture that an
extraction of their stories should not be attempted. Imagine someone doing a
remake of <i>The Godfather</i> in Japanese.
I cannot claim any expertise on the Japanese ganglands (or the American ganglands
for that matter), but on the face of it, such an effort would be a fool’s
errand. That film is so built for its Italian American culture that someone
would have to do something very special to make it work in a different cultural
setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, there is another aspect to this which has been put
in focus by the news that Gareth Evans’ Indonesian language, martial arts film <i>The Raid</i> is to be remade in English. The
original, which is currently in cinemas, is a brutal action film which executes
several action set-pieces brilliantly in a gripping high concept context (a
SWAT team is trapped in a gangster’s safehouse and they have to get out). It
does what it sets out to do brilliantly, though it could have fleshed out its
characters a bit more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though there is room for improvement, one must look at what
the film does well and wonder how it could be remade. <i>The Raid</i>’s action sequences are preposterously well done: balletic
and brutal. One can write a new version of the script with more nuance, deeper
characters, and maybe (just maybe) make the blueprint of a good adaptation, but
you can’t redo visual experiences, such as action, without descending into the
realms of repetition, poor imitation and pointlessness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">If there is something which unites the world of
cinema, it is that universal language of images. It is an untranslatable
language, but if you fail to understand it, then you simply do not comprehend
film.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><i>For more of Mark Kermode's views on this subject and many others, buy The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Good-Bad-Multiplex/dp/1847946038">here</a></i></span></div>
</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-84551021053018607742012-06-01T05:34:00.000+01:002012-06-01T11:03:52.956+01:00Review: Prometheus<h3>
<a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/images.hitfix.com/assets/1077/prometheus-poster-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/images.hitfix.com/assets/1077/prometheus-poster-1.jpg" width="215" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In film, no one builds worlds like Ridley Scott</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has often been said that Ridley Scott is at his best when
he is creating worlds. <i>Gladiator</i> and <i>Blade Runner</i> stand as testament to this,
but on a smaller scale, though no less impressive, sits <i>Alien</i>, his 1979 Sci-Fi horror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The success of that film is down largely to its incredible
design. Not only do we have the worn-down, yet futuristic, confined spaceship,
but in the film’s first act we have this intriguing planet, complete with
mysterious, wrecked starship and an infestation of the eponymous beasties. The world
is complete, draws you in and makes a not too comfortable place to have your
fears played out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That legacy of original design was trampled upon in James
Cameron’s bland, action follow-up, <i>Aliens</i>,
and the less said about <i>Alien<sup>3</sup></i>
and <i>Alien: Resurrection</i> the better,
but now, 33 years after the original, we get a new edition from the <i>Alien </i>universe: <i>Prometheus</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scott has hesitated to call this a prequel. Whilst it
technically is, one can see just cause for his reticence. This film could
readily stand on its own, so if you haven’t seen the original film, this is
open to you. If you have seen the original, then let me assure you: it will be
satisfying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We begin on a virgin planet Earth. A humanoid creature
watches a spaceship depart as he drinks some fluid, which rips apart his
genetic structure and disintegrates him entirely as he falls into a river. In
the water, the DNA reforms and a new form of life comes into being. Years
later, a group of scientists find some cave paintings and launch an expedition
to a solar system represented not just in those ancient artworks but also others
from different primitive societies. Is this a clue to our origin? They go and
explore, but what they discover could be far more dangerous than they ever
imagined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An origins story then, in many senses of the phrase. Not
only is the film playing on that vital philosophical curiosity which humankind
has always had about where it comes from and why it is here, but it is also
creating the mythology of a pre-existing, fictional universe, giving it richer
depth, detail and nuance. Scott is building worlds again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And boy how he builds this one. <i>Prometheus</i> gives you one of the most staggering achievements in filmmaking design ever. That is no exaggeration. It looks stunning and
every shadowy nook, sleek corridor and other-worldly object is built
meticulously. Furthermore, the visual effects are just breathtaking and utterly
believable throughout. Indeed, the only misstep is the spectacular but
unsuccessful make-up for Guy Pearce, playing the very old Peter Weyland, in a
very odd casting choice (couldn’t they have just got somebody who was, you
know, old?).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film works on this grand scale, moving away from the
confined, claustrophobic suspense of <i>Alien</i>.
This is a sci-fi thriller, more than a horror film, but it does pack in some
good scares and “dare-you-look” moments which I obviously won’t go into here for
fear of the spoiler police. Nevertheless, the central thrust of this story is
the mystery of this foreign planet and our creators, known as “the engineers”,
and also the motivations of our characters (as ever in the <i>Alien</i> universe, not all is as it seems). To that end, the stand out
performances are Noomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw, who is a hugely sympathetic
protagonist, the ever-brilliant Michael Fassbender’s ambiguous android David,
and Idris Elba, who takes on the <i>Alien</i>
stalwart of cool, black dude with aplomb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the film, lacking the effective simplicity of <i>Alien</i>, does fall short of absolute
classic territory. It has an undercurrent about faith and what one chooses to
believe which is over-played, confused and inconclusive. Also, though it looks
awe-inspiring, it lacks a genuinely iconic sequence, such as the one John Hurt
so gruesomely provided in 1979. This is nitpicking though: it’s a staggering technical
achievement and a great blockbuster being absolutely gripping throughout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early indications are that it hasn’t lived up to
some critics’ hype, a fate which its remorseless marketing machine can, in
part, be held responsible for. However, it will very likely find favour with
the general public, being a bold new addition to this universe, and one that
seems to be inviting a sequel by leaving many questions tantalising posed but frustratingly
unanswered. Regardless of these considerations, it is once again time to head
down to the cinema and let the master-builder Mr Scott make another astonishing
world for you.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Rating: A-</b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-74319813655265295622012-05-18T12:02:00.001+01:002012-05-18T12:04:09.627+01:00Dark Shadows: Have Burton and Depp lost the element of surprise?<br />
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<a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/dark-shadows-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/dark-shadows-poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Some say "We've seen it all before", but could it be more a case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are copping some flack at the
moment for their recent work, and in particular their new film <i>Dark Shadows</i>. The magic has gone, say
some. The ideas are falling flat, say others. However, the number one criticism
they’re facing is that we’ve seen it all before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some have tired of the comic-gothic Burton sensibility, the
extravagant Depp performances and bemoan a lack of invention, a characteristic
which was abundant in their earlier work. That last point carries some weight.
Despite its entertaining premise, there is precious little genuine originality
on show here, particularly in an age when vampire films are ubiquitous and
often parodied. However, the general criticism that Burton and Depp are covering
well-trodden ground can be looked at another way: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Certainly, it would be nice for these two to do something
genuinely unexpected or distinctly different from their main body of work, or
at least something which demanded a new visual style from the tropes that
Burton has fallen into, but it cannot be denied that, with <i>Dark Shadows</i>, they are still churning out entertaining stuff, even
if it isn’t wildly surprising.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film is adapted from an American TV soap of the same
name. It focuses on Barnabas Collins (Depp), an 18<sup>th</sup> century colonialist
and heir to a lucrative fishing business in New England. He spurns the
affections of one of his servants (Eva Green), who turns out to be a witch, and
then proceeds to kill Collins’ wife, transform him into a vampire, and have him
buried in the ground. Two hundred years later, Collins is released, returns to
his family and sets about trying to restore the family business to its former
glory, but the witch is still around, pursuing Barnabas’ affections whilst
wreaking havoc on the Collins family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is played broadly as a comedy, with Depp given free
rein to be florid and successfully over the top in the way only he can be. It
could be funnier, but some of the jokes are repetitive, and others are weakened
because, oddly for a Burton film, the music is a bit off. Whilst he chooses
some great 1970s music to listen to, sometimes it undercuts the comedy and
creates an odd atmosphere. Meanwhile, Danny Elfman, in a rare misstep, has
produced one of his least impressive scores, being derivative and ineffective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the cast is strong and highly watchable. Michelle
Pfeiffer is on great form as the matriarch of the family, and the obligatory
Helena Bonham Carter performance is fun. Chloe Grace Moretz delivers another
great turn, as does Bella Heathcote as the mysterious governess, but Johnny Lee
Miller is underused. The film, though, belongs to Johnny Depp and Eva Green, both
of whom are excellent as vampire and witch, and they share a hysterically funny
love scene to a Barry White backing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">It all moves along at a fair click, has many
good laughs and is entertaining throughout, even though it does go a little overboard
in its final act. It isn’t classic Burton and Depp fare, but it is more than
solid and well worth seeking out. It doesn’t deserve some of the criticism it’s
been getting. Having said that, it would be nice if these two could pull off a
surprise soon.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rating: B</b></div>
</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-85666488824304635412012-05-10T19:38:00.001+01:002012-05-10T22:51:55.571+01:00Review: Marley<h3>
<a href="http://files.myopera.com/MICKEY2D/albums/10563982/marley-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://files.myopera.com/MICKEY2D/albums/10563982/marley-poster.jpg" width="215" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kevin Macdonald's detailed documentary provides an insight into the enigmatic reggae icon</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob Marley’s music is some of the most ubiquitous and
universally popular ever written. A mainstay of teenage iTunes collections,
Marley’s reggae seems destined to remain widely listened to and adored.
However, it is certainly the case that Marley the man is not so well known. The
image emblazoned on t-shirts and posters worldwide, is the face of an enigmatic
man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kevin Macdonald’s epic documentary, <i>Marley</i>, attempts to tell the story of this man, drawing on the
wealth of material which the Marley estate has in its possession, new
interviews with many of Marley’s relations, friends and closest associates, and,
of course the music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This film would not have been possible without the
co-operation of the Marley estate, as the music rights would have been
extortionate. However, with such close involvement from the family (Marley’s
son Ziggy is an executive producer), there were concerns that this would turn
into pure hagiography.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it seems to have avoided that trap. A major feature of
the documentary is a focus on Marley’s infidelity, and it even features a clip
of Marley denying that he is married, so this is not an unflinchingly glowing
view of the man. However, the story it tells is of a very impressive
individual, whose musical talent was matched by his concern for the wider
community, not just in his native Jamaica, but internationally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A simple fact about Marley, though, is that there isn’t as
much known about him as one might imagine, and, after his death from cancer in
1981, aged only 36, he is unable to speak for himself here. Faced with this
central void in his film, Macdonald produces a history of Marley, charting his
life from a childhood defined by his absentee father and “half-caste” status,
all the way through his gradual rise to national and then international stardom
and emergence as an immensely potent political figure, ending with his
tragically premature death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story is fascinating, and it is told in exactly detail
by Macdonald, who includes discussions on matters like the technical
definitions of ska and reggae and the origins of Rastafarianism. The result of
this is a film which, at almost two and a half hours, is too long but which has
a great air of authority about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are plenty of amusing and astonishing moments. A peace
concert in Jamaica headlined by a Marley returning from exile is as moving now
as it was then, and the emphasis on Marley’s children’s reactions to the death
of their father, and their sense of never being able to have their father, as he
seemed to belong to everybody, is poignant and painful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the scenes of thousands of people lining the
streets of Kingston for Marley’s funeral highlights what comes across in the
whole of the film. This man had an incredible effect on people. The affection
and admiration that his family, friends and peers had for him is clear, and it
is also clear that the liberationist and loving message of his music was
genuine, and it is reflected in those that knew him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet, what one sees in the interviews and in the footage is
an icon reflected. The unfortunate lack of Marley the man remains, as does the
enigma. Many mysteries are left and others are formed through this. However,
the awesome and beneficial effect that this one man had on so many people is
the abiding memory of this film. Maybe that is the ultimate point about the
man. He resonates today, the eve of the 31<sup>st</sup> anniversary of his
death, and has become much more than the individual he was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Che Guevara’s visage, like Marley’s, is
emblazoned on merchandise around the world. However, whilst his has
unironically been stripped of all meaning, Marley’s image has retained its
meaning. Though it would be fascinating if we could hear more of the enigmatic
reggae star, it is perhaps better that he remains this astonishing,
transcendent individual.</span></div>
</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rating: A-</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-1459308807752274192012-05-09T11:19:00.000+01:002012-05-09T11:25:43.414+01:00Review: The Cabin in the Woods<br />
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<a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/cabin-in-the-woods-poster-hi-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/cabin-in-the-woods-poster-hi-res.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A spoiler-tastic look at one of the most talked about films of the year</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most talked about films of the year so far, <i>The Cabin in the Woods</i> is supposedly the
movie which is impossible not to spoil. Though I happen to disagree with that
assessment, I fear the wrath of those who would tell me that I ruined it for
them. Certainly, a lot of the fun is working out what exactly is going on, so I
shall merely say that I think the film is an absolute hoot, give you the
slimmest of plot summaries, and ask that, when you’ve seen it, you come back
here to read further.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, here’s the slim plot summary: a bunch of college kids
head off for a weekend in a cabin. In the woods. Before they get there, there
is a sinister, stereotypical man who seems to be a harbinger of doom. They
carry on regardless and head to the cabin. In the woods. Sounds familiar, but
will all go as you expect? Well, go, see and come back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assuming that everyone who is reading from this point
onwards has seen the film, this article may well turn into an all-out spoiler
fest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first thing to say is that <i>The Cabin in the Woods</i>, taken on its own terms, is fantastic fun.
Despite some initial, brief tension, this is not a scary horror film. It is
just magnificent hokum. Though the obvious comparison is with the <i>Scream</i> and <i>Evil Dead </i>films, the film it reminded me most of was Sam Raimi’s <i>Drag Me to Hell</i> (the films do in fact
share a cinematographer). It has that same tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top
sensibility which makes the 90 minutes riotously enjoyable, also making a nice
contrast with the torture-porn schlock which dominated the last decade. In fact, Joss Whedon, the co-writer of this film with director Drew Goddard, has described this film as a "critique" of that particular aspect of the horror genre. The contrast is clear, though critique may be a bit of grand term for this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The upshot of this is that after some initial tension wears
off (I thought the “whore” was going to have her face bitten off by that
stuffed wolf), and the family of Redneck Torture Zombies begin to move the plot
along, this is not a horror film anymore really. There are no jumps or scares
to be had here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, there are plenty of laughs. After all, this is a
film which has a board of potential super-natural beasties which includes
Dismemberment Goblins, Angry Molesting Tree, Witches and Sexy Witches.
Furthermore, most of its punchlines are being delivered by Richard Jenkins and
Bradley Whitford, the latter getting one of the best screen deaths ever. They
also have a genuinely funny stoner character (“I’m drawing a line in the
fucking sand. Do NOT read the Latin!”), a trope which is so often lazily
handled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s undoubtedly entertaining, but it is the enemy of its
own, no doubt effective, publicity. As the plot played itself out and the
connection between the two sides of the story became more apparent, I must
admit that I had a bit of a “Is that it?” reaction. So much of the audience’s
expectations for this film are about being surprised, and it’s always difficult
to surprise someone when you’ve told them you’re going to do so. Had there been
a greater acknowledgement of the Jenkins-Whitford side of the story in the publicity,
I feel that I would have been more likely to have been satisfied by the twist
and turns. After all, the off-kilter element of the story is in the very first
scene. There is no grand reveal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having said that, the absolute bloodbath of a final act made
me smile and giggle like an idiot. It was so relentless and so amusing that I
couldn’t help but by swept up in it, even through the stock gag of dragging
Sigourney Weaver out as a cameo appearance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Danny Baker had a very different reaction,
saying “This time last year I had head and neck cancer. It was better than this.
</span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Cabin In The Woods</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> is not ironic,
clever, witty, post modern or a comment on horror films. It is an awful noisy
boring mess.” I can understand that the full insanity of this film has the look
of a mess, but I don’t think it is aiming to be as knowing and post-modern as
some think it is. It’s a jolly, completely mad, riot. Sit back. Don’t relax.
Enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Rating: B</b></span></div>
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-29887065449505901472012-05-04T09:33:00.000+01:002012-05-04T09:33:40.139+01:00Trailerwatch: New Amazing Spider-Man Trailer<br />
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<a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/amazing-spider-man-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/amazing-spider-man-movie-poster.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s a new trailer for <i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i>, the <i>Spider-Man</i>
reboot which stars Andrew Garfield, due to be released on 3<sup>rd</sup> July in
the US, and the 4<sup>th</sup> July in the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In it, we see Garfield’s Peter Parker as a moodier, more
contemplative prospect than Tobey Maguire’s version. There’s a little more of
the mystery over Parker’s parents. It also contains plenty of Rhys Ifans, which
is marvellous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and we see more of the Lizard, more of the all-swinging
Spidey, a good gag, and what looks like the most astonishing set-piece prospect
of the summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has to be said that the proximity of this reboot to the
Sam Raimi trilogy, the first of which was released ten years ago, has raised
many concerns. Well, by the looks of things, the ghost of Maguire has been
fully exorcised, largely by being completely ignored. I like the originals –
they’re fun and exciting - but this looks like a really intriguing, darker
prospect. Furthermore, it should make Andrew Garfield into the international
star he deserves to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
You can watch the trailer <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03/amazing-spider-man-trailer-2_n_1476071.html?ref=tw">here</a></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-46023359989369318732012-05-01T19:00:00.000+01:002012-05-02T08:50:46.573+01:00Trailerwatch: New Dark Knight Rises Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/12/11/article-1323620390628-0F2366C100000578-612377_466x652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/12/11/article-1323620390628-0F2366C100000578-612377_466x652.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Almost as if in response to the release of </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Avengers Assemble</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">, a new trailer for </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The Dark Knight Rises</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> has been released.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst the <i>Reel 6</i>
verdict was that <i><a href="http://reel6.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/review-avengers-assemble.html">Avengers
Assemble<span style="font-style: normal;"> was a blockbuster masterpiece</span></a></i>,
it has to be noted that Christopher Nolan’s <i>The
Dark Knight </i>remains the high watermark of recent superhero movies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Expectations for the conclusion of the trilogy are high, and
the first trailer was predictably impressive visually, but it seemed a little
cluttered. Was it perhaps going to be a slightly overblown finale which might
crumple under its own weight?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The new trailer should allay most fears. It features a
clearer sense of most of the characters, especially Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman
and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake. Add to that, more money shots and the
usual, crisp and beautiful Wally Pfister photography.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A friend of mine said on Friday “In Whedon in
trust”. Well, in Nolan we believe.</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/g8evyE9TuYk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-64486056306476084222012-04-30T00:37:00.001+01:002012-05-02T08:51:12.163+01:00Review: Avengers Assemble<a href="http://www.holymoly.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_665w/Marvel_avengers-assemble-poster_29022012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.holymoly.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_665w/Marvel_avengers-assemble-poster_29022012.jpg" width="216" /></a><br />
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joss Whedon kicks off blockbuster season with an awesome salvo of a movie</span></b></h3>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is all about superheroes this summer. Well, more so than
usual. We have the <i>Spider-Man</i> reboot
coming up, and the climax to Christopher Nolan’s <i>Batman </i>trilogy on the way, but now, at the start of blockbuster
season, the ante has been almost pre-emptively raised very high by the release
of <i>Marvel’s Avengers Assemble</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film is the climax of four years of Marvel adaptations
and brings together some of their most popular (and not to mention lucrative)
characters. We have Iron Man, who delights in informing us that, behind the
suit, he is Tony Stark “a genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist” (Robert
Downey Jr. in a rare, non-mumbling performance); Captain America, who is the
super-soldier Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), recently awoken from an
ice-induced, post-war hiatus; the Hulk, aka Dr Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo),
mild-mannered scientist when calm, big green monster when angry; Thor (Chris
Hemsworth), who is, well, Thor, the Norse god of thunder; and, finally,
assorted other agents who are more human but nevertheless awesome, including
the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson kicking lots of ass) and Hawkeye (an über-cool
archer who makes Legolas look like even more of a nancy-boy, played by Jeremy
Renner). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are brought together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson),
director of SHIELD, the organisation which has bitten off a little more than it
can chew, and is now facing imminent mega-alien invasion led by Loki, Thor’s
brother (an excellent Tom Hiddleston). The group must come together, get over
their internecine warfare and save the world. It’s all fairly standard stuff,
just with some Norse mythology chucked in, and some “science” incorporated somewhere
along the line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This comic book all-stars smash-and-quip-athon very much had the
potential to suffer from a “too many heroes spoil the movie” situation, leaving
fans with an unbalanced mess. Thankfully, someone at Marvel had the good sense
to send for Joss Whedon, the man behind <i>Buffy</i>,
<i>Angel</i>, and <i>Firefly</i>, the TV series which spawned the much underrated <i>Serenity</i>. In Whedon’s hands, this film
is an effortlessly enjoyable, hilariously funny and utterly crowd-pleasing
masterpiece of a blockbuster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Certainly, it takes a while to get going. There’s lots of
mumbo and lots of jumbo, and then some jumbo-mumbo-jumbo which all makes sense
in the end but was a little baffling to start off with, even for someone who’s
seen all of the previous films. There is also a lot of getting the plot set-up.
Hulk has wound up in Mumbai for no apparent reason, Iron Man is kicking about
in New York, where Captain America is having a post-nap sulk, and Thor is still
trapped in Asgard before returning after a hastily mumbled plot point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, once all the component parts are in place, this
bursts into life. The performers returning from previous films are all
excellent, and new arrivals are just as good (especially Ruffalo as a very
effective Banner, constantly wrestling with his inner green giant). Special
note should be made of Tom Hiddleston, who delights in his increased villain
role, and even does a decent job at pulling off Loki’s ridiculous horned helmet,
and Clark Gregg, who is wonderful as Agent Coulson. There is fantastic, witty
repartee between all the characters and it’s a superb group effort, but the
real star of the movie is Whedon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This script is masterful. It pulls together all of these
somewhat disparate characters and makes them all function equally, with no one
character gaining excessive screen time over the others and all of them having
their chance to shine. On top of that, it has an abundance of one-liners and
gags which are just terrific, and Whedon can take kudos as the man who finally
got the Hulk to work. Banner the man is an interesting character, but the
monster that looks like an icon for sweet corn vending is intrinsically as amusing
as he is frightening. Whedon cracked this problem by turning the Hulk into the
comedy star of the year, but whilst maintaining the integrity of the character.
That is frankly a rabbit out of a hat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Most reports suggest that one doesn’t have to
have seen the previous films to enjoy this one, which is unsurprising. This is
witty, inventive, bold and brilliant filmmaking which has set the cinematic
summer alight. Exactly what we need to combat these infernal April showers.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Rating: A+</b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-28803919980698809592012-04-28T15:24:00.001+01:002012-04-28T23:04:53.122+01:00Your Avengers Assemble Crash Course<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.indiewire.com/static/dims4/INDIEWIRE/e42d87a/4102462740/thumbnail/485x341%3E/http://d1oi7t5trwfj5d.cloudfront.net/ac/de5630623011e19987123138165f92/file/avengers-assemble-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://www.indiewire.com/static/dims4/INDIEWIRE/e42d87a/4102462740/thumbnail/485x341%3E/http://d1oi7t5trwfj5d.cloudfront.net/ac/de5630623011e19987123138165f92/file/avengers-assemble-banner.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The long-awaited release of <i>Marvel’s Avengers Assemble</i> has come around, and it is already
setting the box office alight, and getting fantastic reviews as well. For those
who are none the wiser, here is your quick guide to the Avengers</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Warning: this contains backstory (i.e. what happens in the other films)</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></b></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETzQQ9LXdhP7UI3SV01zmoPLSRvSkfZegVko0hPJVqUcKGPVXKzaFv95yV1NaeesUFTPTG95ml2bJe6zJd85Qi9D2AvxOdEmUHPw7n0eLSXBmloqLZcSbDWyn9PbIWPyeeFjD2lNadNE/s1600/Ironman+2+Mobile+Images+-+01+-+www.Wallpapersshare.Blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETzQQ9LXdhP7UI3SV01zmoPLSRvSkfZegVko0hPJVqUcKGPVXKzaFv95yV1NaeesUFTPTG95ml2bJe6zJd85Qi9D2AvxOdEmUHPw7n0eLSXBmloqLZcSbDWyn9PbIWPyeeFjD2lNadNE/s200/Ironman+2+Mobile+Images+-+01+-+www.Wallpapersshare.Blogspot.com.jpg" width="151" /></a><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iron Man<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2008, Tony Stark ripped onto our screens, a billionaire
arms-manufacturer and playboy, portrayed with an all wise-cracking, all
scotch-drinking and all mumbling performance from Robert Downey Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the first film, he was kidnapped in the Middle East and
had to construct a special magnet to stop a piece of shrapnel in his body from
ripping his heart apart. This construction formed the foundation for the Iron
Man suit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He goes about flirting with his assistant Pepper Potts,
played by a similarly mumbling Gwyneth Paltrow (though she does it at a higher
pitch), flying around really fast and killing Jeff Bridges. Sure, he sounds
like a tosser, but he’s written with enough wit and verve to be thoroughly
engaging, and Downey Jr. is very funny, when you can make out what he’s saying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s similar form for the second film, though it really is
mumbletasia this time with Mickey Rourke sporting a “Russian” accent. The plot
is utterly predictable, but Iron Man remains one of the more entertaining
superhero characters, being unencumbered by self-doubt or some hideous burden,
other than his desire to drink his bodyweight in fine single malts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Hulk-The-Avengers-movie-image-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Hulk-The-Avengers-movie-image-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Hulk<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes he’s “The Incredible”, sometimes he’s “The”, and
sometimes he’s just “Hulk”, but in whatever rebrand he has appeared, Dr Bruce
Banner’s big, green alter-ego has proved the biggest challenge for Marvel
adaptations, because sometimes he looks like he’s selling sweet corn, sometimes
he looks like he’s on a donkey assisted quest to save the princess, and
sometimes he’s just a big, angry, green man with surprisingly resistant shorts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a shame, because that essential aesthetic problem
takes away from Banner as one of the more interesting Avengers. Sure, it’s
well-worn, Jekyll-and-Hyde territory, but Edward Norton managed to portray the
man’s intense struggle to control or defeat his inner monster in a sympathetic
and interesting manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Norton has not returned for <i>Avengers Assemble</i>, and Banner will be played by Mark Ruffalo, but
the character was last seen on the run in British Columbia having seemingly
gained some control over his condition. So, there is definitely a bit of
distance for him to travel before he can start avenging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Captain-America-The-First-Avenger-movie-image-4-491x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Captain-America-The-First-Avenger-movie-image-4-491x600.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Captain America<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a character, The Hulk is genetically linked to Captain
America. Both are the result of experiments to make super-humans, but whilst
Banner feels accursed by his powers, Captain Steve Rogers has only gained from
his admittedly more successful transformation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is the first Avenger, because he’s been around since WW2.
A fiercely courageous but physically weak American, Rogers is transformed by a
serum into the poster boy of the American forces in an entertaining enough film
which has elements of <i>Raiders of the Lost
Ark</i> and <i>Kelly’s Heroes</i>. It has an
amazing cast. Chris Evans is charming enough as the dully-heroic lead, but you’ve
got Tommy Lee Jones being Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones as a Werner von Braun
knock-off, and Hugo Weaving as the “too-bad-for-the-Nazis” villain who, under
the skin, looks like a zombie chicken, whilst any film which stars Stanley
Tucci should be seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like all of the Marvel films, it’s good fun as our
characters tear across Europe at surprising speed for 1940s travel, even if
this one is a little lacking in the wit department, but we left the Captain
stranded in Times Square, having had a seven-decade-nap post saving the world.
He was, however, under the watchful gaze of Nick Fury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moviebuzzers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Nick-Fury-Sam-Jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://moviebuzzers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Nick-Fury-Sam-Jackson.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nick Fury<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Samuel L. Jackson, with an eye-patch. He may look like a
pirate who would give Captain Jack a torrid time, but Nick Fury is the man who
assembles the Avengers. He has been liberally distributed in cameos throughout
most of the previous films, though he had something approaching a proper role
in <i>Iron Man 2</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He almost didn’t continue his role after a contract dispute,
wanting a couple of extra hundred thousand for his one day’s work, but, then
again, he is Sam Jackson. There’s a lot of demand for that effortless cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fury is the director of SHIELD, the agency which is behind
the Avengers, but he has his men and women on the ground, chief among them…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photos.imageevent.com/afap/wallpapers/movies/ironman2//ironman%202%20-%20Black%20Widow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photos.imageevent.com/afap/wallpapers/movies/ironman2//ironman%202%20-%20Black%20Widow.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Black Widow<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or Natalie Rushman. Or Natasha Romanoff. To be honest, she’s
had so many aliases that I’ve forgotten which one is real, but it doesn’t
really matter because it’s Scarlett Johansson. In fact, it is just Scarlett
Johansson, so much so that one hopes that she gets more to do in <i>Avengers Assemble</i>, because her role in <i>Iron Man 2</i> was little more than
pornography.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She turns up as a hot legal aide, and then becomes a hot,
PVC-clad super-agent, and then she breaks into a facility of bad guys, and
kills all of them and everyone just stares at her and the men are very happy.
She is, at present, the second least developed Avenger, just behind…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Avengers-Jeremy-Renner-Hawkeye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Avengers-Jeremy-Renner-Hawkeye.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hawkeye<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or Clint Barton. Hawkeye so far has had a small cameo in <i>Thor</i>, where he picked up his bow and
arrows and didn’t use them, but had a couple of decent lines, and was played by
Jeremy Renner, which was nice. He was under the command of…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/The-Avengers-Agent-Coulson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/The-Avengers-Agent-Coulson.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Agent Coulson<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clark Gregg apparently has the visage of an awesome
government agent, having previously played Agent Casper in <i>The West Wing</i>. In the Marvel universe, he is Agent Coulson, the no
nonsense, calm and collected, government agent, who hitherto has laid down the
law to Tony Stark and, more importantly, come into contact with Thor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Thor-The-Avengers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Thor-The-Avengers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thor<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thor is the Norse God of Thunder, but he moonlights as a
Marvel superhero. It is a slight oddity that this series of films, which, particularly
in the case of <i>Iron Man</i>, has sought
to ground its characters in some form of faux-scientific reality, chooses to
include itself in the universe of Norse myth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film, <i>Thor</i>, is
my secret favourite. It’s quite deliriously silly. It’s directed by Ken Branagh
for Pete’s sake. You’ve got Chris Hemsworth being terrifically sonorous in a “I
am the God of Thunder” sort of way. Then you have Tom Hiddleston, who is always
excellent, as the villain Loki, Thor’s brother, who is the villain in <i>Avengers Assemble</i>. In <i>Thor</i>, Loki just wants to be loved by
daddy, King Odin, played by SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS, giving us the full SIR ANTHONY
HOPKINS over-the-top performance which he enjoys so much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last time we saw Thor, he was stranded in the celestial
city of Asgard, unable to get back to Earth (he had to smash a rainbow bridge
with his hammer; it made sense at the time) and see Natalie Portman, who, of
course, he fell in love with, so he too has got some distance to travel to start
avenging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Did you follow all of that? Ok if not, because
basically it’s just wild fun and is there to be thoroughly enjoyed. Certainly
there are questions (like, what exactly are they avenging?), but this is in the
hands of Joss Whedon (</span><i style="line-height: 115%;">Buffy, Firefly,
Serenity</i><span style="line-height: 115%;">) and promises to be an absolute cracker. Enjoy.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-16538436818255937522012-04-15T13:27:00.000+01:002012-04-18T23:16:09.351+01:00The New Dilemma of 12A<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mockingjay.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/12A.png?9d7bd4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://mockingjay.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/12A.png?9d7bd4" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After ten years of the 12A certificate, it is clear that it has solved one problem but created another</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There has been no more regular discussion in British film
over the last decade than the one over the 12A certificate. Created in 2002
after a furore over the rating for <i>Spider-Man</i>,
the 12A has been described by the British Board of Film Classification as a
recognition that parents know their children best, but it has courted a fair
amount of controversy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That recognition is sensible. I myself was snuck into the 12
rated <i>Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</i>
by one of my parents, before the 12A had been introduced. I was eleven at the
time, and that was the first film I saw which wasn’t aimed at children, and I
emerged having loved the film, but also having been easily able to handle it. A
12A would have been very appropriate in that case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, it is subject to the law of unintended
consequences. Despite the fact that the film is rated as suitable for 12 and
over, its allowance for a younger audience means that the films are marketed
for that younger audience. We can see this in <a href="http://reel6.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/to-cut-or-not-to-cut.html">the recent examples of <i>The Hunger Games</i> and, more obviously, <i>The Woman in Black</i>,</a> which would have
happily been a 15, had it not been for the casting of Daniel Radcliffe, a 22
year-old playing a widower lawyer, with a four year-old son, and incongruous decision
aimed at the money of the younger audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The upshot is that very dark and potentially unsuitable
films are being aimed at children a fair bit younger than 12. This is not
necessarily the fault of the BBFC. Parents remain responsible for what their
children see, but it is a phenomena that should be looked at.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Undoubtedly, the 12A has had benefits. Like the aforementioned
<i>Crouching Tiger</i>, there are many films
which sat on the cusp of the old 12 and PG ratings. Shortly before the <i>Spider-Man</i> farrago pushed the matter
over the edge, there was the rating for <i>The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring</i>, which was a PG, though the
BBFC advised that it was unsuitable for anyone under 8. If that film were
released now, it would be a straight 12A, no doubt. That problem no longer
exists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, when one looks at films like <i>Juno</i> or <i>The Woman in Black</i>,
you are looking at films which 12 year-olds can probably handle or understand,
and films for which a 15 certificate seems very strong, but films which seem to
be pushing it for the vast majority of under-12s. They would have been more
comfortably classified with the old 12 certificate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has happened with the introduction of the 12A is the
compression of two demographics into one, and the creation of a new problem.
12A films are now aimed at ages 10-14, a span which covers a lot of change and
maturation. The simple fact is that the certificate has not so much abolished
the old problem as moved it to a different area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">So, what to do? I am for the 12A certificate,
but in some instances it leads to difficult situations, and, as in the instance
of </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">The Woman in Black</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> and </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">The Hunger Games</i><span style="line-height: 115%;">, the unfortunate
cutting of films by distributors to achieve a certain certificate. There was
nothing wrong with the old 12 certificate, and perhaps it should return
alongside the 12A. The 12A is for films which are borderline 12/PG, not for
films which could get bumped up to a 15. </span></div>
</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-17752334901509024432012-04-06T13:41:00.000+01:002012-04-06T13:45:21.988+01:00To Cut or Not to Cut?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2012/3/14/1331726553617/Jennifer-Lawrence-in-The--007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2012/3/14/1331726553617/Jennifer-Lawrence-in-The--007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far this year, there have been two major hits at the UK
Box Office. <i>The Woman in Black</i> and <i>The Hunger Games</i> have been huge
commercial successes, cashing in on the wide audience allowed by the 12A certificate,
which has now been with us for 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, both films were originally rated at 15, and the
distributors accepted minor cuts to the films in order to get the 15
certificate. These instances have highlighted a few issues surrounding our
classifications system, the artistic integrity of filmmakers and alleged “censorship”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let us start with the claim that the BBFC are essentially
censors in disguise. This concern is always present and it is essentially a
legitimate concern. We should be wary of any body which has the power to affect
the content of films and even whether or not films can be seen. Indeed, these
issues came to the fore with <a href="http://reel6.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/human-centipede-banning-saga-has-been.html">the
farrago over <i>The Human Centipede</i>
sequel last year</a>. However, the concern can often be raised for the wrong
reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact of the matter is that we all accept the need for a
classifications system. There are some films which are not suitable for
children, or are only really suitable for adults. We can argue about what
certificates should exist and what the criteria for them should be, but we
accept that aforementioned basic fact of suitability and thus the need for
certificates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The difficulty arises when the BBFC is perceived as
interfering with the films. In the instance of <i>The Hunger Games</i>, the film was cut to achieve the 12A rating, <a href="http://www.movie-censorship.com/news_en.php?ID=3485">a move which some
have seen as “censorship”</a>. Such claims are false and deeply unfair on the
BBFC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The original book of <i>The
Hunger Games</i>, by Suzanne Collins, is a deeply violent novel. The film
adaptation clearly had to be weakened in order to achieve the PG-13 rating in
the US. The MPAA (the US equivalent of the BBFC) did indeed give the film a
PG-13, but the situation in the UK was not so simple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The distributor of the film, Lions Gate, submitted an
unfinished version of the film for advice before it was formally submitted. The
BBFC advised that the film was slightly too strong for a 12A and said that that
version would achieve a 15. Cuts were made on this advice, but at the formal
submission the BBFC said that further cuts were required in one scene to
achieve a 12A. This resulted in the distributor removing about 7 seconds of the
film<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bbfc.co.uk/CFF284121/">In all of this</a>,
the BBFC did not censor. It was ready to pass the film for exhibition as a 15.
It was the distributor who decided to cut. <a href="http://www.bbfc.co.uk/CFF277407/">The same was the case with <i>The Woman In Black</i></a>, which the
distributor, Momentum, chose to cut by 6 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm67DX_jRipEXSFitPwjt1dfARFHZca4y7ATi4cACv7KDhuXy6Y_53aqKNSYadZmwEuCtTSWE4ktKRZNDEaPAirLo5l6ZKQaB9uNs8FqBACPdG447ENLRl6uHVBDuaNgYJ2HPjxllVojY/s1600/the-woman-in-black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm67DX_jRipEXSFitPwjt1dfARFHZca4y7ATi4cACv7KDhuXy6Y_53aqKNSYadZmwEuCtTSWE4ktKRZNDEaPAirLo5l6ZKQaB9uNs8FqBACPdG447ENLRl6uHVBDuaNgYJ2HPjxllVojY/s320/the-woman-in-black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both films were passed as PG-13 in the States, but that is
the MPAA’s affair. The BBFC is in constant consultation with the public to
review its standards, and that consultation is the primary basis of its
criteria. Certainly, anyone who’s seen the films can see why they were close to
a 15 certificate. The BBFC was just doing its job, which is indeed a necessary
and important one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are looking for somebody to blame for the cuts it is
the distributors. After all, their preferred version of the film exists in the
States. Should they not have stuck to their artistic guns and taken the 15
rating?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, there are two sides in this. One thing we must accept
is that to decision to take on the cuts was certainly the correct one from a
commercial perspective for both films. They have made shedloads of money, and
who can blame the distributors for that. However, this also implies that it was
also the right decision for audiences. More people who wanted to see the films
were able to and did. In the end, everyone has benefited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some may still feel disenfranchised, particularly those of
us who are over 18 and have no children to worry about. We can legitimately
feel that we have been robbed of our chance to see the proper version of the
film. I certainly felt that <i>The Hunger
Games</i>, whilst effective, was not as powerful as it might have been with a
bit more bite. One can only hope that an uncut version of the film will be
available on DVD (a move which could end up earning the distributors more money
through extra sales), or that, like <i>Brüno</i>,
a few years ago, two versions of the film for two certificates are released
(though, notably, the release of the softer 15 version did nothing to stop the
film’s slide down the box office standings). However, both of those seem
unlikely, and it could be that we simply lose out in this compromise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The system cannot satisfy everyone. There are too many
groups and too many demographics to keep happy. Some people will lose in the
unfortunate but necessary compromise between artistic integrity and the need
for commercial success. Indeed, that compromise was at the heart of the film’s
production, from the fast draft of the script to the final released version of
the film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that can be asked for is a constant effort to make the
system better and more satisfactory. This is an issue which <i>Reel 6</i> will look at in the next post
through the prism of the first decade of the 12A certificate.</span><o:p></o:p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-85514249409355449582012-03-31T11:09:00.001+01:002012-03-31T11:09:57.591+01:00The Secret of Success<br />
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<a href="http://www.anomalousmaterial.com/movies/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/john-carter-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://www.anomalousmaterial.com/movies/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/john-carter-poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The relative fortunes of <i>John Carter</i> and <i>The Hunger Games</i> mark a blow for cynical Hollywood campaigns and a triumph for story-telling</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Two sci-fi epics. Two opposing box office trajectories. The
comparative fortunes of <i>The Hunger Games</i>
and <i>John Carter</i> have been notable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17507922">The former has just
smashed records at the US box office</a>, taking $155mn on its opening weekend,
the biggest ever opening for a film which was not a sequel. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17442200">The latter is going to be a
mega-flop</a>, having returned the sort of figures which make <i>Cleopatra </i>look like a commercial
success. It will lose Disney around $200mn.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The funny thing is that, as commercial prospects, the two
are not dissimilar. True, <i>The Hunger
Games</i> has a dedicated teen fan base, but the books, written by Suzanne
Collins, have 2.9 million copies in print worldwide. This is no <i>Twilight</i> or <i>Harry Potter</i>, despite its phenomenal success on e-book formats.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Teen fanaticism aside, both are sci-fi adaptations of popular
novels and both are aimed at family/teenager audiences. Yet one has been a
horrific disaster, and the other has led to the popping of champagne corks in
certain Hollywood offices.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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The irony was that, if one of them was to flop, it was meant
to be the other way around. Lionsgate, not being one of the biggest studios,
was only able to stump up an $80mn budget for <i>The Hunger Games</i>, a nevertheless tentative amount for a big
blockbuster, perhaps based on fears that this would not replicate the success
of recent teen franchises. Disney, meanwhile, was confident enough to bet big
bucks on <i>John Carter</i>, putting $250mn
into the production budget alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So, how has this happened? The story can be viewed in many
ways. <i>Hunger Games</i> fans are more
fervent than their <i>John Carter</i>
counterparts perhaps. There is certainly weight behind that argument, but it
does not explain the staggering scale of <i>The
Hunger Games</i>’ success. The real secret is that <i>The Hunger Games</i> has led an excellent marketing campaign, whilst <i>John Carter</i>’s was a debacle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Firstly, there was the matter of the titles. <i>John Carter </i>was originally entitled <i>A Princess of Mars</i>, and then <i>John Carter of Mars</i>, but focus-grouping
lead to the revelation that a lot of people don’t much care for sci-fi, a fact
which surely accounts for why <i>Star Wars</i>
was such a flop. The upshot of all of this was the removal of “of Mars” from
the title, so that we were left with the main character’s name. No longer did
we have a film with the prospect of action and adventure. Now we had a film
which could be about anything. Let’s face it, <i>John Carter</i> sounds like a film about an accountant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>The Hunger Games</i>,<i> </i>on the other hand, has a relatively
intriguing title, and also had a trailer which worked. It showed the story of teenagers being
forced to compete in a free-for-all, fight-to-the-death TV show. The trailer of
<i>John Carter</i> may have dismissed fears
about scenes of high-tension filling out of tax returns, but still left us none
the wiser about what the plot actually was, who this Carter fellow was, and
which species was which on Mars. Yes, it has Mark Strong and fleeting glimpses
of Dominic West and Ciaran Hinds, but the film itself came across as a big
sprawling mess.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Later posters for <i>JC</i>
focussed on his fights with enormous creatures, but the damage was done. The
film critic, Mark Kermode, reported that his son was bored stiff by the trailer
and had no desire to see it. <i>The Hunger
Games</i> however was building something of a juggernaut behind it. Finally, a
film with a genuinely strong heroine, but this has cross-gender appeal. There’s
no analytic reason for that other than both genders like good stories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Hunger Games</i> had
more star power. Jennifer Lawrence is a rising star with a proven track record,
and looks to match. All that <i>John Carter</i>’s
cast managed to engender was the great question, “Who the hell is Taylor Kitsch?”
Though he may be well known to fans of <i>Friday
Night Lights</i>, he is not a big enough star to carry this movie.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The reason why these events are important is because neither
film was a sure thing and both needed successful ad campaigns. In other words, the success and failure of their campaigns served to show how audiences respond to campaigns for blockbusters when there isn't great foreknowledge of the franchise: how we respond to the commercially unknown.</div>
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The campaign for <i>Hunger Games</i> relied simply on the quality of its story and its actors
as it tried to move beyond the sphere of its dedicated fan base. The campaign
for <i>John Carter</i> relied on endless
testing, over-used big money shots featuring huge CGI monsters and had a total
disregard for narrative. The end result was that <i>The Hunger Games</i> has engaged me as a prospect, and <i>John Carter </i>inspired nothing but
derision. I thought that one would be good and the other would be a confused
mess. The reviews seem to have borne this out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><br />
So, to all the ad men, studio heads and
accountants (one of whom is probably called John Carter), let me show you the
moral of this story: the secret to a successful ad campaign for an unknown
quantity is to have a good film with a good story to advertise. That will be
the basis of success, not cynical testing and filmmaking by numbers.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-48091297281604838532012-02-27T07:29:00.002+00:002012-02-27T07:33:28.747+00:00Oscars Analysis: How has The Artist Triumphed so Utterly?<br />
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<a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120227040550-academy-award-michael-hazanavicius-story-top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120227040550-academy-award-michael-hazanavicius-story-top.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago, <i>The Artist</i>'s success was unimaginable. How has it come to pass?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has become easy over the last few months, as <i>The Artist</i> has been celebrated by every
single awards ceremony in existence, to forget quite how extraordinary its success
is. To remind us of that fact, let’s put it in plain terms. <a href="http://reel6.blogspot.com/2012/02/artist-takes-oscars.html">A black and white,almost completely silent film has just won the Oscar for Best Picture.</a> Had
someone predicted this 12 months ago, they would have been laughed out of
Tinseltown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet, this morning, it is a cold hard fact. In a year when
there was no film which managed to truly combine critical and commercial
success, when there was no great family film nor any greatly appealing,
conventional, <i>King’s Speech</i>-esque
movie going, the Academy, and everyone else, has been seduced by the undeniable
charms but unexpected success of a throwback to the silent era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is, indeed, a curious turn of events. How has this happened?
For all of my analysis over the last few months of what was going to happen last
night, (Oscar-ology being an inexact science which nevertheless produces
frequently accurate results), I may have been able to tell you that <i>The Artist</i> was going to win a long time
ago, but I am still a little baffled as to why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://reel6.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-artist.html">I think it’s a
great film</a>, as does everyone else apparently, but that is not a
qualification for it to win the Best Picture Oscar. The Academy is, of course,
the body which recognised <i>How Green was
my Valley</i> over <i>Citizen Kane</i>, <i>Chicago </i>over <i>The Pianist</i> and <i>Driving Miss
Daisy </i>over every other film that year. Quality has never necessarily been
the Academy’s guide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, when you get down to examining the sheer facts of this
year’s contenders, and recent Oscar history, the success becomes even more
baffling. Two out of the previous three years, Oscar has given out his biggest
awards to non-American films. The Academy is an American body and it does like
to celebrate American films, just as BAFTA likes to celebrate British ones. So,
it would have made sense, perhaps as a backlash against the preferring of <i>The King’s Speech </i>over <i>The Social Network</i> last year, to have
given the award to a US production, with <i>Hugo</i>
or <i>The Descendants </i>being the obvious
contenders. However, not only did Oscar go abroad, but it went to France, in an
act which will probably do more for Franco-American relations in the short-term
than Monsieur and Mr President could ever do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bearing this in mind, <a href="http://reel6.blogspot.com/2011/12/whither-tinker-tailor.html">one looks
at the start of the season when there was no front runner</a>, but a lot of
critical goodwill toward <i>The Artist</i>,
you would have been hard pressed to have selected that as the obvious film to
sweep the awards. Yet, from ceremony to ceremony, it won award after award.
This was meant to be George Clooney’s year. It became Jean Dujardin’s. It was
meant to be Martin Scorsese’s second Oscar. It became Hazanavicius’ first. It
was meant to be the year of 3D. It became the year of silent and black and
white. The only explanation for this turn of events is that Hazanavicius
prodcued a cineaste’s film which was so charming, so bitter when it had to be
yet so joyous at its core, and so bold in its conception, that the vast
majority could not deny it every success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My instinct is that this will be a one off. <i>The Artist</i> works in and of itself. It
uses silence, monochrome and Academy ratio to tell a particular story. Perhaps
we shall see other silent films in the near future. They shan’t work. The
secret of success was not silence but storytelling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congratulations to all connected with <i>The Artist</i> and all the best. One final word for Oscar: you did well
last night, but could next year’s nominations include more of the like of <i>Tinker Tailor</i> and none of the like of <i>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,</i>
please?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many thanks and I’m still rather charmed by you,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reel 6</span><o:p></o:p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-35502620949074994002012-02-27T06:34:00.000+00:002012-02-27T06:34:49.639+00:00The Artist Takes the Oscars<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.mwcradio.com/mimesis/2012-02/27/2012-02-27T043835Z_1_BTRE81Q0CWG00_RTROPTP_3_ENTERTAINMENT-US-OSCARS-THEARTIST_JPG_475x310_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://media.mwcradio.com/mimesis/2012-02/27/2012-02-27T043835Z_1_BTRE81Q0CWG00_RTROPTP_3_ENTERTAINMENT-US-OSCARS-THEARTIST_JPG_475x310_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Silent Movie Wins Five Awards; <i>Hugo</i> also wins five</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As widely expected, it was <i>The Artist</i>’s night at The 84<sup>th</sup> Annual Academy Awards, as
it won five awards, including Best Picture, Director, and Actor for Jean
Dujardin. However, the Academy also showed its affection for Martin Scorsese’s <i>Hugo</i>, which also won five awards in
technical categories. Meryl Streep, Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer won
the other acting awards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite having won every award under the sun, all of <i>The Artist</i>’s winners were deeply moved
and all utterly charming, and, as has been the fashion this year, delivered
cinephile acceptance speeches. Dujardin thanked Douglas Fairbanks and said to
the audience “I love you’re country”. He later confirmed that he did drop the
French equivalent of the F-bomb in his speech. When director Hazanavicius and
producer Thomas Langmann accepted the Best Picture award, Langmann thanked
Claude Berri, the director of Jean de Florette, and Hazanavicius thanked three
people “Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder and Billy Wilder”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only small surprise came in the hotly contested Best
Actress category, where Meryl Streep won her third Oscar, ahead of Viola Davis,
who had become the favourite over recent weeks, for her flawless portrayal of
Margaret Thatcher in <i>The Iron Lady</i>.
Accepting the award to a huge standing ovation, Streep said “When they called
my name, I could hear half of America going “Oh, no. Oh, come on. Her again?”
But, whatever.” She later acknowledged that she knew “she was never going to be
on this stage again”, and joked backstage that two of her fellow nominees hadn’t
been conceived when she last won an Oscar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christopher Plummer, who won for his role as an elderly man
belatedly coming out as gay in <i>Beginners</i>,
delivered the most wonderful speech, turning to his long-awaited Oscar and
saying “You’re only two years older than me, darling. Where have you been all
my life?” Having received a standing ovation, he joked that he has been practicing
his acceptance speech since he was pulled from his mother’s womb, “but,
mercifully for you, I have forgotten it”. He became, at 82, the oldest Oscar
winner ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Octavia Spencer, winning for <i>The Help</i>, received a standing ovation, referred to the Oscar as “the
hottest guy in the room” and heroically tried to hold it together before
looking at the autocue and saying “Please wrap it up? I’m wrapping up. I’m
sorry. I’m freakin’ out.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other highlights included Bret McKenzie, from <i>Flight of the Conchords</i>, winning an Oscar for
Best Song for “Man or Muppet” from <i>The
Muppets</i> and Woody Allen (not in attendance) winning for Best Original
Screenplay for <i>Midnight in Paris. </i>Before
the evening got going, Sacha Baron Cohen arrived on the red carpet dressed as
The Dictator, and spilt the ashes of the late Kim Jong Il on the carpet, and on
Ryan Seacrest, to the delight of the twitterati.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winners in Full:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Picture: <i>The Artist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius – <i>The Artist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Actor: Jean Dujardin – <i>The Artist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Actress: Meryl Streep – <i>The Iron Lady</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer – <i>Beginners<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer – <i>The Help</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Original Screenplay: <i>Midnight in Paris</i> – Woody Allen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Adapted Screenplay: <i>The
Descendants</i> – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Score: <i>The Artist</i>
– Ludovic Bource<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Animated Feature: <i>Rango</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Cinematography: <i>Hugo</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Art Direction: <i>Hugo</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Costume Design: <i>The
Artist<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Editing: <i>The Girl
with the Dragon Tattoo<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Foreign Language Film: <i>A Separation</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Make Up: <i>The Iron
Lady</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Sound Editing: <i>Hugo<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Sound Mixing: <i>Hugo</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Visual Effects: <i>Hugo</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Original Song: “Man or Muppet”, by Bret McKenzie in <i>The Muppets<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Documentary Feature: <i>Undefeated</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Documentary Short: <i>Saving
Face</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Live Action Short: <i>The
Shore</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Animated Short: </span><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-77680763855625653302012-02-26T23:31:00.000+00:002012-02-26T23:31:32.276+00:00Oscar Predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/84toscar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/84toscar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a full list of my Oscar predictions, excluding the short film categories, and it looks like it's going to be a very good night for <i>The Artist</i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Picture: <i>The
Artist<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius – <i>The Artist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Actor: Jean Dujardin – <i>The Artist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Actress: Viola Davis – <i>The Help<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer – <i>Beginners<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer – <i>The Help</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Original Screenplay: <i>Midnight in Paris</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Adapted Screenplay: <i>The
Descendants</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Animated Feature: <i>Rango<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Foreign Language Film: <i>A Separation<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Cinematography: <i>The
Artist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Editing: <i>The Girl
with the Dragon Tattoo<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Art Direction: <i>The
Artist<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Costume Design: <i>The
Artist<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Makeup: <i>The Iron
Lady<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Original Score: <i>The
Artist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Original Song: <i>The
Muppets – </i>“Man or Muppet”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Sound Mixing: <i>Hugo<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Sound Editing: <i>Hugo</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Visual Effects: <i>Rise
of the Planet of the Apes</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Documentary Feature: <i>Pina</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694077515845383445.post-62884361669758847512012-02-26T23:13:00.000+00:002012-02-27T06:15:50.422+00:00The Best Picture Nominees Ranked and Reviewed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBgI1Mrfc-vB1iCcc-CJebtP03-yzGppu7VpvNds6WeeDGWpSEZBiiY_Ql9F3-66YQ0464vDz5szRlX1vU4TMMreLsKIf4rKAMIas0GQRC04iz4CE2ohbeza1X-x77niyM_XgxmBoUdg/s1600/The+Descendants+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBgI1Mrfc-vB1iCcc-CJebtP03-yzGppu7VpvNds6WeeDGWpSEZBiiY_Ql9F3-66YQ0464vDz5szRlX1vU4TMMreLsKIf4rKAMIas0GQRC04iz4CE2ohbeza1X-x77niyM_XgxmBoUdg/s320/The+Descendants+Poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Best Picture Nominees Reviewed Ahead of Tonight's Oscars</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. <i>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close </i>– Truly one of the worst Best
Picture nominees ever, Stephen Daldry’s cold and irritating post-9/11 dirge is
boring, manipulative and features the most annoying child character for quite
some time. To get on this year’s list, 5% of Academy voters had to put the film
as their first choice. How they could do that for this tripe and not for films
such as <i>Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</i> or <i>We Need to Talk About Kevin</i> is just
beyond the comprehension of the sane and rational.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. <i>The Tree of Life</i> – Tremendous visual beauty and excellent
individual pieces of craftsmanship come together to make a frightfully dull,
pretentious and self-involved film. Many really like it, and their affection
for it is more understandable than those who like <i>Extremely Loud</i>, but others have something a little short of
loathing for it. I am in the latter camp. For all its grandiosity and effective
performances, this is a baffling piece of work that is more flash than true
substance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. <i>The Help</i> – A very well-acted, solid piece of filmmaking that is
passingly entertaining. However, it never reaches any great heights, fails to
surprise its audience at any turn, and was brilliantly satirised with a mock
poster which entitled the film “White People Solve Racism”, with the tagline
“You’re welcome, black people”. It is perfectly alright as a film, but it is
distressingly average for a Best Picture nominee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. <i>War Horse</i> – An intensely mixed bag. It has some breathtaking
sequences (the horse flying through no-man’s land for one), and an excellent
cast, but it also goes far too far at points. Whilst it has its agonisingly
mawkish streak, its depiction of the First World War is lacking in genuine
feeling. Nevertheless, it does have moments which, hackneyed though they may
be, do move you and others which thrill you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. <i>Moneyball</i> – The backroom baseball movie has a rich pedigree. It is
directed by the man who made <i>Capote</i>,
and co-written by last year’s Oscar winner for Adapted Screenplay, Aaron
Sorkin. This should be good and it is. With excellent performances from Brad
Pitt and Jonah Hill, this depicts, with wit and brilliant narration, the story
of the Oakland A’s and their attempt to beat the odds of an unfair game. Much
like its central characters, it doesn’t quite have the energy for the whole
race, but it’s a great ride nevertheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. <i>Hugo</i> – Martin Scorsese’s very personal love-letter to the days of
early cinema and Georges Méliès has garnered the most Oscar nominations of any
film this year, and it is easy to see why. It looks gorgeous, is very charming
and has produced the best use of 3D so far. On the downside, it is somewhat
overlong, but its cinephile nature puts it on very safe ground with the
Academy. Something very different from Scorsese than his usual work, but it is
a thoroughly pleasing piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <i>Midnight in Paris</i> – Woody Allen has made a really lovely film here.
Yes, it’s niche and cerebral and maybe a little pretentious, but it is also
charming, hilarious and rather wonderful. Owen Wilson is a very engaging
presence at the centre of the film, and he has a fine supporting cast around
him. The central conceit, which (spoiler alert) involves unexplained time
travel back to Paris in the twenties, allows Allen to write about what amuses
him, as he did with his best work. The result is a very funny and engaging
ninety minutes which I would recommend to anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <i>The Artist</i> – Everyone loves it and rightly so. It’s a wonderful
piece of work, which is joyful, funny and tinged with a really bitter streak
which makes for a powerful combination. It should not be forgotten quite how
bold an enterprise this was. To make a silent, black-and-white film showed the
sort of courage that would have sent Jim Hacker running for the hills. The
breadth of its success has somewhat blinded many people to this fact. Dujardin’s
performance seems destined to collect an Oscar, but I, unlike everybody else it
seems, find Michel Hazanavicius’ love-letter to the silent era to be excellent
but not quite as good as…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
1. <i>The
Descendants</i> – Alexander Payne’s subtle, witty and moving family drama set
in Hawaii is a marvellous piece of work. George Clooney is terrific as Matt
King, a man who has suddenly woken up to realise that he has let his life slide
by and his family disintegrate. It is the story of a man finding renewed value in
his life having subjected himself to the narrowest of outlooks. Payne’s work as
director and co-writer make this a witty and enjoyable affair, as well as
moving and affecting long after the projector has finished its work.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473356540237417329noreply@blogger.com0