Ed Wood

A lonely hotel in St Malo around Christmas would lead me to watch Ed Wood, you see before there was The Mad Hatter and co, we had good, understated and subtle Johnny Depp performances, and before we had a Tim Burton whose films were based on appearance, and CGI, we had films such as Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, and Ed Wood. Ed Wood is a biopic of a real life director, known for directing Plan 9 from outer space, and Glen or Glenda, and for being awarded the golden turkey award naming him the worst director of all time, and earning him legions of new fans and a cult following. Depp stars as Ed Wood and Sarah Jessica Parker stars as his girlfriend, Dolores Fuller.

The film shows us Ed Wood, as he is trying, and failing to make it in Hollywood as a film director, struggling to find financing for his next film, due to his last film being universally panned. Dolores suggests financing the film independently, and so whilst attempting to gain funding for his film he meets his longtime idol Bela Lugosi, a famous film star who he convinces to star in his new picture. The independent financing results in Dolores being demoted to a supporting role, and the production being crowded by financiers.

This is a fantastic film, and its success lies in the fact that its protagonist is admittedly a little eccentric, yet the film manages to looks at the quirks of the main character, whilst never making fun of Ed, and whilst never ridiculing him or making him the but of a joke. The film is shot in black and white, an audacious choice, and one which almost jeopardized the films creation, but one which pays off, due to the fact that the film manages to mimic the films that it attempts to parody, and the film retains the visual aspect of the time, and there is no jarring against the visual style and the cinematography.

This film contains the best cast that i have seen in some time, Johnny Depp is simply astounding in the title role, and manages to infuse a humanity into a man whohas been ridiculed for so long, and who could easily become camp and gratuitously ridiculous, however the man becomes a character, and we empathize with him despite his faliures. Sarah Jessica Parker is good as Dolores Fuller, a struggling actress who clearly loves Ed despite his flaws, and who attempts to stick with him despite what the rest of the world must think. Martin Landau is stunning as Bela, a man who is depressed and an addict, and whom the rest of the world has forgotten. The rest of the cast is made up by Bill Murray, Jeffrey Jones and Patricia Arquette, and each of these actors manage to create characters who are delightfully kooky, yet also well rounded and who manage to seem like real people, and are not overly caricatured.

Overall Ed Wood is a delightful film, it is fun and stylish, artistic and clever, and provides an insight into the life of a man whose body of work is often lampooned, and a stellar performance from Depp make this film a must watch for anyone, yet more so for Burton fans, this film being truly one of Burton's best. Rating: A

Shame

Well, it appears I have gone down the same route as so many other trilogies do, and have rather tactlessly tacked on a fourth installment to the unofficial Carey Mulligan trilogy, oops, however Shame is a film that is too interesting to resist, and that is thought provoking, yet should not be watched with ones parents. The film stars Michael Fassbender as a sex addict living in new york, who falls down into a rabbit hole of lies, sex, darkness and more sex, until it threatens to consume his whole life. Carey Mulligan stars as his sister, who comes into his life, disrupting his carefully planned routine, and breaking the fragile web in which he has cocooned himself, and which allows him to conceal his addiction from the world.

Michael Fassbender is great in the role, even more striking is the fact that this film has little dialogue, and Fassbender manages to show us a man falling apart, and who clings to the last fragment, whilst never being loathsome, and allowing us to see him as an inherently good man. Carey Mulligan stars as his sister, and together these actors show us two people who clearly have darkness in their past, and to whom something happened when they were young, but which both of them cannot speak of. The film shows some tension between these characters, undertones which may be interpreted as incestuous, one scene in particular in which Fassbenders character finds Mulligans in the shower, yet she makes no attempt to cover herself, and seems to relish the affection.

The film was controversial at the time as it was given an NC-17 rating, and the filmmakers made no attempt to cut it down or edit it, and this film was seen as legitimizing the rating, and showing that a film could be powerful and thought provoking, and also contain strong sexual content and adult themes. The film is accurate in the way it shows addiction, and the way it shows a man trying to get his fix, and not even enjoying the experiences he goes through, and even going to hiring prostitutes and gay clubs in order to have sex, with his experiences not having anything to do with sexual preference. The film also shows how his addiction affects his sister, who finally breaks down, and can no longer cope with the disaster that her life has become.

Overall this is a masterful film, with a great plot and message which is thought provoking and powerful, and which is worth a watch simply for the great performances of its leads. Rating: A

  Sissy Sullivan: We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place.

Trance - A Thriller By Danny Boyle

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing a delightful little Danny Boyle movie called 'Trance', starring James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel, the film is about an art autioneer who is involved in a robbery, and yet is hit on the head, and thus after the painting goes missing, cannot remember where he mislaid it, and thus sees a hypnotherapist, who puts him into trance states in order to see into his subconscious and recover the painting.

This film was directing by Danny Boyle, director of the 28 series, Millions, and the Olympic opening ceremony, and is partially based on a 2001 TV movie which Boyle was involved with of the same name. The film is a thriller which blends dreams and reality, in which the audience is often unaware as to which state we are viewing the scene through, and scenes will start out by making the audience think that they are 'real' and will then be discovered to be trance scenes. This is why the film makes no attempt to give the two states different visual identities, so as to blur the line between reality and fantasy for the audience, a smart move, given the way the director tries to trick the audience, often succeeding!

Rosario Dawson plays the films hypnotherapist, and who sees a way to gain from the situation, Dawson succeeds in carrying a large part of the film, and manages to play a double character, a woman who is seen in two different ways by the main character, and who has to seem like a new character with a history and no history simultaneously, Vincent Cassel plays a villain who masterminds the operation, and James McAvoy is pretty much a piece of furniture, in his role as Simon, the conduit through whom we see this action unfold. It is bloody hard to write about this film without giving too much away, and despite this being bloody frustrating, it is, in a sense a tribute to the tightness of the plot, with this story being so complex that it is near impossible to analyze it without giving the game away, however the film deals with themes of how we view people, and how our first opinions of people are indicative of how we view their actions later on.

My only criticism of this film is that towards the end is that the twists and turns of the plot can become frustrating, and it can seem too much towards the end and seems as if the director is 'playing' with the audience! In conclusion this is a tightly plotted and fun film which has a great plot and good performances from its leads, in particular that of Rosario Dawson. Rating: A-

Elizabeth: The choice is yours. Do you want to remember or do you want to forget?

A New Hope

Hell just froze over, I never thought that I would see the day that I, of all people, would actually watch a star wars movie, and I also never thought the day would come that I would actually enjoy it. This is a part of the post in which i would normally talk about the history of a film, however this is such a famous film that i feel it is more appropriate to talk about the legacy and influence of this film. It was released in 1977 and started a whole new genre of science fiction films dubbed 'Space Opera', a genre which combined mythology with science fiction, and over thirty years later Star Wars is as modern as ever.

The film centers around an alternative universe, and follows a group of freedom fighters who call themselves the rebel alliance, as they plot to destroy the Deathstar, a super-weapon capable of destroying planets lorded over by the evil Darth Vader. The film is set in various places in the galaxy, and focuses on a young boy, Luke Skywalker, who finds himself caught up in the rebel alliance and decides to team up with Jedi Night; Obi Wan Kenobi and leader Princess Leia on an attempt to destroy the Deathstar and save the galaxy.

The film is notable in the way it uses desert settings, and rural environments, such as are not usually found in science fiction films. Yet the fim also retains the traditional spaceship environments such as are found in traditional science fiction films. The film was revolutionary upon its release for its use of visual effects. The film stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, the character around whom the story revolves, and a relatively unknown Harrison Ford as Han Solo. Carrie Fisher really shines as Princess Leia, and somehow manages to act through that crazy yet fabulous hair!

The real star is Alec Guinness, as Obi Wan, a former Jedi Knight and Master during the clone wars, and who introduces Luke to the force. Guinness was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the film, a rare coup for a film like this. On a personal level i was really impressed with this film, especially as a alleged non-fan of this series, and i found the film to make a great balance between effects heavy action sequences, and more personal journeys, such as the journey of a boy struggling to be a man and to find his place in the universe, and i will conclude by saying that i really loved this movie, I will now be watching the other five and have high hopes for the seventh. Rating: A

Obi-Wan: The Force will be with you, always.

Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go is a british film adapted from famed the novel by Man-Booker prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro. The film stars british actors Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Kiera Knightly. I am considering this post as the conclusion of my Carey Mulligan Trilogy. The film is directed by Mark Romanek and is set in an alternative dystopian future, in which clones are cultivated simply for their organs. The main leads star as three of these children who are living in a boarding school in england, and who become embroiled in a love triangle.

The film is set in a school in the English countryside, and it is refreshing to see a film set in a dystopian future, which is not violent or overly sci-fi, and which sacrifices shock factor for a tenderness and a beauty, rather than being 'edgily ugly'. The film concentrates on performance rather than large set pieces, and the main relationships are at the forefront.

The performances in the film are great, and the three leads shine, adding depth and subtlety to the roles they play, and allowing the audience to see themselves on screen, and allowing us to empathize with the characters. The film deals with themes of disillusionment, pain and loss. The characters live in a world in which death is certain, and where they know that they will die at some point in the next years, yet they still manage to see the beauty in the world. The characters are treated like trash by the world, and they are clones whose only purpose in the world is to   donate their organs, yet we still are able to see what the rest of the world can not.

Overall this is a good film, which despite being a little slow, contains great performances from it's leads, and which is a great story and is surprisingly different from other films of it's genre. I really enjoyed this film despite it's flaws, and it is worth a watch Rating: A-

Miss Emily: We didn't have to look into your souls, we had to see if you had souls at all.

An Education - A Review

Well this is the second part of what I am informally referring to as my Carey Mulligan trilogy, which will be concluded tomorrow, and which was induced yesterday with my review of The Great Gatsby. Kudos to my friend Ada for her recommendation of this delightfully quirky British film, produced by BBC Films. An Education stars Carey Mulligan, then unknown in her first starring role as Jenny, a bright 16 year old schoolgirl who plays the cello and keeps out of trouble, on track to be accepted into Oxford University. Her plan goes awry when she is seduced by a David, a handsome charismatic businessman, who woos her with parties and trips to Paris.

Thematically the film deals with the use and meaning of an education, why an education is important, and what an education means in ones life, Jenny essentially has to choose between what David refers to as the 'University of Life' and going to university and getting a formal education. Jenny looks at the female role models around her, and what they have done with their education, and the choices they have made. David tells her that he went to 'The University of Life' referring to how he never had any kind of formal education, yet manages to have a fabulous existence none the less. Jenny finds this life exciting, she is taken in by the parties and the concerts and the money, and the trips to Paris. Her boring life with her parents could never compete with this.

Carey Mulligan portrays Jenny, a young innocent ingenue who is taken advantage of. Mulligan manages to add a depth and weight to this character. The character at times has to be submissive and obedient when she is at school, and yet when she is with David, she discovers another side, a wilder more emancipated side, and a side which she finds exciting and terrifying, these two personalities come together at the end of the third act.

Peter Sarsgaard portrays David, the charming Jewish businessman, who seduces Jenny and her parents, into letting them into their world, and into letting him sweep Jenny away to Paris, where she will discover her own sexuality. Sarsgaard is successful in portraying a man who is charismatic and charming, yet who's slick exterior hides a more sinister and chaotic interior, the interior of a man with two lives, and who struggles with choosing between these lives. Sarsgaard grafts a character with whom we empathize, yet who also disgusts us, and who seems as pathetic as he is admirable.

The film is beautifully shot, and cinematographically distinct, the film uses colors which mimic the sixties when the film is set, the film is clearly well made, and concisely achieves what it sets out, without being over ambitious or pretentious. The film succeeds by focusing of character and performance, and thus allows the audience to connect with the characters, an effect which is enhanced by the fact that the characters don't feel too foreign, and the audience is allowed to see themselves portrayed onscreen.

Overall this is an entertaining film which features strong performances and beautiful visuals, and which will surely go down as a classic film in motion picture history. Rating: A

Jenny: If people die the moment that they graduate, then surely it's the things we do beforehand that count.

Gatsby - The Motion Picture Event of A Century

The time is finally here, the film I have been waiting for for over two years is finally here. Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's epic 20th century is finally in theaters. The novel is one of my favorites, and is a powerful tale of love, loss, and really great parties. The film uses Baz Luhrmann's signature visual style, and is a continuation of the style used in Moulin Rouge with pans, quick cuts, and swoops, whilst also containing racking shots, to show the romantic progression of the story . I suppose I don't have to explain that i was pretty excited about this movie, given that i wrote two posts on the trailers, and I must say that the film doesn't disappoint, and is a classic film that feels relevant and current.

The film has an amazing all star cast, and improves on the 1974 version on the cast alone. Leonardo Dicaprio stars as the titular Gatsby, and manages to show a man who is slick and smooth, yet who hides a violent dark exterior. Dicaprio manages to improve on Redford's performance, as he is more rugged and broken than Redford was, and manages to carry with us our hopes and dreams, and he makes the audience fall as head over heels in love with him, and we fall as hard as Nick does, when we are ultimately betrayed, and when our trust and faith in him falls due to his actions.

Carey Mulligan stars as Daisy Bucchannan, a rich spoilt fragile woman, who risks to be pushed over the edge by the chaos that ensues. Carey Mulligan manages to capture the fragility and the trauma of a woman who struggles between her love for two men, and with the dangerous destructive relationship that she has with an old lover, a relationship based on the past, a past that will never be reclaimed, and a relationship that is slowly dying and which becomes more and more toxic as we progress through the story. Mulligan manages to perform better than Mia Farrow, who also deftly portrayed the fragility, but who's performance at times veered into shrill, and lost some of the weight of the character.

Joel Edgerton stars as Tom Bucchannan, and despite being deft in his performance, he offers little is the way of imagination, or new insight into the character. Toby Maguire portrays Nick Carraway, and also provides little in the way of insight, which is perhaps appropriate, given that nick is intended to be a lens, always seeing, yet providing little in the way of opinion or unbiased critique. The film allows us to agree with nick, and fall for Gatsby as hard as he does, thus continuing the narrative of the book.

The real star of this film is Elizabeth Debecki as Jordan Baker, a newcomer who manages to maintain the essence of the original character, whilst taking it in a different direction, I was a huge fan of Lois Chiles shrewd and self aware performance in the 1974 movie. In this version Debecki portrays Baker as more of an ingenue, a wide eyed young woman, who observes what goes on around her, and the film dispenses with the  subplot involving a romantic relationship between Nick and Jordan and a plot involving golf and cheating. Debecki is a newcomer having just graduated, and i can see an oscar coming her way for this deft and studied performance.

The film is a visual treat, and shows us the hollowness of this world which Fitzgerald creates. If the party in the original film was a little mishandled and held at arms length by the filmmakers, here the party is literally the best party one could imagine, the party is huge and gratuitous, and has great music. The music in the film is great, with a Jay Z produced soundtrack, which combines modern Hip Hop and pop music with old school 1920's Jazz music. The costumes are also spectacular, and are a blend of 1920's styles, with a more modern touch, such as the slimmer tailored pant.

Now we come to the negatives, the film contains a subplot involving Nick narrating his story from a sanatorium, which could have been dispensed with, and the film suffers from poor pacing towards the third part of this four part movie structure, when the story seems to be going nowhere, however these issues are resolved in the final act when the film soars, and then finally plummets towards its assured and destructive conclusion.

Overall however this is an assured visually stunning picture, with a great soundtrack and wonderful performances from it's leads, and i dare anyone who watches it not to fall just as head over heels in love with it as I did. Rating: B+

Nick Carraway: Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning - So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

3D Fad or Fab! - My Opinion

Well, my recent viewing of Iron Man 3 in 3D, in addition to my compulsive researching of home cinema's lead me to a reflection of the use of 3D in modern cinema. We live in an age of money, and with showings of Avatar in 3D having unprecedented success, 3D was unceremoniously tacked on to a number of releases that were not designed nor edited with 3D in mind, leading to headaches and nauseating effects. (I'm looking at you Clash of the Titans) The 3D boom can be credited for reinvigorating the cinema industry financially and for dragging audiences back in to the theaters. Only three of the top 20 highest grossing pictures of all time were produced before 2000, and all of those have at some point had a 3D theatrical re-release.

Despite, having to some eyes pushed the focus of cinema-going back to technology and off storytelling, yet there are exceptions to this rule, for instance Toy Story 3 was as arresting and enchanting as the first two, and yet was also in 3D. I saw this film in 3D myself and found the 3D to be an enhancement, and it helped to drag the viewer into the action, rather than distract. There were recent articles reporting a viewer decline in 3D viewing trends, stating that less and less viewers are going to see 3D movies, preferring 2D content, my reasoning behind this is two fold, firstly viewers are sick and tired of the extra fee, which in some theaters can be exorbitant, and secondly, the dimness of the image, the glasses that one is obliged to wear are tinted, and thus can diminish the brightness of the image, to such an extent as it is noticeable.

3D is apparently making a big jump into our homes, yet in my eyes this remains to be seen, 3D home technology is expensive with the glasses alone costing as much as $150 apiece, much of this has to do with them using the active 3D shutter effect, i also fear that the size of a 3D television will hamper the immersiveness of the effect, and create an odd jump between the screen and the outside world, an effect that is diminished in a dark cinema. Let it also be said that there is relatively little 3D content available, with few films being released on 3D DVD and many conversion processors giving odd effects, due to a lack of ability to process the information fast enough. Overall 3D seems to be here to stay, for now anyway!

Any opinions, let the world know in the comments box below!

Antichrist - By Lars Von Trier

I recently reviewed Melancholia, and now i will be reviewing the controversial film Antichrist, also by controversial danish director Lars Von Trier. The film is much more controversial that Melancholia, and remains unrated in the united states and was not given a theatrical release there. The film however deals with similar themes as melancholia, and acts as the first part of the Depression Trilogy. The film stars Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as 'Him' and 'Her', a couple that goes to live in a wood after the death of their child, who falls out of the window, and he uses this time to attempt to 'heal' his wife.

I feel that i should warn people that this film is graphic, the film was released in two forms, entitled the catholic and the protestant versions, the former being the censored edited version, and the latter being the uncut and generally unrated version. The film was however released in the UK uncut, gaining an 18 certificate. I will be reviewing the unrated version here, however the two are very similar, having the same plot and events. The film is a blend of genres, and can most accurately be described as a blend of a horror film, an exploitative thriller and a porn film. I feel that it is important to clarify that this film is not torture porn, a genre which I loathe, and each act of violence has a purpose and a place in the plot, and it is really for this reason that I chose to watch the unrated version, as i feel that the censored cut robs the piece of some of it's majesty, and power.

The film was controversial as soon as it premiered at Cannes, with some ridiculously referring to it as the most controversial film of all time. The film is about a couple who retreat into the woods after the death of their son, where the woman manifests increasingly violent sexual behavior, as she transforms into the ultimate manifestation of pure evil. Thematically the film deals with evil and humanity, and the main character expresses the same revelations as in Melancholia, and expresses the evil of humanity and the evil of nature. The female lean, known as She, a woman who researched murder crimes against women, and who comes to believe that all women and nature are evil.

The film was controversial upon its release, in part due to it's use of untsimulated, 'real' sex scenes. To be honest I have a sense of ambivalence towards this, while I'm not sure if the film benefits from the use of these scenes, I also don't find these parts of the film particularly shocking, and so I guess I am not the person to say whether these add to the film or not, for me they were a part of the film, and were not more or less shocking than anything else. The film is also tied in to Melancholia with its use of musical motifs, the film uses Lascia Ch'io Pianga, by Handel to bookend the film, and to use as the prologue and epilogue, much like Melancholia uses the Wagner prologue. The film is split into four chapter, each of which deals with a certain aspect of the madness that encircles this couple.

In short I will say that this film is masterfully shot, and wonderfully filmed, atmospheric and dark, but like melancholia, it is also perhaps more interesting to discuss than to watch, and may be too gruesome for some to watch, however the film remains a masterpiece of the horror , and is perhaps my favorite horror film, a branch of cinema that I have been known to despise. Surely handled and well filmed this film stands out among the Lars Von Trier canon. Rating: B+

She: Nature is Satan's church.

Melancholia - By Lars Von Trier

Melancholia is a 2011 art film by controversial danish director; Lars Von Trier. The film stars Kirsten Dunst as Justine, a woman who we are introduced to as a bride, suffering from a crippling depression, whilst trying to appear like the happy bride as social convention dictates. Charlotte Gainsbourg stars as her sister, named Claire, a woman struggling to take care of her almost catatonic sister, and deal with the crisis that surrounds her. The premise of the film is that a planet named melancholia is about to collide with the earth, wiping out all existence, and the film attempts to explain the different ways in which we deal with these situations.

The film is the second in Lars Von Triers Depression, which started with Antichrist, and which will be concluded with Nymphomaniac this summer. The genesis of the trilogy came when Von Trier was undergoing therapy for a crippling depression that left him unable to work. The plot was conceived when his therapist told his that depressive people are lore likely to remain calm under difficult situations, as they are conditioned to expect bad things to happen, thus the film is split into two distinct chapters, entitled Justine and Claire, each exploring the different ways in which they deal with impending doom. The differing ways are interesting, and i will admit that although their reactions were not obvious to me, they make perfect sense, and Dunst's character deals with the whole ordeal with a bored ambivalence, and remarks that the earth is evil, and must be destroyed, a statement which was earlier uttered in Antichrist, review coming soon. On the other hand Gainsbourg's character has a complete breakdown, and is left unable to function, and completely petrified by the impending doom.

The secondary cast also behave in bizarre ways, Claire's husband commits suicide, an event which she covers up, hiding the body and sending away the horse, making it seem like he had fled. The first chapter shows Justine's wedding, as she deals with a series of personal and professional challenges, and attempts to do it with a grace and joy that is expected. What makes this film intriguing for me is the way in which it shows Depression with a realism and a deft that it a tribute to Lars Von Trier as a filmmaker, and Kirsten Dunst as an actress. The film uses the prelude from Wagner's; Tristan and Isolde, a great peace of music which adds to the films atmosphere as an epic universal story, and which is a great counterpoint to the beautiful images shown in the story.

Now we come to the more negative points, despite being visually stunning and well acted, the film is let down by its script, despite having a powerful story and an interesting premise, the film is let down by the fact that it has relatively little dialogue, and is at times  little slow, that said it is none the less a very powerful film and an interesting jump off point for a dialogue about depression and the way it affects our actions.

Melancholia is a good film overall, it if well made, well acted and clever, and only let down by its slow pace and apparent lack of dialogue, it is perhaps a film that is more interesting to discuss than watch. Rating: B+

Justine: Life is only on Earth. And not for long.

MUD - An Epic Story

Well, my second cinema venture this week would take me to see Mud, a southern coming of age drama about two young boys who find a mysterious man on an island in Arkansas. The film is directed by Jeff Nichols, director of the acclaimed 2011 film Take Shelter. The film stars Matthew McConaughey in the title role as Mud, a mysterious fugitive, and Reese Witherspoon as Juniper, his former flame whom he attempts to reconcile with, whilst hiding from the police and a series of dangerous bounty hunters simultaneously. The young boys in the film are played by Tye Sheridan and newcomer Jacob Lofland. The supporting cast is filled out with Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon and Ray McKinnon.

The film is set and was filmed in Arkansas, and is about the two impoverished boys experiences with a mysterious man, whom they meet on an island, whilst simultaneously having to deal with the breakdown of one of their parents marriage, and trying to reunite the fugitive, Mud, with his love Juniper. Thematically the film deals with hope and young love, destiny and the relationships that we have with our parents.

The film is well made, and beautifully shot, with many shots showing the natural beauty of the area in which it is set, and there are many shots of the sky and the clouds. which are simply breathtaking, and which could even be framed they are so beautiful. The film was cheaply made, and was filmed mainly on film and mainly with handheld cameras, and on film which I love, one can see on this blog that i have a self confessed loathing for all things handheld, yet in this film the handheld camera is well used and unpretentious, and I like the fact that it is used more out of necessity, shooting in tight spaces requires use of the handheld, and not to make the film 'arty' or pretentious, and the camera doesn't shake too much.

This film could be favorably compared to 'The Place Beyond The Pines'. I like the fact that this film has so much less attitude than 'Pines', the film has so much less ego in that it actually strives for much less, yet achieves more, it tells us so much more about father-son relationships, without the need to pretend that it is some epic tragedy, and it stands on its own terms, without the need to pretend that it is 'arty', which 'Pines' does. Pines ends up being simply pretentious, as it never achieves what it sets out to or what it thinks it does, yet what i like about Mud is that it sets no standard for the audience, and allows the film to stand on its own feet and allows the audience to make up their own mind as to what it is about, and the audience leaves feeling more fulfilled. The film is also much more well made, and doesn't need to resort to making it's leads ugly in order for us to empathize with them.

What i mean by this is that in 'Pines' really hot people are made to look ugly and unattractive. In Mud, Reese Witherspoon looks good, McConaughey looks hot, and their performances are allowed to shine without the need for ridiculous make up, as in ¨'Pines'. The performances in the film are good, and McConaughey shines as Mud, a mysterious man who is as perplexing to the audience as he is to the two leads, and with whom we want to believe despite our cynicism, and whom the leads become enamoured with. Reese Witherspoon is also great as Juniper, Mud's bruised lover, whom we like despite her flaws, and who uses her sexuality to manipulate people, especially Mud.

Now we come to the negatives, these are more personal that academic, as i feel that despite the film is very well made, and accurately achieves what it sets out to do, and does it well and is a very beautiful film. However the whole film is simply too 'Southern' for me, everyone has a southern accent, and in this respect it could be negatively compared to 'Million Dollar Baby' where southern accents are also used, but where they feel less artificial, and where not all of the characters have the exact same Arkansas accents. This is a personal flaw more than anything, and should not really influence others opinion of the film.

In short this is a very well made film, beautifully shot and superbly accurate and with an uplifting spirit, however it was not to my tastes, and feels a little too 'southern' for me, despite its strong performances. Rating: B+

A Day With Wilbur Robinson!

I, as any nineties kid would be am a great fan of Disney animation, growing up during the Disney renaissance gave me a sense of admiration for great animation, such as The Lion King and Aladdin. I also love science fiction, a fact to which this blog should testify, given the disproportionately large number of science fiction films reviewed compared to the relatively small number released. Meet The Robinsons is a film which combines breathtaking computer animation with a science fiction inspired plot involving time travel, and great well rounded Disney characters, along with an annoyingly uplifting plot, and great message, and is a surprisingly fun romp with a great cast of characters as I'm sure that the picture below will testify!

Meet the Robinsons is loosely inspired by A Day With Wilbur Robinson, a children's picture book which despite having a slightly similar premise, and illustrations showing characters which resemble those in the film, the overall plot is wildly different to that of the book, with the book not being about time travel. The overall premise of the film is that Lewis, an orphan and inventor enters a project into a science fair which goes wrong, and then he must attempt to restore order and undo the damage done. He is intercepted by a boy called Wilbur Robinson, who reveals that he is being hunted by a man known as The Bowler Hat Man, he explains that he has a time machine and that If Lewis helps him that he will take him through time to meet his mother. Drama ensues and we meet a bizarrely crazy family.

The film has a ridiculously clever plot, and has to be one of the most complex plot yet to be featured in a film primarily aimed at children. The plot as I said involves time travel and thus has to be complex without confusing it's primarily young audience. This is done effectively by giving each time period a distinguishing visual identity, and each character in each period a distinguishing visual identity, thus allowing the audience not to become confused. The film contains numerous references to science fiction and comic book culture. Wilbur has a t-shirt with the same symbol on it as comic book legend 'The Flash', the time machines have a distinct resemblance to The Enterprise, from the Star-Trek franchise, and a series of Dystopian Futures is shown, one of which has a distinct resemblance to the harvesting fields in The Matrix.

The movie also contains a theme park know as Todayland, a reference to the Tommorowland  found at numerous Disney parks worldwide. The films characters are also more distinctive than generally found in Disney cartoons, with the characters having a certain flair than usual. Disney often gets a bad wrap when compared to Pixar, especially when it comes to computer animation, however here we are given a film with a solid and clever plot, a bunch of great and distinguished characters, and a solid visual identity, and puts zany avant-garde characters against amazingly beautiful backings, (such as the one below) augmented by the addition of wacky inventions and a modern city skyline. The film is also very optimistic, and is distinguishable from other science fiction films in that it shows us an uplifting vision of the future, and makes little reference to a post-apocalyptic future except during a flashback.

The film does have some negatives, in that many of the zany characters that Lewis meets in the future can seem to be under-developed and strangely foreign, and the fact that the film can at times be seen to be unsuitable for children, and the story is mainly adult centered. Overall this film is a fascinating romp, and as a science fiction fan is a perfect blend of sci-fi and animation, with an uplifting and heartwarming message, and is one of my five favorite Disney animation movies! Rating: A-

DVD Review - ADELE

Okay well this is a little different, i never really expected when I started this blog that I would be reviewing music DVDs, but a lonely Wednesday night led to me being curled up on the sofa with a cup of green tea and a copy of Adele at the Royal Albert Hall, and with want of something better to do, I gave it a try. Being a fan of Adele, i knew in advance that the DVD wouldn't be too repulsive! Any Londoner should know the importance of the setting of this concert, it was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall, site of famed concerts such as the Proms. The DVD was filmed after the release of 21 and features material from both her albums as well as some covers.

Being a Londoner myself, this DVD was intriguing to me, Adele is a fantastic performer, and this really comes through on the DVD, with the performances really allowing her vocals and the poignancy of her songwriting to shine, the film also puts her theatricality on display, with the show opening in front of a huge scrim, featuring a silhouette of the London skyline, as she sings Hometown Glory, one of my personal favorites! Adele banters throughout the show, giving insights into her songwriting and into the history and true life experiences behind her songs. Adele seems sincere throughout these moments and on many occasion managed to crack me up with her honest yet humorous wisecracks, and her accent is adorable!

Of the many covers she sings, only two of them I actually knew, yet they show off Adele's vocals superbly, and Adele's cover of Make You Feel My Love, used as a tribute to one of my heroines; Amy Winehouse, is simply breathtaking. The film is beautifully shot, and makes use of obscure and unusual camera angles, which not only showcase the superb architecture of the Royal Albert Hall, but which also add interest to the film, and make each song into a beautiful montage, using pans, swoops and racking focus to add interest.

Now we come to the negatives, despite this being a superb show, and beautifully performed, one could question it's suitability for transferal to this kind of media, and ask oneself whether a live album might not in fact have been a better choice, i had intended to watch this solo, yet found myself looking for something to do whilst watching it. One could negatively compare this to Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour by HBO, as despite the fact that Adele is a superior vocalist to Gaga, I found the latter more entertaining, and it stands more as a long form music video, or a musical, as the story arc and the sheer theatricality and stunning visuals make it a more interesting ride.

In short this DVD is for strict superfans only, anyone else will surely be bored, despite the stunning vocals, and i found myself playing this in the background almost as a CD, which makes one wonder if it would have been better as a live album. Rating: B