http://issuu.com/filmic/docs/filmic_04
Thursday 2 December 2010
Fantastic Filmic 4
It's time to put everyone out of their misery and announce that Filmic 4 has arrived! There's some good stuff this month including an in depth look at 23 minutes of next months Tron: Legacy and a review of the simply awesome The Social Network. Read it below or follow the link underneath for a downloadable copy and links to our back issues. Cheers!
http://issuu.com/filmic/docs/filmic_04
http://issuu.com/filmic/docs/filmic_04
Sunday 17 October 2010
Filmic 3 and The Social Network
Just checking in to say that Filmic 3 was put online yesterday so as usual you can either view it below or link directly to it here. Hitting the link puts our numbers up so that would be nice ;-)
In other news The Social Network is bloody brilliant and you should all go to see it NOW. Obviously I'll keep any in depth impressions until I review it in next months Filmic but it has gained a place in my top 5 films of 2010 so that should give you some impression how much I enjoyed it. Also it'll give you a chance to see the new Spiderman, Andrew Garfield, in action! Unfortunately there's no Spidey suit in this film. Or web-swinging. And not even a sniff of a radioactive spider. But y'know. You can always pretend.
In other news The Social Network is bloody brilliant and you should all go to see it NOW. Obviously I'll keep any in depth impressions until I review it in next months Filmic but it has gained a place in my top 5 films of 2010 so that should give you some impression how much I enjoyed it. Also it'll give you a chance to see the new Spiderman, Andrew Garfield, in action! Unfortunately there's no Spidey suit in this film. Or web-swinging. And not even a sniff of a radioactive spider. But y'know. You can always pretend.
Monday 4 October 2010
My Latest Acquisitions
Popped down to Odeon today. Look what I happened across...
Yes, they are on top of my bed.
No, I have no idea where I'm going to put them.
...
They're friggin' cool though right?!
Yes, they are on top of my bed.
No, I have no idea where I'm going to put them.
...
They're friggin' cool though right?!
Saturday 11 September 2010
Filmic Issue 2
Yes, I know you've all been waiting on tenterhooks for it so here it finally is - issue 2 of Filmic. Plenty of content this month so I hope it's an enjoyable read. There it is down there or you can click on the link underneath that to download onto your computer. Have fun.
Sunday 15 August 2010
Our own brand new FILM MAGAZINE, Filmic!
Yes, you heard/read/whatever. Me and Hayley have put our heads together to create a great looking monthly magazine for you all to enjoy. Read it below or hit the link at the bottom of the post to download your own copy. Check it out!
Monday 9 August 2010
Toy Story 3 and Inception - In Which I Eat My Own Words. Twice.
First things first. We've had a slight lick of paint here at the Groovy Guide thanks to the super wicked design skills of one Ms. Hayley Moore. Basically she's spruced things up a bit and made things look slicker than I realised was possible. I think you will all agree the site looks better for it but believe me this is not the end of her talents. A little website design is peanuts compared to what's coming. Watch this space!
On to business. Last year when constructing my Groovy Scoring System I claimed that the 10/10 mark would likely be reserved for when I reviewed those classic films I love, my all time favourites, and shed doubt on any cinema release in the near future commanding such honourable prestige. And now Inception and Toy Story 3 have come along and made me look like a fool. In the space of two weeks I saw two brand spanking new films at the cinema which both deserved nothing less than a 10/10. And I don't give high marks lightly. They are basically perfection. The absolute zenith of film-making. Twice in two weeks. I hang my fuzz in shame.
The least I could do to make up for my monumental error and mark their brilliance is to review them then, right? As usual my reviews are a bit spoilery, though I tried quite hard not to give too much away in the Inception one. What follows are a couple of reviews of two of the best films you will ever see. Yep, I said it.
Toy Story 3
I can't really fully explain how much I was looking forward to this film and how desperately I was wishing that it wouldn't be a disappointment. After all, I absolutely adore the first two films and the characters are some of the most lovable and funny creations in the world of animation. They were special to me in my childhood from the day I saw the first film as an impressionable young just-turned-seven-year-old, and they remain just as special to me, if not more so, even now I am a twenty-one year old 'man'. Despite my complete confidence and general fanboy adoration for Pixar as a studio there was always a nagging "what if...?" at the back of my mind, the demon on my shoulder, the Inception-esque implanted idea in my mind that they might mess up a third Toy Story outing. As I sat and watched the final product all my fears disappeared. This film is a work of genius.
That being said, having explained my undying love for these characters I was of course saddened that some didn't make the cut for this film. Early on Woody tells us many are missing from the ranks of toys we are familiar with. Amongst others, Bo Peep, Etch, RC, Wheezy, Zurg and, for the most part, Sarge and his Bucket O' Soldiers are absent with little explanation as to their specific whereabouts. However, being set seven or eight years after Toy Story 2 this is understandable. Some toys are bound to have been lost, sold, broken, put in the attic and so on. It makes sense and truthfully it fits in completely with the direction and message of the film. Toy Story was all about Andy's love for his toys and explored the exciting possibilities of these toys actually being alive. Toy Story 2 had more of this but brought forward the idea that Andy was growing up and soon wouldn't want to play with the toys anymore. They learnt to accept this to an extent and began to treasure every last moment they had with him. Toy Story 3 throws us straight into that dark place of being a forgotten toy, with Woody and what remains of the gang confined indefinately to the toy chest, hatching desperate plans in an attempt to get Andy to even just look at them. And if favourites like Woody and Buzz are forever locked in the chest, what really were the chances of Bo Peep and Wheezy making it this far? With Andy leaving for college soon those toys that remain live in constant fear that they will be the next to go.
It is this fear and longing to be loved and played with again that drives the narrative of Toy Story 3. After being mistakenly thrown out with the trash and left on the curb by Andy's mum the toys make their way to Sunnyside Daycare Centre, searching for children who will play with them every day. Initially impressed by their new home the toys soon find Sunnyside is not all that it seems, with a sinister old bear with a grudge ruling over the toys and forcing the weaker ones to the infant room where they are innocently misused and tortured by the smaller kids. Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear rules with an iron fist and uses fear enforced by the stronger toys as a weapon to lock up those toys he deems unfit to live alongside him. This fear doesn't just affect the toys - it affects us as an audience too. This is easily the scariest of the three Toy Story films, beating out Sid's mutant toys in the original by giving us a large freaky looking baby doll with a constantly half-closed eye, a screaming guard monkey and a constant feeling of loneliness and desperation for the toys. I genuinely got the feeling that anything could happen to the toys in this film and was half expecting a death amongst the main characters. Thankfully this moment never occured.
For whilst Toy Story 3 can often be a scary and sad affair it strikes the balance just right between drama and comedy. It never forgets that, underneath, it is a family film made to entertain and make people laugh. And this is a very funny film. Whether it is a reprogrammed, Spanish speaking Buzz Lightyear, a Mr. Potato Head temporarily turned into a Mr. Pancake Head or a now old and fat Buster the dog coming to a not-so-successful rescue, there are many laughs to be had here. For all the losses of previously established characters, some of the new toys introduced provide a few great highlights. A very camp Ken, of Ken and Barbie fame, is the most noteworthy addition and his story throughout the film is a thoroughly enjoyable one. Chuckles the Clown, a clown toy with a constant frown, also stands out but does not get enough screen time to properly shine. Other new toys include Mr. Pricklepants the hedgehog, voiced by Timothy Dalton, Trixie, a girl dinosaur and possible love interest for Rex, and Buttercup, a unicorn toy. All are promising additions but again do not get enough screen time to really make an impact. Hopefully we will see more of them in the Toy Story short to be shown before screenings of Pixar's next release, Cars 2, next year.
Something else I have to mention in this review is the amazing animation work that makes the film so beautiful to look at. Every year Pixar astounds me with the level of detail and personality they manage to inject into the characters and environments that appear in their films and every year I think the animation has improved on the last. This year is no different. The way the human characters in the film have been brought to life is astounding. Never before has an animated film looked so real as it does in those moments. Gone are the days of dead-behind-the-eyes, docile looking CGI characters. The expressions on Andy's face are good enough to be real and we know exactly what he is thinking and feeling just by how he looks. This is impressive enough when done by a real flesh and blood actor - to manufacture the same level of emotion and feeling in a computer generated image takes great skill not just from the animators but from the script-writer, director and everyone else involved in the process too. Great plaudits have to be given to the Pixar team for what they have achieved here.
After escaping death from a moment that truly terrified me the toys realise their home has always been with Andy and they make their way back to his house to face whatever destiny he will make for them. Ultimately realising he no longer has a need for the toys Andy heavy-heartedly accepts the inevitable and takes them to the child of a family friend, a little girl named Bonnie who has been present throughout the film. Meeting her in the front yard Andy enthusiastically introduces his childhood favourites with full profiles and imaginary background details to an increasingly ecstatic Bonnie. You can hear the pride in his voice as he brings them out one by one and remembers the good times he had with them. Then, in a scene of great emotional impact, he plays with his toys one last time, finally giving them the moments they have been wanting to relive for years. I have to admit I was fighting back the tears at this point both in happiness that the toys were getting a loving send-off from Andy and a hand-picked new owner, and from the sadness of the end of an era, knowing that Andy was finally going to leave his toys behind him. It is a powerful end to the tale of these toys and it couldn't have played out any better. As Andy drives away the toys watch as the car disappears into the distance, sad, yet fulfilled in the knowledge that Andy loved them until the very end and excitedly looking forward to a new life with a child who will cherish them just as much as he did.
That ending alone justifies the score but honestly everything about Toy Story 3 is perfect. Surely the last full length Toy Story adventure, it wraps everything up in a very special way and is a complete joy to watch. I would thoroughly reccommend this to anyone, as would Hayley. Isn't that right, Mike?
10/10
Inception
Ironically for a guy who writes some pretty spoilerific reviews, tries to keep track of the latest news about possible film releases and reads general synopses of those films that I like the sound of, I do like to stay in the dark about the specific's of a film's plot until I have seen it. I want to be surprised when I go to see a film, not know what's coming half an hour before it does. Basically, no spoilers. In this specific case my (admittedly patchy) rule was very easy not to break - writer and director Christopher Nolan kept a very tight leash on the information that was released about the film. Six months ago very few people who are in-the-know actually knew what the hell this film was going to be about. They just new it would likely be superb. It is. They also knew it supposedly had a very complex, mind-bending plot. It does. And the question on the general public's lips was largely, "Will it be better than The Dark Knight?" It is.
So, as I walked into the cinema pretty much all I knew about Inception was that it was going to be about dreaming. To be honest then, I was half expecting the film to be made up of crazy dream-like happenings such as flying sandwiches, talking squirrels or herds of giant Brian Blessed's gently grazing in a field. No, I have not actually had that dream. What I actually got though was something totally different. The plot itself is pretty much impossible to do justice to in a brief explanation. Put simply, it consists of a group of "extractors" who enter people's dreams in order to gain access to their secrets. In this case though their employer wants them to plant an idea in someone's mind - inception - so that the target will then subconsciously act upon this idea sometime in the future. What follows in an elaborate journey into four different levels of dreaming using the idea of dreams within dreams. The further down the levels you go, the more time passes in the real world. For example, ten seconds in a normal dream could last one minute in the real world. Ten seconds in a dream within a dream could be ten minutes and a dream within that dream, an hour. The only way to exit these dreams is to die in the dream or receive a "kick" - a sudden jolt to your dreaming body which then wakes you up.
Once you get past the idea that it is possible for someone to enter another person's dreams, the rest of the events aren't actually that crazy. The dreamscapes are normal, everyday environments such as a rainy city or a hotel and things occur in the dreams just as they would in the real world. Definately no giant Blessed's here. People cannot suddenly sprout wings or turn into a horse. That being said, one of the ensemble, Eames (Tom Hardy), is a specialist who can appear to be someone else in dreamworlds, as long as he has enough information about them prior to dreaming. This job falls on Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a researcher who meticulously gathers information on the lives of the extractor's targets to ensure the dreamworld they are placed in is convincing enough to be confused for the real world. New recruit Ariadne (Ellen Page) is reponsible for constructing the dream worlds based on Arthur's research whilst Yussuf (Dileep Rao) develops the sedatives which put the extractors and their target to sleep. Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a proffessional dream thief who leads the team and specialises in extracting the information needed from the dream.
It is of huge credit to Nolan that all of this is explained in the film in a way that first of all makes complete and utter sense and secondly does not feel as laboured as two paragraphs of explanation! You watch in fascination as more and more of this world is peeled away and things become clearer. The film does not always hold your hand though, and does demand your full attention. It certainly isn't casual viewing. One of the highest praises I can give to such a complex plot is that I only got lost once in the film and this confusion was soon cleared up for me. As long as you engage your brain and think a little bit this is a very rewarding film.
And it's a gorgeous looking, stunning spectacle of a film too. Full of set-pieces that certainly look brilliant on a large screen but also have huge significance to the overall story, this isn't just flashy for the sake of it - there's plenty of thought put into the scenes regarding the affect they have on the bigger picture. If it isn't enough that the film contains a car chase ending up with a van tumbling off a bridge into the river, an intense zero gravity battle in an hotel corridor and an heated gunfight on a snowy mountain, they all happen AT THE SAME TIME with the conclusions of each needing to come in quick succession less our characters suffer dire consequences. It will make your brain hurt but the sheer brilliance of it all wins through and you just have to take delight in what is developing before your eyes. The scale and inventiveness of the film is like nothing I have felt in a cinema before and it is unlikely I will experience it again any time soon. It's so clever you cannot help but admire it's ingenuity.
The final hurdle to pulling it all off though is, of course, the performance of the cast. We couldn't fully immerse ourselves, become emotionally attatched and believe in this world if we felt nothing for the characters and the situations that they find themselves in. True to form, Inception's cast bring everything that is needed and more. DiCaprio is without doubt the most impressive, giving effortless weight to the character of Dom, a guy who has a lot of hidden troubles and a heart breaking past. It's a career defining role and adds a serious amount of credibility to his status as an actor, not just a heart-throb. Combine with his performance in Shutter Island and 2010 could be the year little Leo wins big time come awards season. Ellen Page also portrays Ariadne well as a young woman coming out of her shell as she realises the possibilities that are being opened up to her by the extracting lifestyle. Gordon-Levitt is strong in his 'sidekick' role and has some wonderful banter with Tom Hardy's Eames, providing some of the more light-hearted moments in the film. As with the film on the whole, there's not a lot to fault here.
Ultimately though, the best indicator of the quality, gravitas, and emotional investment in the film is by the reactions of it's audience. When the whole cinema gasped and smiled at that ending it was the final and most rewarding signal that Inception is a very special film. At that point, I realised that everyone in that screening had enjoyed the ride just as much as I had and when you can say that with absolute certainty you know that you've seen something good. Do yourself a favour and make sure you see it too. I simply can't think of a reason someone wouldn't love it.
10/10
On to business. Last year when constructing my Groovy Scoring System I claimed that the 10/10 mark would likely be reserved for when I reviewed those classic films I love, my all time favourites, and shed doubt on any cinema release in the near future commanding such honourable prestige. And now Inception and Toy Story 3 have come along and made me look like a fool. In the space of two weeks I saw two brand spanking new films at the cinema which both deserved nothing less than a 10/10. And I don't give high marks lightly. They are basically perfection. The absolute zenith of film-making. Twice in two weeks. I hang my fuzz in shame.
The least I could do to make up for my monumental error and mark their brilliance is to review them then, right? As usual my reviews are a bit spoilery, though I tried quite hard not to give too much away in the Inception one. What follows are a couple of reviews of two of the best films you will ever see. Yep, I said it.
Toy Story 3
I can't really fully explain how much I was looking forward to this film and how desperately I was wishing that it wouldn't be a disappointment. After all, I absolutely adore the first two films and the characters are some of the most lovable and funny creations in the world of animation. They were special to me in my childhood from the day I saw the first film as an impressionable young just-turned-seven-year-old, and they remain just as special to me, if not more so, even now I am a twenty-one year old 'man'. Despite my complete confidence and general fanboy adoration for Pixar as a studio there was always a nagging "what if...?" at the back of my mind, the demon on my shoulder, the Inception-esque implanted idea in my mind that they might mess up a third Toy Story outing. As I sat and watched the final product all my fears disappeared. This film is a work of genius.
That being said, having explained my undying love for these characters I was of course saddened that some didn't make the cut for this film. Early on Woody tells us many are missing from the ranks of toys we are familiar with. Amongst others, Bo Peep, Etch, RC, Wheezy, Zurg and, for the most part, Sarge and his Bucket O' Soldiers are absent with little explanation as to their specific whereabouts. However, being set seven or eight years after Toy Story 2 this is understandable. Some toys are bound to have been lost, sold, broken, put in the attic and so on. It makes sense and truthfully it fits in completely with the direction and message of the film. Toy Story was all about Andy's love for his toys and explored the exciting possibilities of these toys actually being alive. Toy Story 2 had more of this but brought forward the idea that Andy was growing up and soon wouldn't want to play with the toys anymore. They learnt to accept this to an extent and began to treasure every last moment they had with him. Toy Story 3 throws us straight into that dark place of being a forgotten toy, with Woody and what remains of the gang confined indefinately to the toy chest, hatching desperate plans in an attempt to get Andy to even just look at them. And if favourites like Woody and Buzz are forever locked in the chest, what really were the chances of Bo Peep and Wheezy making it this far? With Andy leaving for college soon those toys that remain live in constant fear that they will be the next to go.
It is this fear and longing to be loved and played with again that drives the narrative of Toy Story 3. After being mistakenly thrown out with the trash and left on the curb by Andy's mum the toys make their way to Sunnyside Daycare Centre, searching for children who will play with them every day. Initially impressed by their new home the toys soon find Sunnyside is not all that it seems, with a sinister old bear with a grudge ruling over the toys and forcing the weaker ones to the infant room where they are innocently misused and tortured by the smaller kids. Lots-O'-Huggin'-Bear rules with an iron fist and uses fear enforced by the stronger toys as a weapon to lock up those toys he deems unfit to live alongside him. This fear doesn't just affect the toys - it affects us as an audience too. This is easily the scariest of the three Toy Story films, beating out Sid's mutant toys in the original by giving us a large freaky looking baby doll with a constantly half-closed eye, a screaming guard monkey and a constant feeling of loneliness and desperation for the toys. I genuinely got the feeling that anything could happen to the toys in this film and was half expecting a death amongst the main characters. Thankfully this moment never occured.
For whilst Toy Story 3 can often be a scary and sad affair it strikes the balance just right between drama and comedy. It never forgets that, underneath, it is a family film made to entertain and make people laugh. And this is a very funny film. Whether it is a reprogrammed, Spanish speaking Buzz Lightyear, a Mr. Potato Head temporarily turned into a Mr. Pancake Head or a now old and fat Buster the dog coming to a not-so-successful rescue, there are many laughs to be had here. For all the losses of previously established characters, some of the new toys introduced provide a few great highlights. A very camp Ken, of Ken and Barbie fame, is the most noteworthy addition and his story throughout the film is a thoroughly enjoyable one. Chuckles the Clown, a clown toy with a constant frown, also stands out but does not get enough screen time to properly shine. Other new toys include Mr. Pricklepants the hedgehog, voiced by Timothy Dalton, Trixie, a girl dinosaur and possible love interest for Rex, and Buttercup, a unicorn toy. All are promising additions but again do not get enough screen time to really make an impact. Hopefully we will see more of them in the Toy Story short to be shown before screenings of Pixar's next release, Cars 2, next year.
Something else I have to mention in this review is the amazing animation work that makes the film so beautiful to look at. Every year Pixar astounds me with the level of detail and personality they manage to inject into the characters and environments that appear in their films and every year I think the animation has improved on the last. This year is no different. The way the human characters in the film have been brought to life is astounding. Never before has an animated film looked so real as it does in those moments. Gone are the days of dead-behind-the-eyes, docile looking CGI characters. The expressions on Andy's face are good enough to be real and we know exactly what he is thinking and feeling just by how he looks. This is impressive enough when done by a real flesh and blood actor - to manufacture the same level of emotion and feeling in a computer generated image takes great skill not just from the animators but from the script-writer, director and everyone else involved in the process too. Great plaudits have to be given to the Pixar team for what they have achieved here.
After escaping death from a moment that truly terrified me the toys realise their home has always been with Andy and they make their way back to his house to face whatever destiny he will make for them. Ultimately realising he no longer has a need for the toys Andy heavy-heartedly accepts the inevitable and takes them to the child of a family friend, a little girl named Bonnie who has been present throughout the film. Meeting her in the front yard Andy enthusiastically introduces his childhood favourites with full profiles and imaginary background details to an increasingly ecstatic Bonnie. You can hear the pride in his voice as he brings them out one by one and remembers the good times he had with them. Then, in a scene of great emotional impact, he plays with his toys one last time, finally giving them the moments they have been wanting to relive for years. I have to admit I was fighting back the tears at this point both in happiness that the toys were getting a loving send-off from Andy and a hand-picked new owner, and from the sadness of the end of an era, knowing that Andy was finally going to leave his toys behind him. It is a powerful end to the tale of these toys and it couldn't have played out any better. As Andy drives away the toys watch as the car disappears into the distance, sad, yet fulfilled in the knowledge that Andy loved them until the very end and excitedly looking forward to a new life with a child who will cherish them just as much as he did.
That ending alone justifies the score but honestly everything about Toy Story 3 is perfect. Surely the last full length Toy Story adventure, it wraps everything up in a very special way and is a complete joy to watch. I would thoroughly reccommend this to anyone, as would Hayley. Isn't that right, Mike?
10/10
Inception
Ironically for a guy who writes some pretty spoilerific reviews, tries to keep track of the latest news about possible film releases and reads general synopses of those films that I like the sound of, I do like to stay in the dark about the specific's of a film's plot until I have seen it. I want to be surprised when I go to see a film, not know what's coming half an hour before it does. Basically, no spoilers. In this specific case my (admittedly patchy) rule was very easy not to break - writer and director Christopher Nolan kept a very tight leash on the information that was released about the film. Six months ago very few people who are in-the-know actually knew what the hell this film was going to be about. They just new it would likely be superb. It is. They also knew it supposedly had a very complex, mind-bending plot. It does. And the question on the general public's lips was largely, "Will it be better than The Dark Knight?" It is.
So, as I walked into the cinema pretty much all I knew about Inception was that it was going to be about dreaming. To be honest then, I was half expecting the film to be made up of crazy dream-like happenings such as flying sandwiches, talking squirrels or herds of giant Brian Blessed's gently grazing in a field. No, I have not actually had that dream. What I actually got though was something totally different. The plot itself is pretty much impossible to do justice to in a brief explanation. Put simply, it consists of a group of "extractors" who enter people's dreams in order to gain access to their secrets. In this case though their employer wants them to plant an idea in someone's mind - inception - so that the target will then subconsciously act upon this idea sometime in the future. What follows in an elaborate journey into four different levels of dreaming using the idea of dreams within dreams. The further down the levels you go, the more time passes in the real world. For example, ten seconds in a normal dream could last one minute in the real world. Ten seconds in a dream within a dream could be ten minutes and a dream within that dream, an hour. The only way to exit these dreams is to die in the dream or receive a "kick" - a sudden jolt to your dreaming body which then wakes you up.
Once you get past the idea that it is possible for someone to enter another person's dreams, the rest of the events aren't actually that crazy. The dreamscapes are normal, everyday environments such as a rainy city or a hotel and things occur in the dreams just as they would in the real world. Definately no giant Blessed's here. People cannot suddenly sprout wings or turn into a horse. That being said, one of the ensemble, Eames (Tom Hardy), is a specialist who can appear to be someone else in dreamworlds, as long as he has enough information about them prior to dreaming. This job falls on Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a researcher who meticulously gathers information on the lives of the extractor's targets to ensure the dreamworld they are placed in is convincing enough to be confused for the real world. New recruit Ariadne (Ellen Page) is reponsible for constructing the dream worlds based on Arthur's research whilst Yussuf (Dileep Rao) develops the sedatives which put the extractors and their target to sleep. Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a proffessional dream thief who leads the team and specialises in extracting the information needed from the dream.
It is of huge credit to Nolan that all of this is explained in the film in a way that first of all makes complete and utter sense and secondly does not feel as laboured as two paragraphs of explanation! You watch in fascination as more and more of this world is peeled away and things become clearer. The film does not always hold your hand though, and does demand your full attention. It certainly isn't casual viewing. One of the highest praises I can give to such a complex plot is that I only got lost once in the film and this confusion was soon cleared up for me. As long as you engage your brain and think a little bit this is a very rewarding film.
And it's a gorgeous looking, stunning spectacle of a film too. Full of set-pieces that certainly look brilliant on a large screen but also have huge significance to the overall story, this isn't just flashy for the sake of it - there's plenty of thought put into the scenes regarding the affect they have on the bigger picture. If it isn't enough that the film contains a car chase ending up with a van tumbling off a bridge into the river, an intense zero gravity battle in an hotel corridor and an heated gunfight on a snowy mountain, they all happen AT THE SAME TIME with the conclusions of each needing to come in quick succession less our characters suffer dire consequences. It will make your brain hurt but the sheer brilliance of it all wins through and you just have to take delight in what is developing before your eyes. The scale and inventiveness of the film is like nothing I have felt in a cinema before and it is unlikely I will experience it again any time soon. It's so clever you cannot help but admire it's ingenuity.
The final hurdle to pulling it all off though is, of course, the performance of the cast. We couldn't fully immerse ourselves, become emotionally attatched and believe in this world if we felt nothing for the characters and the situations that they find themselves in. True to form, Inception's cast bring everything that is needed and more. DiCaprio is without doubt the most impressive, giving effortless weight to the character of Dom, a guy who has a lot of hidden troubles and a heart breaking past. It's a career defining role and adds a serious amount of credibility to his status as an actor, not just a heart-throb. Combine with his performance in Shutter Island and 2010 could be the year little Leo wins big time come awards season. Ellen Page also portrays Ariadne well as a young woman coming out of her shell as she realises the possibilities that are being opened up to her by the extracting lifestyle. Gordon-Levitt is strong in his 'sidekick' role and has some wonderful banter with Tom Hardy's Eames, providing some of the more light-hearted moments in the film. As with the film on the whole, there's not a lot to fault here.
Ultimately though, the best indicator of the quality, gravitas, and emotional investment in the film is by the reactions of it's audience. When the whole cinema gasped and smiled at that ending it was the final and most rewarding signal that Inception is a very special film. At that point, I realised that everyone in that screening had enjoyed the ride just as much as I had and when you can say that with absolute certainty you know that you've seen something good. Do yourself a favour and make sure you see it too. I simply can't think of a reason someone wouldn't love it.
10/10
Tuesday 8 June 2010
REVIEW: Robin Hood
Hello friends! After some encouragement by four (FOUR!!) whole people and almost getting published in a fake student magazine thingy I have decided to give this blogging malarky another crack. I'm not promising anything as I'm prone to MASSIVE PROCRASTINATION but hopefully I'll stick around this time. Maybe I should be (re)starting with something a bit more broadly appealing than Robin Hood but put it this way - it was either a review of this or Sex and the City 2...Yeah. Glad you agree. Off we go, then!
Oh, wait, one last thing. As always my review will probably contain spoilers. In fact, it will. Sorry!
If we're going to be pedantic about such things (and I am) this film should really be called something like Robin Hood - The Early Years, Robin Hood - The Beginning or even, if we must, Robin Hood: Origins. And even with some of those titles we'd still be on slightly shaky ground. You see, most of this film does not concentrate on the character of Robin Hood. It concentrates on Robin Longstride That Guy Who Used To Be A Soldier For King Richard And Then Conned His Way Into A Cushy Role Impersonating A Knight Of Nottingham. You could not with any real credibility say that this guy was Robin Hood until at least two-thirds of the way through the film and he certainly doesn't become the Robin who lives in the forest with a band of Merry Men until the FINAL SCENE. As a result, if you go to see this film expecting forest hi-jinks involving theft from the rich of gold, food, supplies and the like that are then provided to the poor, you will get it only once in the entire film. What you WILL get is a story exploring how shit King John was, how he screwed everyone over, and some historically dubious background to some of the events leading up to the signing of the Magna Carta. That's fine, it's the right setting, the right kind of themes, but couldn't we have a proper Robin as well? It would actually be a pretty decent story then. I heard Russel Crowe say on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross that he and director Ridley Scott came up with a big story and split it in half, suggesting there will be a sequel. I don't particularly think 'Robin becomes Robin Hood' should really be a half-way point. But whatever. Let's move on.
As big a problem as I might have with the story, you can't really fault the direction and general look of the film. As you would expect of a summer blockbuster with a $200 million budget its all very authentic and you can easily buy into being back in 12th century England. To be fair, some of the locations are stunning and the final battle between England and France on the beaches of the south coast looks great. There is no doubting that Ridley Scott is still a great director and his crew certainly know what they're doing. The problem is there's very little soul or emotion to the film and I blame this on Russel Crowe's portrayal of Robin.
I do not like Russel Crowe. He says things in a boring, gravelly, monotone voice and constantly has a look on his face that says "someone just fed the dog my last rolo." I swear he smiles once in the entire film. OK, he doesn't have much to smile about with the state England is in but meanwhile he is supposed to be falling in love. This requires emotions such as joy and happiness and often neccessitates a charming nature which the girl cannot possibly resist. Russel Crowe is one of the least charming people I can think of. And I can think of Pierce Morgan. I am reliably informed by Phil that he does show emotion in Ridley and Russels other, very popular (amongst other people) film, Gladiator. I hope that when I am inevitably made to finally see the film that this 'emotion' is not actually him just shouting a lot. In a gravelly monotone voice. It may lead to a fatal blow to the TV screen.
Anyway, I haven't got a lot more to say about the film. It's just...bland. A couple of the performances are noteworthy with the two main antagonists of King John (Oscar Isaac) and Godfrey (Mark Strong) being suitably evil and villainous. Marion (Cate Blanchett) is fairly interesting and adds a bit of wit and humour to proceedings at points whilst also clearly being a very strong-willed woman. Everyone else kind of just wanders through the film though without having much impact. The Merry Men are very merry (read: drunk) but don't do a lot. Friar Tuck is also merry and doesn't do a lot. Truly captivating.
I am being a bit harsh on the film. But that's just my grumpy way. It's not awful, far from it. It's fine. Watchable. Some good action scenes and much better than some of the trash that gets put out. But you'll never get truly invested in it and it probably won't be what you're expecting. If you wish to remind yourself of my scoring criteria check HERE. And, in light of the conditions of which I have set myself, I feel I have to give a slightly harsh...
5/10
Oh, wait, one last thing. As always my review will probably contain spoilers. In fact, it will. Sorry!
If we're going to be pedantic about such things (and I am) this film should really be called something like Robin Hood - The Early Years, Robin Hood - The Beginning or even, if we must, Robin Hood: Origins. And even with some of those titles we'd still be on slightly shaky ground. You see, most of this film does not concentrate on the character of Robin Hood. It concentrates on Robin Longstride That Guy Who Used To Be A Soldier For King Richard And Then Conned His Way Into A Cushy Role Impersonating A Knight Of Nottingham. You could not with any real credibility say that this guy was Robin Hood until at least two-thirds of the way through the film and he certainly doesn't become the Robin who lives in the forest with a band of Merry Men until the FINAL SCENE. As a result, if you go to see this film expecting forest hi-jinks involving theft from the rich of gold, food, supplies and the like that are then provided to the poor, you will get it only once in the entire film. What you WILL get is a story exploring how shit King John was, how he screwed everyone over, and some historically dubious background to some of the events leading up to the signing of the Magna Carta. That's fine, it's the right setting, the right kind of themes, but couldn't we have a proper Robin as well? It would actually be a pretty decent story then. I heard Russel Crowe say on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross that he and director Ridley Scott came up with a big story and split it in half, suggesting there will be a sequel. I don't particularly think 'Robin becomes Robin Hood' should really be a half-way point. But whatever. Let's move on.
As big a problem as I might have with the story, you can't really fault the direction and general look of the film. As you would expect of a summer blockbuster with a $200 million budget its all very authentic and you can easily buy into being back in 12th century England. To be fair, some of the locations are stunning and the final battle between England and France on the beaches of the south coast looks great. There is no doubting that Ridley Scott is still a great director and his crew certainly know what they're doing. The problem is there's very little soul or emotion to the film and I blame this on Russel Crowe's portrayal of Robin.
I do not like Russel Crowe. He says things in a boring, gravelly, monotone voice and constantly has a look on his face that says "someone just fed the dog my last rolo." I swear he smiles once in the entire film. OK, he doesn't have much to smile about with the state England is in but meanwhile he is supposed to be falling in love. This requires emotions such as joy and happiness and often neccessitates a charming nature which the girl cannot possibly resist. Russel Crowe is one of the least charming people I can think of. And I can think of Pierce Morgan. I am reliably informed by Phil that he does show emotion in Ridley and Russels other, very popular (amongst other people) film, Gladiator. I hope that when I am inevitably made to finally see the film that this 'emotion' is not actually him just shouting a lot. In a gravelly monotone voice. It may lead to a fatal blow to the TV screen.
Anyway, I haven't got a lot more to say about the film. It's just...bland. A couple of the performances are noteworthy with the two main antagonists of King John (Oscar Isaac) and Godfrey (Mark Strong) being suitably evil and villainous. Marion (Cate Blanchett) is fairly interesting and adds a bit of wit and humour to proceedings at points whilst also clearly being a very strong-willed woman. Everyone else kind of just wanders through the film though without having much impact. The Merry Men are very merry (read: drunk) but don't do a lot. Friar Tuck is also merry and doesn't do a lot. Truly captivating.
I am being a bit harsh on the film. But that's just my grumpy way. It's not awful, far from it. It's fine. Watchable. Some good action scenes and much better than some of the trash that gets put out. But you'll never get truly invested in it and it probably won't be what you're expecting. If you wish to remind yourself of my scoring criteria check HERE. And, in light of the conditions of which I have set myself, I feel I have to give a slightly harsh...
5/10
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