tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6266306249758270832024-03-21T21:57:05.358+00:00The Groovy Guide to FilmMy take on films from the new releases to the golden oldiesGroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-44457958100877316232022-01-11T14:03:00.000+00:002022-01-11T14:03:19.154+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #8<p> <b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">The Raid </i>(2011) 101mins</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 6</b></p><p><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 2</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7v7NpZit8ngGL6YZfjmP7n4CjEz2CyvjwX9b31_pr5s-1ImJ2IeUJzO_CBm0l3jlMLYNQxt3bpiyQzxvZfbqL367w5QYEZS7P0dP35u6VBMGoOKlB8n6nXynl8e40xPstw8qescfprvscCTCIAQiTBuuYPQvWFLB_P8z4rJmKplpuljEt3YdI0f62=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7v7NpZit8ngGL6YZfjmP7n4CjEz2CyvjwX9b31_pr5s-1ImJ2IeUJzO_CBm0l3jlMLYNQxt3bpiyQzxvZfbqL367w5QYEZS7P0dP35u6VBMGoOKlB8n6nXynl8e40xPstw8qescfprvscCTCIAQiTBuuYPQvWFLB_P8z4rJmKplpuljEt3YdI0f62=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>Another one for the 'Seen It' count, I first watched <i>The Raid</i> around 10 years ago not long after its original release, but haven't revisited it since. This Indonesian language film follows Rama, a rookie cop who is part of a special forces team tasked with raiding an apartment block housing notorious crime lord Tama Riyadi. The film is well regarded for its fast pace and relentless action scenes which showcase the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat, and all directed somewhat surprisingly by Welshman Gareth Evans. As events progress we soon learn that the raid hasn't actually been officially sanctioned, and that there may be ulterior motives in play not just for the Lieutenant in command, but also for Rama himself...</p><p>It was fun to go back to <i>The Raid</i> after so long as the film truly is an almost non-stop thrill ride, packed with outrageous fights utilising all manner of weapons as well as some killer bare fist fighting. The choreography is exquisite and often leaves you genuinely stunned, mesmerised by the timing and precision involved to pull it all off. There are a few breaks in the action peppered throughout to allow us to catch our breath briefly, particularly when a kind hearted resident of the block provides some shelter and a few choice words of advice to Rama and the team. </p><p>Ultimately though the story here is fairly slight and does take a backseat to the action. There are some rather extreme moments that had me wincing slightly; viewer discretion is definitely advised here and not for the faint of heart! The film knows the audience it is targeting and is not afraid to throw everything at the wall to provide the ultimate version of what it wants to be. The sequel, which I haven't seen, is on my list!</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>8/10</b></span></p>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-45289888653601765512022-01-10T14:07:00.001+00:002022-01-10T14:07:40.023+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #7<p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) </span>(1980) 76mins</b></p><p><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 6</b></p><p><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 1</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAk5KVmYLm5ZOyPHb5ZGJY1AOA8fhrcOgCuFubiW6dFLIaSB2K3Z0b8CCK5bBnZThTMCh9Ntu9qFPxcFoN7noqWlk0ccft5S89smp5kBOQImqqYDqoaxf0F8HGeQVQh-USeMTbGpRkEjDfZFAhzr6jdzHd5YQUDgsnZhPfTPjHLyVtXdJHToaTmDTQ=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAk5KVmYLm5ZOyPHb5ZGJY1AOA8fhrcOgCuFubiW6dFLIaSB2K3Z0b8CCK5bBnZThTMCh9Ntu9qFPxcFoN7noqWlk0ccft5S89smp5kBOQImqqYDqoaxf0F8HGeQVQh-USeMTbGpRkEjDfZFAhzr6jdzHd5YQUDgsnZhPfTPjHLyVtXdJHToaTmDTQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>I think it's fair to say that Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the <i>Peanuts </i>gang have never quite had the same mainstream resonance with us over here in the UK as they have enjoyed for many years in the United States. I remember seeing the cartoon on TV only very rarely when I was young, and that was on the Satellite channels, which were available in far fewer households than they are today (showing my age there!) As I understand it, even now, the <i>Peanuts</i> holiday specials are still shown every year in America, as a tradition akin to our obsession with <i>The Snowman</i>, I suppose. Nevertheless, Snoopy himself is undoubtedly one of the most immediately recognisable cartoon characters ever created. <i>Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown </i>was the fourth and final theatrically released <i>Peanuts</i> movie in the classic line, and perhaps the most ambitious.</p><p><i>Bon Voyage </i>sees Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie all travel to France in a foreign exchange programme, with a quick stop over in London along the way. This provides plenty of fun opportunities for Snoopy and Woodstock's usual slapstick exploits, which are always a joy and certainly the highlight here for me. The scope of this particular film actually forced the production team to finally show (and put real voices to!) the adult characters for the first time, which certainly feels odd but there are some nice gags as a result, particularly with every single figure of authority treating Snoopy with higher regard than they do any of the kids.</p><p>It's a shame in some ways that the film takes so long to get to where it wants to go; by the time the gang have had their misadventures in London and actually reach their destination the runtime is already at the halfway mark. There is a wider story here, with Charlie Brown invited to stay at a French Chateau which appears deserted once he arrives, but there's not a whole lot of opportunity to dive fully into that plot once it is introduced. Still, the appeal of <i>Peanuts</i> has always been its philosophical and matter-of-fact humour, and this had me smiling all the way through. Maybe it's about time I start my own annual <i>Peanuts</i> tradition!</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>7/10</b></span></p>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-56055403501706346152022-01-06T14:29:00.001+00:002022-01-06T14:29:59.390+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #5<p> <b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers </i>(1995) 88mins</b></p><p><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 5</b></p><p><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 0</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo9-WyTruIe3uPsTjb_Fdiy6RYEXAI0p-CDmhqYfjmwonzs-JY00wqvTG65b9KQxzdaMJDRNJZXypRAry9ZlhcRlDOrHqHO-CmtPbidpZUCE57AqIIrg47HjQ9onZ75YbMWH1A-Ykd3sQS8wHghnBXqDe0-Co9NI3GxZf6tyi-jNUFr63F4DXtFA9x=s1118" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1118" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo9-WyTruIe3uPsTjb_Fdiy6RYEXAI0p-CDmhqYfjmwonzs-JY00wqvTG65b9KQxzdaMJDRNJZXypRAry9ZlhcRlDOrHqHO-CmtPbidpZUCE57AqIIrg47HjQ9onZ75YbMWH1A-Ykd3sQS8wHghnBXqDe0-Co9NI3GxZf6tyi-jNUFr63F4DXtFA9x=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Another franchise I'm jumping into right in the middle of with these reviews, I've been working through the <i>Halloween </i>series as I'd only ever seen the original masterpiece. This is the sixth installment, and whilst there have been some definite highs within the <i>Halloween </i>sequels I think it's fair to say that this is the lowest of the lows so far.<br /><p></p><div>Ostensibly made to follow up and deliver on plot threads vaguely teased in the previous two films (even though <i>Halloween V</i> had been released SIX YEARS beforehand) and relate them back to the original, this actually feels so disconnected to anything that has come before that you genuinely find it difficult to accept the killer here as the same Michael Myers we know and love. An attempt to explain Michael's annual killing sprees introduces the Cult of Thorn, who have supposedly cursed Michael since childhood to sacrifice his next of kin every year on the night of the traditional Gaelic festival of Samhain, which coincides with the modern Halloween. It's an uneeded step in my opinion, and makes the whole scenario less scary than if you just present Michael as an unhinged killer.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are a few redeeming elements to the film, namely the series now signature glimpses of Michael watching events from the background, which is very artfully done in some instances and is rather creepy on occasion. The performance of Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis, the only actor to remain with the series since the original, is excellent and is notable as the final performance before his sad death. The presentation of the film as a whole though is sorely lacking, with a confused story that panders to continuity in some instances whilst trying to reinvent it at the same time. The series has lost its identity, becoming more bloody and gory than it ever was under John Carpenter, and to think this came just one year before the genre revolutionising release of <i>Scream </i>beggars belief. Tellingly, the series as a whole would get rebooted with the next film, and I'm sure we will see the results of that here on the blog soon enough...</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>3/10</b></span></div>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-54180504077117754962022-01-05T23:15:00.003+00:002022-01-09T16:59:48.323+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #6<p> <b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">Cape Fear </i>(1991) 128mins</b></p><p><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 5</b></p><p><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 1</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8TnpaOnkMAvVojM7rF8qCFwh4QNsGdZ8EUrMdkdSanXcWy-igsF0Zl4Kkbhrzh36mhsnlGPz6XK8WbrcWOS5PG_jCpNVlNyZZmZQj3C-8kb0bx9xjljsS2AWyzMWYQ_IjyyUl-g0Isn_qI6bKmwHo3WuwhEJOPvoeeuo7NGfWYfMvOBEcVFkTUR7a=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8TnpaOnkMAvVojM7rF8qCFwh4QNsGdZ8EUrMdkdSanXcWy-igsF0Zl4Kkbhrzh36mhsnlGPz6XK8WbrcWOS5PG_jCpNVlNyZZmZQj3C-8kb0bx9xjljsS2AWyzMWYQ_IjyyUl-g0Isn_qI6bKmwHo3WuwhEJOPvoeeuo7NGfWYfMvOBEcVFkTUR7a=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p>The first film to go on the 'Seen It' count! I first saw this film around 15 years ago and it made a great impression on me at the time, though I hadn't rewatched it since. It's a film that gets referenced in various media very often, from <i>The Simpsons</i> to, most recently, <i>Chucky</i>, the new TV series based on the <i>Child's Play </i>films. Being a remake of a 1962 film of the same name, which was itself based on a novel from the 1950s, <i>Cape Fear</i> marks the seventh collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and its main star, Robert De Niro.</p><p>De Niro portrays Max Cady, a convicted rapist, who blames his defence lawyer, Sam Bowden, for the 14 years he spent in jail. Bowden did in fact cover up evidence that may have reduced the sentence against Cady, an action that he ends up paying a price for when Cady makes it his mission to seek revenge upon his release from jail. De Niro is absolutely fantastic here, imbuing Cady with an effortless charm in an horrific scheme to seduce Bowdens 15 year old daughter, whilst being equally effective in showing Cady's lust for violence. The film score is also well worth noting; adapted from the original film, the bellowing chords of Max Cady's theme fill the audience with a real sense of dread over what we could be about to witness.</p><p>What results is a deeply haunting yet fascinating psychological thriller, a film that is made and presented in a recognisably classic Hollywood style which Scorsese has said was very much influenced by Hitchcock. It's a film that is not easily forgotten once seen, for better or for worse, but the way it creeps under your skin is truly masterful. </p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>9/10</b></span></p>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-81554530469715137902022-01-05T15:03:00.001+00:002022-01-05T15:03:38.133+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #4<p> <b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">Fighting With My Family </i>(2019) 108mins</b></p><p><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 4</b></p><p><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 0</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS0ByVJ2EcaU6uNqhw68XuS9FAO_gIfFCdmqqZlTdsAi9s-P0PEujiXcQ_4tgrFUIos2ooSxVCro24aLNkm4Mf2liqFQk8sI66IiPXYxEhnY1_nYsvc1dq3YmwJ67OoKWF8PVmJG6A3EYFzuDY2UkFR_nvSrW_PNfwq21rPCDPTi11tafaxSun8iko=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS0ByVJ2EcaU6uNqhw68XuS9FAO_gIfFCdmqqZlTdsAi9s-P0PEujiXcQ_4tgrFUIos2ooSxVCro24aLNkm4Mf2liqFQk8sI66IiPXYxEhnY1_nYsvc1dq3YmwJ67OoKWF8PVmJG6A3EYFzuDY2UkFR_nvSrW_PNfwq21rPCDPTi11tafaxSun8iko=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><div>So, as a rather big follower of wrestling in general, I really should have seen this one before now. The beauty of this challenge is I'm forcing myself to watch these films that I just kept putting off for so long, and so far I am very happy to be doing so as <i>Fighting With My Family </i>was quite a joy. It's rather an odd package; written and directed by comedian Stephen Merchant of all people it tells the story of the Knight family, a real life family of wrestlers from Norwich whose youngest daughter Saraya, with the ring name of Paige, achieved great success after being signed by big American players the WWE.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's a great cast in place here, with Nick Frost and Lena Headey portraying Paige's parents, a strong turn by Vince Vaughn as a WWE recruiter and coach, and even Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson himself playing...well...himself. The undeniable star though is Florence Pugh as Paige. For any wrestling fan watching the movie and familiar with Paige as a performer, it is very easy to suspend your disbelief and accept that you ARE watching the real Saraya on her journey through the system. Pugh encapsulates the role brilliantly and it is no surprise she has gone on to bigger things now in the MCU.</div><div><br /></div><div>The script is both funny and full of heart, though I definitely felt it leant far too much into trying to portray Paige as a weird outsider, being a pale goth girl from England. It plays down a lot of what the real life Paige achieved BEFORE the big climax of the film, her WWE RAW debut and championship win, and instead makes out that she was still a nobody even by that point. It creates a good narrative, and it's exactly what all biopics do for the sake of storytelling, but it still jars a bit when you are familiar with the true events. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable journey to follow.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>7/10</b></span></div>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-48109543301158285802022-01-03T23:37:00.000+00:002022-01-04T13:12:34.865+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #3<p> <b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">The Invisible Man </i>(2020) 124mins</b></p><p><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 3</b></p><p><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 0</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvlj9VXz-twa6KHxmK9CTyKaOlkauE0u11Roh51kHkvZApKaYlnN-uqSNXFQKogcj76raNMDwSPFN7DJe6XxCtgTDoMnvPgBl46w0EGh80lF_Zl4t8haWF7hoj8A6JhYKVDiB_Iib6h1YLYnnKSdqFkxu1rnJR7hfUaKGeIpFuFP58eA56W3CKHzxW=s700" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvlj9VXz-twa6KHxmK9CTyKaOlkauE0u11Roh51kHkvZApKaYlnN-uqSNXFQKogcj76raNMDwSPFN7DJe6XxCtgTDoMnvPgBl46w0EGh80lF_Zl4t8haWF7hoj8A6JhYKVDiB_Iib6h1YLYnnKSdqFkxu1rnJR7hfUaKGeIpFuFP58eA56W3CKHzxW=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p>Now, this is how you update a story for the modern world. Originally a novel by H.G. Wells, <i>The Invisible Man </i>became a tent pole film in Universal's Classic Monsters range and, alongside <i>Dracula</i>, <i>Frankenstein</i> and <i>The Wolf Man</i>, launched a series of films throughout the 1930s and 40s based on the character and its concepts. After an abysmal failure in trying to relaunch the Monsters franchise as a connected universe à la the MCU with the release of <i>The Mummy </i>in 2017, Universal abandoned the approach and decided to put individual stories first and foremost. For this, we can all be supremely thankful.</p><p>Eschewing the traditional take on the Invisible Man as a bandaged lunatic, here we are presented with an altogether different, yet equally horrific, monster. Adrian Griffin is a controlling and abusive partner, who appears by all accounts to commit suicide when his girlfriend Cecila manages to escape his torment. However it soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems...</p><p>Re-imagining this classic franchise as a psychological sci-fi horror is a stroke of genius, with a first act that leaves you questioning whether the strange events are even really happening or if they are all a figment of a scarred and damaged mind. Multiple extreme long shots are effective in placing the viewer as a fly on the wall, spying on the characters and giving us a sense of unease as to who or what could be watching. The tension builds throughout and as things escalate the true horror is slowly revealed, with some genuine shocks and a hugely satisfying ending. If Universal can reinvent some of their other Monsters in equally dynamic ways, we would certainly be in for a treat. This is a gripping and thrilling watch.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>8/10</b></span></p>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-83978093295667248252022-01-03T16:07:00.000+00:002022-01-03T16:07:11.784+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #2<p> <b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">Tom & Jerry </i>(2021) 101mins</b></p><p><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 2</b></p><p><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 0</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhA-RUjJn-wgksqowcHXwNX3fggmrbMdoXNUh9Opg-hC1sEWB4l61qsVMm-0w03djd-nIncfarvZVkOWXoOsmEhqhKpxOBh7LvVW2C-ZOkUqzcJtlXvhsp-yTtcHlwOZrys81XeT68QJeq4AC3P1oxpgZ8hel0HqXzZlZkOFh5RY4yvfNSP8O5g1fQ0=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhA-RUjJn-wgksqowcHXwNX3fggmrbMdoXNUh9Opg-hC1sEWB4l61qsVMm-0w03djd-nIncfarvZVkOWXoOsmEhqhKpxOBh7LvVW2C-ZOkUqzcJtlXvhsp-yTtcHlwOZrys81XeT68QJeq4AC3P1oxpgZ8hel0HqXzZlZkOFh5RY4yvfNSP8O5g1fQ0=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Had this on my watch list for a little while now, being a big fan of the original cartoons since I was a (smaller!) kid. The latest attempt to bring iconic cartoon characters into the real world with a mixture of animation and live-action filming sees Tom and Jerry placed alongside Chloë Grace Moretz, Rob Delaney and Michael Peña for a comedic romp.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The animation style is much more cartoony than other contemporary examples such as <i>Paddington</i> or <i>The Smurfs</i>, with 3D/CGI modelling that endeavours to maintain a classic, silky, pen and ink 2D look. As such, the personalities of Tom and Jerry absolutely transition over to this film; pleasingly, they look and feel exactly like the characters we all remember, and some great homages to classic moments and gags from the original cartoons show the love that has gone into recreating the duo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately the novelty does wear off before the halfway mark. Tom and Jerry wisely remain silent characters but the story seems rather confused, with the main human protagonist teaming up with Tom to get rid of Jerry, meaning the viewer seemingly is asked to root for Tom whilst knowing he is the traditional villain of the two. By the time everyone puts their differences aside to resolve the plot (a wedding between two celebrity influencers), I had grown weary of caring about the outcome. There's some fun to be had here, but it does overstay its welcome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>4/10</b></span></div>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-5991528545948334882022-01-02T14:32:00.006+00:002022-01-02T20:32:31.681+00:00A 300 Film Challenge: Film #1<p><i> </i><span><b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">Rocky V </i>(1990) 104mins</b></span></p><p><span><b>NEW TO ME COUNT: 1</b></span></p><p><span><b>SEEN IT COUNT: 0</b></span></p><p><span><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCKpT-A60cLzxkLhxybbEtlg93U0V3ep1v6wJPB8QeMQIyafwLglHV2YuBQwhZxBomBHysjI3-XeIKTWTgmNQi-oYCjV2GGPgCSNIqWm_ApPcNbI4l6MTM5yH_qwPBlg-zn_sspDAu0hFaFCo9cBTgRIIcJdepXOBR5DgoCv2xOiPMuMayWSQum8rE=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCKpT-A60cLzxkLhxybbEtlg93U0V3ep1v6wJPB8QeMQIyafwLglHV2YuBQwhZxBomBHysjI3-XeIKTWTgmNQi-oYCjV2GGPgCSNIqWm_ApPcNbI4l6MTM5yH_qwPBlg-zn_sspDAu0hFaFCo9cBTgRIIcJdepXOBR5DgoCv2xOiPMuMayWSQum8rE=s320" width="213" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Yeah, OK, weird place to start I guess. I've been slowly working my way through the <i>Rocky </i>films recently to fill one of the many horrendous gaps in my film catalogue. I got put off for a while due to how run-of-the-mill <i>Rocky IV </i>is, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this one return to some decent form, an opinion which actually seems to be against the general consensus.</p><p>This installment sees Rocky go back to the streets, losing his career and his money as a result of brain damage brought about by his previous fight. Distracted whilst embarking on a managing career for new prospect Tommy Gunn (stop laughing at the back), Rocky takes his eye off his son and almost loses his family as well.</p><p>Whilst the beats of the film are obvious, and the attempt to take the series back to its roots is hardly subtle, I was thoroughly engaged with the story throughout. Rocky is as always an immensely likeable character and the focus on the relationship with his son is helped by the fact that Sylvester Stallone's own young son Sage played the role here. Rocky learning to become an effective manager and a barn storming street fight to finish things off mix it up just enough that you do feel you're not just watching the same story for a fifth time. Can't say fairer than that. Expect to see the next installment, <i>Rocky Balboa</i>, turn up on the blog very soon.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>6/10</b></span></p>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-32043635837348597672022-01-02T14:25:00.001+00:002022-01-06T15:07:12.159+00:00A 300 Film ChallengeOh, Hello! Please do come in. Watch that there on the floor. No, not that, THAT! OK, good. Cup of tea? I promise I will tidy up the dead links and old profile bios here as we go, but it seems best to just start getting straight into things really.<div><br /></div><div>Due to a combination of self-isolation and a New Year upon us, I thought it might be nice to come back to this long dead film blog of mine. And what better way to do so than with A CHALLENGE. No, not watch 365 films in a year, that's ridiculous, you're drunk. I'm going to aim for a <i>slightly</i> more manageable <b>300 FILMS IN 2022</b>. Of which, 250 will need to be films I have not seen before. Not necessarily new releases, though there will be some, just films that are new to me. Plus an allowance of 50 others because we can't just watch <i>only</i> new films for a year, THAT WOULD BE INSANE. I'll do short capsule reviews (no longer than 350 words) for each one here on the blog, and keep track of how many new and old films I've watched with 'New To Me' and 'Seen It' counts. Sounds like a bit of fun at least.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not sure how long exactly this will last before "real life" gets in the way, but it would be nice if I manage to go the distance. So, in a move that in no way comments on the current state of Hollywood, let's revive a ten year old blog for a slightly more modern audience!</div><div><br /></div>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-32271507899001866562011-06-03T17:38:00.003+01:002011-06-03T17:45:01.992+01:00Filmic 6 is Finally HereMuch delayed issue due to university commitments but that just means there's plenty of content. 42 pages in fact! The likes of <span style="font-style: italic;">Pirates of the Caribbean</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Thor</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Paul</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Tangled</span> get reviewed and there's some cool features packed in there too. And one of my favourite covers for an issue. Pretty darn pleased with it (apart from the one typo in the Editors Note...see if you can spot it >_>) Read below or help our figures by clicking through to the actual site page <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/filmic_06">here</a>. You can even download a copy there if you want. Cheers!<br /><br /><div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110531210016-3cc230c624e54f2f986d2819dc3c57fe&docName=filmic_06&username=Filmic&loadingInfoText=Filmic%206&et=1307119396342&er=34" style="width:420px;height:297px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/filmic_06?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=adam%20musgrave" target="_blank">More adam musgrave</a></div></div>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-59671538104966028452011-02-05T21:35:00.010+00:002011-02-05T23:29:11.594+00:00In Which We Go Back to the Now Available #248<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Film #248: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter...and Spring </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >(2003) 103mins</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br />After getting slightly ahead of ourselves in my last post, we can now take a step back and return to #248 on the list. And I'm very happy to do so. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span>Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter...and Spring</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>focuses on the life of a Buddhist monk by showing us five seasons taken from different points in his life. We begin one Spring, seeing him as a young child who lives with his master on a small wooden hut floating in the middle of a tranquil lake. The lake is surrounded by countless old and majestic trees, the sound of birdsong and running water mildly punctures the peaceful silence, and a pair of painted wooden doors sit at the end of a path leading down to the water. We get a shot of these doors opening to introduce the beginning of each new season. The master wakes the young boy and kneels before a buddha statue, hitting a wooden block with a stick. It is clear that he leads a very structured life - not a lot changes here but the old man is content. Soon we see the young boy chuckling away as he ties small rocks to a fish, a frog and a snake. The master watches, unobserved by the child. When the boy awakens the next day he finds himself encumbered with a large rock tied to his back. When he complains the master asks him what he thinks happened to the animals and tells him to find them. Both the fish and the snake are dead. The boy cries his eyes out as he learns the repercussions of his actions.<br /><br />I will not spoil the events of the proceeding seasons, but with that outline I hope you can get an idea of the atmosphere in the film. We watch the boy grow into a teen, a man in his 30s, a middle-aged man, and then an old master himself. To think that someone could spend their life in one small area simply praying, reflecting and surviving may seem very strange to us and also probably sounds like a painfully uneventful film. The boy does go through a rebellious phase though which provides the main focus of the narrative, only later in life redeeming himself for the actions he takes as a young man. But this isn't to say the film ever enters a period of frantic action; we always remain at the lake, the old master ruling with a calm authority even as the boy grows older. Yet the serene fascination one has in watching life unfold on this floating hut is enough to keep you hooked.<br /><br />What's more, there is comparatively little dialogue in the film. It is completely happy to let the images do the talking instead - the picturesque settings and the expressions of the characters are often more than enough for us to fully appreciate the power of a scene. And there are plenty of powerful moments.<span style="font-size:100%;"> Love, hate, cruelty and redemption all feature prominantly in the film. </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">This isn't a particularly shocking or intense piece, but it certainly has the ability to stir the emotions of its audience. The most powerful moment of all though may well be the ending which suggests that, despite everything that might happen along the way, the circle of life continues undisturbed. It isn't immediately gratifying, but it is the kind of thing that will stick in your mind and stay with you for a long time afterwards. Highly recommended.<br /><br />As ever, hit the IMDB tag underneath this to see my other Top 250 related posts.<br /></span>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-42863033994901803092011-01-31T23:13:00.006+00:002011-02-01T22:33:18.613+00:00So, any Hayao Miyazaki Fans Reading?<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Film #247: <span style="font-style: italic;">Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind</span></span> (1984) 116mins</span><br /><br />If we do have any Miyazaki fans here, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know this is just the first of five films he has on the list. Two of them in particular are in very respectable spots as well. For now though we'll concentrate on <span style="font-style: italic;">Nausica</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ä</span>, a film of Miyazaki's which I have to admit I hadn't seen until yesterday (though out of the other four on the list, I have already seen three of them. So not too bad, yes?) Anyway, for anyone not familiar with Miyazaki he's a Japanese director/animator who has created some of the most memorable and revered animation films of all time, such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Spirited Away</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">My Neighbour Totoro</span>. Whereas I would usually choose to watch films like this in the original Japanese with subtitles, I did on this occassion opt for the dubbed English soundtrack. Why? Because it featured such great voice talents as Patrick Stewart, Mark Hamill, Edward James Olmos and...<span style="font-weight: bold;">SHIA LABEOUF!!</span> I just couldn't resist. I admit it probably took me out of the film a little, but it certainly didn't hamper my enjoyment.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Nausica</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">ä </span><span>is set in a post-apocalyptic world, 1000 years after </span><span><span><span><span>war destroyed civilisation and the majority of the worlds ecosystem. Now human colonies live apart and are isolated from one another by patches of 'toxic jungle', areas where </span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span>the air is unbreathable and huge insects and plants attack those who approach. The Princess of one of these colonies, Nausica</span></span></span></span><span>ä</span><span><span><span><span> of the Valley of the Wind, has an uncanny ability to communicate with the creat</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span>ures of the jungle and seeks to find answers regarding the origins of it. When the embryo of a Giant Warrior (a powerful creature that could be used to destroy the jungle) is found by humans, Nausica</span></span></span></span><span>ä</span> embarks on a journey which results in startling discoveries about the jungle and the effect that destroying it will have on the world.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I will start off by saying the film is visually stunning. The various creatures that appear throughout are both amazing to look at and yet often quite grotesque. The air battles that take place are hugely dynamic and enthralling to watch, and the sight of Nausica<span>ä</span> flying around on her futuristic jet glider is a truly iconic picture. Somehow the animators get it just right and the large, swirling movements of the glider seem completely realistic and almost hypnotising. The climax of the film, featuring a stampede of infuriated jungle creatures, is massive in scale and surely alone took months of work to complete. Forget the story for a second, this film is a must-see simply on the basis that it is a thing of absolute beauty.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFDmwc7RpearA8L6w1q18--wrko2RbbEPNSN_KaXnXBCFt6h7zfw"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 192px;" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFDmwc7RpearA8L6w1q18--wrko2RbbEPNSN_KaXnXBCFt6h7zfw" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Nausica</span><span style="font-size:78%;">ä likes what she sees!<br /><br /></span></div>The story itself, as with pretty much all of Miyazaki's films, is wonderfully absurd, but from the offset you can see that the narrative is inspired by real-world predictions of humanity slowly killing the environment. The WWF logo (the panda guys, not the wrestlers) even flashes up before the film starts. Despite the ideas of global war taking place between humans in command of giant legendary warrior creatures, there are moments that modern humanity can relate to and you can see parallels between the film and what is happening around us today. Politics also rears its ugly head, as the leaders and armies of many of the human tribes decide they want the Giant Warrior for themselves, even at the expense of the rest of humanity. Meanwhile a lot of the every-day folk see the dangers that are presenting themelves and seek to help Nausica<span>ä</span> rather than lock her up as a rebel. Whilst these kind of serious themes are present though, the film is never too preachy about them and can of course just be watched as an enjoyable futuristic fantasy film.<br /><br />Though I would personally prefer to see, say, <span style="font-style: italic;">Akira</span> on the list in its place (it has a few similar themes. Ish.), <span style="font-style: italic;">Nausica</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ä</span> is a fantastic achievement and deserves to be recognized as such. It seems strange to me though that the prevailing animation films on the list are Miyazaki films and Pixar films. There isn't a single classic Disney film to be seen. Odd.<br /><span><span><span><span><br />Lastly, the eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed I've skipped film #248. The library has it out on loan</span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span>to someone else at the moment but hopefully I'll be able to get hold of it in the next few days. If you've missed any of my previous IMDB Top 250 blog posts, just hit the IMDB tag at the bottom of this one.<br /></span></span></span></span>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-62666637151076003832011-01-29T22:24:00.009+00:002011-02-01T19:15:44.703+00:00Let's Go Back to #250This is it. I'm now officially starting my IMDB Top 250 challenge. I already watched <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-style: italic;" href="http://thegroovyguidetofilms.blogspot.com/2011/01/it-begins.html">Toy Story</a> as a tester, but now I'm starting from the bottom and working my way up to #1. I have a print out of the list from January 5th so that's what I'll be counting as 'my' 250. I won't stick rigidly to the order because it might take a while for me to get hold of some of the films, so if I get stuck on one I'll move onto the next one and watch it later. Clear? Good. Let's go!<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Film #250: </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Talk To Her</span></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">(2002) 112mins</span><br /><br />We start with the first of an impressive amount of foreign language films on the list - <span style="font-style: italic;">Talk To Her</span> is a Spanish film focusing on two men whose lives are hugely affected by the women they love being in comas. One of the men, Benigno (Javier Camara), is a nurse at the hospital and has looked after Alicia (Leonor Watling) for four years, talking to her every day and gradually falling in love with her, though obviously the feelings are one-way only and Benigno daren't tell anyone what has happened for fear of losing his job. The other man, Marco (Dario Grandinetti), was in a relationship with bullfighter Lydia (Rosario Flores) when she was gored by one of the bulls. Marco's love was returned, though unbeknownst to him Lydia was preparing to leave him. The two men meet in the hospital and become great friends due to their somewhat similar circumstances. As they grow closer Benigno reveals his secret to his new friend just as a remarkable, and criminal, discovery is made concerning Alicia.<br /><br />The film explores some pretty dark themes such as loss and loneliness, though it never lets the audience forget that there is also hope and love in the world. Benigno is an interesting character. There is no doubt he loves and cares for Alicia but you cannot deny that it's all a bit strange and he does at times come off as a bit of a pervert, especially when 'massaging' and 'washing' a bare breasted Alicia. You sense from the start that something a bit funny is going on, and when Benigno eventually reveals to Marco that he wants to marry Alicia it's hardly a shock. Marco's relationship is much less complex, but when he finds out about Lydia's plans to leave him he must suddenly come to terms with splitting up with a coma patient. It's crushing to think how that must feel - being at the side of the woman you love for nights and days on end, praying for them to wake up, only to find out they were about to leave you. For whatever reason though Marco never actually seems too upset by it. Weirdo.<br /><br />The direction by Pedro Almodovar is inspired. At one point it is revealed that Alicia is a big fan of silent cinema and Benigno goes to the cinema every week to see a silent film 'for her'. As he sits and describes to her what this weeks film was about, the picture changes and we see the film for ourselves, silent and in black and white, with title cards and everything you would associate with the era of silent cinema. It's a bold thing to do but it works, especially as what happens in the silent film becomes more important later on and is somewhat revealing as to the overall story of <span style="font-style: italic;">Talk To Her</span>. Seeing the images of the silent film provides answers to some of the questions later on in the film, without us initially being aware of it. Very clever.<br /><br />Overall I enjoyed the film, though I couldn't say that I'd put it on a personal top 250 list. There are plenty more foreign language films to come, so I'm hoping this project will help me discover a lot of great foreign films I might not otherwise have thought to watch. I'm sure this is just the first of many.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Film #249: <span style="font-style: italic;">Rope</span> </span>(1948) 80mins</span><br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Adam/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Adam/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOavKRl4L4jlTXy2S9CJS1UBYF_2OmfNh4jplpFQR1cp1e0YVZCCXo7-Ig_0eFrVcLWGmV2IaNNqyH8eo4nWkT1OtrYosdhOjwMqakPEQyPPmeN1AC7xkSB1hxAvclD0S_7bCCt26343A/s1600/Rope1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOavKRl4L4jlTXy2S9CJS1UBYF_2OmfNh4jplpFQR1cp1e0YVZCCXo7-Ig_0eFrVcLWGmV2IaNNqyH8eo4nWkT1OtrYosdhOjwMqakPEQyPPmeN1AC7xkSB1hxAvclD0S_7bCCt26343A/s400/Rope1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568070586885143410" border="0" /></a><br />Here we have an ingenious experimentation with the art of filmmaking from the master of cinema himself, Alfred Hitchcock. The whole film takes place on a single set, the apartment of young intellectuals Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger), and is made up entirely by a number of long, unbroken scenes with few edits. The film begins as Brandon and Phillip murder their friend David, strangling him with a piece of rope. They hide him in an old chest and go ahead with a dinner party which they hold in the very same room, with David's father invited, Brandon revelling in the fact that they are deceiving so many people and are so close to being caught out. Phillip is less thrilled by the idea and proceeds to get more and more anxious and drunk as the night goes on. One of their guests is their old schoolmaster Rupert Cadell (James Stewart) and as the party guests grow increasingly worried as to the whereabouts of David, Rupert begins to piece together what has happened.<br /><br />Each shot in the film runs continuously for up to ten minutes and there are only nine cuts throughout, necessary because of limitations on the amount of film that could fit into the camera. Hitchcock masks half of these cuts by having, for example, someone walking past the camera so the picture goes black and he can switch to the next shot fluidly. This means that in the end there are only four visible cuts to a new camera setup, something which may be hard to comprehend for anyone used to watching modern action films in which you could see four cuts in less than four seconds. The way the film is shot really draws the audience in as you spend all of your time with the same characters, watching as Phillip slowly has a breakdown and Brandon's plans fall to pieces. Both are superb and Dall portrays Brandon's strange pleasure with the situation with rather disturbing authenticity. The shining star though is James Stewart as Rupert, in his first of four Hitchcock-directed films. Stewart plays Rupert's discovery of the murder clues very subtly and, though you can always see his mind whirring away and his suspicions rise, the audience is for a time left wondering if Rupert really has figured things out.<br /><br />The intensity of the scenes is only heightened by not cutting away from the tense atmosphere, always confined exclusively to being inside the walls of the apartment. To make matters worse the murder weapon of the films title persists in constantly showing up during the party, always serving as a reminder to the audience and Phillip in particular as to what has happened. The focus of the camera often coming to rest on the old chest with the body in it, and the party guests proximity to it, raises the tension further still. The direction, as you would expect from Hitchcock, is fantastic and the style of filming has been borrowed and payed homage to many times since, most enjoyably in an episode of the BBC's comedy series <span style="font-style: italic;">Psychoville</span>. That the film is still so fondly remembered today is a sure sign it deserves its place on the list, though I might have placed it a little higher myself. It is one film, as I suspect many on this list will be, that I think everybody should see.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Film #48: <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Swan</span></span> (2010) 108mins</span><br /><br />I saw <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Swan</span> at the cinema this week after its UK release on the 21st Jan. It seems to have made a good impression on a lot of people, managing to make its way up to #48 very quickly. I suspect that's just over-enthusiastic fans rushing to give it a 10 rating, and it'll even out to something lower eventually. It is very good though and I'll be providing a full review of it in the next issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic</span>. Anyhow, it is now crossed off my list. Taking into account <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story</span>, that's 246 films to go...GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-68408795621821730872011-01-23T20:03:00.006+00:002011-01-24T13:14:28.633+00:00Filmic 5 is a Bumper Special and news on the IMDB 250It's a bit late but Filmic 5 has arrived. Hope you all enjoy it, its jumped from around 20 pages to a huge 34 pages! Pretty proud of this one. Read it below or follow <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/filmic_05">this link</a> to boost our views on the host site and maybe even download your own copy!<br /><br /><div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110123160137-47312b5e943440e0915d7cd46e3d7a07&docName=filmic_05&username=Filmic&loadingInfoText=Filmic%205&et=1295813021266&er=58" style="width: 420px; height: 297px;" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width: 420px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/filmic_05?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=wonderful%20life" target="_blank">More wonderful life</a></div></div><br />In other news, I'm back at uni now so I can start work on my IMDB Top 250 challenge. I have a print out of the top 250 from around the 5th of Jan so I'll work from that and attempt to do it roughly in order from 250 downwards. Look out for my first post some time in the next week :-)GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-66340170943766155922011-01-07T01:29:00.010+00:002011-02-01T19:15:18.273+00:00It Begins...Here we go then. Just to be clear, I'm starting a quest to watch all of the films on the <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" href="http://www.imdb.com/chart/top">IMDb Top 250</a> list, even if I've seen them before or own them on DVD or whatever. I'll be keeping track of how many I've watched in the various posts I make and I'll also include the ranking number of the film before the name so y'all know how popular it supposedly is. I wasn't gonna start this for a week or so yet but I noticed this film was on Disney Cinemagic HD and couldn't pass up the opportunity. So, let the epic (read: crazy) journey begin!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Film 1: #149 Toy Story</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uOFT1MnLf4gbWg6aJi88vphyphenhyphenwgOxv9n3TEloFsau2xFQ21mafnrFosNhr6dHtT9vcG4y4aqsyFCv4HMX0gOIxxfTfUgRe6tVvEP5KNrHtP_FgKjrgUCdVDxa-2ubzZ0aZYfG4iwH5mI/s1600/Toy+Story.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uOFT1MnLf4gbWg6aJi88vphyphenhyphenwgOxv9n3TEloFsau2xFQ21mafnrFosNhr6dHtT9vcG4y4aqsyFCv4HMX0gOIxxfTfUgRe6tVvEP5KNrHtP_FgKjrgUCdVDxa-2ubzZ0aZYfG4iwH5mI/s400/Toy+Story.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559264910236658546" border="0" /></a><br />Firstly, this film is criminally low on the list. But that's more than made up for with the ranking of <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story 3</span> which we will of course come to at a later date. For now though, I'll look at one of an impressive seven Pixar films on the list, and fittingly it's Pixar's first feature length film. I've discussed my love for <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story</span> a few times on this site and in <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic</span>, so I don't really need to express my feelings again. What I will do though is examine more closely why this first film is so fucking awesome and cinematically important.<br /><br />The characters are definitely some of the most interesting and funny characters ever animated, and the character development of both Woody and Buzz throughout the film is highly engrossing. I never really thought about it when I was a kid, but Woody becomes a real dick when Buzz turns up. Jealous, abusive and turning on the other toys, his supposed friends, just for liking Buzz. Then he tries to knock Buzz down the side of the cabinet, it goes horribly wrong, and still all he can think about is pretending he didn't do it and defending himself! Thankfully, he softens a lot as he gets to know Buzz better and starts to become the selfless, caring leader we get to see a lot more of later on. Buzz on the other hand goes from thinking he's a real space ranger to spiralling down into mass depression when he realises he's just a toy, and then later regains his confidence when Woody convinces him that being a toy is actually pretty cool. For a film of just 80 minutes this packs in a whole lot of story and some very compelling character archs.<br /><br />Potato Head, Hamm, Rex and Slinky all stand out as well of course, but it wouldn't be until <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story 2</span> (which for some reason isn't on the list at all, despite every fan knowing it is very close in quality to this first film) that they really got to join in the adventures and shine as well as they can. Still, there's some classic stuff from them here and we become familiar enough with each of their distinct personalities in the short time we have with them. Sid's mutant toys are also interesting additions, and even though he's an evil son of a bitch I always liked the character of Sid. The showdown with the toys breaking the rules for the one and only time across the 3 films and 'coming to life' in front of Sid is truly gratifying and rewarding after watching him destroy toys for the whole film. I always wanted to know if Sid was scarred for life by what happens here, though his little cameo in <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story 3</span> as a binman would suggest otherwise. Maybe he mentally blocked the whole thing out. Poor guy.<br /><br />Being the first completely computer animated film, <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story</span> broke new ground and was very revolutionary at the time. It will always be down in film history as being a landmark achievement. Today these kinds of films appear all the time, but it still looks great and I had no complaints at all when I went to see it in 3-D at the cinema just over a year ago. Now <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story 3</span> has been released though, and after watching that film about 4 times over the Christmas period, I really noticed how much the technology has advanced in the 15 years between the two films. It was like watching the original through new eyes and served to make me even more impressed with what Pixar acheived in animating <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story 3</span>. You just need to compare Buster the dog in the newer film with Scud the dog from the original as a perfect example of how the animation has come on so much. Still, you can't deny there are some truly stunning shots and sequences in this film and it deserves to be remembered as being an influential and important example of what can be done through this method of animating.<br /><br />As usually happens when I get talking about a film I adore, I've gone on for longer than I intended here. Not all of the 'meant to be small' review pieces for the 250 films will be quite this long but whatever. I've written it now. Basically <span style="font-style: italic;">Toy Story</span> is awesome but should be rated higher. 1 down, 249 to go!<br /><br />EDIT: I have discovered a possible (definite) flaw in my plan - the Top 250 list has changed already. Does it get updated daily? I'll have to look into it. If it does, it means that by the time I actually get round to watching all of the films the list will have changed and there'll be new films in there that I haven't watched. I may do a print out of the list as it is now and just watch all of those. Watch this space.GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-28998478989710106182011-01-04T11:19:00.005+00:002011-02-05T23:32:46.481+00:00Filmic Update and RecompenseHello everyone. Did you enjoy Christmas? Sorry I couldn't bring you the gift of a Christmas <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic</span> but I got ill and the planned release didn't happen. We'll still put out the feature looking at Christmas films but we're kind of combining last issue with the next one to make a bumper one now. Additionally due to my dissertation and essays and crap we're gonna make <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic</span> bi-monthly for a bit (that's once every two months rather than twice a month - it is THE stupidest word to have two meanings isn't it?). That will give me extra free time that I should use to do uni work.<br /><br />However, in a bid to make up for this I had the idea to watch the IMDb top 250 films (which you can see <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" href="http://www.imdb.com/chart/top">here</a>) and do little capsule review/opinion things on each of them for the blog. Which, if comitted to fully, WOULD take up the extra time I gained from not doing <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic </span>and therefore completely negate not doing <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic </span>to help my dissertation. So, I am going to watch the films, but it's not going to be one of these things where I put a time limit on it or watch one a day or so many in a week. I'll just see what I can fit in and post when I can. I'm not even going to watch them in strict order! That way if I can't get hold of something at a precise moment I can just watch something available to me. It's not the best way of doing it tbh but I'll be helped a lot by my uni's library of DVD's so I wanna start now. Seriously, they have pretty much everything. I'm pretty sure there'll only be like 3 or 4 things on the entire list that they don't have anyway so if I get started now it'll be much easier to see the films.<br /><br />So I'll work on finishing up <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic</span> in the next few days and then make a start. <span style="font-style: italic;">Filmic</span> won't be out until after <span style="font-style: italic;">The Green Hornet</span> by the way as I'm putting a review of that in. So look out for it some time after the 14th Jan. I'm going to go home and re-think my life now. Adios and wish me luck!GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-72861461781388766522010-12-02T23:03:00.003+00:002010-12-02T23:14:02.263+00:00Fantastic Filmic 4It'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!<br /><br /><div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=101129114356-10ee4095c0b54de9aded6238848b7dfd&docName=filmic_04&username=Filmic&loadingInfoText=Filmic%204&et=1291331572727&er=35" style="width:420px;height:297px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/filmic_04?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=adam%20musgrave" target="_blank">More adam musgrave</a></div></div><br /><br />http://issuu.com/filmic/docs/filmic_04GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-75938109842916946782010-10-17T22:05:00.007+01:002010-10-17T22:36:05.585+01:00Filmic 3 and The Social NetworkJust 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 <a href="http://issuu.com/filmic/docs/filmic_03">here</a>. Hitting the link puts our numbers up so that would be nice ;-)<br /><br /><div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=101016154909-1089dfb55240454a912fb3536ab44cd4&docName=filmic_03&username=Filmic&loadingInfoText=Filmic%203&et=1287349660687&er=45" style="width: 420px; height: 297px;" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width: 420px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/filmic_03?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=the%20runaways" target="_blank">More the runaways</a></div></div><br /><br />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.GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-84216660026303616112010-10-04T18:07:00.007+01:002010-10-05T21:40:16.639+01:00My Latest AcquisitionsPopped down to Odeon today. Look what I happened across...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrJginZgrtAv155YXp9qg9Islc-t8HfLJIKQP2ZpKGayoYQYDEGcFHTZD2KZmi6JkoH-BVoG0ft_PM6JhUcGYmut3DTf5qadepCpcHqA_txIaEdLcCgo9eKyi1lTe5hg4kPzfmycVNFI/s1600/Photo0070.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrJginZgrtAv155YXp9qg9Islc-t8HfLJIKQP2ZpKGayoYQYDEGcFHTZD2KZmi6JkoH-BVoG0ft_PM6JhUcGYmut3DTf5qadepCpcHqA_txIaEdLcCgo9eKyi1lTe5hg4kPzfmycVNFI/s400/Photo0070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524239354751154642" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9V22tfmN_KZbFwSN_fsb5cc_7I1-7wZtzO1b_bICIWh_XDKpZrW1crU_b2jINSjBbShNBfU7vygRAuLYTv6wbJQpG5Pta5V6lMNnUgQMkt4Xr1ZN8rtQlhOrqmiJ69m0u6y1fvcLsyA/s1600/Photo0071.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9V22tfmN_KZbFwSN_fsb5cc_7I1-7wZtzO1b_bICIWh_XDKpZrW1crU_b2jINSjBbShNBfU7vygRAuLYTv6wbJQpG5Pta5V6lMNnUgQMkt4Xr1ZN8rtQlhOrqmiJ69m0u6y1fvcLsyA/s400/Photo0071.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524239906399767266" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, they are on top of my bed.<br /><br />No, I have no idea where I'm going to put them.<br /><br />...<br /><br />They're friggin' cool though right?!GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-17165378562034859072010-09-11T16:59:00.001+01:002010-09-11T17:06:31.207+01:00Filmic Issue 2<div>Yes, I know you've all been waiting on tenterhooks for it so here it finally is - issue 2 of <i>Filmic</i>. 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.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=100911153553-7430c4be36ca4ace8e9a595c208d2516&docName=filmic_02&username=Filmic&loadingInfoText=Filmic%20Issue%202&et=1284221008099&er=7" style="width:420px;height:297px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/filmic_02?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=the%20other%20guys" target="_blank">More the other guys</a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>http://issuu.com/filmic/docs/filmic_02GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-40940512089631620412010-08-15T22:32:00.006+01:002011-02-01T19:18:06.714+00:00Our own brand new FILM MAGAZINE, Filmic!<div> 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!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;font-family:'MS Shell Dlg';font-size:13px;" ><div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=100815212123-2c46a86a88ff4968b9704e0a72a32b36&docName=i1gotoprint&username=Filmic&loadingInfoText=Filmic%20Issue%201&et=1281907906440&er=73" style="width: 420px; height: 297px;" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width: 420px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/i1gotoprint?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=magazine" target="_blank">More magazine</a></div><div style="width: 420px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="width: 420px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'MS Shell Dlg';font-size:13px;" ><a href="http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/i1gotoprint">http://issuu.com/Filmic/docs/i1gotoprint</a></span></div></div></span></div>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-10147586920824476142010-08-09T15:36:00.011+01:002010-08-15T23:31:31.534+01:00Toy 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!<br /><br />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 <em>Inception </em>and<em> Toy Story 3 </em>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.<br /><br />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 <em>Inception </em>one. What follows are a couple of reviews of two of the best films you will ever see. Yep, I said it.<br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Toy Story 3</strong></span></em><br /><br />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 <em>Inception</em>-esque implanted idea in my mind that they might mess up a third <em>Toy Story </em>outing. As I sat and watched the final product all my fears disappeared. This film is a work of genius.<br /><br />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 <em>Toy Story 2 </em>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. <em>Toy Story </em>was all about Andy's love for his toys and explored the exciting possibilities of these toys actually being alive. <em>Toy Story 2 </em>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. <em>Toy Story 3</em> 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 <em>look </em>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.<br /><br />It is this fear and longing to be loved and played with again that drives the narrative of <em>Toy Story 3</em>. 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 <em>Toy Story</em> 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.<br /><br />For whilst <em>Toy Story 3</em> 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 <em>Toy Story </em>short to be shown before screenings of Pixar's next release, <em>Cars 2</em>, next year.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />That ending alone justifies the score but honestly everything about <em>Toy Story 3 </em>is perfect. Surely the last full length <em>Toy Story</em> 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?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>10/10</strong></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Inception</strong></span><br /><br />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.<br /><br />So, as I walked into the cinema pretty much all I knew about <em>Inception</em> 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 <em>plant </em>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.<br /><br />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 <em>can</em> 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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, <em>Inception</em>'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 <em>Shutter Island </em>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.<br /><br />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 <em>that</em> ending it was the final and most rewarding signal that <em>Inception</em> 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 <em>wouldn't </em>love it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">10/10</span>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-58106994678594471992010-06-08T20:14:00.007+01:002010-06-08T22:42:50.633+01:00REVIEW: Robin HoodHello friends! After some encouragement by four (<span style="font-weight: bold;">FOUR</span>!!) 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 <span style="font-weight: bold;">MASSIVE PROCRASTINATION</span> but hopefully I'll stick around this time. Maybe I should be (re)starting with something a bit more broadly appealing than <span style="font-style: italic;">Robin Hood</span> but put it this way - it was either a review of this or <span style="font-style: italic;">Sex and the City 2</span>...Yeah. Glad you agree. Off we go, then!<br /><br />Oh, wait, one last thing. As always my review will probably contain spoilers. In fact, it will. Sorry!<br /><br />If we're going to be pedantic about such things (and I am) this film should really be called something like <span style="font-style: italic;">Robin Hood - The Early Years</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Robin Hood - The Beginning </span>or even, if we must, <span style="font-style: italic;">Robin Hood: Origins</span>. 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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Friday Night With Jonathan Ross </span>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> 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, <span style="font-style: italic;">Gladiator</span>. 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.<br /><br />Anyway, I haven't got a lot more to say about the film. It's just...<span style="font-style: italic;">bland</span>. 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.<br /><br />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 <a href="http://thegroovyguidetofilms.blogspot.com/2009/11/groovy-guide-to-scoring-system.html">HERE</a>. And, in light of the conditions of which I have set myself, I feel I have to give a slightly harsh...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >5/10</span>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-55563482059542689482009-11-07T19:58:00.014+00:002009-11-07T22:29:22.704+00:00FANTASTIC Mr. Fox<div align="left">Not "The" <em>Fantastic Mr. Fox</em> as it says on my cinema ticket. Fools. Yeah, change of plan. The reviews of Dr. Parnassus and MJ will be going up tomorrow now. Thought that as I saw this today I'd review it whilst it's still fresh in the memory. I learnt a valuable lesson today though. Don't go see a family film on a Saturday evening. It tends to attract families. Noisy families. Bleh. Kinda obvious now I come to think of it but never mind. I'll stick to weekday afternoons from now on. The gits are at school. On with the review!</div><br /><br /><div align="left">Well this is an oddity. You can pretty much tell that just by looking at it really. Mr. and Mrs. (Felicity) Fox are professional bird-catchers, but Mr. Fox promises his wife he'll stop being so fantastic at this particular job when Felicity finds out she's pregnant. Two years later (or twelve fox-years according to the film - I have NO idea whether this is true or not...) Mr. Fox has a loser of a son who thinks he's a great athlete and he writes a column in a newspaper, but he isn't satisfied with his life. When he hears about Boggis, Bunce and Bean, the meanest, craftiest farmers the land has ever seen, he just has to revert to his old ways and outwit them. They do not take kindly to his thievery and form an alliance in an attempt to kill him, his family and any of the other animals who happen to get in their way. Hence, a war ensues, and only the most fantastic can win! Yeah, I think I'll stop with the 'fantastic' references now. I'm starting to sound like Christopher Eccleston... </div><br /><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401464761879981874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDQY1y2siJJHCDKP2xvVXLDx5n7ChqLtK9I-mcwyzCsJSRe5NWoLpvxy0pqNlZ9kjRXJjec_7vEXHkxBJrJR6NBEr3PmLM5ej9Zuy8M_yRfLscgTzSYhpz1RirJ8s3vmFYGbQlcaFCXY/s320/fantastic.bmp" border="0" /><span style="font-size:85%;">The Fantastic one himself. Oh balls.</span></div><br /><br /><div align="left">Now, as we all probably know, <em>Fantastic Mr. Fox </em>is based on the legendary Roald Dahl book. I have read it on a few occasions, but not for a long time. Even so, I'm still pretty certain this is a very loose adaptation of the book. I don't recall Mr. Fox and the gang breaking into enjoyable little celebration dances in the book or Mr. Fox's "trademark" clicking and whistling. I'm fairly sure they had more than one son too and the other animals didn't play such a large part in the final revenge plan of Mr. Fox. Nor was the book so damn random and crazy. None of this really matters though. Straight adaptation of source material can be great (<em>Watchmen</em>!), but I often feel that if you are going to bother adapting a story you should at least try to do something new with it rather than retreading what has already been done before. <em>Mr. Fox </em>does exactly that, taking the core story of the book and then adding it's own personality to proceedings. It doesn't harm anyone, the original book is still there to enjoy if you prefer it, it just provides a new take on a classic story.</div><br /><div align="left">The first thing anyone will notice about this film is the stop-motion animation. Personally I think its great and gives the film a really unique look but I know there will be some people out there who will hate it. The fact that the animation hasn't been done as absolutely perfectly as you might expect with, say, Wallace and Gromit, gives it quite a rough and ready feel. This never spoils it or makes the film look bad though as the characters and environment look so textured, detailed and realistic that you don't care if Mr. Fox's hair position changes from shot-to-shot or the characters seem a little jerky. That's almost how stop-motion animation SHOULD be anyway. Do not listen to the nay-sayers, the film is gorgeous and a real strong point.</div><br /><div align="left">Unfortunately <em>Mr. Fox </em>does take a while to get going though. The first 20 minutes or so that set up the real action drag a little and it isn't initially as funny as it thinks it is. When the jokes occassionally fall flat it feels rather awkward. The constant clicking and whistling of Mr. Fox with no real explanation or pay-off starts to grate after a while, as does the <em>constant</em> use of the word 'cuss' to replace actual swear words. Your wishing the film to move on quickly and thankfully it does, the madcap pace later on really making up for the first act. And by the time you get to the last 25 minutes the film is on a roll with an enjoyable, action-packed finale that doesn't stop to take a breath. This is <em>Mr. Fox</em> at its best, fast paced and often rather crazy. If something doesn't quite work it doesn't matter too much as the film moves on straight away and you forget about it. The problems are still there but it does a good job of convincing you they're not.</div><br /><div align="left">Something to thoroughly praise the film for though is the all-star lineup that provide some superb voice acting and, as a result, really memorable characters. George Clooney (Mr. Fox), Meryl Streep (Felicity Fox), Michael Gambon (Boggis, Bunce AND Bean), Bill Murray (Badger) and Willem Dafoe (Rat) turn in some great performances, as do relative unknowns Jason Schwartzman and Eric Chase Anderson as Mr. Fox's son Ash and nephew Kristofferson respectively. In fact, Ash and Kristofferson really play off of eachother well throughout the film with Ash's jealousy of Kristofferson shining through due to Kristofferson being almost as fantastic as Mr. Fox himself, whilst Ash is hugely un-talented and "different." Cue a movie of character growth for Ash as he strives to become as awesome as his father. Meanwhile, Clooney's cocky but charming portrayal of Mr. Fox just works and Meryl Streep plays Felicity with real warmth and affection. The rest of the cast are all very entertaining too and it would have been nice if the film had given just a little extra screentime to some of the less-central characters.</div><br /><div align="left">As a whole then, <em>Fantastic Mr. Fox</em> is a pleasant and satisfying film with some great character to it and a good few laughs. It's a shame that it has a slow start really as this prevents me from being able to give it one of the top scores. As previously stated though, the final act is worth the wait and forces you to forgive early mistakes. Some mildly annoying habits throughout also pull the score down slightly but there is enough charm and wit to keep you entertained regardless. <em>Fantastic Mr. Fox</em>, then, earns a solid and respectable </div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-size:180%;">7/10</span></div>GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626630624975827083.post-18701748091735170002009-11-06T04:40:00.004+00:002010-08-07T02:20:21.252+01:00A Groovy Guide to the Scoring SystemRight, if I'm going to be doing reviews on here I suppose I should probably define just exactly what my scores out of 10 mean, eh? But wait, I promised a review of Dr. Parnassus didn't I? Well fear not all you people who aren't reading this, that will finally come on Saturday (hopefully) along with an extra special little surprise! (Note: may not actually be that special. It depends if you care about This Is It. Oh fuck now I spoilt the surprise...) Ahem. Without any further ado, the Scoring System!<br /><br />1/10 - Absolutely and agonisingly terrible. Consider suicide rather than watch this film. Don't worry, you will never see me give out this score unless they do a limited re-release of <em>Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me</em> in cinemas and Phil forces me to go and see it because he's a sadistic little git at times.<br /><br />2/10 - Really, really bad with no redeeming features other than the fact that it's not <em>Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me</em>. Rest assured, if that film didn't exist a film scoring 2/10 would actually score 1/10. Think yourselves lucky 2/10'ers!!!<br /><br />3/10 - Seriously not worth your time. There might be a tiny glimmer of hope in there somewhere but it's hidden under so many piles of shit that it's really not worth digging for. Avoid.<br /><br />4/10 - Might be worth seeing with your mates if only to have laugh at. This is the point were a film is bad but almost enjoyable for various reasons. Terrible reasons, but still. Don't watch it on your own as you probably won't get a lot out of it (if anything) but rag it with your mates and you'll have a good enough time.<br /><br />5/10 - Meh. It's watchable but you won't want to see it again. Some good things about it but unfortunately too many flaws to really be anything too decent. Shame. See it if you want but don't expect a lot.<br /><br />6/10 - Good. If you have an interest in this particular type of film you'll probably get enough out of it to make a viewing fairly worthwhile. It's not gonna change your life but it won't exactly be a waste of your life either. Worth considering.<br /><br />7/10 - Now this is more like it. The official point at which a film would be worth seeing again at some point and could maybe even earn itself a place in your DVD collection if it plays its cards right. An enjoyable film spoilt by a few things which let it down a bit but which ultimately is a satisfying viewing. If you have any interest in this type of film you should definitely go to see it.<br /><br />8/10 - Pretty much a 7/10 but with less flaws, resulting in a better overall package. Thoroughly recommended!<br /><br />9/10 - You need to see this film. Very little to complain about and the only things I can really think of are pretty minor niggles. Almost perfection.<br /><br />10/10 - Heaven. Reserved only for the likes of <em>Pulp Fiction</em>, <em>Fight Club </em>and a few others. I doubt you'll see me score this unless I review one of my all time favourites. Hopefully a new cinema release will prove me wrong at some point though!<br /><br />Additionally I will clarify that you will never see me giving '.5' marks. That would basically be scoring out of 20 which is absolutely RIDICULOUS. The scope is far too wide to really mean anything. I mean, how would you clarify the tiny little difference between a 15/20 and a 16/20? It's seriously not worth it. The only time '.5' should ever be used is when scoring out of 5. But if your giving half marks in that situation your scoring out of 10 anyway so you may as well just use a 1-10 scale you <em>idiots. </em><br /><br />And that is why I don't give half marks. OK?<br /><br />See ya soon!GroovyBabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00097548644004544027noreply@blogger.com0