Archive for category film
Films I’m falling over myself to see
Posted by katiesol in Self indulgence, film on March 3rd, 2010
I’m on a cinema diet. It’s budget-imposed and is particularly difficult as it has come at a time when there’s a ridiculous number of films I’d love to see.
A Single Man - partly because it gives me hope that one day, when I’m wealthy and successful for something else entirely, I’ll be able to turn around and say, “Yeah, now I’m going to make a film” and for it not to be a horrible, horrible failure. Partly because it’ll be so stylish it’ll make me feel as though I’m stylish just for going to see it. Partly because I want to see Colin Firth do something that’s worth seeing. But mainly because I love Julianne Moore, who I’ve loved since Benny and Joon. Who am I kidding, I love everyone in Benny and Joon.
Crazy Heart - It stars Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal. What’s not to love? Also, I’m a sucker for a good washed-up-musician-based story.
Exit Through the Gift Shop - I’m a bit over Banksy but I’m intrigued by his foray into film making. I have no real clue what the film is about, whether it’ll make sense or if it’d be worth my hard earned cash to see it at the cinema. But if nothing else, I have a feeling it would make me laugh.
Precious - I know it will make me weep like a child and I think that’s why I want to see it. I’d also like to see what Mariah Carey’s got to offer - don’t you just love it when pop star divas agree to ugly-down for a role? “Look how serious I am, I’m pretending to be unattractive for god’s sake!”
Shutter Island - The trailer for Shutter Island did the rounds a good few months ago, back when it was slated for release before Christmas ‘09. When I saw the trailer on the big screen, it looked like such a dark and gripping period film that I’ve been waiting impatiently for its release ever since. Finally - FINALLY - it’s out on March 12th. I also think Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the best actors of his generation. If you want to dispute that, I’ll point you in the direction of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? thank you very much.
Un prophète - I haven’t heard much about Un prophète, but what I have heard has been accolade after accolade from people whose film-based opinions I have actual respect for.
The Princess and the Frog - just to see how Disney did.
What if Wes Anderson ‘rebooted’ Spiderman?
So somebody somewhere woke up to the fact that Tobey Maguire is awful and the entire Spiderman franchise has been ruined by his sloppy face and rubbish acting. In the absence of a time machine to go back and wipe the whole unfortunate incident out, they’re just giving it another go by ‘rebooting’ the franchise. So far so yawn, right?
Someone else somewhere else (aka Jeff Loveness) dared to dream of a world where Wes Anderson turns his considerable skill at making the same brilliant film with the same brilliant actors over and over again to the web-happy superhero and this video was the happy result:
via slashfilm
Secret photos of famous people
Posted by katiesol in Beautiful things, From around the web, film on February 4th, 2010
There are 125 rare, unlikely and occasionally brilliant photos of the crazy-famous here. Here are five that make me feel like it’s ok just to be a normal person.
Marilyn Monroe and JFK share a moment - I feel so sad for Marilyn Monroe every time I think about their doomed affair. Just goes to show that you can have everything and nothing all at once.
George Clooney - Let’s file this one under ‘there’s hope for us all’.
Johnny Depp and his niece at the beach - Johnny Depp has the most amazing hands I’ve ever seen. Also, gutted to be his niece and it not be acceptable to fancy him.
Francis Ford Coppola showing Akira Kurosawa his new Polaroid - what’s not to love about this photo? They’re these two wildly successful filmmakers but here they just look like your embarrassing dad showing his new camera off to his weird old Japanese friend.
The Star Wars cast - they don’t look anything like you expect them to. Apart from the swoon-worthy Harrison Ford, of course. Carrie Fisher looks ridiculously short! She’s 5′1″ apparently. Carrie: I feel your pain. But half an inch more of it. Damn you.
Exit through the gift shop
Hey, Banksy made a film! Called Exit Through the Gift Shop, he describes it as “the story of how one man set out to film the unfilmable - and failed… It’s a film about a man who tried to make a film about me. Everything in it is true, especially the bits where we all lie.” So now you know.
The 85 minute long film is debuting at Sundance tomorrow, and will be out in cinemas in Spring.
I’m intrigued. Check out the website for literally no further information.
Machotaildrop: Surreal skateboarding
Watch this trailer for upcoming indie film Machotaildrop. You’ll find yourself none-the-wiser about the plot, other than that it’s some kind of Pinocchio and Alice In Wonderland inspired skateboard film. From what I can gather, this kid Walter really loves skateboarding, sends his tape off to revered skate-brand Machotaildrop and gets invited to join their crew. That’s where it all gets a bit surreal.
I’m pretty excited about it - I love skateboarding movies because it looks like so much fun but I know I’ll never skateboard myself. Living vicariously through the characters is one of the best things about films.
It’s also got that lo-fi aesthetic that I adore, like a Wes Anderson/Spike Jonze mash-up and it’s full of the sweaty, beardy misfit hipsters that you’d just love to hang out with if only you were cool enough. Plus it features a shop called Cakeskate which sells ‘quality cakes and skateboards’. Awesome.
Who knows if it’ll even get released over here, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it for sure.
Fantastic Mr Fox
Fantastic Mr Fox is absolutely going to be the film of October for me. I have sky-high expectations and the vague possibility that the film will fail to meet them is a thought I push from my mind any time it dares to venture in.
As a film, Fantastic Mr Fox ticks pretty much every box available: there’s a special place in my heart reserved for all Roald Dahl stories and the tale of foxes vs farmers is no exception; stop motion animation is one of my favourite filmic formats; and I have a deep love for director Wes Anderson and his clique-y cast.
And after reading the interview with Anderson in November’s Sight and Sound my expectations are practically stratospheric. Anderson and his writing partner Noah Baumbach actually stayed in Roald Dahl’s house whilst working on the screenplay, ingraining a sense of the local life that Dahl experienced as he wrote the original story. Mr Fox’s study in the film is even full of bits and pieces from the writer’s own writing room in the house in Buckinghamshire. And to ensure the perfect sound and ambience for every scene, actors recorded their parts inside, outside, “in an apartment in New York, a recording studio in Frace, outdoors next to a lake in Italy…”
Now that’s the kind of effort I want to know has gone into making a film completely perfect. How can it not be brilliant?
You get to manufacture your own skies… I’ve rarely had that opportunity in movies.
Quotes: Wes Anderson - from November issue of Sight and Sound
Latest website crush
Posted by katiesol in Beautiful things, From around the web, film on October 10th, 2009
Bits and pieces of inspiration and loveliness relating (sometimes loosely) to the upcoming film version of Where The Wild Things Are. Bookmark it.
An inglorious about-turn
Prepare yourself. What I’m about to say may well shock you to your very core: I’m not a Tarantino fan. I know, right? And me with my degree in film studies and everything. But it’s true. Sure, I admire his inventive experimentation and his stories are gripping, his scripts all right and his love of film can’t be debated. But his work has always felt a bit too egotistical, with a smidgen too much gratuitous violence and a ‘fuck’ too many (in both senses) for my liking.
It got to the point where I convinced myself that I literally hated his films for a while. Of course I didn’t really – who can deny the sucker punches that were Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction? During a filmmaking era that gave us The Body Guard, Forrest Gump and Speed, Tarantino came out swinging with a clever, assertive style coupled with an ear for the perfect soundtrack and almost single-handedly breathed fresh life into American filmmaking. But I was, like, eight at the time. All that passed me by. So what began as ambivalence became – as it so often does – dislike, dislike became loathing and the rest is history.
It was pretty easy to hate him, too – that face of his sneered at me in my mind’s eye, his smug Miramax carte-blanche holding squint, his self-satisfied, self-proclaimed love affair with ‘cinema’, his constant referencing and homaging just sounded like name-dropping to me. UGH. He acted just like a puffed up film studies student.
I didn’t bother with Kill Bill. It’s ok, my East Asian Cinema tutor assured me that it’s a rehash of Lady Snowblood. Which I haven’t seen either. But the fact that I know this fact makes me feel better and more qualified to berate Tarantino.
Yes yes, it’s true. I have always been an idiot.
My dislike of Tarantino continued apace up until 1300 on Sunday August 30th 2009. It was about that time that I went to see Inglourious Basterds. And it wasn’t all that bad. I even – whisper it now – enjoyed it. Yikes.
I mean, for an utterly ridiculous story it was compelling viewing. For a film that literally bludgeoned you round the head with its pastiche of cinematic references it still held it together. Although as much as Tarantino is lauded for having matured, his latest film is still pretty adolescent in a lot of senses.
Old habits die pretty hard it seems - but nobody can deny that the man can write and shoot a film (seriously, you can’t. I’ve tried). Some of the script writing was dazzlingly clever, the casting was great and the acting was top notch with some actual laugh-out-loud moments mixed in with hide-behind-your-hands violence and the heavy-weight history being addressed. The camera work and set designs were almost theatrical - it’s absolutely one for the big screen.
Gosh. I might even watch Kill Bill now. Well… not right now. Baby steps.