I realise that I have been neglecting my blog for a few weeks now, and thats because I'm currently undergoing my final examinations for my degree. Once my degree is out of the way by next week I will be posting regularly again, you can expect a new Indie roundup, some Netflix reviews and possibly another horror roundup. Thanks for your support and taking the time to look at my blog! Stay tuned!
Karl
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Friday, 24 May 2013
The Great Gatsby Review
The Great Gatsby Review
I was a bit late seeing this due to exam revision, and seeing the reviews I expected to be let down, fortunately I disagree with a lot of the reviews.
The Great Gatsby has unfortunately suffered at the hands of the hype machine, the buzz surrounding the film started this time last year, and a delay from Christmas 2012 to Spring 2013 didn't help matters. It seems that some critics may have overestimated how good Baz Luhrmann's films actually are, with most of them being nothing more than a shallow love story smothered in visual beauty and musical insanity. The Great Gatsby does nothing different, which is the thing that most reviewers seem upset about. While Luhrmann's signature might be style over substance, that Is not to say that he doesn't make great films, this being no exception. The plot is based on the famous American novel of the same name written by Scott Fitzgerald, and revolves around a series of rich investor's relationships and the mysterious J Gatsby. I felt that the plot actually excelled much more than some of the critics have suggested, it immersed me within the CGI 3-D laced world of 1920's New York perfectly. The mystery surrounding Gatsby himself was to me the most interesting aspect of the narrative, but by the second half all had been revealed, leaving nothing more than a tragic love story. While the plot may be something we've all seen before, it did manage to make me care about the characters, mainly Gatsby, which can't be said for some of his other films, most noticeably, Moulin Rouge.
Speaking of Moulin Rouge, the infamous party scenes sparked memories of the frantic opening scenes, and are beautifully executed. The roaring 20's is captured perfectly through these scenes, which both mesmerise and provoke thoughts about the time, a theme which the original book was based upon. The sheer excess of these party scenes is mind boggling, utilising as much glamour, alcohol and sex as Lurhmann could muster, with the results appearing similar to the recent Spring Breakers. The soundtrack fuelling the carnage is a mix of uptempo hip-hop, trap and pounding EDM that manages to capture the feel of the 20's, while at the same time creating a cross generational time leap and making the scenes feel like something out of Project X. On the other hand there are some amazing slow pieces on the soundtrack, such as the sublime Young and Beautiful, written and sung by Lana Del Rey, and a dark and foreboding version of Back to Black, featuring Beyonce and Andre 3000. These songs manage to further immerse you within the narrative, and provide a real sense of danger, tragedy and romance, all of which are heavily laced within the plot. For the first time since Life of Pi I felt that the 3D really worked in this film, instead of cheap 'pop-out' visual effects, Luhrmann creates many visual layers, making the world feel like a stage play or comic book, and again creating a brilliant sense of immersion.
While the narrative may lack depth, and the party scenes may provide too much excess for some viewers, this shouldn't detract from the fact that this is a very solid film. For some novel purists Luhrmann's vision may prove too distracting and contemporary, but in my opinion it creates a whole new take on the original story, one which is culturally relevant today. The use of music throughout the film gives a sense of modernity, and interweaves the film with today's world, providing interesting comments and ideas that are sure to be discussed within the coming months among critics. Overall a solid film, its well worth a watch if you're interested in either the 20's or Baz Luhrmann, however be warned that it may stray from the novel, proving a different take on the traditional story.
8/10
Friday, 17 May 2013
My Top 5 Palm d'Or Winners
My Top 5 Palm d'Or Winners
Seeing as the Cannes Film Festival is taking place right now, I thought I would give a rundown of my favourite films that have won the prestigious Palm d'Or award. For anyone who doesn't know the Palm d'Or is, it is the highest prize awarded at the film festival, and is given to those films that have impressed the jury above and beyond all of the other entries. I recommend you watch as many of the winners as you can, but for now here's my top 5.
#5 The White Ribbon - 2009
You might be inclined to think that this film is one of the older winners of the prize, but this masterpiece actually won the Palm d'Or in 2009. The film is directed by Micheal Haneke, who also directed last years winner Amour, and who also directed Funny Games and the 2008 remake the year before. While The White Ribbon might look like a completely different kettle of fish than Funny Games, it is actually quite a similar piece. The narrative concerns a small rural village set in the years just before World War 1, strange things begin happening, events which in today's world may not seem like anything to worry about, but to the villagers of this idyllic country village seem barbaric. Events like crops being destroyed, a window being opened next to a newborn baby and tripping a horse with a wire. The story escalates into a mystery or 'whodunnit' style of film, with the children of the village and the elders at war over the culprit. The cinematography of the film is simply astounding, using a subdued black and white throughout the film, and giving the audience some breathtaking camera shots and visuals. The performances are also all brilliant, starting quiet and calm before quickly ascending into drama and emotion, making the film a joy to watch. Definitely check this one out.
#4 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - 2007
This harrowing Romanian piece deals with the controversial subject of backstreet illegal abortions in 1980's metropolitan Romania. It shares similarities with films like Vera Drake, albeit this time concentrating on the victims of illegal abortion and not the perpetrators. The narrative concerns two students, one of whom is pregnant and decides she wants an abortion. The film essentially plays out in one day, the day of the abortion, and creates a foreboding atmosphere of tension, fear and unease in a very disturbing way. The film looks beautiful despite the dark subject matter, and all 3 of the main performances are magnificently acted, making me genuinely believe in their story. This isn't a film to watch with your partner or parents, but if you're prepared for hard viewing, it delivers.
#3 The Pianist - 2002
The pianist is probably one of the more highly recognisable Palm d'Or winners, gaining significant international acclaim and going onto win Oscars and BAFTA's. It has now become a modern classic in World War 2 films, specifically Holocaust films, and is a film that I urge you to watch. The Roman Polanski directed piece follows the life of a Jewish man as he witnesses first hand the tragedy of the Holocaust, starting in 1939 and ending after the 1944 Warsaw uprising. The film begins as a horrifying and disturbingly real portrayal of the creation of the Ghetto, the removal of the Jews into the concentration camps, and finally the riots and uprising that helped end the war. By the end of it you will be broken, disturbed, angry and relieved, the piece really plays with the emotions of it's viewers. The set design, cinematography, music and performances are all world class, once again proving that Polanski is a force to be reckoned with in terms of serious film making, with considerable praise given to Aidren Brody who gives his career best as the survivor of the experience.
#2 Pulp Fiction - 1994
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This iconic cult masterpiece had to be included on my list, its one of my all time favourite films and in my opinion deserves more recognition than it gets. We all know that certain critics can be quick to dismiss films like Pulp Fiction, American films that are perhaps less 'arty' than some of the other entries Cannes is used to, but to do that to Pulp Fiction would be a real shame. Tarrantino is very hit and miss with me, some of his films I love, Kill Bill for example, while others I hate, Reservoir Dogs springs to mind, so upon seeing this for the first time I was apprehensive considering the hype it has received. I wasn't disappointed, the film is a masterclass in exploitative and violent, yet hilarious and clever film making, and in my opinion pushed the boundaries for what cinema can do. The narrative is a combination of 4 different narratives, all covering similar themes and subject matter, revenge, violence, and the American dream. They are all equally brilliant and interlock perfectly by the end, making what at first is a confusing puzzle into a coherent and thematically interlocked plot. I cant say much more about this film without running into the things that everyone likes to say about it, just know that It is an absolute classic and must watch.
#1 The Tree Of Life - 2011
I have a feeling this one is going to cause some controversy being at #1. The film is not perfect, and yes it is a bit pretentious, but I personally think it deserves a lot more credit than it receives. The film got praise by many critics, but a significant number thought otherwise, giving it a mixed consensus upon theatrical release. I have talked about the film before in one of the Indie Roundup pieces written in March, but I simply cannot give this Terrence Malick masterpiece enough praise. As mentioned before, it is a poetic piece, a film that requires the viewer to read it from a distance, to not worry themselves with plot and character development but instead simply watch and observe. Its a film with little narrative, no real sense of time or place, and a film that thematically throws a lot of ideas at you. The themes of faith and the meaning of life itself can seem a touch preachy and naive at times, but in the right mindset they can really open your eyes and make you think about some deep ideas. The film is mind blowingly beautiful, with Malick choosing to use a graceful swooping style of shooting, making the piece look more like a dance than a film. I highly recommend this film to anyone wanting to delve into a sea of ideas and themes surrounding life itself, and for anyone who has the mindset to take themselves out of the film and look at it subjectively. The Tree of Life is simply a beautiful experience.
That concludes the list, there are loads of other amazing films I could have included; Dancer in the Dark, Farewell My Concubine and Amour to name a few. I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts and feel free to leave your own opinions in the comments below or send me a tweet @karlrichings!
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Mud Review
Mud Review
After seeing the brilliant 'Take Shelter' last year, I had high hopes for Jeff Nichols' new production, and I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed.
The film is a slice of deep south Americana, a film that captures the raw and real America that Nichols is known for, and that many films fail to do. The plot surrounds two boys who go on an adventure to an island in the middle of their lake, they then find Mud. Mud is a fugitive, a fact that the boys don't know on first meeting him, they help Mud out by bringing him food, which quickly escalates into a more serious and life threatening situation. The main character is arguably Ellis, played by Tye Sheridan, and is one of the boys who discovers Mud. Ellis is central to the whole theme of the film, that theme being the idea of love, as Ellis' parents are getting a divorce he looks to Mud's relationship with his Girlfriend (played by Reese Witherpoon) as a sign that love can exist. Some argue that this film is Misogynistic, and I would be inclined to agree to an extent, Nichols plays with the idea that women are the downfall of men, with all of the contact with women in the film leading to disaster, including Mud's relationship. While the film does push forward ideas that I wholeheartedly disagree with, I found the ideas to fit well within the film, and work within the realistic and gritty deep South setting, a setting in which these ideas are perhaps a bit more commonplace. The narrative then is a well written, well structured one, a narrative which is paced just right and makes the film a joy to watch. .
The cinematography is absolutely stunning, using a mixture of fixed angle shots and a more shaky cam style, reminding me of a much less nauseating Beasts of the Southern Wilds. The on location shooting really helped with immersion, and by the end of the film I felt like I knew the place like the back of my hand. On the performance front there are some absolute knockouts, with Matthew McConaughey pulling out all the stops to prove he is a force to be reckoned with within Hollywood, his powerful, yet restrained performance as Mud is clearly the standout, and should get him some nominations later this year. Tye Sheridan as Ellis is another astounding performance, again proving him to be an immense talent off the back of his Tree of Life breakout, giving a raw and emotion driven portrayal of an Innocent kid going through a divorce.
Nichols has managed to blow me away yet again, Mud is a masterpiece in dialogue driven cinema, that by the end packs a substantial emotional punch. Its a film which represents its setting realistically without airbrushing over the imperfections, and subsequently comes off as a genuine and powerful. Mud is this year's Winters Bone, and anyone with a taste in great films should most definitely go and see it.
9/10
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Top 5 Guilty Pleasures
Top 5 Guilty Pleasures
Lets not beat around the bush, we all watch and love films that we really shouldn't. For some of us its that big dumb action movie, for others its chick flicks, but for all of us its the films that we can watch without thinking about, a degree of escapism that only film can provide. Since I've recently been watching quite a few films that I probably shouldn't have done, I thought I'd make a list of my personal top 5 guilty pleasures... make sure to leave your own in the comments section!
#5 Mean Girls
Mean Girls was a film that came out in my early teens, and for some reason is a film I keep going back to. I think its a mixture of the immensely quotable one liners and phrases, and the brilliant script penned by Tina Fey, this teen film is much more than a typical affair thanks to her fantastic sense of humour and down to earth narrative. I cant help feeling however that there is something very eerie about watching this film now, seeing Lindsay Lohan give her career best only to have become what she is today is pretty unsettling and ironic given the films themes. In any case I think Mean Girls is fantastic, and while I might feel bad for loving it, I could definitely do worse.
#4 The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Rocky Horror is the definition of camp. Its exploitative, rude, sexy and downright mad, and its definitely one of my guilty pleasures. Theres something about the way the film manages to balance itself between parody and a genuine narrative that I cant get enough of. The references to old sci-fi and horror B movies makes my inner geek squirm with delight, and the songs aren't half bad either. The obvious hit from the film/show 'Time Warp' is actually one of my least favourite songs, theres a wealth of great campified numbers in this musical, including one featuring Meat Loaf himself! The narrative is pretty irrelevant considering the nature of this film, its a film which parody's the genre, yet rarely crosses the line into self parody, making it still feel like an original work rather than a retread. I couldn't talk about Rocky Horror without praising Tim Curry's absolute blinder of a performance as Frank-N-Furter, which is surely one of his best. In conclusion, a masterclass in camp and parody, which doesn't dare to take itself seriously.
#3 The Little Mermaid
Theres something about this (in my opinion) underrated Disney classic that makes it slightly more embarrassing to love than any of the others. While this may not be Disney at its finest, its certainly no Lion King or Pocahontas, it is a personal favourite of mine. My love for The Little Mermaid stemmed from my childhood, where I would watch the film over and over again, and the sheer nostalgia factor of it makes it worth watching even now. It doesn't help that the songs are pretty damn amazing too, Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl and Part of Your World being personal highlights... My list wouldn't be complete without a Disney film, and I guess this is the one that most fits the guilty part of the list.
#2 Pride and Prejudice
I'm going to admit it now, I'm a sucker for a good old fashioned period drama, and this one is at the top of the cringe list. The fact that this is the version that I enjoy over the BBC one, which most claim is the superior version, doesn't help. Theres something about getting caught up in a narrative that makes you really listen to the dialogue being spoken, using traditional language that encourages you to open your ears and hear the poetic sentence structure rolling off the tongue of a posh English country girl, that engages me. I know it might sound stupid, but some of the stories found in these kinds of dramas make me feel slightly better about the world and cheer me up after watching the latest petty squander between two crettins on Jeremy Kyle. In any case its still a very guilty pleasure of mine, hence it coming in a close second on my list.
#1 Grease
I expect this cheesefest to come in most people's guilty pleasures lists, its pretty much impossible not to like, well that is unless you're a completely miserable and cynical human being! While the film may be completely ridiculous and overly camp, it manages to still lift my spirits and get my toes tapping. The songs are pretty much pop culturally iconic by now, and get any party going even to this day, they may be a bit camp but my god they're catchy! After recently seeing this film at the drive in cinema in Manchester, the only one of its kind in the UK apparently, its made me love it even more, and that kind of setting is absolute perfection for seeing Grease. An iconic musical which most of us are ashamed of loving, it has to come at #1 on my list.
That rounds off my top 5 guilty pleasures, do you agree with me? Tell me what your guilty pleasures are in the comments or send me a tweet @Karlrichings or @thatfilmfeeling!
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
I'm So Excited Review
I'm So Excited Review
I am a huge fan of Almodovar's work, so I leapt at the chance of seeing his latest screwball comedy I'm So Excited at an advanced screening. I went in with high expectations off the back of the absolute masterpiece that is The Skin I Live In, and was majorly let down.
I'm aware that Almodovar was attempting to go back to his roots, with this film reminding me of his earlier comedy works such as What Have I Done to Deserve This. While I appreciate his desire to go back to his roots in film making, his recent works such as The Skin I Live In and Bad Education were much more powerful pieces. This film in comparison seems frothy, light and overly camp, even for Almodovar's standards. The plot is based around a flight from Madrid to Mexico, when the landing gear fails the passengers must all face their problems in the confines of the first class cabin. It sounds like a brilliant idea, and it does work to a degree, the problem I found was that not enough time was given to each character to fully explore their situation, which in turn led to me not really caring what happened to them.
Much of the humour in the film is low brow, however its a very subtle low brow humour that Almodovar is known for, and the focus on sex and sexuality again plays a large part much like his previous works. Camp is a big feature of I'm So Excited, with the majority of the male characters being either gay or bisexual. This obviously leads to countless gay jokes, which are fine by me as long as they are kept fresh and funny, this cant be said for the camp humour in this film. It appears that the same jokes are reworded over and over, making all of the jokes pretty much the same, its a shame considering how much experience Almodovar has had with this genre. On the other hand there are some brilliant screwball moments and dialogue gags that made me chuckle, making up for the somewhat flat camp and sex jokes.
The film is absolutely beautiful, with Almodovar's signature crayon colour look in full force, something which was missing from The Skin I Live In. As usual the sets look wonderful, with brightly coloured fixtures and fittings mixed with a distinctly pop art quality to give a happy and joyful vibe. The cinematography is again stunning, with some beautiful close ups and expertly placed long shots, making the film a joy to watch. Its these elements which made up for the lack of narrative structure and flat humour, as seeing an iconic auteur like Almodovar at work is always a feast for the eyes and mind.
Delivering on the visuals front, its clear that Almodovar hasn't lost his touch, his narrative on the other hand has, and his next work must be more complex and meaningful for me to still consider him a relevant auteur in today's film landscape. That being said the film is fun to watch, its light entertainment, the kind you'll find watching similar Hollywood pictures like Hope Springs or the latest Hugh Grant rom-com. Its frothy, its light, and its shallow, but its also beautiful, above average and has had thought put into it. Taking all things into consideration I think its a perfectly fine film for Hollywood standards, for Almodovars standards however its a bit of a plane crash.
7/10
The Place Beyond the Pines Review
The Place Beyond The Pines Review
The Place Beyond the Pines is a fantastic crime drama, a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat and by the end of it will leave you exhausted. Unfortunately there are a few niggles that keep the film from reaching perfection.
The title of the film suggests some sort of David Attenborough tree documentary, and I went into the film not knowing much at all about it. I feel that this helped with my engagement of it, as I had no idea where the film was going, what the general plot was, or know what any of the set pieces were. The plot spans 15 years, and follows two central characters, Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, in the lead up to, and aftermath, of a police shootout. What astonished me was the way the central character completely changed halfway through the film, just as the audience begins connecting to the first one. Its a technique that carries risks, but a risk that in this picture pays off substantially. The narrative has moments where it needs a kick up the backside, it can sometimes drag, particularly towards the end, and here lies one of the faults that stops the film from being truly great. On the other hand the narrative does a good job of letting us connect with each character, and while it may be long (2 hours 20 mins!) in the end it pays off.
Aside from the narrative, the film is technically solid. The cinematography works well, while it does nothing new, it is beautiful, and captures the lush landscapes of the forests brilliantly. In terms of performances, there are some knockouts, with Gosling coming out on top with an impressive downplayed and somewhat touching performance. Bradley Cooper also plays an impressive part, surely on par with The Silver Linings Playbook, he's shaping up to be a reliable talent in the Hollywood landscape. Eva Mendes, who plays Ryan Goslings love interest, plays a stirring role as the mother who loses everything, and pulls it off wonderfully with her strong will coupled with her sensitive vulnerability.
The length of the film is really the main problem, with the pacing needing some fine tuning to tighten the overall narrative. The last segment involving the children of both of the main characters has its problems too, mostly due to the performance of AJ (Bradley's son in the film), his dialogue seems out of touch and overly stereotypical and reminded me of a teen comedy rather than a mature drama. Other than these niggles, I highly recommend this film to anyone looking for a superb drama fix, and to anyone who enjoys seeing Gosling or Cooper at their finest. A very solid film.
8/10
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