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What have you watched recently?
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I Am Number Four
The only reason I went to see this tripe was because the GF has free tickets to the cinema every month from O2 and that she picked it without me.
I know the origin of this film and why it exists (James Frey licking his lips at the gaping hole Twilight left) so I was not keen on seeing it one bit but since it was free and I had nothing better to do................eh, why not.
Cliched, boring, non-sensical plot (why are these aliens here, why are they being hunted!?!) and extremely run-of-the-mill dialogue that was only made enjoyable because me and the GF smuggled in beer and drank troughout the whole thing picking it apart (it was an empty screen bar 3 other people)
Fortunately, she thought it was shìt (she's a Twilight-head) and said she'll leave the movie choices up to me anymore...............................wise choice :pac:0 -
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'Black Swan'
As pretentious as the dance form (can be) at the centre of the story, Darren Aronofsky's much praised descent into madness plays out like a Dario Argento wannabe. Fans of Giallo, or even Roman Polanski, will recognise all the usual touchstones in 'Black Swan', but Aronofsky's film lacks Argento's style or the quiet dread of 'Repulsion'. I'm not that big a fan of either Polanski or Argento, so I don't want to make it seem that I am using "masters" to bash a "student". Although Aronofsky can hardly be considered a "student", he is the relative new kid on the block. Maybe it's just me, but I have yet to truly enjoy an Aronofsky film. I didn't rate 'Pi' and his subsequent efforts just haven't done it for me. Although 'Requiem for a Dream' contains flashes of brilliance and I probably should give that one another go at some point.
The problem, perhaps, is that I've been here before and as such was always just one step ahead of 'Black Swan'. The result is that at the end of the film it was a relief somewhat. But, viewers unfamiliar with the territory may find Aronofsky's effort a great experience.
There are many things about 'Black Swan' that are worthwhile. In general the acting is good, although Portman's one note can get irritating at times. Mila Kunis sheds "Meg" very well. Vincent Cassel tries his best as a motivated company head. It was also nice to see Barbara Hershey (Portman's mum) and Wynonna Rider (fading starlet) back on the screen, one sporting a truly disturbing facelift and the other continuing her long journey though cinematic rehab, after her brush with the law.
The visuals are generally great and there are a number of "did I really see that" moments in the frame. I can't say I know too much about the world of ballet, but its portrayal here is convincing enough as far as I am concerned. Although, the old hoary cliché of the success obsessed ballerina has been done before.
It's not that I didn't like 'Black Swan' at all, I did on many levels. It certainly holds the attention and Nina's (Portman) obsessions, hallucinations, dreams and distortions of reality are handled quite well. But it still suffers from the same problem that Aronofsky's films all have. There's just something missing for me.
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‘Jaws’
There isn’t much that can be written about Spielberg’s first major effort that hasn’t been written before in countless reviews, documentaries and making of’s that have been produced since the big rubber shark first scared the crap out of people in the summer of 1975. Well known are the obstacles that the film makers had to overcome, in order to produce cinema’s first “blockbuster”. Terrible weather, cold water, sinking boats, arguing stars, minimal usable film footage and “Bruce”.
“Bruce” was the cause of so much bother that it famously forced Spielberg’s hand on numerous occasions, requiring him to keep the star of the show (the shark) out of the picture for long periods of the film. Almost perversely, it makes the film even more terrifying than would have been, if the great white had shown his hand at the beginning as Spielberg had originally intended. Named after Spielberg’s then lawyer, “Bruce” was subject to multiple faults, largely due to the corrosive nature of the seawater on his hydraulics. “The shark is not working” became the catchphrase of the day and many of the cast and crew contemplated the end of their careers as the mechanics failed with depressing regularity, the screenplay got rewrites, the budget went way over the top and the dailies were showing minimal returns. The gruelling shoot of ‘Jaws’ is legendary and the disparaging on-the-set nickname of ‘Flaws’ was well earned.
In the end however, everybody managed to turn in the (at the time) highest grossing movie ever and with such a lowbrow story, albeit based on Peter Benchley’s bestseller from the early 70’s. Such a simple story, a massive great white “stakes a claim” off of a summer island beach resort (Amity) and chomps his way through a few swimmers until an “ahab” like character is hired to go put an end to it and all in what is essentially a two act play. It does have a lot to owe ‘Moby Dick’, but the story stands in its own right too and the changes to the screenplay made for a better film. Gone are the unnecessary Benchley subplots, the lacklustre (but more realistic) ending and the “too much story” feel of the novel and what we are left with is the stripped down classic that became the benchmark for many a summer to come.
The acting is superb in many respects and each of the human leads compliment each other very well. “Land-lubber” chief Brody (Roy Scheider) is convincing as a New York cop out of his depth in the bloody waters of Amity. Richard Dreyfuss is charming as Matt Hooper, the uber-rich oceanographic member called in by Brody to help out with “his” shark problem and best of all is the excellent Robert Shaw as the grizzled Sam Quint, who has been on a one man vendetta against sharks since his encounter with them in 1945. It’s a brilliant piece of casting genius putting all three together and it makes the film what it is in a lot of ways. Also in the “stroke of genius” dept. is John William’s signature tune, which has long since entered into movie history. There can scarcely be a person into movies that isn’t aware of what that simple E F chord sequence did to my generation. Spielberg himself has acknowledged that the film would be half of what it is without William’s music. Also, a special mention should go to Verna Fields who won the Oscar for best editing. Quite rightly, the academy recognised her great efforts at turning thousands of feet of mostly unusable film into a coherent whole. Although, in at least one sequence (“This is what happens…”), there is evidence of some terrible celluloid butchery.
As one would expect, with a film involving a man eating shark, ‘Jaws’ is quite bloody and features many sequences that stay with the viewer long after the film has ended. The titles, the opening sequence, the boy’s pathetic deflated rubber raft, Quint’s first appearance, the attack in the estuary, the shark’s first appearance, the yellow barrels, the USS Indianapolis speech, Hooper’s dive in the shark cage, Quint vs shark and the explosive ending are among just a few. There are many more. Numerous too, are the great quotable lines of dialogue, endlessly repeated by movie bores. “We’re going to need a bigger boat”.
The aforementioned “bloodiness” can be genuinely shocking at times, even in scenes that would be considered ridiculous. I still find it amazing that ‘Jaws’ received a PG rating on its release in 1975. Incredible really, when one considers that much tamer films have had to make do with an “R” or “18’s” certificate. It’s certainly not a film I would show to a child. The “head in the boat” scene gave me nightmares for months, when I first saw it and even Quint’s far-fetched encounter with the shark on the deck of the “Orca” still has the power to disturb today. There are few films that can achieve that. The shark itself is as realistic as you want it to be though. If you set out looking for flaws, you’ll find them. But for the most part Bob Matty and his crew did a splendid job and many scenes, I still find the big rubber shark fearsome, decades after it first frightened the life out of me.
“Smile, you son-of-a-bitch”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zkYRD51I34
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