Come With Me If You Want To Live

I'm not all arty fartsy about films you know. I do like a lot of art house and I'm not terribly confused by the works of Lynch or latter Godard but I do like my big kick ass blockbusters as much as i love the character, dialogue driven indies.

Terminator, that's right. The one with the big cyborg Arnie has returned and i am very excited. I loved James Cameron's first two outings and the less that can be said about Rise of The Machines the better if you ask me but having a successful television series based on such a familiar series of movies obviously didn't hurt the studio big wigs into allowing McG a go at riding the cyborgs for another run. If the cynical tone of my words is making you think that I'm hoping this next film in the series (Salvation) will fail then you are sorely mistaken. You see, after seeing the trailer and noticing the high-brow casting i am salivating at the idea of this film. Maybe I'm destined to be disappointed but dear friends one must have a little faith, a little faith that the man who brought Charlie and his angels to the big screen can do right by those lovable time traveling Skynet cyborgs.

Hitchcock Revisited

There's nothing more satisfying than re-viewing some old classics. Hitchcock has always been a curious love of mine when it comes to cinema. It's hard not to get drawn into his world when watching his films, is it because of his amazing ability to cast the right actors to play the part or his the leading eye of the camera that really puts you in the right positions to feel that emotional hit? It's a tough one and there's a reason why he is considered 'the master' after all.

So many of his films have that sparkle, that artistic flair. The dramatic use of music and camera angles to create the moods and emotions. Just look at Vertigo and it's lurid technicolor tones, colour plays a major role too, gives us hints and clues about the characters and their motives. It's all subtle but magical.

Rather than review a absolute vault of classics that I suggest you should watch I'm just gonna list a handful of my personal favorites.

Rear Window

Psycho

The Trouble With Harry

Vertigo

Dial M for Murder

The Birds

North by North West

Strangers On A Train

Saboteur

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Now like any good fan of moving pictures you should see as many of Hitchcock's works as you can. There's a ton of box sets out there that you can pick up for cheap. Here in the UK, there's an extensive box set of his films that you can buy online for as little as £17!!!! That's an amazing chance to be introduced to some of the greatest films of all time!

Terror abound in sci-fi horror flick Pandorum?

Okay, so this post isn't a review it's more of a fanboys rant at what's coming to cinemas near you (and me) in the coming months.

I've just witnessed a trailer for a film on the apple website for a new science fiction horror film from the producers of Resident Evil (could be bad news). The movie is called Pandorum and looks (from the trailer at least) to be reasonably interesting. I do admit i have a soft spot for crappy sci-fi horror movies and even count Event Horizon as one of my favorite guilty pleasures along with the first Resident Evil film (the others are admittedly lame), and seeing as I thoroughly enjoyed the video game Dead Space that came out at the tail end of 2008 for the XBOX 360 (and the trailer does have some visual similarities) I think i might just check it out.

It looks scary enough and it's got Dennis Quaid (Inner Space anyone?!) and Ben Foster (30 Days of Night, X-Men 3, 3:10 to Yuma) so it's got some great leads. Now, excuse my ignorance but I am not that familiar with the works of director Christian Alvart so i don't know if he directs sheer shit or not but like i said, benefit of the doubt people.

Take a look at the trailer here:

www.pandorummovie.com

or in much better quality at:

www.apple.com/trailers/independent/pandorum/

Give it a ganders, see what you think.

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Written by Jenny Lumet

I don't know why I'm drawn to films that center on dysfunction in the family. Maybe it's the struggle to come to terms with said dysfunction that draws me in or the flaws in the characters and how well their problems reflect those that I've experienced or have seen in other families. Either way, it's a cinematic turn on for me to see these themes played out.

The main deal for me was seeing Anne Hathaway play a character that's somewhat against type. Not the goody two shoes she's portrayed in the past, the only thing that I can think of that's in the same ball park is the character she played in Havoc.

The basic plot of the story revolves around Rachel (Rosemarie Dewitt), who is getting married (duh). Her younger sister Kym (played up to the eyeballs with driving frenzy by Hathaway) is allowed to leave rehab for the event but it seems that being back in the bosom of family and all the ghosts and skeletons that come along with it cause tempers to flare and resentment to set in.

The cast is brilliant, DeWitt as the title character is strong and decisive. Hathaway as the tear away Kym strongly shows that she's an incredibly talented and versatile actress but the big buzz came from watching TV on the Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe step up and give a solid performance as Rachel's husband to be Sydney (watch out for the amusing dish washing scene). The solid dialogue and brilliant pacing of Lumet's script give so much more weight and drama it really does draw you in to the lives of this family so effortlessly.

Strongly influenced by the French New Wave (the editing and camera work has a strong documentary style with flashes of Godard), the whole sense of the film feels like a breath of fresh air and is certainly Demme's most rewarding film since Silence of the Lambs. This isn't mainstream Hollywood, it's a tight knit ensemble piece built up from the foundations of the greatest in American indie cinema. It owes more to the spirit and energy of it's European cousins and deserves to be viewed by as many people as possible.

It's definitely in my top ten and could even find a place in my top five, this film is that good.

Waitress (2007)

Written and Directed by Adrienne Shelly

On the outside a film like Waitress can seem to be fluffy, light on the brain and more something that you're girlfriend would watch. But to the ignorant let me tell you that hidden under that bubbly, pastel colored exterior lies a very quirky comedy that's equal parts heart wrenching drama as it is snappy one liners.

Here you have the story of Jenna (Keri Russel), a daydreamer pie maker extraordinaire. She works at a run down Pie Diner called Joe's and succeeds in creating pie based masterpieces with suitably over the top names. One day Jenna discovers that she's been impregnated by her no good husband Earl (let's face it, most films like this need a good no good husband) after he gets her drunk one night (lovely). Jenna's life isn't the best, not only does her husband toot the car horn at her like some kind of house alarm but he also takes control of her money forcing her to hide whatever she can around the house.

In need of a great big life changing event, Jenna soon gets a kick in the pants when a new doctor arrives in the form of Nathan Fillion(who, is not only one of my current favorite actors, but also starred in the wonderful TV sci-fi western Firefly and it's off-shoot theatrical release Serenity). Fillion plays Jim a wonderfully quirky, quick witted doctor new to the town who makes a big impression on Jenna and in return Jenna makes a big impression on him.

Sadly, the fact that both main characters have other halves forces their relationship to be hidden but the development of Jim as not only Jenna's lover but as a best friend is beautiful realized by some heart warming scenes together. Jenna is merrily aided in her uncomfortable circumstances by her two fellow workers Becky and Dawn (played by writer and director Adrienne Shelly) who, along with Jim, try to help her come to terms with impending motherhood and help her realize that Earl might not be the best person to spend the rest of her life with.

Of the many scenes that stand out to me in this film my favorites involves Jenna and Joe the aged owner of the pie diner. Their banter in the few scenes they have together is magical and delicious, filled with witty commentary about life and it's highs and lows. It's plainly obvious that Jenna has an effect on everyone around her except over bearing husband Earl, he just has no clue and is a bit of self important dumb ass.

Seeing as i don't want to spoil the ending for you I'm going to urge you to check it out for yourselves. It's a heart warming piece of work made tragic by the untimely death of it's writer and director Adrienne Shelly prior to it's release. It's such a shame as Shelly gives a playful performance as awkward geek waitress Dawn and in a lot of ways is the comic soul floating in a sea of what could easily have been a straight forward melodrama. Shelly injects the script with subtle nuances that lead it into similar territory to that of Hal Hartley's Simple Men and Henry Fool (Shelly starred in Hartley's earlier films Trust) but with more human touch and natural inflections. The subtle direction gives the actors and the story center stage leaving the flashy camera work for the big effects laden blockbusters. Waitress is an uncomplicated film that should find a way into your heart, even if you're a bloke who loves Saw V.

Picnic At Hanging Rock (Criterion Collection)

Director: Peter Weir

This wonderful, lyrical film first saw the light of day back in 1975 and not only established Peter Weir as a talent to watch but also helped put Australian cinema firmly on the map.

Now if your only experience of Australian cinema are the Mad Max films then you could probably do with checking out this haunting piece of celluloid magic.

Set at the turn of the last century (1900), the story centers on the students of a female boarding school and what happens after their annual outing to local geographic landmark Hanging Rock on that most romantic of days, Valentines day. Several of the party mysteriously vanish while wandering the rock never to be seen again.

Now, some people tend to wonder if this is based on a true story and certainly the opening paragraph that pops up on your screen prior to the first images does make you think but in actuality it's based on the novel by writer Joan Lindsey.

It's sometimes hard to believe that this is Weirs second proper film outing, given the assured directing, the stunning award winning cinematography and the stellar performances contained in such a genuinely unsettling film. The innocence, the underlying layers of sexuality, the pangs of obsession, themes that unsettle in ways which I'll be damned if i completely understand why. It is an honestly scary film not in the "80's slasher film, bogeyman coming to get you kind of way" either but it's power lies in the dreamlike unknowing, the fact that there are no answers to pretty much all of your questions, the fact that the characters on screen are coming to terms with these unusual disappearances at the same time as the viewer is a brilliant cinematic device and one deftly handled by Weir to great effect.

The version of the film I'm talking about here is the American Region 1 disc released by Criterion featuring the director's cut of the film with a stunning wide screen transfer and a clear Dolby 5.1 audio mix. Given the age of the film it stands up and looks as fresh and pristine as when it was first shown. Criterion are widely acknowledged as being superior when it comes to releasing the more definitive version of a lot of great cinema. Unfortunately this disc is a very light on the extras with only liner notes by Vincent Canby as supplementary material. There is a brand new 3 disc version of the film that has been released in the UK which features a whopping 120 minutes making of documentary as well as the original theatrical and directors cut of the film which i will get my hands on and will review alongside this version at a later date.

But for now, if you are already an existing fan of this film then you can truly appreciate what a gem of a movie this is. If you're new to it then by all means seek it out, watch it and be mesmerized by it's haunting qualities and it's glimmering golden beauty.

other films by Peter Weir:

The Cars that Ate Paris (1975)

The Last Wave (1977)

Gallipoli (1981)

The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)

Witness (1985)

The Mosquito Coast (1986)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Green Card (1990)

Fearless (1993)

The Truman Show (1998)

Master and Commander: The far side of the world (2003)

Twilight (2008)

Director: Catherine Hardwicke.

Based on the book by Stephanie Meyer.

Of all the films to watch on a long 14 hour flight from Singapore, a gothic romance between an angsty teen girl and an even angstier teen vampire fella weren't very high in my list. Now before you go an crucify me for poking fun at the subject matter (yes, I know this is based on a highly respected and much loved book and unfortunately i haven't read it) i did approach this film with a specific kind of interest, i mean, the hype around it has been hard to miss.

First off this isn't Anne Rices Interview With A Vampire. Set in a dreary (and damp) Pacific North Western American town, awkward beauty Bella Swan (played by the pretty Kristin Stewart) relocates from scorching Arizona to live with her estranged father who is the local sheriff. Hanging out with the local freaks and geeks at her new high school she quickly falls for the mysterious Edward Cullen (played with surprising confidence by the bloke who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire). Oh but like any teen romance there are mountains for this pair of love birds to overcome, biggest of all is the fact that Eddie is a vamp with a vampire family (minus the usual overgrown canines). Is this tender and innocent romance doomed from the start or will love conquor all?

So, is it any good? To tell you the truth I did enjoy it. It isn't a taxing film and the whole idea of vampirism is given a unique twist, less focus on the whole neck biting and more focus on vampire family sports day (if you've seen the film and the baseball game scene) and the "will they, won't they" attempts at making the human/vampire relationship work.

All of the supporting actors do a great job given what they have to work with in terms of screen time and script and special kudos must be given to Robert Pattinson for pretty much handling his first leading role with aplomb. I mean, the last time i saw his mug it was running around a maze after Harry Potter! Also credit must be given to Hardwickes direction although there are some points of the story that feel a little tacked on or under developed (e.g. the addition of the three rogue vamps that terrorize the town comes in at a point that almost manages to make you not care).

Without reading the book i can't comment on whether the film stays true to the original narrative but as far as I can make out it's been pretty successful so I guess it can't have veered too far off course. I also read somewhere that Twilight is one book in a series which i'm sure, based on the success of the first film, will open doors to further adaptations.

All in all, not amazing by any means but certainly not terrible. A nice addition to the cinematic journey of the vampire mythology.