I spent the weekend gallivanting around the County (well the Midlands) attempting to catch up with some University Friends. After a particularly heavy Saturday night in Nottingham and a horrific drive down the M1 on Sunday I was looking forward to getting home, shutting the curtains, fighting off the feeling of nausea and watching some films. I had a back log of blockbuster rentals to get through so started with the easiest, least complicated movie in my DVD heap, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Being a huge Katharine Hepburn fan I was really looking forward to watching the last Tracey / Hepburn pairing on screen.
The film is dated, made in 1967 it doesn’t deal with the interracial issues particularly gracefully and there are a few scenes that are difficult to take seriously in 2009. However I did love the final moment in which Spencer Tracey delivers the ultimate romantic line ‘If it is half what we felt it is everything’ not to his onscreen daughter but to his very real and rarely emotional mistress Katharine Hepburn, who in the background is shedding what look like genuine tears… she didn’t win four Oscars for nothing!
A big bag of Haribo Starmix and an even bigger bottle of water helped me through the first film; however the next one was proving to be a bit more of a struggle. In the Loop should not be watched while enduring a hangover, which is just a little tip from me to you. It is a whirlwind of a movie, I’m pretty sure it is savage in its sarcasm, it is laugh out loud funny and I think it continuously hits the right levels of cynicism… But I won’t be sending it back to Blockbusters just yet as the inability to keep my eyes open did distract me somewhat and a second viewing will now be required.
On the off chance that I am right, and with or without half a bottle of Vodka inside me I generally am. I would hazard a bet that Peter Capaldi will be on the receiving end of an Oscar nod come next year, I think…?
Monday, 17 August 2009
Monday, 10 August 2009
Something for the Weekend
This weekend has been pretty eventful. I finally moved out of the flat I lived in with my now ex-boyfriend, straight into a house-share with 3 random strangers. Trying really hard to block out any horrible and scary feelings about my future I finally turned my thoughts back to film. All movies serve a purpose; they make you laugh, they make you cry, they nearly always make you think. This weekend I didn’t want to think or feel anything, I wanted to be completely and utterly soaked up as much mindless entertainment as possible. There really are only two genres that make this possible… Action and Horror, and I managed to watch both!
After the contents of my life were dragged from one place to another I took myself off to the cinema to watch The Taking of Pelham 123. Now I know in a previous blog I did say it was a no-go area for the broken hearted but let’s face it with Denzel Washington cruising his way through another half decent performance and John Travolta once again showing he can play the cartoonish physo badie I couldn’t really resist. It was as I hoped, okay. Sometimes films are allowed to be just okay if you don’t expect or want too much from them. The dialogue was tolerable; the performances were adequate and although the action scenes weren’t really up to scratch the film was relatively short so did hold your attention for the 106 minutes it was running. Film critic hat on for a second, the ending was rubbish!
I was out of the cinema by 8.30pm which meant I had a good few hours of my Saturday left to fill. I headed back to my ever reliable best friend who had just bought herself a Stephen King film adaptations boxset, which included Misery. I was a bit apprehensive watching a film about obsessive, unrequited love; I might get a few knee-capping ideas of my own! She had had never seen it before and I do love introducing people to films that I know they will appreciate as much as I do. So we turned the lights off, shut the curtains and settled in for another two hours of movie magic. Kathy Bates is fantastic as Annie Wilkes and James Caan more than keeps up with her as the ill-fated novelist. This nail-biting thriller is one of the best Stephen King adaptations and a film I would still recommend for a Saturday night viewing. It was1am when Misery finished and I finally got myself into bed, successfully all bad thoughts had been disregarded for the day. As I lay there I wondered what Sunday would bring, I was hoping for a big bucket of popcorn and the Die Hard box set.
After the contents of my life were dragged from one place to another I took myself off to the cinema to watch The Taking of Pelham 123. Now I know in a previous blog I did say it was a no-go area for the broken hearted but let’s face it with Denzel Washington cruising his way through another half decent performance and John Travolta once again showing he can play the cartoonish physo badie I couldn’t really resist. It was as I hoped, okay. Sometimes films are allowed to be just okay if you don’t expect or want too much from them. The dialogue was tolerable; the performances were adequate and although the action scenes weren’t really up to scratch the film was relatively short so did hold your attention for the 106 minutes it was running. Film critic hat on for a second, the ending was rubbish!
I was out of the cinema by 8.30pm which meant I had a good few hours of my Saturday left to fill. I headed back to my ever reliable best friend who had just bought herself a Stephen King film adaptations boxset, which included Misery. I was a bit apprehensive watching a film about obsessive, unrequited love; I might get a few knee-capping ideas of my own! She had had never seen it before and I do love introducing people to films that I know they will appreciate as much as I do. So we turned the lights off, shut the curtains and settled in for another two hours of movie magic. Kathy Bates is fantastic as Annie Wilkes and James Caan more than keeps up with her as the ill-fated novelist. This nail-biting thriller is one of the best Stephen King adaptations and a film I would still recommend for a Saturday night viewing. It was1am when Misery finished and I finally got myself into bed, successfully all bad thoughts had been disregarded for the day. As I lay there I wondered what Sunday would bring, I was hoping for a big bucket of popcorn and the Die Hard box set.
Friday, 7 August 2009
John Hughes 1950 – 2009
Ferris Bueller’s Day off is just one of my most favourite films. There is something just so right about it or maybe it is that I just unashamedly love it… I remember very clearly the first time I saw the movie. I was 7 and on holiday with my family in Florida, we had jet lag and were trying to recover in the hotel room. It was 1989 and looking back everything was very very 1980’s (I have photo evidence!) I think because I watched the film in the States my view is slightly tainted but FBDF just seems so American to me. The clothes, the cars, the high school, the characters it really is quintessential Americana. As I grew up I wanted to be Slone Peterson, she was sexy, cool and had the most amazing hair… most men I know still want to be Ferris Bueller, but the character that most people love is Cameron, he is the core of the film and the one we really root for. Hughes knew how to get the audience to invest in his characters and this is never more obvious than the scene in which Cameron destroys the Ferrari. It gets you every time.
Hughes was underrated, to many he made silly films about silly teenagers and their angst but really if you were to look at his work as a whole I think you could make quite an interesting study of his vision of American Society in the 1980 (I’m starting an MA in Film Studies soon and this wouldn’t be a bad dissertation!).
What I love most about John Hughes is that he stepped out of the limelight at the height of his power to enjoy his success away from Hollywood and to be with his family. How rare is that?! The saddest thing is that he didn’t get to spend longer with them. He will be missed but his legacy lives on. I for one will be watching Ferris Bueller this evening and for many many more years to come.
Ferris Bueller’s Day off is just one of my most favourite films. There is something just so right about it or maybe it is that I just unashamedly love it… I remember very clearly the first time I saw the movie. I was 7 and on holiday with my family in Florida, we had jet lag and were trying to recover in the hotel room. It was 1989 and looking back everything was very very 1980’s (I have photo evidence!) I think because I watched the film in the States my view is slightly tainted but FBDF just seems so American to me. The clothes, the cars, the high school, the characters it really is quintessential Americana. As I grew up I wanted to be Slone Peterson, she was sexy, cool and had the most amazing hair… most men I know still want to be Ferris Bueller, but the character that most people love is Cameron, he is the core of the film and the one we really root for. Hughes knew how to get the audience to invest in his characters and this is never more obvious than the scene in which Cameron destroys the Ferrari. It gets you every time.
Hughes was underrated, to many he made silly films about silly teenagers and their angst but really if you were to look at his work as a whole I think you could make quite an interesting study of his vision of American Society in the 1980 (I’m starting an MA in Film Studies soon and this wouldn’t be a bad dissertation!).
What I love most about John Hughes is that he stepped out of the limelight at the height of his power to enjoy his success away from Hollywood and to be with his family. How rare is that?! The saddest thing is that he didn’t get to spend longer with them. He will be missed but his legacy lives on. I for one will be watching Ferris Bueller this evening and for many many more years to come.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
What films mend a broken heart?
Having recently been dumped twice in the last 2 months by the same man as you can imagine my emotional state is shaky at best (catastrophic at worst). Trying to get through each day is hard work, having to put on that ’I’m okay’ smile and pretend that you are happy to be out and about when all you want to do is shut your self away, hide under your duvet and generally wallow in your own self pity. The over analysis of why everything went wrong and what could have been done differently is incessant. He is annoyingly and consistently on the brain, and although I’m obviously pissed off that I’ve been pushed out of a relationship I wasn’t in any rush to leave the more depressing thing is I have lost all interest doing anything (well expect alcohol that does seems to be a new habit I’ve picked up).
All through my life I have turned to my favourite films to get me through tough times. I love going to the cinema and losing myself in the stories unfolding on screen, but when you have a broken heart there are so many movies that you have to avoid or you will find yourself on an emotional rollercoaster best dealt with under the duvet rather than in a packed picture house. Take the films that are on release currently, they may look innocent enough but at some point that storyline is going to get you. Harry Potter – young and nubile youths embarking on their first romances, destined to live happy ever after, urgh! Two sappy rom-coms in the form of The Proposal and The Ugly Truth, just avoid at all costs. When you are down and depressed you do not need to watch Katharine Heigal and Sandra Bullock looking amazing while winning the hearts of Gerard Butler and Ryan Reynolds. Taking of Pelham 123, happily married Denzel Washington gets mixed up in the kidnapping of a New York Train, right now I can’t ever see myself being happily married, let along happily wed to a man like Denzel Washington (even if he has put on 20lbs for this role). So that leaves me with Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen, GI Joe and Ice Age 3… all of which would make me cry for very different reasons.
So what would I recommend? Denial followed by abject bitterness does seem the way forward but this can only last so long and it has been a month so maybe I should have a look at the my DVD collection and make some choices. An oversized glass of wine and the whole 6 series of Sex and City might just do the trick for now or at least until I can make my way back to my old faithful companion – the movies. Of course resentment is still there as a fall back.
All through my life I have turned to my favourite films to get me through tough times. I love going to the cinema and losing myself in the stories unfolding on screen, but when you have a broken heart there are so many movies that you have to avoid or you will find yourself on an emotional rollercoaster best dealt with under the duvet rather than in a packed picture house. Take the films that are on release currently, they may look innocent enough but at some point that storyline is going to get you. Harry Potter – young and nubile youths embarking on their first romances, destined to live happy ever after, urgh! Two sappy rom-coms in the form of The Proposal and The Ugly Truth, just avoid at all costs. When you are down and depressed you do not need to watch Katharine Heigal and Sandra Bullock looking amazing while winning the hearts of Gerard Butler and Ryan Reynolds. Taking of Pelham 123, happily married Denzel Washington gets mixed up in the kidnapping of a New York Train, right now I can’t ever see myself being happily married, let along happily wed to a man like Denzel Washington (even if he has put on 20lbs for this role). So that leaves me with Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen, GI Joe and Ice Age 3… all of which would make me cry for very different reasons.
So what would I recommend? Denial followed by abject bitterness does seem the way forward but this can only last so long and it has been a month so maybe I should have a look at the my DVD collection and make some choices. An oversized glass of wine and the whole 6 series of Sex and City might just do the trick for now or at least until I can make my way back to my old faithful companion – the movies. Of course resentment is still there as a fall back.
Good Book, good film?
Having just seen the new trailer for The Time Traveller’s Wife and The Lovely Bones, two of my favourite books from the last few years, I must say I’m a bit concerned, generally I don’t tend to judge a film by it’s trailer but in so many cases film adaptations never quite seem to live up to their source material. It makes me wonder, is it ever a good idea to see a film based on a book that you love? Are you going to be doomed for disappointed or surprisingly please with what Hollywood has done to your treasured novel?
Both The Time Traveller’s Wife and Lovely Bones were published in 2002/03 to amazing critical and commercial success; both were in the New York Times Best Seller’s List for over a year, and with a faithful and expectant audience both are bound to make a huge amount of money as film adaptations, but unfortunately this doesn’t mean they will be any good.
Taking The Time Traveller’s Wife first, the trailer isn’t great. It looks like an unimaginative run of the mill rom-com. Obviously the book is a love story so this is as much to be expected and with so many male oriented blockbusters about this is clearly aimed at the ladies. The intelligent casting of uber-sexy Eric Bana and ageless Rachel McAdams makes me think that some consideration has gone into visualising the characters on screen, which is so important when adapting novels. Extending the release of a film to the next season is common; extending the date by a year is just a bad sign. Officially Bana was asked to re-shoot some additional scenes but had filming commitments for Star Trek – hence the delay. Those in the know (well on the internet) seem to think the worst… like the trailer, the films not great.
The Lovely Bones seems to have fared better in the online news world. Although again delayed, the word on the web is that Paramount held back the release for later in the year so that the film would be a contender for the 2010 Oscars. Fans seem more secure with Peter Jackson at the helm, who lets face it is an adaptation veteran with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong under his belt. I personally trust him as a director to stay true to the books core and do think the preview trailer from Entertainment Tonight (basically a trailer of a trailer) looks pretty good, which makes me hopeful for the film itself, which in turn will probably lead to disappointment come October…
So you can see the trailer and hope for the best, but can you arm yourself against what may be a disappointing film adaptation experience? Here are a few handy tips that I’ve picked up along the way
1. Short stories seem to make good films. Case in point; Brokeback Mountain, Breakfast at Tiffney’s and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This is mainly because people don’t tend to read short stories so the best seller element isn’t there and expectations are low. Also, it gives the director freedom to expand on the source material rather than cast huge chucks of the novel to the cutting room floor.
2. Casting, casting, casting! If you can see the character in your mind and it happens to resemble the actor walking around on screen you should be on your way to enjoying the film.
3. Look out for longish films or preferably trilogies. If Lord of the Rings is the gold standard for film adaptation then this is at least partly down to the fact Jackson stayed true to the original material.
4. Anything by Jane Austin can be adapted to screen. The BBC has dinned out on this meal ticket for decades.
5. Adapted films do need to have an independent existence. The cinematic experience will always be different from the private process that takes place while reading. This is to be embraced. If the filmmakers have respected the source material but also made the necessary changes required for celluloid then you should be able to sit back and enjoy your favourite characters coming to life before you, rather than in your mind.
Both The Time Traveller’s Wife and Lovely Bones were published in 2002/03 to amazing critical and commercial success; both were in the New York Times Best Seller’s List for over a year, and with a faithful and expectant audience both are bound to make a huge amount of money as film adaptations, but unfortunately this doesn’t mean they will be any good.
Taking The Time Traveller’s Wife first, the trailer isn’t great. It looks like an unimaginative run of the mill rom-com. Obviously the book is a love story so this is as much to be expected and with so many male oriented blockbusters about this is clearly aimed at the ladies. The intelligent casting of uber-sexy Eric Bana and ageless Rachel McAdams makes me think that some consideration has gone into visualising the characters on screen, which is so important when adapting novels. Extending the release of a film to the next season is common; extending the date by a year is just a bad sign. Officially Bana was asked to re-shoot some additional scenes but had filming commitments for Star Trek – hence the delay. Those in the know (well on the internet) seem to think the worst… like the trailer, the films not great.
The Lovely Bones seems to have fared better in the online news world. Although again delayed, the word on the web is that Paramount held back the release for later in the year so that the film would be a contender for the 2010 Oscars. Fans seem more secure with Peter Jackson at the helm, who lets face it is an adaptation veteran with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong under his belt. I personally trust him as a director to stay true to the books core and do think the preview trailer from Entertainment Tonight (basically a trailer of a trailer) looks pretty good, which makes me hopeful for the film itself, which in turn will probably lead to disappointment come October…
So you can see the trailer and hope for the best, but can you arm yourself against what may be a disappointing film adaptation experience? Here are a few handy tips that I’ve picked up along the way
1. Short stories seem to make good films. Case in point; Brokeback Mountain, Breakfast at Tiffney’s and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This is mainly because people don’t tend to read short stories so the best seller element isn’t there and expectations are low. Also, it gives the director freedom to expand on the source material rather than cast huge chucks of the novel to the cutting room floor.
2. Casting, casting, casting! If you can see the character in your mind and it happens to resemble the actor walking around on screen you should be on your way to enjoying the film.
3. Look out for longish films or preferably trilogies. If Lord of the Rings is the gold standard for film adaptation then this is at least partly down to the fact Jackson stayed true to the original material.
4. Anything by Jane Austin can be adapted to screen. The BBC has dinned out on this meal ticket for decades.
5. Adapted films do need to have an independent existence. The cinematic experience will always be different from the private process that takes place while reading. This is to be embraced. If the filmmakers have respected the source material but also made the necessary changes required for celluloid then you should be able to sit back and enjoy your favourite characters coming to life before you, rather than in your mind.
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