French film has always had a certain "je ne sais quoi".
An unashamed cliche but i don't even care - it's true! The people, the places, the humour, the emotion - everything about it invites me in.
My love affair with french film began in my higher french classroom (not that i'm bragging) the day Madame Granger introduced us to Jean Pierre-Jeunet's masterpiece Amelie. Something about Audrey Tautou's wide-eyed optimistic, passionate and quirky view on existence instantly grabbed me and has never let go.
I also owe Madame Granger a wealth of gratitude for introducing me to another outstanding French film: Au Revoir Les Enfants.
Friendship: the only ship that never sinks
Writer/director Louis Malle's account of childhood friendship in a Roman Catholic boarding school in Nazi occupied France is moving and unforgettable.
The understated and believable friendship conveyed by the young actors on screen is convincing and emotive, no more so than when you realise the events that unravelling are not fictional; this is a haunting true story.
Well worthy of the Golden Lion it picked up at the 1987 Venice Film Festival, along with the 2 Academy Awards nominations, I can't recommend this highly enough.
Je ne regrette rien about watching this classic.
Marion Cotillard blew everyone away with her depiction of Édith Piaf in 2007 biopic La Vie En Rose. Her portrayal of the talented and tragic "little sparrow" not only established Cotillard as 'one to watch' but also brought arguably the biggest French singer of all time to the world's stage.
The climax of the film is undoubtedly the Piaf's pained but powerful rendition of ,"Non, je ne regrette rien." Heart-wrenching, engaging and exquisitely performed - you will not regret watching this.
Chopsticks is hard to master
The Beat That My Heart Skipped follows Thomas Seyr as he struggles against his pre-destined future in corrupt business to fulfill his dream of becoming a concert pianist and better human being.
On paper, this concept sounds alright, but Romain Duris' performance excelerates this film into the realms of excellence. Offfft quite the sweeping statement eh? But all true. He masters the art of simultaneously conveying turmoil, aggression, sensitivity and humour like few other actors I can think of.
Achieving all of this whilst convincingly playing the piano - nuff said.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked..." They just don't write 'em like that anymore, but apparently they can adapt 'em into partially animated feature length films.
Rob Epstein and Jeffry Friedman's potrayal of the 1957 obscenity trial held over Allen Ginsberg's celebrated poem, "Howl", presents the audience with a combination of archive footage, animated illustrations of the poem and some reportedly sterling acting from James Franco.
Not released in the UK until February 2011 this is just one of many literary masterpieces that I am simultaneously anxious and terrified of seeing translated to film.
Ok, maybe "terrified" is a tad strong, but if you haven't already gathered from my slaughtering of Scorsese's "Shutter Island" I really HATE it when an adaptation goes wrong. You know that feeling of intense disappointment like when you realise a celebrity is actually a total prat in real life and it totally taints everything else they ever do (yeah Christian Bale I'm talkin to you): you just want to ask why, jump through a portal in time back to a better, simpler place where ignorance reigned and everything was rosy. This is how I feel when I see an excellent book poorly adapted to film, so needless to say my anxiety levels are gradually rising with the impending release of various literary classics on the silver screen.
Now, when you entitle something as "arguably the best of a century" the bar has already been set inconceivably high, so it's little wonder that many (4 in total) have attempted to bring this lavish and tragic tale of wealth and desire to the silver screen in the past. Most notably, Jack Clayton's 1974 offering wound up being somewhat of a flop, atmospheric as it is. Even the radioactive Robert Redford and Mia Farrow couldn't bring this back from the brink of mundane.
Seems bizarre that a text so rich in imagery, full of characters absolutely dripping in pathos, in an era of extreme decadence could be anything other than a visual feast.
I refuse to be disheartened though, and I'll stand resilient in the hope that the upcoming film adaptation of the novel will do it some justice. With Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, SURELY I won't be let down - famous last words...
"Dear diary, today I met a boy..."
Hunter S. Thompson's novel The Rum Diary follows the soul-searching adventure of journalist Paul Kemp, writing, drinking and fighting his way around the Carribean. Brilliant. So when I heard this was being made into a film starring Johnny Depp (of course) I was delighted. That was about 3 years ago, so the fact they're finally in the post-production stages feels like like a long overdue treat. My only concern is that the hype has been building (in my head anyway) for so long now that it won't live up to expectations, but with Depp's dedication to Thompson's work and if "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is anything to go by, I shouldn't be let down. Roll on 2011...
My face is the same when I forget my travel scrabble
I must admit I don't have my hopes set high for this one, as I simply don't know how the spontaneous narrative structure of the novel will translate to film. I don't know if I want it to in fact. I am referring to the screen version of Jack Kerouac's defining novel On The Road. The largely biographical journey of Sal Paradise is now considered a crucial text of the Beat Generation, influencing generations of road-trippers on spiritual booze-fuelled journeys for years to come.
With Walter Salles (of "The Motorcycle Diaries" fame) at the directorial helm, Francis Ford Coppolla controlling production and a young and promising cast including Brit talent Sam Riley as Sal Paradise: in theory it should work.
I remain unconvinced.
Bob Dylan once said of the novel: "It changed my life like it changed everyone else's." Wonder what he'll make of the film...
(On The Road is due for release in 2011)
Novels that translated well to film:
LA Confidential by James Ellroy
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Lost in Translation:
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (awright Peter you like CGI, we get it! not always appropriate though eh?)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (time and time again they've been more horrific than any monster)
The Human Stain by Philip Roth (Anthony Hopkins as a black American...nuff said)
Don't you hate it when someone shows up in your outfit
In the words of James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, "Daft Punk is playing in my house" - frequently, and the French electro masters are soon to exceed the boundaries of my humble abode and hit cinemas worldwide, with the impending release of "Tron: Legacy". An event in film history that's had sci-fi nerds salivating in anticipation for years, music junkies everywhere are jumping on board with the prospect of an electrifying score by these masters of their craft (not to be confused with MSTRKRFT). Exciting times.
This got me to thinking about the role of music in film: scores, soundtracks and what they bring to the motion picture. And how better to discuss this but with examples of course!
Imagine this
This startlingly obvious one is the big cahoona that'll have you tutting, eye-rolling and muttering, "godsake Carlin, some originality PLEASE!" but it could not be omitted. The "Forrest Gump" soundtrack is an anthology of American music. The 2-disc, 34 song soundtrack acts as a perfect accompaniment to this heart-warming tale of simpleton success; pinpointing exact eras and changes in time. For many, a single song can define a generation - this film goes one better and uses various songs and genres to colour a whole truck-load of definitive moments in history.
Neat.
Spike Jonze's live-action film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's tale, "Where The Wild Things Are", is not just a visual treat, but a magical music must. With a score from Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O and the Kids, it encapsulates the innocence and excitement of Max's manic imaginery adventure, emphasising the poignant and emotive moments, of which there are a great many.
To be brutally honest I didn't think "500 Days of Summer" really lived up to the "indie breakout hit" status it was meant to have: I didn't feel sorry for the protagonist and I found his pathetic wallowing most irritating - she blatantly wasn't feeling it from the start, take a hint man. That said, the soundtrack probably increased the films like-ability ten-fold. The Smiths, Doves, Simon & Garfunkel to name but a few all feature, and of course an uplifting injection of Hall &Oates - shame it accompanied the biggest cringe-fest of a dance sequence known to man. Still though, this is a prime example of a soundtrack not just adding to a film, but actually improving it.
Poor musical taste can kill a relationship. DEAD.
Lastly I feel compelled to mention Tarantino's epic merging of genres in "Reservoir Dogs" and, laterally, "Pulp Fiction". These soundtracks fuse American rock n roll, pop, surf and soul, adding to the brash and punchy story-telling style unique to Tarantino. "Little Green Bag", "Stuck in the Middle With You", "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon": the list is endless and all carry the same powerful resonance. When you hear them you think of drug overdose, bloody mutilation and gimps - and I am entirely ok with that.
M&S Winter Campaign: 2010
BEST OF THE REST:
- Empire Records (for 90s grunge angst: The Cranberries, Jimi Hendrix, Better Than Ezra, AC/DC...)
- Almost Famous (intro to the 70s rock scene in a nice accessable package: Lynard Skynard, Led Zepplin, The Who, Elton John...)
- Good Will Hunting (non-Elliot Smith fans need not apply: Elliot Smith, Al Green, Elliot Smith...)
- Goodfellas (Brat Pack, the Stones and gangsters - what more could you possibly want?)
- The Wedding Singer (for the 80s cheese lover in all of us: Elvis Costello, The Smiths, David Bowie, New Order...)
It was a warm Sunday evening in the Wallace ranch and I was watching "30 Rock" with my father. We were mutually laughing and bantering along to the witty repartee of Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon, when all of a sudden Jack hits out with a prostitute joke and my dad, having just taken an over-ambitious mouthful of milk, spits it out all over himself and the coffee table in a moment of uncontrolled, unbridled hilarity, and amidst the tears of laughter and milk-sodden mess I gazed over lovingly and thought, "You're some guy John Wallace."
THAT SAID, if I had to choose another dad, these guys would be top of my list...
1. Atticus Finch: One of the all-time literary fictional greats, Atticus Finch depicts every desirable quality you'd want in a father figure: honesty, integrity, strength and wisdom. The central protagonist of Harper Lee's Pulitzer-Prize winning novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" was voted American Film Institutes "Greatest Hero in American Film" and I defy anyone to challenge that accolade. Brought to life on the silver screen by the late, great Gregory Peck, this cat ain't cuddly but by God, is he an excellent role model, father and all-round sterling fella.
He's a wonderful dad
2.George Bailey: "A toast to George Bailey - the richest man in town!" And never was a more deserved glass raised.
As the film progresses with poor old self-less George being continually burdened and battered by Potter's tyranny, gradually descending down into a grimy pit of suicidal despair (mmmm christmassy) the viewer has a difficult time remembering just why life is so wonderful, but never ONCE do we stop rooting for George Bailey. LEGEND.
That's one lucky baby!
3. Peter Mitchell (Tom Selleck)/ Jack Holden (Ted Danson)/ Michael Kellam (Steve Guttenberg): Ok, so this one's a bit greedy but come on: Danson's humour, Selleck's tash and dashing good looks and Guttenberg's...err....connection with the rest of the Police Academy cast, how could you ever ask for anything else. Granted you'd undoubtedly grow up with more daddy issues than Soon Yi-Priven but what a lark it would be!
Arnie sports some festive neckwear
4. Howard Langston: Never before had one father been so driven and determined to meet the material needs of his whining son as Arnold Schwarzenegger in ground-breaking psychological thriller "Jingle All The Way".
Granted, not the best dad at the beginning of the film but after unreasonable exertion, turmoil and destruction our protagonist dons a plastic costume and invades the Wintertainment parade for one solitary reason: the love of his son.
Moving stuff.
And as little Jake's heart swells with pride upon realising that HIS DAD is Turboman I can't help but cast my nostalgic mind back to that Christmas Fayre of primary 5, and the moment I realised that the kind and familiar eyes behind the substitute Santa joyfully handing my classmates gifts belonged to my own father.
You can't buy that kind of happiness.
The Runners Up:
1. Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper in Armageddon (feared and selfless)
2. Steve Martin as George Banks in Father of the Bride (humorous and lovable)
3. Gary Lewis as Jackie Elliot in Billy Elliot (hard life, soft heart)
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Matrix in Commando (no comment necessary)
Bad Dad's:
1. Darth Vader in Star Wars (never paid any alimony)
2. Jim Carrey as Fletcher Reede in Liar Liar (I don't think he can change)
3. Chris Cooper as Col. Frank Fitts in American Beauty (murderous ex-military homophobic homosexual. Nuff said really)
4. John Heard as Peter McCallister in Home Alone (Negligence at it's worst - Social Services should've stepped in years ago)
Tonight's blog is not about blood-thirsty monarchs, but the other type of queen - draaaaaaaaag, darling.
Twas just yesterday I was visiting my friend's fashion blog (FOURTY FOUR SUNSETS - check it out!) and came across a photo of James Franco kitted out in his finest female clobber, complete with more eye-shadow than Pat Butcher at Christmas and more lipstick and lashes that Girls Aloud combined (so roughly a metric tonne).
The result is quite shocking.
He simultaneously looks pretty and masculine, and altogether quite bizarre. I choose "bizarre" as I can't quite make up my mind about this: on one hand he is undoubtedly a tarted up man, but on the other he most definitely has more striking features than most of the beasts spotted roaming Paisley on a Saturday night.
And even though I can't shake the idea that he looks like a Muppet version of Barbara Streisand - something about the eyes - I think the main thing to take away from this is that he owns it. Now I don't know if he has done this shoot to reflect his committment to the role or to display his diversity as an actor (coz let's face it no-one got "diverse" from Spider-Man).
But as Tyra Banks would say, it is FIERCE!
This got me to thinking about other men in film that make beautiful women.
I say more feminine - i mean raging queen. This story of murder, betrayal, catholicism and transexuality allows Bernal to play both male and female roles, powerfully conveying various perspectives and sexual ideologies.
And by god, does he make one pretty woman. In fact, if they were to remake "Pretty Woman" I genuinely think he'd be in with a shout. Sorry Julia, there's a new girl in town...
I'm signing off with another two examples of actors who have donned frocks and slap for their art (and let's face it - just to prove that they can pull it off)
The clues are in the captions - answers on a postcard!
To quote the dvd cover: "In the tradition of 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Gandhi' comes a sweeping screen epic bursting with spectacle and drama...NOT!!!"
AND THANK CHRIST FOR THAT! I dare not imagine what would have happened if Mike Myers had ever attempted anything close to a serious tone with 90s comedy classics, "Wayne's World" 1 & 2.
Possibly the most quotable film OF ALL TIME (in my house anyway) it was really only a matter of time before I paid homage to Wayne Campbell.
For anyone who's never seen "Wayne's World", or it's sequel, i judge you. Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh not really, if anything, I pity you. But if you have a humourous bone in your body you'll want to watch this, and here's why:
1. Quotage to last a lifetime - Believe me when I say I quote "Wayne's World" every day. Granted some days more than others, but from the common conversational phrase ("Exqueeze me? A baking powder?") to the crude ("Ill have the cream-of-sum-yung-guy") to the just plain obscure ("SHHHHHHHWWWWWWWWIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGG") - I advise you add these phrases to your repetoire.
2. You want to be friends with most of the cast - I defy anyone to watch it and not want to be friends with Wayne and Garth - sure they have annoying qualities, but doesn't everyone? 'Course.
3. Christopher Walken endorses it - so it must be cool.
4. It takes nothing seriously - In writing these films Myers has blatantly went to town in many respects: the plentiful parodies (too many to mention), casting impossibly attractive women as their girlfriends (Tia Carrere and Kim Basinger), the alternate endings (most notably Scooby Doo ending)...the list really is quite endless. Basically what anyone in their right mind would do given a small budget and a brilliant cast. Genius.
5. Del Preston - If you don't who this is I'll have to beat you to death with your own shoes...
6. It's got a bitchin' soundtrack - The Bohemian Rhapsody car scene has now gained legendary status, throw in some Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath and Hendrix and we got ourselves a party!
7. It makes Delaware cool - a feat that had never been done before and has never been done since.
Apologies for the title, but I'm a sucker for a pun (BOOM - that was another one) almost as much as I am for a good vampire caper.
Hell, we all are these days! But fear not readers with cinematic taste, this ain't going to be no homage to Twilight (I <3 R-PATZ!) but more of a nod towards a few good vampire films that have seduced audiences into either fearing the fang-ed ones or got them thinking "un-dead huh? doesn't sound too bad..."
From the terrifying to the ridiculous, Hollywood has given us film after film of these blood-sucking fiend-fests but my fear is that amid the latest wave of drivel cough (True Blood, Vampire Diaries, Twilight) cough, we lose sight of the many decent offerings out there for us to get our teeth into *groans*.
What?! I didn't call you pale! I was talking to the guy behind you...
First up is old-school classic, and arguably scariest depition of a blood-sucker:"Nosferatu" (1922). Director F.W. Murnau brought us a silent nightmare in this bone-chilling film. Given the year in which this was made, one can only shudder in fear at the prospect of what Murnau would do with the technological advancements of this era. Saying that though, the starkness of this film undoubtedly adds to the horror. Needless to say Max Schreck's timeless depiction of Orlok has gained world-wide acclaim, and deservedly so, forever etching the image of his rodent-like mug in our minds.Nosferatu 1922
Next up is Joel Schumacher's 80s teen sensation "The Lost Boys". Obviously alluding to J.M.Barrie's ageless Tootles,Slightly and crew, this has a more sinister edge to it - and one kick-ass 80s soundtrack! Vampires have never been so cool, I mean undead Keifer Sutherland and the Corey double-whammy (Feldman and Haim)? Nuff said.
This tale of 2 brothers moving to a Californian town infested with teen vampires provides laughs and frights gallore, something any 80s Brat Pack fan would enjoy, as well as blazing a trail for many a teen vampire flick to follow.
When I was younger this film was pretty damn scary, but now it's quite apparent that the scariest thing about this offering is the dialogue...
Sam (upon realising his broseph has become a vamp): "You're a creature of the night Michael, just like out of a comic book! You're a vampire Michael! My own brother, a goddamn, shit-sucking vampire. You wait 'till mom finds out, buddy!"
Brilliant.
Lastly, a little known but hugely acclaimed Swedish tale of childhood friendship between boy and vampire: "Let The Right One In". I saw this film in Sydney, at a matinee screening with about 20 aussie pensioners who seemed relatively unimpressed/ appalled by director Tomas Alfredson's portrayal of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel. Idiots. It was excellent.
This haunting tale of a young boy, Oskar, who falls in love with a vampire girl, Eli, is captivating, chilling and poignant. Everything from the impressive cast to the bleak, icy setting of Stockholm suburb, Blackeberg, is strangely enchanting.
Fans of gore need not worry either, as although not gratutious, the blood is quite plentiful with the odd decapitation and human combustion thrown in for good measure - it's a horror afterall.
Apparently an American re-make has recently been released, and I probably will get round to seeing it at some point, but to be honest I see no need.
