The Butler

Early this year Quentin Tarantino released the highly praised and Academy Award Winning film Django Unchained. The theme is slavery and although it’s direction is completely different to that of Lee Daniel’s The Butler, it is still of the most importance.

18th January was the date when Django first hit the big screen. The film was a big success, everything you expect from a Tarantino piece but what was really special in Tarantino’s eyes as well my own was the discussion that erupted surrounding slavery post film release.

The viewing pleasure that comes from Django derives from the justice and visceral revenge from the protagonist. The violence in Django is cathartic because we are seeing for the first time a mainstream film where a black slave takes his revenge on the white man as a cinematic hero and not a villain. The viewing experience of The Butler is somewhat different.

The Butler is based around a man named Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) who grows up as a house Butler. He is eventually promoted to the white house where he serves under eight different presidents. The film takes us through the Vietnam War, Civil rights movement and  continues up until the election of President Obama. Through these major life events of the Gaines family we see the hardships that were faced by the black families of America.

The film takes you through an uncountable amount of emotions and really sends a hard hitting message to the audience. Oprah Winfrey is the support actress of the film and if you know much about her life you will know that some of the themes represented in the film were very real to her growing up. This arguably makes the message of the film even more hard-hitting and direct.

To go back to the importance of Django Unchained. I believe that as a direct effect of Django and its success that more slave films have been and are being made. 12 Years a Slave is a film due to be released on January 10th 2014 and has been exceptionally rated by critiques. The film is about a free black man who is abducted and made into a slave,  the story, like The Butler is also true. I think the success of Django and The Butler will give film directors the confidence to make these movies.

This with the recent passing away of Nelson Mandella will surely see race related films aplenty in 2014.

I found The Butler a very moving film. The timeline was very educational as well as emotional. I was very moved and very entertained. This was a very interesting movie to watch in contrast to Django and the different direction they take in sending a message.  I am now excitedly anitcipating 12 Years A Slave and the many more slave and race related films that I’m sure are coming!

Trivia: Oprah Winfrey first on-screen film role since Beloved (1998) in which she does not play herself.

Tom Hardy.

With his breakthrough performance as Eames in Chris Nolan’s Inception (2010), Tom Hardy has really made a name for himself in the acting world.

The level of versatility Tom Hardy has shown is exceptional, this is what, for me, makes him the best British actor.

Let’s take a look at a number of his films to see the sheer range of roles and acting he obtains.

1. RocknRolla & Bronson (2008).

– Both of these films were released in 2008. This is where Tom Hardy established himself as a tough guy actor. RockNRolla is directed by Guy Ritchie and Hardy’s character is called Handsome Bob; so you know what you’re more or less going to get from the start.

Bronson is a biographic film based around Charlie Bronson, an infamous prisoner with an obsession for fame, better put as an obsession for fame through violence. The role is acted flawlessly. Support actress Kelly Adam’s said Hardy didn’t break character once during filming so she only got to know him when Bronson was completed.

Inception (2010) – Clearly this was the film where Tom Hardy got his major breakthrough. James Franco was set to play the role of Eames but dropped out due to scheduling issues. This is where Hardy really started to shine as an actor playing the role sublimely. His accent well spoken, his character a cheeky-chappy wheeler- dealer type of guy, Hardy shows he is more than just the tough guy!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy & The Warrior (2011) – Hardy again shows his acting flexibility by landing a role in Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as Ricki Tarr. Alongside an all star cast including Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kathy Burke, Tom Hardy gives himself the opportunity to shine once more.

The Warrior is hands down one of the best films I have ever seen. Tom Hardy remains his tough guy persona, that mixed in with such an emotionally impacting story line is nothing less than sensational. His acting is moving. His character has little dialect throughout the film so the fact that the acting hits you so hard is special. One of my must see films!

This Means War & Lawless (2012) – This Means War shows Hardy in a different light, although remaining the perpetual tough guy image it is portrayed in more of a comical way. Lawless displays his endless range again as he takes on the role of a Gangster of sorts in a western film. His acting is accurate and consistent. Hardy shines as the lead role in another all star cast film. Alongside Jessica Chastain, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman, Hardy still manages to give the best performance. The film is visceral and morally ambiguous and makes an interesting watch.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – This is the second occasion that Hardy and Chris Nolan have collaborated. This is by far Hardy’s biggest film yet as he takes on the role of the villainous Bane in the finale of Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Think tough guy image times a thousand. Due to the character wearing a mask the acting heavily relies on facial expression and body language, I don’t think anyone suited this role more.

So there we go, Tom Hardy has shown over the past four years that he is an exceptional talent in cinema. He is versatile and his performance on screen is consistent. His next role, Elton John in biographic film Rocketman leaves me a tad nervous but I am fully confident he will shock us all again.

Rush

Rush takes us back to the 1970’s, the Golden age of Formula One where headlines focused on the romantic rivalry between English playboy racer James Hunt and his level headed Austrian opponent Niki Lauda.

The film follows Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) and gives us insight to their intense rivalry on the tracks and their relationships with others of it. We follow each character into their personal lives and see them battling to be the best. As the viewer we get to know their insecurities, troubles and antics which forms a strong attachment and almost leaves us picking a side.

Rush displays how very different the two characters are but always reiterates the one intricate aspect of the two which makes them similar, an undying obsession with the sport. We see first hand the passion they both possess, not only passion but their sheer determination to beat each other.

The race scenes where thrilling, loud and intense, exactly what you want from a Formula One race and Ron Howard directed them spectacularly.

The acting from both Hemsworth and Bruhl was flawless with accurate representations of Hunt and Lauda and the aesthetics weren’t too bad either! They really deliver a distinctiveness of the two contrasting personalities.

Arguably the most impressive aspect of Rush is that the plot outside the races levelled with the action, being equally as captivating. This is probably because Peter Morgan wrote the script with the presumption there was going to be no race scenes due to (at the time) lack of investment.

Rush takes you through an uncountable number of emotions and looks outstanding on the big screen.

The film is made for a cinema audience as well as for Formula One fans, regardless of your racing knowledge you are not restricted from total immersion of this wonderful, wonderful film.

Trivia: Screenwriter Peter Morgan wife is Austrian, as is real-life driver Niki Lauda. This connection proved beneficial since Morgan and Lauda met for some 30 dinners together in a Vienna restaurant.

Her

As far as acting performances go Joaquin Phoenix has set the bar pretty damn high in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2012 release of The Master. Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for best actor at this year’s Oscars but lost out to a well deserved Daniel Day Lewis performance in Lincoln. Joaquin Phoenix in his career has displayed a great deal of versatility, staring in roles from a traitorous and corrupted King in Gladiator, to Johnny Cash in Walk The Line, right up until 2012 where he plays a vulnerable and psychologically challenged naval Veteran in The Master. Spike Jonze’s release of Her will show him adding to his collection of characters as he takes on the role of a lonely writer who falls in love with his operation machine; if anyone is going to pull it off it will be Mr Phoenix.

The film has an impressive cast as emerging star actresses Amy Adams (Man Of Steel, The Master) and Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Side Effects) join Joaquin Phoenix. Scarlett Johansson will also star in the film and take on the role of voicing the operating system, arguably the most difficult role in the film. This will be Spike Jonze’s first film in four years after the 2009 release of Where the Wild Things Are, and poses to be his biggest challenge yet.

The challenge of the film is communicating with the audience the emotional relationship Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) has with his operating system. Since one of the characters is invisible the engagement with her from the audience perspective will be a difficult task for the director to execute, however the film is set to be released in November 2013 and I for one cannot wait to see how this daring and unique concept is brought to life.

Oldboy

For better or for worse, 2013 will bring Spike Lee’s remake of this mystery-thriller film; so I thought it was about time to sit down and jump into the world of the South Korean masterpiece named ‘Oldboy’.

The film was released in 2003 and was directed by Chan Wook-park. Mr Wook-park loosely based his film around the Japanese Manga which shares the same name. To give a basic synopsis of the film it largely focuses around Oh Dae-su, a seemingly innocent man who is unexpectedly kidnapped outside a phone box. From here Oh-Dae-su is imprisoned for 15 years before being let back out into the world as if nothing had happened. His rebirth into the world isn’t, as you probably guessed, as simple as one would hope, as his mind has been completely invaded, both by Vengeance and a deep curiosity. Oh Dae-su sets on a mission to find his enemies and discovers, to say the least, inconvenient obstacles along the way. Film Critic Roger Ebert perfectly described the emotion evoking side of the film which makes the piece so compelling, “It’s a powerful film not because of what it depicts, but because of the depths of the human heart which it strips bare”.

The film won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and received high praise from that year’s President of Jury, Quentin Tarentino.

With an American remake on the horizon I do worry that the film will lose its authenticity and become what I like to describe films such as ‘Taken’, a silly spiral of violence.

The film, at times, presents the viewer with an emotionally difficult task of witnessing the human mind in a disturbing state of pain and torture. However, this is essential to the distinctively of the film and this is what also makes it a film you have to watch.

Trivia: The Octopus which was eaten alive was not a special effect, four were used during the making of the film and since the actor behind Oh Dae-su, Choi Min-sik is a Buddhist he said a prayer for each one.

Cell 211

I may have, once or twice, in the past mentioned my undying love for the Del Toro masterpiece that is ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ and you may now be wondering what that has got to do with the Spanish wonder film that goes by the name of ‘Cell 211’. The answer to that is absolutely nothing, but the film is so good I found myself agonisingly close to committing blasphemy against it when considering if ‘Cell 211’ was my favourite ever Spanish film; I’m still debating now!

The director of the film, Daniel Monzon, has in my opinion directed without fault. The basic plot of the film focuses around a newly employed prison guard who by a complete, unfortunate and bizarre circumstance becomes trapped in a high risk prison unit and has to pose as an inmate when all the cell occupants break free. The film from here is so intense that you are completely imprisoned by the world of the film (pardon the pun).

The Prison’s ‘top dog’ takes a liking to our protagonist but the prison guard’s main concern is to find out if his pregnant wife is safe. As the film progresses suspicions arise, as does trouble, and our protagonist must use his whit’s to try and stay alive.

Does he make it or does he lose the plot?

 A highly recommended film by me! (8/10)

(Released in 2009).

The Guillermo Del Toro Collection!

Hola y Buenas Dias!

 Recently I have started learning Spanish; this gave me a fantastic excuse to re-visit my favourite Del Toro film, Pans Labyrinth! After watching the film I felt so inspired that I then watched the other two Del Toro films from my three piece collection, The Devil’s backbone and Cronos!

 All three films are good, Pans Labyrinth is amazing beyond words, The Devil’s backbone is an artistically shot horror and the concept of Cronos is superbly unique. My intense interest for Del Toro hatched when I watched The Oprhanage (2007), a film that was directed by Juan Antonio Bayona but had a great amount of input from Del Toro.

 Del Toro’s input in this film is extremely obvious to see! It is always a good sign when you can watch a film and really see a directors stamp on it. I thought to myself whilst watching the Orphanage that it seemed very ‘Del-Toro-ish’ before I even read about his input online. A similar thing happened with a recently released dark fantasy/horror film I watched call Mama although I knew about Del Toro’s input before the cinema trip; it was still blatant to see!

 The Orphanage mirrors Del Toro’s horror debut The Devils backbone (2001) in many ways, the main aspect being the film is based largely around orphans. The Devils backboke is shot in an old school way with long, tense stretched out scenes and mostly dark and dull colours are used. The Orphanage is shot with a more modern style and the plot allows the scenes to become tenser as the mystery of the story is more ambiguous and therefore more nerve wrenching.

 The Devil’s backbone is shot in a very dark and gothic style but the plot of The Orphanage is much darker and more emotionally evoking. It’s although The Orphanage was a chance for Del Toro to help create a perfected version of his early work, this could very well be why he was so willing to double the funding for the film himself! The Devil’s backbone and The Orphanage have their similarities, which one is better is hard to say but they are both well worth a watch!

 Some say The Devil’s backbone is a partner to Pans Labyrinth. This is because they have some important similarities that establish Guillermo Del Torro as, for me, an auteur of film! Both films are set during the Spanish Civil War and both films explore a fantasy in which the child protagonists get lost in to deal with the harsh realities of the war. This opens up interpretation in the plots for both films although it’s clearer to see in Pans Labyrinth! The debate is around whether the fantasy aspect of the film is real or an escape for the children. This is an example of escapism inside of escapism, the first layer of it being us (the viewer) and the second the protagonist.

 This is perhaps why I love both films and this is also perhaps what makes Del Toro’s style of directing so distinctive and enjoyable. The way he brings the fantasy characters to life in Pans Labyrinth is stylistically stunning! Maybe my views are a little biased as dark fantasy is my most favourable genre of film but the creativity he inflicts into the characters and settings of the film really allow the viewer to become lost in the escapist world he constructs.

 You might hear people say Pans Labyrinth is a dark fantasy version of Narnia for adults; I don’t like this statement as it’s MUCH MUCH better than that! Although I suppose it is quite a good way of describing it to people to give little away!

 Del Toro’s first film Cronos (1993) is an interesting take on Vampires or what I should really say is Vampire. Whether you enjoy the film or not at least you can say it’s better than those prancy dancy pretty boys from Twilight. The only negative thing about the film is how annoying Ron Pearlman’s Spanish accent is but I suppose that’s being pikcy! The film however, does set Del Toro up in his use of fantasy worlds and gives you a first insight to his vast and incredible imagination.

 The only worrying thing about Del Toro is he is about to release a sci-fi film called Pacific Rim which from the trailer looks like Robots fighting sea creatures. Let’s hope this isn’t going to be one of those films that are entirely sold on special effects. You can’t blame him for trying something new but rumour has it that he rejected directing the next Star Wars, which one is riskier?

Violence in Django.

Hi again, I know what you’re thinking, ‘He’s writing about Tarentino AGAIN, GOD he’s a right bum suck him’. I can only apologize for that but this has been a long awaited piece.

It is about a month ago now since I was blessed with the viewing experience of Tarentino’s latest film Django Unchained. Going into the cinema I was expecting far more bloodshed due to all the controversy surrounding Django, however, due to the level of expectation I was actually underwhelmed by the violence involved. All I can say to those crying and covering their weepy eyes over the display of gore and brutality is that you have obviously never watched Kill Bill because ya ain’t seen nuttin! (Sorry, couldn’t resist).

To put us back on track, I found the level of violence Tarentino used in Django Unchained both justified and appropriate, as it is also in Inglorious Basterds.

 Controversy has always surrounded Tarentino in relation to how explicably violent his films are. The most recent example being in his Channel 4 Interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy where he refuses to comment on violence in film in relation to real life violence. He throws a ‘proper paddy’ but Mr Guru Murthy is an annoying twerp of a human anyway so I found myself loudly cheering and gruesomely drooling in a fit of giggles.

As I slowly began to drown in the drool of laughter I emerged with the reason to why I think Tarentino’s use of violence in his films, in Particular Django and Inglorious, is so appropriate. The violence is essential to the feelings towards the characters he is trying to evoke in the viewer (There I said it!).

 Take Inglorious Basterds as an example. Tarentino is re-writing history; he takes arguably the most despicable figure of world history and puts him into a fictional plot where he is brutally murdered along with countless Nazis. The more violent and visceral the pain inflicted on to the Nazis the more the viewer enjoys. We wouldn’t take pleasure in the Nazis getting a swift slap on the face or a brief ass spanking now would we? We know they deserve way more than that and that is what good Ol’ Quentin gives us.

Tarentino does the same trick in Django, this is the genius of his work. He allows himself to use as much brutality as he wants firstly because no one really gives a shit about slave traders and owners so we take full voyeuristic pleasure in watching their lives meet horrific conclusions and secondly the violence inflicted upon the innocent slaves makes us hate the villains even more so it works in his favour.

Tarentino’s portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan at first struck me as a risky move but after a little thought I concluded better to portray them as what they really where, STUPID!

The use of real or realistic historical figures has worked superbly for Tarentino as of yet so the rumours surrounding a trilogy of a re-writing history based film really inflict those tingly feelings in all the right spots causing me to experience a colossal amount of pleasure.

Whether you agree or disagree with me the film really gets people talking about slaverly again, which is what Tarentino wanted (see below). All in all the film is a masterpiece, picking up Oscars in Best Original Screenplay and Christoph Waltz winning best supporting actor. By far the film of the year and certainly one of the best films I have ever seen.

Tarentino Channel 4 Interview

Lawless or The Proposition?

The first Hillcoat film I ever watched was in fact ‘The Road’, a post-apocalyptic film starring Viggo Mortensen about a Father and Son struggling to survive in a hell-ish, dull, ‘last days’ type of world. The film, which was based on a novel, was superbly directed from the use of smoggy colours to convey the mood of the in-prosperous world to the well-drawn out camera work creating suspense and inflicting tension. This film left a great impression on me, so when the release of a Western (a genre I adore) named Lawless was released by Hillcoat I immediately found myself on a seat in the cinema excitedly waiting. To make things even better I discovered Tom Hardy was the main protagonist!
Lawless for me was a good film, not a great film but a decent and entertaining one. The casting was brilliant with Tom Hardy playing Forrest Bondurant, one of three Brothers illegally profiting from the Virginian Prohibition. Guy Pearce plays bad cop Charlie Rakes, Shia LeBeouf shines as the younger more vulnerable and less tough Bondurant Brother whilst Jessica Chastain performs flawlessly as a victimized dancer from Chicago looking for a break.

The acting is second to none but the film hits its downfall with the extreme and unnecessary violence that goes beyond causing a visceral effect. One Critique described it as “a show down to who has the biggest pair”. The only hard-hitting effective scene where this extreme violence works is when bad cop Charlie Rakes viciously assaults younger and weaker Brother Jack Bondurant (Shia LeBeouf). The repetition of the on-going violence in this scene is disturbing as it is arguably stretched out for half a minute too long, thus making it unpleasant for the viewer to watch, however this works effectively as the scene gets the viewer despising bad cop Charlie Rakes and makes him even more despicable than his middle-parting haircut.

I watched Lawless (2012) after being impressed by The Road (2009), this ultimately lead me back to a Western of Hillcoat’s earlier work in 2005, a film named The Proposition. The first thing that struck me as interesting was the similarities I noticed in this film and Lawless before even watching it. To state the obvious the director was the same guy, but more interestingly so was the script writer, Nick Cave. The plot had similarities too with one of the stories main problems surrounding three Brothers, as it does in Lawless. The film also casts Guy Pearce, although he is the main protagonist not the villain. Whilst watching the film the main concern I had was Ray Winstone as Captain Stanley. I suppose I just didn’t like the idea of Ray Winstone in a Western invading my escapist world. However, I was sceptical about him being in The Departed (Martin Scorsesse) and he turned out to be brilliant so I left my mind open and again to my surprise it worked!

The Proposition, like Lawless, has its moments of eye squinting violence but the use of it is to much more effect and purpose. From the beginning of the film we sympathise with youngest of the three Brothers, Mike Burns. Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) makes a bargain with middle Brother Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) to find his infamous older Brother Arthur and bring him into the law to be hanged; in exchange he and his younger Brother go free.

Without revealing the entire story, you may have guessed that the law are a little unjust. There is one particular scene where the youngest Burns Brother is publicly whipped to the point of unconsciousness and severe illness. The scene starts out with the camera switching from Mike’s loud and excruciating screams of pain to the by-standers facial expressions which are mostly emotionless. The scene then cuts to the other two Brothers riding back and then when the camera cuts back to the whipping scene Mike is silent although still being whipped, his back is more red than flesh, and the whip is drenched through with blood! The repetition of the whip is nerve wrenching and the violent nature of the scene is far more effective than many of the scenes in Lawless.

The main difference between Hillcoat’s Lawless and The Proposition is that the level of violence in Lawless is less effective. A reason why this may be is because the Bondurant Brothers are anti-heroes whereas Mike Burns in The Proposition is made to appear weak and vulnerable from the start and is only being punished for the actions of his eldest sibling. The Road, which is not a western is the best film, for me, that Hillcoat has directed. I would very much like to see something similar to the road by Hillcoat and would be very interested to see, if he ever directs another western, if he keeps the similarities that Lawless and The Proposition have again.

If you have watched any of the films I have mentioned feel free to voice your opinion!

My top 5 Tarentino films!

Hi again, I sound like an obsessive creep now with the Tarentino focused Blog again but if you don’t like it then bugger off! The trailers and general hype about Quentin’s new film Djanjo Unchained has got me in an inspired mood to briefly describe my top 5 films and why they are so! So here goes

5 – Reservoir Dogs – A classic Tarentino film in the sense that it is full of violence and uses his directory established technique of the flashback. I also love Steve Buschemi (Fargo, The Big Lebowski) and also relish Michael Madson as a tough guy! The only slight downfall is that the conclusion of the film is that basically everyone dies, for me it could of been more thought through…but that’s just being picky!

4 – Kill Bill Vol 2. The main reason that this is number four is because it didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had for it. Kill Bill Vol 1. is far the better film whereas Kill Bill Vol. 2 is still exceptionally entertaining but not quite as tantalizing as the first.

3 – Kill Bill Vol 1. The sheer visceral violence and gore, it’s as if he sat down and thought if we’re going crazy we may as well go all out. There are also few directors who can add a ten minute anime section into the middle of their film and still make it work. Uma Thurman is also brilliant! “Revenge is a dish best served cold”.

2 – Pulp Fiction – As I have already mentioned in my previous Blog, it is the realness of the dialogue in Pulp Fiction that really captures and draws me into the world of the film. Samuel Jackon’s acting is flawless and it always brings back good memories for me as this was the first Tarentino film I ever watched!

1. Inglorious Basterds – What Can I say? The film has an excellent casting from Christopher Waltz in the opening scene to Brad Pitt and his ruthless nature. The plot also does it for me too, who wouldn’t love taking voyeuristic pleasure in seeing the fantasy of a Jewish group killing Nazi’s and Hitler being blown up in a cinema! The flawless acting alongside the Plot and the sheer research that went into the film is what makes this my number one!

Just to leave you on the note that this could be potentially updated soon as the trailers for Djanjo Unchained looked incredible!