August Rush

When visiting New York, I went on a Movie Tour and the guide kept mentioning this film and how good it was, which made me want to see it even more than I did already.

The film is based around a young boy called Evan , who after being in an orphanage for 12 years is determined to find his parents. Other boys in his dorm tease him as he believes that he can hear his parents playing to him. I found this quite strange at the beginning, but as the film progresses you come to understand the way Evan's mind works. The child of a famous cellist and guitar player, you would expect that he would be musically talented, and that he most definitely is. It turns out that he's a musical prodigy, with an extraordinary talent, giving himself the stage name 'August Rush.

This film is full of ups and downs, you feel for this little boy as he makes his way through New York trying to fulfill his dream to reconnect with his parents. I can't believe how good Freddie Highmore (Evan) was in this film. He probably would have been about 12 when making August Rush, but with his acting ability, you would have thought he was at least 15. It's inspiring that someone so young can have such a raw talent, I wish that I could have been that driven at his age.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

I've been meaning to watch this film for a while, but never seemed to get round to it. It's set during the Second World War and is seen through the eyes of eight year of Bruno. He is the son of a commandant at a concentration camp but doesn't understand what is happening in the world. After moving to a new house near a concentration camp and thinking himself an explorer, Bruno becomes determined to discover what this camp is and why it's there. He soon meets a boy named Shmuel (i.e. the boy in striped pyjamas). He lives across the fence in the camp and begins to help Bruno understand what's really happening, but not even he knows the whole truth.

One thing that really surprised me was when Bruno's mother (i.e. the commandant's wife) didn't know about the gas chambers. Presumably this means that not many did. They showed a video full of propaganda about how the concentration camps were a fun place, where the Jews could play games and socialise. I suppose many believed this as they had no reason not to. But the smoke and smell from the chambers could not be covered up and Bruno's mother found out the truth.

I felt naive when watching this film and stupid for not knowing what was really happening during ww2. I knew about the gas chambers, but I never understood why everyone just let it happen...obviously because they didn't know. Bruno's innocent mind and willingness to make friends has serious consequences, with the film ending in a shocking, unexpected and ironic way. It was a thought provoking film and I found it really interesting, but also quite sad as you know that it's real, (not this story specifically) but the way people were treated.

Fantastic Mr Fox

Originally a book by Roald Dahl, 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' is being made into a film for the big screen. I can't remember it very well but I definitely read this book when I was younger, so you can imagine my surprise when I see a trailer for a film by the same name. It definitely looks like it's going to be an interesting film, with the different animation style. But not only that, with a cast such as George Clooney, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson and many more, it's set to be a big and successful film. I hope that it is, because I remember loving the book when I was younger, and there's nothing I like more than a great adaptation.

2012

http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/

You're probably getting fed up of hearing this, but when I was in New York I saw a lot of massive posters on the sides of buildings etc, saying simply 'WE WERE WARNED' in large red writing. It certainly caught my attention and I think I immediately understood what it was for. Basically there is a film coming out in October 2009 called 2012, which I think is a lot like the Day After Tomorrow but much worse. For some reason, I seem to be attracted to these big disaster films, they fascinate me and I love all the special effects, hopefully this one won't disappoint.

This post is actually about the website however. When first hearing about 2012, I quickly clicked onto the official website to see what it was about. The ordinary features are there, for example you can learn about the film, cast, crew etc, but I was surprised by all the extras. You can download a free app to your iphone, which is basically a test to see if you could survive in a disaster. There's also a competition which involves you watching the trailer and answering a question. A clever tactic as you might have to watch it over and over again. There's also a voting campaign for your 'next world leader,' which involves you watching the candidate's video's, some of which are very funny.

Overall I was impressed with this website, it kept me busy for a long time, all the time thinking about the film, which was no doubt their intentions. It's not particularly visually interesting, but that's not the reason I chose to write about it. Sometimes it's more about the content rather than how it looks.

District 9

I wasn't really sure when I saw the trailer for this film, it looked weird and confusing, but I thought that some of the best films I've seen are a bit odd, so why not give it a go. I'm glad I did as I do believe it's one of the best films I've seen this year.

When the orignial film based on the Halo video game series fell through, Peter Jackson gave director Neill Blomkamp $30 million to do with as he wished. The end result was District 9. This is a film about aliens yes, but it doesn't have that usual sci-fi feel to it. Alternating between standard third person camera work to documentary style gave this a very real and believable feel. Not once did I find myself thinking, oh this would never happen, because it felt like if aliens did come to earth, it would probably play out like this.

If you saw the trailer for this film, you might have noticed an alien talking about how he/she wasn't allowed to leave. But why? This becomes the general enigma and therefore backbone to this story. The aliens arrived in a spaceship and landed just above Johannesburg in South Africa in 1990. The MNU (Multi-National United) put the aliens into an area away from the main city, called district 9, but when things become tense between the people of Johannesburg and the aliens 20 years later, the MNU set up a scheme to move the aliens far away from any human civilisation. This is where the main character, Wikus (Sharlto Copley) makes his appearence, as the man in 'control' of moving the aliens. I was really suprised that this was his first acting role as he played the part perfectly. He really got you to empathise with his character and provided the comedy also.

But don't be fooled, this isn't for the lighthearted. It's full of explosions of buildings and people, finding my eyes covered for a lot of it. But nevertheless, through the cracks in my fingers I could tell this was an original, suspense filled film. With so many films out now, it's inspiring that people are still thinking of original and captivating storylines for us all to enjoy.

And if you want to know why the aliens aren't allowed to leave...then go and see the film!

102 minutes that changed...the world

This is actually a documentary that aired on channel 4 about a week ago. It was different to all the others I've seen on 9/11 as it went through the event in real time, i.e. the catastrophy lasted 102 minutes back in 2001 and we saw all 102 minutes of it in this documentary. It wasn't professional footage however, just ordinary people's video's and what they captured that day. This will sound stupid, but it seemed more realistic than the others I'd seen, it's like you were there with them, rather than just watching it.

It sounds awful, but I was glued to the TV screen, I found it captivating. There was one particular piece of footage that shocked me; a young man showing us around the lobby of the North Trade Centre after the South one had collapsed. Knowing what was going to happen but not exactly when made this hard to watch. My friend and I were literally screaming at the TV when we saw firefighters walking towards the North Trade Centre right before it collapsed.

It was an awful thing that happened and this documentary was shocking to watch, but compelling at the same time. It made you realise the amount of devestation it caused at what real people were doing and thinking at that time.

500 Days of Summer...

As soon as I saw the poster for this film, I knew I had to see it. It looked funny and romantic, but quirky also. It was certainly all these things and more.

Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (famous for his role in 3rd rock from the sun) automatically falls for Summer (Zooey Deschanel), but does she feel the same? We see how Tom and Summer's relationship grows and changes throughout the 500 days. This film can be descirbed as a romantic comedy, but one with a twist. It doesn't follow that boring narrative that all others feel they have to abide by in order to be successfull. There's a non-linear structure present that is made less confusing by the numbered days. It flicks from say the 100th day, to the 350th day and then back to the 60th day, which makes for a very interesting narrative that keeps you on your toes.

This might ruin the ending (sorry!) but it doesn't end how you'd expect. However still finishes in a way you can walk out of the cinema smiling, which I like. Films either end the way you don't want them to, to be different, which is disappointing, or end like all the others making them predictable. This had a different and refreshing feel to it.

I was particularly impressed with the interesting techniques the director/editor used, for example, the split screen that occurs towards the end of the film. It depicted what Tom wanted to happen, and what actually happened (i.e. reality) side by side, which I thought was quite clever and really intrigued the eye.

Overall I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to see an offbeat romantic comedy, something a bit different. It isn't for everyone (as I learned from the girl next to me walking out of the cinema) but I really enjoyed it.

Into The Wild

A film that I have never been bothered to watch until yesterday...what a mistake, seeing this in the cinema would have been amazing! Based on a true story and directed by Sean Penn, this film took my breath away. It's all based on the story of Christopher McCandless, who after graduating college with top grades, decided to give away his $24,000 savings and trek across the US to Alaska.

Definitely crazy, but not stupid, Christopher (played by Emile Hirsch) makes his way across the wildneness meeting people and encountering problems that shape his life.

The Taking of an Original?

Originally a thriller novel, then a film released in 1974, moving onto a Television film in 1998 and eleven years later released as a modern day remake. The Taking of Pelham 123 was therefore too popular a story for me to miss. Directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, the remake was looking very promising.

Some may find it hard to believe, but John Travolta actually plays the cruel and ruthless character known as Ryder in this film. Former Wall Street money man, Ryder finds himself angered after spending a long stint in Jail for something he believes he didn’t deserve. So what better way to take revenge on the City and to make some money at the same time, but to hijack a Subway Train (i.e. Pelham 123). Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is the unlucky rail control officer to take Ryder’s call and find’s himself caught up in a whirlwind of money, hard decisions and merciless blood shed.

I won’t give away the ending, but what I will say is the acting in this film is truly captivating, with Washington and Travolta playing out of their comfort zones. Yes Denzel is once again the hero of the film, but not one you’d expect. He’s no Creasy or Agent Doug Carlin that’s for sure, but he does an excellent and compelling job as normal guy Walter Garber. The same goes for John Travolta. He plays this wicked and spiteful man so convincingly, something you wouldn’t expect from the same actor who played Edna in Hairspray.

Overall I would say that this film takes nothing away from the original. It might follow the same story, but Tony Scott does well to create an entirely different film.