Category: Entertainment

Film Review: North By Northwest

If ever there were to be a radio programme called Desert Island DVDs and (unlikely I know but) in the event that I were to find myself one of the show’s castaways, invited on to divulge eight film titles I would want with me on that small sandy speck amidst a turquoise sea, North By Northwest would most definitely be one of those eight. These two hours and sixteen minutes of pure Tinseltown magic have enthralled me many times over the years and I hold an unwavering certainty that they will do so each and every time I decide to view them in the future.

This most spectacular of all Hitchcock’s thrillers can surely lay claim to be a Blockbuster movie years before the term was widely bandied about by the Hollywood marketing machine. It has everything that a rip-roaring edge-your-seat adventure flick should. Even before the MGM lion (uniquely seen here against a green background) has cleared its throat, Bernard Herrmann’s stunning soundtrack sets the mood with its menacing intro of timpani and double bass. It builds quickly into a full-on orchestral frenzy, an unmistakable musical interpretation of a chase which, after all, is the theme at the very heart of the movie.

The opening title sequence designed by Saul Bass is a thing of beauty too and is supposedly the first feature film to use kinetic typography in its title. This is an animation technique that uses moving text to evoke an emotion or idea, in this case, the moving titles against a backdrop of an office building give the impression of a lift (or in U.S. parlance, elevator) going up and down. Watch it, it’s terrific. It’s artful.

The film stars arguably that most debonair of all leading men ever to have graced the silver screen, Cary Grant. Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a New York advertising executive who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets mistaken for a government spy and shortly after, a murderer to boot and from then on, he’s a fugitive after the truth to prove his innocence while trying to evade the good guys as well as the bad. I shall refrain from divulging any more detail of the plot and instead encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to do so very soon because it really is about as fine a mystery/thriller as you are ever likely to see.

The original screenplay was penned by Ernest Lehman who stated that he wanted to write “the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures” and he was nominated for an Academy Award for his efforts. It’s an absolute cracker of a script, full of intrigue and sophisticated dialogue, wit and wonderful locations plus it includes two of cinemas most iconic sequences, one involving a crop-duster plane and the other a climb over the heads of spectacular Mount Rushmore. Once seen, never forgotten.

Hitchcock’s masterpiece it may not be, scholars and critics tend to reserve that particular appellation for Vertigo or Psycho but North By Northwest is not without its share of praise. The American Film Institute rank it highly in many of their 100 Years of… categories and seventh in their 10 Top 10 Mystery films. The film’s name has influenced a music festival in Texas “South By Southwest” and numerous scenes from it have been parodied on TV shows such as Family Guy. The grey suit worn by Cary Grant throughout most of the movie even has its own accolade. In 2006, a panel of fashion experts brought together by GQ magazine named it the best suit in film history as well as the most influential on men’s style. Apparently, it has since been copied for Tom Cruise in Collateral and Ben Affleck in Paycheck.

But perhaps this is delving a little too deep and some of you might say, “Oh come on, it’s only a film, after all.” Nevertheless, only a film it may be, but when a collection of highly talented individuals come together and work as a team they can sometimes produce something extremely worthwhile and having already recommended this film for viewing several paragraphs ago, I will end with the admission that that is how I regard the two hours and sixteen minutes of this movie – extremely worthwhile!

Film Review: The Avengers

Note: Spoilers assemble…

A Shakespearean God from the realm of Asgard blasts his way through a top-secret facility, using an oddly shaped sceptre to brain-warp those he decides will be of some use in his scheming plans, and steals a bright blue cube of immense energy and power. This bright blue cube of immense energy and power will destroy our entire world if utilised in the incorrect fashion, and that’s all you really need to know in order to enjoy this film, which, for a movie with a running time of over two hours, is remarkably fresh and breezy.

The god in question is Loki (Tom Hiddleston), primary antagonist from last year’s comic-caper Thor, one of several antecedents for the combined delight that is The Avengers (or if you’ll humour me, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble). It all began in 2008 when Robert Downey Jr’s revitalised career mirrored the start of something new, something exciting. The result is a well-tuned, well-acted, exceptionally-scripted blockbuster that has issued a strong, robust, and loud message, not just to its flocking audiences, but to a certain Chris Nolan: “Your move, Mr. Wayne…”

The task of bringing the outlandish egos of Iron Man (Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), and The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) together to form one cohesive narrative has fallen kindly at the feet of cult-hero (and god) Joss Whedon. You’ll have to forgive me at this point; I grew up on a healthy diet of American pop culture, of which Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a strong contributor, and to this day, I would gladly give up my first born child for this man. I try to avoid inane bias in my reviews, but sometimes there is too great a force, and this is one such occasion. I shall reliably inform you that the man is a genius. An underrated, relentless, wit-tastic genius.

That being said, this movie should not work. It just shouldn’t. There is so much going on at any one moment in time that it’s very hard to comprehend what one character just said before you’re whisked away on another matter. Take the scene aboard the heli-boat-copter for instance; they’re trying to figure Loki out, what he wants, what he plans to do etc, then all of a sudden, we’re thrust into a brand new world where S.H.I.E.L.D, led by the one-eyed Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), are suddenly the enemies, planning on utilising that bright blue cube of immense energy and power in their favour by constructing weapons of mass destruction. However, Fury isn’t exactly up to date on this plan. I know – confusing, right? It’s a comic book film in every sense, and it’s superior to every other comic book film that has taken to our screens (I don’t include The Dark Knight in this instance as it transcends the genre) and if you don’t walk into the screening with your disbelief well and truly suspended…then what’s the point, may I ask?

Don’t compare this film to The Dark Knight Rises – it’ll be like comparing American Beauty to Pan’s Labyrinth – because these are two differently dexterous directors who have engaged in two differently dexterous styles of film. With The Avengers, you will have fun; sublime fun. There are a lot of explosions, but the on-screen action is directed with aplomb and swiftness – Whedon never forgets his constraints on time and space, and is able to move our attention to where it truly matters, delivering one hell of a final act that is brash, loud, and utterly brilliant.

I could talk forever about the script, which is full to the brim with witty one-liners and dripping with banterous dialogue. Fans of Whedon will know how strong a writer he is, and his style has not been diluted by the money-starved executives behind the scenes. The film is really quite hilarious, and one of the only negatives I could come up with for the film is that you may occasionally struggle to hear the dialogue through the raucous laughter sounding out around you.

Take a film like Inception – I know I said not to compare to Nolan, but I’m not comparing styles – it doesn’t utilise all its characters, it fits them into the story well enough, but we never get a true sense of who they are. Why on earth is Ariadne helping out Cobb? What does she stand to gain? Eames? Is he in it for the money? The Avengers’ main strength is its character moments, even the smallest nuance of a smile or gesture – it gets it absolutely spot on, and is what makes the film so enjoyable. A film about characters that will never exist in our world suddenly become so relatable, so easy to connect with, that we root for them to the very end, part with our well-earned money, and eagerly anticipate the inevitable sequel.

I can’t stress enough how good this movie is; for fans of Joss Whedon’s existing works, I’d be stunned if you hadn’t already seen it, and for those who have little idea of who he is, get ready to have your minds completely, whole-heartedly, unequivocally…blown.

Book Review: The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

In a world where magic is real but sold as an illusion, two children are unwittingly bound together in a lifelong challenge. Prospero the Enchanter and the grey-clad Mr A.H have been setting unsuspecting students against each other for years, possibly even centuries, in a quest to prove whether natural talent or academic study produces the best magic. But this time the challenge affects too many people and the rules must be changed. Aesthetically the book encapsulates all the magic that the pages within promise. Sitting down with the red hardback with black-edged paper, you instantly know that you are in for a treat.

The critics have questioned the strength of the plot and the depth of the characters, but as Morgenstern says, “People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see.” So, if you can go into this book with a desire to believe and a powerful imagination then you will not be disappointed. The reader must accept the magical world of the Cirque de Reves, not question it, as the logic behind it all is never explained. This is a novel for believers, not for critics.

The Night Circus is full of all the magical little treats that real life circuses seem to disappoint on. Caramel popcorn, chocolate mice and performing kittens are just the surface of it. The overpowering love between competitors Marco and Celia is somehow more believable than the ever so popular Twilight romance, despite the supernatural surroundings, and is the centre of the plot. There is a rich tapestry of interweaving characters that reflects the interweaving tents and acts within the Cirque de Reves perfectly. If only it was possible to actually visit this midnight circus with all its mysterious delights.

The magic between the pages is not something that could easily be translated to film, but I’d certainly be first in line if it ever was adapted.

‘Like Water For Chocolate’ – Food for the Soul

Set in the Mexican Revolution, Laura Esquivel’s first novel taps into a world of family tradition and sexual liberation. The story has a backbone of recipes that hold the narrative together, taking you on a journey through the trials and tribulations of Tita de la Garza and her family.

Starting from January and working through to December, each recipe ties in with an event in the family and as you read it you can almost imagine yourself sitting alongside the narrator as she cooks, telling tales of her great aunt Tita. In each chapter we learn something new about cooking and the risks of preparing the ingredients in the wrong way. When the love of her life is set to marry her sister, Tita is left to make the wedding cake. Feeling her heart breaking, she cries so much that the cake mix becomes soggy and when all the guests eat the cake they are so overcome with longing that everyone is left dazed by a fit of vomiting. Although at times the magical realism that Esquivel uses can take you by surprise, it works to remind you of the mythical nature of the story. She conjures up such powerful images that the emotion behind the story is really intensified.

When it comes down to it Like Water for Chocolate is a love story, but the main love of Tita’s life is for cooking. Brought up in a kitchen by the family cook, Tita learns all the family secrets and home remedies, a tradition that the rest of her family has no time for. By the end of the novel you can’t help but wish that you had a book of recipes handed down through generations. It is by far the most interesting and thought provoking recipe book that you will ever read.

One Direction, and it’s up unfortunately.

When groups like Boyzone and Take That ruled the land of the tweenverse in the 1990s, you’d be forgiven for thinking the decade was merely a byproduct of an experiment into female hormones gone wrong, girls 6 to 26 would fawn over their technicolor and overtly metro sexual paraphernalia – dreaming of the day they’d be plucked away by her pruned and perfumed prince charming.

Ten years later and the female sexual pandemic that kept many a hairbrush wet at night seemed depleted to say the least. Aside from the Backstreet Boys – whose members had ironically been through drug and alcohol addiction – the last remnants of a musical legacy that had given the 90s a bad name was over, but as always, a new one had begun. Girls from Wellington to Washington had ditched the soft-spot for side-step dance moves and replaced it with a fondness for denim, juvenile anarchy and hair gel. Acts like Son of Dork, Busted, The Noise Next Door and McFly epitomised the “pop-to-rock” shift at the turn of the century that would eventually lead an entire generation on to discover Greenday, Blink 182 and real guitar music. Sure, these guys still had the female-allure, but their package was sold on the premise of more than just a singing pre-teen soft porno.

Fast forward another ten years and, holy fuck. Twelve years into what was meant to be the greatest century (and millennia) for humanity, ever, and record execs (supposedly clever people) have just unravelled the fact they took a ten-year holiday on the greatest money-spinner in a single music demographic, ever. Cute, singing, boys. Hell, it took until 2008 when  vote-in talent show The X Factor produced JLS, the first inkling that a fresh batch of un-boybanded pubescent young ladies were ready for the reaping. Inevitably, 2010 became the year when the bubble burst, and we collided head-on with The Wanted, a clean cut, lower-vested manifestation of the format we’d all seen before – but revamped and reworked for the 2010s.

And then we come to One Direction – the personification of shitting out five Justin Biebers in one go – a group who’ve recently become the first UK group in history to debut at number one with their first album in the United States, something even The Beatles didn’t manage to accomplish. But why the sudden burst after a decade of boy band dormancy? Vast increases in technology and the creation of social media and networking have all helped to inflate and exasperate a playground group crush into an international feeding frenzy.

I’ve been asked what I think of One Direction’s future; quick flick fame, or on to the realms of super pubescent stardom? Well, imagine Take That in their heyday – only with the ability to instantly and electronically communicate with billions of fans on individual digital platforms. Now call that the Internet, Facebook and Twitter.

Now imagine Robbie never left.

Scary huh?

 

 

The Wire: Season One Review

To say The Wire beats every other ‘cop show’ in the public domain would be an understatement. It eclipses them in every aspect.

Firstly, we shall state, it is not a ‘cop show’ at all. It is more comparable to a series of books that illustrate exquisitely and in such detail ‘the condition of man in the 21st century’, through the issues faced by largely poverty-stricken, inner-city Americans.

Each episode opens with an epigraph denoting the crux of that ‘chapter’s’ particular issue.

The producers, HBO, have a penchant for fantastic programming and although the medium of television is saturated with meaningless, shallow offal, HBO often deliver quality. Their flagship shows like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under display this and The Wire in some aspects outclasses even them.

The term Greek Tragedy is applicable to the show. It deviates from what America and the UK regularly seek for amusement. This is due to the belief of the writers (in particular David Simon) that life is a tragedy and viewing it as such holds power; the power to grant perspective and inspire honesty.

Largely down to the commitment of the writing, directing and casting teams, this show erupts beyond the confinements of contemporary entertainment.

To exemplify this we need look no further than the show’s head writer David Simon. A former reporter for the Baltimore Sun, he knows the city in which the series is set. The importance of honesty and realism are clear from the dialectal nuances in the script writing, imperfect characters, inclusion of real ‘ex-players’ from Baltimore in the cast, flawless cinematography and phenomenal soundtrack.

A quote from Simon himself illuminates us as to the core themes of the show:

‘The point of view is middle-management, and labour is diminished and the institution is paramount.’

Now we have context, we can move onto the specifics of season one. The preliminary response to the first episode may well be, ‘too many characters’ or ‘Christ that was dry’. If you have never watched it before and have those feelings after the first episode, DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM.

A large part of the show’s appeal is the plethora of characters presented to you. Being spoon-fed stereotypes happens far too often so when a show credits the viewer with being intelligent enough to invest and infer things about characters it is not only refreshing but rewarding.

In short, season one introduces us to the Baltimore Police department and a successful drug dealing racket. The focus within the police department in this series is directed towards a detail, headed by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, with the primary investigators being Detective Jimmy McNulty and Detective Kima Greggs. The unit was set up after said drug racket beat a murder trial for one of its mid-level workers. This character’s name is D’Angelo Barksdale, he is nephew to the boss, Avon Barksdale who works alongside lifelong friend Russell ‘Stringer’ Bell.

We follow closely the two characters of D’angelo Barksdale and Lt. Daniels as the show cleverly draws parallels between them. The similarity is striking and thought provoking in that it rubbishes typical good guy, bad guy standpoints via the twinned pressures Barksdale and Daniels face.

Throughout the season Daniels is subject to the morally conflicting demands of his investigators, especially McNulty who represents the disillusioned, unstable labourer, and his politically driven superiors, Major Rawles and Deputy Ops Burrel.

Similarly, Barksdale is faced with opposing stresses. He must school and do right by his younger dealers such as Wallace, Bodie and Poot to ensure smooth business. However the hierarchy sends down confusing orders which compromise the already wavering morality of D’Angelo.

As a result, D’Angelo’s story is the most intriguing. Departing pearls of wisdom to his underlings such as an explanation of labour in America using a McNugget analogy and outlining how trapped all players in ‘the game’ are utilising a chessboard; he captivates you as a viewer.

Chess:

Mr. McNugget:

We are given multiple other fascinating characters to follow including an addict and police informant named Bubbles. His daily strife on the streets adds to the already incredible sense of place and supplies a terrifically tangible perspective of the game.

Bubbles fishing:

Other ancillary characters such as Freamon, Herc, Carver, Pryzbylewski, Bunk for the police further the feel of the politically motivated department in their own exciting ways. One character who could not go without a mention though is homosexual stick-up boy Omar Little.

Omar’s profession of robbing drug dealers means he is not only dangerous but incredibly likeable. His morality and ‘code’ of living are dubious but respectable, as is his intellectual prowess in planning robberies and setting up those he dislikes. He is affected markedly by the actions of others, in particular Barksdale’s organisation; his story is another of great profoundness.

Omar comin’!:

 

All of the characters not elaborated upon are spectacular in their own right and only by watching will the message truly embed itself in your mind.

‘The Wire’ season one is compelling and leaves one with an insatiable appetite for more. It is simply a beautiful work of art and one with a vital message.

No wonder it is studied at Harvard.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/spotlight/civil-rights/ogletree-race-and-justice-the-wire.html