Wednesday 4 February 2009

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

With Slumdog Millionaire having already won a shedload of awards and being 'the greatest feel good film of the decade', Danny Boyle has clearly rebuilt his reputation after Sunshine failed to impress.
Slumdog is brilliantly done and tells the story in an original way. My favourite scenes are most definately the ones showing Jamal and Salim when they're still children, some of the shots of Mumbai's slums are fantastic. The actors portraying the young incarnations of the characters are fantastic and I cannot stress that enough. Dev Patel (of Skins) is also brilliant showing that he is a more than capable on the big screen.
It got a bit sugary towards the end for my liking, but I was anticipating it because it is a feel good film and it's done brilliantly in the mainstream charts. I would definately go and see it, if only to see what all the hype is about.

Sunday 18 January 2009

Garden State (2004)

Even though I'm about four years behind in getting around to watching this, I have to say it's perhaps one of the best films I've seen in some time.
Most people will know it because of lead man, Zack Braff, the star of Scrubs, but it is most definately a film that can stand for itself. That's not to say that it would have been as good without Braff, his performance in Garden State is outstanding. He plays the character of Andrew Largeman fantastically, the awkwardness he portrays in places is so intense that you feel it yourself. He also shows the lethargic lifestyle of Largeman in an inspired way. I don't think the film would have been as fantastic as it was without Braff if I'm honest. At times he really does capture your attention and gives a truely emotional show. It is not without his trademark humour either.
The film is the slow-going , nothing much happens type of film, not in a bad way, it's slow going, but it does reach it's conclusion and the ending is amazing, I'll admit I was feeling awfully emotional.

Monday 12 January 2009

Natural Born Killers (1994)

Natural Born Killers is a very violent film when you first watch it. However, upon second viewings, you start to realise that the film makes a lot of points. The most predominant being about the Media using sick stories to boost ratings. Not only that though, it makes a comment about the general publics interest in murder, often even admiration from the murderers.
Symbollically we see the two murderers , Mickey and Mallory destroying the mass media in the end and triumphing over everyone else.
In a backwards way, it seems rather optimistic. Putting across the idea that everyone is able to free themselves from whatever burdens they have.
The film is noted for it's completely 'off-the-wall' style of moving the story on. A bit that stands out is where it paradies a sit-com in order to tell the quite disturbing story of Mallory, complete with canned laughter when her father threatens her with sexual abuse. From the very beginning the editing is frantic and psychedelic, often cutting to black and white or filetered lenses for no apparent reason.
Another point that I think i ought to make about NBK is the brilliant soundtrack, composed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. The music shifts from ambient and quiet to loud and frantic in such a way that it seems to disjoint your senses, which is perfect for this film.