The end of year re-cap 2007

I figured I should get this out of the way soon before it comes ludicrously late and faintly ridiculous to be looking back to the past year and not forward to the one ahead. 2007 was a great year for me personally, the first full year of being married to my wonderful wife Marti saw us move from our first flat in August, see her continue on to her third year of University, go on several holidays with varying family members and grow closer to our great group of friends we have in the Southampton area who all make it feel so much like home here. It was a year as well of personal growth and as I approach my 23rd birthday and continue this blog I know that I have a long way to go on this yet, but that I’m on the right path. The title of Forward Motion reflects this and I pray that this year I will grow stronger in my faith and in myself to achieve what I want to, rather than being held back by doubts. Aspects of my future are still uncertain to me, but I have grown a lot in my writing and hope that this is the year when I kick it into gear and start to really go for what I want to happen, rather than sitting back.

Entertainment-wise this was a great year as well, many great films were released and on the console front with the big three consoles finally released it was a time for the talk to stop and the games to do the talking, something that will long continue into this year as the developers get to grips with the new hardware. So now to my top 5 films of the year, something I do every year on my website (though the previous years lists are lost to the depths of the internet now). Again these are not necessarily the best ‘made’ films, or even the best films that I rated highest, but the ones that now, looking back, I enjoyed the most, impressed me the most and that I will continue to watch and appreciate in the future. Also these are just the films I have seen, my viewing was spotty at best this year and so many great films I’m sure just passed me by!

5. Knocked Up The so-called year of Judd Apatow started with Knocked Up, a surprisingly sweet and very funny comedy about a one night stand that takes an expected twist. Catherine Heigl and Seth Rogan shone in the main roles and the supporting cast were equally well developed. The film really impressed me with it’s more realistic approach to relationships and growing up, and as a result shines through with real heart.

>Read my review.

4. Hot Fuzz Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost can do no wrong at the moment and their hotly anticipated follow up to Shaun of the Dead did not disappoint. Hilariously aping 80s buddy cop movies whilst mixing in a midsummer murders style mystery the film managed to be an homage, a parody and it’s own beast entirely. Fantastic performances again all round and another wickedly subversive entry to the resurgence of British cinema.

>Read my review.

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Despite an awkward opening the fifth entry into the Harry Potter series really impressed me this year becoming my favourite of the film adaptations so far. Darker and brooding, yet retaining much of the books trademark humour and heart this was a terrific adaptation of the biggest book of the series, perfectly showing how to trim the fat and keep the core values at heart. The three stars have really grown into their roles and it shows and the new characters slotted into the world perfectly, feeling as if they had always been there. The good news is that director David Yates is staying on for Half Blood Prince to be released this November, I can’t wait!

>Read my review. 2. Inland Empire David Lynch’s follow up to Mullholland Drive was a revelation this year, abandoning his usual visual style for the freedom of home DV camera, lynch spent the past couple of years crafting and improvising this sprawling epic about a doomed actress who gets lost in her part in a cursed film. Strange, unsettling and unexpected this was a dense and difficult film but one filled with moments and images that stuck with you. Like a dream this was an experience, with Lynch its always about the feelings and the journey, not the destination and that he managed to pull out a moving and upbeat ending makes the trip all the more worthwhile. The film is a grower and since seeing it, it has burned its way into my subconscious, the mark of a truly great film if there ever was one and this will be a film I revisit many times over the coming years I’m sure.

>Read my review.

1. Ratatouille Whilst the rest of this list took a while to form there was a clear winner for the top spot this year. Pixar’s Ratatouille under the helm of the master Brad Bird was a stunning film, the animations was gorgeous, even for Pixar, the characters vivid and real and the story heartfelt, entertaining and filling – like a gourmet meal. Bridging the gap once again between kiddie animation and adult storytelling this found the sweet spot in the middle and didn’t put a foot wrong. Pure joy from start to end Ratatouille is a film that I think will only grow with people as time goes by and acts as a reminder of how valuable an asset Pixar are to the filmmaking world, and with another stunning looking film – Wall-E – out this year, there’s no evidence of them slowing down any time soon.

>Read my review.

Hostel: Part II

And a happy new year to you too! Well yes no better way to bring my blog screaming into the new year than with another gore-splattered review, holding to my promise of reviewing all that I see requires me to get these up promptly before I become swamped and lose interest, though if I am hasty with this one then it is because really there is little left to say on the matter. Taking place directly after the first Hostel and, aside from the fairly needless tying up of lose ends at the start, the film this time focuses this time on three women who decide to go travelling, we find them en route to Prague when, for fairly flimsy and overly signposted reasons, they are lured to Slovakia to find themselevs the latest victims in Hostel’s lurid games. This time round we see a bit more of the other side of the fence and so parallel to the girls we follow two men who have signed up for the experience, bidding and selecting the girl of their choice to kill. It is an interesting decision to try and dig a little deeper at the people who would be attracted by such a set up and whilst there is a fair amount of suspension of disbelief in the way it is handled there are hints of more interesting moral dilemmas and character motivations below the surface, and the almost bait-and-switch Roth pulls at the end is pretty clever. Visually the films is a noticeable step up from the bland faceless European backstreets of the original, the colours are more vibrant and Roth has definitely improved as a director, one sequence when the men make their way into the complex is fairly haunting with its use of music and composition. However like before the film falls short of any potential if could have had by being a slave to the genre. Much as we are meant to believe that these are characters to be cared about and explored, and whilst the acting is much improved over the original’s, truth be told they are all still pieces of meat to Eli Roth and his glee at the torture once again leaves a sour taste in the mouth. One character and subsequent death in particular is not only unpleasant but structurally unnecessary and inconsistent with the rest of the film, it would lose nothing by cutting the entire set up and sequence, evidence again that it’s ultimately about the money-shots, rather than any kind of emotional investment. It’s this box ticking approach to a sequel that is disappointing, it feels more designed than an extension of the original with some new set-ups, movie by committee is the phrase and in the blood-soaked climax you can almost imagine Roth gleefully anticipating the audience’s reaction. In fact we spend little time in the aforementioned torture chambers, that we know what is coming for the extended build up dissipates any potential tension, and herein lies the major problems with the film – it is not scary. Not at all. It may be an improvement on the original in many respects but at least at the tail of that film there was danger and several nerve wracking scenes. Here there is none of that and so as a horror film it falls very flat, sure it is gore filled with some truly graphic scenes, but they are not earned. The main problem with this is that horror films often survive on the scares and the tension, my like of the recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake was largely down to how effectively it handles these very things, and an involving and harrowing experience can make up for lacks in other areas. Without that to fall back on all that is left is a rather forgettable film in many respects, it is not awful, and Roth’s dark sense of humour, which may undermine any claim to deeper meanings within the film, at least provides some humanity into a film mostly lacking it. Ultimately by the end the overhwleming feeling is that the so called torture-porn horror films have run their course by now, the irony being that this sequel to the genre’s poster-boy may have just delivered the final nail in the coffin. A surprisingly by the numbers sequel that does most things better than the first, except the horror, yet doesn’t distance itself enough or alter the core concept beyond a typical horror sequel. And despite the nastiness there is a distinct whiff of playing it safe here.

I Am Legend

To round off the year I think I just about have time for one last film review, moving to this new format of the blog has made it a lot easier for me to put up reviews and with the decision not just to review films from the cinema I have a lot more material to write about than before. Of course this does mean that I still probably see two films for every one review I write but I will try to correct that next year even if it means slightly short but more frequent reviews, I think it would be nice to build up a picture of my film viewing for the entire year and next year is one where I hope to catch up on a lot of older classic films that I painfully admit I have never seen before, so it should be a healthy mix of the old and new. I am Legend is the third filmic adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic 1954 novel of the same name, the plot as you are probably aware concerns Robert Neville (Will Smith) the last survivor of a deadly virus living in New York City, which has become desolate and overgrown. But as he desperately searches for a cure and to maintain his sanity it becomes clear that he is far from alone in the city. To reveal much more would be a shame as I went into the film knowing very little and it made the experience much richer to come to it cold. One of the first things to mention with the film is Will Smith, over the years I have constantly been impressed by his performances, making the usually awkward transition from comedy to serious drama look easy and for generally even outside the movies coming across as one of the most decent and likeable people you could hope to meet. Here he impresses once again, and it’s no mean feat given that he has to carry the entire film on his shoulders, Smith is in almost every shot of the film and for 90% of the running time has no co-star but his faithful dog. Yet he keeps Neville an engaging and real character, flawed and struggling with keeping up his day to day routine, so much that he becomes fascinating to watch. Some may find the early pace of the film slow but I thought it was a brilliant decision to spend the time building a picture of this man’s world and how he has come to cope with a seemingly hopeless situation. Another brave decision was also not to downplay the mental instability that comes with extreme isolation and there is a great pathos and sadness in the fake conversations Smith has with the various mannequins he has set up around the city to simulate human contact. However once the second half of the film kicks in it switches up a couple of gears and the action and scares come more frequently. Don’t get me wrong, this is a pretty scary film in places and director Francis Lawrence expertly cranks up the tension in several scenes, the quiet nature of the beginning help offset the shocks that come later and there is a feeling of dread always lurking in the background unseen. In fact one of the films only flaws is that it lets this menace be seen and though some of the CG work is good is still looks rather fake and is a bit of a let down in places, being far too cartoony and feels a tad disjointed from the reality established early on. Still at the end of the day this is a very solid and surprisingly deep and sombre character piece that still manages to entertain but that makes a potent effort at digging below the surface and putting us in the shoes of an engaging protagonist. A welcome change and definitely a film worth checking out on the big screen for the spectacle and the experience. Will Smith cements his status as one of the biggest stars on the planet with this accomplished and moving ode to loneliness and humanity. Big issues for a blockbuster but they are tackled well, and the pondering never gets in the way of the action when it kicks in. Just a few less CG monsters next time and you’re all set.

Christmas Greetings

Hello again! It’s been rather slow on the blog of late and will be slow over Christmas due to me not being around but never fear I am still planning on expanding it next year, but have been so busy with other things that its rather been on the back burner, but I have loads of ideas and will try and keep hitting my mental target of 10 posts a month (or more... y'never know!).

But it’s Christmas time, a time of year I love unabashedly, yes its horribly commercial and it will never be as good as when you were a kid, but because of the great memories I have of it and my close friends and family it is a time of year I always look forward to.

This year we are splitting the duties between households again, but as they live 10 minutes apart its not much of a problem (plus the potential of two Christmas dinners is nice!). Both houses will be full this year (19 between them!) so it will be a fun and crazy few days! We go down on Sunday for most of next week and after work on Friday I am off until the 31st, which is a welcome break I can assure you!

So wherever you and whatever your plans are I hope you have a fantastic time this year and enjoy yourself, eat far too much and get some cracking presents.

- Dave

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Rarely does a film come along that tries to challenge the accepted way of approaching narrative or character, generally the accepted ways are upheld, but in Tom Tykwer’s adaptation of the 1985 novel Perfume he tries something as yet much untested in cinema, telling a visual story through the ideas of smell. The story is a dark fairy tale set in 17th century France, concerning the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a man born with an extraordinary sense of smell. As he grows this talent consumes him, his callous nature forming from the hard life he is forced to grow up with, and his growing obsession over being able to capture and preserve the variety of smells he is able to distinguish and catalogue. Needless to say the film descends into darkness as Grenouille discovers his true talents but Tykwer keeps the dark humour flowing throughout; take note of the untimely end that befalls all those Grenouille leaves the company of. There is also a seeming lack of interest in the murders themselves, the focus is on Grenouille and unlike many serial killers he does not do it for the pleasure of the kill or the power, he is commanded by his gift, seeing his victims as stepping stones on his way to achieve greatness, a greatness that ultimately will betray him.

Visually the film is spectacular, 17th century Europe is perfectly recreated, and the filth and muck equally so, Tykwer masterfully fills the screen with the objects Grenouille senses, and in doing so prompts the audience’s imagination into it as well. It is a bizarre and slightly unnerving feeling, much of the film is spent focusing on Grenouille’s reaction and the sensuous nature of smells are fully realised here. The film is a tad long however and episodic, but despite the awfulness of Grenouille’s character you can’t help but empathise with him. He is a pathetic and lost man who is outcast from society, and it’s a testament to both the performance and the direction that despite his evil deeds, we route for him to continue, in order that we may see the ultimate rewards of his efforts.

The film features generally great performances from a lot of relative unknowns; Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman lend some experience, though the proliferation of British accents can be distracting, it hardly takes way from the story.

Ultimately what will divide audiences the most is the films ending; it embraces the fantastical nature of the premise and is evoked through an almost dreamlike and surreal series of events. Faithful to the book the events that unfold may be too much for those who have been grounded by some of the films more realistic elements, the knowledge that this is a dark almost Grimm-like fairytale is necessary if you are not to be thrown by the final 15 minutes. If you can get over this and embrace the film for what it is tough then you are left with an ultimately tragic and haunting tale about humanity and love, but one that is unlike any film you may have seen before and that is not afraid to take risks. Recommended to those seeking something a bit different, and those with strong stomachs and a penchant for thinking outside the conventions of typical narrative.

A visual treat and a success at translating olfactory pleasures to the big screen. While some may be thrown by the final third this is an unusual yet captivating film that tells a unique tale without bowing to conventional narrative.