Edinburgh

It was my first time at the Edinburgh Film Festival and so I was looking forward to going, I did have some problems the day before my first day and thought to myself, 'Is it worth it?'. The answer to that was yes.

I got there and it was a beautiful sunny day- so it didn't matter too much if I got lost. I have never been to Edinburgh apart from outside the castle, so it was interesting to see the other parts.

I arrived outside the filmhouse and it was such an amazing atmosphere, I'm not sure what exactly caused it but it was great. I think it was this that made it for me.

I enjoyed every film that I watched- and I'm not just saying that! I was lucky with the ones that I picked.

It was good for me to go, though I don't think I got the full experience out of it. I wasn't staying in Edinburgh so I had to worry about buses and things and so could never stay really long. also I did get a bit confused with how everything worked.
I think to get it's full potential and make contacts etc, you need to know how it all works, and the best way to do that is to keep going and experiencing the festival.

So, considering it was my first time, I think I did not too badly. I tries every day to make sure I got the most that I could, unfortunately, these were only two films a day as a lot of things overlapped.

So, onto the films I saw.

- 'the Maiden Heist'
- 'Le Donk and Scor-say- zee'
- 'The Missing Person'
- 'Breathless'
- 'The Crimson wing'
- 'the Athlete'


'the Maiden Heist'

This film was a lot of fun. The plot was slightly unrealistic, ( three security guards at a museum attempt to steal a piece of art each that has captured their hearts, when the museum administrator sells off the exhibit), but it was still believable.
this believability comes from the obsession that these three men have, as everyone has their own guilty pleasures, these art pieces were theirs.

It was a comedy that was subtly done. It told a story through comedy, rather than trying to make people laugh and building a story around that.

The leads, (Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walkin and William H. Macy) had such great chemistry on screen that you did associate and believe in these three characters. Each actor had their own unique sense of comic timing.

It was well shot, with a smoothness that made the film look effortless.

Overall, it is a film that may be slightly silly, but this makes it fun and very entertaining to watch, and if you don't like the story you will still enjoy watching these three guys on screen.


'Breathless'

This was a Korean gangster film, which dealt with a lot of issues of abuse.

The lead role and director is occupied by Yang Ik- june, who portrays gangster Soon- Hong who's addiction to violence causes his own self-loathing and disdain for people around him. All this changes when he meets his match in school girl Han Yeon- Heui and an unlikely friendship forms. With her help he begins to forgive the people around him and decides to leave the business, only to get into more trouble with Han's brother who takes revenge on Soon-Hong's mistreatment of him.

It is a very powerful piece of cinema that shows gangsters in an unflattering, realistic and bloody light.
It tells the story of how different people are affected by domestic violence and what kind of person they become.
An interesting twist also shows, subtly, why a person may begin the abuse.

It uses handheld shots to convey the beatings and doesn't shy away from the gruesome details, whilst isn't always compelled to keep the camera moving, and is happy to linger on a moment for as long as they like.
These moments make the film so powerful, like a moment suspended in time for everyone to have a good look at.

Yang dominates the film with ease and keeps the audience infatuated with the story that he is telling.

It is a sad and powerful film that shows you ruthless characters which we can also sympathise with and understand.

The last scene is strong in it's message, with the very last, exquisite shot summing up the film perfectly.


'The Crimson Wing'

A Disney Nature film with a great story to tell.

You may think that a documentary about flamingos wouldn't be that interesting, however, the story that these animals go through is very unique and surprising. Also, it doesn't fall into the Disney 'sentimental' cliche, it shows the real story which includes chicks being eaten by storks.

It is very informative as it follows the flamingos life cycle for a year.

It starts with the stunning location of Lake Natron in Northern Tanzania, a lake that is a hard crust of salt for most of the year.
The three months in which it rains is when the flamingos arrive. here they mate and lay their eggs. Once the chicks are old enough to walk 'guardian' flamingos then walk thousands of chicks across the massive lake into a marsh, here is where they grow up, ever moving between lakes, until it is time for them to return to Lake Natron.

With an amazing setting such as this, you can't help but achieve wonderful shots of beautiful landscapes and the millions of pink birds that flock. the cinematography is truly wonderful to watch, making it visually stunning.

The film tells you so much information about these mysterious birds, and is so entertaining that you forget your watching a documentary. It isn't one that spouts facts at you, it takes it's time and shows you the details closely, giving you time to relish the moments.

I'm not a big documentary fan, (mostly cause I get upset when you see animals die), but I can't say enough about this. I was very intrigued by the idea of it that I was going to see it anyway, (even if Andy hadn't told us to see one), but I never expected it to look so fantastic and for there to be so much that we don't know about these birds.

You would expect that a pink bird would interest people and so we would know more about them, but this shows that we don't know anything except for the fact that they are pink.

The lake itself is another story, but here it ties well into the story of the birds. Even though this lake is uninhabitable by anything else, the flamingos go back every year. Here the sun dries out the water so quickly that it leaves massive islands of salt that can then harden into heavy cuffs around the chicks ankles, making it harder for them to leave the lake alive, yet they go back.

It was very informative, which I expected, but words cannot explain how great this film looks, with stunning landscapes and magnificent use of colour, it really is a feast for the eyes.
I would recommend people saw it, cause the story of the flamingos is really one that should be told.


xxx

'Casper' and Political Correctness.

I turned over to get most of the 1995 film 'Casper', starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman, along with Eric Idle as the bad guy.
I haven't thought about this film in years, but when I saw it on I had to watch it, it was a fond memory from childhood, I watched it all the time.
As we get older it is easy to forget films like these, the ones we love as a kid, and I have to honestly say I still really enjoyed it!

What struck me most about it is it is proof of how much 'Family Films' have changed.
Nowadays family films are quite limited to Disney-like films, there can't be the remotest reference to sex, drugs, violence and even religion, (proof of the 'cotton-wool' wrapped audiences).
In 'Casper', there was swearing, which is very unlike today. They only used the word 'bitch' a couple of times but that's more times than any recently.
It was probably given a 'PG' rating.

As I watched it I could see the style and storylines of family films have changed.

Our society is a contradiction. Family films have turned into boring, predictable stories and are very careful about not offending anyone, so they don't take any risks- even if it was the odd swear word. But scary films ratings have went down- showing that what used to scare a fifteen year old, no longer does.

We go from one extreme to the other. The kids nowadays must be very confused. They are exposed to nothing that would be considered unsuitable when they are young, but the minute they are fifteen they see everything and more all at the one time.

I was always allowed to ask questions and see... some things when I was younger and so I built up a more gradual understanding and tolerance for scary or 'inappropriate' things.

I hate all of this political correctness- It IS A BLACKBOARD AND A WHITEBOARD!!! AND YOU DO GET BLACK SHEEP!!!!

- And it has crossed over into the film industry. People complain that we don't get many new, exciting and interesting films, that's because we're to worried we'd offend people, well I say screw that- if they're offended by a film then don't watch it, cause other people may enjoy it.

People are way too sensitive and take life soooo seriously that they miss out on all of the fun and interesting opportunities.

Where's the fun if you take no risks?

xxx

'Titus'

I am working on Shakespeare's 'Titus Andronicus' play at my drama club.
Reading it we had problems understanding what was happening, so, we were shown the film 'Titus', which is an adaption of the play for the screen and has been done in the same way as 'Romeo and Juliet', (modern-ish twist, original dialogue).
I missed most of the second part unfortunately, I have still to watch it, but from what I did see- it's no wonder it's an 18.

For those unfamiliar with the text- it is the most brutal play that Shakespeare ever wrote, it contains a number of brutal deaths, rape and mutilation of the body.

The worst scene that I saw was when the Lavinia- the young lover in the story, has her true love killed brutally in front of her, then she is raped by the two men, (you don't see any of it, all, except the murder, is shown through association later), they then proceeded to cut off both of her hands and cut out her tongue and leave her to be found by her uncle.

It really is a brutal part of the story, and although you don't see any of it happening, the effect is the same as if you had.

From what I know of the story, it only gets more goryer. So this film is not for the feint hearted.

However, I would still recommend people see it cause I'm sure it would be a very interesting talking point.

I'll post another probably when I have watched it all- prob when we come back from the holidays, cause I also did a visualisation exercise that involved it, and I have a lot to say about it.

till then

xxx

'Push'

Recently I went to see 'Push' in the cinema. I know a few people who cringed when I told them I wanted to see it, (Ally and Kerr) (cough, cough), because they thought it was just another big Hollywood Superhero type film.

This is true, however I fail to see how this is a bad thing.

I really enjoyed the film, as it did have a reasonably good plot, and the characters were quite believable, whereas in 'Jumper' the storyline was very thin and focused mostly on the action, although, admittedly, the action was really good- fantastic end chase scene.

I don't know if I liked this film so much just because I am a huge fan of fantasy/ Sci-Fi films, but either way there is definitely an audience for this film.

There was a couple of crappy stupid powers which did annoy me, but to be honest, if people did have powers, there would, undoubtedly, be that one person who has that crap power. But overall the idea and the powers themselves were really well developed.

Considering the subject matter, the film doesn't rely on loads of special effects and your not bombarded with object floating all over the place every few seconds, I think this is why it works, cause it makes the world they live in more believable.

Also, unlike 'Jumper' there wasn't any blatantly terrible camera shots, nothing that caught my attention anyway.

This film is a bit like the television series 'Heroes', (the overall idea is similar, sort of, the powers in this aren't as vast and different as in heroes, many people in the film have the same power, especially within families). Again, why should this be bad? The television show is so popular so it was only a matter of time before Hollywood caught on. But before anyone complains, it's not a duplicate of the show, to put it into Richard's words- the premise is very similar and so is the theme, but the actual storyline is not.

Finally, I know, also, that some people don't want to see it because of Chris Evans, but since when should films be judged purely on the starring roles- if you've seen it and still don't like it then fair enough, but it is wrong to not give a film a chance just because you happen to not like someone that worked on the film, cause they just might surprise you.

xxx

'Supernatural'

I have been watching the most recent series of 'Supernatural', and found out that a lot of people haven't ever seen it.

It is a bit hard to explain what it's about, in the fact that there are so many interesting points within all four series that I would find it hard to narrow it all down.

I have to say that I love this show!!

It's one of my favorites- I quite like supernatural, mythical stuff and this show deals with things like ghosts and demons as well as throwing in the odd ancient monster from old cultures that no one has heard of.

It combines these with interesting story arcs, so, you will have the main characters dealing with some sort of weird case, whilst still discussing the main story, and sometimes finding out that these cases are linked to their story.

The writers are great cause you wouldn't expect to get four seasons out of a show like this without it deteriorating, yet, they still manage to come up with original, great ideas that keep the programme alive and exciting.

They focus more on the characters lives and how hunting the supernatural effects them as people, and it is this that makes the show so popular, cause the audience becomes interested and fall in love with these characters so we ultimetly want to follow their stories.

It aslo uses great effects to create the monsters, (they get more and more FX based as the series goes on, obviously due to getting bigger budgets), but the show doesn't feel the need to dazzle the audience with gruesome beasts created by amazing FX. Quite often they use a combination of interesting shots, lighting, and story to help the beasts etc feel more real- we don't always necessarily need to see them, one episode you don't see the beast till near the end, which is what makes it scary.

As well as dealing with such dark subjects, their is a lot of humour- mainly sarcasm, to help lift the show as well as create the characteristics of each character, the snide comments that Dean, (Jensen Ackles, 'Smallville'), comes out with are great, I love hearing his dialogue and I think that Ackles delivers his lines so well.

Each series has a different story arc but the writers do occasionally link back, however the recent series has it's biggest story yet, but also links magnificently back to the very first series.

I can't say enough, I love this show and advice people to give it a try, it may not seem like your kind of programme, but you may find yourself addicted.

It really is one of my favorite shows!!

xxx

The 'Romeo and Juliet'

As promised, here is my post on 'Romeo and Juliet' and what it made me think about.

It was the Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes 'Romeo and Juliet' that I watched over the holidays- although I never seem to get to watch it all the way through. It was on and I decided that I would watch about half an hour of it until something else came on, however, I couldn't switch channels.

A lot of people hate this film cause of Dicaprio, but it is really well done and interesting, as it is taking Shakespeare's original text and dialogue but setting it in the present time of the films production.

I really do like this film, but what interested me is the fact that it made me think about love in modern times.

I realised that people idealise love and crave the 'Romeo and Juliet' kind of love. The same goes for fairy tales, the whole 'And they lived Happily Ever After'.
These versions of love is what people look for, and I am sure most people do really hope for it, however the chances of achieving it are slim.

So what exactly is love?

I enjoy the fairytale forms but realise that that view is kind of unrealistic, yet somewhere I still believe it possible.

I am sure if you asked people if they have a fairytale love with someone they will say yes, but if you asked if they had a 'Romeo and Juliet' type of love, they would hesitate.

I think this is because these two characters have been idealised throughout time and it would feel blasphemous to say you have a love such as theirs, as well as the fact that it sounds cheesy and unrealistic.

I thought a lot about it and realise that it really is something that you can't determine- but is that what love is? Or is it possible to have 'true love' such as that in 'The Princess Bride'?

Humans strive for true love but doubt whether it exists because we are told that it doesn't.

It really is a strange subject that you can only scratch the surface of.

Is the fact that you can't define it what makes people crave it?
Do you have it in different forms with different people?
Or can you really have the 'Romeo and Juliet'?

xxx

'15 Most Shocking Acts of Violence'

I watched a programme over Christmas, a nice cheery thing that makes you wonder about people's mental condition, morals and....Americans.

Obviously not all Americans, cause we do have some very nice ones here in Scotland, but the people in this show did actually blow my mind.

The show was a count down of the most shocking massacres in the past...what?....twenty odd years...something like that, I'm no good at history. All, but one took place in America. The other was the Massacre of Dunblane.

I didn't catch it from the beginning, but got most of it.
I felt very morbid watching it, but it was really interesting and quite weird watching CCTV footage of some of the incidents.

What really made me think was the fact that a lot of the people who killed in these massacres had no logical reason to do so, there was no notes or explanations, or even hints in their behaviour.
Apart from this it also showed how incredibly easy it was for them to get guns in the first place, a lot of them were owned by parents and weren't locked up.

What shocked me the most, (pun intended), was one of the survivors of the McDonald's massacre, who, at the time, illegally had a concealed weapon in the car and lost both of her parents to the shooter, then went on and made it legal for people to carry concealed weapons thinking that the number of massacres would go down, when, realistically, it just makes it easier for people to get guns and use them In a massacre. I just think that she really is thick, it's a bit of a strong judgement, which is against my character but really? She really frustrated me.

It's a lot like how people think you shouldn't be allowed to have a toothpick on a plane. This is a stupid rule, cause, unless your MaGyver, what could you possibly do to seriously endanger the plane with a toothpick!?

Anyway,... it really made me think and it is quite terrifying what some people do. It was a factual piece of film making but done in a VISUAL and interesting way that kept your attention, it was not a traditional piece, as you would guess from the 'count-down'- so technically I done some work for our Contextual Studies class over the holidays. Yeah me!!

hehe

xxx

Christmas Catch- up

Hello Again.

Now for the catch-up of my filming holidays! Below are the list of films that will be discussed in this post so that you may skip to the bits you like- Always thinking of other people, I am.
I am not going to summarise any storylines-ever, cause if you want to know that then you should just watch the film- it's much more interesting.

DVDs I got for Christmas were; 'Ironman', 'The Golden Compass', 'Disney's Peter Pan', 'Mulan', 'Mulan 2', 'The Neverending Story', 'Next' and the first series of 'Heroes'.

I also watched; 'Romeo and Juliet', '15 most shocking acts of violence', 'The Chronicles of Narnia; Prince Caspian', 'Oklahoma' and 'Calamity Jane'.

First; Ironman I have mentioned in a previous post, so, briefly- I enjoy watching the film because it really is just amazing for the senses, it's visually stunning, plus I will admit I am a bit of a superhero geek and love most hero films, so I was bound to like this one, mostly just cause Ironman is quite cool in his own right!

'The Golden Compass' I do still enjoy even though I had previously read the books, which are out of this world. I remember reading the books and at parts wanting them to make them into films cause I wanted to see them for myself, but I also realise that nothing would be able to compare to the books so I hoped they wouldn't. I do still enjoy this film cause I think it captures the characters and Lyra's world really well, also the amount of detail they put in really helps. I was worried however when they said they were taking religion out of it cause you can't capture the story without it, they got away with it in this one, but they couldn't have done so for the next two books. I enjoyed watching the special feature more, which either shows that the film is bad, (which I don't think it is-it could have been a lot worse), or how....enthusiastic I am about the filming process :)

'Peter Pan', I still enjoy it although the live action one I love more- I don't think I should say more about Peter Pan, I have a whole post on it already!

'Mulan' is one of my favorite Disney films, I think partly cause the music and the humour that runs through the film, plus it is about woman empowerment- so maybe on a subconscious level I connected with that. 'Mulan 2' I didn't ask for, it came as a pack, and is OK, but doesn't work as well as the original- Disney trying to make money, (roll of the eyes).

'The Neverending Story' truly is magnificent, I think, I cannot praise it enough, it really is a film that you must see no matter what, at least once. It's effects were really good for it's time and the characterisation is so good it could make you cry! This is one of those rare times where I will shut up and just say 'SEE IT!!!'

'Next' is really well done as it has some unexpected twists and amazing action sequences, as well as a love story giving it some sort of emotional storyline, rather than just action. I watch it and see some sequences and always just say to myself, 'That is so cool!!'

'Heroes' I have mentioned before also. I really enjoy the show but watching the first series again made me remember how good that series actually was, I liked the 2nd and 3rd series but the 1st is definitely the best so far, it is a show you should watch as it shows how our race could possibly turn out in the future cause it makes logical sense.

'Romeo and Juliet made me think, however as this post is getting increasingly longer I shall discuss my revelations at a later date.

'15...violence', I think deserves more time also, so, later.

'Prince Caspian' was not what I expected, I have never read the books and so don't know much about the series. I did enjoy the film, it was better this time round in the sense that the acting is much better from the leads, they were good previously but they have learned and improved. I like the story of the installment- it has the 'what if' question, (what if they went back to a Narnia that was no longer like the one they remember?), and this, I think, really drives the story because it gets the characters emotionally connected again. I think I may have enjoyed this one more than the first as, even though I love the story in 'the lion....wardrobe', this film definitely appears to have more substance than the first.

'Oklahoma' and 'Calamity Jane' are a couple of my favorite musicals. I forgot how much I loved musicals, they really left me feeling happy and uplifted, as well as singing a mix of the songs. I couldn't help but think that it must have been fun to work on a musical- maybe not as a dancer on a Gene Kelly film, but it looked like the actors were enjoying themselves. I also noticed that the shots were very clever and well done also, as it is hard to adapt the stage to screen, at times it did look like a stage performance but with a mix of the screen, e.g. the dream sequence in 'Oklahoma' could be performed on stage exactly as it is in the film, only all done in the one place, in the film it is staged this way but manages to have linking shots to change the location, it sounds kind of complicated but if you watch it you will see what I mean.

'Calamity Jane' also made me think about love/hate relationships and the whole 'opposites attract' thing and I noticed this used to be done so much more, nowadays its always about a 'secret love' but the person is too afraid to act on it, in this they don't realise they love each other, and it makes it really interesting and more dynamic, I also thought about how such a situation relates to real life. Do such things happen? and work? It is a strange subject that may pop up in the future, now, however, I will leave you with that thought.

xxx