Star Trek 2: Damon Lindelof responds to controversy

I am seeing the new Star Trek film tonight so I get to see the scene for myself. For those of you who haven't caught it there has been controversy over the allegedly sexist representation of Alice Eve's character been stared at as she gets changed into bomb disposal gear.

More here

To be fair to Lindelof he hasn't brush off the criticism and has made the effort to address concerns via twitter however like I said I haven't seen the scene so I can't comment yet but at any rate it is good to see misogyny in movies being discussed.

Cinema Sins on Les Miserables

Hilarious, enjoy!

Wish You Were Here?

Cross posted from Yellow Bunting

Sometimes, living in England makes me feel like a minor character in Game of Thrones, minus the horrific violence, gratuitous sex and dangerous inter-family politics. Less “Winter is Coming” and more “Winter’s the default season” it nonetheless feels like the cold will last forever with no hope of even the slightest ray of sunshine.

With that in mind and acknowledging that not everyone can afford to leave the country, I have provided a cinematic alternative:

The Adventure Holiday

For those who enjoy getting their heart rate up, settle down with the Indian Jones Trilogy as it takes you to far flung, exotic places and provides totally accurate, 100% researched and certified History™ for those who like that kind of thing and lots of Nazi-fighting, pesky cult-bashing and artefacts that will make your face melt with excitement. You might even be tempted set out to find the mystical fourth movie but rest assured, such a nightmare relic cannot possible exist…

See also: Most cheap films late on the SyFy channel that try to emulate Indiana Jones but don’t, The Mummy trilogy

A Rant of Sorts

I love film. That much should be evident. I love writing about film, reading about film, talking about film and obsessing over film but most of all I love watching film for without doing that I couldn't do any of those other things.

So what happens when I can't watch a film.

One of the films I have been dying to see this year is Cloud Atlas, released in the US in October 2012 and opening in the UK this Friday. On it's opening weekend it should be widely available right? Right!?

Picture from here

No. Firstly the shitty excuse for a cinema down the road isn't showing it at all. neither is the nearest large cinema, VUE, in Oxford. The VUE in Reading is only showing it at 3.00pm and 5.00pm during the week a tricky ask for people who are working all day.

Photo from here

This reflects how the film was marketed in the US too, little advertising and overall not pushed as much as the bigger budget Oscar contenders and it isn't unique to Cloud Atlas. Hollywood thrives on money and internal politics, often to the detriment of gorgeous pieces of work and this filters down to the audiences.

So don't expect a review of Cloud Atlas soon, it might take a while to find it.

For Your Consideration

Cross posted from Yellow Bunting

Awards season is upon us and as every film geek knows it is a grand celebration of all the achievements made in Western (okay mostly American) film over the past twelve months. Saying that, it’s also a chance for every aforementioned film geek plus critics and casual observers to gripe and whine about the various “snubs” and omissions and for the nausea inducing, sycophantic interviews that forms half all of the multi channel coverage, the other half being those horrific “let’s rip into these otherwise successful and beautiful women by making offensive comments about their appearance” shows.

I have a love/hate relationship with awards shows. On the one hand gets everyone talking about films and I have to own up to enjoying my fair share of glitz and glamour. On the other hand it gets people whinging about films and the complaints over who has been omitted can overshadow the glory of those who win.

The best example of this is how the word “snub” becomes the buzzword on everybody’s lips as soon as the first batch of nominations are out.

There is always outrage that XYZ didn’t make it in or if Film A was nominated why wasn’t the guy who directed it? This year for example, Skyfall didn’t receive any Oscar nominations for its lead actor or director and wasn’t nominated for best picture.  Even at our own BAFTAs Skyfall is trailing behind Lincoln (which hasn’t even been released in the UK yet, much to the consternation of many British film goers) which got 10 nominations. Director Steven Spielberg has been “snubbed” by both BAFTA and the Academy who have both left him out of the lists for Best Director. Add into the mix the same arguments about animation and foreign film that come back year after year and you start to wonder why anyone bothers. Of course money plays a huge part as does ego and the fact that many awards and nominations are politically motivated but there is also the fact that these are good films.

It isn’t helpful to dwell on the negatives and flinging the word “snub” around just diminishes the achievements made by those who did make it in to the nominations. So I for one resolve this year to approach awards season with an open mind and view it as a way to be introduced to new films and discovered new, thoroughly deserving, talent.

Full list of Academy Award nominees here

Full list of BAFTA nominees here

Review: Les Miserables

A film that may just be longer than the French Revolution itself, Tom Hooper's adaptation of the hit musical is tipped for every award going. Spoilers ahead (but come on the book is over a century old people...)

Poster from here

7 Films to watch out for in 2013

Over at Yellow Bunting I posted a list of my top seven films for 2013 enjoy!

Review: Hugo

I love films about films, heck I'm a huge fan of films being self referential in general but this gem of a movie was especially good.

Picture from here

Review: The Hobbit (Spoilers)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy were the defining films of my childhood. It was the first time that I was aware that movies were actually made rather than just being there. It also later introduced me (via the extensive DVD extras) to the nuances of film making and probably sent me down the path I'm on today.

So you can imagine my reaction to the news that they were going to film The Hobbit. On Sunday I finally got my chance to go and see it! Warning: There be spoilers ahead.

Poster from here

Why indie film is so damn good

I heard about The Underwater Realm on Twitter and FSR and was gobsmacked by the luscious trailer (found here with lots of behind the scenes goodies!). It looks like an ambitious Hollywood blockbuster (not unlike the upcoming Cloud Atlas) but in reality it was shot with a budget that wouldn't cover the tea and coffee on your average mainstream movie.

And you can't tell. Visually it is gorgeous and best of all it will be free to view on You Tube on Christmas Day! I can't wait.

What I watched while I was away

Due to inconsistant posting and lack of internet for a while this is the first Monthly Round Up in a long, long time so instead I'm going to summarise all the stuff you missed me ranting and raving about while offline :)

Tyrannosaur (Paddy Considine, 2011)

Image from here

A powerful film, fully deserving of every accolade it got but one I will never watch again if I can help it. Deeply disturbing, the shocking imagery and moving lead performances will stay with you long after you've finished watching.

The Killer Inside Me (Michael Winterbottom, 2010)

Image from here

Another film with shocking and gruesome imagery, Casey Affleck plays the main character and manages to be both enigmatic and utterly repulsive. Its a slow burner with an inevitable conclusion but what makes the film so gripping is the fab way that Winterbottom plays with tension.

Dune (David Lynch, 1984)

Image from here

I literally have no idea what is happening in this movie...

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (David Lynch, 1992)

Image from here

Ditto

Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012)

Image from here

Might just be one of the best cinema releases of this year. A new, stylish look at time travel in a gritty setting. Loved everything about it once Joseph Gordon-Levitt's make up stopped being a distraction...

What I'm waiting for...

THE HOBBIT. DUH! ISN'T EVERYONE?

Things to read and look at

• Now that the original script for Prometheus has been leaked, Film School rejects compiles a list of the worst parts of the film that actually make sense in original script here.

Picture from here

• Amethyst Marie of Thalia's Musings on my web series of the moment The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, specifically issues of representation in the series.

• Daisy has penned an article rating the Bond themes over at Yellow Bunting!

Enjoy

Review: Brave and The Bourne Legacy

HAPPY 50TH POST!!!

To celebrate (and for reasons to elaborate on later) there are two reviews!

(Slightly Late) July Round Up

It is a little hard this month as I've fallen behind on watching and reviewing but here it goes:

Best: Of course its The Dark Knight Rises!

Worst: Frailty, the ending just didn't do anything for me

Looking forward to in August: I'm interested in seeing how the reboot of the Bourne franchise is going to go. Plus it comes out on my birthday...

Marvel Unveils Next Round Of Movies!

I adore a good superhero flick and Marvel seem to be at the top of their game in terms of this. The Avengers was an unprecedented crossover of epic proportions and Marvel are getting ready for phase two which will lead up to The Avengers 2.  Over at Total Film, the titles of the next few instalments have been released along with some posters and concept art!

Top Five Raiders of the Lost Ark Musings

It seems pointless to do my usual under 500 word review on such a film, however I re-watched it today and felt it couldn't go without mention.

It is one of those films constantly referred to as "iconic" so I want to steer away from "Best Lines" or "Best Moments" and instead focus on the nostalgic musings and various thoughts a second viewing conjures.

Review: Hamlet 2 / Bridesmaids

Comedy films are a good bet in the current financial climate as they appeal to wide audiences, are comparatively cheap to make and everyone needs a laugh right? Over the past few days I've seen two comedies from the past few years.

Trailer Blaze

Some people spend their bank holidays at the beach, visiting culturally significant areas, having picnics or visiting relatives. My family went and saw two films in a row at the cinema which may go some way to explaining how I am the way I am. The two films were Prometheus (see yesterday's top ten) and Snow White and the Huntsman (I want to do some special blog posts on fairytale films soon).

It's a running joke in my family that my favourite part of the cinema is the trailers which is secretly partly true.

100% Spoiler Free Prometheus Top Ten

Go and see this movie people.