In Search of Film: Silent film screening with Stephen Horne

In Search of Film: Silent film screening with Stephen Horne: Hi all, Firstly apologies for my server lack of blogs, I have relocated, changed jobs and started my MA so life just got extremely he...

Silent film screening with Stephen Horne

Hi all,

Firstly apologies for my server lack of blogs, I have relocated, changed jobs and started my MA so life just got extremely hectic! However, I am hoping that this will be one of many more blogs to come!

So for all three of my dedicated blog readers I am going to share a little bit of exciting news!

On Saturday 13th April 2013, Stephen Horne (Silent Film Pianist) will be joining us at The Gulbenkian Cinema, Canterbury for a Silent Film Screening!! I am fortunate enough to work for an amazing company Kent Creative Arts CIC, who encouraged me to arrange event. the event will also be raising funds for a project my company is running called, 365: A Year in the Life of Whitstable, which will be capturing 365 days of the town in photos through the course of 2013.

The program for the screening is still being finalised, but expect to see a collection of shorts from Chaplin, Keaton and Melies :)

Extremely exciting times!!!

Tickets will be going on sale in the coming months from both The Gulbenkian Cinema and directly from Kent Creative Arts CIC - so watch this space!

For more information about 365: A Year in the Life of Whitstable - email me

Back to the Future; Rochester Castle & Luna Cinema

The true curse of British weather is that it hinders our enjoyment of the beautiful outdoors, and whatever you think about Britain you cannot deny its enchanting landscapes and awe-inspiring buildings. There are so many activities to be enjoyed outdoors, and yet when they are planned they seem to be cancelled due to bad weather. Even as a child I remember events that had been planned for months starting and ending with the opening of the curtains. Now, bad weather does not necessarily have to be the end to your day but like the rain it puts a dampener on it. I may be being over sensitive but picnics in the rain, roller-coasters in the rain, swimming in the rain, hiking in the rain all suck! So when I watch films, especially American films, were every outing is seemingly undertaken in the sunshine I become somewhat envious.
Whatever the occasion, the sun is out! 

Horror: Students take a road trip to a cabin in the woods and excluding the murder scenes when it is usually night, the sun is out!

Comedy: A family take a road trip to a beauty pageant and the sun shines their path all the way.Even when there is bad weather, it is only used as a part of the storyline to delay or affect their journey in some way.

Thriller: A student goes mad a starts shooting people at a University and then later at a drive in movie – only to be captured by Boris Karloff? Again except when it is evening, it’s sunny!

Now I appreciate that this is a generalisation, and there are several films which probably do not subscribe to my descriptions but the mass do! So when I find myself watching these films I can’t help thinking to myself, ‘This isn’t fair, we never get the weather for drive-in theatres to be a permanent structure’ and ‘If we went to the cabin in the woods we would probably spend 2 out of 7 days outside and the rest of the time staring out of the window waiting for the rain to stop!’ – It is not moaning, it is jealousy and I am ok in admitting that!

Thankfully, however, there are several groups of people in the UK who, unlike me and my pessimistic attitude, believe that we can still have drive-in movies and outdoor theatres despite of the unpredictable British weather. Thank Hitchcock!

One such group, The Luna Cinema, have taken up the challenge of introducing cinema, heritage and the outdoors to us folk in the South East, so last weekend I went to Rochester Castle to watch Back to the Future! The Castle gardens were awash with people wrapped up in blankets perched on deckchairs, enjoying their picnics and wine. It was an incredible experience, and one that I would recommend to all. There were; friends, families, couples and even the odd lone-wolf, all huddled together outside to enjoy this classic film.

Even with the wind blowing, the ripples of the screen went unnoticed as everyone quoted the iconic lines of the film. Now, this is an activity that would infuriate me in an indoor cinema but here, outdoors, in the presence of Rochester Castle it was ok. 

Not that this should encourage those people who can’t go 10 seconds without talking during a film to go to outdoor screenings instead. NO... you people should watch films indoors, alone, where you can check your Facebook every 10 seconds. HEY?!?! Why not update your Facebook status and tell all the people, who hate going to the cinema with you because you talk all the way through or cheer at happy endings, what a great time you’re having watching that film alone? 

*Rant complete*

This was truly a unique experience and one that I would undoubtedly partake in again. However, if it rains next time I may change my mind.

Next stop, ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ in Rochester Cathedral!

                            

Jeff Who Lives at Home

One of my favourite things about independent cinema is its ability to perch itself in the background, it does not throw anything in your face and to an extent is doesn’t demand anything from you; what it or don’t watch it, like it or don’t like it, ultimately it puts the decisions is the palm of its viewer.

From time to time I like to put a film on that I know nothing about: cast, storyline, awards won, director, nothing. So many times I hear the phrase “I went in expecting the film to be...”, I myself am guilty of it and one of the beautiful things about cinema is its ability to challenge your expectations and preconceptions. Some of my favourite films have been participants of my Blind Projects; Oldboy, The 400 Blows and The Other Guys. I love that feeling of the unknown, but knowing your safe in a dark room rather than exploring an underwater cave 1000 metres below sea level where, if cinema has taught me anything, you are traditionally NOT SAFE!

Today my blind screening of choice was Jeff Who Lives at Home.

Jeff is 30, he resides the in the basement of his mother’s home, he seeks for meaning in everything and is just 1 member of a 3 tiered dysfunctional family. Jeff’s mother, Sharon, is a widower, insecure and frustrated and is the recipient of a secret admirer. Jeff’s brother, Pat, is the stereotypical male; he doesn’t listen, he hagrides his wife and he just used their savings to buy a Porsche. This is a story of 3 very disconnected and different individuals who unite on the path to happiness.

Jeff is a character who you love to hate; he is lazy, unambitious, unmotivated and is submerged in a reality disconnected from society in which everything is something. However, his idealism is endearing. He seeks comfort in wisdom and excitement in discovering the source of the universe, because for Jeff everything is the progeny of a singularity. Jeff’s exploration for the bigger picture is on a academically adolescent level, and it all starts with Kevin. However, on route to discovering Kevin Jeff, unintentionally, he is the catalyst to solving the greater issues that afflict his family.

For me, one of the greatest relationships in this film is the love affair Sharon develops with an online secret admirer. For those of you who intend of watching this film I will not divulge the identity of the anonymous romantic but their identity is irreverent anyway, well somewhat. I loved watching Sharon grow from a frustrated middle aged mother into a sexual being, free of the worry of her descendents but now anxious her aging appearance. In a weird way it reminded me of Clueless’ Miss Geist, but a little less... clueless.

I rarely found myself “laughing out loud” during this film; however, the spontaneous acts of Jeff and Pat would ensure a smile remained upon my face. When the vertically well endowed Jeff hides behind the vending machine and his curly hair protrudes over the top or even when Jeff attempts to “bust down” a hotel door, I found myself smirking at the absurdity of it. However, Jeff's most significant act comes at the end of the film and is the action that unifies his family both emotionally and physically, as he dives into the river to rescue a floundering car. When he and Pat head back towards shore where Sharon awaits them, I felt myself well up but not cry and I think this is what is so poignant about this film, it never pushes you over the edge but places you at the cliff point.

If you want to be laughing your arse off (or LMAO as someone told me recently), or even sobbing your heart out (SMHO, I just made that up!) this is not the film for you. Jeff Who Lives at Home is an emotionally subtle film; I never laughed out loud (LOL) or cried but teetered on the edge of both. I did love this film and have subsequently found myself writing probably one of my more serious blogs to date.

So to rectify this:

SUSAN SARANDON KISSES ANOTHER WOMAN!!!!!!! Phew, now I feel better!

It has been 15 years, and I can still smell the fresh popcorn!

So as the April 14^th 2012 rapidly approaches, we mark the eve of the centurial of Titanic’s ill-fated voyage with the re-release of Titanic, in 3D. 15 years since the film’s original release, it is back and with a publicity campaign that makes the Olympics look like a children’s birthday party!

There is little point in reviewing this film on its original merits, and to do so would be tiresome. Most of us have seen the original 2D film, whether it was on the big screen or at home on your laptop, so to discuss at length, the films incredible visual effects and acting merits would be outdated and pointless.

Before I leap into the controversy around 3D-ing this film, and indeed the benefit of 3D to the narrative, there is one particular foundational element of the film which still managed to blow me away – the score! With the exception of the feature track, Celine Dion’s “My heart will go on”, which after 15 years still shows little sign of “evaporating into the midst”. Damn those unimaginative couples who lack creativity when choosing their “first dance” song at their weddings! And damn those unimaginative widows who lack creativity when burying a loved one! However, dispersing that single negative attribute, the remainder of the soundtrack still mesmerised me - after all this time. I never studied musical scores in cinema or music itself, but I am sure there is an appropriate word for that type of film score. One which manages to pull the most disinterested viewer into the centre of the action. Scores the likes of Star Wars, Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones and, dare I say it, even Pirates of the Caribbean! I will just call it epic film scoring or EFS for short?

However, regardless of the films EFS, it has seemingly become the victim of time and looks a little out dated. Now don’t mistake what I am saying here, for the era this film was leaps and bounds ahead of what a lot of other films were doing but in comparison to today’s 3D epics the effects where clearly not as good. Films no longer require the imagination and creativity they did in the 1970’s when there was little in the way of computer graphics. Now we have, at our disposal, visual effects software that would allow a 12 year old boy to fool the world and create the “first ever footage of the loch ness monster”, while sat at his desk eating a fish finger sandwich. 3D is, although a little gimmicky, the next step in cinema aesthetics, and so to use it on a film with dated visuals seems odd. There was one particular occurrence, in which a stray wire was 3D-ed and left protruding from the screen, which although frustrating, made me think “wow” this is just as annoying as scouring through my broom cupboard at home - as I waved my hands in front of my face, trying to remove it from my peripheral.  However, there were aspects of the film which benefited from the 3D graphics, such as Titanic’s flounder, the evil iceberg and, as Liz Davis eagerly pointed out, “Kate Winslet’s breasts in 3D – winner!” Though, these are all aspects of this film that benefit from viewing in a cinema, 3D or 2D.

I went to see this film for the pure nostalgia. To remember how I felt when I was 10, sat in the Cineworld in Shrewsbury with my mum and sister, in total awe of the film’s grandeur and its visually moving portrayal of the tragic events that unfolded that night in 1912. A film that ultimately started my obscure love affair with the Titanic and its occupants. 

Please note, it is still 3 ¼ hours long, so cheaping out on cinema seating would be ill-advised.

In Search of Film: 50/50: Can laughter be the best cure?

In Search of Film: 50/50: Can laughter be the best cure?: So I have taken the opportunity to relish in the little free time that I have to catch up with the blog, and, most importantly, combat the t...

50/50: Can laughter be the best cure?

So I have taken the opportunity to relish in the little free time that I have to catch up with the blog, and, most importantly, combat the titanic list of films I need to see, which continues to grow each and every day! So yesterday, full of cold and wrapped up in bed I thought 50/50 would cure me of my woes. *sarcasm*

I expect a lot of people, at least in the UK, to be wondering what the hell 50/50 is – do not fear, you are not the victim of a lone-film-fan cult, whose aim is to vanquish all film fans so that he/she can become the “only gay in the village” of film. Not at all. Surprisingly the film, although featuring popular actors; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anjelica Huston and Anna Kendrick, failed in its British PR. I saw all of 3 adverts for this film, now considering I spend much of my waking life in cinemas, in arts venues and now, thanks to Netflix, sat on my sofa – that is substantially low! The fact that this film was released a little over a month before Christmas, MAY have had slight negative impacts: with the success of Arthur Christmas and Cancer, traditionally, not being a festive topic, it was due to have PR limitations.

The film follows a stereotypical modern American 20-something - Adam (Gordon-Levitt); he is physically fit, (demonstrated by the opening running scene), he doesn’t smoke (demonstrated by his rejection of an offer of a cigarette) and he recycles (highlighted during a medical consultation - which also enabled him to reiterate the two above personal qualities). After long periods of back pain, he visits his doctor only to discover that he has a rare genetic spinal tumour and, upon further investigation, one that carries a 50/50 survival rate. We then witness the aftermath, watching Adam tell his aesthetically-sympathetic girlfriend, comical best-friend and parents (which includes a dramatic mother and a father plagued by Alzheimer). The reaction of his best friend Kyle, is awkwardly funny, as he reassures Adam by referencing celebrities who have beaten cancer; which sadly included the late Patrick Swayze. As expected, the film maintains the plight of a traditional love/ tragedy story structure: boy loves girl; girl does the dirty on boy; boy, unsuccessfully, seeks relief in casual sex; boy discovers new girl, old girl recognises the error of her ways; boy rejects old girl and seeks relationship with new girl!

Though I dislike the conventional structure that the film retains, I applaud the way they manipulate this structure to discuss the complexity of illness and disease; in other words I hate the love story but I love the way they use cancer as a catalyst. Though the film centralises around his disease, it acts as a foundation for the exploration of relationships, love and the individual during times of trauma and hardship, and how they subsequently triumph and fail.

This film also demonstrated a very rare quality. It is one, of very few films, that I can say with my hand on my heart; the casting was superlative! I have not one negative word to say about any member of this cast, on the contrary, I find myself detracted from the story and instead discussing these acting accomplishments! Maybe it is due to the rarity of the these events, that I have found myself rambling about Gordon-Levitt’s triumph in portraying a complex character, with such poise and wealth, and Rogan’s success is maintaining the perfect level of comedy without allowing it to cross into the realms of “Superbad” meets “Philadelphia”. I enjoyed this film not just because of the careful handling of a common yet controversial subject and the wonderful casting but also because I wasn’t forced into laughing, the comedy of the film was actually quite intermittent. I advise you to watch this film as a drama, as you will find yourself laughing at its few comedic treats rather than being let down because, surprising, the film about cancer wasn’t as funny as you expected.

In celebration of film: it's award season!

So with the BAFTAs passed, the Oscars are now on the horizon!

With such an amazing ensemble of cinematic magic it is going to be a difficult decision but here is my piece on the nominees I have viewed so far, albeit only a few of them:

Best Picture:

Hugo 

Another Scorsese masterpiece, a beautiful and complex homage to the life and work of  Georges Méliès! Explored through the tragic life of young Hugo, we discover that through the most somber times, cinema continues to be our escape from reality into the lands of dreams! Kingsley is stunning as Méliès, and the film ultimately evokes a sense of nostalgia to all who have experienced the work of Méliès and early cinema.

Midnight in Paris

Again, with the nostalgia! Mignight in Paris brought out the literary fanatic in me, sitting on the edge of my seat trying to guess what literary figure was in front of me and Kathy Bates at Gertrude Stein was a surprising delight! Allen, has again successfully captured the milieu of Paris. This film offered an unconvention cast, well for Woody Allen at least, and when I say unconventional - I mean Owen Wilson! But Wilson was, well, great! There is something goofy about Wilson, maybe it’s is hair or his awkward manner, which for all intents and purposes usually finds me flicking over from many of his films, however, his mannerisms totally fitted with the characters portrayal - another great example of Woody Allen's wonderful casting!

In Search of Film: It’s Hunting Season!

In Search of Film: It’s Hunting Season!: So after much deliberation, I took 2 hours out of my day to watch the one of the last B-movies of 2011, The Troll Hunter. This ...

It’s Hunting Season!

So after much deliberation, I took 2 hours out of my day to watch the one of the last B-movies of 2011, The Troll Hunter. This Norwegian monster mockumentary follows a group of students as they attempt to uncover the truth when dead bears begin to show up. Manned with a camera, microphone, and boom the students begin their quest for the answer – Who (or what) is killing these bears? They soon encounter a mysterious character who, without meaning to sound bias, has poacher written all over him - from his dirtied, frayed hat to his worn hiking boots. And his distant persona and reluctance in assisting the students’ investigation does little to disprove this theory. However, similar to the belief in Britney’s come back – this theory was untrue! A hunter he is but his game is not measly 7 foot, 0.5 ton bears... his game is 200 foot, 30 ton trolls!

As the troll hunter warms to the students’ curious nature, he decides to share his profession with them and in true monster fashion, he refrains from conveying this through speech (I assume for fear of being institutionalised) and instead lures them into the troll infested forests and awaits his monsters. We catch glimpse of our first troll quite early on in the film, which may sound obvious but with monster films it is hard to tell if the creature will frequent the screen or remain in the shadows. The first encounter is fast paced and in night vision, which enables you to gage a clearer image of the troll but does not for long – retaining a level of believability to the creature and the scene. As the pursuit for trolls continues and the student’s frequent the woods more, we are invited to see more of the trolls visually, and genetically! This is aided by a somewhat random rendezvous with a scientist who has been working with the troll hunter to better understand the trolls’ genetic make-up. This includes a fatal reaction to light; petrifying the elderly and exploding the young and of course, a taste for the converted. The blood of the converted is at the top of the menu for any troll, like alcohol for alcoholics, heroin for heroin addicts and talent for Kieran Knightly. However, it is not just their genome that the scientist is interested in, there is an illness spreading amongst the colony. Guess what... they have rabies! 200 foot, 30 ton, rabies infested trolls... what more could you want from a monster film?

It was by this point I began to question to relevance to the bear deaths and the trolls. Was it just by chance that they came across the trolls whilst investigating the bear fatalities or was this all somehow interlinked?

You can exhale now!

The bears are scapegoats! Brought in by a the Troll Security Service (TSS) whose role is to ensconce the existence of trolls from the public, and what better way to do so than import deceased bears and strategically place them near the carcases of the trolls’ victims. This involves a collection of amusing scenes, including a TSS agent falsifying bear tracks but inadvertently confusing the left and the right paw, as well as an occurrence with a group of comedic Polish bear smugglers.

Needless to say, there are several deaths and a multitude of close-calls. Whilst taking every opportunity to show the carnage caused by the trolls. My advice it to watch this film for what it is, pure simple troll infested fun. 

TT3D: Closer to the Edge.

This terrifyingly beautiful documentary follows Guy Martin - lorry mechanic and motorcycle enthusiast, as he prepares to compete in the infamous TT races of the Isle of Man. For those of you, alike myself, who are unfamiliar with the TT races and super bike mania in general it is best described by one race spectator as “Hard Bikes being driven by Hard Men!” But it is Martin himself who provides the central, and perplexing, narration on the sport and its community which is supported, or sometimes conflicted, by other racers.

The opening scene has viewers roaring through the streets of the Isle of Man, from the perspective of the riders. This is very effective at two things: evoking empathy from the audience, providing a accessibility to the in-the-moment emotions of the riders as well as a literal rider’s point-of-view and  successfully making me a little travel sick from the comfort from my, very stationary, sofa. Though I refused to permit my churning stomach make any impact on my enjoyment of this film.

Exploring this, somewhat, niche sport through the very individual character of Martin is an unlikely success. Myself being, as Martin describes, a “Southern Fairy” I am not familiar with the dialect of North Lincolnshire, and to be both brutally and shamefully honest, I found him a little difficult to... interpret. Initially! His character also seemed a little alien to me: he is depicted as an almost singular character, and by his own admission, he holds little to no interest in anything but bikes and the TT.

However, Guy’s character is very easy to warm to and it is quickly realised that it is not necessarily about the passion for bikes but passion itself that allows the viewer to connect with Guy. As the story develops Guy’s character splits both aesthetically and physically. When in his home county, or in the comfort of his van, he is the oil-covered bike patriot, but when he is immersed into TT world he becomes the mysterious anti-hero. With a succession of slow motion caption, and the mystery that is itself evoked by motorcycle attire, it is very easy to forget the Lincolnshire boy that hides within it. The motorcyclists’ outfit is very good a dehumanising its incumbent, and this itself sexualises Guy.

However, the dehumanisation of bikers by their costumes are most apparent in the presentation of the racer’s fatalities. As the inevitable happens and the accidents begin, shamefully, it is somewhat easier to watch a masked figure being thrown about than an unmasked figure. Yet, when the pictures of those lost in their quest for TT success follow, it is difficult to hold back the tears. Many critics believing this documentary’s release was a direct response to the success of Senna, and I see the similarities in Senna and Martin’s personalities and their passions, but I also see it in many other people – Passion is universal.