Essie Speaks - mostly about movies - but also of books, countries, life. Mostly movies though :) (Updated every weekend - sunday night latest ^-^)P.S. ALL THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF ITS WRITER - AND THAT WOULD BE ME!
Hey boys and girls! Well it's one of those weeks where I have so many things I'm thinking about all at once that I find it hard to tell where to begin! The one thing at the real forefront of my mind at the moment is the new trailer for Black Mass. I think I shared the teaser for it on here earlier. Now a bona fide trailer (or is it second trailer) is out. It is looking more and more like the film that will actually "remake" Johnny Depp. I am really looking forward to it. I mean he is brilliant at comedy, but to have him in a proper, hard-hitting, really get you thinking kinda part will be AMAZING. I can't wait.
Ok more movie news. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but Point Break is getting a remake. Heck, it's even getting a trailer. They've "umphed" up the adrenaline a bit. The gang are no longer just surfers but "extreme athletes, allowing for all mannter if visual shenanigins and effort to make trade of the back of the film looking good. It will be interesting to see and compare. Not least because the original point break was an iconic film for an iconic female director, Kathryn Bigelow. I wasn't sure at first to be honest with you but than I compared the two trailers. I actually think the remake seems to do a good job of taking the spirit of the original and updating it, without distorting it too much. See what you make of it.
And for those of us with not such a good memory, here's the trailer for the original...
So, just since we've had so many men and adrenaline in this post so far, let's look at what the ladies on screen are up to. Now of course, the Sundance darlings are slowly creeping out onto the screens and one of the films that are getting talked about is Diary of a Teenage Girl. It is *sigh* yet another coming of age film. But it seems to be a touching and imaginative exploration of a young woman discovering her sexuality and growing up. I'll be keeping an eye out for it...
Right. Better get back to the real world. And on a side not folks, it's all well and good being dedicated to the screen - but don't forget to make the most of the sun when it's out! This is the UK you know, you need to enjoy the summer while you can!
You know
you have to smile sometimes when critics bang on about how we are desensitized,
how technology means that we expect more and bigger thrills and more stimulus,
it is easy to dismiss films made earlier in the 20th century as
“easy watching”. Especially when it comes to genres like horror where we have
come to depend so much on special effects. I am thinking, for example, of the
upcoming horror film Crimson peak by master director Guillermo Del Toro – the
fantastic and eerie world we see (so far only from the trailers) could not have
been created if it were not for the magic of technology.
That said,
in the right hands, the technology of the ‘70s can become a dangerous and
terrifying tool. Dario Argento is, without shadow of a doubt, one of these
directors. The atmosphere he creates, the world we are plunged into is so
chilling that our imaginations are more than enough – we do not need the
monsters of technology…
Deep Red
begins with a psychic, a psychic who inadvertently sees into the mind of a
murderer. And who promptly gets murdered herself. A passing pianist gets pulled
into the story. There is a plucky journalist and a cynical police officer. In
the midst of this setting the psychic’s prediction seems to be quite on the
mark. But the problem is, whenever anyone gets even remotely close to
uncovering a clue, there is another grizzly murder. Our pianist, an eye witness
to the whole affair, is in especial danger as he has come closer to the
murderer than he might have liked. Yet, his time seems to be rapidly running
out and the police seem helpless as his allies fall around him like flies and
the murderer’s net slowly and inexorably closes…
At the
opening of the film, you may well be forgiven for thinking that this is going
to be a film overly relying on slightly dodgy acting, ‘70s visual effects and
magical powers. Well, you would be wrong. What Dario Argento succeeds in doing
rather brilliantly is taking the makings of quite an ordinary thriller and
cranks it up to a level of a bona fide bone-chilling horror film. Yes the
psychic is real, but there the magic ends. We never have any doubt that the
killer is a human being. It is simply a rather able human being – but human
none the less. Which is quite befitting really, after all in this world, there
are no monsters as scary as human beings. Argento uses and magnifies the tricks
our minds play on us when we’re at home alone. You know the feeling, that
creek, was that movement – that sound, did it come from the street… For most of us it’s our minds playing tricks
on us. For the heroes and heroines of Deep Red, this is not always the case.
Let’s just say that I felt very glad indeed that I live in a house with three
flatmates and two cats - I’m rarely alone enough to hear little creaks and
squeaks around the house.
I also have
to remark on the camerawork, the images created by Argento are always deeply
striking in some way, Deep red is characterized by striking close-ups at key
points that makes ones hair stand on end. The colours of the film are also
striking, dark shadows mixing with glowing red blood…
But the
thing I always seem to love about Argento’s films is the soundtrack. I mean, I
still hum the signature tune from Suspiria when I am distracted – and I watched
the film quite a few months ago – and this is no exception. Deep Red is no
exception to this rule. Then again, that might be because they were both composed
and performed by the same band, Goblin, an Italian progressive rock band known
for their soundtrack work. This time around, Deep Red uses – brilliantly and
quite effectively – the trick of using something normally innocent and everyday
and transposing it into a horror setting to make it even more unsettling. This
time around, it’s a children’s song (as you may or may not have been able to
guess). The only thing I will say is that precious little is given in the way
of explanations as to why this song is present in the film (because it is present
in the actual film as well).
In fact,
the only weakness of the film is that, when you settle your shivers and look at
it closely, actual in depth explanations are exceedingly thin on the ground.
However, the film does its job of creeping us out and scaring us so well that
it can be forgiven – well, sort of - especially since it does such a good job
of providing plot twists and surprises. Still, I don’t know, another couple of minutes spent explaining properly
WHY any of this happened may well have been all together a bad thing… I do advise you don’t get too hung up on that
though… You’ll miss out on an atmosphere well worth experiencing and being
terrified in…
If you have
gone anywhere near Twitter recently, you probably will have noticed – the
Cannes film festival is happening. And as usual it is giving us a lot to talk
about on many different levels. Several films I am already excited about are
making their debuts here, not the least among them Asif Kapadia’s Amy, the
documentary depicting the life of the late great Amy Winehouse.
One film
that is definitely making waves is Carol. Todd Haynes, ever the director who
undertakes controversial stories, has undertaken the famous Patricia Higsmith novel
of the same name, telling the story of a shop clerk (Rooney Mara) who falls for
Carol (Cate Blanchett), an older, married customer… If the trailer is anything to go by, the film
does the book justice and more – and Cate Blanchett is as accomplished and
striking as ever… Trailers seem to be a bit thin on the ground, so here is a clip of Carol and Therese having dinner... And a moment...
But, and I
simply must touch on this, it was on the red carpet for the screening of this particular
film that we began to read reports that women were being banned from screenings
and the red carpet for the heinous crime of… Wait for it… Not wearing high
heels. That’s right folks. Women are apparently OBLIGED to wear high heels on
the Cannes red carpet… (Read more about it here) I don’t know what kind of patriarchal
behemoth attempts to put its’ artists in uniform, much less such a sexist one,
but it’s sad and it’s disappointing and it just SHOULDN’T be happening…
But let’s
turn back to cinema for a minute. Because I simply must talk about The Lobster
before I love you and leave you.
I have
never quite known what to make of Yorgos Lanthimos. Reviews range broadly
between “one of the best things that happened to cinema” and “batsh*t crazy”. I
have watched quite a few of his trailers but have never quite… Ehm… Got round
to watching any actual films… I mean check out this one, for Dogtooth…
But less of the nostalgia… What I was trying to
say was that his latest film, may just tempt me over the edge… Because it’s a
wonderful satire of a panic that grips us all and a “feeling” we become more
and more aware of as we grow older… Well some of us do anyway… The Lobster takes place in an alternative universe
where being in a relationship is obligatory. You have 45 days of singledom to
find a “matching” partner, if you fail, you are turned into an animal and set
free into the woods… I’m guessing I don’t need to spell out what the film is
actually about… I couldn’t find the trailer for the film but I did find two clips
I’m posting below… It gives one a pretty good idea of the general atmos…
I think it's the kind of "funny" you adore if you actually get into, it's the whole "getting into" of it that may take a while though. I am quite determined to brave him though - let's see how I fare! I'll keep you updated as always!
If you have
followed my film-related ramblings for any length of time, you will have
noticed that I watch a lot – and I mean a LOT of rather random looking
documentaries. You may be amused to find out that what you read about on this blog
and elsewhere represent the tip of the iceberg. Oh yes. I am, actually, quite
selective as to which documentaries I talk to you about – you would be bored to
death of me if I wrote about every single one, variety being the spice of life
and all that jazz. So rest assured, though the name seems random and the
subject matter, well, not what you would immediately think of as prime viewing
matter, but bear with me. There are several reasons I was so impressed with
this little number from Japan.
Firstly, if
you thought the name of the documentary was a euphemism, you are sadly
mistaken. Jiro indeed does dream of sushi. But it may well behove us to know
who Jiro is, and what earthly reason he could have to dream of sushi. The man
in question is Jiro Ono. He is a master chef and at 85 still very firmly at the
helm of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a small and very exclusive restaurant that only
serves sushi. But we are talking three Michelin starred sushi here people. This
is definitely not your supermarket value platter. This, my dear friends, is
sushi well worth taking a closer look at…
In case you
don’t know me in real life, I am allergic to fish. I can barely touch the
stuff, much less eat it raw. Therefore, you might think (and indeed, I
certainly did) that sushi would not feature particularly high on things I
admire. But thanks to the cinematography of this documentary, even I had a
momentary twinge of envy as I watched the sushi being lovingly prepared. The
film pays as much attention to detail as Jiro and his staff does. The colours
are clean and crisp, we are brought up close and personal to this extraordinary
restaurant and the rather extraordinary sushi it produces.
Which is
just as well really; since we’re in Japan, you have to spend some time “getting
to know” the people in our documentary before we start to glean some truly
personal information about them. I mean, just think about the shear plethora of
“behind the scenes in the kitchen” type films, programmes and documentaries we
see on western television. The highs and the lows, the shouting, the
excitement, the adrenaline… Think Gordon Ramsey, we are taken on an emotional,
almost Hollywood movie style journey as we watch him have an emotional crisis
over rotten food, then inflicting said crisis on the unfortunate author of this
catastrophe. The food is almost an aside, what often matters is the
drama – with the exception of bona fide cookery programmes of course. Here we
focus on the food. The patience with which the apprentices have to learn every,
single solitary task to perfection down to the finest detail before taking
another – seemingly miniscule – step forward in the hierarchy. We watch Jiro,
despite his great age, forever striving to make the perfect sushi, always
improving, always experimenting…
And from
here we can spot one of the first underlying currents in this documentary.
Because I cannot imagine anyone with some form of heart and soul not being
filled with warm fuzzy feelings – and just a twinge of envy – as Jiro talks
about his craft, and what is very clearly his vocation. The joy he clearly
feels (despite being a very traditional and withdrawn 85 year – old), the
twinkle in his eyes, the unwavering determination in his voice when he talks
about the craft of making sushi is truly enviable. It is, without doubt, what
we would all want from our careers. To feel that sure it was the thing we were
born to do, to be passionate about it until the bitter end, to find strength in
it, develop it and let it develop us… Jiro is a very lucky man in many ways,
but perhaps never more so than for this particular reason…
But then we
slowly get to a second thing. A matter hinted at, shown in flickers, but
discussed with relative restraint. Jiro has two sons and unsurprisingly both
are sushi chefs like their father. The younger son now has his own restaurant,
albeit very much modelled on Sukiyabashi Jiro. His older son, traditionally
expected to take over his father’s position one day, works under his father in
the original restaurant. He is in almost in his 60s. You have to watch quite
closely to pick up on “anything” but then… Then one of the critics and friends
of the family casually drops a bombshell… I will not tell you what and if you
blink, you may very well miss it. But if you stop and think about it, it
basically… Changes everything. And says so very much about family dynamics and
how incredibly complicated they are…
Jiro dreams
of sushi was a very, very unexpected discovery for me. I most definitely did
not expect it to be so touching, beautiful or thought provoking… So don’t just
sneer at it thinking it’s oh, just another cookery programme... It’s a more. A
lot more.
I am very excited about this week. No I really am. I am not a massive fan of action as you guys all know - but I have been counting down the days for the arrival of the new Mad Max Movie. You can bet your bottom dollar you will find a review of it by yours truly on one of my three "outlets". I think the thing that attracts me the most is the whole visual "glut" of it. It just looks gorgeous. It looks like the kind of universe you'd want to dive right into - as a cinema goer that is, not in real life hehe. Let's check that trailer out again. I'm literally counting the hours!
Ok. Back to the future - as it were. As I type this, almost all of Twitter is raging about the new Jem and The Holograms trailer. I do NOT like being left out of these discussions, so I had to chek it out, obvs. I mean I don't know, maybe because it was so long since I saw an episode of it but I have to join the negative hype. I really don't like it. A childhood memory has been turned into an insipid cautionary tale about fame and fortune not being able to buy happiness, and the importance of family. One would have hoped, in the internet age, they would have at least slipped in a few good points about the internet and online culture etc. Jem does get discovered on youtube - but it pretty much ends there as far as I can see. I dunno, maybe new generations of tweens will flock to it. I just think it's... Meh...
Now, I really, really must eat something and go to work at some point - but before closing I just need to share one thing with you. I'm a little upset with myself. I seem to have not said a single solitary word about Mr Holmes. No, not Benedict Cumberbacht. The other one. The one that's not out yet. With Sir Ian McKellan. Oh yes, That one. The thing about superheros (Sherlock Holmes undoubtedly is one) is that they are meant to never be weak, never falter (not in ways that cannot be remedied at any rate) and thus, they never age. Which is why it will be both interesting and enlightening to see Mr Sherlock Holmes as an old man. Interpreted by such a truly extraordinary actor, we're really in for a treat, I reckon...
Right, now. That whole lunch and work deali-o. Have a great week folks! Luv y'all!
This, in a
sense, is a specialist movie. Horror is a genre you either love or hate and
James Wan is a director who works particularly well within this genre. So the
same goes for him, you either love him or hate him. And in this particular
film, Wan takes on what is actually quite a “specialist” subject. It is the
true story of – for those who follow these circles for whatever reason – two of
the greatest and certainly most famous paranormal investigators of our time, Ed
and Lorraine Warren.
The story
is, purportedly, one of the most frightening cases the couple has been asked to
assist on. They are invited into the house of the Perron family who have just
moved to an isolated property out in the country with their young family
consisting of five young girls. As is usual with these things, the events start
small, the family dismisses them as fruits of over-active imaginations or just
the difficulties of settling into a new house… But it soon becomes patently
obvious that these are a lot more than the creeks of an old house. Ed and
Lorraine desperately try to help – but it may well be too little too late…
Now, this
does rather seem to go without saying but this film largely relies on fantasy.
If you do not actually believe in the supernatural (the events depicted do
after all claim they are based on reality) you must be fully able to suspend
disbelief and enjoy being scared by the monsters Wan creates on the screen. If
you’re going to eye-roll and go “oh that doesn’t make sense”, really, don’t
bother. It will continue to not make sense throughout unless you can immerse
yourself in the film’s universe and fully believe in it.
That said,
Wan makes it incredibly easy for the discerning viewer to leave the comfort of
their armchairs and enter into the once home, now hell hole of the Perron
family. Every single film I have watched by this director very artfully
combines suspense and pace to quickly create an overwhelming sense of dread and
then quickly – and almost without us noticing – drag us into the film’s
universe. And our sense of overwhelming dread is such that even when staples of
the horror genre turn out on our screens, even if you are quite sure what is
going to happen, you are still concerned with how it is going to happen. Of
course with a director like Wan at the helm there is always a good chance that
it is not going to happen at all, but the point is that when / if it does
happen, you are not disappointed. And you jump. I mean for example – and for
those who have seen it, think of the scenes with the family dog. You know what
the little girl is going to encounter as she runs out of the house. You’re
still on tender hooks.
I think
this has a lot to do with inspiration taken from a more oriental way of
filmmaking. In popular Eastern cinema themes and stories are often classics,
clichés even, the audience knows full well what is going to happen. They’re
there because they already like that particular story. What they are interested
is the “how”. This leads to a great attention to detail and imagination used in
the endless variations of details that change the whole atmosphere of the
story… This attitude combined with just the right amount of imagination, that
magic combination of a well-executed classic and just the right amount of
innovation means that James Wan’s films are works you simply cannot take your
eyes off.
And a
couple of words of admiration for the cast – a lot of screen time goes to the
five young actresses portraying the perron girls and it has to be said they do
not miss a beat. Lili Taylor has always been an actress I have admired through
her various television shows and she was an absolute pleasure to watch here
too.
This film
will not change your world. It is not, say a George Romero film with undertones
of political message and a good dose of dark comedy. It is quite an expendable
film, to watch for two hours, be scared of and then forget (or have a few
nightmares about and then forget depending on how sensitive you are about these
things). But if you are a fan of horror or you just feel like checking out a
rather superb example of the genre executed by a master go ahead and get stuck
right in. I’d leave the lights on though if I were you… You know, just in case…
I seem to be living roughly three lives rolled into one these days. I'm keeping it together - but only just! Aaand so occasionally schedule-related "whoopsie" moments happen. For which I appologise.
It's not like lack things to say or soemthing this week. Many of my fave directors are releasing trailers like things possessed. One of these possessed things come courtesy of Woody Allen and latest film on the horizon Irrational Man. If the name of Wood Allen alone was not a sufficient lure for yours truly, the presence of Joaquin Phoenix in the leading role pretty much sealed it for me. He seems to be playing the part of a philosophy professor with very typically Allen-ish hang-ups and problems... Take a spin. It looks like fun for those of us who are "into" the style.
As I write this little letter, I turn to Twitter. Aaah, what is this I see trending - a series ? The Wachowskis you say? Hmm, definitely worth a look. The Wachowskis have gone for a series this time, and true to style it's big, bold imaginative and has the makings of something truly emotional grabbing and poetic while at the same time bewilderingly... "visual". The thing I find with the Wachowskis is that sometimes the style "comes off" and sometimes... Well it doesn't. Jupiter Ascending made a splash, albeit a rather controvertial one. As in a lot of critics tore the film a new one, so to speak... Well, Sense8 is definitely a "thing". What manner of thing it is remains to be seen...
Now... One more name that had tongues wagging and hearts beating fast... Tom Hardy starring as not one but two people at once in Legend, the story of the notorious Kray twins who pretty much ran London throughout the '50s and '60s. The trailer seems atmospheric and tantalising and Oscar winning writer of Mystic River Brian Helgeland seems to be at the helm of quite a solid little number. Of course it's a largely male dominated film with the women hanging around as little more than eye candy if that, but well... It's the genre. And it was the '50s. I'll be checking it out, that's for sure.
So from all that macho posturing, let's go for a different kind of machismo and posture, shall we... Now you can berate the Magic Mike franchise as much as you like. You can laugh at its lack of content. You can call it an excercise in shallowness and objectivisation. What you cannot do is deny that if you are interested in the scantily clad male form, it provides ample sights that are very, very easy on the eyes... Take a gander... If only to, ehm, you know, be able to mock it or something later...
Whoo I need a drink of water... Or something... I'll go and take a cold shower or a long walk or something, in the meanwhile you have a lovely week my dears!
I don’t
know why I do it to myself. No, I honestly do not. One has to admit that I have
been a very, very good girl as far as keeping up to date with the releases of
2015. I guess it’s my journalistic duty. You’ve stuck by me. You’re growing in
numbers. You deserve up to date film news. That’s sorta why I watched Fury –
for you. And it would make a very good paragraph ending if I continued that
with “so you didn’t have to” – but that would be only part of the truth. Yes,
let’s get this bit out of the way, Fury is “yet another WW2 movie” – as opposed
to being in possession of some kind of original insight or approach to it. Don’t
get me wrong, between a talented cast, atmospheric cinematography and truly
dramatic moments based by and large on the real life experiences of tank
drivers during the Second World War it gives you quite a gripping and emotional
ride. But from time to time, in fact all too often, Fury strays into the realm
of the testosterone-laden Bollywood style overdramatic .
April 1945.
The American army is advancing into German territory. Although the Americans
are technically “winning the war”, they are very far from being “out of the woods yet … The German Tiger tanks
are superior to the American tanks and any soldiers or civilians resisting are
resisting with that fanatical strength given by utter desperation… The war has
been going on for far too long. The men are tired. The mental strain is
unbearable and it takes someone with the experience and strength of character
of Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) to truly be in command of a Sherman tank and the battle
hardened crew who is sick of war and quickly approaching the end of their rope.
In this inflammable situation a death of a crew member is nothing short of
devastating. Especially if he is replaced with a complete rookie, Norman
Ellison (Logan Lerman), who trained as a typist and clerk but has now found
himself as the Bow Gunner in a Sherman Tank. Norman has only one option – to
adapt to his new position, and fast. Because every time Norman stumbles, he
could potentially cost multiple lives including his own, and Wardaddy seemingly
has neither the time nor the mental strength to teach him the ropes…
Now, as I
said in the intro, in a word, the film is exactly what you think it’s going to
be. It is pretty much full of stock characters – though I was impressed with
the presence of a token Latino as opposed to a token black soldier – and David
Ayers (name behind many hard-hitting male-oriented films such as The Fast and
the Furious 1 , Training Day S.W.A.T. etc.
in the capacity of writer and director) does pretty much what he does
best. We easily recognize most of the crew, Wardaddy, the tough and legendary
leader, Grady, the one who is “unhinged”, Gordo our token Latino (abely
executed may I add, by Michael Pena). Shia LaBeouf’s Bible – making him so
religious is a combo of an interesting choice and, I suspect, Ayer jumping at
the chance of using this for dramatic effect – is the one character we haven’t
seen that often before but still, not an entire novelty. Norman is the
wide-eyed rookie who is fresh to the front much like us, we empathize with him,
and all together we learn about the horrors of war. Norman gets transformed
into hardened crew member in a matter of
days (as opposed to the rest of the crew for whom one would assume it took
years) but right up to the end we never doubt he’s the true “good guy” –
because he’s the one we’re empathizing with and that would never do. The actors
do a very good job of executing the characters (original or not) and the direction
is up to par if again, unremarkable.
I do get
that it is a wonderful dramatic point to have a character fighting against impossible
odds. To have a soul striving to achieve something no matter what the obstacles
are and how hard it seems is basically the stuff drama is made of. I believe,
as the film reaches its climax, is that we are so invested in Wardaddy as the
heroic, legendary leader that we think that he might, just might , oh I don’t
know – defeat an entire SS Batallion with four men, one broken down Sherman
tank and a very limited amount of ammunition. Yes I am talking about the “final
battle”. Now, if it were a Butch Kassidy and the Sundance Kid type ending, well
and good, they go emotionally and heroically out into “death by Nazi”. But on
top of all the male-centered clichés, the fact that our little tank (Fury) and
its crew actually wipes out what looks like over half the battalion just… It…
It’s not even a “raaah” moment. Maybe it is for a guy, but definitely not for
me. Look, I’m no expert, but assuming that in real life all the men hadn’t run
for their lives and all stayed with the tank, after the initial surprise surely
the battalion would have used vehicles or heavy artillery to overcome the tank.
Only not here, apparently.
I mean
sure, if you just want to go, have a forgettable few hours ogling at Brad Pitt
and then carry on with your life, sure, go watch Fury. Fans of war films will
find much to amuse them as will WW2 enthusiasts. But if you’re on a quest for
something a bit more deep and meaningful, something thought provoking and
original, these definitely are not the droids you are looking for…
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