ESSIE SPEAKS OF MAGIC AND MACHINES

Well howdy folks!

Oh it has been a busy week, this one. Thank God for films, and their capacity to wisk us away out of our day to day worries and cares. And goodness hasn't the combination of technology and imagination allowed us to travel far! But is all this "computarage" always a good thing? That's what I discuss, along with a whole host of other things, in the two posts below.

Speaking of technology, expect buttons and twitter feeds and things this weekend. I'm really getting into this Twitter lark. I should have done it earlier. Find me at @Essie_Tweets.

happy viewing!
Essie

FACE YOURSELF IN "OBLIVION"

You know what I said to myself as I watched this film? If I had half the sense I have now back in the day, I would have plunged headfirst into special effects. I’d be a special effects artist. It’s where the money is. And let’s face it, technology today allows you to do pretty amazing things. You can do these amazing things “already” as it were. Just imagine what will be possible in a few years. A few decades. But ah, do I think they should be chucked into every plotline willy-nilly? No. A resounding NO. Take Oblivion. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great film in a wonderful, Hollywoody way, but let’s face it. We’ve seen the same story done before. Low-tech and better.

Jack (Tom Cruise) is a veteran serving his planet. The entire population of the earth has moved to Titan after a devastating war; Jack and his partner (in more senses than one) Victoria are a key part of the taskforce left on Earth to syphon off vital supplies like fresh water and protect the hardware from what remain of the “scavengers” who destroyed the planet in the first place. It’s a pretty lonely job – mostly it’s just the two of them – but Jack and Victoria don’t really complain. That being said, it is almost the end of their mission, two weeks later and they will be sent back home for a hero’s welcome and much more low-risk jobs. But as time goes on, something is nagging at Jack, even though he is not quite sure what it is himself… He is plagued by constant, strange dreams and a nagging feeling something is not quite right… Not that he can see what could possibly be wrong… It’s just another day in paradise… No?

Ok, I’m going to do something I rarely do. My review is going to contain a bit of a spoiler so be warned. The thing is this film is just TOO similar to a film I really, really like and admire for me to ignore in this review. The thing is, and my point is, that the storyline itself is just so powerful that there was absolutely NO need to Hollywood it up.

I’m talking about Moon, directed by Duncan Jones. I mean, think about the story of Moon for a second. Why oh why oh why did they have to jazz it up? Insert not just a love interest but a full-blown love triangle if you please, all the “typical” trope characters, a wise, older man to give advice (although Morgan Freeman can really do no wrong in my eyes) and a young rebel who “doesn’t trust” Jack, to whom Jack must prove himself (a very wise attempt by Nicolaj Coster-Waldau to prove he can do things apart from Game of Thrones. Though judging by the fact my friend asked “Isn’t that the Kingslayer?” (not even Jamie Lanister mind you, Kingslayer)  when he came on, it may be too little too late. Much in the same way that Daniel Ratcliffe is called “Harry Potter” now and probably for the next 5 – 10 years at least.). There are more special effects than you can shake a stick at. Beautifully done – hence it prompted me to wish I could do that – but still, too much. We even have (here comes the real spoiler) a perfect  “family unit re-united” type ending.  How many actual characters did Duncan Jones have in his movie? One. Well, one man and a robot. How awesome was the film? Pretty f.ckin awesome. The topic is one that, I feel, might well become one that deserves exploration in the future. It is being explored today, slowly and surely in popular culture but there is still a lot of scope for originality. Moon does a wonderful job of looking at the psychology of Sam (the equivalent to Jack) and the entire process of his “awakening” from the first inkling that something is wrong to the sickening confrontation with his own reality. I left that film seriously questioning my own sense of reality for a second there. Oblivion takes a beautiful topic with true philosophical potential and reduces it to big guns, open references to the Matrix (well that or a seriously atheist message : remember the dialogue? “I am your god” - “F.ck you”) and beautiful people making out. I mean, it makes for a fun night out and all but it’s a real waste. It takes something that could be truly original and makes into something we’ve seen a thousand times before. I have to say, that takes some doing.

Now, I know I sound a bit venomous as I talk about it, but really, I don’t necessarily mean to dissuade you from watching it. Like I said, it is a fun night out. I was ranting to my friend about the ending especially (I’m not averse to happy endings. I just hate forced happy endings. Unrealistic ones. The friend I watched it with protested loudly when I called the ending  “naff”. “No, I like happy endings! If they’re missing I feel as if the film is missing a whole bit!” she exclaimed. Well, it depends on what you watch the movie for of course. You watch this one purely for entertainment, despite the potential… 

RECAPTURE THE MAGIC ON "THE POLAR EXPRESS"

I know. We’re in august. It is in no way, shape or form near to Christmas. But what can I tell you, it was a tiring day. I know I ranted and raved about realism and happy endings in the last post but it really wasn’t a “realism” and “minimalism” kinda evening. I had had a little too much of that in my day already. What I needed was to settle down and be transported to a world where I knew everything would turn out alright in the end. Preferably a magical world – I needed it to be as far from “reality” as possible. This may be the main reason I gravitated towards a Christmas film, I’m not exactly sure. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that if you have had that kind of day, or alternately if it's actually Christmas and you want a seasonal film that you don’t watch every day, this is the fella for you.

Now, this is quite a modern little number. Not only is it made, in its entirety, in computer animation but it adopts the rather cool “anonymous hero” stance. Our hero is a little boy. He is just approaching that age when the magic is about to leave his world. And the exodus of magic has begun with father Christmas. The little boy wants to believe, but everything around him seems to be telling him loud and clear that there is no such thing as Santa. So that Christmas eve, when he closes his eyes and pretends to sleep, trying to catch Santa out as he does every year, deep down inside he doesn’t have much hope of it happening. Until he hears something quite extraordinary going up his street. A train. The magical Polar Express has come to take him on a journey… After all, anything is possible on Christmas Eve…

I think Christmas and New Year bring out the “mushiest” in us because they are much like the ends of long, tiring days. Just like a particularly rough day at the office, a whole year has gone by. You are tired. You want to see your loved ones and rest your brains – and bones. You have had reality by the bucket-load. You want good feelings, a hearty meal a drink or three and a few days off… Surely you see the parallels? That’s why films like this go so well with Christmas.

Of course one has to remember that this film was made in 2004 – which is “way back when” by technological terms. I feel that the storyline would benefit a lot from a big special effects overhaul. Heck, it could even be a combination of CGI and real actors as opposed to a “cartoon” from beginning to end. I’m not completely nuts about big explosions and fight scenes with magical weapons but magical lands… You’ll always get my heartstrings with that one. Especially at the end of tiring day.

But the thing is,  will it ever be a classic? I’m not that sure. I think the problem is, the story is sweet but the message is slightly outdated. In complete opposition to the previous film, we are encouraged to “believe” in this one. And we all know kids today. They are just as likely as us to smile at that message understandingly and with an air of superiority. It’s sad really, but I wonder how many kids today really believe in Father Christmas? We live in an era where mothers quiet their crying toddlers by giving them their smartphones and tablets to play with. The tiny tots can browse better than we can and I find that scary seeing that hooking up the printer ended up becoming a major challenge for me. I am yet to purchase a smartphone – or a tablet. And of course it’s great that children have so much knowledge at their fingertips so quickly. It is also great that we live in an era of science where we know more about the world around us than ever before. Still, must this mean that all sense of “magic” must be knocked out of children at as early an age as possible? The jury is out in my opinion. I mean, I’m an adult, and I physically need magic and fantasy in my world. It’s computer generated magic, that I grant you, but given the realities of this world… I reckon it will do… 

ESSIE SPEAKS OF SOUL SEARCHING

Ok, I'm sorry for the delay folks. It happens. Luckily, I'm still within the "appointed time" (self appointed, but hey, I have standards and I like to keep them!) so here you are.

Although it's no excuse - or even a reason - for the delay, I have a bit of a special twosome for you this week. Both are pretty sure to hit you like a ton of bricks. One is a film - fiction as it were - but the other is a documentary. And not the happiest of documentaries at that, but one of importance. One we really, really need to watch.Well, what can I say, not all in life is happiness and joy as most of us have discovered by now. But just because an experience is not a happy one, it does not mean we will not learn from it. It may even end up being one we are glad we went through. Such, my dears, is life.

And a little special treat for you today is that one of my films this week is actually available online! Scroll below for the link! :)

Oh and did I mention - I'm on Twitter now! I know I promised buttons - and trust me, you will get buttons - but probably over the weekend. In the meanwhile feel free to add me, I'm @Essie_Tweets !

happy viewing!
Essie

GO FACE YOURSELF IN "THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES"

I was really excited to see this one. The hype about it contributed, as did the presence of Ryan Gosling. Ok, ok, having Bradley Cooper around didn’t hurt either… Social media outlets are full of the film these days, especially since its recent release on DVD so I knew it was going to be good. I also knew a major plot twist. Yes, one wrong search and bam. The internet is full of spoilers. Don’t worry though – this review isn’t. It really isn’t. But anyway, I was slightly worried that knowing afore-mentioned plot twist was going to kind of ruin the film for me. In fact, finding this plot twist in certain circles is so easy you may well know what I’m talking about. Let me assure you whole-heartedly that that little kernel of information, while key, is not so much the end but the beginning. So even if you do stumble across it by mistake, all you lose is a tiny bit of shock value. The rest of the film is so chock-full of awesomeness that it more than compensates for that… Seriously.  

Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a motorcycle rider at a fair. Doing shows on his bike is just about all he’s good at – well that, and getting into trouble. But boy is he good with his bikes. He lives a pretty carefree life with no major attachments of any kind, traveling with the show from town to town. It is on these travels that he runs into Romina (Eva Mendes), an old flame of his; one of those girls that was just a little more special than the rest… Romina is not only special, but she drops a bombshell on him. She has a son. It’s his. Jason is not a little scared by this news, but he reacts in a way that you might not expect him to – Romina definitely doesn’t expect it at any rate. He stays. He is determined to be a part of his son’s life and provide for him. This is touching but not a little awkward as Romina has a steady partner, Kofi, who is already the surrogate father figure for baby Jason. Well, that and the fact that Luke has turned up out of the blue after almost a 2 year absence. There is another flaw in Luke’s plan. How is a man who has only ever done shows on a bike for a living going to provide for a family? Luke decides to do the one thing we all joke about but mercifully few of us do : he decides to rob a bank. This decisions entwines his fate with that of Avery (Bradley Cooper), a young lawyer turned policeman working the beat in the same town. The conflict will have a knock on effect on their lives, and the lives of every single person around them in ways neither of them could have possibly imagined…

Now, this is a very tough film to review without giving away spoilers. But I’ll tell you this much, the way ideas and conflicts are handed down through the generations, the way conscience comes into play all reminded me of one of those beautiful old 19^th century stories . It seems to be just poor folk out in the sticks, but we actually ask ourselves truly philosophical questions. What is good? What is bad? And most importantly, how much confidence should we have in the surface level labels people have? When a bank robber and a police officer are “duking it out”, we assume the police officer is “the good guy”, this film asks us “Really? Every single time?” Another thing we realise is that more often than not, the things that truly matter are handed down through the generations, though families. It is sort of comforting to think of a thread  linking us to people in our family past who we have never actually met, linked to us through a talent, an attitude, a like or dislike… It almost makes up for never having met those folks… Almost…

Lastly I just want to mention that the film is beautifully shot, in addition to that the choice of location , wherever it may be, is superb. I loved the beautiful longshots of Luke riding through the pines mentioned in the title of the film. By the way, if you’re wondering what in the world the film has to do with the pines mentioned in the title, trust me, the place beyond the pines is a key location in the narrative. You’ll just have to watch the film and find out why though… 

ON HOW LIFE CAN CHANGE FROM "ONE SECOND TO THE NEXT"

Something occurred to me as I was watching One second to the next. We really, really need to get more “big” directors to make public information and safety type films. No, really. Because if they did, we would watch them. They would hit home. And it would do one heck of a lot more good. You’ll know what I mean when you watch One second to the next. I mean, I don’t drive, but I do see the attraction of texting while driving. I also see how “naff” the info films are. And ok, a lot of us actually have the common sense and sensibility to not do silly stuff like that but for those who cannot resist temptation… Just watch this documentary. It’s a short fella, only just over half an hour. I’ll bet good money it’ll scare you back to the straight and narrow for good though.

One Second to the next is a typical Werner Herzog documentary. This is meant as a warning and to whet your appetite. I love the work of Herzog but typically you exit the experience feeling as if you have been hit by a truck. And while this is a slightly unfortunate euphemism for this particular work, it completely describes the feeling it gives. It may seem surprising at first as the whole work is a little more than a series of tastefully edited talking head style interviews. Interviews with victims and perpetrators of traffic accidents that were caused by a driver texting and driving. As is typical of Herzog, we completely and impartially see both sides of the tale; the misery and regret of the drivers who have more often than not accidentally taken human life and the grieving families or the victims, left mere shells of the people they used to be. We hear a series of accidents, each accident completed with police photos and a report from the responding officer when possible. Seriously, I defy you to hold back your tears. I couldn’t…

Now, there isn’t much to say about this because… Well, Herzog has done something truly brilliant in stripping back all the trappings, all the frills and leaving us with the story. Gone are “re-enactments”, gone are statistics and reports. There isn’t even a narrator. There is nothing to distract us from the fact that people died. In some cases children as young as three. And this could have been prevented by one, ridiculously simple choice. The choice to look where you’re going. It puts us face to face with the tragedy that is the loss of any human life and, much like the agonised perpetrators and victims / families of victims, there is nowhere to hide from the wave of emotion. The only thing is we can shake ourselves, have a cup of coffee, maybe write a blog post about it – maybe not – but the point is we can get on with our lives. They however, cannot.  I think the least we can do under the circumstances is face up to that pain squarely and honestly, without averting our eyes in any way. That and not texting while driving.

Ok, this post is actually a little different from the rest or previous ones. Because I normally suggest the films and then leave you to your own devices as far as finding them go. I do recognise though that this is not your average film. We are lucky that one of my favourite websites on the interwebs, Film School Rejects, has said film on their website, ready for your delectation. If you like the sound of the above film, this is the link to follow : CLICK HERE

And if you didn’t like the sound of it, well, follow it anyway.   It’s an awesome site with news, reviews and other short films. If you’re a movie buff – well  you probably know about it already actually – but if not… well, it’s high time you discovered it!

ESSIE SPEAKS OF SOMETHING OLD AND SOMETHING NEW

Well hello. Well, you didn’t expect to see me so soon, right? Haha, I must admit it has been touch and go. Today has been one of those days when I am just behind schedule with my life in general. And it looks like I’m going to have to keep on scrambling until the evening, but no worries, I’m still on track as you can see – well, just.

Ok, so, something old and something new. Something old is the posts. I have gone for two films from two well-known directors. They are not recent. Bu that doesn’t mean they should be forgotten or overlooked. In fact I may have discovered a potential favourite here and I’m dying to tell you about it.

And something new. OK, deep breath : I’m on twitter! Like I said, today has been a bit of a rush for me, but I will add my twitter feed to the site and put fancy buttons on etc but in the meanwhile I can be found at @Essie_Tweets. Let’s talk movies!

Happy viewing,

Essie