In 1983, eleven years after finding fame as Michael Corleone in 'The Godfather', Al Pacino was becoming one of the most recognised film stars in Hollywood. He was receiving roles in all the big films of the time, but was remaining fairly picky about which ones he took. Oliver Stone offered him a role in his remake of a 1932 film classic. Stone's film became a classic in its own right, and that film was 'Scarface'.
The movie tells the story of Tony Montana, a Cuban 'political refugee' who moves to Miami, with plans to becoming the leader of a drug empire. Along the way, he loses a lot of people he loves, and succumbs to greed. He learns that crime really doesn't pay in the long run.
'Scarface' received 3 Golden Globe nominations, appears in the IMDB top 250 films, is ranked as the tenth best gangster film by the AFI (American Film Institute)
The film has been called a classic, terrific, "the movie every guy must see". And what word do I award it?
Over-rated.
The plot is all-over-the-place, not a single one of the characters is likeable, they are all two-dimensional, Pacino's character is ridiculous to the point of laughable, and, to be honest, the film is just not that good.
Yes, there are lots of men out there who are yelling at me right now, but they are the same men who like films with Jason Statham in them, films about motor racing, and films with no plot, but plenty of tits.
This film is NOT for people who want to see an intelligent gangster film. Stick with 'The Godfather' for that, or, better yet, the original 1932 'Scarface'
VERDICT - DON'T TOOT YOUR HORN HONEY, YOU'RE NOT THAT GOOD.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Sunday, 22 March 2009
The end of a (short and silly) era
Well gang, it has been fun, but things cannot last forever. My blog is being marked as we speak, and so I must say, to all the fans, I hope you appreciate the effort that went into this.
One film a day, that's 2-3 hours work right there, a day, on top of university!
This is, by no means, goodbye. I will still be reviewing films, just at a rate of one or two a week. If I kept going with one a day, I would kill someone, probably myself.
Again, thankyou for your support, it as meant a great deal.
One film a day, that's 2-3 hours work right there, a day, on top of university!
This is, by no means, goodbye. I will still be reviewing films, just at a rate of one or two a week. If I kept going with one a day, I would kill someone, probably myself.
Again, thankyou for your support, it as meant a great deal.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."
Everything that Roald Dahl wrote was complete and utter nonsense. But what incredible, beautiful, bizarre, fantastical nonsense to grow up reading, and having read to you!
Charlie and the Chocolate factory was, without a doubt, my favourite book as a child, and remains very high up on my list. 'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory' was, although not completely true to the book, still very 'Dahlian', after all, Dahl wrote the screenplay as well.
In the film, Willy Wonka runs a chocolate factory. His ideas were of a genius never seen before, and so people tried to copy them. Wonka was infuriated, and so shut down the factory. Now, decades later, Wonka is reopening his factory, and allowing five people inside to see the magic, if they are lucky enough to find a golden ticket.
This film is dark. As a child, there were scenes in it that genuinely freaked me out. Dahl's stories often have a surreal edge to them, and this has been kept in the film. Any children's film that shows the decapitation of a live chicken clearly has guts to go aganst convention.
It is very hard to find fault with this film, and so I must direct you to a peice of trivia. How much better would the film be if Willy Wonka had been played by Roald Dahl's first choice for the role? Who was that? Spike Milligan.
VERDICT - IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME, THEY ALL BECOME BLUEBERRIES.
Everything that Roald Dahl wrote was complete and utter nonsense. But what incredible, beautiful, bizarre, fantastical nonsense to grow up reading, and having read to you!
Charlie and the Chocolate factory was, without a doubt, my favourite book as a child, and remains very high up on my list. 'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory' was, although not completely true to the book, still very 'Dahlian', after all, Dahl wrote the screenplay as well.
In the film, Willy Wonka runs a chocolate factory. His ideas were of a genius never seen before, and so people tried to copy them. Wonka was infuriated, and so shut down the factory. Now, decades later, Wonka is reopening his factory, and allowing five people inside to see the magic, if they are lucky enough to find a golden ticket.
This film is dark. As a child, there were scenes in it that genuinely freaked me out. Dahl's stories often have a surreal edge to them, and this has been kept in the film. Any children's film that shows the decapitation of a live chicken clearly has guts to go aganst convention.
It is very hard to find fault with this film, and so I must direct you to a peice of trivia. How much better would the film be if Willy Wonka had been played by Roald Dahl's first choice for the role? Who was that? Spike Milligan.
VERDICT - IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME, THEY ALL BECOME BLUEBERRIES.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Ed Wood
"My friends, can your heart stand the shocking facts about grave-robbers from outer space?" Ed Wood, 1958.
Edward D Wood JR was the worst director of all time. I am not exaggerating that, or being blazé, he was actually voted the worst by a jury of his peers.
He created films about transvestism, alien plans to make people rise from their graves, more transvestism, naked vampires, and transvestism. Since the mid-1980s, his films have gained a huge cult following, especially 'Plan 9 From Outer Space', but there is no denying that this is because they are well and truly awful.
'Plan 9 From Outer Space' (1959) Trailer
As a truly cult director of strange creepy films, who better to direct his biopic than Tim Burton? He did just this in 1994, with the film 'Ed Wood'.
The film (shot entirely in black and white) tells the story of Ed Wood, from the first script he writes, to the release of his 'best' film, 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'.
The first film Wood made was 'Glen or Glenda', a film based on his real-life struggle with transvestism, which he had been involved in since childhood, even admitting that, during the Second World War, he had parachuted into action wearing women's underwear beneath his uniform.
Tim Burton was incredibly brave to film entirely in black and white, but it worked perfectly. It had the B-Movie feel that Wood movies all had, and despite having millions of dollars spent on it, winning dozens of awards in the process, it feels like a very quaint small movie.
The film contains just the right amount of comedy, while still remaining quite moving in places, and staying true to Wood's life. Of course, it has the 'Burtonesque' feel about it, but, with this subject matter, it works.
VERDICT - CUT! THAT WAS PERFECT!
Edward D Wood JR was the worst director of all time. I am not exaggerating that, or being blazé, he was actually voted the worst by a jury of his peers.
He created films about transvestism, alien plans to make people rise from their graves, more transvestism, naked vampires, and transvestism. Since the mid-1980s, his films have gained a huge cult following, especially 'Plan 9 From Outer Space', but there is no denying that this is because they are well and truly awful.
'Plan 9 From Outer Space' (1959) Trailer
As a truly cult director of strange creepy films, who better to direct his biopic than Tim Burton? He did just this in 1994, with the film 'Ed Wood'.
The film (shot entirely in black and white) tells the story of Ed Wood, from the first script he writes, to the release of his 'best' film, 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'.
The first film Wood made was 'Glen or Glenda', a film based on his real-life struggle with transvestism, which he had been involved in since childhood, even admitting that, during the Second World War, he had parachuted into action wearing women's underwear beneath his uniform.
Tim Burton was incredibly brave to film entirely in black and white, but it worked perfectly. It had the B-Movie feel that Wood movies all had, and despite having millions of dollars spent on it, winning dozens of awards in the process, it feels like a very quaint small movie.
The film contains just the right amount of comedy, while still remaining quite moving in places, and staying true to Wood's life. Of course, it has the 'Burtonesque' feel about it, but, with this subject matter, it works.
VERDICT - CUT! THAT WAS PERFECT!
Finding Nemo
Disney have always ruled the market in children's films. People of all ages define their childhoods by what films they remember. My parents remember films like 'Jungle Book'. A friend's father told me about being introduced to jazz from seeing 'The Aristocats'.
Personally I think I grew up at the best time for Disney movies, my memories lined with screenshots from 'The Little Mermaid', 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Aladdin', but I am sure that you always think YOUR youth had the best films to grow up with.
It is sad to think that my children won't see any new hand-drawn and coloured cartoons from Disney, but they will have a hell of a replacement with the films of Pixar.
In 1995, Pixar made the first computer-animated feature film ever, 'Toy Story', and it was a hit of epic proportions. Since then, they have become more efficient, and bring out one film a year, compared to one every two and three, that have consistently topped the box office, and taken more money than any other animated film (and often any film at all) that year.
In 2003, Pixar raised the bar for all future animations with the excellent 'Finding Nemo'.
In the film, a fish named Marlin (voiced perfectly by Al Brooks) loses his son Nemo, who he has brought up alone after his wife and other eggs are eaten by a barracuda.
Marlin, with the help of a friendly but dim-witted friend Dory, explore the entire ocean to find Nemo (now you know where the title comes from), along the way meeting sharks, jellyfish, a hippy turtle, and many other cameos played by unbeleivably famous people in parts with just a handful of lines.
Of course, being a Disney film, it all turns out okay. Marlin finds Nemo and they save the day, by freeing some fish from a net.
The film is about as good as a children's film gets. It has so many jokes delivered with perfect timing, for kids and adults, and it has plenty of important lessons to teach children without being patronising.
If you haven't seen it (and I don't know how you could have managed not to) then please do. It will make you very happy.
VERDICT - GRAB A SHELL DUDE!
Personally I think I grew up at the best time for Disney movies, my memories lined with screenshots from 'The Little Mermaid', 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Aladdin', but I am sure that you always think YOUR youth had the best films to grow up with.
It is sad to think that my children won't see any new hand-drawn and coloured cartoons from Disney, but they will have a hell of a replacement with the films of Pixar.
In 1995, Pixar made the first computer-animated feature film ever, 'Toy Story', and it was a hit of epic proportions. Since then, they have become more efficient, and bring out one film a year, compared to one every two and three, that have consistently topped the box office, and taken more money than any other animated film (and often any film at all) that year.
In 2003, Pixar raised the bar for all future animations with the excellent 'Finding Nemo'.
In the film, a fish named Marlin (voiced perfectly by Al Brooks) loses his son Nemo, who he has brought up alone after his wife and other eggs are eaten by a barracuda.
Marlin, with the help of a friendly but dim-witted friend Dory, explore the entire ocean to find Nemo (now you know where the title comes from), along the way meeting sharks, jellyfish, a hippy turtle, and many other cameos played by unbeleivably famous people in parts with just a handful of lines.
Of course, being a Disney film, it all turns out okay. Marlin finds Nemo and they save the day, by freeing some fish from a net.
The film is about as good as a children's film gets. It has so many jokes delivered with perfect timing, for kids and adults, and it has plenty of important lessons to teach children without being patronising.
If you haven't seen it (and I don't know how you could have managed not to) then please do. It will make you very happy.
VERDICT - GRAB A SHELL DUDE!
I know, I am sorry!
Two days running with no review! I am afraid I was still recovering from the 24 hour review-a-thon. Good news is that last night I slept for 14 hours, my internal clock appears to be running at GMT for the first time in ages, and I am going to make it up to you lovely lads and lasses with two reviews tonight.
A certain someone has been bothering me to do 'Finding Nemo', so that's first up, followed by the cult Johnny Depp film 'Ed Wood'.
Enjoy!
A certain someone has been bothering me to do 'Finding Nemo', so that's first up, followed by the cult Johnny Depp film 'Ed Wood'.
Enjoy!
Sunday, 15 March 2009
It ends...
Well, that's it! A 24 hour review-fest of epic proportions. 13 films in total I beleive?
I hope you have all enjoyed, and quite frankly, if you think I am going to be doing a review tomorrow, then you can sod off.
Goodbye!
I hope you have all enjoyed, and quite frankly, if you think I am going to be doing a review tomorrow, then you can sod off.
Goodbye!
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