As amusing as it was atmospheric, Attack the Block is a superb display of previously undiscovered talent with regard to the script, acting and score.
Some movie goers may criticise the monsters displayed in this film, as they weren't the most well designed feature, however I found the way it was filmed very Hitchcockian in that it's not what you see, it is what you don't see which forces you to use your imagination. All great movie makers know this is the best way to draw in the audience as the unwritten gruesome parts are left up to us to fill in the blanks.
I especially liked the way the this film made the audience begin to sympathise and start to like Moses and his 'delinquent' friends, despite the first scene when they rob Sam, quite literally the 'girl next door' whom we all know and like. It is a twist of fate of how she becomes involved with the gang, and this film wonderfully shows how we humans can forgive and even start to like people we would usually not associate with when our life depends on it!
The script was superb; very witty one-liners to make you laugh out loud is most likely what you will hear from people that have seen the film. Unfortunately I must admit despite the underlying issues with regard to the way the police were portrayed, I don't think this film displayed any hidden depth or substance. This was not promised in the trailers, however I still somehow felt disappointed as the credits started rolling . . .
Despite this, for a quick-paced sci-fi comedy, Attack the Block was well written, well performed and I must say the best thing for me was the score. The music added very well to the feeling of the film during the suspense scenes, and gave me goosebumps in some parts, which is very rare!
If I did not know any better, I would not have known that this film was produced by the same people that produced Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, as this film was such a refreshing change.
I cannot imagine Attack the Block will go down in cinema history, however Jo Cornish did a great job and I did thoroughly enjoy watching it.
Until next time film fans.
CCC
Friday 29 July 2011
Wednesday 11 May 2011
Monsters
I realise this film is not a new release, however I really enjoyed it and thus wanted to share my thoughts on my new discovery, a treasure of the alien film world..
Understandably, this film has been compared to District 9, due to the storyline; the main difference is that Monsters is much more related to relationships and human behaviours. This was demonstrated very well in the scene where Andrew, played beautifully by Scoot McNairy, pays a ridiculous amount of money for a boat to get them to safety, avoiding the infected area. Unfortuantely the last boat is not until the following morning. When Andrew and Samantha go to the boat in the morning, they are forced to pay again. This demonstrates the selfishness that I wuold imagine experiencing if the situation were to occur in reality.
The 'travelling to get back to safety' story seems like it should be outdated and uninteresting, however director Gareth Edwards certainly exceeded my expectations when I soon realised this was not the usual action-packed alien vs. human battlefield which usually ensues in films of this sort. The characters are in depth and very believable; they have accepted the situation and the realism in this acceptance is undeniable.
The blurry hand-held camera used is the new modern approach to film-making (this was namely demonstrated in Blair Witch and Cloverfield), however I have found this to be disappointing in the past. I find it usually makes it more difficult to focus on what is actually happening, however again the director has managed to make this an art and turned it into a lifelike documentary style approach, without the characters appearing to actually be documenting the story as per the previous films mentioned. Perhaps his work on 'In the Shadow of the Moon', a British documentary on the US manned missions to the moon, helped him ascertain such great skills to draw in the viewer.
The last scene, there was no conversation between the two main characters; it was beautiful, meaningful and summed up the relationship between the main characters through the actions of the aliens. Two of the aliens (which are rarely seen alive by non-military humans) come together, spend a special moment in time to converse, or make love or whatever the viewer interprets it to be, then go their separate ways. I cannot describe to you the impact of the scene, this is one you will have to watch yourselves I'm afraid, but it is well worth the wait. Simple and emotive, a great end to a thoroughly enjoyable and beautiful film. Well worth viewing, but not a lighthearted film. Be preapred to be engaged when you watch it - distractions will ruin it, so turn off your Blackberry or Iphone (if it's important, they will leave you a message!), sit back and enjoy.
I will be going to see Attack the Block soon (alien films seem to be a running theme in my reviews at the moment!). This is a Film4 production written and directed by Joe Cornish - that's right, remeber the Adam and Joe show!! I am pretty excited about this one so watch this space.
Until next time fellow film goers, thanks for reading.
CCC
Understandably, this film has been compared to District 9, due to the storyline; the main difference is that Monsters is much more related to relationships and human behaviours. This was demonstrated very well in the scene where Andrew, played beautifully by Scoot McNairy, pays a ridiculous amount of money for a boat to get them to safety, avoiding the infected area. Unfortuantely the last boat is not until the following morning. When Andrew and Samantha go to the boat in the morning, they are forced to pay again. This demonstrates the selfishness that I wuold imagine experiencing if the situation were to occur in reality.
The 'travelling to get back to safety' story seems like it should be outdated and uninteresting, however director Gareth Edwards certainly exceeded my expectations when I soon realised this was not the usual action-packed alien vs. human battlefield which usually ensues in films of this sort. The characters are in depth and very believable; they have accepted the situation and the realism in this acceptance is undeniable.
The blurry hand-held camera used is the new modern approach to film-making (this was namely demonstrated in Blair Witch and Cloverfield), however I have found this to be disappointing in the past. I find it usually makes it more difficult to focus on what is actually happening, however again the director has managed to make this an art and turned it into a lifelike documentary style approach, without the characters appearing to actually be documenting the story as per the previous films mentioned. Perhaps his work on 'In the Shadow of the Moon', a British documentary on the US manned missions to the moon, helped him ascertain such great skills to draw in the viewer.
The last scene, there was no conversation between the two main characters; it was beautiful, meaningful and summed up the relationship between the main characters through the actions of the aliens. Two of the aliens (which are rarely seen alive by non-military humans) come together, spend a special moment in time to converse, or make love or whatever the viewer interprets it to be, then go their separate ways. I cannot describe to you the impact of the scene, this is one you will have to watch yourselves I'm afraid, but it is well worth the wait. Simple and emotive, a great end to a thoroughly enjoyable and beautiful film. Well worth viewing, but not a lighthearted film. Be preapred to be engaged when you watch it - distractions will ruin it, so turn off your Blackberry or Iphone (if it's important, they will leave you a message!), sit back and enjoy.
I will be going to see Attack the Block soon (alien films seem to be a running theme in my reviews at the moment!). This is a Film4 production written and directed by Joe Cornish - that's right, remeber the Adam and Joe show!! I am pretty excited about this one so watch this space.
Until next time fellow film goers, thanks for reading.
CCC
Friday 21 January 2011
The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculous!
My friends and I had a discussion (not so recently admittedly, but my friends keep telling me to blog about it!) about certain films as a simple 'is it good or bad?' basis. You would think this would be an easy discussion, however it turns out there are more categories than meets the eye, as you are about to find out!
The argument is that there are good films, but as you would not watch them again, they can then be classified as good bad films, becuase you won't watch them again. The first film that came to my mind was The Road. Beautiful, poetic, well written and superbly directed, it is a great film. I would not watch it again, for reasons I don't want to bore you with, but for those that have seen it, I am sure you will agree.
Now, the next vategory is a bad film that is good, i.e it is not very well made, however due to something that appeals to the viewer, you can watch it over and over again. Anchorman, and Clueless are good examples of these types of films. Not much to offer the viewer but humour and another world to absorb into if you just want some easy watching.
Then there are the good good films, one of mine is The Shawshank Redemption. My usual cinema companion disputed this, stating he would not watch it again and again, as I do, thus the theory starts to fail a little here due to differing opinions!
The last category - the bad bad films. Now this is a hard film to make, yet certain people in the industry still think it's a good idea, and despite what their familes/colleagues/friends etc tell them, still insist on these films being projected mysteriously into our lives, and why? Well, not all films can be good or bad. Or good bad. Or bad good, or bad bad . . . and so on! A bad bad film - the worst film I have ever seen? I will have to think about that one and get back to you next time. If you can name a bad bad film, please feel free to leave comments, I will be very interetsed to read them!
Until next time, thanks for reading.
CCC
The argument is that there are good films, but as you would not watch them again, they can then be classified as good bad films, becuase you won't watch them again. The first film that came to my mind was The Road. Beautiful, poetic, well written and superbly directed, it is a great film. I would not watch it again, for reasons I don't want to bore you with, but for those that have seen it, I am sure you will agree.
Now, the next vategory is a bad film that is good, i.e it is not very well made, however due to something that appeals to the viewer, you can watch it over and over again. Anchorman, and Clueless are good examples of these types of films. Not much to offer the viewer but humour and another world to absorb into if you just want some easy watching.
Then there are the good good films, one of mine is The Shawshank Redemption. My usual cinema companion disputed this, stating he would not watch it again and again, as I do, thus the theory starts to fail a little here due to differing opinions!
The last category - the bad bad films. Now this is a hard film to make, yet certain people in the industry still think it's a good idea, and despite what their familes/colleagues/friends etc tell them, still insist on these films being projected mysteriously into our lives, and why? Well, not all films can be good or bad. Or good bad. Or bad good, or bad bad . . . and so on! A bad bad film - the worst film I have ever seen? I will have to think about that one and get back to you next time. If you can name a bad bad film, please feel free to leave comments, I will be very interetsed to read them!
Until next time, thanks for reading.
CCC
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