Bradford Film Festival Day 1

It's here, finally. Bradford International Film Festival kicked off in style last night with a trio of different but equally wonderful films.

First up we saw 2:20 a short film that reminded me of John Carpenter's They Live. A man is given a mysterious pair of sunglasses that ultimately lead's to his downfall.  Next up came a real classic from legendary animator Chuck Jones, ONE FROGGY EVENING, the only thing I will say about this film is, if you haven't seen it, please take a look, you will not be disappointed. Now for the feature film:

The opening night film to this years Bradford International Film Festival was Whit Stillman's DAMSELS IN DISTRESS. Stillman's 4th feature film and his first since 1998, Damsels in Distress has been a long time coming. Stillman tells us the story of a group of University girls in America that run the suicide prevention centre. The girls, or the Damsels, meet a number of men, or their Distress... or Dufii (plural). The film perfectly juxtapose's the laugh out loud comedy and the cynical look at university life. The four main characters are likeable from the start even if we do only concentrate on two of them. The film, which features quite a lot of dancing, even going so far to start a new dance craze,  has a wonderful all singing all dancing final scene that is beautifully shot. Damsels in Distress is a warm hearted, funny and wonderfully enjoyable film.

Damsels in Distress - 4/5

The Women in Black Review

Hammer Horror’s revival came with the 2010 vampire film Let Me In that was followed by The Resident and Wake Wood, both 2011, but this year they have returned to their roots with the terrifying ghost story The Women in Black, this year Hammer are back…with a scream.

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is a young lawyer and a widowed father, who is sent to eel Marsh House to locate the final will of the deceased owner. Kipps is warned by the locals not to enter the hose and he should leave and go back to London as soon as possible. Kipps ignores the locals and dismisses their superstitions and heads to the empty house to begin his work, but when he starts to see things he cant explain and when odd things start happening to the local’s children, Kipps soon realises the house might not be empty after all.

Jane Goldman (Kick Ass) wrote a fantastic script based on the classic book by Susan Hill. James Watkins (Eden Lake) was in the director’s chair and both did brilliant jobs. I personally think Goldman is one of the best screenplay writers we have in this country at the moment and Watkins will be turning more then a few heads after this film.

Can I just say first of all that seeing the Hammer logo on the cinema screen brought a smile to my face. The film starts with a chilling but fantastic scene that involves 3 children and our first look at the mysterious Women in Black. As disturbing and shocking as the rest of the film, this is the perfect way to set the audience up for what is to come.

Disturbing is definitely a word I would use to describe this film, deeply disturbing, if you go into the cinema thinking its jus another ghost story that might make me jump, you are wrong, very wrong. This film will leave you thinking for hours, days. You will turn all the lights on when you go home, you will wonder if that thing you can see in the corner of your eye is her, if it is The Women in Black. The night you see it, there is a good chance you won’t sleep.

If you have seen a Hammer film before (Which I hope you all have) you will recognise a few traits throughout the film, none more then the scene’s that take place in the Inn that is very reminiscent of classic Hammer Horror films of the 60’s. 

So what makes this stand out to all the other ghost films out there? Well there are a number of reasons but I think the main reason is the fact that the film lets your imagination do a lot of the work. The audience often finds itself looking at a close up of Radcliffe, surrounded by darkness. I found myself looking in the darkness waiting for a face to appear or for something to happen. This is a very clever technique used excellently by Watkins. It lets us imagine what is in the darkness, and our imagination can think of much scarier things that can ever be put on a cinema screen. When we do see The Women I Black, expect a chill to run down your spine, as she looks extremely freaky, especially when she appears from a shadow. There are also a number of creepy toys that play a pivotal role in the film.

This is the first horror film I have seen t the pictures for a few years that actually made me jump and scared me. As a huge horror fan I found this film a breath of fresh air in a torture porn filled genre and look forward to more Hammer films now they are back at doing what they do best, making scary films.

The Women in Black will keep you gripped from the very start and will make you feel a mixed array of emotions for various characters. Direction is superb, Radcliffe’s performance is outstanding and there is a chilling and rather unsettling music score behind it that only adds to the creepy atmosphere.

The Women in Black is a must see for everybody, horror fan or not.

Don’t believe in ghosts? Don’t worry… you will once you meet The Women in Black.

The Women in Black – 5/5 

Oscar Reaction

So as expected (and I kept telling you!) The Artist has 10 oscar nominations, only one behind leader Hugo but as happy as I am that that The Artist is making waves in the film world, I am furious that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo didn't receive that many. As soon as I came out of the cinema I said that film deserves at least 3 oscars. Best director, original soundtrack and best actress. I was sad to see when I looked at the oscar nominations that David Fincher (Director) and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Soundtrack) have been left out. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the only soundtrack I have paid for in a long time. Reznor and Ross won the academy award last year for their work on The Social Network, but is that why they have been left out this year? If it is that is not fair at all, if they deserve the nod again this year they should get it a nomination, in-fact scratch that they should win it but they cant, sadly. The Girl withe Dragon Tattoo should have also had a nomination for best adapted screenplay again though overlooked. Drive has also been excluded for best picture, best director for Nicolas Winding Refn and best actor for Ryan Gosling's fantastic portrayal of the Driver. Carey Mulligan and Albert Brooks both miss out on nominations for best actress and actor respectively. This is a travesty as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Drive were two of the best films I have seen over the last 12 months.

There are some good points about this though: As I have already stated The Artist is up for 10 awards. Gary Oldman receives his first ever nomination for his role in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and as much as I didn't enjoy Rise of the Planet of the Apes I did think the special effect work was outstanding and I hope it wins in that category.

So what did get nominated? Below is a full list of oscar nominations followed by my chosen winner on the categories I can comment on.

Best Picture


The Artist
The Descendants
War Horse
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

[The Artist]

Best Director 


Michael Hazanavicius - The Artist
Alexander Payne - The Descendants
Martin Scorsese - Hugo
Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life

[Michael Hazanavicius - The Artist]

Best Actor


Demian Bechir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball

[Jean Dujardin - The Artist/ Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]

Best Actress


Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn

[Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]

Best Supporting Actress


Berenice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help

[Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids]


Best Supporting Actor 


Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Max Von Sydow - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best Original Screenplay 


Michael Hazanavicius - The Artist
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo - Bridesmaids
J.C Chandor - Margin Call
Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi - The Separation

[Michael Hazanavicius - The Artist]


Best Adapted Screenplay


Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash - The Descendants
John Logan - Hugo
George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willomon - The Ides of March
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin - Moneyball
Bridget O' Connor and Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

[Bridget O' Connor and Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]

Best Foreign Language 


Bullhead - Belgium
Footnote - Israel
In Darkness - Poland
Monsier Lazhar - Canada
A Separation - Iran

Best Animated Feature


A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

[Rango]

Best Art Direction 


The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

[The Artist]

Best Cinematography 


Guillaume Schiffman - The Artist
Jeff Cronenweth - The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo
Robert Richardson - Hugo
Emmanuel Lubezki - The Tree of Life
Janusz Kaminski - War Horse

[Jeff Cronenweth - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]

Best Costume 


Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

[Anonymous]

Best Documentary Feature 


Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Best Documentary Short Subject


The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God is Bigger then Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Best Film Editing


The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

[The Artist]

Best Makeup


Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady

[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2]

Best Original Score


John Williams - The Adventures of Tintin
Ludovic Bource - The Artist
Howard Shore - Hugo
Alberto Iglesias - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
John Williams - War Horse

[Howard Shore - Hugo]

Best Original Song


Man or Muppet - The Muppets
Real in Rio - Rio

Best Short Film (Animated)


Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Short Film (Live Action)


Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Yuba Atlantic

Best Sound Editing


Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

[Drive]

Best Sound Mixing


The Girl with the Dragon tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

[The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]

Best Visual Effects


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

[Rise of the Planet of the Apes]




The 84th Academy Awards will be held on February 26th.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Review.

Fincher’s Finest 2 hours 38 minutes.

The Girl with the Dragon tattoo tells the story of journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) who is invited to stay with Henrik Vagner (Christopher Plummer) to solve a 40 year old murder case. Blomkvist is aided in the case by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a brilliant young computer hacker. The pair end up staying on an island owned by the Vagner family. The whole of the Vagner family live on this island apart from one, Harriet the girl who was murdered 40 years ago.

Directed by David Fincher from a script written by Steven Zaillian, based on the hugely popular novel of the same name written by Stieg Larsson.

The film starts with a title sequence that looks like a more disturbing and dark version of a James Bond opening which I personally loved, it set the tone for the rest of the film brilliantly. Director Fincher described it as “A sort of primordial sort of tar and ooze of the subconscious… sort of her nightmare”

The cinematography was outstanding and some of the establishing shots were beautiful. Snow covered Sweden. Direction was flawless and the acting, dare I say it Daniel Craig’s finest performance? I think so. Rooney Mara is simply outstanding, one of the best actresses I have seen in a long, long time.

A few things to consider though: The film does contain some very graphic sexual scenes that some people may be upset by. (I feel like I have to say that). You are introduced to a lot of characters during the film and you may get a bit confused with all the names, but by the end of the film everything makes sense.

The film will keep you gripped till the very end, even when the case is solved (if it gets solved that is) the story and Lisbeth’s journey will keep you gripped till the credits start to role.

As for the Oscars? If this does not win best soundtrack, best direction and best actress, I will not be happy. It really does deserve all 3, and probably best picture too.

Overall The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a genius piece of filmmaking and is essential viewing for everybody.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 5/5

2011 - A year in Film

2011 was a year of ups and downs for the film industry. We had up's like The Artist but then we had down's like, anything Michael bay touched.

Top 10 films of 2011


1. The Artist
2. Take Shelter
3. Submarine
4. Black Swan
5. Super 8
6. Drive
7. The Kings Speech
8. True Grit
9. Fast 5
10. Bridesmaids.

THE ARTIST was my stand out film of the year, I love that, in the current Hollywood world we live in, where everything blows up and 3D is all the rage, its a silent black and white film that is generating all the Oscar buzz. TAKE SHELTER was a huge surprise when I saw it as I wasn't expecting anything great but I really enjoyed it. SUBMARINE was just brilliant. BLACK SWAN was the stand out film from the first few months that puts Portman in a career best role. SUPER 8 is a personal favourite of mine, I really enjoyed it as a blockbuster film and think Abrams is one of the best directors we have in the film world at the moment. DRIVE didn't impress me when I saw at all, but after reading the script and thinking about it, I realised I did actually like it a lot. THE KINGS SPEECH seem's to have disappeared from a lot of peoples mind's but I thought it was an excellent storytelling piece of film. TRUE GRIT also seems to have fallen into the abyss but again I thought it was exceptional with some brilliant acting. FAST 5 yes I know, it does say Fast 5 but the franchise is my guilty pleasure and personally I think this is the best one and finally BRIDESMAIDS, I liked it, wasn't brilliant but wasn't terrible but it did what it had to do and that was appeal to women in the same way THE HANGOVER appeals to men.

Films That Let Me Down in 2011


I saw a lot of films last year. Some where exceptional, some were worth watching but nothing special and then some were terrible. I will start with THE THING I wasn't expecting much from this but what was the point in making it, its basically the same as Carpenter's original but less exciting. This could also be said for THE HANGOVER 2 which I thought was a carbon copy of the first but in a different city. This theory can also be applied to PIRATES 4, I think the less said about that the better. A lot of people seemed to like CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER but I didn't. To me it seemed like a huge montage and I get the feeling it was only made to tie in with THE AVENGERS. A horror film now THE WARD was my hero's (John Carpenter) return to film making but sadly it was not a triumphant return and finally another film that everybody else seemed to like was RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES but sadly I didn't enjoy it, personally I found it extremely boring.

So that was 2011 what will 2012 hold for the film world? Below are a number of films I am looking forward to seeing:

The Dark Knight Rises
Gravity
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Avengers
Frankenweenie
The Amazing Spider-man
Taken 2
Man on a Ledge
The Women in Black
Dark Shadows
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Les Miserables
Vehicle 19
Halloween 3
The Devil Inside
Lincoln
J.Edgar
Shame
Silent Hill 2
The Bourne Legacy
James Bond: Skyfall
The Innkeepers
Coriolanus

Why Empire have annoyed me

Yesterday I bought myself Frank Darabont's The Mist on DVD. When I went to read the reviews on the back of the case, the one from Empire film magazine really annoyed me:

                                    "Tight, tense frightflick that has more  

                                      intelligente and originality than a thousand Saw's"

Really? I strongly disagree with this quote.

Saw is probably one of the most original films in recent times, especially in the horror genre. As for The Mist, its based on a Stephen King book, which means it is not an original film. The film also has many links to John Carpenter's The Fog which, if you strip down the film, is the same story, people are stuck because of the weather.

Empire gave The Mist 4 starts to accompany that quote. I went on the Empire website and found their review of Saw and guess what, they gave it 4 stars. Here is that review from Empire: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=10234

Personally I think Saw is better then The Mist, I have not seen The Mist in a long time, thats why I bought it, but reading quotes like this that contradicts itself makes me angry.

Another reason why I don't read Empire....

Batman Film Posters

As dedicated movie fans we get excited when we see a new poster for a film we really want to see, such as any of Nolans Batman films.




First off we had this one, advertising Batman Begins and look at it, no actor's names, no director's or producer's names, simply the silhouette of Batman. Genius. Such a fantastic poster.

The Dark Knight again proved a hit on the poster front. The Joker stood behind some glass with "Why so serious" and a creepy smile drawn onto it. Again no actors or director's names. The poster does the speaking for the entire film, and we all know the film didn't disappoint.

Today a new poster for Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated third and final Batman film hit the internet and sent Batgeeks, like me, into a frenzy. Its stunning. Bane walking away from a crushed Batman "helmet" in the rain and the tagline "The Legend Ends". Brilliant. Again no names appear on the poster. All we care about is the image, an what an image.