Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Imdb Top 100 Part 4: 55-41
55. The Lives of Others
This is the story of a communist agent who spies on a writer and his girlfriend to try and see whether they are undesirables. He sits in their attic and listens in to their conversations. And as the story goes on he is drawn in by their life and changes his beliefs. It’s the sort of story that been told plenty of times before, but really it’s not been told much better than this. It’s set in a time and place I knew nothing about, but it was still easy to understand and well worth a watch.
54. Double Indemnity
This is the first film noir that I watched. I wasn’t sure whether I’d enjoy it. But it’s very entertaining, and shows off the best qualities of the genre. The dark imagery, the gritty characters, the backstabbing and complex plots. This film was a real eye-opener for me, and led me to watch other classic films, so I’d give it a watch and see whether it inspires you as well.
53. M
I don’t like Metropolis, so I didn’t have high hopes watching another German expressionist film by Fritz Lang. However I really liked M. I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s because it’s set in the present day and real world for the time. Maybe it’s because it’s not a silent film any more. Or maybe it’s the strong visuals such as the chalk M on the murderer’s coat. It’s probably a mix of them all, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this film.
52. Wall. E
I’m not sure why this is so high up. I could see if the film was all like the first half. It’s the story of two robots on a ruined Earth told just by visuals and music, there’s no dialog. It’s like 2001, except not incredibly pretentious. It’s like a work of art. But then it turns into a silly comedy on a spaceship filled with fat people. I mean it’s not bad, but it’s nothing special. It’s a bit of a mixed bag.
51. The Pianist
We all know the terrible things that happened during WW2. However this is the first film that made me truly angry at the Nazis. It really gets you invested in the struggle the characters face. The despair, the horror, the sadness, you feel them all, and really what more can you ask for. Definitely one of the best WW2 films, obviously highly personal due to the director living through events like though shown in the film.
50. Paths of Glory
This film shows the terrible treatment by the men in WW1 by their superior officers. Three men are chosen to be executed because their squadron refused to go on a charge that would have been suicide. We see the reactions of the men as they are chosen and sentenced to death and of the high officers who couldn’t care less, and of the men’s captain who tries everything to save them. Some bits are heartbreaking, some bits are hilarious, it’s a real mix of a film, but it’s still very good.
49. City Lights
Another Charlie Chaplin film. I prefer Modern Times on the whole, but this film has two things that make it a better film. One is a millionaire who when sober hates Chaplin, but loves him when drunk. This guy is one of the funniest things on film, he needs to be seen to be believed. And the other is Chaplin’s love story with a blind girl. I didn’t think it was possibly to get emotionally invested in a silent slapstick comedy, but this film really proved me wrong.
48. The Shining
I can’t say I see why The Shining is supposed to be so good. I liked it, except the part with the psychic black guy, up until the part where Jack gets let out of the freezer by the ghosts. Up until then I could believe that the ghosts where all just in his head and he was being driven insane by the loneliness. I thought that kind of psychological horror would be really interesting, but then, because it’s Stephen King, it turn out he wasn’t just crazy it was ghosts, and I couldn’t take the film seriously anymore. Also that kid saying “redrum”? He needs a good slap.
47. Amelie
It’s a love story. I can’t think of any love story films that I like except this one. But this really isn’t like any others. It’s quirky and whimsical and it lives in its own magical world. It’s really funny. And moving and sad and happy and... well it just jumps from one thing to another, it’s got the air of a dream almost. So don’t get put off by the romance, even a manly man could enjoy this film.
46. Spirited Away
I don’t like anime. I’m not sure what it is. I tell myself it’s because it doesn’t explain itself, like in this film a little girl ends up in a magical world where lots of really odd things happen and you just have to accept them. But really that can’t be true, because some of myself favourite films are sci-fi or fantasy, which are different sorts of weird but equally strange. So I can’t explain it. But I don’t like anime, so I don’t like this film. If you like anime you might like this, but I’m in no position to judge.
45. Vertigo
The first Hitchcock film we’ve come across on the list. It shows the dark mystery, brilliant characters and unexpected twists that I love in his films. Not to mention, it has Jimmy Stewart, one of my favourite actors in it. This really draws you in, and you really want to know what is going on, but it just keeps getting stranger, until the reveal which isn’t a disappointment.
44. Alien
The original and the best. Forget about the one good sequel, the three mediocre to poor sequels and AVP 2, a film I hate with a passion. This is the one that started the whole series. And it’s brilliant. The alien is just that, an alien. It can’t be reasoned with, it can’t be understood and it can’t be stopped. It’s just a terrifying monster in the shadows that strikes down the crew one by one. The best sci-fi horror film ever.
43. Saving Private Ryan
Much as I hate Braveheart with its historic inaccuracies, this film has enough impact to get away with it. The heart of the soldiers and their struggles makes this film draining, but heart-warming by the end. However the first scene, the D-Day landings are just... incredible. It’s the most impressive war movie scene I’ve ever seen, it leaves such an impact.
42. Taxi Driver
This is a difficult film to explain. It’s the story of a Vietnam veteran suffering in a life he hates. He meets a woman, but things go wrong and spiral out of control until the last act, which is mind-blowing. Of course there’s a lot more to it than that short description, but I really don’t know how to say much about it without ruining it. Watch this film, there’s nothing else quite like it.
41. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
My second favourite sequel of all time, this is the follow-up to a story of a killer robot coming back in time. This time there’s two, but ones on our side. The first film is just an action movie. There are some good parts, so it’s better than average but it’s nothing special. But Judgement Day? It’s got the whole package. The effects are incredible, the acting is great, the story is engaging and it’s got heart too. I really can’t think of anyway this could have been better. In fact if you’re only going to watch one Terminator film, I’d skip the first one and watch this.
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Doctor Who Review: Let's Kill Hitler
"Spoilers." Also. Spoiler Warning.
Wow, this was quick wasn't it? One, Doctor Who being back, it really doesn't feel like that long since the last lot ended, and two, me putting up my review a few hours after the show was on tv. Now there's a reason for it being up this quick. And if you've seen the latest episode Let's Kill Hitler, then you'll understand. But I think it might be hard to put it into words.
Let me say one thing. I liked some of this. I liked the bit with Hitler, "Rory, put Hitler in the cupboard" has to be one of the best lines ever. I liked the bit in the Tardis while the Doctor's dying, funny and touching. I liked the bit where River and the Doctor have both expected each other's actions. And I liked the idea of the Justice Department and them being tiny inside a human sized machine, although it was woefully underused and it reminded me of Meet Dave of all things. Now we've got the good out of the way though...
The problem is it's a disappointment. Like every part. With the title Let's Kill Hitler you'd think they'd spend more than 5 minutes with him, but the only reason he's there is to get a reason to have the Justice Police there. And they're only there to provide exposition and to give a situation to have Amy and Rory in danger in. Really the majority of this episode could be set anywhere and could have been done with anything replacing the Justice Police or JP. And I liked the JP, I thought there were a good idea, but all they do is tell the Tardis crew what they need to know for the plot to work and then leave, leaving Amy and Rory to get chased by their "anti-bodies". Which were also a good idea. But again, they're just "a threat", I liked them, but they could have been replaced by literally anything and the story would have been the same. Also Mels. I had a problem with her before she was even revealed to be anything else. The introduction was awful, just by showing us a couple of flashbacks are we really supposed to accept she's been there the whole time? And for just Amy and Rory's friend she was far too ridiculous to accept as a real person. I'm not saying everyone in Dr Who should be realistic, but she was clearly going to be revealed as something more. Really though, would the Doctor when threatened with a gun and told to go back in time and change history... do it? Because that's what happens. The Doctor wasn't tricking Mels and going somewhere else, he was going to take her to Hitler's office. People have threatened the Doctor to do things like this before and he's either said no or tricked them. It seems somewhat out of character for him to get bullied by one girl with a gun.
And that one girl is the problem. Melody Pond, aka River Song. Because really. Is this how you expected the Doctor and River to first meet? I mean, I dont know how I expected it but it definately wasn't this. I don't say that in a good way. Some random girl, that I already didn't like gets shot and regenerates into River. Maybe if she hadn't only been in the story for about 5 minutes and was obviously a River Song type of character, so it wasn't even a surprise. Then she's a psycopath brainwashed to kill the Doctor. But we only find that out after she's done it, before that she just seems like she's nuts. And after that. You'd think they might do something with her being Amy and Rory's daughter, but they don't really, there's hardly anything to do with it, especially at the end where they seem to just give up looking for her and leave River, so they might not see their daughter ever again. River's apparently brainwashed, but all it takes is the Doctor showing he's a good guy for her to join his side, there was no kind of struggle, it didn't even seem like she was brainwashed at all, just nuts. Oh, River can regenerate so will there be any stories dealing how now there are two Timelords? No, she just uses up all her regenerations to save the Doctor so the audience can forgive her for killing him in the first place. And since when could regeneration stop you getting shot? Maybe that would've been helpful when in 1970's Spearhead From Space where the Doctor gets shot soon after regeneration and it knocks him out for hours. Also, the explanation of the Silence is given far too quickly and just replaces one mystery with an even stupider sounding one.
Really, this episode is a huge disappointment for all the questions being asked all series. Maybe I could have forgiven it slightly if the River Song story had been a subplot, and maybe... the Justice Police were going to kill Hitler but the Doctor has to stop them changing time, even though helping Hitler is against everything he stands for. Wait, I've just written a better idea than the plot of this episode. There's so much more I could say but I'll leav you with this. We've been waiting over a series to see River meet the Doctor, but this episode fails to deliver, and it doesn't have any other story to fall back on, so the flaws are painfully obvious and make a truly uninspired piece of television.
2/5
Wow, this was quick wasn't it? One, Doctor Who being back, it really doesn't feel like that long since the last lot ended, and two, me putting up my review a few hours after the show was on tv. Now there's a reason for it being up this quick. And if you've seen the latest episode Let's Kill Hitler, then you'll understand. But I think it might be hard to put it into words.
Let me say one thing. I liked some of this. I liked the bit with Hitler, "Rory, put Hitler in the cupboard" has to be one of the best lines ever. I liked the bit in the Tardis while the Doctor's dying, funny and touching. I liked the bit where River and the Doctor have both expected each other's actions. And I liked the idea of the Justice Department and them being tiny inside a human sized machine, although it was woefully underused and it reminded me of Meet Dave of all things. Now we've got the good out of the way though...
The problem is it's a disappointment. Like every part. With the title Let's Kill Hitler you'd think they'd spend more than 5 minutes with him, but the only reason he's there is to get a reason to have the Justice Police there. And they're only there to provide exposition and to give a situation to have Amy and Rory in danger in. Really the majority of this episode could be set anywhere and could have been done with anything replacing the Justice Police or JP. And I liked the JP, I thought there were a good idea, but all they do is tell the Tardis crew what they need to know for the plot to work and then leave, leaving Amy and Rory to get chased by their "anti-bodies". Which were also a good idea. But again, they're just "a threat", I liked them, but they could have been replaced by literally anything and the story would have been the same. Also Mels. I had a problem with her before she was even revealed to be anything else. The introduction was awful, just by showing us a couple of flashbacks are we really supposed to accept she's been there the whole time? And for just Amy and Rory's friend she was far too ridiculous to accept as a real person. I'm not saying everyone in Dr Who should be realistic, but she was clearly going to be revealed as something more. Really though, would the Doctor when threatened with a gun and told to go back in time and change history... do it? Because that's what happens. The Doctor wasn't tricking Mels and going somewhere else, he was going to take her to Hitler's office. People have threatened the Doctor to do things like this before and he's either said no or tricked them. It seems somewhat out of character for him to get bullied by one girl with a gun.
And that one girl is the problem. Melody Pond, aka River Song. Because really. Is this how you expected the Doctor and River to first meet? I mean, I dont know how I expected it but it definately wasn't this. I don't say that in a good way. Some random girl, that I already didn't like gets shot and regenerates into River. Maybe if she hadn't only been in the story for about 5 minutes and was obviously a River Song type of character, so it wasn't even a surprise. Then she's a psycopath brainwashed to kill the Doctor. But we only find that out after she's done it, before that she just seems like she's nuts. And after that. You'd think they might do something with her being Amy and Rory's daughter, but they don't really, there's hardly anything to do with it, especially at the end where they seem to just give up looking for her and leave River, so they might not see their daughter ever again. River's apparently brainwashed, but all it takes is the Doctor showing he's a good guy for her to join his side, there was no kind of struggle, it didn't even seem like she was brainwashed at all, just nuts. Oh, River can regenerate so will there be any stories dealing how now there are two Timelords? No, she just uses up all her regenerations to save the Doctor so the audience can forgive her for killing him in the first place. And since when could regeneration stop you getting shot? Maybe that would've been helpful when in 1970's Spearhead From Space where the Doctor gets shot soon after regeneration and it knocks him out for hours. Also, the explanation of the Silence is given far too quickly and just replaces one mystery with an even stupider sounding one.
Really, this episode is a huge disappointment for all the questions being asked all series. Maybe I could have forgiven it slightly if the River Song story had been a subplot, and maybe... the Justice Police were going to kill Hitler but the Doctor has to stop them changing time, even though helping Hitler is against everything he stands for. Wait, I've just written a better idea than the plot of this episode. There's so much more I could say but I'll leav you with this. We've been waiting over a series to see River meet the Doctor, but this episode fails to deliver, and it doesn't have any other story to fall back on, so the flaws are painfully obvious and make a truly uninspired piece of television.
 |
| Although it does have Rory punching Hitler so I can't give it 1/5. |
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Imdb Top 100 Part 3: 70-56
70. Chinatown
Pretty much, it's the sort of film noir that was all the rage in the 1940s/50s but by 1974 when this was released it wasn't such a big film movement anymore. Could a film like that still work even now? Well it does. Mainly due to Jack Nicholson being as entertaining as ever and the dark twists near the end of the film. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say if you ever wanted to get into film noir I'd start with this because it's a very easy to watch film.
69. L.A. Confidential
Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce play cops in the corrupt city of 50s L.A. What more is there to say. It's a very modern film in the way it's done, so it's easy for modern audiences to get into, the characters are all really entertaining, even the smaller parts, especially James Cromwell (the guy who's in everything but no-one knows his name) as the police chief. One of my favourites on the list.
68. Back to the Future
Some people might write this off because it's about time travel, but they're stupid. Back to the Future is so much more than just some silly sci-fi film. It's got mad science, high school hijinks, a mad plot, some hilarious jokes, a classic villian, some touching moments and it's all wrapped up in a great adventure. Most people reading this'll have seen it, and if you've not, go out and watch it now. And watch the sequels, because in my opinion they're as, if not more funny than the first film.
67.The Third Man
Starring Orson Welles this is a great piece of cinema. I watched this for the first time in about, 2004ish, so I was only about 11. And to be honest all I really watched at the time was Star Wars, but I watched this with my parents and I really enjoyed it. So if an 11 year old sci-fi geek is blown away by it, I think anyone could have a good time watching it.
66. Reservoir Dogs
I love Tarantino's films and I think this one might just be my favourite. It's primarily set in one room with the rest of the story told in flashback. What I like is that although it's a film about a robbery, all thats shown is the lead-up and the consequences. It shows restraint not to have the bloody heist on screen, and lack of restraint is what I think ruins some of his later films. This one is my favourite though and I'd definately recommend it.
65. Life is Beautiful
This is one of my three favourite foreign language films. It starts off as just a joker trying to woo a woman, then it jumps to when they're married and it's during WW2. The main character and his son are both Jews though and start by getting persecuted before getting sent to a concentration camp. But although it's sad film it's also really heart warming, seeing how the father risks his life to keep his son happy all through the terrible things that happen to them.
64. Modern Times
Another Charlie Chaplin film, this time it's a silent film. But unlike some films don't let the silence put you off. This film is unbelievably funny. It's an hour and a half of completely ridiculous slapstick, and it's just so funny. It's hard to talk about it without ruining the fun so I'd say have a look.
63. Das Boot
This is an odd film. It's a film about a Nazi submarine crew, and you'd think after all the other WW2 films I would hate them. But it makes the crew strangely likable, mainly due to them being just tired old sailors who're fed up of their orders but carry them out as their duty. It's over 3 hours long and I didn't get bored in all that time, so they're definately doing something right. And the ending, well, I won't ruin it, but it definately gets it's point across.
62. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey plays a man who wants the memories of his ex removed. Half of the film takes place in his head as while the memories of her fade he realises he still loves her. That sounds like a sappy romantic comedy but it's a lot darker than you would expect. Also, the other half of the film takes place with the people removing his memory and they are not good people, but they are sure as hell entertaining. I didn't think this would be my sort of film, but I was pleasantly surprised.
61. Requiem For A Dream
Well, this is a hard film to look at. And I mean that literally. I love it, but it's like watching a crash. You don't enjoy it, but you can't look away. I don't mean it's a bad film, anything but. But the things that happen in the film I think would be unwatchable to some people, especially one scene at the end. But it's a very well made and enjoyable film as well, so if you think you can take it, I'd say give it a look.
60. Aliens
The first Alien is a horror movie, where the crew of a ship are stalked and killed one by one by an alien monster. But we'll get to that later. Right now it's the turn of the sequel which is one of the best sequels of all time. And it managed that by... completely changing what kind of film it was. Aliens is an action film. It's about a survivor of the first film and a group of marines going to a planet filled with the aliens and killing them. There's a lot more to it than that, but thats the bit that makes it great. It's still scary but in a different way and it's exciting, and if I still was in the 90s I'd say it was awesome.
59. To Kill A Mockingbird
Its based on a brilliant book, so it already has the groundwork of a great plot. But what really makes it for me are the performances. It's about a lawyer fighting to save a black man in the 1930s in Southern USA. I love the conviction of Gregory Peck, but my favourite part of the film is the main racist. He's just such a completely unlikable character, but he's great to watch. The sad thing is you know that there's still people like him out there.
58. A Clockwork Orange
I have mixed feelings for this film. I like the plot and the ideas behind it. And although I find some of the imagery to be a bit over the top, like the outfits the main characters wear, I could get behind it if it wasn't for one thing. The slang they use. It was especially invented for the novel this film was based on and I suppose it's mean to be symbolic or something I don't know. It just makes me be unable to take the characters seriously, but they talk like stupid children. But maybe that's just me.
57. Lawrence of Arabia
This is the definition of an epic film. It looks amazing. The parts shot on location in the desert are just breathtaking. That isn't to mean it doesn't have a plot though, it's not 2001. The story stretches over an entire war campaign and tells the story of a very unusual soldier. It's thoughtprovoking and moving and it's one of the most visually impressive films of all time.
56. The Departed
The police have a mole in the mob and the mob have a mole in the police and they're trying to find out who each other are and bring down the opposite organisation from their own. Confused yet? This film has a very convoluted plot, but that something I always like in a movie. It has possibly the best performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon and it also has Jack Nicholson which always makes for a good film. This film is definately worth a watch for all the backstabbing and tricks and lies and just everything in it that make it a truly intelligent thriller.
Pretty much, it's the sort of film noir that was all the rage in the 1940s/50s but by 1974 when this was released it wasn't such a big film movement anymore. Could a film like that still work even now? Well it does. Mainly due to Jack Nicholson being as entertaining as ever and the dark twists near the end of the film. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say if you ever wanted to get into film noir I'd start with this because it's a very easy to watch film.
69. L.A. Confidential
Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce play cops in the corrupt city of 50s L.A. What more is there to say. It's a very modern film in the way it's done, so it's easy for modern audiences to get into, the characters are all really entertaining, even the smaller parts, especially James Cromwell (the guy who's in everything but no-one knows his name) as the police chief. One of my favourites on the list.
68. Back to the Future
Some people might write this off because it's about time travel, but they're stupid. Back to the Future is so much more than just some silly sci-fi film. It's got mad science, high school hijinks, a mad plot, some hilarious jokes, a classic villian, some touching moments and it's all wrapped up in a great adventure. Most people reading this'll have seen it, and if you've not, go out and watch it now. And watch the sequels, because in my opinion they're as, if not more funny than the first film.
67.The Third Man
Starring Orson Welles this is a great piece of cinema. I watched this for the first time in about, 2004ish, so I was only about 11. And to be honest all I really watched at the time was Star Wars, but I watched this with my parents and I really enjoyed it. So if an 11 year old sci-fi geek is blown away by it, I think anyone could have a good time watching it.
66. Reservoir Dogs
I love Tarantino's films and I think this one might just be my favourite. It's primarily set in one room with the rest of the story told in flashback. What I like is that although it's a film about a robbery, all thats shown is the lead-up and the consequences. It shows restraint not to have the bloody heist on screen, and lack of restraint is what I think ruins some of his later films. This one is my favourite though and I'd definately recommend it.
65. Life is Beautiful
This is one of my three favourite foreign language films. It starts off as just a joker trying to woo a woman, then it jumps to when they're married and it's during WW2. The main character and his son are both Jews though and start by getting persecuted before getting sent to a concentration camp. But although it's sad film it's also really heart warming, seeing how the father risks his life to keep his son happy all through the terrible things that happen to them.
64. Modern Times
Another Charlie Chaplin film, this time it's a silent film. But unlike some films don't let the silence put you off. This film is unbelievably funny. It's an hour and a half of completely ridiculous slapstick, and it's just so funny. It's hard to talk about it without ruining the fun so I'd say have a look.
63. Das Boot
This is an odd film. It's a film about a Nazi submarine crew, and you'd think after all the other WW2 films I would hate them. But it makes the crew strangely likable, mainly due to them being just tired old sailors who're fed up of their orders but carry them out as their duty. It's over 3 hours long and I didn't get bored in all that time, so they're definately doing something right. And the ending, well, I won't ruin it, but it definately gets it's point across.
62. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey plays a man who wants the memories of his ex removed. Half of the film takes place in his head as while the memories of her fade he realises he still loves her. That sounds like a sappy romantic comedy but it's a lot darker than you would expect. Also, the other half of the film takes place with the people removing his memory and they are not good people, but they are sure as hell entertaining. I didn't think this would be my sort of film, but I was pleasantly surprised.
61. Requiem For A Dream
Well, this is a hard film to look at. And I mean that literally. I love it, but it's like watching a crash. You don't enjoy it, but you can't look away. I don't mean it's a bad film, anything but. But the things that happen in the film I think would be unwatchable to some people, especially one scene at the end. But it's a very well made and enjoyable film as well, so if you think you can take it, I'd say give it a look.
60. Aliens
The first Alien is a horror movie, where the crew of a ship are stalked and killed one by one by an alien monster. But we'll get to that later. Right now it's the turn of the sequel which is one of the best sequels of all time. And it managed that by... completely changing what kind of film it was. Aliens is an action film. It's about a survivor of the first film and a group of marines going to a planet filled with the aliens and killing them. There's a lot more to it than that, but thats the bit that makes it great. It's still scary but in a different way and it's exciting, and if I still was in the 90s I'd say it was awesome.
59. To Kill A Mockingbird
Its based on a brilliant book, so it already has the groundwork of a great plot. But what really makes it for me are the performances. It's about a lawyer fighting to save a black man in the 1930s in Southern USA. I love the conviction of Gregory Peck, but my favourite part of the film is the main racist. He's just such a completely unlikable character, but he's great to watch. The sad thing is you know that there's still people like him out there.
58. A Clockwork Orange
I have mixed feelings for this film. I like the plot and the ideas behind it. And although I find some of the imagery to be a bit over the top, like the outfits the main characters wear, I could get behind it if it wasn't for one thing. The slang they use. It was especially invented for the novel this film was based on and I suppose it's mean to be symbolic or something I don't know. It just makes me be unable to take the characters seriously, but they talk like stupid children. But maybe that's just me.
57. Lawrence of Arabia
This is the definition of an epic film. It looks amazing. The parts shot on location in the desert are just breathtaking. That isn't to mean it doesn't have a plot though, it's not 2001. The story stretches over an entire war campaign and tells the story of a very unusual soldier. It's thoughtprovoking and moving and it's one of the most visually impressive films of all time.
56. The Departed
The police have a mole in the mob and the mob have a mole in the police and they're trying to find out who each other are and bring down the opposite organisation from their own. Confused yet? This film has a very convoluted plot, but that something I always like in a movie. It has possibly the best performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon and it also has Jack Nicholson which always makes for a good film. This film is definately worth a watch for all the backstabbing and tricks and lies and just everything in it that make it a truly intelligent thriller.
Saturday, 20 August 2011
WSIFITS: New Frijj
In another weird drinks I found in the shop blog, there's two new flavours of Frijj milkshake. And for some reason they're packaged like they're circus posters with circus act animals on them. I don't know why. Maybe because they're limited edition? They both start with "The Incredible..." so maybe it's a marketing thing I don't know. Or care.
The two flavours I've come across are "Raspberry Jam Doughnut" and "Honeycomb Choc Swirl". The doughnut one is... well it tastes like a jam doughnut really. It's a bit sweeter than their normal strawberry and obviously more raspberry flavoured, but I prefer the original. This new one does taste like a jam doughnut, true, but not a very good one and even then it just makes me want to eat a real doughnut and the novelty of the taste wears off to reveal it's just a mediocre milkshake. The HCS tastes... like... well it's hard to describe, it's like a cross between the Chocholate Fudge milkshake and a toffee yoghurt. And not as good as either. Pretty much they're both ok, but I really wouldn't get them again. So I'd advise against them.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Imdb Top 100 Part 2: 85-71
85. Full Metal Jacket
I must be the only person who preferred the second half of this film. I thought the drill sergeant in the first half was just annoying. But hey, the second half was one of my favourite war films, so swings and roundabouts.
84. The Bridge On The River Kwai
This film is amazing. It seems like a typical old war film, but excellent performances especially from Alec Guinness really make it something special. I got shivers down my spine at the line “what have I done?” and when that happens you know it’s a good film.
83. All About Eve
There’s not a lot I can say about what I like in this film without giving away the plot. It’s about an old star getting eclipsed by new fresh talent. But it’s not just some coming of age story, there’s something more sinister at work. I didn’t think it would be my type of film, but it really won me over.
82. Pan’s Labyrinth
I really like Guillermo Del Toro’s work. I love Hellboy II, one of my favourite films. This takes the same sort of magical world, and instead of an action movie makes a dark twisted fairy tale. And it really works. It’s like Alice In Wonderland but by Tim Burton... oh wait, that actually exists. And it was shit. Never mind.
81. Amadeus
This would be a good film. Good script. Good direction. Good actors for the most part. Except for one thing. I cannot stand Mozart in this film. He’s just so annoying. His voice is annoying; the way he acts is annoying and his fucking laugh... I don’t know if that’s the point but he just ruined the film for me. He was so annoying I could barely watch it. If you can stand him it’s a great film, but I really can’t.
80. Singin’ In The Rain
I hate musicals. The only one I like is The Blues Brothers so I can’t really give an opinion on one. It wasn’t as bad as some other ones. That’s the best I can say.
79. Rashomon
It’s aged a bit now, but this is still a really interesting film. It’s a clear inspiration for some newer films like Hero, so I’d say give it a look. I like the way it’s presented with the three tales and the framing of the storytellers, so with a bit of patience I’d say check it out.
78. Some Like It Hot
This film is hilarious. I thought the humour of the 50s might be lost on me, but I was sitting laughing the whole way through. The disguises are so funny; especially the millionaire and the ending scenes are just completely mad and hilarious. It’s probably the old film on this list that’s aged the best, as it’s still as funny as it would’ve been at the time.
77. Once Upon A Time In America
This is tied with Goodfellas as my favourite gangster film of all time. It’s set over 50 years, took 10 years to make and is almost 4 hours long. It’s truly a film epic, and you’re worn out after watching it. But it’s really rewarding as well. It’s also my favourite Sergio Leone film, and his only non-western film I’ve seen, shows that westerns aren’t the only things he was good at making.
76. Raging Bull
The only other boxing movie I’ve seen is Rocky, and I really liked seeing the same sort of story going in the opposite direction. The main character is not a good man, and because of this all his success escapes him and in the end brings him down lower than he started.
75. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This film is hilarious. I’ve never seen the Python TV series, so this was my first experience of them. And it really didn’t disappoint. From the bridge, to the black knight, to the rabbit, this film is incredibly witty and hilarious. Personally I prefer Life of Brian, but they’re both equally good. Just avoid Meaning of Life, maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find that funny at all.
74. Cinema Paradiso
It sounds bad. A boy befriends the old projectionist in a cinema. He starts off getting annoyed with the boy them learns to love him. It sounds like retread of a story told so many times before. But the enthusiasm of the actors and the richness of the script just bring it to life unlike any other film of this type. Truly heart-warming and heartbreaking at the same time. And don’t ask me to explain how it can be both. Just watch it.
73. The Green Mile
I don’t like Stephen King. And this film has all the usual small townsfolk, magical black guy problems of his other works. It’s a well made film and it’s quite entertaining for a bit, but I really got fed up with it all after a while. I would be more behind this film if it wasn’t so damn long. But it was a real drain after the halfway mark and I really stopped caring.
72. The Treasure of the Sierre Madre
This is a film that hasn’t aged very well. But, unlike Metropolis, you can still enjoy it. And the main reason you can enjoy it is the three main actors. The rest of the story doesn’t hold up so well but the parts with just the three men really shine. And the ending is brilliant.
71. The Prestige
My least favourite Christopher Nolan film, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film, it means he makes really good films. The magicians and their tricks are brilliant and the mystery leading up to Tesla’s machine is also gripping, but as soon as you find out what it really is and what it does, I was disappointed and it brings up a whole bag of plot holes. It’s still a great film, but I’d watch Nolan’s other work first before searching this one out.
I must be the only person who preferred the second half of this film. I thought the drill sergeant in the first half was just annoying. But hey, the second half was one of my favourite war films, so swings and roundabouts.
84. The Bridge On The River Kwai
This film is amazing. It seems like a typical old war film, but excellent performances especially from Alec Guinness really make it something special. I got shivers down my spine at the line “what have I done?” and when that happens you know it’s a good film.
83. All About Eve
There’s not a lot I can say about what I like in this film without giving away the plot. It’s about an old star getting eclipsed by new fresh talent. But it’s not just some coming of age story, there’s something more sinister at work. I didn’t think it would be my type of film, but it really won me over.
82. Pan’s Labyrinth
I really like Guillermo Del Toro’s work. I love Hellboy II, one of my favourite films. This takes the same sort of magical world, and instead of an action movie makes a dark twisted fairy tale. And it really works. It’s like Alice In Wonderland but by Tim Burton... oh wait, that actually exists. And it was shit. Never mind.
81. Amadeus
This would be a good film. Good script. Good direction. Good actors for the most part. Except for one thing. I cannot stand Mozart in this film. He’s just so annoying. His voice is annoying; the way he acts is annoying and his fucking laugh... I don’t know if that’s the point but he just ruined the film for me. He was so annoying I could barely watch it. If you can stand him it’s a great film, but I really can’t.
80. Singin’ In The Rain
I hate musicals. The only one I like is The Blues Brothers so I can’t really give an opinion on one. It wasn’t as bad as some other ones. That’s the best I can say.
79. Rashomon
It’s aged a bit now, but this is still a really interesting film. It’s a clear inspiration for some newer films like Hero, so I’d say give it a look. I like the way it’s presented with the three tales and the framing of the storytellers, so with a bit of patience I’d say check it out.
78. Some Like It Hot
This film is hilarious. I thought the humour of the 50s might be lost on me, but I was sitting laughing the whole way through. The disguises are so funny; especially the millionaire and the ending scenes are just completely mad and hilarious. It’s probably the old film on this list that’s aged the best, as it’s still as funny as it would’ve been at the time.
77. Once Upon A Time In America
This is tied with Goodfellas as my favourite gangster film of all time. It’s set over 50 years, took 10 years to make and is almost 4 hours long. It’s truly a film epic, and you’re worn out after watching it. But it’s really rewarding as well. It’s also my favourite Sergio Leone film, and his only non-western film I’ve seen, shows that westerns aren’t the only things he was good at making.
76. Raging Bull
The only other boxing movie I’ve seen is Rocky, and I really liked seeing the same sort of story going in the opposite direction. The main character is not a good man, and because of this all his success escapes him and in the end brings him down lower than he started.
75. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This film is hilarious. I’ve never seen the Python TV series, so this was my first experience of them. And it really didn’t disappoint. From the bridge, to the black knight, to the rabbit, this film is incredibly witty and hilarious. Personally I prefer Life of Brian, but they’re both equally good. Just avoid Meaning of Life, maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find that funny at all.
74. Cinema Paradiso
It sounds bad. A boy befriends the old projectionist in a cinema. He starts off getting annoyed with the boy them learns to love him. It sounds like retread of a story told so many times before. But the enthusiasm of the actors and the richness of the script just bring it to life unlike any other film of this type. Truly heart-warming and heartbreaking at the same time. And don’t ask me to explain how it can be both. Just watch it.
73. The Green Mile
I don’t like Stephen King. And this film has all the usual small townsfolk, magical black guy problems of his other works. It’s a well made film and it’s quite entertaining for a bit, but I really got fed up with it all after a while. I would be more behind this film if it wasn’t so damn long. But it was a real drain after the halfway mark and I really stopped caring.
72. The Treasure of the Sierre Madre
This is a film that hasn’t aged very well. But, unlike Metropolis, you can still enjoy it. And the main reason you can enjoy it is the three main actors. The rest of the story doesn’t hold up so well but the parts with just the three men really shine. And the ending is brilliant.
71. The Prestige
My least favourite Christopher Nolan film, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film, it means he makes really good films. The magicians and their tricks are brilliant and the mystery leading up to Tesla’s machine is also gripping, but as soon as you find out what it really is and what it does, I was disappointed and it brings up a whole bag of plot holes. It’s still a great film, but I’d watch Nolan’s other work first before searching this one out.
Sunday, 14 August 2011
WSIFITS: Reggae Reggae Juice?!
Well not exactly. But it is two drinks made by Levi Roots, the guy who made Reggae Reggae Sauce. I was in a shop in town and I saw these and I couldn't resist.
Caribbean Crush just tastes like pineapple juice, but it is at least good juice. And the Fiery Ginger Beer's not bad either, it is damn spicy though. But really who cares if they're good, it's just the fact they even exist that shocked me.
Caribbean Crush just tastes like pineapple juice, but it is at least good juice. And the Fiery Ginger Beer's not bad either, it is damn spicy though. But really who cares if they're good, it's just the fact they even exist that shocked me.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
I hate Braveheart and if you're Scottish, you should too.
I fucking hate Braveheart. Lets just get that out of the way. Well to be honest, I probably wouldn't hate it if it was just some shitty movie that everyone forgot about a couple of months after. Because that's what it should've been. It looks nice and that's it. I don't think a film with no other redeeming qualities should ever have got as popular as it has. I kind of understand why Americans might like it. Because they're idiots and wouldn't know how offensive this film is, but why would any Scots put up with it? There are people in Scotland who think it's a great patriotic film. Are you fucking kidding me? This film really just disgusts me.
For one thing there's hardly any Scottish people in it. There's Brian Cox, and maybe one or two others, but that's practically it. Everyone else is Irish. And it's not even like they put on Scottish accents, or if they do they're some of the worse I've ever heard. At one point a guy who's supposed to be Irish turns up and until someone mentioned that he was Irish, I didn't realize, because he sounded exactly the same as all the people who were supposedly Scottish. Oh and William Wallace, great Scottish icon is played by Mel Gibson. From Australia. Who can't do a Scottish accent either. So, there's no Scottish characters. So I'm supposed to root my country as played by no-one from it.
The history is all messed up too. Edward II is clearly supposed to be gay and made fun of for this, and what I don't get is why this was in the film. Edward II in real life wasn't as famously gay as he is here, so the only reason it's in here is because Mel Gibson deliberately wrote in his homophobia. And the famous battle of Stirling Bridge was fought in the film... on a field. Which required the English to be monumentally stupid to get tricked by Wallace's strategy. And the English are totally evil in this film, raping women, killing innocents, and why? That didn't happen. Oh, just another thing put in by Mel Gibson, this time because he hates the English. Which brings me to my main problem with the film.
What this film should've been is a film glorifying Scotland and William Wallace. It's not. It might pretend to be that, what it actually is, is an ago trip for Mel Gibson. He changes the character of William Wallace from a nobleman to a peasant, because it would be so much more heroic for just an everyman to stand up to the English. He changes Robert the Bruce into a lying coward who was inspired by the hero Wallace, which is just a lie. Robert the Bruce was far more of a hero to Scotland, because he was the one who actually freed Scotland. He wasn't perfect but he was a lot better a man than this film makes out and he definitely wasn't just some disciple of William Wallace. Edward I died years after William Wallace was executed and not at the same time because it was symbolic. And Wallace didn't fucking shout freedom while he was being killed, because no-one would do that except a movie star who's ego is just so huge that he thinks he can get away with raping a country's history.
And finally. The thing that I hate more than anything else in this piece of shit that I barely call a film. When Mel Gibson went even further than too far. Apparently Wallace met Edward II's wife, had sex with her and the next King of England was his son. I literally cannot describe how angry that makes me. One, she was 10 when Wallace died. Two, she never met him. Three, the ONLY reason is in the film is because Mel Gibson thought that it would make him look really cool. I'm Scottish and I find it hugely offensive to suggest that the English monarcy are all descendands of a Queen cheating with their enemy just to make Mel Gibson feel good because they wouldn't let his ego play Jesus Christ for another 9 years. I actually root for the English in this film even though they're fighting my country and they're cartoon villians just because I hate Gibson so much.
If you're going to make a film about a fictional Scottish hero who did these things, fine. If you're going to do a film about William Wallace, that's also fine. But don't you fucking dare take the name of a Scottish icon and then just invent a story so that it makes the main actor look good enough to fill his massive ego. That's just taking a shit all over our history and I can't believe that so many Scottish people are stupid enough to fall for Gibson's self indulgant hero-worshipping of himself. Go fuck yourself Mel Gibson.
For one thing there's hardly any Scottish people in it. There's Brian Cox, and maybe one or two others, but that's practically it. Everyone else is Irish. And it's not even like they put on Scottish accents, or if they do they're some of the worse I've ever heard. At one point a guy who's supposed to be Irish turns up and until someone mentioned that he was Irish, I didn't realize, because he sounded exactly the same as all the people who were supposedly Scottish. Oh and William Wallace, great Scottish icon is played by Mel Gibson. From Australia. Who can't do a Scottish accent either. So, there's no Scottish characters. So I'm supposed to root my country as played by no-one from it.
The history is all messed up too. Edward II is clearly supposed to be gay and made fun of for this, and what I don't get is why this was in the film. Edward II in real life wasn't as famously gay as he is here, so the only reason it's in here is because Mel Gibson deliberately wrote in his homophobia. And the famous battle of Stirling Bridge was fought in the film... on a field. Which required the English to be monumentally stupid to get tricked by Wallace's strategy. And the English are totally evil in this film, raping women, killing innocents, and why? That didn't happen. Oh, just another thing put in by Mel Gibson, this time because he hates the English. Which brings me to my main problem with the film.
What this film should've been is a film glorifying Scotland and William Wallace. It's not. It might pretend to be that, what it actually is, is an ago trip for Mel Gibson. He changes the character of William Wallace from a nobleman to a peasant, because it would be so much more heroic for just an everyman to stand up to the English. He changes Robert the Bruce into a lying coward who was inspired by the hero Wallace, which is just a lie. Robert the Bruce was far more of a hero to Scotland, because he was the one who actually freed Scotland. He wasn't perfect but he was a lot better a man than this film makes out and he definitely wasn't just some disciple of William Wallace. Edward I died years after William Wallace was executed and not at the same time because it was symbolic. And Wallace didn't fucking shout freedom while he was being killed, because no-one would do that except a movie star who's ego is just so huge that he thinks he can get away with raping a country's history.
And finally. The thing that I hate more than anything else in this piece of shit that I barely call a film. When Mel Gibson went even further than too far. Apparently Wallace met Edward II's wife, had sex with her and the next King of England was his son. I literally cannot describe how angry that makes me. One, she was 10 when Wallace died. Two, she never met him. Three, the ONLY reason is in the film is because Mel Gibson thought that it would make him look really cool. I'm Scottish and I find it hugely offensive to suggest that the English monarcy are all descendands of a Queen cheating with their enemy just to make Mel Gibson feel good because they wouldn't let his ego play Jesus Christ for another 9 years. I actually root for the English in this film even though they're fighting my country and they're cartoon villians just because I hate Gibson so much.
If you're going to make a film about a fictional Scottish hero who did these things, fine. If you're going to do a film about William Wallace, that's also fine. But don't you fucking dare take the name of a Scottish icon and then just invent a story so that it makes the main actor look good enough to fill his massive ego. That's just taking a shit all over our history and I can't believe that so many Scottish people are stupid enough to fall for Gibson's self indulgant hero-worshipping of himself. Go fuck yourself Mel Gibson.
 |
| I suppose you have to give him credit for making something more offensive to me than Mariah's "Auld Lang Syne" |
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Imdb Top 100 Part 1: 100-86
Recently I told you I'd watched all the imdb top 100. Someone asked me which of the films was the best. Although techinically the list says Shawshank Redemption is the best, I think most are equally good. And so i've decided to share a few words about my views about each film here. I'll do 15 at a time then do the top 10.
100. Black Swan
I didn’t think I could be interested in a film about ballet. But by focusing on the main character with the Swan Lake swans as a metaphor for what happens in the her head, it really drew me in and surprised me a gripping psychological drama.
99. Up
For the most part this is a typical Pixar adventure film. Brilliantly mad ideas with a good story and good animation. But what brings it onto this list is that you care for the characters and there are some really heartrending scenes.
98. Gran Torino
One of my favourite films on the list. Clint Eastwood plays a bitter old man who’s racist and doesn’t talk to his family. As the film goes on he draws closer to his asian neighbours and is drawn into gang fights. And the ending... well I don’t want to ruin it, but wow. Seriously amazing.
97. The Sting
The box for this film says it’s a comedy. I wouldn’t really agree, it’s more of a drama that just doesn’t take itself too seriously. The cuts in this film look great, the cast are fun and the plot is a good laugh. There’s nothing in this film that stands above the rest, but it’s just got such a great sense of fun that it deserves its place on the list.
96. Unforgiven
This film is made by its casting. Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman and the other supporting cast make what could be a standard western flick into a masterpiece. And again Eastwood shows he really knows how to end a film, with the last 20 minutes my favourite western scenes in any film.
95. Oldboy
The first foreign language film on the list. This film works because of two reasons. One is the action, which looks amazing, especially the corridor scene. The second is the intrigue as to why the main character has been locked away for 15 years. And this film does not disappoint with the answer with one of the most shocking and horrific twists in movie history.
94. Downfall
A film about Hitler’s bunker during the fall of Berlin, leading up to his suicide. This film shows Hitler as he was near the end, as a desperate madman on the edge of giving up. It really feels like you’re watching the events that happened and not just actors portraying them.
93. Inglorious Basterds
Another WW2 film, but this time from Quentin Tarantino. He brings his own style to the war film and all the different storylines entertain especially when they combine for the epic finale. As with all Tarantino films this is a mad but hugely enjoyable film. And Christoph Waltz is fantastic.
92. Metropolis
This is the first film I disagree with. At the time this must have been a revelation. It looks amazing for 1927 and would have a good story for a silent film. But I think now it’s too dated to compare. It’s too slow for today’s audience and the look of the film, although distinct, doesn’t look impressive anymore. We’ve seen better. So basically, it was at the time probably the greatest film ever, but its day has past.
91. The Apartment
This film starts as a comedy and then suddenly it’s a drama. And you don’t feel like any dramatic change has occurred. It’s just the way the film’s story goes. You really get invested in the characters and this was the first of the old 1940s-60s films I watched in my imdb quest that I forgot about watching it for the list and just enjoyed it.
90. Gladiator
I don’t have much to say about this film. It’s good, and I can tell that, but it’s not really my type of film so I don’t like it. All I can say is it’s good if you like this sort of thing. Also, listen to the music. Hans Zimmer totally didn’t rip himself off from this when he did Pirates of the Caribbean...
89. Braveheart
I hate this film. It doesn’t deserve to be on this list. I have a full written explanation of how much I hate this film, here.
88. 2001: A Space Odyssey
This is an example of a film that is more about style than substance. The first and last third are basically just images to music. It looks amazing, but it’s not what I want in a film. I want a proper story which it doesn’t deliver. If you like art films then you’ll like this. But I personally don’t. EXCEPT. I really like the middle third. That looks good and has a plot and if the whole film was like it, it would probably be one of my favourite films.
87: Bicycle Thieves
This starts as a touching tale of a father and son bonding, but as time goes on it gets more and more depressing as they get desperate and their bonds start to break. Don’t be put off by it being in Italian and black and white. This is a very good and moving film.
86: The Great Dictator
Charlie Chaplin does a parody of the Nazis. What else is there to say? It was made during the war and still works as a complete mockery of the Nazi party and Hitler. It makes you sit there laughing at them the whole way through. Apparently Hitler saw the film once and I can’t imagine how furious it would make him. It’s a well made and intelligent film and still well worth a watch.
To be continued
100. Black Swan
I didn’t think I could be interested in a film about ballet. But by focusing on the main character with the Swan Lake swans as a metaphor for what happens in the her head, it really drew me in and surprised me a gripping psychological drama.
99. Up
For the most part this is a typical Pixar adventure film. Brilliantly mad ideas with a good story and good animation. But what brings it onto this list is that you care for the characters and there are some really heartrending scenes.
98. Gran Torino
One of my favourite films on the list. Clint Eastwood plays a bitter old man who’s racist and doesn’t talk to his family. As the film goes on he draws closer to his asian neighbours and is drawn into gang fights. And the ending... well I don’t want to ruin it, but wow. Seriously amazing.
97. The Sting
The box for this film says it’s a comedy. I wouldn’t really agree, it’s more of a drama that just doesn’t take itself too seriously. The cuts in this film look great, the cast are fun and the plot is a good laugh. There’s nothing in this film that stands above the rest, but it’s just got such a great sense of fun that it deserves its place on the list.
96. Unforgiven
This film is made by its casting. Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman and the other supporting cast make what could be a standard western flick into a masterpiece. And again Eastwood shows he really knows how to end a film, with the last 20 minutes my favourite western scenes in any film.
95. Oldboy
The first foreign language film on the list. This film works because of two reasons. One is the action, which looks amazing, especially the corridor scene. The second is the intrigue as to why the main character has been locked away for 15 years. And this film does not disappoint with the answer with one of the most shocking and horrific twists in movie history.
94. Downfall
A film about Hitler’s bunker during the fall of Berlin, leading up to his suicide. This film shows Hitler as he was near the end, as a desperate madman on the edge of giving up. It really feels like you’re watching the events that happened and not just actors portraying them.
93. Inglorious Basterds
Another WW2 film, but this time from Quentin Tarantino. He brings his own style to the war film and all the different storylines entertain especially when they combine for the epic finale. As with all Tarantino films this is a mad but hugely enjoyable film. And Christoph Waltz is fantastic.
92. Metropolis
This is the first film I disagree with. At the time this must have been a revelation. It looks amazing for 1927 and would have a good story for a silent film. But I think now it’s too dated to compare. It’s too slow for today’s audience and the look of the film, although distinct, doesn’t look impressive anymore. We’ve seen better. So basically, it was at the time probably the greatest film ever, but its day has past.
91. The Apartment
This film starts as a comedy and then suddenly it’s a drama. And you don’t feel like any dramatic change has occurred. It’s just the way the film’s story goes. You really get invested in the characters and this was the first of the old 1940s-60s films I watched in my imdb quest that I forgot about watching it for the list and just enjoyed it.
90. Gladiator
I don’t have much to say about this film. It’s good, and I can tell that, but it’s not really my type of film so I don’t like it. All I can say is it’s good if you like this sort of thing. Also, listen to the music. Hans Zimmer totally didn’t rip himself off from this when he did Pirates of the Caribbean...
89. Braveheart
I hate this film. It doesn’t deserve to be on this list. I have a full written explanation of how much I hate this film, here.
88. 2001: A Space Odyssey
This is an example of a film that is more about style than substance. The first and last third are basically just images to music. It looks amazing, but it’s not what I want in a film. I want a proper story which it doesn’t deliver. If you like art films then you’ll like this. But I personally don’t. EXCEPT. I really like the middle third. That looks good and has a plot and if the whole film was like it, it would probably be one of my favourite films.
87: Bicycle Thieves
This starts as a touching tale of a father and son bonding, but as time goes on it gets more and more depressing as they get desperate and their bonds start to break. Don’t be put off by it being in Italian and black and white. This is a very good and moving film.
86: The Great Dictator
Charlie Chaplin does a parody of the Nazis. What else is there to say? It was made during the war and still works as a complete mockery of the Nazi party and Hitler. It makes you sit there laughing at them the whole way through. Apparently Hitler saw the film once and I can’t imagine how furious it would make him. It’s a well made and intelligent film and still well worth a watch.
To be continued
Monday, 1 August 2011
Imdb Top 100. And Harry Fucking Potter
For those not in the know, and seriously, there can't be many of you, Imdb is a website where anyone can go on and rate films out of ten. Critics and the general public alike it all gets averaged out. The top 100 are the films which have recieved the highest ratings from the most people. Basically they're the best films ever made.
I never really gave much thought to this, until on my favourite waste of time there was a question which allowed you to tick off which films you'd seen off the Top 100. I only had about 30, which considering I'm studying film next year seemed far too low for my liking. Oh, and Lewis had about 25 and he watched 2 films this year and I made him watch both of them. So he challenged me to watch them all. And so, I did. I've now seen every film on the imdb top 100. I've sat through them all, enjoying all of them, well except maybe Metropolis. But apart from that, I've really enjoyed myself. It started off as, "hey i'll watch these films so I can say I have!", but as time's gone past and I saw more and more, the top 100 just became an excuse to watch good films. I mean M is fantastic, but when I go into the shop and buy it people do give you odd looks. It's easier to say, "I want to watch all the Top 100", instead of just "I want to watch a black and white foreign language film from the 1930s". But I'm not worried about what people say anymore. I've seen a huge amount of the greatest films ever made and so I think I can get away with watching anything I want to.
I'm thinking about doing a blog with a couple of words about all the films on the Top 100, giving a short view of whether I think they deserve their place on the list and generally what I thought of them.
But first. Something that annoyed me about the list. Unless you live in a cave where there is no contact with the outside world... oh wait, then you couldn't read this. Scratch that, everyone knows about the newest Harry Potter film. I went to see it. It was good. It was infact very good. And I got a wee twinge of nostalia watching it, considering it was the last film in a series I've grown up with. But what it isn't is one of the greatest films of all time. I could explain why not, but as long as you're not a Harry Potter fan you should be able to see that for yourself. Because it's obvious. But my problem isn't with the film. It's very good. It's with the fans. I said, where were we supposed to cry because it wasn't sad, and I was bombarded with hate and half facts by Harry Potter fans. I hadn't even being saying the film wasn't good. I just said it wasn't sad, and fans went mad. So I went onto Imdb to see what people thought of the film and found it at no. 69 in the Top 100. 69?! Oh yeah, I'm sure that Harry Potter could possibly be better than Chinatown, Gran Torino, Once Upon A Time In America, Inglorious Basterds, Full Metal Jacket or so many more better films I could name. All the fans just went on and said "Oh my god, this is the best thing ever, I love Harry Potter, I cried when Harry died." Oh, spoiler alert. But seriously, you can't just say 10/10 because you are love it. That might sound odd, but I LOVE Men In Black II. But I'll admit in a second that it isn't very good. I don't care about it's faults though, because the things that work I like a lot more than most people. Harry Potter fans were going to say this film was amazing however it turned out and really they put people off the franchise by being so obsessed by it. Harry Potter is not a love it or hate it thing, but thats the kind of atmosphere the fans create. I feel like someone who didn't like The Dark Knight would in 2008, but that's not really a fair comparison because HP is just a good film, but TDK is a masterpiece. It truly is one of the best films ever. Harry Potter is most definately not. Luckily for my blood-pressure the film's moved down to no 109, which is still far higher than it should ever be allowed, but not as bad. But fans need to calm down. The Harry Potter films are ok. Some are very good like the final one, and some are boring pieces of shit, aka The Order Of The Phoenix. But they're just films based on fantasy novels. It's not like filming the entire Bible. Calm down.
I never really gave much thought to this, until on my favourite waste of time there was a question which allowed you to tick off which films you'd seen off the Top 100. I only had about 30, which considering I'm studying film next year seemed far too low for my liking. Oh, and Lewis had about 25 and he watched 2 films this year and I made him watch both of them. So he challenged me to watch them all. And so, I did. I've now seen every film on the imdb top 100. I've sat through them all, enjoying all of them, well except maybe Metropolis. But apart from that, I've really enjoyed myself. It started off as, "hey i'll watch these films so I can say I have!", but as time's gone past and I saw more and more, the top 100 just became an excuse to watch good films. I mean M is fantastic, but when I go into the shop and buy it people do give you odd looks. It's easier to say, "I want to watch all the Top 100", instead of just "I want to watch a black and white foreign language film from the 1930s". But I'm not worried about what people say anymore. I've seen a huge amount of the greatest films ever made and so I think I can get away with watching anything I want to.
I'm thinking about doing a blog with a couple of words about all the films on the Top 100, giving a short view of whether I think they deserve their place on the list and generally what I thought of them.
But first. Something that annoyed me about the list. Unless you live in a cave where there is no contact with the outside world... oh wait, then you couldn't read this. Scratch that, everyone knows about the newest Harry Potter film. I went to see it. It was good. It was infact very good. And I got a wee twinge of nostalia watching it, considering it was the last film in a series I've grown up with. But what it isn't is one of the greatest films of all time. I could explain why not, but as long as you're not a Harry Potter fan you should be able to see that for yourself. Because it's obvious. But my problem isn't with the film. It's very good. It's with the fans. I said, where were we supposed to cry because it wasn't sad, and I was bombarded with hate and half facts by Harry Potter fans. I hadn't even being saying the film wasn't good. I just said it wasn't sad, and fans went mad. So I went onto Imdb to see what people thought of the film and found it at no. 69 in the Top 100. 69?! Oh yeah, I'm sure that Harry Potter could possibly be better than Chinatown, Gran Torino, Once Upon A Time In America, Inglorious Basterds, Full Metal Jacket or so many more better films I could name. All the fans just went on and said "Oh my god, this is the best thing ever, I love Harry Potter, I cried when Harry died." Oh, spoiler alert. But seriously, you can't just say 10/10 because you are love it. That might sound odd, but I LOVE Men In Black II. But I'll admit in a second that it isn't very good. I don't care about it's faults though, because the things that work I like a lot more than most people. Harry Potter fans were going to say this film was amazing however it turned out and really they put people off the franchise by being so obsessed by it. Harry Potter is not a love it or hate it thing, but thats the kind of atmosphere the fans create. I feel like someone who didn't like The Dark Knight would in 2008, but that's not really a fair comparison because HP is just a good film, but TDK is a masterpiece. It truly is one of the best films ever. Harry Potter is most definately not. Luckily for my blood-pressure the film's moved down to no 109, which is still far higher than it should ever be allowed, but not as bad. But fans need to calm down. The Harry Potter films are ok. Some are very good like the final one, and some are boring pieces of shit, aka The Order Of The Phoenix. But they're just films based on fantasy novels. It's not like filming the entire Bible. Calm down.
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