I like to play games! (not in the Jigsaw way. Nah man, those movies are a travesty to cinema but that's definately for another day)
I hope that each and everyone of you had a splendid Christmas as I did. Father Christmas brought me lots of awesome stuff that includes A-Team pyjamas! Now, this is in no way a gimmick! A-TEAM. PYJAMAS. It's friggin' rad man! XD
I must say though my stomach has taken a hit. The copious amounts of food and alcohol take their toll which probably means its sensible to go out this evening and do some more. What can I say? I like to live dangerously! NOT. I'm rarely out so people, if you're reading this and don't know me personally, I'm a nice guy but I'm seriously a massive nerd who does nothing more than play his 360, read the Scott Pilgrim comics and watch and debate films since I'm a film student. To add insult to injury, most of this takes place on Twitter. I love Twitter. It's better than Facebook (SUE ME!) but as it stands, people rip you for using it. To them I say, in your face! Because in a few months, I bet you're on it too!
Lots of talk about Inception recently which pleases me greatly! Not only is it a fabulous film, it's easily the best film of 2010 which brings onto my next point! MY TOP 5 FILMS OF THE YEAR! So, this is in order guys! Either way, if you agree or disagree, lemme know and we can get a lovely little debate going! =)
So, from 5 going upwards; we have.....*DRUM ROLL PLEASE*......................................Kick Ass!!
Kick-Ass wasn't just a dumb superhero movie. For one, it subverted the genre adding a new and most importantly, ORIGINAL take on the cliches we as the audience have come to know. More to the point, there is in fact a story to this. And it's a good one. By playing on those stereotypes and cliches, the filmmakers allow themselves to inject humour into the script without it seeming cliched. This is the film's strong point because it balances humour and serious drama extremely well. And now, for the part that is always gets singled out! HIT-GIRL! What can I say other than she is just AWESOME. There is no doubt that this is a VERY VIOLENT MOVIE. When I saw it, I'd heard things but honestly, I never expected the amount of graphic violence I got. I LOVED IT. Hit-Girl is a once-in-a-lifetime character. A 13 year old who swears profusely and slices the legs off drug dealers all to the sound of "Banana Splits". Simple. Effective. CHI-CHING! =D Not forgetting Nic Cage doing his best Adam West impression which had me in tears at one point. His superhero persona Big Daddy is like Batman.....with guns. That hurt. And blow people's brains out. Kick-Ass is literally that simple. But expect more if you're watching it for the first time; it's alot more than a superhero movie. Definately a coming of age piece. Bravo!
Numero 4: The Kids Are All Right.
People, you have to see this movie. I can't really hype it up enough. It's poetic, sad, funny, emotional, sexy etc...It's brilliantly scripted and it may seem like we've seen this story before; father comes back into the lives of his teenage kids and upsets the establishment...WRONG. NEXT PLEASE. The father, played by Mark Ruffalo, is a sperm donor whose offspring decide that they wish to meet him now the girl, played by Mia Wasikoswa from Alice In Wonderland, is old enough. The children's "Mom's", Julianne Moore and Annette Benning, do not take to this idea too easily and a chain of events begins. It's beautifully simple and executed to an absolute tee. The acting should earn deserved Oscar nods as well as the screenplay. Watch out for this one!
Trois: Toy Story 3.
Now I had a great deal of trouble deciding what my two and three were going to be. Once I had found out, I had the unfortunate task of choosing which was better. Believe me, there both amazing in their own unique ways so don't be getting angry if you don't agree. That's fine with me, Personal opinion is fantastic! Trust me when I say, I love them both and both deserve all the recognition they get. I just preferred Number two for reasons I'll explain.
Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said about Toy Story 3? It's the end of my childhood. I was the perfect age for the original Toy Story and the subsequent Pixar releases and I ate them up. I loved the colour and the characters, but it took me a few years and an A-level course in Film studies to truly understand the meaning of story and narrative. It got me thinking. The stories present in Pixar's movies are DEEP. And there not just underlying, there very much on the surface. You just have find them. It amazed me how emotional I felt by the end of this film. I get a lump in my throat everytime I watch it. I have a strong emotional connection to these sets of movies and its all because I've been brought up with them. They make you laugh (SO SO MUCH), cry (SO SO MUCH) and uplift you in ways you cannot imagine. It's bizarre but Toy Story 3 is the cream of the crop when it comes to the trilogy. It ends the story IN THE MOST PERFECT WAY they could have done it. I was sobbing in the cinema. So were my friends. It was an emotional rollercoaster and one that I knew was successful. Pheomenal writing and production; it needs more than just the best animated feature at the Oscars. This is worthy of the big cheese! Academy, are you LISTENING TO ME?!
Number Two: The Social Network
Like I said before, this was tough. But damn it, I ENJOYED this movie ALOT. If I could, I would make Toy Story 3 and this joint 2nd but it's not the way the cookie crumbles so I had to pick. The Social Network is brilliant. On paper though, it looks daunting. A young, upcoming cast that includes the new Spider-man, a pop singer and that dude from Zombieland doing a movie about Facebook......hang on, hold the phone?!?! Facebook?! Yep that's right. The Social Network charts the seedy origins of Facebook, the format that changed the way in which we communicate. Literally, as the film states, Facebook has a user rate of roughly 500 MILLION people. That's a lot of friends for Mr. Zuckerberg to handle. Granted, this is a dramatized version of events but you can't help but feel its the truth. Based on the book, "The Accidental Billionaire", Aaron Sorkin's script is what enjoyed the most about this movie. It's quirky, it's emotional, it's brutal, it's honest. Put David Fincher into the mix and all of a sudden, we're watching a thriller about Facebook. Not to get technical but if you're a film buff and understand the language of film, check out how the film is shot. The low key lighting, the framing device that ties the story together etc....This is shot like a thriller. And believe me, I was more than tense throughout despite having an idea of what happens. It deserves all the awards coming its way. Andrew Garfield is the emotional core to this film despite what the critics say about Jesse Eisenberg. he is brillaint no doubt, but without Garfield's manipulated and tortured character, we wouldn't hate Zuckerberg as much as we do. Its filmmaking its truly best and come Oscar season, WE HAVE A WINNER! =D
The Big Cheese. Number One. Inception.
Before you say anything. YES. It is the best film of 2010. There was six glorious months for something to eclipse it since its July release date. Nothing happened. It didn't budge AT ALL. Nothing pleased me more than Inception. A hugeg fan of Christopher Nolan, you could say I'm somewhat biased but people, this is a film that only comes around every 20/30 years. A 200million dollar blockbuster, with an original story about dreams directed by the guy who made Batman a billion dollar franchise? Sounds good to me but original story? Warner Bros. put some serious confidence in Nolan for this one and he comes out trumps. Using his now trademark non-linear narrative and mind-blogging cliffhangers, Nolan literally mindfucks you. Excuse the phrase but did you ever see Memento? What's all that about? MINDFUCK. Did you ever see The Prestige? After a few times, you get the jist of it but to begin with? MINDFUCK. Inception is about dreams in a world where people like Leo DiCaprio can steal your ideas. However, the act of planting an idea has not been attempted thus Inception. The film takes on many 'layers' specifically 'layers' of dreams and narrative. A dream within a dream within a dream? Sound confusing. Believe me, the concept is baffling. The presentation is the easiest thing about this film. What should be a confusing, messed up, box office failure has become the best film of 2010 and its all down to Mr. Nolan's genius. Christ Nolan, I SALUTE YOU!
That brings a conclusion to that little topic! This was a big blog no doubt so feel free to share your thoughts with me on Twitter at InglouriousTward or leave a comment in the boxes below. As always, stay classy and have an awesome New Year!
Peace out!
