film thoughts (about film)

HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST, REBEL

I’ve wanted to see this documentary written, directed and co-produced by Brigitte Berman for such a long time. I’ve had some weird obsession for Hugh Hefner ever since seeing the ‘Girls of the Playboy Manchine’ reality television show, I don’t necessarily want to be one of his girlfriends, but he seems so cute in his old age (its semi-creepy) but this documentary gave me even more insight into this mans life. 

Hugh Hefner is presented as an activist and a passionate spokesperson for equality in America on a range of controversial topics. It seems that his fame from playboy was merely a platform in which he used to create social change and to push societies values. What most people’s concept of this man are challenged in this documentary and he is shown as more than the creator of pornography, more than a user of women as sexual objects, he is a person who truly stands up for what he believes to be as right at any cost. 

The documentary takes you back to the early days and Hugh’s desire to break free from his loveless marriage and focus his creative energies on something, and thus, playboy was created. The documentary shows us that Hef is more than his magazine with various interviews from friends, collegues and the people closest to him, with the words from Hef himself helping to explain his actions and life, giving us as the audience unprecedented access.

I love documentaries but i loved this one because it supported my creepy obsession with Hugh Hefner (i see him more like a grandfather, its not that creepy?) and it gave us what is under the surface of the man, it showed us his ability to influence social change and showed us his passion for justice, really just contributing to washing away the somewhat tainted reputation of Hugh Hefner.  

BLOOD DIAMOND

This film took my emotions on a roller-coaster journey over the course of the film. Edward Zwick’s direction of his actors is great and believable. The film forces you into caring about something. I didn’t know anything about blood diamonds before I watched this film and by the end I found myself sobbing. 

The story is told with a sense of truth that is shown through both the lead characters of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Solomon Vandy (Dijimon Hounsou). These characters make you believe the story and make you really want to do something. The cinematography of Eduardo Serra is absolutely breathtaking. 

SUCKERPUNCH

Zack Snyder’s third feature film was more than I expected it to be. The public and critical reviews generally condemn Snyder’s use of different realties and interwoven stories, but for me it was this that made the film so enjoyable. The film tells the story of babydoll as she enters a mental asylum, and it is through babydoll that the story progresses to involve four other girls who work their way through challenges to eventually find the way to escape from the asylum. 

The story is told more visually than anything which is what makes this film interesting. Many aesthetics are borrowed from video games, which enhances the action and the story. The use of different realties also leave the audience wondering what is actually real and what is illusions. The movie’s ending is both confusing and depressing but it leaves the audience with questions and I even found myself surfing around the internet trying to get some of my questions answered by reading blogs. This makes me think that if a movie can actually influence what you do after you’ve finished watching it must be half decent. My advice-ignore the reviews and judge suckerpunch for yourself, you might be pleasantly surprised like I was. 

FIGHT CLUB

For me it was the first time seeing Fight Club by David Fincher. For me I think the movie was spoiled as I knew from previous conversations about Fight Club that there would be some kind of ‘twist’, therefore I was both waiting and expecting something to happen and eventually worked out the big ‘plot twist’. In saying this I still throughly enjoyed the movie. For me the movie engaged me from the start, I was drawn into the protagonist played by Edward Norton, his struggle and his methods of dealing with this struggle. 

Brad Pitt plays the role of Tyler Durden with a sense of arrogance and authority which fits into the storyline perfectly. When the ‘twist’ came into play in Fight Club I found myself thinking back to everything that previously happened with Tyler Durden and the way in which Fincher was able to create two characters exist in two bodies but still make sense to be the one person, which i think he did successfully and cleverly. Overall the movie for me, although it did not have as much effect as it would of if I wasn’t aware of a twist still was a clever movie and one that broke the mould of a traditional ‘boys’ movie. 

DORIAN GRAY

Directed by Oliver Parks this contemporary adaptation of the classic book ‘A Picture Of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde does the book the justice it deserves. Ben Barnes who plays Dorian brings to the role a sense of both sinisterness and also naivety at the start of the film which i think is crucial creating the character of Dorian from the pages onto the screen. 

The city of London in the film is dark and dank complementing the story of Dorian Gray, also supporting the timeframe and context that the action is being played out in. 

For me, Barnes stands out as the perfect Dorian Gray, both handsome and sweet, slowly turning into what he is made into. A great supporting cast including Colin Firth and Rebecca Hall also add to the movie’s allure.

About A Girl

This short film mesmerised me. It was everything that I love about short films, a beginning, middle, and an end, a character that is relatable that you can invest in, and of course a plot twist that keeps you guessing until the very end. About a girl is a social commentary that leaves you with a heavy mound in your chest. My heart literally sunk at the end of this film and to me that is what a short film should do, it should leave you feeling something that you weren’t prior to watching the movie, it should make you think and it should make you inspired. This is what Brian Percival’s film did to me.

The character was established very well through a great screenplay and snappy dialogue that made me feel like I knew a lot about the character. The quick jump cuts while the main character is talking connect each story and anecdote that the character tells the audience and also adds to the theme of childhood embedded in the film highlighting the quick and often erratic mind of a 13 year old. The first scene of the film portrays a girl singing acoustically to Britney Spears’ song ‘stronger’ and this draws you in and intrigues the audience into the film and is composed beautifully. The silhouette and framing portrays the girl as a typical child with choreographed dance moves adding to what the audience can establish as a young girl but this is tainted by the dark shades that appear on the otherwise white clouds which I think represent the tainted reality that is this girls life which is far from innocence and connects with the theme of children facing adult issues, even when they are not necessarily ready to deal with them.

Percival’s use of singing in this short film (Britney Spears songs) represented a chance to escape and a world of fantasy for the main character. They helped the audience also see the girl as more of an adult as she sounded older and the lyrics implied she could deal with adult issues but however still played with the reality that she was a child as Britney Spears songs generally are associated with the teen or ‘tween’ stage. 

Another interesting part of this short film is when the girl starts to walk past the canal. This represents a change in the way of thinking and what the audience has seen from the beggining of the film. The girl starts to become bitter and the hues are darker and colder (represented through blue and grey). The canal represents the reality of her life and taints her hopes and dreams through darkness, represented through the black water. The girl starts to look down and the audience can expect that something is about to happen.

The film did everything it was supposed to do for me, it drew me in, made me question what the character was saying, made me want to know more and most of all it made me care. There was a sinking feeling in my chest at the conclusion of the film and it made me want to watch it again. To me it was everything a short film should be.

Sullivan’s Travels

Preston Sturges’ 1941 film explores the concept of a film about a film. Sturges’ uses a successful movie director to challenge the ideas of the ‘typical’ Hollywood film conventions at the same time as still remaining a comedy whilst highlighting the value of humour in people’s sometimes dark lives. This is done through Sturges’ main character of John L Sullivan (Joel McCrea) who tires of making conventional Hollywood films and embarks on a seemingly impossible and comedic journey to make a film about human suffering. Along the way Sullivan is helped out by his female counterpart who is only known in the film as ‘the girl’ (played by Veronica Lake). She meets Sullivan on her way home from a failed acting career in Hollywood. The relationship between the two develops and it is ‘the girl’ who eventually helps Sullivan on his journey to self discovery.

The film uses many different references to film conventions such as when Sullivan remarks “if ever a plot twist was needed it would be now” to play with and explore the impacts of film in society. The plot continues with Sullivan trying to live on the streets as a tramp, however, this doesn’t work out for him and he always ends up back in Hollywood-the place he wishes to be least.

After Sullivan eventually really learns about the hardships of life he decides not to make his gritty film about human suffering, ‘O brother, where art thou’, instead deciding that laughter was the best way to ease pain. This film was very enjoyable and felt like a movie made before its time and one that should go down as a classical hollywood film, of course with a few little twists.

 

Little Miss Sunshine

To be honest before I saw this movie I had heard that it was one of those movies that you either love or hate which is never really a good thing for a film. I would say I was on the side that ‘loved it’, however, I did also have a few problems with the film. Firstly the good-Steve Carrell as Frank was played exceptionally and made for an interesting and insightful character throughout the film. This paired with the friendship between his nephew made this character raw and really able to relate to the audience. The film overall was an accurate portrayal of a struggling family finding it hard to make it through life and was very naturalistic. The thing I didn’t like about this movie was the sudden and what I thought was the unessacary death of Richard’s father. Although getting him out of the hospital and into the VW was very comedic I found the death to fall outside the relm of reality and broke what the movie had built up to be a heightened sense of reality.

The Shop Around The Corner

Ernst Lubitsch uses a smart screenplay to deliver a witty romantic comedy in ‘The Shop Around The Corner’. The quick and often comedic dialog in this 1940 film adds to the films allure. The film takes a while to set up the basis of the story and the personality’s of the workers in the store but the grace and on screen presence of Klara Novak (played by Margaret Sullivan) as the female lead contribute to the interesting relationship that develops between her and Alfred Kralik (played by James Stewart). This relationship is intense and comedic at the same time  ”Well I really wouldn’t care to scratch your surface, Mr. Kralik, because I know exactly what I’d find. Instead of a heart, a hand-bag. Instead of a soul, a suitcase. And instead of an intellect, a cigarette lighter… which doesn’t work.”

 The smart screenplay makes the film timeless and a great and different kind of romantic comedy.

It’s Kind Of A Funny Story

Directed by Ryan Fleck, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story is a sweet and what I would call a charming film. It is engaging right from the beginning, showing Craig (Keir Gilchrist) a troubled 16 year old who checks himself into a hospital after suicidal thoughts. Fleck’s portrayal of Craig shows a more accurate real version of a sixteen year old than most films, which is refreshing. The character of Bobby (played by Zach Galifianakis) acts as both a mentor and a friend to the troubled Craig, Galifianakis plays this role well and although he brings a comedic sense to the role there is still the underlying serious issues of mental health that Galifianakis deals with tastefully and with a sensitivity. The film as a whole deals with the notion of mental illness quite well and not only creates awareness of the number of young people with depression but also brings the importance of friendship into play when suffering with this type of illness. The film has various animations and superimposition to heighten the playfulness and keeps the audience engaged, seen in other movies such as (500) Days of Summer.