Blue Velvet
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/ David lynches film follows a young man as he enters a new undercover world or danger and adulthood. The film has many twists and turns over it's extensive two hours, eventually he tracks down the criminals. I feel like the most key and shocking scene is when Frank first attacks Dorothy whilst Jeffery is watching silently from the cupboard. This is the first moment he realises what is going on and the type of trouble he is getting into. However the draw of excitement is too strong to resist and he finds himself caught in the finally of it all.
I struggled to watch this film because I am not a fan of mysteries. I like the idea of a gritty hidden world and how this is metaphorically shown through the use of bugs at the beginning and ending. I started to struggle with the story towards the end. I just got slightly lost but this might because of been from my lack of interest in the film to start with.
For blue velvet I want two take two elements of the film and use in my writing. The ripple affect which causes the film, when Jeffery finds the ear, is a clever way of making unusual events happen to normal characters. Thinking about narrative driven plots are important because they give the character cause and motivation.
I would also like use musical motifs in my work, like they are in Blue velvet. Bobby Vintons 'Blue Velvet' and Roy Orbison's 'In Dreams' are used to evoke certain feelings or represent characters throughout the film. For me the consideration of sound motifs is something I think about after when planning films, I need to change this.


Up in the Air
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/ Ryan Bingham has never been a family man, he travels around the states as he fires employes from companies. His un- compassionate stature leaves him unknowingly lonely. He does not realize that he longs for a relationship until he meets Alex. A woman who appears to live the empty life he does. Slowly but surly he starts to accept the idea that his company are planning to ground him. Having grown closer to Alex he visits her home town, but discovers that she has a happy family. He may of lost alex but his new outlook on life has made him develop stronger relationships with his family as his job grounds him.
The stylistic elements of the film combine to create two themes- Loneliness and a sleek image. All of the colors that fill Ryan’s world are metallic and clean giving a sense of emptiness. This compliments the cameras framing, he seems to always be positioned away from everybody else in the room. In the first five minuets we are introduced to Ryan’s business like nature through these stylistic elements. The cuts are precisely done mid-action creating a fast and exciting scene. The sound echo’s the characters as they are all very clean and realistic. What you hear is what you get.
If I was to use the film as inspiration I would take the editorial elements and how the story is driven by chance meetings, he only begins to change because he meets Alex. On the other hand if I could change the film I would finish it soon after Ryan finds of Alex is married. After this the film tries to tie up all the lose ends and make the character arc end completely, this makes it drag and as an audience member I became very un-interested.


Treacle Jnr
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542486/ After un-expectantly leaving his family Tom boards a train and heads for London. On his second night in the city he is chased by thieves and accidentally knows himself out on a tree. This unfortunate accident leads him to meet Aidan. An excentric oddball. Tom soon sees Aidan’s life is difficult with an abusive girlfriend and little money. He helps Aidan improve his life and then he returns home to his family after seeing that his life was not has as bad.
I have wanted to see this film since Jamie Thraves was a guest lecture at uni. I was inspired by his go-getter attitude to film making, having funded Treacle Jnr himself. Although I throughly enjoyed it, I did struggle to feel empathy for Tom, who we see the story through, although he is more of an aid to seeing Aidan’s life. The quiet of character of Tom just seems to lack emotion and depth in comparison to the fabulous and wacky Aidan. I can’t help but feel his he showed something more it might help. However this is only a small quibble and other than that I loved it.
I wish that it had got more distribution after it’s win at Cannes but for some reason it didn’t. Any film made on a budget of £30,00 and win at Cannes should be prioritized by the UK film industry.


Frozen Planet
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2011/10/frozen-planet.shtml Although it’s not a film frozen planet is simply breath taking. I haven't heard of so many people watching a pure documentary’s in a long time. Sure there have been lots of popular channel four documentaries such as ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ and other programs of that caliber, but frozen plant is a pure nature doc. Twitter feeds have been lighting up on a wednesday when the program is aired each week. This program has inspired me because they show how it’s film, it looks absolutely thrilling and I would not hesitate to be a part of something like this in my career.


Johnny English Reborn
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634122/ Following the first Johnny English, we join him in a camp in Asia where he has been honing his skills after being removed from MI7. It’s his only chance at redemption when he is asked to part take in a mission. However in true English style his bumbling idiocy ruins it for him.
In comparison to the original film, it’s not as funny but still worth a watch. The characters completely change compared to the first film. This bunch do compliment Johnny’s character well, especially agent Tucker who gives another edge of comedy. He is like a younger, smarter version of English which makes English’s character even more ridiculous and funny.
From this film I want to take a look at the comedic timing which it uses. Everything is timed to the second so the action sequences that result in funny outcomes look realistic, even if slightly predictable.


Breaking dawn, Part 1
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1324999/ The fourth installment in the Twilight sage. In this film Bella and Edward get married and un expectantly she becomes pregnant. Unsure of what grows inside Bella, tensions between the vampires and wolves increase. The baby does survive, as does Bella who had to be turned into a vampire to save her life.
The film was always going to tricky to pull off. Having read the books, I knew what was going to be coming and was intrigued to see how they would portray the more difficult scenes to such a young audience. In my opinion the part when Bella has the baby is discussing, in parts, but done well. If I had not read the books then some of the story later may become confusing because some key information was removed.
A few scenes are disorientating as they do not feel like they are directed by the same person. The ascetic feel of a few scenes looks random in comparison to the rest of the film. For example when Bella imagines her wedding and everyone lies dead beneath her looks odd as there is nothing else like it in the film, making it stick out in a poor way.
I would like to take Stephanie Meyers imagination as she has created a believable supernatural world within our own. She set a trend in film and television for the years following the filmic release of twilight. To create something which inspires other media makers should always be praised.


Tyrannosaur
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204340/ Joseph, an aggressive man, happens to meet Hannah just at the right time. His life has been deteriorating for quiet sometime and for a long time he doesn’t realize that Hannah could begin to heal the pain he is feeling. The same goes for Hannah, she needs Joseph's help as her abusive husband’s behavior worsens.
I went to the Q and A session where Considine answered any questions about the film. Interestingly he says he never set out to make a gritty British social realism, he wanted to make a love story. It was inspiring to hear his explanation of his the characters developed from the short ‘Dog Altogether’ Personally this is truly one of the best films I have seen this year.
The characters are portrayed beautifully by Peter Mullan and Olivia Coleman. At first we just see Peter as a ruthless and uncaring old man. However the character softer side is hinted at well, especially when he is talking about his past wife and what he would change if she was hear now. It shows that he has a conscious, making him even more human and believable. Olivia’s character grows in complexity through the script, we start with her being a very stereotypical, a church do-gooder. As her life is reveled we start to understand that she has a lot of issues and problems which she hides away from everybody. By the end of it we completely sympathies with her murderous actions. Characters which has this much depth and actors which successfully pull of such emotional scenes are something which all directors should aspire to achieve.


Water for Elephants
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067583/ When a veterinary student finds himself alone when his parents die, he ends up on a circus. Set in great depression, 1930’s, when many circus travelled and struggled around the US. The Benzini Brothers holds the act that Jacob can’t resist, Marlena. As the film progresses we see them try to deny their feelings for each other as it would result in August (Marlena husband and the shows ring-master) killing them. Things eventually become revealed and when the men revolt August is killed leaving Jacob and Marlena to be together.
Iv’e seen this film a few times and will continue to watch it because I just simply love a well done romantic comedy. The passions which Jacob shows for the animals and Marlena is overwhelming and hinges the story together. I have also read the original book, which I prefer in terms of the story. We get to see more of Jacob as an old man which is as emotive as the love story. However I love the way the film looks, it truly captures the look and feel of a vintage circus. If the story world was not as strong I think it would be hard to visualize the story’s plot correctly. The film was shot on 35mm which would have been the only format to capture the brilliant and vibrant world.
In terms of my own development I would like the take a leaf out of Sara Gruen’s book. For the original novel she spent an extensive amount of time researching the american circus industry. In both the book and the film the story worlds are so powerful and magical. Clearly researching a world which isn’t know to you is key to building a believable setting.


Bad Teacher
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1284575/ This new film is light hearted and funny. We see Cameron Diaz as the character of Elizabeth Halsey, a teacher who doesn’t care for her pupils but loves superficially things. When her rich boyfriend dumps her she begins to steal and plot to pay for fake breasts. She is eventually found out when she steals the state test results. But her scheming attitude saves her just as she realizes that she could be more. She falls for the gym teacher who has been trying to impress her all along.
This film is very funny, elizabeths sarcasm makes the humor sparkle. My favorite scene is when she starts to change, she is sitting in the bar and although she is trying to get a laugh, she gives Lynn advice to go and chat up a guy. Lynn looks happy and she beings to realize that she could be helpful, if she wanted to.
Although this isn;t a serious film I think silly comedies are important because it makes you laugh and relax which is important when your a student. Therefore I would like to learn the craft of comedic writing.


The Shinning
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/ When Jack brings his family to the deserted hills to look after an empty hotel and get on with some writing, he gets more than he bargained for. The emptiness of the hotel beings to take it’s toll as his mental strength begins to breakdown. As weird events start to happen to his son Danny, like him seeing two girl. Jack becomes aggressive towards them. Eventually Danny and his mum attempt to escape as Jack snaps and tries to kill them both. The question of whether the hotel caused all of these events is never fully answered however events in the house do worse things.
The shinning is one of Kubrick’s most famous films. Intertextual links have been used from The Shinning in many adverts and other films. The moment when Jack Nicholson burst through the door with an axe. To have created such an iconic scene or action is something that I want to learn from and possibly reference. The sound design creates both tension and space. When Danny peddles his bike through the hotels empty corridor, the sound design changes to create the impression of the wheels on different textures. This is then reverted creating the illusion of textured emptiness. The sound and shot doesn’t change when the audience expects it too, creating a think layer of tension to the already emotional film.
The use of tension is one of the biggest elements as the story constantly builds and drops. For example we see Jack starring at the model maze, leading us to believe he is about to do something. Instead it cuts to the next scene releasing the pent up emotions of that scene. The micro elements such as the score reflect this as it builds and drops at different times to the story, leading the audience to believe that something is going to happen.


The Graduate
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061722/ Ben has recently graduated college and soon finds that life is frustrating. Unsure of how to spend his summer, he soon has his questions answered when Mrs Robinson seduces him. Now convinced that this is a good idea they secretly meet every night at a hotel room. Soon his parents demand he does something with his life and set him up on a date with Elaine Robinson, his new lovers daughter. Eventually everyone finds out about the affair and he battles to win Elaine over.
The story is the most attractive part of this film, it dips and rises in all the right places. When we see Ben at the start of the film we instantly understand that he is alone so we assume he needs a companion. Of course the tangled web he weaves is avoidable but everyone can relate to some sort of relationship where you feel obligated to continue it. This makes the dilemma even more powerful when he has to choose between the mother and daughter. By the end of the film we can see he has changed because he is no longer alone, he has made conscious decisions and he knows what he wants compared to the lost boy at the start.
Although odd at times, there are several strong symbolic links used in the film. The scene where he stands in the pool alone echoes the start when he rests his head against a fish tank. They both echo him drowning in life which is one of the films main themes.


London to Brighton
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490166/ Joanne is a young naive girl who has taken to living on the streets. Kelly, a prostitute, has been sent out to find a young girl for a client. Naive Joanne trusts Kelly but the pimps plan goes the wrong way when the client is killed by one of the girls, so he begins to chase them. They board a train to Brighton where Kelly knows some people. They start to grow a bond and Kelly agrees to help the girl get to Devon where her grandmother lives. Unfortunately the clients son is after them too and when in Brighton they are caught up with. The film resolves with the girls being questioned whilst the pimp is made to dig graves. Presumably for the girls. However everything changes at their hunter decides they are the victims and allows them to live while he kills the men responsible.
When I first saw this film I did not see the ending coming. Williams sets up the nasty world the girls live in perfectly. You do not expect that the gangster who was determined to end their lives would in fact save them at the end. I love that the hard faced characters, such as Kelly and the son, show remorse and moral consideration for others.
The characterization of Joanna and Kelly had to believable or the audience won’t believe their actions. Although stereotypical at times the audience is able to understand the movements and the rational. This is a difficult thing to do when dealing with particular genre's or stereotypes.
For this film I would like to take elements of the writing and incorporate into my films. For example the unexpected twist at the end makes the film exciting and represents what British realism films should be echoing.


Pulp Fiction
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/ The tale of two hit men, a boxer a gangsters wife and a pair of thieves who’s lives come together in odd circumstances. The story lines are simple with the two gangsters having a slightly larger chunk devoted to them. Their story begins when they must guard a briefcase. This mission takes them on several killing sprees. One of the hit men Vincent is requested to take out the mafia leaders wife, Mia Wallace. However things go wrong and her life hangs in the balance. A boxer is then paid to throw a game by Mr Wallace but when he doesn’t he ends up running from the hit men. Eventually he kills Vincent. There are lots of twists and turns but eventually the majority of characters confront each other at the end. The two hit men cross paths with the two thieves. Luckily Jules has had a revelation that god has just saved his life, so spares the others lives.
there are two main reasons I enjoyed this film. Firstly I am interested in interweaving narratives. What is the impact it has on the audience, does it engage them more because it’s gives several stories rather than just one. I would like to explore into multi narrative films more as they intrigue me.
Secondly I love the naturalistic dialogue which the film is famous for. We may not get right to the heart of the scene but it makes everything more naturalistic. The audience then feels empathy for these ruthless characters who are killing for money and pleasure, as they seem natural and friendly at times.


Top Boy
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1830379/ A four part series following the lives of people living on the fictional Summerset house estate. The main protagonist is a young boy called Ra’Nell who’s mother has been hospitalized leaving him to fend for himself. This leaves him open to the dangerous gangs on the estate. Dushane and Sully have just taken over the drugs empire on the estate but when the stash is stolen by Kamale and his gang, war is ragged. Meanwhile Ra’Nell tries to help his mum’s pregnant friend who is trying to grow a weed farm. eventually they all face different moral decisions between good and bad.
The show maintained a viewer rating of 1.1 million over the four nights it was shown. Considering that it is a slice of life about a rough Hackney estate it seemed to attract a variety of audience members I think this is because the characters are again very realistic. Even the most aggressive characters so remorse and consideration. For example Dushane give £20,000 to Ra’Nell at the end. This drama doesn’t seem to preach about how this is wrong, the audience knows that gang violence is wrong. If anything the message that this kind of thing needs to stop is strong because the cycle of kids getting involved in the gang has continued at the end.
The details which are considered in this film, such as how the estates hierarchy works, shows extensive research. For the writer to create a fictional story in an existing world is hard to do without using too many stereotypes, contradicting or offending the existing world. I would like to use this element of realism and truth in my writing.


Exit through the gift shop
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587707/ Thierry Guetta, an amateur film maker goes on a quest to find and follow the mysterious Banksy. However the table turns and he becomes the subject of the film when he follows Banksy’s advice and starts making his own art. He transforms into Mr BrainWash and puts on a huge art show, he may have made a lot of money but majority of it is because of the current street art trend.
I throughly enjoyed this film as Thierry is a very amusing figure due to his general naivety. He is just so confused and wrapped up in recording everything, he doesn’t know what to do with the footage. There is a lot of controversy over how real this film is. One review says it’s ‘too hilariously perfect to be anything but a hoax’. This may be true but even if the film depicts truth or fiction it is still enjoyable and sends an interesting message about street art. It isn’t a talent for everybody, anyone could deface a building but can anyone really turn it into art?