Showing posts with label Film 2010 with Claudia Winkleman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Film 2010 with Claudia Winkleman. Show all posts
Monday, 6 December 2010
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Film 2010 : Episode 3 - October 27th
Episode 3
Broadcast: BBC1 at 10:45pm, Wednesday - 27th October 2010
The Kids are Alright
With Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Directed by Lisa Cholodenko.
Interviews with all of the above, bar Annette Bening. Julianne Moore says "Films reflect popular culture, instead of vice versa", and this film is no exception. Mark Ruffalo says: "Hollywood sees money, and doesn't give a crap about what you're making".
Claudia loves and recommends this. Says it's an Indie hit, and received a standing ovation at the Sundance Festival. With talk of Oscar nods, she's rooting for Moore as being more deserved than Bening - the former being the more likeable and endearing character in the movie. She acknowledges that the movie is sold as a Comedy Drama.
Danny says the movie has a truthful realism. Whilst he is a Moore fan in general, he's rooting for Mark Ruffalo to get an Oscar nod, being the dark horse stand-out performance in the movie. Would say that this would be his Family Values movie of the week.
Top 5 Scenes featuring a Bath (with Chris Hewitt):
- Fatal Attraction (the last closing scene, featuring the demise of Glenn Close!...)
- Spartacus - amusingly alludes to the apparent subtext of someone gauging the other's sexual preference. That scene was removed from the original, but was later restored with Tony Curtis re-dubbing lines, and Anthony Hopkins doing Oliver Reed's lines.
- The Shining - the scene involving Jack Nicholson encountering a naked lady who transforms to something more grotesque as he embraces her...
- Les Diaboliques (1955) Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, when a corpse rises from a bath.
- Nightmare on Elm Street - When Freddie Cruger's knife-blade hand emerges from the bath whilst an unsuspecting female is half-sleeping in it!
Hewitt's attempt at humour fell rather flat in my view, but there was no denying his expertise, and esoteric knowledge. You could assume that he probably came up with them off the top of his head without any research!
Danny Leigh apparently hates Twitter, as Claudia was about to read out a few messages. He says that he is happy to see The Shining there, but that the scene referenced was the 'second' most disturbing. The first was, in fact, a falatio scene... Claudia is eager to move on!...
The Frank Capra Retrospective at the BFI
It Happened One Night (1934)
Peter Bradshaw (of The Guardian) is present, a Capra fan. Talks of the movie as a "forthright muscular punch in the cinema, with it's slushy, idealistic sense of romance". Felt he was a little pretentious.
Danny calls himself a Capra sceptic (which Bradshaw responds with "Oh Dear").
Claudia says she's just happy that Clark Gable's in it!
Apparently the actors didn't want to do the film. They hated the script, and a friendship between the two protagonists was bourne out of this mutual contempt for the film. And it shows in every scene!
Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
A controversial movie.
Danny talks of "the head-achey legacy with Capra, that a simpleton is needed to save the government". He briefly alludes to Sarah Palin with the Tea Party movement, topical in the news that week.
Bradshaw interjects, disagrees, and says that he sees James Stewart more as Obama. For a number of years, Obama was referred to as the junior Senator from Illinois. Thought that was a good point, which kept Danny Leigh on the quiet.
On James Stewart, Bradshaw says that he has a "touch of dandyism, like a ballet dancer, a fastidious version of Gene Kelly". A comparison is made with Clark Gable in It Happened One Night, they looked practically the same, before Gable went on to do Gone with the Wind.
On The London Film Festival finishing tomorrow...
Highlights?
Bradshaw says that he enjoyed Black Swan, by Darren Aronofsky. As the subject material has much to do with ballet, he says comparisons to Michael Powell's 'Red Shoes' are bound to be made. And most would stand inferior, except for this. It's vulgar, mad, and in fantastically bad taste.
Claudia, the whole while is excitedly giddish (annoying) in agreement. Danny differs in opinion, and is less enthused, which Bradshaw frames as "a difference of emphasis, as we say in the business". Tw*t. He continues: "There are some seriously brilliant moments, which reminded me of Rosemary's Baby in it's toxicity".
Danny rebuffs by saying that it's one thing to compare the movie to Rosemary's Baby, and another to compare it to a Marilyn Manson video! Thought that was well funny! There's no love lost between the two, as Claudia is trying to act as the intermediary. However she is in agreement with Bradshaw, with the latter calling for a Referee (presumably to Red Card Danny)...
Danny says that The London Film Festival takes place in the backdrop of British cinema in crisis. For him, the standout, memorable highlights have to be:
- Archipelago (2010) Direected by Joanna Hogg
- Neds (2010) by Peter Mullan
It was nice to see Danny standing up for British interests, and bringing attention to the situation, not caught up in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood as Bradshaw and Claudia seem to be...
'How I Ended this Summer' was the film that won the festival.
A bold choice, a seeming consensus among the three.
The Hunter (2010) - Directed by Raffi Pitts
Made in Tehran in 2009. Film 2010 had an interview with the Director, who's apparently banned from the country for making the movie.
Claudia said she liked the film, that it was a movie of two halves. The first was very powerful, the second, not quite so. In the context of 'Iranian cinema', it's an important movie to the genre, according to Danny.
Interview with Guillermo Del Toro
With Hobbit news this week, with Martin Freeman playing the title role, it leads on to the next feature - an interview with Guillermo Del Toro who famously walked away from the project.
Showing clips of 'Pan's Labyrinth', the Director spoke of himself as experiencing "lucid dreaming" as a very young child. He saw monsters, was terrified of them, and made a deal with them (to not scare him going to the toilet, for example) - a deal which allowed him to become friends with them.
Del Toro says that in movies and art, there are two ways to show things: the happy side, and the darker side. The first he found to be very boring. The latter he finds much more attractive.
Dave Karger is the interviewer.
Brings attention to 'Venetian Notebooks' that Del Toro keeps in planning movies. The Director says that he thinks and writes in Spanish. Sort of like a diary, but not daily.
Notes for "Cronos" are lost to 'Jim' Cameron who misplaced it!...
When he received awards for that movie, Del Toro says he was crying with a giant cheque in his hand. He was happy for two reasons:
A - It was recognition of his work.
B - He wasn't going to jail! The movie was in debt for $1/2 million!
Thought that was quite funny, but the interviewer wasn't feeling it.
On walking away from The Hobbit after so long on pre-production, how hard/difficult was it?
Del Toro: The hardest decision, felt heartache, like recently being widowed.
What to expect next?
Del Toro: 'At the Mountains of Madness' - produced by Jim Cameron. He has been trying to do this film for 13 years!
Spiderhole (2009)
Claudia says she scares easily, but not by this. Reminded her of Jaws 2, and drew attention to its bulky dialogue. Danny says that it has much the sentiment of The Shining, and makes a comment about a 'giffer' in the movie. Basically low-budget British Horror.
Horror DVDs to recommend for tomorrow:
Danny's choice is Dead of Night (1945) by Ealing Studios.
Claudia's choice is Rosemary's Baby, which she found terrifying!
A look at 'Burlesque' (with Cher and Christina Aguilera) closes the programme.
Looks terrible!
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Film 2010 : Episode 2 - October 20th
Broadcast: Wednesday, 20th October 2010, BBC 1
Just noticed how the opening credits pertain to the movies they're about to discuss. There's quite a cool montage from the movie, RED (2010), accompanying the Film Programme's rather iconic theme.
Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas' 1967 rendition of 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Feel Free'
RED Retired and Extremely Dangerous (2010)
Brief 'snippet-sentence' interviews with Bruce Willis (looking quite nonchalant, almost indifferent), Morgan Freeman, and Mary Louise Parker (looking quite aged from 'recent' work on Weeds). Bruce Willis singing the praises of Director Robert Shwentke.
Winkleman described it as 'WRONG' and alluded to a word game she used to play with her family when younger, where in this instance she would be struggling to find the right letters to form a *what-the-fuck?* sound-effect.
Danny says that he's always suspicious of movies where actors look like they're having too much fun, as in Soderbergh's Oceans Eleven, for which he wasn't a fan. Said he was looking forward to seeing the cast list in action, notably Ernest Borgnine, Brian Cox, and Richard Dreyfuss. But it felt like a Pro-Celebrity Golf Tournament. 'Drab' was the closing word of the review, in it's emphatic isolation.
Top 5 John Malkovich Movies by Antonia Quirke:
- Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
- Shadow of the Vampire (2000) - praised for playing a German Expressionist Director
- The Sheltering Sky (1990) - who she deems Malkovich to be at his most natural, like how she imagines him to be in real life: quirky and pretentious.
- In the Line of Fire (1993) - for how at 40 years old, he's not ashamed to show off a gut hanging out.
- The Killing Fields (1984) - who Quirke deemed Malkovich an instantly natural star in such an early film.
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Interviews with Director Zack Snyder, and the young actor Jim Sturgess (playing a character called Soren). Snyder says that the story is very Knights of the Round Table-esque. He approached it like he would a live-action movie, and the animators met him half way: this is how I would do it, this is how they (the animators) would do it - so they had a mesh of styles.
Also an interviews with Geoffrey Rush (playing a character called Ezylryb) and Sam Neil who looked a bit crazy, like he didn't have faith in the production as was doing promotional stuff routinely: 'Don't forget your gizzard when flying. It's the most important thing' quite seriously, or words to that effect.
Danny Leigh said that the movie for him, invited a disturbing trip down memory lane for when he was younger it reminded him of Watership Down and Star Wars. A 'Saga of Owls' if you will! Claiming that would probably be his way to sell it! Claudia said that it 'looked magnificent', and Danny said that he would trump that with it 'looking sumptuous'. The flying sequences in particular were praised by both, which bodes well for Snyder's work for Superman. The CGI flying is also fantastic, and works well in 3D, following the trend (How to Train Your Dragon). This is no real kid's flick though, with some heavy Owl-on-Owl violence!
The re-release of Back to the Future - Does it qualify for 'Classic' status?...
A talking-head sequence including:
Boyd Hilton
Anna Smith
Nev Pierce
David Gritten
Huey Lewis
Xan Brooks
Phillip French
Robbie Collin
Bob Gale said that the script was rejected so many times. That Disney weren't too impressed with the idea of a teenage kid alone in a car with his Mum!... Phillip French said that it's a movie with serious issues and tragic undertones. Interesting fact: Eric Stoltz was taken off the shoot six weeks into filming (to be replaced by Michael J Fox) because it wasn't working!
Hailed as a Classic covering major themes, the Frank Capra's 'It's A Wonderful Life' for a different generation.
Danny Leigh loves Crispin Glover, and think the movie's all about him! Says he gets the best line: 'You are my Density!' Hard to disagree. Another interesting fact: apparently the studios wanted him for the sequel, but he refused to do it. So they used a likeness of him, for which he sued, against Steven Spielberg, and was successful! Though it didn't do him favours for his career.
Africa United (2010)
About African kids travelling across 8 countries to get to the World Cup in South Africa. A road movie, by a first-time director. An interview with her. Said she didn't adhere to the first rules of first time Directors: don't work with kids, don't work with animals, watch your budget! She did the complete opposite. Also an interview with the kids. They looked all over for the right cast native to the story, and one of them was found from a newspaper article a year back in the UK.
Claudia says it's sold as a kid's film about football. Danny says that although the nature of the production might have been epic, that's as far as the comparison goes to Slumdog Millionaire. That latter film was a large-scale emotional adventure, compared to this rather small-scale quest. It's an ambitious movie to try and bring serious issues (the HIV epidemic, child soldiers with access to guns) to 12-13 year old kids. Although there's a lot to like, Danny says he has his reservations.
Mary and Max (2009)
Looks fucking crazy! Claymation. Immediately reminds you of Wallace and Gromit, but it's far from it. A dark story with a certain poignancy. A very human story. Danny compares it to Harold and Maude (1971). Excellent voice-casting with Eric Bana, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman whose presence is felt (unlike Despicable Me's voice cast who you hardly notice).
Carlos
About a terrorist... Comes in two formats: 330min version, and the 165 min version. Claudia and Danny both recommend the longer format to see. Originated as a French TV Series. The Director has European arthouse sensibility, but incorporates Hollywood-esque action sequences that easily best RED for a weekend movie.
Interview with Guillermo del Toro
Guilty Pleasures?
The Car (1977) with James Brolin. Has a still of it, and is having it hand-made in steel for everyday use at home in Los Angeles.
What makes you cry?
City Lights (1931) with Charlie Chaplin, especially the ending when she finally realises who he is.
I have to admit...
Wasn't a huge fan of Todd Browning's Dracula. He loves Browning, but never loved Lugosi. He liked him in more wild parts, playing against Karloff, but not on his own.
Wish you had Directed?
Eyes without a Face
Beauty and the Beast (1946) Jean Cocteau
Touch of Evil - Orson Welles
Seven Chances (1925)
Greed (1924) Erich von Stroheim
Most influential filmmaker?
Is sadly not working enough.
Terry Gillingham.
In Brazil (1985) his aesthetic influenced european Directors.
On the night that this particular episode was airing, it was the premiere of 'The Great White Silence' - Captain Scott's tragic polar expedition, which the BFI are to release in May 2011 on DVD. Footage of this closed the episode.
Personal thoughts:
First impressions, they're reacting too heavily to Twitter users, it seems!... Antonia Quirke's Top 5 is supposed to be an antidote to last week's fun-fest by an enthusiast, which by contrast, I found to be quite dull, serious, and self-absorbed. That it's filmed live is also telling. Feels very pressurised and rushed. Would have wanted it to be more relaxed and edited more neatly. Billed as 'with Claudia Winkleman', what about Danny Leigh! Methinks he's got a 'Get out of Jail Free' clause in his contract, in case the programme and it's format go tit's up. Not as engaging as the first episode, but would definitely still continue to watch regardless.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Film 2010 : Episode 1 - October 13th
With guest Danny Leigh - seems like a proper move buff!...
Both lavished praise on 'The Social Network' with West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin, and Director David Fincher. Unusual for how, according to Leigh, 'cinema is a lumbering beast with keeping up with events' - this movie does. Oscar nods abound, with interviews from the writer and the key members of the cast.
Debating what to call the troupe of other experts/enthusiasts:
Hewitt at the premiere of 'Never Let me Go', and speaking to the trio of protagonists Carey Mulligan, Kiera Knightly, and some other dude. It felt like he was interrupting a private social gathering, as they were all giggling uncontrollably, in mock jest at eachother. Felt sorry for Chris Hewitt who was trying to be serious, and was obviously not allowed into that inner circle of the joke being shared...
Leigh's most looking forward to 'Neds' - Anton Corben, and is his recommendation for the Festival.
Leigh says he's smitten with the film, and was generally opposed to the comparisons with Pixar. Claudia found it a touch predictable but said she loved it. Were in mutual agreement about the film's finite nature, closing down the possibility of another franchise a la Shrek and Toy Story. People under 3.5ft will love it - according to the duo.
Berated by Danny Leigh that the choices are made by an 8-year-old/12-year-old! Swiftly defended by Claudia professing her love for him.
The programme ended with a (supposedly exclusive) trailer for the upcoming Narnia movie. Looked horrible. A grotesque infatuation with CGI, a cartoon-like mash-up of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Perhaps it's a bit premature to say, but it's definitely one I'm NOT going to see...
You can tell that the programme's not secure or self-assured enough to have Winkleman completely on her own: she has to have a seemingly wide-spectrum of 'qualified' people to act as a supporting cast. Predictably, proper film buffs deride the format with some saying it's all over the place, and others, such as myself, am indifferent but rather welcome the change.
I really liked the show with Jonathan Ross, but did feel it was just what he thought, his opinion, an enthusiast, not an expert. Here, it's a messy blend of everything, and you can pick and choose what you like - or not. Overall, it's neither garishly offensive, or light-weight in content - and was happy enough to see something different. I also quite liked the banter between the snobby elitist movie people against the triers and the unsung workers (notably Chris Hewitt and that blogger dude). I look forward to the next episode!
The Social Network
Both lavished praise on 'The Social Network' with West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin, and Director David Fincher. Unusual for how, according to Leigh, 'cinema is a lumbering beast with keeping up with events' - this movie does. Oscar nods abound, with interviews from the writer and the key members of the cast.
The London Film Festival
Debating what to call the troupe of other experts/enthusiasts:
- Chris Hewitt (him off Empire) with Darth Vader shoes, was at The London Film Festival. Anticipating '127 hrs' and 'Submarine'.
- Someone called Quirke (a more elitist film viewer) anticipating 'Bridge on the River Kwai', a newly restored print, and 'Howl'.
- A proper young dude (a blogger) anticipating 'Black Swan'.
Hewitt at the premiere of 'Never Let me Go', and speaking to the trio of protagonists Carey Mulligan, Kiera Knightly, and some other dude. It felt like he was interrupting a private social gathering, as they were all giggling uncontrollably, in mock jest at eachother. Felt sorry for Chris Hewitt who was trying to be serious, and was obviously not allowed into that inner circle of the joke being shared...
Leigh's most looking forward to 'Neds' - Anton Corben, and is his recommendation for the Festival.
Despicable Me
Leigh says he's smitten with the film, and was generally opposed to the comparisons with Pixar. Claudia found it a touch predictable but said she loved it. Were in mutual agreement about the film's finite nature, closing down the possibility of another franchise a la Shrek and Toy Story. People under 3.5ft will love it - according to the duo.
Charlie's Top 5 scenes to do with the Moon:
(The young blogger dude from before)
- An American Werewolf in London
- Enter the Dragon (Bruce Lee's apparently naff metaphor for the moon) - resonated with me and raised a chuckle!
- AI: Artificial Intelligence (with the big fake moon chasing Law and Haley Joel)
- The Truman Show (with Ed Harris being wistful in his sky-moon office)
- Moulin Rouge (where the moon joins in singing with Kidman and McGreggor). Never noticed that before! Quite amusing!
Berated by Danny Leigh that the choices are made by an 8-year-old/12-year-old! Swiftly defended by Claudia professing her love for him.
Vampires Suck
Rolling Stone apparently gave it a four-word review "This film sucks more". Unfunny and offensive. There are more interesting things to do to pass time.
Over Your Cities, Grass will Grow
Claudia not really feeling it. Lacking dialogue and commentary. Leigh anticipated fisticuffs between the two, as he liked the film for it's engaging and immersive imagery.
A brief interview with Simon Pegg:
(with a massive Burke and Hare poster in the background)
Dream role?
Nic Cage's character in Raising Arizona
Guilty pleasure?
Rom-coms! A League of their Own in particular, viewed on a plane with Nick Frost. The moment when Hanks reveals death of a husband, said he found touching.
Fav films?
Dawn of the Dead (the Romero one)
Taxi Driver - a fantastic character study
Raising Arizona
Though the obvious one would be Star Wars!...
I have to admit:
Struggles with Gone with the Wind. The wife loves it, has got it on DVD. Sweeping, epic. Yeah, so what?... Ha ha!
________________________________
Impressions of the new format:
You can tell that the programme's not secure or self-assured enough to have Winkleman completely on her own: she has to have a seemingly wide-spectrum of 'qualified' people to act as a supporting cast. Predictably, proper film buffs deride the format with some saying it's all over the place, and others, such as myself, am indifferent but rather welcome the change.
I really liked the show with Jonathan Ross, but did feel it was just what he thought, his opinion, an enthusiast, not an expert. Here, it's a messy blend of everything, and you can pick and choose what you like - or not. Overall, it's neither garishly offensive, or light-weight in content - and was happy enough to see something different. I also quite liked the banter between the snobby elitist movie people against the triers and the unsung workers (notably Chris Hewitt and that blogger dude). I look forward to the next episode!
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