Trainspotting

 

Surprisingly this film has nothing to do with the leisurely past time of spotting all types of trains on the tracks. The relevant part of Irvine Welsh’s  book of the same name, where characters Renton and Begbie meet a drunk who turns out to Begbie’s father, at an abandoned station, was cut from the final draft; Welsh himself is, however, lucky enough to get a cameo as low down drug dealer Mikey Forrester) With all that is left, however, there is enough for this small detail not to matter. At then end of the day there is no mistaking that this is a Danny Boyle film since it has everything that interests him:controversial topics; culture analysis; possibility for harrowing scenes; and at the centre of it all, an interest in humans and characters.

The film is set in Edinburgh during the changing times of the 1980’s and it centers on a group of working-class Scottish misfits. The protagonist and narrator is Mark Renton (Rent Boy) who is played by a young Ewan McGregor, a somewhat unknown actor who had only been in three films previously. To prepare for the tough role McGregor shaved his head and lost 18 kilos so that he would look the part of a heroin addict. Renton is a guy who saw what he could have and chose to reject it for a life of instant and extreme gratification that only a good ‘hit’ could provide. The others in the group are equally colourful; there is Spud (Eiren Bremmer) a well-intentioned but dim witted guy destined for failure; Sick Boy ( Jonny Lee Miller) the schemer and wannabe pusher; Begbie (Robert Carlyle) who is a violent sociopath that will fight anyone anytime; and finally Tommy (Kevin McKidd) who is the clean cut –jock who ends up being the most tragic character in the story. None of them are really particularly likeable, most seeming to try hard to do as little work as possible, but the whole cast is exceptional with each one making their characters stand out on their own.

The film, as with the original book, revolves mainly around the heroin that the group is addicted to. As the movie progresses Renton, through his narration, tries to glorify and justify the choice he made, claiming to be in control of it all. However, this is all a self-generated smoke screen that the audience cannot fall for since we see the graphic reality. The frequent drug scenes work well in depicting the brutal realities of heroine addiction. The grotty flats, unattractive appearances and tragic consequences show the audience the truth of this lifestyle. At a time where drugs seem to be the latest party accessory due to shows such as ‘Skins’ and ‘Shameless’ (thanks a lot Channel 4) it is good, possibly even healthy, to know that there are ways for people to see the harsh side of the ‘glamour’. There is certainly nothing appealing about the dead baby scene, which is one of the most shocking I have seen on a screen.

Saying all this Boyle does not directly pass any moral judgment on the characters and doesn’t lecture the audience like an after school special. In fact we are shown how society has its own acceptable drugs such as cigarettes, alcohol and (the middle class favourite) prescription drugs, which are just as bad for you, but legal so therefore ok. The audience is left to decide for themselves if addictions are an acceptable part of life or not.

There is more analysis in this story than just looking at drugs; it also looks at the entire city of Edinburgh during its ‘cultural boom’. In the 1980s Edinburgh was seen as culturally rich and diverse, but here are a group who are anything but those things. For the best Scottish film of all time it doesn’t portray the country in a very positive light, even describing the Scottish people as ‘…the scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization.’-not something the Scottish tourist board will be using anytime soon. The working class life-style of Edinburgh appears not to have caught up with the rest of the city and instead clings to its seedy bars, violent fights and attempts to avoid all sort of reasonability. As with Channel 4’s ‘Shameless’ we are most likely given an exaggerated version of reality, but these characters will have come from somewhere and represent some part of Edinburgh. In fact the film chooses to be brutally honest about Scottish national perception. So as well as looking at drug addiction, ‘Trainspotting’ is a cultural dissection of Scotland and its working class. It is such a shame then that this analysis takes a back seat to all the drug related plot line and story arcs such as the one concerning Renton and his under age ‘girlfriend’ Diane (Kelly Macdonald) are never fully finished.

Although the contents and issues of the film are dark and dingy, the film is shot beautifully. In this way it is like Darren Aronofsky’s ‘ Requiem For A Dream’, which also used great cinematic techniques to allow audiences to experience the same sensations as the addicts. The drug fuelled trips, cold turkey delusions and of course the famous loo metaphor are all creatively and expertly shot making the film feel just that little bit more special. Along with the visuals also comes a great 80s soundtrack that takes those who remember it straight back.

The film is certainly one that requires a strong stomach and nerves of steel, I would be lying if I said I didn’t hide behind my hands whenever a needle was shown, and trust me it happens a lot. But the rewards of seeing such a strong, hard-hitting film are worth all the ‘eek’ moments. I imagine that the book is a little less full on, many moments would be easier to read than watch, so if the story interests you it may be worth giving that a try, but you won’t get the same strong emotional reaction or reward.

 

Degree-2:1

Not a film for everyone by any means, but one that is well worth seeing.

It certainly lives up to the accolade of being the

best British film of the 1990s

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

 

 

North By Northwest

When it’s said that everyone should see this film once. there is a reason! It might not be seem hugely original or unique to have an ordinary guy stuck in extraordinary circumstances through fluky coincidences, recent releases ‘The Tourist’ or ‘Bourne Trilogy’ come to mind, but this is one of the first and best uses of that set-up.  Greatly helped by Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and Alfred Hitchcock this blows all other espionage thrillers out of the water.

The plot is light on complexity, with Roger Thornhill (Grant) being mistaken for George Kaplan, a man wanted dead by Phillip Vandamm (played by James Mason). The lead up to this mistaken identity happens in small steps, but done with great comical flare that reminds me of Shakespearean comedies such as ‘A Comedy of Errors’.  After a run in with Vandamm’s men, Thornhill tries to track down Kaplan and get some answers. Then on the train, in a scene everyone will recognise, Thornhill meets Eve Kendall (Saint), the blonde femme fatal that takes a little bit too much interest in him and puts a spanner in the works. The film is incredibly fast paced and every scene is about moving the plot forwards, which leaves little room for any characterisation. Back in 1959 that would not have been much of a problem, but modern audiences have a problem with films that are light on plot and depths. Films that mimic this formula, such as ‘The Tourist’ or the later Ocean’s films, are ripped apart because they lack anything beneath their shiny exterior. It seems that modern audiences like to know a bit more about the characters and so some might find this a little bit silly and empty to watch.

Saying all that Cary Grant plays his character fantastically well. Off screen his life might have been full of the sort of drama that keep editors of ‘Heat’ and ‘US Weekly’ happy, but on screen he portrays the ‘every man’ perfectly. A modern equivalent would be the bumbling Hugh Grant, as he has both the charm and the good looks; the same cannot be said for Johnny Depp’s  ‘every man’ (again in ‘The Tourist’-the parallels are so similar it is almost breaching copyright) who lacks both the conventional looks and the charm to pull it off. A problem with Cary Grant’s performance is the pace he delivers his lines. The dialogue flies thick and fast so that modern audiences might have difficulty keeping up and so will miss out on some of the clever lines. However, once you get used to the pace you can appreciate the witty and clever banter that occurs between the characters; it is the kind of script that likely inspired Aaron Sorkin, the writer of ‘The West Wing’ and ‘The Social Network’.

The other actor to comment on is Eva Marie Saint who plays the cold and mysterious Eve Kendall. Kendall is a great female part, one that is in control, dominant and opinionated. The flirting between Thornhill and Kendall is certainly led by her, a dynamic that is great to watch on screen. It is also a relationship that was not seen in similar films such as James Bond which still had the females act as damsels in distress.

The greatest thing about this film, and the reason that everyone must go and see it, is because of its importance to modern pop culture. Different scenes from the film have been recycled over and over again. The opening credits (Buried and The Tourist); the chemistry on the train (Casino Royale); the line ‘Beats flying, doesn’t it?’ (Virgin Trains advert); the plane flying across a corn field (The Simpson episode ‘Fear of Flying’); and the conflict on Mount Rushmore (Family Guy episode ‘North by North Quahog’). All these scenes stem from the iconic ones found in ‘North by Northwest’. In fact the last two examples are especially fantastic scenes if you remember that they were shot with no CGI. A real plane was used and a life-size model of Mount Rushmore was constructed all for the sake of realism.

‘North by Northwest’ is undeniably a classic and one of the most successful films of its type. Some modern audiences might not like the dated style of filming, but everyone should definitely see it to find the sources of many pop culture references.

Degree- 2:1

A fun, clever film that delivers what few films have

been able to since. A classic in every sense of the word

and one that has greatly influenced modern pop culture

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

Donnie Darko

This is probably one of the strangest, hardest to understand film that has ever been released; in the confusion stakes it is up there with ‘Memento’ and ‘Solaris’. Everyone has a theory or an idea about the concept and they never seem to be the same, and this is why this film must be seen.

It starts off with strange questions and ends with strange questions and is a total mind f**ck in between. We wonder why does Donnie wake up in the middle of the road miles out of town? What has he done in the past that makes this seem normal? Clearly he is a troubled kid, he is in therapy, was held behind at school and his parents don’t know what to do with him. His is also lead out of the house by a giant rabbit called Frank on the same night that his room is crushed by a falling jet engine, what is going on there? But saying all this he is incredibly bright and picks up on arguments and points that no one else in the town thinks of.  From the start it all just gets weirder and weirder with the film looking at life and death, love, time travel, fate, alternative realities and all manner of things that would make a philosophy student’s head hurt. It is very difficult to get your head around it all and you find yourself questioning everything, especially after the 3^rd or 4^th time you see it.

Donnie is played by Jake Gyllenhaal and is one of his best known and biggest cult roles to date. He has since become a great actor with films like ‘Brokeback Mountain’ and ‘Zodiac’, an action hero thanks to ‘Prince of Persia’ and an all round heartthrob, but for many he will always be that weird kid Donnie Darko and that says something about the following this film has. Gyllenhaal also acts alongside his older sister Maggie who plays his on screen sister Elizabeth and the two create some good sibling chemistry. The rest of the cast are also all very good, with Drew Barrymore playing a liberal English teacher, Patrick Swayze as the influential speaker who has a dark secret and Beth Grant as the overly conservative PE teacher. Every character in the film feels like he or she is playing several different pats, the part that fits in with the story, but also a representation of America or maybe of a bible story or maybe something else, I don’t exactly know what, but there certainly feels as if there is more to everyone than meets the eye.

What truly makes this film a ‘must see’, above the story and actors, are the twists, turns and messages that it is layered with. There are jabs and digs at overly conservative America, there is the demonstration that everyone, even the admired, has a secret or two they want to hide and there is the concept that everything we do will have effects that we can not even begin the imagine. The plot also looks at life and death and what takes us from one to the other. Whatever you take from it you will feel compelled to talk about it afterwards; surely what every good movie should do. Each and every viewing will inspire a conversation or argument that is different to one you have had before and even if you never know what actually happens it is good to discuss it. For those who are interested writer and director Richard Kelly has his own theory on what the film is about and it can be found on the Donnie Darko Wikipedia page. Some might find it satisfactory while others will prefer their own ideas and would happily argue with Kelly himself about it.

Personally I feel that Donnie Darko is like ‘Lost’ where the unknown theory is better and more interesting than the known reality. There is no doubt that the film deservers to be seen and must be seen by everyone. You may like it, you may hate it, but you will definitely have something to say about it.

Degree- 2:1

If you like films that mess with your head and don’t

give you all the answers straight away you will love this,

otherwise it might be best to avoid it.

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

This Is Spinal Tap!

Spinal Tap has been credited with incredible cult status; it is 48^th in Empire’s 500 films of all time and got 96% from Rotten Tomatoes, a worthy feat by any means. Despite this, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ elicited mixed emotions from me.

‘This is Spinal Tap’ is a mockumentry with advert director Marty DiBergi (real director Rob Reiner) following fictional British rock band Spinal Tap as they tour the United States in order to promote their new album ‘Smell the Glove’. The group was originally started by childhood friends David St Hubbins (Michael Mikean) and Nigel Tufuel (Christopher Guest). They were later joined by bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), keyboard player Viv Savage (David Ruff) and an unprecedented number of drummers who all seem to die between tours. The entire band were in fact actors putting on English accents and adlibbing most of the script.

The film gives great mocking insight into the world of failing stardom, which certainly speaks to our generation if magazines such as ‘Heat’ or ‘OK!’ are anything to go by. It also looks into the style of fly on the wall documentaries, which again we are now more than familiar and fascinated with. It is sad witnessing the gradual decline of this band’s reputation and with it their confidence in themselves; this is made even more obvious when compared with spliced in  ‘archive’ footage of their best bits. This footage shows how the band once had all they wanted, but have since become irrelevant, a fact they fail to realise this. The movie is excellent at showing the band’s world and their subtle dynamics; we see how they argue and reconcile only to argue again. Orbiting the drama are other caricatures of the celebrity world, from the bumbling manager trying to keep it all together, to the interfering girl friend that believes she should take control of everything (remind you of any particular band member’s girlfriend?). The band themselves also mock celebrity culture with their public strops, inane backstage requests and inflated egos; celebrities clearly haven’t changed much in the past 16 years.

All of the characters are larger than life in order to make a point, but it is here where the comedy side of the film falls down for me. The gags very much had the feel of other films like ‘Wayne’s World’ and ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’, where everything that is said and done comes from very left field. Maybe I am just not what this movie is aimed at so I missed a lot of the genius behind it, but the jokes only made me chuckle a few times and for ‘the funniest film ever’ that is not a great score. This is disappointing as the film has a lot going for it, but without the humour it is just a wacky show that couldn’t hold my interest. By the end I found I was just waiting for the final number and it all to be over.

2:2- a cult classic that, for me at least, did not live up to expectation.

An accurate parody of celebrity culture, but not a funny one

and that is where the film missed out.

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is the original dark, yet feel-good film based on Stephen King’s famous short story. From the starting court scene to the phenomenal ending the film shows the audience every aspect of the human character, both good and bad; it’s an engaging and touching journey. It is unfortunate that this great was released in the same year as Tom Hank’s ‘Forest Gump’ and Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’. These big names stole the limelight at the box office so Shawshank only made $18 million and lost out on all seven of the academy awards it was nominated for. However it has since grossed a huge DVD and VHS following and been ranked deservedly higher in the list of greatest films of all time.

The film centres on former banker Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, who is on trial for the murder of his wife and her golf-pro lover. Although Dufresne protests his innocence, his icy manner fails to convince either the jury or the audience and he is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. He is sent to Shawshank Prison and behind these high stone walls are where almost all the film takes place. Robbins plays the intelligent and calculating Andy Dufresne perfectly; so much so that some critics have faulted him, claiming he never truly connects with the audience.  This distance however is simply as a powerful example of how Dufresne is distant from everyone around him. He is an island and Robbins plays him as such.

All the characters that Dufresne meets in Shawshank are richly filled out and layered: from the hypocritical warden Mr Norton, who is as flawed as the men he keeps locked up, to Brooks the institutionalised crook who will bring tears to your eyes. Each character grows organically during the film’s gentle unfolding. Within this great cast the stand out performance is easily Morgan Freeman. He plays Red, a man who can get you anything you need for a 20% mark up. Freeman’s portrayal of Red is raw, human and real; Freeman thoroughly deserved his Oscar nomination.  Freeman is also the film’s narrator; his silky voice is certainly music to the ears and gives a good insight into the emotions and psychology of a prisoner. It allows the audience to really understand what each character is going through.

When all is said and done, beneath Freeman’s silky voice and the country amble pace this is still a prison movie and like ‘Midnight Express’ before it, includes some horrible scenes that make you think twice about ending up there. From the guards’ verbal insults and physical assaults to the inmates deaths and the food they have to eat the film does not let up in showing us how truly awful people can be. The beating and rape of Dufresne by a group of prisoners called ‘The Sisters’ was particularly nasty and distressing to watch. But it is not these dark scenes that make ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ one of the 50 films Film4 say you must see before you die how these men rise above these obstacles is the true genius of the film. Throughout all he endures Dufresne never loses his creativity, generosity or integrity. The bond of companionship he forms with the other inmates is inspirational and the lengths he goes to in order to hang onto hope are incredible. The end of the film leaves you dumbstruck, in awe at what we are all capable of and determined to make sure you fulfil your own potential.

Degree: 1^st.

The film of a generation and one that has finally become recognised for the masterpiece it is.

Films since then, such as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, have clearly drawn inspiration from it.

Get busy living, get busy seeing this film.