John Barry has left the room.

I love film soundtracks and my collection is quite healthy and a broad mix of James Horner, John Williams but the love had to start somewhere. It had to be awoken, and that moment came when as an excited 8 year old I sat down to watch the first UK showing of You Only Live Twice. I remember the opening titles, the volcanic images and the moody spine tingling Nancy Sinatra singing the opening theme. Everything fell into place, the world made sense because John Barry's music made me feel so.
That Christmas my father bought me one of those cheap seventies albums Geoff Love and his Orchestra Bond themes. It was from this album of cover versions I became absorbed by the Barry sound. OHMSS the ski chase music would get repeated and repeated until the album became worn. As I grew older I migrated to John Williams Star Wars Soundtracks but then Disney climbed onto the SCI FI bandwagon and Barry composed the musci in which to enter a Black Hole. I had a Christmas voucher and it went on my first proper Barry tape, yes tape to go with my first stereo and boy did that tape get played from the Triumphant opening march through to the Ominous rumblings of conflict and heroics the Black hole soundtrack was well loved.. As time passed and I got my first job my collection expanded. But CD was a revelation. Midnight Cowboy, Zulu, Born Free, Out of Africa , Body Heat, Dances With Wolves.
     The man could address every genre and hold you in his gentle grip. He made bad movie s memorable and great movie s unforgettable. The last soundtrack I bought was his Enigma soundtrack, a moody romantic mystery perfectly complimenting the images that unfolded on screen.
      My favourite album of his is Moviola a drawing together of his more lyrical and memorable themes from Out of Africa to Chaplain , it will be my CD of choice tonight, particularly the Chaplin track, as I remember a great who gave Bond his edge, gave Africa its romance and the Wild west its epic ness and Harry Palmer his rebellious coolness.
Gold Bless you John

The Kings Speech Review

    This is a tale of a monarchy in crisis and a country on the precipice . But more importantly it tells of one man plagued by a stammer who will reluctantly assume the throne and become the figurehead of a  nation about to be plunged  into war. That's the abridged version but this is a magnificent film about the relationship of Bertie played by Colin Firth and his Australian speech therapist Lionel Louge played by the wonderful Geoffrey Rush. I really enjoyed this film this is not a showy razzmatazz movie, its very much a actors film the direction supporting their performances and not drowning them in stylistic flourishes. 

     Its also  a history lesson many details of which are well known. Edward VII  played by Guy Pearce  brilliantly essays the man who did not want to be king. A man unphased byduty and commitment and whose interest in Germany was borderline unhealthy and who could not be bothered with history or destiny. Who would abdicate to his brother for the love of a divorcee. Helen Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall ably support the leads adding colour and a human face to proceedings. 

     But what really draws you into the film is Rush's portrayal of Louge as a non conformist and unorthodox speech therapist. Its a wonderful character study ably supported by some great British and Australian actors who make you forget who they and allow you to become absorbed in the events unfolding before your eyes.

    This is a part of history I was never taught in school. Our wartime history lessons focused on Churchill, his speeches endlessly repeated in films and documentary's covering England role in the second world. war.

This is a story of a man who struggles against adversity and who led the monarchy into an uncertain future by

embracing the most vocal means of addressing his subjects by  embracing radio an unforgiving medium to communicate a caring monarchy a nation that needed to know they cared.

  Tom Scott's direction is understated and he allows the script and performances to shine through I highly recommend this movie

 

Captain America and Spider-man

Some nice images along with Wallpapers have surfaced on the Marvel website following the release of the Spider-man first look shots as a taster of things to come.
I have to confess I'm looking forward to the Captain America with its World War 2 origin story which promises something different.
The Spider-man one looks particularly moody and already the web is abuzz with the first site of potential mechanical web shoots.
Well we have until July next year before we'll know if the reboot was the correct way to go. No doubt more costume reveals further down the road, to counter the set spy photos which have surfaced on various news sites.

Green Hornet 3D

Well this is one comic book character whose history I wasn't aware of. Sure I had seen Dragon the Bruce Lee story and knew that the character of Kato was his induction into western film making. Sure I'd seen their guest appearances in the Batman 60's TV show.  But the characters never crossed the great Atlantic divide, or at least not that I was aware of. My world revolved around Spiderman, the Hulk and Daredevil. These were the heroes of my youth and Green Hornet and Kato didn't register on my radar.

      So when I went to see this film on the weekend I went in blind which sometimes is the way I like to see a film. I the idea that Seth Rogen had written the script and was starring the trailers had played up the humor was another big draw making it look like a fun hip superhero comedy. Also this was the first converted 3D movie I have seen and right at the start I will say the 3D conversion has been done well. It’s understated, noticeable but not in your face. It didn’t add to the film but neither did it leave you with a sour taste in the mouth.

   In basic terms it’s a popcorn movie with a capital P.

   Michel Gondry handles the film with aplomb though it does feel a half hour too long and only due to Seth Rogen’s character of playboy anti hero being a little grating at times but Jay Chou steals the show, his Kato just stealing the movie be it  his dry humor and martial arts skills.

    It’s just a refreshing change from the recent spate of dark and moody action tales. This is no Dark Knight. Christoph Waltz’s villain is well handled and memorable and the action is well handled. Not once are you confused everything is clear and the use of the 3D for Jay Chou’s Kato version shows Michel Gondry bringing his A game. In fact there are a few nice Gondry touches that are unmistakably his own.

   The only criticism would be with Cameron Diaz’s character which seems a bit light and fluffy and in one or two character beats just seems a tad underwritten and really doesn’t bring much to the table. Hopefully if this does go to a sequel this will be addressed and hopefully they’ll progress and develop Seth Rogen’s character as there is only so much you can take of the playboy idiot character. We need to see some more intelligence and character progression.

   All in all not a bad film certainly not the disaster one would expect. It’s not Ironman which seems to be the angle it strives for. But it has the potential to develop as a franchise and I came away with a smile on my face.

    Now I eagerly await the arrival of Thor and after this weeks release of images of Captain America this summer or winter if in NZ looks like an exciting period for the Super hero franchises.

Thor coming soon Poster

Found this coming soon Poster for Thor which makes the costume looking seriously bad ass, this coupled with the fact that Kenneth Branagh is directing has seriously got me excited. Lest we forget Jon Faverau is an actor director and look what he did for Iron man 1 & 2.  Im excited because with the Norse , Isengard elements this could be a grande operatic spectacle of an action movie, Hamlet proved Branagh can supply the eye candy and grandier so bring it on. This is the Marvel Character I have been waiting for, as Spider man, the Hulk and Thor were the main characters I had access too as a kid in the UK.  Marvel having a major UK presence when I was a kid although the UK editions were always in Black and white in the 70's which worked just fine for Tomb of Dracula which came out I believe mid 70's

Bond is back

Yes the news is good today, Bond 23 is go and will be returning in 2012. Sam Mendes will be directing and Daniel Craig will be returning. Hopefully this will be a return to form as set by Casino Royale and a more satisfying installment than Quantum of Solace. Hopefully the MGM hiatus will have allowed for much tighter script work being done in the background.
Its been a good week for the movies what with the Hobbit back on track and news of the Planet of the Apes Rising movie hitting the web with pictures of Mr Serkis is mo cap gear amok on the streets of San Francisco. I am one happy geek.

Peter Yates has left the room.

Another sad day for film with news of the death of Peter Yates. He was one of the directing greats with Steve McQueen's Bullit being the one particular movie of his that I love and in fact was one of the first DVD's I bought when the format was the new big kid on the block and video was still king.
But in later years he gave me another  pleasure and that was Krull.  This was an attempt to do something different from Star Wars but utilising the same sort of classic mythic structure popularised and informed by the works of Joseph Campbell. If I had one criticism of the film is that the world seems spartan,  there is no background colour no feeling of a world existing around our heroes. But he gave us one of the coolest weapons ever to feature in a film  the heroes glaive. Other notable films are The Deep and Breaking away. Its another sad day for cinema but he leaves behind some great films which are there for the  viewing.

Film shows of my youth Clapperboard

The 70's were the formative years for my love of film. Cinemas weren't so full of box office fodder , Jaws hadnt yet started the new movement. At this time my favourite show was presented by Chris Kelly and was classed as a kids show but it was a virtual film 101, before the Internet it served as a publicity machine each programme concentrating on a particular aspect of film making. Some episodes were historical lessons concerning the story of film. Other episodes focused on various trades within film production. Editors, composers.
     But my favourite episodes were the ones that focused on a particular film due out, the sort of promotional filler that we now take for granted as DVD extra's. So we got glimpses of At the Earth's Core, The Empire Strikes back, and the making of Krull.
     It ran from 1972 - 1982 for a decade and I loved it. But the episodes I particularly remember were those devoted to my hero Ray Harryhausen and in particular his fantasy films. In fact Clash of the Titans was one of the last films they covered. I marvelled at the fact that each movement of one of his creations was a painstaking process of delicate movements recorded frame by frame. But when actually sat watching his movies you forgot all that to be drawn into the atmosphere he created and the story that unfolded.

   My particular favourites being The Golden Voyage of Sinbad  and  Mysterious Island and of course no list would be complete without Jason and the Argonauts the last which takes pride of place in my DVD collection.

A Middle earth holiday early 2010

As I draft up my next blog I thought I would post some pics of  last years Christmas trip which passed a few locations used in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. These were taken early 2010 before the Hobbit had been green lit. We spent most of our time in Rotorura but the chance to visit Matamata was too good to pass up. Oh the first pic is a King Kong ref, but you can see the South Island in the distance.

So Mrs Wismann humoured me.

Wellington Cinemas Part 2

Just been digging around the net for images of two of my favourite Wellington cinemas the Empire is Island Bay caters for the Island Bay superb , this is a perfect example of what makes Wellington Cinemas special in that it caters for the community by having a coffee shop etc. all on site. I love the fact that  you can buy a meal and drinks and take it into the cinema with you.
In the multiplexes here they call it the Gold Lounge experience etc, and you pay extra for the privilege coupled with superior seating which is like a lazy boy sofa with side table for your food and drinks.

Then there is the wonderful Penthouse cinema in Brooklyn which is a stunner with fantastic restaurant, cafe and brilliant auditoriums. Just look at the front of this building its a cracker.

A Picture palace lost The Royal Playhouse Cinema Tenby Wales

Whilst catching up with news from the mother country I came across a sad tale of another independent cinema biting the dust unable to compete with the multiplex's in this case the cinema is in the tourist resort of Tenby west Wales. Tenby is  a little Georgian town surround by beautiful country side and filled with historical atmosphere from its old town walls and market town atmosphere. With its golden beaches in the summer its one of the best places to visit, with an abundance of local history and Pembroke Castle a half hours drive away.
      But with its dependence on holiday traffic the cinema found it hard to survive, the local multiplexes arrival in nearby Camarthen being the final nail in the  coffin.

     The last time I visited Tenby was a few years ago on a work trip. With some down time to myself in the evening before attending a meal with my workmates I took the opportunity to catch a a film and this cinema was where I caught The House on Haunted Hill.

http://thor-marvel.com

If you are not aware of this, this is another Marvel Character coming to the big screen but this time in 3D. The link below will take you to the standard 2D version

http://thor-marvel.com but its quite possible the 3D version of the trailer will be showing with Green hornet 3D when released. Enjoy. I saw the 3D version when I went to see Tron Legacy, from what they showed the effect is outstanding and is definitely on my one to watch list. Hopefully I will see the 3D trailer again in a few weeks when the Green Hornet is released over here.

Solomon Kane

Writer Ron E Howard’s creation might not be as well known as Conan or Krull but he is just as memorable character being a Puritan demon hunter on a relentless quest to battle evil. In 2009 I became aware of its existence as a movie directed by Michael J Bassett.

However this film has bypassed cinemas down under and instead is being release on DVD and Blu ray. Being an impatient sole and as knowing it had been released in the UK I obtained the Blu ray edition from Amazon.

This film is essentially an origin tale, taking our Anti hero from his days as a blood thirsty killing machine armed with his trusty pistols and cutlass and rapier. We are introduced to him as played by James Purefoy in the midst of a far eastern battle storming a citadel. This introduction ends with him being confronted by the Devils Reaper who has come for his soul.

He escapes and abandons his blood thirsty ways for a more monastic lifestyle renouncing violence and devoting his life to peace. But when forced to leave the monastery to step once  more into the outside world you know events will lead him to once more take up his weapons and embrace his darker side but this time to battle the evil forces out to corrupt a world he has come to value. James Purefoy takes on this role with relish; his transformation to pacifist back to killing machine is believable. Much about this film reminds me of Brotherhood of the Wolf form the photography and tone so it is no surprise to discover that  many of the background crew came from that  film and that it shares the same producers.

For me the film works, but then I’m a sucker for a swords and horror though it plays more like a fantasy action film the nearest film comparison I could make would be to the old hammer horror film Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter but obviously with a bigger budget and more style. I did feel it needed a more clearly identifiable villain but for what it is and the fact that it introduces a lesser known character to the screen I enjoyed it. Tonally it matched the marvel comic’s rendition that was my introduction to the character. Special effects are top notch and the cast of great British character actors as supporting characters bring quality to the film. Special mention goes to the late great Pete Postlethwaite who played an important role in driving this tale forward.

Sadly I would have liked to have seen this on the big screen, but OZ and NZ join the US as countries denied this opportunity and thinking of some of the dross I have sat through last year I find that a little sad. Still out of this Michael J Bassett has got the task of bring Silent Hill 2 to the screen which I look forward too based his handling of this film.

I recommend this on blu ray, picture is superb and James Purefoy owns the screen sadly this might be the only installment in his adventures but this is down to lack of distributors rather than the quality of the film. Village Roadshow are releasing the film in both Australia and New Zealand and it should be out now.

Star Wars Trilogy coming to Blu ray

Hot of the presses it has been announced at the CES show that the Star Wars complete saga will be coming to Blu ray in September 2011
Twentieth Century Fox Home entertainment will be releasing Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of Star Wars fans
Star Wars the Complete Saga on Blu Ray (9 disc set which will include all six films
Star Wars the Prequel Blu Ray Trilogy (3 disc set)
Star Wars Orginal Blu Ray Trilogy (3 Disc Set)

The Chronicles of Narnia Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Chronicle of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

With this being the last two days of my holiday, and with my two and half year old recovering from a bout of Chicken pox I decided whilst he was asleep to catch up with the last of the big budget Christmas movies that so far I had avoided seeing. This was due to my not having enjoyed the previous instalment Prince Caspian.
Due to Tangled having just been released yesterday, and sharing the 3D screen with Tron, I saw this presentation in 2D. I find at the moment that I am very selective with regards to the 3D films I am prepared to pay extra to see.  My main criteria being if it is made in 3D I will see it, if it is post conversion then unless the reviews are extremely positive I will settle for a presentation which is 2D as in this case.

This film has had a troubled history, Disney having abandoned it resulting in Fox studios taking over the franchise.  Also this film has a new director in Mike Apted and it shows with a return to form. This being a much, lighter and thrilling family friendly instalment to the franchise.  This is everything that the Clash of the Titans remake should have been with good doses of mystery, wonder right down to the climatic sea battle with a sea serpent that had this viewer wishing for the glory days of Harryhausen and his mythical adventures.

Liberties are taken with the story to make it more coherent and exciting and the special effects are top notch.  There are a few noticeable changes from the last instalment Reep a cheep now being voiced by Simon Pegg replacing Prince Caspian’s Eddie Izzard and it works giving the character more gravitas and bring out his humour more.

This isn’t another Lord of the Rings, this is a more kid friendly exercise in fantasy adventure and on that level it worked for this viewer. Unfortunately this might be the swan song in this particular cinematic saga, but its underperformance is undeserved. A big step in the right direction but not an outright classic. I hope time will be kind to this film as it reflects the time in which it was written and it entertains in the right family friendly way you would expect.

My favourite Wellington cinema

Since moving to Wellington back in 2006 to marry my Kiwi partner I have been spoilt by the abundance of wonderful cinema's in the area. This is a city where suburban cinemas have survived by showing a healthy mix of art house and popular fair.
My favorite cinema is the Embassy which was refurbished in time for the Lord of the Rings Premiere. Its interior is a joy to behold and its seats luxurious.

Opposite the cinema is a WETA designed statue that is striking and befitting its location with the Paramount and Reading cinemas literally just a short walk from its location.

Stone St Studios and Mirimar and New cinema development

Yesterday being a bank holiday I decided to take a drive with the family to Mirimar, the home of Weta and Stone St Studio. The main reason for our visit being the Chocolate Frog cafe where I had an excellent cooked breakfast and fantastic black pudding. Here are a few snaps taken on the day.

Being a bank holiday all was relatively quiet. Soon the Hobbit will be full ahead and saw a brief glimpse of a wooden set near to the mocap stage but nothing you could connect to that film. But soon this will be a hive of major activity.

Picture palaces of my youth

Its that time of the year when you say farewell to the Old and hello to the new. I guess its also time for thinking about the past and how you arrived at this point in your life. In my case and in keeping with this blog its a look back at the Picture palaces of my youth.

  My cinema going in Cardiff was based around price and convenience back in the 70's. I grew up on a council estate in Llanederyn , it was a time when suburban cinemas were still in existence. Such as the County cinema in Rumney, The Plaza and my particular local the Globe in Wellfield Rd.
     City centre cinemas were more costly during that time and the Globe was the first cinema on my local bus route. It was popular with students, OAP's and families as it was cheaper than going to the city center and it nearly always showed double bills. It was here that I saw Planet of the Apes and Escape from the Planet of the Apes when the television series boosted their appeal. It was cheap because it always showed films after the city center cinemas, end of run features and also old movies such as Zulu , the Carry on Films and On the Buses. Also it only did evening shows and they usually kicked off at 5.30 in the evening which made it convenient for my father who nearly always took me to the cinema leaving my mother to look after my younger brother.
    Here I saw Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts. As we approached the early eighties it was here that I saw my first X film before I was old enough legitimately to see them. Nearly always in double bills for example
Friday the 13th with a obscure horror the Pack. Alien and the Entity and Poltergiest.
Its interior was tired, it was originally built in 1916 as the Penylan cinema and it closed on 25th May 1985. Ken and Ingrid Wardle were the managers and it is due to them that it lasted as long as it did. Theres a little film the Smallest show on Earth a Peter Sellers, Margaret Rutherford film that makes me fondly think back to this little picture palace. I remember its musty smell, aged and unforgiving seats and its old silver screen, tired but still up to the job.

     In honorable mention the Grandest cinema of my youth was the Cardiff Capitol this was the place I would go to for Saturday morning picture shows, James Bond films the last one being the Spy Who love me and the Herbie films. It had a large grande foyer large enough for them to have a Lotus Esprit on display. Its interior was fantasatic and its Auditorium was really grande. My fondest memory being when my father took me to see At the Earths Core there. What made this special was the fact that a visit here usually ended with a visit to the steak house next door.

Fond memories indeed.