Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Ralph McQuarrie thanks for the memories
Last night Twitter feeds were a buzz with the passing of a legend AT 82. George Lucas may have given us Star Wars but Ralph McQuarrie gave it a look and a feel unlike anything else on screen. When Lucas was touting the film around the studio's he enlisted McQuarrie's help asking him to illustrate a couple of scenes to better inform the studio executives on what Lucas wanted to deliver on the big screen.
The final look of the film didn't stray too far from McQuarrie's designs. The Illustrated Star Wars Universe is a marvellous book that allowed McQuarrie's work to be seen by a wider audience and of course devoted fans. Also he designed the iconic Battle Star Galactica, ET, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind. But film work is just a fraction of what he did. His work lives on in young and old alike. On toy shelves, bookcases, and off course on film ,Blu ray and DVD.
So a toast to a legendary designer and artist, who has given much to popular culture and who will be missed.
Ralph McQuarrie
June 13th 1929 - March 3rd 2012
The final look of the film didn't stray too far from McQuarrie's designs. The Illustrated Star Wars Universe is a marvellous book that allowed McQuarrie's work to be seen by a wider audience and of course devoted fans. Also he designed the iconic Battle Star Galactica, ET, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind. But film work is just a fraction of what he did. His work lives on in young and old alike. On toy shelves, bookcases, and off course on film ,Blu ray and DVD.
So a toast to a legendary designer and artist, who has given much to popular culture and who will be missed.
Ralph McQuarrie
June 13th 1929 - March 3rd 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
JOHN CARTER Final Movie Trailer
JOHN CARTER Final Movie Trailer
Star Wars, Avatar, owe Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter series a big debt, here's the Trailer. This is one movie due out in New Zealand on the 8th this week that sort of feels like its coming in under the radar. Such has been the lack of marketing for this film. Watch , enjoy and seek out.
The Dry spell, The Artist, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Its raining hard outside, this we are reliably informed by news and media is due to a weather bomb. This is the first time I have heard that term used to describe a weather pattern. It seems almost befitting after a lack lustre week of film releases which made venturing outside less than appealing.
Being between jobs means at the moment with a little too much down time between job hunting and redrafting my CV. I have been revisiting old haunts in Wellington. I also used the opportunity to view two films at Wellington's the Embassy, which has just undergone a major refurbishment which has added twog two new screens, and a downstairs bar.
Being Oscar week I had to see the Artist which I enjoyed on a technical level but didn't love .Jean Dujardin's performance is outstanding, capturing that silent era style of acting with masterful emotional performance that perfectly converys the depths of his character without the fall back of sound. Equally Michel Hazanavicius direction is masterful, there are moments when I really felt like I was watching a film from the period, it is only when Berenice Bejo is on screen that the cinematography feels a little contemporary. Bearing in mind its Oscar wins I have to say I felt they were well deserved except for Best Picture, which I felt should have gone to Hugo.
It there was one film last week that blew me away, it would have to be Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy a masterful adaptation of a very British spy tale. Tomas Alfredson deft direction brings a wonderful sense of depth coupled with intelligence. Set at the height of the 70's cold war, George Smiley as played by Gary Oldman is approached by government ministers to investigate top level leaks within the British Secret Service, all point to a double agent working within the Circus.
As a child of the UK in the 70's I can say with some confidence that he captures that mood so prevalent at the time, that cold war paranoia that so dominated the British press at the time. I caught myself smiling when I saw the familiar logo of Wimpy up there on the big screen. A fast food chain that served a mix of good old English stodge, along with Burgers and which by the mid 90's had almost disappeared from the British high-street. It was the place that was affordable, the British equivalent for its time of Burger King or McDonald's, the one place I was guaranteed a trip too when visiting the cinema with my dad.
Sir Alec Guinness was the most notable George Smiley of my youth, the BBC having made a series of notable adaptation's of John Le Carre's novels. Oldman's style seems more appropriate and more how I imagined him from the novels. There is a complexity conveyed without having to say a word. In this film, silence, and body language of characters convey a lot more than what is said. This film is very a much a game of mental chess, and if at times you lose track of who is doing what to who'm all the information is there on the screen and so would well be worth revisiting on its eventual release on Blu ray or dvd.
A solid cast, a virtual whose who of British acting both old and new In a taught highly intelligent thriller, I highly recommend this film.
In closing just one quick note about the Oscar's. For the first year in quite a while I failed to be excited by the nominations. Films I thought deserved to be nominated weren't, I wanted Tintin to garner at least one nomination and felt that Weta's work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes deserved to be rewarded. It just seemed to me to be a lacklustre year. But at least Hugo which I felt showed a master Director at the top of his game got five technical awards. So I felt some relief. Hopefully next year will be a more rewarding event.
But big shout out for Wellington's own Bret McKenzie for his best song Oscar and well deserved too.
Being between jobs means at the moment with a little too much down time between job hunting and redrafting my CV. I have been revisiting old haunts in Wellington. I also used the opportunity to view two films at Wellington's the Embassy, which has just undergone a major refurbishment which has added twog two new screens, and a downstairs bar.
Being Oscar week I had to see the Artist which I enjoyed on a technical level but didn't love .Jean Dujardin's performance is outstanding, capturing that silent era style of acting with masterful emotional performance that perfectly converys the depths of his character without the fall back of sound. Equally Michel Hazanavicius direction is masterful, there are moments when I really felt like I was watching a film from the period, it is only when Berenice Bejo is on screen that the cinematography feels a little contemporary. Bearing in mind its Oscar wins I have to say I felt they were well deserved except for Best Picture, which I felt should have gone to Hugo.
It there was one film last week that blew me away, it would have to be Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy a masterful adaptation of a very British spy tale. Tomas Alfredson deft direction brings a wonderful sense of depth coupled with intelligence. Set at the height of the 70's cold war, George Smiley as played by Gary Oldman is approached by government ministers to investigate top level leaks within the British Secret Service, all point to a double agent working within the Circus.
As a child of the UK in the 70's I can say with some confidence that he captures that mood so prevalent at the time, that cold war paranoia that so dominated the British press at the time. I caught myself smiling when I saw the familiar logo of Wimpy up there on the big screen. A fast food chain that served a mix of good old English stodge, along with Burgers and which by the mid 90's had almost disappeared from the British high-street. It was the place that was affordable, the British equivalent for its time of Burger King or McDonald's, the one place I was guaranteed a trip too when visiting the cinema with my dad.
Sir Alec Guinness was the most notable George Smiley of my youth, the BBC having made a series of notable adaptation's of John Le Carre's novels. Oldman's style seems more appropriate and more how I imagined him from the novels. There is a complexity conveyed without having to say a word. In this film, silence, and body language of characters convey a lot more than what is said. This film is very a much a game of mental chess, and if at times you lose track of who is doing what to who'm all the information is there on the screen and so would well be worth revisiting on its eventual release on Blu ray or dvd.
A solid cast, a virtual whose who of British acting both old and new In a taught highly intelligent thriller, I highly recommend this film.
In closing just one quick note about the Oscar's. For the first year in quite a while I failed to be excited by the nominations. Films I thought deserved to be nominated weren't, I wanted Tintin to garner at least one nomination and felt that Weta's work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes deserved to be rewarded. It just seemed to me to be a lacklustre year. But at least Hugo which I felt showed a master Director at the top of his game got five technical awards. So I felt some relief. Hopefully next year will be a more rewarding event.
But big shout out for Wellington's own Bret McKenzie for his best song Oscar and well deserved too.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Normal service is about to resume
Apologies for the lack of posts, but due to circumstances beyond my control I have been out of action for the past few weeks due to ill health and lack of internet access. But as you can see I am back in the land of the living after battling bronchitis and intermittent Internet access.
Prior to my illness I saw the wonderful, magical Hugo 3D a brilliant children's tale and a marvellous love letter to film. Directed with a master's touch by Martin Scorcese this is a masterful use of 3D and a film which captures a unique take on the world through the eyes the films hero the orphan Hugo. The last time I experienced something this magical it was viewing the film Amelie but this has the added spectacle of 3D which is used with almost a painters eye to draw us into the world of Hugo and equally the early days of cinema.
Today my first trip to the cinema since coming down with this bug was to finally view the Girl with the Dragon tattoo. David Fincher's take on Stieg Larsson's first part of his Millennium trilogy. Now right of the bat I'll be clear, I haven't seen the original Swedish take on Stieg's tale and I certainly haven't read the original novels. But I'm a Fincher fan, and this tale worked for me, in places I found it predictable but the acting is all top notch and the tale is told with pace. Its a film that doesn't pull its punches and doesn't outstay its welcome. Rooney Mara is simply hypnotic as Lisbeth Salander and is well served by Daniel Craig as Blomkvist.
Meanwhile the news that the big Yin, Mr Billy Connelly was officially joining the cast of the Hobbit had me hoarsely whooping for joy and made up for my missing the Hobbit Extra casting call, due to ill health and missing the Internet deadline for online applications. Still hey ho.
So now I'm back in action and already the signs are promising for the next few weeks at my local cinema.
So normal service is about to resume so watch this blog
Prior to my illness I saw the wonderful, magical Hugo 3D a brilliant children's tale and a marvellous love letter to film. Directed with a master's touch by Martin Scorcese this is a masterful use of 3D and a film which captures a unique take on the world through the eyes the films hero the orphan Hugo. The last time I experienced something this magical it was viewing the film Amelie but this has the added spectacle of 3D which is used with almost a painters eye to draw us into the world of Hugo and equally the early days of cinema.
Today my first trip to the cinema since coming down with this bug was to finally view the Girl with the Dragon tattoo. David Fincher's take on Stieg Larsson's first part of his Millennium trilogy. Now right of the bat I'll be clear, I haven't seen the original Swedish take on Stieg's tale and I certainly haven't read the original novels. But I'm a Fincher fan, and this tale worked for me, in places I found it predictable but the acting is all top notch and the tale is told with pace. Its a film that doesn't pull its punches and doesn't outstay its welcome. Rooney Mara is simply hypnotic as Lisbeth Salander and is well served by Daniel Craig as Blomkvist.
Meanwhile the news that the big Yin, Mr Billy Connelly was officially joining the cast of the Hobbit had me hoarsely whooping for joy and made up for my missing the Hobbit Extra casting call, due to ill health and missing the Internet deadline for online applications. Still hey ho.
So now I'm back in action and already the signs are promising for the next few weeks at my local cinema.
So normal service is about to resume so watch this blog
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Sherlock Holmes A game of Shadows
I'll keep this review short and sweet, I love Sherlock Holmes, I was brought up with Basil Rathbone, dabbled in Peter Cushing and Jeremy Brett was the perfect embodiment of Conan Doyles creation. But I loved the reimagining in the first Sherlock Holmes film. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr were a spirited embodiment of the duo and Guy Ritchie brought his tool box of tricks to add an urgency and energy.
Well now Holmes returns in another installment and this time he is taking on his greatest foe, Moriarty. But this film is all over the place. The first hour had me looking at my watch, as incident after setpeice after incident made for a badly paced mess, once Jared Harris as Moriarty makes his presence felt then things pick up and some momentum propells the film forward to its conclusion.
Its not the acting that lets this film down, its the script. For the first half of the film you are forced to endure Holmes as an action man aimlessly trying to work out what Moriarty's plan is. Scenes come and go along with Jackie Chan moments of pugilism and martial arts. Jude Laws Watson fairs better but the wedding subplot is just ill thought out and not as entertaining as the writer thinks.
The last time I came out of a film feeling this underwhelmed was Shanghai Knights. Holmes is intellect is what draws us into his tales be if film or literature. For the first forty five minutes this aspect of the character takes a backseat to the action man figure.
So sadly for me an underwhelming effort where Ritchies love of slow mo actually becomes overused I think as far as reimaginings of the character go I will return to the BBC's Sherlock and await season 2 for a more satisfying and enjoyable less bloated reimagining of the hero.
Well now Holmes returns in another installment and this time he is taking on his greatest foe, Moriarty. But this film is all over the place. The first hour had me looking at my watch, as incident after setpeice after incident made for a badly paced mess, once Jared Harris as Moriarty makes his presence felt then things pick up and some momentum propells the film forward to its conclusion.
Its not the acting that lets this film down, its the script. For the first half of the film you are forced to endure Holmes as an action man aimlessly trying to work out what Moriarty's plan is. Scenes come and go along with Jackie Chan moments of pugilism and martial arts. Jude Laws Watson fairs better but the wedding subplot is just ill thought out and not as entertaining as the writer thinks.
The last time I came out of a film feeling this underwhelmed was Shanghai Knights. Holmes is intellect is what draws us into his tales be if film or literature. For the first forty five minutes this aspect of the character takes a backseat to the action man figure.
So sadly for me an underwhelming effort where Ritchies love of slow mo actually becomes overused I think as far as reimaginings of the character go I will return to the BBC's Sherlock and await season 2 for a more satisfying and enjoyable less bloated reimagining of the hero.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Mission Impossible 4 Ghost Protocol
The Mission Impossible tv series was to me always about the team, everyone pulling together with their set special skills to achieve the mission objective. This to me was what was lacking in the movie incarnation with Tom Cruise firmly taking centre stage and very much a star veichle for his set of skills.
However Brian De Palma's first movie and J J Abrahams third episode were until now the stand out episodes of the series with great action set pieces. The second was a John Woo orgy of all his stylistic cinematic traits, which left me bored.
Brad Bird comes to this installment with fresh eyes and a new vision. His background in animation allowing for a smooth transition into live action. His previous films have been tight with story telling and character and his Pixar Movie The Incredibles was filled with story and great action moments.
In this fourth and in my view the best of the series so far each character has an important role to play and each has their own standout moment in the film. Ethan Hunt still leads but Cruise is standout in a story that is both easy to follow with heart pounding action and stunt work that had my heart in my mouth. The stunt work really is standout especially knowing that alot of his was performed live without the benefit of CGI , and the pace doesn't let up for one second.
In this episode the IMF team has been disavowed, after being set up by the films main protaganist. The stakes are high. Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Paula Patton all are given their moments and deliver. This is up there with Fast and Furious Five as one of the best action films of the year and a brilliant new direction for the franchise. Brad Bird brilliantly keeps the film the film on course with an excellant mix of character development and action. I eagerly await his next film with keen anticipation.
An excellant closure for 2011 and if there is one must see for the start of 2012 this film is it. If I'm honest I can't wait to see this film again.
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