Saturday, October 3, 2009

#100. Driving Miss Daisy.

This classic movie looks at the relationship between a stubborn, old jewish woman and her sweet, black driver. The story takes us to a place where we have been taken to many times in film. America, 1948, a time where not everyone was treated equally. Yet we are able to see a different perspective on the topic, in that the movie shows how some white people treated people of other races with respect. Performances by Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman are memorable with her snappy comments and his smile-enducing laugh, it is easy to see why each of them were nominated for an Oscar (with Tandy winning). It's the kind of movie which moves at just the right pace and makes you want to watch it as a semi annual occasion. The movie is great viewing and southern American story telling. It deserves a nod and 8/10!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Pop corn: Wall-E

Now i am a sucker for animation! I love the way it provides an escape to another world that most of us don't even have the imagination to even think about. In the last 20years animation has certainally grown in leaps and bounds with the disney renassense (sorry i know my spelling is shocking, i hope u'r able to recognise what i'm trying to spell there), starting in 1989 with The Little Mermaid, the introduction (and almost total reliance) of computer animation from the classic Toy Story, and the creation of rivals, dreamworks animation, and sony pictures (the ice age films) to combat the long running disney dominance. I would like to take this opportunity to talk about one of my new favourites in this genre: Wall-E!
One of Pixar's latest offerings and possibly one of the top 5best animated films ever! We meet Wall-E (waste allocation load lifter - Earth class) 700 years into the future. We find the earth overrun with rubbish and the humans have fled to space for safety. Wall-E then hitches a ride to space when his dream bot (EVE) captures his attention, leading him on the journey of a life time!
what makes this story so special and captivating is not just the animation, the characters, the story, the score or the brilliant sound the film produces, it's a combination of all of the above. My favourite scene from the movie is (stop reading if u haven't watched it people) when EVE has fixed Wall-E and is waiting for him to respond. Nothing. He stares blankly into space and carries on with his job. You're heart almost breaks for the robot you have so come to adore over the last hour and a half. You find yourself saying "please please please, come on, come on" encouraging the screen to give u a positive outcome... And it does. When Wall-E doesn't let go of EVE's hand, then moves his eyes up and down, a smile broadens my face and all is well again.
It's brilliance also lies very much within the incredible sounds the robots make use of in order to speak. I must say that the movie's only fault is the human design. I found it too "plain" for the rest of the movie and felt that it was nearly too different from the seamless animation of the rest me the film, however, there are just too many good points for me to dwell on the negative. Well done Pixar. U did it again. Wall-E scores a 9/10

#101. Syriana

This is an engaging drama about the oil trade and has a very intricate plot. It follows the lives of several men involved with this billion dollar industry which kills many people each year. I don't have much else to say about it except that i did not entirely appreciate the bad language used in the George Clooney torture scene, nor the very complicated "snip-bit style" way of story telling. In the end though, there is no denying that is deserved the critical attention it received, as well as the oscar nomination for Clooney. I give it 7/10.

An introduction

Hey there all you movie go-ers. I'm an 18year old guy living in South Africa and i'm absolutely obsessed with movies (but then again who isn't nowadays). My intension for this blog is to review my personal list of 101 movies i wanna see (before i die obviously). I would also like to share a few of my particular interests within the movie industry (animation (esp. Pixar, musicals, and anything with an orginal plot line). Because of my like for new, original and interesting stories, most of the movies on my list are oscar nominees for best original or adapted screenplay. I hope that i am able to discuss, criticise and even argue about films. I'm just hoping people are out there who want to listen...