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Showing posts from 2012

Submarine

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Submarine is the debut film from Richard Ayoade and stars young actor Craig Roberts as 15 year old Oliver Tate. His two main objectives is too be Jordana Bevan's boyfriend, who he idolises, and repair his dysfunctional family. Through a series of odd meetings, Oliver and Jordana's relationship blossoms and they spend a happy two weeks together. However, as Oliver's relationship with his parents begins to slowly disintegrate, so does his relationship with Jordana. An old flame of Oliver's mother moves in next door and Oliver becomes suspicious of their friendship. The film is beautifully shot and feels like it was made in the 80s, which is when the film is set. The camera work and cinematography is masterful and really helps to intensify the key moments in the film. The film is set and shot in Wales and the scenery is breathtaking with huge mountain landscapes and vast beaches. The soundtrack by Alex Turner reflects Oliver's emotions perfectly. Paddy Considine

A Town Called Panic

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My favourite film at the moment is a hilarious, charming and madcap Belgian stop-motion animation that is a perfect relief from the current stream of serious, gritty thrillers.  The film follows Cowboy, Indian and Horse (yes, those are their names!). Cowboy and Indian are searching for a present for Horse's birthday and Indian comes up with the idea of a barbecue. But they end up accidentally ordering 50000000000000 bricks. Their house is destroyed, again by accident! The plot thickens and becomes increasingly crazy as the trio go off in search for their (rebuilt) house. They travel to the center of the earth, meet polar bear fighting scientists and discover an underwater universe. I did warn you it was strange! As crazy as it sounds, it is pulled off brilliantly. It looks amazing: everything is made by hand and the characters are just children's toys. The voices are perfect with the highlight being Steven, the constantly irate farmer who adores his tractor more than his

ParaNorman

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ParaNorman is the latest animated kid's film. By the makers of Coraline, this stop-motion comedy horror is a fantastic mix of action and humour. It will appeal to adults and children, due to the great script and voice acting.  The film follows the story of a young boy, Norman, who has a strange gift: He can see ghosts. He is unloved by his parents and an outcast at school, except for his one friend, Neil. Norman is told by his uncle that he needs to rid the town of a curse that was cast by a witch 300 years ago. Norman embarks on an adventure to save the town. The stop-motion looks amazing. The characters are lovingly made and are unique and loveable. Stop-motion clearly trumps computer animated any day. The script is full of clever wisecracks and in-jokes. There are nods to classic horror films, including Halloween and Dawn of the Dead. Norman is a character that everyone can relate to, as he is introduced as a social reject. The film is not too scary, although younger ki

IMAX vs 3D

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IMAX is widely hailed as the best way to watch a film. With cutting edge technology, huge screens and amazing films this is the ultimate movie experience. However there are fewer IMAX screens at the moment than your average multiplex. This is where 3D comes into play. The idea is that donning a pair of 3D glasses transports you into the film, deeming 2D as pointless. However does this work? Is IMAX worth it? What method gives you the ultimate trip to the cinema? IMAX was born at Expo '67 in Montreal when a group of filmakers attempted to create the ultimate cinema by syncing up nine projectors. It worked and the technology was developed and improved over the next three years. It premiered at Expo '70 in Japan. The first permanent IMAX theatre was built in Toronto, Canada and showed a film about the history of the city. IMAX went public in 1994 and theatres were built in North America with the technology. However, only a handful of producers were making IMAX films. To t

Director's Cuts

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Stanley Kubrick is known as one of the greatest directors ever and one of his most famous works was The Shining, hailed by some as "the scariest movie ever." Jack Nicholson starred as Jack Torrance, in one of his finest roles, who takes care of a hotel for the winter and is turned mad and psychotic by strange occurrences. The BFI (The British Film Institute) is re-releasing this work of art with previews on October 31 before opening nationwide a few days later. The film is now 24 minutes longer and contains the footage that Kubrick originally cut from the European release after it had been poorly received by critics.  This is essentially a director's cut. This is where the director releases his edit of the film before it was cut down. Famous examples of this include Blade Runner, The Exorcist, Star Wars and Alien. The first has had many different versions but Ridley Scott's Final Cut (2007) is considered the definitive edition and is 1 hour 57 minutes long. Arguably

Welcome

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This blog is an experiment so please bare with me! I am a young, budding writer/journalist who loves watching a variety of films, old and new. I am 14 years old and will be offering my views on the huge number of films aimed at teenagers eg. Transformers, Fast and Furious. I will also review films of a different target audience. I will also blog about the latest movie news, trailers and thoughts. Enjoy!