“ Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.
Albert Camus (via alexanderpaulderonde)
Rachcore1
Frequent reviews of films old and new, new releases, famous quotes and any news that might be interesting. If there is anything you think I should write about please feel free to contact me and let me know.
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Knight and Day
Okay, so straight away I’m going to admit my dislike of Tom Cruise. It’s nothing too personal, I just can’t stand the man. I dislike him even more due to the fact that I enjoy every film he’s in. I also can’t stomach Cameron Diaz simply because she is always too happy and quirky. Don’t judge me, I’m obviously just too miserable for my own good and enjoy her films even less. Then along came Knigt and Day…..
A film that brings together my distaste for both these actors, plus Tom Cruise stating he teamed up with Diaz because he wanted a more comical role, immediately got me raring to go to slate this film.
Once more I’m disappointed. Cruise has yet again appeared in a film that I loved from start to finish. Even Diaz was appealing in this, but probably because she spends a great deal of the picture unconscious. This aspect is a brilliant method of moving the story along and successfully caused me to feel disorientated. It was, however, overly used in some scenes, scenes which were perfect opportunities for more glorious action sequences in addition to the abundance already here.
The writing too was surprisingly witty and humorous. Cruise and Diaz’s chemistry on screen works very well with the dialogue flowing smoothly to deliver comical scenes. Cruise’s quest for a more fun role seems to have started off well. Grudgingly I will admit that his choice to work with Diaz was a wise one.
To make up your own mind see the trailer at KNIGHT AND DAY
Faye Dunaway in Bonnie & Clyde (1967, dir. Arthur Penn)
“Never have I felt so close to a character as I felt to Bonnie. She was a yearning, edgy, ambitious southern girl who wanted to get out of wherever she was. I knew everything about wanting to get out, and getting out doesn’t come easy. But with Bonnie there was real tragic irony. She got out only to see that she was heading nowhere and the end was death.
There was a real kind of fierceness I’d seen in Bonnie that I recognized in myself as well. You look at photos of her and see it in her eyes, the set of her jaw. It takes fierceness in life to get ahead. I already knew that. Bonnie was Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof time. She knew the only way to get what she wanted was through her own sheer force of will. She was driven by her own desire. I know that territory - you do whatever it takes. She wanted to be something special, something out of the ordinary.”
This film has got to be in my favourites. Faye Dunaway portrayed Bonnie perfectly, along with the tragedies and dramas that came with her.
Here’s the trailer for Ben Affleck’s latest film The Town. It’s currently on my hit list…
The Expendable Expendables
Before I get into this let me just say that my opinion of this film has not been marred by my gender, in fact I’m quite a fan of action films. So when it was announced that all the famous icons such as Sylvester Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li and even Arnold Swarchenegger were to be mashed together into one I was surprised that my reaction was one of suspicion.
Let me explain. Firstly there’s the fact that this film has been written by Stallone. You would think his previous experience of the action genre, plus managing to cast every iconic action star known to man, would result in a strong story. The end product, however, is weak and disappointing which is a shame because of the potential this film had. The dialogue too is a let down with some scenes being awkward with clumsy interactions. There are a few witty exchanges but unfortunately they are few and far between.
As an action film it delivers the usual intense car chases and epic explosions, but it falls short of the expectations I had for it. As far as the action genre goes it has all the successful ingredients and with all the hype surrounding it due to the all star cast you expect that bit more, but unfortunately this fails to deliver.
The crazy thing though is that I still enjoyed it, despite these flaws. The non stop chases, explosions and fight scenes from start to finish make for some epic entertainment. So I can almost forgive the poor writing and hope that the rumoured sequel sees Stallone learning from his mistakes.
To make up your own mind you can view the trailer at THE EXPENDABLES
It’s been a while
Recently I’ve watched more films that I’ve been reviewing so brace yourselves for a run down of the good, the bad, and the surprising. The past few weeks have yielded a variety of flicks that have tantalised cinema goers, as well as a few classics that I thought deserved to be revisited.
TOY STORY 3
First on the agenda is Toy Story 3. After an 11 year wait the highly anticipated finale exploded on to our screens. The wait was definitely worth it as we follow our favourite heroes Woody and Buzz on their final journey. The plot is well thought out as we see the progression of the toys’ fate when Andy is about to leave for college. Mistaken for trash, the toys find themselves heading to Sunnyside, but don’t let the name fool you. What initially seems like a retirement haven for old toys, it’s soon revealed to be a prison run by an unassuming pink bear. All is not as it seems at the play school and our heroes are soon desperately trying to get back home. An excellent combination with prison escape parodies makes this film highly entertaining. But how will it end? All I can say is have a tissue to hand…
THE KARATE KID
Karate Kid stars Will Smith’s son Jaden in his début lead role as Dre Parker, a young boy forced to move to China with his mother. To say that this is the 12 year old’s first leading role, he does an excellent job as he graces our screens with quality acting that echoes his father’s presence. As far as remakes go I was dubious when I first heard about this film but it adapted the original story well to a modern setting. Jackie Chan is also on top form as Mr Han, this version’s equivalent to Mr Miyagi’, as he opts for a more serious approach as opposed to his signature slapstick kung fu roles. Chan successfully portrays the tragic life of his character as he pulls off emotionally charged scenes alongside his young co-star. At the core of the film is the original story in all its glory as Dre is trained to take on the bad guys in the signature kung fu stand off. An enjoyable remake that can be appreciated for its loyalty to the 1984 version as well as adding its own flavour to the mix.
GOEMON
As a fan of Eastern film, I can’t imagine why I haven’t mentioned one sooner. But Goemon is an excellent place to start. Influenced partly by a legendary Japanese bandit whose tale echoes Robin Hood and an anime called Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Goemon is a spectacularly beautiful film. It has all the great features of a historical fantasy as we see characters engaged in spectacular battles and rooftop chases. The film’s main focus centres on Goemon and his role during the Japanese Civil War during which our hero sets out on a quest for revenge after his master is betrayed and killed. The most impressive feature of this film is the incredible effects used to show Goemon take on entire armies, scale castle walls and display exceptional combat skills. The brilliant inclusion of styles like those found in anime mean that this film is ideal for those who want to experience a live action version.
CHAPLIN
The controversial and troubled life of Charlie Chaplin is explored in this 1992 film based on the actor’s autobiography. Robert Downey Jr. plays the silent era icon from his first audition, through the successes and failures of his career and personal life, his exile from America and finally his re-acceptance and recognition before his death in 1977. There are no major criticisms I can give for this film: the acting is brilliant by Downy Jr. who captures Chaplin’s essence convincingly and importantly it is historically accurate. Even if you are not a fan of Chaplin, Downey Jr’s performance is enough of a reason to admire this film. At nearly 20 years old it still manages to hold its own and deserves the 3 Oscar nominations it received.
The Toys are definitely back in town for this final instalment.
The A Team
I originally went to see this film because I was waiting around for someone and had a few hours to kill. In all honesty I was expecting a decent take on the original t.v. series but nothing spectacular that would blow my socks off. So imagine my surprise that within the first 10 minutes my socks had been completely blown into orbit. No messing about, just straight into the action with Colonel Hannibal Smith being beaten to a pulp, Lieutenant Faceman Peck stuck in a pile of tires, Baracus cruising to save the iconic van and Murdock locked in a mental hospital. A brilliant introduction to each team member if ever there was one.
The film is set before the time of the television series and explores how the team came to be together, as well as their incarceration. Without revealing too much, I can tell you that the story soon takes off as we follow the The A Team on their mission to clear their names.
It is non stop action all the way coupled with clever dialogue to add a sense of style that only The A Team can achieve. The casting here also includes some excellent choices, with all performances doing the originals justice. Perhaps this is a personal bias, and I don’t care if it is, but by far the best performance came from Sharlto Copley as Mad Murdock. All the memorable scenes are definitely from him with his portrayal being both a modern adaptation of the original, as well as providing brilliant comic relief.
Even the more unbelievable ideas work in this film as the action scenes power through the absurdity to blow our tiny little minds. Perhaps the most impressive scene is as the team drive a tank…..as it falls from a plane. With sheer ingenuity that makes you believe it’s possible to steer a tank as it plummets to earth, they “drive” it to a safe landing zone. Ridiculously brilliant.
This is definitely a film to go and see as it will please fans both old and new. I’ve also been told you should stay after the credits…Enjoy!
