A film i will almost certainly avoid..

The Tempest. Ergh. Studied it at a level, it sucked as a play and i'm sure it won't be any better as a film. I'm a little annoyed that Prospero is a woman in this version, especially as i spent a long time writing about how patriacle the play is, and how much of that is down to him.

Russel Brand may be the only thing keeping me vaguely intersted, and i'm sure he won't be a massive part of the film.

Anyway, if you fancy watching the trailer, here it is

'Orrible little kids!

I was just on the Total Film website, and the discussion of the day is about Movie Myths, and someone mentioned this.

Duck Sauce - Adam Buckland

Just a little something a couple of mates threw together to pass the time, enjoy!

The Social Network

I doubt that the Social Network will be a longstanding classic, but for the time being it is a film that defines a generation of facebook addicts.

Some of my friends have been to see this film, and returned seemingly dissappointed, by what i don't know! I can't believe they were expecting an action film, so i'm not entirely sure what they wanted from this film. All i know is that i enjoyed it, simply becuase it is extremely well written, brilliantly casted, and above all engaging!

David Fincher was under instruction to bring the film in at or around the 2 hour mark, but Sorkins script was 166 pages. This caused Fincher to instruct his actors to speak the dialogue faster, as evidenced by the first scene. However, you don't get the feeling that the film was rushed at all, it just works!

Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg - the creator of Facebook- excellently. He moves away from his previous goofy performences, to give a cold, calculated performance of a genius who does anything he has to in order to get what he wants, regardless of who he hurts along the way. In contrast to this, Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin is a more appealing character for the audience, and this makes Zuckerbergs betrayal even harsher. We will be seeing more of these two actors in the future, there is no doubt in my mind about that.

This film should not be known as "The Facebook Movie", as that does it a great disservice. Yes, it is about Facebook, but not solely about that. There are characters you get to know, like, dislike and laugh with, there is a great betrayal, tension and intrigue!

I reccomend this film to film and facebook lovers alike.

Things i learnt while shooting...

1) Inform your neighbours
2) Don't trust the flip out screen - you cant always see the dirt on the lens
3) You have to focus the eye viewer! Who knew!?
4) It's not easy to jump through a small window

It's a wrap

Got all of my filming done in plenty of time with help from a couple of friends, and even my mum! Really looking forward to seeing it when all editing is done, i'll just have to try and do Mr. Ritchie proud.

Also learnt to warn the neighbours when someone is going to be banging on your front door and shouting! Especially when one such neighbour is an ex copper. Good job my mother had the sense to go and explain what was going on, and also nice to know that we have neighbours who don't just sit back and watch.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood advert

I wan't to know who chose the music for this advert, and then beat them round the head several times! It doesn't fit at all!

Guy Ritchie Still, and the outline for my story

My short film will start with the radio coming on in the form of an alarm, Ares by Bloc Party playing. The character will jump out of bed in a rush, with a still frame and a short voice over introduction to him. He swings open the door, and then stumbles into the toilet, slamming the door behind him. He looks around, and sees a dirty toothbrush lying on the floor, picks it up and brushes his teeth, he then picks up a half empty (or full) can/bottle of lager and rinses his mouth out with it. He walks back into his room, pulls on some jeans, a polo top and a jacket before heading down the stairs. As he gets down the stairs, there is a banging on the door and someone shouting at him, he then runs through the house, grabs a plastic bag with something in, and leaps out of a window, and then over a gate. As he walks quickly down the road, he looks over his shoulder, and then starts running. As he is running he throws the bag into a bush.

Grown Ups

I'm not going to compare this to Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore, becuase i believe that was a different Adam Sandler, who was happy to play the clown character for a cheap laugh, and that worked for him! Now, it seems that he wants to be thought of as a more serious actor than he was, with films like Funny People, and Grown Ups, but it's not who he is. I think there will always be that clown like character inside him, wanting to come out and that is noticable in Grown Ups.

Grown ups isn't a great film, but i don't think it sets out to be one, it just wants to be a feel-good family movie. The plot may be paper thin, but it doesn't matter when you have comic genius such as Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin James and Chris Rock, especially with Denis Dugan at the helm.

What feels like the main theme of the film is that kids use technology too much, and don't know how to have fun without games consoles or mobile phones, a prime example of this being that they text their nanny instead of just walking down the hall to get something themselves. This is soon nipped in the bud when the parents ban phones and consoles, forcing the kids to go outside and make their own games like when their parents where young.

A few choice lines about Schneiders hair, and the fact that he resembles an elder gay Jonas brother, or a midget Filipino Fonzey along with a number of other quips among the group make for an enjoyable movie that although not being the best film ever, i felt did what it set out to do.

Angry Birds - The Movie!

This is the other article i found on Total Film.

Apparantly, a film version of this is on the cards, and the article goes about casting which actors would play what bird, and why.

http://www.totalfilm.com/features/angry-birds-casting-call

Film Mash Up Posters

http://www.totalfilm.com/features/10-awesome-quoteskine-movie-posters/fight-club-2#content

I was browsing through Total Film and stumbled across this, and also something else, which i will share soon enough.
I really like the Fight club one and the Anchorman/Superman one!

Enjoy

The Expendables.

If you're looking for a complex film with award winning performances, deep dialogues or characters with a bit of depth to them, then don't watch this. As a film, it is terrible. However, as an action movie, it's excellent. Full of gore, guns, explosions, knives, fast car chases and Jason Statham kicking ass.

There is the occasional funny line, but other than that it is just action packed. The story is a little flimsy, and disjointed in places. In fact, there are points where it seems as though bits have been included just to show more violence.

Stallones character is almost laughable in that he has tried to make his character grow as the film goes on, which is all well and good so long as it works, and i dont think it did! Statham is as close as you get to a character that the audience can really align themselves to, and that doesn't quite work either.

All in all, it is definitely not for people looking for a romantic comedy, but for people who enjoy watching knives being thrown about, people being blown in half by an RPG and Terry Crews walking through a hallway blowing people in half with one almighty shotgun!

Goodbye Sky Sports News

This is why i will miss sky sports news, and also why i love chris kamara!

Best advert ever?

A friend of mine showed me this a little while ago, and it I think it's the only advert that makes me want to buy the product, purely because of the advert! Also, the mans voice is awesome

3 birds, one blog.

I Love you, man

Great film. Don't understand why it's taken me this long to watch it! Can't for the life of me remember the actors name, but most people will know who i mean by Mike from Friends. Well, i generally think he's a funny guy, and he doesn't dissappoint in this! And Jason Segel, the tall, cuddly one from How I Met Your Mother, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is equally funny. Possibly another class double act for the future, i just thought their chemistry is excellent.

It's another quotable movie where people will know what you mean if you turn round and just say "I slappa da bass, man", much like Hot Tub Time Machine, with "Great White Buffalo!

Which begs the question why I haven't posted about that!
So I will.

Amazing. Simply the best comedy film since The Hangover in my opinion. I could quite happily watch it over and over again, and i doubt i would get sick of it, more likely is the fact that i would get sick of my friends and probably myself quoting the jokes. Definitely a must see for anyone who hasn't had the good fortune to see it yet. And watch it with friends. It will make it that much better for you!

Prince of Persia

When i was a wee lad, i loved the game, so i was generally excited to see the film, and excitement was also fuelled slightly by the presence of Gemma Arterton, who playes Princess Tamina, who, for all intents and purposes, is Farah from the game. Sir Ben Kingsley as Nizam, who is the film version of The Vizear from the game. And Jake Gyllenhaal as The Prince, who the film people decided to call Dastan.

I enjoyed the film, although not outstanding it was enjoyable, and the fight sequences/stunts were incredible. I would recommend it to someone who either enjoyed the game, or just wants to see a good film, but that wont confuse them or make them have to think too hard.

We're all Expendable!

I don't even care if this film turns out to be terrible, i just really want to see it!
I think it looks good in the trailer, but isn't that the general idea? But still, a film with Sly Stalone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke can't be bad, there's even a cameo from Arnie! The only thing missing is Chuck Norris.

I love it when a plan comes together...

Good evening Blog Fans!

I recently watched The A Team movie, having never seen the original A Team series i didnt have a propper idea of what to expect, and i imagine if i had watched and enjoyed the original, i wouldnt have like this one! However, i haven't and i did!

I thought Liam Neeson was good as Hannibal, but he is, and will always be, Qui Gon Jin, to me! Sharlto Copley played an excellent Murdock, and Bradley Cooper was good playing the pretty boy, which seems to come naturally to him.

All in all i thought it was a decent film, with a good twist which never hurts!

To borrow a phrase from the film.. Alpha Mike Foxtrot - In other words, Adios Mother...

Big Softy.

I don't cry too often, and I have never cried at a film. However, there are only 2 films that have ever got me welled up and ready to cry.

Seven Pounds, and more recently Remember Me.

I know we all think "R Pattz" is a bit of a douche, and can't act to save his life, but in this film, i think he does really well! I would recommend Remember Me to anyone who either wants proof that he can act, or just wants to see a well written film, with a twist, and who doesn't like twists, eh?

Manticipation

I was watching the Spike Mens Choice Awards earlier, and there was an award for the "Most Manticipated Movie of 2010", and that was Inception. I didn't realise it was by Chris Nolan, and that has made me want me want to see it even more! I sincerely hope it lives up to the hype!

On another note, I'm disgusted at the fact that "The Hangover 2" is being made, and will be out in 2011. The same cast is rumoured, and it is glaringly obvious that they are milking their cash cow. I hold little hope that it will be anywhere near as entertaining as The Hangover, mainly because I don't trust them to keep it original, as The Hangover was.

On a slightly happier tone, i watched Twilight Eclipse the other day, and although not a great film, and nowhere near as good as the books, it was probably the best of the Twilight films so far, although that's not a massive achievment.

Also, watched the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer a little while ago, and it rekindled my excitement for November, and then July. Literally cannot wait to see it.

my sound project

this is my sound project

My trailer

this is my trailer

Iron Man 2

Went for a little trip yesterday to the IMAX in london near the O2 to see Iron Man 2. I thought it was an excellent film, but didnt think it being IMAX actually added a lot, maybe the sound was a little bit crisper, but i dont think it was worth the extra money. Also, the music in the film -all AC/DC didnt really fit in my opinion, there were times when it was fine, but at one point i remember sitting there and wondering what possessed them to put that song there!

On a different note, Tony Stark is pretty much my idol now!

Chaos

Just watched this again, the one with Jason Statham, Ryan Phillipe and Wesley Snipes in, having not seen it for a while! Quite like this film, although im not too sure if that many people have seen it, decent twist at the end. Not great, but its not bad for a wednesday night when theres nothing on tv, and you just want to lie down and not have to think too much.

Set Fire to the Third Bar

This is the song from the trailer for "Dear John", which i liked the sound of when i first saw the trailer, so i had a look to find out what it was called, and then discovered i had it in my itunes all along!

Also, i watched "Dear John", probably a bit sad but i quite liked it, usual dodgy acting from Chaning Tatum, and i didnt think much of the ending, but for some reason i like these films.

Next on my list - "Remember Me"

Great Movie Mistakes

Awesome little series on BBC3, fronted by the tall skinny one from Mitchell and Webb. It's funny the little things that you don't notice unless you know it's there, or if you really want to spot it. Like in War of the Worlds, when Tom Cruise throws the baseball through the window, there isn't actually anything in his hand!

It's only on iplayer for another 5 days so watch it while you still can!

Heavy Rain

I know this is slightly off topic, but i was playing this game, and i thought the combination of music and camera shots was really effective in evoking the feeling of sadness this game is clearly based around.

Stardust

I watched this film earlier, and thought it was really good! Especially liked Robert De Niro as a "whoopsie" to quote one of his pirate crew.

Just found out that "Kick Ass" was written and produced by the same people, so that may well be a film worth watching as well!

Possible pitch and treatment?

TREATMENT
Colin is a regular patron at the pub, making it part of his daily routine. He visits every day, and the barmen know he drinks Guinness every day, and even sits at the same table. He sleazes onto the waitresses, and makes people feel uncomfortable with personal questions and inappropriate comments, but he is harmless.
One day he walks into the pub and asks for a glass of Chardonnay, but the barman pours him a Guinness as he ignores Colin’s request. When Colin tells the barman of his mistake, he is again ignored. It is then that Colin realises that he has faded into the background, and is forgotten about. As the days go by, he gets more adventurous in his attempts to get noticed, ranging from streaking in the pub, to stealing a car and everything in-between.
Then one day, the unthinkable happens, and the pub goes up in flames with Colin trapped inside. But nobody realises that he is inside. As the fire spreads, they realise there is someone trapped inside the pub, but no one knows who it is. Eventually someone comes coughing and spluttering through the door, and as they emerge through the smoke, we realise it is not Colin.
Suddenly there comes a yell from an upstairs window, and we see Colin holding a baby, as panic ensues, the fire brigade set up a trampoline to catch Colin and the baby. When instructed to drop the baby onto the trampoline, Colin refuses, saying that it isn’t safe, and with that he heads back into the burning building.
As the minutes go by, the crowd outside get increasingly anxious, with the baby’s mother becoming hysterical. We hear a huge crash emanate from the pub, which is met by a collective gasp from outside. Finally we hear the smash of glass, and another loud bang, and from the back of the pub appears Colin, baby in hand. The pair is instantly surrounded by medics, the parents of the child and other people congratulating Colin.
Months later, Colin returns to the pub after it has been refurbished, and is greeted warmly by the staff, and is asked what he would like to drink. When he receives his drink, Colin does not go to his normal table, but instead sits in the garden, enjoying the scenery and other peoples company.

PITCH
The plight of a seemingly invisible man, and how he tries and fails to gain attention, before becoming a hero.

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

There is only one word for this film - weird!

Just watched this film, and i thought it was really good, well written - especially as they had to adapt the story following the death of Heath Ledger.
I also thought the british accents were impressive, especially for the Americans, Heath Ledger on the other hand kept swapping between English and Australian.

Character Profiles

Colin -
Age – Late 50’s/Early 60’s
Appearance – Short (5 foot 7ish), tubby, thinning curly grey hair, unshaven. Wears an old dirty looking jacket with fading shirts.
Is well known by all the staff at the pub.
Bit of a dirty old man
Married with kids, but spends all day at the pub

Mark-
Age – 22
Appearance – Average height, thin, medium length black hair, 1 day stubble.
Relatively shy

Jon-
Age – 24
Appearance – Average height, well built, medium length dark brown hair, clean shaven.
Bar manager, massive flirt.

Skins season 4 finale

I think i speak for everyone when i say that the season finale was terrible. After the past couple of episodes i was really hopeful that this would be a good ending, but alas, it was too much to squeeze into one episode.

Saying that, at the end of the episode, i was on the edge of my seat (bed) wanting to see what would happen between Cook and the Dr, then BAM. It ends.

Mixed feelings about Brian Elsey - the co creater, and one of the writers - leaving the show, as the first season was so good, and he obviously had a major role in that. But, as he says, it's time to hand over to a younger bunch of writers, who will hopefully be able to recapture the essence of what made Skins great.

Fingers crossed, eh.

Soft trailer

This is the trailer for "Soft" cut by Cat and myself

My real life

This is the in sequence film Casey and I made.

Fictional Pitch of factual idea.

Having all written factual pitches for Helen, we were asked to translate them to a fictional idea, i chose to make my "Aints to Saints" documentary idea into a feature length movie.

Disaster strikes as NFL team the Saints have to rebuild their team and stadium from the ground up. Do they now have what it takes to beat the world and win the Superbowl?

Panorama - I helped my daughter to die

We watched an episode of Panorama, entitled "I helped my daughter to die", which focussed upon the story of Kay Gilderdale and how she assissted in the suicide of her daughter, Lynn. The story raised important points about the legalisation of euthenasia, including the case regarding Debbie Purdy and her wanting clarification on the law regarding euthenasia, as she wanted to be sure her husband would not be prosecuted. Barroness Campbell also figured, as she has been prominent throughout a number of euthenasia cases.

Having studied the law on euthenasia during a-level law I already knew of Debbie Purdy and Barroness Campbell, so had a decent understanding of what was going on, and the ramifications for assissting suicide.

We were given the task of writing a radio times billing for the episode -

Jeremy Vine follows Kay Gilderdale on her journey as she faces a charge for the attempted murder of her daughter, Lynn. With input from Debbie Purdy and Baroness Campbell.

Spaced Treatment

Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner are two London twenty-somethings who meet in a cafe while both are flat hunting, Tim having just broken up with his girlfriend, and Daisy because she is having trouble with her fellow squatters. Despite the fact that they have only just met, they agree to ry and persuade landlady Marsha Klein that they are a young professional couple, in order to meet the stipulations of an advert for a relatively cheap flat at 23 Meteor Street in Tufnell Park.

Brian Topp, an eccentric artist, also resides in the building on the ground floor, where he works on his art. Tim and Daisy are frequently visited by Brian, along with Tim's bestfriend Mike Watt, a weapons fanatic and member of the territorial army. Twist Morgan is also a regular visitor to the "couple" as she is Daisy's best friend, and also Brian's girlfriend. Tim and Daisy constantly stress to everyone other than Marsha that they are not a couple, but sexual tension is inevitable due to their living situation.

The show depicts the antics of the group, using quite surrealhumour, somewhat similar to that of "The Young Ones". Although Tim and Daisy claim to be budding comic book artists and aspiring writers resectively, they rarely pursue any work related to these ambitions, instead preferring to pass the time in seemingly pointless activities, particularly going to the pub. The comedy tends to stem from their undertaking of these mundane actions, which turn into comical situations time and again, never ceasing to amuse the audience.

"Spaced" pitch

One Monday morning, we arrived to find that we would be watching "Spaced", which was obviously a massive shame for us all! Having never seen "Spaced" I wasn't sure what to expect, but i really enjoyed it, as it was my kind of comedy.

We were then given the task of writing a pitch for spaced. Mine read - Comedy drama series about the escapades of five twenty-somethings living in London, with fast paced and surreal comedy. Think "The Young Ones" meets "Blackadder".

Newspaper research

We were given a brief to look through some newspapers and find a story that interested us, and then to write a pitch for either a documentary or a drama to do with that story or an issue that we felt that story raised.

Initially i had 3 ideas:

- The rise and fall of John Terry as he went from enthusiastic youngster, to leader of his country and role model, and then to something of a villain as he cheated on his wife with a friend, and national teammates, girlfriend.

- Portsmouth football club and how they have gone from winning the FA cup, to being debt ridden, having had 5 owners in the space of half a season, and are now facing the prospect of not being around any longer

- The New Orleans Saints and how they went from being the laughing stock of the NFL, to winning the super bowl, via the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

I decided to go with the New Orleans Saints idea as that also highlighted the damage done by the hurricane, and could also be relevant after the recent Haiti disaster.

My pitch was:

For forty years, the New Orleans Saints were the laughing stock of the NFL, then the devastation of Hurricane Katrina sent the city into despair. We follow their journey as they look to recover and make it to their first Super Bowl.

I envisaged the documentary being an hour long, and airing on channel 5, and it would be called "Aint's to Saints"

In Sequence Filming

Filmed a piece called "My Real Life" in sequence, with Casey. It was about a girls life through which she has had different foster parents, and abusive step dads and gone through other hardships such as drug taking.

Considering we had to do all the editing in camera, and we only had the use of an internal microphone, i was happy with how the piece looked. I would have preferred to have had the use of proper sound equipment so as to have louder and clearer audio quality, and also so that background noise such as traffic would have been less not noticeable.

Also i would have liked to have had the chance to edit the film properly so that we could have added some music for the opening titles and end credits.