Farewell, Blogspot.

Just thought I'd leave a post saying I'm going to stop using this site now, and instead I'll use Tumblr.

Tumblr is proving like a much easier way to get followers, but also to explore other people's content, so if you haven't already I strongly suggest you sign up!

To follow me on Tumblr, go to http://lukesfilmblog.tumblr.com
See you around, filmlovers!

How Media Studies Ruined Alien.

Ah A-level Media Studies. First you promised me a course full of film-making, and I'd "unlock my creative potential." All I've unlocked so far is my thumb from endless essay writing. But I was willing to forgive you Media Studies, after all, if I pass you I go to uni to do Media PRODUCTION in which I'll spend much more time well, actually producing media than writing about it.

But this wasn't enough for you was it? No. Then you had to ruin Alien for me. And this is unforgivable.

Now you're probably wondering how Media Studies ruined it. No, I didn't read the ending of the film in a text book, it's something far worse. It has instilled a theory into my subconscious which I will never be able to forget.

I used to find the Xenomorph's (the actual Aliens) in the Alien films fairly terrifying. After all, as far as movie monsters go they're fairly bad-ass. They're sneaky, fast, acid for blood, ugly as sin and just generally terrifying and you wouldn't want to find one hiding under your bed. But now I can never look at them in the same way.

One thing I love about films is how they're open to interpretation, sort of like books, and my Media Studies teacher recently told us an interpretation of the entire ideology behind the Aliens. To but it bluntly, everything's a... penis.

That's right. It is possible to watch Alien and interpret the monsters as mans ultimate nightmare coming true, huge hungry penises chasing them around space, or more specifically, man's subconscious fear of giving birth. If you're not convinced just look at the Aliens with a slightly more open mind. In particular the skull...

 

Now I know this isn't completely convincing. Yes it is a tad on the phallic side, but you'd be forgiven for dismissing it as simply childish to think it's sexual just because of it's shape...

But oh no, there's more. Alien is after all a horror film, and what makes it so scary is it's underlying message. It appeals to man's natural fear of giving birth. The Aliens impregnate people, and everyone but the FEMALE Ripley meets a very sticky end. 

(By the way, face-huggers? Walking, jumping vaginas.)

This isn't where the sexual undercurrent ends! The Alien's primary weapon is it's mouth-dwelling tongue of death, which fires into people's heads. It doesn't take an awkward conversation with your dad to understand how this can be seen as sexualised.

And of course, the icing on this horribly disturbing cake is how man is forced to give birth after this terrifying process. And somehow, they even manage to make this look like a mans family jewels too, with teeth, obviously. 

This may not have completely convinced you, and you may think it's a load of far-fetched nonsense and to you I say congratulations because now you can watch one of cinema's greatest suspense horrors without condemning the villains as feminist penises with teeth. 

I may have been a little harsh by saying this theory has ruined the film for me, but it does make a lot of sense. If this was intended and men the world over have been scared by this film because it has tapped into some subconscious fear we all posses about giving birth (have to admit it's not on my to-do list in life) then well done to the designers who came up with the concept of the Xenomorph, and the writers who implemented them so carefully into the film. "Alien" has become a huge success, spawning sequels and spin-offs for decades, and has become the quintessential sci-fi nightmare.

After a period which seen nothing much more intuitive in horror than the death traps of "Saw," horror remakes and tasteless gore-fests it would be nice to see more film-makers taking new steps to truly scare audiences, and if that involves giant, angry penises from space, then so be it.

Thanks for reading! If you have been affected by this blog and want to talk to someone about it, please feel free to... oh, just ask your dad.

Water for Elephants... Review & Thoughts

Believe it or not, "Water for Elephants" wasn't on my to-see list this year.  I was interested to see Christoph Waltz again, after his performance in "Inglorious Basterds" but that was pretty much where my interest in the film ended. But of course, as a teenage boy the slightest interest in a female makes me abandon all holds I have over my own free-will. Suddenly I "don't mind Robert Pattinson, honest!" and I'm sure a "film about running away to the circus will be really nice!"

I suppose I'd best get the review out of the way...

Robert Pattinson stars alongside Reece Witherspoon as a freshly trained vet who runs away with the circus following the untimely death of his parents. Reece Witherspoon is the star attraction of the show, and obviously, our hero R-Patz instantly falls for her. The only problem with his new found attraction is her husband is a psychopathic ring-master, who doesn't think twice about throwing the occasional worker off the train to save money on wages, let alone if someone was to touch his wife. Christoph Waltz is very good as the role of the ringmaster, and is equally as unnerving on screen as the ruthless German officer he played in Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds." However, the same can't be said about the other stars of the film. Robert Pattinson pulls the same constipated look on his face which we have all come accustomed to in The Twilight Saga. (it hurts my fingers to type it's name.) And although Reece Witherspoon is her normally cute as a button self, I just felt like she was too old for the part. I wasn't sure if she was supposed to be playing an older woman and the whole affair was supposed to be very "Mrs Robinson" but they just didn't look right on screen. They had no chemistry on screen, and it was this lack of buzz which made there relationship hard to believe and connect with. There was genuinely more chemistry with Pattinson and Rosie the elephant.

Now that's out the way, I can get down to business!
Although Water for Elephants was fairly horrible, I had a really great time. So great in fact that I forgot how bad the film was. It made me remember, sometimes people like myself and maybe you forget about the simple pleasure of going to the cinema, and that's why we fell in love with films in the first place. I find myself getting bogged down with what got "star reviews" and what's "meant to be good" but everyone's taste is different. I thought Limitless was boring at times, despite it's positive reviews. There, I said it!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, sometimes it doesn't matter what film you see, it's the company that counts. Films are made to enjoy, and what better way to enjoy them but with the people you care about? Water for Elephants wasn't exactly my film of the year, but it didn't stop me having a good time. All those nights watching films with my dad, no matter how bad the film, they are all memories I hold close, and if it wasn't for those nights I probably wouldn't be writing this blog.
And if the person who I went to see Water for Elephants with is reading this... thank you for Wednesday, I had a great time!
But next film... my choice ;)

Thanks for reading my ramblings :)
Sorry I haven't been posting as often as I'd like, getting close to exam season and if I'm to one day dominate the Oscars I need to get uni first!
Luke :-)

Scream 4 Thoughts

Whenever an unknown, murderous, husky-voiced man phones asking what my favourite scary movie is, I somewhat ironically reply "probably Scream."

In true movie-nerd style I watched Scream 2 and 3 the night before it's release (only skipping Scream 1 because I've seen it too many times to count) to remind myself of every intricate plot detail so I could make the most out of the long awaited sequel, and it's fans of the series such as myself who will enjoy Scream 4 the most. I was overjoyed to find the formula hadn't been tampered with, and once again I found myself left guessing who was behind the killings right until the last few moments of the film, especially as my own conceived suspects were being picked off one by one.

Although this film has already received very mixed reviews from the press (ranging from medi-ocre to poor) I honestly think this is unfair, and that's not just because I'm an obvious fan of the series. I'm not saying Scream 4 will go down as a classic in the horror genre alongside the likes of Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but it is a throughly enjoyable film. If you liked the original series you will find everything you enjoyed the first time round in Scream 4, right down to the ironic guitar chords which are strummed out when (now Sheriff) Dewie comes into a scene. Some people will see this "more of the same" approach to the plot as a potential downfall to the series but as a fan I welcomed it.


My advice when considering Scream 4 is if you enjoyed the original trilogy definitely give this a watch, because you'll enjoy it's sheer nostalgia if nothing else. Also, if you're sick of the torture porn horror films which have been continuously spewed out over the last decade and want a refreshing thrill in a cinema, Scream 4 may be the film for you. It'll make you jump a few times (for me it never reached any levels of terror, but some less desensitised viewers may find it more distressing) and you'll certainly laugh.


So, the next time a murderous psychopath phones you asking you what you're favourite scary movie is you probably won't say Scream 4, but at least you can say you saw a decent scary movie the other night. 


Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out my other posts, see you again soon. 
-Luke 

Update!

Hey guys, I know it's been a while but I've had more coursework deadlines than Saw had sequels, and if I am to ever take over the world of cinema as a directorial genius I had to take some time over them! 
Anyway, to the point, I've got some spare time on my hands so thought I'd upload more articles.


I saw Scream 4 (or Scre4m, depends how hipster you are) earlier, so will spend tomorrow typing my thoughts! 
In the mean time, I have to go to work...
-Luke 

GetGlue

GetGlue is a really good website I've found! It reminds me of Twitter, but with Facebook fan pages, and lets you "like" all of the films you watch, the TV shows you tune in to, the video-games you play, the books you read and anything else entertainment-based you enjoy!
The best thing about this website is every time you find yourself watching you can "check in" to it, and the more you check in you earn stickers! The best thing is, every time you earn 20 stickers they send them you. For free! 


Okay, if stickers don't excite you at the very least you can connect with people who have similar tastes to you. So if you feel like following me you can, here. 


Speaking of following me don't forget my twitter to keep up to date with new blog posts!


I'll post again soon guys.
-Luke :)

(500) words of confession.

Yesterday I posted 5 reasons why the next Spiderman film will be awesome (as if you didn't need convincing already!?)
In doing so I mentioned the director Mark Webb, the director of 500 Days of Summer. I also went on to mention 500 Days of Summer saying...


"Mark Webb’s previous film was (500) Days of Summer. Not the most shocking film in existence, but a decent flick none the less, and shows the direction for the Spidey films taking a whole new route."


After I uploaded this blog, I received an angry text... or two... from my sister. 
The conversation went something like this...
Sister: YOU LIED IN YOUR BLOG.
Me: Where!?
Sister: YOU SO LOVED 500 DAYS OF SUMMER. 
Me: But think about my audience Laura! They'll think I'm a chick-flick loving ponce, who watches and enjoys stuff like Twilight. (I promise, that is the first and last time I every say the "T" word on this blog ever again.)
Sister: I DON'T CARE. HOW DARE YOU INSULT 500 DAYS OF SUMMER.


So, I told her I would admit it on my blog, that I did in fact thoroughly enjoy 500 Days of Summer, and I'm not ashamed by this at all!

Sorry, Joseph.

Although most chick flicks are usually so excruciatingly painful to watch, 500 Days of Summer is quite the opposite. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a one of cinemas rising stars, after 500 Days of Summer he went on to Inception, in which I thought he was very good, and since then he obviously became pally with Christopher Nolan because he's been cast in the finale of potentially one of the best movie trilogies of all time, The Dark Knight Rises! And in 500 Days of Summer I thought he was cast perfectly, as the everyday guy, the guy we all see parts of ourselves in. 

The other lead role in 500 Days of Summer was of course, Summer played by Zooey Deschanel, of whom, I approve, and you find yourself become gradually obsessed with her as the film goes on...

Om, nom, nom.

Anyway, what I like the most about this film is it wasn't scared to be different. Guess what, it doesn't end with the happy ending you predict at the start! It's not so unfeasibly romantic it hurts. It's genuinely funny! But above all, watching it makes you feels good. I go to the cinema to indulge in drama, to laugh at comedy, to be in awe of things I'll never get to see in my life appear in front of me look so real it feels like I could touch it (no 3D pun intended) but films like this just make you feel good, and if you have passed this film by because it smells too much like "Remember Me" or "He's Just Not that Into You" then shame on you! My sister convinced me to watch it, and I've seen it about 3 times now! 

So what I meant to say in my last blog was, even if The Amazing Spiderman doesn't go down the dark, gritty route, it is in perfectly safe hands with Mark Webb, because he knows how to make a damn good film.

Don't get me wrong, 500 Days of Summer hasn't given me urges to go out and buy a Jennifer Aniston boxset, but it's proof that watching something different to your usual viewing can leave you pleasantly surprised. 

So, menly men of the world, confess your secret favourite films in the comments below, it's okay... no one will judge you if you cried at The Notebook. 

Thanks for reading guys, I'll post again soon!

-Luke