IN-FLIGHT TREATS
For those who don't know me personally, I'm currently travelling around Eastern Asia and will be until June. As amazing as this is, my priorities are having to be reassigned, spending my days visiting temples and shrines instead of cinemas and multiplexes. Hardly any popcorn at all! It feels as wrong as it sounds.
However, whilst on the plane, I managed to watch a few films; some relatively new releases and some old classics for which I finally found time.
(Note: I currently have no Internet access so I'm writing this on my iPhone, hence why I have not been able to include the usual accompanying pictures)
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As the daughter of the new king of voiceovers, the ceiling is already glass for Carol. However an opportunity has arrived for someone to finally re-utter the words "In a world..." for a new female-based film epic. With her father and other rivals vying for the privilege, does Carol have the chords for the job?
IAW... was a funny and acerbic character piece set in a world often ignored or dismissed. The politics and turmoils of such a seemingly simple industry were intriguing and yet extremely relatable. Bell gives a very impressive debut, as writer, actor and director. Both the script and performance are engaging, however her directing style lacked any memorable quality. This is, of course, to be expected of a first time director, especially one who features in nearly every scene. This is only me nit-picking.
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The second film I watched was one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, Casablanca. I am ashamed to say it took 25 years on this planet for me to see this film, and the hype might have taken away from the impact this film had on me.
The storyline, for those like I who haven't seen it, follows Rick (Humphrey Bogart) who runs a bar in the Moroccan city of Casablanca during World War II. The city has become a port for fleeing Europeans trying to get to America and one of those is Rick's old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). Famous for staying out of people's problems, how can Rick stay impartial when it comes to his past love?
Now whilst the film did impress me, watching Bogart and Bergman's epic romance for the first time, I feel like it's reputation preceded it slightly so I was expecting to be blown away and enamoured with the love triangle more than I was. The atmosphere was nostalgic and the performances were heartfelt but in terms of classic cinema, it's no Citizen Kane.
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After all the drama and seriousness, I needed a comedy to cheer me up and decided on Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2. I hadn't seen the first Meatballs film but had heard only positive things from friends and after seeing the sequel, I definitely want to see the original.
Set immediately after the first film, where creative inventor Flint discovered how to turn water into food, his invention is continuing to wreak havoc. Only now it is creating terrifying food/animals that may take over the planet!!!
Completely over-the-top and with it's tongue firmly in it's cheek, CWACOM2 embarrassed me several times, as I openly guffawed whilst passengers around me were trying to sleep. Since it comes from the same writers and creators of Scrubs and Clone High, it's understandable why I found their type of humour so engaging. The animation and characters will equally appeal to the youngsters, as this is the audience it is obviously aimed towards, but the humour is more than funny enough for adults too.
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To finish on a confusing and overdone note, the final film I selected was Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
Adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal book, it depicts the lives of several wealthy socialites in 1920s America. Seen from the point of view of Nick Carraway (played by Tobey Maguire), he describes his introduction to the party lifestyle of the upper classes in New York and his friendship with a mysterious businessman, only known as Gatsby (played by Leo DiCaprio).
A look at Luhrmann's filmography can tell you that he doesn't do films half-heartedly; Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and even Australia were overblown epics of the grandest variety. With Gatsby, Luhrmann does manage to capture the devil-may-care atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties through the lavish and decadent party scenes, as well as document the undercurrent of class-warfare that stems throughout the original text.
However, through methods such as using modern music to accompany party scenes, as well as seemingly experiment with below-par CGI during car chase sequences, Baz manages to constantly remind me that I am watching a film. DiCaprio is fantastic as ever, and Carey Mulligan performs admirably as usual, but all their hard work drawing me into the drama is spoiled by a screaming soundtrack of will.i.am and Jay Z. Many critics have praised the innovation of using modern music, I am just not a fan.
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And with the closing credits of The Great Gatsby, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur. Since then, I have seen quite a few films so I will be reviewing them in due time.
Until next time folks, thanks for reading!
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If you enjoyed what you read and you'd like to be kept more up to date with my posts, I can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Dunn-Reviews and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeDunnReviews - if you want to help the site grow, give them a 'Like' or a 'Share'!
