• Actor: Michael Fassbender
• Character: Brandon
• Film: Shame
Continue reading
Advertisements
Polished Performances
Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2011 on October 16, 2017 by Mark WalkerCarol
Posted in Drama, Romance with tags 2015 on October 12, 2017 by Mark Walker
Director: Todd Haynes.
Screenplay: Phyllis Nagy.
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, John Magaro, Cory Michael Smith, Kevin Crowley, Carrie Brownstein, Trent Rowland, Sadie Heim, Kk Heim, Amy Warner, Michael Haney, Pamela Haynes.
“Just when you think it can’t get any worse, you run out of cigarettes”
As a talented writer, Patricia Highsmith has been responsible for the source material of some great film adaptations; Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley and Hossein Amini’s The Two Faces of January are a notable few. However, Todd Haynes’ Carol is an adaptation of the 1952 novel The Price of Salt which Highsmith wrote under the pseudonym of Claire Morgan to avoid harming her reputation and ruining her career. This was a novel that would’ve caused widespread controversy for such a high-profile author at this time and it wasn’t until 1990 that Highsmith was credited. Now, over 60 years later, Todd Haynes brings it to the screen for a contemporary audience and affords it the respect that it’s been deserving of for too long. Continue reading
Blue Valentine
Posted in Drama, Romance with tags 2010 on October 10, 2017 by Mark Walker
Director: Derek Cianfrance.
Screenplay: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, John Doman, Faith Wladyka, Mike Vogel, Marshall Johnson, Jen Jones, Maryann Plunkett, James Benatti, Barbara Troy, Carey Westbrook, Ben Shenkman, Eileen Rosen, Enid Graham.
“I like how you can compliment and insult somebody at the same time, in equal measure”
Back in 2004 when Ryan Gosling was still a relative unknown, he caught a break by starring in a little love story called The Notebook. It was a huge hit among the ladies and he charmed the knickers off many a bored housewife. Needless to say, Gosling became a star overnight and he developed a very enthusiastic female fanbase. Try asking a lot of women, or even some men for that matter, what they think is a good romantic movie and The Notebook will generally get a shout-out. As a little social experiment, I’d like to offer up an alternative to those who love Gosling, The Notebook and those who love to see romance triumph over adversity by suggesting they watch Blue Valentine. It’s the polar opposite of that sentimental and clichéd pap and could induce nightmares to those of a more sensitive nature when it comes to how relationships are depicted on screen. Continue reading
A Ghost Story
Posted in Drama, Fantasy, Romance with tags 2017 on October 5, 2017 by Mark Walker
Director: David Lowery
Screenplay: David Lowery
Starring: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Will Oldham.
“We build our legacy piece by piece and maybe the whole world will remember you or maybe just a couple of people, but you do what you can to make sure you’re still around after you’re gone”
David Lowery is fast becoming a director to keep a close eye on. His Malick-esque Ain’t Them Bodies Saints struck a strong indie and meditative vibe before he, somewhat bizarrely, took on Disney’s remake of Pete’s Dragon and made a huge success out of it. Now, though, Lowery returns to the same tone of Saints by delivering a very unusual and unique take on a ghost story. With a brief synopsis of the plot or by even judging the films poster you’d be forgiven for thinking that this film is possibly a joke or at least one that relies heavily on humour. But it’s not and it doesn’t. This is a very poker-faced meditation on memories, attachments and loneliness and, for those with an open mind, it works an absolute treat. Continue reading
Trivia Tidbits
Posted in Uncategorized on October 1, 2017 by Mark WalkerWelcome back to Trivia Tidbits. I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted this feature but even I hadn’t realised that it’s been nearly 3 Years since I paid any attention to it. For all those fans out there (who have probably long since forgotten about me now) I wholeheartedly apologise for my tardiness. Anyway, for those of you out of the loop, this is a little compilation of 10 movie related facts that I always find interesting. So without further ado, this weeks are…
1: In the film “Hollywoodland” in 2006, Ben Affleck stars as George Reeves – the actor who played Superman/Clark Kent in the 1950’s TV show “Adventures of Superman“. This makes Ben Affleck the only actor to portray, in one form or another, both Batman and Superman as part of a major motion picture. Continue reading
Polished Performances
Posted in Uncategorized with tags 1997 on September 7, 2017 by Mark Walker
• Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman
• Character: Scotty J.
• Film: Boogie Nights
Chinatown
Posted in Film-Noir, Mystery with tags 1974 on August 30, 2017 by Mark Walker
Director: Roman Polanski.
Screenplay: Robert Towne.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Diane Ladd, Burt Young, Darrell Zwerling, Roy Jenson, Joe Mantell, Richard Bakalyan, Bruce Glover, James Hong, Noble Willingham, Rance Howard, Roman Polanski.
“Forget it Jake. It’s Chinatown”
In the 1970’s a bunch of American filmmakers and actors were given a bunch of money and told to just go away and make movies. And that they did. The consistent results led to the 70’s arguably being the best decade in cinema that America has ever produced. We were gifted such classics as Taxi Driver, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Mean Streets, The Godfathers and Dog Day Afternoon. Chinatown is another of those films that can be considered a classic among this elite list and one of a few from this era of filmmaking that time has been most kind to. Continue reading
