Amadeus (1984) - Film directed by Milo Forman

* * *

A funny period film about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his rival Antonio Salieri. I have a major problem with films of this kind because I have no idea how to separate the fact from the fiction. I don't know if the people were real, the circumstances, the events, the story. I don't know and that is irksome because in the back of my mind a lot of the stuff that happens in the film will be associated with Mozart and a lot of it may have nothing to do with him.

I knew nothing about this film because I had never heard of it before and the day I watched it it came highly recommended. It very quickly turned into a humorous look at an interesting man in an interesting time period. The humour is light and it doesn't take over the film but adds to the story and the characters who are often very over-the-top.

There is a lot of music, obviously, in this film and if you are a fan of Mozart or classical music then this will be very good. It seems a lot like musicals or the like which take moments out of the film to play music to the audience. While this is nice, because you hear some of Mozart's work, it makes the film ridiculously long. Horribly long. By the end I was bored and this is not the way anything should end (always leave them wanting more). I don't think that the musical sequences should be cut out but I think there is a lot of superfluous footage that could just go away and make the whole film more manageable and enjoyable to watch.

If you love the opulence and style of the late 18th century then you will enjoy looking at the film and the odd touches of humour are much appreciated. There are quite major flaws in the film which can be so easily rectified and that is frustrating. If you can watch a biographical film and not constantly question the accuracy then maybe you will enjoy the film more than I did.

Big Fish (2003) - Film directed by Tim Burton

* * * * 1/2

This film is basically unrecognisable as a Tim Burton film because it doesn't have the usual blue filter and the characters aren't oddly gothic and because of this it has been called the Tim Burton film for people who don't like Tim Burton. I don't think that this is justified because there are so many of his normal traits in Big Fish. The quirky characters, humour, magical realism and the presence of Helena Bonham Carter all feature in this and are reminiscent of others Burton films. The plot is about an old man who is dying remembering his youth and his discovery of the world and himself through fairly magical circumstances.

There are two stories running at once, one about a dying father reconnecting with his son and then the father's life story. The first arch is slightly boring although crucial to the overall message of the film. As someone who likes fantasy real life appears very mundane and therefore these bits just seem slow and ordinary but that is how they are meant to be because the father's life and imagination is supposed to be the interesting part of this film.

The father's life is fascinating and enjoyable, he is played by two great actors, Ewan McGregor as young and Albert Finney as old. Juxtaposed against the reality of the other story means that the past world appears much brighter and more interesting. The magical moments that occur and help him in his life are carefully chosen and presented in a way that often seems to suggest they could be real. Some things are obviously exaggeration, such as a werewolf and a witch, but then others could be true, such as a hidden town and giant.

The film is difficult to summarise because it is weird and wonderful but also because it has some undefinable qualities. Sometimes you watch a film and you just like it with no definitive reasons but just a certainty that it's good. It is a well made film with a great cast, interesting story and a perfect touch of fantasy to satisfy those, like me, who need it but not overwhelm the people who prefer people driven stories. It is a Burton film for anyone who likes films.

District 9 (2009) - Film directed by Neill Blomkamp

* * * * *

An amazing sci-fi film that offers a much ore interesting look at alien invasion and how humans would interact with them. The story is rife with metaphors and symbolism about how humans treat/have treated each other and this becomes more poignant because it is set in South Africa home of apartheid. The plot follows a bumbling Wikus Van De Merwe (played by the exceptional Sharlto Copley) during a time when the government is trying to relocate the aliens.

This is a fairly unique film because it doesn't focus on invading aliens but rather how they would be treated in earth, and it assumes that they wouldn't be treated very well. Along with the ridiculously good CGI aliens and the documentary style of filming the entire movie is incredibly believable. It is a bleak look at humanity and how we treat those who we consider an 'other'.

I've mentioned the CGI aliens and they are a triumph. They look incredibly realistic and are very detailed creatures. There are a couple of aliens who we see more closely and who interact with Wikus and these are given personality, enough personality to make the audience feel for the aliens and even like them. The minor problem is that the aliens are given their own language, which is subtitled, but they supposedly understand English and the people understand the alien language but neither speak the other's language at any time.

The film is not a happy one, it starts as if it were possibly going to be a comedy because Wikus foolish, however as the film progresses it darkens significantly. There is a fair amount of gruesome moments which can make you squirm and action moments that are quite brilliant, especially because the aliens have their own technology which means there are interesting guns and machines.It has everything you could really want from a sci-fi film.

District 9 combines brilliant CGI and acting with an innovative and thought-provoking narrative to produce an wonderful film. You care about the characters and because of this the ending is quite bitter sweet. I haven't seen Elysium, which has one of the District 9 writers and the same director, but I have high hopes for what this man can achieve. 

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - Spanish film directed by Guillermo del Toro

* * * *

This is often thought of as a horror film by those who haven't seen it, possibly because of the spooky poster and terrifying creature creations, however it is actually just quite sinister and creepy, the only horrific things are the bloody violent sequences. The film takes place in fascist Spain on a house that is owned by a brutal captain of the Spanish army. After her pregnant and ailing mother marries the captain a fanciful girl moves to this place and discovers magic within the Labyrinth. 

The film is marvellous for anyone who was the type of child who lived in stories and dreamed of magic and fairies. The darkest and most dangerous moments in the film are all to do with humans and reality, even though some of the magical creatures appear dangerous at first. The magic used is very creative because there is a mixture of classic, such as fairies or mandrake root, but there are also new ideas, such as the Pale Man. A balance between known and unknown magic is really useful because sometimes a magical realm can become overwhelming if everything has been created just for this one story. 

The brutality in the film is quite shocking. A lot of violence is shown and countless pints of blood and this can be really off-putting to a lot of viewers. Personally I am not overly squeamish and this made me squirm a fair amount. The violence is justified, however, because it is (apparently) based on real events that occurred during Spain's fascist period. Gore for shock is not always needed in a film, just like some sex scenes, however gore that proves a point, develops a character and marks a period in history is effective and it is the latter type of gore that you find in Pan's Labyrinth.

The film can be confusing because there are a few plots running at once. The girl's magical quest to help her mother through a difficult pregnancy and become a princess of another world, and the captain's fascist vendetta against the opposition. The two topics are obviously distinct and there is little crossover between the two, however sometimes you really get into one of them and then everything switches suddenly and you have to try to remember at which point the other storyline was at. It's not a huge problem but it means that you have to stay fairly alert while watching this film.

Pan's Labyrinth is (I think) the only Spanish film that I have seen and if it is a marker for what wonders Spanish cinema can produce then I will definitely be looking into watching more. A beautifully twisted fairytale for the adult dreamers but also a poignant look at a terrible time in Spanish history.

Blackout (2013) - Film made for Channel 4

* * * *

This film was advertised as a type of documentary about how Britain would react to a week long blackout. Throughout the film there were facts displayed intermittently as inter-titles but other than that it comes across as a drama film. The premise of Blackout is that it looks like real footage caught on phones or video cameras, although is obviously acted and scripted, about several people and how the blackout affects them.

My favourite thing about this film was its guerilla style because it is very common nowadays to see such filming especially during interesting events like an extended blackout. The acting was good enough that you believed that they could be real people although some of the situations seemed slightly excessive, for instance one man and his wife kept arguing about different types of water which is a minor problem at any time.

A majority of the things that happen away from the main characters, such as rioting and thievery, are very realistic and can easily be imagined happening during a troubled time. The film makers obviously used footage from the London Riots in 2011 and also used the Prime Minster's words but kept them vague to make real footage appear to comply with this situation. I thought that this was clever and a good use of archives, rather than hiring an actor to play a Prime Minister or break the budget on sets that need to be destroyed.

The story was quite harrowing because a few of the people really struggle, mostly caused by other people being inconsiderate and selfish. This is the disturbing thing about the film because it reminds you that in when things go wrong there are thousands willing to take advantage. Personally I felt as though the message about how important the Nation Grid is to Britain was lost in a more political message about interpersonal relations within London and the fact that there can be a lack of decency. Some stories show people banding together to help each other while others show destruction caused by antisocial behaviour.

Overall I thought it was very interesting and compellingly put together. It certainly makes you appreciate the fact that we have electricity, running water, etc. and aware of how quickly society can crumble without the luxuries we have become so used to. Obviously some points were over-dramatised but it doesn't detract from the film as a whole.

Fame (1980) - Film directed Alan Parker

* * *

An interesting film and not what I was expecting. Watching this was a little bit like my experience of watching Saturday Night Fever because you know that they are both about dance/music but you don't realise that they also explore quite deep story lines. Fame follows numerous ambitious students in a prestigious New York high school for dance, drama and music.

The film has a weird inconsistent energy because there are long fairly boring sequences that don't seem to aid the story and only slow down the film. In addition the dance and musical sequences don't fit in with the rest of the film because this isn't a musical so the songs don't inform the viewer and the dance is just for spectacle.

The character's back stories are quite compelling and cover a wide range of teenage issues from overbearing parents to sexuality. The fact that they explore so many problems that a lot of teenagers might be able to relate to is probably why this film is quite popular, similar to the Breakfast Club. Unfortunate I found some of the characters unlikeable and therefore not overly relatable but that is personal taste.

Slightly disappointing for such a famous film but it might be a case of the song in the film of the same name being more famous and well known. The main topics span the test of time because it seems that in any era teenagers will always be struggling with the same issues. Similarly the genre of musical students is a fairly popular one with films such as Step Up or Hairspray.

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) - Japanese TV show

* * * * 1/2

I approached this series not having ever watched any anime before and was very confused for the first few episodes by the style, as I watched more episodes, and especially after I had watched the series twice, I grew to adore this show for all its eccentricities. The story follows a group of attractive boys who have started a Host Club to earn extra money by wooing girls, however one of the Host Club members is actually an unfortunate girl who has been duped into working as a host.

The comedy style of the series, though hard to understand fully at first, is brilliant. Since watching this I have seen some more anime and it seems as though a lot of the rely on physical humour whereas in this there is also a very good script that delivers funny lines without the need to add exaggerated animation. Furthermore, the longer you watch the series then the better you know the characters and the more inside jokes become apparent.

The characters seem to be staple anime characters but are very self-aware of this fact because, as part of the Host Club, everyone must fit into a typical type of attractive role.The good thing about these characters is that most of them are given their own episodes, the girl (Haruhi) is the character followed most often, but you get to see more about the boys and what makes them who they are. The fact that you explore the characters quite deeply, and in a short space of time because there has only been one series, means that the audience feels very attached to them.

This light-hearted programme creates a short but sweet series. There is something for everything, not only in the Host Club, but because it can be serious or funny or meaningful all in the same episode.Personally I found that it took some getting used to because of the difference between anime and the TV cartoons that I have watched all my life but I would recommend it to anyone.