Film update

Ok here's the last few films I watched...

Up by Pete Docter (2009):
I went in with high expectations on this one, as Doctor wrote or co-wrote both Toy Story films, Monsters Inc. and WALL-E. For me it just could not compare, although it was still a humorous yet extremely depressing tale of an old man trying to fulfill his and his late wife's childhood dreams. The story went a tad haywire for me at the end, but it was still what you would expect from a Disney/Pixar production.

Trick 'r Treat by Michael Dougherty (2008):
Holy shit... A horror film that scored higher than 55% on RottenTomatoes?? (88% by the way, to save you some time) This I had to see... I try not to read up on films too much before watching, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. This had very little horror cliches, and just relied on four creepy tales interwoven into one film that reminded me how 'cool' horror could be (not just camp, gory or funny). To top it off I was excited to hear for the FIRST TIME EVER Qwel & Maker's music being played in a film.

Faces by John Cassavetes (1968):
This is Cassavetes third feature film, and is already a noticeable step up from the very raw but otherwise enthralling Shadows (1959). It revolves around a married couple who split and seek younger partners, one as the result of hearing about the other. Some of the scenes fly by you and it's easy to get carried away even considering the length of his films. Cassavetes is known for his fluid direction in semi-improvised scenes but what sets him apart is, I feel, being able to show people how they really are, with no or very little 'film sheen' that was evident in almost all of the productions of this era (in terms of the physical settings and the range of emotions 'dealt' with). Think Larry Clark in the 60's =P (well not quite but...)

Once Upon A Time In America by Sergio Leone (1984):
Stellar cast, beautiful story, and and an epic scope cap off Leone's career as one of the best western directors of our time. In this film he takes his skill of grand scale and creates an American gangster story spanning three generations. It's running time is 229 minutes, which not unlike a thick book, makes the story all the richer. Post a comment on how you've interpreted the ending ;)

Deliverance by John Boorman (1972):
You might be surprised that I am only watching this for the first time now, but c'mon there's so much out there... This was brilliant and I must doff my hat to both Voight and Reynolds, neither of who I have seen much of at this age. It tells the story of a group of friends on a canoeing trip that goes bad. Really bad. If you have not seen this prepare yourself for being pulled down into a hole from which the ending can't even save you from.

On another note, I have recently caught up to a few brilliant shows including Dollhouse, Dexter, Mad Men and South Park. Whilst Dexter has always proven itself to be a consistently strong show, I feel it has plateaued and Dollhouse has taken over in my love for TV as it has made me feel for the show's characters like I never have before. Generation Kill is another great show, or I should say mini-series (and it's a shame it was only that). I have purchased the book on which it was based and will be reading it shortly. And something I have only just seen the first season of is Spaced. Written by and starring Simon Pegg, and directed by Edgar Wright (both of Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz fame), it's great comedy with a million movie and game references but can please geeks and non-geeks alike. (He has an Evil Dead II poster in his flat like I have!!)

That's all for a while, please comment!!