Waltz with Bashir

aWaltz with Bashir is an animated film made in 2008, and tells the story of a soldier who fought in the first Lebanon war in the 1980's. He has completely lost his memory excpet for a recurring nightmare he has about 26 dogs chasing him.

This film is a really interesting way of looking at war. does making it animated make it more accessible to the public? Does it make the film appeal to kids more? Does it make politics more real, and more people interested in politics?

I definitely recommend this film for anyone who is interested in animation (like I am) and also those who are interested in politics, or the Middle East.

Fame

I went last night to see Fame, a remake of the fantastic 1980 film set in a New York school of performing arts.The original movie poster

Now, being an absolute Fame original devotee, I was expecting a lot from this "re-invention" of, in my opinion, a classic!

I'm usually not a fan of remakes, with films such as "The Italian Job" falling short of their originals.
Fame reminds me why I'm not a fan of remaking the classics. It really did not live up to the original. The set, songs, actors and plot were all there, but somehow did not fit together quite so perfectly. There was definitely something lacking, and I think it was the plot. It went all too quickly and there was hardly any character development.

This film had none of the earlier grittiness of the original, and the characters had just a tad of Hollywood sparkle about them, which didn't really fit with the earlier film.

I also think that the characters were exaggerated too much, you had the really shy introverted girl who dressed like a nerd, the typical wacky director who had the same glasses as every other cool nerd from american films, and the not-pretty-but-beautiful girl who doesnt know her own talent.

In the end, the film just didnt strike the same chord with me as the original, and I think others felt the same.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

After a year of waiting, its finally here! Today I queued up for an hour to see the long-awaited film of the 6th installment of the Potter series. As an avid Potter fan, I expected a lot from these films, having loved the books and been slightly disappointed with the early HP films.

I have to say, this film doesn't disappoint. It has everything you wanted from a Potter in it, Quidditch, romance, violence and more. I laughed at the awkward comedy of the great British cast, and was at the edge of my seat during other points in the film.

I really really loved this film, I thought it was great, and the effects were unbelievable! Right from the beginning where we see the Millennium Bridge destroyed until right up to the last few minutes of the film (no plot spoilers dont worry!) the animation was flawless and so real looking!

The directors have played around with the storyline a little, but I definitely think this was necessary to give the characters more depth, and the film more of a product in its own right.

My recommendation: if you are a Potter fan then this film is a must, but even if you aren't, its still a great film and very entertaining!

Laika

LAÏKA (SHORT VERSION) from Guillaume Blanchet on Vimeo.

The above is a short stop-animation video titled Laika. Stumbling across this on the internet, I had no clue what the video was about, apart from the name. Laika was the name of a dog, the first earthling ever sent into space.

However, delving deeper into this fantastically well made, cute and funny video, I discovered that the guy who made this works in a bar in Montreal called Laika, and it was for its tenth anniversary. 3 minutes is quite a long time to watch a simple piece of animation, but this really draws you in, the eclectic music also fits so well. Its a really interesting way of celebrating an anniversary, and I will look out for more of the artist, Guillaume Blanchet's work.

Bruno....

As a lover of Sacha Baron Cohen's brilliant comedy sketches, I loved Borat the movie, released in 2006. This is why I was greatly excited to see that he has made a movie, with one of his best characters, Bruno! The film is out this summer, and I cant wait to see it.



If you liked this, and Borat, check out Sacha as chat show host Ali G! Below are some of my favourite clips:





He really is a comic genius, so enjoy!

Ha-Bua (The Bubble)

Ha-Bua, translated as "The Bubble" is the newest film from acclaimed director Eytan Fox. This is the second Fox film i've seen, and it definitely lived up to the last one, "Walk on Water."

The Bubble is based around life in Tel Aviv, personally my favourite city in Israel, also known as the gay capital of Israel.

It depicts the relationship of the 4 main characters, and the difficulties they face. However, this is not just an account of love, all the time there is the story of the war still raging between Israel and Palestine, brought to our attention by the relationship between Israeli Yali and Arab Ashruf.

This is a beautiful film, with a simple but compelling script, shot simply and wonderfully. If you want to borrow it let me know, its an incredible film with many famous middle easter actors.

Watch the trailer below to get a taster.

Tales From Earthsea

A film I saw last year at the Leeds Hyde Park Cinema was "Tales from Earthsea," the newest Studio Ghibli film. I just purchased it on DVD, so here is my review!


I'm a massive fan of Studio Ghibli, so my expectations were high, being the second only Ghibli film I'd seen in the cinema. I own lots of Miyazaki films, even his first, Castle of Cagliostro. Tales From Earthsea is the directorial debut of Miyazaki's son, Goro. There was much contention over Goro directing this film, and I have to say, I can see why.

The music, and scenery of this film were typical, glorious Studio Ghibli, and didn't disappoint. What did disappoint though, was the storyline. The story was quite hard to follow, and there was very poor character deveopment.

After seeing the film, I went out and bought the book, by fantasy writer Ursula LeGuin, and now I can see why Goro had a hard time cramming it all in. Tales From Earthsea the film is the last installment of LeGuin's books, and the previous history is really important.

Overall, I enjoyed this film but I was recommend you to watch other, classic Miyazaki films first, such as "Spirited Away" or "Nausicaa."