“Alfred Hitchcock did not choose to conclude the film, The Birds, with the usual “THE END” title because he wanted to leave the audience with the feeling of unending terror and uncertainty.”
Never one to follow the rules.
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Great British Sewing BORE.
To the British public:
Have you seen the programme Great British Sewing Bee on BBC2 recently?
That is not a joke. There is actually a programme focused around sewing.
I understand that the BBC have to entertain everyone. But seriously?
Is this what British television has come to? Claudia Winkleman looking intensely into the camera, panicking over a hemline gone awry.
It's not as such the content and purpose of the show that annoys me. It's the format.
Winkleman engrossed in the life or death situations. The intense build up to an exciting climax. Sewing needles at dawn!
Please excuse the sarcasm.
I'd say give it a watch and decide for yourself. But you will probably blame me for the 60 minutes of your life you have just wasted.
Have you seen the programme Great British Sewing Bee on BBC2 recently?
That is not a joke. There is actually a programme focused around sewing.
I understand that the BBC have to entertain everyone. But seriously?
Is this what British television has come to? Claudia Winkleman looking intensely into the camera, panicking over a hemline gone awry.
It's not as such the content and purpose of the show that annoys me. It's the format.
Winkleman engrossed in the life or death situations. The intense build up to an exciting climax. Sewing needles at dawn!
Please excuse the sarcasm.
I'd say give it a watch and decide for yourself. But you will probably blame me for the 60 minutes of your life you have just wasted.
Scream For The Small Screen. Love or Hate?
Do you remember hearing that MTV were planning a 'Scream' based TV series?
Well it's happening, it's caught my attention and of course, I want to voice my opinion on the matter.
MTV announced at their upfront presentation in New York that a one-hour Scream based pilot will air summer 2014.
The first thing that came to my mind was Teen Wolf.
MTV adapted a television series from the film Teen Wolf. With few similarities from the original film, the television series has gained some popularity.
MTV has said they plan to "reinvent" the franchise and are in talks with the films director, Wes Craven.
Weinsteins' Dimension Films will remain producers on the TV series.
Kevin Williamson looks as though he won't be writing for MTV, as they announced they are on the hunt for writers for the pilot.
What do we think about this?
On one hand I think it's a good thing. It was a massively popular horror film with a very similar audience to that of MTV viewers. So if it's done well, it should be a hit.
On the other hand, is it just sucking more and more out of the original film?
The original film did reinvent Horror and has become iconic.
But I do think if they reinvent the project and aim it at a more evolved audience it could actually work.
One thing I am sure of, Scream fans are either going to love or hate the idea.
Time will tell.
Well it's happening, it's caught my attention and of course, I want to voice my opinion on the matter.
MTV announced at their upfront presentation in New York that a one-hour Scream based pilot will air summer 2014.
The first thing that came to my mind was Teen Wolf.
MTV adapted a television series from the film Teen Wolf. With few similarities from the original film, the television series has gained some popularity.
MTV has said they plan to "reinvent" the franchise and are in talks with the films director, Wes Craven.
Weinsteins' Dimension Films will remain producers on the TV series.
Kevin Williamson looks as though he won't be writing for MTV, as they announced they are on the hunt for writers for the pilot.
What do we think about this?
On one hand I think it's a good thing. It was a massively popular horror film with a very similar audience to that of MTV viewers. So if it's done well, it should be a hit.
On the other hand, is it just sucking more and more out of the original film?
The original film did reinvent Horror and has become iconic.
But I do think if they reinvent the project and aim it at a more evolved audience it could actually work.
One thing I am sure of, Scream fans are either going to love or hate the idea.
Time will tell.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Is Evil Dead Just Another Remake? Lets Break It Down...
The film I reviewed this week was Evil Dead.
Evil Dead has been described as both a remake and a reboot by industry and audience members.
The director, Fede Álvarez, is putting the record straight arguing that these terms "aren't relevant".
However, he did describe it as a 'rebirth', "as if it's adapted from a novel".
And I think it suits rather well.
Fede Álvarez became an extremely coveted man in Hollywood after his short film, Panic Attack!, went viral on YouTube.
In fact, it led to him being hand-picked by the original The Evil Dead director, Sam Raimi to write and direct the rebirth.
When reading that such a classic cult film was going to be remade by a director who had only produced short films, I was a tad apprehensive...
So let me break it down for you.
The first thing that I looked for was the comedy element.
The comedy element is a classic feature of horror films from the 1980's. We all remember laughing or even cringing at attempts of humour from the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Fright Night.
Both of the above have been remade or rebooted and the comedy element has been almost non-existent.
This was no different.
There were definitely traces of humour and nods to the original film, however it was clearly evident that Álvarez was going down a more serious route than the original cult classic.
I don't think that's a bad thing though. He's clearly catering to a different and more evolved audience.
Analysing and reviewing films on a weekly basis, I know that a film score can make or break a film.
This score stood out to me. Composed by Roque Baños, it was reminiscent of 1990's horror films such as Scream and also had hints of The Shining and Psycho.
Something I wouldn't expect from this particular film.
I felt that it created an undertone of suspense throughout, keeping me gripped.
The way the film was shot gave the film an almost 3D feel. Being shot in confined spaces, it felt as if I was in the frame with them. Always a great technique used in horror films to give an immediate effect.
A somewhat obvious thought that came to my attention was 'has this been done?'
It reminded me of The Exorcist at times and made me think of all the demonic possession films Hollywood has continuously been churning out the last few years.
The difference with The Exorcist, was that it came at an ideal time in society.
Society was dominated by religion, leaving the audience questioning themselves, 'could this happen to me?'
Now, we realise it won't. But I think with the mixture of gore and possession we have an edgy, boundary pushing Evil Dead rebirth whilst still giving nods to the original film.
I would definitely recommend it to horror fans!
Evil Dead has been described as both a remake and a reboot by industry and audience members.
The director, Fede Álvarez, is putting the record straight arguing that these terms "aren't relevant".
However, he did describe it as a 'rebirth', "as if it's adapted from a novel".
And I think it suits rather well.
Fede Álvarez became an extremely coveted man in Hollywood after his short film, Panic Attack!, went viral on YouTube.
In fact, it led to him being hand-picked by the original The Evil Dead director, Sam Raimi to write and direct the rebirth.
When reading that such a classic cult film was going to be remade by a director who had only produced short films, I was a tad apprehensive...
So let me break it down for you.
The first thing that I looked for was the comedy element.
The comedy element is a classic feature of horror films from the 1980's. We all remember laughing or even cringing at attempts of humour from the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Fright Night.
Both of the above have been remade or rebooted and the comedy element has been almost non-existent.
This was no different.
There were definitely traces of humour and nods to the original film, however it was clearly evident that Álvarez was going down a more serious route than the original cult classic.
I don't think that's a bad thing though. He's clearly catering to a different and more evolved audience.
Analysing and reviewing films on a weekly basis, I know that a film score can make or break a film.
This score stood out to me. Composed by Roque Baños, it was reminiscent of 1990's horror films such as Scream and also had hints of The Shining and Psycho.
Something I wouldn't expect from this particular film.
I felt that it created an undertone of suspense throughout, keeping me gripped.
The way the film was shot gave the film an almost 3D feel. Being shot in confined spaces, it felt as if I was in the frame with them. Always a great technique used in horror films to give an immediate effect.
A somewhat obvious thought that came to my attention was 'has this been done?'
It reminded me of The Exorcist at times and made me think of all the demonic possession films Hollywood has continuously been churning out the last few years.
The difference with The Exorcist, was that it came at an ideal time in society.
Society was dominated by religion, leaving the audience questioning themselves, 'could this happen to me?'
Now, we realise it won't. But I think with the mixture of gore and possession we have an edgy, boundary pushing Evil Dead rebirth whilst still giving nods to the original film.
I would definitely recommend it to horror fans!
Fun Fact #1
"Andrew Garfield admitted to shedding tears when first trying on the Spider-Man costume."
That's embarrassing...
That's embarrassing...
Fun Facts!
Some of you may know that I have a radio show called The Reel.
The Reel is a magazine-style radio show with Film and Music as the main subject matters.
On this radio show, my co-presenter (Chelsie Taylor) and I discuss everything from film and album reviews through to upcoming festival and award ceremonies.
Our favourite feature on our show is sharing fun facts with one another. This includes us telling each other three fun facts about the industry we specialise in (myself in Film and Chelsie in Music). It allows for a comedic and informative element to our show.
And recently it got me thinking, I should really start putting these on my blog!
They won't be full blog posts, they will mainly be quotes and sometimes I may leave a little comment!
Also, as my blog is called JustMyMedia, there will be facts from every part of the Media Industry.
You can listen to our show here.
The Reel is a magazine-style radio show with Film and Music as the main subject matters.
On this radio show, my co-presenter (Chelsie Taylor) and I discuss everything from film and album reviews through to upcoming festival and award ceremonies.
Our favourite feature on our show is sharing fun facts with one another. This includes us telling each other three fun facts about the industry we specialise in (myself in Film and Chelsie in Music). It allows for a comedic and informative element to our show.
And recently it got me thinking, I should really start putting these on my blog!
They won't be full blog posts, they will mainly be quotes and sometimes I may leave a little comment!
Also, as my blog is called JustMyMedia, there will be facts from every part of the Media Industry.
You can listen to our show here.
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
A Great Critic
"I'll tell you, I think that the Internet has provided an enormous boost to film criticism by giving people an opportunity to self publish or to find sites that are friendly."
- Roger Ebert.
- Roger Ebert.
Monday, 8 April 2013
Is It Possible To Remake A Classic?
So who's watched the new Carrie and Evil Dead trailers?
I think they look good.
But can a classic be remade?
Lets look at some examples...
1. A Nightmare On Elm Street
This film faired ok when it was remade in 2010. As a huge fan of Wes Craven (the original A Nightmare On Elm Street director) I was both excited and apprehensive of a remake. And although I quite enjoyed the modern remake, I felt it didn't have the edge the original film possessed.
2. Psycho
At risk of sounding completely rude and disrespectful; I don't even know where to start.
It was just bad. Not only was it a bad remake, it came at a bad time. Sometimes society is not ready for a remake of a media text. They're still happy with the original. This, evidently, was not considered.
3. Halloween
This was a controversial one. Because it was aimed at a Horror audience, however, it was aimed at a niche genre audience (mainly because of the director), which was not the same audience as the original film.
The original Halloween, made in 1978 by John Carpenter, was in my eyes, one of the pioneer Slasher films. A sub-genre that is incredibly popular within the Horror genre. And I think the director of the remake, Rob Zombie, has a different following. Different, but extremely loyal. The film did very well at box-office, however, I don't think he was the best choice for the fans.
What do you think?
Maybe comparing the trailers will give us some insight?
Watch this space!
Carrie 1976
Carrie 2013
The Evil Dead 1981
Evil Dead 2013
I think they look good.
But can a classic be remade?
Lets look at some examples...
1. A Nightmare On Elm Street
This film faired ok when it was remade in 2010. As a huge fan of Wes Craven (the original A Nightmare On Elm Street director) I was both excited and apprehensive of a remake. And although I quite enjoyed the modern remake, I felt it didn't have the edge the original film possessed.
2. Psycho
At risk of sounding completely rude and disrespectful; I don't even know where to start.
It was just bad. Not only was it a bad remake, it came at a bad time. Sometimes society is not ready for a remake of a media text. They're still happy with the original. This, evidently, was not considered.
3. Halloween
This was a controversial one. Because it was aimed at a Horror audience, however, it was aimed at a niche genre audience (mainly because of the director), which was not the same audience as the original film.
The original Halloween, made in 1978 by John Carpenter, was in my eyes, one of the pioneer Slasher films. A sub-genre that is incredibly popular within the Horror genre. And I think the director of the remake, Rob Zombie, has a different following. Different, but extremely loyal. The film did very well at box-office, however, I don't think he was the best choice for the fans.
What do you think?
Maybe comparing the trailers will give us some insight?
Watch this space!
Carrie 1976
Carrie 2013
The Evil Dead 1981
Evil Dead 2013
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)