Children of Men - long takes

Beautiful Thing

It’s a coming of age story told in true Brit fashion riddled with dry humour and oh such a gem to watch.  If you have not seen it you should, but get it for like a Tuesday night vibe because it really isn’t mind-blowing filmmaking here.  I could blobber (that’s is blogging blabber) on about the film and its story but I like to relate a film or a certain aspect of it to something in my life or life in general.  That way I feel the film has moved closer towards something more than just entertainment and it is really art.

 It’s the scene at the end of “Beautiful Thing” where the one boy asks the other to dance right there in the courtyard of the apartment block because they are leaving it and going towards new beginning and all that jazz.  Here is the vital life lesson I carry with me - if two boys can hold each other and dance in front of people because they love each other then two grown men in love, especially in gay Cape Town 2011, should be able to swap a loving kiss in a grocery store.  However, you will be surprised how many of us, as gay men, are reluctant to show public affection in innocent surroundings such as a Spar. When did we become embarrassed of ourselves, our lovers and our love? 

To find a man that sees nothing else but you and plants a sweet kiss on your tender lips while you stretch your arm out for that liter jug of full cream milk… is that not love?  How can one sit back and preach love when that love can only transcend into something tender behind closed doors or in a dark and seedy gay bar?  To me that sort of shying away from affection in the ‘straight’ public reads completely as embarrassment.  Especially when one of the men in such a relationship is completely affectionate and devoid of self-awareness in terms of his love being the ‘other’ based merely on the fact that it is two men.

 

Where do we draw the line between public indecency and public affection?  And to me that is where my point pops its silly little head up.  I think the word public is irrelevant as it should really be about two people, the man reaching for the milk and the other man staring at him as he reaches for that milk.  Now I am not about to rip off my shirt and give a man a lap dance on the processed meats nor would I condone it… well unless it’s just me looking, but the idea that someone can look at me doing a pretty ordinary thing such as grocery shopping and be helpless to stop himself from kissing me is intoxicating.  It is captivating.  How can you not find the whole idea completely delicious?  That sort of sexual rush leaves me feeling inebriated to the maximum and I would love it if it were ever to happen to me… but does it take a man confident in his own sexuality to pull it off or is it purely based on how intoxicating he finds you?  Maybe it is the combination of the two and we need both in order to forget whoever is looking...

 

Life is just too short guys and maybe you might want to open yourself up and consider holding the man’s hand, hey.  Because Love is a Beautiful Thing!  Don't shy away from it!

Due Date

This is a pretty cool little flik yo'
What I guess I dug about it was the fact that I could identify with both of the characters.  On one side there is a guy who can't really deal with the fact that his father has passed away and he keeps having little melt downs on the road to letting go.  And then on the other side there is this guy who is at the beginning of a new life and he is afraid of the changes, he has anger problems and has furious little meltdowns.  Now by that definition alone I just outed myself as someone who has emotional and angry meltdowns through my week... hahaha.

Nonetheless I could identify, which always makes a movie enjoyable to watch - when you want to see how it turns out for the characters and therefore how it might turn out for you - at least this way a viewer will view to the end.


It is funny as shit, really got me laughing out loud... and the fucking man sports a perm for crying out loud! And in the end it is a love story, between two men albeit there no sex but who really wants to see those two going at it?  Gross.

The Tourist

Okay, so I tend to be really slow at seeing things sometimes, probably because I wait for word of mouth telling me what films are out of this world amazing.  I can actually understand why anyone who might have seen the movie probably would not have raved about it, it is totally up its own ass... but I like that.

At first I had no idea what to expect from the movie and I don't want to ramble on about the plot in the spirit that maybe you have not seen it yet.  So pay attention to the fluidity of the entire film, the water, the movements.  Pay attention to the timing, its paced to perfection.  And don't ignore all the sparkle... its there for a reason.

In the end it's a rad little love story.  Like really rad.  Some flawless acting got me totally side tracked exactly the way they wanted me to get totally side tracked and that really was through the acting.

Suddenly violins start rolling, everything moves in slow motion and an 'I love you' is mouthed before a moment of calm.... then bullets fly though the window.  This is the moment you climax.  Enjoy it.

So if you are into odd little love stories give this one a go, its sexy, funny and puts a lovely spin on the whole Love is Blind theory.

Whatever Did Happen To Baby Jane?

So, a supernova is a star that explodes and leaves a bright light that may burn for several months. Some stars explode and what remains is a neutron star. Some explode and disappear entirely and what remains is a black hole where the gravitational pull is so great light cannot escape it. One movie has two such stars, the great Bette Davis and unforgettable Joan Crawford in one of the must see movies of all time “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane”.

The movie is by far one of the finest acted films I have ever sat at the edge of my seat watching. Its rich flavor of dark and macabre is so finally tuned between the mesmerizing performances and the focal events. Think… the buzzer, the serving dish, the shadows, the stairs, the creepy song sang in front of the mirror… I’ve written a letter to daddy! It’s a film about two has-beens with a sordid history trying to exist together in a house to spite the fact that they are sisters who loath each other, oops, did I just give away the plot…

Who cares, I want to talk about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, I mean if you have not yet seen the movie do yourself a favor and go get it! I want to few seconds to talk about two cinematic legends during the ‘Studio Runs Everyone Times” aka 1930’s. Now as their careers wind down, they both receive the greatest rolls of their lives and they both manage to pull it off beautifully.

Now how are these two stars different? Well from where I sit, a boy born in Springs, South Africa 1983, I really have two main references to go by, Bette Davis has a song written about her eyes that kinda rocks my boat and poor Joan Crawford has a bad movie made about her abusive nature with her adopted child called Mommy dearest starring the wonderfully crazy Faye Dunaway.

Now either way, whether in their personal lives they are someone to be looked down upon or be forever immortalized as an inspiration, they are both impeccable at what they do on screen. I try not to get sucked into the personal lives of those that entertain me because it will undoubtedly affect the way I view the work they do. Let none of it influence you as you sit down with a bowl of popcorn in front of your huge flat screen tv and relish the opportunity to eat up one of cinema’s all time greats!

then their career just stopped...Part 2

The second of the two films is Peeping Tom by Michael Powell. A film that when released was seen as a perverted film, a macabre story only to satisfy the truly disturbed viewer.

I found the film to be rather boring at times with a main character that is easily forgettable however the film is an inspiration in the sense that it unabashedly flaunts the pleasure in watching to gain sexual gratification from the perspective of a killer and then from us as the audience… how much do we like to watch? How much do we need to see?

Voyeurism is such a rich tapestry to play with in film for the obvious, you are in fact watching. I found that trying to incorporate it into a film as a theme adds a whole new dimension to a film in terms of studying it and breaking a film down. It literally speaks to you as the viewer; about what you are viewing… is it right or wrong? Black or white? Left or right? It challenges you to think about what you are watching.

This film is remarkable in taking you into the viewing room of a snuff film and although you may not be doing the killing how innocent do you think you are by merely just watching?

This film was not necessarily trying to introduce the mainstream market to the dark underground world of Snuff movies but take the audience on a new journey of horror, a sort of study on the sexual gratification a voyeur might get from watching and in this film the Peeping Tom so happens to get a little hard in the pants from watching fear on a woman’s face. The movie is so multi faceted in the psychology behind a killer with a sick fetish for recording and then viewing fear and feels years ahead of its time. It would only find the audience it deserves years later once poor Michael Powell’s career as a filmmaker is totally crippled without any hope of recovery.

Then their career just stopped...Part 1

I love horror films. Just love them! From the German expressionism circa 1919 to some of the stuff they release today. A Nightmare on elm Street is probably the film that started my love for the genre so needless to say I am totally looking forward to the remake of the 1984 classic.

I find horror films so rich with subtext, as it is more about the message than the actual events. Films like "The Last House on the Left" tend to be so difficult to watch as it appears to just be gratuitous violence dripping with disdain. On closer inspection you will see that above it all the movie challenges the audience to make a decision on what is right and what is wrong. How far must one go for revenge before it becomes more than just an eye for an eye?

As I do more research into the world of the horror genre I learn more about the filmmakers and the time they were made. Two films in particular really amaze me and its surprising to find out that the films at the time of release were received so badly that it ended the directors careers.

The first one 'Freaks' was a Tod Browning masterpiece. It is also the film that started the whole killer-crawling-on-the-floor-with-a-knife scene that is ever so popular in zombie films.

At the time the film about real life

circus freaks was too much for the audiences to handle but now the film is classified as one of the all time horror greats. I tend to agree and I am glad that it achieved the cult status it deserves unfortunately the director could not be around to enjoy the praise that he so deserved.

Mulholland Drive

By far one of my favorite movies ever made. Its a love story like no other, completely dark, sad, confusing, dripping in disdain but it is a true gem at capturing 'crazy love'.

Have you ever been so in love with someone you found yourself not only acting outside your own personal box but acting destructively? This is that story taken to the extreme.

But wait a minute, if its going to be a hollywood movie does that not mean that we need to follow the story of someone good not someone bad which is why I love this movie. She is human and like any human we have that innate ability to act good and bad. It is us who decide how to react to any given circumstance but we as humans should also try act in good.

This is not the case for our sort of hero in this particular piece of Narrative Film.

I feel this movie is based almost entirely in that 'few minutes before you

die and your life flashes before your eyes' type thing.

What if its not the few moment before your organs stop working?

What if your soul starts to leave your body while its still breathing?

What if when it flashes its of a life you want to remember?

What if you somehow alter your perception of how you lived?

What if your conscience could just leave your side for a bit?

Diane's conscience left her side for a brief moment, just long enough for

her to become Betty and try real hard in forgetting what terrible things she has done.

So I have this very long explanation for this movie. I

am going to slowly rewatch it and with the help of the directors clues show you point by point how I come to my conclusion of the film...

1. Pay attention in the beginning: 2 clues are revealed before the credits.
2. Notice appearances of the red lampshade.
3. Can you hear the title of the film that Adam is auditioning actresses for?
4. An accident is a terrible event... notice the location of the accident.
5. Who gives a key, and why?
6. Notice the robe, the ashtray, the coffee cup.
7. What is felt, realized and gathered at the club Silencio?
8. Did talent alone help Camilla?
9. Notice the occurrences surrounding the man behind Winkie's.
10. Where is Aunt Ruth?

Stay tuned:-D