Big League Blogathon | Field of Dreams

What makes a life truly worth living? Few people living a privileged first world life - and I'm not talking about the top 10.000 - are satisfied by simply existing. Most of us, if not all of us, want to be remembered in some way, go down in history you may say. We want to be someone, to fulfill some sort of purpose in our life, a reason for a different future than one lacking a past that included us. 

Field of Dreams is a movie about this strange human struggle for validation and how people often have very different views on what makes a life worth living. In the middle of the attention, there's hippie-turned-farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) who has built up an idyllic existence with his born-and-bred country girl wife Annie (Amy Madigan) and their daughter Karin. One day he hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field in his back yard, which he does - and as if things couldn't become stranger, the ghosts of old baseball players start appearing on the field. Confused, Ray goes on a quest to find his all-time favorite author Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) to help him understand the messages he's receiving and the purpose of his Field of Dreams. Terrence Mann was an activist writer back in the 60s and 70s and so certainly lived a life worth living in many ways, however he retreated from the public when he felt people weren't listening to him anymore.

Blind Spot Fixed: Memento

Memento was easily one of my blind spot films that I was most excited to watch. It's Stevee Taylor's favorite movie of all time, which in itself is worth a thousand reasons I should watch it, and in the top 10 of countless lists floating around the internet - including many an IMDB Top list. In contrary to many other of my blind spots, I actually knew about Memento a long time before I moved to the island of film lovers (as Ryan McNeil - sort of - puts it: the more movies you watch, the more blind spots you never even knew you had, you discover). I owe this knowledge to one of the sides of Indian cinema that I've always been critical of: it's affection for remaking films from other corners of the world (primarily Hollywood blockbusters). So Ghajini, a 2008 Bollywood hit remake of Memento, marked my first encounter with the Memento Mori story. Ironically enough, this movie was also a Hindi-language remake of the 2005 Kollywood (Tamil-language) film of the same name by the same director. At any rate, Ghajini was fairly enjoyable, mainly because of its cinematography and the man who turns iron into gold, Indian superstar Aamir Khan. However, it didn't ignite a burning desire to watch the original Memento in me.

Blind Spot Fixed: Apocalypse Now

Choosing 12 films out of the hundreds of 'must-sees', 'masterpieces' and 'classics' that waited like blank sheets of paper for me to put my stamp of opinion on was a difficult task in itself. The fortunate person I am, the first film I chose proved even more difficulties. The main one: there exist two versions of it, the shorter one being 'only' 153 minutes long. Still, the 200+ minutes 'Redux' (what does that word even mean) cut might be much better than the original one, think of Blade Runner. Luckily, my helpful blogathon host Ryan McNeil immediately responded with the wise recommendation of the shorter cut - apart from the expected 'You're in for a treat', which he knew because everyone except me has seen these films already. In I went then, used to the 90-110 minute features I have stuffed myself with this whole past month. And you know, I've come to realize that watching movies is quite similar to doing sports - you've got to alternate. Now I do ballet, so 'Don't just do the allegro and ignore the adagio' would be my personal interpretation of the lesson that the Apocalypse Now experience taught me. I guess it translates to 'Don't forget to build up your muscles when training for a marathon'. 

Apocalypse Now is not just a long film - it's  a long war film. Happy times. War films need to be long, seems to be the general consensus. I don't think so, actually, I think war films can work perfectly fine with a running time below 2h. But indeed, Apocalypse Now is a movie that needs room to unfold itself in order to build up its eerie and disturbing atmosphere. Surprisingly, the plot isn't that important - nor are its holes. Basically, it's about great actors delivering great performances in an impossible environment, framed in the most fascinating way you can imagine (Oscar nod: deserved). If you really *have* to have a synopsis though; half-crazy Captain Willard (Michael Charlie Martin Sheen) is sent on a secret mission to exterminate Colonel Kurtz's (Marlon Brando) insane reign over a group of insane people near the Cambodian-Vietnamese border. The film currently ranks #1 at the website moviemistakes.com and deservedly so. You can't expect anything else from a cut-down from more than 200h worth of filmed material, filmed in 16 months though. Famous production history? I didn't know S about this film's production history. However, it was one of the most interesting things I read since researching Blade Runner.

Watching The Star Wars Trilogy - For the First Time in My Life

Yes, it's me. The only person who hadn't seen Star Wars... until a few days ago! I have had the trilogy in the back of my head for years, but simply couldn't get over my idea of sci-fi not being "my piece of cake". In fact, I had been very fascinated by Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, so I don't know why the hell I couldn't accept that sci-fi was indeed one of the thickest layers in my piece of cake. But prejudice isn't easy to overcome, and I had to wait for the right kind of Doctor to arrive until I finally got it.

1001 Movies: Finishing Kubrick

185 - 187

Slowly, my Kubrick-film-feast is going to an end... Having watched all sixteen feature and short films of the late director, I feel full of knowledge and enlightenment. That doesn't mean I loved or even liked all of his films - but we'll dive further into that matter when I write my big, grand Kubrick Post with a capital P. All you're going to get for now is three short reviews of my last three Kubrick-adventures, one that disappointed me and two that are officially on the list of my favourite Kubrick-opuses.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

„THE COMPUTERS THAT TAKE THE SITUATION BEYOND HUMAN INTERVENTION HAVE ONLY BECOME MORE CAPABLE. BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID.“

1001 Movies: Heart-shaped sunglasses, greasy hair and suntanned gladiator's legs

#183, a re-watch and #184

Choosing Kubrick's version of Lolita to celebrate the new year cinematically proved to be a perfectly wonderful choice. Provoking as well, to watch the story of an adult falling in love with a 14-year old in the year I'm going to turn into an adult (expectedly). My journey in 1001+ movies continued with a reunion and revision of my thoughts on one of the most-loved musicals ever (Grease), and yesterday's historic trip to slave revolts in ancient Rome (Spartacus) had me forced to finally write about these three movies (as one of my new year's resolutions was to write about each of the book's movies I'd watch).

Lolita (1962)

„[KUBRICK] MANAGES TO DELIVER A PICTURE EXACTLY AS EROTIC, ABSURD, OBSESSIVE, ERUDITE, AND LOW-COMIC AS THE BOOK.“            

Fabulous Filmic Fashion Friday: THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT

Getting back on the fashion track with a wonderful gem and an impressive title: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). 

This cult movie that came to me out of nowhere (how come I had never ever heard of it?), features some of the coolest and most inventive outfits I've ever seen. Nothing much you would wear in public - or wear at all - but still, that's what haute-couture's all about, isn't it?

The film revolves around three transsexuals who go on a roadtrip through Australia's outback, sequins and wigs included, which gave the designers the opportunity of their lifetime. While there are some more casual outfits in the film too - no, they don't walk around in flip-flop dresses all the time - I've decided to focus on the coolest and more extravagant costumes here.

Current Treasures: The perfectly magical realism of Woody and Haruki

Left: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Right: The Purple Rose of Cairo by Woody 

„We think it's only natural to get rice pudding after we put rice pudding mix in the microwave and the bell rings, but to me that's just a presumption. I would be kind of relieved if, every once in a while, after you put rice pudding mix in the microwave and it rang and you opened the top, you got macaroni gratin. I suppose I'd be shocked, of course, but I don't know, I think I'd be kind of relieved too. Or at least I think I wouldn't be so upset, because that would feel, in some ways, a whole lot more real.“

This is one of my favourite quotes from Haruki Murakami's masterpiece The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. It is in many ways essential to the book, reflecting on our society's view on reality and wrapping up the mysticism of the whole story. You could also go as far as saying it's the essence of the book, but then again... there is something about the way the main character cooks spaghetti.

Fabulous Filmic Fashion Friday: THE WIZARD OF OZ

 My first impression of the inevitable 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz was: the 30s on ecstasy. Having seen the whole film now, I think I'll stick to that initial thought - and show you just one aspect that makes me feel this way: the costumes.

Designed by a man that goes by the name of Adrian, the world of the children's book comes alive through the evil witch's green skin (which, by the way, caught fire during the making), the good witch's Elizabeth the 1st inspired robes and of course Dorothy's childish and cute dress along with the adorable ruby slippers.

The Wizard of Oz is a fiest - if not for fashion lovers, then at least for costume lovers.

But not only was the costume design very inventive and visionary, it was also surprisingly convincing - never before have I seen a man in a lion costume look as much like a lion, and the same goes for the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. Today we have CGI - back then, all they had was needle and thread.

Therefore, let's honour the craftmanship of Adrian and his helpers today!

Climbing to the Tops: Fight Club (1999) in 10 Thoughts

1. I think I like this. The narration is cool, Edward Norton has the perfect voice and face for this seemingly frustrated middle-aged guy-next-door. I like the IKEA-animation-scene too. 

Oh, and there's Helena Bonham Carter. Everyone says this is their favourite performance of hers... might be true, I mean, look at her hair. Hair like that is a sure indicator of a great role. 

2. Although this is starting out pretty well, I'm kind of scared that it won't be as good as everyone says. I mean, sure it's good, but great, amazing - fantastic? But it would be nice for a change, to see something definitely and univocally mind-blowing. Most things I've seen lately are good but you know... somewhere in the 8-area. I want to be able to say "THIS IS A 10!" (or almost a ten) right after a movie has finished.

3. Okay, maybe this is the movie I've been waiting for. I feel... newborn, in a way. I want to fight somebody. Hey, anyone here to fight? Oh, I'm just alone in my room...

SO WHAT? I'll just fight an imaginary friend... huah... HAH... HAYA! Nice shot! WOOOHOO!

... Ah, that felt good. So now, what's going on in the movie...?

4. You know, the worst thing about borrowing DVDs at the library (I know, it can't match with the fact that it's free), is when it F***ing doesn't work. Or if one scene doesn't work, and you have to jump over to the next one. I HATE THAT!

5. My initial assumption was that Brad Pitt was going to be the eye-candy of this movie, but actually Edward Norton develops a strange attraction too, especially in those fight scenes. I mean, he's quite different from Pitt, but there's something about him. At least in this movie. And of course his character is awesomely written, but I don't want to spoil things for the people who haven't seen this yet. (I know you're out there, I saw you when I was out there myself, until yesterday night!).

6. Is David Fincher a God or something? I didn't realize until I saw this one, how amazing a director he actually is! Although I liked The Social Network and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a lot, and truly love The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I was never completely convinced by his greatness. His immense greatness!

7. Oh, twists... the best thing about good movies, the worst thing about bad ones. It's all about finding the right balance between unexpected/ awesome and unrealistic/weird. Guess what, this one belongs to the first kind.

8. When this movie came out, I was four years old. I wish I had seen it on the big screen! But you know, I really thought it was newer. It doesn't look old. Not at all, actually - it looks AWESOME!

9. This film shouldn't be my current treasure. It should be my... current reason to live. Current life philosophy. Current... current source of awesomeness!

10. This isn't the most well-written or insightful article I've ever written, so I can just stop pretending and really tell you what I have to say: I don't have anything to say. Fight Club is awesome, and people have said that before. It's one of the best films I've ever seen, and people have said that before. It maybe changed my life, at least a little, my view on life. And people have said that before. 

So let's celebrate and say it again: LET'S TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB - TELL EVERYBODY ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!

The Final Word:

(Introducing the new ratings system - for more, have a look at the sidebar).

Wiggling big toes. Samurai swords. Awesomeness.

USA, 2003

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Written by Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman

★ Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine

    

There was a time when I thought Quentin Tarantino must be a good director since he is admired by so many film-loving people. By that time I had only seen Inglorious Basterds, a film that is surely unique and entertaining - maybe close to awesome - but not completely awesome to me.
Then I watched Kill Bill, and I finally understood.

The IMDB Tops: 5 Thoughts on... Rebecca

For my second post in the series, I share my thoughts on a so-called classic that didn't make it easy for me to like it. Only 5 thoughts instead of the usual 10, therefore. 

USA, 1940

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Written by Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison

★ Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders

    

Current IMDB rank - rating - votes

 1. It's so hard to find a genre for this film. I like it when films can't be genre-rized genuinely, but this is something else; I don't really know what it was truly about. There was some love and some drama... mystery... sometimes a dash of horror... but nothing really made a huge impression, which is a problem in my opinion. You don't know what the message or the essence of all this is supposed to be. But maybe one of you has the answer?

2. Though Joan Fontaine was a beauty, most of the time I found her acting to be quite strange and stiff. Might be her character is supposed to be shy, but to me it seemed very much over-the-top. The same can be said about Laurence Olivier, though the script is part of what went wrong here - his character, Maxim, never explains himself. Actually, it doesn't seem like the couple talks about profound things at all, except maybe grandchildren. They even live in separate bedrooms - was that really normal back then? And as for that one kiss in front of the fire-place - you can't fool me, I've seen Casablanca. I know that Hollywood films didn't have to be that prude and un-realistic in the 40s. Come on, who on earth would kiss like that and simultaneously turn their heads towards the fire place, dreaming. It was just too much.

3. My favourite character of the whole film was Mrs. Danvers, played by Judith Anderson. I think she delivered the best performance of the whole film, her character was truly scaring and though she was over-the-top as well, she didn't pretend to be "normal". My favourite scene therefore also happens to be with her - the one where Mrs. Danvers shows the new Mrs. De Winter Rebecca's old room. I think with a few more horror or thriller elements, the film might've worked better.

4. There was some great suspense in some of the scenes, especially when Mrs. De Winter is starting to find out (or thinks she does) about Rebecca and everything just seems so mysterious and strange. The mansion of Manderlay is the perfect scene for all of this, and I love films that take place in a restricted but grand environment, like a mansion.

5. It is surprising that Rebecca happens to be one of Hitchcock's most famous works, for in my opinion it wasn't much more than average. I've just seen Shadow of a Doubt, which isn't included in the IMDB Top 250 (it's famous too though), and I think this is a little unfair.
While Rebecca did have its moments, most of which I've mentioned, I failed to see its greatness.

What I learned from Lone Scherfig's An Education

UK/ USA, 2009

Directed by Lone Scherfig

Written by Nick Hornby and Lynn Barber

★ Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard

   

Contains spoilers

The message of Lone Scherfig's acclaimed coming-of-age movie is neither surprising nor very eye-opening. Most of us female creatures have heard it at least a dozen times while growing up, from our parents, teachers, the magazines and so on.

We're fortunate. We take our possibilities for granted. We need to fight harder. We need to be able to survive without men's help.

When I hear the expression "early marriage", I think of it as negative thing, something I wish I would never hear again. A picture pops up in my head, showing a young woman, doomed to stay in the house and prepare dinner while two of the five babies are screaming in the background. The highlight of her day is meeting the other housewives at the playground and talking about the latest episode of some soap opera.

But what if early marriage and being a housewife is equal to „listening to Jazz music and going to Paris!“? Now that sounds a lot more fun than sticking your nose into books for years and then working 9-5 while trying to sustain your friend- and other relationships.

What AN EDUCATION managed to do was make me relate to an intelligent girl who wants to abandon her studies in favor of the fun-seeming idea of marriage. And the fact that the film succeeded in doing that is by itself pretty amazing.

Of course, sitting in your cosy armchair, you are forced to question the happiness and bright-looking future of this young girl. Something has to be wrong, life is never as easy as it seems. Which is the reason why most people wouldn't have chosen to abandon their studies in real life, but if the filmic protagonist hadn't chosen to abandon her studies, there'd be one great movie less in the world.

And let's be honest: who has never dreamed of throwing all those school books into the garbage? Who has never dreamed of  taking the easy way, thinking it'd be different in your case, it'd work out in your case? I have.

Without stories like AN EDUCATION, a lot of people might think that way, and a lot of people would take a decision they would be happy about for one moment, but regret later.

You might say now, that Jenny (the protagonist) could have continued her wonderful life full of fun, if only she had ignored the fact that her fiancé was already married. 

Indeed, she could have done this - but it would have made her a cold, heartless shell.
"Your heart can be broken", the film seems to be telling us, "so don't ever rely on the things it holds dear".
Be independent, you can still find love and give away your heart. Just keep your shell safe, so that your heart doesn't become homeless once it's broken. 

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the one of the least romantic and most inspiring lessons I have learned from the movies.

The IMDB Tops: 10 thoughts on... The Shawshank Redemption

Dir. Frank Darabont | USA

★ Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bon Gunton

    

Current IMDB rank - rating - votes

1. Who would have thought that the currently most popular film would be such a softie? I'm not a frequent cineweeper, but the final sequence touched something very deep down - as corny as that sounds.

It was nothing I had expected, not even a few seconds before the tears started falling. It was like somebody had suddenly turned on some magnificent music that you hadn't heard before, but that still sounded familiar (sounds corny again).

2. Speaking of familiar, The Shawshank Redemption is a very good film, but there was something familiar, well-known about each and every scene. It was like all the good "mainstream" films put together, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering its cinematic position. 

Watching this film, I feel, has helped me understand cinema and cinematic taste more, and how hard it is to hit the right notes for the audience in fusion with your own artistic standards... and what an example of that can look like.

The Famous 1001

Last film watched - #249: 

8 1/2 (1963)

"The Cinephiles Bible Of Film", they call it. And indeed, if there's one book deserving that title, it must be the yearly updated collection of precious films, consisting of reviews from one paragraph to full or double pages.

The films in this book vary in terms of fame, acclamation and, off course, content, but as far as I can judge, every one of them truly deserves their place. Although, naturally, I didn't like all of those I have seen.

I've been confused by the fact that every year some titles have to make room for the newly released ones, some of them returning in later editions. But that's a question of marketing and brand, I guess. To fully honour the book and the precious films, I have decided to list every title that has ever been in it - you can see which films have been removed in which edition on filmsquish, and here I'd like to thank the author for publishing a list of all films that have been in the book.

My reason for publishing this list here is simply: I want my readers to get to know me better and get some more insight in what I watch - or what I haven't managed to watch yet, for that matter (PS: a lot). I guess I'm making this list for myself also... it's easier to keep track of the films I've seen from the book, and not just the ones included in my edition.