The Ciné File Vol. 1

While doing research for my dissertation I spent hours buried in the BFI's Reuben Library, sorting through dozens of reels of microfilm and reading quite literally hundreds of film magazines published during the First World War. Although my focus primarily rested with the 1916 documentary The Battle of the Somme, in order to provide a context to my research I also devoted a large portion of my time to the development of film and cinema in Britain after the turn of the century.

Inevitably I read so much over the year that it's difficult to remember the tiny intricate details I so relished at the time, but a quote that's really stuck with me is this one from the September 14th 1916 edition of the Kinematograph and Lantern Weekly. Following a wave of cinematic enthusiasm due to the release of The Battle of the Somme - which was watched by around 20 million British people in the first 6 weeks of its release - those critical of the film industry at The Times finally reconsidered their harsh opinions of the medium, conceding:

"...film can stir us all to the depths of our being, so it can make us laugh till we ache, thrill us with excitement, or melt us with purifying sadness."

As far as I'm concerned, this assessment of film still holds true today, nearly a century after it was written.

It's hopefully already abundantly clear: I love film, and am very unapologetic about it.

If in doubt, I run off to the cinema, stick in a DVD or put my Netflix subscription to good use.

(ALL FILM QUOTES IMAGES SOURCED FROM www.filmquote.tumblr.com) 

Slightly/extremely stressed? I watch a film. Bored? I watch a film. Procrastinating and putting off doing something more productive? I watch a film. Uninspired and a little fed up? I watch a film. Motivated and ludicrously positive? I watch a film.

It doesn't matter what emotion I'm feeling or what I'm doing, I need very little persuasion to lose myself in another world for a couple of hours and let my imagination go wild. For me, there is nothing more exciting than when the lights go down and the trailers start in the cinema, or ripping off the cellophane packaging of a brand new DVD. It might be sad, but I just don't care!

For 2 years I lived a five-minute walk from the Barbican so I went to the cinema up to 4 or 5 times a week, but now I'm in the middle of nowhere and the 40 minute drive to the nearest cinema is absolute agony! As such, I've been relying on my enormous DVD collection and either reliving my childhood or discovering old films I can't actually believe I've never seen. At the moment I just don't have the time to write full reviews of every film I watch, so instead every Sunday I'll be posting a round-up of what I've seen during the week. This'll be a mix of new releases and old classics, and hopefully these mini-reviews/opinion pieces will both get me in the habit once again of writing more succinctly and give you all more of an idea of who I am through an insight into the types of films I chose to devote so much time to.

So, here goes! Welcome to The Ciné File, Volume 1!

PACIFIC RIM

DVD (2013) - ****

"As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.pacificrim.wikia.com)

I saw this twice in IMAX - and have watched it countless times since - but I'll never forget the second time I saw it as I emerged from the cinema to a flurry of tweets declaring that the Duchess of Cambridge had given birth. I couldn't stop thinking about the opening breath-taking scene of an enormous Kaiju (other-worldly being having arrived on earth via a breach in the Pacific) tearing down the Golden Gate Bridge as my twitter feed went into a total royal baby meltdown that under normal circumstances I would have joined in with.

This Guillermo del Toro monsters movie is extremely similar - quite obviously - to traditional Japanese monster movies, and although it's the tale of humanity rising up to defend the earth against an alien invasion that's been told a million times before and with the exact same stereotypes, it still manages to remain rather fresh. What impresses me most about this is that at no point does America swoop in and save the world. For once it's a truly international effort, with a British commander working with an American scientist, overseeing Jaeger (giant robots operated by two humans) pilots from China, Australia, Japan, Russia and everywhere in-between. With the onslaught of American action films it can be easy to forget that the USA isn't the only country in the world capable of saving it from impending doom, so I completely love how Pacific Rim bucks the trend and therefore appeals to a much wider audience.

The CGI is fantastic - clashes between the Jaegers and Kaijus are jaw-dropingly brilliant - but it's the people that shine, creating believable relationships and stirring emotional speeches (Idris Elba's "cancelling the apocalypse" piece comes to mind) provide a heart to the film. It's a tried and tested plot that somehow still works, and with such an addictive score it's hard for me not to keep coming back to Pacific Rim over and over again.

ZERO DARK THIRTY

DVD (2012) - ****

"A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May 2011."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.blackfilm.com)

This is a tense, brilliantly directed film from Kathryn Bigelow that somehow keeps you on the edge of your seat despite the fact the ending is obviously a foregone conclusion. Jessica Chastain is truly astonishing as CIA operative Maya who devotes her career to the hunt for bin Laden. So many huge actors pop up here too that I didn't register at the cinema: Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Mark Strong, James Galdolfini, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, the list goes on. It's only now, when I'm no longer swept up in my first viewing that I'm appreciating the acting calibre of the cast. Zero Dark Thirty is the type of film that stays with you long after the credits have rolled: it's just that good.

GONE GIRL

In cinemas now (2014) - *****

"With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.buzzfeed.com)

GO AND SEE THIS IMMEDIATELY. IMMEDIATELY.

Gillian Flynn's tightly wound and wonderfully gripping novel has been met with widespread critical acclaim since its publication, and deservedly so. It's the first book I've read in a long, long time that genuinely shocked me every few chapters, one of those that lulls you into a false sense of security by convincing you of one thing before unceremoniously pulling the rug right out from underneath you. Fans of the book will definitely not be disappointed by the film, and I know it's a little controversial but I think this is the best book-to-film adaptation I've ever seen.

The casting is spectacular: Ben Affleck slips into Nick Dunne's smug, suspicious, dislikable persona perfectly, and Rosamund Pike is an utter revelation giving a career-defining performance as the missing, scheming Amy. The supporting cast are wonderful too - from Missi Pyle to Neil Patrick Harris to Tyler Perry - all of whom breathe life into complex characters as the narrative shifts back and forth in time as the story unravels. David Fincher has created a tense, chilling, and heart-pounding thriller that is as much an exploration of marriage as it is of the human psyche. Totally unmissable.

WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY

In cinemas now (2014) - ***

"Doug (David Tennant) and Abi (Rosamund Pike) and their three children travel to the Scottish Highlands for Doug's father Gordie's (Billy Connolly) birthday party. It's soon clear that when it comes to keeping a secret under wraps from the rest of the family, their children are their biggest liability…"

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.digitalspy.co.uk)

This is a film that begs to be adored but unfortunately falls short. It starts off brilliantly, very much like Outnumbered in tone and humour - after all they share the same creators in Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. The children are hilarious, asking ridiculous questions and clearly improvising many lines; and they work well with the rest of the stellar cast, but sadly it all tumbles downhill in the last half an hour. Without giving anything away the film goes in an unexpected and completely bizarre direction, which even when cloaked in the comedy the film excelled at to begin with, there's no getting away from the fact that sadly the script starts to float off into the North Atlantic.

It's a solid, funny British film and a beautiful advert for Scotland, but ultimately is a bit of a disappointment.

BILLY ELLIOT LIVE

Live theatre recording, available on DVD from November 24th 2014 (2014) - ***

"A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.empirecinemas.co.uk)

Billy Elliot - the film - is one of my absolute favourites of all time, and thus the musical version has been at the top of my West End must-see list for ages. As I hadn't got round to seeing it before I left London, I leapt at the chance to see a recording of the stage show screened in cinemas. I love the idea of being able to see incredible London shows all over the country (and the world!) for a fraction of the normal price, and the few plays I've seen - most recently the Old Vic's A Streetcar Named Desire - were brilliant in the cinema. However, there was something about Billy Elliot that just didn't work.

The show itself definitely deserves more stars than I've given it. The Elton John original songs are fantastic, and the choreography of detailed ballet and tap routines were utterly awe-inspiring, especially considering many of them were performed by children. It's a faithful adaptation of the film, but I just don't think the magic of a musical translates well in a cinema. The joy of seeing a musical lies in the spellbinding dance routines; songs so powerful you feel the music from the orchestra reverberate up through your chair and into your bones; and having so much happen on stage you don't know where to look to make sure you see it all. Here the camera decides what you're allowed to see, which was a shame during ensemble pieces as certain characters were totally ignored, and during set changes as the sheer scale of the set was lost. Billy's bedroom emerged from beneath the stage, but the birds-eye view camera angles meant often you couldn't see the design unfold properly.

If anything, it's made me want to visit the Victoria Palace Theatre and see it live as it was intended. Although, this screening finished with all the actors who've played Billy performing an epic final dance, and that's clearly not going to happen on stage every night!

MEAN GIRLS

DVD (2004) - ****

"Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.impawards.com)

It would have been rude not to rewatch this on October 3rd, as any Mean Girls fan would appreciate. Yes it has its faults, but there's no denying that this was the ultimate teen film of the '00s, and it still reigns supreme to this day. The fact that it's still so quotable and relevant today shows just how good of a film it is. From a young, untroubled Lindsay Lohan to classic '00s fashion in the form of an abundance of matching velour tracksuits, huge hoop earrings and army pants and flip flops, everything about this film takes you on a long, winding trip down memory lane. If anything epitomises '00s culture it's Mean Girls, and I - for one - am glad I grew up with it! It's as legendary as Glen Coco.

So, so fetch.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

DVD (2001) - ****

"Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.tribute.ca)

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. I camped out in Leicester Square for the last premiere and visiting Harry Potter world in Orlando was definitely the highlight of my gap year travels. For some reason I've started baking a lot more recently, and when I'm not doing a Technical Challenge and need to concentrate properly, I like to stick on a film in the background. As I've been toying with the idea of rereading all the Harry Potter books, I thought I might as well start rewatching them while I bake!

Philosopher's Stone might be old but it's so good! The cast are so tiny (and by extension the acting not fantastic) and the special effects are a bit on the dodgy side, but it's such a charming film that perfectly introduces the world to Hogwarts. There are inevitably faults in the adaptation from the book, but overall it's impressive and it's hard not to be swept up in a tidal wave of nostalgia as soon as Hedwig's theme starts playing. For me, it's not the best film in the series but I still love it!

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

DVD (2002) - **

"Harry ignores warnings not to return to Hogwarts, only to find the school plagued by a series of mysterious attacks and a strange voice haunting him."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.tribute.ca)

Sadly, this is my least favourite of all the Harry Potter films (and books). The child-like charm of the trio is starting to wear off as they become older and more self-conscious, and the acting begins to deteriorate. It's lifted by a brilliant Kenneth Branagh as the vain, foppish Professor Lockhart, but even his charm and good looks (after all, he's won Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award five times…) can't save this adaptation. Yes there's a flying Ford Anglia, the Whomping Willow, a Quidditch match with a rouge bludger, and the Polyjuice Potion scene - which elicits an excellent improvised line from Tom Felton - but it's not enough to actually make this a decent film. If I hadn't been on a mission to rewatch the entire series, I'd definitely have skipped this one...


So what do you think of my films this week? Do you agree with the stars I gave them or have I got it completely wrong?! Are there any new releases you'd recommend me seeing or any classics I need to watch? I have an extremely eclectic taste and will watch pretty much anything, so recommend away! Let me know in the comments below.

I'm also looking to make this a regular feature on my blog, so if you have any thoughts on The Ciné File then do get in touch!