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CollectionsMacbeth in a Japanese feudal setting
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 01:21
(A review of Throne of Blood (1957))I am more of a Seven Samurai, Ran and Hidden Fortress fan myself when it comes to Akira Kurasawa's films. However I do think alongside the likes of Welles' Chimes at Midnight, Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing and Olivier's Richard III to be one of the finest films based on Shakespeare's work ever made. Throne of Blood is a somewhat loose adaptation of Macbeth, not as bloody perhaps and set in a Japanese feudal setting, and I am aware that it has been criticised for one-dimensional characters and its dramatic structure. For me though, the dramatic structure, even with the purposefully slow-moving pace(at times), was compelling and sometimes even moving in places, and the characters while not exactly complex are not that one-dimensional in comparison to other characters in other movies. Taketoki Washizu, masterfully played by Toshiro Mifune, is one of those villains where you do feel a lot of pity for at the end I found. Whatever Throne of Blood is criticised for, I cannot deny how powerful the atmosphere conveyed is here, it is very intense and eerie with a harrowing final scene. Kurasawa's direction is superb, the basic essence of Macbeth is there but there are also touches like the Forbidden Room that are part of the director's own creative touch. Of the other acting, which is not naturalistic to start with and considering the tone and subject matter all the better for it but always effective, Isuzu Yamada is a standout, determined and intensely still. And Throne of Blood is an incredibly well made film, the camera work is exemplary and the spooky sets add so much to the atmosphere. All in all, one of the finest Shakespeare adaptations on film. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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Another Kurasawa masterpiece
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 01:19
(A review of Yojimbo)Akira Kurasawa is one of my favourite directors as of now. And Yojimbo does nothing to make me change that, if anything like Seven Samurai, Ran, Ikiru, Hidden Fortress, Rashomon and Throne of Blood it is another of his masterpieces. Like Hidden Fortress was a major influence on Star Wars, Yojimbo did the same for Fistful of Dollars. I've seen them compared a lot, but all I will say that for me both are milestones of their respective genres and both are movies to watch if not done so already. Back to Yojimbo, as always for a Kurasawa film, it is superbly made and made absolutely beautifully with epic scenery and great, stylish use of camera techniques. The music adds much to the story, and is remarkably atmospheric, the script is a fine mix of comedy, intrigue and sudden and quite unrelenting violence and the story is compelling and always entertaining, managing to both celebrate and subvert(but in a subtle way) the samurai genre. Toshiro Mifune I have yet to see a bad performance from, and again he is a superb lead, who could be seen as an anti-hero as he sells his skills yet dupes both sides of the feudal community into slaughter. Overall, another fantastic film from perhaps the King of Japanese cinema. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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42 - The Phantom
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 01:07
(A review of The Phantom)Played by:Â Lon Chaney
Film(s):Â [Link removed - login to see]
Lon Chaney was famously known as The Man Of A Thousand Faces, but really one stands out above the other 999: Erik, the masked madman who lurks in the bowels of the Paris Opera House and develops a dangerous obsession with a young ingenue. When she finally pulls off his mask, the results, especially for a 1925 audience, were horrifying. Chaney, of course, came up with the make-up, redolent of Skeletor's chartered accountant cousin Norman - himself.
Film(s):Â [Link removed - login to see]
Lon Chaney was famously known as The Man Of A Thousand Faces, but really one stands out above the other 999: Erik, the masked madman who lurks in the bowels of the Paris Opera House and develops a dangerous obsession with a young ingenue. When she finally pulls off his mask, the results, especially for a 1925 audience, were horrifying. Chaney, of course, came up with the make-up, redolent of Skeletor's chartered accountant cousin Norman - himself.
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48 - Jack Griffin
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 12:53
(A review of Griffin (The Invisible Man))Played by:Â Claude Rains
Film(s):Â [Link removed - login to see]
Rains is unnervingly crazy as the scientist who accidentally disappears himself. The invisibility effects, to this day, border on magic. "What do you think of that, eh?!"
Film(s):Â [Link removed - login to see]
Rains is unnervingly crazy as the scientist who accidentally disappears himself. The invisibility effects, to this day, border on magic. "What do you think of that, eh?!"
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49 â Pennywise
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 12:45
(A review of It)Played by:Â Tim Curry, Bill Skarsgard
Film(s):Â It (1990), It (2017), It Chapter Two (2019)
Of all the guises that âItâ takes across Stephen Kingâs tale, itâs telling that the shape-shifting cosmic entity of purest evil takes on the form of a clown. Because who isnât terrified of clowns? If Tim Curryâs incarnation made the TV miniseries iconic, Bill Skarsgard still managed to make the Dancing Clown his own in Andy Muschiettiâs films, the actor using his very own real-life special effect: the ability to make one of his eyes veer off at a creepy angle. Nightmare-fodder.
Film(s):Â It (1990), It (2017), It Chapter Two (2019)
Of all the guises that âItâ takes across Stephen Kingâs tale, itâs telling that the shape-shifting cosmic entity of purest evil takes on the form of a clown. Because who isnât terrified of clowns? If Tim Curryâs incarnation made the TV miniseries iconic, Bill Skarsgard still managed to make the Dancing Clown his own in Andy Muschiettiâs films, the actor using his very own real-life special effect: the ability to make one of his eyes veer off at a creepy angle. Nightmare-fodder.
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50. Mickey Mouse
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 07:08
(A review of Mickey Mouse)Movie(s):Â Fantasia (1940), Fantasia 2000 (1999)
First Apperance:Â Steamboat Willie (1928)
Voiced by:Â Walt Disney, Jimmy MacDonald, Wayne Allwine
The most famous cartoon of all time, all the way down here? Why yes, because Mickey Mouse has never been a big character in feature-length animation, and his best performance was in a tiny segment of classical music oddity Fantasia. Here, he's the over-enthusiastic but under-disciplined assistant to a sorcerer, who tries to take a short-cut when his master is out of town and ends up with hundreds of magical mops flooding his home - and he's wonderful at it. The moral of the story is that it's best to take pride in your work and do it properly, and also that you should just never clean house because it'll only lead to trouble.
Stroke of genius
The hangdog (hangmouse?) expression on Mickey's face when his master comes back and discovers the flooded castle, full of enchanted mops.
Fun fact
The raised eyebrow and disapproving stare with which the sorcerer greets the havoc his apprentice has caused was referred to as the "Dirty Disney stare" by the animators on Fantasia and modelled on Walt himself.
First Apperance:Â Steamboat Willie (1928)
Voiced by:Â Walt Disney, Jimmy MacDonald, Wayne Allwine
The most famous cartoon of all time, all the way down here? Why yes, because Mickey Mouse has never been a big character in feature-length animation, and his best performance was in a tiny segment of classical music oddity Fantasia. Here, he's the over-enthusiastic but under-disciplined assistant to a sorcerer, who tries to take a short-cut when his master is out of town and ends up with hundreds of magical mops flooding his home - and he's wonderful at it. The moral of the story is that it's best to take pride in your work and do it properly, and also that you should just never clean house because it'll only lead to trouble.
Stroke of genius
The hangdog (hangmouse?) expression on Mickey's face when his master comes back and discovers the flooded castle, full of enchanted mops.
Fun fact
The raised eyebrow and disapproving stare with which the sorcerer greets the havoc his apprentice has caused was referred to as the "Dirty Disney stare" by the animators on Fantasia and modelled on Walt himself.
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Gizmo
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 06:47
(A review of Gizmo (Gremlins))Film:Â [Link removed - login to see]
Played by:Â (voice) Howie Mandel
Distinguishing features:Â Brown and white fur; meltingly adorable brown eyes; large pointy ears; lovely singing voice; tendency to reproduce if wet.
Sample quote:Â âMogwaiâ
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â A wetsuit.
Depending on your viewpoint, Gizmo the Mogwai is either the best Christmas present of all time, or the worst. The best, because the little fella is almost unbearably cute, selfless, lovable and loving. The worst, because heâs a true one of a kind, and comes with a set of rules so stifling (you know what they are by now, surely) that failure to adhere to them will unleash an army of tiny, scaly, mischievous mega-bastards who could monopolise the brilliant website, [Link removed - login to see], for months. But itâs Christmas, so weâre going to focus on the good about Gizmo - his fluffiness, his gentleness, his sweet song, his huge, beguiling eyes, his ability to speak English - and we wonât dwell on the sheer weight of existential dread that the liâl fella must feel, knowing that heâll never mate, that he canât even go to the toilet without reproducing, and that heâs certain to die alone. Merry Christmas!
Played by:Â (voice) Howie Mandel
Distinguishing features:Â Brown and white fur; meltingly adorable brown eyes; large pointy ears; lovely singing voice; tendency to reproduce if wet.
Sample quote:Â âMogwaiâ
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â A wetsuit.
Depending on your viewpoint, Gizmo the Mogwai is either the best Christmas present of all time, or the worst. The best, because the little fella is almost unbearably cute, selfless, lovable and loving. The worst, because heâs a true one of a kind, and comes with a set of rules so stifling (you know what they are by now, surely) that failure to adhere to them will unleash an army of tiny, scaly, mischievous mega-bastards who could monopolise the brilliant website, [Link removed - login to see], for months. But itâs Christmas, so weâre going to focus on the good about Gizmo - his fluffiness, his gentleness, his sweet song, his huge, beguiling eyes, his ability to speak English - and we wonât dwell on the sheer weight of existential dread that the liâl fella must feel, knowing that heâll never mate, that he canât even go to the toilet without reproducing, and that heâs certain to die alone. Merry Christmas!
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Willie T. Soke
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 06:42
(A review of Willie Stokes)Film:Â [Link removed - login to see]
Played by:Â Billy Bob Thornton
Distinguishing features:Â Surly disposition; stubble; alcohol dependency; lack of moral restraint; alcohol-induced incontinence on occasion.
Sample quote:Â âYouâre not gonna shit right for a week!â
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â A stint at the Priory.
If all Santas acted like Billy Bob Thorntonâs department store deadbeat in Terry Zwigoffâs blackly comic cracker, Christmas would have been dead in the water a long time ago. An unrepentant petty thief and grade-A alcholic, Willieâs M.O. is simple: find a department store, become its Santa, rip the joint off. And if, along the way, he can have sex with a bartender whoâs heavily into the whole Claus thing, get utterly blitzed and engage in unorthodox coitus with a fellow employee that will severely impair her ability to sit correctly, then all the better. But then he meets a kid who believes heâs the real thing, and slowly, Willie starts to change⌠Slightly. The joy of Thorntonâs performance, apart from the sheer unabashed joy in his donât-give-a-fuck exchanges with the kids sitting on Santaâs knee, is in detecting the slivers of humanity, as Willie comes to terms with the fact that he hates himself. The joy of the film comes in mining this for dark, dark yucks and in never taking the easy way out. Its idea of a happy, redemptive ending still involves a man in a santa suit being shot eight times by cop, after all.
Played by:Â Billy Bob Thornton
Distinguishing features:Â Surly disposition; stubble; alcohol dependency; lack of moral restraint; alcohol-induced incontinence on occasion.
Sample quote:Â âYouâre not gonna shit right for a week!â
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â A stint at the Priory.
If all Santas acted like Billy Bob Thorntonâs department store deadbeat in Terry Zwigoffâs blackly comic cracker, Christmas would have been dead in the water a long time ago. An unrepentant petty thief and grade-A alcholic, Willieâs M.O. is simple: find a department store, become its Santa, rip the joint off. And if, along the way, he can have sex with a bartender whoâs heavily into the whole Claus thing, get utterly blitzed and engage in unorthodox coitus with a fellow employee that will severely impair her ability to sit correctly, then all the better. But then he meets a kid who believes heâs the real thing, and slowly, Willie starts to change⌠Slightly. The joy of Thorntonâs performance, apart from the sheer unabashed joy in his donât-give-a-fuck exchanges with the kids sitting on Santaâs knee, is in detecting the slivers of humanity, as Willie comes to terms with the fact that he hates himself. The joy of the film comes in mining this for dark, dark yucks and in never taking the easy way out. Its idea of a happy, redemptive ending still involves a man in a santa suit being shot eight times by cop, after all.
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Cousin Eddie
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 06:36
(A review of Cousin Eddie)Film:Â [Link removed - login to see]
Played by:Â Randy Quaid
Distinguishing feature:Â Cheery disregard for social norms; tendency to overreact; horrendous taste in clothing; slight whiff of redneckery; slight whiff generally.
Sample quote:Â âMorninâ! Shitter was full!â
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â Lynx Africa. A lot of Lynx Africa.
Before he fell foul of the Star Whackers and headed for Canada, Randy Quaid was a founding member of the 27%-ers, that club of storied character actors who improve any film by roughly 27% even if they just stand around doing nothing. Which is, largely, what Quaid does in National Lampoonâs Christmas Vacation, but he still manages to give the film a burst of sleazy energy that kicks its âplotâ into gear. Turning up with his family roughly halfway through, completely unannounced, Eddie is a dunderheaded, freeloading force of nature, a one-man Jeremy Kyle Show who sends Clark Griswoldâs meticulously-planned Christmas further off the rails, pouring a chemical toilet into a gas sewer, kidnapping Clarkâs boss, trampling upon Clarkâs attempts to convince children that Santa exists, and buying more dog food than anyone in the history of the world. The character was funny in the original National Lampoonâs Vacation, but here his buffoonery is raised to Olympic standard, and Quaid is just perfect in the role. Damn those Star Whackers. Damn them all to hell.
Played by:Â Randy Quaid
Distinguishing feature:Â Cheery disregard for social norms; tendency to overreact; horrendous taste in clothing; slight whiff of redneckery; slight whiff generally.
Sample quote:Â âMorninâ! Shitter was full!â
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â Lynx Africa. A lot of Lynx Africa.
Before he fell foul of the Star Whackers and headed for Canada, Randy Quaid was a founding member of the 27%-ers, that club of storied character actors who improve any film by roughly 27% even if they just stand around doing nothing. Which is, largely, what Quaid does in National Lampoonâs Christmas Vacation, but he still manages to give the film a burst of sleazy energy that kicks its âplotâ into gear. Turning up with his family roughly halfway through, completely unannounced, Eddie is a dunderheaded, freeloading force of nature, a one-man Jeremy Kyle Show who sends Clark Griswoldâs meticulously-planned Christmas further off the rails, pouring a chemical toilet into a gas sewer, kidnapping Clarkâs boss, trampling upon Clarkâs attempts to convince children that Santa exists, and buying more dog food than anyone in the history of the world. The character was funny in the original National Lampoonâs Vacation, but here his buffoonery is raised to Olympic standard, and Quaid is just perfect in the role. Damn those Star Whackers. Damn them all to hell.
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Clark Griswold AKA Sparky
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2022 06:30
(A review of Clark Griswold)Film:Â [Link removed - login to see]
Played by:Â Chevy Chase
Distinguishing features:Â Tendency to make large investments before actually receiving his Christmas bonus cheque; near-terminal enthusiasm; a breaking point.
Sample quote:Â âMerry Christmas! Holy shit, whereâs the Tylenol?â
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â The ability to tell that his children, Rusty and Audrey, are played by different people in each movie (in this case, Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki).
Every dad just wants to get Christmas right. Chevy Chaseâs Clark W. Griswold is no different. He just wants to get it so right that he has a brief psychotic episode, not helped by the fact that everything, but everything, in his life goes so spectacularly wrong. From rampaging squirrels to demon dogs to stingy bosses withholding bonuses to super-speedy sleds to finding the perfect tree to scuzzy cousins rocking up uninvited to finding that one bastard lightbulb preventing the lights (25,000 of them admittedly) from working, John Hughes and director Jeremian Chechik heap the indignities on poor Clark from the off, culminating in Chaseâs fantastic rant against everything and everyone, during which he seemingly doesnât take a breath. But Chase, never better, keeps Clark relatable and likeable throughout, equally adept at the slapstick (his pratfalls are world-class), wordplay and droll one-liners. We root for him, we want him to get it right, but most of all, we never, ever, want to go round the Griswolds for Christmas dinner.
Distinguishing features:Â Tendency to make large investments before actually receiving his Christmas bonus cheque; near-terminal enthusiasm; a breaking point.
Sample quote:Â âMerry Christmas! Holy shit, whereâs the Tylenol?â
What weâd get him for Christmas:Â The ability to tell that his children, Rusty and Audrey, are played by different people in each movie (in this case, Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki).
Every dad just wants to get Christmas right. Chevy Chaseâs Clark W. Griswold is no different. He just wants to get it so right that he has a brief psychotic episode, not helped by the fact that everything, but everything, in his life goes so spectacularly wrong. From rampaging squirrels to demon dogs to stingy bosses withholding bonuses to super-speedy sleds to finding the perfect tree to scuzzy cousins rocking up uninvited to finding that one bastard lightbulb preventing the lights (25,000 of them admittedly) from working, John Hughes and director Jeremian Chechik heap the indignities on poor Clark from the off, culminating in Chaseâs fantastic rant against everything and everyone, during which he seemingly doesnât take a breath. But Chase, never better, keeps Clark relatable and likeable throughout, equally adept at the slapstick (his pratfalls are world-class), wordplay and droll one-liners. We root for him, we want him to get it right, but most of all, we never, ever, want to go round the Griswolds for Christmas dinner.
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