The cover design for this DVD turned out to be totally misleading by the time I'd watched the film though. It suggests a gritty cold-hearted thriller. Thankfully, that's far from reality.
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
The Heist (The Maiden Heist) film
Three security guards at an art gallery in America have spent so much time around three particular pieces of art that they've each developed a strong (almost worshipful) admiration for them. When they learn that each of their beloved artworks are being bought by a foreign gallery, they take matters into their own hands. Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman and William H. Macy are surely reason enough to give it a watch.
The cover design for this DVD turned out to be totally misleading by the time I'd watched the film though. It suggests a gritty cold-hearted thriller. Thankfully, that's far from reality.
The cover design for this DVD turned out to be totally misleading by the time I'd watched the film though. It suggests a gritty cold-hearted thriller. Thankfully, that's far from reality.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
The Lives of Others & Stasiland
The Lives of Others is a 2006 German-language film about East Berlin during the 80s. It follows a playwright and an actress whose apartment is placed under full surveillance by the Stasi (the then Ministry for State Security). You get a real sense of their rigid and obsessive methods for gathering information about their own people, and Ulrich Mühe does an amazing job in portraying the main Stasi operative. I'd never seen Mühe in anything before, but after watching this, it was no surprise to read how popular he was as an actor – and that he'd had first-hand experience of the Stasi earlier in his life. I couldn't believe it when I read that he had passed away in 2007.
Although there is hardly any graphic design featured in the film, there are plenty of examples of severe minimalism and neutrality - be it in the architecture, the way people speak, the suppression of emotion, the order and discipline. All this makes me think of a visual graphic equivalent, like Jan Tschichold's early work – which he is said to have later described as being akin to fascism because of it's overly strict approach. It isn't something I've considered before – is it realistic to suggest that the obsessive nature of a designer could spill over into society and wreak havoc?
I was interested in learning more about the Stasi and the Berlin Wall, so I got a copy of Stasiland by Anna Funder. The edition featured here is really well designed – only two colours throughout. It is described as a collection of accounts by both victims and members of the Stasi, so I was expecting quite a linear chapter-by-chapter structure but actually the author blends all of the accounts into one long narrative with herself at the centre – as she goes along meeting new people in Berlin. It was interesting to see how many things from the book carried over into The Lives of Others, or vice versa, e.g. how the odd Stasi member might joke about their superiors and the sudden effects that doing so might have on their career.
YouTube, of course, has loads of videos about the Berlin Wall and the prison in East Berlin, and the links will take you to a couple that I recommend. In this video, you'll meet one of the people from Anna Funder's book – her story is totally heartbreaking.
Out of interest, I had a look on Eye Magazine and came across this article and this article, both of which offer a small insight into the design world of the GDR.
The history of the GDR has made me consider the effects of being overly scientific in anything I do – not only design – and that designers must be aware of the world around them, whether they 'like' politics or not. Maybe history shows us that imposing strict order is only healthy for as long as you can indulge in a little chaos along the way.
Although there is hardly any graphic design featured in the film, there are plenty of examples of severe minimalism and neutrality - be it in the architecture, the way people speak, the suppression of emotion, the order and discipline. All this makes me think of a visual graphic equivalent, like Jan Tschichold's early work – which he is said to have later described as being akin to fascism because of it's overly strict approach. It isn't something I've considered before – is it realistic to suggest that the obsessive nature of a designer could spill over into society and wreak havoc?
I was interested in learning more about the Stasi and the Berlin Wall, so I got a copy of Stasiland by Anna Funder. The edition featured here is really well designed – only two colours throughout. It is described as a collection of accounts by both victims and members of the Stasi, so I was expecting quite a linear chapter-by-chapter structure but actually the author blends all of the accounts into one long narrative with herself at the centre – as she goes along meeting new people in Berlin. It was interesting to see how many things from the book carried over into The Lives of Others, or vice versa, e.g. how the odd Stasi member might joke about their superiors and the sudden effects that doing so might have on their career.
YouTube, of course, has loads of videos about the Berlin Wall and the prison in East Berlin, and the links will take you to a couple that I recommend. In this video, you'll meet one of the people from Anna Funder's book – her story is totally heartbreaking.
Out of interest, I had a look on Eye Magazine and came across this article and this article, both of which offer a small insight into the design world of the GDR.
The history of the GDR has made me consider the effects of being overly scientific in anything I do – not only design – and that designers must be aware of the world around them, whether they 'like' politics or not. Maybe history shows us that imposing strict order is only healthy for as long as you can indulge in a little chaos along the way.
Saturday, 18 August 2012
The Bridge
I recently got a new DVD tv series called "The Bridge". I've only seen the first four episodes and I can already say it's definitely worth getting.
The plot is quite original – it starts with a body left on a bridge, exactly on the border, between Sweden and Denmark. You learn more about the body but I won't ruin the surprise. Anyway, because the body is half in Denmark and half in Sweden, both police forces are involved. The two main characters (a detective from each country) are really interesting to watch. I recognized one of them from the film 'Arn: Templar Knight'. She plays Saga – a really straight-talking, quirky character with not much of a sense of humour. Someone likened her to 'House' on Amazon. I sort of agree.
The soundtrack has grown on me since I started watching this – it's called 'Hollow Talk' by Choir of Young Believers. Really amazing how music becomes more meaningful when its used in certain contexts.
The plot is quite original – it starts with a body left on a bridge, exactly on the border, between Sweden and Denmark. You learn more about the body but I won't ruin the surprise. Anyway, because the body is half in Denmark and half in Sweden, both police forces are involved. The two main characters (a detective from each country) are really interesting to watch. I recognized one of them from the film 'Arn: Templar Knight'. She plays Saga – a really straight-talking, quirky character with not much of a sense of humour. Someone likened her to 'House' on Amazon. I sort of agree.
The soundtrack has grown on me since I started watching this – it's called 'Hollow Talk' by Choir of Young Believers. Really amazing how music becomes more meaningful when its used in certain contexts.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Stranger Than Fiction graphics
I watched Stranger Than Fiction again earlier today and realized I haven’t mentioned it on here yet. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth a watch. It’s definitely something that creative people would find interesting if only for the visuals. Will Ferrell gives a great performance as the low-key main character and Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are also brill.
The film is about a man whose job requires him to be very good with numbers and, as a result, he counts/measures everything he sees in passing. The story itself, however, is about how he is the main character in a book that’s being written – he begins to hear the author narrating his actions as he goes about daily life and we eventually learn whether he is controlling himself or not.
Throughout the film there’s a layer of really clean, crisp, white animated graphics that playfully illustrate Harold’s (the main character’s) thoughts – his counting of steps or measurements of soap in its dispenser. What’s so good about it is that it very quietly persists with the scrupulously systematic nature of the main character without distracting the audience or becoming exhaustive. MK12 are the designers behind it: I’ve added images below of: their early ideas – which, thankfully, were dropped; the MK12 banner; and some screenshots of the final outcome, as seen in the film.
The film is about a man whose job requires him to be very good with numbers and, as a result, he counts/measures everything he sees in passing. The story itself, however, is about how he is the main character in a book that’s being written – he begins to hear the author narrating his actions as he goes about daily life and we eventually learn whether he is controlling himself or not.
Throughout the film there’s a layer of really clean, crisp, white animated graphics that playfully illustrate Harold’s (the main character’s) thoughts – his counting of steps or measurements of soap in its dispenser. What’s so good about it is that it very quietly persists with the scrupulously systematic nature of the main character without distracting the audience or becoming exhaustive. MK12 are the designers behind it: I’ve added images below of: their early ideas – which, thankfully, were dropped; the MK12 banner; and some screenshots of the final outcome, as seen in the film.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
MESRINE
The two-part film follows Jacques Mesrine from his early 20s right up to his death after a long life of robbery, murder, and numerous sentences in prison from which he usually escaped. I heard that none of his alleged murders have actually been proven even to this day.
I found the film a little segmented: his friends and girlfriends seem to all appear in groups rather than by coming and going. For instance, he has a wife and his two French gangster buddies at first, then a French-Canadian pal and a bonnie-like (from Bonnie and Clyde) girlfriend, and then a gold-digging girlfriend and his mate the prison-escape artist. The daughter from his marriage appears towards the end when she’s grown up but I didn’t think she was used enough in the second film. The contrast between the characters of Mesrine and his father was really interesting and I think they could have balanced the second film out a little more by exploring the relationship between him and his daughter further. Blow is a film that looks into the main character’s gangster lifestyle and family relationships in equal proportions.
I thought Mesrine was a little like how Johnny Depp is said to have described Bush’s America: a big dumb dog. He seemed to have learned how to rob banks and then never looked back. For instance, the scene where he discusses his interest in going after ‘the system’ and attacking the max-security prisons; his ex-Algerian-freedom-fighter partner points out that he has more or less funded the MSAs by spending the money he steals in the shops.
Still, the variety in characters and actors is fantastic and I was really glad they didn’t try to make Mesrine some sort of hero; instead, they relied on his lovable humour and reckless unpredictability to entertain the audience right to the end. Well worth getting.
I found the film a little segmented: his friends and girlfriends seem to all appear in groups rather than by coming and going. For instance, he has a wife and his two French gangster buddies at first, then a French-Canadian pal and a bonnie-like (from Bonnie and Clyde) girlfriend, and then a gold-digging girlfriend and his mate the prison-escape artist. The daughter from his marriage appears towards the end when she’s grown up but I didn’t think she was used enough in the second film. The contrast between the characters of Mesrine and his father was really interesting and I think they could have balanced the second film out a little more by exploring the relationship between him and his daughter further. Blow is a film that looks into the main character’s gangster lifestyle and family relationships in equal proportions.
I thought Mesrine was a little like how Johnny Depp is said to have described Bush’s America: a big dumb dog. He seemed to have learned how to rob banks and then never looked back. For instance, the scene where he discusses his interest in going after ‘the system’ and attacking the max-security prisons; his ex-Algerian-freedom-fighter partner points out that he has more or less funded the MSAs by spending the money he steals in the shops.
Still, the variety in characters and actors is fantastic and I was really glad they didn’t try to make Mesrine some sort of hero; instead, they relied on his lovable humour and reckless unpredictability to entertain the audience right to the end. Well worth getting.
Friday, 8 January 2010
Sur mes Lèvres
Here’s a recommendation for any film fans. Sur mes Lèvres is a great French film from 2002 starring Vincent Cassel and Emmanuelle Devos. It’s about a lonely secretary with hearing difficulties (she happens to be a lip reader) who hires an assistant at work. Her new assistant is an ex-con trying to get by without attracting attention to himself (basically, he has a few debts to pay). The film is really well balanced in exploring both characters equally. It spirals slowly from misdemeanor to crime, suspense to violence. The best thing about it is that you’ll probably find it quite cheap on Amazon!
I love the tendency of French films to invest so much in conversation. Having watched Inglorious Basterds recently (and thinking back to Death Proof) I realise that Quentin Tarantino makes the most of conversation in the same way. Christoph Waltz is clearly going to be a rising star in Western films soon enough. One of the very best performances I can think of is F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus. Maybe it’s partly thanks to the quality of the film in general but Abraham’s monologue as the aged rival composer, Salieri, is incredibly dynamic. I can only imagine what happens in the minds of these actors as they read words in a script and consider how they might deliver them on screen.
I love the tendency of French films to invest so much in conversation. Having watched Inglorious Basterds recently (and thinking back to Death Proof) I realise that Quentin Tarantino makes the most of conversation in the same way. Christoph Waltz is clearly going to be a rising star in Western films soon enough. One of the very best performances I can think of is F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus. Maybe it’s partly thanks to the quality of the film in general but Abraham’s monologue as the aged rival composer, Salieri, is incredibly dynamic. I can only imagine what happens in the minds of these actors as they read words in a script and consider how they might deliver them on screen.
Monday, 16 November 2009
2012
Saw the film 2012 at the weekend which was awesome; it basically covers the end of the world — that ol’ chestnut.
John Cusack, the main dude, is a great all-rounder as an actor…just lacks a bit of va va voom sometimes. John, if you’re reading, try and find a role as a serial killer or something just to spice things up. The film also features a Russian guy with an extremely deep voice — worth checking it out just for that.
The visuals in the film blew me away…to use a suitable metaphor. Enormous land-masses were made to look like the crumbs falling from a biscuit. That’s what came to my mind anyway. Must have been peckish.
I liked the fact that the film wasn’t based solely in the US too, unlike other apocalyptic flicks. It uses a varied cast and definitely ties in locations from all around the globe. Not really a DVD essential but certainly worth a watch. Hope to see The Informant soon.
John Cusack, the main dude, is a great all-rounder as an actor…just lacks a bit of va va voom sometimes. John, if you’re reading, try and find a role as a serial killer or something just to spice things up. The film also features a Russian guy with an extremely deep voice — worth checking it out just for that.
The visuals in the film blew me away…to use a suitable metaphor. Enormous land-masses were made to look like the crumbs falling from a biscuit. That’s what came to my mind anyway. Must have been peckish.
I liked the fact that the film wasn’t based solely in the US too, unlike other apocalyptic flicks. It uses a varied cast and definitely ties in locations from all around the globe. Not really a DVD essential but certainly worth a watch. Hope to see The Informant soon.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Monday, 9 November 2009
Saw VI
Went to see Saw VI with my bro at the weekend and almost threw up my popcorn and coke combo within the first 10 mins as I watched an angry desperate woman take a cleaver to her outstretched limb…. Suffice to say she was no trained butcher so it took a good number of chops to finish the job.
I won’t bother giving a review of the riveting plot-line…it’s a gore movie after all. And guess what! It was left open ended. Never saw it coming.
A new film with Michael Caine comes out soon. It’s one of those normal-guy-turns-nasty-on-evil-baddies films…much like Taxi Driver or The Brave One. Looks worthy of a watch!
I won’t bother giving a review of the riveting plot-line…it’s a gore movie after all. And guess what! It was left open ended. Never saw it coming.
A new film with Michael Caine comes out soon. It’s one of those normal-guy-turns-nasty-on-evil-baddies films…much like Taxi Driver or The Brave One. Looks worthy of a watch!
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