by Lights Down.

Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki has become one of the most celebrated animators of all time, with many of his films making their way into greatest film polls and books above films from the better-known Hollywood productions of Disney or Pixar.

While lesser known than his acclaimed ‘Spirited away’, ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ is always considered Miyazaki’s best and it is. The beauty of every Studio Ghibli production is the mesmerizing hand-drawn animation; the only animation company in the world to still use this style. It is this that captures the viewer’s attention over the storylines that, like in the case of ‘Spirited away’ are in themselves captivating. ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ is plain and simply about the childhood adventures of 5-year-old Mei (voiced by Chika Sakamoto) and her elder sister, Satsuki (voiced by Noriko Hidaka). There is no good vs. evil storyline here, as in most children’s films, the film is simply about childhood and anyone who can remember the adventures you can have as a child simply by being placed in a garden is sure to be captivated by this film.

The sightings of Totoro and his little friends must all be fragments of Mei and Satsuki’s imaginations, but they are as real to us as they are to them and would be to anyone of their age. The first glimpse of the cat bus hurtling towards Mei and Satsuki before speeding off into the distance makes you jump with excitement. To be honest, every time one of the mythical creatures appear you are just as captivated as the young Mei and Satsuki. It all sounds completely embarrassing and illogical but it is the magic of this rare film that takes you back to your own childhood and the many adventures you had. A kid’s film? Nah, a film for anyone who remembers being a kid!

Posted in Foreign, Fun and Quirky, Films to see before you die, Feel-good films | No Comments »

by Lights Down.

Set in the heart of the Rio de Janeiro slums, ‘City of God’ depicts a City of the same name ran by rival gangs and ambitious individuals determined to claim ownership of the City. Shown through the perspective of Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), an aspiring photographer from his childhood in the 60s to the early 80s.

Meirelles and Lund’s direction is fast-paced with numerous characters being dropped in throughout; thankfully the protagonist Rocket doesn’t tell their story in detail until it is relevant so that it is always in keeping with the story. The cinematography is one of the films greatest aspects; all the beauty of Brazil is perfectly exposed and merges brilliantly with the poverty of the slums. Like many films of this theme, the City is one of its most important features. It contrasts the Rio known to the tourists and shows the realities of many of its locals. The City of God, as Rocket tells us, attracts people made homeless. The career path of its residents is simple-they become hoods. For Rocket, however, this is not so easy. He fails at his attempts at stealing as he finds his victims too cool and has little luck with girls who always end up falling for someone else. But despite Rocket being the film’s narrator, ‘City of God’ is more concerned with the lives of the rival gangs. Starting with ‘the Runts’, pre-teens who begin as small-time crocks and work their way up to be proper gangsters. Li’l Ze (Leandro Firmino), perhaps one of the most terrifying characters ever, begins in this way and quickly builds a dangerous reputation spreading fear throughout the City by taking out rival gangs. His desire to be the top dog is hindered by his more reasonable best friend, Benny (Phellipe Haagensen) and a vengeful victim (Seu Jorge).

It is the smaller moments in ‘City of God’ that are some of its greatest; Rocket erases the boyfriend of his love interest from a group photograph by asking him to ‘‘back a little’’ until he is submerged in shadow, a man who looks set to be Rocket’s first robbery victim, as people from Sao Paulo are never cool, turns out to be another escapee: ‘‘for a guy from Sao Paulo you’re really cool’’. Carl Douglas’ classic hit ‘kung fu fighting’ will now always remind me of the brilliant disco scene.

‘City of God’ may require a lot of concentration being very fast-paced and subtitled, but the compelling characters particularly the witty and loveable Rocket, beautiful cinematography and gripping storyline make it all worth it.

Posted in Foreign, Crime-thrillers, Films to see before you die, Drama | No Comments »

by Lights Down.

This is not a love story, this is a story about love. That tagline, along with the witty opening subtitles prove that this film is not you’re average rom-com. It tells the story of the conflicted relationship between devoted romantic Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and free-spirited Summer (Zoey Duschanel) over five-hundred days that depicts the highs, lows and their uncertain future.

Posted in Saturday night entertainers, Feel-good films, Rom-com | No Comments »

by Lights Down.

An unusual family all with their own issues are determined for their daughter to compete in a junior beauty pageant in California.

‘Little miss Sunshine’ has a classic storyline about a family struggling to get along as they should do. But it goes much deeper than most films like this do, and we develop a liking for all the unusual characters.

Frank (Steve Carell) has just survived a suicide attempt after an unrequited love affair, Olive (Abigail Breslin) a seven-year-old inspired by beauty queens and dreaming of becoming one herself, Richard (Greg Kinnear) a struggling businessman with an obsession for winning, Dwanye (Paul Dano) a depressed teenager only interested in achieving his dream of becoming a pilot, Grandpa (Alan Arkin) past his prime but still living trying to live the high life only now snorting heroin ‘‘because when you’re old you’re crazy not to do it’’, and Sheryl (Toni Collette) who only wants her family to be happy.

One of the greatest things about Michael Arndt’s screenplay is how realistic it is, everything that happens to the family during their road trip is believable, even if sometimes extreme. The cast could not have been better with strong performances for all the actors, each one playing the characters (who begin seeming almost unreal) as though playing themselves.

Despite what some people say, this is a very original piece of filmmaking. There are few films that are anything like this one, and as far as comedy/drama’s like this one go, this is by far the most inspiring and moving of them all. We all have our issues, and even as all the characters realise they won’t be able to accomplish their dreams they manage to find a way to move past it and end up being happier than they were to begin with.

‘Little miss Sunshine’ is a perfect example of how brilliant a film can be when you combine a beautifully written screenplay, perfect casting, and a simple storyline that is both realistic and powerfully moving.

Posted in Feel-good films | 1 Comment »

by Lights Down.

The last (and best) of Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns became the highlight of his whole carer, followed on by the also very successful ‘once upon a time in West’, for me ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ is far more entertaining and enjoyable, and will always be my favourite western, and possibly the greatest film of the entire genre?

A criminal bounty hunting pair hear about a large fortune that has been hidden in a graveyard, they form an unlikely alliance to try and find it before an enemy of theirs does.

Sergio Leone shows off his talent at its best here, even though ‘the Good, the bad and the ugly’ is a very long film, all 180 minutes are so enjoyable you’ll probably find yourself wishing it went on longer.

Once again it shows Clint Eastwood doing what he does best, but also introduces Eli Wallach, who is just as good if not better as Blondie’s enthusiastic ‘partner’.  The chemistry between their characters is one of the most enjoyable things about this film. Tuco and Blondie do hate each other, and would do anything to betray the other one. But they do have some sort of friendship, and are so alike that they do at times get along in a weird sort of way. Eli Wallach’s performance is excellent, and Tuco is so determined to get his hands on the money I’m always rooting for him the most. Blondie almost feels the same way (except the rooting for him part) even though knowing Tuco would abandon him if he only had a chance.

Often known to be a classic guys movie partly because of its violence, which has never bothered me (with the exception of one scene) and that is saying a lot. It is not a film just for tomboy girls, either. It is filled with constant amusement, sometimes laugh-out-loud humour and characters you can’t help but love. And despite the title, there is no character here you’d describe as ‘good’, but there is at least one that you’d never describe as ugly.

‘The Good, the bad and the ugly’ should continue going down in history forever, as it certainly is a true masterpiece and fully deserves it popularity. For me it will always remain the greatest western ever, and one of my favourite films of all time. 

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by Lights Down.

Stephan Spielberg’s second film is still known as one of his best films and earned him worldwide success on its release in 1975, and terrified many Americans out of going swimming that summer.

When a Great White shark begins terrorizing a small American fishing town, it is up to policemen Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) along with trained shark killer, Quint (Robert Shaw) and marine biologist Matt Hopper (Richard Dreyfuss) to capture the shark.

Beginning with one of the most memorable openings in cinema history, Spielberg’s plan was not to reveal his killer to the audience believing it would make it more suspenseful. And he was right, watching the teenage Chrissie being eaten away by an invisible monster in a completely non-violent way is ten times scarier than if we were to see the Shark itself. It also adds to our shock when we finally do catch a glimpse of the 25-foot Great White.

Not revealing Jaws until later in the film is one of the greatest ideas Spielberg could have had, it isn’t only in the opening where tension like this is built up. There is the horrifying killing, witnessed by Brody from the beach, which also show off Spielberg’s brilliant direction, not as tense as the opening but much more shocking and will make you shiver more with fear of what will come.

But ‘Jaws’ escapes from being just a non-stop murder film. Actually there are only four witnessed attacks. By it’s humorous and incredibly likeable characters. It is Quint (although not seen until fairly late in the film) who is the most likeable of the lot, with an excellent performance by Robert Shaw. Quint is tough and cocky, determined to catch the Shark himself, although he is still helped along by Brody and Matt. Robert Shaw is perfectly cast, and can’t fail to make you laugh and admire him for his determination. Shaw was most praised for his monologue about the Indianapolis sinking, which he wrote initially himself (And, you know, the thing about a shark… he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be living… until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin’ and the hollerin’, they all come in and they… rip you to pieces’.) It doesn’t matter how many times I watch this I can never take my eyes off him throughout the entire scene.

Jaws truly deserves all its acclaim, it is an amazing combination of suspense and action held together by strong, believable characters and astonishing directing by one of the world’s greatest directors.

Posted in Spine-chillers, Films to see before you die | No Comments »

by Lights Down.

‘You have to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well do ya’, punk?’ Never in my life have I ever read a review of ‘Dirty Harry’ that didn’t start with that line, and if you’ve seen the movie you can understand why. It is, without doubt, one of the greatest movie quotes ever and it will follow Clint Eastwood for the rest of his life.

San Francisco cop, Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is called in to help capture a dangerous rooftop killer (Andy Robinson) who is demanding the police pay him a large sum of money or he will continue to kill someone else everyday.

Based on the real San Francisco killer, known as ‘the zodiac killer’ who to this day has never be caught. But it is ‘Dirty Harry’ who is the star character in this, although Andy Robinson does a great job as the killer ‘Scorpio’. Clint Eastwood is the perfect choice for tough-guy Harry Callahan, and this is the best performance I’ve seen him do.

Don Siegel did an excellent job directing this, making it both intense and funny. He also shows more than just the serial killer, we see Harry attempt to stop a suicide jumper, as well as busting a group of bank robbers.

Clint Eastwood is wonderful to watch (as he is in all his tough-guy roles) Harry goes to any lengths to capture the killer. His unflattering, rudeness, but good-humour with the other cops is what makes his character so fun and amusing to watch. It is thanks to him that this film is so good, but it is also down to the brilliant directing along with the powerful surrounding cast (Andy Robinson especially) that make this film such a compelling, intense thriller and one of the greatest police films ever made.  

Posted in Crime-thrillers, Films to see before you die | 1 Comment »

by Lights Down.

Always remembered for its famous diner scene and the ‘i’ll have what she’s having’ line (performed by Rob Reiner’s mum) beings one of the landmark films romantic comedy cinema.

Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) first meet after they’ve both finished University. This is followed up by a series of other meetings until they finally become best friends.

Combining Rob Reiner’s great direction, Norah Ephron’s hilarious and simple screenplay and brilliant comic performances by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan this is a really entertaining and funny romantic comedy. This is by far the funniest of all romantic comedies, and Meg Ryan’s best performance in one to date, as well as being Norah Ephron’s best screenplay, it includes frequent love stories told by elderly couples, all the stories being true only performed by professional actors

‘When Harry met Sally’ is built all around Billy Crystal’s comedy. If you don’t like him, don’t watch it. But if you do, then this film will be even more enjoyable for you. But it doesn’t mean that you need to be a big fan of his to like this film. ‘When Harry met Sally’ will appeal to loads of different people for its excellent comedy, romance, characters and it even people who don’t like romantic comedies (and there are lots) can still love this film because it is far funnier than any other rom-com to date. 

Posted in Feel-good films, Rom-com | 1 Comment »

by Lights Down.

‘We all go a little mad sometimes’ quotes creepy, mother’s-boy Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s most famous masterpiece. During his career, Hitchcock made only two films considered horrors, the other being ‘the Birds’. But it was ‘psycho’ that captured and terrified more people than any of his other films, and lived down in memory so that there are few people who’ve never heard of this.

Beginning as more of a crime-thriller than a mystery horror, Marian Crane (Janet Leigh) a secretary from Phoenix steals $40,000 from a rich client and flees the city. But Marian’s life as a criminal is short-lived and she soon finds herself outside the Bates motel, a secluded, empty hotel hidden away from the main road and run by a young man and his sick mother.

Soon later, Marian’s sister, Lila (Vera Miles) begins to worry something has happened to her sister and seeks the help of Marian’s boyfriend (John Gavin), also tied into the chase is private investigator, Aborgast (Martin Balsam) wanting to arrest her. But only we know what has really happened to Marian, and we watch in horror as the characters begin turning up at the Bates motel.

What makes Hitchcock’s films some of the most frightening films in history is his ability to make you feel like you are in the film yourself. Together with Bernerd Herrman’s electrifying music score ‘psycho’ is easily one of his scariest and greatest films. Psycho is, in lots of ways, a mystery of who did it? And not once does Hitchcock let it easy for you to guess. ‘Psycho’ also created one of the greatest movie characters of all time. Despite the eeriness Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) makes you feel, you can’t help but sympathize with the shy, sensitive boy he seems, only trying to protect his ill and demanding mother. And the performance Anthony Perkins delivers makes you stare at him in wonder as does the inspiring direction by one the greatest directors of all-time, in this astonishing, old-fashioned horror masterpiece. 

Posted in Spine-chillers, Films to see before you die | 1 Comment »

by Lights Down.

‘The guy could be a junkie, a flasher, a transvestite, a chain-saw murder. Or someone really sick’ warns best friend of Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a girl who has fallen for a man she doesn’t even know.

Recently engaged Annie, hears a radio programme that’s changes her life while driving to her fiancée’s parents for Christmas. Eight-year-old Jonah Baldwin (Ross Mailenger) lost his mum a year and a half ago but is anxious that his dad, Sam (Tom Hanks) is suffering even more than he is. So Jonah calls up a Marcia Fieldstone’s radio programme to try and help his dad to find a new wife, and on comes Sam touching millions of women worldwide, including Annie with his emotional description of the love he had for his wife. ‘Tell me what was so special about your wife?’ ‘Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together… and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home… only to no home I’d ever known… I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like… magic.’

Suddenly happily in love Annie finds herself falling for Sam even though she’s never met him and he lives in a completely different State. Meanwhile Sam receives hundreds of letters from women all interested in dating him, some even willing to move to Seattle. But Jonah becomes increasingly interested in a letter from Annie.

Despite this films emotional impact, it is not a sad film. It concentrates harder on Annie’s debate over her fiancée or this mystery man from Seattle, and Sam’s struggle to get back into the world of dating. The supporting cast is more effective and amusing than the cast in ‘you’ve got mail’. Rosie O’Donell is great as Annie’s supportive best friend, as is Bill Pullman as Annie’s unfortunate fiancée, including a brilliant short performance by Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks’ actual wife), as Sam’s sister.

Touching, romantic and uplifting. This is a film for any romance movie fan.

Posted in Girlie films, Rom-com | 1 Comment »