Saturday 5 April 2008

MAFFE Awards 2008!! The Directors

Paul Thomas Anderson has most likely created one of those films that will be studied for a while. Not just because of the amazing technical achievement, but also for the study of American Industry vs religion and the greed that corrupts them both.


Like many of my nominees this year, the Coen brothers do not partake in the flashy direction that so enamors some. They are almost invisible until the impact of the film finally hits you and you realise that there is no way this film could have been made without them.


No one has ever argued over the technical mastery of David Fincher, but it has been a while since "Fight Club" and "Seven" blew us away. This year he went more for story then flash and it paid off with a gripping 2 hours that I hoped would never end.


"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is one of those films that takes you of a roller coaster ride. A quiet small little drama plays like torture on the viewer. You are waiting for everything to go wrong, and that wait is excruciating. Bravo to Cristian Mungiu for such an assured vision.


Julian Schnabel had one of the most difficult challenges as a director this year. How to make a moving story about a man paralized from his eye down, from that mans point of view. Well he managed to pull it off without it ever feeling like a neat trick or gimmick.


Joe Wright's direction of "Atonement" is by far the flashiest of the bunch. We feel his work in every frame and it adds to the beauty and the drama. By the time the final ten minutes come to life, and the audience is knocked sideways, we realise the magician has fooled us with his bag of tricks.

Friday 4 April 2008

Blindness trailer!!!

Oh oh goody!



F*ck me it looks good. Reading the book now and I am SO curious as to how they pull it off!

Madonna '4 Minutes' Video

This will be taken down soon.

The video is not that inspired...(she has done much much better) But I gotta say I love it when she dances.

Thursday 3 April 2008

Roisin Murphy

I saw her live at the Koko club a while back and this performance was the highlight. Stumbled on this while surfing and needed to post it. Performance at it's highest.

Wednesday 2 April 2008

"Surveillance" Trailer

An FBI agent tracks a serial killer with the help of three of his would-be victims - all of whom have wildly different stories to tell or so goes the IMDB synopsis. All I can say is bloody hell this freaked me out just a teensey bit.

The Cast is bloody strange: Julie Ormond, Bill Pullman, French Stewart (what the...), Cheri Oteri....if that didn't get me curious then the fact that it is directed by Jennifer Lynch (Davids offspring) and produced by the weird master himself definitely did.

Mini Review: "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency"



In Precious Ramotswe, Jill Scott, Anthoney Minghella has created an unlikely hero: A woman who has is intellegent, not a size 2 and very happy with herself.
They have breathed immense life in to Alexander McCall Smith’s creation, so much so that after you have finished watching the TV film you yearn to visit Botswana and have a cup of bush tea with the No. 1 Ladies Detective.

This is a film that will not change you life per say, but what it will do is change your opinion of Africa. Too many films these days have centred on the atrocities Africa and its people suffer. This is not to say these stories should not be told, but it is so refreshing to see this vast country represented in such a colourful and positive life.

Jill Scott has proven that she is an actress. Her accent never falters, and she exudes her characters positive outlook, even when faced with sorrow. I for one cannot wait to see the rest of this series. I just hope it comes sooner rather than later.

B

Monday 31 March 2008

Music Mondays.

What can I say about Hercules & Love Affair aside from you need this in your collection!!

Andrew Bulter has created futuristic, electro disco by way of the goths. "Blind" the lead off single sounds like crying on the dance floor thanks to the sorrowful drenched vocals of Antony of Antony & the Johnsons.

I know my friend Andra has already found this and shi-shi-shi-shimmied his way around his flat. Watch the video for 'Blind" below.