February Fandom Fest 27
Feb. 28th, 2016 02:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amruniel27 - Films
I love films - always have, always will.
I started studying Theatre-, Film- and Media-Studies first and foremost because of the "film"-part. I've always liked theatre and quickly learned to love certain aspects of my theatre studies for their own sake. And media is so much part of our lives that it's hard not to be interested in them. But my first love has always been the movies.
I used to dream of a career in the film business. I've always seen myself as a kind of Peter Jackson of Austria ;) Not because I thought I could ever be as good as he is, but because I loved (and still love) the fact that he is director, writer and producer all in one. It's like the holy grail of making movies.
I actually worked in a film company for a few months and had a great time there. Sadly, the producer who took me under his wings turned out to be a bit of a backstabbing asshole, so my stint there was cut short even before we finished the first project I've been co-working on. It was a hard job, it sometimes brought me to my physical and mental limits, but it's been an experience I wouldn't want to miss for anything in the world.
Maybe one day when I'm doing better mentally I'll try to get back into the business. The good thing about film is that you're never too old to do it ;)
Anyway - very unsurprisingly my most favourite movies ever are the Lord of the Rings films. They are just perfect. In every way. Every time I watch them (and I watch them regularly *grins*) I'm deeply in awe by the genius work of PJ. Sadly, the Hobbit movies never even came close. I'd have loved to love them just as much, but it shouldn't have been, it seems.
Below the cut you'll find a bunch of other films I love!
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
"With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son."
Directed by the absolutely crazy and wonderful Wes Anderson this film is as surreal as it is good. I love everything about this little gem - from the crazy storyline to the costumes, from the soundtrack to the absolutely adorable stop-motion animated animals. It's a firm worth watching, every time!
The Aviator
"A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s."
Martin Scorsese is a master of his subject, no doubt about that. And with the Aviator he delivered an absolute masterpiece. Particularly the use of sound and lighting is incredible in every single sequence. To top it all off, both Leonardo diCaprio and Cate Blanchett play brilliantly. Those two really inhabit their roles, bring them back to life. It's a shame Leo didn't get an Oscar for that movie (or any movie, really!), but at least Cate got the recognition she certainly deserves.
Kingdom of Heaven
"Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people."
I know the movie bombed at theatres in the US, but I really can't understand why. This movie is epic, it's seriously well-done from a technical point of view, the actors are strong, Orlando carries the movie in a way I wouldn't have thought he could before watching the film for the first time and the story and its moral are touching and -sadly- still as applicable today as they were hundreds of years ago. And while the Director's Cut is something you absolutely need to see, I've loved the cinematic version just as much. An absolute gem in a flood of very bad "historical" movies made around that time.
Heavenly Creatures
"Two girls have an intense fantasy life; their parents, concerned the fantasy is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge."
The movie that shows how Peter Jackson went from "that crazy fuck who directed Braindead" to "the genius who brought Middle-Earth to life". I love the story, I love the empathic way the girls and their relationship is portrayed, I love the beginning-that-actually-should-be-the-end. It's a gem in cinematic history far too few people know and have seen. And Kate Winslet? Amazing performance of a very young actress that easily outshines her later performance in "Titanic".
Snow Cake
"A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident."
A sensible, touching, emotional and none-the-less funny movie that should have been seen by a wider audience. It's a study of friendship, love, redemption and healing. It's one of the rare gems you stumble upon by accident and won't forget for a long time. In my opinion, this is the movie where Alan Rickman plays the role of his lifetime. He's the heart and soul of an amazing cast. And Sigourney Weaver is just stunning in her performance of an autistic woman. It's just spot-on. This is the kind of film I'd love to see so much more often.
Elizabethtown
"During an outrageous memorial for a Southern patriarch, an unexpected romance blooms between a young woman and man."
Yet another one of Orlando's movies that bombed in theatres, but is one of my absolute favourites. This movie is... well, let me just say that I've seen in 3 times in the 48 hours after it hit my local cinema.
I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the soundtrack, and I love the editing. Years later I still can't understand how you can NOT love this movie. (Well, I absolutely could have done without Jessica Biel, but then she fortunately didn't have much screen time ;) )
A few scenes I particularly love? Claire taking her imaginary photo of Drew when he walked away on the airport. The "Rusty's Learning to Listen"-Video. The endless phone conversation. And -most of all- Drew's mum tap dancing.
And I love the voice-over narration.
This movie is an uplifting, inspiring, bitter-sweet movie that teaches us a lot about going on.
Spy Game
"Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors."
A touching and funny tale of deception and trust. Starring two of the most handsome men in Hollywood, this movie is a treasure of the genre. It's highly entertaining and keeps you guessing until the very end. It's a movie that is great the first time around and is still a joy to watch the 15th time.
Sin City
"A film that explores the dark and miserable town, Basin City, and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in violent corruption."
Not my kind of movie, usually. Not at all. But a friend dragged me along and boy am I glad she did. I particularly love the visual style of the move. And the narration. It's an amazing -if violent- ride that entertained me endlessly and left me deeply in awe of this particular comic adaption. And I'm still perplexed by the fact that I couldn't pinpoint the two scenes directed by Quentin Tarantino. Usually his style is very unique and easy to spot, but in this movie I completely missed my mark. A great popcorn movie if you're in the mood for a bit of very well made violence (and Elijah's appearance doesn't hurt either ;) ).
Coffee and Cigarettes
"A series of vignettes that all have coffee and cigarettes in common."
The movie I've watched in the most unlikely of theatres ever - the main lecture hall of Vienna's Technical University. I love the weirdness, I love the disjointed storytelling (both of the film as a whole, and inside the vignette's themselves), I love the actors. It's a wonderful collection of crazy ideas that made me laugh, frown, and shake my head in confusion. It's a lovely piece of cinematic creativity I enjoyed endlessly. (And I've never left a movie so desperate for a smoke and a huge coffee!)
9 Songs
"In London, England, love blooms between an American college student, named Lisa, and a British glaciologist, named Matt, where over the next few months in between attending rock concerts, the two lovers have intense sexual encounters."
I can't honestly say that I love this movie. But I can say that it entertained me, fascinated me and left me in awe of the director's cheek. It's a stroke of genius to promote a movie as a festival film when in truth it's nothing but porn. The very rudimentary storyline (two lovers attending nine concerts) serves both as soundtrack and scene-divider. The other part of the plot that shows the guy flying to? over? Antarctica is simply confusing and probably the only thing in the whole movie that isn't/hasn't finished ;) But then, porn has never had the reputation for good and thought-out storylines, right?
None the less - a definite must-watch if you ask me. It's a rare enough thing to encounter unabashed porn in a normal cinema!
I love films - always have, always will.
I started studying Theatre-, Film- and Media-Studies first and foremost because of the "film"-part. I've always liked theatre and quickly learned to love certain aspects of my theatre studies for their own sake. And media is so much part of our lives that it's hard not to be interested in them. But my first love has always been the movies.
I used to dream of a career in the film business. I've always seen myself as a kind of Peter Jackson of Austria ;) Not because I thought I could ever be as good as he is, but because I loved (and still love) the fact that he is director, writer and producer all in one. It's like the holy grail of making movies.
I actually worked in a film company for a few months and had a great time there. Sadly, the producer who took me under his wings turned out to be a bit of a backstabbing asshole, so my stint there was cut short even before we finished the first project I've been co-working on. It was a hard job, it sometimes brought me to my physical and mental limits, but it's been an experience I wouldn't want to miss for anything in the world.
Maybe one day when I'm doing better mentally I'll try to get back into the business. The good thing about film is that you're never too old to do it ;)
Anyway - very unsurprisingly my most favourite movies ever are the Lord of the Rings films. They are just perfect. In every way. Every time I watch them (and I watch them regularly *grins*) I'm deeply in awe by the genius work of PJ. Sadly, the Hobbit movies never even came close. I'd have loved to love them just as much, but it shouldn't have been, it seems.
Below the cut you'll find a bunch of other films I love!
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
"With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son."
Directed by the absolutely crazy and wonderful Wes Anderson this film is as surreal as it is good. I love everything about this little gem - from the crazy storyline to the costumes, from the soundtrack to the absolutely adorable stop-motion animated animals. It's a firm worth watching, every time!
The Aviator
"A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s."
Martin Scorsese is a master of his subject, no doubt about that. And with the Aviator he delivered an absolute masterpiece. Particularly the use of sound and lighting is incredible in every single sequence. To top it all off, both Leonardo diCaprio and Cate Blanchett play brilliantly. Those two really inhabit their roles, bring them back to life. It's a shame Leo didn't get an Oscar for that movie (or any movie, really!), but at least Cate got the recognition she certainly deserves.
Kingdom of Heaven
"Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people."
I know the movie bombed at theatres in the US, but I really can't understand why. This movie is epic, it's seriously well-done from a technical point of view, the actors are strong, Orlando carries the movie in a way I wouldn't have thought he could before watching the film for the first time and the story and its moral are touching and -sadly- still as applicable today as they were hundreds of years ago. And while the Director's Cut is something you absolutely need to see, I've loved the cinematic version just as much. An absolute gem in a flood of very bad "historical" movies made around that time.
Heavenly Creatures
"Two girls have an intense fantasy life; their parents, concerned the fantasy is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge."
The movie that shows how Peter Jackson went from "that crazy fuck who directed Braindead" to "the genius who brought Middle-Earth to life". I love the story, I love the empathic way the girls and their relationship is portrayed, I love the beginning-that-actually-should-be-the-end. It's a gem in cinematic history far too few people know and have seen. And Kate Winslet? Amazing performance of a very young actress that easily outshines her later performance in "Titanic".
Snow Cake
"A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident."
A sensible, touching, emotional and none-the-less funny movie that should have been seen by a wider audience. It's a study of friendship, love, redemption and healing. It's one of the rare gems you stumble upon by accident and won't forget for a long time. In my opinion, this is the movie where Alan Rickman plays the role of his lifetime. He's the heart and soul of an amazing cast. And Sigourney Weaver is just stunning in her performance of an autistic woman. It's just spot-on. This is the kind of film I'd love to see so much more often.
Elizabethtown
"During an outrageous memorial for a Southern patriarch, an unexpected romance blooms between a young woman and man."
Yet another one of Orlando's movies that bombed in theatres, but is one of my absolute favourites. This movie is... well, let me just say that I've seen in 3 times in the 48 hours after it hit my local cinema.
I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the soundtrack, and I love the editing. Years later I still can't understand how you can NOT love this movie. (Well, I absolutely could have done without Jessica Biel, but then she fortunately didn't have much screen time ;) )
A few scenes I particularly love? Claire taking her imaginary photo of Drew when he walked away on the airport. The "Rusty's Learning to Listen"-Video. The endless phone conversation. And -most of all- Drew's mum tap dancing.
And I love the voice-over narration.
This movie is an uplifting, inspiring, bitter-sweet movie that teaches us a lot about going on.
Spy Game
"Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors."
A touching and funny tale of deception and trust. Starring two of the most handsome men in Hollywood, this movie is a treasure of the genre. It's highly entertaining and keeps you guessing until the very end. It's a movie that is great the first time around and is still a joy to watch the 15th time.
Sin City
"A film that explores the dark and miserable town, Basin City, and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in violent corruption."
Not my kind of movie, usually. Not at all. But a friend dragged me along and boy am I glad she did. I particularly love the visual style of the move. And the narration. It's an amazing -if violent- ride that entertained me endlessly and left me deeply in awe of this particular comic adaption. And I'm still perplexed by the fact that I couldn't pinpoint the two scenes directed by Quentin Tarantino. Usually his style is very unique and easy to spot, but in this movie I completely missed my mark. A great popcorn movie if you're in the mood for a bit of very well made violence (and Elijah's appearance doesn't hurt either ;) ).
Coffee and Cigarettes
"A series of vignettes that all have coffee and cigarettes in common."
The movie I've watched in the most unlikely of theatres ever - the main lecture hall of Vienna's Technical University. I love the weirdness, I love the disjointed storytelling (both of the film as a whole, and inside the vignette's themselves), I love the actors. It's a wonderful collection of crazy ideas that made me laugh, frown, and shake my head in confusion. It's a lovely piece of cinematic creativity I enjoyed endlessly. (And I've never left a movie so desperate for a smoke and a huge coffee!)
9 Songs
"In London, England, love blooms between an American college student, named Lisa, and a British glaciologist, named Matt, where over the next few months in between attending rock concerts, the two lovers have intense sexual encounters."
I can't honestly say that I love this movie. But I can say that it entertained me, fascinated me and left me in awe of the director's cheek. It's a stroke of genius to promote a movie as a festival film when in truth it's nothing but porn. The very rudimentary storyline (two lovers attending nine concerts) serves both as soundtrack and scene-divider. The other part of the plot that shows the guy flying to? over? Antarctica is simply confusing and probably the only thing in the whole movie that isn't/hasn't finished ;) But then, porn has never had the reputation for good and thought-out storylines, right?
None the less - a definite must-watch if you ask me. It's a rare enough thing to encounter unabashed porn in a normal cinema!
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no subject
Date: 2016-03-01 05:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-01 09:33 pm (UTC)My friend and me might have overanalyzed this movie a lot (one of the downsides of letting two film-students into a cinema ;) ) but we decided that we liked the very strange twist of fast-paced beginning contrasted with a very low-paced war. As I said, we certainly overanalyzed it, and it's a well known fact that you can interpret things into a movie the director never intended ;)
And anyway - a wonderful movie is one despite its flaws - and KoH is certainly one of the best, of not THE best, historical movies of the last decade or two.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-02 11:12 pm (UTC)And into books that the author never intended!
I can remember thinking that at school. We analysed some incredibly boring short story where the teacher insisted that the protagonist's sunburned arm represented racism and all sorts of other things.
I can remember thinking "What a load of rubbish!" Nowadays I'd say "what a load of crap" but I was a good girl back then! LOL!
no subject
Date: 2016-03-02 11:30 pm (UTC)If you have to write an essay about the motive of one or two sentences you HAVE to rely on interpreting the weirdest shit into them sometimes :D
Which reminds me of the following:
no subject
Date: 2016-03-02 11:54 pm (UTC)