Review: Avatar (10/10) - 2009: A 3D Experience Like None Other, That Will Leave You Wanting To Have Your Own Avatar!

For the first time since I began writing this blog, I actually do not know where to start. 2009 and the "Noughties" could not have gone out with a bigger bang than with this movie. I have to mention that due to the sheer vast nature of this film I have never needed to use so many quotes and links to a film. Please click on these links for further information on where I obtained the text that is italicised.

Let me take you back to where I first heard about the movie. I was on Facebook (shock horror) a while back, when I decided to start chatting to an old Portuguese friend from my first year at uni. Joao was studying his masters in 3D Animation then (in 2006) and I was a 19 year old Advertising student. For those of you who don't know, Bournemouth University's media school is one of the top in the UK and 3D animators almost land jobs as soon as they graduate. Graduates have worked on Shrek, Australia (my German friend Johannes was the compositor for the Rising Sun) and numerous other productions. Joao mentioned about a film called Avatar that was being made and I should definitely see it. I duly noted it and put it in the back of my mind.

Two years later, when Avatar trailers began gracing our cinema screens, alarm bells began ringing, especially when the name James Cameron popped into the teaser campaign, so I contacted Joao and he mentioned that he was working on it (and after some research discovered he worked as a pipeline technical director). I was so proud of him and how far he'd gone considering in 2006, we were all in Cranborne House (Bournemouth University Halls), having a great time as one big family, and then once they all graduated, I was one of the few left in town.

When his twin brother is killed in battle, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is drafted to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora, an Earth-like moon in a distant planetary solar system in the year 2154. Through the teachings of Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellman (Joel Moore), Sully is ordered to understand the culture of the native sapient and sentient race of humanoids indigenous to the planet. The humans, headed by Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral, while the Na'vi resist the colonists' expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na'vi and the Pandoran ecosystem. The movie follows Sully's adaptation and integration into the Na'vi culture as an Avatar (a personalised remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi hybrid bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the natives), with the help of a native Na'vi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña).

Personally, I felt that the teaser trailers were just not effective in my opinion. Avatar basically screamed "AVERAGE" at me and I'm not sure if this was down to the editing, or the lack of impact it seemed to have in 2D. In a way though I'm glad that I went into the movie almost "blind" to the storyline as it had that much more of an impact on me. I have no idea why, but before I realised this was the film that Joao worked on, I thought the storyline was average, if not a bit boring. Some local Cypriots were contacting me saying that they didn't like it.


After viewing it, I don't think I've ever been so wrong in my entire life, and neither have the locals. I don't know what film the other locals were watching because the people I came out with were coming out stunned; literally stunned. I came out in the same perplexed state of mind, and bumped into a South African friend of mine who was going for the second or third time, bearing in mind that each ticket for this film is €12 in our local cinema and normal films at the inflated €7.50! This is possibly the only film that I would pay that kind of money for, let alone for a second time. As of December 2009, with an alleged budget of US $280,000,000 (estimated), Avatar is also one of the most expensive movies ever made.

What I find funny about this film is that everyone asks before and after people go to watch it if they are "going to watch it in 3D?"... Why did I find this funny? Well it was well known to those interested in the film industry that James Cameron was developing a brand new form of filming with this film, and probably the key reason why I "forced" myself to go watch it at all.

The following 2D trailer simply does not do this film justice, due to the fact that when you are in the cinema, you live and feel the world around you:

In December 2006, Cameron explained that the delay in producing the film since the 1990s had been to wait until the technology necessary to create his project was advanced enough. The director planned to create photo-realistic computer-generated characters by using motion-capture animation technology, on which he had been doing work for the past 14 months. Unlike previous motion-capture systems, where the digital environment is added after the actors' motions have been captured, Cameron's new virtual camera allows him to observe directly on a monitor how the actors' virtual counterparts interact with the movie's digital world in real time and adjust and direct the scenes just as if shooting live action; "It’s like a big, powerful game engine. If I want to fly through space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale." (Link)

This movie combines the use of both live actors and digital technology to form a vast cast of virtual creatures who convey emotion as authentically as humans. The New York Times article goes on to state that this technology has been implemented on a smaller scale with, Golem in the Lord of the Rings (which, as a character, proved to Cameron that the technology had now progressed enough for him to develop this film) for example. However noone has

gone as far as “Avatar” to create an entirely photo-realistic world, complete with virtual characters, on the expected scale of the new film, Mr. Cameron said in a telephone interview. “This film is a true hybrid — a full live-action shoot, with CG characters in CG and live environments,” said Mr. Cameron, referring to computer-generated imagery (CGI for short). “Ideally, at the end of the of day, the audience has no idea which they’re looking at.” (link).

One of the key points made in this paragraph is about what is CGI and what is real as you sit there, watching the characters interact with the fauna, the backgrounds, the water, and so much more around this virtual world that you are constantly having to decide for yourself (often wrongly) what you think is real.


According to IMDB, the movie is 40% live action and 60% photo-realistic CGI (with motion capture technology being used for the CGI scenes). Such is the predicted demand for 3D, that Jim Gianopulos, a co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said that he expected theaters to update their facilities to accommodate the 3D demands of the film. “This will launch an entire new way of seeing and exhibiting movies,” he said. (link).

Sam Worthington's performance was brilliant, especially acting as a paraplegic, when alternating between Na'vi and human, movements of which were both brilliant. He was believable as both characters and I believe that there is much more to come from this budding Australian actor.

Stephen Lang was an extremely realistic army general and was very convincing in his transition throughout the film, thus indicating brilliant casting direction from Cameron's production crew. Joel Moore was an interesting choice as I recognised him from Grandma's Boy, where he played possibly the worst character known to man, however in this film I believe that he surpassed my already low expectations of him.

Giovanni Ribisi was another interesting choice as he will infinitely be typecast in my mind as Ralph Mariano from My Name is Earl. His performance however was average due to the fact thta he did not come across as the ideal candidate for a power-hungry corporate owner bent on screwing over an entire population. Perhaps Cameron could have cast someone more suitable.

I admit, that throughout the film I was absolutely convinced that Neytiri was played by Penelope Cruz. She sounded almost identical and considering Zoe Saldaña was portrayed entirely in 3D, I felt that her performance (albeit in a 3D suit) was phenomenal. She has also acted as Anamaria in Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Uhara in the 2009 film Star Trek.

According to IMDB, Sigourney Weaver supposedly plays a James Cameron persona for her character in this film. Sigourney stated in an interview, "I teased him because to me I'm playing Jim Cameron in the movie as this kind of brilliant, approach-driven, idealistic perfectionist. But that same somebody has a great heart underneath. So I have to say I was always kind of channeling him." One criticism of her performance was that she seemed constantly irritated as a human towards Worthington, and happy and smiling as an Avatar way before she accepted him as a viable candidate for the Avatar program (without spoiling the movie).

IMDB state that in order to to help the actors prepare for their roles, director James Cameron took the cast and crew to Hawaii, where they spent their days trekking through the forests and jungles and living like tribes (building campfires, eating fish, etc), in order to get a better sense of what it would be like to live and move around in the jungle on Pandora, since there would not be any actual jungle sets to aid and guide the actors and crew. Zoe Saldaña even dressed up as a warrior during these journeys, complete with an alien tail symbolic of the one her character has in the movie. These hikes were only done during the daytime, though; The cast and crew spent their nights at a Four Seasons hotel. (At least they didn't "rough it" completely then).

Composer James Horner scored the film as his third collaboration with Cameron after Aliens and Titanic. Horner recorded parts of the score with a small chorus singing in the alien language Na'vi in March 2008. The Na'vi language itself was created entirely from scratch by linguist Paul Frommer, who was hired by James Cameron to construct a language that was easily pronounceable by the actors, but lacking any resemblance or influence from any single human language. Around 500 words were created.


It can be noted that all of the machinery such as helicopters and robot bodies used in the film were developed by specialised product designers who then had their designs passed off by industry experts for authenticity and realism. However there is one thing that I do not understand...surely copyright is a major issue in film making, but years ago in 2007, I discovered the following video (which consequently took me years to find again). Does this machine not look extremely similar to the machinery in the image above? For me, viewing the movie version was merely an improved form of this original design below.



I try to challenge my readers by bringing them information from numerous sources, which often takes much longer than it seems, however I do hope that you enjoy this extra mile of data. If not, just tell me and I'll stop!

Some people complain that this film has a simple and predictable plot, however if you simply sit down in the cinema, take in what you are watching, bat away the odd mosquito you think is coming at you, and just watch without trying to predict the outcome, this movie will be one of the most phenomenal pieces of movie making you will come across for some time to come. Avatar's Gross Revenue worldwide is surpassing the $726,612,776 it has already made, so how can so many people argue its success?

I have rated this film a phenomenal 10/10 for this 161 minute beauty. I didn't want it to end and the thought of a second or third leaves me simply desperate for more. Who knows what else Cameron has up his sleeve, and who knows just how much this technology will improve in time for the sequels. All I know is, that I will be following this very closely and pre-ordering IMAX-3D tickets as soon as possible. Do not miss this movie while it is still in the cinemas... This ladies and gentlemen, is history in the making.

Review: Invictus (8/10) - 2009: More Than A Rugby Game

When I discovered that there was going to be a movie about Nelson Mandela, I'm fairly sure there were probably only two candidates to play the role. Morgan Freeman, and Nelson Mandela himself (and after some research, even Mandela himself agrees with my statement). Without reading any reviews or what topics the movie would depict, I instantly thought of Apartheid and Mandela's time spent in jail.

Obviously these are the two things that almost synonymously depict South Africa during the era around his election, and something that would be hard-hitting in a way people may not have understood in the past.

Hard-hitting however, is taken to a completely different level when the concept of the game of rugby is introduced to the film that was shot entirely in Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa. The screenplay was written by Anthony Peckham (a native of South Africa, who gave Eastwood a special insight to the story's era), and is based on John Carlin's book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela And The Game That Made A Nation."

The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), the captain of South Africa's rugby team, to help unite their country on a completely different level. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid, with the black South Africans usually routing against the Springboks and the white South Africans cherishing the team. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match. The story is told from the viewpoints of both Mandela and his backroom staff who helped him achieve a unified South Africa during his run as the first President elected in a fully representative democratic election.

Below is the trailer for the movie:



As the trailer depicts, the biggest shock for me can be said to be Matt Damon's performance. Matt has taken a lot of flack from people (myself included), not to mention every time I hear his name i think of the following clip from Team America.



I detested the Bourne movies and I don't care what people think or say, because I believe that it was a poorly acted, almost tedious James Bond rip-off, and time from my life that I cannot get back. I'll admit that the first film from the trilogy was decent, however the others were not. I think that criticism like this is actually unfair in hindsight after watching this film, as you cannot base whole perceptions of actors in one fell swoop.

We are all guilty of doing it and I guess that is what this business is all about: perceptions (See Ben Affleck's rise and fall, and eventual almost phoenix-like rebirth recently). We should also remember that Damon has won an Oscar for his role in co-writing Good Will Hunting (With Affleck), not to mention amassing a further 19 wins & 51 nominations throughout his career to date. The Talented Mr Ripley and The Departed are further examples of extremely, well-produced films.


Damon is simply phenomenal. Not only does he look like Francois Pienaar (above), but just like with Leonardo's Rhodesian accent in Blood Diamond, Damon is spot on with his South African accent. I literally could not believe that it was him due to his bulked up figure, bleached hair and acting talent.

Matt Damon made a visit to Francois Pienaar's home to ask Pienaar for assistance in preparing for his role. When Damon got to his house, Pienaar answered the door and for a few minutes they simply looked up at each other. Then Damon said "I look much bigger on camera." This broke the tension, and Pienaar prepared a gourmet dinner for Damon. Pienaar later claims he was impressed by Damon: "He's a great bloke. I was struck by his humility and his wicked sense of humor. He wanted to learn everything he could about me, my philosophy as a captain and what it was like for us in 1995. We also chatted about the game of rugby, what happens in training and about the technical aspects. We had a lot of fun" (IMDB).

Matt Damon informed Clint Eastwood about Francois Pienaar's distinct physique: "You know, this guy is huge!" Eastwood replied, "Hell, you worry about everything else. Let me worry about that." By structuring set-ups and camera angles, Eastwood was able to make the average-height Damon look about Pienaar's height (IMDB).

Furthering my rant on acting, Morgan Freeman, although the spitting image of Mandela, does not really manage to grasp the South African accent. Considering his voice is usually spoken in a way that could melt butter and send babies to sleep, and although his accent was slowed and accented to Mandela's, it just doesn't seem to work for me personally. His movements and mannerisms however, were almost spot on to Mandela's, thus restoring and saving his overall performance in my eyes.

Morgan Freeman, who has been a friend of Nelson Mandela for many years, prepared for his role as Mandela by watching some tapes of him to perfect his accent and rhythm of speaking. However, the most difficult part was Mandela's charisma, which could not be duplicated: "I wanted to avoid acting like him; I needed to BE him, and that was the biggest challenge. When you meet Mandela, you know you are in the presence of greatness, but it is something that just emanates from him. He moves people for the better; that is his calling in life. Some call it the Madiba magic. I'm not sure that magic can be explained" (IMDB).


Whilst Isaac (Zak) Feau'nati does not exactly like Jona Lomu in this particular photo, in the film his actions and aesthetics are extremely similar. He is a rugby union player for Bath Rugby in the Guinness Premiership and was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and has since retired in 2008.

Overall, the comparisons above proves that the Casting Director, Fiona Weir did a pretty good job in her selections overall whose other credits include several "Harry Potter" movies, as well as Brit-centric hits such as "Love Actually" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." I reckon I wouldn't give her any credit for Harry Potter... their casting is predominantly rubbish.

Personally I know of white South African's who have since had to flee their homes due to the increased violence shown towards them as a result of all the changes, so I think it would be very interesting to see their take on how this fantastic film unfolds.

Clint Eastwood is not only establishing himself as one of the top directors in the industry, but he is also challenging viewers perceptions. Arguably, he is increasingly concentrating on race and prejudice, not to mention challenging the norm through powerful visuals and intellectual dialogue on unusually emotional subjects. It can be argued that developing a story about an aging female boxer in the deep south would hardly bat an eyelid to anyone who has not watched. Changeling also challenged the parental nature in everyone's hearts and watching the dual-perspective films of Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers, not to mention the race-fueled rush that was Gran Torino, justify my claims.

Eastwood has won 4 Oscars,(Million Dollar Baby x2, The Unforgiven x2), and amassed 104 other wins, including being nominated for a further 67 awards. I can only think that this will increase as the years go on and I am becoming a genuine fan of his work. However I still believe that there is improvement needed on his directing of some actors of who, in parts, are unrealistic in their dialogues. They seem as if they were simply chosen off the street (e.g. Bee Vang's performance as the boy in Gran Torino).

Phenomenal scenes such as "Good Luck Bokke" and the cinematography of the rugby matches (especially with New Zealand) will be ones that will leave you clinging to your seats as I did. Unless you are an avid rugby fan, you will, like me, most likely be unaware of the main events leading up to and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

I love rugby however Cyprus didn't establish any form of rugby team until 2003 with the Nicosia Barbarians, followed by my first rugby club in 2004, The Limassol Crusaders (the 2nd independent rugby club established on the island). The sport was not played on television and even to this day is extremely limited in its viewing. The sport has since picked up with the locals and finally progressed to a Cyprus national side in 2006, consisting of South Africans (both white and Greek origin), British Expatriates and Cypriots. I take great pride in scoring one of the first tries for my club as a 16 year old winger, and only wish I'd had the chance to play for the country (if I had not gone to University, who knows?).

Anyway, enough about my life and on with the film. A few criticisms however can be attributed to the crowds who seemed quite fake, not to mention a fair few geographical and factual errors according to IMDB (Click here for the link). For more trivia on the show, click here for more information.

I have rated this film 8/10 and I don't think that any minor errors ruin the quality of this production as I genuinely believe that it was an extremely enjoyable film that lasts 134 minutes. I recommend that you give it a watch if you are interested in learning about both Nelson Mandela and South Africa as the man himself gave his blessings on the film being developed. What more could you ask for? Let's just hope England can when the next Rugby World Cup!

Note: Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year 2010

Firstly I would like to apologise for my lack of posts the last two months. I guess this is what you get when you decide to study a Masters at university. November and December saw the class invent, develop and then sell a proposed television series/ documentary/film in the form of a three-part Dossier. This was extremely challenging and was effectively a Dissertation that took me at undergraduate level 6 months to complete, in a matter of weeks.

Once this was all handed in, after numerous stints living in the Base Room (our dedicated Producers and Directors Master's room) within Weymouth House, it was finally completed, bound, and submitted. I had decided to go with an international comedy drama, details of which I won't go into here (in case one day I decide to work on it!).

Now that this assignment is done, we have the Narrative Constructions assignment to complete by January the 12th, followed by a 3-week intensive course on Project Management, whereby we have to produce a 4 minute drama. I already have the location and story outline set so keep posted for more developments on its production. 2010 also holds promise for a new, powerful and unusual documentary to be produced with David Klein, a talented, German documentary director.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas at home with your family and/or friends. I was lucky enough to celebrate Christmas with my housemates and neighbours in Bournemouth, then come back to Cyprus and celebrate with family and family friends. In all, I believe that coming home to relax is one of the most important things and seeing as I don't live in England, it is quite hard to attain that level of relaxation. This is mainly due to the fact that I can't exactly hop onto a train and go home for the weekend...well I could...if i was on footballers' wages...I can only dream.

New Years Eve should be excellent as my friends and I are going to the same spot we go every year for an open bar at Pebbles, on the seafront in Limassol. €45 isn't too bad considering other places are charging anything from €55 - €170. Normal nights often charge €5 per shot and €7 for a Jack Daniels and Coke so I plan to get my money's worth! It will be nice as my best friend's brother is DJ'ing with his events company.

I trust that you have all got some nice plans with friends and/or family and once this awful 2009 is over and done with, I hope that 2010 brings you all health, happiness and the luck you wish for to succeed in everything you do.

Merry (Belated) Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Group 5 Productions: The Young & The BU-tiful

In my previous post I talked about our first day and how we were placed into groups for our 2 minute soap opera webisode on Bournemouth University. I was placed in Group 5 so instantly yelled out "Group 5 over here!" in my usual, unphased-by-making-a-noise way once the lecture was over.

Group 5 comprises of James Cleave (myself), Darryl Thomas, Chris Taylor, Jordan Thomas and Baitalikee Ghosh and the following is a brief introduction to the group.

Production Crew:

James Cleave: I've already talked about myself a lot, but my role as producer saw Darryl and myself overseeing the overall filming and administrative work of this mini soap opera. I operated the camera on a tripod, in addition to free-hand (which I am usually very against, however time constraints gave me no choice). I also co-directed the episode in-part due to recruiting all of the actors and actresses and release forms for this particular piece. Furthermore with Darryl, I completed the risk assessment form. I trawled through about 19 CD's of free-to-distribute music and found what I thought was the perfect selection of music for this particular piece. I also obtained necessary filming permission from parts of the University that required it and designed the logo for the show, whilst obtaining feedback from the group as I went along to make sure it complied with their specifications as well as mine.

Darryl Thomas: Our other producer Darryl Thomas (no family resemblance to Jordan) has vast experience in the photography industry which is a major plus when it comes to shoots and generally selected a number of shots for the pilot episode (for the bar scenes) as well as operating the tripod whilst Baitalikee and I liaised with the cast. It was a pleasure working with him as we both work on similar wave-lengths and whilst we are both not afraid to air our opinions, we also both know when do give each other the upper hand and I feel this worked extremely well in our favour as a group and is shown in the final edit. The fact that Darryl works at an Autistic school back in Swanage whilst juggling early trips back and forth to Bournemouth on a daily basis is a true testament to his desire to succeed in this industry.

Chris Taylor: I was lucky in the sense that I had already been liaising with Chris Taylor (our editor) on Facebook before returning to Bournemouth. Chris is originally from Portsmouth and his humour kept the 13 hours of editing eventful and cheerful, not to mention playing a cameo role with Jordan in the intro video of the pilot episode. Chris is a talented editor and even taught me a trick or two on Final Cut Pro during those long hours. I look forward to working with Chris again in the near future as well as listening to Journey in the editing suite in Weymouth House (The Media School Building for the University).

Jordan Thomas: Our writer Jordan Thomas, like myself, has just graduated from Bournemouth (from his BA Scriptwriting course). This means that he also knows the town as well as me, thus putting us ahead of the "competition" when it comes to filming around town...not that we're competitive or anything... clearly not. Jordan has a natural talent for script writing and his masters in MA Writing For The Media will undoubtedly further his blossoming career. He confessed to writing the pilot script in under half an hour which is a testament to his ability.

Baitalikee Ghosh: Baitalikee hails from New Delhi and has worked in the industry for back home for a number of years. She is an extremely sweet yet powerful Director who is unafraid to bring new ideas to the table, which in some cases were unable to be brought to fruition due to time and length of video constraints, but which most certainly will be used in the future.

The Process:
The process of allocating roles and responsibilities was generally well received on the basis that everyone would contribute to the overall process of the 2 minute short and make an appearance on the day of the shoot to help out in one way or other regardless of overall role. However, it was also important that our roles were akin to real life situations where the writer wrote, then collaboratively was edited and redrafted until everyone was happy.

The Concept:
Concepts such as "Lost In Bournemouth" where the storyline followed individuals lost in the media school and in and around the University due to being new to the surroundings were discussed both over the phone and in meetings on a daily basis. It was generally agreed that we should stick to the brief given to us of an episode exactly 2 minutes long and no more (You Tube has decided to place it at 2 minutes 1 second... but it is in fact incorrect!).

In this instance, Jordan did a fantastic job in creating a script based on the types of storylines, direction and general banter that was thrown around the room in a group meeting the day before he handed over his 2 page script. Whilst one or two little sections needed to be tidied up in order to make all parties happy, we all knew that straight away that it was going to be a very humorous short and credit can be handed to Jordan.

Furthermore sticking to the soap opera theme was imperative as it is widely conceived that soap operas have horrendous acting. I emailed the cast the following messages throughout the process prior to shooting:

James Cleave 03 October at 19:58

Hi guys,

So I would like you to look at the following You Tube clips to see exactly what we're trying to achieve with this film. Corny, cheesy, over-the top parody of Hollyoaks, passions, Loveboat, 90210 and all those things!

Our intro will be similar to neighbours below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc9CU7vDCbQ

or even Home and Away:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFZcSRI9PJ8&videos=3-vQwNU3gXU

The acting is intended to be so bad that the viewers "in the know" realize that it is a parody of the real thing. similar to the clip below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUpxahdcSz8

Passions is so over the top. You can have a look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB8LHegCia0

I hope this helps

Cheers,

James

I also followed this message on with:

James Cleave 04 October at 20:16

OK, so can we all aim to meet at 11:15am at the reception of Weymouth House Downstairs (those who've agreed). my number is 07********* if you don't already have it.

Girls, I'm looking for stunning everyday wear, like you see in Hollyoaks or Miami Beach. things like that. not loose-fitting skirts kind of thing. More clothing to accentuate the look that you are in fact, stunning people.

http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com/entertainment/425.new.90210.051308.jpg

That link is an example of 90210.

Thank you all so much for helping out again and see you tomorrow! bring your cheesiest smiles and ALSO ALL PLEASE CAN YOU BRING TWO OUTFITS tomorrow so that the intro video will be different to the series. thank you!

Cheers,

James

These emails intended to get the actors and actresses into the right frame of mind when it came to filming. They were also sent a copy of the script to get familiar with the filming.

It has to be mentioned that this soap opera parody has been shot with a 4 hour filming limit. We were unable to obtain lighting or additional equipment other than a standard camera and tripod. We obtained a boom mic, which subsequently cut out the sound out of one of the scenes, thus rendering it useless and forcing us to improvise and not using it at all.

The way the camera-work is done is similar to soap operas of cut and shoot operations, over-the-top zooms into over-acted facial expressions. The intro scene and series video aims to recreate those similar to soap operas and the overall intention was to produce a high-quality programme badly, thus achieving the parody feel and look we were going for. I would personally be disappointed if people watched the episode and didn't realise it was a parody and that they thought we were aiming for a high quality production

Originally the title of the show was going to be "Bournemouth BH15 5BB", an idea I coined as a general tongue-in-cheek version of Beverley Hills 90210, using the University's postcode as the zip-code's equivalent. Whilst it was generally agreed upon by the group, a day before shooting Darryl had a brain wave and came up with Jollyoaks...(don't worry that wasn't even in contention)... because he immediately followed with "How about The Young and the BU-tiful?" which instantly caused a wave of enthusiasm and acceptance from us all. Whilst I think both names work very well, I will accept that the postcode is a bit of a mouth-full (regardless of the fact that it was meant to be a parody or not).

Below you can watch The Young & The BU-tiful pilot episode here:


I would also like to personally thank everyone involved with the filming of this episode including all of the cast and crew below:

Cast:
Jason/ Gary - Liam Thomson
Ella - Vicky Kidby
Josh - Luke Smith
Tori - Vicky Crouch-Marlow
Brad - Tim Donald
Kimmy - Karin Blomkvist
Charlie - Tom Mogridge
Amber - Rachel Suzanne Valentine
Kerry - Hannah Louise Wright

Directed By:
Baitalikee Ghosh

Produced By:
James Cleave
Darryl Thomas

Written By:
Jordan Thomas

Edited By:
Chris Taylor

Cinematography By:
James Cleave

Technical Operator:
Darryl Thomas

I hope you enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at The Young & The BU-tiful and we would like to mention that we aim to film a further 5 episodes in order to complete a 6-part mini-series that will be aimed to be distributed on national television as digital shorts representing us, the producers, directors, editors, writers as well as Bournemouth University as a whole. Your support is imperative to our success as well so spread the word!

Thank you and have a fantastic weekend.

James

1st Week Of MA Producing Film & Television

When I got accepted on my Master's course at Bournemouth University, I was extremely excited as to what the world of film and television would hold for me. The only experience I had encountered included working as an extra in my friends' minor and major projects for their BA Television Production courses.

As I mentioned in my introduction, my background is purely theatrical (from an acting perspective), however I still believe that this puts me in good stead when it comes to directing and guiding my actors and actresses in the direction I want my productions to go.

I have had friends studying their masters at this University from the first year of my Bachelor's degree, and on the most part I never really heard many having to do that much work in their first terms. After having a chat with the lovely people at the Media School's Support Desk (where we pick up our equipment) it turns out that for the first time ever, the MA Producing Film & Television course would be throwing everyone into the deep end to see what we were capable of.

Usually it takes 3 or 4 weeks to get into the swing of things, allowing room for the settling-in period to come and go, making new friends and maybe...just maybe enjoy a little bit of a social life at the beginning before being cast into the flames of gruelling work. Alas this didn't happen...

Our first day (Tuesday 29th September) included the usual fun of enrolment and welcome to the Media Academic Group, welcoming us to the University, life in Bournemouth and tutors etc. Apart from meeting my new tutors, most of it was irrelevant to me as it's not like I have had to move Universities. In a way I feel that, whilst I had apprehensions of staying on at Bournemouth at first due to wanting a new English experience, I'm extremely happy I have stayed on. I have not got new surroundings to learn, I do not have to worry about not knowing anyone as a lot of my friends have returned for their final year of their 4 year courses, and I can also help settle in new people where I can. In a way, I'm luckier than those who have just moved here, especially when it came to the first hurdle of the year.

The lecture introducing the Media School Masters students to their new tutors found everyone (bar the Radio Production and Multimedia Journalism students), having to be put in groups of 5. The task was to write, produce, film and direct a 2 minute soap opera webisode on the University due the following Thursday (8th October at 10am)...

Welcome to Bournemouth University people!

Review: Public Enemies (5/10) - 2009: Camerawork Is Criminal

When the first glimpses of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale's new onscreen adventure played out in the preview section before a movie I was watching in the cinema a while back, I was literally taken aback by the sheer quality of film the trailer promised me. Often a trailer can ruin a movie, but in other instances it can offer insight into the type of acting, filming style and music you will witness when sitting down to watch the movie itself.

This was possibly one of the first movies that, after watching the trailer, I had been excited to watch in a quite a while (aside from Inglourious Basterds which I've been waiting 4 years for),. The combination of suspense and drama of an old-fashioned gangster movie lasting a bum-numbing 140 minutes was exciting in itself as I really enjoyed Road To Perdition.

The film was directed by Michael Mann, who has previously produced the likes of The Aviator (2004) and more recently Hancock (2008), and directed Ali (2001), Collateral (2004) and Miami Vice (2006). Public Enemies' starring lineup include the likes of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale as mentioned, in addition to Marion Cotillard, Stephen Dorff and Stephen Graham to name a few.

The story follows the final years of John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), a notorious bank robber living in 1930's Chicago, who loved his trade and was constantly one the run from the authorities and FBI. The movie covers Dillinger's affections for Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), and their increasing love affair whilst the rest of the world flies by. Similarly, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), an FBI agent hired to track Dillinger down is added to the equation providing numerous gun battles, action scenes and solid performances from both Depp and Bale, that almost save this movie single-handedly from catastrofic production failure (in my opinion).

In order to envisage what I am trying to explain, please view the official trailer below:


At first glance this trailer promises the world to the viewer, and I expect that you, the reader are questioning my judgement and disagreeing with everything I've mentioned about the film so far (aside from the storyline). If I had not sat through the movie I would also agree with you, however I must insist that the way this movie is filmed, I believe a one-armed, blind chimpanzee could have caught the action (and even still shots) more accurately.

Every sequence seemed to be shot in zoom and on a handicam, not to mention super-fast editing from one zoom to another, resulting in mild epilepsy and nausia to the viewer. Parts of the gun-fighting scenes seemed poorly produced on an After Effects and graphics scale, and the lack of a steadicam in every single scene, apart from those lifted for the trailer, were abysmal.

Acting-wise I believed that Billie (Cotillard) throughout the movie was in-fact American until the final scenes, when it turns out this is not the case and her accent shifts to an Eastern European style, thus throwing her entire performance out of proportion. Stephen Graham's transition from 'This Is England' hardman to Baby Face Nelson was very well acted. Stephen Dorff was hardly recogniseable, which could be down to either good acting, or poor scripting for his character.

Johnny Depp needs no introduction in my opinion and whilst I do not believe that this was his finest performance, I could not find anything particularly off-putting about it either. Leonardo DiCaprio was initially to star in a leading role for this movie when it was put into development in 2004 (IMDB), and what an interesting combination that would have made (provided Depp or Bale were not removed in the process).

Similarly, Christian Bale used his stern, "hard-ass" acting ability similar to American Psycho, a character to which he portray's perfectly time and time again, thus saving the film from becoming a completely lacklustre production with a fairly hefty budget. The costumes used throughout the movie were extremely well selected, as were the automobiles and general scenery.

IMDB state that:

"The gunfight at the lodge in the woods was filmed at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, WI which is the actual location where the gunfight between Dillinger and the FBI took place in 1934. In fact, shell casings from the 1934 gunfight can still be found in the woods surrounding the lodge."

The film also provides a cameo appearance from Emilie DeRavin (Lost) early on in the movie. Click here for more Trivia or Goofs, but I must warn that they contain spoilers. In all, I rated this movie a 5/10 as to the way the entire cinematographical process was produced, as I keep mentioning (I seriously can't get over it). This inevitably led to the poor quality and constant headache that most people in the cinema endured, and if it weren't for solid script and acting from the majority of the cast and crew, the score would be a lot lower unfortunately.

Review: Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past (7/10) - 2009: Presently Funny

Forgive me for not posting a review in a while, but I have been extremely busy with summer in Cyprus and the limited time I have left this year to enjoy the finer things in life such as sun, sea, friends, family and Greek food. Anyway, when I was offered the chance to watch Matthew McConaughey in another "chick-flick" I almost threw up a little and wanted to almost go back on my plans to go to the cinema.


The thought of sitting through 100 minutes of his usual drivel disgusted me, however I always looked at Jennifer Garner as a pleasing bit of eye-candy. (Please excuse the male-ness in my tone, but it's true, she's pretty). In all, I had the choice to sit through this movie or watch GI Joe, and after hearing poor reviews about that movie, and good ones about this one (mainly from the beautiful Natalia), (not to mention that GI Joe had started already), I accepted my fate, took a big breath and walked into the cinema.

Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past was originally set up at Walt Disney Pictures with Ben Affleck selected to play the lead character. However, budgetary issues, and the failure of Gigli (2003) forced the studio to cancel filming one month prior to shooting (IMDB).

The movie is based on Charles Dickens' age-old fairy tale "A Christmas Carol" about Scrooge at Christmas who is visited by three ghosts (Past, Present and Future). The twist in the story follows Connor Mead (McConaughey) who is infact a modern day Hugh Heffner, with beautiful women on the end of his fingertips (with direct connotations to Scrooge and his money). McConaughey plays the role of a famous photographer who has the ability to use and disgard women as he pleases (an ability every man forced to watch this movie at the cinema will eventually learn to love and even inadvertently learn from).

His brother Paul Conner (played by Breckin Meyer) is about to get married and as taught by his late uncle (Michael Douglas) about weddings and love being superficial and nonexistent entities of life, McConaughey seeks out to "save" his brother from making the mistake of his life. The mistake being that being married, he would succumb to a life of manogamy, a concept of which McConaughey finds both disturbing and impossible to comprehend. He would then revisit his past, present and future to learn the errors of his ways and discover why he ended up the way he did, with the ultimate chance to change as a person for the better.

The following is the film's official trailer:


Now I'm not going to lie... I was virtually dragged kicking and screaming into the cinema to watch this film and I will hold my hand up and say that I actually enjoyed it. My views on McConaughey have dramatically changed and his role as suave ladies-man was a cross between Ryan Reynolds' wit and charm, with Owen Wilson's dry, relaxed style of talking. I found myself laughing at the pickup routines, come-backs and general banter that danced to and fro between Garner and McConaughey. Douglas' role made me (as well as the audience) laugh in almost every scene and played the role of the ultimate ladies-man guru extremely well.

I believe that Garner's acting was slightly wooden and quite similar to her other movies, however this did not deter the movie in the slightest and why I have awarded it an impressive 7/10. I believe the movie would have been a flop if Ben Affleck had taken the reigns as he does not fill the role as well as McConaughey in my opinion. I do recommend watching this movie if you enjoyed the Proposal or Wedding Crashers.

Review: Blindness (3/10) - 2009: Blind (Staff) Leading The Blind (Cast)?

When I visited my local DVD store, after browsing the shelves of the movies I've already watched, deciding what I could blindly pick (no pun intended), this was when this movie cover really caught my eye. I read the synopsis on the back, and the concept was very different to anything I'd come across in a long while.

The idea of a "White Sickness" where an airborne virus renders people blind without any visible signs of infection was extremely intriguing to me. Directed by Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener, City of God), inspired by José Saramago's novel, Blindness takes the viewer on a 121 minute deteriorating process of an infection, not dissimilar to 24 Days Later.

I have always thought Julianne Moore (Hannibal, Evolution) was a good actress and adding Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) and Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac) was an interesting choice of cast for this seemingly low-budget movie. Ironically scenes with empty streets and damaged property indicate that there was a higher budget than I originally expected, however this did not come across in the final production of the movie in my opinion.

The story of the movie as indicated begin with an individual suddenly becoming blind whilst driving home. This sickness spreads to the point of isolating the sick from the healthy in a hospital's blind ward, guarded by soldiers. An eye-doctor (Ruffalo) contracts the disease whilst treating the original victim, whilst his wife (Moore) is seemingly unaffected by the sickness. This renders her the only sighted person in the blind ward after refusing to leave her husband's side in his time of need, and feigning illness to allow her into the quarantined area. The storyline follows the individuals' plight in increasingly squalid conditions within the ward, with limited supplies and support on the way.

The following trailer shows the potential this movie has to offer:



Whilst Blindness was selected as the opening film at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, this does not automatically safeguard it from the numerous flaws and inaccuracies that the film exhibits. IMDB state that in order to prepare for acting in the film, all of the actors, crew and extras participated in so-called "blind camps". In these camps, participants were blindfolded, taken to an unknown location and left in the middle of the street to find their way around.

It can be noted that there was always someone on-hand to guide them, yet almost always, Director Fernando Meirelles claims that someone would always breakdown and give up. As with the training, the film lacks any realism when it comes to acting blind. Of course it is a hard skill, but there are always ways to make it more realistic, including blacked-out lenses for example.

I had high hopes for this movie and I felt continuously let down by the camera angles, poor musical composition and quality, and the way the movie seemed to drag on, rather than build up anticipation to an emphatic climax. Unrealistic scenarios that include an unsupervised blind ward are one of the many moments which suspend this movie from really working well, and I feel that in another world, developed by a different company, with superior cast, this film could have been a major blockbuster. This is the reason for the low 3/10 score I've provided it.

The numerous continuation errors and seemingly endless patience from Moore, when she could simply take charge of the entire situations she faced remaining as the only sighted person was almost petty. City of God was fantastic, but I feel that Fernando Meirelles did not reproduce the quality found in that production, with this movie. I find it increasingly frustrating that I cannot divulge into exact examples, which could ruin the movie for those who would like to see it, however I'd like to offer my view that I really do suggest that people give this movie a go despite what I've said.

The reason for this is that it is a completely new concept, it is exciting and unpredictable at times, and if you put aside your differences with the acting and the unrealistic scenarios mentioned, (among many others) it can be an enjoyable experience. I think for a film like this, it may be down to the individual, but in my opinion it was a poorer-executed 24 Days Later.

Advertising: Shock Tactics - Safety Belts

My second post on this blog covered Australian Vs UK road safety government advertisements, and I would like to take the opportunity to extend this section into safety belt advertisements. Again governments like using shock tactics to convince people to look out for not only their safety, but of those their friends and families as well as means of getting their messages across more effectively.

Before I divulge into advertising from a purely British perspective, advertising of which you are more than likely to have come across, I would also like to bring you an advertisement from Lebanon which literally made my hair stand on end. This is an advertisement which should be played around the world in my opinion:

Heaven Can Wait



Heaven can wait is a message which sent shivers down my spine and gave me goosebumps, which if viewed with full attention, I'm sure was the same for you as well. The fact that the "ghost" was trying to release the soul by pressing the belt-buckle unsuccessfully due to being a non-entity, was in my opinion, shudderingly effective.

The following advertisement is one which you will have come across on television in the UK regarding a scenario of pre and post buckling up in the car:

Seat Belts In Reverse



I find this advertisement extremely effective for youngsters who have just passed their tests or are not paying attention in their entirety when driving with friends. Everyone, myself included, can admit to being pre-occupied when friends are present in the car and only due to being brought up with a strict "have you got your seat belt on?" policy, have I made sure that all of my friends "buckle up" before I set off on my journey.

One of the most effective at the time in my opinion was the following seat belt advertisement:

Julie's Killer


What made this advertisement really hit home when I first witnessed this advertisement as you do not expect the outcome due to the narrative process. I found myself sitting there, watching and wondering who this killer was in the suspect van following the family. Was it their father, uncle, aunt or dodgy neighbour? Alas, it was simply the lack of seat belt and I feel that how the narrative deters the viewer from the actual cause of death was extremely realistic and powerful in its nature.

More recently, the following post-watershed advertisement is one which those that live in the UK will have come across and were probably shocked by:



This advertisement in my opinion is less effective than the Lebanese advertisement in the sense that, although it was graphic and made me take notice, it had less stopping power.

Which of the advertisements were the most effective to you?

Review: Horsemen (6/10) - 2009: Riding Into Twists And Turns

Despite looking like a bemused Gordon Ramsay lookalike in the poster, Dennis Quaid in fact pulls off a solid, powerful performance throughout this 90 minute crime thriller. Produced by Michael Bay and directed by Jonas Åkerlund, this movie offers much potential and provides well in certain areas, yet it can be mentioned that it lacks disappointingly in others.



The story follows Aidan Breslin (Dennis Quaid) as a detective who has become increasingly distant from his two sons after his wife died of cancer. The chain of murders are based upon the Biblical prophecies surrounding chapter six of the Book of Revelations that include the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse described below on par with the movie:

The White Horseman (Pestilence) - The white horse of the apocalyptic four may represent polar qualities of evil or righteousness, depending on interpretation. Some interpret the rider of the white horse to be the Anti-Christ, whereas others believe it is Jesus Christ himself.

The Red Horseman (War) - The rider of the second horse is generally held to represent War. The red color of his horse represents blood spilled on the battlefield. He carries a great sword, which represents battle and fighting.

The Black Horseman (Famine)- The third horseman riding the black horse is called Famine, with the colour black also being a symbol of the dead.

The Pale Horseman (Death) - The fourth horseman, usually said to ride on a pale horse, is explicitly named Death. Of all the riders, he is the only one whose name is easily distinguishable. Generally, he is usually followed by Hades (Gravedom). The color of the horse has been translated as "ashen", "pale", or "pale green".

Aside from the Biblical references, Ziyi Zhang, most notable for her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House Of Flying Daggers, pulls of a phenomenal and scintilating display as Kristin, an adopted daughter of a murder victim. Prior to this movie I assumed that she was unable to speak any English due to the nature of her previous movies being purely in Chinese, however she performs very well from this point of view.

I have wouldn't be suprised if Lou Taylor Pucci, starring as Alex in the movie, will be awarded a few more contracts in the near future. Despite looking almost identical to a younger Mark Owen (from Take That), his role as disgruntled teenager working as a stand-in father whilst his real father works all day and night is amicable, not to mention some later scenes in the movie. In fact, the majority of the actors and extras performed very well in the movie.

It can be noted that the movie's soundtrack was extremely echoey and of poor quality, not to mention very average in terms of musical composition. The music volume often matched, or was higher to those speaking during scenes, often ceasing for no reason, which was extremely off-putting.



I noticed that this movie had similar characteristics to Se7en (1995); perhaps in style of writing, ending technique, or biblical references such as with Se7en's 7 Deadly Sins concept of death by gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, pride and lust, taken from Roman Catholic Virtues.

I've rated this movie a 6/10 because whilst the film sends you on a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns as the story unfolds, there was something missing from the almost too-sudden ending. This blog is described in a way so as to encourage movie-going/renting and purchasing where possible without ruining plot-lines and endings, so forgive some sections that may appear lacklustre in detail.

So without giving too much away, in my opinion, the script could have included a certain therapist into the script to provide further substance and depth to the outcome of the movie, along with more of a detailed scenario about what would happen next. This is the reason that this particular movie did not perform to the full potential it initially held whilst watching it.

Indie Review: Funny Games (7/10) - 2007: Watt's So Funny?

When scouring the local Blockbuster with another avid movie-addict I know, it's almost an impossible task to find a DVD both of us haven't seen. After scanning the shelves for a good thirty minutes or so, Samantha picked up "Funny Games". Now it seemed like a very unusual name for a movie, especially after reading the disturbing synopsis on the back, but we decided to give it a go under the notion that if it was a bad movie, that would be the last time she chose a movie with me. Harsh? Maybe, but it was all in good fun. (Incidentally, I picked the worst movie of the night so I'll keep that bit quiet).

When you read of a movie which has been re-released under the same name, by the same director (Michael Haneke), it should raise alarm bells with questions such as: Was it not successful the first time? Is someone that creatively challenged that they need to copy their own work?

However, after some research the original (1997) was an Austrian-release, compared to the new U.S. version starring surprisingly Naomi Watts (from The Ring). This surprised us due to the seemingly very low budget of the film, with fairly unknown actors involved aside from her, yet almost convinced Sam and I to rent it, rather than leave it on the shelves to collect dust.

IMDB indicate that the production crew used the blueprints from the original movie to create a shot-by-shot remake, including using the same proportions for the set of the house in 2007 as that of the set in 1997.

The movie is intended to represent how media influences violence in society, where a white, middle-class family are subjected to horrendous torture (both psychological and physical) and violence in the form of a "game" by two young visitors at the family's remote holiday home by the lake. The subject of this film is one that director Michael Haneke is quite passionate about.

Naomi Watt's performance is superb, as are all of the actors, with Tim Roth making a very convincing husband. The cold-hearted ruthlessness of Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet, leave a spine-tingling, shuddering concept of the capabilities of youths of today, possibly influenced through the media, and the whole concept of the movie. There are numerous scenes leaving you on the edge of your seat, including one with Devon Gearhart (the son of Watt's and Roth in the movie), wondering what exactly is going to happen next, like that of a Quentin Tarantino movie.

I must warn you that this is not your average slasher movie, and is edited in a very unique way. This includes characters communicating between themselves and the viewer. Some scenes like this may come across as confusing in the wider context, however this could simply be put down to the director who aims to provide an experience different to one that a viewer has ever experienced before, whilst succeeding at doing so.

The following trailer indicate the style of movie explained, but don't let the light-hearted soundtrack fool you:



I've rated this movie 7/10 and I highly recommend it for anyone who wish to be left shocked, disturbed and confused by the end credits. To give you an idea of the kind of movie it is claimed that during the film's screening at Cannes in 1997, it shocked the audience so badly that many viewers and film critics alike, walked out of the screening itself.

Very few movies leave you speechless and unable to comprehend the brutality they just witnessed, so the director can be credited on this. All I know is, that if anyone ever rings my doorbell mentioning their aunt sending them to fetch some eggs... I know where I'll tell them to go. (I'll also lock up my house, carry a knife in each hand, and hide in my locked room)... Sound a bit extreme? Then watch this movie...enough said!

Review - The Proposal (7/10) - 2009: Sandra Bullock Proposing More Laughs Than Usual

I am an avid fan of Ryan Reynolds and know that no matter what movie he's in, I'm guaranteed his quick-witted humour and laughing until my sides hurt (See Just Friends, Van Wilder, and Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place to name a few). However the dilemma for me was the simple fact that Sandra Bullock would be co-starring in a movie with primarily two characters.



The reason the movie "Crash" didn't affect affect me so badly was the fact she only starred in about 2-3 scenes. She is the same, whiney actress in nearly everything she does and I was almost debating giving the movie a miss because of it. You may think it's harsh, but I'm really not a fan.

I'd like to think that I'm right a lot of the time, but on this occasion, her performance was superb. This could be down to the fact that her role was a stuck up ice-queen Margaret Tate, an executive editor-in-chief of a major book publishing company...but this is besides the point. The movie surrounds Bullock, a Canadian-national working in America, who's visa has expired and suddenly faces deportation.

Her plan includes blackmailing her personal assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to avoid the deportation process, therefore making her a legal American Citizen. He grudgingly accepts, under the condition that he is promoted to the position of editor. The story continues with Reynolds' trip to Alaska for his grandma's 90th birthday party where the "couple" aim to announce their "engagement". As always, Reynolds performs solidly with numerous facial expressions, catch-phrases, and actions to make this a very enjoyable Romantic Comedy.

The following movie trailer indicates things to come throughout the movie:



It was reported that Reynolds was shocked to discover that he would be sharing an exposing scene with Bullock at one point within the movie. He initially believed that the script would be re-written to exclude the scene, as he didn't think she would agree to filming it.

I'd like to mention however that this movie was not as successful as Just Married for example as the missing ingredient was Reynolds' dialogue. I don't believe that he was provided with a completely solid script, in the sense that his humour almost seemed forced and trying to compete with roles in previous movies. Nevertheless, I rate this movie 7/10 and found it an extremely enjoyable romantic comedy and highly recommend it for a good night in with the other-half (or lots of popcorn and ice-cream if you're on your own).

Review - Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (4/10) - 2009: Transforming From Bad To Worse

I remember sitting down on a Saturday morning throughout my childhood, waiting for my weekly dose of Transformers...and the cartoon soundtrack "more than meets the eye". I even remember purchasing my first Optimus Prime from Tip Top (a local toy store), including the Transformer collection where you connect five other Transformer toys together to produce a Super-Transformer. It fills me with a sense of nostalgia looking back, and when I first heard that Hollywood had decided to make a human version of the series, I was extremely sceptical at first and didn't want to watch it.

With the fond childhood recollections of this well-written (from what I remember at least) series, anything that could ruin these memories was a risk I was unwilling to take at first. However, after numerous positive appraisals from a lot of people I decided to watch the first one. I wont delve into complete details but I will admit that it was much better than I had previously expected. With this in mind, I was far less reluctant to watch the second movie. Of course it had its flaws but like the sequel I believe this was down to the actors selected.

Shia LaBeouf. Where do I start on this actor? I'm not being funny but every single film he's been in (as with Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter), he has the same look of bewilderment throughout the entire 150 minutes. I do not understand what Steven Spielberg sees in him as an actor, as there are far more capable of doing a better job. I don't like to slate individuals, because in the movie Disturbia, I thought his acting was realistic and suited the part.

This was all until I discovered that it wasn't really tailor-made acting for that film, but more his actual generic acting itself. Regardless, I refuse to critique him for Disturbia, or Holes as I feel he did a good job. Unlike Radcliffe however, Shia has not progressed as an actor his age might have hoped. At least Radcliffe moved from specked-bewildered-with-mouth-open acting to much-more-realistic-specked-bewildered-with-mouth-open acting.

Megan Fox is potentially the most beautiful actress to come on to the movie scene in a long time but even this will not deter me from describing how I see her acting abilities. I will take my hat off and admit that her seduction techniques worked on nearly every male in the cinema and were almost too realistic for most to stand up during the half-time interval, however hey may as well have cast Carmen Electra for her similar "acting" qualities.

Besides.. the day I see someone who looks like Shia LaBeouf walking around with a Megan Fox and being so cocky as to believe that she wouldn't leave him for a Ryan Reynolds lookalike...I'll eat my words. Is this just a sad state of affairs that Hollywood has resorted to in recent years? What happened to the James Dean's or Joaquin Phoenix's (in Gladiator) of the world where every movement and spoken word is more believable than skin-deep looks of beauty?

Similarly with the first movie, I felt the special effects and graphics were phenomenal and explosions worked in sync with the post-production graphics expertly. I don't like to be completely negative about movies from an overall aspect as I believe that credit will be due where it is deserved, and the special effects team saved this movie almost single-handedly.

The following trailer for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen provides a taste of things to come throughout the movie:



As the trailer gives away, the cheap (almost forced) humour is a massive no-no and fail in almost every situation except for perhaps one part of the entire film. I don't understand what Michael Bay/his writers were thinking when developing an Action-Comedy-Sci-Fi-combination within a single film. I am unsure if these writers wrote the roles specifically with the chosen actors in mind or not, because Shia LaBeouf tends to have the similar goofy lines in the majority of his recent movies.

Furthermore, the slightly racist connotations of the twin robots stereotypical urban black personalities has been overlooked by most people, yet it even made me chuckle at how a Blockbuster could write this into the script. Maybe I should take my own advice from a previous post in that I should watch these movies with a pinch of salt rather than the underlying meanings of things.

My flatmate accurately described how the movie was written before I watched it and I can agree with his quote: "You know when you're a kid and you write a story and you're locked in a massive battle where your team is losing... but suddenly, you forgot to tell people, that you own the Sword of Elzar with the capabilities of destroying everyone that would have been previously impossible, but is now easy because of the weapon I just told you about just then"... Well this is basically how the movie is laid out, so if you like an easy-to-watch, CGI-fuelled action-movie, with intense graphical scenes, Megan Fox (mmm) and (err) comedy thrown in, by all means go ahead...But seriously...robot heaven?!...come on.

It's not all bad for Paramount and Dreamworks however, as the movie did score the best opening day ever for a Wednesday release, with an estimated $60.6 million domestically (USA). Furthermore the movie has also earned an estimated $201.2 million, bettering Spiderman 2's $152.4 million to become the second biggest five-day domestic gross of all time, not to mention becoming China's biggest box office hit ever by earning 400 million Chinese yuan ($59 million).

I've rated this movie 4/10 based on the reasons mentioned. Don't take my word for it if you don't want to, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Advertising - 2009: Retro Vs Brand New

When I the following Milky Way advert came on TV for the first time since I was a young child, it sent me back to where I was when I first watched it at my grandad's house whilst visiting the UK for holidays. British television was a God-send compared to the Greek dubbed American television programmes, so I took every opportunity to watch Biker Mice from Mars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Thomas The Tank Engine. The following links compare between the original and new version of Milky Way's Red Car v Blue Car retro advertisements.

Milky Way Statement: "Milky Way is bringing back its iconic Red Car v Blue Car ad after almost a 20 year absence from our screens. The ad features an animated race between a Red Car and a Blue Car and the memorable jingle is remembered fondly by the late eighties / early nineties generation."

Milky Way (Original) (1989)



The only difference between this and the original (aside from becoming digitally restored) are the lyrics where the original used to say "Smart Old Blue", compared to the new version saying "Good Old Blue". Furthermore, the slogan in the last frame in the original reads "The sweet you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite", compared to the new version that reads "Lighten up and play". This is probably down to the over-the-top political correctness that has consumed the UK whole, and doesn't look like spitting out any time soon.

Milky Way (New Version) (2009)



However, Milky Way are not the only culprits to this "new" form of recycled advertising. Since 1998 the Milky bar Kid advertisements have been animated due to some controversy over Nestlé's Milky Bar Kid audition requirements included being male, blonde and fair-skinned individuals.

In 2009, the human version returned in the form of a montage (below), and soon after, the new Milky Bar Kid was selected. Some controversy occurred due to the confusion of the gender of this new actor as some thought it was a female (left), thus conflicting with original concepts for the sake of political correctness. However the actor is in fact 14 year old William Ray and was originally employed in 2007.


Which of the Milky Bar Kids was your favourite growing up, and does it correlate with your age group when you were youngest or do the new ones make the cut? For more information on all the Milky Bar Kids, click here.

Milky Bar Kid Montage



Unilever's Persil are also another brand using footage from 1955 and the 1980's, featuring the strapline "What is a Mum", being the first detergent to be advertised on the television. "Persil commissioned its advertisements to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the washing powder in April this year." For the full Daily Mail article click here.

Is "retro" the new "brand new"? It seems to be a running trend recently for long-running companies to bring back advertisements originally aired in the 80's and 90's. Is this a cost-saving issue during uncertain times, or simply a nostalgic tactic to send consumers on a trip down memory lane? I personally think it's a combination of the two, but you can always tell when something is popular, as leading brands follow suit.