Review of my favourite movie will be posted tomorrow

I have been too busy celebrating the end of my exams but don’t worry, my review will come tomorrow.

-Max Gettler

LOST IN LA MANCHA review

Imagine making a movie you have dreamed, even obsessed about making for over a decade. Now imagine when you’re making that movie, your dream is shattered when the project ends up in development hell. This is what cult director Terry Gilliam went through when he was making his dream project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and this feature length movie is a behind-the-scenes documentary on his unfinished dream. It is considered by its directors Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe as the first ‘unmaking of’ documentary.

It is easy to say that Gilliam did not go through the easiest of times when making movies: at one point, producers told him he had to butcher the end of Brazil in order to give it a happy ending. He went $46 million over-budget when making The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and then watch it bomb in the box-office as did another of his films, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. His most recent disaster involved having to rewrite the script and cast more actors for his upcoming film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus when one of his lead actors, Heath Ledger died. But nothing has ever come close to the trouble Terry Gilliam had to go through when making his version of Don Quixote’s tale.

Francis Ford Coppola may have had it rough when making Apocalypse Now but at least he got it finished and it is now considered as one of the greatest movies of all time. Terry Gilliam on the other hand ended up with nothing, although he is now planning to redo the project. Sorry if this review is too brief but if I were to say anymore about this movie I’d be giving away too much. So all I can say is Lost in La Mancha is a darkly funny yet heartbreaking documentary that proves to everyone that not every movie that goes into production will end up getting completed.

4 people telling off a fish out of 5

STONE review

Stone, possibly being the only Australian biker movie (Mad Max does not count) is a film that would very much appeal to bikers or anyone who loves motorcycles, although that does not mean this movie is for those two types of people. Myself being someone who fits into neither of those crowds really enjoyed this movie.

The Gravediggers are a Sydney biker gang who enjoy riding through the streets on their Kawasaki 900s, rather than (stereotypically) Harley’s and wear jackets with a logo imprinted on the back of a skull wearing a slouch hat (tell me that’s not awesome). However, when one of the members Toad (Ozploitation film actor, Hugh Keays-Byrne) witnesses a political assassination, the assassin is wanting him and the Gravediggers dead. As they are getting killed off one by one, undercover cop, Stone (Ken Shorter) is on an assignment to investigate who the murderer is but in order to do so, he must join the Gravediggers and live their way of life – and that includes living by their code of honour.

Stone has great visuals: the scenes where the biker gang are riding through the streets of Sydney are great to look at, although frequent motion sickness sufferers must take note. There is a bit of action here and there including stunts, a brief but entertaining shoot out and a fight scene that takes place outside a bar, which according to Not Quite Hollywood is actually a real fight (hint: never have two biker gangs on set, even if one of them are just a group of actors); and the rock soundtrack is amazing.

But if you are looking for a movie that has a good twist, plenty of thrills and action then Stone will probably come off as a disappointment. Rather then being a thrilling murder mystery, it is a movie more about life in a biker gang, as well as honour and loyalty, which is reminded to us in the film’s amazing finale. But that is not to say that Stone fails to entertain.

4 people smoking real dope out of 5

New movie trailer, review and a picture I just have to show you

Very sorry for not letting you guys know that Sunday’s post was going to be postponed. Hahaha, POSTponed.

Friday the 13th teaser

Looks alright, I just hope it isn’t exactly the same as the original but then again (SPOILER ALERT) Jason wasn’t the killer in the original anyway (SPOILER END).

Secretary review

One thing to take note of is that Secretary is definitely not your everyday romcom. It does have the elements of a light-hearted one yet it is anything but. However, that is not to say that this movie does not have any entertainment nor a happy ending. Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a young twenty-something who applies for a job working as a secretary for Mr. Grey (James Spader). However, both Lee and Mr. Grey discover that they have one thing in common – they are both sadomasochists. Then Lee and Mr. Grey both find an attraction and begin developing a very bizarre BDSM-filled relationship.

It may have the cliches of the Hollywood romcoms seen today but for those of you who are looking for something light-hearted should probably look elsewhere because the sexual content may distract, although it is not to be taken too seriously because the scenes involving BDSM are quite comical but in a  very twisted way (obviously). But what is interesting about this movie though is that it really pushes the boundaries of the everyday romcom by adding some very dark humour and that is what makes Secretary worth the watch. But if I had one complaint, it would be that it lacks likeable characters, but then again, they are able to take one’s interest.

3.5 bruises out of 5

And now for the picture!

You know those pointless ‘are you human?’ tests that many websites have in order to see whether you’re a robot or not? Well take a look at this because it might be one of the worst, if not, the worst one ever.

BEHOLD –

Sundays post shall be uploaded tomorrow

Sorry about Sunday’s missing update. Curse you, exams!

-Max Gettler

BLUE VELVET review

David Lynch is considered as one of the most notable auteurs in the world of surreal cinema. In terms of context, Blue Velvet is not surreal, but that does not mean it’s not a strange movie; it does have some unusual use of imagery and very strange characters, some with very minimal, if not, no personality, which is not a bad thing in this case.

The point of Blue Velvet is to show that nothing in this world is perfect. David Lynch proves that point by introducing the audience to the small made-up town known as Lumberton. The opening sequence is a short montage of the town’s visual beauty (special thanks to cinematographer Frederick Elms). In Lumberton, the weather is nice, everyone has a smile on their face and gardens are filled with green lawns and very red roses. We then see Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) taking a stroll in the park, chucking stones at inanimate objects and stumbling upon a rotting ear lying on the ground. After taking the ear to the police as evidence, he befriends Sandy (Laura Dern) who happens to be the daughter of the detective Jeffrey gave the ear to. But Jeffrey, unsatisfied with the police’s pace in solving the mystery, decides he and Sandy should investigate the case by themselves. But when they get themselves involved, they discover that the ear has some sort of relation between the beautiful but disturbed lounge singer, Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) and madman Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).

Blue Velvet’s beautiful imagery is accompanied with a really
good soundtrack containing hits from the 50s such as Roy Orbison’s ‘In Dreams’ and
(obviously) Bobby Vinton’s ‘Blue Velvet’. In addition, there is even a bit of easy listenings.

Isabella Rossellini is disturbingly fantastic as Dorothy and Dean Stockwell is great as the face-powdered and lipstick-wearing Ben but the one who comes close to stealing the show is Dennis Hopper. He acts out Frank with so much energy making the character so frightening that its funny. This is included in the film’s infamous rape scene (of course rape isn’t funny but just this one scene seems to make it somewhat comical, although definitely not for the right reasons). Dennis Hopper is one of the main highlights of this movie, making Frank Booth one of the most frightening and memorable villains in film.

But if I had one problem with this movie, although very minor, it would be that the character Jeffrey, who is supposed to be a schoolboy looks like he’s in twenties, which actor Kyle MacLachlan was. But that’s a very minor problem which does not take away any of the film’s believability.

This is certainly David Lynch’s best work and whether you love it or hate it, one thing is for certain, you will neither look at the song ‘Blue Velvet’ and blue velvet itself the same way again.

5 people kindly rejecting Heinekken beer out of 5

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: THE END OF EVANGELION review

Since the age of 10, I have had a passion or maybe you can say an obsession for the TV series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was a life-changing TV show and got me into anime and manga. My favourite episodes were the last two, 25 and 26 and they ended the series brilliantly. But the majority of the show’s fans did not enjoy the last two episodes and sent hate mail, even death threats (one of which is seen in this movie) to the company who created the show, Gainax. Hideaki Anno, creator of the series decided to make this movie to satisfy the fans and now considers it the official conclusion to the TV series and calling the last two episodes an alternate end.

Despite the fact that I loved the TV series, I have to say that this movie is really where the Evangelion saga is at. Compared to the last two episodes of the show, this movie is a much better conclusion and does the series more justice. It leaves all questions answered yet generates new ones; for example, the final scene, which is apparently Anno’s revenge against the fans who complained about episodes 25 and 26.

The End of Evangelion picks up from where episode 24 left off, where Shinji is now mentally distraught after killing Kowaru, the final Angel who was the only person who ever loved and understood Shinji. Meanwhile, Gendo Ikari, the head of the head of the organisation known as ‘NERV’ has discovered that they have been fighting against the Angels for the wrong reason, which was to save humanity. NERV’s partner organisation, SEELE have tried to stop humanity from being saved in order to bring the next step into evolution – the Human Instrumentality Project where all souls merge into one entity. However, Gendo refuses to become a part of their project and decides to make his own version of it with the help of Rei so he can become one with his wife. SEELE, betrayed by Gendo’s plans decide to take physical action against NERV by sending in an army of troops and 9 Evangelions to destroy NERV HQ and make sure there are no survivors. There doesn’t seem to be much hope for humanity now; none of the Evangelion pilots are fighting fit; Asuka is sedated, Rei is needed by Gendo and Shinji is mentally unwell. However, he seems to be the only one who can save the world from SEELE but it is a matter of whether he will.

This is probably the most complex anime I have ever seen. If you thought Akira or the last two episodes of Evangelion were confusing, then you have yet to see this movie. However, it is probably the most depressing one as well. Fans of the show, such as myself will no doubt be moved to tears by this movie as they see everything coming to…well, dare I say, an end?

Words really cannot describe how extraordinary this movie is. Its beautiful soundtrack and gorgeous imagery, although sometimes disturbing, make this a sci-fi movie so hypnotising that you will not be able to look away from the screen even after it ends. One of the things that keeps you in that hypnotised mood is the fact that it ends with no credits. Instead, it ends silence and a title saying ‘fin’, a technique that needs to be used in film more often.

Simply put, it is my favourite movie of all-time. In addition, within the next few years, there will be a new conclusion to the saga because Gainax are in the middle of remaking Evangelion into a four-part film series. The fourth film will display a different conclusion compared to this one, which will be a very interesting watch and who knows, maybe a better one.

5 crosses out of 5