http://hausofkaka78.blogspot.
Monday 8 November 2010
NKOTBSB?
I'm not gonna write my thoughts just now....I'm gonna let KateWhinesAlot do it for me...whether you're upset/dubious/thrilled about the New Kids/Backstreet Boys union, it's a jolly good read...
http://hausofkaka78.blogspot.
http://hausofkaka78.blogspot.
Thursday 4 November 2010
"Let Me In" vs "Let the Right One In"
Yesterday I saw "Let Me In", the Hollywood remake of the Swedish "Let the Right One In". Both films are adaptations of John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestselling book. This brilliant story is part coming-of age tale, part horror, part serial killer drama, part revenge thriller, and part sweet romance. Which film stays closer to it's source material? Well you'll just have to read it to decide that!
The reviews for "Let Me In" have been good, despite it being a remake. I came away with mixed feelings to be honest...I guess as a film in it's own right it was pretty good...but when compared to the original...well, there is no comparison really. "Let the Right One In" is a masterpice. It's slow-burning, subtle, touching...and by the final scene I found myself so engaged with the two lead characters and their beautifully believable relationship that I welled up. The remake has none of that subtlety, favouring instead sensationalised gore and many more special effects than the obviously lower budgeted Swedish version (although given that the film was released by Hammer films, that should come as no surprise). More gore, more effects, more dialogue...well in this case less really is more.
Don't get me wrong, I did quite enjoy it, in it's own way. It certainly had it's good points. Without giving too much away, the addition of the car sequence, and the removal of the cat scene from the original were good decisions by Matt Reeves who both directed and wrote the screenplay. Kodi Smit-McPhee, the young actor who plays 12 year old outsider Owen, is outstanding. Chloe Moretz who plays the vampire Abby, an old soul trapped in a 12 year old's body turns in a reasonable performance, but fails to portray the depth of the character in quite the way Lena Leandersson portrays Eli (Abby's Swedish counterpart), though whether that's her acting or the way she was directed I can't say. Consequently the connection between Owen and Abby doesn't feel as real or as touching as Eli's connection with Oskar (Owen's Swedish Counterpart) Abby is more animalistic, less remorseful, less tender than Eli...But while 'Let Me In' may not be as deep, it will doubtless appeal to a wider audience, from the subtitle shy, to those who prefer their vampires sparkle-free. But regardless of whether you chose to watch "Let Me In", I would urge you to watch "Let the Right One In" if you can lay your hands on it. It might not have had the widest distribution in cinema's, but the dvd is readily available - I picked up my copy in my local supermarket for £5 - what a bargain!
The reviews for "Let Me In" have been good, despite it being a remake. I came away with mixed feelings to be honest...I guess as a film in it's own right it was pretty good...but when compared to the original...well, there is no comparison really. "Let the Right One In" is a masterpice. It's slow-burning, subtle, touching...and by the final scene I found myself so engaged with the two lead characters and their beautifully believable relationship that I welled up. The remake has none of that subtlety, favouring instead sensationalised gore and many more special effects than the obviously lower budgeted Swedish version (although given that the film was released by Hammer films, that should come as no surprise). More gore, more effects, more dialogue...well in this case less really is more.
Don't get me wrong, I did quite enjoy it, in it's own way. It certainly had it's good points. Without giving too much away, the addition of the car sequence, and the removal of the cat scene from the original were good decisions by Matt Reeves who both directed and wrote the screenplay. Kodi Smit-McPhee, the young actor who plays 12 year old outsider Owen, is outstanding. Chloe Moretz who plays the vampire Abby, an old soul trapped in a 12 year old's body turns in a reasonable performance, but fails to portray the depth of the character in quite the way Lena Leandersson portrays Eli (Abby's Swedish counterpart), though whether that's her acting or the way she was directed I can't say. Consequently the connection between Owen and Abby doesn't feel as real or as touching as Eli's connection with Oskar (Owen's Swedish Counterpart) Abby is more animalistic, less remorseful, less tender than Eli...But while 'Let Me In' may not be as deep, it will doubtless appeal to a wider audience, from the subtitle shy, to those who prefer their vampires sparkle-free. But regardless of whether you chose to watch "Let Me In", I would urge you to watch "Let the Right One In" if you can lay your hands on it. It might not have had the widest distribution in cinema's, but the dvd is readily available - I picked up my copy in my local supermarket for £5 - what a bargain!
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Dinner, Secrets, and Lies!
So I've been trying to think of a good way to start my blog...a good introductory post, giving some information about me...but I couldn't come up with anything. So I figured, I'll skip the whole 'intro' thing. If you don't already know me, you'll get to, through my posts. It's what they're here for :)
So tonight after work I went out for dinner with my friend Torie. She's someone I grew up with although she moved to the South coast last year so I don't get to see her often these days. She's been sick for a few months and was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in August, which is a pretty darned serious condition. She has a blood clot in her leg and it's ENORMOUS even though she's been on meds to thin the blood and shrink it for three months.. They're starting to talk about surgery. I think she needs to put an official complaint in for negligence as her GP told her there was nothing wrong with her and sent her home...when she was having trouble breathing and throwing up blood! Then when he finally did a blood test and got the results and she got a message telling her to go to A&E immediately, they then left her in the waiting room for 5 hours. She could have frickin died, there was just no sense of urgency whatsoever! Torie was born prfoundly deaf, and as such it's hard for people who don't know her to understand her speech, so I worry that her GP just brushed her off because he didn't understand what she was telling him...but he should have made sure he understood all her symptoms, that's his job!
Anyway, it was good to catch up...I miss her, I wish she'd move back up here. She's bored silly at the moment, she can't work and she's not supposed to be doing anything much...she'd at the hospital once a week for them to check her blood and her oxegyn, and the rest of the time she's just resting at home. So I loaned her a big pile of dvd's to take back home with her when she goes tomorrow and took her out for Tapas. Yum :) And I totally wolfed down a piece of amazing orange and chocolate chip cheesecake, though I shouldn't have. Mmmm.
Then when I got back I watched Mike Leigh's "Secret's and Lies" for the umpteenth time. I adore this film...it's funny, it's sad, and it's just so incredibly human. I can't help but relate to Phyllis Logan's character in this. *spoiler alert* She plays Monica, the houseproud wife of photographer Maurice. They're a couple wealthy in money, but not in the one thing they really want - children. She spends most of her scene in hormonal moodswings or in pain. And as her husband says..."she's had every test known to man, she's been prodded, poked, had operations, for fifteen years". (Which, given my own medical state, I can relate to...and although it's never said what condition Monica actually has, this film still remains the only one I've ever seen that portrays a gynaecological condition like mine so accurately and truthfully) The scene when this truth comes out, and Monica is comforted by her sister-in-law, the one person she has never get along with, is just heart-breaking. In fact the whole film's kind of heart breaking. But it's REAL. Every single scene, every uncomfortable moment, every awkward silence, every forced conversation, all of it's real. And after all the heartbreak, all the secrets, and all the lies...there is a lightness, and you're left with a smile on your face.
Mr Leigh is a talented man that's for sure. I imagine him sitting in cafes just people watching for hours...he portrays such unadulterated truth about the human condition. And he does it in such a way that he gets right under your skin and leaves you thinking about it for hours. Or watching it again and again every time they rerun it on Film 4 :)
So tonight after work I went out for dinner with my friend Torie. She's someone I grew up with although she moved to the South coast last year so I don't get to see her often these days. She's been sick for a few months and was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in August, which is a pretty darned serious condition. She has a blood clot in her leg and it's ENORMOUS even though she's been on meds to thin the blood and shrink it for three months.. They're starting to talk about surgery. I think she needs to put an official complaint in for negligence as her GP told her there was nothing wrong with her and sent her home...when she was having trouble breathing and throwing up blood! Then when he finally did a blood test and got the results and she got a message telling her to go to A&E immediately, they then left her in the waiting room for 5 hours. She could have frickin died, there was just no sense of urgency whatsoever! Torie was born prfoundly deaf, and as such it's hard for people who don't know her to understand her speech, so I worry that her GP just brushed her off because he didn't understand what she was telling him...but he should have made sure he understood all her symptoms, that's his job!
Anyway, it was good to catch up...I miss her, I wish she'd move back up here. She's bored silly at the moment, she can't work and she's not supposed to be doing anything much...she'd at the hospital once a week for them to check her blood and her oxegyn, and the rest of the time she's just resting at home. So I loaned her a big pile of dvd's to take back home with her when she goes tomorrow and took her out for Tapas. Yum :) And I totally wolfed down a piece of amazing orange and chocolate chip cheesecake, though I shouldn't have. Mmmm.
Then when I got back I watched Mike Leigh's "Secret's and Lies" for the umpteenth time. I adore this film...it's funny, it's sad, and it's just so incredibly human. I can't help but relate to Phyllis Logan's character in this. *spoiler alert* She plays Monica, the houseproud wife of photographer Maurice. They're a couple wealthy in money, but not in the one thing they really want - children. She spends most of her scene in hormonal moodswings or in pain. And as her husband says..."she's had every test known to man, she's been prodded, poked, had operations, for fifteen years". (Which, given my own medical state, I can relate to...and although it's never said what condition Monica actually has, this film still remains the only one I've ever seen that portrays a gynaecological condition like mine so accurately and truthfully) The scene when this truth comes out, and Monica is comforted by her sister-in-law, the one person she has never get along with, is just heart-breaking. In fact the whole film's kind of heart breaking. But it's REAL. Every single scene, every uncomfortable moment, every awkward silence, every forced conversation, all of it's real. And after all the heartbreak, all the secrets, and all the lies...there is a lightness, and you're left with a smile on your face.
Mr Leigh is a talented man that's for sure. I imagine him sitting in cafes just people watching for hours...he portrays such unadulterated truth about the human condition. And he does it in such a way that he gets right under your skin and leaves you thinking about it for hours. Or watching it again and again every time they rerun it on Film 4 :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)