Thursday Movie Picks: Heist Movies

Don't forget to check out what Wandering Through the Shelves picked, the blog that started Thursday Movie Picks.

All my picks are or have been remade. My guess is that heist films are timeless and can easily be remade. But when films are remade across the pond, its 9 times out of 10 been bad. A suggestion is - just don't remake British classics in modern US. 

The Ladykillers

As much as I love the Coen brothers, they're remake is just not good and in no way a match for the towering brilliance of the Ealing Comedy original. The Ladykillers is absurd when you think about it but at the same time pure genius on all fronts. A literal band of misfit robbers plan to rob a security van at Kings Cross station, part of the play is an alibi in the form of Mrs Wilberforce, a kindly old lady who has a room to rent. The robbers pretend they are am amateur string quintet and 'practice' while making their plans. The robbery goes off without a hitch but it is the fallout afterwards that is trips them up as one by one their greed gets the better of them. A true original.

The Italian Job

Going with the car colours which happen to work for the UK and US. I've only ever seen the end of the original, which is rather annoying as it gives it all away, sort of. My Dad loves the original Italian job and thought this wasn't too bad. I can't even remember what they're stealing, why they were stealing or what was happening. Whatever, I only watched it because Edward Norton was in it. I recall this film came out near to the time when Jason Statham started to ruin his career and there was the car chase but thats it. 

Ocean's Eleven

This is a remake so slick I can't be angry with anything that happens in the film. Clooney, Pitt and Damon, now a power trio. The cast actually boasts some brilliant talent here as well as having Soderbergh directing. I confess I've never seen the original film and I really should see it as I love this one very much. I didn't like the franchise tha followed, those were unnecessary. A heist that takes a team of 11 to complete and isn't just about the money but for something more, with a very entertaining Vegas background and Don Cheadle trying his hardest to convince us he's cockney, what more could you want.

Blind Spot Series: The Lives of Others

The Lives of Others came out in 2007 (in the UK) and it conjured up a storm. Winning the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars and the BAFTAs as well as winning many other awards in Europe. I was in college when the film was released but that point I never really saw foreign films at the cinema, only at home. It was around this time I got my first job so I had money, finally, to spend on DVDs. The Lives of Others was one of the first DVDs ever bought. I started to watch this film in 2007 but for some reason, I stopped. The film, like many others, remained on my shelf for years until after University when I culled my collection. I ended up giving the film away to my aunt and uncle who likes it. I included the film in my list as I thought it was a modern classic, especially as Ulrich Mühe, who starred in the film, died soon after the film's release. He was a notable actor in Germany and this, I would have thought would have been his breakthrough. After 7 years I watched the rest of the film, remembering where I left off. 

Set in 1984, East Germany, the Stasi are spying on thousands of citizens and forcing thousands to spy for them. Gerd Wiesler, a well known and well established Stasi officer agrees to monitor a notable playwright, Georg Dreyman, after his superiors, one eager for a promotion, the other wanting to break Dreyman up with his well known actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria. It transpires that the Minister of Culture has black mailed Christa into performing sexual favours to avoid being black listed, unknown to Dreyman. With Wiesler listening and wtaching, he asists in Dreyman discovering whats been happening. After the suicide of of one of his best friends who was black listed some years ago, the once loyal Dreyman writes an article to be published in West Gemany about how the government doesn't care about the high rate of suicides. Weiesler, who has now started to sympathise with Dreyman doesn't report this activity. But when Christa is arrested for buying medicine, she is forced into revealing that Dreyman is the author of the article, but again Wiesler steps in and removes the unregistered typewriter used to write the article from Dreyman's flat, thus clearing him of any charges. But in a tragic twist, Christa wracked with guilt runs into the road is hits by a lorry, killing her. Wiesler, now in disgrace is moved to an undignified department within the Stasi.

 Years later the wall comes down, he walks out of the Stasi knowing that the organisation will also fall. A few more years later Dreyman finds out that he was under surveillance and requests the records. The transcripts do not reflect the real events and he realises that an officer had helped him. Dreyman finds Wiesler, now a postman, but chooses not to approach him, instead he dedicates his latest book to HGW XX/7, Wiesler's code number, thanking him.

 There is far more to the film than I can summerise but these are the bare bones of the story. One thing that struck me was the moment the Berlin wall comes down in 1989. All that is celebrated is a fellow Stasi agent in the same place as Wiesler hears in the radio about the wall and then they all walk out after Wiesler. Nothing more is said. These large events in history do not matter to a character like Wiesler. He understands what is happening and what will happen and decides methodically what is to be done.

The emotional balance in the film is off kilter but it is on purpose and the characters are elevated because of this. Wiesler barely shows any emotion throughout. His small expressions are like delicate little ticks that lets the audience know what this character is feeling. He feels compassion when Christa dies and hope when he buys a copy of the book deicated to him from Dreymen. His anger and disgust is more obvious but he knows better than to lash out at any moment. At first he comes across as ruthless when teaching a class of recruits on how to tourture someone but gradually you can see his world slowly shattering as he wakes up to the type of organisation he has joined.

It's been a long time coming and I can't decide whether the wait hindered my opinion or enhanced the experience of the film. I'm annoyed as I can't remember why I stopped and why I gave the film away. I bought it specifically because it had won awards and had been recommended. In some ways, I'm glad it took me 7 years to finish the film as I now have knowledge I didn't have back the. I now recognise the cast of the film and have seen other films they've been in. The subject matter is also more familiar to me and I can appreciate German cinema after studying film studies for 2 years and film and TV for a further 3. My own knowledge has also improved. But had I seen it 7 years ago I feel I would have been more affected by the characters and the story. I am stunted in some ways that i cannot always just enjoy and appreciate a film for what it is, a story with interesting characters. 

My expectations were high for this film and it did deliver. The story itself is just one of many about those who suffered at the hands of the Stasi, I felt like I was watching a ghost film. The shadows of an excellent film were there but I felt too much like an outsider. I'm not sure if I can explain this well enought to get across my weird standing on my viewing experience. I hope it is clear that the film was what it promised to be, a story about dissolution, desperation and how kindness can be unexpected.

To see where it all started and for an excellent insight to film, have a look at The Matinee and have a look HERE for more Blind Spot posts from other bloggers.  

Thursday Movie Picks: Music Biopic

There are so many great music biopics out there, but there equally ones that aren't so jazzy. I thought I'd choose a range of musical genres. Don't forget to check out what Wandering Through the Shelves picked, the blog that started Thursday Movie Picks.

Walk the Line

I love Joaquin Phoenix so of course I ran to see this film when it first came out. I knew a little bit about Johnny Cash and had heard some of his music before. I knew he was infamous as well as famous, but casting Pheonix was a stroke of genius. Johnny Cash even approved him for the role before he died. He was electrifying. I also loved that he sang all of of the songs too so naturally I own the soundtrack too. How Johnny Cash went from singing hymns to country music and from being the 'black sheep' of the family to being one of the most famous singers is pure brilliance throughout.

Amadeus

Where is Tom Hulce?  Well, he's now an award winning broadway producer but for me, he'll always me the insane incarnation of Mozart and of course Quasimodo from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. The esteemed Salieri relates to a priest how he killed Mozart out of jealousy. Just like the poster and trailer says, its about music, madness and murder and its simply superb.

Control

  Ian Curtis, from Joy Division, was a name a read about frequently during my school days. His name and Richie Edwards (former Manic Street Preachers musician who disappeared) were always on the cover of NME (New Musical Express) which I read every week when at school. I liked some of of Joy Division's music and I liked a few other bands who had been compared to them. Of course Joy Division, after Curtis' death went on to become New Order. The film chronicles Ian's marriage to Deborah Curtis when they were 19 and 18, the formation of Joy Division, his struggles with epilepsy, his affair with Belgium journalist and his suicide at the age of 23. This was another film wth excellent casting, before he was famous Sam Riley is a perfect fit for Ian. The film is beautifully photographed which is no surprise as it was photographer Anton Corbjin's directorial debut film.

Like A Fox

I'm surprisingly hyped for Disney's Zootropolis. I love Disney movies but I'm pleases to see them heading back to animals. Princesses and songs are great but after the over kill of Frozen, I was keen for something different.

I must have watched the trailers hundreds of times and even wistfully looked the at the new Funko Pop figures. I'm a sucker for a unlikely pair teaming up to fight crime/solve a mystery and with Judy Hopps, a rabbit and Nick Wilde, a fox as the lead characters, I've been won over already.

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a thing about foxes. I even have a tattoo of one on my arm. Foxes are always the villain in stories and folk tales but there are a few that are either heroes or just fantastic.

In the Fables comic, there is of course a fox, Reynard in fact. He is known mainly as a trickster and there is a whole wiki page about him and his history HERE. The character is based on this legendary character. But he isn't an evil character, he's sly and manipulating but he sides with the 'good' fables every time.

In The Animals of Farthing Wood, Fox, that's his name, is the leader of the group of animals fleeing their home as its destroyed. Technically it was children's TV show but it barely had any comedic moments, plus lots of characters were killed off or injured dramatically. I loved this when I was younger.

One of my all time favourite Disney films is Robin Hood. Taking a legendary, sometimes mythical figure in English history, robs from the rich to give to the poor and adding animals is pure brilliance. Making the hero of the story a fox may at first seem like an odd choice but as foxes are quick, sly, clever and let's face it cool under pressure, a fox is perfect. 

I wasn't too fond of this tale of a doomed friendship between a fox and a hound, but Tod the fox and Copper the hound are adorable when young. The real story behind this Disney sugar coated adaptation is sad and I understand the changes but I couldn't casually watch this for fun.

Quote unquote fantastic Mr Fox is, fantastic. But in this brilliantly constructed stop motion animated film of Roald Dahl's classic short story, Mr Fox is another, in a long of Wes Anderson creations, a bad dad who is full of himself. He is a clever fox but he gets carried away, ultimately he does redeem himself. He is also quite a snappy dresser too.

Looking forward to Zootropolis next week and for any future fox stories, but nothing beats this fox here.

Happy Bloggerversary!

After 6 years, Ever So Ethnically Confused is still going strong!

On this day back in 2011, I wrote my first post. It was very different to how I write now, for one thing, it was only a paragraph long!

I think I started the blog to get writing and I was preparring myself to leave Uni as well document my shoot and my disseration. I loved this title for my dissertation post. Again very short and to the point.

True to my word though, I wrote the dissertation in 3 days and edited and printed on the 4th day. It's the only way I could have got it done. I also didn't leave my room for 3 days straight, but neither did my housemates. We all did Film Production so we knew the drill and deadlines.

So, on this day 6 years ago, I wrote this post.

It was a theory I still stick to and its been backed up by proof. There has been a Buzzfeed article about it to, and if its been on Buzzfeed its got to be a real thing. It's not always a bad thing, it just means, well something different.

This day also marks my last day at my current job where I've been for over 2 years. It's time to move on and I couldn't be more excited (and nervous) about my new job on Monday.

Today also happens to be St Patrick's Day where everyone tries to prove they are Irish and the actual Irish just drink and have fun. My claim to an Irish heritage is just that, my name, Hogan. But I will celebrating tomorrow.

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all and Happy Bloggerversary from theoretically one crazy Hogan!

Thursday Movie Picks: Intersecting Stories

Usually, intersecting stories means the newest rom-com and 'how many 'famous' people can we fit in one film' but it can also mean, an excellent ensemble cast and hard hitting drama. Maybe that's going over the top. I went for a Mexican, Polish and Irish film this week, makes it different from my usual American and British picks.

Don't forget to check out what Wandering Through the Shelves picked, the blog that started Thursday Movie Picks.

Amores Perros

I expect this to be a popular pick just because of the brilliant Alejandro González Iñárritu's vision, as he wrote and directed this film which was debut feature. Three stories which intersect through a fatal car crash. I've read that the classes in Mexico City are very far apart and they only way for the three protagonists to meet or interact is in this way. Working class Octavio, who goes into dog fighting to save money to run away with his sister-in-law, Valeria, the rich and famous model left in a wheelchair after the accident and the homeless/hitman El Chivo, who cares more his dogs than people. It's gritty but you become obsorbed in the stories. Plus, Gael García Bernal is in it, love this actor.

11 Minutes

To be fair, this is a cheat pick as it hasn't been released in the UK or US. I saw this film at the BFI Film Festival in October. Each 'story' covers 11 minutes of each character with a view point. They all intersect in small ways at first until a the massive pay off sequence near the end where every character we've seen so far is featured. It was Poland's official entry to the Oscars 2016, alas, it was picked but its a damn good film. I wrote a longer post HERE if anyone is interested. I really hope it gets release date soon.

Intermission

Like Amores Perros, several characters all collide, at first, through a bus crash and cross over throughout the film. It's a black comedy with heartbreak, crime, reality TV and a debate over whether a female character has a moustache or not. It has a great cast and in parts genuinely funny but its quite dark too.

Something Wicked

Last week after probably 10 years, I went to see Wicked the musical for the second time. Unlike films which you can go to whenever you please, a theatre trip takes planning and saving, depending on what seats you want. My friend has been dying to see the show and I was more than happy to go. We had amazing seats, front row of the dress circle and we didn't pay an arm and a leg either.

The show was just as amazing as I remember with a few songs I had clearly forgotten. The songs, music, costumes and the story were all perfect. After the show ended, I thought it was about time I read the books. My friend during Uni had read them all and tried to get me to, but I of course had my 'no more than 300 pages' rule, which is silly but its more about concentration. But if its a good book, it doesn't matter.

I remembered sometime last year, it came to my attention that an artist had created artwork for an animated version of Wicked. I assume the musical, as its a little more child friendly than what I've heard about the book. The artwork is amazing and it has been drawn in the style of Disney. It was all over the internet back in 2013 but with my recent trip back to the musical and the building news about the possible film adaptation of the musical too, I thought I'd bring the art work. The artist is Minkyu Lee who worked on The Princess and the Frog and the art work was created while she was interning at Disney. Hopefully the spark of interest and everyone's enthusiasm could be enough for a prompt from the Mouse House but with the musical soon on it's way, I'm not too sure.

It would be amazing to see a 2D version of the film, alas I think this is just a dream as we all know, Disney favours 3D. But I can dream.

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Narrated by Narrators That Do Not Appear on Screen

This was a difficult theme this week. There are plenty of films out with narration but to add the fact the narrator doesn't appear was tricky. Last week's new release Hail Caesar! would have been a great pick but I thought I'd go with some others, two of which are from my top 10 favourite films. Don't forget to check out what Wandering Through the Shelves picked, the blog that started Thursday Movie Picks.

The Royal Tenenbaums

From the moment you hear Alex Baldwin's silky husky voice, you are welcomed into the arms of the strange but almost functional Tenenbaum family. Three genius siblings, a talented mother and the terrible person as the head, plus s few odd balls, old friends and cuckholded spouses to round out the cast. The intro to the film with its prologue and enjoyable opening credits, Alec Baldwin narrates us through the story with ease. 

The Virgin Suicides

I half thought about not including this pick, mostly because it is unclear if the narrator actually appears in the story but the actor, Giovanni Ribisi, does not physically appear. The strange and tragic story about 5 sisters in the 1970s who are kept away from society (practically) to the point they literally lock them away in their house, forcing them to commit suicide. On the surface, it may be obvious as to why they did it, but there is a constant mist of mystery surrounding the girls thats never really solved. The narrator acts as another spectator, rather than offering another point of view but its needed to voice the thoughts of those who don't speak. This is the film that I see as Sofia Coppola's winning film, not the over blown Lost in Translation. 

Amelie

Another film with a most excellent opening prologue and introduction. The narrator, André Dussollier, gives us, the audience a few facts about key characters and even minor ones too, with light anecdotes accompanied by equally amusing visuals. The narrator is actually intergual to the story of Amelie as she tries to do kind acts for people, as well as fall in love and try to decide what she wants from life. The narrator expresses feelings for the characters in the most deadpan way which I loved. 

Happy International Women's Day

I started but just watching the amazing little video that Google has on their site and by sharing Amy Poehler's Smart Girl post about the legend that is Aretha Franklin performing at the Kennedy Centre and I just wanted to add my own tribute, even if it is only small.

To celebrate International Women's Day I've created a (basic) collarge of all the inspiring women out there, may they be directors, actors. illustrators, artists, muscians, writers, athletes, creators and even inspiring characters. These are are just a handful of inspiring women.

You may know them, you might not, but they are all amazing. Happy International Women's Day everyone!!

Hail, the Coens!

I think it goes without saying, I love the Coen Brothers and I like to think I know about them too. I even wrote my disertation about violence anf genre twisting in their films for University. Having to research about two directors/writers work for an entire years has got to mean I like their work. So again, it goes without saying I've been extremely excited about Hail Caesar!

I remember reading about the film years ago, back when Burn After Reading was out. The original script was said to be about a theatre troupe in the 1930s who put on a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Then A Serious Man arrived and I was thrilled to see it at the BFI Film Festival. Like a 'fan girl' I squealed with joy as I was literally a few feet away from, I have the photo to prove it. Then the story died down about Hail Caesar! and True Grit was made. I actually saw that film three times at the cinema. More rumours about Hail Caesar! circulated and there was a story change but the one consistant was that George Clooney was involved. Then Inside Llewyn Davis came out featuring quite a few actors that hadn't appeared in Coen Brother films before. I got to see this film at the festival too, premiere night, 2nd row. Again, I was in heaven. Then finally a trailer appeared for Hail Caesar! and it was everything I had hoped it would be.

I won't go into too much details about Hail Caesar! as I will include it in my Watch List this month but I will say is a brilliant film. At first I was surprised at how much attention the film has been given. Usually the Coen's films gain interest from the faithful cinephiles and Coen fans and those 'in the know'. But Hail Caesar! has got everyone saying they want to the film. I think its due to the appearence of Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson that has given the film it's push, as well has having a star studded film. Burn After Reading also boasted a star studded cast but again Hail Caesar has the edge but setting itself in 50s Hollywood, the height of the star system in studios. It has the glamour and strange underbelly and this was also when Communism was being hinted at among Americans. Not only did the Coens film their film but they also shot several scenes from other films in the film, no easy task. Everything was just pitch perfect throughout but enough of me talking about the film, that is for later.

Apart from being excited about the film, I re-read some Coen books as well as a quick flick through Ethan Coen's solo work, such as his book of poetry, 'The Drunken Driver Has The Right Of Way', his plays, 'Almost an Evening' and his book of short stories, 'Gates of Eden'. I actually had the book on cassette and during Uni I became a little obsessed with the story that Steve Buscemi read. Along with all this reading and watching new clips of the film on YouTube I went to a Coen Brothers themed quiz hosted by Little White Lies.

I dragged my sister along to a pub in Islington, which she found out was haunted, and we became Team 'Nice Marmet'. My sister then told me (but I already knew) that she had only seen 1 or 2 of their films. But it was no matter, I was confident we would/could do well. There were 5 teams, all with more people, one particularly large team seemed cocky, but still I had faith. The rounds were quite difficult especially the last round which weren't questions about the Coens but random questions that were connected to The Big Lebowski, like, how much does a bowling pin weigh. Anyway, the cocky team won and one guy was just so arrogant every one in the room boo-ed him of stage. My sister and I came 3rd, which, considering there was only two of us is pretty damn good. Then, here is where I get big headed, my sister did say that she helped with a few questions but I answered the rest. I'm quite proud of that. But I think if I was on my own I wouldn't have had the confidence, my sister was needed, I couldn't be 'Nice Marmet' alone.


I enjoy quizes, mostly film related ones but a Coen one was too hard to resist. I just need a Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright one and I'm set.

As I said, what I thought of Hail Caesar will be told in my Watch List. But my opinions in short will be on Twitter much sooner.

What If... We Changed Cinema Ratings

I've talked about the Bechdel Test a few times and have discussed this at length my sister and friends, so just to recap:

The Bechdel Test was first introduced in 1985 in Alison Bechdel's comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For (see above). The comic strip entitled 'The Rule' featured an unnamed female character saying she would only watch a film if it satisfies 3 requirements. Those are:

1. The film has to have at least two women in it

2. The women have to talk to each other

3. The conversation they have has to be about something besides a man or men

Variants for the test have been mentioned, such as, the women characters have to be named and their conversations have to be longer than 60 seconds.

 

I also mentioned The Bechdel Test in another post last year when Empire magazine published a poll about the greatest film characters, which can be read HERE.

What made me think about the test lately, wasn't just about the Oscars and the rest of awards season or about just how many female screenwriters have written award nominated films or highly acclaimed film of late but aren't talked about, much, at all, BUT its also to do with an article on Indie Wire.
The article is about Swedish cinemas introducing a Bechdel Rating for the movie releases and the impact it had. The link to the article is HERE.The Guardian also covered the story back in 2013 HERE.

What has happened is that four cinemas in Sweden has introduced the rating. If the film passes the test, the three conditions, it is given an 'A' rating and it is featured on the poster. This was implemented so that audience was encouraged to 'think critically about the media that they're watching'.


The 'A' system was started and created by Ellen Tejle, the cinema director and programmer back in 2013 and since the success, it has grown to now 30 cinemas across the country. The Bechdel Test is also being taught in schools. It makes students aware of gender and racial diversity issues in films. 

I find that the biggest achievements, apart from the test being included in eductaion is that the industry is changing too. Back in 2013, 30% of Swedish films passed the test but in 2015 the percentage went up to 80% of films passing in the test and earning the A rating, in just 2 years!

I have hopes that other countries (mainly the UK and US) will see the success of the system and bring it over. It shouldn't been seen a way to 'shame' a film but just make the audience aware. The audience cant take active interest or not, but the fact that the rating is there can and has proved to make a difference. I look forward to the day I see an A on a film poster in my local cinema.