The Blind Side (2009)

When I heard that Sandra Bullock was getting critical acclaim for a performance in a movie, I’ll admit that I was surprised. So I went into this film on the back of a lot of hype and not entirely sure what to expect.

What I saw was a little disappointing. It felt like the kind of corny American TV film that you catch at 3am. While the story did grip me and keep me intrigued it never felt like it belonged on the big screen.

But I didn’t go to see this film for any other reason than to check out the Oscar-worthy performance, and while I haven’t seen all of her competitors I can see why she won. This was Sandra Bullock’s Erin Brockovich. She took the role by the horns and rode it all the way to victory. A great performance in a mediocre film.

7/10

Date Night (2010)

I got the opportunity to see a film that would normally pass me by and I’m glad I got to. I have always loved Steve Carell since I saw him steal the show from Jim Carrey in the talking in tongues scene from Bruce Almighty. Every film I have seen him in since I cannot help but find his style hilarious.

And then there is Tina Fey, an actress I rarely see in films but have loved since seeing her in Mean Girls (which she also wrote).

So, Date Night. A film that on paper shouldn’t work. A couple get in trouble in New York when they get caught up in a case of mistaken identity on the eponymous date night. What made the film worth watching though were these two comedic talents going all out. An average film made good by great comedians.

7/10

Kick-Ass (2010)

From the very first time I saw Stardust I was looking forward to the next film from Matthew Vaughn. Then the trailer for Kick-Ass hit the Net and I was officially excited. This was a film that was going to merge comedy and superhero and might actually work.

Well, at times it did work but at others it really didn’t. Sadly it was the central character of Kick-Ass that was the most annoying. He had one scene that stood out but after that I was looking forward to him going away so we could focus on the equally brilliant Chloe Moretz, Nicholas Cage or Mark Strong.

It was a frustrating film because of this. This film would have been better if it had been called Hit-Girl or Big Daddy as they were worth the entrance of admission.

7/10

Whip It (2010)

I love Ellen Page. There is something about her that I find appeals to me. If I see her name in a film it makes me pay attention. For someone so young she has a lot of charisma and screen presence as the excellent Juno proved.

So when I heard that Drew Barrymore had directed a comedy about roller skating starring Ellen Page I was immediately interested. Unfortunately this film showed that Ellen alone cannot carry a film and Drew should stick to acting.

This was mediocre at best. It was clichéd, lacking in laughs and nothing I hadn’t seen 100 times before (although this was the first time on roller skates). Disappointing.

5/10

5. Spirited Away

This was the film that introduced me to the great Hiyao Miyazaki. It changed my opinion of animation forever. Where Pixar would dominate the 2000s with family films watchable by all ages, Miyazaki took it one step further and made a masterpiece. The style of the film may be off-putting to some but anyone who is able to throw off their pretensions will find a film that is visually amazing and gripping to the last minute.

4. The Dark Knight

All the fuss in the run up to this film was the performance by Heath Ledger and I was all prepared to disagree with them all and say he was ok and the film was alright. I don’t think I have been as surprised by a film as I was by this one. This is not a superhero film, this is a crime film that belongs in the same category as Heat. Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest directors of our time and he keeps getting better and better. And I have to give credit to Heath, his portrayal of the Joker was worth every accolade and cemented his place in cinema history forever.

3. Moulin Rouge!

What? Moulin Rouge!!! Are you serious??? And yes I am. I really struggled with whether I should put it in this list or not. It is not a masterpiece of cinema and it won’t win any acting awards. However, I can’t think of many other films that are as much fun or fill me with such joy every time I watch it. It is a film that defined a decade for me and will always be near the top of my list to watch when I need a boost. It sends shivers up my spine every time I see it and that is a good enough reason for it being here for me.

2. Memento

Memento was one of the films that first got me serious about cinema. I was 18 and starting to realise that there was more to films than just mindless entertainment. Then here came a film that ripped up the rule book and turned normal narrative on its head. But the thing that makes it great is that it’s trick of telling the story backwards is not a gimmick. It is vital to the film and works where any other film would have failed. An incredible achievement for Christopher Nolan and a calling card for what he was to achieve with later films.

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy

And finally we have what is without a doubt the greatest cinematic achievement of the decade. An 11 and a half hour epic split in three and told with such passion that you can’t fail to be taken along for the journey. Peter Jackson did what many would have thought undoable and I am so glad he did. These films were the highlight of the decade for me and will forever sit at the top of any of my favourite lists.

And finally, some honourable mentions that didn’t quite make the top ten: Brick, Kill Bill (volumes 1 & 2), The Fountain, District 9, Pan’s Labyrinth, There Will Be Blood, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Let The Right One In and anything directed by Clint Eastwood!

So, do you disagree with my list? Have I missed off something really obvious? Comment and tell me what you think!

As I was listening to the rundown I found myself thinking that these films can’t be the best the decade had to offer, and I thought I should do my own version to compare.

But as I have not seen as many films as I would like I will only do a top ten list and please forgive me if I miss out some obvious favourites, the chances are it has passed me by (No Country For Old Men being one of them).

10. Gladiator

What a way to start the decade and this list. Russell Crowe makes his mark with a performance that will follow him forever. It brought the swords and sandals epic back to the cinema and while it has aged a little it still commands attention.

9. Amelie

I remember the first time I saw this absolute gem. A film that could stay light-hearted and jolly from beginning to end without feeling the need to throw in a twist or a tragedy. A beautiful and heart-warming film for any occasion.

8. Finding Nemo

In the 2000s, Pixar went from strength to strength so I had to pick one of their films to be in this list and while Wall-E and Monsters Inc are fabulous, it is Finding Nemo with its story of a father that will do anything to find his son that gets me every time. An amazing achievement that shows that even cartoons can be taken seriously.

7. City of God

“Brazilian Goodfellas” was the tagline that has always stuck with me. To be compared with Scorcese’s masterpiece could kill a good film but thankfully this is a great film and is worthy of the praise. Frightening and enthralling and a must see for any film fan.

6. Requiem for a Dream

It took me the entire decade to finally getting around to watching this film. I am a great fan of Aronofsky’s The Fountain and it was my like for the director that finally got me to see this film. I can’t say I came away having enjoyed myself but it was a film that haunted me for weeks afterwards. This is rare and deserves its place on this list.

You’ll have to wait for a future blog post to find out my top five…

  1.  It had got to the point where I was watching on average of a film a day. One Sunday I even managed to watch four films after church!
  2.  I was running to film as escapism rather than running to God.
  3.  Film was getting in the way of prayer, bible and my relationship with God.
  4.  I really felt like this was what God wanted me to take a break from.

Last time I did it, I did it as a religious thing to prove I could do it and didn’t spend my time wisely. I filled the days with TV shows and computer games. It was a pride thing to show I wasn’t addicted to film.

This time round I set myself some rules and objectives to help direct me:

1. No films, no TV, no computer games.
2. Read my bible every day, pray and spend more time with God.
3. Learn to be in peace and quiet without filling it with noise and distractions.
4. Open up my home to people and have others around for dinner and socials.

So, 40-ish days later how has it been? Well God definitely had plans for the time but not what I had in mind!

Two days into my fast I found out that a guy I kinda knew from church had found himself totally homeless and was facing the prospect of sleeping in his car. After an initial wordly reaction of selfishness I quickly came to the conclusion that I would open my spare room to him for a few days until he could sort himself out.

Well, he’s still staying at mine and it has been a great growing experience for the both of us. A friendship has formed where one might not have done under normal circumstances and the lack of films has helped us to chat and get to know each other rather than sit and ignore each other.

This lent period has been tiring, eye-opening, challenging but really important for me and it has shown me that when fasting is done for the right reasons (and not just out of religion or tradition) God can really use it to move me and shape me it great ways.

I keep up to date with the latest film news through a couple of film websites but I also choose to listen to two film podcasts:

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s Film Review

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lvdrj

This is by far my favourite podcast out of all I listen to. It is the one I regularly look forward to every week and am sad when Dr Kermode or Dr Mayo are on holiday as it is just not the same. The way these two banter between each other is brilliant and the film reviews are always entertaining. I even got the opportunity to go to Leeds and see a live version of the show which was brilliant.

While I may not always agree with the opinions given I don’t primarily listen to find out what to watch, I listen for the pure, unadulterated wittertainment.

Cinemagogue (Mars Hill Church)

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/cinemagogue

Pastor James Harleman of Mars Hill Church regular shows films and chats about them before and afterwards from the Christian perspective. I find him very entertaining and he highlights things in the films that I would have otherwise missed. If you are a Christian and a film lover I recommend you catch a listen.

View the entire series

I wasn’t too fussed about 3D either. I saw Beowulf in 3D and it gave me a headache and it just seemed like a gimmick that got in the way of the beauty of film. So I decided to see Avatar in good old-fashioned 2D and then see it in 3D later if I liked it enough.

When the credits rolled at the end of the film my mind did not settle on the gorgeous special effects which is what the main attraction seemed to be. I was drawn to what was a very simple but gripping storyline. A master storyteller has returned to the art he left over 10 years ago and has not forgotten what is important in a film.

The plot is hardly original but that doesn’t matter if it is done well. Humans have discovered a mineral on a planet in another solar system (distractingly called unobtainium) which sells for an awful lot of money. So the capitalists are out to dig up as much as they can, as quickly as they can. However, the planet the ore is on (actually it is a moon called Pandora) is a forest planet inhabited by all number of savage creatures as well as the Navi who are a humanoid race very similar to elves in their appearance and respect of the land.

One tribe of Navi have a home in a giant tree (and I mean GIANT) which just happens to be on top of the biggest deposit of unobtainium around. So a band of scientists are tasked with finding a diplomatic solution to getting rid of the Navi so the diggers can come in. To better integrate themselves with the natives (and also be able to breathe the atmosphere) Navi bodies are grown (called avatars) that the scientists transfer their brains to temporarily, Matrix-style.

Into this setup comes the paraplegic Jake Sully. An ex-marine who’s twin brother has died and who now has to step into the shoes of his genetically matched avatar. This is where the fun begins as Jake is accepted in to the tribe where others before him have not and he learns their ways.

What ensues is Dances with Wolves style “seeing things from the other side” and an internal battle between his human self and his Navi self.

I won’t spoil how it turns out (although it is hardly surprising) but I can tell you that it is 160 minutes of sheer brilliance.

But how can I mention the film without speaking about the beautiful effects? James Cameron has created a piece of art when creating Pandora. The planet is intricate and gorgeous from its gravity defying mountains to its leaves that light up when touched. It is a treat for the eyes that is so layered there is always something amazing to look at on screen somewhere.

So having almost applauded it the first time I saw it I knew I had to see it in 3D to tell once and for all if the extra dimension is worth it. I can say that 3D does what you think it would. It adds extra depth to the scenes and really is the future of cinema. However, as a film lover I would still much rather see a film in the comfort of 2D. Until they can develop a technique of producing 3D films without the need for special glasses it will never be all it can be. The glasses are a distraction and I would much rather enjoy a film in 2D.

So, in the end, Avatar is a stunning achievement by Mr Cameron and I look forward to the proposed sequels. District 9 takes the accolade as my favourite film of 2009 but this comes a close second.

[9/10]

Skhizein (Jérémy Clapin,2008) from Bertie on Vimeo.

That can give me up to 1.5 hours per day where I am out with nothing to do. I choose to fill this time with podcasts.

Before I get into the actual podcasts I listen to I should start by explaining what a podcast is: The best comparison I can make is it is like a downloadable radio program that you can put on your mp3 player and listen to on your travels.

Getting podcasts is really simple. You find the website it is on and you download it. Then it is just a matter of transferring it to your mp3 player in the normal way. The trickier thing is to keep up to date with the latest podcasts, especially if you listen to as many as I do. This is where RSS feeds come in to it. Most podcasts will have an RSS feed available which you can subscribe to in something like Google Reader (http://reader.google.com) which will update itself automatically whenever a new episode is available and all you have to so is remember to check this one place.

As the tagline of this website suggests, I can easily break down my podcasts into three separate categories:

1. Faith based talks from a number of churches around the world
2. Software development podcasts focussed on .NET and the web
3. A couple of film podcasts to keep me up to date with what’s out there

I’ll be focussing in on the talks I regularly listen to in each of these categories in later posts.

View the entire series