OOGIE BOOGIE TIME!!- FAVOURITE HORROR FILMS

            HALLOWEEN- yet another festival I have never celebrated due to geographical problems! But one can dream right? If I could, this year I would dress up like the Eleventh Doctor- bow tie, braces, floppy hair... everything. And I've always wanted to look like Charlie Chaplin à la The Tramp. But alas, this will not happen for atleast the next few years.
           However, if I cannot put on a costume, I will do the next best thing. Sit on my laptop and make a Favourite Horror Movies list. Yippee! OOOOOOH (that's supposed to sound scary). I am not a big fan of the genre (more like scaredy cats laugh at me), but I do watch horror movies from time to time. I tried watching Dawn of the Dead yesterday but the internet went nuts and it just seemed sort of illogical to waste time watching something that was clearly causing me distress.


Note: I am only going to talk about universally accepted scary films. So as much as I love them, there is no Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland in this, and neither will there be things like Antichrist (that's just plain disturbing), Nosferatu (great film, doesn't really send chills down my spine sorry) or The Silence of the Lambs (I prefer to think of it as a psychological thriller).


Honourable mentions: It will sound ridiculous, but I was actually terrified of Megan Fox in Jennifer's Body the first time I saw it. Even with all the "maneater" jokes, I couldn't sleep at night and was convinced she's perched outside my window *shudders*. And as a kid, Chucky, the doll from Child's Play was the scariest fucking thing ever. Obviously with age, I could see the humour in it all, but try telling Mini-Me that. Also, I just saw 28 Days Later and it has not made the total impact on me yet. I thought it was quite good, but then I didn't like the second-half as much as the first.

10) Poltergeist-

This scene comes out of nowhere. Always manages to take me aback. I think the biggest asset of this film was the child actor Heather O'Rourke, whose angelic face and singing bird-like voice, especially when she says the very famous line "They're here" that both scares people and make them want to save this poor little girl.

9) Scream-

Ghostface has become one of the most recognisable villains of the last two decades, because of this film. I suppose the basic plot is the same- group of teenagers being killed in gory fashion by some scary-looking murderer, but it re-invented the slasher genre very effectively.

8) The Sixth Sense-

I am a person who knew of the big secret at the end before watching the film, but it shocked me still. This film, with Haley Joel Osment's prodigious performance, is always entertaining to watch as well as touching to see a little kid so affected by all the death in the world.

7) The Blair Witch Project-

The most amazing film this film does, and why it is so popular, is that we never actually see what it is haunting the three documentary film makers. It is all about the sounds and the shivers and the strange things found that creates the fear in our head. So while they were getting more and more frightened, so were we.

6) Rosemary's Baby-

This Roman Polanki's classic makes one feel breathless and claustrophobic in my opinion, just like its protagonist Rosemary Woodhouse, played by the divine Mia Farrow, when she finds out that everyone is after her and her baby. It also makes one distrustful of one's neighbours because if Ruth Wilson turns out to be a Satanist then well... The ending is the best part.

5) The Others-

Such a film will not exist were it not for the "demonic child" movies of the 70s. Nicole Kidman is great as the concerned and possibly mad mother. I love this film as everything is the opposite of what you think and the final reveal is easily among my most favourite movie twists of all time.

4) Carrie-

One thing this film always makes me think is that if you felt that you had an awful puberty, imagine being Carrie White. Margaret White is easily one of the worst and most horrifying mothers of the silver screen. Of course Carrie turned out the way she did. It doesn't mean she deserved it though. Sissy Spacek as the eponymous protagonist is someone I feel bad for because she had to grow up with her psycho-religious-fanatic mother and mean girls from high school, and well telekinetic powers. In my opinion the prom scene is one of the best scenes ever made.

3) The Shining-

Inspired by events in a real-life hotel, this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece based on a Stephen King novel is as iconic as they come. The whole motif of a hotel from hell and strange things in different rooms has become a cliché ever since, but it is still most potent here. Everyone in this film-  the naturally crazy-looking Jack Nicholson, spaced-out horrified Shelley Duvall and cute creepy kid with quite an imaginary friend Danny Lloyd, is perfect. Add to that the Kubrick precision and hallways being flooded with blood...ah Christmas!

2) Psycho-

Surprised this wasn't in any of the horror films lists I have seen so far. I think this film is so popular and so a part of people's psychology, that we never really look back to see trivial things like what genre it belongs to. Technically this Hitchcock spectacular gave birth to the slasher films genre, thanks to Mrs. Bates. It is so beautifully made, this film, and Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates is such a pathetic little villain, that I don't know, I always feel bad for him. But he does go a little mad sometimes, which results in some of the most beloved murder scenes in all of film history.

1) The Exorcist-

Yes I am the cliché of all clichés, but this film really is that good. And the first time I saw it, I actually did the whole sitting in the dark alone thing, which is not nice. At all. I love that this film is not a lesson in religious dogmas and stuff and the fact that even the priests don't believe in the possession until the very end. Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil and Ellen Burstyn as her mother Chris are excellent in this film. I know everyone just credits the make-up department for Blair's work, but god I would never ever ever want to look like that. This is a film that truly scares us, and makes us think that if a bad spirit can do such horrific things to someone as innocent as Regan, who knows how we will survive it? 

HAPPY ALL HALLOW'S EVE EVERYONE!

Thoughts

I'm so sorry I'm late. I was packing, then travelling, and then I was tired from travelling, hence could not make this post in time. Thoughts:

1) James Cameron really is re-releasing Titanic in 3D. I had been hoping this was a far-fethched rumour, like the one about Titanic 2 in which Jack comes back as he really was not dead but preserved in an iceberg à la Captain America, but nooo. Cameron is a greedy greedy man. Approximately 4 billion dollars is not enough, is it? This will be horrible. If it fails to look good, it will ruin people's memories of this wonderful film (I love it okay, you L.A. Confidential people must calm down). If it succeeds, can you imagine the tears?! Oh my god. I mean, why? Why? WHYYYY??!!

2) Hailee Steinfeld is apparently going to play Juliet Capulet. Twice. The first one, as previously announced, is in the actual story where she is Juliet, Burberry model Douglas Booth is Romeo and Ed Westwick is Tybalt (excellent choice, in my opinion). In the second one, she's been offered the role of the heroine again but logically should not accept it. It is a retelling of the story from the viewpoint of Romeo's ex (bahahaa!) Rosaline. Romeo will be played by James Franco's younger brother Dave Franco, whose existence I was not aware of until quite recently, and Rosaline will be played by Deborrah Ann Woll, who is fantastic and gorgeous and plays one of my top 3 True Blood characters (see banner for another favourite) Jessica Hamby. I don't know, or rather care about the other two, but Woll will be a brilliant choice.

3) Bollywood Bitching of the Week/Month/insert time period here: I saw Shahrukh Khan starrer Ra.One this week. Oh the agony! Anyone who reads this blog and remotely cares about Bollywood films, read this review as the author feels exactly the same way I do. I do really respect the ambition, but the fact is that the film was as painful as they come. I can only explain it by first shedding a bit of light on the Bollywood blockbuster trend that is going on for the last couple of years: Salman Khan, who is another of the big Khans of Bollywood, made a film called Dabaang, which was this totally cheesy, action, silly-yet-awesome one-liners-packed bonanza, like the B-grade films of 70s and I thought it was a pretty unique film and actually did enjoy it. But ever since then, all the films are trying to copy its style. Or the South-Indian style, which has these sudden close-ups and just inane slapstick comedy, but that only works for the South-Indian films. There's Rajnikanth there, who, well to explain it to non-Indians- Chuck Norris is the American Rajnikanth, but less cooler. It is fun watching those films, but it is irritating watching every other film made in the same stupid fashion. I honestly thought that SRK would not follow this fad, but yeah, he did. And it sucks. Also, the director Anubhav Sinha may well be called the current Michael Bay of Indian Cinema.

4) Trailers: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol has a nice-ish trailer out. I totally forgot that this film is releasing this year. We see a bit of Anil Kapoor there, so go India! And it has shots of Dubai, which is my almost-land (I lived in the city next to it, Sharjah, but my school was in Dubai). Woo hoo! Angelina Jolie's directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey has released a trailer. I think it looks pretty impressive. It is about war and love during the war, and despite the over-used formula, it doesn't look sappy or depressing so much. A new Dr. Seuss animated film The Lorax has its trailer out. It is happy, as one expects from a film based on Dr. Seuss stories. I love that it has Betty White. Since I bitched so much about SRK and Bollywood films in this post, it is only fair to show the trailer of his next film Don 2, which was the best part of watching Ra.One. You can see the influence of films like Mission Impossible there, but believe me this is a great trailer (the sound is a bit off, but this was the only one I could find with English subtitles). The first one was a pretty awesome film and I really hope they manage to do it again. I am a huge SRK fan, and he really shows his King-of-Bollywood status in this trailer.

5) By the way, do you think I should make Bollywood trailers a regular feature too? I myself don't watch that many trailers anymore, so I promise to put the ones of the films which I am actually looking forward to.

6) I don't know why I find this funny, but I do. I think I live for the day when Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost complete their Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy/ Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy.

So scared.

I promise I will be on time next week. Bye.

The Magic Ticket

I saw this over at Anomalous Material and found it very interesting. If I was to receive a magic ticket that could transport me to any film that I wished, which ones would I choose? 

The Questions and the Answers are as follows:

What animated feature would you love to walk around in?

Shrek

Well obviously, it is a fairytale land they live in. There are ogres and talking donkeys and cats in boots and gingerbread men and prince charmings and fairy godmothers... what's not to love?

If you were a cop who would you want as your partner?

Nicholas Angel (Hot Fuzz)

I was going to put Jackie Chan, but then I realised he wasn't a character. Anyways, there is no one as bad-ass or efficient or funny as Inspector Angel here. He can solve a crime and catch a swan, and I won't have to do a thing.

What character would you most like to be sat next to on a plane?

Jesse (Before Sunrise)

Okay so I am cheating a bit with this, but seriously who travels in trains anymore? I have always wanted to meet someone like him and just you know, hit off and have the most perfect conversations of all time with. Maybe there would be a poet sitting in front of us also. Ugh, this film...

What character would you most want to enjoy a passionate romance with?

Jack Dawson (Titanic)

He was my first love, when I was 5. And I have never really truly recovered. Obviously I didn't know the meaning of passionate romance then. Has there ever been anyone more perfect, onscreen or off?

What movie gadget would you love to try out (or steal)?

The DeLorean from Back to the Future

Uh duh. What can possibly be cooler? Besides I have always wanted to time travel.

What film’s plot would you alter and how would you do it?

The Stepford Wives (2004)

This question was a tough nut to crack. How do you change something about a film's plot without changing everything else? I'm going to go with The Stepford Wives, which an almost guilty pleasure of mine, because I always think the film is going fine until the end when they totally mess up the plot and start assuming the the robots are people. Just fix that and I won't feel so terrible for liking this movie.

What one film would you most want to be transported into, simply to be a part of that world?

Any of the Harry Potter films

The most unsurprising of all answers here. One of my most precious childhood dreams is to live in this magical world of spells and goblins and Quidditch, and it will always stay with me. I will use my magical ticket for this first. *Priorities sorted*

Go on now. Use your magical ticket.

Mini Reviews- Y Tu Mamá También, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Sex, Lies, and Videotape

       First, a note: I have sort of been on a movie-watching high and it's been really difficult to write any reviews because as soon as I finish one film and am thinking about reviewing it, I put on the another film and lose the chain of thought associated with the first one. So for now I'll be doing mini-reviews of films, and I'll probably do them in groups of 3s. They will have some theme running through them, according to my perception, instead of just putting them in random order or chronologically. Also, I am just going to keep doing these mini reviews until some day I decide to write a proper one for a single film, and then maybe I'll write more of these short ones. Let's see.

Y Tu Mamá También (Dir: Alfonso Cuarón, 2001)

Basic Plot- A very steamy coming-of-age tale about two reckless young friends, Julio and Tenoch, who go on a road trip across Mexico and to a seemingly made-up beach named "Heaven's Mouth" with Tenoch's cousin's wife Luisa, after she finds out that her husband has been cheating on her.


           This film was unlike any coming-of-age film I have ever seen, and by that I mean the transition in people from their childishness to maturity. And Julio and Tenoch were childish. Played by Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna respectively, we see how all both of these friends only seem to care about their girlfriends or their sex-lives or just fooling around. And generally I am not this reprimanding of people, but the backdrop of the story shows how there is a huge change going about all around Mexico and these two seem oblivious to it. I really loved the scenes explaining the lives of people during this time, and how Julio, Tenoch and Luisa just sort of drove by. Luisa is played by the gorgeous Spanish actress Maribel Verdú, who is the object of desire for both these young men. But this is where it gets interesting for me, as they both are very much her objects of desire too. We may think she goes on this slightly hedonistic trip with them to get back at her husband, but what she is really doing is experiencing life. Amidst all the sex-talk and flirting and taunting and fighting, we see how Louisa happens to these two friends, and how they change due to the most unexpected things. I personally felt bad about how different they are at the end, but c'est la vie I suppose.


             The film is directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who is superb. At the face of it, it might seem to be a simple story but it really is not. All three leads were great, but I especially loved Verdú, who I think captured the enigma and the beauty of being an older woman so effortlessly. She is so sexy and serene and funny and sad; I think she really was the backbone of this whole tale.


Rating- 8.5/10

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Dir: Pedro Almodóvar, 1988)

Basic Plot- Pepa is a television actress, whose lover Ivan has just left her. On trying to find out the truth behind where he is, she goes to his former lover Lucía's house and sees that he has a son named Carlos. Both of them later meet when he comes with his fiancée Maria, who while apartment-hunting, are looking at Pepa's penthouse. Also Pepa's friend Candela is there, trying to escape from the police for harbouring Shiite terrorists in her house as she was in love with one of them. So in all this confusion, Pepa has to bring about order, but not without having a few nervous breakdowns of her own.

           My first Almodóvar, I really did not know what to expect while going into this. All I know is that throughout the film a Tyra Banks term was going on and on in my head, the term being "fiercely real" women. That is exactly what all the women in this film were. They were beautiful and sexy, yes, but they were also mental and funny and sort of romantic to the point of becoming cynical. They were portrayed so brilliantly in this, and showed an aspect of them I don't think has been done enough justice in all the other films I have seen- the aspect of men in their lives. I mean there are so many films that tell women to "move on to better things" and care about other stuff, which is fine, but you have got to admit that men are a very integral part of their existence.

           The dialogue was so witty and I could not stop laughing through the length of the film (I can only imagine how much funnier it would be in Spanish). This film started out with being sort of a romcom, and then there was drama and comedy throughout, and it had a very thrilling ending, so I thought it had all possible aspects to a story in it. And the fact that it was women running the show never failed to amaze me. Carmen Maura was the main protagonist Pepa, and she was fantastic I thought. There were also María Barranco, Antonio Banderas, Rossy de Palma and a sort of favourite of mine in all her fabulous madness, Julieta Serrano, who played Lucía. One thing that really stood out for me were the colours in the film. I think we are going through this whole tainted lenses and HD digital camera thing right now (I'm not sure what we call it exactly...help?), and while the end product is enchanting, it has become repetitive for me. So to see a film in which everything is so vivid and stands out, most of all the red, which is I think to show off the sexual aspect of the film more- I welcomed it in all its unfamiliarity. Can't wait to see more of the legendary auteur's work!

Rating- 10/10 

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Dir: Steven Soderbergh, 1989)

Basic Plot- Ann and John are unhappily married. Ann is in therapy as she thinks the waste management problem in the world is more important than her sex-life, and John is sleeping with Ann's free-spirited sister Cynthia. In comes John's old school mate, Graham, who generally befuddles people as he meets them. John disapprove of him, and Ann feels like she should, but she is drawn to his simultaneous display of reserve and intense honesty. Also, as she later finds out, he makes videotapes of women talking about their sexuality. All four of their lives come together and everything changes.

          I am predicting that this film will go on to join ranks of films like Fight Club for me, in the sense that I was not really expecting anything when sitting down to watch it, and was totally blown away by what had just transpired when it ended. The story is totally unique and it is probably the sexiest film I have ever seen. The idea of sex, whether being repulsed by it or intrigued by it, is always there. And it is completely embraced without anyone trying to demean it in any way. The characters are such oddballs, especially Ann, played by Andie MacDowell and Graham, played by James Spader. I loved the innocence and the queasiness of MacDowell, and her final emancipation. James Spader, who played Graham, won numerous awards for his role, and rightly so. He walked on such a dangerous territory, because Graham had to be provocative and sensitive and aloof all at the same time, and in the right measure to make him likeable. He did exactly that. Laura San Giacomo, who I know as Julia Roberts's hooker friend in Pretty Woman, was excellent as Cynthia too in all her sensuality and was a stark contrast to her sister. The quartet is completed with Peter Gallagher, who plays the quite repulsive and well, close-minded John. 

        The film obviously brought about the indie film revolution. Without this, Pulp Fiction would have been part of the distant future. Soderbergh never expected it to be this big, winning Palme d'Or at Cannes and all, but how could it not? The concept, the budget it worked with, the actors, the filming, all were unlike anything seen then, or well anything I have seen yet. It ages beautifully, and shocks and surprises perfectly.


Rating- 10/10

Thoughts

Really random, disjointed thoughts this week. Let's see if we can make any sense out of them.


1) I'm just going to start with the trailers. So what's with everyone and Tom Hardy in the This Means War trailer? He's cool, I get it. But come on, Chris Pine is awesome! And Captain Kirk. And the closest thing to Prince Charming we've ever seen (I like the Princess Diaries movies okay). But yeah, we're all totally going to watch this film for the plot. I personally am dying to watch it because it will be deadly hot, inspite of the total miscasting of Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea Handler (why is she even there?). Sherlock Holmes 2 and Woman in Black both have released their second trailers. Sherlock Holmes looks okay...I dunno. It might be nice, might suck...I can't really care much. On the other hand, Woman in Black has another good trailer out. The first one was incredible, for those who remember. The second one has more Daniel Radcliffe in it. I am really hoping the film will be great...for Dan Rad and just for the genre itself. Finally, on the topic of trailers, I have come to realise that I have become really nit-picky, or well using a more Bueller-esque word, snooty, when it comes to them. For example, The Raven. This came out a while back, but I just saw it. It's awful. The sudden, uninspiring start, the loud music, the psuedo-apocalyptic words appearing on the darkening sky, people talking in urgent voices- eugh. It might not be that terrible, seeing that I love V for Vendetta, and John Cusack's a doll, but eugh. Also, remember how last week I was talking about Tom Sturridge? The trailer of his new film Junkhearts came out. It is so freaking boring, that trailer. I really do not want to see this film because I am convinced that I will fall asleep, but then I won't let myself fall asleep because of Sturridge and I'll just end up with a gigantic headache.


2) So I was having this great movie-watching month, and I had this Halloween thing planned. But then my goldfish-like attention span and obsessive nature came in the way, as they always do. I started watching and am now addicted to Doctor Who. I mean Doctor Who is brilliance and bowties are super duper cool, but I have gotten distracted from my film-related goals and stuff. By the way, for those of you who think I am a major nerd for watching Doctor Who (like what my friends think), I must tell you that I like it for the same reasons I love Indiana Jones. Something about demented cocky heroic geniuses just makes me go "Va Va Voom!" Also the arch nemeses of the Doctor are these things called Daleks, which look like a cross between letter boxes and vacuum cleaners *cue sarcastic shudders*. Ofcourse I'll love the show.


3) I totally forgot to freak out about  Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman reuniting for a new film. YESSSSSSSSSS!! It is a political satire and it will star Joaquin Phoenix and I-love-what-she's-doing-with-her-career-save-that-Gatsby-film Carey Mulligan. Words cannot explain how much I admire Kaufman. I mean, forget John Malkovich, Kaufman's brain would be a wondrous place to visit. And I love Jonze too. Did anyone see the Scenes from the Suburbs short he made with Arcade Fire? It was interesting. I kept feeling like it was sort of the flipside of Children of Men in the sense that the world in it had a lot of young people and no grown-ups of any consequence, except the military folk.


4) A big shout out to Stevee at Cinematic Paradox, who is celebrating her/its 2nd Birthday today. She's ab fab! Also check out her 100 Favourite Films. Brilliant list...one which does not make me feel completely clueless thank god. I am thinking about maybe doing this list, but it is so hard. Also see the goldfish-attention span above.


5) Did anyone see this? She looks fantastic.

Beautiful.

Bye guys.

Just when you thought it was over...

I'm sobbing right now. I can't even...I'm so watching this.

Also, just when you thought Harry Potter could not make any more money... highest grossing documentary anyone?