Cedrik - a short, animated film

Another short film for your enjoyment - there are some excellent ones out there, so if you're enjoying them keep popping back because I'll post the best I find.

The Grim Reaper leaves his nephew. Cedrik, in charge when he takes a week off. However, on his return he discovers Cedrik has made one or two 'executive' decisions.

Directed by Jens Kaemper, this beautifully animated short film is very funny - watch out for the pop culture references! In German with English subtitles.

Is Derren Brown's Apocalypse a Fake?

There's a bit of a controversy about Derren Brown's latest programme, Apocalypse, in which Derren convinces an unsuspecting member of the public that the earth has been hit by a massive meteor and overrun by zombies. The problem is, the 'victim' has been identified as someone with a background in acting, leading to accusations that the whole thing may be fake. The rumours are swirling around Twitter, and the Daily Mail has also picked up the story.

I haven't seen the programme - planned to watch it this evening - but one thought did occur to me: maybe the guy is an actor, and that is the whole point. Perhaps the joke is on us, the audience, and is a reminder about not believing everything we see on television? Or maybe not.

I'll update this post when I've seen the episode, but in the meantime if you have any thoughts on the matter do share them in the comments!

Updated to add: I've now seen the first episode, and yes, I can see why some people are dubious about it. Not only for the reason mentioned above, but some other things don't make sense. For example: when Steve wakes up after apparently being unconscious for two weeks, at no point does he seem to wonder why his hair and beard* haven't grown. Also, why, despite a long period without food or water, he isn't the tiniest bit dehydrated. Those things would occur to me, maybe I'm odd. And finally: is it really possible to hypnotise someone into such a deep trance that they can walk some distance, get undressed, and put on a pair of pyjamas without knowing they're doing it? Hmm.

* OK, I wouldn't wonder about the beard bit, I've never got the hang of beard growth.

Another Spooky Short Horror

It's nearly Halloween, and what could be better than a good, old-fashioned spooky-house story? In this film, a woman alone in an isolated farmhouse confides to a friend that she is being plagued by disturbing phone calls every morning at 3am - events then take an even more sinister turn.

3:00 AM from Stephen Volk (the writer of Ghost Watch and co-writer of The Guardian)  is extremely creepy, especially the use of sound which reminded me of the black and white classic, The Haunting. So close the door, turn off the lights and enjoy - and that sudden thud from upstairs? Why, I'm sure it's only the pipes, what else could it be?

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

This post should really be entitled 'A Film I Did Not Except to Enjoy'. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is as silly as the title suggests. The basic premise of the story is that not only was Mr Lincoln one of the most famous American presidents, champion of the abolition of slavery, and the tallest US president; he was also involved in a lifelong battle against the forces of the undead. Yes, I know that sounds quite daft, and it is, but daft in a really good way.

If you are prepared to suspend belief and stick your tongue very firmly in your cheek, AB:VH is thoroughly enjoyable. The film is based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith (author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), who also wrote the screenplay. Despite the surreal storyline, it has a strong cast - most notably Benjamin Walker who makes a very convincing Lincoln, and Rufus Sewell as a thoroughly evil chief vampire - and never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously. It's a non-stop roller-coaster of a movie; the action starts almost immediately and continues at a pace throughout. Oh, and not one of the vampires sparkles - I think that's always a plus point!

If you missed it in the cinemas it's now available on dvd, and it's well worth grabbing a copy if you're looking for something that is scary but fun for your Halloween entertainment.

Interesting Short Film

Just popping in to share this short film. Lovefield by Mathieu Ratthe is described as combining "elements of HORROR, SUSPENSE and DRAMA to create a story that takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions." I'm not going to say any more, except that it's beautifully shot with a nice twist at the end.

And yes, I know it's been quite some time since I posted here - no idea why - I should drop by more often. Oh, and do something about the theme which looked great in 2008, but now looks as naff as neon-green comic sans font.

How little tricks heighten the tension

The video above shows one of the most frightening scenes in Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining - although I think that accolade probably goes to the woman in the bath - to find out why it is so scary, read this fascinating post.

Well I'm happy ;-)

According to the Strange Culture blog, George Clooney has been picked to play The Lone Ranger opposite Johnny Depp as Tonto. Someone waft me with a damp newspaper please  . . .

Paul Newman RIP

Just heard Paul Newman died yesterday.

The term film star is thrown around a lot these days, but Newman was the real thing, not only a great actor, but a great screen presence. 

Michael Moore hoping for a Slacker Uprising

Michael Moore has annouced plans to release his latest film as a free download (but only to residents of Canada and the US). Slacker Uprising follows the director's tour through a number of US states during the 2004 election and is intended to act as a spur to persuade younger members of the American electorate to go out and vote. It will be interesting to see if it can have the desired effect on a generation who have been labelled apathetic about politics - although personally, I think the same can said about a lot of older people too, but that goes beyond the scope of this blog.

Wanted is not wanted

Following complaints from 18 people, the Advertising Standards Authority have banned the publicity posters for the film Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie.

I can appreciate they have a job to do, and, that they have to consider the feelings and reactions of the population as a whole, but surely this is a case of locking the stable door after the horse has not only bolted, but has headed for Dover, caught a ferry to Calais and set up home in the Dordogne. The film came out in June. It is now September.

Surely they jest

Apparently, fans are not keen on the idea of Simon Pegg appearing in the latest Star Trek film as the character of Scotty because of his background as a comedy actor. There's a certain irony in that because anyone who has ever heard a real Scottish person speak would say that James Doohan's accent was pure comedy.

Tackling zombies with a pair of Val's knickers

Call me picky, but when I see a glaring error in a film it rather spoils the whole thing for me, and this is the case with the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.

I admit I'm not a fan of zombie films at the best of times, but this one was going along nicely until, for some reason, the writers decided to leave poor, old Andy trapped in the gun shop. I say decided, because that whole sequence was completely unnecessary. As any child who has ever watched Blue Peter knows, Andy could easily have been rescued by the simple implementation of a bosun's chair which could have been constructed using material found around the shopping centre.There would then have been no need for anyone to leave the building. Admittedly, this would have made the film somewhat shorter and less exciting but infinitely more realistic - if you can use that word to describe a piece in which the dead come back to life and attack the living.

I wonder if that is why very few zombie films are made in the UK. Maybe, having spent our childhoods absorbing this kind of knowledge, we would find it only too easy to tackle hordes of brain eating corpses.

Oh, and if you happen to be a zombie, or know any who are feeling a bit lonely, try Zombie Harmony, the free online dating site for the shuffling dead.

A case of creative casting methinks

Jonathan Rhys Meyer (above) appears as Henry VIII in The Tudors. However, as we all know, Henry VIII didn't look like that . . .

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

. . . he looked like this

Anthony Worrall Thompson

Courtesy of Wikipedia

So, wouldn't the chap above have been a better choice?

And while we are on the subject of creative casting,

The handsome fellow above is Henry Cavell who plays the Duke of Suffolk

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

This is the real Duke of Suffolk, who looks like the overweight (and sympathetically painted) brother of this chap -

Still, I suppose it wouldn't be half as much fun with realistic people LOL

Updated to add: If you find the whole idea of historical lookee-likees as fascinating as I do, head over here.

A remake of Papillon - is it a good idea?

I've been meaning to post about this for a while, still better late than never.

A Spanish production company plan to remake the 1973 film Papillon which starred Steve McQueen as a man wrongly imprisoned for murder. The original, an adaptation of the allegedly autobiographical novel by Henri Charrière, is viewed by many as a classic, mostly because of the wonderful rapport between McQueen and his co-star Dustin Hoffman.

Having read the book and seen the original film, I'm not sure if a remake is necessary. It would be good for the story to be brought to a new audience because, true or not, it is an amazing adventure. However, I'm not sure that it would be possible to find anyone who could fill the shoes of either McQueen or Hoffman. And, of course, any actor who does step up is bound to find himself being compared, possibly unfavourably. Having said that, I think if anyone could do justice to the role of Charriere it could be George Clooney, but I don't have a clue who could play Dega.

You can read more about the Papillon remake here and here. And if you have any thoughts you would like to share, why not leave a note in the comments.

As a child I was very stupid and only did things if actors told me to.

For some reason, the British Medical Council object to the depiction of Geoff Goldblum and Will Smith smoking cigars in Independence Day, yet say nothing about the scene where an elderly man (Judd Hirsch) encourages his son (Goldblum) to drive above the speed limit. Do they not realise that is probably directly responsible for the rise in joy riding?!

And what about Jeff Pullman's portrayal of the American president as a tough, macho man with not much between the ears? I think we all know where that led.

Suggestion from my playlist

The Levellers are (in my opinion) one of the most underrated of British bands. Not sure why, but possibly because they had such an overt political message that they weren't deemed appropriate for mainstream radio in the past. Despite this, they have a loyal following and are still going strong 17 years after the release of One Way (see video above).

The band currently have a new album out, Letters from the Underground. I've heard a few tracks and really liked them, particularly A Life Less Ordinary which was offered as a free download and has become a regular on my playlist. Their music has matured, but still has that certain edge and individuality that marked them out from the hoards of folk/rock bands of the early 90s.

You can find out more about Letters from the Underground and listen to some of the tracks you might have missed over at The Levellers official website.

Really scraping the bottom of the trench

When I first heard about the BBC series Bonekickers I was quite enthralled. I love history and archaeology, I love drama and mystery so, what could be better than those subjects combined? Well, a lot of things actually. Headaches, boring train journeys, a visit from those chaps who sell religion door to door to name a few examples. It truly is that bad.

I really tried to like it, but it just wasn't possible. Quite frankly I find the whole thing ridiculous. The characters are flat and two dimensional, the story lines are predictable and overtly PC. I won't even go into the horribly simplistic approach to the technical bits.

Naturally, I hope there won't be a second series. However, I'm miffed at the missed opportunity, Gnomeflickers had the potential to be an interesting and exciting drama which would have had a captive audience if the viewing figures for factual history programmes are anything to go by. Instead we got something which should have been buried under 20 feet of 'natural'.

The Tudors - Series 2

The second series of The Tudors started on BBC 2 last Friday. For the initiated, the series is a dramatisation of the lives of the Tudor ruling dynasty, focussing on Henry VIII. It has come in for some criticism for being silly and inaccurate (this is true), but it's good fun - think an intellectual soap opera -  and well worth a look if you are a fan of historical drama.

Series 2 starts with Henry being made head of the Church of England and about to marry Anne Boleyn. You can catch the first episode on BBC iPlayer for the next few days.

Just wondering . . .

. . . if James Bond is a secret agent working for the Secret Service, how come everybody knows who he is?

Watch films online

Channel 4's On Demand service gives you the chance to catch up with any favourite programmes you might have missed for 30 days after the initial broadcast. There is also a section devoted to films, including Films to See Before You Die (you can see the widget for that in the right sidebar). I'm not sure if this service works outside the UK though (maybe someone could have a try and let me know).

To use 4oD, you will need Internet Explorer* and you will also have to download a small programme, which is used to stream the material. Otherwise, it's all pretty simple and completely free. At the moment films on offer include Natural Born Killers and Once Upon a Time in America.

* I was surprised to see that, I would have thought Channel 4 would have been a bit more accomodating to users of others browsers.