Tianic Movie Poster

Empire Magazine have just released the ‘500 Greatest Movies. EVER.’ edition, complete with 100 different covers with something for everyone. I dutifully chose the cover with Titanic on it as an homage to the very first movie that had me thinking about it a long, long time afterwards and fascinated me enough to wonder how it was created.

So in the spirit of such a release, I thought I would create me own list of Greatest Movies as I couldn’t have agreed less with Empire’s choices. The Godfather is a masterpiece, I understand that,  but it wouldn’t even rank in my top 20.
So, with no further ado -

10. Titanic.

-As I am no longer 11, this is not my favourite movie of all time any more. However, watching it now, although some parts are horribly cheesy, the effects are a little dated and there are some shots that simply look like model people floating in a large tank (which is actually what they are), I still can’t help but get completely engrossed in it. I am a sucker for real-life stories. They carry such weight for me, and I have never in my whole life been affected by a film as much as I was by this one. It has such incredible memories attached to it and was, as I said, the fist movie that I really wanted to know more about, wanted to watch over and over again and the first movie that ever made me cry.

I am not a huge James Cameron fan, I think he is the exact opposite of what a director should be. He’s rude, aggressive, and can be incredibly mean. It’s been well documented that Kate Winslet and he had a volatile relationship, with Cameron reducing her to tears on several occasions. In my mind, that is not the way to do it, and can hurt a film much more than help. Saying all that, however - he managed to make the biggest movie in the history of everything, so he must be doing something right! With a near-perfect cast, a fantastic (for it’s time) digital effects display and a time-old storyline of doomed lovers, this film is still incredibly close to my heart, and I’m sure to many others’ - whether they would admit it or not.

9.  It’s A Wonderful Life

- What a beautiful movie this is. An old school Christmas favourite from 1946,  this is one everyone has seen. Always on at Christmas time, it’s the kind of movie you watch with all your favourite people around you, lots of food and wine and a happy little glow.

That beautiful sound that 40’s movies have, like the actors are standing too close to a microphone when they start to shout, there’s a slight distortion, is one of my favourite sounds in the whole world. (Does anyone have a better way of describing that sound?!). Considered at the time to be a flop, this film is one of the best loved in history. Such a righteous story line, good guys triumph, and you ARE valued, no matter who you are or what you have or haven’t achieved. Family and friends are more important than money and everything will come right in the end. Is there abetter message for a film to have?

There is a magic in black and white films that is not easily reproduced, as proven in that god awful George Clooney ‘film’ Good Night and Good Luck. An era that cannot be recreated. Beautiful.

8. The Shawshank Redeption

- Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, a prison, a Rita Hayworth poster and some willpower make this one of the greatest films ever made. Who could forget the courtyard scene with The Marriage of Figaro music playing through the loudspeaker? It’s hard to pick the ‘best bit’ of this film, as the whole thing is exquisite, from the understated performances of Robbins and Freeman to the fantastic adaptation of Stephen King’s novel., but if I had to it would probably be Morgan Freeman giving the parole board his honest answers as to why he wants to leave the prison. That, and the image of him packing bags in a supermarket really make the film hit home for me, and the idea of institutionalisation so very real.

Such a sad and poignant film, and beautifully made with a hell of a lot of heart but without getting sentimental about it, which can drag a film of any calibre down.

Schindler's List Movie Poster

7. Schindler’s List

- Perhaps the most obvious choice on the list, but is it really any surprise? I’m not going to say too much about it, because it’s very hard to put into words what I think of Spielberg’s masterpiece, but I will say that it is still as relevant now as it was in 1993. It’s odd, but films made about something as terrifying and heart-wrenching as the Holocaust never lose their relevance or impact. ‘Standing the test of time’ doesn’t even begin to apply to a movie so haunting. Once viewed is enough, and I must admit, I’ve only watched it 3 times. It doesn’t lose it’s message, which is what I love about it. Such a message, which is essentially, ’stand up to those who oppress’, is applicable to everyones lives. Oskar Schindler stood up to the biggest gang in history, the Nazi’s, and saved thousands of lives.It could have been very easy to have that message engulfed by the pure horror of what you’re watching, but Spielberg’s innate talent for storytelling rises above the torture and the suffering to bring you out of the movie with the faint ghost of a smile on your face.

Also, on a purely superficial level, this is one film that benefited from being in black and white. I don’t know that the film itself (as opposed to the message) would have stood the test of time - 20 years and counting - quite so perfectly if it had been in colour. George Clooney - take note.

6. The Departed.

- This is a bit of a cop out as I have already written a review on the site for this film already, but suffice to say, this is my favourite Scorsese film to date. I still can’t get over how well the cast worked, when on paper it looks completely nonsensical. The performances of ALL leads are immense, but most notably, Mr DiCaprio’s perfomance was un-be-lievable. Why that man has not won an Oscar yet is completely beyond me. A brilliantly confusing storyline, fabulously built characters and a thankfully bearable Jack Nicholson. Hurrah.

To be continued…

The Other Boleyn Girl - Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
Director - Justin Chadwick

The word ‘romp’ is often used to describe this sort of period film. While that word is fitting when talking about the superb novel by historical fiction wirter Philippa Gregory, it does not really apply to Justin Chadwick’s so-so adaptation.

The story follows the ambitious Boleyn family at the court of Henry VIII, 28 years into his reign. He is married to the pious Katherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess and fierce Catholic. Henry takes Mary Boleyn, the older and wiser (and the more beautiful) sister of Anne Boleyn as his mistress. The two fall in love and Mary falls pregnant. The pregnancy is complicated and while she is in confinement, Henry falls for Anne, just returned from the French court. While Mary produces a son, Anne seduces Henry and convinces him to marry her. In order to do so, he must break from the Catholic church and reform England entirely. Henry, madly in love, does so and the country is thrown into chaos. Anne, however, fails to produce the coveted male heir, and subsequently Henry tires of her. Realising his country will not withstand another royal divorce, his advisors devise a plot to have Anne beheaded for treason. They just need the confessors…

Firstly, and most importantly, two of the three main characters in this story are English legends. Henry VIII was arguably the most influential monarch we have ever had on the throne, followed closely by his and Anne’s daughter Elizabeth I. Anne was a feisty, opinionated, supremely intelligent queen consort, in a time when women were never allowed to be any of those things. The most engaging of Henry Tudor’s many wives, and the most controversial, splitting the opinions of historians and casual readers alike. So, why three decidedly non-English actors were chosen to play these parts is beyond me. Their accents were very odd, especially Natalie Portman’s slightly South-African drawl.

The story of Anne Boleyn that Philippa Gregory embellishes is the more controversial one that assumes the counts of treason, incest and adultery against Anne were all true. Particularly the part about Anne sleeping with her -possibly gay- brother to make an heir for the crown. The fetus is miscarried weeks into the pregnancy, badly deformed and George’s suspicious wife takes her concerns to the King.

Apparently though, Chadwick felt that delicate movie-goers could not handle this and promptly changed the story line so that George’s wife over hears them talking about it, runs off to tell the king and conveniently misses the part where George cries on Anne’s fully-clothed shoulder and says he’s sorry, but he just can’t go through with it.

While the sets and costumes were breath-taking, and Scarlett Johannson’s portrayal of the Other Boleyn Girl, Mary, who sleeps with the King first and bore his bastard child an heir is good, the rest of the movie falls flat. Henry was a charismatic, fiery, tyrant of a King, none of which is evident from Bana’s bland portrayal of him. Portman does her best with a weak script, but her efforts to portray Anne as well-learned and charming actually come across as smug and vicious.

The whole movie struck me as solely a money-grabbing exercise, from the casting of foreign megastars in place of British stars or God-forbid - unknowns, to the removal of the incest storyline to appease viewers and keep the certification low enough to attract the highest audience figures possible.

The next project for Chadwick is the haunting ‘Birdsong’ by one of the best novelists in the world, Sebastian Faulks. His attempt at one period drama went hopelessly awry, I don’t have high hopes for this next much larger, much more complex challenge.

This is the first look at the upcoming film starring, together again for the first time in 10 years, the fabulously talented Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet. The film is based on the popular novel by Richard Yates (1961) and focuses on a married couple in the 50’s struggling to make their suburban marriage work. April Wheeler (Winslet) dreams of life in France, and is aspiring to be an acress - while her husband Frank (DiCaprio) works & plays hard at his job day in, day out.The two are convinced they are destined for more than their current life is providing them.

This highly anticipated adaptation of one of the great American Novels is directed by the genius that is Sam Mendes (American Beauty), also the husband of leading lady Kate Winslet.

Opens Boxing Day 2008.

The Dark Knight - Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Director - Christopher Nolan

There was always the chance that this release could be over-hyped due to Heath Ledger’s untimely death in January of this year. Could a movie based on a comic book really garner Oscar recognition? Could Ledger’s performance really over-shadow Jack Nicholson’s definitive joker? Did we really need another comic book movie?

Yes, yes and thrice yes.

I cannot understand comic book movies, and I thought this would be the only one I review - not through any strong dislike, but more due to a complete feeling of ‘QUOI????’ when I watch them.

With no comicbook knowledge beyond the very basics - Superman doesn’t like Kryptonite, Spiderman was bitten by a spider and swings about like Tarzan, etc etc, I’m always lost and subsequently, more often than not - bored.
So why go see the Dark Knight? Because shamefully, I wanted to see Heath Ledger’s last film. That was the sole reason. Then when I saw the trailer I got more interested - the cinematography and effects looked unbelievable.

The story is, for the casual movie fan, pretty simple. Bad guy = Joker, Good Guy = Batman. The Joker is terrorising Gotham city with random attacks and mass-murders. Batman is under pressure from the new Mayor who also happens to be dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the love of Batman’s life. The basic plot is simple - stop the Joker.

The beauty of this film is the depth that comes out of seemingly 2-D characters. The Joker is tormented, completely void of any compassion or regret, a madman. He makes his life up as he goes along, and yet calculates and executes his plans to perfection. He has no care for how people think of him, and thrives on scaring and repulsing people. Batman is in love, tortured by his responsibility, trying to do the right thing has landed him out of favour with Gotham and he is scared of being unmasked. Ultimately, however, he is willing to risk exposure to save Gotham from The Joker. I wouldn’t call the film subtle, it’s layered.

Christian Bale has been over-looked in the reviews and coverage of this film. His performance is solid, and as deep as Batman can get without doing the character an injustice. His love for Rachel is completely believable and his stunts are impressive.

However, the hype was spot on. Ledger was stunning. Since I was a child I have had a horrific phobia of both clowns and Chelsea smiles. So this character could not have been worse for me to stare at for 2 and half hours, enlarged to the size of a bus. Yet somehow the voice, the twitchy maniacal gestures, the complete lack of feeling, all scared me more than the make-up. The scene from the trailer with the tagline in it - Why So Serious? - was superb, as was a manic chase scene ending with a huge articulated lorry backflipping. As much of a cliche as it is, Heath stole every single last scene he was in. And that would be true if he were still alive now.

All support was solid, all effects were to the highest standard. The most beautiful shot was the lone figure of Batman, atop a building at night, one leg bent and cape softly rippling - the huge backdrop of the city at night with Batman’s slightly sad stature standing like a figurehead.

I will definitely be going to see the next Batman film (something I wasn’t expecting to say upon walking out of the cinema) because last performances and fabulous effects aside, the film was engaging, exciting, terrifying and sad. A combination I would never have thought I would get from a ’simple’ comic book movie.

Candy - Heath Ledger, Geoffery Rush, Abbie Cornish.
Director - Neil Armfield

The amount of ‘indie’ (and I use that term loosely) films about drug abuse is ever escalating, and while some are fabulously brutal, others seem to skirt around the subject. This film falls somewhere in the middle. Based on the novel with a much longer name by Luke Davies, this is the directorial debut from Neil Armfield, and it’s not half bad.

Narrated by Ledger’s character, Dan, this story is essentially very basic. Two young lovers find themselves spiralling into self-destruction thanks to their heroin addiction.

The young artist Candy (Abbie Cornish) resorts to selling her body. The couple fall pregnant and try to quit their habit, resulting in a miscarriage. The fall-out from this being Candy’s mental disintegration, and Dan’s clean-up act. Eventually, after Candy is admitted to an institution, the two manage to clean their lives up, but have they changed so much that they can no longer be together?

If you want to watch a film about the nitty-gritty of heroin addiction, this film is probably not for you. This film is much more about the two people the drug is affecting than the actual heroin itself. There are no crazy trips or shots of needles going into the skin. It’s a film that’s superbly realised, without a doubt. The scene with the stillbirth is quite possibly one of the most horrific things I’ve seen on film in terms of human emotion, and the scene where Dan cons and tricks his way into $7,000 is supremely acted. Cornish is an accomplished actress, but able to portray a painfully raw side of Candy, and her scenes during the melt-down are subtle but deeply disturbing, which is a difficult balance in this type of film.

The indie aspect of this film does it good, gives it an almost voyeuristic quality, without the queasy handheld effect. A brilliant sequence that plays the opening credits is a work of genius, one of the best openers I’ve seen in a while, again - very simple and personal.

In all, I enjoyed this film - bought shamefully in the wake of Heath Ledgers death. Not necessarily the best film on the subject of drug abuse, or with the fastest most exciting plot, but the lead performances are staggering, and if you’re interested in seeing the human, relative side of drug abuse as opposed to technicolour trips and gruesome withdrawl scenes, this is for you. Moving and sweet, it makes the point without preaching and creates a connection to the characters that is so often lacking in these sorts of films.

The fifth book in J K Rowling’s unstoppable series about the boy wizard and his geeky but great friends is the latest to be turned into a PotterFilm. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, while not the fastest-moving, or most eventful of the series, is the book where Harry starts to grow up, and he begins to feel abandoned and angry at the world – aka “A Teenager”.

The film starts, as usual, in the Dursley world, but all is not as Harry knows it. Dementors attack Harry and his cousin Dudley - forcing Harry to use magic outside of school and he is subsequently hauled up in front of the Ministry of Magic who will decide whether or not to expel him from school for this breach of the rules. The wizarding world is refusing to believe Harry that Lord Voldemort has returned, and are branding him and those associated with him liars.

Harry gets off lightly at the trial thanks to a guest appearance from his bearded Headmaster, and he spends the rest of the summer at Grimmauld Place, the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, (a group of wizards and witches - most of whom fought You-Know-Who the first time around) who have re-grouped with Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) at the helm to fight evil once again.
Upon returning to Hogwarts and finding out they have been given the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher from Hell - Professor Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) - Harry and the gang decide to form their own secret society; Dumbledore’s Army, the DA for short. They practise defence with Harry as their teacher and gear up to fight.
Amid all this rebellion, Harry gets his first kiss, and the tension between Rupert Grint’s Ron and Emma Watson’s Hermione forms subtly in the background.
But that pesky Dark Lord has planted an image in Harry’s mind to lure him to the Ministry to rescue his Godfather Sirius (Gary Oldman). It’s a trick. Voldemort and his Death Eaters – led by the blonde bombshell Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) proceed to try and kill Harry and his friends for the prophecy Harry has obtained while looking for Sirius. Things do not go well until the Order turn up and a wonderfully bizarre battle ensues. Sirius is killed by an evil female Death-Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), and Harry runs after her in to the atrium of the Ministrty to avenge his Godfathers death.
Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) turns up, as does Dumbledore and the two greatest wizards in Harry Potter world duel, until Voldemort possesses Harry, and dares Dumbledore to kill him. Harry, writhing and convulsing on the floor a la Emily Rose fights the evil inside him and Voldemort is gone. For the moment.

At the end of this film, Harry finally gets the answers he was looking for, and for the first time in his life, he has an idea of what the future holds for him.

There are some things wrong with this film. The Harry/Cho “relationship”, without all the blather from the books, seems contrived and a little out-of-nowhere and Michael Gambon’s portrayal of Dumbledore is - as usual - too aggressive, too unfeeling, too humourless. One of the beautiful parts of this book was the ending, with Harry’s despair and Dumbledore’s regret at not telling Harry his fate sooner. This was sacrificed for the special effects laden climax at the Ministry, and it was a big mistake. These films are still waiting for a director to get the balance of action and human interaction just right.

On the whole though, this was a fabulous film. Darker than all of the others put together, and with a tighter, much more waffle-free script.
The trio have all finally settled into their roles, with a new stubbly Dan Radcliffe taking charge of the role of Harry for the first time, and finally becoming believable. Watson’s Hermione still has the occasional out-of-control-eyebrow moment, but she has got the balance of pretty but bookish just right, with the odd coy look at Ron to pave the way for Half Blood Prince. Rupert Grint, always head and shoulders above the other two in terms of acting, was not given a lot to do in this film. However, he was brilliant in every scene he was in - more soft spoken and relaxed than he has been previously, you believe and invest in his loyalty to Harry. He is a wonderful character in the books, and faithfully portrayed on screen by the most talented of the three.
Staunton as Umbridge is deliciously evil, Fiennes’ 10 minutes as Voldemort is so brilliant it is impossible to take your eyes off his flattened face, and the new character of Luna ‘Loony’ Lovegood is played to sheer perfection by Evanna Lynch. Director Richard Yates has really grabbed this franchise by the reigns and brought it all together, everything in this film is tighter, truer to the book.

This was by far the best PotterFilm and with Yates signed up to do Half Blood Prince - things, as they say, can only get better.

Director - Martin Scorsese
It’s been a while since Scorsese directed something worth watching. Gangs of New York was a shambles, and The Aviator was good…good, but not great. People are getting worried now, their faith is shaken, their vocal support of the ‘Master of the Mob Movie’ is feeling like an invite for ridicule.

Enter: The Departed.

The line up, while dazzling in terms of big names and pretty faces, leaves you a little “Huh?” – Matt Damon, while accomplished in the role of the good guy, does not seem like the sort of young man who would run around with mobsters. DiCaprio can act, we know that now, and he’s finally shaking off the “Heart-throb” nametag, but again…a feasible member of the Mafia? Debateable. Jack Nicholson invariably brings to mind scenery chewing and ridiculous facial expressions. Throw in Alec Baldwin and the questionable Mark Wahlberg and you’ve got a hotchpotch of respected actors, pretty boys and Nicholson, and it’s either headed for the stars or a spectacularly brutal crash landing.

But, somehow, it all works. It really, really works. The plot is in essence simple, yet outrageously complex, with double- and triple-crossing, right left and centre. Damon is the young Catholic boy brought up by the mob; Dicaprio is the abandoned and brooding rookie cop. They are each asked by their mentors, Frank Costello (Nicholson) and Captain Queenan (Sheen) respectively, to go undercover for their team. So, without further ado, DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan is thrust headfirst into Costello’s world of re-breaking arms, dodgy deals, cocaine-dusted ladies and foul language. Damon’s Colin Sullivan is forced to play the teachers pet to Police Chief Queenan, smarming about and heading to the top of the class where he gets an insiders look at their efforts to catch Costello and his men so he can tip the big guy off.
Meanwhile, Costigan and Sullivan both fall for Maddy (Vera Farmiga), a therapist for the police force, and their paths get drawn even closer together. Each trying to smoke the other out without getting themselves caught, the tension and paranoia mounts, culminating in a fantastically bloody climax and leaving you with the feeling you might have missed something, but you don’t care because the film was so good you almost wet your pants.

This is, of course, a re-make. And that’s OK, because the original (Infernal Affairs) is even more complicated than this, and the two main characters look so similar it’s desperately confusing. Interestingly, DiCaprio and Damon have a certain twin-esque air about them, and it adds nicely to the utter confusion of the film. But, because it’s a re-make, and the original had some gaping plot holes, this one does too, and if - like me - you like to come away feeling that you’ve really grasped the concept, and everything has slotted perfectly into place, you may be a little disappointed.

The acting in this film is top notch, with good old Leo proving he has got what it takes once more. You get the unshakeable feeling that Costigan is nothing less than a loose canon and is in ridiculously far over his head. The scene where he’s talking to Maddy in her office is the best moment in the film, a different Leonardo DiCaprio emerges, completely at odds with everything you have ever seen him do before, and it’s brilliant. He is finally becoming the actor his preceding roles have promised us. While Matt Damon convincing as the bad guy, and you get the feeling his character is supposed to get the sympathy vote – you’re with DiCaprio’s Costigan all the way. Damon is a little 2-D for his character, he doesn’t connect in the same way, and you don’t feel his characters turmoil as well as you should.
For once, Nicholson’s gurning, scenery-chewing, hamming-it-up self is well placed. A few pantomime moments aside, he is chilling as the mafia boss, and he gets some of the best lines in the film. Martin Sheen is wonderful as always, Alec Baldwin is furiously funny, but the biggest surprise is Wahlberg. Funny in a way that makes you laugh and want to throttle him at the same time - so foul-mouthed he makes the Osbourne’s look polite and he is dynamite-volatile.

Scorsese has, at the risk of jinxing the Big Man, returned to dazzling, heart-racing form. This is perfectly cast, superbly realised and while at first glance may seem like it’s a bizarre mixing pot of sink or swim actors and flawed plotline, this is a film well worth seeing and then treasuring when it finally comes out on Special 2-Disc Edition DVD no doubt, where you can display it next to Goodfellas with giddy pride.