Post by Dale on Sept 12, 2008 19:27:01 GMT -5
Casablanca and the Movies
Episode #2
casablanca3491 - Casablanca
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST, some announcements:
-My “Free Review” Program is on Sunday, and a new option is out to have me publish my results on the show
-Please comment after you saw the show, it helps the ratings
-Please tell me how you liked the episode, compared to the other episodes
Hello, MR Directors and patrons, and welcome to the second episode of “Casablanca and the Movies”. Tonight’s show is similar to the one two days ago. We are still, anxiously, awaiting the new film “The Mills of God”, however I do have a few trailers I would like to analyze (in a segment called we will call Trailer Analysis, as it will be in each episode from now on). Also, I would like to take a look at a few older films, maybe mention a few points about TV shows, and also, out of respect for Mills of God, to boost our excitement, I have an interview with director Cristo, in which afterwards we will take a look at his career and his future. So, if there are no objections, let’s begin!
I’d like to start out with a little Trailer Analysis, if it’s fine. Today we’re starting with the teaser to “The Green Lantern “Origin”” film, coming out by Legend. Now from the start, just by the title, I can tell a few things. First, is that we are faced, obviously, with a comic book film. Now, those have a good history on here, we’ve had Life of Superman, Gambit, and so on, so this doesn’t have me worried, but lets see what else we can tell. Apparently, due to the “Origins” I expect quite a bit of the character’s history, in which some drama is likely to ensue. Showing the transition from normal person to super hero/villain is always a risky task, as it is often done without style, without that sense of reality, even superhero films should have. But lets look at the teaser, maybe we can get a little hint at how this will all play out.
Well, lucky us! It seems that we see the origin in the teaser. It starts out with:
Shot of two F-22 Raptor jets flying through the air, the skyline of Coast City in the distance.
Shot of HAL JORDAN (James Franco) inside the cockpit of one of the jets. A voice emits from his headset.
VOICE (O.S.)
Let’s stick to the plan today, eh Hal?
HAL
(grinning)
Come on, Tom, you know me.
Now, Tom may know Hal, however we don’t, and still we feel like we know where this is going. Automatically, I am given an idea of what kind of mood this film has. Such was the case in Gambit and Life of Superman, each film had its own mood, and that really is the best way to see differences between comic book films. I can sense a lighter film, one with its scenes of humor, its comic style wit, and also, for some odd reason, I sense that this will be more of an adventure then an action. The skyline in the distance, the way Hal grins at the thought of deviation from the plan, it all adds up to give me an idea that we will be taken many places, shown lots of things, and, in the end, be left with a feeling of traveling rather then the typical feeling of watching an action movie. Now let’s continue:
Hal flicks a few lit-up switches before looking curiously towards the ground not too far below, where a large green light emits from a large, deserted park. He then flicks a switch and steers the plane towards the ground.
Here is where the story starts going. Now, I feel like I am babying you be saying this, because I think it is quite clear what is going to happen. He is going to go down to the light, and doubtless, he won’t be alone. Here, I am guessing, is the place where he will become/learn to become the green lantern. Look at the way Hal just turns towards the ground, this lets us in on what we can expect from his character. I’m seeing a man who plays by his own rules, doesn’t listen to anyone and is a care free, wild sort of person. So, I am thinking that the superpowers will come as a delight to him, as opposed to a curse, which seems to be the case in xplayadam’s film “The Raven”. Moving on:
The green light continues to lead Hal until he comes upon a small, sleek, silver hunk of destroyed metal which appears to be a spaceship on the ground in ruins. Hal’s mouths open as he walks over to the ship, noticing a large hole ripped in one of its walls. Sparks fly as small fires consume the ship. Hal slowly enters and sees what looks like a man inside, lying on the floor, only with a slight red tint to his skin. He lies holding his chest and gasping for air.
Here, we have Hal faced with…an alien. The plot has taken off, it is now in flight, and will be so until the end. This alien will probably die, so don’t worry about him, lets focus on Hal. Now, he is obviously curious, as I would be. As we read later in the teaser, the alien is the container of information which will throw us the story:
ABIN SUR
Jordan…you must go to Oa. There you will learn…there you will become a Green Lantern.
Now, to me, this whole scene from the teaser seems more like the start of the movie to me, which gives me the impression that after this the drama takes the back seat for somewhat of a thriller, which could still be fine, it is just more difficult to keep a thriller running for so long. However, Legend is a good director, and I’m sure that he know what he is doing. That’s it for that teaser, let us now turn towards indy42’s most recent “The Punisher” teaser. Here is how it starts:
FADE IN:
Shot of Frank walking down an alley.
FRANK (OS)
My name is Frank Castle.
Simple enough. However, don’t skip ahead yet, as there is a style to be seen here. The alley, the manner of speaking, and even the name, all hint towards a noir background. Having a knowledge of the Punisher, we know that this will be a super hero film, however, I feel like it is one that will play out like a crime film, like a noir, a bit cheesy, as many good noirs are, but still the cigarette smoke filled, alcohol packed, hardboiled noir which we hope it to be.
FRANK (OS)
I lived a good life. Honest.
Shot of Frank at a park with his family
FRANK (OS)
But now I am dead.
This bit of writing doesn’t have me quite convinced I’m in its spell yet. If one thing ruins this film, if something acts as its flaw, its bound to be the writing, which is to be expected for a film like this. Making an action, dark, comic book film is hard enough without having the script to worry about, however, I always hate the see the writing suffer, unless it is for a video with stunning imagery. But, lets continue, maybe our worries will be eased.
Frank shoots a shotgun.
Frank throws a knife.
Frank swings a chainsaw.
Ma Gnucci SCREAMS.
Not exactly what it takes to ease my worries, however, this is still fine, as it shows that at least the films not taking itself too seriously. Unless it intends to use a chainsaw, knife and gun seriously, and then its silly anyways! So, even if the writing is bad and the characters undeveloped, at least we may be stuck with a humorous display of “50 Ways to Kill Someone”. That’s a lot better then a comedy or a drama gone bad!
That concludes that short teaser, as well as our Trailer Analysis section. Let’s now, out of anticipation for Mills of God, take a look at Cristo, his films and his future. To start, let me post and interview I had with him earlier:
Q: I know that you are releasing your new film, “Mills of God” on the 19th. I was just wondering how you felt about the outcome of the film? Do you feel that it stays closer to your Science of Evil style or are we going to get a little imagination like we did in City of Dragons?
A: It feels like a little bit of both. I don't consider it my best film, but I do like how it's turned out. It's action-packed and dark (like Science of Evil), but it's also got some imagination like CoD. Some of the powers put on display in the film are pretty cool.
Q: Also, Science of Evil had some pretty mixed feedback, didn’t it? I mean, I personally loved it, I thought it was a great, deep and philosophical film, however it seemed to polarize people. Are you worried that Mills of God will fall to the same fate? Is it that kind of film?
A: I think MoG has something in it for everyone. It's much less polarizing than "Science of Evil" due to the action and broader story, but it still is like SoE in certain parts. But then...I guess I'll have to let the audience decide. Once a film is out of the director's hands, it can be judged only through the lens of the viewer. Some might find it better. Some might find it worse.
Q: You don’t come out with many films, compared to, oh; say the prolific career of indy42. Does this have a direct link to your writer’s strike that ended just a little while ago, or do you feel that your perfect a film, and just pour over it until you’re completely satisfied?
A: Not really. It's more like my life is busy and it takes me a while to gather ideas and put them in order. I try sticking to my schedule as much as possible. I try to make the best with almost everything I do, but I also procrastinate a lot and so I have to allow time for that.
Q: Now here is a question just for my curiosity. You say that City of Dragons is the biggest budgeted film on Movie Reels. Do you think that paying so much for the film hurt your profit? Could you have trimmed down on the expense for a larger income? Or did the budget help the sales too much, and just the overall quality of the film?
A: It definitely helped the sales. When CoD was released, people accused me of budget padding. That's simply not true. I wanted it to be an "event" movie with as much effort that I could put into it. I'm quite happy with the results.
Q: Now, sorry I’ve been trailing off, however, I would like to discuss Mills of God a little, as it certainly is one of my most anticipated films, its been a while since you announced it, which goes back to what I was saying about how you take your time with a film. What kind of characters does it include? Will we dive deep into them, or does the story take center stage and the characters act as a medium for the story. Science of Evil was quite character-driven and I was wondering if Mills of God will be similar.
A: MoG is definitely character driven. The story takes a while to collect itself so the characters propel the story forward to a satisfying conclusion.
The characters start off as shades of gray and get grayer (like in most of my movies). However, by the end of the film, everyone has fallen into their clearly defined roles which I think makes for a good film.
Q: Two more questions. It appears to me that your marketing for Mills of God isn’t that up and running? Is there a reason for this? Do you feel you don’t need the publicity, or are mainly concerned with quality, and not so concerned with sales?
A: There's going to be a theatrical trailer this weekend. I'm concerned about the quality of the film and so I'm focusing on that, but in the upcoming week, the marketing will be full blast.
Q: Also, one more final question. What do you feel about my television show “Casablanca and the Movies”? Is there any way I can improve it, anything I can add on that you haven’t seen me address yet?
A: It's a great show. Basically do what you're doing. Although I would like to see reviews on movies that came out before you joined the site (ie All For One, Justice, Wasteland, etc.)
Thanks Cristo, I appreciate the interview!
Well, that was most revealing in learning about Mills of God, a film that I can’t help but to picture being shrouded in darkness, as that is the first time I really got any information about it. I must admit, I quite liked his answer to my first question, about what style this film would be in, as he is mixing two perfectly realized genres and is destined to succeed. Overall, I am very excited for Mills of God, I can’t wait to see what kind of film it is and I’m wondering how good it will rank among Cristo’s masterpieces. Of course, everyone is aware of City of Dragons, but I actually consider Science of Evil to be a masterpiece as well. It is so deep, so allegorical, that, though it seems like a psychological mess, it only is so because of how loose the film is, how free it is for interpretation, you, as the reader, must make up his own mind what its about. And, quite, frankly I hope to have that privilege again in the future, perhaps a re-release in some distant day. But, to close off, everyone should see Mills of God, I’m sure it’s a terrific film, Cristo is a terrific writer, one of the best, so its bound to be all right at least, however, it may have his signature deepness, which, as we all know, isn’t for everyone. The good news is, though, it seems more clean cut and limited then Science of Evil. Mills of God seems more controlled, and that makes it more universal, but we’ll see what happens the 19th.
Now, let me, at lack of new films, turn to some older ones. Last time I did two very old films, ones that were here before I was, and now I will continue that, starting with short film ”The Flaming Carrot”, by xplayadam, the director of A Clockwork Orange and is releasing The Raven soon.
The Flaming Carrot
*** out of ****
Well…where do I start. I would just start at the beginning but I’m having a hard time finding where it is. Now, I did not expect this to be good. After a sampling of films “From the early days”, I must say this came as a complete shock for me. Not because it was great, because it isn’t, but because of how delightfully weird it was, and how sinisterly surreal it mixed action and…well, nothing really.
With the Flaming Carrot 2 coming out, I was a little excited because of the humor the trailer seemed to provide, however, now, I must say I am quite excited, and am looking forward to it. What a trip that was! And I mean that in the oddest sense I can. It is a mind trip that will leave you with a feeling like you’re spiraling out of control, and it just keeps getting worse and worse.
He pulls out a bomb from his belt. He covers it in some oil. The Flaming Carrot chucks the bomb into the army. He fires 1 blast from his Gun. A massive explosion goes on. All of the boots melt in the blast. The Carrot looks upon the after mass and smiles. “I did it!” he yells.
Remember that. It is that kind of quirkiness which makes xplayadam a fine director, and though me made A Clockwork Orange, a film I didn’t like in the least, I honestly believe he is one of the good Movie Reels directors, and I cannot wait to see more of his work.
Next, I took a look at a film with an eye catching title, ”In Utero: The Last Days of Kurt Cobain”.
In Utero: The Last Days of Kurt Cobain
** ¼ out of ****
Out of this film, it doesn’t succeed on many levels, however it does pass on 2 of them. It passes at being a fine musical tribute to a singer, and it passes at being quite a neat idea, and a odd, but nifty execution. However, the script and the construction just went to flaw what could have been a mini-masterpiece.
Firstly, I do love this idea. Seeing all of these older films, I wonder where the zany wackiness went that was the charm of this and Flaming Carrot. First, this film is basically one, short, day in his life where it shows him wake up, sleep on the coach and eat, all the while being tormented inside by his inner demons, pressures from friends and family, and the terrible feeling that he is worth nothing. This is where the film reaps its benefits, this and the end. I love how they play these scenes out like they are meaningless. They draw on how he eats cereal and does other such boring activities, however, it is done so we feel the slowness, the dullness of his existence, and all of his pains.
Then comes the end. In a nutshell, he shoots himself, and one of the finest last scenes I’ve seen yet comes about.
Smith: He's just asleep. Thank God.....wait....that's blood coming out of his ear....
Gary Smith opened the door and flicked on the light to a site no one should have to see...
It seems so tragic how it is put here, it seems so devastating, and we finally come to the revelation that his life was worth something, and he will be missed. Thus ends a fine tribute and a fine example of unique story telling.
Well, that is it for tonight’s episode for the older film reviews, lets turn towards our last event of the night and that will be me glossing over TV Shows (besides my own, of course), and seeing if there is anything that looks worth while.
First, lets do a quick review of a TV Show called “The Base”, on the BOOM! Channel.
“The Base” is a show that starts off quite slice of life, and then quickly goes into its own story. With quick thrills and a nice sense of pacing, it is a show to check out, simply to see how the story works. It is a nice example of how to make a TV Show. Thrilling, suspenseful, and a nice sense of both humor and terror as it goes through its story, hitting on every emotion. A perfect formula.
Another show I took quite a fondness to is Batman: The Animated Series. Which sadly, hasn’t had an episode I could see in a while. It stuck true to the original show, and was delightedly fun and suspenseful, as the show. Only, it seemed to have more excitement then the real show reached sometimes, it new how to use thrills to its benefit. Sadly, I think it may be cancelled.
The third and final show I watched was Sonic: The Hedgehog. Overall, its nothing special, and it got cancelled (probably for a reason). I think it was a little dull and had no real fun in it, except I liked the characters from the original video game.
That is it for now, I know this TV segment was short, however, once I finish Clocks and the longer shows, then there will be more reviews. So, right now this just serves as a template for what is to come.
Thank you for watching tonight’s episode, and I hope you enjoyed it. There will be one more episode out (shouldn’t be two, but you never know) before Mills of God, and I will start preparing that one soon. Also, I have no schedule for this show, so just check everyday, as one might move on at any time, but usually I try to advertise it. PLEASE comment if you viewed, as it help my ratings.
See you next time!
Episode #2
casablanca3491 - Casablanca
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST, some announcements:
-My “Free Review” Program is on Sunday, and a new option is out to have me publish my results on the show
-Please comment after you saw the show, it helps the ratings
-Please tell me how you liked the episode, compared to the other episodes
Hello, MR Directors and patrons, and welcome to the second episode of “Casablanca and the Movies”. Tonight’s show is similar to the one two days ago. We are still, anxiously, awaiting the new film “The Mills of God”, however I do have a few trailers I would like to analyze (in a segment called we will call Trailer Analysis, as it will be in each episode from now on). Also, I would like to take a look at a few older films, maybe mention a few points about TV shows, and also, out of respect for Mills of God, to boost our excitement, I have an interview with director Cristo, in which afterwards we will take a look at his career and his future. So, if there are no objections, let’s begin!
I’d like to start out with a little Trailer Analysis, if it’s fine. Today we’re starting with the teaser to “The Green Lantern “Origin”” film, coming out by Legend. Now from the start, just by the title, I can tell a few things. First, is that we are faced, obviously, with a comic book film. Now, those have a good history on here, we’ve had Life of Superman, Gambit, and so on, so this doesn’t have me worried, but lets see what else we can tell. Apparently, due to the “Origins” I expect quite a bit of the character’s history, in which some drama is likely to ensue. Showing the transition from normal person to super hero/villain is always a risky task, as it is often done without style, without that sense of reality, even superhero films should have. But lets look at the teaser, maybe we can get a little hint at how this will all play out.
Well, lucky us! It seems that we see the origin in the teaser. It starts out with:
Shot of two F-22 Raptor jets flying through the air, the skyline of Coast City in the distance.
Shot of HAL JORDAN (James Franco) inside the cockpit of one of the jets. A voice emits from his headset.
VOICE (O.S.)
Let’s stick to the plan today, eh Hal?
HAL
(grinning)
Come on, Tom, you know me.
Now, Tom may know Hal, however we don’t, and still we feel like we know where this is going. Automatically, I am given an idea of what kind of mood this film has. Such was the case in Gambit and Life of Superman, each film had its own mood, and that really is the best way to see differences between comic book films. I can sense a lighter film, one with its scenes of humor, its comic style wit, and also, for some odd reason, I sense that this will be more of an adventure then an action. The skyline in the distance, the way Hal grins at the thought of deviation from the plan, it all adds up to give me an idea that we will be taken many places, shown lots of things, and, in the end, be left with a feeling of traveling rather then the typical feeling of watching an action movie. Now let’s continue:
Hal flicks a few lit-up switches before looking curiously towards the ground not too far below, where a large green light emits from a large, deserted park. He then flicks a switch and steers the plane towards the ground.
Here is where the story starts going. Now, I feel like I am babying you be saying this, because I think it is quite clear what is going to happen. He is going to go down to the light, and doubtless, he won’t be alone. Here, I am guessing, is the place where he will become/learn to become the green lantern. Look at the way Hal just turns towards the ground, this lets us in on what we can expect from his character. I’m seeing a man who plays by his own rules, doesn’t listen to anyone and is a care free, wild sort of person. So, I am thinking that the superpowers will come as a delight to him, as opposed to a curse, which seems to be the case in xplayadam’s film “The Raven”. Moving on:
The green light continues to lead Hal until he comes upon a small, sleek, silver hunk of destroyed metal which appears to be a spaceship on the ground in ruins. Hal’s mouths open as he walks over to the ship, noticing a large hole ripped in one of its walls. Sparks fly as small fires consume the ship. Hal slowly enters and sees what looks like a man inside, lying on the floor, only with a slight red tint to his skin. He lies holding his chest and gasping for air.
Here, we have Hal faced with…an alien. The plot has taken off, it is now in flight, and will be so until the end. This alien will probably die, so don’t worry about him, lets focus on Hal. Now, he is obviously curious, as I would be. As we read later in the teaser, the alien is the container of information which will throw us the story:
ABIN SUR
Jordan…you must go to Oa. There you will learn…there you will become a Green Lantern.
Now, to me, this whole scene from the teaser seems more like the start of the movie to me, which gives me the impression that after this the drama takes the back seat for somewhat of a thriller, which could still be fine, it is just more difficult to keep a thriller running for so long. However, Legend is a good director, and I’m sure that he know what he is doing. That’s it for that teaser, let us now turn towards indy42’s most recent “The Punisher” teaser. Here is how it starts:
FADE IN:
Shot of Frank walking down an alley.
FRANK (OS)
My name is Frank Castle.
Simple enough. However, don’t skip ahead yet, as there is a style to be seen here. The alley, the manner of speaking, and even the name, all hint towards a noir background. Having a knowledge of the Punisher, we know that this will be a super hero film, however, I feel like it is one that will play out like a crime film, like a noir, a bit cheesy, as many good noirs are, but still the cigarette smoke filled, alcohol packed, hardboiled noir which we hope it to be.
FRANK (OS)
I lived a good life. Honest.
Shot of Frank at a park with his family
FRANK (OS)
But now I am dead.
This bit of writing doesn’t have me quite convinced I’m in its spell yet. If one thing ruins this film, if something acts as its flaw, its bound to be the writing, which is to be expected for a film like this. Making an action, dark, comic book film is hard enough without having the script to worry about, however, I always hate the see the writing suffer, unless it is for a video with stunning imagery. But, lets continue, maybe our worries will be eased.
Frank shoots a shotgun.
Frank throws a knife.
Frank swings a chainsaw.
Ma Gnucci SCREAMS.
Not exactly what it takes to ease my worries, however, this is still fine, as it shows that at least the films not taking itself too seriously. Unless it intends to use a chainsaw, knife and gun seriously, and then its silly anyways! So, even if the writing is bad and the characters undeveloped, at least we may be stuck with a humorous display of “50 Ways to Kill Someone”. That’s a lot better then a comedy or a drama gone bad!
That concludes that short teaser, as well as our Trailer Analysis section. Let’s now, out of anticipation for Mills of God, take a look at Cristo, his films and his future. To start, let me post and interview I had with him earlier:
Q: I know that you are releasing your new film, “Mills of God” on the 19th. I was just wondering how you felt about the outcome of the film? Do you feel that it stays closer to your Science of Evil style or are we going to get a little imagination like we did in City of Dragons?
A: It feels like a little bit of both. I don't consider it my best film, but I do like how it's turned out. It's action-packed and dark (like Science of Evil), but it's also got some imagination like CoD. Some of the powers put on display in the film are pretty cool.
Q: Also, Science of Evil had some pretty mixed feedback, didn’t it? I mean, I personally loved it, I thought it was a great, deep and philosophical film, however it seemed to polarize people. Are you worried that Mills of God will fall to the same fate? Is it that kind of film?
A: I think MoG has something in it for everyone. It's much less polarizing than "Science of Evil" due to the action and broader story, but it still is like SoE in certain parts. But then...I guess I'll have to let the audience decide. Once a film is out of the director's hands, it can be judged only through the lens of the viewer. Some might find it better. Some might find it worse.
Q: You don’t come out with many films, compared to, oh; say the prolific career of indy42. Does this have a direct link to your writer’s strike that ended just a little while ago, or do you feel that your perfect a film, and just pour over it until you’re completely satisfied?
A: Not really. It's more like my life is busy and it takes me a while to gather ideas and put them in order. I try sticking to my schedule as much as possible. I try to make the best with almost everything I do, but I also procrastinate a lot and so I have to allow time for that.
Q: Now here is a question just for my curiosity. You say that City of Dragons is the biggest budgeted film on Movie Reels. Do you think that paying so much for the film hurt your profit? Could you have trimmed down on the expense for a larger income? Or did the budget help the sales too much, and just the overall quality of the film?
A: It definitely helped the sales. When CoD was released, people accused me of budget padding. That's simply not true. I wanted it to be an "event" movie with as much effort that I could put into it. I'm quite happy with the results.
Q: Now, sorry I’ve been trailing off, however, I would like to discuss Mills of God a little, as it certainly is one of my most anticipated films, its been a while since you announced it, which goes back to what I was saying about how you take your time with a film. What kind of characters does it include? Will we dive deep into them, or does the story take center stage and the characters act as a medium for the story. Science of Evil was quite character-driven and I was wondering if Mills of God will be similar.
A: MoG is definitely character driven. The story takes a while to collect itself so the characters propel the story forward to a satisfying conclusion.
The characters start off as shades of gray and get grayer (like in most of my movies). However, by the end of the film, everyone has fallen into their clearly defined roles which I think makes for a good film.
Q: Two more questions. It appears to me that your marketing for Mills of God isn’t that up and running? Is there a reason for this? Do you feel you don’t need the publicity, or are mainly concerned with quality, and not so concerned with sales?
A: There's going to be a theatrical trailer this weekend. I'm concerned about the quality of the film and so I'm focusing on that, but in the upcoming week, the marketing will be full blast.
Q: Also, one more final question. What do you feel about my television show “Casablanca and the Movies”? Is there any way I can improve it, anything I can add on that you haven’t seen me address yet?
A: It's a great show. Basically do what you're doing. Although I would like to see reviews on movies that came out before you joined the site (ie All For One, Justice, Wasteland, etc.)
Thanks Cristo, I appreciate the interview!
Well, that was most revealing in learning about Mills of God, a film that I can’t help but to picture being shrouded in darkness, as that is the first time I really got any information about it. I must admit, I quite liked his answer to my first question, about what style this film would be in, as he is mixing two perfectly realized genres and is destined to succeed. Overall, I am very excited for Mills of God, I can’t wait to see what kind of film it is and I’m wondering how good it will rank among Cristo’s masterpieces. Of course, everyone is aware of City of Dragons, but I actually consider Science of Evil to be a masterpiece as well. It is so deep, so allegorical, that, though it seems like a psychological mess, it only is so because of how loose the film is, how free it is for interpretation, you, as the reader, must make up his own mind what its about. And, quite, frankly I hope to have that privilege again in the future, perhaps a re-release in some distant day. But, to close off, everyone should see Mills of God, I’m sure it’s a terrific film, Cristo is a terrific writer, one of the best, so its bound to be all right at least, however, it may have his signature deepness, which, as we all know, isn’t for everyone. The good news is, though, it seems more clean cut and limited then Science of Evil. Mills of God seems more controlled, and that makes it more universal, but we’ll see what happens the 19th.
Now, let me, at lack of new films, turn to some older ones. Last time I did two very old films, ones that were here before I was, and now I will continue that, starting with short film ”The Flaming Carrot”, by xplayadam, the director of A Clockwork Orange and is releasing The Raven soon.
The Flaming Carrot
*** out of ****
Well…where do I start. I would just start at the beginning but I’m having a hard time finding where it is. Now, I did not expect this to be good. After a sampling of films “From the early days”, I must say this came as a complete shock for me. Not because it was great, because it isn’t, but because of how delightfully weird it was, and how sinisterly surreal it mixed action and…well, nothing really.
With the Flaming Carrot 2 coming out, I was a little excited because of the humor the trailer seemed to provide, however, now, I must say I am quite excited, and am looking forward to it. What a trip that was! And I mean that in the oddest sense I can. It is a mind trip that will leave you with a feeling like you’re spiraling out of control, and it just keeps getting worse and worse.
He pulls out a bomb from his belt. He covers it in some oil. The Flaming Carrot chucks the bomb into the army. He fires 1 blast from his Gun. A massive explosion goes on. All of the boots melt in the blast. The Carrot looks upon the after mass and smiles. “I did it!” he yells.
Remember that. It is that kind of quirkiness which makes xplayadam a fine director, and though me made A Clockwork Orange, a film I didn’t like in the least, I honestly believe he is one of the good Movie Reels directors, and I cannot wait to see more of his work.
Next, I took a look at a film with an eye catching title, ”In Utero: The Last Days of Kurt Cobain”.
In Utero: The Last Days of Kurt Cobain
** ¼ out of ****
Out of this film, it doesn’t succeed on many levels, however it does pass on 2 of them. It passes at being a fine musical tribute to a singer, and it passes at being quite a neat idea, and a odd, but nifty execution. However, the script and the construction just went to flaw what could have been a mini-masterpiece.
Firstly, I do love this idea. Seeing all of these older films, I wonder where the zany wackiness went that was the charm of this and Flaming Carrot. First, this film is basically one, short, day in his life where it shows him wake up, sleep on the coach and eat, all the while being tormented inside by his inner demons, pressures from friends and family, and the terrible feeling that he is worth nothing. This is where the film reaps its benefits, this and the end. I love how they play these scenes out like they are meaningless. They draw on how he eats cereal and does other such boring activities, however, it is done so we feel the slowness, the dullness of his existence, and all of his pains.
Then comes the end. In a nutshell, he shoots himself, and one of the finest last scenes I’ve seen yet comes about.
Smith: He's just asleep. Thank God.....wait....that's blood coming out of his ear....
Gary Smith opened the door and flicked on the light to a site no one should have to see...
It seems so tragic how it is put here, it seems so devastating, and we finally come to the revelation that his life was worth something, and he will be missed. Thus ends a fine tribute and a fine example of unique story telling.
Well, that is it for tonight’s episode for the older film reviews, lets turn towards our last event of the night and that will be me glossing over TV Shows (besides my own, of course), and seeing if there is anything that looks worth while.
First, lets do a quick review of a TV Show called “The Base”, on the BOOM! Channel.
“The Base” is a show that starts off quite slice of life, and then quickly goes into its own story. With quick thrills and a nice sense of pacing, it is a show to check out, simply to see how the story works. It is a nice example of how to make a TV Show. Thrilling, suspenseful, and a nice sense of both humor and terror as it goes through its story, hitting on every emotion. A perfect formula.
Another show I took quite a fondness to is Batman: The Animated Series. Which sadly, hasn’t had an episode I could see in a while. It stuck true to the original show, and was delightedly fun and suspenseful, as the show. Only, it seemed to have more excitement then the real show reached sometimes, it new how to use thrills to its benefit. Sadly, I think it may be cancelled.
The third and final show I watched was Sonic: The Hedgehog. Overall, its nothing special, and it got cancelled (probably for a reason). I think it was a little dull and had no real fun in it, except I liked the characters from the original video game.
That is it for now, I know this TV segment was short, however, once I finish Clocks and the longer shows, then there will be more reviews. So, right now this just serves as a template for what is to come.
Thank you for watching tonight’s episode, and I hope you enjoyed it. There will be one more episode out (shouldn’t be two, but you never know) before Mills of God, and I will start preparing that one soon. Also, I have no schedule for this show, so just check everyday, as one might move on at any time, but usually I try to advertise it. PLEASE comment if you viewed, as it help my ratings.
See you next time!
