Robot Wars returns for two celebrity specials where C-list celebrities build and operate fighting machines with the help of Robot Wars veterans. These celebrity specials operate the exact same way as the regular show did. The contestants took part in a round-robin with straight-out wins being awarded 3 points, and wins from judges' decisions 2 points. The two robots with the most points face off in a head to head.
LET THE WARS BEGIN
Arena Cleaner vs Interstellar MML
Arena Cleaner is the robot of Radio 1 broadcasters Scott Mills and Chris Stark, mentored by Dave Moulds of the destructive Carbide machine. Arena Cleaner is a baby-blue, low to the ground machine armed with a 3mm hardened steel rotating hammer.
Their opponent is space scientist and TV presenter Dr Maggie Aderine-Pocock (yeah I'd never heard of her either) who was mentored by Shane Swan from the Dantomkia machine. Interstellar MML is your basic wedge-shaped robot with a forward-hinged flipper aiming to topple robots over.
Interstellar MML was hoping to send robots interstellar, but they ended up being taken to the cleaners by Arena Cleaner. Arena Cleaner tore them to absolute pieces, sending wheels into orbit and reducing Interstellar to pieces. Despite having a less than imaginative name, Arena Cleaner trashed Interstellar by carving gashes into its 2mm steel armour. Arena Cleaner were the convincing winners.
Jar Vs The Cat
Olympians, the Brownlee brothers, mentored by Gabriel of the Sabretooth team controlled the machine Jar. Considering that the Sabretooth machine has a pretty bad track record, I can't help but think that the Brownlee brothers could have received a more successful. Jar is a triangular wedged machine armed with a hammer. Although Jar's lack of armour covering their CO2 bottles leaves a lot to be desired.
Their opponents were sports and tech presenter Suzi Perry (yeah I'm clueless again) who was mentored by Craig Danby of the Foxic team. I don't remember much of Foxic other than it did a lot of running away and losing. Suzi Perry's robot was called the Cat modelled on, you guessed it, a household cat. Similarly to Arena Cleaner, it was built low and flat to the ground with a horizontal spinner. Suzi named it The Cat, because although cats might look cute and cuddly, they can be vicious if they're antagonised.
Onto the actual fight, which wasn't really a fight, but more just pushing and shoving and calling names. The Brownlees went for a full-on assault and all credit to them, they withstood The Cat's spinning hammer. However, when they tried to hit it with their hammer, they missed, hit the floor and knocked themselves out instead, and also dislodging one of their CO2 bottles. The bottle later fell out when Jar was hoisted by Sir Killalot. A disappointing result for Jar and the Brownlees.
Arena Cleaner vs The Cat
The next fight was between the two teams leading the score table: Arena Cleaner and The Cat, also the two spinners, interestingly enough.
We've seen the destructive power of the Arena Cleaner, but, this time, it was the Cat that showed its claws. The battle started quietly enough with both machines sizing each other. Arena Cleaner made a tentative attack, which the Cat withstood. Both robots spun around in circles for a bit, as the celebrities proved they're not the best drivers, then carnage ensued. Bad driving from Scott Mills and Chris Stark, saw Arena Cleaner drive into The Cat's spinning hammer, which resulted in them flying across the arena, their wheel being shredded, drive chain become dislodged and inevitably becoming immobilised.
Jar Vs Interstellar
Time for the two robots at the bottom of the score table to try and score: Jar and Interstellar MML.
Although Jar was certainly aggressive, they were again very inaccurate with their hammer. They hit the arena floor more than they hit the scarred Interstellar. Similarly to previous grand finalist in the original Robot Wars, Terrorhurtz, Jar's weapon is too powerful for its own good. Every hammer blow sends it spinning out of control. This is what hindered them so much in this battle. That and poor engineering. A problem with Jar's CO2 bottle caused all of the compressed air to vent, rendering their hammer useless. Although Interstellar weren't able to take advantage of this, as they couldn't get further underneath Jar to flip it and then they became immobile on one side. The decision went to the judges who awarded it to Jar.
Interstellar MML vs the Cat
Just like Jar, The Cat's powerful spinning hammer makes it difficult to control. A couple of glancing blows sent the Cat spinning away and Suzi Perry was unable to recover from this. Poor driving sent the Cat into the CPZ where they conked out. Interstellar won this fight by doing very little, although they did get in one flip at the end. However, this wasn't enough to keep Interstellar in the contest, which didn't make any sense to me. Interstellar won this fight straight out, thereby giving them 3 points. A point more than Jar received when they won the judge's decision, so I think that Interstellar should have been kept in over Jar. Although all credit to Dr Maggie, she was an enthusiastic and energetic person to watch.
Jar Vs Arena Cleaner
Blink and you'll miss it. The fight hit from Arena Cleaner knocked out Jar, ending their run in the competition. And then in great style, Arena Cleaner takes on Shunt. I think they'll live to regret that decision.
Special bonus round
Whilst Arena Cleaner and the Cat were preparing for their final battle, Angela Scanlon and Dara O'Briain fought each other in the Robot Wars arena. Angela competed with the Behemoth machine and Dara with the TR2 machine. Whilst both of them were terrible drivers, Angela was far worse. Whilst operating the Behemoth scoop, she almost flipped the machine over, which allowed Dara to come in and flip Behemoth across the arena. After this, Angela tries to operate the pit release by repeatedly sending Behemoth crashing into the arena wall. Eventually, she does operate it, but Dara again flips Behemoth into the side wall. Angela manages to recover only to keep almost flipping Behemoth over. Although Dara attempts to make her feel better by allowing her to flip TR2. I would say that Dara and TR2 were the winners, but were there really any winners in this contest?
The Cat vs Arena Cleaner
The grand final of this episode saw the two spinners compete against each other for fame and glory. Both robots have exposed wheels and as we've seen before, this is a massive weakness. Arena Cleaner took full advantage of this weakness by shredding one of the Cat's tyres and then the other. Arena Cleaner and Scott Mills and Chris Stark were the convincing winners of this first Battle of the Stars.
Robot Wars Episode One
Robot Wars Episode Two
Robot Wars Episode Three
Robot Wars Episode Four
Robot Wars Episode Five
Robot Wars Episode Six
Saturday, 31 December 2016
Ikiru Review
SPOILER ALERT
Click here for my previous review of the Third ManNumber 100 on the top 1000 films of all time is Akira Kurosawa's 1952 Ikiru.
Ikiru (translated as "To Live) follows the story of Kanji Watanabe. Watanabe is a middle-aged civil servant who has been stuck in the same dead-end job for thirty years. His wife is dead and his son and daughter-in-law have little time for him and even less respect. When Watanabe is diagnosed with stomach cancer and told he only has 6 months to live, he vows to live his life to his full potential.
Toyo eventually tires of him and confronts him of his true intentions, which is where Watanabe asks her what the secret is to loving wife. She confesses that she doesn't know, but reveals her new job, making children's toys, has given her purpose in life. Watanabe, inspired by how she gains happiness by helping others, decides to return to his bureaucratic job to push for a new children's playground. Although you could argue this is cheesy and sentimental, I think that Ikiru did well to touch upon this idea. Sometimes the best way to find happiness in your own life is to bring happiness to others.
There was no longer a particular character for me to focus upon, as Watanabe's co-workers discussed amongst themselves what made Watanabe so passionate about creating this playground. The co-workers then decide to live their lives with the same passion that Watanabe displayed in the last months of his life, but fail to do so, once they have returned to their old jobs. This was a nice note to end the film on. Saying you'll live your life differently is one thing, actually doing it is a whole other thing entirely.
Click below for my reviews of Akira Kurosawa's other films:
Sunday, 18 December 2016
The Third Man Review
Number 99 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1949 film noir The Third Man.
Set in post-WW2 Vienna, American writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna to meet his childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) only to discover that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident. Suspecting there is something more to it, Cotten embarks on an investigation to find the truth and to discover who the mysterious third man present at Lime's death was.
The Third Man has become known as a standout classic in the Film Noir and thriller genres and its easy to see why. This is a film that has received considerable praise for its unconventional "Dutch Camera" angles and harsh stage lighting, which all contribute to the tone and tension of the film. The highly stylised monochrome cinematography made the film atmospheric and suspenseful. Although, of course, nothing new now, the "Dutch Camera" angles helped to set the Third Man apart from other noir films of the era, like Casablanca, Double Indemnity and Citizen Kane. The quirky tilt shots and angles were engaging and added a new facet to the film. They also contributed to the unsettled tone of the film by emphasising how alienated and out of place the characters were, especially the American, Holly Martins.
As a thriller, this film keeps the tension up with plenty of twists, turns and moral ambiguity. I won't ruin the big twist here, but it was certainly a good one. The moral ambiguity, especially centring around Lime's character, and also the film's ending, tie in well with the social context of WW2 Austria, at the beginning of the Cold War. Although, Austria was being shared by Britain, France, America and Russia, there was no love lost between America and Russia, which was something that translated well into the film. Tensions run high in the film, as Martins faces a number of obstacles that prevent him from finding the truth, including some of his key witnesses being murdered, Lime's ex girlfriend and army officers who are initially unwilling to help.
Finally, we come to the famous speech of the film and probably what provides the biggest food for thought:
"You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
Are good results the result of bad environments or intentions? Is it possible for good consequences to stem from good environments? Is it ever as black and white as this? Let me know your thoughts below.
Set in post-WW2 Vienna, American writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna to meet his childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) only to discover that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident. Suspecting there is something more to it, Cotten embarks on an investigation to find the truth and to discover who the mysterious third man present at Lime's death was.
The Third Man has become known as a standout classic in the Film Noir and thriller genres and its easy to see why. This is a film that has received considerable praise for its unconventional "Dutch Camera" angles and harsh stage lighting, which all contribute to the tone and tension of the film. The highly stylised monochrome cinematography made the film atmospheric and suspenseful. Although, of course, nothing new now, the "Dutch Camera" angles helped to set the Third Man apart from other noir films of the era, like Casablanca, Double Indemnity and Citizen Kane. The quirky tilt shots and angles were engaging and added a new facet to the film. They also contributed to the unsettled tone of the film by emphasising how alienated and out of place the characters were, especially the American, Holly Martins.
Finally, we come to the famous speech of the film and probably what provides the biggest food for thought:
"You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
Sunday, 11 December 2016
The Sting Review
Number 98 on the Top 1000 films of all time is the 1973 Caper film: The Sting.
Set during the height of the Great Depression in 1936, Johnny Hooker, (Robert Redford) Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) and Joe Erie (Jack Kehoe) con an unassuming victim. The only problem is that their unassuming victim is revealed to be working for local crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) who kills Coleman. In revenge, Hooker teams up with a group of con artists including Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to take Lonnegan for all that he has.
The Sting is an interesting film due to how it romanticises Hooker and Gondorff who are essentially criminals. They're supposed to be protagonists when compared against the antagonist Lonnegan who is the true villain. However, due to Hooker and Gondorff's profession as con artists they are still criminals. They're thieves if highly glorified thieves. This is why it's so fascinating that they are the heroes of the Sting. Despite this contrast of roles, the film works. I think this is down to both Redford's charisma, but also his chemistry with Newman. Gondorff is supposed to be about twenty years older than Hooker and a definite father-son relationship was present. Robert Shaw also plays Lonnegan suitably villainously.
Another reason why the Sting succeeds is its technical layout. The film is played out in separate sections with title cards denoting the start of the next stage of the long con. This helped to structure the film and to clarify the various sections of a long con, which could be confusing for some. I also quite liked how the film didn't take itself too seriously. The Sting makes constant, anachronistic, use of ragtime ditties, which gives it a lighter tone. The nature of the film could have led it to be very downbeat, but, thankfully, it is kept light-hearted and entertaining.
Finally, it is important to consider the social context of the film when inspecting the characters. Like I was saying before, it is easy to condemn Gondorff and Hooker as criminals, due to their profession as grifters. However, the Sting takes place during the Great Depression, a horrific time of poverty that drove men to do whatever they had to survive. Certainly compared to Lonnegan, Hooker and Gondorff aren't bad men, they just have to do bad things so that they can live their lives. Do their circumstances justify their actions? Can you ever legitimise stealing regardless of its form? This is another question for another review in another time.
Set during the height of the Great Depression in 1936, Johnny Hooker, (Robert Redford) Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) and Joe Erie (Jack Kehoe) con an unassuming victim. The only problem is that their unassuming victim is revealed to be working for local crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) who kills Coleman. In revenge, Hooker teams up with a group of con artists including Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to take Lonnegan for all that he has.
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
Hunted Episode 6 Review
Over the last 6 weeks, we've come to known 10 fugitives who have made the brave and foolhardy decision to go on the run and evade a group of crack Hunters for 28 days. If they win, then they get a share of £100,000.
3 days left and we only have 4 fugitives left: let's remind ourselves of how we got this far:
Firstly, we have Yorkshire girls, Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett. The girls are young and naive, but very spunky and endearing. They've managed to stay out of the Hunters' clutches by hitch-hiking and being unpredictable.
Secondly, we have Ayo from Hackney, London. Ayo originally started out as a pair with best friend Madu, but clashing personality differences led to the pair splitting. The organised, methodical Madu became infuriated with the loose cannon Ayo and left him. Although it's seemed to work out for the unpredictable Ayo as he's still on the run whereas Madu has been caught.
Lastly, we've come to my favourite fugitive, the family-man Nick Cummings. Having been a house-husband for 17 years, he went on the run to prove himself and he's managed to evade the Hunters by being constantly underestimated. However, he's gone from strength to strength and has a great chance of winning.
Let's start with Anna and Elizabeth. Last episode, the two girls returned to their home county of Yorkshire and it is revealed that they are hiding out with a stranger called Nigel in Wensleydale. Nigel tips them off about the social media campaign that the Hunters have launched against them and the two girls decide to hike to a service station to hitchhike their way to safety. To get to the service station, they hike their way through the Yorkshire Dales. However, the Hunters suspecting that this is the girls' plan, send teams to track them down before they reach the station. They send up a drone into the sky with thermal imaging technology that quickly spots the girls. Firstly, this is terrifying. How the hell do you hide from a piece of technology that can identify you from your body heat? Anna and Elizabeth weren't able to hide from it. Upon seeing the drone, they panic and run to the closest road where they hitch a lift from pensioner Maureen. Let's quickly acknowledge how awesome Maureen is. She unquestioningly helps the girls and even when the Hunters emerge and demand that she stop, she carries on driving. Again, what did the Hunters expect? They just yelled at this old woman and ripped her car door open. Of course she's going to drive off. Alas, this was only a brief respite for the girls. After Maureen drops the girls off, they are quickly caught by the Hunters when they're unable to find an escape route. Anna and Elizabeth were on the run for 25 days and although they didn't make it to the end, they should be very proud of themselves.
Onto loose cannon Ayo. After almost being caught after an ill-thought out plan to return to Hackney, a couple of episodes ago, we see that Ayo is hiding in Daventry with stranger Lisa, her daughter Hayley and boyfriend Kirk. Ayo is told that his extraction point is under a pier in Kent and he has to reach there by 1PM on the final day. The Hunters knowing that their time is running out decide to see if they can turn Madu against Ayo. They offer him a £1000 to betray Ayo, but Madu plays it smartly and asks for £50,000, which is instantly rejected. I think the Hunters missed out on a trick here. Maybe Madu could have helped to bring down Ayo. Back in Daventry, Hayley and Kirk decide to take Ayo part of the way, but then they call up the Hunters preparing to betray Ayo if the price is right. In the end, they decide against it as the money is too low. They come clean to Ayo and drop him off in nearby Bicester. Here Ayo makes contact with one of his friends who drives him to a nearby hotel for Ayo's final night on the run. I'm glad to see that Ayo has been learning from his mistakes and is refusing to take any more risks.
Lastly, we've come to Nick Cummings who started as completely incompetent, but is now a real front-runner. I fully acknowledge that I was wrong to undervalue him and I think that the smart money's on him. Deputy Ben Owen of the Hunters has constantly described him as a "grey man," which is a perfect description and one of the main reasons why I had so sinfully underestimated him. Nick is hiding in Buckinghamshire and is ratted out by a stranger, as well as being caught on CCTV. The Hunters go in for the kill, but Nick makes it out just in time. He hitches a lift and is taken in by a stranger called Sarah who tips him off about how the Hunters know what he looks like. He wisely changes his clothes and is taken to stay with Sarah's friend Barbara for his final night on the run.
Whilst the fugitives have been scrabbling to the finish line, the Hunters have been trying to discover where the extraction point is. Last year it was in an airfield in Surrey, so initially they consider this option. But then they start to wonder whether the fugitives could escape by boat. They notice a boat that is suspiciously hiding around the Isle of Sheppey and determine this is where the fugitives will be taken upon their escape. This was a bit weird to me. Why would the boat just be hanging around there? Surely that would be suspicious? Anyway, the Hunters then try their best to determine where the boat would pick up Nick and Ayo. Having determined this, they send all of their ground teams to lie in wait. This is when they realise that they are on the wrong side of the bay and scrabble to reach the other side, but their incompetency costs them dearly, as both Ayo and Nick have escaped to safety.
Words cannot express how happy I am that Nick managed to escape. He has been the heart and soul of the series and the dedication that he has shown to his family is just adorable. Nick, you have definitely proven your self-worth and you are so much more than just a house-husband. Don't forget that. You have made everybody proud.
And of course, congratulations goes out to Ayo. He has had a rocky journey due to his recklessness, but his sheer audacity has made him great entertainment. Just like Nick, he is a family man and now he has £50,000 to take home to his family. Although if the Hunters hadn't been so stubborn in refusing Madu's request, maybe Ayo wouldn't have made it to the end. Furthermore, the Hunters have all been a bit incompetent in this series. There were plenty of opportunities where they could have caught the fugitives, but they didn't.
That's it for one year, I hope you enjoyed it. And as always, never tell me your plans for going on the run in the comments below, who knows who's reading?
Top tips for going on the run:
1. As always don't trust anyone. This was the downfall of Anna and Elizabeth (worthy runners up) and could have been the downfall of Ayo.
2. Change your appearance like Nick. This keeps you unpredictable.
3. If the Hunters offer you money to betray someone then always ask for more. What do you have to lose?
3 days left and we only have 4 fugitives left: let's remind ourselves of how we got this far:
Firstly, we have Yorkshire girls, Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett. The girls are young and naive, but very spunky and endearing. They've managed to stay out of the Hunters' clutches by hitch-hiking and being unpredictable.
Secondly, we have Ayo from Hackney, London. Ayo originally started out as a pair with best friend Madu, but clashing personality differences led to the pair splitting. The organised, methodical Madu became infuriated with the loose cannon Ayo and left him. Although it's seemed to work out for the unpredictable Ayo as he's still on the run whereas Madu has been caught.
Lastly, we've come to my favourite fugitive, the family-man Nick Cummings. Having been a house-husband for 17 years, he went on the run to prove himself and he's managed to evade the Hunters by being constantly underestimated. However, he's gone from strength to strength and has a great chance of winning.
Let's start with Anna and Elizabeth. Last episode, the two girls returned to their home county of Yorkshire and it is revealed that they are hiding out with a stranger called Nigel in Wensleydale. Nigel tips them off about the social media campaign that the Hunters have launched against them and the two girls decide to hike to a service station to hitchhike their way to safety. To get to the service station, they hike their way through the Yorkshire Dales. However, the Hunters suspecting that this is the girls' plan, send teams to track them down before they reach the station. They send up a drone into the sky with thermal imaging technology that quickly spots the girls. Firstly, this is terrifying. How the hell do you hide from a piece of technology that can identify you from your body heat? Anna and Elizabeth weren't able to hide from it. Upon seeing the drone, they panic and run to the closest road where they hitch a lift from pensioner Maureen. Let's quickly acknowledge how awesome Maureen is. She unquestioningly helps the girls and even when the Hunters emerge and demand that she stop, she carries on driving. Again, what did the Hunters expect? They just yelled at this old woman and ripped her car door open. Of course she's going to drive off. Alas, this was only a brief respite for the girls. After Maureen drops the girls off, they are quickly caught by the Hunters when they're unable to find an escape route. Anna and Elizabeth were on the run for 25 days and although they didn't make it to the end, they should be very proud of themselves.
Onto loose cannon Ayo. After almost being caught after an ill-thought out plan to return to Hackney, a couple of episodes ago, we see that Ayo is hiding in Daventry with stranger Lisa, her daughter Hayley and boyfriend Kirk. Ayo is told that his extraction point is under a pier in Kent and he has to reach there by 1PM on the final day. The Hunters knowing that their time is running out decide to see if they can turn Madu against Ayo. They offer him a £1000 to betray Ayo, but Madu plays it smartly and asks for £50,000, which is instantly rejected. I think the Hunters missed out on a trick here. Maybe Madu could have helped to bring down Ayo. Back in Daventry, Hayley and Kirk decide to take Ayo part of the way, but then they call up the Hunters preparing to betray Ayo if the price is right. In the end, they decide against it as the money is too low. They come clean to Ayo and drop him off in nearby Bicester. Here Ayo makes contact with one of his friends who drives him to a nearby hotel for Ayo's final night on the run. I'm glad to see that Ayo has been learning from his mistakes and is refusing to take any more risks.
Lastly, we've come to Nick Cummings who started as completely incompetent, but is now a real front-runner. I fully acknowledge that I was wrong to undervalue him and I think that the smart money's on him. Deputy Ben Owen of the Hunters has constantly described him as a "grey man," which is a perfect description and one of the main reasons why I had so sinfully underestimated him. Nick is hiding in Buckinghamshire and is ratted out by a stranger, as well as being caught on CCTV. The Hunters go in for the kill, but Nick makes it out just in time. He hitches a lift and is taken in by a stranger called Sarah who tips him off about how the Hunters know what he looks like. He wisely changes his clothes and is taken to stay with Sarah's friend Barbara for his final night on the run.
Whilst the fugitives have been scrabbling to the finish line, the Hunters have been trying to discover where the extraction point is. Last year it was in an airfield in Surrey, so initially they consider this option. But then they start to wonder whether the fugitives could escape by boat. They notice a boat that is suspiciously hiding around the Isle of Sheppey and determine this is where the fugitives will be taken upon their escape. This was a bit weird to me. Why would the boat just be hanging around there? Surely that would be suspicious? Anyway, the Hunters then try their best to determine where the boat would pick up Nick and Ayo. Having determined this, they send all of their ground teams to lie in wait. This is when they realise that they are on the wrong side of the bay and scrabble to reach the other side, but their incompetency costs them dearly, as both Ayo and Nick have escaped to safety.
Words cannot express how happy I am that Nick managed to escape. He has been the heart and soul of the series and the dedication that he has shown to his family is just adorable. Nick, you have definitely proven your self-worth and you are so much more than just a house-husband. Don't forget that. You have made everybody proud.
And of course, congratulations goes out to Ayo. He has had a rocky journey due to his recklessness, but his sheer audacity has made him great entertainment. Just like Nick, he is a family man and now he has £50,000 to take home to his family. Although if the Hunters hadn't been so stubborn in refusing Madu's request, maybe Ayo wouldn't have made it to the end. Furthermore, the Hunters have all been a bit incompetent in this series. There were plenty of opportunities where they could have caught the fugitives, but they didn't.
That's it for one year, I hope you enjoyed it. And as always, never tell me your plans for going on the run in the comments below, who knows who's reading?
Top tips for going on the run:
1. As always don't trust anyone. This was the downfall of Anna and Elizabeth (worthy runners up) and could have been the downfall of Ayo.
2. Change your appearance like Nick. This keeps you unpredictable.
3. If the Hunters offer you money to betray someone then always ask for more. What do you have to lose?
Saturday, 3 December 2016
Rashomon Review
Number 97 on the top 1000 greatest films of all time is another Japanese jidaigeki film from the 50's: Rashomon.
Rashomon's narrative is simple. A samurai and his wife are walking in the woods; a bandit then appears, ties up the samurai, rapes his wife and then kills the samurai. Things become more complicated when the bandit, the wife, the samurai (through a medium) and the woodcutter who reports the crime, give conflicting testimonies in court.
Rashomon became well-known for pioneering the plot device of having different characters providing alternative and contradictory versions of truth. This is what makes it such an interesting morality tale about how various people can manipulate the truth to suit their own purposes. For example, the bandit wishing to portray both him and the samurai honorably claims that they duelled valiantly with the bandit being the victor. However, when the wife gives her story, she argues that the bandit left after raping her, which is when she frees her husband and begs him to kill her so that she does not live with her shame. Upon seeing his look of contempt, she faints and wakes up to find that he is dead.
Things become more complicated when the samurai himself, through a medium, reports his version of events. After the bandit has raped his wife, she promises to leave with him, after she has killed her husband, so that two men do not know her dishonour. The bandit, shocked by her request, instead frees the samurai who then kills himself. Finally, the woodcutter throws a spanner in the works by recounting his story. He says that the witnessed the rape and the murder, but didn't want to become involved in the trial. The woodcutter claims that the bandit begs the woman to marry him, but instead she frees her husband and commands him to fight for her honour. The samurai refuses saying that he will not fight for a spoiled woman, to which the wife emasculates both the samurai and bandit, and goads them into duelling each other. After a cowardly, pitiful fight, the bandit kills the samurai, and the wife flees. However, then the woodcutter's story is drawn into question, when it is revealed that he stole the samurai's dagger.
These four conflicting stories explore how malleable the truth can be and by the film's conclusion, it is not revealed what has actually occurred. Rather it is left down to the viewer to draw their own conclusions. And in situations like this, I always think this is the best thing to do. Take elements from all available resources and draw your own basis.
Although, Rashomon was an interesting tale about human morality, it wasn't perfect. It wasn't engaging throughout and there were many occasions where I did become bored. Intercut with the courtroom scenes were flashbacks to the actual crime, however, these weren't as enthralling as they could have been. Some of the crime scenes were shot without music and as such the dramatic tension just dissipated. It wasn't that Rashomon was difficult to follow, it just wasn't nearly as interesting or as engaging as it could have been.
Whose story do you think is the truthful one? I'm inclined to believe the woodcutter, as he is theoretically the only neutral party. The wife's story is too vague, the bandit's too romanticised and the samurai's too dubious, as it was told through a medium. However, as already discussed, the woodcutter stole the samurai's dagger proving that everyone is selfish, dishonest and motivated by self-interest.
Rashomon's narrative is simple. A samurai and his wife are walking in the woods; a bandit then appears, ties up the samurai, rapes his wife and then kills the samurai. Things become more complicated when the bandit, the wife, the samurai (through a medium) and the woodcutter who reports the crime, give conflicting testimonies in court.
Whose story do you think is the truthful one? I'm inclined to believe the woodcutter, as he is theoretically the only neutral party. The wife's story is too vague, the bandit's too romanticised and the samurai's too dubious, as it was told through a medium. However, as already discussed, the woodcutter stole the samurai's dagger proving that everyone is selfish, dishonest and motivated by self-interest.
Sunday, 27 November 2016
Hunted Episode 5 Review
Still on the run after 21 days, are family man Nick Cummings, best friends Anna and Elizabeth and dubious friends Ayo and Madu who have since gone their separate ways.
After taking a backseat in the last couple of episodes, Anna and Elizabeth feature a bit more heavily here. I like the two girls. They're young, perhaps a little naive, but spunky and determined. Their relationship strongly reminds me of last year's winners, Ian and Stephen, who were good entertainment.
When we catch up with the girls, we find out that they are hiding in Warwickshire. Deputy Ben Owen of the Hunters, formally in military intelligence, predicts that now the fugitives are so close to the finish line, they'll return home to group for that one final push. So the Hunters unleash another social media campaign. Meanwhile, the girls fall into the Hunters' trap. They return to their home country of Yorkshire and after hiking through the Yorkshire Dales for two days, they make contact with a Steve Barnett who shelters them. However, the Hunters have Barnett on their radar and move to intercept him. The girls make it away in time.
After Nick Cummings spectacularly tricking the Hunters last episode, he is in more of the background here. From Tring, Hertfordshire, he's moved south to Buckinghamshire, where he is visiting some childhood haunts. He then makes the wise decision of changing his clothes and that's all we se see of him for this episode. Great, as that means he'll be in next week's finale. Although anyone else find it strange that the Hunters didn't question Richard after catching him last week?
Time to move to Ayo who I was sure would be caught last episode. He makes the foolhardy decision of returning to his home turf of Hackney with the Hunters in hot pursuit. With ground teams, drone and dogs, I thought that Ayo would be dead meat, but no, one of his friends successfully drove him to safety. This was where I was glad to see Ayo finally showing some common sense. When his friend suggests to take Ayo to his mother's house, Ayo straight-out refuses knowing that it is not safe. Smart decision, as the Hunters have target Ayo's mother, but he continues to evade them.
Finally, we have come to Madu. We've not seen much of him, as he's been overshadowed by the louder, more extroverted Ayo. But now the two have split up, Madu finally got his moment to shine. Originally hiding with a stranger in Lancashire, Madu decides to go to Swansea to get into contact with some of his ex-university friends, falling into the Hunters' trap. The Hunters predict he would return to Swansea and pay a visit to his main contact. They take the electronics and leave. When Madu arrives, he is warned off and stays in a derelict beach house, where we see him start to break. Just like last year's formidable Ricky Allen, we see Madu beginning to give up. This is where he realises that he's pushed his luck and decides to leave Wales, committing two rookies errors in the process. Firstly, he uses a stranger's phone to call a contact, whom the Hunters are monitoring, to ask for more money. Secondly, he decides to get on a train to Reading. As the station is crawling with CCTV, the Hunters quickly spot Madu and identify where he is likely to be heading. Unable to stop him from getting on the train, they dispatch a team to Reading, but Madu gets there first. He wanders through the town centre telling everyone about his plans and asking where he can go to me meet his contact. With the Hunters right on his tail, Madu's paranoia grows and he heads out of the city onto the canal. Here he tells eve more people about his plans before he is directed to meet his contact at the Cunning Man pub. Madu goes to the pub, but he realises his foolhardiness when he notices how many security cameras there are. Oh and that the Hunters are lying in wait too. After a brief chase, Madu is caught.
It is very interesting to see the role reversal of Madu and Ayo. Wherea before, Ayo was the more reckless one, in this episode it is Madu whose overconfidence and carelessness that gets him caught. This was a surprise, as I thought he had a good chance, now that he had separated from Ayo. Although there is something quite telling in how the loose cannon Ayo is still at large, but it was the methodical, organised Madu who got caught. Perhaps Ayo's more unpredictable, foolhardy approach like Ayo.
So next week is the season finale with Ayo, Anna and Elizabeth and Nick Cummings still on the run. Will any of them make it for the full 28 days? I sure hope so. GO NICK!
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Don't call or visit home. This is the first place Hunters will look. It's what almost caught out Anna and Elizabeth.
2. Don't use the trains. Not only are they crawling with CCTV, but the Hunters can easily predict your next move. This is what caught out Madu.
3. Don't become overconfident. You're never safe, only safer. Madu's overconfidence is just another reason he got caught this week.
After taking a backseat in the last couple of episodes, Anna and Elizabeth feature a bit more heavily here. I like the two girls. They're young, perhaps a little naive, but spunky and determined. Their relationship strongly reminds me of last year's winners, Ian and Stephen, who were good entertainment.
When we catch up with the girls, we find out that they are hiding in Warwickshire. Deputy Ben Owen of the Hunters, formally in military intelligence, predicts that now the fugitives are so close to the finish line, they'll return home to group for that one final push. So the Hunters unleash another social media campaign. Meanwhile, the girls fall into the Hunters' trap. They return to their home country of Yorkshire and after hiking through the Yorkshire Dales for two days, they make contact with a Steve Barnett who shelters them. However, the Hunters have Barnett on their radar and move to intercept him. The girls make it away in time.
After Nick Cummings spectacularly tricking the Hunters last episode, he is in more of the background here. From Tring, Hertfordshire, he's moved south to Buckinghamshire, where he is visiting some childhood haunts. He then makes the wise decision of changing his clothes and that's all we se see of him for this episode. Great, as that means he'll be in next week's finale. Although anyone else find it strange that the Hunters didn't question Richard after catching him last week?
Time to move to Ayo who I was sure would be caught last episode. He makes the foolhardy decision of returning to his home turf of Hackney with the Hunters in hot pursuit. With ground teams, drone and dogs, I thought that Ayo would be dead meat, but no, one of his friends successfully drove him to safety. This was where I was glad to see Ayo finally showing some common sense. When his friend suggests to take Ayo to his mother's house, Ayo straight-out refuses knowing that it is not safe. Smart decision, as the Hunters have target Ayo's mother, but he continues to evade them.
Finally, we have come to Madu. We've not seen much of him, as he's been overshadowed by the louder, more extroverted Ayo. But now the two have split up, Madu finally got his moment to shine. Originally hiding with a stranger in Lancashire, Madu decides to go to Swansea to get into contact with some of his ex-university friends, falling into the Hunters' trap. The Hunters predict he would return to Swansea and pay a visit to his main contact. They take the electronics and leave. When Madu arrives, he is warned off and stays in a derelict beach house, where we see him start to break. Just like last year's formidable Ricky Allen, we see Madu beginning to give up. This is where he realises that he's pushed his luck and decides to leave Wales, committing two rookies errors in the process. Firstly, he uses a stranger's phone to call a contact, whom the Hunters are monitoring, to ask for more money. Secondly, he decides to get on a train to Reading. As the station is crawling with CCTV, the Hunters quickly spot Madu and identify where he is likely to be heading. Unable to stop him from getting on the train, they dispatch a team to Reading, but Madu gets there first. He wanders through the town centre telling everyone about his plans and asking where he can go to me meet his contact. With the Hunters right on his tail, Madu's paranoia grows and he heads out of the city onto the canal. Here he tells eve more people about his plans before he is directed to meet his contact at the Cunning Man pub. Madu goes to the pub, but he realises his foolhardiness when he notices how many security cameras there are. Oh and that the Hunters are lying in wait too. After a brief chase, Madu is caught.
It is very interesting to see the role reversal of Madu and Ayo. Wherea before, Ayo was the more reckless one, in this episode it is Madu whose overconfidence and carelessness that gets him caught. This was a surprise, as I thought he had a good chance, now that he had separated from Ayo. Although there is something quite telling in how the loose cannon Ayo is still at large, but it was the methodical, organised Madu who got caught. Perhaps Ayo's more unpredictable, foolhardy approach like Ayo.
So next week is the season finale with Ayo, Anna and Elizabeth and Nick Cummings still on the run. Will any of them make it for the full 28 days? I sure hope so. GO NICK!
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Don't call or visit home. This is the first place Hunters will look. It's what almost caught out Anna and Elizabeth.
2. Don't use the trains. Not only are they crawling with CCTV, but the Hunters can easily predict your next move. This is what caught out Madu.
3. Don't become overconfident. You're never safe, only safer. Madu's overconfidence is just another reason he got caught this week.
Yojimbo Review
Number 96 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1961 jidaigeki film Yojimbo.
The first Japanese film I've reviewed since The Seven Samurai and also the film that inspired Sergio Leone's Dollars' Trilogy including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Yojimbo focuses on Sanjuro Kuwabatake, a ronin. When Sanjuro wanders into an impoverished country town, he finds himself caught up in a war between two different clans of bandits. As much as he tries to stay neutral, he finds himself drawn into the conflict as both sides want him to act as their bodyguard or Yojimbo.
From an outsider's perspective, this was an interesting film to watch. I don't know much about Japanese history, so it was definitely interesting learning about Japan's Edo period. I especially liked watching how Yojimbo focused on the family. The two warring factions are led by Ushitora and Sebei. At one point friends, Ushitora rebels against Sebei when the latter hands over the reigns of the gang to his son, Yoichiro, who is not up to the task. A second example of family comes right at the beginning of the film where Sanjuro witnesses a son arguing to his elderly parents that he wants to make something of his life by joining the bandits, rather than live the rest of his life as a boring, dull farmer. At the end of the film, in the final confrontation, when Sanjuro is killing all of the bandits, he spares the son telling him to go home and enjoy a quiet life. This was a nice touch and a good way to bring the film full circle. Sometimes it is better to fade away eating gruel rather than dying young in a blaze of glory.
All of this notwithstanding, I can't say that I particularly enjoyed this film. I found it tedious and difficult to follow at times. I did get confused between the large cast of characters and especially about who was on whose side. Every so often I had to pause the film and read the IMDB summary to catch up on everything that was happening. Plus the special effects and fight scenes were pretty poor as well. I know that this was a black and white film in the 60's, but they were so obviously fake.
All in all this was a film that made very little impression on me. I can't remember much of what I watched, but it'll be interesting to come back to this film, after I have watched the Spaghetti Western classic it inspired: A Fistful of Dollars.
The first Japanese film I've reviewed since The Seven Samurai and also the film that inspired Sergio Leone's Dollars' Trilogy including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Yojimbo focuses on Sanjuro Kuwabatake, a ronin. When Sanjuro wanders into an impoverished country town, he finds himself caught up in a war between two different clans of bandits. As much as he tries to stay neutral, he finds himself drawn into the conflict as both sides want him to act as their bodyguard or Yojimbo.
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Hunted Episode 4 Review
So we're now 18 days into Hunted and with Lolly being caught last week, we have three groups of fugitives on the run: solo fugitive Nick and the two pairs Ayo and Madu and Anna and Elizabeth.
Just like last week, Anna and Elizabeth take a back seat in this episode. After hitchhiking over 2000 miles, they decide to stop in Windsor for the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations and that's all we know for this episode.
When first introduced to Nick Cummins, I had described him as bumbling Englishman, sweet and likeable, but utterly incompetent. However, he has continously left me eating my words, as he's managed to evade the Hunters for close to three weeks now.
The Hunters struggling to pin anything on him, having identified that he is a family man, suspect that that he is staying close to home. Afterwards they interview his wife and bug his home. Their suspicions are proved correct, when it is revealed that Nick is only 30 miles from his home. Camping in public camping grounds, before being taken in by stranger Richard and his family, Nick decides to return home to get money from his wife, Joanne. Nick plays it safe by staying in the garden and having his son go fetch her. This is where Joanne shows her loyalty and intelligence. She warns Nick about how the Hunters know about his workman costume and have probably bugged her phone. That's it. No prolonged goodbyes, just a quick exchange of information and a fierce display of loyalty from Joanne.
However, this is when Nick makes a mistake. After he has Richard drive him to a camping site, he uses Richard's phone to call a neighbour to call a friend to tell Joanne that he's lost his camping equipment and money and he wants to meet her his gym, so that she can help him. The Hunters latch onto this and immediately send a team to intercept NIck at the gym. The Hunters see a man of Nick's description complete with wig and blue boiler and suit and catch him. Can it be? Was I right all along? Did Nick break every every rule about being on the run? No, of course not. Once again Nick proves why he should not be underestimated, especially by the Hunters. The man whom the Hunters caught was actually Richard. Nick having been tipped off by his wonderful wife, Joanne, knows that to escape, he needed to create a diversion. Quite rightly he suspects that the Hunters are monitoring Joanne's phone and so calls her up to lay a little trap, whilst he is escaping 250 miles away to Tring, Hertfordshire.
For me, Nick has proven his worth. Seeing the Hunters being so completely outsmarted was brilliant to watch and has exposed their own ineptness. Oh how the tables have turned. Last year, Ricky Allen lasted three weeks before being caught and Nick is proving himself to be as every bit as cunning and devious.
Whilst Nick now stands a chance of winning, I'm not too sure about Ayo and Madu, or at least Ayo. I predicted last week that like last year's eventual winners Emily and Lauren, that Ayo and Madu's personality clashes would cause them to split up. And I was right. The organised, methodical Madu has had enough of the loose cannon Ayo and walks off, with Ayo doing little to stop him. The rest of the episode focussed on Ayo with Madu being the centre focus of next week.
We've already seen Ayo's cockiness and his desire to the centre of attention. The Hunters aim to exploit this by provoking Ayo into making a mistake. They do this by buying his baby daughter a toy car and then tweeting about it. Meanwhile, Ayo has charmed his way into staying with the family of a Subway employee in Shropshire. And when he sees what the Hunters have done, he completely rises to their bait. Angry at how they've used his family. Ayo decides to take revenge by going into London and seeing daughter all without getting caught.
But firstly he lays a trap for them. He has photos of him and the his hosts posted on social media and in an outrageous display, creates wanted posters of the Hunters. Finally he tauntingly calls Chief Inspector Peter Becksley. All of this is to trick the Hunters into thinking that he is still in Shropshire when he is actually travelling to London. However, unlike, Nick's plan, Ayo's doesn't work. The Hunters suspect that it's a trap and think that he will return to London.
This is exactly what happens. Ayo hitches a lift into London with the Hunters right on his tail. Succumbing to paranoia and realising the recklessness of his plan, Ayo ditches the car and decides instead to see his brother for help. Instead he runs into one of his friends who holes him up in his flat. However, the Hunters are one step ahead. They have pinpointed his location, and whilst not knowing exactly where hs is, they decide to smoke him out through helicopters, ground teams, dogs and drones. Will Ayo get out? Honestly, I'm not too sure. His cockiness has always been his downfall and the fact that there are two episodes left, means that I think that somebody will be caught next week. If not, I will be having serious doubts about the people who are supposedly safeguarding our nation.
Top tips for going on the run
Whilst no glaring errors were made in this episode, here are some small things to aid in your success.
1. Be careful in trying to outwit the Hunters. It worked for Nick, because the Hunters underestimated him. But they were suspecting Ayo to try something like this.
2. Stay away from crowded areas. Anna and Elizabeth may regret going to the Queen's birthday celebrations in Windsor.
3. Find the Richard who helped out Nick. This man is a legend.
Just like last week, Anna and Elizabeth take a back seat in this episode. After hitchhiking over 2000 miles, they decide to stop in Windsor for the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations and that's all we know for this episode.
When first introduced to Nick Cummins, I had described him as bumbling Englishman, sweet and likeable, but utterly incompetent. However, he has continously left me eating my words, as he's managed to evade the Hunters for close to three weeks now.
The Hunters struggling to pin anything on him, having identified that he is a family man, suspect that that he is staying close to home. Afterwards they interview his wife and bug his home. Their suspicions are proved correct, when it is revealed that Nick is only 30 miles from his home. Camping in public camping grounds, before being taken in by stranger Richard and his family, Nick decides to return home to get money from his wife, Joanne. Nick plays it safe by staying in the garden and having his son go fetch her. This is where Joanne shows her loyalty and intelligence. She warns Nick about how the Hunters know about his workman costume and have probably bugged her phone. That's it. No prolonged goodbyes, just a quick exchange of information and a fierce display of loyalty from Joanne.
However, this is when Nick makes a mistake. After he has Richard drive him to a camping site, he uses Richard's phone to call a neighbour to call a friend to tell Joanne that he's lost his camping equipment and money and he wants to meet her his gym, so that she can help him. The Hunters latch onto this and immediately send a team to intercept NIck at the gym. The Hunters see a man of Nick's description complete with wig and blue boiler and suit and catch him. Can it be? Was I right all along? Did Nick break every every rule about being on the run? No, of course not. Once again Nick proves why he should not be underestimated, especially by the Hunters. The man whom the Hunters caught was actually Richard. Nick having been tipped off by his wonderful wife, Joanne, knows that to escape, he needed to create a diversion. Quite rightly he suspects that the Hunters are monitoring Joanne's phone and so calls her up to lay a little trap, whilst he is escaping 250 miles away to Tring, Hertfordshire.
For me, Nick has proven his worth. Seeing the Hunters being so completely outsmarted was brilliant to watch and has exposed their own ineptness. Oh how the tables have turned. Last year, Ricky Allen lasted three weeks before being caught and Nick is proving himself to be as every bit as cunning and devious.
Whilst Nick now stands a chance of winning, I'm not too sure about Ayo and Madu, or at least Ayo. I predicted last week that like last year's eventual winners Emily and Lauren, that Ayo and Madu's personality clashes would cause them to split up. And I was right. The organised, methodical Madu has had enough of the loose cannon Ayo and walks off, with Ayo doing little to stop him. The rest of the episode focussed on Ayo with Madu being the centre focus of next week.
We've already seen Ayo's cockiness and his desire to the centre of attention. The Hunters aim to exploit this by provoking Ayo into making a mistake. They do this by buying his baby daughter a toy car and then tweeting about it. Meanwhile, Ayo has charmed his way into staying with the family of a Subway employee in Shropshire. And when he sees what the Hunters have done, he completely rises to their bait. Angry at how they've used his family. Ayo decides to take revenge by going into London and seeing daughter all without getting caught.
But firstly he lays a trap for them. He has photos of him and the his hosts posted on social media and in an outrageous display, creates wanted posters of the Hunters. Finally he tauntingly calls Chief Inspector Peter Becksley. All of this is to trick the Hunters into thinking that he is still in Shropshire when he is actually travelling to London. However, unlike, Nick's plan, Ayo's doesn't work. The Hunters suspect that it's a trap and think that he will return to London.
This is exactly what happens. Ayo hitches a lift into London with the Hunters right on his tail. Succumbing to paranoia and realising the recklessness of his plan, Ayo ditches the car and decides instead to see his brother for help. Instead he runs into one of his friends who holes him up in his flat. However, the Hunters are one step ahead. They have pinpointed his location, and whilst not knowing exactly where hs is, they decide to smoke him out through helicopters, ground teams, dogs and drones. Will Ayo get out? Honestly, I'm not too sure. His cockiness has always been his downfall and the fact that there are two episodes left, means that I think that somebody will be caught next week. If not, I will be having serious doubts about the people who are supposedly safeguarding our nation.
Top tips for going on the run
Whilst no glaring errors were made in this episode, here are some small things to aid in your success.
1. Be careful in trying to outwit the Hunters. It worked for Nick, because the Hunters underestimated him. But they were suspecting Ayo to try something like this.
2. Stay away from crowded areas. Anna and Elizabeth may regret going to the Queen's birthday celebrations in Windsor.
3. Find the Richard who helped out Nick. This man is a legend.
Sunday, 20 November 2016
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Review
Continuing my stay in the era of Classic Hollywood, we have number 94 on the top 1000 films of all time: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Curtin (Tim Holt) are two Americans in Mexico, down on their luck. They encounter Howard (Walter Huston) a veteran, ageing gold-miner. Having little other option they decide to try their luck prospecting gold in the remote Sierra Madre mountains- a dangerous area crawling with bandits and federales. Yet the biggest danger proves to be themselves.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is the ultimate tale of the corrupting influence of greed. Dobb's story-arc is fascinating to watch, as he transforms from a pitiful, yet sympathetic protagonist to a selfish, paranoid antagonist. In the beginning it is possible to feel sorry for him, as he has to ask strangers to treat a "fellow American to a meal." But as the film progresses and the promise of a big payout increase, Dobbs becomes ruthless and agitated, ready to kill anyone in his way. Al credit goes to Humphrey Bogart for this great performance; Dobbs' transformation is entirely believable and quite true to life, I think,
Dobb's antagonist climaxes in his attempted murder of Curtin. Curtin is a great character and Holt and Bogart play well off each other. What makes their relationship so good is how in some ways, they are reflections of each other. Both of them start off in the same pitiful position, but Curtin keeps a grip on his humanity, whilst Dobbs slowly devolves. Dobbs symbolises the greed and selfishness of the gold rush era and Curtin is more indicative of the opportunity and wanderlust that it cold bring.
Rounding off our trio we have Howard, the ageing, world-weary gold prospector who joins Dobbs and Curtin for one last adventure. To some extent, Howard is light relief, but he's also the neutral party. Dobbs and Curtin are motivated by money, but for Howard, it's his love of prospecting and the Mexican landscape. He proves an invaluable resource when it comes to identifying the best areas for prospecting and for defending the camp against Mexican bandits and federales.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is set in the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution, which made an interesting backdrop. It isn't an area of history that I know a lot about, so it was interesting seeing it through the eyes of our heroes. Although, for the most part, the bandits are a background threat, their presence is felt throughout the film.
Although by today's standards, the Treasure of the Sierra Madre is nothing new, it was still done well. Even in monochrome, the visuals are strong, the context interesting and Bogart gives one of his best performances. Having said that, the only other thing I've seen him in is Casablanca.
Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Curtin (Tim Holt) are two Americans in Mexico, down on their luck. They encounter Howard (Walter Huston) a veteran, ageing gold-miner. Having little other option they decide to try their luck prospecting gold in the remote Sierra Madre mountains- a dangerous area crawling with bandits and federales. Yet the biggest danger proves to be themselves.
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Hunted Episode 3 Review
We're halfway through the series and already ex-marines Jeremy and Kirk and hedonistic would-be couple Hamish and Michaela have been hunted down. Curently left we have house-husband Nick Cummngs, Temp Lorna "Lolly" Jones, and two sets of best friends, Ayu and Mado and Elizabeth and Anna. The latter two took a backseat in this episode.
The first fugitive focused on househusband Nick Cummings aka my favourite to win. One of the hunters revealed that she is secretly rooting for Nick, as he is an underdog. This is the best description for him. Feeling emasculated having been a house-husband for 17 years he goes on the run to prove his worth. He initially comes across as a bumbling Englishman, however, his greatest weakness could be his greatest strength. He narrowly escaped capture before through sheer dumb luk. He has currently evaded capture through camping in Cornwall. Unlike all of the other fugitives who have massive social media profiles, Nick's generally consists of cat videos. He has a very small circle of friends for the Hunters to exploit. However, one friend they do find is an old school friend Paul Nash whom they pay a visit to. Paul is less than helpful and it was great to see the Hunters so pissed off. Nevertheless, they still bug Paul's phone. This is when Nick calls Paul to ask for money. Paul obliges but also tips Nick off about the Hunters. The Hunters track Nick to a farm and prepare to go in for the kill. However, this is where Nick shows some cunning. He asks the former for a lift, but he refuses his request to go with the farmer's suggestion for a safe place. If the former does't know where Nick has gone, then he can't tell the Hunters. Here we also see the terrifying powers of the state. Using sniffer dogs and thermal-imaging drones, they attempt to catch him, but he gets away. Go on, Nick. Do it for the little guy.
Next we move onto best friends Madu and Ayo, who are very similar to Lauren and Emily last year. When the Hunters interrogate Madu's wife, they quickly discover that the two have a tumultuous relationship brimming with fights and arguments. Madu is organised and calm, whilst Ayo is a loose cannon. We see Ayo's rebellious nature in the tweets he sends to taunt the Hunters, which is bloody stupid. Madu is perhaps on the other end of the spectrum, using mirrors to help him see round corners, in the Welsh street where they are staying. The Hunters confiscate Madu and Ayo's electronics and hack into Ayo's Facebook, after they find a list of passwords on his computer. Another stupid thing to leave lying around, made even stupider by how the passwords are easily guessable ones like 1234568 etc. From there, the Hunters create a social media campaign, which Madu and Ayo see and Ayo is humbled by. Quite rightly too. Ayo is a loose cannon and could get the pair caught. From here, we see their relationship starting to fracture. Escaping on a train, Ayo is desperate to call one of their contacts, but Madu begs him not to. As we've seen before, using your phone on the run is a massive no-no. Madu and Ayo then get into a barmy, of which Ayo is a the winner. The two remain uncaught, but considering how different they are, I wouldn't be surprised if they split up like Lauren and Emily did.
The last fugitive in this episode is temp worker Lorna "Lolly" Jones (34) who goes on the run as a "fuck-you" to people who say that at 34 she should be married and have a proper career. So far she's stayed out of the Hunters' grasp, relying on a network of friends. One of these friends is her getaway driver, Emily Sears, whom the Hunters interrogate. They also take her phone and find cryptic texts from SJG. From social media, they quickly identify this is Sophie Johnson GIll. Meanwhile, Lolly who is hiding in Hertfordshire and running low on money, writes a message to Sophie hidden in a secret code. Lolly then posts this letter to Sophie, as she thinks the Hunters won't be able to find this. However, unbeknownst to her, the State has the power to seize and read mail, which is exactly what happens to Lolly's letter to Sophie. They crack her code, which they acknowledge as being a very clever code, and more to intercept Sophie. Chaos and confusion ensue. With guard dogs, thermal-imagery drones and men camouflaged as bushes, they move to pounce on who they think is Lolly, but is actually Sophie. Lolly is watching from a distance and after becoming spooked runs away. It looks like the Hunters have screwed up again, but the men camouflaged as a bush soon catches Lolly. After over a week on the run, Lolly has been hunted
Five down, five to go. Can they escape? And remember, don't tell me your plans for going on the run in the comments below. Who knows who's reading?
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Be digitally savvy. The Hunters will go through your social media, so delete to deactivate your accounts. Also be clever about your passwords. Don't use "password" or "123456" as your passwords and don't have a list of your passwords on your computer. Hell, why not go one step further and wipe or remove your harddrive?
2. Budget. You know that you're only going to have £250 to last 28 days. Spend it wisely. Going to ATMs or calling for friends to help is too big of a risk. This leads into my next point.
3. Be self-sufficient. Don't rely on your friends and family. They'll be the Hunters' first target.
The first fugitive focused on househusband Nick Cummings aka my favourite to win. One of the hunters revealed that she is secretly rooting for Nick, as he is an underdog. This is the best description for him. Feeling emasculated having been a house-husband for 17 years he goes on the run to prove his worth. He initially comes across as a bumbling Englishman, however, his greatest weakness could be his greatest strength. He narrowly escaped capture before through sheer dumb luk. He has currently evaded capture through camping in Cornwall. Unlike all of the other fugitives who have massive social media profiles, Nick's generally consists of cat videos. He has a very small circle of friends for the Hunters to exploit. However, one friend they do find is an old school friend Paul Nash whom they pay a visit to. Paul is less than helpful and it was great to see the Hunters so pissed off. Nevertheless, they still bug Paul's phone. This is when Nick calls Paul to ask for money. Paul obliges but also tips Nick off about the Hunters. The Hunters track Nick to a farm and prepare to go in for the kill. However, this is where Nick shows some cunning. He asks the former for a lift, but he refuses his request to go with the farmer's suggestion for a safe place. If the former does't know where Nick has gone, then he can't tell the Hunters. Here we also see the terrifying powers of the state. Using sniffer dogs and thermal-imaging drones, they attempt to catch him, but he gets away. Go on, Nick. Do it for the little guy.
Next we move onto best friends Madu and Ayo, who are very similar to Lauren and Emily last year. When the Hunters interrogate Madu's wife, they quickly discover that the two have a tumultuous relationship brimming with fights and arguments. Madu is organised and calm, whilst Ayo is a loose cannon. We see Ayo's rebellious nature in the tweets he sends to taunt the Hunters, which is bloody stupid. Madu is perhaps on the other end of the spectrum, using mirrors to help him see round corners, in the Welsh street where they are staying. The Hunters confiscate Madu and Ayo's electronics and hack into Ayo's Facebook, after they find a list of passwords on his computer. Another stupid thing to leave lying around, made even stupider by how the passwords are easily guessable ones like 1234568 etc. From there, the Hunters create a social media campaign, which Madu and Ayo see and Ayo is humbled by. Quite rightly too. Ayo is a loose cannon and could get the pair caught. From here, we see their relationship starting to fracture. Escaping on a train, Ayo is desperate to call one of their contacts, but Madu begs him not to. As we've seen before, using your phone on the run is a massive no-no. Madu and Ayo then get into a barmy, of which Ayo is a the winner. The two remain uncaught, but considering how different they are, I wouldn't be surprised if they split up like Lauren and Emily did.
The last fugitive in this episode is temp worker Lorna "Lolly" Jones (34) who goes on the run as a "fuck-you" to people who say that at 34 she should be married and have a proper career. So far she's stayed out of the Hunters' grasp, relying on a network of friends. One of these friends is her getaway driver, Emily Sears, whom the Hunters interrogate. They also take her phone and find cryptic texts from SJG. From social media, they quickly identify this is Sophie Johnson GIll. Meanwhile, Lolly who is hiding in Hertfordshire and running low on money, writes a message to Sophie hidden in a secret code. Lolly then posts this letter to Sophie, as she thinks the Hunters won't be able to find this. However, unbeknownst to her, the State has the power to seize and read mail, which is exactly what happens to Lolly's letter to Sophie. They crack her code, which they acknowledge as being a very clever code, and more to intercept Sophie. Chaos and confusion ensue. With guard dogs, thermal-imagery drones and men camouflaged as bushes, they move to pounce on who they think is Lolly, but is actually Sophie. Lolly is watching from a distance and after becoming spooked runs away. It looks like the Hunters have screwed up again, but the men camouflaged as a bush soon catches Lolly. After over a week on the run, Lolly has been hunted
Five down, five to go. Can they escape? And remember, don't tell me your plans for going on the run in the comments below. Who knows who's reading?
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Be digitally savvy. The Hunters will go through your social media, so delete to deactivate your accounts. Also be clever about your passwords. Don't use "password" or "123456" as your passwords and don't have a list of your passwords on your computer. Hell, why not go one step further and wipe or remove your harddrive?
2. Budget. You know that you're only going to have £250 to last 28 days. Spend it wisely. Going to ATMs or calling for friends to help is too big of a risk. This leads into my next point.
3. Be self-sufficient. Don't rely on your friends and family. They'll be the Hunters' first target.
Singing in the Rain Review
Number 92 on the top 1000 films of all time is the film that gave us one of the most famous song and dance routines of all time: Singing in the Rain.
The film is set during the send of the silent era of films and focuses on a cast of characters who have to make the hard transition from silent films to speakies. At the centre of this conflict there is Don lockwood (Gene Kelly,) his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) and Lockwood's love interest Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds.)
Considering the last film I reviewed was Charlie Chaplin's The Kid, a.k.a an immensely popular silent film released when the silent film was at its peak, I found it interesting watching a film that centered on the downfall of the silent era. Singing in the Rain painfully demonstrates how some more actors were more suited to silent films, rather than speaking ones. Nowhere is this clearer than with the deluded and talentless Lina Lamont, Lockwood's leading lady, who lacks the voice or class for talking films. In some ways, this film is a comment on the difficult of staying topical and relevant in a cut-throat, fast-paced industry. The same can be said for certain child actors of today, like Macauley Caulkin, Jake Lloyd and Wil Wheaton.
The fact that Singing in the Rain is a musical conveyed a certain life and magic that silent films lacked. The songs kept the film upbeat and entertaining to watch. They provided it with an energy that kept it engaging, despite the unbelievability of characters spontaneously bursting into song and dance. Although, the good old suspension of disbelief helps to tackle the incredulity that musicals like these inevitably cause.
My previous point, notwithstanding, the film wasn't enthralling throughout, and I did find myself falling asleep at times. This led to me missing a few key sequences such as Gene Kelly's iconic song and dance scene. This did lead to me becoming a little lost at times. Whilst it wasn't a major problem, it did hurt my viewing experience.
That's another film from the classic era of Hollywood watched; an interesting tale about how easy it is to become forgotten and obsolete.
The film is set during the send of the silent era of films and focuses on a cast of characters who have to make the hard transition from silent films to speakies. At the centre of this conflict there is Don lockwood (Gene Kelly,) his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) and Lockwood's love interest Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds.)
Sunday, 6 November 2016
Hunted Episode 2 Review
Last episode had everyone decrying the ineptness of the Hunters. It looked like ex-Marines, Jeremy Scarratt and Kirk Bowett, were going to be caught when they decided to have lunch in a curry-house in the middle of broad daylight. The Hunters spotted them inside the restaurant, but they did they go in for the kill? No. They didn't. They let the fugitives escape out the back. Well they let one of them escape, whilst the other stayed at the table. This was when the Hunters went after Kirk and Jeremy, only not to catch them. Confused yet? Wondering how these Hunters, who are police detectives, intelligence experts, hackers and psychologists, in charge of the nation's security could let these two fugitives so easily slip through their fingers? You're not the only one.
However, this episode immediately served to clear up some of the confusion. It was revealed that both Kirk and Jeremy escaped from the curry-house by sneaking out a back exit (although this doesn't explain how the one who stayed behind managed to get away) and then get driven to safety by the manager of said curry-house. They escaped the grips of the Hunters through more luck than judgement. Or by the sheer uselessness of the Hunters.
Anyway, the curry-house manager drops Kirk and Jeremy and their accomplices a couple of miles away from the centre of Blackpool. From here, they have one of their accomplices call one of their friends who holes them up for the night. However, shock, horror, can it be? The Hunters do something right and track the phone call, leading them straight to Kirk and Jeremy. The ex-marines lead the Hunters on a merry car chase before pulling into a service station and promptly giving up. This was a disappointing ending to a pair whom I had high expectations off. I expected Kirk and Jeremy, with their military background, to do very well, but instead they just became over-confident. And as for the confusing ending of the first episode, I reckon this was Channel 4's stupid way of creating tension by leaving things on a cliff-hanger. It was stupid, as it was too unclear how things ended and we saw the pair had gotten away in the trailer for next week.
Fugitives: Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett
Time on the run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Although one plus of Kirk and Jeremy being the first to be caught is that they weren't targeted in the mass-media campaign that the Hunters instigated to track down the rest of the fugitives. They used Facebook, Youtube, Radio, Television and old-fashioned wanted posters to catch fugitives like Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett.
I'm liking the two girls so far. They're young, bubbly and good fun to watch. They're best friends and their chemistry shows through. They've managed to last 8 days on the run through hitch-hiking 500 miles from Cornwall to Perth, Scotland where they are holing up in a warehouse depot. However, here they become aware of the media campaign and get one of the warehouse managers Catherine to drive them to the safety of Dundee or Stanley. Well this is the plan, until the three get wind that one of the warehouse workers have ratted out Elizabeth and Anna for a £250 reward. Catherine chastises this worker claiming that grassing people up is something that we do in Scotland. Instead she drops them off in a little rural village in the middle of nowhere.
This is where we see the girls beginning to crack. Panicking at the social media crime, they bemoan their situation and how they ever came to Scotland. Meanwhile, the Hunters pay a visit to Catherine who quickly shows her hypocrisy. Despite earlier claiming that being a grass isn't something you do, she rats out Elizabeth and Anna for £500. The Hunters do guilt-trip her into doing it, but this shows that you cannot trust anyone on the run. Back in Scotland, the girls are breaking down and are going door-to-door asking for a lift out of town. One good Samaritan helps them before the Hunters are able to intercept them. But hey at least Catherine and that warehouse worker got their karma. Their cash rewards are conditionally offered upon the successful capture of the fugitives. As Elizabeth and Anna got away, they get zilch! Ha! Serves them, especially the hypocritical Catherine right.
David Toddington, an online intelligence expert and one of the Hunters, makes an interesting comment about the effects of the mass-media campaign. He notes that it elicited a lot of reactions along the lines of "fuck you to the Hunters and help the fugitives." Although as we've already seen, it isn't universal, it's interesting how most of the public are siding with the fugitives, seemingly empathising with their situations and living vicariously through them.
The last pair of fugitives in this episode are Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales who the living embodiments of hedonism. Old flames, the two decided to go on the run for the adventure. And hell, they have quite an adventure. The free-spirit Mikaela wants to have as much fun as possible and brow-beats Hamish into enjoying things with her. And that's exactly what the two want to do. Throwing caution to the wind, they go water-skiing in Wiltshire and live the Champagne lifestyle.
Paying little to no attention to the Hunter's media campaign for them, Mikaela claims she is too delicate to be camping in the cold, so they go to a pub, despite Hamish's protests, where they continue to drink and make far too much noise. All Hamish wants to do is to camp quietly, but he can't resist Mikaela's zest for life and soon joins her in talking to the other pub patrons. However, all this noise is bound to attract attention, which is exactly what happened. One of the barmen grass up the couple claiming he doesn't like the look of them. Mikaela and Hamish completely oblivious to this continue to drink away until they decide to hitch a lift out of there. However, the Hunters were there to stop them right in their tracks. After a week on the run, Mikaela and Hamish were caught, but not before Mikaela, in some last weird attention-seeking stunt decides to jump in the canal in a desperate bid for freedom. This, unsurprisingly, doesn't work and the two go home.
Although it is difficult to imagine how Hamish and Mikaela survived for a week, especially due to their larger than life personalities, they were also good entertainment. Both middle-aged, they showed that just because you grow older, doesn't mean you have to grow up and there isn't anything wrong with having some fun once in a while.
Fugitives: Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales
Time on the Run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Never trust anyone. We've seen it multiple times in this episode. Anybody could grass you up at any time.
2. Never become over-confident. This is what almost got Kirk and Jeremy caught out. And they really should have known better.
3. Don't draw attention to yourself. Hamish and Mikaela could have lasted far longer if they had followed this advice.
So what do you think of Mikaela's hedonistic lifestyle? Is it okay to have some fun every so often? And what do you think of Catherine stabbing Elizabeth and Anna in the back? Let me know what you think in the comments below and remember, DON'T TELL ME you're plans for going on the run.
Who knows who's reading?
However, this episode immediately served to clear up some of the confusion. It was revealed that both Kirk and Jeremy escaped from the curry-house by sneaking out a back exit (although this doesn't explain how the one who stayed behind managed to get away) and then get driven to safety by the manager of said curry-house. They escaped the grips of the Hunters through more luck than judgement. Or by the sheer uselessness of the Hunters.
Anyway, the curry-house manager drops Kirk and Jeremy and their accomplices a couple of miles away from the centre of Blackpool. From here, they have one of their accomplices call one of their friends who holes them up for the night. However, shock, horror, can it be? The Hunters do something right and track the phone call, leading them straight to Kirk and Jeremy. The ex-marines lead the Hunters on a merry car chase before pulling into a service station and promptly giving up. This was a disappointing ending to a pair whom I had high expectations off. I expected Kirk and Jeremy, with their military background, to do very well, but instead they just became over-confident. And as for the confusing ending of the first episode, I reckon this was Channel 4's stupid way of creating tension by leaving things on a cliff-hanger. It was stupid, as it was too unclear how things ended and we saw the pair had gotten away in the trailer for next week.
Fugitives: Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett
Time on the run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Although one plus of Kirk and Jeremy being the first to be caught is that they weren't targeted in the mass-media campaign that the Hunters instigated to track down the rest of the fugitives. They used Facebook, Youtube, Radio, Television and old-fashioned wanted posters to catch fugitives like Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett.
I'm liking the two girls so far. They're young, bubbly and good fun to watch. They're best friends and their chemistry shows through. They've managed to last 8 days on the run through hitch-hiking 500 miles from Cornwall to Perth, Scotland where they are holing up in a warehouse depot. However, here they become aware of the media campaign and get one of the warehouse managers Catherine to drive them to the safety of Dundee or Stanley. Well this is the plan, until the three get wind that one of the warehouse workers have ratted out Elizabeth and Anna for a £250 reward. Catherine chastises this worker claiming that grassing people up is something that we do in Scotland. Instead she drops them off in a little rural village in the middle of nowhere.
This is where we see the girls beginning to crack. Panicking at the social media crime, they bemoan their situation and how they ever came to Scotland. Meanwhile, the Hunters pay a visit to Catherine who quickly shows her hypocrisy. Despite earlier claiming that being a grass isn't something you do, she rats out Elizabeth and Anna for £500. The Hunters do guilt-trip her into doing it, but this shows that you cannot trust anyone on the run. Back in Scotland, the girls are breaking down and are going door-to-door asking for a lift out of town. One good Samaritan helps them before the Hunters are able to intercept them. But hey at least Catherine and that warehouse worker got their karma. Their cash rewards are conditionally offered upon the successful capture of the fugitives. As Elizabeth and Anna got away, they get zilch! Ha! Serves them, especially the hypocritical Catherine right.
David Toddington, an online intelligence expert and one of the Hunters, makes an interesting comment about the effects of the mass-media campaign. He notes that it elicited a lot of reactions along the lines of "fuck you to the Hunters and help the fugitives." Although as we've already seen, it isn't universal, it's interesting how most of the public are siding with the fugitives, seemingly empathising with their situations and living vicariously through them.
The last pair of fugitives in this episode are Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales who the living embodiments of hedonism. Old flames, the two decided to go on the run for the adventure. And hell, they have quite an adventure. The free-spirit Mikaela wants to have as much fun as possible and brow-beats Hamish into enjoying things with her. And that's exactly what the two want to do. Throwing caution to the wind, they go water-skiing in Wiltshire and live the Champagne lifestyle.
Paying little to no attention to the Hunter's media campaign for them, Mikaela claims she is too delicate to be camping in the cold, so they go to a pub, despite Hamish's protests, where they continue to drink and make far too much noise. All Hamish wants to do is to camp quietly, but he can't resist Mikaela's zest for life and soon joins her in talking to the other pub patrons. However, all this noise is bound to attract attention, which is exactly what happened. One of the barmen grass up the couple claiming he doesn't like the look of them. Mikaela and Hamish completely oblivious to this continue to drink away until they decide to hitch a lift out of there. However, the Hunters were there to stop them right in their tracks. After a week on the run, Mikaela and Hamish were caught, but not before Mikaela, in some last weird attention-seeking stunt decides to jump in the canal in a desperate bid for freedom. This, unsurprisingly, doesn't work and the two go home.
Although it is difficult to imagine how Hamish and Mikaela survived for a week, especially due to their larger than life personalities, they were also good entertainment. Both middle-aged, they showed that just because you grow older, doesn't mean you have to grow up and there isn't anything wrong with having some fun once in a while.
Fugitives: Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales
Time on the Run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Never trust anyone. We've seen it multiple times in this episode. Anybody could grass you up at any time.
2. Never become over-confident. This is what almost got Kirk and Jeremy caught out. And they really should have known better.
3. Don't draw attention to yourself. Hamish and Mikaela could have lasted far longer if they had followed this advice.
So what do you think of Mikaela's hedonistic lifestyle? Is it okay to have some fun every so often? And what do you think of Catherine stabbing Elizabeth and Anna in the back? Let me know what you think in the comments below and remember, DON'T TELL ME you're plans for going on the run.
Who knows who's reading?
The Kid Review
Click here for my previous review of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Number 91 on the top 1000 films of all time is Charlie Chaplin's first feature-length film, the Kid.
Made in 1921, the Kid begins with an unnamed, unmarried woman deciding to abandon her newborn child in a car. The car is stolen and the thieves leave the baby on the street. The Tramp (Charlie chaplin) finds it and takes him in. Five years later, the Tramp and the kid (Jackie Coogan) have formed a father, son relationship.
This is the first Charlie Chaplin film I've seen since The Great Dictator and the first silent film since Modern Times, and it was classic Chaplin. Ture, it definitely wasn't laugh a minute, I've never found Chaplin hilarious, but it did have its moments. Chaplin's comic timing and physical comedy were great especially the scenes with the Tramp and the Bully. Chaplin and Coogan's onscreen relationship was also great, made so by how the two had a great off-camera relationship. I read that this was because that Jackie Coogan was very much a surrogate son for Chaplin who had lost his own son only days before.
Chaplin described this film as "a picture with a smile- and perhaps, a tear," and whilst it was funny in places, it was also emotional. The saddest moment is when the kid is taken away from the Tramp, due to how he was lying about being the boy's father. This scene was done well and the Tramp's anguish was evident, as is the Kid's. He put up a good fight to stop them from taking away his son and why shouldn't he?
My criticism with this film would my usual criticism with Chaplin films. It just wasn't engaging throughout, due its very nature as a silence film. As a culturally ignorant millennial, I'm used to witty dialogue and a catchy soundtrack. Although to be strictly fair, this wasn't the fault of The Kid per se, but more how it was made before any strict copyright laws. THis means it is in the public domain and free to be edited, chopped and changed by whoever deemed fit. Whoever credited the bootlegged version I was watching had decided to delete the soundtrack.
However, we're still early in the list and I amy come across a Charlie Chaplin film that completely changes my mind.
Number 91 on the top 1000 films of all time is Charlie Chaplin's first feature-length film, the Kid.
Made in 1921, the Kid begins with an unnamed, unmarried woman deciding to abandon her newborn child in a car. The car is stolen and the thieves leave the baby on the street. The Tramp (Charlie chaplin) finds it and takes him in. Five years later, the Tramp and the kid (Jackie Coogan) have formed a father, son relationship.
This is the first Charlie Chaplin film I've seen since The Great Dictator and the first silent film since Modern Times, and it was classic Chaplin. Ture, it definitely wasn't laugh a minute, I've never found Chaplin hilarious, but it did have its moments. Chaplin's comic timing and physical comedy were great especially the scenes with the Tramp and the Bully. Chaplin and Coogan's onscreen relationship was also great, made so by how the two had a great off-camera relationship. I read that this was because that Jackie Coogan was very much a surrogate son for Chaplin who had lost his own son only days before.
My criticism with this film would my usual criticism with Chaplin films. It just wasn't engaging throughout, due its very nature as a silence film. As a culturally ignorant millennial, I'm used to witty dialogue and a catchy soundtrack. Although to be strictly fair, this wasn't the fault of The Kid per se, but more how it was made before any strict copyright laws. THis means it is in the public domain and free to be edited, chopped and changed by whoever deemed fit. Whoever credited the bootlegged version I was watching had decided to delete the soundtrack.
Sunday, 30 October 2016
Hunted Review Episode 1
Channel 4's cutting edge docu-drama has returned for its second season and so have my reviews.
Ten fugitives have to go on the run across the UK for 28 days. All fugitives have to start in Birmingham and from there they can use any means of evasion to escape capture, as long as they stay in the UK and don't break the law. Last year we saw teams hitchhiking, going rural and cycling on Britain's canal network. They have access to £250, which they can withdraw from a bank account at any time. They are accompanied by a covert camera operator and if they evade capture, then they will win £100,000.
Leading the hunters is ex-Scotland detective Chief Becksley, not unlike Tom Thorne of John luther. His deputy is Ben Owen who trained as a sniper before joining the military intelligence. Supporting them are a wide range of counterintelligence experts, investigative psychologists, police officers and ethical hackers.
This episode focused on 3 groups of fugitives:
The first is the instantly likeable Nick Cummings. At first glance, Nick seems like your stereotypical bumbling Englishman. At second glance, he still looks like this, but completely inept. However, he is my early favourite to win.
For 17 years, Nick has been a house-husband to his GP wife. He decided to go on the run, due to how he feels guilty that he doesn't provide any value to their relation ship. And I find this adorable. He also wants prove to his teenage son that he is more than a stay-at-home dad.
Nick started weakly. Whilst the other fugitives scrambled into their getaway cars Nick bumbled through Birmingham like he was looking for somewhere to enjoy his cucumber sandwiches and cup of tea, Laden with bags, he finally reached his bike and cycled onto the canal, although he didn't know whether this was the Worster or Grand Union Canal. Having caught Nick on CCTV, the Hunters thought they had an easy win. However, Nick had trick up his sleeve. Every so often along the canal, he would change his clothes. Cycling along the canal isn't a bad idea, it worked for Season 1 winners, butt he Hunters saw right through Nick's disguise and dispatched teams to intercept him. Yet amazingly, Nick unwittingly gave them the slip by coming off the towpath and getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. And getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. This is why he's my favourite. If John Luther, oops I mean Peter Becksley and Co, can be beaten by a bumbling Englishman, this would be just brilliant. It would also be a little worrying too.
Fugitive: Nick Cummings
Time on the Run: 5 Days
Status: At Large
The second group are childhood friends Anna May (Office Administrator) and Elizabeth Garnett (Stockbroker's Asisant.) The girls are both in their twenties and have spent their life hiking through the Yorkshire Dales, so the Hunter s have were worried about them.
And rightly so. The girls started strongly by adopting a proven tactic, hitch-hiking from truck-stops. However, as it's been used before, the Hunters knew to prepare for it by handing out wanted posters in truck stops. In a great encounter, Anna and Elizabeth's getaway driver warned them about the posters and said they could have gotten into a car with an MI5 agent. He wasn't, but this also made the girls wisen up and decide to stop hitch-hiking to break their pattern.
But the Hunter's powers don't just stop at wanted posters, they can do almost anything to catch a fugitive. For example, the Hunters paid a visit to Anna's parents, who were obligated to talk tot hem, which is different from last year. Anna's parents then put on a bad roleplay to throw the Hunters of their daughter's scent. Of course I don't them for doing so, but this definitely raised the Hunters' suspicion.
Anna's parents also had to surrender her mobile phone and laptop etc, which is again different from last year. In season 1, the fugitives were under no obligation to surrender their electronics. A lot of them took their phones and laptops with them. This time round, I don't see what is actually stopping the fugitives from taking their electronics with them or just throwing them into the local canal.
Fugitives: Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett
Time on the run: 5 days
Status: At large
The final group were ex-soldiers Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett. As well as being soldiers, they're also amputees with Jeremy having a false leg and Kirk missing part of his arm. I can't help but think that an amputated arm is going to make you stand out. As soldiers trained in escape and evasion, you would expect them to do well and they started well, at least.
From Birmingham, they contacted their inner circle of army veterans to provide them with shelter in a shooting range. This meant that they were rural and away from the CCTV that the Hunters can use to find the fugitives. Of course the Hunters had a number of tools at their disposal. The first one was interrogating their get-away driver and families who did their best to cover for them. Yet just like Anna's parents, they weren't very convincing. Of course I'm not blaming them, but again they definitely raised the Hunter's suspicion. I think that if you were to go on the run, then you cannot trust anyone even your loved ones. You have to lie to them for their own safety. That way if they are questioned by the authorities, then they can say what they think is the truth, but is actually a red Herring. This would be far better than just saying "I don't know," which is bound to be suspicious.
The Hunters then took all of Kirk's and Jeremy's electronics and hacked into them. From here, they found a list of contacts and their long-term plan, to stay in a safe-house in Blackpool. In Sam Wollaston's Review, he criticised the pair for their "cyber naivety," which I would agree with. If you're going to go on the run, then you can't leave behind a digital trail. Certainly don't email your long-term plans to yourself, which is what Kirk did. And be careful about what you post on social media. From hacking into Kirk's Facebook, they found that he is a massive family man. More than this, he has a baby son who was going to turn 1 whilst he was on the run.
He then jeopardised the whole mission by arranging to bring his family out to see him. The risk paid off as the Hunters weren't able to take advantage of this, but this was not a risk worth taking. In season 1, what tripped up so many of the fugitives was calling home. Just don't call home. By doing so you're putting your family on the front-lines. The Hunters can bug their phones and be led straight to the fugitives.
Kirk and Jeremy then made the same mistake that caught out the legend Ricky Martin last year. They got over-confident. They decided to travel to Blackpool to hide with one of their friends. Thinking they were safe, they had a wander around town and got lunch in broad day-light at a curry-house. However, because the Hunters had hacked into Kirk's electronics, they knew that he and Jeremy were heading to Blackpool and sent out a team to intercept them. But then as Sam Wollaston identifies, the Hunters make an elementary mistake. They send a team into the restaurant to see whether Kirk and Jeremy are there. They spot them and then instead of going in for the kill, they then leave the restaurant and this is where things get confusing.
Kirk and Jeremy spotted the Hunters and weren't sure what to do. Their camera operator also spotted them and had to crouch under the table, which I found quite funny. I'm also wondering how the covert camera operators actually film what's happening. Obviously they can't use spy cameras as they're too bad quality, but they can't use film cameras either, as they'd be too conspicuous. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what happened in the ending. One of the soldiers slips out of the back of the restaurant, but the other one randomly decides to stay. Perhaps they were splitting up to maximise their chances or one of them wanted to create a diversion for the other to get away. But what happened? I really have no idea. However, judging from the trailer for next week, it looks like they both got away.
Sam Wollaston elaborated about the incompetency of these Hunters and I would agree with them. It's obvious that these fugitives especially Kirk and Jeremy who should be strong, are quite inept in escape and evasion, but the Hunters are even more inept at catching them. I still don't know why the Hunters didn't go in for the kill. Please if you know what happened then please, please, please, clear things up in the comments below.
Fugitives: Jeremy and Kirk
Time on the run:
Top tips for going on the run
1. DON'T CONTACT HOME
2. Don't leave a digital trail.
3. Lie to your loved ones for their own safety.
4. Don't stay in one place for too long. No place is safe. Only safer.
5. Don't become overconfident
Who are you favourites to win? And don't leave your plans and tips for going on the run in the comments below. Who knows who's watching?
Ten fugitives have to go on the run across the UK for 28 days. All fugitives have to start in Birmingham and from there they can use any means of evasion to escape capture, as long as they stay in the UK and don't break the law. Last year we saw teams hitchhiking, going rural and cycling on Britain's canal network. They have access to £250, which they can withdraw from a bank account at any time. They are accompanied by a covert camera operator and if they evade capture, then they will win £100,000.
Leading the hunters is ex-Scotland detective Chief Becksley, not unlike Tom Thorne of John luther. His deputy is Ben Owen who trained as a sniper before joining the military intelligence. Supporting them are a wide range of counterintelligence experts, investigative psychologists, police officers and ethical hackers.
This episode focused on 3 groups of fugitives:
The first is the instantly likeable Nick Cummings. At first glance, Nick seems like your stereotypical bumbling Englishman. At second glance, he still looks like this, but completely inept. However, he is my early favourite to win.
For 17 years, Nick has been a house-husband to his GP wife. He decided to go on the run, due to how he feels guilty that he doesn't provide any value to their relation ship. And I find this adorable. He also wants prove to his teenage son that he is more than a stay-at-home dad.
Nick started weakly. Whilst the other fugitives scrambled into their getaway cars Nick bumbled through Birmingham like he was looking for somewhere to enjoy his cucumber sandwiches and cup of tea, Laden with bags, he finally reached his bike and cycled onto the canal, although he didn't know whether this was the Worster or Grand Union Canal. Having caught Nick on CCTV, the Hunters thought they had an easy win. However, Nick had trick up his sleeve. Every so often along the canal, he would change his clothes. Cycling along the canal isn't a bad idea, it worked for Season 1 winners, butt he Hunters saw right through Nick's disguise and dispatched teams to intercept him. Yet amazingly, Nick unwittingly gave them the slip by coming off the towpath and getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. And getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. This is why he's my favourite. If John Luther, oops I mean Peter Becksley and Co, can be beaten by a bumbling Englishman, this would be just brilliant. It would also be a little worrying too.
Fugitive: Nick Cummings
Time on the Run: 5 Days
Status: At Large
The second group are childhood friends Anna May (Office Administrator) and Elizabeth Garnett (Stockbroker's Asisant.) The girls are both in their twenties and have spent their life hiking through the Yorkshire Dales, so the Hunter s have were worried about them.
And rightly so. The girls started strongly by adopting a proven tactic, hitch-hiking from truck-stops. However, as it's been used before, the Hunters knew to prepare for it by handing out wanted posters in truck stops. In a great encounter, Anna and Elizabeth's getaway driver warned them about the posters and said they could have gotten into a car with an MI5 agent. He wasn't, but this also made the girls wisen up and decide to stop hitch-hiking to break their pattern.
But the Hunter's powers don't just stop at wanted posters, they can do almost anything to catch a fugitive. For example, the Hunters paid a visit to Anna's parents, who were obligated to talk tot hem, which is different from last year. Anna's parents then put on a bad roleplay to throw the Hunters of their daughter's scent. Of course I don't them for doing so, but this definitely raised the Hunters' suspicion.
Anna's parents also had to surrender her mobile phone and laptop etc, which is again different from last year. In season 1, the fugitives were under no obligation to surrender their electronics. A lot of them took their phones and laptops with them. This time round, I don't see what is actually stopping the fugitives from taking their electronics with them or just throwing them into the local canal.
Fugitives: Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett
Time on the run: 5 days
Status: At large
The final group were ex-soldiers Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett. As well as being soldiers, they're also amputees with Jeremy having a false leg and Kirk missing part of his arm. I can't help but think that an amputated arm is going to make you stand out. As soldiers trained in escape and evasion, you would expect them to do well and they started well, at least.
From Birmingham, they contacted their inner circle of army veterans to provide them with shelter in a shooting range. This meant that they were rural and away from the CCTV that the Hunters can use to find the fugitives. Of course the Hunters had a number of tools at their disposal. The first one was interrogating their get-away driver and families who did their best to cover for them. Yet just like Anna's parents, they weren't very convincing. Of course I'm not blaming them, but again they definitely raised the Hunter's suspicion. I think that if you were to go on the run, then you cannot trust anyone even your loved ones. You have to lie to them for their own safety. That way if they are questioned by the authorities, then they can say what they think is the truth, but is actually a red Herring. This would be far better than just saying "I don't know," which is bound to be suspicious.
The Hunters then took all of Kirk's and Jeremy's electronics and hacked into them. From here, they found a list of contacts and their long-term plan, to stay in a safe-house in Blackpool. In Sam Wollaston's Review, he criticised the pair for their "cyber naivety," which I would agree with. If you're going to go on the run, then you can't leave behind a digital trail. Certainly don't email your long-term plans to yourself, which is what Kirk did. And be careful about what you post on social media. From hacking into Kirk's Facebook, they found that he is a massive family man. More than this, he has a baby son who was going to turn 1 whilst he was on the run.
He then jeopardised the whole mission by arranging to bring his family out to see him. The risk paid off as the Hunters weren't able to take advantage of this, but this was not a risk worth taking. In season 1, what tripped up so many of the fugitives was calling home. Just don't call home. By doing so you're putting your family on the front-lines. The Hunters can bug their phones and be led straight to the fugitives.
Kirk and Jeremy then made the same mistake that caught out the legend Ricky Martin last year. They got over-confident. They decided to travel to Blackpool to hide with one of their friends. Thinking they were safe, they had a wander around town and got lunch in broad day-light at a curry-house. However, because the Hunters had hacked into Kirk's electronics, they knew that he and Jeremy were heading to Blackpool and sent out a team to intercept them. But then as Sam Wollaston identifies, the Hunters make an elementary mistake. They send a team into the restaurant to see whether Kirk and Jeremy are there. They spot them and then instead of going in for the kill, they then leave the restaurant and this is where things get confusing.
Kirk and Jeremy spotted the Hunters and weren't sure what to do. Their camera operator also spotted them and had to crouch under the table, which I found quite funny. I'm also wondering how the covert camera operators actually film what's happening. Obviously they can't use spy cameras as they're too bad quality, but they can't use film cameras either, as they'd be too conspicuous. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what happened in the ending. One of the soldiers slips out of the back of the restaurant, but the other one randomly decides to stay. Perhaps they were splitting up to maximise their chances or one of them wanted to create a diversion for the other to get away. But what happened? I really have no idea. However, judging from the trailer for next week, it looks like they both got away.
Sam Wollaston elaborated about the incompetency of these Hunters and I would agree with them. It's obvious that these fugitives especially Kirk and Jeremy who should be strong, are quite inept in escape and evasion, but the Hunters are even more inept at catching them. I still don't know why the Hunters didn't go in for the kill. Please if you know what happened then please, please, please, clear things up in the comments below.
Fugitives: Jeremy and Kirk
Time on the run:
Top tips for going on the run
1. DON'T CONTACT HOME
2. Don't leave a digital trail.
3. Lie to your loved ones for their own safety.
4. Don't stay in one place for too long. No place is safe. Only safer.
5. Don't become overconfident
Who are you favourites to win? And don't leave your plans and tips for going on the run in the comments below. Who knows who's watching?
Saturday, 29 October 2016
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Review
Read my review of Braveheart
Number 90 on the top 1000 films of all time is one of Jim Carrey's more dramatic roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Number 90 on the top 1000 films of all time is one of Jim Carrey's more dramatic roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is a shy, socially awkward man living in New York City. He quickly meets and begins a relationship with the free-spirited and extroverted Clementine Kruczyniski. (Kate Winslet) However, when Joel finds out that Clementine underwent a special treatment with a firm called Lacuna to have her memories of him removed, he decides to go through the same surgery. That is until he decides for better or worse that he wants to remember everything about Clementine. Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson all star in supporting roles.
This was an interesting film for me, engaging with the themes of love, loss and memory. What it truly means to love and remember someone. Is it really better to have lost and loved than to have never loved at all? This film is deeply psychological with much of it taken place in Joel's mind, as it explores his memories and hopes. For this reason, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is deeply abstract. Much of the camerawork and editing is creative and viewing this film is an experience in itself. Camera trickery is used to demonstrate Joel's fight against having his memories erased. For example, in flashbacks to Joel's childhood, there are instances of forced perspective to show childlike he really is.
Although Joel's narrative is at the centre of the film, there are a few interrelated subplots with the employees of Lacuna, which I think played well opposite the main conflict of the film. For example, Elijah Wood plays Patrick, one of Lacuna's technicians in charge of Joel's treatment, takes advantage of this situation to get closer to Clementine. Just like Joel, Patrick is also looking for love, but both characters go about it in different ways. Patrick is manipulative, pitiful and quite pathetic in how he tries to seduce Clementine.
The other subplot revolves around the other technician Stan, (Mark Ruffalo) Lacuna's receptionist Mary (Kirsten Dunst) and Lacuna's Director Howard (Tom Wilkinson.) It is revealed that whilst Mary and Stan have a good relationship, she has had an affair with Howard before having her memory erased when Howard' wife found out. I think these subplots worked well, as they brought the film back into the real world. At times, I did think it strayed a little bit too far into the confusing and the abstract, and these subplots helped to ground it more. Also, I love Tom Wilkinson whatever he's in.
The other subplot revolves around the other technician Stan, (Mark Ruffalo) Lacuna's receptionist Mary (Kirsten Dunst) and Lacuna's Director Howard (Tom Wilkinson.) It is revealed that whilst Mary and Stan have a good relationship, she has had an affair with Howard before having her memory erased when Howard' wife found out. I think these subplots worked well, as they brought the film back into the real world. At times, I did think it strayed a little bit too far into the confusing and the abstract, and these subplots helped to ground it more. Also, I love Tom Wilkinson whatever he's in.
As Jim Carrey is primarily known as a comedian, I wasn't too sure what to expect from him in a dramatic role. I've seen him in more comedic roles e.g the Riddler in Batman Forever, Stanley Ipkiss in the Mask and Count Olaf in a Series of Unfortunate Events, and I felt that he was a little over the top in most of these performances. Having said that, I thought he was brilliant in the more serious role of Truman Burbank in The Truman Show. Carrey didn't disappoint in this role, He was understated and poignant. He didn't play the role with his usual exuberance, but rather a subtle and quiet power. All credit to him for dialling it back in.
Saturday, 22 October 2016
The Returned Episode 8 The Returned Review
So my one of my favourite TV series, with its rich story-telling, complicated characters and gorgeous cinematography has finally come to an end. Was it a satisfactory conclusion? Yes. Was it a perfect one? Guess it depends on what you're looking for in a conclusion. Compared to last year, the ending of season 2 was far quieter, more reflective and felt like an extended denouement, giving the characters proper endings and tying up most of the storylines. I say most, as there were plenty of things that were left unanswered.
Firstly, let's start with the flashback kicking off this episode. As per usual it is from 35 years ago with Lucy going into Milan's pub and blagging her way into getting a job with him. This scene is a complete mirror of Lucy's introduction in the first season and how she ends up working with Toni in the Lake Pub. It also marks Milan and Lucy's first encounter.
Back in the present day, Lucy is having a crisis after the Horde lose faith and abandon her. Her spirits are only uplifted when a police officer with an infantile crush on her gives her baby Nathan. Nathan appears to be some type of catalysing factor to restoring Lucy's authority as the Horde are ready to follow her again. What's so special about Nathan? I guess the fact that he was born from two dead parents for one thing.
But before we go too far into the Horde's narrative, I want to jump to another leader who has lost his authority: Pierre. Last episode, we saw that Pierre was part of Milan's death sect: The Circle, but he decides against killing himself at the last moment. In the 35 years that have followed, Pierre has been racked by guilt which he has attempted to compensate for by running the Helping Hand shelter and recreating a death sect of his own. However, he runs into problems when the captured Audrey kills and eats her mother before being shot dead herself. Pierre's followers leave him and he himself is confronted by Berg, Etienne and Victor (more on them later) who direct him to Milan. Interestingly, Milan seems to have undergone some enlightenment and abandoned his previous beliefs. But this isn't enough to stop Pierre from committing suicide. Milan then goes to join Toni in the Horde.
Now the first of my grumbles. This episode does little to nothing to tie up Toni and Serge's storyline. Toni becomes part of the Horde, whilst Serge goes back to the underpass to slowly decay to serve penitence for his crimes. Whilst I like this idea, it does raise problems for me. Firstly, the pair of them barely feature in this episode, but secondly, why doesn't the Horde want Serge to join them? We've seen before that they are eager to have every single returnee join them, but they don't seem to care about Serge. Both characters should have received a longer goodbye. In some ways I think that Esther was their goodbye episode.
Two other characters who don't join the Horde are Simon and Adele, who as Gwilym Mumford of the Guardian identifies, receives the most confusing, head-scratching goodbye. They head into the caves in the forest and there are taken by this mysterious returnee to the other side where they are younger and in their wedding clothes. The obvious subtext is that they've been given a chance to start again. The two have always been dedicated to each other and now they have an opportunity to live their lives. Although, as Mumford rightly points out, it is very strange that they completely forget about their baby son Nathan, despite how desperate they were to rescue him from the clutches of Lucy, last week. Little is mentioned of their daughter Chloe, either.
However, Chloe is in the safe hands of the Segurret family, whom behind a certain pair of characters I'll come to afterwards, are one of the driving forces behind this show. By having Camille come back to life, we see how the implications and consequences of this can tear the family unit apart. Sure you could argue we see the same thing with Adele, Simon and Chloe, but their narrative very much focuses on Adele and Simon's relationship with Chloe being not more than a plot device. Anyway, after the Segurret family and Chloe escape from the police station, they attempt to drive Camille out of the town, when who they run into but Pierre's minion Frederic. Frederic continues to show off his stupidity by shooting Camille and then being shot by Claire (again, interesting gender reversal, here.) It is also reveal that the lesions that have been appearing on the Returned are signs that they have to return to the Horde, which is what Camille opts to do upon her return. What follows is a very emotional goodbye between her and her family especially her sister Lena, before Camille joins Virgil and the Horde. In this moment, I think she grows up a little. Initially, I disliked Camille because of how she encapsulated stereotypical teenage angst and moodiness, but I've warmed to her and I like how she so willingly accepted her situation.
One thing I didn't like was how Berg and Etienne's narrative ended. Although this is because I don't think that Berg's character worked. His narrative was all over the place. Firstly, he was introduced as a dam-building expert, but then teams up with Jerome to access the dead part of town, before finally joining his father Etienne, last episode. And then this episode, Etienne chooses to leave him in favour of the Horde. This goodbye held no emotional weight for me, as we've not had any chance to see Berg and Etienne together. Whilst having your father tell you to forget him can be a crippling blow, I just didn't feel anything. I think their relationship could have been explored in much more detail.
Finally, we have come to Victor and Julie who are very much at the centre of everything. Firstly, let's discuss the second flashback of the episode, where we see Victor returning for the umpteenth time in his father's home. The two of them live happily for 35 years until Victor's father suffers a heart attack and collapses. The terrified Victor prays for him to come back to life, but he inadvertently goes too far and awakens the first wave of the Returned including Camille and Simon. Whether this also includes Serge, Lucy and Mrs Costa, who knows? After Victor's actions, he leaves his home and finds Julie at the bus stop, thus linking back to his first appearance in the show. But the important thing is that we finally got an explanation for why the Returned returned and I think it's a credible one. We know that Victor has immense power and it was his fear of alone that brought the others back to life. Although this doesn't quite explain what revived the second wave of returnees.
Two visions have been consistently haunting Victor- one of Julie jumping into the sinkhole and killing herself and another of her happy on a beach with a child that isn't him. But back in the here and now, Victor rescues Julie from Pierre's dungeon and the two of them attempt to escape town. However, they don't get far, before Lucy appears and says that Victor needs to go with them to lead the Horde. Knowing that Julie will die if she goes with him, Victor says goodbye once and for all and allows Lucy to lead him to the Horde who are by the sinkhole. Amongst the Horde are Milan, Toni, Camille, Virgil, Morganne, Esther, Etienne and Mrs and Mr Costa. Just like in Victor's vision, Lucy says that it is up to him to save them. Whilst Lucy adopted the role of leader, it was always meant as Victor, although it isn't made particularly clear what they expect him to do. Although one thing Victor cannot do is allow baby Nathan to come with them, as he is too much like him. What does this mean? Let me know what you think below.
This is when Julie appears. We've seen that before Victor she had absolutely nothing to live for and Victor has given her a new lease to life. Without Victor, she doesn't want to live and so, just like in Victor's vision, she kills herself by jumping into the sinkhole. This is when Etienne tells Victor that he has the power to change things if he really wants. And this is what he does. He closes his eyes and when he next opens them, the Horde are gone, the sink-hole is filled with water and Julie is alive. Some time later, we then see Victor's second vision also coming true. Julie is on the beach with Ophelie, but Victor becomes the little boy he sees Julie with. Whilst it was great to see the two of them have a happy ending, I'm a bit confused that the Horde would allow Victor to choose Julie and himself over them, considering how much they were relying on him to lead them to salvation.
Finally, we come to the final shot of the season and potentially the whole series. Lucy, who has obviously not disappeared with the rest of the Returned, leaving baby Nathan on the doorsteps of a house. Why? Of course it isn't explained nor is the significance of Nathan or why Lucy wanted him so much. But I can't help but think that this is perhaps what happened to Victor. Maybe he was an orphan who has never felt like he belonged anywhere. Mumford also drew connections between Victor and Nathan, speculating that maybe Nathan will become the next Victor, setting the whole chain of events into motion once again.
Some questions I'd love your opinions and thoughts on.
1. What is Victor's backstory? I've speculated a little bit about it, but I'd love to hear your theories.
2. On that note, what about Lucy's? We know a little bit, that she appeared in town out of nowhere and was murdered by Milan, but beyond that she's a bit of a mystery.
3. And again, what about Simon? We know that he committed suicide but his backstory has never been properly explored. Under what circumstances did he kill himself?
4. What happened to poor Audrey? The last we saw of her, she was still chained to the wall in Pierre's dungeon. Has she just been left there to decay or will she continously die and return? Either way, she has to be the unluckiest character in the history of this show.
5. Who was the mysterious returnee who led Simon and Adele to the other side of the cave?
6. What is the significance of baby Nathan and of that ending in particular?
7. What happened to the Horde? Did they go into the afterlife? Or do you agree with Mumford's idea that they became the water in the sinkhole? I think this is a good idea; we've already seen that there's a strong connection between water and the Returned.
8. Lastly, what did you make of the ending? Did you like it? Why or why not? I'd love to know.
Firstly, let's start with the flashback kicking off this episode. As per usual it is from 35 years ago with Lucy going into Milan's pub and blagging her way into getting a job with him. This scene is a complete mirror of Lucy's introduction in the first season and how she ends up working with Toni in the Lake Pub. It also marks Milan and Lucy's first encounter.
Back in the present day, Lucy is having a crisis after the Horde lose faith and abandon her. Her spirits are only uplifted when a police officer with an infantile crush on her gives her baby Nathan. Nathan appears to be some type of catalysing factor to restoring Lucy's authority as the Horde are ready to follow her again. What's so special about Nathan? I guess the fact that he was born from two dead parents for one thing.
But before we go too far into the Horde's narrative, I want to jump to another leader who has lost his authority: Pierre. Last episode, we saw that Pierre was part of Milan's death sect: The Circle, but he decides against killing himself at the last moment. In the 35 years that have followed, Pierre has been racked by guilt which he has attempted to compensate for by running the Helping Hand shelter and recreating a death sect of his own. However, he runs into problems when the captured Audrey kills and eats her mother before being shot dead herself. Pierre's followers leave him and he himself is confronted by Berg, Etienne and Victor (more on them later) who direct him to Milan. Interestingly, Milan seems to have undergone some enlightenment and abandoned his previous beliefs. But this isn't enough to stop Pierre from committing suicide. Milan then goes to join Toni in the Horde.
Now the first of my grumbles. This episode does little to nothing to tie up Toni and Serge's storyline. Toni becomes part of the Horde, whilst Serge goes back to the underpass to slowly decay to serve penitence for his crimes. Whilst I like this idea, it does raise problems for me. Firstly, the pair of them barely feature in this episode, but secondly, why doesn't the Horde want Serge to join them? We've seen before that they are eager to have every single returnee join them, but they don't seem to care about Serge. Both characters should have received a longer goodbye. In some ways I think that Esther was their goodbye episode.
Two other characters who don't join the Horde are Simon and Adele, who as Gwilym Mumford of the Guardian identifies, receives the most confusing, head-scratching goodbye. They head into the caves in the forest and there are taken by this mysterious returnee to the other side where they are younger and in their wedding clothes. The obvious subtext is that they've been given a chance to start again. The two have always been dedicated to each other and now they have an opportunity to live their lives. Although, as Mumford rightly points out, it is very strange that they completely forget about their baby son Nathan, despite how desperate they were to rescue him from the clutches of Lucy, last week. Little is mentioned of their daughter Chloe, either.
However, Chloe is in the safe hands of the Segurret family, whom behind a certain pair of characters I'll come to afterwards, are one of the driving forces behind this show. By having Camille come back to life, we see how the implications and consequences of this can tear the family unit apart. Sure you could argue we see the same thing with Adele, Simon and Chloe, but their narrative very much focuses on Adele and Simon's relationship with Chloe being not more than a plot device. Anyway, after the Segurret family and Chloe escape from the police station, they attempt to drive Camille out of the town, when who they run into but Pierre's minion Frederic. Frederic continues to show off his stupidity by shooting Camille and then being shot by Claire (again, interesting gender reversal, here.) It is also reveal that the lesions that have been appearing on the Returned are signs that they have to return to the Horde, which is what Camille opts to do upon her return. What follows is a very emotional goodbye between her and her family especially her sister Lena, before Camille joins Virgil and the Horde. In this moment, I think she grows up a little. Initially, I disliked Camille because of how she encapsulated stereotypical teenage angst and moodiness, but I've warmed to her and I like how she so willingly accepted her situation.
One thing I didn't like was how Berg and Etienne's narrative ended. Although this is because I don't think that Berg's character worked. His narrative was all over the place. Firstly, he was introduced as a dam-building expert, but then teams up with Jerome to access the dead part of town, before finally joining his father Etienne, last episode. And then this episode, Etienne chooses to leave him in favour of the Horde. This goodbye held no emotional weight for me, as we've not had any chance to see Berg and Etienne together. Whilst having your father tell you to forget him can be a crippling blow, I just didn't feel anything. I think their relationship could have been explored in much more detail.
Finally, we have come to Victor and Julie who are very much at the centre of everything. Firstly, let's discuss the second flashback of the episode, where we see Victor returning for the umpteenth time in his father's home. The two of them live happily for 35 years until Victor's father suffers a heart attack and collapses. The terrified Victor prays for him to come back to life, but he inadvertently goes too far and awakens the first wave of the Returned including Camille and Simon. Whether this also includes Serge, Lucy and Mrs Costa, who knows? After Victor's actions, he leaves his home and finds Julie at the bus stop, thus linking back to his first appearance in the show. But the important thing is that we finally got an explanation for why the Returned returned and I think it's a credible one. We know that Victor has immense power and it was his fear of alone that brought the others back to life. Although this doesn't quite explain what revived the second wave of returnees.
Two visions have been consistently haunting Victor- one of Julie jumping into the sinkhole and killing herself and another of her happy on a beach with a child that isn't him. But back in the here and now, Victor rescues Julie from Pierre's dungeon and the two of them attempt to escape town. However, they don't get far, before Lucy appears and says that Victor needs to go with them to lead the Horde. Knowing that Julie will die if she goes with him, Victor says goodbye once and for all and allows Lucy to lead him to the Horde who are by the sinkhole. Amongst the Horde are Milan, Toni, Camille, Virgil, Morganne, Esther, Etienne and Mrs and Mr Costa. Just like in Victor's vision, Lucy says that it is up to him to save them. Whilst Lucy adopted the role of leader, it was always meant as Victor, although it isn't made particularly clear what they expect him to do. Although one thing Victor cannot do is allow baby Nathan to come with them, as he is too much like him. What does this mean? Let me know what you think below.
This is when Julie appears. We've seen that before Victor she had absolutely nothing to live for and Victor has given her a new lease to life. Without Victor, she doesn't want to live and so, just like in Victor's vision, she kills herself by jumping into the sinkhole. This is when Etienne tells Victor that he has the power to change things if he really wants. And this is what he does. He closes his eyes and when he next opens them, the Horde are gone, the sink-hole is filled with water and Julie is alive. Some time later, we then see Victor's second vision also coming true. Julie is on the beach with Ophelie, but Victor becomes the little boy he sees Julie with. Whilst it was great to see the two of them have a happy ending, I'm a bit confused that the Horde would allow Victor to choose Julie and himself over them, considering how much they were relying on him to lead them to salvation.
Finally, we come to the final shot of the season and potentially the whole series. Lucy, who has obviously not disappeared with the rest of the Returned, leaving baby Nathan on the doorsteps of a house. Why? Of course it isn't explained nor is the significance of Nathan or why Lucy wanted him so much. But I can't help but think that this is perhaps what happened to Victor. Maybe he was an orphan who has never felt like he belonged anywhere. Mumford also drew connections between Victor and Nathan, speculating that maybe Nathan will become the next Victor, setting the whole chain of events into motion once again.
Some questions I'd love your opinions and thoughts on.
1. What is Victor's backstory? I've speculated a little bit about it, but I'd love to hear your theories.
2. On that note, what about Lucy's? We know a little bit, that she appeared in town out of nowhere and was murdered by Milan, but beyond that she's a bit of a mystery.
3. And again, what about Simon? We know that he committed suicide but his backstory has never been properly explored. Under what circumstances did he kill himself?
4. What happened to poor Audrey? The last we saw of her, she was still chained to the wall in Pierre's dungeon. Has she just been left there to decay or will she continously die and return? Either way, she has to be the unluckiest character in the history of this show.
5. Who was the mysterious returnee who led Simon and Adele to the other side of the cave?
6. What is the significance of baby Nathan and of that ending in particular?
7. What happened to the Horde? Did they go into the afterlife? Or do you agree with Mumford's idea that they became the water in the sinkhole? I think this is a good idea; we've already seen that there's a strong connection between water and the Returned.
8. Lastly, what did you make of the ending? Did you like it? Why or why not? I'd love to know.
Sunday, 16 October 2016
Braveheart Review
They may take our lives, but they may never take our FREEDOM!
Yes I know. How could I have lived 21 years without seeing the masterpiece that is Braveheart? Don't worry, as of October 15th, I have now watched the 89th film on the top 1000 films of all time.
Braveheart focuses on the historical figure of William Wallace (Mel Gibson) a 13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First Scottish War of Independence against King Edward "Longshanks" (Patrick Mcgoohan gave a great performance of the cruel ruler) of England, after Wallace's wife is executed by the English.
After I watch films, I tend to read about them on IMDB and it was on IMDB that I learnt that Braveheart is less than historically accurate, despite being based on a number of real-life events. Although, I don't think that this is a problem. Sure there were a number of historical inconsistencies, but there weren't any big enough to detract from the entertainment value of the film. It doesn't claim to be a documentary, but an epic war-drama and on that front I think it works well.
Firstly, I'd like to address the film's three hour long run-time. 3 hours is a long time for any film and rarely have I watched a three hour film and not gotten bored or been praying for it to end: with The Godfather being an exception. However, I think that Braveheart was paced very well. Unlike other three hour films, where I've watched them in two halves, I watched Braveheart in one sitting. I felt engaged throughout and the thought of turning it off and watching the rest in the morning never crossed my mind.
There's no doubt that Braveheart is a tragedy and if you know how things worked out for the real-life William Wallace (not well,) this makes it even more tragic. William Wallace was undoubtedly a tragic hero and his devotion to his cause still rings true today, especially with all of the modern-day wars of independence. Gibson portrays Wallace as an emblem of stoic masculinity going to war to avenge his murdered wife and then to gain freedom for his country. His journey is one that is chartered well with his motivations clearly established early and his development into a darker, more uncompromising character was great to watch. Wallace is an empathetic hero and the dedication he shows to his country is enough to instil patriotic feelings in anyone.
However, Wallace isn't alone in his journey. He is surrounded by a number of his lieutenants who all serve not only as comic relief but also to showcase the loyalty that these men show each other. His four lieutenants include his childhood best friend Hamish (Brendan Gleeson) Hamish's father Elder Campbell (James Cosmo) the mad Irishman Stephen (David O'Hara) and Morrison (Tommy Flanagan) whose wife was the first victim of Primae Noctis. Whilst Hamish's father and Morrison sadly, but rightly die in battle, Hamish and Stephen survive until the end. It was heart-breaking to watch them see Wallace's torture and execution and not be able to do anything about it.
As a war film, Braveheart works well. The battle sequences are brilliantly choreographed and are understandably brutal. War by its very nature is violent and for it to be portrayed in any other way would be insulting to those who fought in it. A criticism I had of the last film I reviewed: Taxi Driver was that there was too much tension-building and not enough pay-out. The same can't be said for Braveheart. I think that the battle sequences were entertaining and satisfactory payloads to all of the tension-building.
Filmed on location in Scotland, but also partially in Ireland, the cinematography is gorgeous with the rugged landscape adding in another element to the film. Finally, I have to discuss the great soundtrack. Composed by James Horner and the London Symphony Orchestra, the main theme tune is uplifting, sad, moving and patriotic all at the same time. It is used throughout during the film adding a great power to some of the film's most crucial sequences.
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