The Great Dictator

Chaplin's Finest Hour

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Release Date: 1940
Rating: U
Running Time: 120 mins
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Starring Charlie Chaplin and Charlie Chaplin

'You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, a wonderful adventure'

The father of silent films, the king of comedy, the God of slapstick, the first real movie star, it's fair to say that Charlie Chaplin was no doubt an absolute genius. He is still to this date the man who received the longest ever standing ovation of twelve minutes for incalculable effect he has had in making motion picture the art form of this century. He was a clear icon admire by millions and he is still seen to have influenced so many of the stars acting today.

Directing, writing, producing, composing scores and starring in his films, the man is a clear auteur whose films have managed to stand the test of time and still have so many watched and loved; Modern Times (1936), City Lights (1931), The Gold Rush (1925) and my personal favorite among so many others, The Great Dictator (1940). Though it's almost 75 years on, I still find it a complete work of genius and one of the funniest films that I have ever seen. We begin at the end of WWI where we meet a German Jewish Barber who is a rendition of Chaplin's famous and well loved 'Little Tramp' character, and see him escape the British invasion of the German trenches in a plane  and return to his home of Tomania, (a made up version of Germany and Hitler's ideal fantasy of Germania). However moments later we see him  crash land and suffer a memory loss after finding out that the Germans have lost the war and are surrendering. Unaware of the world and what's been going on until he is released from hospital years later, he return home to the Jewish Ghetto only to find that a forceful dictator by the name of Adenoid Hynkel, a short tempered man for Osterich, has taken over. Sounds a bit similar to someone else.

Regarded as Chaplin's first real talkie where we hear he him speak, the film is able to explore much more, opposed to just being confined to the silent film world we're use to seeing 'The Little Tramp' living in. There's no denying that it's an incredibly clever and hysterically funny film that really does poke fun at the barbaric Nazis and of course Adolf Hitler himself, but as well as this, the audience still get to see Chaplin doing what he does best, run into trouble at every possible bend with incredibly comical circumstances. Having said this however, 'The Great Dictator' is not just a comedy but also a film about racial segregation, freedom and love, it really is coated with a strong and powerful meaning. Chaplin delivers at the end a truly moving speech, arguably perhaps one of the greatest speeches ever made and in fact is still relevant to what's going on today.  'Soldiers do not fight for slavery, fight for liberty, don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine hearts and machine minds'. As the film was released during early WWII, the film was highly regarded as a strong piece of uplifting morale for Britain and is able to say what everyone was thinking and feeling/

Though of course having made the film so early on during the war, Chaplin was unaware of Hitler's true intentions, particularly with the Jews and concentration camps, Chaplin actually stated that if he was aware of what was going on, he would never have made any scenes in a prison camp. What's interesting was that Chaplin wasn't sure whether to even make the film altogether, due to what was going on, but so many, particularly those in America, urged him to make it, and it clearly payed off as a highly successful and well captured piece of film.

Adolf Hitler, despite actually being a fan of Charlie Chaplin and basing his image on the comedian, had the film banned in Germany and it stayed banned until 1958. It was said that Hitler watched the film twice, once in private and once with others, but he never told anyone what he thought of it, Chaplin actually stated that he would've loved to have known what his reaction was, as I imagine would everyone.

If you have never seen a Chaplin film before, I'd strongly recommend 'The Great Dictator'. It's one that may be more relatable when viewed by a contemporary due to it actually being a 'talkie' unlike Chaplin's earlier films. And to put it plainly, it is not just a piece of propaganda for the allies, but a true masterpiece and perfect combination of comedy, drama, sorrow and love.

9/10

Mary and Max

A Claymation Not For Kids

Director: Adam Elliot
Release Date: 2009
Rating: 15
Running Time: 90 mins
Genre: Dark Comedy/Drama/Claymation
Sarring: Phillip Seymore-Hoffman, Toni Collette, Eric Banna

'Where do babies come from?'

Though I've never been a massive fan of 'claymation' I did find 'Mary and Max' to be a very well crafted and imaginative film. The very unique and creative way that this film was crafted was able to capture our hearts in this very funny, yet devastating film of friendship, love and loneliness.

Transported to the peculiar world of claymation we begin in colourful land of Australia where we meet lonely, yet awfully sweet girl of 8 Mary (Toni Collette) wants to know where babies come from. Unable to retrieve answers from her alcoholic mother, Mary steals a page from a phone book and at random writes to a man living in New York, named Max (Phillip Seymore-Hoffman). Max lives in a world very different to Mary's, he lives in a colourless apartment in a colourless city and cannot bear to be near anyone else due to various anxiety issues and asperges syndrome. None the less Max chooses to reply to Mary's letter and they begin the start of their bizarre yet beautiful pen pal relationship. Taken through the film with narration from Barry Humphries and monologues of letters from the two protagonists, we see both Mary and Max begin to learn more about the world and themselves, truly inspiring. Constantly entranced by a beautiful piano score that uplifts the whole film, for me, I found this to be a particularly strong aspect of the film, as it really got the emotions going and was able to appear as though we were living in Mary's head.

Though at first glance it may look like a children s film I'd recommend it strictly for a more grown up audience . Though viewed as a comedy it is awfully sad and dark and will certainly leave you feeling a great deal of pity for the characters. What's so amazing is the way it will both warm and dampen your hearts simultaneously due to it's poignant and memorable story. Although the film didn't make me laugh as much as I had hoped, it did have it's moments and I still find it to be a truly mesmerising and soul enriching work of art.

Though maybe not the happiest of films, it does have it's moments of joy that stay with you.

6/10

Starred Up

Brutally Superb

Director: David Mackenzie
Release Date: 2014
Rating: 18
Running Time: 105 mins
Genre: Prison Drama
Starring: Jack O'Connell, Rupert Friend, Ben Mendelsohn

'Starred Up means you're a leader'

Jack O'Connell makes his début as a lead actor in this hard-hitting British drama set entirely in an English prison. Never setting foot outside the gates that seal the inmates into this prison, we're made to feel and witness the brutality and the anger that lives inside of with everyone within the walls. It's so fantastically acted by everyone in it and believe it or not it's a film that made me feel proud at what us Brits are able to produce. Though maybe not agreed by everyone, for me it put 'Bronson' to shame, the message that's carried through in this film resonated with me so much more. It begs the question, is anyone capable of change? And do we really know our enemies from our friends?

When teenager Eric Young (O'Connell) is taken out of a young offenders jail and thrown into life living in an adult prison he has to try and change the way he acts before he's killed. Trying to cope with the stress and aggravation of his anger, rehabilitation group, cell mates and the only man he is unable to stand up to, his father (Ben Mendelsohn). It's not long before Eric learns that if he's going to survive life in prison he's going to have to start playing by the rules, but he's not as capable of this as his rehabilitation instructor (Rupert Friend) is first hoping for.

Though not an easy watch, it's a film that I'd watch over and over due to it having something fascinating inside it that we have rarely seen before on the screen.  Having had jails change quite a lot in the past 15 years 'Starred Up' begins to give us a fresh look at the prisoners and guards alike behind the walls, and the most frustrating yet genius thing about this film is, we don't know who to be in favour of. The amazing thing about this film is that, though our head says we should support the law and the police, our hearts draw us towards Eric and the cell mates challenging everything that we believe in.

Though unfamiliar with David Mackenzie's previous work, it does feel that this director has got something special about him through his fabulous use of direction and cinematography. It was once said that if you can show a film without too much dialogue and the audience know what's going on you've made a successful movie, and I think Mackenzie's done this with 'Starred Up'. Even at the very start of the film when we see Eric arrive, there is very little dialogue, particularly once he enters his cell, but it's clear what he's thinking and what he's planning, it's fair to say O'Connell is so well suited to the role, he's come along way since 'Skins'. Throughout the film there are so many wonderfully crafted long duration shots and experimental camera angles that compliment the film so well.

There's a strong sense of enigma in this film and though we never find out anyone's crimes and why they're there. this doesn't take anything away from the films impact. I think this is Mackenzie's way of saying, it doesn't matter what they've done, all that matters is that they're there now and that's what's important and has the biggest impact on the film.

Overall I loved it. The suspense, drama, fighting and the belief that we can change. Fantastic film, the best British drama since 'This Is England'.

9/10

Need For Speed

Another 'Fast And Furious'?

Director: Scott Waugh
Release Date: 2014
Rating: 12
Running Time: 125 mins
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
Actors: Aaron Paul, Michael Keaton, Dominic Cooper

Would I sum up 'Need For Speed' as 'Fast and Furious 7'? No. Would I call it a rip off? No. The two films are completely different, well, they're both about cars but I think you know what I mean. I do think it's got to be said that this film was incredibly average. There were both pros and cons with this film and it evened out as very balanced between the two. Though the acting is good, the cars are pretty badass and the stunts are quite exciting, I'd say the film is let down awfully by poor writing.

The story is quite complex given what actually goes on in the film, I still don't think I fully understand it so it's clearly one you've got to pay attention to at the start. After street racer Aaron Paul, (who's characters name I forget because I just say him as Jesse Pinkman) is sentenced to jail after being framed for his friends death during a race, he is released and heads from New York to California in under 48 hours to take place in another street race, why? I honestly cannot remember, it just wasn't that exciting.

A very poor story that left me feeling as though I was somewhat robbed of my money, but you can almost tell that it's going to be like that from the trailer and the fact it is another 'driving' movie. In terms of acting in this Domanic Cooper was alrigh, but it's definitely not the strongest role he's done and it did really annoy me that he had to put on this fake American accent even though he could've just used his normal voice, it wouldn't have affected the film what so ever. Michael Keaton was very enjoyable to watch, though that is probably because he is brilliant in everything he stars in and was able to bring a fair bit of comedy to a shockingly serious film, who died? Oh, right. And Aaron Paul played the same likeable character with a dark side he has done in so many other things, such as Breaking Bad and..well it's still early days for the actor, but looking at how the young star is doing, it's seeming as though we will continue on the big screen a few more times after this.

Overall, though a film that was able to pass the time, it was fairly boring and really not that great. I think the main reason it was so poor is that it's very easy to laugh at rather than  but again that comes down to the poor script, I reckon there will be plenty of digs made at this film due to it's plot-holes and ridiculous one liners and unfunny jokes, it had the potential to be good, but maybe tried that bit too hard.

5/10

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson, You Genius

Director: Wes Anderson
Release Date: 2014
Rating: 15
Running Time: 95 mins
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Mathieu Almeric, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Tony Revolori

How would I sum up 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'? I simply have no clue where to even begin.

Ralph Fiennes for me has potentially just given the performance of his career in this outstanding film directed by the artist that is Wes Anderson. In the past ten years the director has come so far in what he's made and what he's achieved, so much so that the director can afford to basically work with anyone he chooses. Needless to say the cast for 'The Grand Budapest' is absolutely phenomenal and Anderson has cast a whole range of talent to work with him, they did not let him down. The fast paced nature of this incredible film will carry you through a labyrinth of events that throughout will have you feeling baffled, shocked and in fits of laughter.

It maybe a slightly confusing film, that being 'TGBH' takes place as a girl reading a story, about a story, about a story, though not as hard to grasp as you may think. We start off being carried through the film by Jude Law, a man narrating his visit to The Grand Budapest Hotel years after it was once the grand masterpiece it was known for being. It's got to be said that the narration done by Law in this sounds somewhat reminiscent of 'Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events', so much so the feel of settings and visual effects in a way are managed to match as well. We start off being welcomed into a much more dingy and run down Grand Budaest hotel, I did find myself wondering if it was in fact a more ironic title than a serious one and we begin hearing the story of the once Grand Budapest Hotel, from the now owner, then Bell Boy working for none other than the excentric and wonderfully ignorant concierge M. Gustave.H and it is there that the story unravels into a web of outrageously brilliant events.

Wes Anderson always works with such a unique style it's fairly easy to spot a film by the auspicious director. They're typically overly zany and almost set in a world very separate from our own. Particularly through his use of colour and the way that he's almost portraying a live action set in a cartoon world. There's a strong emphasis on colour, eccentric characters and bizarre plot twists in all of Wes Anderson's films, in 'TGBH' it's fair to say it followed suit and remained as what can only be described as a typical Wes Anderson film. The incredibly witty and humorous performance from Ralph Fiennes very much suited this amazing bright pink hotel where the uniforms worn are a strong purple colour and everything was made to feel very grand and stupendous indeed. Humour is something that reoccurs throughout the entire film and in fact I can't remember the last time I laughed so much in the cinema, I found the whole thing incredibly entertaining. One of the funniest things about the film was the way that another famous face would pop up every five minutes and I've got to say that I reckon Wes Anderson is trying to make Ed Norton and Harvey Keitel, two very well respected actors, look more and more ridiculous in each film they're in by him, going from scout leaders to, well it's probably better you just watch it.

I simply cannot praise this film enough and it's certainly up there with the best film I've seen recently, maybe even overall and I hope this isn't the end for this outstanding directors. I think it would be amazing if WA was able to make a film funnier and more entertaining than this one, albeit on par with 'TGBH', simply because I found it so wonderfully brilliant and original. Without giving too much away I found it the perfect mix of emotions and atmospheres in this film and combined all aspects of what we want to see in the cinema, even including some scenes of comic violence, sex and a profanity cursed in almost every other line, in this way it's a very 'taboo' film yet some how the man manages to get away with it and actually pull it off. I suppose it's quite similar to Seth Macfarlane with 'Family Guy' due to the unbelievable and cartoon element it's got to it. Basically what I am saying is the man can do no wrong and at an easily digestible 95 minutes it's a film that won't require too much effort to watch and will keep you so transfixed you'll be sad when it ends.

9/10

Blackfish

The Film Everyone Must See

Director: Grabriela Cowperthwaite

Release Date: 2013

Rating:15

Running Time: 90 mins

Genre: Documentary

'The movie Sea World didn't want you to see'

This is certainly a film to stay well clear of if you enjoy going to Sea World. It's a film that feels so different to others because there is simply nothing like it that I've seen. 'Blackfish' is a documentary that explores the life of the killer whale, also known as the Orca, and it gives us a real insight into the majestic and incredible lives they live. We're taught a lot about how the Orca's act and behaves, we see them in the wild and we see them in captivity and it doesn't take long before the film is able to grasp everyone watching it and show them the harsh reality of the life of these creatures after we got our hands on them. Through the use of 'talking head' interviews in usual documentary fashion, we're taken on a journey exploring the life of the Orca right from when they were captured up to now and it is not an easy watch.

I've got to say that when watching this I was shocked. I had no idea the amount of casualties and fatalities that had built up from the trainers working with the killer whales at Sea World and even the killer whales themselves. At one point of the film someone stated that a killer whale lived up to about 35 years old and in captivity they lived until about 25, we learn soon after that in actual fact an orca can live up to 100 years old and is usually expected to live as long as a human would. This was just the start of a very heart-aching film. I had always felt that it was morally wrong to keep these creatures in captivity and in such small enclosures ever since I saw 'School of Rock' and heard Jack Black express his views. 'The man kidnapped Shamu and then threw her in a chlorine tank!'. But seeing 'Blackfish' just places it on a whole new level.

This film is so incredibly shot, directed and edited, it makes it feel so different and unique in comparison with other films, reaching audiences on such an emotional level. It's both  awe inspiring and yet heart breaking film. It's got to be said the music in this is so fantastically put together, it is able to make us feel exactly how we should be feeling and compliments the film so well. We're shown how majestic and loving these creatures can be, but also how dangerous and unpredictable they are. The trainers are never sure what they will do next, making them such a danger they can be to train and work around. Through a sequence of captured and documented archive footage we are able to see the danger that an Orca can be in captivity, not just to humans, but to themselves as well. There's no denying this is not the easiest film to watch. In one clip we see a killer whale slowly dying after being attacked by another one that it was sharing a tank with, we see them scared and bleeding and just altogether suffering. It's no wonder Sea World refused to be interviewed for this film.

There are some gasping scenes laid out in this documentary, we see whales try to drown trainers, we see them toying with them, hurting them and even trying to kill them. One piece of footage is even able to envelop me in the same fear I had when watching 'Jaws' due to the way we see a trainer literally swimming for his life away from this Orca chasing after him. My reaction to watching 'Blackfish' was mainly shock and a lot of anger. It was agrivating to watch due to how little anyone actually knew about these creatures. No one was ever sure what they were going to do next and that's what made them so dangerous. Perhaps it was playing, perhaps it was frustration, maybe it was just boredom, but after learning how intelligent these whales really were you wonder how they could have still kept them locked up and enclosed. We see these creatures taken away from their families and thrown into a completely different environment far away and force them in with other Orcas from different families, take their babies away from them, ship them around, it's a wonder they didn't turn sooner.  It's definitely a film everyone should see no matter who, you're able to learn so much during the film, though not all of it is good, it will certainly stay with you and perhaps give you an altered perception of the life of animals living in captivity.

From the word go when we see the whales captured, right up until the end where we learn a the devastating events that went over the 40 years this film took place, we are made to feel for everyone, the trainers and the whales alike. One of the best things about this film is that the people who lived through it as the trainers at Sea World are the ones talking in this film and telling us about their experiences working there. Through this we learn about the relationships they built up with the whales and it's not until a long way in that we are able to realise the danger that went on.

It's got to be asked, was that went on worth it at all simply for the public's entertainment? My guess is no. One of the speakers in this film states that he hopes people will look back on this in 50 years as a barbaric time, and others stated that all they want is for the whales to be released back into the sea to live the rest of their lives exploring in peace and maybe then they could actually be happy. Whatever does end up happening, I reckon that thanks to Grabriela Cowperthwaite and the others who took part in the making of this film, something will be done about fixing what's gone on.

The best things about documentaries like this is we are able to see that a truth revealed that we should know, and unlike most documentaries we see it from so many different perspectives it's not a film we could argue is lying or only showing one side of the argument. We see people talking and expressing their views from so many different angles, there are people who helped capture the whales, train the whales, work with the whales, experts on the species, witnesses, the film has such a vast spread of people talking and that's why I think it's such an effective documentary at really gunning home it's message of unjust and unfair treatment of Orcas.

7/10

The Damned United

A Triumphant Football Film

Director: Tom Hooper

Release Date: 2009

Rating: 15

Running Time: 95 mins

Genre: Biopic/Sport/Drama

Actors: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent

'I wouldn't say I'm the best football manager but I'm definitely in the top 1.'

Whether it was the fantastic performance delivered from Michael Sheen, the bromance developed between him and Timmy Spall, the wit, or the story I was wrapped up in, for 90 minutes I found myself completely transfixed on 'The Damned United'.

When looking at the films that Tom Hooper has directed, 'The Damned United', 'Longford', 'The King's Speech', and even most recently to some extent 'Les Miserable', there's a great sense of realism added to his films that audiences really tend to admire. When looking at the kind of reaction 'The Kings Speech' was awarded, there was clearly something about it that audiences enjoyed seeing. After looking at the films that have been successful I've found that with biographical dramas in cinema, if delivered well they can have a big impact on the audience due to how they resonate with most people.

'The Damned United' in this case was no different and I found it such an interesting story I'm not surprised they chose to tell it. It was stated that 'Brian Clough was the greatest manager England never had', and we're able to see just how great him and Peter Taylor could actually be when working together and the talent the two of them had. The film showed how they were able to take a failing team and bring them sailing to the top of their division and showed just how much potential players could actually posses under the right manager. Though it's a fairly dialogue heavy film, there are some excellent football shots included, one particularly standing out whereby we see Derby positioned in 18th place out of 20, but over the rest of the season Brian Clough and Peter Taylor were in control, we see them pulled right up to the top of the table resulting in them winning the league.

For football fans this is able to give a much different look into the world of English football than what it has become today. We don't see the big teams that we do now, with the players signed for up to 50 or 60 thousand, but rather we see local boys throwing themselves into the teams they loved. I found it amazing when watching this film that Derby County had the potential to be one of the top teams in the country at that time, opening up a window into a time in football that we haven't been shown before.

If this film was able to show me anything, it was that, though Brian Clough made it a mere 40 days as manager of Leeds, it did not mean he was actually a bad manager. Through the film we are shown a series of flashbacks of how he came to be the manager of Leeds and what he was able to achieve during the six years he was at Derby before moving there. Seeing Clough's story unravel the way that it did, it opened up a very different impression of him to what I had of the manager before seeing this film. He was a man that had the potential to do great things but had everything going against him.

A triumphant British film, well done lads.

7/10