Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows Review

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple of days everyone, due to a mixture of busyness and laziness (on my part) we haven't done anything, but we have returned. And today I shall be providing you with my thoughts and opinions on Guy Ritchie's second Sherlock Holmes film titled 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows'.

I remember seeing the first one back in the Christmas Period of 2009 and I absolutely loved it, having already a great admiration for Robert Downey Jr it only grew with his role as the titular character. Then given the brilliant partnership of himself and Jude Law as the brilliant Dr. Watson the film was just meant to be a success.

So going into the second film my hopes were high seeing as I am a big fan of Robert Downey Jr. and the first film. I knew I wouldn't be disappointed due to the reviews I have read stating it is better than the last film in every aspect and I completely agree with this statement. The chemistry between the main duo is certainly still there and I found myself laughing all the way throughout the film. The villain of Professor James Moriarty is almost as brilliant as Holmes himself and the twos conflicts throughout the film are filled with tension and brilliant dialogue and acting on both mens parts. Watching the two at one point is like Batman and Joker in the interrogation room in The Dark Knight, but the tables are turned and the two are as brilliant as Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. Noomi Rapace in her first English role is also a nice addition as the French Gypsy who surprisingly is well up for a fight even though she's French, must be the gypsy blood. Noomi's character in my opinion was amazing but the script just didn't give her room to grow as a character throughout the film and left me a bit disappointed that she didn't have much emotional involvement in the film. But a certain event that I shall not say to avoid spoilers really took away any chance she had on becoming involved with Holmes on any emotional level and hindered her as a character but the film still performs spectacularly. Said event was also extremely washed over and left me rather disappointed as I believed it deserved more acknowledgement.

I also found myself extremely wrapped up in the soundtrack of this film, another of Hans Zimmers works as he made the compositions have a very distinct gypsy feel.

Mixing these factors and the amazing sequences of Holmes thought process and urban camoflague this film was far superior to the first and I hope for a third in a couple years as long as a good script is found.
I shall give this film a 4 out of 5

Harry

I Am So Easily Amused

Arthur Christmas - sounds particular appropriate for today. I have fancied watching this movie for a while as it seemed like some good ol' British humour and I was not disappointed in the blunt sarcasm from Gran-Santa (defo my fave).

Not knowing much about the film before, I was intrigued as I wasn't really looking for a proper moral-filled kids movie. But the humor and technology-influenced culture brings that rewatchable factor for every year.

I did however find myself laughing at...everything,unlike most people but I still heard a fair few laughs and I'm sure people of the same nature as me will love it at any age. I'm pretty sure I heard Harry laugh at some point :P Look out for stuff in the background as this can also cause a giggle :P

RECOMMEND RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (for anytime in the year except it's not acceptable in my opinion to watch Xmas films throughout the year so save it for everyday in December)

On another note, I'm catching up watching stuff on my Sky+ box and decided to watch Knowing. Nicholas Cage! I've always wanted to watch this film as it seemed really intriguing on a trailer I always see on a DVD I have (pretty sure it's Twilight, don't murder me). Nicholas Cage! I wasn't disappointed by the thrill factor and the intrigue but the ending seemed a tad silly. Should have kept a bit of mystery and ambiguity in my opinion. But I loved the links throughout the film and for once the the mother and daughter looked alike. Did I mention Nicholas Cage is in it? That man's voice is awesome :D He's a hero in this - his best character of course :P Nicholas Cage!

I love the concept and the effects but i think the endings a tad stupid, but give it a chance and you may like all of it....but you're safer turning it off 30 mins before the end :P

Daisy

Sound Makes The World Go Round

Soooooo...here's some notes about sound and it's effect from a group of film openings from my September-just-starting-Media-Studies self :) Enjoy and comment below :D

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The film begins with a non-diegetic male voice outlining the back-story directly to the audience in a serious tone. It is this and the choice of language together which suggests that the film is in fact based on a true story: an aspect used in horror films in particular to create more fear. This fear is increased by the hidden identity of the voice. Thrown straight into the plot, the audience are left with a blank screen and the gruesome, chilling snapping, tearing and breaking sounds of unknown items along with other inferred actions such as digging and heavy breathing. The audio heard is inconclusive, encouraged further by the lack of visual aids. Conventional subliminal  sounds of wind and creaking are heard throughout soon, layered by the effects of a camera flash. This sound is in fact created by instruments such as  strings or a synthesizer in an unnatural, mechanical way to keep the audience on edge. It is now that unclear pictures of corpses are shown parallel to the camera sound. A sound bridge of a faded in radio announcer (still non-diegetic) is used as the scene changes to a distinct picture of dead bodies which are important to the announcer's speech. Cymbals and other percussion are apparent in the background with other noises such as traffic and weather but are stripped back and not in any particular melody which reflects the uneasiness and indefinite happenings in the scene but also the audience reactions.  

Ghost Ship

20's seductive jazz introduces the namesake ship beginning firstly as a soundtrack, becoming diagetic when the female singer and band on-board are then shown in a dance/ballroom scene. The music once again changes as it plays on the speakers parallel to the scene continuing: shots of the crowd talking while cheerful, indistinct chatter can be heard. Natural encouragement from the singer to dance is a stark contrast to sudden tense strings heard as ominous sounds build-up from a lever being pulled to wires snapping and lights exploding. The relaxed genre of the film which the original music suggests is quickly deserted by the grotesque sounds of a whipping wire slashing through bodies, blood dripping, and dead weight falling to the floor. The scene ends with a little girl's blood-curdling scream as the camera disappears beneath the bubbling ocean.

Natural Born Killers

Opening with a montage of scenic views and wildlife in desert terrain, the non-diegetic music from a folk rock genre fits well. Shots and on screen sound effects juxtapose rattlesnakes and trains with flicking TV static and channel changes in a diner. The music becomes less of a focus point as it fades during dialogue , with layering being used during speech to create a psychological confusion with the audience.  Music is chosen on the jukebox and the soundtrack becomes part of the scene changing eventually to a rock and roll record indicating the time setting to the audience. A spluttering truck arrives bringing actors into the scene as the vehicle breaks down at the diner enticing the characters to their violent end. The record scratches as once again the music changes to an upbeat guitar rock-track to which many barbaric sounds add to the action: punches, kicks, smashes. These effects are contrasting to the ecstatic, evil laughter of the attackers as they kill various others and steal from the diner. Slow motion is used throughout the scene to accentuate the brutality of the attacks. Cartoon noises and operatic music is played at this point to make light of the situation and detach personal feelings towards the characters to stop prejudging awaiting the rest of the plot. The end of the scene finishes on this note also: romantic music with fireworks as the couple embrace after their killing spree declaring their love.

School of Rock

As expected with the title, the film starts with a rock track with the audience eventually being invited into the  music venue where it is suggested the band is playing. The whole scene particularly the music and sound creates a personal feel to the audience as if walking through to the concert: getting hands stamped and drinks being served etc. The heavy bass can be heard throughout which gives the sense of the vibrations you'd feel at a concert. The band's sound eventually becomes clearer and the singing less muffled  when  the double doors open to reveal the title right as the chorus picks up creating a large build-up to the climax. This is relatable in this music genre so reflects the plot of the film. As the camera gets closer to the crowd, feedback can be heard as character asks for speakers to be louder. The sounds increases as the camera zooms into the characters face right as he hits a high note to create maximum impact. Lots of bad crowd reactions can be heard of the music suggesting their opinions are overtaking the concert and it's not going too well. This point is reiterated as the guitarist stage dives and falls on people smashing glasses and causing the concert to stop abruptly causing a shock reaction leaving his fate in the band a mystery as the only sounds are just murmurs from the crowd. 

Top 5 Soundtracks

Since I had the idea in my last post I may as well do it as I'm bored out of my mind right now. So the best 5 soundtracks list is a go!

In Fifth, we have Megamind, the quirky animated comedy from Dreamworks Animation. The soundtrack from this film perfectly reflects the morals of our main character and antagonist of this film, or is he the protagonist? But with songs like Michael Jacksons, 'Bad' and AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell' its easy to see why the soundtrack reflects the characters personality so well. This film also has one of my favourite songs, 'Mr Blue Sky' by Electric Light Orchestra.

Fourth place is Kick-Ass, with a happy uplifting beat and music from the last few decades it gives a feel to the film that many soundtracks just fail to deliver these days. The soundtrack has the exact same feel as the film and the songs really relate to the characters. And its absolutely hilarious seeing a little girl murder to the tune of Banana Splits.

Just in front is Sucker Punch, where music plays a rather integral part to the film and Emily Browning's haunting rendition of 'Sweet Dreams' just achieves a very creepy effect that Zack Snyder was obviously aiming for. The music is also used as a representation to show us whether the characters are in this dream, trance world that they enter or in their dreary existence in this 'hospital' as the tempo is always much faster in these dream worlds and much more slower and a more depressing feel in the real world. Making the soundtrack needed to achieve the greatness of this film.

In second place is Quentin Tarintino's absolute masterpiece 'Pulp Fiction' with a soundtrack that fits the mood of the film just right and with songs that are just so catchy and memorable. Memorable much like every moment of this film.

Then the top of this list, is what I believe to be the most carefully picked soundtrack I have ever come across as the titles of the songs, the names of the bands and the actual lyrics all fit the themes of this film. With bands like 'Echo & The Bunnymen' and 'Tears For Fears' the names fit perfectly with the film and with 'Mad World' making an appearance and every line of it being completely relevant to the entire film as is every other song this soundtrack has hit the nail on the head and deserves the Shhh award for best soundtrack, Donnie Darko, ladies and gents.

As an honourable mention I will also say the work of Hans Zimmer has had a huge contribution to music in film and with an Oscar and God knows how many other awards to his name and 144 soundtracks he has been involved with he is a true legend and if it was up to me, he would have a spot in all 5 positions for his work on films like 'The Dark Knight' (shocker, i know), 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Black Hawk Down' and the many other truly amazing films he has been involved in.

Thanks for reading, tried to make this one a bit shorter, didn't really happen, sorry :P
Harry

Essex December Film Fest

After travelling the length and breadth of the country After travelling 45 minutes from Kent, I arrived at my lovely friend Rosie's house in Essex ready for a film fest like no other! Well, we'd never been to her house before so it was a new experience :P Seeing as I like my sleep, I believe we done pretty well: 6 movies and no major disappointments.

So after ogling at her various piles of DVDs balancing on her bed, plus the whole of Sky Movies on her box, she decided we'd start with classic romcom When Harry Met Sally (1989). She was disgusted that me and our friend Cat hadn't seen it and decided she'd use the opportunity of this evening to broaden our film knowledge (it's safe to say I was ashamed but grateful). From the outset, I knew it'd be a predictable film, but aren't all from this genre? However, technically it was only the very basic storyline I could guess before I'd even seen it. The actual story however did keep me guessing, and that's what everyone wants from a film, right? I loved the jumps through the decades (especially the detail they payed attention to with Meg Ryan's hair) and this surprisingly created a little anticipation. The outcome was inevitable but the endearing comedy along the way certainly makes this film a must see. Although I did find myself hearing Mike Wazowski at one point :P

Next, after discussing the films we had seen rather than ones we hadn't, Rosie picked a Dreamworks Oscar-nominated animated picture: How To Train Your Dragon (2010). If you knew Rosie, you would assume she's drawn to cute and cuddly things (although she does have a snake). I didn't expect the dragons therefore to be necessarily like the beasts in Skyrim. And Toothless, the greatly feared Night Fury certainly lived up to this, as a cross between Stitch (of Lilo and Stitch fame) and a little kitten with those adorable eyes. The film isn't all cute and cuddly though, as Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) son of the big Viking leader (voiced by Gerard Butler), has to become a dragon slayer to prove to his father he is a proper Viking, encountering many a dangerous beast along the way. Voices from stars such as Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse add the comedic value needed to attract all ages. (Fun fact: Hiccup looks like Justin Bieber.)

Continuing on the fantasy road, Cat picked Alice In Wonderland (oh, she does love Johnny Depp). I couldn't help thinking how awesome it'd look on Harry's 3D TV, literally making the Wonderland come to life. While we're at it, we could could give another dimension to Anne Hathaway's acting as the White Queen. Fine, floating about like a fairy is understandable but she showed just about as emotion as Kristen Stewart giving birth (yeah I went there again) and no-one wants to see that from any character (granted she could've had a deeper story to her character though to help her out a tad). Once again, a dazzling performance from Johnny Depp, a true genius in his work...but, what is this? Helena Bonham Carter is also in this film? What a coincidence, in a Tim Burton movie of all thing! The only movie that features Depp with a CGI dormouse voiced by Peggy Mitchell: only Tim Burton, ladies and gentlemen.

Turning the mood a bit darker, it was suggested we watch The Experiment (2010), a film Brogan (an absent fellow film fanatic friend) had at the top of her list...But we decided to watch it without her - sounded too intriguing. I do like the dark stuff, so the opening titles immediately appealed to me: the natural yet disastrous or disturbing/mere strange happenings in the world. I enjoyed the strong message the film conveyed and showed the psychology of our race and how vulnerable this is to manipulation e.g. just by dressing in uniform of authority, power can go to people's heads. This created a strong attachment to the characters for me meaning the film was definitely in control. Adrien Brody does love an emotional/disturbing/thought-provoking piece, doesn't he?

After some deeply philosophical discussions such as whether we'd take part in experiments ourselves, I was given the priviledge (or burden) to choose the next movie to watch. So many to choose from, I selected one I knew Cat loved yet Rosie had not seen: Green Street - such a classic for our group. With Cat's love for Charlie Hunnam and the catchy humorous one liners (you cheeky slag), it was impossible to escape the film demonstrating violence on our streets of London. With close family supporting Millwall, them being the villains as told from West Ham's view may not have gone down well. However this and the fact I don't even really like football is irrelevant as you begin to love the characters despite the stupidity of what they're doing...and Elijah Wood's voice. Rosie repeatedly asking what Bilbo was doing was worth it though.

Daisy

Bored? Need Something To Watch? Heres What I Recommend!

Haven't had a chance to watch anything over the last couple days but I hope to deliver content at least once a day so for today's tidbit of information I shall be giving recommendations on films and shows to watch in these couple days of anticipation to jolly ol' Saint Nick slides down our chimneys bearing gifts for all, except the few who will be getting coal, you know who you are. Some of my recommendations may be 'Christmassy' and others will just be things I think everyone should watch so hope you enjoy and if you have any films that you would recommend please leave a comment below.

So to kick things off I will start with my two favourite TV shows, LOST and The Walking Dead, both are amazing shows and are definitely worth your time. LOST is easily the best show I have ever had the pleasure of watching, with amazing writers, brilliant actors and a beautiful soundtrack the show hits almost every nail on the head. But this is not everyone's cup of tea I assure you, some will say how outrageous the plot to this show is but to that I say, isn't that the point? I believe that one of the key points for the sheer existence of film and TV is a way for all of us to escape from our lives. We may not think of it like that but when we sit down to watch something the problems and tasks of our lives will disappear for a while as long as the show is good enough and Lost achieves this perfectly. With twists and turns at every corner, you really have to think about what your seeing as the writers use visual representations very slyly and will make very subtle references to key themes of the show that you really have to get involved to understand the characters, which isn't difficult as they are just so talented and you can really sympathize with the characters, I will admit I have shed a tear a number of times watching this show, even on my second and third time round. So with characters and a story that will stick with you I recommend Lost to anyone who is looking for a show to watch that they will enjoy and  if they want a bit of a challenge in their viewing as not many shows provide one in these times of easy viewing and formulaic storytelling.

Now, The Walking Dead at first may put you off if you don't like the idea of the undead rising and terrorising the small number of us left alive but I assure you this isn't a show about zombies. This is a show about the people at the centre of this apocalypse, the undead are merely a backdrop and plot device in this show. Watching this show you will notice the zombies second for their very impressive make up and realistic (As a walking, moaning, rotting corpse can get) but the main thing you are going to be focussing on in this show are the characters, our group of survivors all thrown together to get something out of nothing. If you go back and watch the first season which was very sadly only 6 episodes you will follow a man wake from a coma and straight away go on a search for his wife and son. This is raw emotion as we see desolate landscapes, making me think of the film 28 Days Later and those iconic images of Westminster and other key areas of London, trashed, empty and desolate. Then when we see this family reunited we are instantly thrown into drama as we find the wife has moved onto the husbands best friend in times of comfort and need, but I won't spoil this truly magnificent show any further as I want you to experience this for yourself.

Now for my recommended films, I could go on for days but to keep this relatively short I shall only give you 2 films today, the first being Donnie Darko a personal favourite and for a more uplifting feel I shall recommend a trilogy! The one I refer to being The Blood And Ice Cream Trilogy. Some may not never of heard of it but may know of the films that are in it. The films being the all equally funny, maybe one better than the others 'Shaun Of The Dead', 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Paul'.

Let me take you away from the Christmas spirit that is filling us all up at the moment and imagine it is October 2nd. Why October 2nd you ask? Well, this is because a bunny man, yes a very scary bunny man thing just told you that the world is going to end. How long till this disastrous event occurs? Easy, 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. And that is the very very basic premise of Donnie Darko. We then the titular character Donnie Darko go through his abnormal teen life in the lead up to these events which become even more creepy and paranormal as the film advances. With scary bunny men, crooked characters and time travel the film can really not go wrong. It even has the most outstanding soundtrack and is probably up in the best soundtracks I have ever heard in a film (Possible future post, love making lists. Anyone want a top soundtrack list?) So I would really recommend seeing this film for its brilliant cast, story and the chance to see the amazing Jake Gyllenhall in what could be seen as his breakthrough role into Hollywood.

My final recommendation for today is the utterly hilarious Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy. Appropriately named for the high amounts of blood seen and the use of a different flavour of Cornetto in each film, those with a close eye may notice. The first to be released was 'Shaun Of The Dead', a homage to George.A.Romeros, 'Of The Dead' series, and could be seen as referring to Dawn Of The Dead's shopping centre setting with a pub, yes, a standard English pub. With comedy and a great bunch of characters the film never fails to deliver a laugh and even in the more dramatic points of the film we can still have a little chuckle. 'Hot Fuzz' is my favourite of the three and sees a super cop from that London go to a small little town in the countryside that always wins the village of the year awards and ends up teamed up with a more incompetent policeman, I mean officer than Police Chief Wiggum. Another outstanding effort by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost you will spend the whole film laughing till your tummy turns in an adrenaline, action packed thrill ride filled with film references for you buffs and plenty of laughs for all you other casual moviegoers. Finally was Paul, a sci-fi comedy adventure starting at Comic-Con and then spanning America on a trip through all of Americas key alien hotspots as the duo this time bump into a little grey alien being chased by the government. Get ready for plenty of references to every Sci-Fi film ever as we see cameos from Sigourney Weaver and plenty of nods to the most famous Sci-Fi films.

And that is what i recommend, a bit lengthy but I couldn't sum up such great works in small sentences. If you do watch any of these things, leave a comment below with your opinion and Merry Christmas! :D

Harry

Do Novels Justice: Make Them Graphic

Listening to a podcast by BBFC, it has come to my attention how much influence film classifications have on films. Contrary to my belief, films aren't always rated on the original content but edited to what the board or distributor wants. I know I should have known this already but I'm naive  - anyway, I know now.

One film that has annoyed me lately is the latest Twilight (don't murder me, all the haters). I've read the books and yes, I liked them. The films, however, not so much. Most adaptions don't do the novels justice and this is a prime example. The films focus on the people, not even the characters but just the actors. And that's prominent in the newest edition to the saga. I want to see graphic gore of Bella's vampire childbirth as it should be, not close up's of Stewart's morbid expression (granted she was having a spontaneous C-section at the time). All I'm saying is, it should have had a higher classification to put in the detail it deserved to actually be a good film rather than a money making, brainwashing tween flick which has now made every 13 year old girl want to be a necro/zoophiliac if it weren't for Justin Bieber. 

Daisy

The Dark Knight Rises trailer! Rambling begins!

Some people may not be particularly fond of Christopher Nolan's Batman films and to those people I say you have no taste. It may be harsh, but it is true. Why am I talking about Batman again? Because finally after what seems an age trying to get the new trailer to actually load on my computer I have finally seen it. And what I saw, was pure, absolute terror and anarchy. To see this for yourself watch the trailer --->  http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thedarkknightrises/ saved you Googling for that and everything, aren't I a kind lad. Well once you've watched that read on...

TERROR AND ANARCHY!

This is definitely the mood Nolan is trying to establish to us fans before we even step foot into those dimmed rooms on the 20th July and the I for one am as giddy as a 5 year old waiting for good ol' Santa Clause on Christmas Eve night, milk and cookies in hand. But lets forget that, enough reminiscing, time for business. Or at least for Bruce Wayne that much seems the case. Not Batman, although he will definitely have to get his A game out if he is save Gotham for a third time. Bruce Wayne is at the forefront of the action this time round as we see him having some nice 1 on 1 time with Anne Hathaway looking delightful as Selina Kyle/ Catwomen and i'm assuming she is on her own side in this film. 

Now, I could write page after page about what I think is going to happen in Dark Knight Rises but it is currently half past one in the morning and I doubt you want to read the ramblings of a crazed fan forever and until the film comes out so I promise I will only talk about Batman when its really really important. 

Tom Hardy is looking amazingly badass as Bane, I loved him in Inception and  in Bronson he just blew me away and i believe for him to get Bane just right he's going to have to combine these two characters to create a character that is one truly memorable and two make anyone forget about going 'oh yeah, he has to top Heath Ledger...'  And watching Bane in this trailer, my mind didn't at any point go back to ideas of Joker, I know at first there was scepticism about how Hardy has decided to voice Bane but I for one am shit scared of what Bane could do in this film, I have my theories about his intentions and what the prologue will tell us and if I am even half right, Bane is here to start a shit storm. *Cough* Knightfall *Cough*

The trailer itself though is a piece of art in itself, bringing in so many elements of the film in such a short time without me going, WTF did I just see! Seeing Michael Caine so close to breaking down when talking to Bruce just made my heart go out to him as if I was watching my father cry. Then what is Selina's motives? Sounded as if she was talking about Occupy Wall Street, I was just waiting for her to say 'Bruce, you are the 1%'. But after all the drama and emotion we are then delivered a whole bucket load of what the fuck is this as ground just disappears as if we are watching some Micheal Bay film. When I saw the men absailing down that well I was pretty sure that is the same well Bruce fell down all those years ago meaning is the mansion finally rebuilt (which would make sense seeing as this is set 8 years after Dark Knight) and that Bane is going straight into the Batcave with his own personal army he heisted out of jail! So many questions along with a few answers for the keen eye but I don't want to be the one who spoils it for the few who can stop themselves from reading anything they can get their eyes on.

So before I spoil anything I will bid you a good day. If you enjoy my incoherent ramblings about the Dark Knight and his imminent fall and rise then leave a comment below and I may do a more structured rambling with all my little fan theories and what not later on. 

As a parting note, I would like to note I was glad to see the lovely Joseph Gordon Levitt and Marion Cotillard finally getting some notice as i;m eagerly anticipating their roles in the film. :)

So good bye for now, hope you enjoyed this (if you could understand it, I will probably read it later and just be like what the fuck) and I will be back soon :D

Harry

How are superhero conventions challenged in The Dark Knight?

So a while back I had to do an essay under the following question 'How are superhero conventions challenged in The Dark Knight?' This was amazing for me as I am a huge fan of Christopher Nolan and his Batman films in particular so I couldn't wait to write this essay but anyway, this is what I came up with, feel free to share your comments and ideas below, hope you enjoy :)

The Dark Knight differs from the standard superhero film but in other ways it is just what you would expect. The Dark Knight has an all star cast with recognisable actors in most roles. The film is the sequel to Batman Begins making The Dark Knight the second in the Nolan set of Batman films.

The Dark Knight has many of the standard conventions you would expect from a superhero film. Throughout various scenes in the film you can find clichéd and exaggerated dialogue by the police officers for example “Lock and load”. These usually come at times just before they are killed by The Joker or taken out in one of the films big set pieces like the convey/ chase scene filmed in Chicago. These set pieces filled with explosions, car chases and fighting are what you would expect from a superhero film, these large set piece scenes can also be seen in other superhero films such as Thor, The Incredible Hulk and Superman Returns. The Dark Knight also uses top special effects to create whole cities with photo realistic effects. Most, if not all superheroes also have a love interest, Spiderman has Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane, Superman has Lois Lane then there are many others like Rogue and Jean Grey from the X-men franchise. Batman has Rachel Dawes. What is unconventional about The Dark Knights handling of this love interest is that Rachel dies in one of the Jokers tests on Batmans morality. This is unconventional as Rachel is also one of the main fighters for the streets of Gotham in the film and she dies, this is unconventional as it is uncommon for a hero to die in these films. In Superman, Superman turns back time to save Lois Lane but in this film Rachel is killed in a terrorist attack differing from what an audience would expect in a superhero film.

The story for The Dark Knight is also conventional in that it is very linear; we are not thrown off the track to believe something else then told the truth much later on after forming our assumptions. We know characters intentions throughout the film, except from those of Harvey Dent who changes in the last 1/3 of the film, after his transformation into Two-Face and Rachel’s death. The story also deals with more real themes than other superhero films. Most films deal with some sort of alien threat or science experiment like General Zod or Abomination, basic tales of good vs evil. Whereas The Dark Knight deals with themes of terrorism and at ideas of torture against these terrorists. Even the start of the film is unconventional as The Joker robs a mob bank (Also unconventional as why would the villain rob from his allies) and the lack of Batman is made very evident as The Joker successfully robs a bank. This is unconventional as a superhero stops all the crimes and a bank robbery is something that you would expect a hero to stop and the main character of the film is lacking from the first 6/7 minutes of the film (In brilliant IMAX). The ending to the film is also very open as it sees Batman become known as a villain although he is being the hero Gotham needs in doing so, echoing a number of lines spoken by Harvey Dent throughout the film. This is similar to other films like Spiderman and the “With great power, comes great responsibility” line.

Batman himself is very similar to other Superheroes like Superman and Spiderman in many ways but differs in others. The names of their superhero aliases all end in man, two being animals but Batman doesn't follow the alliteration names of other superheroes such as Peter Parker (Spiderman), Bruce Banner (Hulk) and Guy Gardner (Green Lantern). Batman also has his Achilles heel as almost all superheroes have, The Hulk has to be angry and Superman has Kryptonite for Batman his weaknesses come from his love for Rachel Dawes and his one rule, that being that he will not kill.  As similar Bruce Wayne/ Batman is to many superheroes he also has many differences. Most superheroes have very bright colourful costumes, usually red and blues. Batman has a completely black suit which you would assume makes him a very sinister character. This is because Batman fights for good in Gotham but he can be something that no one else can when he needs to be. It is also arguable that Batman isn’t even really a superhero as he doesn’t really have powers like Superman; his skill comes from intense training in martial arts such as Keysi which we are shown in the first film which deals with Bruce Wayne’s origin story and the technology he can afford as being one of the richest men in this world.

The Joker is unconventional as a villain. In a villain we would expect to know the characters back story whereas with The Joker we are given multiple back stories but this helps instil fear into the characters and show him as an enigma to the audience. He is also shown as a terrorist with various attempts at blowing buildings up and killing civilians, police and officials of Gotham and causing general anarchy throughout the film. This is unconventional as a superhero film is a film that people use as a method of escaping from the threats of the world as it is a world that a hero will always triumph over the bad forces that are not usually very realistic seeing as they are usually threats that don’t exist. The Joker shares similarities as well with other villains as he has the costume that we would commonly suspect and he is also quite eccentric and mad.

Overall The Dark Knight differs greatly from the conventional superhero film. We aren’t shown a colourful film where good is  triumphant but rather a dark, corrupted city and the film leaves us with a more depressing ending seeing Batman become an outcast, Harvey Dent; Gotham’s white knight corrupted by The Joker and then he dies as well as Rachel being dead. Giving the film a much darker ending we don’t expect to see from superhero movies as we always see the hero end up with the person he loves and return to having some normality in their lives. 


Harry

So You Totally Want To Know My Favourite Films...

So, I'm not as sure on all my fave films/directors/genres as Harry as I'm the 99% who claims they like all stuff. To be fair, I'll give anything a chance especially those I know have had a good backing. It's a shame I don't get to see more (stupid A levels) :P Since August though, I've had LoveFilm and have been working my way through the yop 250 films according to IMDB Slowly but surely I'm filling my brain cells with educational knowledge on film I should've learnt a long time ago. Films that have stood out to me from this list so far are: 1. The Shawshank Redemption, 2. 12 Angry Men 3. Pulp Fiction

1. The Shawskank Redemption I loved firstly because of Morgan Freeman (such a cool dude and he bloody owns the film set) but I was shocked that a narrow-minded do-gooder like me could feel sympathy for prisoners.

2. 12 Angry Men: just proves how good enough dialogue and storyline means you don't always need extravagent sets or cinematography

3. Pulp Fiction: Quentin Tarintino strikes me as such a legend and I defo need to watch his other stuff. I love how he denied conventions and expressed himself in his own way to keep me hooked. Not only is the order unique but the soundtrack is badass, the actors are awesome and despite it's suggested themes it's God damn funny :P

Another new fave of mine is Black Swan. I love disturbing edges and twists on films and this certainly was full of them. Nina's strive for perfection's something I can relate to and seeing this in a warped sense of her mind makes the film so unpreditable. Not to mention I looove Mila Kunis (and want to be her). I think the whole film is beautiful and disturbing.

Going on from the whole disturbing edge to film, i have to say Tim Burton's style is probably my favourite in the industry from his twists on animated flicks such as The Nightmare Before Christmas to the quirky and out of place comedy Edward Scissorhands. Never fails to make me think him and his wife like Johnny Depp a little too much though :P

Daisy

Harry's Film Flavour!

So I guess if you are going to be reading about my opinion on films you will want to know what kind of films I actually like to watch and what kind of films I will end up writing about. I actually like most genres and can't say    there are many films I haven't enjoyed (except the remake of 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' that can burn in hell). Also, even though you probably don't care about what I plan to do with my life, you just read for a bit of escapism (should just bung on a film really) or just want to fill yourself up with some tasty morsels of filmormation. But anyway, I know I want to go into the film industry when I'm older and plan to attend Ravensbourne but I am still not sure what I want to do exactly, I may dabble in directing, have a shot in screenwriting or see how exciting editing is, who knows but anyway, forwards on!

My favourite director is Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Prestige) and I only need to see two more of his films then I can eagerly wait for his next obvious masterpiece 'The Dark Knight Rises' so expect reviews on all those films in the coming months. Other directors I pay close attention to are David Fincher (Zodiac,Se7en) and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds) as I have seen most of their films and can say I have absolutely adored all of them.

When it comes to the actors and actresses there are a few names I will keep an eye on as I am a fan of them all and those are Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Tropic Thunder), Christian Bale (The Machinist, 3:10 To Yuma), Jake Gyllenhall (Donnie Darko, Source Code) and Natalie Portman (From her child role in Leon: The Professional to Black Swan).

So that is my general favourites in terms of people in the film industry and I hope you have a vague idea of what kind of films I will be reviewing :)

As a little note I would also like to note that the works of George.A.Romero are possibly the most amazing films I have ever seen and I am completely in love with his 'Of The Dead' films and he could possibly be the reason I want to make films.

Harry

Welcome! To Shh...The Movies Starting!

If you are here I assume you have some interest in the world of film! And if so you are in the right place. You may wonder what the idea of this blog is and i shall tell you. Our plan is to just talk and jabber on about films to our hearts content as it is a passion the both of us share. On this blog we will post reviews on films we watch (which is a lot) and any essays we write as we are both film students. We also plan to make a number of short films in the near future that we will also share with you and if we are any good could supply you with helpful tips. Amongst all this we aim to deliver general tid bits of film knowledge all the time and give you something to read whenever you need a reason to procrastinate :D So enjoy, learn about films and please tell your friends and show your support :)