the past few years, possibly due to my new found love of pessimism, i have started to read up on conspiracy theories. 'zeitgeist' is a Michael Moore style of documentary, but directed by Peter Joseph. the aim of the film is to inform people of the governments big plans. the overall message being that people in power are greedy for more, more power and more wealth which they plan to gain by tricking the passive tax payers. the film is highly informative although is edited horribly, some still shots of what appears to be a sun set being screened for far too long. the voice over explains what the visual (usually an animation or a press cutting) means in sometimes a overly complicated way, but mostly on a wave length any one could understand.
it is definitely worth a watch (so long as you were already grumpy and often ask 'whats the point in living then?') the director encourages the film to be copied and distributed to as many people as possible to get the message across.
it left me feeling like i could not possibly change what will eventually happen, and that the people in power will always have the upper hand making the decisions and manipulating to their advantage. i dont know whether i feel better knowing, or whether i should have just gone along with 'what i dont know cant hurt me'.
you can watch zeitgeist online www.zeitgeistmovie.com
dancer in the dark is a gloomy yet lovely. the film tells the story of Selma, a factory worker who has a condition which causes her to steadily lose her sight. she knows that her son will eventually have the same problem, and so is saving her wages to be able to afford a sight saving operation to ensure he doesn't suffer the way that she has. she tells no one about her problem, and continues to work in dangerous conditions where sight is essential.
the film is part musical. i hate musicals, but i love this film. the musical sections build up slowly as Selma's hearing becomes her primary sense. she makes songs out of the repetitive factory noises and imagines herself playing the lead part in a glamorised musical about her life.
dancer in the dark is ultimately a dark tale, the only happy parts being in Selma's imagination. we witness as she totally loses her sight, and is forced to confide in someone, who later takes advantage and steals the money she has been saving for her son.
this film is different, it is cleverly shot and the lead actor (Bjork) plays the part of Selma perfectly. the story is thoughtful yet very depressing. you hope for her sight to be restored, even though blindness is inevitable. she is coping well, and her intentions are good by saving for her son, only to be robbed of the only thing which keeps her going. the songs and routines in the film are brilliant. its well worth a watch, even if the ending is a tad dark.
posters for this film were cleverly designed, being very fitting to the story, but not giving too much away.
this is the music video for Efterklang’s ‘Mirador’ from the album 'Parades'. the video was created by Hvass&Hannibal and Ufex, who also did the album art work. its a lovely round trip adventure made by a bird, from a fun looking town through all terrains. the journey features the sea, hot air ballons, escher style stair case mazes, glaciers and underground warrens. its a beautifully colourful and light hearted adventure, animated cleverly by obviously very talented people. the colours used throughout the video are quite dull, but when put together, create an interesting and unexpectedly bright palette. it fits perfectly with the song, complimenting the simple yet effective style. ive had the poster up in my room for months, but hadnt watched the music video until recently, i soon realised the poster was a still from the video. the song and video are lovely to both watch and listen to.
having been a fan of meadows' films for a while, i had tracked this new picture through production. the expectations were high as it had to stand up to films such as dead mans shoes and this is england. during its 72 minute run time it tells the story of two teenage newcomers to London. one of which lives in the Somers town area whilst his dad works on a rail network. the unlikely friendship begins in a cafe, where the two lads fall in love with a french waitress. it covers gritty issues such as homelessness, gang culture, working class london, imigration and racism yet the friendship somehow rises above their troubled life style. i often find with meadows' film, that nothing much happens, but this doesnt matter to me. the plot for somers town might seem bare, but the narrative, the clever casting and the imagery in the film makes each shot interesting enough to hold your attention. his other works deal with cutting issues, filmed in very damaging ways, as a result of this i constantly expected somers town to shock me and for the story to take a dark twist. it didnt happen, and reflecting on the film, it didnt need one.
i had waited sooooo long for this film to come out. Ive been a joy division fan for years, my family are all from Macclesfield (where the film was set) so i knew that well, i had met Sam Riley (who plays Ian Curtis) a couple of times around Leeds when i used to watch his old band (10,000 things) play at the atrium. i liked Anton Corbijn as a music bio-pic director having seen a few other of his works, and loved Samantha Morton in Lynne Ramsay films like Morvern Callar. so.. yeah.. prrrretty excited on the way to watch control.
i saw it at the corner house in Manchester.
i wasn't disappointed. i loved that it was black and white. it takes a bold director to have the confidence in his angles and mise-en-scene to pull of a black and white film now a days. it totally suited the mood of the plot and played a part of representing Ian Curtis' life as a whole. its a grim film really, posing the question "why do we enjoy watching sad films?"
i often wonder this.
i like the grit of it all. the writer, Matt Greenhalgh includes the right balance of explaining Ian's personal life, and his role within joy division. Sam Riley plays Ian amazingly well. he manages to capture how i imagined Ian Curtis to be, without seeming like an impersonator.
the film shows a struggle between a creative mind and epilepsy, depression, drugs, an affair, having a family and the pressure of fame. the film ultimately tells the story of a dark mind, Curtis' appeal for help through his lyrics, only to be adored for the song and the words meaning ignored. everything about this film is obviously thoroughly considered, and i think it shows.
it portrays a life which Curtis' fans at the time thought that they knew everything about, through the press and the publicity surrounding joy division. when really there was an underlying sadness to all of it. the band, the songs, the lyrics, even the album covers tell a totally different story, which through watching control, viewers get an insight into.
i loved it. however depressing people say it is, its beautiful.
the director encourages the film to be copied and distributed to as many people as possible to get the message across.
