Short Thought

I just got back from a works do and realised that, typically for me, I was attending my first open bar event a week after giving up drinking. I had two lemonades. One was flat.
Anyway, it was quite a lavish do and got me thinking about my upbringing and how different my life is now.
I was using three ply toilet paper this morning and for some reason got to thinking about having to make do with newspaper to wipe my arse as a child. That sounds awful but it was a regular occurrence when I was growing up.

And...........Go

As much as I'm unsure that it'll be of interest, I'm going to try and document something about my day.
A bit of background then; I've just turned 30, I'm unsure I enjoy any aspect of my life apart from time on my own. I'm not going to focus on huge issues I should add. Rather the minutiae of my life as this is eternally more interesting than my political opinions. Not that I'm clever nor interesting enough to pull off talking about MPs. I'm not even interesting enough to talk about M&Ms. But more about them a different day. Maybe.
Today, I realised I don't really like my job and I was desperately thinking about alternatives. My long term goal was always primary teaching but now I get paid too much to take the wage cut and I feel trapped. The trouble with me is that I get an idea into my head and then react without thinking. That's why I left the love of my life when I did. Or when I accepted another job without informing my current employers and they found out when an email hit asking for a reference. I live so muvh inside my own head that it's scary.
I looked into doing a Masters in Creative Writing but I'm not sure the outlay os worth the reward. It seems that it wouldn't actually open any doors for me career wise.
I talked to my ex recently and I was complaining that I want a job I enjoy and that makes me happy but she did't think that exists. I hope that isn't true.
Anyway, this entry will be shorter than usual but I will try and log every day.
Cheerio chaps, you've been great.

Top 100 Films (2015)

Two years ago I published my first list of my 100 favourite films of all time. I thought the time was right to publish a follow up, given that I have watched old favourites again as well as having seen a lot more five star films since then. I'll discuss the list in a bit more detail afterwards but here it is (previous placings are in brackets): 

100. The Godfather Part II (40)

99. Looper (83)

98. Unbreakable (79)

97. Zero Dark Thirty (24)

96. Casablanca (New entry)

95. Being John Malkovich (New entry)

94. The Hunt (New entry)

93. Citizen Kane (67) 

92. Submarine (12) 

91. Django Unchained (43)

90. East of Eden (New entry)

89. Clerks (92)

88. Avengers Assemble (90)

87. Three Kings (59)

86. Requiem for a Dream (25)

85. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (New entry)

84. Brokeback Mountain (35)

83. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (New entry)

82. Welcome to the Dollhouse (100)

81. Goodfellas (34)

80. The Terminator (54)

79. Trainspotting (26)

78. The Dark Knight (87) 

77. Inglourious Basterds (New entry)

76. Frost/Nixon (New entry)

75. The Bunny and the Bull (New entry)

74. Forrest Gump (42)

73. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (48)

72. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (20)

71. Apocalypto (94)

70. Shaun of the Dead (New entry)

69. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (New entry)

68. Gangs of New York (New entry)

67. Before Sunrise (New entry)

66. Drive (37)

65. Fantastic Mr. Fox (21)

64. End of Watch (New entry)

63. Inception (39)

62. Three Colours: White (New entry)

61. Captain Phillips (New entry)

60. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (New entry)

59. True Romance (97)

58. Rope (New entry)

57. Good Will Hunting (47)

56. The Matrix (23)

55. Fargo (Non-mover)

54. Dead Man's Shoes (36)

53. Ghostbusters (New entry)

52. Gladiator (38)

51. Schindler's List (28)

50. The Godfather (29)

49. Pulp Fiction (13)

48. The Woodsman (65)

47. The Departed (New entry)

46. The Lost Weekend (New entry)

45. Vertigo (77)

44. North By Northwest (99)

43. Aliens (New entry)

42. Saving Private Ryan (32)

41. Die Hard (New entry)

40. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (27)

39. American Beauty (69)

38. Raging Bull (22)

37. Signs (17)

36. Warrior (81)

35. City Of God (11)

34. Being There (New entry)

33. Annie Hall (68)

32. There Will Be Blood (53)

31. Withnail and I (New entry)

30. Back To The Future (49)

29. Jurassic Park (New entry)

28. Jackie Brown (44)

27. Ghost World (33)

26. Rocky (45)

25. The Last Picture Show (73)

24. Elephant (46)

23. Glengarry Glen Ross (50)

22. Donnie Darko (5)

21. The Shawshank Redemption (8)

20. Brick (18)

19. Reservoir Dogs (Non-mover)

18. Holy Motors (New entry)

17. Paper Moon (66)

16. Five Easy Pieces (3)

15. Fight Club (16)

14. Platoon (Non-mover)

13. Two Days, One Night (New entry)

12. Magnolia (7)

11. Lost in Translation (6)

10. Shame (New entry)

9. L.A. Confidential (Non-mover)

8. The Big Lebowski (4)

7. Hunger (10)

6. Se7en (2)

5. Memento (New entry)

4. Zodiac (15)

3. Harold and Maude (1)

2. 12 Angry Men (New entry)

1. A Seperation (70)

Top 100 Films

I've unsuccessfully attempted to write an analysis of my top 100 films of all time. Due to time constraints, this hasn't been possible. What I'll do is publish the full list, sans comment, before embarking on another project whereby I list every film I've ever seen, and pass comment on them as I go. But that's by the by for now. Here is the full list:

100. Welcome to the Dollhouse
99. North By Northwest
98. The Fighter
97. True Romance
96. The Descent
95. Cold Weather
94. Apocalypto
93. Dogville
92. The Blair Witch Project
91. Argo
90. Avengers Assemble
89. The Dark Knight Rises
88. A Room for Romeo Brass
87. The Dark Knight
86. Moonrise Kingdom
85. The Truman Show
84. Little Miss Sunshine
83. Looper
82. Clerks
81. Warrior
80. Stand By Me
79. Unbreakable
78. Jaws
77. Vertigo
76. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
75. Full Metal Jacket
74. The Descendants
73. The Last Picture Show
72. Brief Encounter
71. Jerry Maguire
70. A Separation
69. American Beauty
68. Annie Hall
67. Citizen Kane
66. Paper Moon
65. The Woodsman
64. Shaun of the Dead
63. Wolf Creek
62. Little Children
61. The Artist
60. Right at Your Door
59. Three Kings
58. Dancer in the Dark
57. Lés Miserables
56. (500) Days of Summer
55. Fargo
54. The Terminator
53. There Will Be Blood
52. Amelie
51. Taxi Driver
50. Glengarry Glen Ross
49. Back to The Future
48. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
47. Good Will Hunting
46. Elephant
45. Rocky
44. Jackie Brown
43. Django Unchained
42. Forrest Gump
41. The Raid
40. The Godfather part two
39. Inception
38. Gladiator
37. Drive
36. Dead Man's Shoes
35. Brokeback Mountain
34. Goodfellas
33. Ghost World
32. Saving Private Ryan
31. We Need to Talk About Kevin
30. Dog Day Afternoon
29. The Godfather
28. Schindler's List
27. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
26. Trainspotting
25. Requiem for a Dream
24. Zero Dark Thirty
23. The Matrix
22. Raging Bull
21. Fantastic Mr. Fox
20. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang
19. Reservoir Dogs
18. Brick
17. Signs
16. Fight Club
15. Zodiac
14. Platoon
13. Pulp Fiction
12. Submarine
11. City of God
10. Hunger
9. LA Confidential
8. The Shawshank Redemption
7. Magnolia
6. Lost in Translation
5. Donnie Darko
4. The Big Lebowski
3. Five Easy Pieces
2. Se7en
1. Harold and Maude

92. The Blair Witch Project

The movie that spawned a movie genre all by itself. The found footage movie.
It's incredible to think it was 1999 before anybody had the idea to make a movie entirely filmed on handheld cameras for a fraction of the production costs of the usual noises in the dark scary movies.

Watching Blair Witch back now, one might be unimpressed by a film in which all the tension and suspense is created by the cast hearing noises in the woods. There is no CGI monsters or vast amounts of gore just intelligent use of the surroundings and the directors being smart enough to create a back story to the legend that one could actually believe in. The kind of legend that spreads around a town or a playground to explain a scary old house.
Keeping to a relatively short run time keeps the movie fresh for repeat viewings and contains, in my opinion, the single most accomplished end scene when it comes to horror movies, sticking with you as it does for days afterwards.

Its incredible to think that nearly everybody involved in this movie peaked with it, with nobody in the principal cast or either of the directors matching their early success with later choices.

93. Dogville

Although not always a fan of Lars Von Trier's work, ranging as he does from five star genius to one star hack.
Luckily, Dogville falls into the former camp using stripped bare, theatre stage like sets and masterfully understated performances from all involved to create a world that is starkly realistic and bleak. This is a work of such originality that each of the individual chapters takes us in an unexpected direction with a climax that brings joy considering what we have experienced along with Grace, throughout her time in the town, during which she is subjected to horrific violence and kept as a slave. 

Dogville was followed by the sequel Manderlay, in which Grace is recast and relocated but as a double bill the films are a triumph in spite of their length. This is the first of two Von Trier films on the list.

94. Apocalypto

It is currently an extremely difficult time to like Mel Gibson. It has been the same since his first, of many, anti semitic rants less than six months before the release of this film.
That being said, what Gibson has managed to pull off with Apocalypto is a back to basics action film that is better than 99.9% of any studio's summer tent pole movies.
The story is simple. Jaguar Paw, having been kidnapped and almost sacrificed, must escape and find his way back to the family he left hidden in a well. Sounds straight forward enough but his journey there and his eventual bettering of the majority of his pursuers barely lets you pause for breath.
The virtually unknown cast do wonders creating a world with humour, fear, love and hate all in equal measure and it is a testament to the direction of Gibson that even though the entire film is spoken in Mayan, there is never a moment where you are given time to register this because you become encompassed in the plight of Jaguar Paw.
This is an almost perfectly made film from start to finish, and has one of the most original and inventive endings in movie history.

95. Cold Weather

This little seen gem slipped under the radar back in 2011, probably due to the slow, methodical plotting that takes place.
The fact that the story goes a long at it's own pace is a credit to director Aaron Katz, who resists the temptation to turn the film into an action centred detective tale.
The story is simply about a guy trying to find out the truth about his ex girlfriend's disappearance and the result is a fascinating and funny mixture of mumblecore and Sherlock Holmes (who is referenced throughout).
A truly brilliant film, well presented and should be seen by everyone.

96. The Descent

I love horror movies so its a bit of a surprise there aren't more on this list. This is probably due to me being exposed to horrors such as Hellraiser and Nightmare on Elm Street from as early as ten years old. Social services weren't impressed. Anyhow it meant that it takes a lot from a film to frighten me and The Descent is the only film I can remember which actually scared me and where it had me guessing as to what would happen next. Bear in mind I had already seen all the classic horrors such as Texas Chain Saw, Exorcist and Halloween, all of which are fantastic films but they didn't scare me like The Descent did.
Full of originality such as the all female cast, all natural light sources and the most harrowing of bleak and dark endings you are ever likely to see.

97. True Romance

The only Tony Scott film to feature on this list, True Romance doesn't look out of place amongst the greatest love stories ever told. The performances given by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette are career defining, both of them sculpting memorable characters who are naive in their love for one another but whose loyalty to each other is unwavering. They are perhaps the sweetest couple in film history and you never once question the fact they are very much in love.
The supporting cast is full of movie royalty past and present, and Michael Rappaport. Also features one of my favourite scenes of all time between two of the greatest actors of all time in Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper.
Great theme too.

98. The Fighter (2010)

The Fighter is the first of two David O. Russell films on this list. Brilliantly acted and wonderfully directed, this is one of the best sports films ever made as it follows the Rocky mould of being as much about the character's dependence on boxing then it is about the actual sport.
Special mention to Mark Wahlberg who not only produces the whole thing but gives a wonderfully restrained performance which allows him to flesh out his character whilst allowing his co stars to shine.

99. North by Northwest

There isn't a lot I can say that hadn't already been said about any of Hitchcock's movies. Brilliantly original story with a pitch perfect cast, this is one of two films by the director on this list and one I've only seen very recently. A must see. Or not. Depends what you're in to.

100. Welcome to the Dollhouse

Number 100 on the list is Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse starring Heather Matarazzo and Eric Mabius from
1995.
This is the only Solondz film on this list and the only one of his films I've enjoyed enough to consider it five star. Although it has the bleakness of his other work such as Storytelling or Happiness there's something about this tale of an ugly ducking striving to be liked by anyone that will pay her attention to which people can relate. Its heartbreaking at times to see Matarazzo's Dawn going about her life and being treated as more of an inconvenience by everyone including parents and teachers. I would consider it a positive that Solondz has never strayed away from his downbeat style of narrative in his later films and Welcome to the Dollhouse would be a perfect companion piece to his 2012 offering Dark Horse in which Jordan Gelber plays something of a male middle aged version of Dawn who is also resented by his parents and outshone by a spoilt younger sibling.
The downfall of Dark Horse is its last act which strays into the fantastical which also accounted for some of the many problems with the director's 2009 Life During Wartime. Dollhouse never flinches from a realistic portayal of life as a unliked, socially awkward outsider which most people have experienced themselves. Not me of course. How dare you?

My Top 100

A slight deviation from normal proceedings means i shant be updating about movies I've recently watched, rather a run down of my favourite 100 films of all time. Starting with 100 finishing at 4. Or 1 depending how rebellious Im feeling. All these films are in this list purely because i rate them as five star movies and after a tediously lengthy and nerdy process I have managed to put them in an order that somewhat resembles a coherent summary of my feelings towards them. Enjoy. Or don't. See if i care. Please enjoy.

Catfish

The past decade has seen a boom in excellent documentaries such as Capturing the Friedmans, Supersize Me and Spellbound. Catfish is every bit as good as those, even if it is more cinematic than informative. There is a level of scepticism surrounding Catfish with people dubious about its claims of authenticity.
Admittedly it does seem like everything falls into place a bit too smoothly for Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman but this isn't an issue until you reflect on it afterwards. Even then, using coherent narrative as a negative is quite perplexing. Its akin to berating Back to the Future because time travel is impossible. Isn't it?
If you let yourself get lost in Catfish and don't over think it you will get the most out of it. The story of an online flirtation and the journey to meet the online conquest, the filmmakers prove themselves more than competent in suspense cinema. The scene where the guys inspect the farm house at night is one of the most terrifying things I've seen. Even though nothing happens.
What makes Catfish is the sting in its tail. A twist you won't see coming but that will break the heart of anyone with one.
A brilliant movie that tugs at the heartstrings and has you climbing the walls with terror in equipment measure. Five stars. *****

JCVD

As curriculum vitaes go, Van Damme's is down there with your Seagal's and Lundgren's of the world as one of the worst. Comprising mainly retrofit fight films with futuristic robot movies he barely deviates from DTV territory. I would rather eat glass than watch 90% of his offerings.
JCVD bucks that trend with aplomb. The problem now is that it stands out on his filmography like a sore thumb. Its such a shame "The Mussels from Brussels" wasn't able to capitalize on the success of this film and reinvent himself, instead finding himself in The Expendables 2 and Universal Soldier 3, the same shit he was peddling before we knew he could act.
Make no mistake, JCVD is fantastic with a performance that is better than 90% of performances you will ever see from JCVD himself. Expect big things from this up and coming......wait a minute that's wrong. Expect more of the same rubbish for a few more years now he's gained a bit of credibility.
****

Point Break

What makes Point Break stand out from the crowd of action flicks that seemed to flood cinema in the late eighties and early nineties? The answer is nothing. This is a film so distinctly average in every way you come away feeling like you might as well have not bothered. Time has not served the film well as I couldn't watch it without thinking of 'Hot Fuzz' and the way it perfectly lampoons over the top action scenes and sliding electric guitar scores. The sky dive chase is spectacular, and Patrick Swayze makes Bodhi come to life and really makes a likable a character out of a prick. Lori Petty is so attractive that its distracting but she isn't the most watchable screen presence, probably due to me not listening to a word she said as I was counting down to the obligatory 90's sex scene between the two leads. Keanu Reeves is one who seems to just be taking it all a little too seriously. You can't help but feel that his role would have benefited from somebody playing it tongue in cheek, somebody who might actually generate some chemistry with the Gary Busey character.
An enjoyable film but as soon as the credits roll you know you will never watch this film again. Until 2020 when we have the Back to the Future inspired version with hoverboard instead of surf boards. I look forward to it. ***

Life During Wartime

Todd Solondz isn't afraid to push the boundaries in his movies, focusing on themes such as suicide and paedophilia, with mixed results. Welcome to the Dollhouse was a brilliant portrayal of an outcast trying to fit in during adolescence and Happiness (the precursor to this film) was a ensemble story focusing on three sisters and the pitfalls that blight their lives and their families. Wartime is a semi sequel to Happiness in that all the characters are present although they are played by different actors. This is a rather jarring choice for people to comprehend if they are familiar with these characters already. In some cases such as Shirley Henderson replacing Jane Adams or Paul Reubens replacing Jon Lovitz the change in personnel is less obvious due to the physical similarities of the two parties sharing the roles. In other cases the change of cast is not only distracting but ruins the film. The decision go completely left field and replace Philip Seymour Hoffman with Michael Kenneth Williams strikes as having been made just to add a bit of.controversy to proceedings.
Happiness owes a lot of it's plaudits to the central role of Dr. Maplewood being played by Dylan Baker who turns a character who could have been one of cinemas all time most disgusting villains and adds heart and soul to it that in Wartime Ciaran Hinds cannot match up to, being somewhat underwritten as the part is in the latter.
Overall, although Life During Wartime has its problems you have to given Solondz his props for pushing the envelope and using his films as a vehicle for his own voice rather then compromising his vision, which rarely seems to be the case.
***

Stop-loss

I had no idea what a stop-loss was before I saw this film. I thought it was the tap that controlled the water supply for your house. I think that's called a stop-cock though. Close enough.
It actually means that when a U.S. soldieris due to leave the army in a timeof war, they can be issued with a stop-loss order and be redeployed to the front line.
It seems like a ridiculous notion to me, I can't imagine any other workplace getting away with that. "Excuse me sir" he said to his manager at McDonalds "I'm handing in my notice as i'd like to further my career, better myself and possibly discover the cure for Aids". The manager would look him up and down, laugh whilst handing him his burger flipper and apron and say "Stop-lossed bitch, get back to work".
The film starts with an ultra-realistic combat scene on the streets of Afghan as the troops are drawn into an ambush, resulting in numerous casualties. So far so good. The film then relocates to Texas and the homecoming of the soldiers, where they unwind with booze, girls and fights. Much the same as any other Texan relaxes.
The acting talent on show is some of the best of the up and coming crop of actors including Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Abbie Cornish. Ryan Phillipe also gives his best performance to date as the soldier on the run.
Its just a shame that after half the film, what was a gripping character piece resorts to being just another two bit chase movie, with Phillipe trying to avoid being stop-lossed. Its a shame because this looked to be in the same league as The Hurt Locker, being a gripping look into the mindset of battle scarred U.S. soldiers. Director Kimberley Pierce also mishandles a scene involving a severely disabled troop who's injuries are a result of the opening ambush which Phillipe blames himself for, and she seems to insist on hammering home the fact that he's not changed, he's still the fun loving guy he was regardless of lack of sight and limbs. It seems a bit patronising.
I did like this film as a whole, its well made, the acting talent is remarkable and it is an original take on the modern war story. The ending is pretty good as well, even if it does undermine the whole of the film that came before it. Plus its got Abbie Cornish in it, surely the most naturally beautiful actress to grace our screens this century.
Four stars.

Gentlemen Broncos

Jared Hess is the new master of quirky comedy. Napoleon Dynamite was an absolute masterpiece of teenage awkwardness and angst whilst Nacho Libre, although maybe not the greatest film, was still full of originality. Gentlemen Broncos isn't quite as good as Napoleon but its a damn sight better than Nacho Libre.
Although this film didn't get a theatrical release in the UK, I still went into it expecting big things purely because of Hess' name on the director's chair. The screenplay's he writes with his other half Jerusha are the epitome of indie quirk. Every character is unique and every interaction between two people comes across as awkward, intentionally of course.
The presence of Jermaine Clement is probably the best bit of casting this side of Heath Ledger's Joker. He channels the presence of the Mighty Boosh's Dixon Bainbridge into the body of Serpico. The entertainment scale is cranked right up every time he appears and it is surely just a matter of time before he is a proper comedy superstar.
Halley Feiffer is an interesting choice for the leading lady being neither conventionally beautiful nor that gifted an actress, however she is still one of the most interesting young actresses i've witnessed for a while. I can't work out if her stilted performance was part of the act but she is certainly most alluring.
Although it may sound like I thought Gentlemen Broncos was perfect, believe me, it ain't. The scenes with Sam Rockwell set in the Yeast Lords story are way off the mark, bringing the films momentum to a halt every 15 minutes or so. Even the always reliable Rockwell is nothing short of irritating.
To summarise what I know is quite a hurried review, this is a great film if you like Napoleon and Nacho but if you didn't its probably best to steer clear. There's also a scene with a snake having a shit on a mans crisp white shirt if that counts for anything.
Four stars.