Rev Stan's film blog

The cheat post of three reviews in one: Wuthering Heights, Twiglet 4a & Snowtown

I've virtually run out of time to write these before I head off on holiday so I'm going to combine three short reviews into one post for brevity (if I wait until I get back, it'll never happen)

Wuthering Heights

This is stripped back version of the classic novel, devoid of cliched fancy costumes and violin heavy soundtrack instead you get an almost sensuous approach. The sounds of the landscape, the weather and creatures form the music and the backdrop. There is mud and rain and rough clothes of those who live from the land. 

It is a brutal portrayal with dialogue pared back to a minimum. Cathy and Heathcliff's is a visceral connection established in looks and touches but it is all the more powerful for it. 

Breathtaking in its beauty and brutality, its a refreshing take on what is actually quite an odd novel, my only reservations is that the long lingering shots of nature and constant use of pull focus gets a bit tiring in the end and I'd like to have seen 10 minutes or so trimmed from it's running time just to tightening it up a little.

Stan rating 74%, IMDb 67%, Rotten Tomatoes 81% from critics and 68% from audiences.

Twilight Breaking Dawn part 1

Never should have been split into two films, the result is indulgent and I haven't rolled my eyes so much in a Twilight movie yet. But I'm a sucker for a wedding and so the first half had me smiling. 

As a consequence when the plot moves into the wolves story line it feels like a different film. The scene when Jacob challenges the pack shouldn't have been done as wolves but as humans as it just felt like a kiddies film.

Think I'm over Twilight, there are far better and far more interesting Vampire stories being told elsewhere (True Blood, Vampire Diaries for example) but I've come this far with the films I feel as if I have to see it out.

Stan rating 56%, IMDb 47% and 45% from Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes 28% from critics and 92% from audiences (it's going to take loads of money regardless because of its fan base)

Snowtown

Certainly the most disturbing film I've seen in a long long time. Based on a true story of Australian serial killer John Bunting but told from the viewpoint of a 16-year old boy Jamie whom he takes under his wing. John becomes a father figure to Jamie but his vigilante morals against paedophiles and then homosexuals disguise the fact that he is a brutal sadist who takes pleasure inflicting pain and fear on his victims before murdering them. 

Jamie is at first flattered, John is charming and pays him attention but slowly he manipulates the teen introducing him into his world bit by bit until he is terrified and reluctantly does all that John asks.

There is one particularly gruesome scene but it is the growing threat from John, all smiles and charm on one hand and a torturer and murderer on the other.  

It's a gritty and simply shot film with little by way of dramatic embellishment. Jamie says little but emotes a great deal and I was squirming in my seat for him. Fantastically naturalist performances all around.

Its haunted me for days. I'm glad I saw it but I don't think I could ever watch it again.

Stan rating 80%, IMDb 68%, Rotten Tomatoes 93% from critics and 73% from audiences

Why I'm excited about Robert Pattinson playing piano in Breaking Dawn

This story has just popped up announcing that Robert Pattinson will once again be tinkling the ivories in a Twilight movie.

Now Mr Pattinson has yet to convince me that his acting talent stretches much beyond just looking pretty and/or troubled and running his hand through his hair but his music is a different matter.

I loved the two tracks of his that were used for Twilight and think this is where his talent truly lies - albeit with some lessons to overcome his tendency to mumble. He really does have some skill as a musician and songwriter and a beautiful voice that seems to come from a different person entirely which I find intriguing.

Now at the moment it looks like he'll only be playing piano but we can keep our fingers crossed.

In the meantime here is a reminder....

Let Me Sign

 

Definitely the sort of Twilight-nerdy fan thing I like

Someone over at Twilight blog has watched Eclipse while painstakingly noting down which scenes the songs from the soundtrack (including bonus tracks) appear in.

Brilliant. It's the sort of thing that bugs me when I'm listening to certain songs on the sountrack - but not enough to be actually bothered to do the same thing. So thanks, Twilight blogger.

And yes, I agree with their verdict, it is a real shame the Florence + the Machine song is buried in the end credits.

And here is the beautiful, beautiful Florence song which would have worked in so many other places, Jacob carrying Bella for example...

Download 04 Heavy In Your Arms

Twilight Eclipse - the verdict

  

Definitely had different expectations going into this one compared to New Moon. I really loved New Moon as a book but not so much Eclipse.

I always thought Eclipse would benefit from a film makeover to put a bit more dramatic tension in it. The book seemed bogged down with back story, building up to a big scary battle that was ultimately neither big or scary - only baddies died and none of the goodies ever really looked threatened, well OK, so Jacob gets a little bit roughed up.

Anyway back to the film. Before I went to the cinema I had a reply to a tweet saying that the film closely followed the book, which made my heart sink a little. And it did closely follow the book.

There is a lot of back story which made the pace a bit soggy at times but, I enjoyed the film more than the book for several reasons.

Firstly the book is tome-length (Stephanie Meyers was suffering from the JK Rowling successful writer-indulgent editor syndrome) so condensing it down to two hours means a lot of guff is inevitably cut. 

Off to see Eclipse this afternoon

Yep, I'm excited. The reason? Well I have to confess that the book is my least favourite - too much character stuff and a big build up leading to a damp squib ending (wrote my thoughts on all four books after reading them here). But a bit of Hollywood interference might just raise it's game a little.

And there is no crucial scene that I loved in the book that I worry the film makers will mess about with so I can head to the cinema feeling completely relaxed and hopefully come out entertained. If not there are always all the fit young men to look at. 

Will no doubt be posting my 'review' tomorrow.

Robert Pattinson talks Breaking Dawn

I like the fact that he hasn't read the book yet. I think he might be surprised. He knows Bella gets pregnant though and I agree, I'm very curious as to how the film makers are going to deal with the whole honeymoon/pregnancy/birth storyline.

I predict that Bella's labour pains will sound exactly like her glass in leg, starting to turn into Vampire pains from the Twilight film

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Twilight Eclipse filmmakers talk through their favourite scenes*

Another great little video from the MakingOf team. Three of the Twilight Eclipse crew talk through their favourite scenes. Look out for some insight into Robert Pattinson's reservations about one crucial Bella/Edward scene.

*I've taken the video off as it starts playing automatically which can be a bit annoying so here's a link for it instead

Probably the most coherent Robert Pattinson has sounded in an interview

Because most of the time he just seems to joke around laughing, sweeping his hand through his hair and not really actually saying very much.

He does giggle but talks about the obsession with chastity that everyone other than the fans seem to read into the books. And, how Eclipse is a little more grown up. Also includes snippets of interviews with Kristen and Taylor too about filming Eclipse.

No embed code because it's the beeb so you'll have to follow this link to see it.

Behind the scenes footage of Twilight's Eclipse

I'm a sucker for this sort of stuff. I buy DVD's based on the extra's and always feel slightly cheated if they aren't of Lord of the Rings proportions.

So Making Of is one of my favourite websites and this is their latest offering from the set of Twilight Saga*: Eclipse. There is some green screen stuff and then snippets of scenes with all the main characters (and yes that means the Robert Pattinson too if he's your thang).

*I'm not embedding the video because it starts automatically which can be a bit annoying particularly as I have more than one Making Of video clips I like.