The film aficionado
About me: my name is Craig Fish I am 22 years old and am currently studying journalism
About the Blog: this Blog will cover current movies, movie news, and will be updated weekly with reviews of new and old movies and movie news.
Inception
5/5
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Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo Dicaprio; Ellen Page
Tom Berenger; Joseph Gordon- Levitt
Run-time: 148 minutes
Written By: Christopher Nolan
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Inception is not only a name that would be fitting for the title of this blog, it is also the name of one of the best and most original films of the past decade. At it’s heart inception is essentially a heist movie, but with a twist, as the tagline aptly states “your mind is the scene of the crime.” Indeed in the world that Christopher Nolan has created, Cobb(Dicaprio) is an “extracter” who enters dreams and steals your secrets, but after a bungled attempt Cobb is forced to do a more difficult task, that of inception; planting an idea in someone’s mind.
What happens next, unfolds as an intricate plot which leaves you guessing what is real. This movie is simply too good to divulge any plot points and I urge you to go see it for yourself.
This movie can only be described as the Matrix meets Memento.
Walking out of the cinema will leave you feeling hazy, like you’ve just awoken from a dream, wondering if you haven’t simply walked into another one , the cast is brilliant, the story original and fresh, and the special effects are second to none, but could you expect anything less from Christopher Nolan who is arguably one of Hollywood’s best directors who has brought you movies such as Memento, The Dark Knight , Batman Begins, and the Prestige.
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A Nightmare on Elm Street
2/5
Freddy’s back………………….again.
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Directed By: Samuel Bayer
Cast: Jackie Earle Hayley; Rooney Mara; Kyle Gallner; Patrick Lumb; Kellan Lutz
Run Time: 104 minutes
Written By: Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer
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Twenty six years after its inception (yes folks it’s been that long), and the blades on Freddy Krueger’s fingers are looking a little dull. The original, crafted by horror maestro Wes Craven, was an instant cult classic. Indeed when I think of the original, fond memories of a fresh faced Johnny Depp float to the surface, Nancy, the sweet innocent girl next door still seems virginal and dole eyed, and who could forget the star of the show: Freddy, a grotesque aberration of molten flesh, firing out sardonic one-liners as he mercilessly hunts down his prey. Of course the success of the original inevetiably spawned a franchise of unnecessary sequels, each more pathetic than the last, thus immortalising Freddy into one of pop cultures most recognisable villains, and as each of those sequels were released giddy teens would flock to the movie theatres for a make out session, and afterward they would jokingly gush to their friends “You better not sleep tonight!” but alas eventually the franchise grew stagnant, and Freddy retired, reserved exclusively for nostalgia and a smile. Now Hollywood, bereft of new ideas and hungry for a big fat payoff, has created what we see here: ANOTHER BORING, WORSE THAN THE ORIGINAL REMAKE, it’s nothing new we’ve seen it before; Rob Zombie’s: Halloween, butchered the original, Tobe Hooper’s seminal Texas Chainsaw Massacre, massacred in the 2003 remake, and teen favourite, Friday the 13th marred beyond recognition, just recently. Yes ladies and gentlemen it’s horrors’ greatest curse: the remake .
But lets get back to this years latest Remake: A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I must say, not that I haven’t made it abundantly clear already, it’s exactly that a nightmare, the original with it’s airy day scenes and forbidding night scenes created contrast and unease, for this version you may as well buy a set of night vision goggles. The world these haunted teens live in seems to be plunged into perpetual darkness, no wonder it’s so hard to stay awake. The performances are the scariest aspect of the film, with notable exception to Jackie Earle Hayley, his portrayal of Freddy is the only aspect which improves on the original, his mere presence is enough to send chills down your spine. Otherwise the films plot is almost an exact replication of the original: Teens haunted by a man in their dreams with a peaked hat and bladed gloves, all the while trying to unearth a deadly secret from their past which may hold a clue to their salvation, yet the charm and fright from the original is lost in translation, perhaps it’s because we’ve seen and done it all before.
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