Movie Meme...Horror

Hannah has finally unleashed the greatest genre into the Blogosphere with this week's theme for Metal Mummy's Movie Meme....Horror!

I could write pages about my love of horror films.  From the psychological to the supernatural to the slasher to the downright nasty...horror films encompass the same thrills as a scary ass roller coaster.  The increased heart rate, the adrenalin and the gut churning thrills are all very similar!

The film I am choosing isn't necessarily the best in terms of story, effects or acting.  However, it is the film that saw the rise of one of the most iconic horror characters and the subsequent inspiration for the naming of my baby boy.  Yes, predictably maybe, but my choice is "A Nightmare on Elm Street".

Released in 1984, I was 15 and it made such an impression on me.  The character of Freddy Krueger was pure genius...he personified the terror of nightmares with an added dash of comedy, which served to make him all the more sinister!

He stalked the teenagers of Elm Street in their sleep, wreaking revenge on the parents who had burned him alive in his boiler house for being a child killer.

I saw it at the cinema back in 1984.  My friends and I were literally huddled together screaming and laughing and loving every minute of this film.  The part where Freddy's tongue comes out of the telephone had us squirming in disgust at a time in our lives when we were just discovering boys and snogging!!  Wes Craven pitched this film perfectly to the intended audience.  We empathized with Nancy as she tried to make the disbelieving adults help her and her friends who were being picked off one by one by Krueger.  It was just horror gold!

Johnny Depp makes an early appearance as one of the teens who meets a gruesome end at the razor fingered hands of Freddy Krueger.  Robert Englund played the lead brilliantly with the perfect blend of terror and humour.  The iconic gloves, hat and jumper make him instantly recognisable.  The NOES franchise produced a series of excellent sequels.  The third one was my favourite "Dream Warriors" which was released in 1987.  I liked how the story was padded out with more background on Krueger whilst remaining true to the original. The character was embellished allowing a degree of humanity without ruining his horror credentials!

To this day, I still don't like having my wardrobe door open when I go to bed...not even a crack...in case Freddy Krueger decides to come through while I'm asleep!  The spectral killer is certainly the stuff of nightmares...and I for one, love it!!

Movie Meme...World Cinema

Hannah's theme this week is World Cinema.  As usual, because we have ridiculously similar tastes, Hannah has already written about the first film that sprang to my mind REC.  I watched it with my eldest son and we terrified ourselves!  Great film.

So I've had to wrack my brains to come up with another film that fits this category.  My choice for this week is the Japanese film Battle Royale (2000).

Under new Japanese law a group of delinquent school kids are forced to fight each other to the death till there is only one left standing, on a deserted island.  This is for a reality TV show (like Big Brother with weapons and explosive collars!)  Whilst some of the students unleash their inner killer, others try to find a peaceful way of escaping the island.

This film questions our attitudes to violence and towards each other.  As some characters kill each other ruthlessly in a bid for self-preservation, others form alliances to protect each other.  The two main characters in the film eventually fake their own deaths aided by the supposed last man standing and escape the island to go on the run together.

The film is ruthless, brutal, violent and bloody, but it is not just a gratuitous gore fest. Strip away the horror and it is also about love, friendship and loyalty.   It is a warning to the next generation, a powerful message questioning our attitudes to violence, crime and society.  It explores intergenerational distrust and the use of actual teenagers in the starring roles was a powerful decision made by the director Fukasaku giving the film stark realism and impact.  He drew on his own experiences as a 15 year old in WWII in his adaptation of this movie, giving a gritty realism to an unimaginably terrible premise.

Movie Meme...The Eighties!

This week Hannah's theme is the perfect one for me...the 80s!  My teenage years were spent revelling in the fashion, the music and the films of this iconic decade!

By the mid 80's I was tall enough to get into the local cinema to watch 'AA' and 'X' Rated movies (we didn't have 15's and 18's then!)  The first multi-screen cinema complex opened up in Slough by the late 80's, offering half price entry on Wednesdays, so I was a bit of a regular. Good memories.

My first choice of favourite 80's movie was The Lost Boys featuring the lovely Kiefer Sutherland long before CTU claimed him as their own.  It was a vampire movie which was made how a vampire movie should be made, with hot, vicious teen vampires on the rampage.  But as Hannah shares a similar taste in all things horrific and chose it herself, I'm having to take a different direction with my choice!

So the film I have chosen is Gremlins.  Released in 1984, it was the must see Christmas movie.

I saw it at the cinema and we all fell in love with the adorable Gizmo, the cute little pet who came with his own set of rules!!  When the rules are broken it leads to a horde of malevolent, mischievous, green monsters overtaking the town and wreaking havoc.

I loved this film.  The characterization of the marauding creatures was beautifully done...from the beer swilling, card playing gamblers to the cross dressing, over made-up protagonists in the local pub.  The scenes where the Gremlins were killed off in the kitchen was classic...who could forget the untimely death by blender or the explosive  microwave moment!

Joe Dante directed and created genuine suspense without losing the humour from what was essentially quite a horrific premise.  All the while as the hideous creatures caused mayhem, Gizmo looked on with his big eyes with a look of disappointment and genuine sorrow at what his progeny had become.  (I'm sure there is some deep analogy to be made there for media students!)

I remember not knowing what the creatures looked like and being blown away in the cinema when the box with the Mogwai in was opened.  Then the second generation evil ones were produced and we all gasped as they transformed into the reptilian monsters. We laughed and we felt slightly nervous all at the same time. None of the sequels came close in capturing the magic of the first film.  We knew what to expect second time round and the suspense was replaced with a rehashing of a "small-creatures-attack-town" storyline that relied heavily on slapstick humour.

Gremlins rocked!

Movie Meme...Favourite Chick Flick

Hannah's theme this week is favourite chick flick.  I love lots of films.  OK, my penchant for horror is strong, but that doesn't mean I don't also enjoy a good weepy!  So my choice this week is "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe".  It's not a fun-filled frothy chick flick, instead it is richly comic film with a poignant narrative that tells the tale of the richness of life and the sadness of departure.

This film tells the story of unfulfilled housewife Evelyn, played by the fabulous Cathy Bates, who meets an old lady Ninny Threadgood, played by Jessica Tandy.  Ninny regales Evelyn with tales of her hometown Whistlestop  from the 1920's.  Evelyn's life takes on new meaning inspired by the wonderful backstory.

Ninny tells her a story about best friends Idgie and Ruth.  Their lives are intertwined from a young age and  peppered with tradegy, loss, domestic violence, racism, illness, but mostly with love and friendship. They run a cafe where they employ black staff and feed men that are down on their luck in the Great Depression. They end up on the wrong side of the law when Ruth's bullying ex-husband disappears. But the goodness of the women sees the townsfolk rallying around to protect them. The story spans three decades where we see more tragedy as Ruth becomes a victim of cancer. Their story culminates with the murder trial of Ruth's ex-husband and the pieces of the story tie together satisfyingly as we learn exactly what happened on the fateful night when he vanished.

The contrast of the rich backstory played out against the comedic exploits of Evelyn in her attempt to make something out of her unfulfilled life, makes this film a rollercoaster of emotions.  I had cried twice within the first ten minutes of this film and had at least two more sobbing fits before the credits.  It is tragic but heartwarming in equal measure.

I'd highly reccommend this film to anyone...but make sure you have tissues (and probably chocolates) at the ready.  You will need them....but it is well worth it to immerse yourself in this beautifully woven piece of storytelling.

Movie Meme...Favourite Actor

This week, Hannah is asking us who our favourite actor is.  I was poorly yesterday with a horrible sicky bug...bleurgh!  So I'm playing meme catch up.

Tom Hanks is up there as a favourite with his fabulous portrayals of Forrest Gump, Joshua Baskin, Paul Edgecombe and Woody!!  His body of work is faultless. But although I love the films, he isn't necessarily one of those actors I'm interested in personally, which I think is part and parcel of the "favourite" label.

Obviously Brad Pitt would be a good choice because not only is he eye candy but he can also act...mostly!  His "on the edge"  characters are brilliant.  Tyler Durden and the crazy guy in Twelve Monkeys were amazing....but Mr and Mrs Smith....not so much!  I avoid watching that film at all costs...the first ten minutes were enough for me. Plus I can't forgive him for packing in Jennifer Aniston!

An actor who had both the appeal of Mr Hanks and the beauty of Mr Pitt was Heath Ledger.  I cried when I found out he had died...he was so beautiful, so talented, so promising, yet so fragile.  He had only just found his stride when he accidentally OD'd.  His darkness and inner turmoil  made him an amazing artist, but also foreshortened his amazing career.  We were robbed when he died, his best was surely yet to come.

All this chit chat aside, my favourite consistent actor who really never fails to please has to be Bruce Willis.  His wise cracking, hard arsed characters are always so watchable, and he really works the white vested look.  I used to watch Moonlighting as a kid which was the real must see programme of the '80's.  Then came the Die Hard films "Yippee Ki Ay"! The Last Boy Scout, Hostage, Last Man Standing, Twelve Monkeys, Sin City, Armageddon, Lucky Number Slevin, Sixteen Blocks and The Fifth Element are all brilliant action films, each with its own edge!  But Sixth Sense has to be his greatest role for me.  I sobbed so hard at the cinema I had to stop off at M&S on the way home to buy a cheesecake which I consumed in its entirety to comfort myself.

Bruce is so, so pretty.  The perfect bald man...if Ian ever starts balding he is going to shave his head Bruce Willis style.  I also love his private life...how he is friends with Demi and Ashton...how cool is that! And he was in Friends, so he really is the full package.  He fulfils all my criteria for being my favourite actor!

Movie Meme...Leonardo Di Caprio

This week's prompt by our favourite Metal Mummy aka Hannah is Leonardo DiCaprio.  He's never been one of my favourite actors, but he is undeniably talented and has most definitely "grown into himself" recently, no longer looking like a 12 year old doing work experience in Hollywood.  Titantic, which I actually loved and sobbed my heart out over, was ruined by babyface Leo and Kate who looked more like his mother than his lover!  I loved the film in spite of them, and frankly didn't feel moved by a frosty Leo bobbing around in the sea at all, while Kate hogged the floating makeshift raft.

That aside, Leo has a Midas touch, and is pure cinema gold.  His CV is impressive and he has taken a whole range of roles across a range of genres.  I loved him in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? where he played Johnny Depp's  younger brother with a penchant for climbing water towers. His portrayal of Arnie was moving, authentic and sensitive.  An incredible role for a young Leo.

In 1996 Romeo and Juliet was released, a hip modern interpretation that stayed true to Shakespeare's original  dialogue.  I am a bit of a Bard-Geek and I absolutely adored this film.  The soundtrack, the modern day suburb of Verona and the fabulous direction of Baz Luhrman made this a wonderful audio/visual feast.  I'm not sure whether Leo's portrayal of Romeo added anything to the film, but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment.  

There is something about Leo's acting style that doesn't fill me with awe and wonder, but he is obviously very talented.  I can't quite put my finger on why he doesn't light a fire inside me like Messrs Depp, Pitt, Jackson and Caine do. I saw Shutter Island and thought it was pretty good but again it didn't fire me up.  I'm yet to watch Inception...I just couldn't cope with it, saw 10 minutes and gave up.  I will get around to it soon though!

So there we have it.  I know he is a good actor, but he just doesn't get me going with his art.  I look forward to seeing him in more films as he gets older.  Maybe by about 50 he'll have totally grown into the actor that I know he is inside!

Movie Meme Week 2...Black and White

This week's theme for Metal Mummy's Movie Meme is Black and White films.  For me, this week is easy.  The film I have chosen is one of the greatest movies ever made.  Terrifying, moving and inspirational in equal measure, this 1932 film by Todd Browning is my choice for this week. I give you "Freaks".

Set in the travelling circus, the film centres around the sideshow performers.  Browning made the brave decision to use real people in the role of the "freak show" performers rather than using make-up and props.  They are shown as honorable and trustworthy people with a strong sense of community.  The "monsters" of this film are the two "normal" circus performers who conspire to murder one of the cast to steal his large inheritance. 

Cleo the beautiful trapeze artist seduces and marries the midget Hans for his money.  The other side show performers hold an initiation ceremony to accept her into their community.  She is drunk and lets slip that she is having an affair with Hercules the strong man and mocks them all, making it clear that she never loved Hans and only wanted his money.  Although humiliated, he sticks by his wife believing she will grow to love him.

It is only when another performer overhears Cleo and Hercules discussing the murder plot to poison Hans, that the performers group together to wreak their bloody revenge on the two antagonists. In one of the most shocking scenes, the performers crawl through the mud in a torrential storm, carrying knives to hunt down their victims.  They mutilate them.  The very end is a bit daft...they somehow turn the beautiful but evil Cleo into some kind of half human, half duck creature!  I'm sure in 1932 that was quite a shock ending, but her squawking actually is quite funny!

Making this film hurt Brownings career.  Outraged critics cut more than 30 minutes from his final cut including the castration of Hercules in the revenge scene, emasculating the bullying tyrant.  For years this film was considered massively controversial.  Audiences would vomit. It was banned in the UK for 30 years. However, in the 70s and 80s it became a cult film.  In 1994 the film was finally recognized for preservation as being "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" and was ranked 15th in Bravo's list of the Scariest Movie Moments ever.  It finally found its rightful place in cinema history.

It was never exploitative and the lives of the sideshow performers were portrayed with a tender sensitivity. It is these incidental  slice of life segments of the film that really make it for me.  I discovered the actor Johnny Eck through this film.  Born without legs and with a truncated torso he was dubbed as the "half boy".  His real life story is completely inspirational and he is most definitely one of my heroes!  His strength, athleticism and acrobatic ability shows how any obstacle can be overcome.  He'd say to able bodied people "What can you do that I can't, except tread water?" His upbeat attitude was infectious and inspiring.  

I'd really recommend checking out this film if you ever have the opportunity.  It is shocking, but it is also life-affirming and heart warming.  The actors are amazing and inspirational...it is a film unlike anything I've ever seen before or since.  It's a real piece of celluloid history.