How I met Your Mother.

Now i know this isn't a film as well but I'm so completely enthralled by this programme and all of its characters and their lives and stories, the list is endless, but the show isn't, but as it isn't over yet and im still not completely up to date i thought id do a post about how incredible this show is. In a very similar model to 'Friends' the series is based around 5 friends living their lives in New York city and through relationship dramas and everyday problems. It is the best and only real response to friends that there has been and gives us a chance to relive a great show in a completely different way.




With 173 episodes to date there isn't enough time to talk about them all but each and every episode is as brilliantly written (and hilarious) as the last. The thing that makes this show so captivating is how much history and depth each of the characters has. Each have their own fears, likes, hates etc, now this may be indicative of many TV shows but none in as much detail as HIMYM, besides Friends. The chronology of the series is also very important as all the episodes are in the past as being told by Ted in the future, talking to his kids. This is what makes the show different from friends (and in some ways better) because it invites more opportunities to change the story in erratic ways, because the story is being told the narrator can change it at anytime if he wants it to and doesn't have to stick to the timeline of the episode. This offers innumerable and exciting tangents and side stories which give us insights into the characters past and future. This is what makes the characters so rich and what makes you love them as much as everyone does.

Im  not going to do a massive post now as its not over yet but my point is that, depending on how it ends, How I met your Mother may end up being more tense and as emotional. But Friends has set the bar very very high.

Looper.

A film i've watched very recently is Looper. A film where the plot describes time travel having not been invented yet. But 30 years from now it will be. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a Looper who's job it is to kill people who the mob have sent back to him. The Looper then disposes of the body and as the person has been sent back in time its like they never existed.

I love this shot. Distracted from the last person you want to take your eyes off.

I really like the concept this film is based around as it has clearly had a lot of thought and time put into it. Its a first real look at how time travel is incredibly inconceivable. If time travel could be invented the chances are that it would appear in the present day as its invented relatively soon.

Since the targets have bags over their heads it means their identity is unknown, so when the Mob decides to 'close the loop' they send back the Looper (30 years older) to the Looper in the present day. The target is sent back, is killed, and gives the Looper a massive payout so he can live the next 30 years in luxury, knowing that one day the mob will come back to close the loop.

When Willis slowly moves his head up Levitt's facial expression is just perfect as anyone would be
pretty shocked if they saw their future self with you about to kill them.

This is where we are introduced to Bruce Willis. He plays Joe 30 years from now and instead of being sent back with a bag he comes back without and Joe sees the face of his future self.

This film despite mainly being about assassination of people who don't technically exists, the film also touches on the future itself. The mention the evolution of people finding out they have telekinetic powers. These powers are not all they appear though as they range from floating a coin in your hand or moving a pencil. Its interesting to see the vision of the future being portrayed here as they are optimistic about what we could potentially do but what we can do is pretty rubbish. The film has this dark depressing side to it because there is no guarantee that the future holds more opportunities than today, or that it is easier, there will always be the rich and always the poor and the divide between the two will only get bigger as time moves on as this movie suggests.

I would have liked to have seen more of the future in the film but keeping it shrouded in mystery is one of the great things about this film, They also mention a man called the Rainmaker who is inherently evil and is a massive cause of pain and misery. I would have liked to have seen this guy but him not having a face in this film makes him all the more scary as your imagination conjures up far worse ideas than a film could ever show you.


This is another of my favourite scenes from the film. The chopping of the wood makes a great sound which perfectly punctuates the conversation they're having. I also think this has something to say about Blunt's character that she's dangerous and unpredictable when she's trying to protect her son. The scenery in the film is also incredible, long endless fields, huge deep blue skies and a piercing sunlight. This might be an indication of how the future can still look exactly the same in some places unaffected by the poison of technology. Not my view just what i take from the film.


overall i think this film was a stunning success, quality acting all the way through, credit to the support cast, and the lead roles are also astounding. Levitt will be a legend in the business. Willis wasnt as 'punch in the face' this time but i imagine thats because Levitt's character is more important, kinda. But i give it an


9/10

Radiohead_Fake Plastic Trees.

I havent posted on this In a while i know but after realising this blog could just become one of those 'unfinished' or discontinued projects. So after watching the video for fake plastic trees my willingness to continue this blog was reignited, so here we are.

I chose to talk about this video because of how strange it is and how it appears to be shot in a single isle of an artists impression of a supermarket in the future. The song is based on artificial trees Thom Yorke saw in canary wharf and this song makes me think of the very plastic world we live in. Nothing is real/alive its all artificial and manufactured.

I particulary like the slow dreary, almost, movements of the camera which perfectly reflect the the mood of the song. The shopping trolley Yorkes sat in is also reflecting the song with its slow pace mimicing how people move in the supermarket. The set design is also a key part of the video where we see isles of various coloured products but they seem to look all the same. Once again referencing the plastic world.

I favourite shot of mine with Thom looking especially cheery.

I love the shot through the bars of the shopping trolley, like the trolley is a prison.

The Mountain.

This isn't a film or a music video it is just an incredibly beautiful piece of filming. This video emodies everything which is good about film. The person who did these time lapses must have had such patience and understanding to get the shots and footage just right. The music also fits perfectly with the video as it compliments the soothing nature of the images you see before you.

Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill

Last music video I promise (maybe) but again I really want to shed some light on this masterpiece of a music video. The song itself is really mellow and chilled out but the video is far from it. It shows an entire war happening but i think the clash in action and calm work really well together. The animation is also fantastic done in true Gorillaz fashion with all the characters: Russell, Murdoch, 2d and Noodle. Whats great about the Gorillaz videos is that it really brings them all to life and seeing them in a variety of situations makes them almost seem like they are the members. They each have such a unique and weird personality even though they barely ever talk.

The video also shows a small army of other artists in submarines, including Snoop Dog, backing up the Gorillaz as they fight off a weird black demon thing. I always think seeing famous people as cartoons is always amusing especially when its done so well. 

''Old School''

Old school is about 3 friends who start up a college fraternity long after they have left college. The reason for this is that Mitch (Luke Wilson) catches his girlfriend cheating on him and he buys a house on the school campus. The only way he can keep the property legally is if he starts a fraternity to contribute to the university in some way.

Even thought it could be considered as another slice of the american pie, so to speak, its actually a hilarious and very enjoyable film. The casting is fantastic as you see a lot of familiar faces who have all proved themselves in other areas of film or television. Actors like Sean William Scott who makes a brief appearance, still delivers a great few lines despite his cameo role. Rick Gonzalez who played a major role in 'Reaper' a television series which i used to be obsessed with plays a minor role but still manages to amuse us with most of his lines. Simon Helburg from the Big Bang Theory also plays a minor role, his role just proves he isn't a one trick pony and can perform on the silver screen.

Whats great about this movie is that it perfectly captures middle age men trying to recapture their youth. Seemingly obvious but its shown all through the film with things like Vince Vaughan smoking whilst dressed as a clown at a kids party including his code word with his son 'earmuffs' which he says when he wants to swear. Will Ferrell puts in a great performance as the nutter he is. With some incredible lines from him including a hysterical ribbon display for the gymnastics.

As this is a fraternity they have to have pledges and the above picture shows one particular task. I won't go into details but I think its pretty obvious what they are doing. The reason for this is a trust exercise as they are to trust their pledge masters judgement that the rope has enough....slack. One particular pledge throws off his cinder block and it crashes through a manhole and pulls him off with it, with him letting out a hilarious scream as he falls. Its comedy like this which will never die, no one will ever get tired of watching stupid people hurt themselves in films. It may be considered cliche or done before but people will never not find this funny. I know i won't even in my twilight years.

Sean William Scott: Acting like Stifler even when he isnt. Brilliant stuff from him as always.

Smoking clowns shouldnt be at birthday parties

A really good film and I think most of the reason for this is the casting. The supporting actors are excellent as they help fill out the film with extra laughs. Films with poor supporting actors are always not as good as you're always waiting for the main guy to say something funny, the casting for the guys in the fraternity was excellent and you never really know when one of them is going to make a joke or make a fool of themselves which leaves you in stitches a lot of the time.


8/10

Yonkers - Tyler the Creator

I just wanted to briefly mention a music video (again) which has caught my attention. The song is called Yonkers by Tyler the Creator and the way its shot in addition to the desaturated filter really make for a quite disturbing and mesmerising video.

The camera blurs every now and again which really adds a really creepy effect like your eyes aren't focusing properly. The whole video is just him sitting on a chair rapping at you but the video is so good you don't even care about the lack of variety. The video starts to get pretty dark as he bites the head off a cockroach and then hangs him self but this just adds to the video and makes it more powerful. Even if you dont like the song mute it and watch it because it is an incredible piece of filming