The 400 Blows (1959)

“The French masterpiece of adolescence in the 1950s.”

We all think that movies and television programs today are trying the poison our youth, but it’s been going on for more than three decades.

The 400 Blows is the feature length directorial debut of French New Wave director Francois Truffaut. It follows the young developing life of 14 year old Antoine Doinel, a troublemaker seen through the eyes of his teachers and parents. He commits petty theft, runs away from home, and unsuccessfully tries to attempt to achieve academic success and win his parents’ trust.

The film was a pioneer of the French New Wave movement, where existentialism themes were brought in and the rejection of classical cinematic forms took place. It’s also considered the defining film of the movement. It explored the young encounters of a boy whose own conscience was doing the right thing and just living life.

Truffaut achieves his directing in this film. He perfects a well narrated story influenced by the old classic Hollywood and the realism of Italian cinema. His skill of unfolding the narrative is relevant to the unfolding of Antoine’s struggle to be good.

The irony of Antoine’s struggle to be good is that he can’t be good. Nature didn’t make him that way; he was raised and taught to rebel.

I really liked this movie, but weirdly enough, I was waiting for it to end. Not that it bored me, but to me, maybe it was taking its sweet ass time to wrap up its conflicts. I also find it amusing, that earlier I was watching the UK series Skins and thinking how much affect it has on teens, but then watching this, I wonder if this movie had the same effect on teens the same way Skins has the same effect on teens today. It’s interesting to think that Antoine is somewhat an ancestor, precursor, or prototype to the kids of Skins.

The 400 Blows is a French masterpiece and carries out all the perks of being a teenager, backed up by well direction from Truffaut. I give it a classic 5 out of 5 stars.

The King's Speech (2010)

“God save the king.”

Royal families are always perfect…well almost always. Prince Harry wore a swastika, Prince Charles had a much speculated divorce, followed by his ex-wife’s, Princess Diana, untimely death. And King George VI “bloody well stammered”.

The King’s Speech is a 2010 drama film based on the true story of King George VI. The story follows George VI (played by Colin Firth) , who was then a Duke of York, as he tries to cure his stutter in time for when he inherits the throne. His wife Elizabeth, played by Helena Bonham Carter, then hires Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, to help him.

The film was a historically accurate portrayal of the King’s later life, just until he inherited the throne. One thing I fully realized when watching this film was that the film’s title doesn’t necessarily refer an actual document used to persuade its listeners, but instead it referred to the human communication. I found it amusing and appealing about this revelation. Another thing I gathered from this film is the bravery of taking actions and not being afraid of the public eye; King George underwent therapy sessions under discretion. It seriously is an inspiring movie.

An absolute favorite of this film is the cinematography. I loved the shots of the scenes and way that every set seemed wide and huge. It was played out very well and looked a little quirky and eccentric, but it also played out significantly in the dramatic scenes.

Another love for this film is the art direction. The way the sets were brought alive was vivid and displayed royal life like it is, beautiful and imaginative.

Of course, the greatest factors in the cinematography and art direction skills are the actors, and in this film, they were extraordinary. Firth played the King as a helpless reluctant heir who will literally give anything than to rule. Rush played the speech therapist as a man with no fears or regrets. He is not afraid of insulting the king. Bonham-Carter also did a splendid job as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was very supportive and took the job of loyalty to her husband.

Truthfully, after watching this film win Best Picture and Best Actor for Colin Firth at the 83^rd Annual Academy Awards, my well said reviews for this film weren’t based on its accolades. For the longest, I was positive that The Social Network would win, but rather abruptly, the critical and commercial success this film was garnering changed my mind.

The King’s Speech is beautiful masterpiece of courage and dignity that inspires an individual to take stand and not to give up. I reward this film a deserving 5 out of 5 and you can buy it now on DVD.

Nosferatu (1922)

“A Symphony of Horror”

And now ladies and gentlemen, the greatest adaptation of the classic horror novel Dracula…well sort of.

Nosferatu is the 1922 German black-and-white silent horror film loosely based on Bram Stroker’s novel Dracula. It follows a real estate agent Hutter who travels to Transylvania to sell a house to a weird and creepy man, Count Orlok. But, little does Hutter know, that Orlok is beyond anything he can ever imagine. He is the stuff of horror.

This film started it all, seriously. Director F. W. Murnau couldn’t acquire the rights to Dracula, so he filmed this movie, which is referred to as the unofficial adaptation of the novel. Many things were changed for the film, such as the characters' names (e.g. Count Dracula to Count Orlok) and also the term “vampire” (in this film, vampire is referred to as “nosferatu”, the Romanian translation). Also, the myth that light is deadly to vampires was taken from this film.

I think it’s funny when I hear that this film was banned in Sweden due to excessive horror. And I laugh even harder when I hear that the ban was lifted in the early 70’s. I guess I find it amusing because, being 2011, I’ve seen scarier films. But, this film is truly horrifying. The music, the atmosphere, even the old sepia color of the film, are all factors as to why it is horrifying. And probably the most obvious factor is the nosferatu himself, played by the ever terrifying, and ugly, Max Schreck.

Murnau really does create a horrifying world in this film. The atmosphere he displays is very dark and eerie. It’s just so…atmospheric. The way that Orlok moves is also very spine-chilling.

The film was made during the Expressionist era, where artists tried to evoke someone’s mood and emotions. This film is an ideal example of German expressionism. And all the elements can be traced to the nosferatu, Count Orlok.

Nosferatu is a horrifying silent film that stirs up a person’s mood. I give the film a 5 out of 5 and you can buy it now on DVD or watch it on Netflix.

Les Diaboliques (1955)

“Don't Reveal the Ending!”

The conspiracy of a murder, I bet, can be really fun. It isn’t until that day that you start to get cold feet and want to back out. And things get a whole lot worse once the body goes missing.

Les Diaboliques is a 1955 French horror/thriller film about two women, the wife of a boarding school headmaster and his mistress, who conspire to murder the abusive principal. But after a fool-proof plan, the body turns up missing, with some horrifying incidents occurring afterwards. What follows is a shocking climax and a chilling ending, but don’t reveal it!

Alfred Hitchcock reportedly attempted to buy the rights for the film to adapt it from the novel of the same name. But French director Henri-Georges Clouzot bought the rights before him. Hitchcock is of course known for thrillers, and this would have been well for him. It’s very thrilling and does feature plenty of suspenseful scenes and moments. The nature of the crime itself was very chilling; drowning is a horrible way to die. Also the hundreds of things that can go wrong and derail the whole plan.

The wife, played by Véra Clouzot, was nervous from day one. Her anxiety throughout the whole film caused the audience to feel very uncertain of themselves, and the conspiracy of the murder. Even after the murder, and post-missing corpse, her deteriorating health matched the audiences’ loss of comprehension for the weird happenings involving the missing headmaster.

One thing I wasn’t feeling too certain for this film was the slow moving story. Despite the mystery surrounding the body going on after the 30 minute mark, I didn’t feel that there were enough jumps and scares, although I’m certain when the film came out in the 50s, it was a hoot.

The twist of the movie is definitely a plus. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot is known for thrillers and this film does in fact deliver the thrills. The way he takes over the small world of the headmaster’s wife and shatters it makes any character and any viewer of the film vulnerable to Clouzot’s methods.

Les Diaboliques is an eerie thriller and obvious prototype to later thrillers and horror films of the century. I give it a 4 out of 5 and you can buy it on DVD or watch it on Netflix.

Wait Until Dark (1967)

“The blinds moving up and down. . .the squeaking shoes. . .and then the knife whistling past her ear. . .”

Blind people. They’re so vulnerable and easily manipulated. But they are not at all stupid. So don’t fuck with a blind person.

In Wait Until Dark, Audrey Hepburn plays a young blind woman whose normal day suddenly turns horrifying when “several men” arrive at her house, concocting a story about her husband and one that involves a doll. The encounters then turn into a battle of the wits for the blind and the seeing.

The film featured heavy suspense and an intense story of situational irony. The viewer knows of the contents of the doll and the reason for the strong desire of it, but what they’re actually concerned for is Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn’s character was very kind and loving; you wouldn’t even consider thinking bad things about her. The tension in the film was very high and every second that went by, was a second of comprehension for Hepburn regarding the whole charade taking place in her apartment.

The acting in this film was very well. Alan Arkin played the ringleader in the group of thieves. He possessed a very evil, cold personality and in the end, it didn’t matter if he had the doll or not, he still had intentions of harming Hepburn. Hepburn on the other hand, was very spectacular, as mentioned. Her performance even got her nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 40^th Annual Academy Awards. Whenever she would get scared or startled, the audience would fear for her. A huge contribution to the story is the fact that she was blind.

The film also featured one of the most terrifying climatic moments in film history. This film was actually the second film in which the killer was presumed dead, the first being 1955’s Les Diaboliques. To frighten the audience, the theatres would dim the lights down, until the entire theatre was drowned in complete darkness to match the complete darkness of the film.

Wait Until Dark is a very sharp thriller of a battle of wits. I give it a 5 out of 5 and you can buy it on DVD or watch on Netflix.

Scream 4 (2011)

“New Decade. New Rules.”

Fashion, music, and film have changed in the 21^st century, as well as the rules of survival. Nowadays, all bets are off.

Scream 4 is the much anticipated third sequel from Wes Craven’s 1996 Scream. It follows main protagonist, Sidney Prescott, who returns to her hometown of Woodsboro, California on the anniversary of the killings from the original film to promote her new book. However, things take a turn for the worst when two more murders on the eve of the anniversary put Sidney right on the radar for suspects. And all bets are off.

I have been waiting for this film ever since the end credits of Scream 3 and honestly, it was definitely worth the wait, but I absolutely wished it was better. However, just like all the other films, it contained a lot of meta references, this time referencing reboots and remakes. According to two geeks (homage to Randy from the original film) reboots take a whole new direction where it follows the new rules that have formed in the new decade, such as: virgins can die, the killer records the killings, and anybody, even Sidney, can die. I also loved how it took a remake direction, mirroring the status of the film and the events going on in the film; the killers were patterning the kills from the original film.

This film featured a whole mess of blood and guts. A lot more gore than the others. And I think this also pays homage to the growing amounts of blood in certain horror films such as Saw and Hostel.

The satire in the film was a bit off and in a lot of times I thought I was watching a parody rather than a slasher flick. There were some scenes that I just thought were plain ridiculous.

Now, to get to the cast and acting. It featured a great cast of seasoned Scream actors and newcomers. I love how Neve Campbell has this attitude to her that she’s scared, but she toughs it out, but she is still scared shitless. I also love how the newcomers really got into the role. They didn’t try to be your typical dumb blonde with big tits, but instead they would scream and yell and try to fight off but they still had their guts ripped out.

Scream 4 really is an improvement of the last film, but you don’t fuck with the original. I give this film a 3 out of 5 and it’s out now in theatres. For the die hard Scream and horror fans, I highly recommend it, but for you guys who watched all three the week before this film came out, don’t watch it.

8 Mile (2002)

“Every moment is another chance”

Everybody has a goal. No doubt about that. But there is always something that is always trying to prevent you from achieving that goal. Sounds kind of like a movie right? A movie about making it big. With a rapper? Sounds good.

8 Mile is the 2002 film starring Eminem as Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. whose main goal in life is to become a rapper, but every time he goes up on stage “he drops bombs and he keeps on forgetting” and chokes. But the film dives deeper into his love life, his family life, and his everyday life in Detroit, Michigan.

When I first heard of this film in third grade, I was under the impression that this film was actually based in Eminem’s life; mostly because of the subject and the setting of the film. And then I read that the film was about a man’s goal in life (not based on Eminem) that was blocked by a geological, and psychological, border, 8 mile. However, despite the few mentions of an actual 8 mile in the film, I did not gather that this border of Detroit prevented Rabbit of accomplishing his goal. What I actually did gather was that there was this man with a goal in life but had to overcome other problems. To me, it was basically another week in the life of a hoodlum, but with some sort of twist.

He had this goal of becoming a man and forgetting about his past life. He loved his friends, but he didn’t. He loved his family, but he didn’t. His excuse to escape was becoming a musician. Music was pure escapism, not entertainment.

Eminem really surprised me in this role. He proved that he wasn’t just a great rapper, but also a good actor. It also sucks that he hasn’t gotten any new film roles. Kim Basinger also did a good job in her role as an alcoholic single mom. She pretty much is white trash. I read this review that she didn’t seem like someone who would live in a trailer, but that’s why it’s called acting. And she actually portrayed someone who seemed like they shoot up heroin every day and live on the streets eating the bird shit off the floor. Oh, and Brittany Murphy was also…very good. I don’t want to criticize her without feeling really bad.

8 Mile is a well made drama about getting priorities out of the way to escape your problems. It teaches people to take things in life and turn it into factors of your own escape, not something that you enjoy. I give the film a 4 out of 5 and you can buy it on DVD or watch it instantly on Netflix.