Tuesday 26 August 2014

Abrams, acting and a little bit of nostalgia

Hello again!!

Theatrical poster for Cloverfield
Recently, I got around to watching Cloverfield, a film which I’ve been aching to watch for years but never actually got around to seeing.  But I have rectified that mistake and all is right with the world!  Well ok, there’s still a lot of things wrong with the world but this at least made my world a little brighter.  I must say, I had been very excited to see the film.  It was produced by JJ Abrams, who, alongside Spielberg, is my Super 8 is a favourite film of mine and since it is in the same ilk as Colverfield, I was very excited.  After, Cloverfield is basically the big brother of Super 8, so it seemed only natural that I would enjoy it.  And I did.  The film is dramatic and fast paced, and the hand-held camera technique – which I personally believe is often overdone – is very effective in conveying the fear and confusion the characters are feeling and thus is the right choice for the film.  Outside of the plot of the film, which was what one would expect of a found-footage monster/alien film, I loved all of the hidden messages within the film.  At various points throughout the film, stills from classic films flash for a matter of seconds before vanishing again.  Whilst this may seem pointless to some, seeing as it is so hard to see (I wouldn’t have realised they were there without my sister’s boyfriend telling me) I love this detail.  Its little things like this that make me love JJ Abrams’ work so much.  And whilst I don’t think Cloverfield will ever surpass my love for Super 8, it’s a very good film that I definitely need to watch a few more times to enjoy all the little details.
favourite director/producer; I LOVE his work and did in fact focus on his viral marketing campaigns as part of my lower sixth media studies exam.  In particular,

Of course, my enjoyment of the film could also have been increased due to the fact that it’s a scifi film I actually managed to get my sister to sit through and enjoy but that’s a story for another time!
JJ Abrams - how can you not love the nerdiness
of this fluffy haired genius?
On a sadder note, I feel I have to touch upon the many legends of the movie industry the world has lost over the past couple of weeks.  Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall and Richard Attenborough were all incredibly talented, incredibly influential members of this industry who will be sadly missed.  I do, of course, plan on writing a longer post about these great people but I head off on holiday tomorrow and will be without internet, so won’t be able to upload that until I’m home.  So for now, I leave you with my love and the wise words of Robin Williams’ character in Dead Poets Society: “Carpe diem.  Seize the day, boys.  Make your lives extraordinary.”  In light of these losses and the fleetingness of the present, this seems as good a motto as any.

Stay safe chickens and wish on a star tonight.  Because I’m sure they’re shining a little brighter now that Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall and Richard Attenborough are amongst their ranks.
This has always been one of my favourte Pan related
quotes.  Seems more apt than usual at the moment...

No comments:

Post a Comment