21 Years - 21 Films

Having recently reached the milestone that is 21, I thought I would commemorate the occasion by picking out 21 key films that have charted my development from childhood into manhood. The films that have helped shape me as a person:

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
As the first ever full length animated feature this is not only a landmark film in terms of cinema, but it is particularly special to me as it was the first film I ever saw at the cinema. Roughly 4 years old, I cannot remember the experience personally, this is the initial film which may have subconsciously kick started my love for cinema.

2. Aladdin
Released back in the mid-nineties Disney era this still remains my favourite cartoon feature. After receiving it for my birthday on VHS, it would keep me motivated throughout school. Often bored as the teacher droned on, the thought of being able to watch Robin Williams’s genie as soon as I got in would help get me through the day. Childhood escapism at it’s finest.

3. A Muppet Christmas Carol
One of my first and fondest memories is going to the cinema to watch this with my dad. Whenever I read A Christmas Carol or watch one of the many other adaptations I am overcome with feelings of nostalgia.

4. Toy Story
Another milestone in the history of cinema, this was the first full length CGI feature which turned Pixar into an overnight success. As well as being a technological achievement, it was the characters and the story which captured my imagination more than anything else. Even Before I had seen the film I was gripped by the characterisation having read the junior novelisation prior to my cinema trip.

5. Star Wars IV: A New Hope

Back in 1996 the original trilogy was re released on the big screen and I became an instant fan. No blockbuster will ever as be as good given the nature of todays profit hungry Hollywood.

6. Terminator 2
No film have I seen more times than this one. Back when I had it recorded on video I watched it often enough for the tape inside the cassette to disintegrate. After complaining to my father he was kind enough to sellotape it back together so I could watch it some more!

7. Die Hard

The first 18 I ever watched which paved the way for my love of action movies before I got into dramas and art house material.

8. American Pie

Every generation has their Breakfast club, a film which perfectly captures and understands what it's like to grow up in the culture of the time. It was not just the vulgar humour which made this popular but it was the sense of camaraderie between the male leads and the adult issues it dealt with.

9. Jackass the Movie

As I was in my last year of school I had an unhealthy obsession with the MTV amateur stunt show. Not being 18 at the time of its release I downloaded it from Kazaa and brought all my friends round to watch it. Then when I got it on DVD I watched it endlessly with and without the commentaries. I just couldn’t get enough of it, I wanted to be a member of their gang.

10. Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Simply another film I have watched a countless amount of times. When it was finally released on TV I was swept up by the hype, the coolness it oozed and the witty dialogue.

11. Pulp Fiction

This is probably the first film that marked my transition from action films to more complex, adult material. Initially just a fan of Bruce Willis’s plot strand I soon started to understand the more adult humour.

12. Fight Club
Probably the most important film on the list. When I first saw this masterpiece I couldn't stand it. Thoroughly bored for over two hours I never planned on seeing it again. However somewhere in my mind it's intrigue and it's mystique stuck in my mind. A year later when it was aired on TV again I chose to watch it and I couldn’t believe the sheer intelligence of the material I had missed out on. This film again marks the transition in my life from enjoying brainless action films to more philosophical and existential dramas.

13. Goodfellas

Such a kinetic, violent yet mesmerising film, I was transfixed throughout. This is what instantly made me a fan of De Niro and Scorsese who still remain to be my favourite actor and director. This is also probably where my love for gangster films began.

14. The Godfather Trilogy
With my growing fascination of gangster films I purposefully sought out the trilogy which has heavily been regarded as the best and I was not let down. The Godfather Part II still remains my favourite film of all time to date.

15. This is Spinal Tap

The greatest comedy ever made really confused me when I first watched it. I must have watched this mockumentary three times to get my head around the concept and it’s original style of humour. Even now as my favourite comedy film, every time I watch it I still pick up something different. Easily The most rewarding watch on the list.

16. Sin City
This is the first 18 I saw on the big screen. I was only 17 at the time and I was taken aback by the stark visual style. My dad however felt a tad queasy with all the vivid violence.

17. Requiem for a Dream
When I finally decided to study film academically my teacher recommended this film to me and I have never looked back since. Never has a film been so moving, depressing and touching as a director reaches the peak of his artistic craft.

18. Anchorman
Overshadowed by the theatrical release of inferior Dodgeball this cult DVD hit was one of those films I watched repeatedly at University as it also helped me bond with others. Will Ferrel has not yet been able to surpass his performance as Ron Burgundy.

19. The Big Lebowski

Already fairly familiar with some of the Coen’s stuff, nothing could prepare me for the brilliance of Jeff Bridge’s ‘The Dude’ and his nihilistic attitude towards life. I must have rented it several times from the library before I finally bought it.

20. The Departed
With Scorsese being my favourite filmmaker this was the first of his films that I was able to see on the big screen. Coincidentally it was his first Oscar winner. It may not be his best by a long shot but I still love it.

21. There Will Be Blood
One of my favourite films to be released in the last few years. Luckily enough I managed catch it at my local art house cinema and it was the last film I saw that truly captured, confused and bewildered me. Daniel Day-Lewis's Daniel Plainview remains the greatest performance ever seen on film.

15 films funnier than Groundhog Day

During a debate with my father who proclaimed his favourite comedy film to be Groundhog Day I claimed that I could name 15 better comedy films. After several agonising hours of prioritising here is the list I came up with:


1. This is Spinal Tap - Christopher Guest

2. The Big Lebowski - The Coen Brothers

3. Monkey Business - The Marx Brothers

4. Annie Hall - Woody Allen

5. There's Something About Mary - The Farley Brothers

6. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam

7. Dr. Strangelove - Stanley Kubrick

8. The Man Who Wasn't There - The Coen Brothers

9. The King of Comedy - Martin Scorsese

10. Modern Times - Charlie Chaplin

11. Anchorman - Adam McKay

12. Clerks - Kevin Smith

13. The 40 Year Old Virgin - Judd Apatow

14. The Naked Gun - Jerry Zucker

15. The Producers - Mel Brooks

16. Groundhog Day - Harold Ramis

As you can probably tell, some are on the list for their contribution to the art of cinema whereas some are simply personal favourites of mine.

Do you agree/ disagree? What are your favourite comedy films?

Watchmen

Who watches The Watchmen?

DETAILS:
Released - 6 March 2009
Certificate - 18
Running Time - 162 min
Director - Zack Snyder
Screenwriters - David Hayter and Alex Tse
Producers - Wesley Coller, Herb Gains, Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Deborah Snyder, Thomas Tull
Cinematography- Larry Fong
Editing - William Hoy
Music - Tyler Bates
Theatrical distributor - Paramount
Country - USA
SYNOPSIS:
In this dark alternative to 1985 the world is gradually being brought to its knees. Democracy in particular remains in constant jeopardy as the cold war is still in full flight and war hungry Nixon remains president of the United States. Furthermore, illegal vigilantes consisting of the scantily clad ‘Silk Spectre' (Malin Akerman), blue ‘Dr Manhattan’ (Billy Crudup), camp ‘Ozymandias’ (Matthew Goode), shady ‘Rorschach’ (Jackie Earle Haley) and technical whiz ‘Nite Owl’ (Dan Dreiberg) are forced to reunite due to the suspicious death of their former associate ‘The Comedian ‘(Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and a conspiracy threatening the future of mankind.

REVIEW:
The studio politics which surround Watchmen are almost as complex as the source material itself. Having already suffered at the hands of Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass, who both famously abandoned the project deeming it impossible to make, the project was left on the scrapheap for many years before it was picked up by self proclaimed ‘fanboy’ Zack Snyder. His previous work may have received a great deal of critical backlash but the fact he has risen to a challenge that was beneath Gilliam and Greengrass is a laudable achievement in itself.

And as the opening credits role it does feel as if Snyder has managed to actualise the impossible. His beautifully shot opening montage skims through an entire back story of superheroes and effectively crams in all the essential information you need to contextualise the period in a matter of minutes. As his vibrant visuals leap off the screen to Bob Dylan’s "The Times They Are a-Changin", you feel as if you could be in for something special.

But despite the fact Snyder may be able to produce such fantastic imagery, he is unable to back it up with any substance. As events unfold the film itself feels like an extended montage of breathtaking images glossed over with pop culture references and some brief political context without actually delving beyond the surface.

This is not an adaptation of the comic book but more of a tribute to its brilliance. Instead of developing his own screen narrative to give the film its own cinematic identity, Snyder has simply tried to cram far too much of the original story in as possible which has resulted in a rather disjointed and over long picture.

Constantly switching between the development of several characters, those unfamiliar with the source material will often feel bored, confused and alienated. It is the compelling story of Rorschach, brilliantly captured by Jackie Earle Haley, which keeps the film together. Whenever his film noir narrative is left behind to concentrate on the pointless latex eye candy that is Silk Spectre or the sombre and far from engaging Dr. Manhattan the film loses its momentum.

Similarly the fight scenes are just as unimaginative as every single one annoyingly unfolds in the same way. Primarily used as a device to prevent people from nodding off, the punch -ups themselves become more boring than the actual ‘talking bits’ as it were. With every punch and kick perfectly landing in exactly the right place whilst Snyder adds pointless slo-mo to drag these set pieces out for as long as possible, the results are tedious. If it were not for CGI, visual effects and a team of people below him Zack Snyder would not have a career as he is unable to direct drama, tension, characters or storyline.

Therefore fans of the comic book will either feel grateful for watching a film as faithful as this or let down for it’s dumbing down of the original story. Whereas those who are not familiar with the book will wonder what on earth all the fuss is all about as what is widely considered the Citizen Kane of the comic book world has not been given its due.

TO SUM UP:
Watchmen looks impressive but it has nothing profound to say in the long run. A rather plain film that does have its compelling moments through Rorschach's character this was a missed opportunity that will severely divide its fan base. What was originally a satire and a deconstruction of the comic book superhero has now become a stereotypical, albeit fairly entertaining and watchable, product of the genre