| by Lou | 10.45pm UK time |

Favourite film based on a book/comic/etc

Shit man, I dunno!! It pretty much feels like everything is based on something these days, and so often I clock them when they suck (The Lovely Bones, I'm talking to you), rather than when they rule. But there are a few notable examples for me of films that I feel have done their source material justice, and then some.

First and foremost, the biggest and best of them all. The trilogy that made the impossible possible and turned me nerdier than I ever dreamed, all made in our backyard:

The Lord of the Rings



The Hobbits! I love you! Well, most of you. Sam, you're blurred for a reason.




Aragorn! Boromir! I love you. You gave us the best death scene - the best.




But Gandalf. Oh Gandalf. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Fucking aye.


I don't care how much they have gathered scorn in their years since release, I think they are perfection and I will spend the rest of my life reliving them over and over again. (I'm limiting it to a splurge on the whole extended trilogy once every two years, just to keep them on their pedastal.)


An adaptation in an entirely different genre that I absolutely love is:

Atonement

They had me at C U N T.

Click here for the animated gif!

It is the one film in which I can abide Keira Knightley's presence, and isn't James McAvoy just the bestest? He is Sweetie McSweet, and yet when they have that shag in the library it is so fucking HOT.




I have to confess that I saw the film before I had read the book. I loved it, but felt like something was missing. So I read the book, and my god! It is a work of genius! And after reading it the film became perfect. And I cried - cried and cried and cried - at the tragic heart of it, embodied in its smallest moment: when Robbie and Cecelia meet for a cup of tea. Fuck! How many war-time love stories ended with just such a scene? Gah!



This second-viewing of Atonement gave me a rule that is now set in stone:

READ THE BOOK FIRST

| by Lou | 11.02pm UK time |

On the first attempt at Day 18 I couldn't think of a good example of the type of film I was referencing (this being of course a demonstration of how rare and rarely seen they are...), but I just realised that one of the beloved films in my DVD collection fits the bill perfect. Thus, Day 18 part II:


A film that you wish more people would’ve seen

Rachel Getting Married

Anne Hathaway plays a woman embroiled in a long-term battle with drug addiction who is released from rehab to attend her sister's wedding. All the family's demons come to the surface in an emotional shitstorm that is incredibly well written and well acted.

Unusually, the film treats its female leads as multi-faceted individuals with a relationship that is complex and fragile. The tension, shame, rage and love between the sisters is palpable, and it's such a treat to see them play it out to its full.

The other elements of the film also all veer away from Hollywood standard: the romantic relationships cross race without comment (usually it becomes the story, inherently positioning it as something atypical); their parents' family roles and personalities are against type; sex is portrayed as just sex; etc etc.




Before this I had never really understood what was so great about Hathaway, but this demonstrated that it's the lack of great roles to be lamented amongst Hollywood's It actresses, not a lack of acting chops. I wish this film had been seen by more people and made more money so that actresses like her were given more opportunities to tell stories about women and the relationships between women.

High recommended! In fact, I think you should feel obliged to pay money to hire/buy this DVD and help encourage more to be made like it.

| by Bel | 2.27pm NZ time |

Here is my review of the 7 minutes I watched of I Saw The Devil:

AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Here's the scene: it's nighttime, on a dark and isolated road. (ARE YOU TOTALLY FREAKING OUT ALREADY?) A woman sits in her broken down car, talking on her cellphone to her partner. He is far away and although offers to help, she says she'll wait for road service. (OK WHAT ABOUT NOW? YOU ALREADY KNOW SOMETHING REALLY BAD IS GONNA HAPPEN HUH?)

Suddenly (AAARGGHH!) a figure appears at the fogged up window. A man questions the girl and offers assistance. She thanks him but insists she is fine. You have a moment of thinking it's just a fake out and that all is well - then his eyes literally flash a glowing red in the moment he disappears from view. (AAARGGHH!!!)

The woman has to end her call and sits in silence. (SWEATY PALMS, YE GODS.) She is nervous and flicks on her headlights to illuminate the road ahead. Nothing.

THEN HER WINDOW IS SMASHED WITH A MALLET AS THE SCARY GUY HAMMERS HIS WAY INTO THE CAR AND BASHES HER SCREAMING HEAD IN.

(I kid you not.)

Yeah, so that was the end of that screening. I demanded an immediate antidote, which was served in the form of No Strings Attached.

 

This film is heaps better than you would expect. Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher both play likeable, believable characters with an excellent supporting cast. Sure, you know what's going to happen at the end, but there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments along the way, with some emotional stuff and saucy scenes too.

One thing I loved in this film was that there was a scene where condom use was negotiated and that protected sex was portrayed as the best option in a casual relationship.

Can you imagine me yelling out joyfully "Negotiation of condom use! Awesome!"? Because I did. I also cried out "I bet you a dollar that this was written by a woman!". And guess who is a dollar richer, folks. (It's me.)

The photo above is from my favourite scene.  The all women household is having synchronised period pains. Although I wondered whether they were going overboard with a depiction of menstruation as a debilitating female condition, I decided in the end that having the male character demonstrating his consideration with delivery of snacks and a mixtape balanced it out.

Also, the line "Tea for your 'gina?" still has me cracking up.

In summary:

I Saw The Devil - not recommended in the slightest, even if you enjoyed other Korean horrors such as Old Boy or Tale of Two Sisters. (Or The Chaser, which is also ultra-violent, but I would recommend.)

No Strings Attached - recommended or even, in the rom-com category, highly recommended.

| by Bel | 1.47pm NZ time |

A film that you wish more people would’ve seen

Wow. I really can't think of an answer for this one.
What did Lou write??

*goes and checks Lou's post*

Ooh yeah, good point about female protagonists. I second that!

| by Lou | 4.05pm UK time |

A film that you wish more people would’ve seen


Every single film with a strong female protragonist - particularly where the female is past puberty, has strong relationships with other women, and is engaged in a storyline related to anything other than just-another-fucking-version of being needy towards men and wanting to get married.

This reminds me of a time that I popped in to that DVD store on Lambton Quay that pretends to be better than a chainstore, and took a look at their Top 100 DVDs. (As chosen by themselves, I must specify.) Only 4 had female protagonists, 3 of those were pre-pubescent (Leon, Whale Rider, Spirited Away), and of course 1 those is animated. The other was Alien - perhaps the one time a woman has managed to slip through the net. (Bonus: vagina imagery that isn't designed to titillate!) Assholes.

At this point I will confess I myself have not seen the most recent prominent example of a film fitting into this criteria, Winter's Bone. I SHALL FIX THIS.



This is meant to be the totally awesome "Winter's Boooone" clip of Wayne and Garth giving their Oscars picks on SNL this year. But I can't find it anywhere that is available in the UK - booo hoo!! I shall leave it on in the hopes that at least Kiwilanders can see it *epic sad face*