Homeland

With the second series of the critically acclaimed Homeland nearing it’s close on Channel 4, I thought I would take a moment to voice my views on it.

The show revolves around Agent Brody, an ex US marine (played by the charismatic Damian Lewis) and Carrie Mathison (played by Claire Danes). Carrie believes that Brody, who was held captive by al-Qaeda was turned and poses a threat to the US.

(In order to prevent any spoilers here I will steer clear of going further into the plot.)

The first series, which was highly popular, received rave reviews (I remember one saying it was ‘near flawless’) and multiple awards. I can’t help but agree. I was completely hooked after the first episode. Full of nail biting moments, I spent the majority of the time watching it on the edge of my seat.

It seemed, therefore that the second series had a lot to live up to, and, I think that it largely has.

The first few episodes were a little bit wobbly (the CIA Skype call being a low). However it has since picked up and yet again I am enthralled by every episode. It’s clever without being pretentious (hum hum... TheNewsroom…) and it helps that the cast all give strong performances.

I have to say that Danes in particular is fantastic. As the viewer I am constantly questioning her decisions, motivations and whether we should actually trust her.  

I’ve been telling everyone I know ‘you must watch this show’ and I really really think you should….

Homeland airs on Sundays at 9pm on Channel 4.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

This weekend I went to see a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Prince Charles Theatre in Soho.

As a novice to Rocky Horror (I only saw it for the first time last year), I was not particularly excited to see it again. The only thing spurring me on was that it was a friend’s birthday celebration.

However when I got there, all dressed up as Magenta (French Maid accessories and all) I couldn’t help but get in the spirit of it.

Patricia Quinn as Magenta 

At the beginning of the show everyone in the audience was provided with props, including a newspaper, a Kleenex and ‘Janet’ and ‘Brad’ cards. These were used at certain iconic moments of the film, e.g. the newspaper was used to shield our heads as Brad and Janet did the same thing in the film.

This is the thing with cult films. They are not necessarily incredibly popular, but those who love the film really LOVE the film. Like an American couple behind me who were shouting out hilarious one-liners throughout the screening.

Although I don’t think The Rocky Horror Picture Show will make it into my top films the experience was so much fun. 

Let's Do the Timewarp Again...

I will be going back to the Prince Charles theatre, as they have quote-a-long screenings of other cult films, including Mean Girls and Anchorman. They also show the hilariously awful The Room, which I definitely will be going to.

Skyfall

Now I am in no way a Bond expert. As part of the Brosnan generation, I have grown up with the 007 franchise being full of action and a lot of cheese.

However that doesn’t mean that I don’t get excited when a new film comes out. It’s like a national event when it comes around you just cannot escape the adverts that plaster the cities.

So last night I got the chance to go see Skyfall and I can say I was not disappointed.

When the credits started rolling I got Goosebumps, I love Adele’s song and teamed up with some beautiful shots this was the perfect way to start the film.

 Not only did the film provide a lot of topless Daniel Craig scenes (thank you), but also an excellent villain in Javier Bardem – who is perfectly psychotic and dangerous.

I’ve read reviews that this bond is back to it’s best, and I have to agree. It is definitely the best film I have seen from Brosnan onwards, maybe even ever.

I was a bit unsure around halfway through the movie as to whether it would be able to turn itself around. A low point being a particularly bad one liner that in my opinion should have been completely cut from the film.

I have to say that I find that Daniel Craig does not lend himself well to comedy, for me he seems to be a more serious Bond. So when he delivers the comic lines I cannot help but feel that it slightly mismatches his Bond- style.

In fact the whole film seemed to have a bit of an identity crisis. There were points where I questioned whether it was Bond film or not and the plot seemed to be a bit fragmented.

However the final part of the film (don’t worry no spoilers here) was so beautifully shot (thanks to the brilliant cinematographer Roger Deakins) and epic that it meant that I could forgive the occasional trip ups.

I would definitely recommended going to see this, not only for the Craig but also for some great shots that had me mouthing ‘oh God this is so cool.’

Skyfall is out now.

Oh Land - White Nights

So now I’m going to gush on about a song I am LOVING at the moment. I know I am a little late on the bandwagon but Oh Land’s music video for her single White Nights is too good to ignore.

I am not usually one to re-watch a music video, and to be honest a lot of pop videos bore me a little. Their link to the lyrics and the general meaning of a song tend to be very tenuous.

A prime example of this would be Maroon 5’s Payphone, which is a top budget pile of poo if you ask me.

Not even Adam Levine's tones torso could save this video...

However Canada’s creation (the director Oh Land (Nanna) is actually Danish) seems to get the balance perfectly. The dream-like imagery ties in effortlessly with the mystical music.

The slow motion shot of Oh Land jumping into the water is just stunning and one of my favourite scenes from the video.

Maybe I am having a bit of a magpie moment – I tend to be attracted to shiny things. But to me this video is stunningly shot, and wonderfully choreographed.

Anyway watch it here and see what you think…

Oh Land’s album is available now. 

Shame

This film was not what I expected it to be. That’s not a bad thing however; I found it very powerful and atmospheric (which you know is my thing).

From the director of Hunger, Steve Mqueen’s Shame deals with the challenging topic of sexual addiction, and the imagery doesn’t shy away from this. It is not a glamorous portrayal of addiction but a cold, chilling story of one man, Brandon’s (Michael Fassbender) spiralling obsession.

McQueen’s choice of clean lines seen throughout means that the film has a cold feeling to it, a kind of emptiness which is mirrored in Brandon's lifestyle. This combined with the voyeuristic camera creates an uneasy, disturbing atmosphere.

There is a lack of colour and contant use of clean lines in the film.

McQueen plays with cinematic techniques in the film, which gives it a distinctive look. One thing that stuck out to me was the contrast in sound. This contrast was always centred on Brandon. The sense that we saw the story through Brandon’s eyes was therefore heightened.

On the topic of music, the soundtrack is beautiful. You may not notice it whilst watching it, but I looked it up on Spotify afterwards and was just blown away by how heart breaking it is. Especially the score entitled ‘Brandon,’ which is breath-taking.

I also have to say that Fassbender’s performance was flawless. He always plays the charismatic, sinister character very well.

Shame hasn’t made its way onto my top film list (it’s a very elite club). But it raises some interesting questions about society’s relationship with sex and the porn industry and I would definitely say it's worth a watch.

Shame is available on DVD and Blu Ray now.