Category Archives: Comedy

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Festive favourites: three Christmas must see’s

A middle aged man, Will Ferrell, lies across two tiny beds dressed as an elf in a red jumpsuit.
A middle aged man, Will Ferrell, lies across two tiny beds dressed as an elf in a red jumpsuit.

Image via www.focusfeatures.com

It’s just over two weeks until Christmas day so it’s about time that you snuggled down with a glass of mulled wine, a mince pie and some of the best festive films. Here are a few of our choices blended with a bit of trivia that you probably didn’t know about these festive favourites.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one showing of Love Actually, especially as it is ten years old this year. Essentially a holiday rom-com, Love Actually is filled with heart-warming tales alongside a star studded cast; from Martin Freeman to Keira Knightley. If you haven’t seen it (it’s on TV every Christmas, there’s no excuse) the film follows the interlinking lives of eight couples and their curious relationships, a month before Christmas in London.

Kris Marshall, (who you may recognise as the father from the BT adverts) plays Collin Frissel, actually refused his pay cheque for the scene in Love actually where three American girls undress him due to the fact that he reportedly had so much fun filming the 21 takes; he was willing to work for free.

Another cheering fact is that the lovely airport compilation of loved ones reuniting is real. A team of camera men filmed for the entirety of a week in Heathrow Airport, asking for permission from people when they captured a perfect moment.

Released in the same year, Elf is a Christmas classic. It’s an uplifting tale of a man raised as one of Santa’s elves, searching for his identity in the real world to hilarious consequence. You’d have to be a scrooge not to enjoy watching six foot three Will Ferrell prancing around in an elf suit. It was certainly distracting to drivers when Ferrell walked through Lincoln tunnel in his costume, so much so that it caused minor traffic accidents.

When Santa shows Michael his nice list, all of the names are people who worked on the movie, from Victoria Down, a key make-up artist, to Jimmy Miller the executive producer.

Finally, a timeless film, The Muppet Christmas Carol, released in 1992. We all know that this ageless picture follows the tale of a Christmas Carol but retold by the lovable Muppets cast. What you probably didn’t know is that there is a shop in the film named ‘Micklewhite’ after Michael Caine, who plays the part of Scrooge, as his real name is Maurice Micklewhite.

The film is also dedicated to the memory of Jim Henson and Richard Hunt. Jim Henson was the creator of the Muppets and the voice of Kermit and Richard Hunt was a puppeteer.

There you have it, three Christmas classics that you should definitely watch before the big day. Even if you’ve seen them many times before, they are guaranteed to get you in the Christmas spirit, and if you haven’t seen them then what are you waiting for? Go get your festive onesie on and get comfy with a spiced hot chocolate.

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The best uses of music in modern film

Christian Bale's character Patrick Bateman stood next to a tape player, wearing a rain coat.

Every now and then a piece of music fits with a film so perfectly that it’s hard to imagine the scene without it, and you can’t hear the song without thinking of that perfect moment.

In no order, here are our top 5 perfect music-film combos:

1. American Psycho – Hip to be Square (Huey Lewis and the News)

The combination of the fantastically upbeat song and the absolutely bag-of-cats mad scene equals a winning combination. Bonus points for the lyrics matching Patrick Bateman’s ideals perfectly – he conforms to the stereotype but hates it, hence the bloodthirst. A sick kind of comedy, but it works.

2. Shaun of the Dead – Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen)

This scene reflects the idea of the film perfectly – a zombie comedy. The hectic sound of the track gives the already crazy scene even more energy, and it just makes the scene so much funnier.

3. Trainspotting – Perfect Day (Lou Reed)

Like Tarantino, Danny Boyle does a fantastic job of matching music to the perfect moments in his films. There is no better example of this than the use of this tune as the soundtrack to Renton’s overdose. At the same time it’s calming and disturbing, familiar and terrifying.

4. Fight Club – Where is my Mind (Pixies)

You could say this was the obvious choice to end this bonkers film with, but there’s no denying it – it just works. Kudos to Mr Fincher for this fantastic choice.

5. Closer – The Blower’s Daughter (Damien Rice)

This really is the ultimate song for this emotional rollercoaster. A beautiful song for a beautiful film, this Damien Rice classic completely sums the film up. “And so it is, just like you said it would be”. At the beginning you think it’s setting you up for a lovey-dovey romance, but it’s so much more. Hold on while I have a little cry.

So what do you guys think? If you’ve got any more ideas for us, stick them in the comments below!

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Events, offers & releases 02/12/13

Elsa, a yong blonde princess sparks ice from her hand

First up, this week there are some notable film releases this Friday.

Frozen, Disney’s newest venture, is an animated musical comedy loosely based on The Snow Queen. Voiced by Kirsten Bell, Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff, Frozen promises a charming tale, full of laughter and perfect for a family night out.

If you’re a little older, take a look at Homefront. Starring Jason Statham and James Franco, this Crime Thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat.

For something lighter, consider seeing A Long Way From Home. A romance about two couples from different generations colliding in the south of France.

If there is a Cineworld near you, why not treat yourself to two Oxford notebooks, (A4/A3 refil pads or Wiro notebooks) and get a cinema ticket for free. A4 refil pads are just £2.40 so you could go to the cinema for under £5.

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Events, offers and releases 25/11/13

A movie still from the new film 'Free Birds'.
A movie still from the new film 'Free Birds' featuring two animated turkeys running.

Image via IGN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Cinemas – Friday 29th November

Saving Mr Banks – For over 20 years Walt Disney sought the rights to the now much beloved Mary Poppins, and for over 20 years author P. L. Travers refused. Starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, Saving Mr Banks explores that difficult relationship between these two big characters and their journey from book, to music, to script and eventually to the big screen. For any die hard Disney fan this film will not fail to disappoint and shed some light on the method behind the magic.

Free Birds – Two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the holiday menu for good. With voice talents from Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler and Woody Harrleson. Now with the nights drawing in, this is the perfect film to entertain the kids on those cold winter nights.

Carrie – If you’re looking for something a bit different, or enjoy the occasional thrill check out this new release. Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) stars as the title character in this re imagining of the classic horror tale. A shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Co-starring Julianne Moore.

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Back to the Present

The poster image for the 1989 Back to the Future film
The poster image for the 1989 Back to the Future film

Image via www.hardzine.com

Predictions Back to the Future II got right, and wrong

According to Robert Zemeckis’ 1989 sequel “Back to the Future II”, Marty Mcfly should be arriving in the present in just over a year. Zemeckis has been adamant since its release that the sequel was not meant to be an accurate depiction of the future. “For me, filming the future scenes of the movie were the least enjoyable of making the whole trilogy because I don’t really like films that try and predict the future.”

However, albeit accidentally, Zemeckis’ portrayal of Hill Valley in the 21st century throws up more similarities that anyone could have predicted.

One of the most popular gimmicks in film over recent years has been the explosion of 3D technology in our cinemas and homes. It seems every Hollywood blockbuster released over the last four to five years has been accompanied with a more expensive, 3D version.  Although 3D films have existed in some form since 1915, the recent growth in popularity, driven by the unprecedented success of Avatar in 2009, was a major aspect of Zemeckis’ portrayal of the future. A 3D advertisement for “Jaws 19” in Back to the Future II, in which a virtual shark attempts to eat Michael J. Fox, is one prediction Zemeckis got right.

That is just the beginning. Have you ever heard of the iPad or the electronic tablet? Nobody had in 1989, but it didn’t stop Zemeckis including handheld technological devices that have become the driving force of global communication in the 21st century. Zemeckis even managed to preview the way we use our technology to communicate, with references to video conferencing. Today, apps such as Skype are an integral part of our society, but in 1989 it was a different story. The mobile phone was still at a very basic stage, and the webcam would not been invented until 1991, by Cambridge University students to monitor coffee levels from their desks.

Back to the Future even included: devices similar to Google Glass; digitally received television; voice control; easily accessible, digital recording equipment; and handless video games.

Zemeckis later explained that rather than trying to make a scientifically sound prediction that we were probably going to get wrong anyway, we figured, let’s just make it funny.” Not a bad effort from somebody who essentially allowed his imagination to run wild.

He didn’t get it all right though. We do have hover boards, but they cannot be used in anyway yet and we’re all still waiting for flying cars, a concept that is still lurking around the drawing board.
The 2015 version of Hill Valley still also commonly use the “Laserdisc” which has long since become obsolete. Zemeckis also missed the idea of instant messaging or email, using the fax machine as the preferred form of communication, despite video conferencing technologies also at their disposal.

But as we draw closer to 2015, there is still time for more of Zemeckis’ ideas of the future to come true, except the double tie. The double tie will never be acceptable.