Creative Beginnings- A Reflection. Oh Dear.

OK, I realise Creative Beginnings was like, a fortnight ago, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down at a computer for any great length of time, in between uni and getting the life-force systematically squeezed out of me by my Job. Thank you horrid groutish flu, for granting me the gift of time!
So here is a wee reflection on my first few weeks at the RSAMD (or the aRSeMD as my friend Jess calls it, because she goes to the art school which we refer to as GaySA... immature, yes, but we like to think we're funny and NO ONE can take that from us...!).

Initially, I was rather disappointed to find out we weren't going to be playing with cameras or unleashing my as-yet-untapped cinematography skillz (...aye right...) right away after the round the clock inductions, relentless form-filling and general social swirl of Fresher's Week. I say social swirl, I went out a grand total of twice since my work didn't realise that I couldn't go to uni full time AND work full time. Even worse was the discovery that we were going to be split up from our classes and put into groups with other first years.
I realise the point of Creative Beginnings was to introduce us to other disciplines and help form relationships across the school and yadeyadeya... still, I couldn't help feeling like I was 11 years old again at youth theatre, being made to 'be the colour red', or whatever. It seemed a bit anticlimatic considering I've been on edge waiting to start this course since I got my acceptance letter in many months ago. All I wanted to do was get right into my DFTV course, not kid on to be an inanimate object. No harm to them, but the CB group leaders reminded me of CBBC presenters on crack. Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea an'all, and once the course is in full swing I'll probably be praying for a return to simpler times of reflecting on WHERE I AM NOW.
I did like the taking photographs, and the installation at the end was actually quite an emotional experience. We had to write a fear, what we could bring, an unansweres question and a hope on the floor with chalk. It was a surprise and a reassurance that alot of people shared the same anxieties as me, and that I wasn't alone. I also liked writing a letter to ourselves which were sealed along with our photographs, which we will get back at graduation. I do have a sneaking suspicion this will be more cringe-worthy to read in 3 years than anything but what the hell, I'll just be glad to have made it that far.

Since the course started properly it's been ticking along nicely. I was originally shocked to find out we were going to be in all day, 5 days a week, but in all honesty even this isn't enough time! I found it difficult getting right into things like Screenwriting, especially since it's been so long since I did any kind of creative writing. 2 years of studying English at uni actually put me off reading anything other than pamphlets and cereal boxes, Heaven knows the effect it had on quashing my writing abilities. Over the last couple of weeks though, I've found myself getting right back into it again, and hopefully in time my imagination might actually start coming back... It's a bit like a leaky tap at the moment, and my writings and scribblings have gone from writing mini-books as a kid, to short stories, to poems, to Lists. This is where I'm currently stuck but I'm excited about having enthusiasm for the subject again- hopefully this will feed into my writing itself!

The only practical film-making I've done recently was a video art module in college, where me and Jess made a 12-minute film (everyone else's was about 3/4 minutes) of completely static camera, no lighting whatsoever, a script made up of 5 segments which were mostly written a half hour before filming, and editing which I finished in an afternoon (we were waaaaay behind schedule) on a computer which crashed every 10 minutes whenever someone connected to the internet. We were pretty proud of it, and showed it at our end of year exhibition, but I was a bit apprehensive about going into Tech Fundamentals with only this minor knowledge on my side. Plus, I'd only used Adobe Premier editing software before, which doesn't seem to be a favourite at the Academy! Right now I'm having trouble fumbling around trying to even assemble a tripod, but if we're getting it hammered into us then I guess even I will pick it up eventually!

Anyhoo, the first few weeks here at the RSAMD have gone by really quickly. It's been alot to take in, and is so unlike anything I've ever done before. I never thought I'd get excited about getting up and going to uni so early but what d'ya know, I'm actually getting used to the early rises. It makes all the difference when you go somewhere you ACTUALLY want to be.
That's all from me for now, I'm getting square eyes from looking at the screen and I keep having to go and fix all my spelling mistakes because I am a fairly terrible typist. Ciao for now! Ahaha...

My Spell-Checker Hates This Movie

So, last week, myself and the crew went to check out The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the latest offering from Terry Gilliam, ex-Python turned writer/director/mind-fuck extrordinaire. Gilliam wrote and directed one of my favourite films, the sublime, surreal roadtrip (and I mean 'trip' in every sense of the word), 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. However, since then, he hasn't really followed up on the flashes of brilliance which shone through this movie, although I was determined to view Parnassus with an open mind.

There's been a hugr amount of anticipation and hype surrounding the film. It's no small wonder, considering its roster of Hollywood megastars- practically everyone who's read a film review, newspaper, magazine or internet blog (so, pretty much everyone...who can read) knows that, following the tragic death of star Heath Ledger, his pals Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law rallied round to save the film's production and ensure his final screen outing was not left dwindling, unfinished, in Hollywood limbo.
As such, the film carries alot of baggage and is weighted heavily with expectation. As Ledger's 'last film' it was always going to garner alot of attention before it was even released. However, Gilliam's previous film with Ledger, The Brothers Grimm, made a mediocre splash at the box office and received only middling reviews. Could Parnassus really be the standout, the masterpiece that would propel him over to the mainstream? Or will the cinema-going public blindly troop along full of expectation which the film was never meant to stand up to?
To give an indication, we went to see this film at 2:30pm, mid-week, and the screening was fairly full. Sure enough, alot of people want to see this film, regardless of the reason.
To give the cast and director credit, the end result is a cleverly-put together visual thrill. Gilliam's decision to carry on without one of his leading cast members was a brave and bold one, that pays off in places but at other times leaves the viewer (or perhaps just me) rather confused.

The film is based around a bizarre travelling theatre troupe led by the seemingly immortal Doctor Parnassus (the second performance I've seen this week by Christopher Plummer, he was also the baddie in UP). The show features his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), young actor Anton (Andrew Garfield) and midget sidekick Percy (Vern Troyer, aka Mini-Me!).
As part of the show is a magic mirror that transports participants to fantastical parts of their imagination, which the Doctor has the power to control. The former monk made a deal with the Devil (known here as Mr Nick) many moons ago, guaranteeing him immortality- which he then exchanged to find love, on the condition that he hand over his daughter on her sixteenth birthday. (Perhaps the biggest stretch of imagination in this film is asking us to believe that Cole is only 15- neither me or any of my friends made it through our teenage years quite so easily).
Whilst trying to figure out how to break his deal with Mr Nick the troupe find and rescue a hanging man, who turns out to be Tony (Ledger). He is taken on as a cast member, garnering attention and luring souls through the mirror to help the man who rescued him.
Each time Tony himself goes through the mirror he is transformed- first of all into Johnny Depp, then Jude Law, and finally Colin Farrell. Thankfully, Jude Law's section isn't very long. He is a TERRIBLE actor, more wooden than the Mayflower and with less on-screen presence than a bag of sand.
That Tony's appearance changes each time is indicative that the amnesiac is not what he originally appears to be. It's a clever narrative advice, albeit one born out of tragedy and necessity but thankfully it only enhances the sense of deception and mystery, rather than feeling contrived.
Gilliam has a wonderful twisted imagination, which he often lets run riot, and the film's visual overload is incredible. However, at its heart, it is a simple morality tale, which asks what good can come from betting and wagering with the 'dark side', and, when faced with a choice, will people opt for good or evil?
Thankfully the film is never preachy with its morals, and Gilliam doesn't let them get in the way of a good story. A bizarre recruitment song featuring cross-dressing policemen singing "we love violence" could have been lifted straight out of Flying Circus and the scenes inside the Imaginarium are jaw-dropping. The cast are (mostly) excellent, the biggest surprise being female lead Lily Cole. I didn't have many expectations but her ethereal style suited the character to a tee. Sadly the costume designed seems more intent on showcasing her 'heaving busoms' but she makes a decent stab at it and certainly does well to dispel any pre-conceived notions about model-turned-actresses. Her would be suitor Anton is also very good and you genuinely root for the young couple. Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell do their best with the small parts they have and grizzly-voiced crooner Tom Waits seems to be having a rockin' good time as Mr Nick. As previously mentioned, Jude Law is the weak link but then again when is he not? 'Young Michael Caine', my arse.
The main focus of the film though, is always going to be Heath Ledger. Unfortunately this is not the great swan-song performance many expected and his dodgy, unplaceable accent does him no favours. It may be that there is just too much expectation placed on a film that was never meant to be more than just a fairy-tale fable, a visual feast with strong visual ethics at its heart. Rather than being the definitive epitaph of Ledger's relatively short career, this is more like an abrupt full stop. To see him at his best, watch Brokeback Mountain or The Dark Knight. Both films showcase what a truly brilliant actor he promised to be, and could have grown into were it not for his untimely death.
As for Dr. Parnassus, I'd definitely recommend it, but I'd also say don't expect it to be more than what it is- sometimes baffling, occasionally brilliand and always very, very barmy.
Here's hoping next time around Terry Gilliam serves us the masterpiece Fear and Loathing and this film show that he is more than capable of.

My First Blog By Ada

Well here it is, my first blog... About a month overdue admittedly, but I've got them all written down so..... there's more to follow, it's just a question of when I can hijack a computer. Anyway, here goes.

Since I found out I'd been accepted onto the DFTV course, I've endeavoured (or at least attempted) to get to work on my List of Films What I Have Never Seen But Always Meant To. The list has been compiling for a few years, since Film Studies at uni opened my eyes to what 'real' films were, and ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. So far I've ticked off American History X, Leon, See No Evil Hear No Evil and Rain Man, among others.
Considering my lack of fundage I've done pretty well, with donations from friends and family helping no end.
I told myself I'd watch them all regardless of what I'd heard about them, from start til finish. The only exception has been 'The Godfather', although I did make a respectable attempt at it. Unfortunately, I fell asleep halfway into it, and suddenly Startlingly Young Al Pacino was in Italy, his sultry Mediterrenean missus doing a fine job decorating their car with her cranium. A well made film, yes, with great performances all round. Sadly, though, it falls foul of what I have imaginatively dubbed the "Godfather Syndrome". This is when a classic or renowned film has been spoofed and referenced in so many other films and TV shows that it's nigh on impossible to watch them with an open mind or not think of other things I'd seen parodied. (see also- 'Star Wars'). My plan is to get all three and watch them in succession...some day.

I experienced no such problems with another film on my list, the trippy, ultra-violent, peerless 'Natural Born Killers'. My friend Stef had told me it was "your favourite film...you just haven't seen it yet". Since he is never wrong about these kinds of things, I was very much up for that.
And how right he was. WOW. I sat completely transfixed throughout the whole thing, only turning away to hang up on whoever was daring to phone/ disturb me. Written by Tarantino, directed by Oliver Stone- excellent combination. Much as I love QT, I sometimes prefer when he takes a back seat and lets someone else direct. ('From Dusk til Dawn' and 'True Romance' also feature pretty highly on my List of Films I Like To Watch More Than Other Films).

Performances were outstanding across the board- normally I think Juliet Lewis just plays Juliet Lewis, but her performance as Mallory Knox, troubled wild child turned mass murderess, is intense and mesmerising, balanced perfectly by Woody Harrelson's cold, calculated and depraved Mickey. Robert Downey Jr rarely puts a fiit wrongm and appears (relatively) fresh-faced as egotistical ratings whore Wayne Gale. The cumulative prison riot follows on from an interview between Gale and Mickey, in which the latter reveals why he is drawn to kill:

"I used to be you, then I evolved. From where you're standing, you're a man. From where I'm standing, you're an ape. You're not even an ape. You're a media person. Media's like the weather, only it's man-made weather. Murder? It's pure. You're the one made it impure. You're buying and selling fear. You say "why?" I say "why bother?"

Tom Sizemore deserves extra special mention for having his nose broken in real life, and keeping it in the film, blood, snot, reaction an'all. Rodney Dangerfield is also suitably sleazy and disgusting as Mallory's creepy pervert dad.
The crazed, frenzied tone and pacing of the film befits its two leading roles and it's a visual rollercoaster. When Mickey and Mallory trip out in the desert the lurid visuals and swooping camera work really disorientate the viewer, making you feel like you're there too, and unfortunate bystander allowed to bear witness to the glorious carnage.. They become international celebrities, spreading their doctrine to their devoted admirers by always leaving one victim alive to tell their tale. It's a brilliant, bloody, merciless thriller of a film and I can't recommend it highly enough. I just wish it hadn't taken me to long to see it, although I am making up for lost time. Since first seeing it in March I've watched it at least twice a month.

Anyhooooo, that's quite enough for now. Got to get to work on eeevvveeerrryything I've watched in the last three weeks