Talking about 'Life Itself'

I have a huge soft spot for Roger Ebert he was of my personal heroes, regardless I love Life Itself.

This documentary celebrates the life of legendary film critic Roger Ebert with an amazing amount of admiration and respect for the man. But unlike other documentary it never shies away from the more lets say unsavory parts of his life. From his struggle to alcoholism, to his legendary show with Gene Siskel. The documentary talks plenty about his talents as a writer, as a real appreciator of cinema but more than anything the film celebrates that he was much more than just that. For a film about a film critic there isn't a huge emphasis put on it. We see him as a "soldier of cinema" a man who discovered so many young film makers and helped shape their careers. He made more people appreciate films as art. For ten years he battled cancer which took away his ability to speak but that didn't stop him from continuing to inspire and review movies till the day he died.

This is an incredibly touching film especially if you're fan of Roger Ebert I even found myself tearing up towards the end. Like I said it doesn't really capture the bad side of him but that wouldn't have been the most respectful. They mention it but overall they show just how much of an inspiring figure he was to people. If you're interested in film or film criticism I would recommend this film to you. I really enjoyed this film. I'm extremely sad that he's gone and that I'll never get to meet him. He continues to inspire me to this day and I can only hope to be like him someday.

3/4 Stars

Talking about 'Locke'

I didn't think I would enjoy Locke as much as I did. The film takes place entirely in one car, with one man, traveling from Birmingham to London. It doesn't sound like the most exciting concept ever but you have no idea. From beginning to end this film delivers a compelling narrative.

We spend the entire film inside the car of Ivan Locke as he heads down the motorway. Throughout this journey we learn the story of Locke a concrete pourer, who's life we see fall apart through this journey, as he talks with his family, his co-workers and sometimes himself. Tom Hardy plays this role masterfully. We have a great number of actors joining Hardy coming out of the speakers of his car as he speaks to them on the phone. Olivia Coleman plays Locke's desperate and distraught mistress who reach's out for Locke's help as she goes through labor. Ruth Wilson plays Locke's gentle, broken wife who finds herself horrified as she learns of her husband's one time affair. Andrew Scott plays Locke's goofy assistant who is left to clean up after Locke abandons their biggest pour yet. All of these actors play their part with incredible performance's. Its one thing to perform both visually and vocally but another thing entirely to simply perform vocally and to be able to convey such a well drawn character through voice is a huge feat.

The entire film is drenched in such pure atmosphere. The orange street lamps he passes on his journey, the freezing cold air and the lights of cars passing in different directions. It gives you a real sense of where Ivan is. The director Steven Knight implements many beautiful thoughts and visuals as he drives down the motorway. Locke's life takes a major change as he goes through this journey and the way his mind is almost warped by it is done beautifully.

Experiencing this journey in real time makes us feel closer to the characters and like we're really there with them experiencing ourselves what they're being put through. The film has such a different flowing narrative it grips you all the way through. An entire journey taking place on the M25 full of tense phone calls with loved ones. Locke brings something new with a compelling story and characters. If you like drama I am almost certain that this film is for you.

3/4 Stars

Talking about 'Nightcrawler'

Nightcrawler written and directed by Dan Gilroy is his directorial debut. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Riz Ahmed.

Nightcrawler is the tale of Lou Bloom a man who is down on his luck looking for a permanent job. Describing himself as 'Who am I? I'm a hard worker. I set high goals and I've been told I'm persistent'. One night whilst driving home Lou witnesses a car crash being filmed by a stringer. Inspired by this Lou acquires a camcorder and a police scanner and sets out to become a stringer. Discovering he has a talent for it, from their strives to be the best no matter what.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom I'm a huge fan of his acting and this for me is his best performance. He dropped over 20 pounds in weight for the role, he barely slept, his face caved in and his eyes began to bulge out. The character he plays is almost scary sometimes, he is insidious, amoral, corrupting and relentless. Yet you still find yourself rooting for Lou. Terrorizing all those around him and Jake plays it brilliantly. Delivering a scary yet stunning performance. Where at times you find yourself scared of him. You don't see Jake Gyllenhaal in this film you see Lou Bloom. Rene Russo stars as Nina Sharp a veteran of TV news a relentless women who wants the most captivating stories to earn the best ratings. Mainly seeking violent incidents in suburban neighborhoods as they attract most viewers. She buys Lou's first footage and from their they begin there almost exclusive partnership. Rene Russo gives a brilliant performance, playing a strong female character who will do anything to hold onto her job and get the best ratings. Almost captivating whenever she is on screen at some points stealing the show from Gyllenhaal. Riz Ahmed plays Rick a young man desperate for money who Lou hires as his assistant. Riz Ahmed is a great actor and in this film he truly shines. A truly brilliant intense performance. A character who becomes almost addicted to his abusive work relationship with Lou and ultimately becomes Lou's victim. There are strong performances from all the cast in this film from Bill Paxton playing Lou's cocky rival too Michael Hyatt playing Detective Frontieri who is looking to take down Lou.

This film is a pitch black satire an exploration of American news culture and capitalism. A truly compelling movie. The character of Lou at times comes across as crazy but more than anything he is a product of his environment. He does monstrous things but he is not a monster. More than anything Lou is the American dream at its most basic form a self made man conquering the streets of LA. Quoting from the self help books and how to succeed manuals in order to advance.

This film looks beautiful the way they capture the streets of LA the people, the night life and the corruption. The cinematography and lighting are truly captivating constantly matching the mood of the film. Creating almost a chilling feeling from both the cinematography and the soundtrack. The film explores the American dream, what truly drives people and their need to succeed. A dark  success story and almost a study of what people are willing to do to get ahead. Nightcrawler leaves an almost strange uncomfortable feeling even making you almost question yourself, what lengths you would go to succeed to be the best to achieve the "American Dream". If you're into dark captivating thrillers this film is for you. Offering a truly brilliant original story and fantastic strong performances all around. Watch Nightcrawler. It is one of my favorite films and hopefully after watching it, it will become one of yours.

4/4 Stars

Talking about 'Frank'

Frank is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Frank is a film about a young man Jon who one day stumbles across a band in need of keyboard player. The band known as "the Soronprfbs an experimental band made up of the weirdo's of society each one having their own personal or mental issues. The most notable member of the band is Frank the band leader who wears a paper mache head all of the time never taking it off even when going for a shower. From their Jon is invited to join the band full time and they head to Ireland to record their first album. That's all you really need to now.

An almost simple plot but yet executed in such a strange and unique way.
The performances in this film are on point each actor playing their own unique character. Domhnall Gleeson (Jon) being the mild timid young man wanting to make it big. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Clara) the angry, scary one who constantly torments Jon. Michael Fassbender (Frank) the leader of the band who is kind, yet so strange and unique, easily my favorite performance by Fassbender. Even those his head is covered the entire film the honesty of his performance is in full display. Each other member of the band being their own strange individual with their own traits. Strong performances all across the board.

The music in this film is great its so strange and unique.The band singing their crazy unique songs and making their own sounds out of all sorts of different things, from smashing different objects too rubbing toothbrushes on different objects. The music matches the film perfectly and adds to the overall strange feel of the film with some weird lyrics to boot.

The comedy is brilliant being both dark and clever and making for some laugh out loud moments which I find myself rarely doing when watching comedies. The awkward humor in this film makes for some hilarious dialogue between the different characters. Even the music in this film is funny it sounds so bizarre with such strange lyrics its hard not to find it funny. It is a finely tuned balance of black humor.

Its very rare these days when a unique film shows up these days Frank is one of those films. It is an extremely clever film with a combination of both dark comedy and drama which match the mood perfectly. Its story manages to be surprisingly though provoking even with its unusual setup. A quirky gem that is almost a commentary on the nature of artists and their integrity.

3/4 Stars

Talking about 'Boyhood'

Boyhood a film by Richard Linklater is a story about the life of Mason Evans Jr, his adolescence from age Six to Eighteen. Throughout the film we grow up with him and his family sharing their experiences. We see them go through different obstacles in life and coming out the other side. One of the things that makes this film unique is the way the actors themselves added to the plot of the film and their character development. Each actor was allowed to incorporate their own experiences into the characters story. Changes the director saw in the actors were incorporated into the script as well. Because of this we feel more like we are following these people's lives rather than the life of a character they're playing whilst we watch this film. We actually see the actors grow and change rather than just different actors take their place as they grow up. Each actor in this film delivers a great performance.

Despite the incredible production of this film it stands as a fantastic piece of storytelling. The 12 years thing could be seen as a quirky aspect rather than adding to the story but no, it strengthens the story and makes the it truly something unique.

This film is three hours long usually I find myself finding these movies just a bit too long but with Boyhood those three hours flew by. It is both beautiful and immersive watching Mason change physically and develop before our own eyes. The film covers childhood, the awkward teenage years and approaching adulthood. For me personally I could relate to this more than any other film I have ever watched I felt like I was watching my own life pass by on the screen. I even found myself tearing up towards the end I had watched a life. I had seen Mason overcome his trials in life and I felt happy for him to see him come out the over side. I was hopeful for his future.

The film captures the tone of the early stages of life perfectly. The thrill of collecting things as a child, the enjoyment in playing video games, the happy times with friends. To the awkward teenage years, drinking, experimenting with drugs, the awkward "talk" with the parents and falling in love for the first time.

One thing that stand out in this film is the soundtrack as the film starts the music that plays is all popular music from that time period. But as Boyhood goes on the music develops playing older classics. This was certainly the case for me when growing up I found myself enjoying different variations of music more and more. Its little bits like this that add to the experience more and more. Being my age and being a student I found myself being able to relate to this movie very easily. But I think anyone could relate to this film and that everyone should watch it at some point in their life. There's a little something for everyone with this film.

Boyhood has quickly become one of my most loved films and I will do my best to share it with people for years to come.

4/4 Stars