Steve Jobs

It's been a while...

So recently I was able to take time from my busy schedule and go see a film I have been wanting to see for a long time; Steve Jobs. Now I don't have a fascination with the man himself but instead it was the talent behind his biopic that had me intrigued. First we have the amazing writer, Aaron Sorkin who wrote The Social Network and most recently TV series, The Newsroom. Secondly the director, Danny Boyle who is best known for Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire. Fianlly it was the star of the show, Michael Fassbender who is one of my favourite actors, you probably know him most from the latest X-Men films where he played Magneto. If you're reading this blog it probably means you are a film fan and therefore, know why this is a big deal but if not, just know that these three guys are at the top of their league and so this collaboration between them is pretty darn huge and awesome.

The film is not your standard biopic. Instead Sorkin and Boyle decided to go for something different and allow the film to be made from three separate scenes, each the 20-40 minutes before a product launch spanned over twenty years or so. It's a brilliant creative decision that makes this film about Steve Jobs stand out above other biopics and the films about the man that have been done before and likely will be made in the future. It does mean that only certain aspects of Steve's life are brought into the film and explored, not that I am too fussed a lot of people know about his life and I was happy to see the film streamline this down to focus on a few key relationships.

Fassbender is great as Jobs, you can tell he really got into the character and portrays him in a way that is kind of tough but deep down you can feel something for the guy. He's a difficult character to like but I believe Fassbender finds a way to show some humanity beneath the hard shell of a man. The cast around Fassbender are also great, highlights include Kate Winslet (her performance great, however her accent does get strangely stronger after the first time jump...), Seth Rogen (absolutely great at doing a serious role as well as having perfect comedy timing), Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg and Katherine Waterstone. Sorkin's fast paced and witty dialogue all sounded great coming out of their mouths.

Due to scenario of the scenes and the amount of story the film wants to portray, some of the scenes come across quite theatrical but not in a bad way. A lot of the film is set in the San Fransisco Opera House and the score can be quite operatic, if anything the theatrical and operatic qualities going on in the background heighten the visuals and give the audience a sense of tension and care that may not usually have for the politics of computing.

The downside to the artistic structure of the film is familiarity, the structure of each act of the film is relatively the same and you know that Steve Jobs is going to have an updated argument with each of the characters we met in the first act, it's not always a bad thing but some of the scenes can drag when you're not as invested in certain storylines compared to others.

Overall though, this film is great, For me it doesn't quite reach the enjoyment I got from watching The Social Network but it is no way a bad film. The lengths the filmmakers have gone to make something different really pay off and we have something quite unique on our hands here with Steve Jobs, and although it may not always portray him as a decent person, I imagine that if he were here today he would be happy with it. I am giving Steve Jobs a rating of 4/5.

Thanks for reading!

Sundance Comes To London

Next week London hosts the first ever Sundance Film Festival that isn't in Utah. The giant indie festival is held in Utah each year and premieres some of the biggest indie films soon coming to a cinema near you. About 120 films are screened at the festival, in London we get to see 14 of them, we also get a range of short films and panels one held by the creator himself, Robert Redford. I have been lucky enough to acquire tickets for my birthday in January and after a long wait, it is almost here!

I have the top ten film package and sharing those ten films with my Dad. So that's five films and exclusive passes to the Sundance Inc Club. This is my first ever film festival and I cannot wait. The films that are coming sound great and so does the host committee which features people such as; Danny Boyle, Edgar Wright, Helen Mirren and Richard Ayoade. Excited is not the word to describe how I am feeling right now. As a budding filmmaker it will be great to here from the masters and hopefully get some advice on how to break into the industry. This could be a life changing experience!

Bellow I have listed the films that I am going to be seeing and why I am anticipating them:

Safety Not Guaranteed
Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.

My Verdict: This looks very funny and has the possibility to be a touching film also. It also stars that guy from New Girl! I am really excited about this one!

For Ellen
A struggling musician takes an overnight long-distance drive in order to fight his estranged wife for custody of their young daughter.

My Verdict: Paul Dano is one of the most underrated young actors at the moment. He nails every role! So he is the main reason i'm excited about this one, but the supporting cast is great, including Jon Heder and Jena Malone. Should be a good one!

LUV
Over the course of one day, a shy 13-year-old forms a bond with his troubled uncle.

My Verdict: The director Sheldon Candis seems like a very down to earth guy, he also wrote what could be a very personal and emotional story. Really looking forward to this, it also stars Danny Glover and Boardwalk Empire's Chalky White, Michael Kenneth Williams.

Liberal Arts
When thirty-something Jesse is invited back to his alma mater, he falls for a young 19-year-old college student and is faced with the powerful attraction that springs up between them.

My Verdict: Although  I may not have loved Martha Marcy May Marlene I did love Elizabeth Olsen and I cannot wait to see her in another film. This looks like it could be a really good love story that makes audiences question age differences between lover. And for the ladies, it also stars Zac Efron. Looks like good one!

2 Days in New York
Marion has broken up with Jack (Two Days in Paris) and now lives in New York with their child.

My Verdict: Sequel to the great 2 Days in Paris which I watched the other day and liked very much! This time Jack is gone and a new boyfriend played by the brilliant Chris Rock! And if that doesn't flick your switch the main character Marion played by Julie Deply once again, writes, directs and produces! Should be a great end to what could be an incredible weekend!

So if you are also going to Sundance London then you might see me there! If not then I am going to hopefully film the experience and release an Alex's Essential Movie Blog - first ever video blog!

Thanks for reading!

Easter Reviews Part 1

So over the Easter holidays so far, I have watched a lot of films and I am most likely to watch a lot more! So for this post I am going to write short reviews for all of the films I have seen so far. Then next week I will review the rest of the films I am most likely to watch in the coming days. So please enjoy!

Paranormal Activity 3
I was a big fan of the documentary Catfish which the directors of this film previously worked on. So I was hoping that they would do this franchise some good. I liked the first film, due to its originality in the horror genre, but I wasn't a big fan of the second as its seems they just copied what had happened in the previous instalment. The third, although having the same sort of rhythm to it, was actually my personal favourite of the series! I thought that it pushed the boundaries of the previous film and delivered some pretty creative scares. If you were put off by the second film then don't turn this one down as it might regain your faith. But I must ask how much life the series has left in it?

Martha Marcy May Marlene
I reviewed this in previous post but I thought I would still give a short verdict; If you are a fan of films which have interesting plots but don't actually go anywhere with it, then this is the film for you. Unfortunately this is not the film for me.

Sunshine
Danny Boyle has no boundaries! He can take any genre and make his own brilliant film within it. Sunshine is a great film and stars some great actors including the new Captain America. A great film that felt almost like a new take on the Alien films. Some great story telling done here and it was actually quite scary in places. My only criticism is that the ending was a little bit crazy and a points I was unsure as to what was actually happening.

Reservoir Dogs
This is the first time I have seen this Tarantino masterpiece. It was a great film which had me glued to my seat throughout. A proper classic and if you haven't seen it, you need too! This really is Tarantino at his best and I don't think I have seen a bad film from the director yet. I cannot wait for Django Unchained!

We Need To Talk About Kevin
I really enjoyed this film and thought that the subject area of which it is based on was handled well. My only problem with this film is that they try to hard. They try to establish this bad relationship between a mother and her soon to be mass killer son. The director obviously wanted the audience to question whether his actions could have been prevented by better parenting. The director also wanted us to think whether the mother is just as bad as her son. The only problem is, is that they focus to hard on making the character of Kevin come across as an evil delusional child. He needed therapy and he needed to be told off by his mum every once and a while for his terrible behaviour! A good film but it could be better.

Red State
This film has been heavily slated by audiences and critics. So I didn't watch this film expecting anything special. But actually it was a good fun watch and I enjoyed it very much. It is sold as a horror but actually isn't that scary. It's more of a fun thriller that makes fun of 'America's Most Hated Family' the Phelps family. The OTT Christians that goes to soldiers funerals with banners saying 'God Hates Fags'. Great way of spreading Gods love?? The family in the film now actually catch these sinners and kill them. The whole film turns into a massive shoot up between them and the police. John Goodman steals the show as usual but Michael Parks was not far behind. Some great acting and a good film which unlike many, i recommend.

Thanks for reading!