For those of you who don't know, I'm an avid cinephile, I've watched thousends of films in my short lifetime, studying their merits and flaws. For those of you who havn't been following me on twitter (@MRPITT) for long, my #2 favourite film of all time is non other than Sergio Leone's western masterpiece 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. So why does this tale of greed, violence and cigars hold such a high place in my estimation? Let me explain.
Filmed in the Italian countryside, the locations and set pieces really portray the west as a savage, unmercyful land of terain (especially the desert sequence) that only the tough and vicious can survive. The story itself seems simple enough, three outlaws go in search of confederate gold buried in a graveyard, 1 knows the name on the grave whilst the other 2 know the name of the cemetery, but throughout, numerous obsticals are placed in thier way, civil war warzones and POW camps, all conveying an anti-war sentiment as our trio (mostly duo) come across corpse after corpse.
The essence of the storyline makes this 171 minute film just fly by, with the audience not straining or tiring (this is a trademark in Leone films, the epic 220 minutes of 'Once upon a time in America' seems to feel like half an hour). Yes the cavalcade of shootouts contribute but there's much more, in my opinion Leone is the true master of suspense, with build up to the gun battles being grand, this is especialy poigant in the final Mexican stand off scene in the grave yard. The wry dialogue along with great uses of repitition (look out for the noose) make the non-action scenes a thing of beauty.
Aside from a drunkard, pessimistic colonel, only the 3 main characters are truely captivating and scene stealing and given the best introductions any characters can be given (no spoilers). The man of the hour is Clint Eastwoods 'Man with no name' (despite being refered to as blondie throughout), this is a man who surely we shouldn't like, someone who murders on a whim and double crosses his partners, we'd hate him if the other characters wern't no better than he is. Blondie exerts a confidence and a slyness that has us in the palm of his hand, this is a man who seems 1 step ahead, always calculating his next move. This is another reason for the films greatness, Leone introduces the U.S to the western anti-hero, something mostly ever seen in japaneese samarai movies. Lee Van Cleef's 'Angel eyes' is the dubious 'Bad' as a gun for hire who will kill anyone who gets between him and his payday, whilst being so calm about it. The true scene stealer however is Eli Wallach's ' Tuco, a money grubbing vagrant who throws aside all morals and alliances just to get his way, this brilliantly shown when just after torturing Blondie half to death, he nurses him back to health upon learning that he knows what grave the gold is buried in. When you put these 3 character together, it accounts for must see cinema.
Leone's direction is something to be admired as the camera moves effortlessly throughout, every angle has purpose and effect, don't believe me? This is the film that inspired Quentin Tarrentino to become a film maker. The musical score is possibly one of the greatest in cinematic history, everyone knows Ennio Morricone's classic theme to the movie, as aformentioned, Leone is great at suspense, but the music helps create the suspense, slowly building it.
Despite a few problems with dubbing (most of the extras were Italian), this Is one of the best films made, with great writing, cast, direction, characters and score, this is something that deserves repeated viewings, they don't make 'em like this anymore.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Pride of a Cenation
Aprill 19th, Cardiff, Wales, your trusted Blogger and valiant leader of the Pitt Crew, arrives at the Cardiff International Arena (I think the name's changed to something less cool) with fellow Freebirds (don't laugh!) Williams (Roberts, because I used to accuse him of wearing a wig) and Newland (Gordy, due to being the power of the group, I've only beaten him once at arm wrestling). Our 'attire' for the night is pretty basic (if you count a Hawaiian shirt/leather jacket that makes me look like a 1999-2000 WCW wrestler basic? Or Newlands new Zack Ryder esq hair due), but what surrounds us puts our smart wear (yes a Hawaiian shirt is smart wear for me!) to shame, for you see, this is a WWE live event!
Amist us are hundreds of pre-pubesant Cenation members, all gathered to witness their hero John Cena, watching these little kids wonder around, still believing that this is all real and that Cena is Jesus, God, Bhudda, Vishnu and Chuck Norris all in one, reminds me of the scene in the 1978 film 'Dawn of the Dead' when the hundreds of zombies wondered around the mall. All these munchkins are decked in red Cena shirts and a few purples (I guess those kids couldn't afford the new one). This all goes to show how truely powerful WWE really are, they capture you at a young age with it's cartoonish fun (I got into it cause I liked the idea of a guy with a burned face, wearing a mask), then as you grow older, you appreciate the wrestling side and keep following it for that purpose, it's a continuous cycle that WWE has used to attract and trap fans, regardless of age. If you want my views on Cena, maybe a future blog shall sufice?
After witnessing more older, hardcore fans, including guys dressed up as Undertaker, Cena (you'd expect thar from the children), Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior (sporting the most glorious blonde mullet I've ever seen) and a short, fat Hulk Hogan with drawn on mustache, the show began. The opener was a basic affair with Evan Bourne taking on Ted Dibiase (yes, that guy), we were rooting for Dibiase all the way until Bourne hit the shooting star press that made me jump out of my seet, yelling "Holly Fuck!" to the dismay of the Cenation and their parents.
Next was a forgetable tag match with the Usos vs Mark Henry/Santino Marella, with Henry doing most the ring work, due to an injury Santino suffered, needless to say, this was dull. The highlights of the match included 'Da Cobra' and some guy at the back chanting 'Sexual Chocolate' to many laughs.
Now it came time for the inevitable divas match, Eve Torres vs ??? Bella, seriously, I need to use wikipedia to find out which one's champ! Nothing was enjoyable as far as wrestling was concerned (up yours Vinnie Mac!) but most of my time was spent shouting perversed torrants that confused the Cenation and made my pals blush E.G (during a sunset flip) "I'd love to be in that position!"
As good ol' JR would say, business was about to pick up, with a Cardiff street fight (there's one every day) between John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler. This was the first time that we'd seen Dolph's new hair so thar was an experience. The match was pretty supurb, despite only a kendo stick and steel chair being used. Things were also great outside the ring, my incessant support of Ziggler gained the attention of an angry Cenation member who took severe umbridge. Sitting behind us were the most blood thirsty kids I'd ever heard, screaming 'Kick him' and 'Cane his head!'. A common theme throughout the night was our numerous verbal tirades at the matches, often comical, one comment I made during this match had my friends in stitches; (Whilst Ziggler was choking Morrison with the stick) "Choke him, kill him in the ring!", overall this was a fun match that shows that both men are destined for greatness.
Next up, Primo (who?) vs Sin Cara, the only face I cheered apart from Daniel Bryan. Sin Cara had the crowd in his hands during this match, using an array of arial moves that that would make Mysterio gasp, at one point I yelled "Holy Motherfuck!", I need to work on that language. This match was very enjoyable, mainly due to Sin Cara, I'd have liked to see Zack Ryder, who wasn't on the show to our sadness (Woo Woo Woo You Know It)
After that was a fun little segment where Justin Roberts and Alicia Fox picked 5 crowd members (sadly we weren't one of them) to compete in a dance off to see your favourite superstar, the Undertaker guy was a contestant who we thought should have won after using a spineroony, but sadly a little kid won, to which Williams joked "I bet he can't wait to meet the Usos".
Next, Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan, I was split on who to support, I did combos of "Lets go Sheamus" and "It's the final countdown". Strangely enough Bryan recieved a heel reaction whilst Sheamus was cheered all throughout. This was a pretty good match, maybe the best of the night, worthy of Wrestlemania 27, it featured stiff shots, high flying, power moves and submissions, best in the world? Maybe.
Finally, it came time for the main event, Punk/Miz, who got the best reaction from us, we were solidly behind this team. Miz cut a captivating promo, doing his usual 'no one likes me, I don't care promos', mocking the Undertaker guys spineroony. Punk cut the best promo of the night, with 3 simple words "This place sucks". Randy Orton came out to a great reception, we showed him mercy and sang along with his theme song, but when 'Super-Cena' came out, whilst all the parrasitic drones (Jericho FTW) cheered like the Chuckle brothers had apeared, we proceeded to berate him with chants of "John Cena sucks" and "fruity pebbles". This was a decent match which displayed good psycology, with Punk/Miz recieving more heat than George Ozbourne.
The WWE live experience is one I'd recomend to you all, it made us laugh, scream, swear (sorry parents) and feel like a kid at Christmas, this is what being a fan is all about, so to all of you, see a WWE live event next time they come, and to John Cena, no hard feelings?
Amist us are hundreds of pre-pubesant Cenation members, all gathered to witness their hero John Cena, watching these little kids wonder around, still believing that this is all real and that Cena is Jesus, God, Bhudda, Vishnu and Chuck Norris all in one, reminds me of the scene in the 1978 film 'Dawn of the Dead' when the hundreds of zombies wondered around the mall. All these munchkins are decked in red Cena shirts and a few purples (I guess those kids couldn't afford the new one). This all goes to show how truely powerful WWE really are, they capture you at a young age with it's cartoonish fun (I got into it cause I liked the idea of a guy with a burned face, wearing a mask), then as you grow older, you appreciate the wrestling side and keep following it for that purpose, it's a continuous cycle that WWE has used to attract and trap fans, regardless of age. If you want my views on Cena, maybe a future blog shall sufice?
After witnessing more older, hardcore fans, including guys dressed up as Undertaker, Cena (you'd expect thar from the children), Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior (sporting the most glorious blonde mullet I've ever seen) and a short, fat Hulk Hogan with drawn on mustache, the show began. The opener was a basic affair with Evan Bourne taking on Ted Dibiase (yes, that guy), we were rooting for Dibiase all the way until Bourne hit the shooting star press that made me jump out of my seet, yelling "Holly Fuck!" to the dismay of the Cenation and their parents.
Next was a forgetable tag match with the Usos vs Mark Henry/Santino Marella, with Henry doing most the ring work, due to an injury Santino suffered, needless to say, this was dull. The highlights of the match included 'Da Cobra' and some guy at the back chanting 'Sexual Chocolate' to many laughs.
Now it came time for the inevitable divas match, Eve Torres vs ??? Bella, seriously, I need to use wikipedia to find out which one's champ! Nothing was enjoyable as far as wrestling was concerned (up yours Vinnie Mac!) but most of my time was spent shouting perversed torrants that confused the Cenation and made my pals blush E.G (during a sunset flip) "I'd love to be in that position!"
As good ol' JR would say, business was about to pick up, with a Cardiff street fight (there's one every day) between John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler. This was the first time that we'd seen Dolph's new hair so thar was an experience. The match was pretty supurb, despite only a kendo stick and steel chair being used. Things were also great outside the ring, my incessant support of Ziggler gained the attention of an angry Cenation member who took severe umbridge. Sitting behind us were the most blood thirsty kids I'd ever heard, screaming 'Kick him' and 'Cane his head!'. A common theme throughout the night was our numerous verbal tirades at the matches, often comical, one comment I made during this match had my friends in stitches; (Whilst Ziggler was choking Morrison with the stick) "Choke him, kill him in the ring!", overall this was a fun match that shows that both men are destined for greatness.
Next up, Primo (who?) vs Sin Cara, the only face I cheered apart from Daniel Bryan. Sin Cara had the crowd in his hands during this match, using an array of arial moves that that would make Mysterio gasp, at one point I yelled "Holy Motherfuck!", I need to work on that language. This match was very enjoyable, mainly due to Sin Cara, I'd have liked to see Zack Ryder, who wasn't on the show to our sadness (Woo Woo Woo You Know It)
After that was a fun little segment where Justin Roberts and Alicia Fox picked 5 crowd members (sadly we weren't one of them) to compete in a dance off to see your favourite superstar, the Undertaker guy was a contestant who we thought should have won after using a spineroony, but sadly a little kid won, to which Williams joked "I bet he can't wait to meet the Usos".
Next, Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan, I was split on who to support, I did combos of "Lets go Sheamus" and "It's the final countdown". Strangely enough Bryan recieved a heel reaction whilst Sheamus was cheered all throughout. This was a pretty good match, maybe the best of the night, worthy of Wrestlemania 27, it featured stiff shots, high flying, power moves and submissions, best in the world? Maybe.
Finally, it came time for the main event, Punk/Miz, who got the best reaction from us, we were solidly behind this team. Miz cut a captivating promo, doing his usual 'no one likes me, I don't care promos', mocking the Undertaker guys spineroony. Punk cut the best promo of the night, with 3 simple words "This place sucks". Randy Orton came out to a great reception, we showed him mercy and sang along with his theme song, but when 'Super-Cena' came out, whilst all the parrasitic drones (Jericho FTW) cheered like the Chuckle brothers had apeared, we proceeded to berate him with chants of "John Cena sucks" and "fruity pebbles". This was a decent match which displayed good psycology, with Punk/Miz recieving more heat than George Ozbourne.
The WWE live experience is one I'd recomend to you all, it made us laugh, scream, swear (sorry parents) and feel like a kid at Christmas, this is what being a fan is all about, so to all of you, see a WWE live event next time they come, and to John Cena, no hard feelings?
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Along the Boardwalk
As the final episode of the series concludes, we see corupt crime boss Enoch "Nucky' Thompson and Irish imigrant Margret embrace, as we get a long shot of the boardwalk of 1920s Atlantic City. This could as well have been the ending to a great Hollywood film, maybe a Scorsesse one (He directed the 1st episode and is a producer), but no this is one of many epic scenes from the new HBO series.
There was much hype around this series while it was being made, with names such as Scorsesse and Steve Buscemi being tied to it and the exuberantly large budget used to recreate the prohibition era. Needless to say from my opening sentence, the show has lived up to the hype.
As aformentioned, what makes this show great to begin with is it's blockbuster feel. The scene in episode 6 where Jimmy Darmody and Al Capone (more on that later) gun down a rival gang in a hotel lobby could seem like a scene from the Godfather movies, although comparison is rarely needed as Boardwalk deserves to be in a league of it's own. The settings are also another great quality, as it seems the millions of dollars used to produce it were well spent. Somehow they've managed to recreate a 1920s boardwalk with old time shops and attractions, realistic to the last detail, you'll find yourself lost in the time period.
What holds the show together though is the writing and characters, the show is produced and semi written by Terrence Winter who did the same for the Sopranos (my favourite show) and it shows with vast amounts of mini plots that all add up in the end and contribute towards the central story, smart dialogue, e.g from episode 1 when a Polish bootlegger changes his name to Doyle; Nucky: "A rose by any other name" Doyle: "What?" Nucky: "Read a fucking book!". And the setting itself seems to reflect on the characters, of which there are vast amount with good qualities. If Atlantic city is the land of sin then Nucky Thompson is the devil, overseeing it all, ending the lives of those who go against him and offering great rewards to those who are loyal to him, yet there's a fragile, good hearted quality that makes us support Nucky as the protagonist, e.g the loss of his wife/son or his generous nature, giving out money to those less fortunate such as battered housewives and hard on luck accomplices. Nucky's right hand man, Jimmy Darmody, is an inriguing character, a man haunted by his past (he fought in WWI) which transends into his dirty work (e.g sliting a mans throat with his war knife), but he's also a man who lives his family to the point that no matter how many times his wife cheats on him (with both man and woman) he'll never leave or throw them out. Other characters include the upright Margret, whose morals are put to the test with her relationship with Nucky. Nucky's brother Eli, the sherif who helps enforce Nuckys reign through numerous killings and turning a blind eye, he is also the proverbial Cain to Nuckys Abel, jealous of his brothers success and influence, possibly usurping him in the next series? The only other character who gets any prolonged screen time is FBI agent Van Alden (possibly my favourite character) a mad, fanatical Christian that makes Billy Graham seem tame, but the idea of Atlantic city being the land of sin and temptation affects Van Alden through the series, whether it's drowning his corrupt partner during a baptism then quoting bible verse or shagging Lucy (ex-mistress of Nucky and known whore), overall the vast amount of character make Boardwalk captivating television.
There are a few problems I have with the show however, one of them being that even though the many mini-plots add to the story, that can be confusing to follow for a casual viewer. My main minor gripe with the series is the use of real life figures, famous gangsters such as Al Capone, John Torio, 'Lucky' Luciano and Arnold Rothstien are all prominant figures in the show. This bothers me because I prefer to have a sense of realism in a show and whilst the set pieces do a good enough job, sometimes I find my self asking "Would Capone have really done that?" although this is a minor complaint to an overall great show.
The acting is something to be admired in Boardwalk, the best performance by far is Steve Buscemi, he manages well in a leading man role, switching from his usual fast talking, wide eyed act to moments of sensitivity which have rarely been seen with the actors. Michael Pitt as Darmody is a typical performance, a tightly rapped performance, not giving away the emotions this character wants to contain. Kelly Mcdonald is fine as Margret, sporting an Irish accent most would struggle with, she also uses voice cracks and watery eyed expressions to convey her feelings of sadness on fine form. Shea Wigham as Eli is another typical performance, although the best range the character is given is during the St. Patricks episode when Eli is drunk. Michael Shannon as Van Alden portays Van Aldens buttoned down yet zeolitic personality well and I would like to see more work from this actor.
In conclusion, Boardwalk Empire is one of the finer shows to appear on television in recent years, deserving to be compared with the Sopranos, with great cast, characters, story, production and one of the best t.v themes.
There was much hype around this series while it was being made, with names such as Scorsesse and Steve Buscemi being tied to it and the exuberantly large budget used to recreate the prohibition era. Needless to say from my opening sentence, the show has lived up to the hype.
As aformentioned, what makes this show great to begin with is it's blockbuster feel. The scene in episode 6 where Jimmy Darmody and Al Capone (more on that later) gun down a rival gang in a hotel lobby could seem like a scene from the Godfather movies, although comparison is rarely needed as Boardwalk deserves to be in a league of it's own. The settings are also another great quality, as it seems the millions of dollars used to produce it were well spent. Somehow they've managed to recreate a 1920s boardwalk with old time shops and attractions, realistic to the last detail, you'll find yourself lost in the time period.
What holds the show together though is the writing and characters, the show is produced and semi written by Terrence Winter who did the same for the Sopranos (my favourite show) and it shows with vast amounts of mini plots that all add up in the end and contribute towards the central story, smart dialogue, e.g from episode 1 when a Polish bootlegger changes his name to Doyle; Nucky: "A rose by any other name" Doyle: "What?" Nucky: "Read a fucking book!". And the setting itself seems to reflect on the characters, of which there are vast amount with good qualities. If Atlantic city is the land of sin then Nucky Thompson is the devil, overseeing it all, ending the lives of those who go against him and offering great rewards to those who are loyal to him, yet there's a fragile, good hearted quality that makes us support Nucky as the protagonist, e.g the loss of his wife/son or his generous nature, giving out money to those less fortunate such as battered housewives and hard on luck accomplices. Nucky's right hand man, Jimmy Darmody, is an inriguing character, a man haunted by his past (he fought in WWI) which transends into his dirty work (e.g sliting a mans throat with his war knife), but he's also a man who lives his family to the point that no matter how many times his wife cheats on him (with both man and woman) he'll never leave or throw them out. Other characters include the upright Margret, whose morals are put to the test with her relationship with Nucky. Nucky's brother Eli, the sherif who helps enforce Nuckys reign through numerous killings and turning a blind eye, he is also the proverbial Cain to Nuckys Abel, jealous of his brothers success and influence, possibly usurping him in the next series? The only other character who gets any prolonged screen time is FBI agent Van Alden (possibly my favourite character) a mad, fanatical Christian that makes Billy Graham seem tame, but the idea of Atlantic city being the land of sin and temptation affects Van Alden through the series, whether it's drowning his corrupt partner during a baptism then quoting bible verse or shagging Lucy (ex-mistress of Nucky and known whore), overall the vast amount of character make Boardwalk captivating television.
There are a few problems I have with the show however, one of them being that even though the many mini-plots add to the story, that can be confusing to follow for a casual viewer. My main minor gripe with the series is the use of real life figures, famous gangsters such as Al Capone, John Torio, 'Lucky' Luciano and Arnold Rothstien are all prominant figures in the show. This bothers me because I prefer to have a sense of realism in a show and whilst the set pieces do a good enough job, sometimes I find my self asking "Would Capone have really done that?" although this is a minor complaint to an overall great show.
The acting is something to be admired in Boardwalk, the best performance by far is Steve Buscemi, he manages well in a leading man role, switching from his usual fast talking, wide eyed act to moments of sensitivity which have rarely been seen with the actors. Michael Pitt as Darmody is a typical performance, a tightly rapped performance, not giving away the emotions this character wants to contain. Kelly Mcdonald is fine as Margret, sporting an Irish accent most would struggle with, she also uses voice cracks and watery eyed expressions to convey her feelings of sadness on fine form. Shea Wigham as Eli is another typical performance, although the best range the character is given is during the St. Patricks episode when Eli is drunk. Michael Shannon as Van Alden portays Van Aldens buttoned down yet zeolitic personality well and I would like to see more work from this actor.
In conclusion, Boardwalk Empire is one of the finer shows to appear on television in recent years, deserving to be compared with the Sopranos, with great cast, characters, story, production and one of the best t.v themes.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Losing an Edge
Atlanta, Georgia, Aprill 3 2011, the stage is Wrestlemania 27, one of the most highly anticipated events in pro wrestling (or just entertainment as Vince Mcmahon would like you to believe), where the top stars (and Santino Marrella) perform in matches that 70,000 in the arena and people in over 200 countries are watching, basically put, you have to be a pretty big star to be on the show. The opening match of the night sees one of the wrestlers making his way down to ring, ready to defend his 11th world title, needless to say, this guy's made it pretty far. That was a week ago, yesterday on RAW it was said that this same man was to retire due to a deterioration in health, leaving behind a legacy that few in this business get to obtain, this man is the ultimate opertunist, the master manipulator, the Rated R superstar, Edge or as he's known to few, Adam Copeland. This man who accomplished more in 10 years than Koko B Ware did in a lifetime started off in humble beginings, the son of a single mother, not knowing who his father was, living in a small town miles from Toronto. He grew up like many of you Reading did, an avid wrestling fan who watched all the shows, bought all the magazines and was inspired by the Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior match to become a wrestler himself. After years of circling the indies, he finaly made it to the bigtime, the WWF (now E due to legal reasons), although after a bit of coverage as a singles wrestler, cutting dark vignetes of him roaming the street and entering through the crowd to catchy theme music, he ended being a lacky in the Undertakers Ministry of Darkness, then forming the Brood with Gangrel and long time friend Christian (who deserves as much recognition), but he truely stood out when he and Christian became a force to be reckoned with in tag team wrestling as two comedic jocks who'd talk about how awesome they were and did the classic "5 second pose", that were entertaining to watch and had the skills to back it up with many great tables, ladders and chairs matches with the Hardyz and the Dudlys. Afterwards Edge broke away, becoming a more serious singles wrestler, gathering titles and moving up the WWE caste system. Numerous injuries have gotten in Edge's path including a neck injury, torn pectorials and a torn achillis tendon, despite all this Edge has come back time and time again and wrestled at equal level to what he was before. In late 2004 Edge made an ultimate leap, adopting the character that we know and love, a deranged, sleaze who's obsesed with becoming the top dog and after a scandal involving Lita, became more sleazy, adopting the Rated R superstar moniker. In 2006, after years of hard work Edge had won the title from WWEs top star John Cena (even if it was by cashing in money in the bank and he never beat Cena cleanly from then on) cementing himself as a major player in WWE. Over the years Edge has provided us with many memorable moments: the live sex celebration, his relationship with Vickie Geurrero and many memorable matches with the likes of Undertaker, Cena and Chris Jericho. His ring work showcased a plethora of captivating moves with not so captivating names (Edgucation?) but still made for a good match, even if his pace slowed down in his later years. His Mic work put across his characters well, either if it's the arrogent joker or the deranged manipulator. Now on this day (a quote from his awesome theme music) the wrestling world looks back on a career that has spaned 19 years and produced an army of Edge-Heads, we can only feel sorrow that this young man from Orangeville shall never grace our screen again, that there'll never be another superstar like him and that he'll never hit that SPEAR SPEAR SPEAR...
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