Summer 2011- Preview

Your Mad Prophet heads out into the Glorious Sunshine to talk about five films that he's looking forward to this summer, and inevitably becomes a little bit cross when the topic of Transformers comes up...

Which films are you most looking forward to as we head into blockbuster season? Leave your comments/debates below!

The Cinema of Attraction

One of the pitfalls of reviewing movies is that even someone like Michael Bay or Allan Loeb can turn around and appear to dismiss any and all criticism of their awful shit by simply asking the reviewer if they've done any better. So Roger Ebert went and made Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and more recently, Mark Cousins gave us the documentary The First Movie.

Those guys are proper film critics, and I am decidedly not. If anything, I want to be a screenwriter myself one day, and hopefully avoid doing any of the rubbish things I've criticised in the time I've been reviewing films on this here blog. But it's still with some trepidation that I give you my first short film as a director, The Cinema of Attraction, which you can see after the jump.

While I admit the concept is a large one, The Cinema of Attraction is a short film I took from the idea to the finished product in just over a week, and on a budget of no more than £4.35. It's the story of James and Donna, whose relationship we follow over several days. Their relationship is constantly being reassessed and redefined by the development of cinema, meeting in a silent film with intertitles and the whole shebang, and continuing to develop through talkies, technicolour and the arrival of the multiplex cinema.

As you'd expect from a Mad Prophet production, there's a bit of a rant at its heart, but I'd like to think that it does have a heart. It's also got a fuckton of allegorical cinema stuff and occasionally quite overt references to classic romantic films, but it would be pretentious of me to talk about what they are and why you should like it. I'm not so arsey as to review my own film, but I'm not above promoting it to you, the good people who read this blog.

The Cinema of Attraction arose as another project for Writers' Block North East, that veritable hive of creative talent in Middlesbrough, and I managed to recruit two very good actors, Bonnie Hibbs and Tim Marshall, to star as Donna and James. They elevate the whole thing, of course, but there's not a lot more to talk about- it's better to just let you enjoy the film yourselves.

Next up, I'll be seeing if it wins the competition at Writers' Block in its truncated and admittedly slightly less interesting form, and submitting the full version for various short film screening events in the area. And after that, it'd be nice to make more films, frankly. Hope you enjoyed this one.

The Mad Prophets 2010

Cheer up, I promise that I saw your film.

Continuing on with the "awards season stuff" promised yesterday, it's that time of year once again. The Oscars are on Sunday, and foolishly, the Academy have not given a single inclination of the head, let alone a nod, to great films like Never Let Me Go or Buried. Bastards. My turn, I think.

As with last year's outing, this is for the period starting March 1st 2010 and ending on February 28th 2011, which is about the same period the Oscars are supposed to cover. "Supposed" still being the operative word, given how forgetful Academy voters can be. Also, as ever, going by UK release dates. Here goes...

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky- Black Swan
Rodrigo Cortés- Buried
David Fincher- The Social Network
Christopher Nolan- Inception
Edgar Wright- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

As in most categories, it's been a good year. All of my usual problems with the Oscars overlooking great films are negated because there are very few cases of undeserved nominations. That said, I would have found room for Christopher Nolan in the Oscars' director race, at any cost. Fincher is the favourite there, having turned in the showiest and most visually engaging way of telling a story about nerds making a website.

Similarly, Aronofsky did his best Sam Raimi, clearly having more fun than you reasonably should with an awards darling, but still managed to turn a melodrama like Black Swan into something I'd love to see on an IMAX screen. Cortés did a marvellous job in the tiniest of spaces for a whole 90 minutes, but ultimately I was more impressed by directors holding together a molass of different elements. While I love Wright's work on Scott Pilgrim, I think Nolan ultimately managed that in a more collected and breathtaking manner.

WINNER- Christopher Nolan, Inception

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Keira Knightley- Never Let Me Go
Lesley Manville- Another Year
Chloe Moretz- Kick-Ass
Emily Watson- Cemetery Junction
Jacki Weaver- Animal Kingdom

While Hit Girl immediately became almost everyone's favourite characters of the year, other, more harrowing supporting performances than Moretz's have stuck with me more in the last year. My review of Animal Kingdom won't be online until tomorrow, but Weaver really impressed with her performance, building power as the film went on.

Emily Watson made a huge impression on me early in the year as the put-upon wife of Ralph Fiennes, his attitude to their relationship making a strong case for the banality of evil. Likewise, Keira Knightley recently gave her best ever work in a very melancholy context as Ruth in Never Let Me Go. but finally, it had to be Lesley Manville. So much of why Another Year resonates is down to her desperate and sympathetic turn, and it's a shame none of the big humdinger awards bodies recognised that.

WINNER- Lesley Manville, Another Year

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale- The Fighter
Andrew Garfield- Never Let Me Go
Ben Mendelsohn- Animal Kingdom
Kayvan Novak- Four Lions
Geoffrey Rush- The King's Speech

At the actual Oscars, I believe the smart money is on Bale, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if Rush snuck in to take it. Bale is so magnetic in The Fighter that people seem to entirely forget Mark Wahlberg is the lead- like his character, you can't help but like his acting here even if you feel it's a little unfair. On the other hand, Rush bolsters The King's Speech by being just as important to the film as Colin Firth. The two go together perfectly.

Elsewhere, Novak's tragicomic turn as Waj almost entirely sums up Four Lions for me- so much of his performance is why the film works as it's meant to. And I was sad to see that Mendelsohn didn't get a Supporting Actor nod for being the absolute most batshit terrifying thing about Animal Kingdom. But let's not underestimate Never Let Me Go, as everyone else has. People might have first noticed Garfield in The Social Network, but his performance as Tommy is what really blew me away.

WINNER- Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Buried
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
Four Lions
Inception
The King's Speech

As much as I applaud Kayvan Novak for bringing it to life, I still have to give kudos to the great Chris Morris for taking suicide bombing and Islamic extremism and making exactly the kind of sensitive satire required. Feeling for the characters without wanting them to succeed is exactly right. The King's Speech is scripted for maximum sympathy with the characters too, but royalty are a little more readily likeable than suicide bombers. 

Although Christopher Nolan wins for imaginative direction, I'm more impressed by the use of one scenario for maximum value on the page. So while Inception is an incredibly imaginative concept, I was more bedazzled by the likes of The Disappearance of Alice Creed. You get the sense it's a calling card script, but it's a fantastic calling card script set in one contained scenario. But they don't come more contained than Buried, which was bloody brilliant.

WINNER- Buried 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Kick-Ass
Never Let Me Go
The Social Network
Shutter Island
Toy Story 3

Many would argue that Alex Garland's script was Never Let Me Go's failing, for being uncinematic. Our characters are not passive, but they're not exactly raging against the dying of the light. It's embarrassing to have had conversations with people who felt it should have been more like Michael Bay's film The Island. On a happier note, most people liked Shutter Island, with its script that gains even more depth upon multiple viewings.

It's possible to have a lot of fun with Kick-Ass, which is not something I could say about the source material, once I gave it a look. The script version takes the mean-spirited edge off, which works in its favour. It's also great to see the prison movie format put to use in both comedic and emotional ways in Toy Story 3. All good scripts, but ultimately, I'm blathering- we all know this one goes to Aaron Sorkin's amazing script for The Social Network.

WINNER- The Social Network

BEST ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio- Shutter Island
Colin Firth- The King's Speech
James Franco- 127 Hours
Ryan Reynolds- Buried
Mark Wahlberg- The Fighter

Poor Mark Wahlberg. I know The Fighter was his dream project and he's probably just happy it got made, but the way his performance here is being so shamefully overlooked was the indignant focus of more than half of my review of the film. I shan't dwell upon it much longer except to give him his dues alongside the likes of Firth, who did get nominated for an Oscar and shall probably win for his performance as King George VI.

DiCaprio played characters with similar backgrounds in Shutter Island and Inception, but the former gave him more to get his teeth into- it sucks that Shutter Island got bumped to a date after the consideration for last year's Oscars, and so Scorsese's film was too readily forgotten. I also managed to honour both of the excellent claustrophobic performances of the year- Reynolds' and Franco's. Franco bristles with such energy that you know he has even better performances to come, which is why Reynolds swipes it.

Winner- Ryan Reynolds, Buried

BEST ACTRESS

Jennifer Lawrence- Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman- Black Swan
Noomi Rapace- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hailee Steinfeld- True Grit
Michelle Williams- Blue Valentine 

Three out of five certainly ain't bad, Oscar. Portman is everybody's favourite to pick up the gold at the end of the month, but I wouldn't consider either Lawrence or Williams out of the running just yet. All three of them were pulled this way and that by their character's circumstances- Portman's Nina by her unravelling psyche, Lawrence's Ree by her shitty neighbourhood and Williams by her disintegating marriage.

Plenty of room for characters who were in control of their situation, mind. It's possible to draw a line connecting Steinfeld's Mattie Ross with Jesse Eisenberg's performance in The Social Network, and she also manages to outact even the fantastic cast of more experienced actors who co-star in True Grit. For me, it's all about Lisbeth Salander- due to plot restrictions, she peaked in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but none of the Millennium trilogy is ever as interesting when Rapace is off-screen as it is when she's on-screen. Rooney Mara has big shoes to fill.

Winner- Noomi Rapace, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST ANIMATED FILM

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
A Town Called Panic
Toy Story 3

As before, I'm loath to separating this category out on its own, especially this year. It does give me the chance to give a shout out to the profound message about the death of innocence in The Illusionist, and the sheer weirdness of A Town Called Panic, and the psychedelic and epic visuals of Zack Snyder's owl movie. But in this year above most others, it's been proven that animations can be just as great as the more celebrated live-action movies.

Take that other toy movie, for instance. Toy Story 3 is the cap on a perfect trilogy, bringing in prison movie tropes to great effect and wrapping up the story of the Best Loved Characters of a Generation. It's quite rightly proven to be the best reviewed movie of the year. So it sucks to be Dreamworks, perpetually trembling under the heft of Pixar's oeuvre, when they did actually make a really good movie this year. So it annoys me to separate stuff out with animation, because it means I have to be diplomatic and do this...

WINNER- How to Train Your Dragon

BEST FILM

The 10 best films of the last 12 months, according to me...

1. Toy Story 3
2. Inception 
3. The Social Network
4. The King's Speech
5. Never Let Me Go 
6. Buried
7. Animal Kingdom
8. True Grit
9. Shutter Island
10. Black Swan

Yeah, yeah, boo away. Toy Story 3 gets to be the Best Film of the last 12 months and yet not the Best Animated Film because there's no real reason to separate animations except to recognise films that wouldn't otherwise be recognised. So that's what I did. Toy Story 3 holds its own against any of the other sterling contenders of the year, and it won't win Best Picture at the Kodak Theatre.

The only other thing to discuss about the list is my placing The King's Speech below The Social Network. I maintain that The Social Network defines the last decade, like Wall Street and Network defined decades beforehand. Films like that don't tend to win outright though- The King's Speech is still a favourite of mine over it, and it's almost certain to win big on Sunday. Whether you like the list or not, Toy Story 3 still trumps the lot.

Winner- Toy Story 3

Join us next year for the 3rd Annual Mad Prophet Awards, where there still won't be any "sweeps" like in those other, boring awards ceremonies. Not unless Deathly Hallows Part II actually has sex with my brain, anyhoo.

The Mad Prophet #100 (Kind Of)

This is as close to celebratory as I get.

I've been keeping count even after I axed the numbering in the titles, and by my reckoning, this is the 100th post since I stole adopted Howard Beale's moniker back in August last year. Some of you may not have been reading that long, but some may have been around since the very first post at this blog, my review of The Dark Knight over two years ago now... what do you want, a cookie?

Things have changed- I've found a rhythm and settled into it, kind of. Posting remains sporadic, opinions remain ranty and "Mark Kermode" is still the reason most of you found this site, according to my search stats. In the shadow of his flappy hands, I still stand, and so it's difficult to know how to commemorate 100 Mad Prophet posts. And then I realised a list would probably do it.

In 100 posts as the Mad Prophet, I've never actually told you what my favourite films of all time are. I've mentioned one or two here and there, but having not seen every single film ever made, I've been reluctant to share my own worthless ramblings about my personal favourites. But hey, you're here for the ramblings, so here are my top ten favourite films ever.

10. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Coen, 1998)

 
Um, what? Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski loses a good rug when mistaken for his millionaire namesake, and as he and his bowling team try to get compensation, they become embroiled in a bizarre conspiracy involving Mrs. Lebowski.

Why for? Star Jeff Bridges recently compared this film to The Godfather, and although I like this more, the comparison with that film's reputation stands up. Making a modest showing on its original release, it's now the cult classic equivalent of Francis Ford Coppola's epic. Always funny, always quotable, and frankly, I've always thought this was the Coens' best work, rather than Fargo. Gee, this turned into Mark's Unpopular Opinions quite quickly. 

9. CINEMA PARADISO (Tornatore, 1988)

 
Um, what? A filmmaker reminisces upon his childhood in his local church, which doubles for the cinema in his small town, when he receives word that the venerable projectionist has passed away.

Why for? To me, it's the quintessential film for film lovers. Some may be alienated by the sentimentality towards celluloid pleasures, but then these people are soulless. So if you're not a zombie, Tornatore's ode to a bygone age of cinema is as heartwarming as they come, and dammit, I weep every single time I watch it. Ennio Morricone's excellent score and the nigh-on perfect ending see to that. The clip is the former rather than the latter because I don't want to spoil it- go watch the film. 

8. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (Powell and Pressburger, 1946)

 
Um, what? Aviator Peter Carter dies in action during the Second World War, but due to bad weather conditions, he isn't taken into the afterlife right away. In the 20 hours it takes for heaven's administrators to catch up with him, he falls in love, and must make the case that he died too soon if he is to be with her.

Why for? In January, I argued that The Lovely Bones was one of the better films of the year, even though I sort of agreed that Peter Jackson's vision of the afterlife was a little too psychedelic, and overwhelmed by CG. Here's a film that circumvented that by putting the hereafter in black and white to contrast with the technicolour mortal realm. And a high concept makes for the greatest romance of all time, in my humble opinion. Simply enough, they don't make them like this no more...

7. PAN'S LABYRINTH (Del Toro, 2006)


Um, what? In 1944, an oppressed young girl escapes the reality of her brutal stepfather and fascist Spain by entering a dark fantasy world, in which she must pass three gruesome tests in order to prove her royal lineage and reunite with her real father.

Why for? By turns, it's brutal and fantastical- a grown-up genre savvy answer to Alice in Wonderland. Memorable characters and a great script are married perfectly with the splendid visuals. It also boasts The Scariest Movie Monster Ever, as endorsed by your Mad Prophet- see the video above. Del Toro's demented masterpiece.

6. BACK TO THE FUTURE (Zemeckis, 1985)


Um, what? Dr. Emmett Brown invents a time machine, and high school student Marty McFly accidentally drives it back to 1955, meeting his parents when they were his age and jeopardising his own existence in the process.

Why for? If you don't know, get to your local cinema- they're still showing the film's 25th anniversary remastering. For those still with us, films like this are just magical. It's got plotholes you could drive the DeLorean through, but its enduring appeal is down to the fact that it's a sci-fi film about people and romance rather than technobabble and causality, like the kinda inferior Part II. Make like a tree and go watch it.

5. THE DARK KNIGHT (Nolan, 2008)


Um, what? Batman has organised crime on the run in Gotham City until the arrival of the anarchistic Joker. A trifecta is formed between the caped crusader, Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, but all three are tested to their limit by the Joker's campaign of chaos.

Why for? We're two years down the line now, so we've weathered the backlash against this film, and even the insane "making us look bad" machinations of the nutty Nolan fanboys over on the IMDB, so we know by now that this film still has flaws. But you know what? It still doesn't feel like it once you're watching. No comic book movie is this engrossing- it's not what you'd want from a Superman or Spider-Man film, but it's the perfect Batman film, with an unforgettable cast and an aesthetic that still dazzles if you've seen it twice or twenty times.

4. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (Wright, 2004)

 
Um, what? Shaun drives his girlfriend Liz to breaking point with his persistent inertia, and it feels like the world is ending when she dumps him. Then the zombie apocalypse happens, and with the world really ending, he rallies a ramshackle group of survivors to go to the local pub.

Why for? Edgar Wright is one of my favourite directors, but for me, neither of his other films quite match the sheer brilliance of Shaun. Like The Big Lebowski, it's a comedy that is always funny, and one which always has new surprises no matter how many times I see it. Odd then, that it's so difficult to find usable clips on YouTube. Then again, the Don't Stop Me Now dance number/fight scene should be seen in context to be believed.

3. THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (Sargent, 1974)


Um, what? A New York subway train is hijacked by four men, who demand the Mayor pay a million dollar ransom for the passengers. A battle of wills ensues between the hijackers' leader and a transit police lieutenant, as it seems impossible that the robbers could ever escape...

Why for? Unlike Tony Scott's brainless remake, this is an action film with real class. It deploys great actors to perform an excellent script, and for posterity, it shows an immutable New York spirit. While the remake was obviously tinged with post-9/11 context, the passengers are considerably more ballsy in the superior original. Darkly humorous and gripping by turns, it's another film with an unforgettable ending.

2. TOY STORY (Lasseter, 1995)


Um, what?  Hand-me-down cowboy doll Woody rules the roost amongst his fellow toys, a role which is usurped in the wake of their owner's birthday. His favourite gift is a brand-new spaceman action figure, Buzz Lightyear, who quickly becomes more popular than Woody.

Why for? Fun fact- more people find this blog by searching for Toy Story than any other term. That said, at least one of you sick puppies found me by looking for "baby spiters". But I've spoken of my love of the Toy Story trilogy even more than my distaste for Michael Bay, and there's a reason for that. It's a magnificent series, but the one that holds the spot in my top ten is the first one, for all the added nostalgia value it's gathered since my first viewing at the age of 6. Also, it's near enough perfect.

1. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Spielberg, 1981)


Um, what? With the Nazis combing the desert in search of the dangerously powerful Ark of the Covenant, archaeologist Indiana Jones tries to beat them to it, picking up his old flame Marion Ravenwood along the way.

Why for? I feel I've covered this film considerably less, when you account for how it's my favourite film of all time, and all. It has something for everyone, including a career-defining turn by Harrison Ford, and Marion just being the stuff of life-long crushes (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't count). The recent announcement of Star Wars being redone in 3D filled me with dread for the day when Lucasfilm turns on its better franchise once again- if they ever tamper with this, I'm redoubling my efforts to leave the planet. What's to say, except that it's my idea of a perfect movie?
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If you're surprised by my top ten, or want to share your own all-time favourites, why not leave a comment? It's ironic that Network didn't make this list, really- the whole blog is built around that film. Although my list fluctuates, rest assured that it always makes the top twenty if not the top ten...

I'm Mark the mad prophet, and until the 200th post, don't watch anything I wouldn't watch.