Film Reviews: Simon Pegg Week: Day 1: Spaced

“Life just isn't like the movies is it? We're constantly led to believe in resolution in the establishment of the ideal status qua, and it's just not true. Happy endings are a myth. Designed to make us feel better about the fact that life is just another thankless struggle.”

Spaced is a fantastic show. It is sort of like the British equivalent of the Big Bang Theory if you use Douglas Adams logic as if it is like the other show in the sense that they are entirely different. Both shows are about for lack of a better term—nerds. The difference being that Spaced is more focused on the “slacker-nerd” group more common in the late 90’s. I like Spaced a hell of a lot better and it has little to do with the fact that I think Simon Pegg is fucking awesome. Spaced\was the first time that Pegg, Frost, and Wright worked together. Most of you are probably more aware of their first film, Shaun of the Dead.

I also like Spaced better than BBT because I like the references more. Spaced mostly references great films first and foremost. The rest of the references are from video games, some comics, and a few TV references.

Firstly, I highly recommend, if you like Simon Pegg’s work and would like to learn more about him, to read his recently published book Nerd Do Well. It goes into his life as well as his career in more detail than I will. I will add some facts that I learned from his book but if you really want to know everything about all his work, read the book. It is an easy read and entertaining

Before doing Spaced, Pegg had done a few sketch shows such as Big Train, which is almost like a more modern Monty Python’s Flying Circus. He also worked with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost before. The three of them are an unbeatable team who has made three fantastic and flawless films together so far.

Jessica Hynes (Jessica Stevenson) is also a wonderful actor—she like the others, is really dedicated.

Spaced was written by Peg and Hynes who also star as Tim and Daisy who are essentially based off Pegg and Hynes. Pegg’s Character Tim Bisley is a reference to a comic book artist whose name is Simon Bisley. Tim is also a graphic artist and since Simon Pegg plays Tim Bisley, it is also a pun and a reference.

There is just something about Spaced that makes me happy every time I watch it. Maybe it is the nerd in me.

The other characters along with Tim and Daisy have something to do with it. The acting on all accounts is superb and the characters are fully fleshed out.

Nick Frost’s character ‘Mike’ is based off a character idea that he always had.

Martha’s character is based off the voice of the actor’s old landlord and off this drunk woman she met in Greece. Martha is just great

The character of Brian and Tyres I can easily sum up with clips from YouTube.

Brian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhUMRgZjKr8

Tyres: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y54jev1Uyao&feature=fvst

Also, let’s not forget about one of many people’s other favorite characters, Colin. Colin is the miniature-schnauzer owned by Tim and Daisy, played by the dog, Aida. Pegg loved Aida so much that he now has a miniature-schnauzer of his own called Minni.

The show also has a great feel to it. Though it is essentially a comedy, like real life it does have serious and down moments to it. And even though it is a comedy I would not call it a sitcom like Big Bang Theory is. First off, Spaced has no audience laugh tracks. Secondly, since it is filmed in Britain, it is not censored.

The show has a great soundtrack bringing in pieces from everywhere that perfectly fit the tone of each scene and the same goes for the sound effects.

Edgar Wright is a brilliant director and like so many great director’s, he is a perfectionist. Pegg and Wright are a great team and Frost adds more greatness to them. The cinematography is Spaced is amazing as well—Wright knows what we wants out of a shot.

Also, there is a character that appears in only one episode who, for those of you who enjoy British comedy might recognize, Vulva is played by David Walliams who later will go on to do Little Britain

Most of Pegg’s fellow actors are usually in several of his films along with him—even in the films that Wright and Frost do not do with Pegg, (they always work together when Pegg has a story in mind), and you will see people from Spaced and previous films. Also almost all of them have appeared on Doctor Who including the actors who play Shaun’s parents.

Overall, Spaced is a fantastic work of art that all nerds, geeks, and dorks will enjoy as well as cinemaphiles. I highly recommend it with a 5 out of 5 rating.

Check out the DVD documentary Skip to the End to find out where Tim and Daisy are now.

Film Reviews: Run, Lola, Run (Lola Rennt)

“Did you run all the way here?”

"The breathless pace of Run Lola Run is positively exhausting, stimulating and inspiring." (filmsondisc.com)

Dedicated to Paul Nnodim

Hello. I am back. I know it has been awhile since my last review. I took a break during winter vacation and then when I got back some stuff happened and I did not really feel like blogging but I am back

The first time I heard about this film was about three years ago when, bored one day, decided to watch I Love The 90’s, and there was a segment on this film. However, I wouldn’t see it until a year later in my German Philosophy course.

Run Lola Run is one of my favorite films of all time. The actual title is Lola Rennt, which translates as ‘Lola Runs’. RLR is a German film that came out in 1998. It was written and directed by Tom Tykwer and is his masterpiece. The film stars Franka Potente as Lola and Mortiz Bleibtreu as her boyfriend Manni. Filmed on location in Berlin.

The essential plot of the film is that due to a series of unfortunate events, Manni is potentially in a heap of trouble with an organized crime syndicate. Lola didn’t pick him up at the meeting place because her moped was stolen and so Manni took the subway where he lost a bag full of money that he was delivering to his boss and he now has only 20 minutes to find 100,000 Marks ($60,000) or else he is dead. The rest of the plot is Lola desperately trying to acquire the money to save her boyfriend.

However, though this is the plot, it is essentially not, what the film is about. On the surface, this seems to be a crime thriller or action flick but that is far from the case. In truth, the work is an existential film focusing on the nature of time and second chances. The films creative story draws on three films. One well-known classic that the other two films also draw on is Rashomon. This story we have all seen in some form—one story told from several perspectives suggesting that the nature of truth could be subjective. The second film is Blind Chance, which shows the same story happening three different times with slight differences that affect the outcome greatly. Finally the film Sliding Doors which came out the same year as RLR (though RLR is exceedingly better) which shows the same story from essentially two different universes.

I really do not want to give too much away because I could easily break the film down scene by scene and explain its genius, however, that could potentially spoil it for most who have not seen it. I will go into further detail though. The film is 80 minutes long and those 80 minutes are broken down into sections. The first is the opening credits and introduction along with the set up of the plot. Then there are three 20 minutes segments, which are the same twenty minutes in time with different outcomes. In-between these segments are flashback scenes filmed in red to distinguish them as well as express the importance of love as a factor in the film, which are about 1-2 minutes each. Finally, there is the conclusion and credits, which make up the final six minutes.

The film’s point is focused on the cliché of ripples in the pond, the butterfly effect, etc—that the littlest of things can make the biggest differences. Lolo tries to get the money and save Manni three times which means she obviously fails the first two times (I’m not going to disclose if she is successful in the end). However, unlike Blind Chance or Sliding Doors, Lola remembers each of the twenty minutes and the film hints at this in a few subtle but important ways. For Lola, the entire film is linear and so it has been an hour for her, but for Manni, it has just been twenty minutes, which is similar to a later film the most likely was inspired by RLR, Groundhog’s Day.

Tom Tykwer does some wonderful things with the cinematography. Run, Lola, Run has almost every artistic style of camera work thrown into it, each for something particular. All the flashback scenes where Lola and Manni are explaining what happened in the beginning are all in black and white to make a distinction in time. Certain crucial scenes are shot in split-screen to emphasize and build tension. Digital camera are also used for a few scenes to show that they are not part of the main story but are important in affecting the main story and the eventual outcome of the 20 minutes. For the rest of the film 35mm cameras are used. During many scenes, Tykwer uses snorkel camera, which gives the scenes a great movement effect. There are also a few birds-eye-shots. Tykwer also uses still photography for future events and outcomes. Each time Lola goes through the 20 minutes she encounters a few characters that she affects. Despite only touching their lives for less than five seconds, their lives are significantly altered. Tykwer ends the film with this photograph effect but only shows us the first picture rather than showing us what is now in-store for Lola and Manni.

The sounds to the film are also a component of the overall effect of the film. For example, when Lola is running through all the people she could go to for help in the beginning and thinking about who would be best, if you pay close attention, we hear the sound of a roulette wheel, which is symbolic of her choosing a person, but also is very significant to the events in the third 20 minutes. The main soundtrack is mostly sung by Franka Potente, which gives us a bit of insight into Lola’s thoughts as she is running because even when we are panicked our minds are never on just one thing. The music also has a panicked and adrenaline feel to it which fits perfect for the pace of the movie and really gets your heart beating in sync with Lola’s.

There are a few things to pay attention to. A few events do not change for any of the segments. These are fixed either points that happen without Lola doing something different, or things that cannot be changed. Try to spot them. One of them is very important. There is a further sub-message about the passage of times in regards to a woman outside the bank in the first 20 minutes. At first she is blurred and in the distance and she is played by a young woman. However, once she is next to Lola, we see she is played by an elderly woman. One final thing to pay attention to that few people ever make the connection, is that the man who in the beginning stole Lola’s moped is the man on the moped in the third sequence and the theme of Karma is introduced which one could suggest is another theme of the film.

One more thing, the credits at the end go from top to bottom rather than the standard bottom to top which is cool and could further be a critique on time and space

Run, Lola Run is a flawless film. It is aesthetically pleasing, it sounds great, and the sound, camera work, and everything else, line up perfectly with each other to form a genius work of art. The film is so straightforward despite its not entirely linear plot, that the dialogue is essentially unnecessary. That is not to say the script is written badly—the script is also fantastic and the love scenes are especially dependant on dialogue and that dialogue is important to the overall film. What I mean is that if you watch it without subtitles or dubbing you can still fully understand the films plot and message. Speaking of which, if you ever buy the DVD use the subtitles and not the dubbing because the dubbing sound ridiculous. The voices do not match the bodies at all in the right way and the dialogue is changed in stupid ways that I feel takes away from the film. I love the existential heavy message of the movie. The acting is phenomenal and there is nothing one could argue was ineffective in the film or lacking. Even though it is not mathematically possible, I give Run, Lola, Run 6 out of 5 stars!

P.S be on the look-out for Simon Pegg week!

©2010-2012 ~ZeTrystan---(Picture)

Women and Philosophy: The Beckdale Test

Welcome all to the first edition of a new philosophic category on my blog. Like with music and philosophy, this too is for a class. However, instead of music, I will be discussing women. Anyone who reads my blog knows I am a fan of film and the genre of film is a great medium to discuss not only philosophical points but also women and so today’s blog is about film.

Rather than be a about a particular film, I will be discussing the issue of the Beckdale test. The Beckdale test was first created in a comic called Dykes to Look Out For and the first film they mention that passes it is Aliens although Alien also passes.

Here is how the test works: watch a movie, any movie, or even a particular episode of a television series, and then see if it fits the following criteria:

1)      There are at least two female characters that are credited with actual names so it does not count if they are called “female officer 1” or “girl at diner”.

2)      Any two named female characters must then at some point in the film have a conversation with each other.

3)      This conversation must last at least 45 seconds…

4)      …and it must be on any topic other than boys, men, or males in general.

It is in fact quite scary to discover just how few films pass this test. This test does not prove that a movie is bad or sexist, chauvinistic, or anti-feminist. There are plenty of masterpiece films that do not pass the test simply because the plot never allows for it. However, it is a very each fix. Some films, but not all could easily switch the gender roles of characters and it would be fine. This of course only applies to films where the gender of certain characters really does not matter. Although that raises the question of “should it ever even really matter?” The real problem is not that every film passes this test but that films are made typically centered around male characters and male stories and plots. Even certain films in which the main title character is female and the film for the most part follows her around, fail the test. Take for example Run, Lola, Run (which coincidentally will be the next film I review. I promise I will start doing zombie films again also). RLR is a fantastic masterpiece of existential and empirical bliss. I can honestly say it is in my top-five-favorite-movies-of-all-time-list. However, it fails. Of course, Lola never talks to any character really for more than five minutes and the film is not exactly dialogue driven but the fact still remains. Again, the point is not that these failing the test makes these films bad or anything like that—it simply makes one think a bit more about popular culture. There are dozens of films where this problem could be erased by switching roles of minor characters or just adding an extra character or something and none of this would ruin the feel fo the film. Some films must fail the test simply because of their plot, theme, and message like the film No Country For Old Men—another fantastic film. If a scene or character was added or a role was reversed in this film, it might take away from the films mood. I am not saying that women in films take away from the film—all I am saying is that in a film about middle-aged men that is a work on middle-aged men encountering certain plot points, it would make little sense to change it. You can even watch it and decide. An example of a great film that I love that fails the test but could have passed it if it wanted to is Dawn of the Dead 1978. In one of the opening scenes when Fran is in the television newsroom, she interacts with many characters and none of the dialogue refers to men. The best way to fix it I can think of it when the one of the crew tells Fran they are shutting down later so it is okay if she leaves, the cameraman could easily be changed to a female and then given a name with simple dialogue like Fran responding “You sure Jen?” or “ok Ruth” or something simple like that.

What can we do about this? We can always make a few more female centered films, which would not only solve this problem but the simple bigger problem that not many films still today are female centered.

In addition, I challenge you to:

Go watch your favorite film and see if it passes

If you are a film lover like me, own a ton of DVD’s that you have seen countless times, and think you can remember without re-watching them if they pass, go thru your collection and see how many out of how many pass.

Determine which films that fail, regardless of how great they are, could not be altered to pass the test such as NCFOM.

Feel free to report back with your findings and leave them in your comments.