Films I've seen recently.

Small scale research project

For my research, I plan to look at how violence is presented in the films of Quentin Tarantino. 




Main focus film

• Reservoir Dogs

Support films

• Kill Bill Vol. 1
• Death Proof (or Inglorious Basterds)

Resources

• Tarantino books from college library
• Tarantino DVD boxset

Films I've seen recently

Shifty - This isn't the kind of film I tend to like, I found this too boring. I didn't feel anything towards the characters, therefore didn't care what happened to them. 

Reservoir Dogs - Wow, I can't believe I hadn't seen this sooner. I was gripped throughout the whole film and I loved the order of the narrative. Also, I'll never hear the song 'Stuck in the Middle With You' in the same way again.

The Good Night - I'd be lying if I said I watched this for any reason except Simon Pegg. So I was disappointed because his character wasn't even likeable! I haven't been this bored watching a film for a long time, so just never watch this film.

Paul - I've been looking forward to this for a while, because I'm a huge fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It was much funnier than I'd expected, and Paul is such a great character! However, it definitely is missing that Edgar Wright touch, because I felt the direction wasn't as fast paced as it could have been. Still, loved it.
























Rec 2 - I loved Rec, and this sequel didn't disappoint, surprisingly! It takes place not long after the first film, but features a different group of people trying to survive in an apartment building with zombie-like creatures. It's filmed with a camcorder so that makes it a lot scarier.

From Dusk Till Dawn - What an odd film. It starts off like Pulp Fiction (and coincidentally, Tarantino acts in this film) but halfway through turns into a vampire movie! It's all a bit ridiculous but it was entertaining nonetheless. 




























Fargo - I loved this, mainly for Frances McDormand's character, Marge. She's so positive in such a grim situation. 

The Social Network - I've been wanting to see this since it came out but for some reason never got round to it! So I bought it on DVD and absolutely loved it. I remember hearing about 'a Facebook movie being in production' and thinking that it would be terrible, but then of course I heard it's directed by David Fincher who has directed so many amazing films. There's a lot of young acting talent in it as well! And the soundtrack is very subtle but beautiful.

True Grit - Completely deserved the Oscar nominations. Hailee Steinfeld is clearly going to do great in the future, I see her as the new Natalie Portman. Jeff Bridges was great too, obviously, but sometimes it was difficult to understand what he was saying! 

Films I've seen recently

The King's Speech - Really enjoyable film. It was much more light-hearted than I expected, and I was laughing quite a lot. Colin Firth is brilliant, it must have been a difficult character to play. I think it's worthy of all the awards it's winning/being nominated for, but I hope it doesn't win all the awards.



















District 9 - I wish I'd seen this sooner. I loved this film for many reasons; the way it was filmed, the situation, the "prawns". I've never felt so much sympathy for an alien before!








Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - This film was nothing special. I felt like there wasn't much more they could get from these same characters, and half an hour into the film it was all getting a bit repetitive.










Black Swan - My favourite film of 2011 so far. I loved everything about it. The cinematography was beautiful, as was the music. Natalie Portman was flawless and the ending left me shaking (I get too emotionally attached in some films) I have high hopes for it at the Oscars on Sunday.




Withnail & I - I've been trying to watch all the "cult comedy" films, so I recorded this when it was on TV the other week. It was very grim but also hilarious at times. I wasn't paying attention completely but I still think it was a great film. 












Psycho - This was the 1998 remake, which wasn't terrible, it just seemed a bit pointless. It used the same shots, the same script, the same music, and I don't understand why they felt they had to remake it when the original is brilliant. If anything, watching it made me think "I need to watch the original again, or instead of this".
Never Let Me Go - I've been looking forward to this film for a long time, since reading the book and loving it. I heard there was an advanced screening of it 5 days before the UK release, so I went to that, and it was followed by a satellite Q&A with the author Kazuo Ishiguro which was interesting. I absolutely loved it, and it's a shame that it's going so unnoticed by audiences and the Oscars. It's one of the most heartbreaking films I've ever seen and Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield are brilliant in it. 

Shifty - Personal Response

I don't have a lot to say about this film. I thought it was alright, but I definitely would not want to pay to see it. Considering the low budget, it was well made, but unfortunately I didn't find there was anything keeping me interested.  I wouldn't recommend it.

Slumdog Millionaire - Personal Response

I've seen this film two times already, and I had never liked it that much. However, on this viewing I liked it a lot more, I'm not sure why, maybe I was just feeling a lot more open-minded. What really caught my interest this time was the soundtrack. It compliments the urban feel to the film and I really loved it. The plot is great and very in-depth, and all the young actors played their parts well.

The Damned United - Personal Response

I was reluctant to watch this film, the reason being that the subject of football simply bores me. For the first hour of the film, I wasn't interested at all However, in the last half an hour, the film focused more on the relationship between Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, rather than the football aspect and I was much more engaged with the film. The performances were great, especially because the end credits showed clips of the real Brian Clough, and we could see how well Michael Sheen did copying his accent and manner.