hesir's movie list

I’m a movie fan: I trained as an animator and always wanted to get into making films. I’ve done bits and pieces, working on a short film as Props buyer and stand-by art director, and supplying concept designs for a kids TV series… I also keep trying to finish the various scripts either stashed in a suitcase at the foot of my bed or tucked away online… who knows maybe one day ~Cosmonautmonk and I will finish "Frozen Tears" and get to live ostentatiously of the huge box office proceeds.

Until then these are some of my favourite movies by other people (I’ll get around to putting all the details and links up soon I hope):

…

“The Fisher King” – dir, Terry Gilliam - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Romance/Fantasy/A redemption movie set in modern New York.)
This is without doubt or reservation my all time favourite movie. The script just about covers everything I have wanted to say (in those situations) and haven’t said, and have said and regretted… brilliantly written, and superbly adapted by Gilliam… Worth seeing if only for the scene in Grand Central Station that was shot in one take (apparently)… oh and there's an uncredited Tom Waits in the same scene…

“Delicatessen” - dir, Jean-Pierre Jeunet - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Dark Fantasy/A strange little french movie set in a post-apocaliptic guest house)
I fell in love with the title sequence of this movie... I then lifted the style to use on my stop-motion graduation animation's titles.
Jeunet's obsession with water (he uses it for dramatic/cinematographic effect in all his movies) is shown at its most creative here, if you've not seen this movie, rent it. If only for the ludicrous escape scene... no, the great musical sex scene (which he lifted and reused in Amelie)... no wait, the playing the saw scene... no wait, aw hell, just rent the movie already.

“Gladiator” – dir, Ridley Scott
(Genre/Category ~ Historical/Sword & Sandal/Roman Epic)
Epic... I went to see this at the cinema so many times... It's a guy movie, it's about honour and friendship, and looking after the people that trust you... all wrapped up in a cracking (and beautifully filmed) action movie... If you can, watch the extended scenes on the DVD as they add to the movie, two extras in particular, the first showing Maximus visiting his wounded soldiers in the field hospital before having to talk with the prim and protected politicians... and the other the scene with Commodus's archer firing-squad, which shows him at his most bonkers...

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” -
(Genre/Category ~ Romance/SF-Fantasy)
This is a painful movie to watch, but beautiful none the less... It's a story about grief and the wierd ability we have to remain in love with people dispite distances and even emnity... all wrapped up in a thin SF package... It is also probably Jim Carey's best movie (in my opinion obviously) and Kate Winslet and her changing hair colour (I'm not even going to touch that symbolism) is at once perfectly adorable and infuriating, you'd almost think you were in the relationship with her yourself... Oh and Check out the Hobbit - He's even more evil in this movie than in Sin City.

“Brotherhood of the Wolf” - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Historical/Martial-arts/Action/Fantasy/French Fairytale)
Whats that? A pre-French revolution/martial arts/werewolf movie with an abandoned underground Templar training facility, native american bodyguards and subtle fairytale symbolism? Why that must be all the food groups... This is great, Vincent Cassel and his wife Monica Bellucci are great as the evil prince and the local brothel's Madame/(SPOILER: Pope's assassin)... The Sam Raimi style camera work at the beginning was cool, and the lush/rainy scenery is beautiful... I couldn't beleive what I was seeing, especially since the film is supposedly about a man hired to drain fenland!

“High Fidelity” - st, John Cusack; Jack Black; Tim Robbins.
(Genre/Category ~ Romantic Comedy/Guy Movie with great music)
Another guy movie... It's about relationships, break-ups and the fact that guys love lists, especially in times of emotional stress... Great casting in this movie... then anything with both John Cusack and his sister in it is always worth watching (see "Gross Point Blank" also).

"Living in Oblivion" dir, Tom DiCillo; st, Steve Buscemi
[link]
(Genre/Category ~ Indie/Comedy/Film-makers in-jokes etc)
If you have worked in film/television or you are at film school, have been to film school, or are thinking about it... see this movie. It's too clever for it's own good, and Buscemi turns in a stella role as the director of a low budget movie who is thwarted at every turn by his crew and his complex relationship with the leading lady... A superb, often missed, tiny little gem.

"The Thirteenth Warrior"
(Genre/Category ~ Historical/Fantasy/A reworking of Beowulf)

“A Company of Wolves” -
(Genre/Category ~ Fantasy/Horror/Fairytale)

“The City of Lost Children” -
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky Post-industrial Fantasy)

"Quills"
(Genre/Category ~ Historical/Indie)

“Amelie” or "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poutin" -
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky Fantasy Romance/French Indie)

"Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead"
(Genre/Category ~ Shakespearean/Historical/Comedy)

“Le Bossu” - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Historical/Swordplay/French)

"Being Human" -
(Genre/Category ~ Indie/Historical to Modern Day Redemption Movie)

"Gattaca" - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Indie/Near-future SF)

"Being John Malkovich"
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky Fantasy/Comedy)

"Dangerous Liasons"
(Genre/Category ~ Historical/Romance)

"La Reine Margot" - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Historical and bloody/Political Intrigue/Action/Romance)

"Angel Heart" -
(Genre/Category ~ Horror/Detective Movie with a great bluesy soundtrack)

"The Horseman on the Roof"
(Genre/Category ~ French Napoleonic/Historical/Action/Romance)

"Beautiful Girls" -
(Genre/Category ~ Comedy/Romance/A return-to-hometown/School reunion redemption movie)

“Doberman” -
(Genre/Category ~ Bonkers and Violent French Action/Robbery Movie)

"Dog Soldiers" -
(Genre/Category ~ Excellent Low Budget Horror)

"The Big Lebowski" - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky Comedy)

“Unbreakable” -
(Genre/Category ~ Low Key Action movie with a twist so I can't put the other catagory in...)

“A Very Long Engagement” -
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky WWI Epic Romance)

“The Emperor and the Assassin” - [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Chinese Historical Epic)
A friend and I saw this at Cinema City in Norwich, a little Art Cinema with uncomfortable seats but great screenings. When I came out all I could think was "That is what The Phantom Menace should have been like". Huge in scale, but without losing subtlety or detail, character based, emotive and powerful in its statements about war, greed and honour. It covers some of the same ground that the more recent "Hero" covers and though it is less cinematographically beautiful, its is more coherent and believable. I prefer it.

“IrmaVep” -
(Genre/Category ~ Curious Anglo-French Indie)

“Donnie Darko” -
(Genre/Category ~ Low Key/Curious US Timetravel/Fantasy/Horror movie)

“Chasing Amy” -
(Genre/Category ~ Indie/Comedy/Romance/Comic Books/Gender issues)

“Ghostdog” -
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky Hitman Movie)

“Adaptation” -
(Genre/Category ~ Indie/Comedy/Film-makers in-jokes etc)

“Silverado” -
(Genre/Category ~ All-star cast Western)

“Ronin” -
(Genre/Category ~ US - but with a French indie feel - Spy/Action movie)

“The Incredibles” –
(Genre/Category ~ Superhero/Comedy/Action/CG animation)
As much as I liked the previous animations from (the unrivalled) Pixar, I had never quite got over the hurdle of the cute furry, cute object etc as protagonist… This is their first outing using human characters for a main feature – and it works. I’m a geek and I read comics, I hate seeing the badly researched/un-empathic “parodies” of the superhero genre, and thankfully so must the guys and girls who worked on this movie.
Brad Bird has made a way better (and more heartfelt) family-fantastic movie than Marvel did (even after seeing this –how?). It’s also probably one of the better James Bond movies I’ve seen… Brave too, considering the whole movie is essentially about the responsibility that comes with great power… as it was released during the last US election run-up.

“A Touch of Evil” -
(Genre/Category ~ Low Key, Film Noir Classic - b/w)

“Leon” -
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky Hitman/Action Movie)

“The Vikings” -
(Genre/Category ~ Historical Epic)

“Gross Point Blank” -
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky Hitman/Action/Return-to-hometown/School reunion redemption movie)

“Near Dark” -
(Genre/Category ~ Horror/Vampire Movie)

“Clerks” -
(Genre/Category ~ Low Key/Indie/Comedy b/w)

"Nikita" -
(Genre/Category ~ Quirky French Hit(wo)man/Action/Romance)

"O Brother Where Art Thou" -
(Genre/Category ~ Prison Break Movie set in the 30's/a loose musical reworking of Homers Odessey/Road movie)

"La Haine" -
(Genre/Category ~ Violent French Gangster Movie)

"Dead Ringers" -
(Genre/Category ~ Disturbing Psychological Horror about gynaecology and the relationships of identical twins?!?)

“Bringing up Baby” -
(Genre/Category ~ Classic Screwball Comedy b/w)

“Nightwatch/ Nochnoy dozor” [link]
(Genre/Category ~ Russian Horror Movie)
…………………

Stuff I’m looking forward to seeing…

“The Fountain”
“Tideland”
“King Kong” - [link]
“Mirrormask” - [link]
"Immortel " - Enki Bilal, check out these visuals from it... [link]
Sturla Gunnarsson's "Beowulf & Grendel (due 2006) [link]
Robert Zemeckis’s "Beowulf" (due 2007) [link] (Neil Gaiman has a writer’s credit on this one!?!)

I'VE NOW SEEN MOST OF THIS... UPDATE IMMINENT

...

TV? Well I don't own one but... stuff I've enjoyed?

The new BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA rocked...

DEXTER Seasons 1 - 3

DEADWOOD Seasons 1 -3

LIE TO ME

SPOOKS 1 -7

ROME 1 + 2

TRUEBLOOD if only for the titles (same applies to Dexter)

VINCENT (great detective show with Ray Winston set in Manchester)

I need to add more to this... UPDATE IMMINENT



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Cool animation stuff on the web:

Tony Millionaire's "Maakies comic strips are harsh and melancholy in that order... his animated version are in colour... it's the only difference. [link]

........

Enjoy,

h.

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Some other film/animation links:

Cinema City Norwich (Local Arts Cinema) - [link]
Norwich Animation Festival - [link]
Animation World Network - Animation World Network
Norwich School of Art and Design (animation courses) - [link]