Collection Update (December 2014 part 1)

How time can fly. It has been a year since my last collection update and having bought more then a small number of films this year I have decided to split this up over the next few weeks in several different posts. Due to the number of release I will only be commenting on specific releases that I fell attention should be brought to. So without further adieu part one of this rather massive collection update.

The film from the above which was easily among the larger surprises of the year was Blue is The Warmest Color. With near universal  acclaim it was a film that I found to be an overly long and bloated film that had plenty of potential that I didn't fell was realized (click here to see my full review). As a fan of Spike Jonze I was very happy to pick up Being John Malkovich which is a film that comes with my highest recommendation. Likewise Edge of Tomorrow was possibly the nicest surprise of the year. I wasn't expecting much and what I got was a tremendous sci fi action film with superb 3d.

Her is another film by Spike Jonze that I can't recommend highly enough. At times purposefully awkward, at other times bitter sweet. It is a film that on paper would likely appear to be a disaster waiting to happen. However thanks to some brilliant direction, acting and of course writing it stunningly is easily amongst the better films of recent memory. Catching Fire is another film I would highly recommend and the blu-ray alternates between it's scope ratio and 1.78:1 (full screen) for the imax scenes which is present throughout the entire time spent in the arena. Sadly the blu-ray does have some flaws, most notably is the film seems bit starved and thus some obvious and ugly banding is sadly present. Of note is this is the American release (which is region locked). The local Australian release does not alternate aspect ratios which some may prefer (especially those with CIH setups).

Whilst the sequel Silent Hill revelation was a travesty (click here to see my full review), the first Silent Hill is personal favourite of mine. Unfortunately the only competent blu-ray release is the French edition which I took the plunge and bought. It not only is the only release approved by the director it is the only one that doesn't have risen black levels that starves the image of any 'pop' resulting in a murky mess (the darkest black appears to be light grey). Thankfully the French release does justice to the film and its gorgeous cinematography. Likewise Super is a film by the director of Guardians of the Galaxy that few seem to have seen. It's premise is very similar to that of the first Kick-Ass film. It however doesn't drop the idea of a nobody trying to act like a super hero in favour of having 'real heroes' (such as Big Daddy and Hit Girl). This is most apparent in the final act and is a film I would recommend to those who are fans of the first Kick-Ass film.

La vie d'Adèle (Blue is the Warmest Color) Review

Now an undeniable critic darling, Blue is the Warmest Color released to universal acclaim and seeks to tell a coming of age story whilst following Adèle a young woman over the course of several years. The film largely focuses on Adèle and is a coming of age story about longing and love and is portrayed via Adele’s relationship with Emma.

Much of the dialogue and interactions in Blue is the Warmest Color are tedious and bloated. The most notable example of this are the now infamous sex scenes (one of which last for over six minutes and fails to portray the passion the characters supposedly fell for one another that other films have done with singular shots that last but a few seconds). Likewise sub plots are introduced to be simply forgotten by the time the next scene arrives and in spite of its three hour run time, Blue is the Warmest Color on several occasions also fails to provide necessary information until after it is needed to understand exactly why what is occurring on screen is happening. Had the information that had been skipped simply been minor details, or had withholding the information been able to successfully add something to the film I would understand. But as it is presented it comes across as nothing more than an oversight by the film makers, who whilst I am certain had their reasons, these reasons are unclear and only succeeded in causing confusion instead of being able to understand the reasons behind such scene.

To make matters worse is whilst the films takes places over several years the pacing of time is often unclear and occasionally unknowable. Instead of simply prompting the viewer with a message such as “two years later” or similar, Blue is the Warmest Color simply skips forward in time with little to no hint of time passing. This isn’t necessarily an issue if the film is able to successfully convey the passing of time by other means. Blue is the Warmest Color is however not successful in doing this, or more to the point makes little effort to do this. The result is whilst Blue is the Warmest Color does take place over several years you could be forgiving (or even expected) to often not realize when the age of the characters has changed. For instance whilst at a party Adèle says she is a teacher when asked what she does. Whilst at this point we know that the she wants to be a teacher it is unclear whether she is responding honestly and is a teacher, or is simply lying, possibly embarrassed that she is several years younger than her partner Emma (and possibly still at high school). This ambiguity could of course work in the films favor if it had been addressed elsewhere or was used to make a point. It however isn't and the film as a result simply furthers the sense that the film is not only bloated but also fragmented. Likewise when Adèle and Emma first meet Emma states she has and is in a relationship that has been going on for two years, but seemingly soon after they meet they enter a relationship with one another, yet no mention of a break up or similar is made.

Whilst the films aim is clearly to show the growth of Adèle as a person over several years the actress portraying the character fails to portray a complex character that was able to hold my interest. Sure she cries (with overbearing frequency) and smiles when upset or happy, but I found little present in her portrayal that gave a real sense of character. Adèle as a result is a rather flat character that not only looks more or less the same at both the beginning and start of the film, but acts in the same way seemingly having learnt little from her life experiences. Thankfully Léa Seydoux as Emma is successfully able to portray a multi-faceted character (especially in the latter half of the film) that gives the film some emotional weight. However as she is only a supporting character this is far from enough to save what is akin to a sinking ship.

Blue is the Warmest Color has lofty aims that it is unsuccessful in reaching and instead is a bloated, overly long mess. There is the possibility for a great film among the copious bloat and rather weak performance by the lead actress. However as it is in its current form it simply unrealized potential and thus Blue is the Warmest Color does not come recommended. 

Most Anticipated Films for the first half of 2014:

As the new year has now dawned upon us I fell that it is a fitting moment to look forward to my most anticipated films of the first half of 2014. Please note some of these films have been released in 2013 in many places, however if they are on this list they are hear as they being released in the first half of 2014 where I live (Australia). I am certain their are numerous other films that would be able to make it onto this list, but as we move further into the year less and less is known about the films being released and thus my anticipation becomes harder to justify. Hence why I have decided to only include films being released in the first half of 2014.

Blue is the Warmest Color:

I have heard a great number of things about this film and have been recommended it several times. It is only finally getting a release in February of 2014 in Australia and I intend to see it for myself having managed to avoid all but the most basic of details about the film. Simply put my anticipation is based on how strongly some have recommended this film to myself and I intend to remain as oblivious as possible about the film until I am able to view it for myself.

Frances Ha

Whilst Francis Ha has technically been released in Australia as it was part of the Sydney film festival it was not available for myself or the overwhelming majority of Australians. I have recently been noting more mixed reactions to the film and thus am somewhat concerned that the film may not live up to my initial expectations. In any case it is due out on the 8^th of January in Australia, so I won't have a long wait to discover my own thoughts on Frances Ha.

Godzilla:

I must admit I have never been a fan of Godzilla especially after the mess of a film Roland Emmerich released in 1998. However given the director of this new version is Gareth Edwards who recently did the superb Monsters and combine that with a breathtaking trailer and my anticipation is palpable despite my usual indifference to the character.

The Wolf of Wall Street:

Martin Scorsese and near on universal praise is all I need to be sold on seeing this film. Though it's long run time is a concern mostly for pacing reasons. None the less I have little doubt that this will not be an issue as pacing is an area that Scorsese has rarely stumbled. It however is a shame giving how Scorsese has talked about 3d that this film was not shoot in 3d. It would be a very nice change of pace to see 3d used in such a film (especially giving how effective Scorsese was in utilising 3d to enhance the film in Hugo).

X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-men Days of future past is the first of a two film arc and has Brian Singer the director of the first two x-men films return. Personally I would have preferred had Matthew Vaughan (the director of X-men First Class and Kick-Ass) not left, especially as Brian Singers recent films have left me less then thrilled. None the less I can't help but be intrigued by the two different casts being combined into one film. This is especially the case as X-Men First Class was a reboot of the series and the past is not compatible with the back story shown for the initial casts. Hopefully they don't simply ignore these 'inconsistencies' and are able to combine the two into one cohesive whole.