Film Reviews

Stranger Than Fiction

Film Review

Directed by: 

Mark Forster

Starring:

Will Ferrell

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Dustin Hoffman

Emma Thompson

 Stranger Than Fiction is a story about the life of IRS worker Harold Crick (Will Ferrell). One day his life takes a turn. He begins to hear a voice of an author narrating his life and all his actions in his head. At first Harold believes that the voice is following him everywhere and watching everything he is doing. This later change’s when he hears the voice say that he is going to die. Confused and scared of what the voice had stated Harold consults literary teacher Professor Jules Hilbert (Hoffman) who at first thinks he is crazy until Harold says a line which the narration had said “little did he know”.  While trying to cope with the voice, Harold continues to do his job as an IRS agent; this leads him to audit a baker Anne Pascal. At first she loathes him due to the nature of his visit, but as the film continues she begins to fall for him as he try’s to fulfill his life before his predicted death. On a visit to Hilbert’s office, he over hears an old video recording that is playing in his office, of an interview with author Karen Eiffel (Thompson). This then sends him on the path of trying to prevent his death before it’s too late.

To promote the film to a much wider audience, the film has its own small page on the Sony pictures website; however this wasn’t the main point of the social networking promotion. On the Sony pictures page, you can enter the official site for the film via a link. Once on the official page, the promotion of the film really takes its place. Like in the film, the main character Harold is narrated by the voice of Emma Thompson; on the website her voice is narrating your

actions through the descriptions of the mouse. This is a new way of promoting a film, and by doing this way you feel more involved in the

story.

However it’s not just the narrative tie in with the film that makes this sites unique selling point, but the fact that it is totally interactive, allowing you to find out a bit about the film before watching it.

Another part of the film that allows it to sell to a wide audience is its cast and crew. The film is directed by Marc Forster, who has made films such as, Finding Never land and recently, James Bond Quantum of Solace. The cast includes a small yet decent amount of well-known names, such as: Will Farrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman has worked with Marc Forster before in Finding Never land; Forster wanted to use him again because he thought that he was the right person for the role of Hilbert. With this collection of well known actors and the Director, fans of their work would love to see this film to compare to previous work and enjoy another one of their films. Just as a personal view of mine, I believe that this film is Will Farrell’s best performance and is different to the comedic roles he plays. He portrays the character of Harold Crick so well that the audience connects with him on a personal level and care for what the outcome of his fate will be by the end of the film.

 The only intertextual reference in the film is to Star Trek. This is referenced when Harold stays at his friends.  You can tell immediately that star trek is referenced because the apartment is set out like the bridge on the show, the first thing that gives this away, is the first thing you see is Harold’s friend turning the light on and a sound effect from the show is used.

The director Marc Forster was challenging himself a new way to tell a story and a new angle to tell the story, which is definitely shown through the film, by it being completely different to the way normal films are structured and the story being new and different.

Being released in December 2006, I didn’t hear about this film until I picked it up while looking through DVD’s. After the first time of watching the film my first reaction was of amazement, over the many details within the film, the acting, the setting, the effects and most of all the script. The story is very clever and very well structured.

Prometheus Review

Prometheus is the latest film from director Ridley Scott and sees him returning back to the genre that he helped to define.

There has been much speculation surrounding Prometheus to whether or not it is a prequel to Scott’s previous sci fi horror Alien. In two ways yes and no. Where the film is set in the same universe as alien some 80 years before the original film Prometheus sets itself as a stand-alone film to its elderly counterparts. This means that you could go and watch Prometheus without having any prior knowledge to the Alien quadriligy. The film leaves you with a sense of longing discovery, if you haven’t seen Alien this film will set you right up for it. For those who have knowledge of the Alien series, strap in and get ready for one awe-inspiring roller-coaster ride.

The film sets itself up pretty much straight away. We are shown on a planet similar to earth and are introduced to a humanoid like being.  This for those Alien fans out there is what is introduced in the film as an Engineer or on a lighter term a space jockey.  Shortly after this rather puzzling introduction to the film we are sent forewords in time to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Here Elizabeth Shaw (Naomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall Green) find what they perceive to be an “invitation”.

The film then follows through to the introduction of Michael Fassbender’s character of David (A Weyland company cybernetic) roaming the decks of the ship Prometheus. In the short time we have with David before the crew are awoken, we learn a lot about his character, immediately establishing him as an independent being eager to learn, through learning linguistics, quoting the line “ The trick William Potter, is not minding it hurts” from David Leans Lawrence of Arabia based on the writing of T.E Lawrence (Also quoted by Peter Wayland in the Prometheus viral video).

The crew is then brought out of cryo sleep by David and we are introduced to the following cast of Charlize Thereon, Rafe Spall and Idris Elba.  They then receive a briefing from the man/hologram himself Peter Weyland owner and creator of the Weyland group, later to become Weyland Yutani. He accompanied by Shaw and Holloway announce the nature of the mission that they are undertaking.

The ship then lands on the planet, which many speculated to be the famous LV426 but turns out to be LV223.  From here on begins the unfolding rollercoaster of dormant questions answered.

The films genre is a pure science fiction Horror/ thriller. Although it feels like the horror was dulled down only providing a few jumps, but this is made up for in the suspense that the film provides.  The main theme of the film is constantly revolving around evolution and creation. Who created us? This is one of the questions that lead the crew on this interstellar expedition. The theory of evolution is portrayed throughout the course of the film. Life forms evolving in the film and the story evolving itself, giving you something new in each act. The whole theme of evolution is cleverly put across to the audience in a piece of dialogue from Michael Fassbender. “Big things have small begging’s” referring to the creation of life itself. As he is saying this he looks at the small droplet of black liquid upon the tip of his finger. Now if you have seen the trailer or any film poster for Prometheus you will have seen the line of vase looking eggs. The liquid comes from within these. This liquid acts as an evolutionary agent driving the plot and cycle of life forwards through out the film. Yet is this liquid good or harmful?. That’s for you to find out in the film.

The main character of the film is Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace). However she is unlike Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) from the previous films. Ripley effectively gained a male persona from becoming the tough women and breaking away from being innocent. Shaw starts off as the innocent archeologist but becomes more independent, knowledgeable and confident than tough, keeping her own individual persona.

The look of Prometheus is visually stunning. With breathtaking locations, carefully crafted set pieces and ships. Riddley has spent a great attention to detail of how he wants his film to look visually to help drive the story through and through.

Yet despite all of this there were at times, parts of the film that brought the tension down. Long drawn dialogue scenes between characters, predictable plot devices.  However little these mishaps are impacted on the overall viewing experience of the film. Though it is made up for in the films final act.

Within this is the tense action that the very first trailer for the film sold for me and many other alike. The rollercoaster ride then comes to an end within the films final minutes, but wait there’s more. The film sets itself up for a sequel. Riddley Scott himself has stated that if Prometheus does well in the box office, then he will start on the second film. Yet if in the event there isn’t a sequel its put the ending in away that you can clearly imagine the events leading up to the original alien film.  The final part of the film comes right after this and is the icing on the cake and what fans have been long waiting for…

Overall this Prequel or stand alone film, gives itself a whole new dimension in which to speculate the themes of evolution and creation put across in the film, answering long awaited questions surrounding the alien series. It does lack tension and scene jumpers at some points but not enough to take you away from the gripping story.  With this being said I would easily award this film a 9 out of 10, only shy of being a full 10 because of these issues. I can easily see this film doing well at the box-office; gaining old fans and new fans that can revisit the Alien series. There’s much to look foreword to in years to come if Prometheus 2 is announced, as David says “Big things have small begging’s”