DeathNote
DeathNote is a 2 part japanese film that was made into a live action movie since the extremely popular deathnote 
anime series.
Directed by Shusuke Kaneko, It is about a boy who has the power to kill anyone he likes given their name and what they look like, he uses his power to rid criminals from the world to make it a perfect world and to be seen as a god himself, but he is being hunted down by a very clever detective.
Deathnote: this is the first movie of the two, a straight A student “Light Yagami” (played by ” Tatsuya Fujiwara”) Who discovers a mysterious notebook, the “deathnote”. It had been dropped by a bored Shinigami (death god) who was tired of his own realm and decided to see what a human would do with the deathnote to keep him entertained.
The rules are : only people who touch the deathnote can see the shinigami & you can only kill a person if you know their name and have their facial image in your head at the time.
Light quickly jumps into using the deathnote for what he thinks is good, he wishes to rid the world of criminals and make it a perfect world But as he gets carried away, he soon realises he’s in way over his head. his actions draw the attention of the japanese police department who are headed by lights father. but they have not the slightest clue as to how someone could be doing what light is secretly doing to the world. Light also attracts the attention of one other… he goes by the name of “L” (played by “Kenichi matsuyama”) and from what people know as he has never revealed his face to anyone or true identity, people know “L” as the greatest detective in the world. A race soon breaks out between the two masterminds, “L” trying to find out who is killing all these people and how, and “Light” tries to find out the real identity of “L” so he can kill him before he catches him.
Death note II the last name : The second movie continues in “L” and “Lights” race for life and justice. But someone with a second notebook has shown up, “L” asks “Light” to join him in trying to catch the second killer ( “L” being unaware that light is the first killer he’s trying to catch).
What i love about these movies is all twists and how things are played out.
and it really keeps you hooked in, it bassically wants you to take sides, whether you prefer the aspect of “Light” or “L”. What would you do if you found a “Deathnote”?
StarWars
Starwars Written by “George Lucas” is probably one of the largest, most common and well known science fiction saga’s to date, it has raked together approximately $4.41 billion alltogether Making it the third highest grossing film series.
The First film of the Saga titled “starwars” Was released in 1977, and really kick started the whole Starwars franchise as it
became a “pop culture phenomenon”. The following 6 six years after the release of the first starwars movie released two sequels, ” the empire strikes back” & “return of the jedi”. But these were numbers 4, 5 and 6 in the saga… It was a staggering sixteen years until they finally released The first starwars film “the phantom menace” and once again in 3 year intervals we were given number two ” the clone wars” and The final one of the saga to be released ” revenge of the sith”, Released in 2005.
Starwars takes place in a fictional galaxy home to many strange alien creatures, there are also robot droids that were usually built to serve their masters and many planets in the galaxy are a part of a galactic republic. All six films focus on a war going on throughout the galaxy between the “jedi” and the “sith”, Jedi being good & and the sith being evil, both of these factions have a special ability known as “the force”, it can be used in the form of telekenesis, clairvoyance, Mind control it can also increase physical traits such as speed and reflexes.
The main story of the first 3 released films follows a boy named Luke skywalker who discovers that he his a decendent of a jedi knight and takes the path of training to become a jedi and to learn the “ways of the force”, amongst his vast training and endless travelling he gets caught up in the galactic war and discovers many secrets about himself and his relations to the sith’s dark side of the force.
The final three that were released are about young anakin skywalker who is luke skywalkers father, anakin is taken on by two jedi knights as an apprentice and to also learn how to become a jedi himself But as the three movies progress and as he becomes older it shows his downfall, corruption, and his betrayal to the jedi as the joins the sith lords.
Referencing Horror
Courtesy of Google Squared I have created an eclectic list of horror films/film series, in grid table format (for an explanation of Google Squared click here). It’s not meant as a definitive of the horror genre, more a list of the ‘sub-genres’ frequented by writers and movie directors in recent times. There are no pre-1970’s classics, as I wanted to keep some relevance with my earlier blogs, but, maybe I shall review them at a later date.
Listed alphabetically are a collection of Werewolf, Vampire, Ghost, Demonic possession and Slasher movies. From the era defining ‘An American Werwolf in London‘ which was credited at the time for showing the ‘full change’ from human to werewolf form, to the remaking of ‘The Omen‘ (2006) which stars Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles as the parents of a child named Damien, whom is possessed by Satan himself. The original movie was made in 1976…Click here.
Also listed are the authors, directors and cast of these films and how much they took at the box office. Although I believe that the sign of a good horror, or any movie for that matter, is not in box office takings, but in creating a sense of place, atmosphere, less of the CGI trickery and keeping it simple…making you believe that the horror could become reality.
Sometimes silence and darkness are the best story tellers.
Sources:
– Hyperlinks –
Explanation of Google Squared – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Squared
Google Squared – http://www.google.com/squared
Other hyperlinks – http://www.wikipedia.org/
Below is an XLS Spreadsheet listing these horror movies in alphabetical order.
Below is a link to my Google Squared Spreadsheet of these horror movies.
http://www.google.com/squared/table/agPbeNtmvO2Qyt9mUZRtdRcQ
What a Carry On/Stage Shows.
As well as the many films that were released, there were also three stage shows and tv/radio programmes produced.
- Carry On London ran at the Victoria Palace Theatre from October 1973 to March 1975. It was written by Talbot Rothwell, Dave Freeman, Eric Merriman and featured Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth, Bernard Bresslaw, and Jack Douglas. It was presented in revue style with sketches from the most popular Carry On… films, stand-up routines, and songs.
- Carry On Laughing ran at Royal Opera House in Scarborough for the summer of 1976. It featured Jack Douglas, Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth, and Liz Fraser. Although branded as a Carry On… it was straight forward farce written by Sam Cree. It was overshadowed by the death of Sid James just prior to opening.
- Wot a Carry On In Blackpool was a revue written by Barry Cryer and Dick Vosbugh. It ran for a short season in 1992. The only original cast members were Barbara Windsor and Bernard Bresslaw.
A 50 minute television documentary What’s a Carry On? was also made in 1998 for the 40th anniversary of the first film. It included archive clips, out takes and interviews with surviving cast members. It was included as an extra on the DVD release of Carry On Camping, the first of the series to be released on DVD.
A two-hour radio documentary Carry On Forever!, presented by Leslie Phillips, was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in two parts on 19–20 July 2010.
I would just like to say that I hope people will enjoy these films for another 50 years and hopefully there will be more to come.
What A Carry On!
The Carry On series of comedy films are a British institution. They were made up of slapstick, farce and a lot of innuendo’s. They were influenced by the saucy seaside picture postcards of the time.
The first of 31 films was Carry On Sergeant made in 1958 in black and white. It starred William Hartnell, (who later went on to be the first Dr. Who), Kenneth Williams, who became the mainstay of the series appearing in 26 films and a very young Bob Monkhouse. Peter Rogers,the producer, went on to produce all of the 31 films.
All the films were made at the Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire where the James Bond films were also made.
Many of the stars went on to be household names such as Sid James, who appeared in 19 films, Barbara Windsor (10), Kenneth Conner (17), Charles Hawtrey (23), Hattie Jacques (14) to name but a few, but the cast were poorly paid, receiving about £5000 per film. The films were full of good old-fashioned British humour with the sending-up of institutions such as the army, National Health Service, Royalty and beauty contests.
These low-budget films proved very popular with the public, spreading over a 20 year period from 1958 to 1978.
- Carry On Sergeant (1958)
- Carry On Nurse (1959)
- Carry On Teacher (1959)
- Carry On Constable (1960)
- Carry On Regardless (1961)
- Carry On Cruising (1962)
- Carry On Cabby (1963)
- Carry On Jack (1963)
- Carry On Spying (1964)
- Carry On Cleo (1964)
- Carry On Cowboy (1965)
- Carry On Screaming! (1966)
- Don’t Lose Your Head (1966)
- Follow That Camel (1967)
- Carry On Doctor (1967)
- Carry On… Up the Khyber (1968)
- Carry On Camping (1969)
- Carry On Again Doctor (1969)
- Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)
- Carry On Loving (1970)
- Carry On Henry (1971)
- Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)
- Carry On Matron (1972)
- Carry On Abroad (1972)
- Carry On Girls (1973)
- Carry On Dick (1974)
- Carry On Behind (1975)
- Carry On England (1976)
- That’s Carry On! (1978)
- Carry On Emmanuel (1978)
In 1992 they tried to revive the series with the release of Carry on Columbus, number 31, starring Jim Dale in his 11th film, Bernard Cribbins (3rd), Leslie Phillips (4th), June Whitfield (4th) and Jack Douglas (8th). Frankie Howard was also due to appear but sadly died before filming began. It was released to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America but sadly had poor reviews and is the last film to date.
There were a number of films planned but abandoned for various reasons.
- What a Carry On… (1961)
- Carry On Smoking (1961) – The story revolved around a fire station, and various attempts to train a bungling group of new recruits.
- Carry On Flying (1962) – scripted by Norman Hudis, about a group of RAF recruits. It got as far as pre-production before being abandoned.
- Carry On Spaceman (1962) – see section below.
- Carry On Again Nurse (1967 and two other attempts) – see section below.
- Carry On Escaping (1973) – scripted by Talbot Rothwell, a spoof of World War 2 escape films. The complete script was included in the book The Complete A-Z of Everything Carry On.
- Carry On Down Under (1980) – Gerald Thomas did some location scouting while in holiday in Australia and spoke to the Australian Film Commission. The production was abandoned when finance fell through.
Carry on Dallas (1981) – A planned spoof of the popular US series Dallas. A script was written and casting offers made to Williams, Connor, Douglas, Sims, Hawtrey and Dale. The production was abandoned when Lorimar Productions demanded a royalty fee of 20 times the total production budget.
What is Science Fiction
Science Fiction is a film genre which consists of speculative/scientific views and exaggerations of phenomena, science and technology that usually wouldn’t be accepted by modern-day science, such as- Futuristic worlds, Time travel, Extra-sensory perception and Extraterrestrial life forms.
Science Fiction has been around as early as the silent film era, mainly displayed as short films, but had slight technological themes to them and quite commonly humorous. People say that the first Science fiction film to appear was Le Voyage Dans La Lune By Georges Méliés in 1902, This movie used Very Basic trick photography to display a space ship’s journey to the moon. Quite a few early films merged science fiction briefly with the aspect of horror and then was the release of the 1910 adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Novel, Frankenstein.
European film makers of the 1920’s started to slowly integrate Science Fiction into films, using it for prediction or social commentary, this can be seen in the 1927 German film metropolis, and the 1929 Frau im Mond.
in the 1930’s There were several more high budget movies, including the first musical science fiction film which was the 1933 King Kong and in 1936 science fiction comic strips were adapted into serials such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon Which became very popular. To most people the 1930’s – 1950’s are considered the ‘golden age’ of Science Fiction films.
Mortal thoughts of a Vampire
Throughout the centuries, most Vampires were portrayed as thirsty blood-suckers, hell-bent on destruction and some form of vengeance. However, from the latter parts of the twentieth century onwards, a more humanistic stance has been taken by some writers and film directors, a vampire existentialism. A favourite of mine, and many others (if Movie/Book reviews are anything to go by), is the ‘Vampire Chronicles’ by Anne Rice.
I’d like to focus on the first in this series, as I believe it to be the best. But also, because there is a part in it that people from all walks of life can relate to.
The story begins with Louis (our main character vampire), dictating the story of his mortal and immortal life, to a journalist in a hotel room in San Francisco. He recounts how another vampire, named Lestat, had made him what he now is…Vampyre. He pays mention to his hate of Lestat for making him an immortal and not answering his many questions, human questions, regarding what they are, where they came from and of why they came to be. He talks of his love for Claudia, a young girl he had fed off one night and left for dead. It would be Lestat who made Claudia immortal, for the same reason that he made Louis immortal…Companionship. Lestat craved a companion not to terrorise the people as some vampire stories talk of, but to share his life with. Knowing that Louis was battling with his own thoughts and hating their very existence, he lets Claudia feed off of him, giving her new life and, by giving her to Louis as a companion, giving Louis new life also.
WARNING:
The following video may contain fast jumping images and scenes of graphic horror, violence or death.
One of the best parts of the story, I believe, is when Louis and Claudia travel to Paris seeking answers to the questions that Lestat could not, or would not give. There he finds Armand, the eldest of all living vampires. Surely he would divulge or enlighten him.
“Are you the leader of this group?” I asked him. “Not in the way you mean leader,” he answered. “But if there were a leader here, I would be that one.” (page -252, Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice)
The conversation continues…
“Then Satan…some satanic power doesn’t give you your power here, either as leader or as vampire?” “No,” he said calmly. “Then we are not…” I sat forward. “…the children of Satan?”
“How could we be the children of satan?” He asked. “Do you believe that Satan made this world around you?” “No, I believe that God made it, if anyone made it. But He also must have made Satan, and I want to know if we are his children!”
“Exactly, and consequently if you believe God made Satan, you must realise that all Satan’s power comes from God and that Satan is simply God’s child, and that we are God’s children also. There are no children of Satan really.” (page- 253, Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice)
WARNING:
The following video may contain scenes of graphic horror, violence or death.
I find it interesting that Louis, as a vampire, still struggles with the same questions and doubts that exist inside the minds of all mankind. He still feels, emotionally at least, attached to a human psyche.
Sources:
-Hyperlinks –
Anne Rice – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Rice
The Vampire Chronicles – http://www.annerice.com/Bookshelf-VampireChronicles.html
Interview with the Vampire – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interview_with_the_Vampire:_The_Vampire_Chronicles
– Video content –
Vampiric Existentialism – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAnfi8nkXmk&feature=BFa&list=PLD04651B3C0DA567E&index=23
Interview with the Vampire-Original theatrical trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDH7P0qvSMU
The above sources were used for their authenticity and reliability of information.
Paranormal/normal?
Paranormal Activity is a phrase first used in the early parts of 20th century Britain. It was used to describe phenomena that couldn’t be explained by either everyday normal experiences or scientific methods. Many instances of paranormal activity exist in folklore and popular culture, usually as urban/gothic myth.
I remember first watching ‘Paranormal Activity‘ when it was first released on DVD. I didn’t want to see it in the cinema because I like to watch horror films late at night, with all the lights off and the windows and doors ajar for that eerie feeling you get when the wind whistles through and the doors move in the corner of your eye.
Although I did enjoy the movie, I thought it was built-up a little much by the media, especially when they said it was the scariest film of the last ‘however many years’. But, taken for what it is, which is a ‘home movie’ style horror which tries to make you a part of it, with its clever use of single camera action and good use of sound effects, it is pretty good, with a decent background storyline. It also contains many instances which the viewer could relate to…“That’s happened to me”, or, “We always had stuff like that happen at our house”.
WARNING:
The following video may contain fast-moving pictures, scenes of horror/dread and instances of the paranormal.
I thought there would be a sequel straight after watching the first, as it left the ending open brilliantly (Katie’s whereabouts remain unknown). Also, there were a few references to Katie’s family within the first movie, this sometimes leads to sequels or just new stand-alone films, but with the same background.
After watching the trailer for‘Paranormal Activity 2’ you can see definite differences. The first being that this time everything is captured on ‘multi-angled’ cameras which are set-up all over the house. Although it is good to see that writer/director Oren Peli hasn’t gone over the top with special effects, sometimes a good use of silence and darkness tells a story better than anything else.
This time the movie focusses on a member of Katie’s family, who is also haunted by the same demon. Where it gets a little more scary though, is in the fact that a newborn baby and a dog are involved, it’s not solely focussed on only two characters like in the first movie.
WARNING:
The following video may contain fast-moving pictures, scenes of horror/dread and instances of the paranormal.
…Paranormal Activity 3 is currently being worked on…
Sources:
-All hyperlinks –
-All video content-
Paranormal Activity 1–http://www.youtube.com/user/enickma1221
Paranormal Activity 2– http://www.youtube.com/user/MrMovieCapital
The above sources were used for their authenticity and reliability of information.
New Carry On Film
According to the Carry On script gets green light article, as reported on BBC News web page.
A final script with a “fun storyline” has been signed off…to celebrate 50 years of Carry On films.
Good news for Carry On fans. After 16 years since the last film was released, news that a new film to be named Carry on London gets the green light. Plans for the new film started in 2003 but ran into trouble when certain actors dropped out when producer James Black was replaced, holding up the production schedule. The film centered around a limo company ferrying celebrities to an award ceremony. In May 2006 Vinnie Jones and Shane Richie were named to star in the new film.
Shane Richie
Vinnie Jones
But in February 2010 the company set up to produce the film was undergoing liquidation proceedings, which in my opinion was very very disappointing for Carry On fans as a new Carry On film is well overdue to cheer everybody up in these days of gloom and doom.
The pictures are under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Return of the ‘Scream Series’
At last after eleven years, the ‘Scream franchise’ is back!
For those of you unsure of where it left off, or even how it started, click an option below.
But what is it that engrosses us so much to this series? It may be that it’s not your normal kind of ‘slasher film’ it doesn’t have the usual type of heroes. ‘Scream’ also sets out to engage the viewer right from the start, giving them a sense of belonging within the film and endearing the main characters to us. As well as the gore and feeling of dread stoked up by writers/directors Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson there are also moments of comedy and romance, not in a cheap or pointless way, but expertly embedded into the films. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), is our heroine, especially so for female viewers, as throughout the 3 previous films she is pitted against extreme odds, faced with horrifying truths regarding her family whilst also being thrust as the leader of a ‘gang’ that forms to try to thwart the ruthless killer ‘Ghost-face’. The ghost-face mask has become an almost must have accessory for Hallowe’en parties worldwide.
The series’ heroine, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), is fragile and strong simultaneously, damaged from the start by the brutal, baffling murder of her mother. She’s trapped in a nightmarish situation from which she’ll never escape, but her wits and her will consistently see her through, and we root for her every step of the way.
The series also gleefully embraces a cheeky, postmodern stance — openly discussing, dissecting, and questioning the genre’s “rules” while mocking them in cleverly funny ways. As quoted by Jenn McKee of annarbor.com – ‘Scream’ movies endure because they’re so much more than horror.
WARNING
The following video contains fast jumping images and scenes of fear/dread.
I enjoyed watching the first 3 movies, so I hope that ‘Scream 4’ lives up to standard.
Sources:
Numbered hyperlinks to – stltoday.com
Ghostface mask hyperlink to – Google.co.uk/image
All other hyperlinks to – Wikipedia.org
Quote is an excerpt from – Jenn McKee of annarbor.com
Scream Movie Poster –http://www.sitevip.net/scream/images/Screensaver.jpg
Video content courtesy of – http://facebook.com/ClevverTV
The above sources were used for their authenticity and reliability of information.
Within Film 
