Film Review: Up

UP, the latest offering from Pixar, is in my opinion the most heartfelt and endearing film that has been made this year. It is a must see for cinema goers.

The opening 20-30 minutes of this film provide perhaps the most magical cinemania I’ve seen for a number of years. In this sequence the main character ages from a young boy to a retired balloon salesman, he meets his soul mate (a girl with a dream of adventure) has years of happiness but loses her as she passes away untimely. Personal grief or the loss of a loved one has never been so wonderfully showcased in film proving that animation can deliver the same emotional impact (if not better) as live action.

Having not yet achieved his and his departed’s lifelong dream Carl Fredricksen sets out to house-balloon himself and a young stowaway to see the famous springs of South America. Talking dogs, psycho adventures and wild-never-seen-before birds provide the candy for the legions of young film goers that have already seen the film (although thankfully I went to a later performance).  This is Disney-gold, it truly is “up” with the company’s films of yesteryear, please do go and watch.

Film Review: District 9

My summary: best film of the year, that I’ve seen anyway

Why, you say? There are many reasons so I’ll list some of them here…

• It wasn’t the film I thought it was going to be, it was better
• It is the best example of genre confusion in the history of cinema – was it an action film, social commentary etc?
• It was a big budget film that wasn’t set in the US, therefore giving the film a global consciousness. South Africa is a country with a fruitful past so it was highly suitable as its venue
• The lead male (Wikus Van De Merwe) wasn’t your normal action star and he was a mighty fine actor – he delivered the hectic edge that the film required in only his first ever film
• I love the fact that the alien’s derogatory term is “prawn”
• There is a great homage to Aliens at the end of the film, although I’m not telling you what it is
• The marketing for the film has been kick ass
• Peter Jackson was heavily involved…gold dust

Film lovers around the world please go and see District 9. It is not just another sci-fi film about aliens; it is a highly intelligent beast of a movie that innovatively touches on issues like prejudice or abuse by government registrations…issues that unfortunately continue to plague us.

R.I.P. John Hughes

Another hero from my childhood has passed away, John Hughes, the filmmaker. Growing up in the 1980s this man was a legend to me. No other filmmaker captured the 80s with more accuracy; portraying the fashion, angst and stereotypes with such detail around characters you can’t help loving. Whilst many go on about Ferris Bueller as his greatest film, personally I think you can’t go much further than The Breakfast Club for cinematic gold, a film which consistently makes my favourite films list. Thanks for the good times Mr Hughes.

Summer Reading

Here is my employer’s (Weber Shandwick) latest thought-leadership piece for your consumption. I hope you enjoy the read.

The news cycle in 2009

My summary of the news events of the year is below. 2009 will be officially known as Groundhog Year.