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.

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.

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.

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

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

Despite the hysteria Harry Potter is a phenomenon I’ve very much watched from the sidelines. Having read the first two books I got bored and decided to leave it to the cinematic versions for me to continue the journey. It is widely viewed and my own opinion that the first three films were not a patch on the LOTR trilogy that came out at the same time. I found them enjoyable but ultimately a little bit dull. As a result I lost some interest in the series, watching the more recent films on DVD and not really paying too much attention to their content. This week and upon large amounts of persuasion I went off to see the latest in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Although unoriginal for me the latest adventure of HP has thankfully copied the greatest of the Star Wars films, the Empire Strikes Back. The new HP film is a good film because it is a lot darker than the earlier films and ultimately (SPOILER) the baddies win. This is the first time I’ve come out a Harry Potter film and said I can’t wait for the next instalment and that, my friends, is a good thing. In summary the film had a great pace, some memorable set scenes and a build up of tension that is actually quite hard to achieve.

With all this said, however, I still have my reservations of the series and this is largely around the casting of the characters in film number one. Whilst the senior talent has always been impressive (essentially a who’s who of British actors), I’ve always felt that the younger actors (especially Daniel Radcliffe…Potter himself) simply aren’t and have never been strong enough to carry the series. That said I thought Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy, a central role in this instalment, was pretty decent this time around.

The last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is now being split into two separate films, out Christmas 2010 and Summer 2011. I haven’t read the book so I’m not sure if this is a wise move but judged on the strength of the film just seen I might at least now add it to my reading list.

I thought Big Brother lost its “social experiment” relevance a long time ago, that was until I was told about this by a friend. Interesting to see the contestants’ reaction to finding out the news about Michael Jackson’s death…one of serious shock and sadness.

If only some of the media could replicate some of this, ITV’s reshowing of Martin Bashir’s “Living with Michael Jackson” was a hugely cynical approach to try and increase audience share. I hope, like me, you avoided watching it.

Sacha Baron Cohen is a comedy genius and I’ve thought so ever since Ali G first appeared in the 11 O’clock Show.  Steve Coogan and others have created fascinating and amusing characters but with the few classic inventions there have always been a few duds along the way. Baron Cohen, however, has kept his focus and has created three characters that will live in people’s memories for a long time to come. First Ali G, then Borat and now Bruno.

It is my opinion that the greatest aspect of Baron Cohen’s approach to comedy is not the constant laughs he produces by being so risque. In a similar approach to Ricky Gervais he looks at people’s prejudices and tackles them head on. Unlike Gervais, who tends to focus the comedy on his own behaviour, Baron Cohen creates a situation where the people he is engaging with are the subject…both those that are ridiculed on screen but most importantly also us. In a non-preachy and amusing way Ali G, Borat, Bruno etc make us look at our own prejudices so that we improve the way we look at people moving forward. This a subtle but impressive art, me thinks.

Now, where does Sacha Baron Cohen go from here? Now that’s a fascinating subject…however, in the meantime go and see Bruno.

Michael Mann is one of the few directors whose films I truly wait for and when I heard that he was doing a dramatisation of John Dillinger and his cronies I was pretty excited about what was coming our way. My general verdict is that this is another fine film from the man the delivered us the following…

Heat – the greatest crime thriller ever
Collateral – the greatest Tom Cruise performance
The Last of the Mohicans – the greatest and most dramatic soundtrack
Manhunter – the greatest Hannibal Lecktor film
Miami Vice (TV) – the greatest 80s TV series

Worth seeing hey?

The reviews for Public Enemies have been generally positive however some have been saying the acting wasn’t on par, that some of scenes were confusing (due to camera work) and how some of the more interesting characters didn’t get enough screen time. It’s my opinion that these arguments are a tad unfounded and that some of them even miss the point.

I thought the casting and acting was spot on especially Johnny Depp as Dillinger who rightfully steals the show as the criminal he portrays did. Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard especially lead the support cast. Also, the building up of tension and interest around the main and supporting characters make up for a memorable final scene.

Michael Mann is a master of filming shootouts and he continues his fine form here, although it never quite touches the heights that Heat did…to be expected. Confusion does come through during such scenes, but then again isn’t it meant to? I thought the chaotic handheld way it was filmed simply added to the impact of the scenes.

This was an enjoyable movie which provided a refreshing change from CGI-driven nonentities that increasingly populate our cinemas. Public Enemies is what the Summer season should deliver…a big budget film with big explosions but crucially it delivers a big heart. Go and see.

Here is the second in my series of idols of this decade.

Although technically not really an idol of the naughties (because nearly all his great work happened before now) I think that his untimely death warrants Michael Jackon a place in this blog-post series. His life deserves to be truly celebrated.

Essentially Michael Jackson was the reason why I ever began to love music, and no other artist has had a bigger influence on the types of music and artists I listen too. Jackson was my original idol, he was my generation’s superstar and he will be sorely missed, no doubt about that.

I was fascinated to receive messages from friends and family to see if I was okay about his demise, which reminded me once again on the lasting impact he has made on me. I will forever remember the day he died but his music will forever live on like those legends that have left us before him.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson, after so much misunderstanding about your genius you do deserve to. You were one of our greats.

My favourite MJ tracks:
Man in the Mirror
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
Thriller
Billy Jean
You Rock My World