Sequels. Everyone seems to hate them. Or at least, everyone is prepared to hate them.
I have today spent a couple of hours of my life (which I will never get back) watching Transformers 2. And, I would love them back, because it was awful. Dreadful. So bad, that I wished I didn't even know that the film existed in the first place. I want to watch Citizen Kane just to cleanse my soul.
But is there anything wrong with sequels? Probably not. There is a whole lot wrong with lazy film making, but nothing wrong with seconds, or thirds or even more. And here's why. 10 sequels or films additional to the original that make us go out into the street to shout "hurrah":
1. Aliens- works because it takes the nasty from the first film (which is essentially a
horror film) and places it in the context of an action movie. Thus, we have a whole different movie to the first and one which feels as fresh as the first. Unfortunately it was all downhill after this.
2. Rocky Balboa- ooh we hated Rocky V! Why? because he didn't get to fight in a ring and crucially the human element of the story seemed to have gone AWOL...BINGO! the sequel that we should have had after that daft film with Bridget Neilsen.
3. Indiana Jones and The Crystal Skull- why is this film here? Because its the sequel with the most to lose. It wasn't needed. The main actor was too old, it was a perfect trilogy as it was and it had the unenviable task of bringing an old fasioned Saturday matinee romp to the CGI generartion. And yet, it worked...it did exactly what an Indy film should do, Harrison Ford rolled back the years and it was replete with snappy one liners. Score!
4. Psycho II- OK, I'll admit that nothing can top the Hitchcock original. And yet, the second Psycho did everything that could have been expected of it, and more...it was scary, it yielded an excellent performance from Anthony Perkins and it provided an insight into the mind of a killer which was unnerving yet interesting (Rob Zombie take note with your Halloween remakes/ sequels).
5. The Empire Strikes Back-a predictable choice, but warranted nonetheless....it built on the Star Wars mythos and exploded it! Snappy dialogue, massive plot revelations and big special effect sequences. This was the sequel that created a franchise.
6. Godfather Part II- again an obvious choice in the context of this list. Yet, the reason for its inclusion comes from the inspired decision to add a back story to Marlon Brando's character and in addition to get Bob De Niro to play that part. Genius!
7. The Daleks Invasion of Earth 2150AD- slightly obscure I know! But, this sequel to Doctor Who and the Daleks is superior to the original Peter Cushing film in every way. It brought the enemy to Earth, created a believable post apocalyptic London setting and boasted some seriously way ahead of its time special effects. And Bernard Cribbins.
8. The Color Of Money- a totally different film to the original and all the better for it....Paul Newman and Tom Cruise together are dynamite!
9. Return To Oz- this was a massively brave sequel. To take everyone's favourite family film and turn it into a Terry Gilliam-esque fantasy takes guts. And though, underrated, this film achieves it in spades.
10. Speed 2- Jason Patric...on a very slow ocean liner......ok, now, I'm joking.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Money for Old Rope Mr Cameron!
Apparently, James Cameron is to re-issue the behemoth that is Avatar back onto the big screen as a Special Edition. Now, this is nothing new for Mr Cameron...the same treatment has been given to his previous sci-fi offerings Aliens, the Abyss and Terminator 2. And on the whole, its been a worthwhile exercise. The backstory added to Aliens gives the story a much greater depth and emotional punch, the tidal wave in the Abyss is worth the addition and the reinstatement of the Michael Biehn scenes into T2 is a given. In the case of Aliens, we get almost 25 mins worth of additional material which is substantial and worth shelling out for another copy of the film.
So what do we get in terms of extra Avatar-ness? 8 minutes. 8 minutes!! That's one maybe two extra scenes at the most. And, with a film that is arguably already a little flabby around the middle in terms of running time, its hard to see how this extra material will enhance what we have already. So what's the real point of this exercise?
Money. Nothing more and nothing less. Avatar has already grossed a staggering amount of money from both box office and DVD sales, but clearly enough is not in fact enough. No, all us suckers out there are expected to pay a further £10 to don those glasses again in the cinema and no doubt another £15 for the inevitable Special Edition DVD release. Although actually, Mr Cameron not this time. Now, I'm all for directors re-visiting their back catalogue with aspirations of improving upon what they perceive as an initially flawed product (see Blade Runner). And the key here is that these are often projects done with the benefit of the passage of time and some hindsight. There's nothing wrong with looking back at something you made 5-10 years ago and thinking "you know what, I could have done that slightly differently and slightly better". But 5 months later? Leave it out!
No, this to me is a cynical ploy to pray on that unfortunate section of the film going/ buying public that feels compelled to invest in every Special Edition, Directors Cut, Ultimate Edition, Special 10th Anniversary Edition that gets released. And this is without taking into account every copy of every film we own on video which we have had to replace with a DVD and now a Blu-Ray copy.
But this isn't an attack on James Cameron. Its just a symptom of the Hollywood film industry as a whole (undoubtedly in the fullness of time to be termed the "George Lucas Factor"). No-one is immune....Peter Jackson and his interminably long Lord of the Rings special editions, the aforementioned George Lucas and his endless tinkering and bastardisation of his Star Wars films. Rule of thumb nowadays...if a DVD is released with little or no special features, then you can guarantee that 6 months later a special edition will be hitting the shelves.
And enough is enough. I won't be going to see 8 extra minutes of Avatar, I won't be buying another copy on DVD and I wont be marking a date in my diary for the 20th Anniversary reissue with a new commentary track by the director, his cat and the cat's mother. I'll pay for a good dose of cinema, but I wont be getting any more repeat prescriptions.
So what do we get in terms of extra Avatar-ness? 8 minutes. 8 minutes!! That's one maybe two extra scenes at the most. And, with a film that is arguably already a little flabby around the middle in terms of running time, its hard to see how this extra material will enhance what we have already. So what's the real point of this exercise?
Money. Nothing more and nothing less. Avatar has already grossed a staggering amount of money from both box office and DVD sales, but clearly enough is not in fact enough. No, all us suckers out there are expected to pay a further £10 to don those glasses again in the cinema and no doubt another £15 for the inevitable Special Edition DVD release. Although actually, Mr Cameron not this time. Now, I'm all for directors re-visiting their back catalogue with aspirations of improving upon what they perceive as an initially flawed product (see Blade Runner). And the key here is that these are often projects done with the benefit of the passage of time and some hindsight. There's nothing wrong with looking back at something you made 5-10 years ago and thinking "you know what, I could have done that slightly differently and slightly better". But 5 months later? Leave it out!
No, this to me is a cynical ploy to pray on that unfortunate section of the film going/ buying public that feels compelled to invest in every Special Edition, Directors Cut, Ultimate Edition, Special 10th Anniversary Edition that gets released. And this is without taking into account every copy of every film we own on video which we have had to replace with a DVD and now a Blu-Ray copy.
But this isn't an attack on James Cameron. Its just a symptom of the Hollywood film industry as a whole (undoubtedly in the fullness of time to be termed the "George Lucas Factor"). No-one is immune....Peter Jackson and his interminably long Lord of the Rings special editions, the aforementioned George Lucas and his endless tinkering and bastardisation of his Star Wars films. Rule of thumb nowadays...if a DVD is released with little or no special features, then you can guarantee that 6 months later a special edition will be hitting the shelves.
And enough is enough. I won't be going to see 8 extra minutes of Avatar, I won't be buying another copy on DVD and I wont be marking a date in my diary for the 20th Anniversary reissue with a new commentary track by the director, his cat and the cat's mother. I'll pay for a good dose of cinema, but I wont be getting any more repeat prescriptions.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thumbs Up or Down
Ok, enough with the Legal orientated doom and gloom. Its Friday, so here's three things to make your life more fluffy and three things to avoid like a bagpipe recital:
Thumbs Up
1. Iplayer on the Wii. Oh no, I missed this weeks Shooting Stars and Victorian Pharmacy, what can I do? Watch it on my teeny tiny PC screen? Hell no, fire up the Wii and watch it on a big screen just like you were watching it off of the Telly live! The best thing since Mr Hovis took a large lump of cooked dough and decided to cut it into smaller bits of cooked dough.
2. Leddra Chapman- Telling Tales. Buy it! On CD..or on Itunes...its folky (but not too folky), its poppy (but not too poppy) and its like summertime encapsulated in one shiny musical disc.
3. Cold Case. People drone on and on about how great The Wire is, how brilliant CSI is blah blah blah (usually the same people who insist Skiing holidays are the only holidays worth going on). But everyone seems to overlook this fantastic US crime series. Sadly now finished but there are constant repeats on Sky 1, 2, 3.
Thumbs Down
1. Sick. Or rather the increasing number of people who use the word to mean "great" or "wicked". It doesn't sound very nice. Stop it.
2. 3D. Everything is in 3D now. The cricket's in 3D. A film isn't complete if it isn't in 3D. Really? Ok, well I better never watch the Godfather again until someone makes Marlon Brando jump out of the screen. Conversely, go and get me a copy of Jaws 3D because that was such a fantastic film. It's all James Cameron's fault.
3. Budget Airlines. Wow, my flight is only £2.00!! All I've got to pay now is £25 for my case, £20 to check in, £18 for using my credit card and £20 so I can actually sit next to the person I'm travelling with. And worst of all, £6.00 for a sweaty Ginsters sandwich. No thanks.
Thumbs Up
1. Iplayer on the Wii. Oh no, I missed this weeks Shooting Stars and Victorian Pharmacy, what can I do? Watch it on my teeny tiny PC screen? Hell no, fire up the Wii and watch it on a big screen just like you were watching it off of the Telly live! The best thing since Mr Hovis took a large lump of cooked dough and decided to cut it into smaller bits of cooked dough.
2. Leddra Chapman- Telling Tales. Buy it! On CD..or on Itunes...its folky (but not too folky), its poppy (but not too poppy) and its like summertime encapsulated in one shiny musical disc.
3. Cold Case. People drone on and on about how great The Wire is, how brilliant CSI is blah blah blah (usually the same people who insist Skiing holidays are the only holidays worth going on). But everyone seems to overlook this fantastic US crime series. Sadly now finished but there are constant repeats on Sky 1, 2, 3.
Thumbs Down
1. Sick. Or rather the increasing number of people who use the word to mean "great" or "wicked". It doesn't sound very nice. Stop it.
2. 3D. Everything is in 3D now. The cricket's in 3D. A film isn't complete if it isn't in 3D. Really? Ok, well I better never watch the Godfather again until someone makes Marlon Brando jump out of the screen. Conversely, go and get me a copy of Jaws 3D because that was such a fantastic film. It's all James Cameron's fault.
3. Budget Airlines. Wow, my flight is only £2.00!! All I've got to pay now is £25 for my case, £20 to check in, £18 for using my credit card and £20 so I can actually sit next to the person I'm travelling with. And worst of all, £6.00 for a sweaty Ginsters sandwich. No thanks.
Climb every Mountain
There are so many ups and downs when you're job hunting. Mostly, long drawn out chasm like downs, but the occasional upward hillock gives us the motivation to trudge onward. Yesterday was the perfect example. News reached me that a local firm were in the market for a commercial property lawyer. Perfect, you would think and enough of a chink of light to spur me on to contact said firm. But, and here's where the uppy downy metaphor comes into play, don't get fooled into thinking that the prospect of a small up will materialise into you reaching the summit.
The job in question has been floating around for several months and, for whatever reason, I don't appear to be in the running (Jersey can be a strange place if you're not "local"). Nevertheless, if I decided to just sulk at base camp, then I may as well pack up and go home. So I e-mailed them. reiterated my interest in the job and dropped in a line about being persistent (or a pest depending on your perspective). So now the waiting starts. The endless agonising wait to even see whether you may or may not stand a chance of being interviewed. And, in this instance, I don't think I do. I don't know why and I probably never will (feedback seems to be something you only find nowadays when you put your guitar too close to the amp). But then, that doesn't matter. You see, even if you think you've more chance of winning the X Factor than actually getting the job in question, that shouldn't deter you from trying. You keep on trying and eventually you succeed.
So, it may only be a small hillock or it may be a great big mountain with my name on it, but unless you start the climb, you will never know. So seize every opportunity that comes your way, but don't get carried away by it. With the almost complete absence of property jobs at the moment its very easy to cling onto every half chance of a job that crosses your path. But, one of these days, one of those half chances will turn into a job. So, as Julie Andrews said "climb every mountain" and eventually one of those mountains will be yours to plant your flag in!
The job in question has been floating around for several months and, for whatever reason, I don't appear to be in the running (Jersey can be a strange place if you're not "local"). Nevertheless, if I decided to just sulk at base camp, then I may as well pack up and go home. So I e-mailed them. reiterated my interest in the job and dropped in a line about being persistent (or a pest depending on your perspective). So now the waiting starts. The endless agonising wait to even see whether you may or may not stand a chance of being interviewed. And, in this instance, I don't think I do. I don't know why and I probably never will (feedback seems to be something you only find nowadays when you put your guitar too close to the amp). But then, that doesn't matter. You see, even if you think you've more chance of winning the X Factor than actually getting the job in question, that shouldn't deter you from trying. You keep on trying and eventually you succeed.
So, it may only be a small hillock or it may be a great big mountain with my name on it, but unless you start the climb, you will never know. So seize every opportunity that comes your way, but don't get carried away by it. With the almost complete absence of property jobs at the moment its very easy to cling onto every half chance of a job that crosses your path. But, one of these days, one of those half chances will turn into a job. So, as Julie Andrews said "climb every mountain" and eventually one of those mountains will be yours to plant your flag in!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
To Apply or not to Apply- Recession depression
Times are difficult. In fact, that's being polite. Times are god awful. So, after countless unsuccessful job applications and little or no feedback, where does one go from here?
It may be stating the obvious, but the primary thought to remain focused on is to "not lose heart". There are thousands and thousands of people out there who are in exactly the same predicament as you and competition for jobs is fierce. It simply isn't practical anymore for employers (and for that matter recruitment agencies) to give feedback on each and every job application. Invariably this can lead to individuals feeling discouraged (and I would count myself among those individuals). But rejection should not be taken personally. The shear number of people out there fighting over an increasingly limited number of job opportunities simply means that it will take you longer and take a larger amount of applications before you see some success.
So how best to stay positive and keep up the momentum for that job hunt? A more positive and effective use of your time is to pro-actively and regularly undertake a self review. Ask yourself after each rejection, how best can I improve my chances of success next time around? Can I improve upon or add to my CV? Am I using the same covering letter time and time again or am I pro actively making sure that each time I apply, I tailor that letter to the job in question? Now more than ever it is imperative that you stand out from the crowd. It is simply no longer sufficient to rely on a one CV and one letter fits all approach. In a market flooded with applicants, you cannot assume that your experience, your qualifications and your idenitity will stand out from all the rest. The onus is on YOU to tell a recruiter why YOU should be the one for the job.
Finally, be patient. The break will come. It probably won't come if you are happy to sit back and wait for the job to fall into your lap, but if you are proactive, stay positive and are your own best constructive critic, you will find work. Now go find that job!
It may be stating the obvious, but the primary thought to remain focused on is to "not lose heart". There are thousands and thousands of people out there who are in exactly the same predicament as you and competition for jobs is fierce. It simply isn't practical anymore for employers (and for that matter recruitment agencies) to give feedback on each and every job application. Invariably this can lead to individuals feeling discouraged (and I would count myself among those individuals). But rejection should not be taken personally. The shear number of people out there fighting over an increasingly limited number of job opportunities simply means that it will take you longer and take a larger amount of applications before you see some success.
So how best to stay positive and keep up the momentum for that job hunt? A more positive and effective use of your time is to pro-actively and regularly undertake a self review. Ask yourself after each rejection, how best can I improve my chances of success next time around? Can I improve upon or add to my CV? Am I using the same covering letter time and time again or am I pro actively making sure that each time I apply, I tailor that letter to the job in question? Now more than ever it is imperative that you stand out from the crowd. It is simply no longer sufficient to rely on a one CV and one letter fits all approach. In a market flooded with applicants, you cannot assume that your experience, your qualifications and your idenitity will stand out from all the rest. The onus is on YOU to tell a recruiter why YOU should be the one for the job.
Finally, be patient. The break will come. It probably won't come if you are happy to sit back and wait for the job to fall into your lap, but if you are proactive, stay positive and are your own best constructive critic, you will find work. Now go find that job!
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