Summer 2011 at the Cinema – The Weakest for Years?

The time is upon us when the mouth-watering array of summer blockbusters hit our screens. From around May through August hit after hit descends upon cinemas, all attempting to earn millions of dollars and even possibly provoke enough interest to garner a few sequels to keep studios happy for years to come. In the U.K, without a huge sporting event occupying people’s attention, such as the World Cup last year, there will be increased attendances. However, are Hollywood’s offerings this year as good as previous summers?

The typical summer blockbuster season provides a selection of franchises and sequels intertwined with independent and innovative films. Last year offered a strong and varied selection of movies including Inception, Toy Story 3, Scott Pilgrim vs The World. In comparison is the selection of blockbusters at the cinema this year so great? So far we have been given the futile Pirates of the Caribbean 4, The Green Lantern which has underperformed at the box-office and Fast Five, which although is fun and exciting offers little more than a fleeting, hollow enjoyment. So far only The Hangover 2 and X-Men First Class have come out with much critical praise to match their box-office takings. However, it is still early days and the true verdict of a summer’s worth of films can only be determined following the June and July releases.

Looking at the films due for release in these months there seems to be somewhat of a mixed bag.  Firstly there is the new Transformers movie. Coming so soon after the travesty that was Revenge of the Fallen it seems Michael Bay is attempting to salvage something from the franchise. So much was wrong with Fallen, from a dire plotline to rascist undertones that one can only hope that the third indeed does redeem Transformers, otherwise it could be a disaster.We have Cars 2, another sequel, but a sequel to arguably the weakest of the Pixar films. It defiantly won’t offer the same sense of wonder and intrigue that Toy Story 3 delivered last year and won’t have the same nostalgic charm as the new Winnie the Pooh.

Captain America is another million dollar production that must stand out amidst the myriad of comic book movies that have inundated audiences for a decade. I’m sure Captain America will be action-packed and Chris Evans will do a stellar job in the eponymous role. However, it is ten years since Bryan Singer bought us the first X-Men and since he has we have been inundated with hero after hero. Because of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, released in 2012, audiences will have to contend with more origin stories over the next few years and it is possible that the genre can become exhausted. If Captain America is fresh and innovative, only then can it acquire success. Other films that could go either way, but don’t look too promising to me so far include the Conan remake, The Smurfs and the Kunis/Timberlake Friends of Benefits which looks that exact clone of Portman/Kutcher film No Stings Attached. Its not that these films will be bad but none of them have provoked the same intrigue and anticipation as past summer films have.

Therefore the weighty expectations of the summer will have to rest on a few films.  Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part II is looking like the highlight of the summer. Super 8 is a tricky one to determine.What looked like a flat out adventure from the teaser trailer has now become a 1980s, semi-autobiography, sci-fi mix of genres that echoes E.T and Stand By Me. J.J. Abrams no longer has the mystery that accompanied Cloverfield or the brand power that supported Star Trek. Cowboys and Aliens does look like it could do very well with a formidable cast and innovative concept. It may be the smaller films that eventually  rule the box-office. Comedies Horrible Bossess and 30 Minutes or Less and The Inbetweeners all look promising, and solid franchise features like Final Destination 5 and Rise of the Planet of the Apes will probably make a shedload of money. It will be a busy summer for films and only time will tell which are the most successful and if this is truly the weakest summer of film we have had for a long time.

The Banning of The Human Centipede 2

In the last couple of weeks The Human Centipede 2 has become the highest profile film to be banned in Britain in the last decade. Throughout 2010 only two films were banned in the UK thereby showing the British Board of Film Classification to be fairly lenient in their judgements over the past few years. It is very unlike the dark times of censorship during the Video Nasties in the 1980s which saw 72 films banned and the introduction of the 1984 Video Recording Act. These days even the most sordid films such as Saw, Hostel and A Serbian Film have been passed into mainstream cinema which shows that you have to be pretty outrageous to be banned amidst a market of violence, gore and depravity.  

The first Human Centipede was one of the most contentious movies in recent times with its controversial content and sickening images. The concept of a mad scientist attaching victims head to rectum bought up a lot of dinners in 2009. Tom Six’s sequel goes even further with a copycat, obsessed with a DVD of the first human centipede gaining sexual fulfilment from developing his own.  Parts that were frowned upon included scenes of masturbation using sandpaper and barbed wire and the rape of the final piece of the centipede in the sequence. As well as the increased level of debauchery found within the content of, the argument against censorship was that rather than being in place of the victim, Human Centipede puts the viewer in the place of the villain. Therefore the practises are seen as enticing rather than vile. The BBFC says ‘Unlike the first film, the sequel presents graphic images of sexual violence, forced defecation, and mutilation, and the viewer is invited to witness events from the perspective of the protagonist’. It is showing the victims as nothing more than pawns to be humiliated and degraded, which was an argument for the banning of many of the ‘nasties.’

However, the restriction imposed on the film will only entice more people to watch the film via any means. There will defiantly be a myriad of countries to import from and will probably be the most downloaded film of the year. Cynically, one could argue that banning a film could be the best possible way of advertising it and therefore they should push the boundaries to their limit in an attempt to be castigated by the media to produce a social arousal of interest. One could argue what is the point of banning a film within a multimedia society that allows audiences to gain access to the films in a variety of ways. These days it is usually Video Games, rather than films, that are usually the target for scaremongering tactics from the media. I doubt that from the banning of the Human Centipede 2 that another moral panic, like the one seen in the 1980s, will devastate society.

Opening Post: My 5 Favourite Films

My name is Luke Cordell and I recently decided to begin a personal blog about film. Seeing as though this is my first entry, rather than delve into a specific issue straight away, I have decided to share my top five favourite films of all time. This list does not include the big franchise series of movies such as the Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings or Indiana Jones films. As much as I love them, I cannot choose between the films within their respective trilogies and therefore am only choosing stand alone films. The chosen films are interchangeable in relation to their position on the list, usually altering depending on how recent they have been watched. So, with that all out of the way, let us begin…

1)  Trainspotting (1995) – Although some would argue that Danny Boyle’s masterpiece is Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, I cannot look past his second film about drug culture in Scotland for pure perfection on screen. It has been criticised for its bleak outlook, but so many things work for the film. The selection of actors from Ewan McGregor to Robert Carlyle and arguably the best soundtrack in the history of film all combine to create a narrative that never relents echoing the high octane drug taking world of the characters. Steering away from Irvine Welsh’s original story, Boyle and his team keep the essence of the book while incorporating their own original style. The sharp script allows the shocking scenes to seem tangible, especially Renton going cold turkey off herion, adding to the disturbing effects of the film. Although sometimes revolting or startling there is a constant beauty to be had, especially at the finale where, for me, it is a more uplifting denouement than It’s A Wonderful Life.      

2) The Big Lebowski (1999) – The Coen brothers have made a myriad of films that could have made this list. Fargo and No Country For Old Men might have easily broke into my top five. However, it is their iconic, cult classic The Big Lebowski that pips them. There has not been much unsaid about this film but there is a reason for this, because it is so important to comedy film. Jeff Bridge’s The Dude will remain in the canon of iconic film characters until the end of time but it is also his fellow thespians, John Goodman, John Turturro and Julienne Moore that contribute to why the film is so loved. One of the funniest comedies of all time it moves from set piece to set piece while still maintaining a hilarious and coherent plot. It’s so simple that that the Dude wants compensation for his rug that has been peed on by people wanting money from another Jeffrey Lebowski. The premise leads to the escalation and exacerbation of the Dude’s predicament that becomes so bizarre yet probable simultaneously. It is just pure Genius. That is how you make a comedy.   

3) Donnie Darko (2001) – The film that almost wasn’t, only to become a huge cult phenomenon, is the quintessential stay awake at night trying to decipher the clues movie. The mystery surrounding the film is not the only feature going for Donnie Darko though. The internal stories and struggles of the characters are the centre amidst the science fiction setting, perhaps why I like then theatrical cut more than the director’s cut which increases the scientific elements thereby dissipating the ambiguity of the conclusion and putting the characters to the side in favour of the time travel subplot. However, Richard Kelly’s film still stands strong to this day, ten years after its inception, and looks to be a cult classic for years to come, despite the unnecessary sequel, Samantha Darko, failing to live up to its unique predecessor.    

4) Inception (2009) – The newest entry on the list, Inception catapulted itself onto the top five with its combination of intense action sequences and intellectual plotline. Every single actor in Christopher Nolan’s epic is worth their salt, with every audience member having their favourite. Mine being Tom Hardy, who with his appearances in the upcoming Warrior and The Dark Knight Rises will become the next Hollywood megastar within the next ten years. Inception has everything without ever feeling bloated and to create such spectacular and original special effects in a time where CGI is so commonplace is astounding. Beautiful visuals and an emotive script that entices while provoking so many questions are why it is possibly the greatest film in the last five years.

5) The Wicker Man (1973) – An intensely haunting yet engrossing film, even watching it multiple times the conclusion is still shocking and surprising. This is because of the fantastic build up where Edward Woodwood’s devout Sergeant Howie investigates the disappearance of a girl on the isolated island of Summerisle. The revelations and unnerving characters serve to create one of the scariest and unnerving films ever made. Christopher Lee is magnificent as Lord Summerisle and the finale will stay with the viewer long after the film has ended. Not even Neil LeBute’s remake can taint the terrifying yet tantalizing original.  

So, these are my five favourite films at the time of writing. I’m sure there may be ones that will come to me later in the day as I kick myself for not incorporating them but these, I believe, are still five strong choices. Thanks for reading the first of my hopefully many blog entries.