Boy and Bicycle and other things...

We started off the week with screenwriting, we got feedback from our short stories, I need to develop my characters more. We watched some more short films including some well known director's first film shorts. This was really cool, the one that stood out for me was a short film by Ridley Scott, about a boy and his bicycle. Although I didn't like it for the narrative, it didn't have much of a story. I liked it because I thought it was really beautifully shot, black & white, quite over exposed. I liked the use of the bicycle in each shot, it showed a very close relationship between someone and an object. I was really impressed by that one in particular.

We watched Donnie Darko, the teen cult film. I have seen this film many times, but not for at least a year. My impression of the film hasn't changed much actually it had a massive impact on me when I first saw it, so much so that I remember exactly where I was and who I watched it with. I think now I respond more to different aspects of the film. I used to watch it and empathise with Donnie's character, this time around I found myself more interested in the story, and time twists (obviously I will always watch anything with Jake in it). I think when I saw this film for the first time I hadn't seen anything like it, it was very new and dark to me and that's what made me like it. I think watching it now, there have been quite a few film which touch on a similar subject. I've watched many things like 'The Butterfly Effect' which deals with time, 'Igby Goes Down' about a troubled teenager, this film has a very similar tone but is much darker in content that 'Donnie Darko', and now that Im a few years older I feel I need to see films that go further like 'Igby Goes Down'. I still love to watch Donnie Darko, I lthink its a fantastic story, the use of music gives a very particular style and certain parts of Donnie Darko really remind me of a 80's music video. The film has a very unpretentious quality that I think makes it special, if a big mainstream Hollywood director had made it, with the issues it touches upon, I think it easily could have been a very pretentious film. However it keeps a good balance between being unpretentious and a bit bizarre at the same time, which was the mix that was needed to appeal to its target audience of teenagers. They love to feel like they've found something unique that related to them, but it wouldn't have worked with an obvious ending or meaning. The film needs to be whatever they need it to be or need it to mean to them as an individual.

We also watched King Of Comedy, I really enjoyed this film actually. I found it really funny in places, but i though I'd find it more embarrassing but I actually didn't, I found Robert Pupkin to be quite endearing, he just wanted a chance!
I loved 'Chaplin', I really enjoyed this film, I thought it was wonderful. Andy had told us that Charlie Chaplin had inspired Richard Attenbrough to be an actor/director. I think watching it you could really tell, there was a real feel of respect and love for Chaplin, without being idealised. It had my attention all the way through (I was so pissed off with the fire alarm interupting-how rude!) I loved the sequence were they were trying to hide Chaplin so they could finish the film, it was all sped up and slap-stick in a very Charlie Chaplin-esque way! I like films that show how film-making evolved, like singin' in the rain this one showed the evolution on talking pictures and the impact they had on the industry. I also really liked how it ended with a sequence from a real Charlie Chaplin film, I felt that was the best way to end it.