The Wolf Of Wall Street

From the outset this film was something I wanted to watch with Leonardo Dicaprio as the leading man, but also as it is a Scoresese film.
The film for me was more than I expected and was quite grotesque from the opening scene, with naked women and men running around, I never thought that the finacial system was that choatic,  with Drugs and Sex being some of the main themes.

The film is definately more aimed at men, and although I enjoy Leo's protrayel of main protagonist Jordan Belfort, I found myself cringing in places and not really enjoying the sexism that the film had throughout it with women being almost treated like objects rather than people. I know that as a woman I'm maybe reading to much into the film and the way women are treated. But in it's defence it was set in the 1980's.

The film won a Gloden Globe for best comedy, but like everything Scrosese does it has a deeper meaning to it and the film although full of funny moments, including Leo off his head on drugs shouting for someone to get off the phone in slurred manner I find that the underlying narrative is one that is dark, and that dark humour is something I love the most. Money is no object in this film and based on the true story, you see someone build up an empire, only through his own greed and recknessless have it all taken away from him with the FBI being involved, shopping in your closet friends and then spending three years in jail for that instead of twenty.

The other main thing that caught my eye is the way in which family matters didn't seem important with sex with prositutes before his wedding night and during the marriage with two children in the family unit.Punching his wife in the stamoch at one point in the end of the film.

Overall the film is a good watch, although long.... I think it's about 3 hours but if you have a nervous disposistion then do not watch this film as scenes are graphic from the outset.It's not my favourite Scorsese film of all time but it is a good film.

Life of Pi

There is something about this film that is just haunting but with 4 Oscars to it's name you can see why.

On the surface you think that this film is just about a boy and tiger forming a bonding after a ship-wreck but as it turns out there is a lot more meaning to this film than meets the eye. The beauty of the cinematography and CGI enables the story to go further and brings out emotions and provokes thoughts that you wouldn't even have crossed your mind.

The story is terrifying as Pi tells is just a fairytale version of the true events, using animals to explain characters that were actually on the tiny life boat, the story you believe is up to you, but in the end you want to believe the story of a boy trapped on a tiny boat with a tiger in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Pi as a character even as a child was and is diverse, always discovering new forms of religion and trying to understand them. Born a Hindu in french India, he discovers Christianity and Islam. A wise child his father teaches him a lesson that will be scar him for life, watching as tiger Richard Parker kills a goat in front of his eyes. I must explain his father runs a zoo, the family decide to sell up and move to Canada taking the animals along with them.
The film explores the notion of religion and the notion of God which is something so intricate in detail and to hear from a teenage boy is also strange but quite humbling.

In the end the true story is:
The Cook on the ship kills a sailer after he severely broke his leg and then decides to eat him, after that the cook becomes more violent and before Pi's eyes kills his mother and throws her overboard to the sharks swimming in the water. Pi then retaliates killing the cook and doing the same actions that he had done to his mother. He then has to survive on his own until he washes up on the shores of Mexico.

Which story we all want to believe is:
A Zebra, A Hyena , A Orangutan, A Tiger and of course Pi are on this tiny boat in the middle of the ocean, The Hyena eats and kills the Zebra and then the Orangutan before the Richard Parker the tiger kills the Hyena. With Pi still on boat he then stays away building a raft and allowing Richard Parker to have his own territory. Over the course of the film, he begins to train and form a bond with the tiger. Suffering with him throughout the stormy seas and feeding him. Once the boat hits ground in Mexico the tiger runs off in the jungle and doesn't look back.

The realisation you have is that the tiger is Pi. It is a beautiful film and well worth a watch.

radio show Live

Hello,

I forgot to mention but I have now created my own radio show about all things, it's an extension of the blog.

You can tune in from 2pm via:

www.salfordcityradio.org
             or
The tune in app


So tune in.
Also tweet me via @lilmissziggy

Enders Games and Hunger Games Catching Fire

Over the past two day I have been catching up on my collection of films that I haven't as yet watched. Blame University. They are the people that have made sure that any films that I decide to watch is not an option.

Something important with these two films are the actual political themes that run through the films although both set in the future they have something that just makes you think about what the world might be coming to although they are in fact fiction.

The scary realisation of this themes are that they are aimed at younger people- and use young people as their main characters.

The Hunger Games is fantastic, not since Harry Potter have I been this excited although I haven't read the books as I got bored half way through the first chapter of the first Hunger Games book - and the film is slow to pick up pace but that is because I'm used to right here right now narrative! The second is more punchy and increasingly more violent.
Instantly you start to hate the Capitol and what it stands for and you'd rather see Katniss and the rest of districts begin to rise up and over throw the people in charge which happens in the last bit of the film and it is revealed what actually happened to District 13.
 You realise that the only reason is that the Capitol and President Snow is frightened that a war will kick off once the up rising begins and that in the end Katniss is the symbol of this resistance.
The more graphic scenes of the PeaceKeepers killing people in the street for rising up is something that I don't expect in 12A film.
There have been news reports that young people should not watch or interact with any form of media that might promote violence- this paranoia is nothing 1971 A Clockwork Orange is an example of this being banned from Cinemas and Multiplexes around the world. But my argument is that if the violence is within context and there is a reason for it to be happening then why not. I don't recommend that you guys start letting your kids watching Dexter or Saw but there is something about the way this film deals with a reality that is formed from fear- fear of living in a world that is chaotic and uncontrollable where authorities are then deciding to enslave the masses and keep them under the thumb to control them and therefore save themselves from this fear that is irrational.
I watched the Hunger Games with my friends, one was a massive fan the other hasn't really watched the films and doesn't understand the context and she actually said:
"I don't understand why they are doing this?" 
Which is understandable- but a good point. I also got told off for predicting the films narrative and what is going to happen next.

Enders Games was different as it explores the possibility that using children who are good are war games could actually then lead a fleet to defeat the enemy. The difference with the lead character Ender Wiggins is that although he is a genius he also loves the enemy once he understands them. And that

Love will hold him back. The ending to the film made me cry... it highlighted how brutal the Human Race can be to unknown life forms- trying to understand them is not an option , they are a threat. Ender's thoughts about the threat and whether or not they should be understood is the key to this films narrative. The way in which Ender has this ability for compassion is seen as a weakness but could in fact be an actual strength.






Both films look at how young people can overcome obstacles that adults can't and their intuition is a massive thing in both narratives as well as compassion and the understanding of pain and suffering that other people/aliens can feel. Both Brilliant films watch them!
 See trailers below:

Enders Games: 

The Hunger Games Catching Fire :

A very happy 2014 and some great news

Well it has been a while since I was last on the blog but i'm back!  So a very happy 2014 to you all!!! 

I have some news which is to do with film and so i'll tell you the story:

Ok so I'm at my work experience which happens to be a small radio station when I volunteered to do a live show with nothing to work with and half way through the manager comes in amd asks me do I want my own show which of course I agree to. And after a while he comes back in and then asks me about content and then the light bulb moment happened. I've always wanted to do a film type show on radio and I have 2 hours to play with! So I am now going to be creating and presenting a film radio show called for now 'The Monday Film Club!' which is awesome with news and reviews from film so basically I'm on top of the world! 

So that is my news! 

Also will be blogging alot more ! I promise!