With Just a Hint of Nostalgia: Peter Jackson's The Frighteners (1996)

I might have mentioned it before, but my older brother has always had a huge influence on me when it comes to films and series and it's somewhat of a miracle if I happen to watch something before he has seen it- or an even greater miracle if I have seen a film he has never heard of (I celebrated my first win this weekend-go figure). We used to spend many sunday afternoons watching the Lord of the Rings extras, back in I don't even kow when, and it just continued from there.

However, the Lord of the Rings was not the only Peter Jackson creation my brother introduced me to. I remember watching Heavenly Creatures one day on TV because my brother wanted to see it- it being a Peter Jackson creation and all. It mostly confused me, and I only found out a few days ago he was nominated for an Aacademy Award for it, which prompted the thought of a rewatch. Then there was King Kong, which I was not that impressed by, and the Lovely Bones, which I have not seen till this day.

The Frighteners is a different story. Every time this film came on TV my brother forced our family to watch it, and it took me a long time to actually embrace the movie. It's probably one of Jackson's less known works and the reviews I've read weren't that optimistic, but I think I've seen it almost as often as I've seen The Return of the King. Mostly by force however, because this film used to terrify me when I was little. It stars Michael J. Fox as some kind of ghostbuster who goes after this creepy-ass phantom that is on a killing spree, marking its victims by carving numbers into their foreheads. The killer-ghost seems to travel inside of walls and ugh, I still find it very creepy.

I've really grown to love the film though, when I rewatched it a few years ago. Old enough to actually focus on the film and get what it's about, I was still a tiny bit scared, but mostly entertained. I mean, this film has some really great elements. Firstly, it has Michael J. Fox, who is awesome. I used to dislike him because I disliked Back to the Future - because I always found Doc sooo fucking annoying and still do secretly - but again rewatching those films changed my perspective. Secondly, the film mixes creepiness with comedy, which always works to be honest. I am not a fan of full-blown horror films and this is a nice alternative. It's originality as a film is mostly the result of this mix of humour and horror which Jackson plays with, sending the film in all kinds of different directions. It does make the film a bit messy and the two emotions might not mix that well, but it's different, and I kinda like it.

I have my brother's special edition director's cut of the film laying around here, which includes a documentary on how the film was made. I'm curious to see some behind-the-scenes stuff that is not from the Lord of the Rings but from a more down to earth, easy-going film that doesn't take itself too seriously, which is exactly what viewers shouldn't do either.

Needless to say, I will be watching the film again, not only to keep the cycle going but mostly because I like it. And this was my attempt to try to make others give it a go too, IF THEY DARE. Uhum, so yeah, watch the film.

Oh, and look for Peter's camio. It's beautiful, as always.

What I've Been Watching: June and July

Series: Orange is the New Black

June was a good month for me getting into a new series. The reason: exam week. I am one of -I believe- many who suffer from the hey-it's-time-to-study-let's-start-a-new-series-syndrom. It's not so much a means of procrastination, but a little present I give myself at the end of the day for wrecking my brain writing essays or revising. My series of choice for last exam week: Orange is the New Black.

Now I already raved about Orange is the New Black (henceforth OITNB) in my last post, but I enjoyed it too much to not give it a bit more attention. Let's start with how I got into contact with it. For some strange reason I saw the ad on TV for this Netflix series, and I must say they did a good job trying to sell it to viewers because I instantly thought it looked promising. I normally avoid Dutch television, but it's safe to say something good came out of it this time. I proceeded by downloading the first season and it was an instant hit: I finished the first season within about a week. Now I know this is probably not as hardcore as many others who watch like 5 seasons of a show in 2 days but for me, this was pretty quick.

So small summary: OITNB follows Piper Chapman as she is sent to prison for smuggling drugs a decade ago under pressure of her then-girlfriend. Leaving behind Larry- the douchy fiance - she re-encounters her drug baron girlfriend in jail and a ton of other badass ladies whose stories unfold troughout the first two seasons.

There's a text post going round on tumblr that embodies OITNB perfectly in my view, and it's something along the lines of: "I was taking a train this week and thought wow it feels so good being out of prison. But then I realised I wasn't in prison but just binge watching OITNB." SO ACCURATE. The binge watching part is definitely true, but also the fact that it eats you whole. Now I know this might partly be a side-effect of the binge watching, but OITNB truly does a good job representing a situation that might feel alien to many of us while still making it relatable. As a viewer you start to empathise with the characters more every time you learn a bit more about them, as every episode goes into the backstories of these ladies, presenting little snippets of their histories that give away just enough to piece together how they ended up in jail.

Nominated for twelve Emmy Awards OITNB is getting the attention it deserves. The only faults I've been able to find? 1. You have to wait 5-ever for a new season. 2. Piper's husband Larry is the 21st century equavalent of James Hurley and the most boring character ever. Ugh.

However, this should not stop you from watching a badass series about badass ladies. Hey, you can always press mute when Larry appears on screen.

Films: Philomena

It must be a miracle but I am finally reviewing Philomena. I'm pretty sure I've watched this film waaaaay back before June, but it just needs a tiny bit of attention.

In essence, the film is truly heartbreaking. Based on true events, the film centers around Philomena's search for her son, who was given up for adoption by the convent she was put in by her father in the 1950s after getting pregnant without being married. With the aid of a journalist who is eager to publish Philomena's story, they discover her son's fate.

Philomena was nominated for four Oscars, including the award for Best Picture, and this was one of the reasons I really wanted to see the film. I'd like to say that I don't care about Academy Award nominations, but I do. If a film has won an Oscar, I always feel the need to find out if, in my view, it deserved to win. In Philomena's case, I'd say no.

As I said before, the story is really heartbreaking, but I think the way it was conveyed on film was slightly lacking. The set-up of Philomena (Judy Dench) with the journalist (Steve Coogan) in the beginning felt really random and a bit rushed. The brilliant acting of Dench and Coogan did make up for this a bit as the interplay between their characters was a joy to watch. However, overall the film proved less engaging than I thought it would be. Maybe I am harbouring unrealistic Hollywood standards, but I expected more of the search for Philomena's son. It was certainly portrayed as very realistic, but realism can still be heartfelt, and I just missed that intruiging element, or the sense of hope that I had expected.

As the film unravels it's impossible to not be affected by it. It's a story that does not need theatricality or dramatic music to make an impact, and if that's why the director, Stephen Frears, made the decisions he made I completely understand it. However, to me it could have been a bit more polished, or structured a bit differently to just make it that much better.

That being said, I do understand why Philomena was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture to begin with. It's not a secret that awful things where going on within these convents and the Catholic Church as a whole in the 1950s- and not just then for that matter. These are the stories that matter, that should be told and not be forgotten. And Philomena's story was just one of many.