Noises In A Quiet World

Posts

Film Review: Oldboy (2003)

March 08, 2022

This review will be discussing ‘Oldboy’, a 2003 South Korean revenge film by Park Chan-Wook. This film is the second instalment in his unofficial Vengeance trilogy. I watched this film on the suggestion of a friend (although insistence may be a more accurate term). Admittedly I had mixed expectations going in. From the description I’d been given, I was expecting a gritty action film in a similar vain to the ‘John Wick’ series. To my surprise, this is not what the film was at all. Instead, ‘Oldboy’ is a tense, greatly interesting and often disturbing film that must be seen to be believed. ‘Oldboy’ tells the story of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min Sik), a regular man who finds himself imprisoned and locked in a small hotel room. However, after spending fifteen years watching the world go by on TV, training himself and plotting his revenge, Dae-Su is mysteriously set free again. From here, he starts his quest not only to find and take revenge on his captor, but to also discover why they trea

Film Review: 'The Power of the Dog'

January 21, 2022

When looking at highly acclaimed or must-see films from 2021, a title that often comes up is ‘The Power of the Dog’, a psychological western drama directed by Jane Campion. With the Netflix original film sweeping through awards season and being in serious talks for a best picture nomination at the Academy Awards, I was highly intrigued to see it. After watching the film, I can say two things. One, that it is certainly an interesting film. And two, it has surprisingly little to do with dogs. ‘The Power of the Dog’ focuses on Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), a cold-hearted rancher who lives with his brother George (Jesse Plemons). When George marries Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst), an inn owner, Phil finds his life disrupted as Rose and her effeminate son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) move into his home. This leads to Phil becoming envious of Rose and spending his time tormenting her. Whilst this happens, he also strikes up a strange and unlikely friendship with Peter, an action that initi

Film Review: No Time To Die

December 04, 2021

Perhaps it’s fitting that my first review in a while will be on a frequently pushed back release like ‘No Time To Die’. For many people this instalment in the James Bond series has been highly anticipated, especially after frequent pushbacks due to lockdown. In fact, many may say these delays have been instrumental in the continued closure of UK cinemas. Whilst I’ve never been as interested in James Bond as others, often finding his films too campy, outdated or dull (particularly with the previous instalment, ‘Spectre’) initial trailers had me excited for the film. And after watching this film, I can firmly say it made for a great return to cinemas. ‘No Time To Die’ follows on from the events of ‘Spectre’, as Bond (Daniel Craig) and returning love interest Madeline Swann (Léa Seydoux) as they face an all-new threat. This threat comes in the form of Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek), a bioterrorist with a toxin that threatens the future of humanity. When written down, this sounds a l

Film Review: Rear Window

September 20, 2021

Before starting this review I'd like to apologise for my recent delays in uploading. For those who do not know, I have just started University and in the time preparing for it and now attending it I have had less time to work on my Blog. With this in mind I have decided to upload every 2-3 weeks instead of every 1-2 weeks. Not only do I think this is a more realistic deadline for me to reach currently, I also believe this will give me more time to find interesting subjects to discuss. Alfred Hitchcock is perhaps one of the most recognisable directors of all time. His films have defined decades of cinema in a large range of genres. As well as this, his innovations continue to impact media even now, such as the creation of the Dolly zoom in ‘Vertigo’ or the ways he snuck around censors in ‘Psycho’. Whilst I can’t say I’ve seen all his films (particularly not some of his earlier work), I have nonetheless enjoyed all the ones I have. This continued to be the case with his highly accl

'American Psycho' vs 'Spree': Stylish Satire and Subpar Slasher

August 30, 2021

It’s not a big secret by this point that my favourite film characters tend to be psychopaths. These twisted yet nuanced individuals often immediately draw me to a film. A particular favourite of mine is Patrick Bateman, the murderous businessman portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2000 satirical horror ‘American Psycho’ (based off the equally excellent book). So when I saw posters for the 2020 film ‘Spree’ frequently using the statement from Collider “‘American Psycho’ for the digital age” I was both intrigued and hesitant. Intrigued to see how the film would direct a similar kind of satire and commentary to modern society and hesitant as I was almost convinced it wouldn’t succeed. Regardless, I watched the film and was left disappointed. To be able to express my thoughts on the film, I will be comparing it to ‘American Psycho’ to highlight where it missed the mark for me. ‘American Psycho’ follows Patrick Bateman, a narcissistic 1980’s Wall Street worker, for a long period of h

TV Review: Bordertown (Sorjonen)

August 13, 2021

For the first entry in my series of TV reviews I’m going to be discussing the Finnish crime drama ‘Bordertown’ (also referred to as ‘Sorjonen’ in Finland). I touched upon this series in a recent post about Autism in the media but after recently completing the entire series I feel I am more ready to tackle the programme as a whole. As the series could be considered quite niche (even compared to other subjects I’ve talked about) I am sure many readers have not seen it. In which case I would like to cast a spotlight on an excellent series that may have flown under your radar. ‘Bordertown’ tells the story of Kari Sorjonen, a police detective with implied Autism who moves to Lappeenranta with his wife Pauliina and daughter Janina. Whilst there he joins SECRI, a special police task force focusing on more serious crimes. Aided by Lena Jaakola, a former-FSB officer with a mysterious past, and Nikko Uusitalo, a likable everyman, Kari solves some of the most difficult crimes of his caree

Film Review: There Will Be Blood

July 30, 2021

For today’s film review I’m going to be discussing ‘There Will Be Blood’, Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 western epic. I was initially told about this film by a friend and despite their praise for the film and the acclaim it had received critically I was sceptical about watching it. I was convinced that this film would be pretentious and overly self-indulgent but regardless I decided to watch it. However, after watching the film I can wholeheartedly agree with the positive consensus for this film. ‘There Will Be Blood’ tells the story of Daniel Plainview (played by the legendary actor Daniel Day Lewis), an ambitious Oil Prospector who expands his operations into a small Californian town. This places Daniel at odds with Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a young preacher who condemns Daniel’s actions throughout the film. Whilst this idea is somewhat simplistic on paper, the film turns the concept into a unique and thrilling experience. The characters in the film are a joy to watch and their u

Film Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

July 19, 2021

Quentin Tarantino is often considered to be one of the greatest directors of our time, if not the greatest. His films span many genres and feature exciting stories told with sharp dialogue and gorgeous cinematography that makes them enjoyable to a wide variety of audiences. Whilst I have not watched all his works, the ones I have were all exceptionally good. With this in mind, I had high expectations for his latest film, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2019) but unfortunately these were not met. One of this film’s biggest issues for me is its story, or more rather the way it tells it. The film is set in 1969 Los Angeles and focuses on Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a 1950’s western star who’s fallen out of favour, and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they navigate a changing Hollywood. Along the way the duo become wrapped up in the actions of the Manson Family and the lives of their neighbours, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and director Roman Polanski (a brief appea

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Constructing A Perfect Hero

July 09, 2021

As someone who has loved superhero films for a long time, it is impossible to ignore how great Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ is. These films have been praised endlessly for their story, acting and dark tone. By this point it feels that any more discussion about them wouldn’t bring anything new to the table. However, today I want to explore something that I feel is often overlooked about the films. How their take on Batman/ Bruce Wayne (portrayed by Christian Bale) was the perfect hero for his time. Before discussing this, I think it is important to briefly explain the history of Batman films why the trilogy exists. In 1989 Tim Burton directed ‘Batman’, followed by ‘Batman Returns’ in 1992. These two films were met with a lot of praise for their dark, gothic tone and are seen as largely responsible for making Batman into a more serious character compared to his 1966 TV series counterpart. Despite this, Burton stepped down as director after ‘Batman Returns’, mainly du

Search This Blog