My Cinematic Alphabet: In Depth - G

What is it, like week 7 of this series? I hope you're all enjoying it so far. Make sure you're up to date with A-F before we start. If your new to this feature it's a simple principle: the So I Saw This Film teams favourite films for each letter. Bring on the G;s....

Gladiator

You can never really overlook a film that won five Oscars including Best Actor and Best Picture in these types of lists, nor one that was nominated for pretty much every other award. The film brought Russell Crowe his only Oscar to date, proving that it is in fact his greatest performance, even though I have enjoyed some of his recent films including State Of Play and The Next Three Days, the latter of which you'll find a review for on this site. Another of his greatest roles was in American Gangster which featured when I looked in depth at the best films for the letter A. The music is divine and Hans Zimmer proves his genius again. You can't not have seen this.

The Green Mile

The Green Mile is one of the most emotionally evocative films out there and proved to be another hit for lead man Tom Hanks. It is a hugely successful and popular films and remains a timeless classic full of wonder. I don't think any of these lists haven't featured Tom Hanks thus far!

The Godfather

How could this not feature? For me it's not as perfect a film as it is made out to be but when you're talking about The Godfather not being perfect it still manages to be one of the most well known and best loved films of all time. Number 2 in the IMDb Top 250 only to the Shawshank Redemption (which I've never understood). 'Say hello to my little friend!'
(P.S. Godfather II and III both should be up here but I'm classing them all under the Godfather)

Gran Torino

I didn't think I'd enjoy this film all that much when I first saw it advertised. It looked like it was just an opportunity for Clint Eastwood to make a film about himself that nobody would really be able to relate to. Well I was wrong. I admit it. He manages to kick major ass despite being grey and proves once again that he is both a world-class actor and sublime director.

Grosse Pointe Blank

A slick and stylish John Cusack film that may not be for everyone but is certainly for us. The film features one of the best all time soundtracks (I'm begining to sound like the Cusack from High Fidelity now). Check this one out.

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My Cinematic Alphabet: In Depth - F

The Next Three Days (2010)

One Of The Films Of 2010 - 5/5

So I saw this film yesterday called The Next Three Days. You may have seen this on your DVD shelves recently but if you haven't basically it follows a desperate father attempting to break his innocent wife out of jail. Russell Crowe plays John Brennan, a school teacher left on his own when his wife (Elizabeth Banks) is put away for a murder that she didn't commit (by the way this isn't supposed to be a spoiler, it's just as much as you'll see on the back of the DVD). Now John Brennan provides Crowe with the opportunity to display a side to his acting that we rarely see. At the beginning we see his loving, playful side as he enjoys his time with his wife and his young son, played by Ty Simpkins. He actually plays the father figure extremely well and it felt good to see Crowe excelling outside of his comfort zone. Sure, later on in the film we see glimpses of the types of characters we normally see him playing, but I thought he was magnificent when he wasn't killing people.

Elizabeth Banks also stepped out of her comfort zone for her role as wife Lara Brennan. We don't really see that much from her but what we do see is her decent into suicidal tendencies after being in jail for so many years. She may play 'chick-flick' types characters often but she is certainly capable of giving a solid performance.

Back to the story, and what I liked about Crowe's character was that he was easy to relate to. Normally we see him as gun-toting action heroes but here Crowe was an ordinary dad living an ordinary life. I think the fact that he was so ordinary made the desperation in his performance so potent and effective. We see his journey

My Cinematic Alphabet: In Depth - A

I thought I'd take a closer look at My Cinematic Alphabet and pick out a few notably brilliant films for each letter. This is to highlight those films that I couldn't fit in the original post but that are certainly worthy of a mention.

Keep your eyes open for these posts as I'll be posting one a week for each letter. Enjoy!

A

American Gangster

I picked out American Gangster because it has got to be Dezel Washington's most bad-ass character ever. I am a huge fan of Denzel, who manages to remain one of the coolest men in Hollywood, due to his emotional performances and how he captures each role he plays perfectly. I'm surprised he never received much in the way of awards for his performance in this one. He captured the character effortlessly and brought us some downright scary moments of explosive anger that prove his worth as an actor. It contains probably my favourite Russell Crowe performance to boot. I simply cannot fault this one.

American History X

I've seen this one on many lists of this type recently, and for good reason. Again this film contains one of the most bad-ass performances ever by Edward Norton and that's one reason it stands out for me. There really is no comparing Norton's early career with the stuff he does now. The storyline in this one is so moving and the imagery is so shocking at times but it remains entirely captivating throughout. It deals with a gritty and taboo subject brilliantly. They couldn't have done it better.

Apollo 13

For me this is a film from my childhood. I remember being so gripped by what I saw and completely struck by how amazing Tom Hanks' performance was. You just cannot beat his early career which included classics such as The 'burbs and Big because they all seem to transport you to memories of being young. It may not be his greatest film ever but the story remains so moving due to the truth behind the story. This is a proper feel-good film.

American Beauty

 I don't know why it is that three out of four of the films so far begin with the word American. Anyway, here is another classic that does. I think I love films because of the great performances they contain. For me this is Kevin Spacey's best in a career that has not always left me in awe. The film contains some of the most famous scenes in the modern cinema and I can't imagine anyone not falling in love with this powerful story.

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My Cinematic Alphabet

Directorial Debut For Russell Crowe?

Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe could make his directorial debut with the 1970s set crime drama 77. The Gladiator and State Of Play actor also plans to star in the film according to Deadline. The film brings us the story of an unsolved murder case of an LAPD officer in 1974. The story will be told via a pair of police officers of different ethnic backgrounds who are caught up in the battle between the Symbionese Liberation Army and the LAPD. 

Russell Crowe has worked with some of the best directors in his time, such as Ridley Scott, and is no stranger to crime dramas such as these. I'm sure he won't feel out f place directing and starring in such a film. Obviously everyone's directorial debut could go on of two ways; it could be dire or not too bad all. I'm keeping my faith in Crowe for this one and I think he'll pull it out of the bag. 

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'Robin Hood' Review

Robin Hood (2010)

Good Take On A Classic - 4/5

So I saw this film yesterday called 'Robin Hood'. This was Ridley Scott's take on the adventures of the fabled English character and is now among my favourite films of the story. Unlike many other Robin Hood films, this one focused on his early story before he became an outlaw. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see much 'stealing from the rich to give to the poor' in this film but seeing the story from a fresh perspective was a nice surprise. This is not the only way Scott's adaptation differs from others such as 'Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves'. This version had a tangibly darker feel than the normal family films we are given. Although these types of films are enjoyable, seeing a more violent and overall more adult version was also refreshing. However, I think Scott could have taken this further. The film should have been bumped up to a 15 rating to enable more violence and blood. At times it felt a bit tame and I think if it was going to be a dark take on the tale Scott should have gone all out to make it so.

Russell Crowe made a decent hero in his usual monotonous way. He was effective but I don't think he made the perfect Robin Hood. Kevin Costner was definitely more suited to the role. Crowe's followers, including Scott Grimes and Kevin Durand, provided us with entertainment throughout and were a good addition. Cate Blanchett was a standout performance for me. She portrayed the less stereotypical Maid Marion in that she showed a feisty side to the role that is rarely reported. Another stand out was Max von Sydow who was evocative and moving as Sir Walter Loxley. His was possibly the best performance. It was a nice treat to see Mark Addy also who, since 'The Full Monty', has graced us on the big screen far too scarcely.

This film brought with it much more than I expected and I was surprised at how much a enjoyed the fresh take on a classic fable.