30 days of film challenge - part six

26. hottest actor/tress

Jake Gyllenhaal (born 1980).

What can I say? Sex on a stick.






27. film that confused you the most

The Fountain (2006).

It took me a while to get into this film, but it paid off. The story is as touching as it is confusing and further viewings help you appreciate it all the more. Worth a shot.





28. best voice in film

Sir Christopher Lee (born 1992).

This is more or less a shared space with Jamer Earl Jones, but Sir Lee wins out. Saruman is just too perfectly portrayed by him, there's nothing I can do about that.




29. Most epic scene

Heaven's Light / Hellfire (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996).

The juxtaposition of good versus evil, the animation, the chorus, the emotion, I just love every single thing about this scene.





30. Tv series or book that you wanna see a film version of

Van Jonge Leu en Oale Groond (2005).

A film version of this over-the-top dramatic series in my home dialect (Twents) would be just the ticket if I ever feel like revisiting.

30 days of film challenge - part five

21. favourite film title (not necessarily your fav film)

Lesbian Spank Inferno (2000).

Don't understand why? Watch Coupling.






22. favourite good guy

The Doctor (Doctor Who, 2005).

I'd say Rafiki again, but I want this list to be diverse. So I suppose I'll go with The Doctor. He's a Timelord, practically immortal, travels through space and time and is so lovable.




23. favourite villain

Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty, 1959).

Tough one, I do love me some villains. Scar, Mother Gothel, Saruman, Madame Tremain, Ursula, the list goes on. Only one can be the favourite though, and that lucky woman is Maleficent.
Everything about her fits perfectly. The animation is phenomenal, the voicework superb. I know I've complained about Dolores Umbridge for not having a motive before, but I'm not being hypocritical. No, Maleficent doesn't have a background story (as far as we know, anyway). However, a fairy tale is a different beast from a 'proper novel'. The latter requires motives, deeper layers and more details. Fairy tales are happy just being your basic good versus evil stories. For Maleficent, that works.

24. favourite genre

Horror.

Animation isn't technically a genre, it's a medium. Same goes for musicals. Thought I'd explain that before people started wondering why I hadn't picked that.
When I find myself home alone at night, I often pop in a horror flick. It's nothing too high-profile, it's just brainless entertainment. In the end, that's all I'm after in a horror film.

25. favourite director

Vincenzo Natali (born 1969).

He directed Cube (1997), Cypher (2002) and Splice (2009); three films I absolutely love. Cube ranks as my third favourite movie. If you're looking for films that make you think, go for Natali.
That said, Richard Kelly deserves a mention too. I already named Donnie Darko, but The Box is definitely worth a watch too. Just so you know.

30 days of film challenge - part four

16. film you like, but people you know hate

Sex and the City - the Movie (2008).

The SatC-films are a bit of an oddity, in how people complained the first film didn't feel like the series (having an entire year in one movie), but then didn't like the second one because it didn't feel like a film (more of an extended episode of the TV-series). I happen to like both films, for different reasons. I still prefer the ending of the series though.


17. film you thought you wouldn’t like, but then did

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008).

Watched this with my boyfriend the other day. I'd never seen a kung-fu film before and even though this was an Americanised film, knowing how much I enjoyed this one has made me think about watching more of this genre.





18. film you don’t want others knowing you like

Honestly? None. I checked my collection and there's not one film I'm ashamed of. Why would I? I like the film and that's what matters.
That said, I really wish I could put Twilight here... Problem is I really do hate that franchise.

19. favourite actor/tress

Ruth Jones, known for Gavin and Stacey (co-writer, Vanessa Jenkins), Fat Friends (Kelly) and Nighty Night (Linda).

Ruth is just amazing at everything she does. She's a fantastic actress, who can deliver both a hilarious and a heartbreaking performance. She's co-written the BBC-series Gavin and Stacey (with James Corden, who also plays Smithy) and that's one of the best shows I know. Plus she's Welsh.

20. actor/tress that should get a different job

Kristen Stewart, known for Twilight (Bella Swan).

Too many to count really, but since I mentioned Twilight earlier, I'll go with Kirsten. The girl just can't act, and that's counting non-Twilight films. She just puts on her 'character-face' and freezes for the rest of the story. No genuine emotion whatsoever.

30 days of film challenge - part three

11. film you wish there was a sequel to

You know, I really can't think of a single one. A good film has a self-contained story and will never need a sequel. That's not to say there aren't any good sequels, just none that were needed to tell the full story.

12. sequel that failed to be as good as the first

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Just wanted to put this one on here for kicks. Seriously though, every single cheapquel made by the DisneyToon Studios.






13. favourite character

Rafiki, The Lion King (1994).

He's crazy, wise, wild and colourful. Perfect.






14. worst character

Dolores Umbridge, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).

She's evil without a cause (bad writing, J.K.!), could have been done so much better and has absolutely no reason for appearing in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Just not interesting.




15. favourite movie quote

'Sméagol don't want fish!'
- Sméagol, The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers (Special Extended DVD Edition) (2003).

This was a tough one, as there are so many great quotes out there. However, this was the first one to enter my mind and has therefore won the prize.

30 days of film challenge - part two

6. scariest film

Jesus Camp (2006).

Enough Said.







7. funniest film

Shaun of the Dead (2004).

British humour at its best. Check out Hot Fuzz too, made by the same team.
True classic.






8. your oldest film (not the one you had the longest, but the one that came out first)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

That's probably accurate, though I can't say I'm sure... I do have older animated shorts on DVD, but I think Snow White would have to be the oldest film I have.






9. your newest film

Rapunzel (2010).

Yes, I know the official title is Tangled now. During the 6+ years it was in production, it was consistently called Rapunzel (Unbraided). Then Disney decides to change it's title a couple of months before its release? Nope, not buying it.
The film itself is absolutely wonderful though. It has everything a Disney film should and is a fine choice to be the 50th Disney Classic.

10. your most childish film

The Brave Little Toaster (1987).

This was directed by John Lasseter, who would later pioneer Pixar and become head of the Walt Disney Animation Department. In fact, this was the film that directly caused Pixar to exist. John Lasseter wanted to create this film in CG (this is eight years before the release of Toy Story (1995)), but Disney refused to invest in such a new and untested method of filmmaking. Lasseter left the studio and started his own.
That said, the film itself is charming, but far too sweet to be enjoyed as an adult (for me at least). Throw in some childhood nostalgia, though, and it's still fun rainy-day entertainment.

30 days of film challenge - part one

Hey everyone,

So I've decided to join the 30 days of film challenge. Thing is, I'm not online every day. Also, I'm far too impatient for these things. So I'll do it in six parts, to be updated whenever the hell I feel like it. Enjoy.

1. favourite film

The Lion King (1994).

Has been since the day I first saw it, will probably be until the day I die. I can watch this film every single day and still enjoy it. Animation has never been this powerful.





2. worst film

Garfield (2004).

I couldn't even finish watching this. Firstly, Garfield is a character that works fot three-panel comic strips; not a ninety-minute movie. Second, every single character is miscast/butchered. Thirdly, Bill Murray? No.




3. cheesiest film

Filmpje! (1995).

Paul de Leeuw. Crossdressing. Sarcasm. Superfluous violence/sex. 'Hoe kan het nou sneeuwen in de cafetaria?' Songs. Murder.
What's not to like?





4. film you cant wait to see

The Hobbit - Part One (2012).

I really, really hope they don't fuck this one up. They especially have to be careful with the Trolls, I wíll be checking whether they freeze in the same positions they had in the Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring.
Still, more Gollum, Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Lee Pace... I'm in.



5. film you can watch over again

Donnie Darko (2001).

Seriously, put this on repeat and force me to watch until I die, and I'll happily live for another week or so. Think about it, that's a long time to spend watching one movie over and over again. Donnie Darko is absolutely brilliant.

Curly 01 - High-flying Adventure

As everyone who knows me should know, I'm a big fan of animation. There's just something about creating life by drawing forms on paper. I've always been fascinated by this particular artform, which fuelled my love for the Walt Disney company.
A couple of months ago, I found an animation programme even I could understand. I decided to give it a shot and try to animate a short clip. It's all very basic and rough, but I'm pretty happy with it. I'm still working on the sequel, though I must admit I've kind of lost interest. It'll get done some day though, and will be posted here once completed.
For now, here's my very first animated short.

Dolen í vad ô nín

These are the times when everything changes.
I’m not talking about the big worldwide changes here (which are obviously occurring as well), but rather the changes in my own life. It’s all on a much smaller scale, but monumentally important to me.
I’m twenty-four going on twenty-five. My time as a student is almost over. I’m in a relationship. It’s time to think about the future.
That’s where the problem lies – the future. I don’t yet know how it’s going to shape up, and I’m not sure how to feel about that. One the one hand, a little uncertainty is very welcome. I like going with the flow and seeing where I’ll end up. On the other hand, I’m almost twenty-five. I’m starting to feel like I need to settle down. Only, I don’t know what I want to settle into.
I’ve always wanted to move to the UK. My studies are almost over, handing me the perfect time to fulfil my dream. Of course, a dream is only a dream when it hasn’t been realised. Once you’ve achieved what you wanted, it’s time to find another dream.
That’s not the biggest problem though. The biggest problem is figuring out what I want to do with my life. I’ve been studying to become a social worker, but there are so many other things I’d like to do. Most of these aren’t profitable and won’t come to fruition anytime soon, but I want to make sure they can (when the time is right).
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and my grand conclusion is that I don’t know. I don’t know what I want to do, where I want to live or where my life is going. I’ll keep thinking about it but in the meantime, I’ll go with the flow. It hasn’t steered me horribly wrong yet and, if I can hold out long enough, my path might just become visible.