A Constant Cinematic Battle

Courtesy of Factoidz

Much like Joe Robinson’s quest to play the games that are missing in his gaming knowledge, I have a similar passion to further my cinema and film knowledge. I already buy Total Film and Empire every month and a burgeoning collection of DVDs helps pushes me onwards. I receive so many recommendations on what to watch that’s it’s hard keeping track of it most of the time. I currently have a massive DVD pile I’m working through which seems to get larger every time I drop by HMV. Having felt a tad burned out after finishing Fallout New Vegas, I thought it wise to assault the pile of films I have waiting. This weekend I managed to get through:

A Horror Classic

The Exorcist (1973) – Ever since I watched Paranormal Activity on DVD in July, I’ve rediscovered my love of horror films. While Paranormal shook me for several days (it’s recent sequel isn’t as good), I thought it wise to expand my ‘classic horror’ knowledge. For example, I already adore the original The Wicker Man and various Hitchcock thrillers, but I wanted to see whether The Exorcist actually lived up to expectation. Short answer; to an extent. Surprisingly it takes an awful long time to get going (I watched the ‘The Version You’ve Never Seen’), but once it reaches around 30minutes in, the sense of dread hurries along.

The first half does feel a bit dated (there’s a semi-humorous scene of a smoking doctor), but once the possession kicks in, it really draws you in. Linda Blair, the young girl who plays the unfortunate subject of possession is tremendous. The makeup, special effects and the sound design are incredible, especially when you consider the films age. There’s some very hard-hitting scenes (a few of them slightly ruined by the fact they’re too well known to shock) and the conclusion catches the viewer off guard. Many consider it the greatest horror film of all time and it’s quite hard to disagree.

After all, if you believe in god, you have to believe in the devil don’t you…

A Chilling Encounter

Along a similar vein was Rosemary’s Baby (1968). I’ve only seen The Pianist (which is also excellent) of Roman Polanski’s canon so I looked to rectify that this weekend. Off the back of several recommendations, I jumped into one of the most chilling films I’ve seen. Completely lacking in gore or violence, the film (you could call it a thriller more than a outright horror) is an example of what can be achieved with classic scripting and casting. Mia Farrow is fantastic and the creepy couple next door are equally adept. The ending’s has a killer twist and it’s hard not to feel uncomfortable. The bitter taste is one that’s rarely seen nowadays and while it’ll unlikely cause any sleepless nights, Rosemary’s Baby is right up there with the rest of them.

Greed is Good

The last film I caught was Wall Street (1987), the classic drama which highlights the 1980s greed that sadly came to fruititon in 2007 with the collapse of the global economy. The acting is breathtaking, Stone’s direction near perfect and the flow of the film is engaging as they come. The sequel was recently released and received average reviews. I’d be interested to see it, but not for a while. Gordon Gecko is one of the best villains ever seen in film and from a historical perspective, the technology is wonderful. Giant mobile phones, old school computes, it shows how fast technology moves.

All in all, a great weekend for films. Next up is A Scent of a Woman, Trainspotting and a re-watch of 28 Weeks Later.

Tagged: Classics, DVD, Films, Horror, Linda Blair, Mia Farrow, Movies, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, Thriller, Wall Street