The Shark is Still Working trailer 


My favourite film of all time, the one that inspired me to make films in the first place (and apparently every young filmmaker working in Hollywood today), the one that marked the beginning of the word ‘blockbuster’ in Hollywood, has got itself a new fan documentary The Shark Is Still Working. If the narrator in this trailer sounds familiar it’s because it’s that of Percy Rodrigues, the man who voiced the original trailer way back in 1975. The documentary features interviews with just about everyone involved in the difficult production, fans, other filmmakers and also delves into the legacy of one of the finest thrillers ever made.

The documentary run for 3 hours and is to be released on DVD as a 2-disc set sometime in the foreseeable future (no release date as of yet). As a Jaws fan, I shall be picking this one up when it’s released but those eager for an early review can find one here.

 
 
0
 
Wednesday, July 18 2007
 
Film General
 

Medellin Trailer 


The 4th season of Entourage started a few weeks back, the first episode freakin’ greatness with a behind-the-scenes look at the shooting of Vince’s passion project ‘Medellin’. Watching Billy Walsh go insane was almost as good as seeing Coppola during his ‘Hearts of Darkness’ filmmaking phase. Walsh is currently pissed at the trailer being leaked onto youTube and wouldn’t you know it, it’s actually on there! Gotta give the Entourage team kudos for fantastic Internet marketing. God I love this show!

 
 
0
 
Tuesday, July 17 2007
 
TV
 

Short Reviews #27 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
starstarstarstar_empty

The best Harry Potter film yet? Not by my watch. Alfonso’s effort with The Prisoner of Azkaban is by far my favourite, closely followed by Mike Newell’s Goblet of Fire. This time, the focus is more upon Harry than its predecessors and while that’s keeping in line with the books apparently, I missed the equal camaraderie between Hermione, Ron and Harry present in the previous films. I stopped reading the books after Azkaban so I can’t speak as a Harry Potter nut, nor can I say if the transfer from book to film is accurate but I can say I felt slightly let down based upon the positive word of mouth and the last two films, which felt more magical and inventive than this entry. Some of the scenes also fell a little flat and failed to engage. I realize they were going for a darker tone too but when Sirius Black (played to perfection by Gary Oldman) turns to Harry and says “We have all got both light and dark inside us”, I wondered where the light was. Not just in terms of dramatic tone but also in the filmmaking sense. That’s where a director such as Alfonso did such a great job. He blended that sense of imagination, wonder and all the darkness that comes from the Harry Potter universe into a very entertaining, magical film. I was also particularly surprised to see Daniel Radcliffe actually improve his acting range and give a half decent performance. Thankfully he managed to give us a Harry Potter who can take charge and lead an army so I think the next two entries will be safe bets. But I’d still like to see the directorial reins handed over to someone with a little more flair for the visuals whilst keeping a firm hand on the story, characters and interactions.

Read more

 
 
2
 
Sunday, July 15 2007
 
Film Review
 
Previous Ramblings
Future Ramblings