Genre: Classic

A Clockwork Orange (1972) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

Despite being very unusual and even somewhat disturbing throughout, legendary director Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket) brings to life one of the best films of his career, as ‘A Clockwork Orange’ explores an original story with some impressive cinematography and set design, all leading the film to become very iconic and memorable within its own right. Even surpassing the novel it’s originally based on by Anthony Burgess, with Kubrick crafting one of his most faithful adaptations to date.

Plot Summary: In the near future, the young sadistic gang leader; Alex, is imprisoned after a violent event goes public, forcing him to serve time. But, with the promise of an early release, ‘Alex’ is eventually lead to volunteer for a conduct-aversion experiment, which doesn’t go as he anticipated…

Although the narrative throughout ‘A Clockwork Orange’ never fails to be engaging, usually focusing heavily on dark themes of insanity, violence and morals. I do feel the film could definitely be seen as too intense for some viewers, as although the large amount of nudity and torture does serve the film’s story, it could also be seen as tasteless for some, regardless of the film’s overall lack of blood and gore during many of the violent scenes.

Ignoring the unbelievable performance from Malcolm McDowell as the psychotic protagonist; ‘Alex,’ Warren Clarke, Aubrey Morris, James Marcus, Michael Bates and Carl Duering are all excellent in their respective roles, despite their very limited screen-time and development, and although the over-the-top British accents many of the characters have may put some viewers off, I do feel it fits well within the interesting sci-fi world the film sets up. However, we do get another appearance near the end of the film from a character, known as ‘Mr. Alexander,’ portrayed by the late Patrick Magee. Who, despite being an important character within the plot, gives a performance a little too ridiculous, in my opinion, as his facial expressions end up coming across as more comedic than emotional during his dramatic scene nearing the end of the runtime.

The cinematography by the late John Alcott definitely adds another level to the film, as the enormous amount of movement and uncomfortable close-ups throughout the film really add to the story itself, including the now-iconic; ‘Kubrick Stare,’ which can be seen in many of his films. In addition to the fantastic cinematography, however, is also the brilliant editing, which perfectly fits the film’s style, almost as if ‘Alex’ himself is taking the audience through the story within his erratic mind. This also links back to his narration, which is present throughout the film and is brimming with plenty of well-written and memorable dialogue.

The original score by Wendy Carlos is another element of the film I really enjoy, utilising an electronic soundtrack to further push the weird tone of the film, as the score recreates many of ‘Alex’s favourite classic songs in an interesting way, resulting in a soundtrack that’s both memorable and unique. The film also uses a variety of iconic songs very effectively, perfectly capturing the insanity within the main group of misfits. One of the most memorable moments of the film even comes from this, as ‘Alex’ brutally beats a couple whilst singing the classic song; ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’

As previously mentioned, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ is also one of the few films where the sets are incredibly iconic by themselves, as each location the characters visit is always colourful and visually appealing. From the ‘Korova Milk Bar’ through to the London apartment ‘Alex’ and his parents call home, every set has plenty of 1970s style mixed-in with some science fiction aspects (this also applies to the many wonderful costumes on display throughout the film). There were also a number of interesting scenes that were left on the cutting-room floor, including more scenes set within the ‘Korova Milk Bar,’ among plenty of other scenes focusing on the characters committing more horrible acts.

In summary, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ is an extremely bizarre yet incredible experience, as the film is just as interesting to discuss as it is to watch among many film fans. Containing plenty of hidden messages and underlying themes alongside its phenomenal filmmaking and brilliant story, I feel the film is truly one of Kubrick’s best, despite not beating out my personal favourite; ‘The Shining.’ So, although ‘A Clockwork Orange’ isn’t without its flaws, I would still highly recommend this one for anyone seeking something a little more out there, and of course, also due to its huge impact on pop culture and the film industry, alike. Final Rating: 8/10.

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Jurassic Park (1993) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

One of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic and beloved films of all time, ‘Jurassic Park’ based on the science fiction novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, is a classic from many people’s childhoods, including my own. From its incredible practical and CG effects which still hold up today, through to its memorable characters and a beautiful original score by John Williams. ‘Jurassic Park’ has made a gigantic impact on pop culture and is a true joy to experience for all ages.

Plot Summary: On the tropical island of ‘Isla Nublar,’ three-hundred and sixty-five miles off the coast of Costa Rica, billionaire, ‘John Hammond,’ has become the first man in history to bring back an extinct species with genetically engineered dinosaurs. But, when a tropical storm wipes out the island’s main security systems, his newly invited guests are thrown into peril amongst the prehistoric creatures…

Not only does ‘Jurassic Park’ have an extremely fun and original narrative when compared to many films before it, but the film is also very important when it comes to CG effects, as Spielberg and his team we some of the earliest filmmakers to explore the idea of computer-generated imagery and implement it into the film as Spielberg initially wasn’t impressed with many of the stop-motion effects which had been shown to him up to that point, and surprisingly, many of the visual effects throughout the film are still quite impressive, even by today’s standards for CG effects.

The entire cast of ‘Jurassic Park’ are truly brilliant, as Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck and, of course, the outstanding Jeff Goldblum who portrays ‘Dr. Ian Malcolm’ (possibly his best character), is all excellent in their respective roles, and despite each character not getting an enormous amount of development throughout the story, all the characters still manage to feel very varied and memorable. However, my only real issue with the film does relate to the characters, as there has always been a few scenes throughout the film where characters seem to make ridiculous decisions for no apparent reason, and while this isn’t a major problem, it can be a little irritating on rewatches.

The cinematography by Dean Cundey is unfortunately, one of the weaker aspects of the film as although the film isn’t lacking in attractive or iconic shots. The camerawork is largely serviceable for the majority of the film’s runtime, with many of the film’s most memorable shots being mostly due to the film’s practical dinosaur effects. However, the film also makes excellent use of its sets, as every location from the iconic ‘Visitor Centre’ through to the ‘T-Rex and Raptor Paddocks,’ are always very eccentric and memorable.

Probably one of the most recognisable soundtracks in history for film lovers, the original score by John Williams is simply incredible throughout the entire film. Having a great blend of beautiful calming tracks in addition to many tracks that help build tension, the soundtrack is truly something to be admired, with the tracks; ‘Welcome to Jurassic Park,’ ‘Journey to the Island’ and ‘Hatching Baby Raptor,’ being my three personal favourites.

In addition to the CG visual effects, Stan Winston, best known for his effects work on iconic films, like ‘Predator,’ ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ and ‘Aliens,’ Created a variety of practical effects for the film, as Spielberg wanted every close-up with the prehistoric creatures to be a practical animatronic, all of which, of course, is completely life-size and look outstanding, this is even more impressive when considering some of the issues the filmmakers ran into when it came to the rain during the scene, ‘The T-Rex Paddock’ (my personal favourite scene of the film), as the Tyrannosaurus Rex animatronic would constantly break down due to the enormous amount of water its rubber skin absorbed, usually having to be wiped down in between takes.

In summary, I personally don’t have many issues with the original ‘Jurassic Park,’ as the film is nearly perfect in many ways for me, as, in my opinion, a few unbelievable character choices and some minor continuity errors don’t take away from what is still an exciting adventure filled with great performances, some fantastic practical and visual effects as well as so much more. ‘Jurassic Park’ is a film for the ages, and I definitely believe it deserves its place among the most iconic films of all time. Final Rating: low 9/10.

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The Thing (1982) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

One of John Carpenter’s many horror classics, and one of my all-time favourites, ‘The Thing’ is a violent, eerie and creative sci-fi/body horror icon, as I personally adore this film and believe it’s one of Carpenter’s best, as the film always uses isolation and paranoia to its best extent, never failing to keep you on edge and invested throughout the entirety of its narrative and runtime.

Plot Summary: Members of an American research outpost in Antarctica find themselves battling a parasitic alien organism capable of perfectly imitating its victims. As time passes, they realise that killing the creature will be harder than they initially thought, as paranoia begins to sink in as to who has already been assimilated by the shape-shifting entity…

Although ‘The Thing’ is actually a remake of the classic; ‘The Thing from Another World,’ from 1957, I would say this is one of the rare times that a remake is better than the original as it’s constant tension building alongside the outstanding practical creature effects, make the film an incredible experience. Similar to films, such as ‘Alien’ or ‘The Fly,’ ‘The Thing’ also has a very slow opening, using its introduction to build tension and give the audience a great view of the location before the film descends into the gory, suspenseful chaos.

Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, David Clennon and the rest of the cast are all decent, while Kurt Russell’s character, ‘MacReady,’ is easily my favourite simply due to his charisma, but none of the cast are terrible, by any means. However, I do feel there are too many characters within the story, as it can get confusing at many points as to which character is wrapped up within their large fluffy coats. And while I understand the need for a high body count for a film like this (which is the reason for the lack of development for many of the characters), I simply find it a little too easy to get lost at points.

Dean Cundey handles the cinematography within the film, which is decent throughout but nothing amazing, placing more of an emphasis on the practical effects within the shots, rather than the shots themselves. The cinematography, however, does still help to build tension effectivity through its many still shots and dark colour palette. Furthermore, all of the creature effects throughout the film are completely practical, giving the amazing creature designs true life by many of them being puppets or costumes rather than CGI, like most modern-day horror or sci-fi flicks. These effects truly create some very memorable scenes, as make-up effects artist, Rob Bottin, known for his work on ‘RoboCop’ and ‘Total Recall,’ truly did some of his best work on ‘The Thing.’

The original score (surprisingly not composed by John Carpenter himself) is by Ennio Morricone, but suitably does feel like a traditional Carpenter soundtrack and helps towards the eerie atmosphere as soon as the opening begins, as while maybe not as iconic as some of Carpenter’s other scores, such as ‘Halloween’ or ‘The Fog,’ etc. The original score is still brilliant in its own right and truly sets the tone for the film.

As the film takes place in an extremely isolated location and features a creature that can morph into any character, the film also never fails to keep the viewer on constant edge, as one of the best elements of the film is the paranoia the runtime continues, as any of the characters could be infected with the extraterrestrial creature. So, we never know who is going to be the next unfortunate victim, and who is their killer. Interestingly, during filming, John Carpenter didn’t even tell the actors who was the creature on set, only adding to the mystery.

In summary, ‘The Thing’ is a phenomenal entry into the genres of science fiction and horror, truly being an iconic staple of what to expect from an extraterrestrial film from then on. From its building of tension to the outstanding phenomenal practical effects as well as the constant threat, we feel whilst watching, almost placing us into the shoes of the characters themselves. Soon going on to be a true sci-fi/horror classic and becoming one of the best remakes to ever grace the silver screen. Final Rating: 9/10.

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