28 Days Later

                                                 


(I actually wrote this a few years ago for a forum I frequent and decided to be lazy and copy/paste it here.)

I re-watched this the other night as a refresher for my post here. For me, this movie never gets old. There are still a few "gotcha" moments that still make me jump every time. And I know they're coming.


While I had seen "Trainspotting" and thought it was great, 28 was the film that really made me notice Danny Boyle as a director. I love the grainy-ness of the film and how you're learning about the situation along with Jim's character. True, we know how the outbreak started, but as he wakes up in an empty hospital surrounded by empty streets we're back in the dark again.

It can be a touchy subject for some as to whether or not this is a "zombie movie." While you could put it in that category I will explain my reasons for not considering it as such. In films like "Night of the Living Dead" the body has to die first and is re-animated with a hunger for human flesh. Here we are dealing with a virus that has a minuscule incubation time and turns the victim into rage personified. I find that a great twist on the zombie genre. The person is taken over before your eyes and is not undead.

I also love the cast. My general love for Cillian Murphy aside, I think he does a geat job. I mean, how many times can a person yell "Hello" and still get across the utter desperation and bewilderment of this situation. Brendan Gleeson was perfect as the father figure of the group and I get choked up every time that tiny drop of blood falls in his eye and he turns.

And then the twist comes. They've turned to a small military camp for help and find themselves in just as much danger. Maybe it's because I'm a woman that I find the "human incubator project" so chill-inducing. Some friends I've talked to about this film thought that was a downturn in the movie, but I find it just as compelling. It drives the point home that not only is there danger from within ourselves but from those sworn to protect us.

This film does have a few light (and much appreciated) moments. The grocery store scene being one. And I appreciate that while there was some sexual tension between Jim and Selena, it doesn't overpower the story.

Overall, I love this film for being fun, scary, and thought-provoking. You can take it as a genre film or you can dig deeper and find some social commentary without being beaten over the head with it (and some naked Cillian Murphy peen doesn't hurt either).

Phew! Thanks for listening to me ramble.

Watership Down

How do I find the words to describe a movie that has been a part of my life since before I can remember?  No doubt I watched it as a child with my parents in the other room thinking their five year old entertained by an animated movie about cute little bunnies doing their cute little bunny things.  They could not have misjudged the tone of this movie more.

This movie possesses such a hauntingly beautiful quality from the opening explaining the lapine mythology all the way through to the bloody and brutal climax.  The score emphasizes these events in such a subtle manner that it never ceases to make me feel a pang of nostalgia with every viewing.  In fact, now that I think about it, this may have been the beginning of my movie score geekness.

The story follows a group of rabbits on their journey to finding a new home.  On the surface it appears to be such a simple story.  But the rabbits are more than displaced.  They are trying to create an entirely new society in the midst of everyday survival.  Fiver, the group's visionary, knows that something terrible is going to happen to their current home.  With his brother, Hazel, and a friend, Bigwig, he tries to convince the Chief Rabbit that the entire warren must leave.  The Chief is not to be convinced and later that night a small group leaves the warren for good.

I'm not going to go through the plot point by point.  I could never do the film justice.  Throughout the film, the rabbits are exposed to varying amounts and types of danger from both natural enemies and even their own kind.  They encounter other groups of rabbits living in different kinds of societies; neither to our group's liking.  It is a difficult journey for our heroes, both over unfamiliar terrain and in starting their lives afresh.  But in the end you will be holding out hope that somehow this group has the strength to see Fiver's vision through.

What this is all about...

I guess I should start off by telling you about the purpose of this blog.  It's really just a place for me to organize my thoughts on the movies I have seen.  I'm not a professional critic by any means, nor do I think I would want to be.  This is just a corner for me to talk about something I have a deep passion for:  Film!  And if someone reads this and wants to engage with me, all the better.

If I had to pick one genre, I guess I would say I'm a drama girl.  I don't mind if a movie makes me cry.  All kinds of stories interest me and I'm always up for something new and original.  But really, I love all genres.  What I'm into at the moment changes with my mood.  Sometimes I don't mind a good cry.  Other times I'm up for something light and fluffy.  Still other times I want a good scare.  I am just a self-proclaimed movie freak!

You may be wondering where the title of this blog came from.  I'll start off by saying my favorite movie is Watership Down.  The blog title comes from my favorite line:  "They look sad; like trees in November."  I thought it only fitting to reference my favorite movie.  The domain name comes from a place mentioned in the movie Nuthanger Farm.  My first formal review will be of this movie and hope readers will bear with me as I find and develop my writing skills to do these movies justice.