The amazing reinvention video for Leona Lewis’s upcoming single ‘Collide’
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“You forgot the one rule of a remake… Never fuck with the original!” – Sidney Prescott
Here’s a tip for storytellers: if your story can be ruined by knowing the ending in advance, it’s not a good story. I won’t spoil Scream 4, but once you know who lives, who dies, and who Ghostface is, there’s not much reason to return…
“The Scariest Scream is always the last” – Those were the famous last words all over the posters for Scream 3 back in 2000. And here we are 10 years later, with more laughs than screams all over again whilst jumping on to this cash cow and carrying the franchise to a fifth and sixth instalment no doubt.
Neve Campbell returns as protagonist Sidney Prescott, joined by her old friends Special Officer ‘Doofy’, sorry Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) along with some hot fresh meat thrown in for some thrills and kills. Resident cheerleader superhero Hayden Pain-in-the-ass joins, Emma Roberts and a Culkin brother, not sure which at this time seeing as how they all pretty much the same in an attempt to reboot the franchise into the new iPhone, Social networking obsessed generation.
While the first two films tried to rise above the wide spread clichés of the horror genre, Scream 4 fully embraces them in all of their glory. The films intelligent opening is one of the things that were completely unexpected for me, not that I knew what I was expecting in the first place.
Appearances by Sookie Stackhouse herself Anna Paquin and Kristin Bell completely lived up to the franchises use of A-list celebrities during the opening act. I found the fact in which characters will go out of their way to provide commentary on the latest advances in technology and communication, with repeated stabs at social networking and webcasts thrown into the mix making Scream 4 yet another box office smash for its franchise.
Hearing the word ‘Meta’ thrown around a lot and seeing desperate Gale (Cox) trying to understand it, and get involved in the action is actually hilarious and I actually thought it was genius to play on the fact that technology and the internet have significantly changed and moved on since ‘Scream 3’. 
Cox is back to her absolute best delivering more of Gales famous cuts to poor unprepared rookies which I found was the only major character arc for her throughout the film, her fight to stay relevant plays true to the actress trying to stay relevant in the entertainment industry since her ten year stint on ‘Friends’ which all too apparent. Not to say that I don’t think that she is amazing, but she is completely overshadowed by the amazing Neve Campbell who in my opinion
delivered her most epic performance as troubled Sidney Prescott. How she hasn’t ended up in a mental institution by now after all she has been through is beyond me, and even her first call from Ghost face after 10 years she doesn’t once mutter “Oh shit, not again” like I probably would have, showing off she’s still classy, bad-ass and quick witted as ever.
To conclude, the ending of Scream 4 is clever and highly entertaining, and I enjoyed the revelation of the killer’s identity however not so much their justification. And while there will almost certainly be more Scream films, Scream 4′s conclusion also works well enough that it could serve as a nice series-ender, should they decide to finish it here.
Though… we all know that’s just not going to happen.
*****
By Nick Baigent
“The Scariest Scream is always the last” – Scream 3 Tagline
So the movie that defined nineties horror returns to the big screen today a mere eleven years after Neve Campbell released her ‘last’ scream in 2000 in what we expected to be the final instalment of the horror franchise but knew deep down it wasn’t to be the case…
Scream 4 – How can I say this delicately…? Is simply a way of reviving an old horse a shitty storyline (Note: I haven’t seen this movie just yet so can’t say if this statement is true) legs and dollar signs. Not that I’m complaining. Any excuse to see Courtney Cox try to scream with that amount of Botox injected into someone’s face is worth the movie ticket all by itself.
Scream was a rarity: a horror movie spoof that succeeded at creating a few scares as well as laughs. That’s because director Wes Craven the genius behind Nightmare on Elm Street, in addition to having a genuine affection for the genre, understood how wildly improbable and easy to lampoon it is. And, with Scream, he skewers it at every corner, using self-referential humour and a flood of in-jokes (some subtle, some obvious).
The fact is that in today’s culture a horror movie has to have an A-list female lead with huge breasts, who will spend the majority of the film running around screaming, and running up the stairs instead of out of the front door which Sidney Prescott herself deemed to be insulting in the first instalment, to be successful. It’s bloody typical and a tad predictable. What Scream was amazing at doing was getting a major star and killing them off in the first act. Bloody amazing, and effective and something that in the 90′s was much unexpected.
What Scream 4 has in store, I do not know. But I am hoping that it reaches my expectations. At this point, I’m not even sure what they are. Scream was a big part of my childhood; it was amazing and still is. I just hope that on behalf of me and all of the other people my age who enjoyed it that the new reboot to the franchise lives up to what we expect.
Make sure to check in tomorrow at some point for my review on the unmissable movie of the year…
“Largely about thighs and cleavage” – The Chicago Tribune
With the recent release of “Sucker Punch’, Zac Snyder now has five feature-film directing credits under his belt. Admiddedly ‘Sucker Punch’ hasn’t been recieved very well by critics and as a result it has so far performed extremely poorly at the box office. The problem you ask? Well i’ll tell you…
Bitchy women critics who instead of embracing ‘girl power’, slam in my opinion one of the best movies of the year because it just so happens that the film has an undertone of sex and prostitution. And i’m pretty sure the fact they do all of this scantilly clad in small mini skirts and provocative outfits has nothing to do with it. No not at all. As previously reported, this movie is not just all about ‘Thighs and cleavage’ and it most certainly is not an “unerotic unthrilling erotic thriller in the form of a video game mold”…
Director Zack Snyder who’s previous efforts include his amazing debut with Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Watchmen has yet another hit in Sucker Punch, which proves that a movie with him and an amazing cast at the helm should be a box office smash. Unfortunately for him, his movie masterpiece has been ripped to shreds by female critics, probably overweight and rancid looking with ‘amazing’ movie taste and would rather award yet another samey Jennifer Aniston movie five stars instead of this obviously amazing movie. Snyder himself has previously claimed that he wanted this to “be a cool story and not just like a video game where you’re just loose and going nuts,”
Suckerpunch stars the stunning Emily Browning as the films leading heroine ‘Baby Doll’ a girl in a mental institution who imagines an alternate reality where she begins to concoct her escape. The role which was originally intended for mean girl and little red riding hood herself, Amanda Seyfried, which I hope i’m not on my own in saying that i’m so glad she didn’t get. Browning not only contributes to the film’s soundtrack with her epically haunting version of the Eurythmics ‘Sweet Dreams’ manages to capture the audience from her very first scene and carry us through the majority of the first act without uttering a single word and her stunning voice in the back ground sexily whispering the chorus to the title track.
Music plays an integral and important role for this movie, since its used to launch the girls into their fantasy worlds but its used to create the mood for whatever scene that is created. The music used is absolutely amazing and the soundtrack reflects that with songs such as Bejorks amazing ‘Army of Me’ which is mainly used for the big ass fight scenes with make for some epic viewing.
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the movie about how it seems to be “Misleadingly positioned as female empowerment movie despite clearly having been hatched as a fantasy fodder for 13-year-old guys” and that the fact that the young women in the movie are “under constant threat of being raped or murdered”. Critics need to be more open minded and get their heads out of their Jennifer Aniston rom-com loving asses and realises its a female empowering movie about survival… It is however unfortunate that Vanessa Hudgens new naked photos were ‘leaked’ during the run up to the films release which I hope did not lead to the films bashing.
This movie is a vertiginous thrill ride that gives us what we want (or what we think we want, or what Snyder thinks we think we want).
Judging by the quality of Snyder’s recent work, I can imagine movie goers will be enjoying his work for many years to come.
Enjoy.
You probably already know the setup. This is a film about ballet, specifically, a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, which is shot through with the emotional intensity of psychological horror. Black Swan looks at the demanding behind-the-scenes aspects, physically and mentally, of its chosen art form…
Here, young dancer Nina (Natalie Portman), is cast in the production’s lead role, and is tasked with performing as both the virginal White Swan, and the antagonistic, seductive and sexually charged Black Swan. Although, while she is perfectly capable of executing the poise and grace of the White Swan, she is lacking a certain something when it comes to the darker side of the performance, something beyond technique, which director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) pushes her to attain.
On its most simple narrative level, Black Swan covers the strain of performance and the stress that comes from a yearning for the spotlight. However, Nina is a newcomer, and her problems are all related to the anxiety of making a lasting first impression. To that end, paranoia reigns, with threats coming from her predecessor, Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder), and her major rival, the free-spirited Californian, Lily (Mila Kunis). They both hold something Nina lacks, one, experience, the other, a sense of unbridled sexuality, and it is this latter quality that Thomas, through candid manipulation, hopes to see on stage.
It is quite a stunning representation of the world of performing arts, and a surprisingly cutting criticism of bullying directors, and the Method school of making personal emotions the raw content of the actor’s work.
Aronofsky’s pursuit of a Polanski-ish blend of realism and expressionistic flair places the film on a whole other level.
Safe to say, the pursuit of perfection gets the better of Nina, who is of a temperament unsuited to weathering the stress of such a role. That seems to suggest an eventual breaking point, but Black Swan does not rely on a grand reveal, or a cheap twist. Instead, Aronofsky peppers the film with unnerving, creepy, ambiguous moments, keeping the audience on edge as the tension mounts.
This could take the form of a quick cut, close-up of cracking toe joints and bright red blisters, or, fittingly for a film about doubles, reflections and echoes, glimpses of horror in mirrors, or half-obscured faces. Such psychological red herrings keep surprising, and enthralling the viewer right through to the end, building to a final performance which both works as a fitting character arc crescendo, and a dazzling affirmation of the art of ballet, packing emotional and tonal complexity into its collision of music and dance.
These sequences are shot with a compelling, hyper-real immediacy, with Matthew Libatique’s cinematography unafraid to follow the film’s more theatrical moments of expressionism, yet still maintaining a real-world foundation.
Portman’s performance is also key, not only as she is providing the majority of the dancing herself, but because she so closely mirrors her character’s duality, looking gaunt and under-nourished, ribs showing, body broken by the ordeal of ballet, yet transforming before our eyes into the twisted titular persona.
Both Kunis and Cassel function perfectly as dramatic foils, but are also delightful as they dissipate the atmosphere, bringing with them a welcome amount of humour in response to Nina’s sociopathic behaviour.
Throughout, we can spot thematic threads from Aronofsky’s body of emotionally raw, character-based studies of obsession and tragedy. Indeed, at times Black Swan feels like a culmination of his last 12 years of distinctive, astounding filmmaking.
Between now and its release in February, we should find out for certain what lies for him next. And even if the next chapter of his career is in a more franchise-shaped context, let’s hope that he is allowed to continue this streak.
I hope you all enjoy the film as much as I did.
Until next time,
Peace, Love and Light.
Nick –x-
“If I Said I Want Your Body Now, Would You Hold It Against Me?”
“Hold It Against Me”–Britney‘s highly anticipated new single from her yet untitled seventh studio album due out in March has premiered. Now, I’m not one of those gay gay Britney Spears fans, so I’ve grudgingly decided to hurriedly draft this review. It is more than likely nonsense, but here goes:
“Hold It Against Me” is many things, but above all, it is as perfect as the flawless iconic beauty singing on the track. While it’s not nearly as radically different as Camp Britney suggested it would be as compared to the demos we’ve heard in recent weeks, Britney’s final version is still vastly superior and entirely amazing. “Hold It Against Me” is by no means an obvious Dr. Luke or Max Martin collaboration, and it doesn’t sound too similar to anything on the radio (aside from Ke$ha‘s “Take It Off,”)
Now, let’s review in-depth:
SONG BEAT: The beat of “Hold It Against Me” deserves an appreciation post of its own. Unstoppable. Disgustingly filthy.
VERSES: It is an effective wooing. She also says “A LITTLE HAY-ZAY” in a really silly voice during the second verse and it’s kind of the best thing ever.
CHORUS: The chorus of “Hold It Against Me” is a really genius, gorgeous moment a la “Shattered Glass” in which the song’s beat completely drops out and allows B to shine with a MASSIVE, chant-worthy chorus. It’s the kind of chorus that says, “Hey over there, the beat is about to fucking DROP, so kindly hold onto your Ginch Gonch because this shit is bananas.” AND THEN IT DOES.
BREAKDOWN:
OH MY GOD. THE BREAKDOWN.
I had to stand up and walk around after hearing for the first time because I SIMPLY COULD NOT. “If I said I want your body, would you hold it against me?” Britney purrs in a semi-British, semi-Blackoutney crazy accent, before the track launches into the most UNHOLY series of grinding dubstep/grime beats Brit Brit’s ever had the pleasure of moaning against. “Pop it like a hood, and show me how you work it out,” she whines. And then the trance pulsations that lead back into the song?
VOCALS: While nothing too vocally impressive (not why we’re here folks), “Hold It Against Me” is still a refreshing presentation of B’s natural vocals–none of that tired dance-pop shit raping my ears on the radio at the moment. I love her voice on this and the fact it isn’t auto tuned the fuck out of is even better.
IN CONCLUSION: “Hold It Against Me” is more immediate and exciting than “Womanizer,” and undoubtedly her hardest hitting lead single since “Gimme More.”
Enjoy
Until next time,
Peace, Love and Light
Nick -x-
Hello there, welcome back to my blog. Happy new year. I hope you all had an amazing holiday period… Well I thought I’d start off my new blog by welcoming you with non other than the beautiful, sexy and talented Cheryl Cole.
Imagine my excitement when I was sat on my boyfriend’s bed watching the TV one evening and Cheryl’s new L’Oreal ad comes on, to say I got a little damp because of it is an understatement of the year so far. Now I’m really not trying to make this a Cheryl-centric blog as I know it appears this way so far, but how can you not write about the current queen of British pop music. Even the tabloids can’t get enough of Chezza and her latest antics, even now as I write this Ms. Cole is probably receiving a call from her publicist warning her about an impending tabloid tale hitting the news stands tomorrow morning, probably revolving around the is she/isn’t she relationship with the guy I can only describe as having an uncanny resemblance with the Grinch…
No? Discuss…
So, we are so far less than mid way into the new year and there’s controversy already, mainly due to Ofcom’s phone’s ringing off the hook to complain about Eastender’s recent baby swap storyline in which Samantha Womack’s character Ronnie Mitchell loses her baby to Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and swaps her baby for somebody else’s. Now I completely back the BBC soap on handling the cot death storyline, but once again they had to go one step to far and add a complicated baby swap into the mix. As if losing a child wasn’t enough they had to drag the character down a really dark and ridiculous road which just wouldn’t be the actions of a bereaved parent. I would like to congratulate Samantha however on her an amazing performance as Ronnie Mitchell, having to endure so many emotionally draining storyline’s cannot be easy and especially when they carry on over and have an adverse affect on ones personal life, so for that a huge congratulations to her. It’s no wonder the actress decided to leave the show…
All in all, it’s been an eventful month so far, who knows what else is in store. But be sure, i’ll sure be blogging about it and sharing my opinions and random shazzle jazzle.
Until next time, enjoy Cheryl’s new single ‘The Flood’, available to download now on itunes.
Peace, Love and Light.
Nick -x-
