Paul Haggis is a filmmaker I’ve come to admire over the last decade. I enjoyed Crash (2004) and the screenplay for the last two Bond films, both penned by Haggis. Likewise Haggis’ latest movie, The Next Three Days, is suitably impressive.

The Next Three Days deals with the imprisonment of Elizabeth Banks, wife to Russell Crowe, but her innocence is called into question. Crowe plans to break Banks out of prison, leading the family-man protagonist into a new world of crime and violence.

Crowe is brilliantly cast in a role that plays well on his diversity as an actor. The character begins as a dedicated husband and father, as the film progresses he leads a second life choosing to rest his moral compass while pursuing a radical solution through a world of crime.

One scene that stood out for me in particular is Crowe’s brief speech to Banks after her “confession”. The depth of Crowe’s performance in this moment was truely outstanding.

I’m a fan of Russell Crowe and I’m sure I could write an essay on his performance. While the Next Three Days is a brilliant example of Crowe’s ability, I doubt this will garner another academy award for the star, but I’d happily wager that another golden statue will adorn Crowe’s shelf in the future.

Haggis’ script effortlessly combines a frank realism that many modern thrillers fail to achieve. I found the plots’ ability to seamlessly switch between all out action and prosaic thriller quite effective, and clearly demonstrates Haggis’ strengths as a director and writer. With movies like this Haggis is moving into the top flight of US filmmakers.

The film culminates in an epic chase scene with Crowe and Banks evading their captors, built up over the course of the film from intermittent action scenes throughout the film. 20 minutes of cat and mouse pursuit lead to a climatic finale that is both spectacular and unmissable.

As much as I enjoyed The Next Three Days I did find there were several scenes that lost the build up of momentum (for example the scenes in the park, while integral to the plot create a definite lull).

I think this is a film that on repeat viewings will become more enjoyable. The excellent script and direction combined with a strong cast and powerful performances make The Next Three Days an early contender for top 10 films of 2011.

8/10

My top 10 favourite film list changes on an almost daily basis, but for as long as I can remember the Empire Strikes Back has always been included (at the moment it’s around 3, after the Taxi driver and Serpico). It’s engaging storyline, action sequences and characters make it a film that often fairs well in top movie lists (see the Empire top 500 or IMDB top 250). As a kid, I loved the light saber fights and Yoda, and while these scenes still excite my emotions, I am now drawn to Vader’s character and the twists in the storyline.

Darth Vader, "Who's your daddy?"

Anyway,  this year I’ve kept a diary of the films I watch. It’s a bit geeky but it acts as a reminder of what I’ve seen over the last year. One of the reasons I started it was to see how many times I watched the Empire Strikes Back in a year. In an odd twist of circumstances, it has made me watch more films that I haven’t seen before or that I’ve not seen many times, and consequently I have only seen Empire once this year (I have watched Step Brothers 4 times, Watchmen 5 times and Dracula 3 times though).

When you watch a film to excess, it begins to take a new form. Scenes have cropped up in my dreams, I’ve quoted monologues down the pub, I’ve noticed minute details that would escape most people’s attentions. But most importantly, I have a connection to the film that I can’t fully explain. The random Star Wars quotes that I spout on an almost daily basis are not for my own amusement, but have become part of my vernacular. The impact of this film on my life, as I am sure with others, is that a part of me identifies with a movie that is based in a reality unimaginably further from my own.

I recently found a DVD boxset of the Universal monster movies from the 1930s-40s. Watching Frankenstein, the Wolf man or Dracula again reminded me of my childhood fascination with horror. As I’ve gotten older fewer films have truly scared me.

I started questioning why horror films are so appealing, as it almost seems contradictory to enjoy watching something that causes fear. To begin with I reasoned that it was probably related to the car crash effect, how we slow down in traffic to peak at an accident no matter how appalling. Maybe horror films are so enjoyable because we have a curious nature, an subconscious desire to witness the terrible.

But maybe a film lover’s attraction to horror is based on an emotional level. On any given day we can laugh, we may cry, we might feel love. But how often are we scared? I guess for most people fear isn’t a common emotion, so horror films allow us to enjoy a form of escapism that, when done well, can generate a familiar emotion we rarely experience.

Anyone not familiar with the movies of director extraordinaire José Mojica Marins should start with At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul (1964), but be warned, it isn’t your typical horror flick.

Ze do Caixao, AKA Coffin Joe

With his distinctive cape, top hat and elongated finger nails, the undertaker Coffin Joe searches for the perfect woman to bear his child in order to gain immortality through his bloodline. This might seem somewhat far fetched, but stick with it, as this series is highly original, intelligent and overall entertaining. Ze do Caixao (or Coffin Joe to anyone not well versed in Portugese) is a cynical, murderous, socipath. Driven by his desire for an heir he is ultimately haunted by hallucinations of his victims, leading to a rather violent death scene… but is he really dead? That’s how the first film ends, work it out for yourself.

In an era when horror was dominated by two faces (the Universal monster or the Hitchcock thriller) Coffin Joe presented a dramatic change to the genre. Marins’ incorporated themes of aetheism, nihilism and  iconoclasm towards social superstitions & beliefs to develop a character who embodied evil through a twisted form of  morals. Conversely, these films contain many typical horror ingredients: gore, the supernatural, and an eccentric serial killer. It is the dichotomy of the conventional horror elements with Marins’  avant-garde film making that make these films unique.

The boxset itself features 8 classic films from the Brazillian director, who is considered the originator of Brazillian horror movies, the prima facie if you will. Also included is the Sundance Film Festival award winning documentary The Strange World of José Mojica Marins, which provides a deeper insight into one of the strangest characters/directors in film history.

Marins’ contribution to horror is overshadowed by the big names in western cinema, but after watching this boxset, you will agree that he is equally important as Craven, Carpenter or Hitchcock.

I was watching Forrest Gump this weekend, I’ve seen this film about 20 times or so, and everytime I’m blown away by the songs. In particular, when the solo to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird kicks in as Jenny (Robin Wright-Penn) balances precariously on the edge of a balcony, apparently suffering from a bad trip, is one of the best movie/song combos.

Take Baz Luhrman’s Romeo & Juliet. The film is good, but I think the soundtrack makes it great. DiCaprio as Romeo seems more moody when accompanied by Radiohead’s Talk Show Host, Juliet (Claire Danes) seems sweeter with Little God and the Montagues seem wilder with One Inch Punch’s Pretty Piecce of Flesh.

One of my other favourite soundtracks is from Kevin Smith’s Mallrats. The first time I saw this film I was literally rolling on the floor with laughter, mainly due to Jason Lee’s hilarious performance. I dig this film on many levels, and the soundtrack is one of the most important factors in the film. At the time, I was really into Silverchair and Weezer, two bands featured on the soundtrack. I found a copy of the album on CD at a Tower Records store. I had to buy a US import of the soundtrack, it was pretty obscure in the Uk at the time, and in those days the internet wasn’t really the best place to buy CDs. I listened to the CD for about 2 months almost non stop. It introduced me to a load of bands I had never heard of before, and will always remind me of the end of my time at school.

I’ve noticed that a lot of modern action and horror movies incorporate metal and hard rock songs into the soundtrack. Freddy Vs. Jason, The Scorpion King and Daredevil are all films which feature a lot of heavy tunes on their soundtracks. I’m not saying that these films are particularly good, but I actually quite enjoy the soundtracks as they use some decent songs.

A friend of mine once told me that if a film has a great soundtrack, it’s got to be a great film. I’m not sure I agree with that myself, but it is certainly true that some of the greatest movies have great soundtracks.

• A.R.Rahman (Best Music), for Slumdog Millionaire
• Slumdog Millionaire (Best Picture)
• Mickey Rourke (Best Actor in a Leading Role), for The Wrestler
• Kate Winslet (Best Actress in a Leading Role), for The Reader
• Heath Ledger (Best Actor in a Supporting Role), for The Dark Knight
• Penélope Cruz (Best Actress in a Supporting Role), for Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I was happy to see Heath Ledger receive the best supporting actor award, and Mickey Rourke receive the best actor award. Both of these actors deserved to win, as they have both produced outstanding performances. I think the Oscars will have similar results, although I would like to see Doubt win a few awards too.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from Jack Nicholson: “Never rub another man’s rhubarb!”

I’ve reviewed The Spirt and The Wrestler, the two release I managed to catch at the cinema. You can read these reviews by clicking the links on the right under the “Pages” header.

I’m going to be going a lot more in February, so I’ll be posting more film reviews, a couple of articles and a pretty big piece on the big budget blockbusters of the 21st century.

Stay tuned, and remember “these ain’t no pork chops! These are U.S. PRIME!”

The Guildford Film Festival is a week long celebration of films not usually shown in the area. Over the week they will be showing:

• Gomorrah (15)
• The Pope’s Toilet (15)
• In Search Of A Midnight Kiss (15)
• Couscous (15)
• The Visitor (15)
• Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (15)
• Young @ Heart (PG)

I can’t make all of these films, but I will definitely be checking out the Visitor, and maybe even Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which I’ve seen numerous times but would love to see on the big screen.

If anyone is interested in the Guildford Film Festival, more information can be found here (http://www.guildford.gov.uk/GuildfordWeb/Leisure/ElectricTheatre/WhatsOn/Film/).

I’m on the unlimited DVDs 2 at a time deal. I get about 15 DVDs a month from them, which is less than £1 a DVD. That’s pretty darn good value.

If you’re cheap and love watching DVDs, sign up today. You can even link your Nectar Card up and earn points, ain’t that a beauty?!

I love films. I love going to the cinema or watching DVDs and films on TV, it’s all good.

One of my earliest memories is my folks taking me to see An American Tail when I was 3. Jurassic Park was the first film I saw twice at the cinema. There are countless other films which have stuck in my memory, there’s probably no significance to any of this but I dig it.

Since 1997 I’ve been saving my cinema tickets. Sure, it’s a little nerdy, and it might be an indication of my obsessive compulsive tendencies, but they’re one of my most prized possessions.

Just before Christmas I met up with an old friend, and inevitably the discussion turned to films. He suggested that I start a blog, which seemed like a good idea as I’d love to broaden my film discussion with a wider audience.

This blog is a culmination of 10 years of talking about films with my friends and family: debating the merits of an actor or actresses performance, discussing our favourite scenes and cinematography, and who would’ve been a better choice for certain roles (imagine if Christopher Walken had voiced Yoda).

I’m going to include a few reviews every so often, and I will discuss some of my favourite actors/actresses