vivian's film reel

Documentaries are not my favorite type of film. Yes, they are informative and they do teach you something about the real word, but I watch films for the exact opposite reason. I watch films to be taken into a new world, to experience things that I cannot experience in my actual life, and to explore and imagine new possibilities. So, I guess you could say I was a bit disappointed to find thatChasing Ice was the only film showing at the Film Society at Lincoln Center when I arrived one Friday afternoon. Now, I could’ve waited a half an hour or so to catch a screening of an indie, but I decided to try something new.

The documentary is roughly over an hour and follows James Balog, an environmental photographer and the EIS (Extreme Ice Survey), on their quest to prove that global warming is actually happening. Balog created the EIS in hopes of obtaining tangible evidence that the Earth is warming. The documentary starts in the year 2007 and tracks EIS and Balog’s progress with obtaining photographs and time-lapse models of icebergs and glaciers melting in the coldest regions of the world. Balog and his team face many obstacles along the way– whether it be Balog’s recurring knee problems, harsh winds, technology failure, etc. But despite their problems, Balog and EIS have made much progress and have certainly impacted global warming debates around the world.

In appreciation of Balog’s work and the documentary, I’ve created a fake promo trailer for EIS, Balog, and the documentary itself.

trailer

I think the only thing I hated about seeing Skyfall was the fact that nor’easter winds were howling outside the theater and dumping inches of snow in front of my driveway. I was part of a lucky few (and very brave) who toughed out the storm and went to an advanced screening of the new Bond film earlier this Wednesday evening. Skyfall is the 23rd installment in the James Bond film series and is Blonde Bond’s aka Daniel Craig’s third time on screen playing 007. Supporting Craig are Dame Judi Dench returning as M, Ben Whishaw as Q (another integral member of the Bond series), Naomi Harris as Eve, Javier Bardem as Silva, Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, and Berenice Marlohe as the new Bond girl, Severine. The film is directed by Sam Mendes, who’s projects include critically acclaimed American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Revolutionary Road. The film was finally released after years of being in development in the United Kingdom October 26, 2012 and is set to release in the United States November 9th. The release of Skyfall coincides with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series.

The film starts off right in the middle of the action. Bond and Eve are sent to recover a stolen hard drive from a hired mercenary, however, in the midst of fighting, Bond loses, is shot, and is later presumed dead. M is put under fire by the head of the Intelligence and Security Committee, Gareth Mallory, and to make matters worse MI6 headquarters is hacked into and attacked. Upon hearing the news about the attack, Bond returns and sets out upon finding the stolen list and the man behind it. It is later revealed that Raoul Silva, a former MI6, who has a personal vendetta against M and the organization. Thus, Bond, M, and MI6 must lead an attack and take down one of their own.

Can I just say that Skyfall was a big step up from the previous Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. Though, Daniel Craig shines as the agent, however, I think it is really Javier Bardem that stole the show. Bardem’s cool and devious demeanor as Silva shook my bones from the very first time he was on screen. As well, Bardem’s character as a cyber-terrorist was especially scary in an age where technologically is ever so present. Bardem is no stranger to these riveting and evil characters– remember his Oscar winning role in No Country For Old Men? His character was menacing and calculative– always a step ahead of the game. I think it was towards the last half of the movie but I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it. Skyfall was certainly a big recovery for the James Bond franchise and meets its expectation as one of the most anticipated movies of 2012.

Skyfall

Dir. Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomi Harris

click here for more pics!

my expression throughout the whole movie.

If you kept up with all the Oscar buzz earlier this year, this man’s face should be no surprise to you. Jean Dujardin, winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Actor for The Artist, is absolutely brilliant in Michel Hazanavicius’ OSS 117: Le Caire nid d’espions. Though he only began to receive international buzz after the success of The Artist, many people in France were already aware of Dujardin’s talents on screen and on television. In fact, The Artist was the third time Dujardin paired up with Director Michel Hazanavicius and the second time with lead actress, Berenice Bejo.

As for the film, think of a more sophisticated and the French version of Johnny English or maybe even a light-hearded Bond film. It’s a classic spy film filled with beautiful ladies, lots of guns, plenty of shootouts, and lots of bad guys. Dujardin’s character, Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath or by his spy name OSS 117, is a clueless spy for the French Secret Service who gets sent on a mission investigating Nazi activity in Cairo, Egypt. There, ghosts from his past clash with his problems in his present. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie, even though I was reading translated subtitles the whole time. I believe that there were a few French jokes that were probably better understood in the original language, but the jokes were aplenty throughout the film. OSS 117 was certainly a witty and funny movie, and it was certainly refreshing to finally hear Dujardin’s voice afterThe Artist.

OSS 117: Le Caire nid d’espions

Dir. Michel Hazanavicius

Starring: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo

2012 marks the 50 year anniversary of James Bond films. In celebration of this event, the Museum of Modern Art recently opened an exhibit highlighting the behind the scene action of the famed Bond movie, Goldfinger (1964), starring Sean Connery. Along with the exhibit, the museum will show all 22 Bond movies throughout the whole month of October, leading up to the release of the highly anticipated, 23rd Bond movie, Skyfall starring Daniel Craig. As part of my interest in film (and free admission), I decided to check out this exhibit and stop by for a screening of the Bond film.

I should stop calling this an exhibit. When I first walked into the hall that was housing the Goldfinger collection, I was almost shocked to see that the “exhibit” was limited to two sides of a wall. The presentation was literally located on the corner of the third floor, smack dab in the middle of an interior design and furniture exhibit. The walls of the “exhibit” are painted black, with the title “Goldfinger” in a shiny, bright gold. The wall is the sparingly decorated with pieces of text, pictures, photographs, and documents all relevant to the movie. There are photos of promotional posters in different countries, film strips, the sculpture that inspired the movie, etc. all embellishing the dark wall. Near the walls are two displays holding another set of photographs and documents about the film. Though it was interesting to see the evolution and the creation of the film, I was disappointed that it was only limited to two walls. In my opinion, James Bond has become a popular cultural icon, and to limit his history to only two walls is just unthinkable. I just don’t think that the exhibition did any justice at all to James Bond and his movies.

In honor of 50 Years of Bond, I have created a Prezi outlining and mapping the 23 different theme songs and title sequences for each Bond movie.