— the terminator —

Welcome to The Terminator Series! To celebrate the release of Paramount’s Terminator Genisys, FilmMunch is taking a look back a how the franchise started. Enjoy!

The Terminator’s look/apparel was inspired by Mad Max 2, according to director James Cameron. When you look at Max and compare it with what Arnie wears, in The Terminator, it’s rather similar. This point highlights how films affect other films, and subsequently culture. It is my honest belief that The Terminator is a cornerstone in the action and science fiction genres. The Terminator has had a profound influence on what cinema has evolved into and pop culture, in general. The Terminator is a strong beginning to the saga!

For James Cameron, The Terminator was basically his first feature. He’d worked on a short and another B-movie leading up to 1984. The Terminator was his pet project, and although he’d received offers for the film script, he was adamant that he direct this film, and aren’t we glad he did! Interestingly he intended this film to play as a horror film, but even though you can feel traces of that, as we watch it, the film is action and most certainly sci-fi. The Terminator is definitely a ride, along with some great and tense action sequences. It also has it’s moments of shock, keeping you at the edge of your seat! No doubt there is a great story here, and James Cameron does the best he can, to tell it.

Because The Terminator was considered a gamble, since James Cameron was new to the game, the budget for this film is not very large at all. Cameron had limited resources and his original idea took place in the future. So as to afford the project, the future was brought to the present, and it was this, that brought to life the concept of time travel, in the film. It’s worth noting that back in 1984 there wasn’t a great deal of time travel films, it’s almost as if the popularity of The Terminator initiated a real spike in the said genre. Not long after, Back To The Future was born, in which a number of reference exist to The Terminator film, as a nod. Again this illustrates how films affect films, and it’s essential as FIlmMunchers to look back at what came before.

When you watch The Terminator, you know that you are back in the 80’s, from the hair-styles, the synth-pop music and the cheesiness of it all. Today, along with the originally intended humour relief moments, these 80’s trademark moments add to the iconic value of this film. This is another benefit of going back to enjoy these classics, it’s almost like jumping in a time machine and getting to enjoy the past, without the hassles of having a ‘terminator’ after you, of course! So yes, i’m saying it, The Terminator has it’s cheesy moments, but it’s an instance of were the cheesy is good, and welcome.

When we look at what James Cameron has achieved with film and his desire to use technology to the full, in film making, he is now, truly, considered a legend. The Terminator was his beginning. And even at this point, he had an idea that wouldn’t work, because the technology hadn’t caught up yet. His idea would eventually come to life in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. So what technology was available to him at the time, he did use. Animatronics plays a large part in this film, and so does stop-animation. It looks poor by todays standards, but horray to James Cameron in doing his best to produce his dream film. The construction of the T-800 machine represents an innovative moment in cinema.

The Terminator has a captivating story and even more captivating terminating machine. James Cameron told Arnold Schwarzenegger, when he was arguing about what role he wanted to play, that this film ‘is not about the hero, it’s about The Terminator.’ See, Arnie wanted to play Kyle Reese. But, the role of The Terminator is best suited for Arnold Schwarzenegger, he is so convincing as a machine, his walk, his talk and even the way he handles guns. Arnie, once he started to see James Cameron’s vision, really dedicated himself to the role. Apparently even outside of the set, he chose not to get close to Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) and Michael Biehn (Kyle Reese) because he didn’t want to form any connection with them, since he is their enemy in the film. It was also Arnie’s idea that The Terminator have no eyebrows, this really makes him look freaky. He also spent weeks practicing how to use guns. He got so good that the magazine Soldier of Fortune complimented Arnie for his realistic use of firearms. Typically that magazine would criticise films for their non-realistic use of firearms. Clearly there is no other Terminator, and Arnie was destined to play the part. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born to play The Terminator!

Cameron had zero expectations that this film would be successful. Not only was it well received by critics at the time, but it experienced great box office success. Today, we all know that iconic line, “I’LL BE BACK.” So if you’ve heard this line before, and it does get used so often, we owe it to James Cameron and his persistence that his script be followed. Arnie wanted to say, “I will be back.” His argument was that a machine would enunciate the full sentence. Cameron said in return, “do I tell you how to act? Don’t tell me how to write.” Needless to say, Cameron is a great example for all aspiring film makers. He is a great source of inspiration.

The Terminator is a great commencement to this captivating story. FilmMunch is excited to continue this series! We must though, interrupt this series, early on, because we will have special guest @amylecreation, collaborating a post in The Munch in FilmMunch 4! We will continue with The Terminator Series after that, stay tuned!

TRIVIA COOKIE: James Cameron wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger to play The Terminator so much, that he waited several months for Arnie to be available. At the time Arnie was working on Conan The Destroyer. During this waiting period, James Cameron started working on another script. That script turned out to be Alien.

— brave —

*WON AN OSCAR FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE*

Pixar’s Brave has emotional significance to me, since it was the very first Pixar film, my wife and I watched together on the big screen. So I think it’s fitting we conclude our Pixar Series with a review to Brave.

Brave is very different to any other Pixar of Disney animated film. Although Merida is considered one of the Disney Princesses, she most certainly breaks tradition. In addition, Brave is also the first Pixar feature to be directed by a female, Brenda Chapman. She also became the first female to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Brave represents a triumph for females whilst providing us with an interesting enough story and ground breaking animation.

The first tradition that Merida breaks is that she is the true heroine of the film. Admittedly a lot of Disney Princesses play large parts in their respective films, but most of the time they are shared with a Prince or male counterpart, and they have romantic tones. Merida is not interested in finding a suitor just yet, she has other interests that she wishes to pursue, like super accurate archery and kick-ass sword fighting. In fact for once, all the males in this film serve as supporting cast members to the real heroines, Merida and Queen Elinor. Brave highlights to us, that females can be heroes too. This is refreshing, considering that Hollywood is very much a male-driven industry. Brave is almost an invitation to female FilmMakers to make their stance. The feminist tones in brave echo George Miller’s Fury Road, in a good way.

The second tradition that Merida breaks to the Disney Princesses line-up is that she does not end up with a charming Prince and lives happy ever after. This is also fine, considering that she is barely a teenager, but it also highlights that traditions are meant to be broken sometimes. As we make progress as a society, certain old traditions must be changed, and new ones need to come forward. That is the only way that we can evolve as a race. Sometimes it amazes me of what we as a race considered OK. Females having an equal say in politics has only been a rather recent change in tradition, and perhaps more relevant is the opportunities afforded to females in the workplace. I believe in gender equality, and I also believe that Brave is a wholesome reminder that this is a relevant issue today.

I must admit that Brave is not one of my favourite Pixar instalments. Although it is a technical marvel, there are elements of the story that are lacking in emotional depth. Don’t get me wrong, the story is very creative and original, but there is a lot of focus on ‘slap-stick’ comedy, which is great if you’re seven. Where most Pixar films have a lot of adult relate-ability, Brave has more children relate-ability, which is fine, but it’s not what we are accustomed to, from Pixar. Brave is essential viewing because of the lesson we can learn from it, but is clearly not Pixar’s best.

To conclude our Pixar Series I would like to provide a couple of listings.

MY TOP 5 PIXAR FEATURES

1. Toy Story 3
2. Wall·E
3. Ratatouille
4. Toy Story
5. Inside Out

MY TOP 5 PIXAR SHORT FILMS

1. Geri’s Game
2. One Man Band
3. Lava
4. The Blue Umbrella
5. La Luna

We hope you’ve enjoyed our Pixar Series! If you have any review requests, please feel free to send me an email at filmmunch@gmail.com or just leave a comment below. Stay Tuned!

TRIVIA COOKIES: Brave is dedicated to Steve Jobs. If you notice, the only thing that Merida eats in the film are apples. Most of the time she only manages to take one bite out of the apple, a direct nod to Apple’s logo. Steve Jobs passed during the production of this film.

Pizza Plant Truck anyone?

A113 appears in roman numerals this time as ACXIII, it can be seen faintly above the door here:

— lifted —

*NOMINATED FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM*

Along with the theatrical release of Ratatouille, Lifted was the ShortFilm that played before it. Although this ShortFilm lacks the emotional depth of Lava, it still manages to make me laugh each time I watch it! Welcome, as we continue to celebrate some of Pixar’s work, in conjunction with the anticipated release of Inside Out.

Gary Rydstrom is a Sound Mixer extraordinaire. He has won 7 Academy Award, interestingly enough he was garnished with two of these most coveted golden statues, with his Sound abilities for Jurassic Park, also for Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Titanic and Saving Private Ryan. Needless to say he is good at what he does, and with his upcoming project, we can expect to hear some amazing Sound Effects for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, later this year.

Gary Rydstrom has worked closely with Pixar, since the beginning, and it’s fitting that he get the opportunity to Direct a ShortFilm of his own. Lifted is about a couple of aliens, Mr. B and Stu. Mr. B is named after all those teachers that always mark there students with a ‘B’, regardless of how good the work is. I think we all had one of those teachers at one point or another. Stu is taking an alien abduction test, because he is an alien, so it’s a thing he needs to know how to do, right? This is a cute and funny story, and worth checking out, it’s sure to make you laugh. Have you ever seen one of those massive Sound Mixing boards, with like, a million and one switches? The ‘switch board’ that Stu is using to abduct was inspired by such Sound Mixing boards, courtesy of Sound Genius Gary Rydstrom.

Gary’s Sound Effects for Lifted are fantastic, and the sound effects are what make this non-dialogue piece so engaging, in addition the animation is elegant. Interesting tid-bit, the aliens form, is based on hair styling gel!

This ShortFilm is relatable because we have all had to go through the process of learning something. It also highlights in a comedic tone the frustration that we all grow through, perhaps, especially through our teen years. Plus we’ve all had to do something, or perform a process, in front of a supervisor or instructor, and we all know how particularly painful that can be. Whenever someone is watching me do something, I can feel my face go tomato red, and sweat beads start to drip down my forehead, and it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll make some sort of silly mistake! So there is a lot we can relate to in the character of Stu, and what he’s going through with Mr. B.

Lifted’s punch moment is touching and memorable. It’s a celebration of the mentor-student relationship, plus who doesn’t want to see the inside of an alien space craft!?

TRIVIA COOKIES: Lifted was nominated for Best Animated Short Film, but did not win.

A toy from one of Pixar’s first ShortFilms, Tin Toy, can be seen under the bed of the unfortunate soul that is being abducted by the aliens, a cool easter egg from Pixar:

— lava —

Most of you Pixar fans would be aware that Pixar always graces us with an entertaining ShortFilm before each feature, and if you’re heading to the cinemas this coming week to enjoy Inside Out, you will also be pleasantly surprised with Lava!

This short is only 7 minutes long, but, boy, is it touching! Watching it, I was reminded of Up and how that Pixar film made me weep in the first 5 minutes. Lava, feels a little like this, its sweet and lovely. The story is told musically, which is always exciting, because music can really get to core emotions and Lava most certainly achieves this, almost effortlessly. I promise you will be humming this tune after you leave the cinemas, it’s that catchy! Perhaps my favourite moment is a time lapse sequence that is so perfectly animated, it’s stunning to say the least! Thank you for your art Mr. Murphy!

James Ford Murphy has been a core member of the Pixar team, from the very beginning. He is now head of Animation at Pixar, so he has a large artistic influence on everything Pixar that we see. I think it’s great that he has had the opportunity to direct a ShortFilm, and his work is short of impeccable. You can really feel the love for music that he has, since he wrote the song, that also serves as a narration for this volcanic-tale. I have also learnt that Murphy also performs the ukulele for this short.

In an interview he revealed that the idea was born from his love of Hawaii, and the inspiring volcanic regions. It was in Hawaii that he purchased his first ukulele and managed to teach himself how to play it, no doubt drawing from his guitar abilities. It was here that he also stumbled on Kuana Torres Kahele, who was eventually cast as Uku, the singing volcano. In addition Napua Greig voices Lele, another singing volcano. All this Hawaii influence give this ShortFilm a sense of authenticity, and I strongly believe this is why it feels so deep and meaningful.

Lava was actually released in 2014 at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival. It was eligible for an Oscar, and was submitted, but did not get shortlisted. John Lasseter was not happy about this, and this also means that Lava will not be up for an Oscar, even though it is being theatrically released in front of Inside Out. Feast took the coveted prize last year, and my money is on Pixar’s upcoming short Sanjay’s Super Team, which will feature in front of The Good Dinosaur.

Enjoy Lava and Inside out!

TRIVIA COOKIE: Uku’s face is a combination of Jackie Gleeson’s face and Marc Anthony The Bulldog from the 1952 ShortFilm, Feed The Kitty. Most certainly sources of inspiration from James Ford Murphy.

— project almanac —

What’s not to love about time travel films? If you could go back, what would you do different?

The standard of time travelling movies has to be massive, in this day and age, with a long list of history making epics, such as the Back to the Future trilogy and 12 Monkeys as major contenders. Oh, and who can forget, The Terminator legacy! Which is still going. Up against these majors, it’s going to be challenging.

Project Almanac definitely accepted the challenge. There’s this great, high energy and fresh feel about it. With a POV style of filming, that puts you right in the drivers seat of this “temporal displacing adventure.” If you’re wondering if it’s going to have that ‘Blair Witch Project’ jitteriness, then don’t worry, it’s not that bad.

It’s a film for all time travel fans, film enthusiasts, or just easy watchers. The cast and crew on paper are generally new to this but it doesn’t show. It’s always great to see up and coming actors give it their all, it adds a certain rawness that puts you closer to the characters and storyline.

Despite other reviews, I Personally loved this film. It keeps the audience thinking and maintains great suspense. The calibre of directing and acting shouldn’t be judged on their previous merits, but instead, on ones personal experience from watching the movie. Each interpretation is different, especially when it relates to time travel.

The thought of Time Travel is such a mind-bender. Jumping back and fourth from each dimension, resulting in a paradox. Or the thought that life is preordained. Perhaps, the possibility of altering the past and the present. Who can resist a good ‘Time Traveller Flick’?

Project Almanac available for purchase here.

TRIVIA COOKIE: In one scene, the group needs to connect two cables together to make time travel possible, but the cables aren’t long enough. This is a reference to Back to the Future, where Doc needs to connect the clock towers cable to the street lamp in order to send Marty back to 1985. It’s this moment that Doc gets tangled up on a branch and the cables fall short.

– Scott Niehus

NELSON REMUNCHES: I have many criticisms regarding this film. It has Michael Bay written all over it. Over-the-top product placements, dumb-esquely written female characters, and of course the teenage girls in short shorts, thanks Michael Bay…

The idea’s of this film, I relish in. My issue is that from the trailer, we know that they manage to time travel, this is a given. Except the film sluggishly reaches the point of time travel a little too late, nearly 50mins into the film. The consequences of time travel are only explored nearly 70mins into the film, and by this point, you’re barely hanging on. Perhaps the most provoking line is when the main character has a moment of clarity and awareness and says, “the world in ending…”. Time Travel is an amazing thought and I love the idea, it’s this love, that made me hate Project Almanac, because it feels that the opportunity to make a truly amazing Time Travel Film was squandered. All the cultural references to other films and popular culture are not enough to save grace with Project Almanac.

— following —

So I finally got the chance to watch Christopher Nolan’s first feature length film, and it’s undeniably fresh and what I would consider a must see!

It’s amazing that he’s able to generate such an intriguing story in only 70mins, which is by far, his shortest film, considering some of his films are just shy of 3 hours. Short and sweet, but what on earth is going on!?

Films that rattle your brain and chose to only show you the necessary bits are fascinating, because you want to keep watching and find out more. This story is no less fascinating than Memento, and if you’ve seen Memento, then you know what I’m talking about! Memento and Following, must be seen, at least once! The innovative story telling technique used in Following is something I want to see more, it’s basically a triple layered telling of events, very fascinating!

This film was extremely low budget, with film stock being the most expensive expense for the film, there wasn’t much room for error. Nolan would rehearse with his cast on the weekends, since all the cast had other full-time jobs. Only one or two takes were possible, considering Nolan was paying for the film himself! He also had to use natural light, since he didn’t have access to professional lighting equipment. Inspiration indeed, and what drive and motivation from this modern thinker!

The result is something akin to a Hitchcockian noir thriller, nothing short of slick and sophisticated.

I really find this still below awesome, because who would go on and direct the Batman movies?

If anything, I would have wanted this film to be longer, to draw out further into these unusual characters. The conclusion to the film, that you might not see coming, some will scoff at, but I thought it was genius and creative. This film may be considered one of the cheapest films ever made, but it’s heart and core and indeed rich.

Purchase a copy here!

TRIVIA COOKIES: John Nolan, Nolan’s uncle stars in this film, including in a number of other Nolan features.

The main protagonist uses an alias in one of the scenes, Danny Lloyd, this is also the name of Jack Nicholson’s son in The Shining. Nolan considers Stanley Kubrick to be one of his main influences. Interstellar is another testament to that fact!

— two night stand —

Romantic comedies are usually a source of fun, easy to watch entertainment, but they’re rarely cinematic masterpieces, which is a shame, because love and the causation of love is such an awesome topic. Two Night Stand doesn’t set the bar any higher for rom-coms, but its relatively entertaining. Just want to mention, I am not a fan of this “pallet bed”!

I was keen on watching this because I wanted to see more of Miles Teller, considering he was amazing in Whiplash, plus it seemed like a laid-back type of film. In regards to Teller and onscreen lover Analeigh Tipton it does seem these two carry the entire film, considering most of it takes place in an apartment, they are stuck in, due to a snowstorm. The idea is comical and these two have a type of chemistry, enough to be convincing, at least.

The writing to this film attempts to be clever, but its nothing out of the ordinary. It attempts to come across as modern and brutally honest, but most of the dialogue has been done before, perhaps When Harry Met Sally comes to mind, and other iconic romantic comedies. Again, it tries to come across as mature, in understanding relationship make up, but comes of as shy regarding the subject.

Considering this film had a very small budget, its great to see what can be done with such tight constraints. This is Max Nicholas’ directional debut, he doesn’t fall flat, nor does he stand tall. An average offering, worth watching if you want to have a giggle or two, and perhaps even enjoy an “awwww” moment or two.

TRIVIA COOKIE: When production for this film started in October 2012, Hurricane Sandy came by and delayed production, but this meant that Teller and Tipton were both stranded in there downtown apartment, a parallel situation to the films plot.

— nightcrawler —

*NOMINATED FOR 1 OSCAR*

Dan Gilroy’s directional debut is compelling and intriguing, it is also captivating and shocking. Jake Gyllenhaal is unbelievably good! What’s even more unbelievable is that he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar in his amazing role as Louis Bloom. There has been a lot of chatter concerning this Oscar snub, but lets not focus on that now, lets just strew over what makes Nightcrawler a great piece of cinema.

First of all, there are some beautiful shots in this film, cleverly scattered to create a grand but solace space.

Jake Gyllenhaal really brings to life this anti-hero. I say anti-hero because the Bloom character is likeable, but at the same time very dislikable. The sunken cheeks and accentuated cheek bones, with a close to never blinking look, given by the obsessive commitment from Jake makes Bloom a scary, hungry ‘coyote’ looking for prey, not just to survive, but to ravish for the sheer pleasure of it! I say coyote because Jake visualised his character as a hungry coyote, so much so that the movie, at one point was going to be entitled along the lines of ‘something, coyote’. Commitment is a light word in comparison to the intensive preparation that Jake put himself through, losing 20 pounds, hospitalising himself, and working out 8 hours a day, running and/or cycling are just some examples of what the Jake machine is capable of!

Jake Gyllenhaal has some interesting roles coming up, it will be exciting to see what new limits he is able to take himself to!

Dan Gilroy. One to watch. I know that he is working on a couple of upcoming scripts, Stan Lee’s Annihilator and Battle for Bonneville, but I am not sure what he will be directing next. It is worth keeping a close eye on this guy, because I am certain he stunned everyone with this influential piece.

Nightcrawler is raw as sashimi, but heavily nutritious! You will want to keep watching, you will be glued to your seat with anticipation, and there will be moments when you will be thinking, “what the…”. Nightcrawler is thought-provoking and elegantly written, join Louis Bloom as he crawls all over the city at night.

TRIVIA COOKIE: Dan Gilroy say’s that his initial inspiration came from Weegee, or Arthur Fellig. He was a crime photographer from the 30’s.

— john wick —

The Matrix, The Matrix, The Matrix. John Wick re-unites Keanu Reeves, Daniel Berhardht, Randall Duk Kim along with the directors Chad Stehelski and David Leitch, all of whom had some role to play with the Matrix trilogy. This is interesting because the movie’s story is no where near what the Matrix’s is, nor are the action sequences, but there is an usual feel to it, as if it was Matrix-y-ish. Some of the scenes have a greenish colour to them, reminding us of the Matrix, there is also a scene in which a hand fight takes place in the rain, reminiscent of the Agent Smith vs Neo final battle sequence. Or it could just be that whenever I see Keanu Reeves in a movie, I think of him as the iconic, Neo, The One.

I’m a fan of Keanu Reeves, I think he can act, but what can you do when you’ve already played the role of your life? Has Keanu Reeves played the ultimate role, in the Matrix? Some may be inclined to think so, others like me are keen to see how much this man can really push himself in an acting capacity. There are moments of intensity in the film, but his performance is nowhere near oscar consideration, unfortunately. Did he give it his all? Turns out that about 90% of the stunts performed in the movie, were done by ‘Neo’, thats awesome, considering the nature of this film, its mainly concerned with action, if you didn’t know.

If you’re interested in an aesthetically pleasing appetiser, this movie is that, nothing more. It is photogenic, and the action sequences look great, but ultimately it tries to be a touch deeper than most action movies, but it fails, you want to feel for John Wick, but instead of presenting him a touch vulnerable, he is the exact opposite, nobody is stopping John Wick, he is a ‘legend’, except he is real, and he will win. You might find yourself smiling every now and then, but your deeper emotions won’t be tapped.

Credit must be given to the directors of this film, their story is inspirational, they both started in the film industry as stunt men, one of them was a stunt double for Keanu Reeves in the Matrix movies, and after a while, they were able to form a company that would go on to do stunts for a large number of action movies. This is their directional debut, and for a first go, its good work. It must be rewarding for them to have come so far in the film industry, it will be interesting to see what else they have to offer.

I love this image of John Wick and his dog, again this film has some great stills, worth watching if only for that!

Good watch, but not nourishing enough.

TRIVIA COOKIE: Total kills, 119.

I must add this final remark. Think is the name of the song played in one of the scenes, its a beautiful song, performed by Kaleida, listen to it with the bass up!

https://soundcloud.com/kaleidamusic/think