Elysium: hit or miss?

So-called dystopian thriller not particularly thrilling

South African sleeper hit District 9 turned a thrilling sci-fi story about segregated space aliens into a parable about South African apartheid. Similarly to District 9, Neill Blomkamp’s sophomore film Elysium aims to explore contemporary economic and social injustice issues to no avail. Blomkamp has predicted a future Earth that is ghastly over-populated and polluted where citizens who are struggling to meet ends meet are policed by ruthless androids. Meanwhile, the very wealthy humans live in security on Elysium, a man-made space station, surrounded by robotic servants and med-bay devices in the comfort of their own homes that keep them from disease.

As a young orphan boy, Max dreams of one day taking his girlfriend to Elysium, the ultimate Paradise where together they can be healthy and happy. Flash-forward to 2154 in Los Angeles where an adult Max played by Matt Damon works on the assembly line in one of the robotics factories of Armadyne Corp. He soon receives a fatal dose of radiation in an industrial accident and is given only five days to live. He confides in his old childhood sweetheart Frey (Alice Braga), now a nurse, with a daughter Matilda dying of leukemia. In liaison with the criminal underworld, Max attempts to secure them passage to Elysium only to find themselves hunted by the cold Secretary of Defense Ms. Delacourt (played by Jodie Foster).

While the dystopian setting is a fascinating one and there are several interesting ideas at play, the film is a colossal storytelling disaster. At no point whatsoever are we drawn into the narrative, but rather kept at an arms length by means of boring and bland characters with very slight expressions of humanity. Backstories are not evident and thinly developed plot lines give a great sense of contrivance to the overall narrative.

The editing of scenes, which all seem to last less than 2 minutes each, are as flippant and shady as the political landscape on Elysium. Spectacular special effects and set design are spurned by cheap editing that is reminiscent of a hasty draft cut. Within the first half hour we have travelled far into the depths of space and back again. Due to imprecise camera work, the action is almost impossible to comprehend.

As a lead action hero, Max gives you nothing to go for. While Jodie Foster’s Ms. Delacourt may be the most interesting figure onscreen, she manages to make a series of faux pas so desperate it makes you wonder how she got her job as Secretary at all.

Most unsettling however is the over-simplistic and downright absurd conclusion to the film, which is such a cop-out that the audience is dumber for having witnessed it.

Elysium isn’t nearly as gritty or edgy as it hopes to be. In the cinema I kept thinking that the disturbing imagery should be affecting me far greater than it actually was. Yes, a few people’s heads get blown off and a character or two dies but it remains insignificant, especially given the unrealistic ending. Flaws such as these may be overlooked had we cared about these characters to begin with.

Coordinating Colour

Colour and design are of paramount importance in characterising your own blog. Colours come with meaning, and each colour helps to create a tone for your website. Keeping it simple is my primary motto when it comes to layout and design, therefore creating the proper colour palette for ‘Project Me’ was relatively easy.

My blog largely consists of black and white text with a burnt orange background, leaving room for bold visuals to catch the reader’s attention. These include various movie posters, a movie reel and pop art material.

Reviews A-Z

Elysium

The Bling Ring

The Way Way Back

How do you choose the right font?! #firstworldproblems

I know you’ve all been waiting for this post so I’ll do my best not to disappoint. Are you ready? This week we’re talking about fonts! (Please stop the screaming, I know it’s thrilling).

Serif fonts are widely used for long textual readings because they happen to be more legible to the human eye. Whereas sans serif fonts are generally used for bolded titles and subheadings. Novels the length of Tolstoy’s Russian epic War & Peace and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series would be hell to read in sans-serif, or so they say* (it’s science, get over it).

Even though a serif font may have been the safest option for this blog I’ve always tried to live life to the fullest. After all, in the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take. YOLO.

I enjoy Helvetica Light Neue font because of it’s aesthetic and sophisticated style which is why I have chosen it as the main typeface for this blog. It is casual yet sophisticated at exactly the same time. Similarly, my blog headings are a bolded version of Helvetica.

*If anyone’s wondering serif fonts have small lines attached to the end of each letter. Popular examples include Times New Roman and Century:

San-serif fonts do not have the same small projecting features. Examples include Helvetica  (of course) and Frutiger:

 

Fan Poster for Darren Aronofsky’s Ballet Horror Black Swan

New Poster Art!

In my spare time I like to watch television, drink milkshakes and make poster art. In anticipation of Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming biblical epic Noah I made a mockup fan poster for the film’s release.

Click here to view my art gallery

Bio and photo justification

When first faced with the prospect of posting a picture that best represents me, I’ll admit I winced. ‘Do I have to? Can’t I just put up a poster avatar instead?’ I thought. It seemed an impossible feat to take the whole essence of my being and compartmentalise it into a small graphic. Maybe it isn’t indie enough. I could have done a super close up of my eye? Yeah, that would have been poetic. Instead I chose to be surrounded by what I love. Film.

Behind me, posters paint the walls along with two paintings of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley (two of the biggest pop icons in history). Dressed in a Superman t-shirt, I like to think he’d be proud that the symbol of hope emblazed across my chest still lives on today.

My bio lists my interests and previous credentials. Sharp, simple and to the point, I explained my passion for writing as an expression of my interest in journalism and storytelling.

You can read my bio here

My Fan Art Poster for Darren Aronofsky’s Noah Starring Russell Crowe

In anticipation of Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming biblical epic Noah I made a mockup fan poster for the film’s release.

The biblical tale of Noah is so well known that audiences already have a relationship with the story. Rather than meeting those expectations by picturing a flood or a grand ark full of farm animals, the poster evokes a more dreamlike, enigmatic Noah. There is a definite heroism to the image that displays a concerned Russell Crowe looking over his shoulder at the oncoming storm. Over his head grey clouds are rolling in, veiling the sun’s amber rays. Wispy rain falls while birds flee behind his shoulders sensing unrest in the atmosphere.

As with any good film poster the title is easy to identify; a simple font presented in bold grey lettering. Also included is the date of the cinema release, a credits tag and a tagline: a storm is coming (all text aligns evenly in the centre of the page). Director Darren Aronofsky, renowned for Pi, The Wrestler and Black Swan (all of which reviewed critical and commercial acclaim), also gets a mention. Those familiar with his work will be attracted by his name.

The overall graphic is visceral and epic, engaging the audience’s emotions and even possible memories of nostalgia. There is a strong emphasis upon the star quality of Russell Crowe to gain a wide audience. While the contrasting hues of blue and yellow is bright and sunny, there remains an earnest and sincere quality represented in the earthy clothes that Noah wears. A pillar of honour and manliness, he is the balance between humanity and inhumanity. Integrity is imbedded in the furrowed wrinkles of his face.

The Way Way Back is the feel good comedy of the year

Shy 14-year-old Duncan rides in the back of a car with his family on their way to his mother’s boyfriend’s beach house for the summer. While his mother sleeps in the passenger seat, her boyfriend Trent asks Duncan to rate himself on a scale of 1 to 10. After replying with a 6, Trent insists “I think you’re a 3”. Ironically these cruel words are spoken by Steve Carell. Previously known for playing lovable and funny characters, Carell is neatly cast against type in this zany coming of age tale about a boy who has a rough time fitting in. The introverted Duncan soon finds an unexpected friend in a carefree manager of a waterpark, and slowly opens up and sheds his skin (figuratively of course). As the premise suggests, this story doesn’t stray away from the clichés but rather indulges in them. A finely tuned script and an abundance of charm marks the movie the most enjoyable comedy experience of the year.

The Way Way Back is one of those unexpected sleeper hits in the same vein of Little Miss Sunshine that you didn’t know you really wanted to watch. The film’s quirky 80s vibe, impressive cast and zany sense of humour instantaneously grabs you in and doesn’t let go. Director debutants Nat Faxon and Jim Rash – who won an Oscar in 2011 for their adapted screenplay of The Descendants – have assembled a magnetic company of both new and old faces including Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell and newcomer Liam James just to name a few.

Sam Rockwell is particularly refreshing and genuinely hilarious in the role of Owen who becomes a comical father figure of sorts to Duncan. The setting of the water park is a sanctuary for the pair as an escape from the lousiness of reality. Other big laughs come from Betty, played by the hilarious and ever-dependable Allison Janney, who is the zealous and painfully honest neighbor of Steve Carell’s character. She has a socially deprived son with a lazy eye (for which she constantly berates him). She steals every scene she’s in and provides much light comic relief. Additionally, Liam James is thoroughly believable in his first lead film role, displaying real credibility as an excruciatingly shy and often awkward kid.

Undeniably charming and surprisingly poignant, The Way Way Back truly is this year’s Little Miss Sunshine. You can’t help leaving the cinema smiling broadly.

The Bling Ring delves into the fame-obsessed world of teen celebrity wannabes

Sofia Coppola is arguably one of the most interesting filmmakers of this era. Daughter of famous filmmaker Francis Coppola, having grown up amidst one of Hollywood’s most famous dynasties, she has often been drawn to celebrity culture in her movies but never has it been quite this vacuous. The Bling Ring is based on the vanity fair article ‘The Suspects Wore Louboutins’, the true story of a group of young Hollywood-obsessed teens who used the internet to track down celebrities’ whereabouts in order to rob their homes. For the most part of the film we spend our time in the company of slightly disconnected, overprivilidged kids who steal designer clothes, party hard at exclusive nightclubs and every once and a while (when they can find it) snort cocaine and drive recklessly around Mulholland.

The basic premise of the story would seem ludicrous and rudimentary had the events of this story not been absolutely true. Over the course of several months in 2009 the ‘Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch’ (as they were affectionately referred to by the media) stole over $3 million in clothing and jewelry from the homes of their idols including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and others, sometimes even spending stolen money at the same night clubs where their stars visited. They went as far as posting self incriminating pictures of their exploits on Facebook and wearing stolen clothes to court after they were caught. Perhaps most fascinating is the apathetic, guiltless way with which these teens engaged in serial robbery, most of them denying wrongdoing altogether. Over fifty homes were allegedly targeted for potential burglary and tracked via gossip sites and Google street view. Very much of the times, a story like this couldn’t have been possible a decade ago before the rise of social media and online obsessional fandom.

The appeal is largely in the introspective, almost sympathetic way Coppola directs the young people as they travel around LA, hopping from one lavish mansion to another, losing themselves in the strive for a richer lifestyle. The dialogue is justifiably insipid mostly consisting of repetitive exclamations like ‘oh my god’, ‘totally’ and ‘chill’. Although the people onscreen are unquestionably real there remains a voyeuristic quality to Copola’s direction, almost as if there is a veil between them and us; we are one step removed from reality, in a dream state of sorts. That’s not to say the film is without a critical eye, concluding with a silver-tongued bite from Emma Watson’s character in the film’s final moments.

In regards to the performances, there are no weak links. Newcomers Israel Broussard and Katie Chang are especially naturalistic. The thumping soundtrack is an additional pro and makes for impressive atmospheric scenes. Some people will call it pointless and vapid, but isn’t that rather the point. The adventure into Hollywood glamour is especially lightweight but there remains lots to look at and admire, including Emma Watson who packs a punch of black comedy.