a tale of two swans
sir Sean connery
1930 – 2020
black swan at 10
filmhounds.co.uk
jason isaacs
interview
issue 3 - december 2020
0 745125 620923 >
BRANDON CRONENBERG
discusses his new film Possessor
2020 films of the year | Greatest ever trilogies
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welcome from the editors e made it! The end of 2020 is almost here! With that, we get to look back at the some of the great things from the year and pick our Films of the Year, as whatever has happened in the world there have been some incredible films released.
e picked a heck of a year to start a new magazine. It’s been a year like no other, and has taken so much from all of us personally, financially and culturally. It’s a testament to those within the film industry that we still have a magazine to publish. From the smaller films that forged ahead with altered release plans to those who found a way to make new productions under a blanket of health and safety checks. Cinema has seen us through these times, proving that it’s not just a hobby, but a crucial part of ourselves and vital to society as a whole. I’m grateful and proud of our writers who have helped to contribute in some small part to the good that film does. Now I’ll get off my soap box to watch Muppet Christmas Carol for th e billionth (literally, billionth) time.
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The ‘Christmas’ issue’s cover comes from the psychological horror Possessor as we had the chance to chat with director Brandon Cronenberg. But don’t worry if this horror interview isn’t Christmassy enough for you, we have some Home Alone and Grinch for you As it’s our third issue we thought ‘3’ and in film, 3 means trilogy so the writers have come up with the top 10 greatest ever trilogies. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.
michael dickinson
David Garlick
issue hightlights
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DAVID GARLICK Co-Editor david@filmhounds.co.uk
MICHAEL DICKINSON Co-Editor mike@filmhounds.co.uk MARIA LÄTTILÄ Features maria@filmhounds.co.uk
SOcial @FILMHOUNDSMAG /FILMHOUNDSMAG @FILMHOUNDS Copyright 2020 Filmhounds Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of FIlmhounds Magazine. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@vulturehound.com.
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BLACK SWAN Photos: © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
BLACK SWAN AT 10 Words: dave manson
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A tale of two swans !!! Contains SPOILERS !!! issociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder, is a prominent focal point in literature and film. Before recent improvements in understanding, there were societies which associated personality changes with demonic possession. This is consistent with the first depictions in feature length film. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Mummy and House of Dracula were among the earliest movies to portray these character traits.
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More recently the portrayal of dissociation in film became
multi-dimensional. Sam Raimi uses it in Spider-Man to establish the complicated Green Goblin; Christian Bale in The Machinist develops a dissociative character to extinguish guilt; and in Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, Leonardo DiCaprio portrays a man with dual personalities, established to repress the memories of murdering his manic-depressive wife. The horror genre has also continued to exploit this theme; James Mangold’s Identity and M. Night Shyamalan’s Split depict someone with many personalities, one of whom is a serial-killer. Perhaps the most nuanced and sobering portrayal of dissociation and fragmentation in film is Darren Aronofsky’s psychological-thriller Black Swan. The divisive director, famed for his surreal, disturbing
Before recent improvements in understanding, there were societies which associated personality changes with demonic possession. features, dials the melodrama up to eleven in this visceral depiction of a New York ballet group and their interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Natalie Portman plays the ballerina Nina Sayers as she competes with her contemporaries for Swan Queen, the revered prima
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BODY CRONENBERG OF WATER
Cinema Of The Body
BRANDON CRONENBERG discusses his new film ‘Possessor’ crushed skull, someone else’s face worn as a mask and a knife repeatedly penetrating the delicate skin of the neck; these are only some of the gnarly, yet intoxicating images Brandon Cronenberg conjures up in his newest film, Possessor.
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Andrea Riseborough stars as Tasya Vos, an agent tasked with hijacking the bodies of innocent people and then committing atrocious murders for the benefit of her employer through brain implant technology. Vos’ newest assignment is to assassinate a wealthy business man (Sean Bean) in the body of Colin (Christopher Abbott), but things don’t go to plan when Vos gets stuck and starts losing herself while Colin struggles to stay in control of his body and mind.
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Words: Maria Lättilä
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Words: Chris Gelderd
SIR SEAN CONNERY
Sir Sean Connery 1930 – 2020
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Sir Sean Connery The man with the Midas touch
ention the name James Bond to anyone. What do they think of ? The humour of Sir Roger Moore? The danger of Timothy Dalton? Shaken Vodka Martinis? Quite possibly, but mostly they will think about a classic twangy guitar theme that one actor entered to with a voice as smooth as silk with a dark-eyed, dangerous charisma going unmatched nearly 60 years on.
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This one actor launched a franchise that relied on him alone to transition a 1950s literary character onto the big screen for a whole new audience. With the immortal words “Bond, James Bond,” this man became the original face of Britain’s number one spy. That man was Sir Sean Connery. Sir Sean, the beloved actor who most famously played James Bond in six official films, sadly passed away on October 31st 2020, at home in the beautiful Bahamas after battling ill health shortly after turning 90 in August. It is my honour to write a short piece on the man we knew little of away from the silver screen but equally loved as much as he was on it. Born in 1930 in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to a cleaning lady and lorry driver with a peaceful, happy, and somewhat religious childhood, Thomas Sean Connery was known as “Sean” many years before the world knew him as that, thanks to an Irish friend of his called Séamus who chose to call the strapping Scot by his middle name. And in 1938, he became a big brother to Neil, who also became an actor (now retired).
Aged 14, he took his first job as a milkman for the St. Cuthbert’s Co-operative Society. During those grafting days, Sean also began bodybuilding but gave it up competitively. Following that, he joined the Royal Navy. It was there he obtained two tattoos on either forearm (hidden rather badly in his early 007 movies), one for his parents and one for his love of Scotland. Sadly, this was a short-lived career move when he was discharged on medical grounds. Now 23, Sean returned to Edinburgh and took on a number of other jobs here and there to earn money such as lifeguard, a male model and coffin polisher. He also took up playing football for Bonnyrigg Rose, a small club in Midlothian, where he attracted the attention of one Matt Busby, the then manager of Manchester United. It all came down to a contract Busby offered Sean for £25 a week. Thinking with his head, not his heart, the young Scot didn’t sign on the basis that he didn’t want to retire young. He carried on earning money with a job backstage at the local King’s Theatre which introduced him to the stage. Whilst bodybuilding in London, he bagged a role as a chorus boy in South Pacific, and toured with the cast, working his way to the role of Marine Corporal Hamilton Steeves. As the production ran through the early 50s, it was there Sean met and became friends with Michael Caine, and continued to develop his love of theatre and acting, as well as exploring his sexual prowess with numerous flings here and there! The natural progression from theatre was small television roles, such as Dixon Of Dock Green and Sailor Of Fortune. It wasn’t until 1957 that Sean signed himself an agent to expand into the world of film. His first major international role was as the singing Irishman Michael McBride in 1959s Darby
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l u o S Pixar’s Most t e Y m l i F l a i t n e t s i x E
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Words: Maria Lättilä Photos: Disney/Pixar
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ou may well have a bone to pick with the Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, Pete Docter. He’s the man responsible for making us cry rather uncontrollably during the first 10 minutes of Up and also made us re-evaluate how we understand our core emotions with Inside Out. All in all, Docter has almost certainly had an impact on both the children in our lives as well as ourselves. Pixar’s new film, Soul, directed by Docter and co-directed by Kemp Powers is possibly the studio’s most ambitious and courageous film to date. Not only is it the studio’s usual whimsical, lifeaffirming stuff, but it also sets to probe the eternal question of why are we on this Earth? What makes our life valuable and how is it measured? A lot of heavy stuff for adults to deal with, never mind children, but perhaps that is Soul’s – and Pixar’s – greatest strength. They don’t just cater for a certain age group specifically but attempt to branch out and tell stories that are larger than life.
sets to probe the eternal question of why are we on this Earth? What makes our life valuable and how is it measured? A lot of heavy stuff for adults to deal with, never mind children.
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CHRISTMAS
Photo: Ali Goldstein/Netflix
y a r r u M A e v a H
! s a m t s i r h C
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Words: Leoni Horton ’ve never hit a kid before. I mean, that’s like asking who Gandhi is,’ says Tallahassee to Little Rock in the monumental, undead comedy, Zombieland, when she inquires after the identity of the great and beloved, Bill Murray. It might seem like an extreme response, but Tallahassee’s semi-serious threat is a valid response to Little Rock’s unbearable question; with the exchange also shedding some light on the reason why so many people seem to have trouble with millennials. For not to know of the great legacy of films, TV and comedy Murray has under his belt is to deny yourself one of life’s few exquisite pleasures.
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Bill Murray got his start on the prominent skit-comedy show, Saturday Night Live, where he worked for three seasons, making a name for himself as a deadpan comedy icon and a lovable goof. Eventually, Murray left 30 Rockefeller Plaza for the movies, and over one heck of an illustrious career, Murray has lent his loveable wit to countless cherished characters and a slew of profound boxoffice hits. He brings consistent energy, effortless humour and an endearing grumpiness to every role, be it comedy, drama or art house. Films such as Meatballs and Caddyshack solidified Murray as a wise-cracking household name, and his collaborations with Harold Ramis in Stripes, Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters, allowed Murray to showcase his comical finesse. Yet, Murray is much more than a comedian - although his humour does manage to nudge its way into every single one of his roles - he has also proved himself a serious drama and character actor in his long-time collaborations with Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola and Jim Jarmusch. Murray received an Oscar nomination for his role in Lost in Translation and critical acclaim
for his roles in Rushmore and The Life Aquatic. However, Murray is so much more than a Hollywood star; his charm transcends the screen. Over time, through fan interactions, multiple cameos, public appearances and skits, Murray has morphed himself into a widely adored living legend, most loved for his unusual habit of dropping unsuspectingly into the lives of his fans at any given moment. It’s entirely possible that the internationally renowned funny-man might pop-up and grace your ordinary day with his personal brand of chaos and hilarity. You’ve heard the tales of Murray’s mythical existence; how he materialises in seemingly chance encounters with endless individuals, making appearances at photoshoots, bachelor parties and karaoke nights. If you’re lucky, he might turn out to be your bartender for the night or even attempt to snatch a French fry from your plate as he passes you in an airport. Through countless, seemingly random appearances, Murray has gleaned a name for himself as an urban folk hero, who appears, as if from thin air, into the lives of strangers, managing to put smiles on the faces of all he meets. It’s almost as if he’s some kind of cheeky superhero or deadpan Santa Claus, who has tasked himself a mission to spread joy and cheer throughout humanity. To even think of Murray is enough to brighten any day; which is why, given this stinker of a year, it seems this holiday season is the perfect time for Bill Murray to make one of his classic appearances in our lives. However, given the restrictions and closures 2020 has brought about, it seems unlikely that Murray will be making any physical appearances any time soon. In the meantime, this collection of Bill Murray holiday-themed classics should work as an ideal tonic to escape the troubles of this terrible year. Like a good cup of tea on a bad day, there is nothing Bill Murray can’t fix.
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interview
“Acting is a very serious job”
Jason Words: grae westgate
ISAACS
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Jason
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egendary British actor Jason Isaacs has clocked up an impressive array of characters over the course of his career. From Harry Potter to Star Trek, there are few facets of pop culture he hasn’t managed to make his way into. In his latest venture, Skyfire, he finds himself the owner of a doomed volcano theme park in China. We caught up with him to discuss the challenges of shooting a film in another language, as well as his recent TikTok adventures, and the mysterious things cluttering up his closet…
Before we get to the film, I do have to congratulate you on breaking the internet with the “Pottah” challenge with Tom (Felton)! I still have no idea what this is! I got a message from Tom; he’s my mate, my quasi-son. I was in Hungary and he asked me to say “Potter” a few times on camera for this thing on TikTok. And I didn’t know what it was! I don’t do TikTok! So, I did a few gags and he put them on his TikTok. I don’t know how many people watched it, but I understand that he owns TikTok now, so good for him! I love Tom. I’ve known him all this time, since he was a kid, and now he’s this wonderful man. He’s just an incredibly artistic man. He plays the guitar and he wanders the streets playing songs, and people try to give him money and he says “I’m not busking, I’m just singing!” He’s really coming into himself.
ISAACS He’s found this audience, and he’s on top of the technology. He’s being very creative with all of it. These are pretty dark days and he’s providing shafts of light in people’s lives. He’s doing online gigs. I think he’s fabulous! The stars are really coming in line for him.
Well that’s all a father ever wants, isn’t it? (Laughs) I do have two kids of my own, and he does have his dad, but he can always have a second one and I’m as proud of him as I could be of a son.
So, with you having done so many diverse roles; you’ve done Harry Potter, you’ve done Star Trek, you’ve even been Dick Dastardly recently, which I didn’t even realise was you until the end credits… Well you shouldn’t! I’m not trying to sound like a man who did a law degree and grew up in Liverpool! I’m trying to sound like Dick Dastardly, so that’s good!
What drew you to Skyfire? Oh, it was Simon! Simon West. I auditioned for him for Con Air twenty-five years ago. I remember it so vividly. I have a terrible memory, but I remember this audition. I had
“I’m not trying to sound like a man who did a law degree and grew up in Liverpool! I’m trying to sound like Dick Dastardly, so that’s good!” OCTOBER 2020 FILMHOUNDS 37
2020
2020 FILMS of the year t might be hyperbole, but 2020 may be looked at as the year that tried to kill cinema. The pandemic forced venues around the globe to close, reopening with strict guidelines led many chains in the UK to mothball or run reduced screenings. Studios wanting to protect their sizeable investments continually push the release dates of the year’s biggest blockbusters back in the hope the audience will be there next year. Warner Bros attempted to lead the charge by releasing Tenet in August, with strong but ultimately disappointing returns. Disney went ahead and plonked Mulan on Disney+ for an inflated fee. 2020 inadvertently became the year of the streams. Smaller, independent releases gained wider prominence to fill the void of the tentpole releases audiences were clambering for. Families found themselves sharing film experiences
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old and new, generations sharing recommendations that in other times may go un-checked. Hopefully 2020 will also be remembered as the year that mainstream audiences and award bodies braved that “oneinch barrier” to make Parasite a global sensation. Bong Joon-Ho’s multi-genre drama arrived under a blanket of praise and a shroud of mystery. Perhaps not since Psycho had a film gotten so big with so few details of it’s plot being spoiled by movie goers. It’s a testament to the film’s power that it affected western audiences in the way it has, and fingers crossed it will guide people not usually given to watching subtitled films to (literally) a whole world of cinema. When the FilmHounds writers were asked for their Top 10 choices of the year no one’s list was the same. It’s indicative of the year we’ve had that there was such a vast array of films mentioned, over 50 in total. Works like Saint Maud, Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Birds of Prey, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Greyhound, KokoDi Koko-Da, Color Out of Space, Get
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Duked! all got mentioned. The only rule given to our writers when choosing their films was it had to be released in the UK in 2020. What is interesting from the final Top 10 is the final list draws mostly from films released pre-lockdown. Works our writers got to see on the big screen, to experience the way they were intended. Others are films that went direct to streaming services but were always designed to be. It should be mentioned that many of our writers included the caveat to their lists with “this is my list right now, but I haven’t seen Mank* yet”. The final major release for the year, and David Fincher’s glorious return certainly has the pedigree to be an awards contender come next season. For now though let’s all be thankful for cinema helping getting us through 2020, for bringing us closer together and for all those who put their blood, sweat, tears and time into making these great works.
Michael Dickinson *Mank reviewed in this issue!
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The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Personal History of David Copperfield is a fresh, spiky take on Dickens, with infectious comedic energy.
Steve McQueen has done it again. Perhaps the most significant and consistent modern British director, McQueen once again brings us a riveting, vital piece of filmmaking, this time telling the true story of the Mangrove Nine. As it so often is with McQueen’s work, Mangrove is timely and powerful, without ever regressing to speaking down to its audience. Mangrove depicts the trial of the Mangrove Nine as well as the protest that led to the criminal charges for the participants. But where there is injustice and racism, there is also a lot of warmth and spirit. Mangrove isn’t a depressing film, but a smart and lively one. There is sly humour sprinkled in and scenes inside the Mangrove evoke a sense of a community unlike any other. This is a film that wants to uplift you, make you see the power in protesting and community, rather than bring you down. It shows the power in people, power in unity and mangrove might just be one of the finest films we will see in the rest of 2020.
This is a film that makes a point about class shame and inequality that feels very timely, but it’s also not afraid to commit to numerous scenes of slapstick running and other, similarly broad, comic strokes. This is Iannucci relaxing his satirical reins in order to have a good time and, though he sacrifices some of his snark and bite, the propulsive wit of his filmmaking is present and correct as always.
Tom Beasley
© McQueen Limited - Photographer: Des Willie
Photo: : © 2019 Dickensian Pictures, LLC and Channel Four Television Corporation
After a slightly clunky framing device in which the title character (Dev Patel) is shown narrating his life story in an auditorium, the story snaps back to his youth, in which he’s played by the spirited, inquisitive Jairaj Varsani. The film follows his various rises and falls through the Victorian class system, including as a manual worker in a bottling factory and a student at a slightly prim university, where he crosses paths with uber-posh buddy Steerforth (Aneurin Barnard), who doesn’t “care for whimsy”, and the sinister Uriah Heep (Ben Whishaw).
In short, The Personal History of David Copperfield is an Armando Iannucci project through and through, albeit one that suggests he’s slightly tired of the increasing black hole of lost hope that politics has become. This is him at the helm of something light, frothy and clearly close to his heart. The result, of course, is a movie that overflows with warmth and silliness, creating perhaps the first Iannucci film that the whole family can enjoy. Capaldi resists the F-Bombs this time around.
Mangrove
While Mangrove doesn’t have that boldness that Widows or Shame had, the film becomes more powerful due to McQueen’s occasional and wisely chosen restraint. The film doesn’t have to use cheap filmmaking choices to manipulate you when the story and cast are this strong but make no mistake; this is a McQueen film through and through. His direction brings everything together and carries the film, which leaves a profound mark on the viewer.
Maria Lättilä
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“I had a son named Phil. He was once your age. He died, so we put him in a box and we buried him.” – Jeff Pickles The quote on the left comes from the very first episode of Jim Carrey’s Showtime comedydrama (or dark comedy) series, Kidding. The dialogue is uttered by Carrey’s character Jeff Pickles, who is the iconic host of Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time, during a taping of Puppet Time, and it also highlights exactly what Kidding is, which is a story about a good man attempting to honestly deal with the struggles of life (in this case loss). However, not only does he attempt to deal with loss through his fictional home, Pickle Barrel Falls, but he also wishes for his
honesty to be a life lesson for his young audience. Jeff’s honesty is incredibly challenging and somewhat shocking, yet Carrey’s delivery is so heart-warming, he is able to thread this incredibly thin line of making audiences feel uncomfortable and supported. It’s a strange dichotomy of emotions, and yet it’s these emotions and Kidding’s bravery of dealing with the truest parts of life that make it so compelling and perhaps 2020’s most criminally underrated show. Puppeteer Dan Garza, who plays Ennui, a French baguette puppet that is a part of Jeff’s Puppet Time, coincidentally met his Kidding costar Carrey for the first time after this powerful scene about death in episode 1. In what Garza calls a “John Hughes” moment, Carrey went through a crowd of people on set just to “extend his hand and say, ’Oh, hey, I’m Jim’” to him. An unexpected and “sincere” moment for Garza that highlighted the actor’s instincts that translated to his kind-spirited Jeff Pickles character. Humza Hussain had the opportunity to talk to Dan Garza for this FilmHound’s exclusive, and in
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addition to this Carrey story, they explored what made Kidding so unique, the fantastical element of puppets, and why the show is the most underrated of 2020.
“Real life isn’t a Villain. There is Magic in Real Life.” Executive produced by Dave Holstein and innovative director Michel Gondry, Kidding proves to be quite a fascinating show for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, upon viewing the trailer for season 1, which aired in 2018, the show may appear to be quite simple – it’s about a good man going off the rails. For some, seeing Carrey take a dark route and becoming a “puppet mafia king” would have been quite the treat, but that’s not what people got. “What you get instead is absolute genius because it resonates with me,” Garza explained. “Yes, while I’m sitting in
traffic, sometimes I wanna be the villain, right? But I know in my heart of hearts that that’s not who I was built to be. And most of us weren’t built to be the villain because we’re good people. “Dave’s [Holstein] take on how does a good man survive in a cruel world and still remain good, even though flawed and fractured and broken and angry, which are all valid and legitimate emotions that we have to deal with. How does he stay who he is? How do we take up arms and still retain our kindness?” According to Garza, this “was very smart,” and something that he was “truly proud to be a part of.” However, due to the narrative perhaps being different from what some may have expected, and the show’s urge to explore the challenging battles Jeff goes through, such as dealing with loss and his crumbling family life, there are critics who labelled the show as “bleak.” Although Garza feels that those comments came
due to the show touching “on honest emotion,” and he referred back to the very “visceral” and “real” scene in episode 1, where Jeff Pickles speaks about loss to children. Yet instead of seeing the apparent bleakness, Garza saw the opportunity to “address situations that would otherwise be unspoken.” “I truly see the opportunity, and the opportunity is to honour the people who are watching this show, who have gone or are going through, or will go through emotions similar to this,” Garza said. “There isn’t representation for someone who had to bury a young child,” and in season 2, the show explores divorce and letting people go because it might be for the best, and Garza reiterated that “those people need representation. Those people need to be able to heal.” But with all the hard-hitting emotions and the grounded nature of Holstein’s story, there is a fantastical and lighthearted element to the show, and that’s where Garza and his fellow
puppeteers come into Kidding.
“The Practical Nature of it is Not Lost” Another unique aspect of the show is that it is beautifully balanced by Jeff’s land of Pickle Barrel Falls on Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time, as it gives the show an avenue to be magical, musical, and even soothing. It also helps deliver the hard-hitting messages with a soft touch. But due to Gondry’s insistence and to go along with the realistic feel of Jeff Pickles’ story, a lot of the fantastical elements come in the way of practical props and effects, like puppets. One of the standout puppets on Puppet Time is undoubtedly Garza’s Ennui, as
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TRILOGIES
top 10 Greatest ever Trilogies As voted for by the filmhounds writers ood things come in three packages… or small things come in threes. Something like that. Anyway. Trilogies. The Holy Grail of cinematic achievement. Ever since the Godfather series couldn’t think of anything better to call its two sequels, and just stuck Parts II and III on the end of Godfather, like the whole thing was supposed to be a trilogy in the first place, getting that hallowed threequel has become the ultimate sign of success in
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Hollywood. After all, Tinsel Town is littered with the scripts of the films that tried and failed to make it to the big three. Film fans are partly to blame. We just love that whole beginning, middle, and end structure so much we can’t just have it in our individual films, we need it in an entire series. We’re so entitled, when we get wind our favourite property has just been snatched up by a big movie studio, we don’t fantasise about one movie, we fantasise about three. Why, no sooner do we find out that Chris Hemsworth has agreed to play Secret Squirrel, than we’re wondering which Oscar-bait
character actor is going to play the villainous Yellow Pinkie in the third outing because you know they’re not blowing their most notorious rogue on the second movie. Here at Filmhounds, we love sequels so much, we’re dedicating a whole feature to the ones we think are the best. We voted, and we know more than you, so this list is definitive. None of your @s, thank you very much, we’re the critics, we know what’s best. Oh, and Simon Russell Beale should play him. Yellow Pinkie that is.
Introduction by Lee Hazell
first three films of a series 60 FILMHOUNDS DECEMBER 2020
10.
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Indiana Jones
Planet of the Apes
Star wars
In 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark continued the revolutionary trend of new Hollywood blockbusters finding the balance of spectacle and engaging and clever narratives. Spielberg’s films following the intelligent archaeologist, who turns into the whip-wielding tough guy while exploring mystical artefacts and fighting off villains like Nazi troops to save the world, had a fantastic balance of supernatural and grounded realism, despite them being a little far-fetched. This was in large part thanks to Harrison Ford’s quiet/effortless charm and charisma as ‘Indy’ that captured the hearts of fans. So every close call and giant boulder that was avoided made people breathe a sigh of relief. Also, every time the film’s classic theme kicked in, symbolising a change in Jones’ fortune, fans couldn’t help but feel the rush of adrenaline only a great blockbuster provides. Like most trilogies, there’s a clear weak link, which in this case, is the second instalment. Arguably due to it being a little more absurd and over the top, but it’s still a fun film for sure. The third instalment is more balanced and beautifully adds another layer of emotion and back-story with Indy and his father (the late great Sean Connery). It was a wonderful way to complete one of the most beloved trilogies of all time, and yes, we don’t include that fourth film in this write-up!
In spite of their slightly unwieldy titles, Rise of, Dawn of, and War for The Planet of the Apes is arguably one of the most consistent trilogies ever made. Andy Serkis brought stunning life to Caesar in this motion captured performance. Caesar and his fellow apes are digitally rendered, but they are the heart of this trilogy, and the only constant characters. Caesar grows from a pet, experimented on, abandoned and abused in director Rupert Wyatt’s first film. Matt Reeves takes the helm for the remainder. In which we see Caesar develop into a leader, following the fall of human civilisation to the virus that caused apes to grow in intelligence in the second. To a king in the third, losing his family, and yet still trying to prevent the war that threatens to destroy the last of the humans. The humans go from those in control, to fighting for survival, to a resentful last few, blaming the apes for humanities’ hubris. Despite it all, Caesar is the beacon of wisdom, representing the bridge between the old ways and the new. A Shakespearean saga that turns a slave into a hero, and shows humans just how small, petty and primitive they truly are.
Not even George Lucas himself could have envisioned how far Star Wars would reach and how its mixture of nostalgia, franchise value and enduring characters would last. Three trilogies, two spin-off films, animated TV series/film, those ewok films, The Mandalorian and several computer games later and it’s all spawned from those three original films. The fact that, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi were so influential that everything that came after then was inspired by them isn’t the only reason why they are one of the best cinematic trilogies in film history. It’s the fact that they are still screened in cinemas, still watched by lifelong fans and those who are discovering the science fiction saga for the first time. Despite the late 70s, early 80s visual effects that look dated, the universal story of a hero’s journey isn’t exactly a new concept, it really doesn’t matter. There is something about this world, this space odyssey that Lucas created that has struck a chord with everyone who watches it. These films will be screened in cinemas and homes alike for years to come as this kind of story and adventure never really dies. The force will always be with you.
Erika Bean
Katie Hogan
Humza Hussain
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