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Senin, 28 Maret 2016

Manic Monday: It's Easter! Bring Out Ben-Hur!

On today's Manic Monday, it happens to be Easter Monday. Obviously, the Monday Blues is not that present in this case because the only thing we could be manic from is excessive food consumption. And maybe the one or other relative that we really can't stand and always have to see on holidays...

Anyway, to cut things short, I'd like to wish you all a very happy Easter and clebrate the occasion by giving you the most exciting scene from my Easter go-to movie number one: William Wyler's Ben-Hur (1959). And now it's back to eating candy for me.

Minggu, 06 Desember 2015

Film Review: Santa Claus (1985)

UK, USA; 104-107 min; adventure, family, fantasy, holiday

Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Writing: David Newman, Leslie Newman

Cast: Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, David Huddleston, Judy Cornwell, Burgess Meredith

There have been many versions of where Santa Claus came from and almost as many find themselves on the big or small screen as a movie. Most are family comedies that run on the visually impressive and heartwarming, yet slightly silly side. The 1985 attempt Santa Claus: The Movie is a little bit more mellow and fairytale-like, which might stem from the fact that it was a British-American co-production. But let’s take a closer look:

Santa Claus tries to do a lot in its 104 minutes runtime: It goes all the way back to the origins of the man with the white beard and red hat. Sometime in the late middle ages a generous, yet poor, woodcutter and his wife are on their way back from delivering presents to children in the surrounding villages when they get caught in a blizzard. Facing almost certain death these two good and giving people are rescued by a community of elves, who take them in. From that moment onwards the woodcutter takes on the role of Santa Claus and rewards nice children with presents every Christmas Eve.

In a swirl of time, presents and journeys around the globe, that is meant to establish the mythological figure of Santa Claus, the movie takes us to the present day. Here we are suddenly caught in a mix of modern story and festive fairytale. An ambitious elf is wooed by a money-mad entrepreneur to make toys for him and get worldwide credit for it, but has to leave behind his values along the way. At the same time we have a children’s Romeo and Juliet situation, when Cornelia, the daughter of the previously mentioned rich entrepreneur, takes a liking to orphaned, homeless boy Joe. By a lucky incident the two run into Santa and together they save Christmas and its values from the greedy modern society of adults. All’s well that ends well and in the end Joe is even adopted by Santa and his wife. Lovely.

Even if it’s slightly clichéd, you can’t really fault a holiday movie for its overwhelming cheer that it wants to spread. This movie especially does a nice job of drawing you into Santa’s cozy North Pole home and, even after years of watching, we are still filled with the same excitement upon entering the elves workshop that we felt the first time. And, come on, even if it is slightly tacky, we do want that all encompassing happy ending, where the poor boy is given a family, the elf gets a promotion, and evil is banned from earth (quite literally in this movie). Also, the classic feel of the movie might stem from its underlying criticism of progress for progress’s sake. We see this in the story and it just might have influenced the making of the movie, motivating the creators to omit any unnecessary, in your face special effects.

Like so many Christmas movies Santa Claus tries to remind us of what is truly important in life. And even now, 30 years later, the story seems pretty relevant to our own reality. The only slight drawback is that the movie does not only want to tell a modern story, but wants to keep coming back to Santa’s origins as well. This is especially ambitious considering the slightly peculiar fun fact that there does not seem to be one official version of the movie. IMDB lists the runtime as 107 minutes, Wikipedia as 108 minutes, while my German DVD says the English original version is about 104 minutes long and the German version an even shorter 91 minutes… Imagine my wonder, when (after years of watching the German version) I got to experience some never before seen scenes, when I watched the English version for the first time! So who left what on the cutting room floor and what were we really meant to see?

While Santa Claus may be a bit too dense in storylines, it comes along with a fitting main cast that excels in its roles. David Huddleston makes for a superb Santa Claus that delivers kindness and fills the famous suit well. Dudley Moore plays experienced and eager, yet always cheerful elf Patch, who even in his ambition always remains slightly blue-eyed and nice. Finally, John Lithgow is perfect as B.Z., the greedy and ruthless toy magnate.

In my household, as in many others I am sure, Santa Claus is a Christmas classic and any verdict therefore must be slightly tainted with personal feelings of nostalgia. While the movie is not perfect and there are some scenes that I didn’t really need to see, it still is a holiday gem that forgoes any unnecessary special effects for the creation of an atmosphere of warmth and Christmas joy. Happy St. Nick’s Day, everyone!

Rating:

Senin, 26 Oktober 2015

Manic Monday & Top 3: Howl at the Moon Day

It's Monday, but not just some ordinary Manic Monday. Today's special holiday allows you to channel all your penned up frustration and release it all at once. You're missing the relaxation of the weekend? Your boss is driving you crazy at work? University's throwing a whole load of tasks at you? No problem. Just wait until dark 'til the moon shines brightly above your head and... howl all your troubles at it.

It's Howl at the Moon Day, BSPeeps. We take this as an occasion to a) get rid of our own toils and troubles come midnight, and b) serve you with a Top 3 of our favouriute wolves in film and TV history. Enjoy.

Rina:

3. Winnie from Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Little werewolf girl Winnie has about a trillion scuffling brothers. Naturally, she has to be tough and determined in order to assert herself amongst her siblings. Although cute Winnie might not look the part, she can scramble like the best of them, is a loyal friend, a talented tracker and her parents' pride and joy.

2. Lucian from Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

Lucian (played fiercely by the impeccable Michael Sheen) is one of those wild, scruffy, tousled werewolves with a big, broken heart. It's all in the ambivalence. While, at first, we're led to believe that he's a mean-spirited fellow intending to harm vampires for the fun of it, we soon find out that all his rage and grimnes actually stem back from the days in which the vampires enslaved his whole race and, on top of that, killed the love of his life. Awww. Poor Lucian definitely has my sympathy.

1. Jackson Whittemore from Teen Wolf (2011 - )

High school jock Jackson (Colton Haynes) wants to be a werewolf - badly. And he has to go through a lot to finally reach his goal: wolfsbane poisoning, emotional insecurity, the transformation into a slimey killing machine without control of his mind... Oh, what a glorious moment it is when Jackson finally turns into a fully fanged, blue-eyed werewolf! While it is sometimes hard to root for him, I've always liked him best on the show. The soft core underneath the hard shell make for some great drama and character moments.

Nata Lie:

3. Ruby/Red from Once Upon a Time... (2011 - )

Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood, who sets out to visit her ill grandmother and then they are both eaten up by the Big Bad Wolf. Not so this Red Riding Hood. Ruby gives a new spin to the old fairy tale - being the helpless little girl and the hungry wolf in one person. And the best thing about that is that she doesn’t even know and her Jekyll-and-Hyde kind of character is definitely interesting to watch.

2. Michael Corvin from Underworld (2003)

Michael Corvin is the first ever lycan-vampire hybrid and far more powerful than either of these species. He falls in love with the vampire Selene and sides with her in her fight against the real werewolves. Did I mention that apart from superior strenght, he shares none of their weaknesses?

1. Professor Remus John Lupin from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

When you think of a typical werewolf, what comes to mind are shady, bad-spirited guys who easily lose their temper. And then there’s Lupin. Granted, he does get kind of grumpy and blood-thirsty after having stared at the full moon a little too long to maintain his human form, but the rest of the time, he is everything our “typical werewolf” is not. He is kind, always concerned about others and a good friend, not only to his peers James and Sirius, but also to Harry and Co. He is an indispensable part of the Order of the Phoenix and uses his werewolf-powers to fight the evil forces, tormenting Rowling's magical world. A deserved first place, wouldn’t you say?

Squuls:

3. Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

By far the most ridiculus looking woolfie, Oz (Seth Green) is still a cool addition to the Scooby Gang in Buffy. Since I am usually not a fan of the scary type of story, this guy is more up my alley. He's a senior in high school and plays in an alternative rock band. What sounds like destiny for eternal coolness in reality has more of a geeky vibe. Much like human Oz his werewolf alter ego is tamer than it seems. After one badass fight he decides to lock himself up during his transformation times, so he won't hurt anyone. After all he won't let his werewolf ways come in between him and his love Willow.

2. George Sands from Being Human (UK version; 2008-2013)

As the show's name suggests George Sands tries everything to master his burden. He shacks up with a vampire and a ghost and together they try to keep each other in check. George does his best to live a normal life in the human world, despite always living with the threat of exposure and of other (evil) creatures out there. But even after transformation George Sands is able to highlight his human side and control his animalistic impulses. He can't help what he looks like, but he can certainly still choose who he wants to be and that, to me, makes him a werewolf woth admiring.

3. Peter Rumancek from Hemlock Grove (2013-2015)

Peter Rumancek is a gipsy werewolf, who is new in the mysterious town of Hemlock Grove, aaaand that comes with a lot of problems. Brooding and handsome as he is, people either find him attractive or want to be him - deep down. Being a gipsy already closes many doors, but when the rumor spreads that he's a werewolf and girls start getting killed he is really in for trouble. He sets out to clear his name and makes a friend in the rich and handsome, but slightly psychotic, Roman Godfrey along the way. It is to him that he reveals he really is a werewolf in the most badass and horrifically beautiful transformation I have ever seen.

So, who do you miss on our lists? Who are your favourite wolves in movies and TV?

Rabu, 09 September 2015

Top 3: Wonderful Weirdos

Don't we all know at least one person (in real life and on screen) that is amazingly different and wonderfully weird? While they can be oddly entertaining at best and irritatingly annoying at worst, life would be much duller and more boring without these oddballs. And let's face it: aren't we all a little weird?

Thankfully movies and TV have also come to the realization that we need a little weird in our lives. And what great onscreen characters there are! Therefore, on Wonderful Weirdos Day, we now give you our Top 3 oddball characters:

Rina:

3. Edward D. Wood Jr.

Proclaimed to be the worst director of all time, good ol' Ed can be held responsible for cinematic excersises such as Glen or Glenda (1953), Bride of the Monster (1955) or Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), with the latter still being hailed as the most terrible film ever made. Wood Jr. was a cross-dresser with a soft spot for angora, he was a man of endless imagination, passion, drive and ambition, and, alas, no talent in decent filmic storytelling. But who wants decent when weird is so much more fun? To celebrate Wood Jr.'s multiple quirks, feel free to check out Tim Burton's 1994 film Ed Wood with Johnny Depp delivering a remarkable performance in the title role.

2. Lily Frankenstein from Penny Dreadful

As a corpse brought back to life the lovely Lily Frankenstein certainly qualifies as weird. Furthermore, she roams the streets of London using her supernatural physical strength to take revenge on the male sex for abusing and degrading her in her former life as a prostitute. Additionally, she seeks world domination. Weird, yes, you might say, but wonderful? Whatever. I can't help cheering her on whenever Lily questions corsets and high heels or refuses to go by male conventions. She's an independent, free-spirited lady ready to leave a murderous mark. You definitely want to be on her good side.

1. Paris Geller from Gilmore Girls

Paris Geller thinks everyone around her is an idiot. And, let's face it, she's right. There's no one as brutally honest, uncompromisingly goal-orientated and brilliantly smart as she is. Granted that she has the tendency to boss others around, hand out insults to all the people who annoy her (basically everybody) and trample on the emotions of her fellow human beings, Paris never does so without class, wicked humour and an (almost always) good amount of judgement. She has her heart in the right place, is a loyal friend and, despite her weirdness, someone to count on.

Nata Lie:

3. Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story: Coven

First of all, Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story: Coven is NOT on this list because of her peculiar sense of fashion. At least not only. The self-proclaimed “Guardian of veracity in the vernacular,” is not exactly popular amongst her peers and ends up being burned at the stake not once but twice. From the way she speaks and behaves, you’d think she spent most of her time just floating through life (when she isn’t busy playing the theremin at least) and that is probably true, but in case you manage to rouse her wrath – RUN! You don’t really want someone to gouge out your eyes with a melon baller, do you?

2. Donnie Darko

If it isn’t weird to have an imaginary friend, wearing a creepy bunny costume and telling you the world is about to end, then I don’t know what is. Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhall) starts off as a loner with “authority issues.” Nothing altogether peculiar, but once Frank the Bunny steps into his life, he says goodbye to normality. Following Frank’s advice, Donnie floods the school, burns down a house and experiences auditory and visual hallucinations. But despite all the serious weirdness going on, the movie makes it seem as though being weird is the new cool.
Gretchen: You’re weird.
Donnie: Sorry.
Gretchen: No, that was a compliment actually.

1. The Joker from The Dark Knight

Well, aren’t you surprised now to find Heath Ledger’s legendary performance as The Joker at the top of my list? I guess not. The Joker is such an obvious choice that I’m half ashamed that his wasn’t the first face to pop up in my head when thinking about this ranking.

“Why so serious?” The Joker is an advocate of chaos. He is a maniacal, manipulative, homicidal, psychopathic super villain, who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, for no reason at all, save for maybe his own amusement. And, despite being the antagonist, the Joker manages to outshine the hero Batman in his own movie. A wonderful weirdo indeed.

Squuls:

3. Billy Maddison

After the other two have surely brought me some sleepless nights with their supposed wonderful weirdos, my definition of wonderful seems to be slightly different, meaning loveable. Not many people on this side of the year 2000 probably remember or at least watch this 1995 gem, but Billy Maddison is still a good choice for a lazy or hungover Sunday. This (actually not that stupid) idiot wastes away his life drunk and partying and coming up with all sorts of rubbish all off his rich father's money. But things get serious (and silly) when Billy has to step up and go back to school to be able to take over his father's company. Never has there been a 30 year old more in tune with kindergardeners that is a silly trickster without ever being vicious.

2. Kirk from Gilmore Girls

The definite star of the show! Nobody is as versatile and weird in his occupations and quirks as lovable Kirk. Always kind and eager to please (especially town Selectman Taylor Doose; who could forget the famous Easter egg incident?) this guy pops up at random in almost every episode of Gilmore Girls. His love-hate relationship to diner owner Luke Danes is legendary and Kirk's weirdness sparks some of the oddest, but most hillarious dialogues - and in a show as whitty and talkative as this, that's really saying something! While Kirk displays the kindergardener-in-a-man's-body type most of the time, things become especially cute when he starts to romance Lulu, an equally nice yet less weird town's woman.

1. Phoebe Buffay of FRIENDS

So here she is! My one and only choice for the top spot of Wonderful Weirdos: Phoebe Buffay! Good looks and a cool group of friends don't actually help contain her oddness, but enhance it. Her mother's suicide and being homeless sure have left a tiny mark on Phoebe's psyche, yet she doesn't bring her down. Always with a soft spot for the underdog or weak ones, she's a helpful and active person. Socially conscious songs like "Smelly Cat" or "The Cow in the Meadow", a kids song about slaughter, are unforgettable and even slightly admirable. Still (more often than not) she amuses or annoys her friends with her unique perspective on life and science, like gravity (which doesn't exist). Admirably Phoebe is accepted for who she is unconditionally and in Mike even finds a husband, who urges her to embrace her oddness. We all need a little Phoebe in our lives!

Now that you know all about our Top 3 Wonderful Weirdos, we are curious to know: What are yours? Let us know in the comment section below or drop us a line on one of our social media presences. And finally, embrace the weird in your life!

Sabtu, 05 September 2015

Features: World Beard Day

Source: pinoria

It’s that time of year again BSPeeps. Today we celebrate the versatility of facial hair – from nonchalant stubble to elaborate walrus moustache. On World Beard Day we pay homage to all that is beardy and hairy. And let’s be honest, what is more manly than a massive beard? But a beard is not a beard. To expand your (and also my own) knowledge of the complex forms of facial fur, I’ve compiled a couple of subcategories and use well-known actors from movies or television as visual aids. Let’s go from little and inconspicuous to thick, long and imposing.

The Fuzz

The Fuzz is the first kind of facial hair, worn mainly by boys on their way to becoming men. The soft, downy baby hair doesn’t have all that much to do with a real beard yet, but it’s probably THE hair that fills its wearer with a greater sense of pride than any of the other categories.

Ron Weasley

See that bit of fluff surrounding his mouth? It's not really a beard yet, but not a non-beard either.

The Stubble

Any kind of hair that is just long enough to be seen, but can’t yet be called a proper beard is usually referred to as stubble. Whether resulting from a lack of time to shave or just wanting to look nonchalant enough not to consider shaving a necessity, the stubble can look unclean and careless or charmingly boyish and laidback. Have a look at some examples of the latter.

Sam and Dean Winchester

How are you supposed to find the time to trim your beard when the fate of the world is constantly at stake? Never mind the razor, boys. Just keep on doing what you do best.

James "Sawyer" Ford

Being lost on a deserted island there surely are more important things than keeping your face free of hair, like surviving and stuff. And it's not like bad boy Sawyer would have cared either way and isn’t that the attitude we love so much about him?

The Mutton Chops

The mutton chops are a more elaborate, prestigious form of sideburns and were especially fashionable in the 19th Century. And they have regained some popularity lately thanks to the following mutton chop wearer.

Wolverine

There aren’t many decent ways to wear mutton chops without looking silly for it, but Wolverine shows you how to tame them. They underline the animalistic side of his role. But before you get excited now, bear in mind that unless you don’t have the facial shape, nor the desirable hair consistency to rock the mutton chops the way Hugh Jackman does, you might just end up looking like this.

The Janitor

You don’t really want that, now, do you?

The Goatee

A goatee is a beard growing on the chin or may also be connected to an upperlip moustache. It’s also called a circle beard, because of the way it grows around the mouth.

Christian Bale

Source: today

Christian Bale shows you the classy way to wear a goatee.

Keanu Reeves and Brad Pitt

Source: dailymail

Source: listal

These two are a good example of what an unsightly beard can do to even the most handsome men.

The Moustache

A moustache is called any hair that grows above the upper lip only, but of course there are also many variations. Have a look at some of the most popular versions.

Thomas Magnum

Here we have an example of a classic moustache. And a masterpiece at that. Can you imagine Magnum played by a bald-lipped man? Of course you can’t because that would be absolutely absurd. Tom Selleck is as much a part of the role Magnum as is his beard.

Charlie Chaplin

Source: ligo

Charlie Chaplin is one of the two most famous representatives of the toothbrush moustache. You won’t find many species of said moustache in the wild anymore and we are not really sorry for that.

Bill the Butcher and Mr. Monopoly

Source: ew

The Handlebar Moustache is a moustache that is grown out at the ends and twirled upwards, thus resembling handlebars. Famous wearers are Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York or Mr. Monopoly.

The Beard

And now let’s move on to the master discipline: the full beard. It incorporates all the categories above and is most often a symbol of power and majesty. Just have a look at these prominent full beards.

The Gamemaker

This is probably the shortest beard in this list, but Seneca Crane’s unique, futuristic style is no less impressive for that.

The Kung Fu Master

Pai Mei’s silky white beard floats like a ghostly curtain down his chin. And rather than being mere decoration, Pai Mei uses his beard to express his emotions. Beware of the upset beard flick.

The Dwarves

This is beard-art at its finest. How could you not be proud of a beard that’s roughly half your size? The dwarves make no secret of their love for facial fur and express their pride through fancy braids, ponytails and the likes.

The Wizards

Gandalf, Saruman and Dumbledore – what do these three have in common apart from their magical prowess? Obviously their full, long beards. It takes decades to grow out your beard like this and these men have lived through many of those.

The Sea King

King Triton’s beard is the whitest and fluffiest of all – and that in spite of being under water all the time. There is no need for any extravagant beard-do. Despite its simplicity, this is the beard that does justice to its owner: the mighty king of the sea.