September Film of the Month

It's been a busy month - not with seeing a huge amount of films unfortunately - so this will be a brief Film of the Month post. October is looking particularly exciting though, with plenty of widely anticipated films being released. I'm quickly reading Gone Girl before it's out in cinemas next week - check out this Trailer Tuesday to find out more!

Looking at the month gone by, it hasn't been the most outstanding. However, hopefully now autumn leaves are falling and the dark nights are drawing in, awards and Oscar buzz will start to build. This all means we'll be watching some epic and thrilling films for the remainder of the year.

As always, here is the all important rating system:

* = Poor. Why did I even bother?!

** = OK. Could have done better.

*** = Good. Recommended though don’t feel bad you don’t get to see this one.

**** = Excellent. Not quite perfect but highly recommended.

***** = Masterpiece. You’d be a fool not to see this film.

All movie titles will link to their relevant IMDB pages so you can find out more about plot, cast and crew. 

Do you agree with the ratings? Let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.

Sex Tape

Image: beyondhollywood.com

I knew this movie was going to be awful before it began. With low exceptions, I was therefore slightly surprised at how I laughed a few times. But only a few. There isn't really much to say about the movie. (Great for a reviews section! Well done, Helena). What I mean by that is, you can pretty much get the gist of it by the trailer.

The thing I found most funny about the film is how it has coincidentally mirrored real life in recent weeks -  with celebrity sex tapes and pictures being leaked online because of The Cloud.

 'And you can't get it down from The Cloud?' says Diaz. 'Nobody understands The Cloud. It's a fucking mystery!' exclaims Segel. (You can see this dialogue in the trailer - like I said, just watch that and you've seen the film).

The product placement is also ridiculous. Apple must be having a field day with the amount of products taking up the precious screen time. It is pretty much an advert for Apple all the way through.

With only a few laughs, it is embarrassingly silly and underwhelming. Don't bother.

Rating: *

If I Stay

Image: en.wikipedia.org

Since The Fault in Our Stars was released, it seems that the dramatic and tragic teen love stories are becoming increasingly popular. If I Stay falls into this category. It is rather soppy and romantic, so I'm sure it will appeal to the target audience of young teenage girls. The acting and plot is very dramatic. With Mia between life and death, the scenes in the hospital become very melodramatic - especially in one instance where Mia is crying and falls to the ground in a OTT fashion looking straight down the lens of the camera.

Despite this, the soundtrack is brilliant. It is actually a huge element of the film, Mia is a cello player so Saint-Saens, Bach and Beethoven are heavily featured. Not only good for dramatic effect, this is also great for introducing young audiences to classical music. Mia's boyfriend, Adam, is in a band and is drawn to Mia's love of the cello. It is what brings them together. So along side the classical strings, are Ben Howard with his song Promise and a beautiful cover of Beyonce's Halo by Ane Brun. The indie-rock tunes are probably influenced by Mia's parents' taste in music too. The soundtrack is available on Spotify and is well worth the listen.

A few good parts, but too dramatic and soppy for my liking. Great for young teens though. 

Rating: ***

Night Will Fall

Image: bfi.org.uk

This has got to be up there with one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. On Sunday, my sister and I went to see Night Will Fall at the British Film Institute (BFI). This is a documentary about the cameramen from the Allied Forces, who were making their own documentary, headed by Sidney Bernstein, about the discovery of the concentration camps in Germany between 1944-45. 

The filming of German Concentration Camps Factual Survey was left unfinished until the Imperial War Museum London recently restored and completed the documentary with the notes left by the filmmakers. Alfred Hitchcock also worked on the film as a supervising director.

Alongside excerpts of the film's raw footage, are interviews with those individuals who were liberated from the camps and the soldiers who discovered the unimaginable atrocity. The interviews are heart breaking and incredibly moving. Especially so, when their descriptions are matched with the visually shocking images. I had seen photographs before from the camps, but no reel footage like this. The images are hard to describe as they are truly horrific: corpses being thrown into pits, men, women and children being left to rot and freeze in the snow. As one of the veterans describes, 'I had peered into Hell'. Watching this film only gives you a glimpse of what they saw, but my word, it is exactly as he says: Hell.

Although harrowing to watch, this documentary is incredibly important for every human being to see. Night Will Fall also reminds us of the significant importance of documentary film in revealing truth and creating a historic record. The original documentary, German Concentration Camps Factual Survey, will be shown at the BFI London Film Festival on October 13th 2014.

Rating: ****

As you can see, there is a clear winner for

September Film of the Month...

Night Will Fall

Take a look at the trailer below:

What is the best film you've seen this month?

Comment below or tweet @TicketStubBlog

Ideas for Film Fancy Dress

Calling all freshers and uni students! You're starting or returning to university, stuck for ideas for those fancy dress parties and bar crawls. And what about Halloween? That's coming up soon too!
Ticket Stub has come up with some creative, cheap and quirky choices to make you look like the best movie character of all time.

Have you made any awesome film costumes? I'd love to see your creations.
Tweet @TicketStubBlog with your pictures or comment below.

On a budget? 

This is a very simple idea and you can get all the bits from Primark. The Blues Brothers (1980) are instantly recognisable and suits everyone (short, tall, fat, slim, male, female) - you can't really go wrong! 

Image: picniccinema.co.uk

Team up with a friend and get yourselves: an old white shirt, black tie, black blazer and black trousers.
The main things you'll need to complete the look will be:

The sunglasses:

And the hats:

Draw on some sideburns, (or grow them if you have time!). And that is it.
 Stand next to each other, look like you're on a mission...a mission from God and you'll be rocking to Shake a Tail Feather in no time.

Feeling adventurous?

If you have some spare cardboard boxes, the world is your oyster! You can create so many unique ideas for fancy dress - especially if want to be an object, famous vehicle or a big scale building. You could go for Titanic? Or Optimus Prime? Or maybe King Kong on top of the Empire State? Haven't quite worked out how to do that yet, but how about this one?

Andrew in the finished costume: Carl and Ellie's house from Up (2009)

A few years back, my brother attended a party as Carl and Ellie's house from Up (2009). With help from my sister, they used cardboard boxes to make the structure, held the house by a pair of braces and attached a bunch of mini balloons to the back.

The costume in progress. Made with cardboard boxes, sticky tape and lots of paper.

The result was awesome and certainly made for a truly unique costume!
To find out how to make this, head over to Louise's blog.

Time on your hands? 

If you love make up as much as I do, you'll jump at the chance to try creative, bold looks. The make up and costume from Black Swan (2010) is a great idea for Halloween, especially if you have coloured contact lenses to partner the creepy yet captivating eye make up.

Image: etsy.com

I had a go trying out one of my eyes using the tutorial below:

And this was the result:

instagram.com/helenashappenings

 It is surprisingly easy to do. Make sure you have the time to take care with the design. It definitely looks effective and I had great fun recreating it.
Complete the costume with the black tutu, corseted top or black vest along with a tiara or silver headband. If you have a black dress which fans out (as the lady in the tutorial does) then this will go perfectly together. 

Don’t have much fancy dress?

If you haven't got much and can't really be bothered to make a huge effort, how about taking inspiration from The Big Lebowski (1998)? Jeff Bridges as The Dude in his dressing gown, sunglasses, white tee and sandals - all the standard things you can easily find in a student wardrobe.

Image: warosu.org

If not Jeff Bridges, you could also go for Arthur from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Again, a dressing gown and pjs - just hop out of bed and you're ready!

Image: hitchhikers.wikia.com

Quirky Couples

For those who want to go for couple fancy dress, why not try something different?
I've selected the best quirky film couples. Can you think of anymore?

Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty McFly 
Back to the Future (1985)

Marty: A red puffer jacket is the key piece of Marty's outfit. Team up with a checkered shirt, denim jacket and jeans. That's right - double denim. Don't forget a comfy pair of white trainers - Converse would do nicely. Don the dazed and confused look to fully match Marty.

Doc: A white one piece would be best, if not you could get away with a lab coat. White hair is a must - a wig or lots of talcon powder or even dry shampoo (not rubbed in) will do just the trick. Make sure is big and crazy like the good man himself! Add a black belt and some tools you think the Doc would have handy. Remember to express, with wide eyes, the 'OH MY GOODNESS THIS ACTUALLY WORKS' reaction.

Image: lifebetweenframes.blogspot.com

Shaun and Ed
Shaun of Dead (2004)

Sean: Another simple costume - white shirt, black trousers and a red tie (either around your head for the look seen later in the movie or as below). Include a name tag which you can print off from Google. Make sure you have the all important 'red on you'. Include the cricket bat to attack those zombies.

Ed: You can purchase Ed's 'I Got Wood' t-shirt from Amazon. Add a pair of long shorts and comfy trainers for the basics. To make it look like you didn't just turn up in your casual Saturday outfit, pop a splatter of fake blood on the t-shirt and hold a garden spade. You can always do Ed's look at the end of the film too - a great idea for Halloween.

Image: galleryhip.com

 Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee
Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Take some inspiration from Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka. They have some incredible Halloween costumes and include the whole family too!

Image: graziadaily.co.za

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee: Bright and bold. Yellow shirt, blue bow ties and striking red trousers. Include the white collars (or waistcoats as above) and the adorable hats to finish off. You can easily vary certain parts of the costume - for instance you could replace the trousers for red leggings and heels or perhaps a red skirt.

Image: alice-in-wonderland.net

Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Mia: Brilliant if you have a black bob haircut with a fringe. If not, you must get a wig for this costume. Pair it with a white shirt with long sleeves and cropped bootcut trousers. We only see Mia's shoes for a split second - she spends most of her time bare foot. However, if you want to save your feet, pop on a pair of gold or metallic flats. Add a dark bold lip and blood red nails to finish.

Vincent: Again, great if you have long hair to tie back in a pony. If not, go for the wig option. Simply wear a blazer, white shirt, black trousers and black shoes. To complete, add a bootlace tie. Oh, and don't forget to twist.

Image: en.wikipedia.org

The Classic Couple

If you don't want to go down the quirky route, keep it classic with one of the most iconic movie couples.

Sandy and Danny
Grease (1978)

Sandy: This is the sexy Sandy. Big curly hair, preferably blonde - if not go for a wig. For the face, a bright red lip, a subtle smokey eye and small hooped gold earrings. Don't worry, you won't have to get sewn into this outfit, as Olivia Newton John did! Instead go for black fitted leggings or disco pants. For the top half, go for an off shoulder black top and add a belt round the waist. Finish with some sexy red heels. Feeling a little chilly? Throw on a leather jacket too.

Danny: Another simple costume idea. Black t-shirt and black trousers. The main thing? The hair. Slick it back and have a comb as a prop. Again, you can always go for a wig.

Image: pinterest.com

Need a group fancy dress?

Definitely for those medic bar crawls or if you have a huge group of you attending a party together, why not try going for a group fancy dress?

Ghostbusters (1984)

A popular costume favourite. Go for all beige, preferably with some overalls but you can easily improvise. Make your own name tag and print off the Ghostbusters logo and attach to the sleeve. You can even get a badge to sew on if you want to go all out. The other important component is the proton pack. You can buy an inflatable one, but making your own is way more fun. Check out the different versions you can go for by clicking here.

Image: insidemovies.ew.com

Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

My housemate at uni did this with her medic friends and it was hilariously brilliant. Be prepared to brave the orange make up and green wigs. White eyebrows are important too! Wear a brown t-shirt and white dungarees over the top. If you can't source the dungarees, go for white shorts and braces. Complete the costume with a stripey collar and stripey socks.

Image: telegraph.co.uk

The Addams Family (1991)

Da-na-na-na *click click*...

There are plenty of characters to chose from with the Addams Family. You could always go as one of them for an individual costume idea. Think gothic - lots of black, eyeliner and stripey tops. Key things to remember: plaits for Wednesday, bold red lip for Mortica and dark eyes and bald head for Fester.

Image: sgnewwave.com

Also, someone with very long hair has to go as Cousin Itt. Pop a pair of sunnies and a bowlers hat on top and you're done!

Image: weku.fm

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Everyone will know exactly what movie you're from with this one. Dorothy, the Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Toto are the key characters. You could also include Glinda or even one of the flying monkeys! The Wicked Witch of the West is perfect as a Halloween costume in itself. The great thing about these iconic costumes is you can be creative to achieve each look. For instance, you could make the Tin Man have a modern look with a bold metallic silver eye and lip makeup. Or if you're really stuck, you can always just wrap yourself up in foil!

Image: primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk

Hopefully that has given you some cool ideas to impress your friends at your next party.

Show me your film fancy dress creations by tweeting @TicketStubBlog or in the comments below.

Top Ten Film Composers

Ticket Stub is back to regular posting after a week of being ill! Before September is out, I have lots of exciting new posts to squeeze in, so let's dive in with a new Top Ten.

Ticket Stub's new Top Ten lists my favourite film composers of all time. Music is vitally important in films. It is the underlying track that immediately creates an atmosphere of tension, romance, comedy or drama.

I began on Twitter by asking you who is your fave composer of all time.
BBC Sound of Cinema's Neil Brand offered his suggestion:

Do you agree? Who is your most-loved composer? What is their best work? 

Let me know in the comments below or tweet @TicketStubBlog.

1. Alan Menken

Image: frozen.wikia.com

Menken has penned some of the best-loved scores to these Disney childhood classics: The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Enchanted (2007) and Tangled (2010).

He has collaborated with various lyricists including Stephen Schwartz for Pocahontas (1995), and Howard Ashman for Beauty and the Beast (1991). These are my two favourite Disney soundtracks - particularly the instrumental score for Pocahontas:

Another outstanding Menken soundtrack, with lyrics by Ashman, is the horror musical Little Shop of Horrors (1986). Check out Feed Me sung by the man eating plant Audrey II:


 
He has won 8 Oscars for his songs and scores. Find out more about the legendary composer below:

2. Hans Zimmer

Image: empireonline.com

Hans Zimmer brings an epicness to Hollywood movies with his mighty scores. Blockbusters such as Inception (2010), The Dark Knight (2008) and Gladiator (2000) are just some of the huge scale films Zimmer has worked on. His first project though, was on Rain Main (1988) which earned him his first Oscar nomination. 

His score for The Lion King (1994) won him his first Academy Award, along with a Golden Globe and 2 Grammys. Most recently, Zimmer composed the critically acclaimed film by Steve McQueen: 12 Years a Slave (2013). Zimmer also took over from colleague Klaus Badelt to compose the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, carrying on the brilliant themes he helped introduce in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

Here is one of the composer's most celebrated works: Time from Inception. 

3. Danny Elfman

Image: wow247.co.uk

Often collaborating with director Tim Burton, Danny Elfman has scored a huge variety of films throughout his career. Most adored though is his soundtrack to Edward Scissorhands (1994).

Elfman's delicate yet quirky and distinctive orchestration captures the imagination, drawing the audience into the world of each film. This is particularly true in Burton's musical films, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), where he also provided the singing voice for Jack.

 As well as these family favourites, Elfman has scored Good Will Hunting (1997), Milk (2008) and, most recently, American Hustle (2013).
Did you know? Elfman also composed the theme tune to The Simpsons.

 He is currently writing the music for Fifty Shades of Grey (2015).
A large variety of work indeed - from the quirky to the raunchy!

4. Howard Shore

Image: fanpop.com

The Lord of the Rings trilogy soundtracks are my favourite classical scores of all time. 

From the Hobbits in the Shire to the Elves at Rivendell and the evil Orcs in Mordor, the themes are magical, mesmerising and menacing -  capturing everything that Middle Earth represents.

Howard Shore has won three Academy Awards for his music. He has composed an array of films, including The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Seven (1995), Ed Wood (1994), The Aviator (2004) and Doubt (2008).

Shore is set to compose the score for Sinatra (2015/6) which is to be directed by Martin Scorsese. 

5. James Horner

Image: thehollywoodnews.com

The love theme from Titanic (1997) is certainly what James Horner is most recognised for. The entire soundtrack is particularly clever with balancing the love story between Jack and Rose whilst maintaining the increasing tension and impending danger for all the characters on the doomed ship. I adore the simple love theme played on the piano in the infamous naked drawing sequence. It is raw, romantic and honest, matching the portrayal of Jack and Rose's relationship. Plus, no one wants to hear that Celine Dion version - this is miles better:

Horner has composed for more big blockbusters including: Braveheart (1995), Apollo 13 (1995), Avatar (2009), with the most recent being The Amazing Spiderman (2012).

6. Bernard Herrmann

Image: cbsnews.com

Bernard Herrmann is most well known for his remarkable score in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho. Nothing had ever been heard like this before. Herrmann only used stringed instruments, mainly due to budgeting reasons. Hitchcock originally wanted the film to have a jazz score - can you imagine how different Psycho could have sounded?!

The infamous shower scene is a brilliant example in showing how the soundtrack mirrors the action on screen perfectly. As the murder takes place, the screeching staccato strings stab us in the ears with a piercing harsh sound, whilst we are forced to watch Marion being horrifically stabbed to death.

Herrmann collaborated with Hitchcock on various classics such as Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) and The Birds (1963). His work can also be heard in Citizen Kane (1941) and Taxi Driver (1976).

7. Thomas Newman

Image: bmi.com

Another top composer on the list. Thomas Newman has written many beautiful scores for a huge scope of successful films. He is best known for creating the themes and scores to Finding Nemo (2003) and American Beauty (1999):

Newman's title theme from Finding Nemo:

His resume is very impressive, having composed for: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), Wall-E (2008), Revolutionary Road (2008), Skyfall (2012), The Iron Lady (2011), The Help (2011) and Saving Mr Banks (2013).

Newman will compose the Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory (2016).

8. John Barry

Image: nme.com

John Barry will forever be remembered for his work on the James Bond movies from 1962 to 1987. Starting with Dr. No (1962), Barry arranged the Bond theme we all know and love. Though it was Monty Norman who actually composed the piece of music.
Here is the BBC Concert Orchestra at the BBC Proms 2011 performing the theme by Norman, arranged by Barry:

Writing the music on Dr. No however, created the distinctive Bond sound - especially with soundtracks and title songs to Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). It is Barry who created the style we all associate with 007.

Born Free (1966) was another success for Barry. He not only won two Academy Awards, but won the hearts of audiences across the world with the title song. As well as all this, he wrote the music for Midnight Cowboy (1969), Dances with Wolves (1990), and Out of Africa (1985).


9. Randy Newman

Image: bojack.org

Nearing the end of the Top Ten, and another much loved Disney composer. Randy Newman has created many heart warming moments - particularly for his songs in the Toy Story trilogy. One that immediately springs to mind is When She Loved Me sung by Jessie in Toy Story 2 (1999).

The final film of the trilogy has a beautiful score, especially at the end as Andy finally says goodbye to his childhood toys. So Long certainly brings a tear to my eye:

Randy is the cousin of Thomas Newman and both obviously have a great time composing for Disney Pixar. Randy has now composed 7 feature films with the company: Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters Inc. (2001), Cars (2006), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Monsters University (2013). No doubt he will compose with the team again soon.

10. John Williams

Image; brianlauritzen.com

How could you have a list without this musical genius? John Williams has composed the most iconic soundtracks of all time. The extraordinary themes from Star Wars, Jaws (1975), Superman (1978), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Indiana Jones have made John Williams a household name. He is arguably the greatest film composer of all time.

Collaborating most often with Steven Spielberg, Williams has composed scores to Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), War Horse (2011) and Lincoln (2012). 
Did you know? Williams composed the enchanting theme to Harry Potter too (Hedwig's Theme).
The man is a composing wizard!

Do you agree with my Top Ten list?

Which composers would be on your Top Ten?

Comment below or tweet @TicketStubBlog with your suggestions.

You could be featured in the next post.

Quote of the Day #22

"I have a right to be heard! I have a voice!"

The King's Speech (2010)

Image: galleonnews.com

Colin Firth stars in Woody Allen's new film Magic in Moonlight which opens in cinemas today.

What is your favourite film of Firth's?

Comment below or tweet @TicketStubBlog

Throwback Thursday Trivia: Popcorn

We eat it all the time at the cinema. The smell of freshly made popcorn brings a wave of nostalgia and excitement with going to the movies. But why do we eat this super loud snack? 

Whether you like it sweet or salted, Ticket Stub finds out how popcorn, quite literally, exploded into cinema foyers...

Popcorn was a popular favourite at many American entertainment venues during 1848, including circuses and fairs. Portable vendors moved to cinemas after the talkies burst onto the screen in 1929. During the Great Depression, popcorn became an affordable snack for movie goers and for cinema owners to sell. Eventually, owners produced their own popcorn as it was cheap, easy to store and made people thirsty for some fizz. 

Image: smithsonianmag.com

World War II cemented the movies and popcorn together. Chocolate and sweets were in short supply, due to sugar shortages, so popcorn took over as the dominant confectionery. By 1945, over half of America's popcorn was consumed at the pictures. Advertising also started to entice audiences to seek out yummy refreshments. Check out this catchy cartoon ad from 1957:

Popcorn seems to be more popular than ever these days. With huge varieties on supermarket shelves, you can bring the novelty cinema snack to your home. High-end brands are also taking place in multiplexes and new exotic flavours are being sold. From sour cream and jalapeno chilli to smoked bacon and maple syrup, things have come a long way since the standard sweet or salted bags!

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Don't forget to follow on Twitter too @TicketStubBlog

Quote of the Day #21

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Image: filmreference.com

Dr. Strangelove came out 50 years ago.

What is your favourite quote from this classic?

Comment below or tweet @TicketStubBlog