herbiehancock

No 9 - Pulp Fiction Director - Quentin Tarantino This is the film that really showcases Tarantino's dialogue (and it is his dialogue which is his true strength). He is very good in situations where he has several stories going on at once - this is a classic example of a successful use of chapter based storytelling, accompanied by incredible performances and a totally boss soundtrack. If you have to find a central point to the film, it probably falls on Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L Jackson) - 2 heavies who work for a mobster called Marsellus Wallace ( Ving Rhames ). They might not be the protagonist for every chapter (Bruce Willis' boxer Butch also takes the spotlight at times) appear in all of the stories and are pivotal to the tale. I'm not going to go into detail on all of these chapters, as they have all been assessed to the hilt. However, I just want to talk about a few factors of the film. This film drips with effortless cool. So eff...

Bruce Willis Biography Film actor, born on March 19, 1955 in West Germany. Bruce Willis—the name on his birth certificate is actually Walter Bruce Willison—is the oldest of David and Marlene Williston's four children, a group that includes three sons and a daughter. Initially an Army brat—his father was stationed in the West German town of Ida-Oberstein—Willis moved with his family to Carney's Point, New Jersey, in 1957 following his father's discharge. There, the seeds for the tough, blue collar edge that's come to define so many of Willis' roles were planted as he watched his father feed the family through work as a welder and later a factory employee. By all accounts Willis, nicknamed Bruno by his friends, was a popular kid with a good sense of humor who in high school was elected Student Council President. He liked pranks and wasn't immune from getting into occasional trouble. Coupled with this, however, was a slightly softer side that centered ...

No 452 - Unbreakable Director - M Night Shyamalan I'M BACK!!! I'm so sorry people. I've been busy. Bloody busy. Caught up on all those award winning films that I missed and was also introduced to Indian cinema (not Bollywood though....) IMPORTANT BREAK BEFORE UNBREAKABLE POST Watch ROBOT ..... it is insane It is genius . So.... Unbreakable. Think back to when Shyamalan was fresh and exciting. Here he has given us a wonderful idea. Placing the superhero concept into the real world. Only, PROPERLY in the real world. We're not talking about Batman Begins.... we're not talking about Kick Ass ... we're talking about the actual real world, where a superhero probably wouldn't even realise they had special powers. The film follows that journey of discovery as Willis' David Dunn slowly learns what his powers are. The moments of discovery are almost all universally great. Whether the grand scale of the train crash at the heart of it, or the subtlety of Dunn'...

No 465 – 12 Monkeys Director – Terry Gilliam The future world seen in 12 Monkeys feels like a natural follow on from the future of Brazil. Industrial insanity and large magnifying lenses appear in a world that seems mostly bureaucratic and authoritarian. It is what we want from Gilliam and it is the visual style which is carried on with Jeunet and Caro in their sci- fi worlds. But here we also get to witness the artistic skill of Terry Gilliam. The stark beauty of the isolated snow dusted city – the visual insanity of a lion prowling the roofs of long abandoned state buildings. This is a beautiful post- apocalypse . The apocalypse in question is the release of deadly chemicals by a group called the 12 Monkeys – and Bruce Willis’ Cole (a prisoner for an unstated crime) is sent back in time to try and find the source of the disaster and infiltrate the 12 Monkeys. I want to play it a bit carefully, because once Cole goes back in time the plot gets VERY complicated and I don’t want to ...

No 29 – Die Hard Director – John McTiernan I was enjoying a rock and roll Saturday night after a day in the science museum. Sat at home, drinking Honeydew Beer, thinking about an early night. Then BAM ! Die Hard came on TV… Well, I decided, May is close enough to Christmas to watch Die Hard and really it would be too good an opportunity to miss. So I strapped myself in for some good old fashioned action. From the off three things hit me. Three things that I found surprising: Firstly, Bruce Willis looks so young! I always forget that he does, but whenever I see him I’m surprised. Secondly, Bruce Willis can smoke in an airport?! My, how times have changed. But, the thing I was most surprised about, the thing I have somehow failed to notice before…. This is based on a NOVEL?! A novel? I will have to hunt it down. We get a bit of set up. We’re introduced to Argyle who is on his first day as a limo driver and who is obviously (and successfully) the comic relief. We are i...