28 Days Later: In the House, In a Heartbeat

London is a hectic place. Normally filled with more traffic and pedestrians than seems humanly possible, people crammed this close together tend to get edgy. What if a terrifying virus got unleashed that turns the inhabitants of the UK into rage fuelled running zombie monsters known as the ‘infected’? Before imagining the UK as a green and pleasant isle of wonder for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, Danny Boyle cleared the streets of London to envisage a truly shocking zombie apocalypse.

Recently roused from a coma, bicycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) checks himself out of a deserted hospital and finds London completely empty. The bustle of the city is dead, left only with an eerie stillness. This is what London will look like when the apocalypse comes. Desolate, forsaken and forgotten. The survivors are hiding out of sight. The Infected appear from nowhere like rabid dogs intent only on attack. The film later has Jim and other survivors shop in empty supermarkets and travel down empty motorways all in search of an army base that promises hope. But when the world goes to hell, is it really the army we should be turning to for help?

John Murphy’s entire soundtrack is a master class in atmospheric horror scoring, but as all hell breaks loose at the climax of 28 Days Later, his In the House, In a Heartbeat climbs to an explosive crescendo over six minutes of beautifully shot, visceral violence. 

Our three surviving characters (a man, a woman and a teen girl) have dodged death at the hands of rage infected super-zombies, only to find themselves in the ‘safety’ of an army base populated by aggressive male soldiers who have a scary attitude to women.

As hero Jim escapes the soldiers’ clutches and begins a rage-fuelled rampage with the help of some unleashed Infected, Murphy’s music builds and builds; quiet and calm at first with just two piano notes, then joined by mounting acoustic guitars and climaxing with drums crashing, electric guitar pounding and the visuals on screen becoming more and more terrifying as the deadly mixture of frightened soldiers, vicious Infected and one angry protagonist face off in the confines of the dark mansion. This is music to gouge out eyes to.

Listen:

Whiplash Review

When determined young drummer Andrew is spotted by a maniacal professor, his passion for music becomes tainted by an obsession with becoming the best. Andrew is at the top music conservatory in New York and is taken under the wing of the abusive Fletcher, soon finding himself as the core drummer for Fletcher’s jazz band. With Fletcher using verbal, physical and psychological abuse in order to get the best from his students, will Andrew be able to cut it in the cutthroat business of competitive music?

Whiplash is a warped film with an deliciously dubious message. J.K. Simmons is getting all the plaudits for his performance with critics clearly as impressed by him as writer/director Damien Chazelle is by his character. Based in part on Chazelle’s own feelings towards his high school band instructor, there is clearly a complex love/hate thing going on. It’s easy to see why, with Simmons being an actor it’s easy to love, but in Whiplash delivering a terrifying performance that gets results from his scared stiff students. The film ultimately justifies his completely out-of-order antics, suggesting that an authoritarian, dictatorial and sadistic stance can bring the best out of the little people. Lucky for the little people that Miles Teller also smashes out a blinding performance as Andrew, a guy who will go to bloody lengths to impress.

What is so strange about Whiplash though, is that it almost completely forgets about the enjoyment of making music. In the pursuit of perfection, the band members have become joyless prisoners. Fletcher has them standing at attention like soldiers prepared for a war. They clutch their instruments like their lives depend on them. Chazelle emphasises all this by shooting and cutting the film with an urgency that should bring out the rhythm and joy of jazz, but instead makes it feel like an edge of the seat thriller, where lives are at stake.

Fletcher is a bully who gets what he wants from Andrew by using any means necessary. Whiplash is a film that strives for perfection and brings out the thrill in low budget, committed and quick filmmaking having been shot in just 18 days. It is a film about the sacrifices required to be the best at something, even if it means cowering in front of a madman and losing the enjoyment in doing what you love.

Watch the trailer:

More awards-bait film reviews from I Love That Film:

Testament of Youth Review

The Theory of Everything Review

Into the Woods Review

American Sniper Review

Unbroken Review

And more on awards season:

Golden Globes Gambling

Top 10 Best True Stories of 2014

Top 10 Music Performances of 2014

Well this is new for me! Every year I see so many awesome bands and so many memorable sets that this year I have decided that I should make a note of them right here on this very film blog. Yes I know it's a film blog but that doesn't mean that I can't step out of my comfort every once in a while does it?

I saw 27 artists/acts/music performers/whatever you call them this year. Usually I'd just say 'bands' but as part of my trying to cheer up a little, I've tried to spread my music interests to stuff apart from mopey teen angst stuff, especially seeing as I'm now well into my 30s. That means at Reading Festival, which is slowly but surely being taken over by electronic music, I spent some time in the dance arena and elsewhere checking out the bass.

All of these 27 artists were seen at just four different gigs this year. First up I saw Zebrahead, Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish in London in February. Then I saw a whopping 19 acts over three days of the Reading Festival in August, then I saw Rise Against and Pennywise in London in November and finally I saw Capdown, The Skints and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes in December.

The 19 acts I saw at Reading were: (deep breath) Darlia, Deaf Havana, Twin Atlantic, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Blood, Andy C, Pendulum, Arctic Monkeys, Nero, Papa Roach, The Flatliners, The Wilhelm Scream, The Wonder Years, You Me At Six, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Mayday Parade and finally Blink 182.

I had such a good time seeing so many of these but as I've called this post my 'top 10 music performances of 2014', I'm committed now to making a definitive list. So here goes:

10. Papa Roach (I LOVE these guys and have seen them almost every time they come to the UK but as this was the main stage at Reading, it wasn't that personal and intimate and I wasn't overwhelmed by a couple of their new songs).



9. Zebrahead (These guys are fun pop-punk but not the best at singing live)



8. Jimmy Eat World (Played the entire Futures album from start to finish. I wasn't even familiar with most of the songs but it felt special and I've since grown to really like the album.)

7. Reel Big Fish (These guys were a little moody but the music is infectious and a hell of a lot of fun.)

6. Nero (Seeing these guys do their stuff headlining the Radio 1 stage while the guy from the Arctic Monkeys posed and played with his hair on main stage while seemingly pretending to be Elvis was a revelation. We left Arctic Monkeys and walked towards the tent where Nero were pumping out their bass and it was like stepping into the future. Spectacular.



5. Darlia (These guys want to be Nirvana so badly and they're not doing too bad a job so far. Wicked set, climaxing with a bit of good old guitar smashing).

4. Royal Blood (Two guys, a bass guitar and a set of drums. These guys are smashing it, even if I'm getting a little tired of hearing them EVERY time I turn on the radio.)



3. Twin Atlantic (Seen them a couple of times before but never really SEEN them if you get what I mean maaaaan. They have some truly epic tunes and a lot of heart. Also the best accent to sing along to at the top of your voice.)



2. Less Than Jake (again, seen them loads of times but they are so much fun and their classics are classic and their new songs were also the bomb. A great set from one of the most fun ska punk bands around.)



1. Rise Against (Probably one of the bands I've seen most in my life since seeing them three times in 2005. Love them to bits. Every song is a blinder, the mosh pit is crazy and I got to go with my old buddy from Australia. Awesome band. Awesome set. Awesome times.)



So that was my 2014 in live music. How was yours? Anyone else see any of these sets? What did I miss?

More 2014 lists at I Love That Film:

Best Books I Read in 2014

TV in 2014

Top 10 Blockbusters of 2014

Top 10 Best True Stories of 2014

Currently Mesmerised by this Music: Spring Breakers OST

No matter what you think of Spring Breakers as a movie, the pairing of Cliff Martinez with Skrillex to produce the soundtrack is absolutely astonishing. The music is completely haunting, taking me back to the more sombre moments of the film and forgetting all about the slightly 'happier' moments of sex and excess. Give it a listen here!

RIP Kurt Cobain 19 Years Today

Kurt Cobain has been dead 19 years today. I don't normally write about music here at I Love That Film but with all the music videos I've been posting about recently, I thought I should stop and take a moment to write a short post about a rock music icon. Kurt Cobain is the guy who covered my walls for most of my teenage years.

I was 12 when he died so I never got to see Nirvana live. I've had to make do with seeing Foo Fighters a few times live instead and forcing myself to remember that Dave Grohl may not have been here if it wasn't for Kurt Cobain and Nirvana.

At 12, I was just getting into Nirvana when my Mum told me that Kurt Cobain had been found dead. She hurried me to the TV and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I'd only known about Lithium, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Heart Shaped Box for the shortest of time and Kurt was already gone and Nirvana finished. Like many other teenagers I got a bit obsessed with Kurt after that.

I bought all the Nirvana albums, got myself a t-shirt or two and some posters and sat comfortably on the Nirvana bandwagon, cursing Courtney Love and becoming endlessly fascinated with the guy who appeared to have everything and threw it all away with a veins full of heroin and a shot gun.

Kurt taught me that no matter how good your life seems, you can still be depressed and suicidal. It was a horrible way to look at life through my early teens and I worry about the impact his suicide had on my psyche. I now look at him in a slightly different light. His daughter has grown up fatherless and I can't imagine what that has been like.

Anyway Nirvana made some great music. They are still one of my all time favourite bands and in a way, I'm sure Kurt was right about it being better to burn out than to fade away. I wonder how many more great albums they had left in them. Would Dave Grohl have got to write more for Nirvana? Would the Foo Fighters had ever existed? Who knows?

RIP Kurt Cobain.

28 Days Later: The Music and why it's a Must-See Movie

A while ago, I was asked by Jessy at the Filmoria team to contribute a bit of writing on my favourite use of music in horror.  I wanted to avoid all the obvious choices like The Exorcist or Psycho and dabbled with the idea of doing Texas Chainsaw, A Nightmare on Elm Street and some others.  But after re-watching Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, I decided it had to be the use of John Murphy's In the House, In a Heartbeat at the climax of that film.

So today I would like to offer you a look at two more pieces I have written for Filmoria's 10 Days of Halloween.  The first is my argument for 28 Days Later being a must-see horror movie.  If you haven't seen this British nightmare, then really you must!  It introduced us to running zombies, possibly the best horror creation ever.  The 'Infected' are rage-fuelled, blood spewing psycho monsters that are absolutely terrifying.

Check out why I think 28 Days Later is a must-see movie at Filmoria here.

Then I take a closer look at the music used in the climactic scene as all hell break loose.  It is one of my favourite scenes in horror cinema and the music is the perfect complement to the frighteningly visceral visuals.  Other contributors to the most effective music in horror feature chose films like Gremlins and even Halloween 3 to discuss. 

Check out the most effective music in horror feature at Filmoria here.

Here's the scene I'm banging on about:



Anyone out there not like this film?  What's your favourite horror movie music?

Interview with Hello Quo Director Alan G. Parker

Before the premiere of Hello Quo  in London’s Leicester Square, I got the oppotunity to interview director Alan G. Parker.  With the release of the 50-year-spanning rock documentary on DVD and Blu-ray on 29th October, I sat down with the director of Who Killed Nancy? and Monty Python: Almost the Truth - Lawyer's Cut to discuss his most recent film.

We discussed the Spinal Tap similiarities, the rumours of a reunion tour for the original members of Status Quo and the challenge of fitting 50 years of rock history into a feature length documentary.  Parker also mentioned his next project which promises to be another definitive look at an international rock band.

I got to spend 20 minutes chatting with the director and found him to be a really interesting guy with a great love of music.  His visible tattoos and big frame but thoughtful tone make him appear the right guy for the job of making rock-docs.  I even hear he has a tattoo of Sid Vicious on his arm.

The premiere was on Monday night and as I conducted the interview the fans were arriving and the barricades were being erected.  I hear the band were around for a photoshoot but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see them in person.  I recently reviewed Hello Quo for Filmoria and you can read it here.

I also asked Alan G. Parker about his favourite rock-docs and he mentioned the Metallica one Some Kind of Monster which I must see.  It's been on my Lovefilm list for ages but is one they have yet to send my way.

You can read the full interview with Hello Quo director Alan G. Parker at Filmoria here.

DVD Review – Hello Quo @Filmoria

Hello Quo is the 50 years in the making story of British rock legends Status Quo.  It delves into their humble beginnings and climaxes with (possibly not very) heartfelt hugging reunions. Director Alan G. Parker, who I was lucky enough to interview yesterday ahead of the film's Leicester Square premiere last night, has managed to persuade a huge range of recognizable faces to appear in his documentary including Brian May and  Sir Cliff Richard.

All the hits are here with amazing access to all the members, past and present, and fans will no doubt revel in the tales of Top of the Pops performances, drug fuelled recording sessions, charity work, and where are they now details.  The aging rockers make for great raconteurs and the Spinal Tap similarities will have you giggling frequently.

There is something for everyone in this exhaustive rock-doc and fans and casual viewers are likely to be amply entertained equally.

Check out the full Hello Quo review over at Filmoria now and be sure to check out my interview with director Alan G. Parker tomorrow.

Film Review – Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest

Freddy Mercury is a shooting star; glorious for the short time you get to witness him in motion, but gone too soon, disappearing into darkness. Queen fans are already aware of the majesty of their leading man but newcomers will find this cinematic outing just as dazzling as the 80,000 strong crowd did in Budapest back in 1986.

Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest begins with a short documentary that details the lead up to the Budapest concert. It features archive footage of rehearsals and recording, interviews with the band and behind the scenes access as they hit the road on tour. It is interesting stuff, though nothing new to Queen fans who know the history of the rock legends.

Read the full review of Hungarian Rhapsody at Filmoria.

Film Song of the Day @ Filmoria

Today I bring you just a link to a guest post I have done over at the amazing site Filmoria.  They have a series called Film Song of the Day which is fairly self-explanatory and if you're a regular reader, you might be able to guess what I contributed.  It just had to be my favourite moment of music in film ever which quite tidily comes from my number one film of all time.



Yes it's The Pixies from the closing scene of David Fincher's Fight Club.  Here's the moment:




Anyway please rush over to Filmoria right now to check out the article in full and leave lots of comments saying how wonderful their new contributor is.  I really hope you enjoy the short article!