Thursday 26 May 2011

Serious Slice: Ben and Chris Discuss Banned Films



Ben says: What makes a banned film become banned? In my research I've found out that it's never one specific thing. It can vary between genres, countries or the creative minds behind the films. I think the best way to start this is by discussing a banned film that stands out in your mind and try see why that film might have been banned. What's a banned film what comes to mind for you?

Chris says: I think the archetypal banned film for me is The Exorcist. All the furore surrounding it is still apparent today.

Ben says: That's the film that comes straight to my mind as well.
It has violence, religious connotations. And I think if I remember some disturbing connotations.

Chris says: I think our generation were always aware of it, our parents were young adults at the time of its release.

Ben says: I read (on wiki by the way, not reliable), that is was never actually banned.
It was just the uncut version which was banned

Chris says: It was shown for a bit and then pulled.

Ben says: The thing that surprised me most is that we look at those films now and we wonder what the big deal was.

Chris says: That's interesting because like you say, it's like the poster child for banned films.

Ben says: Even as kids when we watched them (which we all did), we, or I at least didn't see the big deal of them. I was never a normal child.

Chris says: Totally agree. Looking at gore films like Hostel and Saw I wonder what it'd take to get a film banned today.
Times have changed. We're not as sensitive as audiences as we used to be.

Ben says: We're so detached from gore now you could pull someone’s head off and put it on a plate and it'll only be a 15. Yet here's the big question: why has China banned time travel in films and tv?
There's no religious threats, no violence.

The quote they gave was:
 "Myth, superstitions and reincarnations are questionable."

The loyalists say it stops abusements.

Chris says: I find this story funny. With the amount of human rights atrocities in China, I doubt the people care that they won't be able to watch The Time Traveller's Wife.

Ben says: Arguments for this say it's to protect cultural heritage and to honour the past.

Chris says: I think this can be explained by the following: China mucho loko.

Ben says: Think they've invented time travel and are getting paranoid other people might be on to them?

Chris says: Careful dude, they could be reading this.

Ben says: I for one, would very much like a time machine. There are too many famous people I'd like to go for a pint with. With my luck, I'll show up and they'll be t-total.

Chris says: I think Michael J Fox is going to stand in front of a tank in Tianaman Square to protest the ban.

Ben says: Can we borrow your time machine please China?
Bruce Cambell should go to. To support the case for accidental time travellers. First he was fighting zombies then he's in the future, the dude couldn't catch a break.

Chris says: I'm usually anti-censorship but with banned films it's not as clear cut. The Exorcist was ok but had some scenes that were obviously intended to shock and create notoriety. I.e. the crucifix dildo.

Ben says: Yeah and I understood Evil Dead being banned. i.e. the tree rape scene...

Chris says: Even in the context of the films they seem somewhat unnecessary.

Ben says: I guess there's a line to be drawn. Maybe ours (in the UK) isn't drawn near enough?

Chris says: They're intentionally pushing the boundary for the sake of it, not for the sake of entertainment. I think the BBFC are pretty much on the ball. Our 18 certificate is pretty broad so banned films are quite rare. The only banned films of recent times have all been never intended for major release anyway, so even if they weren't banned, people wouldn't have seen them.

Ben says: You say recent but we're not that far away from the 70's which brought us Straw Dogs (the rape scene what looked too pleasurable) or Caligula (check it out, mental).

Chris says: 70's is certainly not recent.

Ben says: Evil Dead was in the 80s

Chris says: I was born 1985.

Ben says: What I'm trying to say is that we had these around while we were growing up, it wasn't at all hush hush.


Chris says: I think the irony of these banned films like Evil Dead and Exorcist is that because they pushed the boundaries of good taste, filmmakers today can get away with a lot more.

Ben says: And further more even if films are banned now, would it not be easy enough to download them? Does banning a film doing any good other than giving it a 'bad boy' reputation?

Chris says: It definitely helps its future sales. The only reason people watch The Exorcist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre is because of the reputation that precedes them. And then you watch them and wonder what the fuss was about.

Ben says: Yeah, have you ever watched them recently? I get bored within 5 minutes. Forget suspence, they were just dull.

Chris says: Texas Chainsaw started the whole stupid teenagers in horror film plot device, so for that it should be deplored. One by one they went, like lambs to the slaughter. Oh where's Mary gone, I'll go and investigate alone. Oh where's Steve gone, I'll also go alone to investigate. People that stupid deserve everything coming to em.

Ben says: I'll be right back.... gasp, I'm dead.
I could say the same about my ex.


Chris says: I preferred the Texas Chainsaw remake.

Ben says: And I'm not even being sour, she was just stupid.

Chris says: Your ex got killed by Leatherface?

Ben says: She'd have been the first to go.
Actually, she wouldn't. She'd be left around for eye candy. Then people would get annoyed at her stupidity and cheer when she dies. Without the bitter remarks though....
And before we go too off topic: What makes a film banned?

Chris says: I think the main theme of most banned films is religion. Or rape.

Ben says: And violence, oh and time travel.

Chris says: In crazy China yes.

Ben says: Can't watch a time traveller. Doctor Who is a dangerous guy if you didn't know.

Chris says: Banned films certainly highlight the sensitivities of the society that bans them. And like I said mainstream society is a lot less sensitive to shocking imagery as it was say 30 years ago.

Ben says: What can really be banned in our society? Are we a society what has seen it all?

Chris says: I believe so. Religious people are different though, their sensitivities towards their beliefs are probably still the same. Hence films with strong blasphemous themes will always be controversial.


Ben says: Hell, if you put a religious symbol in anything there's always a religious nut to complain about it.
Mohammed, Jesus, Santa Claus....

Chris says: That's a triple threat. My money's on St Nick. Don't mess with a fat guy after a glass of brandy.

Ben says: I'm sure I saw him at my local last night.

Chris says: Nowadays I could watch a chicken peck a toddler to death and not even bat an eyelid if it was in a Eli Roth film.

Ben says: I don't even flinch when I see someone’s rib cage pulled open. In fact, I expect it.

Chris says: Gory effects nowadays are so OTT, they appear downright silly at times. So it's hard to be shocked by them.

Ben says: Personally, and I truly speak for myself here... CGI ruined so much I can't even descirbe how annoyed I am at it.

Chris says: I agree. It defies logic.

Ben says: CGI can be spotted like missing nipple.

Chris says: How is it that CGI blood is the norm? A bucket of fake blood is cheap but also realistic.

Ben says: Much more realistic. Even if I know it's fake at least I don't think when I watch it 'it's fake'.

Chris says: Is there any film you would personally ban?

Ben says: Jonas Brothers 3D. It offended me. Although I'm told the 3D was pretty good.

Chris says: You should write to the Daily Mail. Get a campaign going. How dare they promote chastity in today's teenage pregnancy rife culture.

Ben says: You know they won't be seen as cool in school if they don't have a bun in the oven.
Don't these people care!?
Did you know, must banned films are banned by people who have never seen them?
They just hear stuff and decide to campaign against it.

Chris says: Yeah like the Jerry Springer musical, which received 99 percent of its complaints pre broadcast. I would ban Passion of the Christ. Mel Gibson could teach the Saw production team a thing or two.

Ben says: I remember you saying you were scarred. It wasn't even the religious problems, maybe the racial ones, but it was ultimately the violence what putted you off it wasn't it? Mel Gibson is the ultimate religious nut. At least he preaches with film and violence and not with moaning like everyone else seems to do.

Chris says: Yeah, the level of realistic and sustained violence on screen was unprecedented. It made me physically nauseous in the cinema.

Ben says: Ironic. I think the way forward now is to push the boundaries again.

Chris says: I think the boundaries been reached already. I can't see where else we can go to shock people.

Ben says: I want to be shocked and appalled! I want to have something I can be disgusted at. I want something I can buy on DVD and watch over and over and scare myself shitless. Well there are some...
But it's usually snuff films.

Chris says: Just take a look at my internet history then.

Ben says: Or overly political films that are shocking to prove a point. I'm worried I might find something I like.

Chris says: I have a large collection of violent chicken pecking snuff films. It's finger breaking good.

Ben says: KPC? Kentucky Pecking Chicken? I think I've seen that one.

Chris says: I think that was Peking Chicken. You've been down the Chinese again.

Ben says: It was banned by chicken worshippers until the lizard people said they were being anti-semetic

Chris says: Nazi lizards. There's a b-movie in there somewhere. Unless Godzilla radically changes his political beliefs.

Ben says: Nazi Lizards Vs Godzilla on Ice?


Chris says: I'd certainly ban that.

Ben says: Unless it had Pikachu involved somehow. But that would be silly. Too fictional. Everyone knows Godzilla and the Nazi Lizards actually exist.

Chris says: It should be said that banning is a form of censorship though.


Ben says: Maybe it's the ice part that would be banned? It would be offending Hiations (people from Haiti). Isn't censorship impeding democracy though?

Chris says: It's certainly impeding freedom of expression. But should all forms of expression be allowed to be distributed?  Sorry for playing Devil's advocate there.


Ben says: My view, my liberal view is that we should introduce these images, violent, political, sexual at a young an age as possible. Help people be excepting towards society rather than fear it.

Ben says: Well there's always the radical extremists out there. Violence to spur violence should be banned. I found that's what films like Green Street, the Business do. They just encourage chav culture.


Chris says: I dunno, I was a grown man. But after watching Passion of the Christ, I wanted to crawl back into the womb and hide.

Ben says: And who likes chavs other than chavs? If only we could...

Chris says: Maybe we should ban chavs then. It might have a domino effect and solve all of life's problems. We then would live in a Utopian society where the notion of banned films wouldn't exist.
Problem solved.

Ben says: Nah then neo chavs will spawn from underground chavs. It's a vicious cycle. We just have to hope the species dies on its own. I think the main key is toleration. Just because we don't like something it doesn't mean we can't tolerate it. Like I tolerate Godzilla. And Superman remakes. And so many other things. I don't want them banned though.

Chris says: So we can conclude that banning a film is usually a much ado about nothing but they do serve a purpose in highlighting the sensitivities of society. And of course banning a film often has an unintentional positive effect on the film's distribution as people try and watch it just to see why it was banned.

Ben says: Agreed. I would say that the banning of a film is through paranoia and the unknown. Ultimately. We could ban anything through fear. I suggest that if they ban anything they should ban the upcoming Justin Beiber film.

Chris says: Here, here.

Ben says: And I've been Ben Doran.
Saying quidditch is a dangerous sport, to be tried at home.

Chris says: And I've been Chris Curry. I'm off to delete my internet history before the Feds close in.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

OMFG! Takashi Miike to create Ace Attorney film!


In an interview with Huffington Post at the Cannes film festival, prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition, 13 Assassins) gave a not so subtle hint regarding his next film project.

"It is a very light comedy that I am filming now, a court drama based on a video game, on the Nintendo DS", Miike said.

OBJECTION!!!

It doesn't take a three digit IQ and a MENSA membership to realise that he is referring to the Ace Attorney series of games, which have a formidable cult following worldwide and especially in its native Japan. In the first three games of the series, you play as defense attorney Phoenix Wright who will most likely be the protaganist in Miike's film version. The game is mainly set in the courtroom where proceedings are played out Manga style with OTT expressions and witty dialogue. This adaptation will mark a bold new direction for the director who is most noted for making gory horror and action films.

Personally I greet this news with unbridled joy. I can't think of any news that could top this. Only news that I am related to some dying rich king about to scribe his will would come close and even then I'd still be thinking about this film. So it's definitely a film to keep on your film radar Cake fans, also try your best to see Takashi Miike's latest film 13 Assassins if your local cinema is showing it. Mine certainly isn't.


Chris Curry

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Akira will have an all Asian cast



There has been many a tales about the upcoming Akira film.  The latest being that Keanu Reeves was confirmed for the lead role.  This was in fact true, until that is, he turned it down.

There was a upstir over the authenticity of the film.  The original manga and 1990’s film were both set in a post apocoplyptic Tokyo with biker gangs, and well, it was just a Japanese film. 

Their original intentions after being given the rights was to revamp it and give it a Yank feel towards it.  Set it in New York, then get an all American cast, then make it well, an American film.

The first sign of deterioration was that they then said it was going to be set in Japan after all but with American actors.  Then after a large petition from George Takai and other outraged fans they’ve decided to drop the American actors as well.

The whole production has now gone into hibernation mood, and although the film hasn’t been cancelled there is now a thought process which likely revolves around ‘if our main fan base is pissed, then we don’t have a leg to stand on’. 

So they’re now looking for Asian actors to forfill the roles, and there are many out there who can do the role.  But the question is whether they use already established Japanese actors or American-Japanese and try make a cross-over culture film.

Personally,  the latter would be the most sensible choice.  If there is too much swing in either direction then there will be a feeling of exclusion from both sides.  So a happy middle?  Maybe.

The full quote from the studios is:

 "Production on Akira has not halted or been shut down, as the film has not yet been greenlit and is still very much in the development stage. The exploratory process is crucial to a project of this magnitude, and we will continue to sculpt our approach to making the best possible film."

So there you have it.  Opinions below!

Ben Doran

Monday 16 May 2011

New poster of Tintin! And he’s on top of the world (literally).




The poster for Tintin has been released via Empire and it looks pretty epic.    

Featuring the voices of Jaime Bell, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the adaptation of the long running Tintin comic is director Spielberg's first venture into stop-motion 3D digital filming.

Combining three of Belgian artist Georges "Hergé" Remi's comic stories --The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure -- the film depicts Tintin's (Jamie Bell) first encounter with Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and the discovery of a clue to the treasure of his ancestor Sir Francis Haddock. They set out to find it with protection from a prison escapee who tried to get the treasure as well as Detectives Thompson and Thomson (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost).

Directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Peter Jackson, and written by Edgar Wright, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is scheduled for theatrical release December 23rd, 2011.

 Expect lots of cool effects and lots of talk on how amazing the technology was!




Ben Doran

Flintstones the Movie to be made by Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy



Seth MacFarlane seems to of been after the rights to the Flintstones for some time, and now according to Deadline he has them. The people who owned the rights were very tentative in handing them over to the king of crude, and master of the poor melodrama (see the ‘serious’ family guy episodes).

However, this isn’t all. Not only will he be making a movie of the Flintstones but he’ll also be rejuvenating the old cartoon. Now, if anyone is familiar with Seth MacFarlane’s work you’ll know he likes his dads as main characters- Family Guy, American Dad, the Cleveland Show, so this isn’t exactly new territory for him.

What the challenge will likely be however is to reinvent the traditional and infamous cartoon for the new age. So many cartoons have done similar but haven’t necessarily been the big hits they once were.

Furthermore, MacFarlane’s cleanest and family friendly work so far as been the Cleveland Show which isn’t exactly family friendly. So whether he’ll be trying to reinvigorate it and try just update the old format, or give it a bit more of an adult theme remains to be seen.

But giving that the Flintstones is an already established brand I imagine that the it won’t stray too far from the original in terms of audience. It would be a fools move to take a name as profitable as the Flintstones and sabotage it with a misguided creative mind (looking at you Flintstones circa 1994 & 2000).

Ben Doran

Sunday 15 May 2011

Jack Bauer gets Romantic



Kiefer Sutherland will be playing an Irish comedian in the and upcoming Fairy Tale of New York rom-com....

.....No, I’m not shitting you.

The picture will shoot later on this year and will be filmed in Northern Ireland and New York.

First time director Lee Cleary is at the helms of this one.  And erm, it should be interesting shouldn’t it?
I hope I’m not alone in thinking that Kiefer Sutherland in anything but a kick ass action saga is wrong.  Unless half way through we find out that New York is under threat by terrorists.  In which case they have just the right man for the job, right?

This will probably be a tactical manoeuvre by Sutherland to prevent being type-casted which happens to so many actors out there. 

On the plus side however, it does sound like a good premise for a rom-com and it’s surprising to think no one’s thought to exploit the popular Pogues song before now.  The songs practically a movie in itself.

The problems of this of course are that we expect a lot more goddamn air time of that god damn song again.  I liked it once, I think.

Ben Doran

Monsters 2 is without its Creator



A sequel to Gareth Edwards 2010 debut film Monsters has been announced and is underway.   

The original film delivered a large amount of quality for a very limited budget.  Set in New Mexico in a world where creatures happen to come to Earth (though not much is explained about them), the film focuses on a journalist who is set the task to transport a tourist through the infected zone where the aliens inhabit.  

The sequel however will only be supervised by Edwards and be delivered by two new directors hoping to deliver the same big blockbuster for a small price tag.


It’s apparently sticking very closely to the feel of the original and will be funded by the British Film Institute and BBC films.

This sequel is stepping on dangerous grounds.  With so many sequels in the past carrying on without a large proportion of their original creators input it so easily falls apart and fails to capture the imaginations the originals do.  

Especially with British funding, most British backed films are done with a certain amount of ideology and enthusiasm that one British Director has done well, so can the other guys.  This isn’t always true. 
And also the plot itself doesn’t sound too originals.  So it could go completely tits up, essentially.

A positive way to see this however is regardless of how successful the movie will be, or well they execute it it’ll likely be very entertaining.  And we’re also guaranteed to see more monsters, which is always a bonus.

Ben Doran

Tuesday 10 May 2011

MovieCake Returns!


MovieCake will be back this Monday delivering you the movie news you all have a hunger for.  MovieCake has gone through a trail period and will be making adjustments and tweaks to the sites appearance (as many loyal followers have noticed), and to our content.

What content you ask?  Well, we will gradually be seeking out news from more independent and abstract films, to give MovieCake an edge over our competitors, as well as providing all the news you’ve become accustomed to*.

The Serious Slice segments will be changing slightly also.  Chris and I have discussed it and we feel our topics have been too vague, so we will be aiming to give a more in depth analysis on more specific topics.  We will be doing one more ‘vague’ topic on banned films on the 21st May and from then on we’ll be discussing directors, actors, and anything what gives us a good concrete basis for debate.

We’ll gradually be experimenting with podcasts, videos, and festival coverage.  But that may have to wait until I overcome my crippling camera shyness.  

On another note, MovieCake is experimenting with merchandise!  Tee’s are going for £15, a link to a picture is on our facebook page- facebook.com/moviecake.  Comment below if interested.

In other news we now have a domain name- moviecake.net.  So if you want to reach us just type that in and it’ll forward you here.  Unfortunately no one on the MovieCake team knows html well enough to create a site so this blogger page will have to do for now.

Thank you all for being patient.  Expect more fun news, entertainment, views, and cake for the future.  Next week will be the week that MovieCake begins its transition into greatness.  Great cakeness.

Ben Doran

*Which usually is comic book movie news.  I know it, you know it, and I’ve said it.  I’m not ashamed!