Or just an experience in itself! Today I'm taking a different line of thought in that I'm reviewing a place rather than a show. And the place is York Dungeons.
The tour of York Dungeons is a theatrical experience without people realising it. You pay to enter and walk around some bits in a group whereas some bits are with a guide, although the guide is an actor in role. It's meant to be informative about events that happened around York, such as the planning of the Gunpowder Plot, The Plague and the death of Dick Turpin.
It's pretty creepy in there, quite Gothic. There's fake cobwebs and eerie lighting which create a very good atmosphere. There are lots of models and some sound effects that add to the creepy feeling and so throughout you find yourself feeling quite tense and at times scared. This especially happens when one of the live actors suddenly decides to jump out and surprise you. I wasn't the only one that screamed more than once in there...
The actors were very good, some more than others, it was obvious who was working there full time than those who were there as a holiday job. Nevertheless they did well. Some were very good at getting involved (scaring) the audience or making jokes with them whereas some seemed to just convey the information necessary.
It's a thoroughly good experience which I think is worth going to in a larger group, it makes you feel less venerable! Book online before you go though because it's cheaper than just turning up on the day. It cost me £3.80 to go and it lasted about 1hour15min and was definitely worth the cash!
York Dungeon
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
The Fairytale that Breaks the Rules.
I'm talking about Stardust which I watched for the second time last night. I did think the first time it would be the usual fairy tale - boy goes off to prove his love to a girl fighting off 'evil people' as he goes. Well it's kind of like that...
The plot is Tristan is in love with a girl - Victoria - who isn't really interested in him. One night they see a falling star and he promises to bring it back to her and in return she will marry him. So he sets off to find the star only to discover it's a woman called Yvaine. Unfortunately Yvaine is also being sought after by 3 evil witches who want her heart in order to retain their youthfulness. A prince is also searching for her as she holds the necklace that will allow him to become king.
There's some famous names in this film. Our lead protagonist is played by Charlie Cox who I had not heard of but plays the ditsy hero very well. Claire Danes is wonderful as Yvaine at first a stroppy woman (well who wouldn't be after falling out of the sky) but slowly falling for Tristan's charms. Robert di Nero also features in this film in an absolutly excellent and funny role of Captain Shakespeare - on the surface a tough grouchy ship captain but underneath is a very camp softie. Not a role I've ever seen him in but I enjoyed it, and I think so did he! Also look out for cameos from Ricky Gervais and Rupert Everett.
The special effects are pretty good in this film - not the best but there's a whole tounge in cheek feel about it. The landscapes where it's filmed are rather impressive at points there is a bit of a Lord of the Rings feel. Costumes are impressive and definately captured the whole 'other world' feel.
This is a great film a really enjoyed it and I was fairly skeptical about how good a fairytale would be. It's worth renting it out at the very least.
Stardust on Amazon
The plot is Tristan is in love with a girl - Victoria - who isn't really interested in him. One night they see a falling star and he promises to bring it back to her and in return she will marry him. So he sets off to find the star only to discover it's a woman called Yvaine. Unfortunately Yvaine is also being sought after by 3 evil witches who want her heart in order to retain their youthfulness. A prince is also searching for her as she holds the necklace that will allow him to become king.
There's some famous names in this film. Our lead protagonist is played by Charlie Cox who I had not heard of but plays the ditsy hero very well. Claire Danes is wonderful as Yvaine at first a stroppy woman (well who wouldn't be after falling out of the sky) but slowly falling for Tristan's charms. Robert di Nero also features in this film in an absolutly excellent and funny role of Captain Shakespeare - on the surface a tough grouchy ship captain but underneath is a very camp softie. Not a role I've ever seen him in but I enjoyed it, and I think so did he! Also look out for cameos from Ricky Gervais and Rupert Everett.
The special effects are pretty good in this film - not the best but there's a whole tounge in cheek feel about it. The landscapes where it's filmed are rather impressive at points there is a bit of a Lord of the Rings feel. Costumes are impressive and definately captured the whole 'other world' feel.
This is a great film a really enjoyed it and I was fairly skeptical about how good a fairytale would be. It's worth renting it out at the very least.
Stardust on Amazon
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Skating on Thin Ice
This evening I was forced to watch Dancing on Ice by my beloved family. For those reading that live outside the UK, it's basically a TV show where z-list 'celebrities' take on the challenge of performing ice skating routines over a number of weeks. Each week one is voted off until the finale and then the viewers get to vote for the winner.
I can kind of see the appeal. You get to see these ex-pop stars or ex-soap stars try to do something else. Will they succeed? Will they fail? And you get your panel of judges that we are so used to seeing by now on all these other reality shows. If your into that kind of thin you would probably love it. I don't however and so hated it.
The winner (Suzanne Shaw of Hearsay fame) in the end had performed well I guess. I'm assuming that none of the contestants could ice-skate before starting on this show so I guess that's a new skill learnt for all. However I did think that the voting of the judges was rigged, the winner got perfect scores twice in the one show. I'm sure because it was the last show and they felt nice, come on she's not Olympic standard...
I was surprised by how hooked my family was on this show. My sister's howls of disbelief that Chris Fountain from Holloaks lost out were almost too painful to hear. It's only a TV show and yet people are so intent on one person winning. Maybe if I had watched it from the beginning it would be different... But that's something I very much doubt.
I can kind of see the appeal. You get to see these ex-pop stars or ex-soap stars try to do something else. Will they succeed? Will they fail? And you get your panel of judges that we are so used to seeing by now on all these other reality shows. If your into that kind of thin you would probably love it. I don't however and so hated it.
The winner (Suzanne Shaw of Hearsay fame) in the end had performed well I guess. I'm assuming that none of the contestants could ice-skate before starting on this show so I guess that's a new skill learnt for all. However I did think that the voting of the judges was rigged, the winner got perfect scores twice in the one show. I'm sure because it was the last show and they felt nice, come on she's not Olympic standard...
I was surprised by how hooked my family was on this show. My sister's howls of disbelief that Chris Fountain from Holloaks lost out were almost too painful to hear. It's only a TV show and yet people are so intent on one person winning. Maybe if I had watched it from the beginning it would be different... But that's something I very much doubt.
Friday, 14 March 2008
I want to be a Producer...
What a brilliant film. I love The Producers, I think it's one of a very few decent remakes that has occured in the past few years.
Essentially the plot follows Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom who want to put on the biggest Broadway flop in history in hope of scamming lots of investors out of their money. They find a play called Springtime for Hitler written by basically a mad German who still believes in the whole third Reich shizzle. They get the worst director in town to put it on and think they will easily get their fortune. Unluckily for them the play is a failure and they are both arrested. It's full of funny jokes and very catchy songs and it's a film I could watch again and again.
It's extremely well cast, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick make a great duo as Max and Leo with dialogue bouncing off each other and both of them taking the score in their stride, a surprise for me. Will Ferrel as the mad German is absolutely brilliant and slightly scary at times. Uma Thurman also takes a role as the token female, not exactly needed but she does very well in the part.
This is a very short review compared to my others but when it comes to talking about this films you really need to watch it to see exactly what I mean. A laugh out loud musical.
The Producers on Amazon (it's only £5 and definitely worth it!)
Essentially the plot follows Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom who want to put on the biggest Broadway flop in history in hope of scamming lots of investors out of their money. They find a play called Springtime for Hitler written by basically a mad German who still believes in the whole third Reich shizzle. They get the worst director in town to put it on and think they will easily get their fortune. Unluckily for them the play is a failure and they are both arrested. It's full of funny jokes and very catchy songs and it's a film I could watch again and again.
It's extremely well cast, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick make a great duo as Max and Leo with dialogue bouncing off each other and both of them taking the score in their stride, a surprise for me. Will Ferrel as the mad German is absolutely brilliant and slightly scary at times. Uma Thurman also takes a role as the token female, not exactly needed but she does very well in the part.
This is a very short review compared to my others but when it comes to talking about this films you really need to watch it to see exactly what I mean. A laugh out loud musical.
The Producers on Amazon (it's only £5 and definitely worth it!)
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Cloverfield - Not Your Average Monster Movie
There's been a lot of hype about this film, there's been trailers running for over 6 months leading up to it's release beginning with ones showing the statue of liberty's head rolling down a New York street. Now if that's not something to grab an audience's attention I don't know what is. I have been wanting to see this film for quite a while. All I knew upon entering the cinema was that it was a monster movie and that it was filmed on handheld cameras. My expectations were certainly met and improved on.
The premise is; the protagonist, Rob, is leaving for Japan and so his friends throw him a leaving party, that night an unknown monster hits New York. The film is recorded by Hud, Rob's best friend firstly for leaving messages at his party and then just the events of this attack upon the city. The number of friends within the group slowly dwindles as would be expected within a monster film, and you end up with the usual feelings of hope that some will make it. I won't spoil the ending. Go see it if you want to know!
The actors do very well, and are completely believable in their panic and confusion of events. As relative unknowns (a brief look on IMDB reveals at the most a few films and the odd TV series for each actors) which was purpose casting choice these actors are looking at a future success. Their relationship with each other is believable as they cope with the loss and the unknown situation that they have left others in.
The camerawork is very Blair witch esque. Filmed in a jolty sometimes blurred way it did leave me feeling slightly ill at the end. It did however work well. I particularly enjoyed the way that the audience only know and see as much as the protagonists do, the glimpses of the monster at the beginning of the film leave you unnerved and with the slight feeling of panic about what will happen next.
The special effects worked very well in the film. As usual CGI has made it possible to create a monster like nothing has ever been seen before but yet believable at the same time. The destruction of New York is spectacular. Just the image of the Statue of Liberty's head severed is one that will stay with me for a while. Some of the shots were too September 11th for comfort such as buildings collapsing and the plumes of smoke heading towards the crowd but I suspect this is just what the director wanted.
Overall a very different film to those I've seen before, it worked well being shot on handheld camera's despite the slight queasy feeling I felt by the end. If you can catch it in the cinema, do, because it definitely won't have the same effect on a small screen.
Cloverfield
The premise is; the protagonist, Rob, is leaving for Japan and so his friends throw him a leaving party, that night an unknown monster hits New York. The film is recorded by Hud, Rob's best friend firstly for leaving messages at his party and then just the events of this attack upon the city. The number of friends within the group slowly dwindles as would be expected within a monster film, and you end up with the usual feelings of hope that some will make it. I won't spoil the ending. Go see it if you want to know!
The actors do very well, and are completely believable in their panic and confusion of events. As relative unknowns (a brief look on IMDB reveals at the most a few films and the odd TV series for each actors) which was purpose casting choice these actors are looking at a future success. Their relationship with each other is believable as they cope with the loss and the unknown situation that they have left others in.
The camerawork is very Blair witch esque. Filmed in a jolty sometimes blurred way it did leave me feeling slightly ill at the end. It did however work well. I particularly enjoyed the way that the audience only know and see as much as the protagonists do, the glimpses of the monster at the beginning of the film leave you unnerved and with the slight feeling of panic about what will happen next.
The special effects worked very well in the film. As usual CGI has made it possible to create a monster like nothing has ever been seen before but yet believable at the same time. The destruction of New York is spectacular. Just the image of the Statue of Liberty's head severed is one that will stay with me for a while. Some of the shots were too September 11th for comfort such as buildings collapsing and the plumes of smoke heading towards the crowd but I suspect this is just what the director wanted.
Overall a very different film to those I've seen before, it worked well being shot on handheld camera's despite the slight queasy feeling I felt by the end. If you can catch it in the cinema, do, because it definitely won't have the same effect on a small screen.
Cloverfield
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Lord of the Rings - The Musical
It was a while ago that I went to see this production (10th January to be exact) but listening now to the soundtrack has created some inspiration inside of me and I feel the need to write a review of it.
When it comes to Lord of the Rings I'm a big fan of both the books and the films and so was somewhat unsure about seeing a stage version. I recollect sometime in primary school seeing The Hobbit on stage but try as a I might I can't remember much of the production or what I thought of it.
On entering the theatre, the first thing that immediately amazes you is the stage curtain. Made to look like hundreds of branches not only do they cover the curtain but they come out over the side boxes and up over the ceiling. centre of the curtain is a large gold ring and through the ring is gauze which at points allows you to see the action behind.
The set it's self is amazing. It's essentially a large revolve although the parts of the revolve rise and fall creating many different levels. This created many effective moments such as when Frodo and Sam are climbing the slopes of Mount Doom and the revolve turned with the front sections rising at the same time to create the effect that looked as though they were climbing.
Special effects in this show are definitely worth a mention. The Orcs themselves used (no to be completely un-technical as I don't know what they are called) these springs attached to their legs, almost like kangaroos, which allowed them to jump and flip across the stage at amazing speeds. The Ring wraiths looked incredibly creepy onstage, with flowing cloaks and the horses heads controlled in a very realistic way by the actors. The most spectacular elements of the show had to be the way that characters were flown in, such as in the scenes in Lothlorien. Also at the beginning of the Second Act when Gollum is seen to climb down the branches over the stage curtain.
What lets this production down I felt was unfortunately, the acting. For me the actor portraying Frodo played him as wooden, unemotional and at times stupid. Not what you want for your protagonist. By the end of the show I really did not mind whether he destroyed the ring or not. The actor playing Gandalf started off in the same way but luckily he improved as the performance went on, which was good because his early conversations with Frodo were rather dire. Having said that some performances were excellent. Sam was brilliant and really made the show.
This show has some spectacular effects and some of the performances were good but it was let down by the overall acting. Also the fact that a hugely long book has had to be condensed into just under 3 hours of performance (the films alone total over 9 hours and cut out tons of the storyline) you do feel as though you are missing out on something. If special effects are your thing go see this show. I got a discounted student ticket at £25 which I felt is reasonable and personally if I had paid the full price I think I might have been more disappointed than I was.
Official Show Website
When it comes to Lord of the Rings I'm a big fan of both the books and the films and so was somewhat unsure about seeing a stage version. I recollect sometime in primary school seeing The Hobbit on stage but try as a I might I can't remember much of the production or what I thought of it.
On entering the theatre, the first thing that immediately amazes you is the stage curtain. Made to look like hundreds of branches not only do they cover the curtain but they come out over the side boxes and up over the ceiling. centre of the curtain is a large gold ring and through the ring is gauze which at points allows you to see the action behind.
The set it's self is amazing. It's essentially a large revolve although the parts of the revolve rise and fall creating many different levels. This created many effective moments such as when Frodo and Sam are climbing the slopes of Mount Doom and the revolve turned with the front sections rising at the same time to create the effect that looked as though they were climbing.
Special effects in this show are definitely worth a mention. The Orcs themselves used (no to be completely un-technical as I don't know what they are called) these springs attached to their legs, almost like kangaroos, which allowed them to jump and flip across the stage at amazing speeds. The Ring wraiths looked incredibly creepy onstage, with flowing cloaks and the horses heads controlled in a very realistic way by the actors. The most spectacular elements of the show had to be the way that characters were flown in, such as in the scenes in Lothlorien. Also at the beginning of the Second Act when Gollum is seen to climb down the branches over the stage curtain.
What lets this production down I felt was unfortunately, the acting. For me the actor portraying Frodo played him as wooden, unemotional and at times stupid. Not what you want for your protagonist. By the end of the show I really did not mind whether he destroyed the ring or not. The actor playing Gandalf started off in the same way but luckily he improved as the performance went on, which was good because his early conversations with Frodo were rather dire. Having said that some performances were excellent. Sam was brilliant and really made the show.
This show has some spectacular effects and some of the performances were good but it was let down by the overall acting. Also the fact that a hugely long book has had to be condensed into just under 3 hours of performance (the films alone total over 9 hours and cut out tons of the storyline) you do feel as though you are missing out on something. If special effects are your thing go see this show. I got a discounted student ticket at £25 which I felt is reasonable and personally if I had paid the full price I think I might have been more disappointed than I was.
Official Show Website
Friday, 7 March 2008
The Seven Deadly Sins - A 'Sung Ballet'
Don't let the title put you off - This was actually very good. Performed tonight by the Musical Theatre Society, it was Kurt Weill's satirical 'sung ballet' and his last collaboration with Brecht (Brecht! says the over excited drama student inside of me recognising a name!)
The play, or ballet, or opera or whatever you would like to classify it as focuses on Anna, played by two actresses as Anna 1 and 2. Anna 1 is the singer and the rational side of the character whereas Anna 2 is the dancer and the more emotional irrational side. She leaves her home in Louisiana and moves to various American cities to earn money and as she does so commits the 7 deadly sins in each city. The voice of Anna is complimented throughout by the thoughts of her family.
The stage and set was simple. Both Anna's sang and danced centre stage while the family had simple bits of furniture downstage right to portray their home. The scene changes were a bit of a distraction however because they happened underneath the action centre stage. The lights were again simple but effective some nice uses of blues and greens, especially in the 'envious' scene. The orchestra were fantastic, very atmospheric and conducted extremely well by Lee Tsang.
This was a well cast show. Anna 1, the singer was played by a recently graduated masters degree Music student and her voice was strong enough to be heard over the full orchestra. Eve, who played Anna 2 did well in portraying the more emotional stroppy sister and had some wonderful facial expressions at points throughout the play. Hull University's barbershop quartet added a nice comic touch throughout the show, especially with Ryan as one of the bass singers playing the mother's part in a pink dressing gown and wig. The only problem was that some of the solos couldn't be quite heard over the orchestra.
Although a short show running at only about 45 minutes it was enjoyable and well performed, I felt there could have been more of an audience there to support and hope that the matinee showing drew more of a crowd.
The play, or ballet, or opera or whatever you would like to classify it as focuses on Anna, played by two actresses as Anna 1 and 2. Anna 1 is the singer and the rational side of the character whereas Anna 2 is the dancer and the more emotional irrational side. She leaves her home in Louisiana and moves to various American cities to earn money and as she does so commits the 7 deadly sins in each city. The voice of Anna is complimented throughout by the thoughts of her family.
The stage and set was simple. Both Anna's sang and danced centre stage while the family had simple bits of furniture downstage right to portray their home. The scene changes were a bit of a distraction however because they happened underneath the action centre stage. The lights were again simple but effective some nice uses of blues and greens, especially in the 'envious' scene. The orchestra were fantastic, very atmospheric and conducted extremely well by Lee Tsang.
This was a well cast show. Anna 1, the singer was played by a recently graduated masters degree Music student and her voice was strong enough to be heard over the full orchestra. Eve, who played Anna 2 did well in portraying the more emotional stroppy sister and had some wonderful facial expressions at points throughout the play. Hull University's barbershop quartet added a nice comic touch throughout the show, especially with Ryan as one of the bass singers playing the mother's part in a pink dressing gown and wig. The only problem was that some of the solos couldn't be quite heard over the orchestra.
Although a short show running at only about 45 minutes it was enjoyable and well performed, I felt there could have been more of an audience there to support and hope that the matinee showing drew more of a crowd.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
