Last week was a nightmare. Both Georgie and I were incredibly sick, wiped out by the nastiest of viruses. His version included high temperatures and unbearable headaches. Mine, two jabs in the butt, an MRI and a truly unimaginable amount of painkillers and other multi-coloured pills.
Yesterday Georgie went back to school where he was welcomed by a round of applause from his mates and teachers (so sweet) and I am back to blogging. Unfortunately, my inspiration has been crushed by the weight of pharmaceuticals so for now all I have for you are four not-so-happy movies I watched while contemplating the bed or the couch. Thy are all, in one way or another, scary, disturbing, real and painful.
The Mist: I was in the mood for the scariest so how could that possibly be without the terrifying supernatural ideas of Stephen King? Released in 2007, The Mist caused a stir among King fans because it has one of the most shocking movie endings ever which was NOT written by the American author. In fact I think I remember reading that King was kicking himself for not coming up with the brilliant finale which was actually written by the inventive mind of Frank Darabont (The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption). The Mist is packed with scenes of creepy crawlies and violent deaths but for our protagonists even scarier than that is the slow realisation that humanity can easily disappear once fear takes over.
Boys Don’t Cry: I remember the first time I saw this film based on a true story. I found Hilary Swank’s performance as a boy to be so powerful and convincing somehow I did not allow myself to digest the horrible reality that took place in Brandon Teena’s life. He was a young transgender man in the 90s, living in a small town, desperate to fit in, find love and be accepted for who he was. For this, Brandon was assaulted, raped and finally killed. It is a deeply disturbing film with a powerful message that will all need to respect.
Jaws: Iconic, legendary and classic, I probably watch Jaws once a year. I do this because I love seeing that 70s mechanical shark swimming to that ever-so-perfect theme song and finally those pearly whites biting down on Robert Shaw and banging the hell out of that little boat. This summer it will be 40 years since Jaws was released and as part of the celebrations the film will be shown at movie theatres in the States. Also you can read 21 random facts about this ground-breaking film that makes you think of it every time you’re in the water and you feel something brush against you.
Blackfish: Keeping in tune with sea creatures, I remembered this documentary I watched a year ago about sea-park Seaworld and killer whales in captivity. Anyone with a smidgen of common sense can understand how unnatural it is for a killer whale to live in what can only be described as a swimming pool but this feature film takes things one step further. Through Seaworld’s ex-trainers the film introduces an eye-opening fact about the psychology of these animals, it delves into how they are mistreated and taken advantage of and how they have taken innocent lives all in the name of money and a few laughs.
