© James Watkins Photography 2012
Sunday 11 March 2012
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Thursday 1 September 2011
An opinion piece I wrote about the rise in popularity of robots in films
From MovieRamblings.com
Opinion: Rise of the Machines?
With Hugo, Real Steel, Terminator 5 and proposed remakes of Robocop and Short Circuit all on the horizon, Jim asks has Hollywood recharged its fascination with robots?
In the past robotic endeavours have acted to reflect societies fascination with the future, technology and the looming possibilities of automatons. Imagine a society when robots can do everything for us; this divulged our ever lazy nature.
With this came the fear and with that one of the greatest sci-films to date: The Terminator. This film encapsulated our need to progress as a society through technological advances, to demonstrate our intelligence through creating artificial intelligence, but at the same time representing our fear of technology consuming our life. The unknown may be fascinating, but it is also unpredictable, volatile and potentially dangerous. Our hubristic efforts to show off with our intellectual creations eventually created our downfall. The sequel, however, showed that technology could also be our saviour, but only with a better understanding of its capabilities and possibilities could we prevent destruction.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom as Hollywood attempted to show robots could also be fuzzy, anthropomorphic, intelligent, cute and funny. So we were treated to the likes of Short Circuit and Batteries Not Included. Though this does beg the question: who would win in a fight between Johnny 5 and the T-1000?
We are now aware of how the film industry mis-fired with these predictions. ‘Judgement Day’ passed without an atomic holocaust, though we still have 8 years for the renegade replicants of Blade Runner to start causing intergalactic trouble. If it is any consolation the scientists were also wrong (just take a look back at the laughable Tomorrow’s World episodes of years gone by.) Though it was clear that these weren’t meant to be predictions; they were neurotic, existential fears of whether humans were actually important in the face of technological advancement.
In the present day we now live in a world where humans have been responsible for a near financial apocalypse. Perhaps Hollywood is rebooting robotic franchises to demonstrate we should stop trusting humans and start relying on androids. Hollywood may also believe it is now up to the cyborgs to rescue dwindling cinema attendance figures.
Without knowing it, Hollywood could be providing a format for humanity to not give up on itself and invest once again into the possibilities of a brighter future through cinema, which in itself is a progressive form of technology. However, it could just be the greedy executives latching on to another trend; they’ve sucked all they can from the vampire craze, probed through a lot of alien blockbusters and now restoring the robot genre.
Will Real Steel have the emotional element missing from Transformers, or will it be another exploitation of robotic-destruction-porn in a ring? Will Hugo prove that 3D films can be critically acclaimed and feature automatons? Will the Robocop and Short Circuit remakes bring the crowds back in to relive their 80’s fascination with technology and the future? And could we see the first Oscar awarded to an actress playing a robot in The Iron Lady…? (Don’t worry, I am joking) Well the future has the answers, let’s just sit back and enjoy it, but keep an ever-mindful eye on your toaster!
Opinion: Rise of the Machines?
With Hugo, Real Steel, Terminator 5 and proposed remakes of Robocop and Short Circuit all on the horizon, Jim asks has Hollywood recharged its fascination with robots?
In the past robotic endeavours have acted to reflect societies fascination with the future, technology and the looming possibilities of automatons. Imagine a society when robots can do everything for us; this divulged our ever lazy nature.
With this came the fear and with that one of the greatest sci-films to date: The Terminator. This film encapsulated our need to progress as a society through technological advances, to demonstrate our intelligence through creating artificial intelligence, but at the same time representing our fear of technology consuming our life. The unknown may be fascinating, but it is also unpredictable, volatile and potentially dangerous. Our hubristic efforts to show off with our intellectual creations eventually created our downfall. The sequel, however, showed that technology could also be our saviour, but only with a better understanding of its capabilities and possibilities could we prevent destruction.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom as Hollywood attempted to show robots could also be fuzzy, anthropomorphic, intelligent, cute and funny. So we were treated to the likes of Short Circuit and Batteries Not Included. Though this does beg the question: who would win in a fight between Johnny 5 and the T-1000?
We are now aware of how the film industry mis-fired with these predictions. ‘Judgement Day’ passed without an atomic holocaust, though we still have 8 years for the renegade replicants of Blade Runner to start causing intergalactic trouble. If it is any consolation the scientists were also wrong (just take a look back at the laughable Tomorrow’s World episodes of years gone by.) Though it was clear that these weren’t meant to be predictions; they were neurotic, existential fears of whether humans were actually important in the face of technological advancement.
In the present day we now live in a world where humans have been responsible for a near financial apocalypse. Perhaps Hollywood is rebooting robotic franchises to demonstrate we should stop trusting humans and start relying on androids. Hollywood may also believe it is now up to the cyborgs to rescue dwindling cinema attendance figures.
Without knowing it, Hollywood could be providing a format for humanity to not give up on itself and invest once again into the possibilities of a brighter future through cinema, which in itself is a progressive form of technology. However, it could just be the greedy executives latching on to another trend; they’ve sucked all they can from the vampire craze, probed through a lot of alien blockbusters and now restoring the robot genre.
Will Real Steel have the emotional element missing from Transformers, or will it be another exploitation of robotic-destruction-porn in a ring? Will Hugo prove that 3D films can be critically acclaimed and feature automatons? Will the Robocop and Short Circuit remakes bring the crowds back in to relive their 80’s fascination with technology and the future? And could we see the first Oscar awarded to an actress playing a robot in The Iron Lady…? (Don’t worry, I am joking) Well the future has the answers, let’s just sit back and enjoy it, but keep an ever-mindful eye on your toaster!
Saturday 30 July 2011
A test review I wrote whilst on work experience at Empire...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Plot: The finale of the saga sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emily Watson) heading back to Hogwarts after being on the run in order to destroy the remainiong Horcrux’s and face Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) evil forces in the last epic battle of good versus evil.
Plot: The finale of the saga sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emily Watson) heading back to Hogwarts after being on the run in order to destroy the remainiong Horcrux’s and face Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) evil forces in the last epic battle of good versus evil.
Review: After splitting the final book in two and not quite managing to release the films every year, it feels like Harry Potter has been with us for an eternity. For many the books, as with the films, are a major part of their development and they have found connections with the characters. The average 10 to 17-year-olds do not have to fight evil, go on magical quests or fly through the air, but they do go through love, loss, success, tragedy and the frustration of school and growing up. The end of the films for many is the end of an era.
This inevitably gave the film a tremendous amount of excitement in the build up. The spectacular special effects and ambitious shots meet up to this excitement. Every spell, dragon and troll looks fantastic; demonstrating how far the special effects have grown from the first film. But the direction makes sure this is more than just visual wonder, as it is professionally executed. It is also a relief that the younger actors finally got to grips with their jobs. Radcliffe in particular comes off as genuine, believable and far from laughable as he once was. Though it is once again the established actors who steal the show with Snape’s final scenes being particularly memorable and moving.
The story line however does not match up to the excitement. Those who have not read it will be alienated, as they will not fully understand the details that the film assumes everyone should know. It is inevitable that the plot would have to be compromised and this has an effect on the emotional impact. Deaths are too quick, big character moments, in particular Julie Walters "Aliens" moment, are rushed and, despite the plot not being predictable, when there are surprises they are not satisfyingly explained.
Other fantasies, and it is all too easy to compare this to Lord of the Rings, have worked as stand alone films, this one does not. Whether it was necessary to split the book due to the sheer volume or for profit is unclear but the gap slightly disjoints the narrative.
Another part of the film which is problematic, and this may seem strange given the genre, is how often magic is used without explanation to move the story along. Problems are to easily fixed with magic, especially in finding ways back into Hogwarts.
The spectacle of it is enough to keep the audience entertained, though since the third and forth installments the franchise has never fully managed to be as moving, relevant or important enough to be among the greatest fantasies in cinema. Popularity of the books, however, will be the film's major success.
Verdict: Harry Potter has come an awful long way in 10 years and there is more than enough to keep audiences entertained. Fans will be distraught but it is only a matter of time before the gap it leaves in the fantasy calendar is filled by something bigger and better.
3/5
Jim Watkins
Thursday 21 July 2011
Wednesday 16 February 2011
Thursday 28 October 2010
The Battle of Coachella
This is a segment of an account I wrote of one of the greatest nights of my life.....
There are too many words to describe the atmosphere. Apprehension, anticipation, aggression, anxiety and that’s just the beginning of the alphabet. The noise is next to deafening and the crowd size is gargantuan. Despite this it feels like this gig is mine, as if the band is putting it on just for me. Yet, this is how the whole crowd, filled with some of the most dedicated fans, must feel. Stuck in the middle of the desert, everyone has been waiting for this moment for seven years, and never in our wildest dreams would we have thought it would happen. All of a sudden the screens show one person who appears to be equally excited, agitated and raring to go as anyone else in the crowd. This person grows into a frenzy that no one else can match. He cannot stop moving; jumping up and down, he is engaged and extremely eager for the performance to start. This is because this man is Zack Del La Rocha, the lead singer of Rage Against The Machine.
Two years earlier I was sitting in my common room at 6th form with a friend discussing a gig we were about to go to. This inevitably lead to conversations of our favourite ever gigs, and bands we have to see “before we die.” The conversation took a depressing turn as we both agreed upon Rage Against the Machine, but realised we would probably never see them; as far as we knew their break up in 2000 was irreversible. The conversation then turned to fantasy as we discussed how much money we would pay to see them live. We came up with the reasonable sum of £500, of course in this fantasy we are affluent enough to afford it. This band changed our lives, and became the soundtrack of our transition into teenagers and throughout our growing adolescent years.
Two years on and this conversation had turned into a distant memory….
Thursday 21 October 2010
Wednesday 18 August 2010
Tuesday 17 August 2010
Toy Story 3 review
The following is a film review I wrote for a "BBC Films" application....
Toy Story 3 sees Andy, who is now 17, going away to college to move on with his life and so must his toys. Woody, Buzz and the familiar gang are accidentally relocated to Sunnyside nursery, which initially appears to be the perfect retirement home, where toys can once again fulfill their purpose of being enjoyed and played with. The toys soon discover that not all is what it seems as they battle with new dangers and new foes. The toys must now develop a plan to escape Sunnyside, with the help from some new friends, and return to Andy.
The film was extremely successful due to appealing to a very wide audience. The bright colours, familiar and comforting faces will appeal to the younger audience, as will the quick paced action and the comedy. The themes of abandonment, loss and death show that the film is not afraid to tackle universal resonating themes, which do not alienate or patronise any of its wide age ranging audience. The movie maintains a perfect balance that keeps both sides of the audience riveted and thoroughly entertained. The humour works perfectly well for all, most memorable when Buzz becomes reset into ‘Spanish’ mode. It also works very well as a sequel. The film introduces a lot of new characters, whilst not neglecting the original characters. Whilst the plot is essentially the same as the previous movies, it isn’t merely a re-hashing of the story. The plot is coherent and smooth, not allowing the audience to loose interest. The animation is outstanding, the new characters are fresh and inclusion of modern references thrusts Toy Story 3 perfectly into a new generation, whilst managing to perfectly wrap up the story for those who first saw the original 15 years ago.
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