Farewell!

So folks, I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has stopped by to read my posts over the past year or so, especially those who took the effort to comment on my articles, but I have decided to dedicate my time to writing for Front Room Cinema. My good friend Scott Lawlor has worked hard to create a fantastic website and I am proud to be a part of the FRC team. So make sure you bookmark it in you favourites!

Front Room Cinema

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol IMAX Preview

I'm going to have to confess that I have never seen Mission Impossible 2 or 3, and whilst I am a fan of the original, I have stayed away from the sequels fearing the worst. Despite this, I was not going to turn down the opportunity to take a look at two scenes from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol that have been filmed using IMAX cameras and were being previewed over a month in advance of the film's general release. It seemed strange heading to the cinema just for twenty minutes, and I was baffled that some people had stocked up on drinks and popcorn, (where would they find the time to finish their extra large combo?) but I was glad that for once I didn't have to worry about needing the toilet half way through the film.

Brad Bird has taken up the helm for this fourth outing, which may seem questionable at first seeing as his previous films have all been animations, but there is no denying that they have all been fantastic films and he definitely has a flair for imagination and creativity. If he can transfer these skills to his first live-action film then there is no doubt that he will deliver a high-octane thriller that should live up to the rest of the series.

Before we were shown two scenes from the film, a short introductory clip from Brad Bird was screened in which he set up the back story for these scenes. To cut a long story short, Ethan and his crew are in deep shit and we were about to witness their attempts to navigate through some very dangerous situations on the incredibly large IMAX screen, which stands at approximately eight storeys high, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't even a tiny bit excited at this point.

As the action rolled, we were introduced to Cruise's team as they are travelling towards the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, located in Dubai. It is not long before they infiltrate the building and ascend to a dizzying height, with the very impressive camerawork bringing this experience to life on the IMAX screen, and at one point, as the camera circled the building overhead, I gripped my arm rests very tight as I was convinced I was going to fall out of my seat! We were then treated to a number of immensely satisfying shots as Ethan attempts to scale the building from the outside and nearly plummets to his death on several occasions. Nothing brings action to life so well as an IMAX screen, and Mission: Impossible -Ghost Protocol is perfectly suited to the enormous size of the screen, with the aerial views of the Burj Khalifa likely to instill vertigo in even the most hardened thrill-seekers amongst the audience.

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Film Review - Parked

Heading into a film without knowing anything about it beforehand is something that i rarely do these days but I decided to take a punt on Parked by doing exactly that, and boy was I impressed.

This exceptional downbeat Irish drama looks at the life of a homeless man who lives in his car as he takes up residence in a rarely used car park overlooking the sea. Fred Daly lives a lonely existence, and his reluctance to communicate with the few people in his life starts to fade following an encounter with a young man in a similar situation to his own as they begin to strike up an unlikely friendship.

Both men have their problems; Fred struggles to interact with others whilst his new companion Cathal hides a number of secrets that could have dire consequences if he does not face up to his grim reality. Their interaction leads to some hilarious moments as the generation gap between the two neighbours (Cathal also resides in his car) reveals some differences in their outlooks on life, and this contrasts perfectly with the melodramatic mood that permeates throughout the film. I am reluctant to give away too much of the plot as I would love for you to experience the film as I did, it contains a number of surprises, some pleasant and some not so pleasant but they all add up to make Parked an essential watch.

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Fallen Icons - Christian Slater

Here is a brief Biography of the Icon…

Born in New York back in 1969, Christian Slater had a great head start as an actor thanks to his showbiz family; his mother Mary Jo was a casting agent and his father Michael Hawkins was an established actor. It was not long before he made his debut in a tv soap aged just seven years old and he was soon sent to a performing arts school where he honed his talents as a stage actor.

Deciding to drop out of school as a teen to pursue his acting career, Slater definitely made the right move and it wasn't long before his Hollywood dreams began to come true as he worked his way through a number of films and eventually landed the part of a crazed psycopath in Heathers, which gained him a lot of female attention and cemented his position as an actor to watch out for. Following on from this Christian Slater became a hugely popular actor in the early 90's with his fantastic performances in critical and commercial successes such as Interview with a Vampire and True Romance gaining him even more fans and propelling him towards stardom. It appeared that the sky was the limit for the bright young actor as he reached his mid-twenties, what could possibly go wrong from here?

What went wrong?

It was the success of Slater's career that led to his downward spiral, the excesses of his growing fame caused a number of run-ins with the law and whilst his acting career continued to thrive up until the mid nineties the film offers eventually began to dry up. His first serious encounter with the police took place in 1989 when he drunkenly tried to outrun them in his car, hit a lamp-post and ended up kicking an officer. Nice work Slater.

Future events in the mid nineties led him to spending time in jail with his offences including boarding a plane with a gun in his luggage, attacking his girlfriend whilst under the influence of cocaine and biting a police officer on his stomach! This crazy behaviour coupled with his poor career decisions led to him taking on a number of unforgettable roles, with few of his post 1994 films being worth your time. Whilst he has eventually managed to move away from the bad-boy image that took over in his twenties, Slater has struggled to emulate his earlier successes.

Where is he now?
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