OWF Film World Cup Round Two: England vs. Russia
Voting has now ended on the USA vs. Poland game, with The Godfather taking out The Pianist;
The Godfather (USA) 75% beat 25% The Pianist (Poland)(25%)
OWFilm World Cup Round Two
With the recent news that Bond 23 has been cancelled, maybe Goldfinger can restore some pride to the 007 franchise by going all the way for Englands cause in the OWFilm World Cup. Their preparation for the second round hasnt been the best however - having initially psyched themselves up to take on Austria; a last minute comeback from Sergei Eisensteins 1925 classic The Battleship Potemkin means that England will now face Russia in the second round of the tournament. Austrias claim that the poll should have been closed
Goldfinger (1964) OSCAR COUNT: (1), IMDB (7.9), RT (96%), Empire Top 500 (#116th) Oscars Best Sound Editing With its Aston Martins, stiff language and dry carry on humour Goldfinger is a quintessentially English film. It is also features a countless amount of comically absurd lines and set-pieces which are often very cringe-worthy and which give the impression at times that the film is just always chasing after the next gag. That being said, the movie runs at a breathneck pace throughout, is terrifically entertaining and has an irresistible dramatic energy which absorbs you fully into the films whacky arena. To the films credit the action sequences are very well presented with a fantastic score that makes a true art form out of maximising the tension and excitement on screen. And even the films dated and sillier moments still remain as likeable as the charming protagonist himself. Often regarded as the film which helped to transform the Bond Movies into their own genre. Goldfinger has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and was voted 79th in Channel 4s countdown of the 100 Greatest Films Ever Made. INTERESTING FACT: All the shots featuring Sean Connery in America were actually filmed in Pinewood Studios. Battleship Potemkin (1925) IMDB (8) ROTTEN TOMATOES (100%) EMPIRE TOP 500 (313th) NB: The first Oscar ceremony was not held until May 16th, 1929. What more needs to be said about this fine work of art. It helped to define cinema as we know it today montage, individual frames, cross cutting and not used just for the sake of technical mastery but also to develop layers of emotion and metaphor within each sequence. The scenes in this film are still thought-provoking and intense and it is credit to the innovation of the film that its most iconic moment featured on the oddysea steps sequence still tricks people into thinking that it is real documented footage. A perfect mixture of technical genius and an intelligent focus on human emotion is what made this film so striking at the time and is what still makes it resonate strongly today. INTERESTING FACT: The favourite film of director Joel Schumacher (Phone Booth, Falling Down, Flatliners and er, Batman & Robin) WRITERS VERDICT: Turning against England again I feel as guilty as the unfortunate Robert Green but there is simply no contest here as far as I am concerned Battleship Potemkin could have been released yesterday and I would still find the majority of the set-pieces to be quite breathtaking