OWFILM WORLD CUP Round 1: France vs. South Africa

By Laurent Kelly / June 18, 2010

Voting has now ended on the Germany vs. Slovenia match, and the oldest movie in the tournament, Fritz Lang's German Expressionistic classic M beat Slovenia's war movie No Man's Land.

The contest was tighter than I thought it would be, probably because a silent movie from the 1930's may have not have been seen my most of the OWF visitors compared to a movie made in 2001. This might see Germany struggle in later rounds.

Germany (M) 69% beat Slovenia (No Man's Land) 31%

First Round of OWFilm World Cup

In the real World Cup in South Africa last night, France probably suffered one of the lowest points in their recent history, losing comfortably and without much heart to a Mexican side that although talented, aren't filled with the world class stars and medal winners that litter the French team. Things haven't gone much better for hosts South Africa either, who similarly look to be heading for the exit door.

But.. the OWFilm World Cup is where it matters, and at least one of France and South Africa will make it through to the next round. And it's a tight one this.. two very, very, very popular movies of the past ten years and one at least, that is still very fresh in our minds. I have no idea which way this one will sway.

Vote now for which film you want to see advance to the next round. Remember you are voting for YOUR OPINION on which film you prefer.

Tale of the Reel is after the jump...

Amelie (2001)

OSCAR COUNT (0) IMDB (8.6, #44) RT (90%) EMPIRE TOP 500 ( #196th)

Won four Cesar Awards (The French equivalent of the Oscars) for Best Film, Best Director, Best Music and Best Production Design When browsing through the back catalogue of French cinema Amelie may not be the first film to grab my attention. When I think of French film I tend to picture Jean De Florette, A Bout De Souffle, Les Diaboliques and the films of Jean Renoir. Amelie deserves great credit however for managing to be an international commercial success without betraying the French filmmaking traditions of character led stories and scenarios. The French are famous for their attention to detail when it comes to developing characters and plotting storylines and Amelie is no different despite being a fast moving picture. Assisted by a wonderfully emphatic performance from Audrey Tatou, Amelie is a charming love story which will not only engross you in the principal storylines but also make you laugh out loud along the way with both its quirky insights into the worlds that take place behind close doors and with its astute character observations. The film is a visual treat and though towards the end its array of colourful gags become a little too gimmicky, by that point you have already fallen in love with the film€™s protagonist and indeed with France in general. INTERESTING FACT: Although it appears strange in hindsight the role of Amelie was initially written specifically for actress Emily Watson. She had to decline however on the grounds that she didn€™t speak French (slight problem I imagine) and because she had already signed up for Gosford Park.

District 9 (2009)

OSCAR COUNT (0) IMDB (8.3, #121) RT (90%) EMPIRE TOP 500 (Film was released after votes were taken)

District 9 is commendable for offering the alien subject matter some well crafted and authentic depth. Newsreels and a corporate promotional film detailing the event are well acted and suitably professional so that we are able to instantly become lost in the film€™s illusion of reality. The film€™s arena also paints a wonderful picture of society repeating itself as the aliens are confined to live amongst one another in dirty slums lending historical undertones to the previous treatment of various ethnic minorities. Rather than paint a completely bleak and chaotic picture of this world however, there is plenty of fun to be had in District 9. Take for example the absurdity of the government trying to get the aliens to sign their eviction papers which becomes even funnier when you realise it€™s the type of deal that would actually transpire in real life. When the protagonist is contaminated by a formula that begins to transform him into an alien species, the film really hits its stride as we realise that the aliens are in reality a more decent being that the humans. The escalating relationship between the transformed human and the alien society is touching and poignant and makes an excellent social/political point about the needlessness of war and violence. An excellent film which carries the perfect balance of emotional drama, fast paced action, tense horror, black humour and important thematic issues. INTERESTING FACT: All of Sharlto Copley€™s lines during the documentary sequences were ad-libbed.