Peppermint Friday Review #38: The Founder

We're gonna talk about The Founder which is about the beginning of McDonalds and the troubles and just all the drama went on. 

The story starts with Ray Croc played by Michael Keaton who is a travelling salesman representing Prince Castle Milkshake makers, and it was enough to be relatively happy, but he wants more, he drives to California one day and drives to a McDonalds and is totally baffled and meets the people behind this wonderful idea of fast food, family friendly and disposable packaging environment. Maurice "Mac" McDonalds and Richard "Dick" McDonalds played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch tell him how they started the business and back then it was different when it came to eating on the go. It was waitresses giving food on plates to the cars and it taking ages to arrive and when it does its usually wrong. Ray thinks its crazy that they haven't franchised this concept of the places quicker and given a McDonalds in every city or town ever. 

Mac and Dick already tried to get it global, but it didn't work and Mac's diabetes flared up quite badly during that time, Ray wants to franchise it and take it global Dick is abit hesitant but Mac thinks why not, so they go for it and as time goes on and Ray's greedy true colours come to head and has more and more power it became more of Ray's business and dream than Mac and Dicks when it was their baby. Its funny because usually I'm not interested at all with McDonalds as I'm just not crazy on it when I was a kid I never used to crave it and be like ' I wanna go to mcdonalds!!!' because I never ate it that much when I was a kid, but I like it and I could live without it. But I mean we all know how I feel about a Biopic, guys this film for me anyway shows that doesn't matter if you don't like or aren't crazy on what the film is about its about the story and characters.

Its similar in a way that The Social Network was its about McDonalds but its not about McDonalds, its got an extremely business aspect thing about it being very money hungry and the line between personal and business. Because Dick and Mac were very family oriented, they care about the customer and each other they really looked out for each other. With Ray his mind from the beginning was 'how can I make more money?' which is fine but if you're marketing a family brand and you're selling that but don't have that its abit crazy. One of my favorite scenes of the film is when Ray's book keeper says that Mac wants to talk to him on the phone but Ray just goes no and that carries on throughout the film. 

It becomes more of Ray's business and his thing rather than Mac and Dick's and Ray always looked out for himself and for him he felt like Mac and Dick weren't helping him with his vision at all, just a distraction and he was breaking his contract with Mac and Dick constantly and not caring about them its all for him. I love that with Biopics and well with just films in general I love how they can find the simple human qualities in the most famous people and digging out that actually they are just human like us. Even when Ray divorces his wife, when he's told she'll receive money from McDonalds because he's married to her, he just says out right no. Part of me can't help but agree with him because in a business you have to be ruthless and abit selfish, because if you care too much your proprieties get changed and you're not focusing on whats important in a business and that's making money. 

                                                              
Another part of me feels sorry for Mac and Dick as they didn't receive not even half the money they should have gotten and plus all the systems they introduced the idea of fast food and eating on the go was all invented by those brothers, and its a system that's still in use today, its just that Ray made it all blow up. I love this film so much its got a business element to it which I love so much and if you loved The Social Network then you'll love this as its in the same vein as it. I'll see you all later and have a wonderful day/evening/morning/night wherever you are! 

Peppermint Friday Review #23: 127 Hours

These past few weeks have been abit wishy washy, and for that I apologise for as I have been watching alot of TV, which I do a post on depends how I feel. As I would like to keep this blog strictly film related, as it is called 'Peppermint Friday Film Reviews' so I guess it wouldn't make sense if I talk about TV, but I guess one post won't hurt. Anyway 127 Hours is the film we're gonna talk about! So let's go.

This is the first James Franco film I'm gonna properly talk about, and the first Danny Boyle film I'm gonna properly talk about. Which is crazy as Danny Boyle is one of the 'gotta watch' directors I personally feel. I mean you can't call yourself a film fan I feel if you haven't seen a Danny Boyle film. The film is a true story about a man called Aron Ralston who regularly goes on hikes around Blue John Canyon. He then ends up getting his arm trapped between a boulder and a wall in a very narrow alley, he is stuck there for 5 days.  

I love this film, as it shows how without little contact of humans can really affect you. One of the bits I love is the insanity of Aron as he goes on when he thinks about drinking Coke I love how it cuts with scenes of cans of Coke being opened, and the look of thirst on his face. It also partly made me very thirsty, and the use of the video camera of him documenting his life and pretending his on a talk show to in a weird way showcase his stupidity, but trying to be light hearted about it. 

The fact that this story is based of a true story is so remarkable to me and I do wonder if the arm is still there or if a tourist has seen it and done something to it. I know when a film says 'its based of a true story' you kinda groan, well I do anyway and just think 'well yeah you have to say that so people are gonna watch and be intrigued by it' when you know some bits were made up to create illusion of more excitement. 

In this story you can tell that the story was as close as it can be, because you can never know what can go on in a person's mind particularly in this story. To have an actor to have a such a portrayal as James Franco is just brilliant as he is a particularly fantastic actor, and to be on screen the majority of the film and to not be boring is a good well done. 

                                                                 
I feel this story is amazing, and Danny Boyle is a fantastic director with adding bits of scenes over the top of the scene is fantastic. Danny Boyle I feel is a director that you need to watch, he is one of the best current directors, at the moment. You can't really call yourself a film fan if you haven't watch any of his films. The next coming week, I will be talking about just that directors who I feel you need to watch, and I'm going to try and make them as current as possible because I do like to talk about classic film directors so I'm gonna inject some modern directors in. 

Peppermint Friday Review #16: The Lady In The Van

Its been a week, sorry about that Christmas happen. Hope you all had a good one, I'm gonna talk about this film which is one of my favorites. 

I don't know why I didn't see this film up til now, because its really good. Its about Allen Bennett (who wrote this story) who lives in Camden with an old lady who lives in a van on that road, well I mean the title speaks for itself. Its the question of who is this woman? Why does she live in a van? What has she done? Its so personal and bonkers at the same time. Maggie Smith is brilliant, well she always is really a big inspiration of mine, she captures Mary Shepard (real name Margaret Fairchild) fantastically to the point where I can't see anyone playing her except her. 

What I loved the most about this film is the distinguish between writer Allen and everyday Allen, because in a way it does capture being a writer or just someone alone and creative that doesn't have that much human interaction. Where he just talked to himself, and had arguments with himself. I knew who Allen Bennett was a little, I mean I watched The History Boys and that was good, but I wasn't obsessed with him, and he has a very particular writing style as it sets him apart from any writer. After this film, I think I can say he's gonna become a fast favorite. 

I loved Alex Jennings he was so good at being the tolerant neighbour of Mary. When I saw searching for who directed it, and in it I notice allot of them did allot of work in theatre. Which was really good, as it showed for me a different side to a director's vision. Nicholas Hytner who directed it did alot of theatre and opera work plus he directed the theatre plays of The History Boys and The Lady In The Van. It was refreshing to watch a film with a director who mainly did theatre work, to do a film. 

All the cameos of The History Boys were brilliant, especially as we all know James Corden is this big star now. This film really is brilliant, the story of the lady is so intriguing and wonderful. Its a beautifully written story that I love very much. I'll do a post tomorrow on the last day of 2016! and I shall speak to you all very soon!

Peppermint Friday Film Review #1: I'm Not There

For this blog, as it is called 'Peppermint Friday' I was thinking of doing it as a series where I do a review of a film I watched that week, weather it may be a brand new film, or an older one. Either way its a film thats new to me. We clear? Gooooood.

This week I watched a film called I'm Not There, which is the biopic of Bob Dylan's life, now a couple of days ago I did a blog post of my favorite Biopics, so I thought it would be quite fitting, to end this week by doing a Blog post, of a biopic that I haven't seen before, but I'm not gonna do the Friday Reviews like this, it would just be films, that I never seen before.

Anyway, I watched this film and I loved the way they did the times of Bob Dylan, like they didn't really use his name, like when he's a kid, he calls himself 'Woody Guthrie' as a kid, Bob was obsessed with the Singer, and it's great how they did that. It allowed for them to have creativity, and it get to know the feel of Bob Dylan. The whole Bob Dylan vibe, Todd Haynes did an amazing job directing this, and I could see where he is coming from. 

I thought having Cate Blanchett playing him in the 60s, is the best, she does it so well. I wouldn't think for a second she did it less than being true and honest. It was kinda like a Mick Jagger, she was this skinny, smoking, deep talking, human being.

The colors, and the atmosphere of where its set at a particular time, is just beautiful in 60's for Cate Blanchett, it was all black and white, where they was a sense of being cool, because thats what we associate with the 60's. With it being in different times, and the whole timeline was amazing, I loved the feel of all the times, like the 50s, 60s, 70s. You get the feel of Bob Dylan, and I loved the music for different times, and different aspects of his life, and the film's course, and where it was going.

I also loved this film because I felt watching it, really trendy and its sorta made me get into Bob Dylan's music. Which before I never got into, I knew who he was, but I loved it. Which is why I loved this film, it got me into something I never thought I could.

The other people in this film who play Bob Dylan, are; Richard Gere, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger. They all do an amazing job, the crazy thing for me is they're all Bob Dylan, like in different aspects of his life, and different characteristics. They all the same, and it goes to show what kind of man he was to have a film about him, but not played by the same person, and not played as 'Bob Dylan' like at the beginning when he is a little boy he's played by a black boy, as Woody Guthrie. 

Richard Gere is Billy the Kid, as Bob Dylan and thats set in the Wild West, its a crazy, crazy, amazing film. Its bursting with the behind the scenes creativity, you don't see the film in its mode, but you know it you can tell the creativity. They didn't go 'oh lets make a film about Bob Dylan, can you get an actor to play him from a kid to an adult?' they went beyond that, and changed the aspects but still remaining true to the person he is. Theres something with the character of a musician who has that thing to him, that isn't part of the mainstream style, but at the same time he is. The way I kinda see it is, the weird kid in the corner at school, and he leaves school, still being the weird kid, and he does really well. Then everyone wants to be friends with the weird kid, but then he becomes cool, but still weird. I feel like this film is that, the film of the weird but cool kid, and to do it in a way of 'Lets make a Bob Dylan Film' would be crap they needed to do it in a creative way, and get a feel of the film. 

Overall I'd say watch it weather you like Bob Dylan or not its a very good film.