Clapperboard Chats

This comparison is one that I’ve put off for a while for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as the original is a direct response to 2001: A Space Odyssey , a film I perceive as extremely overrated and pretentious, I wasn’t particularly hyped to watch it. Secondly, Steven Soderbergh, in my opinion, is also very overrated. Therefore, I went into this clash with rather low expectations for both films. Luckily for us both, I have been proven wrong this week with both films exemplifying the notion that preconceptions of a film can often mean nothing. With that being said, let's see how the Hollywood remake stacks up to the remake. Protagonist  Both films are led by Dr Kelvin, a psychologist sent to the station orbiting Solaris to investigate the strange behaviours of the remaining crew members. George Clooney’s version of the character is offered a more in depth backstory as the Hollywood remake reverts to a centralisation on the romance between Kelvin and his wife rather than a more philoso...

  A new series I would like to begin on this blog is clapperboard comparisons. This is where I will investigate two films from a particular director and explore specific aspects of each film to determine my personal favorite (and therefore better) film. This is basically a rip off of the podcast Clash of the Titles so if you're a cinephile then please check that out. I will be kicking this series off with what I expect to be a very popular pairing of films by legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. These being Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001). I will be using five categories to determine the winner with the first of these being a look into each of the protagonists. Protagonist In this category we have Ashitaka from Mononoke vs Chihiro from Spirited Away. Ashitaka is a peacemaker, liberator and a hero. Even in the face of death, he strives to find peace between the animals of the forest as well as the people of Iron Town. His selflessness makes him incredibly ...