May recap

May was a pretty good month for me. I finally finished all my projects and essays for university and successfully turned them in, and now I just have to focus on my dissertation. After that stressful beginning of the month, I went back home for a week and a half and enjoyed spending time with my family and some close friends, while my mom spoiled me and fed me like there was no tomorrow :) Now I am back in London, ready to rumble, do my research and find a job. I need a job/work experience/internship/anything to do this summer, otherwise I will go crazy!
[Side note: lovely London people, what do I have to do to get into the press screenings? can I or is it too early to do it? help please?]

As for actual movies I saw this month, I am happy to check some important titles I've been meaning to see for months (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, City Lights and so on).

Here's the list for May:


Movies:
Young Adult [2011]
City Lights [1931]
Some Like It Hot [1959]
Coco avant Chanel [2009] foreign film
Taxi Driver [1976]
Raging Bull[1980]
The Virgin Suicides [1999]
Le Scaphandre et le Papillon [2007] foreign film
Big Fish [2003]
Moonrise Kingdom [2012]
Brief Encounter [1945]

Books: 1

I also participated in some very cool blogathons
- Nostra's The Ten: Best actors of all time- my pick
and
- Duke&the movies' Representing Humanity- my choices

Next month:
- 2 concerts (Maccabees and BBC Hackney Weekend)
- Viewing of Frankestein, the Danny Boyle theater play that he directed, starting Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller, which also was broadcast live across the UK, and now it's being re-introduced to some select theaters. Just so there are no confusions: I am going to see it in the cinema theater, so no, unfortunately, I won't see Cumberbatch in person, but he will be on a huge screen in front of me, and I am fine with that :)
- Diamond Jubilee parties
- Tate Museum visit
...and hopefully, many more interesting things!

Have a great June everyone!

Taxi Driver [1976]

Up until last week, I hadn't seen Taxi Driver- I know, I know- "blasphemy", "you call yourself a film blogger", "I can't believe it" etc etc. I had it planned to watch it for a long time, so suddenly, one night, I said "Why Not?" and I put it on. I had rather high expectations, but I am happy to say even those were overcome.

Taxi Driver is a 1976 classic written by Paul Schrader and directed by Martin Scorsese, which tells the story of a Vietnam war veteran, who struggles with insomnia and dangerous thoughts and drives a taxi to keep himself busy. Clearly mentally unstable, he goes from one obsession to another, trying to right a wrong or revenge a nonexistent problem.

As I said before, I was blown away by the movie. The first and most important thing I loved and I will remember about Taxi Driver is Martin Scorsese's direction- the man is one of the best directors out there; I could easily describe at least 5 amazing scenes to showcase his genius: the opening scene, the random close-ups of the car and the city, the fantastic discussion in the cafe house and the change of camera shots between Travis and the afro-americans, and my favorite/s, the shooting scene at the end (the aerial view of the room after the cops arrived, the exchange of gun fire, that iconic close-up of the bloody Travis after it- everything was masterfully directed).

The small, but exemplary cast that they assembled is great and they work together very well, each bringing their own flavor and style to the table. The young Jodie Foster, as Iris, shines in a scandalous role, showcasing her talent as a young hooker who is used to the street life. Cybill Sheperd, playing Betsy, the campaign worker Travis falls for, offers the right amount of mystery and sensuality and works well with de Niro (I especially liked their first meeting at the cafe). Of course, I have to mention the funny looking Albert Brooks, who I didn't recognized at first.

The main character, the Taxi Driver, is played by the fantastic Robert de Niro. It truly is a defining moment in his career and one of his best roles ever. He perfectly portrays the part of the deranged men who is looking for a purpose in life after his retirement from the Marines. The deterioration of his mental state begins with the sudden obsession he develops for Palantine after his previous fixation with Betsy (Cybill Sheperd) ends up unsuccessfully. After his fail attempt towards the politician's ife, Travis redirects his vigilante spirit to the pimp controlling Iris and decides to end things dramatically.

The last scenes are violent and bloody. That and actually the whole movie, well, at least in some parts, were very reminiscent of Drive- well actually, Drive was reminiscent of Taxi Driver. From the way it was shot, to some of the music, to the The Driver/The Taxi Driver...it's not an obvious resemblance, but it just gave me the feeling I've have seen it before somehow.

If you get angry every award season that some of your favorites don't make the cut, let me just tell you the situation for Taxi Driver: it didn't win any Oscars, it only got 4 nominations and they didn't even consider Scorsese for best Director, which is unbelievable.

All in all, as much as I try to analyse it, I feel I can't really do it justice, so I am just going to say this. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen. The story is very interesting, it features character development, something which I look for and love in a movie, the direction, production and music score are all amazing and blend it beautifully, creating a chilling, slightly mad atmosphere. I especially loved the first half of the movie, I was constantly being surprised by everything happening. The cast does its job to the T and Robert de Niro nails the Taxi Driver part, but the real star is Martin Scorsese's direction. Please see this film, if you haven't already!