Review: Yesterday, or 4 Reasons This Is Worth Watching

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"Mama just killed a man... Oh wait."

The entire premise of the film is pretty straightforward: What would happen if you woke up one day and found that the Beatles never existed? I'm not just talking about the Beatles as a band; I'm also talking about their entire catalogue of songs. What's a world like without Beatles songs?

Frankly, as a writer myself, I was concerned about how the filmmakers intended to sustain this premise. I was pretty sure they wouldn't take the easy way out by having Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) wake up in the end to find out it was all a dream. That's downright lazy screenwriting, and although I didn't know that much about Richard Curtis (who penned the screenplay), I knew Danny Boyle wasn't having any of that.

Anyway, since this is about the Fab Four, let's analyse this film with these four points.

1. The direction
It's Danny Boyle. That's it. Danny Boyle is one of the few directors I would watch in a heartbeat, even without knowing what the film would be about. "Oh, it's Danny Boyle? Here, take my money." Boyle is a master of editing and pacing. The montage sequences have the feel of a music video – very dynamic and fast-paced, reminiscent of the late Tony Scott, another favourite director of mine.

2. The story
You'd think the filmmakers would've focused on just the disappearance of the Beatles songs, but they didn't. To make it more realistic, other things in that universe disappeared as well: the band Oasis (plus their entire catalogue), the beverage Coca-Cola, the entire Harry Potter franchise, and cigarettes. That's because the focus of the story isn't actually the disappearance of the Beatles. It's actually the love story between Malik and his long-time manager Ellie (Lily James). So the Beatles thing was more a set-up that would've seemed like a gimmick, were it not for Curtis's screenplay.

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"I dare you to do a stage dive into that sea of extras."

3. The performances
Himesh Patel is a natural, both musically and acting-wise. Also, the fact that he isn't white brings a whole new level of realism to the movie, and the fact that he isn't an onscreen pretty boy helps in emphasising his relatability to regular folk like us.

Lily James is adorable. That's all I can say. Kate McKinnon, on the other hand, was awesome. She captured the money-hungry mentality prevalent in showbusiness, with her deadpan delivery reminiscent of Saturday Night Live sketches.

The most memorable performance would have to be Ed Sheeran. He plays a douchebag version of himself, which is totally believable, though I'm not really sure if he's a douche in real life.

4. The music
The songs, of course, comprise an almost all-Beatle repertoire because, obviously, this is a film about the Beatles. Well, not really about them, but you get what I'm saying. I thought the filmmakers missed an opportunity to perform Oasis songs as well, but on the other hand, Oasis is like a Beatles spin-off anyway. Just kidding, I like Oasis. Okay, let's change that to "Beatles-inspired". Happy?

Anyway, Ed Sheeran plays a new song in the scene where he challenges Jack Malik to an on-the-spot songwriting contest. It's a wonderful song, but those who tried searching for that song might be disappointed, because as of this writing, it hasn't been released yet. I'm not sure if that particular song was the same one played in the end credits, but Richard Curtis reveals that song to be "One Life".


So how did this movie end? Was it all a dream? No, it wasn't. It really happened in the film's universe, the Beatles songs disappearing. They kept that up all the way to the end. So in a sense, this is like science fiction, as this would be an alternate timeline.

But how did this all begin, anyway? What caused this alternate timeline shift to a world without the Beatles? The answer: a glitch in the Matrix. That's all it is. So that makes this definitely science fiction. I think.

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"I'm sorry, but you're not famous enough to be on my Carpool Karaoke."

Yesterday. UK/Russia/China. 2019.



Original rating: 8.1/10
Game of Thrones's Joel Fry as Rocky: +0.1
Robert Carlyle as John Lennon: +0.1
Ed Sheeran's new song: +0.1
Danny Boyle's transitions: +0.1
Richard Curtis's writing: +0.1
Final rating: 8.6/10

Trance

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I've been told to watch Trance, because "It's a great mindfuck film, like Inception." Then I found out it's directed by Danny Boyle, so I said, "I'm watching this because it's Danny Boyle. Also, 'mindfuck' is not a film genre."

Film School Rejects

"How about 'brainfuck'?"

127 Hours

Warning: This film is not for wusses. I'm talking to myself.

Anyway, simple premise of this movie is this: Guy gets stuck for 127 hours. That's that.

Under a rock.

127 hours equals 5 days and 7 hours.

Seems short, right? At least it's not 127 days, you say?

Well, no. Five days is still enough for you to force yourself to start drinking your urine.

Nope, that's not Mountain Dew.

I had no idea about this film at first. But I soon learned this was directed by Danny Boyle. Which made me relax a little bit. I'm sure if there's any director alive who could make 127 hours in one location seem interesting, it'd have to be Danny Boyle.

"I didn't win this baby for nothing!"

Now as the movie progressed, I started to think, "Hey, this seems familiar. I've read this story before. From Cracked. And I was right. Read the article here. Then check out Number 6. That's the real life Aron Ralston. Though he looks nothing like James Franco.

Okay, so how did he get out of that rock? I'll give you a clue.

Like I said, not for wusses.

*some info from IMDb and Cracked
pics from VLC and China Daily


127 Hours. USA/UK. 2010.


Rating: Seven point nine out of ten.

28 Days Later

Gone are the days of the clumsy, lumbering zombies, popularized by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. The new zombie is fast, furious, and full of...rage.

Incidentally, the name of the zombie virus here is also called "rage". And it suits them quite well. All the infected here have the ability to run like Olympic sprinters. That should be enough to freak anybody out.

So Danny Boyle shows us his range as a director. And for pulling off a successful horror flick slash zombie fright fest, Danny Boyle cements his status as one of my favorite directors. Ever.

Great cinematography from Anthony Dod Mantle, who seems to work pretty well with the digital video medium. No wonder he had Slumdog Millionaire perfected. He's had years of practice already.

All the girls will be getting a treat in this film, seeing a few seconds of Cillian Murphy's schlong, and several shots of butt exposure. For the guys, there's no treat at all. The black girl never showed anything remotely sexy, and the young girl Hanah was...too young. But these are not the reasons that you should be watching this in the first place. You should watch this because it's 1) a zombie flick; 2) Cillian Murphy is in it; 3) Christopher Eccleston is in it; and 4) it's directed by Danny Boyle. Actually, just the fourth reason should be reason enough.


*pic from best-horror-movies.com


28 Days Later. UK. 2003.


Rating: Eight out of ten.
Cillian Murphy's hair: Nine out of ten.


**Because it was Halloween, a zombiefest was appropriate. Thank you to my friend Camsy for hosting it, although it was quite late.

Shallow Grave

Not one of his best films, but this one was definitely his first.

Director Danny Boyle, one of my most favorite directors ever, shows us what he can do behind the camera, and he doesn't disappoint. The shots are well-executed, and the storytelling is as clear as you can get. Of course he got a little help from screenwriter John Hodge, who would go on to write the screenplay for the other Danny Boyle hits Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, and The Beach.

This film was released in 1994, although looking at Kerry Fox's hair and wardrobe, you'd think you were still stuck in the eighties. This breathes life into what Robin Scherbatsky said in an episode of How I Met Your Mother: "The eighties didn't come to Canada 'til '93." It was probably the same in Scotland.

Ewan McGregor also marks his first of many collaborations with Danny Boyle, and he basically just goes on a fun ride throughout the film. It just seems like he's enjoying himself; it doesn't seem like he's acting at all. And for his so-called non-acting, this role actually won him an Empire Award.

There are actually three characters who live in the same flat (McGregor, Kerry Fox, and Christopher Eccleston), and you wouldn't be rooting for any of them, as they are all equally evil. But eventually, you would actually be rooting for Ewan McGregor, not because he turns into a nice guy in the end, but because he turns out to be the least despicable among the three. Nice twist there by John Hodge.

Despite being Danny Boyle's first film, his musical style has already been firmly established: electronica all the way. So I actually love Danny Boyle for his visual style, his clear-cut storytelling, and for his electronica. So watch this, if you are a Danny Boyle fan, because this was what jump-started his film career.


*some info from IMDb and Wikipedia
pic from empireonline.com


Shallow Grave. UK. 1994.


Rating: Seven out of ten.
Kerry Fox's hair: Five out of ten.

A Life Less Ordinary

This was one of Danny Boyle's earlier films. Of course this was way, way before Danny Boyle's Oscar.

A Life Less Ordinary is not your average, standard Hollywood rom-com. It's a romantic comedy with a twist. Delroy Lindo and the beautiful Holly Hunter play angels (literal, heavenly, cosmic angels) who are tasked by God to make sure that the odd couple of Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz fall in love.

This is the film where, in my opinion, Danny Boyle sold out. Danny Boyle's films have that unmistakable indie/art film quality about them, which seems to be missing in this particular film. We have less of the fantastic, magical, avante-garde shots characteristic of a Danny Boyle picture; instead, we have a safer approach to the overall visual feel, with less treading on experimental ground. Blame it all on the budget, and a cast of big-name stars.

But still, despite being described as a sell-out, Danny Boyle is still one of the best visual storytellers in the world right now. This film was released way back in 1997, and even then Boyle's visual style was already cemented.

Although Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor's onscreen chemistry passes the believability test, it's Delroy Lindo's and Holly Hunter's performances that the viewers will most likely remember. Well, that is of course aside from the brilliant supporting actors Stanley Tucci, Ian Holm, and Tony Shalhoub, whose mere presence in the film is a testament to its sell-out status.


*some info from imdb
photo from geekshow.us


A Life Less Ordinary. UK. 1997.


Rating: Seven over ten.

Slumdog Millionaire

While everyone is raving about Slumdog Millionaire, let me just stress that I've been a fan of Danny Boyle since Trainspotting. So that makes me more of an expert. Of course that was just a joke.

And to sum up Danny Boyle in one word: brilliant. Some people may argue that the great filmmakers are Coppola, Spielberg, and Scorsese, but they should realize that these people are American, and hence come from a different school of filmmaking. Boyle's films have that unmistakable European trademark, and on that ground alone, he shouldn't be compared to any of the American greats. Danny Boyle is brilliant. Period.

Westerners marvel at Boyle's decision to shoot entirely in the Mumbai slums, most of them seeing poverty up close for the very first time. Now for Third World viewers like moi, that's nothing new. We see that everyday. But what Danny Boyle has successfully captured on film is not the dirt and grime of slum life, but the love and happiness of the people who live in it. And that is something not all filmmakers can do.

It is said that Bollywood films are always shot inside the safe confines of the studio, where crowd control is never a problem. Shoot a film in the streets of Mumbai or New Delhi, and the hardest job would be controlling the swarm of people watching for their favorite celebrities. But fearless Boyle has braved the Indian streets, deciding that no studio magic could ever capture the real thing. And the breathtaking shots are a testament to his triumph.

Story-wise, Simon Beaufoy's screenplay is excellent. Adapted from a novel called Q & A, Beaufoy's script is a perfectly crafted mix between the questions on the TV show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (Indian version) and the life of the main character Jamal Malik. The poetry of the page has been translated successfully into poetry on the screen. The Boyle-Beaufoy combo is an effective one indeed.

And now, the acting. This film would not have been as effective if it weren't for the brilliant actors. Dev Patel and Freida Pinto light up the screen with their excellent performances. Patel (discovered by Danny Boyle's daughter on the British show Skins) is perfect as the good-natured future millionaire (was that a spoiler or not?), while Ms. Pinto radiates her beauty on the big screen for the first time, and she does not disappoint at all. But of course, good actors are guided by good directors, and I need not keep repeating that Danny Boyle is brilliant, because I'm running out of synonyms for the word "brilliant."

The musical score, including the excellent electronica (no Danny Boyle film is complete without any electronica) was composed by A. R. Rahman, who took home the Golden Globe for his score. Again, the music complemented the mood of Boyle's images, and the rising pulse of the beats blended seamlessly with the rising tensions in the story. And I honestly believe that very few filmmakers on this planet can pull off a full-length feature film without using a cello on the soundtrack.

Again, let me just state the obvious: Danny Boyle is brilliant. Slumdog Millionaire will win an Oscar. And I might just go watch Trainspotting again.


Original rating: Nine out of ten.


**Special thanks to Mr. Romeo de la Trinidad, for his graciousness in letting us barge into his home to watch bootlegged DVDs.