The 'long fuse/slow burn', Winged Migration and Noam

• There is a theory that Peter likes to perpetuate in American cinema -- and it involves the long fuse/slow burn. This is a school of acting that is developed by actors whose performances are gauged by a thermometre index. Two titans of Amercian cinema embody this acting style: Al Pacino and Samuel L. Jackson. We have come to expect a lot from Pacino over the years: we expect to be moved, touched and blown away by his performances on-screen. A lot of this is measured by the cadence of his speech and the power of his eyes with the spectator. Normally when Pacino is trying to peddle a speech on film, he begins with a methodical whisper. This is a deliberate measure of his character's slimy/evil ways. This whisper soon turns into a bellowing explosion-- chanelling the rage within. It's something that only Pacino can convey with accurate flair and convincing flourish. Spectators expect Pacino to blow up -- it's just a question of when and how. Some fantastic examples of Pacino's long fuse/slow burn include: the Godfathers I, II and III; Dog Day Afternoon; Dick Tracy; Glengarry GlenRoss and Looking for Richard (a docudrama which Pacino himself directed). Samuel L. Jackson is one of those great African-American actors who only comes along once in a lifetime. Jackson, a true-life recovering drug addict, made his name in a performance as a dancing, demanding, drug addled son to an evangelical preacher in Jungle Fever. Next to his voice, Jackson's eyes are his most powerful asset. Much like Pacino, audiences expect him to blow up into a powerful performance. It's just a matter of when and how. We all remember Jackson's breathtaking, Oscar-nominated turn as a drug enforcer called Jules in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. The power of this performance isn't so much Jackson's measured cadence of speech as it is Tarantino's style. The camera's frequent close-ups on Jackson's face as he utters a made-up bible verse before executing three drug money hogs, makes the sequence all that more terrifying. Other great performances featuring Jackson include Shaft and Changing Lanes. While the long fuse/slow burn school of acting have produced some terrible performances by both actors (see Pacino in Scent of a Woman or Jackson in Basic), the end results is usually electrifying.



• Visually, Winged Migration is very impressive. At times, the film reminds me of Koyaanisqatsi, the National Geographic and Walt Disney. Director Jacques Perrin spent four years filming birds all around the world, some migrating and some just for their beauty. But the real beauty of the film lies in the different countries we visit as we travel along the various migrating birds. Catch a glimpse of the Great Wall of China, the beautiful colours in Senegal and Mali. The film does tend to drag on and the accompanying soundtrack can be a little cheesy at times, thus the reference to Walt Disney. I would recommend seeing Jacques' film Microcosmos, that follows various bug's lives and the daily adventures they encounter.



• Noam Chomsky: linguist, political activist and all-around nice guy. I had the pleasure of seeing the documentary Power and Terror featuring Noam as he speaks about a post 9/11 America and it's effect on politics, on the media and on the world. Watch this film, watch Bowling for Columbine, listen to Jello Biafra and know that YOU can make a difference!

Peter gives us his list of 'Sleepers' and a tribute to Scots in cinema

• This week Peter gave us a list of films that he felt were sleepers: films that were unexpected box office successes. He is the proud owner of the films listed below.
  * represents films I'd recommend
  :( watch this if you're feeling particularly masochistic
  Shakespeare In Love * Office Space * Bowfinger Election * Breakdown :( Exotica * Four Weddings and a Funeral Return to Me Wag the Dog * Groundhog Day * The Blair Witch Project :( Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery * So I Married an Axe Murderer * Dead Man Walking * Boogie Nights Sling Blade :( One Hour Photo Meet the Parents El Mariachi * This is Spinal Tap * Halloween :( Sexy Beast * Waiting for Guffman Mulholland Drive * The Moulin Rouge The Royal Tenenbaums * Rain Man * My Cousing Vinny * Orange County * Reservoir Dogs * Goin Down the Road :( Being John Malkovich * Chicago Life is Beautiful * Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon * Run Lola Run



• I just recently watched GoldMember for the first time and after seeing Mike Myer's spectacular performance of the character Fat Bastard, it made me think of other films that feature Scottish characters. Films such as Highlander, the first few Star Trek films, Braveheart and everything starring Sean Connery. The more I pondered over this, other realisations came to fruition-- i can't think of a single film that has been unsuccessful that features a Scot. Hell, even in the Academy Award winning film Nowhere in Africa there was a small role featuring a Scot. Coincidence it won the award? Mebbe, but you know, they just don't give those things away. Here are a few clips I played on the show as a tribute to the Scot in cinema, lassie.
  So I Married an Axe Murderer1 So I Married an Axe Murderer2 So I Married an Axe Murderer3 So I Married an Axe Murderer4 Goldmember1 Goldmember2 The Spy Who Shagged Me