Three Ways of Writing Irredeemable Characters (or why I didn’t care a lot about I Care a Lot)

I didn’t enjoy J Blakeson’s recent black comedy I Care a Lot. For those who haven’t yet seen it, it’s the story of Marla (Rosamund Pike), a calculating psychopath who takes over the legal guardianship of elderly people, has them placed in assisted-living facilities, and scams them out of their money and possessions. When she crosses the wrong old lady, she ends up in the crosshairs of Peter Dinklage’s violent Russian mobster, and must fight for her survival.

I Care a Lot seems tailor-made for my tastes. It’s A) a black comedy B) about a despicable monster scheming their way out of trouble C) with lots of violence and style. So why did I dislike it so much? It’s certainly not because of Rosamund Pike’s performance. She’s as reliable as ever, relishing another opportunity to break bad and be as cruel as possible. Unlike other critics, I don’t even think the issue is that Marla is irredeemable, as I have seen and loved many films about morally bankrupt characters going about their lives.

No, I Care a Lot has a few fatal flaws that really killed any enjoyment I had of it. While I could spend more time talking about the dumb plotting that sees characters acting incompetently when the script needs it, or the weak satire that fires wildly at multiple targets (missing most of them), I want to look in-depth at Marla, and irredeemable characters in general. Specifically, I believe there are three main ways of writing unlikeable characters, none of which I Care a Lot manages to do. Let’s break them down:

Is T2 Trainspotting a worthy sequel to one of the greatest British films of all time?

No film has been quite as hyped up on this blog as Danny Boyle’s long-awaited sequel to his 1996 classic Trainspotting. Ever since Boyle announced he was reuniting with producer Andrew MacDonald, screenwriter John Hodges, and the original cast to work on the then-unnamed follow-up, I’ve been anticipating its premiere with excitement and minor anxiety. After all, the most viewed blog I’ve ever written was my breathless, ever-so-slightly hyperbolic article ‘Why Trainspotting is the Best Film of All Time’. The original means a lot to me; since I first developed a passion for cinema in my early teens, I’ve called Trainspotting my all-time favourite film. The combination of stylish direction, brash performances and incredible music blew my mind and made me want to work in film. Twenty years later, can T2 Trainspotting possibly live up to its masterful predecessor?

Choose life. Choose to watch the T2 trailer.

My most anticipated film of 2017, Trainspotting sequel T2, has finally released a trailer, and it looks stunning. Featuring dreamy hallucinations, familiar faces, and the up-to-date rantings of Ewan McGregor’s iconic Renton, the first trailer for Danny Boyle’s long awaited follow-up has only increased the hype.

It’s going to be a long wait until January 27th.

Check out the trailer for T2 here:

By Harry J. Ford

 

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FordOnFilm’s Most Anticipated Films of 2016/2017

From festival winners to indie autuers to Oscar hopefuls, the next year or so promises to deliver an astonishing array of high quality films. Here are twenty of my most anticipated films that should be hitting cinemas soon:

American Honey

UK Release Date: 14th October 2016

It’s been 5 years since Andrea Arnold’s last film, her challenging Wuthering Heights adaptation. Red Road and Fish Tank are two of the best British films of the last decade, and American Honey, her American road trip movie, looks to be as stylish and bold as her previous films.

New T2: Trainspotting 2 teaser offers first glimpse of Renton and co.

In anticipation of its eagerly-awaited January 27th premiere, the Trainspotting has just released an exclusive teaser trailer on The Guardian. Though only forty seconds long, the new T2 teaser finally gives us a glimpse at our four main characters: Renton (Ewan McGregor), Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller), and Begbie (Robert Carlyle). The lack of Kevin McKidd’s tragic Tommy is just one of the many melancholic factors surrounding the film; twenty years on, all four men look somewhat ravaged by two decades of heroin and partying.

Though only a shot of the four men stood on a train platform (to the iconic strains of ‘Lust For Life’), excitement is building for the new film. Little is known of the plot; many have suggested T2 will draw from Trainspotting sequel Porno and Begbie spin-off The Blade Artist. Either way, with the original cast back and Danny Boyle behind the lens, it’s one to watch out for.

By Harry J. Ford

 

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Trainspotting sequel gets name, release date and fancy teaser trailer

As perhaps the internet’s most passionate Trainspotting supporter, you can imagine my excitement today when Sony Pictures released the first teaser for Danny Boyle’s long-awaited Trainspotting sequel, now christened T2.

Featuring an older, wiser Renton narration, along with promising the reunited original cast, the teaser for T2 also reveals that the film will be hitting cinemas on 27th January 2017 (the day after my birthday, I’m sure many of you will be fascinated to know). It’s finally here. It’s finally happening. The sequel to my favourite film of all time is going to be with us in January.

It’s time to get hyped.

By Harry J. Ford

 

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Robert Carlyle says Trainspotting 2 script is one of the best he’s ever read

Trainspotting 2 has been my most anticipated film of next year ever since it was first announced a few months back. In news that should reassure any doubters who think the sequel couldn’t possibly be as good as the first, Robert Carlyle recently told the NME that John Hodge’s screenplay is “one of the best scripts I’ve ever fucking read”. In the interview, Carlyle says of the script:

“Obviously these four characters are 20 years older now and I’ve never seen a sequel that takes place 20 years after the original, so I think that gives it a certain unique quality. And of course, the audience is 20 years older too – people who came to see the original film when they were in their early twenties are very different people now…I tell you, this film is going to be quite emotional for people. Because the film sort of tells you to think about yourself. You are going to be thinking: ‘Fuck. What have I done with my life?'”

It’s going to be a long year to wait for the sequel to be released.

By Harry Ford

In the best film news of the year, Danny Boyle confirms Trainspotting sequel with the original cast

Those who know me, or have been following the blog since the beginning, know that Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting is my favourite film of all time. Since I first saw it in my early teens, I’ve loved Boyle’s adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s tale of Glaswegian heroin addicts. It’s been known for some time that Boyle had interest in directing an adaptation of Porno, Welsh’s Sick Boy-centric sequel to the book. Finally, nearly twenty years since Trainspotting first started a British cinema revolution, Boyle has announced he will be directing the sequel, with all of the original cast returning.

The Steve Jobs trailer suggests Oscar nominations for Michael Fassbender, Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin

Was Steve Jobs tailor made for me?

Just days after I posted my top five favourite Michael Fassbender performances on this very blog, the first official trailer for Steve Jobs has been released to the world. The presence of Fassbender in a leading role is intriguign enough, but the talents behind the camera are equally outstanding. Directed by Danny Boyle (director of my all-time favourite film Trainspotting) and written by Aaron Sorkin (writer of my pick for best film of the last decade The Social Network), I can’t think of many better ways to make me instantly hyped for a new release.

Could this be a serious awards contender? The classy trailer suggests so; dramatic speeches, full-scale breakdowns, and a great cast including Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels, and Seth Rogen in a rare dramatic performance. While I’d be happy to see Danny Boyle gather a third Best Director nod (after 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won the prize) and Aaron Sorkin to pick up yet another award, I really hope that Michael Fassbender gets his long deserved Best Actor nod. After his Best Supporting Actor nomination for 12 Years A Slave, it would be great to see him finally take home the big one.

By Harry Ford

Films I Saw This Week (29/06/2015)

 

Filth (2013)

Jon S. Baird’s Irvine Welsh adaptation Filth does an excellent job of showing just how terrific Trainspotting is; whereas Trainspotting took deplorable characters and situations and turned them into pitch perfect black comedy, Filth struggles wildly to find the right tone. Fortunately, Baird just about pulls it off.

Despite a chaotic middle section, pretty naff hallucinations, and Jim Broadbent’s baffling appearance as an Australian psychiatrist, Filth doesn’t completely fall apart, mostly due to the outstanding James McAvoy, giving his greatest performance to date as the worst detective in Scotland. As the film grows darker, reaching a surprisingly emotional climax, McAvoy rises to the challenge in some incredibly difficult scenes. Filth is a complete mess, but it’s a furiously demented and entertaining mess. Stay tuned after the ending for the weirdest credits sequence in film history.

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