Game of Thrones - A Feast for the Eyes

2011-2019    

It is the early  90' s.  A successful but still not very well known journalist and writer of TV screenplays, horror and science fiction stories, with the name  George R.R. Martin,  decides to return to his first love:  novel writing.

Inspired by  stories  from the War of the Roses, heroes like Ivanhoe and the  writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, he begins to write a series of fantasy epic books, under the general title 'A Song of Ice and Fire'

In 1996 the first volume of the series, with the title 'A Game of Thrones',   is published.

However  real success comes with the fourth book, 'A Feast for Crows' -in 2005, taking not only the first place in the best sellers list of the New York Times but also several nominations for awards and the long awaited commercial and artistic recognition of its author.

On January 2007 and after having already bought the rights for the television adaptation of the books' series, the executives of the American television channel HBO, recruited the young and talented writers and producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, entrusting them to create a television adaptation of something like TV's 'Lord of the Rings' or in the words of   Benioff : 

'the Sopranos in Middle Earth' (!)

The story -of season 1- in a nutshell: 

When the 'Hand of the King' Robert Baratheon -something like the Prime Minister-  of  the 7 kingdoms of Westeros, dies under mysterious circumstances, the King travels to Winterfell and to his old friend and brother in arms and now Lord of the North,  Eddard Stark, with the request that he becomes the  new 'Hand'.  
 

Lord Stark reluctantly agrees to serve his King and so he travels to the capital King's Landing, where he comes face to face with the intrigues and machinations of the Court and the King's wife, Cersei of the House of Lannister, who has her  own plans for the future of the throne.

At the same time in the eastern free areas, the  two remaining descendants of the former King of Westeros, Aerys II Targaryen, plan the wedding of Daenerys Targaryen  to  the  Lord of  the nomadic and barbaric tribe of Dothraki,  Khal Drogo, in order to cross the narrow sea and lead his fearsome warriors to Westeros,  so they can  reclaim the throne.

While   the conflicts of  the 7 Lords of Westeros escalate and the kingdoms prepare for war, on  the northern border of the territory, the keepers of the avowed battalion of the Night's Watch,  guards of the colossal ice wall that protects the kingdom from the terrible evil that lurks in the unexplored region outside, discover that their mythical enemies may have awaken.
                     And Winter is Coming

Labyrinthine plot, mythical monsters, dream cities, scheming advisors, barbaric warlords, immoral noblemen, brave knights, unworthy successors, unexpected heroes, impressive witches, exciting twists, jousts, fights and fencing lessons, unique geography and unusual climatic events along with strong doses of sex, violence and other unscrupulous and R-rated  scenes, set  the tone for  this unusual but fun mural of a fictional medieval kingdom of an  alternative Middle Earth, where the seasons can last for years and myths might come in the  form of the Walking Dead.

The creators of the series, serving the spirit of the R.R. Martin books, with the help of the multi-million budget, offer a comprehensive, realistic and imposing illustration of the Kingdom of Westeros and its surrounding areas.

The production design of the series,  the detailed costumes and  the majestic breathtaking sceneries -computer generated  or not, serve the plot and promote the  storytelling while at the same time leave space and time to explore the numerous characters and enjoy the interpretation of a great assembly of  actors.

Sean Bean in the role of  Lord Stark, is accustomed to wearing an armor, since he has been  Boromir in the 'Fellowship of the Ring', the satanic and commanding Lena Headey, who stopped chasing Terminators, as Sarah Connor in  the homonymous television series, as Queen Cersei, manages to wipe out entire Royal Houses, the impressive and ferocious Jason Momoa (Conan the barbarian) as Khal the ... barbarian who falls for the -not so- fragile princess of the House of  Dragons.

Not forgetting to mention the amazing likeness of Prince Jaime Lannister, Queen Cersei's  twin brother, to ...  Prince Charming  in "Shrek 2"  !

The one who definitely steals the show and is probably the only non-Stark we really like, is Peter Dinklage, in the role, of pleasure-seeking, witty, cynical and full of surprises, Tyrion Lannister.

Dinklage was  singled out and fairly awarded  for this role with a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

Special mention to the atmospheric soundtrack of the series written by Ramin Djawadi.


The German-Indian composer of films like 'Iron Man', 'Clash of the Titans' and 'Pacific Rim' and TV shows like 'Prison Break', 'Person of Interest' and 'Westworld', manifests his fondness for the classic romantics like Brahms and Tchaikovsky but is also influenced by the epic music of Elmer Bernstein.

Djawadi accompanies each character and every storyline uniquely, whether it's the rich dark sound of the cellos of the opening titles, the melodic filled with drums minimalist theme of Daenerys or the Lannister theme, introduced in season 2 with the 'The Rains of Castamere' song, playing each instrument on the keyboard himself.

The composer excelled by writing a 10 minute long all-new musical theme entitled 'Light of the Seven' for the explosive season 6 finale -the wildfire sequence.
You can read his interview with the Hollywood Reporter HERE

On April 24th,  the 6th  - first spoiler free- season premiered on HBO.
 
Based on George R.R. Martin's  unpublished -sixth- book 'The Winds of Winter' but with enough material from the previous two books 'A Feast for Crows' and 'A Dance with Dragons' which follow different characters and plots.

According to Benioff  'This season was a beast to make'. 

Not only did production values rose high, the GOT showrunners had also to carry the story forward from the end point of the final book. According to Weiss: 'That was both very exciting and a bit terrifying at times'.

The series culminated on episode 9 with the epic and -perhaps best filmed cinematic battle in history- the 'Battle of the Bastards' staged by director Miguel Sapochnik, also responsible for  season's 5 'Hardhome' and season's 6 finale.

Sapochnik rightfully won an Emmy for best director in a dramatic  series. 

As we wait in excitement for the ultimate season to begin let's have a look at GamesRadar's season 7 recap.

Questions about what will be the fate of Jon Snow or what will happen to Daenerys after her glorious return to Westeros,  will be answered, after the end of season 8, which premieres April 14 on HBO.

Until then, worldwide audiences and GOT enthusiasts  will have to wait for only 6 more mega-episodes to air, to witness who will be the last man, woman or beast to sit on the Iron Throne.

You can find the greek version of my review HERE

The Dark Knight Rises - A Dark Masterpiece

 

District 9: A lifeboat of refugees from another planet

 

2009/112 min                         

Johannesburg, South Africa. One morning in 1982,  the residents wake up to an amazing sight :

A huge spaceship hovers over the city.
 
Nobody knows where it came from or why it is there, whether its occupants are friendly or hostile. 
For several days the authorities are unable to communicate with the unknown visitors.

Finally, when the  silence becomes unbearable, they decide to break into the spacecraft.

What they face is a sick, hungry, despairing and wretched population of hideous alien creatures that resemble to insects or ... prawns.

28 years later, the initial hopes and celebrations for the historic first contact with an alien civilization have subsided.

The Government of South Africa had initially decided to host its "guests" at a refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Johannesburg, in the shadow of the spacecraft which all these years, remains abandoned and unmoved.

The alien population has increased and the townspeople are treating the alien immigrants with hostility.

The camp has turned into a ghetto. 
It is called District 9,   it is controlled by Nigerian gangs of smugglers and guarded by MNU (Multinational United), a private military force .

MNU's real objective is to have access to the alien war technology. The problem is that the alien weapons only work when operated by the aliens' DNA.

After continuous pressures from the residents of Johannesburg, the government decides to evacuate district 9 and move the alien population to a new camp in the desert, away from all residential areas.

MNU which is responsible for the relocation, instructs its employee, Wikus van de Merwe, a methodical bureaucrat-totally unsuspicious of what he will have to face, to notify the eviction decision to the alien population and get their written consent.

During the operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange extra-terrestrial chemical and he gradually transforms into an  alien.

Very soon, Wikus revises his views and with the help of two unlikely allies, he starts a fight for survival that brings him face to face with his former employers, the truth about the alien presence and   his  own self .

Director and co-writer of this unique film/experience, is the 30 year old -in 2009, South African Neill Blomkamp.
Blomkamp, ​​who studied visual effects and had a career in advertising, was  initially recruited by Peter Jackson, to direct a film based on the video game "Halo".
When the project foundered, Jackson, who appreciated the young talent, offered him 30 million dollars to direct a project of his own, with Jackson producing.

Blomkamp seized the opportunity, already having a finished screenplay for a feature film in his mind, since in 2006 he had directed a short film that dealt with the same issues as District 9.

The 6-minute film  titled ¨Alive in Joberg¨, was inspired by real events that happened during the Apartheid era  in 1966, in Cape Town and specifically in Region 6 -District 6, when a government decree designated it as an area ¨ FOR WHITES ONLY ¨

As a result 60,000 colored inhabitants were forcibly compelled to leave their homes and businesses  and to  be  displaced in  blocks of flats,  25 km away from their old neighborhood.

You can watch the original short film here:

District 9 was one of the very first movies made with the then revolutionary digital camera Red One, which was offered   by its generous producer and has the form of a Mock-documentary.

It begins with interviews of  people who have witnessed the arrival of the spaceship and presents the facts in the form of news stories. 

The protagonist Wikus van de Merwe is introduced in the same way:(The hero's name is commonly used in South Africa as a character in jokes and was used for that very reason)

The role of  Wikus is played by Sharlto Copley. An old friend of the director, Copley who was a television producer,  had a childhood dream, to become an actor. 

Not only did he to starred in his buddy's film, Copley managed to steal the show.

The feeling that we are watching uncut  shots from the live broadcasting of a blatant reality, with interviews of ordinary citizens, officials and images of gigantic aliens, the view of which tightens our stomachs, cannot be described in words.

All this combined with the unsuspecting -euphemistically stupid-  lead character, creates an initially strange and indigestible still elaborate outcome that offers much more than you expect to get out of it.

Reality has never seemed more   surreal, even when you know that  you are watching a  science fiction movie.

The clearly visible political comment of the director, is not just for the modern history of his country, focusing on the Apartheid era. It refers to issues such as xenophobia, racism, segregation, illegal immigration.

When the alien spaceship first appears over Johannesburg, we all wait to see it carrying a higher form of life with advanced technologies, many steps ahead of us in the long ladder of evolution.

Still  the spacecraft proves to be big lifeboat full of abandoned misery that looks to be saved by us.

Moreover, the form of the life it contains   looks ... abominable.

The director intended to design the aliens in a way that the audience could find no  connection to any known form of life to identify, a great thought in theory only, since it would make the plot of the movie impossible.

The final design resulted in the 3 meter-bipedal locusts/prawns and the film's artistic compromise finally paid off ,  since there comes a time when two  and eventually three of them steal our hearts .

The irony running through the film, at the limits of parody and the grotesque is one of its greatest virtues .

The real ghetto that once housed and separated the black populations of Johannesburg, in the film is turned into an alien camp.
The blacks take the place of their former white oppressors, exploiting their new victims in any way they can.

Still the film's final reversal is the one created by the most interesting plot device of all: Transformation

As Wikus  slowly   separates  from his earthly self, he leaves behind the worst traits  of his  human nature.

When  he is finally occupied by the  alien DNA,  he is more "human"  than he has ever been.

Discover District 9 on Blu-ray and DVD.

You can find the greek version of my review HERE 

Gwoemul - 괴물 - The Host