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It’s
almost impossible to write anything that’s considered original
anymore, and sometimes this is not the writer's fault. We all read
books, watch TV, go to the cinema and whether you liked the novel,
programme or film, it lodges itself in your sub-conscious, like
all that beef you ate during the eighties that will sit in your
gut until the day you die (cheery fact that). How many times have
you stopped yourself and thought “where have I heard/seen
that before.” And when you write, these unconscious influences
seep out into your work and you make them your own. Would this defence
for plagiarism stand up in court? “It’s not my fault
m’lord, I just watched far too much television as a child.”
Well, it works in murder cases. The very blunt point I’m trying
to make is that we all have influences and people that we aspire
to. Here at Evil Hypnotist Productions we decided to list them for
you, name and shame the guilty.
So,
if you don’t like our work, don’t blame us, blame the
people who came before us:
Just
click on the head of the poor soul and read their crimes.
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GHOSTBUSTERS
(1984)
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Director:
Ivan Reitman
Writers: Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver,
Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. |
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Whenever
I mention to someone that I make films the inevitable question comes
up: “What are you crazy? Why don’t you just become an
accountant or something?” No, sorry, not that one; the “so
what’s your top ten best films of all time?” Like the
fact that I make films is supposed to make this task any easier.
It’s basically impossible, because it shifts every month as
more films are made. Which is why when you see the annual lists
published by film mags and institutes, the classic, safe films (Godfather,
Psycho, Citizen Kane) are mixed with recent blockbusters (The
Matrix, Pulp Fiction, Cross Roads).
This is all futile – how can you compare a film like The
Third Man to, say, Die Hard. Both, in my mind, are
great films. One is a beautifully shot portrait of one mans struggle
with friendship and truth and the other is The Third Man.
Die Hard is a great action flick, popcorn fodder, and defined
every action film that followed. But these two are polar opposites,
so how can you judge them on the same scale? When someone asks me
the ‘top ten’ question I break out in a cold sweat,
thinking that I have to go for safe films, a Hitchcock, a Scorsese,
a Kubrick. I’m a filmmaker for Christ’s sake, I can’t
like Clueless! So, I wimp out and go for the even safer
option, the film that started it all, the film that made me want
to make films. That film is Ghostbusters.
From start to finish it still has me hooked. From the scared shitless
librarian beginning, to the cooked marshmallow–covered end,
I love this film. I’ve watched it countless times and constantly
annoy friends by reciting the script, word and tone perfect, at
the drop of a hat, or the drop of anything come to think of it.
Proton packs, Slimer, Ecto 1, Ray Parker Jnr, Stay Puff, Bill Murray,
comedy, horror, this film has everything. It stands the test of
time and the effects look as good as they did back in 1984. This
film had a profound affect on me, made me love films, made me feel
sad when the end credits rolled because I never wanted it to end.
I wanted to watch the guys’ zap ‘n’ trap till
the cows came home and went out again. This is a personal number
one film.
So next time someone asks you what your favourite film is, don’t
play safe and say Some Like It Hot. Look them straight
in the eye, take a deep breath and say it proud: “Coyote
Ugly”.
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STAR
WARS - The Holy Trilogy (1977 – 1983)
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Director:
George Lucas (Star Wars), Irvin Kershner (Empire),
Richard Maquand (Jedi)
Writers: George Lucas (Star Wars),
Lawrence Kasdan & Leigh Brackett (Empire),
Lawrence Kasdan & George Lucas (Jedi)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie
Fisher, James Earl Jones (voice), David Prowse (body), Anthony
Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew. |
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Ok,
I know this is a bit of a cop out. There are few in my generation,
who grew up in the late seventies and eighties that were not influenced
by the holy trilogy. Those who weren’t should be rounded up
and quarantined so they don’t accidentally see the new
Star Wars films and think that’s want they’re all
like. NO! Listen to me now; before Star Wars became a blue
screen animation Saturday morning cartoon, they were films. You
hear me - FILMS! Sorry to get all emotional, but I grew up with
Stars Wars, had the bed sheets, the toys (my friend even
had the huge AT-AT - bastard). Kids today are not getting a fair
deal; we watched films, they’re getting toy adverts.
Filmmaking
is all about passion, love of the story, the characters, the process.
George Lucas has managed to suck all the life and passion out of
Star Wars and replace it with a stuffed Jar Jar doll while muttering
to himself it’s still Star Wars. NO IT’S NOT!
I haven’t watched the originals for a while and Empire
Strikes Back was on television recently. I was flicking around
the channels, trying to find something to distract me for a bit
when I stumbled upon the closing scenes of Empire. Luke
was fighting Vader and gets his hand sliced off, just after which
Vader decides this is the perfect opportunity to announce that he
is in fact Luke’s father. NOOOOOO!!! Brilliant! The best thing
about Empire is that it has seven magic words attached
to it: not-written-and-directed-by-George-Lucas.
The
trilogy is a set of three great, influential films (we can forgive
Jedi for the Ewoks). I sincerely doubt that in twenty years
time films will be referencing Attack of the Clones, or
stealing a line from Phantom Menace, which is a generations’
loss. Star Wars binds the universe of twenty-something,
child-adults together. But I’ll still go and watch the third
film when it’s released. DAMN YOU LUCAS!
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BACK
TO THE FUTURE - The Other Holy Trilogy (1985 - 1989)
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Director:
Robert Zemeckis.
Writers: Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis.
Starring: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd,
Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover. |
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I
wanted a red body warmer. I wanted to be able to stay on a skateboard
without it shooting off in one direction and me in the other. I
wanted to play Johnny B Good like there was no tomorrow. I wanted
to travel through time and make my mum fall in love with me. No,
wait a minute - forget that last Oedipus part. From a lost time
when blockbusters didn’t only have amazing special effects,
but a story too. Back To The Future made time travel make
sense, which, believe me, is no easy feat.
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SAM
RAIMI
(Director) |
Filmography:
The Evil Dead, The Evil Dead 2 (Dead by Dawn), Darkman,
Army of Darkness, The Quick and the Dead, The Gift, A Simple
Plan, Any Given Sunday, Spider-man, Spider-man 2, Spider-man
3. |
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Sam
is the man. Who else can invent the eye-o-cam – following
an eye as it pops out the skull of an undead granny, flies across
the room straight into the mouth of a screaming victim. Some people
think the crane shot through the skylight in Citizen Kane is classic,
but did it have an eyeball attached to it which smashed through
the glass and into Orson Welles’ mouth? I think not! If
you’re new to the Raimi I suggest you start with The
Evil Dead 2 and witness the amazing acting skills of Bruce
Campbell. He slices up his evil dead girlfriend with such zest.
Finest
hour: The Evil Dead 2.
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KEVIN
SMITH
(writer/director/Silent Bob) |
Filmography:
Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent
Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks 2. |
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There’s
people who write dialogue and then there’s Kevin Smith. Example:
BANKY: All right – bring on the free hooch.
HOOPER: What do you mean, “free”? I
didn’t invite your tired ass. (looks around) So,
where’s your better half?
BANKY: Taking a piss. Guy’s got a bladder
like an infant.
HOOPER: That’s funny – he says you’re
hung like an infant.
BANKY: Must his mother tell him everything?
Chasing Amy (1996)
No other writer can turn rapid-fire dick and fart jokes into a story.
He also got some of his mates together, maxed out five credit cards
to make his first feature, Clerks. Kevin Smith is inspiring
to all first time filmmakers, just get out there and dare.
Finest hour: Chasing Amy.
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PETER
JACKSON (writer/director) |
Filmography:
Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, Braindead, Heavenly Creatures,
The Frighteners, Forgotten Silver, The Lord of the Rings
Trilogy, King Kong. |
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This
is the guy you want to be. He started out making alien invasion
films in his parent’s house, doing his own special effects
and now he's heading one of the most ambitious film trilogies ever
attempted. I recently meet him, and I don’t mean I popped
over to New Zealand for a cuppa joe, I mean I had the fated fortune
to be in the right place at the right time. He was down to earth,
dressed in his uniform – shorts, T-shirt, bushy beard, and
didn’t have the air of the man who is fast becoming one of
the best directors in the world. He was just like - a guy. I shook
one of my mentors by the hand, told him how much I admired his work
and got him to scribble his name on a hastily produced bit of paper.
In this day and age where we are obsessed with pictures of Z-list
celebrities doing their shopping in Sainsbury’s, and here
is one of the real magic makers, the people who put it all together,
without a chaperon of brick-shit-house bodyguards or a car with
black tinted windows. In his mind he’s just a man who does
a job. The job just happens to be the coolest job on the planet!
Well, to me anyway.
Finest hour: The new holy trilogy.
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ALFRED
HITCHCOCK (director/cigar chomper) |
Filmography:
(in alphabetical order) The Birds, Blackmail,
Dial M for Murder, Family Plot, Foreign Correspondent, Frenzy,
I Confess, Jamaica Inn, Juno and the Paycock, the Lady Vanishes,
The Lifeboat, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1935 & 1956),
The Manxman, Marnie, Mr and Mrs Smith, Murder, North by
Northwest, Notorious, The Paradine Case, Psycho, Rear Window,
Rebecca, The Ring, Rope, Sabotage, Saboteur, The Secret
Agent, Shadow of a Doubt, The Skin Game, Spellbound, Stage
Fright, Strangers on a Train, Suspicion, The 39 Steps, To
Catch a Thief, Topaz, Torn Curtain, The Trouble with Harry,
Under Capricorn, Vertigo, The Wrong Man. |
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Ok,
so this is an obvious one, which filmmaker is not influenced by
the fat, cigar–chewing one? He is to film, what The Beatles
are to music. Without him where would film be?
Finest hour: The 39 Steps.
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STEVEN
SPIELBERG (director/cap wearer) |
Filmography:
Duel, The Sugarland Express, 1941, Jaws, Close Encounters
of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET The Extra-Terrestrial,
Twilight Zone – The Movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple
of Doom, The Colour Purple, Empire of the Sun, Always, Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s
List, Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad, Saving Private
Ryan, A.I., Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal,
War Of The Worlds, Munich. |
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What
is it with directors and beards? My friends and family have witnessed
my various, unsuccessful attempts to grow a beard, but, like some
mobile phone companies, I just don’t have the coverage.
I feel sometimes that this will hold me back as a director, my
lack of beard will be spotted the moment I try and join the union
and that will be it, career over before it even had a chance to
grow (little beard reference for you there). How far would I get
with a false beard? Not a big, black Rasputin number, more a small,
discreet jazz club goatee. How long before one of my lead actresses,
in a fit of pre-madonna rage, accidentally rips off my disguise
and reveals me for the fraud I am!?!
Sorry, Spielberg – the king of the summer blockbuster and
the thought–provoking war epic. A fellow film obsessive
turned filmmaker and a man to whom making films seems to come
so easy, like he could do it in his sleep. He has a couple of
times, but we won’t name names (have you tried to sit through
A.I? WILL IT EVER END!?). But he can be forgiven for
his minor slip-ups when he produces such masterpieces as Close
Encounters and Indiana Jones (all of ‘em).
Keep that beard growing (now I’m just becoming obsessed).
Finest
Hour: Raiders of the Lost Ark.
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DOUGLAS
ADAMS (writer/hitchhiker/towel owner) |
Novels:
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant at the End of
the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long
and Thanks For All the Fish, Mostly Harmless, Dirk Gently’s
Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the
Soul, The Meaning of Liff (with John Lloyd), The
Deeper Meaning of Liff (with John Lloyd), Last
Chance to See (with Mark Carwardine), The Salmon
Of Doubt. |
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If
there is one man who is the biggest influence on my writing, then
it is this man. He has made me laugh more and think more than
any other writer. He has taught me that it is easier to influence
someone, or kick their brain into working if first you make them
laugh. All his mad ideas and amazing stories had some basis’
in improbable scientific fact, except maybe the bit about the
mice. I would also like to state right now, on this very website,
that one day I would like to make Dirk Gently into a film (well
it worked for Samuel L. Jackson with Lucas). Douglas Adams took
the improbably impossible and turned it into a plausible possibility,
he is sorely missed.
Finest hour: The Hitchhikers Guide to the
Galaxy (in all its incarnations).
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Well,
I’d like to kick things off by saying two words: Bill Murray.
OK, so not exactly two words, more two names, but my point is made,
is it not? The point? Busting makes me feel good. It’s slime-time.
They go ‘up’…hang on – what was that? PW’s
already done a glowing summary of Ghostbusters! Egit. Well,
it saves me a job I s’pose. Needless to say, the soundtrack
to this film is beyond stellar, and its style, conception and overall
groove is a major favourite. The simple fact that Ray Parker Jr.’s
title track became so much bigger the just ‘the theme tune
for the film’ is a testament to how good Ghostbusters’
soundtrack is – people quote ‘who you gonna call?’
for all manner of reasons. One (of about a squillion) aims is to
create a theme tune for an EHP movie that is embraced in the same
way. At the moment I’d love for that theme to be ‘Flux’
from a movie called Paradox… but more on that elsewhere.
Loads of other themes tunes have had the same kind of impact on
the world as Ray’s: the two-note terror of John Williams’
Jaws theme music, the shrieking strings-only score of Bernard
Herrmann’s Psycho score, both which are favourites
and big influences on the way my brain puts music together for the
EHP projects. But, enough of the obvious composers – here’s
some other favourite flicks and composers that have blessed the
world with a kick-ass soundtrack (and not a ‘Music from and
Inspired By’ bunch of arse!):
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ALIENS
- There's A Whole Bunch Of 'Em (1986) |
Director:
James Cameron
Music by: James Horner |
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Ahhhhhhh.
And indeed, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The memory this movie fills me with
a mixture of a warm fuzzy glow and absolute terror. This score is
an absolute classic, hence the sense of warmth familiarity, but
it stretches your nerves to breaking point on every listen. 'Bishop’s
Countdown' is the highlight, colliding together metallic smashings
and petrified orchestrations – a classic example of the music
driving forward the emotional tone of the movie. And yep, remember
this is Aliens we’re talking about here, the superior
movie to Ridley Scott’s original. Sorry film students and
my old film lecturer… but you’re wrong.
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BATMAN
- Holy Bat Movie (1989)
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Director:
Tim Burton
Music by: Danny Elfman / Prince |
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Dan
the (Elf) man. When he’s firing on all cylinders (which is
pretty much all of the time – The Simpsons theme
tune, ‘March of the Dead’ in Army of Darkness
to name but two) he really does nail it, and the score he did for
the best Batman movie ever is the absolute bomb. Rousing, gothic
bravado? Check. Twisted and cascading themes? Check. Touching love
scoring? Check. Dark? Double check. Elfman’s score hits all
the right notes at all the right times, and really does swirl around
your head with aural cobwebs and echoes, just like the music to
a saga about The Batman should.
And then, there’s Prince. Not content with having a perfect
score, Burton brings one of the most innovative and talented musicians
involved to write nine fantastic songs to accompany the score. ‘Partyman’
is one of my favourite songs (to borrow a quote from that genius
film reviewer, Paul Ross) “…of all time”…
except I’m telling the truth. It works so brilliantly with
the museum sequence, making it a party in your TV with every watch.
OK, that last bit was really crapply written, which means I’m
heading into a dizzy freefall, babbling on in a sad fan-boy way,
which means, that’s enough about praising Batman.
Next! Next song! NEXT SONG! NEXT!
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THIS
IS SPINAL TAP (1984)
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Director:
Rob Reiner
Music by: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean,
Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner |
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A
true original. I’m certain that this kind of creativity will
never happen again in film, and frankly, why should it, when you
got something as darn’ perfect as This Is Spinal Tap?
Not only is Rob Reiner’s debut movie (bastard!) one of the
funniest films ever, it’s one of the smartest, and features
the musical writing talents of the blokes who are playing the characters
of Spinal Tap?!? Big headfeck? Yep, but one that adds an appropriate
layer of realism to this ‘documentary’ about the fading
rockers. Getting Guest, McKean and Shearer to be as brilliant (and
as English – how good are their accents!?) as they all were
is one thing, but having their actual musical talents create the
soundtrack is just too perfect. A one off, a filmic treasure, and
something that reminds me more than once in a while that it’s
perfectly acceptable for soundtracks to rock like a muthahugga.
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MULHOLLAND
DR. (2002) |
Director:
David Lynch
Music by: Angelo Badalamenti |
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I
love David Lynch. He’s awesome. Not only does he put together
spectacular movies – he’s one of the very few directors
who really loves (and knows how to use, and write innovative) music.
He always works closely with his staple composer Badalamenti (since
1986’s Blue Velvet), and the soundtracks to his films
always matches and affects the visuals. I picked Mulholland
Dr. as an example because, not only does it have one of Badalamenti’s
best scores – hypnotic, graceful, rich reds and pure blacks
(OK – YOU try and describe sounds with words!), it also has
an incredible re-working of Roy Orbison’s 'Crying' in it,
by Joe Melson. It’s an accapella version, sung in Spanish
in the ‘Silencio’ scene, and is absolutely stunning:
saddening, intriguing, uplifting and disturbing all at once. I really
wanted to go off on one about Eraserhead too, but I’d
be here all day if I did that. All I’ll say is, if you really
dig cool sound design in films, you have to see the aforementioned
‘…head. Alan Splet and Lynch’s eerie
industrial sounds are incredible. Blimey, that was remarkably short
and restrained…!
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Carnival
Of Souls
(1962) |
Director:
Herk Harvey
Music by: Gene Moore |
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Good
‘ol Herk – another killer directorial d ebut. Although
he’d been involved with many educational and industrial
documentaries over the years, this is (bizarrely) his only feature
film. But what a film, and what a score. Moore’s use of
the church organ is so brilliant – it gets right inside
your head and then crawls all over your spine, causing the same
kind of madness that the lead character Mary Henry experiences.
You’ll never hear a church organ in the same way again –
and if a movie can make you change your referencing in this way,
it’s gotta be pretty powerful. Gotta stop for a second,
I want to go and give Carnival… a DVD spin –
it’s been too long!
OK,
since we’re trawling through the realms of music, it’d
be stupid not to flag up a couple of highly influential musicians
who inspire more than just the EHP tunes. There are literally hundreds
of them that set various sparks off, but here are the holy trinity…
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DEVIN
TOWNSEND |
Bands/Projects:
Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend Band, Vai, to name
but a few…
Photo
by Omer Shaked
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Aren’t
Canadians great? Just have a think about all the musical artists,
filmmakers and generally creative types that you like, and I guarantee
that a lot of them will be Canadian. Must be all that cool scenery
or something, I dunno. And I don’t care, really, I’m
happy for it to remain a mystery, just as long as Dev keeps churning
out the unbelievably good music that he has been doing for the past
ten + years. Not only has Mr. T inspired me musically, but his whole
‘screw the industry: do it yourself’ has been a massive
inspiration for myself and the EHP entourage to ‘go it alone’
down the independent trail. Gawd bless you Dev, because we’re
loving it, and are certainly (in some respect, at least) ‘on
the way’. Not heard of Devin? You fools! Let’s just
say the man has written, performed and produced some of the greatest
records in the history of music: if that sounds like an overstatement,
tough – I just call it as I see it, and that’s how I
see it, bub. He can write the most beautiful music ever (songs like
‘Things Beyond Things’) and the most devastingly heavy
tunes, too (see SYL’s ‘Detox’ and er, anything
SYL have done actually!). Devin is the real deal. If you like music,
what are you doing still reading this!? Go to www.hevydevy.com
now and do your ears a favour.
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MIKE
PATTON |
Bands/Projects:
Faith No More, Fantomas, Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle, to name but
a few…
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This
man can do it all: jazz, blistering metal, blues, white noise with
a pop twist – none are a problem. And his voice? Well, those
in the know, know what mean. In your ‘fantasy band’,
he’d be the frontman. His range is massive, and his array
of ‘voices’ is incredible. If you haven’t heard
his EP he did with The Dillinger Escape Plan called Irony Is
A Dead Scene, then you bloody well should – it’ll
blow you away. It’s not just his musical abilities though,
on his Adult Themes For Voice album, he really inspired me to experiment
with the human voice and sound design. There’s a million and
one sounds you can make with your gob, and Mike knows how to create
the trillion others that no-one's attempted and makes your jaw remain
open whilst you stand there going, ‘how the feck is he doing
that?!’ A true master and another massive inspiration into
giving the music industry ‘the finger’ and doing things
you own way.
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TORI
AMOS |
Albums:
Scarlet’s Walk, Little Earthquakes, From The Choirgirl
Hotel, to name but a few…
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When
you see a woman use her voice and body the way Tori does, live,
whilst leaning into the open top of her grand piano and creating
the coolest sounds by strumming and scraping the strings inside,
you’d understand why she’s being given a nod here. Hopefully
from that little preamble, you’ve already sensed where I’m
going with this. This woman is a storyteller, a poet, and is as
musically prolific as they get. Give her just a piano and she can
take you through torturous and beautiful landscapes, all in three
minutes… all in the same three minute song. Queen of the emotional
performance, Tori does what you never see any of these Pap Idols
(copyright EHP 2003) doing on TV: she feels, re-lives, believes,
and puts across the history and emotional resonance within every
syllable of every word that she sings, every time, bar none. Listen
and learn.
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Just
to close: as PW mentioned Douglas Adams, wanna know about a book
you can actually hear? No, not an audio CD version! House of
Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is not only one of favourite
books (if not, my favourite… ‘of all time’), his
sister, Poe, created an album inspired by the events in the book
called Haunted, which is fantastic. Both ooze atmosphere,
and must be acquired. Right, gotta go – a certain director
is prodding his watch with his finger, tapping his foot, and looking
generally a bit ‘get-on-with-some-musical-ideas-for-The-Myth’…
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