One thing you may have guessed if you’ve been reading my blog for a while is that I am a movie fan.  I adore getting lost into the worlds that a movie can give you in a short time period.  I still think that books are the ultimate destination if you wish to escape but that’s a topic for another post (Now that’s a good idea) So I’m going to share my thoughts on the movies that I have seen and how they have influenced me as a person and as a writer.

I’m going to write a couple of these (that may mean some planning……….not my strong point) I’m going to start of with the ‘Is this Real?’ movies.  The first one I saw was Total Recall.   This film was such a mind, I really want to say the ‘F’ word because it suits, but I wont.  But it was a proper mind bender, one that has properly struck deep into my brain and wedge itself there.  I love the concept that the world around us is not real.  There was a number of instances in that film where we have no idea whether it was real, even at the end it’s still a mind bending movie.  I’m eager to see if the remake has the same effect as the original film, I must buy the book if I’m honest.

Another early influence which really did blow my mind away was Dark City.  This is a gritty little film that should be watched (I’m ashamed to say that it is not in my collection 😦 ) It’s been many years since I’ve seen it too so forgive me if I’m a little rusty about it.  But basically this film has a character whose in a world where it’s never day time and there is a creepy group of men wearing hats moving around and basically changing the world on a daily basis.  Please go and check it out 🙂

The Matrix played with this in the early part of the film but it quickly revealed what the real world was.

Inception is an excellent example, with a slight twist throughout the film.  Here we know that they are delving into dream after dream after dream and how complicated it gets but we are left with the odd question at the end of the movie which I love and hate.

Source Code is, for me, a better example of mind bending reality questions then Inception because it comes from a slightly different angle and although I love the effects and style of Inception Source Code is much simpler in its looks and has a subtlety that Duncan Jones seems to prefer (If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know that I am a huge fan of Moon and Source Code and their director Duncan Jones) at the same time though it is hugely complex in the issues that the characters have to deal with and it left me guessing about what was actually reality. Inception is stunning but Source Code is a little more raw if that makes sense.  If it doesnt go and watch both 😀

How has this all influenced me?  Well as I said I love the whole concept that the world around us in not real, or what it seems because it leaves questions unanswered.  If I’m honest I hate that.  I like everything to be nicely wrapped up at the end of story, but the inquisitive side of my mind wants to ask questions about what happens next.  Like what happens to Trueman when he leaves this enclosed world that he is being held in?  It’s like knowing that there is going to be a scary bit in a movie but still watching it.  I am going to write a mind bending story like this one day (this is normally where I’d say “Once I’ve written more and become a better writer, but I’ve been told off for saying that 😛 ) But one day I will write something which will hopefully leave the reader asking more questions about what was real and what was not at the end of the story.

If any of you have any recomendations of mind beding films that I havent mentioned I’d love to hear about them 🙂